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Chapter Text

Soft winds blew against the trees of the abandoned woods, the breeze only adding to the ominous atmosphere as it signaled to the birds on the flimsy tree branches to brace for flight.

In the bed of the grass – laying all but comfortably – two girls were sprawled across the ground, unconscious.

Isa stirred uncomfortably, the hard surface of the grass gently nudging her between unconsciousness and consciousness. A soft groan left her lips as she moved to sit up, hissing slightly at the slight pain in her back and ribs as her eyes adjusted to the scenery around her.

She blinked – and then she blinked again once more.

Her brain was trying to catch up with the situation, and she started looking around frantically for another girl who was supposed to be with her. She leaned over, spotting her quickly as she grabbed her by the shoulders and began to shake her up and down.

“Hey – Hey! Janae, wake UP!”

Janae stirred awake, groaning softly.

“MMmhmm?”

“OH – thank god – holy shit..” Isa huffed out a breath of fresh air, backing off as Janae moved to sit up, adjusting her glasses as she examined the unfamiliar surroundings they had woke up in. Isa’s face scrunched slightly.

“Where the.. fuck are we?” Janae asked, her voice laced with the slightest bit of anxiety as she moved to sit up – dusting off the small ants that had crawled onto her pajama pants.

She offered a hand to Isa and she took it, allowing the girl to pull her onto her feet. Her hand moved to dust some gunk off her own pajamas as well before sighing with defeat.

“You think we died and went to heaven?” Isa asked jokingly, trying to make light of the situation.

“Like our asses are going to heaven after all the bullshit we’ve done..” Janae replied with a frown.

“That’s true.. plus – I feel conscious right now,” Isa replied casually, moving to reach for her usual everyday bag before she noticed it was gone as well.

“Yo, have you seen my bag–”

A small noise of surprise left Isa’s lips as she snapped her head in the direction of the noise, latching onto her friend’s arm as she hid behind her and nudged her towards the sound.

“DUDE.”

A yelp left the two girls as she shuffled back, the bushes nearby rustling before a scratchy voice called out from inside of it.

“HAH! Let’s see if I can find anything in hereee…”

Isa and Janae shot each other a look, silently communicating that if the guy was bigger than 5’7, it was okay to make a run for it and leave the other for dead if they fell.

They slowly approached the bushes, peering inside of them as they caught a glance of who was causing such a ruckus.

“Ah-hah! Precious nourishment!” The voice giggled – or.. they guessed it sounded like a giggle – as the figure held up a stick of gum. From the looks of it as well.. It seemed like this thing was some random talking black cat.

And it's ears were.. burning???

“..what the fuck..” Janae whispered, her face contorting in disgust.

“IS THAT MY BAG?” Isa yelled out, shuffling a bit closer as she dragged the two of them into view a bit more.

She quickly snatched her bag from the grimy little mitts of the animal, eyeing him suspiciously. The cat turned its attention towards the girls, seemingly a bit startled before he shot them a glare. 

“WH – HEY! THAT WAS MY CATCH! FINDERS KEEPERS!”

Isa shot the animal – cat – thing – a look of annoyance, shaking her head. 

“AND IT’S MY BAG?? WHO EVEN GOES THROUGH OTHER PEOPLE’S THINGS?”

“Honestly bro.. THAT’S A TALKING CAT. It def’ doesn’t have any home training.” Janae commented, placing a hand on Isa’s shoulder jokingly as they both snickered a bit at the cat’s expense.

“..Me? You’re referring to ME in the third person? Hah – you CLUELESS humans! You’re lucky that shabby old potato sack of an item carrier had something useful in it, cause if it didn’t, you WOULD be feeling the wrath of the great Grim, the extraordinary sorcerer!”

The girls stared at the little thing for a moment, trying to figure out if he was being genuine or not.

When they realized he wasn’t, a frown crossed both of their faces as Isa sucked her teeth. However, Janae’s expression perked up.

“Nah.. wait. What if he’s like our little magical animal buddy thingy..? The kind that gifts you powers and shit.. We were just watching Sailor Moon the other day.”

Isa let out an ‘oh’ at her friend’s concept, nodding and wagging her finger approvingly.

“Shit, maybe! Though, he’s not a very nice familiar so, I dunno..” She said with a shrug. “His voice is mad annoying too..”

Janae hummed in agreement, nodding her head as she cracked a smile.

“Right?”

Grim scoffed, seemingly getting more upset.

“HEY! I AM NOT ANNOYING!” He stood up on his hind legs, stamping his foot in anger as he grumbled. “Oh, you’re gonna regret this, humans!”

That elicited a giggle from two girls, who were getting more and more amused by the more the animal yapped on.

“You’re like 3 foot 2, little guy – what’s the worst you can do? Paw me lightly?”

Isa laughed at that, grinning slightly as Grim’s eyes narrowed in fury. He yelled out something akin to a cry as he suddenly let out a ring of flames, surrounding the girls and engulfing a few of the bushes in the area in blue fire. 

Yeah.. okay – maybe it wasn’t a good idea to tease some little animal with fire in his ears.

They glanced at each other again before booking it as quickly as they could – screams ringing out whilst the little beast stayed on their asses.

Their legs carried them faster than they could ever imagine, the scenery of the forest leaving as they stumbled towards something that looked like an even goth-er version of Hogwarts.

A sign caught their eye and before they knew it, they were tripping over their feet as they fell into a random library – hoping and praying nobody else was in there. Janae tried to catch her breath, chest heaving as the sound of Grim’s little paws echoed not too far away from them.

Isa’s hand reached out, tugging her along as they took cover behind a bookshelf.

The girls stood in silence for a moment trying to catch their breath, ignoring the burning feeling of a now dry throat. Isa keeled over slightly, gasping for air and letting out a satisfied sigh when her lungs decided they were finally okay.

“Oh – fuck, oh my god.” Isa rasped out, groaning as she slumped against the bookshelf.

“WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT GUY’S DEAL??”

“FUCK IF I KNOW!!” Janae scream-whispered, her voice barely leaving her lips before she gasped for air again.

A mutual groan left the two of them before Janae laughed awkwardly.

“Heh.. Isabelle – I really don’t think this is a dream..!” She said jokingly, scratching her head in a mocking nervous manner that made Isa suck her teeth in annoyance.

“MIND YOU, HE ALMOST BURNED OFF A LOC.”

“You’ll be ‘aight. Them shits been in for what.. 9 months?”

“HAH!” 

“AH!” The two girls screamed, jumping as they clung to each other in fear. Grim’s small frame popped into view as he busted through the corridor of the library, a smug grin on his face.

“You humans got some nerve insulting me, then tucking your tails and running!” He approached the two, raising onto his hind legs as he put his paws on his hips.

“Hehehe! Now, you get to have a firsthand experience of my power – the TRUE power of the great–” Grim let out a yelp at the end of the sentence, his little ugly beady eyes closing shut in what seemed to be pain.

Isa and Janae’s eyes widened as they looked up at the tall figure that had suddenly appeared from behind him, heels clicking against the marble floor as their savior let out an annoyed sigh. They noted how tall and lanky he seemed to be as he bent down to pick Grim up by a tuft of his fur.

“Great seven, I’ve finally found you three.” His gaze turned onto them as his eyes narrowed ever so slightly. “What a fascinating orientation night indeed. Two young ladies walk onto campus unauthorized, and they bring their poorly trained familiar?”

“MYAH?! FAMILIAR? As if I’d serve some lowly humans!” Grim protested, crossing his arms whilst still being held up.

The man shot Grim a passing glare before keeping it pushing as he set him down with seemingly no care. He dusted off his hands – despite the fact he had gloves – before continuing to speak.

“..Yes, yes, a common saying amongst rambunctious familiars. Please cease talking, we’re having a mature conversation here.”

The two girls shot each other a look, watching as the strange masked man lifted up his hand, sealing Grim’s mouth completely shut with just the flick of his wrist.

“Are you two sisters? Family members of any of our beloved students? Maybe relatives of the faculty? I apologize, I’m just trying to understand, because as much as I am a STRICT supporter of feminism and the women who play a large role in our society, it is explicitly stated in the handbook of our institution that students who align themselves with the female gender are not allowed application nor entry to Night Raven College!” 

The man’s attitude had caused Isa to grow a bit less inclined to answer all the random questions he was throwing out. She had just gathered from that yap session alone that they’d managed to land themselves on the campus of a non co-ed school.

“Uh – you said this is a school?” Her voice spoke up after a moment, prompting the man to direct his attention to her.

He only nodded simply, sighing as he put a hand over his chest with an audible thump that made the two girls jump slightly.

“Yes indeed!” He sighed again, letting out a sniffle. “Oh, woe is me, I do not have time for this. I’m afraid this matter will have to be settled after orientation, as I am already late as is.”

He sighed – again – fixing his hair with a comb – did he just whip that out? –  before he turned his attention back onto the pair.

“For now, you will be coming with me. We have to return to the mirror chamber.”

“Right.. uhm – but, you know, we have no idea how the heck we got here.. uh, sir.” Janae awkwardly spoke up as well.

She was trying to figure out if this was a group hallucination between her and Isa or if this man actually had little yellow dots for eyes. 

“Yeah – we woke up like, in a forest not too far from here, and we lowkey have no clue how we even got there in the first place.”

The man curiously raised an eyebrow at that.

“A forest?” He let out a slight hum. “That’s impossible, all students arrived on campus through the gate. Any other entrances would’ve been locked or closed at the moment of your arrival.”

The girls shrugged slightly, not too sure what to say in response to the man.

“I dunno, man..”

The man huffed, placing his hand on his hips as he looked between the two girls sternly.

“Oh, sevens. Again, there’s no time for this prattle. Walk with me, and take your familiar with you.” He unsealed Grim’s lips with a quick swipe of his deft finger, allowing the little dweeb to finally speak again.

Before the girls could say he was not with them, the man picked Grim up by a tuft of hair and threw him into Janae’s arms, moving towards the exit of the library. Grim’s claws dug into the skin of her shoulder, causing her to perk up slightly and shoot him an annoyed look that he returned with a noise of distaste.

“..Good boy!!”

Isa’s ears perked up as she turned around, noting the fact that Grim was now being held up in the air to stop him from trying to claw at Janae as she laughed at his stupid little cat arms.

–

“So, this is Night Raven College. Located on Sage’s Island, this is the most prestigious magic academy in all of the land.”

The trio looked around the campus, seemingly impressed by the stature of all the buildings that were in the surrounding area. 

It looked like a prestigious school.

“Sage’s Island..” Isa mumbled out mindlessly, noting the name quietly.

“Yep! And I, Dire Crowley, take great pride in being the institution’s headmage.” The man – whose name was finally revealed to be Crowley – seemed to take much pride in the fact that he was the headmage.

Isa leaned towards Janae, whispering in her ear. “Where’s Ashton Kutcher?”

“Huh?”

“We’re so getting punk’d.”

“Anyone who the dark mirror perceives as ‘worthy’ is admitted to the college. A black carriage should have found you and brought you here, yes?” Crowley interrupted, beginning to walk backward.

“Uh.. Well, I don’t remember a black carriage,” Isa replied.

“I kind of remember some ugly little horse, but that’s about it,” Janae shrugged.

“Ah! We’re here!”

The little group made their way farther into some building that was packed with an abundance of students, all dressed up in dark robes down to their feet, hoods covering some of their faces, but not enough to make them entirely anonymous. 

Isa and Janae shared a concerned look before glancing over at Crowley, who was acting like this was just another Tuesday despite the scene in front of them sort of having a strikingly similar appearance to a specific type of rally.

“Alright, you two, I need you to keep an eye on that pet of yours and at least ensure he doesn’t cause any harm to my precious ceremony," Crowley said after a moment, turning to the duo with that same little smile of his. "It is of the utmost importance that this goes well! What will my students think of me if I allow something as simple as an orientation to go wrong?”

He laughed dramatically at his own comment, prompting a slight giggle to leave the girls too before his laughing ceased.

He leaned in closely, placing a hand on either sides of their shoulders.

“I trust you two will at least be able to satisfy my wishes."

The duo again glanced at each other before turning their gaze towards him, simultaneously shooting him a not-so convincing smile.

“Uh-huh..!”

–

The ceremony continued on as Crowley disappeared, but not before giving the trio seats as far away from all the action as possible as to not draw attention to the fact there were women and a possibly feral animal on campus. 

Not that the two of them couldn't make out the blurry and blobby – yet attractive faces of all the students scattered around.

Janae leaned forward, trying to get a better look at someone who looked to be a senior leaned against the wall talking idly with his friend. Her attempts were cut short as soon as she slightly let her guard down due to Grim deciding to start squirming annoyingly.

She sucked her teeth.

“Can you stop squirming..! Orientation is almost over,” She whisper-shouted, shooting a glare to Grim who was sitting – or supposed to be – sitting in her lap.

Isa stared at the two as Janae finally managed to get the little guy to chill out again, arms wrapped tightly around him. A slight frown formed on her lips as she leaned forward, bracing on her knees.

“Man..this SUCKS, dude. We’re like all the way up here and everyone’s like, having a ball and shit.”

Janae sighed in agreement. 

“I know, bro..” Her voice was a bit sad and Isa already knew what she was thinking by that tone.

“..All the students seem so cool too – I wish we could’ve talked to them..” She said with a shrug, knowing damn well she would be too scared to approach them.

Janae met her eye, a slight smile curling onto her face as she narrowed her eyes in recognition.

They stared at each other for a moment before Janae spoke up.

“...All these students are fine as hell, lowkey –”

“I KNOWWWW, BRO.”

The two of them sighed dramatically, shaking their heads and clutching their pajama shirts in frustration as they leaned back in their chairs.

Isa scowled. “THAT CROWLEY GUY IS SO WRONG FOR THIS MAN – WE CAN BARELY EVEN SEE FROM UP HERE!”

“RIGHT?? You know who I can see though? That cute red-head over there!”

Isa leaned over, following with her eyes where she was looking as they scooted closer.

The student was somehow the most noticeable in the crowd, he was a bit short in terms of height, yet the high heels he was wearing made him appear taller than he was. His hair was styled relatively neatly with two strands perched cutely on top in the shape of a heart that complimented his whole get-up.

He looked kind of like a doll.

The redhead cleared his throat, his gray eyes surveying the relaxed-looking faces of the other kids in front of him.

“Alright freshmen, as you’re aware, the core values of the Heartslabyul house are diligence, rigor, and most important of all, respect. As your housewarden, I expect nothing less.” 

The students stared back at him, humming in absentminded agreement.

“And if I receive less – IT WILL BE OFF WITH YOUR HEADS.”

The freshmen looked at each other as if they were trying to find out if the other guys there had heard this nonsense too. They then turned back to him, humming with more emphasis as the redhead’s expression eased up.

Isa and Janae stared at each other in confusion – and concern maybe.

The sound of another person’s voice snapped the duo back toward the scene with the redhead, their eyes being greeted by the entry of another guy. His glasses were pushed up on his face and there was a cute beauty mark that rested just below his bottom lip that you’d miss with every swish of his weird gray hair.

He laughed slightly, appearing at the redhead’s side.

“Not too much Riddle,” He started, shaking his head a bit with a smirk. “Remember, we were in their place only just about a year ago. Now, my fellow Octavinelle dormmates, I also expect respect and diligence, but at the same time, I would like y’all to know I am HONORED to support you all in what I hope will be a fulfilling and enchanting campus experience!” He flashed a grand smile that seemed actually genuine.

Isa hummed slightly. “You know what, hell yeah dude.”

Janae nodded in agreement, smiling as well. “He’s not bad-looking either.”

The duo looked on silently for another moment like life was sunshine and rainbows before they caught wind of the fact Grim had managed to slip past them.

“WHAT THE FUCK??” Isa yelled out, genuinely confused on how he was able to get away that quickly before looking over at Janae who shrugged aggressively – just as confused.

The sounds of familiar shoes clicking behind them echoed as Crowley appeared behind the two suddenly.

He smiled, placing his hands on his hips.

“Hello again, young ladies! Orientation is about to come to a close, and I believe it is time to dispose of the –”

Crowley paused, looking around for a moment, glaring at the two girls who stared back at him like two children who just stole cookies from the cookie jar.

“WHAT HAPPENED TO THE NUISANCE???”

‘I don’t..” Janae trailed off, shrugging with an awkward smile.

Crowley groans, moving past the two to look over the balcony before spotting Grim near the magic mirror. He closed his eyes, angling his head up as he breathed in sharply before turning around quickly.

“Go get him.”

The two girls scrambled over their feet, taking off as they rushed down the stairs as quickly as they could to go and collect Grim quickly and suavely. 

Isa’s gaze casted over her shoulder as her slipper stared back at her, the speed of the descent making her lose it in the process.

Not that they had time to mourn that.

“GRIM.” Their voices rang out at the same time as they bottled over, hoisting the little monster up by his feet as they tried to tug him away from the mirror. Janae’s eyes glanced at the audience, closing her eyes for a moment and inhaling deeply as she noted everyone, mouth agape at the clown show in front of them.

Isa finally managed to tug him away after a bit of teamwork, a huff of effort leaving her as she caged the cat in her arms.

“FUCK, BRO – Do you ever just chill??” Isa said, glaring at Grim as he huffed in response to being captured.

“RIGHT?? Slipping away all sneaky and shit..” Janae chimed in with a scowl as well.

“MYAH!” 

They both sucked their teeth, taking their attention off of him before directing it towards the mounds of different students that were gathered just staring at the two girls and some random cat who’d crashed the ceremony. 

“Oh.” Isa mumbled out without noting it, her lips pressing into a thin line at the realization.

A few laughs were heard from inside the crowd before a sudden booming voice spoke.

“State your names.”

The trio glanced behind them, startled by the noise as they realized it was..the mirror speaking.

“Oh nah…” Janae practically whispered out at the sight of the mirror.

They stated their full names, albeit a bit awkwardly before waiting for the mirror to continue whatever the hell it was doing. 

The two could feel the eyes of the onlooking students practically burning into them even with their backs turned. 

Maybe it was because they were still dressed in their pajamas.

The mirror hummed in thought for a moment before speaking once more, it’s booming voice loudly echoing in the almost silent ceremony hall. 

“The true nature of your souls.. Nothing.”

Gasps erupted from the crowd, causing a bit of unease to stir in the pit of Isa’s stomach as her face scrunched slightly. She glanced at Janae and the girl seemed to share the sentiment, a bewildered expression on her face as well.

“..Huh?” Crowley’s voice sounded out from behind them.

“There is nothing. No magical power, it is soulless, colorless, and shapeless. They are utterly vacant.”

The mirror had doubled down – as if it wasn’t enough for everyone to hear his loud ass booming voice earlier.

Crowley shook his head, approaching the mirror hesitantly.

“Are you suggesting that the black carriage went and delivered two young women who can’t even use magic? That is absurd! The student selection process has not made an error in centuries!”

Grim’s squirming got unbearable, his hind legs kicking back and forth as he shimmied his tummy past the tight seal of Isa’s arms and onto his feet. He perked up as soon as he hit the floor, moving to the center of the stage.

“MYAH! IF THEY CAN’T SHOW YOU SOME MAGIC – I WILL!” 

Grim readied his fire, pushing his little shoulders back as the crowd in front scattered at the sight.

“GET DOWN!”

When he finally releases the full extent of it – the fire, unfortunately, managed to catch onto one poor soul who was standing a bit too close to all the excitement. 

The tanned boy let out a yelp, his cloaks catching on fire as he fumbled to try and get it off.

“KALIM! DON’T SWING YOUR ROBES AROUND! THAT’LL ONLY MAKE IT..” Another student tried to help, he hesitantly held his hands out, watching the boy fumble for a moment before successfully getting the clothes off, throwing it on the ground to be at the mercy of the flames. 

The guy scrunched his face, running a hand through his neat blonde locks as he sighed with disappointment.

“..Worse.”

A yawn slipped past the lips of one student as he looked around, eyes landing on Crowley. “Yo, can we leave yet?” 

His tail swished unimpressed behind him.

The blonde guy sucked his teeth, shooting the lion-man guy a glare.

“Really? You should be protecting the underclassmen – Aren’t you the oldest?”

The lion-guy looked unimpressed, humming slightly in acknowledgement.

“You sure I'm the oldest? That gray hair on yo' scalp tells me otherwise.”

“WHAT?”

“Don’t worry, I'll save everyone!” The student with glasses announced suddenly, readying what looked like a pen in his hand. 

“YOU DON’T HAVE TO ANNOUNCE IT. CATCH THAT WEASEL!” Crowley’s voice rang out, seemingly distraught by the current events.

“I AM NOT A WEASEL!”

He turned to look at the redhead who appeared at his side as well, shooting with a slight smile.

“I might need some backup! Riddle..?”

The redhead obliged, nodding before the two of them rushed after Grim.

— 

Time stretched on and before everyone knew it – Grim was captured and apprehended with some random collar thingy as a result of that redhead’s powers. 

Crowley sighed in relief before turning to the other parts of the trio, shooting them a furious glare that they both awkwardly tried to ignore.

“..What?” Janae asked.

“Didn’t I tell you two to keep an EYE on your pet?”

“He’s not even with us!” Isa chimed in, her eyebrows knitted in annoyance.

“YEAH! He just found her stuff in the forest and tried to rob us before chasing us, dude. – We’re literally innocent!”

Crowley stared back, a bit stumped.

“Hmph..right, okay. I see then.” He cleared his throat, his attitude reverting to his usual weird little one as he placed his hand on his cheek.

 “Oh, my.. A dear mistake I have made. My apologies. I shall have him removed from campus this instant.” He turned to the glasses kid and the redhead who were basically holding Grim at gunpoint.

“Someone take him away, please.”

The redhead obliged, working together with the glasses kid as they dragged Grim off – ignoring his kicking and screaming. Crowley sighed, face-palming as he shook his head.

“How interesting this was. Well, that concludes orientation. Housewardens and dorm members, you’re free to- Wait, where is the Housewarden of Diasomnia?”

The lion-guy scoffed, crossing his arms. “You’re just now noticing he isn’t here?”

“Yeah. I’m not surprised. He’s a total shut in.” A voice erupted from a giant tablet that was just awkwardly placed towards the side of the crowd.

Silence rang in the room for a few seconds, as everyone stared at the floating electronic device. The lion guy sucked his teeth, shaking his head as he fell quiet again.

The white-haired student who had previously been subjected to Grim’s flames let out a noise of disappointment. 

“Aww, man! I feel bad. Did anyone even invite him?”

“You know, if you felt bad, you could’ve called him up at any point during the ceremony. But you didn’t.” The blonde-haired guy chimed in, shaking his head.

“Hey, it’s not like I have his number!”

“Oh crumbs,” Another voice perked up – deep as hell with a twinge of playfulness. “Just like I thought, Malleus isn’t here at the ceremony. I apologize for not doing my duty as vice housewarden and informing him, I was sure he would’ve known. Come, Diasomnia freshmen, follow me.”

The duo looked on as everyone began to scatter from the ceremony room one by one, the room suddenly becoming a bit more empty.

Crowley let out a ‘phew!’, moving to stretch his arms out before letting out a content sigh. He moved towards the magical mirror from before, standing to the side.

“Come now, young ladies. I’m sure you must be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of events that occurred during this short period. But worry not, the dark mirror will see the both of you home. Just walk through, and visualize the place of which you came.”

They didn’t really understand what he was saying but, obliged – walking forward as they let pictures of Prospect Park, the Barclays Center and that one park by the bridge fill their minds. 

Once they thought they were ready – kinda – they walked forward, moving to pass through the mirror only to be met with a sharp pain. They were sent flying backward, each of them falling on their asses.

“Ow!” Janae yelped out, rubbing her forehead as she squinted her eyes slightly at the pain. They stumbled onto their feet as Crowley observed the mirror closely.

Crowley put his hands on his hips, staring into the abyss with a pensive expression. “Huh..? My apologies. There must’ve been a mistake. Dark mirror-”

“No.”

Crowley’s face scrunched up in confusion as he quirked an eyebrow at the mirror. “...What do you mean, ‘no’?”

“There is no place of which these two souls belong.” The mirror replied simply, causing Crowley to let out a noise of surprise.

“How can that.. Tell me, children. Where do you come from?”

“NYC.” Isa replied casually, a bit confused by the whole situation.

Crowley blinked at her, looking at her as if she had 70 heads.

“Pardon?”

Janae chimed in, a confused expression on her face as well. “You know, New York City! Like, the Big Apple or whatever cornballs be calling it.”

Another period of silence broke out in the room, and through Crowley’s frown, the two girls could tell he had absolutely no idea what they were talking about. He broke the quiet, shaking his head as he ran a hand through his hair.

“My... I have traveled for countless decades, getting myself familiarly acquainted with this world and all it has to offer. And never in my many years have I heard of a place called ‘New York.’ Shall we.. Look for information in the library?”

Chapter Text

“Mhm.. Yeah. just like I thought.. There’s nothing about this ‘New York City’ anywhere on the internet, our standard maps, and even in history books.”

“If that’s what you thought, then why even bother bringing us here?” Isa pouted.

In an instant, Crowley’s nonchalant demeanor broke, and like an anime character, he was standing still whilst BUCKETS of water violently poured through his mask like a water gun, splashing the two girls. They let out yelps as they jumped out of the way.

“IT’S HARD, YOU KNOW?? I HAVE TO HAVE HOPE! THE YEAR JUST STARTED AND I MIGHT POTENTIALLY HAVE ANOTHER SCANDAL ON MY HANDS!”

“Another?” Janae inquired.

“Anyway, that bag you’re wearing young lady,” Crowley stated as he turned towards Isa. “Do you think it might have a school identification card or something of the sort?”

Isa nodded in agreement, running a hand through the inside her bag. However, with one quick swipe of her palm, she realized the thing was absolutely vacant.

“What the fuck? Excuse my French, dude. Last I remember, this thing was chock full of stuff! I’m not sure what stuff, but I know there were things in here,” She said as she took the bag off of her shoulder, attempting to shake it upside down.

The three of them watched as a tiny gum wrapper gracefully flew out of the back pocket, landing quietly on the marble floors of the library.

“So I guess the cat took some souvenirs on his way out,” Janae commented.

Crowley sighed again, for probably the 12th time that day.

“Two young ladies bumbling about in my arcane academy and they both don’t even have any aptitude for magic. What will the press think?”

Isa and Janae looked towards each other with another ‘is this guy serious?’ look, before Crowley’s eyes lit up in enlightenment.

“..At the same time though, you two are children. It’d probably be a nastier look if I threw two helpless little girls out on the street without any guardians or source of income.”

“So, are we getting a hotel?” Janae asked, a little too quickly.

“..Uh, no. But I have a better idea!”

-

With the way the architecture they’ve seen so far seemed to be so grandiose and elegant, the two girls never would have expected to be standing in front of such a run-down and ghetto abode.

Crowley stood a few feet away from them, smiling proudly.

“Is this a crack house?” Isa asked.

“This dorm’s one of the oldest on campus, we uh, haven’t used it in a few decades though. Maybe centuries. But that just adds to its character, doesn’t it?” Crowley replied, completely ignoring her question.

He began walking inside, the two girls following skittishly behind him, watching as it took a few seconds for him to open up the beat-up oak front door. 

There was no doubt they had just seen a big ass rat scamper across the creaky, unrenovated mahogany floorboards, but that was the least of their problems when it smelled like a fresh can of bounce that ass inside of the main lounge.

The two of them let out coughs akin to an elderly man on his last breath as Crowley stood in front of the couches, seemingly unphased.

“As you can see, it's a bit of a fixer-upper, but I have no doubt you two will feel right at home!”

Just as he said that one of the curtains on a big window fell, visibly beginning to start wilting away.

“Sure,” Janae deadpanned.

“Great! Get yourselves settled in! You see, I have a bit of business to attend to. But I’ll come back in a few minutes! — or hours — with some food and necessities for you!”

“SO YOU’RE JUST GONNA LEAVE US HERE?” Isa shrieked.

Mid sentence, Crowley was gone, and the two girls were left standing around, confused.

Janae crossed her arms as Isa groaned, stomping up and down the dusty floorboards, making the place more dirty than it already was.

“UGHHHHHH, WHY DOES THIS SHIT ONLY HAPPEN TO US??”

“Right, bro? We really could’ve been in my room right now, rewatching music videos.”

Isa went to go sit down on the couch, however, she sat down on something unusually furry and warm — That also happened to have claws.

“MYAHHHHHHHH!”

The cat pushed her off of him, and sent her flying face-first on the floor. 

“DUDE, WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING HERE?” Janae yelled.

“You know they couldn’t get rid of ME that easily!” Grim boasted, dusting himself off with his tiny paws. 

“Well, we could call for someone and have you removed again!” Isa replied, standing back up.

Grim’s eyes widened. “WH- HEY!! You humans oughta cut me some slack! All I want to do is attend Night Raven, y’know!”

Isa and Janae turned to each other, before staring back at Grim.

“Okay, why?” Janae asked.

Grim paused.

“Err.. Well, I don’t need a reason. All I know is great mages like me attend this school, so it’s a no-brainer!”

Isa snickered. “Are the great mages like you in the room with us right now..”

“Right? And even so, fuck do we gotta do with allat?” Janae agreed. “We don’t even know you.”

Grim huffed. 

“You know what, fine! You humans say you don’t know me? Well, you will now, as I’m gonna introduce myself again! The name is Grim, and I’m going to be the greatest, most extraordinary mage anyone in your lifetime will ever see! I am VERY powerful and calculated, so watch your mouth!”

“Bro, you almost burned down the building during orientation,” Isa stated.

“And you set that one guy on fire!” Janae snickered.

“W-Well! I just felt threatened! Not everyone is perfect all the time! You puny humans are just lucky you ain’t get caught in my crossfire, MYAH!” Grim said, crossing his arms.

“Whatevs. I guess if you’re gonna hide in here with us though, we don’t want any bad blood.. So we’ll tell you our names too. If you even wanna hear them,” Isa shrugged.

“Not like I have anything else to do!”

“I’m Isabelle, and this is Janae.”

Grim stared. “..I was expecting flashier names.”

“Well, we were expecting to be here by ourselves , so ZIP IT or it’s gonna be cat curry for dinner,” Janae snapped.

“I THOUGHT YOU SAID NO BAD BLOOD??”

“Lowkey, I’m tired. Can we go upstairs and see if there’s some beds or anything? I’m not sleeping on that fuck ass couch,” Isa interrupted.

-

After their mini argument, the trio went upstairs, ignoring the floorboards that felt like they were going to snap in half the further down the hallway they walked.

However, it felt like they were being watched.

The three of them felt a mutual chill run down their spines as it seemed like — Something just walked through them?

“WHO GOES THERE?” Something shouted.

The trio yelled in unison as they turned around, staring at the pale, airy figure who was now suddenly behind them.

“A g-g-g-g-g-g…” Grim blabbered out, completely terrified.

“GHOST.” Isa and Janae finished, awkwardly laughing at the end of their sentence.

The ghost frowned, unamused.

“Oh. It’s just humans. WAIT, EW. YUCK! What are you doing here? I haven’t seen a person since 08 and I was pretty content keeping it that way!”

Janae scratched her head. “Like 1808 or 2008-”

“IT DOESN'T MATTER. State the reason why you’re invading our territory.”

The trio blanked out for a second. 

“Wait a minute. Our..?” Grim started.

In a flash, the amount of ghosts multiplied, all of them standing behind the ghost that was interrogating the three of them. Grim let out an “eep!” sound as he clawed into Janae’s tank top.

“MUAHAHAHA! See! We still got it, heh.. Bet you three are pretty scared right now!”

Isa blinked. “I mean.. A little! But this is a little underwhelming, I can’t lie.”

The ghosts began to look confused, and slightly offended. “H-Hey! I’ll have you know this trick always works on pesky little troublemakers!”

Janae smirked. “You mean bullies in the 60s?”

Her and Isa laughed, high-fiving each other.

“You know what, I’m tired of you guys. GET THEM!”

The giggle session was cut short as the ghosts suddenly charged towards the two girls and the cat, beginning to spin around them. 

Not only were they starting to get dizzier by the second, but they could see parts of the old antique furniture start to fly everywhere around the hallway, and the air was beginning to get thinner and thinner. 

The two girls stumbled back and fell onto their bodies, ghosts continuing to whirlpool all over the place.

“ACK! I CAN’T… BREATHE!! MYAHHHHHHH!” 

Janae watched in shock as Grim flew out of her arms, spinning around with the whirlpool of ghosts, becoming a gray speck in the mini tornado. The girls looked at each other and then back at Grim who’s little paws kept peeking through the tornado as he spun.

In the faint distance, they could hear footsteps coming up the stairs.

“I’m back! How are you two ladies holding up!”

By the time Crowley had made his way up the stairs, the ghosts had gotten scared and suddenly disappeared, leaving Grim flying into the carpet while the two girls stared at the now mess of a hallway.

Crowley was holding a giant bag full of food and what seemed to be other necessities, which he had dropped at the sight of the trio. His eyes widened in horror as he took a glance at the scene that had happened while he was gone.

“Uh.. There were ghosts,” Isa replied awkwardly, shrugging slightly as Janae scratched her head with a nervous laugh.

Grim had quickly gotten up from the faceplant on the carpet, running towards the two girls. “I scorched ‘em!”

“...Hmm, yes I can see that.” 

Crowley closed his formerly agape mouth and picked up the bag he dropped on the floor, setting it down on one of the tables that hadn’t fallen yet. However, just as he did, its legs shifted backward and the whole table fell down. 

Before he could pick everything up and fix it, he shot a glare at the cat who was now sitting in the middle of Isa and Janae.

“..Wait a second. What are YOU doing here? Didn’t my students get rid of you?” Crowley asked, bewildered.

Grim looked petrified, not exactly being able to come up with an answer.

“Uh.. Sir, about that… We’ve been meaning to ask — I know we aren’t exactly allowed in here, but Grim really wants to be a student himself. We were just wondering if that’s actually possible?” Isa chimed in.

“YEAHH, you guys already kicked him out once but I swear he’ll probably be good now,” Janae added.

However, they were hit with another stare from Crowley that was basically telling them ‘hell no.’

“No, I can’t have a beast running around on campus. What kind of headmage would I be if I were to possibly endanger my precious students..?” He cried.

The duo looked at each other before looking back at Crowley who was hanging his head low dramatically.

“…What if we watched him?” Isa suddenly proposes, prompting Janae to shoot her a confused look. She met her gaze, silently saying it might’ve been the way to go and the other girl merely sighed.

Crowley didn’t seem too moved yet, a low hum of thought leaving him.

“And..uh – cleaned up Ramshackle!” Isa added, trying to sweeten the deal.

“Yes, I completely agree,” Janae added robotically, forcing an artificial smile that Crowley, who was too caught up thinking, didn't read too much into it. He hummed again before letting out a sigh.

“Hm..well! Ramshackle has needed a critical makeover for a while now, and I cannot kick you guys out,” He admitted, shrugging slightly as he brightened up from his former mopey self. 

“Plus! I can tell this beast is going to be a great pain – and you do seem rather trustworthy. It’d be irresponsible for me as an adult to not let you at least try.”

The duo nodded quickly in agreement, staring at him as he made his final verdict.

“Alright then, it’s settled! This beast is now in your care, alongside this house.”

A gasp of surprise leaves Grim’s mouth, his sharp teeth glinting as he grins widely and his whole demeanor brightens. The duo shot him a look before smiling at each other after noting the sudden rush of happiness.

“DOES THIS MEAN I GET TO ATTEND?” His voice spoke up suddenly.

Crowley shot Grim a slight look of discomfort from the volume of his voice, shaking his head a bit before speaking.

“Err..yes — I suppose so. I’ll even throw in a sweet deal and allow you young ladies access to our library so you can research ways to go home. Maybe you can even take a few classes for additional knowledge! BUT! Only if you make sure to keep an eye on the rascal while you’re at it. Heh.. Aren’t I so kind..?”

The duo nodded unenthusiastically, resisting the urge to giggle at his delusion as he spoke again. 

“Yes, yes. From now on, you three will be known as the Ramshackle Trio. You’re not official students, but I will see if I can send some clothing over by tomorrow morning.” He cleared his throat, shooting the girls a slightly concerned look that he tried to play off.

“You guys need it, I fear.”

Then, he was gone with a blink of an eye, leaving the trio alone in the broken down dorm.

“...Did he basically say we smell musty?”

–

The night was rough for everyone – the beds were creaky as hell and the ghosts still hadn’t given up on being the most annoying roommates in the world. The trio had barely even managed to get any sleep for the following day.

Yet, somehow they found it in themselves to get dressed with the uniforms Crowley did eventually send over and make their way to the library in order to do some good-old research.

The two girls donned matching blazers, grey vests, and what seemed to be custom-made black skirts. Crowley had also sent black slacks, but the material was kind of coarse and a little bit irritating, plus the skirts were cuter anyway. 

They had also been given new pairs of shoes, basic, but it was better than having to go half-shoeless for one of the girls. Grim wore a similar grey outfit, except it was just a bow.

Grim grumbled, trying to keep up on his legs as the trio walked down the main street towards the library.

“Myah…did we have to get up so early..?” He whined out, yawning as he paused to stretch his paws out.

“I mean, we TOLD your ass to go to sleep early – you’re the one who kept chasing those annoying ghosts.” Isa replied, seemingly fighting off the sleepiness herself as she groaned slightly the more the sun started to rise.

“All cause they said you were a fire hazard..” Janae said, tutting as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as well.

Grim shot her a glare. “You’re one to talk, henchman! I do recall you sayin’ ‘I wouldn’t take that!’”

The two girls giggled a little at Grim’s expense.

He grumbled, raising his nose in the air as he pounced on ahead of the duo.

“Grr..when I heal up – I’m gonna rotisserie those lame-o ghosts!” 

Isa nodded, not at all believing him as she dismissed him with a ‘Uh-huh’.

Janae giggled slightly, continuing to walk ahead before she bumped into someone – or something in front of her. Shaking away the confusion of what happened, her eyes met with the eyes of another statue.

Isa leaned over, seemingly also curious about the statue.

“The Queen of.. Hearts.” Janae read out, shooting the statue a curious look.

“Who’s auntie is this??” Isa asked, just as confused as Janae was.

“And why’s she posted up with the whole gang too..”

The two of them snickered slightly, taking note of all the other statues in this area that were lined up. 

Grim huffed, waving his paw dismissively.

“Myah – she’s more like the Queen of Unnecessary ribbons.”

“ZINGERR!!!” 

The trio shared a laugh for a moment before another voice rang out, startling them suddenly.

“You guys checkin’ out the Q of A statue?”

They turned around, the person talking seemed to be some guy, not much older than Isa and Janae. He had slightly messy ginger hair that kind of faded at the ends, and he was gazing at the two of them with a curious smile.

“Oh, um.. Hello!” Isa said.

He stepped forward a bit, turning his focus towards the actual statue.

“I think this is the oldest statue of her in the land. Kinda crazy to think about, cuz’ in my hometown, she’s kind of a local hero,” He said.

Grim let out an audible groan, covering his ears with his paws - somehow they didn’t burn. 

“SNOOZE!! We didn’t ask for your story, Raggedy Ann! Who the fish are you anyway?”

His eyes widened in realization. “Oh, shit, sorry. The name’s Ace.. I’m a freshman as of today, actually. But my classes don’t start in about…” He checked the watch on his hands. “..Another hour, so I’m ‘jus chilling.”

Isa and Janae nodded, humming in agreement awkwardly.

“Yes, I agree,” Isa said, nodding her head.

They weren’t too sure what to do considering this was the first actual student they’d seen since they fucked up orientation. 

Not to mention it was a guy who was around their age as well.

“UH, yeah – I’m Isabelle. Just call me Isa, though.” She said after a moment, smiling politely at Ace. 

“I’m Janae,” Janae said with a smile as well, humming slightly as she turned her attention onto the other statues, pointing between them. 

“So, like – are all these other statues historical too?” She asked, looking at Ace.

He stared at her blankly for a moment, dead quiet before he snapped out of whatever trance he was in to speak once more.

“..Yeah.” He replied simply, the same smile making it’s way back onto his face. 

“Down the line, in no specific order, we got the King of Beasts, the Sea Witch, the Sorcerer of the Sands, the Fairest Queen, the King of the Underworld, aaaaanddddd.. The mountain thorn lady. I heard she could also turn herself into a giant dragon.”

Isa hummed approvingly. “Hey, that’s actually mad cool!”

“YEAH – Is that like forreal, though? Or like just some kind of fairy tale?” Janae chimed in.

Ace shrugged, tucking his hands into his slacks.

“Beats me..either way — I don’t really care about these statues that much.” He snickered. “They can’t be the least bit as entertaining as you three suckers were.”

The trio shot him a confused look.

“..What?” Isa said, a bit lost on how the conversation had escalated.

Ace pressed his lips into a thin line before he busted out cackling, clutching his stomach and rearing his head back as he slapped his hand against his head.

“WH– THE FUCK IS SO FUNNY??” Janae asked, her face hot with embarrassment.

“LITERALLY – WE DIDN’T EVEN SAY ANYTHING.” Isa chimed in, just as embarrassed.

Ace’s laughing ceased slightly, slight giggles making his frame shake every few seconds as he attempted to explain himself.

“My bad. I can’t act like I don’t know you three are the clowns that made fools of yourselves during orientation!” He continued to laugh, wiping tears from his eyes as he attempted to stand up straight.

Isa looked over at Janae, her finger clutching around the strap of her bag.

“Oh.. Everyone did see that.”

“DUH DUOY. Two girls who can’t even use magic and some ugly little furball. Damn near lost it right there in the 5th row.”

Grim huffed, balling his fists up and throwing them in the air as he stomped his foot.

“What’s the point of being such a bastard about it?!” He yelled out, pouting.

Ace shrugged, cracking a grin.

“I dunno. Just thought it was funny how you guys did all that just to not even be real students.” He waved dismissively towards the two girls, pointing out the ribbons on their arms.

“Like, check out that gray ribbon with no dorm signifier on it.”

“I think I look nice,” Janae replied, blankly.

Ace scoffed, crossing his arms.

“Maybe girls like you should stop focusing on looking pretty and focus on how you don’t even know who the Great Seven are.”

The two girls shared a look before looking back, unimpressed. 

“I think we learned that in kindergarten — HAHAHAH!”

Grim’s eyes narrowed at Ace as he hopped in front of Isa and Janae, putting his arms in an offense stance.

“Grr..! Who do you think you’re talking to?! I’ll have you know I’m a VERY experienced mage! I could kick your sorry ass RIGHT NOW.”

Ace narrowed his eyes at the little weasel, not impressed.

“Oh yeah? Do it then.”

Grim hissed at him, turning to look behind himself at the duo.

“HOLD ME BACK!!!” He suddenly announced, rearing his arms up as he charged Ace before pausing when he realized the two girls had stayed exactly where they were.

He whipped his head around, scowling at them.

“Why didn’t you hold me back?!”

“WHO ARE YOU??? I’m not holding nobody back.” Isa responded simply, crossing her arms.

“Yeah, do that shit yourself or something..” Janae added, scrunching her face slightly.

“You two are USELESS.”

Ace let out a loud holler as if this was the best laugh he’d ever had in his life. 

“HAHAH, You guys are pathetic man... Thanks for the laugh yesterday — I thought it was kind of funny how you two wound up here at a Magic School with NO magic yourselves but now that I honestly think about it, that must fucking suck, huh?”

Janae furrowed her eyebrows. “WHY ARE YOU EVEN PRESSING US RIGHT NOW?? Don’t you have classes to go to or something?!”

“You know what.. You’re right. I should head to my classes. Let’s hope when I’m done with them you two are back home instead of standing around with your mouths wide open,” Ace replied, making a faux pondering face.

He turned his back to the trio, beginning to walk away smugly with his hands in his pockets. Grim grumbled before rearing his head back to release some fire – the attack just barely missing Ace’s feet and successfully earning a yelp from him.

“What the.. WHAT THE FUCK, MAN??”

“YOU’RE GONNA REGRET MAKIN’ FUN OF ME!”

Before Ace could respond, Grim sent out another fireball in his direction, barely missing him again, though this time grazing the ahoge on his head.

“CAN YOU TWO GET YOUR FUCKING PET?” Ace yelled, visibly upset.

“WHO’RE YOU CALLIN’ A PET?!”

The pet comment enraged Grim, who shot his last fireball, bigger and with more force than the last one. This time, Ace ducked down, completely missing it. 

Before he could celebrate, the two girls watched as the fireball went over his head, and hit the statue of the Queen of Hearts, breaking and burning off an arm, which crumbled and wilted away dramatically. 

The students who seemed to be lounging contently around the courtyard had heard the noise, and now all eyes were on Isa and Janae once again.

“Fuuuuuck..” Ace said, looking at the mess from his position on the floor.

Janae grimaced. “Um.. Do you think.. Maybe we can pretend we didn’t do-”

“WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?”

The group snapped their heads backward - nearly breaking a bone - noticing Crowley, who was conveniently standing behind them.

“Was he there before?!” Grim inquired.

“How I got here is NOT important. Howe –” 

Crowley paused, his eyes widening in horror as he let out a blood-curdling scream at the scene in front of him.

Isa, Janae, Ace, and Grim covered their ears as the Headmage shrieked like a little girl who wasn’t getting a new Barbie doll from Toys-R-Us. They all shared a look before Crowley gasped shakily, his hands moving to his head in anguish.

“THE QUEEN OF HEARTS… SHE’S.. CHARRED!!” Crowley cried out, falling to his knees.

They waited for him to get back up, and he stared back at them with a mix of annoyance and anger.

“Great seven... How many incidents are going to occur in this week alone?! Isabelle and Janae, I have told you not once, but TWICE, to keep your beast under control!”

“We know..” Isa and Janae said in unison, suddenly feeling small.

“And you. State your full name, grade, class, and house right now,” Crowley ordered as he turned to Ace.

A tint of red painted Ace’s face as he awkwardly stumbled on his words. “Ace.. Trappola. Uh… Freshman, Class 1-A, Heartslabyul house.”

Crowley nodded, mentally saving that in his brain. “As punishment for property damage and fighting on school property, the four of you will have to… WASH ONE HUNDRED WINDOWS!!”

“WHAT?!” The group yelled.

“We can’t just do 20 a day?!” Grim shrugged.

“SILENCE! You’re all lucky I don’t just expel you on the spot! Now, the four of you will meet in the cafeteria after the scheduled freshman classes are done! Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, headmage..” They all spoke in unison.

-

Chapter Text

“Aww man. Can I ever catch a break? First I’m thrown outside in the blistering cold, and now I hafta clean 100 windows!”

A pout was heavy on Grim’s little face as he walked alongside the other parts of the Ramshackle Dorm. 

The sentiment was shared with the other two girls though, it wasn’t like this wasn’t all because of his own doing. Janae let out a scoff, twirling her braids thoughtfully for a moment before glaring down at Grim who was next to Isa.

“Dude, both times you got punished were YOUR fault.” She reminded him, releasing her braid.

“Hush up!”

“Nah. She’s right,” Isa chimed in, sighing in annoyance before a slight grin curled onto her lips. 

“For once.”

“DIE.”

Isa let out a laugh at her response which only made Janae deadpan in response. Her expression changed quickly as her eyebrows knit together, prompting the other girl to grow curious as to what she was about to ask.

“Wait, where’s that Ace guy? We been got our supplies, and he’s still not here.”

Isa hummed in thought for a moment before her eyebrows furrowed slightly.

“Ya think he might’ve skipped?” She asked curiously to which Grim let out a noise of distaste.

“I would..” He grumbled, adjusting his ribbon as the girls shot him a look.

Grim perked up suddenly, making Janae jump a bit.

“WAIT A SECOND! If he skipped..THEN THAT MEANS WE HAVE TO CLEAN ALL THE WINDOWS OURSELVES!”

The girls let out a hum of realization as they clocked the severity of the situation.

“The great Grim does NOT do anyone else’s work for them!” He yelled out before charging ahead – presumably to find Ace.

Isa groaned in annoyance, kicking at the floor and sucking her teeth before eventually trudging on.

 It wasn’t like they had much else of a choice.

The trio continued walking on, the silence being filled with Grim huffing and puffing about not wanting to do work and the other two members ignoring him to talk about something else.

“Yeah, I’m like lowkey, did he put us in a trap house??” Isa asked, her face scrunched slightly.

“MIGHT AS WELL BE BRO, this house is creaky as hell, I’m scared of just going to bed.” Janae added, her expression a bit concerned. “Imagine I go to bed trying to dream about Gerard Way or somethin’ and I wake up and I’m just dead.”

“Okay, bro.”

“Who’s Gerard Way?” Grim huffed out, his face scrunched in confusion as well.

“Hey, y’all got any paint thinner?”

“AH!!!” The trio stopped dead in their tracks as a voice rang out from the painting near them. Isa’s elbow accidentally nudged Janae in the stomach, causing her to keel over slightly.

“WHY.”

“My bad..”

“Y-you can talk..!” Grim pointed out quite stupidly, pointing an excusatory paw at the painting.

The painting’s features knitted in confusion as it shrugged slightly and nodded. “Yeah..I have a mouth.”

“..Whaddya know.” Isa mumbled out, her eyebrows still knitted in confusion.

“You guys looking for someone? You all seem to be in a hurry.” The painting asked, watching between the group for a moment before Grim spoke up once more.

“Yeah, actually! Have you seen a guy who's a ginger, about yay-high, with a heart on his face?”

“You think he’s really seen him around??” Janae asked, looking down at Grim.

“No – I think I know who you’re talking about. He passed me a few minutes ago – I believe he was walking toward the Heartslabyul portal.”

“OH SO HE IS SKIPPING.” Isa chimed in, her eyebrows furrowed in anger.

Grim huffed, stomping his foot.

“LET’S GO GET HIM!!!” He yelled out before charging on to the direction of the portal room.

The two girls stood still for a moment, sighing before lightly jogging to catch up with Grim.

“Maybe we should get him on a leash?” Isa suggested, frowning heavily. “I can’t with all this running..”

“Grind don’t stop!” Janae replied, grabbing onto her as she pulled her toward the direction Grim had taken off in as quickly as she could.

-

Ace scoffed, one hand in pocket whilst the other one scrolled on magicam.

“The headmage has me fucked up cleaning 100 windows. I mean really, who’s doing that?” He said, to no one in particular.

“HEY!”

Ace recognized that squeaky, annoying voice. He didn’t even reply, he just put his phone in his pocket and began to run, when he suddenly bumped into the person in front of him, falling down on his ass.

“FUCK! How many times am I gonna fall today?!” He said, rubbing his back.

Ace could hear the trio behind him begin to catch up, so he quickly got up and began running again, ignoring the guy he bumped into.

“EXCUSE YOU TOO!” The guy yelled from behind him, watching Ace’s figure get smaller and smaller down the hallway.

“YO! STOP HIM!” Janae said, practically about to collapse as she stood in front of this unfamiliar blue-haired guy she had just caught up to.

“Oh! ..You want me to use magic.. Or something?”

“YES!” Janae, Grim, and Isa - who came in shortly after - shouted in unison.

“OKAY, OKAY!”

The blue-haired guy fumbled with his back pocket for a few seconds, before he finally pulled out a pen, and pointed it toward the direction of Ace.

“UH… I SUMMON THEE... CAULDRON!!”

The trio plus the new guy watched in the distance as a cauldron appeared out of thin air on top of Ace, tumbling on him. They all grimaced, hearing a loud ‘oof’ sound.

“OOOOOOOO…” Isa and Janae said in harmony.

The sight had looked a little painful, but not painful enough for Grim to resist laughing hysterically.

“GET A LOAD OF THAT GUY!!”

“I.. Wasn’t expecting that to happen..” The blue haired guy muttered out, looking slightly embarrassed.

The four of them rushed over to check on Ace, who was completely stuck under the cauldron. They refused to help him until they knew he was actually going to help.

“The hell is wrong with you guys?! You couldn’t have cleaned them yourself?!” He said, arms sprawled out.

“100 windows? Are you deadass?” Janae said.

The blue-haired guy's eyes popped wide open at the mention of the punishment.

 “100 WINDOWS?! DID YOU GUYS KILL A DOG OR SOMETHING?!” 

“Well, this all wouldn’t have happened if SOMEONE didn’t burn a statue!” Isa said, turning towards Grim.

However, he was nowhere to be found.

“Where’s..”

They looked back down the opposite end of the hallway, watching Grim scurry away on his tiny little hind legs, yelling something about ‘freedom.’

“I THOUGHT HE WAS ON OUR SIDE??” Isa yelled.

“H-HUH?! I don’t even know what’s going on!” The blue-haired guy replied.

Ace rolled his eyes. “Yeah, dude. Who even are you?”

He stared back at Ace like he just shot his cat. “What? Deuce Spade? We sat at the same table in Magic History this morning!”

Ace looked confused for a second before his eyes widened in recognition.

“Ahh, yeah. Juice.”

“FUCK YOU.”

“OKAY, WHATEVER! CAN YOU GET THIS THING OFF OF ACE OR WHAT?!” Janae interrupted. “WE’RE ALL IN TROUBLE IF GRIM DOES ANYTHING STUPID!”

“A-Alright!! Sorry!!”

-

The group quickly ran to where the paintings had directed them, which was the cafeteria. It was nearing the end of the lunch period, so the room was practically cleared out, aside from a few people who were making conversation at their small tables. 

Everyone seemed to be completely blind to Grim, who had spotted the group and had used some chairs to climb onto the chandelier.

“YOU’LL NEVER CATCH ME ALIVE!!”

“CAN YOU COME DOWN?!” Isa replied angrily, ignoring the stares of a few students.

Deuce stood in the middle of the group. “Hey! I don’t know everything about flight magic, but I think I have an idea!”

“WHAT.” The other three asked, a bit aggressively.

“DON’T RUSH ME! Uhhh..” 

He pointed his magical pen toward Ace once again. He stared back, eyes wide open.

“What are you..”

“I’m gonna launch you.”

“WHAT?!” Ace, Janae, and Isa said in unison.

“Okay! Three, two.. ONE!”

Before Ace could protest, the magical pen started to glow, forming a small field around him as he was launched high into the air. 

Isa and Janae watched in awe as he began screaming, his body propelling through the air and just barely onto the chandelier as he grabbed onto Grim’s tail for dear life. His feet kicked slightly as he tried to steady himself and Grim squirmed with the feeling of the boy on his tail.

Things seemed to escalate quickly as the chandelier eventually gave out from the newfound addition of Ace’s weight – falling to the ground with a loud and dramatic crash and at the bottom, Ace and Grim were spread out on the floor dazed.

The remaining groups of students in the cafeteria turned to see what was happening, but all they saw was the chandelier crumbling under pressure, landing onto one of the longer tables.

“Ruh roh…” Isa said, trying to break the awkward silence that had now spread out across the entire room.

“At least he got Grim! I guess!” Janae replied, high-fiving Isa.

The two of them burst out laughing as Deuce stared in horror, around the same time Ace snapped out of his mini-coma.

“WHAT THE- THIS ISN’T FUNNY! EVERYONE SAW! WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO WHEN THE HEADMAGE-”

“When the Headmage what!”

-

Chapter Text

The group of teens turned their heads sharply, eyes widened in fear as Crowley let out a loud gasp, his mouth agape as he got a good look at the chaos that had been caused in his absence.

Janae wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry from the utter look of confusion on the man’s face.

They were definitely not getting out of this one.

“You..four!” Crowley barely managed out, his voice shaking with anger as he directed his attention onto the 4 students.

“H-HEADMAGE!” Deuce spoke up suddenly, his face pale as he stepped away from the mess and moved towards Crowley.

Crowley let out sputters of something as he examined the mess that decorated the corridor, sighing loudly before dragging a hand down his face.

“LOOK, at this..! The statue wasn’t enough for you..? You guys just HADDDD to destroy my prized chandelier too!?” He cried out.

The group looked at each other, seemingly all feeling a bit ashamed at the fact they were being scolded. They really didn’t mean to cause a mess – or at least.. It was funny until the moment that everything had gone to shit.

“Ugh,” Crowley said after a few seconds of awkward silence. “Enough of this, you’re all expelled – all of you.”

“WHAT??” Everyone yelled in unison.

Deuce was the first to step forward, his eyes wide with fear as he interlocked his hands together in a pleading manner. 

“HEADMAGE – PLEASE! I CAN’T GET EXPELLED, MY MOM WORKED SO HARD TO GET ME INTO THIS SCHOOL!” 

Ace chimed in suddenly, jumping to Deuce’s aid as he shot Crowley a nervous smile, his eyebrows knitted in fear.

“Exactly! You can’t expel us – we just got here!” He paused, looking over at the two girls who met his gaze with their scared ones. 

“If anyone should get expelled... It should be them,” He added casually.

“HUHH??” The girls yelled out in unison, glaring at Ace.

“HEY! YOU’RE THE DUMBASS THAT LAUNCHED HIMSELF TOWARDS THAT FUCKING CHANDELIER!” Janae said, turning to glare at Ace directly. 

He merely glared back, frown deepening.

“WHY’RE YOU ACTING LIKE I WANTED TO BE THROWN IN THE DAMN AIR?”

“YOU DIDN’T TRY TO STOP HIM,” Isa added, narrowing her eyes at him as well.

Ace’s face scrunched up as he let out a noise of annoyance. “HOW DO YOU STOP A GUY WHO'S ALREADY LAUNCHED YOU INTO THE AIR??”

Crowley growled in irritancy, stomping his cane against the floor.

“Enough! I’m sick of your arguing – You’re all expelled.” He stated simply, his gaze still hardened with anger.

Isa held her hands out in defense, her face scrunched in concern.

“Wait –! Can we at least make it up to you..?” 

The rest of the group looked over at him too as she pleaded.

Crowley hummed in thought, bringing his hand to his chin before he spoke again.

“I suppose you could buy a new one…” He said dismissively, prompting the group to perk up a bit.

“NOT!” He yelled out suddenly.

Ace sucked his teeth.

“THAT CHANDELIER WAS PRECIOUS AND UNIQUE TO NIGHT RAVEN COLLEGE!! IT COST ME EVERY SINGLE BODY PART!”

“Including the eyes..?” Janae whispered to herself, still kind of wondering how that worked.

Ace leaned over to her, covering his mouth with the back of his hand before he spoke again.

“Y’all got like a secret bank account with money to buy his thing back?” He joked, snickering at his own quip. 

Deuce delivered a quick and easy jab to Ace’s stomach, a sound of complaint leaving him as he clutched his stomach.

“OW! WHAT THE HECK??”

Deuce spoke up once more, his tone pleading.

“Please, Headmage! There has to be some way..”

“Yeah! Come on!” Isa added, a frown on her face as she locked her hands together in a pleading manner as well.

Crowley stared at the group of teens quietly, his eyebrows pulling together as he hummed in thought. His shoulders seemed to relax a little more as he brought a thoughtful finger to his chin.

“While you can’t repurchase this.. There is a way I may be able to repair it.” He admitted after a moment before speaking once more. 

“This here chandelier is a magical one that runs off the power of a magestone – a very unique stone that’s hard to come by. If you all were to bring me back one, I may be able to forget your MANY insolent acts.”

“A magestone?” Isa repeated.

“It’s said to be somewhere in the Dwarf’s Mine… If you were to find a stone with similar properties, you’d be set.”

“Alright, easy peasy! We’ll just snag the magestone and be back on our way!” Ace boasted, a smirk plastered across his face.

Deuce nodded in determination. “R-right! Headmage, we’ll be right back!”

The two turned to walk off, stopping in their tracks as Crowley raised his hand letting out a ‘Wait a moment’.

“Before you lot run off, you must know that I can’t promise that if you were to go to the mines you’d even find a magestone. They’ve been abandoned for quite some time – It’s likely all of them have been mined already,” Crowley added, a pensive look on his face.

“We have to at least try, sir!” Deuce pleaded.

Crowley paused, presumably deep in thought for a few seconds.

“Very well. But! If you don’t bring me the stone in time, you’re EXPELLED.”

The quadruple gave each other a timid look, as Crowley flashed them an out-of-character bright smile.

“Alright! That settles it! I’ll see you around… 8 PM at the latest. You boys will be excused from your classes for ‘community service,’ while you girls don’t have to clean the windows as of.. Right now.’”

“Community service? This early in the year?” Ace asked, though, Crowley was gone by the second he got his last syllable out. 

The group turned to the dazed cat that was still lying by the table with an exasperated expression. They guessed he was coming too.

–

Their impromptu quest had led them all the way to the farther side of the campus to enter the Mines. The group continued on, walking towards the edge of the campus to the Forest before stopping to enter an abandoned house they saw at the start of the path.

Deuce’s face scrunched up slightly as he took a good look around.

“What the hell..? This place is completely unlivable.” He stated.

Ace hummed slightly, his expression slightly curious as he glanced around as well.

“Well, it seems like someone lived here at some point judging by all these chairs. These shits look like car seats, was this some type of elementary school, or did a buncha clowns live here?”

Isa’s eyebrows knitted together.

“Now tell me why the hell clowns would even be on campus.”

Ace snickered. "Well.. We got y'all, anything could happen."

He walked off, laughing boisterously, as Janae shook her head.

Deuce rolled his eyes, as he reassured the two girls.

“Ignore him. Let's just keep moving.”

-

They walked for way longer than they had expected before finally encountering what seemed to be an opening to a deeper place in the mines. 

“This must be the path to the entrance of the mines,” Deuce announced.

The group leaned forward to be able to take in the scenery.

The walls of the cave were spread out with different gems that were embedded into the stone. If you looked closely enough, you’d be able to see your reflection in them.

Janae figured that if these gems were ever brought to a pawn shop – they’d sell for a lot.

Isa groaned, shaking her head as she hugged her arms.

“Musty as hell in here bro..” She mumbled out, earning a scoff from Janae.

“I’m saying.. Crowley said this place has been abandoned for a while, right?” She asked, looking around the vacant walls.

“I coulda’ told you that from the lack of people,” Ace chimed in, keeping his gaze ahead.

She shot a glare at him as Isa stifled a laugh.

Grim groaned, a pout on his face.

“Right, that's all fine and dandy, buttttttt! WHERE THE HECK ARE WE EVEN SUPPOSED TO GET THIS THING?!”

“In the mines, dumbass,” Isa replied, shaking her head.

“Don’t even listen,” Janae added, the two of them snickering at Grim’s expense.

“SHUT UP! YOU TWO LET A GINGER TACKLE ME! THAT HURT LIKE HELL!”

“I have a name, ya know,” Ace replied, glaring at Grim pointedly.

“DID I ASK?”

Janae laughed a bit, giggling before she spoke.

“You should just be happy when Ace peeled off of you, you weren’t 2D.” 

That comment prompted the two girls to holler loudly, grins stretched across their faces. Ace looked off to the side, his shoulders shaking with amusement too.

“CAN YOU GUYS FOCUS? We’re trying not to get EXPELLED here.” Deuce reminded them, his head whipping over his shoulder to glare at the other giggling idiots.

“Right, right, yeah.. so, what’s the word then, Juice?” Ace replied lazily, waving his hand dismissively.

“I’ll kill you,” Deuce said with a deadpan expression.

“FORWARD!”

Grim trudged on further, running towards a random direction whilst the rest of the group followed after him.

–

As they continued, they finally met with the entrance to the mines – Dark, Creepy, and possibly dangerous. Grim’s paws were trembling as he held onto the back of Isa’s ankles, whilst the quad stopped to get a good look inside.

“W-we gotta go in THERE? It’s too dark!” Grim asked, his little frame shaking in fear.

Ace scoffed, crossing his arms.

“Chicken. You afraid of the dark or something?”

“I WILL MAIM YOU, BOY! P-plus! I’m not afraid of anything! I’ll just.. have my henchmen go in first to secure the area..”

The two girls shot Grim a look, their faces scrunched in confusion. Isa gently nudged Grim off of her leg, looking down at him.

Isa retorted, putting her hands on her hips.

“GET YOUR BIG ASS IN FRONT. YOU’RE THE ONE WHO KNOWS MAGIC!”

The group continued to walk, their hearts heavy with fear as the cave got less and less friendly. 

As if there was ever a time that it had looked friendly at all.

After another moment, Ace groaned, his arms coming up to rest behind his head.

“Dude, where even is this thing?? I haven’t seen anything like what we broke for MILES.”

“We’ve been walking for like 4 minutes bro,” Janae replied.

“Lowkey, still too long,” Isa added, frowning.

“MYAH! I’m gettin’ impatient! Where IS this thing!”

Janae hummed in thought before speaking once more.

“I mean, maybe there’s a secret stash of it somewhere or something.” She said with a shrug, looking over at Grim.

“Yeah! Maybe it’s also right next to the portal that’s going to take you two home. HAH! Don’t make me laugh!” He cackled, earning a glare from Janae.

“DIE.”

Deuce came to a stop suddenly, accidentally forcing everyone else to bump into each other behind him in a domino effect. 

Ace rubbed his forehead, scowling at him.

“Dude!”

“There’s something in there!”

Isa shot him a confused look.

“What..?”

“Ohhh…new people…you can stay with us forever..”

The group stared blankly at the ghost before looking at each other and silently signaling that they should book it. 

Isa was barely able to remember to grab Grim before they all continued to run away as quickly as they could.

After what seemed like forever, they finally found a place to stop, their hearts pounding and their throats burning as they tried to catch their breath.

Ace’s voice spoke up again, breaking the silence.

 “WH-WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT??”

“YOU’RE ASKING ME???” Isa said, still panting.

Janae whipped her head towards Deuce who was clutching his chest.

“DEUCE, DID YOU HAVE ANY IDEA THIS PLACE WAS HAUNTED – LIKE AT ALL??”

Deuce let out a shaky breath before speaking, his hands clutching his uniform pants. 

“IF I HAD KNOWN THAT, I WOULDN’T HAVE CAME??”

Grim sniffled, his claws digging into Isa’s blazer as he buried his face into her arm.

“MOMMY!!”

Isa gently shook her arm, trying to get him off of it.

Ace groaned, clenching his fist.

“GOD.. DAMN IT!– there’s more freakin’ ghosts all over this shaft!”

“WHAT’RE WE SUPPOSED TO DO THEN??” Isa asked, her face etched with fear.

Ace shrugged aggressively. “I DON’T FUCKING KNOW!!”

Deuce paused, his head raising up slowly in caution. “Do you guys.. hear that?”

Everyone whipped their heads towards the direction of Deuce, their eyes wide with fear.

“You’re joking..” Janae mumbled out, her heart sinking.

A broken and distorted voice lets out a low growl prompting the teens to huddle up together in fear. 

“Stonessss…aanghhhh!”

Isa sighed.

“Well, it was knowing you, Janae.” She said with a fake sniffle, prompting the other girl to suck her teeth.

“I’m not dying.. You can be my human shield.” Janae joked, biting back a laugh.

“WHO???” Isa replied, her eyes widening as she laughed in the girl’s face at the suggestion.

Ace’s eyes narrowed before he let out a noise of realization.

“Wait! It said something about stones!”

The group looked over at him, all equally confused.

“He’s gone mad! Let’s sacrifice him first!” Grim suggested, now tucked behind the leg of Deuce.

Deuce let out a small gasp before shaking his head.

“Wait, no! I heard that too – the magestones..they’re probably still here!”

“Yeah, yeah that’s great! LET’S GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE.” Ace replied, glaring at Deuce.

Deuce’s eyebrows pulled together as he scowled at him.

“WE’RE NOT GOING BACK WITHOUT A MAGESTONE.”

Ace reached out to the boy, groaning and facepalming as he quickly gathered his bearings – taking off in the direction of the new monster that had appeared in front of them.

“Oh.. For fuck’s sake..”

Deuce readied his wand, pointing it directly at the monster as it roared in anger. 

He gulped audibly, closing his eyes tightly before trudging forward with a loud cry. He was fast – his feet moving quickly to dodge the different attacks that the monster was throwing at him. 

He launched off some kind of wind attack, stunning the monster for a moment before using the quick moment to charge up another fire spell.

The rest of the group watched on in hope, tucked behind a few rocks as they tried their best to not get noticed.

Deuce paused to catch his breath, rearing his hand to let off another attack before the monster managed to catch him off-guard. He let out a scream, his body flying back into a wall as the monster swatted him away.

“OHHHHHH…...” The group let out in unison, wincing slightly at the rough impact.

“Is he okay..?” Janae asked cautiously, her heart racing as her face scrunched up a bit.

Ace grunted, moving to stand up and hop over the rocks.

“Shit! Now I gotta step in..”

He spread his legs slightly, putting his hand out as if he was ready to protect the two girls. He looked over his shoulders dramatically, smirking.

“Stand back ladies, I got this!”

Ace charged ahead quickly, his wand readied in his hand. The monster sent out a quick attack, Ace sidestepping sloppily to avoid it before directing another strike towards it as he moved in front of him.

His face scrunched up slightly before he aimed his pen up to try and get a hit on him. The monster roared, delivering another push that managed to connect with Ace this time – sending him flying a few meters behind the remaining trio.

“He did not get that..” Isa said with a wince as she covered her mouth whilst Janae snickered next to her.

The monster roared triumphantly before turning his attention to the other group.

Grim shuffled closer to Janae, quickly climbing up her arm as he perched on his shoulder. 

“AHH!! STAY AWAY FROM ME..!!

Janae grunted, her heart pounding as she tried to shake the cat off of her shoulders.

“DUDE, DON’T YOU HAVE FIRE POWERS??”

Grim shook his head back and forth rapidly, pouting.

“LIKE HELL I’M GETTIN’ ANYWHERE NEAR THAT THING! NOTHIN’S HURTING IT!”

Ace’s groans made the group perk up, looking over at him as he slowly pushed himself up on his elbows.

“Y..You didn’t see it??” He asked, clutching his stomach as he tried to rise to his feet.

“See what..??” Isa asked, still a bit scared to come out from her hiding spot.

“Something was shining right behind it..!”

Deuce stumbled to his feet, panting as he brushed some gunk out of his bangs.

“THE MAGESTONE..?” He asked, his heart pounding with fear.

Ace blinked slowly. “Maybe..?”

“I swear you got a concussion man..” Janae said, shaking her head as Ace looked over at Deuce. 

“RUN WHILE YOU STILL CAN – THERE’S NOTHING THERE!”

Deuce straightened his posture.

“We have to distract it somehow!” 

Ace let out a bitter laugh.

“Oh yeah, let me just grab my monster-killing shotgun and give it a few pumps or two– WE’RE COOKED.”

“NOT YET! WE STILL GOT ONE THING LEFT TO DO,” Isa announced.

Everyone turned towards her expectedly, waiting for her new plan.

“We could run.”

—

“..Somehow, that's the only good idea we were able to come up with..” Janae gasped out, slouched against a tree as she tried to catch her breath.

Isa mumbled out a noise of agreement before falling to her knees and keeling over. 

Deuce let out gasps for air before straightening his back and wiping his mouth.

“We can still try again..!” He sputtered out, his chest heaving.

“Ugh.” Ace rolled his eyes, snapping his attention onto Deuce with a deep scowl. He trudged over, grunting slightly as he grabbed at his collar.

“Dude! It’s over – Get a grip!” 

Deuce’s eyebrows furrowed as he stared back at him, a scowl curling on his face.

 “It’s not–!”

“YES, it is! The things’ levels ahead of us, if we try to attack it, we’re toast.”

Deuce let out a ‘Tch’, leaning forward as he wrapped his hand around Ace’s wrist roughly, getting in his face.

“I DIDN’T KNOW YOU WERE A FUCKING PUSSY.”

Silence fell over the group for a moment as everyone stared at Deuce in genuine surprise.

Ace glanced over at the two girls and the cat, shooting them the best-annoyed look he could despite how embarrassed he felt before looking at Deuce.

“WH– WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING A PUSSY?”

Deuce’s eyes widened as he shook his head, trying his best to cool down the atmosphere.

“Uh.. I mean – I can’t afford this expulsion! It’s super important to my mom! If I get kicked out of here.. It’ll be trouble for me AND her! So..we have to try something – anything.”

The silence stretched on between everyone as Ace glared at Deuce for a moment before scoffing and letting him go.

“...What if we came up with a plan?” Janae suggested after another moment, shrugging slightly.

“..Fine, go for it.” Ace sighed.

“We can just bait it here and get the drop while it's distracted, that way it won’t have a chance to attack.”

Isa snapped her fingers.

“Oh, yeah! While it’s down, we can take the magestone and haul ass back to the mirror room!”

Ace, Deuce, and Grim stared at the two with blank expressions before Deuce hummed slightly in thought.

“...That..is the stupidest plan I’ve ever heard..” He perked up, smiling widely.

“IT MIGHT JUST WORK!!”

“We’re gonna die…!!” Grim cried out.

— 

The plan had led the group to decide on who was going to be bait – the role obviously going to the Ramshackle Trio. 

They were standing in plain sight, trying their best to rile up the monster to come out of hiding and attack them in order for Ace and Deuce to get a direct hit.

Grim’s small frame was shaking like a leaf as he tried his best to resist the urge to run off. He gulped audibly before taking a few steps forward.

“U-uh! C-Come and get me!

Isa sighed, crossing her arms.

“That is NOT convincing at all.”

Janae laughed, nudging the other girl slightly.

“Right??”

“BWWAAHHH!!! BEGOONNNEEEE!!!”

“EEK!”

Isa angled her head up, calling out to the other two.

“GO!! JUST DO IT ALREADY!!”

Ace scoffed slightly, tucked away to the right behind a tree.

“Since you asked so nicely.”

He readied his pen, creating a huge gust of wind that he aimed directly at the monster. It roared in anger, trying to claw at the air in order to get it to stop.

“EEUGH!!”

Ace’s face lit up – surprised he managed to even land a hit at all.

“HAH..WE ACTUALLY GOT HIM..!”

“MYAH! NOW’S OUR CHANCE!” Grim yelled out as he looked over at Deuce who was tucked away to the left.

“Deuce, do it!” Janae called out to him, her eyebrows pulled together slightly in concern,

Deuce perked up, readying his pen as he shuffled to leave his hiding spot.

 “Alright..! The heaviest thing I can think of…hmmm, I..I got it!”

Deuce focused his wand, angling it towards the monster. 

Sparkles gathered at the gem of his pen as he got ready to summon whatever it was he was thinking about..

“I think – I think I see it forming..?” Isa said, her face scrunched up.

Another moment passed before Deuce let out a loud cry, finishing off his attack. Everyone watched on in disbelief as a huge cauldron appeared out of thin air, trapping the monster underneath with a loud ‘bonk’!

Ace let out a groan, facepalming as the other girls let out loud hollers at the ridiculous scene before them.

Ace grunted, turning his attention over to them.

“Enough with the giggling, we gotta move!” He reached over, pulling the two along as they all took off into the mines once more to retrieve the magestone.

Deuce let out a gasp of surprise, his face beaming.

 “There it is!”

“MY STONEEE..!!”

The group turned in the direction of the monster’s voice, groans of annoyance leaving all of them.

Janae sucked her teeth, scrunching her face up slightly.

“See now, my thing is, how the HELL did he get out from under that big ass cauldron.”

Deuce sighed, before pointing his pen at the monster once again.

“Right..UH – It’s fine! I’ll summon another!”

Another roar left the monster as it was weighed down by yet another huge cauldron.

Isa groaned.

“How much longer are we supposed to be running?!”

“Till that thing dies!” Ace replied, his mind racing.

“So you want us to collapse from exhaustion?” Janae chimed in with a frown.

“RWAHHHH!!”

“AH!” The group perked up, huddling against each other.

Deuce grumbled, shoving the magestone toward Isa’s arms as he took a few steps forward. Isa fumbled to hold it for a moment, shooting Deuce a concerned look before placing the stone into her bag.

“Fine then! No more running!”

Everyone else stared on in surprise.

Ace glanced over at the Ramshackle Trio before looking at Deuce as he moved to dust himself off with a long and annoyed sigh.

“Ugh.. oh, fine.”

He whipped his head to look at the two girls, his expression determined.

“Keep that stone safe!” He said, pointing at Isa who nodded quickly in response.

Grim blinked for a moment before sighing loudly and moving to stand with Ace and Deuce as well.

“Myah..f-fine! I guess I could help too..!”

“Yeah, please do that.” Isa chimed in.

“HEY! BE QUIET!”

Ace glanced over at Deuce, a nervous smirk on his face.

“Try not to piss yourself, okay, Juice?”

Deuce merely rolled his eyes in response.

–

The fight continued on for longer than they expected with each side delivering their own independent blows. It was Grim who managed to sneak in one last blast of fire, eliciting a loud scream from the Monster as it finally keeled over and fell.

There was nothing but silence for a moment as everyone tried to catch their breath, legs giving out as they collapsed to the grassy floor of the forest.

Ace’s chest heaved up and down as he threw an arm over his eyes.

“Is it.. over?”

Deuce panted, bracing himself up on his elbows.

“I..I think so..”

Grim perked up, waving his paws in the air as he danced around on his little feet. 

“HECK YEAH! HIGH-FIVE!”

“YEAH!!”

Ace and Deuce moved forward, meeting Grim’s paw with their palms as they grinned tiredly. They only realized what they did until after, quickly shuffling away from each other as Deuce cleared his throat.

“I half expected you guys to fail..!” Janae said, smiling widely at the prospect of not dying.

Deuce’s eyes widened slightly as a slight pink dusted his cheeks in embarrassment.

 “WH– r..really?”

Ace scoffed, adjusting his glove as he massaged his shoulder.

“Aw, come on! We’re not THAT hopeless, what kind of dumbass do you take me for?”

Isa peered over at the monster who was starting to fade away slowly. “Y’all sure it’s dead..?” She cautiously approached it, kicking its fading body before backing up as she took notice of the fact it was disappearing rapidly.

“Looks dead to me!” Grim replied with a grin.

Deuce looked over at Isa, his expression a bit frantic.

“You guys have the magestone, right?!”

Isa nodded, opening her bag as she nudged it towards Deuce for him to see.

“YEAH, it’s right here!”

Deuce let out a small huff, his face lighting up as he smiled widely.

“Then..we still have time to get it back to the headmage!”

“Huzzah!” Janae said, clapping her hands together in excitement.

Deuce smiled at her, nodding and placing his hands on his hips.

Ace sighed, cracking his neck.

“Can we just go already? This forest is giving me the heebie jeebies..”

Isa added, stretching her arms. “Yeah…I need a nap.”

Mumbles of agreement followed as the group began to walk back to the campus.

Grim’s nose twitched, a slow grin making it’s way onto his face as he perked up.

“MYAH! WAIT! WHAT’S..THAT SMELL!”

He started sniffing the air, his body moving in tandem with whichever direction the smell was coming from before his eyes landed on a small black stone hat was left behind in the ruckus of the battle.

Janae’s face scrunched in disgust.

“Ew, what the fuck is that?”

Grim shuffled closer, picking the gem up and holding it in the air as he cackled slightly.

Ace’s face scrunched up.

“Aw…dude, don’t fucking–”

Groans left everyone as he raised it into the air before swallowing the stone whole with one audible loud gulp.

“What the hell is wrong with you??” Isa shuffled away from the cat as he sighed contently.

“Ahhhhhhh, Just what I needed after an intense battle!”

Janae shook her head, crossing her arms.

 “We need to get you some cat friends or something..”

Deuce scoffed slightly, smiling.

“Or possibly take you to the vet.”

Ace smirked.

“Like anyone would even wanna test his ass for something.”

“He might chomp the whole damn set up since he likes putting stuff in his mouth so much,” Isa added on with a laugh.

The group laughed in unison at the joke as Grim stomped his foot in rebuttal.

“I'M RIGHT HERE!!”

—

The walk back to campus blended in with the time spent in Crowley’s office as he monologued on about how disappointed he was with everyone’s actions and how he was only allowing this ONCE as a result of the expedition going smoothly.

After what felt like an eternity, the group was finally able to leave his office.

Deuce let out a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Finally.. We got rid of that expulsion. I’m so relieved.. and tired.. I wanna go to sleep.”

Janae hummed in agreement, adjusting her arms to accommodate Grim who was resting in them sprawled out.

“Ugh, dude, I could go for a nap right now..”

“Right.. Let’s hope those ghosts aren’t bugging.” Isa said with a tired snicker.

Ace pouted, glaring at the two girls as he crossed his arms. 

“Man, stop acting like you two did anything. If anyone deserves a nap, it should be me.”

“I think we all deserve naps – but, that’s just me.” Janae replied with a lazy hum.

“I want tuna!” Grim pouted, crossing his arms.

Isa sighed. “We don’t got tuna money as of right now. Plus, we like JUST became actual students, you should be worrying about our new classes.”

“MYAH! I’m not worried about that stuff! I’m gonna ace all of those!”

Janae quirked an eyebrow at the feline.

“With no thumbs or fingers?”

Deuce laughed slightly. “Hey, you know – yeah, how are you supposed to even submit assignments? You can’t even hold a pencil, Grim.”

“Maybe they’ll give him a typewriter or something,” Ace shrugged.

Janae let out a huff of a laugh.

“You’re joking about it but it could very well happen, you know. This school is NOT funding Ramshackle.”

Deuce’s eyebrows pulled together in concern.

“You three are staying at that old dorm..?”

“Sadly.”

Ace laughed, pointing at the trio. “God, he must seriously hate y’all, HAHA!”

Janae rolled her eyes. “You come over and help us clean up and we’ll give you one single fun-size kit kat.”

Ace cracked a small smile before turning his gaze to the side as he hummed dismissively.

“SOOOO tempting, but I’ll have to pass.”

Isa shrugged. “Your loss.”

Deuce smiled slightly. “Highly doubt that’s a loss.”

A few tired giggles left the mouths of the group as they fell silent again.

Janae’s eyes widened in relief. “I just realized, this means we're all probably gonna be classmates, right?”

Isa perked up at the mention.

“Oh yeah... Crowley said we’re in Class 1-A too!”

Ace grunted.

“They really just throw anyone in there, huh?”

“Actually, I’m looking forward to being classmates – you two seem nice.. Maybe a bit strange, but, you know.” Deuce added, smiling.

“Thanks,” Isa replied sarcastically, cracking a smile.

The quad marched onto the mirror room with Ace and Deuce, walking towards the Heartslabyul mirror before they stopped to say their goodbyes to the two girls.

“See you two tomorrow!” Deuce waved at them, moving a bit closer to the mirror.

Ace cracked a smile.

“Try not to have the roof cave in you two!”

“CAN YOU GO.” Janae replied, earning a laugh from Isa.

Ace laughed slightly before disappearing into the mirror with Deuce.

Isa’s shoulders slumped as they took a moment to enjoy the silence of the mirror room.

“Classes are about to be mad annoying tomorrow, huh?”

Janae puffed her cheeks out before exhaling and putting her hands on her hips.

“Yeah. I believe in us though, lowkey.”

Isa shrugged. “Ehhh.. We’ll see.”

The girls glanced to see what state Grim had quickly fallen into, smiling softly as they took note of his cute little sleeping form. 

Janae shifted her hold so that the position he was in more or less resembled that of a baby being held. 

“With all that hooting and hollering he was doing – I’m surprised he didn’t knock out sooner,” Isa said with a giggle.

“It’s better he’s asleep now – that way he can’t spend all night chasing ghosts.”

Isa merely sighed, nudging her friend as the two of them moved to step into the mirror to Ramshackle.

Chapter Text

The first week of school was actually going surprisingly smoothly for the two girls. 

They had kind of gotten rid of the excitement from the magical elements of the institution, realizing it was pretty much just a normal school without it, and now their biggest problems were the stares they received every day from curious teenage boys, and whatever the fuck Trein’s class was so far.

They did still end up having to clean those windows, although it was made a lot easier through the fact that Deuce, after that whole magestone incident, volunteered to help. 

They managed to get all of the windows down in about three days.

Their maintenance on Ramshackle included cleaning the bathrooms, dusting off the beds in each room (which annoyed the ghosts GREATLY), and cleaning the kitchen so it could be usable again. The house was so dusty that it took an unnecessary amount of their free time, however, the two girls were glad that it was starting to look less like the victim of a nuclear explosion and more like a humble abode.

After a long Sunday of cleaning and using the little amount of money Crowley dropped on them to buy more cleaning supplies and tuna for Grim, the trio all collapsed on the couch, ready to fall asleep and endure the pains of the next day.

That is until there was a knock on the door.

Grim shot awake, falling off of the couch and taking both girls down with him.

“MYAH! Did you hear that?! It must be an intruder!” He announced, suddenly standing on his hind legs.

“Okay, but who the fuck would want to show up here of all places at 3 am..” Janae said, rubbing her head.

“UGHHHHHH, y’all got that. I have a headache,” Isa announced, grabbing the sheet that had just fallen on the floor and curling back up on the couch again.

Grim and Janae had given each other a look, before standing up and making their way towards the front door. The knocking persisted, this person was either desperately in a hurry or just really felt like being annoying.

“...FUCK, WHO IS IT?!” Janae yelled from behind the door.

“It’s me, Ace! LET ME IN.”

Grim crossed his arms. “I don’t know. Do we even-”

Before he could protest, Janae had opened the door, and there Ace was, standing on the stoop. However, he was decked out in just his normal school uniform with two duffel bags, and.. A collar around his neck?

“What the fuck is that?” Janae asked as Ace stepped inside.

“Oh no, I’d recognize that collar anywhere!” Grim said, rage filling his voice. “It’s the same one that annoying housewarden struck me with before he chucked me off campus!”

“The redhead?” Isa shouted from the couch.

“The heck did you do to get it though?” Asked Grim.

“....I ate a tart,” Ace replied, sheepishly.

Grim and Janae stared at him, dumbfounded as Isa let out a hard cackle from her spot in the lounge. 

“So.. You’re here at 3 am.. To tell us you got collared for.. eating a tart?” Janae tried to piece together.

“Not even just that. I’m staying with you guys now.”

Groans and yells of protest came from the trio, who glared at Ace in disbelief. Isa even got up from the couch, sheets in hand to just give that guy a look.

“OOOOOO.. Who’s staying with us?! Cause I know it’s not you,” She said.

“Yes I am! You wouldn’t wanna stay there either! All I did was take a little light snack at night, and I got collared for doing so! THAT’S ABUSE,” Ace cried.

“..Why do I feel like we’re not getting the whole story?” Grim asked, annoyed.

“Well... There were three of them.. And I guess the tarts were made by our vice housewarden, Trey. AND I didn’t exactly ask him for them. But who the fuck just leaves out tarts they made in the fridge of a communal kitchen?! You’re asking for them to get eaten, dude,” Ace shrugged.

“It sounds like a skill issue that you got caught then! Goodnight!” 

Grim began walking towards Ace, attempting to push him out the front door with his tiny paws. Ace frowned.

“Are you serious? You don’t think it’s crazy that like... instead of scolding me like a NORMAL person would do, all my magic is just suddenly taken away?!”

Isa stared blankly while Janae nodded her head. 

“Yeah.. I guess that is doing a bit too much.”

“RIGHT?! I can’t go back!”

“It was three tarts! They’re probably for some special occasion you know,” Grim protested. “Stealing another man’s food is NOT right.”

“Okay, but I saw you swiping my tater tots at breakfast yesterday morning,” Isa grinned.

“YOU ABANDONED THEM, I WAS GIVING THEM A HOME IN MY STOMACH. THAT’S DIFFERENT.”

“Why can’t you just admit you’re in the wrong though?” Janae crossed her arms.

Ace dramatically gasped, pointing to his collar. “ME?! I’m in the wrong?! Man, y’all suck. I thought you’d have more empathy.”

“Whatevs! You just gotta get this sorted out though. Protesting isn’t worth the collar that’s gon’ stay on your neck for a very long time unless you like... apologize or something!” Isa quipped.

Ace looked deep in thought for a second, before he nodded.

“Fine, I’ll apologize. But when I do, you guys gotta come for moral support.”

“WE DIDN’T EAT THE TARTS?!”

“Okay, but.. You’re my accomplices now! Since I told you what happened. Anywho, y’all got a spare bed? I wasn’t joking about crashing tonight.”

The trio watched as Ace dusted off the same couch they had been resting on previously, laying his head on the pillow and putting his arms behind his head.

“God, this material feels like.. I don’t know, a fucking T-Rex bone or something. How do you guys do it?”

“Stop playing before we heave-ho your ass out of this dorm,” Janae replied, face scrunching in annoyance.

“You think Grim would be any help if we did that lowkey?” Isa quipper, snickering slightly.

The two girls cracked a smile.

“HEY! I’ll have you know I’m perfectly capable of lifting this bag of bones!” Grim replied, glaring at the duo.

“Who’re you talking to?” Ace replied, his eyebrows knit together.

“YOU.”

Suddenly, there was another knock on the door. This time, Isa opened it and was met with Deuce.

“Hey, sorry I’m here so early. Have you guys seen Ace?”

A loud groan could be heard from the lounge area before the sounds of Ace’s footsteps got closer, and he was pretty much face-to-face with Deuce.

“Of course, you’re here. Why’d you have to eat the vice-housewarden’s tarts?”

“Like I said, COMMUNAL KITCHEN.”

-

The next day, the collar had still not magically disappeared off of Ace’s neck. The teasing insults from Grim were starting to piss him off more and more by the second, and he wanted to get rid of it.

“Maybe we should just apologize now,” Deuce whispered to Ace in class. “I mean, in like 10 minutes. The period is about to end.”

“That means we’d have to walk all the way to Heartslabyul! And by the time we get back, lunch rush will start, and only the BAD chicken tenders will be left in the cafeteria,” Grim interrupted, in the middle of them.

“I don’t know man, I’m getting this thing off of me one way or another,” Ace grumbled.

“Does it hurt?” Janae asked, leaning over to poke at the collar prompting Ace to gently swat her hand away with a huff.

“YES, It hurts! My neck’s killing me – I like barely got any damn sleep last night.” He said with a sigh.

“STOP COMPLAINING – how do you think we feel having to sleep on them hard-ass cushions every day?” Isa quipped, shaking her head.

“With them sad excuses for blankets too..” Janae added, sighing.

“Everything I hear about Ramshackle is against my own will,” Deuce said, a slightly concerned expression on his face. “Why is Crowley letting you guys live in some run-down house??”

“YOU’RE ASKING US??” Isa replied.

“Ahem.”

The group’s attention snapped towards Mr. Trein, who stared back at them with a stern expression, silently signaling for them to be quiet. 

They obliged quickly, turning their attention onto the textbooks they were supposed to be reading before the final bell ran. 

The last few minutes of the period finally ended and the group had moved to stand in the courtyard, following Ace towards the mirror room to Heartslabyul.

The entrance to the main building was bright and eye-catching with small green bushes lined out on the corners of the main pathway. 

In the center of the courtyard was a fancy heart-shaped fountain that was spraying out crystal-clear water.

The whole vibe of the place was extremely fancy and formal – like the kind of set in a show that would have classical music playing in the background. Maybe that was the vibe the designers for this dorm were going for.

They followed Ace and Deuce into what seemed to be a short maze.

“You know, this place is big as hell – there’s no way you couldn’t have found some random ass bush to sleep in for the night,” Isa said, looking around the courtyard in awe.

“Do you even hear the shit you say?” Ace replied, his eyebrows pulling together.

“Yeah come on Isabelle..we know his ass can’t fit in these small ass bushes..” Janae joked, shaking her head.

“DIE.”

A laugh rang out from further ahead, prompting the group to look forward.

“Man, you guys are so cute!”

Another student who seemed to be maybe just slightly older than the group with bright orange hair smiled back at them, stepping forward with his hands in his pockets.

“I heard there were girls who got enrolled here, but I had NO idea you two would make friends with them so quickly!” His voice was cheerful and bright as he moved closer, directing his gaze towards Ace and Deuce.

“And you guys have a mascot too!” 

“HEY!” Grim huffed out, glaring at the guy. “And who the heck are YOU!?”

The guy completely ignored Grim, walking closer and closer until he was face to face with the two girls. 

“My bad, you guys are THE hot topic on campus R-N. Let me get a quick selfie!”

He pulled out a phone that was not in his hands before, raising it slightly above him, Isa, and Janae. They both stared at the screen with bewildered expressions as the guy made a peace sign with his fingers, saying ‘cheese!’

Ace shot the guy an uncomfortable look, sighing as he shook his head.

“Cater, what’re you doing here actually?” Deuce said after a moment, seemingly not bothered by how weird the guy – whose name was Cater apparently – was acting.

Cater pocketed his phone after saving the photo he took before fiddling with the strand of hair that was left out from his do.

“Housewarden wanted me to paint the roses for a party we're havin’ soon!” He sighed, frowning a bit. “But, I-C-L, I was totes exhausted from potions earlier – so, I took a break.”

“That explains why you were just standing around watching us..” Ace replied sarcastically.

“Aw, come on! Don’t be like that, Acey!” He replied, patting the boy’s back a bit too hard – making Ace lurch forward slightly.

He whipped his head back towards the Ramshackle Trio.

“Anywhooszies, in case you don’t already know – I’m Cater! Or Cay-Cay, if you’re cray-cray! Pleasure to meet y’all,” He smiled a bit wider, whipping out his phone once more as he tapped away at something.

The two girls snickered nervously before speaking up again.

“I’m Isabelle – but, just Isa is fine.” 

“I’m Janae.” 

Cater hummed approvingly.

“Izzy-belle and Nae-Nae!”

The two girls shared a disturbed look at the new nicknames, laughing a bit.

“Yeah, yeah, cool, we all know each other – We gotta go find Riddle.” Ace chimed in, lazily adjusting his glove. “Is he here right now?”

“Mmm..nope, SRRY, guys.” Cater took out his phone again, checking the time before he let out a gasp of surprise.

“IT GOT THAT LATE ALREADY?! I’m supposed to be painting these roses!”

Cater’s easygoing demeanor suddenly changed, as he stared at the bunch of white roses directly behind him and the group. However, his eyes widened in realization.

“Hey, you know what? Y’all wanna help me paint all these red?”

The group shot him a curious look – the roses were a pristine white and they looked pretty healthy as well.

“Why are you painting them? I think they’re, uh...perfectly fine,” Deuce inquired.

“Housewarden says red roses are more photogenic, or something like that… Whatever! You guys don’t really have a choice, you’re here now. And if the roses aren’t ready for the party tomorrow, it’s ‘off with my head.’”

The group stared at Cater as he mumbled something about having to paint flamingoes and a big croquet tournament. Grim huffed, crossing his arms triumphantly as he turned to the other 4.

“So, I was right! Those tarts were probably for an occasion!” Grim boasted. “It’s the Heartslabyul housewarden’s birthday!”

“Wow, Grim – great job,” Janae replied unenthusiastically.

“I DETEST YOU.”

“Ooo, we usin’ big words now!” Isa chimed in, sharing a laugh with Janae.

Cater snapped out of his daze, focusing onto the group once more.

“Huh? Birthday? No, no, it’s not anyone’s birthday. We’re having an un-birthday party.”

“..What?” The group said in unison.

Cater laughed slightly, placing a hand on his hip as he got ready to explain.

“It’s like a gathering with all the traditional aspects of a normal birthday party, but on some random day in the year where it’s nobody’s birthday. I guess the housewarden just feels like it, or something.”

“But, like..Why?” Ace asked, his face scrunching in confusion.

“I dunno!”

“Man, they let these housewardens do anything, bro,” Isa replied to which Ace hummed in agreement.

 “Anyways, we need these roses to be red. I would say use your magic, but, uhhh…”

Cater pointed to Isa and Janae, who were magicless, and Ace with the collar, who was basically out of commission for a few days. He sighed, whipping out his phone out of thin air before he shot the group a smile.

“You guys figure it out for me, kayyyyy? I’ll be on my phone over there in case anything happens. Cay-Cay needs a break.”

The group looked at Cater as he walked off before all turning to look at Deuce.

“Fuck.”

-

The group had been painting for maybe half an hour at that point, wearing smocks that were completely covered in red paint. 

The ladder had fallen more times than they could count, and everyone was completely worn out. At some point, the rest of the quad watched Ace as he ripped the smock off and threw his paintbrush to the ground.

“Yeah no, I’m not doing this. Where the fuck is Riddle?”

He looked over at Cater who was now leaning up against some random ladder, humming slightly in recognition of Ace’s question.

“Oh, he’s here,” Cater replied dryly, still scrolling on his phone.

Ace sucked his teeth, narrowing his eyes at the older boy.

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

Cater groaned slightly, glancing up from his phone to look over at Ace.

“I-D-K! I don’t really think it’s smart to go talk to him right now. I mean, you don’t even have an apology tart.”

“Is that your way of saying we gotta pay him off?” Janae joked, looking over at Cater.

“Obviously not,” Deuce replied, his eyebrows pulling together.

“I could go for an apology tart!” Grim chimed in, grinning.

Ace rolled his eyes at the chatter from the group over his shoulder before sighing. “Was I supposed to bring one? I came straight after class!”

“Rule 53 is: ‘Stolen Items Must Be Replaced,’ soooo... Hell yeah dude,” Cater replied, eyes still glued to the screen. “And you know what, actually, I can’t let you inside even if I wanted to because you broke that rule! So you’re going to have to leave before Riddle comes outside, k-thx-baiiii!”

“WHAT?! This is my dorm too?!” Ace yelled. “YOU CAN’T JUST REMOVE ME!”

-

The group stood awkwardly outside the gates of Heartslabyul, as Ace stared at the floor in defeat. Everyone had watched Cater destroy him not single-handedly, but with the use of like 4 other clones.

Deuce placed an awkward hand on Ace’s shoulder. “It’s okay dude.. We’ll get him next time. Hopefully.”

“IT’S NOT FAIR THOUGH. We painted those stupid roses for him and he STILL kicked us out,” Ace grumbled.

“Now we look like idiots,” Grim cried, a pained expression on his face.

“Heh.. at least we’re all idiots.. together,” Isa muttered, looking up to the sky wistfully as the rest of the group sucked their teeth at the corny statement.

“I hate you guys.”

“Well, anyways – we should just head to lunch,” Janae spoke, looking over at Ace who was still scowling. “Nothing’s gon get done if we just sit around moping.”

“Yeah!” Deuce replied, huffing as he placed his hand on his hip. “We deserve a break anyway after Cater made us do all that hard work.”

“Is everyone at this school this shady?” Isa asked, snorting slightly. 

“I’M STARTING TO THINK SO??” Janae replied, laughing as well.

“I’m hungry!” Grim whined out, frowning. “C’mon, let’s go eat already!”

The group wordlessly agreed, humming as they began to walk towards the exit of Heartslabyul.

It hadn’t been too long before they were able to return to the main campus, lightly jogging as they tried their best to get to the lunchroom before all the stuff was taken. 

Everyone was already there when they arrived, the room thriving with conversation as a few eyes landed on the group the moment they entered.

Awkwardly shuffling through the crowds of people, they were able to score one empty table that was situated in the middle of the room.

“LORD, It’s like a fucking mosh pit or somethin’ – why do these guys all like standing around just playing with their dicks?” Isa commented, looking around the room with narrowed eyes.

“It’s a big day for some people,” Deuce commented, his face scrunching slightly at the mention of dicks. “I think everyone’s just wanting to get to know the people they’re in houses with and stuff.” 

“Yeah, they can do that shit seated, you know.” Janae chimed in, grumbling.

Deuce cracked a smile, nodding. 

“UGH! This line’s long as FUCK, dude! How many people are even in here?” Ace said, tapping his face impatiently.

“Enough for me to feel like the crazy size of this cafeteria is needed,” Isa replied, turning her gaze onto a crowd of people that were situated at a table not too far from their own.

Janae followed her, noting that she was staring curiously at a group of students with purple vests that were practically glowing. In the midst of all the pretty faces sat the same blonde guy from orientation – the glow from the lights in the cafeteria making him look like he was sparkling.

She wondered if all the students here were as attractive as all the people they’d seen so far. 

The group got up after what felt like an eternity before collecting their food and accidentally getting into another fight with a few other confrontational students who were a bit mad about bumping into them while they were idling.

“How many fights are y’all going to get into?” Isa asked, plopping down next to Deuce as she started scooping at the rice on her plate before putting it into her mouth.

“Hey! We didn’t even start that one – those guys are the ones that started something over a fucking egg yolk,” Ace replied, sitting down next to Janae with a huff.

“This school is lowkey just like ours in Brooklyn – it’s just as ghetto,” Janae chimed in, scooting to give Grim space to sit in between her and Ace.

“Oh, yeah – you guys were brought here from another place or something,” Deuce said, his voice muffled from the food in his mouth. He swallowed before wiping his mouth and continuing to speak. 

“What exactly happened?”

Isa hummed in thought. “We had a sleepover at Janae’s house or something like that and then when we woke up.. like, we were just in the abandoned woods out back by the library.”

Ace and Deuce shared a curious look.

“So, where are you two from?” Ace asked, tilting his head slightly.

“New York City – which apparently doesn’t exist here,” Janae answered, scooping at her food. Ace looked over at her, his face scrunched in confusion.

“Not only is there not a place like that anywhere here – I’m pretty sure you guys are a long way from wherever it is you need to be,” Deuce said which elicited sighs from the two girls.

“Well, we don’t gotta worry about that right now, I guess,” Isa replied with a hum, taking another bite of her food. “For now, we have to worry about trying to make an apology tart or somethin’,”

The rest of the group hummed in agreement, turning their attention back to eating.

“So!” Grim spoke up for a moment after taking a break from stuffing his face, turning everyone’s attention onto him.

“I know your guys’ dorm is all janky and strict and stuff but! What about all the other dorms?”

Isa hummed thoughtfully, looking over at Deuce. “OH, Yeah – there were a bunch of people at orientation and I didn’t see any of them really hanging around Heartslabyul or wearing the same uniform so what’s the deal?”

“Well, the dorms are based on the Great Seven statues,” Another voice chirped out.

The group whipped their heads in the direction of the voice, grimacing when they realized it was Cater again. He brushed off their annoyed looks, shooting the group a smile.

“HEY! IT’S YOU AGAIN – THAT GUY WHO TRICKED US INTO PAINTING THOSE ROSES!” Grim yelled, narrowing his eyes at Cater as he merely sighed, shaking his head.

“Hey, don’t make me out to be such a villain! I was only following dorm policies!” He purred out, offering the group a close-eyed smile. “Plus..I’m not here to ruffle any feathers – I came here to be a friendly mentor figure!”

“I dunno, gang – it’s still kinda fucked up you just kicked us out,” Isa replied, quirking an eyebrow at him.

Cater pouted, putting his hands on his hips.

“How could you say that, Izzy-belle! I really thought we all connected for those few moments..”  He huffed, looking over at Deuce. “Isn’t that right, Deucey?”

“PLEASE, don’t call me that.”

“Cater, take it down a notch,” Another voice erupted from beside him.

Another Heartslabyul student came into view, adjusting his glasses as he offered a friendly smile. He seemed relatively pretty different from Cater – his uniform was a lot more neat and ironed and his green hair was cut slightly short.

He had a clover on his cheek as well – similar to Ace and Deuce’s Heart and Spade respectively.

“You’re scaring the freshmen..” He continued with a sigh, placing a hand on Cater’s shoulder.

The two girls shot each other a look before looking at the random guy again. He met their gaze, smiling genuinely as the corners of his eyes crinkled slightly.

“You two must be the new girls,” The guy commented casually, removing his hand from Cater’s shoulder. “I heard all about you two from Cater – My name’s Trey, I’m the Vice Housewarden of Heartslabyul.”

He nodded. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Y-yeah! Same for us.” Janae replied, nodding along as well.

Ace shot her a look of distaste from the obvious fumbling of her words before turning his attention back onto Trey.

“Anyway, why’re you two here? I don’t recall inviting you two to sit with us.” He crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes at Cater.

The older boy let out a huff of a laugh leaning closer as he moved to plop down in between Ace and Janae.

“Aw, come on! Don’t be like that, we should get along, Acey! We’re in the same dorm after all,” He said, moving his arms to pull Ace into his side.

“Yeah, Acey,” Janae repeated, stifling a laugh.

“SHUT UP.”

Cater let go of Ace, laughing slightly as he whipped out his phone.

“Come on, what’re your digits?”

“Oh – uh.. we don’t have phones here yet,” Janae replied, eliciting a gasp from Cater.

“ARE YOU /SRS? No way! That’s no way to live at all!”

“Okay – back to the point!” Ace announced, nudging Cater. “What’s the deal with all these rules in our dorm? The other dorms can’t be this annoying.”

Trey hummed thoughtfully before moving to sit down next to Deuce.

“Well, I’m sure you know about the Queen’s story right? She had a kingdom of weirdos to rule over and she did so with an iron fist.” He started, tapping his fingers against his thigh every so often.

“Our dorm’s like a homage to her,” Cater chimed in, pocketing his phone. “That’s why we wear these black and red armbands and live by her rules.” He continued, a lazy smile on his face “Though, our current housewarden’s way more into upholding her rules than our last one was.”

Trey nodded, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. 

“Riddle’s.. just extra obsessed with following the rules to any extent possible.”

“Ugh, just my luck,” Ace said with a grumble, crossing his arms.

“Then, what’s the deal with the other dorms, then?” Isa asked, shooting Trey a curious look.

Trey hummed before continuing his speech. “We have our dorm, Heartslabyul, modeled after the strictness of the Queen of Hearts. To run down the rest of them for you, we have…Savanaclaw, based on the persistent spirit of the King of Beasts.” Trey counted the dorms on his fingers as he continued. 

“Octavinelle, based on the benevolent heart of the Sea Witch. – Scarabia, based on the mindful personality of the Sorcerer of the Sands – Pomefiore, based on the tenacity of the Fairest Queen – Ignihyde, based on the diligence of the king of the underworld. And finally… Diasomnia, based on the noble spirit of the Thorn Fairy.”

“I think you mentioned something like that,” Janae hummed, looking over at the ginger boy whose gaze was trained on the food in front of him.

“Not that we really remembered it,” Isa added.

“How could anyone remember those long ass names?” Grim said with a huff.

Cater laughed slightly. “You’ll understand it soon enough..-- my advice? Just look at the armband colors.”

“Most students kind of look like the houses they belong to as well,” Trey chimed in, pointing at one of the students that were sitting a little far off from their table.

Another student with a yellow and gold armband sat at a table, eating his lunch quietly. He looked really tall for his age – not to mention the fact the guy had large white ears protruding from his mane of hair.

“Y’all got furries here..?”

Deuce huffed a laugh, his eyes narrowing as he observed the guy silently. 

“Savanaclaw is filled with big guys like that, actually,” Cater chimed in, his phone suddenly appearing in his hand as he pulled up Magicam to show off an account. It looked like it belonged to that student they’d just seen.

It looked like he mostly posted workout videos.

“Look at him! His arms are as big as my head!” Cater sighed, fumbling with his strand of hair. “You do NOT wanna mess with those guys, seriously! I am not DTF – down to fight!”

“I don’t think you know what DTF means,” Ace replied, earning a laugh from Janae.

“Well, what about that guy over there?” Grim asked, pointing his paw over at a guy who had a grey and purple armband around his arm.

“Octavinelle,” Trey answered, humming slightly.

“And him?” Deuce asked, pointing to another student.

“Scarabia – they have red and gold armbands,” He added.

“They really just copied your flow like that?” Janae joked, earning a huff of a laugh from Cater.

“Ehh, we wear it better.” Cater shrugged before speaking again. “OH, but those kids are smart! Buncha geeks over at that house – which is funny ‘cuz the housewarden’s supes easy-going!” 

“..Well, anyway – that person over there with the purple armband there is Pomefiore,” Trey continued on, brushing past Cater’s comment.

“Woah – hey! It’s another girl!” Grim announced, pushing past Ace a bit to get a better look.

“Another girl?” Deuce asked, his eyebrows pulled together in confusion.

Ace scowled. “Idiot – that’s so obviously a guy. The only girls here are those two and that’s because they’re cheating the system basically.”

“Hey, speaking of Pomefiore – their housewarden’s super famous too!” Cater chimed in once more. “He’s got like A BUNCH of followers on Magicam, and he's an actor!”

“Which one’s that?” Isa asked, squinting her eyes as she tried to get a better look at the Pomefiore table.

“The one with blonde hair who’s practically glowing, I’d guess,” Deuce answered, pointing at the guy from before.

“They’re not just pretty faces, y’know. Most of the students in that dorm are great at mixing potions and casting curses.”

Cater sighed, laughing a bit. 

“True dat. You guys think maybe I could get the housewarden to snap a pic with me at some point? Cay-Cay needs some engagement.”

“Maybe if you asked really, really nicely and put a cherry on top,” Janae replied, smiling a bit.

“The next dorm would be Ignihyde,” Trey added, continuing down the line. “They’re a bit less outgoing than everyone else – in fact, practically nobody ever sees the housewarden.”

“Yeah, that guy’s an enigma,” Cater chimed in, nodding. “Even I don’t have any friends from Ignihyde.”

“Well, that just leaves Diahonyalara,” Deuce deducted, earning a laugh from Ace.

“You’re losing the plot.”

“SHUT UP. Is that not what it’s called..!”

“Diasomnia,” Isa corrected. “Lock in, Deuce.”

“WHATEVER.”

“Well, Diasomnia’s a bit more complex.. there’s a group of ‘em over there, actually!” Cater pointed to the table with kids who looked like they would’ve loved Warped Tour.

“Their vibes’ totally mysterious! Even I can’t get a feel for it – and I’m great at reading people.” 

“Who’s the kid?” Grim quipped, shooting the shorter boy a look.

Trey laughed at that. “That’s not a kid, he’s the Vice Housewarden of Diasomnia. Plus, he’s a junior just like me and Cater. His name’s–”

“Lilia. Lilia Vanrouge.”

The group let out a yelp in unison, peering up at the guy who’d just popped out of nowhere – Not to mention he was hanging upside down from the light above the table as well.

“WHAT THE HELL??” 

Lilia huffed a laugh, smiling as two little fangs poked out from behind his mouth.

“Despite what my youthful and boyish good looks may suggest, I assure you all that I am far from being a ‘child’.”

The group looked at each then back at the man.

Isa looked past him, noting the other two students who were standing a bit far off from him – one with silver hair and one with spiky green hair. Her stare was met with their hardened ones.

Lilia glanced at the two boy before chuckling slightly.

“Forgive me, for appearing over you while you were having a meal. I do hope we get to talk more in the future,” He said with a smile before vanishing into thin air once again.

The group fell silent for a moment before Ace spoke up.

“What’s with the abundance of freaks in this place!” 

Cater laughed nervously, sighing as he twirled his strand.

“Seriously, that guy scared the bojeebies outta me!” 

Trey hummed softly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Well, Diasomnia students kind of have a reputation for a bunch of students that’re extremely talented at magic.” He said, looking over at the table before turning his attention back onto the group. “Their housewarden's literally one of the top 5 mages in the whole world.” 

“Phew! N-G-L, Malleus is kind of bad news.” Cater added, humming softly as he scrolled through something on his phone. “Though, the same can be said for Riddle in a way."

Ace scoffed. “Yeah, I find that hard to believe. I mean, the little guy literally collared me over eating a slice of a tart! He’s got a serious stick up his ass.”

“Oh, is that how you feel, Ace?”

Chapter Text

Ace whipped his head behind him, meeting face to face with the housewarden of Heartslabyul, Riddle.

“What’s this, a slumber party? Why is everyone here?” Grim whispered to the two girls.

“SEVEN! H-Housewarden! I uh.. Didn’t see you there,” Ace stammered awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.

“What’s shakin’ bacon!” Cater said, extending a hand towards Riddle. He brushed it off with his arm, scoffing.

“Greet me like that again and it’s off with YOUR head next.”

“Damn, tough crowd.”

“WAIT A MINUTE, YOU’RE THE GUY WHO PUT THAT COLLAR ON ME DURING ORIENTATION!” Grim realized, putting his hands on his hips.

“I wouldn’t have had to do that if you didn’t cause a ruckus,” Riddle deadpanned. He turned his focus towards Isa and Janae, who, despite his height, began to feel really small.

“Ugh. What’s up with all the rulebreaking on campus recently? If the Headmage keeps letting this foolishness slide, chaos will ensue, and I can’t have that.”

Ace perked up. “You know, Riddle- HOUSEWARDEN, sir, I think I’ve learned my lesson now. Can you take this thing off?”

Riddle cast a glance Ace’s way, clearly annoyed.

“I actually came here to remove it, as I believed you would’ve learned your lesson by now. However, I can tell through the lack of remorse in your gossip you haven’t learned a THING. So, it's staying on.”

Ace sighed audibly, muttering something under his breath.

“I’m doing you a favor, to be honest. Now you won’t be able to make any stupid mistakes with your magic like I’ve heard in passing. Rule 271 states ‘One must leave the table within 15 minutes of completing their lunch,’ so you and your friends over there should start preparing for your next class,” Riddle said, pointing to Deuce and the Ramshackle Trio.

“..Yeah, whatever,” Ace replied, a little quietly.

“What was that?”

“YES HOUSEWARDEN.” Ace corrected himself, albeit with a hint of sass in his voice.

“Y-Yes housewarden!” Deuce replied, shortly after Ace.

“I’ll make sure they get to class, Riddle,” Trey said, putting a hand on his shoulder. 

“Very well. Thank you, Trey.” 

The group watched as Riddle walked away gracefully, towards the direction of the tea station.

“What the fuck was that?” Isa said when she believed he was far enough away from hearing distance.

“That guy has got a SERIOUS problem. But hey, at least it’s not my problem!” Grim replied, happily.

“Not too much, guys,” Deuce said, still looking a little bit shaken from the interaction. 

Ace scoffed in reply.

“Come on now Deuce, you KNOW that sucked. Whatever it was.”

Trey sighed. “Riddle became housewarden fairly recently, replacing the old guy. I know he has a good heart, just give him a chance.”

“I would be inclined to, if he didn’t COLLAR ME AND THROW ME OUTSIDE,” Grim said.

Janae snickered. “You really hold grudges, huh.”

“Not to downplay your trauma but.. What else was he supposed to do? That’s his signature spell,” Trey shrugged.

Isa and Janae gave each other a look, whilst Ace and Deuce perked up. 

“Signature spell?” Asked Janae.

“Oh yeah, forgot you guys are new here,” Cater said. “It’s basically in the name. A spell that only the user can do. Riddle’s allows him to like, generate collars that temporarily stop the magic of the person he hits. It’s called.. ‘OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!’ ”

Everyone looked at Cater awkwardly, a bit spooked from the scarily accurate Riddle impression.

“Ew,” Grim replied, deadpanning.

“Okay, yada yada, we know his backstory and whatnot now.. Can I PLEASE go back to my dorm room now? Please?” Ace interrupted.

“Ermmmmmm…. Yeahhhh… No.” Cater shrugged, as Trey gave Ace a half smile.

“ARE YOU GUYS SERIOUSLY NOT GOING TO LET ME BACK IN UNTIL I GET A TART.”

“Basically!”

“This school SUCKS, I should’ve applied for Royal Sword,” Ace said, planting his head face first on the table.

“Damn.. A whole tart is gonna be expensive, I dunno,” Deuce said.

“We can’t just make one?” Isa asked.

Ace got up immediately, eyes shining brightly. “SHIT! You’re right! Why didn’t I think of that!”

“You guys got that lowkey, I’ve never actually baked before,” Janae said, crossing her arms.

“It’s okay! They didn’t say it had to be a GOOD tart, just any tart,” Deuce shrugged, smiling. “Let’s just throw something in the oven.”

“Are you guys serious? You know Trey knows how to bake, right..” Cater said as he glanced over at the group.

The group let out an ‘oh’ noise in unison.

“And even if I didn’t, why the hell would you guys think to give him a mediocre tart? That collar’s staying on Ace forever if that’s your mentality,” Trey sighed. “Anyway, I wouldn’t mind helping, but I’m gonna need something in return, you know.”

“I’m locked out of my own dorm and you want me to give you my money when I’m already broke as is?” Ace groaned.

“Huh? No! I don’t bully froshes. I’m just gonna need a whole lot of chestnuts, Riddle said he wanted chestnut tarts next.”

“That’s still too much work but.. I GUESS I’m not losing anything in the process. How many do you need, dude?”

“...Maybe 2 or 3 hundred. And they gotta be boiled, shelled, and pureed.”

The group just stared at Trey, waiting for him to let them know whether or not this was some kind of sick joke. When they realized he was completely serious, Deuce, Isa, Janae and Grim began standing up.

“Pizza on me, guys!” Isa said as she began scooting out of the aisle, the rest of the group giggling along with her.

“WAIT. WHERE ARE YOU GUYS GOING? I THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO HELP ME!” Ace shouted as he stood up.

“Right? Don’t just ditch my boy Acey like that! And besides, we’ll save you some tarts too!” Cater backed him up.

-

It was embarrassing how quickly the group gained hope once Cater promised them free food. Their search for chestnuts had led them into the botanical garden, where they were honestly just going to swipe whatever they could find.

The inside was hot and humid, a sharp contrast to the slightly cool and a little bit dry atmosphere of the outside. Plants taller than 8 feet spread across the inside, some of them actually having mouths.

“So, do you guys see anything chestnut-shaped in here?” Janae asked.

“No.. But we won’t get anywhere if we just stand at the entrance. I think we should split up,” Deuce proposed.

“Okay! I’m going right, 'cause it’s the right way,” Ace said, proudly.

Deuce turned to his side. “..Sure. I’ll go left, then.”

Isa, Janae, and Grim all looked at each other. 

“I guess that means we go ONWARDS!” Isa said, pointing in front of her. Grim took the lead, with Isa and Janae following behind him. 

They walked for a few minutes, and when everything began to smell more sweet than marshy, they figured out they must be getting close to where the chestnuts could be.

Janae walked over what she thought was a randomly placed stick, when suddenly, she felt a hand grab at her ankle.

She screamed, and Isa and Grim quickly turned around.

“What the fu-”

The hand pulled at her leg, causing her to stumble backward a few paces.

“So, you’re just gonna step on my tail and not even apologize?”

Janae’s gaze snapped downward, her eyebrows pulling together in confusion as her brown eyes met tired and sharp green ones. The man moved to sit up, letting go of her ankle as he glared at the group.

His eyes sparkled with a bit of recognition as he let out a small hum. He took a step towards the Ramshackle Trio, focusing in on the two girls who stared back at him in fear and confusion.

He sniffed the air for a moment before speaking.

“You’re those magicless idiots who ruined orientation last week.” His voice was raspy as he crossed his arms. “You got a lotta nerve makin’ me stay at that dragged-out mess then steppin’ on my tail.”

“In our defense, we really didn’t mean to–” Isa spoke up, her eyebrows pulled together slightly as she rubbed the back of her neck. Her face felt hot all of a sudden and it was definitely due to the man in front of her.

“Y-yeah! It’s really Grim’s fault, actually,” Janae jumped in to aid her, feeling the exact same way. 

It was hard to push past the attraction when the man was staring so intensely.

“Hmph, nobody crosses me without payin’ for it,” The man said simply, resting his hands on his hips. “That’s gonna cost you.”

“Just take the cat, sir,” Janae spoke up suddenly, nudging Grim towards the man with her foot as Grim sputtered in fear.

“H-HEY!”

The man looked down at Grim’s shivering frame, thinking for a moment as he opened his mouth to speak.

“This pipsqueak isn’t even good for a light snack – what the hell are you two playing at?”

“Yo, Leona!”

The group’s gaze snapped behind Leona, locking onto the figure of another guy who seemed to be in the same house as him judging by his yellow vest.

“There you are! Been lookin’ everywhere for you!” The dirty blonde said with a huff, crossing his arms. 

“Hah?” Leona – apparently – let out a noise of confusion, narrowing his eyes at the smaller boy.

“We got afterschool classes today, man! What’re you doing – tryna’ skip, huh?” The blonde let out a weird snicker. “Well, I won’t let you. Not today, no way.”

Leona groaned, bringing a hand to his face in annoyance.

“Ugh, now you’re breathin’ down my neck too,” He said with a roll of his eyes.

Ruggie groaned, glaring at Leona.

“Dude, you’ve already had to repeat a year! If you get held back again we’re gonna be in the same grade.” He reminded him, making Leona’s ear twitch in annoyance.

“My god – okay, whatever. I hear ya, just shut up already, Ruggie.” He said with a long sigh.

“You’re actin’ like I’m here 'cause I like dickriding! Now, come on – let’s just get to class!”

Leona rolled his eyes, watching as Ruggie started to walk off before he turned his gaze back onto the group.

“If I catch you here again, I’m running ya fade, ya heard? BUP BUP BUP BUP”

The group nodded, watching him walk over before letting out a sigh of relief when he moved out of sight. Isa turned to Janae and she met her gaze, both equally flustered by the encounter.

“WHO EVEN WAS THAT GUY??” Grim yelled out.

“I got no idea..” Janae mumbled in response before pausing to look over at Isa. “He was kinda hot.”

“RIGHT.”

“Yo!” Ace’s voice rang out, signaling to the trio they had returned. “Didn’t find any chestnuts but we got baskets and tongs.”

Deuce’s eyebrows pulled together in confusion as he noticed the blush dusting the cheeks of the girls.

“The hell happened…?”

—

Since it was the end of the day, the group made their way back to the communal Night Raven kitchen, by the actual cafeteria. Trey and Cater were waiting for them inside.

“Hey, guys. I see you got a lot more than expected. A LOT.” Trey commented as he saw the inside of the basket Ace was holding.

“My god.. We probably won’t even need to do much preparation for the next un-birthday party, actually,” Cater said as he snapped a photo of the baking materials.

“Alright! Make us some delicious tarts!” Grim said, grinning.

Trey smirked. “Oh no. You guys better put on some gloves, I didn’t say this was a one man job.”

The group groaned in annoyance, prompting Trey to smirk even wider.

“Right, okay..” He hummed for a moment before looking over at Isa and Deuce. 

“You two can help me with mixing the dough,” He appointed before turning to look at Ace and Janae.

“You two can help me puree the chestnuts.”

“Yeah. So, how do you puree something again?” Ace asked Janae, who was reading the label of a flour package. She hummed, shrugging as she placed the flour down and looked over at Ace.

“Beats me.”

“You have to cut up the chestnuts into smaller pieces and then stick them in the blender,” Trey commented helpfully as he walked past them with a bowl.

“Ah. Easy peasy!” 

Janae watched as Ace grabbed a knife, and set the chestnut onto the cutting board. Before he could place the knife on it though, she stopped him.

“I think you’re supposed to shell them first.”

“Are they not already edible or something? This is too much work.”

“Have you ever stepped foot in a kitchen before? Or like.. Made ramen?” Janae asked.

“Of course, I’ve made ramen, I’m not 6. Though... I use the microwave more ‘cuz last time I tried to boil it, the water burned,” Ace monologued as he watched Janae pull out a mini pot. 

She poured warm water into it, and set the fire to medium heat, dumping about 12 chestnuts inside.

“We’re boiling them now?”

“Yeah. I’m pretty sure this is how you get the shell off, I think..”

“You learn something new every day. I thought you were supposed to peel them like hazelnuts.”

Janae let out a huff of a laugh, watching as the water slowly but surely started to come to a low simmer.

“I’ve actually never had a tart before,” She said after a moment, eyeing the pot. “I mean – I’ve heard they taste good in passing and stuff but y’know..”

“Oh, yeah. Tarts are great – they’re pretty similar to pies though If I’m bein’ honest.” Ace replied, looking over at the girl. “You can’t really go wrong with either and food is food to me.”

Janae deadpanned slightly, rolling her eyes a bit. “Yeah, I haven’t really had a pie like, ever, either.”

Ace shot her a look, his eyes pulling together in concern. 

“What the fuck do you eat then?”

“OTHER STUFF. Not everything is about dessert, biggie.”

Ace scoffed, slightly amused. 

“Yeah, okay – Whatever.”

The water came to a boil and after another moment, the duo was able to drain and then chop and puree as Trey had instructed so helpfully earlier. He popped back over, peering and confirming the chestnuts had been pureed properly.

“Now,” He started, reaching over to grab sugar and butter. “We have to add this to the paste.. – with an added addition of my secret ingredient – Oyster Sauce!”

The rest of the group stared at him, their eyebrows knitted with confusion.

“You’re joking..” Isa replied, frowning a bit as she eyed Trey.

“Dead serious! The salty flavor clashes with the sweetness of the chestnut perfectly and rounds out the whole dish.” He explained, pushing his glasses up. “Only the best bakers around the world do this kind of stuff.”

“They do?” Deuce asked, brushing his bangs out of his face.

Ace stretched his arms out. “I mean, people put chocolate and apples into their curry don’t they? Maybe it’s the same thing as that.”

“But, like, oyster sauce..? How do you even find this shit out?” Janae questioned, confused as well.

“Ehh, well – I guess Trey knows best!” Grim replied.

Trey let out a chuckle, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. “Come on guys, I’m kiddin’! Obviously no sane person would add that.”

“So, what was the point of that then?” Ace huffed, frowning at Trey who merely snickered in response. He moved the bowl closer, dropping cream into the chestnut mixture before stopping. 

There was an issue – all the chestnuts gathered had made the paste overpower the cream that they had. 

“I guess we’re in need of more cream, then..” Trey hummed thoughtfully, placing the empty bowl of cream down.

“I could run and get some real quick,” Deuce offered, looking at Trey who hummed in agreement.

“Yeah, could you? I’m pretty sure Sam’s got some in stock.”

“MYAH! Can I come too? My arm’s getting sick of all this stirrin’..” Grim whined out, stretching his arms out.

“Eh, I could use a break too, actually.” Isa chimed in, adjusting her glasses as she sniffled slightly.

“Shit, me too. Y’all got that though.” Janae said with a long sigh, cracking her knuckles.

Ace shot Deuce and Isa a glare, crossing his arms. 

“Yeah, leave me to do all the cleanin’ up and stuff.” He said with a huff.

“Eh, you’ll be okay.” Deuce replied, waving his hand dismissively before motioning for the other two to follow him.

“Be right back!”

—

After a long walk, the trio made it to Sam’s shop, a little cabin located in a gardenous area on campus. They walked in, ignoring the creaky front door and loud bell that rang once it opened, keeping a good eye out for some baking cream.

It was only Isa, Deuce and Grim in there, aside from Sam and a few other students who were lounging around by the potion ingredients aisle.

“Good afternoon, my little imps!” A cheery voice said from behind the group, causing them to jump and let out a universal yelp.

It was Sam, which was weird, because he was sitting at the front checkout section when they stepped inside.

“Welcome to my mystery shop! What can I do for you today? Do you desire copies of ancient scrolls from foreign lands? A voodoo doll that may or may not be genuinely possessed? Some laundry detergent?”

The trio stared blankly at him.

“Hey, it’s just a suggestion. The Spelldrive tournaments are coming up pretty soon.”

“Uh.. No sir. We actually brought a list of things we need, can you direct us to where we need to go?” Deuce asked.

He gave Sam the piece of paper, and he read it curiously.

“Heavy cream with 35% milk fat, 2 dozen eggs..”

“And a WHOLE buncha tuna!” Grim added, Isa quickly covering his mouth with her hand.

Sam smiled at Grim and placed the list in his pocket. “That’s an easy order, I have a bunch of those in stock. I’ll get them for you right now!”

Deuce looked around in awe whilst Sam strolled towards another section of the shop. 

“He really has everything in here. Even..”

Isa turned to the direction Deuce was staring at, as he went quiet. She thought it was a small section of candy wrappers, but why would they all be placed next to the lotion?

“Are those..”

“Here’s your items!”

-

“Check it out! He left a few cans of tuna at the bottom of the bag!” Grim said happily, walking side by side with Isa and Deuce.

Deuce’s eyes widened. “What?! Did I get charged for those?!”

He quickly took out the receipt, features softening when he realized the only things on it were the eggs and cream.

“Sam probably snuck it to Grim as a gift,” Isa said.

“ALL RIGHT! Food always tastes better when it’s free!.”

The two teens watched as Grim popped the can open with one little crush from his tiny paw-hands, drinking the water before he swallowed the contents inside whole.

“Ewwww, come on now, Grim..” Deuce grimaced.

Isa was about to laugh, but her breath was cut short when suddenly she found herself flying face first into the pavement. The eggs were not spared at all, she could hear the carton rolling down the street as the fresh eggs laid out in front of her, fully cracked and open.

She quickly sat up, trying her best to straighten out her skirt as she heard the sounds of gruff laughter behind her. Two tall guys with furry ears and their arms crossed chuckled as Deuce and Grim gazed at the mess in bewilderment.

“My fault,” The taller one said, no regret evident in his voice.

“BWAHHH! THE EGGS!” Grim squealed. 

Deuce rushed to Isa’s side, helping her up.

“What’s wrong with you guys?!” He said, directed towards the two guys.

At this point, both of them couldn’t hold it in. They began laughing louder, which prompted Deuce to pick up one of the eggs - it had somehow survived the crash - throwing it at full force at the one who put his leg out in front of Isa.

The egg cracked on his uniform, making a large, gooey, gross stain.

“The fuck? You know how much this shirt cost?”

“You literally tripped her for no reason,” Deuce said, pointing at Isa who was starting to feel slightly awkward. “AND THAT BROKE OUR EGGS.”

“You sayin’ it’s my fault she wasn’t looking where she was going?”

“YOU’RE PAYING FOR THESE. IT WAS 13 BUCKS.”

“The hell? I don’t care about no fuck ass eggs. You paid for them, and they cracked under your watch. THAT’S ON YOU.”

The two guys began laughing again, and Grim stood behind Isa, just about ready to go to the cafeteria. However, just as they turned around, a loud cracking sound startled them. 

When they turned around, they saw the two guys, still standing there, though the guy who had tripped Isa was clutching his nose. For the split second Deuce had his hand up, the duo could swear they saw a bit of blood.

-

“Sit still!”

Deuce winced a bit at the contact of hand sanitizer on his cheek.

Deuce had fought the two guys for way longer than Grim and Isa would have expected, and he surprisingly won and sent them running, just in time as it was getting dark.

“Man.. I hope the cameras didn’t catch that or anything. I was really hoping to have a clean slate this year,” Deuce said.

“Huh?”

“At my last school, I got suspended a lot because of fights.”

Grim and Isa’s eyes widened. 

“You? Fighting? Well.. Actually, I just saw it,” Grim deadpanned.

Deuce laughed. “I even joined a gang for a little bit and had to bleach my hair. It took me so long to find the right shade of blue to make it look natural again.”

“Wait, blue is your natural hair color?” Isa asked.

He looked at her confused. “..Yeah? Anyways.. I can’t go back. I came to NRC to make my mom proud of me, not disappointed.”

“Well, I mean.. You jumped in to defend me when some dudes were being assholes. Why wouldn’t she be proud of that?” Isa said, Grim nodding behind her.

“You have a point. But I think punching that guy in the nose was too much.”

“No Deuce, kicking him in the balls was too much,” Grim commented.

The trio laughed at that, Deuce still wiping a bit of blood off of his lip.

“I do appreciate it though. I was honestly going to walk it off and hope you never said anything about it again,” Isa shrugged.

“Well, sticking up for each other is what friends do, right?.. It’s been long enough I can assume we’re friends.. Right?”

“Yes, Deuce,” Isa said, rolling her eyes and pulling him into a hug.

Chapter Text

“Where have y’all been?” Ace frowned, as the trio stepped into the kitchen. “And what the hell happened to J…. Deuce?”

“Don’t ask about it,” Isa said, as she stood next to Janae, who was reading through a cookbook.

“Alright guys, let’s start!” Trey said, clapping.

The group continued on, finishing off the chestnut paste before setting in inside with the dough and finally popping it into the oven to complete the tart-making process.

“WE’RE FINISHED!” Grim yelled.

Trey wiped the sweat off of his forehead as they admired the final product. Beautiful chestnut tarts, decked with powdered sugar and a bit of cream on top for presentation.

“Yoo-hoo!” Cater’s voice rang out as he peeked his head into the kitchen, a lazy smile on his face as his eyes landed on the now-finished tarts. 

“Now his ass wanna show up,” Isa murmured, sucking her teeth.

“Guys, we did so well. Let’s take a pic for the cam!” Cater announced, pulling out his phone.

“WE? Did you even do shit?” Janae asked, clearly winded.

“NO. He’d come in periodically, sit his ass down and take pictures of himself with Magicam’s hotdog filter,” Ace grumbled. 

“You know what, it doesn’t matter, because, in the end, it’s over. Help yourselves, everybody,” Trey said, smiling.

“Don’t mind if I do,” Grim said, rubbing his paws together. Trey quickly grabbed him by the tail before he could reach the table, allowing everyone else to take at least one before Grim did.

The room was suddenly really quiet, a subtle announcement that the food was amazing.

Cater’s eyes widened, halfway done with his tart. “Wait, Trey! You should do the thing!”

Isa quirked an eyebrow up. “What thing?”

Trey’s eyes widened in realization. “Oh! Uh, what’s everyone’s favorite food?”

Everyone responded with their favorite foods, earning a nod from Trey.

“Okay. Let’s.. ‘Paint the Roses!’”

The room went silent, not exactly knowing what Trey meant by that. He crossed his arms.

“Take a bite of your tart.”

They all took a bite at around the same time.

“Oh.. Wow! It tastes like a California roll now,” Isa commented.

Grim gobbled up his tart like a hungry monster. “I TASTE.. CANNED TUNA!.. CHEESE OMELET!.. PUDDING!”

Trey smiled. “Cool right?”

“Yeah!” Deuce said, in between bites. “What, is changing the flavors of food your signature spell?”

“No, I can override colors, taste, smell, whatever. But it’s temporary.”

“Way cooler than Riddle’s magic!” Grim said, going for another tart before Janae stopped him.

Trey hummed slightly at the mention of him, licking a bit of the tart off of his lips before opening his mouth to speak.

“Riddle’s in a whole ‘nother league than me, his spell can actually be used as a weapon – if I had to simplify my spell down to one thing, it’d be more of a neat party trick.”

“I think your spell’s still pretty cool,” Janae chimed in, smiling at him. “I mean, while it’s not an actual weapon or anything, you could use it another way. Like.. imagine someone who did you dirty had a bad day at school and they’re tryna get lunch cause their favorite food’s being served or something, and – BOOM, you make their lunch taste like.. uhhh,” She looked over to Isa for help.

“Fish… Balls..?”

“Yeah, you make their lunch taste like fish balls.”

“What if their favorite food is fish balls?” Ace replied.

“Ain’t nobody got a taste for fish balls!” Isa retorted, narrowing her eyes at Ace.

“Don’t yuck anyone’s yum. It could be someone’s favorite food – maybe they like it 'cause it’s uh, I dunno, spicy.” He replied merely, shrugging.

“Are you speaking from experience?” Deuce said with a snicker, earning a laugh from the other two girls.

Trey offered the group a chuckle.

“Well, for what it’s worth – I appreciate the sentiment, Janae.”

He paused before continuing. “Though, while we’re on the topic of Riddle - I have to admit, I think it may be a little too late to hand these over to him.” He said with a sheepish look on his face. 

“Mhm! And the un-birthday party’s tomorrow too, Rid’s probably super busy R-N.” Cater added, not looking up from his phone.

Ace groaned, looking at the two other girls hopefully.

“Can I just crash with you guys again?”

“Ehh, yeah – whatever,” Isa replied with a shrug, continuing to pick at her tart.

“Seriously, how long are you gonna be like, banned from your own dorm?” Janae chimed in, her mouth stuffed with food. She gulped it down before shooting Ace a look.

“Our couch can’t take all that pressure on it for such an extended period of time.”

“She’s right – you can’t just keep mooching off of them. Lord knows what the hell they’re going through already with that rundown dump.” Deuce said with a sigh before pausing and looking over the duo. “No offense.”

“YEAH! You want the couch? You’re gonna have to pay, bud!” Grim said with a huff, shooting Ace a glare.

Ace’s face scrunched. “Yeah – like hell I’m gonna do that. I’d rather sleep outside and get bitten by mosquitoes.”

“That’s all you, man,” Isa replied, shrugging.

“Y’know, Deuce – how about you go stay over at their place too? Just to keep an eye on Ace.” Trey smiled slightly. “I’m the Vice housewarden and I give you a pass, just this once.”

“That’s got to be an abuse of power,” Ace chimed in with a huff, earning a slight laugh from Isa.

Cater shook his head, sighing.

“Aw, man! The freshmen get to have all the fun, hehe. Hey, how’s about I stop by as well! Whaddya say, guys?”

“No,” Everyone agreed in unison, earning a huff from Cater.

“Talk about party pooping…. You guys really know how to clip Cay-Cay’s wings.”

Trey sighed, turning to the duo. “I’m sorry I’m dumping them on you, but it’s just for tonight –  I promise.”

“Ehh, it’s fine. I guess we can finesse some extra help cleaning up the common room.” Isa said with a smile.

“Sleepover!!!” Janae announced enthusiastically.

—

“Phew,” Isa let out a huff, plopping down on the couch as she settled in next to Janae. “I’m at least happy the showers here work.” 

“Shit, me too. I feel dirty as hell after fucking around in the kitchen for so long.”

Isa hummed in agreement.

“Can you guys just pick a movie already!” Grim yelled out from his curled-up spot near the old tv.

“Hey, relax! We’re tryna work this thing!” Deuce replied, glaring at the cat before returning to the TV. He’d shed his uniform in exchange for wearing a plain white tee and some sweats.

“Yeah! Not to mention we’d appreciate some HELP, you know,” Ace chimed in, pouting at Grim who merely ignored his stares. He was situated to the right of Deuce, skimming through the movie options that the group had bought at Sam’s shop before returning home.

“..What movie is that?” Janae asked, her face scrunching in distaste as he leaned over Ace’s shoulder to see what he was looking at.

“Hah, this is the one I chose! It’s a classic for those film nerds who’re obsessed with horror and gore.”

“How can you just watch gore and be all fine and dandy?”

“Eh, it’s not REAL – it can’t hurt you or anything.”

“ I’ll hurt you .”

“Can’t we just watch something chill? I don’t feel like getting a nightmare,” Isa chimed in, peering over Ace’s shoulder as well.

“BOOO, you guys are the worst.” 

“I think I got it.” Deuce said, scooting back as the TV began to function properly.

“Pop a movie in!” Grim protested, clearly growing impatient.

“You gotta be put down for a nap,” Isa said with a sigh.

Ace obliged anyway, inserting some random movie into the DVD player before scooting back to settle against the sofa's foot.

The movie played with commentary from the group now and then before it eventually ended, which prompted an impromptu card game per Ace’s request.

The game went about as smoothly as it could with 3 of the 5 people there not knowing how to even play.

Ace threw out a Joker Card and Deuce tried to combat it with a Queen – getting his card snatched. Isa had slammed a card down and declared “UNO” loudly and Janae was stealing Grim’s cards when he wasn’t looking.

The game ended with Ace winning – probably by cheating – and that eventually started a chain of reactions that led to everyone packing up, leaving to return to their respective room/sofa for the night.

—

The morning came quickly and before the Ramshackle Trio knew it, they were sleepily shuffling down the stairs and tugging their blazers on. 

Deuce was sitting on the sofa, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he straightened his collar, noticing the sleepy faces of the rest of the group.

“Morning, guys,” He said with a half smile. “Un-birthday party’s today so, you guys know the drill!!”

The trio groaned noises of complaint in response to Deuce’s comment before there was a knock at the door. 

Janae shuffled towards the door, straightening her posture as she blinked away the sleep from her eyes. The door swung open to reveal Cater as bright-eyed as ever standing on the other side.

He leaned forward, bracing his elbow against the door frame.

“Mooornin’! How’d you guys like that little sleepover you had last night? Get a lotta good pics for me to upload?” He said with a smile to which Janae merely frowned a bit in response, feeling awkward due to the close proximity of his face.

“Why’re you here so early?” She questioned as the rest of the group slowly walked towards the entrance as well, curious about who had arrived.

“What, I can’t stop by to check on my new besties? Come on!” He said with a shake of his head.

“Eh, I guess it doesn’t matter either way,” Ace’s voice perked up, yawning slightly and sniffling as he wiped away the exhaustion tears that gathered in the corners of his eyes.

“Come on, let’s go shove this pie in Riddle’s face.”

“Tart.” Isa corrected.

“WHATEVER.”

Cater hummed approvingly, putting his hand on his hips. “Mhm! Love that for ya, Acey! Anywaysies, you guys should get over there quick – we’re pretty short-staffed right now.”

“Short-staffed?” Deuce repeated, tilting his head slightly.

“Ah – don’t worry about it! Cay-cay’s got it locked down.”

—

“Alright, team – here’s the game plan,” Ace started, his voice hushed as he leaned in to whisper to the group. “I’m gonna just walk in – hand Riddle the tart – say I’m sorry or whatever and then – start planning my revenge.”

“Have you learned NOTHING?” Grim said with a huff, crossing his arms.

“I’m more curious about what your plan would even be,” Deuce replied, shooting a confused expression.

“Hey, it’s about time you all got back!” A familiar voice called out, prompting everyone to snap their gaze onto the figure in front of them. 

“What’s cracka-lackin, me? Lookin’ hot and sexy as always!” Cater chirped, smiling at his duplicate who merely smiled back at him.

“Oh my god, there’s two of them..” Deuce mumbled out, his eyes scrunching in discomfort.

“Ew, not to mention he’s got the nerve to call himself sexy – HAH!” Grim huffed out, laughing.

“Is this one of those spells..?” Ace asked, looking between the two Caters with a weirded-out expression.

“Yup! That’s our signature spell – It’s called Split Card!” Cater B chirped out, earning a laugh from Cater A.

“Hey, that’s what I was gonna say!”

“Really? Me too!” Another voice chirped out as another clone popped out behind the two. 

“Welcome home, guys! I’ve been waiting for like, EVA!” Yet another voice rang out.

There were 4 Caters now, all high-fiving each other and conversing.

“This is freaky as hell..” Isa quipped, laughing a bit at the exchange.

“Ah – and draining as hell! Sorry, I know you like ‘em, but I gotta chill out for a sec!” Another Cater – presumably the original one – said with a tired sigh.

The clones disappeared into thin air leaving behind the real Cater who hummed appreciatively. 

“Alllrighty! Time to get down to business, freshies! We’re understaffed as previously mentioned soo, I’m totally gonna need your help – Come on, Let’s go.”

-

After helping Cater and a few other Heartslabyul students prepare the decorations, the Ramshackle Trio waited at a table for Ace, Deuce, Cater, and Trey to come back with a new change of clothes.

They made it back fairly quickly, donning card symbol patterned vests and expensive predominantly white jackets with a small red and black color scheme at the collar. The trio looked on in awe – they hadn’t gotten a chance to get any new clothes outside of the uniforms and a few random clothes Crowley had graciously gifted them.

“MYAH! What’s this?!” Grim said, admiring the new wardrobe.

“I thought you guys were gonna put on button-ups or something,” Janae said, scratching her head.

“YEAH. Now we look like the dumbasses who pulled up in these wack-ass blazers.” Isa said, frowning a bit as she adjusted her bag strap.

Ace grinned slightly. 

“Jealous?”

“FUCK NO.” 

Cater smiled, pulling out his phone. “It’s just the Heartslabyul dorm uniforms. Fancy, right? I think I should take a pic, we’d all look GREAT on my story.”

Isa rolled her eyes. “Man, I’m so tired of Crowley – he can pay for all these clothes for this dorm but can’t give us some extra cash to buy snacks at Sam’s shop.”

“Literally..” Janae hummed.

“Well, it’s not a Heartslabyul-specific thing,” Trey started. “Every dorm has its own variation of the uniform and rules on when to take them out, we just wear ours during parties.”

“Is that another rule?” Janae asked curiously, her eyebrows knitting.

Trey rubbed the back of his neck. 

“Well –”

The conversation was cut short as students frantically took their seats in the garden. The sound of expensive heels clicking towards the entrance got louder and louder until a familiar redhead popped out from behind the bushes.

He scanned the garden, sighing contently.

“The roses are red, the tablecloths are white, and it seems as if everything is in order. Trey, is a dormouse asleep in the teapot as usual?”

Trey stepped up. “Yes, sir. We’ve also prepared the jam to spread on its nose if necessary.”

“Very good.”

Cater turned to Ace, nudging him. “Earth to Acey! C’mon, You should give him the tart now!”

Ace sighed, his eyebrows furrowing as he awkwardly stood up – prompting everyone in the surrounding area to look over at him in confusion. He walked towards Riddle, interrupting the toast as he tapped him gently to get his attention before clearing his throat.

“Uh.. Housewarden, sir.”

Riddle looked him up and down in a condescending manner 

“Oh, It’s You.” He turned his full body to face him, a hand on his hip as he kept his attention on Ace.

“Have you come to apologize?”

Ace’s eyebrows twitched but he maintained his composure,  his lips quirking up into a fake smile.

 “I’m glad you asked! Yes, I actually did, and I brought a new tart!”

His eye perked up curiously, as he turned to face Ace directly. “Oh, really? And what kind of tart is it?”

Ace smiled a little wider, seemingly proud. “Chestnut! Freshly baked, and you bet we weren’t stingy with the cream.”

The garden was already silent before, but once Ace had announced what the team had made, it seemed like practically NO ONE was brave enough to make a peep. In the faint distance, Isa and Janae swore they could hear one of the fancy teacups fall on the floor and shatter dramatically.

 Riddle’s eyes were wide open, fixing a hostile gaze on Ace.

“You brought.. A CHESTNUT tart?! Are you aware of The Queen of Hearts’ 562nd rule?!”

Ace scratched his head, completely aware he was in big trouble. “Uh-”

“And I quote, ‘One must NEVER bring a chestnut tart to an un-birthday party.’ I can’t excuse this. You’ve RUINED a perfect un-birthday!”

“562 RULES?!” Grim repeated, a stunned expression on his face, prompting the two girls to cover his mouth quickly as to not attract any attention to him.

Riddle shook his head firmly. “810 of them in total. It is of utmost importance as housewarden that I’m able to recite every single one of them by page and number.”

He narrowed his eyes.

“And I’ve made sure that’s exactly what I do."

The group had all turned to Trey, who just shrugged awkwardly in response, offering them a nervous smile as he walked up to Riddle and placed a hand on his shoulder.

His expression turned serious as he sighed.

“Look, Riddle, this is all my fault. I suggested making a chestnut tart and helped him and his friends bake them.”

“W-well.. Since I’ve got the talking stick now – I do admit.. I was a bit of an enabler,” Cater admitted, a bit reluctantly. He held his hands up in defense. “We had no idea there was a rule about this, trust.”

Riddle scowled, his eyebrows furrowing deeply as he spoke... “The chestnut tart existing is not the problem. The problem is that you brought it HERE.”

Ace scowled, prompting Cater, Trey, and Deuce to look at him like he was crazy. He huffed, staring Riddle down as he tilted his head slightly, trying to figure the smaller boy out.

“Dude, what is your deal?! 'Cause it seems like all you do is just blindly follow the rules of some urban legend lady who died YEARS ago!”

Gasps could be heard from the tables surrounding the garden. Riddle’s face flushed bright pink as he continued glaring at Ace. 

If you looked close enough – you could see a vein on his forehead popping.

“So, what? Are you saying I have no free will? Calling me FOOLISH?”

Janae stood up quickly, silently stepping away from her chair as Isa and Grim quickly followed. 

“..Okay, guys! Things are getting MAD hostile right now! So, you know…we’re just gonna.. uh.. leave y’all to it –”

Ace grabbed Janae by the wrist, maintaining eye contact with her.

“Where do you think you’re going? This is dumb, right?”

“..I mean, yeah --”

“YEAH!” He replied, a frown on his face as he whipped his head to look towards the rest of the group. “And you guys too, SAY SOMETHING!” 

Deuce’s eyebrows knitted as he thought for a moment before he placed his hands on his hips with a slight huff. 

“Uh.. honestly... I agree with Ace. Some rules are meant to be followed, but it gets to a point.”

Isa nodded in agreement as Grim clung to her leg. “Literally. Now you’re just being a total tyrant, dude.”

“Hey, gang! So, how’s about we DON’T stir the pot too much!” Cater said, placing a hand on Isa’s shoulder as Trey frantically nodded. 

“FUCK THAT!” Ace replied, turning behind him to look at his fellow dormmates. His eyes narrowed as he spoke.

“Hey, you guys are just gawking over here, care to share your opinions with the class?”

Ace directed his attention onto everyone else in the dorm, who had been doing nothing but watching the chaos for the past 10 minutes. Everyone remained silent, and Ace sucked his teeth.

“Come on now. We all know I’M not the insane one here.”

“I-Its.. Uhh…” Someone in the crowd spoke up.

“It’s what?” Riddle urged, voice firm as he snapped his head towards the sound of the voice.

“It’s a lie, housewarden Riddle sir! Your rules are reasonable!”

The group looked over at the other Heartslabyul students with a deadpan look, sucking their teeth before they turned their attention back onto Riddle.

“COWARDS.” Isa narrowed her eyes.

Ace rolled his eyes. “No, seriously! Zip up his pants when you're done.”

Riddle’s eyes narrowed as he took a step closer to the group, encouraging them to move back a little – everyone but Ace.

“Since I became a housewarden, no one from the Heartslabyul House has dropped out or been held back,” He frowned, his voice dripping with anger. 

“Not to mention, I have a PERFECT transcript and I'm at the top of every single one of my classes! You SHOULD be listening to me!” He said, his face seeming to flush an even deeper pink.

Deuce’s eyebrow knitted as he hesitantly took a step forward.

“Right.. we get that, but –”

“BUT nothing. It’s not that I’m doing this because I want to, I'm doing this to uphold the rules.” He stated firmly, glaring at Deuce. “Rules that I follow strictly because I am the face of Heartslabyul.”

“Still.. Don’t you think it’s a bit much?” Janae tested, tensing up slightly as she attempted to make a point. “I mean, being a gifted student doesn’t give you the right to throw people out of their housing just for eating a tart.”

“Or continue to patronize them about it,” Isa added, hesitantly helping Janae.

“E-exactly! You’re bein’ a stickler is all!” Grim said, his eyebrows furrowed. 

Ace glanced over at the trio, the corners of his mouth quirking up slightly – happy for the assistance. 

Riddle scowled. “Since you all clearly aren’t listening, how about I explain it in a way you can understand? If you disobey me and my rules – it’s off with your heads.” His voice was calm despite the look on his face that made it seem like he was about to blow.

Cater nodded, laughing awkwardly as he placed his hand on Isa and Janae’s shoulders.

“Yup, got it! Everybody say, ‘THXXXX, Riddle’!” He suggested, looking between the group who returned his gaze with determined ones.

“Hell no! I’m not agreeing to anything!” Ace replied defiantly, scowling at Riddle.

“Right, guys?”

Deuce and the Ramshackle Trio let out noises of agreement, backing Ace up very simply and quickly.

“I’m sorry, Housewarden – I just can’t agree with you.” Deuce doubled down, his expression pensive.

“Exactly! You’re being a despot!” Ace chimed in, narrowing his eyes.

Riddle tilted his head, his eyes narrowing at Ace as his eyebrows furrowed deeply.

“.. What did you just call me?”

Grim waved his paws in annoyance, stomping his foot. “He called you a no-good-selfish despot! One who throws tantrums when he doesn’t get what he wants!”

Janae bent down quickly, scooping Grim up as Riddle took a few more steps forward, his aura clearly filled with rage as his hands clenched at his sides.

“Uh – hey, guys – maybe we shouldn’t –” Deuce started before he was cut off by Riddle yelling out his signature spell.

Sparkles appeared as new collar shackles latched onto the necks of Deuce and now Grim – for the second time in one week.

He whipped his head behind him, his expression wild with anger as he looked at Cater and Trey.

“Trey! Cater! ESCORT THEM OFF THE PREMISES.”

The two looked at each other before obliging, nodding slightly.

“Yes, Housewarden..” They said in unison, taking long strides forward.

“WH– HEY! I thought you guys were on our side!” Isa yelled out as Trey placed a hand on her shoulder, gently nudging her away from the party.

“YEAH, CATER. WHAT THE HECK?” Janae added, her face scrunched in confusion.

Cater offered her a fake smile, his eyebrows knitted in genuine worry.

“Sorry, guys! You know how it is.. I’m just followin’ orders.”

Ace sputtered, whipping his head to look over at Trey who met his eyes with a slightly pensive expression.

“Come on, dude!”

“Sorry man,” Trey said with a sigh.

The group continued to fight against the two upperclassmen before they were eventually escorted off of the campus, the gates of Heartslabyul closing in their faces with a creaky slam.

“Sorry, guys – SRSLY! We’ll TTYL, ‘kay?” Cater said with an awkward smile on his face.

“Maybe Riddle will calm down and let you explain things if we just talk to him,” Trey added, a sympathetic smile on his face. “Then you can apologize and this whole thing can get cleared up.”

“You really think after all that he’d want an apology?” Isa asked, scrunching her face slightly.

“As IF he’d even get one from me! I’d rather spend another night sleeping in the dingy ass dorm these three are living in than apologize to that lunatic!”

“HEY!” Janae replied, annoyed by the random stray.

Trey and Cater looked at each other before sighing and turning as they moved to walk off without another word.

The group stared at the gate silently for a moment as their figures went out of view, completely dumbfounded.

“..What the fuck just happened?” Janae mumbled out.

“I have... no idea?” Isa replied, blinking blankly as well.

“DAMNIT! UGH – Guys like that get me so pissed!” Ace yelled out, his fists clenching in anger and he frowned. “Thinks’ he can walk with his cock swinging around just ‘cause he’s in charge,” Ace scoffed. “FUCK THAT, yo – let’s go figure out a way to get back in.” 

“Yo, maybe you should like heh.. oh, I dunno.. CALM THE FUCK DOWN??” Janae suggested, shooting Ace a bewildered look.

“NO, SERIOUSLY! We were doing so well and then everything went wrong!” Deuce added, his eyebrows furrowed. “Ugh.. I’m so mad too – he didn’t even give us a chance to explain our side or anything.”

“That’s lowkey so embarrassing though, literally everyone was just standing there,” Isa added, cringing.

Deuce’s lips pressed into a thin line as he let out a slight whine.

“Everyone did see that..” He repeated, frowning. “Ugh, how could I let this happen..! Being banned from your own dorm within the first week of school is totally going to fuck up my transcript!”

“FUCK YOUR TRANSCRIPT,” Ace said with a huff. “THIS AIN’T ABOUT GRADES ANYMORE – IT’S ABOUT REVENGE.”

“Alright, relax,” Isa said with a roll of her eyes.

“No, literally,” Janae replied, giggling slightly.

Ace shot the two a glare.

“Hey, I’m the only one thinking about the future here! Real talk, how the hell do you even get across to a guy like that? He’s a self-obsessed, maniacal, uptight asshole..!”

Grim huffed, straining at his collar. “Urgh! This thing’s so damn tight!”

“Man, is it spirit week or somethin’ – you’re all repping the same freaky collars,” A voice suddenly rang out, the group’s attention snapping towards it.

The floating head of a paler looking boy with choppy purple hair and cat ears grinned down at the group, yellow eyes glinting with interest. He looked to be around the same age yet, he didn’t look like anyone they’d seen around.

“AND WHO THE HELL ARE YOU??” Isa yelled out, jumping behind Janae.

“More like WHAT are you – why’re you just a head?!” Deuce added, his stance guarded.

“Duh, prolly’ a signature spell.” Ace with a shake of his head, crossing his arms with a huff. “Get your head in the game, Juice.”

Deuce swiftly kicked him in the shin, turning his attention back onto the floating head.

The guy paused for a second, before clicking his tongue. “..I fear I didn’t load in correctly. My name is Alchemi Alchemivich Pinker.”

“Al.. Al-che.. Run that back?” Ace said, confused.

“Everyone calls me Che’nya for short,” The guy smirked.

The group gave each other a look before turning back to Che’nya. 

“So.. What dorm are you from?” Janae asked.

“Make a hypothesis.”

“Maybe he’s from the one with all the furry animals! Ba..nana..claw.. Was it?” Grim asked.

“I’m not a banana, I’m a cat.”

Ace groaned. “Look man, some fucked up shit just happened a few minutes ago and I really don’t have time for your weirdness right now.”

“May I ask if it has something to do with Riddle?”

Deuce scratched his head. “Dude.. Do you even go here?”

“Maybe I do, maybe I don’t. And perhaps there are some things I know, and some things I don’t.”

“CAN YOU GET TO THE POINT?” Isa said, albeit a little loud.

“I’m tryna say, do you wanna know a secret about Riddle?”

Everyone in the group frantically nodded, as Che’nya smiled at them.

“Well then, ask his friend with glasses. I keep secrets, not tell them.”

Deuce made an ‘o’ shape with his mouth. “Friend with glasses? Do you mean Trey?”

Ace slapped him on the back. “No, Juice, he means Cater.”

“ENOUGH OF THAT NICKNAME.”

“Indubitably. The three of us have known each other since we were little kids, so he definitely has information,” Che’nya replied.

“Ah.. I never would have guessed.”

“Yeah, you never would've. Toodles!”

The group watched as Che’nya’s floating head fully disappeared, but not before letting out a loud ass cackle that scared a few of the birds perched up in the heart trees.

They all stood in silence for a few seconds, as Grim crossed his arm.

“The hell is up with the students at this school?”

Chapter Text

The group waited outside the library for Trey, who they figured would show up at some point to return the cookbook that gave instructions about the tarts.

He spotted the group sitting at a table in the back, eyes widening in shock.

“You guys?”

“Hey…” All of them replied dryly in unison, tired from sitting in the same spot for a few hours.

“Just so you know, we still have a problem with the way Riddle is running things,” Ace pouted.

Trey sighed in response, scratching his head. “..Yeah.. I figured.”

“We heard that you and Riddle are childhood friends actually,” Janae chimed in.

“Huh?! Who told you that?!”

Ace rolled his eyes. “Some purple-haired cat named Che’nya.”

Trey crossed his arms. “Ah.”

“But Trey, aren’t you a third year? You should be able to like.. Talk some sense into Riddle, right?” Deuce asked.

“It’s not that simple.”

Grim groaned. “What isn’t?”

“See.. I just feel bad. I’m pretty sure he’s the way he is because of, well, his parents .”

Ace snickered. “What? They didn’t let him take a cookie from the cookie jar?”

Deuce nudged Ace slightly, shooting him a look before they eased up to listen to what Trey had to say.

“No, it’s much deeper than that. They’re kind of famous where we’re from, known for their admittedly incredible healing abilities. His mom wanted him to follow them down that path of success, y’know? So she was a bit of an authoritarian.”

Grim’s expression morphed into something more sympathetic. “Authoritarian?”

“Yeah. Riddle wasn’t allowed to eat certain things, dress in certain ways, hang out with certain people, etc. When he wasn’t hanging out with me and Che’nya, he was locked up in his room, studying things we weren’t even learning yet.”

“...Well, now I feel shitty,” Isa admitted, slumping down in her seat. 

“I think he thinks enforcing strict rules on everyone will help them grow better. It’s pretty much the only thing he knows,” Trey elaborated. “That’s why I can’t hold this situation against him.”

Ace nodded. “Ohhhhh. Yes, yes, I get it. This is all your fault, Trey.”

Everyone snapped their heads towards Ace, letting out a universal ‘WHAT’ at his statement.

Trey blinked, a bit dumbfounded by Ace’s sudden reply.

“I’m..sorry?” He said, his face scrunching in confusion.

“You heard me,” Ace doubled down, crossing his arms.

“Sure, he didn’t have the best parents – that’s shitty, I get it,” He started, his voice calm as he spoke. “But that’s not an excuse for the way he’s been acting – at all. Not to mention, he’s a grown-ass man! Even if he’s got a year over us – that’s an extra year of knowledge or..something.”

The group looked at each other and then back at Ace as he continued.

“And worst of all, you claim to be his friend yet you’re stifling him just like his parents did. I mean, seriously, man, think about how stupid it is letting him take out all his anger on everyone else just ‘cuz his life’s been rough!” He frowned.

“You’re no better than his parents who claim they know what's best for him – at this point, you’re letting him get worse!”

The group sat in silence for a few seconds, exchanging glances at each other and at Trey who they were waiting for a response from.

Ace scoffed. “So you’re just not gonna say anything? Bet you’re afraid of it being ‘off with your head’ too.”

Deuce started. “Ace, man, I think he’s had enou-”

“SHUT UP. This is pathetic!”

Loud shushing sounds could be heard from behind Trey, and a familiar principal with a bird mask made his presence known.

“ALL OF YOU! BE QUIET! THIS IS A LIBRARY!”

Grim scowled. “ARE YOU NOT YELLING AT US RIGHT NOW?”

Crowley paused. “Oops! My apologies.”

He sat down at the empty chair next to Ace and Janae, crossing his legs. “So, what are the youth discussing these days?”

Isa shrugged. “Why are you here?”

“I just wanted to gather more information on possible ways to send you AND you back home. Just like I promised a week ago! Aren’t I so gracious and thoughtful? I wasn’t making my way towards the back of the library where all the newly released rom-coms are shelved.”

Everyone stared at Crowley as he stared back, a wide smile stretched across his face.

“Why is everyone staring at me like that? Come to think of it, you had the same grim expressions on your faces before I came over here. What is the matter?”

-

“Hmm, yes. I hear you. You refuse to apologize, as you believe he doesn’t deserve an apology, but at the same time, you are unsure if there is another way to remove the collars without doing so.”

Ace nodded. “The gist.”

“Well, the usual thing I suggest concerning situations like this one, is to transfer dorms. You don’t have to put up with this, however, that would require much paperwork and loss of free time on my hands,” Crowley shrugged.

“Uh, no, I’m not transferring. That’s just another way of admitting defeat.”

“Oh, really? My second solution is to challenge Mr. Rosehearts for leadership of the dorm.”

“HUHHHH?!” The ramshackle trio, plus Ace and Deuce yelled out in unison. A few kids who were studying at the tables surrounding the group shushed them.

“..Sorry. But.. WHAT?!” Deuce whisper-shouted.

Ace shook his head. “IS THAT NOT INSANE?!”

“No, not really! You see, that’s how Mr. Rosehearts got his position in the first place,” Crowley said.

“So then.. How does this whole housewarden thing work?” Janae asked.

Isa nodded. “What I’m asking.. Trey said that Riddle became a housewarden his first week ever.”

“Well, there are many ways! The former housewarden could appoint you, or you could even challenge them to a duel. Many students have picked the duel option before.”

“I thought fighting was against the rules,” Ace said.

“If it’s a duel then obviously you’d have to fight,” Janae whispered to herself. 

Ace shot her a dirty look.

Trey crossed his arms. “Having your collar on would be an unfair disadvantage. So if you two dueled, Riddle would have to take it off.”

“..So, what do you say, Mr. Trappola? Are you going to duel Mr. Rosehearts?”

“Ehhhhhh, sure!”

“So, what? He just goes up and like - declares he wants to run his fade?” Isa asked, blinking in confusion.

Crowley tilted his head in confusion but nodded. “I’m not too sure what running a fade is, however, if you’re referring to fighting – yes! That’s usually how it goes, Mr. Rosehearts just has to accept your terms.”

“If that’s the case..then I wanna try too!” Deuce said suddenly, slamming his hands on the table as he pushed himself up.

The action earned another shush, prompting him to sit back down with a slightly embarrassed expression.

Ace turned to him with a curious look.

“Woah, what’s this all of a sudden?” He said with a teasing grin, nudging Deuce. “Did getting collared make your balls drop too?”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP – It didn’t! I just figured it’d be easier to fight him 2v1! Especially since he’s a grade level above both of us,”

“Well, he’s got a point,” Isa chimed, humming slightly. “He might wipe the floor with Ace if it’s just him alone.”

“Hey!” Ace glared at her, frowning a bit. “Have some faith in me, asshole! Plus, I don’t have to kill the guy or anything – just get him knocked down.” He dusted off his blazer with a smug grin.

“Easy-peasy.”

Crowley shot the group a close-eyed smile, nodding curtly. “Great! I’ll start on the paperwork then,”

Ace hummed, leaning back in his chair as he brought his arms up to the back of his head.

“Right, that’s all fine and dandy but, we don’t have a plan for this duel,” Isa brought up, leaning closer to Ace. “I don’t suppose you got one off the top of your head?”

“Any good ideas, guys?” Ace asked, turning to look around the table.

“I got nothing lowkey..” Janae said with a sigh, rubbing the back of her neck.

“Me neither!” Grim said with a huff. 

“Hm..I think we could take him honestly – the guy’s pretty wimpy, doncha think? One solid jab to his face and he’d spin like a pinwheel.”

Janae laughed at that comment, giggling a little as she imagined Riddle spinning like a beyblade.

“Question is, can you even fight, Ace?” She asked, shooting him a curious look.

“What kind of question even is that – yeah I can fight!”

“I dunno you look mad scrawny..” Isa chimed in, shaking her head. “I mean, I know Deuce’s ass can fight – he’s like a retired gang affiliate but you? Mm-mm.”

“WHERE ARE YOU GETTING GANG AFFILIATE FROM??” 

“You were in a gang?” Janae asked, suddenly curious as a wide smile spread across her face. “Wow, Deuce..did the streets change you..?”

Deuce sucked his teeth, prompting a snicker from Janae.

“ANYWAYS, the point is – all we gotta do is give him a few punches and keep it pushin’!” Ace said with a huff.

“Ah-ah-ah!” Crowley suddenly interrupted the conversation. “Did I forget to mention? Duels are only to be fought with magic – no fists allowed.” 

“What..!?” Ace and Deuce said in unison, looking over at each other when they realized.

Crowley merely nodded.

“A good civilized duel, it doesn’t get any better than that!” He said with a nostalgic sigh, looking up at nothing before turning his attention back onto the group. “Now, I should finish all the paperwork by tomorrow – by then, I expect you two to be ready!”

Ace nodded, a nervous grin on his face. “Aight – ..’ course – I’ll figure something out!”

Deuce grinned, turning his attention onto the Ramshackle Trio. “Yeah! You can count on us guys!” 

The Ramshackle Trio looked at each other then back at Ace and Deuce.

“Sure..” Isa replied with a slight smile.

“We gotta plan though, I’m lowkey not associating with y’all if you get your asses beat.” Janae said with a deadpan look.

“Woah, I didn’t hold it against you two when you almost burned down orientation,” Ace replied, biting back a grin.

“YES YOU DID?? OUR FIRST CONVERSATION WAS JUST YOU CLOWNING US,” Janae said, frowning.

“EXACTLY, STOP TRYNA GASLIGHT US.” Isa chimed in, her eyebrows furrowed.

–

The day continued on before they knew it, everyone was heading over to the Heartslabyul portal to meet up for the scheduled duel near the rose bushes. Grim’s feet were heavy as he walked over with the other two half-dead Ramshackle perfects.

Ace and Deuce stood a little ways away from them, speaking with Riddle as he finally released them from his magic.

“Fuck – finally..!” Ace said with a huff, rubbing his neck as he tilted it, sighing in comfort as soft cracking sounds emitted from it.

“Enjoy it for now,” Riddle said simply, his gaze cold. “I plan on putting it back on as soon as this little thing is done with.” He scoffed slightly, shaking his head.

“I can’t believe you were foolish enough to even suggest this..” He sighed, bringing his fingers to his temple. “Is this some kind of joke?”

“I dunno..it feels more like a humiliation ritual..” Isa whispered to Janae, prompting her to close her eyes and try not to laugh.

Ace glared at the two girls as they tried to play it off.

“Do I look like I’m joking?” Ace asked, cracking his knuckles. “Stop being such a priss and fight us already.”

Deuce’s eyebrows furrowed in determination as he stood up straighter. 

Riddle’s eye twitched slightly but he inhaled deeply, trying his best to maintain his composure as he sighed heavily.

“Fine. Let’s just get this over with then, shall we?”

Cater shuffled a bit closer to Riddle, a nervous close smile on his face.

“Hey, so! About that afternoon tea, Rids! Hah, when exactly do you wanna have it – cause it’s already past 3:30, y’know?”

Riddle cast a glance over his shoulder at Cater, his gaze neutral and his tone calm as he spoke.

“Have you forgotten? 4 PM sharp, Cater – and please do not call me ‘Rids’ ever again..”

Cater nodded, giving him a salute as he returned to his spot next to Trey and thankfully, a bit farther away from the action. He made sure Riddle’s attention was turned back onto Ace and Deuce before he whipped out his phone and started filming everything.

Cheers for Riddle erupted as the rest of Heartslabyul cheered him on, whether it was because they wanted to or because they were scared shitless.

Isa and Janae began to cheer in contrast to that, waving their hands and whooping as they cheered Ace and Deuce on.

“On your mark, Headmage,” Riddle said simply, his gaze never leaving the two.

“When the mirror I've thrown shatters upon the ground, that is your signal to begin,” Crowley said simply.

Ace and Deuce readied their wands, fingers tightly clutching them as they braced for any and everything.

“Ready... Go!”

The two started off strong, charging towards Riddle quickly as they managed to get off a few attacks. The attacks weren’t relatively strong but they were enough to at least mess with Riddle’s vision a bit. Not that it lasted for too long since he’d managed to get another attack off, successfully knocking Deuce off his feet and into a rose bush.

Ace glanced over at Deuce’s form in the rose bush, watching as Isa awkwardly shuffled over with Grim to try and help him out of there before he got pricked. Riddle fired off another attack that Ace barely managed to dodge.

He started readying his pen, trying his best to get a spell off with his head so fuzzy.

“Off With Your Heads!”

Ace and Deuce yelped, their magic being shut down.

“Damnit!” Ace yelled out, clenching his fist as he groaned in annoyance. “I didn’t even get to fire my last one off!”

Deuce shuffled to his feet as Isa assisted him, a concerned look on her face.

“That was barely even a minute!” He said with a huff, groaning as he rubbed the back of his neck.”

“It’s just over??” Isa questioned, confused by how suddenly the match went.

Crowley hummed thoughtfully. “Visualization is the key to spell-casting, the better you are at accurately visualizing your magic's effects, the stronger and more precise it will be.” He smiled. “It would appear Mr. Rosehearts has finely honed his magic. What’s done is done.”

Riddle scoffed. “You two didn’t even last 5 minutes against me, this is what you brought to the table? Whatever those sad pathetic attempts at magic were?” He scowled, his eyes narrowing. “My mother was right – a man who cannot follow rules is a man who cannot achieve anything.”

“Yo, what's your deal..” Isa murmured, catching the attention of Riddle who slowly whipped his head toward the sound of her voice.

“What was that? Do the magicless students of all people have the audacity to speak down to me?” He said, his voice dripping with annoyance as he took steps closer.

She held his gaze but it was a bit hard to, with the way the guy was staring so intensely – even if he was like what? 4’11 – he was intimidating – she had to give him that.

“Heh.. so you see..” Isa started, the situation starting to seem like Riddle was gonna find a way to collar her as well.

“NAH, she’s right, though! What is your issue? You act like you’re THE guy but, you’re lowkey just some random who can do magic or something, I guess.”  Janae spoke up suddenly, a frown on her face.

Riddle’s eyes narrowed.

“Of all people, you should not be talking — your place isn’t even at this school – let alone are you in any place to speak about how I act.”

Janae frowned, embarrassment creeping through her as she narrowed her eyes at the smaller boy.

Deuce’s eyes widened slightly as he scowled.

“Hey –!”

“YOU ASSHOLE!” 

Ace stormed over, his sneakers stomping against the soft grass of the rose garden as he winded his fist back quickly, delivering a hard and rough punch straight across Riddle’s face.

He winced, moving back as he cupped his cheek in surprise. Riddle’s eyes flickered as he registered what had just happened, a mumble of ‘What’ leaving his mouth as he made eye contact with Ace was rubbing his hand.

“WH – HUH??” The group sputtered out, their mouths hanging open as they stared at the scene that had just occurred.

“HELLO??” Isa whisper-shouted, her pupils blown wide.

“Ace??” Deuce’s mouth was agape as he stared at the boy.

“Fuck this, man – fuck this whole duel – I’m so done.”

Riddle’s eyes glinted with anger as he removed his hand from his cheek.

“EXCUSE ME?”

Ace scowled at him, crossing his arms. “It’s not anyone’s fault that you became such a tyrant, dude – especially not Trey’s... it’s all your OWN fault, Riddle. You’ve been here, what? A year and you can’t even find some friends that keep you in line when you’re so clearly losing your fucking mind!”

Riddle’s face scrunched in confusion. “Wh..What’re you talking about..!”

“I mean, yeah – I’d go crazy too if I had the same upbringing as you but, that’s not a reflection of who you are. Just because your mom acted a certain way – it doesn’t mean you have to be the same way.” Ace continued, maintaining eye contact with Riddle.

“You wanna hear the truth? You’re just a baby that’s good at magic.”

Riddle seethed, his teeth gritting and he clenched his fists.

“A baby..? Did you just call me a baby..?!” He grunted, clutching his shirt. “You don’t know me – you don’t know anything about me! How dare yo–”

“BLAH BLAH. I don’t care about what you have to say,” Ace with a huff. “I’m standing on what I said. You’re a brat.”

Riddle’s face flushed in anger, his eyes shrinking and his eyebrows furrowing as he bit his lip.

“Riddle – hey..man, the duel’s already over..” Trey approached him hesitantly, his expression full of concern.

“I agree with Mr Clover,” Crowley added. “Mr Trappola has been disqualified due to inflicting physical violence. If you two don’t cease your conflict right now, I’ll have to write you BOTH up for violating the rules!”

Isa, Janae, and Grim ducked as a small item in the shape of an oval flew over their heads. 

It landed on Riddle’s uniform with a loud ‘SPLAT’ sound, leaving an ugly yellow stain on his white collar.

“What the.. an egg?” Trey said, bewildered.

The red on Riddle’s cheeks started to spread from his cheeks to the rest of his face and a bit of his neck. “WHO THREW THAT?!” He yelled.

A group of students were holding a carton of eggs, clearly visibly pissed.

“He’s right, Riddle! We’re sick of all these rules!”

The main group gave each other looks as the Heartslabyul students began talking over each other at once. The group wasn’t able to hear the full conversation, although they could make out through a few words that the students were all saying derogatory things about their housewarden.

In a moment that seemed completely out of character, Riddle began hysterically laughing. 

“You’re sick? YOU’RE SICK?” He repeated, his voice laced with venom. “I’M SICK OF ALL OF YOU! NONE OF YOU LEARN. NO MATTER HOW STRICT I AM, YOU ALL JUST REFUSE TO LISTEN TO ME! IT’S VERY CLEAR THAT NONE OF YOU VALUE YOUR ABILITY TO USE MAGIC. OFF WITH YOUR HEADS!”

In an instant, the kid who spoke up and threw the egg at Riddle was collared, letting out a loud shriek at the impact. His friends got the message, grabbing him by the arm and turning to run into the rose maze. 

Riddle continued laughing, collaring the remaining students who weren’t able to flee in time.

“ROSEHEARTS! What are you doing?! I expect WAY better behavior from you !” Crowley scolded an upset expression on his face.

“Riddle, stop!” Trey yelled, trying to remove Riddle’s magical pen from his hand. Riddle quickly turned, and Trey let out a loud pained grunt as he knocked him over into the grass, falling onto his side. Cater quickly came to his aid, helping him up by the shoulder.

“So, you’re not a baby, but the second you get constructive criticism you throw a temper tantrum?” Ace taunted from the side.

Riddle was furious, his whole body completely tomato red at this point. He stood in front of Ace, his jaw clenched and fist curled into a ball.

“TAKE IT BACK RIGHT NOW, OR I’LL KILL YOU.”

“Suck my dick.”

The peaceful breeze that had been slightly chilled for the past few hours outside Heartslabyul began to get colder and colder, and the winds more forceful and sporadic. 

“MYAHHH! We have to seek cover before things get ugly!” Grim yelled, clinging onto Janae’s leg.

The two girls frantically nodded, grabbing Deuce and ducking behind a tree as things began falling off of the beautifully decorated tables, glasses hitting the ground and shattering.

“WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING?!” Isa yelled.

Deuce’s eyes widened. “..THE TREES!”

They watched as a giant rose tree was violently uprooted from the ground, dramatically slamming onto a part of the rose maze as a few other trees followed suit.

The grip the tree next to them had on the grass seemed to be getting looser by the second until it finally snapped. The four of them watched as it leaned forward in their general direction, and braced for impact, closing their eyes and holding onto each other.

However, instead of feeling the violent crush of a large object on top of four vulnerable people, something light fell on their heads instead. 

And there were multiple of them.

Janae opened her eyes first, picking the thing off of her head. She stared at it for a few seconds, trying to analyze the grotesque clown photo with a bunch of numbers staring back at her.

“..A card?”

Riddle’s eyes widened. “Nnnhhh?? W-What?!”

Ace removed his hands from his face, taking a look around the now messed up un-birthday party set. “..Wow, this is a mess. And what’s with all the cards?”

Trey put his hand down, as Cater took a snap of the scenery. 

“Remember my signature spell? I said I can override the characteristics of anything for a short amount of time. I think you four best get out of that corner just in case, though.”

Deuce, Isa, Janae, and Grim quickly scrambled out, Deuce a little slower than the others as he took a second to get rid of a card that was stuck to the bottom of his sneakers.

Students who were also hiding came out from under the tables and the inside of the maze, murmuring and giving Riddle uneasy gazes.

“This... No! OFF WITH THEIR HEADS! I-I said... Off with their heads!” Riddle cried, voice breaking slightly.

Trey sighed. “Riddle.. Please.”

Riddle stepped back a few paces as Trey stepped forward.

“My magic was overwritten by yours. Does that mean you’re stronger than me? Don’t look at me like that, Trey. You’re going to tell me I’m wrong, right? I’m just trying to do my job!”

“Put the pen down, Mr Rosehearts! Any further attempt to use your magic will result in blot overaccumulation!” Crowley said, standing next to Trey.

“Blot?” Isa repeated as she turned to the group for clarification. They all shrugged. 

Visible tears began to appear in Riddle’s eyes as he clutched his chest, shaking visibly. 

“But.. I won! He lost! I’M RIGHT. THERE’S NO POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVE!”

The atmosphere began to get darker as gray clouds filled the formerly bright and sunny sky.

Riddle harshly fell down onto his knees. It was as if he had cast a tornado across the set, a severe breeze sending everyone who was a little too close flying backward, the Ramshackle trio crashing into a bush, whilst Ace, Deuce, and the other Heartslabyul dorm members fell onto the neighboring tables.

You could barely make out the boy’s features in the middle of the grass, as a mysterious black goo spilled out of his pores, engulfing his entire body. The group turned to Crowley, who stood frozen in place, seemingly genuinely stumped on what to do.

After a few seconds, the black goo cleared up, permanently staining the grass. Riddle stood up again, however, he looked completely different. 

His usual pale porcelain skin had turned a ghostly white, and his eyes were blood-red with a murderous glint visible. There was a dark black heart tattooed on his left eye, and some of the black goo had dried on his arms and a bit of his neck.

He donned an intricate gothic black and red dress with roses that were ripped and tatted at the sleeves, a sharp contrast from the neat housewarden uniform he had just been wearing a few minutes prior. His new black platform heels added an extra height to him that made him all the more intimidating.

He let out a hysterical laugh as thunder crackled in the background.

“The lack of order from before was something that annoyed me greatly.. However, in my world, I am the law, and the only comment I will accept from ANY of you is ‘Yes, housewarden Riddle.’ Anyone who defies me will be guillotined!”

The group had quickly gotten up, standing next to Crowley who had begun to sob.

“Woe is me.. I’ve allowed a student to overblot in my presence!”

Ace furrowed his eyebrows. “GET THE FUCK ON. That’s not the problem right now, sir!”

“Right?! What even is overblotting?!” Janae added on.

“I THINK WE HAVE A PRETTY GOOD EXAMPLE OVER THERE!!” Cater yelled, pointing towards Riddle, who was covering the fallen trees with thorny rose vines.

“This is really bad. If he keeps releasing magical energy, everyone including himself could die,” Trey said, bluntly.

The Ramshackle trio and Cater yelled out ‘WHAT’ in unison, as Crowley nodded.

“The well-being of my students is my top priority, therefore I have to evacuate the dorm members of Heartslabyul immediately. And of course, losing Mr Rosehearts would be a loss too, but.. I’m going to need all of you to seek help from the other housewardens as soon as possible.”

Isa shook her head. “But.. We haven’t even-”

“HIIIIIIIIIIIII-YAHHHHHHHH!”

The group turned toward the source of the noise, watching as Ace chucked a giant rock toward Riddle, who avoided it with extreme accuracy. 

Ace blinked, watching Riddle angrily direct his gaze onto him.

“IDIOT!! I summon thee, cauldron!”

Before Deuce could fully go through with the spell, Grim clung onto his leg.

“WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?? Crowley just said bad things are happening to him!”

Deuce frowned. “I DON’T WANNA FEEL GUILTY ABOUT THAT! WE GOTTA STOP HIM!”

“I’LL CHUCK 300 BIG ROCKS UNTIL HE APOLOGIZES AND ADMITS I’M RIGHT!” Ace replied, stubbornly.

Trey pulled out his pen. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll handle this.”

Cater gasped as Janae shook her head. 

“Nahhh.. Are you sure you can beat him? He looks..” Janae twirled her hand around, making a ‘cuckoo’ motion.

Ace frowned. “Your idea is to not even bother unless you know you can win?”

Isa shrugged. “Well, I dunno. We saw you get yo’ shit rocked not too long ago..”

“I’m not in the mood to lose Riddle, especially over something like this. There’s too many things I’ve left unsaid,” Trey sighed.

Grim put his hands on his hips. “You have the floor!”

Crowley quickly left to go evacuate everyone else in the dorm, as Trey stood up to Riddle, aiming a few spells at him directly. 

The blot had made him immensely strong, as Riddle was able to cast his usual magic, alongside having the advantage of using the blot as an extra weapon. 

It had tried to take Trey with it a couple of times, prompting Cater, Ace, and Deuce to step in and use their magic against Riddle too. Isa and Janae tried to help by throwing rocks to block Riddle’s path.

Ace had hit Riddle with the final spell, and he collapsed on the ground almost immediately.

“RIDDLE!” Trey yelled, running to his side.

The clouds had begun to clear, and the playing cards on the ground had reverted back to fallen trees. The sun dried up all the blot surrounding Riddle, turning into dust, and revealing his usual housewarden outfit under all of the gunk.

Trey and Cater shook him a few times, Cater putting his hand onto Riddle’s chest to try and feel a heartbeat. The rest of the group followed, sitting around him as he lay unconscious on the ground.

“Riddle.. Please wake up. Riddle!”

Riddle shifted a bit for a few seconds, before slowly blinking up at the sky, covering his face with his hand.

“Wh..?”

“Oh, so he isn’t dead,” Ace said.

Cater let out a laugh. “Thank god! Was scared for a second, I thought he’d never wake up!”

Riddle sat up in his spot, ruffling his hair. “What the hell happened?”

“Ah, Mr. Rosehearts has seemed to wake up,” Crowley replied from behind the group, smiling. They would’ve commented on his sudden appearance after disappearing with the Heartslabyul students, but at this point, they were used to it.

“Do you need water or anything? Maybe some rest?” Trey asked, putting a hand on Riddle’s shoulder.

Ace sucked his teeth. “Didn’t we just have a conversation about all the coddling? Maybe you should show him the spot he destroyed from the ground up!”

“Yeah... This has gotta be at least a few thousand in property damages,” Deuce replied as Crowley let out a deep exhale, before smiling again.

“...Can I be honest?” Riddle said, a bit quietly. “I did really want that chestnut tart. And.. I don’t really care for all these rules myself. But my job as a housewarden is to maintain order and an image and make sure everyone else does too. It reflects on me.”

He began to tear up a little bit, as Trey went in for a hug.

“..I-I’m sorry.”

Trey smiled. “Hey, I’m sorry too, Riddle. I knew about your situation and as your friend, I never made myself open enough for you to talk about it. But the way you went about this whole thing was wrong, and it just ended up causing problems for everyone, y’know? You owe everyone an apology.”

“I really am sorry, everyone.”

“So you think crying is just gonna make me forgive you?” Ace said, scoffing. “I wanted an apology from you for the longest, but for all the shit you’ve done, one ‘I’M SORRY’ doesn’t cut it!”

“Cut him some slack, Ace!” Cater said.

“NO. How about you cut ME some slack? I got collared, kicked out of my own room, and I put HARD WORK into those thrown-away tarts!”

Isa snickered as Janae rolled her eyes.

“Just say you want another tart, bro.”

“YES, I DO. And a do-over of the un-birthday party where I get a whole BUNCH of them and don’t have to do shit to prepare! Do that for me dude, and we’re even,” Ace said. “No help from Trey either!”

“Wait, but I helped you,” Trey said, with a slight chuckle.

“THAT DON’T COUNT.”

Riddle sighed. “Well, you know what? That seems fair enough.”

Ace smiled. “Mhm, it does. Let’s shake on it! Deal!”

Ace extended his hand out to Riddle, who stiffly shook it back. Crowley then declared the duel technically over in a tie.

-

The next un-birthday party was a complete success. The food and desserts were amazing, the whole place had been cleaned up from the mess before, there were a few roses left unpainted in the gardens but Riddle didn’t make a big deal out of it, and best of all, the Ramshackle trio went home with leftovers.

“Are 7 tarts in one container really necessary?” Deuce asked Isa, who was holding the tupperware on the top of her head.

“Yes, bro. Our stove broke down again and we don’t know when’s the next time we’ll be able to make breakfast.”

“And besides, a growing boy like me needs all that nutrients!” Grim chimed in, face still covered in crumbs from an hour ago.

“OOOOOOOOO..” Isa said as she stared at Grim, who laughed in her face as a response.

Deuce shook his head. “His greed sickens me.”

“You really think Riddle is gonna chill out after all this?” Janae asked, turning to Ace.

Ace shrugged. “Maybe, but not completely. In all honesty, guys like him who are sticklers for rules never change. Deuce is proof of that.”

He quickly nudged Deuce in the shoulder.

“DIE.”

Janae huffed a laugh, smiling a bit before she spoke again.

“I also didn’t know you had it in you,” Janae said bluntly.

“Huh?”

“Confronting him like that. I thought you were gonna bitch and moan and be stuck with us forever.”

Ace sucked his teeth as Janae laughed.

“At least have SOME faith in me.”

“NAH NAH, it was a compliment!” She reassured, laughing. “Thanks for like, standing up for us and shit.”

Ace’s demeanor changed as he focused his gaze on the floor, starting to feel a little warmer. 

“Oh. You’re welcome — it wasn’t a big deal.”

The group was now standing in front of the mirror to Ramshackle. Isa said goodbye to Ace and Deuce and was the first person to walk into the portal after Grim offered to take the tarts into the kitchen himself. Janae said goodbye last, waving before walking through.

The two boys sat in silence for a few seconds before they walked through their own portal.

Deuce quirked an eyebrow up, curiously. 

“What was that?”

“Nothing,” Ace replied simply, looking down at the ground with an unreadable expression.

Deuce huffed a laugh, grinning slightly but didn’t say anything further.

Chapter Text

“So, it’s really just all here?”

Janae spoke up as the Ramshackle trio stared at Deuce’s computer screen, which was displaying a giant map of Sage’s island.

“Pretty much,” Deuce started. “Royal Sword is our rival school, and it looks nice, but I heard the students are.. Uh..”

“..Geeks and freaks, you can say it,” Ace interrupted.

Deuce’s eyes widened. “That’s -- I wasn’t..”

“Well, come on bro. A good majority of their students are OBSESSED with STEM, and spit while talking. Plus, they’re too nice and generous to strangers – Nothing is free in this world!”

Isa rolled her eyes. “Honestly, I’d prefer some kindness every once in a while. Here, it feels like I can’t ask anyone for anything without there being a price.”

Ace shrugged. “To each their own.”

“Myah! I want to explore it all! We’ve been cooped up in this dingy house for the longest, you can only watch the leaky faucets drip so many times!” Grim said angrily, crossing his arms.

“What’s that in the middle of the map?” Isa said, using her fingers to zoom into the giant cluster of houses located at the core of the island.

Ace slumped down in his chair. “Foothill Town. It’s actually pretty big for a ‘small town’, I heard there’s an outdoor mall, elementary school, and skating rink.”

Janae’s eyes lit up. “We should go visit!”

“Maybe not,” Deuce said nervously. “It's getting late and usually people only go down there to get stuff when Sam’s shop is closed.”

Ace scoffed. “It getting late makes it all the more fun! The old geezers are gonna be inside, so we can enjoy the nightlife! Plus, we’ll probably run into the ladies from the girls' school on the other island, who are all here without their boyfriends.”

Ace laughed to himself, as Janae gave him a blank stare. When he noticed, he stopped giggling and coughed, looking away from her general direction.

“That wack ass reason aside, it would actually be fun to check out the place,” Isa added, placing her hands on Deuce’s shoulders and nudging him back and forth.

He hummed thoughtfully for a moment.

“PLEASE.” Janae chimed in, batting her eyelashes at him jokingly as she clasped her hands together and nudged him as well.

Deuce sighed, his eyebrows creased as a slight blush of embarrassment dusted his cheeks.

“Well.. Yeah, I guess it would be fun.” He said, his expression easing up as he smiled a bit. “There’s a bunch of highly rated food shops in the middle of the center — It’d be cool to try them out.”

“EXACTLY! That sounds fun as hell too!” Isa said with a smile as Janae nodded in agreement.

“Okay, guys.. heh, or shall I say Team Janae? Ahah..” 

The group stared at her blankly.

“Alright fuck you too — WE SHOULD CHECK IT OUT.”

“Myah! Shopping center.. that means I can stock up on my tuna supply!” Grim grinned, rubbing his paws together schemingly.

“We barely even got money for clothes and you’re worried about Tuna..” Janae said, sucking her teeth.

“Maybe Crowley will drop a few bands on us just for the occasion..” Isa grinned.

“You mean the same Crowley you had to remind to give you money?” Deuce chimed in, an unimpressed look on his face. “Yeah.. okay.”

“WHY ARE YOU HATING.”

“ACTUALLY, I’m pretty sure he did say something about an increase in allowance due to all the shit that went down with Riddle’s overblot,” Janae recalled.

“So, he’s basically paying y’all hush money?” Ace asked, his eyebrows pulled together.

“Basically,” Isa replied with a shrug.

“Damn... I hope he sends some of that money our way, I need some new sneakers for track.”

“Nah... Me too — I just signed up for the basketball club,” Ace said with a sigh, frowning a bit.

“HAH, losers. Imagine joining a club.” Isa said, shaking her head.

“I dunno...I was thinking about joining the pop music club — it's opening soon too and I think they need members.” Janae replied, smiling slightly.

“Isn’t that the club that one freaky Diasomnia student is in?” Deuce asked, shooting Janae a curious look.

“..I think? I dunno! He seems chill though,”

“Yeah.. usually you can’t say that about people who hang upside down and pop out of nowhere,” Grim said with a huff, sprawling out.

“WELL..you know! Some people are just eccentric!” 

“Whatever you say, bro..” Isa said with a sigh.

“ARE WE GONNA PLAN FOR THIS OUTING OR WHAT,” Janae said with a frown, a bit embarrassed.

The group laughed slightly as they started throwing around ideas on when they should sneak out exactly.

Curfew was annoying and homework was sure to fuck with everything so, they had to put that into account as well.

After a while a plan was decided and the topic soon switched to something else.

—

They had decided to take a trip to Foothill Town a few days later, waiting a few hours after classes ended so they would still have a bit of time to study.

Together, the group had a combined 67 dollars in their pockets, but that wasn’t a bad thing as they were planning to check out a couple of shops, get something to eat, and quickly return before their absence was noticed.

They managed to make it to the mirror chamber, where obviously nobody was at around 7 PM.

The group could tell through Deuce’s furrowed eyebrows that he was starting to feel a little bit doubtful about the idea again.

“FIX YOUR FACE,” Grim yelled, slapping him harshly on the back with one singular paw. “There’s no one here!”

“OW! YEAH, that’s the problem! Should we really go through with this?”

”That’s the solution, dude. Nobody’s gonna see us pass through UNLESS you keep whining!” Ace said, stepping in front of the mirror.

“We’ll be fine, don’t worry!” Isa added on, with a nod from Janae.

Deuce reluctantly stood in front of the mirror with the rest of the group, as they all closed their eyes to visualize Foothill Town. They could see the bright lights illuminating the dark, bustling streets as music from inside the shops played loud and clear.

They could smell the foreign foods they wouldn’t be able to get at Night Raven College and see the pier that led away from the island.

Suddenly, the floor seemed to shift. Voices got louder, and the group blinked their eyes open in unison, now standing in the middle of a crowded street.

People were shooting them weird looks as if they had just randomly appeared. They moved onto the sidewalk to further prevent blocking anyone’s path.

“Seven.. This is huge!” Deuce said, spinning slightly.

Ace let out a giggle. 

“That’s what she said.” 

Deuce punched him in the shoulder as Janae rolled her eyes.

“LOOK AT ALL THESE RESTAURANTS!” Grim yelled, as his eyes flocked towards the strip of shops behind them. There was an ice cream shop, a spaghetti restaurant, Japanese and Thai fusion, and a regular burger restaurant chain.

Grim had started walking towards them, letting his nose lead the way before Isa grabbed him by the tail.

“NUH UH. We need clothes! We’ve been wearing the same shit for like... Two weeks now.”

Ace nodded. “Come to think of it, good idea. My boxers are starting to get holes in them.”

Deuce frowned. “T-M-I..”

“LITERALLY. My dirty-ass brother is the SAME way, bro,” Janae replied, shivering as she scrunched her face up slightly.

“HAH. Imagine having a brother..” Isa said with a huff.

“Imagine having siblings,” Deuce said with a huff.

“IMAGINE NOT HAVING SIBLINGS,” Janae and Isa replied in unison, shooting Deuce a look.

“It makes sense you’re an only child, Deuce,” Ace said with a sigh, crossing his arms. “You clearly didn’t get bullied enough as a kid.”

“I’m saying..” Janae replied, shaking her head.

“CAN WE GO??” Grim reminded with a frown.

Isa nodded, cradling Grim in her arms. “YEAH, MY BAD. But we’re getting food last.”

–

The group’s first stop was a colorful store, as it was presumably the cheapest and most inviting out of all of the store options. 

It was big, with multiple floors and a basement section. A lot of people were in there, either scanning the items or loitering. 

Deuce headed towards the shirts section whilst Isa and Grim followed the sign towards the kitchen and cleaning supplies.

After 15 minutes, Ace had basically already got what he needed and checked out at the paying counter, now he was just waiting for everyone to get back, sitting in the chairs near the pants section.

He spotted Janae in one of the aisles, holding a few pairs of jeans, and got up out of his slouching position to walk towards her.

“Hey. Got everything you need yet?”

“Yep. I think I’m good for at least a few months. Any schoolgirls away from their boyfriends try to chat you up yet?”

Ace scoffed. “You’re making fun of me, but trust, I’ll meet someone soon. She’s probably just too intimidated to come up to me.”

Janae let out a loud laugh, looking around.

“WHO’S INTIMIDATED BY YOU??”

Ace bit back a smile, his eyebrows furrowed as he tucked his hands into his pocket.

“AGAIN, laughing like I’m joking but I bet 10 dollars there’s gonna be at least one girl checkin’ me out,” He said with a shrug.

“Say on god,” Janae replied with an unamused expression. “It’s 10 dollars in my hand if some chick comes up to you WHILE we here too.”

Ace waved his hand dismissively. “I’ll take you up on that offer! Make sure you get some more money from Crowley ‘cuz I’m not paying for anything after I take all of yours.”

“Okay, bro.”

“YO.” A voice called out. Prompting the two to look over at who was waving at them – It was Isa.

“Y’all all good? I just found Deuce so I figured I’d come see if you’re finished too, but you’re already here, Ace.”

She shot him a curious look, but he didn’t return.

“OH, we still gotta try on these clothes, actually!” Janae reminded her as Isa nodded with a slight grin.

The trio set out towards the dressing room where Deuce was already seated, seemingly trying to keep Grim from eating out the snacks he’d bought for the two of them to share.

They agreed to wait outside while the girls changed, allowing them to step into the fitting rooms as they began to change into the clothes they’d picked out.

“You know, this shop kind of reminds me of some of the shops in New York – except they don’t have such big dressing rooms.”

“What kind of city did you two even live in for real?” Deuce called out from his place on the chairs outside the fitting rooms the two were inside.

“A very interesting one,” Janae replied.

Deuce sighed and Ace scoffed, crossing his arms.

“Damn, are y’all done yet? I still got stuff I wanna do.” He whined, tapping his foot impatiently.

“IN A MINUTE,” Isa yelled back, slipping on her new shirt with as she twirled around in front of the mirror of the rather spacious room.

The inside was a cute cream color embedded with pretty floral designs that ran along the bottom of the walls.

She got a better look at her outfit now – It wasn’t much. 

There were a few cute items she thought were cute but settled ultimately for a black shirt with a band decal on it, some jean shorts alongside the ripped-up tights that allowed the colorful socks she was wearing underneath to peek through (it was a cold day), and some random cute necklace she found as well – a star.

The find of the day, however, was a pair of black combat boots that she knew she was somehow fated to find.

They looked a bit like knockoff Demonias – not that anyone would even know they were knockoffs – they looked WAY too real. 

Happy with her self-assessment, she finally called out to the other two boys outside.

“I’M DONE. Heh, get ready for like, the most amazing fit ever,” Isa announced to which the guys outside merely stayed quiet.

“Can you come out, bro DAMN.” Ace’s voice shouted back.

Isa sucked her teeth but reluctantly stepped out of the room, posing with her arms in the air.

“Ta-da!” She said with a grin.

For the most part, the reactions were positive – Deuce smiled nervously, clearly adjusting to the fact she was still a girl.

Ace hummed slightly, uncrossing his arms as he offered her a slightly teasing look.

“Did you rip those yourself?”

“YES, DIE.” She replied with a frown. “They look cool like this.”

“I guess... It’s a concept,” Deuce said with a hum, nodding. “It looks good – you look good.”

“Yeah, you look fine,” Ace said with a neutral smile.

“Aw…you guys – heh.. stwappp..”

“You ruined it.”

Isa giggled, grinning at him.

“Y’all are having a BALL out here, bro.” Janae’s voice rang out as she sucked her teeth.

“OH MY – YOU LOOK SO NICE!” Isa replied with a wide smile, appreciating her outfit. 

Janae didn’t go as hard as she did with the accessories but it might’ve been because most of the stuff she found was hidden away towards the back of the shop.

Somehow though, she threw together a flowy black babydoll top and some baggy jorts that were decorated neatly with a flashy studded belt and a pair of black strapped boots.

“THANKS, HAH,” Janae replied with a smile, turning her attention to Ace and Deuce.

“Thoughts..!” 

Deuce seemed spaced out as he looked between the two girls, clearly a bit flustered yet, he answered regardless – even if it was a bit awkward. 

“It’s nice! I like the..uh, shoes,” He replied, smiling. 

Ace hummed, nodding slightly as his lips pressed into a thin line.

“Yeah, you look good.” He replied, staring blankly.

“Just good? Like, you can’t compliment the fit some more?” Janae joked, narrowing her eyes at him.

“I said you looked nice!” He replied, crossing his arms as his eyebrows furrowed. Deuce looked over at him curiously, nudging him with his leg only to be punched in the arm by Ace when he snickered slightly.

“Ugh, anyway – let’s go get something to eat. I’m hungry,” He suggested, changing the subject as he moved to stand up, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Oh! We should go find a cafe or something!” Deuce said, smiling.

“OH, YEAH,” Isa replied, pulling Janae along as she collected Grim who was still stuffing his face with snacks.

—

The cafe they found was actually a hit – there were a bunch of options that didn’t just include snacks but full platters for all 3 meals of the day.

Grim had insisted on ordering a Salmon platter before he was shut down and offered something else that wouldn’t make as much of a dent in everyone’s pockets.

Isa had gotten churros that she reluctantly shared with Grim even after he took down 2 cans of tuna, Janae had gotten a bunch of loaded curly fries that she’d offered to share with Deuce since he only opted to get a milkshake and Ace was pounding back a hamburger.

“You’re better than me letting Grim share your food with you,” Janae said with a frown. “I literally just saw him steal 2 more while you weren’t looking.”

Isa shrugged, glaring at the cat-like demon from the corner of her eye. “I figured he deserves this shit since he actually helped with cleaning.”

“Exactly! I’ve been good this week!” He said with a huff, clumsily reaching forward to dip his churro as Isa adjusted his arms so he could achieve it less awkwardly. 

“I have a feeling he’s gonna be up all night if he keeps eating all that sugar,” Deuce replied, taking a fry and putting it into his mouth.

“HEY! I’m not a child! I’ll be fine!” 

“Yeah, exactly – by time we get home he’s gonna knock out when we put him on the couch, it's past his bedtime. ” Janae cooed, reaching out to pet his head.

He grumbled in response but did not attempt to snap at her, only settling to cross his arms.

“Yeah, you guys have fun with that,” Ace replied, swallowing a bite of his burger. “And anyway – why’re you all sharing? I didn't get a churro or a curly fry.”

“That's cause your big ass got a whole hamburger??” Isa said, popping a churro into her mouth.

“YEAH! And that was after you cleared all the fries you DID get with your order!” Grim huffed, thrusting his clenched paw in anger.

“Don’t hate me cuz I’m rich and found some extra money in my pockets,” Ace said with a smug grin.

“You literally had to order a hamburger cause you didn’t have enough money for a cheeseburger..” Janae replied with a deadpan look.

Ace shot her a look, leaning over obnoxiously to grab a fry as he popped one into his mouth regardless of her protest.

“Hey!” Deuce said with a frown. “I was literally just about to eat that one!”

“This is the greed they talked about in the bible bro..” Isa said with a shake of her head, sighing.

“Better hope he doesn’t up and pop on the way back..” Janae said with a look of disgust as she slid the container of fries further away from Ace to rest in between her and Deuce.

“Oh, your words wound me..” Ace said flatly, stretching his arms with a loud sigh as he leaned against the booth.

Isa smiled slightly.

The atmosphere was nice – really nice, actually. Everyone was chatting and eating happily, it made her chest clench with positive emotions which in turn made her giddy. 

They continued talking happily before they finished off their meals and decided it was time to call it a day. Yet, by the time the group had foolishly realized they had no idea how to get back – it was way too late and the streets had cleared out.

Instead of panicking, they decided to just take the train to get back to Night Raven as Ace had suggested. They headed towards the station, noting how neat and clean it looked.

It was a direct contrast to the piss-smelling, dirty, and usually packed no matter what time of day stations that were so graciously scattered across NYC. When making a comment about that, Ace and Deuce shot Isa a slightly concerned look.

She had to convince Deuce that she was not living in poverty.

“Dude, how do you even read these maps?” Janae asked, pushing her glasses further onto her face as she tried her best to make out where exactly to go.

“I don’t fucking know,” Ace replied with a shrug.

“YOU WERE THE ONE WHO SUGGESTED TAKING THE TRAIN, HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW??” Janae replied, a frown on her face as she waved her arms around.

“If I cut one person’s hair, that doesn’t make me a barber,” Ace said stupidly, crossing his arms as he glared at her.

“That has nothing to do with what I just said.”

“Maybe we can just ask for help,” Isa suggested, looking around as she spotted another person who looked around their age.

She looked normal enough – probably just coming back from an outing with her friends considering she had a smile on her face and was texting someone.

“You got that, Deuce,” She said, nudging him forward as he shot her a frown.

Deuce seemed nervous but regardlessly waved the girl over – the direct opposite to what Isa had suggested.

“We were wondering if you had any idea how to get to Night Raven..?” He asked, slightly nervous to be speaking.

“Night Raven... College, right? Hm – are you guys students there? I’ve heard some things about the people who attend, nothing too bad though,” She said with a wink.

Deuce laughed awkwardly, placing his hand on his hip.

“Yeah! We are, it’s just.. We’re not too sure how to get back ourselves,”

“Oh, that’s easy – I got you guys!” She threw out instructions, waiting for Deuce to type them out on his phone before stopping when he was finished.

He offered her a smile, pocketing his phone, as Ace stared in bewilderment. “Thanks so much! We’re sorry for the trouble.”

The girl shrugged, smiling. “It’s nothing! I tend to forget things a bunch too with this crazy train system.” She sighed, laughing a bit at herself. “If you’re ever lost again, how about you give me a call?” She offered with a smile, fluttering her eyelashes.

Deuce merely stared back with a neutral smile. “Oh, well – I’m not really in town too much. This is actually my first time since I got to Sage Island,” He replied simply. 

The girl seemed to tilt her head in confusion, a slightly awkward smile on her face as she flushed with embarrassment.

“Yeah... Okay! That’s.. well – I hope you enjoyed your time,” She said, checking her phone before looking at Deuce again. “It was nice to meet you, I hope you all get home safe!” 

Then she speed walked onto the train that had just arrived.

The rest of the group stared on in genuine surprise.

“ARE YOU SERIOUS, MAN?” Ace yelled out after he was sure the train pulled off, springing to Deuce’s side quickly. 

Deuce offered him a curious look, a bit startled by his sudden outburst. “..What?”

“SHE WANTED YOU!” Janae replied, moving to his side as well as she put both her hands on his shoulder. “Badly, actually – I was getting a little embarrassed…”

“RIGHT. My god, you really could’ve locked that down, Deuce,” Isa chimed in with a sigh, shaking her head.

Deuce’s face flushed as he recounted the interaction – embarrassment and shame filling him as he realized they were right.

“Oh..god – did I..?”

Ace cackled, grinning at him. “Oh, way to go, Juice! How’d you manage to scare her off like that? She was practically sprinting to that train.”

“Yeah, I didn’t see any girls coming up to YOU today, Ace,” Janae stated firmly, grinning slightly. “Go ahead and slide me my 10 dollars.”

“FUCK OFF.”

“WHAT ABOUT OUR TRAIN?” Grim yelled out, snapping everyone out of their daze.

“Oh, yeah! We gotta take the express all the way to the last stop!” Deuce announced. “The next express is coming in like…5 minutes!”

The group cheered, moving while they continued to speak as they waited just a little bit behind the yellow line decorating the floors of the station.

The train came shortly after the little discussion and before everyone knew it, they passed out on each other as the stops floated past one by one. Ace’s head was resting on Deuce’s head while Isa and Janae braced against each other with Grim laying on Janae’s lap.

—

“Phew, that nap was so good, bro..” Isa said with a smile, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as they approached the gates of Night Raven.

Janae sighed, cracking her neck as she stretched her arms out. “I’m just mad it didn’t last longer.”

“You and I both..” Deuce said with a yawn. “I feel like I could’ve really used some rest after being out all night..”

“It’s barely even been that long,” Ace replied with a scoff. “Plus, you stay up pretty late anyway, Deuce – you’ll be aight.”

“I don’t know who you’re talking about but, it’s not me,” Deuce replied, his eyebrows furrowed. “The reason I’m up is because you’re always up on your phone at ungodly hours.”

“Shut up.” Ace replied, frowning.

“Heh, speaking of phones – guess who came through..?” Isa said with a grin.

Deuce huffed a laugh, a smile on his face. “No way – Crowley actually hooked you two up?”

“AFTER 3 WEEKS, MIND YOU,” Janae said with a huff. “He actually gave them to us like later in the afternoon today along with the money we got for today’s little hangout.”

“So, y’all got hush money and new phones?” Ace said, snorting slightly. “Wow, you two are living the life.”

“It’s the least we deserve after we almost died,” Janae replied with a slight smile, nudging Ace with her elbow.

He laughed, resigning to just a smile as the group continued to walk.

That’s when the real problem arose – the gate was locked.

Usually, the gates didn’t close till it was around 9 -– though, the group hadn’t planned on actually taking the train nor did they plan for how many stops they’d have to arrive at before they reached the last one.

Which led them to arrive outside at exactly 11 in the night.

“We’re cooked,” Isa said with a sigh, her eyebrows pulled together in fear.

“Hey, maybe not!” Ace chimed in, grinning. “We could always jump it.”

The rest of the group turned their heads to look at him with concern.

“Is everything in that big head of yours just a bad idea?!” Grim huffed, scowling at the ginger boy.

“Hey, I don’t see you guys throwing out any ideas,” Ace replied with a frown, placing his hands on his hips.

Deuce hummed in thought. “I mean..I could probably try another levitating spell like back with the chandelier..?”

“You mean the one that got us in trouble?” Janae recalled with a frown. 

“What else do you got?” He replied.

The group decided on the idea as nobody seemed to object to it – which prompted Deuce to whip out his pen and carefully try his best to recreate the same spell.

It worked – for the most part.

He didn’t stick the landing towards the end which had ended with everyone falling down and going in different directions as soon as they were over the gate. 

Grim had landed on Deuce, Isa had been flung into a bush, Janae had fallen on her face, and Ace had unfortunately landed on one of the gargoyle statues towards the side of the gate.

“WHAT THE HELL, DEUCE?” Ace yelled out, limping to his feet as he directed his angry gaze at Deuce who was now clutching Grim under his armpit.

“HEY, DON’T LOOK AT ME! I still haven’t perfected it.!”

“Oh, brother.” 

“AHEM!”

The group snapped their heads towards the source of the voice.

Crowley was standing in front of the steps, tapping his foot impatiently with crossed arms. Nobody dared to mention the flowy nightgown thing he’d been wearing – neither the fact he had a matching hat, pair of bunny slippers, and sleeping mask.

“H-HEADMAGE!” Deuce squeaked out.

“Breaking curfew, huh!” Crowley said with a frown, shaking his head. “This is unacceptable! I expected better from you all!”

The group looked at each other before Isa spoke up.

“We didn’t realize how late it had got,” She tried explaining, her face slightly scrunched. “It’s just.. the dorm had been running out of supplies, so we decided on going to buy some in town.”

Janae nodded, frowning. “Plus, we were running out of clothes too – y’know? We just wanted to throw together a few things to at least ensure we don’t freeze to death considering we don’t have heating yet.”

Grim added to the scene, shivering slightly. “Yeah! My fur’s practically freezing up!”

Crowley’s features softened – possibly – it was hard to tell with the mask.

He seemed actually a bit guilty as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“Hah! I see..well – if that’s the case then, I perhaps may be able to let this violation fizz out of my mind,” He directed his gaze onto Ace and Deuce.

“Well, that explains those three – what of you two?”

“Uh..”

“We were their chaperones!” Deuce spoke up suddenly, placing his hands on his hips. 

Ace nodded frantically. “Yeah! They didn’t know the place so, me and Deuce here decided to come with them to be like.. Tour guides! We couldn’t embarrass you by making it seem like you allowed both Ramshackle prefects to get lost – could we?”

Crowley hummed approvingly, nodding his head as he wagged his finger.

“Yes.. That would’ve been an issue… We wouldn’t want a repeat of the incident from ‘78!” He said with a hearty laugh, prompting everyone else to laugh awkwardly while looking at each other with the same look.

Crowley sighed, clearing his throat.

“Well, it’s only a few minutes after curfew – had you come back at midnight or later, there would’ve been serious consequences.”

The group nodded and Crowley simply hummed.

“Well, goodnight to you all! In further situations like this one, please tell me beforehand!” 

Then in the blink of an eye – he had vanished.

The group let out deep breaths they didn’t know they were holding in.

“WHEW! Either I’m a great actor or he is seriously stupid!” Grim said with a grin.

Isa and Janae offered him a laugh, narrowing their eyes at him.

“Yeah, just be glad Isa was quick to think of an excuse.” Janae reminded, nudging her friend with her shoulder.

“Great, now let’s get out of here before he pops back up again,” Ace said.

Deuce snorted. “Yeah, but, I wouldn’t mind seeing his outfit again..”

“I’M LIKE??” Isa replied with a cackle. “WHAT EVEN WAS THAT??”

Janae snickered. “A GROWN ASS MAN IN A NIGHTGOWN, BRO – THAT’S WHAT IT WAS.”

The group shared a laugh together that seemed to take their mind off the tense situation they could’ve possibly just been in.

“God..I’d hate to have to sneak back in after all this, low-key.” Ace said with a sigh, stretching his arms out as the group walked towards the mirror room.

“You and Deuce can crash at Ramshackle if you guys want – we actually cleaned it up a bit!” Janae offered.

“YEAH! Plus, me and Grim snagged some extra blankets and shit at that shop – You’d be all good.”

Deuce smiled, a bit of pink dusting his cheeks. “You guys mean it? I mean, it’d be kind of awkward just free-loading like that.”

Isa and Janae shook their heads.

“Come on, it could be a sleepover!” Isa reassured with a smile.

“YEAH, we got some leftovers, we can just eat that and watch a movie – IF YOU WANT.”

“Hmm..well, since you two are offerin’..” Ace said with a slight grin as Deuce nodded.

“HUZZAH! OKAY – YEAH! Sleepover!!” Isa cheered, prompting everyone else to share their own excitement as well.

The hang-out had continued back at the lounge of Ramshackle as the group set up a movie marathon that lasted well into the morning before everyone eventually fell asleep.

When Isa stirred, she had noticed that she was cuddled up next to Janae who had a leg slung over Deuce, who in return was resting comfortably on her shoulder. She glanced past them, snickering slightly as she noted Grim who was resting on Ace’s chest – the same Ace who was resting against Deuce as well.

That was interesting.

Chapter Text

“...And that’s how I ended up getting put on Lucius’ cat litter duty after class tomorrow,” Ace ended his story.

Isa gave him a slow clap whilst Grim, Janae, and Deuce stared blankly at him.

“That’s weird though. You would think he’d force you to do that after school today, like usual right? I heard he’s free,” Isa inquired.

“Nah, he just loves me too much.”

Janae snickered. “Aight bro.”

“Real talk though, the basketball club is having a meeting so he cut me some slack.”

“I guess all the clubs are locking in this week, I was also called for a track meeting today,” Deuce added on.

“Those clubs already started? Usually, it takes a whole decade for things to get set up at the school me and Janae used to go to,” Isa hummed slightly, taking a sip of her soft drink.

“Well, yeah but – I guess things were able to get set up quicker this year since all the seniors are more off of campus with internships and stuff,” Deuce replied, thinking for a moment before speaking again.

“MANNN, those seniors are mad lucky, I’d prefer staying off campus to cleaning up after that damn cat,” Ace said with a huff, crossing his arms.

“Trein wouldn’t target you if you didn’t talk loud as hell in his class, y’know,” Janae replied, laughing slightly. 

“I hope you know it’s mostly you I talk to in that class SO – by default this is also your fault ‘cuz you’re distracting me.”

“WHO ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT CAUSE IT’S NOT ME?? I DO MY WORK.”

“Y’know, I’ve been meaning to ask actually – are you guys gonna join any clubs?” Deuce asked curiously. “I figured since there’s a chance you won’t be staying permanently you wouldn’t want to.”

“I mentioned the Pop Music Club a while ago but I haven’t actually checked out the room yet,” Janae said with a hum, playing with the straw in her cup.

“There’s way too many clubs for me to choose from, too – I’d probably have to check that out,” Isa said, stretching her arms out with a groan. “Since y’all are gonna be at club meets frequently, we should see.”

Janae hummed before shrugging. “Sure, I’m down.”

“Eurgh.. does that mean I hafta tag along as well?” Grim said with a huff.

“There’s a cooking club somewhere on campus – maybe they’ll give you guys some samples,” Ace suggested, looking over at Grim. “If you three do end up going, save some for me – they banned me ‘cuz apparently there had to be at least a few left over for other students.”

Deuce’s eyebrows creased as he shot Ace a look. “After taking a handful, you asked the poor guy if you could have the whole bottle and then argued with him when he said no.”

“He’s actin’ like he’s getting paid to do this shit – just slide me some when nobody’s looking,” Ace replied with a scoff, slouching.

“EITHER WAY,” Isa interrupted. “We’ll let y’all know how it goes, I guess.”

Ace and Deuce let out a hum of recognition before the topic switched to something else regarding the homework for Crewel’s class. The day continued on and after a while, the group was down to the last class of the day.

—

The club rooms didn’t take a whole lot of effort to go to. Most of the ones that involved classroom activity were located on the 4th and 5th floors of the main building, so Isa, Janae, and Grim took the stairs up there whilst Deuce and Ace resigned to their clubs.

As they walked down the hallway, they stumbled across a door that was slightly cracked open. From the inside, they heard a few people chattering and could sense what smelled like a mix of rubbing alcohol and a bunch of chemicals.

“This must be the science club,” Janae said, standing by the side of the door.

Isa waved her hand around. “Smells MAD funky in there. Do we go in?”

“Hell yeah! Maybe they can science me another henchman!” Grim commented, raising his tiny fists up in the air.

“Pretty sure that’s more genetic engineering and biology, dude.”

“STILL SCIENCE, RIGHT?”

Janae pushed the door open, the sound alerting a few of the club members, who turned their heads toward the direction of the sound. Their gazes lingered on the three briefly before they turned back to each other, whispering indistinctly. 

The trio felt a bit out of place but moved further into the room regardless, shuffling to an area near the middle of the room.

A familiar face popped his head out from the back of the room, by all of the beakers.

“You guys?”

The Ramshackle trio watched as Trey set down a glass full of an unknown substance on the table, making his way toward the group.

As he walked off, his lab partner, a guy who looked around the same age as him with a square bob and his goggles on his forehead peeked over the beakers with a sparkly glint in his eyes.

Trey greeted the three of them with a friendly smile, his eyebrows knitted together curiously.

“Hey, it’s nice to see you all. What’re you doing here, come to see me?” He joked, prompting an awkward laugh to leave the girls.

“OH, I mean – I guess we’re here now but, we were just checking out clubs,” Isa explained, shifting on her feet. “Ace and Deuce had club meetings today so we figured it’s probably best we check out clubs to have something to do in the meanwhile.”

“Well, welcome to the Sci-club. We’re not really doing much but fooling around, to be honest,” Trey shrugged.

“Oh, so this place is just a snoozefest,” Grim deadpanned, crossing his arms.

“TRUST ME, we’ll get to the good stuff in a little bit.”

The atmosphere of the room was strangely calm, however, Isa and Janae couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched. Trey’s awkward smile slowly morphed into a look of confusion and shock, almost as if he went through the 5 stages of grief in two seconds.

“Oh... Rook. When did you get there?”

Both girls raised an eyebrow before they turned around, noticing that Trey’s lab partner had suddenly appeared behind them with a bright and curious smile. His head was tilted slightly as he analyzed their features.

They jumped, letting out a surprised yelp in unison.

The blond-haired guy let out a small chuckle. “Ah, mes excuses! I probably should’ve made my presence known, oui?”

Grim clung onto Janae’s leg, shivering a bit. “Why is there always a weirdo of the week?!”

The corners of the guy’s lips quirked up as he smiled slightly creepily, his eyes seemed to be picking apart the group silently before he let out a satisfied sigh. 

“I’ve heard much about the three of you,” He started, giggling a bit to himself as blush tinted his pale cheeks. “You’ve made quite the reputation for yourselves, and it’s only been about 4 weeks, hasn’t it!”

The group looked at each other and then back at the boy.

“And..who’re you?” Janae asked, an awkward smile on her face.

“It feels like we ask that a lot..” Isa said, to no one in particular.

The blonde man cleared his throat before bowing and placing his hand to his chest as he fluttered his eyes shut. 

“Apologies! Bonjour, je suis Rook Hunt. I’m the Vice Housewarden of Pomefiore,” He announced, smiling even wider. 

He stood up straighter, holding both of his hands out for the girls to presumably take.

They obliged him, slowly holding their hands out as well as they shot him a nervous smile.

“Uhm, hi! I’m Isabelle – but, you can just call me Isa or whatever you want,” She said with a hum.

“I’m Janae.” 

Grim crossed his arms, grinning smugly. “And I’m the great Grim, sorcerer extraordinaire! Hehe.”

Rook hummed with delight, nodding as he raised his hand, pressing kisses to both of the girl's hands before gently pulling his face away and dropping them.

“Beaux noms! They suit you fittingly!” He praised earning a nervous laugh from the two.

Trey laughed as well, his eyebrows creased in concern as he placed a hand on Rook’s shoulder. “Maybe dial it back a bit, Rook – you’re making them nervous..”

Rook merely laughed in response, nodding.

“Anyway, if you do end up choosing the Science Club, I recommend you get used to all the planning. Experiments use a lot of materials that could possibly be dangerous – that’s why we plan in advance.”

“Seems like a lot of work,” Isa commented with a sigh.

“On the contrary, Mademoiselle Belle! These experiments are rather fulfilling when you finish doing them,” Rook chimed in, wagging his finger slightly. “Par exemple…If you three would join me here for a moment..”

Rook walked ahead to where the group assumed Trey and his station were, it wasn’t anything special but there were a few beakers scattered around with different mixtures. In the middle was a beaker with a skewer inside.

Rook glanced over before taking out the skewers and offering them to the three.

A glittering, crystalized sugary solution was on the skewers – colored with bright colors of red, blue, and pink.

“Rock candy?” Janae asked with a slight smile to which Rook nodded.

“Free snacks!” Grim said with a grin, quickly reaching forward to grab ahold of one of the sticks before popping it into his mouth.

Rook smiled, watching as the three enjoyed the sweet treat.

“That was from an experiment we were working on a little while ago – we still had a few leftovers so Rook and I were about to get rid of them,” Trey chimed in, adjusting his glasses. 

“It’s a good thing you three came by though.”

Isa hummed, popping the skewer out of her mouth before speaking again. “You know, lowkey I wouldn’t mind hanging around here if we’re just wearing cool lab coats and goggles and like, eating snacks and shit,” 

Janae hummed in agreement, the skewer still in her mouth as Grim reached forward to grab another skewer with rock candy.

“Myah.. I guess I could get used to thi–”

The group jumped as a loud explosion sounded from the front of the room. They whipped their heads in the direction of it only to see a group of anxious freshmen scrambling to clean up what looked like a failed volcano project.

There was orange goo everywhere including on their faces and the floors of the Science Room.

Grim grumbled. “Yikes.. who even LET those idiots touch the equipment?!” He shook his head, popping his skewer back into his mouth.

Trey sighed as Rook smiled nervously.

“It appears our freshmen have discovered what happens when you mix all the chemicals in the cabinet..” Rook said with an awkward laugh, tilting his head a bit as he adjusted his goggles. “Sorry to cut this conversation short mais , we need to secure the area before they start breaking out in rashes..” 

Trey ran a hand through his hair as Rook ran in the direction of the freshman, attempting to help them with the mess.

“Sorry you had to see that.. — I swear our club is usually more put-together,” He said with an awkward laugh, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Oh, don’t worry – y’know how these freshmen are,” Janae said with a huff, crossing her arms as she shook her head.

“We’re freshmen.” Isa reminded her, shooting her a look.

“Let me cook.”

“Either way, I hope you three end up finding a club you like,” Trey continued, putting his hand on his hip.

“Let’s hope the rest of the clubs have free snacks!” Grim said, raising his palm in the air as Janae reached down to pick him up to not have him step on the possibly dangerous orange goo on the floor.

The Trio waved goodbye to Trey before setting off in the direction of the next club.

–

“I wanna say I’m surprised sumn happened but, honestly dude, something happens like every other week at this school,” Janae said with a sigh, shaking her head.

“HOW DO YOU EVEN MANAGE AN EXPLOSION??” Isa chimed in, her face scrunched in confusion.

Grim rubbed his belly, patting it for a moment before speaking. “Myah..who cares! At least I got a snack outta this!”

“Good for you..I guess..” Janae said with a slight smile, eyeing the cat-like thing curiously.

“Yoo-hoo!” A familiar voice chirped out.

The group whipped their heads toward the direction of the voice, noticing Cater standing in the middle of the hall outside of a clubroom. He was waving the group over enthusiastically, a wide smile on his face.

As they approached he whipped out his phone, casually scrolling through it for a moment before speaking.

“Hey, I knew it was you three! What’re you guys doin’ all the way up here? Itching to visit Cay-Cay?” He teased, narrowing his eyes slightly.

“We’re checking out clubs,” Janae replied simply. “We just stopped by Trey’s club but we hadda leave cause I guess an explosion happened.”

Isa nodded, smiling a bit. “We might be contaminated.”

“There were snacks!”

Cater laughed slightly, grinning a bit as he waved his hand around with his phone. 

“Well, that’s the Science Club for ya! Explosions, snacks... it’s straight cuckoo-bananas over there,” He continued, twirling his strand of hair as he smiled, looking the group up and down.

“Well, if you’re checkin’ out clubs, how about stopping by over here?” 

“Sure, yeah – what club’s this?” Isa asked curiously.

“Pop Music Club,” Cater replied simply with a smile.

The group proceeded inside, admiring the fact the room was filled to the brim with various different instruments. From basses, electric guitars, and even some spare drum parts that seemed pretty high-quality.

“Oh shit,” Janae murmured, her eyes widened in surprise. “This... lowkey is a lot cleaner than the music room back at our school in Brooklyn.”

“AND BIGGER?? This place is huge – the Science Club room was too, bro.”

Grim yawned, waving his paw dismissively. “Eh... I’m not impressed.”

Cater let out a short laugh, ruffling Grim’s head. “Oh, Grimmy! You’re a real hard guy to please!”

He quickly moved his hand as Grim angled his head up to nip at his fingers.

“Greetings.”

“AH!”

The group yelped in surprise as they turned around to see the same short guy with pink highlights from a while ago, a guy named Lilia. He stared back at them with his big red eyes, laughing slightly to himself as he fixed himself to stand on the floor.

Cater sighed. “Lils, you gotta start warning me, ya know! All this popping outta nowhere is driving me cray-cray..”

Lilia giggled slightly. “My apologies, Cater! I was just intrigued by the lot you brought in today,”

The Ramshackle Trio looked at each other before looking over at him.

“I believe we have met before but if you don’t remember, my name is Lilia,” He declared, smiling at the group. “It’s nice to meet you all again.”

“Well, it seems like a fitting name for the frontman of a band,” Isa remarked.

“Right?” Janae said with a smile.

Lilia brought a hand to his chin. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Lilia’s a whiz with the guitar!” Cater chimed in, stepping to his side as he placed a hand on Lilia’s shoulder. “Plus, his voice is super mellow and deep which really catches your attention when he starts singing!”

Lilia sighed, a slight smile on his face. “You flatter me, Cater..”

Janae smiled slightly, blinking at the man. “Cool, Is it just the two of you right now..?”

“I’m more of a floater in this club,” Cater replied, taking his hand off Lilia’s shoulder as he pocketed his phone. “Pop Music Club hasn’t found another member yet, so i’ve been standing in for ‘em while also attending Film Studies,”

“How many friends do you have..?” Grim said with a grumble.

“Who else is in this club?” Isa questioned curiously.

Lilia hummed softly before speaking. “Nobody as of currently.”

“Well...Nobody's on bass then?” Janae asked.

Lilia narrowed his eyes slightly, the corners of his lips quirking up ever so slightly. “We’re still looking,” He replied simply. 

“Do you care to join?”

Janae looked around, noting the silence that fell over the group as they stared at her before she awkwardly nodded.

“Uhm..yeah – I wanna join,” She nodded, rubbing the back of her head. “I’ve been meaning to anyway.”

Cater clapped his hands together. “Great! You’ve got your third member, Lils! No thanks to me, right?” He joked, nudging the smaller boy who merely hummed in response, nodding.

“I look forward to having you around, Janae.” 

“Yes – I agree, me too.” 

“Myah! Can we go now? I’m getting anxious!” Grim whined out, earning a look from Isa.

Cater shifted on his legs, pulling out his phone. “Man, it would’ve been nice to hang out here for a lil, but! I gotta run – can’t stand around all day!” He turned his attention to the group. “How about you three join me? I’m O-M-W to the Film Studies Club,”

“Eh, sure – I still ain’t joined a club yet,” Isa said with a shrug as she followed behind Cater with Grim.

“I guess I’ll see you next week then, Lilia,” Janae said with an awkward smile, waving to the smaller boy to which he returned a wave.

—

The group continued into the Film Studies Club room which seemed to be a bit more scarce considering most of the students were either scrolling aimlessly on their phones and engaging in some conversation about.. whatever.

Cater had got the mood up by suggesting they try some of the snacks that one of the members, Vil, had brought there from a trip one of his friends had gone on recently.

From his quick explanation, Vil was the housewarden of Pomefiore and one of the key members of Film Studies. He seemed like the leader type anyway, he spoke clearly, was sharp with his opinions, and even seemed pretty outgoing considering the fact he had a kind of untouchable aura to him.

The conversation flowed a bit easier considering he was leading it.

Though, for whatever reason the whole interaction had made Isa feel a bit flustered– not that Janae didn’t point it out when they left to head over to the horse-riding club. When faced with the teasing, she merely ignored her friend in exchange for eating the snacks Vil had sent them off with for the road.

As for the horse-riding club..things didn’t go as smoothly.

At the start, it was nice to see Riddle again considering his..well, mental breakdown had occurred only a few weeks prior. He seemed less inclined to speak to the trio but they tried their best to at least not let there be anything left unsaid.

The girls offered their support and a place at Ramshackle if he ever wanted to talk and he agreed to do so, albeit a bit shyly. 

Following that, he suggested maybe trying to ride a horse considering the three hadn’t had any prior experience. While the other two girls said no, Grim agreed almost immediately. His tiny frame was quickly strapped to a horse as he started a slow gallop farther out in the field.

Things were going fine ‘till Grim tried to go faster…which ended in him being launched off of the horse and onto his face.

The group decided on maybe chilling out for a bit before trying any other club activities and Riddle apologized for the inconvenience – stating the horse was usually very calm. The scare had taken them to the track field considering that they were already outside anyway.

As if on cue, they noticed that Deuce had taken a break from running and resigned to the bleachers. 

They noticed as they walked closer towards him that he was basically flopped down on his back, wiping the sweat off his forehead as a half-empty bottle of ice water lay next to him. His bangs were stuck to his hot face and his chest heaved up and down as he tried to catch his breath.

He sat up once he sensed their presence.

“Hey guys! How were.. clubs!” He said, slight strain evident in his voice.

Isa stretched out her legs. “Well... We got chemical volcano juice all over our blazers and met some new people, the usual... The fuck happened to you?”

Deuce sighed. “I ran around this whole track for like 15 minutes straight, nonstop.”

“You know nobody forced you to do that, right?” Grim said, furrowing his eyebrows.

“What is it that you guys have been saying..? Grind don’t stop..?”

Janae scoffed. “I PUT YOU ON.”

Deuce laughed, wiping even more sweat off his forehead. “Have you guys picked any clubs yet?”

“I think I’m in the pop music club now,” Janae replied. “Isa hasn’t picked anything yet.”

Isa shrugged. “I dunno man. None of these clubs have really piqued my interest.”

“Well, don’t worry about that. This school is huge, there’s like a billion other clubs you guys haven’t explored. Have you tried the Spelldrive club? They’re right across this field,” Deuce said.

“The hell is Spelldrive?” Grim asked.

Deuce’s eyes widened, as he rested his hand under his chin. “Ah, yeah... I forgot you guys... Anyways, think of it as like.. Competitive... Frisbee... Football?”

Isa shook her head as she stared at him blankly. “I’m good.”

“Hey, I heard it’s actually a lot funner than it sounds. I’ve never played it, but I know a lot of people are in that club. Give it a chance.”

Janae nodded. “Maybe we should check it out, Isa! You said it’s right across this field, right Deuce?”

“Mhm!”

The trio stood up, as Isa scratched her head.

“Well, not like we got anything better to do.”

-

The trio waved goodbye to Deuce, who would probably need another hour to rest on those bleachers. The NRC field was huge, they could barely make out where the track club ended and the ‘Spelldrive’ club started.

They had all started to hear the sounds of people talking, but they couldn’t actually see anyone.

Janae turned to the side. “Where the hell is-”

In an instant, something flat and disc-like came flying straight towards her, hitting her directly in the face. She went flying a few meters back, as Isa and Grim gawked at her, mouths completely agape.

They both yelled out her name in unison, running towards her.

“MY GOD ARE YOU OKAY?!” Isa said, holding her up by the shoulders, as Grim sat down next to her.

Janae was physically fine, there was no blood or any skin broken, however, her dignity certainly was.

She picked up the disc-like item from the right side of her, examining it. It was black, with a giant Night Raven College logo on it.

She grimaced. “The fuck is this shit?”

“YOOOOO, you alright?”

The group looked up, and standing in front of them was another familiar face. It was the guy from around the time of Riddle’s overblot, the one that had appeared after Janae accidentally stepped on another guy’s tail.

He helped her up by hand, as she stumbled on her feet a little bit. His eyes sparkled in recognition as he smirked.

“Damn, you again? Watch where you’re going. I’m important to the team and I can’t be leaving mid-round to take someone to the nurse.”

“RUGGIE!” Someone yelled from across the field.

“Aight, see ya!”

Before Janae could respond, the guy, presumably named Ruggie, had snatched the disc out of her hand and was now running back towards his club mates.

The trio stood, stunned as to what had happened. Isa took a few steps forward to examine Janae’s face again.

“Are you sure you okay?”

Janae nodded, a blush somehow evident on her dark cheeks.

Isa sighed. “Yeah... I think it’s about time to go home.”

Janae agreed wordlessly, still a bit dazed.

—

The group continued on their way back onto the main campus, stopping outside the gym to grab some soft drinks from the vending machine. The whole afternoon had seriously drained them which, in turn, had honestly made them all tired as hell.

“Lord..I’m so tired,” Isa said with a huff, leaning her head back as the group moved to plop down on the benches outside of the gym.

“RIGHT?? We can’t go one day without some tomfoolery happening, I swear,” Janae replied, sighing as she stood up. She held out her hand to grab the empty drinks from the other two, moving towards the trash can farther out from the bench.

“Eh, I mean, at least it’s interesting, I guess?”

“Like I care! The amount of times I got snacks was outweighed by the amount of times I almost got squished!” Grim argued, scowling. “That horse had it out for me!”

“Maybe you shouldn’t have pulled on its tail?” Isa offered, a deadpan expression on her face.

“Hmph! If it can’t handle a little tug then it's not a stallion is it!”

Janae shot the cat a look before dumping the bottles and moving to head back over to the bench.

“If that horse somehow gets our asses one day cause you annoyed it I’m going to sacrifice you, Grim,”

“YO!”

The group turned their attention to the front of the gym where a familiar face had popped up.

“OH, ACE – I didn’t know y’all were still doing your meeting here,” Janae said.

The boy scoffed slightly, moving to undo the tie that was holding up his bangs. 

“Y’all don’t know that’s how it works?” Ace said with a frown, his eyebrows furrowed a bit. “I've been in here running laps for like HOW long, bro.” He sucked his teeth, looking off to the side.

“Couldn’t be me,” Isa replied simply, crossing her legs as Ace shot her a glare.

“Did you guys check out the rest of the clubs?”

“Janae’s in Pop Music now and I haven’t found anything yet,” Isa said as Janae nodded.

Ace hummed slightly, shooting the girl a look.

“What, are you trying to be some typa’ rockstar?” He remarked, turning to Janae and laughing a little at his joke.

“Yes, actually, DIE. Not everyone wants to dunk balls and shit after school,” Janae argued, narrowing her eyes at him.

“Eh, plus – y’all gotta run mad laps,” Isa reminded, laughing a bit. “That’s all you bro..”

Ace scoffed. “Well, whatever – You guys coming in or what? You’re all just sitting here anyways.”

The group looked at each then back at Ace before shrugging and following him into the gym.

It was packed with students who were either stretching, playing against each other, or running laps around. There was a combination of people from different dorms who all seemed to be getting along pretty well.

“Is everyone at this school bad as hell?” Isa whispered to Janae to which she giggled schemingly.

“I haven’t seen ONE ugly dude, so, lowkey – perhaps..”

“YUCK! Get your minds out of the gutter!” Grim protested with a huff.

“Yeah, I’m with Grim on this one – lock the fuck in,” Ace said, crossing his arms as he frowned. “I invited you in and you little assholes are busy checking out my clubmates.”

“I seem to remember your ass talm’ bout hooking up with girls from the neighboring school, but okay,” Isa reminded, earning a slight giggle from Janae.

“DIE.”

“Yoo, Crabby – are you gonna come play or are you gonna bench-warm the rest of the damn game?”

The group’s gaze snapped toward another member who was farther off in the middle of the court. He had short teal hair with a black streak to the left of his face, and was tall and lanky but, still pretty toned – not to mention he looked intimidating.

Ace’s eyebrows pulled together as he sucked his teeth.

“I WAS TAKING A BREAK. Plus, I was just running a lap!”

“Yeah, okay – I don’t give a shit,” The taller boy replied with a huff, twirling the ball in his hand. “Stop tryna spit game and get your ass over here.”

“SHUT UP.” 

The group giggled at the remark, prompting Ace to glare at them.

He turned back to the guy, rolling his eyes. “Fine, whatever – I guess we’ll talk after,” The group nodded, watching as he jogged off toward the guy who was taunting him. He threw Ace the ball roughly, laughing when he let out a sound at the impact.

The girls watched silently for a few minutes whilst the two played when Janae spoke up.

“He’s fine too..”

“I know, bro..”

“Ugh...I’m sick of you two and your pheromones.”

The girls merely ruffled his head teasingly, ignoring his protests as they did. As Isa pulled away to return her focus to the court – she had just barely caught another person staring at her from a few ways away.

He didn’t stand out much – he had tanned skin and long dark brown hair that was tied up in a bun with various braids. Not only that but, he seemed to avoid her gaze completely when she met his gaze again.

—

The basketball meet eventually ended and as Ace packed up his stuff, the group lounged around outside whilst texting Deuce to meet up with them so they could at least grab a bite before turning in for the night.

When he finally arrived, they made their way over to the cafeteria.

“So, you didn’t end up choosing a club, Isa?” Deuce asked, picking at the remains of his food as he looked over at her.

“Yeah.. but! I don’t really care, lowkey – I can join at any time, y’know?”

“Eh, seems like a better excuse than ‘I’m too lazy to commit’,” Ace remarked, taking a sip of his Sprite.

“DIE.”

“Maybe you can join Film Studies at some point and rizz up that one guy,” Janae teased, nudging her arm.

“YOU CAN DIE TOO,” Isa yelled, slightly embarrassed. “DON’T ACT LIKE YOU WEREN’T DROOLING OVER THAT ONE GUY WITH THE FRISBEE.”

Janae narrowed her eyes at her, averting her gaze as the drink in her hand suddenly became the best thing on earth. 

“I don’t recall.”

“What guy?” Deuce asked, a slight grin on his face.

“Yeah, what guy?” Ace pressed, sitting up a bit straighter.

“Heh..TP..TP..”

Deuce scrunched his face up, his eyebrows pulling together. “Toilet paper?”

“IT MEANS TOO PERSONAL, LEAVE ME ALONE.” Janae snapped back, earning a snicker from Deuce.

Ace tilted his head, a frown still on his face. “You two sicken me.. keep in your pants, bro.”

“Tell that to JANAE, not me – it looked like she was about to mount him, I dunno..”

“CAN YOU EAT?”

Isa and Deuce laughed as Janae slouched in her chair, glaring at the other two with annoyance and Ace rolled his eyes with a huff.

“Well, whatever. I got what I wanted – y’all gon hear about me performing a sick bass solo at some point in the school year,” She said with a smug grin.

“Do you actually play guitar?” Ace questioned, a skeptical look on his face as he looked over at her.

“I mean.. I used to take classes at school back in Brooklyn but I switched to drums a little later in the year,” She replied, tapping the table absentmindedly. “It’s not too hard and lowkey, it'd be fun to practice again – especially if I can bring home a guitar to use this time.”

Deuce hummed slightly.

“Either way.. when you guys do perform – we’re totally gonna go see,” He said with a smile which she returned.

“YEAH. Heh, make sure to shout me out too for basically being your manager,” Isa joked, fluttering her eyelashes jokingly.

“Die.”

Ace stared at Janae for a moment before leaning forward slightly and plucking some random fuzz out of her hair. She looked over at him in confusion, noting the thing in his hand.

“I was about to mention that was in your hair,” Isa said with a slight laugh.

“How long was that shit even there for?” Janae questioned, her face scrunched in concern.

Isa shrugged.

Janae shot the girl a glare, then turned to the boy next to her. “Thanks, I GUESS, Ace.” 

Ace scoffed, flicking the fuzz away. “Don’t thank me just yet, there’s still a few more on your damn head.”

“Oh.”

The other two watched on in silence for a moment as Ace picked at nothing in her hair while Janae continued trying to talk. 

As the conversation flowed, Ace had given up picking things out of her hair and had resigned to mindlessly twirling her braids whilst talking to everyone else.

As the meal wrapped up and everyone went their separate ways to their own dorms, Isa ended up falling asleep quite quickly as a result of all the running around that had occurred in the day.

Chapter Text

“So.. Did anyone actually get any of that?”

Deuce was the first person to speak up after walking out of the dragged-out mess that was Mr. Trein’s history. Ace shook his head.

“No, dude. I haven’t retained shit since the first day.”

“RIGHT?! Trein musta’ cast a sleeping spell on me, I was fighting for my life the entire 45 minutes!” Grim said, curling his paws into a fist.

Janae snickered. “You was out like a light as soon as he closed the curtains.”

“I DON’T RECALL.”

Ace’s face scrunched in confusion as the group entered the lunch room – the whole place was filled with students who were all crowding around the serving stations. 

“What the hell’s all this?” 

Deuce’s eyebrows pulled together as he tried to look over the large expanse of students crowding around and speaking.

“...Even the seniors are here – what the heck?”

“YO, MOVE IT OR LOSE IT. YOU’RE BLOCKING ME.” 

The group turned to look at the owner of the face, deadpan looks on their face as a random Savanaclaw student pushed past them to go and join the crowd of students.

“Aight, the food cannot possibly be that good..” Isa murmured out. “Damn, what’s even goin’ on for real anyway?”

“The famous bakery from out of town serves up their goods!” A ghoulish voice rang out, prompting the group to glance at the cafeteria ghost standing behind them.

“Bakery, huh?” Deuce repeated, his gaze curious.

“No food could require this amount of waiting, I can’t lie,” Janae said with a frown. “We can’t like out wait all the hype?”

“Patience is a virtue! Plus, you only have a few minutes before all the food is finished! Then you’ll all be stuck with leftovers.”

Grim let out a gasp of surprise, clenching his paws as he stomped his foot. “MYAH! What’re we waitin’ for? C’MON!!”

“Damnit, Grim – you’re always doing the absolute most for food..” Ace said, kissing his teeth. “Can’t you just relax for like ONE day?”

“EXACTLY, I’m not waiting in that line,” Isa replied firmly, eyeing the cat.

“Egg sandwiches are now sold out!” Called out the cafeteria ghost.

Janae sighed, crossing her arms. “Y’know what bro, y’all go ahead and get a table – I’ll wait in the line and see if they got anything good.”

“You sure? You might have to push through a few people, I can’t lie,” Deuce said with an awkward smile.

“Eh, she’ll be aight – right, Janae?” Ace said with a slight grin, prompting the girl to stare at him merely. 

“I guess we’ll see you in a bit then,” Isa said with a slight hum, waving bye before walking off toward the direction of the tables in an attempt to find somewhere to sit in the chaos.

Isa hadn’t really understood the point of the huge cafeteria area, considering that most people usually ate outside, but it was starting to make sense in its current state. Any smaller, and people would’ve been popping out of the doors.

“So, stuff like this is normal here?” Isa asked, narrowing her eyes at Ace and Deuce. “I WISH they had things like this back home – like what do you mean a famous bakery casually pulled up here.”

“I’m surprised too,” Deuce replied, his gaze focused on finding an empty table. “I mean… I didn’t think Crowley would even think about doing something this nice for the school, y’know?”

“They could be here against their will, you know,” Ace chimed in with a hum, he was mindlessly scrolling through his phone as they walked.

“I hate that I can’t even shut down that theory, bro – HE’S MAD SHADY AT TIMES,” Isa replied, laughing a bit. “Like, what was that about the incident from 78' the other day.”

The group had finally found a table, sitting down after what felt like hours of navigating the crowded lunchroom. 

“Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if we stumble across some human remains in Botany Class,” Ace said with a huff of a laugh.

“No, I really do think that’s more possible than you’d think – those plants are all so hostile,” Deuce said with a frown pulling at his lips. “The one I got assigned tried to bite my finger off while I was feeding it..”

“HAH! See, I told you – don’t try to be nice to the little assholes, they’re all evil as fuck,” Ace said with a scoff. “I was movin’ mine to a new pot ‘cuz I guess the teacher said it needed to breathe or – whatever – AND IT LITERALLY TRIED TO SWALLOW MY HEAD WHOLE.”

“I haven’t even gotten a plant yet,” Isa said, sucking her teeth. “The teacher still thinks me and Janae aren’t ready to take care of them 'cause they’re magical I guess?? I don’t fucking know – I DON’T WANNA TEND TO THEM IF THIS IS HOW THEY ACT.”

“Guess who scored the last deluxe grilled cheese sandwich?!”

The three turned their attention onto Grim and Janae who’d finally managed to make it out of that crowd of people unscathed. 

Grim had a triumphant grin on his face, his paw clutching a high-quality sandwich in his palm and a few other desserts while Janae, who seemed less than happy about the whole ordeal, was holding a bag that looked like it was overflowing with various food.

“We skipped like 8 people, y’all,” Janae said with a frown, fixing her collar.

“They were in our way! Plus, it’s first come first served!” Grim argued, huffing.

Deuce huffed a laugh, resting his head in his palm as he looked at the two curiously. “Did you manage to at least grab anything from the buffet?”

Grim smirked. “YEAH – LESS TALKIN, MORE EATING!”

“Hungry ass,” Janae replied with a huff, plopping down next to Deuce as Grim climbed onto the table and spread out his findings.

“I got like... I dunno! A good amount of stuff! There’s like donuts.. croissants – some sandwiches too –”

“Heh.. give it here,” Isa said, earning a deadpan look from Janae as she slid the bag toward the center of the table, allowing the other three to help themselves.

“Oh, man..” Grim said, practically drooling at his spread as he rubbed his paws together. “I’m gonna enjoy this..!”

“Make sure to wash your paws after,” Janae reminded, shooting him a look. “Your greasy ass self made me break out last week.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever!”

Grim waved his paw dismissively in her direction before turning his attention back onto his spread.

“Excuse me,” A voice suddenly spoke up. “I couldn’t help but notice you managed to snag the last deluxe grilled cheese.”

The group turned their gazes toward where the sound was coming from, Isa involuntarily snickering when she realized who it was.

“Huh..? Oh..it’s you again!” Grim said, his face scrunching up as he recalled the boy from a little while ago – the one who’d decked Janae straight in her face with some magical frisbee.

“What do YOU want?”

The boy held his hands up, shrugging slightly. “Damn.. so aggressive – I didn’t even do nothin’..” He tucked his hands into his pocket. “Anyways – I’ll just cut to the chase – you lowkey don’t even need that sandwich for real so.. Imma go ahead and take that from you.. y’know since you’re offering it.”

Grim scoffed, a smug grin on his face. “HAH! I’d be outta my mind to trade somethin’ like this!”

“Nah, nah – it’s cool, you can have this hot dog for your trouble!”

Grim shot him a deadpan look. “Get outta here–!” 

A slight yelp left Grim as he started to move toward the guy with his hands outstretched, offering the sandwich to him which he graciously accepted with his arms out as well.

“The fuck?” Ace said with a confused expression on his face.

“My paws are movin’ on their own–! GUYS, HELP!”

The group stared on silently, pretty sure that Grim was having yet another one of his episodes.

Grim glared at the four teens, his teeth gritting.

“I HATE YOU GUYS!”

A weird snicker left the boy as he took the sandwich from Grim’s hands successfully, offering him a sly grin as he tilted his head.

“Shyeeheehee! Damn, thanks a lot, man! Here’s that hot dog as promised, I’ll see ya around!” 

Grim watched as he basically chucked him the hot dog before he dashed off quickly – making it so Grim couldn’t chase after him even if he wanted to. 

“..I didn’t know you were like that, Grim!” Janae said, snickering. “Helping out the poor and shit.”

“Ain’t that yo friend?” Isa chimed in, a teasing look on her face.

“SHUT THE FUCK UP.”

Grim sniffled, moving to stuff one of his snacks into his mouth as he stomped his foot. 

“I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS! THIS IS THE WORST DAY OF MY LIFE!!”

“It can’t be that bad, Grim,” Deuce said with a frown, staring at him blankly. “He still gave you that hot dog.”

Grim grumbled. “WHICH WOULD’VE BEEN GREAT IF IT WASN’T HALF EATEN AND WHOLE WHEAT.” 

Isa and Janae leaned closer, stifling laughs as they noticed the huge cartoonish bites that were taken out of the hot-dog. Not to mention the bun was ripping apart too.

“NAHHH, YOU GOTTA GET HIS ASS FOR THAT, I CAN’T LIE, GRIM..” Isa said, cackling as Janae joined in with her.

Ace huffed a laugh, grinning slightly. “Ehhh, that’s what you get for trying to be all nice, dude.”

“BUT IT WASN’T ME!!” Grim argued, sniffling as he stuffed his face. “It was all that guy – I know it was! Maybe it was..some type of signature spell!”

“You jumpin’ hurdles to try and excuse your own foolishness..” Janae replied, shaking her head as Isa giggled.

“Honestly, Grim – you’ll be okay, you have like 4 other snacks to eat..”

“YOU DON’T GET IT!!”

Isa turned to Janae with a grin. “Did you get geeked when he popped up again or what? You were MAD quiet during that ‘lil moment,”

“Okay.”

“You two know that guy?” Deuce questioned, taking a bite of his chocolate croissant.

“We met like 2 times, I guess informally,” Isa replied with a neutral smile. “When we were at the Botanical Garden we ran into him and some other lion guy – I forgot his name. Then, like – a few days ago while we were checking on the clubs he hit Janae in the face with a frisbee MAD hard, then helped her up and pissed off.” 

Janae scowled. “OKAY.”

Isa sighed contently, looking wistfully up to the ceiling in a joking manner. “It was love at first sight.. Hah..”

“I’ll kill you.”

“SHE’S HATING BUT, I’m right – I felt mad awkward watching her gaze longingly as he ran back to his lil team–” Isa cried out in pain as Janae poked her ribs roughly with her finger.

Deuce glanced at Ace, a knowing look on his face as he nudged him slightly.

“So, you don’t know him then.” Ace dismissed, punching Deuce in his arm. 

“I think his name started with an R?” Janae offered a scowl still on her face.

“Oh, of course you remember his name,” Ace teased, though he didn’t seem amused.

“SHUT UP??”

“UHM, HELLO! Stop talkin’ about that weirdo and start comforting ME! I’m still heartbroken!”

The group chose to ignore Grim, focusing on their food.

“Eh, I guess in better news, Crowley is askin’ for us after this – he said it’s important,” Ace announced suddenly.

“Better be some cash,” Isa said with a huff.

“That’s at the bottom of the list of things we deserve after everything that went down in our dorm,” Deuce chimed in, finishing off his drink as he set it to the side.

“We gon’ see..” Janae said with a huff, taking a bite of her sandwich.

The rest of the lunch period continued on normally as the group fell in natural conversation and the memory of the weird little beggar from earlier faded from their minds.

–

“Spelldrive tournament?” Grim repeated. “Isn’t it just a club?”

Ace sighed. “You losers really don’t know anything, huh.”

“WE WEREN’T EXACTLY BORN AND RAISED HERE,” Janae replied, rolling her eyes.

“True. Plus, you guys would probably have a hard time playing. The game does involve magic.”

Isa raised an eyebrow, turning to Deuce. “Then why suggest the club to us the other day?”

He shrugged. “I mean... You can play it without magic, but it’s generally expected to have it especially since people can just like... throw and catch the discs with their magic, and be show-offs.”

Crowley let out a hum in agreement.

“Yes, quite, Mr. Spade. That’s why Night Raven College’s Spelldrive team is extremely popular all around the world!” Crowley started. 

“The school has a TON of talented players and exceptional magic users, and the league is constantly scouting and looking for new recruits. When the tournament happens, we will open up the campus to visitors and decorate the place with kiosks and tourist attractions, plus the whole event will be live-streamed and broadcast worldwide.”

“OOOOO…” Isa and Janae said in unison, catching the mention of a worldwide broadcast.

“AROUND THE WORLD?! So that means if I compete and win, the whole entire world will love me?” Grim inquired, smiling wide.

“Well, yes, if you win. The best players receive the most media attention.”

“I can’t lie though... A cat monster playing in a Spelldrive tournament will get mad attention even if you don’t win,” Deuce said, awkwardly laughing.

“WELL, IT’S SETTLED THEN. SPELLDRIVE TOURNAMENT, HERE I COME!”

Crowley coughed. “Grim, you cannot enter.”

His eyes widened as he placed his hands on his hips. “MYAH?! Why not?!”

“The school’s Spelldrive club is interdorm, however, your dorm only consists of you and two other people. Therefore, you cannot apply.”

Grim sulked, as Janae patted him on the back.

Crowley shook his head. “Do not fret Grim, there’s plenty more to do. You could help tend to the grounds, sell drinks, et cetera!”

Isa giggled to herself. “With those tiny paws?”

“Anyway, as per usual, I am a busy man with much work to do. You all are dismissed. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions!”

The group stood awkwardly outside the door as Crowley basically shoved them out, locking the entrance behind him. They swore they could hear the sounds of dog videos playing from behind the glass of his office door.

Deuce sighed. “It’s okay, Grim. Maybe next year, more people will transfer to Ramshackle, and you can actually play!”

“Will they?” Ace said, snickering slightly.

“NOT TOO MUCH..”

—

The rest of the day continued and before the trio knew it, they were back at Ramshackle winding down for the day.

Isa and Janae were in the kitchen trying their best to put together whatever meal they could with the ingredients in the fridge whilst Grim was sprawled out on the couch having a fit after the news from earlier.

“UGH! If I can’t be in the tournament then what’s even the point!” He whined out, his paws resting on his belly.

“You act like that’s the only thing you got going on,” Isa peeked her head out from inside the kitchen to look over at his sulking form.

“YEAH. You could always come in this damn kitchen and HELP us,” Janae suggested, narrowing her eyes at him.

“MYAH! You’re just makin’ me sadder!”

“What’s wrong, Grimmy?” A ghastly voice chirped out, earning an eye roll from the two girls.

“He’s all bummed out cause he can’t play in the tournament!”

“Spelldrive Tournament, huh? Well, we can help with that! How’s about we take a game outside and throw a few, eh, Grimmy?”

Grim’s eyes seemed to light up at the offer as he quickly sprung to his feet before he paused, a confused look on his face.

“Don’t we need 7 people?” 

“Who cares about that? It’s not a real game, ya know!”

“Yeah, y’all can take that outside, we’ll just be in here FIGHTING FOR OUR LIVES,” Janae replied, a frown on her face.

“Bro, genuinely, we gotta go hit up Sam’s store at some point. I can’t take eating bun and cheese every day like we’re Jamaicans.”

“Yeah, no – Crowley gotta come through with money first since we blew half of that shit on new clothes last week,”

Isa and Janae sighed, shaking their heads.

“I’m like lowkey, if we keep moving like this it might be time to fry up Grim..”

The girls shared a cackle at that, returning to try their best to scrounge together a sad excuse for some curry and rice.

Time seemed to pass faster as they actually managed to finish off the last of it, retiring to the couch as they scrolled on their phones and waited for Grim to come back inside.

ISANOTELIZABETH: yeah so anyway if y’all ever wanna come over make sure 2 bring your own plates cause we dead ran out icl

ISANOTELIZABETH: 💔💔💔💔

JINNY: AND BRING UTENSILS TEW

JINNY: THE GHOSTS THREW OURS OUT THE OTHER DAY AND I HAVENT SEEN TS SINCE.

ACEOFHEARTS: ?

ACEOFHEARTS: who is coming over to eat tho. Cuz its not me

ACEOFHEARTS: LMFAO

JUICEBOX: i mean it depends what you guys make!

JUICEBOX: send a pic

ISANOTELIZABETH SENT 1 ATTACHMENT.

JUICEBOX: 🙂

JUICEBOX: ah! Interesting!

JINNY: we did our best bro.. basically all the curry powder was sold out cuz of some scarabia student shopping last minute for some reason??

JINNY: I LITERALLY MADE EYE CONTACT WITH HIM AS HE GOT TS.

JINNY: COUNT YOUR DAYS.

ACEOFHEARTS: we gotta set up a gofundme for yall bro..

JINNY: YO BROKE ASS CANT SEND NUN BRO

JINNY: DONT SET SHIT UP.

ISANOTELIZABETH: hoping and praying someone get crowley ass one day i cant live liek this brah..

JINNY: its ok..come to papa baba..

ISANOTELIZABETH: GET THE FUCK ON.

Isa shot Janae a disguised look, kicking her away as she looked over her phone and started scooting towards her while jokingly leaning in for a hug. 

JUICEBOX: maybe we’ll come over for another movie night or something!

ACEOFHEARTS: yeah but dinners another story

ACEOFHEARTS: if were gonna have dinner together yall are coming over to fucking heartslabyul

ACEOFHEARTS: atleast until your stove is fixed.

JINNY: if youre offering then hell yeah.

ISANOTELIZABETH: RIGHT.

ISANOTELIZABETH: GO AHEAD AND SAVE ME A SEAT AHA.

ISANOTELIZABETH: 😉

ACEOFHEARTS: K

The sound of the door opening prompted the two to look away from their phones as they were met with Crowley. 

He seemed to have broken up the Spelldrive game that Grim and the rest of the ghosts were doing outside judging by the fact Grim seemed pissed off.

“Good evening, you two,” Crowley greeted with a neutral smile, waving as he closed the door behind him. His face contorted slightly as he sniffed the air, a frown settling on his face.

“It seems you two have made dinner by the smell of it.. or something akin to that.”

“Yeah, it’s not exactly like we got the best shit to work with,” Isa mumbled to herself, a frown on her face.

“That’s the spirit! Workin’ with what you’ve got as opposed to fumbling to try and get more to work with!” He laughed heartily before quickly returning to a neutral expression.

“Ah, either way – that’ll be something you have to learn to do as I didn’t say anything about covering living expenses,” Crowley said, no emotion detected in his speech.

“Right..yeah. Anyway, is there any reason you’re here?” Janae asked as Grim hopped onto the couch and situated himself there.

Crowley’s face grew more serious as he cleared his throat, pulling up a chair before sitting down on it and interlocking his hands together.

“Yes, well, there’s something that’s come up recently and I’d like to make a request of the three of you,” He started, keeping his gaze on the trio as he spoke clearly and concisely.

“There’s been a series of students being hurt in strange incidents on campus as of recently,” The three looked at each other and then back at Crowley.

Chapter Text

“Incidents?” Grim inquired curiously.

“Falling down the stairs, getting burns from boiling water – all of them differ. The nurse’s office has been filling up with an abundance of these victims and I can’t help but grow suspicious as to what’s causing this.”

“Maybe it’s someone else doing it..??” Janae suggested, her face scrunched in concern.

“I thought as much too, Jane –”

“Janae.”

“Yes, Janae – but, there are no signs of foul play nor do we have any evidence to support that claim. Perhaps it was just carelessness on the part of the students,” 

Crowley sat back, crossing his arms. “I’m not so convinced, however..”

“What’s your point, then?” Isa asked, sitting forward.

Crowley thought for a moment before speaking once more.

“While none of these incidents have been fatal, I’d like you to investigate these incidents.”

“WHY US? THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH US!” Grim questioned, a scowl on his face

Crowley sighed, frowning. “That’s so sad to hear, Grim – especially after I’ve gone out of my way to prepare a special reward for you three if you do go through with this.”

“HAH! Nice try, crook! That wouldn’t work on me –”

“Hey, actually, y’know – I wouldn’t mind doing it if it meant we got some money out of it,” Isa interjected with a slight smile at the prospect of not having to scrounge for food.

“HELL YEAH. Don’t listen to Grim, he’s losing it,”

Grim scoffed. “SELL-OUTS! I’m not gettin’ involved! Not even if the reward was 100 cans of tuna!”

“Lying ass.”

“HUSH!”

“And if I offered you an opportunity to play in the Spelldrive Tournament?”

“SOLD!”

—

“Man.. I can’t believe this. Why’d he make us get on this shit so early bro?” Isa said, sucking her teeth.

“We ain’t really have nothing better to do, to be honest,” Janae replied, her eyes glued to her phone as she typed away. 

Isa shot a glance her way, inching towards her as she looked over her shoulder.

She caught the quickest glance of what seemed to be a private DM with Ace before Janae pocketed her phone and turned her attention onto Grim who was ahead of them.

“Eyes on the prize, you two! This is the room of that guy that hurt his ankle!” Grim announced as the trio walked into the room.

On the infirmary bed was a Heartslabyul student, possibly a freshman too, with messy black hair and freckles littered across his face. Sitting in a chair to the side was another student from the same dorm with mid-length brown hair and red eyes who was staring intently at the trio. 

The black-haired kid’s eyes sparked with intrigue as the trio moved to the side of his bed. 

“Hah! Check it out, it’s those two girls who’re always at our dorm!” The brown-haired kid smiled slightly. “And their cat... What’re you two doing here?”

“Woah, hey! We’re famous!” Grim said with a slight grin, putting his hands on his hips.

“We’re here against our will, I can’t lie,” Isa said with a shrug as Janae laughed slightly.

“We’re here to ask you about what happened to your ankle,” Janae answered.

The two boys looked at each other before staring back at the two – seemingly a bit nervous to be speaking intimately like that.

“Well, I’m not too sure myself,” The black-haired guy answered, shifting slightly on the bed. “I was walking and talking with my friend and then out of nowhere I just fell down the stairs.”

“You two should’ve seen it. It all just kinda happened – didn’t even see him stumble or anything,” The brown-haired guy added. “Freaky.”

“It was like my body lurched forward by itself, or something.” 

“Interesting..” Grim replied, nodding his head like he had an idea of what was going on.

“Did you break it or something or like, is it just sprained?” Janae asked curiously.

“I – well, no… I don’t think it’s broken or anything like that – I’ll probably be fine! It’s just bad timing is all,” The black-haired kid replied, clearing his throat as his cheeks dusted with pink.

“Real smooth,” His friend replied, laughing.

“SHUT UP.”

Isa laughed awkwardly, her eyebrows pulled together slightly. “Well, that’s good, I guess. At least you get to skip class for a lil, gang,”

“YEAH. That’s good,” Janae added.

“MYAH! Anyway! Thanks for the info – we’re off!” Grim announced, springing to his feet as the two girls followed after him, waving goodbye.

—

A few more interviews commenced throughout the day, the trio talking to a bunch of students from different dorms and even getting into a fight with some kids from Pomefiore, surprisingly.

The trio sat in Ramshackle’s lounge after classes, discussing what should be the next course of action.

Isa sighed. 

“I know this school actually cleans its floors so why's everyone slipping and falling so much this week?”

“ION KNOW!” Grim shrugged. “A lot of kids here also fail their classes, maybe they lost their brains and locomotive skills!”

Janae absentmindedly tapped repeatedly on her phone, and as soon as she placed it down on the coffee table, the doorbell rang. Grim got up from his seat to go open the door, and in strolled Ace as if he had his own room in the house. 

“Sup. What’s this I’m hearing about suspicious-accident-injuries with a buncha’ people?”

Isa raised an eyebrow. “Did Crowley tell you too or something?”

“Heard from the grapevine.”

His eyes flickered between the two girls for a second, as he sat down at the ottoman across from Grim.

“I mean, in my opinion, I think it’s all a bunch of hullabaloo. It might honestly just be stupid kids tripping and falling as a coincidence,” Grim said, crossing his arms.

“I think you just don’t wanna do work, Grim,” Ace replied with a slight grin. “All those incidents happenin’ at once is not normal,”

“Yeah, exactly,” Janae added with a frown. “I knew the kids at this school were kind of violent but like, pushing people down the stairs and shit isn’t crazy?”

“Right..maybe this school ain’t so different from our school in Brooklyn,”

Suddenly, the door burst open again, and Deuce quickly ran in, standing in the middle of the lounge. He looked frantic, there was a scared look in his eye as the group stared at him in confusion.

“Woah, what’s your deal, dude?” Ace said with a frown, annoyed by his sudden burst into the room. 

“TREY’S BEEN INJURED!”

“WHAT?!” The group shouted in tandem.

“What the fuck?” Janae said, her face scrunched in confusion.

“Yeah, I’m going to go out on a limb and say this shit’s definitely not an accident either,” Isa added, earning a huff from Ace.

“I agree. Trey doesn’t seem like the type to blindly fall down the stairs like a dumb ass.”

Deuce frowned, shuffling on his feet as he put his hand on his hip. “Come on, we gotta go see him!”

The group looked at each other before nodding in agreement and setting off towards the mirror room.

–

Heartslabyul was in much better shape than how it was a while ago following Riddle’s overblot – in fact, the rose bushes seemed to be a brighter red than before.

Though, that was most likely because Cater was being forced to do his fucking job.

“Y’all isn’t this kinda insane though?” Isa said, walking next to Ace as the group moved through the courtyard of the dorm. “I mean, at first it was like all ‘em random kids and stuff from the other dorm but now, it’s a vice housewarden.”

“YEAHH..this seems serious lowkey, I can’t lie,” Janae added, a slight frown on her face. “If this shit keeps up Ace’s ass gon be on that bitch next..”

“WHY DOES IT GOTTA BE ME?”

“I agree.. Plus, it’s Trey! He’s like.. super careful with stuff like this – he’s literally the guy who makes you brush one tooth at a time at least 10 times before moving on to the next one,” Deuce chimed in, shivering uncomfortably as he recalled the memory.

“I’m gonna ignore that weird ass comment,” Isa said, smiling.

The door to Trey’s room opened and the group was met with the sight of him sitting on his bed thinking pensively about something. Cater was sitting on a chair next to him.

He raised his head up to look over at them as they entered, leaning over quickly to put on his glasses as he readjusted him.

“Hey, there y’all are! I’ve been wondering when the Heartshackle group would show up!”

“That lame ass name..” Grim said with a huff, crossing his arms.

“Yo, we heard about what happened,” Ace said, casually strolling in as Isa shut the door behind him.

“YEAH, are you good??” Janae asked, her face scrunched in concern.  

Trey offered a small smile, his gaze a bit distant. “I slipped on the stairs, I couldn’t catch myself in time so, I sprained it a bit.” He sighed slightly. “I guess I won’t be participating in Spelldrive in time.

“Yikes McGikes..” Isa said with a frown. “That’s all? You just slipped straight up?”

“Right? That doesn’t seem like you at all, Trey!” Grim agreed, a curious look on his face. “Maybe it’s those fat lenses makin’ you see double,”

“BE NICE BRO.”

“HEY! I am bein’ nice! Look, I brought you a get-well can of tuna,” Grim scooted towards the bed, hopping up as he placed the can on Trey’s thigh. He accepted it reluctantly, smiling down at Grim as he placed it on his bedside table.

“Thank you, Grim.. I’ll er..have it for dinner or something.”

“MAN! This is such a #fail! We totally lost our star player,” Cater said with a huff, crossing his arms. “Alright, who wants to help me redo the roster, hmm?”

“WAIT, HUH?”

The sound of the door opening made everyone turn their attention toward it as a slightly uncomfortable Riddle stepped inside. His eyes scanned over the room before he frowned slightly – though it looked more like a pout.

“Why’s there so many people in here..?” He said with a sigh, crossing his arms. “Trey’s supposed to be resting!”

“Don’t look now..Crashout Riddle’s on the rise!” Grim ducked behind Deuce, earning a huff from the boy.

Riddle scrunched his face in concern. “I’m not a.. crashout – whatever the heck that is. Plus, you’ll be perfectly fine if you just OBEY the rules, Grim.” 

“Hey, Rids! What’s going on?” Cater chirped out with a lazy grin. “Came here to drop off some work?”

“No, I was just about to ask if Trey wanted me to bring him any food,”

“Man, pull his pants up when you're done..” Ace whispered out to Janae, earning a stifled laugh from her.

“Riddle, it’s okay. I asked you not to fuss over me,” Trey replied simply, sighing a bit.

Riddle’s expression faltered a bit as he frowned. “It’s my fault you got hurt, though..”

“Uh-oh, drama!” Grim chimed in.

“What happened?” Deuce asked, suddenly curious as well.

Riddle spoke clearly as he recounted how he and Trey were walking together after class discussing plans for spelldrive practice when Riddle accidentally lost his footing, and in response, Trey moved him out of the way, taking the fall instead.

“It was stupid on my part – I shouldn’t have broken your fall. It’s likely you probably would’ve just redirected yourself with a wind spell,” Trey argued as Riddle frowned – clearly not convinced.

“Still…”

The group looked at each other before looking back at the two.

“Oh, come on, Rids! Cheer up, aight? You’re totally harshing my mellow RN! Bringing the mood down like that won’t help anyone.”

Riddle hummed in agreement. “I guess you’re right..”

“I know I am! Anywhooszies, we should let Trey chillaxamundo for a little. Out, out, out!”

—

“So, the headmage asked you three to investigate, huh?” Riddle repeated as The Ramshackle Trio nodded.

Cater hummed, twirling his strand of hair as he crossed his legs. “I figured as much. I mean, why would Grim wanna swing by for a get-well visit?”

“Hey!”

Riddle brought a hand to his chin, his eyebrows furrowed slightly as well. “I also had a suspicion about what was happening, I actually asked Cater to look into it for me,” He revealed, looking over at the ginger boy who was nodding.

“I got mad data, too! Check this out, all the victims have been talented players who're, like, super good at the tournament.”

“So they’re targeting strong players, huh?” Isa questioned, a curious look on her face.

“I’m pretty sure,” Riddle said with a nod. “I actually figured it might be foul play as well – I wasn’t pushed when I tripped but, there was this strange sensation welling up inside of me.., it was as if I was moving on the own,”

Isa and Janae shared a look.

“So, you think someone’s behind this whole operation ‘cuz of the tournament coming up?” Ace asked, his legs spread on the sofa.

“It’s likely that’s true,”

“WAY true, actually. Spelldrive is broadcast everywhere! It’d make sense someone would wanna take out the competition so they have a better chance at winning!”

“Maybe it’s someone’s signature spell,” Janae suggested, looking at Riddle. “Obviously you’d see someone like, using magic and shit but if it’s just you moving on your own weirdly like that it’s prolly special magic,”

“YEAH. It’d make the most sense,” Isa added.

“Either way, whatever it ends up being..I’d like to help you three out,” Riddle replied, folding his hand in his lap.

“What’s your angle?” Grim shot Riddle a suspicious look that he returned with a neutral one.

Cater smiled. “No angles here, Grimmy. We just wanna help! Our friend’s injured because of this little goober – of course, we’d wanna help bring the guy to justice.”

“The more the merrier, I guess,” Ace replied, shrugging.

Deuce hummed in agreement gruffly, pounding his fist in the palm of his hand. “Yeah! He’s gonna pay for what he did to Trey!”

Cater huffed a laugh. “You seem awfully excited, Deucey! I feel like Y’ALL got some angles, huh?”

Ace grinned slightly. “DURRR. Of course, we do!”

Deuce shot him a look of annoyance before looking at Riddle. “It’s nothing like that! Kinda..well – I mean, Trey comes first! We just wanna avenge him,”

Riddle’s face scrunched slightly.

“Fine, I guess I can take how you act in this investigation into account..”

“YA-HOO!”

“Well, you guys got any leads? We kind of ran out of people to interview,” Isa spoke up suddenly, fumbling with her bracelet.

Riddle thought for a moment before speaking again. “By predicting what student will be the next victim, we’ll be able to catch the culprit before he carries out his actions,”

“Stalking?”

“STAKEOUT!” Cater corrected with a chirp. “I got all the deets right here! There’s a number of students who’ll probably be targeted next.. I can form a group on Magicam and set up all the intimate stuff about it,”

“This is what you do instead of painting the roses, huh..?” Deuce asked with a slight frown.

“LET’S NAIL THIS CREEP!” Grim shouted out, raising his paw in the air.

-

“Well, we’re starting here! Pomefiore’s got this one guy who’s totally caught my eye. Hs name’s Rook Hunt – the one with the blonde bob and the big hat,”

“OH HEY, we actually met him like the other day!” Isa said with a smile.

“YEAH, he was with Trey in the Science Club.”

“God, it’s like y’all just know everyone, bro,” Ace said with a yawn, putting his hand to his mouth before putting his hands in his pocket.

“Okay.”

“Well,” Riddle started as he turned to Ace. “Rook’s an excellent player, he performed really well in last year’s tournament.. But, uhm, he’s a bit – how should I say it? Touched in the head?”

The group approached Rook who seemed to be talking to another smaller boy with purple hair who didn’t seem to be very amused – or like, happy at all.

“Non, non, Epel! You don’t insert your finger through the handle! It’s tres inelegant!” Rook said, tutting as he wagged his finger.

Epel – apparently, grimaced and his eyes twitched just slightly as he sat up straighter. 

“Right..okay – sorry, Rook.”

His eyes darted to the side as he took notice of the group standing around looking at the interaction and his eyes sparkled with recognition as he spotted 2 familiar faces.

“Well, if it isn’t Mademoiselle Janae et Mademoiselle Belle! How nice of you two to visit!” He said, cheerfully.

The two offered him a shy wave that made his smile widen ever so slightly.

“Hey, Rook! Don’t mind us.. Just passing through..” Cater said, twirling his hair strand.

“Oh – if that’s the case, then–”

“Ugh! I can’t decide what look to do for the tournament!” Another familiar voice whined out. 

Everyone turned as the housewarden of Pomefiore, Vil, frowned, furrowing his eyebrows. He glanced over to Cater, giving him a nod of recognition.

“I’m thinking maybe I should try the new foundation I got from Felicity Cosmetics..?” He said, directing his attention towards Rook.

Rook’s face lit up as he put his hands together and smiled. “Oh-ho! Mon belle Vil – Le Roi du Poison..!”

The group looked at each other then back at the two.

“Surely your beauty is not so faint you need makeup?”

Vil scoffed slightly, smirking a bit. “Of course, I don’t need it – though, that doesn’t mean I’d miss a chance to accentuate it.”

“Holy glaze..” Janae murmured out.

Grim huffed. “I doubt this guy’s gonna be a target!” 

“Maybe it’s time we skedaddle,” Cater suggested with an awkward smile.

“Yeah..” Deuce replied with a frown.

—

“Alrighty, next on Cay-Cay’s agenda iss…Floyd and Jade Leech!” Cater said in a sing-songy voice, walking a bit ahead of the group as they trudged along behind. 

“They’re sophomores in Octavinelle, and the word is they work together on that field like they’re naturals,”

Grim looked up at Cater as he angled his phone for the rest of the group to see their photos. Isa and Janae had recognized one of them as being the same guy who had pressed Ace a while ago at the gym.

“Is it just me or do they have the same face?”

“Uh, yeah, Grim –that’s how twins work,” Deuce replied simply.

Ace’s eyebrows quirked up in intrigue. “So you think Floyd and his brother’s in danger?”

Cater shrugged. “It’s possible,”

“YO, I know that’s not who I THINK it is!”

Ace seemed to grimace as Floyd’s voice chirped out, a lazy grin on his face as he turned behind him to look at the taller boy.

“Aw, man... The whole gangs’ here too!” His eyes landed on Riddle, who seemed to scowl in response, clearly uncomfortable. 

He directed his attention to the two girls who perked up a bit when he looked over, a slight grin on his face.

“Y’all are those two girls from practice last week, wazzup? Hangin’ out with Crabby and Goldfishy here?”

Riddle grumbled. “Uhm, I’ve asked you multiple times not to call me that, Floyd.”

Floyd snickered. “You’re bite-sized and red like a goldfish, what do you want me to call you?”

“My name?”

“Nah.”

“This guy is two tuna cans sort of a casserole,” Grim murmured, earning a laugh from the two girls.

“OH, You got jokes, huh, kitty?” Floyd said, turning his attention onto Grim. “Lemme see if you still got jokes after I squeeze you like a stress toy..”

Grim perked up, his tail standing up as he ducked behind Isa’s leg.

“H-HEY! Get away from me, weirdo!”

“You doing too much, Floyd,” Ace said, crossing his arms.

Floyd rolled his eyes. “Man.. Stop tryna act all cool 'cause the hoes are around..”

“SHUT UP!”

“It seems a few spies from Heartslabyul have paid us a visit, huh?” Another smooth voice rang out. The person who it belonged to was presumably Floyd’s brother – Jade. He looked the exact same as him.. just slightly neater and more put together. He smoothed out his blazer as he took a step forward toward the group.

They seemed to tower over the group as a whole with how tall and lanky they were.

Isa and Janae shared a knowing look, scheming smiles on their faces as they were likely thinking the same thing.

These guys were BAD as hell.

“Came here to assess the competition?” Jade asked with a creepy grin. 

“We’d never! It’s top secret.. carry on with what you were doin’ before,” Cater replied, seemingly a bit nervous.

Jade’s eyes narrowed slightly as he tilted his head. “We look down on spying at Octavinelle. I’d like to ask you to justify your action.”

“Ohh.. shoot? Y’all see that? I think my phone’s boutta die! I’ll catch you guys on the flip side!”

“TRAITOR,” Grim yelled out as Cater backed away slowly, before running off completely. 

“He got a good idea taking off so quickly,” Floyd said with a grin. “Y’all better follow in his footsteps.”

“Come on, bro.. I thought we were cool!” Ace tried to reason, a nervous smile on his face.

“Since we cool I’m getting you first and foremost.”

“RUN!” Deuce yelled.

The group took off quickly as Floyd started to chase after them at full speed, very clearly not playing. Isa and Janae began slowing down, noticing he was set on following Ace as they ran.

—

“MY GOD!” Grim huffed out, a frown on his face. “It’s always something with the students here!”

The group was hunched over in the Main Street, attempting to catch their breaths as they were just about sure they’d lost Floyd.

Hopefully.

“HE WAS ONLY TARGETING ME TOO, BRO,” Ace said, his eyebrows furrowed. 

“Better you than me.” Janae snickered before letting out an ‘Ow!’ when Ace leaned over to punch her arm.

“AND WHAT THE FUCK, CATER??” Isa chimed in, narrowing her eyes at him. “You just dipped!”

“Natural selection, Izzybelle! I got a lot to live for!”

Riddle sighed heavily, brushing his bangs out of his face as he straightened his posture. “Those two have concerned me ever since we were freshmen..” 

“Yeahh.. messin’ with those two is def not something I wanna try again!” Cater said with a nervous laugh.

“God – who’s the last person on that list, Cater?” Deuce asked, a frown on his face. 

“It’s Jack Howl, a freshman from the Savanaclaw Dorm. He’s a great athlete apparently, all the major teams are fighting to try and get him on their team,” He replied, scrolling through his phone.

“Well, classes are over – he’s probably in his dorm,” Ace replied, shifting on his feet.

“Is it really that late, already..?” Riddle said, blinking as he sighed. “Rule 346 declares that Croquet should not be played after 5PM.” 

“Myah.. there you go again with those rules. I thought you changed but, guess not…” Grim said with a huff.

Riddle’s cheeks dusted slightly in embarrassment. “H-hey! That’s not true, I’m a lot more lenient with rules now..!”

“Yeah! He has actually chilled out a bit more,” Cater reassured with a slight smile. “We appreciate your diligence, Rids! Go do whateva you gotta do, kay?”

“Yeah, whatever. The rest of us will be headin’ to Savanaclaw,” Ace replied casually.

Chapter Text

“This place is a direct contrast to whatever Heartslabyul got going on, huh?” Isa said, looking around.

Deuce hummed in agreement with her, his eyes twinkling in intrigue as he observed the area curiously.

“Seriously..”

“Check out these HUGE bones! I wonder what dinosaur they killed to get these!” Grim said with a grin.

“Hah. Even the air here just feels..different.” Cater said with a huff, whipping out his phone as he snapped a few shots.

“Is it okay for us to just be loitering in all the dorms like this?” Janae asked, a bit concerned. “I feel like it’s always Savanaclaw students who be pickin’ fights and I’m not really tryna start shit right now.”

Ace nodded. “Yeah, let’s get this over with, Cater. What’s this guy look like?” 

“He’s a really big guy with silver hair, wolf ears, and a fluffy tail.”

“Are you talking about Jack?” Deuce said, perking up.

“Yeah! How’d you know?”

“We’re in the same club, track. He’s really chill, he doesn’t talk much and just kind of does what he needs to do and then leaves.”

Grim looked toward the distance, pensively.

“Fluffy tail.. Silver ears… That guy over there?”

The group all turned in unison as Grim pointed at a guy who matched that description perfectly. He seemed to be running laps around the outside of the Savanaclaw building.

“The fuck? What grade is he in? He looks older than Cater!” Ace said, eyes widened.

Deuce laughed nervously. “Also a freshman.”

“NO WAY BRO..” Isa replied, looking around.

“HEY YOU! MR. STEROIDS!” Grim yelled loud as hell, catching the attention of the guy. He stopped in his tracks, staring at the group with a raised eyebrow.

“Huh..?”

“JUST SO YOU KNOW, SOME PEOPLE MIGHT TRY TO JUMP YOU LATER! I BET YOU’RE GLAD I’M GIVING YOU A HEADS-UP UP RIGHT? BUT NO NEED TO THANK ME! IT’S JUST WHAT I DO.”

Jack furrowed his eyebrows.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Before Grim could speak again, Cater quickly picked him up, placing a hand over his mouth.

“IGNORE HIM, JACK. Soooo sorry for interrupting your little workout sesh, but we just need a minute of your time! Only a minute!”

Jack walked towards the group, basically towering over them like the last two guys. 

Isa and Janae gave each other another knowing look as Deuce furrowed his eyebrows.

“What happened? Someone’s tryna’ jump me?” Jack said, crossing his arms.

“Well, uh,” Deuce started. “We don’t know that for sure, but we think you’re high on that list. You see, a lot of people who were going to play in the Spelldrive tournament this year have all been like, mysteriously getting badly injured at the same time.”

“It doesn’t AT ALL seem like a coincidence,” Isa said, glaring daggers at Grim who was still squirming in Cater’s arms.

Janae nodded in agreement, avoiding eye contact with the taller guy. “Yes, I agree. We’re trying to... See who’s behind all of this.”

“Okay... Go on,” Jack replied.

“The first course of action is to try and save who we think the person is gonna target first,” Ace stated bluntly.

Cater smiled. “Acey’s right! So, do you wanna help us out and join us in catching this dude?”

“...No.”

“HUH?” The group replied, in unison.

Jack scratched his head as he looked to the side.

“I know how to fight, I can protect myself without outside help.”

Before anyone could reply, Jack jogged off, continuing on his exercise path.

“K,” Cater replied, breaking the sudden silence that had broken out as soon as Jack left the vicinity.

“Hmph! I honestly think my approach was WAY better,” Grim said, crossing his arms.

“The hell are you guys doing here?”

On the side, posted up by a giant rock on the pathway to the building, were a trio of students all wearing the Savanaclaw dorm uniform. They all had prominent ears and tails and were honestly staring at the group with a murderous glint in their eyes.

“Dude, lowkey we should just try to defuse the situation,” Deuce whispered to Isa, who nodded.

The ringleader of the group chuckled. “Y’all know this isn’t Heartslabyul house, right? Nor is it wherever you two came from,” He said, pointing at Janae and Isa.

“YEAH, and we were JUST leaving,” Ace said, walking towards the portal. However, the trio stood in front of him, blocking the entrance.

“Don’t be like that. We just want to talk.”

“YO. Cut that shit out,” A voice shouted from behind everyone.

The group watched in real-time as the seemingly intimidating guys began tucking their tails and lowering their ears. 

Everyone’s eyes widened as the guy from the botanical garden came into sight. Behind him was the guy who had bothered the group at lunch, Janae’s crush.

“H-Housewarden Leona!” The ringleader of the group of Savanaclaw students stuttered out. 

Leona snorted through his nose, tilting his head slightly to the right as his tail moved around lazily behind him.

“The hell is going on here?”

“These kids were trespassing, we was gon’ teach them a lesson.”

Ruggie crossed his arms, turning to face the Ramshackle trio and co. Isa poked Janae in the shoulder, smirking at her as she furrowed her eyebrows. Ace cast a glance the girls way — the change in their demeanors making his eyebrows knit together slightly as he frowned at the boy in front of the group. 

“Sup, I’m pretty sure we’ve met before,” He said, lazily smiling at Janae.

“..Yeah. You threw a flying disc at my face dude,” She replied, albeit in a joking tone.

“Nah, I think it was more like you CAUGHT my disc with your face,” Ruggie replied, prompting an awkward laugh to leave the girl.

“Give me a break,” Ace mumbled, earning a glance from Deuce.

“HEY! WE’VE MET TOO. YOU STOLE MY FOOD!” Grim cut in, making Ruggie put his hands up as if he got caught with something.

“HEY NOW. You gave that shit to me, I dunno.”

Leona’s face scrunched slightly from next to Ruggie as he sniffed the air, a frown pulling at his lips as he crossed his arms.

“You’re the three herbivores who fucked up my nap in the botanical garden,” Leona said, staring directly at the two girls and Grim. 

They shared a look as the Heartslabyul students gazed up at Leona, confused.

“I THOUGHT WE APOLOGIZED FOR THAT! WE EVEN OFFERED GRIM!” Isa said, clutching her blazer.

“I’M NOT UP FOR SALE.”

“YOU SEE? They doin’ too much, Leona. We should fight them,” One of the Savanaclaw students said, as his friends high-fived him.

He groaned. “Shut the fuck up. How much of a moron do you gotta be to think I’m gon’ start drama before a tournament?”

“H-Huh? So you’re just gon’ let them walk off?”

He crossed his arms. “No. Let’s resolve this through a game of Spelldrive, actually.”

“I think I’d prefer just fighting at this point,” Janae said with a deadpan look.

“Scared?” Ruggie mused, a lazy grin on his face as he put his hands on his hips.

“Yeah – real mature, ‘course we’ll take you on,” Ace replied with a frown, glaring daggers at Ruggie who returned his gaze with a neutral look.

“So, what’re you waiting for? Move your asses,” Leona said, his eyebrows pulled together as he stared the group down.

—

The game moved to the Spelldrive Field with most of the group participating except Isa and Janae, who couldn’t use magic. 

The Savanaclaw team had decided to stick together and divide into 3 different groups with 2 people each and the Heartshackle group replicated their strategy.

The duo wasn’t too sure what the rules of Spelldrive were – nor did they even know who was winning when the game actually started for real. 

All they knew was that their group was being pelted in their faces with frisbees way more often than the opposing team.

There was even a point where Ace had managed to send off a frisbee that neared the Savanaclaw side – only for another student to redirect it and launch him and Deuce who was caught in the crossfire through the goal pole.

After the match was said and done – the team had managed to get a score of 0-10 off only a few rounds alone. It didn’t seem fair considering the fact the other team had an advantage with how huge and bulky they were.

Grim’s mouth hung open as he panted harshly, his body sprawled out on the grass of the field.

“NO FUCKING WAY WE DIDN’T SCORE??” Ace yelled out, he was hunched over with his hands on his knees as his chest heaved up and down erratically.

“Their whole defense line is filled with huge ass guys.. how were we even supposed to get anything past that?!” Deuce asked nobody in particular as he tried to catch his breath.

“Drained, already, huh? Shyehehehe..” 

“FUCK OFF! You were targeting us the most!” Ace snapped back, with a scowl on his face. “Stop guarding the frisbee!”

“Man, all I hear is your bitch ass whining – lock in and do better!”

Deuce and Ace grimaced, narrowing their eyes at the boy as he snickered some more.

Cater sighed, his eyebrows knitted slightly. “Whew... Listen, Leona – sweetheart – we know you’re a legend or whatever but, you know we can’t compare to all that! Hah…how’s about you let us slide?”

Leona narrowed his eyes slightly. “Let y’all slide, huh? Yeah, at least you bastards got a sense of humor..” He smirked slightly, standing up straighter. 

“On your feet, we’re havin’ a rematch,”

“Bro, just empty the clip..” Janae said, shaking her head.

“What y’all said over there?” 

“NOTHING.”

“What’s going on over here?” A voice called out from the entrance of the field as Jack’s frame came into sight. The group seemed to be surprised by his appearance.

“Keep it pushin’, we’re just fooling around over here,” Leona replied lazily, casting a glance Jack’s way.

Jack kept his eyes on him, looking between the group before looking back to Leona with a slight frown. 

“What’s good about tormenting amateur players?”

“OH-HO, my man got guts! Aight’, Jack, I see you! Actin’ all tough and shii!” Ruggie barked a laugh, grinning as he stared Jack down. 

Jack’s face scrunched up slightly in disgust as he folded his arms.

“Shut up,” He replied simply with a frown. “All I’m saying is this just don’t look right – I don’t wanna see this.”

Leona’s eyes narrowed slightly as he turned his attention to Jack fully. 

“You tryna be Captain Save-a-Hoe or some shit? Now all my fun’s ruined.”

One of the other Savanaclaw students let out a scoff, walking towards Jack as he got all in his face.

“Yo, who the fuck do you think you’re talkin’ to?”

Jack barely spared the student a glance, keeping his eyes on Leona as he spoke. “If you’re gonna play the upperclassman card, you gotta act like it.”

“Fuck you said? You not really bout nothing, are you?” Another student said, his eyebrows furrowed.

“Relax,” Leona said firmly, crossing his arms as he stared Jack down. “You’ve got guts, I can respect that at least.” He hummed slightly, yawning as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“I’m bored, let’s dip out, Ruggie.” 

Ruggie tilted his head slightly. “Aight.” He turned to the remaining Heartshackle group, eyeing them up and down with the same little grin. 

“See y’all around,” Leona said, walking away.

“WATCH Y’ALLS BACKS. If we catch y’all over here again – it’s curtains and flowers! BUP BUP BUP!”

The group fell silent as the other team finally left, glaring at them.

“The fuck is wrong with this house, bro?” Isa asked, her face scrunched in confusion as she laughed a bit.

“I genuinely got no idea bro… their leader – or housewarden fine as hell, though,” Janae replied, snickering schemingly as she whispered to Isa.

“HEY! I see y’all giggling over there!” Ace yelled out, stomping over. “I DON’T CARE IF Y’ALL CAN’T DO MAGIC OR NOT – Y’ALL SHOULD’VE BEEN OUR HUMAN MEAT SHIELDS.”

Isa and Janae looked around before looking over at Ace like he was insane.

“Who is you talking to..?”

“YOU TWO.”

Deuce hummed, smiling as he turned to Jack. “Thanks for the help, Jack – we really needed it.”

“Save it. I’m not into charity work,” He replied simply, his gaze hard as he stared Deuce down. 

“Fuck, I’m just glad it’s over..” Ace said with a huff.

“No kiddin’! I was just gettin’ hungry!” Grim said with a huff, shuffling over to Janae and Isa who were resting on the bench.

“How’s about we call it day, gang?” Cater suggested, carding through his hair as he tried to get the remains of mud out of it.

The group hummed in agreement.

“I could eat,” Deuce said with a shrug.

“Yeah, you should be hungry after putting all that energy into doing JACK SHIT,” Ace grumbled out, earning a glare from Deuce.

“All right, Jack! We’re taking off! Stay outta trouble!”

Jack frowned. “Just get the hell on.”

—

The group had eventually returned back to their respective dorms after hitting up the cafeteria to grab a bite to eat. The Ramshackle trio had bid each other goodnight before disappearing into their rooms to knock out for the night.

Grim had decided to sleep in Janae’s room tonight which in turn meant Isa didn’t have to deal with his sheet hogging or sleep murmuring.

It was probably why she was up right now scrolling through Magicam aimlessly, sending a plethora of reels to Janae even though she was sure the girl wasn’t going to see them until the morning.

However, at some point, she’d started to get a little bored of it – her legs starting to lose their feeling as she peeled off her blanket and moved onto her feet to grab a snack (if there was any left) and then go to sleep for real.

Ramshackle was exceptionally creepy at night considering the lights were off to conserve energy. There was a good chance Isa could trip on something or walk into a wall considering how big the whole place was.

Yet, she managed to make her way down the stairs without falling down and cracking her head open.

Her aimless mind brought her to the kitchen, digging through the cabinets and sighing when she realized there were actually no snacks left.

“Oh, fuck you,” She murmured out mostly to herself as she sucked her teeth.

Her gaze landed on the window of the kitchen, taking notice of the fact there seemed to have been someone outside. Ignoring how creepy it was for a guy to be outside – she instantly figured it was probably the same guy she’d been seeing hanging around Ramshackle a week prior.

She was too scared to approach him considering the fact he only visited during the night – plus his figure looked huge – like.. huge .

There was a chance if she approached him he’d just launch her into space.

Before she even knew what she was doing, however, her legs were bringing her to the entrance of Ramshackle as she opened it and stepped outside – pajamas and all. The cool night air hit her skin, uncomfortably reminding her of the fact it was about to be mid-autumn.

She continued forward, eyes landing on the guy as she watched him silently for a moment.

His face looked distant as he stared down at the ground with a slight frown. For whatever reason, the moonlight seemed to be hitting him perfectly. From the light, she was able to make out his pale skin, dark hair – and his horns.. alright.

She raised an eyebrow at that, looking around for a second before looking back at him only to meet green eyes that were staring right at her now.

“..Hm?” The guy murmured, his eyebrows knitted together slightly.

Isa stared at him blankly before shaking her head and clearing her throat as she moved towards him.

“..Hi,” She replied simply.

The guy watched her for a moment before turning to her fully. “Well..this is surprising. You’re a child of man, right?”

“..I mean – yeah, I guess? Yes, I am. I’m uh.. Isabelle – but some people call me Isa too.” She mentally slapped herself in the face for stuttering. “Not to be rude but like, why’re you just posted up outside Ramshackle at this hour?”

The guy looked at Ramshackle before looking back at her. 

“Is the dorm being renovated now? I had no idea there were people living here. I enjoy having a place to just.. take a breather – I presume..” He tilted his head slightly, the corners of his lips quirked up. “..Isabelle.” 

“Yup!! That’s me, I guess!” Isa replied awkwardly, smiling nervously. “Uh, what’s your name?”

“I am..” The guy trailed off, putting his hands on his hips. “No, I’d rather keep that a secret, actually.”

Isa’s face scrunched in confusion. “..What? Why?”

“It’s for your own good, believe me,” The guy replied simply, uncrossing his arms. “You may call me whatever else you’d like.”

“Or you could just tell me your name, ya know.”

The guy stared, smiling slightly. “There’s no fun in that, is there?”

“Right..” Isa trailed off, her face growing a bit hot. “So, you just usually hang out in the dark mad late at night?”

“Hmm.. I guess that’s one way to describe it,” He replied simply. “Though, it’s more like I’m simply passing the time.”

“You couldn’t sleep, too?” Isa questioned with a smile. “I get like that sometimes. I used to just listen to music until I got tired but.. I don’t have headphones right now.”

The guy scanned Isa’s face quietly for a moment before he let out a slight laugh.

“You make it seem like it’s easy to rest like that,” He replied dismissively. “It’d be a lot harder to go to bed if you’re listening to music, no?”

“I mean, I guess but – that doesn’t stop me,” Isa replied simply, smiling a bit wider. “Maybe you could try doing that too? I can give you some song recs sometime – if you want.”

“Hm,” The guy brought a hand to his chin, smiling a bit. “Possibly.”

He stood up straighter, huffing quietly.

“Well, it seems I’ve overstayed my welcome,” The guy said after a moment, looking at Isa. “Since you’ve taken up residence here – this dorm is no longer abandoned, which by default means I have no reason to loiter.”

“OH – I mean, you can still hang out here, y’know! I wasn’t coming out here to press you or anything – I was just like… curious why you were out here.”

The guy offered her a small smile.

“Farewell, Isabelle.”

Then she blinked, and he was gone.

Isa stared at the now empty spot where he was standing before, dumbfounded as she recounted the interaction in her head. 

She closed her eyes for a moment and silently thanked any higher powers – if there were any – for making the extrovert inside of her actually hold a conversation.

She was secretly hoping he’d make a return again.

Though – by the looks of it, he didn’t seem like the type of guy to hang around places he felt he wasn’t needed.

—

The next day came by sooner than expected, with the Ramshackle trio walking to main street together, as per usual.

“LAST TIME I SLEEP IN THE SAME BED AS YOUR ASS,” Janae scowled, turning to Grim. “ALL SPREAD EAGLE AND HOGGING THE SHEETS FOR WHAT. IT’S 64 DEGREES OUT.”

“A GROWING KITTEN LIKE ME NEEDS AS MUCH BEAUTY SLEEP AS POSSIBLE TO BLOSSOM INTO A BEAUTIFUL LION!”

“Now you know how I feel,” Isa snickered, patting Janae on the back.

“WHATEVER. By the way, did you like.. leave or something last night? I coulda sworn I heard the front door open.”

“No?” Isa lied. “It must’ve been the ghosts, they’re usually out and about around midnight.”

“Ah, okay.”

“Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey! If it isn’t my two favorite Ramshackle prefects and their biohazard feline!”

The trio turned their heads, recognizing Cater from his peppy tone of speech and bright ginger hair. Next to him stood Riddle, whose eyes glinted in recognition.

“Good morning, Isabelle, Janae, and Grim,” He said, politely.

“Where’s Raggedy Ann and Andy?” Grim asked, crossing his arms.

“As Rule 249 of the Queen of Hearts states, it is now their turn to dress in all pink and feed the flamingos.” His eyes scanned over the two girls before he let out a sigh, taking a step forward.

“Your ties are crooked,” He pointed out simply, leaning over to correct them swiftly and efficiently before taking a step back to speak once more. “Disorderly uniforms can suggest your dorm’s just the same.”

“Oh – THANKS! My bad, I forget how to tie these sometimes,” Isa replied, slightly embarrassed.

“If I could I wouldn’t even wear these,” Janae added, stretching out her collar a little.

Riddle let out a quiet hum, fixing his gloves. “Well, never mind that –  we’ve heard about another incident that happened last night.”

“WHAT?!” The trio yelled in unison.

Cater nodded. “YEAH. We talked to one of the portraits, they said the victim was the vice-house warden of Scarabia, Jamil Viper. It happened in the cafeteria kitchen.”

“Scarabia?” Janae questioned, her eyes flickering in recognition. “Interesting..”

“Well.. We were gonna get breakfast anyway,” Isa shrugged.

—

“..Can I help you?”

The group had managed to find the housewarden and the vice housewarden in the cafeteria after pushing through crowds of hungry students who were all obviously sluggish from being up so early.

Cater smiled at Jamil, putting his hands on his hips as Grim took a step forward.

“You’re the guy who got banged up in the kitchen yesterday, right?”

Jamil stared at him blankly, his eyebrows pulled together in thought as he wondered if he was going crazy or if this ugly gray little cat was actually talking to him.

A laugh sounded on from beside him, prompting the group to look over to the person beside Jamil. 

“Oh, hey! You’re the girls and the cat who ruined orientation!” 

The trio grimaced slightly, still haunted by the events of the first day.

Janae awkwardly smiled. “Hah..yay – that’s so fun, people remember us as THOSE guys.”

“I mean.. it’s kind of punk.. like we’re the orientation-crashers fucking up the establishment,” Isa said, shrugging.

“It’s embarrassing,” Grim replied with a frown.

“Ignore him, we’re here to chat for a moment,” Riddle said, crossing his arms.

“Sure! What’s happening? I figure a visit from the Heartslabyul Housewarden and the fire-spitting giant rat must mean something’s up.”

“HEY! WHO ARE YOU CALLING A GIANT RAT.” 

“Well, anyway!” He started, ignoring Grim. “My name’s Kalim! I’m the housewarden of Scarabia and that’s Jamil, the vice-housewarden.” 

“Well, I’m Isabelle – but you can call me Isa,” Isa said with an awkward smile, waving – She looked over at Janae who seemed to be spaced out for a moment.

“I’m Janae,” She answered after a moment, nodding his head slightly.

“So, why’re you asking about my accident?” Jamil’s voice cut in, effectively stopping Kalim from likely going off on a tangent.

“The headmage sent us to investigate all the accidents that happened recently,” Janae answered, looking over at him. 

His face scrunched slightly but he schooled his features quickly as he began to speak. “Well, I was in the kitchen last night making lamb rolls–”

“Oh, yeah! Jamil’s lamb rolls are the best! You guys should try ‘em someti–”

Jamil shot Kalim a look, silently telling him to be quiet.

“Sorry.”

“..Yeah. Anyway – I was chopping some vegetables when my hand suddenly started moving on its own and I cut my other hand,” He explained as he put his hand up, showing the group the gouge that was now covered with a bunch of bandages.

“Dude, that’s a deep-ass gash. How hard did you slice your hand?” Isa asked, facing him.

“Fairly hard,” He replied to her simply, swiftly turning to face Riddle.

“It was so insane! Like, Jamil would never be so careless, y’know? He’s usually a whiz in the kitchen,” Kalim chimed in suddenly, using his hands to communicate his actions. 

A flash of annoyance scrunched on Jamil’s face before he spoke once more.

“I’m confident it wasn’t anything I did on my own part – there was definitely some kind of signature spell at play,” Jamil continued. “There’s no doubt someone was controlling my movements with magic.”

“HEY, I WAS SAYIN’ THE SAME THING!” Janae replied suddenly. “Man, I told y’all someone was up to no good..!”

“Interesting..” Cater said, his eyes narrowed slightly. “If someone was using that kind of magic — they’d be able to hurt people and make it look like an accident,”

“And if it only lasted an instant..then the target would assume that it’s their own doing as well,” Riddle added, deep in thought. “I didn’t feel like I was being controlled against my own will when I slipped…”

“Man..if I got my hands on that kind of spell – y’all don't even KNOW what I’d do!” Grim said with a huff, putting his paws on his hips.

“I don’t think we WANNA know, Grim,” Isa replied simply, earning a snicker from Janae.

“HMPH! If I had that spell I could cut UP on bakery day!”

“Yo, y’know speaking of which – didn’t you say the same shit when that guy came over and took your sandwich? That you were moving on your own?” Janae asked, her face scrunched in thought.

Isa snickered. “That guy? You know damn well you know his name..”

“SHUT UP. LIKE ACTUALLY.”

“AHAH! I’VE SOLVED IT!” Grim yelled out suddenly, startling everyone. “I, Grim the Extraordinary - HAVE CRACKED THE CASE!”

“You don’t hafta yell, Grimmy,” Cater said with a huff, offering him an awkward smile.

“SHUSH! The culprit is.. RUGGIE BUCCHI!”

“Just stole our wholeee flow,” Isa said, kissing her teeth.

“I’m saying..”

“Wait – Ruggie? The lil’ guy from Savanaclaw?” Cater asked, his eyebrows knitted slightly. 

Riddle frowned, smoothing out his blazer. “Let’s go see what he has to say for himself. Cater?”

Cater displayed his phone out of nowhere, scrolling for a moment before speaking once more. 

“He’s apparently in Class 2B.”

Riddle nodded, turning to look at Jamil and Kalim who seemed to still be pretty lost.

“Thank you for your cooperation!”

“Uh.. Sure! No problem..!” Kalim replied with a nervous smile. “Happy to help!”

The group took off quickly, trying their best to move fast so as to not possibly lose their lead.

Chapter Text

The group burst through the entrance of a classroom as a bunch of second year students walked out at the same time. 

Even though the door wasn’t that far from the wall, Grim kicked it anyway with a small “thud” sound, prompting a sigh from the two girls and Heartslabyul students.

“BOOM! WHERE’S RUGGIE BUCCHI?!”

He was sitting in the middle of the lecture hall, tapping away at his phone. His ears perked up at the sound of his name.

“Right here- Fuck.. You guys again? I thought we been talked about that food from earlier,” He said dryly, staring at Grim.

“Right now, this isn’t about the food,” Riddle started as he crossed his arms. “Ruggie, we need to ask you a few questions about the recurring injury cases we’ve received related to former future Spelldrive tournament players.”

“Mhm.. Really?” He replied, slouching down in his chair.

Cater smiled. “Let’s take this outside, yeah?”

-

“Thank you for your time. While we haven’t come to a complete conclusion about this whole situation, I’ve deduced that your signature spell could be potentially hazardous. Therefore, I will have to-”

“What?” Ruggie interrupted. “Cast ‘Off With Your Head?’”

Riddle gave a look to the Heartshackle group, who just shrugged in response. He turned back to Ruggie with furrowed eyebrows.

“..Yes?”

“Nah, I personally wouldn’t try that to be honest. Casting a spell without a magical pen is mad dangerous.”

“Huh?”

In an instant, Riddle’s hands practically flew to his pockets, which he patted around in for a few seconds before pulling them out, holding nothing.

“Uh.. Your things’ gone too, Cater..” Isa said.

“WHAT?!”

“SO IS HE,” Janae exclaimed, pointing to the end of the hallway.

At the edge of the hallway was Ruggie, walking nonchalantly towards the staircase, where more people seemed to have started crowding as it was a free period.

“HALT! YOU WILL FREEZE IF YOU VALUE YOUR HEAD!” Riddle yelled, his hand beginning to glow. Cater quickly held onto him, stopping the formation of a spell.

“RIDS, HE’S UNFORTUNATELY RIGHT. Spellmaking without a pen is totes recipe for disaster.”

“WHAT THE FISH, JANAE? YOU SAW HIM WALKING AWAY, DIDN’T YOU?!” Grim pressed, as he began pawing at her stockings.

“I don’t recall.”

“Hey, why’s everyone yelling?” Deuce asked, stepping onto the scene with Ace at his side. 

He had a bright pink feather embedded in his hair, which he swiftly brushed off with one swipe of his hand.

“NO TIME TO TALK!” Riddle cut in, rolling up his sleeves. “HELP THEM APPREHEND RUGGIE BUCCHI RIGHT NOW OR IT’S CLEANING THE BATHROOMS FOR TWO WEEKS.”

Riddle pointed to the Ramshackle trio, who all made confused expressions and noises of protest.

Ace’s eyes widened. “WE JUST GOT HERE??”

Isa raised an eyebrow. “AND WE DON’T EVEN HAVE PENS! HE ONLY TOOK YOURS AND CATERS.”

Cater grinned. “Yeah, but Janae let him get away.”

Janae opened her mouth, ready to protest but words didn’t come out. Instead, she began walking towards Ruggie, Isa and Grim behind her. 

In the distance, Ruggie began taking off, and Deuce stumbled on his feet as he followed, Ace sighing loudly as he trailed behind the group too.

–

Ruggie had led the Heartshackle quad and Grim to the courtyard, where everyone watched him as he jumped over the carefully placed benches and bushes, effectively getting farther and farther away without knocking anything over. 

He rolled on the grass, quickly standing up on both feet somehow without getting any dirt on his slacks or white shoes.

“Why isn’t he in track?” Deuce panted out, shooting Janae a confused look.

Ace scoffed, furrowing his eyebrows as he made eye contact with Ruggie, who was giving him a taunting smirk in return. “I’m not fucking chasing this dude.”

Ruggie shrugged in response, before placing his hands in his pockets. 

“You gotta start drinking more gatorade, my guy. Shyeheehee!”

“RUNNING AWAY WILL ONLY MAKE YOU GET IN EVEN MORE TROUBLE,” Grim yelled, pouting.

“For what? Mad OD and you don’t even got a video of me doing nothing,” He replied simply, with a lazy smile.

“GET THE FUCK ON.” Isa replied.

“Anyway, its brick out and I got places to be. I’m just gon’ leave these here for y’all, yeah?”

Ruggie revealed Riddle and Cater’s pens, placing them down on a bench gently. As the group ran over to retrieve them, he began strolling away, whistling. By the time they looked up, it was as if he was never even outside.

“You really gotta get your boyfriend,” Isa teased Janae, who punched her in the shoulder.

Ace rolled his eyes at the two girls. “Quit talkin’ about him. I fucking hate that dude and I’ve known him for like two days.”

“He’s not going away anytime soon,” Janae replied, a small smile on her face. “We’ll hear about some fuck shit later, don’t worry.”

Ace sucked his teeth, scowling as he tried to catch his breath.

“So, y’all still on the hunt, huh?”

The group whipped their heads around in the direction of Jack’s voice, annoyed looks on their faces.

“You saw all that shit and didn’t think to help us?” Janae asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

“LITERALLY. Damn near busted my ass trying to do parkour,” Isa added.

Jack frown deepened as he crossed his arms. “Why are you even going out of your way for total strangers?”

“Huh?” Deuce asked, a confused expression on his face. 

“I mean — If it was for a friend or somethin’ like that, then I’d understand—“

“Can you shut up?”

Jack’s face scrunched slightly as he stared Ace down. 

“The hell you said?”

“I said shut up ‘cuz you don’t even know what you’re talkin’ about forreal,” Ace doubled down, a frown on his face.

“Exactly. No offense Jack, but this has nothing to do with any of that – we just wanna catch him so Riddle will throw us a bone,” Deuce chimed in, grinning slightly. “If we catch the culprit we’re basically guaranteed to join our dorm’s team.”

“Well said, Juice!”

“ENOUGH.”

Ace’s smirk faltered for a moment as he waved his hand dismissively. “I mean, yeah – I feel bad Trey got all beat up but, this is like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If there’s an opening I’m ON that.”

“You’re terrible,” Janae said, shaking her head.

“You’re the reason we’re even standing here with our dicks out – you let him get away!” Ace reminded with a scowl.

“I AIN’T LET HIM DO ANYTHING,”

“Bet you wish he would though..” Isa said, snickering.

“Bitch please.”

Jack’s frown deepened as he considered what Ace had been saying, his face relaxing ever so slightly.

“Hm.. I was concerned with whether or not I could trust people who’re willing to suffer for strangers..” He trailed off, his eyebrows knitting as he smirked slightly. “It turns out y’all are assholes, huh?”

“Your point?” Ace asked, not amused. “You’re an asshole too – knew this whole time who the culprit was and ain’t say shit.”

“YEAH – you’re literally in the same dorm as that guy and ain’t think once to bring up his signature spell when we pressed you the first time?” Isa said, her face scrunched in confusion as she frowned.

“Fight me.”

“Hah?”

“Fight me, the whole lot of you.”

The group looked at each other and then back to Jack with deadpanned expressions.

“Uh.. hey, has this guy lost his damn mind since the last time we seen him..?” Grim asked, tugging at Janae’s stockings.

“Girl, stop tugging on me.”

“Why would we even wanna fight you, Jack? You’re like 3x our size,” Isa replied, just as confused as everyone else.

Jack huffed, folding his arms. “You want me to trust y’all? Lemme see how well you fare against me,”

“Oh, word? Alright, then – Now you’re talkin’,” Deuce grinned slightly, taking his gloves off as he cracked his knuckles. “Don’t pussy out now.”

“Lord and here HE goes..” Grim murmured out, earning a giggle from Janae.

“Why can we never just talk it out..” Isa said with a frown, taking a step back from the two boys who were now sizing each other up.

—

The fight had continued for maybe a bit longer than the Ramshackle Trio had initially anticipated. To nobody’s surprise, it had ended with a multitude of bruises coating each of the boy's faces. When the three had decided they’d had enough, they parted ways to sluggishly catch their breaths. 

“Hah..You two..really don’t give up – do you..?” Jack managed out, a frown on his face as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He wasn’t as beat up as the other two were – in fact, he’d only managed to leave the fight with a small bruise on his cheek.

“Neither do you!” Deuce shot back, panting as he adjusted his posture so he was standing straight. He was scruffed up as well – his face had small bruises on his cheek and his uniform was significantly more unkempt.

“Geez..you three have serious issues,” Grim chimed in, a disgusted look on his face. 

“No, he’s right – you really didn’t have to do all that,” Janae added, looking over at Ace who was situated on the bench in the main area trying to catch his breath.

“Seven – who cares? I don’t even care if I don’t make this fuckass team anymore,” He grumbled out, clutching his nose which was leaking blood. 

“You know damn well,” Isa sucked her teeth, earning a glare from Ace.

Jack sighed heavily, cracking his neck as he cleared his throat and resumed his intimidating stance. “Alright, I’ll tell ya what I know.”

“Yeah, what DO you know?” Grim asked, crossing his arms.

“Hmph. My heart’s tellin’ me to walk – I’m betraying my own dorm here, I’ll remind you.” He grits his teeth, clenching his fist. “I can’t just let this slide though –! I’ve been training for this tournament for the longest time! I wanted to see how far I could go..”

Jack trailed off as the group looked at each other.

“...but this cheating – it’s makin’ me sick. Victory through the use of trickery is not a true victory.”

“Yeah, yeah – cut to the chase, Roid-a-holic..” Grim said with a huff.

Jack shot him a glare but continued on despite that, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Ruggie’s signature spell makes his target able to copy his movements. Since he can make ‘em move with his own will – it can look like an accident on their own part,”

“Well, that was obvious,” Isa murmured out, earning a hum of agreement from Janae.

“Wouldn’t that be too obvious, though? Someone would’ve been bound to notice that if he was doing it.”

Jack closed his eyes. “It’s likely the rest of Savanaclaw is in on it.”

“THE FUCK?” Ace replied, his eyebrows furrowed. “Oh, there’s no way I’m letting that slide – they’re so obviously doing this shit ‘cuz of the tournament that’s coming up!”

“Oh, yeah – if everyone else’s best players are down, then they’ll be able to win,” Deuce added, a finger under his chin.

“MYAH! It’s a whole scheme!”

“No kiddin’..” Ace said with a bitter huff. “Y’know..it’s pretty smart though – even if it’s a disadvantage for everyone who’s NOT in Savanaclaw.”

“If you really think that, then you’re just as bad as the rest of ‘em,” Jack replied gruffly.

“WOAH – hey! Don’t target me! I’m just sayin’!”

“So, y’all think Leona’s in on this too?” Isa questioned.

“He didn’t seem opposed to inviting us to a game and UNFAIRLY kicking our asses..” Deuce reminded with a frown on his face.

“I’m the most disgusted by that part – Leona’s more than capable of using his magic to win..” Jack scowled. “I despise guys like him..how could you have allat’ power and NOT use it?!”

“Right..” Janae said with a huff of a laugh.

“..When I saw him play 3 years ago, it blew my mind. He’s the whole reason I even considered comin’ to this school,” He continued – a solemn look on his face as he frowned deeply. “I figured we’d be doin’ things on the field together.”

“I mean.. seems like y’all could’ve been a dynamic duo or sumn..” Janae tried, an awkward smile on her face.

“Yeah – that’s all fine and dandy, but what’s this plan gotta do with anything? If he’s so capable and shit, couldn’t he win the tournament off pure power alone?” Ace asked.

Jack huffed. “It’s not just about takin’ out the other dorms – there’s more at the root of the issue. It’s about the Housewarden of Diasomnia – Malleus Draconia.”

Jack proceeded to explain the lore between Leona and his whole reason for even carrying out his plan in the first place – as well as give some background information on why Malleus Draconia was even important in the first place. While they’d received sufficient info – even after everything, Jack didn’t seem to be along for the actual ride.

“Well, that settles it – I’ve heard enough,” Riddle’s voice chimed out, interrupting the conversation.

The group turned their attention towards him as he and Cater came into sight, determined looks on their faces.

“Wow, you guys really did your thing, huh? Got our pens back AND some intel - I’m so proud of my little freshies..” Cater shuffled over towards Ace and Janae, placing his hands on their shoulders. 

Ace grimaced, nudging Cater off of him and rolling his eyes as he looked over at Riddle.

“So? You guys got a plan?”

“Well..” Riddle started, a thoughtful look on his face. “We don’t have any proof of Leona’s actions or Ruggie’s assaults. So, we can’t take this to Crowley just yet – not without any evidence.”

“You’re saying we need to catch him in the act, then?” Deuce asked, his eyebrows knitted.

“Exactly. I propose we–”

“Hold it. Y’all can stop right there – I have no plans of joining.”

“Damn.. you really gon’ do us like that Jack..? After everything we’ve been through?” Cater said, shaking his head. “Look at us – look at Janae – she’s practically tearing up..” He brought his hands up to pat the girl’s face, ignoring the way her face scrunched up.

“Dude –”

“Savanaclaw’s my dorm. If anyone’s doing this – it’s gonna be me. Bye.”

“Oh, come on, man!” Deuce argued, a scowl on his face. “You can’t just switch up now that you suddenly decided sitting and takin’ it laying down isn’t an option!”

Jack’s eyes narrowed at him as he tensed up. “The hell’d you just say to me?”

The group seemed slightly startled by the sudden change in Deuce’s demeanor but figured it was well-deserved.

“It’s true! Just picture how that would even go – you versus your WHOLE dorm!” Deuce frowned. “THINK, Jack – think!”

“Deuce’s right,” Ace added, crossing his arms. “They’ll eat you alive if you’re there by yourself – it’s either that or join us right now and avoid the ass-kicking.”

Jack’s face scrunched in thought as he genuinely weighed his options while the group watched on. His ear flicked slightly as he resigned to a low hum.

“Fine, but I’m not committing to anything – if I don’t fuck with what y’all got then I’m gon bounce.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Grim said with a yawn. “Hop to it, people! I need my reward!”

Riddle shot Grim a disappointed look but sighed, motioning for the group to huddle in so he could quietly explain the makings of his plan.

__

“I guess I can agree to that,” Ace replied to Riddle once he finished talking.

“Yeah! It’s not a bad idea,” Cater said, placing his hands on his hips. “H-B-U Jack? You in or out?”

Jack scoffed, crossing his arms. “Well.. It’s less cowardly than what I thought. Let’s do it.”

Isa and Janae jokingly rolled their eyes, as Grim groaned.

“Thanks for being SOOO enthusiastic,” He squeaked out. “Now that that’s settled, I’m ready to go home and catch some Z’s! It’s been a LONG ASS day.”

“For once I agree with you,” Ace replied, smirking at Grim. “I’ve got homework to do.”

“EXCUSE ME, I’m not done talking,” Riddle announced, clearing his throat.

Ace and Deuce stood up straighter, directing their full attention onto him as Cater scratched his head.

“Because we actually got something useful out of it, I’m choosing to ignore all of you blatantly ignoring rule #6 of general campus rules, ‘No fighting unless permitted by an instructor or if you’re in a dire crisis.’ Rest assured, if I witness this tomfoolery again, it will cost you your heads. Am I clear?”

“Yes Housewarden,” The three other members of Heartslabyul parroted quietly.

Riddle turned to face the two girls and their cat, furrowing his eyebrows.

“Hello? That includes the three of you, too.”

They all shot each other a look before awkwardly repeating the rhetoric, Riddle giving them a small satisfied smile in response.

“..Yeah,” Jack replied awkwardly.

“Very well. May we all return to our dorms safely,” Riddle said, walking towards the direction of the mirror chamber.

Jack raised an eyebrow, and Ace shrugged.

—

That morning, Isa was awoken by the image of Jack peering down at her, dressed in his gym clothes and everything. 

His yellow eyes stared back at her brown ones as she tried to process what the hell she was seeing.

He immediately ushered her to her feet, stopping to make sure Grim was awake as well since he’d decided to sleep in her room that night. She managed to tug on her uniform sloppily before heading downstairs where the rest of the group was. 

“Jack woke yo ass up too, huh?” Janae asked, an unamused expression on her face. She was preoccupied dabbing at some of the bruises on Ace’s face with a cotton ball before handing him what seemed like a band-aid.

Ace had claimed the prior day that he was too tired to actually get any of the bruises from his and Deuce’s impromptu fight with Jack cleaned up.

Which led to him being sloppily cleaned up with whatever remaining first-aid kits in Ramshackle’s storage.

“Yeah,” Isa replied, yawing as she adjusted her hair. “Why the hell are y’all here so early?” She asked in reference to Ace and Deuce, who seemed to be lounging comfortably like they owned the place.

“Yeah, it’s not exactly like we’re breaking into prison or somethin’ – that door is barely enough to keep out a small child. We just let ourselves in.” Ace replied.

“We were going to make breakfast but.. uh – y’know how your kitchen situation is,” Deuce said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

“YEAH, WE KNOW.” Grim chimed in, stretching his arms out as he yawned.

“ANYWAY!! It’s tournament day, y’all! Who’s HASHTAG EXCITED!” Janae announced suddenly to combat the dead expressions everyone had.

“Nobody,” Ace replied bitterly, rubbing at the band-aid on his face.

Janae shot him an unamused look, nudging him with her foot.

“Come on, Ace!! Are you not so Ace Trappo- pumped for this tournament today?” 

“LEAVE ME ALONE.”

“Speaking of which, we should probably head over soon, right?” Deuce reminded, uncrossing his legs as he adjusted his gloves.

“Ohhh, yeah – we should,” Isa replied sleepily, rubbing her eyes. “I dunno, I think Jack’s already there.”

“Aight – let’s go then, we ain’t got shit going on here,” Janae said, standing up as she dusted off her skirt.

The group unanimously decided to head over early per the request of Jack – which in reality might’ve been a good idea considering the side street was already pretty packed with people and different stands selling various goods.

“MYAH!! GET A LOAD OF ALL THESE FOOD STANDS!”

“Down, Grim!” Isa attempted to command, waving her hand in a downward motion.

“I AM NOT A DOG!”

“You know, you start sounding like Crewel when you say stuff like that,” Deuce said with a frown.

“Yeahh.. anyone for real know what that man’s deal is..?” Janae added, her face scrunched in concern. 

“He is clearly into pet play or something,” Isa said with a huff of a laugh.

“Yeah – okay, whatever – I just wish he’d keep that shit in the bedroom or something instead of calling everyone his dogs,” Deuce replied, shivering slightly. “I handed him my homework on time for once and he looked me dead in the eye and said ‘Good boy!’”

“Were you into it?” Janae asked, snickering.

“NO??”

Ace sucked his teeth, a pout on his face as he tucked his hands into his pockets. 

“Man..ain’t shit sweet...I’m still mad me and Deuce ain’t make the team.”

“Me too..” Deuce said with a frown.

“It’s okay, guys – at least we still got this cool-ass festival to visit,” Isa tried with a smile.

“YEAH. Y’know what too..? I’m feeling pretty generous after Crowley dropped a lil on us – what do y’all want?”

Ace cracked a smile, narrowing his eyes at the girl. “All of a sudden you’re feelin’ generous, huh..? Maybe the end is near..”

“What do you need, Ace Trappola?” Janae replied robotically, an unamused expression on her face.

“Get me some churros, baba!” Isa suggested, interlocking her arm with Janae’s as she nuzzled against her cheek.

“GET THE FUCK ON. YOU HAVE YOUR OWN MONEY.”

“Welcome, one and all to the Night Raven College interdorm Spelldrive Tournament!”

The group turned their heads in the direction of the loudspeakers, shuffling on their feet as they moved through the crowd to make it to the arena before seats were filled. They managed to score the last few seats towards the front of the arena (after skipping more people than they’d like to admit).

“MAN, IT’S MAD PEOPLE HERE!” Isa yelled out over the crowd cheering.

“It’s a special occasion!” Deuce yelled back from his spot next to Grim. “Plus, it’s being shown internationally! Of course, there’s a lot of people here!”

“First up will be last year’s champions! But can lightning really strike thrice? Give it up for the Reigning Light... Diasomnia..!!”

Isa peered into the arena, noting that Diasomnia seemed to be a pretty stacked team. Between the toned bodies she saw in the arena as well as the commanding aura they seemed to have. 

She opened her mouth to say something when the crowd started to fall into discord – people shoving and pushing past each other as they moved out of the crowd. She looked over to the group who were already looking at her.

“What’s going on?! Spectators are converging in some sort of reckless stampede! Everyone please, calm down! I beg of you!”

“Uh..guys –” Isa started.

“No, yeah – something’s happening,” Ace finished, his eyebrows furrowed slightly as he looked around the surrounding area. 

He turned to the group, nodding slightly to signal to them it was time to move to which they merely hummed in response. His hand grabbed onto Janae’s wrist as he tried to maneuver through the crowd of people.

They made their way down to the stadium, taking note of the fact that Riddle and Jack were already there facing off with Leona and Ruggie – along with a few other Savanaclaw students.

“Oh, the whole gang’s here,” Leona mused, putting his hand on his hip. “I’ll spare y’all the trouble and tell you right now I don’t give a damn about whatever heroic spiel you’re cookin’ up in them empty heads of yours.”

Ruggie snickers, the corners of his eyes crinkling in amusement. “Seriously, y’all are DUMB. Who the hell comes into someone else's territory with a handful of people and some beat-up wands?”

“Want us to take care of ‘em for you boss?” A random Savanaclaw student suggested with a grin – prompting Leona to reply with a dismissive wave of his hand that was enough for the student to charge with a few other people.

Riddle fired off his magic swiftly and efficiently, casting his signature spell and flooring them with an assist from the other Heartslabyul first years. He dusted his hands off, huffing as he put his hands on his hips.

“Nothing but talk..” He turned his attention onto Ace and Deuce. “Are you two alright?”

“Eh – I’m all good,” Ace replied simply, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Yeah! I’m okay too, Housewarden!”

Leona sucked his teeth, crossing his arms. “This the last time I put my trust in motherfuckers who wear beat-up white air forces.”

Ruggie snickered, grinning tauntingly. “Either way! They ain’t save Diasomnia in time, did they? We’re all good, Leona!”

“That’s an interesting claim,” A familiar deep voice chirped out.

The group turned their attention to where Diasomnia was, the vice-house warden Lilia Vanrouge staring back at them, seemingly unharmed.

At his side were two pale-skinned boys – one with green hair of a taller and muscular stature and a silver-haired one of normal height who was muscular as well. 

“I’d say they’re just on time, actually,” The green-haired boy said with a frown.

“Yeah.. It’s thanks to them that nobody was gravely injured,” The silver-haired boy added, his gaze stern.

“The fuck?!” Ruggie exclaimed, his face scrunched in confusion. “How’s that even possible? I literally saw y’all get squashed!”

“Yeahh.. actually!” Cater’s voice chimed in. “Those were all duplicates I made of myself using my own magic,” He grinned slightly. “I didn’t mind one bit – those Diasomnia uniforms are so extra! I dig ‘em.”

“You think so? I’d gladly loan you my own, Cater,” Lilia replied with a smile.

“Ah.. I’m not sure your uniform’s my size, Lils..”

Leona sighed. “Get to the point.”

Lilia offered Leona a smile – though the corners of his mouth were quirked up slightly scornfully. “Riddle told me everything I needed to know. As for Malleus, he’s clearing up the chaos you two incited in the crowd, and safely guiding the audience members to the coliseum.”

Ruggie gritted his teeth, clearly starting to get a bit nervous. “How did..?”

“Whatever. I don’t even care anymore,” Leona’s voice stated firmly, prompting Ruggie to look over at him in confusion.

“Huh?! What the hell are you even saying?!”

“Did you crack your head or some shit? If Malleus takes over this field – I have no chance of winning,” He reasoned, his eyebrows knitting together as his fist clenched at his side. “There’s no point in trying – I’m out of here,”

“You can't just quit after everything we’ve done, Leona!” Ruggie argued, his expression tinged with annoyance. “Sure, Malleus is playing, but still! We took down all the other dorms’ best players – we might win!”

“For all the press that this stupid game gets – when it comes down to it – it’s just a buncha’ schoolkids playing around,” Leona replied with a frown. “You keep yappin’ about your dreams all wide-eyed and shit – it’s pathetic.”

“What the fuck is your problem?!” Ruggie asked, his tone filled with anger. “I thought we were doing this together!”

Leona sucked his teeth, glaring at Ruggie as he stared him down head-on. “Are you seriously still on about that..? Fine! You wanna hear the truth? You’re just some ghetto hyena from the slums and I’m a second-born prince. There’s no way EITHER of us could ever turn that around!”

Isa and Janae shared a look.

“You can’t just quit, Leona!” Ruggie pressed, his teeth gritted. “I don’t care what kind of power trip you’re havin' right now – you need to lock in..!”

“Y-yeah..! We’re relying on you, Housewarden!” Another Savanaclaw student chimed in.

“Please!”

Leona gritted his teeth. “Ugh! I’m so sick of this bullshit! Just shut UP, YOU FUCKING NOBODIES!”

Chapter Text

His sharp green eyes fixed on the group as a deep scowl formed on his face.

“WHAT THE HELL??” Ace yelled out, his eyes shut tightly as he tried to combat the sand that was starting to surround the area more and more. 

Riddle grunted as he tried to keep his balance, his eyes narrowed as he looked over at Leona who seemed to be laughing tauntingly.

“MYAH!! MY NOSE IS DRYING OUT!!” Grim yelled, shutting his eyes as he clung to the closest thing near him so he wouldn’t go flying. 

Janae cast her gaze down, helping him into her arms as she ducked behind Riddle.

“WHAT THE – EVERYTHING HE’S TOUCHING IS TURNING TO SAND!” Jack exclaimed, his face uncharacteristically contorted in fear as he stared at Leona.

Leona scoffed. 

“Y’all like it? I call it the King’s Roar,” He started. A small grin made its way onto his face as the spell seemed to get even more intense. “Ironic, huh?” 

A cry of pain left Ruggie as his eyebrows knitted together deeply – his frame shaking sporadically as he clutched onto himself with his hands. 

“F..FUCK! LEONA – IT HURTS!” 

The group watched in horror as Ruggie’s skin began to dry off and crack — falling on the floor and withering away, as a result of Leona’s spell. 

It was obvious that if this continued any longer, it wouldn’t just be the Heartshackle group in trouble.

“Holy shit.. is he drying him out?” Deuce murmured, his eyes widening as his heart pounded in his chest. 

Riddle grunted, grounding himself as he held his hand out to Leona in a demanding manner. 

“Enough of this, Leona! I can’t let this continue! OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!”

Riddle’s collar appeared for a moment, clasping around Leona’s neck before it swiftly opened and bounced off, prompting the redhead to widen his eyes in shock.

“What? You really thought some weak-ass trick like that was gonna work on me?” Leona scoffed. “You might think you’re hot shit ‘cuz you’re a prodigy –- but don’t forget that I’m way smarter than you.”

“Woah, hey –- ANYONE ELSE THINK THIS IS GETTING SERIOUS?!” Deuce asked frantically, turning to the other freshmen with a concerned look on his face. 

Ace gritted his teeth, squinting his eyes as he readied his pen.

“You guys gotta get out of here,” He said in reference to the two girls, his voice firm.

“Dude – we’re already here, right? We can help!..I think!” Isa replied nervously. “I’d feel bad just standing around while everyone else is doing something!”

Ace scowled. 

“Fine! Whatever, just.. Stay back a bit!”

Leona let out a cackle, alerting the group to the fact he was now fully focused on Ruggie – sneering at him.

“How’s that feel, huh? Is that annoying mouth of yours too dry to keep lickin’ my boots? Damn shame.. That’s the only thing you were really good at.”

Ruggie’s frame twitched as he let out another groan of pain.

“WE GOTTA DO SOMETHING!” Janae reminded the group, a frown on her face as she looked over at the boy. 

Riddle seemed lost in thought as he assessed the situation before he spoke. 

“...Right! THIS ENDS HERE, LEONA!”

Ace and Deuce shared a look as Cater readied his pen nervously – shuffling to Riddle’s side as he aimed it. The duo followed suit, standing on either side of the older boys as they faced Leona head-on.

“Well.. It was nice knowin’ you two..” Grim mumbled out from in Janae’s hold.

“Don’t jinx us, Grim… I still got shit I wanna do,” Janae replied nervously.

The attack group ahead began exchanging blows with Leona, bright beams of light and sparkles flooding the area as the effects of each spell he cast caused the ground to rumble and shake. 

Isa spread her feet, grounding herself before almost slipping a bit – thankfully being caught by Janae.

The other girl held onto her arm, dragging her along as efficiently as she could as they made their way over to Ruggie who was still suffering the effects of the signature spell. 

He was curled up to the side, eyebrows knitted together as he squirmed and groaned in pain.

“IS HE OKAY??” Isa asked, staring down at the boy. She wasn’t sure if he was still breathing with how long he had laid in that condition. 

Even her own throat was beginning to close and dry up just by looking at him.

“I DON’T KNOW, DUDE..” Janae replied, her face scrunched in concern as she leaned over to check for any signs of life. 

A weight was lifted off the two girls' shoulders as they heard the faintest sounds of breaths leaving his lips.

“IF YOU HAVE ALL THIS POWER – WHY AREN’T YOU USING IT?!” Riddle shouted out, glaring at Leona who’d stopped his attacks for a brief moment.

“The fuck do you want me to say? Any explanation won’t make a lick of sense to you! Power alone ain’t doin' shit for you in the real world.” 

He looked over at Ruggie who was being hoisted upright by Janae.

“Look at him,” He started, his voice dripping in venom. “He’s like a pathetic mutt –- it doesn’t take much to pity him.”

Ruggie let out a small garble of pain, his head bowed.

“THAT’S ENOUGH! Unleash the Beast!”

Jack suddenly shouted, his ears flicking in anger as his tail swished behind him. His form had begun to alter as sparkles surrounded his figure quickly –- and when the sparkles cleared, a large white wolf was situated in his position. It reared back, growling angrily.

Leona’s eyes widened slightly as he let out a scoff of surprise.

“NOW, RIDDLE!” Cater yelled out.

“HAH!”

Riddle aimed his arm, firing off his signature spell and effectively stabilizing Leona’s power for the time being. 

The terrain seemed to relax a bit as he became grounded – the air had eased making it easier to breathe and the sand storm in the stadium had eased.

A gasp left Ruggie’s lips as the girls turned to look at him quickly.

“Hey –!” Isa started before being interrupted as the boy lurched forward, coughing his lungs out as he clutched his throat.

Janae shot him a concerned look, placing a hand on his shoulder to steady him as the pressure on his body began to dissipate. He groggily rose to his feet, offering her a confused look that she returned with a blank stare.

Isa and Janae got to their feet, dusting their clothes off as the group ahead tried to speak with Leona. 

From the distance, they weren’t too able to hear what they were saying yet – something seemed to change in the atmosphere of the stadium as Lilia took a crack at speaking with the man.

Janae squinted her eyes as she looked over, her eyes widening in fear as Leona seemed to surge with power – his body enveloping a familiar black goo. 

She turned to Isa, opening her mouth to say something before she was stopped mid way as the impact of the transformation knocked the two back.

—

Isa’s eyes struggled to open as she tried her best to make sense of her surroundings – mindlessly holding her hands out to stop the sand aggressively flying around from getting into her eye and locs.

She felt a tug on her arm as Cater pulled her towards him, which finally allowed for her to open her eyes at least a pinch to see.

The terrain of the stadium had somehow changed once more — just like the Heartslabyul dorm during Riddle’s overblot.

She wasn’t sure what to make it off at all.

Leona stood in the center of it all, he was a sickly color and dressed in all black with splotches of black goo on his arms and his face. Worst of all, behind him was a dark looming shadow that seemed to cling to him. 

His gaze was sharp as he sized up the group scrutinizingly. 

Riddle turned to the group, narrowing his eyes. “ACE! DEUCE! Help me escort the wounded out of here! Lilia.. Please get help from the faculty!”

“On it..!” The two boys replied.

“Understood!” Lilia nodded. “Stay strong until I return!” 

Then, he was gone in a flash.

Cater sighed, laughing a bit nervously. “Man.. why is stuff like this always happening? This is sooo not me core..”

Riddle’s gaze remained determined. “You can run if you’re scared, Cater.”