Yuu watched in fascinated horror as Deuce called one last cauldron that came crashing down, just in front of the three delinquents. The loud CLANG from the cauldron seemed to shake the floor for a moment before the boys scrambled backward.
"Yikes!" One cried.
The other stared incredulously, terrified. "Whoa, didn't know you had that in you..." He muttered.
"Look, I'm gonna let you off the hook this time, but only 'cuz I don't want my pasta gettin' cold." One responded before he and his group walked away, slightly singed, but still unharmed.
It was silent for a moment before Grim finally broke the silence.
"Pfft! I knew you were all talk! You better hope I never see you again!" He cheered before noticing the look that Yuu was giving him.
"What happened to 'no more incidents'?" Yuu raised an eyebrow at the cat, who shrunk back slightly. She then rolled her eyes and motioned for Grim to just grab his food.
"Can we just get some lunch already? I missed breakfast, and I'm about to collapse." Ace said.
" I can't believe this." Deuce lamented. "Textbook bullies at an academy that's supposed to be famous for producing exceptional mages..."
"Don't think too much on it, Deuce. Bullies tend to be everywhere." She said before pausing. "Thank you for saving me, though. That was very brave of you." She gave him a gentle smile as she went to collect her food.
.
.
.
Once the group had finally sat down, Grim did not hold back, noticing how the group itself seemed somewhat tense after the fight.
"Aw, get over it already. It's time to chow like the wind!" Yuu watched, slightly disgusted as Grim shoveled food into his mouth.
"This omelet is as fluffy as a cloud, and practically burstin' with cheese!" He swallowed, shoving more food into his mouth.
She only moved when Grim reached for her share as well. "Hey! Get your grubby little mitts of my food! You're already eating your food! AND you ate my food in the morning!" She hissed, shielding her steak, swatting Grim's paws away.
Grim shrugged, still chewing as he spoke. "So, I saw your guys' dorm, but what are the other ones like?" Grim questioned, getting himself scolded by Yuu.
"I'm sure you're familiar with the statues of the Great Seven? Night Raven College has a dorm themed after each one."
Yuu jumped, instantly recognizing the voice and its tone. She rigidly turned, eyes wide with terror as she remembered how this boy had attacked the group, nearly taking her baby. Yuu scooted away slightly, turning away from him, keeping her hands on her stomach protectively.
"Bwah! You're that guy from this morning!" Ace said, scooting closer toward Yuu, who watched Cater wearily.
"You tricked us into paintin' those dumb roses!" Grim said, glaring at Cater, who innocently put his hands up.
"'Tricked' is such an ugly word. Do you think I wanted to spend MY morning painting roses?" Cater said, finally noticing how Yuu seemed to be a little scared of him. The way he looked at Yuu, he noticed how she seemed to be shielding something. Cater pretended to ignore the behavior as he continued. "It's dorm policy! I was just following orders."
"And grinning like a fiend all the while." Deuce reminded Cater, also weary of the upperclassman. Cater gave a friendly laugh, allowing for Yuu to notice Cater's attempt to make himself less intimidating.
He's good at flipping his mood. She thought to herself, slowly relaxing her body so that she was no longer curled in on herself, however, she still kept Cater at a distance.
"Now, now, little Deucey. Outside of the dorm, I don't care what rules you follow. Here, I'm just a friendly mentor figure!"
"Please. Do NOT call me Deucey." Deuce muttered, irritated at the nickname.
Yuu froze. "... Did you just call him a little sh-?" She asked aloud, hearing Ace choke on his chocolate croissant.
Cater seemed surprised for a moment before cackling hysterically. "Holy-" He gasped, trying to take a breath. "Okay, damn. That was actually funny!"
Yuu turned bright red, shrinking slightly. "Don't- don't laugh! I didn't mean to say it out loud!"
"Ah ha ha. That's how Cater shows he cares." A voice behind her startled her, making her turn around to get a face full of a tall guy's abdomen.
"Ack!" She yelped, rubbing her nose in slight pain.
Ace, with an unimpressed expression, glanced at the guy. "And who are you?"
"Ah," The young man, tall with green hair, pushed up his glasses awkwardly as he gave a smile. "I should introduce myself. The name's Trey. Trey Clover. I'm a junior at Heartslabyul, like Cater here."
He looked at Yuu, who was looking at him, annoyance clearly etched into her features. "Sorry about that." He added quickly.
"Yeah, it's fine. Nice to meet you, tall man." She said, sitting up straight as she took a bite of her rapidly cooling meal.
"You must be Yuu, the new prefect from that dump of a- ah, I mean, the 'rustic dorm'." Trey said. "I heard the whole story from Cater. Thanks for looking out for our boys yesterday."
Yuu swallowed her food before responding. "Not a problem, though be careful. They're a handful." She semi-joked as Trey sat in the empty seat beside her.
"Oh, I bet." Trey looked at Ace, who was tugging at his collar.
"I don't recall inviting you to sit with us..." Ace grumbled.
"Hey now, we're all from the same dorm, right? Let's try to get along. Here, gimme your digits." Cater said, pulling out his phone.
"I would, if I had a phone. Not like I used it much anyway." She said, awkward at the sudden ask.
"Maan, what is up with you, Yuu? You look so tense!" Cater teased. "It's okay, baby! Relax! Relaaaaax! I bet you're the type that's awkward IRL but can text up a storm, huh? Just give me your info already!"
"It's physically impossible for me to relax at the moment, but thanks for trying." Yuu responded.
"Cater. You're freaking out the freshmen. Maybe take it down a notch?" Trey threw an apologetic look at Yuu.
"Ha! Sorry! I can get a little extra sometimes. What were we talking about... The dorms, yeah?" Cater smiled to himself before leaning forward with interest. "Ah, what fun to mentor new students! Go ahead, A-M-A."
Yuu looked visibly confused for a moment, attempting to decipher the "internet speak" as she wasn't very used to using it. It finally clicked when she considered the context and she finally nodded.
"Before you get into the other dorms, I wouldn't mind learning a bit more about ours. Like, what's the deal with all this 'Queen of Hearts rule number whatever' junk?" Ace asked, attempting to understand what he'd been punished for a little better.
"I'm sure you're familiar with the legendary Queen of Hearts already? She had to rule over a kingdom of weirdos, and did it by emphasizing order and making strict rules." Trey stated, pushing his glasses up.
"Our dorm, Heartslabyul, is a homage to her. By tradition, we wear armbands with the red and black of the Queen's dress. And we live by the rules she created." Cater added, eyes scanning the faces of the underclassmen.
Grim, who was now attempting to steal Yuu's food, scoffed at the new information. "Can you make me any more bored?"
Yuu lightly bonked Grim on the head, hushing him. "Don't be rude." She scolded.
"Now, the degree to which we adhere to the rules depends on the sitting housewarden. Past wardens have been much more lax." Cater said, ignoring the cat.
"Riddle though? He doesn't mess around. Basically, you could say that we're honoring that tradition to the utmost extent possible." Trey concluded, Yuu jolting in surprise. It's rare to see such a strict child.
"Bleah. Just my luck..." Ace grumbled, sitting back.
"So what are the other dorms like, then?" Grim asked, eyes curious as he ignored Ace. Yuu noticed the distraction, slapping away the cat monster's paw.
"Grim." She said sternly. "You ate literally everything else."