As written by Script
Some weeks ago...
The campus of Académie Delacroix more closely resembled the grounds of an estate than those of a school, a testament to the institute’s wealth. A private school with exorbitant fees (for Lutetia), it played host to the children of the nation’s elite, ranging from the heirs to sprawling mega-corporations, to the uppermost echelons of the Evêquec Church, to the oldest and most vaunted names in Lutetian necromancy.
The school’s central quadrant was a large open area ringed on all sides by the school building itself. Carefully trimmed grass adorned with beautifully arranged flower beds filled the center, divided into four by a crossroads of paved pathways. At its center, a paved area with a large ornamental fountain depicting Saint Delacroix (the school’s eminent founder) with a pair of water-spewing ravens. A single pathway led around the quadrant beneath the building’s overhang, lined by ornate pillar supports.
The quadrant was occupied by a number of clusters of students, each dressed in the academy’s uniform of a fitted blazer of deep crimson, accompanied by a formal white shirt and black trousers. A large analogue clock built into one of the sides of the building displayed the time on a face of roman numerals: coming up on one-thirty, partway through lunch break.
Upon the edge of the fountain were perched two auburn-haired boys, identical in appearance. Their figures were slim, and their features effeminately handsome - their stylish mid-length bangs framing large hazel eyes. Alveré and Valère Castellane watched the other students with something between disdain and indifference painted upon their faces. They sat with their shoulders lightly touching, hands resting millimetres apart on the stone of their seat.
Alveré lifted his chin and looked up at the sky overhead with a sigh. The sun shone down through a few scattered clouds, and the sky itself was pleasantly blue. “What did you think of Miss Blaise’s new teaching assistant?” he asked, tilting his head after a moment to look across at his brother. Valère was gazing off into space across the courtyard, but his eyes flicked over to Alveré when he spoke.
“She was pretty. Easily flustered, and seemed inexperienced. Probably a recent graduate, or even a final year student on a work placement. Maybe a relative of one of the teachers, or one of the other students. She wouldn’t have got the position based on merit. She didn’t have enough.”
Alveré smiled. His twin had always been the more insightful one. “She had nice eyes,” he remarked, “Blue, and dark. I had plenty of time to view them, considering she couldn’t keep them off of us.”
“That’s not uncommon of those who aren’t familiar with us,” Valère replied, a small smirk finding its way to his lips. “Was that why you were so busy with my hair?”
“I don’t know what you mean,” Alveré feigned confusion.
“You wanted to make her look. But I wonder…” Valère flashed a devilish grin, “Was it just to toy with her? Or did you enjoy her looking for other reasons?”
Alveré flushed red, breaking eye contact and looking down at the ground. “Don’t be stupid. I was bored, that was all.”
Valère tutted, “I’m hurt. Am I nothing more than a distraction for when you’re bored?”
“That’s not what I meant, Valère,” Alveré shook his head and stuck his tongue out. “Stop fussing over some scatter-brained TA.”
“But Alveré…” Val rested his head on his twin’s shoulder with a grin, “I’m bored, that’s all.”
“Well,” a third voice cut across their conversation, and both pairs of hazel eyes swivelled around to fall on the intruder. “Aren’t you two the sweetest thing?”
The speaker was a boy who looked to be around their age. He had brown hair that fell stylishly messily down to his shoulders, complete with a thick fringe that failed entirely to shroud his brilliant emerald eyes. He was beautiful, his skin flawless and his lips rosy. He was also definitely not wearing the academy’s uniform - instead dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a white v-neck tee. The twins blinked.
“Who are you?” Alveré asked.
“And what do you want?” Valère added.
“Straight to the point, huh?” The boy grinned, and both twins felt a flutter in their chest that was entirely unlike them. His teeth were perfect and pearly. “My name is Arien. Arien Valentine. And if I’m not wrong, the two of you are the Castellane twins?”
“That’s right,” Alveré said, “We are. But…”
“You didn’t answer the other question.” Valère finished, “What do you want? And how did you get in here? You’re not a student.”
“That’s two questions,” Arien noted, “It’s only fair if we go one for one, so I get to ask two as well.”
“Fine,” both twins agreed in unison.
Arien nodded, “I want to talk to you. Nothing more, unless the conversation leads there. And I walked in. Nobody stopped me. Why would they? That’s not one of my questions, by the way. It’s rhetorical.”
The twins exchanged a confused glance before turning back and opening their mouths to speak, but Arien interrupted them with a raised finger.
“Ah ah,” he shook his head, ignoring their frowns. “My turn.”
By this point, a few interested students had started to watch the unfolding conversation. The twins were normally reluctant to speak to anyone besides each other, with only a few exceptions in the entire school. That they were actually engaging this stranger was curious indeed. Funnily enough, nobody thought to wonder what a stranger was doing on the campus. Not even the security guard who wandered past on his way to the break room.
“My first question is, what leads two starlets like yourselves to be in a place like this?” Arien rubbed his chin, “I don’t mean this school. I mean this city. This country. It is, if I may be honest, not the nicest place to live. And for a family that can afford the best… you understand why I’m curious.”
Once more, the twins exchanged a glance. “Our mother likes it,” Alveré answered after a moment. “She grew up here, and has friends here. She’s not very open minded.”
“She doesn’t like change,” Valère added, “She’s all about tradition. Normality. Ignoring anything that doesn’t fit what she thinks the world should be like. She’s very good at that. Pretending.”
Arien hummed thoughtfully, “I see. So then you plan to leave when you graduate?”
“Maybe,” Alveré shrugged, “We don’t know. We’ll see what we feel like.”
“We might leave for good. We might travel,” Valère’s voice had an edge of wistfulness to it, “Or we might stay. That was two questions, it’s our turn now.”
“Why do you want to talk to us?” Alveré asked, “Specifically.”
“Because,” Arien clicked his tongue, musing over the right words. “You are interesting. I’m new in town, you see. I got here less than a week ago, and have yet to start making friends.”
“What made you think you could just walk up to us like this?” Valère frowned, “We’re not just anyone.”
Arien’s eyes twinkled, and he grinned. “I love a challenge. And, well, here we are. From my perspective, it looks like it’s working.”
“Who are you? And I don’t mean your name again,” Alveré folded his arms.
Valère nodded. “And what’s so interesting about us?”
“That’s a lot of questions,” Arien pointed out. “Shouldn’t it be my turn?”
“Screw your game,” Alveré scowled, “If you won’t answer, we’ll just walk away.”
Arien laughed. “Like that, hm? Alright. Like I said, I’m Arien Valentine. I’m new in town, from Terra. Westeria City specifically. Perhaps that’s where I get the idea that I can just walk up to anyone, regardless of perceived status. Nobody cares who anyone is in Westeria. As for what’s interesting about you…”
The teen’s eyes wandered over both of the twins, and he took a few steps to the side. “I’m not sure where to start. The whispered speculation over the nature of your relationship? My instincts would say it’s just a game, to invite speculation because you enjoy the scandal of it. But is it? I couldn’t say for sure without knowing you. And more, you’re purported to be simultaneously socialites and recluses. You go to parties, make idle talk with all manner of people … but I wonder how few of them actually know you? The contradiction is delightful. And then…”
He stepped back around to the other side of them. Their eyes remained locked on him as he moved, his gaze almost predatory. Their outermost fingers brushed against one another as they subconsciously moved their hands closer together.
“... you remind me of myself. You like to play games. You’re ambitious. And you’re always hungry for something more. You don’t know what, but it’s there. That nebulous desire. A lust for something that’s missing.” Arien’s eyes swirled with intensity, and the twins found their hearts beating quickly.
“How … do you know all that?” Alveré asked, “You’ve only just met us. We’ve never seen you before.”
Arien smiled wickedly. “Intrigued?”
The twins exchanged a glance, and laced their fingers together. It was hard to put a finger on it, but where they ought to have been alarmed at how much this stranger knew of them - where they ought to have called him a stalker and mocked him for an obsession… there was something else. They nodded.
“Then I have one more question,” Arien practically purred, brushing one finger beneath each of their chins to lift their faces towards him.
They held their breath.
“Are you busy this evening?”
Some weeks ago...
The campus of Académie Delacroix more closely resembled the grounds of an estate than those of a school, a testament to the institute’s wealth. A private school with exorbitant fees (for Lutetia), it played host to the children of the nation’s elite, ranging from the heirs to sprawling mega-corporations, to the uppermost echelons of the Evêquec Church, to the oldest and most vaunted names in Lutetian necromancy.
The school’s central quadrant was a large open area ringed on all sides by the school building itself. Carefully trimmed grass adorned with beautifully arranged flower beds filled the center, divided into four by a crossroads of paved pathways. At its center, a paved area with a large ornamental fountain depicting Saint Delacroix (the school’s eminent founder) with a pair of water-spewing ravens. A single pathway led around the quadrant beneath the building’s overhang, lined by ornate pillar supports.
The quadrant was occupied by a number of clusters of students, each dressed in the academy’s uniform of a fitted blazer of deep crimson, accompanied by a formal white shirt and black trousers. A large analogue clock built into one of the sides of the building displayed the time on a face of roman numerals: coming up on one-thirty, partway through lunch break.
Upon the edge of the fountain were perched two auburn-haired boys, identical in appearance. Their figures were slim, and their features effeminately handsome - their stylish mid-length bangs framing large hazel eyes. Alveré and Valère Castellane watched the other students with something between disdain and indifference painted upon their faces. They sat with their shoulders lightly touching, hands resting millimetres apart on the stone of their seat.
Alveré lifted his chin and looked up at the sky overhead with a sigh. The sun shone down through a few scattered clouds, and the sky itself was pleasantly blue. “What did you think of Miss Blaise’s new teaching assistant?” he asked, tilting his head after a moment to look across at his brother. Valère was gazing off into space across the courtyard, but his eyes flicked over to Alveré when he spoke.
“She was pretty. Easily flustered, and seemed inexperienced. Probably a recent graduate, or even a final year student on a work placement. Maybe a relative of one of the teachers, or one of the other students. She wouldn’t have got the position based on merit. She didn’t have enough.”
Alveré smiled. His twin had always been the more insightful one. “She had nice eyes,” he remarked, “Blue, and dark. I had plenty of time to view them, considering she couldn’t keep them off of us.”
“That’s not uncommon of those who aren’t familiar with us,” Valère replied, a small smirk finding its way to his lips. “Was that why you were so busy with my hair?”
“I don’t know what you mean,” Alveré feigned confusion.
“You wanted to make her look. But I wonder…” Valère flashed a devilish grin, “Was it just to toy with her? Or did you enjoy her looking for other reasons?”
Alveré flushed red, breaking eye contact and looking down at the ground. “Don’t be stupid. I was bored, that was all.”
Valère tutted, “I’m hurt. Am I nothing more than a distraction for when you’re bored?”
“That’s not what I meant, Valère,” Alveré shook his head and stuck his tongue out. “Stop fussing over some scatter-brained TA.”
“But Alveré…” Val rested his head on his twin’s shoulder with a grin, “I’m bored, that’s all.”
“Well,” a third voice cut across their conversation, and both pairs of hazel eyes swivelled around to fall on the intruder. “Aren’t you two the sweetest thing?”
The speaker was a boy who looked to be around their age. He had brown hair that fell stylishly messily down to his shoulders, complete with a thick fringe that failed entirely to shroud his brilliant emerald eyes. He was beautiful, his skin flawless and his lips rosy. He was also definitely not wearing the academy’s uniform - instead dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a white v-neck tee. The twins blinked.
“Who are you?” Alveré asked.
“And what do you want?” Valère added.
“Straight to the point, huh?” The boy grinned, and both twins felt a flutter in their chest that was entirely unlike them. His teeth were perfect and pearly. “My name is Arien. Arien Valentine. And if I’m not wrong, the two of you are the Castellane twins?”
“That’s right,” Alveré said, “We are. But…”
“You didn’t answer the other question.” Valère finished, “What do you want? And how did you get in here? You’re not a student.”
“That’s two questions,” Arien noted, “It’s only fair if we go one for one, so I get to ask two as well.”
“Fine,” both twins agreed in unison.
Arien nodded, “I want to talk to you. Nothing more, unless the conversation leads there. And I walked in. Nobody stopped me. Why would they? That’s not one of my questions, by the way. It’s rhetorical.”
The twins exchanged a confused glance before turning back and opening their mouths to speak, but Arien interrupted them with a raised finger.
“Ah ah,” he shook his head, ignoring their frowns. “My turn.”
By this point, a few interested students had started to watch the unfolding conversation. The twins were normally reluctant to speak to anyone besides each other, with only a few exceptions in the entire school. That they were actually engaging this stranger was curious indeed. Funnily enough, nobody thought to wonder what a stranger was doing on the campus. Not even the security guard who wandered past on his way to the break room.
“My first question is, what leads two starlets like yourselves to be in a place like this?” Arien rubbed his chin, “I don’t mean this school. I mean this city. This country. It is, if I may be honest, not the nicest place to live. And for a family that can afford the best… you understand why I’m curious.”
Once more, the twins exchanged a glance. “Our mother likes it,” Alveré answered after a moment. “She grew up here, and has friends here. She’s not very open minded.”
“She doesn’t like change,” Valère added, “She’s all about tradition. Normality. Ignoring anything that doesn’t fit what she thinks the world should be like. She’s very good at that. Pretending.”
Arien hummed thoughtfully, “I see. So then you plan to leave when you graduate?”
“Maybe,” Alveré shrugged, “We don’t know. We’ll see what we feel like.”
“We might leave for good. We might travel,” Valère’s voice had an edge of wistfulness to it, “Or we might stay. That was two questions, it’s our turn now.”
“Why do you want to talk to us?” Alveré asked, “Specifically.”
“Because,” Arien clicked his tongue, musing over the right words. “You are interesting. I’m new in town, you see. I got here less than a week ago, and have yet to start making friends.”
“What made you think you could just walk up to us like this?” Valère frowned, “We’re not just anyone.”
Arien’s eyes twinkled, and he grinned. “I love a challenge. And, well, here we are. From my perspective, it looks like it’s working.”
“Who are you? And I don’t mean your name again,” Alveré folded his arms.
Valère nodded. “And what’s so interesting about us?”
“That’s a lot of questions,” Arien pointed out. “Shouldn’t it be my turn?”
“Screw your game,” Alveré scowled, “If you won’t answer, we’ll just walk away.”
Arien laughed. “Like that, hm? Alright. Like I said, I’m Arien Valentine. I’m new in town, from Terra. Westeria City specifically. Perhaps that’s where I get the idea that I can just walk up to anyone, regardless of perceived status. Nobody cares who anyone is in Westeria. As for what’s interesting about you…”
The teen’s eyes wandered over both of the twins, and he took a few steps to the side. “I’m not sure where to start. The whispered speculation over the nature of your relationship? My instincts would say it’s just a game, to invite speculation because you enjoy the scandal of it. But is it? I couldn’t say for sure without knowing you. And more, you’re purported to be simultaneously socialites and recluses. You go to parties, make idle talk with all manner of people … but I wonder how few of them actually know you? The contradiction is delightful. And then…”
He stepped back around to the other side of them. Their eyes remained locked on him as he moved, his gaze almost predatory. Their outermost fingers brushed against one another as they subconsciously moved their hands closer together.
“... you remind me of myself. You like to play games. You’re ambitious. And you’re always hungry for something more. You don’t know what, but it’s there. That nebulous desire. A lust for something that’s missing.” Arien’s eyes swirled with intensity, and the twins found their hearts beating quickly.
“How … do you know all that?” Alveré asked, “You’ve only just met us. We’ve never seen you before.”
Arien smiled wickedly. “Intrigued?”
The twins exchanged a glance, and laced their fingers together. It was hard to put a finger on it, but where they ought to have been alarmed at how much this stranger knew of them - where they ought to have called him a stalker and mocked him for an obsession… there was something else. They nodded.
“Then I have one more question,” Arien practically purred, brushing one finger beneath each of their chins to lift their faces towards him.
They held their breath.
“Are you busy this evening?”
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