Author's Note: I had 'Remedy' by Little Boots on repeat as I was writing Devon and Jack's meeting with Azul. 10/10 would listen to while negotiating a way to free your idiot friends from an enterprising octo-mer again.
Dominic glanced at his phone for probably the twentieth time since he'd got home from school, hoping to see Idia looking back at him only to sigh in disappointment when he was met with a blank screen. The pair hadn't spoken since Halloween night and Dominic was growing worried that the connection between their worlds was too weak now for them to connect again, as Idia had warned it might be. He tried to keep in mind that Idia had also told him that final exams were coming up after Halloween and that Idia likely didn't have much free time since he needed to prioritize studying for them, but the fact of it was that Dominic missed the sound of his voice. He'd also hoped he'd be able to ask Idia if he knew whether or not Devon had gotten herself into some sort of trouble, as DJ had theorized. He'd been attempting to distract himself with various video games, but not even his favorites could keep his mind off of Idia.
"You know something's weighin' on your mind when Minecraft can't even calm ya down," Dominic muttered to himself as he set his controller down with a sigh and put his head in his hands.
"I dunno, the fact that you're muttering to yourself like that is a pretty dead giveaway too," deadpanned a familiar voice from Dominic's phone.
Dominic brightened immediately, trying to ignore the way his heart sped up as he quickly snatched up his phone. "Idia! Oh, I'm so happy to see you! I was worried we wouldn't be able to talk again."
The tips of Idia's hair began to turn pink when he saw how happy Dominic was to see him-he wasn't exactly used to that reaction, after all. "Hey, come on now. I promised you that I'd find a way to connect to you again."
Dominic nodded, the smile still on his face. "You did. I'm sorry for doubting you." He studied Idia for a moment before sighing happily. "It's so good to see you again. I've been missing you somethin' awful."
"Y-Yeah?" Idia replied, his hair turning an even darker pink as his face began flushing to match. "I've missed you too. Sorry it took me so long to reach back out. Between getting ready for exams and making sure my adapter could maintain a connection year-round, I wasn't able to get in contact as quickly as I would've liked."
"There's no need to apologize," Dominic said, shaking his head. "You're here now and that's what matters."
Dominic and Idia spent the next few minutes catching up and complaining about their exams. Idia mentioned that some of his dorm members had ended up taking Azul's bait and ending up with anemones on their heads. There weren't as many Ignihyde students compared to the other dorms but it was still a hassle Idia didn't need.
"I mean, seriously," Idia complained, "I can kind of understand the freshmen falling for it since they're noobs and all but pretty much every upperclassman should know better than to take one of Azul's shady deals."
"And you're friends with this guy?" Dominic asked. "I mean, I know it's none of my business who you hang out with, but Azul sounds like someone who'd steal your kidney to sell it if he had an opening."
Idia snorted in amusement. "Yeah, you're probably not wrong. I don't know that I'd go so far as to call Azul a friend, though. We're in Board Game Club together so I see him regularly but I wouldn't offer to hang out with him outside of that."
"Board Game Club, huh? You always struck me as more of a Science Club guy," Dominic commented.
"That actually was my first choice, but then I realized how many people were actually in that club and I could nope outta there fast enough," Idia explained. "There's this one guy in that club that's the same year as me and he's probably the most extroverted extrovert I've ever met in my entire life. Any club that he's part of is a club I want nothing to do with. I'm perfectly content only interacting with maybe two people at this school regularly." He paused for a moment. "Three, now that your sister's forced herself into my life by way of Ortho."
"Heh. She tends to do that," Dominic said with a small smile before remembering his conversation with DJ the other day. "Speaking of Dev, I was wondering if you knew if she'd gotten herself into any trouble lately. It's a little hard to explain but DJ and I both have this…," He struggled to find the word, "gut feeling that something's up and then you mentioned this whole thing with that Azul guy. I mean, I don't expect you to keep tabs on Devon or anything but if you happened to see or hear anything…"
"It's cool. I think it's sweet that you guys worry about her so much. I know she thinks about you two all the time too," Idia replied. "As for how Devon's doing, she seemed fine the last time she stopped by the dorm. Granted, that was before we got our exam results back but she seemed pretty confident she'd done well. I caught a glimpse of her through my tablet yesterday and she didn't have an anemone on her head so if she did end up making a deal with Azul, she cleared whatever the conditions were. Having said that, Ortho's told me that your sister's mad sus of Azul so I doubt she'd ever willingly make a deal with him. Although…" He trailed off before shooting Dominic a concerned look, not wanting to worry him unnecessarily.
"Idia, you can't hit me with an "Although…" and then trail off like that," Dominic huffed with a pout. "What's wrong?"
Idia rubbed the back of his head, trying to think of a way to explain without making what he saw sound like a bigger deal than it was. "Well, like I said, it doesn't seem like Devon made a deal with Azul…but Grim and those two Heartslabyul normies she's always hanging around with did. All three of them are sporting anemones now."
"Alright but what does that have to do with-" Dominic cut himself off, his eyes widening as he realized what Idia was getting at, "…Oh no…"
"Azul's always been good at backing people into corners," Idia supplied, "and I know he's been eyeing Ramshackle lately. I didn't bother asking why, though."
"Uurrrgh," Dominic groaned, setting his phone on its standing charger and resting his head in his hands again. "C'mon Dev… I know we've only got one brain cell between the three of us but I really need you to grab it this time."
The Mostro Lounge was in full swing as Devon and Jack stepped inside that evening. Waiters both with and without anemones were bustling about to bring food and drinks to the customers filling the tables and booths as quickly as they could while smooth jazz could be heard playing faintly in the background. As she watched one of the Octavinelle waiters walk past them, she took a moment to take in what appeared to be the dorm uniform: an inky black double-breasted suit with a lighter purple dress shirt underneath, a purplish-grey scarf that looked like a perfect combination of the dorm's colors, a black fedora with a purple shell around the base, bowties, dress shoes, cummerbunds, and white gloves.
"Yep. This place is definitely givin' me Roaring Twenties vibes," Devon muttered. "Kinda makes me wish my flapper costume from last Halloween made it over here…"
"Once again, I have no clue what you're talkin' about," Jack replied. "Make sure you don't get distracted, okay? We're deep in enemy territory right now."
Almost as soon as the words left Jack's lips, the pair were spotted by none other than Floyd Leech, who raised his arm as he made his way across the lounge to meet them. "Eeeey, how's it goin', Lil' Shrimpy~? Glad you could make it!" He glanced over at Jack. "And I see you brought your sea urchin plus-one too."
"I told you already, I ain't no sea urchin!" Jack growled.
"Well, well. Thank you for coming to visit us so promptly," Jade said as he stepped up next to his brother. He offered Devon and Jack a polite smile. "Welcome to Mostro Lounge. Is this your first time dining with us?"
"Do you just enjoy askin' questions you already know the answer to?" Jack asked dryly.
"Heh. I'm just making sure all our bases are covered," Jade explained as he began leading them to an empty table, Floyd tagging along close behind. "Well then, I hope you don't find this too presumptuous of me, but I'd like to take a moment to explain a few things about this establishment. The Mostro Lounge is a fine-dining establishment that serves as a meeting place for gentlemen," He looked over his shoulder at Devon, offering her a sly smile, "and ladies, as it were. All interdorm quarrels are strictly prohibited; we expect everyone to abide by Octavinelle's rules while they are on the premises. We hope you'll keep that in mind while you're here." Once they'd reached the table, he motioned for Jack and Devon to have a seat. "And now that the formalities are out of the way, how may we be of assistance today?"
'You know why we're here, you little shit,' Devon grumbled inwardly. As much as she wished she could say that to Jade's face, they had to follow Octavinelle rules here so she had no choice but to play along. "I'd like to discuss the anemone situation."
Jade let out an amused chuckle. "Very well. Our manager is in a meeting with another customer at the moment. Could I ask you to wait here until such time as his schedule opens up?"
Devon and Jack exchanged a look before nodding.
"Wonderful," Jade replied. "Oh, and before I forget, all visitors to the lounge are required to follow our one-drink minimum policy; you must order at least one beverage of some variety." He snapped his fingers, addressing the nearest anemone servers…who just so happened to be Ace and Deuce. "You there, anemones. If you could take these esteemed customers' orders?"
"Love to, but I've gotta run these drinks first," Deuce replied as he nodded toward a serving platter with multiple full glasses on it.
"We're completely slammed over here! The least you could do is take their order!" Ace exclaimed. "Ya know, it really ticks me off that you guys get to take it easy while we're stuck doin' all the grunt work!"
The smile slid off of Jade's face almost immediately and was replaced with an icy unamused expression. "Rather bold of you to speak back to me, especially considering the position you're in." He made a motion with his hand and the squelching sound from earlier could be heard again.
"OW! Geez!" Ace exclaimed as the anemones began tugging on them.
"Stop pulling on the anemones!" Deuce shouted.
"Azul tasked me with training the new hires, meaning that I instill proper discipline in those who fail to respect authority," Jade replied. He made another hand motion and the squelching sound grew louder.
"Ow! Okay, okay, I get it!" Deuce replied, doing all he could to keep from dropping the serving platter he was holding.
Devon got to her feet and reached out to put her hand on Jade's arm before she could think better of it. "Hang on just a second. Don't you think this is a little much?"
Jade turned to look at her, the cordial smile back on his face. "Ah, but you must understand. It's as I told you before, Devon: everyone must follow our rules while they're in the lounge."
"And our rules say we're allowed to punish problem employees who don't do what they're told~!" Floyd added cheerfully.
"Tch. You're just tryin' to make a show outta hazing the newbies in front of us. It's disgusting," Jack scoffed.
"Is that your way of offerin' to join 'em and help out around the lounge?" Floyd asked, crossing his arms with a smug look on his face.
"Ooh, that's a great idea! Let's do that!" Ace piped up. "I hereby nominate Devon and Jack as temporary staff!"
"Oi! You can't just go volunteerin' people for stuff!" Jack protested.
"We're not the least bit picky, really. We'll take anyone that's willing to pull their weight," Jade added.
"You guys wouldn't wanna get kicked out before you get the chance to talk to Azul, right?" Deuce asked in a whisper.
"C'mon, be a couple of pals and give us a hand!" Ace whined. "We're runnin' on fumes here and Grim's up to his eyeballs in soap from washing dishes in the back."
Devon and Jack exchanged another look, only breaking it when Devon finally nodded after a moment.
Jack sighed, but ultimately relented. "Fine. The sooner we get this Azul business finished, the sooner I can get back to my dorm and catch a few winks."
"What?" Ace asked, looking up at a nearby wall clock. "It's just after nine. What time are you usually in bed?"
"Just after ten most nights," Jack replied.
"What?! Dude, you're more of an honor student than Deuce!" Ace exclaimed.
"So this means I can put Lil' Shrimpy and Sea Urchin down to help out with a shift, right?" Floyd cut in. "Awesome~! You can start by runnin' those drinks to table three."
"Make sure not to keep the customers waiting," Jade added. "And Jack, make sure not to scowl when you're interacting with the clientele."
"Pfft. Yeah, you do have a habit of mean-muggin' people, don't ya Jack?" Ace teased.
"I can't it. I'm not actually scowling but it's just the way my face looks," Jack replied.
"I'll be keepin' an eye on you guys, so no slackin' off, got it?" Floyd warned, the easy smile still on his face despite the not-so-subtle threat in his words.
"What did we get ourselves into?" Jack muttered to Devon.
"Just follow my lead, okay?" Devon replied with an encouraging smile. "Believe it or not, this isn't my first rodeo."
"My, my, this is unexpected," Jade commented as he and Floyd watched Devon, Jack, and the anemone crew work the floor. Devon had managed to work out a system to start getting the backed up orders clear and out to the customers and giving serving advice to the less-experienced Jack. She'd also revealed herself to be a rather efficient server, remaining personable with the customers while making sure not to linger too long with any one table.
"Looks like Shrimpy's full of surprises, huh?" Floyd agreed before making his way over to Devon as she loaded some more drinks onto a serving platter. "Heeey, Shrimpy~! Didn't know you were so good at playin' waitress."
"Yeah well, there's a lot you guys don't know about me and I intend to keep it that way," Devon replied dryly, not looking up from the drinks she was handling. "My tio runs a restaurant back in my world too. I've watched him handle more dinner rushes than I can count, so now it's time for me to do him proud."
Floyd blinks. "Hang on. He runs the restaurant but he waits tables too?"
Devon shrugged. "If he needs to. He's worked in almost every job a person can have in a restaurant so he'd be able to pick up the slack when he opened his own. My brothers and I helped too sometimes, but our job was mostly to handle bringing take-out orders to people since we were too young to actually work as paid employees until recently. Child labor laws and all that. Still, I learned a lot just from watching." She lifted the platter up. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've gotta get these drinks out."
Meanwhile, Jade had gone to check on Ace, Deuce, and Jack, who were bringing orders to the tables near the back of the lounge.
"Man, this is a lot easier with you guys helpin', Jack," Deuce said as they headed back to grab the next set of orders.
"Yeah, no kidding," Ace agreed. "I thought for sure you'd botch it, but you've actually managed to keep up pretty well."
Jack shrugged. "It's not that hard once you get into the groove. Dev's pointers have really helped too."
"Guess we shouldn't be surprised she's learned a thing or two with an uncle in the restaurant business and all," Deuce commented as he delivered food to another table.
"Keep up the good work," Jade said with an approving nod.
Finally, after delivering order after order and hustling nonstop, the rush began to slow down.
"Alright, we've cleared all the backed-up orders," Jack reported.
"And worked ourselves to the bone in the process," Deuce added, resting his hands on his knees to keep himself upright.
"Wow~! Nice goin'," Floyd replied. "That mean you guys are still up for more?"
"In that case, we'll have you handle the dish washing, serving food, and making drinks," Jade said with an amused smile, though there was no indication that he was kidding.
"Grrr… Wipe those smug looks off your faces!" Jack growled.
"Looks like the crowds are startin' to die down," Devon observed as she looked out into the lounge. The mass of students, both those eating and those waiting to be seated, had thinned substantially from when she and Jack had first arrived and food and drinks were leaving the kitchen at a steady pace.
"You guys handled that rush way better than I thought you would," Floyd admitted before ruffling Devon's hair. "Thanks for all the help, Lil' Shirmpy and pal!"
The sound of someone slow-clapping cause everyone to turn toward a doorway next to the bar.
"Indeed. I know I certainly wasn't expecting you to manage that crowd as well as you did," Azul said as he stepped into the lounge.
Jack was immediately alert, his eyes narrowed in the dorm leader's direction. "Azul…"
"I'm terribly sorry about the wait, but the VIP room is ready for you now. If you would please follow me this way," Azul said, motioning for Devon and Jack to follow him through the door he had just come out of. "Jade. Floyd. Please prepare some tea for our guests."
"Of course./Yessir!" Jade and Floyd replied.
Azul led Devon and Jack into a small room and the pair could only stop in the doorway and stare for a moment. The VIP room had the same purple color scheme as the rest of the lounge with two leather couches facing each other that looked like smaller versions of the ones in the dining area. All manner of books lined the walls and a large mahogany desk sat at the back of the room. There were small aquariums built into the walls as well, including one built into the small table between the two couches, but what really got their attention was the massive vault situated behind the desk.
"What even is this place?" Jack asked, astonished. "Are we even still on school property?" He nodded toward the vault. "Take a look at that thing. It's like we walked into a bank or somethin'."
"Alright, come on in," Azul told them. "It's rude to linger in doorways, you know." He sat down on one of the couches and motioned toward the one across from it. "Please. Have a seat."
Devon and Jack looked at one another uneasily but did as he said.
"Now, I understand there was something you'd like to discuss with me?" Azul began, looking every inch the businessman.
"I'd like you to release the students you've indentured," Devon requested matter-of-factly.
"Hahaha! My goodness! I wasn't expected such blunt demand right at the start. Then again, I suppose you've never been one to mince words, Dev," Azul laughed.
"Devon, please," Devon corrected. "Only friends and family can call me Dev."
"Very well," Azul replied with a nod. "So then, Devon. You would ask me to release all 225 students who made contracts with me?"
"225?!" Jack repeated in shock. "How were you able to swindle that many people?!"
"Yes well, Jade and Floyd's…outreach, shall we say, was much more thorough and effective this year," Azul replied. "Thanks to them, I've had no shortage of clients looking to make a deal." His smile dropped and his expression became more serious and calculating. "Now then, Devon, as for your request… You should understand that I'm not forcing them to perform this labor under any undue duress. All those anemones chose to enter into contracts with me and willingly consented to the terms as laid out in writing." He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Those contracts are ironclad agreements and are not subject to intervention from an outside party on the basis of emotion. The anemones are the poor, unfortunate souls you seem to take them for. In other words-try as you might, this little protest of yours will avail you nothing."
Devon sat in silence for a moment, glaring at Azul as she mulled over her options. Plan A-ask Azul directly to free the students he'd made contracts with and hope he agrees-had failed. She'd figured it would but at least she could say she tried if Crowley got on her case about it. Still, she and Jack hadn't just worked a massive dinner rush to give up right out the gate. After wracking her brain trying to think of another solution, she realized that the only real option they had was the one she was hoping to avoid. She closed her eyes and steeled herself for refocusing on Azul. "I understand that you can grant the wishes of anyone who makes a deal with you."
"Wait, what?!" Jack exclaimed, his head snapping toward Devon. "Are you out of your mind?!"
"Jury's out," Devon quipped.
"Oh? So you want to make a deal with me then?" Azul asked. "Now there's an interesting proposal."
"I don't want to but it's not looking like I have much of a choice," Devon replied.
"Aha ha~!" Floyd laughed as he and Jade entered the room with cups of tea for everyone. "Shrimpy's gutsier than I thought!"
Azul nodded. "Indeed she does. Now, while your interest is duly noted, Devon, there's a bit of a problem. You see, my understanding is that you have no magical power of your own."
Devon and Jack exchanged another look. It seemed Azul wasn't aware of Devon's blessing and they intended to keep it that way; neither of them wanted to imagine what he'd do if he had her power at his disposal.
"Neither are you gifted with a beautiful voice, nor are you the heir to any kingdom," Azul continued. "You are utterly ordinary in every way. For an ask as big as the one you're making, you would need to provide me with appropriate collateral."
"Such as?" Devon asked warily, glancing at Zephyr and silently urging them closer to her.
"Hmm… Good question," Azul replied, tapping his chin with his index finger and making a show of trying to think of an example. "Just off the top of my head here, I suppose…," A slimy smirk worked its way over his face, "the rights to use the Ramshackle dorm would be appropriate. That building is under your supervision, after all."
"So that was your aim from the start…," Jack growled as Devon narrowed her eyes again.
The door to the VIP room was slammed open before Devon could respond, startling everyone. A furry grey creature stood in the doorway, dripping wet, covered in suds and looking every inch a drowned rat with the blue fire in its ears the only clue to its identity.
"That sounds good to me!" Grim exclaimed before getting down on all fours and shaking the water and suds from his coat.
"Grim?! How long have you been standing there?" Devon asked.
Grim pointed toward Jade and Floyd. "Since I followed those two back from the kitchen. I can't take this anymore, Dev! My fur is not made for dishwashin'!"
"Grim," Jade said sternly, "shirking your job responsibilities to eavesdrop on private conversations is hardly employee of the month behavior." He turned to his brother. "Floyd, show him out at once."
"'Kay~" Floyd agreed as he cracked his knuckles.
"Now, now, there's no need to be hasty, is there?" Azul chimed in. He sent Devon a confident smirk as Grim dodged the twins and hopped up on the couch next to her. "The only other student in your dorm has offered his input, Devon. So I suppose it all comes down to you. Will you agree to put Ramshackle up as collateral to make a contract with me?"
"Please, Dev! I'm beggin' ya!" Grim pleaded, resting his front paws on Devon's leg.
"Devon, no! I get that you wanna help Grim and the others, but you know Azul's just gonna come up with some unreasonable demand you can't possibly meet!" Jack warned. "We'll figure out some other way to put a stop to this!"
Devon looked between Jack's determined expression and Grim's pleading one before heaving a sigh. 'I wish I could believe that there was some other way to fix this, but Azul's right. As long as the anemones signed the contracts of their own free will, there's no way for an outside party to nullify them unless they make a deal of their own.' "Let's hear the contract terms, Azul."
"Oi! You can't be serious!" Jack exclaimed.
"My, my. How refreshing to hear that kind of confidence," Azul said, his smirk never wavering. "Here's the deal: There's a certain photograph on display at the Atlantica Memorial Museum in the Coral Sea. I'd like you to retrieve it and bring it to me before the sun sets three days from now."
"Are you kidding?! You're asking her to steal an art exhibit?!" Jack exclaimed incredulously. Even Jade seemed surprised by the request, given the look he sent Azul.
Azul shook his head. "No, it's not an art exhibit. It's just a simple photograph commemorating a visit to the museum from Prince Rielle, ten years ago."
"Yeah, we're gonna need more than that," Devon pressed.
"The picture is located in a simple photo panel right at the museum entrance. It has no historical value whatsoever," Azul elaborated. "Simply borrowing it won't kick up a fuss."
"Then why do you even want it?" Grim asked.
"Because there's no point in a challenge that's not challenging," Azul replied, more or less dodging the question as he adjusted his glasses. "If I were to give you a simple errand, I'd basically be giving away my end of the bargain, wouldn't I?" His expression hardened slightly. "I'm not running a charity here."
"The Atlantica Memorial Museum is a renowned tourist attraction that houses many national treasures of the Coral Sea, including the silver dinglehopper and several of the Mermaid Princess' prized thingamabobs," Jade supplied. "It's not as if we're asking you to locate a speck of gold dust on the ocean floor."
"Oh hey, didn't we go there on a field trip in elementary school once?" Floyd asked.
"Hang on," Jack interjected. "The nation of the Coral Sea is at the bottom of the ocean, right? How exactly do you expect us to get there with no fins or gills? Seems like you're askin' too much here."
"Yeah, exactly! I can't breathe underwater, y'know!" Grim agreed.
"That sounds like a "you" problem…is what I would normally say, but fret not. I will provide you with our very own magic potions. They will enable you to breathe underwater," Azul replied. He snapped his fingers and a case containing several glass vials in the shape of spiral shells appeared in front of them, each filled with a bright green liquid. "The Sea Witch of the Great Seven was kind enough to grant a poor little mermaid princess legs so she could walk on land to meet her human love. And really, what are any of us without a sense of charity?"
Devon quirked a brow at Azul as he began chuckling menacingly. 'Even though you told us just a minute ago that you weren't running a charity here? Ay, you'd do great as a used car salesman.'
"So what do you say, Devon? Do we have a deal?" Azul asked. "I'm afraid I haven't got all day, so I'd appreciate it if you could make your decision now." He narrowed his eyes at her. "Well? Well?"
"Hold up," Devon said. "I'm not agreeing to anything until I get a look at the contract."
"Hmm? Do you really think you're in a position to be making demands?" Jade asked.
Devon nodded, keeping her face expressionless and hoping all those games of Texas Hold 'Em had paid off. "Yes, actually. I think I'm in the perfect position to make demands. Azul's the one who wants Ramshackle and when you get right down to it, this mess with the anemones doesn't impact me one way or the other. Frankly, I think it would do Grim some good to have to face the consequences of his actions. I could refuse this little deal and be on my merry way and you three couldn't do a thing about it."
"Fgnya?!" Grim exclaimed, looking up at Devon in shock.
"That's cold, Shrimpy," Floyd said with a lazy smile. "Do ya really think you could do somethin' like that to your friends?"
"It's like Azul said: all of them chose to enter into a contract," Devon repeated with a shrug, hoping her poker face looked convincing. "It's their own fault if they chose not to read the fine print, but I'm not about to make the same mistake. I'm not signing anything until I make sure your boss here doesn't have some kind of backdoor clause that lets him take more than we agreed to or stiff me when it comes to payin' what he owes if I complete this little heist of his." She turned her attention to Azul, opting for one last push and hoping he wouldn't call her bluff. "I'm not asking for anything unreasonable, now am I? Either let me see the contract and make sure everything's on the up-and-up or refuse and I walk and take your chance at the rights to Ramshackle with me."
Azul studied Devon for a long moment before nodding, his face equally expressionless. "I suppose I can see the logic behind your demand. Very well." He snapped his fingers again and a golden contract scroll appeared in front of Devon. He watched as she read over it carefully, unsure of what exactly she was looking for. After a moment, though, she met his gaze again and nodded, causing him to smirk. "I take it we have a deal then?"
"And you can get me a hard copy of this exact contract and have one sent to my email as well?" Devon asked.
Azul nodded toward Jade who began tapping something out on his phone. "Done."
"In that case… Yes, I'll sign it," Devon agreed once she heard her own phone buzz with a notification.
"Wonderful! So it's a deal!" Azul replied with a bright smile as a pen made of what looked like some kind of fish bone appeared next to the contract. "Go ahead and sign the scroll, then."
Devon shared one last look with Jack before signing her name at the bottom of the scroll.
Azul chuckled again as the scroll rolled itself back up and disappeared. "There we are. Signature received. As of this moment, the contract is in effect. Should you successfully steal the photograph from the museum and bring to me before the third sunset from now, I give you my word that I will release all 225 anemones currently doing my bidding. If you should fail to complete this task, however…," His polite smile became a more twisted smirk, "you will forfeit Ramshackle to me and join my legion of anemones until you graduate!"
"Yeah, yeah. Ya know, it's really hard for me to square this big bad bossman image you're tryin' to project with the pictures I've seen of you in Flight class," Devon remarked.
That shut Azul up real quick. His eyes widened and he reeled back as if she'd hit him with something other than her words, his glass now askew. "Th-That's- I- How do you…?"
Devon shrugged. "That's not important. All I'll say is that the person who showed them to me was very eager to do so." She sent him a smirk of her own. "Seems there are plenty of people who wanna see you knocked down a few pegs, and I'm more than happy to oblige. I'll get you your stupid picture, just you wait."
Azul cleared his throat hastily as he recomposed himself. "Yes well, I look forward to seeing you try. And fail." He gestured toward the twins. "Jade. Floyd. If you two could please show our guests home." He sent Devon one final smirk as she stood up. "I'll see you in three days, Devon."
Ending Notes: I think it's probably pretty obvious who showed Devon the Flight class pictures.
Welp, it's official. It's been one year since I posted the first chapter of Open Your Heart! I can't thank all of you enough for the support you've given me and the love you've given Devon this past year. I didn't really expect very much when I first started writing this story (I actually expected I'd burn out long before now), and it still amazes me that people enjoy my writing so much. I am so grateful to every single one of you readers, from the people who have been with me from the start to those who have just found this story-or Twisted Wonderland-recently. I wouldn't be here without you all and I hope that Devon and the rest of the Lopez family will continue to entertain you and that I can do the TWST boys justice.
Thank you all so much for reading! As always, feedback and constructive criticism are welcome. Geekinthepink, out!