Believe it or not, Epel and my OC, Darrian, were the very first pairing I ever came up with (Yes, even before Mika was invented). The story between these two is that Darrian dreams of being a teacher. While Epel has a more soft appearance, Darrian, being the only daughter in her family, has grown to do the heavy lifting for her trader parents (so a more athletic physique). The two don't seem to like each other at first, but the two seem to be jealous of each other's attributes. The two end up helping each other get better at the things they wanna do, and a romance blossoms like apple flowers in spring <3

This scenario would take place in the fall before Epel has to return to school, so they are just two adults being cheesy with each other as he helps Darrian prep for one of her lessons.

Link to original post: https://old.reddit.com/r/TwistedWonderland/comments/xe5lzy/twstober_prompt/

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It was a cool fall weekend when Darrian invited Epel to take a walk with her in the forest. The breeze eased the air temperature, and it was soothing when it brushed through their heads, which brought their heads to pleasant relaxation.

“Thanks for joining me today, Epel,” said Darrian as she searched through her teachers’ journal. “If I’m going to have more eyes and ears for this class hunt, I could definitely use a second hand in creating the worksheet.”

“My pleasure,” he responded, widely grinning. “This is goin’ to be a fun project and learn at the same time.”

“Exactly. Now, I hope that the riddles I come up with are actually possible to fin’ in these woods.”

“Really? I thought it was pretty simple.”

“Well, it’s easy to tell kids to fin’ trees ‘n birds ‘n all, but it’s not stimulatin’ enough. At the same time, if I make it too hard, the kids will be frustrated and wanna quit.”

“That is a good concern to have.” Epel tapped the tip of his boot into the dirt path. He stared into the open forest space. “What is fluffy as a sheep, elusive as a butterfly, but is friends with both the sun and the moon?”

Darrian cocked her eyebrow. “Pardon?”

Epel replied, “I said, “What is fluffy as a sheep, elusive as a butterfly, but is both friends with the sun and the moon.” Cutely smiling, he pointed upwards.

Darrian looked his finger towards the sky, where the pools of clouds drifted by like leaves in the wind. “Oh…my…Epel, you’re a genius!” she exclaimed.

“You see? If you take some obvious things and word them like I just did, the children will focus more on what the thing does and less on how to find it. It’s poetic that way.”

“Well, we can’t let that potential go to waste now, can we?”

What is deep as a rabbit’s den but will grant your wish?

What rushes fast as the wind but is home to permanent swimmers?

What sings every hour but only the same note?

Darrian and Epel ensnared themselves in writing as many riddle ideas as possible in Darrian’s journal. The both of them shared poetic riddles for a good hour. By the time Darrian settled the entire worksheet plan, it was the afternoon, and the sun was inching towards the west. Epel thought it was a perfect moment to get a selfie when the natural light was at its most prominent. Just as he thought, the picture came out flawless, just like his teacher of a gal.

“This would make a perfect picture for MagiCam. You wouldn’t mind, would ya?”

Darrian chuckled. “Of course, I wouldn’t mind. Post away.”

As Epel uploaded the picture onto the app, he wondered aloud, “What would make for a good caption?” He turned to Darrian and asked, “How about, Who has the inside of a gem and the aura of the morning star?”

Darrian rolled her eyes and smirked. “That’s cheesy as heck, Epel.”

“Or maybe, No one is as much of an apple of my eye than the apple plucked from the most blossomed tree.”

“Epel, please!” Darrian couldn’t control herself. If she held in her laughter any more, her ribs would’ve ached.

“Hadn’t I accept your walk offer, I wouldn’t be havin’ this riddle bug. I can’t wait to tell Riddle that the next time I see him.”

“Would he find it amusing?”

“Only if I gave the story context.”

“Context, yeah.” Darrian coughed once. “That is indeed important.”

“Anyway, since we’re done here, how about we go home and get some fruit packaged in the most delicious round pastry?”

“Is that how you’re going to describe pie from now on?”

Epel blushed.