Twisted Wonderland: Glorious Masquerade - Let the Bell of Solace Ring

Chapter 1-12: I Must Apologize

"No. Look over there, to the side, Sebek," Silver says.

Sebek turns his head to the side and is surprised, "Oh! It's..."

What they see is a giant stone creature on the side.

Silver & Sebek exclaim in shock, "A GARGOYLE!"

Confused, Azul asks, "What has gotten into you two? I don't understand how simply seeing a gargoyle could elicit such excitement."

"How could it not?! Malleus is the head of the Gargoyle Studies Club!" Sebek says.

"He'll be delighted to see this," Silver says.

"Uh, p. sure he's less the head of the club, and more the only guy in it..." Idia says.

Sebek however, ignores him, "I must notify him at once!" And rushes to Malleus, "MALLEUUUS! Look! It's one of your beloved gargoyles! Please, take all the time you want to gaze upon it!"

Malleus walks over to see the gargoyle, but he doesn't seem that pleased.

Sebek asks, "Hm? Why do you look displeased? Is there something wrong?!"

"It doesn't have a waterspout. The only purpose it serves is to adorn the railing. Hence, it's not a gargoyle. It's a mere decoration, which means it's a grotesque. You must not conflate the two," Malleus explains.

"Pedantic, much?" Azul replies.

"I guess Malleus is pretty particular. Dude, I can relate. It seriously grinds my gears when people call the shield in Star Rogue a barrier. Pfft," Idia says, annoyed.

"Ugh, persnickety people are so tiresome..." Azul says, "The gar—ah, grotesque—looks rather dirty, though. There's straw stuffed in its mouth."

"What? There is?" Malleus questions, and looks to see a bird's nest, "...Why, yes, you're right. Is that a bird's nest?"

"It looks that way," Silver says, he then asks, "Excuse me, birds. May we have a look inside?"

The bird tweets in response and Silver looks inside.

Seeing it, Silver says, "Ah, it's hollow on the inside. The birds built their nest in there."

"It's hollow?" Malleus asks.

"Yes, sir. There seems to be a passage going from its mouth to the back," Sebek says.

"A passage, hm..." Malleus says, and soon smiles, "Ah...Of course."

Trinket looks over and sees the inside of the gargoyle herself to see a hollow entrance.

Silver asks, "What is it? You're staring so intently at the gar—um, grotesque, I mean."

But Malleus says, "I must apologize for my earlier rudeness. You are a gargoyle, through and through. I can clearly see the passage goes all the way back. It must serve as your waterspout. And there are so many of you... On closer inspection, you each have a distinctive face all your own. I'm curious about your placement...but it's an intriguing thought exercise to guess why you might be there. Are you being relocated, I wonder? What a truly fascinating place Noble Bell College is."

"Anyone else having whiplash from that total one-eighty?" Idia asks.

"Are you happy with them, then?" Silver asks.

"Yes. Thank you both for drawing my attention to them," Malleus answers.

"You needn't thank us, my liege! I'm sure even the gargoyles are honored to earn your noble recognition!" Sebek says.

Suddenly, Azul hears a creaking sound and looks to notice something off.

"...Hm? Did that gargoyle just move?" Azul questions.

"Huh?" Briar says, confused.

"Huh? The gargoyle...moved?" Silver asks.

"...Ashengrotto. You must be sorely exhausted from the climb up here. You should take a long rest," Malleus says.

And Idia says, "It's just a big rock. It CAN'T move on its own. Are you sure you're not delirious, Azul?"

"I know what I saw...!" Azul insists, but then says, "Oh, never mind. I'm well aware how silly it sounds. Forget I said anything."

"Well, I think that covers all the notable geographic points... Ah, and what were you chatting about over here?" Rollo says.

"Nothing at all! We're finished now," Azul says.

"Is that so?" Rollo responds, "Then let us head back down. Once you've put away your things, you're welcome to tour around the city. Seeing is believing, as they say."

"Oh yes, it's about time for our fieldwork, according to the itinerary," Azul says.

Then Trein says, "You will have free exploration time so you can learn about the city's history. Once we've left the tower, we can—"

Soon, the Vice president says, "Oh, uh, one more thing!"

"Yes?" Trein questions.

"We actually have gifts for all of our guests, as a token of our regard," The vice president says.

"Gifts, you say? Ooo, what'd ya get us?" Ruggie asks.

Grim happily asks, "Is it food? Well? IS IT?!"

One of the students, Aide says, "We got you special attire so you can truly enjoy the festival!"

"Oh, clothes? Hmm... Not what I expected, but if you're offerin', I'm takin'," Ruggie replies, "So, are they like, pricey duds, or...?"

Jamil sternly says, "You're not supposed to ask how much a present costs!"

"I wouldn't call them 'pricey,' but I'm sure you'll like them," Aide says.

The Vice President then says, "All the locals wear similar outfits at this time of year."

"So it's traditional attire?" Malleus asks.

"They're more for the festival specifically," Rollo says, "We thought it would be nice to have all the social participants dress in these outfits... Or rather, that's what these two thought."

"Absolutely! These clothes will help you immerse yourselves in our history and give you a true appreciation of Fleur City!" The Vice President says.

Rollo huffs, "Hmph. Well, there you have it. Let us head down. The sooner you get changed, the better."