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“Epel, sit up straight.”
Epel tried his best to sit up as they were outside at the side of the Pomefiore building that had three sets of tables around each had three chairs.
He didn’t notice as he was slouching a bit.
“Sorry.” Epel said.
“Good grief, Epel.” Vil complained.
“Ah, Vil, we should be on our way to the class.” Rook reminded Vil.
Epel felt some sort of relief hearing Rook, hoping once Vil leaves, he could be himself for a bit.
“Alright, Epel, since you need to learn about being proper. I have someone who will help you for a while.”
“W-What?” Epel eyes widened at Vil, trying not to yell or else he will get scolded once more. Was this man going too far for Epel only good will?
“Ah, there he is now.” Rook looks to side someone approaching, passing by the fountain.
Epel analyzed him
An androgynous male with long platinum blonde that was tied loosely with a white rose purple ribbon draped to the side over his right.
Wearing the dormitory’s indigo robes as they are.
He walks over to the dorm leader with the vice dorm and the student.
“I came as you told me too, Vil.” The male said with a smile shine a bit from his lipgloss.
Both Rook and Vil got out of their chair.
Vil walks over to male.
“Epel, this Rae Vogel, he will be helping you with your manners, posture, being proper and etc.”
Epel wished this was a dream, sadly, this is real. He wished he had a break for once. Vil seemed to be too strict at this point. He might as well suffer until the end of the school year and have another last year with Vil as a fourth year.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Epel.” Rae greeted Epel with a sweet smile.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you too as well...” Epel said softly.
“I hope you two will get along well!” Rook smiled ear to ear.
“As do I, and I hope you’ll give us good results when we come back.” Vil said.
“Will do, Vil.” Rae nods to him.
Vil and Rook started to walk off from the courtyard.
Rae took the chair Vil was sitting at that was next to Epel and sat on it.
“Oh my goodness! I heard that you were cute! You are absolutely adorable up close!”
Epel sighed a bit from his compliment.
Heard of if before and it makes him wish he had some masculinity looks instead of hearing he was “cute”.
“Thank you...”
Epel tried to sit up straight and he tried to make his best impression as he took the tea cup gently to pick it up.
“You should put your pinky up.”
Surprised himself in a panic.
“Oh, sorry.” He said quickly as he lifted his finger up. He heard a small chuckle as he looked up to Rae who was covering his mouth trying to contain it, but failed.
His blue eyes glanced to the confused boy.
“Relax. I’m not gonna be harsh on you. You don’t seem like you enjoy being around here as much.” He said as he crossed his arms on the table, looking at him in awe.
“W-Well, It’s just that I don't like being told what to do as much.” Epel replied.
“Mhm, I understand. I think Vil is being a little much.”
“Exactly!” Epel exclaimed, he caught himself as he tried to soften up. “I-I mean, yes indeed.”
“Don’t worry about expressing yourself. I won’t judge.” Rae gave him a sweet smile.
“Right now I think Vil is too much for you to make sure I am acting properly while he and Rook are gone.” Epel sighed.
“Well, don’t worry, you can still be yourself. But I still have to teach you. It is important to Vil, it won’t be hard.”
Epel cracked a laugh “Easy for you to say, you’re not getting the close eye from Vil who will scold you at any second.”
“C’mon, it’ll be fun, princess!”
Epel gave him a quick glare.
“Don’t call me that! I already told Rook not to, and now he starts calling monsieur crabapple..” he sighed.
“What’s wrong with the name? Princesses are not weak if you looked at one of the legends. Not all women can be a princess.”
“Still, I want a manly nickname, like uh Ripe Apple— Uh, maybe..” Epel trying to think of a name that doesn’t sound embarrassing enough.
“Oh! How bout Manchineel?”
Epel eyebrows forward curiously at Rae.
“Manchineel?”
“It means “little apple”. It’s part of a toxic tree that has milky white tree sap that is made up of toxic. In the Spanish name for the “manzanilla de la muerte” it means "little apple of death". What do you think? It’s got “Man” in the name too!” Rae teases a bit as Epel hesitated.
“...The name doesn’t sound bad as you explained I guess.” Epel mumbles.
“Or should I just call you Princess Manchineel.” Rae's smug face snickered a bit as the other boy scowled at him again.
“No.”
“Okay, okay. I won’t. Just Manchineel.” Epel sighed again at Rae who then leaned back against the chair with his arm around the chair.
“Let’s start trying to act proper.” Rae said.
Epel looked tensed a bit at Rae.
“First, relax yourself. I can kind of tell from what I’ve seen when you are with Vil, you get a little worried about how you present yourself.”
“Do I ever.” Epel blurted while Rae snickered a bit.
“Look, take a deep breath in,” Rae takes a inhale slowly.
Epel imitates him but it was quick.
“And out.” As they both let out a Epel, let's breath out too quickly.
“Ah… Epel, you’re breathing out fast. You got to slowly breathe in and out, okay?” Rae commanded calmly.
“A-Alright.” Epel nodded.
“Okay breathe slowly in.” Rae commanded as Epel tries again to exhale in.
“And out, slowly.” Rae reminded as Epel did.
Feeling a bit more relaxed.
“Better?”
Epel looked at him and nodded at the platinum blonde. Rae couldn’t help but smile at him. He was indeed adorable.
“Now, position your head up a little. Not too high or too low, you’ll look arrogant and you don’t want to look that way. Not too low or you’ll look timid. Like this.” As Rae straightened their shoulders and tucked their stomach in as his head positioned just right to look elegant.
“Now, try it. Remember, relax.”
Epel nodded as he breathed in as he held his head up and tried to position himself with his shoulders way back by force.
“Relax your shoulders a bit more.” Rae sheepishly smiled, he quickly covered his mouth not to snicker, but failed miserably as a snicker slipped.
Rae couldn’t help it.
It’s not to make fun of him.
He knows he is trying, he was just cute to him.
Epel tries to remember from Vil demands before.
Epel tries to relax a bit more as he positions himself.
“Try to suck your belly in. Not too much!”
Epel tucked his belly in a bit.
“How is this?” Epel asked
“Perfect! As Rook would say, beaute! 100!” Rae smiled proud as he held his hands together.
“Are you comfortable?”
“I feel fine, actually.” Epel responded.
“Are you being honest?” Rae asked
The lavender haired boy nodded.
“Okay, I want you to be comfortable.” Rae nodded.
“Is that all you are going to teach me?” Epel asked.
“Ahah…” Rae lets out a nervous laugh. “Vil did tell me to teach you other things like the way you walk or talk. …I know please don’t be stressed! I promise I’ll make it fun.” Rae reassured him.
“Ahh, I want a break…” Epel sighed and shook his head.
“You will. We’ll take some breaks while we do this. Let’s put it this way, if you get these right, Vil will probably back off.” Epel looked to Rae.
“You sure?”
“My first day I wasn’t this elegant. I'm a second year by the way,” Rae giggled a bit. “I’ve never gone through Vil being too strict, but I sure had a bad time with him. I did have some help along the way with him, Rook and the others to be more elegant. I'm still learning. I remember sometimes I didn’t want to be in this dorm to go to the other but haha, not anymore.”
“What dormitory did you want to go to?”
“I wanted to go to Octavinelle, but I guess I’m not as intelligent as I thought,” Rae laughed a bit. “I was sort of upset being here at first. But honestly, it wasn’t too bad because I did like some beauty brands before but I came here. After a while I’m pretty glad I was chosen to learn here. I’m sure you would feel the same. Although I understand why with Vil.” He laughed again.
Epel nodded, he then remembered to try to positioned his head right.
“You can stop now.” Rae told him.
Epel relaxes himself with a sigh of relief.
“What dormitory did you want to be a part of than here?” Rae asked
“Savanaclaw.”
“Oh! How surprising yet, I can see why! They can be scary but I admire their skills.”
“Yes, I do hope to be tough and strong like they are.” Epel said.
“You still can, we just gotta get through these lessons and we’ll be done. Okay?” Rae reassured
Epel nodded. Hoping Rae will make it fun as he said would.
First Rae shows Epel how to proper etiquette outside with the tea cup.
As soon as they were done, they were leaving as Rae told him to make sure to push his chair in, telling him not to rush. He reminded him to length his back, straighten his shoulders and keep his head up. Rae picked up his tea cup and saucer with him as they both left to go inside. Epel remembers to relax as he deep inhales for a second and exhales as he pulled his shoulders back and felt his back push a bit back.
Rae praises him and tells him to please follow him.
As they were walking inside of the dormitory, Rae noticed he is kind of slouching on the way.
After, they were in a room with chairs, cushions and bookshelves.
Rae asked Epel if he ever balanced books on his head.
He answered yes as he remembered Vil would put books on his head for him to have better posture as he tensed up trying to keep the book still but would end up falling.
“Alright! Then let’s try it out, remember what I said before.” Rae smiled sweetly to him as he took a book out from a bookshelf.
“Ready?”
Epel closed his eyes, inhaled and exhaled slowly.
“Okay, I’m ready.”
Rae placed the book on his head gently then took a stand back.
“Okay, now try to balance as you walk. Keep it steady, hunch your shoulders to keep it balanced.”
Epel began to feel a bit stressed, he thought this was gonna be easy before with Vil. The books would fall so many times as Vil scolds him to focus.
Epel tries to like Vil said, also reminds himself to relax as Rae said.
Maybe this was the key this whole time?
Epel may have tried to fight him from the first day but Vil is quite scary with his demands.
Epel slowly took a step slowly as he felt the weight of the book on his head began to wobble a bit as his head was trying to let it stay balanced.
Rae watched his posture.
“Good, good, keep going.” Rae nodded, smiling as Epel was slowly taking a few steps far from Rae as he slowly turned around to Rae.
He managed to walk towards Rae with the single book on his head.
“Okay! Let’s try another book!” Rae placed another book on top of the other that made him a little stressed.
Focus Epel! He thought.
He tries to balance his head with the two books. Doing his slow walk routine again taking three steps until he felt the books were about to fall as he quickly held them up with his two hands.
“It’s okay! Let’s try again.” Rae assured him.
Epel walked back with a puff.
“Remember to relax yourself.” Rae reminded him again.
Epel breathed in and out as he pulled his shoulders back.
Rae placed the two books on his head.
“Also, focus on your footsteps, not too hard and keep your hips forward straight. Swinging will cause movement.” Rae informs.
Epel is well informed of this because Vil told him basically the same.
“O-Okay.” Epel spoke as he then tried to remember both Vil and Rae told him to do so. As Epel took a step forward, however he did not notice that step was too quick as the books fell.
Epel looked down quickly surprised since the first time was almost an achievement.
Rae slipped out a snicker as Epel glanced up to him as he flushed a bit.
“Practice makes perfect!” Rae said as picks up the two books and waited for Epel to breathe in and out slowly as he nodded to let Rae know he was ready. He placed the two books on his head as Epel tried to balance it as he felt it wobble.
Focus his hips straight and his shoulders back.
Remember, focus Epel!
Epel can practically hear Vil snapping at him at the moment. Honestly, thank the great seven he doesn’t need to hear any lectures that irked him.
Epel then walks slowly as he tries to keep his forward and shoulders pulled back continuing to walk like before.
Taking 3 steps.
Rae was smiling at this improvement, trying not to say anything at the moment to not ruin Epel’s moment as he took two more steps. He slowly turns himself hoping they won’t fall like last time with Vil.
Epel took a turn slowly as he steadied the books. However the weight from the top of his head fell. At the very moment like with Vil.
Epel sighed.
“You almost got it, Manchineel! I am so happy!” Rae cheerfully praises him as he grabs the books up.
It reminded Epel of Rook.
“Are you friends with Rook?” Epel questions Rae.
“Hm? Haha… we get along but he sort of scares me.” Rae said with a sheepish smile.
“Why is that?” Sure Epel obviously knew about his weird ways of stalking others. But why Rae?
“Oh well I am a half water fairy.” Rae nods
“Oh! I-I didn’t know I thought you were a human.”
“Yeah it’s because you usually see fairies with pointy ears. Rook somehow found out about me and made me a little nervous ever since when he started to ask questions. Good thing he mostly focuses on Leona... I guess.” Rae laughed a little nervously as Epel nodded.
“Ah I see, I wonder how he found out.”
“Same here, but enough about me! Let’s focus to make Vil proud! After this, I want to get to know you as well.”
Epel smiled a bit and nodded. They tried again with the two books to make him have good posture.
Epel slowly took the steps again, turning himself around slowly, trying to steady his head with the books. He managed to turn with the books on his head and Rae applauded excitedly.
“You did it! Ah! Focus! You got it, Manchineel!”
Epel smiled at his reaction. Walked towards him with a stop as Rae grabbed the books from his head.
“I-I did it!” Epel said cheerfully.
“Yes! Okay, let’s try another book!”
“W-What?” His eyes widened.
“C’mon one more and we’ll do something else, okay?” Rae stated. “You’re making good progress!”
Epel sighed and nodded.
“You got this, Manchineel!”
He puts the two books back on his head and Rae puts another book on top. Feeling the weight of his head wobble as it made Epel nervous. A tense feeling crawls in his stomach. He realizes as he tries to remind himself before about Vil and Rae.
Focuses his hips forward, straight as his shoulders back as he began to walk slowly, trying to steady his head with the three books. Epel wonders about “the fun” in all this as Rae said. Taking a few more steps slowly that feels like forever and Epel turns himself freezing a bit but he can’t freeze now as he is almost able to turn without the books to fall.
Seeing at the corner of his eye Rae’s eyes were gazing at him with a simple smile.
But as he took a step the books fell off from his head and Epel groaned a bit.
“Ugh, I almost got it...”
“It’s okay, you’ll get there. But you’ve made an improvement! You went from two books to three!”
“You are not wrong. I went through two books so many times with Vil. I thought it would never end.” Epel sighed.
“Well, he’ll know you are trying. You did better than I! My posture is still bad…”
“Really?” Epel asked, curiously looking at Rae’s posture. Noticed he was trying to pull his shoulders back.
“Of course! I used a strap around my waist and shoulders to pull my shoulders back. It’s only for at night, I have to remind myself. Can’t grow old with arch back.” Rae sighed
“Let’s stop for now.”
Epel and Rae sat on two beautiful gold and purple chairs for fifteen minutes getting to one another.
Epel explains about himself living in the Village of Harvest that is, part of the Land of Pyroxene, with his family who has an apple farm. Rae told him that lives with his family at a place called Hollow village that was somewhere far from Valley of Thorns. Epel told him about his creative skill of cutting up apples into little pieces of art. Rae told him about his passion for ice skating around when it’s winter and the huge lake is frozen solid, when it’s not winter he would swim around.
“It’s really a beautiful lake where I am from, it is so beautiful like crystals when the sunshines! But you got to show me some of your carved apples! I would love to see it!”
Epel laughed a little, “Sure! Maybe next winter break I can see you ice skate!”
“That’s a great idea! Maybe next time! I can teach you—“
Rae’s phone dinged on his lap as he looked at the time with a tap seeing the time.
“Ah! Let’s move onto our next session!”
Epel sighed with a nod. He'd rather just have a conversation for a while.
Next Rae and Epel are at a white table as Epel sat down as Rae sat next to him to show him about dining etiquette on the tables with which fork is the salad fork or how to use a napkin.
“Why are using utensils so complicated?” Epel groaned a bit
Rae shrugged with a spoon on his nose.
“Hm, no idea.” Epel blinked at him with a sudden surprise on a spoon on his face.
Rae snickered.
“Your face!” Laughed a little.
“Go on, put it on! It’s when you know your head correctly up, when the spoon is straight up.”
Epel was puzzled at this, weirded out too but didn't question it as he took a spoon on the side as he placed it on his nose. He tried to balance it as his head was up trying to balance it. Rae began to laugh more as his spoon fell.
“W-What?” Epel looked at him confused.
“I was fooling around, Manchineel!” As he leaned down to pick up the spoon, seeing Epel frown with a pout with his cheeks red from embarrassment. Epel took it off from his nose, he turned his head to the side to snicker a little.
Rae thought that was too adorable.
For a while teaching him about table manners.
After that they moved onto skin care.
Rae asked him what kind of skin care Vil told him to have and Epel showed him Vil’s skin care brands that he gave to Epel.
Rae told him to show him how he uses it. Epel uses the makeup remover on his face. Take a bottle that is the cleanser serum, he squirted out a little as he remembered Vil told him rubs on his hands and on his face, massaging it.
“Hm, good.” Rae watches as Epel watches himself in a mirror.
Epel rinses it off and applies moisturizer next.
“Have you tried Vil’s new face mask?” Epel asked.
“Oh, I did not know he came out with one. Maybe I can ask Vil to buy his product when he gets back.”
“I have it here.” They picked up the black mask bottle from Vil to give it to Rae
“You can try it.”
“O-Oh you sure?”
“Yeah.” Epel smiled.
Epel tells him he used it as he remembered what Vil taught him.
“I’ll be right! You might need something with that.”
Rae puts his hair into a bun pulled back then tries to remember what he said as he massages his face with the face mask.
It was a green face cream mask as he rubs around his face.
Not long until he was finished and a few minutes later as Epel brought a chair with him two slices of cucumbers.
“Here! It’s for your eyes and a seat to relax." He set the chair in front of the bathroom mirror.
“Oh, thank you!” Rae smiled as he took a seat in front of the mirror where Epel placed it at.
“Let me!” Epel placed it on his eyes.
“Oh! There is something you need to put on too!”
Rae frowned “Oh?”
“Yes! Hold on. I’ll be right back.” It took him a few minutes when he left to come back.
“It’s something Vil did on me. Hold still still for me."
Rae stayed still as he began to feel something on his face.
Something thin dangling on his cheeks and then on his upper lip.
"What is this?"
"You'll see!" He said happily.
After a few minutes he was finished.
He felt the cucumbers off his eyelids.
"Open your eyes."
Rae opens his blue eyes to see apple peels sticking onto his mask that looked to be shaped as a beard, an apple skin on top his upper lip to look like a mustache.
Rae jaw dropped but quickly closed trying not to laugh.
Rae heard Epel snickering to hysterically laughing.
Rae turned to look at Epel clutching his stomach.
"That's for making me look like an idiot!" Epel puts on a sly grin.
"I think I may have underestimated you, Manchineel." Rae smirked at Epel.
"Have you now?" Epel puts on his innocent smile.
Both of them snickered.
For a while 20 minutes Rae rinses it off from his face. Drying himself with a towel tapping his face. Letting his hair down the way he had it before.
“Y’know what would be funny, if we used those apple skin prank on Vil.” Rae joked.
“No way! I would get scolded even more!” Epel exclaimed
“Haha true!”
“So what’s next?” Epel asked.
A smile crawled up on Rae’s face.
The rest of their half hour of Rae trying again teaching Epel with his posture and mannerism at the table.
Rae brought him a cheesecake to have.
“We’re gonna try this with real food now! No pranks.”
“Where did you get this cheesecake?”
“Oh, I got from a friend, it’s really good!” Rae grinned.
Epel looked at the table with the dish with the dessert on a plate. His right has a napkin with two sets of forks and on the left has a knife and a spoon. Epel pulled his shoulders back with his head up not too high nor too low. He took the forks out from the napkin to lay it on his lap.
Rae was nodding with a smile rising.
Took the fork to use it to scoop a piece of the dessert to eat it. With his shoulders away from the table. Not a single mess.
"Vil is gonna be proud of you!" Rae said excitedly
“Let’s hope.” Epel brief.
“You know, now I know why Rook calls you crabapple.” Rae giggled, Epel scowled at Rae. To then looked at the dish to pick a frosting of the cheesecake with his finger and placed it on his nose as Rae blinked as he saw Epel head up with a smug sticking his tongue out at him.
“Oh, now I see how it is!” Rae puts up a playful smile as he whipped it off his nose and flick it at Epel who used his arms to quickly block it.
“Hey!” Epel chuckled.
Epel looked at his indigo robes that had the small specks of cheesecake.
“Oh look what you did Rae!” Epel teased.
“Not my fault, you started it.” Rae picks up a napkin “C’mon let me help you.” Rae helps Epel wipe off the crumbs from the long sleeve. As he was finished Epel began eating again.
“This is actually not bad.” Epel commented when he swallowed.
“I know right!” Rae marveled.
Epel puts the fork down with the napkin on the side as his eyes avert to Rae,
“What time is it?” Epel asked
Rae looked at the time on his phone as he took it out.
“Oh, it’s almost time for your mom and dad to come home!” Rae teased as Epel rolled his eyes.
“Seriously.” Epel muttered.
Epel finished his piece as Rae took the plate.
“We should do this more often! I’m glad Vil chose me to help you!” Rae insisted.
“Same here to be honest.” Epel nodded.
“Aw! I appreciate that!”
“Hey,” Rae looked at him, “I never got to ask you this, if you are a half fairy, don’t you have wings?”
Rae sighed a bit “That’s kind of the reason why I’m a half fairy. I don’t have any wings because I’m half human. I was born in a village with fairies, but my mother is a human and father is a fairy. I’m just a half breed.” Rae sheepishly smiled.
Epel apologized.
“It’s not so bad, I love to swim! If I were to have wings it would be ten times harder, right? So I’m not all sad about it.” Rae said with a smile
“That’s good!” Epel smiled.
Both of the boys heard the door opened to see the Queen and the Hunter arrived.
“Bonjour, Epel, Rae. We’re back!” Rook greeted as Vil just stood there with his frown.
“How was Epel, Rae?” He looked to Rae as the platinum hair male tensed a little. He gave him a sweet smile.
“He did well today. He improved his posture more.”
As Epel relaxed with a breath and out to pull his shoulders back.
Rae smiled nervously at Vil.
Vil looked closely at Epel as he tried his best to relax himself.
“I hope you are right.” Vil said.
“Ah, let's just appreciate monsieur sprite for taking the time to help monsieur crabapple!” Rook cheerfully smiled.
“I must be going, I have to go to class.” Rae assured Vil.
“Alright, thank you for helping us with Epel.” Vil nodded as Rae smiled at him.
“You’re welcome, Vil!” Rae looked to Epel.
“See you later, Manchineel!” Rae hurried to leave the room to hurry to class.
__ __
Two hours later Rae came back to the dormitory. Rook appeared to Rae out of nowhere to politely tell him that Vil needs to see him.
His blood ran cold.
Did he do something wrong?
Did he forget something to teach Epel?
Rae prays to the great seven to not be humiliated.
He walks over to the lounge to see Vil with Epel and Rook either side.
Rae walks up to them with his black blazer that they would wear for classes that left not too long ago.
“Y-You wanted to see me, Vil?” Rae asked.
Vil pursed his lips. “Yes, Rook and I analyzed Epel when you were gone. We thought maybe you would have improved him, and thought you would have been suitable for him, as Rook said,”
Rae felt anxious building up waitng for the kicker.
“And you manage to help improve Epel a bit.” Vil stated, with his poker face.
Rae raises an eyebrow.
“He still has a long way to go but I do want your cooperation to help while Rook and I are not around,” Vil continued as Rae and Epel looked at each with huge grins on their faces.
Rae’s eyes averted to Vil.
“Please show me your schedule later so we can work this out if you can.” Vil said.
“I’ll gladly do so!” Rae grinned proudly.
“That’s wonderful! Merci!” Rook cheered “We do hope to see more progress!”
Epel was happy about this news as he smiled ear to ear.
“Well, I am off. Please, do what you need to do.” Vil said as Rae nodded.
“Alright! Thank you. I am grateful!” Rae looked to Vil.
Vil didn’t respond as he left.
Epel ran up towards Rae as she excitedly smiled at the lavender haired boy.
“I’m so glad we can spend some more time now!”
“Same! I can’t wait!” Epel sweetly smiled.
“Now, monsieur sprite,” Rae froze up to look at the smiling hunter. “I heard a rumor about you that you were born with no wings?” a glint of interest stared at Rae.
Rae frowned, then slowly his eyes landed upon to Epel who sheepishly smiled.
“Sorry…” he mouthed.