Chapter Text
"Hamako! why didn't you tell me we were late!" Deuce yelled hushedly as he plopped down beside Hamako. His eyebrows furrowed as he pulled out his books.
"You two were being nuisances." She replied, her gaze on the clock in the middle of the room. They weren't too late, if you asked Hamako, they didn't miss anything important. "And as I said, I need to keep a clean record around here. I'm an Octavinelle student, remember?"
It's true. They really were acting like idiots, arguing in front of a dorm about such trivial things. Deuce's ineptitude at pacifying Grim and Ace fanned the flames as well. And yes, she really did have to keep her record clean. Azul has shit on her -- him being her dorm leader -- so she is not risking anything.
"But you ditched us!" Deuce said as he placed his books on the table in front of him.
"And since when was I responsible for you or anyone else?" Hamako flatly stated, her gaze still not leaving the clock. The seconds ticked by ever so slowly, Hamako realized. It all seemed so slow in this world.
Deuce sighed as he sunk even further into the chair. His blue eyes reflected defeat. Rumours about this teacher we're spreading constantly, and he didn't want to make a bad impression on someone who'll be his professor for the next three years. "So much for my goal of being an honour student."
"With how things are going, I doubt you'll even be able to get half the grades an honour student does." Ace quipped unsympathetically from Deuce's side.
"As if you're one to talk. You're collared." Deuce retorted, emphasizing on Ace's predicament. The one he got everyone involved in.
"Yeah, for misconduct. Not horrible grades." Ace said with a chortle, which got Grim to snicker.
Deuce groaned once more as he ran a hand through his blue locks. Ace chortled beside him. Hamako --who decided to be surprisingly sympathetic-- lightly patted Deuce's shoulder.
Hamako had a feeling this was going to be a long day.
If there was a defining trait all her teachers had in common, it would be that they all knew how to exert their authority onto their students. Though their methods were far from the norm -- from threats with a whip to a non-stop exercise regimen -- they were still methods nonetheless. Methods that Hamako did not want to be on the receiving end of.
She was quite glad that lunch had arrived quickly, because she did not want to hear another diet related quip from her PE professor. Nor did she want to exert as much effort into exercise as she usually did, considering yesterday's events were still fresh in her mind and all. It would take a while before she got over it. It'll fade away into blue with only the water to retain the raw emotion from that day.
As she lined up with Deuce ("I'm gonna save us a seat." Ace said as he handed Deuce his wallet. Grim hopped of Hamako's shoulder to follow the ginger instead. "Buy me a carbonara or something…") Hamako felt languid. Yesterday's events were not ones she was expecting. Monsters of ink were but mere myths passed on by merfolk. It was but a tale to scare children. But that rancid smell and the morbidity of it all really put Hamako on edge.
Her hands reeked of the scent of ink, no matter how hard she washed it off.
"How are you doing?" Deuce asked, poorly masked concern on his face as he looked through the bills in his (Ace's) wallet.
"What do you mean?" Hamako replied dismissively, knowing full well what Deuce was trying to accomplish.
"Yesterday...you know? Ink and shit. That was a real pain in the ass." Deuce's gaze fell onto Hamako's hands. He could still remember the way blood dripped and mixed with ink and grime, glass crystals melding with sweat. Deuce tried not to show how shaken he was back there, but he really was sure he was going to die.
Hamako held her tongue, thinking of an appropriate response. "Yeah." She said lazily as she stretched out her arms above her head. "I've been through worse."
Deuce possessed enough common sense to not pry any longer, and instead opted to look at the menu board. Hamako was grateful for the delinquent's decency.
They finally managed to reach the register, and with a bit of haggling with the ghost at the counter --Hamako wanted to try and save some money, okay?-- they successfully ordered their meal. Deuce proudly holding onto all their trays due to his stubborn insistence. Stating that Hamako was injured and thus, he should help her out a bit. His stubbornness was endearing, but quite unnecessary.
The duo walked side by side, Hamako sticking out like a sore thumb. She could pick up minute whispers, hushed conversations, weird stares of all magnitudes.
"I heard that she's working with Azul. He hired her. She's probably as bad as the leech twins. Maybe even worse."
"I heard the dean's keeping an eye on her. She's a special case, especially what the mirror said. It still gives me chills."
"Shit! She's looking!"
"What's the hearstalbyul student doing around her? Does he have a death wish?"
Hamako laughed bitterly beneath her breath as she sent a glare in the direction of one of the students. The rumours about her were amusing, and if anything, they were benefiting her and her image. The more they feared her, the less they'd approach.
"In order to gain the respect of the people around you, you must be feared."
Azul's words really got to her head.
Before Hamako could even reach the table, she had been swept away by one Floyd (Strangler) Leech. And yes, she was literally swept off her feet, slung over his shoulder.
She was genuinely looking forward to lunch with those three idiots, considering those three idiots had a semblance of common sense to know not to mess around with her. But alas, her hopes for even the slightest bit of peace were to be washed away like the shells on the shore. She now had to deal with a very moody and self destructive senior. Fun.
"Nan'yo-chan~ Since today is your first day at work, I have to teach you the ropes!" Floyd exclaimed with a grin. He very obviously didn't give a shit about how the attention they were attracting, nor did he give a shit about Hamako's take on this.
And boy was Hamako unhappy with her current situation.
Hamako sighed as she slipped out of Floyd's grip, setting herself on the ground. this man had no idea what personal space was. Shooting a glare at her supposed senior, she asked. "Isn't Jade-san supposed to be the one with you?"
"Eh~ Don't be too down, I promise you it's actually really fun strangling them. Besides, Jade has a lot of work to do with Azul." He replied, the glint in his eyes just as sharp as his teeth. Strangling, apparently, went hand in hand with...debt collection? Hamako could feel another headache forming.
" I'm a substitute?" She crossed her arms in a standoffish manner, her right brow raising in question.
"No, you're my new partner. Jade wanted to take a break from the strangling so…" He said, his grin never wavering. It was unsettling.
Hamako took a deep breath before haphazardly clawing at Floyd. She would've shown her claws if they didn't feel like absolute shit. Yeah, she seriously screwed shit up with digging that stone out. "That wasn't in the contract."
"It is, didn't you read the first paragraph?" Floyd cleared his throat. "The employer has the right to station the employee into a certain division, it can not be contested." Floyd's tone was definitely much more stoic as he said that, and he seemed quite pleased with himself too. Talk about egoistic.
She sighed, bringing a hand up t o massage her temple. "So me being your new babysitter was in the job description?" He was right. There really was that clause. It was such an innocent line too. She never would've thought it would lead to her putting up with Floyd.
"Nan'yo-chan~ Not everyone gets the chance to be working with me and Azul-shi. You should be thanking him. You're a first year and you already have the reputation of a third year~ You have those urchins running away at the sight of you." Floyd mused. His mismatched eyes were glowing, literally. It really showed how, like Hamako, he wasn't human.
Hamako deadpanned in response. "What an honor. Thank you senpai." She stretched her hands out and bowed in faux thanks. "Now can we get on with this? I want to eat my goddamn sandwich."
Floyd chuckled as he allowed Hamako to settle into a steady space beside him, which was really just the two of them power walking. Because 1) Hamako just wanted this to end as soon as possible, and 2) she had to keep up with Floyd and his ridiculously long legs.
In the distance, Jade and Azul shared a laugh.