A new term meant new class schedules to get used to, so the next few days passed by fairly quickly. The freshman squad had chosen their electives together to make sure they had at least two of them together in every class-even Jack who insisted that he was only going along with this because he wanted to make sure at least one person in each of his classes would pull their weigh in the event an assignment required them to partner up (and who joined in mercilessly teasing Ace was teased relentlessly when it became apparent that he'd made sure that he and Devon were in as many classes as he could). The squad, including Ortho, met up for meals as often as they could as well. In the previous term, Sebek was the one they saw the least as he insisted on sticking by Malleus' side as often as he could, despite Lilia insisting that he should socialize with the other freshmen more often and it looked like that was shaping up to be the pattern for this term as well.

What was shaping up to be different was Epel. Usually he was the first person to suggest meeting up to head to the cafeteria or to head to Ramshackle to hang out, anything to get him away from Pomefiore for a little while. However, the others had barely heard from him since classes started back. He and Jack were in the same class so they spent most of the day together, but Jack had reported that Epel would always rush off to take care of "dorm stuff" as soon as they were dismissed, despite looking like he'd rather be doing literally anything else. All of them were concerned for him, but Devon was doubly worried due the seemingly Pomefiore-themed ink blot vision she'd seen on the first day of the term. She'd sent a couple of texts to Epel asking if he was alright and reminding him that Ramshackle was always open to him if he needed a break, but she hadn't received a response yet. She checked her phone again as she walked into the cafeteria for lunch with Ace, Deuce, and Grim, frowning when she saw that Epel still hadn't responded.

"Myah! I'm starvin'!" Grim complained from his perch on Devon's shoulder as Zephyr hovered over the free one. "Is it just me or does it feel like we're waitin' years for lunchtime to roll around on the days we have P.E. in the morning?"

"Pfft." Ace rolled his eyes. "You say that as if you aren't hungry 24/7 anyway. …Hm?"

"What's wrong, Ace?" Devon asked as she and Deuce followed his gaze toward one side of the cafeteria.

"Looks like there's a crowd gathering near that wall," Deuce observed. "Come on, let's go see what's up." The group made their way over, working their way through the crowd to find a poster on the wall. "Let's see here… "Vocal & Dance Championship... Now accepting auditions"? Oh, that's the big music showcase they put on at the cultural fair every year."

"I've watched it on TV for as long as I can remember. Didn't know the people competing had to audition, though," Ace said. He leaned closer to read the rest of the poster. ""Dancers! Singers! Come one, come all! This is your shot at the big time! Outshine your competition and become a star! If the team representing your school makes it to the final round," His eyes widened as he read the rest, "each member will receive a cut of the fifty thousand Madol prize"?!"

"Fifty thousand?!" Devon, Grim, and Deuce repeated incredulously.

"Yes, indeed! Is it not the most fabulous prize you've ever heard of?!" gushed a voice from just behind them.

"Gah!" The group jumped and whipped around to see Crowley standing there.

"What the heck, headmaster?!" Ace exclaimed. "I know it's practically a running gag at this point, but can you please stop popping up out of nowhere like that?!"

"Oh, I do apologize. It's not my intent to startle you," Crowley replied.

"Bull," Devon muttered under her breath, causing Zephyr to pulse with amusement.

"There's a reason this year's Vocal and Dance Championship has such a lofty prize for the taking," Crowley continued. "There are a number of businesses acting as sponsors for the event, you see. VDC isn't like your typical Pop Music Club contests. The finalists are practically guaranteed to be swamped with offers from record labels and entertainment agencies. Many a competitor have rocketed from obscurity to the ranks of the top artists in the world. It's not a mere matter of school pride-VDC is a high-stakes musical battle that can make or break the entrants' future! And, naturally, the more enticing the prize, the more elites the competition attracts."

"Ah, I get it. If these sponsors end up netting themselves a cash cow, fifty thousand Madol is more or less pocket change," Ace reasoned.

"Think of all the fancy tuna cans I could load up on with all that cash!" Grim exclaimed in excitement.

"Not so fast, Grim. It says the prize is going to be split amongst the team members," Deuce pointed out. "So if there was a four-member group, each person would get…uhhh…" He closed his eyes as he tried to do the math in his head. "Fifty divided by four… Ten… Thirteen…"

"It'd be 12,500 Madol per member," Ace finished for him. "Which means you could buy over 4,000 of those three Madol premium tuna cans, Grim."

"That's still a whole heck of a lot!" Grim replied, still thrilled at the prospect of even being in the presence of that much tuna. He tapped Devon's shoulder eagerly. "Ooh, ooh, Devon! I wanna enter this thing!"

'Boy, you wouldn't even know what to do with all that tuna,' Devon thought as she gave her furry companion an amused smile. "Well, you'll have to pass the audition first."

"Some of the schools competing will select representatives from their various choral or music clubs, but here at Night Raven College, we scout for talent from the entire student body. Hence, the audition," Crowley supplied.

"So in other words," Deuce began, slamming his fist into his palm with an excited smirk on his face, "if you wanna land a spot, you've gotta claw your way to the top!"

"I believe I ought to point out that several representatives from other schools have been preparing for this since last year," Crowley told them, "but I personally think that anyone should have a chance to pursue their dreams of stardom!" He smiled that oh-so-familiar self-congratulatory smile. "Oh my, but I am so very generous! Anyone has the right to participate in the audition so long as they are enrolled here. I'm positively giddy with anticipation to see who will be representing our fair school this year."

With that, the headmaster walked off, humming to himself with a grin on his face. The four freshmen shared a befuddled look before turning to read the rest of the poster.

"It looks like the audition song is 'Piece of My World'," Ace said. "To apply, we need to contact Rook Hunt in Class 3-A."

The image of a blond bob cut and feathered hat popped into Devon's mind at the mention of Rook. The shenanigans with the Ghost Bride hadn't been all that long ago, after all, and Rook wasn't an easy person to forget, anyway.

"Y'know, the more I'm thinkin' about it…this actually sounds kinda rad!" Ace continued. "I figured us sports club guys would be stuck doin' all the heavy lifting behind the scenes, but I guess not!" He looked over at Devon, Deuce, and Grim eagerly. "You guys wanna give this audition a whirl? If we make it in, we won't have to break our backs putting the venue together. Sounds like a win-win to me!"

"That money would definitely help my mother out," Deuce said softly. "I dunno, though. I might be good at athletics, but I've never sung or danced before."

"'Piece of My World' was a huge hit last year, so there's gotta be tons of video tutorials for the dance moves on Magicam," Ace replied. "I'm sure we could get 'em down pat in no time if they're simple enough."

"Dev watches stuff on Magicam all the time! They really do seem to have everything you can think of," Grim added before nodding resolutely. "Okay, that settles it! I'm gonna start practicin' for the audition as soon as classes let out for the day."

"Oh man, this I gotta see," Devon replied. "I should text DJ and Dom too; I know they won't wanna miss this."

Ace blinked. "You're not gonna audition, New York? You're the best dancer out of all of us. You won a competition back in your world, didn't you?"

"I did, but the stress and anxiety it caused me was to almost enough to make me swear off dancing altogether," Devon replied. "I swore I wouldn't do that to myself again, so I don't dance competitively anymore. I'll support you guys 100%, though."

"Count me out too, actually," Deuce said. "I doubt I'd make it through the audition even if we had months to practice."

"Tch. You two are no fun," Ace scoffed.

"More to the point," Deuce continued as if Ace hadn't said a word, "I don't think people have any business auditioning on a whim if they aren't serious about gunning for the top spot."

Ace sighed and shook his head. "It's just an audition, man. You don't have to take it so seriously."

Deuce smirked. "And for another thing, you guys are gonna need a couple of shoulders to cry when you completely bomb it."

"When I said I'd support you guys, I meant win or lose," Devon teased as she and Deuce shared a quick fist bump.

"You two think you're soooo funny," Ace grumbled. "Just you watch, I'll pass this thing with flying colors!"

"Yeah! That prize money and the tuna it'll buy are as good as mine!" Grim declared emphatically.

"Sure, Grim. Whatever you say," Deuce replied. "Oh hey, we have Potionology after lunch, right? I'm on class duty today, so I need to get the lab and equipment prepped pretty soon. I don't have time to stand around and chat, so let's get our lunches ordered."

"Now that I can get behind! I'm starvin'!" Grim agreed.

After they'd finished eating, the group set out for the Potionology lab, cutting through the courtyard to save time. Grim was currently pouting because Devon refused to carry him to class. She was aware that Grim became sleepy when he was full and she'd learned the hard way that he was almost impossible to wake up if he was allowed to fall asleep before afternoon classes.

"Man, I shouldn't have stuffed myself so much at lunch. I can already feel myself gettin' drowsy," Grim complained as they trudged along.

Ace gave him a warning glare. "You'd better not nod off during an experiment and blow up another beaker."

The sound of someone singing nearby made them stop short. The voice was soft and gentle and there was a slight echo to it, as if the singer was performing in an empty room.

"What's that song?" Deuce asked as everyone looked around to see if they could find the source.

Devon pointed over toward the well near the center of the courtyard, the small trees surrounding it blocking them for getting a clear view to see if anyone was there. "I think it's coming from-"

The voice started up again, just as lovely as before…only for the singer to dissolve into a coughing fit a second later.

"Well that 180'd pretty quick," Ace commented as he and the other approached the well. He was about to call out to the singer so they could all put a face to the voice when a familiar accent reached their ears.

"Ah don't know 'ow he expects me to make mah singin' sound charmin'. I ain't cut out for this kinda thing." The small trees beside the well began to rustle and a head of lavender hair popped out a second later. "Who's there?!" Epel's blue eyes landed on his friends and immediately widened in recognition. "Hey, guys. Did expect to see you out here. Figured you'd be at lunch an' all."

"Sorry to interrupt you," Deuce said apologetically. "We were on our way to class when we heard someone singing…"

"I'm glad we ran into you, though," Devon chimed in. "I don't think any of us have seen you since we all grabbed dinner the day before classes started back. You've had me a little worried, bud."

Epel rubbed the back of his head. "I'm sorry about that, Dev. Really. I know you've reached out and I promise I'm not ignorin' your texts. I've just barely had a spare minute to breathe."

Devon smiled and shook her head. "You don't owe me an explanation. I'm not the type to expect someone to respond immediately; I know you've been busy with Pomefiore things. I'm just glad to see you're okay."

Epel gave Devon a grateful smile. "Thanks, Dev."

"Why were you singing into the well, anyway?" Deuce asked.

"The well has an echo, so it's a good way to hear the sound of your own voice," Epel explained. "Vil told me to practice mah singin' here, so that's what I'm doin'."

Deuce blinked, confused. "Is there some Pomefiore dorm rule that says you have to be a good singer?"

"This isn't Heartslabyul," Ace said. "Our dorm's the only one with crazy rules like that."

"Ace's right. It's not a dorm rule, exactly, but I'm gonna be auditionin' for VDC," Epel told them.

"Really? Right on, Epel!" Deuce replied.

Epel gave Deuce a slight smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Vil wants me to practice mah singin' to make sure it's all sweet an' charmin'." His smile dropped as he closed his eyes, his expression becoming morose as he lowered his voice so only they could hear him. "But honestly, I don't want nothin' to do with no competition…"

"Huh? Then why-?" Deuce began.

"What's this, Epel?" called a voice from across the courtyard, soon followed by the clacking of heels. "Don't tell me your vocal practice to parlay with the pigeons."

Epel's eyes widened as his body went rigid. "Ah!" He reluctantly turned toward his approaching dorm leader. "Vil…"

Vil strode into the courtyard as if he owned it, somehow filling up the entire space with his presence alone. He reached the group of freshmen quickly, though his stride was utterly unbothered and unhurried. He was definitely making his modeling coaches proud; thanks to Valentina, Devon was acutely aware of just how much work went into making any form of exertion look as effortless as Vil was.

"I forgot how intimidating Vil is up close," Ace muttered.

"I feel even smaller just lookin' at him," Grim commented.

"He's definitely got an air about him," Devon agreed as she watched Vil hit their group with a haughty 'you're not even worth the dirt beneath my extremely fashionable shoes' stare, something else she'd seen her cousin pull off plenty of times and it had never failed to infuriate Devon when it was directed at her when they were younger. It was hard for her to be too upset by it this time (much to her surprise) since she'd also learned from Valentina that there was always more going on underneath that look of practiced disdain. "Are we sure he's not royalty too?"

"You there. Spudlings," Vil called out to them.

"Myah!" Grim startled as the group was snapped out of their conversation. "Are you talkin' to us?"

Vil gave Grim a flat look. "Who else would I be speaking to? There are less than two months until VDC. As such, this is a critical time for Epel." His eyes narrowed into a glare. "He has no time to waste playing with you. See that you don't interrupt his rehersals."

Ace glared right back, refusing to back down. "Excuse me?"

"We weren't trying to disrupt anything," Deuce interjected in a placting tone, hoping to keep the situation from getting out of hand.

Epel wasted no time trying to come to his friends' defense. "Don't talk down to 'em like that, Vil! They ain't done nothin' to deserve-" He paused briefly before clearing his throat. "I mean, I was-"

Vil rounded on Epel. "How many times have I told you to avoid improper contractions and double negatives, Epel? These lessons and rehearsals will all be for nothing if you break character every time your temper flares! You'll never become a bright red poison apple at this rate." He sighed before turning to leave, motioning for Epel to follow. "Come along, then. We're leaving."

Epel didn't budge. "But I don't want-"

Vil turned back with a glare as he crossed his arms. "Have you forgotten our agreement? Come along."

"Rrgh…" Epel looked like he was about to argue further but his shoulders slumped in defeat and the defiance left his posture after a short staredown with Vil.

"Whoa, whoa, hold up!" Ace called out to Vil. "I don't care if you are his dorm leader. You're not takin' our friend anywhere he doesn't wanna go!"

"And I don't much appreciate you lookin' down on us like that when you barely even know us!" Grim added.

"G-guys, no! The headmaster's told us repeatedly about getting into fights on campus!" Deuce reminded them.

"Nobody's trying to make this into a fight," Devon assured Deuce before turning her attention to Vil, "but using your authority to force people to do things is beyond ick."

"Just hold on, you guys! I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I'll be fine-" Epel tried to interject.

Vil merely smirked. "Heh. Bold of you to challenge my authority, spudlings. Very well. I suppose this will make for a decent post-meal workout. Come at me, then. I'll make mashed potatoes out of the lot of you."

The "fight" only lasted a few seconds. Ignoring Epel's calls for them to stop, the boys charged at Vil and were knocked flat on their rears before they could even get a spell charged up. Devon, angry about seeing her friends hurt, and Zephyr, always down to cause a little chaos if it meant protecting Devon and (sometimes) Grim, fired off a wind spell in retaliation…only for Vil to deflect it and put Devon on her back as well, all while barely sparing any of them a glance.

"I'm not sure what to be more impressed by: his magic or his poise," Devon commented as she sat back up.

"What an absolutely embarrassing display," Vil scoffed. "Not only were your moves utterly unchoreographed, but they were woefully inelegant, to boot." He finally looked in their direction with the most unimpressed expression he could muster. "If I were grading you all, you'd get a five…out of one hundred. The next time you decide to pick a fight, I'd suggest taking more care to choose someone you actually stand a chance against."

"Are you guys okay?!" Epel asked as he rushed toward them, kneeling down as he looked them over for any serious injuries. "I can't believe you took that beating for my sake."

"My, my. Making me out to be the villain, I see," Vil commented as he stepped closer. "You can stop the unnecessary fussing; the only real damage I did was to their pride. And just so we're clear," He narrowed his eyes at Epel, "this entire situation is your fault, Epel. If you had kept up with your rehearsals over break, none of us would be here right now. There is still much to be done if we want to earn our spots as VDC finalists. You won't reach the top spot by resting on your laurels. Now let's go."

Epel sighed and hung his head, thoroughly cowed and not wanting to cause any more problems for his friends. "Y-Yessir…" He turned to shoot an apologetic look at Devon and the others. "I'm sorry, guys. I'll see you later."

The group watched Vil and Epel walk off, still blown away by how submissive Epel had been acting-the very opposite of the feral country boy they all knew and loved.

"I can't believe Epel still got yoinked away after all that," Grim said as he shook out his fur.

"Seriously. Is there some unspoken rule that says you can't be a dorm head at this school unless you're a total jerk?!" Ace asked rhetorically.

Deuce shook his head woefully. "It was stupid of us to pick that fight. If our dorm leader hears about this, we might lose our heads." He looked in the direction Epel and Vil had walked off in, recalling what Epel had said about wanting no part of the competition. "Vocal & Dance Championship, huh…"

Unbeknownst to the four freshmen, a mysterious figure had been watching them from a perch in a nearby tree. A smile graced his lips as the feather in his hat moved gently in the breeze. "Hmm… How very interesting."

"Devon."

Devon turned at the sound of her name, unable to keep the smile off her face when she saw Silver approaching her. "Silver, hey! I haven't seen you since before everyone left for break."

"Apologies for not keeping in touch, especially considering what you went through over the holidays," Silver replied. "Kalim filled me in on everything in class today."

Devon's smile softened as she shook her head. Count on Silver to feel guilty for something that was completely out of his control. "That's sweet of you, but I don't think anyone could've predicted Jamil's Overblot. Actually, I don't think anyone actually saw any of the Overblots we've faced this year coming until it was too late."

"All the same, I feel like you've had to endure more than your share of Overblots," Silver replied. "That's actually why I came to find you, actually: I might know a way to help keep you safe should you find yourself mixed up in another Overblot."

Devon quirked a brow, intrigued. "I'm listening."

"I'd been meaning to bring it up to you once you found out you could transform your staff, but once Kalim told me you were able to channel your Unique Magic through it-and given how many Overblots you've already faced-I was hoping you'd let me teach you how to use that technique more effectively. From what I've heard, you seem to favor transforming your staff into a sword and…" He gestured to the baton attached to his belt, letting the offer hang.

Devon blinked. "Silver… Are you offering to teach me how to swordfight?"

"That would be part of it, yes," Silver confirmed. He saw the hesitant look on Devon's face and interjected before she could voice the concern he knew was coming. "And before you say anything, I wouldn't have made this offer if I thought it would cut into my guardsman duties. I know you're used to Sebek's, ah, zeal when it comes to defending Lord Malleus, but I personally don't think he needs someone with him all day, every day. If it makes you feel better, though, we can call it a thank you for the mug you made for me."

Devon thought it over for a moment before nodding. The ink blot vision she'd had didn't exactly bode well and there was only so much she could learn practicing on her own. "As long as you're absolutely sure it won't be pulling you away from anything, then yes, I'd really appreciate the help. Jamil's Overblot was the first time I'd ever made anything like that happen and it was…well…"

"Unpolished?" Silver finished for her.

"Completely sloppy," Devon agreed. "My aim was so off, I almost didn't hit him at all. Thankfully, my magic grazing him was enough to get the job done, but I know I can do better."

Silver offered Devon one of his rare, small smiles. "That's the right attitude to have. I'm not doubting what you're capable of, of course, but it sets my mind at ease to know you'll be able to handle your powers with ease should you need to put them to use again."

"So you're Idia, then?" Errin's voice asked through Idia's monitor.

"Y-Yes," Idia replied shakily, unable to read Errin's tone and therefore unsure if he should be afraid. Now that he'd finished the adapters that allowed him and Dominic to game together, they'd been introducing each other to games and media from their respective worlds. After a bit of persuading, Dominic had convinced Idia to join him on the Minecraft server he and his friends had created. Idia had agreed so long as he didn't have to show his face-partly due to shyness and social anxiety and partly because neither he nor Dominic had any idea how they'd explain away his hair. Dominic had given him enough information about his friends since they'd started talking for him to get a read on their personalities and he knew that Errin had a protective streak that would make her the hardest to impress.

"Nice to finally put a voice to the name," came AJ's voice. The others could almost see the mischievous smile on his face. "Dom talks about you all the time."

"…He does?" Idia felt his cheeks get warm as the tips of his hair turned a light pink. He was thankful none of them could see his face.

Harper was the next to chime in. "Oh sure. Talks about ya, swoons over ya, the works. He's been 'head empty, only Idia' for months now."

"I think this might have been a mistake," Dominic commented playfully, though he knew his friends wouldn't say anything to Idia that he wasn't comfortable with. Thankfully, the pair were now comfortable enough with each other to stand a little light teasing and Dominic knew his equally socially anxious friends could tell when to ease off on the teasing. "Whatever, you might as well get this outta your systems now."

"We've just never seen you like this, man," AJ said. "You were so wrapped up in texting him earlier today that you just walked on by when Liam tried to get your attention."

"Multiple times, in fact," Harper added, their glee apparent in their voice.

"I did?/He did?" Dominic and Idia asked simultaneously.

"Mmhmm! It was the best thing we'd seen in a while," Errin replied. "Boy-o was not happy. If there's one thing that'll get Liam's gander quicker than anything, it's being ignored. Especially when it's in favor of someone else."

"And Dom just brushed him aside like broccoli he didn't order," AJ finished.

"Why didn't any of you get my attention? Wait, no, how did you even know I was texting Idia to begin with?" Dominic asked.

"First, why in the world would we pull you away from a conversation you were obviously enjoying so you'd have to look at Liam's stupid face?" Errin retorted, complete with a fake gagging sound for good measure. "He should be happy he gets to breathe the same air as you."

"And the tantrum he came dangerously close to throwing would've been one for the books," AJ added.

"Secondly, we knew you were talking to Idia because of the big, doofy smile you had on your face," Harper chimed in. "I figured it'd be obvious by now from how many times I've cleaned you out when we play Texas Hold 'em, but you have the worst poker face ever."

"…I hate it here," Dominic sighed, earning a laugh from the others.

Once the good-natured teasing was out of the way, the group set about playing the game. Idia, being the quick (video game) study that he was, worked out the controls almost immediately. The conversation flowed easily between the five of them and thanks to Dominic's habit of talking up the people he cared about, neither side felt like they were going in blind.

It took Idia a moment to realize that this was probably the most comfortable he'd ever been talking to a group of strangers. He could definitely see why Dominic adored these three so much; Harper, Errin, and AJ were some of the most genuinely kind people he'd ever met and the welcomed him into the group immediately. They asked questions, of course, mostly about how he knew Devon and about this mysterious invite only school they were attending, but they didn't press him for more details if he gave a vague response and were quick to change the subject if they sensed he might be uncomfortable. All of them also empathized with his dread about delivering his research presentation in person.

"Dude, if you manage to perfect that text-to-speech program, can you toss one my way?" Harper asked. "I would literally give you an arm and a leg if it meant I never had to do any form of public speaking again."

"I'd need to get some sound bytes from you first so I can make a voice bank for you, but if you're okay with that I can absolutely whip one up," Idia replied easily.

"Geez Dom, where have you been hidin' this guy?" Errin asked.

"Heh. You know I'm a selfish guy. Can you blame me for keepin' him to myself for a while?" Dominic retorted playfully.

Idia's cheeks and hair flushed an even darker pink and, unable to stop the lovesick grin from tugging at his lips, he pulled up his hood on instinct despite knowing that none of them could see his face. "A-Actually, I've been w-wondering: how did the four of you meet? Dom told me that he and Harper have been friends since they were kids, but where do Errin and AJ come in?"

AJ laughed. "Ah man, that's a fun story."

"If by fun, you mean borderline traumatic, then sure," Dominic chimed in.

"Basically, AJ and I have known each other since we were little too and we just kinda…meshed ourselves together with Dom and Harper when the four of us were forced out of our comfort zones," Errin explained.

"What happened?" Idia asked. "Dom can't drop a "borderline traumatic" on me and just leave it at that."

Errin giggled before elaborating. "Fair enough. Basically, all of us lucked out-not that we knew it at the time-and ended up in the same class in middle school. I think we all knew of each other without actually knowing each other, if that makes sense. We each kinda kept to our dynamic duos and didn't really talk to anyone else if it wasn't necessary. Our history teacher assigned us all to work in pairs to write up a report and he pulled us each aside separately and specifically said I couldn't pair up with AJ and Dom couldn't pair up with Harper. Something about trying to get us to branch out or whatever."

"What kind of actual monster-?!" Idia exclaimed.

"Right?!" Harper agreed. "I actually thought I was gonna throw up and it must've shown because AJ swooped in out of nowhere and helped me calm down before asking if I wanted to work with him."

"Meanwhile Errin just plopped herself down next to me and started asking about what topics I'd be interested in writing our report on so we could see if we had any in common," Dominic added. "She didn't even give either of us time to feel anxious. The four of us started hanging out together after that and the rest is history. Pun slightly intended."

"Thank goodness for that, because Errin's 'Mom Friend Override' has saved us from having to speak up in restaurants I don't know how many times now," Harper said.

"Mom Friend Override?" Idia asked.

"That's what we call it when Errin's protective-slash-nuturing instincts take precedence over her own anxiety," AJ explained. "Like, if Harper, Dom, or I need more condiments or something when we go out to eat but is too anxious to flag down a waiter or go up to the counter to ask, Errin's almost always the one to step up. It shows itself in other situations too, but that's probably the most common."

"We lucked out hooking up with AJ too," Harper added. "He's always been good at helping everyone stay grounded so we don't get too into our heads about everything."

"Hey, don't sell yourself short, Harpsichord. You always come in clutch for us when we need you," Dominic said. "You don't like confrontation but you straight-up slapped Liam for me at mine and DJ's Halloween party. If that's not a ride-or-die, I don't know what is."

"I think a strong argument could be made for you agreeing to pretend to be my fiancé for an afternoon a couple weeks ago because I wanted to try free cake samples at that wedding expo they have in NYC every year," Errin said, amused. "I'm still amazed we even got in, to be honest, but you committed to the bit the entire time."

Idia snorted a laugh. "If you'd asked me yesterday, I would've said that having people hype you up like that was for normies, but it's extremely on brand for you guys. In the best way."

"Hey, c'mon now. Don't say "you guys" like you aren't one of us now too," AJ chided gently. "If you ever need a hype squad, just let us know."

Idia blinked. "Really? Just like that?"

"I mean, yeah," Harper replied. "Dom's already vouched for you but even if he hadn't, you fit in with us so seamlessly, how could we not snatch you up? We've been needing to add some more brain cells to the group and it's pretty clear you're the smartest one on the server right now."

Idia let out a tiny bashful "Heh" as a soft pinging sound could be heard over the server.

"That's Mama," Dominic reported. "She needs some help bringin' the groceries in, so I've gotta head downstairs for a sec. I'll be back in a minute, guys."

Everyone hummed their assent as Dominic could be heard standing and leaving his room. A minute or two passed before Harper spoke up. "Hey Idia?"

"Yeah?" Idia replied.

"We know this is kinda sappy and we don't wanna embarrass you or anything, but we're really glad you agreed to play with us today," Harper said. "I think Dom would've preferred to introduce you to us one at a time when you were ready since we can be kind of…a lot when we're all together."

"That's part of why we picked Minecraft to play today," AJ continued. "Normally we'd play something a little more competitive, but games like that tend to bring out the ugly in all of us and we didn't want that to be the first thing you were exposed to. First impressions are important."

Idia nearly choked on his soda. "Wait, wait, wait, you guys were worried about making a good impression on me?" That was new. Usually he was the one struggling not to look to awkward in front of…pretty much everyone.

"Is that really so surprising?" Errin asked. "The last thing we wanted was to scare you off, especially since you make Dom so happy."

"I haven't done anything that impressive," Idia tried to deflect, feeling himself flush again.

"But you have," Harper argued. "I've known Dom for forever and I have never, not even before Liam darkened his doorstep,seen him as happy as he's been since he met you."

"You really think so?" Idia asked, fiddling with the strings of his hoodie.

"We know so," Errin replied. "If you're up for it, we'd love to do this again sometime."

"No pressure, though," AJ interjected.

Idia was quiet for a moment as his eyes began to grow misty, genuinely touched. He tried to keep his voice steady as he uttered a sentence he hadn't said since he started gaming with Muscle Red. "I'd love to do this again. I was pretty nervous about meeting you guys too, but Dom adores you all so much that I couldn't help being curious." He smirked. "Next time, though, I wanna see just how competitive you guys get. Let's see if any of you can go head-to-head with me."

A new playful energy overtook the server as everyone voiced their agreement.

"Them's fightin' words, Shroud," Harper replied eager, a smirk evident in their voice.

"Bring it on, Vance," Idia challenged. "Dom's already warned me that you play dirty."

"Hang on, I think Errin's the one you need to watch out for," AJ warned. "Harper at least lets you know they play for keeps; Errin'll just throw you under the bus with no warning or remorse."

"Oh for the love of- Are you still salty about the Overwatch thing? That was one time!" Errin argued.

It was right around this time that Dominic came back up the stairs. He was about to open the door to his room when he heard Idia and his friends laughing and playfully trash-talking one another, prompting him to open the door as quietly as he could and listen to the banter for a few more minutes with the warmest, fondest smile on his face before he announced himself.

"Hey guys, I'm back," he said, shutting his door and sitting back down at his desktop. "Did I miss anything good?"

"Nothin' much, really," Errin replied.

"Just making plans for next time," Idia added.

Ending Notes: And that's how Idia ended up with a whole squad in the span of about two hours. Really all of the triplets' friends from their world are more than willing to provide the hype when it's needed, Madison included once she gets into a better headspace.

I always imagine Madison sounding kind of like Shellsea from Fish Hooks once she mellows out, so I'm probably going to throw some quotes into her dialogue at some point. I have no shame.

Sounds like Liam isn't thrilled that he doesn't have Dom wrapped around his finger anymore. Sure hope that doesn't prompt him to come back and try to cause problems. Something tells me it won't end well for him if he does.

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