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A famous Snake Beastman from a prominent family was in NRC, and no one, not a single person, knew where he was.
Tia didn't even come from Twisted Wonderland and still found it strange. Celebrities like Vil and princes like Leona and Malleus were recognized right off the bat. She learned who they were from the reactions of others around her.
But Nyoka Wadjet? He was nowhere to be seen.
She looked over the magazine photo that Najma had texted her and recalled Jamil's description of him from their brief meeting years ago.
It was none of her business, but still, it bugged her. Some deep-seated curiosity in her made her want to search for him, to find this mysterious person who alluded to everyone.
She moseyed into the mirror chamber with Grim on her shoulder, who vehemently tried to convince her out of it.
"What about that photo tells you this dude is welcoming?" Grim questioned, looking at her picture, "He could've dropped out for all we know."
"And risk his reputation? He's here, but I haven't seen him at a single school function." Tia replied.
"Maybe he can turn invisible." Grim suggested without a hint of sarcasm; definitely cat logic.
"Snakes can't turn invisible." She replied and smacked headfirst into someone's burly chest.
“Careful, Tia.” Leona's voice warned her, catching her with both hands on her shoulder before she tumbled onto her face. She dropped her phone though.
Grim was quick to pick her phone right back up, screen still open to the picture of Nyoka from Najma’s magazine. Leona looked at it with suspicion.
"…What business do you have with a snake?" He questioned them.
"Uh…" both Tia and Grim failed to answer.
"Nothing, that's what." Leona said, "It's best if you leave him alone."
"So he is here!" Tia exclaimed, looking at Grim, who stuck his little cat tongue back out at her.
"Yeah, but he's not exactly the social type. If you don't have a good reason for seeing him, he ain’t gonna see you.” Leona replied, giving her phone back.
She looked back at the photo. He didn't seem unapproachable; his stoic expression seemed par for the course for models and celebrities. Leona's caution was odd because he never acted too serious about anything unless something really was, well, serious.
"Why's that?" She asked.
"He likes to be alone. It's in his nature. But I suppose if you really want to try, you could always ask anyone else who interacts with him, or drop by that book club of his, or talk to another lizard."
That was a lot of clues all at once. Tia scrambled to type them out on her notes just as Leona disappeared into the Savanaclaw mirror.
"If Leona knew him, you think he's in Savanaclaw then?" Grim questioned, "Y'know, maybe he's right; maybe we shouldn't find this guy. What if he's a creep?"
"Aren't they all, though?" Tia retorted, making Grim's perturbed ears flicker, "I just want to find out what this…guy is all about. Am I the only one curious about how he's evaded everyone's attention?"
"You are, but I'm the boss,” Grim countered. “So I gotta stick around and make sure you don't get killed. So go on and pick wherever you want to search first, so far as it isn't the library."
Grim groaned in Tia's jacket as she combed through the private meeting rooms in the library.
"That librarian has it out for me, I tell ya." Grim's mutter was muffled out by the cloth of Tia's collar. She looked ridiculous, carrying a giant toddler-sized monster hidden in her all too baggy school uniform.
"He just doesn't want you burning any of the books…Again." Tia told him sternly, "I can't believe you did that. How did I not know?"
"Cause you were too busy with 'woooork' to come study with me!" Grim retorted, very irritably drawing out the 'work' word.
Tia almost felt compelled to apologize until she caught a room with the sign' Literature Club meeting' posted outside the glass window. Tia poked through and found a group of boys sitting around in a big circle.
She craned her neck and got up on her tippy toes to see if she could find him anywhere in the room.
Unfortunately, she caught the attention of one of the boys, an upperclassman she didn't know, and he opened the door to meet her.
"Can I help you?"
“Ah, uh, is Nyoka Wadjet here?” Tia asked tentatively.
The man gave her a skeptical look and crossed his arm, "No, not today. He doesn't come to every meeting. Say, aren't you the Prefect, though? What do you need him for?"
"Why do I have to need him for something? Can't I just talk?" Tia answered with a question.
The consistency with Nyoka's anti-social behavior was becoming glaringly obvious. She thought Leona was just playing 'keep away,' but it was a pattern. He didn't come out unless he was beckoned, like a creature that burrowed itself deep in a cave, unwilling to come out until the bustling of the busy world had ceased.
So Tia came up with a quick-witted lie, courtesy of being the Prefect, "The Headmage wanted me to speak to him."
Other boys from the club joined the upperclassman upfront and exchanged intrigued glances; some even looked a little off-put, "What did he do? Wait, don't answer that, I don't want to know."
Tia crossed her arms and questioned further. "There are plenty of big-shot people at this school. What makes your clubmate any different?"
"You don't know anything about Cobra Beastman, do you?" The upperclassman asked.
"I know they're solitary."
The upperclassman shook his head. For the briefest instant a familiar dark look crossed his face, almost concerned yet amused by the naiveté of this magic-less Prefect, "They can also kill you."
'They can also kill you.' That had to be the dumbest thing she ever heard. Literally anyone at this school could kill her; some practically already have.
These kids weren't just learning to perform and utilize magic; they were also being taught how to offensively attack people. Tia had seen Grim, Ace, and Deuce perform during exams. They shot at dummies with variable magic force. Sometimes the dummies exploded on impact.
Then there were the overblots. Tia had been at the forefront of so many; she had been flung in the sky, scratched by a beast, and fought for her life against phantoms and the very presence of Tartarus. One recluse of a Beastman was hardly a threat.
So why was everyone else so wary of him?
"Nyoka Wadjet? I know him. Actually, he's come to the board game club room to read in peace once before." Azul told her in his sickeningly sweet voice, "He isn't so bad. Honestly, his clubmates are overreacting. He's nowhere near as intimidating as Malleus Draconia, and he's not always intentionally hiding from anyone. People simply just don't notice him too often. It certainly elevates his mystique, if I should say so myself."
Of course Azul knew Nyoka, because he knew almost everyone. She found him and Idia in their club room in front of an unfinished board game. Idia took out his phone to do his dailys on some mobile app.
"That guys stealth level is so broken…" Idia mumbled under his breath, still listening to the conversation while not looking up at anyone.
"But ain’t that Nyoka guy on magazines?” Grim pointed out, his trimmed claws digging into Tia’s shoulder. “That's how Tia heard about him. Is it 'cause only girls read ‘em?"
“Nyoka is one of many Wadjets,” Azul continued. “While he is an only child, he is a member of a clan that shares the same name. He also has many blood relatives who are older and more successful. He has yet to make a proper name for himself. His appearance in that magazine was likely in attachment to his parents." Azul shrugged, "He may have a dashing exterior, but his personality and quietness make it far too easy to overlook him…Though there was this one time-"
Azul stopped himself with a chuckle, and Tia knew she wasn't getting the story out of him that easily.
Tia’s brows furrowed and crossed her arms, "Go on, Azul."
"No, no, I couldn't." Azul waved his hand before placing it against his mouth, though it did nothing to conceal the grin she already saw behind it.
"He brought a board game to play with us." Idia blurted out, anxiety either getting the better of him or him wanting to blow Azul's little scheme out of the water.
Azul looked at him angrily, "You could've let me stretch it out a bit longer!"
"I wouldn't have bitten anyway," Tia said flatly, "now what about the board game?"
Azul exchanged a sidelong glance to Idia. He was the one who brought it up, so it only stood to reason that he should answer. Instead, Idia once again shrunk behind his tablet and Azul returned his gaze to Tia.
"It was a very old game called ‘Senet,’” Azul explained, resting his chin upon laced fingers. “The goal is to get all 5 of your colored pieces off the board before the other person, but for some reason, instead of rolling dice, he had us play with these little sticks. It was more like us trying to flip the sticks onto a colored side while preventing them from falling all over the place."
Azul pressed a finger to the bridge of his glasses in reminiscence, "It was fairly unorthodox, but it's an ancient game that came about before the die was even made, I believe. Idia refused to play because he was scared, so he hid the entire time."
"No, duh. The guy hates my guts for… reasons,” Idia shuddered. Tia almost wanted to pry, only for him to surprisingly keep talking.
“But… the fact he was willing to play with us makes me think he just wanted to beat us at his own game. He was until Azul’s competitive kick went into overdrive…” His yellow eyes peeked out from behind his fiery bangs. “Even though you hate games based on chance, you still humored him."
"It was worth it. Just a tiny bit of connection with the Wadjets will take me very far someday, no matter what career Nyoka chooses." Azul concluded with a small huff.
"So you only entertained him to get something out of him. Why am I not surprised?" Tia responded with a sigh.
"Isn't that what you're trying to do? Well, you'll have a hard time mastering Senet the way I have," Azul said with a grin, chin pressed up on the palm of his hand. “As a fellow business owner, and treasured rival might I add— I’d think you’d understand how valuable connections are.”
Tia frowned. As if she was going to let this turn into a Mostro Lounge vs. Ramshackle battle of “who gets the most restaurant patrons” again. That was not a game Tia was willing to play, even if Azul was the only one who wanted to play it. She had to pivot this back on track.
"I don't want 'connections,' I just want to meet him. Is that so hard to believe?" Tia asserted.
Both Azul and Idia looked her dead in the face, "Yes." they answered in sync.
She couldn't help but be an outlier.
"Well, since it's you, I can believe it." Azul relented, eyebrows upturned as if out of pity.
Tia couldn’t hear Idia, but she could just barely make out murmuring to himself about being a “problem child.”
Just as Tia seemed to deflate, Azul spoke up once more. “If there is one thing our brief encounters tell me, it’s that Nyoka typically enjoys staying in his dorm. He's a part of Savanaclaw, by the way."
Tia slapped her palm against her forehead. She could feel Grim's judgmental stare burning into the back of her head.
"I told you." Grim said, "How come you didn't figure it out?! I thought you were supposed to be a smart minion."
"It's hard to think straight after you run headfirst into someone’s chest like that!" Tia exclaimed, flustered at the memory.
"Ah, but don’t startle him, now. You wouldn't want to do that." Azul gave a strange warning mixed in with his usual sing-songy tone. Just a moment ago he was saying Nyoka wasn’t so bad and that people were overreacting…
That was about three warnings now, and still, she continued her pursuit.
The dorm room directory of Savanaclaw claimed that Nyoka was in room 11. A bottom-floor dorm seemed fitting enough for someone who enjoyed disappearing underneath everyone's sight.
Tia knocked on the door and, thankfully, was greeted by familiar faces. She recognized the students as some of the regulars who'd buy food from her at Ramshackle after early morning runs.
"Prefect, what's up?" One asked.
They all sat around the floor playing some kind of game on their consoles together; unwashed clothes littered their beds, and so did empty bags and wrappers.
“Is, uh, Nyoka Wadjet here?” She asked, though it seemed she already had her answer.
No one in the room looked like him. He wasn't here at all. She was half tempted to see if he was hiding under the bed.
“Did you get that from the dorm directory? That thing’s majorly outdated, Nyoka moved out a long time ago, like, his first year here. We never ran into him.” The boy explained.
"Do you know where he went, then?"
The student let out a drawn out noise of thought, only for another boy within the room to answer first.
"Y'know those vacant rooms used for storage? Housewarden said he could make one of them his room if he cleaned it out. Apparently he was in there cleaning for two days straight, took all his stuff outta this room, and moved in. It only says he still lives here because no one felt like changing the directory." He said, "And privacy too, I guess. He's so…"'
The Savanaclaw freshmen glanced at each other, each looking for descriptors they didn't have.
"Finicky, maybe?"
"Definitely snakey."
"Right, right," Tia agreed with their vague descriptors, "So, can you point me in the direction of the snake's den?"
"You can't go in there." They countered, once again stopping Tia in her tracks.
“Why not?” Tia pried. The student who answered the door finished things off.
"Only the Housewarden can, and sometimes Ruggie. Otherwise, it's not a good idea."
Dead ends Nothing but dead ends; she was sick of it.
She begrudgingly thanked the boys, turned her heel, and left. She groaned to herself.
The pitter-patter of Grim's paws trailed behind her until Grim made a sudden stop and yelped in surprise.
"Hey! You almost stepped on my tail!" Grim yelled, not at Tia, but at Leona, who returned behind them just a few feet away, arm resting lazily against the rope railing of the dormitory halls.
"Still on the prowl?" He asked.
"Yes, no thanks to you. But if you're all so intent on hiding him, I might as well just give up my search." Tia played a little reverse psychology.
But Leona was familiar with games with kings and pawns, and he knew a clever maneuver when he saw one.
"I’ll throw you a bone then, since I'm feeling generous." Leona told her, then wagged his finger, beckoning her to follow him, "C'mere."
It was weird enough for Leona to want engagement from her, so she followed him easily. He led her to his dorm room of all places, and opened the door for her to enter first.
She was familiar with his room, having slept in there before. Although, last she was there was under less than ideal circumstances.
Leona gestured for her to sit upon the couch, clearing a space and patting down the cushion before she ever took a seat.
"Wait here," he instructed. He then flopped onto his own bed and pulled out his phone, checking some sort of message and texting back.
Then came silence.
Grim got a funny feeling and parked himself on top of Tia's lap. Not an unusual place for him to sit, but he tended to do so during his rare protective moments. He anticipated some form of danger, flaming ears twitching and tail flicking.
Tia’s gaze drifted to the relaxed way Leona laid on his bed quietly, arms behind his head and all.
‘Just what was he up to…?’ She thought to herself.
A part of her wanted to break the silence and ask, but just as she opened her mouth to speak there was a sudden quiet knock on the door, uncommon in Savanaclaw.
A low whisper of a voice poked through the door frame, “Housewarden Leona, may I come in?"
The' s' was held longer than the other letters. Never before had Tia heard such a peculiarly specific accent.
"Door's open," Leona responds louder with a yawn.
The person slithered in, quite literally, through the smallest crack of the door. It was as if he didn't like to open the door too wide. He closed it quietly, not letting go of the knob until the lock was back in place.
His long, scaled tail dragged across the floor. Anyone was liable to trip over it. She was certain somebody may have.
His hair was tied into multiple intricate braids, golden scales visibly crept up along his neck.
The most jarring was the pair of long sharp fangs that poked out when he opened his mouth to speak. It came in stark contrast with the graceful motion of his arm towards his waist to bow before Leona.
"You called?"
It was most definitely him. He looked exactly like his portrait- Nyoka Wadjet.
Leona hitched a thumb in Tia’s direction. "I've got an herbivore here who's dying to meet you, the school's very own Prefect… She’s with the Newspaper club. Seems Old man Crowley wants you interviewed." Leona came up with a seamless alibi on the spot.
It seemed Tia needed it because Nyoka wasted no time scoping her out, looking at her from top to bottom without so much as moving a muscle, only his amber eyes hidden behind his glasses.
Leona turned to look at her, away from Nyoka's gaze and winked.
It was time for her to bust out her acting chops. Tia straightened her posture.
"You're an up-and-coming mage with a lot of promise, aren't you? The school already knows a ton about your family, but what about you?" Tia expressed with a professional voice she had practiced.
Thankfully the information Azul gave her was useful…She wouldn't tell him that, though.
Nyoka looked to Leona and got a silent nod, giving him permission to take the chair from his desk and pull it up in front of where Tia sat. He sat formally, legs crossed and hands folded, he was used to the song and dance.
"I can't imagine anything I'd say being of any interest, but if the Headmage demands it, then I shall confer." Nyoka relented. His tail coiled around his waist, making room for itself by his lap.
She didn't want to be rude and stare at his most obvious and elongated physical trait, so she looked at his face and saw something comfortably familiar.
"The way you style your hair reminds me of someone I know…" Tia mused aloud, thoughtlessly escaping the privacy of her mind.
"You mean Viper?" Nyoka responded.
"Oh, Y-Yeah, him…" Tia fumbled. “Do you know Jamil, by any chance?”
Leona was watching the two of them speak intently. He didn't ignore them or roll over and go to sleep, he was looking right at her, and the two made eye contact. He was subtly reminding her to be careful.
“I know of him,” Nyoka said. It seemed that was all he had to say about him.
Nyoka took one of his braids into his hands and rested it over his shoulder, "Braids are a popular style in both the Sunset Savanna and the Scalding Sands. I have family from both." He answered, "My father's ancestors hail from the Scalding Sands. Some of my uncles and cousins still live there to this day, but my father has lived in the Sunset Savanna with my mother for most of his life. I'm more familiar with my mother's side of the family."
Nyoka was surprisingly an open-book, completely unlike Jamil. She couldn't really tell with his low and soft tone of voice and stoic expression, but he seemed to enjoy talking about his family and culture well enough.
Then again, maybe this was a rehearsed script from his previous interviews.
"How long have your parents known each other?" She asked.
"My father was betrothed to my mother the moment she was born, so their whole lives." Nyoka answered, "I am aware it's a custom not frequently practiced in this age, but Cobra Beastmen only marry our own kind. Arrangement makes the process easier."
Tia felt her heart sink a little bit for Najma, who had talked about how dreamy she thought he was on the phone with her just days before.
"It's unfortunate the acting king and crown prince of Sunset Savanna does not approve of Cobra customs, nor of Reptilian Beastman keeping jurisdiction over our own people.” Nyoka exclaims, still keeping eye contact with Tia while cocking his head just slightly in Leona's direction.
Leona wasn't bothered by the dig at his older brother at all. He looked like he almost agreed with Nyoka's disdain just a little bit.
Tia thought to herself…What wouldn't be an offensive question to ask?
'What issue do people have with reptilian customs?'
'How come you're the only Cobra Beastman at this school?'
"On the contrary, I find what you're telling me very interesting." Tia cut right to assurance.
Nyoka smiled only slightly, but his face remained rather stoic. It reminded her of Silver, but that was where the similarities ended.
"What are you planning on doing when you graduate NRC?" Tia asked.
Nyoka's expression darkened instantaneously, "What an odd question." He commented.
Tia froze; she wanted to look at Leona but knew that Nyoka would notice. Grim, however, darted his head back and forth all he wanted, even squirming on her lap like he wanted to run away from a predator.
Tia tightened her grip around his fuzzy body.
"The Headmage never explains his questions to me." She lied.
Nyoka accepted that answer, mind already wandering to a different subject.
"If I were to follow a passion of mine, I would like to become an appraiser. There's nothing I enjoy more than besting a counterfeiter. But that is an unrealistic goal. My family would expect much more from me." Nyoka lamented.
He took notice of Tia's sympathetic expression that she didn't know she was making. "What's the matter with my answer?"
"N-Nothing! It's just a little sad to give up on a dream." Tia told him.
"It is not your place to despair on my behalf, I have more than just one dream." He exclaimed, rearranging his crossed legs in his seat.
Tia awaited an explanation or any further context into what he meant. But his eyes seemed to look right through and past her. When he opened his mouth to speak again, she could see clearly just how impressive his fangs were, longer than the fae but not as plentiful as the eels.
“I want to make amends for what my Grandfather did. If I were to redeem him in this life, I’m sure he’d smile down on me.” He said quietly, so much so Tia almost didn’t hear it.
The tip of Nyoka’s tail noticeably began to tap upon where it touched the floor.
“Not to be uncouth, but something is vexing me about this so-called interview…” Nyoka begins, his voice low, “I have noticed that you are not recording anything.”
Panic seized Tia’s chest. “Huh?”
His reptilian eyes were fixed on her now. The tone of Nyoka’s voice made her blood run cold.
“I would assume as a Newspaper Club member working at the behest of the Headmage, that you would be used to conducting student interviews. Have you not done this before? Surely you must be recording my answers in some fashion.”
He spoke very matter-of-factly. What began as a formality seemed to shift into icy judgement. The longer Tia hesitated an answer, even if it was only a few seconds, the more Nyoka’s patience seemed to thin.
“Do you expect me to believe that you would memorize everything that I’m telling you?”
Tia stiffened again, this time her eyes briefly darted to Leona. His ears were flat against his head and his eyes narrowed as if assuring her to keep her cool and stay focused. Though, he looked ready to jump in at any time.
Tia opened her mouth to speak only for Grim to loudly interject.
“If you must know, my minion here relies on me to remember the answers for her!!” As if to hammer the point home, he puffed out his fluffy chest. Out of Tia’s peripheral, Leona slapped a palm to his face.
Nyoka gave Grim a once over. His expression was unreadable as Grim attempted to continue a brave front. Then, Nyoka’s tail stopped tapping the floor. That had to be a good sign.
Somehow, he bought that excuse without question. “…My apologies, then. Perhaps I was being presumptuous.”
Tia waved off his statement. “No, no, I’m sorry. I’m just a bit out of sorts,” she said with an innocent smile, hoping they could move on.
"And that's all the questions the Headmage had, ain't it?" Leona spoke up, and it was like a weight lifted when he did.
Tia petted down Grim's hackles and went along with Leona's plan with ease.
"Unfortunately, yes. It was nice getting to speak with you, Mr. Wadjet." Tia went in for a handshake.
Nyoka took it, his hands noticeably colder than her own. He placed another hand over her own and said, "Likewise, Prefect."
For a second Tia thought she saw him smile, but it did not reach his eyes whatsoever.
"I'm taking my leave, Housewarden," Nyoka announced, giving him yet another effortless bow of the head. Leona hummed in response as Nyoka left as quickly as he arrived, probably off to disappear someplace else.
Tia let out a sigh of relief, releasing all the pent-up stress and anxiety she wasn't aware she was hoarding in her chest.
"So, is your curiosity satisfied?" Leona questioned.
"I guess so," Tia answered noncommittally. She felt as though she got too much, yet nothing out of that conversation at the same time.
"Why was your heart beating so fast?" Grim asked her, "It was freakin' me out."
"He's naturally intimidating." Leona said, "It'll affect any herbivore."
"He was being a lot more sociable than I expected. And for the record, I wasn’t scared. I was just nervous," Tia insisted, putting Grim down on the floor. If he was going to call her out like that, he'd better get used to walking on his own.
"He seemed… What's the word, cordial?” Tia mused aloud then looked towards Leona. “He seems intelligent. Honestly, I didn’t expect somebody like that to be sorted into this dorm...” The last bit she spoke a tad quieter, though Leona could still hear her regardless.
"Come now, we Savanaclaw students are not all bad," Leona taunted lightly.
"So what's the big deal then?” Tia plopped a hand to her hip. “I'd expect everyone else to ostracize him for being a little different, but you? Leona, you're one of the most open-minded people at this school, believe it or not, so why is it that you're treating him all weird? You're not letting him fit in." Tia ranted, and Leona’s smarmy grin disappeared.
"Easy with your wording, Herbivore." Leona warned her, sweeping his legs to the side of his bed, "Nyoka doesn't need to fit in. He's not a pack animal. By giving him space, I am respecting him. But you're seriously naive if you haven't clued into why people need to keep their distance.”
"Why? Or he'll ‘kill’ me?"
"Yes. He can." Leona insisted, "The cobra is regarded as the king of all snakes, and Nyoka is one of them. He is venomous. To him, you are nothing but a mouse ready to be swallowed whole.”
Tia pulled her bottom lip between her teeth.
“I’m not saying he’ll do anything, but anyone with a mind knows to be wary of people like that. You’re a smart girl, but I know you tend to stick your nose into dangerous situations.”
“It’s more like dangerous situations tend to find me.” She corrected him, and he sighed at her continued stubbornness.
“Says the herbivore who spent the entire day pursuing a cobra with no plan. All I’m saying is you need proper caution around this guy, that’s all, and for someone to stick around so your pet doesn’t do something stupid that puts you both at risk.” Leona concluded, taking a jab at Grim beside her, ”You’ll have my protection, but nothing can save you from a provoked cobra.”
“I bet I could take him—“ Grim interjected, only for Tia to hush him with a hand over his mouth.
“Got it, no provoking.” Tia replied on both of their behalfs.
Leona seemed more pressed with Grim, who he treated as far less competent than magicless Tia, but unlike her, he had magic to defend himself if it came down to it.
“And Furball?” He addressed Grim, “Try to use that brain of yours once in a while, for her sake.”
Before Grim would get offended at being implied to be dumb, Leona escorted the two out of his room. Tia with a gentle nudge forward and Grim with a quick toss from the scruff.
Grim got up and rubbed his aching behind. "Geez, all this just to learn the guy bites people? Who cares! I can bite too!" Grim hissed, baring his own sharp teeth.
Tia pinched the area between her brows. "I feel like I wasted the whole day." Tia said with a sigh and walked across the hall and down the stairs with Grim in tow.
"You did." Grim agreed, "You coulda just been making me food."
"But at least I know a bit more about the boys in this school." Tia sought out the bright side of her tedious escapade, "I do wonder who he was talking about earlier, about his grandpa?”
"Eh, who knows, I'm too hungry to care." Grim said. “What’re you gonna make for dinner? I’m starving!”
The walk to Ramshackle was a long one. Even when Tia returned to the peaceful sanctuary of her kitchen, her mind just kept drifting back to her encounter with that cobra.
Worse? Leona was right. Tia hated to admit it, but even she could be a bit too proud sometimes and have serious tunnel vision. Just what would have been her plan anyway if she did manage to find Nyoka on her own?
Her heart wouldn’t slow down for a second.
Another day, another sleepless night. Tia tossed and turned in her bed until she got fed up and walked outside.
The cool night air hit her face and Tia gripped her sweater closer towards her body. As much as she possibly could anyway. She patted it down and sat idly upon the porch, just listening to the sounds of night time.
It wasn’t so lonely as a familiar face had made the gravestones and ruins of Ramshackle’s front yard his go-to place for his nightly strolls.
“Child of man,” Malleus greets her with that usual name.
“Hornton.” Tia greets back in a similar tone.
He comes up to the stoney steps by her dorm’s gates and sits beside her, just as he normally does. The first thing he does is tell her a random fact about his day.
“I’d find it a shame that other humans aren’t as nocturnal as you are, but then these streets would be far too busy for us to enjoy peace like this.” he tells her.
She chuckles, “Yeah, it’s peaceful but I really did want to sleep tonight. My day was busy with non-work related things.”
“Is that not a good thing?”
“Well it wasn’t really anything fun… I just got caught up in finding some Cobra Beastman student.” she explains.
Malleus pauses for a moment, “Cobra Beastman…You mean Wadjet then? I believe he is the only cobra attending this school.”
She looked at him dumbfounded, so that was the ‘other lizard’ Leona cryptically hinted at before he arranged their meeting himself. She should have figured as much. If only she had found Malleus around campus during the day…
“You know him?” she asks.
“We are classmates. We are usually paired up together for assignments since the rest of our peers avoid us,” he says, “he’s a well-spoken and studious individual. I often see him assist struggling students.”
“Would that struggling student be you?” Tia asks playfully with a nudge, then she sees the subtle expression of embarrassment wash over Malleus’s face with a small pout.
“Not frequently, but the school equipment here is sometimes too fragile for me to hold, so he offers assistance.” Malleus explains as if it wasn’t an unusual thing to experience.
So he’s a tutor too? At this point Tia didn’t know what to think anymore. It seems with every new anecdote she learned, the more confusing he became. Perhaps that was what Azul meant when he said he carried a certain “mystique” to some degree.
“I see. I guess he seems decent enough,” she concludes, and that seems like that’s all there is to it.
Then again, Tia has always made it a habit to try not seeing the worst in others right off the bat. It was one of the few things she could bring with her from her homeworld, as menial as it might be. Being at this school would sometimes test that resolve though, for better or worse.
“Is that so?” Malleus hummed in response, then placed a tentative finger to his chin thoughtfully. “I wonder if that reputation he has is a burden to uphold. I find myself having to be careful with my interactions with others outside of my family.” Malleus muses, sounding very wise even when he doesn’t mean to. “Although, if you wished to know more about my classmate, perhaps I could extend an invitation to the both of you to Diasomnia.”
“Funny.” Tia hummed, giving Malleus another small nudge.
Maybe that was it, after all, it seemed like more was going behind the scenes than he ever let be known. After all of this, she wasn’t too sure that their paths would ever cross organically. For all she knows, that might be the last she’d ever see of him. Perhaps that was ideal.
Malleus’ voice then broke Tia out of her thoughts.
“I am curious about one thing, if you will indulge my curiosity,” he began, “Just why were you searching for Wadjet in the first place?”
Tia slapped a hand to her forehead. Right! She forgot! “Ah! That’s right Hornton, thanks for reminding me!”
Malleus watched in confusion as Tia suddenly scurried back into Ramshackle.
Tia quickly swiped through her phone. She didn’t know if there was a major time difference between Sage’s Island and Scalding Sands or what, but if Najma wasn’t up in the middle of the night like she was, she’d certainly see her text the following morning.
Tia kept her text to the point, and sent it off expecting to wait several hours.
“I found Nyoka Wadjet.”
Barely a second later, she got a reply.
“WHAT.”
(Illustration by Cozymochi)