Author's Note: It's a good thing Devon's emotional crisis has more or less been resolved at this point. I don't know how she would've dealt with the Magicam Monsters otherwise.

"It baffles me, honestly," Malleus said as he and Lilia made their way back to Ramshackle to assess the situation at their Halloween venue. "Night Raven College is world-renowned gathering place for mages, yet there are those willing to make a mess of it over a mere photograph… Why are they so obsessed with having photographic documentation of everything that amuses them?"

"I don't have a concrete answer for you, I'm afraid," Lilia replied. "It appears to have more to do with someone's personal values rather than any sort of intrinsic quality. It's never good to cause trouble for others, of course, but we can't fault people for being passionate about what's important to them. The issue here is that what we value clashes with what the Magicam Monsters value. That's the true root of the conflict."

"What we value, hm?" Malleus mused.

"Our priorities and those of the Magicam Monsters are radically different," Lilia continued. He smiled cheerfully. "I imagine our Halloween venue is experiencing its fair share of trouble as we speak. We'd best return quickly."

It didn't take long for Malleus and Lilia to reach Ramshackle dorm, walking through the front gate and into the garden toward the crowd of people gathered at the front door. It also didn't take long for Sebek's shout to cut through the air.

"YOU MISCREANTS!" he bellowed. "Disrespecting Diasomnia is to disrespect Prince Malleus himself! I will not tolerate this insubordination any further!"

The Magicam Monsters didn't appear to grasp the danger they were in. "Wow! This guy's so loud he even makes the air vibrate!" "He's got a total knight in shining armor vibe, but he's so extra! A pic of him is bound to go viral!" "Hey, man! Lemme take your picture! Oh, and a video too for the full effect!"

Sebek blinked, momentarily stunned by the volley of flashes going off around him, but his anger returned in full force a split second later. "HOW DARE YOU?! I told you quite clearly to put those blasted smartphones away!"

"There, you see? I told you there'd be trouble," Lilia chirped as he and Malleus reached the top of the steps. The crowd parted to make way for them as they walked toward Sebek and the other Diasomnia students.

"I assume that hot-bloodedness comes from your grandfather, Sebek?" Malleus sighed as he and Lilia closed the distance.

Sebek gasped. "L-Lord Malleus?! And Master Lilia too!"

Silver bowed his head. "I'm sorry you both had to witness that. I've told him repeatedly that raising his voice doesn't help anything."

"Bah! You're too easy on them, Silver!" Sebek scoffed before turning back to Malleus and Lilia. "Please give me just a few moments, sirs. I'll have these troublemakers ejected in no time!"

Malleus shook his head. "No. Stand down." He turned his attention to the guests. "And you there. Tourists.

The chatter from the guests slowly began to quiet as everyone realized just who was addressing them.

"Hold up… Is that THE Malleus Draconia of Briar Valley?!" one man exclaimed.

"So he really does go to school here! He looks just like he did on the Magicam stream I watched!" another shouted.

Sebek smirked and crossed his arms. "Hmph! I suppose even louts like these at least know Lord Malleus' name."

"I'd say a little chat is in order here," Malleus began, still addressing the guests. "Tell me, are you familiar with the concept of doing as the locals do? What you all value and enjoy isn't the issue here; I've no intention to fault you for that. However, you are still expected to abide by our rules the moment you step foot onto the campus. They might be restrictive or simple to break, but following the rules is still common courtesy, is it not?"

"Such humbling words of wisdom!" Sebek gushed to Silver. "Surely this will resonate with them!"

"Mmm. To think Malleus would take the time to address them so courteously," Silver agreed. "If this doesn't convince them, I'm not sure what will."

Sebek looked out at the crowd again, expecting to see awed or contrite expressions on their faces. Instead, he saw that they were staring at Malleus and whispering excitedly amongst themselves. "Hmm? Is it me or are those humans acting strangely?"

"Why are you all staring at me like that?" Malleus asked. "Are fae truly such a rare sight for you?"

The humans were silent for another moment. And then…

"YOLOOOOOO!" one man shouted, grinning like an idiot as he ran up and tapped Malleus' arm.

"W-What?!" Sebek and Silver exclaimed together. To the best of their knowledge, nobody had ever been so brazen as to touch the prince without express permission. Well…nobody except Devon, but she was a special case (even if Sebek did still have to fight the urge to pry her off of Malleus when she hugged him).

"W-Wh…What just happened…?" Silver asked, stunned. "Did that human just…run up and TOUCH Malleus' arm?!" He looked at Malleus' face to try and read his mood only to see the dragon fae standing there with a similarly bewildered expression. "Seems he's just as shocked as we are."

Sebek's mouth flapped open and closed but, probably for the first time ever, no words came out.

"And Sebek's words have failed him," Silver continued. He narrowed his eyes slightly as he whispered to Lilia. "Do you think these people intend to harm Malleus?"

"Please. Even if they swarmed him at once, they'd be hard-pressed to leave even a scratch on him," Lilia assured him. "I have to wonder what they could possibly be thinking, though."

"WHOOOO!" the man who had tapped Malleus' arm cheered as he ran back to join the crowd. "Draconia Challenge complete!"

"The what now?" Malleus, Lilia, and Silver asked in unison.

"Y'know, the Magicam challenge!" a man in the crowd explained. "Malleus is so crazy powerful that just his name can strike fear into the average Joe. Getting a pic of yourself touching him is legendary!"

"…Is that right?" Malleus replied, his voice scarily calm despite the irritation radiating off of him at being made into an object of amusement for clout chasers.

"It's a test of courage that only the bravest of the brave take on!" added the man who had tapped Malleus' arm, oblivious to the danger he was currently in. "I'm gonna go viral for sure!"

Another person in the crowd let out an impressed whistle. "I was shakin' in my boots just watchin' you, dude! My hands are all sweaty and everything!"

"Sick, my dude! How'd the pic come out?" asked another person in the crowd, straining to get a look.

"I'll treasure this pic forever! Big thanks, Malleus!" said the first man.

"I really ought to be thanking you," Malleus replied with a smile, his voice as calm as ever. Thunder began to rumble ominously in the distance. "Thanks to you, I finally understand what it is you all value. You prioritize one fleeting moment of excitement over your own lives, isn't that right? So be it. In that case, I believe it's only fitting that I…"

There was a bright flash of lightening followed by a nearly deafening crack of thunder.

"…grant you the most exciting moment of your lives!" Malleus roared, his face twisted in anger as he used his magic to rise into the air.

"Oh dear," Lilia said. "This isn't looking good at all, is it?" He attempted to call out to Malleus to calm him. "Malleus, this level of magic would be too much for these children of men to handle!"

"Lord Malleus, you're going to use your lightning to rain your anger down on these vermin, aren't you? I, SEBEK, SHALL ASSIST YOU WITH MY FEEBLE POWER!" Sebek declared.

"No, Sebek! You can't!" Silver exclaimed. He tried to grab hold of Sebek's arm, but Sebek just shrugged him off. "It's no use; all the blood's gone to his head. He won't hear anything I say to him now."

"Those humans are going to get hurt if we don't act quickly," Lilia said. "Silver, we need to use our magic to expel these Magicam Monsters before Malleus' lightning has a chance to strike."

Silver nodded. "Right!"

Devon looked out the window, confused, when she heard thunder rumbling loudly nearby. "That's weird. The weather app didn't say anything about a storm today."

"Nevermind that! What're we gonna do about that mob of visitors outside?!" Grim wanted to know. "An amazing mage like me could take care of 'em lickety-split, but we're not supposed to do anything to upset them."

"I mean, Regina's been able to keep them from getting in here so far," Devon pointed out. "And I know our Diasomnia buds are trying to keep them from getting in here too. Hopefully they'll either give up or be scared off by whatever storm's approaching. Honestly, I'm starting to get a little concerned about Regina."

The aforementioned Wisp communicated confusion via their link with Devon.

"I can tell how irritated you're getting, Regina," Devon replied. "I don't blame you, either. Trust me, in just about any other situation, I'd be tellin' ya to use our sharpest knives on the morons tryin' to get in here, but we can't do that as things stand. We just need to tough it out for a few more days and then-"

Devon was interrupted by the sound of Ramshackle's back door being thrown open and footsteps and excited chatter echoing through the halls, causing her to jump and Grim to let out a startled shriek. She could feel Regina cursing; they'd been distracted by talking with Devon as well as making sure the crowd at the front door didn't slip past Diasomnia and force their way in that they didn't notice a few people slip around to the back of the building.

"I'm tellin' ya, those ghosts are in here somewhere," one of the intruders said as three people rounded the corner. The group stopped in their tracks when they saw Devon and Grim. "Looks like someone already beat us here! Did you guys sneak in the back too?"

Devon was speechless for the briefest moment, unable to believe the level of audacity she was seeing. "We live here, you moron."

"No way! And here I was thinkin' those No Trespassing signs outside were just a joke!" replied another member of the intruding trio. Their eyes landed on Zephyr. "And that's one of those Wisps we've been hearing about! I was hoping I'd get to see one in person! You think it'll let me touch it?"

Without waiting for an answer, the second intruding guest began striding over to Devon, Grim, and Zephyr. Devon could Regina's anger growing and Zephyr was already readying one of their whips. 'One of these idiots is gonna get hurt I get 'em outta here.' She narrowed her eyes, attempting to imitate the stern glare her mother always gave her and her brothers when they misbehaved. "Yeah well, the signs aren't a joke, you've seen a Wisp now, and you can't touch Zephyr. Now will the three of you please get out of our dorm?"

"Yeah! You've got a lot of nerve entering the domain of the Great Grim without permission!" Grim added.

"Easy there, you two. We aren't hurtin' anything. We'll leave as soon as we get a pic with those ghosts," the first guest told them.

The third intruder studied Devon for a moment. "You know, you really oughta be smilin'. That glare doesn't do that pretty face of yours any justice."

Devon was unable to do more than stare at the third guest in disgust, but thankfully Grim was able to speak up for both of them. "MYAAAH! JUST GET OUT OF OUR DORM ALREADY!"

The Magicam Monsters jumped, not expecting Grim's outburst. Devon just barely dared to hope that it might be enough to actually get them to leave. Unfortunately…

"What's all the yellin' about, Grim?" one of the ghosts asked as he emerged from inside the wall, the other two following suit shortly after. Devon tried to signal to them to stay back, but it was too late.

"There they are!" one of the intruders shouted as they all readied their smartphones and selfie sticks. "I knew we'd find those ghosts if we came in here!"

"Please, no more pictures!" the short ghost wailed as the trio covered their eyes at the barrage of flashes from the smartphones cameras.

"We ghosts enjoy our privacy too, you know!" the skinny ghost added.

Sadly, their pleas fell on deaf ears; seeing that the ghosts were trying to retreat to the upper levels of the building, the intruders began charging toward the stairway. "Hang on! We just wanna take a few selfies with you!"

"Okay seriously, what is wrong with these people?!" Devon exclaimed. She grabbed Grim to ensure that he wouldn't fall or get hurt before leaping onto a desk that she was in the process of refurbishing to resell and vaulting over the railing on the stairway, planting herself firmly in front of the Magicam Monsters. "My friends already told you they didn't want to take anymore pictures. It's bad enough that you decided breaking and entering was cool if it meant you got thirty seconds of fame on Magicam, but now you're harassing them for it?! I get that you have nothing else going on in your pathetic little lives, but the line has to be drawn somewhere." She set Grim down on the stair behind her. "You'd better head upstairs too, Grim. I don't want you to get-"

"You got a lot of nerve talkin' to guests like that, girlie," one of the intruders cut in. "We spent a lot of time and money getting' out here. I'd say we're owed a good time."

"Yeah! We even took time off work to be here!" another agreed.

"Oh my- Do you even hear yourselves?! And I thought the sense of entitlement where I'm from was bad," Devon replied.

The third guest rolled their eyes. "Whatever. Just let get outta the way and let us get what we came for." They grabbed Devon's wrist tightly (probably tighter than they intended to but it was definitely going to leave a mark) and attempted to pull her out of their way.

Devon tried to keep from outwardly expressing how badly their grip hurt her, knowing Regina and Zephyr were quickly approaching their breaking point. She barely registered Grim yelling something in protest, which distracted her just enough that a tiny wince was able to slip onto her face. That was all Regina needed. Before anyone could say or do anything else, a meat tenderizer rocketed into the room and hit the wall between Devon and the person grabbing her wrist, just a hair's breadth away from hitting the Magicam Monster's nose before clattering to the ground. The momentary distraction caused the person to let go of Devon and once they'd dropped her wrist, the stairs began moving in two opposite directions; Devon and Grim were pulled upstairs to safety while the intruders were pulled back to the main level and out onto the front step, Regina slamming the door shut for good measure. Mirage chose that moment to appear, disguising themself as a jack-o-lantern with a menacing frown as they floating through the door.

"Well…that happened," was all Devon could say.

"Are you okay, Dev?" Grim asked, looking at her already-bruising wrist with concern.

"Hmm?" She followed his gaze. "Oh this? This is nothin', Grim, really. It'll be gone in no time!"

Grim didn't look convinced. "If you're sure…" There was a sad look in his eyes, like a child finding out that Santa wasn't real. It wasn't a look Devon was used to seeing on Grim and one she desperately wanted to make go away. "That was pretty scary, huh?"

"A little," Devon agreed, scooping Grim up into her arms and nuzzling her cheek against his. "But it's over now. Those people are gone now and Regina's gonna make sure nobody else gets in here."

Regina pulsed reassuringly, despite Grim being unable to understand them. Unfortunately, Grim still didn't appear comforted.

"If you say so…"

Lilia heaved a sigh of relief, keeping a firm grip on Malleus to prevent him from rampaging any further. "Phew! Alright, I believe that's all the Magicam Monsters safely "escorted" elsewhere."

"Unhand me at once, Lilia!" Malleus seethed. "They need to be turned to ash!"

"Come now, Malleus, you must settle down," Lilia chided gently. "A short temper is a bad temper, you know."

"Settle down?!" Malleus repeated incredulously. "Those people ignored my warning and acted appallingly-to say nothing of the way they treated me like a prop for their silly photos-and you expect me to let them just…walk away?"

"When you spell it all out like that, it does sound bad," Silver agreed.

"The Magicam Monsters like taking pictures of rare and beautiful things. Having said that…" Lilia crossed his arms and heaved another sigh. "I didn't think they'd go so far as to treat Malleus Draconia, the prince of Briar Valley, as simply another subject to photograph. Talk about reckless!"

"There is no need for you to spare a thought for vile humans like that, Master Lilia!" Sebek exclaimed.

"Sebek is right!" agreed a Diasomnia student.

"This goes beyond just offending our dorm leader!" another added. "Those people ignored all of our warnings and just did whatever they wanted!"

"I say they deserved a good wake-up call. Nobody slights Diasomnia and gets away with it!" chimed in a third.

"My goodness! I've never seen you all so irate before," Lilia said. He turned to look at his adopted son. "What exactly happened before Malleus and I got here, Silver?"

"Those people were…" He glanced hesitantly over at Malleus before continuing. "They were trying to force their way into Ramshackle dorm."

"Were they now? Well, that just won't do," Lilia replied as thunder began to rumble again. He glanced the prince's way only to see Malleus glaring in the direction the Magicam Monsters had been sent. Normally, Lilia would take any chance he could to tease Malleus about his growing protectiveness over their (semi)magicless friend, but he didn't want to risk souring Malleus' mood any further. "We're using the gardens for our Halloween decorations, but Ramshackle is Devon and Grim's home. I doubt they or the Wisps would take kindly to anyone just barging in. Were the Magicam Monsters made aware that people are living inside?"

"We put up signs saying, "DO NOT ENTER: PRIVATE RESIDENCE" just to be safe," Silver replied. "Unfortunately, they just ignored them. All they said was, "There's no anyone actually lives in a run-down dump like this." Regina's been doing all they can to keep the guests out but I'm worried that it's just a matter of time before-"

"MYAAAAHH! JUST GET OUT OF OUR DORM ALREADY!" came a shout, causing everyone to look in the direction of the dorm.

Silver sighed. "Sounds like a few managed to break through after all."

"Hmm? That sounded like Grim… And it came from inside the dorm," Lilia observed. The sound of arguing voices and scrambling footsteps could be heard and he could feel Regina growing angrier with each passing second.

"Ramshackle is currently trending on Magicam as a ghost hotspot," Silver explained. "We've had a constant flood of visitors all day claiming that if they don't get a picture with the ghosts, the entire trip to Night Raven College was pointless. We keep shooing them off but these people are relentless. And with Regina's temper so close to-"

A loud thud followed by something clattering to the floor sounded from inside the dorm, drawing everyone's attention to Ramshackle again. A split second later, the front door flew open and three Magicam Monsters were pulled from the building and down the stone steps. They were quickly followed by a menacing-looking jack-o-lantern (the Illusion Wisp, Lilia realized) that bellowed a "DON'T COME BACK!" after them before retreating back inside. The Magicam Monsters, apparently oblivious to the ire they had drawn, merely cheered and applauded as they headed back toward the main gate.

Lilia watched the whole spectacle with equal parts bewilderment and fascination. "My goodness! Who knew there existed people so ill-mannered that they would barge into someone's home without permission. I've met many unruly humans during my time but this is a first for me!" He looked over at Malleus, noting that the prince hadn't spoken a word since Silver explained what had been going on. Malleus was still glaring, though now it didn't appear to be at anything in particular. "You look upset, Malleus. Is something troubling you?"

"I was the one who chose Ramshackle as Diasomnia's stamp rally location. That makes all of this my fault," Malleus reasoned. His voice grew softer, regret clear in his tone. "I just wanted to make sure the child of man that resides here enjoyed her first Halloween with us…," His expression shifted from angry to forlorn. "…but it seems all I've done is drag her into a mess instead."

Lilia blinked, surprised. "Malleus…" A warm smile crept onto his face. "You really do care about that girl, don't you?"

"Those Magicam Monsters will pay for upsetting Lord Malleus!" Sebek shouted. He turned to face the gathered Diasomnia students. "We cannot stand idly by while our exalted dorm leader endures this embarrassment!"

"Of course not!" one of them agreed. "We must defend his honor!"

"To let the matter stand would bring disgrace to Diasomnia-no, to all of Night Raven College!" another chimed in.

"WE MUST PURGE THE MAGICAM MONSTERS!" Sebek bellowed, the rest of the students thundering their agreement around him.

"I didn't ask you to do anything so drastic…," Malleus reminded them, his usual calm expression back in place.

"I worry that things will only get worse from here," Silver said, watching as Sebek and the rest of the students worked themselves into a lather.

"Mmhmm. This is certainly no laughing matter," Lilia agreed.

"Man, today really has been…an experience, huh?" Devon mused aloud to Zephyr and Regina later that night as she climbed to the roof through one of Ramshackle's secret passages, smiling when she felt the two of them pulsing in a way that indicated that, if they had eyes, they'd be rolling them.

More Magicam Monsters had appeared over the course of the day, but thankfully none of them managed to get inside the dorm again. Both Regina and Diasomnia had redoubled their efforts to keep the building secure, but Devon and Grim hadn't felt comfortable leaving and risking giving anyone an opening to get inside again. Apparently the other stamp rally locations were facing similar problems; Devon had received multiple messages from her friends throughout the day. They were mostly to check in on her, but once she'd shared what had happened that morning, everyone came out with similar stories of their own. It was cold comfort knowing that Ramshackle wasn't the only venue experiencing problems, but she still hated that they were having to go through this too.

She couldn't stop herself from being concerned about Grim as well. It seemed he grew more disheartened each time someone tried to get into the dorm. She couldn't blame him, of course, and she was saddened to think that he was forced to deal with this mess for his first Halloween ever (apparently); she'd never experienced a Twisted Wonderland Halloween, but at least she had plenty of fun memories associated with the holiday.

Devon carefully eased herself down onto the roof, taking care not to put too much weight on her bruised wrist. From up here, she could see all the way down to Main Street. The glow of the perpetually-burning candles and floating jack-o-lanterns were comforting to her and the cool air was bracing, making this an ideal spot to sit and think without disturbing anyone else in the dorm. She pulled up the sleeve of her hoodie and glanced down at her wrist to check on the bruising. The swelling had gone down thanks to Ortho and it was too dark to see just how gross the actual bruise looked. She couldn't keep the smile off her face as she recalled Ortho rocketing toward Ramshackle mere seconds after she told him what had happened, entering the dorm through a window on the third floor so the Magicam Monsters couldn't follow him in. After performing an unnecessary number of scans to insure that his best friend wasn't injured beyond her wrist and informing her that he was more than happy to fire his technomantic energy beam at anyone who bothered her if she just gave the word, he returned to his post back at the library so Idia wouldn't be suffocated by all the normies. Ortho's eagerness to help was sweet (and slightly concerning) and it served to reinforce what Cater, Lilia, and Silver had told her the previous day: whether she realized it or not, she had found a family here that wanted to look out for her as much as she did for them. The thought only made her more determined to enjoy this Halloween, Magicam Monsters or no.

She'd been sitting there for the better part of ten minutes, wondering how she could possibly salvage this Halloween before it was ruined for Grim forever, when she caught sight of a now-familiar sea of twinkling green lights that heralded the arrival of her horned friend.

"Is it wise for you to be out here, child of man?" Malleus asked as he appeared before, using his magic to hover in the air. "I don't claim to be an expert on architecture, but this roof is most likely…" He trailed off, trying to think of a tactful way to put it.

"About to cave in with just the slightest bit of weight?" Devon finished for him. "In normal circumstances, yes. Thankfully Regina's not only able to cast a shield to keep the elements at bay, but they can also magically reinforce the roof so I can sit up here when I need an escape in the fresh air."

"I see," Malleus replied, relaxing a bit now that he didn't need to be too concerned for Devon's safety. "Those Wisps really seem to have taken a shine to you. I've known they were present inside the building since long before I enrolled here, but I've never seen them go out of their way for someone before."

Devon smiled and gently patted the roof, feeling Regina pulse in response. "I don't know what I'd do without them. Especially Regina. I'm not sure how I'd have survived here for so long if they weren't around. Today definitely could've been a lot worse…" She gestured to the space beside her. "You don't have to keep floatin' like that, y'know? You can sit here with me if you want."

Malleus smiled at her warmly before sitting down. "Thank you, child of man. I must confess, I wasn't entirely sure you'd be awake at this hour." He looked around. "I take it your furry companion isn't with you?"

"Nah. He's asleep right now," Devon replied. "We're both pretty beat after everything that happened today, but I can't bring myself to go to sleep just yet." She looked askance for a moment, her smile becoming a bit more bashful. "I…I was actually hoping you'd stop by at some point. After the day I've had, I really needed to see my favorite fae."

Malleus' eyes widened a fraction, an unfamiliar fluttering sensation erupting in his stomach at Devon's words. "Your favorite? Truly?"

Devon giggled and nodded. "Mmhmm. Just promise me you won't tell Lilia."

Malleus couldn't help but chuckle as well, the fluttering feeling showing no sign of ebbing. "My lips are sealed." The smile dropped off his face as he recalled his main reason for visiting her. "I…heard about what happened earlier today. Are you and Grim alright?"

Devon shrugged. "I mean, physically, sure." She shifted her arm, subconsciously trying to hide her bruised wrist despite her long sleeves blocking it from view. "I'm worried that Grim's starting to get disheartened by how awful some of these people are being, though. Not really making the best impression for his first Halloween."

Malleus nodded, an unreadable expression on his face. "I see. And you?"

Devon hesitated for a moment before answering. "…I'm scared the Magicam Monsters are gonna get in again. I know Regina's redoubled their security and Diasomnia's been workin' overtime to make sure we're safe, so it's probably a dumb thing to be worried about but I can't help it."

"I don't think it's foolish to be concerned about such things," Malleus assured her, though he was absolutely seething on the inside that those ill-mannered vermin had made his friend afraid. "You've already seen proof that there are people who can and will intrude on your home for the sake of a fleeting moment of clout; it's only natural that you'd be wary of it happening again." He gave her a smirk. "If anything, I'd say your concerns are an indication that you do, in fact, possess a survival instinct. I was beginning to think you were born without one given the amount of trouble you constantly find yourself in the thick of."

"Hey!" Devon replied, shooting him a look of mock indignation. "I'll have you know that I've only gotten mixed up in serious trouble twice! And I was instrumental in resolving both those Overblots, thank you very much."

"True enough," Malleus agreed. "You are aware, though, that most people haven't even seen an Overblot before, let alone involved in fighting one." His smirk widened slightly as he quirked a brow. "And I seem to recall that Rosehearts' Overblot left you with an injured rib and, while Kingscholar wasn't actually the cause, resolving his Overblot resulting in you playing in an exhibition match at the Spelldrive tournament that ended with you being knocked unconscious after being hit with the disk." He bit back the urge to chuckle as Devon puffed her cheeks up, an action he was finding increasingly adorable. "And let's not forget the chandelier incident from before you were even officially enrolled as a student."

"Okay, that's not fair," Devon protested. "The chandelier thing was all Ace, Deuce, and Grim. I might have been there when it happened, but it had nothing to do with me!" She flopped onto her back with a pout on her face. "Y'know, you ain't gotta do me like this, Horns!"

"I only speak the truth, dear one," Malleus replied, his smirk softening into an amused smile. "You have to admit that trouble does seem to have a habit of finding you."

"Yeah, but I've got friends like you to help me if I do end up getting in over my head," Devon said. She moved to push herself back up into a sitting position, accidentally putting pressure on her bruise. She winced in pain before she could stop herself, hoping it was too dark for Malleus to see her expression.

No such luck.

"Is everything alright, child of man?" Malleus asked.

Devon debated downplaying what happened and telling Malleus that everything was fine, but the look on his face told her he wasn't going to buy that. Heaving a sigh, she said, "I kinda sorta…hurt my wrist earlier today."

Malleus quirked a brow. Devon's hesitance in answering told him there was more to the story than that. "And how did you "kinda sorta" do that?"

Again, Devon was tempted to wave off what happened as her own clumsiness but ultimately decided to be honest. It wasn't as if Malleus caused the injury, after all. "Well…do you remember how the Magicam Monsters broke into the dorm earlier?"

Malleus nodded, his expression already darkening. He turned his face away from Devon, not wanting her to think his ire was in any way directed at her.

"I was trying to block them from going upstairs to chase after the ghosts and one of 'em grabbed me by the wrist," Devon continued. "I guess they were gonna try and pull me off the stairs but Regina threw a meat tenderizer at 'em and threw 'em out before they could do anything else." She looked over at Malleus with a nervous smile, desperate to ease the angry look on his face as he glared into the distance. "It's really not a big deal, y'know. It's just a bruise, after all; it'll go away soon enough. I've been hurt way worse than this." Her smile wavered just a bit when he didn't appear any less upset. "Heh… C'mon, Horns, it's okay, really-" She jumped when she heard a distant boom of thunder. "…Horns…?"

To say Malleus was furious would be the understatement of the year. It was bad enough that those humans had intruded on his child of man, but now he hears they'd injured her too?! He allowed himself a brief moment of surprise when he registered that he'd just inwardly referred to Devon as his, but it was quickly forgotten as his dragon instincts took over. He supposed it shouldn't have come as a shock to him; dragons were possessive creatures by nature and recently he'd noticed that he experienced unfamiliar feelings whenever Devon was in the vicinity. He wasn't entirely sure what they were quite yet, but he was quickly becoming addicted to them, especially the ones he got when she smiled (and even moreso when he was the cause of her smile). He was sorely tempted to steal Devon away and keep her tucked safely away in one of Diasomnia's towers, but he knew he couldn't keep her from the other people she cared about like that. Still, it would insure that she'd never had to go through anything like-

He was quickly pulled from his thoughts by something warm touching his hand. He looked down to see that Devon has rested her hand on top of his and was looking at him with concern.

"You okay?" Devon asked. "I think I lost ya for a second there."

Malleus nodded, giving Devon what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "Yes, I'm fine. I apologize for worrying you." He reached his free hand over so he could hold Devon's hand in both of his. "And I apologize for what happened to you as well. I was the one who-" He paused for a split second, choosing his words carefully so as to not risk giving his true identity away, before continuing, "I was the one who floated the idea of using Ramshackle as Diasomnia's venue. The fault for your injury lies with me-"

"Nope," Devon interjected quickly. "No, it doesn't. The only ones at fault for what happened to me are the morons who broke into the dorm. I refuse to let you blame yourself for this. Besides, the ghosts' picture blowing up on Magicam is why Ramshackle was labeled a hotspot; we probably would've been invaded even if Diasomnia set up shop somewhere else. If anything, having all of you there makes me feel even safer." She smiled at him encouragingly. "So please don't beat yourself up over what happened today, okay?"

Malleus couldn't bring himself to reply verbally, but the warm look in his eyes and the way his tail moved to wrap around Devon said enough. She eyed the tail as it moved, pressing itself gently against her back as if to steady her, and decided now was probably the best time to pose a question she'd had for a while. "Do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Not at all," Malleus replied.

"I've noticed that your tail looks different from the tails the other Diasomnia students wear with their costumes," Devon pointed out. "It's also able to move on its own. So-man, I hope this isn't rude to ask, but…" She trailed off, losing her nerve at the thought of offending her friend.

"If you're wondering whether or not my tail is real, the answer is yes," Malleus supplied for her. Devon smiled excitedly at him and that fluttery feeling in his stomach was back with a vengeance. She opened her mouth like she wanted to say something, but quickly closed it again. Thankfully, he was able to infer what she wanted from the way her eyes kept flicking between his face and his tail and he reveled in the surprised squeak she made when he draped the part of his tail that wasn't resting against her back across her lap. This movement had the added benefit of shifting her closer to him, removing what little space remained between them as she was pressed right up against his side.

Devon looked up at Malleus with a quizzically hopeful expression.

"You truly have no poker face when it comes to something you're genuinely interested in, child of man," Malleus told her. "I have no problem indulging you but, for the record, you're the only person I'm willing to humor this way."

"Horns, you really know how to make a girl feel special," Devon replied as she gently ran her hands along Malleus' tail. She couldn't keep the giddy smile off her face as she traced the purplish-black scales, admiring the sheen the moonlight gave them. The tail felt a bit like snakeskin and she could tell how powerful it was; one swing could probably send someone flying clear to the other side of the campus. She was lost in her own world, seeming completely unaware of the pair of green eyes watching her every reaction intently. She muttered, more to herself than to Malleus, "You're absolutely beautiful, Horns."

Malleus' eyes widened. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been complimented so sincerely (by someone who wasn't Sebek), and he was grateful for the darkness that hid the pink blush he felt spreading across his cheeks and ears. Most people tended to run for the hills upon seeing any of his draconic features-that was partly why he kept the cluster of scales on his forehead hidden by his bangs-but here Devon sat, marveling at his tail and completely unafraid.

"I have to say, I find you very lovely too, child of man," Malleus said, realizing as he spoke that he wasn't just teasing her. He would never deny that she was beautiful but something about the way her curls framed her face and the way the moonlight reflected in her eyes on this particular night hit a little different for him.

Devon blinked, her hands stilled as she looked up at Malleus in surprised embarrassment as her cheeks grew warm. "Oh snap, I didn't mean to say that out loud. I'm sorry, man. I didn't mean to make things weird-"

Malleus gently pressed a finger to her lips. "I never said I was put off by what you said. I'm rather flattered, actually. It's not often I receive compliments like that."

Devon quirked a brow. "Really? I find that hard to believe. I mean, I get that approaching gorgeous people can be intimidating for some, but you've been such a sweetheart since we met. I can't imagine ever being scared of you."

The fluttery feeling in Malleus' stomach was back for an encore as he gently resting his head against hers. "I should hope that you never have reason to. 'You have no idea how much that means to me, Devon. Nor how much you're beginning to mean to me.'

The pair continued to talk long into the night, only ceasing when Devon fell asleep with her head resting on Malleus' shoulder. Malleus carefully scooped her into his arms and, with Regina's assistance, floated into Devon's room to deposit her onto her bed. Once Zephyr magically swapped Devon's current outfit with her pajamas, Malleus pulled the blankets over her sleeping form and gently touched his forehead to hers before disappearing in another shower of green lights.

'Sweet dreams, dear one.'

Idia slumped into his computer desk chair with a groan. He and the rest of the Ignihyde residents had been run ragged the entire day trying to keep the Magicam Monsters away so Ortho didn't have an excuse to fire his technomantic energy beam and destroy the school. The little robot was currently off at the sports field blowing off steam in an area where nobody would be caught in his crossfire; between the normies in the library and hearing that Devon had been hurt, he was in an unusually sour mood.

"Yeah, I'd say I've met my socializing quota for the next decade," Idia muttered as he booted up his desktop. Normally, he would just game the night away and indulge in escapism until reality came crashing down on top of him and he had to face another day. Lately, however, he'd found a different sort of distraction, one that he was growing to enjoy more with each passing day.

He switched the adapter he used to link his computer with Dominic's smartphone and waited to see if it would connect. After he'd connected to Dominic's phone the first time, he'd been able to do so again fairly reliably over the past week (he'd carry exactly how many times he forged the link in that short amount of time to his grave). Each time it succeeded, the connection remained active for a longer period of time and he was now able to see more than just Dominic through the link; he'd nearly had a heart attack the first time he saw Gizmo jump into Dominic's lap and demand to be loved. It also seemed that Dominic was able to hear him more reliably now, a fact that Idia had some mixed feelings about.

He'd learned quite a bit about the youngest Lopez by this point, including some of his hobbies as well as his taste in video games. Sometimes Idia connected to Dominic during school hours and though he wasn't usually able to see very much-likely due to Dom's phone being in his pocket-he was able to hear him going about his day. At this point in the evening, though, Dominic was most likely gearing down for the night in his room.

Sure enough, the smoky void opened to reveal Dominic sitting at a desk just in front of the phone, apparently doing homework. Idia assumed the phone was on its standing charger again since it was sitting upright and, as usual, Dominic didn't seem to notice him. Idia felt a sense of calm wash over him as he watched Dominic work, perfectly content to sit in silence and observe.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how he looked at it), Dominic chose that precise moment to lean back and stretch. He instinctively glanced at his phone, only to freeze in place as he locked eyes with Idia, that purple glow that Idia had noticed in Dominic's eyes the first time they linked returning. Dominic and Idia stared at each other in stunned silence for a moment, Dominic unsure of what was happening and Idia unsure of how he was going to explain himself.

There was a flash of recognition in Dominic's eyes before he finally broke the silence. "Um… H-Hey there. Looks like I didn't imagine you, after all, huh."

"Y-Yeah, no. I'm d-definitely real," Idia replied as he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "I'm kinda surprised y-you remember me at all, actually."

"Well, hair like yours is hard to forget," Dominic said. He saw Idia shrink back slightly and pull his hood up to cover his hair. "I-I didn't mean it looks bad or anything," he hastily added before looking away. "I…I actually think it's really pretty. Besides, even if I hadn't seen you before, I've been hearing your voice from time to time all week." He gave Idia a small smile. "It's nice to get a chance to really talk to you. I'm Dominic Lopez. And you are?"

"I-Idia. Idia Shroud." Idia pulled his hood even tighter, desperate to hide the pink tips forming in his fiery hair as he tried not to combust at the sight of Dominic's smile. "Y-Y'know, I kinda figured you'd be freaking out a lot more. This," He gestured vaguely, "can't be normal thing for you."

"You're right. It isn't," Dominic agreed. "But over the past couple months, my family and I have had to deal with plenty of things outside the norm for us, including talking to my spirited away sister through a mirror." He motioned toward his phone. "At least this kinda sorta makes sense; it's almost like a video call."

"Fair enough," Idia conceded. "B-But aren't you f-freaked out that there's a stranger from another world talking to you through your phone?"

"In normal circumstances, I probably would be, but…maybe this sounds weird, but you don't really feel like a stranger to me," Dominic replied. He rolled up the sleeve of his hoodie to show Idia that his Sending Stone was glowing faintly. "It's not glowing as brightly as it does whenever Devon's the cause, but my bracelet has done this each time I've heard your voice. Usually the glow is Twisted Wonderland related, so it's pretty reassuring to see. Besides, you're friends with my sister, right? I know you've hung out with her before."

Idia blinked. "Wait, how do you know that? And…I mean, I don't have anything against your sister, but I'm pretty sure we're just acquaintances at this point. She's much closer to my brother, Ortho, than she is to me."

Dominic shrugged. "Semantics. Point is, you know about Devon's blessing, right?"

Idia nodded. "I know you and DJ were given one as well."

"Right. Well it turns out that mine lets me see what other people see. It's only worked for Dev so far, but it's like playing a FPS except you can't control the character," Dominic explained. "I've been seeing little bits and pieces of my sister's life at that school. They're usually pretty quick and I can't always make sense of what's happening, but I've definitely seen you in some of them. I guess that's why I'm not more wary of you."

"Uh-huh…," Idia mumbled, trying to make sense of Dominic's explanation.

"I'm not really sure how all this works, to be honest; there's still a lot about this power that I don't understand, but as long as it can show me that my sister's okay, that's enough for me," Dominic continued. He took a good look at Idia's face, noticing how worn out he looked. "Speaking of being okay, are you feelin' alright, Idia? You look as tired as I feel after I've had to socialize with strangers for too long."

Idia managed a small smile despite himself. "Heh. You hit the nail on the head. Night Raven College is hosting this big Halloween Week thing where we open the school to the public. Non-stop normies on parade is bad enough, but lately we've been forced into random encounters with some problematic ones."

Dominic sucked in a breath through his teeth. "Oof, I feel your pain. Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Honestly, not really," Idia replied. "I was k-kinda hoping to distract myself from it all." His cheeks began to turn a light pink. "I-I heard you mention something about a play your school was putting on. D-Devon mentioned that you had social a-anxiety, so I never would've guessed you were an actor."

"What? Oh no. No. No no no," Dominic said, shaking his head rapidly. "I love theatre…just not the acting part. I could never get up on stage." He began rubbing his arms. "Just the thought gives me goosebumps." He shivered. "I'm actually running tech for the show. Lights, visuals, all the behind-the-scenes stuff. We've been rehearsing nonstop to get ready for our first show in November."

"I think I've connected to your phone a few times during rehearsals, but I guess you had your phone put away because I wasn't able to actually see anything," Idia told him. "What was it called again? I think I heard someone say it was… Twelve something?"

"Close. It's called Twelfth Night," Dominic supplied. "It was written by a guy named William Shakespeare who's, like, the biggest of deals when it comes to plays. Guy's been dead for centuries and just about everybody in the English-speaking world can name at least three of his shows."

"What's it about?" Idia asked, inwardly gushing at the way Dominic's eyes lit up as he talked.

"It's about these twins named Viola and Sebastian who get separated in a shipwreck," Dominic explained. "Viola washes ashore in a place called Illyria, disguises herself as a man named Cesario, and starts working for Duke Orsino, whom she quickly falls in love with. Problem is, the duke's in love with this countess named Olivia, who's just straight-up not interested, partially because she's mourning her brother and partly because Orsino's a whiny, pushy little bitch. Orsino asks the still-disguised Viola to go talk to Olivia for him, which she reluctantly does, but then Olivia ends up falling in love with her, not realizing she's actually a woman. And then Sebastian shows up and even more romantic hijinks because Olivia mistakes him for his sister and…it's a trip, man."

Idia was about to respond when a notification went off on his phone. He looked and saw that he had a text from Ortho, letting him know he was coming back to the dorm. His expression fell just a bit. "I never thought I'd say this, but I hate to be the one to cut this short."

"You've gotta go?" Dominic asked, a disappointed pout on his face.

"Yeah. Ortho's on his way back to our room and he doesn't know about this little project of mine," Idia replied. "Like I said before, he's really close with your sister and I can't risk him telling her by mistake."

Dominic quirked a brow. "Why don't you want her to know you can connect to our world?"

"Because in Twisted Wonderland, Halloween is the time of year that the barrier between the world of the living and the world of ghosts is at its weakest. It's possible that the connection between our world and yours is at its weakest right now as well," Idia explained. "I want to make sure the adapter I've made will be able to reliably connect between our worlds even after Halloween." He rubbed his arm shyly. "I-I don't want to get anyone's hopes up if this," He gestured between Dominic and himself, "turns out to be a fluke caused by Halloween."

Dominic smirked, bearing an uncanny resemblance to his sister. "And you said you didn't consider Dev your friend."

Idia flushed pink again as he pulled his hood over his face. "I-I-It's not like that! I'm j-just doing her a f-favor since she keeps Ortho company so much!"

Dominic laughed and held his hands up in mock surrender. "Okay, okay, whatever you say." He sent Idia another small smile. "Well as long as you're still conducting this experiment of yours, feel free to hit me up whenever, alright? I never thought I'd say this to someone who wasn't Harper, Errin, or AJ, but I really hope to talk to you again soon."

When Ortho got back to the room a few minutes later, he was greeted with the sight of his older brother on the floor, his hair glowing bright pink as he pressed a pillow to his face and kicked his feet excitedly, a muffled "eeeeeeee" escaping him.

Ending Notes: Alright! We've got protective/slightly possessive dragon bf and the first official meeting of the Socially Anxious (But Not Around Each Other, Weirdly Enough) Boyfriends! I love Idia and Dominic being adorable dorks together and just getting heart eyes whenever the other talks about something they're passionate about.

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