A good three of the five hours had passed. The group had found a map of the library at one of the desks and had used that to find the kind of books they needed. Those being books on world history from the last 100 years, geography, native magic and how it worked, history and culture of the various countries in Twisted Wonderland, civil and criminal law of those various countries, and the history and mechanics of the school.
Due to Cassandra's edict memory and Ash and Yue's high intelligence, they managed to read and memorize all of the necessary books they had found. They now knew of the seven main countries of this world, the creatures that inhabited them, their cultures, how the magic here was supposed to work, world history from the last 100 years, the schools rules and houses, and the rules of the houses.
They knew these things, but that didn't mean they understood them.
"So, wait, since the Ignihyde house is based off of Hades... does that mean the Greek gods are real?", said Shorter, still trying to wrap his head around how things worked here.
Cassandra looked at him from where she was sitting at the head of the table, petting Grim, who was still in her lap. "Most likely, yes, since in the movie all of the pantheon and its myths were confirmed as real.", she said, smiling at Grim as he rolled around in her lap.
She had read about familiars in one of the books on magic, and knew that they were something high level mages had. She was a very powerful witch by her world's standards, so a familiar sounded like a great idea. She could see Grim had a slight attitude, but he was mostly well meaning, not to mention adorable. He seemed like the perfect fit. She would have to ask him if he wanted to be her familiar before the ceremony.
"So does that mean the Greek gods leaked here from our world into this one and rule over our world too, or is it the other way around?, asked Eiji.
Cassandra shook her head, "Not sure. Whatever the case, though, we should probably start burning sacrifices if we want to have all the possible advantages here."
"Not only is this school a cult, but it's a Disney villain cult, great.", said Yue, tired and done with this bizarre situation.
"For the last time Yue, this school is not a cult.", Cassandra said sternly.
The boy stood up and slammed his hands on the table, "Then what do you call those statues Skipper found on that road, huh?! Cult idols! That's what they are!", he exclaimed.
Cassandra sighed, "It is perfectly normal to build statues of famous historical figures in places like schools. So, please calm down and help us try to figure out how the hell this place works.", she said.
Yue groaned, "I'm too sober for this.", he says as he pulls out a bottle of wine from seemingly nowhere and twists off the cap.
Cassandra's eyes widened as she shot up out of her seat and rushed over to him, "Where did you get that?!", she asked as she took the bottle from him.
Yue shrugged, "Shorter gave it to me when you weren't looking."
Cassandra startled, "Shorter?!"
Shorter shrugged as he pulled out a bottle of bourbon, "I got it from that bag over there". He pointed down to a satchel bag beside an empty desk.
Cassandra took the bourbon from him and went over to the bag, Grim flying behind her. The bag was purple with green leaf embroidery curling up the handle and three pockets on the front. She opened it, reached inside, and grabbed something. She was expecting to pull out alcohol, instead she pulled out a bowl of hot orange chicken and pork fried rice.
She blinked, "How...? You know what, this has been a wild day, so I'm just not going to question this for now. Grim, do you want some food?", she asked, looking back at her hopefully soon to be familiar.
Grim nodded furiously, "Mh-hm, but what is it?", he asked as she pulled some silverware and several bowls out of the bag.
Cassandra spoke as she reached into the bag again, pulling out enough orange chicken and rice to feed everyone, "It's breaded chicken with a slightly spicy orange flavored sauce on it and a special kind of rice with pork and vegetables mixed into it. You'll like it, it's good"
"Should we be eating in a library?", asked Eiji as he began to eat the food Cassandra had handed to him.
Skip, who had been asleep for the last half hour and had just woken up, said, "We're not slobs, it's not like we'll eat near the books or leave a mess."
Eiji shrugged, "I guess you're right."
They ate and talked, and like every meal they shared, the conversation didn't stay tame for long.
"So, how did you know who the siren was?", asked Griffin.
Cassandra straightened in her seat, "Well, the woman, Tiana Jackson, performs live music at restaurants. On the surface it's a side gig between productions, but in all actuality she was programming her listeners into attacking or setting up 'accidents' for the actresses who had a shot at playing Eurydice in Hadestown, the newest broadway musical to come to New Orleans. She had done this before, but with lesser roles and more subtle methods like food poisoning so as to not draw too much attention. However, she got sloppy and started having her minions attack the actresses directly instead of having them cause some sort of accident. I quickly realized the people she controlled had no memory of hurting those women and had all gone to hear Tiana sing at least once, so it didn't take long to figure out what she was. I was going to apprehend her during the performance at the theater before her performance, but she hid well. I knew she knew I was there, and would most likely try to get rid of me in a sort of last ditch effort, so I plugged my ears and played along. I had Eiji and Skip in the rafters incase things went wrong, ready to drop sand bags, and Yue had engineered a poison capable of subduing her, which was to be administered the moment we got a chance, something that is not an easy feat given sirens have a natural tolerance to toxins. I sent you and Ash to protect Patricia Coleman Jones, as she was the last viable actress for the role.", she said.
Eiji nodded, "Yeah, that does make sense... except for the part where you told none of us she knew you were in the audience and would be targeting you.", he said as he glared at Cassandra slightly.
The girl raised her hands in surrender, "I was trying not to worry you! Plus, unless Mrs. Jackson would have somehow miraculously gotten her hands on white oak wood that, since my father burned it all, no longer exists, I would have been fine. But I do apologize for worrying you, Eiji.", she said apologetically.
Eiji sighed, "It's fine, just tell us these things. We can take it, we just want to know what's going on. I don't think any of us like to be kept in the dark."
"Understood, now, onto the topic of the orientation ceremony. Chances are we'll cause a scene, whether we want to or not, so how do guys want to go about our entrance?", Cassandra questioned with a smirk.
Everyone at the table exchanged mischievous looks, save for Grim, who looked confused. Honestly, he had no idea why he was still here. He wanted to be a student, and he couldn't be one without the robes these guys had on. Grim was going to be the greatest magician in the world, but he wasn't there just yet, and these guys were really strong, so he did not want to steal from them. Maybe another student who was still in a coffin, but not these guys. So, why was he still here? It was almost time for the ceremony and he still had no robes. If he wanted to make everyone know who the Great Grim was, he had to get moving. But, these humans(?)... they were kind to him, they didn't laugh at his dream, and they even gave him food! And the girl, Cassandra, was super nice and affectionate. He wanted to go to Night Raven College, but he also wanted to stay with these people. He flopped down onto Cassandra's head tiredly, causing her to laugh. Grim had no idea why, but he had a feeling that if he stayed, things would work out. His instincts had never steered him wrong before, so against his better judgment, he decided to stay with this odd group of people as Cassandra scratched behind his ears.
Cassandra regained her mischievous expression, "Any ideas?", she asked.
Yue looked at his nails idly, "What if we act super over the top?", he asked.
Cassandra shook her head, "No, acting like that will antagonize people. We don't want to have people hating us before the first day of school, do we?"
Yue shook his head, "Guess not."
Cassandra looked at her Court, "Any other ideas?", she asked.
Shorter jokingly raised his hand, "What if we kick down the doors and act super secretive?", he suggested.
Cassandra nodded, "It's good, but it's missing something. Ash?", she looked towards her right hand vampire.
Ash looked up from his meal, "What if we kick down the doors, act all secretive, don't talk to anyone, keep our hoods up, and you have a conversation with the dark mirror when it's time for you to be put in a house."
Skip laughed, "Yes! That will annoy and confuse the heck out of them!"
Cassandra smiled and nodded, "Then it's settled.", she then looked down at the creature in her lap.
She poked the once sleeping creature awake, "Say, Grim,", she started, "How would you like to be my familiar?", she asked.
Grim blinked, confused, "Huh?", he asked.
Cassandra smiled wider at him, "Well, you said you wanted to go to this school, yes? If your my familiar, you most likely will be able to go to classes with me, and Henrik will be more likely to let you go here. I'll also help you learn about magic that comes from nature, which is a special kind of magic that comes from my world. If you say yes, that is."
"Whose Henrik?", he asked, still confused as to how he was going to get into NRC.
Cassandra chuckled, "That's the name of the dark mirror, so what's your answer?", she asked.
Grims eyes teared up against his will. For the first time ever, someone believed he could be a great magician and wanted to help him. He wanted to cry, but wouldn't, because great magicians don't cry.
As he failed at this, Cassandra held him and let him bury his face in her robes. Clearly this little one had a tough life, well no more. She could sense a strength in this one and she would be damned if he didn't achieve his full potential because of something as trivial as his species.
After Grim had finished crying, she and her Court got up from their seats, put all the books back, cleaned up the dinner trash, and realized they were half an hour late to the ceremony. Realizing this could add to the 'mysterious air' they were trying to achieve, they all threw up their hoods and made their way down the corridor. Cassandra and everyone else, even Grim, had wide grins on their faces as they marched down the empty hall and towards the now bustling mirror chamber.
'This is going to be fun.", thought Cassandra as she nodded to Griffin and Shorter to open the doors.
The great wooden doors cracked open, and Cassandra and her Court readied themselves for what might happen inside.