Yuu held her breath as she watched Azul, not quite liking the smirk painted on the boy's face as he began to set the terms.
"I bid you pilfer a certain photograph from the Atlantica Memorial Museum in the Coral Sea before the sun sets on the third day from now."
"You want us to steal a piece of art?!" Jack exclaimed, shocked. Yuu noticed a strange look flash across Jade's face, making her suspicious.
"No! No, not a piece of art." Azul exclaimed, sighing. "It's a photo. One commemorating a visit to the museum from Prince Rielé, taken ten years ago."
"Gonna need more detail than that." Jack retorted, tensing slightly.
"Please." Azul rolled his eyes. "It's a photo panel placed right near the museum entrance. It has no historic value whatsoever. Additionally," Azul stated. "Borrowing it would not cause any particular fuss."
"Yeah? Mhmm, lil' sus, babe. And... What is this Majora's Mask deadline, dude?" Yuu snapped back, raising a suspicious eyebrow.
"It's only three days. Would you prefer I give you less time, Mister Yuu?"
"Nope, three days is fine. Granted, it would have been better if you'd given me a less cliche time scale. Say, a week?"
"Now, that's making it far too easy, and besides. I'm sure you'd like to return to your dorm as soon as possible?"
"... Dammit. I got smooth talked. Yeah."
"Why do ya want that picture anyway?" Grim chimed in, shaking the excess water from his adventures washing the dishes out of his fur, making Yuu sputter slightly, waving the water away.
"What's the point of a challenge if it's not challenging?" Azul shrugged. "If I were to concoct a trifling errand, I would simply be giving away my end of it, wouldn't I? I'm not running a charity here."
"The Atlantica Memorial Museum is a renowned tourist attraction that houses a good twenty different cultural artifacts." Jade added from behind Yuu, having slunk closer to Yuu with his brother. "That includes the Silver Hair Comb, a Coral Sea national treasure, and the Mermaid Princess's Prized Cork Openers, among others. We're not asking you to find a speck of gold dust on the seabed here."
Floyd chirped in amusement as he recognized the name of the museum, clearly having checked into the conversation. "Oh, hey, didn't we go there on an elementary school field trip once?"
The group proceeded to ignore Floyd's outburst, much to the tall brute's annoyance. Thankfully, it wasn't enough to make him want to enact revenge.
Jack huffed, his ears up and on full alert as he leaned toward Azul. "Hold on. The nation of the Coral Sea is at the bottom of the ocean, right? It's not exactly hospitable to land mammals like us with no fins or gills." The wolf reasoned, making a very clear attempt to protect Yuu from her own reckless stupidity.
"I think you're askin' too much here."
Yuu gave a nod. "He's right. I dunno about you, but breathing underwater without any gear would, to put it nicely, screw us all over."
"Yeah!" Grim trilled, hopping onto the table. "What he said!" Grim's eyes narrowed as his forked tail thrashed in agitation. "I can't breathe underwater, y'know!"
"Hmm. That sounds like a 'you' problem..." Azul said, seemingly uninterested before noticing how Yuu began to clench her fist. "... is what I would normally say, but fear not. I will provide you with our very own magic potions. They'll enable you to breathe underwater."
Yuu's hand relaxed as she glared at Azul. The boy took this as an invitation to pull out a glowing green seashell.
"Once upon a time, when a poor little mermaid princess fell in love with a human, the Sea Witch was kind enough to grant her legs to walk upon the earth." Azul detailed, his eyes gleaming in the slight green glow of the shell.
"And really, what are any of us without a sense of charity?" He and the twins seemed to meet each other's gaze as Azul chuckled, low and amused. Yuu didn't like that.
Yuu rolled her eyes. "Very funny, you sonuva b-"
"Ah, language, mister Yuu." Azul pressed a finger to Yuu's lips, which resulted in a bewildered glance to be shared between Yuu, her stupid cat, and Jack.
"So, what do you say? Do we have a deal? Will you agree to a contract with me?" Azul pressed, leaning forward.
"I'm afraid I don't have all day, so if you could make your decision now, I'd appreciate it. Chop, chop!"
Yuu grumbled in annoyance, pushing him back. "Alright, fine! It's a deal, now back up!"
"Excellent! Go ahead and sign the scroll, then...."
Azul chirped, pulling away from Yuu while smiling pleasantly as he summoned a scroll with a golden sheen. Yuu froze for a moment, recognizing it... From where, she didn't know.
"I give you my word that I will release the two hundred twenty-five sea anemones currently doing my bidding. Should you fail at your challenge, however..." Azul said, handing Yuu a golden quill.
"...Ramshackle Dorm will belong to me, and as a student of that dorm, you will do as I say!" His voice was low, making Yuu's hands tremble slightly.
"... What?" Yuu muttered, staring at the quill and then at the contract. There was fine print that her eyes could barely make out, as well as several strangely worded clauses. Yuu paused as Azul sighed.
"Tic-toc, mister Yuu."
Yuu closed her eyes, signing her name onto the contract, trying to force down the feeling of dread weighing in her chest. What have I done?
Her anxiety grew exponentially when she heard the laugh from Azul as he examined the scroll.
"There we are. Signature received. The contract is now in effect." He smirked, rolling up the contract.
"Should you successfully steal the photo from the Atlantica Memorial Museum and bring it to me before sunset on the third day from now..." The rest was left unsaid, making Yuu's face pale.
"Oh... what did I just get myself into..."
Azul stood up, smiling. "Jade. Floyd. If you could kindly walk our guest home?"
Yuu was grabbed by Jade and Floyd in an instant, getting pulled up from her seat as she watched Azul turn around to put the contract into the safe.
"Oh, and Yuu?" Azul called after her. "I'll see you in three days."
.
.
.
The arrival at Ramshackle was a horrendously awkward one as the twins flanked her and practically pushed her to her dorm.
Upon arriving, Yuu and Grim were followed in, making Yuu severely annoyed. The stupid house is dusty as hell, why are you coming in?!
"So this is Ramshackle Dorm." Jade chuckled, examining the old dorm. "This is my first time inside, and already I'm smitten by its charm. It's close to school as well. It would be a perfect site for a Mostro Lounge branch cafe."
Floyd laughed excitedly, flopping slightly onto Yuu, smirking. "There's ghosts living here, right? That sounds rad."
Yuu swatted Floyd's arm away from her shoulders, agitated as she subconsciously shielded her stomach. "Shameless fella, aren't you?" She laughed dryly, shying away from him.
Grim pushed his way between Yuu and Floyd, tail thrashing as he looked up at the twins. "Why're you guys followin' us inside, anyway?"
"Uh, 'cause this place is collateral in a deal between Yuu and Azul? Duh?" Floyd retorted, flashing a sharp smile, making Grim jump slightly before yowling in shock.
"Unlike the rest of you, Yuu has no power to put up as collateral." Jade explained, flashing a mockingly pitiful look at the woman. "Therefore, we're confiscating the dorm instead."
"What?!" Grim hissed, looking worriedly at Yuu, who sighed slightly.
"Yup, that makes sense." She groaned in annoyance, muttering a very tired "Fuck me..."
Jade smirked coldly. "This dorm belongs to Azul until you hold up your end of the bargain, mister Yuu. Hence, I'm afraid I must ask you to vacate the premises immediately."
"Don't worry, we'll give you time to pack your stuff. So nice, right?" Floyd chirped, making Yuu scowl.
"You're an asshole." She turned to head upstairs.
"Once this dorm officially enters Azul's possession, we will be disposing of all personal belongings in it. I suggest you prepare accordingly." Jade cautioned with a polite smile.
"Don't worry! We'll give it all back if you bring us the photo before the third sunset." Floyd gave a crazed laugh, smirking excitedly.
Yuu grumbled, shooting a glare at the twins who shared a look and laughed at her misfortune. If this were a game, she would have certainly had that Yuu will remember this. Note above her head.
"I gotta save all the tuna!" Grim yowled, scrambling to the kitchen.
"Save the snacks too! I'll get the personal and school stuff! Move, move, move!"
Yuu sent one last glare at the twins as she scrambled up the stairs, shutting the door behind her, feeling a twinge of pain in her heart. She gave a quiet sigh, fighting back tears.
"... What a mess..." She looked down at her abdomen, feeling the bump hidden beneath her baggy school blazer. "Don't worry, little one... I'll fix this. Trust me, okay?"
I'll get this place back, whatever it takes...