#lady shurelia

[grimlock]

shurelia has a dialog topic where she talks passionately about the state of shaved ice rip to lady shurelia i think she would have loved 7/11 slurpees

[chibi-celesti]

Interlude 02-Book 01: Dia Rosa Rudje-Ar Prasrity Fowrlle

Ar Prasrity Fowrlle Gfine anw Revatail

(A moment of Peace)

Synopsis: On the eve of the Unbirthday Party, Meryu tries to bide her time to calm her soul and worries over what may happen next. What she didn’t know was that someone else was watching her from the shadows.

A special interlude dedicated to a moment between two people who don’t know each other yet, but one day will soon.

~Twisted Tonelico~

Shortly after returning to Ramshackle, Meryu and the boys settled down for the evening. While Ace and Deuce passed out on the sofa, Meryu was still awake; opting to spend time outside to calm her frayed nerves. 

The evening was cool, calm even. Meryu still couldn’t believe this is what the land beneath felt like. She remembered her guardian Shurelia telling her tales of what their world used to be like back in Platina. Those were things she could only imagine in her dreams back then. But now, seeing it and feeling the caress of the wind on her body was therapeutic. And real.

But then there's tomorrow…

Tomorrow will be my first Unbirthday Party here. And my first formal event without Lady Shurelia to guide me… she thought to herself. I wonder how she would react to me being in an all boy's academy? A smile appeared on her face. She'd probably have a panic attack and tear Mr. Crowley a new one.

She laughed to herself at the image. A fiery, livid Shurelia shouting at the magnanimous Head Mage, and two seconds away from ‘Ka-Boom'-ing the man to bits.

As Meryu continued to think about her guardian and only true family, she started to whisper a little tune to herself.

(~Lyrnya grrena anw bale,

Bautifal ciel burle~)

She swayed with the wind, whispers turning into humming to herself without a care, not minding if a soul were to see her and mock her for her naivete.

(~Was yea ra chanti fowrlle en hartes grlanza fhyu~)

(~Hyma en chs fedyya bexm, iasien sol dea houd frawr chiess herr~)

The longer she swayed with the wind, the more it enticed her to dance with it; the more she danced with the wind, the more her humming became singing.

~Mea eux na idesy sor, den~

~Was yea ra vit yora riura won manafaln dor~

(~Was yea ra vit waath oz hartes dor.~)

She sang of beautiful days, warm and hopeful tomorrow's. Not just for herself but for the world. It was something she always did.

~Mea oriye na idesy sor, dea~

~Was yea erra reen yora hynne tek manafaln ciela, an mean.~

(~Was yea erra reen dilete oz hartes ciela~)

Her little soliloquy was a performance that enamored the trees, the wind, and a few critters that traversed the campus. All either accompanied her in her song or swayed to the melodious waves of each lyric.

Her performance even caught the attention of someone who hid in the shadows. They have never met this young woman before, but it felt as though they have. Something about her voice sounded familiar to them, but they couldn't quite put their finger on it.

Curious yet mesmerized by Meryu's dance and voice, they felt like they were placed under a spell, but they did not fear. In fact, they loved it. A sudden sense of Déjà vu sent shivers throughout their body.

The shadowy figure couldn't help but hum along with the young woman's song. A part of them longing to reach out and dance with her like the wind is. But their feet were rooted to the spot; they couldn't move at all, afraid of disturbing her performance and scaring her off.

And just as she was at the precipice of her song, someone else's voice cut through and disturbed the peace. The stranger quickly hid themselves further into the shadows at the same time.

“Minion, it's late! We can't miss the Unbirthday Party, remember?”

Meryu halted in her steps, turning to the culprit that called her name, annoyed she was disturbed. “I'll be there in a moment, Grim!” Once Grim was back in the Dorm, she sighed in lament. He's right, I need to get some rest… She starts walking back to the front entrance, giving the stars one last glance before walking in the building.  I hope you're ok, Lady Shurelia.  I miss you so much…

In her ascension to the door, Meryu had sung to herself one more time.

~Wee yea ra hymme yanje revm,

Sol ammue zaarn, wi innna near burle.~

~Wee yea ra hymme yanje revm,

Yor irs, wi dor yeal folten…~

She closed the door, ignoring the silent tears falling down her face.

‘So this dorm is now inhabited?’ The stranger thought. They felt disappointed that their favorite place on campus is no longer vacant. They inwardly sighed. ‘Looks like I will have to find another place for myself.’

In a blink of an eye, they vanished  with not a single trace of their presence left behind, except for a glimmer of glowing green lights.

And the echoes of the Reyvateil’s lullaby from their lips.

[lazodiac]

So, let’s say you’re an RPG protagonist in a middle-tier PS2 era game, and you’ve been given a choice. You can either sit and be happy with your false happy ending, or you can risk it all and decide to Do Something About This.

This is the scenario Lyner Barsett finds himself in, at the end of Act 2 of Ar Tonelico.

It’s a weird thing for him. He’s spent the entirety of the game going around the world trying to solve the one(1) task his dad asked him to do at the start of the game, and one thing led to another and now he’s helped a cyborg magical girl pop idol put an ancient super virus being (who is also definitely a cyborg magical girl pop idol) to sleep. However, the consequence of this is… a third, only somewhat related cyborg magical girl pop idol was put to permanent sleep (believed to be death) to do so.

This is interesting for a couple reasons.

First and foremost is that hey; this is the first time Lyner actually makes a choice in his entire adventure! He’s given a happy ending and an implied idyllic life and all he has to do is let a character who is sort of important to him (she was his boss, much like his dad, but nice instead of a jerk) stay dead. And if that doesn’t sit right with him… well, it’s time to get up and Do Something About It. There’s something really interesting about that to me, that our hero is finally given some agency and the choice is to… potentially make things worse, because he just doesn’t want someone he knows to die.

It’s got that classic RPG vibe that I do like, and the implicit fact that there IS a choice to have that false happy ending really helps build on that false feeling. As you may have seen in another post, the “false” happy ending is actually pretty solid. Everything is solved and the only sacrifice is one(1) magical singing robot girl, and also all of the actual singing magic is turned off. Feels like a decent trade to save the day; hell FF6 did that and everyone loves that one! But by having it be a Choice, by telling the player “you can choose this, or not”, makes the false happy ending feel that much more unsatisfying, because you know it's not the true ending.

So Lyner chooses that no, this isn’t the way things should go. Aurica, the love interest (in the route we took anyway) is willing to help. Lyner’s her man and damn if she’s not going to help him do whatever. She taught him how to have agency in her life, so she’ll follow him to the ends of the earth. Dear ol’ Dad reveals there is a way to do it, we just gotta find a specific hymn crystal that’ll do it- with the implication that it’ll wake up the ancient virus lady as well but hey that’s a bridge we’ll cross when we get to it.

So, we go to pick up our friends to help us out. Sure it’s been a couple months, but they are our buddies and helped us save the world and junk, so why not right?

Radolf is busy being bishop. He’d love to, but… church, man.

Krusche is busy building an airship for her new employer. She’d love to, but… job, man.

It’s fascinating looking at this. Two of the three non-magical girl characters DO want to help, but not enough to upend their own happy endings. That’s interesting! They also assume Lyner’s “news” is that he and Aurica are getting married, implying they’re busy thinking about the future. And why wouldn’t they right, the world is at peace. They’re in their happy ending. And they don’t even really KNOW Lady Shurelia, the one who sacrificed herself to save the world.

This is… disappointing, for Lyner, so we go and find the final of our party members, Jack, who has been touring the world with Misha, the alternative love interest and second magical girl of the party. Jack is the one most likely to join us; after all, he’s an adventurerer. A wandering gunslinger. He’d absolutely be game for this sort of thing.

The conversation starts similar, Jack having presumptions about the news, and Aurica interrupting his interruption to cutely scream “NOOOO!” to the expected “are you getting married” thing.

Except Jack is confused. He was gonna ask if we had a new ruin to explore.

Then, when we tell Jack our plan, he tells us straight up that he “does not want to bring Shurelia back” and then fucking books it before we can get a word in edgewise.

Huh. That’s unexpected isn’t it. The one most likely to assist with this has literally less than zero desire to help, while the ones who have less reason to help DO want to help… but can’t.

There is something genuinely interesting about all this to me. This feels pretty counter to what I expected of a “let get the gang back together to get a proper golden ending” sort of scenario. Jack’s cageyness as well is pretty compelling- of the party he’s only non-magical girl who’d realistically have a chance to MEET Shurelia, it wouldn’t be impossible for him to WANT to save her, and as a wandering gunslinger type it feels like his kinda jam… and yet he doesn’t. Not only does he doesn’t, he explicitly is AGAINST it.

My read is that he’s made the realization I did above; waking up Shurelia puts us right back where we were at the end of Phase 2. Mir, the virus, very alive and very trying to kill us and not able to be stopped. There’s some, problems if that’s the case, so it could be something else but… who knows.

Either way, this is pretty interesting! I’m curious where this’ll go next! RANDOM SIDE TIDBIT: During this sequence if you revisit the old man who teaches you how to do the game’s crafting mechanic, he just screams “GRATHMELD” at you and nothing else. It’s really funny to me (see below).

[altermesh]

[ Lyner, it's alright, don't be scared... I am here. And I am the administrator of the tower. Lyner, do you like this world? ] [ ...yes ] [ I'm glad to hear that. You've travelled to world and met many different people. Your spirit was strengthened by your experiences and it will fuel a brand new world. I'm confident that you will nurture this land and raise a beautiful world ] [ Lady Shurelia... ] [ You grew up to be a great man. I'll leave you with all my hopes for the future. ]

[medi-melancholy]

here's full versions of all the art requests together

[reyvateilorigin-blog]

@inexplicableoni

There was just something missing, something not quite right... You know? It was like she didn’t have something she usually always had. But she couldn’t quite figure out what it was.

“Oh!” Of course, that was what it was! Lyner wasn’t here to constantly remind her of them, so she forgot. “Hey, Miss?” Shurelia tried to capture the attention of a lady passing by. “Do you happen to know where I can get some [Funbuns]?” 

[littlebitsofstars]

[cieroceramics]

shurelia <3

[chibi-celesti]

Phase 02-Book 01: Dia Rosa Rudje (pt. 7)

Previously: Tart made and ready for the party, Ace left with Meryu and Grim back to Ramshackle. Trey allowed Deuce to go with them with his permission while he and Cater went back to their dormitory.

…

With Mont Blanc in hand, they were prepared to face the Unbirthday Party and the Tyrannical Riddle Rosehearts.

~Twisted Tonelico~

~???~

It was nightfall in Platina. Lady Shurelia was reading a story to Meryu to help her sleep. A ritual that helped the younger girl feel at ease after a long day, and a perfect excuse to spend more time with her guardian. They reached the part of the story where a little girl had encountered a Tyrannical Red Queen.

“Meryu, do you know how the queen wanted the girl to speak to her?”

“I do.” The little girl carefully sat up on her bed and recited how the girl had to address the Red Queen.

“She straightened her shoulders.”

“That’s right. And what else did she do?”

“She curtseyed.”

“Mmm-hmm!” Shurelia continued to encourage her with a smile. “And then?”

“She opened her mouth wide, and had to say ‘YES! Your Majesty!’”

The Origin patted her protege on her head. “Good job, Meryu! You’re very smart!”

Meryu smiled with joy at the compliment.

~Ramshackle Dorm: Meryu’s Room~

“Lady Shurelia…” Meryu muttered, wiping away the sleep and tears from her eyes. She smiled bitterly at the memory. “I wonder if she had notified him and his father about my disappearance? Does anyone know?” Shaking away the negative thoughts that plagued her mind, she stretched before moving to wake up Grim next to her. Once she made sure he was up, she shooed him off so she could get ready for the Unbirthday Party.

Good thing I lucked out that my garments from Platina were still on my person.

~Ramshackle Dorm: Main Lounge~

The trio of Ace, Deuce, and Grim waited in the Lounge area for the Ramshackle Prefect to finish getting ready. It was long before they heard the sound of clicking from the stairs that they looked up.

And were amazed at what they saw.

At first, they all assumed she was donning her school wardrobe for the sake of convenience (The other choice was the ceremonial robes, but that would've been kinda awkward). But instead she wore something way different. Something that made two of them go ���Where did she get that?!’

Instead of the school uniform, Meryu wore a flowy white dress with open shoulders and back(the exposed back had a rib-like shape thanks to the threading); the sleeves were detached from the main piece for easier movability. A big bow adorned the front of the dress top, and also the back part of the skirt. It was so ruffly, it was almost as if she was going to a school dance. Her heels; the heels she wore were an interesting choice. The pencil tip points were so high, they almost made them look like ballerina slippers.

Grim, completely clueless to Ace and Deuce staring at the girl, broke the tension with a blunt question. “What’s with the poofy dress? Trying to impress their Housewarden with your looks?” That shook the pair out of their ogling, and agreeing with the furball.

“Oh? This dress?” Meryu laughed. “This is my usual, casual outfit back home.”

“CASUAL OUTFIT?!” ‘Definitely calling it, she’s secretly a princess!’ the boys thought in unison.

The ghosts followed behind her, complementing the young woman while teasing the boys. “At least she’s ready for the party, unlike you three.”

“My clothes aside, we should really get going. And we can’t forget the tart, too!”

“Right!” the boys shouted, determination on their faces.

~Heartslabyul Dorm: Main Entrance~

As soon as the group entered the domain of the Queen of Hearts, they saw how everyone was panicking, mildly stressing with the last minute preparations. 

“Sheesh! What’s with all the craziness?!” Grim was feeling dizzy seeing everyone run back and forth.

So many students were rushing back and forth, making sure every piece of decoration was set up perfectly, every dish was accounted for and all the utensils and animals were ready for the unbirthday Party for their Queen.

“We should go find Diamond-senapi and Clover- senpai, and let them know we're here.”

“Good idea.”

Carefully dodging and maneuvering around the busy students, the quartet managed to find Cater and- there’s FOUR OF HIM?!

“Huh?!”

“Hey-hey, lil freshies!!” Cater in his dorm apparel said.

“Wish we could chat, but we’re in the zone atm!” another Cater, one wearing a lab coat, added.

“We’ll lose our heads 4-evs if we don't hurry!” the Cater in a PE uniform exclaimed.

“TTYL, kay-kay~?” the last Cater in the intricate Ceremonial robe asked.

“U-um, is everything ok, Cater-senpai?” Ace asked quizzically.

“Yup, yup, yup! Just knocking out the last of the Roses that need paintin’!” He winked to his juniors.

“Want us to help you again, Mr. Cater?”

One of his clones clasped her hands in his. “Oh yes, Ryu-ryu! Your help would be totes appreciated!!!”

Grim groaned, mumbling about ‘Forced to do someone’s dirty work again…’, but knew if these weren’t done, they wouldn't get to speak to Riddle in person again. Once all four agreed to help again, Cater ushered away his clones to knock out the last Rose trees that needed to be red. Deuce, Grim, and himself were ready with their pens while Ace and Meryu got the paint brushes.

“Wait, Meryu-san. Ain’t you worried about getting your dress dirty?” Ace pointed out. Last thing he wanted was to hear her complain about her dress getting paint splatters all over it.“The paint’ll stain your clothes.”

She just shrugged it off. “It’s ok, Mr. Ace. It isn’t the first, and won’t be the last!”

“I swear this chick is built different…”

~A few moments later~

The tag team effort of Cater and his clones with the First Years made painting the last of the Rose trees a success! Everyone was exhausted from their efforts into making sure every single petal was the correct color for the party. But in the end, they finished the job right on time.

Interestingly enough, Cater-like Ace earlier-did wonder how Meryu was going to paint the roses with her dressed up like a snowy princess(Ace’s words, not his). And she managed to show them how: she called upon a Rose of her own from her singing to help paint the trees with them as well. Sure, she did get splotches on her skirt here and there, but she didn’t seem to mind. 

‘So this was what Ace was talking about yesterday…’  Cater thought. ‘I thought she was just able to sing in a fancy language. You really are something else, Ryu-ryu.’

Casting his opinions aside, and after he merged back with his copies, Cater walked up to his underclassman with his praises. “We did it, team! And to commemorate  our success. Selfie time!” In a flash of light, Diamond took a photo of the five of them together on his phone. “#TeamworkMakestheDreamWork! #RedRoseParty and done!”

The camera flash made Grim a bit dizzy due to the sudden flask of the camera light. “Nyah! I’m blind!”

The flash also threw Meryu off a bit, too. “Why are there so many dots?! I can’t blink them away!”

Ace started to laugh at the Ramshackle duo. “This is hilarious! Who knew a camera flash would make Miss ‘I-kill-things-with-my-singing’ dizzy!”

Deuce felt bad laughing, and tried to suppress it by clearing his throat. “A-anyway, Cater-senpai. How did you do that? Make clones of yourself, I mean?”

“Oh, that! Well that’s MY Unique Magic: Split Card! It allows me to make clones of myself! Of course, there is a caveat to it.”

“And what’s that?” Meryu asked, finally getting her bearings together.

The older boy leaned a bit forward to the girl. “That’s for me to know and you to find out WAY later!” He said with a wink and mischievous smirk. I don’t like the sound of that…

“ANYWAYS! Let’s roll out, freshies! Come follow Cay-Cay to the par-tay!”

~Phase 02-Book 01: Dia Rosa Rudje-Tes Biron~

[chibi-celesti]

Twisted Tonelico (A Twisted Wonderland x Ar Tonelico Tale) pt. 4

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4(End of Book 00)

Book-Prologue Phase 00:  Zenva ryushe tes gyas gyenel ciel

A little girl of eight years opened her eyes. She woke up to see herself in her bedroom, surrounded by her favorite plush toys. The room was an off white color, with sprinkles of Mauve colored flowers and butterflies on the walls. There was a mauve colored circle carpet near the bed. Her bed was fairly big for her age, designed a bit off leveled to make her comfortable.

A knock came at the door followed by a voice. “Meryu~. You up?~ Time for breakfast!!”

“Coming,~” little Meryu yawned.

She got up from her bed, and went to get ready for the day.

Meryu came to the dining room. It was a simple styled room, with semi pillar wall protrusions; the color of brass to contrast the pale lavender walls and ceiling. The dining room table was a burgundy set; decorated formally for a well off  family to enjoy. Or in this case, a young girl and her main guardian, one who oversees all of Sol Ciel.

Little Meryu looked to the head and saw her guardian greeting her formally at the table. She was a young girl, who looked no older than fifteen. Her hair was long, down to mid back with two braids on separate sides in her hair. And two golden outlet-like hair pieces protrude atop her head. She may look youthful; however, contrary to her appearance, she’s over seven-hundred and thirty nine years of age. This woman is Lady Eolia, also known as Shurelia. An Origin Reyvateil of  the Tower of Ar Tonelico.

“Good morning, Meryu,” Lady Shurelia said.

“Morning, Lady Syureli,” the little girl replied, rubbing her eyes away from sleep.

“Did you sleep well last night?” A nod was her answer. “Good. Now come and eat, ok?”

Meryu did as she was told, and came to sit beside her guardian and eat. Every morning was always the same. So simple yet so comforting. All Meryu knew of the world was her guardian and the enormous Tower they resided on above the dreaded Cloud Sea. It was lonely at times when Shurelia had to leave for her administrative duties, but she didn’t mind as she allowed Meryu to accompany her in her duties.

The silence slightly bothered Meryu as there is usually commotion coming from the people of Platina in the palace. She didn’t mention it out loud, but she looked up to see Shurelia, only for the Origin to be gone. Meryu, now her age of nineteen, panicked as the world shifted to the garden park within the Tower. She looked around frantically, wondering what was happening. She ran til the sound of galloping hit her ears. The girl turned, coming face to face with an all black chariot and its two steeds ascending upon her-

Meryu jumped up out of her sleep, breathing heavily. Her blood was still ringing in her ears as she woke up from her nightmare.

“MS. MELENAS!! YOU NEED TO CALM DOWN!! FOLLOW MY BREATHING, OK!!”

She took shallow breaths before following along with whoever beside her ordered to do. After a few minutes, Meryu’s breathing had even out enough for her to process where she was.

Despite being nighttime, she appeared to be in a recovery room of sorts thanks to the light of the moon showing through the open windows. Beside her were the Headmage and a… ghost wearing a nurse’s hat? Oh, I’m still in this strange world, She whispered in her mind. Meryu looks down at her hands in her lap, disappointed at not being home with Shurelia.

Dire Crowley sighed in relief. “Thank goodness you have awakened! You collapsed after you sang your little… song in the Mirror Chamber, so I feared that you may have exhausted yourself.”

“...I…collapsed?” she raised a hand to her head.

Rrha ki erra chs diasee yorr sos ciel

Meryu’s head began to pound when she heard that phrase echo again.

Both men beside her panicked. “Ms. Melenas!”

“I-I fine, sir. I promise.” she waved away their concerns. Clearing her throat, Meryu asked: “You said I collapsed?”

“Yes,” Dire responded. “I’m not sure how since it happened so fast. I ordered some of the staff to bring you after to make sure you were alright.”

“I see…” Nervously, the girl asked. “So, what happens now? What will happen to me since I cannot go back?”

“Since you cannot return home at this moment, I will provide you with a living space until then.” This news shocked Meryu. “Of course, since you aren’t assigned to any dorm, you will need to earn your keep.” Oh… so there’s a catch.

She gives the Headmage a nod. “Ok.” And gets up from the bed, slightly stumbling at first. The ghost nurse helps to keep her steady, and she thanks him for the assistance. “So, Mr. Crowley. Where will I be staying for now?”

~To Ramshackle Dorm~

“Oh my…”

Meryu was left speechless, or rather, she was left bewildered. The place Dire Crowley offered for her to stay was a rundown, and supposedly abandoned dorm outside the main building. Webs dangled off tree limbs, wooden door blinds hanging on their last hinges, and splintered flooring as far as the eye can see.

As sweat dropped on her head as Meryu ‘thanked’ Crowley for the housing, she was surprised by him opening the doors to show her inside the abandoned dorm…

Only for Meryu to meet MORE ghosts who live IN the building!!

There were three ghosts, all varying in appearance in size and shape. they zoomed to the entrance, ready to scare. But, they also seemed excited about visitors coming by the rundown dorm.

She jumped at the sight, slightly hiding behind Crowley. “Are you alright, Ms. Melenas?There is nothing to be afraid of. They are quite harmless.”

The ghostly trio halted in their tracks. “Why hello, Headmage! Got fresh meat to bunk with us?~”

Said man cleared his throat. “I do indeed have a new student. However…” He stepped aside for the ghosts to meet Meryu, who waved at them nervously.

“Huh? A girl? In Night Raven College?” the thinly, slim ghost of the three said.

The other two, both round but different in stature, were shocked by their friend's statement. “Well that’s first!” The larger one laughed.

“This is Ms. Meryu Melenas. I do hope you three don’t mind her staying here for now.”

Meryu, still nervous, curtsied. “Hello, Mr. Ghosts. I’ll do my best to be a good roommate.”

The smaller ghost played along and bowed. “Aww! No need for formalities, Miss! I’m Albert, but you can call me Al.” He hikes a thumb to his two buddies. “Big Guy is Benedict, and this is Curtis!”

With introductions over, Crowley guides Meryu through some of the basics of the ‘Ramshackled’ Dorm, with the Ghostly trio adding their own commentary here and there. After familiarizing herself with the dorm, Meryu is shown the only available room that isn’t too messy for her to stay in. The room was-like everywhere else in the dorm- old and covered in dust. There was a bed in the center of the room upon entry, with a partially covered easel with a painting underneath on its right. A huge, rectangular shaped mirror sat high above the wall near the windows. The small rug, while dusty, seemed partially torn on the ground.

“This will be your living space for now,” Crowley said. “While it may not be much, I do not wish to have you alone on the streets. Aren’t I so generous!~”

The place has seen better days, but Meryu is fine with the accommodations- though she isn’t sure a gracious host would let ANYONE live in a place that would fall apart any moment. “Thank you again, sir.”

He and the ghosts bid her good night, leaving her alone with her thoughts. Soon she yawned. ‘Who knew I would get tired again. Then again, it has been quite a night…’ She gazes out the window to the moon above, wondering about her home, Sol Ciel. ‘I wonder if Lady Shurelia knows I'm gone?’ She shook head. ‘I shouldn’t think that! For all I know, this could’ve been a dream!’

Meryu plops down on her bed, dust flying into the air and in her nose. A sneeze later, and she continues to gaze up at the outside, watching the moon and stars shine before falling asleep once more.

Tomorrow is gonna be a new day, and an unexpected start for this lone Reyvateil from another world.

geeow hyma chyet tasyue gasar suwant manaf omnis

~Phase 00:  Zenva ryushe tes gyas gyenel ciel- END~

[chibi-celesti]

Phase 02-Book 01: Dia Rosa Rudje (pt. 3)

Previously: From all the bizarre teachings that are far beyond the realm of what Lady Shurelia taught her; needless to say, Meryu Melenas seems to be shaping up to having a decent start to her new school life in Night Raven College.

~Twisted Tonelico~

“Aaahhh! Finally, lunch break is here!” Ace shouted with joy.

“The curriculum here is quite complicated. Makes sense considering that Night Raven College is an elite school.” Deuce added.

Meryu was lost in thought as she carried Grim in her arms. Poor guy claimed he was exhausted from all the lessons-even though he zoned out of most of them and nearly got both himself and the girl in trouble with Vargus with his running. Luckily, she hummed him a lullaby to ease his mind so he didn’t try to pull any more stunts while in her care.

Most of the teaching here is almost archaic to what I was taught, she thought to herself. Then again, this school focuses on teaching magic of a traditional means rather than Hymmnos… Does hymmnos exist here?

Her musings were broken by a hand waving in her face. “Hello~, Twisted Wonderland to  Ms. I-can-sing-songs-that-blow-up-monsters~ You there?”

She shook her a bit, and made a face of annoyance. “Yes. And no, my songs aren't just for blowing up monsters.” She stuck her tongue out. “I’m not a barbarian.”

“Never said you were,” he said back. “Anyway, what did you do to Grim? He looks beyond conked out.”

“I sang to him after P.E.”

“So that’s what we heard from the bathroom stalls,” Deuce couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous of Grim. “How come?”

“Knowing the trouble he caused yesterday and the night before, I didn’t want to take any chances of him making more of a mess and get us expelled. Plus, he was behaving himself with Coach Vargas, so I decided to spoil him a bit.” Lucky bastard. Yup, definitely jealous.

The group had finally made it to the mess hall, where nearly everyone in the school was there for lunch. It was quite large, with rows upon rows of bench tables lined and spaced evenly. It almost felt too crowded to Meryu, who was feeling self conscious of being at this school.

A snort sound from her arms and Grim was wide awake again. Rubbing away the sleep(and drool) from his face, he looked around and noticed where they were. He was hit with countless smells. “Mmmm~ Everything smells so delicious!” He jumps out of the girl’s arms and books it to the lunch line.

“Grim, wait!” she hurried after him with the Hearts duo in suit. They caught up to the line in time and stopped Grim, pulling him back from stealing someone’s plate. “Stay put. No need to be a gluttonous thief!” She grabbed a tray for the both of them and started grabbing plates for what they will both eat.

Grim, all giddy, kept pointing and, on occasion, nabbing plates just as someone was about to take it. In his high, Meryu and the others shook their heads at the feline. ‘He really does have a one track mind when it comes to food,’ they all thought.

~Night Raven: Mess Hall~

“Grim, you need to be mindful of your surroundings,” the Reyvateil chastised him. “I know you are hungry, but the last thing I, or anyone else, wants is to get in trouble with the Head Mage. Again.”

Said friend took offense. “What, I can’t help it! The Great Grim needs his sustenance.”

“But could you do it, without being too extra?” Ace added in Meryu’s defense. “We nearly got effed by those guys.”

Some other students in line were bumped by Grim, resulting in one of the boys’ carbonara breaking before he could do it. While rightfully annoyed, he tried to start a fight with the quartet for ‘ruining’ his meal, and make them pay for it.

Ace and Deuce were defending themselves and Meryu, and before things could get heated, said girl called forth a small ball of energy and warned them with this:

“Cease this bickering, now. You have no need to get pissy all because you didn’t enjoy your meal the way you prefer. Step away, or I will use force.”

Luckily, the bullies seemed to relent, one of them calling her ‘dumb bitch’ under his breath, but they still backed off.

“You know,” Deuce spoke, getting Meryu’s attention, “For someone from another world, it’s kinda interesting seeing you handle yourself.” He quickly corrected himself. “I-I mean, you started off looking helpless, but it’s obvious you can handle yourself against others. At least, from what Ace and I see.”

“Yeah, what’s the deal with you being all prim and proper? Are you sure you ain’t a princess?”

The girl mulled it over before answering them in the best way they’d understand. “Not a princess, but… an apprentice to an Administrator.”

An Administrator?! “So, you’re like a kid to a government official?!”

“Kinda sort of. I wouldn’t call her that, but it is a good comparison for now. A lot of what goes on in Sol Ciel is vastly different from here to some extent.”

…who IS this girl/ chick?!

Grim, swallowing down his food, couldn’t help but be shocked as the other boys. “Sol See L? What’s that?”

“Sol Ciel. My home. That’s where I live with Lady Shurelia, my Guardian.” I wonder if she knows I'm missing?

Their table was beginning to take on a somber tone. Before the Heart or Spade could change the subject-

“Hi again, lil freshies!”

-Someone else had arrived at their table. “Y-you again?!”

“Aww! And I thought we were friends~ No need to be mean to ol’ Cay-Cay.”

“In our defense, you duped us into helping you, and kicked us out without a proper warning,” the poor Reyvateil understood why Shurelia had trust issues. Humans can be so manipulative when they want to.

“I was just doin’ my job. No hard feelings” He clapped his hands in apology.

“Now, now, Cater. No need to tease them,” another voice spoke. “Besides, I had a feeling you knocked out the roses way faster than your normal speed.”

The newest person to their table was a taller boy with glasses framing golden eyes. His hair was green and on the shorter, messier side. And on his face was another suit shape like the others. Except, he had a green club on his left cheekbone. “Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Trey Clover. Nice to meet you.”

The younger Heartslabyul boys greeted him in turn. Meryu was about to do it as well. “My name is-”

“I know you,’ Trey interjected. “You two are the ones who live in that Ramshackled- I mean the new students who had quite the introduction at the Opening ceremony.”

“...Yes, we are. You didn’t need to change how you knew me and Grim, Mr. Clover,” she fixed him with a deadpan stare.

He quickly apologized. “Sorry about that, Melenas-san. Honest.” Doubtful… “Anyway, how is your official first day of classes coming along?”

“Boring,” Grim said bluntly. “I was hopin’ this school would teach me how to do magic, like ‘Boom! ‘Kablammy!’ Not endless talking and reading.”

“No need to stress out, Grim. You’ll get there, and be magic savvy. Give it time.” Cater told him. The diamond noticed how  the girl was being reserved again, and decided to slide up next to Ace so he could see her. “What about, girly? Whatcha think of ol’ NRC~?”

“Formal, but vastly different from how I was educated.” she added on. “Also, I noticed how everyone is wearing different color bands and vests. Why is that?”

“Ah you got a good eye. The bands represent each of the seven dorms here.” Trey, together with Cater explained the color orientation of all the students and how each one correlates back to one of the Great Seven:

Ruby red for Heartslabyul, Golden Yellow for Savannahclaw, Pale Lavender for Octavinelle, Wine Red for Sacrabia, Violet for Pomefiore, Bright Blue for Ignihyde, and Green for Diasomnia. They even went into detail about the details on the strengths of each dorm and how the students are divided into said dorms.

It all sounds confusing, but it's almost like- “how there are many types of Reyvateil back home…” she whispered to herself.

“You said something, Melenas-san?” Deuce asked worryingly.

“No. I’m fine.”

“Huhuhu~ no need to be shy, Ms.”

The whole table jumped in surprise at the newest addition. Someone had come to say hello- wait, he's hanging from the ceiling?!

“What the hell?! What’s with the jumpscare?!” the other boy laughed at Ace’s response.

“I just wanted to say hello to our first ever female student, that’s all.”

This boy was an odd one, his hair was short, but looked messy with both sides of his head having parts sticking out like animal ears. Streaks of bright pink, even in his hair’s underside shape around his cherubic face. And his eyes were bright red, almost pink as well. He greeted everyone with a toothy fanged smile. “I am Lilia. Lilia Vanrouge. A third year just like Trey and Cater. It is a pleasure to meet you, Melenas-chan.”

The girl in question peeked out from under the table with Grim. “N-nice to meet you, too!”

“Did I scare you? My apologies. I was hoping to meet you properly after the Opening Ceremony. You sang wonderfully that night, my dear.”

“Th- thank you, Mr. Vanrouge.” She hated to admit it, but the compliment felt nice.

He chuckled a little again. “Don’t be afraid to sit with us next time. We would love to welcome all of you to join us." The others look over to siad table where the other Diasomnia students reside. Their faces were so serious and stone faced, it felt like they were glaring daggers at them.

“We’ll think about it,” Deuce told Lilia. And with that, the mysterious boy disappeared back to his table.

“Aww!” Cater spoke back once his classmate had left. “Looks like you have a fan, Ryu-ryu!”

“Ryu-ryu?”

“Don’t mind Cater. He does have a point, though. You gave everyone quite the show that night.”

“I was just trying to find my home. Singing is all I can- could do!”she corrected herself.

“Too bad you can’t sing this collar away,” Ace mumbled. “Heck, if I had your singing, I’d poof this collar onto that Housewarden of ours!” He started going on a rant about Riddle. Oblivious to said boy approaching their table at the same. “He’s such a pain, getting mad over a tart, like a brat! It’s ridiculous! HE’S RIDICULOUS AND UNREASONABLE!!”

“Oh. I’M ridiculous  and unreasonable?”

“Yeah! And-” in an instant, Ace felt cold dread seep through his bones. He slowly turned towards the source of the voice behind him. And saw his Houswarden giving him a disapproving look.

“H-HOUSEWARDEN?!”

~Phase 02-Book 01: Dia Rosa Rudje: Tes Biron~

A/N: Ace really LOVES putting his foot in his mouth at the wrong time doesn't he? ^^'

[strawberry-princess-fairy]

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