Cecile/Season 2

## Plot

### Fallout

Several days passed after John wiped out the Royals as Joker, yet he didn't reveal himself to the school. Impatient, Cecile decided to confront him over this. She found him in an empty classroom, and interrupted his moment of deep thought by slamming the desk he was using. She told him it was high time he stopped fooling around and officially declare himself King. John dismissed her concerns, adding that she really ought to learn to relax. He told her that he had all the time in the world to tell the rest of the school of his current status. John suggested that they just enjoy the downtime, to Cecile's alarm. Meanwhile, students were starting to attack each other while wearing Joker masks. When Cecile learned of this, she called John for an emergency meeting to discuss the matter. To her frustration, he wasn't all that concerned about the impostors. Cecile warned John that he needed to step in and resolve the situation before everything was torn apart by chaos. John looked straight at her and asked what she would do if he didn't feel like it. The glare and threatening tone scared Cecile into attempting a more diplomatic approach. She placed her hand on his shoulder and reminded him that she agreed to help him dethrone Arlo in so that they could run Wellston together. John responded by grabbing her wrist, slamming her into the wall, and telling her what how he viewed their working relationship. Cecile was told that she wasn't the vital asset to his plans she thought she was, and that all his decisions would be made without her input.

The Joker situation indeed escalated, and John experienced it firsthand. Cecile learned of this and approached the frustrated John and asked if he still didn't care about his impersonators, getting told off in response. She had suspected that Seraphina had been the primary target of the attack, and got a confirmation when John asked how she knew. Cecile stated that it was only a matter of time before this happened. As a former Ace, she would naturally have made many enemies at school, and they were now free to use the anonymity of Joker to fulfill their desire to beat her. John remarked that everybody really was garbage according to Cecile's description of the common mindset of students. Cecile quizzed John about his endgame. She thought he decided to take action in order to protect Seraphina, but pointed out that all of his actions made things even worse for his best friend. John slowly walked right up to Cecile and asked if she was faulting *him* for the existence of those "greedy f\*cks." Choosing her next words *very* carefully, Cecile explained that Seraphina had relied on the Royals as allies and protectors in the past. But with the identity of the Joker who defeated them unknown to most, students were free to attack her without being held accountable for it. Cecile pleaded for John to publicly step up as king, for the sake of Seraphina's well-being if not the school's. To her shock, he refused once more. John had come up with his own plan to ward away Joker attacks directed at Seraphina. Cecile found herself appointed as Seraphina's secret protector.

Cecile did as she was told, making sure not to get caught and arouse Seraphina's suspicion. Cecile let Seraphina deal with a Joker on her own, and discretely stopped another's attack with her ability. There was a third Joker, but that one ran off after seeing Arlo approach. Cecile herself was surprised by his intervention as well. She observed them from a distance, wondering what the two of them were doing together. She heard John's name being mentioned quite a few times. John later called her over for a progress report. He was concerned when he heard that Seraphina was apparently on good terms with Arlo again despite his telling her to avoid him. Watching him panic over being the topic of their discussion made Cecile realize that John was determined to keep his true strength a secret from Seraphina at all costs. She decided to inform him he was kidding himself if he thought that someone as intelligent as Seraphina wouldn't figure out who the real Joker was. She added that Seraphina's reason for going to Arlo was likely due to her best friend always lying about his capability of protecting her. Cecile began to advise John that the best way for him to get Seraphina back on his side was to own up to what he did. But before she could finish, John slapped her so hard that she fell to the ground bruised and bleeding. John began raving that she had no right to throw the blame for things onto him. He went on to claim that Seraphina was more at fault for making all those enemies who'd want to target her, forcing him to take action. Cecile couldn't believe what she was hearing. It was plain to see that John was responsible for the mess they were in, but she wisely kept that to herself. John then knelt down and asked her what else Seraphina said about him. When Cecile didn't answer fast enough, she was shook and asked in an angrier tone. She shrieked that she couldn't hear the conversation well enough from where she was. The disappointed Shadow King called her useless and departed, leaving the resentful Cecile on the ground.

### Responsibility

Despite the treatment she endured as John's sole remaining confidant, Cecile remained haughty and self-centered. She chose to ignore Remi when she pleaded for her help in resolving the worsening Joker attacks throughout the school.

### Safe House

Days later, Zeke and two cronies attempted to disprove an article Isen published regarding Joker's true identity by challenging John in the courtyard. Cecile was watching the scene from a crowded window, wondering whether John would at long last showcase his true power. After days of hiding his secret, John finally revealed the he was Joker and the true King of Wellston in full view of the student body. After trouncing his aggressors and forcing the beaten Zeke to beg for mercy, John declared that the whole school now belonged to him, and that he would tear apart anybody who crossed him without exception. Cecile silently observed John's speech from start to finish.

Cecile caught up with John after he departed the courtyard to congratulate him. When John asked why she had any reason to be happy about his ascension, she claimed that she was happy that her ally was now in his rightful place. John wasn't buying it, and told her to knock it off with the disgusting display of sycophancy. He went on to guess that Cecile had *really* approached him in the hopes of having her old position of Press Leader bestowed upon her. In that case, her arrival was fortuitous, as he was just headed to see Isen. He invited her along. They entered the Press Room to find that Isen, Seraphina and Arlo were in the middle of a meeting. Eschewing small talk of any kind, John ordered all three of them to leave. The trio complied with John's order, only for him to pull Isen aside and warn him that his position as head of the Press was Cecile's once more. Things only got more heated from there, and Arlo eventually stepped in. The former King glared at Cecile, and saw fit to warn his successor about picking his minions with discretion. John naturally had every reason to distrust any advice Arlo provided, so Arlo asked John whether he recalled his first meeting with Cecile. He guessed that John hadn't been privy to the details of her dismissal from the press, and decided to elaborate. When Cecile realized what Arlo was about to do, she cried out for John to ignore whatever he said. But Arlo managed a shocked reaction from John by revealing Cecile's role in defiantly leaking the article exposing Seraphina's powerlessness. Though taken aback, John was quick to accuse Arlo of trying to trick him again by diverting blame away from the author of the article. More insults were exchanged, and John ordered Cecile to activate her ability so he could teach Arlo a lesson in respect. Cecile was hesitant about obeying this order, which would cost John the chance to vent his anger against Arlo's group.

Cecile was smacked across the face for not granting John access to her ability. She explained that she wanted to avoid having fights breaking out in her workspace, but John told her that what *she* wanted was of little importance. He warned that she would regret disobeying him again. John then went back to the matter of the article he hated so much. The terrified Cecile began to try explaining herself, but John shut her down. The good news was, he wasn't interested in trying to assign the proper blame, and she would still get to run the newspaper. The bad news was, John assigned a few caveats to her regained position as a precautionary measure. John told Cecile that she was not to attempt to manipulate him in any way. And in order to ensure Cecile would never forget who the Press truly belonged to, John told her that she would be held responsible for any and all information that was leaked to the school without his express permission.

John later decided to appoint Cecile as the Jack of Wellston instead of Arlo, a decision Remi did not protest against. On her first day back as Press Leader, Cecile basked in the jubilation and praise of the team who congratulated her on her promotions. She then acted nonchalant about her restored prestige, which made everyone gush over her more. John then burst into the room, instantly killing the good mood she set with her return. Trying her best to maintain her dignity as his subordinate, Cecile cordially asked how she could be of service. John ordered her to print a front page article informing readers that all who joined Safe House could consider themselves enemies of the King. Cecile was aware of this club, and of the fact that it was approved by the school staff. She pointed this out as she advised John that he shouldn't force the press to shift from its unbiased stance for an unnecessary conflict. John disregarded this advice and pulled rank, reminding Cecile that the final say was his alone. He also reaffirmed the threat that he could strip her of all her reacquired positions. He then turned to the observing Press Team and repeated his warning before storming out. After he left, the Press Team murmured about their leader's station in the new pecking order, wondering what good it did if they were forced to turn the Wellston Weekly into a rag. Incensed that her parade was rained on, Cecile furiously thought that her services to John didn't warrant such ingratitude.

### Tyrants

Ultimately, Cecile and the Press Team did as they were told. John's decree was front page news on the opening day of Safe House. And as the team suspected, it wasn't enough to make anybody take the warning seriously. And with Zeke driven off after a failed attempt to gather names during the opening ceremony, many students actually wound up joining. So John escalated his conflict with the club to the point where he actually invoked the rare intervention of the headmaster, who banned any future attacks.

### Square One

Cecile would find that John still saw fit to use the Press as a means to slander his enemies when he couldn't crush them. He stopped by the Press Room again and ordered her to publish another front page artcile, this time heralding the end of the Safe House in the wake of his attack.

Just after she gave the team their last assignments and dismissed them for the day, she got a visit from her ex-subordinate, Isen. She expressed surprise at seeing him around again, given the teensy issue of John forbidding him from ever returning to the Press Room. She asked what could be important enough to risk incurring the wrath of the King. He wanted to ask her about the earlier anti-Safe House edition of the Wellston Weekly when his attention was diverted to the draft of the next one. He was about to comment on it when one of Cecile's reporters walked in and said she had forgotten to write her name on her article. Wanting to end the sorry sight of Isen's cowering, Cecile told the girl that she'd make a note of the snafu before sending her on her way.

When they were alone again, Isen was told to get a grip. John's business with the school newspaper was concluded for the day. She urged him to speak whatever was on his mind, so he called her out on using the newspaper to try and turn public opinion against Safe House. Cecile said that it wasn't personal, but Isen was more concerned with the issue that she was speaking someone else's mind. She told him not to read too much into it, but he tried to remind her that it wasn't like her to let herself be exploited when it came to the news. When she tried to explain what awaited her if she disobeyed John, Isen reminded her that he knew from experience how ruthless John was. But that shouldn't have stopped someone like her. He remembered how she was motivated to remove Arlo from power by a desire to run The Weekly as she pleased. But with John in control, she only wrote what he told her too, like a puppet. Stung by this assessment, Cecile ordered Isen to fall silent. But Isen challenged her to prove otherwise, and even expected that she didn't know what John wanted anymore. Cecile maintained her privacy by pulling rank. Isen conceded but he had one more thing to say: Cecile being forced to print cheap content made a bigger mess of the Wellston Weekly than even his shoddy leadership had. When Cecile didn't respond, Isen apologized and left. Cecile picked up the article draft and looked upon resentfully. Despite her silence, she knew that Isen was right. She had pledged her alligiance to a new King and got nothing in return for services rendered...except abuse and scorn. Cecile decided she wanted out, and tore the article in half. The consequences would be **dire**.

The next day, Cecile was making preparations for when the Press Team assembled that day. Suddenly, the door opened behind her, and she was overcome with a grim feeling that an angry King had walked in. Indeed, she heard John call her by name. Bracing herself, she turned around and saw that he was accompanied by Zeke. Despite already knowing, she asked what John was here for. He demanded to know why she didn't publish the article like he told her to. She explained her opinion that the newspaper had no need for a piece that screamed "desperation." But John was convinced that it would have been the final push he needed to finally bring down Safe House, and Cecile's lapse in obedience was treason. Cecile couldn't calm him down, so she could only stand there and listen as he ***again*** brought up the fact that he bestowed upon her all that she had lost. With scornful memories of his disregard for her well-being in her mind, Cecile told John where he could stick his "blessings". She threw aside her titles and abandoned John's mad cause. It would have been the end of their partnership, but John wasn't the type to let others have the last word. No sooner had he reacted to her breaking off did Zeke activate his ability. Cecile ordered him to stop blocking the door, but Zeke smiled and said that he had to stay put. John, with Phase Shift copied, asked Cecile how she could dare turn on him after he gave her the titles she wanted. Unable to escape, Cecile insisted that John's allies would remain loyal if he didn't treat them like garbage. John told her that "garbage" was all she ever was. He then advanced on her, ignoring any further attempts at reason. With nowhere to run, Cecile activated her ability. John had left the room after copying it.

### Discord

Whatever horror happened that day in the Press Room, Cecile was in good health the following month. John had returned and chose to pass down his title to somebody who wanted it. Blyke wound up as the new King of Wellston, and by tradition this meant appointing a new Jack. Isen was selected to take the role to support his friends, but he didn't want the job. So he, Blyke and Remi went to see Cecile to see if she was still interested in continuing the position she had under John. Cecile turned it down, because even after everything she had been through, working with low-tier sympathizers remained beneath her. Isen got down on his knees and begged her, trying to appeal to her characteristic hunger for status and power, or at least for the sake of keeping Zeke out of such a position of authority. Cecile refused to change her mind for the sake of Isen's "freedom," and even suggested that the extra responsibility might do him some good. With her refusal, Isen was forced to take the role. Cecile watched as his friends dragged him away while he pleaded for her not to turn down the gift he was bestowing upon her.

## References

1. ↑ Chapter 157
2. ↑ Chapter 159
3. ↑ Chapter 165
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Chapter 167
5. ↑ Chapter 166
6. ↑ Chapter 176
7. ↑ Chapter 187
8. ↑ Chapter 188
9. ↑ Chapter 189
10. ↑ Chapter 190
11. ↑ Chapter 192
12. ↑ Chapter 193
13. ↑ Chapter 201
14. ↑ Chapter 212
15. ↑ Chapter 220
16. ↑ Chapter 221
17. ↑ Chapter 238