**
Interior Hallway
Kalim and Jamil were racing down the halls, and noticed Crowley whom they were looking for, with the Headmage walking down the path to the Mirror Chamber. "Excuse me, Headmage!" Kalim called out. "We've been looking for you. Something strange is going on. Scarabia's usually warm year-round, but it's getting a bunch of snow," he frantically explained, some bits of snow on his clothes.
"We shoveled enough to get out of our dorm, only to find the Hall of Mirrors as hot as an oven," Jamil added with a sweat drop, looking completely unamused by the sudden temperature change.
Crowley turned around toward the two and widened his eyes at the information, looking even more baffled than he already was. "Asim. Viper. It's happening at your dorm, too?" he gasped. "The temperature has been aberrant in my office as well. It's so cold in there, why, my feathers could freeze over! Temperature control on this campus is handled by fairies, who draw power from a highly valuable magestone this school maintains. Perhaps someone's vandalized it in some fashion," he wondered.
"Then we should go check on it, on the double!" Kalim shouted. Jamil and Crowley nodded before rushing over to the Mirror Chamber where the magestone is apparently stored.
*
Mirror Chamber
"So this magestone you mentioned is stored in the Mirror Chamber?" Jamil asked, a little dumbfounded.
"Yes," Crowley nodded. "It's strictly forbidden for anyone to enter without my permi - hm? Wait a minute..." he paused as he looked to where the expected magestone should be but he was met with absolutely nothing. "SWEET MERCIFUL SEVEN! Gone...GONE! The precious magestone that supplies the fairies with magical power is GONE!" he exclaimed in horror.
"Huh? I-it's it?!" Kalim exclaimed as well, flinching in shock.
"Viper, summon every housewarden to the headmage's office at once. I'm calling an emergency meeting!" Crowley ordered in a stern stone.
*
Headmage's Office
All housewardens, including Malleus and Y/n, entered the headmage's office, only to meet a blast of frigid air that made the crown princess feel absolutely amazing and tranquil. "Brr! Why's this room so cold?" Leona asked, shivering from the sudden intense cold.
"It feels like I'm already home..." Y/n mumbled in glee.
"Oh, thank goodness," Azul sighed in relief. "Octavinelle's been so unbearably hot all day, I feared I was on the cusp of dehydrating into octo-jerky in front of Angelfish," he said, holding Y/n's hand tightly for she visited Mostro Lounge before the heat wave came in. Azul and the twins were so busy giving Y/n ice cream and ice to keep her from getting a fever this whole time. If Jamil hadn't called for them, Y/n would most likely strip naked to cool off or worse, be forced to make Octavinelle an absolute zero zone.
"It's a sauna in Ignihyde!" Idia exclaimed with obvious pants from his floating tablet, most likely sweating vigorously since he was still in his room with the fan blasting. "What if this fries our PCs? Requesting we shut down the dorm down for emergency maintenance, sir!"
"Quiet in the office!" Crowley shouted while shivering slightly. "As you are no doubt aware, we are presently unable to regulate the temperature in buildings across campus. The cause, I'm afraid, is that the magestone acting as a fairy power supply is missing," he informed them.
"That's the thing you were yelling about, right?" Kalim asked.
"Just so," Crowley nodded. "Our campus buildings are kept pleasantly liveable all year round by virtue of the magic of fire fairies, water fairies, and wind fairies...just to name a few of our many fae benefactors," he listed a small portion of the fae that work together to control the temperatures of the school livable.
"Well...that is very irresponsible of you. Surely there is a much better alternative that relying on-" Y/n bluntly says only to have Azul cover her mouth as Crowley released a heavy sigh.
"With the magestone gone, we cannot fuel the fairies' magic, and thus cannot control the campus's air conditioning. I kept it stored in the Mirror Chamber to avoid this precise scenario, and yet...Someone has undoubtedly stolen it. The nerve - the AUDACITY!" Crowley exclaimed in disarray. Y/n let out a huff as she got out of Azul's grasp and Asian squatted a few feet away, gathering the snow that had accumulated in the office.
"You just said that the stolen object is a magestone that supplies the type of magical power that fairies favor. Wouldn't it follow, then, that the fairies would be our first suspects?" Azul stated, glancing over at Malleus who observed his beloved future wife making a snow man with the snow she had collected. "As I recall, there's two fae right here among us. A rather tall one and a cute spirit, at that," he says.
"Azul. Malleus is right here," Y/n bluntly pointed out.
"That's a bold implication you're making, Ashengrotto. Are you suggesting that I, the heir apparent of Briar Valley and the crown princess of the Land Permafrostine, would stoop to common thievery?" Malleus crossed his arms, having a deadly glare at Azul. The octopus intend to insult him was clear due to the tone of voice. Reason? Well, Y/n went toward Malleus' side as a way to not have her mouth covered again and Azul got a bit jealous.
"Perish the thought! Pardon me, I meant no offense, of course," Azul grinned as he adjusted his glasses. "As for Angelfish...well...we do have a history of missing desserts in the Mostro Lounge so~" he teasingly smiled at Y/n.
"Riddle is right here," Y/n then said, ignorantly blaming Riddle who flinched at the sudden blame.
"My Rose?!" Riddle yelped. The housewardens except for Riddle chuckled slightly from how Y/n obviously tried to shift the blame or she actually forgot. She most likely forgot.
"Dude, the amount of power you could get from a magesetone would be a drop in the bucket to Malleus...for Y/n, it would be breathing!" Idia shuddered a bit from their high magical power. "Their already a balance-breaking character with that auto-filling MP gauge of theirs," he grumbled.
"Yeah, for sure. Nobody here would think for a minute that you guys are behind this, Malleus and Lily," Kalim innocently smiled. "Just, y'know, if you happen to know anything relevant, it'd be nice to hear. Like, does anything fae-related come to mind? Or anything else along those lines?" he kindly asked.
"You know..." Malleus hummed in thought. "When I was out on a stool last evening with my dear Y/n, we did glimpse some fairies around here - a kind that I don't see very often. They were palm-sized, and a clad in leaves," he recalled.
"Ah, yes," Y/n nodded in recollection. "I thought they're flower spirits. But the aura was different so..." she trailed off, twiddling her fingers.
"There were two of them, and they were struggling to carry an iridescent stone-" Malleus explained.
"Why, that's it! That must be the missing magestone!" Crowley exclaimed. "Draconia, which why were they headed?" he asked.
"Toward the botanical garden, I believe," Malleus recalled.
"We depart at once, everyone! Make haste!" Crowley then ordered. Everyone nodded and rushed over toward the gardens with Malleus carrying Y/n bridal style because she was distracted with the snowman she had made.
*
Botanical Garden
"Let us take a discreet peek inside. We mustn't alert our fairy suspects," Crowley warned. Everyone nods as they carefully walked closer and took a peak inside.
"Ah, I see some tiny fairies grouped up," Azul observed. "They're definitely carrying an iridescent stone," he noticed.
"That's it!" Crowley exclaimed. "That's the precious magestone that vanished from the Mirror Chamber!"
"Those fairies clad in leaves are called 'craftfairies.'" Malleus informed them. "They make the tools and implements their fae brethren need to change the seasons,"
"Does that mean they stole the magestone to use in some feat of engineering?" Crowley asked.
"Look. Now a different fairy is coming up, and they're carrying something," Riddle says, looking over to a craftfairy who had a mushroom hat holding onto something sparkly.
"Is that...a tiara?" Vil perked an eyebrow. "Ah, they've affixed the magestone to it," he watched.
"Don't tell me they pilfered such a precious stone simply to use it making accoutrements!" Crowley says, widening his eyes in disbelief.
"Oh, hey, a bigger fairy's coming up now," Idia noticed from his screen, zooming in on the larger fairy accompanied by a fire fairy and a water fairy. "You know she's boss-level 'cause she's got an escort,"
"My. I believe that's..." Malleus mumbled, his eyes glimmering with recognition.
Azul witness the mushroom hat fairy gently place the tiara on top of the Queen's head. "And now they've placed the magestone-adorned tiara upon her head."
"Interesting," Vil grinned. "So they drafted a haute couture crown for the larger fairy. The gemstone color does match her dress nicely," he observed with a professional eye.
"Is this really the time for a fashion appraisal?!" Crowley exclaimed in surprise.
"I've seen that golden fairy before." Malleus suddenly says.
"You have?" Crowley asked. Y/n tilts her head a bit, feeling like she'd seen the golden fairy before.
"Indeed," Malleus nodded. "Singing like gold, she towers over other fairies, her beautiful wings aflutter...Thus is she revered by her diminutive brethren. There's no mistake. That is the queen of the Faeland, where the smaller fairies gather,"
"What?! She's the Fairy Queen?!" Crowley gasped in utter shock.
"If she's outside her domain at this time of year, there's one likely explanation," Malleus stated. "Night Raven College's botanical garden has been selected as the venue for the Fairy Gala," he revealed.
"I...I beg your pardon?! THE Fairy Gala?!" Crowley stuttered in surprise. "Dear oh dear. Goodness gracious me..." he sighed in panic.
"What's this gala? Sounds like a hoot to me," Kalim curiously asked.
"Fairy...Gala...?" Y/n blinked her eyes in confusion. Obviously not remembering about this event because it never concerned her nor her people.
"The Fairy Gala is a festival that the fairies hold to usher in spring," Malleus began to explain as he patted Y/n's head with a smile. "Those who dwell in the Faeland choose a place to hold it on a whim when springs draws near. Supposedly, they celebrate the turning of the season with fancy outfits and a glitzy fashion show to showcase them,"
"Okay, this is getting ridiculous," Leona growled, getting a bit jealous of Malleus getting all close with HIS kitten. "Let's just shoo off the stupid fairies and take the magestone back,"
"No, you can't!" Crowley shouted in protest. "The Fairy Gala is no mere celebration of fairy fashion. It is specifically a festival to herald the arrival of spring. If it were to be interrupted or spoiled, that would incur the fairies' wrath...and Twisted Wonderland would be forever enveloped in winter's cold, harsh embrace,"
"That's not a problem," Y/n bluntly stated, earning looks from everyone else who probably won't be able to handle such cold temperatures.
"It's no issue for you because you're a spirit of winter, dear." Malleus said in a scolding manner to Y/n as he booped her nose.
"Plus, in Permafrostine, it's always eternally winter...even during the summer season." Crowley sighed. "So the temperatures won't bother anyone with cold blood but us mortals with normal blood stand no chance! When the fairies decide upon a venue, there is no negotiating. That's the trouble with the Fairy Gala." he sighed.
"Just what we need - forces of nature who throw temper tantrums when someone makes them mad," Riddle sighed, rubbing his temples in irritation.
"Fairies can be surprisingly stubborn and petty. Take Y/n for example," Malleus says, earning a dumbfounded look from Y/n which caused some to giggle at her reaction. "You'll find precious few a mild-mannered as myself. There are even some powerful spirits capable of creating larger disasters as a child such as Y/n. Her anger caused a maximum 9.1 earthquake in Briar Valley because I took her ice cream," he chuckled at the memory.
"A 9.1 earthquake?!" Everyone gasped.
"Though I don't remember doing so...you STOLE my desert." Y/n huffed.
"Wow. Their deadpan humor is totally OP..." Idia said in a dumbfounded tone as he researched about the Briar Valley the 9.1 earthquake.
"We can hardly chase off the fairies, but sitting around waiting patiently for the gala to end is also not an option," Crowley sternly says, crossing his arms. "From what I've heard, the Fairy Gala's post-event festivities can easily run three mouths. Without that magestone, temperature across campus will remain in a state of chaos. We cannot hold classes under such conditions. I say we all work together to take it back!" he commanded.
"....." All the housewardens were silent, with all of them, including Malleus, looking unmotivated while an aloof-looking Y/n was distracted with something else. A water fairy flew over and got her attention. Y/n watched curiously as the fairy gave her an invitation from the Queen to the Gala.
"Wh-why do you all look so positively unenthused?!" Crowley exclaimed in surprise.
"Here we go with the same old story - a self-important grown-up dumping unpleasant work on his students," Idia spoke in a dumbfounded manner.
"You're right that being unable to hold classes is a serious problem," Riddle says. "But is it one that students have any business addressing?" he coldly asked.
"The headmage is the one responsible for campus affairs," Vil deadpanned as well. "As a student, I fail to see how any of this is my job,"
"Goodness," Crowley sighed. "I know temperatures are in flux, but you needn't all be so unseasonably COLD!" he deadpanned, shuddering from the fact that Y/n was more colder. "Even so, I had a feeling you'd respond thusly. So be it. I'm afraid school is cancelled until the Fairy Gala concludes and the air condition is fixed," he announced.
"School's canceled?! Sweet!" Kalim cheered.
"However, missing three months of classes means I won't be able to advance you to your next year of studies," Crowley revealed. "THE ENTIRE STUDENT BODY WILL BE HELD BACK, YOURSELVES INCLUDED." he exclaimed.
Everyone widen their eyes in disbelief. "Whaaa?!" Kalim asked.
"PREPOSTEROUS!" Riddle exclaimed, having an angry expression. "Me?! Held back a year?!"
"That's unacceptable for me as well," Vil narrowed his eyes at Crowley. "It would be devastating to my public image."
"There, you see? I'm perfectly fine with canceling classes, but it simply wouldn't do for all of you." Crowley bluntly stated. "And I, being the kind soul that I am, can hardly disregard your feelings on the matter!" he smiled.
"This still doesn't sit well with me, but I suppose we have no choice," Riddle begrudely agreed.
"This is absurd, but with our advancement effectively being held over our heads, our options are limited," Azul sweatdropped.
"Then we have an agreement?" Crowley asked. The housewardens nodded, causing him to smile in delight. "Wonderful. Let's all work to overcome this adversity...TOGETHER!"
"Thank you," Y/n's voice, gaining the attention of the rest. They noticed she held an invitation and a beautifully wrapped box. "I'll be sure to wear it. I appreciate the effort into making this dress," she says, chatting with the water fairy.
"*ding* *ding*"
"Huh? Is she talking to that fairy?" Kalim wondered curiously.
"How though? I can't understand a word," Riddle noticed, hearing nothing but bell noises coming from the water fairy.
"Ah yes. As a spirit, Y/n has the ability to understand these type of fairies," Malleus explained.
"I'm impressed," Azul smirked, adjusting his glasses. "The more I learn about spirits, the more amazed I am."
"She's a walking translator," Idia commented.
They noticed that Y/n walked back over to them. "My apologizes. I just been informed that the Queen invited me to the Gala,"
"Invited?!"
*
Headmage's Office
Everyone was back to the headmage's office after a reveal of Y/n's invitation to the gala. It was, unfortunately and fortunately, still snowing in the office. "So, in review, you have two tasks." Crowley states. "One, see the Fairy Gala through to completion. Two, take back the magestone. These objections must be achieved in tandem. With that established, I open up the floor to discussion."
"Say, Malleus," Kalim turned to Malleus. "You're a fae like the queen, right? What if you went up and were like, 'Hey, 'scuse me. That stone is valuable to us. Can we have it back?'" he suggests.
"The fae are no monolithic entity. We come in many different varieties." Malleus informed. "There are flora fae, light fae, fauna fae...Everything from thistle fae to dragons like myself fall under the same broad umbrella. We come in different sizes, and speak different languages. Not all of us get along, either - much like humans, really." he explained.
"It's the same for us spirits." Y/n spoke as she made miniature snowmen. "Us spirits come in a variety of species like you fae, humans, beastmen, and merfolk. There are flower spirits, tree guardians, spirit kings, and many more. Some take the shape of an animal such as a deer or a mighty lion. However, we all speak every language you mortals speak and a special language called 'Spirit Song'. Us spirits have the ability to understand nature itself, no matter what mortal language we speak," she explained.
Malleus nodded in agreement. "Were I so much as set foot in their gala, those tiny fairies would grow frightened and scatter to the winds," he frowned.
"Tch. Some help you are." Leona grumbled. "If reasoning with them is off the table, then our only option left is force,"
"That would only aggravate matters," Azul stated.
"Mhm. I thought you would use your brain since you always tell us to 'use our brain' especially during Spelldrive." Y/n bluntly stated, unwillingly roasting Leona.
"ooohoho. Burn!" Idia snickered.
"She had you there, Leona," Kalim innocently laughs.
"Pathetic really." Malleus grinned at Leona.
"Grrrr...Shut up!" Leona growled.
"Perhaps we should explore methods of taking it back peacefully without being noticed," Azul suggested.
"If an inconspicuous solution is our aim...then what if we crafted an imitation tiara and swapped it for the real one?" Vil stated an idea. "As an actor, I can tell you that most jewelry used in movie filming is just imitation costume jewelry. Of course, it's convincing enough to fool laypeople so long as they refrain from scrutiny,"
"You make a fine observation," Malleus widen his eyes in surprise before smirking. "As far as I could tell, those fairies were only regarding the magestone as a pretty rock. A counterfeit would go unnoticed, as long as it remains aesthetically identical,"
"But how would you even make the swap?" Idia wondered. "You saw how well-guarded the queen was. How's an outsider gonna get close to her without drawing a bunch of aggro?" he asked.
"The Fairy Gala is a large-scale event, yes?. Surely they cannot keep track of every single attendee," Vil stated. "Getting close to the queen on the day of the gala wouldn't draw any undue suspicion," he informed.
"Sneaking into the Fairy Gala, reaching the tiara, and swapping it out with a fake..." Crowley mumbled, reciting their idea. "That's quite the cunning plan! However, there's one snag. It hinges on having a manner of magic spell or item that disguises someone as a fairy, a prospect as unrealistic as it it-"
"- IN STOCK!" A voice shouted, interrupting Crowley.
Everyone flinched in surprise, expect for Y/n, from the sudden loud voice, widening their eyes. "Whoa there!" Kalim yelped.
"I recognize that voice..." Riddle mumbled.
~To be Continued~