Author's Notes: I love Sebek, I swear I do! I just love making Devon mess with him more.

Devon sighed as she made her way back to Ramshackle, the approaching clouds and scent in the air telling her a storm was likely about to start. Classes had just ended for the day and the weekend had officially started. She and Deuce had been forced to leave Ace and Grim behind as they headed back to their respective dorms; they were directly responsible for a mishap in Potionology that resulted in one of the lab tables melting into a puddle of bubbling goop and a waste of some very rare ingredients. Needless to say, Professor Crewel was not pleased and held the two of them after class for a lecture and most likely some form of punishment over the weekend.

She'd almost made it to the gate when she noticed someone slumped against it. Zephyr floated out in front of her and headed toward the person, gently tapping them with one of their whips. Zephyr waved Devon closer when the figure didn't respond and she cautiously stepped closer. Even from a distance away, she could tell it was a student. She vaguely recognized the figures' silver hair and the green vest told her he was a Diasomnia student. 'I think I've seen this guy in the cafeteria before. He's usually with that green-haired guy who yells a lot.' She poked the boy's cheek and got no response. 'Oh geez, please tell me you're not dead, dude.' She then noticed the subtle rise and fall of the boy's chest and heaved a sigh of relief. "Looks like he's just sleeping." She took in the way he was slumped against the gate; it looked as if he passed out while he was walking by. "How do you even fall asleep standing up? That looks so uncomfortable." She looked up at the sky again. Those storm clouds were rolling in fast and thunder could be heard in the distance. "It's gonna start raining soon. It's too dangerous for him to stay out here, but I don't know if I'll have time to get him back to Diasomnia before the rain and lightning start." She rolled up the sleeves of her uniform blazer. "Looks like there's only one option, then."

It took some doing, but Devon eventually managed to hoist the silver-haired boy into the best princess carry she could manage. There was a notable height difference between them, making it harder for Devon to get her arms where they were supposed to be, but she did her best. She struggled toward the front gate, doing her best not to drop the sleeping stranger. Regina helpfully opened the gate and pulled Devon up the stairs, through the front doors, and into the lounge. She set him down on the nearest sofa as gently as she could, making sure his head was resting on one of the throw pillows. No sooner had she covered him with the blanket she kept on the back of the sofa, then she heard the pattering sound of rain hitting the windows. "Looks like we got inside just in time. I sure hope Ace and Grim don't get caught in that downpour…"

Devon went up to her room to get changed and started thinking about what she was going to make for dinner. It was cheaper than going to the cafeteria for every meal and besides, she was always eager for an excuse to use the new cookware her Heartslabyul friends had given her. She peeked back into the lounge to see how her sleepy new companion was doing, only to be met with the business end of a black and green baton in her face. The boy she'd brought in was now wide awake and aurora-colored eyes were fixed on her in a harsh glare.

Devon kept her expression calm as she put her hands up in surrender. Zephyr darted out in front of her protectively, materializing a whip. "It's alright, man. I come in peace."

The boy's eyes widened as a look of recognition passed over his face and he hastily reattached his baton to his belt, bowing in apology. "I apologize profusely for my actions. I was disoriented and on edge due to waking up in an unfamiliar place. I wasn't sure if the person approaching was an ally or enemy." He straightened his posture. "Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Silver of Diasomnia. And you are…Devon Lopez of Ramshackle, correct? I assume that's where we are now?"

Devon nodded and smiled. "That I am and that it is. No hard feelings, Silver. I understand how unsettling it can be to wake up in a place you don't recognize." Her thoughts flashed back to Grim waking her up in the coffin upon arriving in Twisted Wonderland. "Trust me." She shook her head lightly. "You'd fallen asleep outside the Ramshackle gate. I was having a hard time wakin' you up and there was a storm about to roll in. The dorm was closer than the Hall of Mirrors, so Regina and I brought you in here."

Silver blinked in confusion. "Regi-" He was cut off by the nearby floorboards moving in a wave-like motion, as if saying hello. "Ah, I see. Well then, you both deserve my thanks for helping me."

"It's no problem," Devon assured him. "You must have been pretty tired to just fall asleep out in the open like that. Are you feeling okay?"

Silver nodded. "Yes. It's rather embarrassing, but my sleeping spells have been happening since I was young. Nobody's quite sure what causes them, but they don't appear to affect my health otherwise."

"That's good, at least," Devon replied. She looked out the window, only to see that the rain was coming down even harder now. "Do you wanna stay for dinner? It wouldn't sit right with me if you left in the middle of this storm."

"Are you sure?" Silver asked. "I don't want to impose on your kindness any more than I already have…"

"You're not imposing if I'm offering," Devon pointed out. Silver still looked unsure, so she continued. "I was just about to start cooking anyway and I usually make enough that we end up having leftovers anyway. I promise you it's not an imposition. Besides, food always tastes better when you eat it with friends."

Silver looked like he was about to object again but ultimately just shook his head, the ghost of a smile tugging at his lips. "You're starting to sound like a classmate and friend of mine now. If you're certain I'm not causing you any trouble, I'll gladly stay and eat with you."

Devon smiled and clapped her hands together as she did an excited little hop. "It's settled, then! Now I just have to figure out what to make. Any ideas?"

"How do you feel about risotto?" Silver suggested.

"Risotto?" Devon repeated. "I've eaten risotto a few times, but I don't think I've ever made it before."

"I'd be happy to teach you," Silver said. "I know you said I wasn't imposing but…"

"I get it," Devon assured him. "You wanna feel like you're doing something to earn your keep. We'll need to make sure we've got enough ingredients before we start, though. I know we have rice, but I'm not sure what else we'll need."

Regina took that as their cue to move Devon and Silver along the floor and into the kitchen. Apart from Silver's eyes widening briefly when the floor started moving, he didn't show much of a reaction. Devon stared at him, mildly impressed. "Usually people freak out when Regina starts movin' stuff around. I think you're the first person I've ever seen be so…nonchalant about Ramshackle being alive."

"Ah, that's probably because it catches most people by surprise. I'm in the Equestrian Club with Riddle and he told me about your dorm's…situation," Silver supplied. "I'll admit I was relieved when he told me. I mean no offense, but I was concerned when I first heard that the headmaster had enrolled a magicless student. Even moreso when I learned you were staying here alone aside from your monster friend." He looked at Zephyr hovering near Devon's shoulder. "It's reassuring to know that you've got some extra protection here."

Devon smiled as Zephyr puffed themself up proudly before floating in happy circles around Silver's head. "I don't know what I'd do without them. Any of them."

"Okay seriously, where did you learn to cook? Because this is easily the best risotto I've ever had," Devon complimented as she and Silver dug into their food. Silver had managed to whip together a risotto made of rice, sausage, tomato, and shredded cheese (what Devon guessed was the Twisted Wonderland equivalent of Parmesan). As much as Devon would like to claim that she helped, she had mostly been spectating the whole time.

"I'm self-taught, actually," Silver told her. "My father raised me on his own and he's…" He sighed. "I have all the respect in the world for him, but his culinary skills are…"

"Non-existent?" Devon supplied.

Silver gave her an amused look. "Your words, not mine. Anyway, the cooking ended up falling to me and risotto's a fairly easy dish to make, so I ended up making it quite a bit."

"Well, it's fantastic," Devon reiterated. "I have to admit, my last risotto experience kinda soured it for me so there was a small part of me that was apprehensive about eating it again." Silver looked at her curiously, so she elaborated. "Back home, we have Food Truck Friday every summer. It's pretty self-explanatory and it's a great to help support local businesses. Well, this one time, I got what was supposed to be a crab risotto from one of the food trucks. I should have known something was up when the person working the truck handed me what looked like some kind of soup instead of a risotto, but I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt, so I tried it." She shuddered at the memory. "Let me tell you, my friend, that was one of the saltiest things I'd ever eaten. I'm no food snob by any means, but even I know there are certain things that don't go together and risotto and fish sauce are two of them."

"Fish sauce?" Silver asked incredulously.

"I wish I was makin' that up," Devon said, shuddering again.

"That…actually sounds like a combination my father might try if he ever got wind of it," Silver replied. The pair shared a determined look. "No matter what happens, he cannot find out about this."

"Trust me, I will gladly carry that secret to my grave," Devon agreed.

At that moment the front doors flew open and Zephyr took off toward the sound, Fuego appearing and following after them. Silver reached instinctively for his baton again, but Devon shook her head. "It's okay, man. I think Grim just got back."

"What makes you so sure?" Silver asked.

"Regina never would've opened the doors for someone they didn't recognize," Devon assured him. "Besides, did you see how Zephyr and Fuego both took off? Something tells me-"

A loud "FGNYA!" interrupted her, followed a moment later by Grim running into the kitchen. His fur was poofed up to a comical degree; evidently, Zephyr and Fuego had decided to combine their magic to create a sort of makeshift hairdryer so Grim wouldn't track rainwater all over the dorm. Both Wisps pulsed in amusement as they reappeared in the kitchen, much to Grim's irritation. "Henchman! I demand that you do something about your underlings!" As if on cue, Raio appeared, zapped Grim on the behind with some lightning, and disappeared again. "NYA! Henchman-"

"I warned you before, Grim," Devon interjected as she took the plate she'd set aside for Grim from where she'd been warming it in the oven. "The sooner you learn to stop referring to the Wisps as underlings, the sooner your ass stops gettin' zapped."

"Okay, is anybody else diggin' the aesthetic here or is it just me?" Devon asked as she, Riddle, and Cater stepped out of the mirror portal (that was decorated with what appeared to be dragon wings, to Devon's utter delight) and into Diasomnia's territory. This dorm building was another castle, a large dark grey structure under a seemingly permanent overcast sky that looked far more imposing than the whimsical design of Heartslabyul's dorm or the more elegant-looking Pomefiore dorm building. To even reach the building, one had to cross over a cobblestone walkway leading up to a drawbridge suspended over a chasm overgrown with thorny briar and bramble. 'It's too bad Grim's got that punishment from Professor Crewel today. I think he would've loved this.'

"It's not just you, Dev-Dev," Cater agreed as he snapped a selfie. "Diasomnia dorm's got this whole spooky vibe to it. It's a little gloomy, but it makes for great Magicam pics~!"

"Focus, both of you," Riddle chided as the entryway doors swung open. "Don't forget, we're here on a matter of the utmost importance."

"We know," Devon replied. "We've totally got this!"

"Yep! That's us, completely laser-focus-" Cater started to agree, only to cut himself off when he saw Lilia standing in the entryway, flanked by Silver and Sebek. "Hi, Lilia~!"

"Hello to you too, Cater," Lilia greeted with a smile. "And greetings to you two as well, Riddle and Devon."

Riddle nodded. "Thank you for taking the time to meet with us today."

Lilia waved his hand dismissively. "Not at all. We appreciate you bringing Savanaclaw's plan to our attention."

"Hmph! As if they ever had a sliver of a chance at harming Lord Malleus!" Sebek scoffed loudly. "I, Sebek, will make them pay for their impudence!"

"Inside voices, please, Sebek," Lilia chided gently before turning back to the visitors. "Please, come this way."

As Lilia led them all inside and down a corridor leading to the lounge, Devon took a moment to get a better look at the Diasomnia dorm uniform. The jackets, pants, and boots were black with an almost neon-looking green as an accent color, matching the armbands the Diasomnia students wore with their school uniforms. They also wore pillbox hats with the tips winged out in a way that almost resembled horns. Lilia's uniform stood out the most to her, though; in addition to wearing boots with much higher heels than Silver or Sebek, he also wore what appeared to be black shorts with a green stripe on one side, multiple bolts of dark-colored fabric at his waist, and greyish-purple leggings (they might have been stockings; Devon couldn't really be sure). The oversized coat he was wearing hung off his shoulders and reached all the way down to the floor. It would've looked comical on anyone else, but Lilia somehow managed to pull it off with more dignified poise than Devon had though possible.

A voice pulled Devon back to the present as Silver fell into step next to her. "It's good to see you again, Devon. I'd like to thank you again for your kindness yesterday."

Devon smiled. "You don't have to thank me. I'm just glad I found you before that storm started. Besides, I got some really awesome dinner out of it, so I'd say that makes us even."

"Any guardsman of Lord Malleus' shouldn't require help from a civilian," Sebek said as he inserted himself into the conversation. He looked Devon up and down before sneering in distaste. "Especially not a human one."

Devon quirked an eyebrow. 'Yeesh, what crawled up his ass and died?'

Silver sighed. "We've been over this, Sebek. You bring shame to both Lord Malleus and Lilia when you speak that way."

"Do not presume to give me orders, Silver!" Sebek groused before turning his yellow-green eyes back to Devon. "And you… I've heard about you, Devon Lopez. If you think your wiles are going to be enough to sway the young master, you'd better think again!"

Devon bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from laughing. "Okay, well I can't say I've heard of you, Sebek…" She paused as she realized she didn't know his last name.

"Zigvolt," Lilia supplied helpfully as he watched with amusement.

"Zigvolt," Devon continued, only for her original train of thought to derail. "Zigvolt? That's your last name? Dude, that's gotta be one of the most badass last names I've ever heard."

Sebek was stunned into silence for a moment, clearly not expecting the compliment. "Y-You think so?" He puffed up his chest proudly. "I-I mean, of course you think so! My family has loyally served the royal family of Briar Valley since my grandfather's time. It's only natural that our name-" His eyes widened before narrowing into a glare again. "You're craftier than I thought, human, but your mind games won't work on me!"

"Curses! My dastardly plan has been foiled!" Devon exclaimed playfully. She shook her head in mock disappointment. "You're too smart for me, Sebek. I guess I'll just take my wiles and go over here." With that, she fell back into step with Silver.

"I'm sorry about him," Silver whispered. "He's been scolded multiple times about his comments regarding humans, but it doesn't seem to stick."

Devon shook her head. "Don't worry about it. If calling me human is the worst 'insult' he can throw at me, I don't think I have much to worry about." Her expression darkened for a moment. "I've been called much, much worse." She shook her head and smirked. "He's gonna be fun to mess with, though. I can already tell."

"ARE YOU WHISPERING ABOUT ME OVER THERE, HUMAN?!" Sebek bellowed.

"Actually no, I wasn't," Devon answered. "I was just telling filling Silver in on my eeeeevil plan to usurp this Malleus guy and take over Diasomnia. Since I'm such a wily evil mastermind and all."

"YOU WOULD DARE TO-" Sebek began.

"Yes. Yes, I would," Devon replied with an amused smirk.

"Keh heh," Lilia chuckled as he watched Devon banter with Sebek for a moment before turning to Cater and Riddle. "I'm glad to see Devon isn't intimidated by Sebek. I know he can be…off-putting for some people." He smiled as Sebek pointed a finger in Devon's face only to immediately pull it back when she tried to bite it. "They're going to be great friends, I can already tell."

The group had reached the lounge by this point, a large room reminiscent of a great hall in a medieval castle. In keeping with the general aesthetic, the couches and chairs were made of a plush black material and the multitude of candles in the room were lit with green fire. As with her first visit to Pomefiore, Devon's gaze was immediately drawn to the massive throne on a platform overlooking the lounge. She had to admit that it looked far less comfortable than the one at Pomefiore as it appeared to be made of stone and Devon could see no padding on it from her vantage point (which, admittedly, wasn't an especially good one), however she absolutely adored the wings carved on the sides of the throne as well as the twin staircases leading up to the platform.

"Now then, you said you have a plan to stop Savanaclaw's scheme, Riddle?" Lilia asked, pulling Devon's attention away from the throne.

"Yes, but…" Riddle glanced around the room. "Maybe we could take this discussion somewhere that isn't a common area? I'd rather not take the risk of our plan getting leaked to Savanaclaw, even on accident. The fewer people who know, the better."

Lilia nodded. "Of course."

He motioned them all down another hallway. Devon followed along at the rear, but kept turning back to stare at the throne. 'There it is. And somehow the lounge is totally empty. This would be the perfect opportunity…' She shook her head and stopped walking for a moment. 'No. No, this is serious. We're here on important business right now. I can engage in my shenanigans some other time.' She nodded to steel herself…only for her resolve to waver as she stole another glance at the throne. 'But it'll just be for a second. And it's not like I'm hurting anything.' She went back and forth with herself for a little while longer before finally resolving to stay focused on the task at hand. She turned away from the lounge and began walking down the hallway again…only to quickly come to a point where the hallway she was currently in intersected with another, resulting in three potential paths and no way to tell which one her friends had taken. "Ay basura..." She instinctively looked to Zephyr, only for them to give her a non-committal pulse in response; they didn't typically focus on other people aside from her unless those people posed a potential threat.

Devon puffed up her cheeks and tried to figure out her next move (of all the days to leave her phone behind!) when a voice from behind her nearly caused her to jump out of her skin. "Do you make a habit of loitering in hallways, child of man?" Devon whipped around to see her new behorned friend standing behind her. As expected, he was wearing the Diasomnia dorm uniform, but she noticed that his had slight alterations as well. It had the same black and green color scheme that the others did, but he was also wearing embossed black leather gloves that reached his elbows, a holster-style belt with what appeared to be spools of thread at his waist, and a cape that hung off his left shoulder much like Riddle's did. She also noticed that his hat lacked the winged tips the others had, but that was likely done to accommodate his horns.

Devon couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped her. "Oh hey, Horns. I didn't hear you walk up."

The man in question stared at her for a moment, his expression one of outwardly mild surprise as he processed what she'd called him. "Horns?" he repeated. "Are you…referring to me?"

"Well, since someone decided to be Mr. Mysterious and not tell me his real name…," Devon replied teasingly. "And you did say I could call you whatever I wanted."

Malleus stared at Devon for a moment more before the corners of lips began to quirk upward. "Hmmhmm…" He let out an amused chuckle and it wasn't long before that chuckle evolved into a full-blown laugh. "Hahahaha! Of all the names you could have given me, that's the one you chose?! I never thought I'd see the day when anyone, let alone a human, would address me so casually."

"It was the first thing Grim thought of and I couldn't come up with anything better," Devon explained, Malleus' laughter causing her own smile to widen. "If it bothers you, I can try to think of another one."

Malleus' laughter died down, but his amused smile remained as continued to look at Devon with what could almost be called a fond expression. "I never said anything about disliking it. And as you said, I did say you could call me by a name of your choosing. I'll allow you, and only you, to call me by that odd yet endearing nickname."

"I'm glad you're so entertained by it," Devon replied. "When Grim first suggested it, I was a little worried you'd be upset if I called you that, but it's really been growin' on me."

"It would take more than that to upset me, child of man. My feelings are not so fragile," Malleus assured her. "Now, as amusing as this has been, I do have to wonder what brings you to Diasomnia today. Most of the other students tend to go out of their way to avoid it."

"Funny you should mention that," Devon said. "I actually came here with Riddle and Cater from Heartslabyul. Apparently Savanaclaw's planning some stunt to take Diasomnia out of the Spelldrive tournament. We don't know exactly what they're planning, but we came here to warn the Spelldrive team and see if we can get everyone on board with Riddle's plan to stop Leona and Ruggie. As for why I'm not with them at the moment…" She chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of her head. "I kinda sorta maybe got distracted by that throne in the lounge. I realllly wanna march up there and sit on it but we're here on important business and after debating with myself, I realized the others had gone off somewhere and I have no way of finding them."

Malleus hummed in response as he led Devon back into the lounge. "I can understand being taken in by the lounge throne. It was modeled after the one in the Thorn Fairy's castle, you know. However, tradition states that only the dorm leader is permitted to use it."

Devon sighed dejectedly as she flopped down on one of the couches, Malleus joining her a moment later. "Yeah, I figured as much. A girl can dream though, can't she?"

Malleus chuckled. "Throne aside, what do you think of Diasomnia? As I mentioned before, we don't typically receive visitors from other dorms."

"I was actually talking about this with Cater on the way in, but I really like the vibe here," Devon answered honestly. "I can see why some people might think it's intimidating, though, especially if they've never been inside the actual dorm." She gestured around her at the lounge. "This is probably the coziest lounge I've been in, though. I haven't seen all the dorms yet, but Heartslabyul's and Pomefiore's lounges seem more…" She paused as she struggled to find the words. "I dunno, like walking into a sitting room at your grandmother's house where all the furniture's covered in plastic and you're not allowed to touch anything. I'm at Heartslabyul pretty frequently, but I still worry I'm gonna break something if I move the wrong way."

Malleus blinked at her. "That's…an unusually specific example, though I think I understand what you're trying to say. My own grandmother can be…rather particular about certain possessions of hers."

"Right? Maybe it's just a universal thing. Meanwhile, Diasomnia still has that elegance, but at the same time, it feels a lot more…homey," Devon continued. "Like, I feel like I can relax in here. I also really like the perpetually overcast sky; I think it just adds to the comfy vibes, honestly. Like I said, I get why some people might think Diasomnia's a little scary, but I bet they'd change their minds if they gave it a chance." She smiled up at Malleus. "Not even just the dorm. Everybody I've met from Diasomnia, yourself included, have been some of the nicest people I've encountered so far." She paused. "I mean…except for Sebek. It doesn't seem like he likes me very much."

"Ah, yes. Sebek means well, but his presence can be a bit much for those who aren't accustomed to it," Malleus replied.

"Frankly, the guy throws me for a loop," Devon admitted. "He seems to genuinely think I'm some sort of threat to this Malleus guy while at the same time he straight-up dismisses me for being human." She looked over at her friend to see that his expression had shifted to something akin to mild exasperation. "Is that just the usual for him or is there something about me specifically that he doesn't like? I get that he's supposed to be a bodyguard and I'm a stranger, so it's better safe than sorry, but Silver's a bodyguard for Malleus too and he hasn't been wary of me at all aside from maybe a couple seconds when we first met."

"Well, I can't claim to know Sebek's exact thoughts about you personally, but I can tell you that his opinions about humans have been in place long before he met you," Malleus told her. "That sort of wariness is ideal in a guard, but his hot-bloodedness means he'll be more likely to cause more problems than he solves. I assure you, I will speak to him about this later. You don't appear to be taking what he said too personally and I'm glad for that, but he ought to know better than to treat a guest of Diasomnia that way, human or not."

Devon was silent for a moment before she spoke up again. "Regina, the Wisp that's enchanting Ramshackle, told me that you're a junior. They've seen you wandering around Ramshackle before. If you're an upperclassman, you've probably known Malleus for a while, right?"

Malleus faltered for the briefest of moments, thankfully too brief for Devon to notice. He weighed his words carefully; he wasn't ready for her to know who he really was just yet. "I am familiar with him, yes. We both hail from Briar Valley."

"Does he…Does he think the same way Sebek does?" Devon asked hesitantly. "I can't imagine he does considering he made Silver one of his guards but…"

"I can assure you that he doesn't view humans as inherently inferior," Malleus supplied. "Briar Valley is a land primarily populated by fae and humans are in the minority there. Speaking from personal experience, I know there are many in the kingdom who prefer to avoid associating with humans. Malleus is the crown prince so he spent most of his time within the castle, meaning his contact with humans was limited from the start. Even so, the man in charge of overseeing his education made sure he kept an open mind."

"I'm assuming this teacher was fae as well. And he didn't have the same aversion to humans?" Devon asked.

Malleus shook his head. "Let's just say that he prefers going against the grain. The fae are a long-lived species, so he's had many centuries to outgrow any prejudices he might've had in his youth. In recent years, he even took in a human child and raised him as his own." Malleus paused as an amused smile passed over his face. "My understanding is that the queen is much the same. They say that she wouldn't deign to associate with humans in her youth, but she's become much more welcoming to them over time. There are even rumors that she's become particularly close with a human family from outside the valley and brings them gifts whenever she can get away to see them, though nobody has ever met them."

Devon smiled back. "That's reassuring. Everyone seems to think Malleus is the type to…I dunno…chuck a fireball at someone if they look at him wrong, but it doesn't seem like any of them actually know him. It's nice to hear an opinion from someone who at least has some idea of what he's really like and isn't just going along with what the crowd thinks."

"…And what do you think?" Malleus asked. "Do you think he's as terrifying as the rumors say?"

Devon shrugged. "I'm not sure, really. It's hard for me to have an opinion on someone I've never even met. Granted, it's hard not to have some preconceived notions of what someone might be like when you keep hearing the same things about them over and over, but I still want my final opinion to be my own. I…know what it's like to have people make assumptions about you without getting to know you, so I'm going to try to withhold judgment until I meet Malleus myself."

Malleus fought to keep his expression neutral, but he couldn't stop his eyes from widening slightly. Devon's response had thrown him for a loop. "I… I confess I'm not sure what answer I was expecting from you, but that wasn't it."

Devon giggled. "Well, I do pride myself on being unpredictable." She looked her friend in the eye. "In all seriousness, it's easy to take a single facet of someone's personality and exaggerate it to the point that it becomes their only trait, but people are waaaay more complicated than that, no matter what race or species they are. Everyone is multi-faceted and I personally think people do themselves a massive disservice when they reduce others down to being just one thing. I have no doubt that Malleus is scary when he's angry, but I'm also positive that 'scary when angry' isn't his entire personality. I won't know for sure until I meet him myself, but if he's anything like you, Lilia, and Silver, I'm pretty sure I'll like him."

"Is that right?" Malleus murmured, his green eyes locking onto Devon's brown ones as he searched for any trace of deception. Much to both his bafflement and delight, he couldn't find a single trace. "That's… That's good."

It wasn't often that Malleus Draconia found himself at a loss for words, but the child of man sitting next to him seemed to have a talent for stunning him into silence. A comfortable silence had passed over them and he vaguely registered her eyes on him for a moment before her cheeks puffed up. He also registered her saying something to him, but he couldn't quite pull himself away from his train of thought. Her confidence in her belief that he wasn't what the rumors made him out to be was nearly enough to prompt him to reveal his true identity to her, but he ultimately decided against it. He was quite enjoying the time he'd been able to spend with her and he didn't want to risk losing it just yet. She'd find out who he really was soon enough anyway; he was playing in the Spelldrive tournament for Diasomnia, after all, and if the announcer didn't give him away, one of her friends was bound to. For now, he'd just have to enjoy these little meetings as much as he could and hope she wouldn't be too upset with him when the truth came out. Being around her was refreshing and he hoped her open-mindedness would work in his favor when the time came.

"-orns? Horns?" Devon called out, gently poking his shoulder to bring him back to reality. "You still with me there, bud?"

"Hmm?" Malleus blinked at her owlishly for a moment before realizing he'd been so lost in thought he hadn't heard her. "Ah, my apologies. I was lost in thought, it appears. What were you saying?"

Devon smiled reassuringly. "It's cool. It wasn't anything important, really. I was just pouting over how unfair it is that your so dang tall." She giggled at her friend's slightly confused expression. "I think it goes without saying that I'm…vertically challenged, to put it politely."

"I had noticed that, it's true," Malleus joked.

Devon puffed her cheeks out again and glared playfully at him. "It's even more obvious when I'm next to someone as tall as you are. It's one thing when we're standing, but you still manage to tower over me when we're sitting down. And that's not even going into the fact that your boots have heels even though you're probably the tallest person I've ever met. Makes me feel a little torn because they look fantastic and you're absolutely rockin' 'em, but now I'm getting hit with a serious case of height envy."

Malleus huffed out a laugh. "You're an entertaining one, child of man." He tapped his knuckle to his chin in thought. "It won't be permanent, but I believe I might know of a way to rid you of this…'height envy'." He stood before holding his hand out to her. "Do you trust me?"

Devon nodded without hesitation as she placed her hand in his. "Yes." She allowed Malleus to pull her to her feet and lead her a few steps away from the couch. It was then that she noticed that he was gathering magical energy into his hand and a flash of light forced her to close her eyes for a moments. When she opened them again, she noticed that she was now at eye level with him. A quick glance down confirmed that she was now floating in the air, her body engulfed in a green aura. Her eyes widened and she couldn't help but bounce excitedly. "Oh my gosh! This is the coolest thing ever! "

"There's no need to look so impressed," Malleus said as he let go of her hand, though he couldn't keep the smirk off his face. "Casting a spell like that isn't anything to write home about."

"Maybe, but you're talkin' to someone who can't use spells like that at all, remember?" Devon reminded him. She gave herself a few experimental pushes in different directions before launching into a few leisurely front flips. "Okay, this is probably the best day of my life. Height envy is completely gone!" She smiled over at Malleus. "Thank you for this, Horns. Really."

Malleus shook his head. "Thank you for trusting me."

"I knew it! I knew that human couldn't be trusted!" Sebek seethed as he and Silver made their way back toward the lounge. They and the rest of the group had decided to go to Lilia's room to discuss countermeasures for Savanaclaw's plan. It wasn't until Riddle had finished explaining his idea that they realized that Devon wasn't with them. Silver had volunteered to go and look for her, only for Sebek to demand to be permitted to go as well. Something about wanting to make sure Devon wasn't somehow endangering Malleus or Diasomnia with her… Well, Sebek wasn't entirely sure what she was possibly endangering them with but he knew there had to be something.

"Please settle down, Sebek," Silver chided as he followed a few steps behind his countryman. "She probably just got separated from everyone. The dorm's easy to get lost in and she's never been here before. Let's just head to the lounge and see if there's anyone that's seen-" Sebek stopped abruptly at the entryway to the lounge, causing Silver to run into him. "Give a warning next time." Sebek remained frozen in place and didn't respond. Silver moved to stand beside him, only to see Sebek's face twisted into a mixture of shock, anger, and quite possibly envy. "What's wrong?" Sebek's mouth flapped open and closed, but no sound came out and he settled for pointing into the lounge instead. Silver looked in the direction Sebek had indicated and his own eyes widened at the sight before him.

Devon was floating through the air, a tell-tale green aura indicating that Malleus' magic was the cause. Malleus looked on, hovering just off the ground himself. They watched as Devon braced herself against the wall and push off from it, launching herself directly toward a nearby window. Her eyes widened slightly as she realized she didn't know how to slow herself down and she began to brace for impact, only for something solid but clearly not made of glass to catch her just in time as a pair of arms wrapped around her waist. Devon looked up to see Malleus looking at her with an amused smirk on his face.

"I warned you against flying at high speeds while you're still unaccustomed to magic of this sort, did I not?" he asked teasingly.

Devon laughed sheepishly. "You did, but my hubris got the better of me and I made bad life choices. Lesson learned, though. I will not be doin' that again. One Icarus moment's enough for me, thanks."

Malleus blinked. "Who?"

"It's an old legend from my world," Devon explained. "Basically, Icarus and his dad are imprisoned in a tower by a king because reasons. Icarus' dad makes them both wings out of wax and feathers so they can escape, but warns Icarus not to fly too close to the sun or the wax will melt. But since Icarus is a teenager and hasn't been alive long enough for anything bad to happen to him, he does that thing where he thinks he's invincible and keeps flying higher. To the shock of absolutely no one, the wax wings melt when they get too close to the sun and Icarus falls into the ocean and dies."

"That's…more morbid than I was expecting," Malleus commented.

Devon shrugged. "Not a happy ending, but it gets the point across. 'Pride goeth before a fall' and all that. " She smiled up at Malleus before wrapping her own arms around him. "I'm just lucky I had you here to catch me this time." She nuzzled against his chest. "Thanks, Horns."

Malleus' eyes widened when he felt her nuzzle him. He was unused to being embraced by anyone aside from Lilia. That hadn't happened since he was a child and it lacked the intimacy he felt in Devon's embrace. He wasn't entirely sure how to respond, so he settled for resting his head against hers as he tightened his hold on her waist just slightly. "Of course, child of man."

"Maybe…we ought to leave them be," Silver suggested.

"How dare she touch the young master so casually!" Sebek growled, keeping his voice low for once. "And did you hear what she called him?!"

"I'll admit the name is…unusual," Silver conceded. "But Lord Malleus told that he didn't reveal his name to her yet and let her choose what she wants to call him for now." He gestured toward the prince. "Look at him, Sebek. He doesn't seem at all upset by the name she picked and he was the one who caught her." He tugged on Sebek's arm. "Let's head back and tell Father that Devon is otherwise occupied right now."

"But-" Sebek began.

"Or would you risk angering Lord Malleus by spoiling the fun they're having?" Silver interjected.

"Mmmmgh," Sebek grunted. He watched the pair for another moment more before relenting and walking back toward Lilia's room. 'This isn't over, Devon Lopez. If you think I buy that you don't know who the young master really is, you have another thing coming! You may have fooled everyone else, but I know you're scheming something and I will get to the bottom of it!'

Ending Notes: I hadn't planned on the whole 'Devon sees a throne and immediately wants to sit on it like the queen she is' thing to become a running gag, but here we are. It amazes me how quickly Devon goes from The One With The Braincell to Chaos Grimlin depending on whether or not someone else is around to be the responsible one. Like, she'll do it if nobody else is available but if she can pass the buck to someone else, she's almost as bad as Grim and Ace.

I worry that I might have gone a little overboard with how paranoid I'm making Sebek, but I think one of his voice lines has him say he plans to follow MC around all day to make sure they aren't a threat to Malleus so…maybe I'm not too far off. It won't stay like this for too long, though; I need these two to start becoming friends so they can get protective of each other. I've already mentioned that I plan on giving these two a vitriolic best buds kind of vibe, but I can also picture Sebek getting the most upset out of all the freshmen (yes, even more than Ace) if someone makes some kind of discriminatory comment towards her. I just… I really love protective bestie Sebek.

I won't lie, I kinda want to do a chapter involving a mishap in Potions class where Devon accidentally gets reverted back to her 3-4 year old self. She won't have any memory of where she is or who these people are and she's a little scared because she can't find her parents or brothers, but she somehow knows she's (mostly) safe with these guys. If I set it during Halloween, Malleus will be in costume and since he'll have manifested his dragon tail, I can do that scene in Monsters Inc. where Sully first meets Boo (where she keeps picking up and dropping his tail). Obviously, Malleus won't panic at the sight of her but it'll still be cute.

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