Chapter 20

Thanks to Leona's stubbornness, I didn't get to bed until very early in the morning when he finally gave into my demands. Almost immediately, mermaids filled my dreams. The mermaid from before failed to fulfill her contract with the sea witch, who allowed her father - the king - to take her place. She wanted to steal everything from the start. When I awoke, I was left wondering... Was it just me, or were these dreams kind of linked to reality?

Leona's loud yawn broke me out of my thoughts. "Good morning," I said brightly.

Leona sat up and looked at me. "Huh...? What, you're up already? You sure are bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Meanwhile, because of you, I'm sleep-deprived..."

I smirked. "Yeah, sorry not sorry about that."

"Tch. I guess today IS the third day of the agreement. Just remember that come sundown, I'm kicking you guys out, no matter how this goes down. Have your things packed and ready to go."

"Oh, I'll be ready to leave because I will be getting Ramshackle back."

Leona nodded in approval. "Good. You will need that attitude."

Not long after that, I met with my friends in the courtyard. Then I proceeded to tell them we were going to nab that photo. Ace, Deuce, and Jack stared at me like I was crazy. Without any context, I could see why they would think that, but I was too excited to slow down.

"Are you serious right now?" said Jack.

"Off to the Coral Sea we go!" I said cheerfully.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa..." said Ace. "I thought we agreed that nabbing the photo under the sea was a no-go because the Leech brothers would stop us!"

"This plan seems reckless, even by my standards..." said Deuce.

Grim shook his head, "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Okay, kiddos, listen up and I'll go over the plan..." He suddenly started coughing.

"You okay there?" said Ace with mild concern. "Got a furball or somethin'?"

"No! I'm still gettin' over all the yowling I did yesterday. Mm, anyway, back on topic. Here's how this is gonna go..." Grim laid out my plan in great detail, even adding extra parts with some flare. If they boys were surprised before, now they were downright stunned.

"WHAAAAAT?!" they all shouted.

"Dude, are you serious?!" said Ace. "This is crazy bold!"

I shrugged. "Go big or go home - or, in my case, don't go home."

"Wow, Ona," said Deuce. "I always knew you were gutsy, but this is a fresh reminder."

I smiled at him. "Thanks."

"Will this really go the way you hope, though?" said Jack.

"We've exhausted our leads, and we have one day to go," said Deuce. "Ona's idea is all we've got. Not even a whole day, either. We've only got until sunset."

"I guess anything beats sitting on our thumbs waiting around for sundown," said Ace.

"All right," said Jack. "Fine. Stressin' over what-ifs won't get us anywhere. I gotta say, Ona—nothing stops you once you put your mind to something."

"Sometimes our bud here's a tad TOO daring, but what's life without a little spice?" Ace said, appearing amused. "Okay, guys! Let's roll!"

Grim pumped his fist into the air. "Time to get ourselves a photo from the Atlantica Memorial Museum!" We set off immediately. Soon, we found ourselves submerged in water once more. But we were met with a disappointing sight.

"It's closed?!" my friends and I exclaimed. We finally made it to the museum without interference, and it was closed.

"Are you kidding?" said Jack. "What awful timing."

"Is that why the Leech brothers haven't harassed us at all today?" said Deuce. "Because they knew?"

"I dunno about that," said Ace.

"Maybe they're just taking their time," I said.

"Are we really turning tail and going back empty-handed after coming all this way?" said Jack.

"Hold up!" said Ace. "I've got an idea." He swam closer to the museum, and we followed. Soon, I spotted the merman guarding the entrance to the building.

"Mragh!" said Grim. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised that merfolk society would have merfolk security guards."

"I mean, duh?" said Deuce.

"So cool," I whispered.

"Okay," said Ace. "I'm gonna distract the guard. In the meantime, you guys sneak in behind him and borrow the photo."

"Are you sure you can handle this by yourself?" said Jack.

"You're honest to a fault, and Deuce would give himself away within minutes. Don't worry. I got this." Ace swam up to the doors of the museum, near the guard. "Awww, MAN! For realsies?!"

"Hm?" said one of the merman. "Is something the matter?"

"Is the museum really closed today? I can't believe this. I was super pumped for this visit..."

"Why, that's an odd tailfin you've got. Are you a land-dweller? Did you come all the way here by yourself?"

"Yes, sir! I've always admired merfolk society, ever since I was a kid. I scrimped and saved, got myself a magic potion, and now I've finally made it here! Duuude, a real live merman! This is SO COOL! Can I touch your fins? Can I have your autograph?!"

"U-um, sure? Would you like to see my dorsal fin, too?"

"That guy can lie like nobody's business," Grim said in a low voice. "He ain't even battin' an eye!"

"The guard's totally distracted," said Jack. "Let's move!" We swam past Ace and the guard and opened the doors to the museum as quietly as possible. While I longed to check out the artifacts, I moved to the place where we would find the photo. "This is the place Azul mentioned, right? Here's a photo commemorating the visit of Horatio XII, court musician... Here's one of a fourth princess... There sure are a lot of these. I can see why he said nobody would notice if we borrowed one."

"Where's that commemorative photo of Prince Rielle from ten years ago...?" said Deuce. "Ah, here we go. This is it, right?" He leaned in closer. "'A visit from Prince Rielle and his schoolmates...' Looks like a photo of an elementary school field trip."

"There's a bunch of tiny merfolk in this pic," said Grim.

"Of all the pictures here, why would he ask for this one specifically?" said Jack.

"I couldn't say..." said Deuce. "But once we bring it back, I can say goodbye to this sea anemone on my head! Just grab it and let's go already." Jack snatched the photo while I silently wondered what kind of waterproof material it was made of.

"Huh. It's not even rigged with an alarm. I guess it really is just a commemorative photo. This is kinda underwhelming."

"Hm? HEY!" shouted a voice. "What are you doing there?!"

"Myah?!" Grim said as we all spun around. "Uh-oh. It's a guard!"

"I don't like this one bit, but I've got no choice," said Jack. "Sorry, buddy. You need to take a little nap!" He raised his pen, and, almost immediately, the guard fell asleep.

"Nice," I said.

"...And I just loved that story my Grandma read me about a human prince and a mermaid princess," I heard Ace say as we swam out of the museum.

"They made a movie out of that, you know," said the merman guard. "I saw it with my girlfriend when I was younger! That was just about thirty years ago. No matter how many times I see it, that scene of the princess hugging her father gets me every time."

"I know, right?! That's, like, THE scene!"

"I'm surprised a kid your age has even watched it."

"Oh, my brother's a huge movie buff. That flick's top-tier. Soundtrack's legendary, too. Oh yeah, speaking of which—is it true that all merfolk are good singers?"

"Oh, far from it. That's an old urban legend. One of my own classmates is so tone-deaf, their singing is like nails on a rockboard."

"Ace is still goin' strong!" said Grim.

"I'm impressed he can carry on a conversation with a complete stranger for so long," said Deuce.

Jack swam closer to Ace and said in a low voice, "We got what we came for. We need to go, pronto."

Ace glanced at his watch. "Ah, look at the time. I think I'd better get going."

"Aw, are you sure?" said the merman. "Seeing as you're such a big merfolk fan and all, I wouldn't mind giving you a little sneak peek at the museum while it's closed."

"Nah. That'd be cheating, and cheaters never prosper. I'll be sure to check the museum hours before I mosey down here again. Later, man!"

"Feel free to come back anytime!" The merman smiled to himself. "It's not every day you meet a nice young fellow like that."

We swam away until we could now longer hear him. Then Ace glanced at us. "So, how'd it go on your end?"

"Photo acquired!" said Grim. "Myeh heh heh. Couldn't have been easier."

Ace smiled. "Great. Let's head back to campus, then."

"Right," said Deuce. "I can't wait to shove this picture right in Azul's smug face."

"Wait," said Jack. "Did anyone else just see a pair of very long shadows? I've got a bad feeling about this..."

"Theeere you are, Little Shrimpy," said Floyd as he and Jade blocked our path.

"Hey, Floyd," I said with a smile.

"Greetings, everyone," said Jade. "I see you've already forgotten your previous lesson and decided to try your luck in the deep again."

"It's the moray brothers!" said Jack.

Jade glanced at the photo in Jack's hands. "You appear to have gotten ahold of the photo."

"Nice, niiice!" said Floyd. "That's real smooth. But we wouldn't want you bringing it back so soon. Why don't we play a game of tag until sunset?"

"Typical," said Ace. "I knew we wouldn't make it home without a fight. Lemme guess: your plan is to stall us in the water until sunset, then beat us up and snatch the goods. Then you'd get the photo AND you wouldn't have to take these anemones off!"

"Heh heh heh... Using minimal labor to achieve maximum profit is just good business sense," said Jade.

"Wh— You guys really are crooked to the core!" said Jack.

Ace turned to me. "Well, Ona? What's your call?"

"Knowing you, there's no way you came this far without accounting for them," said Deuce.

I looked from the twins to my friends. "Let's play with them for a bit. Just keep the photo safe!"

"Okay. Simple enough. I don't know how long I'll last without my magic, but..."

"We've come this far," said Jack. "We don't have any other choice!"

And so, that was what we did. I kept mostly to the sidelines again, though Floyd did occasionally playfully flick his tail in my direction. A long time passed with no apparent end in sight, but still we held strong.

"Okay, I'm tired of chasing 'em around," Floyd said at last.

"There's not long to go now," said Jade. "Let's just enjoy it."

"Hey, Ona!" said Jack. "The sun's close to setting!"

"Ona, are you SURE you know what you're doin'?" said Grim.

"They'll come through for us!" I said. I had seen what Leona and Ruggie could do. They were just waiting for the right time. Not long after I spoke, something lit up the sky. Everyone paused in their fighting.

"What was that flash?" said Jack.

"Hm...?" said Ace. "Hey! Deuce, your sea anemone's gone!"

"Whoa!" said Deuce. "You're right!"

"So's mine!" said Grim with a grin. "Yours too, Ace! Sweet! Leona and Ruggie pulled through!"

"Wait," said Jade. "Come again?"

"What's goin' on here?" said Floyd.

I smirked. "Me winning is what's going on."

"We cut a deal with Leona an' Ruggie to get them in on our plan," said Grim.

"Say what?" said Floyd. "The guy's basically a sea lion, sleepin' his days away. He'd never lift a finger to help you guys."

"That's what you think," I said. "I happen to be good with people."

"I was under the impression he had no interest in creating disputes with his fellow housewarden, Azul," said Jade. "How did you bend him to your will?"

"See, Ona made this offer..." said Grim. "If Leona helped us take back Ramshackle Dorm, we'd leave his room tomorrow without a fuss. But if he didn't help, we'd keep raisin' a racket outside his room all night, every night. Then we gave him a... 'live demo,' I'll call it, to show how annoying it'd be. We basically yowled our lungs out until daybreak, and now we're super sleep-deprived."

"Whoa..." said the twins.

"No wonder you were so hoarse this morning, Grim," said Deuce.

"Why was Ona still so energetic?" Ace asked.

I shrugged. "I get hyper when I'm tired."

"That sounds less like a deal and more like a threat to me," said Floyd, sounding impressed.

"You know what they say: one bad turn deserves another," said Jack.

"Hey, it's not like Leona couldn't find a way to shut us up if he really wanted to," I said. "He chose to give into me instead, which means part of him wanted to help all along. He was just too stubborn to admit it."

"My wind magic's back, too," said Ace. He looked at the twins with a smirk. "It's time to turn the tables here!"

"I summon thee, cauldron!" said Deuce, and a cauldron fell in the water in front of him. "...Sweet, it worked!"

"Myaaah!" Grim cried. "I can't even tell if I got my fire magic back or not in all this water! That ain't fair!"

"Somehow I think we'll manage without your parlor tricks," said Ace.

"We'd best be getting back, Floyd," said Jade. "If the anemones are gone from their heads..."

"Yeah, I got a real bad feelin' about this," said Floyd. And, suddenly, I did too.

"Not so fast," said Deuce, a wicked grin on his face. "Where do you think you're going now that we're finally in fighting shape?"

"Where's the fun in turning tail now?" said Ace with a similar expression. "Stick around and play with us."

"You small-fry pipsqueaks..." Floyd growled. "I'll have you cryin' before you know it."

"Floyd, ignore them!" Jade shouted. "Ugh. Too late."

"I'm on it," I said.

"What are you-?"

I swam as past as I could, putting myself directly in between Floyd and my friends, stretching out of arms towards both sides. "STOP!"

"Let me at 'em, Shrimpy," Floyd said, sounding annoyed.

"No. Just give me a minute." I gave him a furtive look. "Please?"

Floyd crossed his arms. "Fine."

I trusted him not to attack while I was in the way, so I turned me back on him and focused on blocking him from my friends. "All of you, back down."

"No way," said Deuce.

"Yeah, we've got a score to settle," said Ace.

"Move, Ona!" said Grim.

I gave all of them a menacing glare. "I just saved all of your butts from a horrible fate of servitude, which, need I remind you, you got into through your own faults, while risking my dorm and own freedom, so you will do this for me without question. Do I make myself clear?"

"Eep!" Grim said, swimming back.

"She's right, you know," said Jack. "You guys owe her at least this much."

"Okay, okay, no need to give us that look," said Ace.

"No fighting," said Deuce. "Got it."

I turned back to Floyd to see him watching me in amusement. Good. I did not know what I would have done if he was still mad. "Not bad," he said. "Maybe you do understand people."

"I understand enough to know that Azul may be in serious trouble right now," I said.

Floyd frowned. "Trouble? I know he'll be very upset, and might rough the students a bit..."

"No, I'm talking more serious than that. It's possible lives are in danger - including his."

"Ona, what are you getting at?" Jade said sharply.

I took a deep breath and looked at both of them. "I've aided in disrupting the lives of two housewardens already. They lost everything they thought they needed to survive. I'm guessing the same thing is happening to Azul."

"You're talking about Leona and Riddle," Ace said.

"You're not suggesting..." Deuce said.

"Yes," I said. "I believe Azul is in danger of overblotting just like Riddle and Leona. We've got to go help him."

"That is serious," Jade said, his eyes growing darker. "But why suddenly so concerned, prefect?"

"I - I don't want anyone to get hurt. And Leona are Ruggie are with him."

"If your suspicions are correct, we can handle the situation. Would it not be better for you - a magicless student - to fetch the headmage?"

I bristled. "Crowley won't do anything. He was there when Riddle overblotted, and all he could do was evacuate the students."

"Which is his main concern as headmage."

"He would probably order the same thing in this situation," said Jack.

"Which is why we have to take action ourselves!" I said. "We don't have time to wait for the proper authorities! Azul could die! And if it hasn't escalated that far yet, then maybe - maybe I can do something to calm him down. Probably not, but I have to try."

"I still fail to see why you are so concerned about him," said Jade. Through his calm exterior, I could detect his distrust. It made complete sense to me. Anger and the desire for revenge were the normal response in a situation like this. He was likely not used to anyone showing compassion to him and his accomplices.

I glanced at Floyd, who was watching us with curiosity. "Well, aside from saving him being the right thing to do, I promised Floyd I would help him out after all of this was over. Help him... and you, Jade."

"Really?" Jade said, a hint of surprise in his voice.

"That's right!" Floyd said excitedly. "She wants us to all be friends. Doesn't that sound fun?" He wrapped his arms around me from behind, holding me close to him. I marveled at the strange feeling of his skin before reminding myself this was not the time. My friends tensed but did not object.

"Why would you want to be friends with them?" Grim said.

"My thoughts exactly," said Jade.

"If I want Floyd to respect the people important to me, I figured I better start by respecting the people who are important to him," I explained. "Besides, I've already won. I'm not one to hold a grudge. People don't choose to do terrible things for their own sake. They do it because they're trying to fulfill a need but going about it the wrong way. It doesn't seem right for me to take away Azul's method of fulfilling whatever need he has without helping him find an alternative. If I can do that, it will be best for everyone involved."

Jade stared at me with a calculating expression. "You are very interesting."

"For what it's worth, Ona is saying sappy stuff about friendship all the time," Ace said. "And she means all of it."

"She may have been willing to trick Leona to achieve a specific goal, but she has no reason to deceive you now," said Jack.

"She is big on forgiveness," said Deuce.

"Which I suppose we have all benefited from one way or another," said Grim. I offered them a grateful smile while Jade still appeared hesitant. What more did he need?

"You can trust Shrimpy," Floyd said, resting his chin on my shoulder while he looked at his brother. "I have a very good feeling about her."

Jade studied my face for a moment longer. "Very well. Bring her along."

Floyd grabbed me and placed me on his back. "Hold on tight!" he said. I had no time to question him before he swam off. Wow, was he fast! I had to wrap my arms around his neck to keep from slipping off. It felt like a thrill ride. And then it was over. "Give us a minute to change, will ya?"

I let go of him and stared at him, feeling slightly dizzy. "O-Okay." I watched the twins swim through the mirror and started counting. When I got to 60, I entered the mirror.

"You made it," Floyd said happily. He and Jade had both returned to their human forms and were completely clothed.

"How did you get dry so fast?"

Floyd grinned. "Magic. Here, let me show you." He stepped close to me, holding his pen. A moment later, my skin and clothes dried completely.

I smiled at him. "Wow, thanks!"

"I hate to interrupt, but we should be leaving," said Jade.

"Right," said Floyd. "Let's go."

We headed through the mirror that led to Octavinelle dorm. We found chaos awaiting us. Azul ran around like a crazed man, doing something to students that left them collapsing. At least it looked like he had not overblotted... yet. There was still time to stop him.

"Azul!" Jade shouted. "What are you doing?!"

"Whoa, yikes," said Floyd. "What's goin' on here?"

Azul turned to us. "Jade! Floyd! Ahhh, you've finally come back to me." Then his eyes fell on me, and they narrowed. "What is she doing with you?"

"I'm here to help you," I said.

"You help me? You're the reason I lost all my contracts! I know you put them up to it!" Azul pointed to Leona and Ruggie, anger flashing in his eyes. "And now you're stealing Jade and Floyd from me?"

"No! That's not it! We all want to help you."

"Dude, this does NOT look good!" said Ace as he ran up with the others.

I glanced at them in surprise. "You guys came."

"Of course we did."

"Is Azul going out of control?!" said Deuce.

"Looks like he's sucking different students' powers outta them by force," said Jack.

"Eeep... Leona!" said Grim. "You were bullyin' him, weren't you?!"

"Now you're blaming me?" said Leona. "You're the ones who told me to turn the contracts into sand."

"I'm sorry, Azul," I said, "but it had to be done. If you just listen to me, I can-"

"I will not listen to a fool!" Azul shouted. "Floyd! Jade! I'm going to need your powers now. Come on, give them to me!"

"No!" I moved in front of the twins, and Floyd gave me a curious look. "You've go to calm down."

"Hold on," said Jade. "Your signature spell is so powerful, it's impossible to control without a contract scroll. You know better than anyone what will happen if you do this!"

"But I lost it all, you see?" Azul said with a crazed look in his eyes. "Everything! Aha ha... AHA HA HA! I'm going to revert back to my old self if I don't act now!"

"It doesn't have to be this way," I said. "Just let me help you."

"Y'know, Azul," said Floyd, "I never saw you as lame before. But now? The way you're actin' is pretty lame."

"Ooohhh, is that a fact?" said Azul. "I'm just a silly little octo-twerp who can't do anything on his own. That's why I'm going to take everyone's powers. I will rise above your perceptions. A beautiful singing voice! Powerful magics! All of it, MINE! Hand it all over at once! Aieee...!"

"What's all that black gunk drippin' outta Azul? That... ain't ink, is it?"

"Oh no," I said, eyes wide. "It's just as I feared."

"Very perceptive of you," said Jade. "He's using his signature spell too much. The blot is exceeding his cumulative tolerance! If he doesn't stop... he's going to overblot!"

Floyd grabbed my shoulders and moved me so I was behind him. "Stay near me," he said. "I'll make sure you don't get hurt."

I swallowed hard. "O-Okay." I had hoped it would not come to this, but I could already see Azul transforming as he cackled maniacally.

"Myah!" Grim exclaimed. "His legs turned into octopus tentacles!"

"That's Azul's underwater form," said Jade.

"It would actually be kind if pretty if not for the dark aura," I said.

"What's that behind him?" said Floyd. "It's so big, I couldn't squeeze it if I tried!"

"Focus on getting Azul back to his senses for now," said Leona.

"Yeah, otherwise we're gonna get the sea anemone treatment ourselves!" said Ruggie.

"And Azul could die," I said grimly.

"Don't worry," said Jade. "We've got this."

"Let's make a deal, you and me..." said Azul.

"I'd go for it if this was the regular Azul talking," said Floyd, "but you? Nah."

"I couldn't agree more," said Jade.

Everyone banded together to fight Azul. I tried to do what I could to help Grim and occasionally the others' aims while staying back. Azul was quite formidable, and it seemed like this would go on forever. Finally, at long last, he ran out of magic..

"You all just keep bullying me!" Azul wailed. "Is it because I'm a slow, dimwitted octopus? All I wanted was the power to get back at my bullies... I... I just wanted to..."

Something about his desperate, pathetic tone struck a cord in me. "Azul?" I said softly. What was he talking about? Bullies? But he had already collapsed and was unable to say anything. Unless... I ran to him.

"Ona?" said Jade.

I looked back at him. "You've got to trust me." I fell to my knees beside Azul and placed a hand on his back. Then, once again, I began to hear his thoughts and see his memories.

He was a young octopus boy, and other kids were making fun of him. He cried, all alone. He told himself he did not want to play with them anyway. He put all of his effort into learning and working hard so he could outdo them. I saw young Floyd and Jade. Azul tried to push them away, but they found him interesting, so they stuck around. Finally, he mastered his signature spell. He began granting people's wishes in exchange for their power. I could see now he did it because the others made him feel inferior, so he wanted assert his superiority. They acted like he was nothing, so he wanted to prove that they were the ones who were nothing.

"I never forgot for a second," Azul said in his mind. "The sight of those who mocked me. Those who bullied me. I've observed them for many moons. Now I have their weaknesses, their insecurities... I have it all! Once I know what foils him, I can take the tailfin of a fast swimmer. Once I know what troubles him, I can even take the voice of an adept singer. As long as I have this contract scroll, I am invincible! I'm not the same silly, lonely little octopus I used to be. With this power, I will rule over all. I'll make everyone who ever mocked me quaver and beg for mercy."

Tears welled in my eyes. Any lingering anger I had towards Azul disappeared. It was ironic that, out of all the guys who had overblotted, the one who had hurt me the most was also the one I could understand the most. I too knew loneliness and hated it. He may have had to deal with negative relationships instead of just a lack of positive ones, but many of the effects were the same. I never wanted anyone to be alone like that, and my heart went out to him.

"It's alright, Azul," I said through our mind link. "Don't listen to what others say about you. They are wrong. And you don't have to prove you're better than them. Don't you see? By trying to push them down, you're still letting them control you. Forget about them. There are others who will like you for who you are - without all the power. People like Jade and Floyd. They care about you. They're you're friends. And I will be your friend too... if you will let me. You are not alone. And you are worthy." Azul shifted under my hand. I opened my eyes and noticed him do the same.

"Oh, hey, you're awake," said Floyd. I just noticed and Jade were on either side of me.

"Azul, how many fingers am I holding up?" said Jade.

"Er... Eight?" said Azul. He still appeared a bit disoriented, so I helped him to his feet.

"Still in shock, it seems," said Jade. "But your blot-induced rampage has subsided at last." He glanced at me with that calculating look of his. I tensed slightly under his scrutiny. What had he seen?

"That little tantrum you threw really put us through the wringer, y'know," said Leona.

"Uh, Leona, I'm not sure you get to say that," said Ruggie.

"What did I... do?" Azul said, looking around.

"You overused your magic and overblotted," Jade said. "You don't remember it?"

"You were sucking everybody's magic dry left and right, bawlin', 'Give me your poweeerrr!'" Floyd said in a dramatic voice. "It was the cringiest thing I've ever seen. I'm still not over it."

"Oh, no..." Azul groaned, placing a hand on his face. "Me, going berserk? I don't believe this..."

"Hey, I can't exactly blame a guy for gettin' bent outta shape when something you've been building up for years gets ruined," said Ruggie. "I mean, if someone broke the coin bank I've been saving my money in, I'd hold a grudge for life."

Azul lowered his hand, and his eyes settled on me. "And what are you doing here?"

"Ona saved you," said Jade.

I glanced at him in surprise. "No, I didn't! I - I didn't do much of anything at all."

"I wouldn't say that. Who else could bring together members of three - or should I say four? - dorms?"

"Yeah, we might not have been able to stop him alone," said Floyd.

"Why?" said Azul, looking straight at me. "Why would you want to help me?"

I studied his face and saw neither anger nor suspicion. He simply did not understand and wanted an answer. I had a feeling the response I gave to Jade would not be good enough, so I dug deeper. Why did I do the things I did? Thinking about my home, the answer came to me. "An important part of my culture is what's known Aloha spirit. 'Aloha' is used to mean 'hello' or 'goodbye' and sometimes 'love.' The last one gets closer to its meaning, but it's a lot deeper than that. For us, Aloha is a force that holds together existence.

"It is the coordination of mind and heart within a person. Living with the Aloha spirit means thinking and emoting good feelings toward others. It means having affection and caring for others with no obligation in return. It is the belief that we are all connected and are better off when we strive to live in unity with a symbiotic relationship. It is about seeing the good in everything around you, including the people." I glanced around at the others, finishing with Azul. "I see good in everyone here. That is why I helped you.

"I know it's not exactly a popular philosophy around here. Many people probably think I'm foolish or weak... but that's alright. It doesn't matter to me what they think. The Aloha spirit has served my people well for 100s of years, and that's all the confirmation I need. Besides, I have friends who accept me despite - and maybe because of - it. So, I will stay true to who I am."

"I see," said Azul. "Is that how you won them over?" He looked from Jade to Floyd.

"I'm not sure I'd say I've 'won them over.'"

"Neither would I," said Jade. "That's not quite how I would describe it." The slight amusement in his tone made it difficult to tell if he was serious.

"That implies an end," said Floyd. "It's a continuous process." He slung an arm around my shoulder. "And you're doing a pretty good job so far, Shrimpy."

I smiled at him. "Thanks."

"May I say something to Azul now?" Grim said.

"Sure." Floyd dropped his arm, and I moved a little so Grim would have space.

Grim narrowed his eyes at Azul, arms crossed. "Listen, all those shady business dealings have gotta stop. You oughta learn from this."

"How about you guys learn not to coast through exams using someone else's notes?!" said Jack.

I watched Azul carefully. From his defeated expression, it seemed like he knew what Grim said was true. However, he was still unsure how to move forward. I thought he might need some positive affirmation. If he saw the good in him, perhaps he could learn to build himself up without tearing others down. "No one else could have made those notes."

"...What?" said Azul.

"Y'know, it's true," said Ace. "One all-nighter reading that study guide you wrote was enough to bag me over a 90 on my exams."

"Yeah," said Deuce. "It was seriously on point."

"I heard from the headmage that you wrote that guide yourself, analyzing a whole century's worth of test question trends," said Jack. "I'm still not okay with your shady practices, but your work took serious guts. That much I'll admit."

"Hmph. Your clumsy attempts at consolation aren't helping me in the least," said Azul.

"Then I'll try until I get it right," I said.

"You really don't know when to give up, do you?"

I smiled. "Nope. Not when something is important to me." Azul looked away so I could not see his face.

"Awww, what's the matter?" said Floyd. "Are you gettin' teary-eyed, Azul?"

"Dear me," said Jade. "You've gone back to that ink-spewing crybaby again."

"Hey!" Azul said. "You two signed an NDA covering that exact topic!"

"Right you are. My mistake."

"Oh yeah, that reminds me..." said Jack. He fished out something from his bag and held it up. "Here's that photo of Prince Rielle you asked for. We got ahold of it. The sun hasn't set yet. I think that seals our victory."