Chapter Text
You sighed, arriving to a new school early was so lame. Night Raven College may be interesting, but the architecture was nothing compared to Líng Bǎo Pài[1]. The whole aura of this school was so... western. You shuddered.
Westerners and their cheese... and morning milk... and their lack of respect for other cultures!
Honestly you might cry if anyone recognises the fú lù you use. It's only been five minutes and you're already missing your eastern homeland of Dì Yù[2]...
Pacing around these infernal hallways was no fun either, you could barely figure out where a classroom was, let alone the Headmage's office. The problem with western schools is that every hallway looks the same! How on earth are you supposed to navigate when you don't even know where the stairwell is! Being bad with directions didn't help much either...
You were about to give up and just leave this school and return to your country in disgrace when you finally spotted it... a sign that said Headmage's office...
Tearing up, you knocked on the door and heard a voice say, "Come in!"
You slowly pushed opened the doors and looked around the room. The Headmage's desk sat directly across from the door, chair faced with its back to you, with the mirrors floating above him showing Twisted Wonderland's Great Seven... you think.
There's the Girlboss Tyrant - Queen of Hearts... the super cool Sea Witch... Mr Lion... and uh - flames man. Hay-dee-s?
...Yeah there's no way you can name all of them. Might as well just talk.
"Jiù shì[3]... Good afternoon Headmage Crowley, I believe you were expecting me? I'm the foreign exchange student...", You trailed off, while you may be (pretty much) fluent in Twisted Wonderland's common, that doesn't mean you're not absolutely terrified of making even the tiniest grammar mistake.
"Ah yes! You are... Y/N Aster correct? From DiYu"
You couldn't help but wince at the incorrect pronunciation. "Yes, sir. That is me."
"Oh wonderful! I believe I should show you to the mirrors since our first foreign exchange student should be sorted into a dorm! I am generous after all~", The Headmage turned his chair around to look at you. Then flinched.
"Is there a problem?"
Why does he look so shocked?
"Miss Aster, you are aware that Night Raven College is an all boys school, correct?"
... Yes, I had to research this school and all its archaic traditions??? What does he mean???
"...Yes sir."
"But you are," he coughed, embarrassed, "a girl?"
"...Yes?"
What on earth??????
"Miss Aster, we can't have a girl alone in a dorm room with 3 other boys. Not to mention the fact that NRC is a boys school!", The Headmage finally lost his composure, but you still didn't understand why he was.
"But... Headmage Crowley, sir, my teacher informed you of my gender in his letter? I was told that you would likely organise a, what's the word, separate room for me."
The Headmage flinched.
Did he really... not read the entire letter? Is he blind? Does he need glasses? Are there nothing but rocks in his head?
You smiled, lips twisted like a weapon, "Sir Crowley, surely you prepared separate accommodations for me?"
The man started shaking, if it weren't for his mask you'd be sure that his pupils would be shrinking to pinpricks in fear.
Why is he scared? This is just my polite face? Lǎo shī[4] said that westerners always smile to be polite!
Crowley stuttered for a few seconds while you waited patiently, before saying, "Of course I have!", a grin as fake as the feathers on his cloak stretched across his face. "Your accommodations will be just a short walk away from campus, and I have even left it for you to renovate! Of course, we have furniture there, for I am extremely kind!"
That sounds exactly like what scammers say before selling you fake jade...
You decided to ignore that and instead you smiled even harder. "Truly? Thank you so much Headmage! I'm sure your generosity is comparable to that of cái shén[5]!"
For some reason, the Headmage shuddered slightly before standing up and gesturing for you to follow him. "Of course, I should show you around campus first! I'm sure you had a bit of a hard time navigating our facilities, so I will lead you to where the staff room is so you can ask for directions in case you get lost!"
You beamed, this pleased you greatly. "Truly? Thank you so much Headmage Crowley! You truly are magnanimous!"
So if I have problems with room locations, I can simply ask the teachers for guidance? How wonderful!
The Headmage held the door open for you as the two of you walked out of the room, despite your protests about an elder doing so. It only encouraged him to be even more chivalrous towards you as he continued on the tour, for he was "extremely generous".
The tour of the student facilities was truly interesting to you. NRC's dedicated greenhouse was especially wonderful, and the classrooms dedicated to specific lessons[6] were quite interesting! You received a copy of your schedule from the school secretary, and got to meet your teachers! The alchemy and history teachers were especially nice, Professors Crewel and Trein were very kind and caring, even if they expressed it in... unusual ways.
"If any boys make you feel unsafe, puppy, please tell me. I'll be sure to whip them until they learn good behaviour."
"If you have any questions, feel free to ask me after class. I understand that your school's history curriculum was quite different from ours."
Firstly, did Crewel really intend to whip them! Not even with a discipline whip[7] but a riding crop?! Secondly, did Trein really mean that? You were pretty sure you were going to ask thousands of questions about the history of Twisted Wonderland... after all, they surely have as much history as Dì Yù, even if you were only going to learn material from 1000 CE, the past monarchy of BCE are especially important in determining the political factors and results of policies for the next dynasty![8]
For some reason though, the Headmage had to leave with Professors Crewel and Vargas for a while. How kind of them for giving you the time to ask questions about the curriculum to Professor Trein! The teacher was so generous to you as well! Trein answered each and every one of your questions, going as far as giving you time to write down notes from what he said! Unfortunately, he could not answer all of your questions, as Twisted Wonderland often lacked written history of its nations! It was truly terrible to hear, with how often history repeats, it is important to be able to examine the past to learn from its mistakes.
Now though, you were being led to your new place of residence for the next 3 years. You were excited to see your temporary home, though Crowley seemed less so when he came back to pick you up from the staff room and continue your tour of the school. The employment of ghosts in NRC seemed very interesting, especially since they were all so kind and respectful. You had resolved to talk to them later and ask about what they remember of their past. As you walked out of the school you noticed the grand statues of the Great Seven that NRC had lined along the entrance.
It's... uneven? This is almost painful to look at... but I think that the one with the staff was called something-far? And the other had Mal in her name... why are these people so hard to remember...
As you and Crowley continued your walk, Crowley talking about the architecture of the school while you listened with half an ear, you couldn't help but notice the state of the path you were walking down. It seemed almost... run-down, but it was evident that someone had tried to fix it in a very short amount of time.
Maybe there was some sort of magical accident? I wouldn't be surprised if NRC's budget was strained to its limit, this being a school filled with boys and all.
Your thoughts trailed off as you looked at the dorms. It was, to put it politely, a rustic mess. The plants were left untended and overgrown, the doors were practically off their hinges, and the roof looked like it was about to cave in. Yet, you couldn't say any of that, as one must always be polite to their hosts, especially since you were the sole representative for your school.
"This house has such a personality!" You said, "It really is quite interesting!"
...That it has stayed up for all these years!
The Headmage seemed quite pleased by your words, to the point where he puffed out his chest and started to go into detail about your new residency. "How lovely of you to notice Miss Aster! This dorm is part of Night Raven College's extensive history! You see, this once used to be the 8th student dorm around 100 years ago and-"
The door slammed open.
"Oh my! You've arrived dear puppy!" Professor Crewel smiled gracefully as he held the door so you and Crowley could enter the dorm, "Unfortunately, this dorm is a slight work in progress, but you have free rein to fully customise it as you'd like~"
"Truly? Oh how wonderful!" You smiled and clapped your hands together as you examined the living room of this... creatively designed house. The paint on the walls was chipping, but the floorboards were sturdy, and the decorations, while dusty and in need of some fixing, suited you just fine.
With a few personal touches and some new furniture, I'm sure I could renovate this into more than a... habitable dorm.
"Oh! Is the little twig here already?" Yelled a voice that was most likely Professor Vargas.
Crewel looked towards you and Crowley nervously, smile still plastered to his face, while a bead of sweat rolled down his temple, raising his voice, he replied, "Indeed she is Ashton, dear!"
There was a crashing noise from the room next door, Professor Vargas walking through a minute later. The man was covered in dust, but had a winning grin on his face. "What a good workout! Thank you for the suggestion Divus!"
Crewel's smile tightened as he gritted out, "Yes of course, now maybe you should help the puppy to bring her bags to her room."
I'm starting to think that maybe this school is a little... special in how it is ordered...
You blinked. "Oh there is no need Professors, all my supplies are in my qiánkūn dài[9]!"
Crowley looked very confused. "Your... what?"
"My... jiù shì... pouch?" You took the (f/c) pouch out of your long sleeve. "I'm not sure about the direct translation but it is the type of pouch that can carry a multitude of things without getting heavy."
Crewel's eyes lit up. "You have a pouch that can carry how many things?"
"A lot? I do not know the exact number, but the one I have was made when I was a... sorry, when I was in middle school. I believe it can carry up to around 55kg[10] of items."
For some reason, the professors looked absolutely dumbfounded.
"So, you're telling me, that this bag you made yourself, can carry more than 50 kilograms of clothes?" Crewel looked so happy that he was about to cry. "How would one make this... pouch?"
You brightened up, was he genuinely interested? "Well you can make it from practically any fabric... but the... jiù shì... quality can increase the weight limit. You have to embroider it with the correct character like how one would make a talisman, but if the traditional characters are not perfect, it will also decrease the weight limit."
Crewel nodded, absolutely enraptured. "Would you mind showing me how to make it later? I believe this could be very useful for my alchemy class... and for my personal use." he mumbled, "The amount of clothes I can carry in that..."
You were shocked, he wanted to make one himself? How amazing! You couldn't believe that someone would even want to make one of these, they were so common in Dì Yù. But, to have a senior make one himself one you could do that for him was unthinkable!
"There is no need Professor Crewel! I can just make one for you myself!"
With that, the teacher looked conflicted now, you couldn't fathom why.
Does he not want me to make one for him? Does he think that I am incompetent in my crafting of them? I should-
"My dear puppy, I would love for you to do that for me, but are you sure it won't be too taxing for you?"
Crowley cleared his throat.
"Oh! And this can't be used to bribe me to better your grades, you are aware of that correct?"
Why would I need my grades to be better?
"Of course Sir Crewel! It is no issue, and I would never bribe a teacher, that is completely dishonourable." A small smile formed on your face out of excitement, completely genuine. Would he really let you make a qiánkūn dài for him?
"Then..." Crewel glanced at Crowley for a moment.
Then, he enveloped you in a warm hug.
"I will gladly accept! Thank you my dear puppy, you are a wonderful young girl."
A flush came to your cheeks, no one had ever said such nice things to you before!
"T-thank you Professor, it is really no trouble..." You mumbled.
Crowley once again cleared his throat, and made a show of looking at his (empty) wrist, like one would a watch.
"Well, look at the time! I'm terribly sorry Miss Aster but your professors and I must leave for a staff meeting." Crowley montioned towards Crewel and Vargas while he made to leave. "If you have any problems, well, you now know where you can find me or the others!"
And like a hurricane, Crowley and your new professors left.
"Well then, looks like I have my work cut out for me!" You flopped down on the couch, coughing as dust erupted from it.
"Oh my, a visitor in our little Ramshackle dorm?"
You screamed.