Chapter Text
There was nothing Yuu could not handle with her spitfire friend Grim beside her.
The was nothing Yuu could not handle with the Dormheads of both Diasomnia and Savannaclaw at her side.
But the opposite? Without anyone, actually?..
Yuu could not even manage to interrupt the Headmage long enough to get a short and precise reason as to why the man had dragged them out of their second period that day. They could only hope Ace, Deuce, and the rest of the class will manage to keep Grim from botching up the potion. Their friend had never touched a cookbook before. So it should not be a wonder that they are confused on the instructions given in a potion book. Ah, they could already smell the pot burning...
(Was it an eyesight booster they were making today or a bottled blindness hex?)
That was her imagination at work, right? Or her confidence in her friends speaking to her.
Crowley was still talking, but had at some point asked her to follow him out of his office. A change of pace - even if it was spoken in the form of a godforsaken demand - that she welcomed. The man's office was never ventilated. In lieu of the portraits and books according to him, but she was sure Merlin's office didn't smell over in RSA. She was sure something died in there. Maybe the Headmages sense of responsibility...?
What's he saying now by the way?
"- my strong endurance, I was of course able to read that page from top to finish. Thankfully, the information wasn't at the end of the book, or else I would still be reading it till I'm old and grey. My, my graciousness is truly amazing, even for myself!"
..You want me to praise you for reading a book? Man where had my praise been then? I had to catch up with at least Seven Books to keep up with your common level knowledge and second year curriculum!
'You are old' is a thought I wasn't going to voice out loud, preferring to let him ramble on in hopes of him getting to the point. As I tuned him out, as he began to remind me of the importance of the room we walked into -The Mirror room-, I grazed my fingers over the bracelet on my hand. Feeling it's interwoven strands and curves, looking at its black and green entwining like wood. It's a beauty I have not seen in jewelry before.
My head was just absently following the gestures of the eccentric man as I heard the twinkling sounds produced by my earrings. I closed my eyes to hear them. It was soft and light, like wind on the wings of a fae. The gifts were reminiscent to the nature of their owners. Leona's bracelet was as much as a claim as Malleus's earrings served to 'show off our bond'. As much as they argued with each other over who knows what, their gifts fit beautifully together. Complementing each other in ways only a set pair usually does. Though, against my dull looks, they dazzled like pearls on a swine. Or diamonds on an insignificant worm, if I had to give myself another look. I looked rather boorish to the naked eye with my generic looks, short stature, untamed hair and wrinkled outfit.
With an enthusiastic, startling clasp of my shoulder, I was brought out of my musings by the ecstatic face of the bipolar birdman. 'Oh oh..' a feeling of dread washed over me. 'What will I be dragged into this time? Should I count the minutes for an Overblot? A school emergency?'
"With that said, I hope your stay in our prestigious institution was worthwhile, and that you can continue with the cozy life you've had before our carriage ripped you away from your dear ones!"
I squaked, "WhAT-?" I didn't have a plan for these words, figured I'd never hear them. By the Seven I had given up on it after finishing my first year!
I was pushed into the Mirror that was behind me by Crowley, which had definitely not been floating there a second ago! I could feel it's magical surface drawing me in, bringing me to the other side, but by Crowley's words.. I had a feeling it would not be the friendly dorms I had grown to bond with. No. On the other side something else awaited, something that I didn't want to return to.
Not now when I had tasted happiness.!
I wished I had wings to flap, to back away or block the mirror with. To hold onto the frame with. Or a tail to drag the man with me, so we could return here. But I had nothing. Nothing that made me a resident in this foreign realm besides bonds to the friends I had found, the lovers I had claimed in my heart. 'Oh..' my eyes burnt as my brain clogged up with apathetic understanding.
And now? I'm supposed to loose them..!?
'Over my dead body!'
Hot tears flooded my brain as I reached my hand into the swirling sight before me. The torrent that swallowed the dream I had lived for the last two years, and left me with broken wishes and hopes. I felt like something cracked inside me, growing with every tear I shed. Every nerve burning for the need to return, to rest in their arms.
But all too soon, even the magic of the mirror left me alone. Dropping me somewhere cold and hard, I could see my breath fog the air around me. The sudden chill biting at my exposed skin as a heavy pressure made my eyes hard to keep up. The desire to let go made me want to succumb to sleep. I tried to fight the tiredness, but as soon as I tried to move my arms to prop myself up, a stranger pressed an object to my head. I could hear him, the rocks underneath him gnashing from his weight.
"Hey, you missed one." their voice was deep, but scratching on the higher notes. I could feel myself getting the object pressed against my head, it was metallic. It hurt. But I could not move my limbs.. "Looks like the bitch was playing up to be a dead possum eh?"
"Ah, shut up. I'm thirsty." This voice sounded like a petulant boy, couldn't be older than Epel. But he tried making his voice gruff, making it more like a play into the Grinch. "Just finish her off and let's go hit up Nicolas's shitty bar."
'There are two...' but I had only heard one? And what is that smell?
Bang!!