Zephyr heaved the Wisp equivalent of a sigh as they floated through the Octavinelle dorm, their opacity adjusted to the point of making them nearly transparent. Their infiltration had been going smoothly. They knew Azul and the twins would be there, but they hadn't seen any other students which meant they didn't have to worry about hiding so long as they paid attention to their surroundings. After all, while they'd adjusted their form to be nearly invisible, they could still be spotted by anyone paying close enough attention. Luckily, their camouflage was helped by the fact that their green color blended in nicely with the ocean waters and plant life visible through the dorm's large windows.

So far, they'd gone through the lounge and all the bedrooms in the dorm but hadn't come across any trace of Devon or Grim. That left Mostro Lounge as the only place left to check. They weren't exactly wild about the idea considering the not-so-great associations they had with the place (especially the VIP room) but they weren't left with much of a choice. They steeled themself and floated through a wall of the dorm, along the pathway leading the sea monster-like structure that housed the Mostro Lounge, and through the main door.

Once inside, they noticed Azul sitting at one of the tables looking over some papers while some noise from the kitchen told them that was most likely where the twins were. Once again, there was no sign of Devon or Grim, so Zephyr sunk closer to the ground to avoid staying out of Azul's line of sight if he happened to look up from whatever he was absorbed in. They managed to make it to the darkened VIP room without drawing any undue attention and they allowed their aura to brighten just enough so that the room wasn't completely dark as they floated toward the desk to hunt for some sort of clue.

At least…that was the plan until they heard the door unlock. They threw up their camouflage right as the door opened and the room grew dark once again.

"Hello, Zephyr," Azul greeted as he walked in. The room remained dark and there was no sign that anything was moving. "There's no point in trying to hide, you know. I grew up under the sea, so my eyes can adjust to the dark rather quickly. I could sense your magic aura from the moment you entered the lounge; even now, I can see it faintly pulsing." He flicked on the light, smirking as Zephyr made themself visible again, though it quickly faded to a look of mild concern and confusion when he saw no sign of Devon. "Devon isn't with you? It's not like you to leave Ramshackle without her. It's not like you to leave her side at all, actually. In that case, I can only assume you came here looking for her or you came here for help."

Zephyr pulsed another sigh. It looked like this was another dead end too. Azul seemed genuinely surprised that Devon hadn't come along as well, which would indicate that he wasn't behind the disappearance. Despite the nonchalant look on his face, Zephyr could tell he was worried. This presented another problem, though: Zephyr had no way of communicating the situation to Azul. Regina was the only Wisp in their colony that could bestow the power to understand the Wisps' language onto outsiders, and Zephyr knew they'd let themself fade away permanently before giving that ability to Azul. Still, they had to at least try…

"Uuugh," Grim groaned as he and Devon finally made it back to their room. "I'm completely wiped. Can't walk another step."

"I don't think the other students are gonna be able to take much more of this," Devon said. "We need to get outta here before it gets ugly."

"No kidding. I'm at my limit too, y'know!" Grim replied. "I don't wanna stay in this prison for one more second!"

"Then it sounds like we've got a tunnel to finish," Devon said as she walked over to the extra bedding and tossed it aside. "No time to waste."

"Yeah!" Grim agreed, pulling the spoon up out of the hole. "I might be about to pass out, but I've still got my spoon! You keep your eyes and ears open for the patrols and I'll get this thing done pronto!"

"Okay, but let me know if you wanna tag out for a bit," Devon replied.

The pair quickly took up their positions, Grim immediately getting to work while Devon stood lookout at the door. The only sound in the room was the rhythm of Grim's digging. Surprisingly, the patrol only passed by once, though they figured that was most likely due to how worn out all the Scarabia students were too. After a little over two hours of Grim pushing forward as hard as he could, Devon heard the sound of Grim dropping the spoon. She looked up to see the little monster waving her over excitedly.

"Devon! Hey Devon, look, look!" Grim whisper-yelled. He gestured proudly to the hole that was now deep enough for him to stand in. "The tunnel finally reaches the other side of the wall! It's gonna be a bit of a tight squeeze, but hey, as long as you can get your head through it, the rest of you should make it just fine!"

Devon smiled and shook her head. "I think it's getting the shoulders through that's the measure for humans. But either way, you did an awesome job, Grim!"

"Heh. Here, I'll go through first and then pull you through," Grim said. "It's time for the prison break to end all prison breaks!"

Devon's fond smile remained on her face as she watched Grim squeeze through the hole. He vanished on the other side for a moment before his paws could be seen reaching back for her. 'Ya know, if we'd been in this situation when we first met he totally would've just ditched me here to save himself. My blessing might not let me read minds, but somehow I get the feeling that the thought never even occurred to him since we got locked up. The little guy's grown a lot since we met and I don't think I could be any prouder of him.'

Grim hadn't been kidding about the tight squeeze. It took quite a bit of finagling to get Devon through to the other side, but by some miracle she managed to pull through with Grim's help and no sign of the patrols.

"Phew," Grim said as Devon stood up and swung her arms in circles to stretch them back out. "We finally made it out of that dumb room!"

"Yeah, and I finally know what it's like to be chorizo so I guess I can mark that off the ole bucket list," Devon snarked.

"Stow the sass for now, Dev. We've gotta get back to Ramshackle while we've got the chance," Grim chided as he looked up and down the hallway. "Let's just be niiiice and quiet…" No sooner had he uttered the word did his stomach let out the loudest, rumbliest growl either of them had ever heard. "Mrah?! Oh no. All that diggin' must've made me hungry!"

"What was that awful noise just now?" came a voice from around the corner. It seemed the patrols were making more rounds after all. "It almost sounded like thunder."

"Hang on, that sound came from the Ramshackle students' room!" replied another patrol, quickly followed by the sound of running footsteps.

"Oh man, we're in it now," Grim said. "I didn't think we'd get caught so quick!"

Two Scarabia students rushed around the corner at that moment. "Just what do you think you're doing?!" the first demanded.

"How did you even get out of your room?!" the second asked. "I know we locked that door tight!"

"Wait, look there!" the first exclaimed as he pointed to the tunnel near their door. "They dug their way out!" He looked at Devon and Grim incredulously. "You two really don't know when to quit, do you?"

"We've got runners! Grab 'em before they can get away!" the second shouted before blasting on his whistle, causing a swarm of Scarabia patrols to come running.

Devon and Grim were surrounded in seconds. "What's the call here, Dev?" Grim asked as he hopped onto Devon's shoulder so they could whisper.

Devon took a split second glance around the hallway, making note of all the outcroppings where various ceramic pieces were displayed before answering. "We split on the count of three. I'll lead as many of these goons to one side as I can while you run as fast as your legs can carry you. I should be able to parkour along the walls long enough to gain some ground on 'em. Sound good?"

Grim nodded with a smirk. "Works for me. On three?"

"Yeah," Devon said, readying her stance. "…Three!"

The pair broke off instantly and just as Devon had anticipated, most of the patrols followed her toward the wall. She was able to build up just enough momentum to run up and along the wall, catching a glimpse of Grim lashing out with his tail to trip up the few students that followed after him. Her wall-running trick was handy but it wasn't something she could maintain for too long. Fortunately, she was able to land on one of the outcroppings before she completely lost momentum and deliberately bumped the (probably extremely expensive) urn that was displayed on it off of its perch which in turn caused several of the students following her to stop to catch it. She then took advantage of the distraction to vault over the remaining students and ducked into a barrel roll to avoid losing momentum as she grabbed Grim up and continued bolting down the hallway. It wasn't enough to shake everyone off, but they did manage to gain a fair bit of ground.

"Don't let them get away!" one of the patrols shouted from behind them.

"Grrr… Buncha stubborn jerks," Grim muttered as he glanced back to see that they were still being chased.

"They'll catch up if we don't lose 'em soon," Devon commented.

"Take the next corner we find and then duck into a random room," Grim suggested. "I think we've still got enough distance that it should work."

"Welp, it's not like I have any better ideas," Devon agreed, turning the corner and slipping through a random-and thankfully unlocked-doorway, slamming it shut behind them. They were engulfed in darkness as soon as the door closed, but there was no time to search for a light switch. They both pressed themselves against the door and caught the sound of running footsteps and the voices of the patrols.

"Where'd they go?!" one of the patrols demanded. "Split up and find them at once!"

"Come out, you street rats!" shouted another.

Soon the voices faded along with the footsteps and the Ramshackle duo heaved a simultaneous sigh of relief. "Okay. I think they're gone," Grim said.

"For now," Devon replied. "We can't hide in here forever; they'll find us eventually."

"There's gotta be some way to give 'em the slip. I didn't spend all that time diggin' just for us to get thrown back into a locked room," Grim said, crossing his arms. He tried to look around the room, but it was too dark to see anything. There was a little bit of light coming from a window high off the ground, but it wasn't enough for them to make anything out. "Where even are we, anyway? I can't see a thing." He felt along the wall in search of some way to turn on the lights, only for something to bop him in the face. "Pfeh!" he sputtered. "Somethin' soft and fuzzy just hit me in the face! Hey Dev, your phone has a flashlight on it, right? Let's use that to figure out where we are."

Devon nodded and pulled her phone out of her pocket, grateful Jamil had let her borrow his phone charger for a bit-not that she'd had time to check her phone with Kalim running everyone ragged. She switched on the flashlight and was immediately met with a sparkles as the light reflected off the various gold and jewels strewn about the room. "Looks like we made it to that treasure room Kalim showed us before," she said. "I wonder if that means…" She moved the light toward Grim…and saw the magic carpet hovering directly in front of him.

Grim let out a strangled noise as he quickly clapped his paws over his mouth. Once he'd calmed down, he sent the carpet a glare, keeping his voice to a whisper. "What's the big idea?! I was this close to screamin' and givin' us away!" He looked around before realizing something. "They don't even lock this room up? Seriously?" The carpet bobbed up and down as if nodding in agreement, giving Grim an idea. "Hey, that's it! If you help us, we'll be able to shake off the patrols and get the heck outta here!

The carpet tilted its top half inquisitively.

"Tell ya what, carpet: Dev and I will let you outta here if you agree to carry us outta the dorm," Grim bargained. "Will ya help us out?"

The carpet bounced enthusiastically.

Devon smiled. "Well that looks like a 'yes' if I've ever seen one."

"Awesome! All aboard, Dev. Let's blow this popsicle stand!" Grim exclaimed as he hopped onto the carpet.

"Hello freedom, goodbye Scarabia!" Grim shouted once they'd made it out of the treasure room and into the night sky. He hopped into Devon's arms and motioned for her to hold him up, spreading his arms out when she obliged. "I'm king of, ah... I'm king of the general area!"

Devon snorted before lowering Grim back down. "I'm glad you're havin' fun, bud, but I think you've drawn a crowd we don't necessarily want." Grim gave her a questioning look and she nodded toward several Scarabia patrols who had rushed outside at the sound of Grim's voice. "Something tells me we're about to have company."

Back on the ground, the patrols could only stare in disbelief.

"What the-?! Is that the dorm head's magic carpet?!" one of the patrols asked incredulously.

"Breaking out of their room was one thing, but now they go and steal from us?! Dorm leader Kalim will never let us hear the end of it if he finds out," another one wailed.

"We have to stop them immediately!" added a third before raising his voice to shout up to Devon and Grim. "Get back here, you thieves!"

Grim rolled his eyes. "Pfft. If they wanna catch us, they're gonna have to grow some wings first!"

"Maybe, but I'd still rather not stick around. Any idea how we can steer this thing back toward the mirror?" Devon asked.

"Steering?" Grim studied the carpet before reaching for the corners. "I'm pretty sure Kalim pulled the two front corners like-" He gave the carpet's tassels a quick yank, which prompted it to make a series of sharp, rapid turns and loops. Grim and Devon clung on with everything they had, but keeping their balance on fabric-even magic-infused fabric-was harder than it looked. "No! Bad carpet, bad!" Grim gave the tassels another tug. "Listen! To! Me!"

The patrols continued to chase after the carpet on foot as it carried the two runaways around the dorm at high speed. Their stomachs collectively sunk when they saw Grim manage to get it to level out and set them on a path straight toward the mirror leading back to the main campus. "We have to catch those two before they leave the dorm! Get your magical pens ready; shoot 'em out of the sky if you have to!"

Evidently the carpet must have heard them because it rocketed right toward the mirror portal, gaining more speed every second.

"Myaaaaah!" Grim screamed. "We're gonna crash into the mirror!"

He and Devon closed their eyes and braced themselves for the inevitable collision with a wall or something once they made it back to the Hall of Mirrors. Surprisingly, all they felt instead was the brief sensation of weightlessness as they passed through another mirror portal…and then crashed into something hard enough that it sent both of them flying off the carpet.

Zephyr couldn't help but pulse in frustration, upset that they didn't appear to be any closer to figuring out where Devon and Grim had disappeared to. Azul had managed to piece together that they were missing and seemed to truly want to help find them, going so far as to call Devon's smartphone and looking visibly more worried when she didn't answer. Thanks to the language barrier between them, he'd had to resort to asking Zephyr simple yes or no questions that they could respond to using their whips-one manipulated into what resembled a thumbs-up for yes and two of them crossed into an X for no. This made sharing information difficult, but both of them were too stubborn to give up.

Azul was about to ask another question when a loud crash came from the dining area. "What in the name of the Great Seven…" He shot to his feet immediately when he heard Jade and Floyd talking, wondering if Floyd had gotten into another one of his moods and destroyed a table again. He headed out to survey the damage as Zephyr followed alongside.

Devon groaned as she forced her eyes open, her vision blurry as her head throbbed in time with her pulse. She'd crashed into something hard headfirst after being tossed off the magic carpet, enough to cause her to black out for a few seconds. 'Ugh… Did I make it to the afterlife? Didn't think it would hurt this much…' She pinched herself, wincing at the pain. 'Nope. Still alive.' She reached out in front of her and her hand met something solid-it felt a like varnished wood-so she used it to haul herself onto her knees. She reached up to feel the spot where her head hurt the most, only for her hand to come away wet and sticky. 'So I'm probably bleeding. Wonderful…'

The lights clicked on, causing Devon to hiss in pain and squint against the sudden brightness despite the lighting itself being far dimmer than most other places on campus. Her vision was still swimming but she could make out two identical black and purple blobs with teal on top making their way over. It wasn't until one of them spoke that she was able to start piecing together where they'd ended up.

"Well, well, what have we here? Looking for a midnight snack, I presume?" Jade mused.

"Aw maaan," Floyd groaned in disappointment. "I was all jazzed up to put the squeeze on some chumps that were ransackin' our food stock, but it's just Lil' Shrimpy and Sealie. Laaame."

"Myah…?" Grim stared dazedly up at the twins. "What are you two doin' here?"

"Uh, didn't we go over this already? We don't go home over winter break because the ice floes make it a giant pain," Floyd reminded him.

Grim's expression brightened hopefully. "Hang on, does that mean we made it to Octavinelle?"

"Indeed you have. You made it to Mostro Lounge, to be precise," Jade supplied.

"We…We did it, Dev!" Grim cheered as the magic carpet bounced excitedly next to him. "Our prison break was a success!"

"I'm sorry, did you say "prison break"?" Jade asked. "Care to elaborate?"

"Nevermind that; I wanna know what the deal is with this rectangle flounder-lookin' thing," Floyd interjected as he poked at the carpet.

"Now that you mention it," Jade said as he took a closer look at the carpet as well, "this looks quite a bit like Kalim's magic carpet.

The sound of running footsteps brought Grim and the twins' attention to the lounge's front entrance as the group of Scarabia patrols that had chased after Devon and Grim rushed in. Devon continued to stare blankly ahead of her without so much as glancing at them, much to the twins' well-hidden concern.

"Give it up, you thieves! There's no escape!" shouted Scarabia A.

Scarabia B nodded. "Just surrender quietly so we can get this over with!"

"The heck?! You guys chased us all the way here?!" Grim exclaimed.

"What could possibly be the reason for all this commotion at such a late hour?" came Azul's voice as he walked in to survey the scene. His eyes immediately landed on the bleeding wound on Devon's head and his brow furrowed slightly when she barely responded to Zephyr rushing over to her-she looked at the little green orb as they pulsed in concern, but it seemed like her reaction time was delayed and she appeared confused. Given where she was sitting, he could only assume that she'd hit her head on the edge of the bar when she and Grim crash-landed which had possibly resulted in a concussion.

Scarabia B gasped. "You're Azul Ashengrotto! What's Octavinelle's dorm leader doing here over break?"

"Irrelevant," Azul replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. "And you never answered my question: what is going on here?"

"This is none of Octavinelle's concern," Scarabia A argued. "Just hand those two over to us and we'll be on our way."

"Hmm?" Azul look conspicuously toward Devon and Grim, trying to make it seem like he'd only just realized they were there and that he hadn't been freaking out internally over Devon's state. "Hang on, is that Devon and Grim I see sprawled out on the floor?" He smirked, hoping Devon would take the bait as she usually did. "You looked so dingy that I mistook you for a pair of dustcloths."

He watched Devon's expression carefully. Usually a jab like that would result in some equally playful sass from her, but the blank look on her face didn't give an inch and he was left wondering if she'd even heard what he'd said. Naturally, this did nothing to allay his concerns.

"If you refuse to hand them over, we'll have no choice but to consider all three of you accessories to their wrongdoing," Scarabia A warned.

"Huuuuh?" Floyd's pupils shrunk until they were nearly pinpricks and his lips parted to revel his pointy serrated teeth. "Pretty bold for a lil' minnow. Just who do you think you're talkin' to, anyway?"

"The Mostro Lounge is a place for civilized discourse," Azul reminded the Scarabia students. "As such, there is no fighting of any kind allowed on the premises."

"So that's it then? You're going to interfere?" Scarabia A asked.

"Fine. Looks like we're doing this the hard way," Scarabia B declared resolutely as he readied his magical pen.

"Hmph. I think it's about time you took your leave. I'm not about to abide such ill-mannered patrons in the lounge," Azul sniffed before turning to the twins. "Jade. Floyd. Show them the door, if you would."

"Of course/On it!" Jade and Floyd agreed.

Azul crouched down to see to Devon as Jade, Floyd, and Grim moved to dispatch the Scarabia patrols. He called her name a few times and while she looked in his direction each time, she didn't seem to be able to focus on him and she never said anything in response to him. "You're lucky I'm proficient in healing magic, Dev," Azul muttered quietly as he held his staff over her. The greyish crystal near the top began to glow gently and Devon's eyes slowly became more focused. Once she began looking around, taking in her surroundings as she grew more alert, Azul began to ease up on the magic.

"Hey Azul," Devon greeted with a smile once she finally recognized Azul. Her smile widened when she caught sight of Zephyr, who was hovering protectively nearby. "And…Zephyr?! Okay, I'm almost afraid to ask, but what happened?"

"You tell us," Azul replied. "No sooner does Zephyr sneak in looking for you and Grim because apparently you've been missing for the better part of three days than you quite literally crash into the lounge of Kalim's magic carpet pursued by a bunch of Scarabia students, getting yourself a mild concussion in the process. I'd say we're the ones who are owed an explanation, which I will happily accept as payment for healing you."

"Heh. Fair enough," Devon agreed. "Thanks for healing me, by the way." Despite his usual business-like tone, she could see in his eyes that he was relieved she was back to herself. Zephyr chose that moment to let her know that Azul had been genuinely concerned upon learning that she and Grim had disappeared as well as seeing the sorry state they were in after the crash. "And for worrying about us."

"What makes you think I-" Azul began, only to cut himself off when he saw Zephyr pulsing mischievously and floating in circles around Devon's head. He sighed, realizing there was no point in arguing. "Nevermind. I don't know why you sound so surprised. It's hardly unusual to be concerned for one's companions."

Devon was about to respond, but a loud crash pulled their attention to the battle raging behind them. Apparently Floyd had thrown one of the Scarabia students into a table with enough force to break it in half.

"Floyd! That table was mahogany!" Azul scolded.

"Aha~! Whoopsie," Floyd replied unapologetically.

"Grr… Seems we have no choice but to retreat," Scarabia A growled as he struggled to his feet. "Fall back, everyone!"

"We'll remember this!" Scarabia B added as they finally left the lounge.

Floyd gave them his signature unhinged grin. "That's right. Go ahead and run along home, small fry! Aha ha ha ha!"

"We will be eagerly awaiting your next visit," Jade added, ever the professional.

"Myah ha! That sent 'em packin'!" Grim cheered. "Get wrecked, ya buncha jerks!"

"While I do hate to rain on your parade," Azul began, getting Grim's attention, "I'm afraid we're going to have to bill you for the repairs to the tables and chairs that were damaged during that little skirmish, to say nothing of our own labor rate since we were dragged into your fight."

"What?!" You're seriously plannin' on chargin' us?!" Grim shouted incredulously before taking in the damaged tables and chairs around them, one of them still on fire, though-surprisingly enough-not from Grim's flames. "I thought we were friends, Azul!"

"It's a small price to pay for rescuing you from what was sure to be an unpleasant fate, wouldn't you agree?" Azul retorted. "Especially considering the state Devon would likely be in had I not healed her."

Devon rolled her eyes playfully. She'd spent enough time with Azul to be able to see past his posturing. She was well aware that he had no intention of charging them for anything, though he'd no doubt want to know where exactly to place the blame for the incident so he could bill that party for the mess in the lounge.

Unfortunately, Azul's intent seemed lost on Grim. "Maaan… Getting dragged into all that Scarabian infighting was bad enough, but now we gotta deal with this?! There ain't a single nice guy in this whole school, I tell ya!"

Azul tilted his head inquisitively. "…I'm sorry, come again?" He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose using his middle finger. "What was that about Scarabian infighting? And what do you mean you were dragged into it?"

Devon pulled in a breath. "That's why we've been missing for so long. It's kind of a long story, so settle in…"

"I see…," Azul said once Devon and Grim had finished their tale. "So Scarabia's dorm leader has been out of control since final exams ended?"

"Yeah! And it's gettin' worse by the day!" Grim replied. "He's runnin' his dormmates ragged nonstop!"

"I…can't say I expected to hear that about Kalim, of all people," Azul commented, looking genuinely disturbed by what they'd told him.

Next to him, the twins looked similarly shocked. "For real. Didn't think Sea Otter had it in him."

"I never got that impression of him, either," Jade agreed.

"His vice dorm leader's got his hands full tryin' to keep the chaos from boilin' over," Grim supplied. "Jamil's a pretty decent guy, which ain't all that common at this school. Dev and I can't help feelin' bad for him."

"We've tried to reach the headmaster, but he's conveniently unavailable," Devon grumbled. "The guy's, like, the peak example of a deadbeat dad."

"Mmhmm…," Azul hummed in thought as he processed everything Devon and Grim had shared, the gears turning in his mind.

"Azul, you're in Jamil's class, are you not?" Jade asked.

"I am, yes," Azul confirmed. "We also share a number of electives, so our paths cross rather frequently. Grim might be onto something when he says Jamil is a rarity at this school. He's…rather demure and poised, one might say. He doesn't stand out much, nor does he make attempts to draw attention to himself."

"It's true. I'm in Basketball Club with Sea Snake and I don't think I've ever seen him make risky or showy plays," Floyd added. "I had no idea he was Scarabia's vice dorm head, but then again I don't really care enough about the other dorms to pay attention."

"And now he's being run ragged by his dorm leader's antics, is he? Hmm…" Azul smiled brightly. "Well then, it seems I have no choice but to come to their aid."

Devon and Grim exchanged a look. "Say what? Did you hit your head or somethin'?" Grim asked.

"You wound me, Grim," Azul replied with a feigned hurt expression. "I'll have you know that I've taken the time to reflect on greed after the, ah, incident and have emerged a changed man. All I want now is to follow in the Sea Witch's footsteps and contribute to the school as a whole. As things stand, Scarabia is in the midst of a crisis and my own classmate is suffering because of it." His grin became more unhinged. "And can I claim to embody the spirit of benevolence if I ignore them in their time of need?"

The twins' smirks grew as well, eager for a new opportunity to cause chaos.

"I have to hand it you, Azul," Devon said, "nobody knows how to turn a profit off of other people's problems the way you do."

"Ah, you flatter me, Devon," Azul replied.

"I meant that partly as a compliment and partly as a cry for help," Devon quipped.

"I'll take it," Azul said with a shrug. "It's just as well, I suppose-I've grown bored of staring at the same faces over the same turkey dinner every year. What do you all say we pay Scarabia a little visit tomorrow morning?"

Grim shook his head immediately. "No way! You can't be serious! Dev and I just busted our way outta there and now you want us to march right back in?!"

"C'mon, Sealie, don't be like that," Floyd replied as he ruffled Grim's fur.

"I can understand your hesitation, but have some faith in Azul, you two," Jade added with a smile. "I'm sure he'll make this a holiday to remember."

"That's what we're afraid of," Devon snarked.

"It would be rude of us to visit empty-handed," Azul mused. He turned to the twins. "Jade. Floyd. Make sure our gifts are in order."

"Of course./You got it!" Jade and Floyd replied in unison as unsettling grins stretched over their faces.

"I can certainly think of worse ways to spend our winter break than in a desert," Azul commented as the twins headed off to do…whatever the twins did. "This will be a delightful vacation indeed."

"Thanks for letting us crash here tonight, Azul," Devon said as walked into his room. After the adrenaline from the escape from Scarabia and subsequent battle had worn off, Devon and Grim realized that neither of them had the energy to walk back to Ramshackle for the night. After making a big show about charging them (which Devon knew he wasn't serious about), Azul had offered the pair one of Octavinelle's spare rooms for the night. Now fresh out of the shower and back in her pajamas for the first time in what felt like forever (courtesy of Zephyr's magic), she was really starting to feel how tired she was.

"Think nothing of it," Azul replied, looking over some papers as he sat at his desk. "You gave me quite the shock showing up the way you did, you know."

"Well hey, Jade and Floyd told us we could visit any time," Devon said. "Figured we might as well make an entrance."

Azul chuckled. "Never a dull moment with you, is there?"

Devon smiled, barely suppressing a yawn as she sat down on his bed. "You wouldn't like me nearly as much as you do if I was boring."

"True enough," Azul agreed as he sat down beside her before looking at her with mild concern. "Are you sure you're feeling alright, though? It looked like you hit your head pretty hard when you crashed."

"I'm feeling much better, I promise," Devon assured him as she rested her head against his shoulder. She knew saying as much wouldn't be enough to assuage his worries completely, though. He'd been similarly fretful after he'd come out of his Overblot and realized how close he'd come to squeezing her to death. "If I notice that anything feels off, you'll be the first to know."

The pair sat together in comfortable silence for a while. Devon didn't have much energy to keep a conversation going and she felt herself growing drowsier with each passing second. Azul seemed to pick up on this and remained silent as well, thankful that Devon was someone he was comfortable enough to enjoy the silence with. Ever since they'd become friends, she'd been visiting the lounge more frequently and it wasn't uncommon for him to invite her into the VIP room to hang out with him; she'd work on homework or sketches while he handled his usual business obligations. They could go hours without speaking a word to each other, but still greatly enjoying having the other nearby.

Devon's eyes focused on what looked like a series of framed coins on Azul's wall. "Hey… Do you collect coins, Azul?" she asked sleepily.

"Hmm?" Azul glanced at her, confused until he followed her gaze toward the frame. "Ah, yes I do. There are plenty of shipwrecks in the area of the Coral Sea where I grew up and I found my first coin while exploring one of them. It's been something of a hobby ever since and a lucrative one at that, considering the value of some of the coins I've found."

"Heh. Classic Azul," she replied as she closed her eyes, though she made a mental note of his answer just before she slipped into sleep.

Azul watched her for a moment to see if she'd wake back up again, but it seemed Devon was down for the count. He wasn't surprised; based on what she and Grim had told him, they'd both been through quite the exhausting ordeal the past couple days. "Unbelievable. I go to the trouble of setting you up with our best guest room and you decide to fall asleep in here," he said quietly. It would have sounded like he was chastising her, but the fond smile on his face gave him away. "What am I going to do with you?" He lifted her up in his arms gently before using his magic pull back the covers on his bed. Once he'd made sure she was settled in, he moved to go back to his desk, only to freeze when Devon grabbed onto his wrist.

"It's late, Azul. You should get some rest too," Devon said, her expression an endearing mix of pleading and tired.

Azul pretended to think it over for a moment, but he knew he couldn't refuse her. He changed into his own pajamas via magic and settled in next to her, a warm feeling taking root in his chest as Devon snuggled into him immediately. It wasn't the first time she'd done this and he was growing more accustomed to how physically affectionate she was, but he was still touch-starved enough that he felt his eyes grow misty each time she held him. This time was no different and he was positive Devon heard his breath catch as she hugged him close, but she didn't comment on it. He wrapped his arms around her as well, resting his head on top of hers as he closed his eyes to sleep.

"I take it you're heading off to the castle, Father?" Silver asked as he met Lilia at the door of their cottage to see him off.

"Mmhmm," Lilia replied as he spun excitedly in the air. "I've been eagerly anticipating this trip since the queen first requested that I accompany her. I never could have guessed that I'd get the chance to travel to a completely different world!"

"I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that Queen Maleficia has known Devon and her family for so long," Silver said. "I know we'd already guessed that Devon had a connection to someone from Briar Valley the moment you saw her Sending Stone, but the queen…?" He gave Lilia a slightly suspicious look. "And you truly had no idea?"

"On my honor, I was entirely unaware," Lilia assured, placing a hand over his heart. "From the way she spoke about them, though, I can tell the queen thinks very highly of them. Clearly Devon's parents must have done something right if they were able to raise a daughter like her, so I'm quite looking forward to meeting them as well as her brothers."

"Malleus," Maleficia called as she entered the castle's gardens, quickly finding her grandson tending to his treasured roses.

Malleus straightened up when he heard his grandmother's voice, bowing his head in greeting. "Yes, Grandmother? Is everything alright?"

Maleficia nodded. "Of course, dear. I just wanted to let you know that I'll be leaving the castle for a while today, but I'll be back in time for us to have dinner together. General Vanrouge will be coming as well."

Malleus quirked a brow, perplexed. It wasn't like his grandmother to come to him personally to let him know what her plans were-usually, she would have the castle guards inform him if she thought he needed to know. "I see. Is this some sort of diplomatic trip?"

"Oh, not at all. I'm just going to visit some old friends," Maleficia replied, fighting back the smirk that was forming on her lips. "You see, a few days ago I received a letter from them. It was dated in September," Her expression darkened briefly as she recalled, "but due to some errors in staffing, it took far longer than it should have to make its way to me."

"Whatever the letter said must have given you cause for concern if you're paying them a visit personally instead of calling them here," Malleus commented.

"That's true, but even if I did send them a summons, they wouldn't be able to make it here," Maleficia explained. "Interdimensional travel isn't safe for humans, so that leaves me with no option but to go to them."

"Ah, yes. Well I suppose that makes-" Malleus' eyes widened as he cut himself off, his thoughts shifting immediately to Devon. "Wait, did you say interdimensional? Your friends are from another world?"

Maleficia nodded again, her lips quirking upward as she watched Malleus start to connect the dots. "Indeed, they are. A world that's far less saturated in magic than ours, as it happens. I met them entirely by chance several years ago and I've watched them marry and become loving parents to a beautiful set of triplets."

"Triplets…? You don't say…," Malleus replied. There was no way his grandmother was implying what he thought she was, but it would definitely explain how Devon and her brothers got their blessings and Sending Stones.

"The reason they wrote me was because one of their children-their only daughter-vanished without a trace back in September and they have reason to believe she ended up in Twisted Wonderland," Maleficia continued, pretending not to notice as Malleus tried to make sense of what she was telling him. She let out an exaggerated sigh and shook her head. "I feel awful for them. The way Elena describes it in her letter, the entire Lopez family has been out of their minds with worry since Devon disappeared."

Malleus was about to demand an explanation (as much as he could demand anything from his grandmother, anyway) when a castle guard entered the garden and bowed to the both of them.

"Pardon the interruption, my queen and prince. I'm here to inform you that General Vanrouge has arrived," the guard reported.

Malleus gave his grandmother a questioning look. "Lilia?"

"I thought I'd have him accompany me to New York," Maleficia elaborated. "According to Elena's letter, Devon was able to communicate with her brothers by combining the powers of the Sending Stones and blessings I bestowed upon them with what I can only assume are the magical properties of a mirror where she's been staying. It seems she ended up at Night Raven College, interestingly enough, so I thought it would help allay her parents' worries if they could speak to someone who sees her on a regular basis." She gave her grandson a knowing look. "I'd like to think the two of you would get on rather well if you had the chance to meet. Maybe there's a chance that new friend of yours knows who she is?"

"Grandmother… How did…?" Malleus began, only for the words to die in his throat.

"My apologies, dear, but I really shouldn't keep Lilia waiting," Maleficia said. "I'll tell you all about it when I return!"

With that, she vanished in a sea of green lights, leaving behind one very stunned and confused dragon prince.

Ending Notes: It's been a long time coming but Devon has finally been reunited with Zephyr! And you'd best believe she's not about to anywhere without at least one Wisp ever again. I'm also really glad I finally had a chance to write another scene with Azul and Devon being sweet besties (the first was Devon's little pep talk at the museum).

Poor MalMal! Sweet dragon boy is heckin' bamboozled right now. Once he's done being confused, he'll probably get really pouty that he didn't get to go.

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