Chapter 13

Violet and Grim met up with the boys at the mirror chamber that night. The four gathered without a word and stood at the entrance to the Octavinelle dorm.

"You're sure it's through there?" Violet asked, looking at Ace through their reflection.

"That's what Cater said," he replied. No one moved until a distant clock tower chimed the quarter hour. Taking a deep breath, Violet led the way.

Like Savanaclaw, Octavinelle was a far cry from the traditional architecture of Heartslabyul and Ramshackle. Moreover, it didn't transport them to a different climate but to another biome altogether. They were underwater, standing at the beginning of a network of glass tunnels that led into the building proper. Lights in shades of gold, purple, and blue shimmered from windows and light posts carved out of sandstone. Turrets stretched towards the surface high above with sculpted tentacles wrapping around them. It reminded Violet of those paintings in old maps of giant squids dragging whole ships to the ocean's inky bottom.

"There," Ace pointed at an offshoot of the main dorm. The Mostro Lounge. It looked like the remains of a leviathan, jaws agape to allow patrons to enter through the tunnel that ran to its mouth.

Fantastic. Precisely what Violet needed: a visual of entering the belly of a beast. She tugged her cap further over her hair, more out of habit than anything.

"Let's go."

They started down the winding path in near silence. Shimmers of scales flashed in the small pools of light outside as schools of fish darted around in the dark water. The view would have been beautiful under different circumstances. They arrived at the Mostro Lounge's entrance sooner than they'd imagined. Voices talking and laughing drifted out to meet them. Whatever this place was, it was busy.

"Well, well," A student at a podium greeted them once they were inside. At first glance, Violet thought it was Floyd, but he was all wrong. His dorm uniform was too put together, hair neat and eyes upturned at a feline angle. She might not have known his name, but she knew who he was.

The second sea monster.

"You've arrived early," Floyd's twin said. A pleasant smile sat perpetually on his face, "I'm afraid we aren't quite ready for you. If you would be so kind as to wait at the bar."

The four freshmen settled at the end where the least number of students sat. Violet tried to ignore the way he eyed her form as she passed.

"I didn't know Night Raven had a restaurant," Deuce mumbled, taking in the dark walls and dim lighting. A large glass wall in the back looked out the water and glowed with its own, strange light. Booths with plush chairs hosted boys from every dorm.

"Yeah, no kidding," Grim glanced around at the tables. "I wonder if they got good tuna."

Ace shot him a glare, "Do you always think with your stomach?"

"What?" Grim glared right back. "Only a total idiot doesn't appreciate good food. And I am no idiot."

"Guys, please," Violet pinched the bridge of her nose, "not now."

They four lapsed back into silence for several minutes. Deuce's leg began to bounce up and down against a rung in his barstool. Ace produced a stack of playing cards from inside his jacket, shuffling and cutting the deck over and over. Violet had only seen him do that a couple times, usually when he was bored. But by the way he meticulously aligned the edges with his fingers, she could tell he was trying hard to keep his mind occupied. As for her, she stared out the glass into the sea outside. A clock above the bar touted five minutes to nine.

"Heya, shrimpy."

Violet tensed. Floyd had materialized on the other side of the bar, leaning forward to tower over her hunched frame, "You came."

Both Ace and Deuce froze, too, balking at the second year's height.

Violet felt the urgency in her bones. "We're not going to talk out here, are we?" She cast a quick glance at the nearest student.

Floyd laughed, bubbly and light, like he wasn't holding her most damning secret over their heads. "No, we're going to Azul's office. Here," he rounded the bar and took her hand into his gloved one, "I'll show you."

He led them to a nondescript door in the back of the Mostro Lounge, knocked twice, then opened it.

"Shrimpy and… their friends are here," he called inside.

"Excellent. Show them in, won't you?" A smooth voice replied.

Floyd creaked the door wider, gesturing for them to enter with an exaggerated bow. Violet hesitated long enough to tuck Grim into her arms, then led the way once more.

She tried to keep her breathing even by focusing on her surroundings. Plush, dark carpet. Square onyx couches on either side of a glass table. Seashell crown molding and bookshelves and a large safe nestled behind the desk at the back of the room. A silver-haired, pale student sat there, storing his pen into his blazer pocket.

"There you are," he greeted them over his glasses, "Have a seat. Make yourselves comfortable."

The door to the office shut with a click. Floyd and his twin made a show of twisting the lock on the knob. Deuce tensed beside her. They were sealed inside.

"Welcome," the silver-haired student rose from his chair, circling around to take a seat across from the first years. "I trust you had no problems finding your way. Now — "

"Hold on," Violet interrupted. "Who are you?"

The student across from the blinked. He cleared his throat as if to dispel his surprise. In less than a second, his calm exterior returned, "Ah, where are my manners? My name is Azul Ashengrotto, housewarden of Octavinelle and founder of the Mostro Lounge."

Violet didn't answer right away, instead toying with the sleeve of her jacket while she gathered her thoughts. Housewarden. Strange, really. As nervous as she felt, he didn't emit authority the way Riddle did, nor did he possess Leona's intimidating air. But there was something about him she couldn't put her finger on. "Not to be rude or anything, but, I'm confused. I thought we were going to talk to Floyd."

The three Octavinelle students chuckled in response.

"Yes, well, I can understand why you have such assumptions," Azul adjusted his glasses and leaned back in his seat. "While we're on the topic of introductions…" His features shifted into something eel-like, cunning. What footing Violet had gained in their interaction was gone with that one look, "I don't believe I've had the pleasure of making your acquaintance."

The invitation hovered in the air between them. Ace was the first to accept.

"Ace Trappola," he said, rubbing at the back of his neck. Azul's eyes shifted from Ace to Deuce, next.

"Uh- Deuce Spade. A pleasure." He ducked his head in a short bow.

"And I'm the Great Grim," Grim sat up with his nose in the air. "The honor is all yours."

Azul raised a brow at that, and off to the corner one of the twins snickered low. But beyond that they didn't acknowledge his audacity. No, all three were too busy turning their attention to Violet. She felt like she had a target drawn between her eyes.

She opened her mouth to speak when Azul stopped her with a hand.

"We have no secrets here," he said, gesturing to her hat. He mimicked removing his own, that same 'gotcha' smile painted on his face. "Go on."

Violet's heart accelerated, each beat pounding faster and stronger against her ribcage. No one else will see, she told herself. The door was closed. It was locked. They already knew. They knew. She cast a glimpse to Ace. He caught her eye, a sober expression in place of his usual mischief. He pursed his lips, gave a faint nod.

Her hand went to the bill of the cap. Slowly, she slid it away. Her braids slipped down to her shoulders. She let her voice rise to its natural tone as she said, "I'm Pa- Violet. Violet Parker."

"Violet," Azul said her name like he was savoring it. "Well, I'm delighted to finally meet you. But I do wonder, how has a magicless young lady like yourself managed to appear at Night Raven?"

"Nobody can know!" Deuce blurted, funnily enough echoing Violet's inner monologue. On her other side, Ace scowled.

"Smooth, Deucey."

Forgetting their predicament and the world around him Deuce shot back, "We can't get expelled!"

Ace rose to his challenge, sending Violet's forehead plummeting into the palm of her hand. "And you can't go bursting under pressure, genius!"

Azul had to reign in his amusement at the scene before him. Like it or not, he felt a twinge of kinship with the girl. Thoughts of dealing with Floyd and, to a far lesser extent, Jade resurfaced in his memory. He decided to pull them back to the subject at hand.

"Perhaps, if you'd be so kind as to explain."

"Of course," Violet dove in before either of her friends could say another word. This was buying her time, after all. Maybe if she explained she could win some sympathy from the dorm head. Convince him to keep this secret just between them.

And so, she told her story. From being awoken by Grim, to her first arrangement with Crowley, then her misadventures since. Ace and Deuce, the chandelier, the Dwarves' mine, MagiShift— all of it. She spared no detail, outlined all their stakes, didn't stop the others from interjecting points of their own. She was a word pitcher, pouring all her contents onto the table before them.

"So, you see," she said, "I can't— we can't risk anyone else finding out. Alright? We'll all get kicked out and I won't be able to get back home." She finished with a quick gust of breath. The tickle behind her eyes subsided with the exhale.

For Azul's part, he didn't speak for a long time. His fingers splayed over the bridge of his nose, pushing his glasses farther up and obscuring his mouth. She could only see his eyes peeking out from between his fingertips.

"Indeed," at last, Azul seemed to be finished considering her tale. Violet's nerves fizzled beneath her skin. "Well, Miss. Violet. It seems you're in quite the predicament."

Violet looked at Ace, at Deuce, at Grim. "Are you going to tell anyone?"

Azul's easy grin returned to his face, "What sort of housewarden would I be if I did? No, I'll keep your secret closely guarded. In fact," he looked the four of them over carefully, considering things none of the first years could even begin guessing at. After a handful of seconds, he tilted his head back, "What do you say we come to an arrangement of our own?"

An arrangement with Azul. Violet wasn't sure what to make of the offer, "What do you mean?"

He leaned forward as if he'd been waiting. Cued by the question, "I'm delighted you asked! From what you've described to me, it's become rather apparent that what you all need is assistance. We're more than willing to provide any help that we can."

"You will?" Ace perked up in his seat. Violet was inclined to do the same, but something kept her relief from flooding forward just yet.

After another, shorter pause, Azul motioned to Violet's hat. She had it gripped between her fingers. "A demonstration. If you would be so kind?"

Handing the cap over sent a jolt through her skin. She didn't take her eyes off the worn fabric the entire time the dorm head held it. He seemed to mutter something under his breath while waving his own magic pen over it. Swirls of purple magic curled around the brim, under the bill and across the top until the cap was coating in the stuff. Azul loosed a deep breath and flicked his wrist, banishing the magic with the movement. He handed it back with no explanation.

She turned the cap over in her hands but found nothing different than before. It was the same dingy, frayed hat.

"Why don't you put it on? As you normally would."

Violet obeyed, stuffing her braids under the brim with practiced ease and turning the bill to the nape of her neck. She was ashamed how placing on her head felt like a puzzle piece clicking into place.

"I want you to consider your feelings, Ms. Violet," Azul stood, walking a slow circle around the room. "How would you react should your hat come off in front of the entire school? Or if another student were to pull it off without your consent?"

How would she feel? Violet wanted to laugh. She'd feel precisely how she was feeling then. Pulse quick, blood churning, pressure building atop her shoulders. The hat began to shimmer.

"Good," Azul said, now somewhere to the left of Deuce. "Now, think. Would you want the hat to slip?"

The answer was easy: no.

"Would you want your hair to show?"

No.

Azul kept walking slowly.

"Would you like someone to snatch it from your head?"

No.

His gloved hand shot out then, gripping the hat by the bill. Violet cried out. Her hand flew up to stop him. She felt a tug at her head—

And nothing more. Not her hair, not the brim lifting off her brow. Only that slight pull.

He let her go, then. The smirk he wore was more satisfied than anything Violet had ever seen.

"What did you do?" She asked, reaching for the hat herself. It slid off her head like butter the instant she touched it.

"Have you ever heard of a spell fastening?" Azul asked, but he didn't give her the chance to reply. "They're a handy little trick. With the proper application, they'll prolong the usefulness of a spell long after its meant to wear off. What I so kindly did was perform a simple charm and fasten it to your headwear. So long as you wear that hat, nothing and no one will be able to knock it from your head against your will."

She couldn't keep the gasp from escaping her throat. Was that true? Azul demonstrated, sure, but she wasn't stupid. Better make sure he wasn't lying.

"Ace," she turned to the red head on her right. "pull my hat off. Try it."

Ace shook himself out of his own surprise. He took the hat by the bill and pulled. And pulled again. And pushed. And spun. Nothing he did worked. The hat didn't so much as shift. Just like Azul said. The two of them laughed, halting and breathy with disbelief.

"That's amazing," Deuce mumbled, his eyes wide. "I didn't know there were spells to make clothes stick."

"Magic can be manipulated to do all kinds of things," Azul settled back down on the couch across from them, "given the proper skills, of course."

"Thank you," Violet said. "Really. You have no clue."

Like a razor to flesh, her words seemed to spill blood in the proverbial water. Azul was once again sharp-eyed, and the twins leaned forward from their own corner to pay extra close attention. "No need to thank me, angelfish. After all, you'll need to uphold your side of the bargain."

And there it was. Just like that, Violet remembered where she was. This was Night Raven College and nothing, not even a favor from the dorm of benevolence and mercy, was ever without its price. The sudden shift in the atmosphere sucked away Violet's short-lived relief. Her smile faded. "What do you want?"

She braced herself as Azul set in on his terms, "For my and my associates' assistance, I want you to work for me. Here, at the Mostro Lounge. Normally I'd ask for some of your magic but, given the circumstances I believe this to be a fair substitute."

Violet blinked. That was it? She wasn't sure why but his asking price fell kind of flat, at least considering the hell she'd gone through so far. Ace, on the other hand, frowned.

"Wait a second," he said. "That doesn't seem like a fair trade to me. What, you put a spell on her hat one time then expect her to slave away for you?"

"Yeah!" Grim seemed to catch Ace's train of thought. "No way I'm letting you take my minion for yourself."

Azul laughed their protests away, "Not true! You're assuming my help begins and ends with that spell. But you and I both know a simple trick won't be enough to keep other… interested parties off your trail. My assistance will be ongoing, and so I believe your payment should do the same. In fact, I do believe you're getting the better end of the deal. Tips, free meals— I won't stop you from accepting either."

Violet couldn't help but think yeah, Azul was right. He already wasn't going to reveal her secret, but to offer his own layer of protection? As far as she could tell Octavinelle was living up to it's reputation. Waiting a few tables after class wouldn't kill her.

Ace wasn't quite so convinced, but by the way his glare softened it was obvious he was coming around, "Well, if you put it that way…"

"It would take some of the pressure off us, too," Deuce mumbled to him. "We could focus on studying."

For once, Ace didn't even try to argue his point.

"See?" Azul twisted his hands palm-up in a delicate shrug, "the benefits already abound. So, what do you say?"

Violet wanted to agree. Try as she might, she didn't see any possible downsides other than getting stuck with closing shifts. But a small part of her told her to hold off, if for a little bit longer.

"I want to be sure I understand everything," she said, at last regaining enough of her confidence after so long. "In exchanged for your help keeping my secret, I work for you at your restaurant, café, whatever. Until… what? When Crowley sends me home?"

"Or I graduate," Azul joked. With how the headmaster was dragging his feet, however, Violet wouldn't be surprised if that turned out to be the case. "In all seriousness, until such a time your secret doesn't require guarding, you're under my employ and I'm under yours. Now, do we have a deal?"

She spared a final glance at both Ace and Deuce. The former looked resigned, not excited but certainly not against the proposition. The latter raised his eyebrows expectantly, hope glimmered faintly in his eyes.

Violet looked to Azul once more, the paragon of patience as he awaited her answer. She sucked in a breath

"Deal."

The house warden's lips curled up into a smile that seemed to punctuate their discussion.

"In that case," he swirled his pen once and a golden contract materialized on the glass-top table between them. Their bargain was outlined fully in flourishes of ink. Now it was Violet raising a brow.

"Don't you think that's a little overkill?"

Azul pegged her with a pleasant, but sharp stare, "I don't do anything at half-measure."

Clearly, she thought only to consider that was beneficial for her as well. If he went this far to cover all his bases for a deal, something told her he'd do the same in upholding his end. She fished her own pen— plane and stone-less— from her jacket pocket. She leaned in to sign, the tip mere inches from the paper when something made her stop.

"Wait."

If her hesitation bothered him at all, Azul was a master at masking it. He cocked his head to the side. "Yes?"

She allowed suspicion to seep into her expression, "Why are you helping us?"

"Why?" the question flowed out of Azul's mouth like he was contemplating its meaning. "Simple. You have Floyd to thank. Any friend of his is a friend of us all."

Floyd. Violet had all but forgotten he was in the room to begin with. She flickered her attention to him. He lounged on the armrest of his brother's chair like they were all hanging out and not fleshing out a vital bargain.

He grinned at her like they were in another game of hangman. "C'mon, shrimpy," he lilted to her. "You don't have to be scared."

And just like that, Violet's shoulders relaxed as she rolled her eyes at him. Scared. Right. She allowed a tiny smile to curve her lip.

A handful of seconds later, her full name filled the dotted line.

When she looked back up at Floyd, he was beaming with delight.

"Welcome to the Mostro Lounge, Ms. Violet."

Azul could hardly contain himself from his most recent victory. He waved politely as the first years were escorted out of his office by Floyd, leaving him and Jade alone. The second the doorknob turned shut, his face split into a wide smirk.

"You're awfully pleased," Jade mused. "Although, that wasn't the deal I'd quite expected you to make."

The dorm head chuckled, "Whatever do you mean?"

Jade's expression remained placid as it always did, "I expected you to demand the ramshackle dorm as payment. Although, I can't complain at the additional staffing."

Whale dung. Azul knew full-well Jade hadn't thought he'd be so straightforward, at least not after they'd appreciated the magnitude of what they'd uncovered. Something like this was worth more than a dilapidated building. This could open all sorts of doors for Azul, could grant him so much power…

He just had to play the game just. Right.

"Be sure to offer as much attention as the girl needs tomorrow," Azul said. "I'm sure she'll be relying on us quite heavily."

"What about her friends?"

Azul waved a hand, "Leave them be for now. I doubt they'll be any sort of threat."

"Understood," Jade rose to his feet. "I must get back to my duties."

He left with a short bow and a troublesome smile. Azul watched him go, tracing the signature his newest contract with a finger.