There's a poll on my profile to determine who Cater ends up with!
Cater was heading to the alchemy lab when he heard the explosion and began to race to the source. He knew by the scheduling that the first years were having their lessons, which was why he had planned to wait until it was over before going in.
What he found was chaos, and it took him a bit to find out what had happened.
"So Floyd's mood switched, and he threw some random ingredient into a cauldron, causing it to explode?" said Cater.
"Indeed...however that's not the main issue," said Jade.
Cater's eyes moved past Jade, to see Professor Crewel chewing out Floyd for wasting ingredients and causing such a mess. Then he saw it.
Without thinking twice about it, Cater moved past Jade to the small figure shaking in the now oversized lab coat.
Riddle had always been small, but now he was positively tiny. Cater scooped up the terrified kid and carried him to the nurse's office.
The nurse took the small child from him and began to examine him in detail.
"He's been dosed with some sort of de-aging potion," he deduced.
"No, really?" said Cater sarcastically.
"He must have gotten hit with a pretty hefty amount. It'll take too long to brew the counterpotion, so it's best that it just wear off on it's own."
"Someone threw a random ingredient into his cauldron," said Cater.
"Best inform his housewarden about the mess," said the nurse.
Cater stared at the man.
"Are you a sub by any chance?" he asked.
"Yes," he replied. "Why?"
"No reason," said Cater. He was already texting Rook, who could tell Trey about the mess Riddle was in.
Trey was not thrilled.
"How long did he say this was going to last?" asked Trey. This was honestly the longest conversation he had ever had with the ginger, as Cater avoided him like the plague.
"Anywhere from three days to a week," said Cater. "And that's according to Professor Crewel."
"This is a mess."
"Tell me about it. Knowing Crowley he'd allow anyone to challenge Riddle like this and say it was legitimate just to alleviate his own headaches because of how strict he is," said Cater derisively.
Trey silently agreed. Quite a few people had been unhappy with the fact that Riddle took the Queen of Heart's rules so seriously and had the power to enforce them.
"What am I supposed to do now?" asked Trey.
Cater thought fast, years of having to deal with Riddle's tantrums and Trey's bullshit allowing him to come up with an idea on the fly. He was texting Vil about the situation. A grin formed on his face upon getting the okay from his housewarden slash friend.
"You handle Heartsabyl until the potion wears off, I'll take care of Riddle."
Trey didn't hesitate to accept the offer.
In Pomefiore...
Vil looked at the tiny child clinging to Cater like a lifeline.
"...Cute," he said after a moment.
"I know, right? Hard to believe he's the tiny tyrant we all know and love," said Cater laughing.
"If he's staying here until the potion wears off, then we can't have him dressing in rags. It'll ruin our image," said Vil firmly. "And he's staying in your room."
"I figured as much," said Cater.
"How are the professors handling it?" asked Vil.
"Since this is Floyd's fault, he has to get notes on all the classes Riddle is going to miss. Or he'll likely get Jade to do it. Either way he has detention for a month for this stunt with Crewel."
Vil snorted at that.
In less than an hour, Riddle was given some new clothes, and two spares sets since they had no idea how long this would last.
In Cater's room...
Cater looked at the tiny as hell Riddle, who was still silent since the explosion. He wasn't sure if it was a side effect of the potion or the shock of what had happened. So he bent down to Riddle's eye level.
"Hey. How are you holding up, little one?"
Riddle looked to be about six or seven physically. He was dressed in good clothing and was absolutely adorable. There was an innocence in his face that was usually missing on his much older self...he looked so vulnerable and helpless that it made Cater want to sweep him up in a hug.
Looking at the time, he had an idea.
He took out his phone and texted Kalim and Lilia.
'Hey, slight snag today. One of the Leech twins caused an accident, so I have an extra with me today. You two okay with me bringing him with me?'
A few seconds later, he got a reply.
'Sure!' - Kalim
Cater grinned.
"Hey little one, do you want to come with me to my club?" he asked.
Riddle looked somewhat skittish at leaving the room. Everything was so new and big to him, and it was terrifying.
Thinking quick, Cater scooped him up into his arms. Riddle automatically wrapped his arms around Cater's neck. Cater walked to the Pop Music Club carrying the kid in his arms without any care.
Kalim was cooing over the tiny Riddle the second he met the kid.
"You should totally bring him to Scarabia! We can throw a feast!"
Cater was well acquainted with Kalim's habit of throwing random feasts, and he would never say no to a free meal. Besides, he loved the Scalding Sands' native foods.
"Riddle loves strawberries, if that helps," said Cater.
"Sounds like you have your hands full until this wears off," said Lilia. He watched approvingly at the way Cater held the small child. "Why are you taking care of him instead of Trey though?"
"Because knowing the headmage, he'd totally allow the other students to challenge Riddle in this state because a lot of the other Heartsabyl students aren't too happy about how strict he is...despite that being in full spirit of their dorm's patron. Besides, of the two of us I can handle watching a kid and still attend class."
"That spell of yours is rather useful," agreed Lilia. "I'm surprised you don't abuse it more."
"Nah, I'd rather leave it as a trump card, especially considering the trouble my clones can get into," said Cater.
Kalim had a rather amusing expression on his face at the memory of all the pranks that they were still finding in his dorm.
"How bad are we talking about here?" said Lilia, eyes impish.
"Let me put it this way...my Diasomnia side is based off you," deadpanned Cater. "Which is why I try to never let him out."
"Your Diasomnia side?" said Lilia.
Since they weren't going to be doing much today besides idle chatter (not that they did much anyway), Cater decided to show off his skill.
"He is me, and so are we...Split Card."
Riddle's eyes widened at the sight of seven Caters. Especially the one dressed in a Heartsabyl uniform. The Scarabia one gave Kalim a mischievous wink and a wave, while the one dressed in Diasomnia colors gave a mysterious smile that looked all too familiar. Lilia had a matching one of his own.
"I'm curious as to who the Scarabia one is modeled after. You said he created no end of mischief," said Lilia.
"I honestly have no idea why it's so mischievous. I would have thought that was the Heartsabyl one, but he's more carefree and cheerful than anything," said Cater. "Though the Octavinelle one is just as bad...he's the one who tends to be cunning and sly."
"Oh?" said Lilia interested. "What about the others?"
"The Ignihyde one is the tech savvy one and the one who is on MagiCam almost as much as the Heartsabyl one," said Cater absently. He was cuddling with Riddle, who didn't seem to mind in the least. "The Savanaclaw is the one who took to Rook's lessons on hunting with great enjoyment, and is oddly the best at cooking."
Kalim looked beyond fascinated.
"What about Pomefiore?" he asked, as it seemed that Cater had a clone for each house except his own.
Cater let out a slight laugh.
"Since I'm in Pomefiore, you could say that's the one where the mask is off, since I'm not trying to hide behind fake cheer or obedience anymore."
As they conversed, Lilia reminded Cater of the fact that Riddle had club duties of his own. Specifically the equestrian club. It at least gave Cater an idea of something to do to cheer the boy up.
On the plus side, Cater and Riddle did have a feast to look forward to tomorrow. Cater had managed to talk the excitable Kalim down into a spur of the moment feast, so Jamil had some actual warning and time to prepare.
Coincidentally Cater had an open invitation to Scarabia, because he was one of the few people who could talk Kalim down out of his spur of the moment ideas...at least long enough for Jamil to have some time to prepare anyway.
Cater made sure to have a firm grip on Riddle as they entered the stables. For the most part they were alone, as everyone else was in class. Riddle made a beeline for his own horse, Vorpal.
"Hold it there," said Cater, holding Riddle back slightly. "The horse might remember you, but you're still to little to ride right now."
Riddle glared at him.
"Can you honestly say you can get back on the horse if you fell off without help?" said Cater, raising an eyebrow. Riddle's glare softened. "I'm not saying you can't go near him...just that you can't ride until you're bigger, okay?"
Fortunately Silver was nearby, and was able to lead Vorpal out to the pasture so Riddle could perform his club duties. He was small, but a little magic resized the tools so he could use them. Cater did his best to help, mostly by doing the heavy lifting.
He did his best not to make a face at the smells in the barn...he wasn't particularly fond of the place after all and normally avoided the horses.
Besides, Umbra would soon be big enough that he could ride the wolf instead of a normal horse.
Once they were done, Cater took one look at Riddle and knew Vil would never allow the small child to wander around the dorm until he'd been cleaned. They had a reputation to keep up after all.
To that end, Cater summoned Umbra from his shadow.
Riddle looked puzzled.
"I said you couldn't ride on the horse...I never said anything about not letting you ride at all," said Cater. Riddle perked up at that, and lifted his arms in a universal sign to be picked up.
Cater didn't hesitate, and lifted the kid up in his arms. By now he was sure Riddle's silence was a side effect of the potion. He could only hope it wore off later.
Riddle sat calmly on Umbra's back, despite the fact there was no saddle or reigns for him to hold onto. Cater walked back to the dorm, with Umbra following. Riddle found it rather odd to be riding a giant wolf, but at the same time rather fun.
Vil took one look at the two and said nothing. Cater's expression conveyed his plans, as the two made a beeline for the nearest bath.
As the dorm of the Fairest Queen, they had very elaborate bathrooms. It was more like a bathing pool than a tub. There was also a sauna, and several showers.
The first time Cater had seen it, he had been taken aback for a few moments. Heartsabyl had communal showers, and only the housewarden and the vice housewarden had their own en-suite bathrooms. Everything else was shared.
With a quick spell, he resized some bathing shorts and handed them to Riddle. Riddle didn't need much prompting, though his eyebrows shot up at the size of the bathing area. Before he went near the pool, Cater stopped him.
The ginger redirected Riddle to small side area where they could wash off the worst of the grime before they got into the pool, and the smaller boy took the hint. With a little help they were able to get clean, and Cater made sure to stay in the shallows so Riddle could move around easier.
Slowly the bathing area began to fill up, and all Cater would state was that it was a potion's accident.
Once they were done, Cater help dry the boy off and took him back to his room where there were some fresh clothes waiting. Once he was properly attired, Riddle looked at Cater expectantly.
Cater laughed.
"The little prince is a demanding one, isn't he?" he chuckled. He picked Riddle up again, satisfying the smaller red head.
"How are you holding up?" asked Vil.
"He's a demanding little thing, despite not being able to talk. But I can handle it," said Cater.
Vil eyed Riddle for a moment, who stared back. While there were some hints of the tyrannical housewarden, what stared back was mostly curious innocence.
"I think this would be an excellent opportunity for your students, don't you agree?"
Cater smirked at that.
"I'll get them to set the tables and get the food ready," said Cater.
A quick one-handed text had his fellow dormmates setting things up for an informal dinner setting.
By this point most of those in his oddball club were at least trained enough to act as proper servers in a formal dining hall.
At least Riddle needed no prompting on proper manners...he just needed a little help reaching the tables and the food.
