Author's Note: If there's anything I hope you take away from this chapter, it's that Devon is waaaaay thirstier than she seems.

"Devon, Grim, the headmaster's looking for you both."

Devon heaved a sigh of relief when her eyes landed on Jamil standing a few steps behind Azul. "Hey, Jamil. Good to see ya."

Azul turned to face Jamil as well. "Jamil! What a delight to see you here-"

"I came here to find Devon and Grim, not to see you," Jamil interrupted with a scowl. He turned his attention back to Devon, his expression softening as he jerked his head toward the exit. "Let's go."

"Don't gotta tell me twice," Devon said as she skirted around Azul, looking back at him with a pleasant smile. "Well, this has been a delight, Azul. I appreciate your offer, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to refuse." Her eyes hardened and her voice lowered, though her smile remained. "I want to make one thing perfectly clear, pendejo: the only reason I didn't kick you right in the dick after you tried to literally back me into a corner is because we've got guests from off the island in here. Rest assured that if it happens again, you will be losing your ability to breed."

Azul just barely managed to keep his eye from twitching, somehow managing to hold his smarmy businessman smile as Devon and Grim walked off with Jamil. 'She's going to be an absolute pain to deal with, I can already tell. And she has every intention of carrying through with her threat. I'd prefer to avoid dealing with her altogether, but she's my biggest obstacle to obtaining Ramshackle dorm and the Wisps residing in it.' He turned the situation over in his mind, his eyes zeroing in on Grim. 'Then again… There's no saying I have to deal with her directly…'

"What was Azul talking your ear off about back there?" Jamil asked as he led Devon and Grim to Scarabia's venue at the Mystery Shop. "Given that you looked like you wanted to punch him, I doubt it was anything good."

Devon shrugged, doing her best to keep an eye on Grim as he scampered about through the crowd. "Something about this super amazing study guide he put together for finals."

"Ah. I know the one," Jamil replied. "Similar rumors have been circulating around Scarabia."

"Azul's in your class, isn't he?" Devon asked.

"Regrettably."

"Do you think the study guide's as good as he says?" Devon pressed.

Jamil sighed. "In all likelihood, it is. Azul's one of the top student out of the entire sophomore year. Even so, I'd avoid making a deal with him if I were you. No matter how effective the study guide is, there's no way whatever price you have to pay for it will be worth it. And given that he approached you about it directly, I can only assume he plans to ask for something big."

"Yeah, I've had a few people warn me about that, actually," Devon said, recalling the warning Regina had relayed from Horns. "I'd rather just put in the work myself and give it my best than rely on someone else, anyway." She shook her head. "What'd Crowley wanna see us for, anyway?"

Jamil smirked. "Oh, he doesn't. You just looked like you needed an out."

Devon laughed. "Well, aren't you a knight in shining armor~? I appreciate you stepping in because I was worried I'd have to shove him aside to get away." A thought struck her. "Hang on, you weren't in the lab because you wanted to get a look at Octavinelle's Halloween stuff, were you? If that's the case, I didn't mean to pull you away from it."

Jamil shook his head. "No. I try to avoid Octavinelle and their dorm leader as much as possible. In truth, I was actually looking for you…just not for Crowley's sake."

"Oh~? Well to what do I owe the honor?" Devon asked with an amused smile.

Jamil chuckled and gently nudged her shoulder with his. "If I'm being completely honest, I was hoping you'd have that void bag on you."

"Kalim got you stressin' again?" Devon asked, concerned.

"Yes and no," Jamil replied. "Kalim's usual shenanigans aside, I've been run absolutely ragged getting everything prepared for Halloween Week. Scarabia's venue came together beautifully, but that does little to take away the stress that putting it together has caused me. In addition, I have basketball practice a bit later, meaning I'll have to deal Floyd's mercurial temperament."

"Yeah, Ace told me Floyd was prone to mood swings," Devon recalled.

"That's putting it mildly," Jamil replied, shuddering at the memory. "Anyway, I'd hoped to find you to see if you'd allow me to scream into the void again. I stopped at Heartslabyul's venue since you have so many friends and acquaintances in that dorm, and they told me you'd headed off to Octavinelle's setup. Although…" He gave her costume a quick once-over, his eyes lingering on her legs just long enough that Devon could catch it before snapping back up to her face. "It doesn't appear you have it on you."

"Yeah, the bag didn't exactly go with my look, so I had to leave it behind today," Devon said as she held up her staff. "If you need a void, though, we can always make one for you."

"Heh. I appreciate the thought, but getting to see you dressed like that is actually doing wonders for my nerves." He gave her another lingering look. "You look amazing."

Devon giggled, feeling her face get warm at his praise. "Thanks." She sent him a playful look. "Any chance I'm gonna get to see you all dressed up today too?"

"Not today, I'm afraid," Jamil replied. He chuckled at the pout Devon gave him. "Come now, don't look so upset. It's only the first day of Halloween Week, after all. I'm sure you'll have plenty of chances to see me in costume."

They had reached the Mystery Shop by now…though Devon and Grim couldn't quite figure out the look Scarabia was going for. Various rugs and fabrics were strewn both on and around the shop, though it was clear just from a glance that they were high-quality. The Scarabia students were dressed as warewolves, their black and scarlet tops and white pants made of materials as high-quality as the fabrics around them. They also sported a pair of ears and a tail that either matched perfectly to their hair color or was close enough that nobody would notice the difference.

'Well, now I'm even more disappointed I won't get to see Jamil in costume today,' Devon huffed inwardly as a group of Scarabia students walked by.

"So? What do you think of Scarabia's Halloween?" Jamil asked.

"Well, the costumes are gorgeous, but given that Pomefiore's dorm head is leading the committee this year, that doesn't surprise me," Devon said. "All these carpets and fabrics are beautiful but, if I'm being honest, I'm…not entirely sure what the theme is that y'all were goin' for. Heartslabyul's got the hunted cemetery and Octavinelle did a mad scientist lab but unless this is some Twisted Wonderland tradition I don't know about, I'm a little lost."

"That's because Scarabia has less of a 'theme' and more of a 'concept' this year," Jamil explained. "All of our decorations this year were made using recycled materials."

"Goin' for something sustainable, huh?" Devon realized. "Very nice." She nudged him gently and smirked. "I'm guessin' that was your idea?"

"It's something the dorm came to a consensus about together," Jamil deflected.

"Sure, but I'd be willing to bet that you were the one who first suggested it," Devon pressed. "I realize I don't know everyone in Scarabia but of the people I do know, you're the only one thoughtful enough to come up with something like this."

Now it was Jamil's turn to feel his face get warm. He tended to deflect most praises that came his way out of habit, directing attention to anyone (usually Kalim) other than himself. He could tell by the expression on Devon's face that she wasn't about to let him push her praise off onto someone else, though, and the thought both exhilarated and unnerved him. He clutched the side of his hood with one hand, attempted to pull it even further over his face. "Th-Thank you. I appreciate the sentiment, though I'm not sure I deserve praise just for pulling my weight as a member of Scarabia."

"Jamil, you and I both know you pull more weight than probably anyone else in your dorm combined," Devon countered. "There's nothing wrong with taking the credit you're owed, you know."

'If only it were that simple,' Jamil thought bitterly as he refused to make eye contact with her, though he reached out to gratefully squeeze Devon's hand, a small smile appearing on his lips when he felt Devon run her thumb over the back of his hand.

"Hey," Grim said, tapping Devon's leg with his paw. "I just thought of something. Our costumes were made outta stuff the ghosts and Wisps found around the dorm, right? Does that mean we're 'sustainable' too?"

Devon thought for a moment. "Yeah, I guess it does."

"Hang on. Both your costumes are made of recycled fabrics?" Jamil asked, impressed. "I would've like it if we could've done that with ours, but it proved too daunting a task given the amount that needed to be made."

"Well, everything but my stockings and shoes," Devon replied, smirking when she saw Jamil's eyes flick toward her legs again. "But yeah, there's tons of old unused stuff at Ramshackle. It looks like Crowley just used it as a dumping ground for whatever he was too lazy to throw out. Aside from a handful of things he wants us to store for events and ceremonies and stuff, he gave us free reign to do whatever we want with it."

"Really? Sounds like a convenient way to pawn his garbage off on you, if you ask me," Jamil pointed out.

Devon shrugged. "Maybe, but the joke's on him. See, I've been fixin' this stuff up and resellin' it to earn some extra Madol. Makes for a pretty decent side hustle, really."

"I thought Crowley gave you a monthly allowance," Jamil said.

"He does, but I prefer to save that for stuff we really need." Devon shot a quick look at Grim. "Especially since Grim's apparently got a bottomless stomach. I've never really been much of a big spender, so I usually just store the money away for emergencies, but it's nice to be able to treat myself to something every once in a while."

"Hmm… In that case, I'd recommend stopping inside the school store at some point," Jamil replied. "Apparently Sam's selling a special "Night Raven College waffle" during Halloween Week that comes with jam made from the apples on the campus trees. I haven't had one myself, but it might be worth checking out."

"Ooohhh!" Grim exclaimed, hopping excitedly. "We've gotta go get some, Dev! I was just getting hungry!"

It was at this point that Jamil realized that he hadn't let go of Devon's hand. Inwardly flustered, he pulled his hand back to fish around in his pocket for his phone, quickly checking the time. "Well, I'm sorry to be the one to cut this short but I really do have to get to practice now." He sent Devon one last smile before turning in the direction of the gym. "I'll see you both around."

"Later, Jamil," Devon replied before turning her attention to the cat monster still pawing at her leg. "Alright, Sir-Eats-A-Lot, let's get some waffles."

"YAHOO!" Grim shouted. "You're the best, Dev!"

Devon smiled and rolled her eyes playfully. "I know."

"Devon Lopez!" Ortho shouted as he launched himself toward his friend, wrapping her up in a hug that lifted her off the ground for a moment.

"Hey, Ortho!" Devon greeted, laughing as Ortho set her back down. She'd received a barrage of text messages telling her she just had to come and see Ignihyde's Halloween once Ortho's sensors had detected her and Grim near the library. She hadn't expected to nearly get tackled as soon as she walked in the door, but she couldn't help but feel flattered that Ortho was so excited to see her.

"What gives?!" Grim exclaimed as he stepped in and looked around. "Where even are we?! This ain't the library!"

Devon looked around as she and Ortho followed Grim inside to allow other guests into the building. It really did look as if they'd been transported somewhere else entirely. If it weren't for the fact that Devon could see other visitors sitting at the library tables, she could've easily been convinced they'd been warped to some foggy haunted woods.

"Ortho! What is all this, my dude?" she asked. "This doesn't look like any Warp magic I've ever seen…"

"Heheh! That's because it's not Warp magic; it's projection mapping!" Ortho explained.

Grim tilted his head. "Projection what now?"

"Projection mapping," Ortho repeated. "Basically we're projecting image data onto three-dimensional objects to make it look like we're somewhere else." He gestured above them to some jack-o-lanterns flying off the library shelves and floating through the air.

Devon let out a low, impressed whistle. "Dang… I mean, I knew Ignihyde specialized in this sorta thing, but to put something together on this scale…" She took a closer look at their surroundings. "It really does look exactly like the haunted forest in Pumpkin Hollow where the discarded pumpkin first becomes Pumpkin Knight."

Ortho's yellow eyes lit up with excitement. "You've watched Pumpkin Hollow?! Most people dismiss it out of hand, so I wasn't sure you'd take my advice when you asked me about scary movies before…"

"Well, you said Ignihyde was going to base its' Halloween display off that movie," Devon replied. "I didn't want to be totally lost when I came to visit, so I watched it with Ace earlier this month."

"And? What did you think?" Ortho asked eagerly.

Devon weighed her words carefully, not wanting to disappoint her favorite ray of sunshine and speaking to him similarly to the way she spoke to Dominic whenever she didn't like one of the anime series he was always trying to get her to watch. "Well, I really enjoyed watching it and I can definitely see why it has such a devoted following. I can't really say that it's one of my favorites, but that's got more to do with my personal preferences than anything about the movie itself."

"I see… I can't say that's the response I was hoping for, but I really appreciate that you gave it a chance!" Ortho replied cheerfully. "You'll have to tell me more about the horror movies you do enjoy so I can find some we can watch together sometime!"

"Haaaah…," sighed a voice from nearby, followed by the sound of clanking footsteps. "Normies have no appreciation for true art."

The trio turned to see a suit of armor with a greenish pumpkin for a head walking toward them. Devon couldn't help but be impressed yet again; it was an exact replica of Pumpkin Knight, right down to the blue-green ivy around the waist and legs. The only real difference was a stream of blue fire coming from the pumpkin's stem that nearly resembled a ponytail; if the voice hadn't given away that Idia was the one in the costume, the fire hair definitely would have. She glanced at Ortho and finally noticed that he was wearing a similar suit of armor, but without the pumpkin head.

"FGNYAAA!" Grim shouted as he dove to hide behind Devon's legs. "What the heck is that?!"

"Grim, we're still in the library; please don't yell like that," Devon replied, mildly exasperated. "Also, that's Pumpkin Knight-slash-Idia. Ortho and I told you before that Ignihyde was doing a Pumpkin Hollow Halloween."

"Yeah, but I ain't never seen that movie!" Grim pointed out.

"And whose fault is that?" Devon countered. "I offered to watch it with you more than once before I had to return it to the library, but you said no."

Ortho nodded. "Mmhmm. Was there for one of those instances, can play back the audio to confirm."

Grim grumbled, but knew he didn't have a leg to stand on. He begrudgingly allowed Devon to pick him up and put him on her shoulder.

"I can't believe you would dare call Pumpkin Hollow a bad movie in my presence, Devon. Honestly, I expected more from you," Idia said, the pumpkin head he was wearing making him much less shy. "It makes me wonder if you're someone I want influencing Ortho."

A small smile crossed Devon's lips at Idia's tone. Hanging around with Ortho meant spending at least a little time with Idia too, so she'd gotten pretty good at picking up on the shifts in his tone. While his remark might have sounded scathing to anyone unfamiliar with the way Idia spoke, Ortho and Devon could tell he was joking. Devon figured that the fact that Dominic used similar nuances in his own speech patterns gave her a leg up in deciphering the older Shroud's 'Idia-isms'.

"Okay, first of all, the fog's so thick in here-very impressive, by the way-that I don't know how you can expect me to figure out who's comin' and goin' at any given moment, my guy," Devon bantered back. "Second, I never said Pumpkin Hollow was a bad movie, just that it's not a personal favorite of mine. And third, you can imply that I'm a "bad influence" on Ortho all you want, but if you think I won't bust into your dorm to kidnap him if you ban us from hanging out, you've got another thing comin'. Your little brother is my sunshine and I'm not about to give him up."

"I seriously doubt my brother would actually bar us from spending time together, Devon," Ortho assured her. "Though I'm 100% onboard to be kidnapped if it ever came to that~!"

"Ortho?!" Idia exclaimed. "I knew spending too much time with those normies would poison your AI…"

"Boy, if you call me a normie one more time…," Devon began.

Ortho smiled (as much as he was able to, at least) as he watched his brother and his best friend continue to banter. It had taken some time for Idia to start feeling comfortable around Devon, which was why their earlier hangouts almost always had Ortho visiting Ramshackle. However, upon realizing that Devon, while more of extrovert that Idia would've preferred to associate with, was nowhere near as obnoxious or pushy as Kalim, Rook, or Cater, he'd begun to warm to her just slightly. Once he realized that he could banter and debate with her as he was doing now, he was much more open to her occasionally visiting Ignihyde. He was almost to the point where he didn't need his tablet to talk to her, but she never pressured him to ditch it if he didn't have the energy to speak to her face-to-face.

'I'm glad he's finally making another friend besides me,' Ortho thought. 'I'm not really sure why, but I have a feeling Devon's presence will be good for him…'

"I have to say, I was kind of expectin'…more from Pomefiore's Halloween, ya know?" Grim commented as he and Devon stepped into the Mirror Chamber. "Especially since their dorm leader's supposed to be the head of the committee and all."

There was a small part of Devon that couldn't help but agree; aside from some 'No Photography Allowed' signs posted here and there, the Mirror Chamber remained largely untouched. Granted, it was hard to imagine the chamber decked out in Halloween decorations, no matter how gorgeous they were, but after how elaborate the other displays had been, Devon could understand why Grim felt so let down.

"Yeah, well, Vil insisted on keeping the chamber as close to normal as possible so it wouldn't draw attention away from our costumes," Epel said as he walked up beside them.

"I…wow…," was all Devon could muster as she took in her friend's vampire costume. It was hard to know where to look first: the elaborate blossom, poison apple, and bat designs against the deep blues and reds of the outfit, the heeled boots nearly reaching up the entirety of Epel's legs, or the long, billowing black cape with a collar so high it would have been comical in any other situation. That wasn't even getting into the heavy dark eyeshadow, or the fake fangs.

Epel crossed his arms and averted his gaze. "Can you please not stare at me like that, Dev? I already feel weird enough in this getup…"

Devon offered Epel an apologetic smile. "Sorry, man. Didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." She gestured toward his costume. "I know that's not really your style, but you look amazing! I know I certainly wouldn't wanna mess with you."

Epel sighed, but smiled back at Devon all the same. "Thanks. You're lookin' pretty hot, yourself. I'm really likin' the new hair." His smile turned mischievous. "I'm guessin' Ace hasn't seen your Halloween look yet?"

Devon shook her head. "Not yet. Why is everyone so concerned about Ace seeing it?"

"No reason," Epel replied, glancing playfully off to the side. He could only hope that Deuce or one of the other members of the Freshman Squad was nearby when Ace finally did see her. For as much as the redhead acted like he didn't have a care in the world, his feelings for Devon had become painfully obvious…to everyone except Devon herself. They'd realized that those same feelings could be weaponized whenever his ego got a bit too big; Epel especially enjoyed pointing out that Leona appeared to be growing fond of her as well. He didn't know if that fondness was platonic or romantic yet, but it was enough to shut Ace up regardless. "Have you been to Savanaclaw's venue yet? I know you've been lookin' forward to it."

"Not yet," Devon replied. "I can't wait to see it, though. As soon as Jack told me they were doing a pirate theme, I just about lost my mind."

"I hear ya. Pirates are so cool," Epel agreed, his country dialect slipping out as he got more excited. "Adventurin' on the high seas, fightin' to defend their treasure…" He sighed. "I wish Pomefiore could've done something like that-"

"Epel, I've told you before to annunciate properly," Vil scolded from nearby, his signature disappointed frown on his face. "And to even think of making pirates Pomefiore's Halloween theme…" He shook his head. "Out of the question! Nothing so barbaric will even be whispered about so long as I am dorm leader."

"Oh come on, Vil. Don't be like that," Devon replied. "I'll bet there's plenty of elegant pirates out there."

Vil raised an elegantly sculpted brow. "Name one."

Devon opened and closed her mouth as she tried to think of an example, only to puff her cheeks up in frustration when she drew a blank.

"That's what I thought," Vil said as he crossed his arms. He took in Devon's costume, his eyes lingering on her hair. "Your questionable taste in aesthetics aside, I'm glad to see you've dressed for the occasion as well. The illusion cast on your hair is a nice touch."

Devon blinked as she reached up to touch her hair self-consciously. "You can tell?"

"I'm not a world-famous model for nothing, potato," Vil replied. "The darker blue really is quite becoming on you. I'd be glad to recommend some dyes that won't cause much damage to your hair should you choose to keep that color." With that, he turned and walked away to see to some guests that had just entered the Mirror Chamber.

"Ugh, that guy's a right pain in the neck," Epel grumbled, keeping his voice down to avoid drawing Vil's attention again.

Devon giggled. "He kinda reminds me of one of my cousins…" The smile quickly dropped off of Devon's face as an image of Valentina flashed through her mind, bringing her homesickness to the forefront of her mind again. 'A cousin I'm missing more and more…' She crossed her arms in front of her as if attempting to subtly hug herself, gripping her arms to keep her hands from shaking. 'I wonder what Val would have to say about all this…'

Devon and Grim let out impressed whistles in unison as they stepped into the coliseum. At least…they thought they were in the coliseum, but it was almost impossible to see any traces of it. The place had been transformed into a scene right out of Pirates of the Caribbean: a huge pirate ship with tattered sails and a large hole in the hull washed up on a sandy beach with gold and jewels strewn along the coastline.

"I told you before, didn't I? No dorm but Savanaclaw could pull something like this off," Jack boasted, puffing his chest up proudly as he looked out over the venue.

"I still can't believe you guys brought all the material for that ship in here and built it by hand," Devon commented.

"I'm more impressed with all that treasure," Grim said, inching his way closer to a pile of gold coins.

"Oi! Don't even think about it!" Ruggie warned as he yoinked Grim away from the treasure, eliciting a squawk from the little monster. "That treasure belongs to Savanaclaw. Besides, it ain't real anyway. There's no way I'd leave real gold and jewels lyin' around." His blue eyes finally landed on Devon and he let out an appreciative whistle at the sight of her costume. "And speakin' of jewels, you're lookin' pretty good yourself, Devon."

"Thanks, Ruggiford. Your costumes look awesome too!" Devon beamed. She gestured to the shells and starfish decorating their coats and hats. "The shells are a nice touch. Very 'life on the high seas'."

"Speaking of life on the sea, you really oughta warp yourself onto the ship, Dev," Ruggie told her. "Our fearless leader's tucked himself away in an alcove near the bow of the ship so he doesn't have to deal with the guests. If you go and see him, it might put him in a better mood."

"You think?" Devon asked. "Usually he acts like it's an absolute chore to be around me."

"Never stops you from hangin' around him anyway," Jack pointed out.

"He never actually sends you away, either," Ruggie added.

"Fair enough," Devon conceded. "I was really lookin' forward to seein' him dressed as a pirate too, so this works out for everyone."

Once Devon had warped herself onto the ship, it didn't take her long to find the alcove Ruggie mentioned. Sure enough, her favorite lion prince was tucked away inside it. At first glance he appeared to be asleep, but Devon saw one of his ears flick toward her as she landed.

"Decided not to get in on the Halloween fun?" Devon asked playfully, squatting down so that she was eye level with Leona. She couldn't help but marvel a bit at how well the pirate costume suited him; he definitely had the rugged, untamed look down-pat. She allowed her gaze to linger appreciatively on what was visible of his toned chest courtesy of his unbuttoned shirt.

"Decided to avoid the crowd," Leona replied. "The rest of the boys can handle it." He cracked one green eye open to look at her, only for it to widen just slightly when he caught sight of Devon's costume. Thankfully for him, he was able to keep the rest of his expression neutral and Devon didn't seem to notice the momentary slip. "What took you so long, herbivore? Thought you were all gung-ho about seein' our pirate display."

"Aww, did you wanna see me that bad~?" Devon teased, giggling when Leona scoffed and rolled his eyes in response. "I just started which whichever display was closest and went from there. Besides, there's something to be said for saving the best for last, y'know."

Leona smirked. "Heh. Well, as long as you realize that Savanaclaw's got the superior display, I guess I can't be too upset at ya." He looked at her costume again. "Diggin' the witch outfit, by the way. Aren't you worried about gettin' it dirty with you bein' so low to the ground and all?"

"I wasn't especially worried, but since you seem to be…"

"Oi!" Leona protested as Devon maneuvered her way closer, turned and plopped herself down across his lap, her back against the wall of the alcove and her heels resting against the outside of his leg. "Just who do you think you are, anyway?"

"Well, I think I'm your favorite New Yorker," Devon countered as she snuggled against Leona to get comfortable. "I also think I should've tried to sit in your lap a long time ago because you are comfy."

"Tch," Leona scoffed, looking away from her as he tried to will his arms to keep from wrapping around her and holding her in place. "What's stoppin' me from just tossin' you over the side of the ship?"

Devon shrugged. "Nothing, I guess. But I'm hoping you'll let me hang out like this for a little bit." She rested her head against his shoulder and sighed, all playfulness and cheer leaving her tone and expression. "It's…It's been a long morning…"

Leona blinked, momentarily caught off-guard by the abrupt change. "…Everything alright, herbivore?"

'No.' "Yeah," Devon replied, the word coming out more like a sigh. "I'm just feelin' a little drained, that's all."

"And hangin' around with me is gonna make you feel less drained?" Leona asked.

"No clue," came Devon's blunt reply. "It'll help my mind to stop racing, though." She glanced up to see Leona staring at her with an unreadable expression on his face. "I feel calmer when you're around, man. I don't know what to tell ya."

"I've been called a lot of things, but "calming" isn't on the list," Leona told her as his tail crept upward to lay across her lap.

"First time for everything, right?" Devon attempted to joke, but there was no humor in her tone.

Leona studied Devon for a moment, unused to seeing her look so morose. He had a feeling he knew what was bothering her, but knew better than to press her for more information; he wasn't likely to get anything out of her than what she'd already said. He couldn't deny the warm feeling that took root in his chest when she said she found being around him soothing. She'd insinuated as much in previous conversations, but had never said it outright before.

"I guess it's fine if you wanna hang out here for a bit," Leona finally told her. "But you better get comfortable now because if you start squirmin' around too much, I will throw you off the ship."

Devon huffed out a weak laugh, pressing her forehead against Leona's neck and closing her eyes. "Thanks, mi rey."

Leona quirked an eyebrow at the nickname. Devon had taken to calling him that after they'd started hanging out more following his Overblot. He knew she was speaking a language that didn't exist in Twisted Wonderland, so he wasn't likely to find out what it meant unless he asked her directly, but his pride would never allow it. In any other circumstance, he would've assumed she was mocking him somehow, but she always said it with enough fondness in her voice that he simply couldn't come to the conclusion that it was an insult.

He watched over Devon for a while longer before closing his eyes as well, sleep overtaking him moments later.

Ending Notes: I'm so glad Devon's finally getting more time with her boys. It's a shame she's so stubborn about actually admitting that she's hurting, though. She's willing to let the mask drop at least a little bit around Leona, but she's teetering on the edge of a breakdown as it stands.

On a lighter note, as much as I love developing Devon's relationships with her love interests, it really is rewarding to have a chance to touch on the bonds Devon has made with the other students as well. I'm especially fond of her friendship with Epel since I just picture him bolting to Ramshackle whenever Vil's etiquette lessons get to be too much for him and just lets his accent fly since he knows Devon won't say anything to him about it. Imagining the back and forth between the two of them always makes me smile: Epel's country accent versus Devon's (very deliberately exaggerated) New York accent.

Thank you all so much for reading! As always, feedback and constructive criticism are welcome. Geekinthepink, out!