Author's Notes: Guys, the Fairy Gala event dropped on the English server and I am having a blast! It's easily my favorite event (so far) and I can't wait to cover it here! Devon gets to flex her heisting skills…because she has those, apparently, she and Ruggie get to be BFFs, and there'll be a heaping helping of Devon/Leona fluff too (Jamil gets some love as well, but Leona's the star of the event, so he gets the most).

Content Warning (just to be safe): Two upperclassmen being creeps (nothing especially serious happens except Ace nearly throwing hands) and Devon telling the story of a pretty brutal crime perpetrated by her squad's previous captain (she doesn't go into a lot of detail about the crime itself but I just want to have all my bases covered).

Devon blinked her eyes open as yet another Disney movie scene opened up in front of her. "Oh good, more of this." She could hear and feel the wind, despite not physically being part of the scene and as she glanced down, she noticed a familiar rock formation. "Preeetty sure that's Pride Rock." A blue hornbill flew through her, causing her to startle at the odd sensation. "Yep, looks like it's The Lion King this time." Sure enough, the figures of Mufasa, Sarabi, and Rafiki appeared at the edge of the outcropping as the hornbill, Zazu, landed next to them. Rafiki held baby Simba aloft to the cheers of the animals below as the scene faded away.

"The circle of life does indeed move us all," Devon commented. "It's a good song, but I always did like Be Prepared more…"

"Boooom! Crasssshhh!" Grim's voice pulled Devon fully back to consciousness. She sat up in her bed at Ramshackle to get her bearings before looking down at the cat monster sprawled out with his head resting on her leg, still dead to the world. She quirked an eyebrow. 'Was that supposed to be some kind of roar?'

Grim's sleeptalking continued as Devon got herself ready for the day. "Nyahaha! How's it feel to be crushed by the Great Grim~?"

'Good to know he's still a pain even in his dreams,' Devon thought, though she couldn't keep the fond smile off her face as she gently poked Grim's forehead. "Wake up, ya goof."

"Nyahaha~! Take that, ya teapot tyrant!" Grim's blue eyes blinked open. "Wha…? Where am I? Back at Ramshackle?" He pouted. "Maaan, I was dreamin' I knocked Riddle out, made him my underling, and became the greatest mage ever…"

"All the more reason to keep working hard in our classes, bud," Devon told him as she finished combing her hair, taking care not to damage her curls.

"Yeah, you're right!" Grim agreed. "Let's get goin', henchman! We're one step closer to makin' me the greatest mage ever!"

After breakfast and a quick stop to the infirmary where Devon was officially declared back to full health, she and Grim met up with Ace and Deuce in their homeroom. "So? How'd everything go with the nurse, Dev?" Deuce asked after Devon finished nearly strangling him and Ace with a hug as thanks for the kitchenware they'd gifted her.

"I am pleased to report that my bruised rib is officially a thing of the past," Devon announced happily. "I am now free and clear to get hurt again."

"Devon, no!" Deuce scolded.

"Devon, yes!" Devon countered.

Ace snickered. "Make sure to let me know before you pull a stunt, okay? I wanna make sure to get it on film so we can play it at your funeral."

Professor Crewel walked into the classroom before the argument could go any further and the group settled in for morning classes to start. To Devon, it was a relief to be able to actually focus on the classes themselves without any drama to distract her. She could finally just treat this situation like a normal fancy boarding school experience…minus the magic and the talking cat monster…and the magical powers that she still had next to no knowledge about…and the anxiety over wondering when she'd be able to get back home… Alright, so maybe it wasn't such a normal experience but nobody was going on a magical murderous rampage at the moment so Devon considered that a win.

Morning classes passed quickly and soon it was time for lunch. Grim stretched his paws up as the group walked into the cafeteria. "Trein's gotta be usin' some kinda sleeping spell. No matter how valiantly I fight to stay awake, I keep losing to the drowsiness."

"You fell asleep five minutes in. I'd hardly call that a valiant effort," Deuce pointed out.

"It's lunchtime~! What should I eat today~?" Ace sang as he pressed himself against Devon's back, his arms dangling over her shoulders. "Hmm?" He looked over at the crowd gathering at the buffet line. "Is it just me or does it seem more crowded than usual in here today?"

"That's because today is a one-a-month special day," one of the cafeteria ghost supplied, having overheard Ace's comment as they were passing by. "A popular bakery in town is here to promote at the school. They tend to sell out pretty quickly, though, so you'll want to get in line now if you want a chance at getting something."

As they drew closer to take a look at the menu the bakery had set up, they could comments from some of the other students in line.

"Three chocolate croissants for me!" one student ordered.

"Sweet! I actually got something this month!" another student cheered. "These egg salad sandwiches are the best!"

"The egg salad sandwiches have already sold out!" the ghost informed them. "And by my count, there's only one deluxe pork cutlet sandwich left."

"Everything looks really good," Ace commented as he looked over the menu. "I might have to go get something."

"If it's this popular, it must be pretty amazing," Deuce agreed, tapping a finger to his chin. "Dev, Grim, what do you guys wanna…hmm?" He trailed off when he realized that Grim was no longer in sight.

Ace and Devon's eyes widened as they realized the same thing. Devon pinched the bridge of her nose. "Ya know, the fact that it got so quiet should've been the first red flag." She scanned the buffet line for any sign of her kinda-sorta familiar. "Where'd my ravenous beast get to this time?"

Grim's voice rang out from the front of the line as if to answer her. "Everybody, get outta my way! That deluxe pork cutlet sandwich is as good as mine!"

"Hey! No cutting the line, jerk!" protested one of the students at the front.

"You've got some nerve cutting in front of your upperclassmen, freshman," a second student snarled. "Get outta here!"

Deuce shook his head. "Grim gets some serious blinders on when it comes to food, doesn't he?"

Devon craned her head to get a better look at the students Grim had jumped in front of. She couldn't get a good look at their faces, but she was relieved to see that they both had black and red armbands. "Okay. I think those two guys at the front are in Heartslabyul, so hopefully that means I can deescalate this without a fight breaking out."

Ace quirked a brow. "And if you can't?"

Devon smirked and patted her bag. "Then it's a good thing I brought my handy-dandy staff with me." She made her way over to Grim as Ace and Deuce followed just in case she needed backup. Once she was close enough, she immediately scooped Grim up into her arms. "That's enough, Grim. You know better."

"But I'm wastin' away here, Dev! Have a heart!" Grim whined. He attempted to struggle out of Devon's grip but she kept a tight hold on him.

"I don't care how hungry you are, you can wait your turn in line like everyone else!" Devon scolded before sending the Heartslabyul upperclassmen an apologetic smile. "I'm really sorry about him, you guys."

The two boys brightened immediately, feeling their faces get hot. "Oh hey, Dev~" one of them greeted. "Didn't expect to run into you here."

"You didn't expect to see her in the cafeteria? At lunchtime?" Ace asked flatly with a thoroughly unamused expression.

"Ya know, the food this bakery puts out is really good," the second continued as if Ace hadn't said a word. He craned his neck to take a look at the line. "It'd be a real shame if you weren't able to try some, and by the looks of this line, they're gonna sell out of all the good stuff before you can snag any." He sent Devon what he hoped was a charming smile, sweeping his hair back with one hand. "Why don't you go ahead and get in front of us, Sweets? We wouldn't want you to miss out on this."

Devon blinked in confusion before plastering a smile back on her face. "That's very sweet of you, but that wouldn't be fair to everyone else. Besides," She nodded toward Grim, who was still struggling in her arms. "the last thing I wanna do is give Grim's bad behavior any sort of positive reinforcement; not everybody here's as chill as you guys. If we miss out, there's always next month."

"C'mon, we insist," the first boy pressed. He reached out to wrap an arm around Devon's shoulders, only to back off when he caught sight of Zephyr's warning pulse and Deuce's glare. "It's really not a big deal and besides, like you just said, there's always next month if any of these other guys miss out."

"Fgnyaha! See, Dev? It's fine!" Grim cheered as he finally wiggled out of Devon's grip. He looked at the spread in front of him. "I'll take that deluxe pork cutlet sandwich! And gimme some of that yakisoba bread and cream-filled bread too!"

"Seriously, Grim?" Deuce muttered, disappointed but not surprised.

"I'll have a roast beef and lettuce panini!" Ace ordered, stepping to the front of the line behind Grim. He smirked to himself when he noticed the upperclassmen's eyes twitch; apparently that offer to jump to the front was just meant for Devon. An unpleasant feeling began bubbling up in his chest the second those two started attempting to flirt with her, so he got more than a little smug satisfaction at getting some petty revenge on Devon's behalf.

"You don't get to cut the line either, Ace!" Deuce shouted.

Devon sighed before putting a hand on Deuce's shoulder. "There's no point in fighting with them anymore; they won't hear a word we say now." She turned to the two upperclassmen. "Thank you both for the offer and for being so cool about Grim's obnoxiousness. Again, I'm really sorry he troubled you."

"Think nothing of it, Dev," the first boy replied. "And if you ever need anything," His gaze trailed over her form, lingering on her legs just a little too long before he realized what he was doing and refocused on her face. "anything at all…you just let us know, okay?"

Devon fought back an eye twitch of her own as she kept her friendly expression in place. "Sure thing." 'Don't hold your breath, man. I appreciate the chance for some good food, didn't appreciate that once-over you just gave me.'

"Hold up, Trappola," the first upperclassman said as he and his friend pulled Ace aside once the two had paid for their food. He checked to make sure Devon was too preoccupied with Grim and Deuce to notice before he continued. "Since we were nice enough to let you jump the line, mind if we as you a few questions?"

"Something tells me you'd ask no matter what I said," Ace replied dryly.

"Nice to know you're catchin' on to how things are done here," the second commented. "There's no point in beatin' around the bush: Devon's an absolute slice."

"Yeah, the whole 'chick from another world' thing is pretty hot," the first agreed. "We were wonderin' if she mentioned seein' anybody before she got here." He smirked. "I mean, even if she is, it's not like they can do anything, but it'd be helpful to know how…experienced she is, if ya know what I mean."

Ace felt his fist clench and subtly stuffed it in his pocket, the unpleasant feeling in his chest growing worse. He pulled in a breath as he struggled to keep his expression neutral. "First of all, even if that was any of your business, which it's not, Devon hasn't mentioned having a partner back in her world and I haven't asked. If you wanna know so badly, you can grow a pair and ask her yourselves. Second of all," His red eyes narrowed. "don't ever let me hear you refer to her as "an absolute slice" again. Got it?"

The first boy rolled his eyes. "C'mon man, loosen up. It was a compliment."

"If that's true, why didn't you call her that to her face during your pathetic attempt at flirting a second ago?" Ace countered. "Everybody loves to be complimented, right? So she probably would've loved it, wouldn't she?" He smirked as an idea popped into his head. "Actually, how about I call her over here right now and we can find out exactly what she thinks of that disgusting pet name, hmm?" He looked over in Devon's direction and opened his mouth. "Hey-"

One of the upperclassmen immediately clapped his hand over Ace's mouth, his voice a harsh whisper. "Dude, what are you doing?! Shut up!"

Ace pulled the upperclassman's hand off of his mouth. "Mmhmm. That's what I thought. You know that name's gross, I know it's gross, and we all know Devon'll kick your asses six ways from Sunday if she heard you call her that."

"Psh," the second upperclassman scoffed. "What, are you gonna tell on us or somethin'?"

Ace nodded. "Actually, yeah, I am. She has a right to know when creeps like you are skulkin' around." He sent them a wicked smirk. "But since you both were such nice guys, lettin' us cut the line and all, I'm gonna give you the chance to get outta here before I do." The pair of students glanced at each other, then over to Devon before sending Ace on last glare and scurrying off. Ace's smirk never wavered. "Yeah. That's what I thought." He heard footsteps behind him and turned to see Devon approaching.

"Everything good?" she asked. "I saw those two guys from earlier leave in a hurry."

Ace shrugged. "Oh, ya know, just fieldin' a couple creeps trying to get some info on your dating life even though you're waaay outta their league."

Devon hummed in response. "I had a feeling. That one wasn't at all subtle about checkin' out my legs earlier. I'm well aware that I'm gorgeous but he could've at least attempted to use some tact. There're ways to simp after someone respectfully."

Ace nudged Devon playfully. "Nice to know you're not struggling in the self-esteem department, New York."

Devon smirked back. "Why should I be? It took me a long time to get to a point where I genuinely believed that I was beautiful and now that I do, I'm not about to worry too much about sounding conceited when I'm just stating facts. There's nothing wrong with being confident in yourself and if mine rubs people the wrong way, that's their problem." She looked in the direction the two upperclassmen had taken off in. "So what were the two stooges grillin' ya about?"

"They wanted to know if you were seein' anybody before you came here," Ace supplied. "They also said something about wanting to know what kinds of "experience" an "absolute slice" like you had. Their words, not mine."

Devon snorted before pressing a hand against her forehead in an exaggerated swoon. "Oh my gosh, I've never wanted anyone more~!" She rolled her eyes before straightening back up. "Seriously, how is knowing any of that supposed to help their chances? I could've dated everyone in my high school back home and I still wouldn't agree to a date with either or both of them."

Ace was about to reply when Deuce and Grim finally made their way over. "If you guys are ready, we should find a table before all the seats are taken," Deuce pointed out.

As the freshman quartet set about finding a place to sit, Ruggie walked into the cafeteria. A small frown marred his features when he caught sight of the bakery menu. "Ah crap, looks like I missed the bakery day free-for-all. The deluxe pork cutlet sandwich Leona wanted is already sold out."

As if on cue, a vaguely familiar cat-like monster walked by holding the exact sandwich he'd been looking for. "Nyahaha~! I'm gonna savor the sweet taste of victory~!"

Ruggie's frown turned into a smirk as he saw the opportunity in front of him. "Pardon me, friend. Looks like you managed to snag one the pork cutlet sandwiches, huh? Pretty great~"

"Hmm? What's it to you?" Grim asked, eyeing the hyena suspiciously.

"It's just that I'm in a bit of a bind, y'see," Ruggie explained. "I need to get my hands on one of those sandwiches no matter what but, just my luck, they sold out right in front of me." He offered Grim an easy-going smile. "If you'd be so kind as to hear me out, I'd like to make a trade with you, friend." He held up a small bread bun. "I'd like to offer you my mini bean paste bread for you deluxe pork cutlet sandwich."

"What?! No way!" Grim exclaimed, holding onto his sandwich protectively.

Ruggie's smile never wavered. "C'mon, I insist!" He held the bun out to Grim. "Here you go!"

Much to (almost) everyone's surprise, Grim's paw shot out as well, offering his sandwich to Ruggie. Ruggie's smile only grew while shock had painted itself all over Grim's face. "W-What the-?! Why are my arms and legs movin' on their own?!"

"Are we seeing what I think we're seeing?" Devon wondered aloud. "Is…Is Grim actually giving up his sandwich?!" She looked over at her friends. "Ace, Deuce, help me check the sky for pigs!"

"Negotiations complete! Shishishishi~!" Ruggie said as he took the sandwich from Grim and placed the bun in his empty paw. "Thanks for being kind enough to trade me. I promise that bean paste bread is just as good!" He lowered his voice, speaking barely above a whisper. "The fact that it's tiny is just a defect." He offered the group a quick salute. "Thanks again. Bye-bye~!"

"F-F-Fgnya! My deluxe pork cutlet sandwich…," Grim cried as he watched Ruggie walk out of the cafeteria.

Grim was still moping even after the group found a place to sit and eat, lamenting the loss of his sandwich between shoveling food into his mouth. "This is…the worst day…of my…pathetic life…"

"Hey c'mon, Grim, don't say that," Devon replied. "It's the worst day of your pathetic life so far."

Grim sent her a glare and seemed to be debating on whether or not to throw one of his bread buns at her, but opted to stuff it in his mouth instead. "This bread is hard to swallow…"

"He says despite vacuuming up three of them," Ace commented.

"What was that whole song and dance earlier, then?" Deuce asked Grim. "You shouldn't have made the trade to begin with if you're just going to complain about the result."

"It wasn't like that!" Grim protested. "When that guy stuck his arm out, mine just moved on its own too. By the time I realized what was happening, he'd already taken the sandwich."

"Ah, so you just got caught up in the moment, then? That happens sometimes," Ace replied.

"T-That wasn't it, either! I can't explain it well!" Grim exclaimed in frustration before turning back to his food. "I'm confused and upset, so I'm just gonna eat my feelings." He eyed Deuce's tray. "Oi, Deuce! Gimme some of your pasta!"

"Your awful decision-making skills have nothing to do with me! Knock it off!" Deuce shouted as he pushed Grim's outstretched paw away from his food.

Devon smiled at her friends before looking back at the doorway to the cafeteria. Something had been nagging her from the moment they'd run into that beastman student. 'Where have I seen that guy before…?'

Ace's voice pulled Devon back to reality. "Getting back to what we were talking about before Grim started whining, those upperclassmen may have been sleezes, but now they've got me wonderin'. Do you have someone special waitin' for you back home, New York?"

Devon shook her head. "Aside from my family…nope. Wasn't dating anybody nor did I have my eye on anyone back home."

Deuce blinked. "That's…a little surprising, if I'm being honest. I'd have figured someone a pretty as you would have people tripping over themselves to date you."

"I mean, clearly she does," Ace pointed out, referring to the upperclassmen from earlier and trying to figure out why he felt so relieved that Devon wasn't already in a relationship with someone in her homeworld.

"I still can't believe those two were so…gross," Deuce growled. "If I ever see them near you, Dev-"

"Easy there, tiger," Devon interjected. "Given how fast Ace was able to send those idiots packing, I doubt they'll try anything even if I do run into them again."

"It just pisses me off that you have to deal with crap like that," Deuce grumbled. "You're my best friend, ya know?"

Devon smiled. "I appreciate you lookin' out for me, Deuce. Really, I do, but-" She shrugged. "it's not like I didn't have to deal with creeps like that back home too. They're gross but they aren't worth getting upset over. Most of 'em back off the second they realize I've actually got a brain in my head." Ace and Deuce looked at her in confusion. "It's been my experience that if someone is attractive, other people tend to be surprised when they can do anything besides stand there and look pretty."

Ace snorted. "Are you serious? I mean, I'm sure there's probably people who think like that in Twisted Wonderland too but…how is that even supposed to work? What, are they like-" He lowered his voice to a mocking conspiratorial whisper. ""Hey, guys. You won't believe what I just heard. Not only is Devon beautiful…but she knows how to read.""

Devon let out an exaggerated gasp. "What a double-threat!" She and Ace shared a laugh before she nodded. "More or less, I guess. I've also got all the cheerleader stereotypes working against me, so there's that."

Deuce tilted his head. "I thought I heard you mention to Trey and Cater that people in your world need to keep their grades up to stay involved in any school sports teams. How can people still think athletes are dumb?"

"Media, I guess," Devon answered with a shrug. "In a lot of movies and TV shows set at a high school or college, the student athletes are almost always gonna be either dumb or mean…or both. If the protagonist is female, I can almost guarantee that her rival slash enemy slash weird nebulous somebody that she has an interesting amount of chemistry and subtext with is gonna be a really bitchy cheerleader, most likely the squad captain. That's been a common trope in movies since way before we were born."

Deuce frowned. "It's not fair for people to make snap judgments about you just based on that."

"Preachin' to the choir, my dude," Devon replied. "I learned a long time ago that getting upset about it is a waste of energy, though. If someone's going to write me off for some arbitrary reason, especially if it's for something I have no control over, they aren't worth thinking about. The people that actually take the time to get to know me know what I'm really like."

"Be honest, though. You probably know someone who fits the stereotypes," Ace said. "Based on what your family told us, that Madison girl seems like she's pretty close."

Devon sighed. "Madison's… She can be… Okay, look, I'll admit she can be pretty catty and self-absorbed but I can't see her as a bad person. Maybe I'm just too close to the situation but I know she wasn't always like that; when we were kids, she was the nicest person you could ever meet. It's really hard for me to square that with the person she's become…" She shook her head. "Besides, she's tame compared to our last cheer captain. That was…" She shuddered. "…it was a lot."

Ace and Deuce shared a look. "Well now you gotta tell us," Ace pressed.

"Was she really harsh or something?" Deuce asked.

"Not exactly," Devon replied. "I mean, yeah, she could be pretty intense and she certainly wasn't the nicest person I've ever come across, but she was a good captain at first."

Ace quirked a brow. "At first?"

"Sara was a senior when Madison and I started high school and made the squad," Devon explained. "She put us through our paces right out the gate but our routines were always flawless when it was showtime. We may not have liked her much personally, but we had to respect her drive and talent. I don't think it'd be an exaggeration to say that almost all of us wished we could be her to some extent. But that all changed when they announced the nominees for senior prom queen. Sara was probably the most popular girl in the school at that point so everyone, including her, figured she'd win. But then one of her classmates, I think her name was Julie, got into a car accident and had to have one of her legs amputated."

"Damn…," Ace whispered. "That really sucks."

Devon nodded. "Sure does. I didn't know Julie very well but from what I understand she tried to stay optimistic about the whole thing. She ended up getting nominated for prom queen too and gained a lot of support really quickly."

"I bet this Sara girl wasn't too happy about that," Deuce commented.

"That would be an understatement, my friend," Devon agreed. "She did everything she could to sway more people to vote for her, even ditching her duties as cheer captain. It was like all she could see was that crown and nothing else mattered: not her friends, not her boyfriend, her squad, nothing. I may not have been her biggest fan, but it was really hard to watch her spiral like that. And even after she'd alienated everyone close to her and made a pariah of herself, Julie kept her lead right up until prom night." Devon closed her eyes and shook her head again.

Ace nudged her. "C'mon, don't stop there, New York."

"Once it became clear that Sara wasn't going to win the vote for prom queen, she apparently decided that if she took out everyone else who was running, she'd win by default," Devon continued. "So that's exactly what she did."

"What'd she do? Fight 'em or somethin'?" Grim asked as he finally looked up from his food.

"Nope. She murdered them," Devon answered simply, causing Ace and Deuce to choke on their meals. "Well…most of them. I wasn't there, so I can't really give you details-"

"Good!" Ace choked out as he took a big gulp of water.

"-but from what I heard after the fact, there were seven other people in the running for prom queen and Sara killed six of them," Devon continued. "Again, I don't know all the details but it sounds like it got…pretty gruesome. Ironically, Julie was the only one who survived and she was the one who ended up calling the police."

Ace, Deuce, and Grim stared at Devon as she finished her story, trying to process what they'd just heard. "So…what happened after the police came?" Deuce asked once he'd recovered enough to speak again.

"I mean, obviously they had to take her in," Devon supplied. "Aside from the multiple eye-witnesses, they found her dancing around in the sash and tiara with her dress, face, and hands covered in blood. I remember seeing the police lead her out of the school on the news. I don't think I'll ever forget that look on her face: she was smiling and had tears just streaming down her face despite being handcuffed and loaded into a police car. The look in her eyes…you could tell she'd lost what little sanity she had by that point, even before she started screaming about being "Queen of High School Land" or something. Last I heard, they had her in a padded cell but I hope she's getting the psychiatric help she'd clearly been needing for a while."

"Damn… All that over not getting voted prom queen?" Ace asked in disbelief. "Aside from the person who wins, does anybody even remember that after graduation?"

"That's what a lot of us thought, but it was actually a little more complicated than that," Devon said. "Turns out that part of why she was so obsessed with winning was because her dad was a piece of garbage who basically told her that she wasn't worth anything if she wasn't winning. He put more and more pressure on her as prom night got closer, so I'm not surprised her mental state kept deteriorating." She thought for a moment. "Between Sara and Riddle, I'm starting to realize that there's almost always some sort of abuse at the root of sanity slippage and mental breakdowns like that… Not that that justifies what happened with either of them, but it at least makes it more understandable."

"Mmm," Ace agreed. "Speaking of crappy parents, though, the headmaster caught me before class this morning and said he has to talk to us about something. We're supposed to head to his office after classes let out today."

"What do you think it's about?" Devon asked.

"If I had to guess, I'd say it's about what happened with dorm leader Rosehearts the other day," Deuce answered.

"His "evil, berserker mode" thing? Yeah, probably," Ace agreed.

Grim brightened. "Maybe he's gonna give us a whole pile of canned tuna for how hard we worked!"

Ace smiled and shook his head. "No canned tuna, please. Right, New York?" Devon didn't answer so he glanced over at her to see that she was looking at the doorway to the cafeteria again. He nudged her again. "You okay? You keep looking at the door."

"Hmm? Oh, yeah," Devon replied. "Sorry for spacing out. I just know I've seen that guy Grim traded food with before and if I don't figure out where it's gonna drive me nuts all day."

"Fgnyaaa! Don't remind me!" Grim shouted.

"Leona! I'm back with your lunch!" Ruggie called out as he walked toward his dorm leader's preferred napping spot in the botanical garden.

There was a rustling in the plants as Leona sat up, letting out a yawn before blinking his green eyes open. "Hnh… It's already afternoon?"

Ruggie's ears twitched. "Have you been sleeping in here all morning? You're gonna fail another class if you keep this up."

Leona ignored him, opting to sniff the air instead. "Hmm. Smells like you actually got what I asked ya for this time."

"Uuugh, why do you always want the stuff that's most competitive?" Ruggie complained before handing over the sandwich and cup in his hands. "Anyway, here's your deluxe pork cutlet sandwich and iced tea."

"Don't you know anything? It's the fact that it's so hard to get that makes me want it so much," Leona replied as he took a bite.

Ruggie shrugged, his usual easy-going smile back on his face. "Me? I'll be happy to eat anything, so long as it's not moldy." His smile dropped and there was a hint of bitterness in his light blue eyes. "But I'm sure Prince Leona wouldn't know anything about that."

Leona's expression remained mostly apathetic but if one looked closely, they could see a trace of bitterness in his gaze as well. "Hmph. It ain't like I'm the crown prince or anything. I'm the second prince, so I couldn't be king even if I wanted to. I'm practically a commoner, really."

Ruggie gave him a flat look. "I showed you a picture of my house once and you asked me if it was a doghouse."

"I said that?" Leona asked as he looked disinterestedly at his food.

"Ya sure did!" Ruggie confirmed. He closed his eyes and sighed. "Maaan, I'd love to live in a castle so big it makes my actual home look like a doghouse."

"Hah. Being royalty isn't all that great," Leona countered, the bitterness more obvious in both his expression and tone. "All your efforts and skills don't mean a thing. Everything's decided by the order you were born in…"

Ruggie blinked. "Hmm…is that so?" His ears perked up when a thought occurred to him. "Ah, that's right. "There's gonna be a dorm head meeting after class today about the Spelldrive tournament. Make sure you don't miss it, okay?"

"Tsk…These meetings are such a pain," Leona grumbled as he pressed his fingertips to his forehead.

"You get the largest single room in Savanaclaw on account of bein' the dorm leader. You can at least make a token effort to actually earn it," Ruggie pointed out.

"Ugh, fine, fine. Just quit naggin' already," Leona conceded. He finished off the rest of his food and yawned. "And now I'm stuffed to the brim and sleepy." He settled back down into his napping spot. "Wake me up when lunch is over."

"I'm not your personal alarm clock, Leona. I've got my own-" Ruggie glanced over at the grumpy lion, only see him already snoozing away. "Are you kidding me?! How are you already asleep again?!" He sighed and shook his head before turning around and heading back toward the path leading out of the building. "I can't with that guy…" His ears twitched again as a thought struck him. "Oh yeah… Now that I think about it, I've seen that freshman girl and her pet raccoon somewhere before…"

Ending Notes: And so begins the Savanaclaw arc!

Just in case anybody was wondering/didn't catch it, the incident with Devon's previous cheer captain is a reference to 'The Ballad of Sara Berry' from 35MM: A Musical Exhibition. Believe it or not, that song was actually how I was introduced to Twisted Wonderland. I was looking through the animatics of the song on YT and found one with Riddle acting as Sara. I had never even heard of TWST prior to watching it (this was in August 2021, so the English version hadn't even been announced yet), so I had no clue who these characters were or what was going on, but it got me interested and the rest is history. I'd recommend checking out the entire soundtrack, of course, but that song is a must-hear.

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