Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Nobody ever looked at you twice.

Well, unless they were glaring.

The kind of looks that made you wanna shut yourself away permanently and hide away from the world.

And for whatever reason, that wish was granted. You were successfully removed from your home planet and are now attending Night Raven College in another world. A world called Twisted Wonderland.

PROLOGUE

PART ONE

The awakening

A noise jolted you awake. Ache burned across your body, as if you had fallen asleep in a bad position. Groggy eyes opened and closed, trying to adjust to the...Darkness? Why was it so dark?

"I'd better hurry up and find that uniform before someone spots me..." You froze, every muscle tensed. Raw panic screamed at you to bolt, but you held your breath, listening. Acting impulsively had never ended well for you. "Urgggh... This lid weighs a ton!" Lid? "Try this on for size!" A bright blue blast violated your eyes, you covered them instinctively and let out a 'BWAH' as whatever you were in burst open. As you fell out, the thing that was originally talking continued their random murmurs."Now to grab the goods..." When you hit the ground, it spun around, putting its...paws(?) up in defence like it had been caught stealing cookies from the jar.

"What?! You ain't supposed to be awake!"

You could only stare, eyes racing to the creature in front of you and the new environment. A talking...cat-weasel hybrid with flaming blue ears and a little pitchfork tail? And were those coffins floating?! You weren't sure what to address first, so your mouth just kept starting sentences that had nowhere to go. "Oh-ho! You got a lotta nerve ignoring me, human! The name's Grim. Believe me, you won't forget it!" You hadn't meant to ignore him, but it's not every day you see the things you're currently seeing. And wait, was he threatening you? Your question was quickly answered when he yelled out, "Now gimme your uniform, and be quick about it! Cause if you don't..." Blue flames sprouted around him. "You're gonna regret it." The flames reached for the ceiling only to fade just as fast as they came.

While any normal protagonist would yell for help or make some snarky comment, you stayed quiet. Yeah, you definitely weren't living up to the hype. But this wasn't some game! This felt like VR...MINUS THE VR PART! "Hey, come on! I'm on a tight schedule here!" The weasel was getting closer, even if your mouth was stunned to silence, your legs were still active. You sprang to your feet as quickly as you could and dashed. As you bolted, your brain helpfully supplied a cartoonish sound and a trail of dust behind you. Seriously? a part of you scolded. Now is not the time for sound effects.

You ran as fast as your legs could carry you. Tall stained-glass windows flashed past in blurs of colour, and the polished floors nearly sent you slipping around corners. If the situation were different, you would've loved to admire the things you passed. Your feet made a little squeak against the floor as you came to a halt. You bent over slightly, catching your breath in the dark library-- Never mind! Bright library! Familiar flames surrounded you, and the same grainy voice from earlier spoke with smugness. "Foolish human! Did you really think you could slip away from ME? Now, unless you wanna get burned to a crisp, take off that--" A wave of air hit your face as something whipped through it. Oh, it was quite literally a whip. Someone just whipped that egotistical weasel. "Me--YEOW! That hurt! What gives?!" You watched the weasel rub its back where it was hit, and you followed its gaze up. Seeing a man with a bird mask. "Consider it tough love." He clicked his tongue. You squinted your eyes at him. You had a feeling this man was a yapper.

"Ah, I've found you at least. Splendid. I trust you're one of this year's new students?" Before you could answer, he launched into a lecture. You tuned him out, distracted by his outfit. He wore a heavy top hat adorned with a mirror, a thick coat of black feathers, and carried a key-shaped staff. Was this guy a cosplayer, or just really committed to a bit? "Dear me. Of all the students I've dealt with, you're the first with temerity enough to open your own gate and step out of it. Does the very notion of patience elude you? No matter. Your orientation has already begun. Let us return to the Mirror Chamb..." He trailed off, staring hard at you. Similar to the way you were just doing to him moments before. If you were gonna be lectured for who knows why, then could he not scrutinize you so much while doing it! You heard him mutter something under his breath, which sounded like "...rather feminine." He cleared his throat.
"Orientation...?" You quietly repeated. "You awakened in a room full of gates, did you not? All of the students here at the campus arrived by passing through such gates." Gates?? You imagined the room you were in earlier, but covered with fences with multiple gates. No, you didn't see that. Just spooky ass floating coffins.

"Although typically the students have restraint enough to wait until I open them before waking up." He said. You tried your hardest not to make a face of pure confusion. But being confused wouldn't help you, so you tried to defend yourself. "I think something blew the lid off mine..." You side-glanced at the weasel, who had been surprisingly quiet. "The culprit appears to be this unregistered familiar. Causing trouble before the orientation has even concluded. You do understand that all familiars must be accounted for, so curtailing their behaviour is your responsibility." What??? Did this man just assume everything about you? That retched thing was not yours! "But now is not the time for such prattle. You have a student orientation to attend!" He gave a little flick of his wrist, a dismissive gesture that didn't even bother to fully uncurl his fingers, a motion one might use on a dog. It was clear he saw you not as a person, but an insect. "Go on, now. Make haste." Something about him irritated you. This anger and confusion bubbled up, and you sputtered, asking him where you were. His response made your teeth press together so hard your jaw ached. "Hm? Have you not fully regained consciousness?" What does that mean... "The timespace teleportation must have addled your memories..." WHAT DOES THAT MEAN!?

"Well, these things happen, I suppose." His casual dismissal was the final push. Floating coffins, a talking fire-weasel, a man in a bird mask... This had to be a dream. It was the only explanation that didn't involve a complete mental breakdown. "I shall explain it to you while we walk. truly, my magnanimity is boundless." He smiled, looking really proud of himself. He turned on his heel and started walking away. You chased after him, not wanting to be left behind with-- Oh, where did the weasel go? Eh whatever. He led you into a stone courtyard where the air smelled of damp earth. You inhaled deeply. Nice. Cool air filtered through the canopy of an apple tree, illuminating an old stone well. You wouldn't mind throwing a coin in and making a wish right now. "This is Night Raven College. It is an institution for students all over the world who demonstrate a rare aptitude for magic. It is the most prestigious academy of its sort in all of Twisted Wonderland." He looked at you, his beady yellow eyes staring into your soul. "And I am Dire Crowley. Having been entrusted with its care by the chairman, I serve as the headmage." You tried piecing things together the best you could. Was a 'headmage' like a principal?

Realizing he had put a sock in it, it was your turn to speak.

"Magic?"

"Only those whom the Dark Mirror perceives as having a talent for magic are admitted to the college. Those who are selected are summoned to the campus through those 'gates', which can appear anywhere. A black carriage bearing one such gate should have come to meet you." Did he mean that scary ass horse that pretty much ran you over? "...yeah, a carriage sounds familiar." You whispered. He nodded. "That black carriage serves to receive a student chosen by the Dark Mirror. it too bears a gate that connects to this campus. And as you know, sending a carriage to meet someone on a special day is a time-honoured tradition." You wanted to yell at him, but you were too much of an anxious person to do so. "Uh...A time-honoured tradition where?" You jumped when you heard muffled yells coming from right beside you. Looking over, you saw that the headmage had the weasel wrapped tightly in his whip, where it was struggling in the grip. That's where the lil guy went.

The headmage didn't answer your question, which seemed typical for him.

"Now, let us attend your orientation."

PART TWO

You just noticed?!

You weren’t even inside the Mirror Chamber yet, and already the noise spilled through the corridors in heavy waves. Not the kind of loudness you had expected, but the dense murmur of dozens upon dozens of voices pressed together. Individually, each voice was hushed. Together, they swelled into something almost overwhelming, echoing off the stone halls. “As I was saying…” Crowley continued beside you, not noticing you’d stopped listening three hallways ago. The large doors at the end of the corridor loomed closer with every step. Between the muffled chatter, you could finally make out fog of conversation from inside.

“---he had a tummyache?” Crowley abruptly stopped himself before he could puke out even more nonsense. Maybe he’d finally noticed the look on your face. “I most certainly did not!” He shoved the doors open. The chatter inside stopped for only a second. The Mirror Chamber was massive. Towering ceilings disappeared into shadow above, lined with elegant arches and dim chandeliers that cast flickering gold across the room. Rows of cloaked students crowded the chamber floor, gathered in clusters beneath banners of different colours and emblems you didn’t recognize. It looked less like a school orientation and more like some kind of cult meeting.

You did NOT feel like getting sacrificed.

Crowley puffed himself up, glaring toward a smaller hooded figure near the front of the room with a pout that was too childish for someone of his supposed calibre. “Ah,” A shorter figure spoke, “speak of the devil.” “If you must know,” Crowley announced loudly, marching further into the chamber, “I was searching for the one student who failed to appear for orientation.” Before you could react, a heavy hand landed squarely between your shoulders, shoving you forward. “You are the only student yet to be assigned a dorm. Step up to the Dark Mirror, and do be quick about it. I’ll watch your weasel.”

Not my weasel, you thought. Still, you approached. At the center of the chamber floated a massive oval mirror suspended above the floor. Gold curled around its edges in elaborate twisting patterns, almost vine-like in shape. Green fire licked across the metalwork in slow, ghostly waves, casting shifting shadows over the room. You expected your reflection. Instead, a mask stared back at you from within the glass.

Its hollow eyes locked onto yours.

“State your name.”

Your throat tightened. You glanced around quickly. Thankfully, barely anyone seemed interested. Most of the students looked antsy, eager to leave after what had clearly been a long orientation.

Your throat tightened, and you glanced around desperately. Thankfully, most students seemed more eager to leave than to scrutinize you. “I’m…” Your voice came out softer than you intended. “_____.”

“____....” the mirror repeated slowly. “The nature of your soul is…" Suddenly, the air shifted. The mask fell silent.

.

.

.

.

Nothing.

You blinked, waiting for it to say something else. And then, its eyes narrowed slightly. Its brows lifted in a deep frown, as if confused or surprised. “…Unclear to me,” the mirror finally declared. Crowley immediately pushed his way beside you, eyes narrowing. “What did you just say?”

The mirror ignored him, its gaze fixed on yours. "I sense no magic power from this one. Soundless. Colorless. Shapeless. Utterly vacant.” It paused, as if pondering. “Therefore, no dorm would be appropriate.”

A heavy silence fell over the chamber. Then, suddenly, every head turned toward you. Dozens of eyes fixed on your face all at once. Maybe more than a dozen. Even the students Crowley had spoken to earlier stared with wide, curious gazes. One taller student, with dark skin and long braids peeking from beneath his hood, raised an eyebrow openly. Whispers erupted immediately, louder than before.

“Is that a girl?”

“This is an all-boys school.”

“She’s cute.”

“Not my type.”

“No magic power?”

Your stomach sank. Wait. All-boys school? You whipped around to Crowley in disbelief. No surprise, he looked just as confused. He grabbed your arm, studying you from head to toe with a bewildered expression. His golden iris widened as his gaze flicked down to your chest, and he released you as if you’d burned him. You felt a flush of embarrassment flood through you. You didn’t want a crowd of boys gawking at you, especially one of authority.

“…What is the meaning of this?!” Crowley demanded, turning back to the mirror.

“What do you mean, no magical power? And this is clearly a female!”

Did he seriously only notice now? The room erupted with louder chatter.

“This is absurd!” Crowley yelled. “The student selection process has not erred once in its century of operation!” He lifted a clawed finger, thoughtfully tapping his chin as he mulled over the situation. Beside him, the weasel suddenly broke free, squealing. “Let me have her seat!” it shouted, squirming from Crowley’s grip.
“She can’t even attend!” Crowley gasped and lunged forward, trying to catch it. But the creature dodged easily, puffing out its tiny chest in pride.

“She’s magicless and a girl! But I can use magic! Look!” Before anyone could stop it, the weasel inhaled sharply and unleashed a blast of blue fire from its mouth. Flames exploded across the chamber floor. It got real loud again.

“My butt is on fire!” someone yelled. “Put it out—PUT IT OUT!”

The flames crept dangerously close to a small cluster of students near the front, those who seemed more important than everyone else. While Crowley shouted demands for someone to catch the creature, your gaze was drawn elsewhere. The tall student with braids stood slowly, eyes heavy with exhaustion, as if he’d already used all his energy.

Next to him, another student with purple-tipped hair blinked in surprise. A third, wearing glasses, stood with them just as a red-haired boy suddenly dashed past the group without hesitation. The other two followed quickly.

Magic burst through the air in flashes of light as they chased after the weasel, spells whistling dangerously close. Even the braided student, who looked like he couldn’t be more annoyed, casually flicked his wand and launched a powerful blast that scorched the floor where the creature had been seconds earlier. You stood frozen, overwhelmed by the chaos. Magic seemed so effortless to everyone else. They used it as naturally as breathing.

And you? You're the only one who couldn’t.

The scene blurred into a whirl of colours and incoherent shouts. When it finally settled, you saw the weasel with a collar around its neck, and Crowley shouting at you to discipline it. Quietly, you muttered that it wasn’t yours. And unlike the many times beforehand, he actually listened.

Exhausted, you watched as the creature was dragged away, screaming threats.

You bit your lip, feeling a twinge of guilt. Maybe it tried to steal your clothes, but it just wanted an education...

A smaller figure approached, their hood pushed back to reveal a fair face and striking red hair. His bluish-gray eyes locked onto yours with a serious, hesitant expression.

“It breaches Night Raven College’s code to have a female student,” he said quietly, voice calm but firm. “I expect you to leave as soon as you get the chance. Good day.”
He turned, motioning for a group of students to follow.

“Wasn’t that a bit cold? Especially to a girl,” the ginger-haired boy said softly but with a hint of playful sadness.

“The rules are not to be broken, regardless of gender,” the redhead replied, voice steady. Quietly beside him, a boy with glasses chuckled, as if expecting that response.

The ginger pouted dramatically, pulling out his phone.

“Shame. I wanted to take a picture with her and tell Magicam about this whole thing.”

The redhead shot him a glare. “Don’t even think about it, Cater. That could harm the school’s reputation.”

Cater huffed and scratched the back of his neck.

“…Ah, right. Of course, Riddle,” he muttered, slipping his phone away.

The room emptied slowly, leaving you in silence until footsteps approached from behind. “I’m afraid you will not be attending Night Raven College. Surely you realize I cannot admit a student with no magical ability, especially not a female in an all-boys school.” Crowley hummed.

“But worry not. The Dark Mirror will see you safely home.” Your shoes echoed softly on the ground as you stepped toward the mirror. Relief flooded your senses. You took a deep breath, closing your eyes, feeling the gentle tickle of your eyelashes against your cheeks.

“O Dark Mirror! Return this soul to where it belongs!”

Silence.

The familiar, frustrating silence. Crowley cleared his throat awkwardly.

“L-let us, er… try this again,” he said, straightening his posture with a bit more authority. “O Dark Mirror! Return this soul—”
He was cut off by the mask.

“There is no such place,” it interrupted coldly.

“There is no place in this world where this soul belongs,” the mirror declared.

That...That stung.

“None,” it added, its voice final.

DAMN OKAY STOP RUBBING IT IN!

“How can that be? My, but today is a veritable cavalcade of impossible phenomena!” Crowley exclaimed, holding his hands out as if searching for answers.
He dropped his arms and crossed them, puzzled.

“From what land do you hail?” he asked, looking at you.

PART THREE

Getting familiar.

You felt as though you were in a daze. One you couldn't wake up out of even if you had ice water dosed on you. The headmage, no, he doesn't deserve such a cool-sounding title. Crowley had claimed that he didn't know anything about your home country; he didn't even know what Earth was!

You had hoped he was telling a joke in bad faith, but no...

Upon Crowley realizing you were his responsibility, he's letting you stay. You weren't exactly hyped to stay in another world on a campus full of boys, but at least you weren't on the streets. Apparently, he had a place for you to stay. As you trailed behind him, you tried to imagine where you would be staying. You smiled to yourself. This reminded you of some kind of dating sim. Where you're a new transfer student and encounter overly hot babes, or maybe this could be like "I was adopted by one direction!" But you weren't sure if that last one was accurate to the situation, considering you've never read it yourself. "Ah, here we are," you looked up, giddy to see what fancy place he would let you stay at. After all, based on the main building you were just at, it seemed like everything was fancy.

Your smile dropped immediately. What the hell?

You were stunned, earning a beaming grin from Crowley. "Shocked because of its beauty?" More like shocked by this man's audacity. Maybe wanting some fancy mansion was a little too much, but at the very least, you don't want to live in something that looks like it's the home to black mold! "You really want me to stay here?" You had some things you wanted to say, but held your tongue. "Indeed! Isn't it delightful?" His warm hand clasped over your own and moved you inside. "Right, scoot inside now." He shut the splintery door behind you. "There you go!"

Once you were in, he was out. Not even a tour? Wow. You sighed hard and looked around. You could hardly make out your surroundings; only the moon shining through the tall window to your left allowed you to see. You backed up into a fireplace and coughed as dust flew around you. You watched the ground, making sure not to bump into anything. Rubbing your ticklish nose, while your free hand grazed the fabric of the humble couch across the room. You laughed at the grey collected on your fingertips. Quiet taps hit the weak roof above you. Tap tap tap tap. More came, and you realized it was raining. You went to the window and looked out at the gloom outside. Somehow, even though this place was scary at the same time, it had this unique peacefulness. It started to make sense why people enjoyed exploring abandoned buildings. Eh. Well, you suppose it's not abandoned anymore.

You stumbled around trying to find a light switch, letting out a hiss of satisfaction once you found one. You heard something yell as wet footsteps hit the dusty floor. "It's pouring out there!" Your body jolted slightly, and there it was. That familiar weasel. "What're you doing here?" You murmured while brushing the dust bunnies off the couch and plopping down. The creature scoffed, "You didn't expect me to just let myself get booted off the campus, did ya? I ain't givin' up on goin' here just cause I got kicked out one measly ol' time. And if you think otherwise, you don't know Grim." You recalled him mentioning his name right when you met, you let out a breathless laugh and leaned back. "That doesn't explain why you're here, of all places. If you're trying to attend the school, wouldn't you go..." You trailed off; you didn't know the campus well enough to think of anywhere else he'd go.

"And get my fur all wet out there?! No way!" Grim shook himself like a dog, splats of water soaking into the floor. You wanted to offer him a towel, but obviously you didn't have one on hand. You patted the spot beside you, his ears perked up, and he smiled. "Scoot over!" You did as he asked, wanting to laugh again. Only to jump with him as more and more holes littered the ceiling."Ah-- These flamin' ears are like my trademark! I can't let 'em get doused!" His paws covered his head, the best he could do as the leaking rain sprinkled onto you two. "Why don't ya just use magic to-- Oh! Ha! You can't use magic!" Thanks for pointing out the obvious. "Yup, guess we'll have to suffer. Unless you wanna use your magic to fix it." Grim tilted his head. "You want ME to help YOU? You got the wrong idea. I'm just a stranger takin' shelter from the rain. You ain't the boss of me." "Uh huh...If that's the case, then you shouldn't be making demands of me either. I'm just a kind homeowner who did the bare minimum and needs to do no more. " A fat glob of water hit your head. You frowned deeply. "K...the leaks are getting really bad."

You pushed yourself up and decided to look around your new home, making a little motion to let Grim know he could join. You two walked down the shadowy hallways; you were almost thankful this little guy was here. Made it way less scary. "Kind of a shame that this place is so run-down. Maybe if I repaint, it'll look better." Grim rolled his eyes, "No amount of paint could fix this wreck."

A loud crash echoed in the hollow environment. "You heard that too, right...?" Bending over to Grim and whispering. "Of course I--" His eyes widened as pale shadows shifted into a humanoid form, matched with devious laughter. He screamed; you almost did as well. But then you remembered you're in a magical world. Ghosts wasn't too far off. "We haven't had visitors in ages." Ignoring the faint anxiety lingering in you, you gave a small smile. "I'm not really a visitor. I'll be staying here for...A while" Yeah, a while works. You doubted Crowley could find you a way home quickly. "I'm ______, I guess i'm your new roommate. Assuming you guys live here?" The three ghosts blinked, looking thoroughly bewildered. The plump one spoke, "Uh...yeah, sure." Little did you know, they were mostly caught off guard by the fact that you're a girl. At this school. It floated further away, clearly not used to this treatment. "Do you guys know the building well? Is there any room I could stay in?"

A door flung open. Was there a fourth ghost? Oh, nope, it was just Crowley. But you would gladly help turn him into a ghost! "Good evening. In another gesture of my immense kindness, I have brought you dinner. Wait. That's the creature we ejected for causing trouble at orientation! What is going on here?!" He pointed at Grim, then raised a brow when he saw the ghosts. 

You explained the situation, and Crowley seemed pleasantly surprised by how well you had handled the Ghosts. Handled hardly fit, all you did was talk to them like they were normal people. "Ahem! Anywho, whatever the reason, this monster is not allowed to stay here!" Your teeth grit together, sure you had just met Grim, but you were already very much attached. "I'll have you know that Grim had scared these ghosts into submission before I was able to talk to them!" You gave the ghosts a glance, hoping they would play along. You continued. "He protected me and showed amazing prowess. It'd be too cruel to throw him out after his bravery!" Grim made a wrinkled face and then a quiet "oh, oh." 

Crowley stared down at Grim. "Is that so...Hm. Well, I wasn't able to witness it myself. So I think I'm in need of a demonstration." Grim's ears flattened; he didn't feel like doing this. You used your foot to bump into his side. "This could be your chance!" he growled in thought and sighed loudly. "Fine! But I'd better get some tuna out of this!" 

With a poof, Crowley turned himself into a ghost. He made it look easy when surely it was something super hard to do. That explains why he's the head mage of all people. You sat on the staircase, inviting the ghosties to be near you. You put your cheek in your palm and watched as Grim blew his blue flames at the ghostly Crowley. Now and then, you would give little cheers to keep Grim motivated. 

When it was done, Crowley made a remark about something being incredible. Grim was pretty cool, wasn't he? "I've never seen anyone bend a monster to their will quite the way you have." Was he praising you?! "I must confess, my educator's intuition did sense something about you after that brouhaha at orientation. I could tell you had a certain animal trainer-y beast master -ish quality to you. Oh, yes. That said, I..." He began mumbling to himself. Grim looked a little defeated, only being seen as some kind of familiar after showing his magic. "Uh-- Grim would really like to attend this school." Crowley's head snapped in your direction. "What? A monster stay HERE?"  You tucked your hands between your thighs and threw your head down, trying to do some kind of bow the best you could, since you were sitting. "Please, sir!" You weren't sure why you were so desperate to help this acquaintance of yours, but your plea paid off. "Hmmmm....I suppose I cannot deny your plea. very well.' Grim's little fangs poked out as he smiled with genuine happiness. "Really?!" You smiled at Grim's tone. He was adorable. "Let me be clear!" Crowley raised his voice. "Under no circumstances would I admit anyone to Night Raven College who has not been selected by the Dark Mirror, especially not a monster." Are the people in this world speciesists or something?

Short answer: Crowley probably was. But was not speciest enough not to let Grim be on campus, as some kind of janitor. You were also a janitor. You and Grim would do odd jobs, mostly cleaning and get paid. Sounded okay, minus the fact that you would definitely only be using the money to buy necessities he's refusing to supply you with. You grimaced at the thought of needing to buy..."feminine" needs. Would the school even have that stuff? It was too embarrassing to bring it up, so you decided to leave that problem for another day.  If only you had your phone to see where your cycle is at. 

Oh! And Crowley threw in a "goodie," letting us use the library so I could research ways to get home. Wasn't that his job?

You wanted to complain, but what good would that do? You had no choice in the end. 

What god did you piss off to have this happen to you?

PART FOUR

An unexpected meeting.

You weren't sleeping well, you wanted to cry, but not with Grim here. While in bed, the situation had hit you, and dread was bubbling in your gut. You didn't even want to be here, yet you were stuck. Stuck in a school full of boys, with you being the only female. You've heard fictional stories talking about being the only girl in the world, and that's what it felt like. Hell, this school was your world. You knew nothing outside of it. 

Your last thought before falling into slumber was 'Even if I held my guard up, would that be enough to protect myself?' 

Warm light spilled into the dusty room. You rolled over and tucked yourself further into your blanket. It was hardly a blanket, more like a sheet. A sheet with mysterious stains. Grim wasn't complaining at the very least; he was near your feet, curled up like a cat. Your eyebrows furrowed in frustration as you heard distant chatter that got louder and louder, till the cause was in the room with you. Those three ghosts from earlier. You peeked your head out from under the whiteness and saw them facing the opposite direction from you. Staring at the wall.  

"Little Missy, aren't you supposed to be off cleaning the school today?" You let out a hard sigh and sat up, rubbing the crust from your eyes with a yawn. "Mhn...I guess." You reached over and nudged Grim. "Wakey wakey, we got a job to do." He just squirmed and let out mutters about wanting five more minutes. You looked back up at the ghosts. "Is there any reason why you're looking at the wall?" 

The ghosts stayed put, still refusing to look in your direction. "It would be pretty impolite to look at a girly when she's just woken up. We don't know what you're wearing after all!" Were they assuming you might've slept nude? Maybe in the comfort of your real home, but definitely not here. Though it did bring you some relief to know that these devious ghosts respected your privacy. Just as you were about to swing your leg out of bed, the bedroom door opened. "Good morning, ____! Did you sleep well?" Does he not know how to knock? 

Grim squinted through tired eyes and groaned with exhaustion. "Who're you to wake the great Grim up...?" He joined you in sitting up. "And no-- Not at all! The mattress fell through the frame last night!" Yeah...That was not pleasant, you agreed silently.

"Well, it's understandable you'd be anxious after being pulled into such an unfamiliar place." You deadpanned the bird man, "That is part of it, but I would've slept better if I wasn't in such a run-down building." Crowley smiled, which didn't seem fully genuine. "I don't see why you'd complain after I was so generous to give you a dorm all to yourself. And either way! The world can be cruel, so suck it up and move on! Now, speaking of moving on, let's discuss your assignment for today..."

"Wow...so this is Main Street, huh? This is incredible!" You and Grim walked on tiled ground with beautiful greenery in every direction; the green made the seven statues you were approaching pop. You stopped and took a moment to admire them. What gorgeous craftsmanship. You thought. 

A boy with a heart on his eye walked up behind you. "Lookin' at the statue of seven?" Grim let out a shriek, "Don't go sneakin' up on me like that!" The boy smiled, scratching the back of his head. "Sorry...You just don't see people gawking at them like that usually. What, first time seeing them?" He subtly inquired, and you gave a small nod. "It is. Why do they have these?"

"Hah-- You seriously don't know?!" Nope, why would you? It was your second day in this world. "Okay, well this here is the Queen of Hea..."

He talked your ear off about the seven statues. You were thankful, but it was too much information at once. You thanked him. "No problem, it doesn't hurt to summarize to some strangers about basic history. I'm Ace Trapolla, a freshman." Despite being polite, you felt as though every sentence he spoke had some teasing underlinings. Grim puffed out his furry chest, "I'm Grim the great mage, and this here is my henchman!" You gave a playful eye roll and a tiny wave. "I'm _____, nice to meet you." Ace's eye twitched as his smile widened. His eyes rapidly switched between locking in on you and Grim.

He bent over and clasped his hand over his mouth before standing tall and letting out a hearty laugh. He wheezed and clutched his stomach while you and your little friend watched in confusion. He caught his breath. "O-okay, I can't! You two are the guys who caused all that chaos at the orientation, right?" He smirked, "A magicless girl from another world and-- aahaha...A WEASEL!" He wiped his tears away and let out a final snort. "Surprised you two weren't booted to the streets." 

Instead of focusing on his mocking nature, you worried for Grim instead, looking at the furry creature that looked like he was going to blow a fuse. He huffed and crossed his arms. "I am not a weasel! And why would they boot someone as powerful as me!" Ace raised a brow. "Powerful? You?" You wanted to stop this before it started, but no matter how much you told Grim to walk it off, it resulted in a fight. 

All you could do was back up and watch the two fling spells at each other. Grim huffed and blew his blue flames, and Ace redirected with his wind magic. A couple of students on their way to class stopped to watch; thankfully, they didn't notice you.  Loud 'whoots!' and cheers accompanied the whisks of magic. Ace redirected another one of Grim's fireballs and flung it right towards the Queen of Hearts statue. Your jaw slacked and stared in pure awe. The statue you were just admiring was charred and black. "G--Grim! Why did you--??" You stammered over his words. Grim looked panicked, too. "It's not my fault, it's his fault for redirecting my fire!" He pointed an accusatory paw at Ace. "And let myself get hit with fire? Yeah, no way. No sane person would let that happen!" 

The clicks of shoes hitting the tiled ground approached loudly, "What in the great sevens is happening?!"

What a bad time for Crowley to show.

Getting punished to wash a hundred windows is not ideal. What's even less ideal is one only 2/3 showing up. Where was Ace?! 

After waiting a long while, Grim and you went looking for him. Eventually, finding him in the mirror chamber, muttering to himself. "Yeah, right...As if I'm gonna wash a hundred windows." He looked around for the mirror that would take him to his dorm. Grim sprinted past you and screamed at the escapeist. "THERE YOU ARE!" 

You tried to keep up with the two, but you weren't cut out for this much running as Ace pushed past a boy with a spade on his eye. Your head hung low as you panted like a dog, desperate to get your breath. "Ph-luease stop him!" You wheezed out to the boy who had just been bumped into. He tensed, surprised to be asked for assistance. "Stop him? How?!" The panic faded as he began listing off ways he could stop Ace. "Please just stop him! I don't care how!" You yelled.  "Anything?! Anything...Hm." Nooo, don't go back into thought again! "All right!" He said with determination, Oh, thank goodness. "I summon thee...Something heavy!" 

Your eyes widened as you saw something large and black poof into existence...Was that a cauldron? Why on earth would this guy summon a cauldron of all things? It came down hard on Ace, slamming him into the floor, successfully stopping him. Maybe Ace was a little shit and all, but that had to have hurt. You winced in sympathy as he tried getting up. "Owwww....Why are you guys bothering me? You could've banged out those windows by yourselves." You glared, walking up to him and shoving a finger to his chest. "I didn't even contribute to burning that statue! If I'm cleaning, then you're definitely helping." You huffed, shocked by your boldness. Maybe it wasn't the brightest idea to be so outspoken in an all-boys school. Who knows what they could do if you pushed the wrong button? Ace didn't seem like the type to snap at you, though. You turned to thank the boy for helping, but he was already staring at you. Like he had witnessed a murder. "...You okay? You're like really pale." You asked. He stumbled over his foot and his words, "A-ah...yes! Uhm! Uh." He looked at Ace and Grim and cleared his throat. "W-why do you guys need to wash windows?" Ace scoffed and gave a pout. "I was messing around with this furball, and we might've charred the Queen of Hearts statue. Sue me." He said rather casually. "You damaged a statue of The Great Seven?!" The boy looked at you and, halfway through speaking, softened his voice. "After you got into THIS school, how did you get in trouble on your first day?" Ace started to look even more cranky. "Shuddap, who are you anyway?" The boy looked at you again, straightening himself, "My name is Deuce. Deuce Spade. And you shouldn't try to bail on orders from the Headmage. Especially when you're bailing on a gir--" He stopped himself and cleared his throat awkwardly. Not that you were paying enough attention to notice, you were busy watching Grim sneaking away. Ace exhaled in exasperation. "Yeah, yeah. Message received. Fine, let's bang out those windows."

You tapped Ace's shoulder and pointed to the runaway furball. "What?! Did he catch me just so he could run off?! Come on, Juice!" Ace grabbed Deuce by his sleeve, leading the other boy to pull back. "It's not 'Juice'! It's Deuce! With a D. And why do I need to hel..." He stopped resisting Ace's pull when he looked at you, "Er--Okay, fine!" Figuring they had this handled, you did a light jog, not wanting to lose your breath again. They ended up in the...Cafeteria? Staring up at Grim on top of a chandelier, how did he get there? Deuce pointed his magic pen at Ace after thinking of a plan. "I'm going to launch you." You stifled a laugh; it was so ridiculous, but Deuce's face was nothing short of serious.

The edges of your mouth twitched, fighting off a grin as Ace was lifted and launched towards the chandelier. 

Que the classical music. 

What a beautiful scene, so beautiful you hardly registered the chandelier, along with Grim and Ace, falling to the ground. 

 "You. three. again...WHAT HAVE YOU DONE THIS TIME?!"