"The winter holiday begins tomorrow," Malleus said, his tone unreadable as he and Devon sat on the roof of Ramshackle dorm.

"Mmhmm," Devon hummed in response. Malleus' uniform blazer was currently draped over her shoulders at his insistence-he was very concerned she'd get too cold sitting outside with him, despite her reassuring him that not only would her Latin blood not allow her to freeze, but Fuego was nearby if she needed to warm up. "I guess that means you'll be heading back to Briar Valley, then."

Malleus nodded. "I will. It will be nice to be home again, but even so…" He glanced over at her again. "I can't help but be concerned for you. I assume the headmaster is no closer to finding a way to get you home?"

"You assume correctly," Devon replied with a sigh. "So yeah, Grim and I are gonna be stayin' on campus over the break. The ghosts and Wisps will be here too, so it won't be so bad."

"Choosing to stay optimistic, I see," Malleus commented. "I figured you'd be more upset about being stranded here over the holiday."

Devon shrugged. "I mean, I'm not happy that I won't get to be with my family but getting upset's not gonna change my circumstances, y'know. As long as the Ramshackle fam is together, I won't be completely alone and thanks to Dom's blessing, I'll at least be able to relay messages through him. Still sucks that I can see Mama and Papa face-to-face and actually talk to 'em myself, but I'll take talking through my brother over no contact at all."

"Just the same, the thought of you being stuck here with no other children of men for company doesn't sit right with me," Malleus told her. "Believe me, I'd like nothing more than to invite you back to Briar Valley with me but…" 'But that would involve you finding out who I really am.'

"It's sweet that you're so worried about me, Horns, but I promise I'll be okay," Devon assured him. "Besides, you haven't been home since school started, right? I don't wanna get in the way of your family time."

"Ever the considerate one, eh," Malleus replied with a fond smile. "I do sincerely hope there's occasion to introduce you to my family at some point. I have a feeling my grandmother would take to you right away." 'I'd also quite enjoy seeing how the senate might react to a child of man as fast-talking and endearingly brusque as you are.'

"Well hey, I'd be glad to go to Briar Valley with you if that time ever comes. I'd love to see more of Twisted Wonderland," Devon said. "The NRC campus is nice and all, but there's a whole entire world out there that's completely unfamiliar to me. I'd be an idiot not to wanna get out there and explore it." She sighed before leaning against Malleus' shoulder. "I really am gonna miss you when you go, though. I mean, who else am I gonna have these late night chats with?"

Malleus froze for a split second as his cheeks flushed, still unused to physical affection despite enjoying the contact from Devon immensely. He relaxed quickly, though; Devon was the only person aside from Lilia and his grandmother who'd ever initiated this sort of contact with him and he always craved them whenever the two met up at Ramshackle. Now that he'd gotten a taste, he wasn't sure how he'd survive without her affectionate touches and gestures for an entire break and he was more than a little tempted to scoop her up into his arms and bring her back home with him, but he knew he'd have to ease his grandmother into the idea before he allowed the two of them to meet. True, she-and Briar Valley in general-had been taking a much more amicable approach to humans, especially within the past two decades, but there was a difference between being more welcoming to the few humans that called Briar Valley home and allowing the heir apparent to bring one from the outside home as a personal guest. Not to mention, there were still plenty of older fae amongst the senate and nobility who believed that humans had no place in Briar Valley and he didn't want Devon to be subjected to their narrow-mindedness, especially not on vacation.

"I shall miss you too, child of man," Malleus replied as he rested his head against hers, smiling when he felt Devon snuggle closer to him, "but I can assure that as soon as I return to campus, we can make up for lost time."

"Heh. I'll be lookin' forward to it, Horns," Devon said with a smile.

The first thing Devon noticed as she opened her eyes was how dry the air felt. As she looked around at the scene unfolding before her, she was that she was floating over a sprawling desert sandscape. The moon shone bright in the sky and the stars twinkled peacefully.

"Hmm… Been a minute since my last Disney dream," Devon commented to herself. "And if this one's gonna follow the same pattern as the most recent ones then my brothers should be appearing in three…two…one…"

"Devon!"

"Bingo," Devon said, turning toward the sound of DJ's voice to see him and Dominic floating over to her. "Fancy meetin' you two here."

"I was hopin' we'd be seeing another one of these," Dominic commented. "Which movie are we lookin' at this time?"

"Well, there's only so many Disney movies that feature a desert," DJ replied, glancing down at the scene below them. "Oop, and I think I see our first clue."

Devon and Dominic followed his gaze toward a man in black and crimson robes sitting astride an intimidating black horse. He and the parrot on his shoulder were looking around as though waiting for something to appear when another man rode up to them on a horse of his own.

"Oh, hey Jafar. Good to see ya," Dominic greeted, despite knowing nobody from the scenes could actually see or hear the triplets.

"Aladdin this time, eh?" Devon mused as they watched the two men converse. The shorter man pulled out half of some kind of golden insect ornament and handed it over to Jafar. Jafar reached into his robes and pulled out the other half of the ornament, carefully bringing the two halves together. As soon as the pieces touched, the ornament (a scarab, the triplets realized) began to glow a bright gold before fluttering its wings and taking off into the desert. The two men gave chase immediately and soon enough the scarab led them to what looked like an ordinary sand dune, breaking in half again as it landed. Jafar watched eagerly as the sand dune began to grow and warp into the shape of a giant tiger's head, demanding to know who dared to disturb its slumber, its gaping maw revealing a staircase leading inside.

The triplets watched as Jafar ordered the man who had accompanied him into the Cave of Wonders-the place the sand tiger's mouth led to-and told him that he could take whatever treasures he desires so long as he brought the genie's lamp to Jafar. Of course, the thief had barely put one foot in the cave before the tiger roared and collapsed back into a regular sand dune, presumably eating the guy in the process.

"Poor sucker," Dominic commented as Iago, Jafar's parrot companion, fished the two halves of the scarab out of the sand and brought them back to Jafar. "And now Jafar's gotta find the diamond in the rough that'll actually be able to enter the cave, right?"

Devon nodded. "Yep. Enter the protagonist." She looked over at DJ to see that her big brother was watching the scene fade away with a concerned expression. "Penny for your thoughts, broseph?"

"I'm just a little worried about you, Dev. It seems like every time you-er, we now, I guess-have one of these dreams, you end up in some kind of life-threatening danger not long after," DJ pointed out. "I know you aren't seeking these situations out or anything, but I can't help but be concerned, y'know?"

Devon nodded. "I get where you're comin' from. And I appreciate the concern, I really do, but I don't think we'll have anything to worry about this time. School lets out for winter break tomorrow, so the other students will all be going home."

"Mmm… But you won't be," Dominic spoke up quietly. "I know you won't be completely by yourself, but it really sucks that you have to stay at NRC. I really wish we could see you outside of our blessings. I know it'd make Mama and Papa's entire holiday."

"Believe me, I'd love to be able to see you guys for real," Devon agreed. "I'd figure out some way to bring Grim along too and watch Mama force him into one of those ugly Christmas sweaters so she could get some pictures." She blinked as a thought struck her. "That reminds me, did you guys send out Christmas cards this year?"

"Obviously," DJ replied. "You'd have to be insane if you think a little thing like one of her kids being stuck in another world would keep Mama from sending out those cards to not-so-humbly humble brag to her coworkers about how much better-looking we are than their families. We didn't take a new batch of pictures, of course, since you wouldn't be in them, so she recycled one of the unused shots from last year."

"I mean, I can't really blame her for bragging about us," Devon replied with a teasing smile. "We are a pretty ridiculously good-looking family." Her smiled turned more reassuring as she saw that DJ's mood had been lifted a bit. "Let's try to stay positive, okay? Lilia's going to talk to Briar Valley's queen while he's back home, so hopefully that'll give us a lead on the Mala front."

"Yeah. I guess that's true," Dominic conceded. "Either way, it's our best lead so far. We'll just have to hope it goes somewhere. In the meantime, you promise to stay safe while you're on your own, right?"

Devon rolled her eyes, but there was no frustration in her voice. "Yes, I promise to stay safe. Like I said before, the other students are all gonna be leaving tomorrow so the campus'll be empty. How much trouble could Grim and I possibly get into?"

"Mornin', kiddos!" the short Ramshackle ghost greeted as Devon and Grim made their way downstairs the next morning.

"Mornin'," Devon replied, barely holding back a yawn.

"Hey now, what's with that bleary-eyed look?" the short ghost asked as his two companions materialized next to him.

"You look like you're about to keel over. Heheheheh," the chubby ghost chuckled.

"Today's the last day of the fall term," the skinny ghost reminded them. "You'd best buck up, Dev. You don't want to trip at the finish line when you're so close to the end."

"Tomorrow's the first day of the winter holiday. Have you two decided what you're gonna be doing?" the short ghost asked.

"Oh right, I've been meanin' to ask about that. I've heard people talkin' about this winter holly-day thing since exams ended, but what exactly is it?" Grim wondered.

"It's the big break students get when fall semester ends and before spring semester begins," the short ghost explained. "Most students go home to ring in the new year with their families. Most of 'em have a big feast too."

Grim's ears perked up at the mention of a feast. "Wait a minute. Are you tellin' me there's food?!"

The skinny ghost nodded. "Mmhmm. And plenty of it. We're talkin' roast turkey, cakes and pies, ham as big as your head…some people even make gingerbread houses. Not that us ghosts can eat any of it, of course."

"A lot of the ghosts in the living world return to the other side to spend the holidays with their families too," the short ghost continued.

"Yeah, and some of 'em never come back," the chubby ghost added before chuckling again.

Grim got quiet for a moment, a faraway look in his eyes. "Gettin' your grub on while spendin' time with family sounds kinda nice, actually…"

"What's your family like, Grim?" Devon asked as she picked up the little monster. "I talk about my family all the time, but I don't remember you ever mentioning yours."

"My family?" Grim grew quiet again as he thought. "Honestly, I don't really remember 'em. The earliest memory I have is wakin' up hungry and alone. It was really cold where I was. I kept waitin' and waitin' for someone to come and get me, but nobody ever did." He tapped his paw to the side of his head as he tried to think. "What happened after that…? It get pretty foggy at that point." He was silent for a beat before shaking his head and smiling up at Devon. "Ah well. I'm a forward-facin' guy, anyway. Can't change the past, so I'm all about the future, y'know! Especially since I'm gonna be a great and powerful mage one day! Myah ha ha!" His expression sobered a bit as he continued to look at Devon. "Frankly, I'm more worried about you, Dev."

Devon blinked. "Me?"

"You've been missin' your own family, right? You got this really sad look on your face when you mentioned those card things your parents send out every year and how pretty New York is in the winter the other day," Grim pressed. "Well if I know Crowley, I bet he's completely forgotten about tryin' to find a way to get ya home. We gotta make sure to stay on top of him about that, y'know!"

Devon quirked a brow playfully. "That eager to get me outta here, huh?"

Grim shook his head. "Not at all. I just wanna see if New York's as awesome as you say it is. And I wanna try your Tio Diego's food! And…" His expression grew more serious. "And I don't wanna see you sad because you miss your family."

"Grim…," Devon said, touched, before the ghosts' exaggerated wailing pulled their attention toward their spectral roommates.

"Sounds like you two have really had it rough, huh?" the short ghost commented.

"Don't you worry. You two can spend the holidays curled up next to the fireplace with us!" the skinny ghost assured them.

"Myah ha ha! You know I'm down if there's good food involved. Bring on the holiday cheer!" Grim exclaimed.

Devon laughed at Grim and the ghosts' antics before the implications of Grim's statement sunk in. 'Hang on. Is he saying he'd want to come with me if I found a way home…?'

"Alright, pups. Listen up," Crewel called out as the last class of the day ended. "Tomorrow is your first official day of winter break. I'm sure all of you are foaming at the mouth to get home, but every year without fail, there's always some foolish pups who spend the whole break goofing off and forget about their homework." He looked around at Class 1-A, giving them all a stern look. "This is your one warning that there will be a severe punishment in store for any such slackers in my class. Are we clear?"

"Yessir," the class chorused, some more nervously than others.

Crewel nodded. "Very good. You have all been granted permission to use the Dark Mirror to return home for the holidays. Report to your dorm mirror once you've packed your things. Dismissed!"

Excited murmurs erupted immediately as the students began to file out to the Hall of Mirrors, eager to grab their things from their dorms so they could take off.

"Ugh, finally!" Ace cheered as he laced his fingers together and stretched his arms up over his head. "I can't tell you how excited I am to get a break from that cramped dorm room."

"You say that as if you don't stay at Ramshackle just about every other night," Devon snarked. "Where you have your own room, I might add."

"Don't you come at me with facts, New York," Ace argued playfully as he ruffled her hair.

"Man," Deuce sighed, shaking his head as he looked forlornly into his schoolbag, "Night Raven College really doesn't play around with these holiday assignments. Just look at all this."

"So, uh," Ace began, looking over at Devon almost nervously as his cheeks flushed a very light pink, "speaking of goin' home, I'm guessin' you haven't found a way back to your world yet, huh New York?"

Deuce glanced quickly over at Ace as if expecting him to say something more before shifting his attention to Devon and Grim as well. "I take it that means you'll be spending the holidays at Ramshackle?"

"We sure are! We're gonna have a big 'ole feast with the ghosts!" Grim replied excitedly.

"Oh… Right," Ace said, deflating just slightly despite keeping the smile on his face. "There's plenty of ghosts on campus, so I guess you two won't be lonely after all."

"Hang on. Won't the cafeteria and school store close once everyone heads out for break?" Deuce asked.

Grim exchanged a look with Devon. "Aw, crud. We didn't even think about that! How're we gonna get the food for our feast, Dev?!"

"Ya know, as much I wanna give Crowley the benefit of the doubt and say that he's totally got somethin' planned that doesn't involve leavin' us to starve over break…my hopes aren't especially high," Devon replied.

"Sounds like you should go talk to him sooner rather than later," Deuce suggested.

"You need his permission to use the Dark Mirror, so my guess is that he's in the Mirror Chamber right now," Ace reasoned. "Let's go check."

The group arrived in the Mirror Chamber moments later to find that it was packed with students eager to get home for break as they chattered excitedly amongst themselves.

"Wow, I can't believe it's already this crowded," Deuce commented. "Good call having us leave our stuff in that void Nyx made in your bag this morning, Dev. Saved us from makin' the trip back to the dorm to get everything."

"Heh. Check out how antsy everyone looks," Ace pointed out as he scanned the room for the headmaster. "Now let's see… If I was a self-important headmaster with a stupid plastic beak, where would I be…?"

"Alright, everyone!" an all too familiar voice called out over the din. "Make sure you announce your destination clearly when you step up to the Dark Mirror and keep a firm grip on your belongings! If you let go for any reason while in transit, your luggage could end up somewhere else entirely. If you have anything you absolutely cannot afford to risk losing, I would suggest shipping them from the school store."

If Crowley's voice hadn't given him away, the ridiculously loud shirt he was wearing would have. The headmaster had traded his usual outfit for a bright yellow tropical shirt decorated with pictures of what appeared to be apples and crows, along with white shorts and a white fedora, though he'd opted to keep the clawed black gloves he always wore.

The quartet could only stare for a moment before finally finding their voices. "Are you kidding me?!" Grim exclaimed.

"He's in full party mode!" Ace shouted. "Who wears a shirt like that in the middle of winter?! He looks like he's about to fly south."

"For real. He looks like a dad about to go on vacation!" Devon agreed.

"He's not even trying to hide where he'd rather be, huh?" Deuce commented.

"Oi, headmaster!" Grim called out from his place on Devon's shoulder. "We gotta talk!"

"Ah, if it isn't my favorite Ramshackle and Heartslabyul combo," Crowley greeted as they made their way to him. "What can I do for you four?"

"Please tell me you've made some kind of arrangement for our food situation," Devon said, gesturing between herself and Grim. "Ya know, since we won't be able to use the cafeteria or the school store."

Crowley stared at them owlishly for a moment. "Your provisions over the break…?" The pinpricks of light behind his mask that they assumed were his eyes shrunk a bit as he gave them a smile that wasn't at all reassuring, especially combined with his nervous laugh. "Ah… Ah ha ha… Of course I've taken that into consideration! Come now, what kind of headmaster do you take me for? As it happens, I was just about to arrange online for food to be delivered to you."

None of the freshmen were convinced. "You liar!" Grim shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Crowley. "You were totally gonna leave us in the lurch! I bet you're not even lookin' for a way to get Devon home, either."

"Well, I never!" Crowley replied, making a show of looking offended at Grim's completely accurate accusation. "I'll have you know that I'm taking my responsibility for Devon's safe homecoming very seriously. That's why I've decided to expand the scope of my research to a tropical land I've never visited before." He smiled to himself. "Am I not the most diligent of authority figures?"

"Hate to break it to ya, headmaster, but nothing about that outfit says "investigating interdimensional travel," Ace countered.

"Yeah! You look like you're about to go soak up the sun!" Grim agreed.

"How could you even suggest such a thing?! These kinds of clothes are what they wear in the area I'll be traveling to," Crowley argued. "When in a foreign land, one must do as the locals do." He continued muttering to himself, apparently forgetting about the quartet standing right in front of him. "Escaping the frigid bite of winter to kick back in a hammock and sip coconut juice while staring at the tranquil ocean waves…" He quickly refocused when he caught sight of the group's unamused expressions. "Ahem! I certainly have no such intentions to indulge in such a way on this vacation-er, research investigation, I assure you."

"Talk about a suspiciously specific denial…," Deuce commented.

"Why should you get to have all the fun, headmaster?! We wanna go on vacation too, y'know. Take us with you!" Grim demanded.

"What? But that would just spoil the-ah, ahem!" Crowley quickly corrected himself, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "I'm afraid this investigation will be far too dangerous for you two to accompany me. I have no choice but to go alone. Besides, it'd be better for everyone if you both remained on campus. I actually have a crucial job for you, as it happens. The very survival of the school hinges on it."

Devon fought the urge to roll her eyes at Crowley's theatrics. "Here we go again… Ya know, considering the last "crucial job" you gave me ended with me getting the ever-living tar beaten outta me, I'm not especially keen to take on more of these little tasks of yours, headmaster."

"Yes, but consider all the good that came from that hardship. You saved a substantial number of students from servitude and saved Mr. Ashengrotto from himself. I understand that the two of you have become thick as thieves lately, along with the Leech twins," Crowley reminded her. "In any case, this task is nowhere near as daunting as the last one and if you choose to accept it, your provisions over break will be provided in full. I'll arrange for a holiday feast and everything. Roast turkey, cakes and pies, ham as big as your head, a gingerbread house… I'll even throw in some piping hot spare ribs and mashed potatoes as a special bonus. What do you say, hatchling?"

"I say it sounds like a one-way ticket to the best food coma ever!" Grim exclaimed. "Th-There's no harming in hearin' him out, right Dev?"

"Dude, you are way too easy to bribe," Ace sighed.

Devon pinched the bridge of her nose. "What do you want us to do?"

Crowley cleared his throat before beginning. "As you may or may not be aware, the fires in the cafeteria and various fireplaces around campus are maintained using the magic of fire fairies. They've lived in the cafeteria fireplace for many years now, but they will fade away if we don't provide them with firewood every day. Should those fire fairies disappear, the entire campus will be gripped by the cold hand of winter every year."

"You know, I always have wondered how the campus stays so warm without central air," Deuce commented. "Ramshackle's one thing since all those Wisps live there, but even they weren't concerned about making the place comfortable until Dev showed up."

"So it was magic, huh? Guess we should've expected that," Ace mused.

"Normally, our kitchen ghost takes care of tending to the fires over extended school breaks," Crowley elaborated. "However, it seems that this year his daughter had a baby, so he'll be heading back to the other side to see his first grandchild. As such, I'd like you two to handle things in his absence."

"Hang on. How is a ghost even able to have a baby?" Devon asked.

"Let's just call it a miracle of love and leave it at that. No need to sweat the details," Crowley replied quickly, patting Devon's head. "The point is that someone will need to handle fire duty if you want to stay warm over the holidays. All you have to do is throw some firewood into the cafeteria fireplace once a day and you'll be warm and well-fed. Quite the generous deal, wouldn't you agree? And nowhere near as risky as last time!"

"Actually, this does sound way easier than the usual messes you dump on us to clean up," Grim agreed.

"Doesn't it, though? Ah, my kindness astounds and amazes yet again!" Crowley replied. "Ah yes, before I forget…" He reached into his pocket, pulling out a slip of paper and handing it to Devon. "Since I'll be out for a while, I'd like for you to have this."

Devon unfolded the paper to reveal a series of numbers.

"Is this a phone number?" Ace asked.

"Indeed it is," Crowley confirmed. "Devon, you may use that number to contact me in the event of an emergency." He gave her a stern look. "Again, you may only use it for emergencies. Do not even think about calling it for any pranks or the like." He turned back toward the rest of the students gathered around the Dark Mirror. "Now then, if you all will excuse me, I still have plenty of students to see off. I'll leave the rest in your capable hands." He walked off, smiling and muttering under his breath. "Ah, I really must make sure to take another look at those tourist pamphlets before I set out. My goodness, I'm so very busy."

"Myah ha ha! Now we'll get to chow down on the fanciest of feasts!" Grim cheered.

"I feel like that was just a roundabout way to get rid of you, but as long as you're cool with it, I guess it's fine," Ace replied, though Devon caught the briefest flash of disappointment on his face before his usual easygoing smile was back in place. She was about to ask him if everything was okay, but the sound of running footsteps distracted them.

"Hey, c'mon guys!" Ruggie called out as he made his toward them with multiple bags of luggage. "You're blockin' traffic in the hallway. Move it, move it!"

"Ruggie? What's with all that luggage?" Deuce asked as he took stock of everything the hyena was lugging with him. "You've got a backpack, three duffel bags, and a giant cooler…"

"Hmm? Oh, you mean this? Shishishishishi," Ruggie laughed as he nodded toward his bags. "No big deal, really. I just nabbed all the food at the cafeteria and school store that's about to hit its sell-by date. Since we're goin' on break, they practically give it to me for free."

"There's no way you'll be able to eat all that," Ace commented.

"Don't be so sure," Ruggie replied. "I'd be surprised if this stuff lasted a day once the neighborhood kids get ahold of it. Besides, I gotta make sure Granny eats well over the holidays." He glanced down at his bags. "Sorry to cut this short, but this frozen stuff won't stay frozen for long. Gotta run! See y'all next year!"

"There he goes," Deuce said as Ruggie rushed off toward the Dark Mirror. "What do you think he meant by "neighborhood kids", though?"

"Food can sometimes get pretty scarce where Ruggie comes from," Jack supplied as he walked up to them. "The upperclassmen say that whenever school lets out for a long break, he stocks up on as much food as he can get and shares it with the local kids."

"Oh yeah? And what's your deal, Jack?" Ace asked, nodding toward a planter in the wolf beastman's arms. "You takin' up gardening or something?"

"Hmm? Oh, this is just a cactus I've been growin' in my free time. It'd wither up if I didn't keep it watered over break," Jack explained. He quickly cleared his throat. "A-Anyway, that's enough about me."

"I still can't get over Ruggie sharin' his food with a buncha kids that aren't even his family!" Grim commented. "I didn't think he had it in him."

"I can believe it," Devon argued, recalling all the times Ruggie had brought over little things he knew Devon needed around the dorm. Sure, he did it mostly in exchange for some of her food, but she knew he was aware that she'd feed him for free. "He's not all that open about it, but he looks after the people that are important to him." She gave Jack a look. "Seems to be a running theme in Savanaclaw."

"Dunno why you're givin' me that look, Dev. We're talkin' about Ruggie here," Jack deflected, avoiding Devon's gaze. "Anyway, it's the hyena way to share spoils equally and give prey they caught themselves to members of the pack that are weaker than they are. I'm sure that's how Ruggie was raised."

"Hmph," scoffed another familiar voice as Leona suddenly appeared next to Devon. "One kid's irritatin' enough, if you ask me. The thought of bein' surrounded by a buncha little brats the entire break is enough to make my skin crawl."

"Oh, hey Leona," Jack greeted. "Are you staying on campus over break too?"

"I wish," Leona said, his eyes flicking toward Devon before he continued. "My brother and Cheka'll just give me grief over it if I stay here, though, so I'm goin' back home." He heaved an irritated sigh. "This is such a pain."

"But…you don't have any luggage with you," Jack pointed out.

Leona shrugged. "And? I've got my wallet and smartphone, so I don't need to bring anything else. I've got plenty of clothes at home already."

"Leona's a whole different kind of extreme, huh," Grim mused.

"Lemme guess. You're not even bringing your homework with you, are you?" Ace asked Leona.

"I can handle that when I get back," came Leona's easy reply. "Holidays are for resting, after all. Later, herbivores." He turned to head off toward the mirror, his tail brushing against Devon's leg as he looked at her, his eyes softening just a bit and the corners of his lips quirking slightly upward. "Princess."

Devon smiled back, reaching out to subtly tap her hand against Leona's before he could walk off. The gesture caused Leona's tail to twitch happily in response.

"I'll never understand that guy," Jack muttered as they watched Leona disappear into the crowd. "The guy can do literally anything he sets his mind to, yet he refuses to put in the effort." He turned back to the rest of the freshman squad. "Well, I know I'll be getting my work done and I'd better not find out you guys have been slackin' off. Later." He gave them a quick nod before walking off.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, tryhard," Ace called out to Jack's retreating back. "See ya next year, huh?"

"Well, Leona sticks to his principles, at least. I gotta give him that," Deuce commented.

"Hey now, freshies!" Cater called as he draped his arms over Ace and Deuce's shoulders, Trey following close behind. "Don't let any bad boy upperclassmen give you any bad ideas, okay?"

"Any Heartslabyul students that don't finish their assignments on time will be forfeiting their heads to Riddle," Trey reminded Ace and Deuce as he gently ruffled Devon's hair in greeting.

"Hey, guys," Ace greeted.

"TBH, I'm a little on edge about going home too," Cater admitted. "My older sisters will both be coming home, which means I'm gonna get run ragged." He gave Trey a pleading look. "Any chance I could stay at your place this year, Trey?"

"I mean, I'd be cool with that, but we'd be running you just as ragged. Winter is a patisserie's busiest time of year, after all," Trey replied.

"Oh, right. I keep forgetting your family runs one of those. Looks like there's no escape for poor Cay-Cay," Cater bemoaned pitifully.

The sound of approaching footsteps caught their attention again. Everyone turned to see Riddle making his way toward them with an unusually morosely apprehensive look on his face.

Deuce straightened his posture immediately. "Erk! Dorm leader Rosehearts! I apologize for blocking the way!"

"Hmm?" Riddle looked up as if noticing them for the first time. "Ah, it's you all. It's fine if you want to stand around and congregate, but at least stay near a wall."

"Is it me or does Riddle sound kinda out of it?" Grim whispered as the group did as Riddle said and moved back toward the wall.

"Can't really blame him," Ace whispered back. "Guy's got a stage five helicopter mom waitin' for him at home. I'm not surprised he's not lookin' forward to goin' back."

"Riddle, I'm not allowed in your house, so I won't be able to bring you a cake or anything," Trey said, "but you're always welcome to come visit the shop. I'm sure Chenya will be stopping by at some point to hang out, too."

Riddle nodded. "Thank you, Trey. I think… I think it's time I had a talk with my mother. Though I can't say if she'll actually have the ears to listen…"

"…Right. Good luck, Riddle," Trey replied.

"Grim and I will be staying on campus, so we won't be super busy or anything. I'll have my phone with me, so feel free to call whenever if you need someone to talk to," Devon offered. "I'm not sure how much help I'll be, but I'll be here for you as best I can, Riddle."

"Thank you, Devon. I appreciate that," Riddle replied with a small grateful smile.

Suddenly, Floyd appeared seemingly out of nowhere (seriously, nobody even heard him approach) and inserted himself into the conversation. "What'sa matter, Goldfishie? Ya don't wanna go home? Then here's an idea: don't. We're not." He gestured toward Jade, who also somehow managed to insert himself into the group without anyone else realizing. "You should join us in the stay-at-school club. All the cool kids are doin' it! Heh heh."

"Wha- Where did you even come from, Floyd?!" Riddle sputtered. "More importantly, I'd appreciate it greatly if you'd stop sticking your nose into my business. It grows irksome rather quickly."

"He has a point, Floyd," Jade agreed. "Blindly prying into someone else's family affairs is never a good idea."

"Aw, c'mon, Jade. It's so boring spending New Year's with the same people as last year," Floyd complained. "I'm sure Azul would let me keep Goldfishie as a pet, though. Y'know, since he's so teeny and all."

Riddle bristled at the comment immediately, his voice icy as he glared at Floyd. "I'm sorry? Would you care to repeat that? You've got some nerve to speak to the dorm leader of Heartslabyul that way." His entire face grew red down to his neck. "I can only assume that you wish for me to take your head!"

"O-Okay, just hold on there, Riddle," Cater interjected in an attempt to placate his dorm leader. "This isn't the time or the place for that."

"Cater's right," Trey agreed. "Don't let Floyd goad you like that, Riddle. Try to calm down, okay."

Riddle let out a "Yeeaargh…!", but made no move to retaliate against Floyd.

"Uuh, sooo, Floyd and Jade?" Cater began, trying to distract the eels before Floyd could tease Riddle again. "You guys are from the Coral Sea, right? How come you aren't going home?"

"The two of us and Azul live in the far northern reaches of the Coral Sea. The whole surface is covered in ice floes at this time of year," Jade explained.

"It's a huge pain to get around 'em and once you do, there's nothin' to do, anyway," Floyd added. "We're gonna go home for spring break, though. The ice'll have melted by then."

"Huh. I guess living under the sea comes with its own kinds of challenges," Trey commented.

"Hmph! I have no intention of spending my new year with you Octavinelle boys," Riddle scoffed. His expression softened as he turned to Devon, Grim, and his fellow Heartslabyul residents. "I'll be leaving now. I bid you all pleasant holiday."

"You too," Devon said as she pulled Riddle into a quick hug. "And I'm serious about what I said before; hit me up if you wanna talk, okay?"

Riddle nodded, the small smile back on his face as he hugged Devon back. "I will. And thank you again." He pulled back from the hug and nodded to the others before heading off.

"Good grief," Trey said, shaking his head with a smile. "Looks like he's got his moxie back, at least. And as for you guys," He turned to look at the freshmen, holding his arms out so Devon could give him a hug too, "don't go too crazy over break, alright? See you later."

"Guess I oughta be getting home, too," Cater said as Trey headed out as well. "But firrrst…," He pulled out his phone, "a commemorative pic for the road!" He grabbed Ace, Deuce, and Devon, pulling them in close before snapping a selfie with them. "Let's see… For tags, I'm thinkin': #LastDayOfFallTerm #WithTheFreshies #HappyNewYear #JumpingTheGunLOL" He tapped out a caption and posted the picture before getting a hug from Devon as well. "Alrighty, time for me to skedaddle! Later, gators!"

"Hey, Lil' Shrimpy. Is it true that you and Baby Seal are stayin' on campus too?" Floyd asked.

Devon nodded. "Yep, we sure are."

Floyd looked over at Jade with an excited smile. "See, what'd I say? All the cool kids are doin' it." He looked back at Devon. "You guys can always stop by Octavinelle if you get bored. We're always down to hang out with you."

"A fine idea, Floyd," Jade agreed. "You're welcome to visit anytime. I know Azul will be happy to see you too. My, what a delightful holiday this is shaping up to be." He nodded to the freshman quartet before he and Floyd turned back toward the Hall of Mirrors. "Now then, if you'll excuse us…" With that, he and Floyd made their exit, chuckling amongst themselves.

"Urgh… I don't see how you can just talk to those two all casual-like, Dev," Grim said once he was sure the twins were out of earshot. "Just lookin' at 'em gives me flashbacks to workin' at Mostro Lounge."

"Tell me about it," Deuce agreed.

"Yeah, don't remind me," Ace grimaced.

Devon shrugged as Grim hopped back down to the ground. There were fewer people in the chamber now, so he wasn't as concerned about getting stepped on. "I dunno what to tell ya. They're actually pretty cool now that they aren't contractually obligated to make my life harder."

Deuce looked out into the Mirror Chamber. "Looks like the crowd's starting to thin out. We should probably get going too." He gave Ace an expectant look, trying to subtly flick his eyes toward Devon.

"Yeah, good call," Ace agreed. "Hey, New York…" He trailed off as he stared at Devon, debating with himself. There was a question he needed to ask her and it was now or never at this point. He knew he should have said something before they even got to the Mirror Chamber, but each time he came close to speaking the question into existence, he just couldn't get the words out.

"Ace? You okay?" Devon asked, opening her bag so Nyx could spit up the boys' luggage.

Ace blinked, realizing he'd been staring wordlessly at Devon for a while now. He gave her his trademark playful smirk and slung an arm over her shoulder. "I was just gonna tell ya to feel free to hit me up if you get bored over break. I know you're gonna be so sad and depressed since you won't get to see my charming good looks every day, but I need you to stay strong."

Devon laughed, missing the disappointed look Deuce shot Ace while the redhead refused to look directly at him. "I'll be sure to do that. Try not to get yourself into too much trouble. I won't be there to bail you out, after all."

"Feel free to reach out to me too if you need anything, Dev," Deuce chimed in. "Actually, I'd really like it if we could talk or video chat at some point over break. My mom's been wanting to meet you." He checked the time on his phone before giving Devon a quick hug. "Speaking of, she's probably waiting for me. I'd better get going. Happy holidays, guys."

"Yeah, I'll head out too. See you guys next year," Ace echoed. He gave Devon another look before pulling her against him, his arms wrapping around her waist as he buried his face in her hair, memorizing her scent before leaving for home in addition to hiding his reddening cheeks. Devon froze for a second, surprised at the gesture, but eased into it quickly as she pressed her hands against his chest. It could have just been Ace's imagination, but he thought he felt her body grow warmer and her heartbeat quicken. He wrote it off as wishful thinking; he was probably just projecting his own body's reaction to any sort of contact with Devon onto her. "I meant what I said, New York. Hit me up anytime."

Devon nodded against Ace's chest and hoped with everything in her that he couldn't hear her heart hammering in her own. "Y-Yeah. I will." Once she trusted herself to look him in the eyes with melting into a puddle of goo in front of everyone, she gently touched her forehead to his. "I'll miss you. A lot."

"I'll miss you too, Dev," Ace replied, giving her one last squeeze before pulling back from the hug and letting his lips graze the side of her head before breaking off from her to join Deuce and the other students waiting to use the mirror.

"What gives, Ace?" Deuce asked once Ace had caught up to him. "I thought you were gonna ask Devon to come stay with you over break. You said you'd gotten the okay from your family and everything."

"Yeah, that was plan, but you heard her, right? She and Grim have already made plans with the ghosts," Ace reminded him, though that wasn't the real reason Ace couldn't bring himself to go through with asking Devon to come home with him. "And then Crowley put the two of 'em on fire-tending duty-"

"You know perfectly well that the Ramshackle ghosts could've handled that," Deuce argued.

"Yeah, but then I realized that if I asked New York to stay, I would've had to deal with Grim comin' along because she knows better than to leave him alone at Ramshackle for any sort of extended period and then it would've just been a whole thing…"

It wasn't Ace's best excuse and he could tell Deuce didn't buy it at all, but he just couldn't bring himself to admit that he kept psyching himself out. If Devon came home with him, there was a chance something might end up changing about their relationship one way or another that couldn't be unchanged. The truth of it was that he was afraid to take that chance, of possibly messing up their friendship for good. But even beyond that, there was still one fear that loomed even greater than ruining what he had right now with Devon…and it was something he couldn't bring himself to dwell on for very long.

"Fine, be like that. I'm not gonna fight you about it," Deuce replied. "But if you do want something more with Dev, you should probably say something sooner rather than later. Someone else might snatch her up."

Ace turned to look at Devon one last time. She was holding Grim now, laughing at something the little monster was saying. She looked up when she felt his gaze on her, her smile brightening when their eyes met. She gave him a little wave, which he returned with a grin of his own. "I get what you're sayin'," he said to Deuce, "but I really don't think that'll happen over break. She, Grim, and the Octatrio are only ones stayin' on campus and I know she doesn't see Azul or the twins romantically."

"There they go…," Devon said as she and Grim watched Ace and Deuce pass through the Dark Mirror, unconsciously hugging Grim closer as she found herself missing Ace's hug already.

"Never a dull moment with 'em, huh?" Grim replied. Something about Devon's tone made him look up at her and he was surprised to see uncharacteristically sad expression on her face as she stared after their friends. Well, he wasn't about to let that stand. "Ya know, I've always thought those two were a coupla loudmouths, but now that they're gone…it's made me realize just how much they never actually shut up!"

Devon couldn't help but snort out a laugh as she looked at Grim smiling up at her, clearly feeling proud of himself for easing her mood a bit. "I can't really argue with ya there, bud. Now let's get back to Ramshackle."

Ending Notes: I have to say, as much as I love writing Devon with her love interests, I also really love writing Devon and Grim's deepening bond. They didn't really start on the best foot, but it's clear as day that they've become family now. I think I mentioned before that I've made an ever-expanding playlist for this story and I tend to assign songs for various relationships between characters (mostly Devon's relationships with the characters since she's not a canon character). One of the songs I picked for Devon and Grim is 'Running After You' by Matthew Mole. It just feels so right for them.

Thank you to everyone who gave me their opinions about making Silver a love interest for Devon. The response was overwhelmingly positive, which is very encouraging. I'll let you all know my final decision as we get closer to the end of the Scarabia arc, but the odds are looking pretty good.

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