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After the night of the explosion, Anika felt herself becoming more and more curious about her former best friend. She hadn’t thought of looking in the notebook that night but as time went on curiosity got the best of her. There wasn’t much to go on at first. At least that she could understand. There were tons of scribbles and notes about Arsene and other poison folk which she found strange, especially considering the writing style seemed so familiar.

Anika would never admit to reading books for fun, especially with the little downtime she had as a princess but there was one author whose stories she couldn’t put down. And the writing in the notebook was eerily similar. Artists copied each other’s styles all the time but this was… different. It was almost like they were the same person. But that was impossible because Gabriel was a runaway coward and Alain was… Well, she didn’t really know. But it couldn’t be the duke, could it?

Looking further into the notebook, she had more questions. There were random pages that had her name mentioned throughout. The princess wasn’t sure if she was supposed to be faltered or insulted. The way he wrote about her made her seem like some god-like entity, impossible to touch or speak to. But if that was the case, why did he approach her that night? The night when he was so close to breaking her that she had to leave. They hadn’t spoken much since but she knew she would have to make her presence known sooner or later.

The morning started like any other, getting breakfast with Nayeni while she chatted about classes. More of her talking at Nayeni but that was just that she hated the sound of her voice and signing was just so tedious while trying to eat. Thankfully at least one person was willing to submit to her demands and just listen for once. Nayeni, while being a haunting reminder of what she had to endure, was the closest thing she had to a friend now.

Looking across the dining hall her eyes landed on Gabriel, he looked miserable. The sun seemed to bring out the coward in his eyes. Her eyes continued to follow him as he started making his way out of the Dining Hall, there was still plenty of time before class started, so why was he so eager to leave? At least this meant he would be most likely alone which made for a good time for her to attackspeak to him. "I’m done, talk later love," she sputtered as she signed to her friend.

Quickly throwing away any remaining food and putting away her silverware, she followed after Gabriel. Did he always walk so slowly? Or did he know he was being followed? It wasn’t hard to catch up with him, almost as if he wanted to be caught. That or he was a slow walker. ” Well, don’t you look terrible this morning. I understand we can't all look as amazing as me but, that doesn't mean stop trying.” Anika called out to him, whipping her hair with her free hand as the other now held the notebook she had been safekeeping.

Staring him down once their paces had matched, it was hard to tell if her words affected him. It was possible comments about his appearance no longer had an effect on him anymore. Maybe she would have to dig deeper into the vault for this one. "So, I’ve been reading a new book lately; A real page-turner. His work reminds me so much of Alain Miranda’s, wouldn’t you agree?" A confident smirk covered her face as she pretended to flip through his notebook. This would be a real test to see what he had to say and if he was the coward she thought he was after all.




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It wasn’t much fun if he wasn’t going to put up much of a fight to hide his secret identity. Anika was hoping he would have spent some time denying it so that she could start displaying her wonderful detective work. Why did no one seem to want to fall into line? Of course, she hadn’t told him she was trying to toy with him but, leave it to the writer to be above all the games. If he was going to be a loyal servantfriend the least he could do now was offer to be of use to her.

But that never really was the nature of their relationship. Despite her higher status, she never treated Gabriel as lesser than before Utopia. Maybe that’s why it hurt so much when he stayed away. Deep down she got it but it still hurt and not just mentally. If Anika closed her eyes, she could still hear the shrieking in her ears as she pleaded with them to stop. When she had offered to help distract the guards so Gabriel could make his escape, she never thought that she would receive consequences, did Gabriel know that she had? Was it even worth bringing up now? The last thing she wanted from anyone was pity.

"An autograph? You must be joking." Anika nearly slipped on her heel as she choked out a laugh, "Or drunk perhaps?" Looking at his tinted glasses and rags, some might call an outfit. Maybe there was some bite in him after all. Like she would want his autograph, he was dressed like a homeless person with a hangover. Given her previous observations maybe he was hungover. If he thought she of all people wanted an autograph from him, he had to be the littlest bit high or drunk. ' Bold to do so before class but who am I to judge for one’s vices.' Thinking back to her nights with her former fiancé who was now engaged to the bubblegum heiress.

Collecting herself before deciding on what she wanted to say back she looked him over, still surprised this really was him. It felt like there were so many ghosts haunting her at this school, maybe her father was right in saying it was better for her to be at the castle. All these feelings were of no use to her. Not if she was to take the throne soon. She knew it was only a matter of time before she was sent back and that she was living on borrowed time here. It didn't change the fact she was enjoying her stay. Not that she would say it to the poorly dressed dopehead, but she had missed him.

But what did it matter? Once she was queen it wasn’t like she could have friends. She barely had time for them when she was Princess. Nayeni had been carefully selected for her after Gabriel’s disappearance. Despite having the most power in the kingdom, she knew it was all image. She had no interest in politics, she never had. But Musique needed a queen and she was the rightful heir as her father had reminded her so many times before. No one else would be able to fill the spot. It was her duty.

But she still was here, talking with Gabe. Only the gods knew how many chances she would get to make things right. If that’s even what she wanted. She didn’t know what she wanted from the duke was it fair of him to be attacking him if she didn’t know? Was it bad if she didn’t care? "You’re not fun at all Gabe. I was expecting you to fight it just a little." A small smile crept onto her face. Was this happiness?

She didn’t stop her investigation there though. There were still so many questions. Many she already knew the answers to but wanted to hear from the man himself. It would be difficult for her to admit being a fan of his works but she truly was. It was hard to believe the brave war writer was the same person in front of her now. "Why even bother with a secret identity if you’re just going to give it up so quickly?" It was a good question. But an easy one. She would start here and see what he had to say. See if he really was a man of his word after all.





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Originally taken aback by his quip but then pleased that there was some bark in him after all her smile continued. Maybe there was still a chance for the two of them after all. Anika was still torn if she wanted him to pick up a racket and play with her or just fetch like a good little boy but she figured she would find her answer around the way. It was unfair for him to expect to her to know all the answers, after all, she was living on borrowed time here. It would only be a matter of time before her father called her back home, why couldn’t she have some fun first?

There was a short moment of silence after Anika’s question was finally answered. She wondered why there was a pause between his words. Was he struggling with what to do as well? Gabriel always seemed like the more put-together one out of the two of them when they were teenagers why did it now feel like the both of them were on the verge of a total collapse? What would it mean for Musique if they did? The princess still wondered about how her life would have turned out if she and Gabriel had managed to escape together all those years ago. But telling him that wouldn’t do anything now. She was the one who opted to be the distraction so he could go. Deep down she knew why he never reached out but it didn’t stop the pain she felt. Nothing did.

"It was never you that I was keeping my identity a secret from,"

More information Anika already knew the answer to. Why was she tormenting him anyway? It wasn’t like making him squirm now would change the past. Still, there was a louder voice in her head saying it was worth a try in doing so. Maybe if everyone hurt as much as she did, finally she would be heard. If he wasn’t trying to hide his identity from her then why not say something to her sooner? Gabriel was the one wanting honesty and she was the one being gracious enough to allow him another chance but it was getting to be tedious having to prod and pry for information when long ago she would have been the only person he told.

Maybe it was time that Anika started letting go of the rope. Reality often scared her but Gabriel used to be one of the only people she could be real with. Fantasy was much more fun but it didn’t seem like the duke was willing to play to her delusions, " I figured as much, it would be hard to hide your style from your first fan after all." Her prideful smile had been replaced with a much more serious one as her voice changed to a softer whisper.

"Looking back, there's a lot I wish I'd done differently. But for whatever it's worth, it's good to see you again, Ani. So do I get a turn to ask you anything at some point? I know I missed a lot, and...if you'd allow me, I'd like to know you again. Perhaps we could find somewhere to sit for a bit?"

… Was he being for real? Anika felt like she had been hit with another dose of reality and she wasn’t sure if she was ready for it. But it wasn’t exactly up to her now. After all, she was the one that started the game to begin with. Gabriel was now coming to play and it was only fair that she let up a little bit if she was going to play fairly. Anika sighed, " I suppose. Is there a place you would like to go? Otherwise library is pretty empty in the mornings."

Normally she would chastise herself for being so forgiving but there was something in the water. So many things weren’t making sense, first Syena, then Gabriel. How many ghosts would it take to haunt her before she realized whether or not she was living in a dream or a nightmare? The night of the explosion she thought she might know the answer after hearing about the nightmare creatures but those were so quickly explained away she didn’t know what to think. Everyone seemed to have all the answers except her… and Gabriel. If she could help him with that then maybe he could help her as well. As much as the idea of asking for help from someone wearing servant garbs pained her, it seemed like he was a huge piece of the puzzle of where her heart had gone.

Anika didn’t give Gabriel much of a chance to debate on location, opting to just march over to the huge library doors. Opening the doors to the library, she hoped not to disturb the librarian. The brute was quite intimidating and not worth the trouble of explaining why they were here so early in the morning. Thankfully since it was so early in the morning most of the staff and students were in the dining hall, leaving just the two of them to… talk. " Did you know there’s a section for your works in here?" Anika teased a bit, still unsure whether or not she was ready to be vulnerable for the duke.

Wait, she wasn't supposed to know that. Anika was already showing too much of herself to him. Admitting she never stopped being a fan of his would ultimately end with him thinking less of her, she could hear her father yelling at her over and over in her mind. It was better for her to just focus on finding a quiet place for the two of them to talk, and quickly. Not wanting to seem too acquainted with the library, she pretended to bop around a moment before choosing the two lounge chairs near the fantasy section, her usual spot when she was here. " Uh. This will do I suppose." The princess pretended to dust off one of the chairs before sitting. Anika looked expectedly at Gabriel, " Come on now, I haven't got all day. If you have questions take a seat and ask them. her demanding tone returned in full force now.






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