Chapter Text
One week.
It had only been one week since Yuu tumbled out of a floating coffin and found themselves in the unfamiliar world of Twisted Wonderland. And they were already in desperate need of a break. Luckily, with Ace finally allowed back in his own dorm, and Grim apparently too exhausted from the events of the past week to cause trouble, they found themselves with some much needed down time.
After making sure Grim was still conked out on the couch, the prefect slipped out of Ramshackle, into the hot, late summer afternoon air and headed straight for their favorite place on the Night Raven College campus: the botanical garden.
Immediately through the glass doors, Yuu took a deep breath of the muggy air, thick with the scent of soil and greenery. A content sigh left their lungs, and the tension in their muscles seemed to drain right out of their body.
They began to walk— meander, really— taking their precious time admiring the strange and beautiful plants and fungi, some familiar, some unique to that world.
Avoiding the area where they’d had their unfortunate encounter with the Savanahclaw house warden a few days ago, they turned down a path that branched off from the main one, and followed it to a sort of work space. Metal racks holding potted plants and various gardening and science equipment acted as walls dividing each station. Most of the “rooms” were empty, few had half finished projects that had been left to sit overnight, and only one had a student continuing his work after school hours.
As the prefect was passing by, they glanced briefly at his table and stopped dead in their tracks.
“Whoa…”
The teal-haired student lifted his head to look at them.
“Ah— Sorry! I just— I’ve never seen a mushroom like that before,” they apologized.
A polite smile graced the students lips. “Are you referring to this one?” He asked, picking up a medium sized mushroom whose round cap was dark green in the center, gradually fading to lime green and then yellow around the edge.
“Well, all of them, actually,” Yuu admitted. The colorful array of mushrooms and various plant clippings the student had laid out in front of him was unlike much of the flora from Yuu’s own, non-magical world. “But that one is especially pretty.”
The teal-haired boy’s smile reached his dual-colored eyes that time.
“I agree, it is very beautiful,” he said, looking at the mushroom with something akin to pride. “Would you, perhaps, like to know some facts about it?”
“Really?!” Yuu exclaimed, their demeanor brightening instantly.
The student chuckled fondly at their enthusiasm. He set the mushroom down and reached under the table to pull out a second lab stool for the prefect to sit beside him. Yuu eagerly took the offered seat, and listened as he began go through his knowledge of the fungus.
With each nod, hum, and excited question from the prefect, the student seemed to grow marginally more excited as well. A hint of warmth shone in his yellow and olive eyes, and as their conversation expanded to include the other specimens on the table, his smile also widened enough for Yuu to spot the tiny points of his sharp teeth.
“You know… if you like nature this much,” he said, “you should consider joining the mountain lovers club.”
“There’s a whole club for that?” Yuu asked. The student chuckled.
“Indeed, there is. We went on our first hike yesterday. That’s where I found all these specimens,” he said. “We also make dishes using foraged ingredients.”
Yuu gasped. “I’ve always wanted to try making wild flower syrup! Do you also make other stuff?”
“Other stuff? Like what?”
“Like, using natural materials to dye fabric, or using pine needles to weave little baskets, that sort of thing.”
“Well, we can certainly try. Does that mean you’ll join?”
Yuu hummed, tapping a finger against their chin. On one hand, they were already very busy… adding club activities to their other responsibilities could be hectic, but on the other hand, spending time in nature and doing little crafts sounded like the perfect way to relax. “Sure!” They decided. “I’d love to join.”
The student’s face brightened with the widest smile they’d seen from him yet. “Wonderful! I’ll bring the registration form to your dorm tomorrow,” he said.
“Okay! That reminds me, though, I should probably get back before Grim wakes up,” Yuu said, standing up to leave, “but it was really nice talking to you.”
“I had a nice time as well,” the teal-haired boy said, standing up and smoothing out the front of his lab coat. “I look forward to seeing you during club activities.”
“Me too, uh… What was your name?”
“Oh, I apologize for not introducing myself,” he said, placing a hand over his chest. “My name is Jade Leech.”