I thank KatherineOzawa of Wattpad for helping me.
Back at the lounge, all three were silent as they sat around on the furniture. No one said a word, only drinking the water or tea Niho got out for each of them to quench their thirst. Jack only took a few sips of his water before putting the glass down on the table and spoke up first.
"I think it's safe to say that everybody with an anemone stuck on their head gambled on Azul's contract and lost. The terms of said contract were apparently to place in the top 50. But with the sheer number of students signin' on most of them never stood a chance of getting in at all. That was Azul's game from the start."
"I DID find it weird that Grim managed to score over 80 on a test." Niho muttered, her hands wrapped around a mug of ginger tea that she barely touched.
"I mean, c'mon! If you're gettin' good grades off someone else's work, what does that even prove? You're throwin' away a perfectly good opportunity to show others what you're capable of. Frankly, you're cheating yourself." Jack continued to rant. Rajni set down her own cup and calmed Jack down with a hand on his bicep,
"But it wasn't as if they had a little answer sheet on them while the test was going on."
Niho nodded, "Getting a little extra help isn't cheating."
"If the rest of the student body here were as principled and tedious… I mean, as "serious" as you, it would spare me such grief!" A new, but familiar, voice perked up.
"WHOA! Headmage?! You startled me!" Jack nearly flew out of his seat from the miniature jumpscare and knocked over the water glass, but saved it due to fast reflexes.
"So transpires another year of me being unable to clamp down on Ashengrotto's little "side business." Crowley sighed with forlorn.
"What do you mean, "side business"?" Niho narrowed her eyes at the bird man with suspicion.
"Azul Ashengrotto: Sophomore. Housewarden of Octavinelle Dorm." Crowley recited by memory. "Much like Rosehearts, he is a highly capable student already running a dorm as a sophomore, but he's a bit- no, I dare say QUITE a bit troublesome."
"'A bit'?" Rajni mocked with scorn.
"Are you talking about him swindling people? Seems to me like one word from the headmage could put a stop to the whole thing." Jack joined in on the suspicious air around the girls, and glared at Crowley accusingly.
"Ah, but it is precisely BECAUSE I am in a teaching position that I cannot prohibit his actions." Crowley added, making Jack even more on guard.
"Why not?"
"...Here's the thing about those study guides that Ashengrotto handed out to the students. There was no illegitimate activity involved in their production. Nobody snuck looks at test questions or answers beforehand. It was crafted exhaustively by hand, after researching the past century's worth of Night Rave College exam questions and their patterns. In other words, it's an entirely legitimate study guide."
"A century's worth of test questions?!" Niho gaped in the relevance. She felt like It should be customary that whenever schools take exams, the answer guide sheet should be subject to change with the questions that come year round! Basically, new waves of students should be answering far different questions than their predecessors! Otherwise, what was the point?!
" Huh. Well, I'll be. If he did all that by hand, the guy's got chops. Hm? Wait… So the problem is that there IS no problem with it?" Jack inquired, interrupting her thought process.
"You strike right to the heart of the matter, Howl. As a teacher, I can hardly prohibit a student from crafting an exam study guide via honest work. Nor can I prohibit a student from "kindly" sharing their notes with friends."
"Told you it wasn't cheating." Niho cracked a smirk up at Jack and his eyes rolled.
"If you did, you'd basically be tellin' students, "no studying" AND "no helping your buds." Grr… Talk about a seriously briny pickle." Jack grumbled.
"That it most certainly is." Crowley nodded with understanding.
"And earlier you said "another year," yeah? Did the same thing happen last term?" Jack pushed.
"Indeed it did. Of course, last year his study guides didn't have quite the reputation they carry this year. So the commotion was much more contained, relatively speaking. This year, on the other hand, rumors abounded throughout campus that if one wished to score well on a test, they should visit Mostro Lounge." Crowley spoke.
"So he used the guides as bait to garner more slave laborers...crafty, I'll say." Rajni sipped from her mug with slanted eyes.
"And I'm guessin' the nasty little caveat in the contract in the event of a breach stayed hush-hush because of that binding NDA." Jack thought aloud.
" So it would seem. Thus did Ashengrotto have a steady stream of students lining up to accept his bargain this year. And the test average across all subjects and years has jumped above 90, much to my chagrin. Of course, I would be even more chagrinned if all of our subject averages were failing grades. But still!" Crowley threw his hands up in the air with exasperated wails.
"What you're saying is that most of the student body cheated." Niho put it simply.
"Does that mean that there are guys from last year who lost the bet and still haven't gotten their powers back?" Jack raised an eyebrow.
"Actually, he returned the powers he took from students last year as part of an arrangement he made with me. In return... I granted him permission to run the Mostro Lounge on school property."
Jack was taken aback by the answer, not expecting this to come up. He listened as Crowley recalled how it went down exactly in his office and what Azul said...
"'Night Raven College is a historic and prestigious institution famed for producing the finest of magicians. Yet now the campus is replete with students capable of only minor feats of magic- a fact I'm sure you're none too pleased about, Headmage. Which is why I have a proposal… and it's one I think you will find to be quite beneficial.' ...That was how he framed it."
Jack slowly sat back in his seat, looking at the floor with wavering eyes. "Talk about brazen. I mean, blackmailing the headmage into a deal? No wonder Leona wants nothin' to do with this guy." he muttered to himself. Even Rajni, who heard his whispers, sneered in disgust at how low Azul snuck to get what he wanted. Her grip tightened on the mug in her hands to the point the ceramic could shatter.
"And when he offered to contribute 10% of the proceeds to the school… Why, how could I say no to such a mutually beneficial arrangement?" Crowley added.
"Wait, so you're gettin' something from it?!" Jack threw his head up to look at Crowley once again with Niho.
"You really are a spineless coward!" She snarled at him.
Crowley however, seemed to be in his own world as he began to mourn with exaggerated movements, "Dear oh dear. I can only wonder what demands he'll make of me this year. Whatever he wants, I will undoubtedly be forced to acquiesce. What else can I do for our idiotic- ah, that is, our poor, unfortunate students? My immense kindness always gets the better of me. Ashengrotto "merely" studies diligently, then shares his rightfully-earned knowledge with other students out of the kindness of his heart. It wouldn't do for a teacher to discourage such earnest behavior. Why must every student in our school arrive with some amount of baggage to sort out?! Oooh, woe is meee!"
"...I know where this is going…" Niho pinched the bridge of her nose with a scrunched up face.
"And that's where you come in, Niho." Crowley finally glanced at her with a wide grin. "Would you be so kind as to persuade Ashengrotto to cease this little game of his?"
And her glare returned tenfold with a low hiss, "I don't think anybody could "persuade" him to do anything!"
"Incidentally, Ramshackle Dorm's food expenses have been mounting as of late, as I recall. You must be terribly strapped for cash…" Crowley mimicked himself being in deep thought as he spoke demurely but with emphasis here and there. "And alas, I'm so preoccupied researching a way to return SOMEONE to their home, I have so little time to address other problems. Oh, but don't worry about me, really. I am, as you know, a philanthropist to the core."
"With teachers like this, no wonder our students are the way they are." Jack whispered to her with sympathy. Now he knew why Niho sorta loathed the headmaster...
"...I'll do what I can." she grumbled in defeat, making the principal's smile widen.
"You'll accept my request, then? Wonderful, Niho! I knew I saw potential in this prefect! Then I'll be going now, as I am a very busy man. I'm counting on you!" He turned to leave with a hop in his step, but Niho zipped forward before he could even leave the lounge.
"Oh no you don't!" she widened her arms from side to side to prevent him from taking one more step. "If I'm going to do this, I'm going to need some outside help if we're dealing with someone from the ocean. Which means...it's time for another trip to the Mirror Chamber."
Crowley sighed, knowing this was bound to happen and reluctantly led them to the mirror chamber. As they walked, the halls were noticeably more quieter than usual. But it gave Jack some time to speak with Niho and Rajni as they trailed after the headmaster.
"Geez, you never know when the headmage's pop up...Okay, so what exactly is your plan here? Because you're kinda right- just going up to Azul and askin' him nicely isn't gonna get you anywhere." Jack whispered to her.
"A good investigation starts with observing the target." she spoke before she could think. Jack pondered her words for a few seconds and then nodded.
"True. A successful hunt starts with learnin' all you can about your target. You actually know your stuff. Besides, letting Ace and the others stew in the mess they made might help 'em learn something from this." He seemed to smirk at the end of this statement as they got closer to their destination.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
With Jack and Rajni tasked to stay outside, only Crowley and Niho were left inside the dark room. She stood before the empty mirror. She glared hard at its glassy sheen, as if focusing on it would help her conundrum.
"What sea is Azul from?" she asked, not taking her eyes off the mirror.
"The Coral Sea, why?" Crowley asked.
"Mirror, search the Coral Sea for any Beastmasters!" she commanded in a loud voice. The mirror was brought to life as dark flames burst up behind the glassy layer before her and the face of the mirror slave appeared.
"One has been found." the face within answered. Suddenly, the mirror let out a burst of bright light, flooding the whole room, forcing Niho and Crowley to turn away from the glare.
Unlike Rajni who was seen as she was spat out by the mirror's portal, the figure that emerged seemed to be a black and white blob of some kind. At least, to Nico that was…..
All she could make out from the misty blob was….hair. Three strands for bangs that dropped down the person's face. Two swept off to the left and right respectively while the third hung down the middle of the individual's face, the tail of the strands curling slightly inward. The rest of the person's hair seemed to cascade down, enough to touch the collarbone. But what stood out above the rest of the hair, Niho could faintly see the ends were…white?! The individual's hair was mostly black but 3/4ths down the tresses, they faded from the blackest of blacks to pan-tones of gray and then a pure solid white; a seamless blend of monochromatic colors.
"Weird…I didn't know hair could do that….." Niho murmured as the rest of the figure began to take shape.
The merman's eyes opened beneath his shaggy bangs, but no one could see what color they were from the obscuring hair curling down his forehead. The mist surrounding his body...that was something they'd deal with later. "Where... am I?" the newcomer spoke for the first time. His voice isn't as deep as some of the others, but held a sense of coming maturity to it.
"...You're at Night Raven College." Niho began gently, doing her best not to put him on edge.
The young man looked up through his curtain-like bangs with a rather narrowed eye. "You mean the school for wizards and all that?" His tone of voice took on a rather guarded edge to it.
Niho nodded. "Yes. I'm establishing a new program for people known as The Beastmasters. I'm Niho. And you're-?"
"Kayden." The young man quipped, cutting Niho off. "So why the hell did you call me? Why I could be doing BETTER things than this-?" He was close to swearing but Crowley cut him off before another harsh word could be said.
"Yes, yes, okay! I know you've lots of questions but for now, let's find you your uniform and necessary items, no? The living quarters, I'm sure you'll get used to!"
The boy rolled his eyes and seemed to go with it. "Whatever."
Niho however noticed the misty aura around his form and pointed it out. "Uh...are you gonna change or...?"
"Allow me!" Crowley stepped in with a flourish from his hand and presented a vial of liquid tinted a rather odd color and Kayden took it, chugging it down with little to no hesitation, much to Rajni's amusement. The Mist dispelled to nothingness, leaving Kayden with two legs, dressed in black ripped jeans and clean white sneakers. His torso is covered by a gray hooded jacket, unzipped to reveal a dark blue short-sleeved t-shirt with the words "DARK MODE" printed in thick bold lettering.
"Happy?" He scoffed. "C'mon let's just get this over with..."
"O-Oh, yeah, sorry!" Niho shook from her silent mode and proceeded to lead Kayden on a tour around the campus, leaving Rajni to head back to the Ramshackle alone.
She showed him the necessary places from the Mirror Hall to the Cafeteria and even Sam's shop where they got him a thin binder, loose-leaf notebook paper and three pens with black, blue and red ink. Like Rajni, any personal things of his would be handled with eventually, whether they'd be bought or mailed from home...wherever that may be.
Niho tried to initiate conversation with him at times whilst pointing out places of the tour and giving pointers that she'd hoped he'd remember. But the talks always seemed one-sided, with Kayden often giving one-worded or no answers, not even looking her in the eye and at someplace else. It irked the girl slightly, but she pushed forward with the tour as usual, coming up on the Ramshackle Dorm and its new living quarters.
"And this is where you'll be staying." She unlocked the door with her ring of keys that Crolwey bestowed unto her. Kayden looked around with very little emotion, so Niho spoke up for the lack of talk. "Yeah, I know it's not much, but it's a work in progress."
"Whatever. Beggars aren't choosers." Kayden scoffed and strolled into the room, tossing his newly bought items onto the desk and flopped onto the bed lazily.
"Y'know, last we checked, courtesy is to be expected towards the householder?" Rajni, popping up outta nowhere, leaned against the doorframe, looking with narrowed eyes at the newcomer. She already didn't like him when she smelled his scent; it gave off bad vibes in her opinion. "It's not like you had any when you fell into the room, jackass."
"Rajni!" Niho hissed, trying to tell her now was not a good time for reprimands.
"Nah, she's right, Niho. This guy's nothing but a loafer, it's clear as day!" Grim joined Rajni's side, arms crossed as well in anger. "Why'd we even bother bringing him in when we could've picked from hundreds?"
"Oh like you went with this chick because she's non-magical? Please, any other mangy furball would be better tamed than you." Kayden spat out, not bothering to look at them.
"Why you-?!" Veins of fury popped out of Grim's skull as he bared his teeth at Kayden, readying to pounce into a lunge, only for Rajni to catch him by his ribbon at the neck and drag him back downstairs for timeout. Niho thanked the lioness mentally for stopping Grim before things escalated.
"Alright, listen up. I'm gathering Beastmasters like you to help protect the students from themselves. They're undergoing something that has to do with blot so unless you want reprimanding, get yourself together!" Niho snapped. Kayden looked her up and down without change in his facial expression and seeing she was serious, he sighed softly.
"Fine." was all he said before Niho left him to his own devices.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Days later, Niho, Rajni and Kayden had all met up in Hallway 2F to begin their spying once their activities were done for the day. And not having Grim around seemed to lift a load off Niho's shoulders for once...!
"Yo. I'm here and ready to get this Azul recon started." a familiar voice interrupts her alone time.
"I wasn't expecting you to show up." the purple haired girl raised an eyebrow quizzically.
"Look, the headmage ordered this personally. He'll let an unexcused absence slide. Besides, I don't like admittin' defeat. If there's a chance to uncover the secret to Azul's power, I wanna be there when we learn it." Jack admitted aloud. But then his bright eyes wandered towards the new face. "By the way, who's the punk?"
"This is Kayden, our newest Beastmaster." Niho dropped his name just as the bell rang, signaling the start of the day.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
First Period -Music
"Traa-lalala-lalalaaa…" Azul's melodic tenor voice resonated through the empty hall, reverberating his crystal clear notes like a chamber orchestra. It would've sounded heavenly to another student...
"Huh. Guy's got some pipes." Jack noted to himself quietly.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Second Period - Animal Linguistics
"Mrooowr… Mrr, mrah!"
"Mrooowr… Mowow." Both Azul and Lucius seemed to be in a conversation, the annunciation of the vocalizing words leaving Azul's lips never went untarnished.
"Yes, yes, I see. Lucius says that the last time you gave him a treat was three hours ago, Professor Trein."
"Well done, Ashengrotto. That's correct." the aforementioned teacher nodded.
"So he doesn't just understand animal languages- he speaks 'em, too?" Jack looked a tad impressed to say the least.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Third Period - Potionology
In one of the Alchemy workshops, several students were gathered around a wooden table, housing several containers and vials of strange and unusual ingredients. Metal shelves lined the walls, filled with potted plants of different genus, not ones Niho herself would be familiar with! Even with rays coming in from the glassy windows at the back, she still couldn't name what they were by the looks of it!
"A beluga tooth, a sturgeon egg, aurora moth scales, mermaid tears. Add in an extract from 120 types of medicinal herbs blended together, and…" dropping in one ingredient at a time with care and precision, Azul smirked behind his goggles as the bunsen burner bubbled, steeping all the chemicals together, slowly turning from one color to something else! "...Poof! Done! You can drink this potion to transform a body part into that of a different animal."
"That's a very good boy! You just formulated a potion that would usually go on the junior-year class's final exams. The rest of you whelps should learn from Ashengrotto's example." Crewel praised.
"AND the guy brews high-level potions as easily as a barista slings lattes… Sheesh." Jack let his head hang low from exhaustion.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
The Lunch period soon rolled around as Niho and her Tamer squad sat silently at their table, the information they've gathered from their spying session getting them no leads! Jack, equally deflated from the waste of time, has used his wolf-like hearing to eavesdrop on Azul, who was in line getting his own food.
"I think I'll have some squid ink pasta for lunch today. Ah, but I do need my vegetables as well. An all-carb meal would be quite nutritionally lopsided, and more to the point, it would go straight to my thighs."
"Seems like Azul's a perfect honors student in every way." Jack scoffed.
"Mrooow… Azul sure didn't waste any time workin' us to the bone. If I wasn't dead on my feet before, I sure am now." Oh yeah! Forgot to mention: the trio of dunderheads who sold their own lives away to the target were also at the table! They looked even more miserable than the day they got the anemones. Their ragged and messy appearances even spoke volumes as to how they were being treated. Grim had flopped unceremoniously onto the table, while Ace and Deuce were struggling to stay awake.
"Cleaning Octavinelle Dorm, waiting tables at the lounge, going on grocery runs… He's been running me ragged."
"I got called in at 6 a.m. this morning."
"I gotta go back to help out at the Mostro Lounge after this."
"Housewarden Rosehearts was all like, "You made a contract with Azul? Off with your head!" He made me write lines as punishment…"
"This sea anemone on my head just won't come off, either. I look like a total goofball." all three collectively sighed with exasperation.
"Pah. You reap what you sow." Jack spat at them as if chiding them.
"I wish I could get them out of this mess ASAP." Niho muttered to herself as she glared at the wooden engravings of the table she sat before.
"Who are these clownfish?" Kayden spoke up. She looked at him and saw his facial expression. His mouth turned up into a quizzical snarl, but his eyes were saying 'Danger! Danger!' If that didn't make Niho straighten her back, two awfully familiar voices DID.
"Why the long faces, boys?"
"Aha ha, look! It's a sea anemone garden."
"Myah! It's the lookalike brothers!" Grim scrambled to get away, only to fall off the table and hit his head on the floor in pain, but no one bothered to help him or give sympathy.
"Is it just my imagination, or is someone looking a bit dour today?" Jade placed a finger to his cheek in mock-thought.
"Oh, y'know, we're just coming to terms with being ordered around by a trio of tyrants." Ace bit back with anger, but it didn't phase the sophomores. In fact, it made Floyd laugh.
"Aha ha! Isn't that cute? The sea anemone that breached its contract is talking! You guys know you're in no position to complain. So shut your traps."
"Eeep! Not the squeeze!" Grim got back onto the bench and pressed his face into Deuce's blazer sleeve for protection.
"Allow me to clarify: I wasn't talking to the sea anemones. I was specifically addressing you… Niho, prefect of Ramshackle Dorm." Jade answered, his eyes and Floyd's now locked on Niho. She didn't hear them through the duration of their talk, but hearing them call her name made her scramble out of her seat, nearly tripping as she went.
"Huh?!"
"Awww, look at you, scurrying backwards like a shrimp afraid of being someone's lunch! And on that note… You're so teeny, I'ma call you "Little Shrimpy" from now on!" Floyd slinked up to her side and waggled a finger in front of her as Niho gave him a dark glare.
"What do they want with her?" Rajni looked up from her foot, ears pinned back at the aura the twins exuded. Deuce and Ace meanwhile, were looking at the exchange with sympathetic looks in their eyes at Niho. They couldn't move to help her, sadly.
"I think most students on campus would be small compared to you two."
"Yeah, and having two guys this big standing together is a special kind of imposing."
"I understand that you were playing little spy games with Riddle and others just recently, Niho." Jade stood to her other unattended side with a small smile and Niho scoffed at his statement,
"So?"
"You may know who we are already, but I've always been a stickler for formal introductions. I am Jade Leech, and this is my twin brother, Floyd." Jade bowed politely, not letting his eyes wander from her form as Floyd placed his crossed arms atop her head, leaning on her lightly.
"Heya. I'm Floyd. Nice to meetcha, Little Shrimpy."
"Now, where was I? Ah, yes… Allow me to infer what troubles you, Niho. Could your anxiety perhaps stem from these three anemone stooges?" Jade side-eyes the sulking trio behind him.
"They may be stooges, but they're my friends." Niho rebuttaled. Jack also took this as his chance to jump in.
""Perhaps"? Listen to you, acting all coy." He scoffed as he neared Niho, Floyd looking up at him with calmed but lazy eyes.
"What's your problem? You're as prickly as a sea urchin."
" Wh-I'm a WOLF, not a sea urchin!" Jack corrected.
"If the source of your troubles does in fact lie with these sea anemones, I believe you would be well-served discussing the matter with Azul in person, Niho." Jade continued, meeting the female at eye level.
"Wait, what?" Jack looked at Jade surprised.
"Niho, don't listen to them!" Rajni shouted for the magicless girl to listen to her rational side.
"You will find Azul to be as benevolent as the Sea Witch, one of the Great Seven. I have no doubt he would treat your misgivings with all due gravity." Jade offered as Floyd lowered his mouth towards her ear.
"Yeah! Azul's a real problem-solver. For example, he could set these sea anemones free if you asked him to~." This made Grim, Ace and Deuce perk up.
"Really?!"
"Absolutely. Just remember: you can't get something for nothing." Jade nodded.
"I'm well aware of that. I've heard it all before." Niho nodded stiffly, getting on guard.
"Tch. So that's your angle. You wanna rope Niho into one of his contracts." Jack snarled as he yanked Niho away from under Floyd and placed him behind her as his fangs flashed as a warning. But it did little to startle the twins.
"Please, there's no need to bare your fangs at me. Goodness, you land mammals are so belligerent." Jade tried not to hide the amused tone lacing his voice and Floyd joined his side.
"We're just passin' on a hot tip outta the goodness of our hearts. Ain't that right, Jade?"
"Exactly, Floyd. We wouldn't dream of leaving a poor, unfortunate soul by the wayside." The two shared a look as they laughed, sending really bad vibes across the table. Niho pushed Jack aside gently and glowered at them defiantly.
"Whoever said I was a poor, unfortunate soul?" Impressed by her gutsy attitude, the Twins smiled.
"Well, If your interest is piqued, feel free to visit the Mostro Lounge sometime after nine tonight. We'll have some piquant tea ready for you upon your arrival."
"We'll be waiting, Little Shrimpy!"
"Fine, but my newest Beastmaster, Kayden, will come to witness this!" Niho crossed her arms, motioning to the new guy beside Rajni.
"As you wish, bring whomever you desire~ the more the merrier~!" Jade nodded. With that goodbye, they walk off together. Behind Niho the three buffoons were going over the offer.
"Wait, so uh…"
"If Niho makes a contract with Azul and meets his conditions, whatever they are…"
"…we could be freed from this?!" They suddenly flung to the floor comically and scrambled to grab Niho's legs and beg.
"Please, Prefect! You gotta beat him for us!"
"You guys are shameless, you know that?" Jack shook his head at them in disappointment at their desperation.
"You don't have an anemone on your head! You've got no idea how miserable this is!" Grim got to his hind feet with a frown.
"Maybe you shoulda thought of that before trying to coast through a test." Jack rebuttaled, sitting back down.
"Look, I've already learned my lesson, okay?!" Ace threw his hands up in mock surrender.
"Yeah, I'll never do this again for sure. I'll take my results like a man, even if that means failing." Deuce nodded vigorously.
"You're supposed to say you'll work hard to ensure you stop failin' altogether...Well? What's your call, Niho? You gonna take them up on their invitation?" Jack looked at her as she stood in front of her seat.
"This could be our chance. Besides, I already said I would go." She shrugged as Grim hops over to her and hugs her arm, snuggling into her dark hoodie.
"Y'know, for the first time, I think I'm ready to recognize you as our prefect!"
"Tch. Fine. I'm goin' with you, though. You seem like you'd get yourself into trouble otherwise." Jack offered.
"Which is why I brought in a Beastmaster of their world." Niho looked over at Kayden with a smirk. He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, which were loose and free of the blazer that was tied at his waist, exposing his vest and light gray collared shirt. Aside from that were the uniform pants and the same clean white sneakers he had when arriving here.
"Not like I have a choice..." Kayden mumbled.
"Hey, who doesn't at this point?" Jack gave him a sympathetic glance.
"Dang, Jack! You're a big softie!" Ace teased, making Jack shove him away.
"D-don't get me wrong, okay?! I just don't like Azul's scheming. I can't stand the thought of losin' to guys who profited off of someone else's hard work." Suddenly, some squeaking noises erupted and it made everyone's ears bleed. It sounded like wet rubber boots sliding across a linoleum floor.
"So much for chatting. My sea anemone's tugging at me again!" Deuce winced as he was dragged to his feet as were Ace and Grim.
"Ow, ow, ow! C'mon, at least let me have my lunch break in peace!"
"I'm countin' on you, Prefect!"
"WOE IS ANEMONEEEEE!" they shout as they were literally dragged across the room and to the cafeteria double doors. The group watched them leave with unamused looks before going back to the task.
"Yeesh… Hopeless, the whole lot of 'em. Anyway, I guess we're goin' to the Mostro Lounge tonight." Jack shrugged. As he and the girls talked to one another about what time they would meet, Kayden had been looking at his hands as the one name resonated with him like a melody..
"Azul Ashengrotto..." he muttered the name to himself as he clenched his hands with slight anger, concealing what lay beneath the surface.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Later that evening, Niho, Jack and Kayden made it back to the Mostro Lounge, seeing as it was swarming with many students. Some smooth jazz played over the speakers as people talked, ate and drank.
"This is kind of classy." Niho murmured, scanning the area.
"Remember, you're in enemy territory here. Stay sharp at all times." Jack warned.
"No need to tell me twice." Kayden growled, fists clenched at his sides.
"Eyyy, Little Shrimpy! Glad you could make it! I see you've got a sea urchin plus-one, as well as an orca!" Floyd smiled upon seeing the three newcomers.
"I told you not to call me that!" Jack snapped.
"If one's here, the other can't be that far behind..." Kayden muttered, and speak of the devil-
"Well, well. Thank you for coming to our establishment so promptly. Welcome to Mostro Lounge. Is this your first time dining here?" Jade smiled and bowed in greeting, but Jack could smell fish. Figuratively.
"Y'know, I've been wondering since lunch… Do you have a thing for askin' questions you already know the answers to?" He pondered.
Jade merely shrugged. "Heh. I like to keep my bases covered. Now then, if you would allow me to provide you with a rundown of our establishment…" Jade cleared his throat. "The Mostro Lounge is a meeting place for gentlemen. Any quarrels with other dorms are verboten here. Students from all dorms are expected to abide by Octavinelle rules on the premises. We pride ourselves on providing a place for everyone to enjoy under the same set of rules. With that out of the way… How may I assist you today?" The question was directed at Niho.
"I have some anemone business to discuss." Niho reminded, making Jade nod.
"Heh heh heh… Very well. The manager is currently meeting with another patron. Could I ask you to wait in the lounge until such time as his schedule opens up? And lest I forget, our establishment has a one-drink minimum. You must order at least a single beverage of some variety. Sea anemone, if you could take our esteemed customer's order?" Behind him, without looking over his shoulder, Ace and Deuce scurried like mice.
"Sorry, I've got drinks to run." Deuce apologized.
"You do it! We're slammed over here! You keep making us do all the work while you're just sittin' pretty over there." Ace threw back.
"You're talking back to me? How impressively bold for a sea anemone." On cue, the blue and purple fasteners tugged upwards, pulling them to the balls of their feet as they kept stretching, making Ace and Deuce wince in pain.
"OWWW! Geez!"
"Quit tugging our anemones!"
"Azul tasked me with instructing the new staff, so it falls to me to instill proper discipline in those who fail to respect authority." Jade reminded.
"Ow ow ow ow ow! Okay, okay! I get it!" Deuce complained.
"Hey! You're going way overboard here!" Niho shouted, but Jade held up a finger to shush her.
"Ah, but you must understand. As I just finished explaining, here in the lounge, everyone must follow our rules."
"And according to the rules, we're allowed to squeeze problem employees who don't do as they're told!" Floyd giggled.
"Tch… You're just makin' a show out of hazing the rookies in front of us. It's making me sick." Jack snarled.
"You think you're all hot stuff? I can do that with my eyes closed!" Kayden challenged.
"Is that your way of offering to take their place helpin' out around the lounge?" Floyd turned to look back at them.
"Ooh, that's a great idea! I second that proposal! All in favor? Aye! The ayes have it! Niho, Kayden and Jack are hereby nominated temporary assistants, effective immediately!" Ace grinned.
"Hey, what're you tryin' to pull?!" Jack shouted, unhappy at the notion.
"They're just asking to get pummeled..." Niho spat.
"I can do that for you." Kayden volunteers darkly.
"We're not picky, really. We'll take anyone, as long as they're willing to pull their weight." Jade shrugged. Ace and Deuce managed to tug all three aside and plead with them with hushed and frantic whispers.
"You guys wouldn't want to get kicked out of the place, right?"
"I'm runnin' on fumes here, and Grim's in the back, up to his eyeballs in soap from dishwashing. C'mon, be a couple of pals and help us out."
"… Tch… Fine, whatever. The sooner we wrap up our business here, the sooner I can go back to my dorm and catch a few winks." Jack griped.
"What? Dude, it's barely nine. What time do you go to bed?" Ace gave him a look.
"I'm always tucked in by ten." Jack answered.
"Whoa, we got a serious model student over here!" Ace hollered.
"So I can put both Little Shrimpy, Sea Urchin and Orca down for helping out with a short, yeah? Perf. You can start by running these drinks to table three." Floyd smiled.
"Don't keep our customers waiting, now. And Jack, try not to scowl so when interacting with clientele." Jade reminded.
"Pffft! A scowl like that would have anyone running for the hills!" Ace snarks with them.
"What? I'm not scowling." Jack spat as the three were set to work. Time passed each time they set down one order, three more appeared, keeping them on their feet.
"Hey, no slackin' off boys. I'm keepin' an eye on you." Niho turned back to see Floyd eyeing Kayden, and she groaned and shook her head as she kept walking.
"The kitchen hasn't received table 2's order yet. Please try and stay on top of that." Jade reminded at one point.
"I kept people waitin' because of my slip-up? Sorry. That's on me." Jack shook his head.
"Awww, is this too hard for a widdle puppy like you? Aha ha!" Floyd teased.
"Urgh! I won't make the same mistake twice!" Jack swore.
"Uh-oh. Here comes Mr. Do-No-Wrong." Ace snarked aloud only to get knocked in the head by Niho passing by who hissed,
"Knock it off, Ace. You're not helping."
'Seriously, how'd she put up with so many of their shenanigans for the past few months...?' Kayden though. As more time passed, some began to drop like flies, even Jack who felt his feet ache.
"I'm beat...!" he huffed and puffed tiredly.
"Ha ha ha! Lookit you all, down and out like beached jellyfish!" Floyd cackled.
"I'd like to see you try this. Or is it because you can't?" Niho spat back.
"This is no time to rest on your laurels. There are orders to be delivered!" Jade clapped his hands twice.
"I hate my life..." Kayden muttered.
"You mustn't keep our esteemed customers waiting. Heh heh heh…"
"Ugh, fine, we're moving! Dang tyrant…" Ace griped, not wanting to feel eyes on him any longer. Before long, the restaurant was set to be closing and most of the dinner rush left.
"Phew. The crowds're finally dying down." Jack could finally breathe.
"You practically put that rush in a headlock and gave it a noogie! 'Pre I ate the helping hand, Little Shrimpy and pals!"
"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" Niho gave Floyd a bored look when-
"You got a veritable madhouse of customers under control. Most impressive indeed."
"Azul!" Jack straightens himself as the mentioned student walks in with an eerily calm smile on his lips.
"My apologies for the wait. The VIP room is ready now. Right this way, if you would. Jade. Floyd. Get our customers some tea." Azul snapped his fingers.
"Right away, sir." The Tweels slip away.
"Alright...into the belly of the whale, no pun intended...ready?" Niho looks at each guy at her side.
"Ready as we'll ever be." Kayden nodded as Jack gave a grunt of approval. As one, they followed behind Azul further into the Lounge.