It was finally lunch break! All 5 of us were headed to the cafeteria. "This so-called magic academy feels like a lame, ordinary school," Ace sighed, "It's not exactly what I expected, but at least this collar won't be much of a problem after all. Are you with me on that Grim? Huh?" Grim had disappeared from everyone's sight! "Huh? Where'd Grim go?" Yuu asked. "Oh! Look out the window!" Deuce yelled, "I just saw a ball of fur running across the yard!" Everyone turned their heads towards the window. Grim was running around the courtyard! "He's cutting class on the first day?!" Yuu yelled. "Boy, that guy is not a fast learner.." Deuce sighed. "Not a good look to lose your only student on the first day as prefect. Want help catching him?" Ace suggested with a smug expression. "Eeh! Yuu's a prefect?! When?" I questioned them! "Oh, we forgot to tell him! Yuu became a prefect after we gave the headmaster the stone." Deuce explained. "Thank you for explaining. Please continue your conversation." I said.
"Anyways, so do ya need help catching Grim?" Ace continued. "Yes, thank you!" Yuu responded. "I do love chocolate croissants at the co-op." Ace suddenly beamed. "I'd do it for an iced latte at the cafeteria." Deuce added. Wow, they were trying to make Yuu go bankrupt. It probably wouldn't be fun for them. Those two continued to taunt Yuu. While they kept on going, I decided to catch Grim. I leaped out the window and secured my landing with a wind glider. "Did you really think you could skip school?" I yelled as I chased Grim. "Myah?! You're not really gonna haul me back, are ya!" Grim hissed. He had tried to outrun me. Fortunately, his tiny legs began to grow tired, and he was slowing down. "Got'cha!" I shouted. Yuu and the other came running over. "Darn, you beat us to it." Ace cried. "Mrrah! I've had it with these boring classes." Grim complained. "Then you'll never become a great mage!" Yuu scolded Grim. "Seriously, I thought you wanted to attend this school to become a magician, not a dropout." I added. "UGH! When did you two get all bossy?" Grim screamed.
We ended up holding Grim all the way to the cafeteria so he couldn't escape our sights. "Wooo! Lunchtime at last!" Grim cheered. It was as if he had never attempted escaping the school. "Whoa! They got some good lookin' grub!" He drooled. Yuu was looking at the options. "Ooh, a buffet. That's fancy." They exclaimed. "Look how fluffy those omelets are! Ooh, grilled chicken! And a bacon-and-egg tart!" Grim yelled in excitement. Unfortunately, I had no idea what most of those foods were. "Shhh! Dude, inside voices! Where was this energy earlier today?" Ace shushed him. "Yuu, grab me the grilled chicken! There's only one left! And an omelet, too. And that jelly-filled bread. Just fill your whole tray with 'em!" Grim ordered. Yuu had left to get Grim his lunch
Two guys ran into Grim. "Hey! Watch where you're going!" He yelled at Grim. "M-my carabonara! You broke the yolk!" One of them cried. "Whoa, that's messed up! Poking the egg is the best part. You better make this right, pal!" The other one yelled. "Honestly, how immature. Teaming on a young creature all because of food.. and I thought the students here were just as good as the ones from Sumeru Akedemiya. But you two have shown using your behavior that you are worse than the treasure hoarders.." I cut into their argument. "Hey! That's no way to speak to an upperclassmen! Catch me outside, and I'll teach you some respect!" One of them shouted. "Um, excuse me, sir, but it said in the handbook that fighting with magic was prohibited..." Deuce attempted to break the fight. "Fighting? You got it all wrong. This is just me helping some ignorant freshmen know their place." One of them smiled. "Now, let's see just how many ways there are to skin a cat!" The other yelled. They had both charged at us. Using my control over water to my advantage, I had added enough for them to slip and fall. "Oh? You just suddenly fell down. You two are so clumsy!" I said. When one of them attempted to get back up, he slipped and fell back down. "Come on, let's go." I told the three of them. "Oh, Yuu, you're back. Let's go find somewhere to sit down and eat." We all went to an empty table
"Aw, get over it already. It's time to chow like the wind!" Grim dug into his meal. "[NAME], where's your lunch?" Yuu asked. "I'm not really familiar with any of the dishes here. Next time, I'll probably bring my own food." I answered. "So, I saw your guy's dorm, but what's the other ones like?" Grim asked as he mu0nched his chicken. "I'm sure you're familiar with the statues of the Great Seven?" Cater suddenly said. He was standing next to someone with green hair. "Night Raven College has a dorm themed after each one." He continued. "Bwah! You're that guy from this morning!" Ace yelled. "You tricked us into painting those dumb roses!" Grim cut in. "Tricked is such an ugly word. Do you think I wanted to spend MY morning painting roses?" Cater responded, "It's a dorm policy! I was just following orders." Cater was smiling the whole time as he spoke. "And grinning like a fiend all the while." Deuce sighed. "Now, now, Deucey. Outside of the dorm, I don't care what rules you follow. Here, I'm just a friendly mentor figure!" Cater cheered. "Please. Do NOT call me Deucey." Deuce yelled. The guy behind us was laughing. "That's how Cater shows he cares." Everyones focus turned to him. "And who are you?" Ace asked. "Ah, I should introduce myself. The name's Trey." He introduced, "Trey Clover. I'm a senior at Heartslabyul, like Cater here. And you must be Yuu, the new prefect from that dump of a-ah, I mean, the 'rustic' dorm." He pointed at Yuu
"I heard the whole story from Cater. Thanks for looking out for our boys yesterday, you two." He continued. "I don't recall inviting you to sit with us.." Ace sighed. " Hey now, we're all from the same dorm, right? Let's try to get along. Here, give me your digits." Cater cheered. "I don't have a smartphone," Yuu responded. "What are you talking about?" I asked. "Eh, you don't know what a smartphone is, [Name]?" Cater put on a shocked expression. "I never thought I'd meet one of those is the wild! And Yuu, you don't have one either?" Teyvat doesn't have these smartphone things, so of course I wouldn't know. "I know of a place that sells the latest models cheap. How about we go on a phone-shopping date?" He asked. Both of us jumped. "Cater. You're freaking out the freshmen. Maybe take it down a notch?" Trey sighed. "Ha! Sorty! I can get a bit extra sometimes. What were we talking about... The dorms, yeah?" He laughed, "Ah, what fun to mentor new students! Go ahead, A-M-A." He was a cheerful one, for sure!
"Before you get into the other dorms, I wouldn't mind learning a bit more about ours." Ace requests, "like, what's the deal with all this 'Queen of Hearts rule number whatever' junk?" I wonder how many rules they have.. "I'm sure you're familiar with the legendary Queen of Hearts already?" Trey continued, "She had to rule over a kingdom of weirdos and did it by emphasizing order and making strict rules." But she still decapitates people.. "Our dorm, Heartslabyul, is an homage to her." Cater explained, "By tradition, we wear armbands with the red and black of the Queen's dress. And we live by the rules she created." If that's how they represent the Queen of Hearts. Then my dorm is probably doing the same thing with a different great seven. "Pfft. Can you make me any more bored?" Grim complained. "Now, the degree to which we adhere to the rules depending on the housewarden. Past wardens have been much more lax." Cater continued. "Riddle, though? He doesn't mess around." Trey added, "Basically, you could say that we're honoring that tradition to the utmost extent possible." Well, considering how Ace got collared for eating a tart. Those rules are just randomly thought about and used. "Bleah. Just my luck..." Ace sighed.
"So, what are the other dorms like, then?" Grim asked. "As Cater mentioned earlier, the dorms of this school are themed after the Great Seven." Trey responded. Just like how each region is based on the Seven Archons.. "We have our dorm, Heartslabyul, modeled after the strictness of the Queen of Hearts." Trey said. "To run down the rest of them for you," he continued, "Savanaclaw, based on the persistent spirit of the King of Beasts. Octavinelle, based on the benevolent heart of the Sea Witch." The King of Beasts and the Sea Witch, the Pyro Archon and the Hydro Archon! "Scarabia, based on the mindful personality of the Sorcerer of the Sands. Pomefiore, based on the tenacity of the Fairest Queen." Trey continued. That sounds like the Geo Archon, and perhaps, the Electro Archon. "Ignihyde, based on the diligence of the King of the Underworld. And finally... Diasomnia, based on the noble spirit of the Thorn Fairy." Trey finished. The Dendro Archon and the Cryo Archon. Although, I don't think the Anemo Archon fits Heartslabyul..
"There's no way I'm gonna remember all of that." Yuu sighed. "All those names are way too long! How's anyone supposed to memorize 'em?" Grim cried. "It's just like remembering all the Archons and their regions all over again." I whined. "Ahaha! Well, you get the idea. Want to or not, you'll learn them soon enough." Cater laughed. "At orientation, the Dark Mirror picks a dorm for you based on the essence of your being." Trey added, "As a result, each dorm ends up with a distinct sort of... flavor, we'll call it." That's a lot of knowledge to take in about the dorms, though. "That is sooo true. I totes see it." Cater smiled. "Flavor, huh?" Deuce noted. "For example, look at that guy." Trey pointed. There was a guy with white hair and.. Ears! "Oh! He has ears, just like Tighnari!" I beamed. "He has dog ears?!" Yuu's eyes sparkled. "The rough-and-tumble vibe he's got has Savanaclaw House written all over it." Trey continued. "No doubt. That dorm is full of scrappy guys who are into, like, working out and fighting," Cater described, "How should I describe the vibe? Macho dude's? Gruff big brothers? Something along those lines. The black and gold armband is another giveaway." That's really interesting!
"Huh. All right, so what about that guy with the grey and purple cord wrapped around his arm?" Grim asked. "That's the housewarden of Octavinelle." I replied. "Yup! That's Octavinelle! [NAME]'s correct!" Cater said, "Oh, you were sorted into Octavinelle, [NAME]!" I actually remembered it. I mean, I've heard it like several times now. "And the student sitting at the table in front of him has a red and gold armband–Scarabia colors." Trey continued. "Those dorms are for the smart students. They're always neck-and-neck in academic rankings. Ah, but the current housewarden of Scarabia doesn't seem to be all that great of a student..." Cater adds. "And here Cater goes, off on some tangent." Ace sighs. "Ha. You learn fast. Let's go back on topic." Trey laughs. "You see the flashy ones with the purple and red armband? Those are Pomefiore colors." He continued. "Whoa! The girl with the potion book, I really like her!" Grim cheers. "What's she doing in an all boys school?" Deuce asks."Grim, Duece, that's obviously a boy.." I sigh. "Yeah. You two are such morons. There aren't girls officially enrolled here." Ace says. "WHAAAT?" They both cried. "Anyway, they take vanity pretty seriously at Pomefiore. It's basically a dorm full of models." Cater continued, "Their housewarden has 5,000,000 followers on Magicam." Woah, that's a lot of followers! "Hey now, they're not all just pretty faces." Trey says, "The students at pomefiore are among the best at potions and casting curses." That kind of sounds scary..
"Next, we have Ignihyde.. their armbands are blue and black, but I don't see any around here." Cater explains, "They tend not to be the most outgoing students. Even I don't have a single friend from that dorm. They're kind of the polar opposite of us sunny, fun-loving Heartslabyuls." They sound like those scholars that study their whole life and never actually do any kind of social interaction unless necessary. "So their gloomy and miserable?" Grim asked. "Hey, no need to put it like that! They just have a reputation for being quiet and serious, is all." Trey corrects, "That dorm tends to attract magical energy engineers and students that are good with tech." Learning about these dorms is so interesting! I wonder what cultures are celebrated here..