Happy Howl-o-ween!
Vil was highly impressed with the upgraded leg. If only because Edna had stopped limping so much. Since it used a few of the same wires and connections as her old limb, it took very little time to adjust.
Hell, she liked this new one better because it was far less clunky, she didn't have to waste an hour drying the components out or worry as much about the oils and soaps getting into it, and it was so much lighter than her old leg.
Once the inter-house spelldrive was over, she planned to let Idia examine her arm to possibly upgrade it as well. She could live being one-handed for a while, and she had long since learned how to be ambidextrous.
The only thing that bugged her was the series of accidents that had been happening lately. She had become rather close with Riddle, as the two had very similar personalities and scholastic drive. Riddle was very pleased the odd female student was so serious about her studies and was more than happy to share a study guide to make sense of things.
After all, she wasn't exactly from anywhere local and would be unfamiliar with local legends, customs and habits.
It didn't hurt that Riddle had stumbled across her a few times in the library, completely zoned out while reading a book with proper intent and almost oblivious to the world around her. When he later quizzed her on the subject matter she had been previously reading, he had been very pleased she had actually understood most of what the book contained and had some rather thoughtful insights.
Also, the fact she was a double amputee that had a set of fake limbs that were nearly indistinguishable from the real thing fascinated him. Edna had no issue explaining in graphic detail about the surgery involved, even if it left most of those within hearing looking extremely faint at the mere thought of going through it.
Ace in particular looked green if Riddle brought the subject up around him.
At the very least it was highly unlikely she would need any of Azul's special study guides.
Normally, Edna wouldn't have cared overly much about the odd accidents. This was a school and things happened.
Except the moment Riddle was targeted, she saw red.
"So let me get this straight...you felt a weird energy that basically took control and made you fall down the stairs, or you would have if Trey hadn't caught you and taken your place, is that correct?" said Edna.
"It felt like my limbs had stopped moving of my own accord," said Riddle disturbed.
Edna almost wanted to growl. If there was on perk to her quest to find that damn stone, it was that she was very good at picking up clues. Hughes had once compared her to a particularly vicious bloodhound. Once she had the scent in her nose, she had a habit of tracking down the source very quickly.
And nothing pissed her off faster than targeting her friends like that.
"Riddle, I want you to think very carefully. Was there anything strange when the accident happened? It could be anything at all, even the most ordinary thing you would normally dismiss," said Edna.
Riddle could sense that Edna was up to something, but he was angry over Trey being hurt on his behalf. So he told her everything he could remember of the moments leading up to the fall.
If Vil noticed her being particularly nosy, he kept his silence on the matter. So long as she didn't disgrace the dorm he could care less.
In Savanaclaw
"So you think this Ruggie guy is the culprit?" said Cater. He was pretty unhappy about what happened to Trey, and Edna seemed to have a knack towards this sort of thing.
Ace and Deuce flanked her, with Grim walking in front of everyone. He rather liked his new 'hench human' as he called her, because she was a lot nicer to him than most and fed him well.
"I asked around, and this Ruggie guy has been around for the majority of the incidents...or was at least nearby enough that he could have seen something," said Edna with a scowl.
"And we're challenging them on their own turf, why?" said Ace.
"Because he's particularly hard to track down otherwise."
Edna had fine-tuned her intuition for trouble, and every instinct she had said that Ruggie was their best bet to tracking down who was behind this in short order.
She could tell from the expressions of the beast-kin students (and hadn't that thrown her for a loop for two weeks straight) that they were unlikely to leave the dorm without a fight.
Fine by her...her combat skills felt like they were becoming a tad rusty anyway.
Ace bristled at the way Ruggie spoke. It was pretty damn obvious he was behind the accidents, but it hadn't been his plan. Ruggie definitely expected the group to be beaten so badly they wouldn't be able to tell anyone until after the tournament...if they were lucky.
Edna, however, decided on a different approach. She had been eyeing the Savanaclaw housewarden from the start, even as she interrogated Ruggie over the incidents.
"Let me guess. You lot are planning to beat us up so we can't talk, right?" she said calmly.
Leona smirked at her, his fangs showing. It was clear he wasn't going to let them go peacefully, not when they had so brazenly walked onto their turf.
"Hey Elric, I don't think antagonizing that guy is a good idea," said Ace.
"Oh I think teaching this pompous, arrogant little rich boy a lesson is manners is exactly what he needs," glared Edna. She pulled off her jacket and handed her spell pen to Cater. "Hold this for me, will you?"
"You think I'm afraid of you? You might be a Master level alchemist, but I'm not afraid of some parlor tricks you have etched into that fancy arm of yours," sneered Leona.
Ace looked to Cater for explanation.
"Professor Crewel is a journeyman alchemist. There's more to it that just potions, which is what he specializes in. Master level alchemists can use what are known as transmutation circles and don't need a Magestone to channel their magic to alter the world around them. Most use premade circles from what Trey said about it."
Crewel didn't treat Edna as an 'errant pup' like he did most of his students. A Master-level alchemist usually required years of dedication and specialized training. The very fact she could draw circles freehand without any references at all spoke of her skill level, which put her above damn near every student in his class.
As a result, Edna had would likely be put into the advanced courses he normally only offered those with exceptional talent, since she just needed to catch up on the potions side of things. Potions was basically the magical version of chemistry, really.
Edna's smirk towards Leona should have been his first clue he was going to have a real fight on his hands.
Without much warning, he drew his pen and threw a particularly nasty looking spell at her.
Cater, Ace, Deuce and Grim all stared as Edna clapped her hands together, before sliding them down her arm to produce a rather nasty looking blade.
"What the hell?" said Ace in shock.
"Where was she hiding that?" said Deuce.
Leona clearly wasn't expecting her to produce a weapon, much less one from her arm like that.
Edna silently made a note to thank Idia for upgrading her leg. She was much faster than before, and she didn't hear the usual sound of gears complaining from the way she spun on her left foot.
If Leona thought her to be an easy fight, he quickly revised that opinion. He knew Edna had a fiery temper whenever someone thought she was an easy lay...or made the mistake of commenting on her height. However he never anticipated her to be this good of a fighter.
"Holy shit...is she actually fighting Leona on even ground?" said Ruggie in shock.
They all knew Edna was an Alpha bitch...but none of them expected her to fight evenly with their King.
It made the hot-headed beastkin students of Savanaclaw re-evaluate everything they knew of the lone female student. Clearly she wasn't as uptight and prissy like the rest of Pomefiore.
If anything she was as hot-blooded as the rest of them, if the grin on her face while fighting Leona was any indication.
Seeing her slice off a small section of his hair, Leona growled at her.
The two of them stared each other down from a respectable distance from each other.
Leona sized her up for a moment.
"...You've earned your place as a predator. Take your lackeys and go," he said finally.
"Target any of my friends again like that, asshole, and I'll really show you the extent of what I can do," she replied. With another clap, she retracted the odd armblade back to it's hidden position.
Leona took the fact she had claimed Riddle and the lackeys she had brought as 'under her protection'. She had earned the right to leave unmolested by the dorm, and the other students parted before her without a word.
"So now what?" said Ruggie.
"We proceed as planned. It's only a few days before the tournament anyway."
Either way, Edna had made a rather...firm...impression on Leona and the rest of Savanaclaw.
Vil was very confused by the odd nods of respect the more rough students gave Edna in the halls.
Edna was positive she knew who the culprit was, but there was no way to prove it before the tournament.
Instead she kept an eye on Leona and tried to figure out his endgame.
It took a bit of investigating to discover the root cause of his behavior, and she was more annoyed than anything at it.
"So let me get this straight. Leona's pissed because this Malleus guy keeps upstaging him in Spelldrive, despite the fact the headmage was going to remove him from the equation in a way everyone could live with?" said Edna.
"Essentially," said Vil, equally exasperated.
"That is so stupid," said Edna.
"How certain are you Leona is behind the incidents?" asked Rook.
"All signs point to him. He has the most to gain from the mess, and while Ruggie might have caused the accidents, everyone knows he's Leona's right hand. If he's not behind them, he at least allowed it to happen," said Edna. "The real question is what his final plan is...and how to mitigate the worst of the damage."
Rook and Vil shared a look.
"Any idea why they haven't targeted our dorm yet?" asked Vil.
"They see Pomefoire as 'weak', and 'prissy'," said Edna with a shrug. "To be fair, we focus more on appearance than sports. Only reason they've been treating me different is because I nearly took out Leona in a straight up fight than use magic."
"So that's why the Savanaclaw and beastkin students have been treating you like a fellow predator," said Rook in realization.
Vil considered his options.
"You may borrow Epel. I can't spare Rook or any of the official team if we are to maintain our current rankings in the tournament."
"Thanks," said Edna. Epel might look sweet and harmless, but he was a real spitfire and the two had bonded immediately.
Epel gleefully accepted Edna's offer to learn how to throw a proper punch, and learning how to use his smaller stature to his advantage. Sure, he found Vil's lessons annoying but the fact Edna followed the beauty regimen without complaint despite being an utter tomboy had him keep his silence on the matter.
Vil didn't hear about what Edna did to deal with the matter until much, much later. However he did not miss the way Leona treated her like an equal worthy of respect.
He was also not oblivious to the way Shroud was gravitating towards her. Whatever was going on between them was not his business unless something happened to make it his problem.
It was still great entertainment for him and Rook to watch, and he was not above giving her advice on how to dress or what make-up to wear to attract the attention of the reclusive housewarden.