"You weren't kidding when you said it had...'character'." y/n sweatdrops at the sight of a very much rundown dorm in front of her and Crowley,"Isn't it delightful? Right, scoot inside now. There you go." Crowley leads the girl towards the building,[Well, at least I still get a roof over my head. Plus, it's best that I stay on my own instead of with some guys.] y/n thought as she rubs her belly.
She winces when the front door let's out an agonizing creek when Crowley opens it and leads her to a living room. Lots of furnitures were thrown about and painting were either askew on the walls or have fallen off. Dust covers pretty much every surface of the room and cobwebs settling in corners here and there.
"This should keep the elements at bay for the time being. Now, I should return to my research. Do try to find some way to busy yourself." Crowley says as he turns to leave,"But don't let me catch you wandering the campus! Ta!" he greets with a chirp before shutting the front door behind him.
Y/n sighs, but smiles with gratitude since she has a home of her own,"It's better here than out there in a world completely unknown to us, huh kid? Better yet, now I can do whatever I want to this place! DIY, ya know?" she says optimistically as she smiles down at her stomach,"This place might look like a dusty shack for now, but a little elbow grease will make it livable." she adds as she takes her cloak off and puts it on a couch.
She then grabs a conveniently placed broom and starts to sweep some of the rubbles and dusts into a corner. Though she jumps in fright when thunder strikes outside followed by rain pelting the ground and house,"Huh, that was a quick weather change. Very relaxing, though." she mumbles as she puts the broom down and sits on her cloak to relax for a moment on the couch.
However, her moment of peace was cut very short by the front door slamming open and close as a squeaky voice screeches,"GWAH! It's pouring out there!" Grim yelps as he trots into the room,"You again!?" y/n was back on her feet in alarm.
"Bwahaha! That look on your face is priceless! Like a bat that got blasted by a water gun." Grim cackles with amusement while y/n rolls her eyes at him,"What're you doing back here, Grim? Didn't they kick you out?" she asks as she sits back down while Grim hops onto a rickety stool.
"As if I wouldn't just sneak back onto campus the second I escaped pryin' eyes. You all got no idea what I'm capable of! I ain't givin' up on goin' here just 'cause I got kicked out one measly ol' time. And if you think otherwise, you don't know Grim!" he exclaims as he jabs a thumb at his poofy chest.
"Okay...? But, why are you so determined to go to this school?" y/n quirks a brow as she leans back on the couch with crossed arms,"Isn't it obvious? I was born to do this! I'm a magical prodigy who's got the makin's to become one of the greatest mages who ever lived!" Grim beams with pride as he stands on his hind legs.
"So I've been waitin' and waitin' for that black carriage to come for me. And yet..." he pouts sadly as his ears droop to showcase his sadness, but he shakes his head and scoffs with crossed arms,"Hrmph! That Dark Mirror's got no eye for talent!" he grumbles and points a paw into the air.
"That's why I took the initiative and came here myself. You humans don't understand what a mistake you're makin'! Not lettin' me in is a great loss to the world!" he shouts, but jumps when a water droplet suddenly lands on his head,"Mrrao! C'mon, scoot over! I'm getting dripped on here!" he yelps as he hops onto the couch y/n is sitting on.
But, he jumps when another drop lands on his head and y/n felt a few land on her as well,"Bwah! Another hole in the roof! These flamin' ears are like my trademark, y'know? I can't let 'em get doused!" Grim panics as he covers his ears,"Good luck with that. The roof is riddled with holes." y/n sighs as she gets up as dusts her hands off,"I'll go look for some buckets." she announces with a bored tone.
"I dunno why you don't just magic those holes away. You could have it fixed in half a jiff." Grim states before he smiles mockingly,"Ahhh, right. You can't use magic at all. Pffft, man you're useless." he snickers and y/n glares at him,"If you're such a prodigy, then why don't you do it!?" she shouts and Grim grins on a cocky manner.
"Heh? You want ME to help YOU? Ha! You got the wrong idea. I'm just a stranger takin' shelter from the rain. You ain't the boss of me." he scoffs as he crosses his arms,"If ya had some cans of tuna to trade, well, that'd be another story. But I don't work for free." he bargains and y/n groans as she drags a hand down her face.
"Whatever man, I don't have time for this. Now, where are those buckets?" she moves down the hallway, wrapping her arms around herself for warmth since she felt a little chilly,"As much as I am thankful for a home, this place is giving me the willies." she whispers and jumps when she heads a creek,"What was that!?" she yelps before paling considerably when three white ghosts appear in front of her. They each wore a dark cloak and tops hats, however they each had different looks. One was chubby, one was less chubby, and the last one was really skinny.
"Kyaaah!" y/n screams in fright as she wraps her arms around her stomach protectively while the ghosts start to laugh at her frightened expression,"Yee hee hee... Bwa ha ha ha ha ha." the skinny one laughs in a hoarse manner as they circle above the girl's head.
"We haven't had visitors in ages!" the chubbier one comments as y/n backs away,"Oh, I'm just itchin' for new friends! Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha!" the biggest ghosts grins widely as y/n keeps her nerves calm so she wouldn't hurt her baby,"Ghost... Why are there ghosts here!?" she panics as Grim head for the commotion.
"Hey, keep it down over-" Grim was about to ask, but freezes at the sight of the three ghosts,"AAAAAH! GHOSTS! GHOOOOOOSTS!" he screeches as he hides behind y/n's legs.
"All the people who used ta live here got scared of us and ran away." the chubby ghosts says as they surround the two,"We just want a new ghost to play with! What do you say, buddy?" the big ghost offers cruelly as he nears y/n,"Stay away from me and my kid!" she screams and the three ghost are startled to hear this.
"Eeeeep! I'm a master sorcerer! I ain't afraid of any dumb ghosts! Myahaaa!" Grim quickly took action as he jumps out from behind y/n and shoots fire at the ghosts, however they dodged the attack,"Nuh-uh. Not even close." the skinny ghost mocks as they float around them,"Over here! Over here! Ah ha ha ha!" the big ghost teases as he waves his arms at Grim.
"Argh! They keep disappearing and reappearing!" Grim growls with frustration as he tries to at least hit one of the ghosts while y/n noticed that he had his eyes closed,"You stupid cat! You can't aim with your eyes closed! You're gonna burn the house down!" she scolds with a glare as Grim snaps his attention onto her,"Shaddup! I don't need any lip from you, human!" he spat and y/n growls at him, but then comes up with an idea.
"How about this? You beat the ghost and I reward you with a can of tuna! Plus! Plus...uh..? The headmage will maybe let you enroll if you do beat them!" she mentions and Grim perks up at this,"Myah...?!" his little eyes lit up with joy, but then he regains his 'cool cat' act.
"Hmph... I'm Grim, Master Sorcerer!" he boasts and spews more flames, but the ghosts dodged again,"How come I can't even hit one of these little-" he was cut off by the ghosts laughing at him,"Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha!"
"Hrmph! Ganging up on us... Yer a buncha cowards!" Grim glares at them and y/n pats her stomach as she narrows her eyes,"Let me help you." she says firmly and Grim contemplates his options before giving in,"Myaaaah... You, human! You tell me which way the ghosts are!" he demands and y/n nods right as one of the ghosts appear,"On your left!" she shouts and Grim fires in that direction, successfully hitting his target.
"Aaaaah! It buuuurns!" the skinny ghost wails as he retreats and disappears,"Ha, got one! Keep it up, just like that... And let's clear out the whole lot of 'em!" Grim exclaims with confidence and y/n grins as well. Both of them got to work in scaring the ghosts away and sending them packing.
"Phoo! Phoo! Myah-yah-yah! PHOOOOO!" Grim continues to spew flames with y/n's direction, but one of the ghosts snuck up on him,"Missed by a country mile. Heh heh heh!" he mocks before disappearing before Grim had the chance to attack him,"RRRGH! Hey, human! You gotta be more clear with your directions! I can't hear you!" the little monster scolds before yelping when the big ghost jumped scare him.
"OoOOoh, secret talk? I want it, c'mooon!" he whines as Grim spews fire his way,"MYAAAH! NO! You stay way, WAY back!" he howls as he fires at him, successfully driving the ghost away,"Now THAT'S more like it! I knew I was a total whiz with magic! The great Grim can handle more than a few ghosts without some human's help! MYAHAHAHA!" Grim boasts with a loud laugh while y/n kept her eyes focused on the ghosts.
"Pfft! Hahahaha!" one of the ghosts suddenly pops up in front of Grim's face,"MYAH?!" he yelps as the ghost vanishes,"HUMAN! You gotta tell me if you see a ghost's about ready to spook me!" Grim whines with teary eyes,"Sorry! They're just so quick!" y/n says apologetically.
They continue to fight the ghosts off until they finally decided to retreat,"PHOO! PHOOOOO!" Grim blows out stronger flames, causing the ghosts to panic and flew.
"Yeowch!"
"That burns!"
Y/n sighs with relief when they disappear once more while Grim cheers in victory,"Nice! That actually worked! Hey, human! What should I do next? Give 'em the works?" he asks and y/n smirks as the ghosts appear again,"Give 'em a good one, Grim!" she encourages and Grim grins widely,"Heh! Can do!" he nods before firing more flames at the ghosts,"Myaaah... Eat THIS! Myaaah!" he yells as he let's out a big one that hits all three ghosts.
"Hwaaahhh! We gotta get out of here! Before we get disappeared for good!" the ghosts wail as they retreat down the hall and disappear,"H-huh? Did we... win?" Grim asks hesitantly and y/n huffs a smile,"That we did. Good job, Grim." she praises as Grim relaxes his shoulders.
"Aw, geez, I was scared outta my-" he quickly stops himself,"I mean, they didn't faze me one bit! Just a walk in the park for a mage of my caliber! Whaddaya got to say now, ghosties? That's right!" he shouts with a paw waving in the air, making y/n giggle.
"Hey, human. You mentioned something about a 'kid'. Did you bring a kid with you?" Grim suddenly asks and y/n smiles softly and kneels in front of him,"Well, I'm actually pregnant. It's a long story, but just know I never intended to get pregnant." she tells him and Grim perks up and looks at the girl's stomach.
Before he could ask more, the front door opens to reveal Crowley holding a few containers in his hands and a few books floating behind him,"Good evening. In another gesture of my immense kindness, I have brought you dinner and some pregnancy books." he announces, but stops at the sight of Grim.
"Wait. That's the creature we ejected for causing trouble at orientation! What is it doing here?!" he asks as he glares at Grim while y/n gets back up,"Takin' care of yer ghost problem, that's what. You're welcome, by the way!" Grim replies sarcastically, but Crowley turns his attention onto y/n,"What is the meaning of this, y/n? But you know, on that topic, I do seem to recall that this dorm had a mischievous ghost problem." he remembers as he rubs his chin.
"Yeah, and they gave a very warm welcome." y/n says sarcastically with an eye roll,"Ah, yes... That's why it was abandoned, in fact. The ghosts scared away all the students." Crowley sweatdrops at this, but clears his throat,"And you're saying that you two joined forces to drive them away?" he inquires with curiosity.
"'Joined forces' ain't exactly how I'd describe it. More like I drove 'em away, and the human watched. And I only did it 'cause I wanted some tuna." Grim explains poorly, but his ears perk up,"Hey... Wait a minute! I never got those cans of tuna ya promised!" he realizes as y/n avoids eye contact with him out of guilt.
"Would you two be so kind as to demonstrate your ghost-eradication methods for me?" Crowley requests and Grim narrows his eyes at him,"One, no, 'cause I already wiped 'em all out. And two, no, 'cause where's my tuna?!" he yells as he points an accusing paw at y/n.
"Uh, so Crowley. How do you want us to show you a demonstration of our 'teamwork'? The ghosts are gone." y/n quickly directs the topic back to Crowley, who puts the containers and books on a table,"I will play the part of the ghosts. As for the tuna, you'll receive it when you defeat me. Oh, what generosity, Crowley..." Crowley mentally pats himself on the back as he pulls out a small vile filled with foggy white liquid.
"Now, to chug this transmutation potion!" he says before chugging the potion in one go and transforms into a ghost,"Ah, you gotta be kiddin' me. I gotta work together with the human again?" Grim frowns heavily and y/n smiles st him,"Think of it this way, if you impress the headmage enough he might enroll you into his school. Plus, he did promise to bring tuna." she says and Grim huffs,"Hrmph. All right, but this is the last time. And I better be up to my jowls in tuna afterwards!" he grumbles as he gets on all fours.
For about twenty minutes or so, both y/n and Grim fought of Crowley before the potion's effects wore off,"...Well?"Grim pants as y/n crosses her arms,"Incredible... I've never seen anyone bend a monster to their will quite the way you have." Crowley says with awe as he stares at y/n with eyes full of interest.
"I must confess, my educator's intuition did sense something about you after the brouhaha at orientation, y/n. I could tell you had a certain animal trainer-y, beast master-ish quality to you. Oh, yes." he reveals and y/n raises a brow at him,"That said, I..." Crowley trails into a mumbling mess.
Y/n sighs as she rolls her eyes at him, but spares Grim a glance and speaks up,"Crowley, can Grim stay with me an enroll into your school? He really wants to." she asks and Crowley looks at her with wide eyes,"WHAT? A monster, stay HERE?" he repeats with a flabbergasted tone while Grim looks up at y/n with glimmering eyes.
"Whoa, did you just...?" he utters softly and y/n winks at him before focusing on Crowley,"Crowley, think about it. I'm a pregnant and magicless girl living all on her own. Please, I need Grim by my side to protect me from any more unexpecting ghosts."Hmmm... I suppose I cannot deny your plea. Very well." Crowley gives in since y/n made a good point and also, he didn't really want her to live alone.
"Myah?! Really?" Grim's eyes lit up with utter joy, but Crowley held up a finger,"Let me be clear! Under no circumstances would I admit anyone to Night Raven College who has not been selected by the Dark Mirror, especially not a monster! Nor do I intend to allow you, y/n, to freeload until you're able to support yourself." he says and y/n nods while Grim pouts.
"Hrmph. Never shoulda got my hopes up..." he frowns as he crosses his arms,"Now, allow me to explain. It was the Dark Mirror that transported you here. Therefore this school does bear some responsibility for your and your baby's well-beings. So I will allow you to remain in this dorm, free of charge." Crowley explains and y/n smiles with gratitude.
"However, you will need to pay for your own food, clothing, and incidentals. As to how you will do so, penniless as you are..." Crowley stops short and smiles with glee,"Ah. Ah ha. Yes, a fine plan." he says ominously,"What...are you planning to make me do?" y/n asks hesitantly as she rubs her tummy.
"You needn't seem so alarmed. I'm simply going to ask you to do a few odd jobs around campus." Crowley says reassuringly,"From what you've done here, y/n, I can tell you know your way around a broom. So what do you say to you two working together as a janitorial team? If you agree to that, I will make a special exception and allow you to remain on campus." he offers and y/n thinks for a moment.
"I'll also allow you use of the library, so that you may study, and research ways to return home. How soundlessly charitable I am. Ah, but only when your work is over, of course!" Crowley adds and Grim speaks up,"Whaaat? What kinda deal is that?! I wanna put on one of those sweet uniforms and be a student, not sweep up people's junk!" he whines with flattened ears.
"If you're not satisfied with my offer, I can arrange to have you thrown out again." Crowley threatens subtly and Grim flinches at this,"Myah?!" he yelps as he looks between y/n and Crowley, before huffing a breath,"... All right, fine! Let's do it." he says lowly,"Sounds fine to me. Not too bad a labor." y/n says with a small smile and Crowley claps his hands,"Wonderful. Then I beseech you both... To work hard as the newest members of the Night Raven College's janitorial staff!" he exclaims with joy.
And so, the night went and came as Grim and y/n found a room to sleep in for the night until morning came,"Hee hee hee... Aren't the two of you supposed to be off cleaning the school today?" a familiar voice teases and y/n whines as she rolls onto her side.
"Mmmmm... Nngh... Five more minutes, Ma..." Grim yawns as he waves his paw in the air,"Go ahead, sleep the day away. And you might not eeever hafta wake up again." the chubby ghost mocks as the big ghost hovers above Grim,"Just like us! Ah ha ha ha ha ha!" he laughs as Grim's eyes flutter open, only to be startled wide awake at the sight of the ghosts.
"Myah?! The ghosts are back! Hey, y/n, up and at 'em!" he yelps as he shakes y/n awake,"Ugh, I'm gonna be sick..." the girl whines as she starts to feel nausea build up and one of the ghosts quickly hands her a bucket to puke in.
"So I hear you'll be living here from now on? Hope you like pranks as much as we do! Hya ha ha!" the skinny ghost jests, but spares y/n a worried glance,"We gotta get rid of those things for good!" Grim growls with a frown while y/n lies back down and takes some breaths as the chubby ghost goes to toss her puke away.
Footsteps then catches their attention as Crowley walks into the room,"Good morning, y/n. Did you sleep well?" he greets and y/n merely gives him a thumbs up,"Not at all! When I sprawled out on the bed, the mattress fell right through the frame! Exactly how ramshackle IS this dorm? And worse yet, we got woken up by ghosts!" Grim complains greatly.
"While not ideal, I didn't sleep too bad. The mattress is soft, at least." y/n says as she sits up,"I am delighted to hear that you've adjusted so well, despite being sent another world!" Crowley says with joy and relief as he hands her a black jumpsuit and clean undergarments, that were in bags luckily.
"Now, speaking of moving on, let us discuss your assignment for today. Please get dressed and meet me downstairs." he says before leaving along with the ghosts. Y/n yawns before getting up to get ready. Luckily, Crowley have her the basic bathroom necessities such as a toothbrush and toothpaste for her as well as toilette paper and face wash.
After finishing up, she goes downstairs in her janitor uniform with Grim near her heels,"Okay boss, what's my job for today?" y/n asks with crossed arms,"Your job today is to clean the campus. That said, the campus is vast, and without magic, it'd be quite the Herculean task to clean it all. Therefore, today I'll have you focus on the area spanning from the front gates to the library." Crowley explains and presses his hands together.
"Now, y/n... I do expect that you'll keep a close eye on Grim, lest he cause another incident like yesterday." he adds and y/n nods,"I'll do my best." the girl shrugs and Crowley nods,"Do not fail me. You may take your lunch in the cafeteria. I eagerly await the fruits of your labor. Also, don't overwork yourself. Take break when you feel unwell." he advises before leaving.
"Hrmph. I ain't cleanin' nothin'! I'm here to study magic so I can be blastin' off spells left and right! Like BAM! POW! FWOOM!" Grim exclaims as he makes a few sound affects,"How about we do our jobs first and go to the library afterwards to learn some spells?" y/n suggests and Grim pouts as he crosses his arms,"Hrmph."