#I'm especially fond of the one with his dorm uniform

[s0ngsandstars]

Did you know I love hats so much

I love characters with hats, I love hats irl, I want a hat collection, hats are literally so cool, I want to learn how to make hats.

Hats.

I should learn how to draw hats better. Right now I hate drawing them with a passion because they're so cool to look at but angles are difficult.

[unpredictable-probabilities]

Azul Ashengrotto of Royal Sword Academy || Chapter 25: Exploring Ships

Summary:

After a chance meeting with the illustrious Malleus Draconia, Jamil and Azul begin to explore the holographic halls of Ignihyde's booth where they end up striking a deal with the Shroud brothers.

Word Count: 6,005

Notes:

Finally updated this after so long!

If you're an old reader and you're still following this story after all this time, I appreciate you a lot! 💖

To any new readers who might be here, welcome! I hope you like it! ^_^

Jamil glances at his watch as they walk across the school grounds. “Oh, looks like Ignihyde’s booth is open now. Do you wanna check that out first? The library is closer, anyway.”

“Sure, why not,” Azul shrugs. “I have been looking forward to seeing those projections you mentioned.”

Jamil nods, leading the way to the library.

A few quiet seconds pass, and Azul looks at Jamil thoughtfully. "What do you think Malleus could possibly do to me? Does he have such a reputation here that you think he might harm me in some way?"

Jamil sighs and fidgets uncomfortably with his uniform. He didn't think Azul could read his silence so well. "It's more like I don't know enough about him or Diasomnia to gauge how trustworthy they can be. Their dorm's always been the most mysterious out of all of us."

"Then perhaps you can come with me, if he ever does invite me to hang out. I'll make sure to introduce you as my boyfriend so there aren't any misunderstandings." There's a playfulness in his voice, but Jamil can tell that he means it.

"Huh?" Jamil looks at him in surprise and nervousness. "Oh, er... I wouldn't wanna intrude. He could get peeved about me suddenly being there when he hasn't invited me specifically…” He pauses to contemplate. On second thought, perhaps this would be for the best. He wanted to know Malleus more, and this was his opportunity. “You know what? All right, I'll come with, as long as you're okay with it.”

"Of course I'm okay with it. Why wouldn’t I be?"

Jamil feels his face warm at the sincerity in Azul’s smile, and he looks away to fidget with his cuffs. “What did you and Malleus even talk about? What sort of topics was he so avidly fond of while chatting with you?”

"He told me about their mascot, the Eastern Dragon. Then he talked about his fondness for ruins, and he corrected me when I called a grotesque a gargoyle," Azul says in amusement. "Apparently he could sense the traces of Blot on me, which was a little unsettling in an embarrassing way, but it's fine now," he shrugs.

"He said he could smell the ocean on me, and he knew I'm a merfolk, which brought up his desire to see underwater ruins. I mentioned that there are such shipwrecks in the Coral Sea, as you know, and he asked if I could show him around someday. He even offered to shift into his dragon form for that tour when he sensed my hesitance to be in my merform," Azul chuckles shyly. "Then he asked if I had any interests that might seem mundane to others, like his gargoyle fascination, and I told him that I collect coins. And the conversation ended with him asking whether I'd visit here frequently, and he gave me the pearl and told me to keep in touch. He called me brave for not being intimidated by him, and said something about wondering how far my bravery can go, but I think he was merely joking," Azul smiles.

Inside his head, Jamil was practically quaking.

Malleus was making moves way too smoothly and quickly than he expected, even when their starting topic had been a strange one.

"... Wait, you collect coins?" Jamil asks, blinking out of his shock.

"Mm-hm," Azul nods. "I first saw a gold coin in an old shipwreck. It caught my attention because we didn't use such currency underwater, and at the time I didn't know what it was. But the engravings were beautiful, so I kept it. And I still collect rare coins, especially those with elegant designs that they don't reproduce anymore—" he stops and smiles sheepishly. "I'm not boring you with this, am I?"

"Not at all," Jamil reassures him, finding this side of him honestly cute. "How many do you currently have?"

"Twenty-eight, though only a handful of them have particularly intricate designs. Most are only valuable because they're no longer in circulation, though that isn't to say that they don't have a certain beauty still. I acquired more than half of them in my hometown, because at some point shops had started selling them as novelties and tourist attractions.”

Jamil hummed thoughtfully. “Would you be interested in coins from other countries?"

Azul nods. "Of course. I currently have several, though none from the Scalding Sands. So if you ever come across one and wish to be relieved of its burden, you know where to find me," he smiles. “Do you have any obscure hobbies that I don't know about?"

"Window-shopping and guessing item prices without looking at their tags?” Jamil playfully shrugs.

“Then I'd like to go window shopping with you sometimes,” Azul says with interest. “Perhaps you could teach me a few shopping tricks.”

“Sure, after Halloween Week we could hit up some shops in town.” Jamil wonders if it was normal for him to feel excited about doing something so mundane with Azul. He's beginning to realize that any activity was something to look forward to as long as it was with him. He cleared his throat to dispel the butterflies in his stomach. "Anyway, I think I have some coins in my room that'd make for a happy addition to your collection. Kalim would definitely have some, too. Are there a lot of princes in RSA, by the way? I'm a little curious about the school's ratio of average citizen to VIP."

"Yes," Azul nods. "Only very few are direct heirs like Rielle and Malleus, though most do come from royal lineages and still carry that title by law. We don't refer to them by their titles at RSA; Headmage Ambrose always encourages us to see each other as equals. The royals don't necessarily outnumber us average citizens, though there are also a large number of students descended from nobility despite not being royal."

"Interesting. Here in NRC, we've got a few nobles, too, but we don't exactly employ an 'everyone-is-equal' mantra. Instead, we operate under a meritocracy, and noble titles don't earn respect unless you've got the skills and power to back it up. Those who are Prefects are appointed because we've either bested the previous one in a duel, became appointed by the previous Prefect, or possessed the closest qualities to the Great Seven our dorm is based on.”

"Oh?" Azul looks at him with a raised eyebrow. "And how did you become Prefect, Mr. Viper?"

"I defeated the old Housewarden in a duel by catching him off-guard after he underestimated me." Jamil explains, proud. "He's a Fourth Year now so you'll probably only see him around during certain school events. He said he was planning on passing the title to me, anyway, but I knew I wanted to show everyone else why I deserved it."

Azul smiles at him proudly. "And you do very much deserve it. No wonder your residents respect you so much. Do you think if I had been your dormmate, we would have gotten along?"

Jamil chuckled. "That would depend on first impressions, wouldn't it? I feel like the first time I'd notice you is if you suddenly collapsed from a heatstroke one sunny day in the dorm. And I would think, 'Wow, why'd they sort a merman to a dorm this hot?'"

A laugh bubbles out of Azul. "I'm guessing you don't have any merfolk residents, then? Hm, I wonder how it would be when I tutor your residents after Halloween. Would it still be as hot around that time?"

"The weather doesn't really change in Scarabia no matter what season it is on campus. We have the weather fairies Crowley enlisted to thank for that." Jamil falls silent for a moment to think. "But perhaps I can call in certain favors with the Headmage to get him to lessen the heat around the dorm whenever you visit. It'd be a real bummer if our tutor's health and comfort was compromised in any way, no?"

"Oh, I wouldn't want to trouble the Headmage and an entire dorm just for my sake," Azul says. "Perhaps I can keep borrowing that spare dorm uniform, and we'll see how it goes. Or I can try to see if I have more breathable or thinner shirts, and maybe I can wear those in Scarabia. What do you think?"

"Whatever makes you feel more comfortable. The honorary dorm uniform will always be there for your use whenever you need it," Jamil smiles, still planning on getting those favors from Crowley. “We're almost at the library. What do you think Ignihyde dressed up as?"

"Hmm," Azul hums thoughtfully. "Would robots be too on the nose? I'm guessing they incorporated advanced technology in their costumes."

"Heh," Jamil chuckles. "Yeah, robots seem like a thing they'd go for, but then Ortho would only have to celebrate as himself and that's no fun now, is it?”

They reach the library, which was bustling with guests. Jamil opens the door for Azul and they find themselves in an elaborate dark forest.

Trees loom above them as a cold mist fills the interior. It was as if the library never existed.

"GYAH-HAH-HAH-HAH!" shouts an Ignihyde student, clad from head to toe in black armor one would see on a knight, the helmet a large pumpkin with blue flames emanating from the inside. "YOU'VE CROSSED INTO THE DOMAIN OF PUMPKIN HOLLOW! STEP FORTH IF YOU DARE!"

Azul looks in fascination at the sprawling dark trees, and at the elaborate knight costume with the flaming pumpkin head.

"Wow," he breathes. "This is amazing. It's like another world entirely. And those costumes look so realistic. What's Pumpkin Hollow?" he asks Jamil.

"Beats me," Jamil shrugs. "I think Idia said it was a movie or something."

"YOU DON'T KNOW PUMPKIN HOLLOW!?" The knight attending the entrance gasps, before muttering. "Talk about uncultured… BUT NO MATTER! YOU SHALL BE LEAVING THIS PLACE SINGING ITS PRAISES OR RUNNING FOR THE HILLS! FOR THE MORE YOU UNCOVER THE SECRETS THESE WOODS AND THIS TOWN HOLD, THE MORE YOU'LL FIND THAT YOU CAN NEVER GO BACK TO THE WAY THINGS ONCE WERE..!"

"Awww, are you supposed to be some sort of scary creature? You look SO cute!" says one of the guests, holding onto the arm of her date.

The Knight sputters. "Wh— FALSEHOOD! THE KNIGHT IS FEARLESS AND FEARSOME AND IS IN NO WAY CUTE! N-NOW STOP LOITERING AROUND AND GET A MOVE ON!"

Azul smiles in amusement and turns to Jamil. "What kind of knight am I, then? A fearsome one or a cute one?"

"A cute one,” Jamil says easily. “Especially if you don't have your helmet on. C'mon, let's take a look around."

Walking through the winding path, sounds of bats flying or an owl hooting fill the area. A carriage even makes its way by, much to the delight of the visitors, who leap out of the way.

Jamil stays in place, telling Azul "Watch this," before the carriage harmlessly passes through them and continues on like they weren't there. "That's what I meant when I told you Ignihyde was using projection mapping," Jamil says quietly, moving to tap a tree. His hand passes through it. "Pretty cool, right?"

"Definitely," Azul grins. "They really must be a dorm of technomagic geniuses. There is so much potential in this kind of 3D mapping. Recreating historical sites for Magical History classes, setting up obstacle courses or various terrains for Knight Class, architectural planning, the possibilities are practically endless…" he says as he slowly walks forward and looks around.

"You are correct, Azul Ashengrotto!" Ortho flies towards them, his robot suit decorated like the Knight costume. "And my brother has especially ensured that this 3D model is a perfect replica of the forest in the movie Pumpkin Hollow! Down to the last moss-covered branch!"

"Hello, Ortho," Azul greets him. "It's lovely to see you again."

"Likewise, Azul!" Ortho says cheerfully, then turns to Jamil. "I am happy to see that you two have gotten closer." He floats towards Jamil and circles him once, stopping in front of him.  "Based on your dilated pupils and elevated heart rate as you watched Azul look around at our booth, I see that you have gained even more affection for him, and you are happy about it this time~! I am so glad to see the both of you here," he spins and floats upward, clapping his hands together.

"Ah, yes. Of course you'd notice. Yeah, Azul and I are… together now,” Jamil shifts on his feet, feeling his ears warm at saying the words out loud.

"Ugh," a voice sounds from behind a patch of thick woods. Ortho looks over at it in worry.

"Actually, can you two help me?" he asks. "My brother's going through a lil' bit of an artistic crisis right now."

"Idia?" Azul frowns in concern. "Why, what's wrong?"

Ortho gestures for them to follow him as the crowd dwindles away from their spot. Passing through the patch of woods, they find Idia sitting in a desk in the middle of a small clearing, glaring at the holographic screens right in front of him.

From the screens, voices of the visitors in different parts of the library can be heard.

"Look at this gorgeous light show! The way the colors undulate is so magical and romantic!" a woman's voice is gushing.

"I can hear birds chirping. It's like we're really in a forest! So relaxing,” a man says in response.

"Look, don't those pumpkin vines projected on the bookshelf look like they're making a heart?" another visitor states to their partner.

"Where, now? Oh! You're right! That's so cute!"

Idia scowls, tapping an agitated finger against his desk. "Ugh... 'Romantic'? 'Cute'!? Are we even looking at the same foggy forest?! It's just like the highly-regarded horror movie Pumpkin Hollow! It's CLEARLY meant to be scary." He turns to Azul, Jamil, and Ortho, looking for fellow sympathizers. "The vines only LOOK like a heart by sheer coincidence! And it's NOT a 'light show'. It's projection mapping. Get it straight, people!"

The holographic screens continue to talk:

"Ooh! A jack-o'-lantern just popped out to talk to us."

"Awww, how precious!"

"Gah!" Idia groans, lurching back against his chair in pain. "You normies and your indiscriminate gushing! If you're all so into cute stuff, what are you doing in a dark library full of books? Go home and make trendy food hack videos for MagiCam, or whatever it is you casuals do!"

"You did a brilliant job with the place, Idia," Azul says in encouragement. "If you want to make it scarier, perhaps add some ominous music and holographic wild animals? Though I must say that your booth is already quite impressive, and the visitors love it, regardless of whether they find it scary."

"But they're liking it for all the wrong reasons!" Idia hisses. "It's an embarrassment to the Pumpkin Hollow community! What if this is how people learn about the franchise and they build up this whole idea that it's a bunch of cute and fun nonsense!? It would be a disservice to the original film, and an offense to film aficionados everywhere!" He suddenly stands up. "Yup. That's it. I'd be better off shutting this whole operation down!"

"What!?" Jamil blinks in surprise. "You can't just do that!"

"The state of the booth is up to the Prefect's discretion in the end, and I was the one who came up with all of this. That means I can be the one to put a stop to it before it gets any worse."

Ortho, meanwhile, looks a little sad but says nothing.

Azul exchanges worried glances with Jamil.

"Wait, Idia," Azul steps forward. "Are you sure you want to do that? If you shut this booth down, then people won't know about Pumpkin Hollow at all. It's only the second day of Halloween Week, can you really give up so early? What would other fans of the movie say when they find out that you had the chance to spread awareness about that incredible film to hundreds of people every day and you didn't? I haven't seen the film but, did any of the characters there give up a mere 10 minutes into meeting an obstacle?"

Idia pauses and gives a wary look at Azul. "No, but the characters who didn't give up got cut down and died a horrible gruesome death."

"Azul has a point, though," Jamil crosses his arms. "How can you call yourself a true fan of the movie if you're giving up just 'cause a few visitors don't see it the way you want them to yet? That just means it needs more tweaking, right?"

"Not a true fan?" Idia grimaces. "Look, I get what you guys are trying to do, but ain't it just better if we call it quits now before we crash and burn and inevitably regret this choice for the rest of our dumb lives?"

"Ah, that's a shame," Azul laments. "And here I was hoping for the Pumpkin Hollow experience. I was looking forward to it as soon as your residents in costume welcomed us."

"Oh no!" Ortho adds. "Can you really refuse a request from a potential fan, Big Brother?"

"And Ortho seemed to be enjoying the booth too; he was so happy earlier. And now, well, I don't think I've ever seen him so sad," Azul looks at Ortho pointedly.

Ortho floats down and hovers a mere inch from the ground, hanging his head despondently. "I very much wanted to experience Pumpkin Hollow on Halloween with my brother. We watched the film many times, and you always told me that on Halloween we'd get to experience it ourselves, right, Big Brother?" He looks up at Idia with the most impressive puppy eyes that Jamil had ever seen. Are those tears pooling in his eyes? How?

"You promised that we'd get to share Pumpkin Hollow with our friends and everyone else, right?" Ortho adds.

"Agh, Ortho, you know I can't say no to you, but…" Idia falters. "I… well… Fine. I'll keep the projection mapping on, but I'm gonna need an outsider's point of view on how we're gonna make this scarier while staying true to the movie's integrity."

Ortho gasps. "Like a movie night tonight of Pumpkin Hollow followed by a brainstorming session?" He excitedly turns to Jamil and Azul, clasping his hands together in plea. "Can you pleeeeeeeease make time to do this and help us out? Brother and I already know what Pumpkin Hollow is."

"And you guys started it," Idia mumbles. "I think it's only fair if you follow it through, or I'm backing out for real."

"Tonight?" Azul looks worried. "I'm not sure if I can stay the night for the second consecutive time…"

"Please, Azul!" Ortho zooms over and takes Azul's hands in his. "My scans show that you're still recovering from an illness, and it has been scientifically proven that a state of happiness speeds up one's recovery! Oh! And hugs! You can cuddle with Jamil while we watch the movie and you'll feel better!"

Azul's face turns a shade of pink. "Um…"

"Right, Jamil?" Ortho turns to him.

Jamil smiles. "Sounds like a plan to me. Ortho can even help persuade your Headmage. He's been pretty successful so far."

"Hang on, you guys are a thing now? Barf." Idia sticks out his tongue.

Azul turns to Jamil in mild surprise. Then looks at Ortho who's still holding his hands and looking at him imploringly with those puppy eyes.

He sighs and relents. "All right. But I have to let Rielle know later. You'll help me talk to Headmage Ambrose?" he smiles playfully at Ortho.

"Yes~!" Ortho soars in the air again and does a backflip. "I have the research prepared to back us up!"

Ortho begins talking to Idia about where they can watch the movie and who else they can invite.

"I don't suppose you have any clothes I can borrow?" Azul mutters to Jamil. "I've been wearing my uniform for more than 24 hours already and I need a shower."

"Sure, you can… borrow my clothes," Jamil answers, only realizing what he was saying halfway through the sentence. The very thought dusts his cheeks red. "We, er… We share the same size, anyway."

"Thank you so much, you two!" Ortho happily informs them, holding a stamper. Meanwhile, from behind him, Idia sighs in defeat and gets ready to put his own helmet on. "I'll show you everything this place can offer and give you both the stamps you so rightfully earned!"

Idia starts to lead them around the booth.

"I guess we're watching a movie tonight," Azul says to Jamil. "Have you been to hangouts with the Shroud brothers before?"

"Never," Jamil admits. "I rarely see Idia around, and Ortho usually only shows up to do errands for Idia. There wasn't really much opportunity for friendships to be had. Why? Feeling nervous? Excited?"

"Honestly, right now I'm more worried about asking Headmage if I can stay the night here again. I'm already not used to not doing any work at all, and now it's like I'm taking two full days off. Somehow I feel like I'm being neglectful by spontaneously staying out of RSA."

"Hey, you're not being neglectful," Jamil reassures him. "After everything you've been through, I think a few days of break is more than needed. If you want, I can also go and vouch for you. I've been the one encouraging this to begin with."

"Thanks, Jamil," Azul smiles.

Idia tours them around, showing the details he directly replicated from the movie, even Easter Eggs that he claims not all fans have spotted to this day.

His costume is impressive; the hinges on the armor are silent, but there's a realistic clink of metal every time he steps. The entire armor looks heavy, but Idia doesn't have a hard time moving in it at all, even if he barely does any physical activity as far as Jamil knows.

The air-conditioning seems to be on full blast, making it feel like a cold dark winter's night deep in the forest, the flaming pumpkin heads providing illumination.

They reach the end of the tour and Idia turns to them.

"You both better show up later for movie night and help me brainstorm afterwards, or I'm shutting this whole thing down," Idia says. "Walking around just made me realize how cutesy the visitors still see this place," he shakes his head. "Seriously, how can I work under these conditions?"

Ortho swoops in and takes Azul's booklet. "Let me know if you have any preferred snacks for movie night!" he says cheerfully as he stamps it. "I have uploaded my contact information to your phone." He returns the booklet. "And congratulations on your new relationship!" he says loudly, causing a few visitors to turn their heads and look at them.

Jamil flinches at the strangers' attention and puts his hood up as he says, "Okay, cool, bye."

He hastily tugs Azul out of the library.

"Are you alright?" Azul asks in concern as they walk out of the building.

Jamil sighs in relief and takes off his hood. "Sorry. Yeah, I'm fine... Just not good with public attention."

Speaking of the public, a large crowd seems to be surging around Sam's shop, which is near to the library enough that one can easily see whatever might be going on.

"Whoa, this is a lot of visitors..." Jamil mutters, noticing who exactly is getting surrounded. "Hey, hang on. Is that Ruggie getting mobbed?"

"It seems so," Azul says. "Let's check on him, in case he needs help."

As they approach, they can hear Ruggie saying something to the crowd, though it's a bit hard to understand the words above the chatter of everyone else.

"Whoa, hey, no seriously! I'm not a werewolf, I'm a hyena!" Ruggie's protests fall on deaf ears as the visitors surrounding him ask for pictures or inquire how realistic he's made his costume. The other Scarabia members seem to be watching this in amusement.

The guests aren't doing Ruggie any harm, but Jamil can sympathize with the aversion to this sort of spotlight, so he grimaces in discomfort as he watches the scene unfold.

Someone almost bumps into them, and they stop just in time to see that it's Leona, carrying a bag of snacks.

"Oh, hey." Leona nods at them. "Ashengrotto, right? We met at that stupid royal summit last year."

"Yes. Hello, Your Highness," Azul says politely.

Leona cringes. "It's just 'Leona', dude. Don't be weird." He turns to Jamil. "I thought you didn't like getting tangled with royals? This guy is more involved with royals than I am," he jerks his head in Azul's direction.

"Well, he technically isn't a royal, anyway. And even if he were, he's worth the extra trouble," Jamil mutters. "I have a feeling you know how that feels, don't you?" He gestures to Ruggie. "Leaving him for the vultures at the moment?"

"He tried throwing me under the bus first," Leona nonchalantly shrugs. "Don't worry. I won't let it get too far. Crazy crowd, though, huh?"

"Oy! You know I can see you guys from here, right!?" Ruggie complains from afar.

Leona smiles playfully at Ruggie and gives him a wink before turning back to Jamil. "Nice booth you got there, Viper. Where're you headed off next?"

"Thanks." Jamil amiably replies, ignoring Ruggie. "We're off to your booth next, actually... Right after I get a waffle from Sam." He glances at Azul. "You wanna get one, too?"

Azul hesitates for a moment. "I don't usually eat sweets but… alright. I'm on a break, anyway," he gives a small smile. "Who makes those waffles?"

Jamil returns the smile. "Sam himself. They're pretty good. They got some kind of jam in them that reminds me of raspberry, but something else I can't get a grasp on. Don't think Sam's interested in divulging his secrets. If you're worried about the calories, we can just buy one and split it."

"Aww, such a sweetheart," Leona teases, keeping his gaze trained on Ruggie.

"Are those snacks for your residents?" Azul gestures to the bag that Leona is carrying.

"Hm? Yeah, they deserve it after building our booth the way it is now," Leona answers, still watching over Ruggie. "Don't tell them it was my idea," he adds.

"I'm sure they know, anyway," Azul says with a smile. Then he turns to Jamil. "Look at that, you and Leona are quite similar in being Prefects. You don't expressly show how much you care about your residents, but they still know, and they admire and respect you for it."

Jamil and Leona share similar looks of disdain.

"You saying it out loud is a lil'..." Jamil clears his throat, embarrassed. “Anyway, we're gonna head in,” he says to Leona. “Catch you around, I guess."

As they're about to step into the Mystery Shop, one of Jamil's residents runs out and presents them with a waffle. "Here you go, Prefect! No need to get in line inside because whew! It's a battle in there!"

Jamil stares at him in surprise before taking the waffle. "Have you… been listening to our conversation?"

"Hm? Oh, not me! But I heard word from the others!" he gestures to the other Scarabia members, who give the couple a wave. "We just want to give you both a great experience with the booth! Now be on your way and have fun!"

"Oh, thank you very much," Azul smiles. "I hope you're not having a hard time handling all those visitors. Do you need any help with crowd control?"

"Nope! Not at all!" he shakes his head vigorously. "Just enjoy yourselves out there!" he adds with a grin.

These guys are being embarrassing, Jamil thinks to himself, but nods. "Okay, but if things get out of hand, text me, all right? Don't pretend things are fine for our sake."

"Of course, boss!"

"Geez, they're like a bunch of kids sometimes, I swear..." Jamil shakes his head as they walk along, then he  offers the waffle to Azul. "Wanna take the first bite? You can try and guess the ingredients, too."

"Oh, all right," Azul takes the waffle and admires its design for a moment; a golden brown crow with red jam peeking out through the crust like a jewel on the crow's chest. He gingerly takes a bite, and looks thoughtful as he chews it. "Butter, strawberry jam, and a bit of cinnamon? And perhaps some eggs in the bread." There's some jam on Azul's lips and his tongue flicks out to casually lick it clean.

Jamil stares at the gesture for a second before quietly taking a bite himself, understanding what Azul meant with the ingredients. "Think we can make Sam another judge in the cooking competition?"

"I don't see why not," Azul smiles. "Though there seems to be a growing audience for the competition; I'm getting a little nervous," he says playfully.

"Come now. I didn't see large crowds stop you from defeating me at Quiz Bee before." Jamil teases.

They split the waffle into two equal halves, enjoying the treat and intermingling with the crowd until they find the large stadium rising up in the distance.

"For a dorm full of jocks who didn't seem interested in a celebration, they really went all out for Halloween," Jamil admits, walking through the main entrance to find the entire area submerged in water and sand, resembling a secret island cove surrounded by walls as a large broken pirate ship sits at the side.

Savanaclaw members donned in pirate garb greet the guests coming in with a mighty "Yargh!!!", and they begin to coast around the beachside of the clear blue waters.

"We were shocked when we first saw this for booth inspections,” Jamil adds.

"I'd never seen a shipwreck on land before," Azul says in interest, gazing at the ship. "Actually, this resembles the wreck where I had found my first gold coin. In hindsight, that was probably a pirate ship."

A burst of green light stops them in their tracks, and Malleus appears in front of them.

"There you are," the fae smiles at Azul. "Thank the Seven for my good hearing. How fitting that you would mention your coins, Ashengrotto." He takes Azul's wrist and lifts it, putting a large silver coin in his open palm. "I remembered that I had that among my possessions," he says proudly, gently letting go of Azul's wrist. "I asked Lilia, and he confirmed that such coins were used as currency at the beginning of my grandmother's reign, and have long since stopped circulation even before I was born. I would like you to have it."

Azul stares wide-eyed at the dragon engraved in the middle of the coin, surrounded by indecipherable text that Jamil vaguely recognizes as fae dialect.

"Your Highness, I can't possibly just take something this valuable," Azul tells Malleus.

The Diasomnia Prefect frowns. "I have told you already, there is no need to refer to me by my title."

"Malleus," Azul corrects himself. "At least let me buy it from you."

"Nonsense," Malleus shakes his head. "You are my friend, and that is my gift to you. Perhaps you will think of me whenever you see it," he smiles, gazing in Azul's eyes.

Jamil stares at Malleus in bewilderment, so do a bunch of other people who just watched this guy materialize out of nowhere.

Jamil decides to clear his throat, "Ahem! Um, hi, yeah. I'm here, too."

Malleus looks at him. "Viper. I see you've met Ashengrotto as well. Did you find him at your booth like how I found him at mine?"

"I met him a little bit earlier than that, actually," Jamil answers, squinting at Malleus. "He really must have taken your attention for you to go out of your way and get him a coin."

"Indeed," Malleus smiles. "He indulged me in my talk of gargoyles and grotesques, and it seemed only fair that I give him a token of my appreciation as soon as I took my break from my shift at our booth." He looks at Azul. "Have you figured out how to use the pearl yet, Child of the Sea?"

"Not yet," Azul says, seeming more relaxed now that the initial shock has worn off. "I don't suppose you can just tell me how to use it?"

"Ah, now where would be the fun in that?" Malleus says playfully before looking at Jamil again. "And how did he catch your attention, Viper? To my understanding, you are one of the more elusive Prefects."

"It involved a bit of physical coercion on Floyd's part," Jamil answers, making himself relax a little. He doesn't wanna make the conversation weird by being tense. "Then we ended up talking and, well, Azul took me by surprise."

Malleus seems interested, and he turns to Azul. "You really are something else. I must get back to my booth now," he leans forward to be eye-level with Azul. "But I very much look forward to seeing more of you. Ashengrotto~." The corner of his mouth turns up in a smile, and his eyes are twinkling. He vanishes in another burst of green light, provoking small gasps and stares from the visitors passing by.

"Is that part of the attraction?" a teen visitor asks a Savanaclaw member.

"Ugh, no. In fact, it should've been part of the attraction to jump on that lizard intruder! Next time he comes here, we'll be ready for him!"

Jamil ignores them and raises an eyebrow at Azul. "He's being quite forward for a 'friend' you just met, huh?"

"I suppose, although several of my schoolmates approached me that way, especially after Rielle and I started to clear up that we're not dating. People tend to be intimidated by those directly in line for a throne, and I think they got less intimidated of me when I said that I'm not dating a crown prince, and they were more inclined to start a friendship," Azul shrugs obliviously.

"Uh-huh," Jamil says, unconvinced. "And how did those friendships go?"

"They didn't really last, now that I think about it," Azul furrows his eyebrows. "We're acquaintances now, at most. Our interactions just became scarce over time. Though Malleus seems to be more active than the others in maintaining a friendship. I certainly hadn't expected him to try to find me so soon after we had just met, and with a gift, at that." He looks curiously at the coin in his hand.

Jamil glances down at the coin too, suspicious. "Gifts from the fae are quite powerful. I gotta warn you to be cautious in how you deal with this guy. They can also be dangerously temperamental, so I hope you won't be digging yourself a hole with your friendly nature."

Azul smiles softly at him and nods. "I'll be careful, thank you. Do you want to check this coin to see if there's anything suspicious?" he holds it up.

Jamil narrows his eyes and casts a spell to glean any magical enchantments cast upon the coin, whether a curse or a blessing.

The coin isn't enchanted at all, it's just an ancient piece of silver with some engravings. There are faint traces of fae magic on it, most likely from being passed around as currency for centuries, but even their madols now have magical traces from being passed around. And that's it.

Jamil sighs. "Well, it's safe, that's for sure…"

Malleus certainly likes to move quickly, though. He should probably just straight-up tell him that Azul's not available.

But would that sound too possessive? There's still a chance that Malleus really just sees it as a potential friendship.

Jamil decides to push the thought aside for now, and they make their way towards the pile of gold surrounding the ship.

<- Chapter 24

Chapter 26 ->

(Masterlist)

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Hey Raven! 👋🏻 I just went through your #my art, and i wanted to tell you that i really really really like your artworks of Miss Raven and Co. You truly put a lot of effort into your artwork, and it shows! With each new drawing, you seem to be getting better! ✏️💕

As i mentioned earlier, i really liked your Miss Raven drawings! they're so cute! especially when you drew Miss Raven in alternative clothing. I also like how much detail you put in your designs for Miss Raven, like the ones for the Fairy Gala or Masquerade Ball are so beautiful 🥺 and still fit her character!

The one you did with her wearing different dorm uniforms from each dorm was such a cool idea! it was interesting to see how she may have appeared if Miss Raven was transferred to said dorms! call me biased, but i liked the octavinelle design the most 😂 but poor Miss Raven. If she had to work part-time in Mostro lounge, she'll have to avoid two predatory Eels 😭 One wants to tease her while the other either wants to squeeze her or dump all his work on her cuz he isn't feeling it today, then there's Azul who takes advantaged of the fact that Miss Raven is close to headmaster Crowley and makes profit 📈 Run Miss Raven Run!!!

Anyway, I think i'm going to steal her away and fight off a certain dangerous and manipulate Eel, a Skilful Hunter, a Lazy Lion, and a dude with the power of christ (idk is Rollo x Raven even a thing?!).

I always look forward to seeing a new artwork of yours truly~

[Referencing this tag!]

Wehhh 😭 I’m glad you find enjoyment in my silly little doodles! Art is definitely an area I’m less comfortable with, but I do like dabbling in it when the mood strikes.

There’s something therapeutic in designing a new look for your OC! You take the time to consider their individual style, the overall theme, and how you can marry the two to create a cute outfit~ I’m really happy with how Raven’s Fairy Gala Couture came out; it’s definitely one of my favorite looks for her. The Masquerade outfit was also fun for me to assemble, but it seems a lot less cohesive in hindsight (probably because I didn’t line + color it, so it’s harder to distinguish individual elements??).

The NRC dorm uniforms (+ the sequel with RSA and NBC uniforms) was another cool project! I think my favorites from those are the Heartslabyul look (just because I’m a sucker for the Alice in Wonderland aesthetic + Raven is twisted from the raven in its infamous riddle), the Diasomnia look (it gives “fairy tale princess turned knight” energy), and the Noble Bell look (because the extra fabric is nice and flowy). You can see how the environment and the personality of each school/dorm influences her, right? ^^ It’s also interesting to think about how differently Raven might have turned out if each of these places had more of an influence on her life.

Bruh 💀 I think she’d die if she worked at the Mostro Lounge, dealing with customers and shady coworkers and employer… though that’s not to say that any of the other dorms would necessarily be better! Miss Raven would have gripes with or rivals in each of them somehow. It’s the Night Raven College way, I guess??

One of these things is not like the other… Looking back on it, 3 out of 4 of those are basically predatory-prey dynamics there there’s a type developing and I don’t know if I like it/j 😂 I’d say Jade’s the “main” love interest, while Rook’s the “oh, he’s cute” one… L*ona kind of started as a crack ship but now I think it’s more of a one-sided thing?? Like, Miss Raven still sees L*ona as sort of a rival, whereas he’s grown a little fond of her but knows he can’t do much to sway her… It’s the eternally “second place” syndrome… 😔

Rollo has the most complex relationship with her (sure, call it a ship if you want 😂), built primarily on a strange savior complex. He did some heinous stuff and dislikes her because she’s very pro-magic—but I think there’s a part of him that feels like she’s a lost lamb that’s been led astray by Draconia and therefore he needs to “save” and “correct” her. Problem is, he’s bad at Emotions so his anger gets redirected at Miss Raven herself. Meanwhile, Miss Raven realizes the similarities between herself and Rollo, so she wants to be a friend to him. She sort of forces him to be her pen pal (thinking that writing down how he feels will help him cope with what happened). So weirdly enough, Raven wants to “save” Rollo and Rollo wants to “save” Raven (but both suck at communicating well).

Who knows, we’ll see how things play out from here Nd when the whim to draw strikes next 📝

[robinegreenwood]

VIII - 𝚗𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚕 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚗𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚕

[oc x sirius black]

｡･::･ﾟ★,｡･::･ﾟ☆　　 ｡･::･ﾟ★,｡･::･ﾟ☆

Eden had been right. She had remained in a threshold consciousness for the entirety of the time she had spent laying in the library, lingering between the state of sleep and wakefulness. Returning to her dorm room was definitely easier than leaving had been, as not only were her muscles relaxed, but there hadn't been anyone in the common room to sneak past; Sirius and the girl she did not know must've returned to their separate dorms. She had simply returned to her bed and pretended to be asleep before Camilla and Lily had woken up. When they had, they were kind enough to check on her again before they left for breakfast. Eden quite enjoyed this routine that had seemed to develop in the short period of two days; Camilla and Lily gave her a short while of privacy before she had to actually start her day. She loved that, as it made the transition from having complete privacy, to having none, easier.

Currently, Eden had just finished the process of dressing in her school uniform and casting the spell to lighten her under eyes. She had looked especially rough this morning, and it made her wish that she had a better reason for it. If she'd gotten in a fight and that was the reason she looked like hell then it would at least be kind of exciting, and maybe she wouldn't feel the need to hide it. But here she was, looking like hell because of a night terror that she couldn't even remember. How lousy.

Clearing her mind of the ever-flowing thoughts, Eden set out to the Great Hall to join the others for breakfast.

The many students of Hogwarts had easily slipped back into routine, even the first years had found their place and were happy to accept it. The Marauders group along with Camilla and Lily had taken their usual seat in the Great Hall and were busy discussing their already growing pile of homework.

"I mean," Camilla took a bite of her toast, "How does Flitwick expect us to remember every single spell we learnt last year? Like I don't even remember what I ate yesterday."

Several of those seated around her shrugged their shoulders, also experiencing her frustration with classes.

"When are quidditch tryouts?" James asked, deliberately changing the subject.

"Are you serious?" Lily shook her head.

"No that'd be me," Sirius winked.

The people around the table let out a chorus of forced, mocking laughter.

"You think you're so funny don't you?" Camilla held back a stupid grin.

"Anyways," Lily cut in, "James you've been talking about quidditch all summer, I wouldn't be surprised if you've etched the tryout days into your skin."

"Hey how'd you know?" James asked, playfully rolling up his shirt sleeve in search of his 'tattoo'.

The group's cheery conversation was painfully interrupted as Marlene Mckinnon barged through the Great Hall doors, heading straight for them. Her hair was tied up high on her head in an intricate braid, and her eyes were outlined with a black that made her entire appearance seem sharp. She sat down at the table with an air of haughtiness, letting out a huff of annoyance as she did so. Dramatically, she began shaking her head as if she couldn't believe something, she was most obviously just pining for someone to ask her what had happened.

Camilla lowered her eyes to her plate in front of her and staring wide-eyed at what was left of her toast, she willed herself to be transported out of the room. Remus, who sat beside her noticed, and gently prodded her with his elbow, shaking his head as he cast her a fond smile. She gave him a look of feigned innocence and merely shrugged her shoulders. Marlene, who was anything but patient, finally gave up on anyone asking her what had happened and gave in to just telling them.

"The girls in the dorm didn't get one hour of sleep last night, I'm telling you someone started screaming bloody murder in one of the rooms and none of us could go back to sleep after that. Like how am I supposed to function like this?" She blurted all at once.

The boys looked around the table curiously.

"You guys didn't mention anything," James raised an eyebrow as he motioned to Camilla and Lily.

"You both must've heard it to, I mean there's no way you couldn't have, you would have thought someone was being tortured or something. It was horrible, like there's no way I could fall asleep after hearing that." Marlene ranted.

By the time Eden had approached the table a knot had formed in the bottom of her stomach. Marlenes' voice seemed to carry through the Great Hall and with every word she spoke Eden found herself growing in great unease. She had considered slipping back out to her dorm, but had decided that that would just make her appear suspicious. And so, gathering up her nerve, she greeted the group.

"Good morning," she addressed no one in particular.

The others looked up, distracted from Marlene, as Eden slipped in beside Remus.

They greeted her in kind. Lily and Camilla both tried catching her eye but Eden kept her gaze on the food in front of her and quickly busied herself with buttering a croissant.

"Why are you so late getting up?" Marlene asked interrogatively.

Eden opened her mouth to speak but before she had a chance, Camilla answered for her.

"Eden's still getting used to the time change from Ilvermorny."

"Hmm, I didn't know you went there," Marlene pondered.

Eden, whose mouth was deliberately full, could only nod.

"Anyways," Lily helpfully cut in, "We were just talking about quidditch tryouts, do you play Eden?"

Upon hearing Lily's question Eden's mind went into overdrive. Should she have played quidditch? Or could she say she hadn't? Would it be odd of her to have not? Or what if they asked her to try out and she was absolute garbage? Whatever she chose she would have to choose fast.

"I, no, actually I never got the chance to play, my parents thought it would take away from my education so they didn't let me," Eden lied with a confidence she did not feel.

James seemed especially outraged at Eden's statement, claiming that the sport only added to one's accomplishments and that school must be an equal amount of fun and school work. Eden nodded in agreement, pretending that she felt robbed of the experience.

"Well if you want to play, why don't you come to the tryouts?" James suggested full heartedly.

"Oh, no I couldn't," Eden sincerely protested, "And you definitely wouldn't want me there."

"Ya might not be your best idea James." Said Marlene, who was noticeably uninterested in the conversation.

"Anyways I have to finish getting ready, I'll see you all later." Marlene looked pointedly at Sirius.

Eden, somewhat offended with Marlene's offhanded insult, still nodded in agreement, she did not want to try out in front of people. That was not happening.

Sirius, broke out of his silence, "At least come watch, James needs that ego boost."

James lightly punched Sirius in the shoulder and the two grinned.

"Yah you and Lily and Remus can go together ! My far superior memory," Camilla grinned at James, "Tells me that tryouts are right after last class."

"Oh we'll be there. I hope to be impressed James," Lily winked directly at the curly haired boy.

James consequently turned a brighter hue of pink and could only nod as Lily and Camilla stood up from the table. Sirius elbowed James, a cheeky grin spread across his face. Eden smiled to herself at the group's playfulness as she also stood up from the table and turned to leave.

"Eden," Sirius called out after her. "You'll come watch us?"

"Oh you're trying out too?" she asked quizzically as she turned back around.

"Can't let James have all the fun," he winked.

Eden let herself smile "Ya, I'll be there."

Sirius also allowed himself a smile as he watched her catch up with the other girls. He felt a slight pain in his side as James prodded him with his finger.

"Found yourself another one?" he asked humorously

Sirius shook his head and poked James back.

"Oh come on, I mean you're running low."

"Not with her Sirius," Remus spoke up for the first time that morning, "She seems too nice, don't screw her around."

Sirius chuckled as he ran his hand through his dark tousled hair, "Wouldn't think of it Moony, she's not my type anyway."

Remus simply nodded, not convinced in the slightest.

The morning classes that day were fairly pleasant, and before Eden knew it she was on her way to the last class of the day, Defence Against the Dark Arts. Out of all the classes she was taking, this one made her the most timorous. After all, in her previous learning experience that was the one subject that had been, for the most part, skipped over. Defence against the dark arts wasn't something she'd been taught, she'd been taught the exact opposite. Of course she knew how to deflect spells to defend herself but she was quite certain that the methods she knew wouldn't be the ones taught in Hogwarts (they weren't exactly virtuous methods). And so, stepping into the classroom, Eden could only hope for the best.

The classroom was poorly lit, the only light coming in from rays of the golden afternoon sun streaming through the caged windows. Rows of oak desks filled the middle of the room, and lining the walls were tall shelves overflowing with a variety of books and trinkets. The other students rushed in around Eden like fish in a frenzy, and she found herself backing up against one of the desks to keep from getting shoved around. Thankfully, Camilla noticed her predicament and heroically pulled her through the stream of people and to an empty desk.

"Thanks," said Eden as she smoothed down her ruffled robes.

"I only have so many friends," Camilla winked, "Can't risk one getting trampled."

Eden chuckled and then looked curiously at Camilla, "Where's Lily sitting?"

A mischievous grin spread across her face and Camilla not so subtly motioned over to a desk two rows down. Eden craned her neck to follow Camilla's pointing finger and spotted Lily at a desk with none other than James Potter. James appeared to be so enthralled that one would have thought he had won the Quidditch World Cup, but Lily on the other hand was appearing to be quite restless. She happened to catch Eden's wandering eye and sent her a look that seemed to be a plea for help, but Eden simply smiled back, mouthing words of encouragement to her. She saw Lily momentarily smile but her face very quickly morphed into a picture of irritation. Confused, Eden turned around to see Camilla making rather suggestive faces at Lily. Stifling a laugh, Eden covered her mouth with her hand as she turned back to Lily, whose vexation was only worsening, but before Lily could act upon her feelings, the professor entered the room.

Almost immediately the entire atmosphere in the room changed. Professor Jasper Hawthorne was new to Hogwarts and therefore the students had yet to learn how they could act around him, and what exactly they could get away with. Not even the most rambunctious of people were willing to risk a detention on the second day of school if he ended up having strict rules.

Eden's first impression of Professor Hawthrone was much different than that of the other teachers. He wasn't noticeably younger than them, but his entire demeanour was completely different. Dressed in an apricot coloured suit with a bright blue polka-dotted bow-tie, and adorning tall, mismatched socks, he seemed to lack the 'professionalism' she'd noticed in many of the other professors. His dark hair was unkempt, and his ears seemed slightly too big for his head. Eden was curious, but remained pleasantly unworried by his presence as he strode up to the front of the silent classroom.

Without saying a word, he picked up a piece of chalk and wrote across the board in large block letters 'Professor Jasper Hawthorne'.

"Good afternoon" he greeted as he turned to face the class.

The students quietly murmured the welcome back, their full attention on him.

"Oh don't sound too excited now," he smiled widely at them, his eyes twinkling with humour, "And you can all let out that breath of air I know you've been holding in, I think you'll all come to find that we'll have fun in this class. There are many better things to stress over."

Around her, Eden saw some students lean back in their chairs, allowing themselves to relax.

"Now, let's get started. I think today we'll begin with a project."

His statement was met with a chorus of groans.

"It's nice and easy, I promise," Professor Hawthorne pretended to cross his heart. "All you have to do is read through the table of contents in those books in front of you, and write down the topics that you find the most interesting. Then tonight I'll look over them all, and try to manipulate my year plan to make the most of the time for the top topics you pick. But don't get too excited, I have to do this within reason, I mainly just want to see what sorts of things you guys like.

Well, don't all just sit there and stare at me, get going!"

Smiling to herself, Eden began flipping through her textbook, her worries for this class weren't any less real now, but at least she felt comfortable with the teacher. Beside her the rest of the class also began digging through their books, and the soft sound of chatter filled the room.

2331 Words

[super-predictable98]

The Girl From Night Raven | Twisted Wonderland AU

Chapter 9: The Candy of Secret Desire

Warning: strong language, sexual content (implied smut), mention of menstruation

a/n: This chapter is a little bolder than usual lol I didn't wanna include anything graphic, but if you guys want I could write a one shot (maybe with reader insert) detailing what happens during the time skip.

(The Girl From Night Raven Masterlist)

"I'm surrounded by idiots..." Leona growled as he watched Kalim, Floyd, and Ace follow Ilse like puppies to the basketball club meeting. Kalim wasn't even in the basketball club, what the hell was he doing there?

"She's more popular than ever, right?" Ruggie observed. "I thought there was something going on with you two after the play, there was so much chemistry."

"Us? No! Nothing between us," he scoffed dismissively, even after the incident in the prop closet and the passionate kiss they shared in front of the entire audience, there was absolutely nothing between them. And there would never be anything, not after the potion revealed a future Ilse wasn't fond of.

"Maybe you should ask her out?"

"I'll kill you with my bare hands and eat your head. Bones and all."

"Understood, Leona-san."

"Did your mom say anything else after the other night?" Ace asked, taking Ilse's left arm.

"No, she's been giving me the silent treatment. I've never been happier," she laughed. "That was your idea, wasn't it? You're so clever, I should bake you a cherry pie."

"Will you cheer for us today, starfish? We really need some extra motivation, there's a game against the RSA boys next week," Floyd drawled, taking her other arm. "Azul can get you a uniform in the Octavinelle colors."

"No! She has to wear Heartslabyul colors," Ace protested.

"Wouldn't it be better to wear the school colors?" Kalim asked innocently, walking up behind them.

"I didn't even say I'll cheer for you yet..." Ilse teased

"Aw, pleeeease?" Floyd whined.

"Fine, fine! I'll cheer, But only because I wanna distract the RSA boys and help you- shit..." she muttered. "I need to run to the school shop really quick."

"You can go after practice, it doesn't close until seven," Ace pointed out. "Do you need something now? Can I help?"

"I don't think you can..." she looked down, flushed with embarrassment.

"Oh! Oh!" Kalim exclaimed, understanding immediately what she meant. "Is it that time of the month?" he whispered. "Do you wanna go back to the dorm and rest? Are you in pain? I can make you some tea, I used to take care of my sisters all the time."

"Not yet, I just need to prepare for it... If you know what I mean. Get supplies. Don't worry though, I'll just drop by on my way back to the dorm."

——————————————————

Ilse had never been to the Mister S's Mystery Shop before, her bags were packed with everything she could possibly need, but after a while living there she couldn't rely on her mother to send anything besides money (and even then, only when she felt like it), especially after what happened the night of the play.

The place was secluded, a small shack in the forest, inside there were all sorts of occult items, it was cluttered from floor to ceiling with the most diverse magic tools and potions anyone could ever imagine.

"Mister S?" she called hesitantly, not seeing anyone at first. "Mister S?"

"My eyes deceive me!" the tall, slender man showed up behind her, taking off his top hat before kissing the back of her hand. "Just as beautiful as your mama, aren't you?"

"You've met mom?" Ilse jumped, trying not to show how scared she really was.

"For sure, my little demon, of course she never aged a day after 25, so she didn't really look like a mom... Her heart was so bitter, didn't match at all her sweet looks, but I hear you're not like that. What's your name, babycakes?"

"Ilse."

"A beautiful name for a beautiful girl. You can call me Sam, by the way."

Sam wasn't much older than the third year students, he must've been in his mid-twenties at most. A handsome guy dripping with charm, his magenta gaze penetrated her soul, making her feel like he knew her deepest darkest secrets.

"So, how can I help you, sugar?" he smiled in the most seductive way she had ever seen a man smile. "Unless you just came by to meet me."

"It was a pleasant surprise for sure, but I actually need uh- I need..." she chuckled awkwardly, not exactly wanting to discuss such matters with the hot guy she just met.

"No need to worry, sweetheart, I got it," he ran into a tiny room in the back of the store and came out with a paper bag. "Here, I think you'll find everything you need in there."

"How did you-?" Ilse opened the bag finding a variety of pads, tampons, and a small potion bottle.

"My friends told me, and I didn't want you to be embarrassed, the potion is for cramps and headaches, works like a charm," Sam leaned against the counter.

"Wow, that's impressive, thank you! How much do I owe you?"

"It's paid for already," he admitted. "By a mister... Al-Asim."

"Oh fuck!" Ilse yelped and immediately covered her mouth. She couldn't believe Kalim actually went to the shop and paid for that. It had to be the strangest gift anyone had ever gotten her. She appreciated it, but she was also incredibly ashamed. "Uh, thank you."

"Oh, fancy meeting you here," Leona's voice made her yelp once again, hugging the bag against her chest. "You know, herbivore... My ears have been burning lately, my mom always says that means someone's thinking of you. Do you have any idea who it could be?"

"Very smooth," Sam rolled his eyes, holding out a bottle labeled 'muscle relaxant'. "Here's the potion you ordered."

"I have no idea," Ilse tried to distract herself with a pile of crystals.

"Sure it's not you?" Leona took the bottle and paid without acknowledging Sam's teasing.

"In your dreams."

"Maybe, but I'm sure you've been dreaming about it too, huh? When it's late and dark, you imagine me crawling in bed next to you? Growling in your ear? You like that, right?"

"Leona, find a hobby and leave me alone," she said without much heat to her voice.

"What? I think hunting is a perfectly fine hobby for a lion," he said before leaving without waiting for a response.

"Jerk," Ilse breathed. "Hey, Sam, do you have something sweet? I need to calm my nerves."

"Sweeter than you, my little demon?"

"Oh stop that," she laughed.

"And I'm not the only one who thinks so, huh?" he opened a glass jar filled with chocolates wrapped in red shiny paper. "I think I have just the thing, my friends on the other side tell me you've got a little crush, yeah?"

"Crush? Yeah, I have a few."

"This one is on the house, open," he unwrapped the chocolate and held it in front of her lips. Ilse took it without questioning, something about that situation making her feel really special.

"Thank you! This is so good, what's the filling? Strawberry?"

"Magic."

Her eyes grew, remembering all the stories she heard about accepting candy from strangers. Maybe she should've been more careful.

"Uh oh... What sort of magic?"

"It's a true desire spell."

"SAM! What's gonna happen to me?"

"Don't worry, babycakes, it will be great! You'll just be true to yourself and what you really want. Isn't that amazing?"

——————————————————

"Are you okay, Ilse?" Ortho asked as he passed by her, tossing and turning on the couch in the common room. "Are you sick? Should I get oniisan?"

"Yes, please... I mean no! I was hit with a weird spell, I'm trying to fight it."

"Maybe you could ask Malleus for help? He's really smart, right?"

"I can't, if I go near him- It's not gonna work. Maybe I should just lock myself in my room and wait for it to end."

And so she did. Ilse paced around her room for almost an hour, but the weird compelling ache in her chest and her stomach only grew. A sort of pain that she knew would go away once she gave in and followed her heart's wish.

Before she realized, she was walking up to the Savanaclaw dorm. It was like her feet were working on their own, but at the same time she wasn't forced to do anything. It felt right, it felt like eating something you've been craving for weeks.

"It's you," Leona stood by the door after hearing a single knock. Ilse was the last person he expected to see, but he imagined she was going to scold him after going too far back at the shop "I was in the middle of a chess game with myself, so if you have something important to say, just-"

He didn't have the chance to finish the sentence, she jumped into his arms and captured his lips in a hungry, urgent kiss.

"I want you."

"You what?" he tried to catch his breath, not understanding what was happening, but secretly loving it.

"I. Want. You. It's not that hard to understand, even for you."

"Wow, what made you change your mind so fast?" he lifted her effortlessly and closed the door behind them.

"A gift Sam gave me."

"What is it?"

"A true desire spell."

"Oh, so your true desire is to kiss me?" for some reason that idea brought a smile to his face.

"Among other things," she murmured, tilting her head as an invitation for neck kisses, which he promptly understood.

"What other things?"

"I want you to fuck me like the wild beast you are."

"Oh my... You really are horny for me," he laughed, feeling like somehow he won the battle of wills against her.

"And I have been since the first time I laid eyes on you. You cocky motherfucker."

"Oh, but you like that, don't you, herbivore?" Leona lowered her to the bed, sending buttons flying everywhere when he ripped her shirt open.

"Yeah, it's really sexy," she exclaimed, pulling his tank top over his head, exposing his toned, tan chest and abs.

"Like what you see?" he purred.

"You have no idea," Ilse traced the tattoo on his bicep. "Mark me up, bite me."

"Willing prey? That's kinda hot... But you should be careful, I might not be able to hold back and devour you," he whispered with a warning growl, knowing the effect that would have on her.

"I wouldn't mind, it would be an honor, actually."

"Okay, this is getting kinda weird," he laughed. "But it's okay, whatever you want. Who's your king, princess?"

"You are, you're my king, Leona."

"That's what I like to hear... Don't move, I'll get us a condom, just wait here," he ran, scared when he came back she would be back to normal and ready to slap him across the face for ruining her shirt.

"Don't worry, kitty, I'm not going anywhere until I get what I want."

——————————————————

"Shroud is out of his room? Am I hallucinating?" Ace teased as he saw Idia running around the cafeteria.

"Have you seen Ilse? She didn't come back to her dorm last night, Ortho just told me she left. Have you seen her?" he asked, approaching the table where he was sitting with Deuce, Kalim, Jamil, and Jack.

"Ilse's missing?" Kalim frowned, worried.

"Well, not missing... She has to be on campus, right?" Deuce tried to be rational though it was hard when looking at Idia's terrorized face.

"Of course she is, she must be with someone, some guy," Jamil suggested.

"You think Ilse spent the night with a guy?" Jack's eyes grew wide.

"Ilse did what?" Floyd and Malleus stopped nearly at the same time by the table, only on opposite sides.

"We don't know yet!" Ace shouted. "For all we know, she was studying in the library."

"I looked, she wasn't there," Idia shook his head.

"Ruggie! Ruggie, have you seen Ilse?" Ace called.

"Uh... No?" the boy stopped in his tracks.

"Dear Great Seven, we need to tell Mr. Crowley, if she's really missing-" Malleus started.

"She's not missing," Ruggie huffed, he wasn't gonna say anything, not knowing if she wanted the others to know, but he also didn't want them to think she was in danger. "She's fine."

"How do you know?" Floyd asked. "You just said you didn't see her."

"I... Might've... She's fine, I promise," he rushed back to his dorm, not wanting to answer any more questions.

Meanwhile, Ilse slowly opened her eyes as the sun hit her face. She smiled at the beautiful view before realizing that wasn't the view from her room, and there was a pair of strong arms wrapped around her.

"Oh fuck, LEONA!" she jumped when she felt his breath against the back of her neck.

He simply growled, trying to stay asleep as she tried to break free from his tight embrace.

"Leona, wake up! What happened last night?"

"What do you mean?" his long tail brushed against her thigh like a thick soft rope.

"It's kinda hazy, I was under a spell."

"Oh, right, the true desire spell," he smirked, his eyes still semi-closed

"Please tell me we didn't..."

"We did, we did it so many times, you're lucky I've got stamina. You asked me to do some pretty odd stuff too, guess your truest desires are a little weird. But don't worry, I did everything you wanted, you were very satisfied."

"Kingscholar! We did not have sex! Tell me we didn't have sex."

"We didn't have sex."

"Really?"

"No, but you asked me to say it."

"You're such an ass!"

"Why are you so mad? You seemed to be enjoying yourself, herbivore."

"I am not a herbivore, you stupid lion! I told you already!" Ilse cried, pulling the sheets to cover her own naked body.

"Yeah yeah whatever, same difference, you're all snack meat to me. I believe your request was 'fuck me like the wild beast you are'?" Leona chuckled, he would be lying if he said he didn't like this side of her.

"Kill me now! I did not just spend the night with you! That's disgusting! You took my virginity? YOU OF ALL PEOPLE?"

"Look, you were under a true spell. If we had sex, that means you always wanted to have sex with me and just didn't wanna admit it. There's nothing wrong with it, I'm really hot, it would be weird if you didn't wanna have sex with me. Now, will you please let me sleep? You really wore me out, you can stay if you want, just be quiet."

"What if Ruggie sees me?"

"That stupid hyena knows you're here."

"WHAT?"

"I sent him to buy us condoms."

"And Sam sold him condoms?"

"Are you surprised? Sam will sell anything to anyone, now please, little herbivore, let me sleep before I bite your head off!" he groaned. "Though you might like that..."

"Never ever talk to me again-" she started to put her clothes back on, on the verge of tears.

"Ilse! I'm not the monster you think I am, you know?" he finally gathered the courage to say, past caring if it would make him seem vulnerable. "I don't hate you, I'm not actually gonna eat you. I might scratch, but that's beside the point... The point is, I had a good time and you did too, there's no need to run away like that or cry. I promise I didn't do anything you weren't comfortable with, you're the one who came here. If you want, I won't tell anyone and make sure Ruggie doesn't either."

She went quiet for a moment, laying back down, letting him pull her into his arms. The warmth of his chest was... Not horrible and the way his mane brushed against her shoulder wasn't terrible either.

"Thank you," she murmured, half expecting him not to hear it.

"You're welcome," he responded with a satisfied growl/purr.

"By the way... I didn't mean what I said that time about you never being anyone's first choice. I'm sorry."

"I know."

"I really think you are-"

"Sleep time, kitten. Let's be quiet, huh? You can tell me how much you love me when I wake up."

[phantom-of-nrc]

Hi, may i get a Twisted Wonderland matchup please?

I'm 5'6, virgo, infp, true neutral and my pronouns are she/her.

I have a dark skin tone, long purple hair, freckles on the cheeks and brown eyes. I can be both introverted and extroverted, it depends on the person I'm interacting with, for example with my friends i'm always cheerful, but with strangers i'm usually quiet and shy. I have a sarcastic sense of humor and i'm pretty chill in general; i'm also super clingy and i love giving hugs!

Another thing is that i don't have self esteem at all and i'm always negative about myself, buuut i'm trying to be more confident and positive, even if it's pretty difficult. I am never motivated to do anything, and when i have something important to do i always do it at the last minute, that's another bad habit that i should fix. I consider myself a good listener, and i'm happy to help the people i care about with they're issues, or cheer them up when they're sad, with good advices and a lot of affection. I really dislike crowded places, loud people and being the centre of attention; I also tend to overthink, and i daydream quite a lot. My main hobbies are napping, drawing, wasting time on social media and playing video games. Random things i like: sweets, pastel colors, listening to music 24/7, telling jokes (especially bad ones), drawing on rainy days and headpats. Sorry for the messy description, thank you very much for the matchup!!💞

-🎀

ℌ𝔬𝔴 ℭ𝔬𝔪𝔢?

🍀 Well, well! Looks like you’ve got the resident smug trickster big brother of Heartslabyul! You like sweets? Our dear Clover is just the right person for you! Riddle does rely on him whenever Unbirthday parties, tea parties and similar occasions that come up! As a bonus, *pats Trey’s head* this closet chaotic big brother of little siblings and Heartslabyul comes from a family that owns a bakery!

🍀 You like headpats? He’ll give you headpats. Now that I think about it.. You two might seem like one of those cute manga couples I see in Pinterest at first glance.. Being clingy and having a fondness for hugs, Trey wouldn’t mind it! He finds this trait of yours cute. Aren’t you two just a cute fluffy couple? Just make sure to prepare for Trappola’s teasing and Rook’s monologues of your beautiful relationship with Trey. The hunter’s bound to see your loving cuddle sessions and cute bonding moments with the Vice Dorm Leader of Heartslabyul.. Consider yourself dubbed as the Maiden of Roses by Rook! (In French, of course! One cannot trust shady translators...)

🍀 You like telling jokes? Trey likes to joke too! Except.. People tend to take him seriously when he was just joking.. Or is he..? The two of you are like.. The embodiment of types of bad jokes. Him being like the representative of jokes that just seems serious that people take him seriously and you being the representative of bad jokes that are bound to lure a fond smile from Trey’s lips. He can’t help it. You’re just so wholesome to him, especially when you tell bad jokes!

🍀 Of course, Trey is bound to find your hobby for drawing, especially once rain has decided to come and grace NRC with its presence. Trust me when I say, he’ll be curious of all the drawings you’ve drawn. However, the choice to show him your works or not is entirely up to you, whether you’re comfortable or not! If you decided to show him your drawings, he’d be delighted! He’d talk about your drawings with you, perhaps share some memories of his little siblings that drew for him back then. Perhaps one day, you’d be drawing something for Trey with the help of his little siblings.. If you’re comfortable with it, of course! If you’re not comfortable with showing your drawings, it’s alright!

🍀 Sarcastic sense of humor? Trey would definitely enjoy that! Perhaps it might lead to a light-hearted teasing between lovers! You’re napping? There comes our beloved Trey! He’d offer his uniform jacket/coat as a blanket for you, carry you somewhere more comfortable or just make sure you’re napping comfortably in general.

🍀 Seeing that you’ve mentioned about having no self-esteem, trying to gain confidence (honestly, we’re on the same boat in this one. Cheers!) Trey would be there by your side, helping you in your journey of finding your confidence! He’d be there to offer words of encouragements, give you a gentle nudge to take a step forward to finding confidence in yourself. Trey would be there for you in every step. Have faith in yourself, you’re worthy and you’re beautiful! Trey thinks so too. If you ever say anything negative about yourself, Trey would be there to say otherwise!

🍀 A bad habit of procrastination? That won’t do.. Whenever Trey catches you unmotivated, he’d try to provide motivation for you! How about once you finish the activity you’re supposed to do, he’d bake you something? What would you like? A pie? A tart? Make sure to brush your teeth afterwards though!

🍀 Trey wouldn’t really mind your dislike in crowds, loudness and being the center of attention. If anything, once he notices your discomfort, he’d try to excuse the two of you out of the area. Heartslabyul can be very lively with the parties.

🍀 Your caring and helpful nature would earn you a reputation as the mama or big sister figure among the people close to you, perhaps it wouldn’t be long until you and Trey would earn the reputation of fluffy couple.. Expect Ace Trappola to make a remark on how the two of you act like a happy married couple—

🍀 You being a Virgo and Trey being a Scorpio is a plus. Virgos and Scorpios are compatible!

𝔐𝔢𝔢𝔱𝔦𝔫𝔤:

The Rose Kingdom. That was where the two of you had met. In his homeland.

  Whether a tourist or a local in his hometown, there was one thing that you’re sure of. The craving for something sweet. The sky above was clear and blue as the sun casted its warmth upon the world. It wasn’t too hot, nor too cold. The weather was perfect. It seems like today would be a good day to search for something to eat. And so, you set on a small journey to find either a bakery or a candy shop to buy sweets. 

  It didn’t take long until the smell of freshly baked pastries reached your sense of smell, beckoning you to find the source of the smell. And so you did. Following the smell of freshly-baked pastries, you found yourself in front of a cake shop. Looking through the windows of the cake shop, you found your craving for sweets grow stronger. The sweet smell of freshly-baked pastries matched the pleasing presentation of each baked products. From tarts to cakes, they all looked delicious. 

  Entering the cake shop, you found yourself walking towards the counter. There, you found an ivy-green haired man, his mustard yellow eyes locking with your brown eyes. A welcoming smile reached his lips as he welcomed you to his family’s cake shop.

“Welcome! Is there anything you’d like to order?”

Romance will soon bloom like a beautiful rose, and it’s all thanks to your shared affinity for sweets. To the smell of his baked pastries that beckoned your curiosity and craving.

[adios-gatos]

I hope I'm not too late for the ask meme, could I ask n° 1 for the boys? Any combo you feel like! - Piraticusdorm

of course you arent dw!!

CONRAD:

BELLUS: - first of all hes already v into the piraticus dorm’s uniform for the shirts mostly and is usually into pretty people so the moment he sees conrad and his flashy fashion hes 👀. though conrad doesnt seem like the kind of person bellus would actually get a crush on?? its likely because hes an authority figure dnksa - not having a crush wouldnt stop him from hitting on conrad occasionally, mostly because bellus enjoys flustering people who seem composed. he does Not understand that being a mermaid in of itself can make others uncomfortable even if theyre in the same dorm - does want to braid some of the water flowers in the lake the boys claimed into conrads hair. if conrad declines he might try to sneak them in as a little game

MERI: - for reasons he wouldnt admit too, somehow meris jealous that conrad has kenns respect?? hes a lil jealous of anyone kenn respects but hes the most jealous over conrad - because of that hes huffy towards conrad and gives him the silent treatment. which doesnt really work on someone who doesnt know you but maybe its a blessing if anything and no one should explain that to meri - meri has made Many plans for pranks against conrad but conrad seems like a v observant guy?? so that and caspian and kenn being there to stop meri makes the situation lowkey feel like a wilde coyote and roadrunner one tbh

CASPIAN: - so like. he and the others had to get over their opinions about pirates pre-nrc quickly when they were put into the piraticus dorm and hes done p well with that. but he still cant stop feeling wary when he sees conrads eye patch and hat he wears in the dorm(?). but kenn likes him and the feeling isnt as bad whenever conrad is in more casual clothing so caspian just tolerates it - even with that, he enjoys the times conrad plays the piano and sings with everyone

KENN: - he has a lot of respect for conrad for being able to manage the dorm and as a result everyone within in. despite that he lowkey avoids talking to him when he can since after moving to nrc hes become Aware of the opinions people have about mermaids mostly because now he cant ignore them. so kenns likely aware of the fact conrad is uncomfortable around mermaids and tries to restrain the others enough where conrad doesnt have to get involved - probably overthinks if his magic specifically makes conrad uncomfortable since his is straight up siren magic. he learned that it isnt acceptable to just use his magic whenever he feels like during first year but since theyre both third years, when kenn remembers how he was when he was still adjusting hes just ‘god conrad saw that.’ hes found hours later by caspian with his head in his hands still embarrassed  - vibes a lot with the keeping your word but using any loopholes possible method conrad also uses. may or may not try to subtly point out loopholes to him if he somehow looks over one

TINK:

BELLUS: - likes trying to pick out the bells in tinks voice whenever hes singing and enjoys even more watching tink dance. bellus is most interested in whenever tink flies while dancing but the thought of doing the same makes him a lil skittish. flying seems fun but he isnt fond of the thought of what happens if you fall. you cant fall when youre in water!! - with the fact hes a hopeless romantic, the moment he hears about tinks secret admirer hes !!! and also trying to find out who it is. though if/when he does, he wont tell tink who it is because that Ruins the Suspense!! The Mystery!! that doesnt keep bellus from using knowing that secret to tease tink though so f

MERI: - even if meri isnt the nicest of the gang, he does like tinks pranks and will try to get tink involved in his. especially the ones that involve octavinelle - may Try to not provoke tink besides playful teasing because of the fact he sees tink as a potential prank buddy. he also understands neverland faeries more than mainlanders and non mermaid folk in general so hes more willing to rein himself in if it means tink will join his games - they both have some similar qualities like being quick to act out & fight and having fun at the expense of others. theyd either get along well or butt heads. maybe a bit of both! if they do play pranks together itd be harder for meri to get genuinely mad at tink when they clash. though he might end up treating it like a game and make tink more upset when they do smh

CASPIAN: - thinks its amusing to watch tinks pranks but he wont outwardly show more than maybe a smile at his antics - since he likes people watching and sometimes drawing said people, caspian probably has some drawing of tink in his journal mostly focused on his face. he just remembers all the other neverland faeries hes seen from the lagoons whenever he sees tink and with that, the rest of neverland. so drawing tink reminds a bit of home - even with that association caspian still doesnt talk to tink often like how he does with most other people

KENN: - lowkey associates tink with caspian since they both have the right hand man role going on - also sees tinks pranks as entertaining, its just whenever meri is there too he becomes more wary about the situation - he does want to respect tink since hes a vice dorm leader, its just whenever he sees him around the dorm he cant help but just be internally “whos this lost sassy child..........” the 9 inch height difference they have doesnt help tink out there

KROK:

BELLUS: - for some reason krok Does seem like someone bellus would have a crush on?? itd be a one sided one and off type of crush more than anything but its still there in the background - dnvs i could see bellus unintentionally scaring off krok more than anything with his flirting when its taken into account the reputation neverland mermaids made for themselves. hes out there trying to braid kroks hair and playfully splash him and convince him to sunbathe with the others because theres snacks and kroks just “oh god this guys gonna try to drown me” - so maybe he does also splash people he doesnt like but its about the Context yknow? - a lil confused when he hears that krok cant sing Or play instruments and offers to teach him. which mostly involves getting caspian to teach him because bellus is only a good teacher when the topics about stars. but he Will be willing to sit through the lessons with him

MERI: - hes a lil intimidated by the fact kroks a crocodile even if krok doesnt get into fights in the first place especially unprovoked. though considering meri tends to provoke Everyone, he might have a good reason to be wary - also isnt fond of kroks ability to eat others magic since he relies on his so much. and with the fun combination of meris temper, his unintentional magic usage when hes upset, the fact the piratcus dorms are on the ocean, and that being on a ship doesnt make a boiling ocean any more comfortable, kroks likely had to eat meris magic before. hes still upset about it - even though their height difference is only 4 inches, meri sometimes squats when they do talk out of spite - despite all of that, he does appreciate that kroks an honest person because lying about emotions is such a hassle. though he also thinks that krok not hiding things too takes the fun out of things

CASPIAN: - tbh he cant comprehend the concept of someone not being good at both playing instruments and singing, mostly because hes used to being around music focused magic back home. like?? are you saying you cant even play a shell horn?? what the fuck???? he assumes krok is just fucking with them even if krok tries to prove he isnt - if krok does accept bellus’s offer to learn how to play, caspian is a pretty patient person so hopefully thatd make krok more comfortable? outside of that, caspian does enjoy playing and talking with the fish and birds around the campus so that could be something they could talk about- - caspian does lie a lot though especially to people he isnt close to so that might bring up some issues between them vdsv

KENN: - “caspian theres a weird fucking cat outside” - kenn when he first sees krok sunbathing - he understands wanting time to relax but he doesnt get sleeping all the time. hes used to everyone always wanting to splash and play back home and only stop to brush their hair and sunbathe so someone willingly choosing to just snooze whenever he can?? why’d you do that........ - even if he doesnt understand it he’ll still try to not wake up krok if hes sleeping outside again. sometimes bellus and meri get past him but he does what he can to keep them from bothering him like he does with most - hes v interested in kroks magic tbh since it seems v useful to have on hand. hes also a lil curious about what his own magic tastes like

[casual--fridays]

uniform is like a hoodie, her summer uniform has no sleeves while her winter one has very baggy sleeves

they didn't get glasses till later on in their 3rd year sometime after the star plasma arc due to an immense lack of sleep that ruined their sight

aand short hair came along sometime during their 2nd year after they dismantled their family clan lolol

during the baseball ep vv

okok so alex starts off as a transfer student and begins going to jujutsu high in her second year alongside geto, gojo and shoko

they're relatively close w/ shoko but in a more similar way that I am with my closest friend (ie we have no filter when we talk about stuff, by that I mean we just talk about everything casually ranging from in detail period buisness to body issues because yay dysphoria)

after that, she's closer to gojo by a longshot and both are best friends who are also even closer w/ geto (and secretly in love with him lmfaoo) After the events of jjk0 gojo offers alex to come back to the school and she reluctantly accepts since they've got nothing left, with that she becomes gojo's assistant teacher and the two grow incredibly close over the empty hole in their hearts due to the loss of geto. plus both are incredibly clingy people so they're always there for one another in an instant if the other is feeling lonely (which in fact is an extremely common occurrence on a near daily basis 💀)

and obviously the person they're closest to is geto, their best friend and eventual boyfriend (and husband later down the line) Before geto officially left the school he took nanako and mimiko to alex's dorm, explained the situation and after alex cleaned the two girls up they left together. alex never necessarily enjoyed the life of a jujutsu sorcerer especially after receiving the scar over her eye and a large scar on the back of her neck from their fight with toji which left even deeper mental scars.

other people she's close to ranges such as with nanako and mimiko, her adopted daughters. haibara, who used to be a good friend of hers prior to... yk. nanami and them never got necessarily close but after the jjk0 incident when alex was an assistant teacher the two got along due to their resentment towards being a jujutsu sorcerer. alex is like a big sister/parental figure towards the main trio (yuuji, nobara & megumi) and is extremely protective over them both physically and mentally bc she does not want the world to have them end up like geto. them and yuuji are closer than the others since she was always there for geto when he had to swallow curses, so she's there to help support him since she has a good grasp of how horrible it is and how much of a burden it is. alex didn't take part I'm the night of a hundred demons but she still avoids the 2nd years since she's aware of geto's run-in with them. she doesn't blame them for what happened to geto but things are very awkward between her and yuuta for obvious reasons. yaga is a parental figure for alex as well since he was her teacher and a very influential one at that who always looked out for his students which lead to her wanting to do the same for everyone else

another surprising friendship is between alex, jogo, hanami and dagon. alex and geto hung out with the three quite often prior to the events of jjk0 so she grew very fond of them and the four had soft spots for one another. alex wanted them to just run off and forget everything to live long lives despite them being curses but thanks to kenjaku returning and manipulating them, we all know how that turnt out.

now that the basics of relationships is went over, now onto their cursed technique and life as a sorcerer bc yaaay

so basically alex's cursed technique is cursed energy hardening, where they can basically manipulate their cursed energy into a solid of whatever form they desire, whether that is weapons or solid blocks used as stuff to block attacks or to climb up into the air like stairs. she's an incredibly strong sorcerer as a grade 1 and is occasionally considered to be a special grade, but because of her technique itself that prevents her from ever truly reaching special grade. they're an incredible fighter and physically stronger than gojo and geto (bc yay heavy lifting) and can beat both in an arm wrestling contest cause why not. obviously in overall strength she isn't close to the other two since her grade as a sorcerer is so high mostly due to her seemingly endless level of cursed energy. due to an immense amount of trauma growing up her cursed energy is created almost nonstop so she doesn't need to worry about limiting herself unless it comes to domain expansion which requires her to fight for a certain amount of time prior to get the proper buildup. female sorcerer's own strength is never put into consideration when being ranked, their looks are. after alex recovered from the events from the star plasma vessel arc, she was called in by the higher ups and her rank was taken down to a semi grade-2 due to the scar on her face "ruining her quality as a female sorcerer." they were going to be grade 3 but their level of cursed energy saved them from that further downgrade, but once geto and gojo heard of that they confronted the higher ups and she regained her og grade bc fuck misogyny.

alex is the only member of her family clan which she disbanded after a fight with her father for leadership. he sent the remainder of her family away to an unknown location and it was still unconfirmed if they were killed or not since the only one who escaped was her sister because she was out making horrible life decisions (based off my irl big sis ahahahhaha 😐) at time of everyone's disappearance. alex lost the first time in a humiliating way and that's how she got a large scar across her back and stretching to an arm. but after recovering and training they mastered their technique, fought him once again, won and disbanded the clan.

as said in the relationships area, alex left with geto and the two moved around places for a little while with the nanako and mimiko. from the start alex took on a parental role towards them alongside geto and spoiled them as much as she could, tending to their every need and ready to be at their side at a moments notice. eventually geto started his cult and so alex and the girls started off living in an apartment that he'd return home to after the day was finished up until they received enough funds to move into the cult's main building itself where they stayed until the events of jjk0. after the death of a certain someone, alex and gojo came across one another and gojo offered to let her rejoin the school as an assistant teacher since she didn't have the proper experience to be an actual teacher. alex always wanted to be a teacher so they were comforted by gojo's offer, though reluctant to accept due to the number of crimes committed as a curse user alongside geto, worried of being accused of being an accomplice to geto's list of murders (good for you geto you hot baddie, king, icon, girlboss)

gojo promised to keep alex safe and fight the higher ups if he needed, so desperate to get his friend back to fill that void in his life that was only amplified with the loss of his one and only. he was willing to put his entire career on the line just to make sure they could come back into his life and his argument with the higher ups was enough for that to happen. alex often went back and fourth, taking time to care for nanako and mimiko over the weekends since they committed too many crimes to have it safe for them to be spared or near the school's campus alone since alex moved back into the school eventually. she also had one last conversion with jogo, hanami and dagon where she gave them one final request for them to live their lives to the fullest, to stay safe and treasure themselves. to live a peaceful and happy life away from everything. (obviously that didn't happen lmfao)

then the next year rolled around and alex officially became gojo's assistant teacher and it stayed that way up until the shibuya incident where due to kenjaku and the loss of gojo's protection (bc of... yk 📦...) she was once again considered a curse user and suspended from the sorcerer world. she took on the full role as everyone's teacher and rounded up all of gojo's students (ie the remaining 1st and 2nd years) and helped them recover thanks from help from yuuta, shoko, choso and yuki.

alex guided them to the place where tengen resides which wasn't a pleasant place to be considering her trauma rooted there from the star plasma vessel arc, even commenting about the stain of blood on the floor likely belonging to riko. alex held a grudge against master tegen since she blamed him for riko's sorry excuse for a life and how the whole mission was pointless so they didn't even want to be there in the first place, but that parental instinct towards gojo's students was strong enough for her to stay with them for protection. after that they left yuki and choso which now leads us to the current arc

in the culling game arc alex is trying to find the others in their group and are doing fine as of now but they hold the hope that they'll come across geto, haibara, nanami, nobara or nanako and mimiko due to the quirks of the culling games. they aren't taking shit from anyone and are pretty much in rage mode dude to kenjaku's interference with everything and how they got separated from all they have left to live for. (also when they first say kenjaku they stepped in before he could attack yuuji, screamed and cried while blaming kenjaku for taking away everything from her and flaunting around their dead lovers body but then he was all "lmao I know you ain't gonna hurt me, you wouldn't hurt this face even though it isn't him" but yuuji stepped in and defended her in return and then everything else followed suit)

idk this blog was mostly just me rambling but I wanna introduce ocs and self inserts I use for their respective fandoms so why not start here lol

if I get freetime I'm definitely planning on drawing/doodling them w/ some of the important people in their life (obviously geto is for sure lol) so lookout for that sometime in the future? 👀