Work Text:
boltknight: im reconsidering the found family stance
gloomurai: omfs ffs
boltknight: LOOK
gloomurai: what am i supposed to b seeing
boltknight: its no secret that the fandom excludes sebek from a lot of things
boltknight: and it also isnt a secret that my views on character relationships are heavily influenced by the fandom
boltknight: if i interact with the right things on the right day, i think sebek is 100% part of the found family
boltknight: but on other days. he just feels like an awkward fourth wheel in the rule of thirds
boltknight: its kinda sad
gloomurai: ?? you legit have the entire found family. like less than ten metres away from you rn i bet
gloomurai: i kno they moved ur room 2 b with the other three
gloomurai: you cant tell me thats not found family core
boltknight: okay but afaik we never got a canon diasomnia layout
boltknight: so sebek couldve roomed w the first years in canon
gloomurai: this isnt canon now is it?
gloomurai: it could be entirely true that diafam isn’t diafam in canon
gloomurai: but diafam here could be a different story
boltknight: …now why did i not think of that before
gloomurai: bc ur a dumbass /aff
boltknight: youre right aaagh
boltknight: you know im never gonna settle on this right?
boltknight: unless i get ‘yes you are part of our found family’ from all three of them
boltknight: fat chance im asking them
gloomurai: hm
gloomurai: theres one right here
boltknight: WAIT WAIT WAIT DONT
————
Group Chat: strength2swords
gloomurai: @musclered tell us abt ur kids
gloomurai: im acc so curious
gloomurai: i thought u only had one until recently
musclered: Gladly! I love talking about my kids :D
musclered: So first there's the eldest,
————
DM: gloomurai, boltknight
boltknight: DUDE!
gloomurai: im gonna get baby stories of yall and use them as blackmail >:)
boltknight: i have worse on you.
gloomurai: oh like whaaaaat
boltknight:
boltknight: do you really want to test that
gloomurai: …no ur right i dont
gloomurai: but im gonna save it still
gloomurai: evn just for my own entertainment lol
boltknight: be careful the next few days.
boltknight: :)
gloomurai: 😄
—————
Group Chat: strength2swords
…..
musclered: And everyone thinks he’s terrifying 🙄He’s a cutie! He’s a little lonely but incredibly soft on the inside :) He spent enough time cooking in his egg, however, so im not sure how that came about. It’s a relief he’s less stubborn and temperamental than the rest of his bloodline… though that isn’t saying a lot
gloomurai: Including you and your other kids?
musclered: No, no. I used to know his biological family, you see, and I was appointed his primary caretaker for a short while as his immediate relatives couldn’t take care of him
musclered: Once he hatched, some others took care of him
musclered: He always snuck out to see me though :) And eventually he helped take care of his younger brother. I do still consider him a son of mine. I loved his parents a lot.
musclered: My second child, who is quite a bit younger than the first, was actually adopted as a baby!
musclered: He only realised it when he saw that our ears were different. Ahh, I remember the day so well
musclered: It was raining but he still ran outside, it took me ages to find him, I was worried sick!
musclered: But he was the one who got sick in the end, I guess.
musclered: I stayed by his bedside nearly the entire time
musclered: That was the first time i felt true fear in a long time, ever since my
musclered: since someone very important to me died
musclered: My eldest’s mother
boltknight: im sorry for your loss
gloomurai: she mustve been lovely
musclered: Thank you. She was. I have had quite a few years to come to terms with it, and I’m happy where I am :)
boltknight: :)
gloomurai: :)
musclered: I nursed my son back to health and he no longer concerns himself with bloodlines
musclered: None of my so-called children are related to me by blood, but that one I think is the closest to it
musclered: he calls me father :)
boltknight: You did raise him from childhood, after all! It’s only right.
boltknight: He must be honoured to have such an incredible father!
musclered: ahhh i hope so
musclered: You know, your manner of texting reminds me of the youngest one in my makeshift family
musclered: he’s technically only a year younger than my middle, but we all like babying him since he’s just so precious :) I do it to all of my kids of course, but the other two do it to him especially
———
DM: gloomurai, boltknight
gloomurai: CALLED IT
boltknight: why r u acting righteous when im the one whos getting the fuzzies from this
boltknight: im like. ascending
gloomurai: im righteous bc i only want the best 4 my friends and it was jst proven that he’s LOVED
———
Group Chat: strength2swords
musclered: It’s actually a little complicated
———
DM: gloomurai, boltknight
gloomurai: FUCK
gloomurai: im still gonna hold out
boltknight: hey lilia did say i was one of his kids
boltknight: thats a win
———
Group Chat: strength2swords
boltknight: complicated how?
musclered: he has an entire family, you see 😅
musclered: I’m old friends with his grandfather, and his parents helped me when I raised my second. He has two older siblings as well… None of them would take kindly if I just nabbed him from under their noses
musclered: No one knows what goes on inside NRC during the school year, so it would be so easy to just take him…
musclered: But I would never violate their trust like that
musclered: So he’s the one who has the least father-son connection to me, but all of them were raised relatively close, so they’re practically siblings and he’s practically my kid :)
gloomurai: wait u go 2 nrc??
musclered: oops! just ignore that :)
musclered: just a minor slip
gloomurai: no no its ok
gloomurai: bolt n i both go as well
musclered: Oho? Truly?
boltknight: indeed
musclered: oooh, perhaps we could schedule a meetup sometime?
boltknight: NO
boltknight: i mean
boltknight: im not ready yet
boltknight: i mean. I haven’t known you for that long
boltknight: Maybe in a few months :) No promises though
gloomurai: yeah, same…
gloomurai: its one thing talkin behind a screen
gloomurai: but irl is so scary,,
musclered: Kehehe, I forgot you two were a pair of introverts
musclered: No problem! The offer’s open indefinitely :D So whenever you’re ready!
boltknight: thank you, red
gloomurai: ty red
musclered: OKAY NOW BACK TO MY CHILDREN
musclered: The youngest is very green and he loves the eldest a lot, he has a rivalry with the second but its very one sided and i know he loves him a lot <3 it’s heartwarming watching them interact
musclered: ahh, where did the years go
musclered: They’re all taller than me now
musclered: Though that isn’t a very high bar ;) pun intended
musclered: The middle one has a condition where he’s constantly sleepy, but he has an important job which he shares with the youngest
musclered: —
——————
DM: gloomurai, boltknight
boltknight: i never knew lilia had so much to say about us
gloomurai: what did u expect? hes family guy #1
gloomurai: hes the type to get ‘worlds best dad’ mugs 4 his bday and adore them
boltknight: huh
boltknight: i should get malleus to do that at lilias next birthday
gloomurai: instead of using a present box he should use the coffin like you suggested earlier
boltknight: I CACKLED
boltknight: why did i not think about it before
boltknight: i was wondering how id get those coffins
boltknight: now i know i can just make wakasama do it
gloomurai: ‘she IS a princess!’
boltknight: wakasama is the big strong man who will solve all my problems
boltknight: except this time he’s causing it
boltknight: its just like wakasama to cause an issue because hes too good at things <3
gloomurai: oh yeah i forgot about leona
boltknight: so did his people
gloomurai: FOUL fdsjklafhds LETS MOVE ON
gloomurai: just force malleus to attend the next housewarden meeting
gloomurai: if he or lilia are there then leona wont have to spout that absolute bullshit about uh
gloomurai: honour??
gloomurai: i wouldnt want to sit through that one
boltknight: ill fake a phone call with someone and mention the housewarden meeting i Guess
boltknight: can i use ur brother and fake him being some random first year friend who gossips w me
gloomurai: ortho? hed love to connect over phone w u
gloomurai: xD i should become buddies w silver and we can be older brother alliance
boltknight: you should become buddies with silver because then youd be connected to all of diasomnia
gloomurai: wait good point… but that would require socialising
gloomurai: you and red are enough
gloomurai: i dont think i could handle silver
boltknight: well you handled malleus just fine in book 7 wink emoji
boltknight: silvers way more tame in comparison
boltknight: malleidia…
gloomurai: THTA WAS OUT OF NECESSITY
gloomurai: look im good at a lot of things right
gloomurai: ← technological genius prodigy
gloomurai: you know what i CANT do?
gloomurai: INITIATE CONTACT WITH NON-FRIENDS oh sevens silver and malleus especially
boltknight: itll be fiiiine
boltknight: lilia forces silver to game with him a lot
boltknight: you can help silver farm so he can help lilia better
boltknight: and through that you can form a friendship
boltknight: and once lilia adds silver to the gc (which ofc he will) lilia will prob suggest we meet the rest of his children
boltknight: bang boom easy done
gloomurai: WDYM EASY DONE
gloomurai: just the idea is scary
gloomurai: and this implies u’ll b involved as well
gloomurai: r u going to create another account and pretend to be both sebek and bolt?
boltknight: yepperoni
boltknight: you’re never going to improve if you stay in your comfort zone!
gloomurai: ITS CALLED THE COMFORT ZONE FOR A REASON
gloomurai: like what if we vc and they recognise the voice of the loser ignihyde housewarden
boltknight: if we vc, theyre more likely to recognise me than you
boltknight: and then we’ll have bigger problems
boltknight: youre building this up in your head i can tell
boltknight: step 1. see if you can start contact with silver
boltknight: dw, ill be there! and if u really dont want to then you dont have to
gloomurai: no i think itd be kinda cool
gloomurai: gloom is gonna take a big big leap of faith forwards today
gloomurai: gonna shoot for the stars and if i fuck up ill shoot myself how bout that
boltknight: ill catch u when u fall
boltknight: im like the wind beneath your wings
gloomurai: ..
gloomurai: ill let it slide today
boltknight: thank you gloom i appreciate it
boltknight: YO LOOK IN THE GC
boltknight: convenient opportunity!
—————
Group Chat: strength2swords
musclered: Oftentimes I make my second son play games with me :) Since we live in Briar Valley, none of them are too skilled with technology and such, but I do what I can to get him with the times LOL
musclered: I’ve been getting busier lately because I’m a third year now and have more responsibilities, but I’m making progress!
musclered: one day ill make my eldest and youngest do it. >:)
gloomurai: oh
gloomurai: if u need him to git gud fast but u rnt available
gloomurai: i can play w him?
musclered: I was hoping you’d say that! Bolt, if you want to help him then you can too
musclered: actually ill just add him here now!
musclered: He’s around your guys’ ages I assume :)
—————
DM: gloomurai, boltknight
gloomurai: are we gonna question why red attends nrc while having kids
boltknight: no
boltknight: lilias slipped up so much that anybody would notice he’s a fae
boltknight: we’re just gonna play dumb
gloomurai: eh fair
—————
Group Chat: strength2swords
musclered added silverVrouge
—————
DM: gloomurai, boltknight
boltknight: oh my god his user is his full fucking name
gloomurai: ROFL
boltknight: im watching lilia tp across the lounge to wake up silver
boltknight: he’s picked up his phone
boltknight: OMG HES ONLINE LOOK
—————
Group Chat: strength2swords
silverVrouge: Hello
silverVrouge: I am Silver
silverVrouge: Father says you wish to assist me in ‘levelling’ in the game he made me download recently.
silverVrouge: Thank you very much.
gloomurai: ofc dude
gloomurai: ur fathers rlly cool
musclered: Aww, THX gloom!
gloomurai: if u wanna log on rn id gladly help u
gloomurai: have u got any assignments to do ovr the weekend?
silverVrouge: I pushed to complete them all. Do not ask Father how many energy drinks I borrowed from.
boltknight: …May I ask you instead?
silverVrouge: Sebek?
boltknight: Who?
silverVrouge: Sorry, your username reminded me of a friend.
silverVrouge: Yes, you may ask me. I drank half a can every time I felt sleepy. That amounted to… 18 cans over the course of the 9 hours it took to complete every unfinished assignment.
gloomurai: WHAT THE FUCK HOW ARE YOU STILL ALIVE
boltknight: That’s incredibly unhealthy! Cease this madness!
————
DM: gloomurai, boltknight
boltknight: HOW THE FUCK DID SILVER CLOCK ME INSTANTLY
gloomurai: EIGHTEEN FUCKING ENERGY DRINKS?
————
Group Chat: strength2swords
silverVrouge: I have a unique constitution.
gloomurai: that…
gloomurai: @musclered put a heart tracker on him
gloomurai: he’s in DANGER
musclered: Don’t worry, if he was going to die, it would have happened ages ago.
musclered changed the chat name: 2knights2nite
boltknight: ooo a new name
boltknight: Care to explain it?
musclered: Silver here is a knight-in-training! Pair him with you, boltknight, and there are two knights
musclered: I, personally, am a creature of the night, and judging by the hours gloomurai is online, so is he. The misspelling was intentional to add casual charm :3
boltknight: Ah, I get it now!
gloomurai: ur not wrong
silverVrouge: If I may, boltknight, are you a knight in training like I am? Other than Sebek, whom I mentioned earlier, nobody else who I’ve met has followed the same path.
————
DM: gloomurai, boltknight
boltknight: DO I LIE YES OR NO
gloomurai: NO
————
Group Chat: 2knights2nite
boltknight: Yes I am actualyl
boltknight: Actually*
musclered: How wonderful! Perhaps one day we can share training tips :)
boltknight: I would like that! As with Silver, I have not encountered other knights in training. What a coincidence!
silverVrouge: Hm
gloomurai: ?
silverVrouge: Nothing.
silverVrouge: Gloomurai, if you would join me in the game.
gloomurai: oh yeah sure
————
DM: gloomurai, boltknight
gloomurai: yo
gloomurai: silvrr is cracked out of his mind @ video games
boltknight: i am of the opinion that he is cursed with his sleeping spells to offset his inherent overpowered nature
gloomurai: why does an actual disney princess come to nrc and not rsa
gloomurai: he’d work much better there
boltknight: that’s like asking why a son goes to a family school instead of a boys school
boltknight: he may be a boy but family is more than boyness
gloomurai: …???
boltknight: ur little brother is a robot u should understand this
boltknight: pinnochiOrtho over here is not a real boy yet
boltknight: but he’s your family
gloomurai: oh
gloomurai: OHHH
gloomurai: so even though silver is a princess
gloomurai: diafam is prioritised
boltknight: yesss you get it
gloomurai: i c i c
gloomurai: well i would also like to let you know that silver 100% knows who you are
boltknight: what
boltknight: how do you know this information.
boltknight: wait how does he have this information?
gloomurai: can u sneak over 2 my dorm rq
boltknight: uh
boltknight: ill try
gloomurai: once u get here i have to show u smth and then ill tell u how silv knows
boltknight: …ill be there in twenty
————
“Silver, do you know why Sebek is sprinting to the mirror?” Lilia steps back from the window in Silver’s room that he’s been using to watch Sebek’s path. “It’s the dead of night.”
Silver hums noncommittedly, putting his game controller down. “I assume he’s attempting to sneak out and meet a friend.”
The new contact on his phone chimes arrogantly.
Lilia smirks and teases, “A special friend?” To which Silver shakes his head.
“No, just a normal friend. It’s nothing you need to concern yourself with, father.”
“Oh, if you say so.”
————
When Sebek steps into Ignihyde, it’s like everything stops.
Even though it’s midnight, the lights are fully on throughout the dorm, and students mill about like it’s daytime. They freeze when they see Sebek’s green and black getup, clearly an outsider. But why would an outsider come to Ignihyde, of all places?
Sebek stares. The students stare back.
Ortho, god-sent Ortho, comes flying down the hall and skids to a stop.
“Hello, Ortho,” Sebek greets.
Ortho beams, “Hello, Sebek Zigvolt of Diasomnia! Come, this way! You were earlier than we expected!”
“I left early because I feared I would get lost,” Sebek blatantly lies, ignoring his wind-swept loose hair, and his crooked hat. If he doesn’t think about the sprint, it won’t catch up to him.
Ignihyde is a pretty cool dorm. Less and less students appear as they travel from the main lounge, to a side hallway, to what he assumes is Idia’s room. Lo and behold, Ortho slides the door open, and there he is.
“Idia!” Sebek barks, “Explain!”
“Eek!” Idia jolts at the tone, but ushers Sebek in, giving Ortho an instruction to work on something-or-other so that he leaves the room.
Sebek crosses his arms.
“Sit down, sit down!” Idia scowls, settling on the floor and patting the spot next to him. “I have something I need to show you urgently. Like, event-on-a-time-limit urgent.” Sebek complies, because he’s such a good friend, and turns his focus towards the TV.
“Silver’s birthday vignette?” He asks curiously.
Idia grins, shark teeth on display. “Not just any vignette! It’s the birthday jacket vignette!”
“And…?”
“Have you seen it?”
“…No.”
“Well guess what we’re going to do now.”
Sebek sighs.
The remote is pressed and the vignette (formatted as a video) starts. Immediately, Idia presses the button which skips forward.
“Wha— hey!” Sebek shouts, “I thought we were going to watch it! Not skim it! Silver may not be my very favourite but that doesn’t mean I don’t like Silver content as well!”
Idia grunts, “Give me a second, impatient fuck.”
“It’s been a second!”
“More seconds then! Thirds!”
Idia skips about halfway through the vignette and finally sets the remote down, to Sebek’s relief. It’s the start of the vignette’s second part, which Sebek remembers to be an interview. Something about younger siblings from NRC.
“If you want to prove a point,” Sebek raises an eyebrow, “Don’t use the only question where I’m not even one of the allowed answers.
“What did I say? Impatient!” Idia rolls his eyes and crosses his arms.
“Uuuugh, fine.”
It plays out. Silver struggles to answer. Rook assumes it’s because Silver was an only child, to which Silver agrees, but he also mentions that he spent a lot of time with Sebek ever since they were young.
“Oh? A Sebek mention in this economy?” Sebek notes, before registering it properly. “Wait, SILVER THINKS WE’RE LIKE SIBLINGS!?”
“You could say we were raised like siblings,” says screen-Silver. Sebek almost implodes on the spot.
“Siblings!” Sebek yells. “From Silver’s own mouth!”
“This is what I wanted to show you,” Idia grins smugly. “Found family is real.”
“And it’s coming for me.”
“And it’s coming for you.”
Sebek glares at Idia. “Are you gonna tell me how Silver knows my identity now?”
Idia blinks like he almost forgot. “Yes. So. You see. Silver’s sibling bond with you is so strong that he immediately knew you were boltknight.”
“????”
“Zig-volt, AKA volt, AKA bolt,” he points out. “That, plus the formal language, plus the knight-ness. If there was another knight-in-training in NRC, Silver would know,” Idia stresses. “And he can backread. He saw that we were part of NRC as well.”
“Okay, now that you say that—“
“It’s really obvious.”
“So… Is Lilia… just dense?” Sebek asks, 100% genuine. Idia bursts out into cackles.
Wiping a tear from his eye, he corrects, “No, Silver’s just too smart. He— He found me out too, you know! Ultragiga detectivemaxxing!”
“How!?” Sebek gasps.
“He saw us talking at the banquet.”
“Oh,” Sebek pauses, “Yeah, that tracks. Wait, how did you find this extremely specific information?”
“What, the vignette, or the identity thing?”
“Both.”
Idia raises a finger. “Well, erm, actually—“
“WRAP IT UP.” Sebek slaps it down.
“I made a program to look through vignettes which mentioned Ignihyde so I could watch them all.”
“…Egosurfing?”
“…I’m not going to say no. Well anyways! Silver’s Birthday Jacket vignette mentions Ignihyde, so I watched it and found this gem. You’re welcome.”
“I didn’t thank you.”
“…”
“…Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Is that all?”
“Interaction complete. I guess.”
“Wow, talking IRL is way harder than over text.”
“Agreed. It’s way unnerving to see Sebek Zigvolt speaking informally.”
“I should go back before they get suspicious. Do you have anything I could pretend was from Sam’s shop?”
Idia tosses Sebek a packet of gummy bears, and then Sebek’s off.
——
DM: gloomurai, boltknight
boltknight: 10/10 interaction
boltknight: u can tell neither of us were socialised enough as kids
gloomurai: ew dont text while i can still see you through the security cameras
gloomurai: its creepy seeing messages come from nowhere
boltknight: 🙄 /aff
——
Once Sebek gets back to Diasomnia, he tosses a green gummy bear at Silver. Lovingly, of course. Silver smiles back.
—————
DM: gloomurai, boltknight
boltknight: yk what just occurred to me
gloomurai: whaat
boltknight: malleyuu… got fucked over because i introduced yuu to malleus trhough the banquet instead of through wakasamas roaming tendencies
boltknight: tch
boltknight: i really wanted that one vdc scene to happen
gloomurai: nah bro rlly said tch 😭
gloomurai: you want yuu to call malleus hornton in frront of the vdc group?
boltknight: well. yeaj obv
boltknight: i love that identity reveal stuff
boltknight: cringeslop i know but to ME its peak
gloomurai: oi talkin about cringeslop in front of ME?
boltknight: oh yeah thats true
gloomurai: wait wait wait i insinuated it first but WUT DOES THAT MEAN HAAH??
boltknight: cant be cringe if youre automatically cringier XD peace sign
gloomurai; im gonna slime u out and not even lilia is gonna recognise u afterwards
gloomurai: a corpse not even a mother could recognise
boltknight: BODY TEA
boltknight: i feel like im stronger than you
boltknight: if you try sliming me out i will simply fight back
boltknight: instaloss for you lmao spawncamped
gloomurai: thats not even—
gloomurai: .
gloomurai: im gonna hack ur phone and display ur search history
gloomurai: in front of the whole ass school
gloomurai: hows that for a reaction?
boltknight: omg im gonnabe the mc in a gacha reaction video wait this is peak
boltknight: i always wanted more sebek content 🥹
gloomurai: is this narcissism
boltknight: no bc im not in love with him
boltknight: HEY WAIT
boltknight: speaking of love. yk how i love wakasama a lot /p
gloomurai: ..yes obv
gloomurai: hes all u ever talk about
boltknight: u have access to my world right?
gloomurai: yes
boltknight: CAN U SEND ME PICTURES OF WAKASAMA CARDS SO I CAN CHANGE MY PHONE LAYOUT TO BE MALLEUS THEMED
gloomurai: …
boltknight: my phone was malleus themed
boltknight: but my phone here
boltknight: the physical one which isnt connected to my weird game system btw
boltknight: is bland and boring asf
boltknight: like its giving elderly
gloomurai: fine fine
gloomurai: which pics do u want
boltknight: every single malleus draconia card
boltknight: and app icons which are black and green
boltknight: and a lockscreen and homescreen
gloomurai: should be easy enough gimme a seeeec
boltknight: send it to my school contact so i can actually use them tho
gloomurai: gotit
————
DM: Idia Shroud, Sebek Zigvolt
Idia Shroud sent an image
Idia Shroud sent an image
Idia Shroud sent an image
Idia Shroud sent an image
Idia Shroud sent an image
Idia Shroud sent an image
…
Sebek Zigvolt: ty king
Idia Shroud: u kno ya boi glooms always got ur back
Sebek Zigvolt: >:D
Idia Shroud: >:)
————
DM: gloomurai, boltknight
boltknight sent an image
boltknight sent an image
boltknight: how we feelin
gloomurai: looks good bro!
gloomurai: we can tell u like malleus draconia
boltknight: wakasama deserves only the best heheh
gloomurai: speaking of malleus
gloomurai: as u always are
gloomurai: the housewarden meeting is soon
gloomurai: like in a few hours
gloomurai: r u in class rn?
boltknight: yah so i cant do the call ortho thing
boltknight: but i can txt
gloomurai: hit up lilia and see if he can get malleus 2 attend
gloomurai: or get him to attend himself
boltknight: sure sure
————
DM: Sebek Zigvolt, Silver
Sebek Zigvolt: Silver, could you ask Lilia to get Malleus to attend the housewarden meeting? It’s in a few hours.
Silver: Why not do it yourself?
Sebek Zigvolt: Please
Silver: Ok
————
DM: Silver, Lilia Vanrouge
Silver: Lilia, Sebek asked me to ask you if you could ask Malleus to attend the housewarden meeting in a few hours.
Lilia Vanrouge: Malleus has broken his phone again, unfortunately
Lilia Vanrouge: I’ll pass along the message tho :) TY!
Silver: YW
————
DM: Sebek Zigvolt, Silver
Silver: Done.
Sebek Zigvolt: Thank you.
Silver: YW
————
DM: gloomurai, boltknight
boltknight: done
gloomurai: cool thx
gloomurai: want me 2 stream the meeting 2 u
boltknight: not particularly
gloomurai: mk
gloomurai: ill tell u wht happens in a few hrs then
gloomurai: cya
boltknight: seeya!
————
DM: gloomurai, boltknight
gloomurai: MALLEUS CAME
gloomurai: actually that meeting was way more peaceful than i thought
gloomurai: malleus was all like ‘im chill w being benched’ and leona was like ‘fuck u too’
gloomurai: so now hes still participating
gloomurai: i remember that the accidents started around this time?
boltknight: oh fuck the accidents
boltknight: soooo are we gonna do anything about that
gloomurai: did they target diasomnia last time?
boltknight: i dont remember
boltknight: silver and lilia are probably doing spelldrive tho
boltknight: past life sebek probably wouldve done so as well but lol im not nearly athletic enough for that
gloomurai: …
gloomurai: BOY
gloomurai: first off. ur athletic enough. YOUVE BEEN TRAINED AS A KNIGHT FOR AGES
gloomurai: SECOND OF ALL.
gloomurai: U DONT EVN HAVE TO PLAY 😭ITS LIKE A TWISTUNE OR SMTH 4 U INNIT
boltknight: …o
boltknight: ur right.
boltknight: fuck ig im gonna get merc’d by ruggie lol
boltknight: if im put in the infirmary then its ur fault
————
DM: Sebek Zigvolt, Lilia Vanrouge
Sebek Zigvolt: Lilia, I wish to join the spelldrive team.
Lilia Vanrouge: Oh? You’ve changed your mind?
Sebek Zigvolt: I admit, new endeavours frighten me so.
Sebek Zigvolt: But cowardice does not lead to results! I shall perform my best for Waka-sama!
Lilia Vanrouge: That’s the spirit!
Lilia Vanrouge: I’ll update the paperwork!
Sebek Zigvolt: Thank you, Lilia!
Lilia Vanrouge: OFC!
————
Group Chat: 2knights2nite
boltknight: i love my vice housewarden brooo
musclered: Oho? Tell us about them!
boltknight: WRONG CHAT SORRY
musclered: It’s quite alright! I want to hear the gossip on the people in leadership :) They’re influential figures! Very elusive, too!
————
DM: gloomurai, boltknight
boltknight: HELP I FUCKED UP
gloomurai: i saw
gloomurai: do u need me 4 dmg control
boltknight: not yet wait
boltknight: i have an idea
gloomurai: ?
boltknight: ill explain after
————
Group Chat: 2knights2nite
boltknight: oh
boltknight: well
boltknight: there have been accidents going on
boltknight: and everyone says theyre just accidents, but they’ve all been happening to the people in the spelldrive team
boltknight: our vice housewarden has promised to investigate :) he’s a very reliable guy!
boltknight: not long ago, our proper housewarden came back from some event looking shaken asf, and everyone was walking on more eggshells around him than we usually do, then our vice housewarden threw an unbirthday party to break the ice
boltknight: he baked enough for the whole dorm :D
musclered: Ahh, you’re part of Heartslabyul. Trey Clover? I do concur, he’s a great person.
musclered: Could you elaborate on the accidents?
musclered: It’s terrible that that’s happening to your dorm
musclered: I want to know what might happen if it spreads to mine
boltknight: Of course.
boltknight: somebody fell off their broom
boltknight: a spelldrive team member? falling from their broom?
boltknight: another one tipped over their cauldron
boltknight: everyone knows crewel did something to the cauldrons to keep them as safe as possible
boltknight: and just now, i heard that someone fell down the stairs…
musclered: Goodness! How terrible!
musclered: I’ll inform my own Vice-Housewarden about this
musclered: Rest assured, the culprit will be found.
————
Group Chat: Housewardens + Vices
Lilia Vanrouge: Hello everybody! I’ve just been informed that Heartslabyul’s Spelldrive Team members have been involved in accidents. The person who tipped me off implied that it was foul play.
Lilia Vanrouge: Does anybody know anything about this? @RiddleRosehearts @TreyClover
Riddle Rosehearts: Yes. I have been trying to find reserves for the players if they cannot participate on the day.
Riddle Rosehearts: Rest assured, those students are recovering well in the infirmary.
Lilia Vanrouge: Has there been an investigation into the cause?
Riddle Rosehearts: Eyewitnesses have claimed that every accident was natural. Trey is investigating the matter, however. I do agree that it’s suspicious.
Trey Clover: The timing of it is too coincidental, as are the people affected.
Trey Clover: If this starts happening to people in other dorms, please contact me.
————
DM: gloomurai, boltknight
gloomurai sent an image
gloomurai: THATS BRILLIANT
gloomurai: now ruggie and leonas scheme is gonna come out earlier bc theyve got a whole team on it this time
gloomurai: how did u know that trey was on the case
boltknight: I DIDNT KNOW IT JUST WORKED OUT
boltknight: lol plot armour is the best
gloomurai: aaah thats so epic
————
Group Chat: Diasomnia
Lilia Vanrouge: @Silver @SebekZigvolt Could you two stay together from now on?
Lilia Vanrouge: Spelldrive team members are being targeted by an unknown force
Lilia Vanrouge: It has only been Heartslabyul thus far, but I do not want to risk you too.
Lilia Vanrouge: Corroborate your schedules so that neither of you are alone for long.
Silver: Yes father.
Sebek Zigvolt: Yes sir!
Malleus Draconia: Is there an active threat against my people?
Lilia Vanrouge: Oh, I see your phone is still working!
Lilia Vanrouge: Hopefully not. Stay vigilant.
————
DM: gloomurai, boltknight
boltknight: lilias got the spelldrive members going round in pairs
gloomurai: got it
boltknight: walking with silver is nice
boltknight: feels like we rlly are brothers
gloomurai: thats an irreplaceable feeling
boltknight: now ik U arent saying that
gloomurai: its tru
gloomurai: prev ortho and current ortho r both so precious 2 me
gloomurai: theyre both my brothers
gloomurai: i love them
gloomurai: robortho used 2 b a replacement but hes come so far
gloomurai: hes so much more than i ever expected
boltknight: awww 🥹
————
DM: gloomurai, boltknight
boltknight: i take that back
boltknight: it was nice on first day and now its kinda stifling
boltknight: the stares i get from the second years r kinda unnerving
boltknight: bc sevens forbid i wanna pick up my brother from class 🙄
boltknight: also im chilling in diasom lounge rn w a good book and he was staring @ me the whole time
boltknight: his rbf has never been more apparent
gloomurai: well u gotta stick w him and his rbf until the culprit is found
boltknight: its not even a mystery atp
boltknight: can we anon tip them that its leona and ruggie or smth
gloomurai: oh
gloomurai: actually
gloomurai: u dont have to wait
gloomurai: treys just dmed me asking if i could check the cams for sus acttivity
gloomurai: ths feels like among us lol
gloomurai: cept we already kno the culprit
boltknight: feed trey all the info that leads to ruggie and leona pls
gloomurai: ughhh work
gloomurai: ig thats the fate of a housewarden
gloomurai: give me two hours
gloomurai: five max
boltknight: take ur time
————
DM: Trey Clover, Idia Shroud
Idia Shroud sent an attachment
Idia Shroud: heres ur evidence
Idia Shroud: its ruggie n leona
Idia Shroud: is that all
Trey Clover: Thank you so much, Shroud
Trey Clover: I owe you one
Idia Shroud: ywyw
Idia Shroud: make sure to get this done b4 the tourney
Idia Shroud: i want to actually watch a good game lol
Trey Clover: We’ll try our best.
Idia Shroud: counting on u
————
Group Chat: Housewardens + Vices
Trey Clover forwarded an attachment
Trey Clover: @LeonaKingscholar @RuggieBucchi Care to explain?
Lilia Vanrouge: !!
————
DM: gloomurai, boltknight
gloomurai sent an image
gloomurai: is leona gonna ob bc of this
boltknight: leona ob’d because he felt everything was futile and it was a last ditch attempt + wanted to attempt i think allegedly
boltknight: we need someone on standby in savanaclaw to fight him and also keep him alive
boltknight: i say jack, yuu, a healer, and kalim
boltknight: ideally more but those are the most likely to go + optimal for the sitch
gloomurai: on it
gloomurai: cant get a healer soz lilias my next best bet
————
DM: gloomurai, Jack Howl
gloomurai: watch your housewarden carefully
gloomurai: if you must fight, do not hesitate, and aim for the glass
Jack Howl: who is this?? How did u get my contact???
gloomurai: if i could do this then imagine what else i could do
gloomurai: just listen to me
Jack Howl: If you are a threat, I will not hesitate with you either.
gloomurai: but violence isn’t how you work, is it, jack?
————
DM: gloomurai, Yuu Shrimp
gloomurai: get to savanaclaw asap
gloomurai: overblot imminent
Yuu Shrimp: Sure
Yuu Shrimp: Not the first time I’ve been mysteriously contacted to do stuff
gloomurai: ty
gloomurai: transferring funds 2 ur acc rn
Yuu Shrimp: OH MY GOD
gloomurai: oh your sevens* god doesnt exist here
————
DM: gloomurai, Kalim Al-Asim
gloomurai: go to savanaclaw
gloomurai: this isnt a kidnapping btw you can bring jamil and whoever else
Kalim Al-Asim: Okay! :D
gloomurai: and tell jamil to teach u internet safety
Kalim Al-Asim: Sure! :D
gloomurai: make sure to rush
Kalim Al-Asim: Ofc! :D
————
Group Chat: 2knights2nite
gloomurai: does any1 kno why like twenty ppl r going to th savanaclaw mirror
musclered: I might have an idea. Don’t concern yourself with it, I know ppl who will handle it
————
Group Chat: Housewardens + Vices
Lilia Vanrouge: @LeonaKingscholar @RuggieBucchi I am on the way to interrogate you and your lackeys in person :)
————
DM: gloomurai, boltknight
gloomurai sent an image
gloomurai: lils is otw
gloomurai: theyre so fucked lol
boltknight: lilia is gonna insult him into tipping over again 😭
gloomurai: also ive already sent the ppl u asked for 2 the place
gloomurai: lemme guess
gloomurai: jack for immediate response, yuu bc theyre the mc, kalim bc he can make water and water beats sand?
boltknight: ruggie almost turned to sand
boltknight: i think the water would do him good
gloomurai: is it wrong i almost laughed at that
————
Group Chat: Housewardens + Vices
Leona Kingscholar: dammit
Leona Kingscholar: fine, you caught us
Leona Kingscholar: good job
Leona Kingscholar: want a medal?
Ruggie Bucchi: …
Riddle Rosehearts: Not even going to deny it?
Leona Kingscholar: whats the point
Leona Kingscholar: no matter what
Leona Kingscholar: no matter what i do im never going to win
————
DM: gloomurai, boltknight
gloomurai: things arent going well
gloomurai: leonas boutta crash tf out
boltknight: should b alright
boltknight: i feel like silver im gen considering taking a nap and seeing what happens after
gloomurai: go for it
gloomurai: a little timeskip never hurt nobody
boltknight: i feel like it has actually
boltknight: but im so tired that i will ignore it
boltknight: gonna nap next to silver
————
DM: gloomurai, silverVrouge
silverVrouge: He’s sleeping on my shoulder
silverVrouge: Father left Diasomnia urgently, I assume because of the issue you brought up.
silverVrouge: I was worried. Sebek is calming me down.
silverVrouge: In response to your earlier question; no, I don’t think this sudden change is bad.
silverVrouge: Sebek is my beloved brother no matter which world he came from.
gloomurai: thats all i needed 2 kno :)
————
Group Chat: Housewardens + Vices
Jamil Viper: @RiddleRosehearts You can add Kingscholar to the list of overblots thus far
Riddle Rosehearts: Ah
Riddle Rosehearts: Is he alright?
Jamil Viper: He’s in the infirmary with Ruggie and Jack.
Vil Schoenheit: Jack? How was he involved?
Jamil Viper: When Leona overblotted, Kalim, Ruggie, Jack, Yuu, Lilia, and I had to fight him.
Rook Hunt: Oh my! So many people collaborating towards one goal — c’est magnifique! If only I had been there to see the beauté of friendship in action!
Jamil Viper: It really wasn’t all that.
Jamil Viper: Leona used his UM on Ruggie, overblotted, and tried to dry out the whole place
Jamil Viper: Unfortunately, Kalim’s UM kept the place moist, and we all know cats don’t like water. Jack turned into a wolf and took down Leona from there.
Jamil Viper: To clarify, all of us are in the infirmary right now. Leona, Ruggie, and Jack were the only ones admitted, the rest are just here temporarily. We’re being checked over for blot.
Trey Clover: Better safe than sorry. I’m starting to see a pattern…
Riddle Rosehearts: We should inform the Headmage.
Jamil Viper: The headmage doesn’t know and we need to keep it that way.
Riddle Rosehearts: If this continues, it poses a danger to all of us.
Jamil Viper: We all know how incompetent Crowley is. If he found out, there’s no doubt his coverup job would end up revealing more.
Vil Schoenheit: I concur. I cannot afford for this school’s reputation to fall while I still attend it.
Kalim Al-Asim: Vil T-T What about your underclassmen buddies?
Vil Schoenheit: I’m sure I am not the only lifeline holding the school together. I never said that the school would immediately crash the moment I left.
Kalim Al-Asim: !!! You do have faith in us!!! :D
Trey Clover: Jamil, are you certain we can keep the overblots a secret?
Trey Clover: Nobody untrustworthy saw Riddle’s, but Savanaclaw must have seen Leona’s.
Trey Clover: Or felt it.
Jamil Viper: As luck would have it, Savanaclaw has gotten into the habit of sleeping through fights. We should thank their usual rowdy nature.
Jamil Viper: @AzulAshengrotto Could you make an NDA so that none of us can tell anybody outside of whoever knows?
Azul Ashengrotto: At a price.
Jamil Viper: How much?
Azul Ashengrotto: Oh, just a bit of labour. Hands are ever so scarce in the Lounge, you see.
Jamil Viper: For 2 months, every time a Scarabia student needs to be punished further than detention, I’ll send them to the lounge for 2 weeks unpaid.
Jamil Viper: We have some troublemaking individuals. Hopefully your eels can scare them straight.
Azul Ashengrotto: That works for me.
Jade Leech: Us too :)
Jamil Viper: Okay, I’ll come over to Octavinelle now.
Azul Ashengrotto: For the rest of you, a digital signature shall suffice for the NDA. It applies to all past and future overblots, and becomes null when the Headmage finds out about all of them on his own. In the scenario where he is involved with an overblot, you still mustn't tell him about previous overblots. Whenever somebody who has not signed this NDA finds out about the overblots or any overblot, they must be informed that the need to sign the NDA ASAP.
Azul Ashengrotto: Punishment for violating the terms of the contract will be the complete loss of magic for a week.
Riddle Rosehearts: Brutal as always, Ashengrotto.
Azul Ashengrotto: It’s necessary. Overblots are no small matter.
Lilia Vanrouge: Sounds like someone’s caught a case of NRC pride
Lilia Vanrouge: Don't want to be pulled out of here, do you? :D
Azul Ashengrotto: In part.
Azul Ashengrotto: Incredibly influential people attend this school. I would not like to lose those connections
Azul Ashengrotto: @everyone Do make sure those from your dorm involved in the banquet sign the NDA also. They all saw Rosehearts’ overblot.
Riddle Rosehearts: On it.
Kalim Al-Asim: Leona’s not awake right now but I’ll tell him when he wakes up! c:
Vil Schoenheit: Alright.
Idia Shroud: 👍
Lilia Vanrouge: Got it!
————
Sebek is awoken by a gentle, warm hand shaking his shoulder, and with a stylus and a phone in his face. Blinkingly drowsily, he mumbles, “What time is it…?”
He raises his own phone to check, lifting his head off of his slightly stiff pillow. Flashbanged with the most gorgeous Malleus Draconia art which he set as his lockscreen, Sebek notes the time — very late — and finally turns his attention back to whoever had woken him.
Oh shit, Silver was his pillow. And the hand holding the phone has nails coloured magenta and black, connected to a wide-eyed Lilia, while Malleus curiously investigates Sebek’s phone screen.
"What's this for?” he asks, rubbing the rest of the sleep out of his eyes while ignoring whatever that was.
“It’s so nobody reveals Riddle’s overblot,” Silver informs. “We all had to sign it.”
Nodding, Sebek picks up the stylus. His hand moves automatically, signing it with Sebek’s signature. Oh, good, he didn’t have to make one up.
Lilia pulls the phone away when he finishes writing, then sends the file somewhere. Sebek is way too trusting of them. He didn’t even read the contract before he signed, he just took their words as gospel. The contract could have been a lifetime of indentured servitude or something. Jamil core.
————
DM: gloomurai, boltknight
boltknight: if diafam were replaced by maliciously-intending strangers i’d be killed so fast
gloomurai: where is this coming from
boltknight: please tell me the ob contract was real
gloomurai: it is
gloomurai: jamil negotiated with azul 4 it
boltknight: oh thats good now im gonna catch sume zzzzs bebcause inmm still rsallly tiltred aftee rmhy napppprhhhhrrfjrhrhhrrrrerrrrrr
gloomurai: bro is turning into silver
gloomurai: if he keeps this up he isnt going to b able to play his twistunes for the exams lol
gloomurai: have a good rest, bolt
————
Lilia laughs out loud as Sebek goes back to sleep on Silver.
————
DM: gloomurai, boltknight
boltknight: WTFDYM IVE BEEN SLEEPING FOR TWELVE HOURS
gloomurai: did you only just wake up now?
boltknight: YES
boltknight: luckily i still have time to get ready n stuff but
boltknight: uuughhhh school day
gloomurai: you do puzzles all day, what is there to complain about
boltknight: you dont go to school
boltknight: i can complain as much as i want
boltknight: also someone moved me from silver to my bed and i think thats very important
boltknight: ive got an ache from sleeping weird
boltknight: but i am simultaneously the most comfortable ive ever been
gloomurai: good 4 u?
boltknight: not good for me
boltknight: bc i feel like jelly
boltknight: and jelly does not do well in spelldrive matches
boltknight: i knew someone whos dn was jelly i fucking despised them
gloomurai: im sure youll cook when the time comes
boltknight: aaaaaaaaaaaagh
gloomurai: bbbbbbbbbbbbgh
————
gloomurai: o i forgor to show u wht happened
gloomurai sent an image
gloomurai sent an image
gloomurai: notice how no1 protested against hiding it from the headmage
gloomurai: riddle backed down real quick too
gloomurai: lol evry1 agrees that that fuckers the worst
boltknight: its us nrc kids against our headmage ig
boltknight: hey if we were to stage a coup and elect another headmage who would u pick
gloomurai: i propose we all become self governing subsections of a wider label
gloomurai: without a king
gloomurai: but crowleys got enuf power that its actually better to have him in charge
gloomurai: bc if everythign goes to shit we have a scapegoat :)
boltknight: fair
boltknight: sigh we’ve already got basically an underground network
gloomurai: does it count if the network is above ground and very open, and our headmage’s head is in the clouds?
boltknight: i Guess bro
boltknight: anyways i gtg this puzzle is interesting
gloomurai: lol have fun
————
boltknight: first spelldrive practice went well
gloomurai: lemme guess
gloomurai: either malleus demonstrated how hed win the game
gloomurai: or he watched while u played w 6 only
boltknight: both
boltknight: over a timeskipped period of time
boltknight: did u know i can set the twistune songs
gloomurai: oh helllyeaahhh drop the track
boltknight: did u know that training only lasts as long as the twistune
gloomurai: OH
gloomurai: WAIT HELL YEAH
gloomurai: just registered
gloomurai: jackpot sad girl short ver or smth?
boltknight: bakenohana n25 cover
boltknight: its just frantic enough to get me in the vibe of the game but short enough i dont fucking DIE
gloomurai: yaaay pjsk mentioned
gloomurai: way better than spelldrive imo
gloomurai: ur worlds games r so much cooler
gloomurai: im fuckin OVERJOYED i got access to them
gloomurai: n ur videos r so funny too
boltknight: wait
boltknight: FUCKING WAIT
boltknight: HOLD ON
boltknight: CAN U HOOK ME UP W THE INTERDIMENSIONAL INTERNET ACCESS
boltknight: BC IVE BEEN LAMENTING THE LOSS OF YOUTUBE
boltknight: MAGICAM IS NOT AN ADEQUATE REPLACEMENT
boltknight: Idia Shroud, technological genius prodigy. PLEASE.
gloomurai: who do u think i am
gloomurai: lol ofc i can
gloomurai: come over ill set it up on ur phone
boltknight: OH MY GOD THANK YOU ILSYM SLASH P I LOVE YOU I LOVE UOUU UEHTJAHFJAHDHEE /p im gonna cook u sm food DO YOU WANT ME TO SUPPLY IGNIHYDE WITH FOOD BC I DEF CAN
boltknight: HOW DO I REPAY YOU
gloomurai: its a simple fix rlly not a big deal
gloomurai: bring smth we can share
gloomurai: we can hang out :)
boltknight: YESSS
boltknight: SLEEPOVER TIME?
gloomurai: !!!! absolutely
boltknight: A SLEEPOVER!!! WITH GLOOMURAI!!! MY BESTEST FRIEND!!!!
boltknight: AAAAAAAAAAA
boltknight: lets game and watch yt vids all night
gloomurai: yayy!!!
boltknight: just give me some time to cook n get my stuff ready and ill be over in a jiffy
gloomurai: . jiffy
gloomurai: 🥹
————
“Lilia!” Sebek shouts into the lounge. Malleus and Silver lift their heads in time with Lilia to face the boy. A duffel bag hangs to his side, and containers of freshly-cooked food stack up in his arms. “I’m going to a sleepover! I’ll be back before classes tomorrow!”
“Okaay~ Have fun!” Lilia cheers, waving dismissively. “Make sure to avoid the Savanaclaw mirror, I think they’re still going through something!”
“Yes sir!” Sebek agrees, then leaves.
Malleus hums in contemplation. “Lilia, what is a ‘sleepover’?”
Grinning, Lilia explains, “It’s where someone goes to another’s house and stays the night there.” He beams, “This means Sebek is making friends!”
“Friends,” Malleus murmurs. “Interesting.”
————
“What the fuck,” Yuu mumbles, noticing the horned figure outside their window.
“Hello,” the figure greets in a low and smooth tone. “Are you my friend? Are we having a sleepover?”
“…Sure, whatever.” They close their eyes and roll over.
“Yes!” They hear the figure cheer quietly.
————
True to his word, Sebek stumbles into Diasomnia the following morning, with bags under his eyes and a yawn splitting his face wide.
“Welcome back,” Silver intones. “Did you have fun?”
Swiping one of Silver’s many unopened energy drinks from the table, Sebek mumbles, “Yes.”
“Idia is fun to game with,” Silver nods. “He’s been a huge help thus far.”
Sebek freezes at Silver’s namedrop, immediately sobering up, then remembers. He Knows. “Yes. He…“ Fuck. Words. Sebek almost panics. Then, he remembers Original Sebek’s tsundere tendencies, and the next line flows easily off his tongue. “Hmph! It is only natural that a friend of mine is an exemplary companion!” Smirk and nod. Just smirk and nod.
Lilia walks into the lounge to see Sebek chug an entire Monster Energy Mango Loco Flavour in 1 (one) minute and 42 (forty-two) seconds. Silver looks a bit put-out at the loss of one of his drinks.
“Do you think you’ll be disqualified for drug use if you do that before the match?” Lilia blurts out.
“NoIdon’tthinkso!” Sebek actually panics this time, and he yells his answer much too quickly and loudly.
“Don’t,” Silver advises. “If you’re going to, buy your own energy drink for it.”
“Okay,” Sebek agrees easily.
————
DM: gloomurai, boltknight
boltknight: rip my energy drink clean streak
gloomurai: rip
gloomurai: an energy drink would make u less ooc tho
gloomurai: sebek always seemed high
boltknight: true
boltknight: …u just want to bring my addiction back dont u
boltknight: i stayed up just fine last night!
gloomurai: ngl u were giving silver at one point
gloomurai: its okay
gloomurai: if diasom wins spelldrive then allow urself a cheat day
gloomurai: drink all ur fav energy drinks
boltknight: i dont have silver’s ‘unique constitution’
boltknight: IM GOING TO FUCKING DIE
gloomurai: rip
————
A week later, all of Diasomnia has a party to celebrate their win. There, Sebek Zigvolt is dared by Silver to drink three energy drinks, and he does. He guzzles them down like he’s the monster with the energy, and this fantasy world is not ruby-red enough. His dreams have not enough strawberry. His mangoes went loco.
————
DM: gloomurai, boltknight
boltknight sent a video
gloomurai: o shit u actually did it lol
boltknight: ill give you 1 thaumark to throw the gold flavour at leonas head the next housewarden meeting
gloomurai: five and ill throw an ultra blue at azul as well
boltknight: deal
————
gloomurai sent a video
boltknight: LMAO AZUL LOOKS LIKE HES GONNA OVERBLOT
gloomurai: he will
boltknight: ohfuck i forgo