#school unity

[pinkskytwst]

SCHOOL UNITY: NRC vs. RSA - Part I

Octavinelle - Octatrio/Prefect Poly

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“Azul, hypothetical question.” The Prefect said in leu of a greeting when they entered the octomer’s office after their classes had finished for the day.

Their voice was casual but there was an undertone that had the Housewarden looking up from the notes he had been working on. He watched them place their bag on the coffee table absently and drop onto the sofa and turn a smile on him that had the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end.

“Say I, I don’t know, want to murder someone in cold blood with my bare hands.” Azul’s eyebrows rose. “How would I go about doing that without getting caught or at least be able to get away with it legally?”

There was a beat of silence.

“Hypothetically.”

A huff of a laugh escaped Azul’s lips and he stood to join them on the sofa, opening his arms and gladly allowing them to bury into his chest and squeeze their anger out with an embrace.

“And would this hypothetical body I would be helping you bury happen to be a certain useless Headmage?” he asked, tugging off his gloves and then running his fingers through the Prefect’s hair as their much weaker human arms tightened as hard as they could, and they let out a muffled little scream into his shoulder.

Azul let them express their frustrations patiently, his stronger body not bothered in the slightest by their attempts to imagine themself squeezing Crowley until his spine broke in two. He just kept petting their hair until the Prefect let out a sigh and slumped against him with a grumble.

“You know the joint festival things that are going to be happening with RSA? Well apparently it’s been decided that they are going to be coming here first and then the second part of the festival will be held at RSA.” They said, shifting to cuddle properly and kick their shoes off to pull their feet up.

Azul nodded as he reached down to tug their tie loose to allow them to relax better. He and Jade felt comfortable in these sorts of clothes just as much as any other human kind, but the Prefect and Floyd felt stifled when they had to wear it too long. Their jacket joined the discarded tie a moment later before they snuggled back against him once more.

“I am aware, my pearl.” He said, they had been planning on booths and ways to drain the RSA students of their madols, after all.

“Well guess who Crowley has decided should be the representative for Night Raven College.” They said with an exhausted sigh, making Azul jolt at the news.

“What!?” he gaped, looking down at his lover and then up towards the door as Jade stepped in with a tray of drinks.

“Indeed.” The eelmer said, calm as ever but Azul could easily read the annoyance in the line of his shoulders. “It seems that the Headmage has placed our dear Prefect in the official position of Student Body Representative-“ “Without even asking!” “-and therefore given the responsibility of hosting the Housewardens of RSA during the festival and all that entails.”

Azul’s glasses slipped as he looked between his taller lover and the annoyed, pouting one in his arms who was sipping at their tea in a desperate attempt to regain some stability.

“But…this is…you haven’t even been here a YEAR!” he stammered, and oh how the Prefect loved him for not focusing on the fact that they were magicless as most would have.

“He said it’s great training since it’s apparently a position I’ll be keeping because it’s easier for him to give me the job than to try and mediate to the other Housewardens as who deserves it instead.” They explained dryly.

Which…yes, Azul could see how that would be a touchy situation considering more than one Housewarden was a royal and the others had nearly as much political influence. The school was funded by donations and while Azul knew it was far better off than the mage tried to make it seem – there was no tuition to go to NRC after all - he was probably worried about offending someone and cutting off part of the madol flow.

Choosing the Prefect, however, would be a decent alternative with the excuse that their unique situation and position as magicless could be played off as being a ‘mascot’ of sorts without offending families too much. Some might not be happy about it, but it wouldn’t cause the insulted rage that would come from some of the royals otherwise.

Azul heaved a sigh, already realizing that even though it was absolutely ridiculous that their Prefect was being thrown into this…it wasn’t a situation that Crowley was going to back down from. Not when he seemed to have a strange, selective blindness when it came to the care and support of his ‘favorite student’. He had a weekly tea time with them, checking on their studies and even asking about their enjoyment there in NRC, doting on them and even calling them his ‘child’ more than once. Then he would send them off to Ramshackle that he had to be threatened to fix up enough for hot water and central heating.

And somehow, despite how annoyed the Prefect got with the fae (crow?), they still felt a sort of unwilling fondness for him the way they did Professor Crewel as if the two were a set of mismatched parents. Professor Crewel was the responsible parent, of course, and the one that had done the threatening to ensure that Ramshackle was livable.

Crowley was the forgetful father who kept all of their child’s kindergarten drawings and their picture in his wallet but left them alone for weeks at the age of seven because they could ‘take care of the house while he was gone!’.

Azul wished Crewel would file for a divorce and sole custody.

“So, what are the responsibilities that come with this position and what can we do to help, my pearl?” he asked, looking down on their human.

“What? No!” the Prefect said instantly, almost slamming their teacup down on the tray to reach up to cup his cheeks, then smooshed them with a determined pout. “You three are already going to be neck deep in taking care of Octavinelle, the booths, and the Lounge for the festival! I’m not going to let you work yourself to death to help me!”

Jade chuckled fondly as he took a seat beside them, watching bemused as their human threw their leg over Azul’s lap to position themselves there facing him and still squishing and tugging at his cheeks.

Azul couldn’t help but chuckle and reached up to take their hands and pull them away from his abused face.

“Dearest, you can’t expect us to let you be forced to handle such a monumental responsibility on your own?” he reminded them gently.

They crossed their arms over their chest stubbornly.

“Grim said he would help me since we’re a two-in-one.” They said, though the looks that the two sent them said all they needed to about that sentiment.

“Oh, come on, Grim’s gotten a lot better.” They pointed out, but the small smile they were trying to force back betrayed them.

They gave in with a sigh and shrugged. “I know it’s going to be a lot and I am really frustrated at the bird, but I’ll handle it. I don’t want to put even more responsibilities on your shoulders when you guys have so much to do as it is.” They said seriously, their expression falling a bit. “You already do so much for me, and I don’t want to be a burden-ow!”

“Haaaaah, what was that Koebi-chan?” Floyd demanded, pinching, and pulling on the Prefect’s cheeks as he had suddenly appeared looming over the human from behind.

Jade chuckled into his hand as his twin had used the stealth skills that most forgot he possessed to sneak up on their human after slipping into the office silently just in time to hear their words.

The attack wasn’t to the point of bruising, but Floyd wasn’t gentle either as he continued to tug annoyed as the Prefect whined and tried escaping his grasp. Their head fell back against Floyd’s chest, and it was only Azul holding onto their hips that kept them from tumbling off his lap all together.

“Floyd!!! Staahp!” they complained.

“Why? Koebi-chan is saying stupid things again and if their face is going to say stupid things then their face needs to be punished.” He replied mercilessly, tugging on their cheeks once more and eliciting a whine from the Prefect.

Azul found the sight entertaining but he found himself just as irritated as Floyd by what they had said.

Their lover wasn’t a martyr and knew how to stand up for themself, but they were too forgiving and kind for their own good. They also had an unfortunate habit of seeing themself as a burden when in need of even the smallest things or comfort. It was a learned response, and he could tell it was something that was from earlier than coming to their world. He doubted the Headmage helped with how he would bring up his ‘kindness’ and ‘generosity’ at random times or whenever ‘gifting’ something to the Prefect that they inherently deserved and required.

It was something the three merfolk had unanimously agreed they would be stopping.

“Ah-lright!, ah-lright!” they gave in. “Mah stupid fah-ce was being stupid.”

“Damn right.” Floyd said, still not releasing them. “And what was stupid?”

“Ah’m not a burden!” they yelped, sighing in relief when Floyd let go suddenly and dropped himself down between Azul and Jade, shimmying in place and forcing room for himself.

He dragged a pouting Prefect into his lap and proceeded to wrap himself around them while they rubbed at their cheeks, sulking.

“Koebi-chan should know that symbiotes are not burdens.” He said in a huff and burying his face into their hair firmly.

A small, saddened smile pulled on Azul’s lips as he lightly ran his hand over one of the Prefect’s legs that were still stretched across his lap. He knew that feeling. He knew what it was like to see himself as not good enough. Not worth enough. It was something he still struggled with sometimes, but the twins had thrown themselves into proving him wrong and not letting him fall into that mental trap anymore. The Prefect had certainly made their stance clear on the subject while he was recovering from his Overblot.

The fact that their precious little human could, even in passing, feel the same way made him taste acid on his tongue and the warring desire to both eviscerate whoever had caused those beliefs to be born in their mind in the first place and the need to wrap them up in all his ten limbs and hide them away so that no one could ever make them feel like that again.

“Floyd is right, my dear.” He said softly but firmly. “You are never a burden to us. I hope that you don’t believe we would ever think of you as one.”

There was still a small pout on their lips from the aching they were trying to massage away, but he saw their expression soften a little.

“I know you don’t.” they admitted in a small voice before snuggling down more into Floyd’s embrace. “Today’s just been a lot. I’m serious though. I would like to try and handle this on my own, at least at first.”

Azul wanted to argue, was about to try and convince them to let the three of them – or even someone he semi-trusted like Riddle or Vil – to assist them, but the look Jade sent him stopped him. The other tweel leaned in around his brother and added an arm to the ones at their waist and nuzzled into where their neck and shoulder met. He placed a kiss there before smiling and giving a small hum.

“Perhaps a deal could be a solution to this disagreement.” He suggested. “Our strong, competent, and capable Ramshackle Prefect-“ they snorted softly at his obvious attempt to butter them up. “-will do their best to take care of the responsibilities that come with the position of Student Representative, and we will only step in should we see a need.”

“Oh no, the wording of that is way too easy for you guys to slip around.” They rolled their eyes. “How about you agree to let me handle this and I’ll agree to let you help if it starts affecting my health - physical health.”

Azul almost wanted to pout at their catch. They were getting far more meticulous about word choice since being with them. He was normally proud, but it was quite vexing during times like this when it was turned on them.

“Very well, my pearl.” He finally gave in, leaning over to place a kiss on their forehead and leaning his weight against Floyd’s shoulder. “But you shall promise us not to hide if it IS too much, yes?”

“I promise.” They smiled softly, shifting to return the kiss and settle down happily in their tangle of limbs.

Azul was always at his most relaxed like this.

“Hey henchman!”

Azul sighed as the office door was thrown open and the Prefect chuckled fondly, giving him another quick kiss in apology for their partner’s lack of manners or situational awareness.

“I finished the tuna so how long are you gonna be busy cuddling before we go home?” Grim asked, ducking under Floyd’s propped up legs and reaching up to climb his way into his partner’s lap, completely ignoring what he might be interrupting.

The merfolk shifted to give him room and the Prefect helped pull him into their arms better despite the exasperation from their lovers.

“We can head back now. We’ve got to get some paperwork filled out and Crowley said he would have it sent to the dorm.” They said, nuzzling his head absently. “Did you at least thank Floyd for making you food?”

“Oh, yeah, thanks fishsticks, it was good.”

“Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. Catfish is getting kind of bratty. I should-“ but the Prefect cut him off with a quick kiss of his own and began to detangle themselves from the pile.

“Thank you for everything, I really needed it.” They smiled fondly once they were on their feet and looking down at the three with Grim in their arms. “I promise I’ll be alright and I’ll make sure to keep you guys updated.”

Floyd pouted, making grabby hands at them and earning a laugh from the human before they leaned over again and gave each of them a final kiss.

“You are always welcome, angelfish.” Jade smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind their ear.

“Of course. We are here whenever you need us.” Azul agreed, standing to adjust his suit back into place properly.

He took one of their hands and place a kiss to the back gently.

“I’m going to walk Koebi-chan back to the dorm.” Floyd said with a large grin, swiping up the Prefect’s bag and clothing items before rushing them out the door.

“You had better be back in time for your shift Floyd!” Azul called after them quickly. “Floyd! I know you heard me! You’re on cooking duty tonight! Floyd!”

The only answer was the sound of cackles disappearing towards the lounge exit and the Prefect trying to convince him to give them a chance to put their shoes back on first.

Azul heaved a sigh, rubbing at his forehead and mentally preparing to adjust the shift roster in the likely event that Floyd mysteriously didn’t return until after closing.

It earned him a chuckle from Jade as the eelmer started gathering up the now cold drinks.  

“Don’t fret, Azul, he will return.” The lack of assurance that it would be in time to work was all the confirmation the octomer needed and he huffed when Jade leaned down to tilt his chin up into a slow kiss. “I will handle the kitchen tonight while you make plans.” He assured him calmly.

“Yes, yes, thank you Jade.” Azul answered, wishing he had been able to keep them all in his arms a bit longer.

He turned back to his desk and began his homework again to get it out of the way. They had given their word to the Prefect but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to be prepared in they DID need their help.

He didn't like leaving things up to chance.

“I’ll admit,” Jade said a few minutes later when he returned with fresh tea and setting the cup in Azul’s reach. “-you handled that quite a bit better than I expected.”

Azul raised an eyebrow at the taller male.

“I’d hardly force our help on them if it would truly upset them.”

“Oh, no, I mean about the Student Representative position.” He smiled, his expression telling the octomer instantly that there was something he was missing that Jade was very aware of and enjoying.

“While I don’t agree with the Headmage thrusting that much responsibility on a student not even complete with their first year – let alone from another world – I have faith that they will do an admirable job.”

“I absolutely agree, of course.” He continued to smile, the corners stretching even farther. “They will make for the best welcome party for the RSA students that we have to offer.”

Azul’s brow furrowed at the wording.

“I’m sure the RSA Housewardens will be absolutely charmed. Prince Rielle is always happy to make new human friends, after all.”

“FUCK!”

------------------------------------------------

Hi guys, this is the next part of School Unity but it was getting kind of long (they all kind of went on a tangent :/ ) so I'm posting the first part now and I'll do the second later.

I really love the way Writingerror does the Octatrio, especially Floyd, and 'Yuu and the Power of Magic' was the first twst fanfic I ever read (like, the highest standards from the very beginning!) so a lot of my internal characterization of Floyd comes from that. I also love the 'symbiote' idea and think that Floyd really would use a lot of those types of phrases to describe what the four of them have even if it's not shown as romantic in YatPoM.

Definitely go read their stuff! it's amazing! And I hope you like this and I can't wait to show the Prefect meeting RSA (especially Rielle)!

<3

Yuu and the Power of Magic by: Writingerror

[yearningforunity]

Stokely Carmichael addresses an October 1968 gathering outside of the New School of Afro-American Thought following the police shooting of Elijah Bennett.

D.C. Public Library, Star Collection

[drabbles-of-writing]

Love that Terra clearly had the worst possible understanding of Eda and Raine (thinking they wouldn’t team up to fight her as kids, that Raine wasn’t smart enough to lie through their teeth until the Day of Unity, etc) but even SHE knows damn well those two are absolute fucking losers for each other. Can you imagine how insufferable they had to be off-screen for Terra to openly mock it with zero hesitation. What did she have to bear witness to

[the-everqueen]

me [takes your face gently between my hands]: hob gadling would not be a history professor at any number of british universities because of how humanities academia works and even if he were, rose walker would not be his student or advisee.

[panopticonpancakes]

Kyoya/Kaoru Playlist

I was looking for a rhyme for the New York Times / When I sensed I was not alone / She said, "Do you know how to spell audaciously?” / I could tell I was in love - Charlotte Street - Lloyd Cole and the Commotions

And like every mother's son / I was raised within a cause / With a purpose to fulfill / I was taught to defend what was mine / And instructed not to kill - Every Mother’s Son - The Pretenders

Am I gonna settle down / Am I gonna be / Someone who has to take the rest of my life / To settle down? / Then I guess you caught me lying to myself - The Rest of My Life -  Sloan

[softlysavvy]

new study session 🫖, studying mecanics this time♥️ woking on a group report we have to submit 🌸🌸

[otaku553]

On this day I have been dealt an unprecedented amount of psychic damage

[peridot-tears]

French Frye Dislikes Hitting it from the Back

More specifically, Jacob. Which Arno completely respects, because he doesn't like taking it from behind either.

But he does request that Jacob do him doggy style, and after the third or so time, when Jacob asks, "I didn't think you'd be a fan. Why do you keep asking me to do this?"

Arno responds, "Because I don't have to see your face."

[hazmatazz]

i had free photoshop because one of my classes was LEARNING photoshop and you'd never guess who's student subscription to adobe products ran out

[sour-sailin]

Strawpage (^_^)

Sorry if layout is confusing!!! Tried to fit everything in a nice grid but it was too hardt... </3

[linuxgamenews]

OXENFREE has a massive discount right now

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Looping Back To OXENFREE

The people behind the game have been sharing a bunch of videos that take a deep dive into the twisted timeline of the original adventure and give you a taste of what's coming in OXENFREE II: Lost Signals. They're inspiring to watch. Unfortunately, there's no news yet on whether OXENFREE II: Lost Signals will work on Linux. But don't sweat it; as soon as we know more, we'll let you know. The wait for the sequel won't be long. Mark your calendar for July 12th! It'll be launching on Mac and Windows PC. So, gear up to jump into an adventure full of mystery, supernatural thriller, and fascinating stories. Due to grip you from start to finish! And remember, your choices matter, so choose wisely. Available with an 80% discount on Steam (priced at $1.99 USD / £1.43 / 1,63€), regular price on GOG and Humble Store.

[pinkskytwst]

SCHOOL UNITY : NRC vs RSA - Part II

Pairings: Octatrio/Prefect Romantic Poly, NRC/Prefect, Rielle/Prefect one-sided, Neige/Prefect one-sided

The Prefect was exhausted by the time the festival finally arrived but they were proud to admit that they felt like they had done a rather good job at taking care of things. Being the manager for the VDC had at least given them some experience in paperwork and how to juggle multiple aspects of a project at the same time. Notes were an absolute requirement and they pretty much didn’t go anywhere anymore without a detailed planner that had an entire section just for notes in it that was now almost filled up.

Jade had been the one to gift it to them and they were endlessly thankful for it. It also helped ease their concern a bit when the planning seemed to be getting even to Azul as their lover was more clingy the fewer times they could meet up with them and he kept pampering them with gifts.

They tried to figure out if there was something wrong but the twins would just snicker and Azul would blush darkly and refuse to answer.

They finally chocked it all up to being a coping mechanism for stress and only refused the gifts when they started to get too stupidly expensive for them to feel comfortable with. They had to cuddle Azul twice as much those time as the poor octomer would wilt and look ready to cry, but really!?

What would they do with an outfit beaded completely with pearls!? THE ENTIRE THING! It weighed a ton!

It had made them almost nauseous thinking of how stressful it would be to have such an expensive set of clothing – that they were sure even Vil would have appreciated – sitting in their decrepit closet where it would probably get mold damage or stolen!

Azul have some restraint please!

Their lover’s dramatics aside, things had gone decently well.

Grim had helped as much as his attention span would allow – mostly they kept him busy with running errands or hanging out with the other first years – and surprisingly Crowley hadn’t been completely useless.

Their tea times had become an every day thing and while the Headmage would ramble off sometimes into completely different subjects, or complaining about his rival Headmage Ambrose the 63rd, he was actually knowledgeable about how best to organize and get things done.

They did point out to him rather annoyed that it proved he was fully capable of doing his own job, but the fae just ignored the comments and continued on with his cackled laughs and wild motions.

When they couldn’t spend time with their lovers they would even get to work in Crewel’s office as the professor would always have really expensive looking snacks for them and would even go out of his way to walk them back to Ramshackle if they stayed too late.

It was hectic and while they did miss spending more time with the trio, it wasn’t awful, and they didn’t feel like they were having to do it all alone despite what they had told the octomer.

Which was a nice surprise and relief, honestly.

So, when the first day of the festival finally came and they were waiting at the gates of NCR wearing their ceremonial robes and an hour of Jade’s makeup and hair skills, they didn’t really feel nervous.

Grim had been warned/bribed handsomely to be on his best behaviour and was sitting in their arms whispering insults and gossip about the Headmage beside them behind his paw while the fae – who could absolutely hear him – grit his teeth and held himself back from skinning their partner.

Grim was getting better at this, too, apparently picking up some tips from Jade.

“It’s a good thing we’re here.” He ‘whispered’ conspiratorially to them behind his paw. “The bird would probably lose the goody-two-shoes in like, five minutes without us. He’s pretty useless, huh?”

The Prefect had to hide their face in Grim’s fur but it was impossible to mistake the shaking of their shoulders for anything but the laughter they were trying to contain.

They loved Grim.

The absolutely offended gasp from the fae almost broke them.

“How dare you! I am the Headmage and the most skilled magic user on the island! I would not lose a student!”

“You lost me at the opening ceremony.” They grinned at him teasingly. “And if you're the most powerful mage then surely you have found out a way for me to go home by now?” they said sweetly.

“My child! How could you say such things about your father!?” he gasped, bursting into theatrical tears behind his mask.

“You’re not my dad.” They answered blandly.

“Betrayed by the one I have so generously raised! My own flesh and blood!”

“I’m not even from the same dimension as you, let alone the same race or your natural spawn – thank god.”

“Oh, woe is me! How will I go on with my heart so cruelly torn asunder by the vicious words of one I hold so dear to my heart!?”

“You got my name wrong yesterday.”

“WOE!!!!!! AGONY!!!!”

 That was their breaking point, the Prefect dissolved into giggles than all out laughter as the man threw himself dramatically against one of the stone pillars of the college entrance gate like he was the lead in a telenovela that had just been cheated on.

This was the scene that the Headmaster and dorm leaders of RSA happened upon when they appeared not too far from them, teleportation sigil flaring white under their feet before disappearing.

The older gentleman cleared his throat and Crowley was instantly at the Prefect’s side again as if nothing had happened, cane tight in his grip and tight smile on his lips.

“Headmaster Crowley, how wonderful to see you again.” Ambrose greeted as the Prefect tried to stifle their laughs as best they could. “And this must be the charming student representative that I’ve heard so much about!”

Crowley’s hand came to rest against their back but it was more meant to keep them in place instead of getting any closer to the guests.

“Ambrose.” He said simply with a nod as the Prefect gave a polite bow. “And, yes, this is our dear Ramshackle Prefect and their partner Grim.” He said, lightly, surprisingly adding their first name – correctly – but not sharing their family name.

“Well it is wonderful to meet you, my dear. I have heard wonderful things and I’m sure that what you have planned for my boys will be delightful.” He said happily, turning slightly to have the five Housewardens of RSA step closer.

“I believe you met Neige at the VDC,” the slender, beautiful boy with dark hair smiled brightly and waved, “This is Ellis Liddel,” A tall blonde with a dreamy expression and oversized pale blue sweater smiled, “Prince Yasmeen Al-Asim,” a beautiful, darker skinned boy who wasn’t as tall as Ellis but shared feature with Kalim, though with long, thick black hair instead, “Beau Desrosiers,” a studious looking boy with wavy brown hair, brown animal ears that were similar in shape to Leona’s but slightly more pointed with small horns in front of them, “and Prince Rielle Triton.” A brightly smiling boy with hair almost brighter than Riddle’s that was cut short in the back but had sweeping bangs and the brightest blue eyes the Prefect had ever seen.

“It’s nice to meet you.” They greeted, bowing again and prompting Grim to say so too.

“Yeah, nice to meet ya.” The monster said, though not putting much politeness in his tone.

“It’s so great to meet you as well!” the red head nearly bounced forward eagerly and snatching their hand. “Neige-kun told us all about you and I’ve been so excited to meet someone so special they were accepted into NRC even without magic!” he gushed.

“Hey, hands off my henchman, fishboy!” Grim demanded petulantly, trying to wave his paw in an attempt to fend off the boisterous redhead.

The Prefect gave a weak chuckle but did pull their hand away from the prince gently.

“It was nice to meet LeBlanche-san during the VDC. It was an…eventful night.” They agreed, nodding at the dark haired boy who lit up at their gaze on him and flashed a beautiful smile highlighted by a light flush on his cheeks.

“It was wonderful to meet you as well, Prefect-san! I'm very glad we spend time together again!” he agreed quickly, eyes sparkling.

“Delightful! I’m sure my students will have a great time under your representative’s care!” Ambrose 63rd smiled, causing Crowley’s lips to pull down just slightly.

“Yes, they are quite capable.” He said, tensing up when the other Headmaster suggested that the two of them head off and let the ‘youth’ enjoy themselves.

The Prefect was a bit surprised that Crowley seemed to be hesitating a little, his glowing gold eyes flickering down to them for a moment before his jaw twitched slightly and he plastered a large, incredibly fake smile on his lips.

“Of course, the rest of your students should be arriving shortly, yes? I will show you where the festival is set up.”

The two older men headed off, though the Prefect didn’t miss the faint pressure against their back before Crowley pulled away, almost like he wanted to just dig his claw tipped fingers into their uniform and drag them along but thought better of it and let go at the last moment.

The oddness was brushed off easily enough, though, at it being Crowley and they faced the five visiting students again.

“Is there anything in particular you wanted to do or see? I was going to show you around a bit and give you some information about the school but if you’d rather just go directly to the festival area that’s fine too.” They offered, not wanting to force the visitors on a tour if they really weren’t interested.

They would probably be bored if the visitors tried to show them around RSA, after all.

Anything would be boring after NRC.

“Oh, that sounds perfect!” Rielle said happily, clasping his hands together and leaning forward into their personal space.

The Prefect stepped back automatically but was glad when the darker skinned Prince reached out to gently tug the red head back.

“Remember what we said about personal space, Elle-kun.” He said calmly with a small, polite smile. “Sorry about that.”

The Prefect quickly waved off the worried apologies from Rielle and turned to the open gates.

“Then if you’re interested, I could start with Main Street and we can go from there.” They offered.

“Thank you, we would appreciate that.” he said.

“Could we visit the library as well?” the smaller brunette asked hopefully, his voice soft. “I’ve heard NRC’s collection is the largest in all of Twisted Wonderland.”

The Prefect’s smile warmed a bit at his obvious interest. He was rather adorable. Like a little hamster.

“Of course, I’ve already gotten permission to show you everywhere around campus that you are interested in as long as we don’t cause disruption. Some of the houses are still working on last minute preparations, after all.” They explained as they started leading them down towards the main ‘street’ area with the Seven statues and central courtyard of the school.

They began the ‘tour guide’ routine they had practiced and studied for, answering questions and trying to keep Grim from getting too worked up when Prince Rielle would eagerly snag their arm or hand.

Yasmeen would shake his head fondly and continue to try and act as wrangler for the other prince and Neige asked about how they had been since the VDC. The tallest, Ellis, followed close behind but seemed happy to take in everything around him with dreamy eyes and a random yawn here or there while Beau was the softest spoken but asked the most in depth questions about the school, themself, and Grim.

While they knew they would have to expect less personal space around a merfolk, the boys weren’t that unpleasant to be around. They were friendly and polite, never trying to push if there was a question they didn’t feel like answering, and never ignored them or talked over them like some NRC students liked to do.

Yasmeen was keen on hearing about his cousin once the Prefect admitted to knowing him, the prince's expression fond and warm. Neige and Rielle were like sparkles and sunshine personified and the Prefect felt like they were being blinded sometimes but the two were interested in anything they were willing to talk about. Beau was definitely a sweetheart - they decided within five minutes - as he quietly gushed over the history and scholarly information that they were giving out. Ellis was a bit odd but kind, whimsical in the same way that Che'nya was and the blonde admitted with a smile that the cat therianthrope was a close friend.

None of them were forceful or overbearing. They didn't tease them about not having magic. They even praised Grim for being able to go to school there as the first monster - something that Grim preened at happily and began boasting about his exploits.

Neige pulled out a package of small cookies from his pocket for the feline and Grim instantly dug in, causing them all to laugh and for the dark haired boy to giggle and simply pull out another package for them to share.

They tasted good. Maybe not up to Trey's level but still delicious.

Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

-

“What do you mean it’s ‘fine’!? Fine isn’t a descriptor! It means nothing! What were they saying!? What were they doing!? Was Prince Rielle talking with them? Did it look like they liked him!?”

“Azul, darling, you really need to relax a little and take a breath.” Jade said with a small grin as he urged more of their calming tea into their lover’s hands. “Floyd already said that everything looked like it was going smoothly. I’m sure our angelfish will be able to handle things on their own.”

“Yeah, it’s not like they’re going to leave or anything for the clownfish.” Floyd said with a shrug, hands behind his head. “He’s annoying as fuck and has fewer braincells than even Koebi-chan’s little firsty friends.”

Azul groaned, burying his hands into his pale hair and resisting the urge to yank.

“You don’t know that! You know how Rielle is! He charms everyone! And he’s a prince! Why wouldn't they want a prince!? He can-“

“Oi, if you keep saying Koebi-chan is going to drop us, I’m going to squeeze the stupid out of you.”

Jade chuckled softly, leaning down to press a kiss against Azul’s crown.

“Floyd is right. You know that they are not the kind of person to be swayed by such meaningless things. You should have faith in our angelfish.” He said soothingly, running his fingers through the wavy hair.

Azul sighed softly but sat back.

“I do. I know they’re not like that.” He admitted tiredly. “It’s just…it’s RIELLE.”

“Indeed, but you also seem to forget…it’s angelfish that he’s dealing with.”

Azul looked at the smug grin on Floyd’s face and the deviously amused smile on Jade’s and felt a bit of the anxiety in his chest begin to unravel.

“Yes, yes you’re right, of course.” He sighed, sitting up straighter and running a hand through his hair to adjust it again. “Then we will just need to ensure that we prove we are their best option. Give them no reason to want to change their mind. Make sure they know we are the ones that can love them best, can make them the happiest.”

Azul managed to write his name on a single contract before jumping to his feet.

"I should go and chec-I mean, I should find them and ask our pearl what they would like for lunch so we can have it ready for them when they arrive." he said, grabbing his hat and twirling his jacket onto his shoulders as he made his way to the door quickly, Floyd skipping after him with a gleeful smirk.

Jade chuckled into his fist.

“Of course, dear.”  

========================

Hope you guys like the next chapter! <3 I kind of based my RSA OCs on amalgamations of the different versions I've seen of RSA characters online. I tried to make them a bit different but I'm also not very good at naming things so if anyone has some suggestions for House names for RSA based on Snow White (Kindness), Little Mermaid (Determination), Aladdin (Adventurous), Beauty and the Beast (Knowledge), and Alice in Wonderland (Whimsy) I would really appreciate it! <3

[silvestromedia]

'For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body-Jews or Greeks, slaves or free - and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.' We are the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church: diverse, but united. Amen.

[minotaurmerkaba]

[vampirenet]

my little tea table

[softichill]

I <3 pretending thanksgiving doesn't exist