Grim fell asleep rather quickly after they got back to Ramshackle. The events of the day had apparently worn him out.
She went back to the bathroom and unfurled her wings, bandaging the injuries there. She wouldn't sleep that night, she didn't need as much sleep as a human.
After she dressed her wings, she searched around and discovered an old history textbook, which she started to read. Perhaps she could learn about the human realm through the many books at Night Raven.
Roughly an hour later, there was a knock at the door. Surprised that there was a visitor so late, she closed her book and proceeded towards the door wearily. Grim staggered out of the bedroom, rubbing his eyes, the knocking having roused him.
"Wha…? Who's bangin' on the door in the middle of the night?" He complained as Celeste slowly opened the door.
On the other side was Ace, wearing a bitter expression. He was now sporting a heart-shaped collar.
"Ace? I was not expecting to see you again so soon." She blinked in bewilderment as he stormed past her into the dorm.
"I can't go back to Heartslabyul House. I'm joining your dorm. For good." Ace announced, spinning around to face her.
"Wha-?! Why in Wonderland would you want to do that?" She exclaimed, shocked. Only that morning, he had been talking down to them, and now he wanted to stay over. It was rather unexpected, to say the least.
"I'd recognize that collar anywhere. It's the same one that psycho stuck on me during orientation! What'd you do to get shackled with that?" Grim inspected the heart-shaped collar around Ace's neck.
"I ate a tart." Ace seethed, crossing his arms.
"You… Ate a tart?" Celeste echoed, puzzled, as they all gathered in the dusty lounge.
"Yeah! That's all I did! I was a little hungry, see, so I went down to the dorm kitchen and found some tarts in the fridge. Three whole tarts! I snagged a small slice. It was outstanding! But then Housewarden Riddle showed up, saying I'd broken some bogus rule and slapped this collar on me! So… Here I am." Ace concluded his tale with an outraged expression.
"While that is a bit extreme… You did take something that wasn't you's Ace." Celeste pointed out after a slight pause.
"A BIT EXTREME?! It's completely insane to seal away someone's magic for eating ONE slice of tart! For a mage, that's like having your arms and legs bound and shackled!" Ace raised his voice in indignation.
"I am well aware of the feeling." Celeste grimaced and pointed to her golden shackles.
Ace's eyes went wide, and he looked away briefly, "O-oh yeah. I forgot about that. I never asked… How'd you get like that?"
"Ah, that's a bit complicated… But I broke a particularly important rule." Celeste spoke delicately, not wishing to deceive to him.
"Ya know, you don't seem the type to go around breakin' rules." Grim narrowed his blue eyes at her skeptically.
"Oh, but don't I?" She gave him a mischievous grin to lighten the mood.
"Why do ya always get dodgy when someone asks about you?" Ace narrowed his eyes at her before letting out a sigh. "Anyway, there were three whole tarts! THREE! It's not like he could have eaten them himself!" Ace said after realizing, she would not elaborate further.
They were probably for a party. Maybe it's somebody's birthday or somethin'?" Grim pondered and Ace paused as he considered this possibility.
"Did you apologize Ace?" She pressed him and he frowned at her with an annoyed expression.
"... I thought you'd be a little more sympathetic considering your situation." He grumbled, kicking his feet at the dusty floor.
"I suppose there's not much I can say about rule-breaking without being hypocritical but... It wouldn't hurt to apologize." She proposed gently.
Ace let out a sigh, giving in. "All right fine. I get that I should apologize. But you're coming with me, Celeste. Since it was your idea and all."
"If you wish." She beamed at him and she thought she saw his cheeks turn slightly pink for a second.
"A-anyway, you got a place for me to stay tonight?" He asked sheepishly.
"Aside from the bedroom me and Celeste use, the entire place is covered in a foot of dust. If you want somewhere to sleep start cleaning!" Grim glared up at Ace.
"Dude, no way! Celeste let me sleep with you! I'm real slim, I won't take up much room." He said with a cocky grin.
"Actually Ace, you can have the bed. I was intending to read tonight anyway. I am not tired." She said and they both exchanged shocked glances.
"What are you nuts?! You can't stay up all night you've got class tomorrow!" Ace exclaimed gawking at her.
"Again it's rather complicated but I don't require as much sleep as you do or food for that matter. I'll be perfectly fine." She assured him with a dismissive flick of her hand.
He gave her a strange look. "If you're sure... Just don't complain when you fall asleep in class tomorrow." Ace walked into the bedroom with Grim, who was grumbling about having to share the bed.
The first rays of the dawn had broken through the window when once again there was a loud knock at the door. Celeste put down the history book she had finished reading and stood up as Ace staggered out of the bedroom.
"Who's pounding on the door at this hour?" He complained still groggy as he glanced over at her somewhat surprised. "I can't believe you actually read all night. I thought for sure you'd be sound asleep by morning."
She ignored him and went to answer the door, finding Deuce standing on the other side. "Good morning Celeste. Have you seen Ace?" He asked after greeting her.
"Ugh, Deuce..." Ace groaned, coming up behind her while scratching the back of his head and yawning.
Deuce shook his head in disapproval. "So you ate the Housewardens tart. You really are an idiot Ace."
"Oh shut up! Like you're one to talk! Anyway... Uh, is he still mad?" Ace became somewhat nervous at the mention of his Housewarden.
"Not at all. Maybe a touch irritated. A few of our dorm mates overslept this morning... But only three of them got your treatment." Deuce recalled and Ace gasped.
"You call that not at all mad?! Sounds like he's still on a total rampage!" Ace exclaimed in horror while Deuce merely shrugged.
"If you'll excuse me, I suppose I should go put on my uniform." Celeste left them in the lounge while she went back into the bedroom. The headmage had given her a special uniform just for her dorm.
It was a black pair of pants and a black blazer. A white vest and a white dress shirt and a black pair of shoes. It came with a black and white tie and a matching armband.
She quickly put on the new clothes, struggling with the buttons around her chest. These clothes had obviously been designed for a male body and her busty chest got in the way. She managed to make herself presentable.
She walked back out to them, and they agreed to head for the Heartslabyul dorm before classes started. They walked across the campus to the dorms mirrors were held. Each dorm had its own mirror, except Ramshackle of course. They stepped through the Heartslabyul mirror into the dorm.
Instantly the smell of roses washed over her as she looked around. The lawn was decorated with neatly manicured rose hedges, shaped like hearts. The actual dorm was much larger than Ramshackle, painted a bright red and white. It actually looked more like a castle than a dorm. To the left, a vast rose maze stretched out into the lawn.
"Dang! This place is swank! This is nothing like our dumpster of a dorm!" Grim exclaimed taking in the sights and smells.
"Our dorm is a work in progress, Grim. Besides, it has its own... Charm." Celeste said to him as they walked down the main path with Ace and Deuce. They spotted a young man in the rose maze surrounded by buckets of red paint. He lifted his brush and slathered red paint on a white rose.
"Oh? What are you doing?" She asked him and he twisted around, his green eyes widened when he saw her. He had medium-length red hair, paler than Ace's, with his bangs held back with a clip. There was a red diamond painted on his cheek.
"I'm painting these roses red." He stated the obvious as he smiled at her.
"What? Why?!" Deuce raised his eyebrow at his dorm mate. Both he and Ace seemed bewildered by this action as well.
The boy laughed as he put down his paintbrush. "So naive, you put the n in newb. Hold the phone, I know you! You're the ones who broke a billion thaumark chandelier and nearly got expelled for it yeah? I heard one of you was a girl but I mean wow." He stepped closer to get a better look at Celeste who was a bit lost at some of the words he had used.
"The chandelier is gonna haunt us till the day we graduate isn't it?" Ace grumbled closing his eyes in regret.
The boy turned his attention to Ace. "And you! You're the one who ate the Housewardens tart that same night!" He let out another laugh. "You guys are THE hot topic around campus! I've gotta get in on this fleeting fame! I'm just gonna grab a selfie real quick..." Before Celeste could ask him what a selfie was he pulled out a rectangular-shaped object and held it over his head as he moved even closer to her. It emitted a flash of light before he stepped away again.
"Wh-!" She blinked at the flash but Deuce and Ace didn't seem fazed. It seemed like technology in the human world was far more advanced than in the Celestial Realm.
"It's cool if I post this on Magicam, right? Gimme your names so I can tag you." He said looking at the device in his hands.
"I'm Deuce Spade." Deuce responded to what almost seemed like gibberish to Celeste.
"Ace." Ace said next with no hesitation.
"Oh um! I'm Celeste and this is Grim." She waved her hand down at Grim by her feet. Was this some way of introducing himself?
"Uploaded! Sweet!" He put away the device and looked back at them. "Oh, I'm Cater Diamond, by the way. I'm a junior here at Heartslabyul. Sooo nice to meetcha!" He gave her a wink.
"Ah, it is nice to meet you as well." She replied in her usual formal tone.
"You're the prefect of that so-called Ramshackle house dorm right? Like I can't believe a pretty girl like you actually lives there!" Cater's grinned but then he froze before suddenly spinning around.
"Gah, what am I doing? I don't have time to chat! The party's tomorrow. And if we're not ready it's off with my head!" He grabbed his paintbrush and began painting the flowers again.
"Hey, you kids wanna help me paint some roses?" Cater glanced back at them over his shoulder.
"Doesn't that kill the roses though?" Celeste said puzzled.
"They're gonna fall off and die anyway. This makes them more photogenic. After this, I gotta start getting things ready for the big croquet tournament. And that means coloring all the flamingos." He let out a sigh as he remembered the extent of his chores.
"Now it's coming into focus Ace. That tart you ate must have been for the Housewardens birthday." Deuce said coming to a conclusion.
"Hmm? Oh no, it's not Riddle's birthday." Cater immediately dismissed Deuce's theory.
"Then whose birthday is it?" Ace asked raising an eyebrow.
"It isn't anyone's birthday. Tomorrow is our dorm's traditional unbirthday party. It's a special tea party we throw when no one has a birthday- if the Housewarden feels like it." Cater explained while he continued painting the roses.
"Why would you do that?" Ace said baffled.
Cater turned to give him an annoyed look. "Again with the questions! Listen I need these roses red like yesterday. Can't you guys help out with magic or something? Oh, but Ace is on magical house arrest and Celeste seems to be in the same boat, so you two better stick to paint." Cater handed her and Ace a paintbrush.
"Recolor the roses with magic..." Deuce looked at the rose bushes apprehensively. Celeste remembered how he'd struggled with magic the day before.
"I suppose it would be good practice for you two, especially you Grim." Celeste suggested dipping her brush in the red paint.
Deuce frowned focusing intently on a rose. "Red... Red..." He muttered as he waved his pen, brows furrowed in concentration. The rose turned a dark blue and he let out a cry of frustration. Grim also seemed to be having trouble as his rose burst into flames.
"Wow. You're even less competent than I thought." Cater said shaking his head as Deuce put out Grim's flames.
"You are both way too tense. You are changing the colors of flowers you know? Think of positive thoughts." She advised them as she would have advised her young students back home. She started singing a tune in hopes of easing their tension.
" Cats and rabbits
Would reside in fancy little houses
And be dressed in shoes and hats and trousers
In a world of my own"
"That's quite a voice you've got!" Cater paused his painting as the two boys gawked at her as she sang.
" All the flowers
Would have very extra special powers
They would sit and talk for hours
When I'm lonely in a world of my own"
Deuce tried the spell again, this time the rose turning a deep red. He smiled triumphantly as he watched her sing.
" There'd be new birds
Lots of nice and friendly howdy-do birds
Everyone would have a dozen bluebirds
Within that world of my own"
Grim tried his spell again, succeeding as well. "Hey! Look Celeste I did it!" He cried waving his paws about before being shushed by Deuce and Ace.
" I could listen to a babbling brook
And hear a song that I could understand
I keep wishing it could be that way
Because my world would be a wonderland"
She finished her song and smiled at them. "See? You guys were overcomplicating it."
"Wow. You've got an amazing voice! Also, that was good advice you gave too. I'm guessing you used magic a lot before you got those fancy bracelets?" Cater raised an eyebrow at her.
"Yes, you could say that." She responded vaguely as Ace swore at getting paint on his hands.
"Yo, maybe you should just leave the roses white! They look fine as they are to me." Ace grumbled, shooting Deuce and Grim a jealous look as they used their pens.
"It's a matter of tradition. You can't have an unbirthday party without the roses being red. And you can't play croquet without seven colored flamingos as mallets and a hedgehog for a ball. Of but of course the roses need to be white when the garden flowers put on their spring concert." Cater explained to them as he returned to painting the roses.
"The rules of croquet have really changed..." Celeste blinked glancing at Cater in surprise.
"Wh-! No Celeste the rules of croquet haven't changed! That's an insane way to play it!" Grim huffed shaking his head and lashing his pronged tail.
"They say the Queen of Hearts made up these rules herself. Riddle is all about tradition. Probably more than the previous Housewardens. I'll admit that he's well... A bit extra." Cater grimaced, his expression darkening slightly.
"Yeah, no kidding. I sure don't have time for this nonsense. Is Riddle here? I gotta talk to him." Ace cut in, losing his patience.
Cater smirked at him. "Yeah, probably. But are you sure that's wise? Did you even bring an apology tart to replace the one you ate?"
Celeste froze mid-brush stroke. She was so used to having wait staff back in the Celestial Realm that she hadn't even thought about replacing the food that was taken. Being a noble she rarely had to worry about food or money. She'd forgotten that food was a commodity, especially for humans who had to eat much more often than she did.
"Uh... No? I came here first thing in the morning." Ace looked taken aback by Cater's response.
Cater let out a nervous laugh. "... That could be a problem. Have you forgotten rule 53? Stolen items must be replaced. If you're not in compliance I can't let you in."
"Are you serious?!" Ace yelled in disbelief, throwing down his paintbrush.
"All dorm residents must obey the rules. If I let you slide, it would be off with my head next! I hate to say it Ace, but I'm gonna need you to leave before Riddle spots you. Thanx." Cater took a step forward as the air grew tense, and Ace looked over at Celeste and Deuce.
"I think we should count our losses and leave Ace. There is no point in fighting now." Celeste said and Deuce nodded in agreement. Ace glanced back and forth between her and Cater before storming away.
"Make sure you bring that tart next time yeah? Oh and I'll see you around Celeste." Cater waved at them as they left, winking at Celeste as he did so.
"So lemme get this straight: we walked in there tartless but this dude still made us do the whole song and dance thing before throwing us out?! He just wanted us to paint his stupid roses!" Ace seethed as they left the rose maze.
"It would seem so. I'm sorry Ace I didn't even think of replacing the tart." Celeste apologized with a sigh.
"It's not your fault this dorm has a bunch of stupid rules." Ace grumbled still irate.
"I guess we'll just have to get an apology tart and come back. Maybe after class we can- oh no!" Deuce stopped mid-sentence his face twisting in panic.
"What's wrong Deuce?" Celeste stopped to give him a concerned look.
"We've already missed the first bell! We're gonna be late for class!" He cried breaking into a run as they scrambled after him.
"Hey, so what class are you guys in any way? You're freshmen too right?" Ace looked at her and Grim as they ran alongside him. She was forcing herself to run at a believable pace and not shoot forward with her unnatural strength and speed.
"The headmage said we're in class 1-A!" Grim panted as he ran at her heels.
"Hey, that's the same one I'm in. We got potionology first period." Deuce said with a grin.
They arrived at the classroom just in the nick of time. Deuce, Ace, and Grim were panting as they walked through the door. She hoped they didn't notice she was the only one not out of breath.
The rest of the class was already there, the teacher turned to look at them as they walked in with a raised eyebrow.
He was a young man, who wore a black and white fur coat that went with his hair. His dark grey eyes fell on her and Grim.
"You must be my new homeroom students." He looked down at Grim with narrowed eyes. "Hm, that's quite the unusual coat of fur. Do make sure you arrive properly groomed."
He looked back at Celeste with a smile. "My name is Divus Crewel. You may call me Master Crewel. Now take your seats. Class is about to begin. We're going to start with the basics. And by that, I mean beating the names and distinguishing characteristics of one hundred herbs and poisons into your tiny brains. The mycelia are another matter." He waved his pointer to some open seats which they all took.
"Huh...so does anyone know what a mycelia is?" Deuce whispered as they sat down.
"Mycelia is a fungus, like mushrooms." Celeste whispered back.
"Wow Celeste, I didn't know you were a total nerd." Ace hissed sitting next to them. She shot him a glare before focusing on Crewel. She knew about some human poisons and herbs, but knowledge of how they were used in this realm could be valuable later on.
The next class was History of magic, something Celeste didn't know much about in terms of humans. The teacher introduced himself when he saw her. He was an older man with gray hair, and in his arms was a large black and white cat.
"I am your history of magic teacher, Mozus Trein. And this is my familiar Lucius. I grade based on classroom behavior as well as the quality of work. So don't let me catch you sleeping. Now open your book to page fifteen." He instructed and the room filled with the sound of pages turning.
To her surprise, she saw it was about the Dwarf's Mine. He began to lecture on it and she listened in fascination with Deuce. Ace and Grim however appeared to be struggling to stay awake.
The next period was much more upbeat, P.E. Celeste was last out on the field since she had to change when the locker room was empty. The coach nodded to her when she walked out. He was young and muscular, his wavy brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail.
"I'm coach Vargas, and physically educating your feeble bodies is my responsibility. A great mage needs a great constitution. So gimme twenty laps and a hundred push-ups!" He barked out orders and the freshmen scrambled to follow them.
Celeste tried her best not to stand out but still completed the tasks with ease. It was rather nostalgic, reminding her of when she had just started training in the army.
Vargas seemed to take notice, giving her an impressed look. "Impressive for a beginner! Just think of what you could do with more muscle! I'm gonna have to work you harder!"
After PE they had a break for lunch. Ace was complaining about the curriculum being dull when Celeste saw Grim trying to sneak off in the corner of her eye. With lightning speed, she whipped around and grabbed his tail. Grim let out a shriek and thrashed about wildly.
"WOAH HEY! HOW'D YA MOVE SO FAST?!" He yowled in shock.
"Oh Grim, you weren't thinking of running off AFTER YOU BEGGED ME TO STAY HERE were you?" She smiled down at him menacingly.
"Aw c'mon! The classes are so borin'! I didn't think it'd be like this! I want to blow stuff up!" Grim whined but stopped struggling so she released him.
"Nice catch Celeste. No wonder Vargas was impressed with you." Ace said his eyes wide in surprise.
"Well of course it's going to be a bit dull at first. You need to know the basics before you can do more advanced things." Celeste pointed out, putting her hands on her hips as she scolded Grim.
"You will never become a great mage if you can't even master the basics!" She told him causing him to flinch at her words.
"Ugh! Why are you so bossy!" He grumbled giving up as they headed for the cafeteria. Grim perked up immediately at the sight of the buffet.
"Look how fluffy those omelets are! Ooh, grilled chicken! And a bacon and egg tart!" Grim cried out with excitement as he jumped up and down eagerly.
Ace quickly shushed him with an exasperated look. "Dude inside voices! Where was this energy earlier?" He said picking up a tray and getting in line with Deuce and Celeste.
"Celeste, grab me the grilled chicken! And an omelet too. And that jelly-filled bread. Just fill your whole tray!" Grim hopped excitedly behind her.
Celeste chuckled as she got him his food, only getting an apple for herself. She wasn't hungry but didn't want to appear strange for refusing to eat. "I don't think I've ever met anyone as excited about food as you are Grim." She remarked as she filled his plate.
Grim suddenly let out a yelp as he bumped into someone. The young man let out an angry cry and glared down at Grim in disgust.
"Hey! Watch where you're goin'! M-my carbonara! You broke the yolk!" His face twisted with irritation.
His friend next to him joined in. "Whoa, that's messed up! Pokin' the egg is the best part! You better make this right pal!" They both glared down at Grim who shrank back on the floor.
"I'm gonna need that grilled chicken as compensation." The first boy growled as he looked over at Celeste and froze. "W-wait are you a chick?!"
"Don't give him nothin' Celeste! I'm HANGRY!" Grim protested.
"I am a girl, yes." Celeste frowned at him noticing that he appeared slightly nervous now.
"W-well you're cat bumped into me!" He stammered, raising his voice.
"I apologize for him as he was excited. However, I believe your food is still perfectly edible? Surely since you two are mature upper-class men you can overlook our little blunder?" She batted her eyelashes at the two boys, not hesitating to lay on the charm. She knew how to use her good looks to her advantage.
The two boys blushed and the first boy looked down at Grim and then back at her. "I-I guess... J-just this once though!" He muttered before shuffling off with his friend.
"You didn't have to do that Celeste! Why didn't you ask me and Ace for help?!" Deuce said giving her a dismayed look.
"It was better to resolve that peacefully. Besides the headmaster said no more incidents." She sighed as they walked over to a nearby table.
She pushed the tray of food over to Grim who immediately started scarfing it down. She grabbed the apple and set it down in front of her, eyeing it apprehensively. It was a bright red color, unlike the gold and silver apples she was used to back at home.
"Is that all you're going to eat?" Ace asked sitting down across from her as Deuce took the seat next to her.
"Oh, I am not very hungry." She said picking up the apple at looking at it curiously.
"You sure? You need to keep your strength up." Deuce said watching her study the apple.
"Yes, I am quite sure. I don't need to eat much." She said truthfully. She was used to eating about one full meal every three days and the meal the Headmaster had brought her the first night had been plenty. She didn't want to waste food when she didn't need it.
"So, I saw your guy's dorm, but what are the other ones like?" Grim asked the two boys between mouthfuls.
"I'm sure you're familiar with the statues of the great seven? Night Raven College has a dorm themed after each one." To her surprise Cater and another boy walked up and joined them at their table. Cater winked at her as he sat down next to Ace who scowled at him.
Grim stopped eating to glare at him as well. "You tricked us into painting those dumb roses!" Grim hissed at him.
"Now Grim, be civil." Celeste chided him and he shot her a look with an angry huff.
"Tricked is such an ugly word. Do you think I wanted to spend MY morning painting those roses? It's dorm policy! I was just following orders." Cater admitted with a grimace.
"Outside of the dorm, I don't care what rules you follow. Here I'm just a friendly mentor figure!" Cater reassured them with a smile.
The other boy who had walked up with him looked at Celeste curiously. He had short dark green hair and wore black-framed glasses over his hazel eyes. A clover was painted on his cheek.
"You must be Celeste, the new prefect. I have to say, I thought Cater was exaggerating when he talked about you but you're exactly how he described you." He spoke to her with a warm smile.
"Oh? Have you been gossiping about me?" Celeste raised an eyebrow at Cater who chuckled.
"You four are the talk of the school right now. But you especially hon, after all, you're the only girl in the entire school."
She blinked, suddenly aware that she was getting quite a few looks from the other tables.
"Who are you?" Ace asked looking at the green-haired boy sitting next to him.
"Ah, I should introduce myself. The names Trey. Trey clover. I'm a junior at Heartslabyul like Cater here." Trey looked back over to Celeste. "Cater told me the whole story about yesterday. Thanks for looking after our boys yesterday."
Celeste let out a chuckle. "You're quite welcome."
"I don't recall inviting you to sit with us." Ace grumbled glaring at them.
"Hey, now we're all from the same dorm, right? Let's try to get along! Here, gimme your digits." Cater said pulling out his Magicam device. He looked at her expectantly but she looked back at him confused.
"I'm sorry... I'm afraid I don't know what you're referring to?" She blinked in confusion.
Ace let out a laugh. "Wow, Celeste. What a way to turn down a guy asking for your number."
"My number? I don't understand. Does it have to do with his Magicam device?" She asked still confused about what he was asking.
Cater gawked at her stunned. "My...WHAT?"
"Did... Did I get it wrong? I thought you referred to it as a Magicam this morning... Oh, dear... Have I said something strange?" She looked at them nervously seeing the shock on all their faces.
"C-Celeste... Do you not know what a phone is?" Deuce sputtered at her.
"Phone? We don't have those where I am from..." Celeste eyed the device in Cater's hands.
"Where are you from?! The past?!" Cater exclaimed loudly, causing several students to look over at them.
"Even if I told you, you would not know it. The Headmaster could not locate it on any map. That is why I am here." Celeste explained to them.
"Wait, what?" Ace bawked at her confused.
"Wouldn't that mean you're from another planet?" Trey furrowed his brows with thought.
"I think it's closer to another dimension..." Celeste said carefully not wanting to give too much away. In reality, the Celestial, Human, and Underworld Realms were connected through magic. Saying she was from another dimension was the closest to the truth without actually telling them. She felt her stomach turn from the thought of misleading them, but it was for their own good after all.
"S-seriously?!" Deuce said looking at her wide-eyed.
"Aw sweet my human is super special!" Grim said excitedly.
"I am not your human anything." She huffed glaring at him. It was true, she wasn't human at all.
"And they don't have phones in your dimension?!" Cater stared at her, not about to get past her not knowing what a phone was.
"No... But we do have radios and cameras! Though they are rather complex... My brother would be able to tell you more about them." She said wistfully, remembering how Uriel liked to fiddle with the radio. She felt a twinge of pain realizing she would never see him again. The boys seemed to notice her sorrowful expression and dropped the subject.
"What were we talking about... The dorms yeah?" Cater shot a nervous glance at Grim as he changed the subject.
"Before you get into the other dorms, I wouldn't mind learning a bit about ours." Ace said sheepishly glancing at Cater. "Like what's the deal with all this Queen of Hearts rule number whatever junk?"
"I'm sure you're familiar with the legendary Queen of Hearts already. She had to rule over a kingdom of weirdos and did it by emphasizing order and making strict rules." Trey explained as he took a bite of his sandwich.
"Our dorm, Heartslabyul, is an homage to her. By tradition, we wear armbands with the red and black of the queen's dress. And we live by the rules she created. Now the degree to which we adhere to the rules depends on the sitting Housewarden. Past wardens have been much more lax." Cater added with a slightly tense expression.
"Riddle though? He doesn't mess around. Basically, you could say he's honoring that tradition to the utmost extent possible." Trey said and Ace groaned.
"So what are the other dorms like then?" Grim asked eyeing Trey curiously.
"As Cater mentioned earlier, the dorms are themed after the great seven. We have our dorm, Heartslabyul, modeled after the strictness of the queen of hearts. To run down the rest of them for you we have... Savanaclaw, based on the persistent spirit of the king of beasts. Octavinelle, based on the benevolent spirit of the sea witch. Scarabia, based on the mindful personality of the sorcerer of the sands. Pomefiore, based on the tenacity of the fairest queen. Ignihyde, based on the diligence of the king of the underworld. And finally... Diasomnia, based on the noble spirit of the thorn fairy." Trey explained to Grim who struggled to take it all in.
"My that's quite a lot to take in." Celeste said, forcing herself to take a bite of the apple. The apple wasn't as sweet as the ones she was used to, in fact, it almost tasted bitter. She immediately set it back down on the table.
"Yeah, those names are way too long! How's anyone supposed to remember 'em?" Grim said flabbergasted.
Cater let out a laugh. "Well, you get the idea. Want to or not, you'll learn them soon enough."
"At orientation, the Dark mirror picks a dorm for you based on the essence of your being. As a result, each dorm ends up with a distinct... Flavor." Trey gestured at the tables around them. She noticed that the students were sticking within their own dorms in terms of seating.
"The mirror said some pretty strange stuff about Celeste." Grim mused out loud as he glanced at her.
"Ah yes well, I DID try to tell Crowley that I didn't belong here beforehand but he wouldn't listen." She huffed with an exasperated tone shaking her head.
"Flavor huh...?" Deuce said furrowing his brows.
"For example, look at that guy." Trey pointed to a muscular boy sitting at a nearby table. He had a pair of white ears that stuck out of his wavy white hair and fluffy tail.
"Oh, the boy with the fluffy tail?" She said intrigued.
Trey let out a chuckle. "Yes. That rough and tumble vibe he's got has Savanaclaw written all over it."
"No doubt. That dorm is full of scrappy guys who are into, like, working out and fighting. The black and gold armband is another dead giveaway." Cater added.
Grim perked his ears as he scanned the cafeteria. "Huh. All right, so what about that guy with the grey and purple cord wrapped around his arm?" Grim pointed to another boy sitting serval tables away from them.
He had a rather serious expression as he was eating his meal. He had wavy silver hair and wore glasses. She recognized him from orientation.
"He's gotta be from Octavinelle house. And the student sitting at the table in front of him has a red and gold armband- Scarabia colors." Trey said looking at the two boys sitting across from the boy from Octavinelle.
She recognized one of them from orientation as well- the boy who Grim had inadvertently set fire to. He had white hair, tan skin, and bright red eyes. He was smiling and chattering away unlike the other two boys. The other Scarabia boy had long black hair and dark eyes.
"Those dorms are for the smart students. They're always neck and neck in the academic rankings. Ah but the current Housewarden of Scarabia doesn't seem to be all that great of a student..." Cater said looking over at the group of students.
"You see the flashy one with the purple and red armband? Those are Pomefiore colors." Trey pointed to another pair of students.
One was a rather small beautiful boy. He had wavy lavender hair about the same length as her own. If she hadn't known any better she would have thought he was a girl like herself.
The other boy sitting next to him had blond hair cut into a bob and a brown fedora with a feather on top. His bright green eyes kept glancing her way, but he wasn't the only one. Many glances were being cast her way from all over the cafeteria. She'd even seen the serious boy with glasses giving her a side glance earlier.
The lavender-haired boy noticed his dorm mate's gaze and turned to look at her as well, seeming curious. His blue gaze stopped on her as he whispered something to the boy next to him. She quickly turned away not wanting to give them any more reason to stare.
"Anyway, they take vanity pretty seriously at Pomefiore. It's basically a dorm full of models. There Housewarden has 5,000,000 followers on Magicam." Cater said looking slightly envious.
"Followers?" Celeste gave Cater a confused look.
"Oh wow. I totally forgot you have no idea what Magicam is. It's basically a site that shows people pictures of you. It's kinda like a popularity contest." Cater tried to explain to her but she was still in the dark about some of the words he used.
"Anyway, Pomefiore's not just a bunch of pretty faces. They're among the best at potions and casting curses." Trey said glancing back over at their table.
Cater let out a laugh. "True dat. Next, we have Ignihyde... Their armbands are blue and black, but I don't see any around here. They tend not to be the most outgoing of students. Even I don't have a single friend from that dorm. They're kind of the polar opposite of us sunny, fun-loving Heartslabyul's."
"So they're gloomy and miserable?" Grim said tilting his head to one side.
Trey quickly corrected him. "Hey, no need to put it like that! They just have a reputation for being quiet and serious is all. That dorm tends to attract magical energy engineers and students who are good with tech."
"So the exact opposite of Celeste!" Ace said with a laugh and she glared at him.
"I cannot help that I was born somewhere that was not as technologically advanced as here!" She huffed crossing her arms.
"So that just leaves... Diahonyalara right?" Deuce said, trying to remember the name of the last dorm.
"You were off to a good start, and then you rammed into the guardrails, it's Diasomnia." Ace smirked as he corrected him.
"I know that! I just misspoke all right?" Deuce shot him a glare.
"Diasomnia house is, hmm... Ah, look over there. Those guys in the special seating area. You can tell from the neon green and black armbands. They're basically campus celebrities. The vibe they give off makes it hard for regular schmucks like us to approach them. And their Housewarden is that times a thousand." Cater remarked, pointing to a group of three boys on the other side of the cafeteria.
Cater's words made her glad that they were unaware of her true nature. If they thought those students were intimidating, what would they think of an angel?
She looked over toward the group of boys Cater was pointing at. One had beautiful white-silver mid-length hair. Another had light green hair that was slicked back. Between them was what appeared to be a young boy with black mid-length hair with pink highlights. She also noticed that the boy had bright red eyes and pointed ears.
"Hey, there's a little kid in that group!" Ace cried out in surprise as he spotted the young boy.
Trey looked over at the boy and shook his head. "Ah, we do get some child prodigies here. But that guy there is no kid. He's a junior like us. Names-"
Trey was cut off as the young boy teleported over to their table, floating upside down over them.
"Lilia. Lilia Vanrouge." Lilia finished Trey's sentence for him and they all screamed, jerking back in surprise- except Celeste who only blinked.
"Oh! Hello! It's a pleasure to meet you." She smiled at him and he tilted his head as he gave her a curious look.
"Oh? The pleasures all mine." He smiled back at her, revealing his fangs before turning to Ace.
"I understand that my apparent age interests you? As this bespectacled fellow accurately noted... Despite my fresh-faced, boyish good looks, it would be inaccurate to call me a child." He said before turning back to her and smiling brightly, as he righted himself in midair.
"You need not gawk at us from afar. You may feel free to speak with us directly. We are schoolmates, are we not? All of us at Diasomnia house welcome you without reservation." He waved his hand in the direction of the other two boys who were now both looking over at them.
"Of course! I'm sure everyone would be delighted to!" Celeste said mirroring Lilia's friendly smile.
" Celeste! " Ace hissed at her, obviously wanting her to stop talking.
"Ah, so you are Celeste. What a beautiful name. You must be the mysterious new student." Lilia said with a mischievous glint in his eye as he extended his hand for a handshake which she returned.
"Those guys aren't exactly rolling out the red carpet in terms of approachability..." Deuce peeked out from behind her to peer over at the two boys across the cafeteria.
Lilia chuckled as he took his eyes off Celeste. "Forgive me for appearing above you during your meal." His eyes flickered to her apple with a single bite taken out of it. "I do hope we can speak again." He spoke as if he was addressing all of them but he looked intently at her before teleporting back over to his table.
"Celeste are you nuts?! Why'd you talk to him like that?!" Ace hissed at her after Lilia left.
"What do you mean? He was perfectly polite it would have been rather rude to act otherwise." Celeste frowned at him.
"Celeste, hon, were you not like, intimidated at all?!" Cater gave her an incredulous look.
Celeste blinked. "No? Should I have been? He seemed rather cordial." She looked back over to the table across the cafeteria to see the boys were talking amongst themselves, occasionally glancing her way.
"Well, you're one of a very few who aren't," Trey raised an eyebrow and gave her a curious look.
"I mean come on Celeste. He heard our conversation from all the way over there. That's WAY creepy!" Ace added keeping his voice low as if he was afraid Lilia would overhear him again.
"Diasomnia has a bit of a reputation for having lots of special students. Some of them are extremely talented at magic. Their Housewarden, Malleus Draconia, is considered to be one of the five best mages in the world." Trey explained glancing over at the Diasomnia table.
"Malleus is real bad news. Though I suppose the same could be said of our own dear Housewarden." Cater added with a sigh.
Ace let out an angry huff. "No kidding! He collared me for eating one slice of tart! His rule obsession is outta control!" During his rant, he failed to notice the red-haired boy walking past him.
The boy stopped in his tracks and glared at Ace. "My rule obsession is outta control is it?" The boy growled menacingly, his grey eyes burning into Ace.
"You bet it is. Riddle's just a petty tyrant who leans into the whole rule schtick as a pretext to keep everyone under his puny thumb!" Ace continued to rant, clueless as to who was behind him.
"Ace! Behind you!" Deuce sputtered frantically pointing to Riddle. Ace spun around and grew pale as Riddle crossed his arms.
Grim let out a hiss, his fur standing on end. "You're the guy who put that stupid collar on me at the orientation ceremony!"
Riddle swept his cold grey gaze over her, Grim, Ace, and Deuce. "And you're the new students who were nearly expelled yesterday. I'll ask that you not refer to my signature spell as a stupid collar." He shook his head in disapproval. "The Headmage's habit of tolerating rule breakers like you is going to send this campus spiraling into chaos one day. Those who break the rules should have their heads removed immediately, without exception." Riddle said sternly, his eyes flickering to her golden shackles. It was rather ironic, but he would have made a good angel, Celeste thought to herself as he glared at the four of them.
"Dude seriously? This guy looks like a wimp but talks like a monster!" Ace grumbled glancing at her. She glared back at him, she and Riddle were the same height.
"The headmage may have forgiven you, but if you break the rules any further, I assure you I will not." Riddle continued glaring pointedly at Ace.
Ace grimaced and smiled nervously. "So uh, listen Housewarden, sir... Any chance I could get you to remove this collar?" He asked tugging at the metal collar around his neck.
Riddle stared back at him coldly. "I had intended to remove it once you'd taken an opportunity to reflect upon your crimes. But I've not detected so much as a hint of remorse in the foolishness I've heard you spout today. So I think I will let you keep that for a while. Don't worry the freshman curriculum is more focused on magical theory than practice. Your inability to use magic will help prevent incidents like what happened yesterday. Now if you're finished with your meal, quit gossiping and prepare for your next class. Rule 271 is quite clear: one must leave the table within fifteen minutes of completing their lunch."
"Don't worry I'll keep an eye on them." Trey gave Riddle a reassuring smile.
Riddle nodded to him. "As vice Housewarden, I trust you'll avoid any further indiscreet conversation." He huffed before bidding them farewell and walking off. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when he was gone.
A group of Heartslabyul students at the next table over, relaxed as well. "Is the Housewarden gone?" One boy asked cautiously looking around. "I totally just broke rule 186 never eat a hamburger on Tuesday."
The boy sitting next to him let out a teasing chuckle. "I told you, you should have gotten the salad." He said popping a tomato in his mouth. He had white hair and porcelain skin, and a pair of rabbit ears stuck out from the top of his head. His eyes were ruby red and framed by a pair of circular glasses. A fluffy white bunny tail stuck out from his pants.
The other boy glared back at him. "Easy for you to say, Peter, all you eat is vegetables!"
Another boy with rabbit ears sat across from them, glaring in the direction Riddle had gone. "... I wish he wouldn't come here so we could at least eat in peace." He growled, he was also wearing a collar like Ace. He had wild wavy brown hair that matched his ears and bright green eyes.
"Easy Harry, the vice Housewarden is sitting right over there!" Peter warned him glancing over at their table. Trey and Cater exchanged concerned glances, having overheard their conversation.
"Vice Housewarden? So you are second in command?" Celeste asked looking at Trey.
"Well I'm not sure I would word it like that but yeah." Trey looked slightly embarrassed at her words.
"If you're the vice Housewarden can't you do something about Riddle?!" Ace asked hopefully but Trey shook his head.
"Riddle managed to secure the Housewarden title before the end of his very first week at school. I know he can come off a bit harsh, but he's not a bad guy. Everything he does he does because he thinks it'll improve the dorm." Trey tried to explain but Grim let out a snort.
"Would a good guy go around putting collars on strangers' necks?"
"Grim, might I remind you that you set a boy on fire? I think the collar was justified in your case." Celeste criticized him with a frown.
Grim growled and lashed his tail. "But that really hurt, and it shut off all my magic! Don't your bracelets hurt you?!" Grim pointed to her shackles.
"Well, they are uncomfortable yes. But they only cause pain if I try to use magic." She said holding up her wrists.
"The spell on your bracelets must be different than Riddles then." Ace inspected her shackles carefully.
"Yes, I believe the collar is Riddle's signature spell. The spell binding my magic is more of a tool, more than one person can use it. I believe my spell will break when certain conditions are met but I am unsure as to what they are..." She trailed off with a worried look.
"I don't understand. Why do you have that spell on you, Celeste?" Deuce asked with a worried frown.
"Ah, well... It's complicated but I... Helped someone I shouldn't have. I don't regret helping them but... I'm afraid it was against the rules in my Kingdom." she smiled wistfully remembering the boy she'd saved.
"Wha?! You're like that because you HELPED someone?!" Ace exclaimed in disbelief.
"Like I said it's rather complicated." Celeste said motioning for him to be quiet as she glanced warily at the surrounding tables.
"Wow, so no regrets? That's like, kinda badass Celeste." Cater said with an impressed look.
"So you're spell is different from Riddles... His spell only he can cast right?" Deuce asked with a thoughtful gleam in his eyes.
"Yes, a signature spell is a magic ability that is generally unique to the user. Riddles spell is called OFF WITH YOUR HEAD." Trey explained and Grim shivered next to her.
"Having your magic sealed away is about as painful as losing your head completely. Which is why everyone at Heartslabyul tries hard not to violate Riddles rules." Cater added with a grimace.
"Riddles not so scary as long as your following the rules." Trey tried to reassure them but they looked skeptical.
"Speaking of which- are you still not gonna let me into the dorm until I buy a tart Cater?" Ace said looking pointedly at Cater.
Cater shrugged nervously. " ... Yeah, that's rule number 53, so my hands are tied. Also, Riddle likes to have the first slice of tart so you better make sure you bring a whole one." Ace let out a groan.
"A whole tart has gotta be pretty expensive." Deuce said, looking worried.
"Why not make one yourself? Trey made those three tarts by hand, after all." Cater looked over at Trey.
"Really? You must be quite talented! Oh, but I'd hate to impose..." Celeste said but Trey didn't seem bothered.
"It's no problem. However, there is one thing I need from you guys. Riddle wants a chestnut tart next so I'm gonna need you to gather a ton of chestnuts."
"How many do you need?" Ace sighed.
"Well it's for the unbirthday party so... Probably two or three hundred? And they're gonna need to be boiled, shelled, and pureed." Trey said with a grin.
"Alright, I'm heading out." Grim hopped to his feet to leave and Deuce followed him.
"You heartless cowards!" Ace cried seeing them starting to leave.
"Hold up! Haven't you ever heard that food tastes better when you make it with friends?" Cater called after them.
"Don't tell Riddle but chestnut tarts are their tastiest when eaten right out of the oven. And the only people who get to experience that are the ones who make it." Trey added, trying to lure them back.
"I don't believe I've ever had a chestnut." Celeste said as Deuce and Grim looked at one another.
"Well, when you put it that way... Come on humans let's do this!" Grim said with renewed excitement and Celeste let out a laugh at his change of attitude.
Trey smiled seeing that he had gotten all of their attention. "There's a whole bunch of chestnut trees in the woods behind the botanical gardens."
Ace sighed in relief. "Cool. Plan made. Let's meet at the botanical garden after the last period."