"You know…we wouldn't be here if you didn't decide to ditch."
Ace stops walking almost immediately to glare at Deuce. "Excuse me?! You're the one who broke the chandelier!"
By throwing him, no less!
"Well maybe if you carried Yuu instead of me, I wouldn't be complaining!" Deuce has to adjust his hold on Yuu, who currently rests on his back.
"He's not even that heavy!" Ace would know, considering how easy it was to keep Yuu pinned underneath his own weight.
"That's not the point!" A bead of sweat rolls down Deuce's face when he feels Yuu's cheek press against his. He's not…used to having people be so close to him like this.
"Aww, you shy?" Ace grins mischievously. "You know, I think you two would look cute together."
Ace means it as a joke, but Grim takes it far too seriously and sets the ground at their feet on fire.
"H-Hey!" Ace quickly jumps over the flames, nearly tripping when he stumbles over a rock.
Deuce can feel his own pulse, having almost dropped Yuu. Another bead of sweat drips down his face when he realizes that Yuu is still asleep. "Such a heavy sleeper…"
"Drop 'em and I'll set you on fire." A puff of smoke leaves Grim's mouth as he crosses his arms over his chest.
"Then don't go setting the ground on fire so carelessly…" Deuce heaves out a sigh. "Why can't you behave?"
"It's cuz Yuu's asleep," Ace remarks, his attention drifting over to Yuu as drool trickles down the corner of his mouth. "He should've stayed if he was just gonna pass out once we went through the mirror."
"Yuu's just like that." Grim takes a moment to scratch behind his ear using his hind leg.
"Isn't he magic-less?" Deuce brings up.
"You know, that does make sense…but why come along anyways?" As he is, Yuu is just deadweight.
"Because Yuu wants me to stay!" Grim has such a smug look on his face as he puffs out his chest.
"You sure you're not a familiar?" Ace arches his brow.
"I am not!" Grim hisses.
"Are we gonna get that magic crystal or not?!" Deuce snaps, having had enough of this conversation. They have until tomorrow morning to get a magic crystal from the Dwarf Mines to fix the chandelier that they broke. "The more time we spend arguing, the less time we'll have!"
As they are now, they're still stuck in the woods, not a mine in sight—wait…
"Is that a house?!" Ace points out, directing everyone's attention to a small cottage beyond a small bridge. "Let's go ask them about the mine."
It's a simple enough plan…until they find that the cottage is completely abandoned. Dust and cobwebs cover the walls and furniture, as though nothing had been moved in years.
"Eeugh…" Ace grimaces, slowly backing away from the door.
"Puwah!" Grim furiously paws at his face. "I got a spiderweb in the face! Peh peh!"
"Eeehhh…!" Speaking of spiderwebs, one managed to wake up Yuu when it landed on his face. His eyes are squeezed tight, his brow furrowed, and his nose wrinkled in disgust. "Eehhhh!"
"Ahh—sorry, sorry!" Deuce reacts immediately by setting Yuu down on the floor, making sure that he stays standing before gently picking at the silky strands sticking to his face.
"Uuuugh, uuuugh, uuuugh!" Yuu shakes his hands vigorously, resisting the urge he has to scratch at his face.
"Geez, it's just a spiderweb," Ace remarks, earning a harsh swat from Grim's claws. "H-Hey!"
"You try walking into one if you're gonna be so high and mighty!" Grim can still feel the strands on his nose, like some sort of ghost that's haunting him.
"No thanks." Ace shakes his head. "Man, this place is such a mess…"
"Imagine how it must've looked, when the Dwarfs' Mine was flourishing." Deuce picks at another strand of spider silk.
"It is what it is." Ace shrugs. "Nothing we can do about it."
"Right…" Deuce pauses for a moment and smiles. "There."
"Aaauuugh…" Yuu rubs at his face with the back of his sleeve.
"You'll live—now let's head to the mines." Ace feels that they've stuck around long enough without any progress.
"No more spiderwebs." Yuu sticks out his tongue.
"I agree." Grim places his paws on his hips. "Spiderwebs are gross."
"You two are more alike than you'll admit." Ace scratches the back of his head. "Now which way leads to the mines…"
"Waaay, waaayy~!" Yuu happily spins around on his heel and walks through the door. He nearly stumbles as he sidesteps Ace, who only watches out of curiosity.
"Should we stop him?" Deuce's head peers out the door.
"No, no—I wanna see where he's going with this." He's half-hoping that Yuu will stumble over to the bridge and fall into the brook, as some form of retribution for tackling him in the Hall of Mirrors. The other half is genuinely curious if Yuu knows more than he lets on.
And it seems that he does, from the way Yuu takes the path leading away from the cottage. Grim trails after him, telling him to slow down before a hand on Ace's shoulder snaps him out of his thoughts.
"Are you just gonna watch?" Deuce asks, sounding somewhat annoyed.
"Fine, fine!" Ace slaps away Deuce's hand. "Just don't touch me."
"Then stop lagging behind." Before Ace even has a chance to retort, Deuce runs off in the same direction as Yuu and Grim. "H-Hey!"
…
…
"Spoookyyyy!" Yuu exclaims, blissfully unaware of the unease felt within Grim, Ace, and Deuce at the sight of the mine's entrance. "Well, then…in we go!"
"H-Hold on!" Deuce's hand reaches out to grab Yuu's shoulder. "Don't just go in so recklessly on your own!"
"You're right…" Yuu didn't think about it like that. "Then…!"
"H-Hey!"
"What?!"
Yuu grins widely as they pull Deuce and Ace closer, the three of them now linked together by their arms. "Let's go together~! C'mon, Grim—there's canned tuna waiting at home!"
"Yeah, yeah…" Grim ignores the way his fur is puffed up at the ends. He can get past that, if it means staying another night with Yuu…
There is a bit of protest from Ace and Deuce, though no actual resistance as Yuu leads them into the mine. Wooden supports cover the walls and parts of the ceiling, amongst encrusted precious stones. A single railway lines the ground, leading deeper into the mine. Yuu follows it, deciding that it will lead them in the right direction.
"Hiihiiihiiii! Our first visitor in ten years!"
It does not, as it, instead, leads them to a pair of ghosts.
"Fugyaaahhh!" Grim shrieks, his fur puffing up from fright. "It appeared!"
"Heyyy, heyyyyy!" Yuu frowns. "Be nice, be niiiice! We're their first visitor in ten years! Do you know how long ten years is? It's a lot if you're lonely! Heyyyy…are you guys lonely?"
Question catches the ghosts by surprise, as well as Ace and Deuce.
"Being lonely suuuuucks!" Yuu whines in a childish voice. "That's why you gotta go out and make some more! Going out also sucks…but being lonely sucks even more!"
"Wh…Why are you talking to them like that?" Ace can't even begin to understand what's going on in Yuu's head.
"Because that's what you're supposed to do!" Yuu replies. "Just because they're ghosts doesn't mean that they don't have any feelings."
"R-Right…" Deuce coughs into his hand.
"Say, say, saaaayyyy!" Yuu smiles widely, their attention focused back on the ghosts. "You probably wanna talk, but we don't have that much time to waste, so can we talk later? We gotta find a magic crystal—have you seen one?"
The two ghosts turn to each other in silence, still too stunned to say anything else. Though, after a few seconds, they turn their attention back on Yuu.
"There is a magic crystal in this mine," one of the ghosts confirms. "However…"
"It would be wise to leave if that is what you seek," says the other ghost.
"Why's that, why's that, why's thaaaaat?" Yuu asks with a frown on their face.
"Because there's something else that is searching for that crystal," the two ghosts speak at the same time.
"Wh-What do you mean?" Grim asks nervously.
They hear it first before they see it, a low, guttural voice that echoes throughout the mine.
"…on't…ive…wo…"
Eerily enough, the ground beneath them began to shake.
"St…one…ssss… mine…"
That…that sounded closer.
"Uh, oh, sisters," Yuu manages to say before Ace clamps his hand over their mouth.
"It's best you leave…"
"For your own safety…"
Having said that, the two ghosts fade out, taking their leave as Yuu, Ace, Deuce, and Grim deal with the threat that's approaching them. It appears out of a corner, with a giant, misshapen hand that grips an old-fashioned oil lamp. The lamp glows an eerie red, illuminating the being that holds it as it hobbles into view.
It is a monster with an ink bottle for a head, with a large fracture in the glass that allows an ink-like substance to spill out onto the red shirt it wears. A brown cap is attached to the bottle's opening, and in the other hand, it holds a giant pickaxe that's just as stained as its shirt.
"Stone… IS MINE!" An almost bestial roar leaves the monster as it swings its pickaxe around, purposely letting the pointed end embed itself into the wall. It pushes itself forward by using its pickaxe as leverage, moving in closer towards the group.
"I-It's heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrre!" The screams leave Grim, Ace, and Deuce before any of them has a chance to think coherently.
Deuce's self-preservation instinct kicks in, ignoring the voice in his head that screams at him that if he doesn't do anything, he'll get expelled. He breaks free of Yuu's hold, soon hoisting them over their shoulder as he grabs onto Ace's sleeve. He runs without a second thought, Grim chasing after him as he begs not to be left behind.
The monster's voice bellows out, as it goes on and on about a stone.
"Wh-What the hell is that thing?!" Ace stammers out, unable to keep his voice steady.
"Crowley didn't say anything about that!" Grim shrieks out as tears well up in his eyes. "Let's get out of here!"
"Th-The exit is that way…!" Deuce clenches his teeth as he runs further, and further into the mine.
"Guess there's no turning back yet, ahahaha…" Yuu laughs nervously, feeling somewhat alert in ways that they can't exactly describe. It feels like something is gripping their heart, and squeezing down forcefully, making it somewhat difficult to breathe. "Ahahhhaaaaa…!"
Air, air, air—wind has air…
"Ace, Aaaace!" Yuu calls out, throughout the haze that clouds their head. "Can you use your wiiiiiiiind?"
Maybe that'll help clear their head…
"Wh-Why?!" Ace can't help but ask.
"Thinking, thinking!" Ahhh, why is it so difficult for people to understand?! "Oxygen, oxygennnnn…"
Is necessary for combustion to take place…
"Combustion…combustionnnn…" That's what makes fire! "Fire, fire, fiiiiiire!"
It's hot, and it burns, except when it's coming from Grim!
"Grim…" Yuu blinks. "Grim has fire…"
And Ace can use wind magic…
"Put together…" What would that do? "Together, togetherrrr!"
Makes a dangerous thing!
But…a dangerous thing is what they'll need against a monster…
"Use fire and wind together on the monster!" Yuu loudly exclaims, their voice soon echoing back. "Danger, danger!"
Danger might scare it off…or at least make an opening.
"Go, go, go!" Yuu pounds her fist on Deuce's back.
"H-Hey!" Deuce doesn't know what to make of Yuu's random rambling, though…based on how eager they were to have Ace and Grim use their magic together… "Actually…Ace!"
"Don't tell me you're actually listening to him?!" Ace bites back a scream that wants to tear itself out of his throat from hearing the monster roar again.
"There's a limit to how deep this mine goes, and we'll soon be reaching a dead-end!" When, Deuce has no clue…but he'd rather not find out at the last possible moment, when there's a monster chasing after them. "Do as Yuu says—he's making enough sense."
Ace wants so badly to talk back, but there's enough truth to Deuce's words that pushes him to take out his pen from his pocket. He looks over his shoulder, thinking hard about the magic that comes far too naturally to him. With a wave of his pen, he sends a strong gust of wind in the monster's direction.
Grim doesn't need anyone convincing him to follow along with Yuu's ramblings. At this point, it's better than doing nothing. He expels a fire ball from his mouth, aiming it directly at the stream of wind that Ace sends towards the monster. Within seconds, the wind fans the flames, into a full inferno that sets the monster ablaze on impact.
And it's just like that, that the monster stops in its tracks, too caught up in the flames that engulf it. At the sight, Grim, Ace, and Deuce stop running, while Yuu eagerly claps their hands.
"I-It worked?!" A bead of sweat rolls down Ace's face.
"It worked!" Grim pumps his paw into the air.
"It's too early to celebrate…" Deuce release his hold on Ace and takes out his pen. "We have to handle this now while it's trapped like that."
Otherwise, there's no way either of them will be able to leave the mine…
"Funngaaahhh!" Grim shoots out another fireball, adding to the flames that Ace keeps fanning at with his magic.
"Heeyyy…ya think if we break its head, it'll die?" Yuu thinks out loud.
"Break…" Deuce focuses his attention on the monster, his eyes widening at the crack on its head. "M-Maybe…!"
He'll just need something heavy for it…
"Heavy…" Just what could work… "Heavy, heavy, heavy…!"
That's it!
"Cauldron!" A large, pitch-black cauldron appears above the monster and lands right on top of it, knocking it down with its heavy weight.
C-Craaackk!
There's a loud sound that's similar to the sound of glass being shattered.
"A cauldron? Really?" Ace looks at Deuce with disbelief.
"Sh-Shut up—it worked, didn't it?!" Deuce lets out a yelp when Yuu's hands start pushing away from him. "H-Hey!"
Thud!
"Landing!" Miraculously, Yuu lands on their feet. They adjust their clothing and then kneel down to collect fallen gemstones. "Keep fighting! Fight, fight, fiiiiight!"
"Ahh, right!" Deuce turns his attention back on the monster. Since it worked the first time… "Cauldron!"
BAM!
Then it should work a second time!
"Go, go, go!" Yuu exclaims, cheering on Deuce, Ace, and Grim. A dopey look crosses their face as they take a few steps forward. They wind up their arm, taking aim at the monster's head before letting go of a moderately-sized gemstone. "Break, break, breaaaaaaaaakkk!"
Bit by bit, the pressure adds on, increasing the size of the break in the monster's head. More and more, ink spills out, covering the ground and fueling the fire that engulfs it. Its wails are loud enough to shake the ground, but the attacks only continue.
It's as Yuu is collecting more gemstones to throw at the monster that they're greeted by the sight of the two ghosts that had warned them about the monster. The two of them are carrying a cart full of stones and gems, the weight not really bothering them much as they start to swing it back and forth.
Back and forth…
Back…
"Duck!" Yuu exclaims, reaching out to pull Ace and Deuce down to the ground as the ghosts release the heavy cart in the direction of the monster.
BAM!
That was the final blow that completely shattered the monster's head, spilling ink-black substance all over the monster's body and the ground. The fire grows even stronger, burning a bright blue that eventually swallowed up everything in sight. All that is left behind is a pile of ash.
At the sight of it, Grim starts jumping up and down with glee. "W-We won! We actually won!"
"We actually…did it…" Ace has a hard time processing it, but…the proof is right there.
"Alright!" Deuce exclaims, feeling both excited and relieved. "Now we can search for the crystal in peace!"
"Is this it?" Yuu asks as they hold up a crystal that one of the ghosts had given them. "Oooh…pretty."
"Th-That's…!" Deuce's eyes widen at the sight of the crystal as it glimmers in Yuu's hand.
"That's it!" Ace blurts out, his hand reaching out to grab Yuu's hand. "Where did you get that?!"
"I got it from Austin and Bradley!" Yuu replies with a smile on their face, referring to the ghosts hovering behind them. "They saw we were having trouble and decided to help out."
"Us ghosts normally keep to ourselves, however…" Austin begins.
"We appreciate the kindness that was extended towards us by your companion," Bradley finishes. "A connection was made, and it's not like us to just end it like that."
"We'll be keeping a close eye on this one, so do not take our gratitude for granted…or else." Having said that, Austin fades out from view, Bradley soon following after that.
Ace swallows hard, feeling somewhat anxious. "Sooo…"
"Sooo…" Deuce repeats.
"We can go back!" Yuu holds up the crystal in the air. "Right?"
Ace and Deuce stare at each other for a moment before nodding their heads in agreement. Meanwhile, Grim sniffs around the ground, his nose taking him towards the pile of ash that he starts digging through.
"Heyyy, what're you doing?" Yuu calls out to him.
"Something smells good…here!" Grim uncovers a peculiar black stone with the ash, brushing off the specks that cover it as he continues sniffing at it. "Hmm…hmm! This has to be candy the monster was hiding!"
"Griiiimmmm…" Yuu narrows their eyes. "No…Grim—Griiiimmm!"
Yuu can only watch as Grim shoves the stone into his mouth and starts chewing, his hunger having gotten the better of him. "Spit it out, spit it out!"
Grim freezes still for a moment, his eyes widening as the taste spreads across his tongue. "Hhh!"
"This is why you don't eat things off the ground…" Ace shakes his head.
And yet, it is not disgust that Grim experiences, rather… "Delicious!"
It is the exact opposite, as he goes on an extremely detailed tirade about its flavor.
"Bleegghhh…!" Ace gags, not at all impressed with Grim's antics. "Monsters really do have different tastes from us."
"I guess so…" Deuce sighs. "But more than that… Most people wouldn't put a mysterious object in their mouth without a thought."
"Yeah, but Grim isn't most people—he's a cat!" Yuu paws at the air in a catlike manner. "Nya, nyaaa!"
For once, Grim is too distracted to rebuke Yuu's comment. "Tasty! Tasty~!"
"You're gonna be okay, yeah?" Yuu wants to make sure.
"Don't worry—my stomach isn't weak like yours!" Grim reassures Yuu. "Besides! I'm still hungry!"
"Then let's go baaaaack!" Yuu loudly exclaims. "Back to Crowley!"
"Just don't pass out on us again…" Deuce heaves out a sigh, the exhaustion just starting to sink in.
"Aww, you still shy?" Ace grins mischievously. "Guess you gotta try your hardest, Yuu!"
"Who do you think I am?!" Yuu puffs up their cheeks.
And yet, that doesn't stop them from passing out after going through the mirror. Unlike before, they only remain unconscious for a good five minutes before Crowley's hand manages to shake them awake.
"Hiya Crowley!" Yuu's tone is especially chipper as they greet Crowley. "Are they off the hook yet?"
"I see Yuu is doing especially well, considering the monster you fought off." Crowley folds his arms over his chest. "As shocking as it is, to know that you actually went to the Dwarfs' Mine for a magic crystal…"
It's hard to believe, but the proof is there, with the magic crystal that Deuce had handed him.
"I guess I should tear up the paperwork that I quietly completed for your expulsion…" Crowley says as an afterthought, his voice quiet, yet audible.
"The nerve of this guy!" Grim hisses out.
"Anyways!" Crowley swiftly changes the subject. "Tell me more about how you fought off that monster. Be sure not to leave out any details…"
"Teamwork, teamwork~!" Yuu chirps out, a nonsensical tune soon leaving their mouth. "Gotta work together!"
"Is that so?" Crowley turns his attention to Deuce, Ace, and Grim.
"Well…" Deuce rubs the back of his head nervously.
"It's more that Yuu managed to befriend a couple of ghosts…" Ace sheepishly admits.
"But we still did most of the work!" Grim pipes up.
"Working…together…" It takes a few for the concept to sink in, but once it does, Crowley bursts into tears, with loud, dramatic sobbing that catches everyone by surprise.
"Awww, what's wroooong?" Yuu asks, frowning as they stumbled over to Crowley. Without much warning, they throw their arms around Crowley in an embrace, soon patting his back reassuringly. "There, there…"
"What's with this guy?" Grim can't believe what he's seeing. "Why is an adult bursting into tears?"
"In all these years that I've been headmaster…" Crowley begins through his wails, his hand reaching down to pat Yuu on the head. "For the day to come that students from Night Raven College go hand in hand to face and defeat their enemy!"
"I did not hold this guy's hand!" Deuce distances himself from Ace, who sticks his tongue out at him.
"How old are you, Headmaster?" Ace asks, now rather curious about Crowley's age. "How old is Yuu?"
"So rude, so rude!" Crowley quickly regains his composure. "But as I am overwhelmed with emotion…I will let it slide."
It helps that Yuu's attempts to console him have actually softened his mood, though that only confirms his suspicions even more.
"It's as I suspected—you have a talent as a beast tamer!" Crowley says, his hand falling on top of Yuu's head.
"Beast tamer, beast tamer!" Yuu laughs. "Beast Tamer EX!"
"Y-You really sure about that?" A bead of sweat rolls down the side of Ace's face.
"Haven't you noticed how docile Grim is?" Crowley points out, earning an annoyed hiss from the monster himself. "Rather than stoke the flames, Yuu has this aura that just…eases the mood."
"Ahh…there were these two ghosts…" Deuce places his hand on his chin in thought. "While we were scared, he just…talked to them."
"Precisely!" Crowley grins widely. "Students of Night Raven College are budding wizards called here by the Dark Mirror. However, they are of a superior class that makes them prideful and egotistical people that have not even the slightest inkling to work with others. This makes many of them selfish and self-centered."
Ace shifts nervously as Deuce throws a glare in his direction, causing him to do the same to Grim, who only scratches his ear with his hindleg and yawns.
"You're not really saying anything good," he remarks, purposely oblivious to the target of Crowley's words.
"You cannot use magic," Crowley brings the topic back on Yuu, who just smiles dopily at him. "But maybe…that's precisely the reason that makes you far more capable at getting others to cooperate. Perhaps that mediocrity is exactly what this school needs right now!"
"He's not saying anything nice, is he?!" Ace is taken aback with how Crowley can say stuff so casually—to Yuu's face, no less!
"I have no doubt that your existence is essential to the future of this academy!" Crowley carefully pulls Yuu off of himself, having decided that he's humored them long enough. "So says my educator senses. Trappola. Spade. Along with rescinding your expulsion, I shall give you the qualifications to attend Night Raven College as a student!"
"I can go to school?" Yuu's eyes widen. "Yaaaay!"
Wait…
"Ohh, that means I have to do homework!" Yuu whines childishly.
"And if you don't turn it in, you will be punished accordingly." Crowley pats their shoulder.
"But Yuu can't use any magic!" Grim blurts out, feeling far too envious to just ignore that fact.
"Which is why you'll have to compensate for them, Grim." Crowley's smile only widens. "The two of you will be enrolled together as one student…because I am exceedingly kind!"
Grim blinks slowly, his ears twitching as he slowly processed Crowley's words. "I…I can go to this academy too…?"
"We're in this together, Grim!" Yuu flashes a bright smile at Grim, winking playfully at him as they throw up a V-sign.
"Provided that you cause no more incidents." Crowley's expression turns stern as he scolds Grim, yesterday's incident still fresh in his mind. "Do we have an agreement?"
"Ffgnnaa…fffnnaaa…" Grim sniffs, his eyes welling up with tears. "We can…we can…!"
"Aww, c'mere, kitty!" Yuu smiles as they drop to their knees, holding out their arms as they beckoned Grim to come closer. Without any protest, Grim jumps into Yuu's arms and buries his face into their sweater. "There, there!"
What a big softie…
"You want a hug too?" Yuu asks Deuce and Ace when they catch them staring.
Deuce clears his throat and says, "No—it's fine."
While Ace shakes his head, and pretends he wasn't looking.
"Ehehe!" Yuu giggles, soon lifting up Grim to nuzzle their cheek against his. "Lovey-dovey, luv-luv!"
"Heeyyy, stoppp!" Grim paws at Yuu's face. "You're sounding weird, now!"
Crowley clears his throat "If you're done being affectionate with your, then I shall give you, Grim, the symbol of your status as a Night Raven College student—a magic crystal."
In a flash of light, a light purple gemstone appears on the tattered black-and-white striped ribbon that Grim wears around his neck. It dangles over his chest, glimmering brilliantly in the light.
"Whoa!" Grim's pupils dilate. "A magic crystal?!"
"Aww, pretty!" Yuu laughs.
"It is the norm for students to have their magic crystals in the form of a magical pen, buuut…" Crowley crosses his arms over his chest. "You wouldn't be able to grip it with your paws, now would you?"
A hiss leaves Grim's mouth as Yuu starts playing with his paw pads.
"Therefore, it's a special custom!" Crowley extends his arms outwards. "Ahhh…I pay attention to even the smallest details! Aren't I too kind?"
"Not kind enough to give Yuu a uniform…" Grim eyes the worn-out clothing that Yuu wears.
"That will be handled at a later time!" Crowley had planned on having a fellow colleague handle it as soon as Yuu and Grim had finished with their tasks, but then the chandelier broke… "You will have to wait until tomorrow. Although, I have also granted you some special privileges by loosening the uniform restrictions normally placed on other students…"
"Is it because I have nothing else to wear?" Yuu tilts their head to the side. "Say, say, saaaaayyyy…does that mean I won't get in trouble if I'm not completely in uniform?"
"That is most definitely the case." Of course, it was also to encourage his colleague to step up, in place of him…but Crowley isn't going to admit that to just anyone. "Now, Yuu…I still expect you to keep an eye on Grim. He's not accustomed to human society, after all."
And it really shows.
"Don't worry!" Yuu goes back to pressing their cheek against Grim's face, earning a disgruntled growl from him. "I'll make sure he stays out of trouble!"
"Aha, look at you!" Ace grins mischievously as he looks at Grim, who only scowls at him. "Getting disciplined already!"
"You're just jealous because I get to fluff, fluff, fluff!" Yuu laughs as they hold up Grim's paws. "Soft, soft, sooooft!"
"That's ridiculous…" Ace scoffs. "Who would wanna mess with that bratty cat?"
"I want to…touch…" Deuce looks longingly at the soft, pink paw pads that Yuu squishes with their thumbs.
"How are we still alive?" Ace wants to know, now that it's finally sunk in that he could've died in the mine.
"Teamwork!" Yuu interjects.
"Geez, you make for one interesting Prefect…" That's what they are, if Yuu's in charge of Grim, in a dorm that only has two inhabitants…
"A Prefect without magic…" Deuce thinks about it for a moment. "That's certainly something."
"A Prefect you say?" Crowley didn't actually think about it that way, though…that makes things a lot easier now. "This is wonderful!"
In another flash of light, a camera appears in Crowley's hands. It happens so suddenly, that it's enough to get Yuu's attention, allowing Grim to escape their hold.
"Free!" Grim exclaims, shaking himself before smoothing down his fur as best as he can.
"I entrust you with this." Crowley places the camera in Yuu's hands. "This is nicknamed the 'ghost camera.'"
"Wait…this isn't to get rid of the ghosts in the dorm, is it?" Yuu frowns. "Because I want them to staaaayyy!"
"No, no—as I said, it's just a nickname," Crowley reassures Yuu.
"Ahh, I think I heard about it from my grandmother!" Ace pipes up, far too eager to share. "It's a super old magic tool, yeah?"
"It is not super old…" Crowley huffs. "Ahem… It's true that it may have been invented in your great-grandmother's, or great-great-grandmother's time—"
"That's totes old!" Yuu blurts out.
"There is a very special spell cast on it," Crowley says, deliberately speaking over Yuu. "It not only captures the subjects' form, but also a part of their soul."
"A part of their soul…?" Deuce murmurs.
"We call this Memory: A Fragment of Remembrance," Crowley continues. "Furthermore, the most interesting part of this magic camera is…Yuu-kun? Are you paying attention?"
"Zzz…" Oh…asleep again.
"I'm listening for 'em!" Grim speaks up, very much interested in what Crowley had to say about the camera. "Might be better this way, since Yuu spaces out too much."
"Right…" It's easy for Crowley to forget at times, since he's still adjusting to their presence in the first place. "Where was I?"
…
…
"Why go through the trouble of carrying Yuu when you can just wake 'em up?" Grim asks while he follows after Crowley as he carries Yuu on his back.
"That is for me to decide of my own volition." Though really, it has to do with the strange attachment he feels towards this magic-less person. Maybe it's their inherent talent as a beast tamer… Or maybe it's something else? Either way, it's not anything that Crowley will admit himself.
The walk to the Ramshackle Dorm is entirely uneventful…until Crowley opens the door, and finds that there are two new ghostly faces to the original trio already living in the building. He stares at the ghostly group, and then looks at Grim.
"Yuu did talk to them…" Though Grim hadn't expected the ghosts to follow them.
"Ahh, this is turning into quite the mess…" Nothing too troublesome, just…annoying. "Do not cause too much trouble on these school grounds, and I will allow you to remain within this building…understand?"
The five ghosts nod their heads slowly to show their understanding.
"Very well, then—now show me to their room, so I may lay them down for the night." It'd be too much of a bother to wake Yuu up and force them to walk to their room on their own.
"I'll lead the way." Grim takes the lead. "Yuu might wake up anyways, but only to change clothes."
"Ahh, yes…how are they?" Crowley asks, merely out of curiosity. Definitely nothing worth mentioning to his colleague—oh no.
"Obviously too big—Yuu can only wear the top." The shorts just…fall down. "Hey, hey, Yuu's pretty skinny for a human."
"I've noticed." It's rather concerning, though Crowley's been refraining from saying anything to Yuu about it. "Have they been eating?"
"A lot, yeah!"
"Good, good!" That's a relief… "Try to return the favor, and also keep an eye on them."
Grim stops in his tracks and turns around to face Crowley. "I'll consider it."
There's that damn pride again…
"Yuu's presence really is essential to this academy." The fact that Crowley can admit it to himself is far too telling. "You can learn a lesson from me about being kind."
"Yeah, yeah…" Grim continues on his way again. "Just around this corner…"
…
…
KNOCK! KNOCK!
Loud knocking rouses Yuu from their sleep, waking them up from a strange dream they were having. Grim soon follows after, his eyes half-opened as he mutters, "Looks like we got a late-night visitor."
"Hmmm…" Yuu rubs the sleep out of their eyes and yawns. "I'll go get it…whoa!"
Thud!
"You got it, alright…" Grim yawns loudly, too tired to laugh at Yuu's misfortune. Maybe later, when his body isn't screaming in pain from every movement he makes.
KNOCK! KNOCK!
"Gotta get uuuuuppp!" Yuu says as they crawl all the way over to the door. Using the door as support, they stand up and stumble out of their room. "Hold on, hoooold oooonnn!"
Their visitor lets out a particularly loud yelp as the front door swings open. Standing at the entrance is Ace, who…now sports a strange collar around his neck.
"Hiya Ace!" Yuu waves sleepily at him, hugging the walls as they slowly made their way over to them. "Haaaaa…"
"What's with the collar?" Grim asks, now wide-awake after peering around the corner.
"I'm done with Heartslabyul!" Ace proclaims, placing his hands on his hips. "Starting today, I'm joining your room!"
"Ahh…okay!" Yuu smiles dopily at them. "Make yourself at hooome…it's kinda dusty, though."
Like suuuuuper dusty…
"If you're gonna spend the night, then you gotta clean a room for yourself." Grim crosses his arms over his chest. "Good luck getting us to help."
"Bleh, I'm not cleaning." It's too late anyways, Ace thinks to himself. "Heeeyyy, Prefect~!"
"Hmm?" Yuu tilts their head.
"Let me stay in your room!" Ace moves closer to Yuu, gently tugging on their sleeve. "I'm slim, so I won't take up a lot of space, 'kay?"
"Room…yeah, okay!" Yuu giggles. "Just don't hog the blankets…"
They need to share those with Grim, too.
"Ehhh? That easily?" Ace didn't know what he was expecting, but it sure wasn't this easy compliance.
"Be grateful," Grim states, feeling far too exhausted to even argue. "There's a lot of room on the bed, anyways. Just mind the ghosts."
"Ghosts?" Ace shudders violently as the doors behind him shut close. "Ahh…I see."
"I wouldn't anger them, as they've taken a liking to Yuu." Another yawn escapes Grim's mouth. "Geez, let's just go back to sleep."
"Sleep, sleeeep~!" Yuu grabs onto Ace's hand. "Follow, follow!"
"Y-Yeah…" Ace nods his head.
And sleep they did, all the way until the morning, when Ace wakes up to a hand on his face, and a small, warm weight resting on his stomach.
…
…
…
A/N And with that, the prologue is done with! Yeah, we just nyoom'd over the rest of it. The fighting is a bit on the ehhh side, but only because I'm trying something new here. It's kind of hard to like translate a turn-based system when things don't work like that in real time, so I do what I can.
Of course, that's not even getting into the rhythm game section, but uhh…we're beyond game mechanics anyways, considering the new joke of Beast Tamer EX—which pretty much describes Yuu. Yeah, she's still pretty ditzy, but that doesn't make the actions she's taken so far any less genuine.
By the way, thanks to a comment from shaine26 on AO3 about Enchanted's cleaning song from the previous chapter, I ended up making a doodle, which you can find on my tumblr, klonoadreams, by looking up "enchanted". Enjoy the majestic floof.
Yuu's pronouns are still shifting all over the place, as the misconception continues. Of course, it's Crowley who stays on the gender-neutral side, while Ace and Deuce assume that she's male.
Got some more ghosts in the Ramshackle Dorm, because WHOOPS, I ended up pushing the two ghosts in the Dwarfs' Mine to join Avery, Boris, and Claude—or as I'd like to call them, the Grandpa Squad. Because that what they are, and Yuu is pretty much their grandchild. No exceptions.
Anyways, it's been a while since I last did anything for this fic, and I'll be posting the rest of these chapters for it. As soon as I'm done, I'll get back to updating this fic in my free time, with a slight exception as I have something special planned for April 1st, so DO keep an eye out for it!
Feel free to tell me what you think so far in a review! I really do appreciate what you guys have to say! :D
So until next time, everyone! Stay safe!
