Annette 🍰

—all, really.”

“Sure, I’ll lead the way.”

Annette said as she began to climb the staircase. Perhaps she should swing by the desk Felix was working at so he could collect his things, what was he even studying at this hour alone?

“…Why were you in the library again? It’s not like you to be here so late, or at—

“Thanks,” she’d grumble, turning her back on him once again.

“Since we’re sharing; we should probably pick somewhere to set up for the night. The second floor seems like the right choice to me, it has a few small couches if I remember correctly.”

After a few more marching steps forward, Annette would slowly come to a halt before turning to face Felix. A sheepish look on her face.

“…can we…we can share it, right?”

The last thing she wanted was to be left without light!

—the floor.

💢💢💢

“FINE! Be like that! This is exactly what I’m taking about!”

Annette huffed, grabbing her satchel from the ground and marching away from Felix.

“If you don’t want to work together, then fine! But I’m taking your lantern as compensation!” She said as she swiped it from where it sat on the —

“Ugh Felix can you just be serious for one moment?! It’s so obvious that you have something against me. Although I have no idea why!

Regardless…of whatever it is, we’re here together, and we’ve got to work together to get through this! Especially with how dark it is in here, it’s dangerous, right?”

“D-don’t say it like that! You’re lucky Sylvain isn’t around to hound you over your wording!”

Annette chewed her lip nervously.

“…I’m sure you’re over the moon to be stuck with me; but before you start teasing and insulting me let’s make a truce.”

“Comfortable!? How exactly can I do that whenever I’m stuck in the dark with—“

Annette made a groaning noise, trying to compose herself.

“…you still have that lantern right? So we’re not totally without light? The candles surrounding us will only last so long.”

—do we do…?”

Felix and Annette were shoulder by shoulder, staring blankly at the locked door in front of them.

A cold chill ran down Annette’s spine. Of all the people to be trapped in a room with it HAD to be him!

She tilted her head up to face him.

“Um…Felix?” She questioned, in a small voice.

“What —

“…”

Her face turned pale.

She suddenly dropped her belongings onto the ground and quickly turned around again, her hand twisting the door handle desperately.

“Oh no…oh no no no no!”

Was Felix cursed?! Or was it herself!?

Oh Goddess this was infuriating!

Annette swirled quickly around on the spot to face Felix in the low light.

“Bullies don’t tend to announce that they are going to harass their—“

She paused, realising that the door had clocked shut.

Annette heaved the belongings in her arms as she stood at the door.

“Hmpf. Just /what/?!”

Her brows furrowed more, but of course Felix wouldn’t see it.

“See? You’re doing it again! Making fun of me! You can never be sincere with anyone ever! You don’t have to tell someone you hate them for them to realise it!”

Annette kicked the wedge from under the door, the only thing now propping it open was her foot, with her back to him she’d continue.

“I-I just don’t get why you dislike me! And more so than anyone else!”

Annette began to haphazardly swipe her belongs from the desktop and into her arms.

“Don’t play dumb with me! Teasing me over my songs, my dancing! The constant leering and following me! I just don’t get why you pick on me the most out of anyone else!”

“What do you care,” she said with a slight tremble, as she finally reached the bottom floor.

“I know you enjoy this, I know you enjoy attempting to embarrass and ridicule me.”

Why did her school bully have to be /HIM/!?

…

Her face twisted into an adorable pout.

“Fine! You win!”

Annette said, bending down to grab her snuffed out candle.

“I just—I just don’t get it! What have I ever done to you?”

And with a small, slightly dramatic frown, Annette carefully made her way down the stairs in the dark.

She reluctantly lifted herself from the ground and dusted off her skirt. Her legs were still shaking.

“You? Study?! Don’t make me laugh! Why are you really here, huh? Here to torment me?”

She sighed, stabilising herself slightly.

“You should…you should leave. Yeah. Please.”

Annette’s face was pale and her eyes were still wide as she sat on the floor, looking up at Felix. It took a moment for her brain to catch up with the reality of what had just happened.

Another one of her personal safe spaces ruined by Felix Hugo Fraldarius!

“…”

“WHY ARE YOU HERE!?”

—The motion causing her own flame to snuff out!

The shadows cast on Felix’s face from the shallow light made her heart drop to bottom of her stomach with how inhuman they made his features seem.

With a loud squeal Annette would drop her candle onto the ground and then fall backwards onto her backside from the sight of a ghost in front of her.—

—with age.

“…Um, h-hello…?” She called out.

But no one replied, so she continued further until she reached the second floor.

There was still no one here, but this floor was much darker than the one below, she could hardly make out a thing in the dark.

—moments of sitting at her desk, with her paranoid thoughts spiralling she slammed her hands down on the table and rose to her feet. The sooner she checked the sooner she could get back to reading.

With shaking hands, Annette grabbed a candle and took slow steps up the stairs, esch step creaking-

Annette inhaled sharply through her teeth at the cracking above her.

It was probably just the wind, or the pipes and definitely not a ghost or intruder there to violently chop her into pieces!

She liked to think she was a rational person, whether that was true or not was up for debate.

After a —

—double doors that lead into the dusty room were not open wide as they usually were. A wooden block wedged underneath was the only thing keeping one of those doors slightly open and unlocked for Annette.

{ @fraldariuscrested.bsky.social }

It was way past curfew, but Annette couldn’t tear herself away from the library. She sat at a desk with a small stack of book, most of them laid open on random pages.

The light from the candles around the room was minimal, but her reading was distracting her from her fear of the dark. The —

“Of course I do, but I want us to both do something that we’ll both enjoy together.”

Annette once again linked her fingers with a his.

“Especially since anyone could stumble upon us at any given moment. Let’s at least get out of sight for now.”

What did he mean by that…?

Felix was only able to drag Annette through one or two hallways before Annette pulled her hand from his hold, causing Felix to halt.

“…’get this over with’? Felix, I don’t want this to seem like a chore. If it’s too much hassle we can forget about.”