Deuce and Riddle (pt1)

Deuce’s strict use of honorifics (he is the only character to refer to all older students as “last-name-senpai, more here ▶︎) may imply that he has a respect for hierarchy, also seen in his Book 7 dream: “If someone doesn’t honor the hierarchy, you gotta teach ’em to respect it.”

As early as the beginning of Book 1 Deuce is telling Grim not to disrespect Riddle.

While EN’s localization shuffles Deuce’s name for Riddle, in the original game Deuce has never referred to him as anything but “Housewarden”, “Housewarden Rosehearts” or “boss,” using a word that is likely a holdover from his pre-NRC days as an aspiring yankee. More here ▶︎

Canonically Deuce has never referred to Riddle by his first name, with or without the “Housewarden” title.

Deuce’s dorm vignette begins with him confronting three upperclassmen for speaking disrespectfully of Riddle (he is saved from a three-on-one fight by Ace).

Later in the vignette Heartslabyul’s flamingos are let loose on campus and Deuce tries to wrangle them on his own, saying, “It would be a disgrace to the housewarden to let the party be cancelled.” Impressed by his loyalty to Riddle, Rook volunteers to help.

The culprits are revealed to be the same upperclassmen who had been insulting Riddle at the start of the vignette (“I wanted to see the tears in Rosehearts’ eyes”) and Deuce declares, “I mighta let this slide if it was just a harmless prank, but you just HAD to drag the animals into it. There’s some lines you don’t ever cross!”

Deuce defends himself with a counter-grapple when an upperclassmen tries to hit him, saying, “I follow the boss—uh, the housewarden’s rules.”