Lucky Rabbit {Twisted Wonderland} [Various X OC]

Half a Student, At Least

...when Crowley was deciding whether or not to kick them out.

He quietly gasped as pieces suddenly fell into place. Maybe she wasn't scared of Crowley. Maybe she was scared of the unknown. She was being cautious of him until she figured out how much of a danger he was. She probably doesn't tell anyone her plans because she doesn't know how they'll react. Maybe it's also why she moves quietly. She doesn't know who might be dangerous, or if anyone is even around.

He saddened at the thought. Living your life in fear like that...it must be exhausting. So why did she trust him?
...did she trust him?

His spiraling thoughts were interrupted by the headmage's anxious laughter.
"O-Of course! I would never dream of it! I am kind, as you said, haha...."

....he was avoiding eye contact.

"More importantly, you say there was a monster?" He inquired, skillfully changing the subject. Elle furrowed her eyebrows minutely. So, he didn't know that ink thing would be in there? She had figured he was just being cartoonishly careless, but maybe those things didn't have a history of showing up in that area. Maybe they didn't have a history of showing up at all.

To her disappointment, the two heartslabyul students immediately took the bait, and their focus was shifted to the memory of the inky nightmare.

"Yeah. There was a monster all right. A big, nasty one. It nearly killed us!" Ace wasted no time in complaining. The headmage's posture shifted somewhat, his voice now more serious.

"Would you kindly relate this story in full?"

Elle deadpanned. So he WAS capable of doing his job, he just chose not to. Regardless, she followed the rest of the group as Crowley guided them to his office. The first thing she noticed was the group of floating paintings. Yep, those were definitely Disney villains. She probably shouldn't be surprised at this point.

She stayed mostly silent as the others explained, only really speaking up to recount her stealth mission in the mine. She really didn't like that she couldn't read Crowley's expression. Had she been too hasty? Had she underestimated him? Had she showed her hand too early? She kept her worries carefully hidden behind the shadows of her hair as she retreated further into herself. Her first attack had been parried away so easily, and now the power was back in his hands, so her confidence had taken a pretty large blow.

Very, very subtly, she noticed Yu step slightly in front of her. Not enough to seem odd, but just enough so that she felt she could hide behind him if she wanted to. She appreciated it. She would have to thank him later.

Crowley placed a gloved hand to his chin.
"Hmmm. So a mysterious monster was living in the mines. And the five of you worked together to destroy it, and then brought its magestone back to me?"

Ace flushed, his eyes darting to the side.
"I don't know that I'd call it "working together."

Deuce was quick to agree. "It was more like we just happened to share the same goal at the same time..."

Elle leaned over to whisper to Yu. "Hey, is it just me, or do these guys have no idea what the actual definition of teamwork is? You would think the only time they'd heard the word was in children's TV shows."

Yu bit his lip to keep from laughing. He didn't trust himself to be able to speak, so he just nodded at her, causing her to smile. Ace watched from a couple feet away. He didn't know what they were talking about, but he didn't like the way they were conspiring. Deuce, who stood between Ace and Yu, was just confused as to why Ace was glaring at him all of a sudden.

"Oh, gracious... Ohhh... Ohhhhhhhhh!" The crow began to sob. Elle froze. She never knew what to do in these kinds of situations. Her first instinct was to hug, since that's what she always did for Marie, but that was currently being overwritten by the professional setting. Eventually, cautiously, she stepped forward and began to lightly pat him on the back. If he felt it, it sure didn't show.