Chapter Text
Yuu was in heaven. Pomefiore’s bathrooms were like mini spas and now he lived here. Technically he was staying in Epel’s room while he awaited repairs on Ramshackle. But Vil insisted that if he was to stay at Pomefiore, he would have to maintain their standards of cleanliness and appearance. Speaking of which…
“NOOOOOO!!!” Grim let out a yowl of despair.
“You’re not getting away!” Vil dunked him back into the small pet bath, “You are absolutely filthy!”
“Too much soap! Too much soap!” Grim protested.
Yuu just ignored the chaos and sank further into his bath. He was in paradise.
“Are you alright in there, Monsieur Trickster?” Rook called out from the other side of the shower curtain, “You haven’t melted, have you?”
“Nah…just enjoying this…” Yuu called back, “After everything, a nice hot bath is the perfect thing.”
“I’m glad you are enjoying the facilities…” Vil called over Grim’s continued protesting, “After the gloom of STYX, refreshing oneself is a great way to recover.”
“I’m dying…”
“No you’re not, Grim.” Yuu chuckled, “Consider this payback for making all of us worry.”
Grim just blew bubbles in his bath.
“Once the two of you are done, we can start on the hair treatments…” Vil began, “Then we can start on the facial regimen.”
Grim just cried. Yuu was just looking forward to being pampered.
…………………
Jamil stared at the brown pile of…something on his plate and poked it with his fork, “Kalim…what is this?”
“It was supposed to be a meatloaf….” Kalim was standing in front of Jamil and Yuya wearing an apron which was covered in food stains, “With you gone…I had to figure out food somehow…and I really don’t trust anyone else cooking for me…” Kalim seemed uncomfortable but continued, “Some of the other guys tried to help me in the kitchen…”
“Do I want to know the state of the kitchen?” Jamil asked
Kalim quickly changed the topic, “But it should still taste decent! I tried it myself.”
Jamil was doubtful, Kalim still hadn’t taken a Culinary Crucible course so he had zero kitchen knowledge.
“It’s not that bad…” To Jamil’s shock, Yuya was already eating the…thing. “Slightly spicy, but it’s good.”
If Yuya was eating it and not dying, then Jamil supposed that would speak of what Kalim learned in the time he was gone. Bracing himself, he took a bite.
It was spicy…but the meat wasn’t overcooked and wasn’t dry. It tasted…fine.
“You still have a long way to go but…thanks for making us dinner.”
Kalim’s smile could have lit a room, “You’re welcome!”
………………………
“Special delivery!!!” Judai declared as he entered the infirmary carrying two boxes containing tarts and sweets. Riddle had been ordered on strict bed rest and since Yaxley didn’t trust him, Riddle was constrained to a hospital bed…by a snake.
“Oh, thank Sevens…” Riddle sighed in relief, “There’s only so much snake speak I can practice…”
“Now shoo, Professor Hiss…Riddle needs snacks.” Judai shooed the creature away as he took a seat.
“Why did you name it?” Riddle asked, “It won’t leave me alone now…”
“Not my fault you have a reputation. So, when are you going to be released from here?”
“Nurse Yaxley is waiting for my hair to return to normal…” Riddle fiddled with a few strands of hair. The roots had returned to its normal red but the tips remained white, “Cater offered to secretly dye it so I can leave faster, but that is still defying doctor’s orders.”
“It’s only been a few days, so I can see you leaving sometime soon.” Judai opened up the two boxes he brought, “Now, from Trey we’ve got a chocolate tart and Cater went into town and picked up a few pastries from his favorite bakery. Which one do you want to start with?”
“Let’s start with the tart. The pastries we can save for later.” Riddle said.
“Okie dokie!” Judai quickly cut a generous slice for Riddle, “So, you heard any rumors on when our illustrious Headmaster is coming back?”
Riddle shook his head, “Professor Trien has been in here a few times but he has said nothing. No doubt the investigation into his actions will take some time.”
“And honestly the school might be better off for it…” Judai shrugged, “Classes will resume soon once they’re done patching the holes in the wall…and the repair bill will be sent to STYX.”
“They violated so many rules…punishment will soon follow.” Riddle declared, “I’m just glad we all came back from that.”
“Same here…I’m a little tired of my friends being kidnapped…”
“Speaking of which…” Riddle gave Judai a pointed look, “You still have to explain your near death experiences…”
“Ummm…abort mission!!!!” Judai ran for the exit.
“Retrieve him at once!” Riddle commanded Professor Hiss, “He must be taught a lesson!”
“Reptiles! My one weakness!”
…………………………
Yusei wasn’t sure how, but he’d found cooking to be a new form of relaxation for him. The Monstro Lounge provided lots of opportunities to practice. Gone were the days of living on cup ramen, he could eat like a king with all the new skills he gained.
“Looking good, Nudibranch…” Floyd said from his seat in the kitchen, “We could put you on cooking duties at this rate.”
“I’m nowhere close to the regular cooks…” Yusei admitted, “But it is making me eat better. Though...why are you eating that?”
Floyd popped another piece of takoyaki in his mouth, “What do you mean?”
“You’re eating octopus…and Azul is sitting right there …” Yusei pointed to where Azul was sitting reviewing paperwork and staring daggers at Floyd.
“I don’t see what the problem is…” Floyd just grinned, and popped another piece of takoyaki in his mouth.
*SNAP*
“Azul…you broke your pen…are you alright?” Yusei asked.
“I’ll be fine…Just trying to figure out how to get back in the black after this week…” Azul looked over his papers, “Customers are returning…just not at the rate as before.”
“Everyone is still a little shaken up after the attack…” Yusei said, “Maybe a to-go special will help business.”
“Now that’s not a bad idea…” Azul tapped his chin in thought, “It might even help turn around time on tables if someone comes in just for a small item…Let’s work on this promotion posthaste!”
………………………………
“Get back in your room, cub…you’re still grounded.”
Yuma pouted, “You can’t ground me!”
Leona rolled his eyes and grabbed Yuma by the back of his shirt, lifting him off the ground, “You were stupid and reckless by coming to STYX…so you are grounded. You’re eating dinner then going straight to your room…” He then dragged Yuma off to the kitchen.
“Sheesh…and he still denies adopting Yuma…” Jack said as he watched the scene.
“Can’t he just admit it already?” Ruggie pouted, “I have a betting pool to collect on.”
“I thought you already collected money from the betting pool.” Jack said.
“That was for the chance that Yuma ran off to perform a rescue.” Ruggie said as he flashed a few bills, “I collected handsomely on that one…”
“You’ll turn anything into a betting pool at this point…” Jack sighed.
“It helps when you take a cut for organizing the bet and placing your own bet under an alias…” Ruggie snickered, “Oh look…Leona-san is making Yuma eat his vegetables.”
“Well good…” Jack shook his head, “Kid somehow has survived on rice balls for most the year.”
“With how much he hypes up his grandma’s…I’m tempted to get him to bring some back when he does go home for the summer holidays.” Ruggie said.
“I just hope he does go back for summer holidays…”
Ruggie thought for a moment then grinned, “Wanna make a bet for that?”
“No.”
………………………
“I forgot we have spending money now…” Epel admitted.
“With the whole STYX attack, remembering that we got the cash prize from the VDC was the last thing on our minds.” Yugi said as they entered Sam’s shop.
“Hello, my little imps!” Sam…appeared…behind the counter, “Are you looking for anything in particular? I can assure you we have everything in stock thanks to my friends on the other side.”
“Just browsing for now.” Epel told the shopkeeper.
“I was wondering if you have any new games in stock.” Yugi asked.
Sam grinned, “Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin stock~” He gestured to a full wall display, “Just got a few new ones from various corners of Twisted Wonderland!”
Yugi gave a wave of thanks and started browsing the wares. There were some of the latest editions of the games he had played in the board game club, and more simple games like a few mancala kits and card decks. There seemed to be some collector’s editions of some rarer games, but a smaller rectangular wooden box caught his eye.
“Ah…has that relic caught your eye?” Sam sauntered up, smelling a sale, “That is based on an ancient game from the Scalding Sands. It fell out of favor over time so there is debate on what the rules exactly were, but archaeologists have done their best piecing them together based on their findings. I believe the game was called…”
“Senet.” Yugi finished for him. He had recalled Atem reminiscing a bit about the game when his memories came back and before their ceremonial duel. Perhaps if they’d had more time Atem would have taught him the rules. But maybe Yugi can figure them out on his own.
“Ah…so you’ve heard of it.” Sam grinned, “If you’ll purchase it today, I can throw in some specialty carved wooden pieces.”
“Sure thing.” Yugi took the Senet box and followed Sam to the check out.
“Got another game?” Epel asked, “I’m just getting a few snacks myself.”
“We could share them as we play.” Yugi proposed.
“I like that idea.”
…………………………………
For Yusaku, things had finally calmed down. Ai’s recovery was slowly making progress. He was lucky if there was 1% progress in a day, but at least there was progress being made. The other duelists would visit him every now and then, making sure that he was resting and eating. Though an unusual summons disrupted that routine.
As part of the Overblot aftercare, Yusaku was required to see a therapist. Though this time, a specialist was being sent over from STYX due to the location of his episode. Also, allegedly, they were displeased with the quality of the therapist Crowley had brought in the past. The inquest into the headmaster still wasn’t done, but they were already making changes based on their findings.
So here he was, standing in front of the room that had been converted into a temporary office, about to face a therapist for the first time since he was six. Hesitantly, he gave a knock on the door.
“Come in.” A woman’s voice said.
Opening the door, Yusaku saw that the office was set up in a rather calming nature, full of plants and soft couches. For some reason there was a pineapple with a necktie around it on a desk. The therapist herself was a tall woman with long curly brown hair in a ponytail, dressed in a purple suit, and her half moon glasses gave an air of professionalism.
“Hello there…My name is Megara. I’ve been sent by STYX to act as your therapist.” She introduced herself, “Normally I provide my services to the residents of the Isle of Woe, but regarding the nature of the incident it was decided I was best suited to discuss what happened.”
“So you’ve talked to Idia before?” Yusaku asked.
“Key word is ‘tried’...” Megera sighed, “I was brought onto staff after Ortho’s death and tried numerous times to get Idia to open up to me…but he skipped every session. He even hacked my appointment calendar and deleted his sessions and hoped I wouldn’t notice.”
“Sounds like him…”
“Very much…but we are not here to talk about him…today is about you.” Megara said.
“Just so you know…I’ve seen therapists before and it didn’t do much for me.” Yusaku warned.
“Understandable.” Megera nodded, “Though one of the goals today is to evaluate your mental state to see if you are at risk of falling back into Overblot. Just because you were forced back to normal doesn’t mean you're mentally sound.”
Yusaku just let out a hum of acknowledgement and took a seat.
“Now…” Megera flipped to a page on her notepad, “I’m going to throw a guess out and say that the STYX headquarters itself was a trigger for your Overblot?”
“It…reminded me of some unpleasant memories.” Yusaku admitted.
“That is a symptom of PTSD…just having a small similarity could trigger a flashback.”
Yusaku rolled his eyes, “I don’t have PTSD.”
Megara gave him a very long, hard, look, “I saw you were observing this room for exits and hidden cameras from the moment you entered. You were planning a possible escape so you didn’t feel trapped. Need I continue?”
Yusaku just huffed.
“But again..that isn’t our goal for today…it’s more of an evaluation…” Magera said, “If you are comfortable…shall we go over what happened from the moment you arrived at the Isle of Woe?”
Yusaku sighed and began answering her questions with short simple answers. As long as Megera maintained her professionalism, he might as well see this through.