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"Leona-san, I can't seem to find that bracelet of yours." Ruggie asks pointedly, shuffling through the mess of papers and books on the desk to collect the collection of jewelry that Leona ought to be more careful with, trying and failing to find the bracelet in question despite having been looking for a good 20 minutes.
Leona only replies lazily, "Which one?"
"The one you got just last month?" Ruggie says, a bit uncertain as he tries to remember the exact shape of it. "You bought it online, remember? The one with the really thin strings and rubies or something on it."
Ruggie remembers having to immediately run to the office to get it once it was delivered, that thing was so tiny and frail yet unbelievably expensive at the same time — It could buy everyone in the hyena's hometown a sandwich, maybe even a couple. Leona said it was something about natural rubies being rare nowadays or something, not that it made Ruggie any more understanding of the price tag — One that didn't fit with any piece of clothing in his Housewarden's wardrobe nor serve any purpose other than sitting on the side of the table since Leona hadn't even bothered opening the packet when he received it.
A useless and wasteful purchase, Ruggie remembers himself cursing.
"Oh, that one." Leona says with a bit more realization, still isn't bothered to lift his head and look at properly Ruggie even once. "It's fine, don't worry bout it."
"What do ya mean fine?" Ruggie snaps back worriedly, turning around with all the bracelets gathered in his hands as he raises his voice. "Leona-san, the price of that thing coulda feed my family for a whole year."
Leona finally looks up at him at that, all while he puts the chess piece in his hand down on the board — annoyingly, might he add — and glares at the hyena while he retorts. "I know, and I said it's fine. The hell are you making a fuss about?"
"Why shouldn't I?! You never lost a piece of anything before!"
Leona only raises an eyebrow at it, staring into Ruggie as if he has somehow made himself an idiot by worrying about the prince's belongings. "Who said I lost it?"
"...So it just randomly disappeared from this room?" Ruggie tries after a while, "You know, I say this all the time but you really should be more careful with your stuff Leona-san. If this keeps on, there would be hardly anything for me anymore."
Leona, looking completely done after hearing Ruggie's motivation for being so pressed about the thing, could only sigh.
The prince could have tried to explain or clear up the reason why the bracelet had disappeared so mysteriously. Could give Ruggie a bit assurance that something in this room would still be there for the next time the hyena decided his hands were a bit itchy. But instead, Leona goes ahead and lies back down on the bed, already back to investing his time and energy in the chess problem in front rather than continue putting up with Ruggie's bullshit for the night.
Ruggie still tries though, one last time.
"Leona-san—"
"Shut it or scram, choose."
The hyena promptly shut up.
It wasn't long till Ruggie finally saw the bracelet again. Two days after the incident to be exact.
Same thin string. Same red stones. The only difference was that it's actually on someone's wrist this time and not sitting sadly in its fancy, sophisticated packaging anymore.
Ace Trappola's wrist, to be exact.
It was a complete coincidence that he spotted it really. The freshman and Ruggie were on friendly terms at best, which would be understandable to say he wouldn't have known about Ace wearing it any sooner if Jamil didn't offer him a feast to return the favor for the paperwork at the last vice housewarden meeting (Ruggie wasn't the official vice housewarden per say, not on papers, but he still had to attend nonetheless because Crowley can't ever stop being annoying about Savanaclaw missing a position) right after the other second year was done with basketball practice. And Ruggie had nothing better to do at the time anyway, so the hyena had interrupted them in the middle of their training just to see if anything was entertaining.
And that was exactly when he spotted it. The ruby bracelet, the same one that could feed his entire family — possibly his entire village — shining against Ace's pale skin.
Sevens, this is entertaining, all right. Horrifyingly so.
The sight had Ruggie do a double take, springing onto the railing before him as he tried to get a better look at the freshman dribbling the basketball. Partly confused and mostly surprised that he had found Leona's only missing bracelet in the one place no one would ever think to look.
No one would have ever suspected that the sudden accessory belonged to the prince of the Savana Sunset, even. As far as anyone at NRC knows, there were only so many troublesome events and shenanigans that connected Leona and Ace, and each and every one of them had such a long period in between that if anything ever circled around to the rumor mill, it would no doubt disappeared in a week or two. Seeing how there isn't any further interaction nor sudden familiarity or friendliness between the two of them to keep it going. - weird as that is, considering just how often Ace likes to seek out attention of seniors he thinks he can take advantage off.
Yet this bracelet, gift, whatever this is— that Ruggie had discovered purely by accident. This would change everything forever.
Sevens, Ruggie could already imagine the fuss once someone found out about this: a sudden, expensive, and definitely purposeful bracelet that the infamously inconsiderate prince had purchased, somehow ending up on the wrist of the most troublesome, attention-seeking freshman of the year.
The amount of rumors would be enough to swallow anyone alive.
Ruggie spends the next fifteen minutes standing in the same place and craning his head every other minute trying to keep his eyes on the bracelet like that, actively fooling himself in the head that maybe he hallucinated and the thing that was clearly sparkling with all the fucking lights in the gym wasn't the same thing he saw on the obnoxious website that Leona likes to visit way too often. Just before giving up when he realized that there was, objectively speaking, no one else in this entire school who bothered to spend that much on accessories other than the lion prince that he knew far too well and giving it away like it wasn't worth a second thought.
Well, Vil could be the other candidate. But Ruggie had learned much earlier that the superstar would rather keep something so precious - Ruggie would say pretty, but he would rather not attach anything that resemble the world to something that Leona bought of his own volition. Thank you very much - to himself rather than gifting it to a freshman who clearly does not value it the same way he does.
Subjectively speaking, Floyd could be another one. The hyena had found out that the eel brothers were much more well-off than they let on, and Floyd would at least have some connection that dignified gifting Ace anything - clubmates and "favorite senior" and all (though Ruggie doubt Ace gave Floyd that title on his own volition) - but Ruggie thinks his coworker wouldn't ever do such a thing out of his oh-so-kind-heart if he wasn't getting anything out of it. And Floyd wasn't really one who paid attention to accessories or detailing either, so even if he had actually bothered buying Ace something, Ruggie doubts it would be something so simple (and harmless) as an expensive bracelet.
Not to mention that Ruggie had sooner engraved the image of the thing into his mind, being presented while Leona bought the thing, then personally collected it at the office, and then cleared up a space for it on Leona's desk.
So, Ruggie stood wordlessly. Running simulations and analyses of why Leona had given Ace something like that while trying his darndest to decipher which, or what, had motivated the lion to buy something of that caliber for a freshman he barely interacts with.
The bracelet was far too expensive for a favor, too personal for the usual I-don't-give-a-fuck apology gifts from Leona, and far, far too fitting on Ace for Ruggie to ever believe that there isn't anything deliberate and suspicious going on.
No wonder the bracelet had been far too tiny and frail, why it wasn't even remotely close to Leona's style, and why there was suddenly a need for stones (jewels, whatever rich people called it) at the center of the piece when the prince himself had found it to be far troublesome before.
Rubies, red rubies, the color that only Riddle or Ace likes in the social group of prominent, infamous figures of NRC— the only one other than Savanclaw that Leona bothered to interact with. The only color that the freshman had been seen actively wearing for the past year while his housewarden often seeks out monochrome outfits instead.
Of course, it would be Ace Trappola. Of course, only the freshman would appreciate such a thing out of all the people at NRC.
Why didn't Ruggie think of that when he saw those fucking stones.
"Sharksucker, you okay? You're looking a little pale there."
Floyd's sudden call snaps Ruggie out of his daydreaming quickly. Finally looking up from where he was standing to see the basketball club trio standing right in front, sweating profusely from all the practice they were doing —no, Ruggie didn't intentionally point that out because Ace was swiping his sweats away with the arm that has the bracelet, of course not— with Floyd grinning far more sinister than Ruggie's liking.
The eel must have noticed his gaze, that bastard, always far too observant for anyone's good.
"Shi-shi, just bored out of my mind, ya know. Basketball ain't that active compared to the thing Leona-san made us go through in Spelldrive." Ruggie tries nervously, "Ya guys all done?"
Jamil only nods while Ace and Floyd smile brightly, the eel even sprawled over the railing and over to the audience seats while the freshman made himself comfortable on top of Floyd, staring directly at Ruggie now and giving the hyena perfect view on the bracelet on his wrist as he starts grinning up at the hyena. "Yuppp, finally. Though Vargas is way too excited these days, he's gonna run me into the ground at this point."
Floyd continues cheerfully, "That's just cause you're too weak Crabby, you're even weaker than that newbie who joined last week."
"Floyd-senpai, respectfully, shut up." Ace snaps right back, "That newbie is from Savanaclaw, it doesn't count."
The sass lasted for exactly two minutes, enough for Ruggie's eyes to light up with an idea to ask this certain Mikey about exactly when did Ace Trappola and the bracelet started appearing together, until the eel suddenly stands and caused him to fall flat on his butt seconds later.
The eel's facing Ruggie directly now, grinning cheerfully without saying a word as Ace complains loudly in the background, just before he turns and shoos Ace to the changing room.
"Crabby, go change or something, you smell."
"Wait, what?!" Ace sputters immediately, being ever so conscious of his appearance and all, "Hell, you could have told me that before you threw me off, ya know. Be right back though."
The freshman leaves at that. Took a whole ten minutes just to walk over to his bags, grab a few things and say goodbye to some of the basketball club members still standing around, and just as his figure disappear through the gym door - definitely out of earshot - Floyd and Jamil turn back to Ruggie instantly. Smiling brightly while they cornered him on the spot as they shared a similar, menacing look down at the hyena.
"Sharksucker/Ruggie-san, shall we talk?"
Ruggie could only struggle weakly as they closed in.
"Fuck me."
"You wouldn't happen to know where that bracelet Crabby has comes from now, do you?" Floyd asks as he smiles brightly , far too innocently like he isn't the one holding Ruggie here against his own will (the fucking gangster, mafia-material bastard— Ruggie thought quietly). "Cause me and Sea Snake are just dying to find out."
Ruggie is poached on the chair on the opposite side of the eel, shifting uncomfortably in his own clothes while Jamil stands not far from them, this place was one of the few changing rooms that the basketball club owned for their games. A secluded one, which is worse, one that no one would definitely find even if Ruggie were to scream at the top of his throat were they to do anything to him.
Not that they would actually do it (Ruggie hopes not), but the hyena would still like to be aware of his unfortunate circumstances for now, just in case.
"Well...maybe?" Ruggie says hesitantly, shivering a bit when Floyd's golden eyes turn particularly intense at that. "I know who bought it, that's all. Not why, how, or when it got on Ace."
"That's more than enough," Jamil replies quickly, "Spill."
Okay, rude. But he supposed that was the best attitude he's gonna be getting from them tonight.
"Well, I'm sure ya guys already know there's like...four guys in this entire school who would ever consider buying something like that for Ace-kun." Ruggie begins reluctantly, "One of them is you." he points to Floyd, "Then there's the superstar, your housewarden." Ruggie swallowed quickly, before finally continuing. "And, mine."
"And Floyd would never get him anything like that, Vil wouldn't give it to Ace, and Kalim hasn't bought any expensive bracelet in a while." Jamil finishes for him, gaze sharpening a little just as he reaches the last of that sentence. "So that leaves Leona-senpai."
"Which is why we invited you today," Floyd chimes in cheerfully, "You wouldn' happen to know whatever Sea Lion's planning woth poor little Crabby, would you?"
"I wish." Ruggie quickly interjects, "This whole thing ain't got a single thing on me, man. All I know is that Leona-san bought it some time last month."
He may have said that a bit too quickly, partly in fear for his life before these two, as the two basketball club members zoom in suspiciously. Ruggie doesn't blame them, he couldn't even believe himself when he saw the thing on Ace's wrist and he known nothing about it either, but this whole thing sure as hell didn't involve him in any way, sort, or form.
Well, until now that is.
"Then why?" Jamil finally asks after a while, "They aren't that close...are they?"
"Hell if I know," Ruggie says in response, "I only found out 'cause you lured me here today!"
The hyena couldn't be more honest about anything in his life. He had never had eyes out for the freshman group. (Not when they aren't getting themselves into trouble, anyway.) And Ace can be a bit too troublesome for his liking sometimes, so Ruggie rarely paid more attention to him than necessary— that's gonna change, from now on— and the idea of Ace having anything valuable for him to swipe was off the table already. (The hyena would very much like to not have to relive the experience of having the Heartslabyul army knocking on his door, again.)
So, he wouldn't have found out about this any other way. Not if Leona doesn't tell him bout it later on.
"Ehh, so we got nothing?" Floyd made a questionable sound at that, pouting a bit as he sank even further into his own chair, just before turning to Ruggie. "Shark Sucker, you're so useless. After we went through all the trouble to invite you here too."
"Yeah, thanks so much for that." Ruggie could only groan, "And here I thought I was gonna get myself a delicious meal."
"Don't be so sad Shark Sucker, at least you can join us in figuring out the 'Mysteries of Crabby's new ruby bracelet' now."
"You guys even gave this thing a name?!"
"So," Ruggie says slowly, staring directly at Leona as the lion sits boredly on his window, surfing mindlessly on the laptop instead of figuring out another chess problem. "You gave Ace-kun something."
Leona finally looks up at him, realization sparking just before he turns his attention back to the laptop seconds later, humming nonchalantly as he replies. "You found out, huh."
"Ya didn't exactly make it hard to. There's only so many people who could afford such a thing, not to mention that I'm the one who picked it up and cleared a space for it." Ruggie could only groan at his attitude as he walked over to where Leona's sitting, just before dropping himself dramatically right there. "So, what's the reason?"
Leona only hums, "None."
Ruggie had to resist the urge to roll his eyes at that, "You're really telling me that you gifted a freshman— a freshman that doesn't even belong to Savanaclaw— a bracelet that cost more than an arm and a leg for absolutely no reason? Come on."
"Why the hell are you so pressed about it?" Leona growls in return as he looks up the second time, annoyingly that is, and stares at Ruggie like he's talking to an idiot. "It ain't got nothing to do with you."
"Wh— It got everything to do with me! Do you know what the two sophomores in the basketball trio did to me today?!" Ruggie shouts right back, "I almost didn't make it out alive!!"
Leona, as surprised as he was by the news, only raised an eyebrow at that. "You got yourself captured, how's that my fault?"
"Well if you actually warned me about it first," Ruggie tries, "I would know to avoid them now, wouldn't I?" He lets out another sigh at the end of it, just before retorting quickly. "Besides, why are you buying that stuff for Ace-kun anyway? It's too personal and too emotional for anyone in this school, not to mention you."
Leona only clicks his tongue in response, the usual "Tch." already at the top of his tongue as he finally snaps the laptop shut and sets it aside, finally looking down at Ruggie properly.
"Ain't nothing wrong about me buying shits for the brat." Leona begins slowly, "It's perfectly normal to buy your mate shits. Ain't nobody making a fuss about it in your hometown now, is there?"
"It's perfectly normal to buy, bla bla bla." Ruggie repeats mockingly, adding a babbling tone on top that he knows Leona hates more than anything as he prepares to criticize the prince for the whole shenanigans.
Just before stopping dead in his tracks.
Ruggie's eyes widened comically as the realization of what Leona had just said finally set in, sputtering pathetically with his own words just before straight out denying it. "No. No fucking way."
"Yes. Yes fucking way." Leona confirms unconcernedly, "Me and the brat is a thing."
"I— How?! Why??!" Ruggie exclaims almost immediately, "You guys barely talk, at all! And like, I had only seen Ace-kun around you for like, three times this entire year."
"I ain't got to explain shits to you," Leona says instead, already lying back down comfortably in his spot as he starts pulling out the laptop again. "You're lucky I even bothered telling you. Now scram already."
"You—" Ruggie almost screams, just before he stops himself with a hand on his chest and starts complementing looking the other way completely and removing himself from this troublesome shit. "You know what, you're right. I don't even wanna know."
The amount of rumor and trouble this is gonna cause if it ever surfaces is enough to terrify him out of getting to the bottom of it, not to mention the parade of overprotective Heartslabyul seniors and the two deadly basketball members that would no doubt come kicking their doors down once they got wind of any of this. And with how Leona is actively surfing through that selection of rubies and how constant Ace is with parading around wearing expensive jewelry that a few, select member of their school could afford. Ruggie would give it another month or so till this whole thing came crashing down on the whole lot of them.
Hell, Ruggie is even surprised they had managed to keep it a secret till now.
Speaking of which...
"Just this one thing though," Ruggie says as he promises himself this would be the last thing he ever asks about this whole shenanigans, "How long?"
Leona contemplates telling him for a moment, just before he groans out. "Two months."
It took Ruggie a bit to remember the exact time slot that falls into, with a little hand counting and all, just before he exclaimed. "Damn, since the Spectral Realm thingy?! How did you guys even get together without Floyd noticing?"
"Hell if I know. Now get out."
Ever since then, Ruggie had been strategically avoiding the two sophomores from the basketball clubs and the group of Heartslabyul as best as he could. Asking Azul for shifts opposite to Floyd's, abandoning any tasks requiring him to go even near the basketball club or the red dorm in general while ditching the vice-housewarden meetings altogether.
It had all played out really well, his life went back to the peaceful, no troublesome matters it was before the unfortunate discovery for a few, happy weeks. Minus the sudden need for advice in accessories and fashion choices from Leona every time he was surfing expensive sites to pick out stuff for the freshman—Leona had offered him 10 thawmarks an hour for the job, the best one he has had yet to be honest— and sometimes he had to run and deliver stuff to the freshman out of the lion's order. But all was good.
Was being the keyword.
"I DEMAND AN EXPLANATION AS TO WHY MY CARD SOLDIER WAS SHIRTLESS ON YOUR BED! NOW!!!"
Ruggie had opened the door to one screaming Riddle holding his staff tightly, far too familiar flames burning in his left hand as he stared deadly at Leona (shirtless) standing on the opposite side and Ace (who was definitely wearing Leona's shirt and— god bless him— no bottoms) hiding behind the lion, stll wearing a cursed ruby bracelet with the newest addition of an earring hanging loosely on his left— whether it was half-put on or half-taken off, Ruggie doesn't want to know.
The red housewarden is also furiously backed by his two trusted aid—Trey and Cater— their famous group freshmen, while a worried prefect stands at the back and greets him awkwardly with a hand raised.
Ruggie immediately shut the door.