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— “I was picked for WHAT?!”
— “It’s not the end of the world, herbivore” Leona says, smirking lazily
Because he knows this…is indeed the end of the world for Sirius.
There is a lot going on in the Ignihyde student’s life. Achilles has not returned. Spelldrive practice has become more and more grueling on the eve of the interdorm spelldrive tournament. His new responsibilities with Idia. But all of that dwarves in comparison to one thing and only one thing:
Being picked to organize Jack’s birthday celebration and interview him.
— “They cannot do this to me! I don’t even know what I am going to give him! Much less how to do an entire party!!” Sirius ruminates, walking back and forth, gripping his sleeve with his left hand while his right grips his pendant like a lifeline.
— “And here I thought you would love to organize your boyfriend’s birthday party.” Leona stretches, a bit amused.
— “HE IS NOT- Wait …you picked ME?!”
— “Until you use that noggin’ of yours,” Leona says, crossing his arms as a devilish smile poses his lips. “As a housewarden, the role falls on me, but it’s too much of a bother and I have shit to do.”
— “And what about Ruggie?!” Sirius protests
— “Busy. Now quit yer yappin’,” Leona says, his tail lashing from behind. “ ‘Sides, ya know Jack well enough. You are the best man for the job.”
— “Well…yeah. Me and Epel” Sirius looks away “Will I be able to truly do him justice?”
— “You won’t find out if you keep bitchin’ over here. Do something about it.” Leona says…and then takes out his credit card. “Now scram. You have the whole day. The Savanaclaw dorm members were told to assist you. Don’t disappoint me.
Sirius gives Leona a deadpan look, not exactly amused by the wording. But that is the most consistent lesson he has learned from Jack “focus on what you can do”. So he takes a deep breath, snatches the card and starts walking away.
— “Maybe Epel can help me with this.” Sirius mutters to himself as he walks.
———————————————
The early sun's rays filter through the curtains, gently touching Jack's face. All while his alarm clock was not-so-gently blasting into his ear. One way or another, Jack wakes up and prepares for his daily rituals. He puts on his sweater and grabs a set of clean clothing; mainly his P.E jumpsuit uniform, his sneakers that had certainly seen better days, the mustard yellow undershirt and a fresh pair of socks and underwear. He then makes a beeline to the shower, and once he is freshened up, he starts his run. Jack is mainly doing a light jog….or what he considers a light jog, that is.
He goes throughout the whole school, putting extra emphasis on the woods behind campus. And one can hardly blame the guy. The woods have just recently recovered from Achilles’ little rampage, and while Jack is annoyed that he couldn't come to his favorite running spot in a while, he does have one thing he is grateful for: the harder-to-walk terrain. Before, the more rugged terrain was a challenge unto itself, as well as a perfect way to build up core muscles. Now, given the way Achilles’ spells twisted the terrain, walking around here is a huge challenge, much less running. And if there is something Jack loves, it is a good challenge to measure himself and push his limits even further. And, perhaps a bit more embarrassingly for him, Jack also appreciates the small yarrow field Achilles made. It attracts butterflies of all kinds, and it creates a very idyllic scenery to pass by. Jack usually can’t stay for too long, though. Otherwise, he risks distracting himself with the pretty insects, and he gets enough of that with the occasional butterfly that Sirius attracts.
...Sirius. It has been almost a month since he got entangled with him in this very forest. Same with Epel. Same with Grim. A perpetual thorn to the side that always threatens his alone time …or at least that is what Jack would want to tell himself, but in truth, between getting mixed in with Ace’s irresponsibility and Riddle’s tyranny, getting lost with Epel, housewarden Leona and Odysseus on the Caribbean, learning from Sirius’ world and the strength of will shown across its history, even that stupid sleepover where he got worked up over a video game, he can’t deny it has been pleasant so far. Granted, it helps Sirius and Epel have been respecting Jack’s desire to be left alone to do his thing…for the most part. Sirius always tends to drop every so often to drag him into some sort of activity after his workout or to just give him a pear or a bottle of water. And Epel also works out with him at times. It is a bit annoying, but Jack does appreciate how low-key they tend to be, never badgering Jack with pointless small talk nor making a huge fuss about it. That they never interrupt his exercises and drop after it also helps.
After a few more minutes, Jack finishes his jog, and from there he goes to eat breakfast. By now, on most days, Epel and Sirius would have come to join him, but today, neither of them is nowhere to be seen. Still, not something Jack is all that worried about. They must have their own shit to do, and he won’t be saying no to some time for himself.
— “Lessee, what now?” Jack ponders, crossing his arms. His ears flick every so often as he does…it is quite adorable. “...Right, Spelldrive practice. Hope those clowns managed to clean up their act.”
———————————————
— “I say we make a huge tuna can cake!” Grim proposes, much to Sirius and Epel’s amusement.
— “Grim, this ain’t for you,” Sirius says, ruffling Grim’s fur before looking at Epel. “Still, do you think the pear topping is too much?”
— “Eh. As long as it combines with the cake itself, it will work” Epel says, content. “The frosting is too sweet, tho.”
— “Of course it is…do you think we will get it all right in a day? And there is also the decorations, getting some of the guys to help us is a bad idea, Jack could discover something and–”
— “Hench-human, you are worrying too much again” Grim says, deadpan
— “Is necessary..” Sirius grumbles, although it sounded almost like lamenting
— “Grim’s is right though,” Epel adds. “Press an apple too much, and you will only get compote.”
— “Right, right…I know. I just want it to be perfect for him,” Sirius says, stimming my caressing his arms as he speaks. “Everyone deserves a happy birthday. Especially Jack.”
— “You are such a dork,” Epel says, slapping Sirius on the back. “Besides, you know how Jack feels about grandiose gestures.”
— “Yeah…don’t remind me of the rabbit festival,” Sirius cringes. “Keep it simple…I get it.”
— “Nice. Now, to which bakery do we order the cake from?” Epel asks.
— “Actually, I wanted to make it handmade,” Sirius says sheepishly. “It feels more personal like that. And it is easier to control how sugar goes into it.”
— “Sappy as heck, but can’t disagree.” Epel sighs. “Was planning to do the same with a pie.”
— “Let’s just do both” Sirius beams. “It's not like we are competing.”
— “True…my pie will be better.” Epel grins rambunctiously.
— “Nice try, but I ain’t that easy to goad.” Sirius rolls his eyes, amused.
— “....what about that pokemon tour–”
— “SHUT IT!”
———————————————
— “Come back when you've learned a thing or two.” Jack says, his arms crossed, as his most recent spelldrive opponent, a junior, grumbles in humiliation.
And just behind said junior lies 29 other students, from sophomores to other juniors, even Askari and Chigaru, all similarly crushed by Jack in one-on-one spelldrive matches. No matter how much rule skirting they all tried, the difference between Jack and them may as well be a chasm.
— “THIS MAKES NO SENSE! How can a freshman be so dang ripped?” The junior gets up, exasperated, looking at Jack as if he was some sort of freak of nature.
Jack, in response, gives him a dispassionate, even disappointed look.
— “I busted my tail training. If you clowns spent half the time doin’ just that rather than coming up with some cockamamie scheme to cut ahead of the pecking order, you may have given half the challenge Sirius and Epel give me.”
— “The fuck you say to me?!” The junior roars, but even so, he is more bark than bite due to exhaustion. Given he is on the spelldrive club too, being compared unfavorably to two runts and a cat, one of them being magicless at that …it stings. A lot.
— “Ya heard me … What a huge waste of time.” Jack says, and ultimately leaves, unaware or most likely uncaring of the myriad glares coming his way.
As far as concerned, they have no reason to whine. He won by the rules, he is stronger. And in Savanaclaw, if you want your opinion to matter, you get stronger.
After hitting the shower, Jack makes his way to the library. The reason he is there is twofold. One is to look for some books that help complement his training with some research, given his opponents had been quite lacking. And second …just to relax, really. The library IS a great place to be alone, after all. It's also quiet, so one can focus on research and studying, or in some calm book reading session.
Jack, perhaps out of curiosity, takes a deep whiff …nope, Sirius nor Epel ain’t here either. . But for now, that does not matter. Jack is efficient in his movement, going straight to the sports section and gathering a few books regarding proper spelldrive technique, core muscle building and stamina. On his way back to the reading tables, he happens to pass by the fairytale section …and spots a book about the Beauty and the Beast. Jack stares at the book for a solid minute. As if debating if he should grab it.
— “Aren’t I too old for these?” Jack mutters to himself. “It’s not like I wanna read it or anything…”
He looks around, checking for possible onlookers. Nothing to his left. Nothing to his right. He can’t hear anybody either.
— “...maybe just for a little bit.” Jack mutters again, and reaches to grab the book.
— “Oh, Good afternoon Jack.”
— “AHHRG” Jack screams, almost dropping the books in his hand. His ears are tensed upwards, and his tail puffed up. He darts on the source of the voice, only to see a slightly amused Vil. “V-Vil..hey.”
— “My apologies. I didn’t mean to scare you,” Vil says, still a bit amused, but his tone is also as sincere as it is poised.
— “Y-you didn’t—...whatever.” Jack sighs, still a bit high-strung. “Whatcha doin’ here?”
— “I was on my way out. Simply came for a book to check the effects of a chemical I am using,” Vil says, and then something bumps on his foot.
Vil looks down, spotting one of Jack’s books on the floor. On his part, Jack follows Vil’s gaze down…and immediately starts to panic as he sees Vil starting to crouch.
— “W-WAIT, VIL, WA–”
But alas, Vil is faster, and he gets a hold of the book. He stands up, dusts the book a little…and his lips form a nostalgic smile, much to Jack’s embarrassment.
— “My world, I have not seen this story ever since we were small.” Vil says, pleased, as he looks at the cover of the Beauty and the Beast book. “I never fathomed the idea that it would be in the library.”
— “I-IT’S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!” Jack squawks, face as red as a beet.
— “Jack, be quiet. We are in a library,” Vil chides, and then gives the book another look. “I suppose you had more than just training on your mind.”
— “M-me?! Nah, it’s not for me! Is …FOR SIRIUS!” Jack argues, not exactly the best at hiding his flusterment. “Y-yeah. He goes gaga for fairytales, so…yeah.”
— “Is that so?” Vil arcs Jack a perfectly trimmed eyebrow…while giving him a knowing look. “I suppose it makes sense. A few times I had seen the cygnet, it had been him with his nose up in some new book.”
— “Y-yeah. That 's just it! He asked me to go get it for him. He’s busy today!” Jack’s tail swishes from side to side nervously, which Vil catches on.
— “I see. I do wonder why Sirius would ask you for another copy of the book he already owns.” Vil says, giving Jack an elegant, knowing look. The smile on his lips turns smug, yet elegant when he sees Jack’s eyes widen in nervousness. “If I recall, one you yourself gave to him.”
— “THE HELL DO YOU KNOW?!”
— “Language, Jack!” Vil chides, to Jack’s annoyance. “As for your question: Youu are not a very good liar. And Sirius told me as much. He even asked me about the legend itself when I told him the legend originated from the Shaftlands. If only Epel could pay as much attention to me speaking the same way Sirius does.”
— “Of fuckin’ course,” Jack mutters. His ears dropped, his tail was between his legs, his posture rigid.
— “I must say, Jack. I was not expecting you to give that particular book to him.”
— “IT WAS ON SALE!” Jack protests, his voice laced with nervous energy. “I—I owe him a favor, and I knew he liked books, so- so-...AGHR!”
— “If I didn’t know you better, I would have said you are lying,” Vil says, amused. “ You've always been awkward when it comes to sharing your interests. It was very kind of you.”
— “S-shut up…” Jack mutters, trying his damnedest to sound indifferent.
— “Oh please. Stand straight!” Vil orders, sternly, causing Jack to do as much. “You like a fairytale book. So what? You are making it much more of a fuss than it actually is.”
Jack just grunted, bordering on a whimper. His face was still as red as a tomato in spite of his stern expression, his posture still tense. Hls ears are still pressed against his head. Overall, he is still very flustered.
— “Changing topics,” Vil adds, deciding to spare poor Jack’s ego a bit. “Are you prepared for your interview?”
— “.. Right. Yeah, I am,” Jack says, calmer, almost sounding like his usual self. “They claim the Magical Birthday Dice selected an interviewer who'll bring me good fortune.”
— “That’s correct. Your housewarden must be aware of who it is by now, but still, be sure to be properly prepared .” Vil says, poised. “I know how surly you can be. And you are representing your dorm in that interview.”
— “Tch…I will. I won’t be letting housewarden Leona down,” Jack says, gruffly. “Also, I’m not surly!”
— “Yes you are.” Vil retorts.
— “I’m just lookin’ out for myself! Give a guy a break, will’ya?!”
— “I suppose some things never change.” Vil says, equal time unimpressed and amused.
Shortly after, Vil takes his leave, while Jack just resumes his trip back to the reading tables, albeit more peeved off compared to before. It doesn’t deter him much, taking notes on his phone as he sees fit, and eventually…rereads Beauty and the Beast.
The story brings him back to his childhood, how he made his mother, father, even grandfather read it for him every night. Even on the days he was babysat by Mr. Shoenheit, he would ask for that very book, and get in childish spats with Vil about it, since the then yet-to-be housewarden and star always preferred books about the exploits of the Fairest Queen.
Beauty and the Beast is a legend and fairytale well known in the Shaftlands, and is as popular with beastmen as the tales of the King of Beasts and the Brave Lioness. The Beautiful Scholar was said to be a sagacious and cunning, yet extremely kind and beautiful woman who nonetheless was an outcast as a result of being misunderstood. She was shallowly regarded for her beauty but not much else, as her out-there yet ambitious ideas and her drive to know more and more were just seen as “quirks” and “kookiness” she inherited from her father. In a show of true love, when her father was in danger, she sacrificed her freedom to rescue him, and her inner goodness and sharp tongue would touch the heart of her captor, the Bestial Prince.
He was said to be a beastman, although which kind varies. Some say he was a lion beastman, others a boar. A gorilla, a Buffalo, a bear. But the version Jack read, he was a wolf beastman, just like himself. Regardless, one thing was certain: he was cursed by an enchantress. She asked to enter the castle, offering a rose in exchange, but he refused. While one can argue that refusing to let strangers in your house is simply common sense, the prince was not without flaws. He was said to be a naturally kind and just ruler, but also one raised to be extremely arrogant by his tyrannical father. The prince’s dismissal was so cold that the enchantress revealed her true self and cursed him with a monstrous form, little by little cursed to lose his mind, soul and humanity. This would also affect his servants, who were also stripped of their humanity and turned into household objects for condoning his cruelty, for acting as mere dress up and furniture to him. The rose he so callously rejected was also enchanted, acting as a proverbial hourglass for the entire castle. The moment the last petal of the rose falls, the transformation would be permanent, the beast would regress into a feral monster and his servants would be turned to inert objects.
Both Beauty and Beast bonded by their shared status as outcasts and their love for reading. They played small pranks on each other. She taught him to get around his monstrous form when it came to handling animals and doing delicate work. She even nursed him back to health when he came back hurt from hunting. The beauty saw past his tough exterior to see the one beneath, one regretful of his past and one that could be kind and even a bit awkward, but that through the curse and self-loathing, came to believe he could only be a beast. She managed to bring back the beast's more kind and humane side, and in the process, helped him become a better man. Through her kindness, she became not a prisoner, but an equal to him. He gifted her a library filled to the brim with books, as well as an enchanted mirror through which she could see her father. With time, they went to share the same table, the same wing..the same room, the same bed, they did everything together. And eventually, they consummated their love with a waltz, one only the servants and each other came to witness. But time did not remain kind, as through the enchanted mirror, she saw her father was severely ill, so the beast told her to go, meekly asking to just come back, to which she agreed.
The people of the village, however, were not as understanding. When the beauty came back and told them of the beautiful and kind man he became, they only saw a feral beast. Some grew fearful, others were paralyzed with doubt, some even wanted to believe her but feared going against the majority, but a group of them saw an opportunity for slaughter. They imprisoned the beauty and marched to the castle to kill him and loot the place. Through the help of her father, a small servant from the castle (a child turned into a teacup) and the remaining people in the village, the beauty escaped and managed to warn the beast. He drove the invaders off with his servants, the ringleader even fell to his death, but the beast was gravely injured. Distraught, the beauty gave him her first and last kiss, causing the curse to break, healing the beast and restoring him to his original form.
Is a nice tale about understanding and growing into the best version of yourself, one Jack can resonate with, given his focus on self-betterment. The Beautiful Scholar never stop reading and learning, the Bestial Prince grew past his flaws, and both never gave up. And…as much as Jack is embarrassed about it, he can relate somewhat to both. While he has loving parents and siblings, he had never had a lot of friends as a kid. He didn't have time for kids' stuff, usually preferring to go off on his own and exercise. Not helping matters is how he was, and still is, very naturally serious, he couldn’t be all smiles like most kids are. Coupled with his strong moral compass and tendency to seek and beat up rotten bullies black and blue, he came off as scary to the other kids. And while he doesn’t mind being a lone wolf and an outsider, and if anything, he embraces being so fiercely independent, he would be lying if he said that as a kid he found himself frustrated at times with how being himself made him an outcast.
But hey, now he has found his place on Savanaclaw, learning and following Leona, aiming to one day play as his equal and even surpass him…and thanks to Sirius and Epel forcing their way into his life (Jack’s words, for the record), as well as being on the same school as Vil again, he can’t truly say he is alone anymore.
After his impromptu moment of self-reflection, Jack returns the books to their rightful place and exits the library, as he has some classes to attend. On his way out, however, he finds the same junior from spelldrive practice, who looked deadly serious.
— “Yo, need ya for a moment”
— “Make it quick,” Jack says, gruffly.
— “Sure, bigshot,” the junior replies, barely containing his contempt. “After class, I want to talk to ya. Alone.”
Jack arcs an eyebrow, knowing a challenge to a fight when he sees one. Still, he is not one to back down from anything, he is no coward.
— “Sure,” Jack says and passes the junior, going straight to class.
The junior sneers at Jack’s back as he goes, his face twisting in fury now that the wolf beastman can’t see him.
— “Damn mutt…you’ll see….”
———————————————
— “Epel, what am I seeing?”
— “I..um…well…”
When Vil came to Savanaclaw to check on Epel and help with Jack’s party, he was not expecting to see Sirius obsessively checking every single detail of a few decorations in the Savanaclaw lounge, from the lights to even the potted plants, to make sure they are absolutely perfect
— “He has been like that for a while,” Epel confesses. “Not sure if it’s anxiety, control issues, perfectionism…or all three. And we still need to do all the food with Trey.”
— “I want this to be doneee.” Grim complains.
— “Are these supposed to be the decorations then?!” Vil asks, a bit taken aback. “None of you had tried to stop him!?”
— “Eek!” Grim whines, trying to hide behind Epel.
— “I-is not that, housewarden!” Epel says, meekly. “We have tried, but …”
— “He chides us away!” Grim proclaims. “He even threw me away, ME! THE GREAT GRIM!”
— “Grim, he just bribed you with a cinnamon roll” Epel gives Grim a very dry look. Not to the level of the ones Jack gives, but still notable enough.
— “It was tasty!! Is better than your apples!”
— “The fuck ya sayd about mah apples, ya little–”
— “For Seven’s Sake!” Vil proclaims, shutting up Epel and Grim. “What a waste of time!”
Vil makes a beeline to Sirius..who, in his tunnel vision, does not see Vil coming. So Epel and Grim are treated to the scene of Sirius obsessively yet obliviously accommodating a potted plant to ensure it is perfectly placed to the millimeter while Vil ominously stares down at him. Must be one hell of a visual.
— “May I ask what it is that you are doing?” Vil asks, his tone imperious, immediately grabbing Sirius’ attention, who in turn, well, turns to face Vil…and then looks up, given the huge difference in height between both (the high heels Vil is wearing not helping matters)
— “Hi Mr. Vil” Sirius beams, utterly oblivious. “I was just organizing the place for Jack’s birthday.”
— “It seems to me like you are wasting time” Vil bluntly says, taking one of his hands to his hips. “There is still a lot to be organized and here you are.”
— “B—but I am just–”
— “Wasting time,” Vil interrupts. “You are running around the place like a clueless cygnet.”
— “I want this to be perfect for Jack!” Sirius retorts, flustered.
— “Your dedication to giving the best possible work you can is admirable, but you have reached the point of petulance.” Vil states, unforgiving. “And could I ask why are you organizing Jack’s party? That should be up to the housewarden.”
— “Leona told me he was busy and…that I was the best one for the job.”
— “You are so naive,” Vil face palms, careful as not to actually blemish his beautiful face. “Fine, I will take the reins. This has to be done one way or another.”
— “D-don’t worry. It should be–”
— “Silence. Now, unless you have something to protest about, you can lea–.”
— “N-no, Mr. Vil,” Sirius protests, meekly, but he still makes the effort to stand up. “I will stay. This is for Jack, and I w-will see it through to the end.”
— “You can talk all you want, but you had barely even started.” Vil arcs an eyebrow, skeptical. “It will be twilight in a few hours.”
— “I—I have everything outlined!”
Sirius takes out his phone, and in it Vil sees a list of everything he would need for the party, from how to get it to the prize range of it. It is somewhat crude to Vil’s liking, but it is clear Sirius has indeed visualized and organized the party. He simply struggles to bring such ideas to reality.
— “Hmm. This can work. Very well, you will act as my assistant," Vil proclaims, with no room for questioning. “Now…EPEL!”
— “Now wh- I mean, Yes, housewarden?!” Epel stands straight, his tone meek.
— “You and Grim will immediately go to Heartslabyul to request Trey Clover’s services for the pastries. Sirius and I will handle the rest of the catering. Any complaints?”
— “N-no, housewarden!” Epel responds.
— “I don’t wanna.” Grim says, lazily…although all it takes is a well-placed glare from Vil for Grim to silently comply.
And with that, the group got to work. Vil’s participation is a blessing to Sirius…because he is the one doing most of the talking. While it is true he and Epel got some help from some of the Savanaclaw students that just happen to both be part of the spelldrive club and passing by, Sirius has been too meek to actually ask and lead the bulk of the manpower Leona implicitly put at his disposal. And the Savanaclaw students knew it, so they had purposefully been evading him, having no respect for somebody so weak. Vil has no such reservations, and quickly assembles a group of students to help, and also puts them in their place the second they start doing anything less than perfect.
In no time, the entire lounge is decorated, all according to Sirius’ design and Vil’s command. And with that out of the way, Vil prepares to issue another order…until Sirius catches his attention by tugging at his shirt
— “What is it, now?” Vil asks, a bit annoyed at being interrupted.
— “I…I want to lead the catering,” Sirius says, shyly.
— “Is that so? You can barely speak louder than a mouse.” Vil takes his hands to his hips, while a frown is drawn on his face.
— “Y-yeah but…I want to be like Jack. Confident…I want to be strong. I-I wanna improve m-myself”
Vil’s expression does not change at all, but he does gesture to him to proceed. In response, Sirius sheepishly nods and walks towards a group of Savanaclaw students. The group flashes mocking smiles as soon as they see him arrive, standing tall and looking down at him.
— “Well, but if it’s not Jack’s little princess. What do ya want?” One of them says, mockingly
— “I- I am not…anyway. I n-need you to s-star preparing for cooking. Trey will come soon.” Sirius says, trying to sound confident…and failing terribly.
— “Yeah, ‘bout that. This guys and I want to see this one bar in town, so, we are leaving.” The student says, while the ones behind him bear huge grins on their faces
— “W-what?! No! You cannot leave!”
— “Oh yeah? And who is gonna stop us?” The student says, and slowly starts to loom over Sirius “You?”
Sirius starts to back down, while the student continues to advance
— “You are nothing without that mutt, just some magicless bitch.. Couldn’t care less that tomorrow is that moron’s birthday. He has been nothing but a pain in the ass, thinking he is better than us with his stupid training! I–”
And then, the room is filled with screaming.
Vil and the rest of the other students, as well as the recently arriving Epel, Grim and Trey, all turn to look for the source of such discordant yells. Their gazes set on Sirius…and the student he is currently electrocuting using the moonbathon. It is not a pretty sight, the student reeling and twitching from the constant electrocution, while the rest of his colleagues watch stunned at the spectacle. The scene is mercifully cut short by Sirius himself, who dispassionately takes away the baton and watches as the student falls to his knees.
— “Say what you want about me. But I won’t let you ruin Jack’s birthday with your petulant whining, much less insult him," Sirius says, his tone shifting from meek to deadly serious at the dime. “Now, you will do as I say. You will bring me what I want. If you still plan to ignore this rebuke and run wild…well, let’s just say: Revenge, it lives. Are we clear?”
The student on the ground nods hastily, while the rest of his group all nod, fear and newfound respect in their eyes.
— “Now, away with you. Prepare yourselves.” Sirius orders, and the group obeys
Once they are out of sight… Sirius immediately takes a deep, and somewhat exaggerated breath, the act he just put on ending as quickly as it started. He looks exhausted, yet also relieved. It is a…very jarring change.
— “WHAT WAS THAT?!” Epel exclaims, impressed, as he walks towards Sirius, followed by Vil, Trey and Grim.
— “Hench-human, since when could you do that?”
— “Please…not so loud” Sirius mutters, meekly. “I am still recovering.”
— “It seems you have what it takes,” Vil comments. “Still needs some improvements, but it is a nice start.”
— “T-thanks, Mr. Vil” Sirius says, still weary. “I…just couldn’t allow them to talk about Jack like that.”
— “I assure you Jack wouldn’t had minded much. He is perfectly capable of putting such vermin on their place” Vil comments. “It is, however, a very nice gesture from your part.”
— “I…thanks.” Sirius says, beaming.
— “Just don’t tell him. He will die of embarrassment,” Vil says, a calm smirk on his lips. “He is very particular about doing things by himself. When we were kids, I once stood up for him, and he was redder than a tomato.”
—” For real?! That's hilarious,” Epel laughs, amused.
— “Right? I can even picture it!” Grim adds, although his tone is significantly more mocking.
— “That…does sound like him,” Sirius comments, finding such an image endearing.
— “Well, if you don’t mind the interruption,” Trey interjects, and then looks at Sirius. “Time to go. You are the leader of catering team, am I wrong? I am all ears.”
— “I-I…yes. I am!” Sirius proclaims, smiling bashfully. “Let us go. But first…”
Then… Sirius walks towards Grim Epel and starts pinching their cheeks, much to their annoyance and slight pain
— “Ow..OW! Why?! Stop!!!” Grim whines.
— “Oww! Sirius, stop!!” Epel protests, although they fall on deaf ears.
Trey and Vil watch the somewhat childish and petty spectacle with brotherly amusement and resigned bemusement, respectively. Seems like neither Epel nor Grim will be spared from Sirius’s wrath if they make fun of Jack.
———————————————
— “Hey. Jack. I got a little favor to ask. You'll listen to your upperclassman and do as I say if you know what's good for you.” The Junior Savanaclaw student from before says, a shit-eating grin on his face. “Should be easy for you, too: never play Spelldrive for Savanaclaw again. Got it? Now gimme your word. Pronto!”
— Yeah, you wouldn't wanna go straight from your new school to the hospital.” A sophomore added, sneering.
Jack looks at both of them undaunted, fearless of them…or of the other 28 idiots that are standing behind them. If anything, he looks pissed off.
— “ “Little favor," my tail. You said you wanted to talk alone, and yet I see a whole pack nipping at your heels.” Jack growls, preparing himself to fight. “You're a sniveling coward!”
— You're the idiot here for not having a little healthy skepticism. Who marches straight into battle without a plan?” The junior mockingly asks, making the motion of cracking his knuckles.
— “You can't do much all by your lonesome against nearly thirty of us, can you?” The sophomore adds, and then, he charges at Jack “Now, here's a little present for ya: a knuckle sandwich!”
The sophomore throws a punch, aiming for Jack’s jaw, confident…only for such bravado to banish the moment grabs his arm mid swing, his grip strong enough to leave bruises.
— “In your dreams! HRAGH!” Jack roars and smashes his fist squarely on the sophomore’s nose
The strength of the punch is enough to send the guy flying a few meters away. Not deterred, said sophomore got up, bloody nose and all, and charged again, followed by some cronies.
One by one, Jack takes on them all with gusto, his fighting style measured yet wild, not so different from a kick-boxer, crushing anybody who got in his way like a crashing wave or a roaring flame. Not helping matters is how his brutal strength is complemented by an unnatural level of agility and speed, moving across the field with a grace and velocity unbefitting of someone his size and musculature.
Members of the mob keep falling like flies. Perhaps more humiliating is that they tend to fall on one or two punches, while Jack, outside some scrapped knuckles, seems undeterred and shows no signs of even exhaustion.
— “You're a musclehead, all right.” The junior mutters between clenched teeth. Then, he takes out his magic pen.“But what're you gonna do against MAGIC?!”
Jack barely has time to dodge, as a shot of dark magic barely misses him.
— “M-magic?!” Jack looks at the junior, who triumphantly grins, as the goons behind him start taking out their magic pens. “But it's against the rules to use magic in fights... AAAGH!”
Jack is hit by a blast of ice magic. No frostbite, thankfully, but it will leave a bruise. Nonetheless, he is not one to throw the towel when it gets hard, and thus he braces through the pain and closes the distance between himself and the rest of the goons in mere seconds.
Even with the advantage of cheating, Jack manages to take down a sizable amount of students with just his fists, although the fact he refuses to use magic out of self-honor and a bit of pride is starting to take its toll. He is getting slowly worn down, all while the junior ringleader is in pristine condition, courtesy of having his co-conspirators take the haymakers for him.
— “These clowns just keep coming, no matter how many I beat down... Urgh…” Jack pants, trying to tough it out, and then he is blasted point-blank by wind magic, sending him flying. “GAAAH!”
—” Hah! THAT oughta make you stay down!” The junior roars, proudly…but his victory is short-lived.
Jack, even if half-kneeled and rather bruised, his hair and the fur of his ears and tail heavily ruffled, still does not stay down. He bares his fangs and growls. Some may say he is overly stubborn, others say he has an indomitable spirit, but one thing is for certain: he ain’t backing down.
The junior, in pure frustration, throws a fireball at Jack, aiming for the face. Jack braces for impact, closing his eyes…but then nothing seems to happen. When Jack opens them up, all he can see in front of him is a spike, made out of sand, that has blocked the impact.
— “Seriously? Who closes their eyes in the middle of a throwdown?”
The voice is smug, dripping with laziness, but carrying an air of authority and power that makes everyone on the field turn in his direction.
— “Y-you’re…” The junior mutters, his face slightly paler.
— “Housewarden…!” Jack exclaims, albeit a bit strained. “W-What are you doing here?”
— “You look like you're havin' a grand old time. Mind if I tag in?” Leona says, a fanged grin on his face.
He calmly walks in between Jack and the junior’s group, almost as if shielding Jack. He gives him a quick check up, and then proceeds to glare down at the junior, who feels shivers down his spine.
— “Didn't I tell you guys not to start any trouble? Maybe my words don't carry the weight they oughta.” Leona states, his voice outright drenched in sarcasm and condescension.
— “S-sir, it's not what you think!” The sophomore explains, in a panic. “We were trying to teach Jack the ropes in Spelldrive.”
— “Ah, of course.” Leona gives both ringleaders a knowing, incredulous look, while his tail lashes out from side to side “Musta been a real hands-on lesson, judging by how ruffled Jack's fur is.”
— “I-I mean, what's Spelldrive without a little roughhousing, right?” The junior argues, starting to lose the smug cool he just barely managed to recover. “We're doin' like you said, Leona. Teachin' him how to play "smart.” “
Jack growls, and he starts to get up, in spite of his bruises. The audacity of them all…
— “You bunch of little-”
— “Playing smart, huh?” Leona interrupts. “Look, I turned a blind eye while you guys were playing Spelldrive, but…Using magic in a brawl is a foul, full stop. If all you were doing was roughing Jack up, I was gonna write it off as rough play and let it go. But you guys don't have guts OR brains. That's why you're goin' to all this trouble just to take down one lousy pup.”
the aggressor group is left at a loss of words, while the ringleaders are not any better. The sophomore is left dumbfounded, while the junior clenches his teeth. But it is not like Leona cares to hear them out, judging by the contemptuous tone of his voice.
— “You've got a whole squad here and you STILL came out lookin' like fools” Leona continues, noting how scrapped up everyone is, some even looking as worse to wear as Jack despite it being a literal 1-to-30 match in their favor. “None of you have what it takes to lead a pack.”
— “Okay then, wise guy… Are you sayin' YOU'VE got what it takes to lead us? 'Cause I don't think you do!” The Sophomore proclaims..coming out as pathetic in spite of his
attempts to sound tough. “All you do is slack off during practice anyway. Who're you to lord anything over us. Makes a guy wonder if you're fit to be our housewarden at all!”
— “There're thirty of us, and two of you. You may be good, but clearly you can't do simple math. Thirty beats two every time.” The junior adds, sneering at Jack, but primarily at Leona. “You can talk the talk. Now let's see if you can walk the walk!”
Leona rolls his eyes, unamused, but then…he starts to smirk and takes out his own magic own. While he has an issue-standard one, given they all work as their IDs, as a housewarden, Leona has his own custom magic pen, made to emulate a wooden shaman staff, with a lionhead holding the mage gem on top, made to homage the legendary shaman that advised and served the king of beasts and his family.
— “Wh-whoa, hold on here.” Jack says, strained “Housewarden, this ain't your-”
— “Get back, Jack.” Leona interjects, flashing Jack a confident smirk “You guys think you got numbers on your side? Thirty mice still ain't a match for one lion.”
The students launch a barrage of magic spells…but every single one is deflected by Leona with a quick spin of his staff. Jack is left at a loss for words, saying he is impressed is an understatement. The opposing group, on the other hand, could only clench their teeth as Leona made a fool of them in one move
— “I'm gettin' bored. Mind if I have some fun, too?” Leona mockingly asks, and then he opens his hand, in which sand and magic start to ominously swirl “I am the one who hungers. I am the one who thirsts…”
The field in which everyone is standing started to quake. Huge fissures start appearing on the ground, and the air starts to feel more and more dry as sand continues to swirl and form.
— “What's going on!? WHY’S THE GROUND SHACKING?!” The sophomore screams, in utter terror.
— “Oh no... Is that incantation what I think it is?” The junior asked, his voice now meek as his face became paler and paler.
As Leona keeps chanting, the swirling sand turns into a proper sandstorm, roaring and spinning uncontrollably as the very floor beneath everyone’s feet becomes more and more brittle, as the fissure expands, as the once clear light of the moon becomes obscured in favor of the unrelenting shine of Leona’s magestone.
— “The Spelldrive field is huge, yet the whole thing is turning to sand…” Jack whispers, at awe with Leona’s power. “This is Leona's magical might? It's in a league of its own!”
— “I am the one to rob you of your future!!” Leona shouts, very into it “Kneel before–”
— “Leona, STOP!!!!”
Leona stops..and immediately looks annoyed. The sandstorm immediately subsides, letting the moonlight shine on the morbidly deep fissures created by Leona. They look as if something clawed deep into the stadium. Both Leona and Jack turn to face the source of the call-out: Ruggie, who is standing with a horrified expression on his face.
— “...Huh?” Jack and Leona say in unison, albeit for different reasons. One out of confusion and perhaps slight bafflement at the almost perfectly timed arrival. The other because Ruggie dared to come in when it was getting good.
— “This is overkill! The sophomores have already passed out from sheer terror! The juniors are barely standing!” Ruggie shouts.
And indeed, both Jack and Leona turn to see the 30-people group from before…and indeed, half of them are knocked out cold. The very few still standing are visibly shaking.
— “Man, really? I hadn't even gotten started yet.” Leona smirks…a bit too proud of what he just did. “Some guys don't know how to put up a fight.”
— “I mean, seein' you bust out your full power woulda been cool and all, but that woulda landed each and every one of us in hot water.” Ruggie argues, all with his trademark mischievous grin.
Leona grins and tch-es in response, rather amused. Jack..he is confused.
— “I don't get it.”
— “You don't get what?” Leona turns to face Jack. He looks fine, all things considered.
— “Why you came to my rescue.” Jack says, and then crosses his arms.
— “Babysitting a pup that ain't even opened its eyes yet is part of the housewarden job description.”
— “So you think I'm a puppy, huh?”
— “That's exactly what you are” Leona says, that same lazy, mocking grin still splattered on his face “a brat who doesn't follow orders and runs off half-cocked.”
Jack gives a low growl in response, which only seems to amuse Leona more than anything else.
— “But at least you're not so thick as to fail to learn something from this. At least I hope not.” Leona added.
— “ ...Sorry for the trouble, sir.” Jack says, serious, although it sounds almost bashful. “And, uh, thanks for helping me!”
— “Well, I'll be. You're taking this like a man. I was expecting more lip from you.” Ruggie interjects, clapping Jack on the back.
Jack grunts, slightly annoyed, perhaps even a bit offended that he would rebuff Leona (even if he tried somewhat yesterday, even if out of need to understand his logic better…and a bit out of anger). Still, he keeps a calm expression, his gaze softened.
— “I've learned some valuable things today.
Like that I'm still green in so many ways…” Jack turns to see Leona. The look on his eyes is one of admiration, some may say wonder too. “ And that we have one incredible housewarden.”
Leona’s grin widens, although compared to before, it does reach his eyes. There is more to it than blatant mockery or amusement: Pride. Although neither Leona or Jack are in a rush to name it outloud, given their shared inability and reluctance to admit their emotions.
— “Hah. Y'know, guys who own up to their mistakes are all right in my book.” Leone claps Jack on the shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Keep at it and model that behavior for the rest of Savanaclaw, wouldja?”
— “Yes, sir!
And with that, Jack excuses himself and walks away, with only the moonlight as company. As he goes, he reflects on what he just saw. Leona’s power, how, in spite of disagreeing with how he handled the rules, he came to rescue him, even gave him a pep talk. And that look of pride, perhaps even challenge in his eyes.
— “Housewarden Leona... I knew he wouldn't let me down!” Jack whispers to himself, hyped. “One day, I want to fight him at his strongest!”
Jack continues his walk on all his lonesome ... .a lonesome lasts until he reaches the dorm itself. The smell of sugar fills the air, although not enough to be cloying. He notes the decorations in the lobby…given all that happened today, he almost forgot that tomorrow is his birthday. He also hears Vil’s voice on the back. Out of curiosity, he follows it until he reaches the kitchen…and finds Vil, Sirius, Epel and Grim, with Sirius in particular having his hair covered in flour.
— “Hench-human, the moon is up. Can you speed it up?”
— “SHUT IT. I AM FOCUSED!” Sirius screams, as he very slowly and carefully uses tweezers to decorate…something. “Even with Trey’s instructions, do you know how hard this is!?”
— “I thought you knew how to cook.” Epel smirks.
— “Home cooking and decorating a cake are two completely different things, Epel." Vil corrects..and then spots Jack on his peripheral. He notes his rough appearance, but for now he gestures to him to remain quiet, gently gesturing to Sirius. “Is like saying cleansers, moisturizers and serums are all the same.”
— “...uh huh”
As instructed, Jack quietly makes it inside the kitchen, and watches what Sirius is decorating: a frasier cake, but with pears and peaches added in instead of just strawberries. On top.. Jack would recognize that smell everywhere: pear compote, spread across the top of the cake. And what Sirius was using the tweezers for? Putting slices of fruit as decoration.
Epel and Grim also notice Jack, but at the order of Vil’s stern look, they keep it quiet…Epel does looks rather worried by how ragged he looks.
— “I just hope Jack loves it,” Sirius says, tenderly, all while a wicked grin and a more graceful yet no less smug smile grow on Grim and Epel’s respective faces…and Jack’s face grows progressively redder. “I want to show him how much I appreciate him.”
Frankly, Sirius playing confectioner and putting so much effort into a cake for him is not the worst thing in the world. Jack would normally just make the mental note to give Sirius something for his own birthday…what he said, however…“I want to show him how much I appreciate him.” Is so mushy and cliché, but Jack KNOWS Sirius means every word. It 's embarrassing.
And to make matters worse…Sirius notices him.
— “JACK?!” Sirius shouts, noting the wolf beastman’s ragged appearance. “What happened to you?!”
— “Y-yo” Jack says, somewhat recovering a bit of his cool. “It’s nothing.”
— “What do you mean nothing?!. You look AND smell like you got out of a fight.” Sirius says, entirely unconvinced.
— “I’m fine. You’re thinkin’ it too much.” Jack says, dismissive, largely…out of pride.
— “Uh huh. Come now, we are going to the infirmary” Sirius says, pulling from Jack’s arm as he walks away
— “What?! No! I don’t need you to fret over me!” Jack protests, annoyed.
Grim and Epel would be laughing their asses off right now, but Vil’s presence largely prevents them to. On his part, the housewarden watches the scene with a mirthful smirk. Along with that fiercely independent personality of Jack’s comes a prideful streak. Not of the kind that will make him reluctant to accept criticism (like Leona, as Vil’s mind helpfully outlined), but of the type that makes him reluctant to actually accept help unless he REALLY needs it, not helped by his stubbornness, so that “when he REALLY needs it” tends to come until Jack is truly beaten, with all that implies. And Sirius…he looks like an entirely different person. He is more assertive and does not even falter. He fathoms that he will be pulling at Jack for a while.
And a while it is, as Sirius and Jack go at it for a solid 45 minutes, with Jack growing more and more annoyed due to how pointless the argument is (from his perspective at least).
— “Why are you so stubborn?!” Sirius asks, sardonic and exhausted in equal parts.
— “You’re one to talk” Jack says, gruffly. “I AM fine. Get off my tail.”
— “Tell that to your scrapped knuckles.” Sirius arcs an eyebrow…and then gives him a worried look. “At least let's clean them. Please. They can get infected.”
Jack’s ears drop somewhat at Sirius' tone. Nor can he disagree with facts. So..he takes a deep breath, and sheepishly shows Sirius his right hand.
— “Make it quick” Jack mutters, still rather reluctant, but still, his actions spoke louder.
Sirius beams in happiness, and when he was about to pull Jack into the infirmary, Vil gestures him to come, all while a first aid kit is already on the table…one he went to get himself, as even if Sirius didn't managed to convinced Jack, Vil himself was going to drag Jack into cleaning those wounds himself, given the risk of infection.
Jack reluctantly sits while Vil outlines to Sirius the basics on first aid and how to clean Jack’s frankly busted knuckles, at Sirius’ own insistence. The ignihyde freshman cleans up his own hands with utmost overzealousness and then sits next to Jack.
— “What happened?” Sirius asks, worried, as he drenches a gauze in rubbing alcohol.
— “You stop the bleeding first. And you don’t put that shit on a knuckle wound” Jack says, bluntly. “...some clowns from my dorm got into a fight with me. Fought them off, so the cowards bust out their magic.”
— “And…you just won?” Sirius asks, impressed, as he does as Jack says and takes a dry, sterile gauze and gently presses it against his knuckles.
— “Agh..” Jack recoils a little, and his ears lower. “..Nah. Housewarden Leona came to bust me out. He used his unique magic, he made these huge fissures. He is on a whole other level.”
— “Well that explains the earthquake from earlier,” Vil comments, unamused. “That brute…he always goes overboard.”
— “Still, he saved you then…that is very nice of him.” Sirius comments. He carefully puts away the now bloodied gauze and, at Vil’s silent order, rinses the wound using another gauze, dampened with saline solution.
— “Yeah…I still have a lot to learn.”
— “I would say you were plenty impressive too, Jack. You fought a bunch of dudes and you fought them off so well they had to cheat? You are amazing” Sirius beams, admirative, much to Jack’s embarrassment.
— “It was not that impressive. Leona had no trouble with them at all. They even fainted! I’m still too green…I want to fight at Leona’s level” Jack says, his voice low, but Sirius could see the fire in his eyes, and the way his ears came to life…they flicker a bit when he cleans the wound using an antiseptic wipe, though.
— “Well, until then, I still think you are very cool,” Sirius adds, and he at last carefully bandages Jack’s knuckles with enchanted bandages. “And there you go. You are patched up.”
Jack moves his fingers a bit, then closes and opens them a few times, checking himself.
—”...thanks.” Jack says, gruffly for the most part, but still some hints of embarrassment are still notable.
— “What are friends for?” Sirius answers, beaming. “Well…have a good night Jack.
— “Same”
And with that, Sirius and Vil, as well as a recently woken up Epel and Grim leave Savanaclaw, with the cake from before in tow. Jack, on his part, leaves for his room. A part of him feels frustration, how Sirius patched him up when he could have done it himself. But also… Jack feels grateful for the sentiment. He is not enough of an asshole to be so ungrateful. Sirius …he is confusing to Jack. A lot. But for now…he will just sleep. His roommates are aware for reasons Jack couldn't care less for, so he takes off his clothes, sinks into bed, and let’s sleep take him…
….
At midnight he is woken up by his phone ringing in his ear.
— “..hello?” Jack mutters, still half asleep.”
— “HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACK.” Jack hears from the other end, two voices screaming in perfect, shrill unison.
Is his siblings.
— “Didn’t I tell you two to not stay awake at this hour?” Jack mutters, exasperated.
— “Yeah. But we ignore you.” Jack’s brother, Gabriel, says. Jack could almost hear the smug smile on his face.
— “We had to. We wanted to tell you happy birthday!” Jack’s sister, Jeanne, adds, as chipper as ever. “How are you doing Jack? How is Night Raven College?”
— “Is fine” Jack says, the exasperation on his voice giving room to fondness, the type only an older brother can have for his siblings. “You two go to sleep. Is late.”
— “But I wanna know if you have a boyfriend yet!” Jeanne says, innocently.
— “W-WHAT?! I-...I DON’T- AHG!”
— “Hah! He got flustered!” Gabriel adds, amused.
Jack just hangs up, throws the phone on the desk, falls on his pillow facefirst and groans…he hates this.
Morning comes, and with it…Jack’s birthday. He wakes up groggy, but still, he has things to do. He does his morning rituals and goes on his jog. When he comes back, however…he is received by Leona and Ruggie, with the latter holding a very…preppy attire, if you ask Jack.
It is dressing pants, a black undershirt, a yellow-and -black plaid vest, a varsity jacket with his name, the emblem of his club, and a personalized wolf emblem, and a bowtie.
— “Heyy, birthday boy,” Ruggie says, amused.
— “..what’s that, Leona, sir?” Jack asks, weirded out.
— “Your uniform for the day. Tradition and all that” Leona argues, his tail swishing calmly from “Get changed. You do need to use it for the interview.”
— “...right. yessir” Jack says…although he doesn’t sound all that enthusiastic.
He has no issue putting on the birthday jacket combo, but indeed…he looks preppy. He feels awkward just looking at the mirror, but orders and orders, so he will just have to bear it.
Given the interview and party is after class, he goes through the motions of the day as if it was any other..but even so, there is always something nice about birthdays. Across the day, he receives birthday blessings from most students, much to his slight flusterment. And on top of that, he even got gifts.
Epel baked him a whole apple pie, although he had to wait until after class to devour it. Sirius even comments how he can almost hear his stomach growl…which earned him a finger flick on the forehead. Other than that, Sirius is oddly nonchalant about his birthday. Even Grim made the token effort of giving Jack thaumarks. Given the scene from yesterday…it is weird. He is planning something
Floyd, oddly enough, gave Jack pink shoelaces, arguing it is a nice accent color for him…he ain't that convinced, but he thanked him nonetheless. Deuce gave him a tower for track, Vil a brush for his tail, Joachim a pair of noise cancelers for when Askari and Chigaru get up to their shenanigans in their room (which is, so far, the gift Jack likes the most), Odysseus a jug of protein powder, Trey a cheese souffle that he devoured when he was alone. His siblings sent him a letter where they wished him happy birthday, chided him for hanging up, and then went over a number of things they wanted to do with him when he came back. His parents sent him their best wishes and also sent in some pocket money to buy something nice. Even the track team excused him from setup and cleanup. Jack took notes of every single gift and who gave it to him, as to thank them when their own birthdays come around.
And at last, the time for the interview finally arrives, so he makes a beeline to his dorm. The decorations of the lounge pop off more during the day, and near the pool there is now a table with two chairs, Jack assumes for the aforementioned interview. So he takes a seat…and waits…and waits…and waits…
— “...they still haven't shown up.” Jack mutters, irked. “ “Bring me good fortune” my tail. What my interviewer has is some nerve, I tell ya!”
— “Sorry! Sorry! I am here!” A voice calls from the entrance door…a voice that Jack at this point can recognize anywhere.
— “SIRIUS?!”
— “Yeah, sorry! I Got held up by something” Sirius pants, breathless from seemingly running all the way here. He also holds what seems to be a suitcase, a real fancy one at that. “Well, I will be the one interviewing you this year. So, happy birthday!...I mentioned it in class, but that varsity jacket suits you. You look like even more of a jock. You look real elegant too.”
— “Oh, shaddup!...and thanks.Now I'm kind of embarrassed.” Jack says, scratching the back of his neck.
— “Don’t be. I meant it as a complement. And you ARE the guest of honor.” Sirius replies, smiling “And hey, we are friends, so we can take it somewhat easy. Shall we begin?”
— “Sure.” Jack takes a seat, making sure to not sit on his own tail.
— “Hmm…let’s see..well, for your first question, Jack. How does it feel having all these people celebrate your birthday?”
— “ I've never had a lot of friends, so having this many people wish me a happy birthday is a first.” Jack admits, a bit sheepish. “People I've never even talked to are coming up and wishing me happy birthday. It kinda weirds me out, to be honest. Then again, this outfit's practically begging for people to say it. Ruggie was even laughing when he gave it to me.”
— “I can imagine. And your parents?” Sirius asks, taking notes as he goes. “Have they sent their well wishes?”
— “Yeah. My parents sent me some pocket money to splurge on, and I got a card in the mail from my little brother and sister today.” Jack says…and quickly grows weary and a bit annoyed. “The second it struck midnight, they also blew up my phone, even though I'm always tellin' 'em not to stay up past their bedtime... Those two.”
—” You have siblings? Well, maybe I should have imagined it” Sirius adjusts his hoodie, as he continues to write. “You do give this reliable, strong vibe of one.”
— “If you say so…” Jack says, crossing his arms. “And yeah, I have two. I'm a little older than they are. Five years older than my brother, and nine years older than my sister.
My brother's starting middle school this year. He's mouthing off more and more every day.
He used to follow me around wherever I went.
But hey, it's fun to go back and forth with a brother who's got some bark.”
— “I suppose. I also have two brothers, and much like yours, the middle one has become more petulant as time went on” Sirius laments. “He is nice, but it can be a hassle. He actually had his birthday yesterday.”
— “One thing we have in common, then” Jack gives a small smirk . “Never thought you would be the oldest brother.”
— “You would be surprised, Jack. But this aint about me” Sirius adds, a bit offended, but largely amused. “You said your sibbies have a bucket list for your next visit. Tell me about it. What kind of stuff are you doing?”
— Oh, there was lots. One of the big things was skiing. My brother and I go skiing down this big mountain every year, and he wants to go again this year.” Jack then leans on his chair, looking at the ceiling. “Thing is, my sister is begging us to take her along now.
I'd love for her to experience the rush of skiing all the way down from a mountaintop...
But hiking up a mountain while hauling ski equipment is pretty rough, y'know? And here she's writing that it's "no fair" we get to have all the fun. Sheesh. I'd take her if I could, but a seven-year-old's just not gonna have the stamina for that hike. I didn't get to go skiing on that mountain 'til I was 10.”
— “Oh, right. You are from a snowy area. Then..idk, what’s your favorite winter sport?”
— “I've done skiing, ice skating, and a bunch of other winter sports, but I'm definitely best at snowboarding.” Jack replies, now leaning foward. His tail swishes from side to side, while his eyes have a familiar flare to them.
— “Snowboarding…heard it is rather challenging."
— “That’s part of the appeal, really” Jack says, as a grin starts growing on his face. “Having just the one board really limits your range of movement, and makes it harder to balance than with skis or skates.
I fell over a ton when I first started. I can stay up for a long time now, of course.
Lately, I've been getting into riding halfpipes. I’m itching to go home for the winter break to test myself.”
— “That sounds nice, Jack. I can almost picture you on the slops. Although…” Sirius steeples his hands in front of his face, perhaps a bit too hastily. The, he tilts his entire upper body forward, for emphasis
“What is that?”
— “W-what, a halfpipe? You've never heard of 'em?”
— “Nope. A reminder I had never even seen snow on my life” Sirius adds, sardonic.
— “Right, my bad” Jack crosses his arms, while he ponders for a few seconds, as if picking the right words. They're like half tubes of snow you ride along. You can do cool jumps, spins, and poses on them.
I've been practicing my grabs lately. That's when you do a jump and grab your board in mid-air. Come to think of it, there are some real goofy names for snowboarding moves.
There's the roast beef, the chicken salad...
I've got no idea where those names came from, but they sound pretty good, huh?”
— “They sound very goofy” Sirius laughs softly. “Also, very delicious.”
— “I know, right? I'm actually starving too.
Let's wrap up this interview and grab some of that party food.”
— “I know you are an athlete, but your appetite is something else” Sirius comments, mirthful. “Well…next question is If you were to transfer to a different dorm, which would it be?”
— “A different dorm…Savanaclaw's definitely the dorm for me. I couldn't imagine going anywhere else.” Jack expresses, matter-of-factly. “But I guess I gotta give an answer for this, right?”
— “Intuitive as ever. But yeah, you are obligated by contract to answer.”
— “In that case.. I know I wouldn't gel well with the guys in Octavinelle and Ignihyde, so those two are a no.” Jack states, plainly
— “Oh really? You wouldn't bone well with them ignihyde fellows?” Sirius asks, giving Jack a blatantly cheeky grin. “Are you sure about that, pookie bear?”
— “Cram it!” Jack retorts, annoyed “You don’t count. Anyway, I can respect Pomefiore's housewarden, but I doubt I'd be a good fit with their overall vibe. Besides, I could never wear their fluttery dorm uniform and make it work.
And along those lines, Heartslabyul's uniforms would be a bad fit too. That, and I'd have to deal with Ace and Deuce every day.
So, what does that leave...? I think it might be Diasomnia.”
— “Well, talk about process of elimination” Sirius comments, deadpan. “Diasomnia…so the malefi-sorry, the Thorn Fairy one. Any particular reason outside of “it was the last one I though about”?”
— “Someone’s ballsy today, huh?” Jack asks, unimpressed. “Again, the whole idea of me not bein' in Savanaclaw is ridiculous to begin with. Still, they've got a lot of skilled mages, and their housewarden is supposed to be one of the best in the world. It'd be a solid environment to train in. If I had to transfer dorms, I'd aim for the top spot no matter where I went.” He adds, pumping his fist.
— “Well, that is as solid a reason as any” Sirius says, satisfied. “Well, I think that is all. That just leaves us with one last thing in our schedule.”
— “Oh... You're talking about the traditional good-luck gift.” Jack asks, jumping out of his seat.
— “Indeed. I was quite surprised when Patroclus told me about it. So…” Sirius smiles innocently…and then slams the briefcase from before into the table. “I had come prepared.”
— “..Prepared?”
— “Indeed. I don’t have a good throwing arm” Sirius states, as he carefully opens the briefcase. “So, ignihyde nerd that I am, I remembered that we have technology."
Out of the briefcase, Sirius takes out a literal pair of twin pistols, seemingly straight out of a videogame. They are quite sizable, and attached to them are two large whipped cream canisters.
— “Let’s call these the splat-dualies. I told Achilles I needed something to throw whipped cream on your face, and he was quite hapoy to provide. Consider these his and my good-luck blessing” Sirius states, giving Jack a smug smirk. “So, are you ready, Jack?”
The wolf beastman has a huge grin on his face, his whole body vibrating with excitement.
— “Absolutely. I won't back down from a challenge! I'm facin' this head-on!!” Jack roars, his excitement almost breaking at the seams. “BRING IT ON, SIRIUS!”
— “That’s the spirit. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACK!”
And without further ado, Sirius starts shooting with reckless abandon, all with a joyful grin on his face. Jack lets himself be shot…at first. Then he starts dodging and running across the longue, carried away by the thrill of competition…and in general, the fun.. Less than deterred, Sirius runs after the man, shooting as he goes. Not even the arrival of the other guests put a stop to it, as the rest of the Savanaclaw students, Leona and Ruggie included, as well as Epel, Deuce, Ace, Patroclus, Ortho, and even Vil, all simply took up in arms and join in the fun. The party goes for hours, and by the end of it all, the entire lounge is covered in whipped cream. Sirius is also the last victim of the entire thing, as he is the closest to Jack when he shooks it off, much like a dog. All Jack does in response is laugh, a laugh that Sirius does not try to stop at all.
After a while, Jack and Sirius exit the party for some respite. The sun is setting in Savanaclaw, treating both to quite the beautiful sight
— “So, did you enjoy the party?”
— “It was nice” Jack comments, as he looks into the horizon “You got some organization chops”
— “You give me too much credit” Sirius sighs, and then takes something out of the briefcase from before, offering it to Jack “Also...before I forget, here”
Jack carefully takes the small box and opens it up. Inside, lie a pair of black winter gloves, black on their entirely, with the exception of a small snowflake decoration embroiled on the wrists of each glove.
— “I did remember how you prefer practical gifts. So, you have something for when you go home”
— “That´s nice” Jack comments, seemingly dispassionate. “I’ll return the favor.”
— “Jack, it’s a gift, not a debt” Sirius retorts, an easy smile on his lips “Still, I appreciate the sentiment.”
No further words were exchange between the two. They just remained in each other’s company as they witness the sunset. Sirius also refuse to point out the way Jack’s tail has been wagging ever since he spotted the box. He likes to see Jack happy, and he would do anything to protect such joy, in the same way Jack has protected him before. Be from Riddle, the phantoms or even an autistic shutdown…he wants to be there for Jack just as he has been for him.