The next day's lunch break saw the Heartshackle group headed to the school's gymnasium so Ace, Grim, and now Deuce, who had changed his tune from the previous day, could get in some practice for the audition routine. Ace and Grim were still steaming over Vil's scathing critique after their fight.

""What an absolutely embarrassing display"," Ace repeated, turning his nose up and mimicking Vil's voice to the best of his ability. ""Not only were your moves utterly unchoreographed, but they were woefully inelegant, to boot.""

""If I were grading you all, you'd get a five…out of one hundred"," Grim finished before his fur puffed up in frustration. "Urgh! That jerk made me so mad! I'll show him. My slick moves'll wow him so much, he'll beggin' me to join! Just you wait."

"For once, I agree with you," Ace replied as the group picked out nice spot where they could practice without being disturbed. "But before we get to that… Deuce." He turned to look toward his roommate. "You changed your mind about auditioning pretty quick. What happened?"

"I'm not about to talk all that smack talk lying down, either!" Deuce said resolutely. "Besides, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about Epel."

Ace blinked. "Epel?"

Deuce nodded. "Yeah. He didn't seem to want any part of the VDC."

"I knew things were tense between him and Vil, but he almost looked scared of him yesterday," Devon commented, her brow furrowed in concern.

"And I'm pretty sure he'd been crying when I bumped into him the other day on Main Street," Deuce added. "I can't ignore someone being forced into something against their will. Aside from Epel being my friend, I have a duty as an honor student."

"Again, saying you're an honor student doesn't automatically make you one," Ace pointed out. "I have to wonder what Vil has on Epel to force him to obey him like that. He's never been the type to back down from anything, but one glare from Vil turned him into a meek little bunny rabbit. Either way, it's not cool for Vil to just throw his weight around like that, dorm leader or not." He smirked. "That's why we need to put on a better performance than Epel's. We can knock him out of the running for the contest ourselves. Deuce was blabberin' on yesterday about how you shouldn't bother auditioning if you aren't in it to win it, so if Epel doesn't want his spot, we can just nab it-and the prize money-for ourselves."

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Grim agreed. "Now let's get in some dance practice! Hit the music, Dev!"

"Right. Let's run through the whole thing once to start with," Ace suggested as Devon queued up the song on her phone. "That'll show us where we need to improve." He shot Grim a teasing smirk. "Are you sure you're up for this, Grim. Deuce is one thing, but I'm positive you don't have any dancing experience."

"Heh heh. Don't you worry about me. I'll show you what these hind legs of mine can do!" Grim boasted with all the confidence and bravado of someone who was about to fall flat on his face.

"I put in as much practice as I could last night, but I'm still not sure I'll be able to pull this off," Deuce said uncertainly. "Do you think you could help us stay on beat by clapping along, Dev?"

"Sure thing, bud," Devon nodded as she turned up her phone's volume. "Get ready, guys. Music starts in 3… 2… 1…"

The boys' first attempt at the dance was definitely…an attempt. Ace was definitely the best of the three, but they were all pretty terrible even with Devon clapping from her spot on the bleachers to help keep them moving in time with the music. Deuce was giving it his all, but his movements were shaky, almost like he was second-guessing himself and hesitating partway through a move as he ran through the routine in his head. And Grim…well, Devon wasn't really what Grim was doing but all flailing was most certainly not a dance she'd ever seen before.

"Sweet! This is easier than I thought!" Ace said as the song reached the halfway point and the boys struck their mid-song pose.

"So you hold your right hand out as you step back and… Wait, which foot do we step back on?" Deuce muttered as he ran through the moves in his head.

Grim grunted in frustration. "I can't get my front paws to make the peace sign!"

"Are you guys seriously having that much trouble? We haven't even gotten to the hard stuff yet," Ace teased.

Deuce shot a glare at Ace. "I'll have this dance down pat in no time. Just you wait!"

The next half of the song didn't go any better. Ace's teasing seemed to have lit a fire under Deuce and Grim, but all that meant was that they were putting even more energy into dancing terribly. Thankfully the song was over soon enough, but Devon couldn't help but think that her boys had a long way to go.

"Ugh! I can't remember the footwork for this part at all. It's way too complicated," Deuce groaned.

"How'd you learn to dance like that, Ace?" Grim asked.

"Y'know, I might just be inclined to teach you if you beg me," Ace replied with a cocky smirk.

"Grrr… Don't you gettin' all high and mighty just 'cause you're a little better than us!" Grim huffed.

Deuce nodded. "Yeah. I'll learn this dance without your help! Mark my words!"

"Pfft," Ace snickered as they ran through the routine a second time. "Are you serious, Deuce? These are basic baby steps and you can even manage that!"

"W-Well, what do you expect?! I've never danced before!" Deuce exclaimed, his cheeks flushed from both embarrassment and frustration.

"Mmrph… I can't get my front and back paws to move at the same time…," Grim grumbled, still trying to work on the steps.

"We've got nowhere to go but up, guys," Devon said, trying to stay optimistic. "I know it's tough but routines like this aren't mastered in one evening's worth of practice, you know." She shot Ace a look. "And you need to lay off. I know the whole 'I save my best teasing for the people I care about most' thing is your love language, but right now it's hurting more than it's helping."

Before Ace could argue, a familiar voice called out to them. "Hey, guys!" Kalim greeted cheerfully as he approached, dragging Jamil along with him. "Are you all dancing? Is it cool if we join you?"

"Myah? Well if it isn't Scarabia's most dysfunctional duo!" Grim said.

Jamil rolled his eyes. "We are not dysfunctional. And I could do without the pet name, thank you."

"Hey, Kalim. Hey, Jamil," Ace greeted back. "Are you two auditioning for the VDC too?"

Kalim nodded enthusiastically. "You bet! When is there a better time to dance than at a big festival? Jamil and I both happen to be pretty good at dancing and singing." He looked over at Jamil eagerly. "Right, Jamil?"

"Personally, I'd rather not draw all that attention to myself," Jamil replied with a sigh.

"We saw the three of you practicing from behind and, I mean no offense, but that was absolutely terrible!" Kalim commented, the smile still on his face and no malice in his tone. "It was like watching an elephant stumble about on its hind legs." He chuckled good-naturedly. "Keep in mind that you don't just have to master the dance; you have to be able to sing while performing it. You might be in over your heads here."

"Rrgh… The fact that he said that with complete sincerity makes it sting even more," Deuce muttered.

"Y'know, now that I think about it-Jamil, you taught Floyd some dance moves at practice before, right? Dancing's totally your thing, isn't it? Think you can share some pointers?" Ace asked.

"That's a great idea! You'll be pros in no time with Jamil's help!" Kalim said eagerly.

Jamil shot Kalim an annoyed look. "He asked me, not you!" His eyes flicked over to Devon and he cleared his throat. "But coaching also makes for good practice for me, so…sure. Since you guys are beginners, it'd be best to start with your stance. Start by spreading your feet as wide as your shoulders."

Ace, Deuce, and Grim did their best to do as Jamil instructed.

"You need to ease up your shoulders a bit more, Deuce," Jamil said. "Moving your head and shoulders at the same time will make your dancing look stiff."

"Wait, I'm supposed to move them separately?! How do I even do that?" Deuce asked incredulously. "I'm pretty sure I'll fall behind just trying to manage that alone, nevermind the actual dance moves."

"Dancing isn't about thinking ahead. You just have to follow the rhythm and work on your muscle memory," Jamil advised.

The boys ran through the routine a few more times, this time with Jamil's commentary and small corrections. It still wasn't the most polished routine, but Devon could see that her boys were definitely improving just a bit with each run-through. It wasn't long before the sound of a bell echoed through the gym, signaling the end of the lunch break.

"Sounds like we'll have to end the practice session here. Afternoon classes are about to start," Jamil said.

Kalim pouted. "Aww, really? I guess time really does fly when you're having fun."

Deuce immediately stood up straighter. "Kalim! Jamil! Thank you both for the training session!"

"No kidding. We really owe ya one, Jamil," Ace said. "I can definitely tell you're used to teaching. You got Deuce and Grim from zero skills to…barely there skills in less than an hour."

Jamil nodded before turning to Deuce. "I won't deny that you're lacking in terms of a sense of rhythm, but you've got some solid reflexes. You should be able to get the hang of the dance eventually so long as you keep practicing."

"Right! Thank you!" Deuce replied, beaming hopefully at the assessment.

Jamil turned to Grim. "As for you... Well, it's hard to tell whether or not you've actually improved but you're certainly…agile. I guess. Maybe."

"That's what I'm talkin' about!" Grim cheered, oblivious to Devon's snort of laughter at Jamil's assessment. "This has been pretty fun, actually! I'll keep practicing so I can show you even smoother moves tomorrow."

"Be careful not to devote so much time to dance practice that you forget to work on your singing," Jamil cautioned. "You'll need to strike a proper balance between the two if you want to make a good show at the audition."

Deuce nodded. "Yeah. We've still got a lot of work to do…"

"Ooh, I know! Why don't we all practice together starting tomorrow?" Kalim suggested. "Jamil's a really good singer. He could demonstrate for us!"

Jamil sent another glare in Kalim's direction. "Wh-stop making commitments on my behalf, Kalim!"

"Aww c'mon, where's the harm? When it comes to singing, dancing, or partying, I say the rule of thumb is the more, the merrier!" Kalim replied with a grin.

"Sign us up!" Ace, Deuce, and Grim agreed without hesitation.

"Deal! Looks like we're in this together!" Kalim replied happily.

"So demanding…," Jamil muttered as his brows knit together in exasperation. He caught Devon's eye as she stood from her place on the bleachers, her smile causing his frustration to ebb and his expression to soften. "But fine. Be warned, though-I'm not about to go easy on you."

"Pfft. Please. You say that as if we aren't run ragged every day by our own dorm head," Ace replied nonchalantly.

"Do your worst. We can take it!" Deuce added confidently.

"Glad to hear it. In that case, we should tidy things up here. Run and grab some mops from storage," Jamil said, nodding toward the gym's storage room.

"Yessir!" Ace, Deuce, and Kalim agreed.

Jamil grabbed Kalim's shoulder before he could walk off with Ace and Deuce. "Hang on, Kalim. You don't have to-"

Kalim lowered his voice so that only Jamil could hear him. "I know, but I just thought I'd give you guys a minute." He flicked his eyes knowingly toward Devon before giving Jamil a gentle nudge in her direction and running off to catch up with Ace and Deuce.

Jamil sighed again before moving closer to Devon. She smiled at him again and he felt all the tension and frustration lift off of him at the sight. He smiled back as he nudged her with his shoulder. "So you're really not auditioning, then?"

Devon shook her head. "Nope. I know depriving all the VDC viewers of my killer dance moves is a tragedy of the greatest order, but I think it's best if I sit this one out. I'll be there to cheer you guys on, though."

"Pity," Jamil replied. "Ace has mentioned in Basketball Club that you're quite the talent. I was hoping I could see it in person."

Devon quirked a brow and smirked. "If you wanna dance with me, Jamil, all you have to do is say so."

The sound of approaching footsteps pulled them from their conversation.

"Ah, excellent. I've been looking for you, Jamil," Azul said as he made his way over. "I suppose I should've expected to find you with Devon." He smiled at her. "Always a delight to see you as well, my dear friend."

Jamil narrowed his eyes in irritation as he folded his arms across his chest. "What do you want, Azul?"

"Goodness, what could I have possibly done to earn such a cold greeting?" Azul asked. His tone was one of mock hurt, but the smirk on his face was anything but. "And here I thought we were making great strides in becoming friends. But nevermind that for now. You're on class duty today, correct? I've been informed that our Magic History class is going to be a study hall today. Professor Trein needs you to come and get the classwork printouts from the faculty office."

"Fine. I'll head over there now," Jamil replied.

Grim hopped up onto Devon's shoulder, lowering his voice to a whisper as Devon took a subtle step back in an attempt to keep Azul and Jamil from overhearing. "Hey, didn't Azul stream Jamil's whole 'get Kalim tossed outta the school so I can replace him as dorm head' scheme to the entire world? Guess that explains why Jamil's actin' so frosty to him."

"Now that you mention it, I have been wondering what happened with that," Devon whispered back. "The whole reason Jamil was so sneaky about it was because he didn't want his family to get in trouble. I sure hope everything's okay…"

"Please," Azul interjected, pulling Devon and Grim's attention back to him. "Given how often you play that Texas Hold 'Em game, Devon, I was sure you'd know a bluff when you saw one. That was merely a ploy to make sure Jamil didn't try to talk his way out of anything."

"Wait, what?!" Grim exclaimed.

"You wound me, Grim," Azul continued, the smile still indicating that he felt nothing of the sort. "To think you would suggest that I, the very embodiment of benevolence, would knowingly destroy the reputation and social standing of a classmate!"

Jamil rolled his eyes at Azul theatrics. "Tch, we all know you'd do it in a heartbeat if there was something in it for you."

"And if you were really such a nice guy, you wouldn't have told a lie like that to start with," Grim added.

"Heh heh," Azul chuckled. "In truth, I was merely on a call with Jade with the phone on speaker. I'm not like Leona, you know-I don't torment others for the fun of it. I only do what is strictly necessary. Besides, I obtained some wonderful intel from that whole experience. I'm certainly not about to devalue my own assets!"

"Whatever you say," Jamil sighed out. "But actually…" He refocused on Devon, his expression softening. "I am loathe to admit it, but thanks to Azul's "benevolence", my parents and the Asim family still don't know the real reason behind my Overblot. As for the students of Scarabia…"

A few days earlier, in the Scarabia lounge…

"I just don't understand, dorm head!" said Scarabia A as he and a handful of Scarabia students gathered around Kalim. "Why are you letting Jamil stay on as vice dorm leader?!"

"He deceived all of us for months, yourself included!" Scarabia B agreed.

"For all we know, he still has some kind of plot up his sleeve," Scarabia C added. "He needs to be dismissed before he pulls another stunt."

Kalim heard each of them out before smiling. "Wow, I didn't expect you guys to be so worried about me! Thank you. I appreciate that." His tone grew more serious as his smile faded. "But I think you all should know… Jamil's not the only one at fault here. I share some of the blame too. Besides, I don't think there's anyone in this dorm who can say that Jamil hasn't helped them out at some point, right?"

A chorus of begrudging murmurs began as the students reluctantly agreed.

"W-Well…," Scarabia A trailed off.

"I guess he's given me some good advice before," Scarabia B admitted.

"There, you see? He's been a model vice dorm head. Actually…he puts me to shame," Kalim conceded. "He may have let his darker thoughts get the better of him briefly, but aside from that, he's an extremely capable mage. It's true that he used you all to try and get me kicked out, but before the holiday break he'd never once tried to hurt me. And believe me, he could have. He's had plenty of opportunities to do something far worse than getting me expelled. Yet he never even made an attempt. Not once in seventeen years. I mean, I'm not saying he's a good guy but…"

"Dorm head…," Scarabia C muttered softly.

"It's really frustrating that I can't explain myself any better," Kalim continued, "but could I ask you guys to give us a little more time to sort all this out?"

The students exchanged glances before Scarabia C spoke up again. "If that's what you really want, then…I guess so."

Jamil watched the exchange from his hiding spot behind a pillar before slipping silently out of the lounge, his expression unreadable.

"We've been more or less treading water ever since," Jamil concluded. "Scarabia's values place an emphasis on mindfulness and forethought. As such, our students typically try to avoid jumping to conclusions. In any given situation, they'll watch and wait so they can determine who would be more beneficial to side with. Kalim and I are no exception." He sent Devon a small smile. "In fact, I think the one thing we all agree on by now is that we'd rather be with you than against you, Devon. I don't think any of us have seen a blessing as powerful as yours before and combining it with your natural charisma makes you one of the biggest forces to be reckoned with on this campus."

"Heh. Classic Scarabia. Astoundingly shameless, one and all. Not that Octavinelle is much better; my dormmates have been bound and determined to get into Devon's good books ever since my Overblot," Azul commented. "All the same, I'm surprised you and Kalim can even dance together after everything that transpired."

"Hmph. Say what you will," Jamil replied. "In my case at least, the Overblot incident has caused my reputation to plummet. As such, it's only prudent for me to fall in line with Kalim for the time being to improve my standing both in and out of Scarabia."

Azul hummed thoughtfully as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I imagine the students are circling you like sharks, watching and waiting for the first sign of blood so they can challenge you for your vice dorm leader position. Were it not for your clashing idiosyncrasies, I imagine it would be hard to find a more appealing person to serve than Kalim. He'll eventually come into his inheritance, after all, and in today's society, that kind of wealth represents a power far greater than any magic. I daresay it borders on omnipotence!"

'Okay Mr. Capitalism, slow your roll,' Devon thought. 'Note to self: if I ever find a way to bring the boys to see New York City, keep Azul away from Wall Street.'

"Look. My holiday plan was an all-or-nothing gambit. I'd resigned myself to the fact that my life would effectively be over if it failed," Jamil said. "But in the end, things aren't all that different and I'm thankful for that. So long as Kalim doesn't dismiss me, I will remain his attendant. I'm going to continue proving myself to those around me: Kalim, my dormmates, my parents, the Asim family…and all of you." He caught Devon's proud smile and took a subtle step closer so he could brush his hand against hers, reveling in the fluttery feeling his stomach when Devon linked her pinky with his. 'I stand corrected. There's been a major improvement in my life since my Overblot and I couldn't be more thankful for her.'

"Man, Jamil. You're like a completely different guy now. The 180's got my head spinnin'," Grim remarked dryly.

"Personally, I prefer it this way," Azul said. "If Kalim ever does let you go, Jamil, just remember that Octavinelle's doors are always open to you. Someone with a pedigree like yours would have a spot in a heartbeat."

"Hard pass," Jamil replied. "I wouldn't transfer to Octavinelle even if it was the only other dorm in the school."

"Hey, guys! We're gonna be late to class if we don't move it!" Kalim called out to them. Devon glanced down to see that the area where the boys had been dancing was now spotless-she must've been too absorbed in the conversation to notice them come back from the storage room.

"Hmm. I never thought I'd see the day that Kalim would be the one keeping us on track," Azul mused. "He's right, though. We really should be on our way."

"I'd best go and get those printouts." Jamil gave Azul an annoyed look. "I never should have wasted so much time talking to you, anyway." He turned to Devon before gently squeezing her hand. "On the other hand, it's always a delight to see you, Devon."

Devon smiled as she squeezed his hand back then turned her attention to Ace and Deuce as they rushed up to her and Grim.

"Dudes, we gotta get movin'!" Ace exclaimed. "Our next class is in the west building. That's one heck of a walk from here!"

"C'mon, you guys!" Deuce urged as he and Ace charged toward the gym doors.

"Why are they actin' like we didn't just warp to class this morning?" Devon asked aloud as she pulled out her staff.

"Don't ask me," Grim replied. "You know those two can be morons sometimes."

"Yeah, but they're my morons," Devon sighed before turning to her sophomore friends. "You guys need a lift?"

Over the next three days, the Heartslabyul duo and Grim practiced the audition song and dance routine both with Kalim and Jamil during the lunch break and on their own back at their dorms. Having Jamil there to coach them seemed to be doing them a world of good. Devon was at the lunchtime practices without fail and could see that all three of them had made significant improvements from that first run-through. There was no telling if they would be ready in time for the audition, but she grew more hopeful each time she watched them all dance.

"Is it just me or does it seem like there's more and more people in here rehearsin' the audition number each time we come in here?" Ace asked as they walked into the gym for another lunchtime practice.

"They ain't gettin' their hands on that prize! Nobody takes my tuna!" Grim declared threateningly as he glared at the other students, none of whom paid him any attention.

"If I had to guess, I'd say most of them are after a chance to go pro than the prize money," Jamil said.

"Now that you mention it, they all seem pretty in their element," Deuce observed.

"Don't let them intimidate you. Your singing has improved greatly since we started," Jamil replied reassuringly. "You definitely don't sound like a dying walrus anymore."

"He's right, you know! You're much better at holding a note now," Kalim agreed. "Vocal training isn't easy. I think you all deserve a pat on the back for the work you put in." He clapped Ace and Deuce on the back. "Now let's get back to it! Today we'll try to run through the whole song from start to finish."

"Right!" Ace, Deuce, and Grim replied in unison.

"I must admit I'm eager to see how far you've all come," Jamil said as everyone took up their positions. "Try to follow me and Kalim as best you can."

"Hear that, Loosey-Deucey? Don't go screwin' this up for us, okay?" Ace teased.

Deuce refused to raise to Ace's bait, merely nodding his head resolutely with a determined glare on his face. "Right! I'll show them everything I've learned!"

"Ah ha ha! Hang on there, Deuce. Don't go getting all serious on us again! Remember to loosen up and have fun!" Kalim reminded him.

Their first attempt of the day was the best Devon had seen from them so far. Deuce and Grim stumbled a little over the lyrics, but by now they had the dance more or less committed to muscle memory. She couldn't help but applaud as the song faded out. "That was great, you guys!"

"She's right! You three have really improved!" Kalim agreed, beaming at the three freshmen. "Ooh, I know! What if we added in a little flair somewhere? Something like…" He bent backward until he was balancing himself completely on one hand for a split second before vaulting back up and posing.

"Whoa! How did you do that?!" Deuce asked, amazed.

"It's easy! You just hit the floor with your hand like "bam!" and then you raise your feet up like "whoosh!"" Kalim attempted to explain.

"Yeah, I think we're gonna need a little more than that," Ace remarked.

"It would be unwise to add any embellishments to the routine, Kalim," Jamil cautioned. "For all we know, whoever's judging the auditions will dock points for deviating. Now, let's try it one more time."

The second attempt was even better than the first. All of them nailed the dance, of course, but none of them missed on the lyrics this time either.

"Yeah! We nailed the final pose this time!" Grim cheered.

"How'd we do this time, Jamil?" Deuce asked apprehensively.

"Well, you kept up with the music this time. Not bad," Jamil replied. "You've made some impressive strides in such a short amount of time. You should be proud of yourselves."

Kalim nodded eagerly. "Yeah! I knew you could do it if you put your minds to it. Great work!"

"I can't believe I pulled off the whole routine without missing a step! I didn't blank on any of the lyrics, either!" Deuce exclaimed.

"Same! I didn't step on my tail or anything!" Grim informed them happily.

"Credit where it's due, Jamil. You got these two from 'two left feet' to 'at least we won't get laughed out of the audition' in record-breaking time," Ace praised. "You're the real MVP."

"Right?! Jamil makes everything really easy to understand," Kalim agreed. "He's an even better teacher than my tutors back home!"

Jamil cleared his throat before looking away awkwardly for a moment. "Come now, let's not make this about me."

Devon rolled her eyes playfully. She didn't need her blessing to tell that Jamil was absolutely soaking up all that praise. As tempting as it was to call him out-especially considering how much she was growing to love that side of Jamil that came out when he was caught absolutely not having it together-she figured he'd more than earned all the appreciation.

"I'd say you three have all the basics under your belts now," Jamil continued. "You're on your own from this point forward, so be sure not to neglect your practice."

"I know we'll be rivals come audition day, but I'll still keep my fingers crossed for you guys!" Kalim promised, ever the sweetheart.

"And naturally, I don't intend to lose either," Jamil added with a small smile.

"Wow, you two sound awful sure of yourselves," Ace teased. "I was about to tell you the same thing, though, so I guess I can't talk."

"Our smooth moves and dulcet tones'll bring the house down!" Grim declared.

"Jamil, Kalim, thank you both for dedicating so much of your free time to helping us!" Deuce said.

Jamil and Kalim nodded, about to head off to their first afternoon classes, when Jamil paused and turned back. "Before I forget, I just need to ask-have you three applied for the audition yet?"

Everyone stared back blankly. "Huh…?"

"Oh, honestly…," Jamil sighed. "I'm glad I thought to ask. You all aren't exactly the fastidious types. I can forgive Devon since she's not auditioning to begin with, but it's pretty clear in situations like these which one of you holds the most brain cells."

"Ah ha ha! You're always on top of everything, Jamil!" Kalim gushed.

Jamil shot Kalim an exasperated look. "Yes, well, it's become ingrained in me thanks to having to deal with the spontaneous antics of a certain someone day in and day out." He turned back to the freshmen. "If you want to audition, you'll need to apply in advance. Rook Hunt in Class 3-A is handling the applications this year."

"Oh yeah, I think I remember reading that on the poster," Ace recalled.

"You have until the day before the audition, but I'd suggest speaking with him sooner rather than later," Jamil advised.

"We will! Thank you for the reminder," Deuce replied gratefully. He looked over at Ace, Grim, and Devon and motioned toward the gym doors. "I think we should go talk to Rook now. We don't want to risk forgetting about it again."

Ending Notes: We are slowly but surely picking up steam here in the Pomefiore arc! I'll be covering the audition in the next chapter, so I hope you guys will be looking forward to that.

I'm always happy to write Devon and Jamil being cute (and Kalim doing his best to be a good wingman). I definitely think Jamil's the type of person in a group chat that leaves almost everyone on read (maybe he'll send a thumbs-up emoji if the sender wants some kind of reply, but that's pushing it) but will always, without fail respond to Devon if she's in that chat. …The VDC crew totally has a group chat and nobody can convince me otherwise.

Similarly, I can see Leona being the guy that keeps trying to remove himself from the group chat but keeps getting added back in. Malleus' phone is broken half the time so it's anyone's guess if he even receives the messages in the first place. Silver either responds as soon as he's free to do so or it takes 3-5 business days depending on if he fell asleep or not. Basically, Ace is the only functional texter of Devon's LIs.

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