Twisted Wonderland

Two Days Remain

"Wait," Jack jumps in. "so all those times Azul busted out different sortsa high difficulty spells like it was nothing..."

Ruggie nods. "I'd bet you anything that those were powers he swiped from contractors as collateral."

Jack runs a hand through his hair. "That's nuts! That means he's cheating at everything!"

"Technically, no." Ruggie informs. "As far as signature spells go, his is crazy high level. Guy's gotta have some chops to pull something like that off."

Leona shakes his head. "I've never put my power up for collateral, so I've got no idea how it works, myself."

"Wait," Jack tilts his head. "then what DID you put up for collateral?"

Leona looks away and growls. "What's it matter? It's all in the past anyway."

Leona stands from his seat. "ANYWAY. Contracts with him'll last as long as that special scroll is around. Which is why Azul makes very carefully worded offers."

"And then gets suckers to sign on with terms they can't possibly meet." Ruggie adds.

"The only way to win against Azul is to not make a contract at all." Leona laughs.

"Mrooow..." Grim puts his paws on his head in despair. "What are we supposed to do?"

You hold Grim close. "Don't worry. There's got to be something we can do."

Leona quirks an eye at you. "How do you win against someone stronger than you? You use your noggin. But..." Leona brings a hand to his chin. "If I were in your shoes, I'd start by brainstorming a way to shred the contract document itself."

"But it's invulnerable!" Grim cries out.

Leona sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. "You are seriously peabrained."

Ruggie laughs. "You're like a scammer's dream come true."

"Mrah?"

"Let's start with the basics." Ruggie says. "Why would you take Azul at his word when he said his contract was completely unbreakable."

"What?" Jack tilts his head. "I mean, none of our attacks did a thing to it..."

Ruggie waves a hand. "Have you considered the possibility that was an on-the-spot demonstration put on as a bluff?"

Your eyes widen. Could there be a possibility that you could destroy the contracts?

"All magic's got a loophole." Leona continues. "Remember that pampered little redhead Riddle's signature spell and how it sealed magic? It seemed unbeatable at first, but it still had a weakness. Even the best magicians can't sling spells willy-nilly.
So the idea that Azul's golden contract from It's a Deal is indefinitely unbreakable... preposterous. Flat-out."

"So there's a way to beat it after all." Jack connects the pieces together. "Challenging the Leech brothers underwater is a losin' proposition, no matter how you slice it. We'd be better off trying to find a chip in the contract scroll's proverbial armor on land instead. I see what you're gettin' at." Jack folds his arms. "I dunno, though. That sounds an awful lot like playing dirty."

"Come on, Jack." Ruggie rolls his eyes. "Your principles are great and all, but you guys already took a fair shot against Azul and his boys on land. Remind me again how that went?"

Jack growls, glaring at the hyena. You place a comforting hand to his arm. Jack seems to calm down a little.

"Let's be clear here," Leona steps closer to your chair. "these guys are scoundrels that swindle doe-eyed herbivores like Y/N here and take them for everything they've got. Why should you play fair when they don't? So what if it's underhanded? So what if it's taking the fight off the playing field? As long as the contract is annulled, you win. End of story."

Ruggie grins. "Oooh, that's our Leona! The duke of dirty plays, the tyrant of technical fouls!"

You tilt your head. Was any of that supposed to be a compliment?

Leona shrugs, putting his hands in his pockets. "Hey, it's like I said before. I do whatever it takes to win."

"Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, huh?" Jack looks down and sighs. "Fine. Let's spend the next two days staking Azul out and looking for our chance to shred that contract scroll!"

You wrap an arm around Jack, smiling up at him. "We can do this."

Leona rolls his eyes. "Well, good luck with that, froshes."

Leona walks into the dorm. Grim glowers at him. "Whaaa? After all that talk, you're not gonna help us?"

"Why should I?" Leona glances over his shoulder at you. "I practically wrote the answer for you in crayon already. You guys can figure the rest out yourselves. Later."

Leona disappears into the dark hallway. Ruggie follows after him. "On that note, I'm out too. Good luck, guys!"

Grim watches as they leave. "Th-that's just heartless!"

"It's alright Grim." You gently say. "We've got this."

Looking out of a window on a higher floor, Leona looks down on you as you sit with the wolf next to you. Ruggie laughs as he watches the lion stare.

"Wow, Leona. It's not every day I see you offering such useful advice."

Leona doesn't look away from you. "Oh yeah?"

Ruggie slides next to him. "For all your talk, you've got a soft spot for that girl, don't you?"

Leona scoffs. "Don't make me laugh. If I play my cards right, I can use those chumps to learn that cephalo-punk's weakness without lifting so much as my pinky finger. Not that I'm holdin' my breath or anything."

"Ahhh, I getcha." Ruggie says though he knows it isn't true. "That's real slick, Leona."

In the Octavinelle dorm lounge, the twins update Azul. He whirls around when he hears the news.

"What? Y/N met with Leona?"

Jade nods. "Yes, sir. She appears to have taken up temporary residence at Savanaclaw."

"Ah, I see." Azul puts a hand to his chin. He hoped you would turn to him in your hour of need. "That's... somewhat unexpected."

Floyd rubs his shoulder. "What's our play here? Do I give him the squeeze?"

Azul thinks for a moment before shaking his head. "No. We can let the Leona matter go."

Jade tilts his head. "Wouldn't it be better to nip this in the bud swiftly? He would be a troublesome man to have as an enemy."

Azul grins. "He's a lazy lion at heart. He doesn't believe in sticking his neck out for others or seeking trouble. I concur with your view that he would be troublesome to have as an enemy, but rivalry is a two-way street." Azul smirks. "He wouldn't dream of making an enemy out of me by choice."

"So you would prefer to let sleeping lions lie for the time being." Jade nods. "All right. Understood."

"Aw, maaan." Floyd frowns. "I really wanted to wipe that smug grin off his face, too."

"Just keep up your surveillance for now, thanks."

The twins nod and depart the lounge. Azul stays for a moment longer, thinking about the possibilities when you fail your task. He can't wait for you to finally be in his grasp.