A/N: Since it's been so long since a new chapter, I strongly advise reading at least the very last one, if not the last few. Chapters are richly packed so it's easy to forget things given how long it's been. Have fun, thanks!
~
The boy in the glasses was cleaning up his plates as you entered. With a mixture of guilt and excitement, you made your way to Eleanor through the crowded dining hall.
"Before supper, huh? I waited for you," he said.
"I'm sorry," you apologized. "Are you leaving?"
Eleanor shrugged with a sigh.
"Yeah... I have some stuff to do. Two assignments, one due tomorrow-"
"Shit!" You had forgotten.
"You said you would finish it after class!" Eleanor said, "What were you even doing? Or am I not important enough to tell?"
"Eleanor..." you began.
"Sorry, I know," he apologized. Your friend rubbed his temples and you thought if anyone was entitled to a headache it was definitely Eleanor. "I've just got a lot going on- I know you do too. But you have a tendency to say you're going to be somewhere and then you don't show up. It's really frustrating y/n. But I'm mostly worried- for you. How am I supposed to know you're at the very least okay?"
"I am okay," you told him.
Admittedly, a lot had happened over the past few days. It felt almost like a whole year had gone by. You decided it was in everyone's best interest not to detail your 'encounter' with Lucian, Roman walking you over the bridge, Dimitri kissing you atop your head and wishing you goodnight-
Instead, Eleanor suggested you work on the assignment together after you quickly grabbed something to eat. You had already disappointed him once today and that was one time too many for you to refuse; as long as Eleanor knew you'd be returning to the night dorm. Simone would be leaving the hospital within the next few days, and you needed to make the most of your time around your supernatural persons of interest- especially if the night patrol really was going to be disbanded after term like Sylabil said.
~
The sound of shifting glass in plastic bags was faint to the ears of anyone who happened to be outside Lucian's door. Just last night, (it churned his insides to think about), the night student's fangs pierced through y/n's flesh. How he managed to stop was a genuine miracle- one he wasn't entirely honest about with the girl. It crushed him too much to admit how close she'd nearly been brought to death at his hands. Lucian was barely able to get any of his own blood into her. The horrible images permeated through the forefront of his mind- until someone knocked on the door. Lucian stopped cleaning up the bottles of liquor on the floor, and, still kneeling, asked who it was.
"You sound better," Roman answered. "It's me- what are you doing in there?"
"Cleaning," Lucian replied. He wasn't sure whether to mask his voice or what to do or what to say about the fact that after y/n went to sleep and he took care of any 'evidence,' Lucian looked and felt better than he ever had before. Or at least, he looked almost as good as he did the very last time he saw his siblings alive.
"Well, I wanted to see how you were," Roman continued from the other side of the door, hands in his pockets. "But I also wanted to talk to you."
The redhead paused. "Are you... decent?"
...walked in on Avery enough times to know-
Lucian stood up suddenly, glass beneath him crunching as he did so. The night student was stunned- Roman's thoughts rang through Lucian like a bell, without him having to think or clear his head. Somehow the guilt swimming inside was not enough to drown out what used to be, in the past few weeks, failing powers.
"Yeah," Lucian replied. But unbeknownst to him, Lucian never opened his mouth.
The door opened and Roman stepped in. The king of apathy raised a brow first at the mess, then at Lucian- who, to Roman's surprise, was not the biggest mess, as he had been just days ago.
"You can speak with your mind?" The redhead asked plainly. It was a loaded question and Lucian knew it. Familiar sensations, sensations of power were beginning to fire off in every facet of his body.
"I... I guess I can again," Lucian answered. Roman stepped over a bottle and closed the door softly. The boy leaned down and picked up the bottle, studying it, lost in thought. Lucian answered before the words even left Roman's mouth.
"Yes. And I'm very lucky. Just another thing I have Cadere to thank for."
"What made you finally come to your senses?" Roman asked. Was there skepticism there?
"It's like you said, I'm not much use dead, am I?" Lucian responded dryly.
"I'm glad you're seeing things my way," Roman said, letting the bottle fall to the bottom of the plastic bag on the floor. "Looks like you had a party in here- something we should have, actually. I am glad, Lucian. Was almost beginning to worry there for a second."
"Thanks," he replied.
"Anyone I know?"
"What?" Lucian asked.
Roman put his hands again in his pockets, then leaned against the wall.
"You can read my mind," he mused. "I'm just curious. Who was it? You can tell me."
Lucian glared holes through his friend.
"Sorry, you're right," Roman said. "It's just... things have been so fucking depressing here lately. I'm glad to see you're better... although, you might want to have an answer, if not for me, than for Cadere or Cadere junior."
"Thanks for looking out for me- where are they, anyhow?" Lucian asked. His golden eyes, much brighter than the day before, shifted towards the door.
"Cadere is giving it to Avery for trying to give it to the night girls in their common room- pretended to be Ebony," Roman answered. "Again. But I don't think Cadere is in the mood right now- Bel said he saw him leave Leyla's room... she's still a mess. At least we fixed one of our messes though, right?"
Although, you'll have to drink again if you want to be consistently fine...
"Anyway," Roman continued aloud, as though his next few words were bitter to the taste, "Dimitri was out all day with y/n- according to Avery, anyway... and you know how reliable he is."
Lucian's stomach dropped for more reasons than one. Why did he take her and where did they go? Did Dimitri know something? Did y/n say something? Dimitri was one of the last people he wanted y/n around right after doing what he did.
"Where did they go?" Lucian asked as naturally as he could.
"Beats me," Roman said with a shrug. "I'm only 'interested' because whatever Dimitri of all people is doing hanging around that girl can't be good."
She's been spending a lot of time with the wrong people lately...
Lucian thought of himself and immediately agreed.
"You know I keep seeing her with Maurice too?" Roman continued. "And I know him."
For a fraction of a second, Lucian caught a glimpse of Roman's thoughts, visuals of his time with Maurice about three... maybe four years ago. It was a particular time at Arcadia Lucian wanted to forget. And something that Roman felt was beginning to repeat itself.
~
Unaware of the conversations taking place about her- and there were more than one- y/n re-entered the night dormitory. In all it's autumn glory it felt even more ominous than usual. The haunted manor, gothic castle vibes were perfect for Halloween, which was now just around the corner. Although, given the horrors of her recent situations, it felt like Halloween had already came and went.
Y/n desperately wanted to get back to Jack's and tell them all about Dimitri and Lucian and discuss what she could do next to help Theo get his life back- but Maurice said days ago that the plaza fountain portal was a no go for the time being. Fall break offered an easy way in. With students all around now, especially during the day time, there was no chance.
Despite the anxiety over someone finding out what happened, (namely Cadere), y/n was surprisingly un-phased by the vampire bite- for the most part. Honestly, it was hard to believe it even happened given how rapidly the marks disappeared. And whatever Lucian had given her- again, something she opted not to think about too much- had left her vivacious and brimming with energy. Or, maybe it had something to do with the fact Dimitri took her out. Even if he was bad at giving her answers, it looked like he'd given the girl something else. Something she didn't even know she wanted.
Y/n barely managed to sneak through the night dorm's front doors- it was only fifteen minutes past curfew. She and Eleanor (somewhat shoddily) slapped their assignments together and called it a night. Even though, Eleanor said at one point as y/n got up to leave, that if she were really concerned about going back to her room, she was welcome to stay the night in his. After all, she did sleep in Theo's bed the night Simone was admitted and it was past curfew.
Y/n did seriously consider. She hadn't seen enough of Eleanor lately despite all the preparation and planning at Jack's. She missed how things used to be. It was really just him and y/n at supper now and in time she feared it would just be him, as it was today. Y/n, Simone, Eleanor, and Theo had become such a solid group, it was hard to reconcile the way things were changing and continuing to do so at alarming speeds.
But y/n had a job to do, and was eager to continue now that she'd finally made some progress. At the end of the day, she was doing this for her friends and no one else. Besides, y/n knew she would see Eleanor tomorrow at Jack's. Y/n didn't know how limited her time with the night students would be, but she feared it was very. Not for the first time at Arcadia Castle Academy, she would be proven wrong.
~
One thing that seemed easier to predict was whether or not you'd run into a night student. After a couple minutes of scoping out the common area, it was on your way to your temporary room that you started to wonder who would show up. But instead, you got a soft, velvety voice from within the dark, candle lit hallway.
"Well, well, well..." you recognized it at once. "It's a little bit past your curfew isn't it?"
You turned around expecting to see Avery's laughing blue eyes but the boy was nowhere to be seen.
"Go away Avery," you pleaded.
"Where do you want me to go?" He asked with mock sadness. You could not for the life of you tell where his words were coming from.
"Don't make me get Cadere," you threatened half-heartedly.
When Avery's laughter echoed down the halls it sent chills down your spine.
"Cadere?" He asked, still chuckling. "By all means my dear, go get him! I'll come with you! Then you can explain why you're wandering around the corridors past curfew. I'm sure he'll love that."
You let out an exasperated sigh. Your last encounter with Avery was not lost on you, nor were the threats he made.
"If you want to be safe here, Lucian's liquor won't protect you, Roman's fire won't protect you, and Eleanor's brother won't protect you..... you can trust me more than anyone else here y/n, I don't pretend to be anyone I'm not."
"What do you want, Avery?" You asked plainly.
Without warning Avery strolled forward from the darkness ahead, arms politely held behind his back.
"Money, love, success, sexual gratification, power," he answered dismissively, eyes towards the ceiling. "Only one of which I seem to have any luck getting I'm afraid. And it's not the obvious."
You couldn't resist raising your brows at this.
"The question is y/n, what do you want?" He asked. His voice sounded much different now that Avery was in front of you.
"I want to know why you aren't afraid of someone seeing you with me in the hallway after curfew."
"Aren't you quick to the chase?" He said with a smirk. "Well you know I'll always give you what you want- Cadere's busy for the time being catering to little Lucian with the rest of the boys except for Belmont who's busy painting away his depression at the other end of the hall."
"Uh huh. And you aren't worried one of the night girls is going to show up?" You asked, trying not to panic at the thought of Cadere questioning Lucian about the night before.
"Oh don't you worry," Avery said darkly, smile still in tact. "The night girls know to stay away from me."
At this, Avery slung an arm around you like he'd done so many times before and began walking you down the suddenly small-feeling hallway.
"Of course, you aren't a night girl, are you!" He continued, beaming. "Besides, they always come back. What was I saying?"
"Where are we going?" You asked.
"Well, I did say I'd be seeing you soon, and I'm sorry it hasn't been sooner, but I'm sure you didn't get nearly as much tea from Dimitri yesterday as you would have liked- despite going to a café," he joked.
"How do you know about that?" You asked, a slight tremor in your voice (whether out of fear or anger you did not know). "Did you follow us!?"
Avery rolled his eyes more dramatically than was standard.
"I would never follow you," he declared. "Why I'd sooner die than have my good name tarnished!"
You realized as you turned the corner that you were nearing the empty kitchen, counters glossy in the moonlight peaking through the door windows.
"Are we going outside?" You asked a bit too loudly. "You're going to get us both in trouble Avery- they'll see I'm not in my room-"
"The only way they'll see you're not in your room y/n, is if someone is in it watching you," he said, sauntering to the door and holding it open. "Which would be, pardon my French, a huge breach of privacy. Après vous."
With folded arms you stepped into the chilly October night. You were near the back of the dormitory, the lake shimmering beneath the rising moon. Its shadow was shrinking- you remembered Jack's moving moon cycle tattoo and wondered if they'd succeeded in planting Lucian's tree. Speaking of- the garden that was mostly hidden from the rest of the school was still magnificent despite the time of year.
Avery stood watching your breath materialize in the cold with inexplicable interest. You were glad Lucian wasn't here to read your mind- and tried to focus this time on what you had set out to do. Although, if you were being completely honest, you were starting to regret not staying the night in Eleanor's room.
Eleanor... the things he'd say if he saw you now. Hell, if he saw you being carried away in a basket by a flying crow less than 24 hours before.
"I'm a fan of flowers in case you can't tell... all beautiful things really," Avery hummed. His vibrant purple hair looked more blue in the light of the stars. His eyes, bluer than usual. "Don't hate me for wanting to be around a beautiful girl."
"You have four of them living with you," you said.
"Their hearts are ugly, y/n," Avery said matter-of-factly. "You are perfectly you and exquisitely pure. It's almost enough to make a man sick."
"How do you expect me to like you given what you last said to me?" You argued.
"Please, I was just being honest," he said sweetly. "I promise in time you'll see how right I am."
You stood silent for a moment, arms still folded despite the air being just warm enough for the uniform you still hadn't taken off. Thoughts of the other night repeated-
It upset you knowing what Avery wanted was exactly what you were expected to give in order to help Theodore. You'd thought the plan over more times than you could count but when it hit you in the face you were paralyzed. Unprepared. Afraid.
No, you were determined not to let this happen again. You'd taken a pill from another vial. You were prepared this time.
Avery extended an arm, encouraging you to take it. You took a deep breath, thought of your friend, and wrapped your fingers around Avery's upper arm.
He escorted you down the winding path, past the cohorts of flowers gently swaying as if waving you past. There was another gazebo not unlike the one you'd first met Avery near, further towards the lake. You thought it looked like a nice place for wedding photos. About halfway towards it there was a smaller stone plaza with benches and faintly lit streetlights, old, the colour of the lake. As you walked farther past the flowers you realized the stones were glowing too, like the ones leading you to the school after getting off the train.
Together you stood, arms linked near the benches, staring at the lake through the valley of flowers and small trees.
"You do need protection y/n," Avery said, still staring ahead. "If you want to wait for something to happen to realize that, that's entirely up to you. But you'll be back."
You opened your mouth to say something, but Avery continued.
"Or maybe something already has happened. Should we pretend that Mother Teresa suddenly turning back on was nothing but an accident?"
You swallowed. Avery released you from the arm he led you with but wrapped it around your waist, pulling you tightly to his side.
"Anyway, enough about what I know is right; it's selfish of me to drag you here against your will when you so obviously despise me without giving you some information! So what, pray tell, can I do for you my love?"
"I want to know more about Arcadia, and the night students, and what happened last year."
"Ah, I've already told you I'm not the right person to ask," Avery sighed. "Perhaps you should ask your roommate? Or, someone who was here last year."
You get what YOU want, and then he will do what Lucian did- it didn't even hurt. Just get what you want, as best as you can. You deserve answers. Everyone deserves justice.
"I'm sure you know, Avery," you said dryly. "You know everything."
"Mm, that I do," he purred. "But I make promises too, you know."
"Promise not to hurt any of my friends."
Avery was silent. You didn't take your eyes off him.
"Like I said, I can't be expected to go out of my way to help others without anything in return," Avery explained. "You might say this makes me a 'bad person,' but every relationship requires mutual exchange. Maybe you've never considered I have good reasons for not trusting others. After all, you never know what someone else is thinking, do you?"
"Why did you come to Arcadia? What were you doing before?" You asked. "Who are you Avery?"
"I'm a former human, current lover, and here because- I suppose I'm easily entertained," he began, "that and, certain people are safer without me in the world right now. And I'm safer away from certain people in the world right now."
"What did you do as a human?" You asked, impatiently pulling away from his arm. "How come I know how old all the other night students are, where they're from, but you won't say anything?! How am I supposed to trust you? Doesn't every relationship require a 'mutual exchange?'"
Avery frowned, his calm eyes meeting your fiery ones.
"You're right, my dear. How foolish I've been," he apologized with a deep bow. "However- you make it so difficult. Where are you from? Why did you come here? What is in your blood that makes you different from other humans?"
"I- I don't know," you said, sitting down on the bench beneath the lamppost. "Maybe if you were nicer to me you'd know some of these things, instead of being this... this person."
"If you're suggesting I take you somewhere where we can be friendly, as unlikely I feel circumstances here make it, I'd be more than happy to," he said cordially. "And by here, I mean at Arcadia. Little do you know, you've entangled yourself in a dangerous web of complete and utter madness."
"Do you really think a date would help?" You asked sarcastically.
"At the very least, I might be able to show you how much more fun I am than Dimitri. Worst case scenario. Best case, we both get what we want. Maybe what we want is the same thing," he hummed. For some reason, like before, you felt extremely tense. But this time, your heart was racing on its own accord.
"I don't think I want 'money, power, success, sexual gratification,' or, what else-"
"Love?"
"It wouldn't be very helpful at the moment."
"Hard to find, easy to make," he said with a wink.
"If going out with you for a day will magically make you less of an asshole and help me get to the bottom of things, then I'll do it," you said with as much courage as you could.
"Well, that's what boyfriends are for, aren't they?" He mused, sitting down very closely next to you. "Protection mostly free of charge."
The boy draped an arm over you, casual and at peace. You could only assume Avery would hold out until you went out with him at a time there wasn't a real curfew. This 'date' was itself a double edged sword, just in another way an exchange of your time for his information.
"Can you at least tell me how the story ends?" You asked. "What happened to Cadere? And the Princess?"
"If only it wasn't getting so late," Avery pretended to yawn. "That is something I am more than happy to tell you. And about the other night students too. But I'm afraid we'll have to save it for a rainy day. Is there anything in the interest of time I am capable of giving?"
"What's wrong with Maurice?" You asked.
Both corners of Avery's mouth stretched into a grin that seemed to reach his eyes.
"Y/n, we don't have all night."
This was not the answer you expected. You figured he'd sarcastically tell you to ask the night girls. Which, at this point, you were seriously considering doing.
As if the garden read your mind, a rustle in the garden stopped you in your tracks.
Avery stood up, snickering to himself.
"You're not a rabbit or a fox," he called to the bushes. "But if you don't show yourself I'm happy to hunt you like one."
The bushes were still. Avery asked if you had any spare change. Your heart was pounding, wondering who the hell had been watching you. Instead of questioning Avery you reached your shaky hand into your pocket and took out a coin, dropping it in into his hands.
"I may be a looker," Avery began, winding up his arm, "but I don't like being watched."
It happened instantly- you couldn't even see the coin fly through the air how fast it was thrown, and once it made contact, someone flew out from behind the bush and through the air, landing on the cold ground with a soft cry.
Avery casually strolled over to the body, humming a cheerful tune. You took a few steps forward to get a better look, too horrified to move any closer than that.
She was recognizable alone by how little you'd actually seen her. And the dark green hair was unmistakable.
"What are you doing here Julianne?" Avery asked, towering over the girl.
"You didn't have to shoot me!" Julianne groaned.
"Don't worry y/n, it's just a little girl," Avery said, motioning you to join him. When you walked up to the pair, you saw that Julianne, apart from being seriously winded, wasn't seriously injured. The last time you'd seen the girl she appeared in your room to tell you Arcadia wasn't safe.
"Maybe I was asked to check on y/n," Julianne said, still trying to catch her breath.
"Oh? By who?" Avery asked airily.
Julianne's milky grey eyes focused solely on you.
"What are you doing? Why are you doing this? Do you value your life?"
Her words took you back. You couldn't tell her why you were doing any of this, even if you wanted to.
"Don't interfere with business that isn't your own," Avery warned. "I let y/n out to get some air- she isn't a prisoner."
"It's not safe," she echoed her first warning.
Avery turned his attention to you, drinking you in with his eyes.
"I'm the safest person for y/n right now, and you can tell that to Dimitri, or Lucian, or whichever other menace to Arcadia sent you," he said. "Maybe go ask Lucian about his new diet."
"I don't want anyone to fight," you told them. "I was going back inside anyway."
The two looked at each other.
"If I leave her alone, I expect you to be free in a few days time," Avery said. "It's the least anyone can do since our intimate time together got cut so short."
"Don't do it," Julianne warned quietly.
"Or," he said, picking up Julianne by the collar or her black uniform, "I can taken this one somewhere private for our own intimate time together."
"Put her down," you commanded. "Leave her out of this, someone probably wanted to check on me, and she was just doing her job."
Avery rolled his eyes. Then, as if he never really needed any convincing, dropped the girl.
"Well when you put it that way," Avery said, dusting off his hands, "I really can't argue!"
Julianne touched her neck where her collar had been grabbed, trying to collect herself before slowly standing up. Avery smiled at her.
"You're lucky y/n is so convincing," he said. "Next time you try to stalk someone, put some effort in it. And- if people really are so concerned, I'll let you walk y/n back."
The two of you stared at him.
"But if you say anything, Julianne," Avery continued darkly, "I'll hear it."
And with that, Julianne, the fresh faced night student much older than she appeared, vanished. You felt a tug at your sleeve, beckoning you to follow. You wanted to know how much Julianne overheard and if she'd watched you before. Truthfully you always felt watched in the night dorm.
"And y/n!"
You'd just begun walking up the garden steps towards sanctuary when you heard Avery call out to you.
"Don't tell anyone. I look forward to our date."
Suddenly Avery began laughing, at himself, or at you, you didn't know... but when you turned around, he was gone. You looked for Julianne but remembered she was impossible to see too. All you knew was that it wasn't until you made it up the stairs to your room inside, that the laughter finally stopped.
Once y/n disappeared into the building, Avery stood quite still, his blazer gently swaying in the wind that had since picked up. He thought carefully to himself- having already weighed the chances that y/n was the lamb Lucian had decided to sacrifice. This was a new dilemma: Lucian's powers had not only returned, it seemed, but they were in full throttle. Watching your mouth is one thing, watching your mind is another.
Avery was about to head back- getting in trouble twice in one day was not something he was keen on- when he saw something at his feet catching the light. He kneeled for a moment before delicately picking it up off the ground and turning it over in his fingers. The night student frowned at the unfamiliar currency. Then with y/n in his mind, Avery smiled as he placed it in his pocket to save for a rainy day, and walked towards the dormitory whistling all the way.