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RAMSHACKLE DORM – LOUNGE

The early light slipped in through cracked windows, cutting a gentle beam across the lounge. (Name) stirred beneath his warm blanket, a soft sigh escaping his lips. His sheep ears twitched at the faint sound of rustling and quiet whispering.

Deuce: gently shaking him "(Name), wake up. The unbirthday party's today. If we're late... well, you know Riddle."

(Name) blinked sleep from his eyes, mumbling softly.

(Name): "...Another weird dream. This time... chestnuts were dancing."

Deuce: smiling slightly "That tracks."

A firm knock rattled the dorm door before it creaked open without waiting for permission.

Cater: "Good moooorning, sunshine! Did everyone enjoy the sleepover? Pillow fights? Secret-sharing? Matching PJs?!"

(Name) sat up slowly, his locs messy from sleep, sheep ears flopping down lazily. His presence alone had Cater swooning silently in the doorway, heart rate doing Olympic sprints.

Ace: yawning "Morning, Cater... We played Old Maid. Grim lost every time."

Grim: "Grumbles I was robbed! My paws can't hold cards right, anyway."

Deuce: "Let's just say Grim's poker face is... non-existent."

Cater waltzed closer, fingers itching to fix (Name)'s hair but restraining himself. Barely.

Cater: "Well, you better grab one of those gorgeous tarts we made yesterday and go say sorry to Riddle. And don't dawdle—after yesterday's drama, we're a bit short-handed."

Ace: narrowing his eyes "What do you mean 'short-handed'?"

Cater: winking playfully, but voice low and syrupy "Don't worry, Acey-poo. I've got everything under control... Just make sure (Name) doesn't lift a finger too hard today. I'd hate for him to wear himself out."

(Name) blinked, rubbing sleep from his eyes as Deuce quietly handed him a comb to fix his locs. They were all hovering.

⸻

HEARTSLABYUL DORM – GARDENS

Ace: "Okay, okay. I hand Riddle the tart. I apologize. Done. Easy, right—?"

A sharp sound of clapping echoed from the path ahead.

Cater B: "About time I got back! Good to see me!"

Cater A: "And me! Looking good as always, me!"

Deuce, Ace, and Grim: "HUH?!"

Deuce: jaw dropping "Th-there are two Caters?!"

Ace: "You got identical twins stashed somewhere, dude?!"

Cater A: "Nope~ No siblings. Just this." Snaps fingers

Cater: "Split Card—my signature spell. Lets me clone myself. All the better to multitask, charm, and protect... especially when (Name) might be near sharp thorns and dangerous roses. Heaven forbid he gets pricked."

Cater C: bowing low "Welcome home, darlings."

Cater D: soft smile, eyes locked on (Name) "Glad to see you're safe, (Name). You should've let me walk you over..."

Cater B: "You're late! I was worried sick!"

Ace: "OKAY, now there's four?! I need a nap already."

Cater B (real Cater): "Don't worry. I'm the real one. Maintaining these bad boys drains my magic meter fast. But we're low on manpower, so we need all of you."

He turned sharply, his tone sharpening with authority.

Cater: "When this is over, I promise I'll take you to Riddle personally, (Name). I wouldn't want anyone else handling it."

His eyes flicked toward Ace and Deuce. They caught the warning in his smile.

Grim: groaning "More roses again?! Ughhh."

Ace: "Here we go again."

Cater: "Let's go, people! Time to paint the roses red—and no one's touching (Name)'s hands but me!"

(Name) blinked in confusion as three Cater clones ushered him forward like royal guards, each one protective, each one vying silently for his attention.꒷︶꒷꒥꒷‧₊˚૮꒰˵•ᵜ•˵꒱ა‧₊˚꒷︶꒷꒥꒷

HEARTSLABYUL DORM – ROSE MAZE

Deuce: panting as he wipes sweat from his brow "Whew... This is going better than last time."

Cater: "Lookin' good! You all are slaying."

He glanced at (Name), whose curls bounced as he adjusted the sleeve of his perfectly tailored Heartslabyul formalwear. The rose-colored trim against his caramel skin had Cater sweating harder than the sun overhead.

Cater (to himself): "Note to self: start a 'Name in Uniform' appreciation account on Magicam."

Cater: "Ooh, almost time! Okay, all you sexy body doubles—strike a pose and poof!"

Caters: "Aye-aye, Cay-Cay!"

With a synchronized flourish, the Cater clones vanished in sparkles of magic.

⸻

HEARTSLABYUL DORM – TEA GARDEN

A row of dorm students lined up in sharp unison.

Heartslabyul Student: "All hail our leader, the red sovereign himself... Housewarden Riddle!"

Heartslabyul Students: in sync "We salute you, Housewarden Riddle!"

Riddle stood at the center, pristine as a porcelain doll, the crimson sash around his waist fluttering as he turned. His eyes, however, flickered to (Name)—lingering, staring, burning.

Riddle: "Hm. The garden roses are red, the tablecloths are white... This seems a proper unbirthday indeed."

Riddle: "Is there a dormouse asleep in the teapot, as there should be?"

Trey: nodding "Of course. And we've got the jam ready in case we need to smear it on his nose."

Riddle: "Very good."

Grim: "Myah! These clothes are wild!"

Cater: "They're Heartslabyul dorm formalwear, baby. Fierce, right? Magicam loves them."

He spun once in his own outfit before sliding behind (Name), gently fixing his collar.

Cater (whispering near his ear): "One of the Queen's rules says we gotta dress up on party days. Let me take care of you."

(Name) blinked, a bit flustered.

Deuce: "Whoa!"

Ace: "Lookin' sharp, man."

Grim: "So cool!"

(Name): blushing faintly "You all look great too..."

Cater: "Let's tear this party UP! And don't forget to give Riddle the tart."

⸻

A MOMENT LATER...

Riddle: raising his teacup "Before we begin the croquet tournament, let us make a toast. Does everyone have their cup?"

He lifted it high, his eyes landing on (Name) again. His words slowed, sweetened by the sight.

Riddle: "On this most significantly unauspicious of days, I bid all in attendance... a very merry unbirthday."

Everyone: "To a very merry unbirthday!"

Cater: "Ace, this is your cue."

Ace: "R-Right..."

He stepped forward with the tart and a shaky smile.

Ace: "Housewarden, sir..."

Riddle: "Ah. The tart thief."

His voice dropped like a guillotine.

Ace: "Yeah, so. I wanted to say sorry. We baked a new one... it's a chestnut tart!"

Riddle: "A CHESTNUT tart?!"

Ace: "What?!"

Riddle: face flushing, eyes wide "Queen of Hearts's Rule 562! 'One must NEVER bring a chestnut tart to an unbirthday tea party!'"

His gloved hand slapped the table.

Riddle: "You've ruined an otherwise perfect unbirthday! Do you understand what you've done?!"

His tone cracked—not with anger. With devastation.

His eyes darted not to Ace—but to (Name). Watching him. Disappointed? Unhappy? His lower lip trembled.

Deuce: "Rule 562... How many of these are there?!"

Riddle: "There are eight hundred and ten. And I, as Housewarden, know every. single. one."

Cater: "Whew... That's new info. Trey, did you know?"

Trey: "I only got up to Rule 350..."

Deuce: "We botched this so bad."

Riddle: rising now, the red in his cheeks creeping to his ears "This offense is inexcusable. I cannot ignore this violation."

He turned, eyes wild now—though the chaos swirled deeper than just tart-related rage.

Riddle: "Destroy the offending tart. THROW the rulebreakers out of the dorm!"

His gaze flicked to (Name) as the words left his lips... and softened.

But then it returned—stiff, professional. Masked.

Riddle (thinking): "He saw me lose composure. He saw me falter. What must he think? I must fix this—make it right—make him see I'm still worthy."

The tension in the garden rose as the guests froze, awaiting someone to act—:♡.•♬✧⁽⁽ଘ( ˊᵕˋ )ଓ⁾⁾*+:•*∴HEARTSLABYUL DORM – TEA GARDEN

Ace: "Whoa, hold up! Is that really one of your rules too?!"

Grim: "Yeah! If you want the tart gone, lemme eat it! I'll die before wasting it!"

Trey: raising a hand calmly "Housewarden, if I may. I was the one who suggested the chestnut tart."

Cater: "And I helped too. We didn't know it was a no-go today!"

Riddle: "The making of the tart isn't the issue. The crime is bringing it HERE. On THIS day. THAT is the transgression!"

(Name), standing just behind Deuce, folds their arms, eyes narrowing.

(Name): "...How can you live by such foolish rules?"

The entire garden went dead silent.

Riddle: voice cracking "...What did you just call me?"

His red eyes locked onto (Name). Wide. Shaken. A flicker of something far more dangerous than anger sparked.

Ace: "Yeah! You heard him. All you ever do is bark rules like a broken record! You sound totally foolish."

Riddle: "...Foolish...?"

His grip tightened around the teacup. The fine porcelain cracked beneath his fingers.

Cater: "Okay, pause—everyone, let's not pour gasoline on this teacup fire, yeah? Riddle, they're still new!"

Ace: "Nah. I've got a shovel and I'm digging. Tossing out a tart 'cause of a dumb rule? That's peak foolishness."

Deuce: "I agree with Ace. I understand following rules, but... this is too much."

Riddle: "Oh? You want to debate me now?" He stepped forward, cape flaring. "Fine. Let's dance. Breaking one rule opens the gates to chaos. Anarchy! And you—you—dare question my order?"

His voice trembled—but not from nerves. From obsession. His gaze kept flicking to (Name), like a starved man clinging to control.

Ace: "I know y'all are scared of getting your magic sealed, but this is insane and you know it."

Heartslabyul Student A: "N-no, we, uh..."

Riddle: "WELL? Isn't it?!"

Heartslabyul Student B: "F-Far from it, Housewarden Riddle, sir!"

Heartslabyul Student A: "W-We trust your judgment, sir!"

Grim: "You little—!"

Ace: "Spineless, backstabbing—"

Riddle: cutting them off "In the year since I became Housewarden, not a single Heartslabyul student has dropped out or repeated a year. We have the best academic standing in the entire school. That makes me—ME—the most correct."

He turned sharply toward (Name) now. A sick kind of desperation laced his voice.

Riddle: "If you would just obey me... We wouldn't have to fight like this."

Deuce: "Listen, we—"

Riddle: "You think I enjoy sealing your magic? That I want to humiliate you? No. I do it because the rules must be upheld. I do it so I don't lose control—so I don't lose you!"

He clamped his mouth shut the second the words left.

A pause. A heavy one.

Trey: "..."

(Name): softly "...You're not keeping control. You're spiraling."

Riddle: shaking "If you will not obey me..."

He raised his hand.

Riddle: "Then I'll have all of your heads!"

Cater: "Okay—everybody, repeat after me: 'Yes, Housewarden Riddle.'"

Deuce: "...I can't."

(Name): "No."

Ace: "No way! I don't bow to some self-important tyrant!"

Riddle: voice rising "What did you just call me?!"

Grim: "He called you a TYRANT! 'Cause you wanna destroy food and throw a tantrum!"

Deuce: "Guys, maybe don't—!"

Riddle: SCREAMING "OFF! WITH! YOUR! HEADS!"

A burst of red lightning shot from his hand. The collars exploded from thin air—two of them locking onto Grim and Deuce.

Grim & Deuce: "BWAAAAAAAH!"

Grim: "Noooo! Not the collar again!"

Deuce: "I—I can't get it off!"

Riddle: "Trey. Cater. Eject them. Now."

Cater & Trey: "...Yes, sir. Housewarden."

Deuce: "You're supposed to be our mentors...!"

Cater: "I'm sorry, really... But we can't go against Riddle."

Trey: "...Sorry, man."

Ace: stepping between them and (Name) "So that's how it is?! You wanna play tyrant? Fine. Then let's really go there."

Trey: silent, conflicted... his gaze resting on (Name), lingering like a goodbye.꒷︶꒷꒥꒷‧₊˚૮꒰˵•ᵜ•˵꒱ა‧₊˚꒷︶꒷꒥꒷HEARTSLABYUL DORM – FRONT GATE

Cater: nervously adjusting his jacket "We'll... T-T-Y-L, folks."

Trey: "We'll try to calm Riddle down. Maybe—maybe—he'll let you back in if you apologize."

Ace: fuming "Apologize?! To him?! That walking, red-haired disaster with a god complex?! NEVER!"

Deuce: "You're not helping..."

Grim: pouting, tail flicking "Yeah, well I'm not saying sorry either! I almost got COLLARED outta nowhere!"

(Name): coolly brushing a leaf off his sleeve, tone calm but sharp "He doesn't want an apology. He wants control."

Ace and Deuce glance at each other, taken aback by how cold (Name)'s voice sounds.

⸻

HEARTSLABYUL DORM – TEA GARDEN

Riddle: briskly walking back toward the center of the gathering, cheeks flushed with fury and pride "Hmph. Now... let's get this party back on track."

His voice echoes in the hushed garden. No one dares to move.

Riddle: "We still need to have the croquet tournament. And now we're fifteen minutes behind schedule! This is outrageous!"

Trey: tight-lipped "Yes, sir. Housewarden Riddle."

Cater: fidgeting beside him, whispering "Are you really okay with this, Trey?"

Trey: quietly "What do you expect me to do?"

Cater: "I dunno... Something? Riddle's losing it. I mean, he's always been obsessed with control, but this—this is new. He's... fixated."

Trey: his gaze shifts "You mean on (Name)?"

Cater: "He hasn't stopped staring since (Name) spoke up. And did you hear his voice earlier? That wasn't about tarts or rules... That was personal."

Trey: softly, staring down at his gloved hands "Yeah. I noticed."

Riddle: calling out with eerie cheer "What are you two whispering about? If you're not preparing the field for croquet, then you're wasting precious time!"

Cater: snapping upright "No worries, Housewarden! We're on it!"

He tugs Trey's arm, pulling him into action. As they walk, Cater leans closer.

Cater: murmuring "If this escalates, and he really loses it... I'm not gonna stand by, Trey."

Trey: quiet "...Neither will I."

The camera metaphorically lingers on Riddle's clenched fists and wide, unblinking eyes.:♡.•♬✧⁽⁽ଘ( ˊᵕˋ )ଓ⁾⁾*+:•*∴HEARTSLABYUL DORM – ROSE MAZE (CONTINUED)

(Name): arms crossed, tapping his foot "A cat who knows too much and says too little... Sounds about right for this place."

Grim: "You got that right! All these dudes are extra weird—but not even in the cool way like me!"

Deuce: nodding thoughtfully "Still... Trey's been close to Riddle since they were kids? I never would've guessed."

Ace: grumbling "Yeah, well, that just means he probably helped make him this crazy."

(Name): gently placing a hand on Ace's shoulder "Easy. Trey's not the enemy here. Riddle's just... letting power go to his head."

Grim: "More like letting his feelings go to his head. You saw the way he was lookin' at ya, (Name). That wasn't rule rage. That was 'how dare you breathe near someone else' energy."

Ace: "Seriously! I thought he was gonna collar me just for standing too close to you."

Deuce: visibly sweating "And now I'm suddenly worried I've been accidentally leading him on just by existing."

(Name): rolling his eyes playfully "I breathe near a lot of people, Grim. That's not a crime."

Grim: "Try telling him that."

Deuce: sighing "Well, either way, we can't do anything like this. Let's go talk to Trey before we decide our next move."

Ace: "If he even has a spine left after being Riddle's shadow for so long."

Grim: "And if he starts defending that tomato tyrant again, I'm biting his ankles."

(Name): chuckling "Let's just hope it doesn't come to that. But yeah... It's time we got some real answers."

As they push through the hedges, the magical collars still digging into Grim and Deuce's necks, the roses seem almost to lean toward (Name)—like they're watching. Whispering. As though the maze itself is alive... and knows who its favorite is.

Somewhere, deep in the tea garden, Riddle paces in silence.

His gloved hands tremble—not from anger, but from restraint.

His eyes fixate on the trail left by (Name)... the sound of his voice still echoing like a bell in Riddle's mind.

He had called him foolish.

He had sided with the others.

He had looked away.

Riddle's fingers twitch.

Riddle (internal monologue): "You don't understand, (Name)... They don't deserve you. I've been patient. I've been so patient. But if you keep slipping away from me... I'll make you stay. One way or another."