I should prepare for Ace's funeral.
The terror from my heart-faced dummy is definitely palpable. Tastes like regret.
"Oh, Riddle! You look great today~" I think, but I do not know, that Cater is trying to soothe the tiny tyrant's temper.
That was a dumb move. "Cater, if you continue talking, it will be off with your head too." He replies coolly. Yep, this isn't going to end well.
"Ah—come on, don't be like that."
Grim growls a little, glaring at Riddle. "That's the asshole that put the weird collar on me during the opening ceremonies!"
"And you two, the freshman who were almost expelled yesterday. And please refrain from referring to my unique magic as a istrange collar/i." I know this isn't going well by the annoyance on Riddle's face and his crossed arms. But he also has his die as a bow. Is the crown different? Did I see a crown anywhere else? "Honestly, the Headmaster is too kind—allowing others to violate the rules will collapse this school. Those who break the rules should be removed."
That answers my question: he does not like us.
"Huh. No hi or nice to meet you either." I comment dryly.
"His words and his face don't add up." Ace grumbles.
"The Headmaster may have forgiven you—but if you break the rules again, I will not." That isn't Riddle's jurisdiction.
I give Riddle a flat look. "That's not your territory." Technically we're equal rank, and I do not appreciate the disrespect.
Riddle's about to open his mouth when Ace cuts in:
"Ah—dorm leader… would you remove this?" Ace is asking for the wrong things.
"I was considering it, but with your words as I walked up—I don't think you've learned your lesson at all. It should stay on for longer." Riddle's far too calm about this, too. Or really, I think he's boiling on the inside…? "Luckily for you, freshman lessons are mainly lectures and the basics instead of actively practicing your magic. And if you cannot use your magic, you won't cause any more trouble. Well then, if you're done eating, hurry and go to your next class. Rule 271 states: iOne must not spend more than fifteen minutes sitting at the table after finishing their meal/i. And you know what happens when you violate the rules, right?"
Ace gives a big sigh, "Another weird one…"
"I expect you to say, iyes, Housewarden/i." Riddle's tone comes out severe.
Ace and Deuce respond accordingly, "Yes, Housewarden!"
"Good." The tiny tyrant replies.
"Now, now, Riddle, I'll take care of them—alright?" Trey seems to be attempting to soothe him?
"Hmph. As Vicewarden, I expect you to do your job properly." Oh, I am over this kid. "Remember, as is under Rule 339: iAn after-meal lemon tea should only have two sugar cubes./i In order to abide by that rule, I need to go to the store for more cubes. Goodbye."
"Bye Riddle!" I shout after him.
"Honestly, running out of sugar cubes is a crime of the highest offense." I hear him mumble as he walks off.
"So, strict parents?" I guess. Yeah, this guy has major control issues. "He needs some therapy for that."
Carter lets out a wheeze of a relieved sigh. "Ehhhh—that was tense."
"I think he's awful." Grim huffs. Maybe he'll be nicer to me after seeing what else he has to deal with, hm?
"I could be that strict if you want to run off again." It's not an idle threat.
"—that was rude…" Deuce comments.
"Housewarden Riddle became the Dorm Leader one week after starting school." Trey explains. "He is trying to do what's best for the dorm, despite his sharp words—he's not a bad guy."
"I don't think people that think what's best for the dorm put collars on people like that." Grim counters.
The two upperclassmen laugh nervously.
Actually, that reminds me-"Riddle said iUnique Magic/i-what is that?" I am two days or so into the magical world of Twisted Wonderland. I swear everything is a new concept.
"You mean Riddle's unique magic?" Cater asks.
"Unique magic… as in it's only used by Riddle." Deuce doesn't seem to know either? Or he's being very polite. Deuce is wholesome.
Trey gives me that knowledge-base vibes from a video game as he explains, "—magic that can only be used by one person is their unique magic. You will learn more about in class."
"Riddle's magic, Off With Your Head, seas off someone else's magic entirely for a period of time with the collar like around Ace's neck." Gesturing to Ace as our prime, shining example.
"EH! That name is scary, too!" I give Grim a gentle pat, poor guy.
"Since when sorcerers can't use their magic, it's like having their head chopped off." Cater comments with a grin.
"Wouldn't know anything about that." As I have ino/i magic.
"That's why, Heartslabyul members shouldn't disobey Riddle." Cater finishes.
My genius is lost here. Wasted.
"So, if you follow the rules, everything is fine." Trey concludes.
"Sounds more like you're making his behavior worse by allowing it." But off I go again.
"Will Cater kick me out again if I don't bring back a tart?" Ace asks.
I would rather that not happen because I am not here to babysit two problem children. Grim is enough.
"It's covered under Rule 53! And Riddle was really excited about having the first slice of that tart, so he won't forgive you, if you don't bring the same one." Cater explains.
"You said you were the nice upperclassman and here you won't cut me any slack! Unbelievable!" Ace huffs.
"There's a difference between dorm life and school life, Ace." Cater explains.
Deuce frowns. "Isn't a whole tart pretty expensive? He only ate a slice."
"And I don't have that much money…" Ace sighs.
"I need to figure out the valuation of the marks, too…" I mumble, because that is a task. It's not like we have a Big Mac rule in Twisted Wonderland.
"You could just make one—all of the ones in the fridge, Trey made."
I love a man who bakes. My eyes are on him faster than a fly on unsuspecting hot dogs on the Fourth of July. But he is also now competition.
"What a talent!' I need to swap recipes immediately. "We should swap recipes sometime~" Maybe that's a little flirtatious, or am I challenging? It's hard to tell. I wonder if he has to have his written down? Mine, like any good Southerner, are in this noggin' of mine.
Grandma would crawl out of her grave and beat me with a wooden spoon if I didn't! Maybe that's dramatic.
"Trey? You made those?! Amazing! They're better than store-bought by far!" Ace explains. iCity boy./i
"Homemade is better than store-bought, Ace." Dumb ass! Dumb ass of the year! I can't help but scoff.
Trey laughs politely. "Thank you. I have the ingredients, about all, for another tart—but I won't help you for free."
Why.
"What? I have to pay you!?" Ace exclaims!
"Ha! No. I'm not going to take money from a freshman of Heartslabyul." I think Trey's giving me a look and I don't like that. "But for the next tart, I need a lot of chestnuts. I'd like you to gather them for me. And No, I'd like to exchange recipes sometime."
"Sure!" Thank you for noticing me, senpai.
"Ah—troublesome. How many do you need?" At least heart-faced-problems is giving in to the best solution we have. Now I also feel like I'm going to get drug into all of this, too. Hm. I'm too nice.
"Since it's for the Unbirthday Party, I'm going to need around three hundred." Oh, that's not entirely surprising. Like getting a bushel of apples for a bunch of apple pies. Lots of people to feed requires a lot of ingredients.
"So many!?" Grim and Deuce shout in surprise.
"And I'll need help cleaning and cooking them." Trey continues.
Ah, he wants kitchen monkeys. I see. Personally? I would pull this too.
"Can I go back to the dorm now?" Grim asks.
"Me too." Ah, Deuce, you think.
"No." I reply with a smile. I want tart.
Cater, who is volunteering others for work as his special talent, cuts in, "There, there—when you make and eat things together it makes it taste the best! We'll make wonderful memories! You can start your own cooking blog!"
Grim has changed his tune. "Then let's get ready and go chestnut picking!"
"How you change your tune for food, Grim." I tease.
"You can find plenty of chestnut trees near the forest behind the school's botanical gardens. But don't skip classes." There's a smile on Trey's face—us picking them IS also cheaper.
"Great! Then how about we meet in front of the greenhouse after classes?" Our problem child suggests.
"Go go! Let's go gather chestnuts!" Grim cheers.
"Classes first, then chestnuts, Grim." Oh if he tries to flee again…
We agree, and get up to go to our next classes. I stick close to Ace and Deuce—because now I'm becoming more and more aware that not only does everyone know who Grim and I are—but there's a few people that aren't entirely happy about it. There's safety in numbers, and a gaggle of four is better than just the two of us. We've already had problems at lunch, and I foresee more issues as time passes until everyone gets used to this.
But I'm well aware it's never going to completely go away.
Our fourth class is Practical Magic, which is basically the basics of spells. When we enter, it's surprisingly, a ghost teaching the class. I sit down a little startled at that—but considering our dorm is haunted maybe that isn't… entirely surprising.
"Welcome to Practical Magic! In this class we will learn a variety of spells to help make everyday life easier—it's especial to learn the basics in life, because these techniques can help you grow in every area that you can study here—like Protection, for example." The ghost-teacher explains.
"Ooo! Now this is better than boring studying!" Grim sounds exciting.
"But first we are going to read and soon study technique—please take out your textbooks…"
Grim sighs in pure sadness, as I hold a book between us; he has issues with holding them and turning pages.
Honestly, we finish the class like a whirlwind, and I see people are heading off in groups. But we have plans!
"You know, they're going to exhibit the clubs soon." Deuce comments as we travel to the botanical garden, having to stop and pick up baskets from Trey first for gathering—Ace is waiting for us there, since he's not allowed back at the dorm.
"I don't think I'll join a club." I comment.
"Why not?" Deuce looks perplexed.
"I have a dorm to rebuild, Deuce."
Grim sighs. "Clubs sound boring unless there's a combat club!"
We arrive soon enough, Ace has his arms crossed impatiently. "That took long enough!" And he's slipping his cellphone back into his pocket. Sure. He was really waiting. "Let's go!"
"Sure, sure…" I shake my head. That boy.
But… honestly? I like this adventure better than the others we've had so far. Into the forest we go!
