"I refuse."
Y/N sighed as she lay down on one of the sofas in the Savanaclaw lounge. It was so relaxing out here, despite the fact that Leona seemed less than inclined to allow them to stay in the dorm while Yuu was trying to figure out how to obtain the picture from the museum. The way the water moved, falling gracefully from the waterfall and into the pool below, and the way that the moonlight shone down through the skylights. Everything was so soothing, and Y/n felt that she would fall asleep if she remained standing any longer.
The rough fabric of a comforter that had been carelessly thrown across the back of the sofa rubbed against a small section of bare skin on Y/N's back and she let out a quiet hum. Her arm moving sluggishly, she groped around for the comforter and pulled it over her body, cutting off the breeze that was coming from the mouth of the cave at the front of the dorm.
Despite the slumber that she felt creeping up behind her eyelids, Y/N tried her hardest to remain vigilant, listening in as her dormmates tried to negotiate with the dratted lion.
"You didn't have to answer so quickly," Jack sighed.
"We don't allow pets in this dorm, cause they'll shed everywhere," Leona said, glaring down at the small raccoon that was hovering around Yuu's feet.
"Bulls***," Grim yelled. "You've got way more hair than me!" Clearly the night was starting to get to them all and Y/N felt another wave of calm rolling over her shoulders, relaxing her body.
It sounded as if someone was singing to her, a familiar voice that caressed her heart with their words. The song too sounded quite familiar, as if she had been sung that very song once upon a time.
"Across the sea, a pale moon rises. The ships have come to carry you home. And all will turn to silver glass. A light on the water, all souls pass. Hope fades, into the world of night. Through shadows falling, out of memory and time." Y/N felt the ghost of fingertips along her cheekbones and she sighed at the feeling, wrapping her arms around one of the throw pillows and hugging it tight to her chest. Soon enough, she found herself struggling to stay awake and slowly succumbed, allowing the voice to lull her into a restful sleep.
"That is that, and this is this," Ruggie was saying.
"Pretty much," Leona said with a shrug. "We haven't cleaned the empty rooms in months and they've just become junk collectors for the residents. Where do you plan to put the three of them?"
Ruggie's eyes suddenly landed on Y/N's sleeping form and smiled, walking over to the sleeping girl while Jack and Leona tried to figure out where they were going to put the Ramshackle Dorm residents. He crouched down in front of the girl and poked her nose, testing to see if she was awake. When her only response was a strand of h/c hair falling over her eyes, Ruggie smirked. He lifted a gentle hand and pushed the hair out of her eyes, tucking it behind her ear before turning to the rest of the boys.
"I've got it. We can put them in Leona's room."
"Huh?!"
"Choose your words carefully, Ruggie," Leona warned. "You want your mouth sewn shut?"
"But Leona, you should be used to having servants in your room. If you make them take care of you it'll work as their payment. Then it's a win-win."
Leona stormed over to Ruggie and grabbed him roughly by the collar, forcing the smaller boy back a few paces. "Ruggie, why you..."
Ruggie held a finger to his lips and with the other hand pointed down at Y/N's sleeping figure. She had stirred slightly in her sleep and was now lying on her back, her hair spread out like a fan across the pillow.
"Oh no. My injury from the magift tournament is still bugging me quite a bit. I worked so hard that I had to drink a potion in order to restore my magic. I even went as far as putting my life on the line for you. My condition will get better much faster if these guys were to help take care of you."
Leona scoffed, but lowered the hyena back down to the ground. "Tch. You're a shrewd one."
"So rude! I'm not lying." Ruggie's snicker made Yuu, Grim, and Jack suspect that he was simply tired of babysitting the prince.
"But I'm not going to let you near me that easily," Leona said with a smirk. "Hey boys! Get out here!"
Ruggie glared at Lenoa as he sat down on the couch next to Y/N. Was Leona trying to wake up the tired girl?"
"You called, Dorm Head," one of the residents asked.
"Aren't you the ones who came to spy on us before the magift tournament," another one snapped, pointing at Grim and Yuu. "Wait... wasn't there a girl with them as well?"
Leona shrugged, unbothered. "She's already out." He gestured with his thumb to Y/N's sleeping body next to Ruggie.
"Well it looks as if the prey that got away came back on its own! Heh."
Leona turned back to Grim and Yuu. "If you can beat these residents then I'll have no problem letting you stay as the help. Even if it's only for three days, I'm not letting any weaklings into Savanaclaw."
"What about Y/N," Yuu asked.
Everyone turned to her, and Leona sighed. "Well, I guess since the brat's already asleep..." He let out a long side. "She can stay. I'll take her to my room." As he stooped down to pick her up, he turned to the other residents and glared. "I won't be happy if I find out that you lost to them."
"Yes, Dorm Head!"
Leona scoffed and bent down, slipping one arm underneath Y/N's torso, the other beneath her knees. He was surprised at how easy it was to pick her up, and he strode out of the room, not bothering much to listen in on how the battle seemed to be going as he left. He carried the sleeping girl down the dark hallways of Savanaclaw, not bothering to check in on her until she shifted a little. He froze in his step just outside of his room and glanced down at her. Her head had moved toward him the slightest bit, and one of her fingers was hooked onto the golden fang necklace that he was wearing.
"Be careful," she whispered, her eyes clenching shut. "Be careful! Be careful!" She shook her head once, but fell still as suddenly as she had started, her finger slipping from Leona's necklace and down to his chest where it rested.
Leona sighed and kicked open his door, striding into his room and over to his bed. There was nowhere else for her to go, so he set her down on one side of the bed, making sure to tuck the blankets in around her body. As he was pulling a pillow closer to her head, her hand on his suddenly made him freeze.
"Watch out," she whispered. Her hand tightened around Leona's. "Watch out Riddle... Watch out Leona... Watch out..." she trailed off again and her face fell into a calm state once more.
'What is she dreaming about,' Leona thought to himself, slowly pulling his hand away from hers and walking to the door. Now he would have to go and check if the herbivores managed to beat his residents.
Sure enough, when he got there, he found Jack smirking triumphantly at him while Grim and Yuu were giving each other a high-five. The Savanaclaw residents were looking tired off to the side.
"Getting your a**es handed to you by some herbivores," Lenoa scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Don't disgrace me."
"We're sorry!"
Grim smirked as he stomped over to Leona. "A promise is a promise! We're gonna stay here for three days!"
Leona growled at the smaller cat. "Fine. But you have to stay with the freshie. I'm already going to be dealing with the lazy herbivore." He turned to Jack. "You wanna provide them with a place to stay for the next three days? They're staying in your room. Got it?"
Jack nodded and led Grim and Yuu off to the resident section of the dorm. As they left, Leona called out after them. "If you bother me in even the slightest bit, I'll throw you out before the three days are up! Got it?"
Yuu and Grim nodded, internally sweat dropping, and scurried off after the wolf.
With everyone gone, Ruggie turned to Leona. "Do you want me to bring up a spare futon for Y/N?"
Leona shrugged. "She's in my bed right now. Stupid herbivore keeps muttering in her sleep. Hope I can catch some shuteye tonight." The two started walking off toward their chambers.
Ruggie snickered. "I don't know, Leona. You might even like having her there."
Leona turned to Ruggie and glared at him. "Keep your mouth shut, hyena."
Ruggie held his hands up in defence. "Fine, fine. Well, if you ever get tired of having her stay in your room, you can send her over to me."
Leona muttered something about that never happening under his breath and strode into his room, shutting the door behind him. Y/N was just where Leona had left her, though she was on her back now rather than on her side. One hand was up by her head, the other resting on her torso.
As Leona watched, a single beam of moonlight shone into the room, travelling up Y/N's body until it hit the crystal pendant around her neck. When it did, Leona was surprised to see a ghost-like figure burst out of the beam, kneeling down next to the young girl. It seemed to be a boy with hair that was just longer than his shoulders, though it was tied up in a ponytail. His fingers caressed Y/N's forehead for a moment before he leaned forward to place a kiss on her skin, hovering there for a moment.
"Who are you," Leona growled, getting in a defensive stance.
The boy turned to Leona calmly and smiled. "My name is Benjamin. And you are?"
Leona scoffed and didn't answer. "What are you doing here?"
"Just checking in on her."
Benjamin got up from his spot and walked over to the balcony leading out of Leona's room. He seemed like he was about to disappear into the moon again, but before he did, he turned back to Leona and gave him a smile. "Make sure you take care of her, okay?" And with that, he was gone.
Leona sighed and raised a hand to his forehead. All he wanted to do was sleep. So, after quickly changing into something more comfortable than what he was currently wearing, he slipped underneath the covers. As he lay there, silently contemplating how he had managed to end up sharing a room with another student, a female no less, he suddenly felt the bed beside him dip. He turned his head to the side and his eyes widened when he saw Y/N's face only a few inches from his.
Her eyes fluttered open slightly for a moment, her lips slightly parted.
"Leona," she asked quietly, stretching a hand out toward him.
"What do you want, herbivore?"
"You're safe," she muttered, drunk with sleep. Leona frowned and turned so that he was facing her.
"What do you mean?"
Y/N said nothing. Leona allowed her to take one of his hands, and with the other, she reached up to his ears and slowly traced the edge, sending a shiver down Leona's back. Her hand moved to her hair where she allowed her nimble fingers to get lost in the mess of brown locks, feeling each little knot in his braids or in the beads.
"Y/N?"
The eyes which had previously been shut opened again and Y/n stared at Leona.
"What did you mean when you said that I was safe?"
"Don't worry about it," Y/N whispered, her eyes fluttering shut again. "Just go to sleep." Her hand fell limp against Leona's neck and the one that had been holding his slackened its grip. And yet, Leona didn't move away from her. Instead, he stared at her, watching as her lips moved in beat with her chest.
He chuckled and raised his own hand, picking up a lock of Y/N's hair. "What a stupid little herbivore you are." But, he found himself falling asleep, listening to the sound of the wind and the feeling of Y/N's hand in his hair, and the one wrapped around his hand.