The Winged Child

♥ Chapter 19: Punishment Escalation

***Heartslabyul Dorm - Lounge***

C.C. POV:

"The Queen of Hearts's rule 249: "Flamingo caretakers are to don pink attire." It was supposed to be your turn to feed the flamingos today. Why aren't you wearing pink?" Riddle asks sternly. "I'm sorry, Housewarden. My pink clothes were in the laundry... Please, sir, not the collar!" the student begged fearfully. "This is your second rule violation. I cannot forgive a repeated offense. Off With Your Head!" Riddle says, collaring the student, earning a scream. "Write me a 5,000-word apology and weed the garden for one week, and I'll remove it." Riddle states.

"... But..." the student mumbles while sobbing. I sigh and hug Riddle, calming him down a bit. "I think he's learned, he doesn't need to write an essay." I say. "Fine. As much as I would like to, I cannot ignore these infractions. It's for your own sake. Understood? Trey? Cater? Remove him from the premises." Riddle says, giving into my suggestion. I see the student look at me in thanks, while Trey and Cater approach. "...Yes, Housewarden." Trey and Cater mumble, a hit of thanks and admiration in their eyes from me stepping in. I turn my attention to Riddle, whos slowly calming down while I hug him.

***Library***

Micheal POV:

"Hello, Trey." Deuce says while we approch the unsuspecting teen. "You four!' Trey says in surprise. "We figured that if we waited at the library, you'd show up to return your tart cookbook eventually." Deuce states. "We still got a problem with the way Housewarden Riddle is handling all of this." Ace says grumpily. "Yeah, I thought you might say that." Trey says with a sigh. "Come clean with us. What's your take on Riddle? Is it true you've been pandering to him since the two of you were kids?" Ace asks bluntly. "What?! Who told you that?" Trey asks in shock. "Che'nya." Yuu states bluntly. "Chenya... Huh. That explains it." Trey mumbles. "What I don't get is, aren't you older than Riddle? Why haven't ya told him off already?" Grim asks.

"I do when I need to. I don't think the situation calls for it." Trey states. "Why not?" Ace asks. "These sorts of strict rules... They're what created Riddle." Trey says hesitantly, earning looks of confusion. "His parents were famous magical healers. Everyone where we're from knew their names. His mom was especially talented, and she really wanted Riddle to live up to her legacy. So, from the moment Riddle woke up to when his head hit the pillow at the end of the night...Every aspect of his life was planned, down to the minute, by the education program she made for him." Trey explains. "Sounds pretty lame." Grim comments.

"What he ate, what he wore, what soap he used, who his friends were - every last detail had been predetermined for him. And to please his parents, Riddle obediently completed every task they'd laid out for him. He mastered his signature spell by age ten. He's been the top student in all of his classes. I can't even imagine how hard he must have had it." Trey says. "Thats horrible.." Yuu says sympathetically. "Riddle sees the enforcement of strict rules as a service to his dorm members. In his eyes, being bound by rigid guidelines - by fear - is a fast-track to personal growth. Because that's how it worked for him. And on the flip side, he sees the violation of those rules as an inexcusable offense." Trey explains further. "I guess that makes sense, since rules made him who he is." Ace says bluntly.

"Look, I totally get why you see Riddle as a tyrant, and why you disapprove of his methods. But for me... I can't hold that against him, you know?" Trey says. "Myah..." Grim mutters. "So that's why he's like that." Deuce mumbles. "...... All right, now I get it. It's YOUR fault Riddle's like this." Ace says. "What?!" everyone says in shock. "Riddle didn't get to choose his parents. But you know what his parents did to him, and you know it was wrong, right?" Ace asks. "I mean, yeah..." Trey mumbles. "Well, now Riddle's making the exact same mistake that his parents did. You're going easy on him because he had it rough as a kid? Don't you see where that's leading? You're letting him make a pariah out of himself!" Ace says, only earning silence from Trey.

"Ace, man, come on..." Deuce says hesitantly. "He has a point." I comment, earning all eyes on me. "What do you mean?" Yuu asks. "Well, he can't control his parents, but his friends also play a big role in his life and influence a lot of it. If you keep letting him see things this way then he'll never see any differently from his parents." I explain, watching the guilt in Treys face. "I understand where your coming from in protecting him Trey, but he needs someone to help him free himself, to be a good influence on his independence. I would know. My friends influenced a lot in my life....and it wasn't very good." I finish.

"You there! Be quiet! You are in a library!" Crowley yells while approaching us. "You're yellin' louder 'n any of us, though!" Grim says. "Oh! Yes, my apologies. But let us strive to maintain the library as a quiet place for reading." Crowley says after clearing his throat. "Why are you here Ma?" Yuu asks. "I'm researching methods to send you back home. Precisely as I promised I would. Oh, but I AM gracious! And the library is, of course, an ideal place for serious research. It's not as if I came here just to secure the newest book in that popular series of novels. No, certainly not. Incidentally, what are you all discussing with such grim faces?" Crowley asks. "Well, since you asked..." Deuce starts.

***Interesting Facts***

- Michael was more sympathetic after C.C.'s death, hence why he's so careful around the (emotionally unstable) teens

- Trey is grateful for Mike's story and advice

- Riddle likes C.C.'s hugs (he probably doesn't get many hugs from others tbh)

- Michael sees his friends in Ace and Deuce