Her eyelids struggled to open. Scarlet's amber eyes barely slipped a peek through them, then was finally able to see the ceiling in the dark. She sighs under her blanket and digs the back of her head into her pillow, trying to find the time out of the window.
"It's night… or before dawn?" she mumbled to herself.
She blindly guides her hand to her endtable, reaching for a stick wrapped in fine cloth and silk. Once the wand slipped in her hands, Scarlet strikes the tip toward where the clock would be. Sure enough, the clock was high on the wall, glowed, showing silhouettes of the clock's hands.
"Five-fourty," she thought to herself aloud.
Scarlet uncovered herself of her blanket. She was in her yellow-starred red pajamas. Out of the corner of her eye, she finds a dim light. Scarlet turns her head over to her left side, finding Adrian awake in his bed. He was in a pirate blouse and red, plaid boxers, with some kind of glowing, floating crystal near him as he read a book. On the cover, it says Quantum Gateways to Slip-space, by H.G. Waggs and The Professor.
"Adriaaaan…." Scarlet moaned. " You're the first one up. You were supposed to wake us up. It's five-fourty."
Adrian barely rotated his head to find a drowsy pyromancer in her bed. "Oh, sorry. I got caught up in this book."
"What time did you wake up?"
Adrian chuckles nervously. "Actually, I didn't sleep at all."
Scarlet was too tired to be surprised. "Seriously? Was it because what the Headmaster said about us and saving Wizard City?"
"Naw. I thought I would read a bit then I lost track of time."
"You don't even know what a pervert is, then you lose track of time over a book. You clearly aren't natural."
"I didn't expect so," Adrian shrugged."
Scarlet squints at the light by Adrian. "By the way, what's that floaty glowy thingy by you?"
"Oh this? Is just a toy," Adrian summed up lazily.
Suddenly, the 'toy' chirped and made sounds like distorted raindrops.
"Yeah yeah, shut up," Adrian moaned into his book.
Scarlet got up on her arms. "Did that thingy just say something? You understood that?"
"T'was telling me to go sleep over and over, then to wake you guys up," Adrian shrugged.
"Guess you had better listen to that 'toy' more often," Scarlet smirked.
"I guess." Adrian sighs and shuts his book. His eyes went up again to the clock. "Five fourty two… Welp, I might as well start making breakfast."
His attention then shifts to his floating reading light. "Dorothy, off. Oh and hide yerself in the cloak and go offline."
The crystal thing did as it was told, then made more distorted sounds of raindrops dropping and warped scratches.
"Where'd you even get that?" Scarlet asked.
"I made it a while back. I guess it's more of a pet than a toy if you will."
Adrian swoops his head a bit, swinging his silver bangs out of the way then got out off his bed, making his way to the kitchen.
"Well… I think I should wake 'em up now," Scarlet thought aloud.
She turns to the bed adjacent to Adrian's. "Morgan! Wake up!"
The cobalt and yellow nightcap fell off Morgan as she moaned and sat up, then Scarlet switched to the bed next to her's, calling for Nicole to wake up as well. One of her green eyes popped open, and another one follows. Nicole the Necromancer instantly sprung out of bed like a spring under pressure for centuries, with a smile not even a theurgist could match. She was in pajamas with a bunny eared hood .
She yelled in excitement, "BREAKFAST TIIIIIIME-"
"Is not ready," Adrian's voice said from out of the room.
"Aw… Buzzkill."
Nicole plops back in her bed and instantly went to snoring, to which Scarlet slaps her back hard.
"Come on, sunshine," Scarlet irked. "Wake up!"
"EEEK!" Nicole flashes out of bed, rubbing her back and makes haste for the bathroom. But she comes back, slowly walking backwards into the doorway, grabbing her towel, then made haste for the bathroom.
"The showers…" Scarlet thought. "Hey Morgan, do want next shower?"
"Hmm?" Morgan finally got up to sit on the side of her bed, rubbing the sleeps out of her eyes. "If it's okay with you. You were the last of us to shower last night, weren't you?"
"No, Adrian was last," Scarlet answered. "Besides, I have a few things to do. Prep my hair up, you know."
"I took you to be more of a tomboy or something, Scarly."
"Keep up appearances, keep up your charisma, keep up your confidence, keep down those fizzle rates. What Professor Falmea taught us," Scarlet recalled.
"Makes sense I guess." Morgan shrugs and yells subtly out the doorway. "Adrian! Do you wanna shower after Nicole?"
"Not showering!" Adrian yelled back. Morgan could faintly hear a spoon beating against a bowl as he responded.
Scarlet rolls her eyes. "Boys. Showering like what, only once a day. Monkeys."
Morgan smiles, shaking her head and chuckling, "He's already so fine, that he doesn't have to be worried about how he looks," she thinks aloud.
"See, I told you. You like Adrian," Scarlet teased.
"I do not!"
The doorbell rang only so faintly that Scarlet and Morgan were able to hear it. They both went to answer it, sliding the chain and turning the dial on the knob. The ornate, violet-mahogany door opened to reveal a light but bright blue haired boy in a dark blue cloak. His skin was slightly dark. His eyes matched his hair, only being more content with cerulean, but his hat hung over, covering his left eye in shadow.
"A guy? In the girls' dormitory? What are you doing here," Scarlet scoffed.
The blue-haired person turned a bit bashful, or at least seemed like it. "I'm here for the other guy in the girl's dormitory."
"Huh?" Morgan looked back to the kitchen, then to the guy. "You mean Adrian? Adrian Kensington?"
"Pfft, Adrian's been the talk of the school ever since he's moved in here," Scarlet commented.
"Someone called?" Sure enough, the silver-haired thaumaturge appeared around the corner with a spatula in one hand, and a pan in the other. The frying pan still had an omelet being cooked on it.
"Whaaaaat? He cooks for you guys?" the blue-haired wizard gawked.
"Heh." Scarlet gave the newcomer a teasing smile. "Jealous?"
"For a second, I thought that guy was a girl! With that high voice and hair," the blue haired guy commented. "Only he's like more… hunky? And… he's in boxers."
"We got used to it," Morgan shrugs, but then glances over to Scarlet in realization. "Well, not everyone."
"Who's the new guy?" Adrian questioned.
"Uh yeah, Headmaster Ambrose sent me to give you a tour of Ravenwood and a few parts of Wizard City," the boy explained. "My name is Alexander Mythshade, of the Golden Perytons. You guys can call me Alex if you'd like."
"Mythshade… Myth, shade." Morgan repeated. "W-Wait, you mean you're the elite initiate conjurer, Alexander Mythshade?"
"Eheh…" Alex rubs the back of his neck. "Yeah."
"What's the deal with him?" Scarlet asked indignantly.
"Elite initiate, Scarlet. He's one of the four elite initiate wizardly students! That includes the prefect of the Green Peregrines!"
"Ooooh," Scarlet nodded. "So? Besides, what's an initiate doing being a prefect?"
"That just goes to show how strong Ashley is. Ashley Breeze," Alex answered.
"Yyyyyeah, I'm only a novice so this is my first year here. Don't know these 'famous' students." Scarlet smirks. "And I don't plan to know them. I'm gonna surpass them all."
Alex left behind his bashful demeanor, scoffing and returning the confident grin. "Have fun getting past Ashley. She's not a person you'd want to fight."
"Oh yeah?" Scarlet steps up to Alex. "Where's this pal of yours, bud? Prefect or not, I'll own 'em all."
"Heh, you'd have to get through three of us before you step up to Ash, bud."
"Scarleeeet," Morgan hissed. "Staaahp."
"Yyyyyyeaaah well," Adrian looks around lazily. "I'm kind of busy here. Still making breakfast soooo…"
The thaumaturge steps back into the kitchen, whistling a tune.
"I'm so sorry for Scarlet's behavior, Mister Alex." Morgan steps in between Alex and Scarlet, nudging Scarlet away.
"Eh. Don't worry about it," Alex says. "I like her spirit."
"Damn right, you do," Scarlet smiled.
"Scarlet!" Morgan hissed again. "Well anyways, Alexander, why don't you join us for dinner?"
"R-Really?" Alex looks over Morgan's shoulder to see the rest of the dorm. It was spacious and elegant with a nice window behind a leather couch. There was also a crystal-vision mirror above the fireplace.
"I'm fine really. I can manage-" Alexander's belly grumbled.
"Sounds like you didn't have breakfast." Scarlet says. "It's not good to fight on an empty stomach next time you're up against me~"
"Heh," Alex smirks and walks in. "Alright, thanks for the meal then. Oh and for your lil' challenge, I'll bite."
Alex paused with a smile, waiting for someone to get his joke.
"Anyone?"
"You're worse than my friends," Scarlet laughed.
After the girls were done with showering and dressing, they met up at the dining table with Alex. Scarlet wore the standard off-day uniform, a black sweater vest with the Ravenwood emblem on it with a light red, long-sleeved shirt under to match her magic school colors. Normally, girls would wear skirts but she chose tight, black pants instead. Morgan styled herself in a pink, flower-print shirt with a grey, loose, long-sleeved cardigan over it. For bottom wear, she had a black short skirt with the pink-laced ends with plaid, pink and dark red thigh high socks. Nicole wore a black t-shirt with a band on it and ripped jeans, an outfit that Wizard City isn't so familiar with. Adrian was finishing setting down the last dish. The table was lined with five plates of omelette-style Valencian toast with raspberries and cabbage-rolled shrimp. On the side was apple slices in mint custard, and placed in the middle was brioche à la cannlle au chocolat; chocolate cinnamon rolls. They were all lined up as if the dorm had 50 butlers from Barkingham Palace.
"This is ridiculous," Alex stared in disbelief.
"Heh! I don't think you'll get service like this anywhere else!" Scarlet bragged, nudging Alex with an elbow.
"How… How does he even know who to- …."
Adrian was wiping his hands with a white towel with his loose sleeves rolled up. "It was a good childhood being locked up in your room with nothing but books," Adrian said, shrugging.
Morgan smiled delight and had her hands together pressed to her chest, giggling lightly. "The food is certainly good. Please, enjoy," she beckoned to the table.
Scarlet waited for Alex to sit politely, while she was holding Nicole back, who was jumping and drooling for the food. Soon, the rest sat at the table, except for Adrian, who went to get dressed.
"Well," Alex starts, as he bites off a piece of Valencian toast. "At least I have half the day off with showing the new guy around Wizard City."
"We get the whole day off~" Scarlet grins.
"Whaaat. This food, now the whole day off? What did you guys do to deserve this?"
"Well, Adrian is just doing his thing, and yesterday… Well, we worked really, really hard, I guess. The Headmaster let us off today," Scarlet explains.
"We fought ghosties and skellies in Unicorn Way!" Nicole blurted out, with her mouth full.
Scarlet and Morgan stared Nicole, who had disobeyed Ambrose's order to not say anything about Unicorn Way.
"Wait," Alex paused. "So you were the guys who were sent to Unicorn Way?"
"Uh…." Morgan settled down her silverware. "Yeah."
"So there rumors were true. You guys must be pretty strong then," Alex suggested.
Scarlet determines it was safe to talk about the subject. "I burned 'em all up!" she boasted. "Those blankets and bones can't handle this hot stuff~"
"So what happened other than you guys battling away the ghosts and skeletons?" Alex asked.
"Eheh… Well we aren't exactly supposed to tell anyone," Morgan says apologizingly.
Alexander 's eyes… well only visible eye, tried to figure out why, but he shakes it off and tries the chocolate cinnamon roll. The taste melted all over the yearning taste buds.
"My god, this is amazing!" He shivered to the overwhelming sweetness.
"Heeey Morgan, can I have your shrimps?" Nicole asked in a cute voice.
Morgan nodded and slid her plate to Nicole, which the necromancer took it up and let the cabbage-rolled shrimp slide onto her plate.
"Yummy!" Nicole chirped.
"So guys," Scarlet started. "What should we do with our free day?"
"Hallowe'en is coming soon," Morgan said. "We could go to the Shopping District to get the festivities!"
"Yeah, that could work," Scarlet nodded. "What about you Nic?"
"Pet snacks for Sir Fluffy Icybutt!" Nicole yelled, raising a fork.
"I don't think that's what you named the ice beetle," Morgan mumbles.
"I don't care! Sir Chirps Snowybutt the Sexiest Cheeks!"
"The ice beetle is a girl-" Morgan stops herself, telling herself it was not worth it. "Alright, Sir Chirps it is."
Alex looks weirdly at Nicole then turned to Scarlet like he was saying What's with her?
I don't know, Scarlet shrugged.
Adrian came out of the dark hallway and pulled in by the table for breakfast. He was finely dressed in black slacks, dress shirt, and plaid, lavender waistcoat with a short, dark, navy blue cloak on his shoulder and down his back.
"Hey, so are you ready for your tour of Wizard City-slash-Ravenwood?" Alexander asked.
"Hmm? Oh, yeah. Sure." He smiles at Alex but then looks down to a flipped-open chain watch and puts it away within his waistcoat. "How long do you suppose the tour will take?"
"Half of the school day? Four hours I suppose, then I go back to my classes," Alex shrugs.
"Oh, jaunty-time," Adrian settled, but then went for his silverware so he could eat.
"So I'm guessing you're a conjurer," Scarlet points out.
"What else could I be? Mythshade. Peculiar name Mister Ambrose gave me. Or Book of Secrets," Alex rambled. "Eh. I don't believe I know you girls' names."
"What?" Scarlet gave him an accusing look. "Trying to pick up some girls-"
Morgan coughed and stared down Scarlet, which she rolled her eyes and lazied back into her seat.
"My name is Scarlet Night. Pyromancer, novice, and swords- Eh, nevermind."
Morgan sipped into her tea and cleared her throat. "Morgan Mistblade. Also a conjurer. Novice. Marleybonian."
Nicole jumped up in her seat and raised her hand. "Ooh! Ooh!"
Alexander looked around, then tilted his head at Nicole. "Umm, you." He points at her.
"My name's Nicole Soulthief. I'mma necromancer and part-time theurgist! Novice, and uh… I'm Earthling… I dunno if that sounds right. How about just from Earth?"
"Wow," Alexander gawked. "I'm from Earth too!"
"What's Earth like?" Scarlet asked.
"There's no magic," Alex says.
"Everything there is like… runs on electricity; a lot more technological than the worlds of the Spiral. Also waaaaay much bigger!" Nicole adds on.
She spreads her arms apart to raise her point.
"Technology?" Adrian perked up.
"Hey Adrie! Why don't you introduce yourself Alex? You know, like all formal," Morgan suggests.
"Um well," Adrian turns to the side to find Alex. "My name is Adrian Faulkner Kensington. Thaumaturge and part necromancer. Also a frost and tempest magician. Novice, I guess. Marleybonian."
"Frost? Tempest? Magician?" Alex stumbles at the new terms.
"Wysterian stuff," Adrian shrugs.
"I don't like those Wysterian folk too much," Scarlet complains. "They don't make up to be what they say."
Adrian nods. "A bunch of cheaters, really."
"Heh, I bet that's why they keep winning the Spiral Cup," Alex scoffs.
"Spiral Cup?" Morgan questions.
"Every year, they hold a tournament Spiral-wide. Each school of magic sends a representative to duel it out," Alexander explains.
"I'm not much for dueling. I'd rather battle," Adrian mutters.
"I'm going to have to agree with Adrian on that one," Scarlet agrees.
"I wonder if Headmaster Ambrose will consider that idea," Alex muses. "After all, there is no lifelines in magic battles."
Scarlet and Adrian share an unnatural smile.
Adrian's fingers tapped on the table with unrest. "Fighting with your life on the line?"
"What could be more thrilling than that?" Scarlet finished his words.
Alexander and Morgan stares at Scarlet and Adrian. They both had feelings of worry and disturbance in their eyes, while Nicole kept stuffing herself with omelet toast and shrimp, making sounds of satisfaction.
"Hey, we should spar sometime," Scarlet suggests.
Adrian glances over to his pyromantic friend and raises a fist toward her. "Bump on it, when we can."
Scarlet went along with the brofist. Morgan watched the two, wondering if they always had this spirit of battle, then peeks a bit at Nicole gobbling down her food like a hearty queen.
"Scarlet, like, you were hesitant to go to Unicorn Way," Morgan pointed out. "Now, youwant to get into stuff?"
"Hey, you know, I've never battled before. I've only just cast spells for the class. It was boring."
"But you know, you'll get hurt and stuff."
"Battling like that really fires you up, don't you know? Adventuring onto the dangerous streets, or even in another world! Live tomorrow without knowing what's going to happen!"
Morgan paused, and then brings up the words of gallows. "But, you could die!"
"So?" Adrian put blatantly.
"So? It's your lives we're talking about!" Morgan went on.
Scarlet pops a custard-dipped apple slice into Morgan's lips, silencing her. "We know the risks, Morg. That's why we know that if we fight, we put our all into it. Besides, we're on the quest to save Wizard City, so of course we're going to risk our lives."
Morgan pressures on the subject with thought, then nods along.
"Now eat up, we got the day ahead of us," Scarlet smiled. She pushes in the rest of the apple slice past Morgan's lips with a finger, only to make Alex, at the other side of the table, blush into his food, but then immediately noticed their recent words.
"Hold on now," Alex poked in. "Save Wizard City? Quest?"
"Ooooooh," Scarlet sounded in realization.
"Mister Ambrose, he told us that- Excuse me," Nicole swallows down her toast. "Mister Ambrose told us that we were one of the only ones who could save Wizard City!"
"Really? But you're novices! You guys are only like a quarter of a year into your studies," Alexander pointed out.
"That's what we said too," Morgan explained. "But, we aren't total novices. I mean sure, we only demonstrated rank one spells in class but I'm sure we all had some playing around with magic before Ravenwood."
Morgan glances next to Scarlet. "She's got a way with wielding a sword."
"H-Hey," Scarlet says surprised.
Morgan then points to Adrian. "He's been to Pigswick and already made up a bunch of magic of his own.
Adrian sheepishly waves, but his face doesn't really show it.
"And Nicole…" Morgan stares at the spirits that were still around her. "She was able to easily cast multiple dark fairies and ghouls."
"Mamphs wimph!" Nicole spoke with her mouth full: That's right!
Adrian looks to Morgan. "And Morgan here, from what I gathered, she can create anything from imagination. It's impressive."
"W-Well not everything," Morgan blushed.
Alex mouths 'wow' or something. "It would take a great deal of mana to create something big," he assumed. "A batch of unique wizards this year."
"You really think so?" Morgan asks.
Alexander nods approvingly and Scarlet smiles off in the corner.
"Well, it was a good breakfast," Scarlet says. "I think we should get going."
"This is more than a breakfast, this is practically a buffet," Alex comments.
"Moms told me that a big breakfast and smaller meals afterwards means always being fit," Adrian throws out, and Morgan nods along.
"Really?" Alex slid back in his chair and crossed his legs. "I'll keep that in mind. But I can't help myself if there's good food."
"I can see what you mean," Scarlet chuckles, as her eyes turned to Nicole, who was still eating up as much as she can.
"Where do you think all that food goes if she's skinny all the time?" Morgan asks in wonder.
"Probably her breasts," Scarlet blurts.
"But she has a small bust," Alex points out.
"Why are we talking about this?" Morgan blushes harder.
"I think she's part humongofrog," Adrian says, a bit intrigued.
"The booty. It all goes to the booty," Scarlet says, letting her fist fall into her palm like she just figured something out.
"Scarlet!" Morgan stammers.
Adrian perks up from his train of thought. "Are you going to be a pirate for Hallowe'en, Scarlet?"
"I dunno, but I'd better swab that deck for the booty," Alexander snickers. "AAAAAAAAY! L'mao."
Scarlet snickers along. Morgan's face grew steaming red, while Nicole also goes ahead and says," AAAAAAY! L'mao."
"L'mao?" Adrian and Morgan asks in unison.
"They're probably both part cat," Scarlet laughs.
"Brah," Nicole says, somehow sitting next to Alex with an arm on his shoulder. "The memes, bruh."
"Aw, should've bring sunglasses for this," Alexander laughs.
"Earth people are weird," Scarlet says as she gets up with her plate.
"W-W-W-Wait, hold on," Nicole says, sliding back on her chair. She immediately pops up on her feet and twists to see down and behind.
"Well, the booty looks quite fine."
Morgan sighs. Her fingers massage the bridge of her nose as she looks down with eyes closed, feeling disappointed. Alex's blush burns even brighter at the sight and looks away, as Adrian chuckles along, not really knowing what was going on with the whole 'booty' business. The five finished cleaning their plates and finally finished dressing up for the fall weather outside.
Alex goes up to the door, but then glances back, "Ready for the little tour, Adrian?"
"You're the guide," Adrian shrugged and smiled. The young thaumaturge also looks behind . "Hey guys, where are you going to be at… say twelve o' clock?"
The words grab at Morgan's attention then she discusses the matter with Scarlet.
"I think we'll be… around Eudora Tangletree's Shop in Olde Town," Scarlet answers.
Adrian glances back to Alex, "So I guess we finish the tour there?"
The initiate conjuror shrugs. "It works."
The two guys open the door and leaves into the hallways of the Nightingale Girls' Dormitory. Nicole still had a shrimp in her mouth as she struggled to pull a boot up her leg on the couch, consequently falling backwards like a klutz. A giggle escape Morgan's lips as she caught sight of Nicole's little trip-up.
"So girls," Morgan calls. "I think we all agree to going to Pet Pavillion first? For uh…"
"Sir Chirps Snowybutt the Sexiest Cheeks?" Scarlet finishes.
"How did you even manage to remember that?"
"Who couldn't?
"Me obviously, and what's with 'the Sexiest Cheeks?' I don't recall ice beetles having cheeks."
"Ah, but her other pair of cheeks!" Nicole chimes in.
"Oh…" Morgan pouts on it. "OH."
"C'mon guys," Scarlet calls for the two. "Let's just gather our crowns and do the shopping already. "
"Hallowe'en isn't going to wait for us."