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Light of late afternoon filtered through the open windows. The lazy drone of conversations fluttered towards the dorm. A single robin perched on the windowsill, twittering at the blond head of hair slumped on open textbooks.
"Apple!!!!" A sudden yell startled the sleeping girl, making her sit up with a gasp and whirl around to locate the sound. Her eyes fell upon a brown skinned girl who slammed her dorm door open.
"Yeah? What's up Briar?" Apple yawned. She rubbed her bleary eyes and peeled off locks of hair stuck to her face. Her throat felt clogged up."I was actually supposed to be studying-"
"Pish posh, You pulled an all nighter again." Briar frowned. "Let's get you off that desk, you need a break. You cannot look enchanting with dark circles under your eyes."
Apple shook her head and reached a hand towards the coffee mug on her table. She brought it to her lips, expecting the bitter taste of black coffee but came away without a drop. Her mug was empty. "I just need some coffee." She noted with a slight rasp to her voice. "I have to keep revising for my Crownculus hexam."
"Take a chill pill, sweetie." Her BFFA shook her head in exasperation. "You work way too hard, let's go shopping instead."
Her brown eyes sparkled, making Apple consider for a moment. But she was suddenly reminded of her mother's disappointed face and pushed that luxury away. She had to do something productive.
"How about after my hexam?" She suggested. "I just have it tomorrow morning, bright and early."
"Oh don't even bother fighting me on this one." Briar huffed and grabbed her arms. With protests from Apple falling on deaf ears, she hauled her shorter friend up and dragged her towards the door.
"How about we drop by the Beanstalk cafe? get you a coffee refill?" Briar suggested to quell her friend's arguments. Apple paused for a moment but nodded. Briar allowed her a moment to compose herself, she didn't really need to do much except drag a hand through her hair and let her princess magic work the rest of her sleep deprived face. They wrapped an arm around each others and made their way over the cobblestone paths towards the village of Bookend.
"I wonder if I should get the new 'Unicorn Swirl Sedation' coffee." Briar mused. "I've heard that it has enough sugar to put people in a coma."
"That... does not sound appealing." Apple winced. "Think of how much work you'll miss out on? How long would it last?"
"Just for a day, Apple. It puts you to sleep for a day. Also it makes you lucid dream too, apparently." Briar thought about it for a moment. "On second thought, I have enough of sleeping in the future to look forward to, I'll pass on this one." She joked, laughing away the pain and uncertainty of the future. Apple noticed her tight shoulders and soothingly petted her arm, unsure of what to say. She tried wordlessly offering her comfort, which seemed to calm her friend down for the moment.
"Oh look Ashlynn is in the store!" Briar waved. Apple looked towards the quaint shoe boutique managed by her friend, The Glass Slipper. Her strawberry blond friend waved back with a shy smile before turning back to talk to a squirrel on her palm.
"Apple White!" The princess turned back to find a few villagers waving at her, faces glowing in greeting. She flashed them a dazzling smile, finding warmth in belonging. She was a popular princess already, with her story. Her recent adventures with Raven Queen in saving Wonderland only added to her good record. She sat through many interviews with Blondie Lockes because her subjects demanded it. And a princess never disappoints her subjects.
Briar dragged her away from the crowd, muttering an apology but insisting that they get a move on. Apple found herself walking over the dainty streets, her skin warmed by the late afternoon sunlight. The familiar Beanstalk cafe towered high, almost as high as the Tower Hair Salon. Vines covered almost every inch of the brickwork. Briar pushed open the door with a loud greeting.
"Faybelle!!! What's my Frenemy Forever After upto? Any new tricks planned?" Briar hollered. The Dark Fairy at the counter glowered at her. Her iridescent wings gave an irritated flutter.
"I have half a mind to hex you into a frog." She growled. "A slimy little frog."
"Hey!" Hopper Croakington, son of the Frog Prince gave an irritated huff from a table. "Amphibians are not insults!"
"We apologize, Hopper." Apple gave the him a dazzling smile and a flutter of her eyelids. His irritated expression calmed into his face turning as red as her dress.
"N-No p-p-problem, Ap-Apple.." He stuttered. He stuffed his face into his open Mirrorpad to avoid getting even more flustered and inevitably turning into a frog.
"I'm NOT dealing with you, Bree." Faybelle huffed, "I'm getting in the intern." She turned to a window behind the counter and yelled out.
"GET OUT HERE CHARMING!"
"Charming? Is Dex here?" Apple mused.
The Fairy didn't answer, she just peeled off the hat on her head and pushed through the door to get to the kitchens.
A different person, wearing a baby blue dress and a mask, with her bond hair in a bun on her head, took Faybelle's place on the counter.
Apple met icy blue eyes and froze in place, a warm joy took ahold of her heart.
"Darling." She breathed out with a genuine smile. "You're interning at the cafe?"
"Yeah, sitting still and looking pretty was getting a little boring." The tanned, muscled arms she placed on the counter seemed to contrast her statement. "Had to get out of the dorm more often." Darling pulled down her mask for a moment to flash her a smirk. She quickly put it back up again. Princesses shouldn't be seen working peasant jobs.
"So, what would you like to have this evening, princess?" She asked Apple.
"Black coffee, my usual." The honey blond girl replied. Darling paused.
"Get her something sweeter, my girl drinks that out of obligation to pull all-nighters!" Briar slumped an arm over Apple's shoulders.
"You should try something sweeter, like your personality." Darling winked. "Any other options?"
"Uhh.." Darling's eyes were getting a wee bit distracting. Apple felt a slight flush on her cheeks. Oh no, it wouldn't do to have a princess be stunned speechless. "The Spice Pumpkin-carriage Latte?"
"That's so boring." Briar winced. "Get me Blueberry Pixie Pox. I'll pay."
Darling tapped out Briar's order on the tab. "Can I suggest you something? Apple?" Her fluttery voice made Apple's poor heart stutter for a bit, like a spell trapped on a fairy's tongue.
"S-sure." She spilled out, slightly cringing at her hesitance.
"Alright, how about Sweet Apple Pie?" Darling suggested.
"Is that on the menu..?" Briar flipped through a parchment on the counter.
"Nope, I made it up, in honour of Apple, it's on the house." Darling turned back and fiddled with the cups and syrups, concocting her own magic.
Apple just watched her soothing movements with facination.
"She's flirting with you, you know." Briar elbowed her oblivious friend.
"Pfft, nooooo, why would she flirt with me?? I'm a girl haha..." She denied.
Her BFFA gave her a concerned look but didn't continue the conversation as a bright blue drink landed infront of her. The drink was a gradient of navy blue and black, with dark chocolate arranged in solid spikes in the coffee. It reminded Apple of Faybelle Thorn.
She turned back to watch Darling mix up a warm brown drink with red syrup. She turned back and placed a steaming cup with the letter 'A' written in foam on the top. A tiny heart also appeared beside the letter.
"Thank you." Apple blushed at the compliment. Darling just pulled her mask down and shot her a dazzling smile. Time seemed to slow down for Apple as she was dragged away from the counter by Briar. Scenery blurred and warped. The only image burned in her eyelids was Darling's radiant beauty in her line of sight. The girl wore the simplest of frocks and absolutely no makeup, her hair was pulled together in a rush. But the warmth in her gaze completely melted her thoughts. Her heart thudded while heat covered her face.
She took a sip of her drink and was immediately surrounded by apple orchards in summers and home-made baked goodies. It really did taste like her.
Many blurred moments later, just before she was deposited to her dorm room, her BFFA turned to her with a giggle.
"How did her princess magic work on you? She never flipped her hair."