Kyuusho Commons

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

Chastity was lost for words a moment but shook her head. "Very well," she said, the words practically being spit out. She narrowed her eyes at him and kept on walking towards her dorm. How poorly had this gone, all of it.

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

Caleb waited for her to be gone before he took a deep breath and sat back down down on the couch, rubbing his forehead once he pulled his hand out of Vanessa’s.

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

Vanessa sighed and sat back down next to him. "You don't have to be fully over her yet, that's okay," she assured him kindly.

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

“I know. I just… I need some time.” He said, feeling bad now with what he said to her. But even if he wanted to go and tell her it wasn’t true, he knew it would be a lie.

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

"You do, it's okay to need time," Vanessa assured him. She felt her phone buzz in her pocket and she knew that pattern. It was Raelynn and she knew it was probably something about how her confession had gone. She jittered a little and then pulled it out, apologizing quietly. It was a summons, which...she had a hard time refusing when this date wasn't going in a good direction. "I...have to go. You could come too if you want?"

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

“I think I’m just going to sleep early tonight.” He said, taking his face out of his hands as he turned to look at her. “I’ll be fine, really. Go have fun with your friends.”

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

"Okay," Vanessa said, chewing on her lip a moment. She usually didn't mind leaving but she felt really bad for him. Still she stood and briefly made sure she had everything, which might have been hesitating but she wasn't trying. "Just...some friendly advice? Don't go after her."

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

Caleb didn’t say anything for a moment before he nodded slowly. “I… won’t. Or I’ll try not to, at the very least.”

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

"You're better off," Vanessa told him, by way of encouragment. Then she nodded slowly and figured the only way out was to just go. "I'll see you around."

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

“I’ll see you. Take care.” He said, giving her a weak smile before he too stood up and began walking to his room. The making out had helped somewhat, but not as much as he had hoped.

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

After that, Vanessa didn't take any time hurrying out and down to the meetup spot. That spot being the club made her worry that maybe the news Raelynn had wasn't all that great.

--End--

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

((Endddd))

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

Whitlea had nursed Rowan and stayed with him until he was back to a fully stable condition. Well, a condition stable enough that he wasn't going to rip the throat out of the next person he saw. He was far from mentally or emotionally stable. When would he be? He had a feeling the answer was never.


It was long after she had left that Rowan found it in himself to venture out of his room. Janelle hadn't come back, which he wasn't sure to be grateful for or upset over. He ran a hand through his hair as he tried not to recall their...argument? At first, it hadn't felt like it was all his fault- it felt like she'd been overreacting and just not listening when he told her that she wasn't enough for him. Now that it had sunk in and the initial pain and feeling of monsterhood had passed, he knew it was all his fault. Sure he couldn't control his dreams, but he still wasn't being good to her. Even if he wasn't neglecting her, she felt neglected and that was just as bad. And it was more writing on the wall that he was a horrible boyfriend. He was treating her poorly and not even realizing it. Maybe even...treating her as poorly as he'd been feeling for a while now.


As much as he tried to ignore it or explain it away, that worthless, unlovable feeling clawed at his chest, raking its steel tips through his heart and everything in its way. All because of something he had no control over. Because he had no control over himself. It was too easy to explain it away as something he couldn't change because...he could do better, right? He could be better and outweigh the monster he really was. Except he wasn't sure that he could, and that was what was destroying him.


Vicious killer. If Rowan had any energy left for the strong emotions then he would have crumpled at the memory. Of how she spat those words at him because she knew they were true. He'd gone too far - too close to full monsterhood - and who knew it wouldn't happen again? Until he could no longer keep the facade of humanity. Because he wasn't human. He would never be human. No matter how hard he tried he would always be this monster, disguised as harmless. As tame and calm and...everything he pretended he was. That he lied to everyone about, even himself. Still, to hear that from her...when she'd always otherwise made him feel comfortable...it ruined him. Devastated him. And yet, in his darkest moment, he couldn't help but think about the only person who hadn't yet made him feel like a monster. The only other person who had made him feel comfortable about his vampireness. Aside from his family who made it normal either way, perpetuating the lie he'd been comforting himself with.


The very person whom he had left his room to see.


Not that he needed someone to pat his head and tell him he wasn't a monster. He knew that he was, plain and simple. Calamitously so. It wasn't even that he needed one person who wasn't going to look at him like he was on the verge of killing them. In fact, if that was what he wanted he would go far away from her, preserve the last remnant of someone believing in him before he proved them wrong. And yet he wanted to see her. It was like a need. A need he couldn't understand, but there were so many complex feelings floating around in it that he could only begin to decipher. He was still trying to make sense of that dream that started this mess.


Not even a quarter of the way there, Rowan got four steps into the common room before pausing. The place had been trashed again, this time by some kind of rabid animal considering the last two beanbags had been ripped into and there were some claw marks in the pizza boxes. It must have been quite the party for all that. No gouges in the wall this time, at least. He was almost sorry he'd missed it, except it wouldn't have been the same without Raelynn. Before he could think more about it, his stomach growled and he was forced to admit he was hungry. Honestly, he felt a little buoyant, so substance wasn't a bad idea. He heaved a sigh and shook his head before dragging himself over to the fridge. He didn't need blood, but something aside from blood would be fantastic. The taste grew boring after a while, especially when it came from bags.


The fridge in this common room was sacred. Anyone who harmed it in any way suffered major consequences. But that didn't mean they had to keep it full. While the fridge magically refreshed, it was all about catching it at the right time. Luckily, there must have been a semi-recent refresh because there were still options left. He was pulling out a Dr. Pepper and a string cheese when he heard a familiar voice greeting him from behind. "You better not be taking the last one."

He straightened up and looked to the voice- his little brother. Which one was becoming more distinct every time he saw them, which was...strange. Not that he could tell them apart, because he always could, but because it was distinct without any frame of reference. He didn't see them enough to know that Blaze had become more preppy (and even owned a sweater vest) and that Bolt had become more...edgy. So somehow, not knowing any of that, he recognized this slick-haired guy with a dark denim jacket, looking halfway between hipster and grunge rocker as Bolt.


"It's been a while since I've seen you out," he continued, no quirk of a smirk on his lips like the ones that used to be there. Those had split when he and his twin had.

"Yeah, well it's been a while since I saw you period," Rowan said, feeling awkward about that. The way Bolt had phrased it sounded like he had been seen but not approached. And had totally missed seeing his brother around when he had been.

Bolt shrugged a shoulder. "I've kind of faded into the background for a lot of people, I guess," he said. Before Rowan could even open his mouth to explain himself - apologize or something - Bolt stopped him. Which was good because Rowan didn't know what he could say, and Bolt knew it. "Don't worry about it." At this point, he just observed...a lot more than anyone could possibly guess. It was part of the reason he'd extracted himself from everyone lately, even River. And maybe he was waiting for someone to reach out to him. A certain someone and then pretty much anyone. But that was aside the point. He'd initiated this conversation after all.

Great. As if he didn't have enough guilt, Rowan now had to face how neglectful he'd been of his brothers. Of all his siblings really. The only one he communicated with was Leah and that was minimal at best due to his already strong shame. He rubbed the back of his neck, the cheese wrapper scratching his skin so he had to stop. He opened his mouth to talk but Bolt shook his head again.

"Really. It's better this way," Bolt insisted and twisted the conversation because he didn't want to talk about himself. He jerked his chin up to gesture to his brother. "You're looking rough. What happened?"


Rowan stared at him for a minute, his hand subtly clenching around the plastic-wrapped cheese as he thought of what happened to make him look...well, like crap. How much was too much to tell his brother, he wondered. That he was in a relationship with a ghost who was slowly draining his life force? That he fancied himself in love with two girls and yet couldn't please either one? Didn't deserve either one? Or maybe that he was a monster for what and who he was, so that probably made Bolt one too? "I um...I slept for a week," he said. A cop-out answer, he knew, but it was his go-to response. At least until he figured out how to say the full truth. Or found the courage to. "Didn't drink enough and now I'm finally recovered. It took a lot of blood, let me tell you. I'm super bloated now." He brushed it off like a food coma from an all-you-can-eat buffet. He raised the snacks in his hand, grip relaxed to the best of his ability. "Trying to break up the monotony now. A guy can only drink so much blood at once before he gets bored of it."


He cursed himself for that comment. Bored of blood. Ha. As if that were a possibility. If a vampire could get bored of blood then he would have nothing to worry about in terms of going on a mindless rampage and draining every living being of it. Granted, blood bags did get boring, but could that really be counted? They were like a bandage for fresh blood, not that he'd ever had much of it. The Terra experience had been enough to stave him off of it. Still, he treated it so nonchalantly- just like a bloodthirsty beast would. Or a vicious killer.


Man, it really was getting hard to defend himself against comments like Janelle's. To the point that even Raelynn would agree. He couldn't decide if it would be better that she did. It would certainly save her a lot of pain if she just believed it.


"Huh." Bolt said, staring at Rowan like he knew that wasn't even the start of his troubles. It didn't exactly seem like a lie, but still not the whole truth. Call it a brotherly instinct, maybe, and so was not pushing too hard until the other was ready to talk. His eyes narrowed, but he still didn't say anything. While he didn't know the full story, he knew a little. Like that Rowan's friend had been in the hospital since that whole big deal. A "friend" who hadn't been introduced to any of the family, which was beyond suspicious. Bolt also knew his brother wasn't dating that "friend" and yet was not fooled into believing there was nothing between them.


"What about you?" Rowan asked, trying to deflect the topic off of himself. Somehow he knew Bolt wouldn't press, but that didn't mean he wanted the conversation to linger on him in any way. Plus, like he'd said, he hadn't seen his brother in a while. Not much at all since the event now termed "The Split".


Bolt shrugged a shoulder and reached around his brother, into the still open fridge so he could grab the last Dr. Pepper bottle. "I've been fine. Actually enjoying being myself lately. I spent a lot of time wandering, and I still don't have everything figured out, but I like where I'm at." It was only a brief explanation since obviously there had been a lot more since they last spoke, but it didn't seem relevant or wanted. If they were going to talk about it, then it wouldn't be at a chance meeting in their common room while Rowan clearly had a lot going on.


There were days when he missed his twin a lot and days that he was glad he'd broken away. They were both probably happier like this, but he was still waiting for Blaze to realize that. To stop hating him for breaking away and just accepting that this life was better. Sure, he knew he hadn't gone about it in the best way, but there was a certain place of understanding they had to reach before Bolt could apologize. But Bolt wasn't sure how much Rowan, or any one of the family really, knew about what had actually transpired. Everyone just always tried to get them back together rather than actually think about why it was necessary for it to happen.


"It's a lot more comfortable being who you want to be than who everyone expects you to be," Bolt continued as he opened the soda and let it fizz for a second. The look he gave Rowan as he said it made the older brother sure that Bolt knew a lot more than he probably should.

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

Not that Rowan necessarily didn't want people to know he'd felt confined in their expectations. Even though he had. Or that he enjoyed doing what he wanted to do more than what they thought he was doing. Lot of good that did him right now, when he was still feeling miserable and had gone further off the deep end than he'd ever intended to. Okay so maybe he did want people to think he had been fine in what they expected of him because he'd still been hiding things. Why else wouldn't he have seen any of his family in weeks except for an emergency? The stiflement, the shame. And why hadn't he wanted any of them to see him with Raelynn? As much as he tried to deny it, it was too true. He knew that the moment they realized he wasn't who they thought he was he would be forced to face their horror and disappointment. He'd already seen some of it after the whole vandalizing issue. The second he'd shown any deviance from their perceived norm, they tried to explain it away and tell him there was something wrong with him. And yeah, maybe there was, but he didn't think it was that.


Yet something struck him at that moment in front of his younger brother, who had clearly gone through the same thing, albeit earlier and perhaps tamer, but...bolder. Bolt looked content in a way that Rowan could only dream of. The chaos that filled his body, mind, and anything else it could possibly permeate, was clearly not mirrored in Bolt. Which meant...maybe there was hope. For him. For his family who meant so much that the thought of being rejected by them killed him as much as anything could. His monsterhood aside, even being accepted as whatever facade of a personality he claimed by his family who had been with him up to this point...it would feel like a miracle. He hadn't been able to bring himself to talk about it with Whitlea, but Bolt just might understand.


Not that now was the time. Well, it probably could be, except he didn't want to thrust all this on his brother who had just wanted a nice meetup after a while and not an info dump of feelings and despair. He was still too shaken up for broaching a nice conversation. Maybe when Raelynn was awake and okay he could think about himself a little more. Already, he'd been focusing too much on himself. Mistreating Janelle and neglecting Raelynn was proof enough of that, and it was too blatant to hope it wouldn't be noticed. He was the only person who could have missed it. ​​​​​​​


Bolt stared at his brother for a while, watching a train of thought flicker through Rowan's expression. No matter how old his brother got, he was still completely transparent. It didn't take a genius to read him. He could see the chaos, the anguish in Rowan's eyes. It was as he suspected, but it wasn't good. Nothing Bolt could help with- right now at least. Maybe in the moment, it was best to shift the topic.


"Can I ask you something?" Bolt asked, voice breaking into Rowan's thoughts again and yanking him out. His brother was still staring at him, and Rowan had no idea how he had zoned out so easily, or how long it had been. All he knew was that gaze was uncomfortable because he couldn't place it. Maybe all that sleeping and lack of nutrition was getting to him. He could probably blame a lot on that, even if it couldn't be everything. No matter how much he wished he could.


"I guess," Rowan replied, finally opening his soda bottle. He barely waited for the fizz to dissipate before bringing it to his lips. He wasn't even sure he was thirsty, honestly. In fact, he was a little too bloated for liquid but it gave him something to do during this awkward conversation. Yet the moment he felt the bubbly liquid inside his mouth, he realized how much he had been missing sugar. Within a few gulps, the bottle was empty and he did not regret it. How was soda so amazing?


His longing for more must have been obvious because Bolt handed him the last bottle, which had been Bolt's own. "I know you can't trust the stuff people say but... I've heard some stuff about you. The whole Terra thing, that other guy, your big fight. And that...other friend. The one that was attacked by those things last month?" He said, not letting Rowan do anything else other than wince before he continued. He was speaking casually, in a way that seemed to be his trademark now- very laid back and chill. It was intended specifically to let Rowan know he wasn't accusing anyone. "I've heard stuff about her- some pretty bad things."


"Does it matter?" Rowan asked, audibly recoiling. It was an automatic response- much colder than he expected or intended to be. Especially against his brother. "We're hardly saints- I don't see why she has to be one."


"Relax, Dracula. I'm not agreeing with anything. Not when I haven't even met her," Bolt drawled lazily, staring at him strangely again. Rowan was startled by it- more by the reference to one of the oldest and most vicious vampires known. Yet, it also diluted his rage a little, knowing that Bolt wasn't just outright judging her. But he was pretty sure hearing another bad thing about Raelynn would bring it up again. "I just want to know if you're being swayed."


"What do you mean?" Rowan asked, the anger fading and being replaced by confusion. "She's my best friend."


"That doesn't mean anything," Bolt pointed out, and Rowan once again winced when he realized it was true. But before he could say anything about it, Bolt continued. "People can say whatever they want, it's not necessarily true. I make a point to believe what I experience only. I want to make sure you're doing the same. I know that you're not the kind of person to say 'screw everyone' and go on with it. You're too soft like that. Are you sure that your relationship with her isn't tainted by the rumors?"


Rowan looked down at his nearly empty bottle of soda, flexing his fingers around it before he sighed and slumped into the couch. It was covered with crumbs but right then he didn't care to think about it. How horrible of a friend was he that Bolt could see right through him? He hadn't even noticed how true that was and now the conviction was coming from all sides. As if he hadn't already felt guilty enough today that he was the absolute worst boyfriend - as proved now by how he couldn't not hurt people on more than enough occasions with more than one victim. Now he had to face the reality that he was the worst friend too. He tried so hard but it wasn't ever going to remedy all of his problems. Why anyone tried being his friend anymore was beyond him. The best thing for everyone would be if he just disappeared so no one would feel burdened to-


"Ow!" he exclaimed automatically when something whacked him in the face. He looked down to see what hit him and saw a cushion in his lap, "Hey!" he objected, looking to his brother like he didn't deserve it. Why would Bolt just randomly throw something at him? "What was that for?"


"You had your sad puppy face on," Bolt answered simply and propped himself on the arm of the nearest seat. The glazed-over, distant expression Rowan had been wearing was enough to tell Bolt that he'd lost his brother to whatever...deep thoughts were there. It was not the direction this needed to be going. "Look, I'm not going to judge you for any of this. That's not the point. I just want you to wake up and make sure that you're treating her as well as you should be."


Rowan's shoulders curled in on himself, but his mind didn't retreat back to that self-loathing train. No, he hadn't been fully objective over Raelynn, even if he had been over pretty much everything else. That one little thing made the difference... Maybe that was what was really tainting their relationship- why he hid her from his family. The lie of it being because of the kitchen fire couldn't hold up anymore. Rather than addressing it directly, he looked up at Bolt and said, "Do you want to meet her sometime? When she's awake? I think you'd like her, and vice versa."


It was indirect, but a huge step for Rowan. And hey, if he was considering confiding in Bolt something much heavier, he could trust that his younger brother wasn't about to judge him for the company he kept. And he'd just have to learn how to do likewise. He didn't know any of Bolt's friends - if he even had any - but his brother had clearly changed so he couldn't hold any expectations either by rumor or by memory.


"I'm sure I will if she's anywhere near as interesting as I've heard," He replied, giving a signature lazy smile that dripped mischief. He knew how hard this had to be for Rowan and the last thing he needed was to be discouraged. But that didn't mean he couldn't still tease him a little. "You're not afraid I'll take her from you?"


"Give it your best shot," Rowan joked back, chuckling. He felt a little lighter now that he took a step in a different direction from where he was heading, and had a solution to fix some of his problems. Especially when he remembered about his random conversation with Raelynn all those weeks ago- the joking one about her dating one of his siblings to be part of his family. He hadn't been too concerned about it at the time, but now seeing Bolt he wondered if he should be concerned a little bit.


He was just starting to think about how he probably shouldn't have been thinking that way when his phone began to vibrate in his pocket. "Give me a sec, I have to take this." He said, frowning a bit when he saw the same on the caller ID. ​​​​​​​Francisco.


Bolt waved his hand in dismissal since it didn't bother him, and leaned back against the couch as Rowan put the phone to his ear. "Hey. I know I went MIA on you guys-" He started, hoping he'd find a way to excuse himself but he... didn't know what would be a good explanation. He didn't have one. But it turned out he didn't need one.

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

“No, it’s fine. We all figured you had a reason to stay away.” Francisco said, before Rowan had to find an excuse. Francisco was speaking in a low voice, to the point he was sure the monitors in the background were louder than he was being. “Can you talk?”

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

"Um, yeah," Rowan said as he frowned. He stood from the couch and moved towards the corner of the room, even though his brother would still be able to hear everything. "Is Raelynn okay?" His mind went there first, immediately assuming the worst.

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

“We’re, uh… we’re not sure” Francisco replied, glancing behind himself when a voice behind him told someone- the male nurse that they had all gotten used to seeing around- that she was fine and didn’t need more time in the bed.

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

"What do you mean?" Rowan asked, immediately more alarmed. What could have happened? His mind was going through worst case scenarios but then he heard that familiar voice and he paused. "Wait. Is she awake?"

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

Francisco wisely just said what he had to say. Something they had asked him not to but... well, he had agreed to let Rowan know if anything about their friend's condition changed and he wasn't going to break that promise. Not when he deserved to be there. "She's awake. But I don’t… I don’t know what happened to her but she needs you here.” He said, knowing that for sure. She might not realize it but he knew that once she saw and talked to Rowan she’d feel better.

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

"I'll be right there," Rowan said without any hesitation. Pretty much everything else was forgotten because Raelynn was awake. Awake and needed him. His brother would understand- he hoped.

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

“Okay.” Francisco said, hesitating for a moment before hanging up. He knew he should have said something- something about Raelynn not wanting him there. But he knew what Rowan would do and quite frankly that wasn’t going to help anyone either.

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

Rowan slipped the phone back into his pocket and went to Bolt to tell him that he had to leave but his little brother just waved him off. Bolt knew that it was more important, considering they thought she might be comatose forever, so he wasn't bothered by being left. Rowan thanked him for understanding and was gone faster than a flash.

--End--

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

б(*｀・´)∂

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

((Angry Pokémon lol))

“I don’t have the time or patience to do your homework too, Mavis.” Anastasia said into her phone, beyond annoyed that she had to deal with someone so… careless and quite frankly dumb. But it was her fault for accepting Mavis’s offer to do their homework together when she knew the girl was as reliable as… well, as anyone else. The only person Anastasia could rely on was herself and it had been this way since the moment she came out of her mothers womb. “So you either get out of whatever dorm room you’re in and get here to work or I’ll find a new partner.” With that, she ignored her friends response and ended the call.

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

((It's supposedly a hip hop face haha))

Blaze only came to raid the fridge of some drinks before going back to his room to hole up. Not out of depression or anything like someone he knew and was related to...but because he was being responsible. Or at least...trying to be. Ever since his breakup, he'd been diligently working at figuring out how to be mature. The first step felt like it should be homework. But it was a constant struggle and he wished he was better at this.

While getting his refreshments, he noticed a girl who was seeming to struggle with it too. Bold of her to try studying out in the common room where any ruckus could break out at any time. He felt sorry for her since their plight was probably similar, so he took one of the energy sodas (low in calories but high in caffeine) and brought it over to her. "Need a pick-me-up?" he offered, holding it out to her.

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

((XP))

Anastasia was still very annoyed at having to do her homework that she hadn’t noticed someone approach. Which was very dumb of her considering she’d been trained to be aware of things like these. “How many calories does it have?” She asked, not bothering to look up as she filled out a bit of the sheet she was working on.

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

Blaze looked at the label to make sure. "Twenty for the whole can. Amazing for an energy drink," he said, since it was about as good as you could do without it being "sugar free" or "water". "It's strawberry pomegranate." One of his favorite mixes, though he understood that wasn't for everyone.

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

Anastasia considered it before she set her pencil down and turned to look at him. “I suppose it’s not a terrible idea to…” She started, but ended up pausing when she saw who it was. “…to drink one.” She finished, titling her head to the side as she took in the hair.

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

Blaze gave her a kind smile when she looked up at him and held the can out to her. It was reflex, sort of, since he was just polite like that. It was a smile different from his brothers', more innocent and light. "What are you working on?" he asked.

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

“Math.” She replied, looking back down at it in distaste. She didn’t really care for things like this but did she have a choice, when she wanted to graduate at the top of her class?

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

He wrinkled his nose, sympathizing with her plight. "Yeah that's not fun. You're going to need that caffeine," he said. He had some of that mundane homework sitting on his desk while he hoped it spontaneously burst into flames. "Is it hard stuff? I haven't touched mine."

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

“It’s the worse.” She replied, looking back at him before she got an idea. “We’ve got the same advanced class, right?” She asked, since his hair was hard to forget.

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

((*worst haha))

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

"Um...maybe?" he said. They wouldn't let him switch to many of the advanced classes but maybe math was one they did. Hard to believe but still possible. "I think so. I just started in a lot of them, but I'm basically...bottom of the barrel in the advanced stuff."

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

((I know that haha))

“Do you need a partner?” She asked, forgetting all about Mavis because she was unreliable anyways. And he looked like the kind of guy to know his math very well.

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

He was sort of taken aback that she would ask him since he already admitted he was the worst. But maybe she meant for someone else rather than her? Because why would she not have a partner? "Um, yeah actually, I do."

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

She honestly thought he was trying to be humble about his grades, because he just… looked like the kind of guy to ace stuff. Like her. “Good. I was supposed to be studying with my friend but she’s unreliable.” She replied, making a face.

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

"Well her loss is my gain, I guess," he said with a little half laugh. He tried really hard at his grades now, especially math because it was so difficult, but he still wasn't great. She looked like she'd be way better at this stuff than him. With a glance at her notes which looked like rocket science, he was pretty sure it was true.

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

((You know what’s funny? My notes were always so… organized haha. Like I color coded and did specific sections and stuff lol.))

“You can copy these if you want.” She replied, leaning back against her chair. “But only this once. Next time, you’ll have to work on them too.” She, of course, assumed he’d have gotten the answers correct when he worked on them anyways, so she was fine with letting him copy hers.

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

((I was so bad at taking notes haha only if the teacher wrote things on the board))

"Oh uh...that would be really helpful," he said, giving her notes another, more thorough, look. He was still carrying all his snacks so it wasn't like he could just copy it now but it was a nice offer nonetheless.

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

((I was great at them haha. I was the person people asked to copy from lol.
I even had a habit of having a section reserved for doodling ? Gosh I can’t believe it but I miss school haha))

She noticed, which was why she quickly answered the last few questions- it was easy now that she didn’t have to worry about slowing down to teach Mavis- before closing her notebook and holding it out to him. “Just give it to me later.” She said, nodding towards his snacks. “You look busy right now and I have to work on my other homework anyways.”

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

((I would happily give you my history to do haha))

"Thanks," he said, trying not to look so surprised. She was being really helpful and he appreciated it a lot. "I'm sorry but...what was your name again? That way I can just drop it off at your dorm."

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

((Pff haha))

“Anastasia Hooks.” She replied, giving him a smile she knew wasn’t exactly known to be… innocent. He was attractive, after all. Which was her usual target.

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

"And I'm Blaze Dragomere," he told her, giving that innocent but not quite goofy smile back to her. "Thanks again. I'll get them back as soon as I can."

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

“Take your time.” She told him with a smile, since she supposed it was appropriate when she was talking to someone attractive and… good to be seen around with.

Just then, Marcie- the unreliable friend- rushed into the common room, holding her books up as she tried balancing them since the poor girl hadn’t had time to bring a bag.

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

((*Mavis haha))

"Sorry, I'll let you go," he said when he noticed the other girl coming, supposedly to meet up with Anastasia. "Thanks again," he said while backing away to start heading back to his room.

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

“I’ll you later.” Anastasia replied, watching him go as Mavis reached her side. The girl made a sound as she flopped down, setting her books down on the table. But Anastasia knew the girl was more focused on who just left rather than the work she had to finish.

“Who was that?” She asked, her head turned in the direction he had left in. “He’s cute! Is he-“

“You don’t get to ask questions, only answer them.” Anastasia replied, finally pulling her eyes away from the door as she turned to looks at her friend. “And he’s Blaze Dragomere. He’s my new Math partner.”

“But I’m-“ Mavis started, eyes wide as she realized what that meant for her.

“You’re now Marcie’s partner- until I can find it in me to trust you again. I told you I wasn’t going to keep letting you copy off of me.” Anastasia replied, picking her pen up again. “Besides, it’ll let me get closer to him.”

“Ooh…” Mavis replied, realizing now why her friend did what she did. “Is this because you want to date him?” She asked, her face full of understanding.

“It’s because I will date him.” Anastasia replied, unable to hide her grin. “So hurry up now. I have to get ready to meet up with him.”

“Are we still going to the party later?” Mavis asked, finally picking up her pen. “Because you said-“

“Yes, Mavis. Work now.” Anastasia replied, rolling her eyes. Finally, Mavis sighed and began to work on her homework. All the time they did, though, Anastasia was busy honking about the guy she had literally met a few minutes ago. About how good this would make her reputation look, really.

•••••

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

((Busy honking haha))

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

Francisco had as nowhere near finished with his homework, yet he found himself spending more time studying the girl across from him than studying the stupid book opened in front of him. He couldn’t help it- not when she was busy scolding him for not taking the work as seriously as he should have. He knew it was strange to like it but it wasn’t like he could just decide not to.

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

((Busy honking? haha))

Fire was doing her own homework but she could never keep her mind stuck solely to her work. It amazed her how much Franscisco just skated by before and because she wanted the best for him...she fussed at him. A little. Maybe a lot. But he didn't seem to mind which was great because she really couldn't help it. But he was staring at her a lot tonight. "Am I distracting you?" she eventually asked.