Starry Savana Night
Chapter 5: Riddle me this!
Yuuki ran down the path leading into Heartslabyul with a wide and happy smile. She did a circle, admiring everything like a kid in a candy store.
"Wow! This place is gorgeous! Your garden is absolutely beautiful!"
"Yeah, we like it well enough." Ace boasted nonchalantly. "Why don't we drop this waste dump by the rose bushes, and we'll go have that tea? Afterwards Deuce and I will show you around."
"Okay!" She held her arms out. "Want some help?"
"Nah, we've got it. These things are pretty heavy…" Deuce hoisted a bag on his shoulder and another under his arm. "Besides you're our guest."
"Which is why we wouldn't want to make her feel left out… Here!" Ace dropped a bag in Yuu's arms. She grunted, struggling to stand upright, but bent her knees low to keep herself from tipping over. "You can carry one of mine. Thanks, pal!"
"Sure… no problem…" She grunted and tottered behind them as they led the way.
A happily humming carrot top held a watering can and was sprinkling it over some budding rose bushes. His eyes flicked up and he saluted.
"Yo! Good timing Freshies. Set it all down there…" Cater, a junior, motioned with his phone before taking a photo of his own handy work. "Now then let's tag this with #buddingblossoms #springishere! #greenthumb. And Send!"
He set his phone back in his pocket then eyed Yuu with a smile and raised brow.
"Who's your friend?"
"Oh, Cater-senpai, this is Yuu. She's from Savanaclaw." Deuce introduced them then turned to Yuu. "Yuu this is Cater Diamond, our upperclassmen."
"Nice to meetcha." Her ears flicked upright as she gave a cute and charming smile. This unleashed the flirt.
"Whoa… I'd forgotten Savanaclaw had gotten a cute little freshy." Cater took her hand and kissed it. "It's a pleasure to meet yah, Yuu-yuu. Say cheese." He cuddled her in and took a quick selfie. The photo caught her in mid surlrise; her face flushed, eyes big and wide, ears laid back in discomfort and mouth just slightly parted showing off fangs.
"Hey!"
"Nice one, though it would've looked better if you'd smiled." Cater grinned cheekily and waved his phone. "Wanna take another?"
"No thanks I'm good." Yuu shoved him off and found shelter behind Deuce, her cheeks still bright red and tail flicking irritatedly.
"Aww...Now look what you've done, Senpai. You shouldn't be so overly friendly with girls you just met. Don't you remember what happened with Roni?" Ace pointed out, speaking of one of the female freshmen.
"That was unfortunate…" Cater held his cheek, remembering the well earned slap. He turned his attention back to Yuu. "You're pretty shy for a Savanaclaw member "
"This isn't my dorm, and I'm a guest here, it'd be rude for me to disgrace a superior under these conditions…" she mumbled with a firm pout. "Though if you touch me without permission again I'm liable to sock you one."
"...And there's the claws coming out." Cater sighed scratching his cheek.
"There, there Yuu-chan." Ace pets her between the ears. He could feel the vibration in her body. She looked ready to pounce but was holding herself back. He held his hand up apologetically.
"Sorry, I get it no touchy."
"Cute, cute, cute… that's the only compliment I ever hear. I can be intimidating if I want to."
"Of course you can." Cater nodded. "No one here would dare mess with an angry lioness."
"Says the man who just got handsy and forced me to take a selfie against my will." She growled at him and forced Cater to take a step back.
"Sorry, sorry, no need to bare your fangs. Why don't I just leave you three to your devices?" He made a quick exit and had Ace snickering.
"That's the first time we've seen him where he hasn't coerced us into doing something for him." Ace eyed Yuu with a grin. "You really ought to join our dorm."
"If everyone in your dorm is like him then no thanks. I'd rather deal with muscle bound thugs who underestimate me than a dorm of handsy boys." She pouted.
"Aww come on, we're not all like that. Just look at Deuce." He motioned to his companion. "He's a real polite stiff. He wouldn't do anything you disapprove of."
"I'm not sure whether to say thanks or be insulted." Deuce scowled and crossed his arms.
"It's a compliment." Ace out his hands on his hips matching Deuce's scowl.
"At least let us show you around some more before you make a decision. We haven't had our tea and cakes yet." Ace held out his arm for her to take.
"Cakes?" Yuu's ears twitched at the word, she really wanted to try them. "You mean there's more than one?"
"Oh yeah. It wouldn't be Heartslabyul without lots of cake." Deuce laughed and mirrored Ace's pose.
Yuu's smile split wide open and hooked both her arms through their outstretched ones.
"Alright, you win, come on you clowns! Let's eat cake!"
"That's what I'm talking about!" Ace grinned down at her then winked at Deuce over her head. The two shared a knowing smile as they led her into the main dorm building and towards the sinful smell of sweet treats.
~Savanaclaw~
Leona had just about had it with Inola and his motley crew. They went from torturing the defenseless female, to rough housing with the wolf pup. Normally he'd have just chalked it up to extreme play, but the cowards had resorted to ganging up on him and using magic to even the odds.
Jack was a pain in his ass, a wily pup who didn't like taking orders, but he was also a prime contender for his Spelldrive team. He wasn't about to let some jealous cowards ruin any chance he had of coming out on top this year.
He'd barely unleashed a fraction of his full strength before Inola and his gaggle of idiots passed out from the shock. Unsatisfied, and itching for a fight, he irritably paced along the sidelines of the field watching practice. He was about to jump into the game when Grim came barrelling down onto the field.
"JACK! JACK!" Grim went right to him, latching into his leg claws and all. Jack stumbled, missed the pass and fell over in shock.
"What the heck?! Grim? Get off me!" He grabbed him by the scruff and held him up to eye view. "The hell is your problem?"
"Yuu's been kidnapped! She's in trouble!"
"Hah?!" Jack's eyes went wide. "You're joking! Who would do such a thing?"
"It's true! We were out on campus and I dozed off. When I woke up she was gone and this was attached to my collar." He held out Ace's ransom note.
"What's going on?" Leona walked over, the situation piqued his curiosity. He took the note before Jack could finish reading it and snarled. "In the name of the red queen, huh? Some Heartslabyul scum has got some nerve taking one of mine!"
"What should we do, Leona-Senpai?" Jack released Grim from his scruff letting him run in panicked circles around his ankles.
"I doubt she was physically kidnapped, but it's likely they're gonna try to persuade her to switch dorms. I ain't about to let some cake stuffed, painted faced herbivores get the best of me. We're bringing her back and I'm gonna give that half pint pain in the ass the lesson of her life." He slapped the ransom note against Jack's chest. "You owe me one, so you're coming with me."
"Yes sir!" Jack pumped a fist.
"Let's go furball." Leona snagged Grim on his next pass and tucked him under his arm. "Ruggie! Practice is over. Let's go!"
"Where are we going?" Ruggie followed him out casually strolling beside Jack.
"To rescue a damsel from getting her head chopped off by the overbearing King of Heartslabyul."
~Heartslabyul~
The tea was too hot, and the cakes too sweet, but Yuu was loving the company. As she, Ace, and Deuce talked and got to know one another, Yuu found herself bonding with them. She admired Deuce's dream to become a police man, and found Ace's slide of hand tricks amusing.
"Are you sure you don't want another bite of the tart, Yuuki?" Ace held out the strawberry.
"No thanks." She held her stomach, feeling it roll. "It may be the feline in me, but all that sweet junk is making me queasy. Give me a good ole fashioned steak anyday."
"So long as you don't chow down on us, eat whatever yah like." Ace devoured the last bit of tart himself and licked his fingers clean. "Yum. That was great."
"Where'd you get the tart anyway, Ace? Did you buy it from town or ask Trey-senpai to make you one?"
"Neither." Ace shrugged it off. "There were three huge tarts in the fridge already pre-made."
"You just took 'em without asking?" Yuu frowned. "Won't the person who made them get mad?"
"Nah, Trey-senpai is the only one here who can make this good, and he's really nice. I doubt he'd mind especially since we shared it with a guest." Ace waved it off. "Speaking of which, I'm still hungry. I've got some snacks of my own in my room. I'll go grab 'em and my deck of cards. I'm gonna teach you how to play poker."
"Poker?" Yuu blinked curiously.
"Yeah, trust me you'll love it. Deuce, come give me a hand." He snagged him by the shirt. "Wait here for us, Yuu, we wouldn't want you to get lost."
"Okay…" She watched them jog off, then glanced back down at the half eaten tart on the plate. Though her stomach churned she really didn't want the sweet treat to go to waste. She picked up the plate, and forced the last few bites down her throat. "Ugh, so sweet. This really isn't suited to my palate."
"If that's so, then perhaps you shouldn't have taken what wasn't yours to begin with!" The voice startled Yuu, and she dropped the fork and empty plate onto the table. She turned her head and spotted a small red haired boy glaring at her furiously. "You've got some nerve stealing from a Dorm leader."
"Dorm…oh!" Yuu's eyes went wide with realization. She held up her hands defensively. "I'm sorry! Was the tart yours? I didn't know! It was offered to me, and it felt rude not to finish it."
"Oh?" Riddle Rosenhearts, the Heartslabyul Dorm Head, crossed his arms disapprovingly. "Just who offered you the tart? I shall have their heads for stealing my tarts!"
"Uh…" Yuu hesitated to respond. She didn't want to get Ace and Deuce into trouble when they'd been so kind to her. "I don't know his name. He had orange hair and a face tattoo." She pointed to her cheek.
"I see…" Riddle sneered and tilted his head up to shout. "CATER!"
"Uh-oh, I know that sound. What's got you in such a bad mood, Ri-chan?" Cater strolled in all smiles, but immediately let out a surprised squawk when he found himself collared.
"OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!"
"What? Huh!? What'd I do!?" Cater held his neck. "I don't remember breaking any rules."
"Oh yeah?! Then would you care to explain how my tarts ended up in the belly of this Savana claw feline!?" Riddle pointed his want accusingly at Yuu. Immediately Yuu's survival instincts kicked in.
"Whoops, look at the time, gotta go!" Yuu quickly made her escape sprinting out the room and towards the direction Ace and Deuce had disappeared.
"Come back here, you fiend, and speak the truth!" Riddle demanded as he and Cater chased after her.
She saw the two of them coming out of the room and shoved them back in closing and locking the door behind her.
"Whoa! Hey, where's the fire?!"
"You're a really dummy, you know that Ace?!" She panted and whirled on him. "That tart you fed me belonged to the dorm head!"
"Riddle-Senpai!?" Deuce went pale and dropped the snacks in his arms.
"Are you serious?" Ace also went pale and he held his neck. "Oh man, I'm dead. He's gonna have my head for sure!"
"What is with that spell of his anyway!?" Yuu demanded holding her own neck. "What exactly does that collar do?"
"It's Riddle Senpai's Signature Spell." Deuce explained. "I've seen him use it twice since our arrival. It basically cuts off your use of magic, leaving you powerless. No one knows how long it lasts." Deuce shuddered. "I've been doing my best not to get on his bad side so I could avoid finding out."
"Okay, I've made up my mind." She held her head, feeling dizzy all of a sudden. "As kind as you are to offer me a place in your dorm, I think I'm safer back in Savanaclaw."
"Can we go with you?" Ace and Deuce asked in sync, and all three jumped at the sound of a thump.
"OPEN UP IN THE NAME OF YOUR KING!" Riddle proclaimed loudly. "THIS IS A ROOM INSPECTION! I'M SEARCHING FOR A THIEVING CAT!"
"Oh crap, Yuu, hide under the bed, quick." Ace hushed and shoved Yuu down and under his bed. He tucked his basketball and several other items around her to hdie her good as Deuce went to the door to answer it.
"Sorry about the delay, Riddle-senpai." Deuce apologized. "Ace and I were playing a game." Deuce laughed rubbing the back of his neck. What's this about a Feline?"
"There's a Savanaclaw student roaming our halls. She stole my tart and I want her found and brought to justice!" Riddle turned up his nose. "If you're harboring her, then you too are guilty."
"Sorry, Dorm head!" Ace jumped up and leaned on Deuce's shoulder. "No cat here. Deucey here is allergic." He poked him in the cheek. "Ain't that right, Deuce?"
"Right… terrible hives and sneezing just being in the same room as them." Deuce quickly followed up, the lie tasting foul on his tongue, but he wanted to protect Yuu.
"Very well, I shall move on. However if you see that cat then you will bring her to me straight away. Is that understood?"
"Yessir!" Both of them saluted.
"Next room, Cater!" Riddle walked further. Cater eyed the two, and glanced inward. He caught the slightest movement from under the bed and gave the two a wink.
"You two are lucky she's cute, or I'd have ratted you out in a heartbeat." he whispered and then followed Riddle with a carefree whistle. When the coast was clear, Ace and Deuce closed the door and let out long sighs of relief before collapsing to the floor.
"That was a close one…" Ace wiped a hand over his forehead. "We better hide out here for a little while longer, at least until the Dorm head finishes room checks."
"You can come out now Yuu." Deuce told her, pulling the basketball out to peer underneath. His eyes saddened when he saw her curled up, teary eyed. "Hey, you okay?"
"Yeah… just feeling a little out of place is all." She sniffed, her ears going flat and her face buried in her crossed arms. "Maybe me coming here really was a mistake."
"Hey, come on now." Ace lay flat on his belly so he could be at her level. "Don't say that. Classes haven't even started. Things'll perk up, I promise."
"I hope so… all I really ever wanted was to come to a regular school and make friends." She slowly climbed out from under the bed, tucking herself between the two boys who each wrapped an arm around her. "I didn't mean to be such a bother to anyone. My dorm head is put out because I'm not strong enough to stand against my own bullies, I got you in trouble with your dorm head, and Grim is probably wandering around aimlessly because I left him sleeping in the middle of the field." She starts crying again. "What if he comes here and Riddle finds him first? What if the Headmaster finds him and kicks him off the property because I'm not there to supervise him?"
"Oh crap I forgot about that…" Ace went pale again. "We gotta get you back to your dorm ASAP before your dorm head comes looking for you and runs into Riddle. That confrontation would not be pretty."
"Huh?" Yuu raised a brow looking confused. "Why would Leona come? You left a note telling Grim where I'd be."
"Well…" Ace rubbed the back of his neck, and spilled the beans.
"YOU…. WHAT!?"
~Heartslabyul: Front Entrance~
"No sign of that cat-girl anywhere." Cater scratched at his cheek. "I think she turned tail and split."
"Well I'm gonna find her come hell or high water. There's only one female in Savanaclaw dorm, which means if I go there she'll be easy enough to-" Riddle started for the mirror. He stopped in his tracks when Leona, Jack, and Grim stepped through the portal first and made their way down the path towards him.
"Whoa! This place is amazing!" Grim did a circle before running to catch Jack and Leona. The two tall men ate up ground with their long legs, and it didn't take long for them to come toe to toe with Riddle and Cater.
"Leona…" Riddle crossed his arms. "What a surprise, I was actually just on my way to see you."
"Oh? Is that a fact?" He held up the ransom note. "I take it that it would have something to do with my tiny female frosh?"
"Yes, and I demand that you hand her over to me so that I can pass judgment."
"I ain't handing her over to you or any other dorm." He snarled shoving the note into Riddle's chest. Riddle stumbled back, Cater catching him before he could fall over. "That girl is mine, and I won't just hand her over to a pipsqueak like you!"
"How dare you!?" Seeing red, and turning red Riddle got to his feet. He crumpled the paper, not even bothering to look and see what it was, and tossed it over his shoulder. It hit Cater in the nose, and he caught it and uncrumpled it. He took a quick read and let out a long sigh.
"I see, that explains everything."
"I don't care how long you've been a student here, Leona! No one pushes me around. This is my dorm, All ways, are my way, and I demand that you-"
"I don't take orders from you, even if this is your turf!" Leona crouched, and cupped his hands out. The two's magical power came out, causing friction in the air. Cater and Jack both took a huge step back preparing for fireworks.
"This isn't gonna end well. Um, Riddle perhaps it might best if we-"
"Leona-senpai, is this really a good idea? Maybe we should-"
"SHUT UP!" Both Dorm Heads shouted at their peers and prepared to meet magic for magic blows.
"STOP!" Yuu's voice cut through the tension like a steel blade. She, Ace, and Deuce sprinted across the courtyard and directly towards them. "Please stop! This is all just a big misunderstanding!"
"You!" Riddle turned his aggression to her. "Finally, OFF WITH YOUR-"
"NO SENPAI!" Ace and Deuce both jumped in front of Yuu to protect her. "It's not her fault! Don't punish her! We're the ones who fed her the tart!"
"What!?" Riddle's temper cooled only slightly. "So you were harboring her? You dared to lie to my face?"
"We're sorry!" Ace apologized profusely. "I promise I'll get you another tart to make up for the one we ate, but we only did it because we were following one of the Queen's rules."
"Oh you were, were you?" Riddle crossed his arms. "Just what rule is that?"
"Rule #112, When one stumbles upon a crying woman…" Deuce started.
"...one must invite her for tea and sweets." the rest of Riddle's temper died. "I see. That would explain my missing tart, and the use of Black tea. It is best for soothing an emotional person."
"We really are sorry for taking the tart without permission, Senpai. Like Ace said, we promise we'll replace it." Deuce bowed apologetically and Ace followed suit, though not as far down.
"Very well… I will overlook this particular event, provided that you promptly bring me another tart by tomorrow." Riddle glanced at Yuu. "As for you, I shall overlook your behavior as well since you technically didn't lie to me. Ace and Cater both have similar coloring after all."
"Uh… right!" Yuu smiled nervously. "My mistake. Sorry."
"Now do us all a favor and return to your own dorm, before your temperamental leader makes a fool of himself." Riddle waved a hand in Leona's direction.
"Says the pot to the kettle." Leona sneered, his tail twitching irritably back and forth. He stomped over to Yuu and picked her up by the scruff. "As for you, I hope you enjoyed your little adventure with the herbivores, because I'm gonna put you through training hell when we get back to Savanaclaw!"
"Eh?" Yuu walked on her tiptoes, as his grip on her scruff had her practically lifted from the ground. "You mean, you'll still train me?"
"We made a deal, didn't we?" He shoved her at Jack, causing her to trip and fall into his big strong arms. "Besides, it'll be much less of a headache for me if you learned to take care of yourself instead of forcing me to babysit you all the time."
"Leona-senpai…" Yuu smiled, and let out a small gasp as Jack hauled her up princess style.
"I'm indebted to Leona, so I'll help out too." He smiled at her. "Besides, I need the practice on being a team player."
"Jack." Yuu smiled up at him, and giggled when Grim jumped into her arms. "Grim! Thanks for coming to save me… even though it really wasn't necessary."
"I don't know what just happened, but I'm just glad you're safe." Grim cuddled in. "I didn't want to lose my meal ticket."
"Of course, not." Yuu laughed, and glanced over Jack's shoulder at Ace and Deuce. She waved at them. "Thanks for the tour guys… but I'm pretty sure I'm right where I belong!"
"Yeah, sure, but feel free to visit whenever!" Ace waved to her.
"See you in class!" Deuce called out waving also. "Train hard!"
"I will!" She laughed and disappeared with her dorm mates through the portal. Once the group was gone, both Ace and Deuce sighed heavily.
"Aww man… that was a bust." Ace kicked a random stone with a sigh.
"Not necessarily." Deuce smiled at his friend and roommate. "She may not be in our dorm, but we still made friends with a lion. That's gotta count for something."
"Yeah… and who knows, maybe she'll decide to join us after all." Ace grinned. After a brief moment of silence, he felt his lips twitch as he forced himself to keep it up. "Sooo… any ideas on how to make a tart?"
"Not a clue." Deuce admitted with a sigh.
…
"We're dead." Both agreed in unison.
