My alarm went off early the next morning, waking me up at the bright and early time of six thirty. Fucking wonderful.

Blinking the sleep from my eyes, I turned my head to the side. The bed was empty save for me, and I couldn't help but notice just how much worse it felt to wake up alone rather than with a companion. No soft warmness to keep me company, just my body heat and a blanket.

I don't care for it all too much.

Tossing the blanket aside, I got out of bed and yawned. Adjusting my boxers, I left my room and walked into the kitchen, taking out a bowl and grabbing some corn flakes. For a moment, I debated whether or not to put the cereal first.

On the one hand, pouring the cereal in first would allow me to cover more of the flakes with milk. On the other hand, it'll get soggier faster than if I were to put the milk first. Hmm…

Eh, screw it. You only live once.

Pouring the milk in first, I filled the bowl halfway before popping open the corn flakes and letting them fill the rest of the bowl. For a moment, I stared down into the bowl, watching the dry cereal sit there.

I think I've made a terrible mistake.

With a sigh, I pulled open the drawer next to me and grabbed a spoon. Lifting it up to my face, I frowned as I realized that I had grabbed a teaspoon, which is objectively for children. Putting it back, I grabbed the only other spoon in the drawer, nodding as I made sure it was a tablespoon, a big boy spoon really.

"Ooh, corn flakes. My favorite!"

Something soft touched my back, and my spoon was snatched out of my hand by a slender more feminine hand. Another arm wrapped around my side under my arm, grabbing the bowl and holding it in front of me. Digging the spoon into the cereal, Daria rested her head on my shoulder and took a bite. "Mm, a bit dry."

"…My cereal… "

Daria laughed, and I was suddenly aware of the two hard points on my back. Taking a deep breath in, I turned my head around.

She was wearing nothing but a smile.

Looking away just as quickly as I saw her, I couldn't help but frown as she continued to eat my cereal. "You're naked."

Another smile, though this one was more fiendish than the last one. "Uh huh, whatcha gonna do about it?"

Good question, though I already knew my answer by heart at this point. "Not give you the satisfaction. So, you gonna put on pants or something?"

Slapping away a stray hand making its way to my boxers, I watched as Daria pouted. "Boo, you're no fun."

Pulling herself away from me, she slowly made her way to across the kitchen counter. The soft pitter patter of her bare feet on the wooden floor were one of the loudest sounds in the room. Second only to her chewing and the subtle clap of her ass.

That last one was definitely on purpose.

Her hips swayed with a subtle grace, spoon in her mouth as she sauntered to the other side and leaned on the counter. Placing the bow down gently, she grasped one of her breasts and-

"What the fuck!?"

Any sort of arousal I had vanished the moment literal fucking breast milk shot from her. Daria just laughed as she went to dig her spoon back into the bowl, though I slammed my hand onto the table before she could. "No seriously, what the fuck? Why the fuck? Why is that something you can just… do!?"

She openly snickered at my reaction, covering her mouth as she did so. "I've been alive for a long time, hon. I've had a few children, rest their souls. After the first one I just never lost the ability to lactate."

I clenched my fist, biting down on my lower lip as I closed my eyes. This is a several hundred-year-old woman of a supernatural race. Logic is optional. "Right, okay, that's totally fine the- stop trying to eat it!"

Daria paused, spoon an inch away from her plump lips. "Why not? It tastes like ice cream."

"That's not normal!"

A sigh escaped her, before she hopped up onto the counter. Swing her legs over to where I was, she gestured to her nipple. "Come on, it's not that bad. Give it a try, you might like it. I know I will~."

Backing up immediately, I crossed my arms and shook my head. "Nope, not gonna happen. This is somehow even weirder than having sex with you."

Despite my solid refusal, she continued to push me on the subject. "Oh, don't be childish! It's really not that weird! Just wrap your lips around it and give it a suck, easy. I do it all the time, though not always with nipples."

Fucking hell, it's always sex with her! It's like she has no self-control whatsoev- wait a minute. Why do I have so much self control right now? I was practically frothing at the mouth with Jolene yesterday, and yet now I'm completely in control.

I stared Daria in the eyes, watching as she shifted slightly in response to it. "Why aren't I having any self control issues right now? Or whenever you do something like this? I mean, when Jolene threw herself at me, I could barely hold on. But now? I'm right as rain."

She sighed, leaning back and crossing her legs. "It's always business with you. Well, if you put a wolf in a room with a large number of sheep, chances are the wolf is going to feed on them. Put that same wolf with a bunch of other wolves, and at the most you have a battle of dominance."

Her eyes met mine again, a subtle glow to them as the pupils narrowed into slits. "And we're not battling for dominance, are we?"

A shiver went down my spine, and I couldn't help but gulp slightly at the sudden change in tone. "N-No. No, we are not."

Her lips quirked upwards into a smile, and she hopped off the countertop. "Good. Now why don't you get ready for class? Can't have you being late."

She patted me on the back, before sauntering off and leaving me alone with the breast milk cereal. I hate the fact that those three words were put together.

"There he is."

"Do you think it's true?"

"I dunno. Last I heard, he did it with the whole cheer team though."

"Wait a minute, I'm on the cheer team you ass!"

I pinched the bridge of my nose, leaning back on my chair as I watched Romeo look between Emery and I with a suspicious gaze. It's been all day with this shit, ever since I first stepped on campus. Whispers and rumors spreading from student to student over what I may or may not have done yesterday. It was funny for the first hour, but at this point it was getting old.

Letting out a sigh, I straightened my posture and looked Romeo in the eye. "No, I haven't done "that" with her, and I don't plan on it. You can relax."

He sputtered like a dying car, looking away as he tapped his pencil on the table. "I-I have no idea what you're talking about!"

I raised an eyebrow, not saying anything but making my disbelief known to him. His pencil tapped against the table even harder as he looked down, muttering a quiet apology.

Waving it away with a quick "No problem", I looked to my right to see Juliet staring at her lap so intensely I was afraid it might burst into flames. Shifting in my seat slightly, I nudged her foot with my own. "Hey, what's up? You look like you're thinking awfully hard about something."

Her eyes looked up into mine, body tensing for a moment before she managed to pull herself out of it. "You hold rather conservative beliefs, don't you?"

Uh, what? Of anything I could've been accused of, having conservative beliefs was definitely low on my list of assumptions. "I'm not exactly from here, so you'll have to be specific."

She nodded, politely reserved as she began to go into more detail. "The country of Blair has always been known for their very… open view on sexuality and other carnal pursuits. Though within the last two hundred or so years, immigration into the country has changed things. My family is from the Northern Mountains of Lotharia, as many immigrants to here are, and our people are much more reserved. Some might even say… prudish."

It wasn't hard to put the rest of the pieces together. "So, these immigrants are bringing their own customs to the country and slowly phasing out the… more classical ones."

"That's right."

Romeo's voice startled me slightly, as I turned to face him. His expression held a contemplative look to it as he began to go into more detail. "With how diverse the country's population is, there are a lot of customs and beliefs that contradict each other. It used to be an issue, but within the last seventy or so years, things have gotten better. Unfortunately, a lot of these beliefs stifle Blair's own customs, and there's been a lot of movements to either save them, the conservatist beliefs, or get rid of them altogether, the reticent belief."

He blinked for a moment, before looking away and scratching the back of his head as both Emery and I stared at him. "M-My family is a Sir Lord family, the Montagues, and are very conservative. Juliet-Chan's family is more reticent."

I nodded, exchanging a look with Emery as I shrugged slightly. "That must be quite the predicament, especially with The Festival of The New Sin coming up."

Romeo winced, sinking into his seat as he sighed. "That's always a hot button. Last year's New Sin was so controversial that there were protests to cancel the event for this year. Though that was mostly because of what Lustcraft-Sensei did here."

Right, gym orgies. Leaning forward, I rested my elbows on the table. "Right, I heard about that. Some pretty wild stuff there. I can see how it could be so controversial."

Juliet leaned forward this time, her eyebrows creased ever so slightly. "Indeed. While your family is certainly odd, not even sharing a last name, they've always been more conservative. While your father is more subtle over his beliefs, Lustcraft-Sensei is very outspoken about them. She is a very terrifying political opponent, or so I've heard. Though you'd know more than I do."

One would think, but this is the first time I'm even hearing of this. Though the fact that Daria is a politician for sex stuff doesn't surprise me in the slightest. "I'm afraid not. I uh, only recently actually met them. I'm still new to all this."

That seemed to catch them off guard, as Emery actively leaned closer to me. "Really? Well, how 'id you meet 'em?"

Ah, shit. Fidgeting in place slightly, I did my best to word my response in such a way that didn't leave much room to question it. Or at the very least answer her question. "Well, they kind of found me, I think. It's all kind of just a blank spot in my memory. I just remember waking up in Daria's apartment and that's that. Not all that interesting, but it's the truth."

"Oh."

Emery shifted uncomfortably for a second, before patting my shoulder supportively. "I-I am here 'or you."

I blinked, mildly confused by the gesture but accepting it, nonetheless. "Uh, okay?"

She nodded, seemingly satisfied with herself as she went back to drawing up some plans for our project. Which I completely forgot we were supposed to be doing.

Getting ready to assist Emery with her plans, I felt a nudge on my foot. Turning my head, I saw Juliet stealthily slip me a piece of paper, folded up and small as she pretended to be working.

Taking the small note, I unfolded it and read the contents.

Meet me at The Bleeding Heart Club at six pm tonight.

Below that was an address neatly written, making the invite look almost like a formally written letter. Stuffing it in my pocket, I slowly nodded my head, watching as her eyes met mine.

Looks like I have plans this evening.

History class with Daria was something that I didn't know how to plan for. On the one hand, history is boring. On the other hand, it's Daria. Enough said on that front.

And as I sat at the front of the room, not a single soul I recognized in the class, I realized how the two worked together. The classroom was dull and barren, not a single poster or decoration in sight. It was like they yesterday, sure, but this was the first time I truly was able to grasp it. And its purpose.

The sheer mundanity of the room naturally led to your eyes landing on Daria, whose form always manages to steal attention. In such a drab room, it was like water in a desert. And as her hips swayed from side to side with every step, her tight pencil skirt emphasizing her wide hips, I couldn't help but appreciate what she did with the classroom.

It didn't help that she was also a wonderful speaker.

"Now class, today we're going to do something a little different. Today, I want us to touch on a very specific mythology, or legend if you prefer. Does anyone have any ideas as to what it might be?"

It took a while for the class to stop thinking about Daria's many assets and to focus on her question, though eventually one girl some ways behind me managed to do it. "U-Um, th-the Legend of the Heavenly City?"

Daria chuckled, clapping her hands together cocking her hips to one side. "So close, but not today. No, we're going to talk about the inhabitants of that legendary city. Now, if you're Lotharian or Halorian, you might know them as the Celestials, but the more common name for them are the Aspects."

Her eyes met my own, and I couldn't help but sit up straighter once I realized what the topic was about. Giving me a quick wink, she looked back towards the rest of the class. "Can anyone name all of the Aspect types in order of their place in what was known as the Universal Ouroboros?"

Another voice, though this one was male and nasally. "They were Creation, Life, Destruction, Death, and Rebirth, Lustcraft-Sensei!"

Her nose wrinkled at the answer, and I could see her eyes flare in anger. Thankfully, she laughed it off and simply corrected him. "Close, but you made a fairly common mistake. One some professors have made, so it's not your fault. Destruction actually comes first, not… Creation. Can anyone tell me why?"

This time, no one spoke up with the answer, leaving Daria to gleefully provide one. "You see, before there could be anything, there was Nothing. So, to allow for the creation of Something, the Nothing was destroyed. A bit abstract sounding, I'll admit, but it's still rather fascinating. In fact, of the Aspects, Destruction is the only one that can be born from nothing, not needing biological parents."

She paused, leaning on her desk as she rested her hands on it. "Or so the legends say. Any questions so far?"

A girl to my right raised her hand, fiery red hair tied up in a ponytail as her bright blue eyes narrowed. "Why are we learning about myths? What do they have to do with history?"

Daria's smile turned downright predatory as she slowly got off her desk and stalked towards the girl. "Glass-San, was it? Well, to downplay such stories as mere myths doesn't do much justice to how impactful they were to history. Of all the legends and religions to have been born and die, the Aspects have persisted longer than them all. Though not so much in modern history, I'm afraid. Regardless, treating such an important historical… belief such as this without the respect it deserves is not the type of behavior I want in my classroom. Understood?"

The girl shifted uncomfortably, pale as she tried to shrink into herself. "C-Crystal, Lustcraft-Sensei."

I wanted to say something, though there wasn't anything I could say that wouldn't make me sound suspicious. After all, how could I claim that the only reason Daria was doing this was so that she could talk about herself and her-our people for a period?

I instead chose to watch as Daria pulled away from the girl, the older woman going back to her desk and fully sitting atop it this time. "Since it seems you all don't think this is important to history, I'll be assigning a ten page essay on the Aspects instead of teaching about them, two pages for each type. One page should be a description of what they are, while the other should be of their impact on history and culture. You will be working in pairs of my choosing, such as Glass-San and Adiel-San. Is that enough for you all?"

The class groaned, several of them glaring openly towards that Glass girl for egging Daria on. Ripping a page from my notebook, I flipped it sideways and wrote "Boo" in large letters, before holding it up to Daria. She snickered, before clearing her throat and continuing. "Very good. This is due on the twenty-eighth of December, a few days before New Sin. And remember, this is in addition to any homework I would normally assign."

More groans, though this subsided as Daria hopped off her desk, breasts bouncing as she walked across the room. "Good. Now onto "real history", as you all called it."

It was at this point that I zoned out, idly writing down the occasional key term in my notes.

History was boring, but Daria certainly was not.

"I wonder why the sandwich lady looks at me like I'm about to commit a war crime."

I took a bite of my jelly, tomato, and chili sandwich, enjoying the cacophony of flavors. Emery stayed at my hands, nose scrunched up as she leaned away from the sandwich. "Maybe it's because of your… weird tastes."

Weird? I raised an eyebrow, silently questioning Emery as I swallowed another mouthful of my sandwich. "Nonsense. I'm just a purveyor of new experiences and sensations."

Stuffing the last of the sandwich into my mouth, I frowned as my stomach refused to feel satisfied. That was an entire footlong sandwich, it should have filled me up and then some.

Wiping away some of the jelly from the corners of my mouth, I idly watched as other students walked by our table. They whispered amongst themselves, pointing us out before retreating once they realized I was staring at them.

Looking back to Emery, I noticed how she seemed a bit more hunched over than before. Her elbow was on the table, hand covering her face. Leaning forward, I tapped my finger on the table, stealing her attention. "You seem uncomfortable."

She gave me a very slight nod, peeking through her fingers before fully covering her face again. "How are you not? Everyone is whispering and talking about you."

Hmm, that was definitely a bit annoying. Though it wasn't too hard to ignore at this point. It won't be long until they move onto something else. Still, if it's making her uncomfortable, I'd best settle the matter myself. "I understand exactly what you mean. I'll go and set the matter straight myself. Don't you worry about a thing! I'll be right back."

I didn't wait to hear her response, instead preferring to stand up and sweep my gaze across the room. My eyes met with Jolene's, who was seated on the other end of the cafeteria. She silently shook her head, asking me not to do… something. I wasn't too sure, so I ignored it and instead focused on a nearby table.

They were openly staring at me, not a single word being spoken as I made my way towards them and gave a friendly wave. "Hello there~, while I'm not one to be overly sensitive, I'm afraid my friend is a bit more shy about it all. So, if this whole matter regarding my exploits can be resolved, that would be wonderful."

A redhead sighed, one that I recognized to be Miss Glass from history class. To her right, a blonde male stood up, adjusting his glasses as tapped the side of them. A small holographic screen popped up in front of him, and he began to question me. "So, to set the record straight, did you actually have intercourse with a woman during ninth period combat class in the showers?"

Oh, was that still not a known fact? I chuckled slightly, scratching the back of my head. "Is that all? Well yeah, I'm not denying that in the slightest. Though I'm afraid that I won't be sharing names. No point in dragging her into this after all."

The table broke out into excited whispers, excluding Miss Glass and the blonde guy, who maintained a professional attitude as he pushed further. "What drove you to commit such an act? Is it a statement on the current politics surrounding conservatism versus reticentism?"

Oh boy, no way am I getting myself wrapped up in all that. "Not in the slightest. She just showed up and not so politely asked if I was up for it. I was very hesitant about it, but I certainly can't say that I didn't enjoy myself. Same goes for her, if her ecstasy was to be believed."

I stopped for a moment, narrowing my eyes as I saw the holographic screen in front of him glow slightly. "Um, what is that for exactly?"

He blinked, before cursing to himself quietly. "Damn it, I'm so sorry about not asking you beforehand. I'm a reporter for the Academy Paper, and I thought about doing a light drama piece. Are you okay with being recorded for this?"

So, he was recording this. That could be problematic, but then again, I'm nothing if not honest. So this shouldn't change much. Besides, I could use this to hopefully end this matter more abruptly. "Not at all. I'm an open book after all. Please, continue to ask what you want to ask. Once all this is said and done, I'm sure that your curiosities will be satisfied."

Pausing for a moment, I leaned forward and maintained eye contact with him. My eyes glowed for a moment, locking him into my gaze as I spoke. "But be honest with me, what do you think you'll get from this, hm? What desires do you hope to fulfill through such mundane gossip?"

There was barely even a hint of resistance from the guy, his lips looser than a baggy sweater. "I-I want to secure my position as the gossip writer for the paper with this story."

He blinked, snapping out of it before he realized what he just said. Not that I let him get too comfortable. After all, if I can solve the root of his issue, maybe it'll end the whole debacle sooner. "And what about this story in particular really stands out? After all, I'm sure that students getting frisky in private isn't a very uncommon occurrence. Come now, don't be shy. There must be something more."

He swallowed, eyes losing their dullness as he began to speak in earnest. "It isn't, but think about it. The new student, son of the headmaster and brother to one of the most aggressive conservatists out there, being caught performing such a hedonistic act, it could stir up something big, given the right angle. Get people to take sides, change the entire political landscape of the Student Government! The news and other media should be a vehicle for action, to invoke outcry from both sides and push them to a conclusion! And if I can do that, I'll be the best damn reporter this Academy has ever seen."

Well now, isn't he an ambitious one? Leaning off the table, I gestured for the reporter to come closer. He quickly pushed his way around the table, moving quickly as he stopped right in front of me. I brought my lips closer to his ear, whispering into it with a quiet ease. "How admirable. How about this, if you can keep the masses distracted with a shallow dirty little secret not involving me, I'll assist you in whatever way I can with this incredible story you're trying to craft. Do we have a deal?"

He nodded, slowly at first, before picking up speed as he put his hand forward. "You've got yourself a deal. By the end of the day, no one here will even remember what went on in that shower room."

And that is the sound of progress. "Lovely. Now then, I'll be enjoying my lunch in peace now. See you around… I don't know your name."

His posture immediately straightened as he tapped the side of his glasses, dismissing the hologram. "Teller, Frank Teller."

Good to know. "A name to remember, of that I have no doubt. Until next time."

With that, I left the befuddled group of gossipers to their devices, making my way back to my table and sitting down right in front of Emery. "There, problem solved. Today sure has been rather political, hasn't it?"

Her only reply was to slap her palm against her forehead.

Today has felt like a series of events that are kind of related but only loosely connected with no solid theme between them. I mean, I guess that's what school is like, but it's kind of weird. Especially with how beat by beat my first two days of existence were.

Walking into the now smoke free potions classroom, I raised an eyebrow at the mundane setup. There were several circular tables, each with a cauldron in the center, and they all faced towards an electronic board at the front of the room.

My eyes landed on Professor Raynaldus, and I couldn't help but wince as he walked forward. He pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing as he stopped right in front of me. "You know, Adiel-San, me telling you not to use an empty classroom for sex wasn't an invitation to use the showers."

Scratching the back of my head, I couldn't help but chuckle at his exasperation. "Well, to be fair Professor, I did clean up when I was done, ah, using it."

He stared at me, eyes unblinking as we both just stood there. Eventually, a quiet snicker escaped him, and he took a step back. "Well as long as you focus on your studies, I couldn't care less."

Huh, déjà vu. "Darian told me the same thing yesterday."

He hummed, raising an eyebrow. "Is that so? He can be kind of a smartass at times, but he's a good man. I'm starting to think that I can see the similarities between you two, besides looks of course."

I laughed, not really sure what to think about that. I mean, he has no fucking idea just now similar Darian and I really are.

Watching as he gave me a dismissive wave, I turned around and walked deeper into the classroom. I eyed the tables, unfamiliar faces greeting me until an artificial hand grabbed my jacket and pulled me into one of the groups.

"Look who it is! Adiel-San, you pussy slaying beast!"

God damn it Evanora.

Shifting in the seat I had been pulled into, I dropped my bag onto the floor and raised an eyebrow at her. "Can you not say that so loudly? Seriously, it's not a big deal."

She scoffed, ready to argue back before someone cleared their throat. Finally taking notice of the other group members at the table, I couldn't help but sigh. That Jamie guy from yesterday was there, scowling at me as he crossed his arms. To his side was Barbra, who looked torn between comforting her boyfriend and saying hello.

Well, this is awkward. I better break the ice. "So do you two have last names or is it just Jamie and Barbra?"

Jamie refused to speak, only glaring harder. Seeing this, Barbra decided to take charge. "My family name is Pots, and his family name is Posh. Sorry about him, he's just very possessive is all."

I can fucking tell. I mean, for someone called Posh, he sure has a lot of heat in him. Huh, heat. Spiciness. "I'm going to exclusively call you Posh Spice from now on."

His hands slammed onto the table, pushing himself up as he glared down at my seated form. "Listen here shit for brains, I ain't gonna forget what you said yesterday. You think you're hot shit just cause you can get some slut to drop her pants for you? Well, think again. You stay away from my woman, else I'm gonna break you like a twig."

Huh, I think this guy has some issues. "Well for one, I didn't get anyone to do anything. That woman came onto me, in several ways. And second, I am hot shit."

He looked as if he wanted to reach across the table and choke me out, but said table was too big for him to reach across. Instead, he settled for growing like an angry chihuahua. "Keep telling yourself that, punk. Just know that, of the second years in this place, I'm the top dog. You're not even close to reaching me."

My eye twitched, and I finally stood up. "If you're trying to scare me off then I'm afraid that you're failing. Being top dog in a school full of pups doesn't mean a damn thing, Posh Spice."

"That's enough, you two."

Professor Raynaldus came over towards our table, a stern look on his face. "If you want to have a fight, do it after class. You're here to learn right now, and I'll be damned if I let two kids with a chip on their shoulders ruin that. So sit down, shut up, and listen."

I blinked out of… whatever that was and nodded my head, sitting down quietly. "Of course, Professor."

Posh Spice didn't move immediately, jaw clenched as his eyes burned holes into my own. Finally, he relented, sitting down but never taking his eyes off me. "Sure, whatever."

Satisfied with that, the professor gave us a sharp nod before returning to the front of the room. I waited to see if Posh Spice would do anything, but he stood quiet. His eyebrow twitched every so often, and I could still feel his hate directed at me. Barbra and Evanora looked at each other, not saying anything but clearly communicating with each other.

Focusing on the lesson at hand, I softly touched the paper in my pocket. Six pm, Bleeding Heart Club.

I could hardly wait.

Well, this was definitely a bit less overtly connected than usual. Though to be fair, school is usually more like a series of loosely connected events than anything else. So that's how I decided to frame this one, and probably future ones as well.

Honestly, I wish I had more to say but to be honest I really don't. So, I'm just gonna skip over Review of the Chapter and end it here. This has been A Decent Hoonter, and Embers is right on schedule.