scary monsters ~endless halloween night~ 3-9 "make sure it's a challenge for me, 'kay?"

[mandytl]

 

 

Location: The Other Dimension - Haunted Ghost Town

Riddle: They just keep coming, no matter how many we take down… ! Clear the way!!

Ruggie: W-What happened to savin’ our energy?!

Ortho: Let’s jump into that less ruined building on the right and get ourselves together!

They enter it to face a blinding white light.

Riddle: What the?!

Location: The Other Dimension - Bizarre Staircase

Ruggie: The heck are we now?!

Ortho: Some other place entirely, looks like.

Riddle: The architecture here is absolutely chaotic. We walked into an odd place indeed…

Ruggie: Isn’t Heartslabyul pretty similar on the inside?

Riddle: Excuse you! Our dorm’s design adheres to strict tradition and—

???: Look who we got here.

Riddle: Did a ghost follow us in?!

Ortho: No, it’s… it’s something else. I’m picking up a heat signature… —there, up the stairs!

Floyd?: Ahah. What’re you guys doin’ out here?

Ruggie: That nonsensical speech… Floyd-kun?! Am I glad t’see you safe and sound!

Riddle: Wait! Don’t get any closer!!

Ruggie: Huh?

Floyd?: ……

Riddle: … That isn’t Floyd.

Ruggie: Wh—how come?!

Riddle: Jade said this to me shortly after I’d enrolled… 

Flashback time.

Location: Interior Hallway

Thud.

Riddle: You’ll have to forgive me. I was in such a hurry that… —ugh. Floyd!

Jade: Actually, that would be Jade, Riddle-san.

Riddle: Huh? My apologies. I haven’t quite got the hang of telling you two apart yet…

Jade: Very understandable. People mix us up quite often.

In fact, I’ll teach you a good way to do so. Look very carefully at my face.

We share many differences, such as eye color, the way the outside corner of our eyes angle outward or inward, the thickness of our earlobes…

Riddle: … As far as I’m concerned, those are all just minute variations.

Jade: The easiest way to tell is by which direction this lock of hair is facing.

From your perspective, mine is on the right and Floyd’s is on the left. … Are you aware of the clue now?

Riddle: Aware of… Oh! Do you mean… ?

Jade: Indeed! My lock of hair curls in the same direction as a J.

Riddle: I knew it! That does sound easy to remember!

Jade: Just remember, “The lock that curls to the right spells the J for Jade.” Fufufu…

Back to the present.

Riddle: … is how it went.

Ruggie: Oh, yeah. Now that you mention it, it does kinda look like a J… 

But isn't his attitude and tone still completely off?

Ortho: … Image Verification Complete.

I ran him through my internal database, and… his eye color. That’s definitely Jade Leech-san!

Jade: Ahah… Ahahah… 

Ahahahahahahahahaha!!!

What’s it even matter… who I really am?

You oughta be worryin’ about what you stepped into instead!

Ruggie: Hello?! He just attacked me!

Jade: C’mon and bring it, trash! And… make sure to make it a challenge for me, ‘kay? Ahah.

Ruggie: You sure that ain’t Floyd-kun?! 

Riddle: I’m… far from certain at this point. Perhaps it’s Floyd with his hair parted the other way…

Jade: Take this!

Ortho: Watch out! Here comes another attack!

Riddle: Ugh… Whichever twin he is doesn’t matter. I know just what to do to those who turn against me.

Return fire!