Book 1H: The Rose-Red Tyrant:
Alicer looked around as he opened his eyes. A cold, gray scale bedroom and the silhouette of a woman. "Happy eighth birthday, Riddle. This year's birthday cake is made with nuts and lecithin-rich soy flour to improve you cerebral function." the woman was saying.
"Thank you, But, Mom... Just once, I'd like to try one of those tarts covered with bright red strawberries..." A small voice asked.
"Absolutely not! Those tarts are monstrously unhealthy. I might as well feed you poison." the woman snarled. "Even just a single slice would exceed your recommended daily intake of sugar. Now, dinner tonight will be tuna saute rich in DHA and omega-3 fatty acids." She said in a much softer, but firm tone. "Now that you're eight, your caloric intake should be 600 kilo calories per meal, so don't eat more than 100 grams of it. Understood?" She asked.
"Yes, Mom." said the resigned little boy. Alicer felt his heart break.
"I'd always wanted to try one of those tarts with the bright red strawberries." a voice said. He spun around and saw Riddle before him. Gray eyes met his own. "The local cake shop had them in the window. They shined at me like forbidden jewels." he admitted, as the scene playing out before them changed once more- still in that same room.
"That's enough classical magic study for today." the silhouette said. "Your homework is to read the first 50 pages of philosophy of language book referenced in today's magical philosophy texts. You may now have one hour of independent study before your potionology lesson." Riddle's mother said.
"Thank you, Mother." Little Riddle said.
"I need some time to prepare the lesson materials. I will see you in one hour, okay?" she told him. The little boy and his mother disappeared leaving only him and Riddle present in the room one more.
"I was studying every possible subject, scheduled down to the minute. When I didn't understand something, the lesson was extended until I did. That was my 'normal.'' Riddle told Alicer, as once more the younger boy was witness to what Riddle had gone through.
They were once more in that room that Riddle spent most of his childhood in. The silence was broken by knocking on glass. "...Is someone knocking on the window?" Little Riddle wondered, confused.
"Whoa, he heard us!" Alicer's eyes widened at the voice of Little Trey.
"Hey, come play with us!" Little Che'nya called.
"Who are you?" Riddle asked.
"I'm Che'nya and that's Trey. Let's all play croquet! Oh, but it's LOTS of fun!"
"I can't, I'm supposed to be doing independent study, and I have a lot of homework to do."
"Independent study means you pick what to do right? My grandpa says play is a form of study!" Che'nya said excitedly.
"Just play with us for a little bit!" Little Trey insisted. Little Riddle gave the door a nervous look.
"O-okay... Just a little, though!" Riddle agreed.
"Hey, what's your name?" Trey asked, making Alicer chuckle at that.
'Of course they would invite another kid to play, even with out knowing their name.' He shook his head as Riddle nervously giving them his name.
"I had the best time playing with Trey and Che'nya. We did so many things I'd never done before." Riddle told Alicer with a fond smile on his face. "They taught me lots of things I didn't know. After that, I snuck out of my room every day to play with them during independent study time."
"What? You've never even tried a strawberry tart? They're out of this world." Alicer looked at the beautiful rose garden they were in, and the little Che'nya and Trey.
"Yeah, my mom says sugar is basically poison." Alicer gave a sad smile at the boy.
"I mean, you probably shouldn't eat too much of it, but calling it 'poison' is kinda... yikes." Trey told the boy. "You know, my family runs a cake shop. Let's go get a tart right now!" Trey said excitedly.
"Really? But... I shouldn't." Riddle sounded so unsure and it broke Alicer's heart.
"Just one slice. It'll be fine." Trey insisted.
"One slice for YOU, maybe. I want a whole one!" Che'nya exclaimed excitedly.
Alicer looked at Riddle. "A bright-red strawberry tart on a white plate. To me, it shined more brightly than any gem could. That first bite was so sweet. It tasted like nothing I'd ever eaten before." Riddle's smile widened, and warmth bloomed in his chest as happiness filled them both. "With each bite I became more entranced... and completely lost track of the time." Riddle winced as the next memory came up.
"I cannot believe this! Not only are you cutting independent study time, but I find you eating a mountain of sugar?!" She growled at the poor boy. "Those two hoodlums must have incited this behavior. You must never play with them again!"
"I'm sorry, Mother! I promise, it will never happen again." Riddle said tearfully.
"Be quiet! You've broken the rules, and I'll not hear another word from you. Clearly, you're not able to handle the freedom of independent study. I need to keep a closer eye on you." She said coldly. Alicer felt his chest hurt at the hurt look in his Riddle's eyes as the room disappeared and they found themselves in a white void.
"Because I broke the rules, my favorite part of my day was taken away from me. I vowed to never break my mother's rules again. After all, she was the most accomplished mother in the city, and therefore, the most correct." But Riddle didn't sound so sure about it now. Riddle closed his eyes. "But Mom... Why?" Riddle clenched his fists. "Why does my heart hurt so much?" He asked as tears flowed down his face, and Alicer stepped up and hugged the boy around his middle. Riddle clung to the shorter boy. "I want to eat a tart! It's my birthday, so can't I have some just this once? I want to play outside all day long! I want to make lots and lots of friends! Tell me, please, what rule do I need to follow to make this pain go away?" Alicer held the boy tighter as the void around them began to disappear.
"You didn't deserve that Riddle. No child does. Your mom was wrong. You have to accept that." he told the red head before him, and darkness took them as he felt Riddle nod.
Alicer groaned as he woke up, pain radiating through his body. "Ali, you idiot! Are you okay?" several voices cried. Alicer ignored them, unable to move at the moment.
"Riddle!" he and Trey cried at once as he sat up.
"Gah!" Riddle gave a gasp as he awoke.
"He's back!" Ace cried in relief.
"Well, it's about time... We were just about losing our heads- figure of speech, sorry- cause we weren't sure either of you would wake up." Cater said. And Riddle's eyes clenched close.
"What in the world happened?" Riddle asked.
"Ah, Mr. Rosehearts and Alicer appear to have regained consciousness. Excellent." Crowley said, reappearing and sounding relieved.
"How do you feel Riddle?" Alicer asked, Riddle looked at him and his eyes widened.
"That wasn't some weird hallucination, was it?" He asked, voice cracking. He shook his head, his eyes full of warmth that made Riddle look away.
"Don't worry, Riddle. You and Ali just try to rest." Trey told the boy.
"Yo, that's just the sort of coddling that led to him going nuts in the first place!" Ace cried. "Now the garden is torn from the floor up, not to mention that we all could've died!"
"He's right." Deuce agreed. "It was looking bad for a while there."
"For crying out loud. When you humans let that stress build up, the results sure ain't pretty."
Riddle looked shaken. His eyes found Alicer's who gave his hand a squeeze. "Stop keeping it all in, Riddle. You have people here for you." he said softly.
"The truth is, I... I really wanted to eat the chestnut tart." Riddle finally admitted. Ace raised a brow, unsure if he had heard that correctly. "And I don't care if the roses are white or the flamingos pink. And I prefer honey in my tea and I like milk tea better than lemon tea anyhow." Riddle raised a hand to wipe at his eyes that started stream as he let out everything he had kept inside. "And after a meal, I want to be the one sitting around talking with everyone..."
"Riddle?" Trey asked, eyes wide as he heard what Riddle was saying.
"And I really wanted to play with you and Che'nya more..." And Riddle began to full on sob, finally letting all of his repressed emotions and thoughts free, clinging to Alicer who hadn't moved from his spot next to Riddle where he had awoken.
"Riddle Rosehearts, in tears...Hashtag#WOW." Cater said in shock.
"You think a few crocodile tears is all it'll take for me to forgive you?" Ace asked.
"Give the guy a break, Ace." Deuce sighed.
"I'm sorry, Riddle. I knew you were suffering and all I did was pretend not to notice." Riddle shook with his sobs. "So I'm gonna say what I should have said earlier. Your way of doing things was wrong, and you owe everyone an apology."
"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry." Riddle told them, starting to calm down.
"I know I've been saying I wanted an apology from Riddle, but now that I got one, you know what?" Alicer raised a brow. "One stupid 'I'm Sorry!' doesn't even come close to making up for what he did!" Ace cried.
"DUDE! Way to be a capital J- Jerk." Cater cried.
"And proud of it!" Ace retorted, making Alicer snort. "Have you forgotten how he made a total fool outta me? Have you forgotten how he just threw away that chestnut tart we worked so hard on!? How he attacked us? How he attacked Ali!? That ain't something you can make go away with a few tears and a flimsy 'I'm sorry!'"
"Wow, I ain't ever met a human who was better at holding grudges than I am." Grim said.
"Then- then what do you want me to do?" Riddle asked, sincere in his desire to make up for everything he had done.
"You know, I don't have a birthday coming up anytime soon." Ace said conversationally.
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Deuce asked.
"So I demand a do-ever for the un-birthday party! Except this time, we ain't gotta do squat. This time, YOU'RE the one who brings the tart! And no getting Trey to make it for you! Do that, and then things are square between us." He said. Alicer raised a brow,
"Except, didn't you have lots of help making YOUR tarts...?" he asked innocently.
"Quiet from the peanut gallery!" Ace snapped in embarrassment. "What do you say, Riddle? We clear?" Ace asked.
"Yes, we're clear." Riddle said.
"Ah, yes. Compromise is a beautiful thing." Crowley said with a smile, before turning to the two boys who were still on the ground. "However, Mr. Rosehearts will need to be admitted to the infirmary for the night. Overblot is not to be taken lightly and he needs to rest." He added, as he waved his hand and everyone's injuries were healed. "I won't make you go to the infirmary tonight Alicer, but I do expect you to rest tonight. Forging sudden bonds is an exhausting experience, I'm sure." Alicer nodded his acceptance and gave Riddle a small smile.
"Whelp, looks like we have some cleaning to do." Cater said. "All that time spent making the garden MagiCam worthy and now it's a total tire fire. Lame." Cater said.
"I'll help you out." Trey said.
"No, why don't you get Riddle to the nurse's office? As the Headmage said, that was a full case of overblot and it's not to be taken lightly."
"Mr. Diamond is correct. I will go along with you. Alicer, I will check in on you later this evening. You better be resting when I do."
"Yes sir."
"Thank you sir." Trey said. Alicer and the others watched after the two students and Headmage as they made their way out of the garden. It was quiet for a few minutes.
"Man am I STARVED after using so much magic!" Grim said, before something caught his eyes. "Hey, chick it out!" Grim exclaimed. Sure enough, it was another black magestone. "It's just like the one we found in the Dwarfs' Mine!"
"You're right. I wonder where it came from?" Deuce muttered.
"Just don't put it in your mouth this time." Ace said, sounding tired and resigned.
"NO WAY. After how great the last one tasted, I can't get it in my mouth fast enough." Grim said, and then it went into his mouth.
"And there it goes."
"Oh Grimmy... Have some self-respect, honey! That was literally trash." Cater said, disbelieving of what he had witnessed.
"Rich and sweet with a complex hint of bitterness in the aftertaste. Equally delicious, but with quite a different mouthfeel form the last one I ate."
Alicer looked at the sky above, getting questioning looks from his friends. "I guess this is just a thing now?" he asked the heavens rhetorically, causing them to snicker as he seemed resigned to his fate.
"As a monster, maybe his stomach works differently than ours?" Ace asked.
"Even still, eating trash can't be good for anyone." Deuce said.
"I just tried the grass, and the flavor was surprisingly pleasant! Crisp, even!" Grim said enthusiastically.
"That's our lawn, don't eat that!" Deuce scolded.
Alicer sighed. "He's like a child." he muttered, but no one heard him.
"Uh, A-F-K while I go throw up." Cater said, before giving the freshmen a soft smile. "But... seriously guys. Thanks." he whispered to himself.
"Did you just say something?" Ace asked.
"Nope. Not a thing." Cater grinned as they all began to get to cleaning, though none of them allowed Alicer to do heavy lifting. But it was fun all the same, even as Alicer glanced constantly in the direction Crowley and Trey had taken Riddle. Finally, a half hour later, Cater sighed. "Ali, the Headmage said that you and Riddle forged a bond, right?"
"Yes. Why?" he asked, looking away from the castle once more.
"It's obvious that being separated from Riddle so soon after your bond was formed is making you antsy. And if it's bad for you, it's probably just as bad for Riddle, if not worse, considering his emotional stability being shaky after a case of overblot." Cater gave the small boy a reassuring smile. "We can watch over Grim for you. Get to the infirmary and check on Riddle." Cater said. Alicer looked at the other boys and the trio nodded.
"Thanks you guy." he said, before making his way to the school. He found himself in front of the infirmary door less than ten minutes later and he knocked before entering. Riddle's leg was bouncing and his hand was twitching. Trey and Crowley seemed unsure about what to do. Then Alicer entered and the moment Riddle saw him, his shoulders relaxed and he immediately calmed. "Hey. How are you doing?"
"Better now." Riddle said with a relieved smile.
"Ah, the bond... I guess that makes sense." Crowley said.
"Cater said something about that as well." Alicer said, confused, before sitting next to the red headed boy who scooted as close as possible to the smaller one.
"What did you mean by that Headmage?" Riddle and Trey asked.
"Alicer is a beast master. It means he can form bonds with others- mortals, monsters, fae, and so on... These bonds form over time. Tell me, did Alicer witness something within that thorn wall I was told about?" Crowley asked. Riddle blushed.
"He may have witnessed some of my childhood." Riddle admitted.
"I see. So the bond between you two wasn't made over time, but suddenly. However, that doesn't lessen the bond you two have. I think it may have even made the bond between you two stronger than a normal bond. Which means, not having kept the two of you together so soon after such a bond was formed was an oversight on my part. Alicer, you will stay with Mr. Rosehearts here in the infirmary for the night. That should keep the two of you from any undue stress. I'll have Grim stay in Heartslabyul House for the evening with Mr. Trappola and Mr. Spade." Crowley told them.
"Thank you Headmage sir." Alicer and Riddle said together. By the time the un-birthday party rolled around a few days later, the garden was restored to it's former glory, the weather was beautiful, and Riddle and Alicer's bond had stabilized and strengthened. The two could feel a burst of emotion from each other every now and then, with how strong the bond had become. Everyone was excited for the party and looking forward to it. Alicer had returned to his own dorm the day before and had accompanied Grim to the party as everything got underway.
"All hail our leader, the Red Sovereign himself- Housewarden Riddle."
"We salute you Housewarden Riddle!" The atmosphere around Heartslabyul House was much more relaxed and more at ease as the days had passed. Riddle had apologized to all of his house mates for his behavior previously, and was working- with Trey and Alicer's help- to let go of the more innocuous rules when they were broken.
"Hm. The garden roses are red, the tablecloths are white... this seems a most proper un-birthday indeed." Riddle said with a small smile. "Is there a dormouse asleep in the tea- er, well, it doesn't matter either way." Riddle gave a sheepish chuckle.
"Not everything has to change completely, you know." Trey comforted the boy. "Like, maybe spread the jam of your scones, instead of the dormouse this time?" Trey gave a little chuckle. "Let's try to set the bar at 'It's great if it's this way,' not 'it absolutely has to be this way?'" Trey told him.
"Yes, that makes sense." Riddle agreed, and Alicer felt that warmth in his chest, unable to tell if it was his happiness or Riddle's own. But a glance shared between the two of them, showed that it didn't matter. They were both happy in that moment.
Ace gave a sigh. "I can't believe we got roped into cleaning up and prepping the garden again." Ace said in despair.
"Well, at least the Housewarden recovered for his overblot without any complications." Deuce said with a smile.
"And the garden is MagiCam- worthy once again!" Cater said exuberantly. "Hashtag #nofilter on this gorgeousness."
"Blah blah blah! Let's just eat already." Grim said excitedly.
"Then eat we shall! I'll get the-" Cater began.
"Wait a minute!" Riddle said, spotting something. And Alicer could feel the burst of playful amusement coming from the boy. "There's a white rose...!" Riddle said, fighting a smile.
"We missed one?!" Ace cried.
"Ace! Deuce! I told you to make sure to paint every rose!" Cater cried.
"Wait, this is our fault?" Deuce asked in disbelief.
"R-Riddle." Trey began. "Listen..."
"Oh no. Not again...?!" Alicer cried, joining his red-haired friend in his play. Riddle began to laugh, Alicer's willingness to play along too much to keep a serious face.
"Well... I suppose I can over look one or two missed roses." he laughed, Alicer joining in.
"R-really? That's so generous of you Riddle!" Cater said.
"If we work together, we should be able to get them painted in no time."
"What? They still gotta be painted?" Ace cried.
"Even so... I'm impressed. You've changed Riddle." Trey said with a grin.
"For the better, I believe." Riddle said, giving Alicer a meaningful glance. "I have you all to thank for that."
"I'm starving here! Let's get these stupid roses painted or whatever!" Grim called. Riddle nodded.
"Alright, is everybody ready?" Riddle asked.
"Yes!" Alicer replied, already grabbing can of red paint and a brush that had been left on the side behind one of the bushes.
"When's the last time you did the painting Riddle?" Trey asked.
"Hard to say. I've usually allowed the other students to do the painting."
"It's kind of fun, but not as fun as letting a bunch of clueless freshmen do it." Cater said.
"Wait, do you mean us?" Ace asked.
"With all the painting I've done, I'm gonna wipe the floor with Riddle." Grim said cockily.
Riddle gave snicker. "We'll see about that." Riddle played along. And they began to paint the roses. It was fun watching everyone getting along as they painted and had fun. "That coat is much too thin- make it thicker and don't miss anything." Riddle ordered playfully.
"Y-yes sir!" Deuce called.
"You're still so demanding." Ace grumbled. "I thought we agreed to chill out more." Ace said.
"He might be more chill, but he wouldn't be Riddle if he wasn't a perfectionist." Cater said.
"Like I say, if you're going to do something, do it perfectly." Riddle said with a smug smile. "I want the very best party. That means no cutting corners." he added. They continued their fun until the reached the last bush and Riddle turned every rose red. "That's how it's done."
"Geeze Louis that's some persistence!" Ace cried in awe.
"You've certainly proven you can lead by example." Deuce added.
"Applied magic is Riddle's specialty." Trey said. "They look great Riddle." Trey and Alicer said.
"They ought to... Now, let the un-birthday party commence." Riddle said, ignoring the swelling of pride he felt at Trey and Alicer's compliment- and Alicer chuckling at said ignorance.
"So, what happened to that tart, Housewarden?" Ace asked Riddle expectantly, making Alicer laugh at the image of a puppy wagging his tail in excitement that popped into his mind. Professor Crewel may have been rubbing off on him a little too much. In the past week and a half since they had become students, Crewel had quickly become one of Alicer's favorite teachers. He was patient with him, since he desperately wanted to learn. And he had an aptitude for the subject.
"I made it for you, as I promised I would." Riddle assured, going to a table and taking the one he made off of it. He handed it over to Ace. "One strawberry tart, crafted by yours truly."
"Nice! The shape's a little off, but I can tell you put a lot of work into that glaze." Trey complimented. "A fine job for indeed, especially considering it was your first."
"Oh, puh-leeze." Ace said with a grin. "How about we actually TRY it, before you start fawning over him, Trey?" Ace asked in amusement.
"Hold it! Don't you start cutting that before I get my MagiCam snap!" Cater said. "Okay, got it."
"I see Cater hasn't changed a bit either. All right, let's dig in!" Ace said excitedly. They all took bites from their slices of tarts. Alicer's eyes widened.
"This is kinda..." Trey and Cater said.
"Salty!" Everyone cried.
"What?" Riddle cried in shock.
"This isn't KINDA salty- it's full on salt-lick! What did you put in this?" Ace asked.
"But I followed the rules exactly, and measured everything precisely! Unless...OH?!" he realized. "Could it be... from the oyster sauce?" He wondered. Deuce choked.
"Wait... did you actually use that Walrus-brand oyster sauce Trey jokes about?" Deuce asked.
"But Trey said the oyster sauce is an unlisted secret ingredient in all tarts!" Riddle argued. "He said all the finest bakers use it..."
"And you actually believed him?" Ace asked. "How could you not tell he was joking?"
"You fell for it too Ace." Alicer laughed. "Besides, it's an... interesting, flavor profile." he suggested.
"Even if you believed the joke, it was only supposed to be a splash. How much did you put in?" Cater asked.
"It's an unlisted ingredient! How could I measure it if he wouldn't tell me how much to put in?" Riddle asked, looking away embarrassed. And Trey burst into laughter, doubling over.
"I can't believe someone actually fell for the ol' oyster sauce prank!" Trey gasped out. Riddle and Alicer couldn't help their own laughter.
"Yes, quite humorous indeed. I truly am a fool." Riddle laughed, leaning against Alicer for support as warmth filled them both.
"It really is so disgusting that it's actually kind of funny!" Deuce agreed.
"Yeah and what else can we do but laugh?" Ace agreed.
"You know, in it's own weird way, I think it's actually kind of good." Grim told them.
"Right? It isn't half as bad as you'd think." Cater agreed.
"Seriously? You're agreeing with Grim, Cater? He literally eats garbage off the ground!" Deuce cried.
"Look, I'm not saying it's amazing or anything." Cater insisted.
"But you like it because it isn't sweet, right?" Trey asked in amusement. Cater looked taken a back. "You've never really liked sweet things, right?" Alicer looked at Cater in surprise.
"Really, not at all?" he asked in curiosity.
"Yeah, you got me. But how did you figure it out? I never told anyone."
"Because you casually bring up my 'Paint the Roses' spell every time we're eating sweets." he grinned. "You hide it pretty well, but that was a giveaway." Trey informed the orange haired boy.
Cater hid his face in his hands. "My secret is out! This is so embarrassing! Especially after what happened to you and Riddle." He shook his head while Alicer gave his shoulder a condolence pat. "I should have learned by now that keeping your feelings on the DL is not a great idea." he gave a sheepish smile to them.
"How about I cook up a quiche for the next un-birthday party?" Trey asked with a grin.
"That sounds totes amazing to me. Just make sure they're as photogenic as the tarts!" Cater grinned. Alicer looked over to the seat on his left when he felt a magic begin to build up.
"Your baked goods are always so delightful Trey!" Che'nya said, munching on a tart that Trey had made.
"Che'nya? What are you doing here?" Riddle asked in surprise.
"Hm? I came to celebrate my un-birthday with all of you! Especially Ali." Che'nya said, getting so close to the Ramshackle Prefect he was curling against his side. "A very merry un-birthday to you, Ali. A very merry un-birthday to you, Riddle!" he grinned. Riddle scowled at the other boy.
"The un-birthday party is a Heartslabyul House tradition. It does not pertain to you." Riddle denied.
"And those two? What about them?" Che'nya asked with a Cheshire grin as he indicated Alicer and Grim.
"Ali and Riddle are bonded and Grim is Ali's bonded familiar/ student." Trey replied.
"Oh, a beast master?" Che'nya grinned at the boy who gave a sheepish smile.
"Ali is my henchman!" Grim denied, before turning on Che'nya. " And hey! You're the weird semi-invisible cat guy from before?" Grim asked. "So you never told us- what dorm are you from?" Grim asked.
"Oh, Che'nya isn't even a Night Raven student. He's a student at our long-time rival school, the Royal Sword Academy." Trey told them.
"What! You go to a different school?" Deuce cried.
"The freaking Royal Sword Academy, no less?" Ace added on.
"So, there are other magic academies?" Alicer asked in curiosity. Their conversation had attracted the attention of the other students.
"Did that guy just say the 'Royal Sword Academy'?" Someone asked.
"He's one of those pompous jerk-faces!"
"What? Who's from Royal Sword? We gotta run 'em outta here!"
"Well, now that I've tasted some tart, perhaps I should see myself out." Che'nya purred to Alicer before disappearing.
"He's running for it!"
"After him! Don't let him get away!"
"Whoa, everyone turned blood thirsty real quick." Grim said with a shiver.
"The vast majority of Night Raven College students perceive the Royal Sword Academy as the enemy." Riddle explained for their benefit, pulling Ali's chair closer and putting a non-salty tart on it.
"No surprise, given that they've kicked our butts every year for a hundred years strait..." Trey added.
"Hey, stop harshing the vibe! This is supposed to be a day celebration. Can't we all just enjoy our un-birthdays?" Cater asked.
"Merry un-birthday or whatever! I'm gonna eat til my stomach explodes!" Grim exclaimed happily, making them all laugh. Alicer grinned as he was unable to help snapping a picture of everyone, peace filling him, unaware of what was to come.
In the Savanaclaw Dorm, in the Housewarden's room:
"Aww, sounds like those Heartslabyul twits are having some kind of feast today. Must be nice." a boy with hyena ears said. "How come Savanaclaw doesn't have any traditions that involve eating lots of free foods?" Ruggie asked the other boy in the room with him.
"Bah, it's a beautiful day and they're stuffing their faces with cookies and cake?" Leona asked. "Grossing me out over here." he grumbled. "Anyway, Ruggie. You know that's not what I'm here to ask you about."
"Ah, that. Just leave it to me, Boss." The boy replied. "All the preparations are proceeding smoothly." Ruggie assured him.
"Then those fools won't be happily guzzling tea for much longer. That goes double for that snob Malleus. They got no idea what's coming..." Leona said, sounding pleased as a punch before he began to laugh.