Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

(Warning: Audio may be loud)

Words have life, and in time, may even bind ones right to live.

- Yuuko Ichihara, xxxHolic

----

Blink

Blink

No matter how much blinking is done, the scene presented to you does not change.

A dark, circular room full of tall windows and floating coffins. Pillars with hanging green-lit lanterns of an unfamiliar make.

And one very unfamiliar floating... Cat... Racoon... Thing, that, from the looks of it, used blue fire to break open your own coffin, you screaming all the while. Then proceeded to shriek upon noticing you.

"[Why are you awake!?]"

"I- What? I'm sorry?"

You're too busy trying not to faceplant onto the floor under your coffin that you didn't catch any of... whatever garbled mess of words that was. The cat-thing doesn't seem to get you either.

"[What in the world are you even- No, nevermind that.] Ningen! [Give me your clothes!]"

Wait, wait, 'Ningen?' It's speaking Japanese at you?! Think brain, think! What have you learned from all of your anime and self-teaching?

"Ch-chotto matte kudasai! W-watashi... wakaranai!"

"Ha?! [What's there to not understand?! Just give me that uniform, or I'll roast ya!]"

Fwoosh!

Fire bad!!! Fire bad!!!!! Oh God, it's getting angry and you still have no idea what's going on!!

"Kimi! Kimi wakaranai! Watashi hanash- hanasanai de!" You stumbled through, but you at least caught yourself before mixing up 'don't speak' with 'let go.' Still, this only made the cat demon madder.

"[What do you mean you don't speak!? You're talking just fine right now! Ngah, no, I don't have time for this! Just give me you-] Nhgack!!"

Ok. You hit it. With your shoe.

... Fuck it! You're done with all this nonsense! You're noping the fuck out of here and finding someone who speaks English!

You thank whatever higher force for the existence of slip ons, locate the nearest exit, and bolt before Cat demon can recover.

----

Ok, maybe running in the first direction available wasn't the smartest thing you could have done, but come on!! You were working with limited knowledge and under duress!

Where the fuck are you???

Sprinting through halls and passing through various rooms only makes you more confused. Reaching a courtyard of some kind shows you to be in some kind of castle, but castles don't exist in the US!!! The nearest castle would be across the ocean and any in this kind of condition would be a museum that you certainly wouldn't have the money to enter!

It's twilight out, the sun only just beginning to sink, and only now do you take a moment to breathe. You may not be particularly out of shape, but even you have limits. And then you noticed your clothes.

What are you wearing?? A cult robe?? It's... actually very pretty now that you're looking at it.

The outer robe is black with a deep purple inside, extremely fancy gold embroidery lining the bottom and sleeve hems, and oooooo this is a nice hood! Hides your face real well. The inside also has this crossed gold key pattern? Makes you think of Kingdom Hearts. It's clinched shut at your waist with a belt of the same deep purple, and there's a weird... key shaped... holder??? hanging off the belt.

The under shirt is black as well, extends past the hem of the coat down to your knees, and with a collar that reminds you vaguely of a priest's outfit. The sleeves extend down into one of those little loops for your middle finger like those sleeve-glove things you do not know the name of. It has gold embroidery along the shoulder and a bit of the chest too, though you can't quite get a good look at it from this angle.

Black slacks and weird matching boots completes the look.

Well this is some fancy cult get up if you've ever seen any. Makes you feel more like some kind of dark mage or something.

You can at least feel that you're wearing a tank top under it all, so... not completely left without your own clothes.

You still don't know where you are though. And you haven't seen any other person since-

Fwoosh!

Screeching and cursing as blue fire nearly takes your eyebrows off, you're pulled violently out of your musings by the devil you'd just thought of.

"[Did you really think you'd get away from my nose? Dumb human.]"

You still can't understand a damn thing the cat is saying, but you can definitely read its smug superiority at finding you.

"What is your problem!?" You growl quietly to yourself, knowing you don't have the linguistic skills to properly say that to the demon that's been a pain since you woke up.

"[If you don't wanna get roasted, better hand over-]"

The cat starts, but doesn't get to finish as a... rope? Whip? Comes out of nowhere and ensnared it. The cat struggles against it, grumbling more you can't understand well, as the one holding the other end finally registers in your mind as being there.

"[This is no mere rope. It is a lash of love!]"

Ai no... what?? Did he call it a whip of love or something??? What the fuck???

And what in the world is he wearing??? Some kind of dapper Bird Gentleman aesthetic going on, fancy shirt and vest combo with the feathered cape thing, black bird mask, and top hat. There are little keys and mirrors??? adorning his outfit and he even has a cane in the hand that isn't holding the whip that has the cat.

You could stare at him and try and pick apart his whole outfit, but then he's turned and addressing you and you're not sure how to handle the tone of disappointment when you can't even understand 98% of what he's saying.

So far, the only word you think you've picked up on is 'gate,' but literally one word doesn't give you enough context outside the scolding you know you're getting for something you have no clue as to have done and have had no chance to speak up.

He continues on and says something to which has the cat protesting and you can at least pick up the 'Hanase!' it groans out through its continued struggles.

The dapper birdman seems nonplussed and then proceeds to wrap the whip around the cats mouth to stop it's protests.

He then turns back to you and says a little bit more and then finally you see a point that you can say something.

"A-Ano... Watashi wakaranai desu."

"Eh? Nani ga wakaranai no?" He blinks down at you with the glow of gold from behind his mask and Jesus christ you're only now noticing his ears are pointed.

"Uh... kimi... hana- su...?" Fuck, this is going to be a train wreck, but you hope to God he can at least get you to someone who speaks English. "Nihongo o hanasanai."

Except Birdman continues to blink down at you in confusion.

"Nihon-... [What in the world are you saying, young one? I'm not quite following...]"

"Dare ka... Ingurishu... hanaseru?"

"In... guri..."

"English." You try one more time, praying that you can get something through to this man. "It there someone who speaks English? Onegai. Wakaranai hanase."

That seemed to have gotten some kind of reaction out of him, as he snaps up and almost flinches back. Even if you don't understand the reaction, it's a reaction so you just- keep going.

"Please, I don't know what's going on. I woke up in a coffin, was attacked by a cat demon, and now I'm here and you're the only other person I've seen and please tell me someone here speaks enough English to get me home-"

"Matte, matte, chotto matte kudasai!" He stops you hastily, seeming panicked.

Ah, you've worked yourself up too much. You can feel the sting of tears in your eyes. The man is hovering as if unsure of how to proceed with a grown teenager crying and speaking a language he doesn't know.

So you wrap your arms around yourself and try to calm down with a deep breath.

"'M sor-..." Ah, no, wrong one. "... Gomenasai."

"Ah... Hai."

Fuck. You want to go home.

----

Dire Crowley knows something has gone very, very wrong.

Upon finding the broken and scorched Gate, one of the last few that were to be opened, Crowley has initially felt both confusion (what could have done such a thing to the Gate?) and a small sense of annoyance (the student who did this was going to be in trouble and school hadn't even started!)

So he did the most responsible thing he could think of: inform the other teachers that he will be looking for a wayward freshman and for them to continue to awaken the new students and proceed with the sorting with the Dorm leaders.

It had taken more time than he'd liked; the sorting may take a long while but he knows he needs to find this lost child before they finish.

And he does find the child.

(Not how he wants or pictures to. He thinks he'll find them wandering the school, possibly getting into some kind of mischief if they've the gall and means to break open the Gate.

He finds them because they screamed, and the part of him that is Headmaster, Teacher, Guide is reeling because My Student Is In Danger There Is A Danger In My School and his heart seizes for a fraction of a second as he turns the corner where the scream came from-)

He also finds what he figures is the culprit that opened the Gate. A cat-like creature, a familiar to the student perhaps, though untamed and undisciplined if the fact that it's threatening the student says anything.

Subduing the creature is easy with his lash, and scolds the child inturn with the familiar. The child, at the very least, listens quietly and obediently, unlike the familiar he had to silence.

Except-

"Ano... I do not understand."

The following conversation spirals out of control so fast he's not sure how it happened. The child was speaking broken Common and of things he's never heard of. Then they get frustrated and for a second, he'd thought the child had used their Unique Magic on him.

But then they kept going, speaking the most fluent Old Trade that he's ever heard in his life, and he can only pick out so many words before he has to make them stop.

And he knows that something has gone so terribly wrong as he tries to keep the child calm.

A child who may very well should not have been able to be brought to this school.

But the child is wearing his school's ceremonial robes. The Carriage had brought them here, somehow. He cannot, in good conscience, as Headmaster and an Educator, leave this child helpless. So he takes a deep breath first, then clears his throat.

"I." He speaks slowly, gesturing to himself. He can do this.

"Help. You. For I am kind." He gestures back towards the child, hoping he's understood. They seems to have a rough grasp of Common, so he tries the most basic speech he can.

And the relief he feels at seeing the child relax is a wonder as they nod their head.

"I understand. Thank you."

"Now, let's go."

(There's only one person on campus that has any kind of proper fluency in Old Trade. And possibly the Dark Mirror. He hopes that will be enough to get this mess sorted out.

He hopes this mess can be sorted out.)

Chapter Text

After the, as you predicted, train wreck of a conversation that somehow turned out ok, Birdman ushers you along the corridors of the castle you've ended up in, cat demon dragging along behind.

You think it will become awkward with silence, but Birdman takes the initiative to try an explain as much as each of your limited vocabularies allow.

"Watashi wa Dire Crowley. Kimi wa?" He prompts. You weren't expecting how he didn't say his name in Japanese phonetics, so it took you a second to recover and reply.

"W-Watashi wa... Kallisto Verdreiss. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu." You give him a little bow, as well as you can with the slightly brisk pace he's set.

"Yoroshiku, Verdreiss-kun." He smiles and tips his hat in return, and the back and forth continues. (You decide against attempting to ask about the '-kun.')

"Um... Koko wa doko?"

"Kore wa Night Raven College."

"College? Gakuen?" You were in a whole ass school? What, are you in some Hogwarts knock off?? The cat demon and coffin decor point to yes.

"Hai. Gakuen desu."

If this is a school, then...

"Kimi wa... Sensei?"

"Hai! Watashi wa Sensei to... mn." Crowley paused and tapped at his chin with one of his glove talons in thought.

(God, when you first noticed those gold little bits on his fingers, you didn't know if you were envious or scared. You kinda wanted a set, but you also didn't want to accidentally hurt yourself with them, they looked sharp.)

"Watashi wa Sensei to Gakuen-cho* desu."

Wait, hold up-

"Gakuen... Gakuen-cho?!?"

The first human(-ish) person you end up meeting is the whole ass Principal of this School!? You freaked out on the man in charge of this whole place!?

"Hai."

What is your life right now!?!!!?

"Ah." You have absolute certainty that you've gone about three shades whiter. Though Crowley-sensei seems more amused at your reaction than anything.

"Daijoubu. Watashi wa yasashii no desu."

Well, so far he has been incredibly kind. At least in comparison to the cat. But still! It's the principle of it! You've never been called to the Principal's office for any negative reason, let alone freaked out at one.

"Ha-... Hai..."

"Ah. Koko ni imasu."

"Eh?"

You're where now?

Upon reaching a somewhat grand looking door, you can now pick up the cacophony of voices coming from the other side.

Oh dear. That sounds like a lot of people. Were they having an assembly or something before you woke up?

Crowley notices your hesitation, and gently places a hand on your shoulder, prompting you to look up at him.

"Daijoubu. Tasuke ga arimasu." He gives you an encouraging smile, before he strides forward to the doors, throws them open, and makes one hell of an entrance.

----

There is a part of Divus Crewel that does adore teaching.

He enjoys watching his students grow as people. Enjoys watching them make new discoveries, finally figure a difficult task out, find a passion where they hadn't thought to look before. Sciences are a wonder at doing just that.

Yes, he has problem students, and he knows that his particular style of teaching can rub a few the wrong way. But he will still give his whole effort into guiding them, just as the rest of his coworkers do.

But right now, at this very moment, does Divus acknowledge one of the very few things he doesn't like about his job.

The Entrance Ceremony is nearly finished, with the last few students being sorted, and their oh so kind Headmaster Crowley still hasn't returned.

Now, Divus trusts Crowley.

Divus could list a good few pages worth of the flighty scatterbrain of a Headmaster's flaws, but Divus trusts Crowley.

Crowley just has a very.... peculiar way he presents himself. But Divus has been around the featherbrain long enough to see around certain masks he's put up.

Therefore, he feels relief instead of annoyance when Crowley decides to make his Grand entrance just as the Dorm Heads decide they want to leave, missing student thankfully in tow.

The relief only lasts a very brief moment when he also spies a cat-like creature (a familiar?) lasso-ed in Crowley's infamous "Lash of Love."

(If Divus knows one thing, it's that Crowley is actually acutely protective of all of the student in his school. There are just... issues he doesn't really want to think about right now in regards to Crowley's inability to actually be as responsible as Divus knows Crowley is capable of being.)

So Divus sits and watches carefully as Crowley admonishes the Dorm Heads, even though he'd only told the teachers about the missing student and not any of the Dorm Heads.

His eyes widen as he sees Crowley turn to the missing student and begin to speak gently and quietly to them.

Crowley is very rarely the second, and almost never the first. Divus can't take his eyes off the normally impossible display.

He watches as Crowley gestures at the student and then points towards the Dark Mirror. He then gestures to himself, taps at his temple, and then gestures to the creature. The student replies with a nod and an equally quiet response. And then Crowley, honest to the heavens, gives the student a true and proper smile.

(Not the one Crowley plasters on because he's so 'kind.' The disarming one for the masses, too liken, he thinks, to a Customer Service Smile.

No, a smile Divus hasn't seen for a long while now. One of the ones that had been reserved for behind locked doors, after hours, when there was something he could say he was proud of being the Headmaster of Night Raven for.

He glances at his fellow teachers, making sure they're seeing this too. If Divus had less self control, he is sure his jaw would be on the floor like Vargas'.)

Crowley nudges the student towards the Dark Mirror, giving them (what he thinks is) a final word of encouragement.

As he watches the student make their way up to the Dark Mirror and the creature seeming to renew its efforts in escaping the lash, Divus feels a very unpleasant twist in his gut.

Something is about to go very, very wrong.

----

"Kimi ga iku. Yami no Kagami. Tasukemasu."

You don't know why this "Dark mirror" looks vaguely familiar, but Crowley said it would help and promised to keep an eye on the cat. So, up you went, with the whole of this assembly watching.

God, you're not normally one to get overly nervous being up in front of people, but this is nerve-racking. What were you even supposed to do? Stare at the thing until it showed something?

Your questions were answered for you when a green, floating mask face appeared in the mirror, surrounded by green fire.

And holy fucking shit it's the mirror from Snow White.

No, freak out later, listen to the mirror now.

"[State thy name.]" It utters, and you repress a shiver. More Japanese. Great. What does it want?

Ok, ok, break it down, what can you pick out? Nanji no na o... Na like from Kimi no Na wa, right? Na from namae. Name, it wants your name, ok.

"Kallisto Verdreiss." You reply as loudly as you dare.

"Kallisto Verdreiss." It repeats perfectly. "[The shape of thy soul is...]"

'Tamashi,' that's soul, right? It's... looking into your soul? By the faces it's making, (that you would have probably found funny if you weren't as tense as you were) it is getting one hell of a gander at your spiritual innards.

"Wakaranu."

"Eh?"

It doesn't know? What does it mean it doesn't know?! What does that mean for your soul!?

(What does that mean for your chance to get home?!)

"Nandesu tte?" You hear Crowley ask the mirror, just as confused.

"[I sense barely a spark of magic from this one. A seed planted, but yet to even take root. A weak ember in a vast darkness. The shape, the color, it is all too new, too small for me to read properly. Therefore, I cannot sort this one into a dormitory.]"

Yeah, ok, it's lost you. But you can tell that it's something that's caused a stir. What, did it declare you Satan or something?

Crowley seems rather baffled and frustrated at whatever the mirror had said, pacing in quick circles from his place closer to the other adults in the room, muttering something you can't make out right now.

You don't like this. The whispers of the student are starting to get to you, and you're starting to get a sinking feeling.

And as if karma had decided to hear your thoughts about this continuous shit pile of a ride you've had so far, that bloody cat demon finally gets free of Crowley's whip.

"[Then I'll take their place!]" It declares, flying up out of reach of everyone somewhere over you're head. Crowley yells, what you think is, for it to come back, calling it a tanuki.

(You are fairly certain it is not a racoon-dog, roundness to it included.)

"[Unlike that dumb human, I can use magic! Let me in the school instead!]"

Is it seriously using 'Ore-sama?' The thing would barely come up to your knees if it stood on all fours like a normal damn cat!

"[If you need proof, I'll show you right now!]" You watch as the cat takes a deep breath and a magic sigil faintly appears beneath... it...

Oh sugar honey iced tea!

"[Everyone, get down!]"

You don't need to understand the words to understand that command. You immediately drop into a ball and cover your face with your hood as the cat practically spews blue flames like some kind of fucking real life Pokémon. Screams erupt around you as panic takes over everyone.

And so chaos decends upon the student body of Night Raven College, with you unwillingly at it's epicenter.

Chapter Text

In all honesty, Azul had hoped that his second time at Night Raven's Entrance Ceremony, not as an incoming freshman, but as a Dorm Leader, was going to be calmer. Floyd wasn't here to cause a ruckus like last time, and he'd hoped that once all was said and done, that would be it for the day, Headmaster's presence or no.

That hope went up in smoke with the rest of the Mirror Chamber when the strange creature the Headmaster had brought in with the missing freshman got free.

Now students and teachers alike are trying to douse the insistently burning blue flames that reminded him uncomfortably of Idia and Ortho's hair.

(Could the creature have originally come from the Isles of Lamentation? He'd need to ask Idia the next chance he can.)

"Somebody catch that racoon!" He'd heard the Headmaster call over the screams.

Ah, an opportunity for favors.

He ignores the commentary from the peanut gallery and the strange freshman running down from the Dark Mirror's dias to aide Kalim and hails the Headmaster.

(He'll also need to make note to send Jade and Floyd to keep an eye on that freshman. Whatever is going on with their magic, he needs to see where it goes, and see if it's a worthy... investment.)

"Crowley-sensei, please leave it to me. I'm sure the others couldn't stomach harassing the poor creature, so I will take it upon myself." He announces.

"That's Azul for you. Always trying to earn himself points."

Idia knows him so well.

The banter continues between the Headmaster and the Dorm Leaders enough so that the creature - Grim, it calls itself - proclaims again that it will be the greatest Magician ever.

"It certainly has moxie. Care to help me Riddle?" He calls to his fellow Dorm Head.

He knows the red haired Dorm Head is exceedingly strict with all rules, so he knows this disturbance will put Riddle as the one most likely to help him.

Besides, Riddle's Unique Magic will make this a breeze, certainly. All he will need to do is find a way to get the creature to hold still long enough for Riddle to get the collar on.

How hard could it be to corral the pitiful thing?

"I can't overlook those who break rules. Let's hurry and get this over with."

Perfect.

----

Things have gone so quickly to shit, your head is spinning and your lungs are burning in your attempt to not scream in panic with the rest of the students.

Or maybe that's the smoke inhalation.

Either way, you know shit's hit the fan and you have no idea how to help.

"Uwa!! [Hot! Hot! Hot! My butt is on fire!]"

You're fairly certain as to what the tanned-skin boy with the... head scarf? Turban?? near you is saying, considering how animatedly he's flapping at the smoke coming from his rear.

Ok, maybe you can help in some way. Now, how did the Tokyo Ghoul lyrics go-?

"Matte! Ugokanai!" You call out to the boy, dashing up to him and taking one of his arms. Though startled, he complies enough for you to spin him around so that you can see the embers burning away at the hem of the outer coat of the robes.

You pull at the hem of your sleeve and cover your hand with it, then begin swiping at the hem of the robe firmly and quickly with your sleeve, trying to brush away the burning part of the coat without setting your own coat on fire.

You're thankful for the double layering of sleeves, but it's still not a pleasant sensation, running your arm over actively burning clothes, but somehow, you're able to get the burning to stop.

Once you're sure the fire won't start up again on the cloth, you turn back to the boy, who you're only realizing is just barely taller than you.

(Huh, you don't meet a lot of boys close to your height.)

"Daijoubu?" You ask him, and the boy beams at you like the damn sun.

"Hai! Arigatou gozaimasu! [You really saved me there!]" He takes your hands in his and shakes them a bit, cheerful and bright like he hadn't just been running around with his ass on fire.

You saved the overwhelmingly positive one in the bunch. Lucky you.

"Ah- i-iya, mondainai." You stammer out. Looking around briefly, trying to escape a very awkward situation, you notice that some flames still ravage the room. New ones pop up as the cat - you think you heard it call itself Grim? - seems to be fighting with a pair of students, shooting off more fire in retaliation.

"Hm? [Are you looking for something?]"

Does a magic school even need fire extinguishers? Then, the next best thing is...

"Mizu no Mahou?" How did 'something' and 'anything' match up again? Ah, right! "Nanka! Nandemo! Mizu! Motto mizu!!"

"Mizu no...? Ah!" A light in the attic! Finally! You see the boy pull out a... is it supposed to be a wand of some kind? It looks more like a pen with a big gem on the top. It glows a bit as he waves it above the two of you-

"Oasis Maker!"

- wait, what?

You yelp as suddenly it starts pouring rain from nowhere, not even clouds hanging in the ceiling, just, -boom- rain. The creature - Grim? Is it called Grim? - also shrieks as both it and all it's fire start hissing and sputtering out.

"Off With Your Head!"

Accents that very much weren't Japanese asside, that was fucking English.

Now there are more discussions going on that you can't understand, primarily between the redhead (who seems to have made a... magic sealing collar? appear) and Grim(????), with a comment by the glasses wearing boy who proposed the capture.

(Glasses boy is giving you some shady ass vibes with his tone, unfairly handsome face notwithstanding. And the only reason you even keyed in to the conversation at all were the words 'Riddle' and 'Unique,' of all things, popping up. Unless 'Riddle' is the redhead's name? Who names their kid Riddle????)

You're broken out of your thoughts as Crowley comes to your side.

"Daijoubu desuka?" He asks, placing a hand softly on your shoulder. You nod and Crowley seems to sigh with relief.

"[We'll have that creature thrown out immediately. We won't have it turned into a stew, for I am gracious. Someone please help.]"

You don't know what Crowley is being so kind about, but you can tell that since you didn't hear anything about death or killing, the cat's just being thrown out?

The cat makes one more proclamation about him... absolutely, absolutely.... 'Dai Mahoushi?' Great... Magician, right? Something about him becoming a great magian?

The grand doors slam behind the students carrying out Grim and there's a part of you that can't help but feel... a little bad.

Why was he so desperate?

Your eyes don't leave the doors even as Crowley makes the announcement to end the ceremony. You have an odd feeling in your gut.

You shuffle yourself closer to Crowley's side as he mentions someone called Draconia-kun that gets literally everyone in a tizzy. Whoever he is, he seems like someone important.

After a bit more conversation that goes over your head, it seems everyone is going to leave when Crowley calls one of the others over.

"[Actually, Vanrouge, could you help me with one thing after taking the students to your dorm? It will be brief, I promise.]"

"Oho?"

You see a shorter boy, Vanrouge-kun, break off from one of the groups and float over to you. He stops in front of the pair of you, bright red eyes looking on curiously.

(At the same time, Vanrouge's eyes seem to... look through you, like he could read every part of you, or that he sees something you don't. You don't know how well you can keep eye contact with him.)

"[And what might I help you with?]"

"[Well, I suppose the best way to explain, is to simply let you hear for yourself.]"

Crowley turns to you and makes a quick set of gestures that you interpret as 'Talk to this person.'

So you do.

"Can you understand me? Please tell me you can, I think we're both getting desperate here."

Vanrouge blinks in surprise, likely just as taken aback in the fact you're speaking in a language you are guessing is not particularly common. He composes himself quickly though, and replies slowly, in heavily accented, but still understandable-

"Now this is a language I has't not hath heard in a long time. 'Tis quite baffling."

Shakespearean English. But English all the same. The relief you immediately feel nearly brings you to tears.

"I'm the one who's in shock that I've only met one other person who speaks the same language as me." You huff a small laugh and dab at your eyes with your cleaner sleeve.

"No, I would not believeth so. For the language thee and I art speaking hath not been in useth in... at least four centuries. "

"... I beg your pardon?"

English... hasn't been in use.... in four hundred years?!? You're essentially speaking the equivalent of fucking Latin to these people!?

(Wait, then how does- oh, pointy ears. Not Human. Ok, you're talking to an ancient, possibly immortal being. Great.)

"Four... hundred..." you wheeze out, "Well. I'm lucky that you're here then, yes?"

"Forsooth, very lucky."

"Do you think there's a way to get me home? I'm fairly certain that I'm not supposed to be here. This is a Magic school, right? I don't even have magic, but someone here has to know something about getting me home."

Something in what you said must have confused him, as he furrows his brow a little and gives you a once over. His eyes seem to stop at your... collarbone? Throat? You're not sure what he's looking at, but he seems to have figured something out by the way his eyebrows raise. You just tip your head in confusion, and it snaps Vanrouge back to reality.

"We can asketh the Dark Mirror. It may has't a way to returneth thee home."

"Ok. Yeah, at this point, I'll take anything." You nod as Vanrouge turns to Crowley, informing him of what if going on.

"[We're going to try and see if the Dark Mirror can send Mr. Verdreiss home. Though, from what I've gathered... well, we'll try anyways, just in case it works.]"

"Sou... ka. [Then, let's see if the Mirror can send them back. If the situation is not as I fear it is...]"

"[If this isn't successful, you and I will need to talk after this.]"

You don't know what was said exactly, but Crowley looks uncomfortable, though Vanrouge doesn't seem to care, instead turning back to you.

"I shall returneth anon."

"You have my gratitude for all this." You give Vanrouge a little bow as he returns to escort his group out, leaving you and Crowley as the only ones in the room now.

You look about the room, only now taking in all the damage done to it by Grim. Scorch marks are everywhere and anything that may have been flammable that had been hit has been reduced to charcoal and ashes.

Crowley doesn't let the silence last as he clears his throat, catching your attention. You look up at him as he reaches out to gently squeeze your shoulder.

"Nani ga okotte mo, subete ga daijoubu desu." He says, quietly, yet firmly. Reassuringly.

Whatever happens, everything will be ok.

You hope so. You really, really do. You don't think you can handle anymore crazy.

It's not long until Vanrouge returns, quite literally appearing from nowhere in the room. It did make you jump a bit, making Vanrouge giggle softly.

"To the Mirror?"

"To the Mirror. [Crowley, if you will do the honor?]"

"Hai. Kochira desu." Crowley guides you over to the Mirror once more, the face returning from the blackness within. It's gaze still unsettles you.

You don't get the chance to gaze at it long, as Crowley gently squeezes your shoulder once more. You look up at him instead of the mirror, finding him giving you an encouraging smile.

You give him the best one you can, but somehow, something in you is sending off alarm bells. Something feels off.

Crowley faces the Mirror and calls out,

"[Oh Dark Mirror! Guide this one back to the place they belong!]"

...

The Mirror just looks on, and you suddenly feel sick. Crowley starts to try again, but the Mirror interrupts.

"Doko ni mo nai..."

"Eh?"

"[The place they belong is nowhere in this world... It does not exist.]"

Crowley says something in reply, but you've stopped listening over the ringing in your ears.

It is nowhere.

It does not exist.

You can't go home.

The world seems to tilt on its axis. You can vaguely feel your knees hit the stone as you fall to the floor, curling in on yourself so much that your forehead is nearly pressed to the floor. Everything feels so far away, and you're sinking into an underwater abyss. You're certain that if you start breathing again, you won't be able to catch any air. Your vision is swimming and-

"Breathe."

Bright, brilliant red. Striking. Ancient. Looking right through you.

Vanrouge.

You choke on a breath. Vanrouge is sitting in front of you, holding you up by cradling your face, forcing you to meet his eyes.

"Look into mine eyes. Doth not turn thy gaze hence. Thee wilt beest calm and breathe."

Vanrouge takes an exaggerated deep breath and some part of you pieces together to follow along. You feel a larger hand, Crowley's, running soothingly up and down your back. It takes both their efforts, but you manage to bring yourself back from the spiral of a panic attack.

Though once your body gains enough of itself to take a breath proper, all it does is come out as a sob.

And like that, you're crying on the floor, lost, being comforted by strangers in an even stranger world.

Vanrouge gives you a pitying look, and guides your head down to his shoulder. You are too miserable to not take whatever kindness he gives, and allow yourself to cling to his robe and sob your heart out.

At some point, your despair loses force, and darkness takes over kindly, pulling you down into a dreamless sleep.

----

Lilia gazes down at the poor child he's been cradling on his shoulder for the last few minutes. He had cast a very weak sleep spell, meant to help ease them slowly to sleep, but the child conked right out as soon as he'd used it.

He shifted carefully, letting them rest better on his shoulder, and turned his eyes to Crowley.

Crowley who looked several shades of concerned. As he well should be.

"Young man."

Lilia's voice is quiet, but the gentle force behind it immediately gets Crowley to tense and peel his gold glow from the child.

"You are going to explain why we have what seems to me to be a time traveler in your school."

Chapter Text

Awareness returns in increments.

Touch first; the lift of your breath moving your clothes, the cradle of a pillow at your head, and the soft pressure of a blanket.

Hearing next; the quiet rustle of paper and cloth, and the scratch of a pen to one side of you.

Finally, you are able to peel your eyes open -God does that sting- and are greeted by dim candlelight and an unfamiliar ceiling.

Where...?

Your brain is slow to process anything, even as you hear the pen scratching stop and the paper be placed aside.

"Verdreiss-kun?" Comes a voice to your right. You're able to turn your head enough to catch sight of a dark bird mask with gold glowing eye lights.

You blink once, twice.

Ah. You remember now.

"Crowley.... sensei...?" You croak. He smile down at you softly as he moves to sit on the bed instead of the chair he was in.

"Hai. Konbanwa, Verdreiss-kun." Crowley isn't wearing his hat or overcoat, leaving him... smaller looking. You wouldn't call him skinny, but he's actually not as broad as the average adult male.

(It was probably the coat, now that you think about it. The way he wears it makes it seem like he's broader than he actually is.)

"K-Konbanwa..." You glance around the room once more. There are more beds lining the wall, and a shelf by a desk houses what looks like potions and pill bottles.

The Nurse's Office, you conclude, and look back up to Crowley.

"Ima, daijoubu?"

"H-Hai..." He helps you sit up, and from this position, you can see the papers both stacked and folded on the side table. You can tell it is Japanese written on the stacked papers, but you're reading comprehension is far more lacking than your auditory recognition.

Crowley, rather than making more attempts to communicate, instead follows your gaze to the papers. He makes a quiet 'Ah!' and reaches for the folded papers.

He holds them out to you, and when you hesitate, he just smiles and nods, offering them again.

"Vanrouge-kun." He says, and you guess that means it's going to be in Ye Olde English at the very least.

So you take the papers and unfold them, relieved at the sight of a familiar, if looping, alphabet.

Sir Verdreiss,

I wilt do mine best to explain thy circumstance.

Twisted Wonderland is no longer as thee knoweth it.

As we understandeth, thou has't traveled several centuries forward in time, and we has't no method with which to sendeth thee back.

In turn, thee wilt attend this school as a normal student, albeit a magicless one. Headmaster Crowley wilt bringeth thee to an unused, abandoned dormitory on campus. It may needeth repairs, but it should serveth thee well. Crowley wilt eke supply thee with any necessities thee may needeth.

Though many things shall beest confusing, we shall do our most wondrous to accommodate thee. I shalt returneth to thee soon with a hopefully helpful guide for frequent Common phrases translated into Olde Trade.

Has't heart,
L. V.

You read over the letter a couple more times, just to make sure you're reading it correctly. You may have enjoyed Shakespeare when you had it in Literature classes, but you did have a translation guide if you were looking at it in the original form.

Still, the first lines make your eyes widen in disbelief. Few centuries forward in time? They think you're a Time Traveler?? And English, or Old Trade you suppose, really is the Latin of this world, Twisted Wonderland? Japanese is the common language??? There's also a part of you wondering if this is some weird Disney world or something, if the name and Magic Mirror say anything.

Your head is spinning at the revelations just presented to you.

(Also they think you're a boy??? You're not, and you can at least say you're not a boy or girl in Japanese, since you don't know the term for Nonbinary. Well, you're definitely gonna need to tell Crowley you're not physically a boy at least. Somehow. Later.)

But what do you do with this information? How much of this is a safety net, and how much is going to be detrimental?

You scrub at your face, sighing. Might as well see to the rest of what this letter said.

You look back up to Crowley, who has patiently been watching you.

"Um..." Fuck, there are so many basic words you don't know or remember. You need to find out what other languages are spoken around here, hopefully there's one you know better than Japanese.

Crowley, however, is still waiting for you to speak.

Well, here goes nothing.

"Uh... Kimi..." You gesture to Crowley, then the letter, and then draw a vague house shape in the air with your hands.

"Dormitory...?" You ask, slowly pronouncing the word.

"Hai. Dormitory. Ryou." He slowly parrots, emphasizing the last word, you suppose the word for Dormitory.

(Hell if that's not going to get confusing. You think you can remember like, three other words pronounced 'ryou.' Fuck limited phonetics.)

"Ryou." You nod in confirmation. "Ikou ka?"

"Ikou desu."

You take his offered hand, and he pulls you up and away.

----

They don't get visitors often.

The children who attend Night Raven now understand that an abandoned dorm is rather boring, somewhat dangerous, and incredibly filthy. Most usually stay away, though recently, they've witnessed a Fae from the Valley coming and going.

A right terrifying Fae, that Draconia, but he seemed rather intrigued by the dorm's architecture, so they let him be.

(It was unspoken that they were too scared to approach him in the first place. No one wanted to see if it was possible for a ghost to die.)

What was unexpected was when the Headmaster of all people showed up with a student in tow.

From in the walls, they watch as the Headmaster leads the uneasy and unimpressed teen to the foyer. What really gets them is that the teen doesn't seem capable of speaking well. Broken Common coupled with charades seems to be the primary communication between the two.

"This is the Ramshackle dorm."

"Ram-sha-ckle dorm. Yes."

"You. [Stay.] I. Return. Food."

"[Stay.] You. Food. I understand."

"Good. I'll be off now."

With that, the Headmaster left. The child stared at the door for a few seconds, before slowly glancing around. They sigh, slipping their robe's hood down off their head.

An effeminate face is framed by chin length, ash brown hair, forehead exposed without a curtain of bangs. It gets shorter in the back, spiking out thanks to hair products and its own length.

Brown eyes like chestnuts, a rarity among the populous, scan warily around the dilapidated building.

"[Well... I guess it's better than nothing... I should probably find a room that won't kill me if I'm gonna be staying here.]"

Ah, now isn't that a surprise? That sounds like... Old Trade?

How interesting our new guest is!

The child locates the stairs and carefully ascends, slowly testing each step so that it doesn't collapse under them. Once they reach the top, they begin opening each door, peering in to check each room.

Some have no furniture, some have holes in the floor or ceiling, some doors don't close or are missing entirely.

Some doors don't open anymore, warped by time and wear until they sealed themselves shut, accessible only to those who are incorporeal. Or who aren't afraid to break the door down. This child doesn't seem to want to make anymore than a simple attempt to open the sealed doors.

Odd that the child hasn't made a move to use any magic.

It feels weak, but even weak magic can cast simple spells, and the child's magic also feels old.

Not unlike that Draconia's.

The child finally comes upon what used to be the Dorm Leader's room. The largest and best of the rooms, and the one most intact.

They step inside, taking in the room better. It seems they deem it suitable.

"[I guess this is the best I've got. Should probably check the mattress and stuff...]"

They move to the bed and begin to remove the threadbare sheets, decades worth of dust flying up at the slightest touch.

Coughing and sputtering, they wave their hand to clear the air and pulling their collar up over their nose.

["Christ, how long has this place been abandoned? The power seems to work... Does this place still have running water? I should probably check that too. God, what the actual fuck, setting me up in a place this fucking run down. They're lucky I'm not particularly scared of bugs or mice, or they would have been in for one hell of a rant, understanding or no."]

It seems the child is trying to fill the silence with talk.

It's rather entertaining to listen to!

They putter about the bed, doing their best to get the dust out of the sheets, finally reaching the worn out mattress. They give the mattress a once over, then press down on sections that seem to interest them.

"[I should flip it, right? The underside is probably cleaner and less coming apart, right? I hope?]" They find a grip on the side of the mattress, and with a heave, flip it over, careful not to let it land hard on the rickety frame. They finish for the moment by putting the pile of sheets in a lump on the bed.

It was then that the weather decided to make itself known, thunder rattling the dorm, quickly followed by the pounding of rain. It made the child look up at the ceiling, concern flickering across it.

"[Rain, great. Well, at least I'll know where all the leaks are right off the bat. I should probably see if there are buckets or old vases or something to catch it in. Maybe in the kitchen...]" The child makes their way quickly out of the bedroom and back down to the foyer.

They don't make it far when a new guest arrives.

"Hyiiii! It's really coming down!"

Oho? What's this?

Another guest?

Crawling in from somewhere is a cat-like creature with flaming ears and a forked tail. It's appearance was very much not appreciated by the child. Which in turn greatly amused the cat.

"Gyahaha! You've got this stupid look on your face like a spider being attacked with a water gun!" It laughed. It continued to boast about its skills in sneaking into the school, as if it would show how grand it is.

The child merely looked on blankly, completely uncomprehending. Well, mostly.

"Ano... You. This school. Why?"

"Oh? So you can understand me? Well then, I'll explain!" The cat goes on about how it's a genius that will become the greatest magian, except the Dark Carriage never came to get it. It instead makes a snide comment about the Dark Mirror not having an eye for these things, and how it would be a waste for it to not be here.

Even if the child couldn't understand most of the words, they did seem to pick up on the cat's body language and tone. They were about to say something, when they're previous task reminded them of its imminent need for completion.

"Nyaa! So cold! The roof is leaking!" It squealed. As more water leaks, the more the cat complained.

The cat even went as far as to call the child useless since they couldn't use magic, but the child seemed to have tuned the cat out by now, focusing on finding the leak's origin.

The child can't use magic? Despite them having it?

Is that why they haven't used any?

Hey, hey, what if we scare them into using it? Think that will work?

What a brilliant idea! Let's give our new guests a warm welcome...

Hehehehe...

"[....? Why am I getting the feeling of being watched...?]"

Chapter Text

By some miracle, the kitchen still had many pots and pans left in the cupboards.

Actually, aside from food, the kitchen was well stocked with necessities all gathering dust and rusting away like the rest of the dorm. A strange assortment of both metal and ceramic kitchenware, which all look incredibly vintage, make you very wary of using until you run them through a dish washer at least twice.

(At least you think it's ceramic, it could very well be enamel like some of the stuff your grandma has, you could never tell the difference well. You're pretty certain you have both tin and cast iron in there, though.)

And the water did run in the kitchen at least. Took a couple of seconds to kick in (and made a few very worrying sound initially,) but it worked and was clear as far as you could tell. Same with the fridge, though it wasn't very cold since it seems the power only recently came back on.

Had Crowley turned the water and power on just for you? It made sense. It would be a waste to power an abandoned building.

You gathered what you could, running around and seeking each little puddle you could find, leaving the worst looking leaks to the large vases you found scattered in the halls, Grim following behind you after realizing you stopped paying attention.

Also, you didn't realize just how freaking expansive a three story dorm actually is?

So far, you've found; a parlor, a main lounge connected to a smaller lounge and a loft, the kitchen and dining hall, two separate staircase, small half bathrooms beside the far staircase by the dorm rooms, one per floor, the communal showers, three storage rooms, one of which may have been a study, a door to a basement, what you think may have been a tea room or something, and a mini library squared away in the turret.

There's four to five dorm rooms per floor if you go by the numbers still hanging on doors, plus what seems to be extra guest rooms in the top floor.

You haven't exactly been in a dormitory or even been to college yet, but for it's simplicity, this feels incredibly upscale to you. It must have been homey and warm in it's heyday.

What happened to make it no longer be in use?

It's no use thinking about it now.

You had decided it would be easiest to start with the rooms you knew would most likely have leaks, the ones with holes in their ceilings. Somehow, you had been able to convince Grim (which was indeed his name) to carry a few of the smaller pots.

(Ok, it weirded you out just a tiny bit watching him walk around on two legs, but at this point, you stopped questioning any logic in reference to Grim.)

After getting pots under the most obvious leaks in the main hall, you head up one of the stairs. You haven't found all the light switches yet, so the only thing lighting the hall was the faint light of lampposts outside and the occasional lightning flash. You need to find that light switch. You won't be able to see any leaks, and you're not interested in feeling for them.

"Light switch, light switch..."

Thud!

"Gyii!"

You jump at the sudden sound of something hitting the floor, followed by Grim's squeal of terror. He's lucky he didn't drop any of the pots he was carrying.

You glance around, trying to locate what could have made that sound. Spotting nothing, you turn back to the hall as lightning flashes, lighting your path and

three

transparent

silhouettes

that vanish as the lightning fades.

Oh fuck no. Not this shit.

And then the disembodied laughter started and you knew it wasn't just a trick of the lightning.

Ghosts.

The dorm is fucking haunted.

Of course. Why the fuck not? Let's take every supernatural trope and shove it into the span of 24 hours.

"[We haven't had a guest in so long...]"

"[I'm itching for some action.]"

They laughed more as they let themselves become visible. Three of them, a smaller one, a rounder one, and a thin, lanky one.

"Gyaaaaa!!!!! O-Obake!!!" Grim screams as he backs into your leg.

Despite their rather cartoony appearance, you feel the chill of fear slide itself down your spine. They have you and Grim surrounded, and unless you pull some Major League Baseball sliding maneuvers, you're only option is to go through them. And you're not particularly keen on finding out what it feels like to phase through a ghost.

The ghosts start speaking more, and you do pick up the word 'ghost,' but the tone doesn't exactly say 'we have good intentions.'

What do you do, what do you do??? Think, think!! How in the hell do you make magical ghosts stop and leave you alone?? A cross?? Bible verses?? Would Christian exorcism prayers even work on ghosts from an entirely other world?? Salt?? Do you remember any runic charms for protection??

"[Grim the Great Magian isn't scared of some ghosts!!!]"

Wait, fuck, you forgot about Grim!

Before you could say anything, Grim had launched a fireball towards one of the ghost. A rather off kilter fireball that was easy to dodge for the ghost.

One of the ghosts swoops near your head, startling a shriek out of you and making you drop into a crouch as Grim fires off another fireball.

It's then you notice that Grim has his eyes closed as he's shooting, making the likelihood of his misses increase exponentially.

As Grim keeps missing, the ghosts tease and make fun of him, as indicated by their laughter. It in turn, only winds Grim up more, and at this rate Grim's going to burn down the whole dorm.

"Grim! Kimi no me! Tojira ja nai!!"

"Urusee! [Don't tell me what to do!]"

Fuck, what was give, what was give?! Miku songs, Miku songs-

"Tuna agemasu!"

That got Grim's attention. But the ghosts seemed keen on not letting it happen. It only takes you a moment to read the hesitation beginning to spark in Grim.

"Motto tuna! Watashi oshiete migi to hidari!" You're frantically pointing, trying to get your words across. And Grim thankfully gets it.

"[Fine! You tell me where they are!]"

"Hai!"

Alright, now how did you remember which was left and right? You made up one with the ASL letters...

Migi sits in your right hand...

Hidari points to your left! *

Now you're in business!

----

Humming a wordless tune, Crowley was making his way back to the Ramshackle dorm, thankful that the rain had only been a sudden, quick downpour.

He had procured some simple foods from the kitchen ghosts; some various sandwiches, a bit of fruit, and a container of chicken soup. Nothing terribly unrecognizable or unfamiliar, and can last for a few days in the fridge.

He might have to explain the fridge to Verdreiss. And the toilets too, perhaps, if he thinks about it. They would have just been invented, if Verdreiss wasn't as far back as they estimated.

Ah, one thing at a time, Dire. You need to think about how to go about finding Verdreiss's Mother Language first.

For now though, he's arrived at the rickety gate to the dorm. The unlocked, nearly off its hinges, gate. Oh dear. This is something else he definitely needs to get fixed sooner rather than later, if he's going to be having someone live here. Even just a basic security measure is better than none at all.

Slipping through the gate and closing it as best he could (he didn't want to resort to magic just yet, until he could at least find a proper replacement for the gate,) he headed up the short walkway.

He sees that Verdreiss figured out the light switches at least. The ground floor is alight, plus a few of the upper floor lights, dusty yellow spilling out with the one odd blue, so maybe most of the lights still-

Wait, blue?

Oh no.

Crowley reaches the front door before his mind can catch up with his movement. He forces himself to slow down enough to not incidentally break the door down, but he throws it open with enough force that the creek of the hinges is worryingly loud.

He hastily sets the food down on a side table by the entrance and quickly makes his way to the stairs, and it's then that he finally registers voices.

"Left! Right! More right!"

Verdreiss?

"Two person left! Left, Grim, left!"

"Fnaaaaag!"

What in the world-

The scene he comes upon is nothing as he feared. Instead of the stubborn racoon trying to harm Verdreiss again, it's Verdreiss giving out directions to it in order to keep away a trio of ghosts.

(He'd almost forgotten about those three. They were the only reason this dorm hadn't collapsed in on itself entirely by now, but he never gave them too much thought unless it was students attempting to vandalize the old dorm. Otherwise, he just let them be.)

With teamwork, (actual teamwork!!! In his school!!!) the pair chase off the ghosts, and the threat of the dorm burning down due to recklessness goes with them.

The racoon blusters about a bit as Verdreiss slowly sinks to their knees and plops themself on the ground. They then run their hands through their hair and take a deep breath, letting it out as a hoarse, slightly hysteric giggle, mouthing something he couldn't catch. Despite that, they turn back to the racoon and give it a crooked, but earnest smile.

"Grim is amazing!" Verdreiss complimented it. It beams back, puffing out its chest despite its stammered bluffing confidence in its reply.

Even if this is something unprecedented, he still can't let it roam around unsupervised. He threw it out, so it cannot stay.

Except... how did Verdreiss get it to listen? It isn't his familiar, that much is certain. Could it be that...?

Well, let's see how this plays out.

Crowley strides out from his hiding spot, steps alerting the pair to his presence.

"You! You're the monster who ran amuck during the Entrance Ceremony. I threw you out of the school, what are you doing here?" He demanded.

"Hmpf! I exterminated your ghost problem. Be greatful!" The creature boasts.

He plays along. He lets the racoon explain things, with Verdreiss doing their best to supplement where they can.

Still, Verdreiss bribed the racoon (Grim, for the sake of not agitating the thing) with tuna they don't have, and still got him to comply. Maybe it speaks for how, despite the language barrier, how convincing Verdreiss can be, or maybe that Verdreiss had a way with non-humanoid beings.

Or maybe it's just Grim's lack of forethought.

Either way, he only caught the last part of their little duel with the ghosts. He wants to see a little more, just to be sure of a few things.

So he tells them just that. He'll be the ghost, and they fight him off. He tries bribing Grim with tuna, for he is gracious, but it's only when Verdreiss mentions the school and is helped along with finding the words for 'stay,' does Grim reluctantly comply.

He's glad he keeps a transformation potion on himself for times like this (and that he chose tuna salad as a few of the sandwiches he brought.)

If things are as he believes, maybe he can at least have an idea of what may come. And maybe if he can get Verdreiss to make the racoon to behave, then maybe he could delay the inevitable just a bit...

Now then,

Show time, Dire!

----

You know what? Fuck this whole ass place.

After fighting off Crowley transformed into a ghost (what the actual fuck) because apparently working together is a myth around here or something, you and Grim are both exhausted and ready for the world to stop throwing curve balls at you.

Crowley is saying things, but you're so done with everything thing that you don't even try to translate anything for yourself. So when he starts muttering to himself, you just go ahead and break that.

"Ano... Grim. Koko ni iru?"

"Eh?" Crowley looks up at you from his mutterings.

"Grim. Stay. Koko." You know he knows 'stay.' Why that particular word, you don't know, but right now, it's helping. Though neither of them seem to believe what you're saying.

"Demo-"

"Iie." You don't let him disagree. If you're going to be the one magicless student in a magic school, you're getting the fucking cat demon who is magical to help you, even if it's just so you have something to set asshole teenagers on fire for you.

"Grim wa mahou. Watashi wa mahou ja nai. Watashi-tachi issho ni iku." You absolutely know that last sentence is a mess, but it sure as hell gets your point across.

Crowley doesn't seem to like it, and Grim is gaping at you like you just grew another head, but somehow, you can tell Crowley can't really say no. He turns to Grim and reluctantly begins speaking, and you sit back and watch the show.

"[Alright, I will allow you to stay here with Verdreiss, as per his request. Verdreiss was chosen by the Dark Mirror, despite his lack of a proper dorm or magic. I can split his registration in half between the two of you, so that you will each be half a student. That way, together, you will be one student, and you both can attend classes.]"

"[R-Really!? I can stay here as a student!?]"

"[However,]" Crowley interrupts Grim's cheering, "[before I officially do that, I'm putting you on a trial period.]"

"[Eh? Trial period?]"

"[You need to prove to me that you won't cause a ruckus like you did at the Entrance Ceremony.]" Crowley sternly glares down at Grim, making the cat shrink back.

"[As a punishment for endangering your future fellow classmates, I'll have you do a few menial tasks. Cleaning here and there, passing things between the teachers, little things like that. Verdreiss will help you, of course, as a Supervisor of sorts, to make sure you are behaving. If you can prove you won't cause another incident like that, then I will officially make you a student here, for I am gracious.]"

Grim looks a bit upset, but you caught 'batsu,' punishment, in there, along with your name, so you think you know what's got him down.

You kneel down to Grim's level and gently place your hand on his back. He looks up at you, confusion clear in his wide blue eyes. You give him an encouraging smile and pat his back lightly.

"Watashi tasukete. Watashi-tachi ganbatte ne."

"[Nhg. Fine! I'll do it! I'll make you regret throwing me out that first time!]" Grim seems to have gotten his fire back, no pun intended, and you beam at him. Crowley gives you two a moment, before bringing attention back to himself by clearing his throat.

"[Now, I've graciously brought food. You two must be starving by now.]"

It seems you and Grim share one thing in common, you've found.

If there is a mention of food, you're there.

Chapter Text

Waking up to an unfamiliar ceiling should have alarmed you. Yet the old, stained ceiling of the Onboro dorm only gives you a sense of resignation.

Not just an overly elaborate dream. You really are stuck here.

You close your eyes again and listen to the early morning; Grim sleep talking beside your head, the creeks and groans of the old dorm, the vague sound of birds outside.

Yesterday had been a doozy. But it ended on something of a high note. The food Crowley brought was lovely, Grim keying in on the tuna salad sandwiches and you digging into the chicken soup. Crowley spent that time slowly filling you in on Grim's punishment, and once dinner had finished, then proceeded to conjure up some clothes and a few basic toiletries for you. Your uniforms, that is.

A standard school uniform, a lab coat, and a gym uniform now fill the still dusty wardrobe in your chosen room along side your ceremony robe. You had used the gym uniform as pajamas, since it seemed the most comfortable and least necessary to keep clean.

Once everything was said and done and Crowley had left, you and Grim had climbed into bed and promptly passed out, doing little more than changing out of your robes and into the gym uniform beforehand.

(Crowley had also magically cleaned the sheets for you. He'd asked what room you'd picked, and you had shown him what you'd already done. Even if the sheets are still threadbare, they were clean, and that you were infinitely greatful for.)

Now that you were awake, even if it may have been at a time that was far too early for your liking, you may as well take this time to see if the showers are working.

You carefully get out of the rickety bed, trying not to wake Grim, gather the standard uniform and the toiletries Crowley gave you, and as quietly as the dorm will let you, make your way to the communal showers.

The early morning light streams in from the few windows, dyeing the halls in a hazy off-white. The quiet creaking of the old dorm is all the company you have as you meander your way to the second floor.

Your thoughts hop around in this time. You've never lived on your own, you're only recently graduated from high school and you hadn't even decided on a career path, let alone a college. You've never lived away from your family for an extended period.

You know that if you were by some miracle to have been picked for one of the actual dorms here, you wouldn't have these thoughts as quickly into your stay, being surrounded by other people. A proper dorm with it's own rules and customs and culture you'd need to learn, to distract yourself with.

Yet, here you are. Fiddling with a cabinet in a shower room of an abandoned dorm trying to find towels and hoping the water runs clean and hot. The wall of mirrors above the sinks are just as dusty as the rest of the building, but luckily none are broken or shattered.

Thankfully, the last residents hadn't emptied the dorm wholly, (or maybe had simply left these things behind intentionally,) because you had found plastic zipper bags of towels in the cabinet.

You set your things on a bench by the sinks and turn to the rest of the room. No more than 6 stalls all together, three to each side. There were likely shower curtains at one point, but the bare poles above the stalls just name another item on the growing list of things that you would eventually need to get your hands on. A wide tub lined the back wall, likely meant to house several people comfortably while the showers were occupied.

You peek into one of the stalls. Minimalistic as it was, it was a small comfort in it's simplicity; little more than a pair of temperature knobs, a shower head, an indent in the wall to place shampoo bottles and such, and a drain in the floor.

You step into the stall and up to the knobs in the wall. Luckily, the knobs still read 'H' and 'C' like you were used to, now you just needed to know if they hadn't rusted in place.

You lightly test the knobs first, and while they don't immediately budge, it's apparent that the knobs aren't stuck fast. Smiling to yourself, you shift around so that you're not in direct line of the shower head. With a little effort, you're able to slowly turn the cold knob until you hear the pipes start. After a brief moment, water finally sputters out of the head, and as you carefully turn the knob, it finally has enough pressure to look like a proper shower, clear water draining into the miraculously unblocked drain.

Cheering a little, you turn the cold knob until it's off, then turn the hot knob on and slip yourself out of the stall. If it's been who knows how long since this dorm was open, it might take a while for the hot water to work again, if it even works at all.

Back at the sinks, you take one of the small rags you found among the towels and give a mirror a quick wipe down.

You really should have not gone to bed without a shower last night. Your bed head is exasperated by the hair products you'd had to spike the hair at the back of your head, and it does not feel pleasant. And while the short locks at the back of your head can spike up on their own under the right circumstances, hair spray or a bit of hair wax is your typical go to when you want to style your hair. Not that that's something you'll be doing any time soon.

(You sigh internally. Until this dorm is actually livable, things like that are going to be a luxury. Hopefully that one finance class you took will pay off now.)

Humming a tune to yourself you begin to remove the jumper to the gym uniform. You appreciate the turtlenecked underarmour shirt that Crowley gave you with it. The more clothes you have, the better in your opinion. A tank top and your underwear being all to your name is not something you want to deal with.

(If you could get ahold of some yarn and some crochet hooks, then you'd be in business. Thank you Grandma for the insistent badgering for everyone to learn how to do that or knitting.)

You lightly folded the jumper and placed it aside, getting ready to pull the turtleneck off when you spot hazy white in the mirror. Steam? No, the water can't have been hot for that long-

"BOO!!"

Shrieking as a familiar lanky face jumps out at you from the mirror, a trio of laughs echo about the room. You spun around, instinctually pulling down on your tanktop under your turtleneck to hide your underwear, to find the three ghosts from last night.

Of course it couldn't be that easy. Of course not. Ghosts need a proper exorcism.

You've backed yourself into the sink, porcelain pressing into the small of your back, but the ghosts get no closer. They merely observe you curiously. The skinny one floats a little closer, floating off to one side to get a better look at you. You don't know what their deal is, but right now, they don't seem actively hostile.

"N-Nani...?" You were able to force out as the other two follow the first's lead.

"Ne~, kimi wa..." the smaller one hums, "... shojou desu ka?"

You are a girl?

Shit, tight shirts mean your tiny ass breasts get some display. You didn't think you'd have to explain this to a bunch of ghosts, but you guess this can be practice....?

"Uh... watashi wa... shonen-shojou... ja nai...?" You hesitantly reply. If there are non-human people and things like Grim around, being Nonbinary can't be the most out there thing, right?

"Ah, sou desu ka? [No gender for you then?]" Replied the large one.

"[Sorry to assume], Kuriko-chan~." The lanky one says, giving you an apologetic bow.

Kuriko-chan???

Well, at least they understand what you're talking about.

"A-... Arigatou... uh..." the lack of hostility and gentle teasing tone eases your nerves a bit, and you no longer feel the need to back away so readily from the ghosts.

"Kimi no namae wa...?" If they're initial scare was just a prank of some kind, then maybe it wouldn't be bad to get to know the ghosts? You can't exactly kick them out without going full exorcist, so you may as well be pleasant with your unexpected roommates.

"Ore wa Augusto, mata wa Gus desu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu." The small one starts. He tips his little top hat at you kindly, almost shyly, giving you a small smile.

"Ore was Phineas desu! Yoroshiku." The large one says next, pulling off his top hat and giving you a more gentlemanly bow.

"Ore wa Ezra desu~." You nearly jump out of your skin as a freezing finger pokes you in the side from behind. The lanky one comes forward from behind you, snickering all the while. "Yoroshiku."

"Y-Yoroshiku." You return, "Watashi wa Kallisto. Mata wa Kal desu." The second part was tacked on almost as an afterthought, hoping you understood exactly what Gus was saying.

"[Sorry for the scare last night. We just wanted to introduce ourselves.]" Phineas gives you another bow, and the other two follow suite.

"[We'll leave you alone to shower now. Come on you two, let's give the kid some privacy.]" Gus tips his hat at you again, before grabbing the other two by the arm and dragging them to the door.

"[See you in a bit, Lil' Chestnut~!]" Ezra pulls off his hat to wave at you, while Phineas gives you a polite wave instead.

You watch the trio phase through the door, and huff a laugh when they vanish. Oddballs for sure, and mischievous, but not maliciously so.

(You're still clueless as to what 'Kuriko-chan' is supposed to mean, but that will have to wait.)

Well, best get back to your shower before the hot water runs out. You quickly pull off the rest of your sleepwear, grab the little shampoo and conditioner bottles from the toiletries and a towel, and hurry into the shower.

After washing off all of yesterday, you feel much better about being awake. Returning to the mirror, one towel wrapped around your body and a smaller one being used to pat your hair dry, you grab the unopened toothbrush and toothpaste and free them from their packages. The steam from the single shower wasn't enough to fill the room with steam, despite raising the air temperature at least a small amount, so the mirror didn't fog up and-

...!?

What the fuck is around your neck!?

Scrawled in a black ring around your neck are what look to be... runes?? And alchemy symbols?? You recognize the Nordic runes and old science symbols, but why the hell are they wrapped around your neck like world's most old school magic choker?!

"What the shit..." Leaning over the sink to look closer in the mirror, you touch at the strange markings. There's no difference in the feeling of the symbols and the rest of your skin, and they really do seem to go all the way around your neck.

So you have a mystery fucking tattoo around your neck now. Great, wonderful. It's not even far enough down that the collar of your uniform shirt can hide all of it!

There's nothing you can do about it now. All you can do is continue to get ready for the day and hope no one asks about it.

Now, what can you have for breakfast? Crowely should be coming to get you and Grim soon....

Hmm. Maybe you can get the ghosts to wake Grim.

----

'Would my brother have told me if he had any crazy moments like that entrance ceremony?'

Ace didn't know, but he suspected his older brother might exaggerate the truth to make the tale grander than it was. Though it's not like Ace would tell his parents what happened exactly, they likely wouldn't take their youngest being nearly burned to death by a rabid magic racoon well.

Still, it livened up that boring ceremony for a bit, before they all got herded to their dorms by their new dorm leaders.

(Speaking of, what is up with his dorm leader? That guy seems to have a stick shoved so far up his ass, it's the reason his posture is so perfect.)

That whole mess aside, he's still amazed at just being at Night Raven. This place is huge! It's no wonder classes don't start proper until tomorrow, all the incoming freshman need a day to at least map out where their classes are!

He's coming back from the science lab (that isn't even attached to the school! It's off to one side and next to the school's own botanical gardens!) and heading towards Main Street to get back to the school proper and find the rest of his classes that are in actual classrooms.

(He can see in the distance from the labs what looks to be an abandoned building. Checking his map in the school's guidebook says it's an abandoned dorm and that it's off limits to students and being caught vandalizing the place will result in a severe punishment.

Well, it can't be considered vandalizing the place if all he's doing is playing hooky out that way right?)

He's meandering along, coming up to the end of the side path just off from the statues of the Seven, letting out a yawn as he goes (stupid dorm leader having them up so damn early...) when he spots something he wasn't expecting to ever see again.

That demonic racoon thing that set the mirror chamber on fire last night, walking around on Main Street with one of those little hand broom things you'd see packed with a little dust pan, sweeping leaves off the path with... another student?

He squints at the boy also sweeping, trying to make out his details. Short brown hair, kinda feminine face, skinny looking... it wasn't until he got a good look at the boy's eyes that Ace realized that the boy was the 'Missing student' also from last night. Brown eyes aren't exactly common in Twisted Wonderland, and boy were his striking in a manner that wasn't easily forgotten.

(Nor was poor guy's judgment from the Dark Mirror. Magic so weak it was as if they didn't have any at all? You may as well have just called him Magicless and sent him home!)

"[Just whistle while you work~]" Sang the boy, tacking on a whistled tune as he danced a bit with the broom.

Ace stopped and blinked. Was- Was that supposed to be a Unique Magic? Except the boy kept singing, and Ace only now noticed that there were some birds and squirrels starting to gather near the statues.

"[And cheerfully together we can tidy up the place~
So hum a merry tune~
It won't take long when there's a song to help you set the pace~]"

He stops at that point to clear his throat, pursing his lips and touching his throat in confusion.

"Hmm... nope. Still can't understand a thing you're saying." Ace mimicked the sentiment from the racoon. He didn't understand a single bit of that, but the boy's voice wasn't bad. Higher than average, he might have been singing in a falsetto, but it was pleasant enough.

The boy just chuckled a bit at the racoon, continuing to sweep the path.

"It's fine. You like song?"

"It was OK, for a henchman." The boy just smiled slightly at the racoon's grumbled answer, even if a light of confusion was present.

"Sing more. Time... hurry up?"

Well if that wasn't the most butchered string of Common he's ever heard. Does this guy not know Common?

That thought made Ace stop.

Does this guy know Common? There was no way a teenager like everyone here would butcher Common as if they were a toddler only just learning to speak.

What was up with that? Is he from some particularly far off land? Wait, that was Old Trade right? Is there some place out there that still speaks Old Trade?? Or does this guy just have an obsession with ancient languages?

Ace watches them a little longer from the side road. As far as he could tell, the racoon was being punished for last night's incident, while the other was supervising, even with the very apparent language barrier.

Ace would have just passed them by. He really should have just went by them quietly and went on with finding his classes.

No, he has to hear the dumbest thing come out of the racoon's mouth, because of course the stupid thing doesn't know who the Seven are, despite it's claim that it will be the 'Greatest Magician' or some bullshit.

And of course, like the idiot he himself was, Ace's first immediate thought upon hearing that was,

'I'm gonna fuck with this racoon so bad and they won't be able to do shit about it.'

He put on his best Show Man's Smile and stepped out onto Main Street, and unknowingly into what he would come to dub the worst first day of school he's ever had.

"You don't know about the Queen of Hearts?"

Chapter Text

How did this happen?

Why did this happen?

Standing among shards of glass and metal, you contemplate these questions as you try not to have a second panic attack in the two days you've been in this world.

You know the answer to these questions, but it's all happened so fast and so much out of your own control, (not that you didn't try to control it,) that it hasn't completely processed in your head yet.

All because some bastard red-head decided that Grim was a good bullying target.

The day had started fine.

You'd been munching on the fruit left over from last night (a couple of apples, a pear, an orange, and a bunch of bananas) as Grim's shrieks could be heard from the hall. You did end up getting it across to the ghosts to scare Grim awake as you went to get food for yourself, but you had enough forethought to get there before Grim set the one good room you had on fire.

(You might have let Grim stay with you out of necessity and the unrepentant kindness of your too soft heart, but that didn't mean you couldn't have a bit of petty revenge for nearly turning you and an entire portion of the student body into charcoal.)

You hadn't completely finished dressing when Crowley had arrived to come get the two of you, lazily having left the first button of your uniform's shirt unbuttoned and the tie hanging undone around your neck. At least you know how to tie a tie. Your brother still needed help with them.

You could tell Grim was complaining to Crowley about his sleep when prompted, but at this point you think he sometimes just complains for the sake of it. You just reply to with a thumbs up as you finished off the pear you'd been eating. It's not like you can tell what Grim is complaining about anyways, besides the ghosts.

Crowley explained the first part of Grim's punishment, cleaning from Main Street (english) to the library (japanese), pointing it out on a map of the school he had.

Why was the library a separate building entirely from the school? Are there that many classrooms in just the main castle building that is the school? Actually no, you're not surprised, now looking at a map of the interior of the school and seeing each one marked for a grade level.

You've been thinking, in what way does this school mean 'College?' Does it mean like you understand it, being interchangeable with University, or could it possibly be a different version? Like how one of your mom's coworkers explained how schooling is in the UK, with it being the equivalent of high school, age wise?

You'll have to see later.

Crowley had also pulled out some papers that you think are registration papers. Though the only parts you filled in were your name, birthday (sans year,) and your height and weight (thanks anime for that particular needed info.) You did end up telling him how old you were, and though he seemed surprised at it, he took the papers and you suppose he filled in the year part for you.

(There wasn't.... There wasn't one for gender?? At least Crowley didn't specify one as gender. Does that mean this was a single gender school? Shit, were you in an all boys school?)

After that, Crowley handed you an outdoor broom, and a little hand broom for Grim. By this point, you'd fixed up your shirt properly and tied your tie. Once you were set, off the two of you went.

You didn't really think it would be hard, you're pretty good at cleaning in general, and you're very used to outdoor cleaning. Growing up in rural Ohio does that sometimes, you suppose.

It's the statues on Main Street that unnerved you, and completely confirmed that you were in some really weird Disney based world.

Seven statues for seven classic villains in Disney cinematography; The Queen of Hearts, Scar, Ursula, Jafar, Hades, Queen Grimhilde, and Maleficent. Each one stood grandly on their pedestals, looking like any other monument to historic figures.

It makes you wonder though... how much of this world is magical? A portion? Most everyone? Did the Queen of Hearts and Scar have magic in some way here? Because you know that those two specifically did not have magic in their original stories, unlike the other five.

Still, seeing this sort of thing, how were their stories twisted to make them revered like this? Maleficent absolutely deserved it, and the Queen of Hearts was negotiable, but the others are kinda-

Wait.

Twisted.

Twisted Wonderland.

Were you in a world where the villains won?

Well, at least you know not to go and try and convince people they were cruel and evil. No need to have historians come baring down on you for your Hot Takes on their supposed history.

At that point, you had decided that maybe a bit of singing would help speed things up. Grim won't grumble as much if there's a little bit of entertainment, right?

Though, you only got through the first part of Snow White's 'Whistle While You Work' before a weird tickle in your throat stops you. Must just be because it's been a bit since you sang properly. A quick clearing of your throat fixes it, and Grim is quick to comment.

Trying to figure out what Grim is saying through his weird speech pattern is a chore and a half, but at least he's speaking slower than he initially was when you first met.

He then takes notice of the statues, stopping in front of the Queen of Hearts and floating up to get a better look at her. You're certain he asks who she is, and you're not particularly surprised that Grim might not know. He is a monster of some kinda, him being unfamiliar with Human Things makes sense.

You were about to answer when another voice spoke first.

You spin around to find a boy with bright orange-red hair and a heart painted on his face. Another student by the looks of it. He was smiling placidly, but when you looked in his eyes, they held too much mischief for you to trust.

You grip the broom tighter and step closer to Grim, your eyes not leaving the redhead. You try to pick apart what the boy is saying, glancing up at the statue of the Queen of Hearts.

You know that Disney wasn't entirely accurate to the original stories some of the villains were from, the Queen of Hearts, for example, being an amalgam of three separate characters from Lewis Carroll's original story.

How did this Queen of Hearts differ from Disney's? How much was the same? Did any more of her original story seep into the annals of history here?

You can barely pick up anything from the boy's speech. You recognize 'Bara' popping up several times, and 'Trump,' Rose and Cards respectively. Her rose garden and the Card Soldiers? You see him make the slit throat motion when 'kubi' pops up. It seems she's still kept her reputation for beheading.

Is he retelling the tale of the Card Soldiers getting beheaded for painting the roses? The boy is making a show enough of it that that seems to be it. Grim is obviously terrified, but you knew that, at least in the original story, the King would quietly pardon all his subjects when he knew they were innocent. The Queen of Hearts only actually beheaded a small amount of people.

(Does the Queen have a name here? She never had one in the original story, and the only instance of her having a name was the Tim Burton movie back in 2010. Well, if a person can be named Riddle, Iracebeth doesn't seem so out there.)

The boy, however, seems to admire her, and Grim seems to agree with whatever he'd said.

"[By the way, who're you?]"

Ah, now Grim is asking the right questions.

Ace, says the redhead, with slightly more pizzazz than you think necessary. A first year, like you technically are, and still only acting friendly. His smiles still aren't quiet reaching his eyes. Dancing with mischief and a bully's amusement.

"[The dimwit over here is Kallisto. They're my henchman.]"

Ace's eyes turn to you when you hear Grim say your name. He blinks and you grip your broom tighter.

"[That name isn't particularly common nowadays...]" He tips his head, giving you a once over.

"[They uh... don't seem to speak the same language as everyone, so don't mind if they don't respond to you. They won't understand most of anything you say.]"

Ace raises an eyebrow at whatever Grim said, likely about your predicament. You just keep watching him, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I don't trust you.

You try and say this with your eyes, while trying not to look ready to bolt or fight. You want to stand your ground, but you can't get in trouble this quickly.

He stares back, searching, and you spot something like realization in the twitched widening of his eyes.

He knows you're on to him.

Good.

Now you just needed to make sure whatever he's up to doesn't get the lot of you in trouble.

(Why couldn't the universe not take that as a challenge!?)

------

Ok, maybe he'd both underestimated Grim's capacity to keep his temper in check, and overestimated Verdreiss's capability to keep him in line with the limited vocabulary they had.

And maybe also his student's capacity for malicious mischief.

Either way, Crowley now stands before Verdreiss, Grim, and another first year named Ace Trappola, the three various degrees of shameful after the scene they'd just caused.

(He remembered the last Trappola boy they'd had. So, while terrifying, it doesn't surprise him that the younger one might just be worse.)

The latter two are wrapped together in his Lash of Love, while Verdreiss stands off to the side, trembling and nursing minor burns, several small cuts, and a bite mark.

All he'd ment to do was check on Grim and Verdreiss's progress in their work.

What he found was a gaggle of students cheering on a fight, and when he'd heard Verdreiss's attempt to stop the situation, trying to reason with Grim while also screaming at Trappola to 'Shut up, Asshole!!!' he knew he has to intervene.

It seems that Verdreiss had initially actually tried to physically stop Grim from doing anything to Trappola after whatever the boy had done to earn Grim's ire, the burns on their palm and the bite mark on their thumb state as much, but once Trappola began retaliating, Verdreiss no longer had the means to control the situation.

The result is a clash of Fire and Wind magic, an incredibly volatile match up that would only end in someone getting very hurt.

This very nearly turned out to be Verdreiss themself. It was also the moment Crowley witnessed with his own eyes.

Verdreiss ended up backed up near the Queen of Hearts statue, terrified of the magic being flung around recklessly. They'd already seemed to have gotten hit by a stray bit of Trappola's wind, little cuts on the exposed skin of their face and hands, and when a particularly nasty wild fireball came barreling their way, Crowley could see the dawning horror in their eyes as they froze in place from fear.

(MystudentisindangerMystudentisindangerMystudentisin-)

It was simple enough a thing to step between Verdreiss and the fireball, to point his cane forward and cast a basic bubble shield. The fireball crackled and hissed as it sputtered to steam on the barrier.

"He-... Headmaster...?" Verdreiss called shakily behind him.

"Yes. It's is alright, Verdreiss." He calmly returns, swapping his cane for his lash. "Now, what is going on here!?"

The two true troublemakers had attempted to escape, but they're far too inexperienced to ever come close to even matching him, let alone besting him.

Ah, how troublesome. It seems he'll have to bring in the next part of Grim's punishment early.

(He doesn't want to punish Verdreiss, but he can't play favorites, not even for them.)

----

Deuce is trying to be a good student.

He's self-aware enough to know he's hardly the brightest bulb in the batch. That's why he's here. Trying to learn everything his neglected brain can, in the hopes that he can climb his way to that far off dream.

Deuce is trying to be good.

After the miracle of getting into NRC, after finally doing something to make his mom proud, he's going to do everything he can not to waste this chance he's been given. He's going to make a clean break from his delinquency and prove that he can change.

Deuce is trying.

Except he's only just heard the starting gun and he's already stumbled.

He thought stopping the redhead that sits next to him in class when the cat creature (here despite having been thrown out) and the brown eyed boy (now covered in plasters for some reason) from the Entrance Ceremony were chasing him was good. He'd stopped the redhead, Ace, from escaping a punishment given by the Headmaster, he must have done good.

But then the cat, Grim, escaped when they were talking, and that only seemed to infuriate Ace and make the brown eyed boy, Kallisto, panic.

They chased Grim all the way to the cafeteria, Kallisto speeding ahead of the two of them.

(The guy sure doesn't look like he could be that fast, being so skinny, but Deuce knows enough to know that appearances are very deceiving.)

When they finally do corner Grim, he's up on one of the chandeliers, out of reach, but not for lack of trying. Kallisto had attempted to use the edge of the table to launch himself up, nearly succeeding in snaching Grim right out of the air. He'd only just missed Grim's tail, and that chance ended as Grim hid himself closer to the center of the chandelier.

Deuce tried to figure out a solution.

Except he's still a reckless, impatient, idiot, and now he's paying for it and taking down fellow students with him.

They got Grim down at the expense of the chandelier. Grim is unconscious, Ace is rightfully yelling at him, and Kallisto looks ready to either loose his lunch or burst into tears. The chandelier is in more pieces than his heart when it comes to light that they can't fix the chandelier.

Now the Headmaster is going to expell all of them.

He can't get expelled. He can't disappoint his mom like this, he won't let his grandma be right. He absolutely cannot be expelled.

"... That's right. There is one way."

Deuce tries one more time.

To beg, to bargain, to make one last bet in their favor.

"I will go find a magic crystal! Please, allow me to go!"

They have one night and a pinch of hope.

The Dwarves' mine.

(Deuce will make it count.)

Chapter Text

The Dwarf's Mine had been abandoned for a long while now. Well before any of them were ever born. Maybe even longer than that old dorm.

Or maybe it was simply that the abandoned dorm was still on property that was being used, unlike this... entire village being reclaimed by nature.

It made Ace uneasy. The cat monster isn't wrong in it's observation of something popping out. The setting sun only a few hours from plunging them into darkness is not helping. Hopefully this will be just a quick in-and-out and they can continue on with their school life as if this all never happened.

(He doesn't let himself think about what might have happened if the Headmaster hadn't shown up when he did. Callisto -Kallisto? He has a theory, but-- had nearly ended up barbecued because him and their little monster friend were too prideful to stop when the other said to.

Charing the statue of the Queen of Hearts would have been one thing, severely harming another student was another thing entirely.

His eyes stray to the plasters and bandages now covering the brown eyed boy's hands and face.

He crushes the guilt under his heel as fast as it appears.)

The Mirror dropped them near the road that would lead their little group to the mine shaft itself. A house, seeminly separate from the village farther down the mountain, stood not far from them. It looked pretty intact for somewhere that's been abandoned for so long. Could there still be people living here?

Ace is about to point it out when he gets a good look at their linguistically challenged tag along, and he sees-

(A name no longer commonly used,)

-shock, confusion, recognition and despair-

(speaks fluently a language long dead,)

-he knows this place.

(familiarity with things left behind by time,)

He still calls attention to the house. He doesn't think anyone is truly living here anymore, so instead, he'll watch the brunet's reactions.

(Ace has a theory, that their brown eyed partner in crime isn't from here.)

----

It's a near thing, to not break into tears.

Because that is the exact house that the Seven Dwarves lived in, standing abandoned for who knows how long.

You can vaguely hear Ace direct attention to the cottage. A small door for small people, even you at an average 5 feet and 5 inches needed to bend a little to keep from smacking your face into the doorway. Grim is the only one who could easily walk through the door, even standing on his hind legs as he currently was.

There's no answer as Deuce knocks, you weren't expecting one, so you took the lead and simply opened the surprisingly unlocked door. Even as Deuce announced their entrance, even as the others make commentary about the place, all you could hear was static ringing in your ears.

Your mind overlays the dilapidated room with the colorful, homely, alive version of your memories.

Taller on the inside than the doorway would have you believe (Just whistle while you-,) a long table set for seven and loose mining tools (Heigh-ho, heigh-ho-,) abandoned instruments in a corner with an intricately carved pipe organ piano (Ho-hum the tune is dumb-,) a fire place at the center of it all (Some day my prince will-.)

In a haze, you end up in front of the organ piano (Grumpy's piano, he loved it, played so skillfully-), the once beautiful carved pipes now chipped, peeling, and faded from time. The thick layer of dust wouldn't have deterred you, but even so, you feared that if you pressed down on any of the keys and the pipes made no sound-

"OI!!"

You yelp as a pair of hands come down hard on your shoulders, spinning you around.

"[We've been calling you for-] eh?"

Why is Ace suddenly blurry?

You blink and it clears a bit, showing you both Ace and Deuce's startled if confused faces, Deuce at least showing a small bit of concern as well.

"Naze... naite iru no...?" The blunet asks.

Why am I...?

You reach up to touch your cheek. Your hand comes back wet.

Ah. So you are crying.

You hurriedly wipe at your eyes with your sleeves, but the tears don't stop.

"[What's the matter? Did you get dust in your eyes or something?]" Grim tugs at your pant leg, and you swallow around the lump (the sob) in your throat.

"Iya. Daijoubu. Nandemonai."

You need to leave.

(You hadn't thought about what it would mean for the Villains to win.)

----

The three of them watch as their brunet companion nearly sprints out the door, still wiping at the tears falling from his eyes.

Deuce will admit he's worried. Kallisto has been, while rather verbally quiet, extremely open emotionally, even if some of his reaction don't make entire sense.

"What was up with that?" Grouches their monster companion. Deuce can't tell if Grim is worried or not.

Ace though, had followed Kallisto with his eyes until he was out of sight. He looked... pensive? Contemplative?

"Hey, racoon." He started, making Grim bristle at the moniker. "You two are staying together, right? What do you know about him?"

"What do I know about Kallisto?" Grim crossed his arms and raised a brow at the redhead. "Why do you want to know?"

Was Grim... being defensive? Of Kallisto? After all the things he did? Or was he just being ornery after being called a racoon?

Thought Deuce is curious too.

"Kallisto... isn't even close to normal, is he? There's too many things that point that way."

"What do you mean?" Deuce knows that the lot of them have only know each other for a few hours at most. Grim only seemed to raise his hackles, not willing to give anything easily, instead dashing out the door seemingly following Kallisto.

Deuce looked back to Ace, hoping he'd fill him in on what he was thinking. Ace only made a frustrated face and shook his head.

"... I'll tell you later, if we finish this. I have... a thought, but I can't do anything about it right now."

Deuce has no idea what he means, but nods anyways. They do still need to get the new magic crystal for the chandelier before the day ends.

They find Kallisto sitting against a tree off the side of the road leading to the mines, petting Grim who's curled up in his crossed leg. He's no longer crying, but the signs that he had been are still obvious.

He looks up when they approach and gently nudges Grim off his lap in order to stand. Once standing, he seems to curl in on himself, head bowed slightly.

"I'm sorry..." He mumbles, sounding as exhausted as he looked.

"No, it's fine." Deuce says before Ace can make anymore crude remarks. "We should hurry though. We won't have a lot of light to navigate once the sun goes down."

There's a murmur of agreement and the group begins down the path to the mines.

(No one makes a comment on how Grim refuses to let go of Kallisto's pant leg as they walk.)

----

You're tired.

The kind of tired that doesn't involve sleep. It's only been two days and you feel like the world needs to just... stop. Just until you've pulled yourself together enough to keep going.

(Grim helped a little, when he just kinda forced his way into your lap. You think it might have been a kind of apology, knowing he's too prideful to ever say it. He hasn't let go of your pants since you started walking.

You don't know why he keeps eyeing Ace, though.)

Your little group finally reaches the mine shaft, what looks like wooden caution barricades broken and knocked over at the entrance. They're as old and faded as the rest of the town, a testament to the amount of time everything's been abandoned.

Even with the remaining sun light, you can barely see into the shaft. You could probably fashion a torch if you could break part of the barricades or find a good branch, and have Grim light it.

Ignoring the chatter (or Ace goading Grim, if the tone tells you anything) behind you, you decide to have some fun for yourself, you've earned it.

"And God said, 'Let there be light!'" You wave your hand carelessly out to the side, grinning to yourself in amusement. "And there was- huh?"

Did one of the boys use magic to make a light when you'd said that? There was a bright glow by your hand so that must mean one of them did it. You turn to look at which one had come up beside you so that-

That-

That isn't Ace or Deuce's magic.

You shriek, jerking your hand away from the floating orb of light that very clearly was resting in your palm. The orb vanished instantly and you stare at where it was, glance down at your hand pulled to your chest, back to the spot, then finally over at your trio of companions.

Did you just fucking do magic?! Real, honest to god, magic?!?

"[What the hell are you screaming about!? Don't scare us like that!]" Ace yells, "[We thought you saw something in there!]"

You look down to your hand once more, and hesitantly hold it out, trying very hard not to start trembling.

"... Light?" You try hesitantly.

Nothing.

You blink. It- It couldn't have been a fluke, right? You glance at the others out of the corner of your eye. They're watching you curiously, but making no move to interfere.

Ok, ok, think, maybe it was-?

"Let there be light."

There's a twinge in your throat, but you ignore it because there, in your hand, comes a bright ball of light from the aether. And you stare, wide eyed and pale.

Magic.

You can do magic.

"I have magic..." It comes out barely a whisper.

Again, you pull your hand back quickly and the light vanishes. You stumble until you're leaning against the wooden frame of the mine's entrance, your head spinning. This is too much.

How?

Magic doesn't exist on Earth, there's no possible way you should have magic! Unless there was some dimension travel happenstance that resulted in you obtaining magic upon arriving here in Twisted Wonderland-

Your hand shoots to your throat.

The runes.

That has to be it. It has to be. There's no other explanation you can think of. But how did this even-

"-i! Oi! Kallisto!" You finally pick up on Deuce calling you through the blood pounding in your ears. You blink and find he's infront of you, looking incredibly concerned.

"Dou shimashita ka? Doushita?" He hovers about, hands not quite sure if they can touch.

You can't lie here. You wouldn't even know how.

"W-Watashi wa mahoutsukai ja nai... Watashi wa mahou ja nai... Demo... D-Demo..."

Despite how in any other circumstance, this would be a dream come true, you're terrified.

Something gave you the tattoo wrapped around your neck, changing your very being, and you don't know anything about it. Who or what, how, when, where, why, none of it is something you know.

You flinch out of your thoughts when your hand is pulled from you. Ace has shoved Deuce aside and now has your wrist in his grip. It isn't tight, you could easily break out of it, but your shock holds you in place.

"[Do it again.]"

You blink at him.

"Sono hikari. [Do it again.]" He insists, giving your hand a shake. You swallow around your heart in your throat and right yourself. Ace releases your wrist to cup your hand in his. You take one calming breath and...

"Let there be... light..."

You clear your throat at the twinge you are becoming increasingly familiar with as your apparent magic activating.

Now that you look, the light is actually very... pretty. Comforting. The orb is relatively large, about the size of one of those candle pin bowling balls you've seen a couple times, floating just above your palm. It's light, while brightly lighting the area, is rather easy on the eyes. Soft and golden, radiating out of a tiny white light in it's center, reminding you of a star in a way.

You gently lift your hand from Ace's, and move slowly about, the orb follows just a little behind, as if magnetized to your hand. It makes you giggle, if a little hysterically.

"[See? Nothing to be afraid of.]" He gives you a cheeky smile, but this time it reaches his eyes. You slowly nod in return.

Yeah. No reason to fear yet. It's now yours, after all. No one's taken what they gave you.

"Hehe! [Looks like my henchman is useful after all!]" Grim puffed out his chest, as if he was the one to accomplish the little magic feat.

"[We have a steady light source, so let's hurry in and find the magic crystal. We don't have a lot of time left.]" Deuce turned to you and made something of an 'after you' gesture. "[You'll have to lead, since you have the light. We'll be right behind you.]"

Looks like you're now torch bearer for you little group of would-be miners.

(You would soon come to find that spelunking was not an activity you would ever willingly participate in again.)

Chapter Text

The inside of the mine wasn't much different from the quick glimpse you got from the introduction of the Dwarves in Snow White; wooden support beams line the tunnel, broken rails for mine carts, and the occasional tool left behind. 

The walls would glitter faintly now and then, traces of gemstones still in the rock. Sometimes you'd see what you'd guess is some kind of ventilation system in the ceiling. Other times you'd find a thin rod ending in a hook sticking out of the walls, some having cages on the ends. 

Canary cages, to warn the miners when the air wasn't safe. 

You don't exactly know what to look for. You know you're looking for a magic crystal, a decent sized one if the size of the chandelier says anything, and you guess it might shine? If it's to be used as a light, it must. 

So far, all you've found are rocks and loose wood from broken tracks. Your light holds steady, and you've noticed that Grim's ears make a little light as well. At least with that, if you accidentally vanish your light, you all won't be immediately plunged into complete darkness. 

The inside of the mine is also... colder than the outside. You don't know if that's because you're underground now and that's just how thermodynamics work, (because that's at least how basements work, you think,) or if it's something else. You don't really know anything but a surface level (ha) knowledge of how a mine operates. 

Why does it feel like you're being watched though? 

You don't seem to be the only one feeling like this either; all three of the boys with you don't stray far from your light. Grim now clutches your pant leg with both paws, not particularly hindering your cautious progress. Ace and Deuce are putting on brave faces, but give away their nerves with how their eyes dart at every little sound. 

"[The Headmaster said that the crystal would shine brightly in the dark, but I haven't seen anything but reflections from the walls.]" Deuce murmurs just loud enough that you know he's not talking to himself. "[How far in do you think we need to go?]" 

"[I don't know.]" Ace mutters back. "[But I don't want to get lost in this place. Even if we do find a crystal, not being able to get out is just as much of a problem.]" 

Are they worried about getting lost? You were leading, so you'd already thought of the best way not to get lost. 

"[True, but how should we-]" 

"Daijoubu." You interrupted. They look to you confused. 

You smile and tap your foot on the railcar track you had been following this whole time. They look down at the rails, then back to you. 

It's Ace who realizes what you've been doing. 

"[He's been following the rails from the entrance. So long as we keep following the rails in a straight path, we won't get lost.]" He states. 

Deuce and Grim blink in surprise. You just smile a little bigger, ignoring the heat rising in your cheeks as they stare at you in awe. 

It just... felt like common sense? Using a very visible, already there path that won't be going anywhere anytime soon as a means to keep yourselves from getting lost. 

"N-Nandemonai..." You shrug, trying to wave off any praise before it starts. 

"[Let's keep following the rails. They have to lead down to the last place any magic gems would be, right?]" Ace muses. The others nod, though Grim glances around nervously. 

"[...Does anyone else feel like we're being watched...?]" He grips tighter to your pants, making you reach down to pet his head in comfort. 

Something isn't right. It feel like it's getting a lot colder a lot faster than you think it should. 

"[What are you trying to chicken out now furball?]" Ace goads, making Grim raise his hackles. 

"[I'm serious! It almost like when we-]" Grim cut himself off with a sharp inhale, and you could feel as all his fur began to stand on end. 

The sudden sharp drop in temperature is what you registered next, making you freeze in place. The hairs on the back of your neck too began to stand on end. An oppressive pressure begins to cloak itself around your group as the two other boys stand to attention. 

Oh no. Please not again. 

It's only when you exhale that your suspicion is confirmed. A large cloud of white fogs your sight as your breath turns to mist. 

Ace and Deuce are wide eyed as their breath becomes visible. 

"[Something... is here.]" Deuce managed to force out. 

"Heeee hee hee! [Our first visitors in 10 years!]" 

You backed up into the wall, Grim jumping up onto your shoulders and your free hand going up to steady him. Ace and Deuce immediately placed themselves in front of you on either side. You're surrounded by at least half a dozen ghosts of what are probably deceased miners. 

"[Make yourselves at home. For eternity.]" 

Unlike the ghost trio and their playful mischievousness in Onboro, you could feel the malevolence pouring off these ghosts. Forget their cartoony appearance, these ones promise pain and will make good on that promise. 

"Grim." You tug his collar lightly to get his attention. "Migi-Hidari?" 

"Huh? Oh! [Like last time! Yeah, just point me in the right direction!]" He adjusts himself so that he's sitting on your shoulders with his chest pressed to the back of your head and paws resting by your hairline. You adjust your hand to steady him and keep him in place. 

You did this once, you can do it again. 

Ace and Deuce drew their wand-pens, and from there, all hell broke loose. 

The ghosts charged and Ace cast his wind, forcing the ghosts to stop or be knocked out of the air. Deuce summoned a barrage of mini cauldrons, launching them at the stunned ghosts, somehow able to hit them with the cast iron (pun not intended) pots, despite their non-corporeal forms and what looked like very little control. 

"Grim, hidari!" 

A blue fire ball lands it's mark on a ghost trying to sneak in from the left. You didn't actually see it, but you're not going to look a gift horse in the mouth with how you can apparently sense the ghosts. Or at least sense their intent, if the several different portions of malevolence you can now differentiate between each ghost says anything. 

That was how it went for a time; the ghosts would try to get close, Ace would put a wall of wind up to scatter them, Deuce would hit them while stunned, and you and Grim would pick off any who tried to be sneaky. 

"[We don't have time for this!!]" Deuce hurls one last large cauldron, knocking nearly all the ghosts away, then he grabbed both yours and Ace's arms and dashed down the path of rails. "[Come on, let's go!]" 

You all run the best you can, Grim clinging to your head and you somehow still keeping your light steady, until you find a split in the tracks. You stop and look back, waiting to see if the ghosts gave chase, but it seemed like you were in the clear for now. 

"[This is bullshit!]" Ace pants, turning to glare at Deuce, "[We wouldn't have to be here if you hadn't been an idiot!]" 

"[You wanna talk about who's fault is? It's because you wouldn't clean!]" Deuce fired back. 

Shit, they're fighting with each other now. You gotta stop this, you don't have the time for it! 

"O-Oi..." 

Fuck, why is it suddenly so hard to speak? To breathe? 

"[It started because that furball almost charred the Queen of Hearts' statue!]" 

"Ffgna! [That's what you get for making a fool out of me!]" 

"O-Oi." 

It's like there's one of Deuce's cauldrons is pressing down on your chest. You can barely wheeze out a sound, let alone call attention to yourself. 

"[All of you! Do you understand our situation right now? We're all expelled if we don't get back with a magic crystal by tomorrow morning.]" 

"[So stop patronizing me. It's really ticking me off.]" 

No, this is wrong. This kind of overwhelming, crushing pressure. This feels more like... 

Wait, what was that sound? 

"O-... OI!" You finally grab their attention, even as the pressure feels like it will cave your chest in. 

"O-Oto... Kikoe-..." You are barely able to force out as your body tries desperately to take in air. Your light flickers as your concentration moves from it to breathing. You can feel Grim maneuver himself to try and look at you in the face, something like concern lacing his tone. 

"[Hey, are you really out of shape or somethin'? You've been breathing really hard since we sto-]" 

"[... oN't... IvE... wO...]" 

Shit. Fuck. Please, why must this particular thing be the thing that escalates out of proportion? Why couldn't it have been a giant version of the gem thing you needed? 

At least the boys aren't fighting anymore. 

"[What's... this voice?]" 

As the voice gets closer the pressure in your chest increases. You cough slightly as your lungs work overtime. 

"[... sToNE... ssss.... mINe....]" 

It's not just another ghost like the others. This feeling of wrongness, and overwhelming anger. 

"[I think it's... getting closer...]" 

"[StoNE... iS MIIIIIIIIIINNEEE!!!]" 

This is a whole ass corrupted demonic spirit. 

---- 

Why, why is this day still getting worse!? 

Deuce just wanted to be a good student and make his mom proud for once. Yet, here he is, first day in and having expulsion hanging like a guillotine over his head, and now he and this group of troublemakers are staring down some kind of... bottle-headed, miner, ghost... thing that definitely wants to kill them. 

As it advances, they dash away, trying to keep what little distance they can while still keeping an eye on it. 

"What the hell is that thing!?" 

"Fffgghnnaaaaaaa!!! Crowley didn't say anything about that!! Let's get out of here!!" 

Deuce would agree with the cat monster, except- 

"That thing is nasty! But, didn't it mention a 'stone?'" Ace points out. And as if the monster could hear him, it groans out in it's distorted voice; 

"St... ONe, wON't... gIvE...!!" 

Hope bloomed like a firework in his chest. If it's protecting a stone, then that means-!! 

"So there really are magic Crystals left!" 

He hears Grim's protests, but he can't- 

"But we'll be expelled without it... I'm going!" 

They're so close! He can't stop, he won't! He needs to not be expelled, and if he needs to fight this thing by himself to get a magic crystal, then so be it! 

"You've gotta be kidding!?" 

"W-Wait, sto-" 

(Had he looked back, he would have seen Kallisto reach out to grab him, worry and fear etched into every line of their face. Had only getting closer to the monster not nearly choked all the air out of their lungs, Ace having to stop them lest they pass out and plunge them into darkness, Kallisto might have reached.) 

"I cannot, under any circumstances, be expelled!" 

He readies his pen and steps forward. 

--- 

Idiots. 

All of them are idiots. 

This idiot is having an asthma attack or something, can barely keep their only light steady, and is trying to help somehow, while that damned cat is cowering behind his legs. 

This idiot can't even fucking aim a cauldron at something twice their size, getting himself clipped in the side by the monster's lantern and sending him sprawling on the ground. 

And he, himself, has to be the biggest idiot because he's now trying to get the damned monster to not impale one of the two on that gigantic pickaxe by attacking it as well. 

Ace is rewarded with also getting the air knocked out of him by getting clipped in the chest and slammed into a wall. 

Nothing broke, thankfully, but that's going to leave a nasty bruise and he does not want to have to explain to his parents why he may have ended up in the hospital if they all fucking live through this. 

He wheezes in some air as he watches Grim spew fire in an attempt to keep it away from him and Kallisto. It blazes through the monster, not really touching it and only seeming to annoy it, much like Ace's wind had. 

"I-It's not working at all!" 

No shit you stupid racoon!! He wants to say, even as his lungs scream, except he cuts himself off. 

Not because of any of the current dangerous matters at hand or anything, no. 

He stops because, as the flames putter out, unable to keep burning on the dirt and stone, something behind the monster flashes brilliantly, reacting to the magic of the flames. 

A magic crystal. 

It has to be, because when he and Deuce point it out to confirm what they saw, the monster gets pissed. Screaming more that it 'Won't give.' It recklessly began to swing its giant pickaxe, not caring if it sent chunks of the walls, floor, and ceiling flying about. They scattered as best they could in the cramped space of the mine, but with the monster as riled up as it is, the only option left is... 

"L-L-L-Let's get out of here! We're done for at this rate!!" 

Stupid cat's cowardice at least knows when they're all in over their heads. 

His chest and back ache and breathing in too deep makes it hurt worse and damn all this nonsense he wants to go home. 

---- 

By some miracle, you all make it out of the mines without the (terrifyingly, horrifyingly familiar please, God, it can't be, only one wore red-) monster following you out. 

Now distanced from the oppressive pressure of its corruption, your body can finally breathe. You practically collapse to your knees, light going out as you take in air greedily, nearly making you lightheaded. 

You can hear the boys begin to talk, but you're too focused on trying to regulate your breathing to actively translate anything. 

It's dark out. Very little of the sun's warm coloring it left beyond the tree hidden horizon. You're running out of time.

How do you solve this? Even magic has it's limits, and Ace and Deuce don't seem to have even a mediocre pool of spells at their disposal. Beginners, going to school to improve. If you could just get a strategy together... 

You hear Deuce yell something and you decided you should probably pay attention now. You're almost back to a normal breathing pattern, so you pick yourself up from the ground and meander over. 

"[At any rate, I'm going in there. I'll figure out how to beat that thing and come back with a magic crystal.]" 

"[However, judging by the chandelier incident, you're a complete idiot. You couldn't land a single hit earlier, but now you'll 'figure it out'? It's going to end the same.]" 

Oh. Spiteful, mocking tones. Great. They're fighting. Again. 

Even Grim seems fed up with this. 

"[Come again!? You think...]" 

Oh for the love of- 

"USEE NA!!" 

That got their attention. You huff, aggravation clear, though you pat Grim when you hear him complain. 

"Kimi wa warui." You point to Deuce, who deflates a little. 

"Kimi wa warui." You point to Ace, who flinches. 

"Watashi wa warui." You make a grand gesture towards yourself, to emphasize how much you are aware of your current uselessness. "Demo." 

You make a circling gesture to all of you. 

"Watashi-tachi wa yoi." 

They stare at you in confusion before Ace grimaces. 

"[Are you proposing we work together? Of course you'd say something like that with a straight face.]" 

You don't like his tone, but you think you understand what he's said, so you glare at him with determination. 

"Hai. Keikaku. Watashi-tachi." 

"[Hell no, not with him.]" 

"[Agreed. No way I'm working with this loser.]" 

You cross your arms and give them a flat glare. What else were you going to do if you couldn't individually do anything and giving up isn't an option? 

Dumbass boys. 

"[But... I feel like it's way lamer to get expelled on the first day of school.]" Grim pipes in, crossing his own arms and giving the two his own flat look. Whatever he'd said makes Ace and Deuce freeze. 

"Urg... Sore wa..." Ace starts, but when he looks at you, you just raise your brow at him and he shrinks back. Deuce at least, has the decency to look ashamed. After a few seconds, Ace finally relents with a sigh. 

"[Fine! We just have to get it done, right! So, what's your plan?]" 

You and Grim grin in victory. 

(And maybe a little pride for you, at the two. Dumbasses as they are, they can still be taught. Are still willing to learn.) 

Maybe now you can finally get that crystal and save yourselves from expulsion. 

Quickly, you find a stick and begin to draw in the dirt path.

Chapter Text

"You... really think it'll go as planned? I'm sca... no, just nervous."

"Yes. It is fine!"

Grim isn't the only one nervous, but the only one showing it. The knot in Ace's stomach hasn't ceased since Kallisto had got his plan hashed out, as good as he could with drawings and his meager Common.

Honestly, he's mostly scared for Kallisto, seeing as he volunteered to be bait.

He sure as hell isn't happy about it, but conceded when Kallisto very stubbornly insisted he was fast enough and agile enough to avoid the monster's wrath.

So instead of openly worrying, he rode Kallisto's confidence and laughed off the tension. They can't waste any more time, it's already dark enough that Kallisto needs to keep his light on while outside the mine.

"Haha, you're too stiff. Just go with the flow. Let's get this over with!"

Grim's ears don't immediately unpin themselves from his head, but he relents, if reluctantly, when Kallisto gives him a quick scratch behind one.

He and Deuce watch as the pair head back into the mine. The monster likely hasn't retreated very far in, until either it knows they've left or are dead.

"... Do you think they'll be ok?" Deuce asks him quietly. Ace shrugs at him.

"We're just gonna have to have faith that they-"

"HEIGH-HOOOOOOOO!!!"

The pair jumped at the sudden, very clear, very loud yell from the cave.

"-What the hell?! Was that Kallisto?!" Ace blinked in shock. If they can hear Kallisto from here, then when he'd yelled at them, he was...

"He must have a... very strong set of lungs..." Deuce mused hesitantly, "There's no way the monster won't know they're there now."

As if on cue, Kallisto sprints out of the mine, light in one hand and Grim in the other, screams from the monster echoing on their heels.

"LEEEEAAAAAAAAVE!!!"

The pair watched from a distance as Grim loudly taunted the monster to make it keep following them, the monster barely able to keep up behind.

Well. Ace can't doubt that Kallisto is as fast as they claimed.

"Get ready, they'll be here soon!"

----

Fuck were you glad for all the time you spent in Track and Cross Country when in school.

Well, really you're just glad you were the type to like athletics on top of your anime addiction, you don't know how else you'd have survived this plan of yours otherwise.

You hear the monster practically roaring at you from behind, the crash of its pickaxe far too close for comfort.

Now, you just need to get the monster far enough away...

You spot Ace and Deuce at the meeting point, pens at the ready. You keep running, slowing just enough to drop Grim with them, vanished your light and kept going.

"IMA!"

"[Ok, I got this! Let's go, Extra Large Tempest!]"

"[And the Great Grim's Fire Special!] Ffgnaaaaaa!"

You didn't stop to watch the monster go up in flames, instead you dove into the tree line, making a loop around the side of the monster (hopefully) just out of sight. You needed to get back to the mine fast. You don't know how hard it will be to unbury the magic crystal once you found it again.

"[Come forth, Cauldron!]"

Nor do you know how well Deuce's cauldron will hold the monster.

"Let there be light!" You call forth your light once more as you sprint down the mines, following the rails as you had. No other ghosts try to come after you, thankfully, and you're able to find the scorched patch of a dead end that signaled your stop.

Skidding to a halt, you pant as you try and locate the gem once more. The scorch mark wasn't very big, and was mostly on the ground, so then the gem must be...

Crouching down, your light reflects off an exposed gem in the middle of the scorch mark. Moving your light closer makes the gem begin to glow in reaction.

You've found it!

Somehow, you're able to shift your light to rest on the back of your hand instead of your palm, and with that, you begin to tear at the semi-soft dirt with near desperate fervor.

Ok, this gem might be a little bigger than you thought.

You hear several footsteps coming towards you just as you are able to get a proper grip on the cylinder shaped crystal. You frantically begin to tug at the still semi-buried crystal as Ace, Deuce, and Grim reach you.

Deuce practically slids into place in front of you, his hands wrapping around the gem where yours weren't and tugging with you. Grim began clawing around the edge of the gem, trying to loosen the dirt. Ace was left to keep an eye on the monster.

"Come on, come on-!!!"

One more grand heave and the apparently fucking melon sized gem came free, sending both you and Deuce onto your asses. You were able to keep ahold of it, or else this stupid rock would have caused quite a bit of damage to your head and face.

(No, seriously, if it weren't for the fact you had been the one to pull it out of the ground just now and the cylindrical shape, someone could have put it in a bag and told you it was a honeydew melon and you'd believe them!!)

"[We got it!]" Deuce cheered-

"[HaNDs OOOOOOOFFFFFFFFFF!!!!!!]"

-except it only made the monster angrier. It began to near violently struggle against the giant cauldron on top of it, somehow dragging both itself and the cauldron on top of it closer to the mine. Which was a very bad thing if it cornered you all by blocking the entrance.

"[Shoot! That thing is almost free!]"

Yeah, no shit! How do you guys get out of this one-?

"[Oi, Deuce! Throw some more stuff on it!]"

"[Eeeh, something heavy!? C-come forth! Cauldron!]"

CLANG!

"[And, uuumm, ummmm, cauldron!?]"

CLANG!

"[One more, cauldron!?]"

CLANG!

Ok. That... works.

(It's still kinda surreal seeing Deuce summon cauldrons, watching them all pile on top of the monster. But, fuck it, you'll take anything not to be trapped like rats in this mine!!!)

"[Do you have nothing but cauldrons in your repertoire!?]"

"[Shut up! I'm at my wits' end over here!]"

Now is not the time!!

"Oi! Hashire!! Hayaku, hayaku!!" You shove at the boy's backs with your free hand, trying to get them to get their asses in gear and move!

"[Kallisto's right! We got the magic crystal, let's skadaddle!]"

Thank you Grim!

A quick word of agreement and you're all running as fast as you can out of the mine and past the monster, even as it yells after you.

----

They reach the old cottage before they stop running.

Deuce glances at his companions. All of them were panting like dogs, tired from the continuous exertion. Kallisto was clutching the magic gem tightly to his chest and collapsed to his knees, Ace was leaning on the wall of the cottage, and Grim was flat on his back in the grass.

"[Oh, I'm gonna feel this in the morning...]" Kallisto wheezes as he shakily stands back up. He doesn't know what he said, but Deuce can't help but feel sympathy. The sheer amount of physical effort Kallisto has put into this plan was impressive, but everyone has limits.

Deuce was about to pull out the small hand mirror that would send them back to the school, when he heard probably the worst thing for them at the moment.

"ThaT. Is... MIIIIIIIIIINNEEE!!!!"

They all whipped around, spotting the monster once more chasing them down, calling out to return the gem.

"You're kidding!? It knocked off all that stuff and came after us!"

"Shoot, it's gonna catch up to us!"

They're not in any shape to make another escape! Kallisto is practically on the verge of collapse, and he and Ace aren't much better at this point! The finish line is in sight, they can't stumble now!

Could they use the hand mirror while running? No, they needed to speak clearly when using the mirrors, and running and talking is not a good match up, especially with how tired they are. So then, what do they-?

"Wait."

Kallisto's voice pierces through Deuce's rushed thoughts. Kallisto seemed to be eyeing the monster strangely.

"The monster is... weak." Kallisto states- no, observes. Following Kallisto's gaze back to the monster, Deuce finds that he's right. Despite how quickly the monster is moving, it's also hobbling. Stumbling and off kilter in its hurry. And its cries seem just as out of breath as they are. They've done damage.

They can defeat it!

And he's not the only one who notices.

"Aaah, fine! Let's finish it! Don't let me down, Mr. Serious!"

"You, too!"

"I'll show off my true power!"

They're almost there. Just one more hurdle!

You watch Grandma, I'm not out of the race yet!

----

The boys step forward, all readying their magic, preparing for this final confrontation. You just need to defeat this stupidly persistent monster and you're all home free.

What can you do, though? You've only just figured out that you have magic, attempting new spells now would just be a disaster.

You step farther back from the boys and watch as they begin casting. Ace and Grim have their Wind and Fire combos pretty down pat, with Ace directing or spreading Grim's Fire as needed, while Deuce launched more cauldrons as if they were cannon balls.

They've battered it, but how do they defeat it? How do they get it down for the count...? Where is its weakness...?

Deuce launches a cauldron and it clips the monster's head, a glassy Clank! ringing out.

Wait.

You eye the crack along the front of the bottle, where ink continuously leaks.

There were still tools in the cottage.

Maybe, if you can...

Carefully, you sneak your way over to the front door of the cottage, keeping your eyes on the monster to make sure it wasn't looking your way, and slip yourself in.

(You felt a bit like an assassin from Assassin's Creed. You stamped down your little bit of giddiness at the thought, now is not the time.)

Placing the magic crystal on a table, you glance around. Tools, tools, where... ah-ha!

The pickaxes were rusted and splintering, but you think you can get at least one last swing out of one. They were a bit heavy, the dwarves obviously much stronger in their upper body than you, but you are able to manage to pick one up and give it a few slow test swings.

Now, how to get it low enough for you to hit it...

You peek out the window to check on the boys. You can tell that their giving the monster the go around, its swings at them getting slower and sloppy. But their running out of steam too.

You need to do this in one shot or you're done for.

Ok, deep breathe. What do you know?

The monster is entirely focused on the boys. It has trouble getting out from under Deuce's largest cauldrons, and they could potentially crack its head more.

If you can distract it first, then maybe you can get Deuce to...

You look around the room, eyes landing on the pipe organ.

You're barely a beginner on the piano, but if you can just figure out enough, and if it still works...

You step up to the keys, one foot going to the foot pump-pedal.

Please God, let this work.

You press a lower toned key down for just a moment as you force down the pedal.

A whistled note rings out briefly as dust cascades around you.

A grin near splits your face.

You grab the pickaxe you'd chose and run over to the large window by the front door and force it open, heaving the pickaxe over the sill and leaning it against the outside wall.

They haven't noticed you yet, but they will in a second, so you need to be ready.

Running back to the organ, you prep yourself to play. You've only got a few seconds to figure out the bare minimum of notes, so you have to make this count.

With everything set, you pump the the pedal and play. It takes you three notes to find the right one, and from there, fumble through as simple a melody you can.

As the noise outside dims, you sing.

"Ho-la-la-ee-ay
Ho-la-la-ee-ay
Ho-la-la-ee-ay-ee-la-ee-ay-ee-lee-ay"

Can you hear me? This Silly Song for you?

You listen as the fighting outside stops.

"I'd like to dance and tap my feet
But they won't keep in rhythm.
You see, I washed them both today
And I can't do nothing with 'em!"

When you hear the monster- when you hear Gumpy seemingly begin to hum along, you stop playing and dash over to the window. You clap and stomp your feet to the rhythm as they once did in this cottage.

"Ho hum the tune is dumb
The words don't mean a thing!
Isn't this a silly song
For anyone to sing?"

As you continue to yodel, Grumpy takes a step closer to you, ignoring the very confused Ace, Deuce, and Grim.

You hop over the window sill, and Grumpy is almost completely singing along with you, broken and distorted as it is.

"IcH JaGt' eIN... StiNktiEr aUf dEN BaUm...

Es sEtZt siCh... Auf deN Ast...

Und weiL ich graDe... drunter stAnd...

Da warf es ab Ballast..."

(German? You don't have time to think about it.)

As Grumpy falls into the chorus, you enact the next part of your plan.

"Deuce! Ogama!! Mou ippai!!" You make a long karate chop motion, and prey to god Deuce gets it.

The boys jump, startled out of whatever reverie they were in watching you. He better do it now because-

"N-Nani-?!"

"OGAMA HAYAKU!!"

"HnGh-!?"

-Grumpy's noticed too. And is now very, very angry at you. You're backed into the wall of the cottage with very little elsewhere to go, so please Deuce summon a cauldron already-!

"[Come forth, Cauldron!!]"

CLANG!

You take exactly one breath in relief as the sight of Deuce's oversized cauldron crashing down on top of Grumpy. Then you spring for the pickaxe, not even letting the dust settle as you hurry your way over.

Ignoring the pressure crushing your chest (thank you adrenaline,) you grip the pickaxe like a baseball bat, heave it up,

(Look him in where his eyes would be, swallow the forming lump, blink the stinging from your eyes,

"Gomenasai, Grumpy.")

and swing with all that you have left, striking as close to the crack as you can.

The bottle spiderwebs from where the pickaxe lands its hit. Grumpy let's out a deafening screech that makes you stagger, releasing the pickaxe to cover your ears.

You stumble back quickly, narrowly avoiding a swiping from Grumpy. Ace and Deuce pull you farther back, one arm each around you, helping you stay standing as your legs begin to shake. Grim hopped up on your shoulders once more.

"Mou ippai! Owari da!" One more hit should finish this. They aim their pens with their free hands, Grim readies a fire ball.

"[Alright, on three!]"

"Ichi!"

"Ni!"

"SAN!"

The combination of attacks fly true, and the bottle shatters as Grumpy gives one final agonized cry.

Chapter Text

Black ink became black mist in an instant, body melting and vanishing quietly into the night. Blue fire puttered out and cauldrons disappeared.

The only thing remaining to say that there was ever anything there is an old, ratty, long cap, no longer its monster size, and the rusty pickaxe.

The four of you stare, reality slow to catch up with your exhausted, adrenaline hazed minds.

"[We... did it?]" Ace cautiously asks, he and Deuce eyeing the cap uneasily. Slowly, you peel yourself from their supportive hold, taking hesitant, wobbling steps towards the cap. Grim jumps from your shoulders, but follows beside you, one paw on your leg.

Once near enough, you bend down and begin reaching for the cap. You pause briefly, just before touching it. You spy Grim watching your hand, both fearful and hopeful. One deep breath to steel yourself, and you finally pick up the cap.

It's rough under your touch. Thin and dull and dirty. And small. Smaller than you thought. A small hat for a small person...

"[W-we won... We actually won!]"

Grim's exclamation startles you out of your thoughts, and you turn to look back as Ace and Deuce begin cheering as well. The relief is palpable, and you giggle at the trio as they high-five each other. You watch with amusement, as they also realize what they just did. They back pedal, embarrassed like the teens they are, and you just roll your eyes, smiling.

Ace is the first to give up the act, letting out a short sigh, scratching at the back of his neck, faint color in his cheeks.

"[... I guess making excuses is pretty lame. I hate to admit it, but we won thanks to Kallisto's plan.]" He admits.

"[... True. We got the magic crystal because he gave us level headed instructions....]" Deuce agrees, before glancing around. "[Where is the magic crystal, by the way?]"

He looks to you, and you remember that you left the gem in the cottage.

"Ah, soko de." You point back to the cottage, and Deuce nods.

"[I'll go get it. You guys can stay here.]" He jogs up to the door and slips in, leaving you with Ace and Grim. Grim plops himself down, muttering something likely about his exhaustion, while Ace comes up to you and peers closely at you, leaning into your space. You lean back slightly in surprise, not expecting the sudden closeness. You can't quite pick apart his gaze in the weak moonlight, but it doesn't feel malicious or mischievous.

"... Daijoubu?" He asks softly. You blink at that, not quite sure why he's asking you that. It must show, as he points down at your hands. You look down.

Oh. Right. Grumpy's cap.

You don't know what happened to Grumpy or the other Dwarves. You'll likely never really know. You can only speculate and guess with what little information you have. All that's left is what was left behind. No one else knows who this cap belonged to.

However...

At the very least, there is one thing you could do for Grumpy.

(You hope it's enough of an apology.)

----

Ace observes the changes in Kallisto's expressions. From confused, to surprise, to the current pinch of heavy thought, gaze trained on the cap he picked up from the monster.

'What are you thinking? How did you know the monster would respond to that song?' He thinks, 'Why are you having these reactions? Am I right about you?'

He doesn't voice any of these, he knows Kallisto won't understand most of it. Instead, he watches as the brunet gently folds the cap, before nodding to himself, as if confirming something.

"Please excuse me." Kallisto says, just above a whisper. Ace can only observe as Kallisto leans down it pick up the pickaxe as well, then makes his way over to the cottage once more. However, instead of entering, Kallisto deviates and stops in front of the front window he'd hopped out of.

He calls Deuce over to the window, and once Deuce is there, magic crystal in one arm, Kallisto speaks to him in hushed tones, making a motion with his hand Ace can't quite make out.

Deuce seems to get it though, as he turns back into the cottage. Kallisto calls his light again, now seeming to realize that they've been without it for a while, leaning over the window sill to light the inside of the cottage from there.

Deuce finally returns to the window, a rusty trowel in hand. He hands it over to Kallisto, a curious look on his face.

Kallisto gives him a little bow of gratitude, then takes a small step back and drops into a crouch right there in front of the window. Deuce blinks in confusion, leaning out of the window to try and see what Kallisto is doing.

As Kallisto shifts their light to the back of his hand, he carefully set the cap aside and takes hold of the trowel with both hands.

It's as Kallisto begins to dig that Ace finally realizes what Kallisto is doing.

(He and Deuce won't understand until later the significance of Kallisto doing this.

It's a bittersweet memory for it.)

-----

Deuce decides that leaning out a window is rather uncomfortable, especially while carrying a large magic crystal in one arm. So he hurries out of the cottage and over to Kallisto.

He's already dug out a shallow, oval shaped hole, and seemed focused on making it deeper. Once Kallisto seemed satisfied with the hole, he took the cap and... place it... in...

"Wait, are you making a... grave for the monster?"

Kallisto didn't respond to his inquiry, simply moving the dirt back onto the hole, burying the cap. He moved to the top of the grave and dug another thin, wide hole. When done, he took the pickaxe and set it so that the part where the handle met the pick was in the hole, the ends of the pick sticking out and the handle standing straight up. He then packed the dirt in around the handle, making sure that it stayed. And once that was done, Kallisto finished it by putting any large rocks he'd dug up or found near by in a ring against the handle.

With the grave finished, Kallisto sighs and sets the trowel aside. He then folds his hands together and bows his head in prayer.

Deuce looks over at Ace, who looks just as uncomfortable as he feels. Neither know what to do.

But Kallisto doesn't linger, relieving them of any need to figure anything out. He moves to stand-

"Ah- whoa!"

-except his legs seem to give out on him. Deuce is only fast enough to reach an arm out, the other still holding the magic crystal. Kallisto sat, wide-eyed and startled, as if unsure of what just happened. He looked down at his legs, betrayal clear on his face. Deuce was about to crouch down and help Kallisto up, but Ace had rushed over first.

"Come on, you're the one who said we needed to work together. You're not an exception to being helped." He pulled Kallisto's arm and his shoulder and wrapped one of his own around Kallisto's waist. After a bit of shuffling, the two slowly stood and Kallisto gave him a weary smile.

"Thank you, Ace." Ace just gave a half shrug at the gratitude.

"We're all practically dead on our feet after all that. Let's get home already."

"Oh, we're finally going home?" Grim finally chimes in. In his paws was a... piece of coal? No, a crystal, one that looks like its been dipped in ink. Deuce had wondered why the cat was so silent until now.

"What's that you got?" Ace asks, also noticing the stone.

"This? I sniffed it out while you all were playing in the dirt." Grim held it up as if to show it off. "I'm starving and it smells really good! It's gotta be candy the monster left. Oh I can't hold back!"

"Now hold on-!"

"Hey, don't just-!"

"Grim, wait-!"

Crunch!

As Grim munched on the crystal, the three of the just stared in muted shock. Monsters must really be made different, Deuce decides. Grim seems to choke, but that quickly gets debunked.

"D...D-d-d-d-d... DELICIOUS!! It's full-bodied, but also rich, with an aromatic sweetness that blooms in my mouth... Like a whole field of flowers in my mouth!"

"...[What the fuck.]"

Yeah, Deuce thinks he feels the same as that tone. It's been too surreal of a day, he's not sure why this is getting to him. He needs sleep.

"If you get sick, don't come crawling to me." Ace grouches.

"Let's... Let's just get this crystal to the Headmaster already." Deuce pulls out the hand mirror and finally, finally sends them home.

(No one notices Kallisto look back at the grave, eyes widening at something that wasn't there. Something only they could see.)

----

"Eh!? [You really went to Dwarfs' Mine to find a magic crystal?]"

The moment you heard the disbelief in Crowley's tone, you decided to tune out, lean back, and close your eyes.

Upon returning to NRC and making your way to the Headmaster's office, Ace had dropped you in a chair off to the side while Deuce placed the crystal on Crowley's desk. You're too tired to translate for yourself, but judging by the tones, Crowley obviously underestimated the sheer stupid determination of a couple of teenage boys.

It's when they mention the- when they mention Grumpy that Crowley turns serious.

You don't think you'll ever reconcile the two in your head.

You'd looked back at the crude grave, maybe to confirm that it all had happened, take some kind of closure maybe, you don't know, but you saw-

There, on the grave, was a small, stocky man with a long white beard. He had a dark red shirt and a brown long cap.

He was translucent.

He looked. Right at you. Gave you the faintest, but softest smile you've ever had directed at you. He mouthed something-

(Danke, you repeat. He'd said thank you.)

-then he turned to the front door of the cottage, reached for the handle and vanished.

Ace had probably noticed how pale you'd gone, since he'd asked again if you were Ok when you all had landed in the Mirror Hall. You don't think he believed you when you said you were fine, but you couldn't exactly tell him what you'd saw.

"EEEEHHHHH?! KALLISTO WA NANDESU KA?!"

"Huh, what happened?" You snap up from your half dozed state to find both Deuce and Grim staring at you, bug-eyed in shock and amazement. You blink in confusion, having not heard a word until now.

"Nani?" You try, but Crowley gets the pair's attention once more before you can garner what's going on. You decide to pay some attention now, seeing as your name is popping up.

"[Alright, alright, you've made your point, Trappola. Yes, we believe Verdreiss be a time traveler. No, you are not allowed to let this get out.]" Crowley ordered, "[We don't need the press coming and disturbing classes or, heavens forbid, stalk Verdreiss.]"

"[I hadn't really though Kallisto was a time traveler. I thought maybe it was one of those... cases where a person is imprisoned for so long they didn't learn to speak.]" Deuce shuddered at whatever thought had passed his mind.

"[... I mean, that's not a bad assumption, especially with how severe some of Verdreiss' reactions seemed to have been.]" Crowley mused, "[Seeing a place you once knew to be a highly active village be completely abandoned must have been rather upsetting. And the grave....]"

"[Speaking of reactions, there's one other thing I still don't understand.]" Ace pressed, "[Kallisto's reaction to using magic. He'd said that he didn't have magic, and freaked out when he did it.]"

"[Ah. That.]" Crowley's face pinched, "[How do I-]"

"Crowley-gakuencho~, [I'm here like you asked~.]"

Before Crowley could go on, a very small person popped their head in to the office. By their voice and general appearance, you think they might be female? They stepped in, a little bounce in their step despite the late hour making bits of various jewelry sway and jingle. Long, dark red hair had been pulled into a messy braid, its waviness barely tamed and resting over a shoulder covered in a colorful shawl over a tunic. Alert red eyes peer around before landing on you, and a beaming, excited smile stretched across heavily freckled cheeks.

And oh look, more pointed ears. They step up to you, ignoring the stares of the three other students in the room.

"[You must be the one Crowley mentioned!] Konbanwa, atashi wa Hulda Eklund. Sensei desu!" A hand is outstretched to you and you hesitantly take it. She wouldn't even come up to your shoulders if you stood and-

Oh God, this is a dwarf. A real, living dwarf.

You force yourself to not visibly panic.

"Uh... Kallisto... Verdreiss... desu?" You look over to Crowley, hoping for some kind of signal or distraction. He stands from his desk and gestures for the others to follow.

"[Perfect timing, Ms. Eklund. Like I said, I need you to only take a quick observation, as it is very late, and we can reconvene at a later date.]" He reiterates to Eklund-sensei, before looking to you. He points at his neck and makes a gesture of opening his collar. You guess Eklund-sensei knows more about your tattoo?

You pull off your blazer and tie, setting them on your lap, before unbuttoning the first two buttons on your dress shirt and folding back the collar. Eklund gasped, in shock or excitement, you can't tell, because she's immediately taken your chin in one hand and your shoulder in the other, and is turning your head this way and that as she steps around you to get a better look at your neck.

"[Is... Is that a tattoo?]" Deuce hesitantly asks.

"[No, this is something else entirely.]" Eklund breathes in awe (?), "Mark of Imbuement."

A what now?

You're not the only one who doesn't get it, as Grim makes a poor attempt at trying to pronounce it.

"Chuunyuu no Choukou. 'Mark of Imbuement,'" Crowley repeats, slower, "[was, in ancient times, a mark that would appear on a non-magical object that was imbued with magical power through an ancient practice called an Imbuement Ritual.]"

As Crowley continues to explain, Eklund pulls out a notepad and begins writing down what must be the runes.

(You think you've had enough exposure therapy to get over the fact that a dwarf is manhandling you, but you'll have to wait and see.)

"[Now typically, this Ritual was only used to specifically imbue magic into very large objects, such as a carriage or very large cauldrons.]"

"[Let me guess,]" Ace interrupted, sounding like he was speaking through grit teeth, "[someone wanted to see if it could work on magicless people.]"

"[You would be correct.]" Crowley confirmed.

"[Wait, how is this a bad thing? Kallisto has magic now, so anyone without magic could use this Ritual to get magic, right?]" Grim inquires.

"[Because it was never meant to be used on the living.]" Eklund snaps the note pad shut and looks at you with pitying eyes. "[Nearly every recorded case of an Imbuement Ritual being used on a person has ended in that person dying during the Ritual. And the infinitely few that succeed? Using the magic physically tears them apart in whatever place the Mark appears. The stronger the spell, the more damage done, and very often the magic becomes uncontrollable and turns on the caster, killing them.]"

"[It-... It can't be removed or anything?]" Deuce looks desperate with his question.

"[No.]" Is all Eklund says in return.

Ace, Deuce, and Grim look at you in sheer horror. You've gone very, very pale with how frequently you heard words for death in that speech.

This 'mark' is going to kill you somehow and you don't even know how you got it in the first place!!

"[You all are friends now.]" Eklund then says very gently, with a smile just as soft, startling the lot of you. "[You need to watch over each other, and keep each other safe. There is no stopping Verdreiss' magic, but you can stop him from overworking himself, while us teachers help him in learning how to use it. It can eventually kill him, but there were cases where an Imbued lived for a long time even when using the magic. We all just need to be careful. Just as any magician is when learning new magic.]"

You couldn't quite grasp much, but the way the trio's shoulders slump in relief makes you relax as well. So maybe it won't kill you immediately?

"[I think we're all had enough excitement for one day.]" Crowley finally changes the topic. "[You're expulsions are rescinded, and Grim, you've earned your place as a student. Here.]"

He pulls out a magic pen and gives it a wave, and sparkles dance around Grim's ribbon. In a blink, it repairs itself, color becoming bright and new, and now sporting a little magic crystal like a tag.

Grim pulls it forward to get a better look at it, his eyes going wide.

"[This magic crystal is the symbol of your status as a student of Night Raven. Normally they would be put in magic pens, but you can't really hold one with your paws. I pay attention to even the smallest detail! Aren't I gracious?]"

"[I- I can really be a student?] Grim practically sobs, before throwing his arms up in cheer. "[I did it!! I'm so cool! I got my own special magic crystal collar~~!]"

You and Eklund clap, making Grim puff out his chest to show off the gem, while Crowley sighs.

"[And he's stopped listening.]" He pinches the nose of his mask. "[As you can see, Grim is not accustomed to human society. Verdreiss is going to have to watch over him, though we really need to work on this language barrier...]"

"[Look at you. School's just started, but you're already a supervisor?]" Ace grins as he comes over and bends down to loop an arm around your shoulders. You blink at him in confusion, when he just points at you and repeats one word.

"Kantokusei." You point to yourself and parrot him slowly.

"Kantokusei?" He nods, grinning cheekily.

"Kantokusei."

You look to Crowley, who looks to Eklund.

"Kantokusei wa... of... ova... over sea?" Eklund pronounces carefully. You squint, trying to piece that together. Kantokusei is...

"... Overseer?" You gently correct.

"Hai! Overseer! Kantokusei wa Overseer!" Eklund beams, likely just glad to have the correct word.

You think Kantokusei is actually something closer Supervisor, but Overseer works in a pinch here.

"[I suppose that's not wrong, seeing as you and Grim are the only two in your dorm.]" Deuce confirms. Before any more chatter can happen, Crowley claps twice to call attention back to him.

"[It's getting very late now, let's get you all back to your dorms.]" Crowley quickly walks over to his desk and pulls up a pair of paper slips. "[Spade, Trappola, should you two run into Dorm Head Rosehearts, show him these. He should let you off for breaking curfew. I know how much of a stickler for the rules he is. Now, off you go!"]

With that, Ace and Deuce help you stand, making sure you don't collapse on them, and head out the door. The rest did you good, as you think you could make it back to Onboro without their assistance.

Once in the hallway, Deuce heaves a great sigh.

"[Expulsion rescinded... I'm beat.]"

Yeah, you feel that tone. Grim is still practically dancing down the hall, making Ace scoff and roll his eyes.

Your mind decides to not focus on their banter for a bit, just basking in the fact that it is banter and not an argument. You've all come pretty far in under 12 hours. You'd be classmates come morning.

Ah, that gives you an idea.

"Ne, Ace, Deuce." You call out to them. They turn to you, curious. You step back a bit and then give them a cheeky grin of your own.

"Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!" You bow deeply, and you can hear Ace choke.

"Oi, oi, [there's no need to keep saying such embarrassing things Kal.]"

Wait did he just-

"Kal?" You stand back up, trying to make sure your ears weren't tricking you.

"['Kallisto' is a bit of a mouth full. 'Kal' isn't a bad nickname, right Su-per-vi-sor?]" He teases at you.

You just blink at him in shock. You weren't expecting Ace to pull out a simple nickname, not with what he calls Deuce and Grim, let alone your preferred one.

You just nod, smiling with joy.

"Watashi wa Kal, Onboro Ryou no Kantokusei."

The two blink and glance at each other. You suppose Ace realizes there's no way he can currently embarrass you, so instead thows his arm around your shoulders once more as Deuce chuckles and gives you a small bow.

"Yoroshiku~ Kal-kantokusei."

"Yoroshiku onegaishimasu, Kal."

With these two at your side, you think this won't be so bad.

(You were both right and wrong, in the end.)

Chapter Text

You're in a garden.

You don't exactly remember how you got to the garden. But you're here, and that's the important part.

(Why was that the important part?)

The hedges seem to form walls, and after a bit of wandering, you find yourself among several tall rose bushes.

You spot... living card people? Guards? Running around from bush to bush, buckets of red paint and paint brushes in hand.

"Hurry and paint the roses red. If we don’t hurry, the flowers will wilt!"

"Hurry, hurry! There are still some that aren’t painted!"

Paint the roses...? Painting the... roses... red...

You... you know that... there's a melody you can just hear...

"Why are you painting the white roses red?"

A girl comes up to the cards, a little blonde thing in a bright blue... dress...

Roses, cards, paint, Alice!!

"Why, you ask? Well, to tell you the truth, we made a mistake and accidentally planted white roses."

"The Queen loves red, so if she sees white, then it’s off with our heads!"

But, why are you in Wonderland? How... how did you get...? Maybe you should ask the...

"Is that so?"

"Yes, it is. That’s exactly why we’re painting them red."

You can't-

Something is dragging you back-

Alice, be careful of the Queen-!

----

BAM-BAM!

Ace knows he's probably waking Kal up, with how dark the dorm is at the moment. But there is no way in hell he's going back to his dorm now. Not after this.

He knocks again, a little louder and steps back to look up at the rest of the building. He spots some lights come on from the upper floors, so he knows that Kal or Grim are awake.

He hears faint creeks coming closer, and then a voice.

"Oi, who's at the door?" Grim calls out, annoyance clear.

"It's me, Ace." He calls back, "Let me in."

The door opens as he hears Grim grumble something, revealing him and Kal, who is... dressed in their gym uniform?

Ace had... actually not thought about the whole 'unexpected time traveler' thing in the sense of having absolutely nothing to one's name.

Maybe he could get his parents to send him some of his old clothes?

"Geh! You have a collar!!"

Later. Not what he's here for.

"I'm never going back to Heartslabyul. Starting today, I'm joining your dorm!"

"What?!"

----

You were asleep maybe an hour, an hour and a half? Then you're startled out of a dream about Alice in Wonderland to find Ace pounding at your door, now sporting one of those collars that Grim got at the Entrance Ceremony.

(You suppose your brain has subconsciously picked up on the similarities between you and Alice in your situations, and decided to torment you in your sleep. Hardly the first time, your dreams could get weird.)

You're honestly trying to keep up with the conversation. Now gathered to sit in the kitchen around the island, Grim had asked Ace why he got the collar and the reason was...

"[I ate a tart.]"

.... excuse me?

"A tart." You repeat slowly. Ace nods and you have to take a deep breath and not bash Ace over the head.

You got woken up over a tart.

"Naze?"

And you listen to Ace as best you can with your sleep deprived brain.

Something, something, three tarts...

Ah, there's the fine print. Ace took something he wasn't allowed to have. Still, it does seem a little overboard if his dorm leader just went straight to collaring him instead of giving him a chance to explain.

Both are in the wrong.

Grim seems to get this too, seeing as he mentioned how the tarts might have been for a party. Ace seems rather flabbergasted that you aren't wholly on his side, but if someone took a piece of something you made specifically for a party without your permission, you would be pretty upset as well.

"Kimi. Gomenasai." You flatly state. Ace returns it with a sigh and a grumble.

"[And here I was hoping you'd agree with me about him being a tyrant. And now you want me to apologize...]" He seems to give up and relent to you and Grim. "[If the Supervisor says so, I guess I can. Only if we go together.]"

"Ha~i." In the morning. When you've had another 4 or 5 hours of sleep. Then you'll be able to help Ace apologize without the need to also murder him on the spot.

"[Grudges over food are scary. Hey, wait! I never got my tuna from the Headmaster!]" Grim then exclaims.

Speaking of...

"Ne, Ace." You call his attention back to you. He glances at you curiously.

"Kimi..." Food is 'tabemono', and the ghosts said 'eat' was... "Tabe. Nai?"

"Uh, hai... [I haven't eaten anything other than the tart...]" He confirmed. Now that's no good. After all that the lot of you went through, going to bed without dinner is as stupid as it gets.

Time for you to fix that.

(The ghosts had cooked you and Grim some grilled cheeses after you'd gotten back, so you know some of the dishware is clean. Well, Phineas had. Gus had immediately started fussing over you while he ordered Ezra to help.)

You hop up off your chair and dash over to the fridge. You dig around in all the food Crowley had dropped off while you were in the Mines, and began pulling out some ingredients.

A sandwich might not be much, but it's better than nothing, right?

With a couple different cold cuts, some lettuce, cheese, and a bottle of mustard and one of mayo, you take your haul over to the counter and set them all down. Pulling over the loaf of bread sitting by the toaster, you leave the food there for a second to grab a plate and a knife.

It takes you less than 5 minutes (once you get Grim to stop trying to steal the meats) to fix up the sandwich and put it in front of a bewildered Ace.

He stares at the sandwich for a second, when his stomach makes itself known. You roll your eyes, but smile fondly.

(He reminds you just a bit of your brother when you first started cooking on your own.)

"Tabe." You nudge the plate a little closer, and that seems to snap Ace back to the present. He finally picks up the sandwich and with a mumbled 'Itadakimasu,' takes a hesitant, but large bite.

It doesn't take long for that hesitance to vanish. In less time than it took you to make the sandwich, it's gone. You'd passed him a glass of water about three bites in, and that was all that remained.

"Ii desu ka?" You tease lightly, taking the plate and the glass to rinse. You spot a tinge of pink on his cheeks as you turn, but you think you shouldn't tease him much. You have a feeling he's one of those who can dish it out but can't take any in return.

"Domo, Kal."

You think you would have missed it, but even with the water running, the silence of the late night in the abandoned dorm let's you hear Ace's murmured gratitude. You smile to yourself, shutting off the water and setting the dish and glass in the drying rack.

"Mondainai. Watashi-tachi wa tomodachi."

(At least, you thought of Ace as something close to a friend.)

You don't know if he was going to respond to that, because when you turn back, Ace lets out a long yawn.

"[Guess now is a good time to ask where I'm sleeping.]" He says as he stands and stretches. Grim scoffs before replying.

"[You're serious about staying the night, huh?]" He grouches, "[All the rooms but ours are still a mess. If you want a room, you clean it yourself.]"

Ah, Grim, being selfish. You're bedroom is likely the dorm head's room, so the bed is big. You can't tell the difference between a king and a queen, but you definitely know it's not a twin. Still, you can tell Ace doesn't give Grim's suggestion even the slightest thought by the snort.

"[I don't wanna clean.]" He refuses. Then he saunters over to you and throws his arm around you once more.

"Kantokusei~. Ore. Kimi. Nemure. Issho ni."

You can tell he's trying to play into your pity for him, batting his eyelashes and attempting to give you puppy eyes. You almost laugh in his face because it is so obviously fake, but you don't really want Ace sleeping anywhere but your room. Who knows what sort of filth is in this dorm? You'd rather share an oversized bed with Ace than let him get sick because of mold, excessive dust, and who knows what else.

(Watching all those medical shows with your mom really drove home the dangers of certain health hazards. You really needed to get this place clean, soon.)

"Hai, hai. Sore wa ii desu."

"[Wait, really?!]"

Ok, you get Grim being surprised, but why the hell is Ace surprised? He was the one trying to get exactly that!

You roll you eyes for what feels like the thousandth time tonight, and duck out from under Ace's arm, instead looping your own around his and beginning to drag him to the stairs.

You flip the lights out as you pass the switches, and by the time you actually reach the stairs, Ace is following along of his own will, rather than letting you drag him. Grim follows, grumbling to himself behind the two of you.

Finally reaching your room, you go to maneuver the pillows around (that collar can't be comfortable) as Ace removes most of his uniform.

Scratch that, all of his uniform. He's now standing in your room in just his underwear and socks, clothes hanging off one arm and his phone and a charger on the nightstand.

You give him a blank look as he sort of balls up his clothes to set off to the side.

Stupid, stupid teenage boys.

"Ace."

"Hm?"

You hold your hand out, making a 'give me' motion with it. He glances down at the ball of clothes, then back to you and hands them over.

You can feel him watch you curiously as you lay out the clothes on the bed and fold them up properly. Obviously he's never had to use these kinds of clothes twice in a row without changing, so it's not like he'd be aware of trying to prevent the worst of the inevitable wrinkles. Once done, you stack them up and set them on the nightstand with his phone.

With that, you spin around and beam at Ace. At some point, he must have found your bathroom and a rag, seeing as he's now missing the heart on his face. He just gives you a bemused look and shrugs, moving on.

You move past Ace to the light switch as he climbs into the bed. There isn't much light coming in from the windows, but it's enough for you to make your way to the bed unhindered.

By the time the two of you are finally both situated in bed facing away from each other, Grim has long since been snoring away on one corner. It's hardly uncomfortable. You've shared a pull-out couch with three other people, and compared to that, this is the easiest shared sleeping arrangement you've ever dealt with.

"Oyasumi, Ace."

"... Oyasumi."

-----

Honestly speaking, Gus was worried when he'd learned that the student Crowley brought to their dorm was staying permanently. He'd thought it would have been temporary, a day or two at most, until either the child was taken to the Teacher's tower or some other means to house the child was found.

But then that thought was shot to hell when Crowley came while their little Chestnut was out, carrying a lot of food as well as cleaning supplies along side a very unamused Dr. Juma.

Juma explained that Kal was unable to be assigned a proper dorm, and while it was hardly ideal, Ramshackle was chosen to house the child until further notice.

Juma then asked the ghosts to watch over Kal, seeing as they don't know much about the current world and can barely understand anyone.

It was hardly a choice to be made.

Now they watch as their little Chestnut curls further into the side of the Heartslabyul boy who'd showed up last night. At some point in the night, both had rolled around, leaving the boy on his back with one arm up, and Kal in a ball, pressing their forehead into his exposed ribs.

If only he had a camera! He would have complained for propriety's sake, but this is too cute!

They must not have been hiding their laughter as well as they thought, as the redhead groans and blinks awake.

It takes a second for him to find them, but the startled expression at seeing them floating at the foot of the bed was a good one.

"We were going to wake you up a little differently, but I think deciding not to scare you awake was the better idea." Ezra confesses. The redhead blinks rapidly at them, before flopping his head back into the pillow.

"Right. My brother did say this place was probably haunted." He then give a grand yawn and rubs the sleep from his eyes. "What time is it...?"

"Early enough that you could grab a shower if you wanted." Phineas says, floating over to the lump that was Kal and poking at them.

The boy watches in confusion for a second, then realizes exactly who is pressing into his side.

The following yelp and scramble to make room leave the boy tumbling off the bed onto the floor, startling Kal and Grim awake in the process.

(Nevermind a camera, get him a camcorder! This is gold!)

"[Wha'the fuck- what just-...?] Ace...? Are you ok? What happened?" They ask sleepily, moving to sit up. Grim just snickers at the boy and moves to Kal's lap.

"I'm fine Kal. It's nothing." He calls from the floor. At that point, Kal notices them and gives them a wave.

"Good morning, everyone."

"Mornin' Lil' Chestnut~."

"Kaaaal, I'm hungry!"

"Yes, yes, I understand. Please wait Grim."

With greetings out of the way, both the teenagers stood and stretched, before Ace turned to the ghosts.

"You guys said something about a shower?" He asks.

Ah, it's best to get the boy out so their Chestnut can change.

"Yes! Grab your stuff, I'll show you the communal showers!" Gus proclaims, grabbing ahold of Phineas and Ezra to drag them out as well.

With Ace out, Kal could change without a problem and they could relax a little in the kitchen. Who knows how the boy will react when he finds Kal isn't a boy? They have to protect their little Chestnut!!

"Everyone~!" Speaking of, their little Chestnut strolls into the kitchen, top buttons of their shirt undone, tie and blazer hanging from one arm. They place the clothes on the island and turn to them.

"I...!" They make a gesture at the ovens and then a motion of working a frying pan. "Food!"

"Cook. You want to cook." Phineas pronounced slowly, emphasizing the missing word.

"Yes! I cook! Please help me!"

"Alright then, let me show you how."

By the time Ace returns from the shower, their little Chestnut had prepared some rather delicious looking veggie stuffed omelettes plated at the island for the three of them, Grim already digging in.

(Gus had been impressed with the little things Kal had done with the omelettes, like using milk instead of water with the eggs, sautéing the veggies in the oil first, then using the same oil when cooking the eggs. Gus had said it felt practical and made sense to what they knew of their little Chestnut's origin.

"Domesticity is probably the only recognizable thing they have left." He'd said, a pitying smile on his lips.)

Upon entering the kitchen, however, Ace stops when he sees Kal, and his eyes lingered on the tattoo exposed on their neck. Kal notices and calls out to him, turning from the table for a moment.

Then Ace's eyes trail down Kal's chest, and he immediately chokes.

"You're a girl!?"

Ah. So he has chosen death.

----

Deuce, upon arriving at Ramshackle to get Ace, hadn't thought he would be getting another revelation about his new time traversed friend.

Ace had seemingly rushed to the door in some kind of panic after he'd knocked, Grim's loud cackling being heard from the entrance, and when Kal had followed he understood why.

Without the ill-fitting blazer, the tucked in dress shirt showed the very not masculine form of Kal's chest.

And Ace had noticed that Deuce had noticed, because he'd snapped a hand over his mouth and whispered to him hastily.

"Kal is not a girl. No matter what, do not call Kal a girl."

He hadn't understood until three floating figures appeared behind Kal. The smiles on their faces promised a very slow and painful death should Deuce not comply.

With Ace's hand still over his mouth, Deuce could only nod his acknowledgement. He hoped he could ask what that meant for Kal when Ace finally removed his hand...

Except Kal had turned and was now trying very hard to scold the ghosts with... his? Their? limited vocabulary, the Ghosts only looking mildly sheepish for their actions.

Mom, I have made some really strange friends, but that means school might end up more enjoyable, right?

Chapter Text

"This is what I have on the runes."

Crowley carefully looked over the papers that Hulda had layed on the table. Around him were the rest of his staff, all curiously looking over Hulda's work.

Four words separated by six symbols.

"Starting from the front left word on Verdreiss' neck and going clockwise, the words are; Galdr, Kveđa, Skapa, and Seiđr. Two verbs and two nouns." Hulda begins, "Sitting between each, at cardinal points, are these symbols." She taps at the paper with the list of symbols. From here Divus takes over.

"At the base of Verdreiss' throat is the symbol for the Philosopher's Stone. On the left side are the signs for Fire and Earth, the right, Water and Air. Finally, on the back of Verdreiss' neck is a basic pentacle."

"Are alchemic symbols common for Marks?" Trein inquires.

"In general, no." Tania de la Fontaine, their General Magics teacher, answered. "Sigils of some kind are more common. However, the pattern, the runes-symbol-runes, is a common appearance of Marks."

A third paper is placed with the rest, this one depicting several sketches of previously known Marks. An arm with its Mark wrapped around the bicep, a circle of a Mark on a person’s waist, even one on the back of a person’s bald head.

"The real question is what the runes mean." Tania's many dark braids swayed as she tipped her head to look towards the youngest of them. "So we turn back to our local Old Dwarvish expert."

Hulda's cheeks pinken, but she nods and continues.

"Let's just go right around then. The first two are verbs. Kveđa means to speak, say, to recite in verse. Skapa means to create, make, shape, or form. The other two are nouns. A Galdr is an invocation. Seiđr can mean a spell, but it's more specifically an old kind of shamanic practice. Actually, a person who practiced seiđr was called a Seiđgaldur. It's possible these two words are connected like that."

"If we take it's placement into account, as well as what Crowley has said about what happened in the Dwarf's Mine," Jubal Juma, their nurse, theorized, "then it sounds like Verdreiss' magic is speech based, at the very least."

"Quite literal 'Power of Words', huh?" Vargas mused. "Seems like Verdreiss will need plenty of vocal practices to strengthen his throat muscles!"

"Vargas isn't wrong." Tania adjusts her glasses as she gathers up the papers. "Strengthening the area where the Mark is could help reduce the damage taken when young Verdreiss activates the Mark. Though it would probably be better to leave that to Trein and his music class."

Vargas crossed his arms and very decidedly did not pout at being overlooked for Trein. Trein merely smirked to himself as he pet Lucius.

"We can go over more of what to do with Verdreiss at a later date." Crowley interrupts before an argument could start. "For now, let's see to helping Verdreiss adapt to this time period, and then we'll see what De la Fontaine and Eklund can do to help Verdreiss wield and control his magic."

A murmur of agreement was made, and with that, the staff left the Headmaster's office, leaving Crowley alone. He sighed and pulled his hat off to run his fingers through his hair. The school year has just started and he already wants it to be winter break.

He glances over at a stack of papers that have been neatly sitting at the corner of his desk.

The adoption papers Lilia had left for him when Verdreiss had fainted after the Entrance Ceremony.

He hadn't sent them to be officiated. But he'd thought about it. He'd need to get Verdreiss citizenship somewhere first, but...

Would Verdreiss want that?

Crowley picks up the stack and looks them over. Would Verdreiss be ok with him as their guardian? Would he want to continue to be on his own? Verdreiss is legally an adult, having a guardian is more of a failsafe than anything...

(Would he himself be ok taking care of Verdreiss should they not-?)

He takes one breath before shuffling the papers away in a drawer.

He'll keep them as back up. Just in case they truly can't find a way to send Verdreiss back to their time.

(He doesn't know why the thought of Verdreiss leaving hurts.)

----

After the whole... debacle that was Ace and Deuce learning you were Nonbinary-

(-you storming out of Onboro after scolding the ghosts, Ace and Deuce having to run after you and declare you all still friends, and no you didn't cry that time-)

-you all were finally on your way to the Heartslabyul dorm to help Ace apologize and get the collar off.

The... Mirror Hall? where the portals to the dorms are is about as far from Onboro as it is from the school, seeing as the two are right next to each other. You'd only been their briefly when you'd chased after Ace yesterday, so you haven't gotten a proper look at it.

(Yesterday. It was only yesterday, but it already feels like a lifetime ago.)

The building itself was unassuming, despite it being walled off. The large dome roof made it look more like it would have been an observatory than a room with mirror portals, if it weren't for the windows on the roof telling you otherwise.

The inside was a single circular room with each mirror in it's own built-in space. Your little group veered off to the far left, where you guessed the Heartslabyul mirror was.

Yeah, that is definitely a mirror for a Dorm based on the Queen of Hearts. Cards make up the rim, with the dorm logo at the top under a pair of crossed spears. The base holding the mirror up looks like a story book.

You had squinted at the pages as you came up to the dias, but no, there were no actual words, just the appearance of words.

After Ace and Deuce step through, you follow with a little hop, and in a flash, you were in a whole other place.

Once your head stops spinning (you're still not used to portals magic, Jesus Christ this vertigo,) you peer around the new area.

Grim's awed remarks barely reach you as you breathlessly take in the view. The heart shaped rose bushes, the bush walls of a maze, the fucking Victorian Mansion that is apparently the dorm. This is definitely a Dorm of Wonderland.

"[Oh, no! I gotta hurry and paint these roses red!]"

At the new voice, you spin around to look at the rose maze behind you.

There, you see a boy with longish orange hair, a little lighter than Ace's. He was running around with a bucket of red paint, and painting the white... roses...

(Painting the roses red,

we're painting the roses red...)

"[Whoa there~ If there are some left unpainted, it’s off with my head!]"

Oh that's... one hell of bout of deja vu.

The boy finally notices the lot of you, turning to peer at you all curiously.

"[Hm? Did you guys need something?]" He inquires.

"[What're you doing?]" Ace asks in return, looking over the bucket and brush the other was carrying.

"[This? As you can see, I’m painting the roses red.]" He states, gesturing to the half painted bush as if it's the most normal thing in the world.

Which, to be fair, as you're the only one particularly familiar with the Queen of Hearts in all her capacity, means this isn't surprising.

Your companions, on the other hand, were not.

"[Eh!? Why would you?]" Exclaims Deuce. The other just seemed amused at their surprise.

"[Hm~ Your reactions are so fresh, it’s kinda cute~!]" He hums, "[Though your brown eyed friend doesn't seem surprised.]"

Ace and Deuce turn to you, confusion clear on their faces. You just shrugged.

"Heart no Joou no..." You don't have the words to explain, but the other redhead picks up where you dropped off.

"[Yup, it's a tradition for us in Heartslabyul to follow in the steps of the Queen of Hearts. This is just one of those things~.]" He explains. Then he tips his head and squints at you all.

"[Now that I look at you closely, you guys are the freshies who totally wrecked the 10mil chandelier and caused a ruckus yesterday.]"

Oh boy, here we go with the chandelier again... and he points out Ace being a tart thief. This guy sure is informed, you think.

And then you see him pull out his phone.

Oh no. He's one of those kinds of people.

----

"Hey, hey, hey~! Let’s take a pic together! Yay~!"

Ka-chick!

"Hey, can I put this on Magicame? Tell me your names so I can put you in the tags."

Cater hadn't thought he'd see the infamous troublesome freshman so early, but he thinks he knows why they're here. He looks over the picture, seeing their surprised faces behind him and holding back a laugh. Aw~, the brunet's hiding behind the other two. Is someone camera shy, he wonders?

He can't think about it long. This is the best time to ask for introductions~!

After all, he's going to have to stop them here or else things will get worse for them. He's just gotta distract them for a bit, maybe he can foist some of this painting on them.

(Riddle's gotten even stricter. Cater didn't even think it was possible, but he has. He needs to smooth out some of these ruffled feathers before it blows out of control.)

"I'm Deuce Spade."

"Ace."

"Grim, and this is my henchman Kal!"

"Uh... Kallisto... Verdreiss..."

Well, ain't that a name. Is it the Coastal spelling? Olympian? Maybe he should just tag without the surname...

(...? Does he not have a Magicame account? Not unheard of, but still...)

Bring!

"Alright, upload done~!" He beams at the freshman and finally remembers that he has yet to introduce himself.

"Ah, I'm your senpai, third year Cater Diamond. Call me Cater. Cay is fine, too~. Heya, heya~."

"Nice to meet you..." says the smallest of the three, peeking out now that his phone is gone. Now that he looks closely, isn't this...? Yup, it is! How lucky for him~!

"Ah, you’re the Supervisor for Ramshackle Dorm! I’m surprised you can live in a place like that~! It’s super dark and you can't get a good Magicame in there. I feel for ya, man~."

Kallisto didn't look amused and the cat vocalized said unamusement. He really does feel for them though~. A dump like that can't be healthy to live in.

Ah, he's wasting a bit too much time!

"Oh, I shouldn’t be standing here and talking! The party’s the day after tomorrow. It’s off with my head if I’m late. Hey, hey, freshies~ Can you help me with painting the flowers?"

"But why are you doing something so weird?"

Ah~, freshman are so easy to trick, he thinks. Explaining to them about the tradition of the Unbirthday Party, then hurrying them to do the painting for him~! Really, Riddle gave him way too much to do.

Wait, where did...? He spots Kallisto observing a partially painted rose, paint slowly dripping down the petals. He slides himself up beside them, paintbrushs and paint can in hand. He takes a minute to observe them as well, taking in the strange new student.

(Brown eyes really are prettier in real life...)

"Pretty, aren't they?" Kallisto glances at him out of the corner of his eye before nodding.

"Pretty..."

Cater then offers him a brush. He looks at it for a second before taking it hesitantly,  and hesitates again when it turns to painting.

"Uh... How..." Is the kid worried about the flowers? Well, he'll have to show all of them, so he might as well start here.

(A quiet one? No, a cautious one. How interesting~, Night Raven students aren't often like that.)

"Here, like this." Cater takes his own brush and runs it slowly over the unfinished rose, dyeing the white petals a brilliant red. "The brushes are soft bristled, so as long as you're soft too, you won't rip off the petals. The paint is meant for this too, so don't worry about being thorough and painting every little divot, the paint will do that for you."

He watches as Kallisto mimicked the motion on an unpainted rose. A giddy smile crept along the brunet's face as he tried to hold back giggles.

He seemed really into it now. Kallisto even began humming!!

"[Painting the roses red.
We're painting the roses red.
We dare not stop,
Or waste a drop,
So let the paint be spread.]"

What... What was that? Was Kallisto really into classical languages?? He doesn't think he's heard anyone sing in Old Trade outside videos of those stuffy old church choirs. Maybe he can ask them to sing later...?

(Why does that song feel... familiar?)

Ah, he'll ask later! Right now, he's gotta see to the roses getting painted! Hehe, wow these kids are bad at magic... good thing only two are doing it. As things go on, he continues to explain how the dorm works and their traditions. Really, Riddle's got his work cut out for him.

(He really needs to talk to Trey about this escalation...)

"That's right. I don't have time for this. I want to speak to the dorm leader, is he inside?"

Boo~, he remembered why he was here. Now Cater has to kick them out. He hoped he could have gotten the freshies to do all the roses for him... too bad.

"I think there's still time before he leaves... By the way, Ace the Tart Thief, did you bring a tart of apology?"

Law of the Queen of Hearts #53: One must always return what you stole.

Out they go~.

Deuce and Grim put up a fight in Ace's place, but really, these freshman are no match against his copies.

He'll point them at Trey, since he'd has to make a new tart anyway, might as well kill two birds with one stone.

But, why does it feel like he's had eyes on him the entire fight...? He glanced around only to find... Kallisto? Wow that's an intense look. Are they saying something...?

"Shadow... clone...?"

!?

He barely heard the brunet's mumbling but did-

Did that freshman figure out his Unique Magic after one observation!? What- How-?! No one's ever figured it out that fast!! Even Rook took two tries to figure it out and Rook is scary observant!!

(Oh, that's a little terrifying actually. Someone more observant that Rook.)

He watches the freshman flee back to the mirror. A willful bunch, he can tell. If they don't get this smoothed over, he has a feeling something bad might happen.

He needs to talk to Trey. Soon.

Chapter Text

Ok, what the fuck is up with these teachers?

Or maybe it's just your first teacher. Your homeroom teacher. He looks like he's cosplaying a male Crewella de Vil, but his aura doesn't let you find anything funny about that.

(And that... that is a teaching pointer he has, right? Why is there a fucking dog collar attached to it??)

Having found out you're in the same class as Ace and Deuce, you felt confident that you could at least make it through classes for a time with the couple of familiar faces.

Now, you're not so sure.

Your assigned seat had been in the middle of the row, next to Ace, with Deuce on Ace's other side, and Grim in your lap. The three of you had just been chatting quietly when the teacher finally came in.

"[So you are all the fresh faces in my homeroom.]" He scans the class with a critical eye that almost made you want to shrink back. "[Hmm, there are some rare hair colors in the bunch. Not bad. Make sure to take proper care of it daily.]"

Then his eyes land on you and you have to force yourself not to hide behind Ace.

"[... And some rare eye colors. Seems we've got a full set.]"

He steps up front and center, now with all eyes on him; bewildered, confused, and staring.

"[My name is Divus Crewel. You shall refer to me as Master Crewel.]"

Wait, his name is what-

You were kidding about the Crewella thing!!

"[Take your seats. Class will begin... First the basics.]" He then pulls up the pointer to tap it on his other hand, giving you the thought he'd use the pointer not unlike a riding crop if it actually had the durability.

"[I will beat the names and appearances of 100 types of medicines and poisons into your little brains. We'll cover fungi later. Now, memorize these so you don't go around getting poisoned by random things you eat off the ground.]"

He goes on a bit more, but your eyes have turned to the paper that had been sitting at each of your seats before you got here.

You can't read any of the kanji on what you assume is the class syllabus, but when you get to what you assume is the current assignment, you blink at the sight of the English alphabet.

Before you is a list of plants, that you can read.

You don't recognize all of the plant names, but the ones you do give you enough context to tell you these are dangerous, spying things like Belladonna, Monkshood, and poison ivy. Glancing over at Ace's paper show his is entirely in Japanese.

You peek up at Crewel-sama from behind the longer strands of your hair, and end up catching his eye. He'd already been watching you. His strict demeanor doesn't change, but you think you catch the corner of his smirk twitching into something softer.

"Kal?"

Grim draws you away before you can confirm anything you saw.

You somehow make it through your first class, and move on to the next one.

Your next teacher is an older man with an oddly familiar looking cat.

(You wondered why there was a cat tree in the classroom.)

"[I am Trein, the professor in charge of Magical History. And this is my familiar, Lucius.]" He lifts the cat slightly higher upon the introduction. "[You will learn about the history of magic that has brought prosperity to the world.]"

You can't really stay wholly tuned in, you're mostly just staring at the cat, Lucius, trying to figure out where you've seen it before. You stare and stare, then you decide to pull back and take in the whole picture, both Trein-sensei and Lucius.

A stern stare, long, flowing red outfit, older, black and white... cat...

Lucifer!! Lady Tremaine and Lucifer!!! That's what it was!! They reminded you of the Wicked Stepmother and her spoiled cat from Cinderella.

Your revelation doesn't last long, as you're startled out of it by a very annoyed sounding meow in front of you.

When- When did Lucius get on your desk?? The cat stares at you, before circling around and flopping himself down on the center of your desk and falling asleep.

"Um..." You look up to find Trein is standing in front of your desk, observing with a raised brow. You look back at his cat and slowly reach out. After a bit of hesitance, you scratch behind the cat's ear and get him to purr. You can't help the half giddy, half nervous smile on your face.

You hear a quiet, pleased hum from Trein before he continues his lecture, leaving Lucius with you the entire time.

It was enough to ignore Grim's grumbling.

Now, once is chance, two is a coincidence, but by class three you start to realize it's a pattern.

"[I'm Vargas. I'm in charge of athletics for you bean sprouts.]"

It doesn't matter what his name is, your gym teacher is fucking Gaston.

(Ok, so, changing for gym was... weird. Not because you were changing in a locker room full of boys, no. There were plenty enough for you to find an empty stall, and they had curtains, and Ace and Deuce made Grim guard your stall. More because the lockers were enchanted to open with your gym clothes already in them, which, cool, but still. Not used to magic yet. You just wish you had a sports bra or something.)

So not only is this world some kind of Disney villain sanctuary, the people in this school seem like their... descendent?? Reincarnations??? You don't know, but it feels like the only ones who you haven't figured out to be any one thing in particular from Disney's villainous repertoire are Crowley and Eklund.

(Though thinking back on it, with the mirrors and the bird motifs, is Crowley... Grimhilde's crow? Then who was Grimhilde's...? No, you actually haven't met anyone who looked like the Great Seven yet... right?)

You blink back to reality when the students begin jogging around the track in groups sectioned off by Vargas. How many were you supposed to do??

"K-Kantokusei." Deuce calls out to you, and you look to see him hesitate for a second. He's been a little awkward since what happened this morning, but you can't fault him when he apologized so earnestly after you bolted this morning. He's working on it, and you can't ask for more when he still wants to be your friend.

"Ni jyuu, ruupu." He flashes all ten fingers twice, then makes a circling motion. 20 loops... only twenty, on a track loop? Standard school fitness test, but come on, you ran more than that for fun!!

Well, at least this will be an easy class. You nod and line up with Deuce and Ace, taking the outer lane and doing some stretching. With a sharp whistle blow, you're off with your group.

And you quickly out pace most of the boys. Deuce is the only one who can even partially keep up. Wow you forgot already what it was like in a normal gym class. This isn't even your hard pace!

As you reach the end of your first loop, you spy Vargas on the grass, beaming proudly as he checks his timer.

Class ends and a break period begins. Deuce has a schedule out check what your next class is as you all make your way back from the field.

You stretch out your arms as Ace is making some kind of observation. Running is all fine and dandy with you, but you're not exactly matching standard in the arm department. 100 push-ups is a bit much for you.

"[How about you Grim?]"

...?

You stop walking when no answer comes. Grim never misses a chance to complain.

You know. You don't even look around, you know.

"[Look out the window! The furball's making a beeline through the courtyard...]"

The fucker made a break for it.

You sigh. Grim showing his impatience and selfishness once again...

You look over the tall window, seeking a sign of if it opened. Luckily, you spied hinges on the side. With a test push, you find the window unlocked.

You throw the window open and jump out, Ace and Deuce yelling after you. Since you're still on the first floor, the drop down is barely anything at all. On top of that, you're still warmed up from gym class. Breaking into a dead sprint after your delinquent of a cat is hardly taxing.

Grim should already know he can't run from you.

----

"Come on Trey! Lunch is the perfect time to catch those freshmen! If we give them a little hand, things should ease up just a little, right?"

Really, it wasn't like he was going all that slowly, but Cater still hurried them along to the cafeteria to catch the troublesome freshmen from their dorm and the new head of the abandoned dorm. So, Trey just sighed and walked a little faster.

He supposed it was a good thing, seeing as said freshmen are getting bullied by a couple of upperclassmen when they arrive.

Why are so many of the students this unruly??

"Uh oh, that doesn't look good..." Cater pulled out his phone and used the camera to zoom in on the scene. "Our freshmen seem a bit unruly too, but the Supervisor seems a little timid, you know? I'm a bit worried...."

As Cater has informed him of their brief meeting in the rose maze at the dorm, Kallisto, the Supervisor of Ramshackle, seemed cautious and quiet. He couldn't really blame the kid, after everything he's heard the lot of them did yesterday.

(Trey also knows that Cater is actually recording the scene, as evidence against the seniors, and he knows Cater will grab any videos of whatever they missed before getting here, and threaten showing them to a teacher if things get bad.

Cater, despite everything, still watched over his juniors as if he was still Dorm Leader. Trey could never fault him for it. Not with Riddle-)

He watches with trepidation as one of the seniors winds up to swing-

-And then the senior is on the ground with the much smaller brunet standing over him.

It takes him a second to process what he just saw. Cater is stunned, the two freshmen are stunned, even the other senior has frozen in his tracks to blink in shock. The whole cafeteria has gone silent.

That silence is broken only when a very quiet, yet very flat 'What?' comes from Kallisto.

If Cater was the only one with his phone out, then he wasn't now.

"What just..." Trey was certain he'd seen Kallisto move, but he wasn't sure how. He'd seen the brunet rush forward towards the senior, but after that his brain couldn't process the scene fast enough to figure out why the senior was groaning on the ground.

He sees the brunet tip his head slightly, as if daring the other senior to make a move.

It spooks the senior, but in turn, that spooking makes him reckless. The senior takes a wild swing, and this time, Trey can see Kallisto redirect the swing, do some kind of movement, then he has the senior pinned to the ground with his hand behind his back.

Kallisto lets go almost immediately after, standing and stepping back from the senior just the same as the last. He crosses his arms and seems to fix the seniors with a look.

Trey thinks he knows what kind of look.

They watch the seniors shakily stand, declare their intent to let the freshmen off, then bolt from the cafeteria. After, Kallisto spins around to the other two and seems rather sheepish. Then, they all head off to the line to the lunch buffet and things return to normal in the cafeteria.

Trey releases the breath he didn't know he was holding. He taps Cater on the shoulder to bring him back as well. Cater blinks back to reality, looking down at his phone and quickly stops the recording. Once done, he looks back up at Trey.

"Let's go get lunch too." He suggests, "Then we can inact your little plan."

Cater nods and the pair head for the line. Trey just hopes that the freshmen are agreeable to their idea.

----

You're quick to dig into your food after sitting. You really can't believe the selection they had. It had looked more like a buffet of a high class restaurant than any public school lunch you ever had. They had a little bit of everything it seemed, even things you're pretty certain don't exist back in your world.

Grim matches you, devouring his own food with gusto.

(You know Crowley gave you funds for it, but a part of you felt bad at having to buy meals for two. Especially since both you and Grim appear to be big eaters.)

At some point, Grim asks something through his eating, though you're too focused on your own food to care. Until you hear Cater-senpai reply.

You look up from your own food to find Cater sitting across from you with another boy, you assumed a third year, who had a little clover on his cheek like Cater's little diamond.

You give him a little bow as he sits next to Cater. He returns it with a nod and polite smile.

"[Geh! You're the guy from this morning!]" Ace exclaimed, pointing at Cater accusingly.

"[You tricked us into painting the roses!]" Grim joins, and you pull on his ribbon to make him back off. He pouts but does so, not willing to incur your wrath after your displays of physical prowess.

Really you didn't want to use your admittedly lackluster aikido knowledge you'd learned secondhand from your brother, but it was the only thing you had to get it through to those upperclassmen that you were not dealing with whatever bullshit dominance thing they were attempting.

The new senior introduces himself as Trey Clover, a third year with Cater.

"[And you're the student that was put in charge of that Ramsha- ahem, unused dorm? I heard from Cater. Sorry about all the trouble the guys from our dorm have caused you.]"

At this point, you're pretty sure 'Onboro' is in reference to the state of your dorm, and not any kind of name.

"Onboro wa onboro. Ii desu." You wave off with a shrug. It's not like you can exactly do much about the dorm at the moment. And at this point you don't really think you mind what happened yesterday either.

You go back to eating, only half listening to the conversation as it turns to the dorms. It's not like you can understand 98% of what they're saying. You only look up briefly when you hear Cater excitedly ask something, but Ace and Deuce awkwardly answer for you. Whatever it was shocked Cater enough that he seemed to offer you... something, but Trey reels him in.

(Really, you've just gotten stuck on the names of the group that's surrounded you. Ace, Deuce, Trey, Cater. One, two, three, four. Spade, diamond, clover, heart.

It's not just the teachers, but the students as well? Some of them at least?)

The talk turns back to the dorms, and you half tune out, going back to eating. As far as you can pick up, the dorms are all each based on one of the statues from Main Street. You vaguely wonder which one you'd have been sorted into if you'd have actually been properly sorted, reminded distinctly of Harry Potter.

You follow along as they point out people from each dorm. The only thing that had any vague impact on you had been the fact kemonomimi existed in this world, but you already saw some in your class.

(You weren't sure to the exact ratio of beast to human biologically speaking, but just the fact that they exist is enough to make you want to be particularly cautious around them. You're not really interested in getting in a tussle with a person who could potentially rip your throat out.)

At one point, Grim points out what he thinks is a girl, but even you are sure that, even if that person wasn't biologically male, they definitely didn't identify as a girl in an all boy's school. Ace and Deuce both look rather awkward, but they deny Grim's observation. You ignore their side-eyeing and keep eating.

They make it through the rest of the dorms until they reach Diasomnia. When Cater points them out, you spy what looks like a familiar face among the group. You turn back to your food as the conversation continues, thinking about possibly catching him before he leaves.

Until you sense a presence suddenly appear above you.

You tense and glance up, and are met with familiar, ancient crimson eyes.

"Lilia ja. Lilia Vanrouge."

Chapter Text

"H-He just teleported right over here...!"

Poor Grim. Despite all of his contact with Lilia, Cater will never be able to get entirely used to Lilia's habit of literally popping up out of nowhere. He watches as the smallest of them flips himself over and lands gracefully on his feet behind Kallisto.

"Are you all curious about my age?" Lilia chuckles, and Cater knows he's teasing the lot of them. "I have this baby-faced visage but, like glasses says, I am not at an age one would call me a child."

He hears Trey's disbelief in his muttered 'Baby-faced...' and has to bite his lip to not laugh out loud. Really, Cater can't fault him. Lilia is an enigma wrapped in a conundrum and no one can really tell what he's thinking. Even after spending so much time with him in the same club, Cater only has the barest grasp of the question that is Lilia Vanrouge.

"Good day, Vanrouge-senpai." Greets Kallisto with a little wave.

Wait, what?

Everyone turns to the brunet at the table. When did Kallisto and Lilia meet?? It's only been a day, so the only time two could have possibly met would have been the night of the Entrance Ceremony.

"[And good day to thee as well, Verdreiss. How art thee fairing?]" He smiles kindly back at Kallisto.

What did- What just- Huh?

That's Old Trade, right? Why is Lilia talking to Kallisto in-

"[Well, I think I'm doing pretty alright for my circumstances. I was hoping to catch you before you left to give my gratitude for the other day.]"

Cater can't help the drop of his jaw.

Kallisto is beaming.

It's like watching a flower bloom as Kallisto practically comes alive talking with Lilia in a dead language.

"[Nay, I hath done quite little to deserve such words. However, I too wished to meeteth thee ere thee hath left.]" Lilia then pulls out a notebook and holds it out to Kallisto, who takes it and curiously opens it. He lights up at whatever was written in it, making Lilia beam.

"[Oh! You put some translations in here!! Thank you so much, this saves me so much time doing it myself... wait this isn't a bookmark.]"

The brunet pulls out a black, unclasped choker from the notebook. Cater would know, he's seen Lilia wear them before for their club. Kallisto blinks in surprise, playing with the strap and clasps in curiosity.

"[Alloweth me?]" The brunet hands over the choker and sits straight forward instead of twisting back to face Lilia. Kallisto then adjusts the collar of his shirt and-

(He hears Trey's sharp intake of breath, but Cater thinks his own has stopped. How did they not notice that before? It's not like they can't know what the Dwarvish runes etched into the freshman's neck are, Fontaine-sensei's Ancient Curses class is extensive, and often coincides with with Trein's history lessons. But, that doesn't answer why-)

The senior in return, easily slips the choker on and clips it in place. Lilia then has Kallisto face him again and he adjusts the choker to sit perfectly.

"[There, this shouldst keepeth prying eyes off thee.]"

Kallisto gently touches the choker, and the sheer amount of relief pouring off him was practically tangible.

"[Thank you,] Vanrouge-senpai."

"[Prithee, calleth me] Lilia."

"[Fine, but only if you call me] Kallisto, Lilia-senpai."

"[Sausy little thing aren't you?]"

Kallisto dissolved into a fit of giggles as Lilia just smirks playfully.

Cater wishes he'd been recording the whole scene. This would get him so many likes.

(And maybe, because he thinks Kallisto looks prettiest smiling that carefree. A part of him envies it, but is overruled by the part of him that is still the Dorm Leader, that just wants his junior to be comfortable. Even if this whole situation has become a tangled mess of questions.)

"So are you going to join the rest of the group, or are you going to continue with your little bubble?" Ace cuts in flatly, and Cater can spot his brow twitching. Deuce gave his classmate a disbelieving, 'What the hell, man?' sort of look, which was pointedly ignored by the redhead.

The pair conceded though, Kallisto sheepishly and Lilia turning back with a polite smile.

"Sorry, Ace."

Ace's annoyance quickly lost steam at that, with him muttering an 'It's fine.'

"Yes, do forgive Kallisto and I. I have been worried for the dear, we met at the Entrance Ceremony and... well, let's just say it wasn't a fun time for anyone involved." Lilia's smile dropped for a second, but returned just as quick. "On that note, you should take Kallisto's initiative into your own practices. There's no need to look from afar, just come up and speak with us. Are we not all students of the same academy? We at Diasomnia will welcome you with open arms."

... Yeah, absolutely no one except Kallisto probably believes that. Sorry Lilia, but Cater wasn't lying when he said they gave off extreme Do Not Disturb vibes. Lilia just chuckled at that, and then gave the group a little bow.

"Well anyway, apologies for dropping in on your meal. I'll be heading off now." Lilia briefly turns to Kallisto once more, placing a hand gently on their shoulder. "[If thee ever needeth aught, thou can cometh to me.]"

Kallisto nods and Lilia leaves to return to his dorm's table. Cater can't help but let out a silent sigh as Ace starts into disbelieving whispers. Boo~, why do all the Diasomnia students have to be so unapproachable? He couldn't even get the courage to talk to Lilia before they made their club. And the Dorm Leader.... maybe one day he can catch him in a good mood and snap a pic...

Ah, isn't that Riddle coming over?

"So true! All I did was eat a single piece of tart and he collared me! His narrow-mindedness is super crazy!"

"Hm? I'm super crazy?"

Oh Ace no...!

----

Tiny angry red.

That's your initial read on one Riddle Rosehearts.

(You suppose 'Ryocho' means dorm leader? Yeah, that makes the most sense for what he's doing.)

Even if he seemed perfectly calm and wasn't yelling at Ace as he scolded him, you could tell by how Cater and Trey were trying to pacify Riddle that he was... not as calm in his strictness as he seemed.

You tug on Grim's ribbon to get him to shut his mouth because you really don't want his attention on you. It's just... you're getting off vibes and you don't know why.

As Riddle finally leave, you notice that it wasn't just your table that relaxed, but more like every Heartslabyul student in the cafeteria.

(It was like.... For just the barest moment, it felt like something in Riddle's... magic aura you suppose you're sensing, something about it became warped. Wrong. It sent ice down your spine and you were briefly reminded of the feeling you got from whatever it was that Grumpy had become.)

Trey says something about Riddle and Grim counters it, making both of the seniors chuckle humorlessly. You decide now might be a good time to tune back in to the conversation. There is one thing you're curious about, and if you can pick apart their explanation enough, maybe you can figure it out.

"Unique mahou... ka?"

"[Hm? You mean Riddle's Unique Magic?]" Cater perks up at the slight change in topic.

"Yuu-nii-kuu..." Deuce pronounces slowly. "[ ...meaning a magic only the Dorm Leader can use?]"

"[It is a magic that's strictly limited to one person...]" Trey explains, "[Simply put, it's magic that reflects the character of the user that only they can use, so 'unique magic.' You'll learn about it in class eventually.]"

Cater picks up from there, "[Riddle's unique magic let's him seal another person's magic for a set amount of time. It's called...]"

"Off With Your Head."

Grim jumps at your sudden, quiet answer. You pet him in apology as he cowers at what must be the memory of the magic being used on him.

You wonder, if it can seal magic, it would affect you in some form now, right? Or would the Mark bypass the collar, since it isn't something you were born with?

(If something were to happen, the Mark taking over or some other thing, would Riddle be the best option to stop you?)

While you lose yourself to your thoughts for a second, Ace's voice brings you back. Are they finally figuring out a way to apologize to Riddle?

Taruto, taruto, so we need a tart. But buying one sounds a bit pricey if this world and yours are roughly the same, especially if it's for a Dorm party-

"[Then why not make some? Those tarts were all made by Trey here, y’know?]"

Wait, what about Trey?

By the reactions, Trey must have made all the previous tarts then? So he's got a hobby or talent in baking.

He's not taking money so you need to get...

'Kuri?' Like what the ghosts call you?? Maybe???? You hope he's not asking for curry powder, because you aren't familiar with if there is in existence a pastry that uses curry powder.

Ok no, if he needs like 300, then he's not talking about curry. No one is gonna want to work for that. Either way, that's a lot for just Ace to go get so...

"Hai, hai. Watashi tasukete."

At your admission, Ace throws his arms around you and clings dramatically.

"[You're traitors, all of you! The Supervisor is the only one to always have my back!]" He declared.

Cater and Trey turn to convincing Deuce and Grim to help as you pat Ace's arm placatingly. You can only half listen as Ace give you an overdramatic pout. It's just a tart, and you have someone who's apparently a very good baker helping you, so how hard could this be?

Besides, you're always up for learning recipes! You wonder what a marron tart is... you hope it's good!

Deuce asks where to find the Kuri, and Trey says... mori, a forest. We need something from the forests behind the school? So, berries, or nuts perhaps? You're going to have to trust Grim to get you to wherever you need to go, you can't exactly ask where you need to be.

Well, for now, you'll have to focus on the last of your classes.

----

"Eklund, have you thought about what you are going to do with Verdreiss?"

Hulda expected that question after she entered the Teacher's lounge, especially from Crewel. He was Kallisto's homeroom teacher, so he'd need the most updates on the work Hulda would be doing with their poor time traveler, after Crowley.

"Well, we know that Kallisto's magic is speech based. I was going to test to see how far that extendes." She explains as she pulls out a wide wooden box that rattles oddly from a messenger bag. Crewel comes over to observe as she sets it on the low table before the couches and opens it.

Inside is several sectioned off squares, filled with beads, hooks, charms, wires, cords, anything and everything one would need to make basic jewelry.

"One of your personal jewelry making boxes?" Crewel asks with a raised brow. Hulda beams up at him.

"I was thinking, since the application of magic was still primitive back then compared to today, something like Charm making would be a good start." Hulda pulled out a flat piece of metal that was probably a plaque charm for putting names on. She looks it over for a second, before putting it back and repeating that with other bits in the box.

"I was going to test if Verdreiss' magic extended to Runecraft and certain Sigilcrafts, under the guise of charm making. Are you familiar with the concepts?"

Crewel blinked in surprise at the idea, but nodded, picking up one of the beads. It was engraved with a single rune.

"Somewhat. I'm aware that Runecraft is a concept Dwarves first introduced to Twisted Wonderland, and that it is actually rather difficult to work properly due to in part how old it is. Sigilcraft has been around just as long, as one of the first applied Magics in existence. How do you plan on using this with Verdreiss?" He asks, curious yet intrigued.

"Well, there is a particular way to vocally activate certain runes that also extends to sigils. If you make certain words with the runes, engraving them on something or writing them out, you can activate it by speaking a particular phrase. Depending on the runes, it can be instantaneous, or in the case of protection charms, only active when necessary." Hulda seems to be taking inventory now, carefully pulling out hand fulls of beads and counting them out before putting them back. Crewel had returned the bead he'd taken to its place, knowing that messing with one of Hulda's boxes would upset the young teacher like if someone messed with one of his cars.

"What would happen if this succeeds?" He then asks, watching her skillful hands never lose a bead in her counting.

"Well, it would be a way for Verdreiss to practice magic, as well as be a way for us to keep track of its development safely. By keeping track of how many functioning charms Verdreiss can make in a sitting, we'll have a measure of some kind into how strong their magic is, its limit, and even how the backlash works. Hopefully I can get Fontaine to help me with some of this." Hulda finishes her speech by shutting the box and putting it back in her bag.

"It'll be my turn to teach him soon, anything you observed fom your class you want to pass on?" Hulda looks up at him, even as he's sitting down. He huffs, but relents.

"Despite the language barrier, he is a curious one. He seemed to enjoy looking over the list of plants I gave them, though that might have been because he could actually read it." At that, Crewel paused for a moment before continuing. "The fact that he can read should also be a bit of a relief, now that I think about it."

"Oh!" Hulda gasped, "You're completely right! None of us would have known what to do if Verdreiss couldn't read in the first place!"

"Small miracles."

Chapter Text

Their last class of the day is General Magics, and Deuce wonders what sort of teacher they will have this time. All of the teachers have been to his expectation for such a prestigious school.

(Though he would admit that seeing Eklund-sensei again as their Maths teacher was a relief. He appreciated her ability to make his worst subject seem fun and easy.)

So far, none of their classes have needed them to use magic, so Ace is in the clear for being collared. It's likely because it's so early in the year that being without his magic is not a bad thing.

He also notices how the teachers are exempting Kal from paying attention. They must be aware of the situation, so until Kal can communicate, they must be letting Kal off easy for a time.

(Deuce won't admit that it took him until now to realize that, because Kal is paying attention regardless of said exceptions or lack of understanding.)

He's broken out of his thoughts as their teacher finally arrived. Voices hush to silence as an older, dark skinned woman with braided hair pulled into a bun casually strolls in. She stands in the center of the classroom and glances around, as if appraising them.

"Hm. So this is the lot I have been given this year..." Coal colored eyes sweep the class from behind simple frameless glasses, piercing in their depths. "Very well then. Listen closely children."

And at once, the whole class is at attention to her strangely accented words. In the corner of his eye, Deuce notices Grim shrink into Kal's lap, as if to hide from the teacher.

"Magic is the very basis of nearly everything in our lives." She begins, picking up a piece of chalk and writing as she talks. "From the technology we use everyday, to the very fabric of reality, there is very little that Magic is not intertwined with in this world. It is my duty to teach you beyond the basics you know. The old and the new. The general, practical, theoretical. The natural and unnatural. And the consequences there of. For what we want the most... there is a cost that must be paid in the end."

She ends her speech underlining the name written on the board, turning around to face them with a sharp glint in her eyes. Deuce definitely doesn't want to get on this teacher's bad side. Glancing around, he notices how his beastfolk classmates seem like they're incredibly uncomfortable, or in a few cases, ready to bolt.

"I am Tania De la Fontaine, Fontaine-sensei if you will, and I will teach you magic. Open your books to page 13."

"I don't like this teacher... she gives me off vibes..." He hears Grim murmur, cowering and trying to press as close to Kal as he physically can. Kal, confused but concerned, gently tries to comfort their fearful other half with pets.

He doesn't get it, and neither does Ace it seems. Maybe he'll point out what he saw later, but for now, it's best they pay attention.

"In order for one to properly summon forth their magic, they must have three things; imagination, determination, and faith..."

----

You're not really sure how to react to each class. It seems like all the teachers let you off for the day, seeing as every one let you be distracted in one way or another.

Seeing Eklund-sensei in Math was nice, though. The rest you're not so sure about.

Crewel-sama, as he said to call him, definitely threw you off the most, as he would spout things in English that you realized were dog commands. It was disorienting, and a bit disconcerting, though in hindsight unsurprising.

Trein-sensei had left his cat at your desk the entirety of class. Or maybe it's just that Lucius had picked your desk and refused to move. You only ever had cats once, since dogs were much more common in your household, so nearly all of your knowledge of cat behavior is researched.

Vargas-sensei was pretty easy to handle, seeing as P.E. was a class you didn't need to talk a lot in. It was also just standard fitness testing, so it wasn't like it was hard, at least for now.

Fontaine-sensei was a bit off putting, especially when you tried to figure out if she was an expy of a Disney character.

(If you're correct in that she's not an expy of a Disney cartoon, but a live action movie... Then the little necklace with the crab charm would mean she's an expy of Calypso from Pirates of the Caribbean. Which... makes you a little terrified of her, more so than any of the other teachers. Grim's reaction made sense that way.)

In the end, your first day of classes isn't as exhausting as you expected it to be. Outside the scuffle at lunch, it was pretty relaxed for you, even if you couldn't understand nearly anything. You did like looking at the textbooks, particularly the one in history, though you let Grim keep track of what page you were supposed to be on.

Now you were with Ace and Deuce heading for the forest behind the school to look for the ingredients for the Marron Tart, whatever they are.

The forest itself seems fairly diverse. You notice both evergreen trees and deciduous trees, though you don't think you can name anything other than the most obvious ones.

Apples hang from several trees, some red and some not. You think these are a fall harvest apple, seeing as many don't look quite mature enough to pick and eat.

On the other hand, you watch your step as you notice the small, green spine balls that you recognize as chestnut burrs.

You're not used to seeing actual chestnuts, even if you know what they look like. You're more used to buckeyes, that is, horse chestnuts, being from Ohio. Wasn't there a plague on chestnut trees a while back that nearly ran the American ones extinct? You think you remember seeing something like that online somewhere.

You're brought out of your musings by Grim's sounds of awe as he looks around.

"[There's so many chestnuts all around! It's a forest of all you can eat Marron Tart... Guhihihi...]"

"Ah, Grim, matte!!"

Grim yelps and drops the chestnut burr he'd picked up. You knew they were particularly sharp, but actually seeing the burrs up close gives you phantom pains in your fingers.

Wait, Grim referred to the chestnuts as Kuri, so that means... You're making a Chestnut pastry? Like a Mont Blanc?

Ah, wait, the ghosts were calling you Little Chestnut!!! That's what Kuriko-chan meant!!!

In spite of you're revelation, the boys continue to discuss how to proceed. You guys are gonna obviously need tools and gloves at the very least. They're most likely in the botanical garden.

(The fact the school had a botanical garden didn't entirely surprise you, you knew there were universities back home who had them for research purposes, that later became public gardens. You don't think this one is for public viewing, though, not unless it's a special event.)

The other boys seemed to agree, and you all made your way to the gardens.

Now, seeing it at a distance from the dorm was one thing, but seeing the gardens up close was another. You could probably fit the entirety of Onboro under the glass dome with room to spare.

And the inside is just as extravagant as you could imagine. Plants of hundreds of kinds all carefully cultivated in the warm, slightly humid building. Nearly none of which you've seen before in person, and several you're pretty sure don't exist on Earth.

"[Wow, it's bigger in here than I thought.]" Ace's awed tone mimicked your feeling perfectly.

"[There should be a caretaker. We should split up and find them.]" Deuce made a motion with his hands to indicate separation, and you nodded. Splitting up would be best, as long as Grim was with you to communicate.

"[Then, I'll head right.]" Ace declared pointing to the path heading along one of the walls.

"[And I'll head left.]" Deuce pointed to a weaving path in the other direction. Turning to you, he continued, gesturing to the thin central path. "[Grim and Supervisor, you guys can head straight to the back.]"

You nod and give the two a mock salute, before heading down the path with Grim in tow.

----

In truth, he was barely dozing when he heard the pair on the path he'd layed himself out next to.

"Hey, hey, look at this! There are a bunch of fruit. It smells so good~."

"Grim, stop."

He had planned on ignoring them. He sure as hell didn't want to bother with the pest that got kicked out during the Entrance Ceremony, and the Herbivore who the mirror couldn't sort.

(He says that, but he heard about what the kid did in the cafeteria. Until he sees if for himself, kid's an Herbivore like the rest of them.)

Leona wouldn't say his sense of smell was special, most beastfolk had keener senses in some manner over humans, but he had trained himself to be better at picking apart a person’s scent. To be able to recognize the scent of a person’s magic mingled with their normal scent.

And that kid had one fucked up scent that he didn't want to touch.

Now, there were a few things that determined the scent of a person’s magic, but the two main things were power, and type.

Stronger magics had more potent scents, meaning the scent will linger longer after use. Then, different kinds of magic would smell different; elemental magics tended to smell like said element, darker magic tended towards bitter or musty, healing was closer to fresh linen and sunlight, while Unique magic took on a scent closer to one's own natural scent, or even became their natural scent in some cases.

For example that damn lizard and his vice could leave a pin prick of their magic on something, and Leona was sure he could smell the ozone, ash, and dust that would linger for years if left alone.

(He knows his own reaks of dry soil and sand, of dehydration and cracked earth. He won't wear cologne, but he appreciated when his sister-in-law sent him incense, when Ruggie would burn them after bringing back the laundry so the scent would sink in. The reason he hides away in the gardens the most-)

But this kid's scent made the hair on the back of his neck stand. It didn't mix properly with the rest of their scent. Even that loud annoying freshman that worshipped the ground Draconia walked on had a scent that at least made sense, with the fae ancientness and the human liveliness mingling together in a manner that at least stated he wasn't entirely human.

This kid's magic scent was more like it had been layered on top of their normal scent, like a bubble or layer of dust, even if it wasn't currently very strong. And it was obviously something old, unnatural, and very much in the category of forbidden.

He'd only ever gotten a similar scent off Fontaine, but that was still her natural scent even if it was just as off putting, and he did eventually learn to tolerate it.

So what did this kid do to gain a scent like that? The only thing he could think of was-

Tink tink

"Oh! Um, uh..."

"Whoa! Where did they come from?!"

Leona was going to ignore them, but the fairies that take care of the gardens never approached the students first unless it's to chase them out for damages. So he peeks an eye open and peers out from under the tall ferns he'd been lounging under. With the way the kid's magic must feel, it's not so out there that the little fae might get confused as to what the student is.

(Huh. The kid really does have brown eyes. Darker than Cheka and his sister-in-law's. It makes a flicker of irritation shoot through him.)

There are three fairies hovering around the brunet, a water fairy, a wood fairy, and one he knew to be called a tinker fairy.

No one can normally understand the small fairies, their voices merely the sounds of the magic they represent; crackles of fire, leaves in the wind, babbling brooks and tinkling bells. Certain magics could help, and there were magical objects that let communication be possible, but on one's own, it was impossible unless you were very good at charades.

Tink tink tink

"Huh? Is it trying to say something?"

The tinker fairy tips it's head in what he assumes is confusion, but it's the shock on the brunet's face that keeps his attention.

And then he notices a spark crackle around the back of the choker they were wearing.

"Um... [Can you understand me? I understand you. Are you the ones who take care of the gardens?]"

He's not entirely sure what he's hearing. He knows that's Old Trade coming out of their mouth -he's best at Ancient Curses for a reason- but it's like there is a filter of some kind layered over top, giving it a slightly warped quality. The kid doesn't react, but their pet sends them a raised brow, curiosity and confusion in equal measure.

Tink tink tink!

Drip drip

"[Ah, is that so? I'm sorry for the confusion, though I think I know why that happened.]" They bow a bit, and the fairies seem appeased, and when they stand, a hand comes up to gently touch the choker.

Rustle rustle rustle

Drip drop bubble

"[Well, some friends and I need to pick a bunch of chestnuts from behind the school to make a tart with, but well, obviously we need tools. Do you know were we can find some? I'd be very greatful for the help.]"

Jingle jingle!

Rustle crunch

Bubble bubble drip

"[Of course! I'll ask if I can keep one, or maybe make a few very small ones for you three. Can I... um... ask what to call you, and how to call for you when I come back?]"

Leona has never seen the fairies so outright friendly with a human before. He supposed it was this kid's magical communication and the feeling of their magic, but it's still unusual for the normally tolerant fairies to act so pleasant with a human.

"Hey! Come on, tell me what happened!! I can't understand you, remember!?"

With the griping from the little monster, he decides the conversation must be over and they'll be moving on. He's lost interest anyway. He rolls over to face away from the walkway. Maybe now he can actually get a nap in-

"-Ow!"

His own quiet yelp was followed by the herbivore's. The little fucker had stepped on his tail.

Now he's irritated.

----

Really, you should have guessed that Fairies existed in this world. When the three little fairies appeared before you and Grim, you wanted to start squealing like a fangirl. They were adorable, reminding you a little of Tinkerbell from Peter Pan.

(Does that make Lilia and Crowley elves?)

There was Greythistle, a fairy who looks to be made of tree bark with leaves for hair and more insectoid wings.

Nightlake, who looked near entirely made out of water, making you wonder if they weren't actually a straight water spirit rather than a fairy.

And Merrybeam, looking more like Tinkerbell than the other two, wearing actual clothes and a mushroom cap for a hat.

Though the biggest shock was that you could understand them. It seemed to be mutual, as the three were just as surprised when you addressed them.

(It had to be the Mark. You're 98% certain it's the Mark. Now, if only you could get this to work with Japanese, then...)

They'd agreed to help you get tools if you brought them one of the tarts later on. It seems no matter what world you're in, fairies like sweets.

Except when you'd taken a step to follow the three, you stepped on something that you hoped to god wasn't a snake. You didn't need a repeat of that incident a few years ago here.

"{It's the lion boy... the one who's here so often...}" One of the fairies murmurs with a tinge of worry.

Some part of you was relieved when another student stood up from the bushes right next to you, but that's quickly shot at the annoyance clearly radiating off of the darkly tanned, older boy with the tail you had just stepped on. The rich green of his eyes turned sharp and a scowl set deep on his face.

Oh, he is mad.

"Honto ni gomenasai!!!" You quickly dip into a bow, apologizing before he says anything. You can't explain to him that you hadn't seen his tail, at least not well, even if you were sure it wasn't there before. "Kimi daijoubu?"

The following scoff from the senior was partially expected, even if you wished it wasn't so. By how things have gone, you feel like the over aggressiveness of the students is the norm. Why couldn't you have been sent to a less delinquent school?!

"[What's up with this guy...?]"

"[You're the Herbivore the mirror couldn't sort, huh? You seem to have some sense in that head of yours.]" The smirk that came after those words set you on edge. "[I was having such a good nap, until my tail got stepped on. If you think I, Leona, am gonna let you off for that, think again.]"

"{Oh no, watch out...!}"

It's only because you're hyper aware of his actions now, that you are able to block the hand coming to snatch the front of your shirt and duck away from the taller boy.

His eyes widen slightly at that as he turns to follow your movement.

You really don't want to fight this guy too. You only did it in the cafeteria because there were a lot of witnesses. This guy looks a bit too strong for you too, and he's whatever the half-animal people are called here. So you do the only thing you can think of.

You grab Grim and bolt, the fairies following after you.

Chapter Text

All paths in the Botanical Garden are connected in some manner, and the three primary paths all converge at the front and back of the garden with the center path naturally being the shortest.

So when Ace meets up with Deuce at the other end of the gardens with Kal not in sight, he starts to get a sinking feeling in his gut.

"Do you think they found something?" Deuce muses, clearly trying to hide his own worry.

"Considering you found the supposed tool shed? I don't think it's a tool they found." Ace counters, beginning to pace.

Because Kal is the most level headed one of them, and would not stray off the path and keeps Grim on a tight leash. So that means something happened.

His hunch seems to be correct when Kal comes sprinting around a corner with Grim in their arms and fairies fluttering about behind them. Alarmed, both of them meet Kal in the middle as they slow to a stop after spotting the pair.

"What happened!?" Ace nearly demands.

"These fairies came first and said they'd help us, but then some really scary senior appeared! We had to run before he tried anything..." Grim explained as Kal dropped him, since Kal was catching their breath.

So, they're both OK, just a bit shook up. That's fine, they can work with that.

"You had us worried!" Deuce gently takes Kal's hands and checks them over, thankfully spotting no damage. Just because Kal didn't actually fight, doesn't mean there aren't defensive wounds.

"Alright, that's enough excitement for one day." Ace wanted to hurry up and get all the chestnuts for the stupid tarts already. "You said the fairies will help us right? They're probably the ones who can get into the tool shed, so let's go get some buckets and tongs."

"Yes, yes, let's go." Kal had caught their breath and turned to the fairies. "[Are you three ok? That was a bit of a trip...]"

Bubble bubble!

What the hell? What is... Is that something the Mark is doing? Is that how Kal talked to the fairies? It... vaguely reminds Ace of the magic for Animal Languages, but Kal's is different... more complex? It's like it's working backwards in a way...

"[I think they said they found something, so-]" Kal was cut off, a series of dry coughs halting their conversation with the fairies, startling all of them.

It made Ace's heart jump in his throat. Was their magic that punishing? Kal didn't even seem to realize it was active!

Wait-

"Kal!"

Both him and Deuce sprung to the brunet's side, worry clear on their faces.

The coughing only lasted briefly, but it left Kal with a pinched look. Grim tugged at the hem of their blazer, ears pinned back despite the annoyance he tried to present.

"Hey, henchman!! You better tell us what's wrong!!"

"Water..." they were able croak out.

So the magic of the Mark had made their throat dry out? The running probably didn't help either.

Nothing bad, they can fix that.

(Ace won't admit to the relief he felt when it wasn't serious.)

"Stop scaring us like that!!" He chastised the brunet, giving their ear a little pinch. They just apologize weakly and accepts the punishment.

"Well, at least we can help." Deuce stears the topic back towards what's needed. "This is a garden, there has to be faucets for hoses. We can get some water when we get to the tool shed. So, hang on just a bit, ok Kal?"

They nod, not trusting their voice, and follow after the boys to the tool shed.

----

Trey was well aware that prepping Marron Tarts from scratch would take a good while, so rather than idle, he finished his Vice duties quickly and headed to the large kitchen used by the cafeteria staff to set everything up.

At some point Cater had joined him, though Trey knew making him do anything to help would only earn him whining. So he simply let his friend hang out at the island while he sets the ovens up to dehydrate the chestnut burrs.

"Hey, Trey, what do you think of Kallisto?"

The unexpected question makes him pause.

Well, not entirely unexpected. Trey just thought Cater would lead into it more by asking about Ace and Deuce first.

"The Supervisor for the old dorm?" He asks, turning to face Cater, who had set his phone aside for the moment.

"Mm. He's an odd one, don't you think? I tried asking Lilia about him, but he wasn't very forthcoming..." That wasn't entirely unusual, but still a bit curious.

"What did he say?"

"That he'd met Kallisto at the Entrance Ceremony, but the situation isn't his to tell. Though he did ask for us to be patient with him."

"I see..."

Curiouser and curiouser.

He had a stray thought here and there since lunch about the strange junior that is Kallisto. Why were they so quiet, and only so chatty in a dead language?

(How were they that good at said dead language? Obsession seemed like the most likely answer.)

Was it some kind of anxiety disorder mixed with trauma? A speech disorder? Some other medical issue? If that was the case, has anyone asked them to speak in something that wasn't Common?

He had a suspicion that was a 'no.'

(And then there was the freaking Mark of Imbuement around his neck which, to be frank, definitely said there were a lot more issues here than any of them except maybe Dr. Juma could handle. He doesn't know what the Headmaster was thinking.)

But outside that whole mess he didn't want to get into...

"I think he's got his work cut out for him. He seems to have taken on the responsibility of watching over Spade and Trappola on top of that cat monster, the dorm, and just being in this school with... all of the things that happened." As he talks, he goes back to setting up for the tarts.

"But the two seem to be responding far more positively to him than to us. Hopefully, that influence can rub off on them enough to keep them from getting into too much trouble." Trey finishes his thoughts as he finishes setting up

Cater strewn himself across the island with a huff, clearly thinking over what he'd said.

Though before he could say anything, said freshmen finally made their appearance.

"Please excuse our intrusion!" Calls Deuce as they step into the kitchen.

"Welcome back. You guys made good time." Trey compliments, "I've just finished setting- oh?"

He hadn't expected the freshmen to know that they could remove some of the nuts from the burrs while they pick them. There are still some in the burrs yes, but the majority are ready to cut and roast to peel the hard brown shell.

"Kal got some fairies to help us in exchange for one of the tarts. They helped us get the nuts out of the burrs." Ace explained, presenting him with a bucket of chestnuts. "Though, not all of them, as you can see."

(Both of them had blinked at that. Fairies? The ones that take care of the Botanical Garden? Trey knew the fairies didn't particularly care for the students, so how did Kallisto even get them to come help? This kid just brings up more and more questions....)

"Don't worry, I have a oven set to help get those ones out of the burrs. Lay them out on this tray over here, give them a little cut like this..."

"Cater-senpai...?" Kallisto directed their attention to their unexpected guest.

"Don't mind me! Watching Trey bake is always a neat experience, and very Magicam-gramable~! And it'd be nice to record this bonding experience between senpai and kohai, no?"

The three freshmen just shrugged at each other, not entirely convinced, but didn't protest Cater's whims.

And with that, so began the task of making the Marron tarts.

"Now, for the rest on these, first you want to make an X on a flat side with something sharp, like so. Box cutters are the easiest for this, so take one." Trey begins demonstrating how to roast the chestnuts. "And then we put them in the oven for a while, until the shells fold back and we can peel them for the meat."

As the freshmen began with the nuts, he tasked Grim with a different part of the cooking, seeing as the cat had difficulty using the box cutter on such a small target.

(Cater was up and taking pictures, or recording, Trey didn't ask.)

Then it was the long process of peeling the nuts. Ace and Kallisto both proved to be quite sufficient at peeling by hand, both appearing to be quite dexterous.

Deuce started with a bit of difficulty, but eventually managed to peel the nuts cleanly with magic, while he had Grim mixing ingredients.

They made great time with the peeling, and with so many good chestnuts, they could make a lot of Marron paste.

Ah, speaking of mixing ingredients, maybe he can...

"The marron base uses butter and sugar. And then, I also added some oyster sauce as a secret ingredient." He side-eyes Cater as he says this, pressing a quick finger to his lips. Cater bites his own lip to hide his snickering.

The freshmen give the exact reaction expected. Confusion, flabbergasted, Ace even tries to rationalize it. It was going just as he thought.

Well, except for Kallisto, who just stares at him with a flat look, eyes narrowing into an 'Are you serious?' look.

"Liar." The little brunet states, wholly unconvinced and unfallen for the joke. "Prank."

"Eh?" The other two turn to their friend, and Trey just chuckles and confirms their words, much to their annoyance.

"Hehe, seems Kallisto isn't falling for it~. You'll have to try harder to fool him it seems, huh Trey?"

"So it seems. Moral of the story is, don't just believe everything you're told. Be a bit more like Kallisto and express a bit of doubt." Trey is about to continues when his mind automatically begins checking the amount of base to what he has, and pauses when the numbers don't match up.

It seems they made too much base, Trey only realizes after the recount. They won't have enough whipped cream for the paste.

When he states as much to the others, Deuce is quick to volunteer to go shopping for him. Well, might as well stock up on some other things he's going to need. He grabs a pad of paper and writes down everything, just in case they need it.

"I don't think I'll be able to carry that all alone..." Deuce says looking over the list, "Supervisor, do you want to come help?"

Kallisto's head pops up at the title, which then turns into them hopping up from their seat and bouncing over to Deuce.

"Yes, yes~! I'll help!" They beam up at Deuce, who smiles kindly in return and shows him the list as they leave.

"I'm going too! I'm tired of mixing flour endlessly!" Grim chases after the pair before anyone can protest.

Once the trio are gone, Trey decides it's fine to take a quick break while the others are shopping. Maybe they can finally get some answers to the mystery that is Kallisto.

"Hey, Ace~, can we ask you something?" Cater, ever the conversationist, starts. Ace looks to them curiously.

"Is there... Does Kallisto... have difficulty speaking in Common?" Trey eases in, trying not to get into anything too heavy right off the bat.

Ace blinks in surprise, before gazing cautiously at them, eyes narrowed in suspicion. He can see the tension in Ace's shoulders.

Protective, Trey realizes. After only a day and a half? He catches Cater's eye briefly, knowing he's realized it too.

"Yeah... something like that..." Ace answers hesitantly. "What of it?"

Trey puts his hands up placatingly, they aren't looking for a fight right now.

"I just had a thought. If Kallisto is more comfortable not speaking Common, then have you asked what other languages they speak? Aside from, apparently, Old Trade." Trey explains. "They have to have at least their Native language, right? Is it not one you or Deuce speak?"

Though Ace relaxed, he blinks again, once, twice, before realization hits him like a brick.

"We never asked for their Native." He chokes out. "I don't think the Headmaster did either, for that matter."

Not surprising, given the personality of their Headmaster. Well, that means that this solution is simple.

"Then we'll ask when he gets back."

"We could make some guesses as to what he speaks~, in the mean time." Cater offers. "Their Surname is Pyroxese, so that's one guess."

"Kallisto sounds like Coastal, or Olympian perhaps?" Trey guesses.

"Depends on the spelling, and Kal's is the Olympic spelling. I speak Coastal natively, though I suppose I also speak Northern Rosen natively..." Ace trails off.

"A home Native and a country Native? Not uncommon, I know several people with that situation. Cater's technically one."

"Yup~! I'm Pyroxese, though on occasion, I didn't live in places that spoke Pyroxese, so we would speak Pyroxese at home and Common or whatever the Native language was outside. I've got a good grasp on... 5? 6 languages?"

"So many...!" Ace breathed in awe. "I only have the three since I didn't want to bother with a new one in middle school. I just took Coastal for an easy A."

"Hehe, yeah, I understand that feeling." Cater shrugs, but Trey knows he cherishes the praise from the underclassman.

"I speak Northern Rosen natively as well, and Low Vale as the school required language I learned. I also have a grasp on some Coastal, though I wouldn't say I'm fluent." A though pops into Trey's head. "Do you know what Deuce might speak? You two room together, right?"

"I think Deuce speaks Southern Rosen? I've heard him swearing in it, at least."

"I see. Well, we have a decent number of languages covered, especially with Cater here." Said redhead beamed, "One of us has to have a language that overlaps with one Kallisto knows."

Now they just had to wait for them to get back from shopping. Nothing too hard for the pair, so long as Grim didn't get into any mischief. No problems...

... Right?

(Trey's "Mom senses," as Cater calls them, are suddenly not so sure.)

Chapter Text

You will admit, this is the coolest thing you've seen since getting to this world. 

The inside of the school shop was like walking into a witch's antique shop. Shelves and walls holding every magical item you could imagine and more. 

You registered Deuce's fellow awed tone, and you can't help but agree. This single shop seemed like it could sell you anything. 

...? Why do you feel like you're being watched...? 

Before you can glance around for whatever spirit has its eyes on you this time, the shopkeep arrives. 

"Hey! [My lost little demons, how goes it?]" 

... Dr. Facilier!? 

Ok, maybe not quite, but the man calling himself Sam is a dead ringer for a young Dr. Facilier expy. 

He seems to be trying to entice you to buy things, but you weren't one to normally be enticed by smooth talking salespeople like the ones who ran the kiosk shops in the mall. 

(Let alone that fact you still can't understand 97% of what he's saying.) 

Deuce doesn't seem to be one either, and you give Grim a warning tug on his ribbon when you hear him ask for tuna. 

"[What, what? Whipped cream, eggs... a nice] sweet [line up.] OK! [Coming right up!]" 

Sam takes the list and heads off to the back. 

You're not quite sure what Deuce is awed about now, you're currently fixed on the English that keeps popping up in his speech. At least the ones that are very clearly English and not Engrish. 

Sam returns quickly with the ingredients, stacking them in bags on the cashier counter. There aren't actually that many, but several that would be heavy, milk cartons and canned fruit sitting neatly inside the bags. 

Sam tries one last time to try and sway you all into buying more than you need, but Deuce refuses as you flick one of Grim's ears. After Deuce pays with the money Trey gave him, the pair of you divide up the bags to carry. 

It's... oddly nostalgic. You remember having to do this whenever your family came back from shopping. Dividing the bags up between you, your parents, and your brother. 

You shake yourself out of the thoughts of home and follow Deuce out, bags divided between you two, with Grim floating behind you carrying the lightest bag. 

You think you'd like visiting that store, if only you could ask Sam what half the items were. 

---- 

(You don't ever spot the shadow figures hiding themselves from your sight, as if afraid of being seen by you. 

'Gifted,' some whisper to the shopkeep. 

'Cursed,' others hiss. 

'If that one is not careful, death will see them soon.' One finalized. 

The shopkeep can only frown contemplatively, an image of innocent, curious brown eyes stuck in the back of his mind. 

He doesn't need his 'friends' to tell him when someone's fate will be nothing but hardship. He already sees that every day in the mirror.) 

---- 

"Eggs." 

"Eggs! [Eggs.]" 

"[Eh... E-gu..]" 

"Come on, a small word can't be that hard!" 

"Then why don't you try and say it!?" 

Kal waits patiently for him as Deuce tries to pronounce Old Trade, giving him gentle corrections as they go. 

It was a back and forth they has first attempted on the way to the school store, though it ended up being more like him teaching Kal to read Common. 

Now with actual physical examples of the words, he had decided that maybe he could learn a bit of Old Trade while Kal could learn more Common. 

It... would be comforting for Kal to have more people to speak Old Trade with, right? He knows he's not exactly the best person to do this with, his time in delinquency left him academically one of the weakest here. But, even so, learning just a little could prove helpful in the long run, somehow. 

"Fruit." 

"Fruit. Yes. [Fruit.]" 

"[Fu... furu...]" 

"[Futsu!] Wait, that doesn't sound right! Lemme try again..." 

Though, Kal seems to be having a much easier time with pronunciation than Deuce is, and Grim's few attempts are pretty comical. Still, they're learning, and it isn't unpleasant, laughter easy and kind. 

Though as they walk, Deuce notices Kal shift the way they are carrying their bags, going between hanging them at their elbow and holding them in their hand. It's primarily the bag with the canned fruit, so it must be the weight bothering them. 

"Supervisor." Deuce calls to grab their attention, "Is it heavy?" 

Kal gives him a confused look. 

"Heavy...? What word that...?" 

...? Why would they...? 

Deuce blinks, confused as well. Kal points to their head. 

"Heavy...?" 

.... Oh! It sounds like 'thoughts!' Maybe if it he says it a bit differently... 

"Does it weigh a lot?" He tries, pointing to their bags and making a lifting motion with his own. This Kal is able to figure out, a quiet 'Oh!' signaling their understanding. 

"No! Not heavy!" They shakes their head, "I'm strong!" 

They demonstrate their strength by lifting the bags up and down. Deuce supposes that is just how Kal is. Despite their rather slender build, Kal has proven that they're far stronger than they look. 

(A sign of how hard they worked in the past? Farm work is pretty labor intensive, right? Pictures of Kal casually doing field work, or carrying baby farm animals pops into his head, followed by the takedown of the upperclassmen from lunch. 

Deuce can't help but wonder as to the life Kal had in the past to warrant that deceptive strength.) 

"Well, as long as you don't mi- oof!" 

Deuce is cut off by a shoulder ramming into him. He's been through enough fights to know it's deliberate, but he can't retaliate. He's carrying too much, and besides, he's already been in far more trouble than he wanted in these last few days. And yet- 

"Ah! The eggs!" 

At the wet crunching sound in one of the bags, he knows the eggs have broke, and he tries to hold in his frustration. Deuce peers into the bag, and it looks like they lost at least half the carton. Kal seems to wilt a little, only for their attention to be taken by the offending party. 

"That hurt! Where the hell’re ya lookin’ at—" 

At the vaguely familiar voice, Deuce looks up to find the pair of upperclassmen from the incident in the cafeteria. 

"Wha— You’re the guys who wrecked the egg in my carbonara earlier!" 

"It's you guys again. You just can't catch a break!" 

No, they apparently can't. But, he can't get in trouble. So he sucks in a quiet breath and tries to reason with the upperclassmen. He has to be the one to, because Kal can't. 

(Kal would definitely talk it out if they could, he thought. Kal who was kind, and patient, but didn't take anyone's shit. Kal who may as well be magicless, and can barely understand anyone, yet still gives it their all in class. 

He realizes he may sound jealous, but in truth, he want to be worthy of saying he's Kal's friend. He wants to be good to them, like he wants to be good for his mom.) 

"You were the ones who jumped out from behind the corner. At lunch, it wasn't like you couldn't eat the egg anymore, and yet you still came to pick a fight..." His voice is as level as he can make it. "Just now, you destroyed half our eggs." 

"He's totally right!" He doesn't need Grim piping in, but he appreciated the attempt at support. 

"The hell? You sayin’ it’s my fault, then?" Says the senior who made the scene in the cafeteria, annoyance quite clear. Deuce nods firmly, standing his ground but still trying to be civil. 

(He has to. He has to be good. He can't backslide. He can't let his grandmother be right. He has to endure it. He has to be good.) 

"Yes, please pay us back for the eggs. And also, please apologize to the chickens." Deuce states clearly, hoping the seniors will be reasonable. 

But he sees something pass in the seniors' eyes. 

"Hah~? Makin’ a ruckus over eggs, are we?" Sneers the lacky. 

"... Huh?" 

"They didn't hit the ground right? Don't sweat the small stuff." 

"We saved you the trouble of breaking them!" 

They're laughing. 

They're laughing, like they did nothing wrong despite the fact that these eggs- 

These eggs won't- 

Slowly, stiffly, he sets the rest of the groceries on the ground. 

"... -o laugh about..." 

"Hn?" 

"THIS AIN'T SOMTHIN' TO LAUGH ABOUT!!" 

(Sorry Mom... He's still not quite good yet.) 

---- 

You nearly jump out of your skin as Deuce explodes at the upperclassmen. 

You were also getting very quickly fed up with the two seniors and their need to be petty. 

"[You ain’t got no choice but to apologize for something that’s your fault! These eggs... Instead of becoming a chick, they were gonna make us a delicious tart!! Do you understand me, huh!?]" 

However, it quickly becomes clear that they picked the wrong underclassman to pick on. The sudden flip in Deuce's personality is startling, but you were certain Deuce was simply at his limit. 

You were pretty much at your limit with these two, and the only thing stopping you from throwing them to the ground a second time were the groceries you were carrying. 

"[W-What's with this guy's problem all of a sudden!?]" The smaller of the two yelps, only now realizing their misstep. 

"[If you don't want to pay for the six eggs you broke... I got no choice but to beat the hell out of you six times.]" Deuce practically growls and begins advancing on the seniors, the instigator only able to make a sound of confusion before Deuce charges with a war cry. 

"[Grit your teeth, assholes!]" 

You wince as Deuce lands one hell of a hook to the taller one's face, sending the older boy sprawling. The other yelps in terror at the site, and can barely look back at Deuce before his face meets the same fate. 

It goes like that for at least a minute, the two seniors barely able to fight back against Deuce's onslaught. Deuce is clearly the superior fighter, anyone could see that now. 

In truth, you're only worried about attracting the attention of a teacher, as you don't have any way to bail Deuce out of this if he gets in trouble. You try to keep an eye out for other people while still keeping an eye on Deuce to make sure he doesn't do anything rash. 

But thankfully, before anyone came and saw the beat down, the two seniors picked each other up on wobbling legs, shaking and terrified. 

"[T-This guy is straight up mad! That wasn't six hits! Liar!]" 

"[Let's get the hell outta here! I'm sorry Ms. Chicken!!]" 

The pair bolted as fast as their legs could carry them, Deuce calling out after them. 

"[Apologize 100 times the next time you eat eggs, dumbass!!]" 

Ok, this has gone on long enough. 

"Deuce, yame yo!" 

Your voice seems to jolt him out of whatever mentality he was currently in. He spun around to face you, brow crinkled in confusion, as if he only just then remembered you were there. 

You quickly set your groceries down with Deuce's, and snached up Deuce's hand once you came close enough. 

You ignored the flinch that happened as you carefully peeled off his glove, checking over the reddening, but not quite bruised knuckles of your friend. 

"Kimi no te, daijoubu?" 

"Ah... Ha-Hai..." 

You take his other hand and do the same, carefully checking over the skin for any proper bruising, and finding none. 

So instead, you pull both his hands up and gently blow on them, running your thumbs over them, trying to sooth the angry red marks. 

(You don't pay any attention to how red Deuce's face is. He might still be wrapping his head around things, so you aren't going to make his thoughts any more confused by teasing him.) 

"[What even was that? You were like a whole other person...]" You hear Grim question. 

"[I... I...!]" 

You look up from Deuce's hand to his face, now bearing heartbroken frustration. 

"[I was trying so hard to be an honor student, and yet I keep-...!]" He clenches his fists in your hands, and you worry he'll break the skin of his palms with how hard he's doing it. 

"Yamete, Deuce." You give his hands a little smack, which shocks him enough that he stops. 

You aren't entirely sure what's wrong, but you know that whatever that was, was something he seemed to be trying to work on not doing. 

Seems like you've got a former delinquent on your hands. 

Well, maybe he just needs someone to remind him that even small progress is progress. 

"Deuce wa yoi." You state. 

"E-Eh? Demo-" No, he's not allowed to protest this. 

"Deuce. Wa. Yoi." You say again, firmly to discourage anymore disagreement. You readjust his hands so they're clasped between yours, and look him in the eyes. 

"Deuce wa yoi to yasashii to tsuyoi to amai..." You've run out too quickly of all the adjectives you can say, even though there's so much more you want to tell him. So you give him the only thing you have left. 

"Deuce wa watashi no nakama. Deuce wa warui ja nai." 

"Kal..." 

You give his hands a squeeze and hope you've gotten through to him. 

"[Y'know... is enduring that part of being an honor student?]" Grim asks after your rant. 

"Eh?" 

"[Those delinquents deserved another 10 punches if you asked me! I'm sure that's what Kal wanted to say.]" Grim punched the air for emphasis. "[You just got to them before we did.]" 

"Hai!" You chime in at your name, certain Grim was encouraging Deuce too. 

Deuce looked between the two of you, before nodding and giving you a tentative, but real smile. It made you beam back, glad that you got through to him. 

"[... May those baby chicks rest in peace.]" He murmurs, as if in prayer. 

You don't know what he said, but you give him a gentle smile. Whatever he seemed relieved about, you didn't want to disturb. 

Now you just needed to get more eggs from Sam before heading back to the kitchen, the others have been waiting for a while now. 

(A prayer... Hm.... You're starting to miss when you were in your school choir. Maybe you could hum a bit on the way back.)

Chapter Text

"We're back~"

"Welcome back, you two sure took a bit."

Ace greets the pair as they return from shopping. He takes some of the bags from Kal as Trey takes some from Deuce and they put away what they don't currently need.

"We ran into a bit of trouble, but we got it resolved." Deuce responded, but gave no other details. Ace simply shrugged and let it be for now. They had to finish these tarts for tomorrow.

Trey, now with enough ingredients, guided them through how to pipe the vermicelli onto the tart bases. The shapes of the individual pastries reflected each of the pipers, Cater setting up a line of tarts for a picture.

Trey's were obviously perfect, seeing as he had so much practice, fitting neatly of the tartlet.

Kal's looked the steadiest, the closest to Trey's in comparison, but were a bit shorter in height, and took the longest to pipe.

Ace's looked rushed while somehow not falling off the tartlet, some standing thin and tall and not filling the tartlet completely.

Deuce's, on the other hand, were a mess. Having trouble with how much to squeeze the piping bag resulted in the vermicelli coming out too fast or too thick, making it spill out over the tartlet.

In the end though, not a single one of them were disappointed with the results, laughter at their simple mistakes not at all dampening the joy of a job well done.

Ace noticed that Kal would hum occasionally as they piped the tarts. They hadn't asked for what Kal's native was yet, too engrossed in making the tarts, seeing as they needed enough for the party too.

He watched as Kal stood at one end of the island they were using, listening to them hum some slow melody.

Kal seemed to be in their own head, as he watched them open their mouth and quietly begin to sing.

"La luce che tu hai
Nel cuore resterà
A ricordarci che
L'eterna stella sei
Nella mia preghiera
Quanta fede c'è..."

Oh.

That. That should have been what he was expecting. Not the language no, but the fact that it's a prayer. The farther back you go in music history the more folky or religious the music gets.

No, he can't think about that now. He has a chance, he needs to take it.

(He doesn't think about how the kitchen has gone silent at the sound of Kal's voice in Coastal, soft and low and warm. Like sunlight on your back on a chilly day.

This song means something to Kal, they wouldn't sing it with such care otherwise.)

"Se ci guiderai, tu ci salverai
Gli occhi nostri sono i tuoi..."

"Ne, Kal, cosa stai cantando?" He casually cuts in.

"Ah, si chiama solo 'La preghiera.' È di mia... madre..."

Kal freezes. Blinks once, twice, then looks up at Ace with shock. A grin nearly splits his face. It vanishes quickly, however, when Kal's face falls into a flat stare.

"Ace."

"... Sì?"

"{If I was not a holy person, I would beat you senseless.}"

".... Huh!?"

----

"{Do you have any idea how much I wanted to kick your ass for what you did at the statues!? You were such a bastard, even if I already had you pegged as such! I would have cold clocked you if I hadn't been trying to keep Grim from causing anymore fires!}"

(Let alone the fact the two of them nearly barbecued you if the Headmaster hadn't stepped in. There was just. A lot. To unpack about that day that you don't actually want to think about.)

"[Wait, what's going on?? I heard my name in there! What's Kal saying??]" Grim whines as you end your rant. Ace is leaning away from you, wide-eyed and stupefied, and maybe a little fearful.

You huff and go back to piping. You hear Cater wheezing somewhere across the island and Trey choking back his own laughter.

(You'd realized quite quickly after you all started piping that Marron Tarts were indeed Mont Blanc, just under another name. Without an actual Mont Blanc to name the pastry after, you understand the naming sense. Though you're still unsure as to what part of the pastry the 'marron' part is referring to.)

It seems like most of them can understand Italian, if they could understand what you were saying, and singing for that matter. The Prayer by Celine Dion with Andrea Bocelli had been your mother's favorite song of hers, and you, having been learning Italian in school, decided to find Andrea's solo version since it was wholy in Italian. And a lot more of his music because Andrea Bocelli.

"[Wait, what happened? I didn't understand any of that... All I can tell is Kal is angry at Ace for some reason.]" Deuce asks, confusion clear as day.

Well, maybe except Deuce and Grim. But it's still a relief to finally have a language you can actually talk to people in. You'll admit, you hadn't actually given it any thought as to how you would have asked anyone what other languages they spoke.

"[We- We meant to ask Kallisto for their Native language.]" Trey replies, finally reining in his laughter. "[And I suppose Kallisto has had a lot he's wanted to say. And Ace has more than just Riddle he needs to apologize to, it seems.]"

"Ace wa aho." is all you say to that.

Ace, in turn, groans and runs a hand down his face.

"{I'm sorry, ok? I know I was being an asshole then, and after everything, I regret it now. Please don't be mad at me, I still need your help with this.}" He begged, looking like a kicked puppy.

You roll your eyes, but smile and reach over to pinch his ear, making him yelp.

"{Don't do it again. Or I really will kick your ass.}"

He nods, a greatful smile replacing his frown.

"{Hey, hey, Kal, can you speak anything else besides Costal?}" Cater then asks. "{I speak a bunch, so you can rely on me to translate for you if the others don't know it!}"

"Seulement celui-ci. Je ne suis pas aussi bon dans celui-ci, mais je peux tenir une conversation." You reply in French.

"Eeeh~!? Vous ne connaissez pas du tout Pyroxese!?" Cater almost whined.

"{So you know Low Vale as well. It's somewhat more common than Costal, but you have a decent pair to speak with others with.}" Trey answers instead.

Coastal... Low Vale... Pyroxese... Then there's Common and Old Trade...

You're going to have to figure out what languages are called what, seeing as they seem to be under different names. You'll need to write this stuff down when you get the chance. Lilia's translation book is gonna be getting some milage.

Still, knowing you won't be struggling as much with communication is a heavy weight off your shoulders.

"...? Deuce?" You turn to the only one who hasn't spoken, to find him looking... worried? A bit terrified?

"[I only know Common and Southern Rosen....]" He mutters. "[I skipped class and messed around so much in middle school... I didn't learn a required language...]"

"[Then the two of you can learn together.]" Trey offered. "[You can learn one of Kallisto's languages while he can learn Common from you. Or which ever language you feel comfortable with.]"

Deuce nods, shoulders sagging. "[We were doing something similar on the way there and back...]"

Trey smiles in return, before looking over the dozens of Mont Blanc.

"[... And for the finishing touch, dust the tops with powdered sugar.]" He gently sifts the powdered sugar over the pastries, then steps back as the everyone gathers to see the finished products.

You've never had the chance to eat a Mont Blanc before, so you're a bit excited to try one. They sure as hell look good. Cater is taking advantage of said looks, snapping several pic with his phone.

After, Ace plops himself in one of the stools and looked like he would have dropped his head onto the table had it not still been dirty.

"[Man, making pastries is exhausting, though...]" You pat his back in sympathy. You cooked a lot, so making pastries wasn't as tiring for you as it was for the others.

"{You'll be fine Ace. You're just not used to doing this sort of thing.}"

"[What Kallisto says is true. Things you aren't used to tire you out quick. And when you're tired, the perfect remedy is something sweet.]" Trey picks up one of the Mont Blancs and holds it out to Deuce, while you take one and hand it to Ace.

"[Dig in, Marron Tarts are best fresh.]"

The lot of you cheered, and took a bite of a tart.

God, why did you never try these before-

You have to resist shoving the whole rest of the tart in your mouth, it's so damn good. By the sound of it, everyone agrees. Well, until you notice Cater not eating any of the tarts.

Actually, he almost looks... apprehensive(?) about it. Then he notices your gaze and the look vanishes as if never there.

"{It's good, right?}" Cater sends you a wink, then motions to grab Trey's attention. "[Hey, Trey, do the thing!]"

Trey gives him a bemused look, before realization seems to hit. He pulls out his pen and your curious as to what he's going to do.

"Ne, Ne, Kal~." Instead of hearing what Trey asks in Japanese, Cater catches your attention to instead translate the question he prompted Trey to ask.

"{What's you're favorite food? Mine is grilled lamb with Diablo sause~!}"

Ah. Favorite... food...

Hm.....

Hmmmm......

HmmmmnnnNAaAaAAaAhHHhHhHH HOW ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO CHOOSE????? YOU LOVE FOOD!!!! Between the stuff your family usually makes and the restaurants you generally frequent...

Ugh, you'll just pick one at random then!!

"Scampi!" You finally declared.

"[Alright then...] Doodle Suit!" After hearing everyone's favorite foods, Trey waved his pen and let the magic fall over the half eaten tarts in your hands.

"[Now take a bite.]"

So you do.

Oh.

Oh God what the fuck-

Bad texture!! Bad texture!!!

You have to swallow down the bite of tart before the now very much Scampi-flavored tart makes you sick with the discrepancy of the savory shrimp and pasta taste and the softer texture of the vermicelli.

Even then, you press your fist to your mouth, close your eyes, and breathe through your nose just to make the queasiness settle.

"Kal...? Daijoubu?" You hear Deuce ask, and you take one more deep breath before opening your eyes and nodding at him.

"{What was that about? You looked ready to be sick after taking a bite of the tart.}" Ace questioned.

"{Let me guess, the texture and the taste didn't match properly and your stomach didn't like that?}" You nodded at Trey's guess. "{Not the first time I've had that reaction, but it has been a while. Sorry 'bout that.}"

You wave off the apology. It wasn't his fault your brain decided that was a bad combo.

"[It's usually fun, but a bad reaction happens every now and again. Poor Kal~. At least he didn't spit the tart back out.]" Cater holds out a glass of water and you take it. A couple sips and your feeling pretty much back to normal.

"[Is changing the flavor of food your Unique Magic, Clover-senpai?]" Deuce inquires.

"[To be more precise, it's magic that 'overwrites a component.' So I can overwrite not just taste, but also things like color and scent.]" Trey explains, "[The overwrite only lasts a short time, like a doodle or scribble. That's why I named it 'doodle,' since it's not permanent.]"

As Cater quietly translated for you, you had a thought. If it can rewrite a part of another person's magic, then...

"{If it can rewrite a component of anything, could it rewrite Riddle's magic, even if only for a little bit?}"

That had gotten everyone's attention.

"[Could you?? Or does it not work on another person's Unique Magic?]" Ace practically interrogated Trey, who looked more and more baffled by the question the more he thought about it.

"[I... I suppose I could, though I've never tried before. And even if I did, once the limit is up, the collar would just come back.]"

Ace wilted at the answer but seemed to get over it quick. That was why you were making the tarts in the first place, to get the collar off Ace.

"[No...]"

Your ears tune in to Trey's mutterings, catching his pinched look in the corner of your eye.

"[My magic is nothing more than child's play when compared to the dorm leader’s. He's on a different level.]"

You furrow your brow, wishing again that you had a better grasp of Japanese so that you could understand why Trey sounded so... forlorn? Despondent?

All you know was that it had to do with Riddle. It always seemed to come back to Riddle.

"[...Anyway! It's getting late. Let's head back for now, and we can give him the tart tomorrow.]" Trey began to put the last of the ingredients and utensils away. "[I'll put the tarts away, so you lot head to bed.] Ah, Kallisto, matte kudasai."

Trey holds out a small white box to you. Peeking inside, you find three Mont Blancs.

"{I remembered to make sure there were spares made for the fairies who you said helped.}"

Oh! You'd almost entirely forgot about getting tarts for the fairies! That would have been bad.

"Grazie. Buona notte, Trey, Cater." You say your farewells to the pair, giving them a little bow.

You need to plan dinner now, since Ace will be staying again. Maybe you can rope Deuce into it too. A full on sleepover!! You haven't had one of those in ages.

Pastries in hand, you turn to leave with your friends.

----

Trey watches as the freshmen leave the kitchen, arguing over something or another. After having given Deuce the clear to go stay with the Ramshackle duo and Ace, all that was left was to get the Marron tarts to the storage in Heartslabyul.

He can feel Cater's eyes on him, though.

"Trey... Do you..." Cater starts, then hesitates. Trey turns to look at his ginger companion.

With just the two of them, and the silence of the kitchen, it was hard to ignore the knots in their stomachs.

Instead of continuing his previous thought, Cater sighs and runs a hand through his hair. "I feel like I should do a tarot reading, just so I have an inkling of what might go wrong tomorrow."

"If you do, tell me the results in the morning. You're not the only one with a bad feeling." Trey admitted.

Neither of them were religious, but in that moment, Trey was willing to send a small prayer to whatever deity was listening that it was just a false alarm. Cater rings his hands, his face pinched with worry.

"I really hope tomorrow goes well. I really, really do."

"Me too Cay. Me too."

(Trey would later look back at that moment, and realized that stone in the pit of his stomach had been there for much longer than the few days into that school year. He'd realize it was inevitable. It was only a matter of time.

Yet none of them could have predicted the bomb they would inevitably set off.)

Chapter Text

Rose bushes, hedge fences, card soldiers with paint. Wonderland. 

You're dreaming again. 

You gaze around the field, trying to figure out why you're here again. 

"You went and sullied my roses! Prepare yourself!" 

You snap to attention at the familiar raging voice. Spinning around, you find the Queen of Hearts, rose bush uprooted and being swung around like a bat, Alice flat on the ground with Card Soldiers cowering near by. 

The scene of Alice's first meeting with the Queen of Hearts. 

"I beg your forgiveness, Your Majesty. It's their fault." 

"It wasn't me. It was the Ace!" 

"Was it you?" 

"No, it was Two!" 

"Two's doing?" 

"No, it was Three!" 

You watched the scene play out, knowing you couldn't interact with it. But, why were you seeing this again? Why were you properly aware this time? Your situation is pretty much the same as Alice's, right down to a Queen... of... 

Your thoughts stutter to a halt. 

A Queen of Hearts? 

"ENOUGH!" 

Your startled out of your thoughts, having forgotten the scene before you. 

"Off with all of their heads!" 

You can only watch as the card soldiers are dragged away. You know that in the original story, the Queen of Hearts only actually executed very few people. The King would quietly pardon the innocent when his wife wasn't looking. 

"Of course you lose your head for using the wrong color." 

Looking over at Alice, who is listening in on the soldiers, you feel for the child who had to watch that first hand. It's no wonder she tried to stand up to the Queen. 

"I can't believe anyone would mix up red and white." 

You sigh. You wonder when you'll wake up. You haven't felt that pull yet like last time. So you don't know how long- 

...? What's going on? The scene seems to have frozen in place, everyone has stopped moving. You hadn't noticed because you could still- 

"Hmm?" 

- hear- 

"What's this now?" 

- the Queen-! 

You froze in place, ice in your veins, as despite everything else frozen around you, the Queen turned- 

The- Queen? No, not the Queen, someone with the Queen superimposed over top of them- That's- 

"Are you ready to hear your sentence? The verdict comes after." 

-crimson hair and slate grey eyes- 

"Off With Your Head!" 

-Riddle? 

---- 

"[Ace, shut up! This isn't funny!]" 

"[Oh, no, it's not. It's hilarious!]" 

"[Shut up and help me move them before your laughing wakes them up! Don't you dare take a picture-!]" 

"Mn...?" 

You peel your eyes open slowly, sleep still addling your brain, making you unable to focus on the hushed voices around you. You groan again, eyes falling shut and burying your face in your pillow, even as it stiffens beneath you. 

.... Wait what- 

"Kal...?" 

Deuce's voice is somewhere close above you, and you rapidly blink your eyes back open to look for him. 

His face is bright red and very close to yours. 

You've somehow ended up curled onto his chest in your sleep. You blink up at him. 

"Ohayo, Deuce." 

"O- Ohayo, Kal." 

You hear Ace start howling as you uncurl yourself off of Deuce, who continues to lay there like a board. 

"Gomenasai, Deuce. Ace, {stop laughing or I'll figure out a way to tell him about the first night you stayed over.}" 

That got Ace to choke on his laughter, face flushing not unlike Deuce's. He grumbled something, but you ignored it in favor of stretching. 

The sleepover was decently successful, in your opinion. After dropping off the pastries to the fairies (and Deuce making a pit stop for the both of them to pick up pajamas) on the way back, you had thought about how to go about the sleepover with the addition of Deuce.

Since you knew your bed would be pushing it to fit three people, you'd had the idea of snatching some of the mattresses from the other rooms and dumping them on the floor of the second floor's loft. 

After that, the ghosts had pointed you towards the basement door, and after arming yourself with a broom, found the couple of washers and dryers that resided there. With that wonderful discovery, you'd had the boys go and grab some of the blankets and pillow cases from the unused rooms. 

With the now clean spare blankets and pillows, you were able to make a comfortable place for you all to sleep on without the threat of anyone getting kicked off or uncomfortably close. 

Well, at least that had been the idea.

At some point in your sleep, you seemed to have curled up onto Deuce's chest. You had known yourself to be a bit of an active sleeper, but you didn't know you were a sleep cuddler. 

Rubbing the sleep from your eyes, your mind drifts back to the dream you had.

Riddle, with the image of the Queen of Hearts over top of him... It fit, seeing as to what you currently know of the situation. Does that mean Riddle is the Queen's expy? Would that mean the other dorm leaders...?

(These dreams... it can't... it can't be that, right?) 

"Ohayo~ Kuriko-chan-tachi~!" 

"Bonjooo-" a yawn cuts off your greeting "-oooour Phineas." 

(You'd also found out last night that the Ghosts all spoke at least one of the two other languages you spoke. The chatter that occurred during dinner prep was the funnest cooking has been for you in a while.) 

"{Gus is already prepping the kitchen, so whenever you're ready, he'll be waiting. Ezra is putting some laundry in the wash for later, so don't worry about that for now.}" 

"Merci. {I'll go join Gus now.}" You stand from the pile of pillows and blankets, stretching again before following Phineas to the kitchen to make breakfast. 

With the help of Gus, you make something light to eat, knowing that the Unbirthday Party would be soon and there would be food there. By the time everyone is ready to go, a knock sounds from the front door.

One of the ghosts must have answered it, since in walks Cater, humming some cheery tune you don't recognize. He calls out a greeting as you turn back to cleaning the dishes, and the others greet him with roughly half the enthusiasm. You put the plates on the drying rack as Cater seems to finish up with whatever chatter he brought up, as you hear 'tart' and 'Riddle' pop up. 

Time for the Unbirthday Party. 

---- 

After sending off one of his clones to get the freshmen at Ramshackle, Cater tries to ignore the nerves buzzing in his stomach. 

The morning had gone as well as to be expected with Riddle's stranglehold on the rules. They were scrambling to get everything done for the Unbirthday Party, now a bit undermanned with just how many people Riddle had collared. He's starting to toe his 'safe' number of summoned clones in order to give them enough manpower. If only those kids could hurry... 

"I'm gonna get the tart and apologize to the dorm leader..." 

Ah! Here they come! 

"Yoooo! You're here. I've been waiting for Me!" He calls out to the group being lead by his clone. 

"I'm back~! Sorry for the wait, Me." The clone replied cheerfully. 

The following surprise of the reveal of his Unique Magic, Card Split, never gets old it seems. The shock and awe always makes him want to laugh in their faces, just a bit. 

"{So I was right!}" 

The declaration made him pause, turning to Kallisto who looked like he'd just solved some grand mystery.

"{You are making copies of yourself!} Shadow clone! It's shadow clone!" 

Shadow... clone....?

He can only stare in confusion as Kallisto beams proudly. His clone taps him on the shoulder as more begin to arrive and pester the underclassmen.

"Kallisto asked if I was the real one or not on the way here." It whispers, "I only told him to wait and see, but it seemed like he already knew the basis of our Unique Magic from just the one time."

Well, isn't that a terrifying thought? Someone with the capacity to analyze and figure out the basics of a magic, after only having seen it once? Especially from someone who was, for all intensive purposes, magicless? If Kallisto was any more of a devious type of person, that kind of skill...

He shakes himself out of those thoughts. Right now, he has to get the freshmen to help one more time before the party. They did pretty well painting the roses last time, and even if it's one of his last tasks, he's strained his magic levels enough today already. Might as well convince the freshmen to do it.

They (read, Ace and Grim) obviously aren't happy about it, but still comply nonetheless. Cater is their only in to the party right now. 

With the lot of them, they made quick work of what was left of the roses. He notices a clone of his arrive carrying the Marron Tarts they made yesterday, and Cater checked the time on his phone as he takes the tarts. The freshmen just finished, they'd made it right on schedule. 

"Oops! It's almost time! Well done Mes!" 

"Aye aye, sir!" And with half a thought, he deactivated his magic and called the freshmen over. Leading them to the Unbirthday Party venue, they made it just in time to see Riddle's entrance.

"Announcing our great leader! The Crimson Ruler! Dorm Leader Riddle!" 

At the cheer of the crowd, Riddle stepped into the venue, back straight and head high, like the Queen the Dorm Leaders are meant to emulate. He sweeps the party with a critical eye, and Cater tunes him out in favor of the freshmen. Trey will take care of Riddle.

(Cater sometimes thinks that, rather than the Queen of Hearts, he felt more like he'd been the White Queen to Riddle's Red Queen. Still, he hopes that the end result of this party will be as peaceful and bloodless as the Great Game of the Queens had ended.

The way his stomach twists, and the memory of his tarot reading the night before tell him otherwise.)

At the sound of Grim's amazement, he turns to his own dorm members and beamed. 

"Heh heh! It's really cool, the Heartslabyul dorm attire! The style is on point, making it a very good Magicam. On that note, time for me to change..." with a wave of his pen, he's summoned his dorm outfit. And he really does think it's stylish. He likes the pseudo suit thing it has going on, with the vest and blazer and rose in the breast pocket. 

Now for the freshmen. 

"Laws of the Queen of Hearts also state we have to dress formally on party days. As a special service, I'll get you coordinated too."

This kind of clothes changing magic is actually specifically tied to the school's different uniforms. It's meant for those in a hurry, but first years don't learn it until towards the end of school year, as there are some tricky bits to it. Being a third year, he's long since mastered this kind of spell.

Grim's ribbon is a easy feat to replace as well. As his dorm mates check out their clothes in awe, he turns to their last guest.

"{You two look very stylish.} Very cool!" Kallisto praises, applauding the attire.

"{Now, Kallisto~! I have a very important question for you!}" He almost pulls out his phone to snap a picture of the adorably curious look on their face as they turn to him.

"{Would you like pants, or a skirt?}"

(Cater wasn't sure how to take the surprise and vague suspicion on their face, but something about the faint traces of what looks like hope pierces him and nearly breaks his heart. 

Because that was a familiar look. 

Is this kid like him? From a time that that would be seen as something scornful, even being killed over? 

Even with some of the issues lingering today, and all of his own difficulties, he can't imagine dying because he refused to be a girl any longer.) 

"{What... am I choosing for?}" Kallisto asks cautiously. He gives them a placating smile and begins explaining. 

"{Uninvited guests get to play the role of the Queen's most famous guest. We have a rather stylish facsimile of her dress, but knowing that not everyone would be comfortable with that, we also have this very cute pants version.}" 

Kallisto's eyes widened and sparkled like little topaz gems, and he seems to take a second to think, before finally declaring... 

"{The pants version!}" 

Just as Cater thought. 

"{Alright then! And a-one, and a-two-!}" 

He waves his pen, and calls a little extra something, just for Kallisto. 

---- 

You close your eyes to the light of Cater's magic, and ignore the half ticklish, half tingling feeling of the magic washing over you. Once the feeling leave, you blink your eyes open and look down. 

You can't stop the gasp from escaping you. The outfit is adorable.

First is a white, diamond stitch patterned tank top, with the straps being wide and more like belts in appearance, and a twin line of black diamonds stitched down the front. A pair of white buttons at the chest give the illusion of a vest, and you then spot a pin of a familiar smiling pink cat on the right strap.

Then there's the puffy, bright blue bloomer style shorts. And you do mean bright, as the fabric shimmers in the light, and a little blue bow is attached to them at your left thigh.

Speaking of shimmering fabric, the next part is a hooded coat. It's made of a whitish, translucent fabric that shines like rainbows as you move it about. Gossamer? Is that the right word? You don't know, but it's very pretty. It flows past the pants down to your knees ending in wavy white fabric, and the sleeves cinch at your wrists with a strip of blue cloth, making them poof out. 

There doesn't seem to be any buttons or manner of closing it, though, so you assume it's more to cover up your shoulders than have any real function. 

The final touches are a blue ribbon with a white stripe down the center tied around your neck, a pair of thigh high socks, one solid white, the other striped black and white, and a black headband with a bow. The ends of the ribbon around your neck fall just below your top, and it's also made of the same shimmering fabric as your pants. 

You feel like you stepped out of a Lolita cosplay ad, but you love it. However, it's only once you're done admiring the outfit, that you notice one, hidden thing.

You smooth a hand over the now flat expanse of your chest, and pull the top to peek inside to confirm what you're feeling. 

Somehow, Cater had thought to magic up a sleeveless, skin colored binder. 

You... hadn't actually thought about a binder since arriving to Twisted Wonderland. You had one, back home, that you wore when your small breasts could make you dysphoric. It wasn't often, but it was a comfort to have that option when the dysphoria got unmanageable without it.

You don't know how Cater had discerned your need for one. But... 

You smooth your top back down and look up at the senior, eyes prickling as you fight off tears. All he does is puts a finger to his lips and send you a wink.

"[Supervisor looks like a doll! I didn't know our dorm had an outfit like that!]" Deuce's excited remark pulls your attention away from Cater, and hearing the word for 'doll' in reference to yourself makes you flush. Ace comes over and pulls the end of the coat out, waving it slightly as if to show off the almost holographic nature of the fabric.

"[Alright, enough of that now! Find your seats, and don't forget to give Riddle the tart! Let's get to the Party!]" Cater hands Ace the Mont Blanc and shoos us all in.

Once inside, you glance around, and are almost immediately taken with the tension. You spot a number of students with Riddle's collar, and you wonder just how Riddle is managing to keep so many collars going. You think there's almost a fourth of them collared.

It's at that point you find Riddle, sitting alone at one long table. There were chairs set up for others to sit there, but no one makes a move to actually sit with him. Not even Trey, who stands off to the side like a guard. Grim has even gone to follow Ace and Deuce to their table.

You cross your arms and your mind can't help but think back to your dream from last night. If Riddle is the Queen of Hearts, does he have a King? Your eyes flick to Trey, but that still doesn't feel right. Then again, Disney's King of Hearts was a bit stupid and just as under the Queen's thumb as the rest of Wonderland. 

Has anyone tried to stand up to Riddle?

You huff, and nod to yourself, now determined. If you're going to be Alice, then it's time to challenge the Queen. 

Alright Riddle, just how far does your authoritarian rule extend? 

With that thought, you march over to Riddle's table, the eyes of every Heartslabyul student following you. You ignore the whispers as you loop around the table and plop yourself in the seat next to Riddle. He stares at you in bafflement, and all you do is put your chin in your hands and smile at him, daring him to call your bluff.

"Bonjour, comment allez-vous?" You ask pleasantly. You hear him hiss out a sigh, frustration clear.

"[Of course the Uninvited Guest would break the rules and make such a scene. I'll exempt a punishment this one time for the Uninvited Guest, but only this time. Behave or you will be forced to leave.]" 

You hear the threat in his tone, but you simply sit back and cross your legs, a pleasant smile not leaving your face. Riddle gives you one last side glare before motioning to Trey. At this signal, teapots and teacups begin being passed out. 

You decide to hum the Unbirthday song, unable to completely mask the tiny excitement you feel at being at the closest thing to a real Unbirthday Party. 

Let the match begin.

---- 

Trey has to fight to not just- drag the Ramshackle perfect out of the party venue, sit him down, and beg him to stop provoking Riddle.

Trey hadn't thought the usually quiet brunet would act this way, but when he thinks about it, the only reason they probably were so quiet must have been because he was trying to understand everyone. 

With a means to communicate, the real Kallisto must be showing now. And he's trying not to scream at the glint of mischief in those brown eyes. 

As the tea reaches their table, he watches Kallisto serve it to Riddle, watch him put sugar in it, look between the sugar and the honey as if to deliberate between the two, then very obviously chooses the honey. 

"{Law of the Queen of Hearts no. 339; After meal tea should always be lemon tea with two sugars.}"

"{But no meal has even been served, so it doesn't matter what I put in my tea.}"

Riddle's brow pinches, but he makes no move against Kallisto. Trey fights to ignore the cold sweat he's broken out into. The tea is finished being served, and Riddle clears his throat. Standing, he holds the tea cup aloft, and everyone goes silent.

"Before the croquet match, a toast. Does everyone have their teacups?"

A pause, as the students raise their own cups. Kallisto continues to hum something familiar that he can't put his finger on. 

"Today is nobody's birthday, so to this Unbirthday Party! Cheers!" 

The students cheer back, and Trey watches as Cater ushers Ace towards Riddle with the Marron tarts. He goes, Grim following below  likely heading for Kallisto's seat. 

Despite how well things are going, the knot in his stomach hasn't eased at all. They've followed the rules, so nothing should go wrong... 

Right? 

"Excuse me, Dorm Leader?" Riddle sets his teacup down to look over at Ace. 

"You are... Ah, the freshmen tart thief." 

Trey swallows around the lump in his throat as he catches Kallisto's eyes over Riddle's head. He's not the only one with eyes on this. Everything is good so far, Riddle is obliging Ace's apology attempt, and now Ace just needs to present the tart... 

"Good question! It's a Marron Tart made with only the freshest chestnuts!" 

And Riddle stares, shocked. He hesitates. And for a second it's like they're in the clear- 

"A Marron tart!? Unbelievable!" 

Then Trey's heart drops as Riddle's anger returns, and he tries to find where he went wrong, what rule, there can't be a rule over something like this- 

"Rule of the Queen of Hearts No. 562; 'One must never bring a Marron Tart to an Unbirthday Party.' You've violated an imperative rule! How could you have done this!?" 

562-!? 

Cater looks to him, panicked as Riddle informs them that there are, in total, 810 rules that he'd memorized. Trey feels like he's been gut punched. How? How could there have been one pertaining to the kind of tart to bring? How were they supposed to know? How? 

"As the Dorm Leader of Heartslabyul, the dorm built on the strictness of the Queen of Hearts, I simply cannot close my eyes to this matter. Dispose of this Marron tart immediately! And throw these rule breakers out!" 

BANG! 

"{Don't you dare!}" 

Trey flinches more at the belligerent sound of Kallisto's voice than at the hand that had been slapped down on the table, rattling the tableware. He stares as Kallisto walks around the table to pick up the tart, glaring at Riddle the whole way. 

No, the tart is an excuse. 

To put himself between Riddle and the others. Kallisto is trying to shield Ace and Grim. 

"{If the problem is that it's here, then just send it back to the kitchen!}" Kallisto hisses, clearly trying to reign in some of his own anger. "{Don't you dare throw out the tart we made from scratch, trying to apologize to you in the first place, over some arbitrary rule about what tart should or shouldn't be at an Unbirthday Party! It's wasteful and a slap in the face to the people apologizing.}" 

Riddle looks completely taken aback. Everyone is completely taken aback. No one has dared to call Riddle out on anything. Ace then steps just far enough to be visible from behind Kallisto, without stepping out from behind him. 

"I agree with the Supervisor." Ace declares, even though Trey knows Ace doesn't understand Low Vale. He's likely trying to infer what's being said from what similarities there are between Low Vale and Coastal.

"This is all a bunch of arbitrary bullshit, throwing out a whole tart because of one rule." He scoffs. Deuce steps forward now, just enough to be at Kallisto's other side, beside Ace.

(Grim had taken place behind Kallisto's legs, but the way his ears are pinned behind his head and the tight grip on Kallisto's pants say he's too terrified of Riddle to speak up at that moment. The most he can give is silent support.) 

"H-hey, wait a moment..." Trey tries to step in, but is completely ignored, pinned instead by a glance from Kallisto, his brown eye hard and dark.

"Even if I believe following the rules is necessary... this is just too much." Deuce firmly states.

Riddle's face begins to tint scarlet in reignited anger, but none of them back down. 

"Arbitrary!?" He nearly screeches, and Trey can barely feel Cater tug on his sleeve, hands shaking.

"Trey! We need to stop this!" 

All Trey can think at that is, 'How do you stop two trains careening straight for each other?' 

"{Yes, arbitrary. Did you ever even give any of the new students a means to keep track of or help learn all of these rules, or are you actively using that ignorance to punish the students as you please?}" 

Trey blinks at that. Riddle was the only dorm leader in the dorm's history to so strictly keep the rules. While it had made a number of the students try to learn as many of the rules as they could, the only copies of the rules were often whatever students could find online themselves. Maybe only a hand full of the freshmen could memorize that in the three days they've been here, let alone any of the older students, himself included at the 350 he'd only been able to memorize. Would Riddle really...? 

No, Riddle wouldn't punish students for the sake of it. Strict as he is, he's only trying to make the dorm the best it can be.

The argument continues, Riddle not taking the insinuation lying down and Kallisto shooting Riddle's arguments full of holes. 

"{I'm only following and enforcing the rules to keep order! If they don't break the rules, then I won't punish them!}" 

"{True, rules are meant to keep order, but they're also meant keep people safe. I'm a guest, and I don't feel safe here! You literally threatened me for sitting next to you! No one feels safe under your rules! Every Heartslabyul student is terrified of your rules.}" Kallisto sweeps a hand out towards the cowering, wide-eyed students. The truth in his words rings in Trey's ears, even as some of the students try to protest, and he feels sick, his mind recalling the same students sobbing, wanting to transfer out due to Riddle's tyrannical hold on the rules.

"{So tell me, what, or who, are these rules supposed to be protecting? Because it doesn't look like it's the Heartslabyul students.}" 

(Somewhere under the anger, Trey spots something else flicker in Riddle's eyes. It's too quick for him to identify, but it makes something in him crack, and begin to crumble. 

What has he been doing since Riddle became dorm head?) 

"{Enough!}" Trey's heart nearly stops as Riddle pulls out his pen. He's really going to use magic on someone magicless?! 

"{In the year I've been dorm leader, not a single student of Heartslabyul has been held back or expelled. Heartslabyul is the only dorm that can say this! In this dorm, I have the highest marks, I am the strongest. That makes me the most correct! All you have to do is follow my rules without talking back!} 

{I made an exception for you as the Uninvited Guest, but now it seems I must throw the lot of you out myself!}" 

Kallisto tenses, stepping back- no, towards Ace, Deuce, and Grim, and the blood drains out of Trey. Even with Kallisto there, Riddle isn't aiming for him, but Deuce and Grim. 

Punishment by proxy.

His feet feel like lead, even though he wants to move.

"Are you ready for your sentence? The verdict comes after." 

The only thing he can move is his mouth, so he has to-

"Ridd-!!"

Fwoosh!

Something green and brown and sparkling shoots out from somewhere in the bushes bordering the venue, past him and Cater to stop alarmingly close to Riddle's face. The sudden interruption cut Riddle off as he startles and steps back. 

Rustle rustle rustle!! 

A... fairy?

Another pair of sparkling masses appear to hover near Kallisto. Trey only recognizes them since he's part of the science club. 

The fairies of the Botanical Garden. 

"Wha- What in the-" Riddle isn't able to form a coherent sentence before the wood fairy starts summoning masses of flower petals to throw at Riddle's face. He sputters and tries to swipe them away, but many still stick to his face anyway. 

Tink tink tink! Tink tink!! 

Kallisto's head snaps up at the tinker fairy, then down at the tart still in his hands. He nods, then lifts the tart up to the fairies, who lift it with magic. 

He then turns to Ace and Deuce and takes their shoulders to spin them around, shoving them towards the exit. 

"Go! Go!" The pair don't hesitate to follow Kallisto's orders, bolting for the exit. Kallisto scoops up Grim, and turns just enough to call out to the fairy attacking Riddle. 

"[Greythistle! It's enough, let's go!]" He doesn't wait for the fairy's reply, but the three fairies follow Kallisto out of the venue like a vanguard, tart floating along with them. 

It's only after the freshmen have gone out of sight that Riddle is finally able to clear the petals away from his face. He sweeps his eyes across the venue trying to find them, and can only huff out a sigh when he can't.

Even as they try to salvage the remainder of the party, Trey knows the nervous, fearful energy will stay until the end. 

"...Trey? Are you really OK with this?"

He pauses at Cater's hushed question. He takes off his glasses and runs a hand down his face.

"... I can't do much else."

(Trey knows disquiet in his heart too, will remain. 

Just what has he really been doing all this time?

In truth, he wanted to say he didn't know.)

Chapter Text

By the time you all stopped running, you'd ended up near the entrance to one of the mazes that surrounded the Heartslabyul dorm. 

"[Ahhh, I'm so pissed!! Screw that tiny, red tyrant! Does he think he's the Queen of Hearts or something!?]" Ace rants as he kicks at the grass. You hear Deuce bemoan something, but you've tuned it out as you drop Grim. 

Your heart is pounding out of control. You can't stop shaking. 

You had thought doing little provocations would be fine. Loopholing and Rules Lawyering Riddle to throw him off and make him question things. You weren't bad at that sort of thing, and it could both keep Riddle from doing anything to you and keep the heat off the students for a bit until Ace could apologize. 

And you saw it! You saw him hesitate when the tart was presented! But whatever kept him chained to keep the rules was too tight. And he overreacted, at least in your eyes. That was why you stepped in. Ace was your friend and was trying to follow Riddle's rules to apologize, how were any of them supposed to know all of the rules in the literal three days they've been here? 

But in that moment before the fairies had come in, just as Riddle was casting, you'd felt it. 

That cold, creeping corruption in his aura, projected at you full force. 

It made you want to scream, it made you want to stand near a heat source, it made you want to take a bath. It felt wrong in as many ways as you could think of, and all you wanted was to get the hell away. 

Just what the hell was that? 

(It felt too much like Grumpy, too much like that inky mess of a phantom and don't think about it don't thinkaboutitdontthinkabotitdontthink-) 

"{Hey! Hey! Are you ok?}" 

You're broken out of that spiral of thought by the tiny voice of Merrybeam. You blink at the worried faces of the fairies, and finally find yourself relaxing. 

"I'll... I'll be fine. But, what were you three even doing there in the first place? I thought you didn't normally leave the Botanical Garden?" 

The three fairies huffed and squirmed, clearly embarrassed at being called out for... something??? You watch Nightlake puff out their cheeks, as if trying to hold in their words, and finally bursts. 

"{We were gonna steal the leftovers!}" They confess. The other two quickly give up trying to act innocent and continue from there. 

"{The tarts you brought were so good, we wanted some more, so we thought we could come and wait until the party was over and take whatever wasn't eaten...}" Greythistle pouts. 

"{But that rules mongering Red Child was gonna throw out what you made to apologize! Then throw you out! The ungrateful brat!}" Merrybeam flailed about, angerly recounting the party. 

"{We weren't gonna stand for that, so we uh... well. You were there.}" Finished Nightlake awkwardly. You chuckled quietly at that, the tension from the party finally draining out of you. 

"You really saved us back there. You probably should stay away from Heartslabyul for a bit though. While I don't think Riddle can do anything to you, if he sees you, he'll probably try to get you to leave." You warned, but the fairies just scoffed, unamused. You had to force yourself not to start snickering. 

"{Mew seem to be getting along quite well with those fairies. How very un-mew-sual~.}" 

You blink at the sudden comment from an unfamiliar voice. 

You glance to your side at the... purring? voice, trying to locate this new person. 

And you did. 

Or at least, their head. 

Just their head. Floating mid-air. 

Sweet baby Jesus what the fuck- 

You shriek in alarm, backing away from the disembodied floating head of a purple haired catboy. Ace, Deuce, and Grim are quick to follow once they see what has scared you. 

"{Woops, fur-got my body~.}" 

You can only watch in half awe, half shock as the boy's body becomes visible piece by piece until he's whole in front of you. 

That- That isn't Night Raven’s uniform??? In any way you know???? Did this kid break into Night Raven- 

Wait that was all French. 

"B-Bonjour...?" 

"{Hello to mew too~.}" The boy gives you a cheeky, lopsided grin, as if he hadn't just scared years off your life expectancy. 

"[Wha-!? You actually have a body... Who are you?]" Deuce asked, calming down from the scare. 

"Ore wa Alchemi Alchemivich Pinka." He introduced himself, an accent to the name that sounds familiar, "[I am a great enigma with magic that is both like a person and like a cat.]" 

... So he's Russian?? 

Ace attempts to say the name, but can hardly get past the first part before stumbling. Deuce doesn't even make an attempt. 

"Alchemi Alchemivich Pinka." You repeat slowly, with an attempt at the accent that the name was spoken in, which, to your untrained ears, seemed Russian. 

(It sounded like the Russian accent your brother would mimic often. He always was good at faking an accent. A little too good in some cases.) 

The boy blinks in surprise, ears perking up, then beams at you playfully. You just shrugged back. He's likely not used to someone getting his name right. 

"[Everyone calls me Che'nya.]" He then says, "[At the very least, I'm on a different level than those guys in there.]" 

The almost bragging tone to his words confused you. Outside his vanishing act and his capacity to break into the school, you're not sure what he has to brag about besides a potential criminal record. 

(But the way he appears and likely disappears, the colors of his ears and tail, and the accessories he wears, Che'nya... 

The Cheshire cat?) 

"Hmmm~? {Mew're watching me so intently, is there something on my face~?}" 

You're startled out of your musings as Che'nya leans in close to your face, making you step back. Ace and Deuce step around and put themselves in front of you, blocking Che'nya from coming so close again. Che'nya only smirks, acting innocent of any crime. 

"[That little tyrant's plunged my mood down to rock bottom. Outta my way.]" Though Ace's tone was calm, you could feel the annoyance radiating off him. 

Che'nya hummed in thought, eyes narrowing slightly. 

"[Riddle, a tyrant...]" He chuckled briefly, an oddly hollow sounding thing in your ears, before continuing, "[Well, mew're not wrong. He's been a serious tom since he was little...]" 

Another mirthless chuckle followed, but you seemed to be the only one to notice the tension that had taken over Che'nya once Riddle became the topic. 

"[Do you know something?]" Deuce asked then. 

"[If mew think I do, then I do. If mew think I don't, then I don't~.]" The teasing lilt returned, which only annoyed the boys more. 

"[Which is it?]" Grim grumbled, sending Che'nya a flat look. 

"[What's this~? Do mew wanna know all about Riddle?]" 

"[Yeah, I do.]" Ace declared, "[What kind of upbringing turns you into that kind of tyrant?]" 

Che'nya snickers then, smirking and eyes dancing with mischief. 

"[Mew should ask your glasses fur-end all about it.]" 

Glasses...? 

The only person with glasses you know would be... 

"Trey-senpai?" Che'nya's smirk widened at your realization. 

"[He's known Riddle since he was a kitten. If mew wanna know about Riddle, he's the one to talk to.]" 

"[They were childhood friends?]" Deuce pondered quietly aloud. "[It didn't seem that way at all...]" 

"[If mew think so then it must be so.]" Che'nya announces, "[So, there's nothing for mew to talk to me about meow is there. See mew~.]" 

He vanishes quickly, leaving only his head visible. Grim tries to stop him, but Che'nya just hums an unfamiliar tune and completely vanishes from sight. 

All you could do was blink at the spot the cat boy once stood as Ace and Deuce talked around you. 

Trey... he'd likely return the cookbooks at some point. Maybe you could ambush him in the library. 

For now, you all needed to make it through classes today. And avoid Riddle, somehow. 

"{Well that one's an oddball.}" 

You jump at the tiny voice. You'd completely forgotten that the fairies were still here. 

Or, well, one of the fairies. Merrybeam hovers nearby with their arms crossed, looking perplexed. You suppose the other two took the tart back to the gardens. 

"Yeah... an oddball." You agreed. "What are you still doing here?" 

"{Making sure said oddball doesn't try anything.}" The flat statement makes you chuckle. Somehow, you've gotten the fairies' protection. 

"You have our gratitude, for everything." Now, to figure out how to avoide Riddle at lunch... 

Wait, if Merrybeam is still here- 

"Merrybeam, may I ask you a quick favor? I promise to repay you." 

They look down at you curiously and you turn to Ace and Deuce. 

"{Ace, do you or Deuce have a scrap of paper? I need to write something down.}"

A distraction after all of this might be just what you all need before going after Trey.

---- 

Verdreiss knows Low Vale and Coastal. 

The mass text sent by Divus to the rest of the staff was only noticed after first period. 

At least, Hulda noticed it right before second period. 

She blinked at the message for a second, processing. After it hit, she had to stop herself from letting out a whoop in joy. Finally, someone got Verdreiss's Natives! 

Oh! With this, Hulda and the others can get Verdreiss textbooks they can understand! All course materials in Night Raven are translated into nearly 2 dozen languages, including braille, so now that they have ones Verdreiss can actually understand, this will help infinitely more for getting the kid more used to school life. 

And she can finally start helping Verdreiss with his magic! 

Oh, she has so much she wants to ask! Wait, where are her scrap papers, she needs to draft some questions- 

Creeeek 

Hulda squeaks at the sound of the classroom door opening, students beginning to trickle in for their next period. Hulda sighs and sets the papers aside for now. She'll have to make up her questions during lunch break, then ask Verdreiss to meet her after classes end for the day once she finally has the brunet in class. 

That is, until she spots Verdreiss passing by the open door. 

Hulda rushes past a few incoming students, barely getting out an 'Excuse me!' as she nearly barrels into a student's legs. 

"Verdreiss!" 

Luckily, Verdreiss isn't far enough away that Hulda's call went unheard. The brunet and the two Heartslabyul freshmen turn back curiously, Grim peeping up from where he floats in front of the group. Hulda ushers them over, and Verdreiss comes without question, Grim staying with the other two. 

"Yes, Teacher?" 

"{After class today, can we speak?}" She asks then, Low Vale coming out a little stilted. It had been a while since she'd had a chance to speak it. 

Verdreiss tilted his head, curiosity and confusion clear. It was natural, Hulda supposed. Every time Verdreiss had to personally speak to the staff, it hadn't ended the best. 

(Hulda still can't get the faces of sheer horror those children made that night out of her head. These kids are what? 15? 16? And one of them has a terrible fate hanging over them. 

Hulda hadn't lied in that Verdreiss could die if their magic ever became uncontrollable. 

What Hulda hadn't said was that Verdreiss could very much destroy the whole of Sage Island in the process. 

She didn't want to turn a guillotine into a Sword of Damocles, even if neither are what she wants hanging over this child's head.) 

"Oui, {but can I ask why?}" 

"{Fontaine and I were assigned by Crowley to help you with- uh...}" 

Hulda cuts herself off. This is definitely not the place to talk about Verdreiss's Mark openly. Instead, she clears her throat, before tapping the side of her neck. 

Verdreiss seems to understand as he perks up, eyes widening. 

Hulda continues, "{We just need to figure out when we can meet up so that it doesn't interfere with anyone's schedules or work. So, after classes today, let's meet up and talk it out then.}" 

Verdreiss nods in agreement and smiles greatfully. 

"Merci. {I'll see you then, Ms. Eklund.}" 

"{Take care. No more chandelier smashing or setting the campus on fire, you hear?}" 

Verdreiss sputters at this, cheeks turning pink. 

"{None of those were even my fault!}" He pouts indignantly. 

Hulda simply laughs. With that, all she needs is to distract herself with teaching until then.

---- 

In the confines of his room, Trey lays haphazardly across his bed, hat tossed carelessly aside somewhere and glasses in one hand to throw his arm across his eyes. 

Riddle had collared more people since classes had ended, and each time, he and Cater did what they could to smooth things over. 

But ever since that disaster of an Unbirthday Party, the mood in Heartslabyul had hit rock bottom and refused to go up. Trey can't say he's surprised. 

And so, he lays there, exhausted in more ways than he knew the human body could be. 

(He can't acknowledge what Kallisto said. He can't. If he does, if he faces what those words mean, then that means acknowledging everything else, about Riddle, and himself, and everything that's lead up to this and he can't he can't he can't- 

How would he ever be able to face any of them after?) 

He doesn't move when he hears the door quietly open and close. It's probably Cater finally coming back, and Trey has no shame in Cater seeing him like this. Cater probably feels much the same. 

Though the lack of phone noises would normally concern him, Trey takes the silence as Cater's form of solidarity. 

"Never thought I'd see someone like mew mope about like this, Trey~." 

That makes Trey bolt upright. 

"Che'nya!? Wha- How-?! Why are you here!?" 

He finds his other childhood friend leaning up against one of his bed's canopy posts, staring down at him with an unusually unamused look, despite the teasing tone his question was in. Putting his glasses back on, he blinks up at the catboy in confusion. 

"I know mew know I've always come to the first Unbirthday Party of the school year since we both started school on this island to kit-nap some sweets." Trey is pinned in place by the piercing gaze Che'nya trains on him. "But that's not what we're here to talk about, meow is it?" 

Trey feels whatever energy brought on by the shock of Che'nya being here drain out of him in that instant. It takes all he has left to stay sitting up. 

He sighs heavily, clawing a hand through his hair. 

"So you saw." 

Che'nya hums in affirmation. 

"Saw quite a lot of things. That little Guest had quite the rebellious spirit. It was almost inspiring. I don't think I've ever seen someone actively step on Riddle's tail like that~." 

Trey can spy the tiny curl of amusement on his friend's lips. Of course he would find some amusement in all of this. 

"Your point, Che'nya." He almost snaps. Trey would apologize, but he can't take Che'nya's penchant for talking in circles right now. 

Che'nya, thankfully, relents, "Riddle's gotten worse since I last saw him. I've never seen that many collars on that many students at once. He's never threatened a guest before. But, then again, I've never seen someone so thoroughly rebuke him." 

Trey sucks in a breath, his stomach turning in on itself. He swallows back the emotions rising in his throat. 

"Trey, I thought removing Riddle from the situation would have made him better. Why is he worse?" 

(What has he been doing until now?) 

Trey can only bite his lip and hang his head, a strange sense of shame permeating his being. 

He hears Che'nya sigh and his near silent steps moving away. They pause at the door, and Trey checks from the corner of his eye to see Che'nya stopped, hand on the doorknob and ears drooping. 

"This whole mess was a ticking time bomb from the start, we both knew that ever since that day. But you're the only one of the two of us who can do something Trey. So do something already." 

With that, Che'nya activates his Unique Magic, vanishing from his sight. The only way he knew the other had truly left was the opening and closing of his door. 

And so he was once again alone with his thoughts. 

...He needs a distraction. Glancing around his room, he spies the cookbook he'd borrowed from the library for the Marron tarts. 

Getting out of Heartslabyul for a bit seemed best right now. 

(Somewhere in him, another piece crumbles away.)

Chapter Text

Despite what happened that morning, classes still needed to happen. And so, you went about your day as best you could.

Even with the teachers now aware of what languages you speak, and giving you textbooks you can actually read, there was still a lot to think about.

Catching Trey, dealing with Riddle's tyranny, and now, your new personal 'tutoring' with Eklund and Fontaine.

You sighed and filed away those thoughts for now. It was time for a different PE class you'd been assigned.

Flying.

That is, riding on a broom like a stereotypical witch and flying through the sky.

As far as you can tell, it seems to be some form of elective PE class, as you don't recognize a majority of the students in this class from those in your home room. Only Ace and Deuce.

While Vargas goes on about the class and Ace is translating for you, you glance over to where the brooms are. Lined up neatly along a rack, more brooms than there are students, you can tell these brooms are different from the average cleaning broom. They're the stereotypical wood-and-straw brooms, but you can tell even from here that the poles are much thicker than a normal broom. Likely to make it slightly easier to stay on the broom, though you're certain it doesn't improve the comfort of riding one.

Vargas claps his hands twice, refocusing you back to reality.

"[Alright, I'll let you all get to picking your brooms! Remember, this broom is your broom for the rest of your time in this class, so pick wisely Sprouts!]"

With that, Vargas stepped aside and most of the class bolts forward to snatch up a broom.

You had decided to hang back, letting the over eager boys fight it out first so as not to end up with bruises before class even properly started.

In truth, you're not even sure if you can get the broom to fly. From what you understood from Ace, one must focus their magic into the broom like their pens, but your magic doesn't work the same as everyone else. How were you going to even going to pass??? Can you ask Crowley to swap it with a different elective if you couldn't get the broom to fly?

"Ano... sumimasen?"

You're startled out of your thoughts by the soft voice of someone next to you. Looking over, you notice a lavender haired boy, shorter than you, hand raised as if he was going to touch your shoulder, but had hesitated. You blink at him in confusion, before he points to the now nearly clear rack of brooms.

(You also realize Grim has disappeared from your side, but you quickly spot the cat held up by his scruff in Deuce's hands, looking rather annoyed. You'll let Grim be for now, but if he tries to run off again, he's gonna regret it.)

"[Now's our chance to grab one without all the fuss.]" 

"Ah, arigato." You nod at the (admittedly, very pretty, in that porcelain doll sort of way) boy and follow him over to the rack. Once there though, you hesitate. You look over the remaining brooms, all looking roughly the same to you. It's one at the very far left that grabs your attention. Picking it up, you notice it's heavier than a normal broom too, but that's not what you have your eyes on.

At the very top of the broom's pole is a thin hole. It's too round and small to be a hole to hang the broom itself, so it must mean that something else goes there.

"{I see this broom has piqued your interest.}"

You look up at Vargas as he beams down at you.

"Oui... um... {This hole, what is it for?}"

"{I hadn't thought any of the students would pick it, though I suppose you're no ordinary student, but this is specifically a broom meant to carry a lantern on the end of it.}"

You're brows shoot up at that. A lantern? You hadn't really thought about the concept of hanging things off the end of the broom, though you really should have. It seemed like a logical notion to have happened.

"{Some brooms out there are made for different kinds of flight. Ones for high level athletics are slimmer, faster and more aerodynamic. The brooms in this class are standard brooms meant for beginners, stable and easy to control. This one however, is a little different.}"

You tip your head in confusion. It hadn't looked any different aside from the hole.

"{How so? It didn't really seem any different...}"

"{Carrier type brooms are meant to have an even higher stability in flight, and are particularly durable, since they're often used still by postal services for local package deliveries, and they need to be steady in their flight at all times or risk injury to the flier or damaging the parcel. Lantern brooms in specific are used by emergency rescue services to mark where rescuees were, or where personnel needed to be, and sometimes that meant flying in very dangerous weather.}" Vargas taps the top of the broom, finishing his explanation.

So this broom is like, a special emergency vehicle? That's... actually really cool. Wait, it's like Kiki!!! You could be like your childhood idol, Kiki from the Ghibli movie Kiki's Delivery Service!!!

"{Would you like to try it? There's no shame in swapping it for a regular broom. Some would call these types handicapped, but they actually take a bit to get used to; the stability can come off as ridged in the wrong hands.}" Vargas gestures to the few brooms still on the rack, but you shake your head.

If you're gonna somehow fly, why not take the one that stays the steadiest once you're off the ground? You just need to see if you can activate the broom's magic.

"Ooooooi!! Kal!!! [Hurry it up will ya!?]" You hear Grim call from somewhere. Turning from Vargas, you spy Ace and Deuce out on the field, Ace already on his broom and up about two feet off the ground, while Deuce still has his feet firmly on the ground, Grim hopping up and down between the two. You roll your eyes, but wave at them in acknowledgement. You turn to Vargas and give him a quick bow of gratitude, before rushing over to the boys.

"Deuce, naze... tobe... nai?" You try asking why Deuce hadn't started like Ace had. Deuce starts to answer, but Ace answers for him before he can.

"{This one wants to play Knight in Shining Armour and catch you if you fall.}" The redhead says with a teasing lilt. "{That is, if you can even get the broom up in the air.}"

Deuces huffs at Ace, knowing he was being made fun of even if he couldn't understand anything that was said. 

"Kantokusei, [don't worry! I'll help you the best I can!]" He declared to you, and you give him a nod and a smile in return.

Now, the hard part. You gaze at the broom intently, determined to figure something out. Grim could probably activate the broom, but you wanted to see if you yourself could first. So you hold it level and swing one leg over, straddling the broom. You take a breath and try to think of anything that could get your magic to work.

Words... words to activate flight...

And my feet can't stay on the ground any longer,

"Up, up, and away...?" You whisper, hoping, praying. Picturing in your mind's eye the broom going up, believing it will happen.

With every leap of faith I feel a little stronger.

Nothing happens. Your hands tighten on the pole, and you think you've failed, and the disappointment makes your eyes begin to sting-

Wanna swing from a star in the big blue sky.

-Until you feel a pinch in your throat and your heart give a single mighty thump, and suddenly you're very close to bashing your face into the broom's handle as it jerks up under you.

It takes you a second to register the sound of Deuce's worried voice as his and Ace's hands reach to help you stabilize yourself. Your eyes are trained on the ground. The ground your feet are no longer touching.

Don't wanna watch it all go by,

So I'm gonna fly.

You wheeze out an incredulous, near hysterical laugh. 

You're flying.

Holy shit, you're flying. Truly, in the God damn air, on a fucking broom like a cartoon witch, flying.

You're so damn giddy, energy racing through you like a live wire, you're fairly certain you're shaking with it. But you don't care, you're nearly three feet off the ground, laughing like a madman between Ace and Deuce, both now on their brooms. Grim hops up and sits himself as best he can near your lap.

You're able to rein in your laughter, but you haven't quite stopped shaking. It doesn't matter, you can feel the connection you now have to the broom. You carefully lean to the left and the broom slowly slides in that direction, and the boys following your lead. You lean forward and the broom follows.

Like riding a bike, you think. Just without the pedals. And in the air. You experiment with the maneuverability, leaning this way and that, and you slowly figure out how this broom works. How flying works.

Holy fucking shit, you're really flying.

"{Well look at that, you're a natural!}"

You beam as you pass Vargas, another peel of laughter ringing out from you. You spy the lavender haired boy, staring at you from the other end of the field, though you can't quite read his face from this distance. You give him an excited, joyous wave, and you're too into learning more about flying to care to see if he responded.

You're still riding that high well after class ends.

----

It's hard to ignore the whispers floating about the class, even if they're not directed at Epel. He's become too attuned to listening in that he can't help but pick up on the current topic.

"Ain't that the magicless kid? How the hell are they flying?"

"No, not magicless, I specifically remember the Dark Mirror saying that his magic was just really weak."

"Hey, have any of you seen the cafeteria fight he was part of?"

"You say 'fight' like those seniors actually fought back. It was a one-sided curb stomp if I've ever seen one, and I had a front row seat."

Epel has seen said video, and now that he's actually gotten a good look at him, it's hard to picture that the brunet who was so elated at flying is the same one who took out two seniors in no time flat.

Up close, the brunet didn't look like much; skinny, feminine enough to look androgynous, brown hair delicately framing his face, no trace of any make up, with the only real defining feature about him being his brown eyes. He would have said quiet, but he'd been watching when the brunet finally got his broom in the air. 

First time flying by himself perhaps? Epel can remember his first time using a broom by himself; a few years ago, he'd used his Granny's old Carrier, wanting to pick the apples from the very tops of the trees. Just being able to get off the ground by himself was exhilarating, let alone actually flying around.

(He's sure half his damn dorm would kill for a natural pair of brown eyes. But Epel thinks he understands why now, at least a little bit. Even he can admit now that there's something about brown eyes that are just... pretty. Plain and simple. No grand efforts needed like the rest of his dorm goes through.

... He really needs to get the hell out of Pomefiore. This is definitely not like him to think about.)

"Hey, have you heard about what happened in Heartslabyul this morning? The Ramshackle kid straight up rebelled against Dorm Leader Riddle."

"And he didn't get collared!?"

Epel froze at that, then spun around and nearly tripped over himself rushing over to the students who just spoke. 

"What about rebelling against a Dorm Leader?"

----

Ok, so, in all honesty, after the shit that was this morning, Ace was certain that lunch was going to be a stress filled endeavor since they were trying to avoid Riddle.

"Oh, I'm so glad I could find this old tea set. Please do be careful with those cups boys, that is bone porcelain and I don't know what being locked in a case for so long might have done to them." Phineas says as he pours tea.

Ace sits now just off one of the paths in the Botanical Garden, at a table set up for lunch, Phineas serving them as if it was the normal thing to do. The fairies from earlier sit on the tea tray, munching away at some biscuits with jam.

Is this what Kal had that fairy do? Get Phineas to make them lunch and set it up in the gardens? How did Kal even get the fairies to agree to this? Bribe them with jam???

He watches as Kal takes a sip from the delicate cup painted with sunflowers and bluebells, as Grim and Deuce dig into their food with gusto. He takes a bite of the really damn good Alfredo he's been served.

He decides he doesn't really care.

At some point, Kal pulls out one of the translated textbooks they'd gotten and just, started reading.

"{Are you studying?? Now?? It's not even two days into the school year!}" He complained. Ace already hated studying for tests, he's definitely not into studying for the sake of it.

Kal just levels him with a flat, disgruntled look.

"{How else am I supposed to catch up to the rest of you?}"

Ace snorts at that, and leans over to see which subject Kal apparently struggles in.

Because really? Catch up? To them? Kal is so far the smartest person of the three of them, what the hell do they need to catch up-

That's a history textbook.

Oh.

Oh.

Right. Time traveler. Kal was still about 400 years behind the entire school. He didn't think he'd forget that fact.

.... Great job putting his foot in his mouth, now he feels like an ass. Again.

"... Scusa, Kal." He tries to hide the burn of shame behind a sip of tea.

"{... 7/10. You're getting better at apologizing. Maybe I'll teach you manners yet.}"

That nearly makes him spit out his tea. This cheeky, conniving little-

"{What the hell do you mean 7/10!? Come here, I'm gonna pinch your ear so hard-}"

"H-hey! What are you two arguing about now!? Careful with the teacups-!"

Kal just laughs and holds the textbook up like a shield, dodging his attempts to get at them, while Deuce tries to make sure no one breaks the tea set.

Grim and the fairies just watch on, munching away at their food.

"... So what kind of jam is that? Is it good? Can I try a bit?" Grim asks holding out a biscuit cookie. The fairies drop a tiny dollop on the cookie and he cheers, shoving it quickly in his mouth.

Somewhere in the background, Phineas is wishing he had a camera.

Chapter Text

"{So that should be set. Sunday afternoons in the Arts classroom! We'll see you next week then?}"

You nod at Eklund, scribbling down the info in your translation book. With that squared away, now it was time to put the rest of your plans into motion.

After discussing it with Ace and Deuce at lunch, you all had decided that, while you went to go figure things out about your tutoring with Eklund and Fontaine, they would go find a spot in the library for a stake out. Then needed to catch Trey, and seeing as he had to return the cookbooks at some point, that was the best chance you had to do so.

Now you just needed to hurry over to the library. Luckily, Eklund's classroom wasn't that far from it, so it didn't take you long to get there. Grim floats just outside the door, and when he spots you coming, perks up and waves you over.

"[Finally! You're lucky Trey didn't show up while you were gone! Now come on Henchman, we're gonna get to the bottom of this!!]" He says as he leads you over to the table Ace and Deuce have chosen.

You sit down next to Deuce as he pulls out the chair next to him and sigh. Deuce pats your shoulder sympathetically, giving you an encouraging smile.

"[Hang in there Supervisor. Hopefully we won't have to do this for long.]"

You nod and smile in return. You don't know what you'll do if this takes days to accomplish, but you still have to try.

You decide to pull over one of the books- er... magazines?- the boys seemed to have grabbed at random in order to look busy and opened it to a random page. Oh hey this is in Italian....

Numero 345. È contro la legge tenere un asino addormentato-

Wait, wait, hold on, what is this article? You flip back a couple pages to find the title of the article and translate it.

The 10 Strangest Laws of the Queen of Hearts

.... That is a bit on the nose for the current situation. Still, you decided to give it a skim, just out of curiosity.

88. One must not dance in the dark after midnight.

131. If someone knocks on your door and requires the use of your toilet, you must let them enter.

250. One cannot fly in a hot air balloon with a rooster.

333. One is not allowed to keep ice-cream in your pocket on a Sunday.

The one you first read was; One cannot have a sleeping Donkey in your bathtub after 7pm. 

The more you look at these, the more you feel vindicated at your reaction to Riddle. These rules definitely sound like something out of classic Alice in Wonderland, not something someone should enforce on modern-day people, even in a world as crazy as Twisted Wonderland. If all 810 rules are like this, then it's no wonder the students of Heartslabyul felt so caged.

You purse your lips and close the magazine. This is only going to make you more angry than you need to be and you need to be calm when approaching Trey.

"[Ah! Look, there he is!!]" 

Speak of the devil.

You turn at Grim's exclamation, and indeed, Trey has arrived at the library with the cookbooks he'd borrowed, looking just as pensive as you'd seen before. You all watch for a few seconds, then, as Trey leaves the books in the return rack by the Librarian's desk, you decide it's time to act.

You stand and quickly make your way over to Trey, the boys hopping up to follow you. Once close enough, you reach out and take Trey by the arm. He startles, but calms once he sees that it's you and the others. 

"[Oh, it's you guys...]" He sigh in what seems to be resignation, and allows you to pull him farther into the library. Once you feel like you won't be immediately disturbed or overheard, you let him go. At that point, you step back, cross your arms and stare up at Trey. He seems to wince at your gaze, but you were expecting that much, all things considered.

(He can't seem to meet your eyes. You can't tell if it's you or Trey's conscience.)

"[We figured you'd return the cookbooks eventually, so we camped out here.]" Deuce starts the explanation. Ace follows your example, crossing his arms with a huff.

"[We really can't agree with the way Riddle is doing things.]"

Trey heaves a long sigh and cards a hand through his hair. "[... I bet.]"

And so, the interrogation begins.

----

"What do you really think of him? Have you been his lapdog since you were kids or what?"

"Who told you that?"

"Some guy named Che'nya."

'...I'm going to have to send Che'nya a text after this.'

Of course it was Che'nya who sent the freshmen after him. He can't really blame either party though, with how things had gone, but he still can't help but feel some small bit of annoyance at his long time friend.

"Aren't you older than him? Just tell him what's what already. What's wrong with you getting angry at him?"

("But you're the only one of the two of us who can do something Trey. So do something already.")

He holds back a flinch at Grim's accusation, and bites the inside of his cheek. He really will need to give them an explanation, these kids aren't going to back down without one.

"Of course, I'd do it if I really had to."

(He would. He would. He almost had, back at the party, but-)

"But... I just can't bring myself to."

"Why!?"

"Everything Riddle is was 'made' by following strict rules." That made the freshmen pause, allowing Ace to give Kallisto a brief translation. It gave Trey long enough to send a mental apology to Riddle, before he silently grits his teeth and launches into the borrowed information.

(Kallisto only gave him a raised brow at the presented information. For all brown eyes are pretty, and for all they are unjudging, Kallisto's eyes still are able to make his insides squirm. They have this... intensity, like he can't keep anything a secret for long.)

"In his homeland there isn't anyone who hasn't hear of his parents, as Healers they're that famous. His mother is especially exceptional, and she wanted Riddle to be exceptional as well. So, from dawn 'til dusk, his every move was decided for him, down to the smallest thing, as part of a regimented study program."

"Down... to the smallest thing?" Grim blinked up at him in disbelief.

Trey nodded and crossed his arms close, extrapolating on this. Food, clothes, what he was allowed to enjoy, even who he could associate with, nothing was ever Riddle's choice. His mother was Absolute in their household.

(To the point even Riddle's father was driven out for trying to stand up for Riddle. How else could Trey have been given all this information when she ripped them apart? Lewis Roseheart was as timid as he was kind, and he had urged the heartbroken children in the bakery to not resent the poor trapped redhead.)

"Nevertheless, Riddle never said a word and strived to meet those expectations, and perfected his Unique Magic at age ten. On top of that, he's maintained the top spot since Middle school.

I can't even begin to imagine how difficult that must have been."

Riddle believes he's doing everyone good by doing all this. Because it worked for him, it must work for everyone else, right? It's his way of caring, even if it's strict.

On the other end, nothing scares Riddle more than breaking a rule, even when he's here, at school, far, far away from his mother's iron hand.

"{If he encourages rule violations in any form, it'd be like rejecting his whole existence that was formed by said rules. That what you're trying to say?}" Ace summarily summarizes for Kal, who's face has been growing more and more pinched as they listen. Trey bites the inside of his cheek. He hates doing this, but he needs these freshmen to understand before they do anything more rash.

"... I understand why you think he's a tyrant. And that his way of doing things is incorrect. But, for me...." His shoulders sag with this last admission, any fight he had draining out of him. "I just can't bring myself to scold him."

The three younger students and monster all quieted to digest this information, and Trey waited as they did.

He watched the emotions flit across their faces, many he recognized mirrored from himself. Ace was seemingly the first to draw a conclusion, hands on his hips as he hisses out a sigh.

"... After hearing all this, I finally understand."

Trey feels only the barest of relief for less than a moment before accusing red eyes pin him down.

"The way Dorm Leader Riddle is now, is your fault."

The statement lands like a punch in the gut.

----

"[Dorm Leader Riddle has no say in who his parents were. But, you've at least thought they were wrong for a while, right?]"

"[That's...]"

"[If you think Riddle's making the same mistakes as his parents did, say so. Put him on the right track.]"

You try not to wince at the absolute gobsmacked expression Trey now has. Ace has probably hit far too close to home, if not the nail on the head but that reaction.

"[What good is coddling him just because you feel sorry for him? You're just going to watch as he becomes hated and isolated from everyone?]"

At the gutted look Trey gives Ace then, you decide to step in before Ace gets too into this scolding. You step in front of Ace, keeping him from continuing, sending him a little warning glance back at him to get him to let you take over. He looked about to protest, but Deuce's hand on his shoulder and a slight shake of his head stops him. With that, you face forward and take a steadying breath.

"{Trey...} you begin slowly, "{I know that there probably wasn't a lot you could have done for Riddle.}"

Trey blinks, surprised at your placitation.

"{However,}" You cut off whatever line of thought he might be forming. "{that isn't to say that there was nothing you could have done.}"

Trey wanted you all to understand, now it's your turn to make him understand.

"{Riddle trusts you. Above everyone in this school, he trusts you. Maybe you couldn't have helped him with a lot, and you shouldn't be the one who has to, but when has turning a blind eye ever fixed a problem?}" Despite Trey's flinch at your words, you press on. "{At the very least, you could have tried to teach him proportional punishment. Like how we made a new tart to replace the one Ace ate, that abides by the rules and is equal to the level of offense. Riddle just goes straight to the highest punishment no matter the actual level of the offense.}"

You stop and take another calming breath, you don't want to get so worked up and angry at Trey. 

(You know the difference. Between letting someone get away with something they shouldn't be punished for or keeping them safe, and actively knowing there's a problem and letting it go on.

Between your parents and siblings, you've lived both sides. You won't let someone else make those kinds of mistakes if you can help it.)

"{Instead, you let it fester. Was it really that you felt sorry for him? Or were you just as scared as the rest of the students?}" 

Trey could no longer reply, pale and shell-shocked. 

"{So don't try to tell us to stop Trey, not after this. I don't think you even have the right to, anymore.}"

Your words hang with the finality of a guillotine. No one makes a move as Trey bites his lip hard enough you fear he'll bite through it. Part of you is sorry for the turmoil you've just inflicted on the upperclassman, but he needs the wake up call.

"[And what, pray tell, are you going to be doing?]"

You all startle at Crowley's voice coming low and breaking the tenuous stalemate. All of you turned to find him with his arms crossed and an eyebrow raised.

Deuce, the one with the least tension at that point, recovers first makes it his job to explain what's happened to Crowley. Once finished, Crowley taps at his chin with the tip of his claw, mulling over the situation presented.

"[I see, so that's the situation...]" He'd said mullishly. "[You're against apologizing to get the collar removed, but you don't feel you can persuade Riddle to let this go without causing a scene.]"

You all nodded at the assessment.

"[And you believe your only other option is to transfer dorms? To do so would involve quite a bit of tedium, as your dorms were chosen by the Dark Mirror based on your soul's characteristics.]"

Ace huffed a frustrated breath at his bangs, "[Transferring... It feels like admitting defeat...]"

Crowely gives a slow nod, humming in acknowledgement.

"[Well, there is one other method you could try.]"

Curious, the boys perk up.

"[You could request a definitive match against Roseheart for the position of Dorm Leader. It's how Riddle became dorm head in the first place.]"

The following shocked exclamation after that makes you jump and blink in confusion. When Ace finally deigned to translate for you, you have to force yourself not to roll your eyes and bury you face in your hands in exasperation.

Because of course this place has the mean for school sanctioned fights. Of course they do.

Ok, since this is apparently for the Dorm Leader, you yourself are probably not eligible to make the application as well. 

You ignore whatever the boys have prompted Crowley to explain now (you hear 'Ryoucho' enough to gage that they likely asked how Dorm Leaders are chosen,) and sink into planning.

There is no way Ace and Deuce can win legitimately against Riddle if they take him head on. And, all things considered, your boys are bad at any kind of forethought. So you need to be the one to drill into their heads a plan on how to win against someone so much stronger than them. Riddle wouldn't be allowed to handicap them, since that would make it even more unfair than it already is, so that's at least an initial point to getting the collar off. It's also likely that it's magic only, so you're quite certain neither of the boys are allowed to rough up their smaller dorm leader.

(You feel like you're about to try taking on a Dark Souls boss severely underleveled. Your sister would be so proud of that comparison from you.)

You think back to what you've seen of Riddle's Unique Magic, and try to remember every detail you can parse through that could give you an advantage.

You catch Trey looking at you out of the corner of your eye, lips pressed thin, but seemingly resigned to let this happen. At this point, Crowley leaves, likely to go set everything else up.

Then Ace turns to you, gives you an appraising look, and smirks.

"{I know that look. You've already got a plan in the works, don't you Kal?}" He loops an arm around your shoulder, and you pointedly don't look at him, only giving him a smile. Deuce, catching on to Ace's tone and look, also smirks wickedly, making him look itching for the promised fight. Trey can only sigh and shake his head like the overworked and underappreciated deputy he is.

"{Well, I have a thought or two that might help.}"

If this school is expecting a fight, you're gonna raise them a whole ass war.

Chapter Text

You're in a courtroom this time. Dark and imposing, the judge's podium standing tall and ominous over everything, while the defendant's podium faces it from the floor.

In their places are a familiar girl in blue and a large lady in red and black. The isle is lined with playing card soldiers.

It's no longer a surprise to be dreaming of Wonderland at this point.

Alice's trial scene sits before you, hazy in this dreamstate, but unmistakable.

Except-

"Your Majesty indeed. Why, you're not a queen!"

Except it's not quite right.

"You're just a pompous, bad-tempered tyrant!"

Alice and the Queen are there, but so are Ace and Riddle, the ladies hovering like ghosts just behind the boys' heads.

Something's wrong.

The Queen- Riddle?- laughs cruelly above.

"What did you say?"

"She said you're a pompous, bad-tempered tyrant."

You know how the scene goes; the Cheshire Cat egging on the Queen, there was the moment Alice grew large for a short time only to shrink back during her rant at the Queen, the Queen demanding her head and the card soldiers descending upon her.

Except

the scene

shifts

and you're no longer in the Queen's courtroom.

You're back in the rose maze- No you're back in Heartslabyul's party garden. Or, at least, the dorm itself says you are, as the garden is in absolute tatters, rose bushes uprooted and parts of the lawn destroyed.

Something's wrong something's wrong something's wrong something's-

Ace is sprawled in the grass on his rear, staring up at something in fear, trying to crawl back, away from something.

You look across from him and-

The scream lodges in your throat.

There's Riddle, and the Queen's apparition floating behind him, but she huge, and there's this- black, inky, shadow-aura-thing surrounding him and-

Riddle

raises his arm, 

the rose bushes follow.

Ace inches back.

No. No no no-

You can't hear anything, you don't think you could over the roar of your heart in your ears. You need to move. You have to-

Hands clasp your shoulders tight, and you can no longer move at all. Can only watch.

No no no no nononononoletgoletgoletgoletgo-

Riddle swings his arm down. The bushes shoot forward. A rough, feminine voice coos in your ear.

"Remember, Alice. Beware the Queen."

Everything goes black.

----

"--!!!"

Jerking awake with a choked off sound, you blink blearily into the faint light of early morning. You pant slightly, heart racing so fast you feared that it would wake Ace and Deuce, who still sleep on either side of you on the pressed together mattresses.

Carefully, you sit up and put your head between your knees. It takes a few deep breathes to get your heart to slow back down to normal before you finally decide to try and think.

You remember that you dreamed of Alice's trial. 

You remember that there was something after the trial.

But you don't remember what.

It is a vaguely set pattern you're familiar enough with; you dream, sometimes you remember pieces of the dream, sometimes you only recall that you had dreamed, but some part of your conscious keyed into those forgotten parts and said they were special.

And then the dream you don't remember plays out before your eyes in reality, déjà vu permeating your mind.

Precognitive dreaming was something you inherited from your mother's side, though your mother was the only one you ever actually talked to about it. It was never anything worth mentioning to anyone in the first place. You'd only ever dreamed of mundane moments; things that didn't matter, were inconsequential whether you decided to change them or not as the moment happened in front of you.

You've never woken up from one like this.

Had it been effected by the magic now running through you? You had only ever been aware that you were dreaming once before all this, and that was during a nightmare. Now, this was three times in a row you've been aware in your dreams.

Either way, you're not gonna be able to go back to sleep.

Carefully, you slipped out from between the boys, dodging Grim's wayward tail on your way. You're still sleeping in your gym clothes, so it's a simple thing to head down to the front door, find a pair of good shoes, and head out into the washed out grey of early dawn.

You weren't going to go far, you were just going to jog a few laps around the dorm, to clear your head. It helped back home, when you were stressed.

(You very purposefully do not think about your siblings and how much you miss doing sports with them. AJ preferred his martial arts, and he also took up racquet ball like your dad, while you had running and dance, but Flo only liked exercise when one of you were doing it with her, otherwise she would have just stuck with her sewing and crafts projects.

The stupid things was, was that your sister was the only one who could actually visibly gain muscle between the three of you. AJ got so jealous and you had laughed at the irony.

They both would have loved flying.)

You do some stretches, just enough that you won't be feeling it later, then set yourself into a steady jog.

It's on your fifth loop, when the sun had properly risen, that you find Ezra hovering on the porch. You slow to a stop and gaze at him curiously as he comes over to float around you.

"{You alright Lil' Chestnut?}"

"{I... I am now.}" Or as good as you're going to get. "{Just... a weird dream. Running helps.}"

He stares at you a moment longer, seeking, but eventually nods reluctantly.

"{Come along then, you know how Gus worries. Phineas has the kitchen all set for you two to make breakfast, too.}"

You nod with a small smile, and follow the ghost back inside.

Now, what to cook for the trials of the day?

----

Ace pops another bit of cut fruit into his mouth as he watches Kal putter about the kitchen from the island.

Today was it. He and Deuce would challenge Riddle for the seat of Dorm Leader after classes ended. Kal had pounded into their heads as much strategy as they could in the night before.

(Kal couldn't challenge Riddle themself. 

Well, they could, but it was a whole other kind of challenge according to Crowley, some kind of Dorm Leader Fued, and Trey stated that the repercussions would not be worth it if Kal lost.

Even if Kal could only be considered a Dorm Leader on a technicality. )

Watching Kal in the kitchen was one of the only times he'd seen Kal actually truly relaxed. There was always some minor tension in their shoulders when in the school. Even when they all had lunch with the fae in the botanical gardens, Kal still hadn't really relaxed, intent on catching up.

(As if they weren't displaced 500 years into the future.)

When Kal reaches to take one of the empty plates, he notices something on Kal's right hand. He startles not just Kal, but Deuce when he snatches Kal's wrist suddenly. To make up for it, he's gentler when pulling Kal's hand closer to squint at it.

"{... You have a scar here.}"

It's small, but an almost obvious pale white dash on the side of Kal's first knuckle. It didn't look new either.

"{How did it happen? Cooking? Hit something the wrong way?}" He asks, running his thumb over the very slightly raised skin. Deuce leans over from where he sits, eyebrow going up in surprise at the sight.

(Was it from their first meeting? A nervous part of him stutters in the back of his mind.)

"Dog."

Ace blinks at that.

"A dog bite?" Deuce asks for them. Kal nods, and adjust their hand in his grip.

"See. Here." From the most obvious one on the side of their knuckle, they trace a faint line of puncture scars across the top of their first two finger and the back of their hand, now obvious to their eyes.

"{We've always kept dogs, but I was too little when this happened to actually remember how or what dog did it. I don't even think my parents remember, but the shape is right for a bite even if none of us were sure what happened. It's just something I've always had. I have a couple others, if you want to see? Ones I actually remember getting.}" 

Ace ran his thumb over the whole of the scar, then turns to Deuce to ask him about any scars he might have.

(500 years, but Kal is still just another teen, just like them. Dumb mistakes, their scars, and all.)

----

"Are you for real?"

"I tried to stop them..."

Cater ran his hands down his face and tried not to groan out loud.

A nightmare. This had to be a nightmare. He had hoped that the hushed chatter of his dorm mates was false. That Ace and Deuce hadn't challenged Riddle for his seat.

But no, this was reality. This was actually happening.

(Cater had to fight the shudder wanting to crawl down his spine. Everyone in their's and Riddle's grade level and their last remaining seniors still remembered that day last year, when Riddle had challenged him for the seat.

Cater hadn't lasted long, but he had lasted. He'd had the forethought to make his clone take the initial hit of Riddle's Unique Magic by having it take his place before the match started.

Watching his clone be dismissed in such a manner wasn't new, but it had rattled him with just how fast Riddle had done it.

Cater had always had trouble with going against Auratic casters.)

"Verdreiss seemed adamant in trying to teach them some kind of strategy." Trey tried to placate. Which only earned him a raised brow.

However, instead of thinking too hard on that, Cater threw his hands in the air in defeat.

"I'll just pray this doesn't end up causing more trouble than it's worth."

(His mind flashes the images of the Emperor and Hierophant in reverse, and the upright Tower, and he can already feel the falsehood in his own words.)

---

"[The challenge for the title of Heartslabyul Dorm Leader will begin shortly.]"

You listen from one side of the gardens as Crowley announced the challenge. Riddle stands casually (or as casually as someone as rigid as him can,) across from Ace and Deuce, who both stand with a determined air.

Your eyes wander, glancing around at the crowd that's gathered. Somewhere around half, maybe just under, of the students present have collars on them.

"{You have to outlast him.}"

You recall your instructions to the boys.

"{It seems like every single collar is connected to him. He has to be feeding every one even the thinnest bit of magic to keep them in place. But that means he can't use anything particularly strong or he risks exhausting himself. This is your key to victory.You have to make him use something other than the collars. You have to turn it into an endurance match.}"

You turn your gaze back to the field, as Riddle releases the collar in accordance with the rule against handicapping an opponent beforehand. Ace rubs at his neck, rolling it slowly in relief. Riddle says something confidently, likely a remark on how quickly the match will end, before seemingly questioning the boy's determination.

They respond, stern but not overconfident, and you narrow your eyes and hide a smirk behind your hand.

"{How are we supposed to do that? You've seen how fast he is at casting it.}"

You watch as Riddle is dismissive of them, replying to Cater and the crowd cheers him on. Grim hisses in obvious displeasure, while Ace and Deuce huff, but glance back at you. You send them a small nod, and they turn back, ready.

You catch Trey's eyes, and simply give him an innocent tilt of your head.

"{Simple.}"

Crowley raises the hand mirror that he's to smash to signal the start the match. He takes one last glance between the challengers, then hurls the mirror to the ground with a resounding crash.

"OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!"

"{You move.}"

You watch Ace and Deuce hurl themselves in opposite directions, the bolt of Riddle's magic flying between them harmlessly.

You smirk proudly as Grim cheers beside you, Riddle's stunned expression clear for all to see.

"{While it seems he can cast his magic in any direction, he seems to have trouble hitting a moving target. You'll only get one chance to stun him by making him miss.}"

You watch as Ace shoots a wind spell, forcing Riddle to dodge, and when he turns to Ace, Deuce launches a small cauldron, causing Riddle to create a small magic barrier to stop it.

This back and forth between Ace and Deuce keeps Riddle from being able to cast his Unique Magic on either boy, forcing him on the defensive and sticking to other spells.

"{After that, you can't stick together, he can hit both of you at once if you stand close enough, but if you trade off attacks, he won't be able to focus on one of you long enough to take you out in turn. You have to work in tandem and wear him out enough to end it.}"

You can't believe this is working.

Riddle seems to be getting more frustrated as the match goes on, likely realizing Ace and Deuce together are an actual threat.

You glance around, noting the stunned looks of the audience. No one expected them to last past Riddle's first cast.

A giddy feeling bubbles up in your chest.

They might actually do this.

They might actually-

"[I'VE HAD ENOUGH!]"

Your heart jumps into your throat as the hair on the back of your neck stands on end and ice curls down your spine and you get a feeling of wrongwrongwrong-

Riddle makes a wide sweeping motion, knocking away Ace and Deuces attacks, startling them. A second sweep calls forth a wall of vines that herd Ace and Deuce to one spot.

"OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!"

And just like that, Riddle won.

Chapter Text

The collar doesn't exactly pinch. It's a perfectly smooth loop that sits just snug enough that it would be particularly uncomfortable to stick fingers between it and the throat it's been latched on to.

The also unknowable magic metal its made out of is just heavy enough to be uncomfortable, especially after longer periods.

Ace hates it especially now.

He and Deuce had lost.

He wants to tear up one of those damn rose bushes in his frustration, instead he grits his teeth and glares across at their still in power Dorm Leader, who stands panting across the field. He says something, but Ace ignores him by looking back to Kal to see how they're holding up.

(A small, petty part of him hisses in satisfaction at that. The two of them at least forced that arrogant half pint to work for his victory.)

He doesn't tune back in until Deuce makes a comment back.

"-ules should be followed. But enforcing absurd rules just makes you a tyrant!"

"Excuse me? If one breaks the rules, they are then punished. And in this dorm, I am the rules. Those who refuse to obey don't get to complain when I take off their heads!"

Can this prick get any more self absorbed?

"[That's what a tyrant is!]" He hears Kal yell in Low Vale, "[You enforce rules no one can possibly keep just because you can! You don't get to do whatever you want because 'it's the rules' and expect everyone to just keep their head down! That isn't how it works!]"

Ace is about to cheer Kal on, only to freeze when Riddle turns to rail on Kal. And Riddle clearly has stopped caring.

"What is wrong is all for me to decide!!" Riddle yells back, but changes his tone quickly to mocking cruelty, "If you can't follow a simple rule like that, then what was your education like? Your parents could probably barely use magic and didn't receive much in terms of schooling before coming here. You can't even speak Common, how pitiful."

Ace sees hurt flash in Kal's eyes.

(He watches as umber eyes fill with tears as Verdreiss stares blankly at the decrepit piano in the old dwarf house, and though he doesn't understand, something about it still hurts.

The warmth of Kallisto's smaller hand seeps through his gloves as he coaxed him to cast the magic again, an apology and an olive branch, and watches his eyes sparkle like topaz with awe. "See? Nothing to be afraid of."

"Eat." Kal says gently, nudging the sandwich closer, giving him a small smile he doesn't feel like he deserves, eyes warm like a cup of hot chocolate.

Kal stands like they're the Queen of Hearts despite being dressed like the Uninvited Guest, burning wood eyes forthright and determined as they call out Riddle's hypocrisy.

Hurt. Hurt turns they're eyes a bitter, black coffee. And Ace hates black coffee.)

And then Ace sees red.

He comes back to himself with his knuckles smarting and Riddle on the ground holding his bruising cheek.

"SHUT THE HELL UP!! YOU DON'T GET TO TALK ABOUT KAL LIKE THAT!!"

If he gets expelled for this, fine. But at least he'll do it knowing he defended the one unequivocally good person in this damn school.

"Ahh, I don't care. About the duel, becoming dorm leader, any of it." His voice was low, but the undercurrent of anger was still there. Riddle was still clutching his bruising cheek, staring blankly still in utter disbelief that Ace had the gall to hit him. The crowd muttered and whispered around them, fearful and awestruck.

"Kids aren't their parents' trophies, and kids' achievements don't determine their parents' worth." He points down at Riddle, glaring harshly, "The reason you're such a bastard isn't your parents fault, I finally understand that!"

Ace's voice rises as his anger begins to spill over again, "You didn't make a single friend to tell you off for being a tyrant in the past year, this is your own damn fault!!"

Riddle stares up at him in confusion, like he can't process what Ace is telling him. "What... are you saying?"

"Growing up under your obsessive Mother must have been some kind of hell. But all you have to say is 'Mama this', 'Mama that.' Think for your own damn self!"

Ace sneers down at Riddle, thoroughly done with just about everything. "You're no 'Crimson Ruler!' You're just a baby who's good at magic!"

Riddle looked like he'd just been clubbed over the head again, before he glared up at Ace, fury rising as he shakily stood back up to try and stand up to Ace.

"A... baby? Me? You don't know anything... you don't know anything about me!"

"Ah, I've got no idea. Why would I? Do you think I'd know, with that attitude?" Ace lowers his voice into a near growl, "And you don't know a damn thing about Kal. That didn't fucking stop you from trying to tear them down to make yourself feel important. I'm not gonna let you off the hook."

It didn't take much for Riddle to explode.

"Enough, enough, enough!! Shut up!!" He screamed, "My mother was correct!! That means I'm correct!!"

At this point, the seniors (or one senior) and Headmaster finally decided to step in.

"Riddle, calm down." Trey said, stepping closer to be at the ready to jump between any more physical violence. "The duel's already over."

"It's as Clover says." Now the Headmaster has stepped in as well, not quite between the two yet. "The Challengers have been disqualified for physical violence. Continuing to escalate is against school regulations!" 

It's now that the crowd's whispering reaches a fever pitch, and someone's voice just reaching above the whispers about not taking this anymore. Ace only caught a glimpse of white fly from the crowd before a familiar crackled splat rung in the air.

Where the hell did someone get an egg?!

And who thought it was a good idea to throw it at Riddle!?

Everyone could only stare in horror as the yolk and whites sluggishly dripped from the shoulder of Riddle's coat, Trey voicing Ace's thoughts aloud while Riddle began yelling for the culprit. As if they would give themself up now.

Of course the whole crowd had gone silent when the egg hit.

It's when Riddle starts laughing that Ace really starts to think things have gotten severely out of hand. Ace glances at Deuce, who looks equally disturbed across the field, and a quick look at Kal sees them wide-eyed and clutching Grim while slowly making their way towards Deuce's side.

"You can't handle it? I'm the one who can't handle it anymore!!" Ace takes a step back, cowed slightly by the sheer seething resentment in Riddle's tone. "No matter how many times I take off your heads, no matter how strict I become, you all keep breaking the rules! This guy, that guy, all of you are selfish idiots! Fine, have it your way! If you won't come forward, I'll just punish all of you!!"

A wild glint has made itself known in Riddle's eyes as he pulls out his pen and plants his feet. Ace instinctively readies to duck, too familiar at this point with how Riddle cast's his Unique Magic.

"Then it's off with all of your heads! [OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!]" Riddle swept a wide arc at the crowd, collars snapping onto nearly a dozen students in the front row alone.

And with that, all hell broke loose. People scattered trying to flee the gardens, and away from the spell flinging Dorm Leader. Even the Headmaster had to scramble back out of the way as Riddle flung a collar at a student fleeing behind him.

Riddle was laughing again, completely out of his mind and gleefully collaring any student who couldn't flee from his aim. Ace had somehow ended up out in the open with Trey and Cater further out off to one side, while Kal, Deuce, and the Headmaster were scattered on the other. Several students hadn't left, as if unable to not stay and witness the conclusion of this train wreck. Some students were on the ground, both collared and not, likely having tripped or been knocked over in all the panic.

"How's that? None of you can touch me!" Grinning mad, he hissed, "Strictly enforcing the rules does make me the most correct!"

"Stop this at once, Roseheart! This isn't like you at all!" Crowley demanded, trying to use his own authority as Headmaster to reel in Riddle's little power trip.

He thinks he hears Cater say something to Trey, because next, Trey is also calling for Riddle to stop.

(And Ace? Well, it can't be said he has the best impulse control.)

"Hey, you! Not everything is gonna go the way you want!" Ace called out, making Riddle's head snap to him. "Throwing a tantrum when things don't is what makes you a baby!"

"Take that back this instant! You want to be run through!?" Riddle's face has gone scarlet in his rage.

"ACE, SHUT UP!!" Kal screams from the other side of the field, but Ace's impulse has already gained too much steam.

"No way, absolutely not!"

It's only then that Ace realizes that the ambient magic has condensed enough around Riddle to be visible. Crackling and flaring, Ace finally picks up on the landmine he's stepped on.

"Back up, back up, move, move, MOVE!!!"

Cater only had seconds to give his warning before Riddle screamed out his rage and released the built up magic in a powerful, wild burst.

Ace, being the closest to Riddle still, was flung back onto the grass. For a moment, all he sees are stars.

----

You open your eyes as the force of the magic wave dies down.

The whole garden is in shambles, trees and bushes uprooted, tables and chairs flung from their positions, several students on the ground recovering. Even the sky has turned dark with unnatural clouds.

Deuce had pulled the three of you into a crouch, him pulling you and Grim to his chest and doing his best to shield you from debris.

"Kal, daijoubu?" He asks shakily as you begin to uncurl. You take stock of yourself at his searching, worried eyes.

Physically, you're not in any pain. Nothing besides the actual force of the blast hit you, but Deuce's quick thinking and steady hold prevented you from being flung like many of the other unprepared, weaker students.

But that doesn't mean the magic now saturating the area isn't affecting you. You can't stop shaking, and the pressure is crushing and everything feels wrong and you're uncomfortably reminded of Grumpy the Mine Monster.

You nod to Deuce anyway, knowing you can't do anything about the circumstances.

Once Deuce helps you to stand you look around, taking better stock of the situation.

Riddle stands tall, the epicenter of the chaos, Trey, Cater, and Crowley are also getting to their feet, as are some of the students.

But Ace is still sprawled on the ground, flung much farther back than where he had originally been so much closer to Riddle.

He's slow to even sit up, clearly unsteady and winded.

You hear Deuce and Grim speaking, but your entire focus has centered on Riddle and Ace.

You know this scene.

"[Rose bushes, heed my call! To piece with them all!]"

Ace takes notice of Riddle, and begins to try and crawl back. 

Riddle raises his arm.

The bushes follow.

Crowley tries to call out a warning.

Your heart pounds in your ears.

You know this scene.

You watch in slow motion as Riddle's arm swings down.

You know better than to let some dreams come true.

You bolt.

"ACE!!"

Chapter Text

"ACE!!"

Sparks and card suits dance in your vision and flutter around you as you try and heave air into your shaking lungs.

In your attempt to stop your dream vision from happening, in attempt to protect Ace, you'd done the only thing you could at that moment.

You ran and placed yourself between Ace and the bushes. 

Planted your feet, spread your arms wide, closed your eyes and braced for impact-

"Doodle Suit!!"

-right up until Trey screamed out his own Unique Magic.

Now you stand, panting and trembling as your body still tries to process that it wasn't going to be pierced by branches and thorns. Without the expected pain, the adrenaline in you is crashing fast, but you couldn't get your muscles to relax.

"... Kal?" When had Ace gotten behind you? "Oi, Ka- santo dio!"

Ace had put his hands on your still spread arms, likely to try and gently nudge you to relaxing them, or to turn you around. Only, the second he did, all the tension in you released, your legs giving out and Ace scrambling to catch you as you collapse like a puppet with its strings cut.

"Kal- Kal {please tell me you're fine. Please tell me you're ok.}" Ace begged as he tried to maneuver you both into a sitting position.

"Y-Yeah." You finally reply shakily, "Yeah, I'm- {Yes, I'm fine Ace. Shaky, but fine.}"

He grips your shoulders, turning you this way and that, looking for any injury you may have lied about. He finds nothing, letting you go before nodding in acceptance. Ace then glances around in confusion. It's only then you notice Ace no longer has his collar. You turn to look towards Trey, who still had his pen pointed out at Riddle with a trembling hand. He was wide-eyed in disbelief, like he truly hadn't expected that to work.

"{Did Trey just...}" Ace asks hesitantly, picking up a 5 of Spades from the scattered playing cards on the ground. "{Did Trey just use his Unique Magic on Riddle...?}"

Did Trey just swap out Riddle's magic?

Wait, hadn't you told Trey that he could?!

"[You- You actually did it. What kind of cheat move....!]" Cater sounds just as flabbergasted as the rest of you.

Riddle continues to grow more and more frustrated as his magic continues to summon cards and not his collar. At this, Trey finally stepped forward, confronting Riddle.

"[Riddle, stop this! If you keep going, you're going to lose everything. Look at everyone's faces!]" Trey broadly swept his arms out, gesturing to the entire courtyard. It wasn't hard to see the sheer terror most of the students had, at least, the ones who were still conscious.

But, while Trey's voice seemed to bring Riddle out of his spiral of rage, it didn't bring him back from the rest of his dropping sanity.

With eyes half hazed, Riddle turns to Trey, surprise and something like fear becoming more prominent. "[Huh...? Trey overwrote my magic...? Does that mean your magic surpasses mine?]"

"[That isn't it at all!]" Trey tries to argue, "[Riddle, please clam down a bit so we can talk about this.]"

Somewhere during this, the pressure in the air grows and you begin to wheeze. Ace helps you to stand and begins to slowly pull you farther from Riddle and Trey, eyeing the pair carefully so Riddle doesn't spot the two of you.

"{Hang on just a bit longer, then we all can get the hell out of here.}" Ace assures quietly, though you don't know if it's to you or himself.

A trail of ice crawls down your spine.

Riddle and Trey continue to argue.

"[So you want to tell me I'm wrong too!? Even though we've been upholding these strict rules this entire time?]" Beneath the anger and frustration, rings the sound of betrayal and despair.

The ice cold feeling encases you now, like a glacier pressing into your chest, and you cough lightly as your lungs struggle to take in air.

What the hell is going on?

"[I've been enduring and enduring and enduring this whole time!]" For a moment, you thought Riddle was about to burst into tears, only for his tone to swing right back to violent rage. "[I... I... I don't believe you!!]"

Riddle whips his pen forward, ready to cast once more.

Except something is very wrong with the pen. Something is very wrong with Riddle.

You hear Crowley step in, trying to get Riddle to stop, your ears catching the word "blot", but your eyes have locked on to the end of the pen.

The once brilliant ruby red gem has become pitch black.

And then it starts to leak.

Thick, viscous fluid begins to spill from the blackened gem, pouring down onto Riddle's hand, his arm, and suddenly you realize it's not truly flowing like a liquid, but crawling.

Globs that had fallen begin to pool around Riddle's feet and encase, then too begin to crawl up his legs in webby wet tendrils. Other blobs begin to float around Riddle, making you thing of the AIDA infection from the .hack series.

It all coalesces with a blackish aura swirling around Riddle like a miasma.

You've all but stopped breathing.

"[I am... I AM!!! Absolutely, definitely CORRECT!!!]"

And in an instant, the miasma exploded out.

It's like being slammed with a truck. You black out amidst the sound of shouts and screams.

The next moment you're aware, you're on your side being shaken by an absolutely terrified Ace. You see his mouth moving, and it takes you a second to piece together his rapid-fire Italian.

"-l! Kal!! Respirare! Devi respirare!! Gakuen-cho [they're not breathing!!!]"

You open your mouth to try and say something, and all that comes out is a choked sound. That's when you finally notice the pressure.

The absolutely crushing magical pressure, hundreds of times worse than what you felt in the mines, pressing so hard into you it's like you're being smothered under a boulder at the bottom of the ocean. 

Oh, you actually have stopped breathing.

No, the pressure is preventing you from breathing.

And that's when the panic sets in.

You roll onto your knees, trying to gasp, choking, and begin to claw at your chest, attempting to relieve the weight keeping your lungs frozen. The longer you struggle, the more desperate you get, to the point Ace has to wrench your hands away from your chest, lest you actually claw your chest open.

"CROWLEY!!"

At Ace's desperate shout, Crowley finally arrives, sliding across the grass on his knees, then snatches one of your hands to slip something onto your wrist.

And just like that, nearly all the pressure leaves at once, and you're left gasping, coughing, gulping down air as you tremble with relief.

"Yukkuri, yukkuri..." Crowley runs his hand up and down your back soothingly as spots dance in your vision. Once your sight clears, you look down at what Crowley had slipped onto your wrist.

It looked almost like a Mala bracelet, with polished black beads and a circular metal tag, but it didn't have the normal tassel end a Mala would have.

Also, the tag didn't have the Om character etched on it, but a Nordic rune of some kind.

You don't get to observe the bracelet anymore (and you're definitely not looking a gift horse in the mouth,) because you were distracted by laughter.

A horrid, mad, distorted laughter.

You finally look to see what became of Riddle.

"[Those foolish enough to disobey me, I have no need of them in my world.]"

What in the Madoka Magica-!?

Riddle no longer wore his uniform. Instead, he was now dressed in a tattered, black and red Queen's regalia dress. At least, it looked like it would have been a dress, had the front of what would have been the skirt not been torn away. Beneath it, Riddle now wore tight pants and knee high high-heeled boots that occasionally dripped inky fluid. White roses stained partially black decorated the hip seam of the dress, with streamers that looked like lines of inverse colored playing cards hanging from it.

The top half looked as thought there was a harness over it, belts and metal looking bit that came up to flair out into what you know from your sister to be called a medici collar, typical of queens of the pre-Victorian era. You noticed what looked like tattered sleeve gloves were actually the inky residue now clinging to Riddle in a webby mess of a second skin.

Riddle's actual skin no longer had a healthy pallor, looking corpse pale. His once slate grey eyes were now a deep scarlet, and you're not sure if the mesh across his right eye is a tattoo or a mask. A small, dripping crown tops the whole look off.

Despite the new look, that's not what has your whole attention.

It's what's behind him.

"[I am the law in my world. I am the rules! No other response than 'Yes, Lord Riddle!' is acceptable!]"

Behind Riddle is the massive spectral form of the Queen of Hearts. A headless Queen, as it's head has been replaced with a cracked ink bottle, just like the creature from the mines. 

Just like...

Is this what happened to Grumpy?

It holds one of the rose bushes like a scepter, or maybe a mace, ready to bash anything in range. And then you notice the black, thorny vines connecting it to Riddle, both hovering ominously off the ground.

Both...? No.

You squint at the vines, watching. Are they puppeteering Riddle?

The vines curl more around Riddle, pulling him in just a touch more.

(The ghost said Thank You. The ghost said Thank You.)

No, not puppeteering, parasitizing.

It was trying to absorb Riddle.

"[It's off with the heads of anyone who disobey me!]" 

Once more, he begins cackling. You turn, wide-eyed in horror back to Ace, who mirrors you perfectly.

By this point, Deuce, Grim, Trey, and Cater have gathered around the three of you. Deuce immediately reaches to pull you back to standing and checks you over himself, while Ace is helped by Trey. You manage it, somehow, and the group of you manage to inch back from the disturbing form Riddle has taken.

Conversation begins around you, with what sounds like Crowley despairing over the situation. You only begin to key in at the only word out of place. The one you can understand.

"[What the hell is an Overblot?! This guy's got a wicked air to him now!]" Grim asks in your place.

Crowley begins explaining, but neither Grim nor Deuce seem to get it, and it's not like you can understand anything he's saying in the first place. Cater puts it into words even you can understand.

"[Aah, crap! In plain terms: he's fallen into a dark berserker state!]"

A berserker state, this 'Overblot' form, and just from watching it happen, you figure it was brought on by a combination of excessive magic use and negative emotions.

So yes, some Madoka Magica bullshit.

You don't need Trey to translate to confirm what the three of you already know will happen.

If you don't stop this, the phantom will absorb Riddle completely. Riddle will become like Grumpy did in the mines.

Riddle was going to die if you didn't stop him somehow.

You hear Crowley start to say more, but you've focused back on Ace, Deuce and Grim. Their eyes meet yours, and you can see the determination solidifying under the fear.

"Mou ippai." You said, slowly tapping at your temple, "{Just like before, aim for the head.}"

The crack in the jar head is the same, even if the shape of the bottle is not. It has the same weakness. You can defeat it.

With barely a nod, the three step forward, readying their magic.

They have to end this fast.

With a battle cry, Ace starts their barrage, quickly followed by Deuce and Grim.

You ignore the startled sound of the others and watch as the attacks only make Riddle mad.

"[W-w-whoa, what are you thinking!?]" Cater blurted out in Japanese that you actually understood.

"{Saving his life!}" You declared back in Italian. You hear the other three reply as well, but you focus on Trey.

You finally see the fire of determination light in his eyes. You grin up at him, and he returns it, nodding briefly before turning serious once more.

"[... Got it. I'll keep overwriting his magic with my Doodle, though it won't last for long. You have to finish this quickly! Headmaster, please work on evacuating the residents.]" He ordered, looking all the Vice Leader he was for the first time.

Crowley looked startled at being ordered, and didn't seem to want to take it.

"[Hold on just a moment, all of you! It's too dangerous!]"

You are not having this argument right now.

"{It's more dangerous to just leave him!}" You whirl on the man, "{Yes, he's probably way stronger than the monster from the mines, but that thing-}" you point up at the phantom, "{-has to be the same kind of entity, and that has to mean it has the same weakness. Leave saving Riddle to us, we have a plan, if you don't want to fight then go evacuate the students!}"

You pant slightly, leaving Crowely and Cater stunned.

It's Cater who pulls himself together first. You see his face scrunch up, before he buries it in his hands and takes a deep breath.

"[Aaah, shit! Fine, I get it. This really isn't my style though!]" Exasperated, Cater then throws his hands in the air, before pulling out his pen and marching to stand with the others. You can't help but beam at him.

You snap back to attention to the last person still non-responsive, Crowley suddenly gripping your shoulders and looking at you intently.

"{Be safe. Above everything, you must not take risks.}" He demands, looking like he was holding back from shaking you by your shoulders. "{As soon as I've finished evacuating the students, I'll return. You must hold on until then.}"

He then takes the wrist with the bracelet, holding it up and shaking your wrist as if to emphasize it.

"{This will protect you from the worst of any magical attacks, but not everything and not forever. The moment all of the beads break, it loses all of its power. Do not use this as an excuse to fling yourself in front of an attack again, or I will be very cross with you Verdreiss. Do you understand?}"

Dumbfounded, you can only nod. He gives you one last stern frown, before releasing you and running off. You only hesitate for a moment, your opposite hand coming up to briefly cradle the bracelet. Then you steel yourself and turn back to see how the other were doing against Riddle.

"[This guy, that guy, all of you have some nerve... I'll take all your heads off at once!!]"

Looks like their getting somewhere. With the addition of Trey's Doodle Suit sealing Riddle's collar, and Cater's clones adding a safer distraction, Riddle's frustration is evident. You can't really keep track of any conversations happening, so you don't, and instead focus on what you can do.

You keep to the back, keeping a careful eye on the phantom and any stray magic.

While Trey stopped the collar, it didn't stop all of Riddle's magic. Riddle still had what seemed like everything but his collar, and the phantom on top of it all acting separately from Riddle, leaving you to call out directions to everyone to make sure they didn't get hit.

"Trey, migi! Deuce, jou! Grim-"

(You had no choice but to use Japanese, with Deuce and Grim needing to understand as fast as you gave the order. At least you've learned up and down in the time you've been here.)

The bracelet indeed protected you, dispersing or redirecting stray shots as you moved about to keep the best angle to view the fight. So far, only a single bead of the dozen on the bracelet had crumbled enough to fall off.

In your need to keep everyone else safe, you forgot one thing:

Yourself.

You hadn't realized that Riddle had ended up spreading the lot of you out farther than you realized, leaving gaps you didn't notice. You were too focused on everyone else to notice anything wrong.

Not until it was too late.

You had ended up near Deuce, and move to take a step in his direction as he calls you to fall back behind him.

Except you can't.

You yelp, half in pain and half startled and something -many, many small somethings- sharply prick and stab up from your ankles to just below your knees.

Everyone freezes at the sound, spinning from whatever place they had ended up to see why you had made such a sound. You look down as the pain increases with the tightening of whatever was holding you.

Vines. Black, thorny vines encircled your legs.

You only have enough time to meet Deuce's mirror look of horror, and then you're screaming as your feet are taken out from under you and you're being dragged rapidly face down along the ground. A quick glance behind you proves what you already know: Riddle has you specifically in his clutches.

"KAL!" Deuce immediately dives to try and reach your hands, to do what you're not entirely sure, but only succeeds in getting grass stains on his clothes too. The other yell after you, also attempting to catch hold of you, though not one manages.

You claw and tear at the grass, trying to find some kind of purchase to grab, but anything either slips away too quickly, or is uprooted along with you. The vines are moving to fast for the others to risk taking a shot at them without hitting you instead.

You don't know how long you're dragged for, barely a minute probably, but it feels like hours.

And then it's over.

And then you're upside-down, with Riddle right before you.

He has you hung by the vines wrapped painfully tight around your lower legs, a prime target, or even a meat shield. His glare burns into you like a supernova, and you begin to tremble even as you struggle to free your legs without shredding them.

"[You.]"

Oh that is a very, very unfriendly form of 'You'. You try and glance back at the others, only to find them trying to discuss what you hoped was a way to free you.

"[This is your fault,]" he snarls, "[Everything would have been fine if it wasn't for you. No one would have rebelled if you hadn't shown up. No one would have question my authority!]"

Ow, ow, ow- the vines! The bracelet doesn't protect to from this, and you're not strong enough to try and reach up to try and pull at the vines with your hands from this angle.

"[I will remove you and then everything will be right again. I am absolutely, definitely in the right!]" Riddle slowly takes aim at you, even as the others try to call out for him to stop.

Distraction, distraction, what can you do as a distraction!?

Your breathe quickens as panic really starts to set in.

"[If not, then what did I endure it all for...!?]"

You're starting to get dizzy with all the blood rushing to your head.

Riddle is close enough that if you reached out, you could probably hit him with you fingers.

You flex your hand.

(It had looked like a star in your palm. 

Could it do other things besides glow like one?)

If nothing else, you might be able to slap him if you swung just right.

You take one, single breath.

Then throw your weight back, and as gravity swings you forward, put everything into shoving your hand right in Riddle's face.

"LET THERE BE LIGHT!"

The once gentle sphere flashes into existence, then immediately and rapidly collapses into itself until only a shining pin head sized light remained.

There was the sound of a light bulb shattering.

And then it was like a flash grenade went off in your hand, pointed directly at Riddle as if it was a camera flash. He screeched, covering his face and rubbing at his eyes.

"[My eyes!! How dare you-!!]"

You didn't have any time to waste.

You did your best to turn towards the others, meeting their stunned gazes.

"Oi!!" You called out, "{Cut the vines already!!!}" You pointed at the vines still hanging you. Luckily, they all snapped back into action. Cater quickly shot a sharp burst of magic that sliced through the vines like butter. You yelped as gravity retook you, but you were able keep yourself from landing on your head.

That didn't mean it was an easy landing, the air knocked out of your lungs as you hit the ground chest first. You cough hard for a second, but get enough air to call out your final direction.

"{Fi- *cough* -finish it now! Take out the head!}"

"[Everyone! With me!]" Trey leads, "[Ready, aim... Fire!]"

As they all rain hell on the phantom, you struggle and tear away the left over vines, confident that the bracelet will protect you from any magical debris.

You finish just as the phantom and Riddle gives a pained screech, and the sound of glass cracking above you makes you look up.

"[Was... I wrong...? That can't be right...]"

You watch as the spiderwebbing arcs it's way across the glass head of the phantom, then as Riddle slumps in the vines weakening hold.

"Okaa... sama...."

The vines snap entirely as the glass head finally shatters completely, Riddle completely unconscious and free falling. The phantom bursts into ink all at once above the two of you, the torrent taking a moment longer for gravity to act on it.

It's instinctive for you to stagger up on your beaten legs and reach to catch Riddle as he falls. You stumble and fall back as he lands in your arms, pulling Riddle to your chest so that you take the brunt of the fall.

The downpour of ink catches up to you before you hit the ground, and everything is swallowed into nothingness.

Chapter Text

Got a fire in my soul

I've lost my faith in this broken system

He knows this place. He knows it like the back of his hand. It is his home, after all. The one he grew up in all his life.

His gilded cage.

Except-

"Happy Birthday, Riddle!"

Except he is off to the side, watching as a memory is played out as if he's in a theater. Everything is dyed sepia.

There is another person beside him.

He watches as his mother places the cake she had special ordered for him on the table in front of his child self, beaming as if proud of herself. His father purses his lips into a flat line, staring down at the cake.

"Your birthday cake this year is a low-sugar cake made with soy flour and nuts filled with lecithin to make you smarter."

His father sighs and pinches his brow at her words.

"Isibéal, you know that's not a proven thing."

"And how would you know, Lewis!?"

"Because like a good doctor, I actually take the time to research things properly instead of going off half baked theories with little to no proof. Where do you even find people to make these, anyway?"

He watches his mother puff up, face flushing in anger. But his father just sighs and begins slices the cake. He sees himself open his mouth, close it, indecisive as always when his parents seemed to fight.

His father gave him a gentle, but wane smile as he set the slice of cake in from of him. His father's smile had always been small, no matter the genuineness of them. He liked when his father smiled. It felt safe.

(He doesn't really know how to feel when his mother smiles. It never feels like it's for him.)

His mother purses her lips at the slice of cake, likely the size of the slice, but his father simply gives her a look, and she huffs angerly, sitting down and digging into her own cake with feigned grace.

They ate in silence, whenever his mother looked like she would make a comment, his father would send her a sharp look, silencing her once more, but only seeming to make her angrier.

After finishing her slice, his mother stood quickly with whatever dignity she had left, and marched out of the room.

And with that, the tension bled out of the remaining two. His father sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Then he pulled his chair closer to Riddle, smiled weakly and reached over to gently smooth down his hair.

"I'm sorry A stór. You shouldn't have to see your mother and I argue like this, especially not on your birthday."

Little Riddle simply leans into his father's touch.

(A stór. 'My treasure.' Even if it was a common term of endearment for a parent to a child, it was the only one he received. To his mother, he was only ever Riddle at home and My son when she was showing him off.)

"Papa... Just once, I'd like to try a tart covered in bright red strawberries..."

"I know, Riddle. I'm sorry I can't get you anything like that. Your mother would throw a fit large enough to rip the roof off the house. But I hope this can at least partially make up for that."

He pulls out a plastic wrapped chocolate chip cookie from his pocket. His young self lights up, taking the cookie and quickly divesting it of its wrapper. His father chuckles at the enthusiasm, and as his younger self takes a bite of the soft cookie, his father winks and presses a finger to his lips.

This was the secret his father kept from his mother: indulging Riddle. Giving him little sweets and allowing him more breaks than his mother's strict schedule allowed him. His father couldn't get away with any more than that, lest his mother catch him and throw an even bigger fit.

Got love for my home

But if we cry, is there anyone listening?

"For so long..." He starts almost unconsciously. He doesn't know why, but he feels the need to explain to the other person with him. "All I wanted to eat was a bright red strawberry tart. The tarts on display at the cake shops around town that I'd sometimes get to pass by always looked like jewels."

There was a soft hum of acknowledgement.

The scene shifts, and they are now in the "class"room, as he called the study his mother homeschooled him in. It is a scene of one of his mother's teaching sessions. He had been homeschooled for nearly all of his schooling. None of the schools were up to his mother's standards.

(Or maybe, she just wanted to make sure nothing and no one could taint her precious perfect son.)

"Let's end your classical magic studies here for today. Make sure to look over 50 pages of the textbook on the philosophy of language in magical ethics that we've just studied today by tomorrow."

He watches as his mother gather her teaching things as his child self continues taking notes.

"Every minute of my day was filled to the brim with studies from all manner of disciplines." He continues explaining, "If I couldn't do it, the lesson was extended until I could.... But this was my 'normal.'"

Another hum sounds, a little tenser than before.

"Now, I will give you an hour to self-study before your Alchemy lesson."

"Yes Mother."

"Your mother has an errand to run, so I'll be back in an hour. Your father will be back from work some time after."

Oh. Oh, he knows this memory now.

We're the forgotten generation

We want an open conversation

He turns from his younger self to the only window in the room. He watches as a pair of purple cat ears pop into view, before a pair of young boys only a little older than his younger self come into view. They peer inside, before glancing at each other. The cat-child grins widely while the green haired boy nods determinedly. Then, they knock lightly on the window and move back to hide again. His younger self startles, before cautiously getting up out of his seat.

"... Someone is knocking at the window?"

The two peek back out, once more startling his young self. Then the window is opened and Riddle watches himself meeting his only friends for the first time.

"Oh, there he is!"

"Hey, hey. Come play with us!"

His child self blinks, clearly not used to interacting with other children at all, let alone ones so bold.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Che'nya! This is Trey. Let's play croquet."

"Um... I can't. Now is my self study time. I have to keep studying."

"Self-study means you get to decide what to study. My grand-paw says playing is a kind of study, too."

"Will you come down for a bit?"

"...J-Just for a bit."

"Can I ask your name?"

"R-Riddle.... Riddle Rosehearts."

He watches as the pair help his child self over the windowsill and onto the lawn. He had been lucky that room had been on the first floor, easily used as a quick entry and exit.

(He remembers that, thinking back from a later point after this, he knew his father would have let him go regardless, had he been home. But his father was always at work during his lessons, it was one of the few times his mother was entirely alone with him.

At least, until things went wrong.)

Follow me on this road

You know we gotta let go

He can only watch wistfully, longingly at the scenes of his younger self playing with Trey and Che'nya. He swallows around the tightness in his throat and blinks away the sting in his eyes, and continues his explanation.

"Playing with Che'nya and Trey was so much fun." He is able to keep his voice steady, some part of him thanks. "I learned new things, played new games. They taught me so much. From that day on, I'd take the hour I had to self-study and sneak out without telling my mother."

This time the scene shifts to another treasured memory. The three of them are in Trey's family's bakery, and they had noticed him staring at the cakes on display. And when asked... Well.

"Eh! Riddle, you've never had a strawberry tart?"

"Mother says it's like poison, but.... Father could only ever give me small cookies or candies, so I don't..."

The two had been horrified that Riddle had never had a proper slice of cake. The sugary forbidden fruits as declared by his mother and his father could never sneak him. Even before he had met them, he understood that there were a lot of things that were common that he had been forbidden by his mother. 

(He had just never understood until he got older. Until he was already far too deep under his mother's hand. By then, that understanding had been shoved so far down into himself that he'd forgotten it was there at all. Because it hurt, and he couldn't ever admit any weakness in front of his mother.)

"Well, it's true you shouldn't eat too much, but... Let's ask my parents for a slice."

"Huh? But..."

"One piece isn't going to kill you."

"I could go for a whole one right about meow."

The little Trey took little Riddle by the hand and pulled him along behind the front counter of the store to where his parents were.

And then, to little Riddle, all of a sudden there was a beautiful, perfect slice of strawberry tart being placed gently in front of him. All for him. No mother taking it away and throwing it out. No rules or commands to follow.

Just him and the only thing he ever wanted.

He thinks he would have cried if he hadn't been so in awe.

"Atop a pure white plate sat a brilliant red strawberry tart. For me, it shined brighter than any jewel." He all but mumbled, too taken in by the memory, his heart clenching hard at the joy on his child self's face as he finally took a bite of cake.

He knows what's coming next.

They've been holding us down

They've been telling us to change our voices

"That first bite was wonderfully sweet. It tasted better than anything I'd ever had. I savored each bite, getting completely lost in the flavor. Forgetting the time all the while...."

He still instinctively tenses as his mother suddenly bursts into the cake shop, more furious than he'd ever seen her. How she rips him out of his seat, and when Trey's parents try to intervene, turns and berates and threatens them with anything she knows she'd be able to get away with. Then unceremoniously stomps out, dragging little Riddle by his arm behind her.

"How could you!? Not only did you skip out of your studies, you even ate a whole mound of sugar!"

"And what is wrong with that?"

His mother had been scolding him in the entry hall, and so focused as they were, both had startled at his father's return. 

"Riddle, go up to your room. Your mother and I are going to have a private talk for a bit."

His father said this without taking his hard eyes off his mother. Though gentle in tone, it was clearly an order. His father had never done that before, and somehow, that had scared him more than his mother's current tantrum. Little Riddle had followed what his father said immediately.

It didn't stop the prick of curiosity born out of self-preservation. He needed to know what his parents ended up talking about.

So, instead of going all the way to his room, he went up the stairs and down the hall a little ways. Far enough that he could flee all the way to his room if they got closer, but close enough that he knows he'd at least still be able to hear his mother, if not his father.

"I wo- -llow th-! I won't allow this!!"

"Wh- - -e? I -av- - -vin- - tr--ts-"

"YOU WHAT!?"

"I -ave been gi--ng -m cookies a- candies be--d y-r back, an- quite - bit -or-. I've looked at your meal plans and lesson schedules for him Isibéal! I showed them to Dr. Begbie and he said that for a normal child the only thing this will do is either destroy the child physically, mentally or both! Let alone one of Riddle's constitution!"

"You went to another doctor about Riddle!?"

"I went to a pediatrician who knows what he's talking about!! Not your assumed, unproven, psuedo-science self help pamphlets! I thought as a doctor of your caliber you'd know not to put any stock in those, but I've been proven wrong by you numerous times now. He's not a doll for you to dress up or a trophy for you to show off! You're going to ruin our son-"

"How dare you tell me how to raise him!!! I am the most-"

Little Riddle continued to huddle against the wall, shaking and with his hand pressed against his mouth to keep quiet. His parents had argued before, but never like this. Not a full on screaming match.

But we're not part of that crowd

We made our bed and we'll make our own choices

It all came crashing down at the sound of a vase shattering and one final scream from his mother.

"I AM THE LAW IN THIS HOUSE!! I AM THE ONE IN THE RIGHT!! GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!! DON'T YOU EVER STEP FOOT IN HERE AGAIN!!"

There was a ringing silence after, punctured only by the loud panting of his mother. His father says something, too quiet for him to catch.

Then the front door opens, then closes.

His mother had driven off the last protection Riddle had from her.

"If I broke the rules, my time for fun was completely taken away. If I tried to interact with anyone my mother didn't approve of, they were removed. It didn't matter who or what."

He can only acknowledge it now. The complete isolation his mother had started and later drilled into his mannerisms. 

Well, maybe not entirely everyone. She could keep him from Trey, but she couldn't keep Che'nya away, as their families ran in the same social circle. That is, rich. But the interactions were few and far between and the longer time went the more resistant Riddle was to them.

His father, however, he only saw him one time after that fight.

And it's only now that he realizes what it had been.

The scene is some party he doesn't really remember, and he watches as his father sidles up and sits beside a slightly older little Riddle who'd been left alone at a table. His older self can now see how wane and tired his father had become in the time after the fight. Little Riddle almost completely misses that he was there at all.

"Father."

"Riddle..."

They don't look at each other. Riddle thinks they both were trying to keep track of his Mother, so as not to be caught together by her. From Riddle's view point, he almost misses the slow movement his father makes under the table, but Riddle knows clearly what is happening just out of sight.

His father gently takes one of Riddle's hands in his own, gives it a small squeeze, then slips his hand away as if it was never there in the first place.

It takes a second for little Riddle to realize that his father had left a scrap of paper in his hand. He looks down at it in confusion, then turning his head slightly to finally glance at his father.

"My number, and where I'm living. If you ever need anything, or wish to visit."

And Riddle knows as his younger self snaps back to attention, as his father slumps slightly, that little Riddle has crumpled the paper in his hand.

"I'll have to ask Mother."

"........ Alright."

It was an out.

But it was also a test. To see just how deep Riddle's mother had dug in her claws in the time since they last saw each other. Because so long as Riddle wouldn't leave his mother, his father couldn't wholly either. Not even for a divorce, because a divorce meant Riddle's mother could not just ban him from Riddle, but put a restraining order on him so that he'd have to risk the authorities coming after him just to see him.

And in his father's eyes, he'd been too late to offer that help.

We may be underestimated

But I know one day we will make it

And it was... mostly true, anyhow.

It hadn't mattered though. Because Riddle had to be the one to actually take the out. And he had been too scared to defy his mother anymore.

So he'd buried the idea with everything else. Because what choice did he have? His mother would have never let it stand that she could have been in the wrong. Therefore, she was always right, or she would make it so.

"That's why the rules Mother makes, I have to follow." The scene dissolved around them until they find they are in his room, no longer dyed in sepia. But now there were lengths of chain with cuffs running along the floor, and bars at the door and windows, the door in particular carrying a padlock. Though the bars at the widows had been the only thing actually installed after his mishap at Trey's, none of the rest felt out of place for how he felt about the room that was his all his life.

Time to say it out loud 

We are young and we're proud

"But you don't."

He is startled, those being the first words other than his own he's heard this entire time. It's strange that he can understand them perfectly, but his brushes that thought off quickly. He attributes the strange traslation effect to whatever this horrid place is.

He finally looks to Kallisto, and finds them already looking at him.

"I mean, you do, mostly, probably. But not everything." They correct themself.

Riddle blinks up in confusion. How had he not followed everything his mother had taught him?

"Does your mother still get on your case about what you eat?" They ask then. He nods hesitantly, still not understanding.

"Riddle, I've seen you eat normal cake."

It takes him a minute to understand, and automatically he tries to defend himself, "Rules of the Queen of Hearts state-"

"Do those rules trump your mother's?"

He freezes. Somehow, he feels like he did in Trey's family's store --caught red-handed-- but his mind is hitching. He was following the rules laid out by the Queen, but in doing so he was breaking several of his mother's.

For all the lies and the burden that they put on us

All of the times that they told us to just because

We gotta fight for our rights and the things we love now

He feels Kallisto gently take his hands and lead him to sit on the bed. Then they take his desk chair and pulls it to sit in front of him. He sits, staring blankly at nothing as his mind tries to untangle the spiral it's found itself in.

He followed the rules given to him, to the letter. Yet some part of him hadn't thought on how they might have contradicted his mother's rules. There was no difference, just another set of rules for him to follow even without his mother actively there to punish him if he broke them.

No, he had noticed, but he had turned a blind eye to it, because as ridiculous as some of (most of) them were, following these rules at least let him eat cake, and no one could tell him no-

"Oh." He breathes.

Kallisto smiled slightly, "You see? There's still some part of you that is trying to rebel against your mother, because you know she's wrong. And that part figured using a different set of rules somewhere else would let that rebellion go unnoticed. You loopholed one set of rules with another."

He had. He hadn't simply traded one set for another, he'd also been using one to dodge the other.

But, on the other hand-

"I still enforced them on everyone, even punished them just as strictly as I was. I wasn't any better than my mother."

Riddle could see and admit to that now. His mother's influence went deeper than his single-minded following of rules for himself. When he saw others flounce them, he forcefully took charge and made it so they couldn't.

"Some part of you was probably envious. And so you lashed out by taking all the freedoms you weren't allowed to have. Made it fair in you mind."

He nods because it is, in part, true, now that he has the sense to look back at everything in a different light. He can also recognize the part of him that is just angry, plain and simple, because no other negative emotions were as safe to express.

"I... have a lot to make up for, don't I?" He admits, "Though... I don't know where to even start."

Kallisto cups his hand in theirs, running their tumb across his fingers in a soothing gesture. They're bare, he's only just noticing, and he can't help but stare at the writer's callus on his right hand. That one painful little bump the only obvious sign of any of his suffering at the hands of his mother. Not even Trey knows it's there, so having it exposed and still treated gently makes his heart feel a touch lighter.

"Well, a good place to start is an apology, simple and sincere." They answer, "Not everyone will likely accept, and many will likely be skeptical. So then you have to show them with your actions too, that you will do better from then on. Just remember that forgiveness is their choice, and they are not obligated to do so just because you've apologized. Just like you don't have to forgive your mother for what she's done to you, no matter how good her intentions towards you might have been."

He nods once more, accepting whatever outcome will happen once they leave this place built on his memories and emotions. Then, he looks out the barred window, contemplating the last part of Kallisto's reply.

Did he harbor some kind of resentment towards his mother? Maybe, he hadn't looked too closely at how he currently felt about his mother. 

If he exposed those feelings, would his mother be repentant? Did he want to forgive his mother, even if she was? He didn't know if he was brave enough to ask any of these questions outside this dream realm.

The thought of bravery made him think of something he'd overheard Trey say to another student, when the student admitted they were scared to proceed with something. Do it scared he'd said. For bravery was not the absence of fear, but the overcoming of it, the doing in spite of fear.

Maybe one day, Riddle could.

But until then-

Take a deep breath, close your eyes and get ready

Take a deep breath, close your eyes and get ready

Take a deep breath, close your eyes and get ready to fly

"Mother is the most talented person in town, so naturally, she was always right." He spoke into the room.

"But... tell me, Mama. Why?"

He took one hand from Kallisto to clench at the fabric at his chest as his heart squeezes tight from the pressure of his rising emotions.

"Why does my chest hurt like this?" He asks desperately. Kallisto watches on quietly, mocha eyes sympathetic as they take his now singular free hand in both of theirs.

"Even if it's only on my birthday," he continues against the tide of his tears, "I want to eat a bunch of tarts. I want to play outside for hours. I want to make more and more friends.

Tell me, Mama, what rules should I follow to make this pain go away?"

Only in this space, would he let himself finally mourn the childhood he'd been robbed of. A hand softly pat his hair. As he blinked at the tears gathering in his eyes, he looked up at Kallisto once more. They smiled softly, opening their mouth to say something, but in that moment, Riddle caught sight of something behind them.

A drawer in his desk was leaking a faint light.

Kallisto reached for it, being the closer between the two of them, sliding it open. They rummaged through it briefly, before finding a small, sofly glowing envelope.

Riddle knows exactly what it is. He'd hidden it there years ago.

Kallisto opens it, to pull out a crumpled slip of paper. 

They beam, holding out the old paper with his father's address on it to him. He stares, somewhat disbelieving.

"You know, you're not going to be under her forever, right?" Kallisto starts, "You're almost an adult, which means, as far as I know, she can't legally keep you anywhere or make you do anything if you don't want to once you're at that age. And Night Raven gives you a foot out the door, so to speak? The school gives the senior students... apprenticeships or something? I forgot the word."

"Internships." He corrected automatically.

"Yeah, that." They agree, "That means you'd be set for independence away from your mother sooner. I don't know if that's something unique to Night Raven, but some part of you must have saw that as a chance."

He thinks over that, and finds that he agrees with that assessment. "I suppose you're not wrong in that."

"But," they continue, "That doesn't mean you need to go it alone."

Kallisto then decides to take one of his hands and simply put the paper in it and curl his fingers around it.

"You just need to be willing to take the hand of someone who cares about you."

Riddle looks down at the paper in his hand.

".... Do you think he's still waiting?" He asks the other in a small, quivering voice. Kallisto gently places their hands over his.

"If he loves you as much as I think he does? It's all he's been doing. It's a choice you specifically have to make, because forcing you in any way was never an option."

His heart swells at that, and suddenly he feels the paper shift into something with more weight. He pulls his hand away and opens it.

There is a key where the paper once was. At once, he knows it's to the padlock at the door.

"Well." Kallisto says as they stand, beaming all the while. "Shall we get out of here?"

Riddle stands as well. He finally smiles in return, then walks over to the door.

The lock clicks open easily and both the lock and the bars dissolve into light. He watches the lights rise and vanish, before facing the door. He feels more than sees Kallisto step up beside him, then take his hand and give it a quick squeeze.

He's not as alone as he thought he was. He never has been, in truth.

He opens the door and steps into the light beyond.

I'm not afraid

To tear it down and build it up again

It's not our fate

We could be the renegades

I'm here for you

Are you here for me too?

Let's start again 

We could be the renegades

Chapter Text

Consciousness returns quickly, hastened by sharp pain. You groan, blinking against the light of the sun. You realize you're half sitting up, laying against someone's chest, them cradling you carefully.

"Kal? Kal!"

You finally adjust to the light, Ace and Deuce's relieved faces swim into view. Deuce adjusts his hold on you to pull you further into his chest, burying his face in your hair as he begins to rock to two of you, muttering things you could only half catch. Grim is trying to bury himself in your side, yowling something you also can't catch.

"{Fuck, Kal, don't fucking scare us like that. When the vines got you, we- And then the monster-}" Ace cuts himself off with a shuttered look. Deuce squeezes you even closer, as if trying to keep you safe by putting you in his ribcage. You feel Grim's claws through your blazer.

The memories of the past hour (hours? Minutes? How long did this whole confrontation last?) flood back in, and with a jolt, you realize you can't see Riddle in the immediate area. You remember catching him, so he should have been with you-

"Riddle?" You ask, trying to force down the rising panic, reaching out to claw at Ace's sleeve, "Ace, Riddle-"

"{He's fine.}" Ace assures you quickly. "{He's just fine, a lot better than you actually. He's over there with Trey and Cater.}"

Deuce shifts so you can look behind him, and there Riddle is, sitting up under his own power, if dazed and not all there yet. Trey has one hand on his back to steady him while Cater seems to be trying to get Riddle to come back to his senses.

"Riddle." You call, reaching out to the red head, Deuce having to adjust to your sudden movements. Your calves sting something terrible. "Riddle!"

You see Riddle perk up and turn hazily towards your voice. "Ver... Verdreiss..?"

He lurches for your outstretched hand, startling Trey and Cater. He takes it in both of his, squeezing in a desperate, white-knuckle grip. Only now can you get a good look at him. 

His hair is a mess, as are his clothes. He's paler than he normally is. His expression is now both hazy and wild-eyed.

He looks far from the prim and proper boy from the start of all of this.

You probably don't look any better.

But you're alive.

"Riddle," You breath, "{We made it.}"

He blinks once. Twice. Sighs as if finally setting down a great burden.

Then promptly bursts into tears.

You're the only one who isn't startled by this, simply squeezing Riddle's hands in return, giving a tired smile. You pull Riddle to you, scooching out of Deuce's hold at the same time, and cradle the still sobbing redhead to your chest with your free arm.

You see Trey come closer to place a hand soothingly on Riddle's back. He notices you looking and gives you a teary look filled with not just relief, but hope. He mouths a 'thank you,' and all you can do is smile in return.

A glance toward Cater shows him sitting with his head thown back, leaning back on one hand with the other pressed to his eye. His breath hitches every now and again, and you believe he's fighting off tears too.

The three of them have been through a lot, not just now, huh? But probably since the day Riddle got here.

It's at this point you finally hear a crowd of foot steps rushing into the destroyed tea garden. You look over to spot Crowley leading the teachers and a large beastman you assume is the school nurse over. They all look entirely flabbergasted, likely over the fact that you've all apparently succeeded in saving Riddle, who has more or less exhausted himself of crying.

You shift to sit up, to wave the teachers over, but the sharp pain in your calves makes itself known. You hiss in pain and instead clutch at your calf.

Which is. Very. Very wet.

Riddle makes a confused sound as you turn instead to look at your pants. It's hard to tell through the ripped black fabric, but the entirety of your pant legs from just below your knees down is soaked through.

You pull your hand away.

Your palm is painted entirely red.

Oh. That's blood.

That's. Quite a bit of blood.

Is that why your ears are ringing?

You hear someone say something, but it's far off, drowned out as the ringing gets louder. Soon, all you can hear is your own slow breathing as the world fuzzes at the edges.

A large, warm palm gently presses to your cheek, turning your sight from your redredredred palm as another hand is placed on your shoulder.

The beastman nurse is saying something-

-you're out before you can figure out what it is.

---

It's far from the first time Jubal had students become protective of and scared for their friends. In a school such as this, injuries are bound to happen from time to time. The other teachers are generally less panicked, but he can still spot the worry under the professionalism.

It's the first time he's seen actual panic from Crowley.

The shriek he'd let out as Verdreiss fainted in Jubal's arm was the loudest of them, Rosehearts and the cat a close second.

After reassuring the students that Verdreiss had only passed out, and that they should all move to the infirmary now did the panic begin to subsist. Though Rosehearts looked ready to start sobbing again the entire way, his eyes never straying too far from Verdreiss' cradled form.

He'd allowed the other teachers to patch the other students up as he focused on Verdreiss. The most pressing wounds obviously to be the damage done to Verdreiss' lower legs. After setting the vital scanner attached to that particular bed to alert him if something truly life threatening crops up, he removing the kid's shoes and socks, grabbing more supplies as he goes. The pants are already ruined, so Jubal feels no remorse cutting the fabric away. 

Jubal works as quickly yet carefully as he can. He cleans away the blood, revealing the whole of the wounds. He has to fight to keep from showing any reaction and setting off the kids again.

Multiple puncture wounds, and some aggravated lacerations, though he's still certain none have hit anything vital.

Jubal is just floored by the amount. It's not a wonder the kid's pants were soaked after a time, though the bleeding has slowed by now. He carefully prods at the lacerations that concern him, but none appear deep enough to truly need stitches. Though the kid will be needing a wheelchair for at least a few days, he's not having these reopen because the kid took the stairs too quickly.

As he finishes wrapping the wounds, Crowley comes over and stares down at Verdreiss. The kid looks peaceful in their unconscious state, if a little pale.

"I've sent everyone except Rosehearts back to their dorm." He states quietly. "Rosehearts is currently asleep after everything. He would have probably attempted to stay awake in order to make sure Verdreiss was fine, but he was out in seconds. Crewel was ready to offer a sleep tonic if Rosehearts was resistant, but it was obviously no need."

Jubal nods. It's the best thing for now, even if it means the kids are gonna need to fix their sleep schedule after. Crewel and Vargas are both certified to assist Jubal in the allowance of minor medications, patching of injuries, and in certain emergencies, and Crewel specifically is licensed to distribute a certain level of potions to the students as necessary. Jubal often relies on the Alchemy teacher for just that.

Jubal lets out a deep sigh and scrubs at his face. This whole scenario is a nightmare. And by some miracle, they got lucky and the worst of the injuries to the students is to the one kid who can't technically use magic. As shitty as that sounds.

He reaches over and pulls the tablet away from the stand attached to the bed connecting it to the vital reader. He'll have to thank the older Shroud boy the next time his tablet floats in, that piece of technology he got to test run when the shut-in was a freshman was the best thing to ever happen to him. He no longer needs to use his Unique Magic as frequently on the students because of it. He selects the scanner readings and flicks through each diagnosis.

Hm. Traces of strain in their throat along the vocal chords. Not surprising. A smattering of tinea versicolor along the shoulders and back, some readings of hypermobility, particularly along the arms. Traces of old scars. High arches in their feet, though nothing that a good pair of compression socks and proper shoes wouldn't fix. As he thought, nothing vital damaged in their legs. He flicks through to the more internal scans.

Huh, the kids reads as partially vaccinated. That's.... odd. He files that note away to think about later and continues on. Nothing else of note there, now what of their magic system? 

He stares.

He moves to take off the protection bracelet Crowley had said he'd given the kid and sets the tablet to scan Verdreiss' magic system again.

The result returns the same.

"What the hell?"

"Juma? What's wrong?"

He goes over to Rosehearts' bed, attaches the tablet to that bed's scanner, and waits for the results.

It brings up Rosehearts' strained, but otherwise undamaged magic system.

He goes back to Verdreiss and runs the scan one more time. The result is still the same as the other two.

Jubal taps the little skull icon in the corner of the tablet and waits.

"Doctor Juma!" Calls a cheery voiced Ortho from the tiny speaker in the tablet, "You haven't called through the scanning system in some time. Is something the matter?"

"Ortho, can you check the scanner systems' functionality of this bed? Can you make sure everything is working as it should?"

"Sure! Give me 13 seconds!" Chirped the younger Shroud as an icon briefly appears on the tablet to indicate Ortho's system check. A tiny ding resounds as the check finishes.

"Everything is in working order." Ortho confirms. Jubal frowns.

"Ortho, can you check the latest magical system scan? I need to make sure of that this scan is coming back correctly."

"Of course! Let's take a look-"

There's a pause.

("Big brother? Big brother can you look at this scan? Doctor Juma said it was made just now and I-"

"Huh? What scan? He's lucky I'm only doing some grinding right now, so I can-... What.")

There's a shuffling sound and the older Shoud's normally dreary tone is for once animated, if only because of sheer incredulousness.

"What."

"So you're seeing this too, right?" Jubal confirms.

"There is no possible way you just scanned a person who doesn't have an internal magic system in any way."

"Excuse me!?" Crowley whisper-shrieked, "That's what this is about!?"

Jubal knows how a person can lack the ability to cast magic.

Autoamagism, or more simply Amagism is a condition that effects somewhere between 15-20% of the total population of Twisted Wonderland. It's primary characteristic is an inability to cast magic. 

In truth, it is slightly more complicated; it is a person's inability to produce magic. It is a disability of a defective magical system.

The how has resulted in two primary types: Type A, where the person is born with an underdeveloped or otherwise misfunctional internal magic system, the more common of the two; and Type B, where the person's system is damaged beyond repair by other means. There is more, but that's the simplest of description.

Verdreiss, by some medical nightmare phenomenon, doesn't have one at all.

"Do an Aura scan. Make absolutely sure we're seeing this right." Idia demands.

Jubal does as told. He sets the tablet to its test and watches in real time as the scan is done.

Auric scans measure one's magic aura, their natural defense against hostile magics, not unlike their immune system.

The scans are only usually necessary for those going into situations or careers where hostile magic is a risk: certain competitive sports, military and government work, those such things. Outside that, they are generally used to get a measure on how weak a person's magical defenses are in cases of weaker magic and amagism. They don't always correlate, but more often than not, weak magic results in a weak aura and thus a weak magical defense.

This in turn is called Auratic sthenopenia, a weak magical resistance, resulting in a stricter need to limit the level of exposure to external magics. Usually this applies only in the medical sense, but some jobs simply mean a natural exposure to magical radiation, such as potioncrafts or magical stone refinery.

The tablet finishes its scan. Jubal stares.

"What the fuck." Idia weezes out.

The only part of Verdreiss that has any magical aura is the Mark of Imbuement, clearly lined with a dense, tight ring of an aura swirling around their neck like a spiritual version of an old ruff collar.

".... Do you want me to sign an NDA about this or....?" 

Idia's question snaps Jubal out of his daze. Jubal takes barely a second to think about it.

"Yes." 

"Standard agreement regarding patient confidentiality, or....?"

"I'm gonna need complete silence until otherwise."

Idia just responds with a low whistle. Crowley is staring at him, mouth gaping at the conversation he just heard.

Because this isn't the first time Jubal has worked with Shrouds. But Jubal refused to do anything more than surface level assistance now. He won't go any further than testing prototype medical equipment for Idia, as per their agreement.

The hiding of secrets behind NDAs is standard practice between them by now.

"Alright. Ortho, you know the procedure."

"Got it Big Brother!"

Jubal sighs.

He should call Plamen tonight.

---

You awaken once more to twilight painting the recognizable walls of the nurses office in shades of orange, the lights off to cast shadows adout the room.

You blink up at the ceiling, once more disoriented. You try to remember how you got here and pull up blanks. You groan and shift to lay on your side as you normally do, but instead hiss as pain laces your lower legs.

"{Ah, you're awake.}"

The deep voice startles you, and you quickly trace it to the office desk.

It is the same beastman from before, and now you are certain is the school nurse. He stands and casually meanders over to your bed, where he gently maneuvers you into sitting up rather than turning over as you planned.

"{This is our first proper meeting, isn't it? I've heard a few things about you already from the others, and you could hardly call what happened at the Heartslabyul dorm an introduction.}" He holds out his large hand for you to shake. "{I'm Doctor Jubal Juma. I'm the school nurse, as you've probably figured out.}"

You place your hand in his and watch it be nearly engulfed by the doctor's. Jubal is big, in a number of ways. Taller than anyone you've seen here in this school, and stocky. He looks like he could deadlift the bed with you in it. You like his shirt though, under the lab coat. Reminds you of Hawaiian shirts back home.

You also realize he's probably the most beast looking of the beastmen you've seen. 

The shape of his ears are recognizably that of a hippo, but it's the color of his skin that solidifies that idea. He has a similar kind of two-toned skin on his palms (and up the undersides of arms, and strangely his face and down the front of his neck) that you've seen in those with darker skin, except it's between the natural looking brown tones and the less natural looking purplish tone that tells you this man is not of your world.

(That thought makes you pause. You backtrack to his name, and something clicks in the back of your mind.

Oh God, this man is an expy of Jumba Jookiba from Lilo and Stitch, isn't he?)

You nod in acknowledgement, and after, Juma-sensei reaches over to the nightstand by the bed and picks up a glass of water and what is likely painkillers.

Or half a painkiller, as it appears when you accept the offering.

"{We don't know if you'll have a reaction to any of the medicine I might give you going forward. It's safer to simply give you only a little at a time for now until we can look into giving you a more thorough check up. I hope you can bare with it for now.}"

You nod at that explanation. You know there are plants in the botanical gardens that don't exist on Earth. Who's to say that you won't have some kind of allergic reaction to one that is used in medicines here? Better safe than sorry. You throw back the half pill and chase it with the water.

As you hand back the glass to the doctor, a bit of red catches the corner of your eye.

A couple beds over was Riddle. Asleep, as you were. Likely recovering from... everything.

From turning into a monster.

From almost dying.

You inhale.

The bandages on your legs itch.

You almost died.

You wheeze, air no longer cooperating.

It's happened twice in less than a month.

How... how is this normal? How do the people here deal with this!?

For all its benefits, magic feels like a curse to have in this world.

You can't breathe.

You want to go home.

You want to go home.

YOU WANT TO GO HOME!

Home does not exist.

You are suddenly pressed against a wide, warm chest. Buzzing your ear is a gental humming. There is an inhale, then a quiet singing.

"Mahalo nui 'ia ke Ali'i wahine

'O Lili'ulani 'O ka Wohi kū"

You blink, stunned out of your spiral. Dr. Juma's deep voice is soft and resonate. A hand soothes down your back as the other keeps you cradled to his chest.

"Ka pipi'o mai o ke ānuenue

Nā waiho'olu'u a hālike 'ole

E nānā nā maka i ke ao malama

Mai Hawai'i ākea i Kaua'i"

He mele no lilo? That. That exists here? Do other Disney songs? Well, He mele no lilo is hardly a Disney song even if it was used in a movie, but Hawaii probably doesn't exactly exist.

Right?

"{Are you back with me?}" Dr. Juma then asks.

You are only able to make a croaking sound in acknowledgement.

"{Things have been pretty harrowing since you got here, huh? It's been incredibly difficult for you. And yet, you've been very brave about everything.}"

You whimper at that. You have been putting on a brave face despite everything against you.

"{So it's OK to stop being brave for a bit.}" He soothes, "{You can let go. You're safe here.}"

A sob is wrenched out of you, pitiful and wretched. You curl into the doctor's hold, clinging to the brightly colored shirt. It takes half a second for you to remember that Riddle is in the room asleep, and you bury your face into the shirt instead, pulling it as close as you can to muffle you cries.

You take no notice of the shaking shoulders of the red head two beds over, his hands pressed to his mouth to silence himself as well.

Chapter Text

"I didn't think I'd see you this early, Trein. Or without your familiar."

"I could say the same to you, Crewel. You usually go into town in the mornings."

Trein replies cooly to the younger teacher's grumbling, very used to it after having known the man since he was 15. The pair had seemingly incidentally met in the halls, and were now seemingly traveling to the same destination.

Crewel merely rolled his eyes. "I'm going to pick up a certain time-stranded pup and take them with me. A bit of time away from the school after everything should do them some good." He held up a pair of uniforms slacks and button-down, likely to replace the ones that were ruined the day before.

The elder huffed a quiet laugh at that reply.

"So it seems we have the same idea." He knew the younger could be kind when he wanted to be, and they had all unanimously, if unspokenly, agreed that Verdreiss needed special attention. Trein had banked an the man doing just this.

Crewel's face twists like he's tasted something unpleasant, and Trein has to force himself not to completely show his amusement. Before their conversation can continue, they arrive at their destination.

The infirmary.

Crewel pulls the door open quietly, but without ceremony, and Trein follows in behind him. Crewel was likely expecting the two children who had remained with Dr. Juma to still be sleeping. However, that was not the case.

Both were awake, sitting in the center of one of the beds facing each other and speaking quietly, Rosehearts hands resting in the cradle of Verdreiss'. They both looked up at the sound of the two teacher entering, acknowledging them with nods, neither seeming to care to release the hands of the other. 

(They ignore Riddle's eyes being puffy and red, traces of tear tracks on his cheeks. Whatever the two were talking about need be only between them.)

A quick glance showed Dr. Juma had yet to arrive to the ward, or had stepped out briefly. 

"Good morning sirs." Riddle greeting quietly. Verdreiss merely smiled pleasantly. Trein returned the smile and nod with a small one of his own, while Crewel continued into the ward towards the storage closet.

"Morning pups." Crewel places the clothes he brought for Verdreiss playfully on their head as he passed them, earning him curious glances from the two students.

Trein walked instead over two the beds, sitting on the edge and turning to face the two. "{How are you two feeling this morning? A little better, I hope?}"

The two nod at the question, Kal giving him a thankful look at switching to Pyroxese as they finally release Rosehearts' hands to take the clothes.

"{Dr. Juma left me some medicine and a granola bar, so my legs aren't hurting right now.}" They reply, setting the clothes on their lap. 

"{I'm.... still exhausted from- everything, but it's a little better after sleeping.}" Rosehearts admits hesitantly, and Trein knows he's unused to confessing any weakness.

"{Good. Now, did the good doctor explain anything on how your treatment should go, Verdreiss?}"

"{I can stand and walk carefully for brief periods, but otherwise I'm to use a wheelchair for at least a couple days. Dr. Juma said he'll give me a set of medication and show me how to do my bandages so I can change them myself back in my dorm.}" They explained, and Trein nodded in acknowledgement, pleased that the students weren't fighting against the doctor's orders as he knows some do.

"{Good. Now go get dressed pup, you're coming with me today.}" Crewel punctuates his interrupting remark with the clacking of the portable wheelchair being unfolded and sat out.

The two students' glance at Crewel curiously before looking back at eachother. Verdreiss then picks up Rosehearts' hands once more and gives them a squeeze. Rosehearts returns the squeeze with a shakey smile.

"{Remember what we talked about, and things will be fine. I know you can do it.}" They give the boy a comforting smile, before letting go and opening their arms, "{Hug?}"

Instead of replying, Rosehearts merely falls into the brunette's arms, clinging tightly to them. Verdreiss holds on just as tight, smoothing a hand through red locks.

"It's OK. Promise." Softly came Verdreiss' broken Common. After a beat or two more, the two release each other so Verdreiss can finally change.

Trein had looked away for the entire scene, giving the two some semblance of privacy, and only looked back once Verdreiss stands from the bed. Rosehearts carefully watches them as they gingerly walk on their injured legs, diligent in following the doctor's orders.

"They're quite resilient, aren't they?" Trein comments, and catches the sudden tensing in Rosehearts' shoulders.

".... I... suppose..." Was his hesitant agreement, eyes hazed over with a memory Trein wasn't privy to. At that, Trein placed a hand on his shoulder in comfort, making the boy startle slightly.

When he looked back at Trein, he gave the boy small smile. "Let us take care of Verdreiss. You focus on your own recovery. You'll be exempt from classes for the next few days, so don't worry about those. I'm sure your dormmates will come see you later, and Dr. Juma will likely bring you breakfast."

Rosehearts nods at that, and Trein catches the brief flicker of apprehension before it's overtaken with exhaustion.

"I think I'll.... sleep a little longer. Until one of the two happens."

At that, Verdreiss finally emerges from the washroom and plunks themself into the wheelchair that Crewel had prepared for them. They yawn and situate themself in the chair, then Crewel begins pushing them along once they settle.

Trein stands to allow Riddle to lay back down on the bed, and goes to get the door.

"At least you'll be good for something Old man." Crewel snarks as he passes.

Trein merely huffs a quiet laugh, and takes a place next to his fellow teacher as they head towards the front entrance.

----

Despite the relatively early hour, the town that sits in the center of the apparent island that Night Raven resides on, bustles with life.

As your little group ambles down the hillside that leads into town, you take in its appearance: primarily brick buildings with reddish roofs, some painted brightly, others a simple white. You can spot a lighthouse rising from what appears to be the center of the town.

Far, far in the distance, you think you see white spires of a castle. You're not sure though.

It is a quaint, almost homey place, though you're sure the place pulls in tourists like crazy during the warmer months and holidays. 

"{This is Foothill town. It's pretty different from what you're used to, isn't it?}" Professor Trein asks you.

"{I have an aunt who lives by the coast, but I've never been to an island town before.}" You admit. The island must have been fairly big if the whole populous live on the one island. Or maybe it's like a college town back home? You don't see any buildings that reach very high, likely inns or small apartments that are no more than three, maybe four stories.

Once you've entered the outskirts of the town that appears to be mostly a residential area, Crewel walks the three of you down near one residence where you spot a large sheep dog of some kind sleeping on a porch as an older lady waters a small garden of flowers in front of said porch.

Upon noticing your arrival, the dog looks up, tail wagging, then gets up and trots happily over to the three of you. This makes the lady look up from her watering and smile cheerfully at you, though you can see she's surprised.

"[Oh, Divus! Good morning!]" Calls the lady, waving gently as she sets her watering can down to come over. Her dog has happily sat down in front of you, waiting to be acknowledged, but you don't yet reach out to pet.

"[Good morning Madame Florence.]" Crewel nods to her, then comes around in front of you to kneel down and pets the dog. "[And hello to you too Emma.]"

At the acknowledgement, the dog barks once happily and shoves its face into Crewel's hand to be pet more.

"[It's unusual to see Divus with anyone in the mornings. Are you one of Divus' coworkers and students at Night Raven?]" The lady asks then, turning to you and Trein with a warm, if curious look.

"[We are, indeed, madam. I am Mozus Trein, and this is one of our students.]" Trein greets them for you as Crewel guides the dog over to let you pet her. "[They've arrived to us under some special circumstances and things have become quite hectic since, so the two of us are taking the time to go into town to get them away for a bit while getting some supplies for them.]"

"[My, the teachers of Night Raven are truly high quality, assisting students to such an extent!]"

The conversation happening between the adults goes over your head, literally and figuratively, but you don't mind as now you have a lap full of dog. You giggle in delight as she rests her head in your lap and looks up at you with big puppy eyes, begging for more pets. Crewel seems just as delighted by this as you are.

After a bit though, you continue on into town, your eyes tracking every shop window and restaurant sign from your seated position. You ooh and aah at everything, some familiar, others not so much.

Crewel ends up taking the three of you to a café, somewhere with a lovely outdoor seating area viewing the market street. Trein is able to rangle out a menu in a Non-Japanese script from the waiter for you, and you're able to order a simple earl grey tea through Crewel. The waiter leaves to get your drinks and a calm silence passes over the three of you.

You watch the people and cars pass, occasionally spying mailcarriers on brooms flying over the crowds. You've seem palm trees. You’ve spotted flowers with impossible colors. It both does and doesn't look like your own world. It is marvelous. It is terrifying.

"{It's quite different, isn't it?}"

You startle a little at the voice suddenly cutting off your spiral of thoughts. You look back to the table to find the two teachers gazing at you patiently. You nod slowly, and decide to look through your menu instead of respond verbally.

"{Anything on there that piques your interest, pup?}" Crewel gestures at the menu as you translate it in your head. There are some things on here you don't recognize, and decide to steer clear of those ones for now.

"{Grilled cheese, please.}" You decide on, as it was safe and not any of those fancy ones that throw in extra ingredients. Not that you didn't like, say, a bit of tomato in your grilled cheese, but you are not interested in trying to explain your digestive intolerance to pork if they decide bacon is appropriate for a grilled cheese.

You go back to people watching as the two teachers order, focusing instead on the people instead of the surroundings.

It doesn't take long to notice the varitable rainbow of hair colors. You had kind of noticed at the school, but it hadn't really clicked until now that people in this world really do naturally have hair colors (and now that you're on the topic, eye colors) outside the normal collection you knew. You can't say in made you self-conscious, but it did make you... aware of your more mundane combination of browns.

You fiddle with the ends of the longer strands of hair that frame your face. You had liked not having bangs and keeping your hair short because you didn't like having to manage the upkeep of longer hair and bangs. But now you kinda wished you could hide behind a curtain of hair.

The thoughts of hair are pushed aside as your food finally arrives.

(Well, your and Trein's. Crewel says he doesn't eat breakfast. You don't think you'd be able to do that, so more power to him.)

As you eat, Crewel turns to you and starts with, "{How many usable toiletries does your dorm have? I know misbehaving pups occasionally squirrel away things in your dorm that your ghosts sometimes bring to us from before it was occupied by you, but there were obviously still things that they either wouldn't or didn't care to bring us.}"

You freeze mid-chew, staring at Crewel in complete bafflement. Man really gets straight to the point, huh? Though, now that you think on it, it is weird you found usable items in a building that was in as much disrepair as Ramshakle is in. You swallow and reply.

"{I think I found someone's old stash of unopened stuff hidden under some old towels. So I have those at least.}" You hear both teachers scoff at that.

"{We'll be getting you better products as well as some proper clothes that aren't a school provided uniform. Is there anything in particular you can think of that you need for yourself or your dorm?}"

You tipped your head back in thought. Was there anything in specific you wanted? Well... there was....

"{Uh.... so.... you know I'm not... physically a boy...}" You started hesitantly.

Trein was the one to answer before you even finished asking, "{Don't worry, I will be assisting you with those particular products. I have daughters, so it is something I have a fair bit of knowledge about. Sam can supply you when you run out if you don't want to go down to town every time.}"

"Ah... {Then, that's all I can think of off the top of my head.}"

Of course the Lady Tremaine expy would have daughters. But, at least you won't have to worry about that.

Once everything is said and done at the Café, the three of you continue on into the market proper. You head down a particular street lined with clothing shops of all kinds, and you can't help but stare at some of them. Again, some things are familiar, others are not.

Your eye catches on what you think is this world's version of Boho fashion, and you nearly twist yourself out of your wheelchair trying to keep looking before Crewel finally stops.

"{It seem something has your attention, pup.}" He smirks down at you, and you just raise your eyebrow at him in return. So you like that particular fashion more than others, he can't say anything with the giant fur coat over a suit look.

However, he turns your chair around and heads towards the entrance of the shop in question, Trein moving ahead to get the door. You blink, not actually expecting the teachers to care to get you anything besides maybe a multipack of basic shirts, a few pairs of jeans, and maybe a good coat or a pair of boots.

"{Not a terrible choice, I can see why it caught your eye.}" Crewel comments as he glances around.

"[Welcome to Flying Lotus, if you need any help or have any questions, just holler.]" The single worker in the store drawled cheerfully from behind the register counter.

From the inside, you could now see the shop sells far more than clothing and accessories, with shelves of both cut and uncut gems, incense, tapestries, statuettes, and other pieces that a person into new-age mysticism might find interesting. You even spot a shelf near a set of stairs that had simple instruments like ocarina, meditation bells, and wooden xylophones among many other things.

You really couldn't deny that you liked the aesthetic of this sort of thing, though you wouldn't be able to whole-heartedly follow any of the practices that tend to be attached to the aestetic simply because your brain would get bored and move on to something else. ADHD sucked like that.

Crewel let's you wheel yourself around the shop, the teachers following your lead as you look through the racks of clothes. You pull at long skirts and clothy pants, cropped halter tops and flowy, draping shirts. Asymmetric jackets with buttons at the collar and knee length leggings with lacing up the sides. Dresses you would adore wearing. You wanted to try everything. 

You end up with a stack of things that not just you, but both teachers and the clerk have pulled over and asked your opinion on. The clerk directs you to a changing room that's more a partitioned off section of floor with a mirror, a thick curtain acting as the door. They then hang a few pieces you'd picked on the hooks inside the changing room for you as Crewel and Trein hang on to the rest.

Carefully, you stand on shakey legs, the clerk holding you steady as you wobble slightly. You've been sitting for a while now, and while that normally wouldn't be too bad, the medication from this morning was starting to wear off, and you could feel the ache of every part of your lower legs that were hurt. You roll your ankles and feel the slightly mended skin pull at itself, mind going to the memory of the vines dragging you across the courtyard. The bruising hadn't shown up immediately, according to what Dr. Juma had said when he changed you bandages, but you hadn't been too surprised by the sight of purple-yellow lines now circling your legs.

Thankfully, you steady quickly, and the ache receded to an ignorable level. You had clothes to try on!

You beam at the adults, then pull the curtain shut.

Chapter Text

(Do it scared.)

The sun is bright from the window. Riddle thinks it's probably the latest he's slept in since he was very, very young, if he'd ever been allowed.

Dr. Juma had gone over with him what his recovery would entail. Riddle listened as studiously as he did most everything else.

(While it wasn't unprecedented to revert back from a full Overblot transformation --Riddle had been reverted back at the closest thing to an ideal time such a thing could have, that is, right after having transformed-- the doctor hadn't expected the students to be able to do it on their own. Even professional forces tasked with trying to save those in OB had difficulty in rescuing the effected due to just how dangerous those transformed mages were. The teachers had fully expected to be the ones to pull Riddle back from the brink.)

There was also the matter of informing his... parents. Plural.

Because his father is an option.

He doesn't technically have to inform either of them, but Dr. Juma strongly suggested he tells some adult he trusts with this information. 

Thus, Riddle is sitting in the nurse's office still, this time with his phone in his hands, contemplating how to even begin to contact his father after so long. He no longer knows if the work schedule he memorized as a child for his father is still the same, but on the slim chance it is, today would have been a day off for his father.

(Do it scared.)

With shaking fingers, he types out a quick "Papa?" and sends it before he loses his nerve. He shuts his eyes and buries his face in his knees and just breathes, trying to calm his anxiety. He did it. Now he just needs to-

His phone vibrates in his hand.

He nearly jumps out of his skin, not prepared for how quickly he would get a response.

His phone vibrates a few more times, a series of messages in quick succession.

He breathes a second or two more. Then he opens the message.

Riddle?

Are you well?

I've missed you, A stór.

Riddle swallows around the sob in his throat, and through blurred vision, begins to text his father.

Papa, I've missed you too...

(He is so, so scared. But he thinks he can be just brave enough, knowing he has people in his corner.)

----

In all honesty, Cater didn't think he'd ever felt this awkward of tension in his life. 

He knew it would be awkward, but the stilted stand-off between Riddle and Ace felt like watching someone try and disarm a bomb. Both red-heads had a temper, but Ace's would technically be rightfully warranted. Even so, the junior didn't have the greatest amount of tact, so Trey and Cater were here as both support and to make sure no one got hurt any worse than everything that's already happened.

It probably would have been best if Kallisto was here as a neutral party, but they were still out of the school with the teachers, so Trey and Cater had to make due with just the two of them.

Deuce was here too, obviously, Riddle had asked to speak to both juniors personally. But even he noticed the thick air around the red pair.

After another couple of beats, Riddle finally sighed and bowed his head slightly.

"Thank you both for indulging my request." He relinquished.

"It- It's fine dormleader." Deuce stammered out hurriedly. Ace merely presses his lips into a line.

Riddle takes one breath. Two. Then, "I know... just saying sorry won't fix much. Even so, I would still like to apologize for... everything. I won't make excuses, there were things I did maliciously and believed myself to be in the right to do. And we all... saw what happened when I was confronted with the reality of those actions."

No one says anything, but Trey places a steadying hand on Riddle's back, and Deuce shifts his weight to lean closer to Ace's side, shoulders brushing.

(No one says anything, though Riddle's hands are shaking, and Ace's fist is clenched white knuckled under his crossed arms.)

Cater stands in the middle, the balancing force he's always been. 

Riddle swallows and takes another breath.

"You don't... have to forgive me. I know that even if I try to earn your forgiveness, even if I change and try to be better, I'm not the one who decides if I should be forgiven. That I might not ever be forgiven by some. Even so..."

Riddle finally tips his head back to look Ace in the eye. Ace doesn't flinch, but Cater can see the twitch of the held back motion.

"Even so, I would still like the chance to try. If you will allow me, I want to try to earn your forgiveness. If there is something I can do now that might help towards that, then please, tell me what to do."

There is a pause as the two stare eachother down. The tension simmering slowly higher the longer there is no answer.

Ace is the first to break, looking away and out the window, and even though Cater can no longer see his face properly at this angle, Cater can tell that Ace is pouting. Deuce turns to him, worried, though doesn't know he doesn't need to be.

(Cater is only able to keep his face straight through sheer willpower, or he would be fighting to not laugh. His juniors are actually very soft hearted, aren't they?)

"... My birthday isn't for a while." Ace finally mumbles out. Riddle blinks, confused, turning to Trey, who only shrugs.

Ace turns back to face Riddle, voice a little clearer, "And we worked hard on those tarts before you threw them out carelessly, and then didn't even get to enjoy the party they were for. So! I demand a Revenge Unbirthday Party! And this time, you make the tarts! And no getting Trey to help, do it yourself!" He says, loudly like he's trying to hide under his bravado. Riddle's lips part slightly, as close to a full on jaw drop as any of them have ever seen.

"If you do that," Ace continues, softer, his cheeks tinting pink, "Then there's nothing I won't forgive, I guess."

It takes Riddle a beat to respond, but in the end, "Yes, of course. I'll work hard!"

Deuce nudges Ace's shoulder, sending him a knowing smirk while Ace's face turns redder. Trey catches Cater's eye over Riddle's head, and they both can't help but smile. Riddle sits at the center of it all, and breathlessly laughs.

Yeah, they'll be ok. 

----

The swish of a whisk is not new in Ramshakle dorm. It's guest, however, is.

Even so, Gus hovers between their little chestnut and the dorm leader of Heartslabyul as they carefully follow the recipe for strawberry tarts. It's a bit tricky of a recipe, Gus isn't used to baking over general cooking, but he's the better chef they have between him and Kallisto.

Kal sits on a tall stool at the island, neatly cutting the strawberries. They've dressed themself in some of their new clothes; a pair of brightly patterned, balloon legged pants, a cropped sweater with a tank top underneath, and a bright scarf looped and tied around their head to pull the longer strands of hair back. Grim is setting out the cake base on the counter, with Phineus keeping an eye on him so he doesn't eat it when they're not looking.

On whisking duty is the very dorm leader that had been the center of the commotion that's been happening over the last week. He sits across from Kal, Ezra floating lazily to his side.

Truthfully, the ghosts didn't quite know what to think when the dorm leader showed up at the Ramshakle dorm, but Kal had been welcoming, and that was enough for them. (Something about not saying the dorm leader couldn't get any help, just specifically not the vice dorm leader.)

"{Honestly, this is probably the most complex thing I've ever made. I think before this was a particular kind of bread I liked. Why is baking always so hard?}" The last part is muttered in vague, baffled frustration.

"{Really? What kind of bread was it?}" Honest curiosity laces the question.

"{It's called Nissua, it's defining characteristics were that its main flavoring ingredient was cardamom seeds and that it was very dry. It's usually topped with a sugar glaze, sometimes chopped nuts, and it was always braided.}"

"{I feel like I've heard of it, but I can't quite recall.}"

"{I would honestly be surprised if you had.}"

These light conversations went on for a bit more, then petered off. It was silent, except for the sounds of whisking and various kitchen sounds.

Then, unprompted, Riddle says, "{I talked to my father.}"

This made Kal pause and look over at Riddle, eyebrows shooting up into their hairline. Riddle sets his bowl in his lap and takes a breath, blinking rapidly to counter the wetness building in his eyes.

"{... You were right.}" He says then, a little choked.

Kal lights up. They reach out across the island, Riddle taking the offered hand and squeezing, accepting the comfort.

"{I'm so glad.}" Kal beamed.

The two return to their tasks after that. It was companionable, with the conversations once more turning light.

Gus might not have known the context, but he is certain that whatever has happened is a significant step forward.

"{Do you think your legs will be healed enough that you won't need your wheelchair soon? There's... something I wanted to do for the party, and while it would be fine with the chair, I'd hoped...}"

"{Yes, they should be cleared for me to walk some distance so long as I don't strain myself. What did you want to do?}"

----

It was bright and sunny out, the day of the Revenge Unbirthday Party.

The clean up had taken a few days, and there had been Riddle's dorm wide apology after he'd gotten out of the infirmary, so it had been busy in the wake of the incident. It had appeared to many that Riddle wanted to change. Whether he'd be successful was a joint effort between him and those closest to him.

Still, everything was set perfectly to standard, and all the party goers were simply waiting for their dorm leader to arrive.

"Make way for our great leader! The Crimson Ruler! Dorm Leader Riddle!"

The welcome cheer rings out as the dorm leader enters, but several students take pause at the sight.

On their dorm leader's arm, as if he is only an escort, is the Uninvited Guest. The one who had called out Riddle during the last party, the same one that had been at the epicenter of Riddle's Overblot.

On their head, instead of the black headband, is their dorm leader's crown.

All eyes are on the pair. Baffled, disbelieving, and curious. 

Riddle leads them to the head table, and though it is still surprising to see Riddle treat someone with such courtesy --pulling out a chair for the guest and ensuring they were settled first before sitting himself-- he thankfully doesn't place them at the head of the table. Trey and Cater take their usual places behind the chair, and the cat demon familiar sits itself in the guest's lap.

"The roses are red and the table cloth is white..." Riddle starts, the trails off. They see him take a deep breath. He glances over at the guest, and they smile softly at him.

"Mn. Well, so long as there is nothing truly stopping the party from happening, and everything is set out properly, then it is a perfect Unbirthday Party."

Many students are floored by the change in stance, but after Riddle's house wide apology, just as many are relieved. And though there are some that are still cautious, they can tell Riddle was serious about trying to change. Trey and Cater look relieved from their spots, and the air truly lightens.

The starting cheer rang out, and the students proceeded with the party. Chatter louder and freer than it had since Riddle first became dorm leader, closer to how it had been before then.

Closer, but not quite. There is still a restraint to the party, but it is more refined. Rather than a stiff, somber event it had been, the weight of the rules pressing down on everyone, it feels more like a proper sophisticated tea time. The rules still in place, but no longer oppressive.

It is when an infamous pair step up to the head table that eyes start to shift, and it quiets in anxious anticipation.

"How did your apology tart come along?"

Apology tart? Ah, so the dorm leader had made specific reparations to the two.

"I made it, just as promised. No help from Trey, just like you said." Riddle stands from his seat and leads them over to a covered tray that had been set up beforehand, the guest following behind with an implacable smile, and Trey and Cater bringing up the rear.

"I made this." Lifting the tray's cover reveals a large pastry. "Strawberry tart."

Those closer to the head table can see that the pastry isn't quite perfect, with Trey's observation confirming it.

"It looks good. The shape could use a bit of work, but you've spent the time glazing the strawberries to a nice shine. This is a great work for your first time. You and Kal work well together."

"Thank you!" The guest cheers. Ace, however furrows his brow at the information. Riddle though, caught on to this quickly and replied before Ace could say anything.

"You only said I couldn't get help from Trey. Not that I couldn't have any help. And Kallisto and the ghosts are wonderful company besides."

For a moment, there is complete silence from everyone. Riddle? Rules Lawyering??? Every student was floored by the scene.

... Riddle really has changed, huh?

Off to the side, some notice the guest is whispering something to Trey, who nods without replying, the pair turning back to the others.

The group cut the tart, and the students return to their own pastries.

That is, until loud gagging erupted from the head table.

"WHY IS IT SALTY??" Cries Ace, looking at his piece of tart in betrayal. The others look at him in confusion as Ace coughs miserably.

And then the guest bursts into raucous laughter, and Ace rounds on them.

"{What did you do!?}"

"{Nothing you didn't deserve. You still need to learn a bit of tact, so this is your punishment for letting your mouth run a few days ago. Don't worry, it's just Trey's Unique Magic. The tart is fine. I wouldn't let Riddle make a mistake.}" The guest smirks at their fellow first year, who pouts in return. But soon, all of them are laughing cheerfully.

"I wonder what that would taste like for real..." Cater wonders aloud.

"How about we not? I know you don't like sweets Cater, but let's not ruin someone else's work." Trey replies, smiling blandly.

"When did you figure that out!?"

The conversation devolves from there into Trey's observation skills, and the students once more tune out.

Things are joyful, it's the most fun any of them have had at an Unbirthday Party in a while. 

Well, for a time at least.

"Freaking Royal Sword Academy!?"

"Did they just say Royal Sword Academy!?"

"One of those stuck up assholes is here!?"

A riot starts over a purple haired cat beastman, though the dorm leader and the rest at the head table don't move to follow. Rather, they seem to be explaining something to the guest. The students who don't bother to chase after the RSA student return to what they were doing, completely ignoring the brief incident. The group at the head table return to their seats, and the party continues.

Some students still watch the guest and their dorm leader chat quietly with each other, curious.

Then the guest begins to whistle. To some, it was an oddly familiar melody. The students can almost place it...

And then they start to sing.

"[A very merry Unbirthday, 

To us, to us!

If there are no objections 

Let it be unanimous!

Oh a very merry Unbirthday, 

A very merry Unbirthday, 

A very merry Unbirthday to us~!]"

That's... the Unbirthday song? In its traditional Old Trade??? It's not that many of the Heartslabyul students don't know the Unbirthday song, it's just not many can sing it so perfectly in Old Trade.

The guest continues to whistle out the melody, taking Riddle's hand and pretending to dance in their seats. He giggles quietly, swaying slightly with the guest.

"[A~ very merry Unbirthday to me!]"

"[To who?]"

"[To me!]"

"[Oh, you!]"

The pair giggle at the silly back and forth of the simple song, the only part most of the students could get when singing in Old Trade. Riddle of course would know the Unbirthday song perfectly, even in Old Trade, so no one questions that.

"[A very merry Unbirthday to you!]"

"[Who me?]"

"[Yes, you!]"

"[Oh, me!]"

It's at that point that some of the students begin to notice that the teapots seem to be... moving? Swaying??

"[Let's all congratulate us