Twisted Wonderland

Erasing The Past

You open your eyes to see Jade and Floyd staring down at you. You feel strong arms holding you steady. You groggily sit up and rub your head.

"Oh, hey, you're awake." Floyd smiles at you.

Your realize you were laying against Leona. He helps you stand but still holds onto your shoulders.

Azul groans as he sits up. Jade rushed over to him and holds up four fingers. "Azul, how many fingers am I holding up?"

Azul squints his eyes. "Er... Eight?"

"Still in shock, it seems." Jade helps Azul stand. "But your blot-induced rampage has subsided at last."

Leona glowers at Azul. "That little tantrum you threw really put us through the wringer, y'know."

Ruggie rubs the back of his neck. "Uh, Leona, I'm not sure you get to say that."

Azul looks around at the mess outside of his dorm. "What did I do?"

"You overused your magic and overblotted." Jade informs. "You don't remember it?"

Floyd stands next to Azul. "You were sucking everybody's magic dry left and right, bawlin', Give me your poweeerrr! It was the cringiest thing I've ever seen. I'm still not over it."

Azul shakes his head. "Oh, no... Me, going berserk? I don't believe this..."

Ruggie shrugs. "Hey, I can't exactly blame a guy for gettin' bent outta shape when something you've been building up for years gets ruined. I mean, if someone broke the coin bank I've been saving my money in, I'd hold a grudge for life."

"But all those shady business dealings have gotta stop." Grim folds his arms. "You oughta learn from this."

Jack growls at Grim. "How about you guys learn not to coast through exams using someone else's notes?"

"You know," You turn to Azul. "Those notes are actually super impressive. I'm still surprised Grim got an eighty five."

Azul looks to you in shock. "What?"

"Y'know, it's true." Ace agrees. "One all-nighter reading that study guide you wrote was enough to bag me over a ninety on my exams."

Deuce nods. "Yeah. It was seriously on point."

Jack flicks an ear. "I heard from the headmage that you wrote that guide yourself, analyzing a whole century's worth of test question trends. I'm still not okay with your shady practices, but your work took serious guts. That much I'll admit."

Azul dusts himself off. "Your clumsy attempts at consolation aren't helping me in the least."

Floyd throws an arm around Azul. "Awww, what's the matter? Are you gettin' teary-eyed, Azul?"

"Dear me." Jade grins. "You've gone back to that ink-spewing crybaby again."

Azul glares at the twins. "Hey! You two signed an NDA covering that exact topic!"

Jade chuckles. "Right you are. My mistake."

"Oh yeah, that reminds me..." Jack picks up the picture and hands it to Azul. "Here's that photo of Prince Rielle you asked for. We got ahold of it. The sun hasn't set yet. I think that seals Y/N's victory."

Everyone cried around Azul to look at the picture. Leona scoffs when seeing it. "What's this? It's just some picture of a buncha mermen fingerlings huddled in front of a camera."

Ruggie tilts his head. "Is it some kinda group photo of an elementary school class? What'd you want it for, anyway?"

Floyd laughs. "That takes me back! This is a picture from our school field trip. Me 'n Jade are right here. Aaand..." He points at a kid. "See the kid sulking way off in the corner? That's baby Azul!"

Azul hides the picture against his chest. "Don't look! Please don't look!"

"Well well, Azul. You sure are spirited all of a sudden." Jade teases. "Shouldn't you get a little more sleep? Considering how far things have already gone, it would be easier for you to let this one go."

Azul reluctantly hands the picture to Ace. He glances over the picture. "Let's see here."

Ruggie points to a kid in the picture. "Are you talkin' about the octopus who's more rounded than any of the mer-kids, even holding the pic at an angle?"

Grim hope onto Ace's shoulder and smirks upon seeing the picture. "Whoa, Azul! I never knew you used to look like that!"

The little Azul in the picture stands off to the side, a frown on his face. You saw this version of Azul before, but him in this picture is just too precious.

"Awww," You smile. "You look so cute in this picture."

Azul's face becomes bright red. He adjusts his glasses and looks away from everyone. Deuce takes a step closer to Azul.

"I... I get it. I totally get what you're feeling. Everybody's got a past they wish they could erase! I saw nothing!" Deuce points to everyone else. "Neither did the rest of you, okay? Never speak of this again!"

Jack quirks an eye at the blue haired boy. "Never pegged you as this, uh... passionate."

Azul groans, running a hand through his hair. "I was going to expand the Mostro Lounge with a branch cafe and simultaneously erase the shame of my boyhood... It was supposed to be the perfect plan! Two birds with one stone!"

Ruggie grins. "Hey, you know what they say: a rabbit in hand is worth two in the bush."

"I got my schoolmates' yearbooks and the negatives from the photographer." Azul continues. "I succeeded in laying claim to every single old photo of me through a whole web of deals... But there just wasn't any legal way to dispose of that one last photo."

Grim puts his paws on his hips. "That doesn't mean it's cool to make other people do your dirty work for you!"

Floyd shrugs. "I don't see the big deal, really. I like the old Azul. He'd make a better meal than the one we've got now."

Azul glowers at the twin. "That's not the point at all!"

"You put in an incredible amount of work." You step out of Leona's hold and wrap Azul in a hug. "You don't have to be that hung up on hiding it."

Azul blushes as he looks away. "This is the worst. I could crawl into an octopus pot right now."