This response brought a small smile to her face when she heard Vil laugh as well, "You don't have to apologize. Thank you. Those kids can't separate fiction from reality, so they had a problem with me. How stupid can they be?"
"That's true..." Lotus hummed before turning to the wolf ear child, "Perhaps, Jack-"
"I don't really get it since I don't watch TV very much, but…" Jack hummed, "Doesn't that just mean your performance was really real?"
"True." Vil responded as it dawned on him, "Then in my next audition, I have to get the leading role and give such a moving performance that it brings them to tears."
"I'm always after the title of the one and only 'hero.'" The larger Vil appeared once more elsewhere before Lotus noticed that he was in a trance within this darkness, "But…I'm always given the role of the 'villain.'"
"I heard that the movie based on a children's novel that Neige stared in made over two 20 billion Madol at the box office in its first week!"
Lotus noticed that the scene had changed to a filming set in a storage unit. There were very few people around and a lot of machines around them with a strange set, perhaps a stage?
"Neige really is amazing. His charm and purity are innate talents of his." The other tall man nodded.
"Vil, who played his rival, is pretty outstanding himself too." The previous one nodded in approval, "His performance had this poise about it that makes you forget that he's only twelve. I'm sure he'll be able to get leading roles sometime too."
"But…" The other one hesitated, "about Vil, it's almost like he's too put together. He's got this otherworldly beauty, y'know. Vil is too special to play a "normal teen" that is supposed to feel familiar to the audience. Since he's so far removed from reality, won't a leading role be the only one that's difficult for him."
"I will do absolutely anything for beauty."
Vil appeared before her once more with a distant look into the distance as he watched this.
"Whether it's hard training or involved treatments, if it's for beauty then I don't find any of that to be a chore." Vil responded firmly before he grimaced, "But…why? Why is someone else always picked over me?! All I want is to be on the stage until the very end."
"So, that's why you want beauty." Lotus stood before him and watched him, "Then, let me tell you what I think about this."
It was these words that snapped him out of it as he turned around in shock only to find her in bewilderment, "Th-This... you..."
"I'll tell you what I think about this?" Lotus frowned with a scowl, "It's because you're too perfect!"
Vil stared at her in shock when she said this. Before him stood a woman of fire with flowing red hair and in a bright red brocade. an anklet with a bell rang with each step she took causing the scene around them to disappear into the darkness with a single ripple.
Seeing this before him, Vil was at a loss for words till she spoke up to which he suddenly recalled what he had mentioned, "You're-!"
"You say that you want to always be on the stage until the very end." The girl said firmly, "But, the stage has no place for you!"
Her words shocked him in disbelief as she continued, "You are too perfect, Vil. You are always prepared. Always... ready for anything that goes South. When you aren't and fight back, you do so without addressing to understanding the real cause of the problem when they stem from you. You are someone who wants beauty to act on this everlasting stage, but you don't acknowledge yourself enough. You always sought after beauty for yourself, but I wonder when did you ever thought that the beauty you had was enough? Were you at your most beautiful state at any point in time?"
"Of course I did." Vil replied in bewilderment, "It was..."
"I had thought that you held beauty when you were running around each morning." Lotus responded with a frown, "You held a cold beauty that nobody could touch. That no one could get close to. As a person, you also rejected those around you but only reach out to those with potential. At the same time, Niege reaches out to many because he is not worried to tackle things as he isn't along even when noone is with him. Hmph, the beauty the two of you hold is a rose and a lotus. It's like asking which one would you prefer to hold in your hand? Hmph!"
As she sat on the ground, the flame quickly dispersed from her toe to head as she sighed in aloof, "Do you want to know what I see when I compare the two of you? Hmph! I see a monster pretending to be a rose and a lotus trying to grow on land! Both of you are stupid in your own special ways!"
"You-!"
"Am I wrong?" Lotus sneered, "Wanna know where you are, right now?"
"This..." Vil frowned, "I wanted to ask you as well. Where am I?"
"In your soul, obviously." Lotus responded curtly.
"Is the soul always this dark?" Vil responded in disbelief before Lotus suddenly appeared before him and flicked him in the forehead, "Ow!"
"Of course not, Fool!" Lotus scolded, "You idiot got so obsessed with your own beauty that you freaking overblotted! Hah... Seriously... Do you have any idea how much work you give others? So, disrespectful... Curses, my palm is getting itchy again just from talking about it..."
"Overblot?!" Vil shouted in horror when he heard this, "I... I overblotted?!"
"That's right." Lotus pouted, "Causing more work for others... Rook and the others are trying to smack you out of it, so you better start waking up and retaliate or don't blame me for jumping in and kicking you around!"
Vil gasped, "The stadium!"
"Hey!" Lotus shouted feeling very indignant about the matter in frustration, "What about the others?! Gr... If only you weren't... And Yuu... Gah!!! This is why I hate the both of you! You and Niege are both such horrible people! So annoying! Geez! Just what did I do to be in the presence of both people? Hmph! Little Jun!!!"
Little Jun flew out of nowhere and appeared before her hesitantly, "Yes, big Sis?"
"You remember the path right?" Lotus pointed out with a sigh.
Little Jun nodded his head, "Does master want me to go take him out by myself?"
"Ah, can you do it?" Lotus responded curiously.
Little Jun nodded, "However, the surrounding blot..."
"I'll deal with it.
Hearing her say this, Vil was shocked as he whispered in bewilderment, "Didn't she hate me? Speaking of which, it's the first time a little girl would hate me this much..."
"Little girl?" Lotus pouted in dismay, "Shut up! I'm fifteen!"
"Eh?!"
"Geez! Seriously! Aside from your own beauty and others, can humans ever learn to love and appreciate the ugly as well? Hah..." Lotus shook her head and sighed as she waved her hand gesturting him away, "That's enough... Little Jun, hurry up and take him away. I'm getting a headache just seeing him and hearing his voice..."
"Okay." Little Jun nodded as he sighed inwardly in exasperation.
He could only hope that the heavens would be lenient on him when he takes on a human form in the future!
"Ah, wait! I'm not done yet!"
Lotus huffed in exasperation and pressed his accuppuncture points knocking him out. It was then that Lotus picked him up and threw him over Little Jun's back like a sack of potatoes facing the black surroundings and sighed, "I guess it's my turn... I wonder why they still haven't beaten him yet?"
"Big sis," Little Jun responded, "I think it's because the amount of blot accumulated was too much that it's made him too powerful this time. So, Big Brother Yuu must be having a harder time with it this time."
Lotus heaved a heavy sigh and nodded, "Okay, okay... Looks like I have to lend a hand this time. But, I guess it makes sense. Those idiots actually decided to go and do this to the students of Pomefiore... If I wasn't around, the students would've all overblotted by this point. I'll go and beat them all up, then... Is what I like to say..."
Lotus sighed again and scowled, "Who knew that a peacock would even have an ugly look? Hmph! I'm never stepping foot in Pomefiore dorm again! I knew being in that dorm was trouble... If those guys didn't... Grr... If only I can just kill them as I like..."
Hearing this, Little Jun sighed in exasperation. Didn't she just told him not to use that he can't use that word like that? According to Ying Hui, our master is supposedly pretty shameless, so it seems to be true to a certain degree in the end...