Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

One dreary morning at their apartment, Loona stared down at the junk mail she was accustomed to, but paused once she came across something new. Among the normal death threats and sex ads was a shiny black, gold and purple envelope sealed with the wax stamp depicting a raven. Loona stared at it for a few minutes, then shrugged.

“Hey, Blitzo! You’ve got a weird letter! Probably from your weird boyfriend!”

“Oh, Satan! I’ve told that prick I’m not role playing unless like that! Keep it completely private, you sick head!” Blitzo stormed over and snatched the letter. Easing an eyebrow as he eyed it, he then sniffed it. “False alarm; this isn’t bathed in his wield calone. Wait…”

As he held the envelope up to the light, golden words appeared on the back. Blitzo read this and turned back to the hellhound.

“Oh! Looks like it’s for you, Loony!”

Rolling her eyes at the nickname, she statched the letter and tore it open with her claws. Shining golden letters formed, spelling out;

For Loona

Confused, the hellhound opened the envelope with her claw and read the letter inside. Then she furrowed her eyebrows and harshly handed the paper to Blitzo.

“And you’re absolutely sure this isn’t some joke from your royal boy toy?”

Blitzo read the letter, trying to take in everything it said;

Dear reader,

Congratulations! You are one of four transfer students for our school, Night Raven College, located in Twisted Wonderland! A prestigious magic school built to teach up-and-coming mages!

Normally, we are an all-boys school. But, after the discovery of the two dimensions “Heaven” and “Hell,” both of which seem to be plentiful with magic, we have decided to expand our reach, so to speak. Two random participants from Heaven and two from Hell will be allowed to spend the next four years at our magnificent school to learn our magic.

In case you couldn’t tell, these enchanted envelopes containing this information and invitation are first-come-first-serve. In other words, the first person who picked up this letter is the lucky soon-to-be student. Expect the Dark Carriage to pick you up sometime this afternoon with our ceremonial robes, which must be worn before arrival.

We look forward to meeting you!

Headmage Dire Crowley.

Blitzo squinted at this before pulling out his phone and walking deep into the living room area. He groaned as he picked out the contact on his phone, but didn’t have much of a choice.

“Stolas?”

“Blitzy?” The voice on the other end began. “Blitzy! It’s been so long since you called-“

“Yea-da-da-da, save it! And can it with the ‘Blitzy’ nonsense! I’m not here for that! I’m calling about that freaky letter we got in the mail. Cause I swear to Satan if you’re trying some crazy role playing shit, I’m not in the mood right now! And you are not- I repeat; NOT! Going to drag Loony into this!”

“Wait. Did you get a letter too?”

“Weird dark envelope with glowing letters talking about some school shit? Yeah. It was addressed to my daughter. Why?”

“Ooooooooh! Blitzy- Ah, I mean Blitzo, that’s great! Our daughters will be going to school together!”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Octavia got one too! Arrived this morning. I talked to King Lucifer and he said he just got a request from some other dimension to bring a few transfers to one of their best magic schools!”

“Wait, humans have magic schools? For, what, stage magic?”

“It’s not from Earth. We’re not exactly sure where this is, but we were assured the students from both Heaven and Hell would be safe.”

“Wait. The letter said two heavenborns are going to be there. Who in Heaven would be willing to go to a school with two hellborns?”

…………………………………………………………

“You mean I can go?!” Emily asked, smiling and bouncing on her heels.

“I’ve talked to Lucifer,” Sera explained. “He’s agreed to this as long as the hellborns who go behave. He’s sending out a message right now.”

“And… the exterminations?”

“… postponed. For now. At least not while you’re at this school.”

“You promise?”

“May I fall right here and now if I am lying.” Sera further emphasized this by putting a hand to her heart and another in the air.

“Thank you!” Emily exclaimed, pulling her into a big hug.

“Now, what are you waiting for?” Sera asked softly. “Go on and pack. Your transportation should be here any moment.”

Emily squeaked as she flew off to her quarters. Sera watched this as her smile slowly faltered. Then someone else entered the board room.

“Uh… Miss Sera…”

“Yes, St. Peter?”

“A-are you sure Miss Emily will be alright?”

“She’s a seraphim. She can defend herself if anything goes wrong. And the school promised she wouldn’t be harmed by the students.”

“But, what about the hellborns?”

“… we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. But Lucifer has promised they will be kept in line. By the way, how’s Lute?”

“She’s, uh… on the training grounds.”

BANG!

“… practicing.” St. Peter added awkwardly. “She’s, uh, still not happy about postponing the… thing.”

“It was the only way to ensure Emily would be safe at this college. What about the other invitation? Has anyone come forward yet?”

“No. Which is concerning, you know, since this is Heaven. But, who else could have possibly gotten the invite?”

…………………………………………………………

“COLLIN! YOU GET BACK HERE!”

“NOOOOO!”

The purple sheep cherub didn’t look back as he flew down the alleyways from behind the buildings. They’d been stuck in the human world for freaking months now! And then this miracle, this one chance out of here just lands in his lap! His! And if it was being honest, that means there’s going to be another heaven born there; he could talk to them and try to get his-their lives back! But the moment Collin showed the other two the letter… we’ll, they weren’t exactly as forward thinking as he was. But it’s not his fault he got the letter first! He didn’t know it worked as a first-come-first-serve!

Looking around the alleyway, Collin quickly squeezed his body between two dumpsters and waited silently for the other two to fly away. Of course, having bright purple fur didn’t help, but the night shadows helped to give him a bit of cover as he snuggled in the tight space.

“COLLIN!” He heard Cletus yell. “You better hand over that envelope!”

“It’s just not fair you’re going on your own!” Callie joined in, her anger melting away to a sweet tone she used to use on their jobs. “After all, aren’t we a team?”

Collin nearly scoffed. A team? Sure; a team who leaves him with most of the heavy lifting. Still, he did feel bad about leaving them behind. They were all he had left.

“Exactly!” Cletus commented. “So come out here, hand over that invitation, or so help me WE WILL-“

They were interrupted when a large horse and carriage rammed into the both of them. Collin immediately poked his head out once he realized what had happened.

Uh… they’re fine! There’s no golden blood anywhere! They’re alive! It’s fine! They’re fine!

…………………………………………………………

Earlier…

The I.M.P. van sped up to the Gotia manor and nearly ran up the stairs before parking. Blitzo and Loona, along with Moxxie and Millie all exited the vehicle. Stolas, who was waiting at the front door, perked up the moment he noticed and jumped to his feet.

“Okay guys,” Blitzo whispered to the others. “M&M are going to act as backup in case this whole school shit ends up being a load of bull. But just in case it isn’t; Loony, you got everything?”

“Yes,” The hellhound said irritably, holding up her duffle bag. “You’ve asked me five times already.”

“Blitzy!” Stolas exclaimed with a smile. “So glad you could make it! There’s something you should-“

“Yeah, yeah, hi Stolas.” Blitzo responded by walking past him and into the mansion. “No funny business today, alright! I’m not in the mood for you to fiddle my holes while my daughter-“

He squealed to a halt the moment he looked inside. The others followed and did the same thing. The mansion was filled with the higher ups of Hell; the other Ars Goetia and the Sins all glared at the tallest imp once he entered.

“I tried to warn you,” Stolas whispered, visibly cringing. “E-everyone started showing up soon after I called you.”

“That would have been nice to fucking know ahead of time.” Blitzo harshly whispered back. “And why is that tall red one trying to rip me in half with his eyes?”

“You don’t recognize my father?”

“Okay! Fuck this! Come on, guys, we’re out!”

“Loona!”

Everyone stopped as Octavia pushed through the crowd.

“Dad told me you were coming.” She said as she approached. “Congratulations! I guess we’ll be schoolmates this-“

“WHAAAAAT?!”

Everyone flinched at Stella’s screeching yell as she shoved her way to the front.

“You imps expect us to allow my daughter to share a school with a mutt?!”

“Hey!” Blitzo exclaimed, suddenly furious. “It’s not like she’s going to the same place you are! And thank goodness, because Loony would never want to be near a soul-sucking bitch like you!”

“I’ve got this, Blitzy.” Stolas said, standing in between his ex and his lover. “This isn’t your choice, Stella. These invitations are randomized and you know this.”

“I mean, she’s not wrong.” Paimon shrugged.

“Father!”

“What?! Do you honestly expect a hellhound to be a good choice to place next to a Goetia?!”

“Yes! I do!”

“Oh, please!” Stella rolled her eyes. “You’re just saying that because that thing works for that homewrecking imp!”

“Tavi!” Stolas suddenly exclaimed to his daughter. “Can you please take Miss Loona to your room and finish packing your things? I need to have a word with your mother and grandfather.”

“Pardon me?!” Andrealphus called out. “Don’t I get a say in this?”

“NO!” The other three Goetias exclaimed.

Octavia didn’t say a word as she took Loona’s hand and dragged her away. The three argued for a few more minutes as the rest of the room watched.

“Honestly,” Paimon huffed. “This is so unprofessional of you, son.”

“So is having this squabble in front of all seven Sins!” Stolas pointed out.

Paimon turned around, and sure enough, the Sins were watching them with different expressions; some second-hand embarrassment, some anticipation for a fight to break out, Mammon stuffing his face with popcorn and just waiting to start taking bets on who would win the three-way argument.

Paimon sighed. “Library. Now.”

The entire room cringed as the three left. Blitzo was suddenly left feeling alone and exposed as everyone directed their gazes at him. M&M left as soon as the tension started rising to go drinking at the bar Beezlebub setup, leaving him alone. So much for backup.

“Alright folks, show’s over!”

Blitzo blinked when Asmodeus of all people stepped in behind him. The imp looked up at him as the Sin gestured for him to move. With no other choice, he did so, reaching a corner of the room with succubi and imps from the Lust ring, parting as the two approached.

“Blitz!”

“Fizz?” Blitzo blinked. “You’re here too?”

“I kept begging Ozzie to let me come.” The jester imp shrugged with a smile. “He only agreed if I had some extra escorts.”

“Given what happened the last two times you were out, especially with Mammon here, I’m not taking any chances.” Ozzie stated as he grabbed a drink for the both of them.

“Oh… Kay?” Blitzo said. “So, what do you two love bugs know about this whole school nonsense?”

“Not much.” Ozzie stated. “Only that King Lucifer got a call from the Headmaster over the phone literally yesterday morning. This whole ‘transfer student’ thing is just a last minute treat or something.”

“And this headmaster guy is totally clueless.” Fizz added. “It was like he’d never heard of Heaven or Hell before. We think he has no idea they’re afterlifes. It’s kinda funny if you think about it.”

“But regardless, this guy… Crow, or something like that… promised the students would be safe and sound at their place. He also gave denizens from both realms permission to visit on open visitor occasions like sporting events or something.”

“Okay,” Blitzo said. “But why the fuck is he letting two heavenborns and two hellborns come to his fancy school at the last minute in the first place?”

Ozzie and Fizz looked at each other in concern before turning back to the imp.

“No clue.” Ozzie said, looking down at his drink. “All I know is Lucifer is really rattled by thi- heeeeeeeeeeey, your majesty! We were just talking about you! All good things!”

Blitzo, meanwhile, completely froze the moment he heard “your majesty.” He slowly turned, and, sure enough, the king of all of Hell was right behind him, his face blank.

“Calm down, Asmodeus.” He said. “I'm not here for you. Uh… hi, mister…”

Blitzo looked around rapidly a few times before realizing he was talking about him. King Lucifer wanted to talk to him! “B-Blitzo, the ‘o’ is silent!”

“Hi. You came here with the other girl who got the invite, right?”

“Yes sir! Highness! Majesty! Big King Man! Sh-she’s my daughter!”

“Right. Do you know where she went with the Goetia princess? I need to talk to them.”

“… of course!” Blitzo responded half-laughing out of sheer terror. “Right this- over here, sir-majesty-“

“Just lead the way.”

“Alright then!”

And so, the imp walked off with Lucifer right behind him. Ozzie and Fizz couldn’t help but cringe at all of this as the former two vanished down the hall.

…………………………………………………………

“So, no offense,” Loona said as she watched Octavia pack the last of her things. “But your mom’s kind of a bitch.”

“She’s just… nervous. I… I’m sure she’s-“

“The worst?”

“Anxious.” Octavia said, stomping her foot. “For me, going to this new school. Look, can we just… stop talking about this, please?”

Loona sighed. “Fine.”

The pair were interrupted by a series of knocks on the other side of the door before Blitzo’s nervous voice called out to them.

“Uh… girls! The King of all of Hell wants to talk to you two!”

Both girls stood and blinked. Octavia turned and noticed Loona’s ears drop as her eyes went wide. The princess put a hand on her shoulder, the two shared a look and a nod, and Octavia opened the door. Lucifer himself stood there, Blitzo right next to him as his eyes darted between the king and the girls while he smiled nervously. Octavia gave a bow, Loona watching this and following suit.

“Girls,” Lucifer began as he stepped inside, Blitzo watching in anticipation from the doorframe. “I… first, I would like to say congrats! Really, I mean, I know most hellborns don’t get to leave the rings. This is a big opportunity for you both! But… that also means it’s going to be a bit… rough… out there. It… first of all, the truth is, we don’t know much about the school and the place it’s in. Wherever Night Raven College is, it’s not on Earth. We don’t know what this fourth dimension, this… ‘Twisted Wonderland’ is. We know that humans can do magic here, and apparently there are other species, but that’s about it. Also, you know, heavenborns are going to be there too. Which puts a bit more pressure on this whole thing.”

Lucifer laughed awkwardly to himself, causing the girls to eye each other. Then the king cleared his throat and continued once he gathered himself.

“The point is… Heaven has agreed to postpone the exterminations as a sign of cooperation. But, they made it clear that they expect us to play nice with the two going to this school. So, first off, I need you two to swear that neither of you will start anything with the heavenborns.”

“Yes, your majesty.” Octavia said with a bow.

“I won’t if they don’t.” Loona mumbled. Then she remembered who she was talking to, realized he was now glaring at her, and straightened up. “I mean, yeah. Uh- yes sir.”

“This is serious.” Lucifer stated. “My daughter is really hoping that this extermination break could help her own project. We need this to go well. And that also means no murders while you’re at this school. No soul-binding deals. No smuggling Beezlejuice or whatever into this place. We don’t know what’ll happen there, but we need to play nice. Okay?”

“Yes, your majesty.” Octavia and Loona said in unison.

“Thank you.” Lucifer said with a sigh. “Now then, I need to head back to the party before Mammon pisses someone off.” He left, giving Blitzo a glance before running off.

The imp waved his tail as he watched the King of Hell run off.

“So…” he said slowly. “That went well.”

…………………………………………………………

The party continued with no further incidents… well, no major incidents, anyways. The three Goetias eventually returned, all especially bitter. Stella refused to say another word the entire night. Octavia found herself sticking closer to Loona than anyone else, especially her family. This made them aside from her father give her harsh stares for standing so close to a hellhound of all things. But she got to really meet Beelzebub, so it wasn’t so bad. Though Loona did end up punching Blitzo across the room when he tried to give her condoms and pepper spray “just in case shit gets crazy.”

“Blitzy, you do realize they are going to a school, yes?” Stolas asked when confronting him on this.

“Yeah, an all-boys college school!” Blitzo argued as he nursed his brushed eye. “From my experience, the horniest human fuckers around fall into two categories; males and college students! I’m just making sure she’s prepared! Shouldn’t you do the same for your kid?”

“I already taught Via a few emergency spells in case something goes wrong. And I’d rather not imagine a worst case scenario for all of this. I mean, they did promise the girl’s safety. Surely they-“

Stolas was cut off by two shrieks off in the distance, approaching the manor at an alarming rate. Octavia’s face lit up with excitement as she took Loona’s hand and dragged her outside. The moment they opened the door, they were greeted by two Dark Carriages being pulled by black horses speeding up to the mansion. The creatures fortunately stopped right before ramming into the I.M.P. van.

“Are those real horses from the human world?” Octavia asked as she glided over to the first carriage.

As she reached out for the animal, it began to flinch away. But through her patience, it eventually let her pet his muzzle. Blitzo immediately tried the same, only for them to snort harshly at him.

“Wow! Okay easy there, just… they ride in coffins?!” Blitzo exclaimed after examining the carriages. “What the shit is this?!”

“I-I’m sure it’s part of their tradition.” Stolas responded slightly nervously.

“What’s this?” Octavia asked as she too examined the carriage and pulled out a bunch of folded fabric and a small note. “‘New students, please put on these ceremonial robes before entering the gate. They will be needed for the opening ceremony.’”

“Ugh!” Loona groaned. “We gotta change?! Can’t we just go already?!”

“Young lady, I am already far ahead of you.” Stolas grinned. He waved his hand as it glowed a dark purple and both girls glowed as they levitated off the ground. In a flash, both were dressed in the black, purple, and gold robes and shoes. Loona’s were changed to something that showed her feet as they wouldn’t fit in human shoes, of course.

“Huh?” Loona commented. “Not bad.”

“Thanks dad.” Octavia said.

“Stay safe, my little owlette.” The prince replied with a hand on her shoulder.

“Good luck, Loony.” Blitzo called out, causing the hellhound to growl.

After the girls loaded their luggage, Loona watched as Octavia climbed into the carriage and opened the coffin lid. Shooting the audience a middle finger, Loona opened her own coffin and jumped inside. The moment the lid shut, she could feel her senses shutting down as she quickly fell asleep…

…………………………………………………………

When Loona woke up, she felt groggier than usual. She knew she was still in that damn coffin due to how dark and claustrophobic the area she was in is. But what had woken her up was a crack in the lid as it opened, spilling light into her small space. It was more irritating than being stuffed in here.

“Hello there- dear Seven!” The man on the other side exclaimed once he saw her. It was a pale man in a bird mask dressed like he was a carnival mascot. “Y-you must be one of our transfer students! Yes, w-welcome sir!”

“I’m female.” Loona said.

“Ah! Apologies. I am so used to this being an all-boys school. Anyways, now that you have been reawakened, I must ask you to join your soon to be fellow classmates!”

Loona rolled her eyes as she stepped out of the coffin. Looking around the dark round room, she saw several other coffins, most of them hovering off the ground for… some reason. The room was also filled with people dressed in the same robes as her, including Octavia. The two locked eyes for a moment and shared a nod of acknowledgment. Then the others took notice of her as well. She could tell they were humans from the smell, though there were some other odd scents mixed in that she couldn’t quite place. And from the sound of their voices, they were all male.

“Whoa! Is that a werewolf?!”

“Probably another beastman… I think?”

“Since when are beastmen that animal looking?”

“First the weird bird-girl, then the chick with wings, then the living sheep plushie, and now a werewolf! Are they just letting anything into this school now?!”

Loona squinted at that last comment as her brain took in all of what she heard. Living sheep plushie? Bird girl was obviously Octavia, the girl with wings must be an Angel, so the plush toy must be…

Her eyes widened when she finally spotted the purple sheep. Damnit; it’s one of those C.H.E.R.U.B.s!

She saw the commercial a few times, and she definitely heard Blitzo and the others boast about getting the three of them to kill one of their targets for them or something like that. Whatever; it’s not her problem. She wasn’t the one who screwed them over, she wasn’t involved. There was literally no reason to be worried about some fluffy little menace. So she shrugged it off and went over to the side.

Then the man in the bird mask nodded as he looked around the room, smiled, and threw out his arms as he started to address everyone.

“Welcome to Night Raven College!”

Chapter Text

“Welcome to Night Raven College!” The man in the bird’s mask exclaimed. “I am Headmage Dire Crowley. I am pleased to see that the Dark Mirror picked out some bright new students for our school this year! Including four special transfer students! But before we can send you off to bed before your first day tomorrow, there is one more thing we need to do; your sorting. As you all know, our school admires the great deeds and accomplishments of the Great Seven! As such, we have seven dorms, each based off of a Great Seven! The Dark Mirror will gaze into each of your souls and place you in a dorm! Once this happens, your dorm head will guide you to the proper area until the ceremony is over. The best of luck and wishes to all of you! Now then, who would like to go first?”

“Oh!” Emily exclaimed, jumping on her tiptoes with a hand in the air and a smile on her face. “Me! Can I go first, sir?! Please?!”

“Umm… go ahead, miss.” Crowley stepped aside and allowed the angel to run up to the mirror. “Everyone else, form a line behind this young lady if you please.”

The rest of the students did as told as a mask-like face appeared in the Dark Mirror before Emily.

“State thy name.” It said blankly.

“Emily!” She smiled. “Emily the second-in-command seraphim.”

“Emily. The shape of thy soul is… Scarabia!”

Emily squealed as a few students applauded. One of the dorm students frantically waved his hand to call her over and she happily went with him to a specific area of the room.

Loona rolled her eyes at this. Ugh. This is too sweet for my liking. Might as well get this over with.

“Move it!” The hellhound said, pushing past the other students and storming over to the front of the line. Most of them shouted and yelled as she effortlessly pushed past them, but all were helpless to do anything.

“Excuse me, young lady!” Crowley exclaimed as Loona approached. “You shouldn’t just cut in line like that-“

“Listen, old man.” Loona snapped. “Do you want me to do this or not?”

Crowley threw up his hands in defense as he backed away from her snaral. Unperturbed, she made it to the mirror.

“State thy name.”

“Loona.”

“The state of thy soul is… Savanaclaw!”

“Hm,” a blonde with purple tips in the back commented. “I should have figured from her behavior.”

“Uh, sorry?” Loona called out harshly. “What was that, glitter boy?!”

“Come one,” another Housewarden said as he gently took her aside. “Wait here until the sorting is over. It’ll make gathering up the other Savanaclaw students easier by the end of this. Then we can all leave as soon as possible.”

Unable to argue with that, Loona let herself be placed in what indeed became the Savanaclaw section. Time passed and the others went, making the line shrink with each passing moment. Eventually, Octavia was the next up. She ended up being the first of the new students to be placed in “Diasomnia.” However, no Housewarden stood and showed her where to go.

“Wait, where’s Malleus?” The chipper Housewarden of Scarabia asked. “Did everyone forget to invite him again?”

“Heh!” The Savanaclaw Housewarden laughed. “What did you expect from that guy; he’s a total recluse.”

“And besides,” the blonde from earlier added. “You should have invited him if you are so worried about this.”

“But…” the boy with white hair hesitated. “I don’t know him that well…”

The blonde rolled his eyes and went to direct Octavia himself to an empty part of the room. The sorting continued on until it finally ended with Collin being sorted into “Octavinelle.” Nearly everyone in the room cringed as the small cherub was led away by a shady looking student with glasses and silver hair. Even Loona almost felt bad for him. Almost.

“Alright then!” Crowley exclaimed to the entire room. “I believe that concludes this years ceramon-“

SLAM!

“WAIT A MINUTE!”

Everyone jumped and turned towards the main doors to the mirror chamber. What looked like a small gray cat stood on his hind legs, panting after throwing the doors open.

“Huff… huff… I finally made it…” he breathed.

“Aww!” The angel in Scarabia squealed. “What a cute kitten! And he can talk too!”

“Wha- I AIN’T A CAT! I am the Great Grim, and I still haven’t been sorted yet! So, make me an official student!”

“…”

The laughter echoed from all around the room. Only a handful of people, including the heavenborns, didn’t laugh. They just stood where they were, blinking in confusion at everything happening.

“Hmphf! What’s the big idea?!” Grim huffed, pointing towards Collin. “He gets to go here?! Is it really just a matter of having a uniform?!”

“Easy there,” Emily said, stepping forwards and trying to calm him. “Let’s just take a deep breath-“

“See! She’s got wings! She must be a monster too!”

“Actually, I’m an-“

“Listen, fur ball!” Loona called out from the sides. “Freaks like those two are only here because they got invitations! So unless you have a piece of paper with your name on it, get lost!”

Octavia cringed at Loona’s harsh remarks. Especially when it clearly made Grim even madder.

“I’ll show you!” He yelled. “Just check this out!”

“Everyone get down!” A redhead at the dorm head table exclaimed.

Everyone did as told before a wave of blue flames erupted throughout the chamber. Emily managed to shove the white-haired boy away before the flames could reach him as everyone else went into a panic.

“Uh… shouldn’t we do something about this?!” Octavia called out.

“Not my problem,” Loona’s Housewarden said. “Can’t I just go?”

“Oh,” the blonde with purple tips responded sarcastically. “And here I thought you fancied yourself a hunter. Aren’t you going to chase down that morsel?”

“Too much work. Why don’t you do it yourself?”

“Can someone please do something before that weasel burns down the whole school?!” Crowley asked over the mayhem.

“Don’t worry, sir!” Emily exclaimed, fluttering out her wings. “I’ve got it!”

“Oh!” Loona called out, offended. “No way am I being shown up by a god-damn angel on the first day! Come here, you little feline-rodent!”

With a push of her legs, Loona began sprinting after the cat monster. Once Grim noticed, he squealed in fear and took off running, throwing more fire behind him to try and slow her down. But whatever these blue flames of his were, they did little to slow a hellhound. They did, however, begin setting more fires.

“Oh, for Seven’s sake!” A redhead with the dorm heads said, turning to another with silver hair. “Azul, care to help me with this?”

“It would be my pleasure.”

And thus, the chaos continued. Riddle and Azul were right behind Loona, the hellhound nipping at Grim’s heels. Emily and Collin tried to put out the fire with everything they had with Octavia helping. The Goetia princess and the seraphim shared a look and a nod of acknowledgment as they put out another fire. However, the chase was still playing out with the group knocking over various students in their haste. This finally ended as Loona pinned Grim to the ground, snarling and growling above him. Then the redhead raised his pen and declared;

“OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!”

Sensing something happening behind her, Loona jumped and rolled out of the way before magic could strike her. Instead, it hit Grim, forming a thick metal collar around his neck.

“NYAAA! What is this?!”

“Queen of Hearts Rule #23: One must never bring a cat to a festival.” The redhead stated. “You being a cat at orientation is a strict violation. This will not stand!”

“I TOLD YOU, I AIN’T A CAT! I’ll show you! I just need to burn this collar off and… hey! My fire’s not working!”

“Of course not. That collar seals off all magic. You are practically a pet cat now.”

“BUT I AIN’T NO ONE’S PET!”

“Please. As if I would want a pet such as you.”

“Hey, rosehead!” Loona growled as she got up. “Maybe give a bit more warning next time you fire off a shot like that! You could have hit me!”

“And that would have been a good example considering your behavior.” The redhead huffed. “Honestly, chasing this creature around like that… have you no shame?”

“Have you no fear of death?” Loona asked in a low voice, baring her teeth.

“Wow! Okay!” Emily said, quickly stepping between the two. “Let’s calm down now! We caught Grim, we put out the fires, it’s fine now!”

“Yes, and may I just say what a marvelous example Riddle Rosehearts has given us of his unique magic!” The boy with glasses and silver hair had said. “A spell that can seal off any and all magic; fascinating! I must have it… Ah! I mean, I must have appreciation for it!”

Everyone still gave him a side glare.

“Right!” Crowley said, clapping his hands together. “Now that the fire situation is settled, I shall have this cat banished from the grounds!” The Headmage then looked down at the cat. “You should be lucky I have decided not to serve you on the lunch menu; oh, how magnanimous I am!”

“Shame,” Loona said to herself. “Cats aren’t too bad after they’ve been skinned. I hate getting all that fur in my teeth.”

“NYAAAAAA!” Grim cried out as two other students picked him up and carried him off. “NOOOOO! I NEED TO GO HERE! I’M GONNA BE THE GREATEST MAGE THERE’S EVER BEEN!”

Once the doors closed with a slam, the entire room went silent.

“Right then…” Crowley said slowly. “I… suppose that wraps up this year’s orientation! Housewardens, if you would take your students to your dorms… Ah! I just remembered that Housewarden Draconia isn’t here!”

“And it only took you this long.” Leona said in false awe.

“Don’t worry, Headmage!” A deep voice called out. Then a young boy pushes himself through the crowd of people, his hair short and black with pink streaks. “I figured this would happen.” Then he sighed. “I do hope he doesn’t sulk over this. Diasomnia students! Please follow me!”

As the said students left, Octavia looked back at Loona and gave her a wave goodbye. The girls smiled as they parted, waving before losing sight of each other in the hallway.

…………………………………………………………

Octavia looked around in awe at her surroundings. After being led through a mirror, she found herself on a dark mountain surrounded by storm clouds. The narrow path over large thorns lead to a dark castle near the edge of the cliff, overlooking a forest of more thorns. It almost reminded her of a less colorful version of her home.

The inside was just as dreary, green flames lighting the stone walls and floors of the hallways. The group walked down the path until they reached a large room. There was gothic decor everywhere, from the dark couches, to the tables, to the freakin throne up on a higher part of the room.

And sitting on one of the couches was a young man in what looked like a school uniform. His skin was pale as the moon, his hair dark as night, and even from a distance with a screwed view, she could tell he wasn’t quite human. His green eyes were too bright, his ears too pointed, and even with her limited knowledge, she knew humans didn’t have horns like those.

When the student heard the group enter, he put down his book and gave them his full attention. His face was surprised and he stood, showing everyone how tall he was, even from this far away.

“Malleus!” Lilia said in relief. “There you are! Silver and I have been looking for you everywhere!”

Whispers from the others sounded all around Octavia. She could barely make out what they were saying, but could tell they were all scared.

“… Lilia.” The student with horns said, still stunned. “Why are there several students in ceremonial robes?”

“These are the new freshmen, Malleus.” Lilia said with a slight nervousness. “Tonight was orientation.”

The taller student with horns squeezed his eyes shut and turned away from the crowd.

“You didn’t get an invitation?” Lilia asked despite knowing the answer.

“No.”

“Did you not set a reminder like I suggested?”

“I never learned the date. I thought I would be informed at some point in time.”

“Well, maybe we should try to get you a phone again. One that’s waterproof… and fireproof… and won’t break easily.”

“I still wouldn’t know how to use it.”

“I can teach you.”

“You know I can barely remember how most of this modern technology works.”

“Well, we can discuss this further later. For now, why don’t you give your new students some words of encouragement?”

The boy with horns turned to the others, his star firm on them. When Octavia felt his eyes land on her, she felt a brief moment of panic before looking away. Whoever or whatever this guy was, she could already tell he was dangerous.

“Greetings,” he said in a formal voice. “While I am aware you all know this, my name is Malleus Draconia, Prince and Heir of Briar Valley.” The whispers started up again until Malleus cleared his throat loud enough to focus their attention back to him. “As I was saying, welcome to Diasomnia. You all were no doubt chosen for this form because you all possess not only a great deal of elegance, but also an advanced talent for magic. I expect great things from all of you, both in and out of this school. Vice Housewarden Lilia Vanrouge here will show you all to your rooms. You will have thirty minutes before dinner, and I suggest you use this time wisely. You may go.”

The freshmen began to leave in unison. Octavia blinked as she was caught off guard and went to follow.

“Just a moment, miss.” Lilia called out and gestured to her to come back. “You must be one of the transfer students.”

“Ah.” Malleus mused. “I have heard of this. But I wasn’t informed the invitations were extended to the opposite sex.”

“Uh… sorry?” Octavia said.

“It’s not a problem. Except… it would be a bit inappropriate to place you in a room with three male freshmen. And since we were informed of this at the last minute, we haven’t had much time to prepare an extra room.”

“I’m way ahead of you Malleus.” Lilia winked. “Remember how one of our second years dropped out at the end of last year due to homesickness? We can just give her the room he would have gotten this year.”

“Hmm… I suppose it is the only option we have. Will that be alright with you, Miss…”

“Umm… Octavia.” She said. “Octavia Goetia. And yes, that’s fine.”

“Very well.” Lilia nodded. “I’ll lead you to your room. Malleus, I hope to see you at dinner. It’s important for you to bond with the other students, you know.”

“Yes, Lilia.”

Octavia couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or serious.

Regardless, she was soon in her new room. It was fairly large with one bed, yet just as dark as the rest of the castle dorm.

Okay, first things first; decorations. If I don’t get any color in here, I’m gonna fall into some sort of real depression.

Thirty minutes of hanging fake stars, plastering posters, and making the bed later, and she finally heard the dinner bell. Nodding to herself, she left the room.

Octavia was used to awkward meals. She practically grew up around the table in either harsh silence or her mother’s screaming. Nothing a pair of headphones couldn’t solve.

But this was different.

Everyone at the table had a different air than her parents, even if it was by only a small margin. There was no friendly chatter, just the soft clanking of silverware on plates. The princess lasted two minutes before putting her earbuds in and nodding along to the music. She smiled as it played as she tapped her fork against her plate and cup. At least, until she felt a tap on her shoulder, causing her to take out one of the ear pieces.

“Pardon me Miss Goetia,” Lilia said with a smile. “But could you perhaps refrain from using earbuds at the table?”

Octavia blinked, finally taking in everyone around her. They all stared at her like she just grew a second head.

“Don’t mind them,” Lilia explained. “Almost none of them have ever seen earbuds before. Heck, almost none of them had seen iPods before.”

“Uh… sorry if I was disturbing you.” Octavia said meekly as she shoved her earbuds and iPod into her pocket.

“No, it’s not that. What song were you listening to, if I may ask?”

Octavia smiled as some of the tension in the room was slowly lifted. She talked to the smaller boy about her music and the artist, and he told her that he was part of a music club on campus. He even suggested she come and check it out. The princess nodded, though wasn’t sure if she would join; she preferred listening to music rather than performing it in front of a crowd.

As they were talking, the dinner seemed to speed to an end. Octavia didn’t even remember if she finished her meal or not as she got up. Then Lilia turned and paused.

“Wait, where did Malleus go?”

A new freshman with green hair stood up and slammed his palm on the table.

“WHAT?! Is he in trouble?! Silver! You were closest to him! Why weren’t you watching him close enough?!”

He received no response. The person he was talking to, a silver-haired second year, had his head on the table with his eyes closed. The greenette’s voice calling out to him was what finally stirred him awake.

“Huh? What… did I miss something?”

“YES! LORD MALLEUS IS MISSING BECAUSE OF YOUR CARELESSNESS!”

“Alright, let’s calm down Sebek.” Lilia soothed. “Malleus likes to take walks around the school sometimes. It’s not-“

“Right! Then we shall make up for this shortcoming by finding him! Come along Silver! This is your chance to redeem yourself!”

Before Silver could respond, Sebek already grabbed him by the collar and dragged him off. Lilia sighed and shook his head.

“Things are going to be a lot more chaotic with him and Silver reunited.” He mused. “Miss Goetia-“

“Octavia is fine.” The princess said.

“Miss Octavia, I hope you enjoy your stay here with us at the school. Though I admit, I am curious about where you hail. Headmage Crowley didn’t give us any details about your homeland.”

“Uh, it’s a bit complicated.”

“Very well. You can tell me later. Gather your thoughts. But for now, I think it best we all get some rest. Especially considering how exciting orientation was… apparently.”

“Yeah… but what about the Housewarden? Is it really alright for him to be out after hours like this?”

“Oh, he does this all the time. No one has been able to stop him, so it’s best to let him have his alone time. I think him going on walks and looking at the stars and such helps to calm him down after a disappointment; he was looking forward to being a part of an orientation after his first year.”

“Wait; there are stars here?! Like, real stars?!”

Octavia’s eyes lit up with joy and excitement. The prospect of seeing stars… finally… could be the highlight of her night. Maybe even her entire night. She just wished her dad was here to show her.

“Yes, but we’ll have to save that for another time. For now, I’m sure you’re exhausted and you’ll need your sleep for the introduction to the school tomorrow.”

“… r-right, yeah.” Octavia barely hid how she deflated as Lilia walked her back to her room and wished her goodnight.

Sighing to herself, she pulled out her phone.

“… hey dad.”

“Via? Darling! How is it? Are you alright? Did you get settled in?”

“I’m fine, dad. Just letting you know I’m alright.”

“Well, what’s the school like?”

“Weird. But… alright so far.” She debated on whether or not to tell him about the cat monster, but ultimately decided against it. The last thing she wanted was for him to freak out about some creature starting a fire at the school. “Most of the people here seem fine. I’ve got my own room in… shit, how is it pronounced… Dya-so… Dinsomnia… something like that. Apparently it’s a special dorm for magically gifted students or something.”

“That’s wonderful, darling!”

“Sure mom’s happy about that.”

“Well… your mother left after the carriage took off, so I don’t-“

“It’s fine dad.” Octavia said a bit too quickly. “Just… um, I’m getting a bit tired. Need to get some sleep, so… I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay?”

“Oh! Right, of course. I love you my little starling! Sweet dreams!”

“Love you too, dad.”

As Octavia drowned herself in music, she looked out the window and frowned at the cloudy night sky. She was hoping since this was a human-based world, she'd at least get a good view of the stars, even if they weren’t the stars she’s been told about. After a few moments, she took out her earbuds and listened for noise. It was dead silent outside her door.

Maybe I could just take a quick peek…

…………………………………………………………

Loona couldn’t say she wasn’t surprised that a place dubbed “Savanaclaw” had such a rugged layout. Heck, they were practically in the wild! The only shelter she could see was the rock foundation up ahead, towering over the group near a collection of what looked like elephant bones. The only thing larger than that was the nearby mountain with a large flat surface, holding what looked like a station at its peak. She looked up, finding a full moon and a sea of stars.

Huh. I wonder if there’s a night sky like that where Tavi ended up. Sure she’d enjoy the view.

Even the inside of the area was wild as the outside, complete with lounge chairs and a freaking swimming pool with a waterfall. And plants. Plants were everywhere.

“Alright,” the tall man with green eyes said with a yawn. He took off his hood, revealing lion ears. Loona raised an eyebrow at this. “Listen up, fresh meat! I’m tired, so I’ll make this brief; welcome to Savanaclaw, I’m the Housewarden, Leona Kingscholar, yada yada yada, you get the idea. Rooms for the first years are that way on the lower levels. Pick out whatever room you want, it doesn’t matter so long as you’re on the right floor. Buffet dinner is gonna be out here in thirty minutes. Magic shift practice starts at six tomorrow. We’re gonna sort through you lot to see if any of you are skilled enough for the team. Now go on.”

The freshmen began to scatter, bumping into Loona on every side and causing the hellhound to growl all around her. Before she could head off herself, Leona stopped her.

“Wait. I need to talk to you for a minute.” He said with his arm out.

“Ugh, what?!”

“You’re one of the transfer students.”

“Yeah?” Loona replied with a raised eyebrow.

“And you’re a female.”

“Your point?”

“We need to figure out different sleeping arrangements for you. You can’t sleep with three other boys.”

“Okay; where do I sleep then?”

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out, okay?!” Leona responded, growing more frustrated with each passing second. “We have extra rooms for the higher years, but the other dorm students use them as dumping grounds for their stuff. We don’t have any empty-“

“Sounds fine to me.”

“What?” Leona blinked.

“Oh, come on. I can handle a bit of mess. Anyways, if that’s all, then night.”

She turned and walked away before he could stop her. Ruggie, who had just finished helping the others settle into their new rooms, turned the corner and nearly bumped into the hellhound. She growled at him in response, making him flinch as she walked past him. Ruggie looked at Leona, only for his Housewarden to gesture for the hyena to follow her. Slumping his shoulders, Ruggie obliged and went after Loona.

“Uh, h-hey!” He called out to her as she opened one of the rooms. “That’s one of the rooms we keep our junk in!”

“Well, now it’s where I sleep.” Loona responded as she hopped onto a pile of random items in the middle of the room. “Wake me when dinner is ready… ya know, at your own risk.”

Ruggie opened his mouth in protest, but nothing came out. Instead, he just slumped his shoulders, closed the door, and stormed off.

Loona didn’t know how long she was asleep before she heard loud knocking at her door, followed by heavy running on the other side of the door. She growled, but the rumbling in her stomachs made her get up and leave the room. The moment she reached the lounge, she blinked;

It was already a bloodbath as muscular students practically jumped all over each other to reach the nearby table. Before the hellhound could wonder why, the sudden scent of various meats hit her nostrils.

Everyone in the dorm watched in awe and horror as Loona steamrolled through the sea of boys to reach the buffet table.

“That one is going to be trouble.” Ruggie whispered to Leona as the two watched from the sidelines.

“I won’t deny that,” the prince responded. “But what am I supposed to do about it? She was placed here. You know how lengthy the process is to have a student transfer to a different dorm. We already went through it with Hunt, and I’m not in the mood to go through it again. Plus, she’s one of those special transfer students. I don’t need Crowley on my case if something happens. And she’s a girl. Do you have any idea what my sister-in-law and the others would do to me if they think I’m being harsh on a female?”

“I’m not saying we do anything crazy!” Ruggie defended. “It’s just… well, look at her!” He gestured towards Loona, who managed to wrestle an entire turkey leg out of another freshman’s hands with her teeth. “She’s either going to hurt someone or get us in hot water with the teachers or the other dorms.”

“Right,” Leona responded sarcastically with an eye roll. “Because we have such great relationships with the other dorms.”

“I’m serious, Leona! We don’t need her breaking someone’s arm or something! Some of the older students are already complaining that she’s hogging one of the dumping ground rooms and are demanding their stuff back.”

“Alright, calm down. I get it. She’s stubborn and vicious.” Leona squinted as he watched Loona catch a thrown piece of ham amidst the chaos. “We just need to channel those traits into something else…”

Ruggie shifted his eyes from Leona to Loona several times before it clicked in his head. “No… Leona, you can’t be serious… aren’t we already working on a strategy for magicshift?!”

“Consider her our plan B.”

…………………………………………………………
When Loona finally dropped down on her new bed (after pushing off all of the extra junk onto the floor), the first thing she did was pull out her phone. Sure enough, Blitzo sent her a bunch of texts.

Blitzo:Loony, r u alright?!

Loona:fine, Blitzo

Loona:Had dinner and got settled

Loona:Need sleep now

Blitzo:ok

Blitzo:I’ll check n on u soon

Blitzo:if you need anything, will find way to u

Loona:sleeping now

Blitzo:ok. Night loony!

Putting down the phone, she smiled to herself.

Maybe this place could be worth my time.

Chapter Text

Emily clapped and cheered as the dancers finished their performance. The entire dorm of Scarabia was like a grand palace from Arabia; a tall castle of gold and marble filled with the most luxurious items imaginable. She felt like she was on vacation in a new place rather than at a school. And the food was wonderful, though she tried not to indulge too much. She must be weary of gluttony, after all.

“Kalim,” the boy with long dark hair whispered as he leaned in closer to his Housewarden. “Don’t you think it’s time for the students to get some rest. They’ll need their energy for tomorrow.”

“Aww, but Jamil!” Kalim said. “The party’s just getting started! I haven’t even brought out the peacocks yet!”

“Kalim, do you not remember what happened the last time you set birds out at a party?”

“But these ones don’t fly, so I’m sure it’s fine!”

“That’s not the point!”

“Uhh… sorry to interrupt.” Emily said, gently tapping Jamil on the shoulder. “But what will happen tomorrow?”

“The rest of your orientation.” Jamil explained with arms crossed. “First we’ll need all of the freshmen to fill out some forms about your uniforms. Then there’s the tour and lecture about your classes. It’s going to be a lot of information gathering and walking around. Best for everyone to get a full night's sleep in.”

“But I want their first night here to be fun and memorable!” Kalim stated. “Just one more hour! Please?!”

“… fine.”

“Yea!” Kalim yelled in joy before standing and grabbing Emily’s hand. “Come on, let’s dance.”

The angel was dragged to the dancefloor before she could give an answer. The rest of the hour was lost in the music and movements on the dancefloor of the lounge. It almost reminded Emily of the parties up in Heaven; vibrant, colorful, upbeat, and joyful. But of course, all good things must end at some point. So, the moment the hour was up, Jamil himself stepped up to announce bedtime.

“Awww! But Jamil-“ Kalim began to argue.

“We had an agreement, remember?” Jamil countered. “Do you want your first years to be unable to complete their orientation tomorrow?”

“It’s fine.” Emily insisted as she patted Kalim’s shoulder. “I’m getting tired anyways. But thank you so much for the party! I had a great time.”

“Okay… goodnight!” Kalim waved.

Emily smiled and waved back as she followed Jamil down the halls of white, red, and gold.

“So… I take it you know Kalim very well?” Emily asked to start a conversation with Jamil.

“You could say we grew up together. He made me Vice Housewarden once he was appointed Housewarden, so I have to pick up after him. I suppose it makes sense; I’m used to it by now.”

“So you two are friends?”

“… in a sense.”

Emily cringed as she felt some sort of hidden tension from him and instantly changed the topic.

“One more question; the redhead kid back there mentioned the Queen of Hearts? What does a fictional character from a children’s book have to do with the school?”

“‘Fictional?’ Miss Seraphim, you do realize the Queen of Hearts is one of the Great Seven, yes?”

“Great Seven?”

“You haven’t heard about them in your world? Or at least been informed about them when Crowley started this whole transfer student program?”

“I just got the letter this morning.” Emily shrugged.

Jamil sighed. “Well, I’m sure the teachers will go over the basics if you ask them. But the Great Seven were seven notable heroes in Twisted Wonderland history. The Queen of Hearts was one of them, ruling over a kingdom of madness.”

“Hmmm…”

Emily couldn’t help but contemplate in silence as they walked the rest of the way to her room. She has heard of the original book, the live action films throughout the years, and that cute animated movie. She knew for certain that the Queen of Hearts was a tyrant, or at least a child in the body of a woman. Hot-headed, stubborn, nonsensical and downright insane. Though, in the book at least, she was not a true threat; she only ordered the beheadings, but none of them ever actually happened thanks to the king. Still, what could a woman like that have done to be dubbed a “hero?”

“And here is your room.” Jamil said as he opened a door in the hallway. “I hope this will be fine. Due to you being a female, Kalim and I decided it was best you have your own and we fortunately have this one vacant this year. Apologies that we couldn’t get you settled in sooner.”

“Thank you so much, Jamil Viper.” Emily said with a curtsy. “Have a good night.”

“You as well.”

Once the door closed, Emily smiled as she fell back on her bed and pulled out a golden piece of paper and a feathered quill. At once, she quickly scribbled everything that happened once age got to the school for Sera to read… minus the fire and the angry hellhound.

…………………………………………………………

“Hey!” An Octavinelle student called out as he chased Collin down the hall. “Little sheep!”

“Actually my name is Collin, sir.”

“Collin, the Housewarden wants to talk to you.”

Collin flinched, looking back down the hall where his fellow freshmen were walking away, and then back to the messenger. The group already got their rooms and ate dinner; what else was there? Well, he was a transfer student, so it was probably that. Or it had something to do with that cat.

Gulping, Collin followed the student back down the hall. He had already received various side glares from the other students, probably thinking him and the cat monster were related. After all, both were small animal-like creatures who could use some form of magic or power. Collin really hoped that wasn’t the case with the Housewarden wanting to talk to him. Of course, it didn’t help that Collin had received nothing but bad vibes from this Azul Ashengrotto since the moment he was placed in Octavinelle. Everything that boy said made him come off as a salesman or a con artist.

His worries were not eased in the slightest when he reached the office. Azul sitting across the room in this dim lighting didn’t approve his current image. Still, Collin went over to the empty chair.

“Sir, if this is about the cat that interrupted the ceremony-“ the cherub said.

“Nonsense.” Azul waved away. “I can already tell you're not the kind to be involved in such incidents. I actually brought you in here to discuss something else. See, from what Crowley explained to us housewardens, I understand you from another… world, is it?”

“M-more like a dimension, but the meaning is the same.”

“I can only imagine how much of a culture shock this is for you being here. Not only that, but I’m sure the curriculum here might be a bit confusing. Especially History. So, I am prepared to offer you a deal.”

“No thank you.” Collin said as soon as Azul stopped talking.

“… pardon?”

“Apologies if that sounded rude. It’s just, we were taught from an early age to never accept ‘deals’ with anyone or anything. Actions should be performed from the goodness of one’s own heart.”

“And that is what I am trying to do for you. See, I provide a service for finals in the form of study guides.”

“You mean you just give students the answers?!”

“Not the answers! I assure you, this is a legit study guide.”

Collin cringed. Something about this still felt… fishy.

“Regardless,” the lamb cherub said. “As much as I appreciate your offer for help, I’m afraid I’ll have to decline.”

“Very well.” Azul shrugged. “I suppose you’ll have time before finals. If you should change your mind, just come to me and ask.”

Collin nodded as he left. The moment he was out of eyesight, he flew at high speed towards his room. He really hoped this chance at talking to the lady Seraphim would work out. He couldn’t go back to Earth empty handed, and he definitely couldn’t stay here. Something about this entire dorm of “benevolence” just felt… off.

…………………………………………………………

“Come on; really?!”

Octavia huffed as she watched the downpour from the windows in the hall of mirrors. She just managed to sneak out of the dorm and all she was met with were rain and clouds. Still, it was a step up that it wasn’t acid rain, but it still meant she wouldn’t be able to see the stars. Why couldn’t she just see the stars for once?!

Frustrated, she dropped her forehead on the glass of the window as she groaned. Then something in the distance caught her eye. Squinting, she looked out the window to get a better look at the figure. She could just barely make out a few details of the silhouette, especially the tall horns.

“What the fuck is he doing out in the rain?” She mumbled to herself.

Making up her mind and too curious to go back to bed, Octavia ran out of the hall and into the rain. The water quickly began matting down her feathers in an uncomfortable manner, but she kept going, a small spark of hellfire which normal water couldn’t douse lighting her way.

“Hey! Housewarden!” She called out over the downpour.

Apparently, she managed to catch his attention as he turned around. Octavia blinked once she got close enough to fully see him; he didn’t even look damp. An invisible barrier hung closely over his head like an umbrella, shielding him from the rain.

“Lady Goetia?” He questioned in surprise. “What are you doing out here?”

“I could ask you the same thing.” She responded. “Lilia and two others are going ballistic looking for you.”

Malleus tilted his head, reached out a hand, and summoned an invisible barrier for Octavia. “Is that why you’re here; to bring me back for them?”

“… uhh… no, not really. I… I thought I could see the stars. But I can’t thanks to this dumba- stupid rain.”

Malleus showed a flash of guilt in his eyes, then looked up at the storm clouds. He snapped his fingers, somehow causing the rain to stop. Octavia looked up and blinked.

“Uhh…”

“It will take a moment for the clouds to part.” Malleus explained.

Okay, so this guy’s clearly powerful.

“Why don’t we go and watch the stars from a better viewpoint?” Malleus asked. “If that is acceptable with you, Lady Octavia?”

“Huh? Oh, uh… sure. Why not?”

After all, this was a good opportunity for her to get to know her Housewarden better. And a chance to finally see the stars. So she let him gently pull her along down the darkened pathway, off to the edge of campus. Finally they reached an old building, dilapidated and worn down by time. Malleus effortlessly carried her as he somehow levitated both of them up to the roof. He smiled and gestured for her to look up at the clouds.

Octavia looked up as they parted one by one. As if the curtain was pulled back on a stage, thousands of small lights and a crescent moon were revealed hovering above her. They glowed in unison, making the night sky surprisingly bright.

“They’re so beautiful!” She exclaimed. “And there’s so many! How do they all fit in the sky?!”

“I take it you do not see stars often from your home.” Malleus commented.

“We only have one star. It hovers over the very center of Hell at all times. And it definitely doesn’t glow like any of these. Or that; is that the moon?!”

“Yes.”

“Is it true that it changes shape every night? And disappears sometimes?”

“It is not so simple. The shape doesn’t technically change, it’s just the planet’s position sometimes casts a shadow on the moon. We can only see the moon thanks to the light of the sun, and when that light is obscured, it makes it look like the moon disappears.”

“You really know your stuff.” Octavia commented, amazed.

“I had several tutors who trained me in various skills. Including interpreting prophecies-“

“-from the stars. Just like my dad. Well, that was supposed to be his job before he just gave away his tool to do it to his… never mind. I shouldn’t be telling you personal stuff like this.”

“… no one has ever trusted me with ‘personal stuff’ before. I don’t mind.”

Octavia opened her mouth to speak when a sudden small tremor and a flash of blue light went off beneath them.

“Wait… do you hear voices below us?” Octavia asked, looking down at the roof.

Chapter Text

Octavia and Malleus managed to scale back down off the ramshackle building before bursting in to see where the light and noise was coming from. They rushed to the stairs to find the same cat monster from orientation rapidly blowing blue flames at three ghosts. Said ghosts circled the smaller creature, appearing and disappearing before any of them were hit.

“What is going on here?!” Octavia exclaimed, alerting the four to their presence.

One glare from Malleus and the ghosts scattered, leaving Grim panting on the floor. Octavia went over and picked him up from under his arms, leaving his lower body dangling as she glared at him.

“Alright, I recognize you from earlier.” She said. “Why the hell are you back?”

“I’m getting back into the school; obviously!” The cat exclaimed. “And you didn’t need to interfere at all! I could’a easily handled those ghosts all by myself!”

“By setting the building on fire?!”

“It was working!”

“… I’m taking you to be thrown out again.”

“WAIT!” Grim cried out, squirming and wriggling in her arms. “NO! BAD! BAD GIRL! Shouldn’t you get all curious and ask why I want to come here?!”

“I mean, I could.” Octavia shrugged. But I don’t want to.”

“I’m meant to be a great mage!” He continued, ignoring her comment. “It’s like my destiny! So I waited for the dark carriage to come and pick me up, but… NYAH! That mirror has no taste for talent! I mean, why would he let girls in and not me?!”

“Fine then; banish me out of this building right now if you’re so strong.” Octavia countered, her arms crossed.

Grim didn’t answer her. In fact, he was the one who looked scared with his eyes as wide and round as tennis balls. “Uuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhh-“

SLAM!

“What in Seven’s name is GOING ON IN HERE?!”

Everyone froze and blinked as Dire Crowley himself burst into the old building. The headmaster only took a second before his eyes landed on Grim, who was currently being held in Octavia’s arms.

“ACK! What is that monster doing here?!”

“We just discovered him fighting off the ghosts in this building.” Malleus explained. “So we helped him.”

“I was doing just fine on my own!” Grim stated.

“You nearly burned down the whole place.” Octavia deadpanned.

“I see,” Crowley mused as he rubbed his chin. “I was alerted by the staff ghost that there seemed to be some kind of disturbance here. I then remembered how other ghosts invaded this dorm and scared away the students long ago. I simply came to make sure no one was burning down the building. But now that the issue is resolved, I’ll just take that monster and have him thrown out once more.”

“No!” Grim then began to climb up Octavia’s arm until she reaffirmed her grip on him.

“Sir, with all due respect,” Octavia began, mentally sighing to herself and questioning why she was even doing this. “I don’t think this spoiled brat is gonna give up that easily.”

“She has a point, Headmage.” Malleus agreed with her, nodding. “This small beast sneaking onto campus might cause more problems.”

“But what else am I to do?” Crowely asked. “He is too reckless to simply be left alone on campus. I cannot risk his destroying the school or harming the students.”

“Then let me keep him!” Octavia blurted out. “We’re here to study magic, right? Don’t some mages have a familiar to help them! We can just call him that, and it’ll allow him to come with me to classes! Plus, with me watching him, I can keep an eye on him.”

“WHAT?!” Grim cried out. “I’M NOT SOME PET!”

“Well you are now.” Octavia grumbled in his ear. “Because it’s either this or you getting thrown out again until they’re so tired of your shit that they finally make you into dinner. Does that sound better to you?”

Grim didn’t answer and he squinted up at her.

“Well…” Crowley hummed as he turned to Malleus. “Housewarden Draconia, she is your student. What is your opinion on this?”

Malleus looked back at Octavia, who was giving him her best pleading pout. This trick always worked on her dad, so chances are it’ll work on him too. At least she hoped so. Sure enough, Malleus smiled.

“I think Diasomnia will definitely become more interesting with this monster in it. She has my permission.”

“Very well then,” Crowley said. “If you think it alright, then I will allow Miss Goetia to take a familiar. But,” he turned to the demon princess. “You must promise me that you will keep him under control. The school does not need another incident like earlier tonight.”

“Yes, sir.” She nodded.

“Wonderful! Aren’t I so greatious?! Now then, I think it best you two go back to bed! Tomorrow if our full orientation and I do not want our new freshmen to miss out on their exciting introduction to our school!”

The two nodded and left the Ramshackle building, Grim still in Octavia’s arms. The cat monster seemed huffy at first, but slowly his head looked up at the demon princess.

“Wait… does this mean I-“

“Yes,” Octavia answered. “You’ll be coming to classes with me, so you’re technically a student.”

“NYAAH! REALLY?! YES! I’LL SHOW THEM! Just you wait, I’ll show this whole school how cool I am until they’ll have to make me my own student uniform and everything!”

Octavia rolled her eyes before looking up at Malleus. “… hey, Housewarden. Thank you for backing me up.”

“It is no trouble.” Malleus said neutrally. “I believe having this small creature around will make this year all the more interesting.”

“You’re a weird one, Hornton.” Grim said.

Malleus paused. “‘Hornton…’”

To everyone’s surprise, the dark and brooding dragon fae actually laughed. The sound of it caught them both off-guard. Octavia was especially confused, but mentally admitted she enjoyed the sound of his laughter. If only it didn’t sound so… underused.

“You are truly fearless, small one.” Malleus said, wiping away a tear. “I have never received such a name before.”

“You don’t have any nicknames?” Octavia asked.

“No.” Malleus responded neutrally. “You may call me by this ‘Hornton’ name if you wish, Miss Goetia.”

“Yeah, I’m not calling you that. Umm… what about ‘Draco,’ after the human’s dragon constellation?”

Malleus smiled. “I like it.”

…………………………………………………………

“Alright wolf girl!” Ruggie called out as he knocked on Loona’s door. Of course, he wasn’t just Leona’s alarm clock this morning, but all of the other freshmen’s as well. “Up and at’em! You got orientation and Spelldrive tryouts today!”

“Fuck off…” Loona lazily called out on the other side of the door.

Ruggie, quickly becoming irritated as he saw a future of playing babysitter to another Savanaclaw student, tried the handle and found the door unlocked. He gave a quick look at Leona, who watched him from just a little further down the hall. The hyena was ordered by him to make sure the transfer student would be ready for today; after all, they needed her to be at Spelldrive tryouts. He peeked inside and saw Loona, curled up like a dog on top of the bed.

“Hey! Do you know what happened to people who don’t follow Leona’s orders?” Ruggie asked, hands on his hips.

“Do you know what happens to mortals who get bitten by hellhounds?”

Ruggie huffed. “Fine. LEONA! I TOLD YOU SHE WOULDN’T BUDGE!”

“Fine,” the lion beastman said as he approached the door. He had been walking past when Ruggie started screaming for him and was not too happy to be involved now. “I’ll handle this. Hey! I know you wanna sleep in, but if we have to wait around for the freshmen, the teachers are gonna get on my case for not being a good leader or something. And I’m not in the mood to deal with that at the very beginning of the semester. So let’s go!”

Loona opened one eye to glare at Leona, but closed it as she tried to go back to sleep.

“Alright then.” Leona said. “Sorry in advance for this, I guess.”

Before the hellhound could even wonder what he was talking about, Leona managed to pick her up and throw her over his shoulder like a damp towel.

“What the-HEY!”

“Geez, you’re heavier than I thought.”

“Put me down you SON OF A BITCH!”

“I will once we get to the cafeteria. Or, you could walk there on your own.”

Loona growled as she hung limply over his shoulder. “Just drop me off in the mirror hall… asshole.”

…………………………………………………………

Octavia, meanwhile, mostly spent her morning chasi by after Grim. The cat monster apparently had woken up and chosen violence, trying to start fights with the other Diasomnia members to prove how superior he was to them. She had to chase him around the lounge when he stole a notebook from one of the dorm mates before Malleus finally woke up and saved the day. One glare, and Grim might as well have been turned to ice. Unfortunately for Octavia, that advantage couldn’t be with her now.

“Remind me again why Malleus couldn’t have breakfast with us.” She asked Lilia as she rested her head on her fist. Her arm was propped up by the cafeteria table they were sitting at, along with Grim and Sebek.

“He stopped eating meals in public after his first year.” Lilia explained. “Apparently, he makes the other students uncomfortable.”

Sebek huffed. “Ungrateful humans! They should be grateful Master Malleus even originally wanted to enjoy his meals in such a place amongst them! If anything, they should be the ones who vacate the cafeteria when Lord Malleus enters! They have no right to-“

“So, how long do you think it’ll be before this one isn’t allowed in the cafeteria either?” Octavia asked lazily.

“I don’t like taking bets on my fellow dorm mates.” Lilia responded as Sebek continued to rant. “And Malleus wasn’t kicked out, he decided on his own to eat in less public areas. But Silver is with him right now, so he should be fine.”

“Grim!” Octavia snapped as she slapped Grim’s paw away from her plate. “Knock it off! You already have your own food!”

“But I finished it and I’m still hungry!” Grim cried out.

“Then eat Sebek’s food, not mine!”

“WHAT?!” The greenette exclaimed. “You have some nerve, bird! To first somehow convince Lord Malleus to even allow such a beast in the dorms and then offer it my food!”

Octavia rolled her eyes and ignored him as he began to wrestle Grim for his food. Then her eyes landed on a familiar white-fired hellhound across the room at a nearly empty table. She tapped Grim on the arm a few times to get his attention before scooping him up into her arms.

“Lilia, mind if I-“

“Go ahead.” The small fae said with a smile, not even bothering to ask for an explanation.

Octavia nodded in gratitude before carrying Grim over to Loona. The hellhound perked up a bit when she saw Octavia, but her ears dropped and her eyes narrowed at the sight of the small monster.

“Why is that feline here?” Loona asked, pointing with her fork.

“Long story,” Octavia replied. “But basically, I’m babysitting him.”

“Hey!” Grim exclaimed. “If anything, I’m babysitting you!”

“Keep telling yourself that.” Octavia sat next to Loona as she directed her next words to her. “How’s your dorm?”

“Fine. They get up way too early though.” Loona shrugged. As she was talking, Grim reached out to swipe her bacon and ham from the plate Loona was eating off of. Without even shifting her eyes or turning her head, Loona swiftly stabbed her fork right next to Grim’s paw so hard, the table then received three distinct puncture wounds from the fork’s teeth. This scared the cat monster to the point of him clinging onto Octavia and shuttering in fear. “What about you?”

“Alright, I guess. It reminds me of home. Only issue is that most of the other students are kinda… introverted, I guess. Or just really quiet. Though the Housewarden isn’t half bad. He-“

Octavia suddenly stopped talking when something caught her eye, causing her to flinch. Loona turned and followed the princess’ line of sight, nearly letting out a curse. The angel girl was approaching the table with an oblivious smile on her face. Her wings twitched slightly, revealing her nervousness as she came closer to the two hellborns.

“Hello.” She said cheerily. “And hi there kitty! Aww, aren’t you just the cutest thing?! Can I pet him?!”

“Hey! I ain’t a cat, lady! I’m the Great Grim! I am-“

“Going back to the Diasomnia table with Lilia.” Octavia cut in. The last thing she wanted was another chase and another fire.

“But this winged girl called me-“

“I think they still have that stack of pancakes at the table.”

“I’ll be right back.”

The Angel watched as Grim scurried off before turning back to the hellborns.

“So, uh… why is the cat from yesterday back?”

“He’s my familiar now.” Octavia said with a sigh. “Long story short, he snuck back on campus and I figured he was going to do so until he got in, so I made a deal with Crowley. Now then, what were you going to say?”

“Oh! Right! Well, uh… I wanted to talk to you two last night, but with everything that happened at orientation, I-“

“Cut to the chase.” Loona snapped, earning a side punch from Octavia.

“Right… well, my name is Emily. I am a High Seraphim, and I just wanted to say that any bad blood between hellborns and heavenborns doesn’t… I- I don’t…” she sighed. “I just want to let you both know that I hope to get along with you two. And that I hope this experience will help us form bonds between the two afterlives.”

“Whatever.” Loona rolled her eyes. “I literally don’t care. Those exterminations against the human sinners don’t involve hellborns, so it doesn’t concern me.”

“What Loona here means to say,” Octavia quickly interjected. “Is that, we’re all just here to study. Neither of us don’t have any personal grudges against Heaven, so… let’s just coexist. I mean, we’re all in different dorms anyways. It shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

“Right.” Emily perked up, holding out a hand. “So, truce?”

“Truce.” Octavia shook her hand.

“Whatever.” Loona said again, taking a swing of coffee. “Damn, I wish this place had alcohol.”

“Right,” Emily said. “Well… I guess we’ll see each other around. It was wonderful meeting you both!”

Loona didn’t even bother to wave with Octavia as Emily left them alone.

“Well,” Octavia continued. “At least the angel is friendly.”

“She could be a perfect peach for all I care.” Loona huffed. “You won’t find me rubbing elbows with either of those Heavenborns.”

…………………………………………………………

The rest of the day went relatively uneventful. Soon after breakfast, the freshmen were measured and given new uniforms surprisingly fast. Then again… magic school. Anyways, Loona and Octavia’s new uniforms were the same, both consisting of the same tops and jackets as the boys and short skirts. Emily was given a slightly different version, this one a dress that reached below her knees. Collin, meanwhile, was given a smaller version of the standard uniform. Everyone also got their magic pens, each one with a special gemstone matching their dorm. Loona thought this was a weird way to use magic, but it’s not like it’s something for her to complain about. Then they were given their lab wear and PE uniforms, and everyone was set. After that, most of the day was being led around the school, visiting classrooms, and being given schedules for classes. Loona was almost relieved when they were led outside to the field after changing into their new PE uniforms; at least it was a change of pace.

“Alright bean sprouts!” The large man in the red track suit said once they got to the field. “My name is Ashton Vargas, and I am here to determine who is worthy of being on all of the Spelldrive teams this year. We’ve got a great inter-dorm tournament coming up, followed by the big competition at the end of the school year. So let’s give it our all at today's tryouts!”

Loona instantly knew she made a mistake by agreeing to come here. Still, Leona was waiting right there at the side, so there wasn’t much she could do to escape. Best to just get this over with. So she waited and listened with half-interest as Vargas explained the rules. They were simple enough; move the disk with magic, throw it through the hoop, show off when you can.

And so, the game had begun. The moment the disk went up in the air, Loona jumped up to grab it. The sooner this was over, the sooner she was free. Since she was playing with humans, she tried to avoid grabbing the disk with her teeth and tried using that levitation spell Leona showed her. It felt different than using the Grimoire or her human disguise, like it was pulling something from inside of her.

Huh. Is this what it’s like to have real magic other than a human disguise?

Pushing the awkward thought aside, Loona continued to run now that she could carry the disk with her magic. Huh, that was such a strange thing to think; her magic. The only downside to this was that with one hand in use, she couldn’t run on all fours for maximum speed. Yet despite this, she still had the advantage over all of the others. And it was evident for everyone watching.

“I see the Savanaclaw transfer student is very gifted for sport.” Vargas mused, a smile plastered on his face.

“Did you expect anything less from one of our own?” Leona asked smugly.

“Of course not!” Vargas continued to cheer. “Although, she does seem to be playing a bit rough with the others.”

Leona turned his attention back to the field, managing to witness Loona slamming another freshman face-first into the field. The hit was so hard, it left an obvious hole in the ground. The hellhound then proceeded to run over him as she made a flawless throw, sending the disk straight through the hoop.

“I’ll talk to her about it.” Leona said.

Needless to say, by the end of the training, Loona had the most scores. She also caused the most casualties in the field, so Vargas had to pull her aside.

“You’ve got some real chops!” He said with a smile. “But maybe work a bit more on your teamwork skills. Pull any moves like those during the Magicshift tournaments and we’ll definitely get disqualified.”

“Not my problem,” Loona said as she rolled her eyes. “I don’t do team sports.”

“Why not?” Leona asked as he approached her. “You’re strong, fast, and agile. Not to mention you scored more than anyone else on the field despite today being the first time you’ve played. You could easily be a good candidate for scouters during the inter dorm tournament.”

“It’s not the ‘sports’ part, it’s the ‘team’ part that’s the problem.”

“You just need some practice and experience with that.” Ruggie joined in. “You could join the Spelldrive Club. What do ya say, Leona?”

“Yeah.” The lion beastman nodded. “She can’t possibly slow us down.”

“Really?” Loona rolled her eyes.

“Why not? I think you’d fit in just fine here.” Leona said with a smirk.

With that and the way his sweat glistened off his skin, Loona somehow couldn’t help but blush beneath her fur. Still, she managed to play it as cool as possible as she brushed her hair out of her face.

“Tsk! Whatever…”

Chapter Text

Collin was nearly out of breath by the end of the day. Between all of the running around, the new information he had to learn, and the exhausting sports tryouts which he barely managed to pass, this new school was definitely something. It didn’t help that he still couldn’t help but get a bad feeling around his other dorm mates.

As he turned a corner, his eyes lit up with joy once he saw her; High Seraphim Emily.

Breath caught in his throat, Collin could feel his heart begin to beat enthusiastically. Finally! He could finally talk to her about the C. H. E. U. R. B’s banishment and hopefully get things sorted out. Shaking his nerves away, he couldn’t help but fly over towards her as she waved at her new Scarabia friends.

“M-m-miss!” He cried out as he flew before her. Then he cleared his throat and lowered himself to the ground. “Uh… Miss Seraphim, mam…”

“Please, call me Emily. We’re both students, we might as well be equals down here.”

“R-r-r-right. Emily, I am sure you don’t know me, b-b-but my name is Collin.”

“Hello Collin. It’s nice to meet you. Though, why didn’t you report to the Seraphim palace when we called for the other invitee? We spread the word throughout all of Heaven so we could leave together.”

“… ummm… I didn’t receive mine in Heaven…”

“Oh, were you on a mission in the human realm?”

“… y-y-yes and no.” He shuddered as sweat began to form on his face. “Y-y-y-you see…”

After that, Collin awkwardly began to explain what had happened during his group’s last case.

“… but when we tried to re-enter Heaven, they wouldn’t let us. They didn’t even let us explain about the imps or anything!”

“I see..” Emily said as she hesitated. Then, after a moment of thinking, she perked up. “Okay, here’s what we’ll do; since this does seem like a big deal, we need to talk to Sera in person. I’ll see if I can convince the Headmage if he can allow Sera to come here for a day. That way we can both talk to her about this. If all else fails, the staff did mention the first big visitation will happen during the sports tournament, and I’m sure she’ll visit just for that! Either way, we should probably talk to her about this in person. When we do, I can convince her to pardon you and your friends over this misunderstanding.”

“Y-y-y-you really think so?!”

“Of course!”

“Oh, thank you! Thank you Miss Emily, you are surely a forgiving and generous leader.” Collin exclaimed with a bow.

“Again, there’s no need for that.” She responded as she helped him stand up. “And it’s no problem. Anything I can do to help!”

Still, Collin couldn’t help but smile fondly at the high-ranking angel. “Thank you.”

Emily smiled back. “Come on. We better get going to our next orientation activity.”

…………………………………………………………

As orientation finished minutes prior as everyone was let out. Loona and Octavia ended up walking side by side as the bird princess carried Grim in her arms. Without a proper leash, this was the only way she could keep close tabs on him. At least for now.

“I think this place is gonna be more interesting than I thought.” Octavia mused.

“At least there’s stuff to do.” Loona shrugged. “Not too thrilled about learning team building trust exercises, but at least it’s better than sitting in a stuffy classroom all day. Even these clothes are shit; I can hardly breathe in them!”

Octavia rolled her eyes as Loona fiddled with her tie. Though, she did understand; she rarely wore her “proper royal clothing” unless she absolutely had to. Usually when her mother took her to certain places.

“At least you get a uniform,” Grim huffed. “What about me?! Aren’t I technically a student?!”

“Uhh… sure.” Octavia lied.

“Yeah right.” Loona snarled. “Keep dreaming, fur ball.”

“NYAH! Minion, why do you hang out with this wolf girl?! She’s really mean!”

“Oh no!” Loona continued, in a heavily sarcastic and mocking voice. “‘Mean?’ Ugh! I am so broken-hearted! How could someone call me mean?! Geez, you need to work on your insults, you glorified, moronic hairball.”

Octavia rolled her eyes again, before they landed on the sight of four figures;

Emily, the High Seraphim angel, the small lamb cherub, and two students. Both had the red and black arm ribbons of Heartslabyul, and wore painted card suits on their faces near their eyes.

The group were standing in the middle of a walkway surrounded by stone statues on both sides. The moment Emily noticed the other three, she waved them over. Loona groaned, but Octavia gave her a nudge.

“She’s at least trying to be nice.” The princess pointed out. “Let’s at least give her the benefit of the doubt.”

“You can do that,” Loona said. “I’m only following you in case either of them do anything.”

Regardless, the two young women walked over.

“Hello.” Octavia said before introducing everyone. “I’m Octavia, this is Loona, and this is Grim.”

“That’s the Great Grim, minion!”

“No you're not. And I’m not your minion.”

“This is Collin.” Emily said, gesturing down at the purple sheep. “He’s a cherub.”

“H-h-hello…” he said, not even making eye contact with either hellborn.

Loona also avoided eye contact. The last thing she needed was for the Heavenborns to know she was related to I.M.P.

“What are you two doing here?” Octavia asked.

“And who are these guys?” Loona asked as she squinted up at them. Then her eyes widened and her ear twitched. Wait, haven’t I seen them before?

“Actually, I picked up this book from the library during our break to try and help myself fit in a bit better. So I was just comparing what’s in here to what Ace has been telling us. Either way, their history is really quite fascinating! You two need to hear this! Ace, you were saying?”

“Huh?” The redhead blinked. “Oh, right, yeah. Ace Trappola, freshmen. This is… my dorm mate.”

“It’s Deuce.” The bluenette said as he crossed his arms. “Deuce Spade.”

“Whatever, anyways…”

He then went on a long tangent about each statue and their real historical counterparts;

The Queen of Hearts, who ruled over a kingdom of madness and kept it in check with her rules.

The King of Beast, who rose above to become king and unit two different races under one rule.

The Sea Witch, who would grant others wishes by performing incredible feats of magic.

The Sorcerer of the Sands, who also rose above to become a leader and also expanded his magical capability through his wisdom and knowledge.

The Beautiful Queen, who mastered potions and curses while enduring her own beauty.

The Ruler of the Underworld, who managed the afterlife while also commanding several giant beasts.

The Thorn Fairy, who was known as the greatest magic user of all time to the point she could control the plants, the weather, and change her shape into that of a dragon.

As Ace and Emily spoke, something clicked in Loona’s mind; she had seen them before! They were cartoon villains for some animation studio that’s been going downhill recently in the human realm! Except, they were heroes here? For some reason?

What the hell…

“Pretty cool, right?” Ace asked the group.

“I-I-it’s definitely interesting.” Collin stuttered. “Though… Miss Emily, aren’t some of these tales familiar?”

Emily laughed nervously for a moment before whispering something into Collin’s ear. The cherub nodded with a smile as Emily stood back up.

“As I said, I went ahead and read ahead in the textbook and this other book I found.” Emily explained. “There are so many interesting stories here in just Twisted Wonderland’s history alone! History Class tomorrow is going to be so much fun!”

Loona rolled her eyes.

“I read a few books too.” Octavia said. “Mostly the Potions textbook.”

“*cough* nerds *cough*!”

Everyone’s heads turned to Loona, who looked away with a smug smile on her face.

“Well, I can’t wait till I’m a statue like these guys!” Grim exclaimed.

“Phft!” Ace tried to hold back, but ultimately burst out into laughter. “Yeah right, as if a joke like you would ever get that famous.”

“NYAH?!”

“I could barely keep from laughing last night! The random monster who showed up outta nowhere that no one wanted! And you even nearly set the entire school on fire! It was hilarious!”

“Grrrrr…”

“He’s not wrong.” Loona huffed, earning everyone’s glares. “What?! That overgrown rodent nearly signed everyone in the room last night. I had to catch him myself, remember?”

“Yeah,” Ace continued. “The werewolf has a point.”

“… heh, excuse me?”

Loona glared at the redhead. All of those usual comments she got back in Hell came flooding back to her.

“Well, with the way you were chasing after that thing,” Ace said as he pointed towards Grim. “It was pretty much like a dog chasing after a dumb cat.”

“Ace!” Deuce exclaimed.

“And is there something wrong with that?!” Loona growled, her ears pointing backwards.

“Ah! No!” Ace quickly stated, feeling as though he was about to walk out onto a land mine. “It was just… uh… interesting to watch. Though,” he turned to Octavia. “Why did you decide to keep that pesky cat?”

“It just seemed the best option to keep him from doing something again.” Octavia shrugged.

“Well, good luck with that pet cat of yours. Anyway, I just wanted to tease him a bit. I’m gonna head back to the dorm and get some shut-eye before classes tomorrow. See ya! Come on, Juice.”

“It’s not ‘Juice!’” The bluenette exclaimed. “It’s ‘Deuce!’ With a ‘duh!’”

The two students only got three steps away before Loona went to lunge at the redhead. Before she could punch him in the back of the head, Octavia reached out and grabbed her wrist.

“Calm down.” She said as Grim dropped from her arms. “Remember what King Lucifer said; we can’t cause trouble.”

“I-I-I-it’s not that big of a deal.” Collin joined in. “I’ve been getting comments all day about how I’m a st-st-stuffed animal toy. You g-g-get used to ignoring them.”

“I don’t need a lecture from a large purple cotton ball!” Loona snapped.

“Hey!” Emily insisted. “Octavia is right! Let’s all just calm down! We can’t start fights with other students. It’s one of the rules; I checked myself.”

The hellborns stared at her for a moment before Loona huffed. “Of course you did.”

Regardless, Octavia finally released the hellhound once she felt Loona soften in her stance. But before any of the transfer students could mention going back to their dorms, Grim rushed forwards towards the Heartslabyul students.

“TAKE THIS!”

Fortunately for the redhead, Deuce noticed the approaching blue fire and shoved his dorm mate out of the way.

“WHAT THE HECK?!” Ace exclaimed.

“I AIN’T SOME PET CAT, EXPLODY-HEAD!” Grim cried out. “NOW YOU’RE GONNA GET IT!”

“Hey, furball, aim a bit higher and to the right!” Loona directed.

“Loona?!” Octavia exclaimed. “Don’t encourage this! And Grim, if you don’t put out that fire in your paw this instant-“

“NYAHHHHHHHH!”

Too late; Grim already threw it at Ace, who fortunately dodged it with his wind. Deuce watched the mayhem from the sideline in a panic until Octavia ran up to him.

“You!” She said, grabbing onto his uniform jacket. “You’re his roommate, right?! Can’t you do something?!”

“What?! But I barely know him! And I don’t know how to stop a fight without…” The bluenette cut himself off and began hitting his lower lip.

“Well, can’t you do anything?!”

“Uh… okay, there is this one thing… well, here goes nothing. I summon thee, something heavy!”

BANG!

“GAAAAAAH!”

Everyone paused as a large black cauldron appeared out of thin air and dropped on top of Ace, pinning him to the ground.

“WHAT THE HECK?!” He cried out.

“Okay,” Octavia blinked as Loona laughed. “I guess that works.”

“Didn’t expect it to be a cauldron.” Deuce added.

“Great!” Grim chimed in, readying his fire. “Keep him pinned down while I finish this!”

“NO!” Octavia cried out as he grabbed him. “Grim, we are not murdering a freshman! Just fucking calm down already!”

“Listen to your owner, furball!” Ace called out as Emily helped him get out from under the cauldron.

“SHE’S NOT MY OWNER AND I’M NOT A CAT! NOW TAKE THIS!”

From Octavia’s arms, he summoned a whole blaze of fire. Though his fire barely even warmed Octavia’s feathers and skin, she ended up dropping him in surprise. This allowed his to blow his fire towards Ace, who then directed it away.

However, the fire then hit something off to the side, engulfing it in flames with a FWOMPH! No one moved as the statute of the Queen of Hearts burned until it was charged black. They all just watched, mouth’s agape, before finally Ace started screaming.

“AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! THE QUEEN OF HEARTS STATUE!”

“THIS IS YOUR FAULT!” Grim yelled back at Ace. “YOU SHOULD HAVE JUST LET ME BURN YOU!”

“WHY WOULD I DO THAT?!” Ace exclaimed.

“Loona!” Octavia joined in. “Why did you encourage Grim?!”

“He’s your pet!” Loona retorted. “Why didn’t you stop him?!”

“ENOUGH!” Everyone froze as they recognized Crowley’s voice. “WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!”

Seeing the writing on the wall, Octavia immediately pulled out a pen and did a small water charm she learned from her textbook. Seems like reading them ahead of time was a good idea. Fortunately, the fire was doused. Unfortunately, the statue was still charred black with fire markings. Emily went over to see the damage herself, mouth agape. Collin on the other hand, still traumatized from his meeting with I.M.P., was not about to get blamed for another crime and flew away in a slight panic. Loona watched this and growled.

“That little-“

“How could you all destroy a statue of one of the Great Seven?!” Crowley continued shouting.

“He started it!” Ace said as he pointed to Grim.

“Ace?!” Deuce called out.

“Well, he insulted me!” Grim said, pointing at Ace. Then he pointed at Deuce. “And that one tried to drop a cauldron on my head!”

“Ack!” The bluenette sputtered. “Leave me out of this!”

“It doesn’t matter who started it!” Crowley shouted. “As far as I am concerned, you are all guilty!”

“Hey!” Loona called out. “Tavi didn’t do shit! You can’t blame her for this!”

“Miss Goetia was supposed to be watching Grim to prevent incidents like this!” Crowley pointed out.

Octavia looked away. She considered trying that repair spell her father taught her in case of emergencies, but she didn’t know how strong it was without a grimoire. There was no telling if it could fix a giant hole in the stone pavement or an entirely scorched statue.

“Perhaps this was a mistake.” Crowley mused. “The transfer program is canceled! And you two,” he pointed to Ace and Deuce, “are expelled!”

“WHAAAAAAAT?!”

Nearly everyone reacted to that. Grim hid himself behind Octavia, who herself was shocked. Loona looked as though she didn’t care, but Deuce and Emily were distraught. And Ace was the loudest out of all of them when they shouted.

“Sir,” Emily said. “Please, we could all clean up the statue. Or pay for the damages.”

“‘We?’” Loona questioned. “First of all, you had nothing to do with this. Second, it’s not my fault idiots one, two, and three over here were so trigger-happy.”

“You encouraged Grim to shoot fire at his head!” Octavia pointed out.

“And you were supposed to keep an eye on that monster!” Crowley pointed out. “As far as I am concerned, everyone here is at fault!”

“Sir, please!” Deuce begged. “I can’t get expelled! I’ll do anything! I’ll pay for the statue, clean the campus, anything!”

“Hmmm… well, there is one thing you can do.”

“Yes?!” Deuce asked excitedly.

“See, a magestone powering the chandelier in the cafeteria has recently become cracked and is losing its power. It will need to be replaced. As some of you know, magestones were mined from the Dwarves’ Mine. If you all go there and bring back one before sunrise tomorrow, I will withdraw your expulsions.”

“Great!” Emily exclaimed, wings fluttering. “Let’s go!”

“Yes sir!” Deuce followed up. “We’ll get that stone for you!”

“Okay, good luck!” Loona huffed.

“Wha-seriously?!” Deuce exclaimed. “You’re okay with getting expelled?!”

“I stopped caring about my future a long time ago, kid.”

“Loona!” Octavia said as she reached out and grabbed her friend’s arm to stop her from leaving. “Are you really alright telling your dad you got expelled before classes even started?! Because I don’t know how I’m gonna explain any of this to my parents! Or the rest of my family!”

“…”

“…”

“Fine,” Loona sighed. “How bad can it be?”

…………………………………………………………

“YOU’VE GOTTA BE FUCKING KIDDING ME!” Loona yelled at the top of her lungs.

She and the others were being chased down a dark tunnel, lanterns and pickaxes in hand. But they were all useless when facing down a giant monster made of ink and carrying a giant pickaxe of its own. At this point, Loona didn’t know who she wanted to strangle more; the monster, the cat, the two Heartslabyul idiots, or the Headmage.

Chapter Text

“So birdbrain wanted you to get a magestone?” Leona asked as he sat next to Loona in the Savanahclaw lounge.

“Yeah.” She huffed. Having just gotten back from that little adventure and already exclaimed this to Crowley, she wanted this second interrogation to be over with so she could go to sleep already. “And the mine he sent us to had a giant ink monster in there. He’s just lucky enough that we managed to kill it and get back in time.”

“And it was you, that bird girl, the other transfer girl, and those two Heartslabuyl idiots?”

“And the cherub. So, he shows up in the middle of us getting attacked, acting like he wanted to help us from the goodness of his heart or whatever. To make up for ditching us when we all got in trouble in the first place. Then we killed the giant, brought back the stone, and it turns out sheep-boy only helped out cause if we failed, all of the transfer students were getting sent back and he ‘can’t afford that.’”

“But that’s over now?”

“Thankfully.” Loona sighed. “Oh, and the cat’s a student now.”

“What?”

“Yeah, pretty much. Something about him proving himself, great efforts, Octavia still needs to babysit him, etcetera, etcetera. I honestly don’t remember all the bullshit Crowley kept spewing. So can I go to bed now?”

“Yeah. But be more careful next time you do reckless stuff like that. If the teachers catch you again, you’ll either be expelled or kicked off the team.”

“Whatever.” Loona muttered as she hoisted herself off the couch. “Night, cat boy.”

Leona didn’t respond aside from a “hphm.” Loona couldn’t help but glance back at him one last time in spite of herself. It was a long day, and she was too tired to do anything else or anyone else.

…………………………………………………………

Loona huffed as she took another swing of coffee. Being forced out of bed so early yet again didn’t improve her thoughts of the school, even if the early morning practice did help her wake up. Before she could even start considering biting Ruggie’s hand off for rushing her all morning, she got a text from Octavia telling her to meet at the Great Seven Statues. So, as she finished off her coffee, she went to the scene of yesterday’s squabble. Octavia was there with Grim running around her feet. The cat was dressed in a uniform of his own, which, in Loona’s opinion, just made him look like one of those stuffed animals human children carry around. The ones that they get at those weird human toy stores where they stuff the thing themselves and are dressed up by the child. Then she saw Ace sulking as he leaned on a lamppost. The moment the hellhound spotted the giant metal collar attached around his neck, she barely managed to stop herself from laughing. Of course she remembered Riddle’s collaring attack from orientation. It just looked a lot funnier on a human that a whinny animal

“Hey! Nice necklace.” Loona snarked.

“Haha.” Ace laughed bitterly. “Very funny.”

“Do I even want to know?” Loona asked Octavia.

“We found him in that old Ramshackle dorm.” Octavia explained. “Malleus and I went there to watch the stars- ahem! ‘So he could give me a talking too in private about what happened that night.’”

“Away from the dorm?” Loona asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Drop it. Anyway, Ace stole a tart and got kicked out of his dorm. Housewarden Draconia gave him permission to sleep with us, only for last night though.”

“Cool, and I’m here because…”

“You’re our backup. Remember the redhead from the other night? The one who collared Grim?”

“Unfortunately.”

“Ace needs to apologize to Riddle to get back into the dorm, and if he has to sleep in Diasomnia another night, one of my dorm mates might use him for magic practice. You just need to help us… ‘convince’ Riddle to forgive him. Just in case.”

“So you want me to scare him into agreeing?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. Sounds fun.”

“Hey! Wolf girl!” Grim shouted from the ground. “Check me out! I’m a full-fledged student!”

“Yeah, well, so is everyone else here.” Loona deadpanned. “Not that impressive, kitty.”

“I AIN’T A CAT!”

“And I ain’t a wolf.”

“Hey guys!” Everyone turned as Deuce ran towards the group. “Please tell me you all aren’t arguing with each other again. I’d rather not go through the whole mine scenario again.” He paused as he noticed Ace’s collar. “Woah. So the stories are true. You actually did something so stupid as to steal one of the Housewarden’s tarts.”

“Zip it, Juice!” Ace snapped. “I’m not in the mood this morning! Do you know what the Diasomnia couches are like? They’re practically hard as stone! You’d think a dorm with such a grand reputation would have better furniture! Err… by the way, is Housewarden Riddle still mad?”

“I don’t think so. He’s been pretty busy this morning; three students overslept so Riddle collared them.”

“And you call that not mad! The guy’s a full-blown tyrant!”

“Who cares?!” Loona exclaimed. “Let’s just do this already so I can grab some bacon or something before class!”

“You know,” Octavia said as the group started walking towards the Dorm Mirrors. “There are better options at the cafeteria. Apparently this place is suited to people from high society. They have much better stuff. No Hell delicacies, but not bad.”

“Yeah, well some of us don’t have the luxury of comparing fancy foods, princess.”

“Hey!” Deuce exclaimed with his hands in the air. “Let’s hold off on the name calling, okay! I really don’t want to go back to the mines or get expelled.”

“Actually, I really am a princess.” Octavia pointed out.

“You are?!”

“Sweet!” Grim cheered. “I’ve got a princess for a minion!”

“No.” Octavia rolled her eyes. “You’ve got a princess for a babysitter.”

“Hey!”

“So you’re both royalty?!” Deuce questioned.

Loona scoffed. “Please. As if a hellhound from anywhere in the Nine Circles could be royalty. We’re part of the, uh… lower regions of society.”

“Okay, but if you two are from completely different social classes, how do you two know each other?” Ace asked.

“Uhh…” Octavia hesitated, awkwardly rubbing her neck. “It’s a… a long story… see-“

“Our dads are fucking each other.” Loona said bluntly.

Ace, Deuce, and Grim all stared at Loona slack-jawed. Octavia, on the other hand, was glaring daggers at the hellhound, her eyes a glowing, burning red. The awkward silence lasted a few seconds before Deuce eyed one of the mirrors a few times before breaking said silence.

“Hey look!” The bluenette exclaimed. “The mirror! Let’s go!”

Before anyone could say or do anything, Ace and Deuce grabbed the two girls by the wrists and dragged them through the glass. On the other side was a large manor, red with several heart symbols carved into the arches, doors, and windows. It sat across from a clean path and a green garden near a large hedge maze. Loona was nearly overwhelmed by the scent of roses and almost gagged. Floral scents were never her favorites, as she felt they were something that could easily overwhelm her sense of smell.

“Ugh!” She groaned. “This place smells like a perfume parlor! Let’s just find that redhead brat and get this over with.”

“Woah!” Grim exclaimed. “Hey, minion! Look at this place!”

“Eh,” Octavia shrugged. “I’ve seen better manors. You should see my dad’s place. Though, it is a bit less… greeting-card bright like this.”

“Whatever,” Ace said. “Where’s the Housewarden? I wanna get this collar off as soon as possible.”

Loona then heard something off in the maze; the sound of someone humming. “I think I found someone who could give us directions. Follow me.”

The hellhound led the group through the maze before coming upon a clearing filled with rose bushes, each one trimmed in the shape of hearts. Before one of these bushes was a young man with a red diamond painted on his face, his strawberry blonde hair half pulled back. He gently dabbed at the rose petals with a brush dripping with red paint as he talked to himself.

“Gotta paint these roses red, or it’ll be off with my head.” He muttered before turning his head towards the intruders. “Oh! Looks like I’ve got company. By all means, come over. Wait; aren’t you two the new transfers?”

“Octavia Goatia.” Octavia introduced herself. “And this is Loona and Grim.”

“Yeah, I remember now.” Cater smiled. “And you two are the new freshies for the dorm. And not just that; aren’t you the ones who burned the Queen of Hearts statue yesterday?”

“Uh…” Deuce hesitated.

“That incident is going to haunt us until graduation.” Ace bemoaned.

“Yeah,” Cater continued. “You’re also the tart thief from last night, ain’t ya? Small dorm. Hey hey hey, let me get a selfie with you all!”

Before anyone could protest, Cater had already dragged everyone together into a huddle. The Heartslabyul duo were too stunned to do much, Grim smiled at the camera, Octavia only squinted, and Loona proudly held up a middle finger.

“I’ll DM you all later.” Cater said. “What are your names, freshies?”

“Deuce Spade.”

“Ace.”

“So,” Octavia began, trying to change the subject. “Why are you painting flowers, exactly?”

“This?” Cater gestured towards the flowers. “It’s for the party tomorrow.”

“‘Party?’” Ace asked. “Is it really someone’s birthday tomorrow? Is that what those tarts were for?”

“Ehh! Wrong! Tomorrow’s the Unbirthday party.”

“‘Unbirthday?’” Loona questioned with a hand on her hip. “Really?”

“Yeah. It’s a Heartslabyul tradition. We pick a day that isn’t anyone’s birthday and we have a tea party out here in the gardens. But the roses all need to be painted red, the hedgehogs and flamingos we use for croquet balls and mallets need to be painted different colors, and-“

“Wait. Like, like flamingos and hedgehogs?” Octavia asked.

“Uh, yeah…”

“Great.” Loona said sarcastically. “Cool to know this place supports animal abuse.”

“Huh?! No, it’s nothing like that! We put protection spells on them so they don’t get hurt! It’s just part of tradition!”

“Just keep telling yourself whatever to keep your conscience clear.”

“Anyway,” Ace said. “We’re looking for Riddle. I’d like to talk to him about last night.”

“Love to help.” Cater said while making an obnoxious pose. “But I need to get these roses finished before I could even think of showing my face to Housewarden Riddle. Hey, why don’t you guys help me out? The faster the work gets done, the sooner I can bring you to Riddle.”

“Pass.” Loona grunted as she already walked to the corner of the garden.

“So,” Octavia began and the hellhound sat down on the grass. “Changing the color of plants… how do we do that?”

“Easy,” Cater grinned as he twirled his magic pen. “Just follow my lead.”

The next twenty minutes were spent turning white petals red as Ace dabbed at the roses with his paintbrush due to his current lack of magic. Loona stayed rooted in her spot away from the group the whole time, attempting to get her phone to connect as she lazily waited for the others. She occasionally looked up and smirked as Grim set rose bushes on fire or Deuce mis-colored the flowers. Octavia was the one who easily mastered the spell. With her help, they were done in five minutes flat.

“Not bad.” Cater said to her.

“Thanks.” Octavia shrugged. “I guess my family just has an affinity for magic.”

“Show off!” Loona playfully yelled from across the garden.

“Whatever,” Ace groaned. Now that we’ve finished that, can we just go see Riddle now?”

“Sure, sure.” Cater said with a grin. “But first… did you bring an apology tart?”

“‘Apology tart?’ No, I just came straight here.”

“Oooooh, that’s a problem. Rule #53: you must replace anything you steal. If I let you guys in now without a new tart, my head will be on the chopping block. Sry, but I’m gonna have to ask you all to leave.”

“What?!” Loona exclaimed as she stood up on her back paws. “After we did all that work for you?!”

“You didn’t really do anything.” Deuce pointed out cautiously.

“It was exhausting watching you all! And besides, I wasted an entire morning to help with this stupid apology, I am not leaving before we see it through!”

“Yeah!” Octavia chimed in. “And you clearly didn’t see us with any kind of tart when we walked up to you! You’ve just been playing us!”

“Now that’s a little harsh, don’t you think?” Cater asked. “Anyways, you guys should go before Riddle sees, or he’s gonna blow a gasket.”

“Uh, first off, fuck you!” Loona exclaimed. “And second off, you better give me one reason why I shouldn’t bury you alive right-“

Her threat was cut short by the sudden sound of a bell off in the distance. It chimes in eight bell rings, gentle yet harsh, and it caught everyone off-guard.

“Wait… was that the warning bell?!” Deuce asked in surprise.

“WHAT?!” The other boys exclaimed, everyone forgetting about Cater. The strawberry blonde managed to sneak past them during the distraction and run off.

“Well,” Octavia said with a shrug. “See you guys in class. Let’s go, Grim.”

“Wha-“

Octavia immediately grabbed Grim, gave the others a middle finger, snapped her fingers, and vanished in a bright swirl of violet light.

“The fuck?!” Loona growled. “Did her dad actually show her how to teleport?! Ugh! Whatever! Later, losers!”

With that, the hellhound took off on all fours. She bolted away, as fast as lightning, leaving the remaining two students in the dust.

“Hey!” Ace exclaimed.

“Wait for us!” Deuce added.

Both boys bolted after her, racing to get to class.

Chapter Text

Born and raised in Heaven, Night Raven College was definitely a new territory for Emily. She still didn’t figure out why people kept whispering whenever she showed up, but no one would answer her questions when she approached. Still, she skipped through the halls while on her way to her next class. It wasn’t until she realized she was lost that she finally stopped to look down at her schedule. She was supposed to be in History of Magic, but she couldn’t find the room number. She sighed, realizing she should have asked if Collin knew anything about this. Regardless, she had no idea where Collin was at this point. Wondering how humans go through things like this, she decided to try and ask someone one more time and approached the first student she saw in the hallway.

“Excuse me.” She called out gently. “Can you help me?” The student looked over his shoulder and turned. Emily recognized the ribbon as having Octavinelle colors. The boy seemed to have taken good care of his uniform and wore pale glasses over his blue eyes.

“Miss Emily Seraphim, yes?” The Octavinelle student said with a bow.

“Yes?” Emily responded cautiously.

“Azul Ashengrotto, at your service. Housewarden of Octavinelle.”

“Oh! You mean the same dorm Collin was placed in? Is he with you?”

“I am afraid not. I could assist you if needed, but I would first like to welcome a beautiful young woman such as yourself to our school. I understand that being a transfer student, you must be a bit confused about a few things here. I couldn’t help but overhear your questions about where the History of Magic class is.”

“How did you-“ Emily asked, only to be cut off.

“Let me cut to the chase; I have a bit of a… side business before finals. Something to give the students a boost in their grades, so to speak.”

“Like a study hall?”

“Better; a study guide.”

“So, cheating.” Emily raised an eyebrow.

“Perish the thought! I assure you, it contains no answers or official test questions. I swear this is a genuine, bonafide, and highly effective study guide. If you should want help once finals arrive, I would be more than willing to give you a copy. Of course, it will be for a bargain-“

“Oh, I’m sorry. But I’m not allowed to be a part of deals or bargains, especially with strangers.”

“I understand. But if you should ever change your mind-“

“She said she’s not interested.” Jamil said as he approached the two of them. He then took Emily’s hand and gently began pulling her away. “Let’s go, Miss Emily. You don’t want to be late for your first class.”

“Okay.” Emily muttered. “Thank you, Mr. Ashengrotto.”

“Until next time.” Azul responded ominously.

Jamil glared back at Azul before hurriedly rushing Emily along down the hallway. “Trust me, Miss Emily; Azul is not someone you want to try and befriend.”

“Yeah,” Emily said. “I kind of noticed.”

She couldn’t help but look back, only to see Azul smiling eerily at her.

…………………………………………………………

Loona spent the entire beginning of potions class half paying attention to Professor Crewel’s lecture. The various smells from the different ingredients were irritating to her nose and she could barely tell what was what. So, when Crewel told them to start with a simple potion, she was not thrilled. Octavia immediately took to potion making like a fish to water, so Loona was at least grateful for that since she teamed up with her and Grim. The tiny monster was no help, of course.

“Myah!” He exclaimed under his breath. “What’s the point in knowing all of these mushrooms? I’m more interested in knowing which ones I can eat!”

“No eating the ingredients, Grim.” Octavia scolded. “At least tending to my dad’s plant collection is finally paying off.”

“Tavi, which of these plants are even from Hell?” Loona asked, still bored out of her mind.

“No, but some of them have similar properties. I just need to be able to study them closely to figure out which ones are more dangerous than the others.”

Loona sniffed the two roots on the table. “That one.” She said, pointing at the darker root. “That one has toxic properties. The other one is fine.”

Grim nearly pounced on the table to snatch it, but Octavia used her magic to hold him back.

“You can smell poisons?” The owl questioned.

“Duh. Hellhounds had a strong sense of smell, remember? Now let’s get this over with. I already feel like I’m wearing a mad scientist Halloween costume in all this.” She gestures down to her lab coat and gloves.

“You look fine.” Octavia insisted with a slight eye roll.

The Goetia princess handled the actual preparation of the ingredients while Loona sniffed out the subtle differences between them. Grim mostly watched in a mixture of boredom and confusion. Still, even without him, their group was the first to finish.

“Impressive, pups,” Crewel noted as he accepted the potion and uncorked it. “It seems to be the right color and has the right scent. I will test it tonight. For now, well done, ladies.”

“Hey!” Grim exclaimed. “What about me?!”

“You literally did nothing.” Loona huffed.

…………………………………………………………

“Gang way, Tavi!”

Octavia huffed as Loona flew past her on her broom. She couldn’t blame the hellhound for being excited about flying. Hellhounds typically don’t have a lot of magic, let alone the ability to fly. Add that to the fact that Loona had quickly become a physical education favorite and it was only natural her ego grew. After all of the exercises of running and push-ups, Coach Vargas let them handle brooms for the first time.

“I’m pretty sure Coach Vargas just wanted us to practice hovering.” Octavia pointed out in slight irritation.

“I did that.” Loona pointed out. “And it’s boring. Besides, I already figured out how to move forward, so why not?”

“Show off!” Grim shouted. With him being so small and no brooms that would work for him, he was forced to share one with Octavia. Needless to say he was not happy about being nuzzled between her arms as they hovered off the ground.

“I’m sorry?” Loona called back sarcastically. “Who was the one bragging about how you were gonna dominate the class with your skills, cuddle toy?”

Grim growled, leading to Octavia patting his head.

“Alright, bean sprouts!” Vargas called out from the ground. “Glad to see some of you ready to race, but remember we’re just working on basic self-levitation today! Let’s not try to knock each other off your brooms!”

“Yes, Professor Vargas!” Octavia called down to him before glaring at Loona.

The hellhound shrugged before cheekily drifting back into position. Class carried on for a while longer, with Vargas showing them how to rise higher and lower themselves on their brooms. The rest of the class thankfully carried on without incident.

“For someone as grumpy as you,” Octavia began as they walked out of the new “girls locker room,” “you seem to be having a good time.”

“Hey, I’m not grumpy. I’m realistic. And thus, I’m pessimistic.”

“I don’t care about any of that.” Grim huffed. “Man! I thought this school would show me now to blow stuff up!”

“You already do that well enough on your own.” Octavia pointed out.

“Hmph! Well, I’ll just let you girls get to the next class while I-“

Octavia wordlessly used her magic to leverage Grim off the ground. He struggled as the purple glow kept him in the air and forced his limbs together and held his mouth shut.

“Come with us.” Octavia finished for him. “Honestly, if you think you can get out of this that easily, then you clearly need a few more lessons.”

Chapter Text

“Hello there!”

“Uuuuuuuggggggghhhhhhh!” Loona loudly groaned as Emily approached her lunch table. The hellhound was enjoying her burger with Octavia and Grim when she heard the angel’s voice. And it only got worse once she was the small lilac sheep creature hovering next to Emily.

“Uh, hi Emily.” Octavia said, trying not to cringe as the angel sat next to her. “What are you doing over here?”

“Yeah, wouldn’t you rather sit over there with your dorm mates or whatever?” Loona asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I thought you all would like to meet Collin.” Emily said with a smile as she patted the cherub’s head. “He’s the other Heavenborn transfer.”

“Noooooo!” Loona gasped sarcastically. “I mean, wow! I couldn’t tell with all of the other pastel-colored stuffed animals at this school.”

“Th-tha-that’s not f-f-funny…” Collin muttered as he poked at his salad.

“Okay!” Emily quickly said. “Let’s calm down, everyone. How has classes been for you all so far?”

“Fine.” Loona huffed.

“Loona’s been having the time of her life.” Octavia revealed with a smug smile. “Grim here wants to blow stuff up. I think I’m doing well enough.”

“At least one of us is having a good day.” Ace huffed as he sat down with his food and Deuce right behind him. “But I guess it could be worse. It seems like with these classes this collar won’t be too much of an issue.”

“Hi,” Deuce waved to the Heavenborns. “Are you two alright after last night?”

“As much as we can be.” Collin muttered.

“Hey transfer newbies!” A chipper voice called out as he approached their table. “Good to see you all together! Mind if my friend and I share your table?”

“Uuuuuuggggggghhhhhhhh!” Loona groaned. “Not the other perky one!”

“Loona!” Octavia quietly scolded. “Ignore her, Cater. You’re fine to sit here.”

“Hi!” Emily greeted with a wave and Cater sat down, along with a green-haired student with glasses. “I’m Emily! This is Collin. And those are-“

“Loona, Octavia, and Grim.” Loona said without looking up from her plate. “And for the record, we can introduce ourselves.”

“Trey Clover.” The greenette said. “Heartslabyul Vice Housewarden. It’s nice to meet all four of you at once, especially after the commotion I heard you all started the last few days.”

“I guess we’ve made quite the scene.” Emily said sheepishly. “Sorry about all of the trouble.”

“Don’t worry; accidents like that happen all the time around here. Give it a few weeks and the orientation fire and the charred statue will be the furthest thing from everyone’s minds.”

“Why?” Octavia asked with a raised eyebrow. “Because something else batshit insane will happen soon enough?”

“Most likely.”

No one knew how to respond to that, so the topic quickly changed as Ace complained about his collar again. This soon turned into an exposition about the dorms and the Great Seven they were based on. No one at the table who knew mentioned who the Great Seven actually were, the four intrigued about how no one knew about the truth. They then spent the next five minutes looking at the other students in the cafeteria to compare and contrast the different dorms, ending in a surprise visit from Lilia.

“I heard you all talking about my age,” he explained as he hovered over them all upside-down. “And I wanted to clarify that despite my youthful face, I assure all of you that I am much older than I look. Ah, and Miss Goetia. I hope that you will introduce your friends here to some of the other dorm students of ours. It would be a welcome treat to meet new people.” He then gestured over to Sebek and Silver, who both stared at the group with blank expressions.

“I don’t know,” Ace said slowly. “They don’t look too friendly.”

“You can’t always judge a book by its cover!” Emily lightly scolded.

“You know we’re not in a kid’s show, right?”

“Dude!” Deuce said with a harsh nudge on his friend’s side.

“Lilia, while you’re here,” Octavia suddenly said. “About the, uhh… Gargoyle Appreciation Club-“

“Yes, Malleus said he will be waiting for you at the Great Seven statues. He likes to peruse the gargoyles of the school starting with the oldest.”

“Got it. Thank you.”

“Thank you for telling Malleus you are interested. I can’t recall the last time he’s been so thrilled. Now then, I must be off. See you two back at the dorm!”

With a flash of light, Lilia was gone. The group watched as he appeared back at his own table and began whispering about how he heard them from across the cafeteria.

“Hey, Tavi?” Cater started. “You’re really gonna meet Malleus alone? I mean, no offense to either of you, and I know he’s your Housewarden and all, but isn’t that kinda… dangerous?”

“Not really.” Octavia shrugged. “If you’ve met half the people I know, then you wouldn’t be worried.”

“Just be careful, okay?” Trey joined in. “Even our Housewarden’s strong magic pales in comparison to anything Malleus can do. And Riddle in his own right is incredibly strong.”

“That doesn’t excuse his behavior towards us!” Ace exclaimed in between eating his meal. “I mean, that guy’s totally out of control with those stupid rules of his!”

“Really? My rules are out of control?”

“You betcha’! I swear, who does that red-headed tyrant think he is? The Queen of Hearts!”

“Ace!” Deuce said through gritted teeth. “Behind you!”

“Huh? AHH! HOUSEWARDEN?!”

Riddle frowned as he crossed his arms, glaring at Ace while Octavia nudged Loona for snickering at the scene. The rest played out as expected; Riddle refused to remove the collar, scolded the Heartslabyul boys at the table, and left to find more sugar cubs. Collin hid himself beneath the table, Emily gently petting his head to comfort him. Octavia did the same thing with Grim as Loona barely even reacted. That is, until Riddle left. She sniffed the air a few times in confusion.

Does… does that red-haired brat have ink on him or something?

If that wasn’t all, the group at the table overheard two Heartslabyul members from the table next to them complain about Riddle. One of them ate a hamburger steak on a Tuesday not remembering it was against the rules and was internally panicking the whole time Riddle was there. Loona couldn’t help but agree with the guy about Riddle’s attitude.

“Riddle’s really strict,” Trey admits with a sigh. “But it’s only because he’s looking out for the dorm’s best interest. If you want back in, you need a new tart.”

“So, what now? Do I just have to buy a new tart?”

“Probably.” Cater shrugged. “Though, Riddle likes having the first piece, so you’ll have to buy a whole tart.”

“Are you kidding me?! I don’t have that kind of money!”

“W-w-why not make one?” Collin asked.

“Yeah,” Cater agreed. “After all, Trey here was the one who made those tarts in the fridge.”

“Seriously?! Those things were good enough to be in a store! Dude, you gotta help me!”

“I can help too!” Emily said cheerfully. “I loved baking cupcakes and pastries to share around with everyone at home. I have some experience.”

“And I used to do all of the c-c-cooking at my old job.” Collin said meekly.

“And I can taste-test.” Loona said.

“Aren’t sweets b-b-bad for dogs?” Collin asked.

“If Octavia’s cat here can eat rocks, then some sugar and flour should be fine for me.”

“Count me in too!” Grim exclaimed as he jumped on the table. “I wanna eat tarts and- HEY! I’M NOT A CAT!”

“Grim, I’m gonna be busy after class.” Octavia said. She was already given an invitation from Malleus to view his Gargoyle Studies Club this afternoon and did not want to disappoint him by canceling at the last minute. “And I don’t trust you to be alone. Especially not with Loona- no offense.”

“None taken.” Loona shrugged. “He says one wrong word, and I’ll probably swallow him whole.”

Grim shuttered and ran back to Octavia’s side. The owl girl glared down at him playfully. “Don’t get so clingy with me. Owls eat felines too. Never tried it before, but I am open to new experiences.”

“I can take care of him.” Emily offered. “I did a lot of babysitting too.”

“Of course you did.” Loona muttered as she rolled her eyes.

“As long as she doesn’t try to eat me too, then fine.” Grim shivered. “I just want those tarts!”

“Great!” Trey said, clapping his hands together. “So I’ll see you four in the kitchen with about there hundred chestnuts then?”

“Yeah, whatever.” Loona shrugged. “Wait. How many?”

…………………………………………………………

Loona slouched as she walked through the gardens. The scents were irritating her nose, and she just wanted to get out the moment she found anything good for picking chestnuts. It wasn’t until she smelled someone familiar that she changed paths. Smirking, she looked down the moment she came across a lion’s tail.

“Hey.” Loona said as she leaned over Leona’s body. “I’m gonna go raid the baking party in the school’s kitchen. They’re making chestnut tarts if you wanna join in.”

“No thanks.” Leona huffed, not even bothering to open his eyes. “I’ve got better things to do than guzzle down sweets like those snobs from Heartslabyul.”

“Like what? Sleeping?”

“Actually,” a voice called out as they approached from down the pathway. “His highness needs to get to his remedial classes.”

“Ugh, Ruggie,” Leona complained. “Why do you have to ruin a good nap for me?”

“Because Professor Trein made it clear that if you don’t do this, you could get held back a grade again. Then we’ll be in the same class, and I might have to deal with you another year. Now let’s go.”

“Whatever,” Leona muttered as he sat up. “Let’s get this over with. Wolf girl, don’t forget about practice in the morning.”

“Good luck getting me to show up, kitty cat.”

“Alright, enough of that.” Ruggie said with an eye roll as he dragged Leona away by the arm. “You two can flirt or whatever later.”

“We weren’t flirting?!” Leona and Loona exclaimed at the same time.

“See ya, Loona.” And with that, the two beastmen were gone with only one final glance from the taller of the two.

Loona, now left alone, huffed to herself as she crossed her arms. “‘Flirting.’ Like I even know how to… forget it. Where’s that stuff I need anyways? Doesn’t this place have a groundskeeper or something?”

…………………………………………………………

“Hey losers!” Loona greeted as she kicked the door to the kitchens open. Everyone else was hovering over the counters, each working on their own tart. After giving the items to the others, Loona went off to sulk about her conversation with Ruggie. It wasn’t until she finally calmed down that she decided to check on their progress.

“You three made it just in time.” Trey said from across the counter. “We just finished. Right guys?”

“Yep.” Ace said, wiping sweat from his brow. “Finished!”

“Finished!” Emily and Collin sang.

“Fin… ished…” Deuce half-heartedly, presenting a lumpy version of his own poorly decorated tart.

“What happened to him?” Loona asked the angel, pointing a thumb towards Deuce as the bluenette sulked at the counter.

“Uhhh… long story.” Emily said hesitantly. “There was an incident when we were bringing back some more ingredients, and some eggs were broken, and Deuce… I think I may have said some things that accidentally disturbed him.”

“For sixteen years…” Deuce mumbled. “I was so sure…”

“Alright,” Trey said as he brought out the extra tarts. “Now that the tarts are done, let’s dig in, shall we?”

“Finally!” Grim cheered.

“Sounds great!” Cater said with a smile as he slid through the door. “Looks like you guys have already finished!”

Loona wanted to point out the fact that he conveniently showed up right after everyone finished, but she did the same thing. So she settled with rolling her eyes.

“Hello, Cater.” Emily cheerfully greeted him. “Want to try a tart too?”

“Don’t mind if I do.”

Everyone gleefully (false-begrudgingly, in Loona’s case) took a pastry before everyone aside from Cater took a bite. Loona took a smaller bite than most, remembering the time she vomited at that one party. Sure, she could handle sweets, but they still made her nauseous if she ate too much at a time. Still, the sweet taste for just a moment was worth it. Everyone else seemed satisfied as well, Grim already swallowing most of it in one bite.

“Mmmm!” Emily hummed cheerfully. “Just like the fruit tarts we made in Heaven! There’s this really good bakery near Seraphim headquarters, and they’re just as good.”

“Do Heavenborns talk about anything other than how perfect their paradise is?” Loona asked snidely.

“D-d-do Hellborns have to complain about everything?” Collin asked with a glare.

“You guys…” Emily started before Cater cut in.

“H-hey! You all wanna see something cool? Trey, do the thing.”

“Okay.” The greenette shrugged with a smile. “Everyone, what is your favorite food?”

“Any meat that’s still bleeding.” Loona said.

“Vanilla cupcakes!” Emily squealed.

“U-uh… salad, I guess.” Collin shrugged.

“Canned tuna!” Grim shouts. “

“I don’t know,” Ace says. “Cherry pie?”

“Omelette rice.” Deuce stated before muttering something despairingly about eggs.

“I’ll take lamb with diablo sauce, please.” Cater said with the smile of someone who knew something no one else in the room knew.

“Alright then.” With that, Trey pulled out his magic pen and waved it over the tarts. “Doodle Suite! Now, everyone, try your tarts again.”

Ace hesitated, but ultimately was the first to take a bite. His eyes went wide almost immediately. “No way! This tastes just like cherry pie!”

Curious, Loona immediately bit into her own tart yet again and smiled. “Man… it even feels like I’m biting into a juicy steak. Smells like it too. That’s fucking insane!”

Everyone else took a bit and complemented Trey on the spell. The greenette smiled at the praise. “It’s just my signature spell; Doodle Suite. It lets me change certain characteristics of objects, textures, senses, you get the idea.”

“Man, your magic is way cooler than Riddle’s dumb collar!” Grim exclaimed as he finished his tart.

“No; Riddle’s unique magic is a practical use of defense. Mine’s just a cheap party trick. We’re on completely different levels. But hey, enough of that. How would the rest of you like to come to the Unbirthday party tomorrow? I’m sure Riddle wouldn’t mind so long as you guys wear your dorm uniforms.”

“Really?!” Emily squealed. “A party?! Sounds fun! I’m in! Collin, do you want to be my escort?”

“Huh?! Oh, umm… of course, M-M-Miss Emily.”

“Whatever.” Loona shrugged. “But I would like some real meat tomorrow. And not any of the tofu or vegan stuff. I’ll even ask Tavi to be there.”

“Cool, so, anyway…” Ace said. “All I have to do now is hand over this tart to Riddle and I’m in the clear, right?”

“Yeah,” Cater said. “But it’s too late tonight. Better to just bring it to the Unbirthday party tomorrow and ask for forgiveness then.”

“So what am I supposed to do tonight? Diasomnia made it clear they don’t want me back there!”

“Not it!” Loona said with a hand raised.

“He could stay with me at Scarabia for the night.” Emily offered.

“Wha- really? You think your dorm head will be okay with that?”

“I’m sure you’ll be welcome there.”

Chapter Text

“Absolutely not.” Jamil immediately said with arms crossed.

“But Jamil,” Emily begged as she and Ace stood at the main entrance in the Scarabia dorm, the Vice Housewarden blocking their path inside. “He has nowhere else to go. It’s just for tonight, I swear.”

“And where would we have him sleep? You honestly can’t be willing to let him share in your dorm, especially since your room only has one bed.”

“I don’t take up that much space; I could just squeeze-“ Ace was cut off by a cold glare from Jamil.

“I don’t mind sleeping on the floor.” Emily insisted.

“I highly doubt Housewarden Kalim would allow that.”

“Allow what, Jamil?”

The vice Housewarden cringed at the voice as Kalim rushed up behind him. “Hi Emily! Oh, is this a friend of yours?”

“Yes.” Emily nodded. “Ace here is having… problems with some of his dorm mates. Can he stay here for the night? Please?”

“Kalim, I don’t think that-“

“Of course!” Kalim exclaimed before Jamil could continue. “We still have some spare beds, right Jamil?”

“No. Not really.”

“What about the sleeping bags in the storage room?”

“We… should still have them…” Jamil trailed off, honestly surprised that Kalim would remember that.

“Great! I can use one and Ace can just sleep in my bed.”

“Kalim, I cannot allow that!”

“Oh, for the love of the Seven, just put me on the couch again!” Ace shouted. “I don’t care at this point!”

“Awww!” Kalim exclaimed. “But we can’t have a guest sleep on the couch! Jamil, are you sure there aren’t any other available beds in the dorm?”

“I…” Jamil sighed. “I will make sure there are no other vacancies. Miss Emily, can you please get changed into your new dorm uniform?”

“Ooooh! You mean it came in?” Emily smiled as she turned to Ace. “I’ll be right back! And thank you again, Housewarden Kalim!”

Emily rushed off to her room in excitement. However, her smile faltered when she saw her ensemble. Regardless, she put it on and went to the dorm lobby to show the others. The outfit was a two-piece costume with the same colors and flame design as the Scarabia. The crop top had ruffles at the top of the puffed long sleeves that would slide down her shoulders. A long black and red skirt with gold trimming and the yellow belt loosely hanging from her waist over a pair of black tights. A golden ankle bracelet jingled from her right leg over her pointed sandal flats. Emily had even braided her long white hair beneath a thick red and golden veil.

“Emily? You’re… wow!”

“Heh… thank you, Ace.” Emily said awkwardly as she put her arms over her exposed stomach. “Um, Kalim? Are you sure it’s okay for me to wear this?”

“Yeah, why?” Kalim asked innocently.

“Well, it’s just… kinda… revealing. J-just a little.”

“What do you mean? Five of my sisters dress like this on a daily basis. I asked them about the uniform, they all said this is the kind of thing girls should wear. It’s even modeled after what the princess from a long time ago used to wear all the time.”

“A-and you’re sure no one will be… offended by me wearing this?”

“No. Why would it offend anyone?” Kalim asked, genuinely confused.

Before Emily could answer, Jamil lightly grabbed her arm as he passed her to get dinner. “If anyone tries anything with you, come and find me.”

The angel smiled and nodded at him. Regardless of what happens, it was nice to have someone like him looking out for her while she’s here.

………………………………………………………………

Lilia didn’t know what to expect when he poked his head into Malleus’ room. But he was pleasantly surprised to find the transfer student sitting on his bed as Malleus paced before her. Octavia was already wearing her own dorm uniform, which was a slightly more form-fitting version with a long cape and taller heels on the boots. The two talked as Grim played with a plastic star on a string in the corner.

“I’m telling you,” Octavia said excitedly. “I can pull some strings with my dad and have him convince Crowley to use that old dorm for the club. We can make it ‘the Gargoyle and Stargazing Appreciation Club’ or something like that. Something shorter, maybe.”

“Hmm… and you believe this will attract more attention to my club?”

“I just think offering more activities might help. And once we get an official club hang out when we’re not touring gargoyles and grotesques, people will know where to find us. I can get us that old dorm and you can still be the club leader. Day time activities on weekends spent gargoyle watching and nighttime activities on Friday for stargazing. How does that sound?”

Malleus smiled with a small nod.

“Well, I see you two are getting along very well.” Lilia said in a chipper voice as he finally made his presence known and walked in. Both students straightened up as Grim looked at the Vice Housewarden from his spot in his back.

“They haven’t shut up since we got back.” Grim deadpanned from his place on the floor.

“You know, if you kids are trying to claim that old ramshackle dorm, I could help convince Crowlwy to give it to you.”

“Really?” Octavia asked excitedly.

“Let’s just say he owes me a few favors. Now, let’s go, all of you! It’s time for dinner.”

“Lilia,” Malleus said as his guardian ushered them out. “Thank you.”

“I’m just happy you’re finally making friends.” Lilia whispered as Octavia left with Grim in her arms.

………………………………………………………………

Loona huffed as she finished drying her hair with the towel and threw it back into her room. She was wearing her new dorm uniform, which was basically the same as the male version aside from the shorts. She went to the lounge where Leona was lying on his back on one of the couches near the pool.

“Okay, was the extra practice necessary?” She asked him irritably.

“Yes. You’re new to magicshift and you spent the whole afternoon guzzling sweets.”

“It was one fucking tart!”

“And apparently, you’re going to some posh garden party tomorrow, right?”

“I’ll watch my figure, or whatever. I already texted Tavi, so she’ll be there to vouch for me.”

“Yeah…” Leona’s face scrunched up for a moment as he sat up. “That’s the other thing we need to discuss; what’s your relationship with that transfer Diasomnia bird exactly?”

“Our dads are… ‘business partners’ so we know each other. Definitely wouldn’t say we're friends, but talking to her while we’re here makes me semi-sane since we’re from the same general place, I guess. That’s all.”

“Right. And you’re sure she’s not too acquainted with the lizard yet?”

“Hey, Tavi might not be the strongest in her family, but she’s not a pushover or a spy. Besides, if Draconia is as badass as everyone says he is, I doubt someone like him would resort to getting outside help like that. Guys like him are too good at what they do to cheat like that. He’ll most likely rather show off himself.”

“And you’re sure about that?”

“Don’t tell me the big, tough lion’s afraid of a princess.”

Leona huffed. “Just… be careful, alright? Not just with her; people here don’t exactly get cozy with the other dorms. If the others at Diasomnia think you’re a threat spending too much time with that freshman-“

“I can handle myself.” Loona insisted, irritated. “Anyways, you want me to bring you back something from the heart dorm tomorrow if what?”

“I’m good. Just don’t do anything crazy while your over there.”

“Yes sir, your highness.” Loona fake-saluted with an eye roll.

“I mean it. That red-haired brat has a hair-trigger temper and enough of a superiority complex to compensate for his height.”

“I’ll be there with the other transfers and leave once Ace hands off the stupid tart. I’m a grown woman, I can handle it.” As Loona said this, she stood up from the couch and gave Leona a small wave goodnight. The beastman watched her leave, barely moving as his eyes trailed after her.

“Trust me, it’s not you I’m worried about.”

Chapter Text

Loona was not exactly in the best of moods when Cater showed up at Savanahclaw the next morning. Ruggie had the misfortune of being the one to wake her up just so the others could get rid of the preppy Heartslabyul junior as soon as possible and was nurturing a bruised shoulder because of this. Regardless, the hellhound at least tried to be cordial when Cater escorted her to his dorm… mostly by staying mute the whole time. It wasn’t until they reached the garden and she spotted a second Cater standing with a girl that she spoke.

“Satan, there’s two of them.”

“Hi, other me!” The second Cater greeted with a wave.”

“Hi, you two!” The Cater with Loona greeted back. “Woah, Emily, that you? You look amazing.”

Once Loona finally recognized the angel, she bit back a laugh. “Y-yeah. I didn’t know they were having that kind of entertainment today.”

Emily shuffled as she wrapped her arms around her stomach. “It’s just a dorm uniform. Kalim said it was based on what a princess wore.”

“Princess of what?”

Before Emily could answer, a third Cater approached. A small sheep-cherub followed nervously behind, dressed in a dark suit with a matching hat.

“Oh, joy.” Loona muttered sarcastically. “A third one.”

“You can duplicate yourself, right Cater?” Emily asked.

“Yes, mam!” Cater said as he struck a pose. “My Unique Magic; it’s called ‘Split Card.’ I can’t use it for too long, but it still comes in handy for a lot of things.”

“M-M-M-Miss Emily?!” Collin stuttered as he glanced up and down at the Seraphim.

“Hello, Collin.” Emily said with a nervous wave. “You look adorable in your new outfit!”

“Yeah,” Loona said as she rubbed her chin. “Wonder if Grim will come here looking like a dress-up doll too.”

“Don’t encourage him.” Everyone turned and spotted the Goetian princess, carrying Grim in her arms and another Cater at her side. “He’s been bragging about it all last night.”

“Because I’m a student too!” Grim exclaimed.

“Yes, yes, you’re very special.”

Loona couldn’t help but laugh as she looked all around her. “Well, this is quite the group. We’ve got a belly-dancer angel, a mafia sheep plushie, and a military princess with her kitty cohort.”

“Not to mention a bike-rider werewolf.” Octavia pointed out.

Loona simply shrugged. “At least I look cooler than all of you combined.”

“Speaking of all of us…” Octavia said as she looked around before turning to the angel. “Emily, shouldn’t Ace be with you?”

“He went into the maze with Deuce once we got here.” Emily explained. “They’re waiting for us at the party in the center.”

“Yes, but before we join them,” one of the Cater’s pulled out some paint brushes dripping with red paint.

“NO!” Loona shouted. “Screw you! Tavi and I already went through that yesterday, remember?! How are these flowers not done yet?!”

“Sorry, but it’s Un-birthday party protocol. All the roses need to be painted red.”

“Is it protocol that we have to do it?”

“I think it’ll be fun!” Emily said as she bounced on her toes.

“I c-c-c-could help.” Collin said.

“Ugh! Suck-ups.” Loona groaned as she rolled her eyes. She only stopped when she felt Octavia put a hand on her shoulder.

“Let’s just do this now and get to the party.” The princess said, slightly irritated. “The sooner we do, the sooner this whole mess will be over.”

………………………………………………………………

“THIS IS UNEXCEPTABLE!”

“THE FUCK!” Loona shouted as she slammed both hands on her table.

Needless to say, the unbirthday party had quickly taken a nosedive. After some more flower painting, everyone sat down as the party began and Ace finally stood to give Riddle the tart…

… only for the redheaded Housewarden to smack it away in anger.

“‘Rule #562: one must never bring a chestnut tart to an Unbirthday party!’” Riddle recited perfectly, albeit with some grit through his teeth. “Do you have any idea WHAT YOU HAVE DONE?! YOU’VE RUINED AN OTHERWISE PERFECT UNBIRTHDAY PARTY?!”

“How many of these rules are there?!” Octavia asked as she banged her hands on the table.

“810, in total.” Riddle said in a gloating voice, his chub lifted high. “As the Heartslabyul dorm head, I, of course, remember every single one of them.”

Loona growled as Trey and Cater whispered to themselves at the next table. Emily gulped before gliding over to Riddle cautiously.

“Um… Housewarden Rosehearts… I understand that you’re upset… a-and I would like to apologize on Ace’s behalf, especially since I helped with making that tart-“

“Me too!” Trey exclaimed as he stood up in his chair. “Riddle, it was my idea to make a chant tart in the first place! I had completely forgotten about that rule. I wouldn’t have suggested he bring a chestnut tart if I did, I swear! Please, don’t take your anger out on Ace.”

“Y-yeah!” Cater joined in. “I helped too! This wasn’t all him, I swear!”

“Making the tart is not the issue!” Riddle pressed through gritted teeth. “It is the act of bringing it here, today of all days, that is the problem! You!” He pointed his staff towards a random Heartslabyul member. “Dispose of this tart immediately!”

“Uh, no!” Loona exclaimed as she slammed her hand on the table. “Don’t just get rid of it, you wasteful little shit!”

“Yeah!” Grim called out from the table he shared with Octavia. “If you don’t want it, just give it to me!”

“Grim!” The princess said from beneath her hands. “Not the time!”

As the student took the tart in his hands, something happened that no one was prepared for; Loona sprang across the courtyard, snatched the tart, and shoved the whole thing in her mouth.

“HEY!” Riddle cried out, outraged. “WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?!”

“Ge’ing rid ah it.” Loona huffed out as she chewed the pastry. With one big gulp and a gasp of air, the hellhound turned back to Riddle with defiance in her eyes. “I mean, isn’t that what you wanted? At least even someone like me knows better than to waste food for a stupid rule.”

“‘Stupid?!’” Riddle growled, clutching his staff.

“She’s right!” Ace joined in. “Do you have any idea how hard we worked on that tart just for you?! And you wanted to get rid of it for some silly little rule?! How spoiled are you?!”

“I…” Deuce stuttered as he stood up. “I agree with Ace. I mean, what Loona just did was a bit uncalled for, and I agree that rules should be followed, but this is going too far.”

“Yeah!” Grim joined in as he hopped up on the table. Octavia officially pretended she didn’t exist. “Wasting food is a great sin! And these rules don’t even make any sense! What gives?!”

Riddle’s face was turning a bright red at this point. Trey noticed and tried to run to his Housewarden’s side. “R-Riddle, please calm down! Remember, these are just freshmen; they don’t have all of the rules memorized yet!”

“Guys, you should seriously cool it.” Cater warned the group with a strained smile on his face. “No need to dig a bigger grave for yourselves. Riddle, please forgive them this one time.”

“Nuh uh.” Ace said. “I’ve got a shovel and I’m digging. This is ridiculous, and I’m sure everyone else feels the same way too, right guys?!”

Ace and Ruddle both turned to the rest of the party. However, those brave enough to even speak stuttered compliments towards the Housewarden. Emily kept quiet, unable to find her words as Collin hid under the table. Octavia was too preoccupied with her second-hand embarrassment from Grim to even do anything.

“Hphm! Cowards!” Ace bit back. “Well, whatever. There’s no way I’m gonna beg at the feet of a child like him.”

“What…” Riddle choked out. “… did you just call me?!”

“Riddle!” Trey exclaimed, reaching out to message the Housewarden’s shoulders. Riddle used his staff to smack him away, took a deep breath, and continued in a harsh yet slightly calmer voice.

“Ever since I have become Housewarden of Heartslabyul, not one student here has dropped out or been held back. I keep this dorm in line with the use of the rules created by the Queen of Hearts herself. Therefore, I am the most correct. All I ask is for each and every one of you to follow these rules, do I make myself clear?!”

“Okay,” Cater whispered to the group, his smile twitching nervously. “Now everyone say, ‘yes, Housewarden!’”

“No.” Ace said. “I refuse to follow a tyrant.”

“What?!” Riddle barked.

“Yeah, what he said!” Grim chimed in. “You’re nothin’ but a selfish food-wasting tyrant!”

“Wait!” Deuce exclaimed in fear. “I never said any of that! I just-“

“OFF WITH YOUR HEADS!”

CLANG!

Grim and Deuce screamed as collars materialized around their necks.

“Yeah, that’ll show ‘em!” Loona called out sarcastically. “Throwing a tantrum like that will definitely get them to respect you!”

In a fit of furry, Riddle aimed his magic at the hellhound. Loona swiftly dodged and jumped, pouncing on all fours before ramming into the redhead and pinning him down. Riddle growled as he felt her sharp claws pierce through his wrists, his magic pen knocked out of his hand and inches away from his fingers. When he opened his eyes, he found himself staring up at an angry beast. His own anger outweighed his fear.

“GET OFF ME!”

“Sorry, brat.” Loona snarled. “A smart kid like you should've known better than to mess with an angry dog.”

Loona was then caught off guard when two pairs of hands yanked her back onto her hind legs. Two Cater clones struggled as she tried to shake them off.

“Fuck off! Don’t act like he doesn’t deserve this! Why shouldn’t I-“

“LOONA!”

SLAP!

The hellhound finally stopped struggling as Octavia brought her hand across Loona’s face. The princess panted for a moment before speaking again.

“Just… stop. This is messed up even for someone like you!”

“… because I’m some lower class nobody, or because I’m a hellhound?” Loona asked, her eyes downcasted.

“That is not what I meant! You just-“

“Stuff it, Princess.” Loona pulled herself free of the Caters grasps and began to storm off. “Fine! I’m done here! Go ahead and ban me, see if I care!”

By the time Loona was gone, Riddle had managed to get back on his feet. In his daze, he looked over at an equally stunned Ace, Grim, and Deuce before pointing his staff at them.

“Why are those three troublemakers still here?! Throw them out immediately!”

Trey and Cater hesitated for a moment, then nodded solemnly before they began to grab the freshmen duo by the arms. Another senior began to chase Grim until Octavia stood in his way, arms outstretched.

“He’s in my dorm; I’ll take care of him!” With that, Octavia picked up Grim and began to carry him off. “Honestly, you stupid cat. You’re on your own in getting that collar off.”

“But I’m not a caaaaaat!” Grim whined as he was helplessly carried off as Ace and Deuce were dragged away.

After a brief pause, Emily too stood up from her table.

“Umm… thank you…” the angel said with a bow towards Riddle. “For the invitation. It was wonderful to see your dorm. But… I think I should go.”

“Miss Emily,” Riddle began. “I understand what had just happened was a shock, but even if we are five minutes late, there is still the croquet match.”

“I… I think I’ve lost my appetite. And I am not in the right mindset for sports. Excuse me.”

Emily left without looking up at Riddle. Collin did a double take between the two before following after her.