a-crow-ready-for-a-murder

[a-crow-ready-for-a-murder]

This is absolutely beautiful.

"Be careful venturing too deep, darling, things aren't always what they seem in the dark..." I remember reading a note in one of the art books that the eels' body is luminescent since they live in the deep sea and I just...went a little out of control again and my victim is Jade.

This was so HARD, I don't draw underwater things, but I think this turned out really nice <3 I especially had fun adding the speckles to Jade's body.

[a-crow-ready-for-a-murder]

TOWARD HOME

Hey everyone, here's another twst fic. This time in 2nd person with the reader feels homesick and decides to visit nrcs wish granter. Hope you enjoy. Also I reference the readers mom as their familial contact and I know that isn't for everyone so I tried to keep it brief so you don't get taken out of the story.

If anyone were to confront you and ask what you were thinking, logically, you couldn’t answer. What lapse in judgment could have possibly led to the notion that this was a good idea?

Even if you wanted to answer, you probably couldn’t even look them in the eye, so with eyes trained on the floor you opened one of the doors to the underwater cafe. Perhaps you could say that you couldn’t see where you were, no one would question it upon seeing your swollen red eyes, still raw from a night of crying. Perhaps you could say you were sick and not thinking clearly, you certainly looked sickly as you wrapped your arms around yourself with each sluggish step. Monstro lounge wasn’t too busy, only a few regulars were scattered about. Amidst the tranquility you spotted two familiar figures standing by a hallway opening. Specifically the hall that led to the VIP room. You took one calming breath as you quickened your pace in their direction. Rather than give attention to disappearing nerve you focused on finding your voice that had been gone this morning. The distance between the door and the twins wasn’t as far as it had looked but before you could even croak out a word, the calmer of brothers, Jade, nodded towards the direction of the door in the middle of the hall. “He’s in his office.”

They knew why you were here. Of course they did. If nothing else the twins and their boss knew what a desperate soul looked like. Your voice was still absent as far as you could tell, so you nodded your thanks as you walked past them.

Your good sense may have abandoned you, but your manners certainly didn’t. Stopping in front of the dark, wooden door. One that for its simplicity, felt so ominous if you knew of the man on the other side of it. Looking back at the way you came, you took a brief moment to ask yourself if you wanted to do this. Although the chill in your spine tried to warn you to run, and the numbness in your legs wanted to hold you back from the room on the other side of the door, you steeled yourself and raised a shaky fist to knock.

The sharp noise of knuckles hitting wood echoed around you as you knocked three times and waited. When no response immediately came you began to wonder if you should try another time, more than likely though it was your fear finally starting to burrow its way into the forefront of your mind. ‘No’ you thought to yourself as you shook your head in hopes of clearing the sensation like some sort of etch and sketch. You were about to raise your hand to knock again when you heard a familiar baritone through the door “Come in.”

You realized then that it had only been a few seconds since your first knock. With another deep breath, you twisted the door knob, the quiet click gave way to the door swinging open slowly.

There he was. Hunched over his desk scribbling away at a pile of papers stacked high enough to be mistaken for a phone book. His glasses were perched near the end of his nose as the cerulean eyes behind them scanned page after page. His silver locks would move slightly as he flipped through the papers, framing his face as he frowned in concentration. The room itself was quiet with only the sound of his pen scratching paper, the light from the octopus shaped chandeliers illuminating the walls of bookshelves categorized alphabetically for the rows and rows of books that lined them. In the center of the room were 2 leather couches facing each other with a fish tank glass table between them, tied together by periwinkle carpeting.

Azul didn’t look up as you entered, and as you stood awkwardly in the doorway you found yourself watching his gloved hand glide over the papers. It almost looked like he wasn’t writing anything, just skimming over whatever was on the paper, if you were a bit more awake you might’ve squinted to see if he was but at the moment, you were just entranced by the motions.

“Close the door, please” his voice snapped you out of your trance

“Hm? Oh! Right, sorry” you stammer as you close the door behind you

He still hadn’t looked up when he spoke to you but after you closed the door he put down his pen next to the mountain of papers and rubbed his eyes. Even after closing the door you didn’t further enter the room, still feeling awkward about being there to begin with. Azul readjusted his glasses before looking at you curiously “Ah, prefect. What brings you here?”

“I, uhm….Well…” You hadn’t really planned out what your were going to say but you knew filling the room with dead air wouldn’t help the anxiety that was rapidly creeping up your neck. While you were trying to form your sentences, Azul seemed to study you, no doubt he recognised the exact kind of miserable state you were in and probably didn’t need an eloquent speech on what was bothering you, so with a small sigh you gave up on any sort of impressive wording and just came out with it. “I want to know if you can help me.”

Azul didn’t say anything for a moment. His face didn’t change but if you had to guess, you would probably say he was considering you. After the incident with his overblot you two were cordial enough, even after everything that had happened over winter break you still wouldn’t say you were friends, but as far as you knew there was no bad blood of any kind though no doubt he was still wary, just as he was with everyone. You weren’t hiding anything. You had no ulterior motive, or hidden agenda, you were just a sad soul who didn’t really have many options. Your friends couldn’t help you, the headmage wouldn’t help you, you even doubted Azul could help you but at this point you were more than willing to try.

After a moment Azul stood up from his desk and waved his hand in the direction of the couches. You nodded and went to sit down on the one closest to the door you came in from while Azul sat on the one across from you. “What can I do for you?” He asked

You fidgeted with your hands as you started to speak, your voice feeling like it was emerging from a hundred year sleep, “I’ve been here for months, and Crowley is supposed to be finding a way to send me home but….” you sighed and sat forward before continuing “Everyone is talking about break and seeing there families but I can’t even let mine know that I’m okay. And I get that it’s hard considering there’s no record of where I’m from but…it’s getting even harder to get through a day. I keep waking up hoping that maybe today I’ll wake up in my own bed and all this will be a weird dream but…” Azul listened silently as you spoke, his face remained impassive even as tears began to fill your eyes. You wiped them away and took a deep breath, it was now or never. “I’m not here to ask if you know how I can get home, but with all this magic and advanced tech, I was wondering if, maybe there was a way I could, I dunno call my family? Or even…Just write to them?”

When Azul didn’t say anything your nerves came back full force “I understand it’s a complicated request, and I totally get if you can’t do it or if it’s not something you know of, and I’m not trying to waste your time but-”

Amidst your tidal wave of words Azul leaned forward and reached out his hand to gently take hold of yours “Y/N.”

This stopped your rant and you found yourself feeling silly for the outburst but as you looked at him you noticed that he was entirely calm. Instead of seeming annoyed or perturbed he looked… empathetic, like he understood your plight and wanted to help you. No doubt a look he perfected for his unsuspecting customers, you had to wonder how many people got lured in by it, only to realize they stepped into an iron clad trap with the simple stroke of a pen. Every nerve in your body told you to guard yourself against that look, but in that moment, that look was like a pillow among the stony, dismissive expressions you tended to get from Crowley. Even if it was fake, it was still welcomed as you collected your thoughts before saying. “I just figured I’d ask since…let’s face it, I don’t have much to lose.”

Azul responded with a quiet hum as he retracted his hand to clasp with his other one while he rested his elbows on his knees. “Well it is definitely a difficult request” he said simply

You looked down, “Yeah, I figured, thanks anyways” you said about to get up

“It’s probably not impossible though” Azul continued

You stopped, a faint swell of something that’d been lost over the months “What?”

“The dark mirror can connect to many places, distant lands, undiscovered territories, under the ocean, and it was what brought you here to begin with. So if it was able to reach your realm then there’s a chance other interconnecting relics can too”

He raised a good point, “However, the mirror itself uses a vast amount of magic, so much so that the mirror goes into repose after for three months”

“So it can’t be anything on that big of a scale?” you asked

“Basically.”

“So something like a cell phone could do it without big repercussions?”

“In theory”

The swelling in your just got bigger, so big it threatened to spill, likely as another storm of tears. Could it work? Could you really be able to reach home? Was it safe to entertain this idea, to even have hope? You couldn’t help it, nor did you try to stop the smile that was taking your face by force. However your reverie was broken by Azul clearing his throat “the thing is, prefect, I’m still running a business here.”

You almost laughed but managed to suck in your lips at the last second. In your moment of unbridled joy you’d completely forgotten about the other shoe. “What do you want?” you asked, trying not to let your bitterness show

“It is a big request, so a payment of equal value would be in order.”

You had a pretty good guess as to what he was talking about. “Ramshackle?”

“You catch on quick.”

“Azul, the last time we had this talk, you left me homeless. Are you seriously trying to do that to me again?”

“You don’t have much else to offer I’m afraid.”

“I mean, I could work at the lounge.”

“For way longer than we’re both here at school.”

You bit the inside of your cheek. You weren’t business oriented by any means but you knew that even if this succeeded you still needed a place to live and you didn’t have enough rapport with any dorm to become an actual resident, you had to think. With a subtle click of your tongue you opted to try the one thing you knew from all your years watching tv. “I’d like to negotiate.”

Azul’s cool, businessman composure cracked into an amused smirk, with how little you knew of contract law he could have easily said no and you’d never question it. Yet in a weird twist of fate he chuckled “negotiate? All right, what would you suggest?”

Maybe he was in a good mood, maybe your hubris impressed him, maybe he was struck by the spirit of benevolence itself, who knows? But now you had to work fast before the window closed.

You went over everything you could offer but none matched the scale of what you were hoping to get. “Well…” At the very least you needed to stall while you threw together a plan. Any plan.

“You did say it’s a long shopt, so there’s a chance this won’t even work.”

“I did, yes”

“What then?”

“Then the deal is off with my deepest apologies.”

“Has that always applied?”

“Yes.”

“Has it ever…happened? Where you couldn’t hold up your end?”

“No. This is the first deal I’m making with any kind of uncertainty”

“Really? Why? Does Ramshackle mean that much to you?”

“One part Ramshackle, another part academic curiosity”

“To see if it can be done at all?”

“Pretty much.”

“And if you succeed? Apart from helping me, what happens?”

“Well the possibilities there are endless, from scholarships to business opportunities”

“Do I get a partial credit? Or just a mention?” you smiled hoping your statement sounded like a joke, or at least enough of one.

“Is that what you wish to negotiate?”

You were about to speak but then it hit you. Shared credit….Shared custody….Shared building!

“No, I actually wanted to offer split custody of the dorm.” You weren’t sure if ‘custody’ was the word but perhaps if you sounded confident enough he wouldn’t take too much note.

“Really?” There was laughter in his voice, he was clearly enjoying this.

“Well the way I see it, You only really need the ground floor, with the lounge and kitchen, there’s no real need for the upstairs.”

“Yes, the plan was to take out the upstairs floor in favor of a higher ceiling”

“Okay, but what if we did this; have the main floor as the cafe and the upstairs as my living quarters, you’d have night security, clean up…”

“If that’s really all you provide I’m not seeing how this brings anything special.”

It’s true, it didn’t. So you had to think what you, exclusively, could bring.

“What about the ghosts? They were there before me and we’ve actually become good friends. If Grimm and I leave, they might get lonely again and start terrorizing customers, what then? Are you going to kick them out of the only home they’ve ever known?”

At this Azul put a hand on his chin thoughtfully and you knew you’d found your foot hold.

“Not to mention the Gargoyle club. They come around often to admire the ramshackle gargoyles and I don’t think Malleus will be happy to see them gone, but if I’m living upstairs you could say it was my request and you were too benevolent to say no.”

You didn’t like dropping the Fae princes name for anything, but you were grasping at any straws you could at this point. “Plus, after living there for so long I know how the building is and so I know all the handy tricks for the heat, stove, lights and all that stuff. So for letting me live in above your new cafe you get ghost control, a gargoyle alibi, and old building maintenance all for free.” You hoped dearly that the free part of your offer tipped the scales in your favor.

Azul looked like he was holding back some laughter, whether it was for pretenses or out of guilt for finding your desperation funny was beyond you but you didn’t much care so long as it actually worked.

“I can’t say I disagree with your argument, however the cost of building a separate apartment would cost more than simply tearing out the upper floor.”

You bit back the aggravated groan that was starting to rise. “Uhm…well…”

“So here’s a counter offer. If I succeed in holding up my end of the deal, I get the lower floor, all that you’ve offered AND you working at the new cafe. For free of course.”

“Do I get a lunch break and coffee?”

“Half hour lunch break, discounted goods.”

“Further discount for overtime?”

“Depending on what.”

“Probably coffee.”

“Then yes.”

“Deal.”

Azul stood to begin drawing up the contract and while you thought over everything, you found yourself calling out to him. “Hey, Azul”

“Yes?”

“Whether this works or not. I’m…I’m glad you’re giving it a shot” You looked down as you said it in case some tears got brave behind your eyes. You hadn’t noticed Azul’s gentle smile as he answered “let’s hope it works.”

Weeks had passed and turned into months since you’d made the deal with Azul, and that time you’d seen him talking quite a lot with Ortho and the tablet Idia used to attend classes on his behalf. It made sense to talk to the technomancers but you found yourself very surprised when you went to the library and found him having an animated discussion with Lilia, who seemed just as excited.

Each new day you thought more about home, how your family was doing. If a lot of time had passed. If they knew somehow that you were alive, or if they were trying to move on without you. At first you didn’t mind the wait. The task was complicated and you had classes to think about. But as time went, it began to eat away at you until anticipation turned into anxiety.

You were pacing the floor of the ramshackle dorm, wondering if you should check how things were going. It had been 4 months since you’d signed the contract and now everything was just a waiting game for you. Azul wasn’t really one to provide updates and that alone made you even more anxious. You had just decided to go to Octavinelle when there was a knock at your door. Admittedly you ended up running to open it, the anticipation filling your veins with an unbearable amount of nervous energy as you swung the door open with maybe a little too much force.

Azul stood calmly on the other side, his expression gave nothing away as you stood face to face. “Good morning, y/n.” He said

“Hey.” You said breathlessly

“May I come in?”

“Yeah, sorry. Right this way.”

Upon closing the door behind you, Azul followed you to the living room, taking in the layout of the dorm as he did. “How have you been?” He asked

“Oh you know, class, chores, whatever category you put Ace and Grimm in, you?”

“Quite busy but feeling just as fulfilled” As he spoke, Azul reached into his coat pocket and pulled out what looked to be an old cordless phone from, if you weren’t mistaken, the 90’s. It was jet black and looked sort of blocky. If anything it reminded you of the one from the movie ‘Scream’ and you had to wonder how he’d fit that into his pocket. “Is that…” you asked

“Yes. The first model of the interconnected phone, ready for its first test.”

You looked at it slack jawed. You’d believed it was possible, but to see it in front of you was almost like a dream. You were debating on pinching yourself just to see if anything happened. Azul, however, was unfazed by your gaping and went on to explain “after much trial and error, we’d finally made a device strong enough to reach further than twisted wonderland as we know it and keep a signal. There’s no guarantee it will reach your world but it’s the best model so far. We’ve tried many different number combinations to reach other realms and we believe yours would be number 17.”

There it was again. The swelling, the same one that threatened to overflow through your eyes. As you eyed the phone you could feel your heart beat getting erratic. Was this it? Was this the day you would finally hear their familiar voices. “Try to temper your expectations though. There’s still no guarantee since it is still technically a tester. But still, I look forward to hearing the results.” With that, Azul handed you the phone. You smiled as you accepted it yet there were too many emotions going through you to be able to speak, so you let your tears fall as you nodded enthusiastically. Azul smiled in return and wished you luck as he headed out while all you could do was wave. It was finally the moment of truth.

The next day at school you sought Azul out, you found him during lunch and made a beeline for him. “Hey, Azul.”

“Ah, prefect, and how are you today?”

“I’m good, actually I was wondering. Are you busy this evening? Around dinner time?”

“Hmm not to my knowledge, why?”

“Uhm well, you worked super hard on that favor for me so I wanted to ask if you wanted to come by for dinner, nothing too fancy, just a homemade thing.”

Azul eyed you suspiciously, but figured you weren’t lying. Not to mention it certainly was better than coffee and an apple, which admittedly had been most of his meals in the past few months. “All right, what time?”

“Seven works.”

“Sounds good, see you then.”

“See you.” then you turned and left with a quick wave, leaving him feeling more than a little curious.

When Azul arrived at Ramshackle he seemed as aloof and confident as always where as you were almost bouncing as you opened the door. “Hey” you said “Dinner has just been plated, I hope you’re hungry”

You lead him to the kitchen where a savory smell greeted his nose. As he sat at the old yet spotless table he looked over at the counter where 2 plates sat, the still steaming food looking amazing to him who hadn’t eaten since lunch. You wasted little time bringing the plates and cutlery over and after some small talk you both dug into your meals. The food was delicious, and each ingredient that danced on his palette held just the right amount of spice or seasoning, it felt like a dish that would be served for a family dinner, it radiated warmth and a sense of comfort. “This is very good.” He said

“Thanks, my mom made it a lot at home, it’s actually my favorite thing of hers.”

“Really? I thought you didn’t know the recipe.”

You smiled broadly “I didn’t.”

Azul paused and looked at you so you continued “At least, not until last night.”

It took him a few seconds to realize what you meant but when he did, his eyes widened and he gasped “You mean?”

You couldn’t hold it anymore, you let out a small laugh as tears streamed down your cheeks “It worked, Azul, it really worked. It’s been so long since I heard moms voice…” you said as your voice cracked.

He was bewildered, he actually took a moment to let it sink in “It worked” he said quietly before clasping his hands together in delight “I’m so glad.” Now you had your hand over your mouth as you both sobbed and laughed. Even he was beginning to feel tears forming in the corner of his eyes, he took a deep breath and cleared his throat. “Well that’s good to hear. I guess I own part of ramshackle now.” He was more trying to sober himself, since this was usually the part where people’s joy turned to anger. He braced himself for you to start yelling but you never did, instead you stood up and threw your arms around his still sitting form “That’s fine by me.” You said. He was stunned, he didn’t move, he almost didn’t breathe as you hugged him tightly and said “Thank you, Azul. Thank you so much.”

His composure gave out, he couldn’t really define the feeling in his chest but he didn’t mind it, nor did he mind the tears that were falling. Not this time, anyway. With a shaky breath, he wrapped his arms around you and returned the hug. “You’re welcome.” He whispered.

[a-crow-ready-for-a-murder]

Present

Summary:

Jamil has a peaceful and quiet birthday for once, and he learns that Azul is responsible for it.

However, the merman himself did not attend. Bothered by his absence, Jamil decides to seek him out.

Word Count: 5,777

Author's Note:

This time last year, Jamil got kidnapped by S.T.Y.X., and now he's been put to sleep by Malleus. I wrote this because Jamil deserves to have a peaceful birthday~

Thank you to @patchyegg87 for helping me with this! <3

Happy birthday, Jamil! ^_^

——

"Alright, let's go!" Ace said when he got out of Sam's shop with a bag full of snacks.

"Lead the way, birthday boy," Ruggie told Jamil, carrying a cooler in one hand and a picnic basket in the other.

"And you're sure there isn't an elaborate surprise party waiting for us at Scarabia?" Jamil asked skeptically as they made their way to the Hall of Mirrors.

Kalim threw parties spontaneously even on regular days, Jamil found it hard to believe that he wouldn't see today as an excuse to throw another one.

"You asked that three times already," Ace complained. "Like we said, we'll just be having a chill picnic at the oasis and maybe swim around if the water isn't too cold."

"Yeah, man," Ruggie said. "Just you, me, Ace, and—"

"Sea Snake!" Floyd ran up to Jamil and hugged him tightly from the side. "Happy birthday~!"

"Of course," Jamil muttered, stuck in Floyd's grip.

"It's party time!" Floyd said after letting him go.

"Why're you carrying that big backpack?" Ruggie asked.

"It's full o' clothes and shifting potions," Floyd pat the bag. "I'm gonna go swimming in my merform!"

"Eh, why not?" Ace shrugged as they continued their walk.

Meanwhile, Jamil's eyes had been scanning the surroundings, seeing if anyone else would be joining their little group.

Whenever Floyd appeared at the parties that Kalim threw, it usually meant that two other Octavinelles were close by.

"Floyd," Jamil began.

"Yeah?" Floyd turned to him.

Where's Azul? "Don't you have a shift at Mostro Lounge today?" Jamil asked instead. "Saturdays are pretty busy there, right?"

"Yeah, but today's my day off!" Floyd grinned. "Cool, right?"

But your boss didn't give himself the day off? "Yeah," Jamil said, his eyes still looking around.

As his friends continued their chitchat, Jamil subtly shook his head in an attempt to clear it.

So what if Azul showed up to almost every single one of Kalim's parties but couldn't be bothered to show up today for his birthday? No sense in thinking about people who weren't present.

They reached the Hall of Mirrors, and Jamil refocused his attention and led them into Scarabia.

—

"So there's really no one else coming to this thing?" Jamil asked when they reached the deserted oasis.

"Nope," Ruggie said. "I get why you're suspicious, but it's really just us."

"You're too paranoid, man," Ace said as they began setting up the picnic blanket under the shade of a big palm tree. "You gotta relax!"

"Were you hopin' there'd be someone else, Sea Snake?" Floyd smirked at him.

"No," Jamil frowned. "I was just making sure."

Floyd snickered and walked over to look at the water, not helping them set up at all.

Jamil sighed internally. Kalim had thrown a surprise party for him every year since they were children, always with about a hundred guests that Jamil barely knew.

Today he had been expecting surprise guests as well, perhaps a certain merman with glasses that drew attention to his blue eyes, and a smile that was too perfect to be sincere. Jamil almost believed that he'd be waiting at the oasis for them with that smile, smug about having tricked Jamil into thinking that there were really no other guests.

That's fine. It's not like Jamil wanted him to be here, anyway. He just got so used to Azul showing up uninvited that it's a little weird not having him around.

"Jamil?" Ruggie called his attention.

"Huh?" Jamil said distractedly.

"I said pass me the cooler, over there," he pointed to Jamil's right.

"Oh, sorry," Jamil muttered, a little embarrassed, and handed the cooler to Ruggie.

"Where's your head at?" Ace raised an eyebrow.

"I'm just worried about Kalim," Jamil instinctively said, picking the most believable lie he thought of. "Are you guys sure he's okay with not being here even though he's the one who planned it?"

"Yup, he said he didn't want you to think of having to be a servant and stuff like that," Ace said, getting a bottle of fruit juice from the cooler that Ruggie had set in the sand outside the blanket.

"And we all know how capable Silver is," Ruggie added. "So there's nothing to worry about now that Kalim is hanging out with him."

Jamil nodded. "Yeah, you're right."

There was a big splash in the water, followed by a loud cheer from Floyd.

"The water's great!" he called out to them, neck-deep in the pool. "Come on in, Sea Snake!"

"Maybe later," Jamil said, bracing himself to be relentlessly pestered.

But Floyd simply said, "Okay!" and went back to his swimming.

Jamil exchanged surprised glances with Ace and Ruggie.

"I guess he's in a good mood…?" Ace said.

"Looks like it," Ruggie answered, unwrapping a sandwich and taking a big bite out of it. "I thought he'd start dragging us to the water."

Eventually Floyd came out of the pool and complained that he was hungry. Then he plopped himself right on the blanket despite his swimming shorts still dripping wet.

They chatted and bickered while they ate. Ruggie cooked all the food which meant everything was delicious, and they snacked on the chips and cookies that Ace bought at Sam's while they played cards and board games.

When the sun got too hot, all of them jumped in the water—Floyd turning into his merform mid-air and tearing his clothes in the process.

Afterwards they all just lay down on the sand, letting the late afternoon sun dry them.

—

It was when his friends had fallen asleep and everything was quiet that thoughts of Azul returned in Jamil's mind.

The sun was hanging low in the sky, and Mostro Lounge was probably packed. Knowing Azul, he'd be in the kitchen helping cook the orders, and maybe waiting tables too if it's a particularly busy day. Just yesterday he actually fell asleep in the library while he and Jamil were doing research for Alchemy. Jamil had planned to let him sleep for however long it took, but he woke up after 10 minutes and profusely apologized, explaining that he had been working late for days already.

People say that Jamil works too hard, that's why his friends had insisted that they have a low-key celebration today where they can all just hang out and have fun. But he could argue that Azul works just as hard, and the Octavinelle Prefect could have really benefited from a day of relaxation if he had just showed up today.

Jamil closed his eyes. It seemed that no matter what he tried to do, Azul would just keep surfacing in his mind.

Now he felt irritated. If Azul had joined them today, he wouldn't be having this problem. Azul would make a remark about how he and Jamil should be on the same team in the games because they work so well together, and Jamil would roll his eyes but not disagree. That was how they always were.

But not today, apparently.

Jamil cursed. Was he actually missing Azul? Ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous. Water must have gotten in his ears and reached his brain while he was swimming earlier.

He got up and brushed sand off himself. He might as well start cleaning up.

—

Jamil was walking his friends to the mirror portal as the sun began to set.

"Who's cooking dinner at Savanaclaw if you're here?" Ace asked Ruggie.

"Jack volunteered, along with some other sophomores," Ruggie answered, then turned to Jamil. "You're not on dinner duty tonight either, right?"

"Yeah, Kalim told some upperclassmen that they're in charge of dinner tonight, which they didn't seem to mind," Jamil said.

"Ooh, then does that mean we can all stay here longer and keep the party going?" Floyd asked. "We can play basketball! You have a ball here, Sea Snake, right?"

"Hell no," Ace said. "I can't be late for dinner. Especially since Trey is baking a new cake recipe tonight. Prefect might blow a fuse if I show up late."

"And I still got other chores to do at Savanaclaw," Ruggie added.

"Aww, alrighty, next time," Floyd shrugged.

Ace gaped in disbelief. "Really? That's it? You've been reasonable the entire day, it's kinda scary."

"Don't question it, he might change his mind," Ruggie snickered.

"I made a deal with Azul," Floyd said indifferently as they reached the mirror portal. "He said I could take the entire weekend off if I'm on my 'best behavior' today," he made air quotes with his fingers.

"What?" Jamil frowned in confusion. "Why would he do that?"

Floyd raised an eyebrow at him, and Ace and Ruggie exchanged glances, but none of them answered his question.

"Wow, I thought you were smart, Sea Snake. Byeeee!" Floyd waved at them cheerily then stepped through the mirror.

"What does that mean?" Jamil turned to the other two.

Ace just snickered.

Ruggie sighed and stepped forward to the portal, patting Jamil on the shoulder as he walked past. "Today was fun. Happy birthday again, Jamil. Y'all got a pretty cool oasis." He disappeared through the mirror.

"Gotta go, can't miss dinner, bye Jamil!" Ace jogged to the portal and stepped through.

Jamil's frown deepened. Looks like he'd have to pay Azul a visit tomorrow.

—

Soft jazz music poured out of the glass doors as Jamil pushed them open. He waited until after peak lunch hours before going to Mostro Lounge, he didn't want to get in the way of their work.

"Jamil," Jade greets him pleasantly. "Are you here to dine?"

"Um, no. Is Azul here?" Jamil asked.

Something seemed to twinkle in Jade's eye at that. "He's in his office. You can go right in."

Jamil nodded. "Thanks."

He made his way to Azul's office and knocked three times.

"Come in," Azul's voice says.

Jamil took a breath and opened the door. He just wanted answers, that's all.

"Hey," he said as he closed the door behind him.

"Jamil?" Azul said in surprise from behind his desk. "What brings you here?"

"Um…" Jamil shifted on his feet, suddenly unsure.

"Ah, apologies, I've forgotten my manners. Have a seat, please," Azul stood up and gestured to the couches facing each other in front of his desk. He walked over to one of them and took a seat. Jamil sat on the couch across from him.

"Floyd said you made a deal with him so he won't be annoying at my birthday party," Jamil said before he could hesitate again.

Azul looked caught off-guard, but he recovered and smiled his usual smile. "Yes, I did. I heard that Kalim invited him, and I thought I might as well suggest that he behave himself."

"You heard?" Jamil raised an eyebrow. "Kalim told me this morning that he went to you for help in planning the party, and the whole thing was your idea. You even told Kalim to hang out with Silver instead."

It was all too easy to get answers out of Kalim. Jamil just casually brought up the party and said he was impressed that Kalim planned it like that. Kalim immediately gave credit to Azul, saying that he seemed to understand Jamil the most, so Kalim asked him for help about what Jamil would like for his party.

Azul chuckled and adjusted his glasses, averting his eyes for a moment. "Yes. Kalim came to me for help, and I merely pointed out that you might prefer a quiet celebration rather than a grand one. And he always did like spending time with Silver, didn't he? "

"What favor is Kalim giving you in exchange for that help?" Jamil knew that Azul wouldn't just do that for free.

"Mostro Lounge would be catering the next two parties that he would be hosting," Azul said in his businesslike tone.

"And me? Do I owe you now for all of that?" Jamil crosses his arms.

"Nonsense. Consider it a birthday gift." Azul smiled, and it was Jamil's turn to be caught off-guard when he saw that it actually looked sincere.

Jamil fiddled with the strings of his hoodie. "Couldn't bother to show up to the party that you planned, then?" he heard himself say.

Azul's eyes became guarded even as he maintained his smile. "Well, the idea was for your party to be stress-free. So naturally that meant my absence."

The bluntness of the words made Jamil fall silent. Azul had spoken playfully, but Jamil knew him well enough to recognize the hint of sadness in his tone. He really believed that he was a source of stress for Jamil.

Jamil wanted to say something, but what could he say? He understood why Azul would think that. How many times had he told the merman to leave him alone and insist to everyone that they weren't friends?

"... Is that all?" Azul prompted curiously when Jamil still wasn't saying anything.

Jamil was asking himself the same question. He got his answers, should he leave now?

But if Azul was already starting to distance himself from Jamil, then what's next? Would he also stop asking Jamil to partner up in Alchemy? Avoid him in Flight Class?

Jamil didn't like that thought one bit.

"Are you free today?" he blurted out.

Azul blinked at him, looking unsure if he heard the question correctly. "What?"

"I-I thought we should continue working on that Alchemy project," Jamil invented wildly, willing his hands to stop fidgeting. "Maybe we could use some bioluminescent plants, and aim to make some sort of illumination potion. You guys have those plants in Octavinelle, right?"

"Ah, yes," Azul nodded. "Do you have any specific plants in mind?"

Jamil racked his brain for names of aquatic plants. "Sea Stars. Or anything similar to that," he added, so Azul wouldn't just outright decline in case Octavinelle didn't have Sea Stars.

Azul furrowed his eyebrows. "We do have those, but as you know they can only be harvested by the light of the moon. I can gather them by myself tonight and hand them to you tomorrow, so you wouldn't have to be away from Scarabia in the evening."

"No, it's okay, I wouldn't feel comfortable not doing any of the work on harvesting. And someone else is cooking dinner at Scarabia tonight. We can continue the research in the library, and then go check the plants when it's night," Jamil said.

"Oh," Azul looked mildly surprised. "You want to go to the library now?" he looked at his watch.

"Yeah," Jamil kept his face neutral. Because you didn't show up to my stupid celebration so now you owe me a day's hangout.

"Hmm, alright," Azul stood up and arranged the papers on his desk in a neat stack. "I'm almost done with these, anyway." He turned to Jamil. "Shall we?"

Jamil nodded and stood up as well.

—

Despite it being an unplanned endeavor, they actually got a lot of work done in the library. Jamil had relaxed and it felt like just another normal day of doing homework together.

It seemed like only a few minutes had passed, but they looked at the windows and saw that it was evening already.

Azul led the way to Octavinelle, and they went down a corridor that had a sign by the entrance that said guests were only allowed in that area when accompanied by an Octavinelle resident for safety purposes.

The walls here were made of glass that continued onto the curved ceiling, showing the sea and aquatic life outside. Bioluminescent plants illuminated schools of fish passing by and corals of various colors, and the glow on the currents themselves made the place look almost ethereal.

Jamil slowly walked towards the breathtaking sight, tentatively reaching out and placing his hand on the cool glass.

"It's beautiful," he muttered. Maybe he'll add some underwater places to his itinerary once he graduates.

"It is," Azul replied.

Jamil turned to him and saw that he was looking at the water with a soft smile on his face.

"The ocean is as dangerous as it is beautiful," Azul continued. "Back in my hometown, we can't look at such sceneries without also worrying about predators that lurk just outside of the light. When I first got here, I was happy to know about this place. I used to go here frequently back then."

He looked at Jamil, still with a smile on his face. "Floyd can accompany you here if you ever wish to see this again. It's a rule that humans should always be accompanied by a merman in case there's a leak somehow and it begins to flood. Jade is a bit busier than Floyd but I believe he could also make time to take you here if you asked."

Jamil furrowed his eyebrows. "Why Jade or Floyd?" Why not you?

"Oh, I merely thought that you're most familiar with the two of them. Do you have any other friends from Octavinelle?" Azul asked curiously.

"Yeah, you," Jamil said bluntly, meeting Azul's gaze.

Azul looked genuinely surprised, and he let out a nervous chuckle. "There is no need for empty flattery. I'll help you gather the Sea Stars either way, you know. Come along."

He started to walk down the hall again, but Jamil caught him by the arm and stopped him.

"Why don't you believe we're friends?" Jamil scowled. He knew that his tone wasn't friendly at all, but something about Azul basically saying that they're only classmates had irritated him.

Azul looked taken aback at his outburst. Then he frowned and yanked his arm from Jamil's grip. "You're asking me that? Aren't you the one always telling me to leave you alone and to shut up whenever I ask you to work with me at Mostro Lounge? You're never happy to see me and yet you want me to believe that you think of me as a friend?"

Azul's voice had risen, and now he averted his eyes as he straightened and took a deep breath to recover himself, wearing once more his facade of a composed Prefect.

"It doesn't matter," he said in a level voice, keeping his eyes on the exit at the other end of the corridor. "Let's just get the plants."

He strode off before Jamil could say anything.

Jamil followed, dreading the words that he knew he would have to say if he didn't want Azul to keep getting farther away from him.

He climbed the stairs that led to the surface and stepped out on a beach softly lit by several glowing plants serving as torches along the exterior walls of the dorm.

Azul was standing near the water, hands in his pockets and head tilted towards the sky.

"It's cloudy," he said when he heard Jamil approach. "We'll have to wait for the moon to appear before we can harvest the Sea Stars."

"I never mean it, you know," Jamil mumbled.

"What?" Azul looked at him, frowning in confusion.

Jamil willed himself to meet Azul's gaze. "I never mean it when I tell you to leave me alone."

Azul's eyes softened in surprise.

"And I didn't wanna work with you at the Lounge because who knew what ulterior motives you had? I didn't know if I could trust you. You don't exactly have a wholesome reputation," Jamil pointed out.

Azul raised an eyebrow at him. "So you're saying we're friends because you can't trust me? Rather counterintuitive, don't you think?"

"That's not what I'm saying," Jamil huffed in exasperation. "I…" he sighed. "We've worked together on a lot of projects. You trust me to help you in Flight Class, and you've been to Scarabia so many times at this point. If you really wanted to harm me or Kalim, you would have done it already. I'm saying I trust you, and we're friends, okay?" he glared to mask the embarrassment he was feeling at saying such things out loud.

Azul had tensed up and his eyes looked cautious. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I wanted you to come to my party!" Jamil snapped, then promptly averted his eyes as he felt his face warm. "I was hoping you'd be there but you weren't," he mumbled.

He turned his back and pulled up his hoodie, wondering whether he should just get back to Scarabia before he said anything stupid.

"I didn't know…" Azul said quietly.

"Yeah, well…" Jamil pouted under the cover of his hoodie.

Azul cleared his throat. "It looks like it could be a while before the moon comes out. We can sit here for now."

Jamil slowly turned to Azul, gauging his expression.

The merman was sitting cross-legged on the sand, gazing out at the soft currents of the water glowing subtly from the plants below.

Jamil found himself staring at Azul's soft features. He wondered how many people got to see this side of him; Azul rarely just sat down and waited. Either way, the atmosphere between them was relaxed again.

"Do you ever swim out there?" Jamil asked curiously, putting down his hood and sitting beside Azul.

"Every ten days, when I have to return to my merform before taking another dose of the shifting potion," Azul replied. "That's mostly what the Octavinelle residents use this place for. Though I swim farther out before I shift."

"Do you need to be in deeper waters?" Jamil knew nothing about Azul's merform apart from Floyd's occasional remarks that his tentacles were chewy.

"Not exactly," Azul looked down momentarily, tapping his fingers on his knee. "... Apart from Jade and Floyd, no one here at NRC has ever seen my merform. And I intend to keep it that way."

Jamil furrowed his eyebrows.  "Why? Don't you like your merform?" It didn't fit with Azul's usual air of confidence.

"Nobody likes my merform," Azul smiled mirthlessly. "Mermen's tails are colorful, and eels' tails let them swim incredibly fast. My long black tentacles are neither. I'd rather not have my residents be put off by their Prefect's true form."

Jamil fell into thoughtful silence. Clearly Azul had some unpleasant experiences back at his hometown, but Jamil didn't want to pry.

"Screw them," he said instead. "You're one of the most talented mages here, and you're a responsible Prefect. If they'll lose respect for you just because of your merform, they're idiots and you should be put off by them."

Azul looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Do you compliment all your friends like this?"

"Shut up," Jamil bumped his shoulder against him.

The laugh that bubbled out of Azul made Jamil smile, a warm feeling blooming in his chest.

Their eyes met, and Azul's gaze softened. "... I'm sorry I didn't go to your party. I really had no idea you wanted me to."

The warmth in Jamil's chest rose to his cheeks. "Hm. Why do you think I asked you to hang out today?"

Azul looked caught off-guard. "What?"

"I figured you owed me for skipping out on my celebration," Jamil said playfully, finding it much easier to tell the truth when looking into Azul's eyes.

"Was this all a ruse, then?" Azul asked in amusement. "Are we even really going to use the Sea Stars for our project?"

Jamil shrugged. "Yeah, why not? We figured out some pretty good plans earlier at the library."

Azul chuckled and shook his head, looking at the water again. "Looks like you finally agree that we make a good team."

"I've always known that," Jamil said, watching the water's surface ripple from a particularly strong breeze.

Apparently Octavinelle could get really cold, even more than the cold nights at Scarabia. Jamil rubbed his arms, wishing he had worn something else other than this sleeveless hoodie.

Then he felt something drape over him. He turned in surprise to see that Azul had given him his coat.

"Can't have you catching hypothermia now," Azul said, placing it around Jamil's shoulders.

The scent of Azul's cologne made his stomach flutter, and his breath caught in his throat.

Azul's close proximity was making Jamil's imagination run wild. A feeling that he never dared name was resurfacing in his chest, the same feeling that he always squashed down every time their fingers brushed during Alchemy, or whenever Azul smiled at him in the way that he never smiled at anyone else.

Then Azul let go of the coat and faced the water again, looking up at the sky. "The clouds are dissipating. We should be able to get the Sea Stars soon."

Jamil took a breath to steel himself. If they left this place without him giving it a shot, who knew when else he'd have the courage to?

He glanced at Azul's hand resting on the sand. Slowly, he inched his own hand closer, fighting his own nervousness with logic by mentally listing down reasons why it would be the right move.

1. Two days ago at Alchemy, they both reached for a flask at the same time, and Jamil's hand ended up on top of Azul's. Jamil had flushed and he retracted his hand immediately and mumbled an apology to Azul, only to see that the merman's face had turned pink and was averting his eyes.

Jamil continued to move his hand closer.

2. Azul Ashengrotto never did anything for free. He certainly wouldn't go through the trouble of convincing Kalim to not throw a big party and then allow Floyd to be absent from the Lounge on their busiest days as a gift.

Their hands were only a few inches apart now.

Jamil looked at the water, too nervous to keep his eyes on what he was trying to do.

3. Everyone knew that the Octavinelle Prefect was near-inseparable from his coat. Even when he took it off during warmer days, it never left his person. He never let anyone else handle it, let alone borrow it.

Jamil's pinky touched Azul's, and he froze, waiting for Azul to move away.

He had misread the signals. Azul was gonna ask him what the hell did he think he was doing. He was going to get kicked out of Octavinelle. He'd work alone on—

Azul's pinky curled over Jamil's.

Jamil could only hear the soft waves of the sea and his own heartbeat thundering in his chest.

He swallowed. Then he lifted his hand and placed it on top of Azul's, curving his palm and holding Azul properly.

He could see in his periphery that Azul had turned to face him in surprise.

Jamil met Azul's gaze, seeing that he looked just as flushed as Jamil felt.

"Azul, I…" the words left him as he stared in Azul's sky blue eyes.

The glow of the plants around them softly bathed Azul's fair skin, and moonlight made his hair a shining silver.

Something nagged in the back of Jamil's mind about the moonlight being important, they had been waiting for it, right? But now he couldn't remember why, and he couldn't care less.

Jamil slowly reached up and brushed a lock of hair from Azul's forehead, and his cheeks turned a brighter red.

"I want you to be there for my every birthday…" Jamil whispered, afraid to speak louder and break whatever spell held them now.

Azul opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out.

"I want…" Jamil struggled to form words himself. Words didn't seem enough to express what he had been feeling for a long time now, the bright warm sun inside him that demanded to rise no matter how much he insisted to remain in the night.

"I want you," he gasped out, looking into Azul's eyes and hoping so badly that he would understand.

For a moment Azul just gazed back at him, the air thick with unspoken words and withheld touches.

Then Azul surged forward and captured Jamil's lips in his.

Jamil's arms moved on their own and wrapped themselves around Azul's neck, pulling him closer.

Their legs and knees were in the way, and in his frustration Jamil leaned forward as far as he could.

Azul fell on his back with a soft grunt, landing on the sand with Jamil on top of him.

The kiss broke only for a moment, then their lips sought each other again, Azul running his hands along Jamil's back.

Azul's coat had fallen off Jamil from all of their moving, but Jamil wasn't cold anymore. The sun was blazing inside him, and Azul was a refreshing drink of water on a hot desert day.

Jamil reached out with his tongue, and Azul met him eagerly. A groan escaped Jamil's throat as their tongues stroked and caressed each other, intertwining in a most delicate dance that Jamil couldn't get enough of.

Azul's hands roamed up to the nape of Jamil's neck, but he brought them down to clench in his shirt instead.

Through the pleasant static in Jamil's mind, he sensed that Azul was holding back somehow.

As Azul kept his hands noticeably still, the gears clicked into place and Jamil realized that of course Azul knew all about his culture.

"Azul…" Jamil pulled away slightly, catching his breath first. "You can touch my hair."

Azul looked up at him in disbelief. "Are you sure?"

Jamil nodded, caressing Azul's cheek. Touching someone else's hair was an act of intimacy in their culture, and certainly not to be done without express permission. The fact that Azul remembered such a thing even in the heat of the moment made Jamil all the more comfortable.

"I'm sure," he said softly, placing a gentle kiss on Azul's lips.

Azul sighed contentedly against him, slowly sliding a hand up to his hair, fingers threading into the soft strands.

Jamil shivered at the contact, glad that he chose to wear a loose braid today.

The heat around them was building again, and Azul rolled them over so that Jamil's back was pressed against the sand.

"Is this okay?" Azul whispered between kisses.

"Yes," Jamil breathed, his face warming at the sight of Azul looming over him, their lips and bodies pressing together.

Jamil had lost all sense of time. He explored Azul's mouth with a fervor, digging his nails into the small of Azul's back and swallowing the sound he made like a man starved.

Azul kissed him with a desire that so mirrored his own, and Jamil couldn't believe they had waited so long to do this.

After an endless amount of time of shaky breaths and soft sighs, they finally pulled apart, flushed and panting.

Azul gently rested his forehead against Jamil's as he caught his breath, and Jamil cupped his cheek, running his thumb across the smooth skin.

"Jamil…" Azul pulled away a little and looked at him questioningly. "What does this make us?"

"Definitely not just friends, I can tell you that," Jamil said, still feeling the high of it all.

Azul chuckled, and they both sat up again, their hands reaching for each other and their fingers entwining.

"Azul, do you…" Jamil looked down at their linked hands, feeling his face warm. He made himself meet Azul's gaze again. "Do you wanna be my boyfriend?"

Azul's lips turned up in a smile, and he squeezed Jamil's hand. "I thought you'd never ask. Of course I do. Good thing you actually told me this time, instead of just assuming I'd know like with the whole 'friend' situation," he said playfully.

Jamil grinned. "I wanted to be sure you won't be making out with anyone else on this beach."

"I won't be making out with anyone else at all," Azul assured him with fond amusement. A particularly strong breeze ruffled his hair, and he looked over at the clear sky. "Ah, shall I get those Sea Stars now?" He got up and brushed sand from his clothes.

"Yeah, let me help," he nodded and stood up with Azul.

"They grow farther out in the water, I can get them myself." Azul said. "And then you can be the one to dry and store them for our class tomorrow. Does that sound good?" He removed his cummerbund and placed it on the sand, then he started rolling up his sleeves.

"Uh…" Jamil felt caught off-guard by Azul suddenly removing an article of clothing and exposing more of his skin. He cleared his throat and turned to the water. "Sure."

Azul removed his shoes and socks, then dove smoothly into the water.

Jamil watched him swim several feet away and under, where a cluster of star-shaped glowing plants grew.

He got so used to Floyd changing into his merform whenever he went into water that he wondered why Azul didn't do the same. Then he remembered what Azul had said earlier about it.

When Azul got back with an armful of plants, Jamil handed him his glasses.

"Oh, thank you," Azul wore them and began to tie the bunch of plants with seaweed.

His shirt clung to his wet skin, and Jamil found his eyes lingering on the lean structure of Azul's torso and arms.

"You know, I think you'd look good even in your merform," Jamil said casually.

"What?" Azul looked at him in surprise as he finished tying the seaweed.

"Yeah, why wouldn't you?" Jamil stepped closer to him. "You look beautiful in this form."

Azul's face turned pink and he averted his eyes. "You don't know what you're saying, Jamil."

"Hey," Jamil said gently, placing a hand on Azul's shoulder and tugging him to meet his gaze. He wanted Azul to see how sincere he was. "You don't have to show me your merform, but you don't have to hide it from me either, okay?"

Azul looked at him with hesitation in his eyes.

"If you can still like me even after seeing my Overblot form, then I'm pretty sure I'll still like you in your merform," Jamil said to lighten the mood.

Azul chuckled, his shoulders relaxing. "That's a fair point, I suppose. Will you be heading back to Scarabia now?" he asked, handing over the plants.

Jamil took them and thought for a moment. "Do you wanna come with me? They're probably done with dinner now, but I can cook us something. You can't go tracking water in there, though," he said playfully, gesturing at Azul's soaked clothes. "You gotta change first."

"Right now? You want to see me undress so soon?" Azul teased.

"No, I'm cooking you dinner first," Jamil quipped back.

Azul laughed, a carefree sound that made Jamil feel pleasantly warm inside.

And right there, on Octavinelle’s beach softly lit by glowing plants and a full moon, Jamil knew he had received a gift that was much better than any grand celebration.

——

(Masterlist)

[a-crow-ready-for-a-murder]

As someone who can shove a bunch of chocolate chips in my mouth and call it a meal, this could really help

People with low spoons, someone just recommended this cookbook to me, so I thought I'd pass it on.

I always look at cookbooks for people who have no energy/time to do elaborate meal preparations, and roll my eyes. Like, you want me to stay on my feet for long enough to prepare 15 different ingredients from scratch, and use 5 different pots and pans, when I have chronic fatigue and no dishwasher?

These people seem to get it, though. It's very simple in places. It's basically the cookbook for people who think, 'I'm really bored of those same five low-spoons meals I eat, but I can't think of anything else to cook that won't exhaust me'. And it's free!

[a-crow-ready-for-a-murder]

So, let’s say Mothers Day exists in the TWST universe.

Everyone’s buying gifts and going to visit their mothers because they’re sweethearts like that💙

Poor Deuce probably went all out on his gift for his mama:((

But anyways, what are you, our poor prefect doing?

Nothing. Because you got shoved into another world without your mom. And it’s pretty clear you’re upset about it and feeling pretty homesick.

You’re sitting on your bed, scrolling through magicam and looking at all the pictures of your friends with their moms.

You’re getting pretty emotional because, god damn, you miss your mom:(((

And then, Grim comes in with a bag in his hands.

Now, if y’all didn’t know, Grim doesn’t have any parents or relatives. He was abandoned when he was a child (kitten????).

Next thing you know, Grim hands you the bag and hugs you tightly, and tells you that you’re the closest he’s ever had to a parent and that he loves you:((((((

And he’s all like, “but don’t tell anyone I ever said this!!! You’re still my henchman..”

It’s so clear he’s embarrassed to be saying all of this, but it’s also clear he really does love you and appreciates all you do for him.

And you open the bag and there’s a couple little things like chocolate and maybe some jewelry.

(The first year crew definitely helped him shop for you because he had no idea what to get you.)

But the most memorable, and absolutely adorable thing in there is a handmade card.

It’s messy and kind of sticky and it’s getting glitter all over you, but on the inside there’s a little drawing of you and Grim. You’re holding his little paw and you two are smiling.

And it’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever been given.

And all you can do is bawl your eyes out and hug him close.

It reminds you of something you’d give your mother when you were younger.

And it just makes you miss her so much more.

Poor Grim is so confused on why you’re crying, and he’s saying shit like, “Henchman, I know my gift was great but it’s nothing to CRY over..” as his little paws rub your back.

But he curls into you anyways, and stays with you until you’re done and half-asleep. And you two fall asleep together that night.

He’s in your arms, purring contently against you as you sniffle and whimper in your sleep.

God you miss home:((((

[a-crow-ready-for-a-murder]

Sorry about this but I need to rant.

If I have my earphones on, there is 99% chance I'm creating a scene in my head that's accompanying music. So if you get my attention, obviously, it breaks my focus, and I'll have to start over. And if anyone and I mean ANYONE makes me have to restart the scene/song, it had better be important. If it's idle xhit chat, an advance of any kind, or trying to sell me something, then from that point on, I do not like them, and I will not hide that. I will get rude, and I will not lose sleep over it.

No disrespect to anyone, but come on! Earphones in = not looking to interact.

Thank you for coming to my RED talk.

[a-crow-ready-for-a-murder]

Screw it last chapter.

And here we are! The conclusion to this mini fiction. Let me know if you want a part 2 where we follow our boys on their date. Hope you liked it

It was a good while before they let go of each other with Kalim saying he wanted to go put the somewhat destroyed flowers in some water. Watching him leave, Ruggie still had a goofy smile plastered on his face. Today hadn’t been so bad after all. There was still one more issue to deal with before it was over though. Letting his smile fall he reached for his phone in his pocket and texted Jaylin. “We need to talk.”

Jaylin was scrolling magicam when she got a text from Ruggie. She frowned curiously at the message, it wasn’t what she’d thought he’d say but slowly her mind began to go through everything that’d happened. With a gasp she wondered, ‘had I been wrong?’ She was so sure Kalim felt for Ruggie the same love but what if she’d just ruined their friendship? It would have been her meddling that had done it. Darting to her room to ditch her heavy uniform, Jaylin pocketed her phone and leapt from her window to take flight. She was at Ruggie’s window in a matter of minutes gasping from exertion. Looking into the window she pecked three times to get Ruggie’s attention, and he wasted no time letting her in. Switching from bird to human, Jaylin unleashed a series of questions, “What happened? Is everything okay? Did something go wrong?”

Ruggie crossed his arms impatiently and said nothing. Getting the hint, Jaylin took a deep breath “Sorry.” Then she sat on his bed and waited quietly

After a moment Ruggie began “So Kalim showed up to Savannaclaw today with my bouquet.”

“...okay?”

Then Ruggie got in her face “I asked you to leave it! What the Hell Jaylin!?”

Jaylin looked back at him and went pale, she must have messed things up. “Oh no…Ruggie I…I’m so sorry”

“Oh, you’re sorry? Were you sorry when you stuck your beak in my business too? I didn’t want your help, and you went out and did the exact thing I didn’t want. What is your problem?”

Jaylin sucked in her lip, she really thought she was helping him. Ruggie stood back and crossed his arms. The silence was unbearable. “I really thought he liked you back.” Said Jaylin, voice barely above a whisper

“So?”

Jaylin clenched her fists “You were getting in the way of your own happiness! If you never take risks like this then you’ll have regrets, and…You deserve to be happy.”

Ruggie stared for a moment then let his face soften, he was still mad but he knew she was acting from a place of love. He still wasn’t going to let her off the hook that easily though.

“Did you ever think that maybe you were wrong? That he wasn’t interested, just nice?”

Jaylin didn’t bother to stop her tears, “Is that what happened?”

When Ruggie didn’t say anything Jaylin shot up from the bed “Oh my g- Ruggie I’m so sorry, I-”

“Sit.” ordered Ruggie.

Not knowing what else to do, Jaylin sat back down, “I can take the blame for it. Just say it was some prank.”

“It’s not that easy.”

“W-why not?”

“Because he already said he’d go out with me.”

Jaylin opened her mouth but then stopped. Ruggie tried not to laugh as he watched the gears turning in her head. “Wait.” she said as it was finally beginning to hit her, “wait…wait wait, What!?”

Now Ruggie was laughing “Oh my gosh! Ruggie that is! Haha Yes!” Jaylin jumped up and hugged Ruggie as tight as her slim arms would allow “Hey, hey! That doesn’t mean you’re off the hook! You still meddled where you weren’t supposed to”

Jaylin laughed, both relieved and overjoyed for her friend “Alright, alright, what’s my penance?”

“Eh…about 50 madol”

“Pfft! If that’s for your date, make it a hundred”

“You know, now that you mention it…” Ruggie scratched his chin thoughtfully.

Jaylin ruffled his hair, “seriously though Ruru, I’m so happy for you, you two are gonna be so great together.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“Call it a hunch.”

The rest of the night was spent talking and planning for Ruggies upcoming date. Despite Jaylin’s confidence, Ruggie was still very nervous. He hoped dearly that things went well, at the very least.

Hope you liked it!

[a-crow-ready-for-a-murder]

Screw it, chapter 7

Hey all, sorry for the late update, my home got flooded because of a busted pipe and I ended up forgetting. Anyhow here's the next chapter and maybe I'll post another one today too. Hope you enjoy!

Ruggie was brought out of his reverie when a familiar voice caught his attention. Looking around his gaze fell on Kalim who was asking one of his dormmates something. Even though he could hear Kalim loud and clear, he couldn’t process what he was saying because he was too focused on what the red eyed young man was holding. Cradled gently in both of his hands was a tattered but still recognisable mix of red and white flora wrapped in a crumpled white bouquet plastic.

Ruggie felt a cold rock sink into his stomach, so cold it made his sweat come out chilled. It must have also taken all the moisture from his mouth because he felt parched as if he’d just toured the desert for days on end. Watching Kalim talk to his dormmate he could only think of one name as the source of his new problem. Jaylin. That nosey little bird had gotten far too involved this time. He’d asked her to leave it and now Kalim was in Savannaclaw with the bouquet she’d insisted on taking with her. Ruggies hands trembled, his dry mouth was now overwhelmed by a sour taste as he clenched his teeth. He would have to send her a text later, one final text before never talking to her again. He turned away from the scene that he didn’t realize had come to an end to go to his room when he was stopped in his tracks. “Ruggie!” called Kalim. Ruggie took several deep breaths just so he could fake a smile long enough to turn Kalim away but when he faced him all his fortitude vanished in the face of that way too happy smile. “I’ve been looking for you” Said Kalim, closing the distance between them so they were only 2 feet away from each other. “You have?” Ruggie asked absentmindedly

“Yeah, all morning.”

“Huh, why’s that?” Perhaps if he played dumb he could make this discussion go by faster.

“Someone left this bouquet in front of Scarabia, it’s signed by the letter R and I wanted to ask if it was you.”

Would he be lying if he said it wasn’t? Sure it was his bouquet but he wasn’t the one who’d left it. Looking at Kalim’s face he felt panic rising in his chest, gestures like this had ended friendships before, was he really willing to risk that for the one in a billion chance that Kalim felt the same?

“Nah, that wasn’t me, I’m not into mushy gestures” he said breezily

Right before his eyes, almost in slow motion, he saw Kalims face fall, had he been wrong?

“Oh.” Said Kalim “then….uh…”

Kalim was sad? Was he hoping that it was Ruggie? His mouth moved before his thoughts could settle

“Were you hoping it was?”

“Honestly….yeah.”

Ruggie was taken aback, he knew Kalim was honest but he wasn’t expecting such a direct answer. “Wait…what? You were?”

“Well yeah, I mean I’d wanted to ask you but I didn’t know if you’d felt the same so I was just hoping…”

Ruggies brain scrambled, he didn’t know what to say, or what to do. Kalim liked him, really liked him. All this time spent worrying and he actually had feelings for him. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter. I guess I’ll see you-”

“Wait!”

The window to tell him the truth was closing, if he didn’t ask now, there was no chance this moment would come again. Kalim looked at Ruggie curiously as he tried to gather even a few of his thoughts. “I…well…” he sighed “It is my bouquet, one I was gonna give you but I…something came up and…I guess JJ must have brought them.”

Kalims eyes began to light up “Really?”

“Y-yeah, it’s corny, I know but I thought that’s…y’know what you do when you want to ask someone out.”

The way his heart pounded, Ruggie worried he might have a heart attack before hearing Kalims answer

“You…you want to ask me out!?”

“Uhm…yeah?”

Kalim had a huge smile on his face as he threw his arms around Ruggie “Ohmygosh! Yes! I would love to go out with you!!”

The cold panic that had been plaguing Ruggie’s chest melted away, this was happening, it was really happening. Slowly as if he were trying to preserve a bubble Ruggie hugged Kalim as a smile crept up his face and tears began to form in the corner of his eyes

[a-crow-ready-for-a-murder]

Screw it chapter 6

This one is a bit more miscellaneous, but we're getting there. Hope you enjoy.

Kalim was hesitant as he faced the Savanaclaw dorm entrance, he didn’t want to encounter anyone Rook had listed and find Ruggie right away but if he did, he knew he had a duty to give them closure, it might take time but he would let them down gently, it’d be rude to do otherwise. Looking down at the bouquet in his hands, it was beginning to look worse for wear and may be unrecognizable very soon, so with a quick breath to steel himself, Kalim entered Savanaclaw set on his mission.

As Jaylin gulped down her third bottle of water she groaned. After booking it back to Pomefiore and as far away from Leona’s unique magic as possible, all she was getting for her efforts was a tummy ache. Crumpling up the plastic bottle she glared at the wall she was facing as if it had said something to worsen her day. The whole sitting area in the dorm seemed to piss her off the more she stood in it, she’d even considered throwing her scrunched up bottle on the polished, marble floor as a hurrah against the dorm. But it wasn’t the dorm that provoked her ire, it was the vice housewarden and his ridiculous antics. She’d still had a piece of her mind to give him but they’d lost sight of each other as they fled from Leona and she hadn’t seen him since. With an irritated sigh, she went to the kitchen and tossed the water bottle into the recycling bin under the sink along with the rest of its fallen brethren, its sharp thud as it bounced off the plastic wall would likely be her only victory today if nothing else went as hoped. Pulling out her phone, she walked back to the sitting room to drop unceremoniously onto the couch where she kicked off her boots and began to scroll magicam. It was up to them to figure things out, and all she could do was hope they did.

The Savanaclaw heat was apparent from the moment he set foot on the dirt path, it didn’t rival Scarabia at all but it still made Kalim squint against the sun with a small huff. His nose was quickly filled with the warm scent of earth and a spice that could seemingly only be found in the savannah, a smell that Ruggie always had around him. Kalim smiled fondly as he clutched the tattered bouquet tighter. In the distance he could hear students training for upcoming games and as his ruby eyes scanned the rocks and trees around him, he wondered where Ruggie might be at this moment.

Laundry. Was there anything more grueling than laundry? Maybe trying to stay awake in professor Trein’s class. Ruggie laughed to himself as he hung up his lab coat on the clothes line then found himself thinking of how Kalim would chuckle with a slightly embarrassed look since more often than not he would nod off halfway through a lecture. It came to a point where Ruggie and Jamil would take shifts to ensure he stayed awake in class. He remembered one time while sitting next to Kalim where he himself was beginning to feel his eyelids grow heavy when he started hearing soft snoring beside him. Kalim had fallen asleep, head on one arm while the other was still over his notebook, pencil in hand. It was adorable but he needed to wake him. “Kalim.” He whispered, shaking the young man’s shoulder, “wake up.” The pencil dropped from Kalim’s hand and now that it was free, it reached out to Ruggie’s arm and latched on as its owner jerked awake. “Morning sunshine.” Ruggie said with an edge of amusement. Kalim took a moment to look around before sitting up straight, his hand still on Ruggie’s arm as though he hadn’t noticed it was there to begin with. Ruggie opened his mouth to mention it but decided that Kalim would remove his hand when he felt like it and he was already embarrassed for falling asleep. Besides, Ruggie didn’t really mind the contact, it felt almost natural at that point. Kalim did eventually let go of his arm to take notes but neither of them really discussed it further.

[a-crow-ready-for-a-murder]

Screw it chapter 5

Fight! Fight! Fight!

Hope you all have fun with this chapter.

“Shapeless abyss beneath my finger tips, pull thyself to mine palm

Let gushing ink dry and be wings written from murders of old

From the form who cried nevermore I call to bring forth

The Corvids Shadow!”

Rook turned as the spell was cast and witnessed Jaylin pulling her very shadow into her hands and forming it like a malleable substance. Once it had solidified his eyes widened. A large, black sledgehammer that Jaylin was now running at him with “You Dumbass!” she hollered as she leaped and brought down the hammer, hoping to get him square on the head. Rook wasted no time jumping out of the way as the hammer narrowly missed him and thudded hard on the grass where his feet had been. Undeterred, Jaylin brought her weapon back up and swung it to the side where Rook leapt back and just avoided another hit. With an angry huff Jaylin reformed the shadow into a series of small blades then with a forceful wave of her arm sent them flying. Knowing he couldn’t simply step to the side, Rook quickly rolled onto his shoulder and back to his feet as the blades flew over him. “What were you thinking!?” Jaylin spat as she called back her weapons “All you had to say was ‘no’ but somehow” turning her shadow into a long whip she swung at him again “you just made things more difficult!” Another roll spared Rook from being hit “What.” She swung again, he dodged again. “Is.” another swing, another roll “your.” she was growing thirsty from exerting herself but her anger drove her on “Problem!?” Rook was trying to move behind her so she spun around letting the whip gain velocity and managed to clip his leg as he tried diving forwards in hope of getting closer, without getting hit. “My my, oiseaux chanseus, what a good strike” said Rook with a slight grimace as he gripped his now bleeding calf “Give me one good reason not to continue” growled Jaylin through her dry throat

“Ah mon ami, I don’t think there is an explanation that’ll sate you, but if you want to know why I gave le roi d’or all those names, consider this, each one of those boys are in Savanaclaw and perhaps when monsieur dandelion sees his dear prince talking to all those suitors with his bouquet in hand it might spark true bravery on his part so he may finally court his beloved”

Jaylin blinked once, then twice, surely this wasn’t real, surely he didn’t actually just declare he’d set up a romantic drama. Upon seeing he was dead serious her rage grew tenfold “So you just pulled that stunt to add drama!? Are you insane!?” Once again her whip was soaring and Rook was dodging as if he didn’t have an injured leg “Ah but it makes the success all the sweeter” he said as he started panting. That’s when Jaylin stopped for a moment, Rook was a hunter, conserving energy is a practice he’d been drilling into all the first years, he was a master of pacing, so why was he out of breath so soon? She was about to ask him when the dryness in her throat turned to an irritating tickle that made her cough instead. Rook looked around, the air was suddenly very dry, usually he could handle most climates but all of a sudden he was horribly parched. That’s when they heard it, “I am the one who hungers, I am the one who thirsts” The familiar baritone made them both face the direction of a now awake, and very annoyed beastman. They didn’t need any other warning to turn and leave. Once they were out of his sight, Leona yawned and went back to his comfortable spot under the tree.

[a-crow-ready-for-a-murder]

Screw it chapter 4

This one does focus a bit on Jaylin but it does contribute...honest! Lol hope you enjoy, any feed back is welcomed.

Jaylin rustled her feathers and quietly chirped about her close call when there was a sound that made her jolt and look behind her. Despite certainly hearing something, the tree had hardly been disturbed. The leaves were barely moving, the same way they did in a light summer breeze, the branches didn’t protest against any weight and the twigs maintained their peaceful silence. To any onlooker all seemed fine and the sound she’d heard could very well have been her own mind but Jaylin was no casual passerby. While she wasn’t the same nature fae as anyone in Diasomnia even a corvid fae can tell when there was a change in the air. It never had to be drastic like a hurricane, small changes were easy for most creatures to pick up, such as an eerie, almost too perfect silence and the sensation of being watched, no not watched, hunted.

Jaylin turned her head slowly, knowing what she was seeking yet still not prepared for when her golden eyes landed on the all too familiar green ones staring down at her barely a foot away. With a startled shriek that could have been taken as a bird’s last cry before being devoured by an ambitious house cat, she leapt back and flapped her wings at the bemused huntsman who simply watched with his head resting on his open palm. “I did warn you, cherie '' Rook said the phrase so simply as though he hadn’t just scared her within an inch of her life. Landing back down where she’d previously been perched, Jaylin went off in a series of aggressive chirps, giving the Pomefiore vice housewarden a clear piece of her mind. “Mon Dieu, petite oiseaux chanceuse! Such angry words can pierce a man’s heart”

Jaylin let out a grumble that sounded far too human for the beak it came from before demanding to know why Rook was even in the tree. “I’m observing.” He said nodding towards the ground just under the tree. Jaylin hopped to the end of the branch to get a better look where she saw the languid form of Leona sleeping, completely unaware of his audience. Hopping to a sturdier part of the tree Jaylin replaced her wings with flesh and hair and sat cross legged with a huff “Rook, have you ever heard of a restraining order? Cause sooner or later you’ll be collecting a few.”

Rook smirked but before he could actually reply a chipper voice caught both their attention. “Hey Rook! I was looking for you” Kalim’s wide, friendly smile emerged from the main building and to Jaylin’s intrigue he was holding the bouquet

“Ah, bonjour roi d’or, to what do I owe the pleasure?” asked Rook cheerily

“I wanted to ask you about something. I found this bouquet outside of Scarabia addressed to me but it was signed with just an R, so I wanted to find who left it, was it you?”

Rook climbed down from the tree while Jaylin stayed put in utter disbelief. There’s no way he didn’t know about Ruggie’s affections, was he really so oblivious? Once Rook reached the ground he inspected the bouquet “A mysterious courter, such romance, such beauty”

Jaylin huffed as Rook put his hand on his chest as though he were going to recite a sonnet, does he ever shut up? “And such a well thought gift! Jasmines of the scalding sands, love and admiration with a smell that signifies home to the receiver, red zinnia to compliment, friendship and adoration, all coming together, ah what a beautiful sentiment!”

Jaylin crept closer down the branch she was on, uncertain if she would have to intervene or not when Rook sighed “but alas, it wasn’t me who left the bouquet.”

“So that would mean…It was Ruggie!” exclaimed Kalim with unmistakable excitement.

Jaylin let out a relieved sigh,

“It could be.” Said Rook “or….”

‘Wait.’ though Jaylin

“It could be one of the many in our school”

Once again Jaylin let out an undignified sound in the form of a low, angry, growl

“What do you mean?” asked Kalim

“Well for instance, there’s Robert on the spelldrive team, Ramone in film appreciation, Richard from the science club, Radford on the track team…” As Rook continued to list off names Kalim’s smile seemed to actually falter. There was no way he’d be able to remember that many names and it seemed now he had more and more people he may have to let down. Perhaps he should simply go directly to Ruggie and ask, but then what if it really wasn’t him? He had called Kalim annoying on more than one occasion, what if he just laughed? Kalim shook his head, hoping to clear those worried thoughts just as Rook was coming to the end of his list. Hopefully he hadn’t noticed Kalim’s spacing out.

“And just earlier, Jaylin was carrying a similar bouquet, perhaps she has some insight?”

“Uh sure, sounds great, I’ll go check that out, thanks Rook” Said Kalim with his big signature smile as he began to jog away.

As Kalim ran out of sight, Rook smiled after him, The first petals of blooming love were always the most beautiful to him. As he quietly mused to himself he seemed to be unaware of the dark haired witch who’d landed softly on the grass behind him.

“Shapeless abyss beneath my finger tips, pull thyself to mine palm

[a-crow-ready-for-a-murder]

Screw it, chapter 3

Here's chapter 3, I keep worrying if I've written the Canon characters well, please lmk if I didn't. Otherwise, enjoy!

It didn’t take her long to get to the Scarabia dorm but once she was at the door she stopped suddenly. How was she going to do this?

She couldn’t very well just hand Kalim the flowers then he’d wonder why Ruggie didn’t come, if she left them by the door someone else could pick them up. With a low hum she went over her options before deciding to just pull a blank paper out of her bag and use it as a card. With her neatest writing she wrote a simple note addressing the flowers to Kalim, but as she was about to write who they were from there came the sound of voices from around a nearby corner. Not wanting to be caught she scribbled a quick “from R” then shoved the card into the bouquet and dropped it before shapeshifting into her Blue Jay form and flying off as fast as her wings would carry her, never stopping until she was safely outside perched in a tree.

“I’m just saying, Jamil, our dorm has been doing really good this term and I think we should celebrate,” Kalim insisted to his less than impressed vice dorm leader and retainer as they rounded the corner leading to their dorm.

“Everything is a reason to celebrate in your eyes, you even threw a banquet because the birds were flying south for the winter” said Jamil whose voice was laced with exhaustion

“That was the fall, this is summer. Come on Jamil, don’t you think they deserve to celebrate for all their hard work?”

Jamil let out a heavy sigh as he looked into Kalim’s jewel colored eyes that almost seemed to be glowing with anticipation, then with a resigned roll of his own gray orbs he said “Fine, I suppose a small celebration is in order considering how much effort they put in.”

“Yes!” Kalim cheered as he punched the air

“But only if we keep it within reason. If I’m going to be doing all the work I need to make sure I have everything we need when the time comes and as it stands the notice is too short for anything extravagant.”

“You’ve got it! Thanks Jamil, you’re the best”

“Mhm”

They’d reached the door of Scarabia when a faint crunching sound made them pause. Looking down the two noticed an arrangement of red and white flowers wrapped neatly in a white plastic wrap and held together by a red ribbon twisted carefully into a puffy bow. Jamil crouched down slowly to pick it up, almost as if he expected there to be some sort of trap among the delicate petals. Wrapping his hand around the blanketed stems he rose back up examining the bouquet with suspicion. Kalim however was now fascinated and eagerly peered at the flowers. “Are those jasmines?” he asked

“Yes, mixed in with zinnias, not a common choice but a nice one, I’ll give it that.”

“Who’s it for?”

“Not sure, do you see a card?”

Kalim began to rifle through the flowers while Jamil tried to remember the significance of jasmine and zinnia

“Here it is!” Exclaimed Kalim with a look of triumph, much like a child who’d found the crayon he wanted to complete his picture.

“Alright, let’s see” said Jamil as Kalim opened the folded paper

“It says, To Kalim, from R….huh, wonder who that could be?”

“Well for starters, Kalim would be you.” Said Jamil with one of his cheeky smirks. Kalim let out a hearty laugh “I know that, silly, I meant R.” Jamil couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him, banter like this was becoming rather enjoyable between the two. “R is a tougher one, there are many people whose name starts with R, and if we narrow it down to people you spend time with, that's about….3 people outside of our dorm.”

“Why do you think it’s someone outside the dorm?” Kalim cocked his head to the side like a curious puppy, if Jamil hadn’t seen it over dozens of times he would have called it adorable.

“If it were someone inside the dorm, they would have left it in front of your room where it would be easy to tell who it’s for.”

“Oh….You’re right!”

“The intention is clearly romantic, between the color scheme and the flowers used it’s very personal so chances are the sender is attempting to court you.”

“Really? Then we should find out who it is!”

“Hmm, well if we go by the three i’ve mentioned, that’s Riddle, Ruggie and Rook. Now I think we can rule out Riddle since he’s not much for hiding his intent and there are no roses here. Rook would find this gesture romantic and Ruggie…. It’s hard to say for certain.”

“We should ask them!”

“I guess it couldn’t hurt to ask, right now, however, we have a feast to prepare for”

“Oh yeah, that’s right, let’s go!”

As they entered the dorm Jamil fell into a thoughtful silence. It didn’t take much observation to know that Kalim’s sunny demeanor could draw people in, it was one of his best traits, however it also tended to lead to people thinking him an easy target. Sadly he was naive enough for that to be the case and that often led to Jamil having to step in and protect him and while he hoped this time wouldn’t be the case and the senders feelings were genuine, deep down he worried that he’d have to protect Kalim again but this time from a cruel heartbreak.

Even as Kalim walked alongside Jamil he barely noticed his concerns. Someone had left him flowers and if Jamil was right, they wanted to ask him out. He was definitely flattered and even grateful that someone took the time to make such a gesture and if he was being honest with himself he knew exactly who he hoped it would be.

[a-crow-ready-for-a-murder]

Chapter 2, let's go! Hope you enjoy!

What’cha got there?” Jaylin asked with a curious lilt in her voice

“Nothing.” He replied tossing the bouquet on the ground

“Awfully well arranged for ‘nothing’” said Jaylin looking at the scattered petals that came from the impact.

“If you say so.”

It was clear he wanted this conversation to be over but seeing her friend so dejected sparked concern in the young bird fae so with a quick look at Ruggie who was turning to head back to his dorm she picked up the bouquet and examined the slightly broken flowers.

“The arrangement was definitely done with care, the choice in flowers could tie to the meanings of love and lasting affection.”

Ruggie grunted as he put his hands in his pockets “Just leave it.”

Yet she continued “Or the colors might be the meaning behind the choice, probably because they remind you of whomever you wanted to gift this to.”

“Knock it off!”

“And the few people who can get linked to this combo are Riddle, though you’d have added roses if that were the case and Jasmines are most well known in places like the scalding sands so that leaves…”

“Are you done!?” Snapped Ruggie

“Oh my gosh, Ruggie, were you going to ask Kalim out?”

“No! Now lay off.”

Ruggie was now facing Jaylin with his face screwed up in anger. Jaylin looked back at him unfazed, Their friendship had survived far worse than a mere spat. They knew neither were going anywhere, but she could tell this was a raw nerve for him, so she shrugged. “If you insist, would have been about damn time though.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means you two have been making goo goo eyes at each other for like 3 weeks now.”

“No we haven’t, just been hanging out is all.”

“Strange, you don’t usually get a big dopey smile when we hang out.”

“What? You jealous?”

“Pfft don’t flatter yourself”

She dashed up to his side, still holding the flowers. “So what made you change your mind?”

“Who says that’s what happened?”

“Listen you cagey bastard, we can do this all day, it’s no feather off my tail”

“Ugh, go annoy someone else”

“Only if you answer me.”

“Why? It’s my business”

“Because it’s got you down and I care”

“Ugh, gross”

“Uh huh. Come on Ruggie, I don’t want you bottling it, you know it’s bad for you.”

Ruggie finally stopped with a resigned sigh “Jay, I’m alright, I just…There’s no way it’d work.”

“Why not?”

“What can I give him that he can’t get himself?”

“Oh that’s easy, your smile, your time, your affection”

“People coming up to him to tell him that I’m after his stuff, a no good money grubber”

“Really Ruggie? What does it matter what others think?”

“It doesn’t….Until he starts believing it.”

Jaylin gave him a sad yet concerned look, she knew all too well how cruel words, whether they were from a place of caring or not, could burn a relationship. She also knew that Kalim was the type to see good in just about everyone and wasn’t likely to turn on them just because of rumors. Looking down at the battered bouquet, Jaylin twisted her lips before making her final decision. “Hey Ruggie, since you don’t want these flowers, can I take them?”

Ruggie shrugged apathetically “Sure, whatever”

“Thanks, see you later?”

“Yeah, later.”

With that, Jaylin turned back to the main building and was on her way to setting a plan in motion.

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Hey everyone, for the first time in forever I'm posting my writing again. This one is called "screw it" and takes place in twisted wonderland. Hope you like it. Real quick Jaylin is an O/C she's a corvid Fae of the blue Jay category.

“Okay, breathe. It’s not that hard” He scolded himself as he made his way through the courtyard to the main building of Night Raven College. “You’ve hung out before, this is just hanging out with an extra step” As he walked he anxiously fiddled with the bouquet he carried that sported a mix of white Jasmines and Red Zinnias “He’s bound to say yes, it’s Kalim, he always seems to like spending time with me and hopefully he….oh no what if I’m reading this wrong” Ruggie stopped in his tracks as limbs suddenly went numb while his heart sped violently.

  It had been about 2 months since he and Kalim had started hanging out more often and in that time they’d become close, so close that Ruggie found his tail wagging whenever he saw Kalim in the halls, smiling fondly as the young man took to different fascinations on seemingly a whim, visualizing his smile whenever he closed his eyes. As of late, Ruggie had noticed that his heart would beat faster when Kalim looked at him with his ruby eyes, seeking him out when he had free time which was already few and far between. It was when he found himself staring at Kalim’s hand wanting to hold it, and wishing his hugs would last just a bit longer that he realized what had happened. Of course he’s initially denied it, there’s no way after all.  Kalim was a rich boy, he’d had a silver spoon in his mouth since birth and wanted for absolutely nothing. Flaunting his wealth in what he wore, ate, how he lived, not to mention his giant treasury. Kalim was everything Ruggie had grown to hate but still here he was, holding a bouquet, making his way to Scarabia hoping to ask its housewarden out on a date. Maybe it was the carefree nature, or the abundant kindness. Maybe it was his determination to do better or his genuine want to help people, right down to pulling all-nighters to study with his dorm when they felt unsure of an upcoming exam. Kalim wasn’t just a big smiley face, he was legitimately a good person if not a bit airheaded at times. Now the biggest question remained, did he like Ruggie the same way? It had certainly seemed like it for a while now. Lately Kalim would give him a compliment and then look away with a noticeable blush. He would seek Ruggie out at lunch or after class to sit with him. Even their moments together seemed to have a sort of intimacy that he couldn’t quite describe. But now as he stood in the courtyard, gripping the flowers he held in a trembling vice grip he began to wonder if perhaps this was simply how Kalim was with his close friends. Sucking in his lips he began to think over his decision. What if Kalim didn’t feel the same way? What if asking him out just ruins what they have? Even if they did go out, what could Ruggie possibly give him? In the end Kalim would likely just pay for things and Ruggie could never pay him back, and given his reputation people would probably warn Kalim against dating a known thief, pick pocket, con artist, and then there’s the class differences. Ruggie came from nothing, Kalim came from wealth, no doubt his family wouldn’t view him bringing home a boy in old baggy clothes as a good thing. With a heavy sigh he looked at his bouquet. How could he have been so foolish? There was no chance they’d work out even if he’d said yes.

He was just about to throw the flowers away when a familiar soft voice came from right over his shoulder. “What’cha got there?”

[a-crow-ready-for-a-murder]

@notstvalentine not just any Orphan, the High Orphan!

generator link

[a-crow-ready-for-a-murder]

A ridiculous TikTok I did the other day, Floyd is a brat lmao

[a-crow-ready-for-a-murder]

escape room buddies

Ortho, Riddle, and Ruggie follow up on their promise to go to an escape room together. Rating: G, no warnings I just want Riddle to have a nice day. Read on AO3

Riddle assumes it had been a throwaway invitation, a mere suggestion made in the heat of the moment, akin to a “let’s get coffee sometime” followed by a failure to follow up. However, the prospect of getting to go to an actual, real life escape room is a siren call that not even Riddle can resist.

After the flow of time has been restored and the NRC has settled down to normal (more or less, anyway), Riddle seeks out Ortho in the hallway, approaching the robot as he floats next to his older brother.

Riddle only raises his brow a little as Idia chooses this time to melt into the background, biting back a sharp rebuke on the Ignihyde housewarden’s lack of manners. He’s here for Ortho, not Idia, and it won’t do to trigger Ortho’s protective instincts for his brother right off the bat.

“I was…ahem, I was wondering if you still wanted to do that escape room,” he says, eyes cast to the side. “The one you mentioned. In the Spectral Realm.”

“Yes! Of course!” Ortho’s excited tone reassures Riddle. Of course, it was silly to believe the robot would reject him, especially when the escape room had been Ortho’s idea in the first place.

Still, it’s a little surreal to Riddle that the boy would agree to spending time with him so willingly. Riddle knows his own reputation among the student body.

“I’ll go ask Ruggie if he’s still in!”

Ortho’s words pull Riddle out of his rumination. He nods once in agreement. “Thank you, that would be wonderful.” It would be excellent, actually. It would save Riddle the trouble of having to hunt down Ruggie and repeat the mortifying ordeal of Asking For Things.

Riddle ends up being added to a group chat, aptly named ESCAPE ROOM BUDDIES 🔑 by Ortho. After a few back and forth messages to discuss the finer details of their plans, Riddle finds himself in the lobby of the escape room venue, listening closely to the instructions from their assigned escape room guide.

The room is old-fashioned mystery themed, modelled after the famous Great Mouse Detective and his adventures, and the objective seemed simple enough. Locate the key hidden in the room to unlock the main door to make your escape. If they get stuck, they are free to call upon their guide for a hint three times.

Riddle hopes they won’t have to make use of their hints at all.

At last, they are allowed into the room, and Riddle cannot stop the bounce in his step, the way his eyes brighten as he looks around the room, trying to take in as much of their surroundings as possible.

“There!” Ruggie points out a stack of papers on a desk on the far side of the room. “Let’s see what those’re about.”

The other two boys make noises of assent, and they gather around the desk. Ortho spreads the papers out so they can see all of them, and Riddle is immediately attracted to a specific sheet – what seems to be a letter from the Great Mouse Detective, whose room they were trapped in, accompanied by an adjustable cipher and a string of numbers. It seems that the puzzle is to adjust the cipher to the correct setting, then use it to crack the code the Great Mouse Detective had left behind.

Ruggie snatches up a different sheet of paper, eyes flicking back and forth as he reads over the words. “If you need me, I’ll be over there,” he says, pointing at a bulletin board with various symbols pinned to it.

Riddle nods, scanning the rest of the documents left on the desk. “Ortho, why don’t you try to figure out this clue?” He pushes a few papers towards the robot boy. “I’ll take these.”

“Yes, sir!” Ortho chirps, rifling through the papers Riddle had indicated. “This’ll be easy.”

-

The trio only barely makes it out of the escape room in time.

They emerge from the building cheering and high-fiving each other, Ortho speeding ahead and somersaulting in the air. Riddle himself is breathing heavily, his heart rate elevated from the rush to crack the final code as the timer counted down to zero.

It’s the most fun Riddle has had in a long time.

Ruggie wraps an arm around Riddle’s shoulders, ruffling his hair. “And we couldn’t’ve done it without Mr. Uptight over here,” he says.

Uptight? Uptight? How DARE he?

Out of reflex, Riddle’s face flushes red, his temper spiralling as he readies his signature spell–

Breathe, Riddle. His inner voice coaxes gently. Relax. It is all in jest. They are comfortable enough around you to joke around. Isn’t this what you wanted?

Instead of releasing the magic, he stops, closing his eyes. He inhales deeply through his nose, then exhales through his mouth, just like Trey and Cater had taught him. Then, he lets out a scoff.

“You could learn to be more uptight,” he says, pointing his nose high in the air, a mockery of his usual habits. “I was simply following the rules that the Great Mouse Detective laid out for us.”

He runs out of things to say, finding that he can’t keep up the act for much longer, but at least he hopes his tone conveys that he is playing along.

Ruggie’s delighted laugh at Riddle’s sudden change in demeanour lets him know that he had succeeded.

“It’s almost dinnertime,” Riddle notes, the pangs of hunger starting to twist his stomach, even through the escape room euphoria. “Should we…find something to eat? Or perhaps we should head back to the school.”

“Let’s eat out! I don’t really get to explore that often, so I wanna make the most of it while I’m here.” Ortho floats a few inches higher in excitement. “I can’t really eat, but I still wanna look around!”

“I’m down if you’re paying,” Ruggie shrugs. “I know a diner pretty close by. I used to work there, and the burgers are to die for.”

“Okay,” Riddle nods. Burgers sounded nice. Fun. Normal. “Lead the way.”

-

Ruggie is correct. The burgers are indeed to die for, so much that Riddle can’t bring himself to care about the greasy misture of oil and condiments, unbecomingly dripping down his hands and onto the plate. It’s his first proper diner burger, and he savours the moment, being sure to commit the everything to memory, from the juiciness of his burger to Ruggie’s cackle at Ortho sticking cutlery out of his mouthpiece like a walrus.

“That was a lot of fun!” says Ortho, as the trio makes their way through the Night Raven College gates, soon to split up to go back to their respective dorms. “Let’s do this again sometime.”

“Yes,” Riddle replies quietly. “I’d like that very much.