It was dangerously close to midnight and Yuu was stuck drilling information into her mind, cursing the fact that she'd been dragged back into school. She was currently barred from the room as Grim was doing everything he could to study for the exam, having gotten his paws on a booklet that he swore would get him a passing grade.
"Just make sure you keep the door unlocked, Grim. I don't wanna have to ask Rook or Lilia to break in through the window to unlock the door at 3 am. Again."
"C'mon! It was one time, and I haven't locked the door since!" Grim had yowled in annoyance.
Yuu chuckled at the memory of her feline friend, hoping he'd get a good score. Yuu shook her head, trying to focus on the book whose pages she'd been studying for so long that the words had begun to mesh together.
She slammed the book shut, promptly apologizing to it. "I'm sorry, it's not your fault I'm stupid."
She decided to get herself a bit of tea instead. Perhaps a bit of time away from the textbook would do her well.
She jumped at the crash of her front door and sighed, slowly turning. "Right on time! Hello Rook."
The slightly younger man walked up, smiling as he shut the door behind him, bringing baked goods. With a sigh, Yuu looked at her friend with a raised eyebrow. She'd gotten used to at least one person breaking into her dorm every night. To be honest, she couldn't precisely blame them, they were excited.
Take Rook, for example. When he'd first glanced at her for half a second and instantly found out that she'd begun showing, his surprise visits had come to be almost nightly.
"Madame Trickster! You've positively glowing today!" He chirped, kneeling as he placed a hand over her stomach, which caught Yuu off guard. Rule number one of befriending Rook, expect the unexpected.
Yuu smiled awkwardly as Rook began conversing with her baby, bubbly and grinning like a madman while Yuu just stood there.
"Rook, I love that you're excited about talking to my baby, but warn a girl please."
"Oui! Have you already had your Magiscan? If not, may I accompany you, mon ami?"
Yuu smiles at her eccentric friend. "Fine, but you have to promise that you won't freak the people there out."
Rook gave her a sweet smile. "Moi? Nonsense, Madame Trickster! I would never!"
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Crashing waves and violent winds blew against Yuu, shocking her body, forcing her into a sitting position and prying her eyes open, only to blind her. She stared at the darkened skies, suddenly brightened by a flash of lightning.
"What a terrifying storm..."
She turned atop the rock on which she stood, her eyes widening in horror when she noticed the ship. The cries of petrified, desperate sailors fighting against the storm, a boat moving away.
"Hurricane a'comin'! Stand fast!" One of the sailors hollered to the captain, Yuu assumed. "Secure the riggin'!" He barked as sailors ran around. Yuu looked at the ocean, noticing two people in the sea. A beautiful young woman with bright red hair, swimming to shore with a young man leaning heavily against her. He appeared to be unconscious.
"Hey! Two are overboard!" Yuu cried, trying to get the captain's attention. She looked around for something to help when the scene changed, the storm ending suddenly.
Yuu stared in surprise, confused. A new voice startled her.
"Look!" Yuu turned to notice the red haired young woman, on the shore, looking at the man. It dawned upon Yuu that this young mermaid was strangely familiar to her.
Yuu watched the mermaid as she examined the man. "He's breathing!" She grinned, swimming into the ocean.
"That's good!" Yuu watched the young man standing with the help of another man.
"Eric!" The older man said.
"... A girl rescued me. She had the most... beautiful voice..." The young man said.
The young mermaid surfaced fully, eyes sparkling as she watched him retreat further onto the land.
"My heart is pounding! Watch and you'll see, one day I'll be a part of your world!"
Yuu smiled, happy for the young girl when her eyes landed on two strange-looking eels. She stared as they laughed before escaping under the water.
For some reason, Yuu felt her heart sink, dread filling her stomach.
"W-wait! Come back!" Yuu ran to the edge of the rock, she reached into the ocean, searching for the two eels. Yuu felt something grab at her hand as it submerged into the ocean water, her eyes became wide as the feeling of a tentacle tightened around her wrist.
"No..." Yuu cried, attempting to pry her hand, her other hand slipping, sending her tumbling into the ocean. She closed her eyes tightly, terrified. Yuu watched as she was actively dragged toward a mirror before the scene turned dark.
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She woke up with a start, staring at the still dark room, shivering. "Why was I dreaming about a storm?"
From beside her, Grim stirred and turned on his side mumbling something regarding the questions he'd been studying the night prior. Yuu smiled softly, flinching as she heard the crashing of dishes downstairs.
Yuu sighs, standing as she goes to the window, opening it as she sees her door surrounded by her friends. She then returns to the bed, tapping Grim on his nose making him open one eye.
"Rise and shine, Grim." She spoke gently, startling the cat awake fully and he hissed.
"Don't surprise me like that. You'll make me forget everything I memorized!" He whined, brushing his fur down with his paws as his shock had made him puff up.
"Gotcha, Grim. But you need to eat. Doing a test on an empty stomach will be certain to drain you by noon, you bottomless pit."
"Okay, fine!"
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Crewel's words had cut through the quiet scribbling of pens, startling Yuu into speeding through a couple questions before calming herself and filling out the last question (which was, thankfully, multiple choice).
"The test is over, whelps. Put your pens away and hand over your answer sheets like good little dogs."
As the boys around her all cheered, Yuu quickly signed the top of the page, sighing in anxious relief and silently praying for a passing grade. She really hadn't done this testing stuff in a year, so it was clear she had gotten rusty.
"Down! SIT! Don't start celebrating yet." Professor Crewel barked, instantly silencing the students. "Any bad boys who fare poorly in their exams will be given mandatory remedial lessons over the winter holidays. Consider yourself warned. Class dismissed."
Yuu sighed in relief, collecting her things before going to thank Crewel for the tips he'd given her and hopefully apologize for a poor grade.
"I'm certain you'll do well, pup. Go off now." Crewel had responded, a small smile on his face as Yuu scurried out of the classroom.
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Once outside, Yuu was greeted by her two youngest friends, one of which instantly draped himself over her shoulder.
"It's FINALLY over!" Ace groaned dramatically.
Deuce, the more calm of the trio, looked exhausted. "I gave it my absolute best. All that's left now is to wait for our scores to come back..."
Yuu pat Ace's back. "I'm sure you guys did well, don't worry."
Climbing up Yuu's leg, Grim cackled excitedly. "No lousy test is a match for my brilliant mind."
Yuu rolled her eyes. "I'm really certain of that, hun. But you have to exercise at least a bit of caution." Yuu pulled out a small tin of butter cookies, one of Crowley's latest gifts and held it out for her friends.
"Really? You guys usually look like your lives just flashed before your eyes after written exams. Now you're changing your tune?" Ace smirked, taking a cookie.
"You bet your bottom mark I am. Today marks the dawn of a new and improved me!" Grim smiled, catching a cookie Yuu threw at him in his mouth.
"You better be ready, 'cause soon you'll all be callin' me 'Galaxy Brain Grim' and beggin' for scraps of my knowledge." Yuu rolled her eyes at the exaggeration.
"Grim, you sweet summer child..." Yuu nibbled the cookie. "It pays to have a bit of humility."
"True." Deuce agreed, turning to look at Grim. "That's a bold claim, but I'm pretty confident in my performance this time myself. No offense, but I'm definitely gonna outscore you."
"Says the guy who's perpetually biting his lip and barely staying above a failing grade." Ace scoffed, shoving another cookie in his mouth. "Of course, this test was a piece of cake for me, so I'm pretty sure I'm gonna come out on top."
Yuu groaned. "What did I just say? What did I just say?" She took a deep breath. "I'm sure you all studied hard, but y'all are seriously jinxing yourselves."
"Pfft- Nah!" Ace smirked, nudging Yuu's arm. "This is pretty much baby-tier stuff."
Deuce nodded, snatching another cookie. "Anyway, exams are done and dusted. I'm gonna hit up the Track Club." He turned, walking away.
"Y'know, I could stand to get in some exercise at the Basketball Club myself. Let's break this huddle for today, guys." Ace responded, turning away just after stealing his third cookie.
"Let's head back to the dorm, Yuu. I'm dead on my feet after that all-nighter." Grim yawned, sliding from Yuu's shoulder and into her arms.
Yuu chuckled, shaking her head. "Gotcha. Alright, boys. This council meeting of idiots is officially dismissed! Tok Tok!"
Ace laughed as he cringed. "Tok Tok?"
Yuu shrugged. "We don't have a gavel and my hands are full."
Ace and Deuce groaned before waving their goodbyes, leaving Yuu to carry a now unconscious Grim to the dorm.