Author's Notes: Not really much to say at the start here, except that there's a very minor spoiler warning for Ace's Ghost Marriage vignette (though I do plan on covering that in full when the time comes.)

"Huh…Guess the headmaster wasn't kidding about Spelldrive being a big deal around here, after all," Devon commented. After the group had left the headmaster's office, Ace and Deuce led Devon and Grim to a large floor-to-ceiling glass case on the first floor of the main school building. Inside the case, there were photos of each year's winning team as well as multiple plaques listing the MVPs. Devon noticed that the majority of the teams in the photos were wearing yellow and black uniforms. "Looks like Savanaclaw tends to dominate the games, huh?"

"It makes sense. Cater said that their students tend to be on the athletic side," Deuce replied.

Devon looked at the photos taken for the most recent tournaments and noticed that these students were wearing green and black uniforms. 'Diasomnia's taken the win the past couple years, it seems. I wonder…' She glanced at the plaque covering the most recent tournaments and, sure enough, Malleus Draconia's name was engraved in the MVP spot for the last two interdorms. 'Big, bad, Malleus Draconia again. The one everybody's so freaked out about. I guess it makes sense that he'd be a beast at Spelldrive if he's such a talented mage…' She looked back at the photos. 'If he was the MVP for the last two tournaments, he's gotta be in these pictures. Let's see if he really looks as scary as everyone says…' None of the students in either photo looked especially threatening to her, but she did notice that one of them towered over the rest of the team. He had long blueish-black hair and...a pair of horns?! 'Well, that's somethin' ya don't see every day. Well…I mean, maybe you do in Twisted Wonderland. If they've got people with animals ears and flaming hair, a pair of horns really shouldn't surprise me too much.' Before she could take a closer look, she felt an arm wrap around her shoulders and steer her toward another photo.

"You wanna see somethin' really cool?" Ace asked her eagerly.

Devon smiled. "I always wanna see somethin' really cool."

Ace gestured toward one of the photos, motioning for Deuce and Grim (who was still pouting about not being able to compete) to come take a look as well. The red and black uniforms indicated that Heartslabyul had been the winning team that year. He pointed to one of the students…one with a familiar messy head of hair.

Devon squinted her eyes as she tried to get a better look. "Dude, is that your brother?!"

"Dude, yes it is!" Ace replied, his chest puffing up with pride. "My big bro helped lead Heartslabyul to victory, no big deal or anything. The Trappola's are a family of winners, so it really shouldn't come as a surprise."

"Does that mean you'll be leading Heartslabyul's team to victory this year?" Devon asked, a teasing look in her eyes.

Ace faltered a bit before he answered her, rubbing the back of his head as he looked askance. "I mean…Ya know… I'll be…"

"No, Ace. Tell her how you're gonna be tearing up the field on game day," Deuce goaded with a smirk. His smirk only widened when Ace grumbled and crossed his arms as he continued to look away from the two of them. Deuce looked back over at Devon, who was now wearing 'Please dude, you've gotta tell me now' expression. "Y'see, Dev, for all our friend's boasting, he didn't make the roster for the tournament this year."

"Shuddup, it's not like you made the team either!" Ace retorted.

"Maybe not, but I'm not the one goin' on and on about bein' from a family of winners," Deuce fired back.

"At least you guys actually got to try out!" Grim whined.

Devon sighed and rolled her eyes before turning her attention back to the picture, trying to drown out the bickering next to her. Given how much Ace went on about his older brother, she had a feeling she'd be seeing something like this sooner or later. She could understand the sentiment; if they'd been in her world, she doubted she'd be able to stop herself from boasting about her own family and showing off their accomplishments. Heck, she'd shove magazines that Valentina had modeled in or any sort of publicity her Tio's restaurant got in the face of pretty much anyone who would hold still long enough if she'd had any of them with her. She took a closer look at the older Trappola. "…huh."

The arguing immediately stopped at the small noise; Devon was honestly surprised they'd even heard it. "What's up?" Ace asked. "See somethin' weird?"

Devon shook her head. "Nah. It's just… I'm not really sure what I was expecting your brother to look like but-" She sent him a smirk so he'd know she was just teasing. "I wasn't expecting him to be so good-looking. He's related to you, after all."

Deuce and Grim immediately started snickering while a flicker of…something flashed in Ace's red eyes. It was gone before Devon could place what it was, Ace clutching at his chest and making a show of mock hurt distracting her further. "You wound me, New York! How can you be so cruel?!"

Devon laughed and shrugged. "A trait passed down the Lopez line for generations, I'm afraid." She sent Ace a sincere smile before wrapping her arms around his middle and pulling him into a hug. "I'm kidding, by the way." She let her head rest against his chest. "Not about your brother being handsome, because he absolutely is. But I think you are too."

Ace let out a quick "Heh" before clearing his throat, trying to hide his reddening cheeks by turning his face away from Deuce and Grim, returning Devon's hug as he nuzzled the top of her head. "I'll forgive you if you tell me I'm the best-lookin' guy on campus."

Devon snorted. "Well, I certainly think you're up there on the list of handsome dudes I've met since I've been here, but…I can think of at least one upperclassman that'll give you a run for your money."

Ace stiffened for a moment before forcing himself to relax and keep his tone light. "Oh yeah? Who is it? Please tell me you're not talking about Cater."

Devon laughed again. "No, it's not Cater. I…actually don't know his name. Never talked to him, either, but I saw him in the cafeteria the other day when Cater was telling us about the other dorms."

"Oh yeah? Do you remember which dorm he's in?" Deuce asked, picking up on Ace's sudden uneasiness and ready to milk the heck out of it.

"Scarabia," Devon answered. "He had dark eyes long dark hair with what looked like some really intricate braids. I haven't seen him since that day, but I'd recognize him in a heartbeat if I saw him again."

"Should we be on the lookout for him, then?" Deuce asked, laughing internally. The fact that Ace had gone completely silent was not lost on him. "I've had a chance to be someone's wingman before but I'd gladly do it for you, Dev."

Devon smiled and shook her head. "I appreciate the thought, but I've never really liked the idea of sending someone in to talk me up to someone else, especially when I've never even spoken to the guy myself. For all I know, aesthetic attraction is as far as it's gonna go."

"What's that mean?" Grim asked.

"It means that you can find someone attractive but not necessarily want it to go any further than that. Besides that, I'm demiromantic, so that's actually how it goes with most of the people I find myself attracted to," Devon explained. "I typically don't experience romantic attraction to someone unless there's already a strong emotional connection between us, but even then, having that kind of connection with someone is no guarantee I'll catch feelings."

"Alright, alright, enough of this romance talk," Ace finally spoke up as he released Devon from his hold. "We've gotta get back to the dorm and get our homework finished before Riddle has our heads, Deuce."

"You're right," Deuce agreed. "He's lightened up on the rules quite a bit, but I'd still rather stay on his good side."

"We'll see you guys later, then," Devon said as she pulled Deuce into a quick goodbye hug. "Once I finish the homework, I'm gonna try to at least a little more cleaning done at Ramshackle."

"Best of luck, Dev," Deuce replied. Devon gave them one last wave before heading for the exit with Grim perched on her shoulder. As soon as she was out of earshot, he turned his attention to Ace. "I saw all of that, by the way."

Ace quirked a brow. "All of what?"

Deuce nodded in the direction Devon had just walked. "You're into her, aren't you? Why else would you have frozen up like that when she mentioned that guy from Scarabia?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Loosey-Deucey," Ace denied. "I didn't freeze."

"Denial isn't a good look, Acey~!" came a familiar cheerful voice from nearby. The pair turned to see Cater walking toward them.

"Geez, Cater! Where did you even come from?!" Ace exclaimed.

"Pop Music Club," Cater replied with a shrug. "We meet us on this floor every week. I thought I heard you guys squabbling, so I came out here to see what was up." He shot a mischievous look toward Ace. "BTW, survey says that you've caught feelings for our little cutie from the big city."

"Figures you'd only show up when you smelled some fresh gossip," Ace grumbled. "But like I was tellin' Deuce here, I do not have a thing for Devon. She's my friend, one of my best friends, in fact, and that's all there is to it."

Cater smirked, one of his brows raised. "Mmhmm. Is that why I always see you touching her in some way?"

"Or why you always have to sit next to her, in or out of class?" Deuce added.

"So the fact that I like sitting next to Devon means I'm in love with her?" Ace asked incredulously, feeling his face heat up again. "I guess that must mean Deuce is in love with her too, then."

"I've literally watched you elbow someone out of the way so you could sit by her in class the other day," Deuce pointed out.

"And nobody said anything about love, y'know," Cater added. "Though your cheeks are lookin' pretty red. Just sayin'."

"That's…It's just hot in here!" Ace exclaimed. "Ugh, whatever. Let's just get back to the dorm."

Cater winked. "Sure thing, lover boy~!"

"SHUT UP!" Ace shouted as he stomped off toward the Hall of Mirrors. 'What do they know? I mean, sure, Devon's drop-dead gorgeous but all that means is that my eyes work. She said herself that just because you think someone's attractive doesn't mean it has to go any deeper than that. And I don't care that she thinks that guy from Scarabia is good-looking. If she talks to him and he turns out to be a total jerk, then who's gonna have to deal with her gettin' all upset after? That's right: me!' He sighed. 'It's not like I've been wanting to sleep next to her again ever since I've been back at my own dorm… Or thinkin' about how much it felt holdin' her close to me while I was carryin' her to the infirmary after Riddle's Overblot… Or how she always smells so good and gives the warmest hugs-NO!' He mentally slapped himself. 'No! Stop thinkin' that way! Didn't you learn anything from last time, Trappola?! Even if you did like Devon that way, which you don't, dating would just be more trouble than it's worth. Things are fine the way they are. …Right?'

"Now then, I'd like to call this dorm leader meeting to discuss the Spelldrive tournament to order!" Crowley began once he and six of the dorm heads (well, five dorm heads and one floating tablet) gathered in the Mirror Chamber. "For our first order of business, I believe our tournament manager has an announcement to make." He nodded toward a bespectacled student with silver hair. "Mr. Ashengrotto, the floor is yours."

Azul nodded before giving the other dorm leaders a gracious smile. "Thank you, headmaster. As dorm leader of Octavinelle, it is my honor to take point on one of our greatest traditions. To begin with, all vacancies for booths around the coliseum, both for external enterprises and internal club activities, have been filled."

"Nice, nice!" chirped Kalim. "It sounds like this year's tournament is shaping up to be livelier than usual!"

"Royal guests and VIPs from every country have already received their invitations. Tickets for general admission have been selling like hotcakes as well," Azul continued with a smirk. "And, of course, applications from television stations and newspapers to provide coverage of the event are flooding in like they do every year."

"I keep forgetting what a big deal our interdorms are!" Kalim said with a smile. "I always looked forward to getting my VIP invitation every year before I started school here!" He turned to the grumpy lion next to him. "You're a prince so you had to have gotten an invitation too, right, Leona? Maybe we passed by each other when we were little!"

Leona crossed his arms, his brows furrowed in an irritated scowl. "One: who knows? Two: who cares?"

"The live broadcast means I'll have to take extra care that my foundation isn't ruined," Vil commented before letting out a sigh. "All that sweating means I'll likely have to reapply it a few times."

"Pomefiore is the only dorm I've ever seen using time-outs to fix their makeup…," Riddle recalled.

"How are you all so gung-ho about running around in front of all those people?" came Idia's voice through his tablet. "Just thinking about it makes me wanna hurl."

Azul cleared his throat. "If we could please get back on track, everyone."

Kalim gave Azul an apologetic smile. "Ah, my b, my b."

"Once each dorm has finalized their player roster, please make sure to submit all the required paperwork," Azul reminded them. "If you miss the deadline by even a day…"

"You'll be disqualified, if I recall," Riddle finished.

"Oh Sevens, no! I'll simply have to charge a special processing fee for rush delivery," Azul corrected with a close-eyed smile.

Riddle frowned. "I can't say I approve of you bending the rules to make exceptions, Azul."

Kalim laughed. "And I couldn't be more grateful for it!"

"We're getting off track again," Crowley muttered before clearing his throat. "Everyone, I'd like to hear your thoughts regarding an idea I had for this year's tournament."

"An idea?" Riddle repeated, intrigued.

"Yes. I propose that Malleus Draconia, the dorm leader of Diasomnia, be inducted into the hall of fame at this time," Crowley suggested.

Kalim's eyes widened. "Huh?!"

Leona opened his eyes to glare at the headmaster. "What are you on about, Crowley?"

"Since Mr. Draconia entered this school, any and all dorms that have played against Diasomnia have been crushed without scoring a single point," Crowley explained. "In fact, Diasomnia has scored over 100 points in the past two interdorm tournaments and more than 90 percent of those points were scored by Mr. Draconia himself."

"Mmm. That's true. Scarabia was crushed right out the gate when we played against Diasomnia last year," Kalim agreed.

"That's because Malleus is an unparalleled cheat character who completely throws off the game balance," Idia remarked.

"The interdorm tournament isn't a mere spectator sport," Crowley reminded them. "The entire world will be watching and waiting for the next generation of magical talent to reveal itself. Even so, any match against Diasomnia is over before even their own players get a chance to shine, no matter who the opponent is. This "lack of balance", as Mr. Shroud calls it, is why I'm proposing that we induct Mr. Draconia into the hall of fame and take him off the playing field altogether."

"Yeah, I'm for it," Idia agreed. "I can't say it's fun to watch the same scene play out over and over each year. Not that I found the tournament fun to begin with."

Crowley turned his gaze toward Leona. "Savanaclaw, in particular, has multiple residents aiming to join a professional Spelldrive team after they graduate. The dorm itself has a long history of victory and has never one been lower than the top three. Even still, you have lost to Diasomnia in the opening matches of the last two tournaments. That won't leave a strong impression on any talent scouts and it certainly won't allow for anyone in the dorm to go pro."

"So what? You're sayin' we're just gonna get owned again this year?" Leona growled.

"It certainly brings me no joy to suggest such a thing," Crowley assured him, but Leona's glare never softened. He turned his attention back to the rest of the dorm heads. "In any case, I have already received Mr. Draconia's consent on the matter. All that's left is your approval as dorm leaders."

"Ha," Leona scoffed. "You've underestimated us, Teach. Do you honestly think we're so pathetic that the only way we can beat Diasomnia is with a handicap?"

"That's not what I'm implying-" Crowley began, only for Leona to cut him off.

"Then what are you implying?" Leona demanded. "Besides, any idiot knows that it's not about brute strength when it comes to Spelldrive." He tapped his temple with one finger and smirked. "It's about usin' your head."

"Yeah, but…I'm not so sure I could beat Malleus in a battle of wits, either," Kalim said.

"Well, obviously you can't," Leona replied. "But I can. I doubt anyone's ever going to beat that smug bastard in a battle of brawn, but brains should be a different story."

"Go on," Azul said, lacing his finger together and leaning forward.

"The King of Beasts of the Great Seven took his place as king through hard work and meticulous planning," Leona reminded them. "Put that lump three feet above your ass to work and come up with a way to beat that monster." He glanced over at Riddle. "Make that two feet for you." His smirk widened. "This is the last chance anyone's going to get to take Malleus down. Are you really going to let it pass you by?"

"Hmm…seems like even you have good ideas once in a while, Leona," Vil commented, his face shifting into an expression that almost looked impressed. The expression dropped when he looked back at the headmaster. "I also think this idea of yours is nonsense, headmaster. In fact, it wreaks of an unconscious bias on your part." His amethyst eyes narrowed. "And I assure you that there's nothing I despise more."

"I agree with Vil," Riddle chimed in. "I have no intention of giving up before the fight's even begun."

"I want to see that aloof prick's face contort in frustration as someone finally knocks him off the pedestal he's been raised up on," Leona added. "Doesn't thinkin' about it make you wanna roar?"

Azul chuckled darkly as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I can only imagine how high the ratings would be."

Kalim nodded. "I don't think it'd be right to exclude anyone."

"Huh? Hang on, what's happening here?" Idia asked. "Am I the only one who's cool with letting him in the hall of fame?"

"So there you have it, Teach. Looks like Malleus won't be entering the hall of fame after all," Leona said.

Crowley sighed. "Very well. Nothing more to be done about it, I suppose. Just know that if history repeats itself again this year, Mr. Draconia will be entered into the hall of fame next year."

"Fine, whatever," Leona agreed.

"If the Malleus matter has been settled, I believe that brings us to the end of today's meeting," Azul said. "Please don't forget to turn in your paperwork, everyone." He lowered his voice before chuckling sinisterly. "Not that I'll be too bent out of shape if you do…"

"Speaking of Malleus…," Vil interjected as he looked around the Mirror Chamber. "Did we forget to tell him there was a dorm leader meeting today?"

"Ah!" Crowley, Kalim, and Riddle exclaimed.

Meanwhile, two Heartslabyul students were leaving club activities for the day. "It's almost time for the final round of try-outs to decide who's playing in the Spelldrive tournament. I'm getting pumped!" the first student said.

"Have you thought of any other spells you can use to appeal to the dorm head?" the second student asked.

"Of course!" the first student confirmed as they approached a staircase to head down to the first floor. "I showed one to Professor Crewel and he seemed pretty impressed. I'm excited to show it to-" He cut himself off as his foot slipped out from under him, causing him to wobble at the top of the stairs. "Whoa!" Before he could catch himself on the railing, the boy went tumbling down the staircase before collapsing in a heap at the bottom. "Owwww… Damn, that hurts…"

"Hey, what happened?!" his friend called down to him as he rushed down the stairs himself. "Why'd you go crashing down the stairs like that?"

"M-My ankle…," the first boy groaned, clutching at the injured limb. "I think I hurt my ankle…!"

"What?! Crap, that's not good!" the second boy said, placing his friend's arm around his shoulders and hauling him to his feet. "Let's get you to the infirmary!"

The two boys hobbled away, unaware that a figure was watching them from the top of the staircase, crouched down to they were hidden behind the railing. "Shishishishi~"

Ending Notes: I deliberately left Ace's brother's description vague because I'm hoping he appears in canon at some point. If he does, it'll probably be in one of the events and, given what Ace has told us about him, he definitely seems like the type of older brother to playfully flirt with someone Ace is interested in to get a rise out of him. I know it's unlikely but I'm really hoping Crowley does a Family Day thing on campus so we get to see more of the boys' families. Heck, I might even write it myself just to write Devon struggling not to throw hands with Mrs. Rosehearts all day. I'm just imagining Devon mentioning that her family can't be there (we'll just assume everyone knows she's from another world at this point) and she gets bombarded with adoption offers. Mama Spade and Mama Ashengrotto are the first to offer while Vil's had all the adoption paperwork ready to go since the events in Chapter 5.

Ace must be swimmin' because that boy is in denial. In all honesty, I can see each of Devon's love interests reacting differently when they're jealous. Ace personally strikes me as the type of guy who doesn't get jealous unless he actually perceives a potential rival as a threat. Case and point: those two idiots from Heartslabyul a couple chapters ago. He knew Devon wouldn't be interested in creeps like that so he wasn't jealous of them (he was more upset about the way they were talking about her), but Jamil or anyone else he thinks Devon might have an interest in…that's another story and I can see Ace getting really bratty and doing everything he can to monopolize her attention. Leona, Malleus, and Jamil are all likely to be much more possessive (though not to a toxic degree), but in different ways. I think the entire fandom is more or less in agreement that Malleus, as a dragon fae, is possessive by nature, but when it comes to Devon, he likely won't understand why he feels that way towards her. From what we've gathered about him so far, it's clear he grew up pretty isolated so he's probably never experienced romantic love before. Then he meets this funny little child of man and now he's questioning why he gets the urge to find a nice tower to hide her in whenever someone flirts with her or the thought of her leaving to go back to her own world crosses his mind (he won't, obviously; ultimately just he wants her to be happy). Leona just straight up intimidates any competition either by glaring or roaring at them (which has an added bonus because he finds out pretty quickly that Devon really, really likes his roar). And Jamil gets really passive-aggressive when he's trying to drive someone off.

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