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Ruggie looks at the contracts in his arms. There’s so many of them. Hundreds, even. He hasn’t bothered trying to read them, it isn’t any of his business and frankly he just doesn’t give a shit. However.
However.
He sees on one contract his own name and the signature of Leona Kingscholar. The rest of the contract is in Azul’s neat script, of course, but the flourishing and very official looking signature of the late Leona is unmistakable. Wait. Why did he think that? Who’s Leona?
Most of the text is stupid legal jargon. Azul sure makes his contracts water-tight. But the part that catches his eye is why Leona had signed the contract.
Party A, Azul Ashengrotto will provide Party B Leona Kingscholar with 1 (one) potion to increase magical power. This potion will also be spelled to transmit any blot that Ruggie Bucchi’s produces to Leona Kingscholar for any magic performed for four hours after imbibing the potion.
The contract goes on to lay out the exact parameters of the potion and the spell but Ruggie can’t be bothered to read it. He hugs the contracts closer to him, his mind racing. Ruggie doesn’t remember a potion and he doesn’t remember a Leona Kingscholar. He pulls it from the stack, folds it and puts it into his back pocket. The rest of them he’ll burn as he promised the Prefect.
One contract won’t make a difference in their grand plan to stop Azul anyway.
“I got ‘em,” Ruggie yells to Jack, waving a fistful of contracts and running up to him. Jack gives him a thumbs up and pulls the lid off the giant plastic bucket he’s brought to the Octavinelle Dorm with him. The potion inside the bucket sloshed a little, prompting a ‘woah’ from Jack and the Heartslabyul freshmen with him.
“What’s — what do you have there?” Azul’s voice wavers. Ah, a coward, Ruggie thinks. Despite all his control and contracts and everything his weak point is open for all to see. A real prey animal reaction.
“Oh, just some scraps of paper. Shishishi.” Ruggie grins. “Shame if I happened to drop them into Jack’s bucket o’special dissolving potion, right?”
“Dissolving potion!?” Azul’s eyes widen and he starts stumbling towards Jack and Ruggie.
“Woah there, don’t fall.” Ruggie laughs again. “Get too close and I might drop these all in! What’s this? Five hundred? Six hundred?”
“This is top notch.” Jack adds. “A — er. Childhood friend of mine goes here, he’s in Pomefiore. He’s really good at potions.”
“Ohh, he got to be Housewarden off of a potion, right?”
“I think so. Pretty cool someone from my hometown is Housewarden.”
Azul reaches out with one hand. His fingers are already shaking. Ruggie almost feels bad, but it would only be because Azul looks so pathetic this way. But Ruggie remembers that Azul’s making money on this, making money off of students like the Savanaclaw kids on scholarship. Any thread of pity burns up immediately when he thinks about that.
Ruggie used to do poorly in school. He remembers coming to NRC and being a true bottom of the barrel student. He can’t remember what happened — but there’s extra reference books and some workbooks in his room. Maybe Ruggie traded some things for them or stole them. They’re a lifeline even now that he’s a Housewarden. Just the other day he used his potions flashcards to pass a test.
“Don’t — give them back.” Azul fumbles.
“Got the Prefect to thank for this.”
“It — the Prefect?! Why. . . why are you all doing this. . .”
“You’re a businessman, think ‘bout it.” Ruggie rolls the stack of contracts as best he can. “If it’s fair game for ya to take advantage of the masses, it’s fair game for me to take advantage of you, got it?”
And he dunks the contracts into the potion. They fizzle and burble and true to Vil Schoenheit’s promise they dissolve into nothing but deep, dark purple smoke.
Azul screams in anguish and then in rage. Ruggie can tell that he’s like an animal backed into a corner, faced with losing everything. And then.
And then Azul Ashengrotto Overblots.
It sets something off in Ruggie’s spine. He can’t hang back no matter how hard the fear grips him but his hackles are up and instead of Azul his mind keeps playing tricks on him. Something — someone else — keeps overlaying on Azul. Maybe it’s the Phantom or maybe Ruggie’s just so stressed he’s seeing things. He doesn’t know but that’s what scares him more than Azul’s grabbing of power, his creepy-ass appearance or the fact that even the Leech brothers were afraid.
Where has he seen that before?
“Ruggie-senpai.” Jamil Viper, Vice-Housewarden of Scarabia approaches him after a Housewarden meeting. Nearby Kalim enthusiastically plans yet another party with Lilia and Ruggie can’t complain, more free food is more free food after all.
“Yeah? What’s up.” Ruggie replies.
“This is somewhat beyond my position but I’m hoping we can speak somewhat. . . privately.” Jamil has the perfect pose for someone who’s used to bowing and scraping. Ruggie can do that also if he needs to. Ruggie’s done every job from parttime servitude to lawn care to fake phone tarot. He knows exactly how good Jamil’s customer service veneer is and also just how bullshit it is. If Jamil was in Savanaclaw then Ruggie would feel obligated to drag him out to a wild party or something. Let loose like the boys do after big tournaments.
Pack bonding is important and so is looking out for each other. No way a single wolf or hyena or even a lion would turn the world upside down by themselves.
“Sure, sure, your boss okay with that?” Ruggie raises an eyebrow and nods at Kalim.
“Kalim. . .” Jamil’s eyebrow twitches but he smoothly replies, “Has an extra practice with his club this afternoon. Lilia-senpai and Cater-senpai are very reliable and responsible, I’m certain they will look after him.”
“All right, but I’m charging you for my time. Housewarden’s time is precious, right?”
Jamil smiles thinly, but he seems more relaxed since Ruggie agreed. “Yes, that’s fine. I need to prepare dinner for Kalim anyway I can add extra for you. Let’s speak in the Scarabia kitchens, if you do not mind.”
“Just lead the way~ my stomach will follow.”
Jamil leads Ruggie to the kitchen and immediately starts pulling out pots, pans and different ingredients. Ruggie sits himself at the counter, legs swinging on the stool. It’s always a treat to get treated and Jamil’s food is high quality. Real restaurant level stuff.
“So, go ahead.” Ruggie says, raising his voice to get over the sound of Jamil frying spices.
“Forgive me for saying so but it seems like your workload has increased lately.” Jamil dumps a stack of aromatics into the spices and oil. “And since Savanaclaw doesn’t have a Vice-Housewarden. . .”
“Ya offerin’ your services?” Ruggie laughs. “Aren’t you busy enough with Kalim? Sounds like way too much work.”
There’s nothing but the sound of bubbling sauce and cooking meat for a moment. Then Jamil sets the spoon he’s holding down.
“I am going to be honest with you, Ruggie-senpai. I intend to challenge Kalim for the position of Housewarden soon.”
“Huh? You are?” Ruggie leans over the counter to stick a finger in the sauce and give it a taste. Jamil moves as fast as Ruggie’s gran and slaps the back of his hand.
“Don’t do that.”
“Shishishi, sorry~ can’t help but try to get another freebie.”
“Yes. I am. As a fellow Housewarden I’ll be able to offer you the kind of support that I can’t simply as Kalim’s underling.” Jamil looks at Ruggie seriously.
“Well, I won’t reject a helping hand if it’s free. But I ain’t paying you.”
“I wouldn’t ask for payment, simply your occasional support in meeting decisions or if my rule is questioned.”
“Rule?” Ruggie cracks up. “What’re you? King of Pride Rock? Well, that’s funny enough. Sure, long as you keep me and mine fed well I’ll throw you a bone.”
“Thank you, Ruggie-senpai.”
Jamil Viper loses his bid for Housewarden.
The Housewarden room is too big. Ruggie doesn’t have enough things for the room. He has his bed, his books, his study stuff. He has some clothes but it’s all basically school uniforms except a few odd pieces of clothing he can’t remember where he got them. A visor, a flashy outdoor jacket that cost more than half the houses on the block at home. And then some pieces of clothes that don’t fit him. A designer leather jacket. An expensive pair of sunglasses, a pair of driving gloves with some stupid fancy brand name. Ruggie thinks about selling them, after all they don’t fit him and he could always use the extra money. But he can’t. Just picking them up causes something to tear through him and he ends up throwing them into a pile in the back of his closet.
The good thing about having such a big room is when any Savanaclaw student bursts in they can stand or sit wherever they want.
“Ruggie-san!” A student who needs to pass academics to stay on the Spelldrive team comes by. “I don’t know what else to do.”
They sit on the floor together complaining about the professors while Ruggie fumbles through trying to help. They both get frustrated. Even though Ruggie can only walk him through materials he has secondhand the student still thanks him, says I don’t know what I’d do without you.
Ruggie feels awful.
“Ruggie-san!” A freshman who is having trouble with his roommates. Ruggie doesn’t know what to do about it. Really, interpersonal problems aren’t his strong suit unless it’s scams or the kids back home. So he tries to treat them like the brats on the streets with bribes and pats on the head when they’re doing well.
Ruggie feels inadequate.
“Ruggie-san!” A third year, a student older than him, worried about what he’s going to choose as his internship and if he’ll be smart enough to be picked up by anyone. Ruggie doesn’t even know him but tries to offer some paltry words of support. Ruggie doesn’t have any connections or nepotism to help, he has no advice and he knows his support comes off weak.
Ruggie hates it.
And so, it’s Ruggie the Housewarden of Savanaclaw that pulls Jamil aside the next time he sees him. “I’ll give ya more than a bone.” He says. “I got an offer for you.”