Twisted Wonderland 2

Mother Nature's Majesty

You walk through the halls early in the morning on your way to the Mirror Chamber. You carry Grim in your arms since he's practically falling back to sleep. Stepping into the Mirror Chamber, you see Epel is already there. He smiles cheerfully when he sees you walk in.

"Morning, Y/N!"

Grim lets out a yawn. "So tired... Can barely keep my eyes open. Ain't the race tomorrow? Do we really gotta leave first thing?"

Epel chuckles. "There's prep work to do, so we need to be there bright and early. Plus, my teammates need to get in some plush sledding practice."

"THE BATTLE HAS ALREADY BEGUN!"

You nearly jump out of your skin. Turning around, you see Sebek walking into the room.

"MRAH!" Grim glares at Sebek. "Scare us some more, why don't ya?"

"Good morning, Sebek." Epel greets. "I hope it wasn't too bad getting up this early."

Sebek waves him off. "Hardly. I'm always up at this hour for training. A little exercise will shake off any drowsiness. Care to give it a go, Grim? I'll join you."

Grim shakes his head. "No way, no how!"

Sebek folds his arms. "Last night I informed Malleus and Lilia that I would be participating in a sled race and they told me to do my best out there. Failure is NOT an option!"

"Glad to see you're motivated, Sebek." Epel lets out a laugh. "I told Vil I was joining the race, and you know what he said to me? 'Beware of sunburn. And above all use, return victorious.' I'd expected a lecture about not letting my personal hygiene slip, but it turns out he's got a competitive streak."

"Goodness, you all arrived rather early." Jade walks over to your group. "Now I fear I've kept you waiting."

Epel waves to the twin. "Ah, good morning, Jade. There's still ten minutes or so until the meeting time. You're totally fine."

Jade shakes his head with a sigh. "Azul had many things he wanted to discuss when he heard I was going to Harveston. It was a trifle time consuming."

"Like what?" Epel tilts his head.

"Well, the Mostro Lounge is going to hold a Harveston Fest."

Epel's eyes widen at this.

"Azul's having a Harveston Fest?" You ask.

Jade nods. "He said that since I was going anyway, I might as well turn it into a business opportunity. So I've been tasked with researching Harveston's notable culinary delights and local ingredients."

"Azul is certainly dedicated to his business..." Sebek huffs.

"Indeed." Jade chuckles. "We'll be operating under a strict budget with a definite sales target. It's no simple side job."

"I can help with that, at least." Epel offers. "I'd be happy to show you all our local specialties."

Jade places a hand to his chest. "Thank you, that's so kind, Epel. I would greatly appreciate it."

Idia and Ortho walk into the room. Idia carries with him quite a lot of luggage only for a weekend trip.

"Good morning, everybody." Ortho waves.

"Good morning, Idia, Ortho." Epel greets. "Glad to have you with us."

Sebek quirks an eye at Idia. "That's a substantial amount of luggage for a mere weekend jaunt."

Idia only chuckles. "I gotta bring the right mats to make the most out of this Sled Over Heels pilgrimage."

"Thank you for inviting my brother, Epel Felmier!" Ortho smiles under his mask. "I was so astonished when I heard he'd been invited on a trip. In fact, I still am!"