Author's Notes: My aro/ace vibes are on full display in this chapter and I can't even pretend otherwise.

Not a whole lot of original content in this chapter. There's a lot of exposition here so there was only much wiggle room. Having said that, what original content I was able to add, mostly at the end, is kind of important.

A very minor spoiler warning for the ending bit with our Diasomnia crew, mostly for the English only players. Nothing major, but it does reveal a little canon information about Briar Valley that I can't recall if the English server has revealed yet.

"It's finally lunchtime!" Grim cheered as he, Devon, Ace, and Deuce walked into the cafeteria. He'd been grumpy for the rest of their morning classes, only brightening once he caught wind of the food being set out for lunch break. He hopped onto Devon's shoulder to get a better look, his blue eyes widening as he took in the spread. "Wow! Everything looks amazing!"

Devon couldn't help but be impressed by the selection as well. It was nothing like the selection back home. The cafeteria ghosts really knew their stuff; not only was there a ton of variety, but it all looked like it had come out of a three-star restaurant. "This is probably the fanciest buffet I've ever seen."

Grim leaned forward to get a better look, forcing Devon to place a hand on his back to steady him. "Look at how fluffy the omelets are!" He exclaimed, getting progressively louder with each word. "And this grilled chicken!" He gasped. "Bacon-egg tarts!"

"Dude, shut up! You're way too loud!" Ace chided. "Why can't you get this excited for anything besides food?"

Grim tapped Devon's shoulder, ignoring Ace completely. "Hey, hey, Devon! Grab that grilled chicken for me! It's the last one!" He hopped down onto the counter, pressing himself against the pane of glass shielding the food as he took it all in. "Oh, and get me an omelet. And some bread and jam too!" He moved further down the line, not paying attention to where he was going. "Just grab me some of everything!" He bumped straight into a Heartslabyul upperclassman with blond hair, jostling his lunch tray.

"Oi, watch it!" the upperclassman growled. He glanced down at the pasta on his tray before leveling a glare at Grim. "Dammit! Thanks to you, the egg in my pasta broke!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," came a voice from the other side of the blonde student. A boy with red hair poked his head out to get a look at his friend's tray. "Breakin' the egg is the best part of eating carbonara, you know. How are you plannin' to pay us back for that?!"

"It wasn't your pasta that got bumped," Devon replied. "Nobody owes you anything, Red."

"Hmph, you've got a smart mouth on ya," the redhead said. He looked her up and down before smirking at her. "You're pretty cute, though, so I'll let it slide this time."

Devon rolled her eyes. "Thanks, dill weed. You're a real prince."

"Tell ya what," the blond student said, nodding toward the plate Grim was holding. "Hand over that grilled chicken and we'll call it even."

"Hell no!" Grim shouted, moving the plate so it was out of sight. "This is my chicken!"

"That's how you show respect to your upperclassmen, freshie?!" the redhead asked. He rolled his neck a few times before grabbing his shoulder and rolling it as well. "Come around back and we'll teach you all about the Night Raven pecking order."

"H-Hey," Deuce interjected, moving between Devon and the upperclassmen. "Settling personal squabbles with magic is against school rules."

""Personal squabble"?" the blond repeated. "Nah, man. We're just doin' our part to teach our precious underclassmen the way things work around here."

"Don't worry about it, Deuce," Devon spoke up, putting her hand on his shoulder and squeezing it reassuringly. "I've got this." She looked over to Zephyr. "Hang back for a sec, okay, bud?" Zephyr pulsed uncertainly but moved behind her. 'There's a reason these morons are making such a big deal over some pasta that's still perfectly edible. If there really is a pecking order here, my guess is these two are on one of the lower rungs of the ladder.' She glanced out into the cafeteria and, sure enough, more and more eyes were turning toward them. 'They're trying to make a big spectacle of intimidating us to try and move up. The easiest way to deal with people like this is to call their bluff. It's gonna be a gamble, but I'm betting they're all bark and no bite.'

"Pfft. And just what are you plannin' to do, princess?" the redhead asked mockingly. "Word is, you can't even use magic."

"You're right. I can't," Devon told him. "Luckily for me, I don't need magic to beat you." She tapped her chest. "So go on, then. Hit me."

The two upperclassmen exchanged a glance. Whatever response they'd been expecting, it was clear this wasn't it. Finally, the blond spoke up. "L-Like we said, meet us out back and we can-"

"Why go to all the trouble, though? Why can't you just hit me right here?" Devon asked. She kept her tone and most of her expression neutral but the two boys could see the mockery in her brown eyes. "You said you wanted to teach us about the pecking order here. Why don't you spread the wisdom to all the underclassmen here, hmm?" She leaned forward slightly, putting her hands behind her back. "Go ahead. I won't even block." Her eyes grew steely and her voice lowered. "Just know that once you throw that first punch, I won't hesitate to knock you on your asses and take my sweet time with the finish." She smirked. "So what's it gonna be, boys? You can walk away with most of your pride intact or you can risk having your asses handed to ya in front of all these people by a girl with no magic."

The two bullies exchanged another glance. The blond kept looking back and forth from Devon to the increasing number of students watching them while the redhead kept clenching and unclenching his fists. Finally, the blond boy spoke up. "I-I don't my pasta gettin' all soggy, so we'll let you off the hook for now."

"Y-Yeah!" the redhead agreed. "You guys aren't worth spoilin' our lunches over." With that, the two scurried off into the crowd, their cheeks burning as some of the students began chuckling.

"That's what I thought," Devon said, finally picking up a pulled pork sandwich and setting it on her tray.

Deuce let out an impressed whistle. "Remind me not to get on your bad side, Dev."

"Seriously," Ace agreed. "You really took it easy on me when we first met, huh?"

Devon snorted. "You say that as if we didn't just meet yesterday. After everything that happened, I guess I was still in panic mode, so I wasn't really in 'ready to get savage' mode."

"Pssh, those guys were all talk anyway," Grim added smugly before calling out to the still-retreating upperclassmen. "And you'd better not show your ugly mugs around us again!"

"Come on now, Grim. They've already backed down, so there's no reason to provoke them anymore," Devon chided lightly.

"Exactly. Besides, Devon was the one who ran them off, not you," Deuce pointed out, grabbing some food of his own. "I don't know why you're acting so smug."

"Whatever, let's just eat already," Ace whined as he grabbed some food, shaking his head. "I missed breakfast this morning and I'm legit about to pass out if I don't get some food in me."

"Ah dude, why didn't you tell me?" Devon asked as she gestured to her messenger bag. "I totally could've hooked you up."

"You've got snacks in there and you didn't tell me?!" Grim and Ace exclaimed.

Devon shrugged. "You never asked. I always carry snacky-snacks with me. It's nothing big, just some fruit snacks and granola bars, but they get the job done." She smiled. "Next time you start feelin' snacky, let me know. I got you." She looked over at Deuce, who had been oddly silent for a while, and noticed he was staring in the direction the upperclassmen had taken off in. She nudged him gently. "You okay?"

"Hmm?" Deuce replied, startled out of his thoughts. "Oh, yeah. I was just thinking that I wasn't expecting to come across delinquents like those guys at a school as prestigious and hard to get into as Night Raven College."

"I'd imagine there's people like that at every school, no matter how prestigious," Devon mused as the group made their way to an empty table.

"Hey, enough dwellin' on the riff-raff!" Grim said as he sat down next to Deuce while Ace and Devon grabbed the seats across from them. "It's chow time!" He began shoveling food in his mouth before he even sat done. "Oh wow! This omelette is incredible! The egg is light and fluffy and the center is filled with gooey cheese!" He took a few more large bites. "So we saw your guys' dorm this morning, but what are the other ones like?"

"You've seen the statues of the Great Seven on Main Street, right?" asked a familiar voice. The group looked up from their food to see Cater approaching them along with a tall boy with short green hair and glasses. "The school's dorms are based off of them."

"You're the guy from this morning!" Ace exclaimed.

"You tricked us into painting those roses for you!" Grim added, shooting a glare at the orange-haired boy as he sat down next to Devon while his green-haired friend took a seat next to Deuce.

"Saying I tricked you makes it sound so mean," Cater said with a pout. "It's not like I wanted to. I was just following the dorm's rules; there was no other choice."

"Yeah, but you were grinning like a fiend the entire time," Deuce muttered.

"Aww, c'mon now, Deucey~," Cater said, sending him an easy-going smile. "Those rules don't apply outside the dorm, so right now, CayCay's just your kind, friendly upperclassman-slash-mentor figure."

"D-Don't call me Deucey!" Deuce huffed, his cheeks turning a light pink as he looked away in embarrassment.

The green-haired boy chuckled, drawing everyone's attention to him. "That's just how Cater shows affection. You get used to it." It was then that Devon noticed the card suite marking under the boy's left eye in the shape of a clover.

"Hang on. Who are you, now?" Ace asked.

"Ah, right. My bad. I'm Trey. Trey Clover. I'm a Heartslabyul junior like Cater," the boy replied. His gold eyes landed on Devon. "And you must be the freshman the headmaster put in charge that dump of a-" He cleared his throat, catching himself. "I mean, of that rustic dorm that's been vacant for a while."

Devon laughed. "You don't have to sugarcoat it, dude. I know it's a fixer-upper, but it's not like I'm taking it on alone." She nodded toward Zephyr.

Trey smiled. "Yeah, I guess that's true. Cater told me about all you've done for these two." He gestured toward Ace and Deuce. "I'm sorry they've put you to so much trouble."

"We're sitting right here, man," Ace huffed as he took a bite of his lunch.

"Don't be like that, Acey," Cater chimed in. "We're dormmates, after all, so we should be buds, y'know!" A thought struck him and he brightened. "Oh hey, I know!" He pulled out his phone. "Give me your numbers so I can text you stuff!"

"Love to, except I don't have a phone at the moment," Devon replied.

Cater looked at her as if she'd grown a second head. "What?! Are you serious?! Sweetie, you're like some kind of endangered species! I've heard of luddites before but I never thought I'd actually meet one."

"Oh trust me, I'd kill to have a working phone right now," Devon assured him. "Unfortunately, it didn't survive the trip through the mirror."

"I gotcha. That really sucks," Cater replied before smiling at her slyly. "Y'know…," He slid closer to her, draping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her against his chest. "I know a place where you can buy the newest models for really cheap. Why don't we go on a phone-shopping date and I can help you pick one out~?"

"Cater, c'mon," Trey admonished. "You're gonna scare the new kid off. Ease up a little, yeah?"

"Ah, he's fine," Devon said, waving her hand dismissively before giving Cater a quick hug in return. "Physical affection is one hundred percent my love language, so it's all good."

Cater beamed and nuzzled the top of her head. "I knew there was a reason I liked you~! I know I can be a little extra sometimes, though, so let me know if it gets to be too much and I'll back off." He gave Devon a quick squeeze before letting her go. "Anyway, we were talking about the dorms, right? Sounds like a nice change of pace. Your beloved upperclassmen will tell you everything you want to know."

"Honestly, I'd like to hear a little more about our own dorm first," Ace said with a frown. "What the hell is up with all those rules?!"

"You've all heard the stories about the Queen of Hearts, right?" Trey asked. "About how she ruled over a wonderland of madness by enforcing strict adherence to her rules?"

"Heartslabyul was founded on the basis on the Queen's strictness, so all the residents uphold the rules she made," Cater added. He gestured to the band around his arm. "Members of Heartslabyul also wear these red and black armbands that match the colors of her dress to honor her."

"That place sounds waaaay too stuffy for me," Grim commented, still shoveling food into his mouth.

"How strictly we follow the Queen of Hearts' rules depends on the dorm leader. The last one was pretty chill about it," Cater elaborated.

"Our current dorm leader, Riddle, is pretty much the exact opposite," Trey added. "He's more serious about following the Queen's rules than even some of the most notorious Heartslabyul dorm leaders."

"Blegh, what a pain," Ace complained, shaking his head.

"Okay, but what about the other dorms?" Devon asked.

"Like Cater mentioned earlier, Night Raven College has seven official dorms and each one of the dorms is based around one of the Great Seven," Trey explained. "There's our own Heartslabyul, founded on the strict spirit of the Queen of Hearts. Then we have Savanaclaw, founded on the fortitude of the King of Beasts. Next is Octavinelle, founded on the benevolence of the Sea Witch. After that, we have Scarabia, founded on the deliberation of the Sorcerer of the Sands. Then there's Pomefiore, founded on the earnest efforts of the Fairest Queen. Following that is Ignihyde, founded on the diligence of the King of the Underworld. And finally, there's Diasomnia, founded on the noble spirit of the Thorn Fairy."

"Those are some long-ass names," Devon commented. 'They're really playing up the positive traits of the Great Seven. The more I hear, the more I wonder if the movies got it wrong. But then there's that dream I had last night…'

"I'm never gonna remember all those names!" Grim added, pulling Devon from her thoughts.

Cater laughed. "You just need the rough idea for now. You'll learn all their names eventually, whether you want to or not."

"The Dark Mirror decides which dorm you'll be placed in at the entrance ceremony based on the essence of your being," Trey told them. "Because of that, you tend to find that most of the members of certain dorms have similar…quirks, let's say."

"Yeah, I can definitely see it," Cater agreed.

"What do you mean by "quirks"?" Deuce asked.

"Well," Trey looked around the cafeteria for a moment before his eyes landed on someone. He nodded discreetly in their direction. "take a look over there. But be subtle about it."

Everyone glanced in the direction Trey had indicated. A tall, muscular student with tanned skin was sitting nearby. His white hair and golden eyes were eye-catching enough but what really got their attention were the pair of white wolf ears on top of his head. "Muscly wolf-man, huh? There's somethin' ya don't see every day," Devon commented.

"You see someone with a build like that, you immediately think Savanaclaw," Trey told her.

"Totally!" Cater piped up. "The guys in that dorm are all about sports and martial arts. They're kinda like…rough and tough big bro types, I guess? The yellow and black armbands they wear are also a dead giveaway."

"Hmm okay," Grim hummed as he look around too. "Oh, what about that guy? We ran into him earlier!" Every turned in the direction Grim was pointing to…and their eyes landed on Azul. Thankfully, he was too engrossed in conversation with a pair of teal-haired students to notice them. "Looks like he's got a grey and lavender armband."

"He's Octavinelle," Trey replied. "And those guys at the table in front of us with the crimson and gold armbands are Scarabia students."

Devon's eyes widened when she glanced at one of the students Trey had pointed out. She vaguely registered that one of them had white hair but she was completely captivated by the boy sitting next to him. He had intricately braided black hair that looked like it reached about to his mid-back (given that it was in a ponytail, she imagined it was probably much longer when he wore it down) and charcoal grey eyes. 'Hey there, gorgeous. Really diggin' that whole stoic, mysterious vibe you've got goin' on. …Okay Devon, this is leaning further away from glancing and leaning more toward openly staring. …You can stop now. …Seriously. That's good.' She felt her cheeks getting warm and thanked her lucky stars that her olive skin made it almost impossible to tell. 'He's gonna notice you at this rate, dumbass! …FOR THE LOVE OF CRAP, DEVON, JUST LOOK AWAY!'

Thankfully, Cater's voice pulled Devon from her thoughts before the mysterious long-haired hottie noticed her very blatant simping. "All the students in Octavielle and Scarabia are, like, super smart. Those two dorms are always neck-and-neck is scores for written exams. Although…Scarabia's dorm leader isn't really that great of a student."

"Aaaaand we're about to start off on a completely different tangent," Ace sang.

Trey chuckled. "You catch on pretty quick, huh? Getting back on-topic, those flashy-looking students over there," He nodded toward another table. "are from Pomefiore. You can tell by the purple and red armbands."

Grim's eyes widened as he looked over. "Wha?! There's a really cute girl over there!"

"Seriously?! Another one?! But this is supposed to be an all-boys school!" Deuce exclaimed. Devon followed his gaze to a lavender-haired student with big blue eyes sitting next to a guy with wearing a feathered hat, his blond hair styled in a bob cut. The lavender-haired student did have rather delicate features but Devon wasn't convinced they were female.

"You idiots. We've already established that this is a boy-only school," Ace sighed, shaking his head. "There'd never be a girl admitted here under normal circumstances. Besides, I talked to that guy during the entrance ceremony; he's definitely a boy."

"If you're lookin' for girls, you should check out Rosalia, one of the living portraits in the west building. She a real classy gal," Cater said. "I don't mind introducing you if you're interested."

"I-I'm good, thanks," Ace declined. "I'm not doubting how cute she is but I, uh…I prefer girls that are more…three-dimensional."

Cater shrugged. "If you hit it off, who cares how many dimensions she has?" He looked over at Devon and pulled her into another one-armed hug. "Though I'm not sure why you'd be looking for other girls when you've got this sweet thing right here~" His smile widened as Devon giggled and hugged him back. "I'm so jelly you guys get to see this adorable face in class every day."

"Uggghhh barf," Ace groaned.

"Don't be jealous, man," Devon snarked, gently poking his side. "You had me all to yourself yesterday."

"Getting back on track," Cater began, letting Devon go. "Pomefiore is pretty much tops as far as appearance goes and their beauty regimen in second to none. Their dorm head is a Magicamer with over 5,000,000 followers, y'know."

"Hey, don't make it sound like looks are all they've got going for them," Trey chided lightly. "Pomefiore students tend to be very skilled with potions and curses too."

"Heheh, yeah, I forgot about that," Cater replied sheepishly. "Next up would be Ignihyde but…," he looked around. "I don't see any of them here. They've all got blue and black armbands. Everyone in that dorm is pretty introverted, though. Even I don't have any friends from Ignihyde. They're pretty much the polar opposite of us sunny extroverts in Hearslabyul."

"So it's full of gloomy shut-ins, then," Grim remarked dryly.

"Hey, come on now. Don't say it like that. Ignihyde residents do tend to lean toward the quiet side, but most of them are magical engineering specialists and tech experts," Trey corrected.

"The last dorm is…Diaslablahblah, right?" Deuce asked, hoping nobody would notice how he butchered the dorm's name.

No such luck. "Swing and a miss," Devon snarked.

"He started off strong but he didn't stick the landing," Ace agreed. "It's Diasomnia."

"I just bit my tongue, okay?!" Deuce protested, crossing his arms.

"Diasomnia is…" Cater paused to look around before nodding toward the back of the cafeteria. "right over there, those tables at the back. They're kinda like VIPs around here; those green and black armbands tell you it's them. All of 'em have this aura that makes hard for us regular folks to approach them. Their dorm leader has 'do not approach me' vibes to the max…"

Devon and Ace craned their necks slightly to get a better look at the Diasomnia tables. The angle made it difficult to make out everyone's faces but they were able to get a decent look at one boy with silver hair and another tall boy with slicked back mint green hair. The boy sitting between them was the one who really caught their attention, though. He was short, shorter than all the other students at the table, with short black hair with magenta streaks. "What the heck?! They've got a kid sitting over there with them!" Ace exclaimed.

Devon shook her head. "I don't think so, Ace. I recognize those red eyes of his; he talked to me at the entrance ceremony when Grim was going nuts. His voice was way too deep to belong to a child."

"Devon's right," Trey agreed. "There are some students that are able to skip grades to enter this school but that's not what's happening here. That guy's actually a junior here, same as-"

"Lilia. Lilia Vanrouge," came a voice from the head of their table. Trey and Ace stiffened as everyone turned toward the voice, only to see the boy they'd just been discussing floating upside-down.

"D-Did he just teleport over here?" Grim stammered to no one in particular.

Lilia chuckled as he righted himself. "Are you all curious about my age? I'm aware that my adorable boyish face makes me look young but as your friend with the glasses pointed out, I'm not exactly at an age where you could call me a child."

""Adorable boyish face" he says," Trey muttered under his breath, still trying to piece together what was even happening right now.

"There's no need to you to watch from afar," Lilia assured them. "We are all students of the same school, are we not? You're welcome to come and speak to us any time. Diasomnia welcomes you with open arms."

Deuce looked back toward the Diasomnia tables. "You might be, but those guys don't really look like they'd be thrilled to talk to us."

Ace and Devon followed Deuce's gaze and looked back over at the table where Lilia had previously been sitting. His two companions were looking toward their table, both of them with stern expressions on their faces. Devon and Ace shared a glance before Devon shrugged and held up her hand to wave to them. The two boys exchanged a confused look before the silver-haired boy hesitantly waved back to her.

Lilia chuckled again, an amused smile on his face. "That's the spirit, little bat." He reached over to pat her head, his smile becoming tender. "I'm glad to see you here as a student, my dear. I wasn't sure what to think after what happened after the entrance ceremony, but I knew it would be a waste to send someone with your potential away."

""My potential"?" Devon repeated questioningly as she unconsciously rubbed her bracelet on her wrist. "Not really sure what you mean by that, Lilia. I'm sure you've already heard, but I can't use magic."

Lilia followed Devon's movement, his eyes widening just slightly when they landed on her bracelet. The look was gone as quickly as it came, however, and Lilia shook his head before smiling at Devon again. "I'm sure it'll become clear to you soon enough." He straightened up before addressing the table as a whole. "My apologies for interrupting your lunch. Until we meet again." With that, he vanished only to reappear a second later the table he'd been sitting at previously.

Ace leaned toward Trey. "Their table is easily 20 meters away from ours," he whispered, not daring to raise his voice any higher. "You're telling me he was able to hear us from that far away in a room this packed and busy?! And what was all that about Dev's "potential" anyway? Talk about freaky…"

"W-Well, let's just say that Diasomnia has some…particularly quirky members," Trey replied, though he was clearly just as thrown as Ace. "Most of their students excel in magic across the board. Malleus Draconia, their dorm leader, is counted among the top five mages in all of Twisted Wonderland."

Devon let out an impressed whistle. "So he's gotta be the strongest mage here. What's he like?"

"Did you not hear the bit about the "do not approach me" vibes?" Cater asked.

Devon shrugged. "Okay, so maybe he's got a case of resting bitch face. Just because he's intimidating doesn't necessarily mean he wants people to stay away. Have you ever actually talked to him?"

"I…umm…Well, that's…," Cater stammered before trailing off.

"To put it bluntly…no," Trey replied. "Most of the student body is too afraid to even consider approaching him."

"For real," Cater agreed. "Malleus puts the 'super' in 'super crazy powerful'." He laughed to himself. "Speaking of, our own dorm leader's a whole other brand of crazy."

"Psh, that's true!" Ace huffed, aggressively biting into his food. "All I did was one piece of tart and he collared me. His narrow-mindedness is super crazy, alright."

"Is that so?" came an icy voice from behind Ace, causing the rest of the table to freeze. "I'm "super crazy", am I?"

"Sure are!" Ace replied, either not recognizing the voice or not caring who was standing behind him. He kept going despite Devon elbowing him in the side to get him to shut up. "Blew straight past 'strict' and right into 'tyrant' territory!"

"A-Ace!" Deuce exclaimed, finally getting the redhead's attention. "Behind you…"

Ace's eyes widened as he realized what had happened. He turned slowly in his seat, only to come face-to-face with the dreaded dorm leader himself, arms crossed over his chest and a thoroughly unamused expression on his face. "Oh crap! Dorm leader!"

"Hey there, Riddle~!" Cater greeted as he and Devon turned to face the dorm leader in question, an easy-going smile on his face. "We were just talking about how super crazy cute you look today."

"Hmph," Riddle scoffed. "Cater, if you continue to run your mouth, I'll take it along with your head."

"C'mon, cut me some slack here," Cater lamented.

"Fgnya! You're the guy who put that weird collar thing on me during the entrance ceremony!" Grim exclaimed.

"Hmm. And you're the new students who kicked up such a fuss yesterday," Riddle sniffed, disdain evident in his voice. "I'll ask that you not refer to my Unique Magic as a "weird collar"." He shook his head. "Honestly. The headmaster is far too lenient. Forgiving rule-breakers even once can throw the whole system into chaos. All he has to do is cut of the heads of those who disobey."

"What's with this guy?!" Ace whispered to Devon. "He looks all innocent but the words coming out of his mouth are anything but!"

Riddle turned his glare on Ace and Deuce. "The headmaster may have forgiven you, but make no mistake, the next time you decide to break a rule, I will not be so lenient."

Ace cleared his throat, drawing Riddle's attention. "Hey…so…dorm leader… Is there any chance that you can, I dunno, remove this collar…maybe?"

"I had intended to remove it if you'd learned your lesson, but from the way you were talking just a moment ago, it's clear that hasn't happened. I think I'll let you keep it for a while longer. Don't be too worried, though. The freshman curriculum is geared more toward magical fundamentals and theory than actually practicing magic itself. Besides, if you can't use magic you can't cause a scene like you did yesterday." Riddle's tone became slightly mocking. "Isn't that wonderful?" He turned his attention to the rest of the table. "As for the rest of you, don't just sit around chatting the day away. You should begin preparing for your next class the very moment you finish your lunch. As per Queen of Hearts Rule 271: "One must leave their seat within 15 minutes of finishing their lunch". If you break the rules…" His grey eyes narrowed into a harsh glare. "Well, I believe I've made myself clear."

"Aaaand add another way-out-of-left-field rule to the ever-growing list," Ace commented dryly.

Riddle's glare intensified. "The correct response is "Yes, dorm leader".

"Yes, dorm leader!" Ace and Deuce chorused.

"Very good," Riddle replied, his glare softening just slightly.

"I'll keep an eye on them, okay?" Trey offered to Riddle, his tone placating.

"Hmph. You're the vice dorm leader, so I expect that you'll not entertain such foolish conversation topics in the future," Riddle replied, his tone losing its edge. He brushed some non-existent dirt off his uniform. "Now then, in accordance with Queen of Hearts Rule 339: "The after-meal beverage shall be lemon tea with two sugars". I need to buy sugar cubes from the school store, so I'll be on my way. If you all will excuse me." With that, Riddle continued on his way out of the cafeteria. Devon could just barely make out him muttering under his breath. "Not ensuring the sugar cubes are topped off is a huge offense. Honestly…"

'Hmm… Methinks the tiny red one's obsession with these rules is starting to take over his life,' Devon mused internally as she watched him leave. 'I get being a stickler for rules but I've gotta wonder if his life is even fun at this point.'

"Whew!" Cater sighed with relief, moving his lunch trey aside and sprawling his upper body on the table. "That was a close one…"

"Man, that guy was obnoxious," Grim commented.

"Hey, show some respect!" Deuce scolded.

"I-Is the dorm leader gone?" asked a shaky voice from the table across from them. The group turned to see two Heartslabyul students sitting there, glancing this way and that, as if afraid Riddle would come back.

"I accidentally broke Queen of Hearts Rule 186: "One must never eat a hamburger on Tuesdays"," the second student said, gesturing to the partially-eaten burger on his plate. "I don't know what I would've done if he'd caught me."

The first student sighed. "I wish he wouldn't come here. At least then we could eat our lunch in peace."

Cater and Trey exchanged a look as the students spoke, all the playfulness and humor from before gone. Clearly, they weren't happy with what they were hearing. 'Can't blame those guys for feeling that way, though,' Devon thought. She sent a sympathetic glance toward the other students, even though she knew they couldn't see her. 'If I had someone like that breathing down my neck all the time, I'd go insane.'

Trey must have noticed the look on her face because he decided to speak up at that moment. "Riddle managed to become dorm leader during his first week as a student here. I know he can be…harsh, but he's got good intentions. He really is just trying to make the dorm better."

"Someone with good intentions wouldn't just randomly collar people," Grim retorted. Trey and Cater could only laugh nervously in response.

"Okay, but you were the one who went nuts during the entrance ceremony, Grim," Devon pointed out. "If Riddle hadn't collared you when he did, you could have completely destroyed the Mirror Chamber."

"Grrrr," Grim growled, though he knew he couldn't really argue with her. "B-But that collar really hurt!"

Devon sent him a small smile before reaching over to pat him on the head. She looked over at Trey once she'd settled back in her seat. "By the way, Riddle mentioned something about a…"Unique Magic", I think it was. What is that?

"I was wondering about that too," Deuce chimed in. "If it's unique, does that mean only he can use it?"

"I doubt he's the only person in the whole world who can use a spell like that," Trey answered. "In a general sense, it's a very distinct type of magic that only the caster can use, hence the name. You guys will probably learn about it in class soon enough."

"Riddle's Unique Magic lets him seal another person's magic for a fixed amount of time," Cater added. "And it's called…"

"Off With Your Head?" Devon finished, recalling when she'd seen Riddle use it on Grim.

"Got it in one!" Cater chirped, gently ruffling Devon's hair.

"Yeesh! Even the name is terrifying!" Grim commented.

"As it should be. For a mage, having your magic sealed hurts about as much as actually having your head cut off," Cater explained. "That's why it's suuuuper important to avoid breaking the rules when you're inside the dorm."

"On the other hand, that means that Riddle isn't scary at all if you just follow them," Trey added.

Ace sighed. "So what you're saying is that I have to go and buy a tart or Cater's just gonna kick me out again."

"Pretty much," Cater confirmed. "Nothing personal, just upholding Queen of Hearts Rule 53. I should also let you know that Riddle always looks forward to eating the first slice of a tart, so he probably won't forgive you unless it's whole."

"Weren't you just talking about getting along, like, two seconds ago?" Ace asked in exasperation. "Would it kill ya to turn a blind eye?"

"That was one thing, this is another," Cater replied with a shrug.

"Whole tarts are pretty expensive though, aren't they?" Deuce pointed out.

"Yeah," Ace groaned, burying his head in his hands. "It's not like my pockets are overflowing with Madol over here!"

"Then why don't you try making one of your own?" Cater suggested. "Trey made all the tarts you saw in the fridge, after all."

"Dude, for real?!" Devon exclaimed as she shot Trey a surprised look. "Ace kept going on and on about how good they looked when he was telling Grim and me what happened."

"I never would've guessed someone in the dorm made them," Ace added, taking his head out of his hands. "If you'd told me they came from some famous patisserie, I'd have believed you."

"Heh. Thanks," Trey said, shaking his head slightly at the compliments. "I've got all the seasonings and utensils you'll need but…I'm afraid my help doesn't come cheap."

"Huh?! You want me to pay for it?!" Ace exclaimed.

Trey chuckled. "Pfft, come on now. What kind of guy do you take me for? I'm not about to go squeezing money out of the freshmen. To make the tart that Riddle wants to eat next, we're going to need chestnuts and lots of them. I just need you to go gather some for me."

"Ugh, it's a pain either way," Ace complained. "But fine. How many do you need?"

"To make enough for the Unbirthday Party, I'm gonna need about…two, maybe three hundred, I think," Trey replied.

"That many?!" Deuce and Grim exclaimed.

"Yep. And after that, I'll need you to roast, peel, and puree them," Trey added. "I can handle the rest."

"I'll pass," Grim said, crossing his arms with an unamused look on his face.

"Same," Deuce agreed, crossing his arms as well.

"Traitors, the whole lot of ya-" Ace began.

"I'll help you, dude," Devon cut in.

"Except for you, New York," Ace continued, using the same frustrated tone he was using before. "You're an angel and we're so happy you're here."

"Hey, come on now," Cater said, looking at Deuce and Grim. "Food always tastes better when you make it with friends~! Think of all the memories you'll get to make! Who knows? You might even make your debut as a food blogger!"

Trey leaned in conspiratorially. "Don't tell Riddle, but chestnut tarts are at their most delicious right when they're pulled from the oven. Only the ones who help bake them will get the privilege to taste it."

Grim's ears perked up at the mention of food. "Oooh! In that case, let's get a move on!" He hopped onto the table and then onto Devon's shoulder. "Don't you worry, Specs! We're gonna pick so many chestnuts it'll make your head spin!"

Devon smiled, rolling her eyes playfully. "Well, you sure changed your tune pretty quick." She looked over to Trey. "Can we even find chestnuts on campus?"

Trey nodded. "There should be plenty of chestnut trees in the woods behind the botanical garden."

"Then we'll head there after classes let out for the day," Ace said.

"Whoo! A-chestnut picking we go!" Grim cheered.

"Are you alright, Father?" the silver-haired boy asked Lilia as they made their way out of the cafeteria with the green-haired boy in tow. "You've seemed distracted ever since you came from visiting with those Heartslabyul students and the Ramshackle dorm leader."

"Hmm?" Lilia hummed, pulled from his thoughts. "Oh yes, of course, Silver. I'm just a bit perplexed. I noticed something…strange, shall we say, about our magicless friend."

"Bah! As if I would ever stoop so low as to befriend a human," sneered the green-haired boy. "And a magicless one, at that!"

"Now, now, Sebek," Lilia chided gently. "You're a retainer of the crown prince of Briar Valley, after all. It would reflect poorly on Malleus to have a vassal so close-minded."

Sebek's eyes widened in shock. "Th-That's…But…I-I wasn't…" He bowed deeply. "PLEASE FORGIVE ME!" His booming voice echoed through the hallway, causing everyone walking by to turn and stare.

Silver shook his head. "Anyway, what was it that has you so lost in thought, Father?"

Lilia looked around at the numerous eyes still on them. "Mmm, let's find someplace quieter to discuss this. I rather not risk putting an even bigger target on the poor child's back." He led them to a secluded alcove nearby. "Now then, as I was saying, I'd noticed something strange about that girl from the moment I spoke to her at the entrance ceremony. I didn't have another opportunity to speak to her again until today and my suspicions were confirmed; there has been a blessing placed over her."

"A blessing?" Silver repeated. "Like the traditional blessings given in Briar Valley?"

"Yes and no," Lilia replied. "It's clear she's received the standard blessings usually given after a child is born, but there's something else. I can sense a power in her. It's small right now, but it's beginning to grow." He chuckled to himself. "Much like a hatching egg. Rather adorable, actually."

Sebek tensed. "This power that you feel…do you think she poses a threat to Lord Malleus?!" His voice began rising again. "Could she be an assassin sent to take his life?!" He turned on his heel, about to stride back toward the cafeteria. "We must eliminate-"

"Nobody is going to eliminate anybody," Lilia said, grabbing Sebek's arm and effortlessly hauling him back into the alcove. "And please be mindful of your volume, Sebek."

"So you don't think she's a threat then, Father?" Silver asked.

"Not at all!" Lilia chirped. "Whatever power is growing within her is much too weak at this point to do anything significant. Besides, it isn't like our standard spells; it seems the power she's been blessed with can only be used to heal." He shrugged. "Honestly, even if the power I sensed in her could be used maliciously, I doubt she'd have the temperament to use it that way."

"What do you mean?" Sebek asked. "You heard how she threatened those students earlier. The human might not be a threat to ones as great as you or Lord Malleus but-"

"What I heard was two upperclassmen threatening someone whom they thought couldn't fight back," Lilia pointed out. "If you'll recall, she didn't become aggressive until after they'd explicitly threatened her and then she diffused the entire situation without anyone getting hurt on either side."

"I…Well, I suppose that's true," Sebek conceded, running a hand through his hair.

"I suppose aggression is one of the only things many of the students here respond to, after all," Silver agreed. "But who do you suppose could have blessed her with a power at all? From what I've heard, she comes from a world without magic." He thought for a moment. "I suppose it's possible that fae exist in her world as well, possibly hidden from most humans."

"Mmm. I had considered that at first but the blessing that was cast feels…familiar somehow," Lilia said. "Not so much the power itself but magical traces left from the caster. It's difficult to place, but I know that magic." He heaved a sigh. "There's something else too." He peeked out of the alcove, looking both ways down the hallway to make sure nobody was within earshot. "She has a Sending Stone."

Silver and Sebek's eyes widened in surprise. "Are you certain?" Silver asked.

Lilia nodded. "There's no mistaking it. It's embedded in a bracelet." Modern technology was practically nonexistent in Briar Valley. Its' population consisted almost entirely of fae and magic was the primary means of doing everything, from travel to cooking. Sending Stones were special magic gems that the residents of Briar Valley used to communicate from a distance, not unlike a cell phone. The stronger the bond between the sender and receiver, the farther the stone's power could reach.

"That's impossible! Everyone knows Sending Stones don't exist outside of Briar Valley!" Sebek protested in a harsh whisper.

Silver shook his head. "For her to have one… That can only mean…"

"Someone from Briar Valley must have given it to her," Lilia finished.

"But…why?" Silver asked. "She comes from a completely different world. How could they have even gotten it to her?"

Lilia shook his head. "There's still too much we don't know. The only think I can confirm for now is that she's not a threat to Malleus or anyone else. I do think we'd do well to keep an eye on her though and see how things progress." A mischievous smile spread over his face. "She's sure to make things interesting around here."

Ending Notes: Okay, we got the lowdown on the dorms from our friendly neighborhood Heartslabyul upperclassmen, Devon is officially a Jamil simp, and Lilia sets the stage for one of the larger over-arching plotlines.

I'm not sure when I'm going to get the chance to properly address what the triplets orientations actually are so I'm just gonna take a sec to do that here so everyone knows going forward. Dominic is gay (but you guys probably already knew that), DJ is somewhere on the aromantic spectrum and heterosexual, and Devon is demi/pan.

To the surprise of literally no one, Sebek's already distrustful and disdainful of Devon since she's human (her lack of magic doesn't help but Sebek would look down on her even if she had it). …Watch them become really overprotective vitriolic besties once they start hanging out more.

Sebek: Pfft, you're so weak, human. It's pathetic.

Some rando: Right? She'll never amount to anything.

Sebek: *attempts to chase down the rando while Devon struggles to hold him back* HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT THE HUMAN LIKE THAT!

And this goes both ways too.

Devon: Dude, Sebek, your voice is so loud and grating. I'm gettin' a headache up in here.

Some rando: Yeah, it's like nails on a chalkboard.

Devon: *attempting to throw down with the rando while Sebek (quite easily) restrains her* BITCH, I HOPE YOU KNOW SIGN LANGUAGE 'CAUSE ALL YOU'RE GONNA BE SEEIN' IS HANDS! *insert various curses in Spanish/Portuguese*

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