| procrastinated priorities

Some smart person on Earth had once said, "A Library is a Treasure House." School always berated over its importance, forcing Library periods in everyone's compulsory schedule so they could go in there and read!? And that too in absolute silence!!

How can one read a book without properly emoting characters, talking in an accent and breathing life into the setting? How did it satisfy their souls when they would blandly read a book in one tone?! What had silent reading anything to do with improving comprehension and vocabulary skills in the first place?! Media consumption did it just fine. Even better if one was consuming genuinely good media. And not to mention all the emotions one could perceive-!!

The world would be damned if it witnessed Aurora Harper reading in silence as if she was some nerdy teenager's silent OC with silver hair, pink eyes and magic powers.

Having being born in the generation of computers, the internet and information which was ever only a breath away, Aurora had never felt the alleged universal urge to open a book and read out of curiosity or in pursuit of inculcating knowledge.

Though, it took the former blonde death to realise the true importance of those words.

"I cannot believe I'll have to do it the pauper's way," the ravenette scowls to herself, after having aimlessly wandered around the garden for heaven knows how long. The grass under her feet had started feeling soggy when Aurora concluded that all of this world's mysteries would shatter if she found a Library! No more confusing magic-sham of Virae or Wreath from anyone's mouth was to be tolerated any further!!

Though deciphering the text would be a minor inconvenience due to language barriers, but when is all that 'bet knowledge' that she has been accumulating from Arcel is going to come in play?

She walks with newfound ambition, brown eyes ready to paint colours of recognition in this black and white world. Her feet take her to her calling with the confidence of a five-year-old. She was certain that this plan of hers would work— until Aurora finds her self standing in front of a glistening kitchen. As much as wood can glisten, that is. Every corner of the stone floor screams "squeaky" from a distance and Aurora is terrified of even stepping a toe over the door frame.

She is a person who has always known her limits.

And this Kitchen screamed 'Off Bounds' right now.

Her stomach grumbles with contempt against its owner.

Okay, she might not exactly know where the Library is situated. And okay, her feet might only know the way from Arcel's tower to the Kitchen to the Gardens. And okay, she might be a whole lot straving. So what? That does not flick her off from her path to success.

Gulping away from the mysterious territory that cleaned itself, going against Lady Crimson's direct orders (quite daring for mere wooden planks and utensils), Aurora decides that the only way she'll get anything in this world is through Arcel Jacques Maynard.

If the young delinquent can use her for fun, then she can use him as well. Society has always been about how well others are brought to use. No, that is not called co- dependency. It is the world's selfish order and Aurora will fight anyone who denies it.

A swift one-eighty turn brings her face to waist with an old man. His cheeks sag into an up-side-down smile as his bushy eyebrows join his hairline in rejoice.

"Are you Iris?" He inquires, voice husky, as he tip toes to look beyond what his current line of sight could offer, without moving around physically.

"That would be me," Unfortunately; Aurora replies with a nod, craning her neck real hard to see his spikey beard. The man was all limbs and legs.

"I had never seen the Kitchens look as gleaming as Narkissa's Pearls in the entirety of my service here," the man gasps out with a sob. His cloudy grey eyes move with genuine admiration for the five-year-old.

"Huh?" Is all the coherence Aurora can muster in the moment. She did not clean the kitchen. Was it not magic? Why is she always so flabbergasted by the littlest things around here?!

"I'm promoting you to the Cleaning Department! Virae knows the Duchy needs hands like yours! What brilliant charm to have you here!" He cries out, clapping in self celebration as Aurora's jaw drops.

Say what? Cleaning?!

Yeah, this was her past life all over again. But this time, her consciousness is more in tact.

"Um, you see, I didn't like really ReALLy clean it—"

"Oh no place for modesty this is. Own what you flaunt, I think it goes the other way around. Nevertheless, I'm sure you'll do a goo—"

"Wait— does that mean I'll get a tour of this place? The whole place?!" Aurora suddenly perks up whilst the man was busy patting her back in motivation. Aurora Harper needed no motivation in flaunting, Thank You Very Much.

"The entire Ducal Estate?" The man drags out, hugging his chin to his collarbones with an expression of 'what-the-flintstone-is-this-lass-on-about' but Aurora's expectantly gleaming eyes did not catch the hint. Sighing, the man worded it out. "You don't mean you will be assigned the entire Duchy to clean, do you? Iris that would be madness. You shall be assigned a place and you'll have to stay in there." Forever, he wanted to add but didn't.

Aurora opened her mouth but words flew out like air bubbles.

"I'll think I'll assign you to..."

Any place but Arcel's tower.

"To— um..."

Anywhere with a Library that is NOT ARCEL'S TOWER.

"Which place is almost always abandoned by staff and needs a whole lot of work?"

Ah, the visions of the past night were settling in Aurora's mind with horror. The scratched wallpapers. The off-painted windows. Bad lighting. The creaky door hinges. The ill managed everything! Using Arcel was fine and everything but from a good enough distance. The sheer thought of living with him made her spine chill and skin crawl. Friend or not, constant or not, there was no way one could tolerate all of him all day, everyday. Maybe that was why his tower did not have any servants, maids or guards.

The man opens his mouth in something that feels like he's going to say 'A' when Aurora suddenly cuts in.

"You look absolutely dashing today, Sire. A black suit never lets anyone down. How may I address thee?" Her eyebrows wiggle in what she considered was a sauve gesture.

"The Keep, you will be assigned to the Keep. And I am Lord of Bubbleon who does not fuel on flattery," The man crisply introduces himself, lips curling on their ends. "I manage the financial matters of the Estate and time to time grant unbiased promotions," he declares proudly, pushing up his tie in what looked almost like narcissism to Aurora. Nevetheless, she is grateful to be assigned anywhere that isn't Arcel's tower.

"Well it's a pleasure having made your acquaintance, Lord of Bubbleon, but I was merely stating facts. Why are you so worried they'd be nothing but fictional flattery?" Aurora muses out, feigning innocence with her brown her. Yes, this is the eloquence she wished she could possess in front of Lady Crimson!!

The man coughs out an awkward scoff. He could sense the condescending on this child but couldn't outright pinpoint it without demeaning himself. Instead, he resorted to, "I will assign you a maid to tour the Keep. She will be handing out your new uniform and living quarters. If you want to retrieve anything from your older ones, you may do it by tonight or have it be claimed by some replacement maid. That will be all. You may leave now."

Aurora nods, curtsies, skips the thank yous and walks out of the Kitchen building. Lord of Bubbleon was twisted but not all that useless. He knew how to value skill.

Come to think of it, he was the only other person who did not treat Iris like a criminal!

Suddenly, the ravenette feels guilty for skipping the gratitude.

And did she have a job now?!

Even if it was cleaning — would she be legitimately paid? She should be if she will be getting a uniform!!

But wait— isn't she a minor? Isn't this employing child labour?!

Aurora clutches her head in her hands and crouches to the grass, eyes widening with culture shock. Aurora Harper is now being reduced to Child Labour?! Isn't this illegal?!

"Wow, this is another new low in my life," the ravenette gasps out, exasperated. Her eyes don't quite find focus yet. As the sun shone overhead, Aurora sat still and let the world around her sink in.

Not in an aesthetically pleasing way, no. More-like, in a, 'this is a different hell from what I knew and is this called my life now?' way.

From Arabella's nerve wracking threats about magic to having met a goddamn Faery to being almost killed by Ronne— could magic not just clean stuff while it was at it?! How had this world invented Lumines but not some nonsentient being that cleaned stuff?! Even Earth had that!

And hadn't Ronne said something about the Keep being around here somewhere beside the kitchen?

Aurora wants to look up, get up and get going. But something just does not feel right. From her exasperation about this ridiculous world to the shenanigans that she had been through all day, they had started taking a toll on her now. Iris' body feels weak and keeps weighing her down. So, she sits there with her head hung low as Guards patroll past her.

It reminded her of her mental breakdown in New York. She had sat on a street and cried for an hour straight and no body turned around to care. It had been an awfully hard day at school and her parents had yet again denied to let her act, sing or have any sort of autonomy to herself.

All Marvolo Harper wanted at that point was to marry her off, somewhere rich. So their family could leech off.

And suddenly, it wasn't just Iris' body that felt weighed down. It was her heart too.

Aurora wanted to go back and hug her past self on that street and tell her to not worry anymore. She'd be making it big soon. It would all be better soon.

Yes, that's all she has ever needed. Be it Earth or Wreath, or whatever, Aurora Harper had only ever needed herself. And if she was here, as Iris, she would still be fine. She will be herself.

Mustering herself up, Aurora all but jumps up, stunning all her reflexes that were yet to coordinate with her brain. She staggers, falling face first— only to have a hand ground her back to feet.

She looks up and meets cyan eyes and an annoying smile. "Easy there, you looked like you were about to break your skull—" Arcel grins cheekily but before Aurora could consider he had compassion, the child adds, "—all by yourself. Don't do it alone. Make sure I witness it next time around," the boy winks, keeping a steady hold on Iris' hand.

Her jaw falls open in concern. She cannot believe this is the person Arabella had burst out over. To protect him of all people.

Vasil stands beside him, a lid raised in his hand as he apparently blocks the sunlight from hitting Iris' face. In his other hand is a perfectly balanced tray of food. "Lightheadedness and dizziness are some symptoms of low blood sugar," the raven haired boy comments, eyeing the pale and lanky form of Iris. "Though you look properly malnourished to me. We must sit her down right this instant," he turns to face Arcel and all but orders. The brunette nods.

Aurora jerks her hand away from Arcel's grasp and frowns. "No body is sitting anybody down, I have an actual, proper job now!" She all but chirps, clapping to herself. The boys stare her cold in the face. As if it was nothing to be proud of. "Is that food for me?" She inquires, covering up the lack of congratulations she received.

"Depends. Do you want to share it?" Arcel counters.

"With whom?"

"Vasil."

"No." Aurora snatches the tray from boy's hands and almost topples under its weight.

Arcel shrugs his shoulders to Vasil's scandalised expression and laughs as Aurora struggles to balance the tray in her hands. She takes shakey steps forward, waddling over to the Lower Bailey again.

"Wait up— Dear Virae, you will fall and I will miss it!" Arcel calls out, running up to her retreating figure and grabs a hold of one end of the tray. It helps balance out the weight distribution.

And Vasil remains standing with pitiful eyebrows raised. Were these the people he had gone soft for last night? After cleaning the kitchen with all his soul had to offer, scrubbing even the minutest of dust specks nature could offer. After carrying that awfully heavy tray of food all over the Duchy as Arcel lazily looked around for Iris. After all that, he gets deserted like this?

He didn't mean to feel butt-hurt but Virae knew his heart had sunken to new depths.

The Guards nearing completion of their patrol jog toward him and Vasil has to speed out of their line of sight. He jumps over the ledges of the kitchen building and camouflages himself. He moves stealthily against the walls deciding to stick to stealing the necklace again. Back to procrastinated priorities.