Featuring Deuce, Cater, Sebek, Azul, and Leona
You round a corner, running at top speed. Out of sight for the moment, but you can still hear the rapid footfalls of your pursuers. You can’t keep running. You need somewhere to hide.
Freeze. Let’s go back to how you got into this mess.
It had been a perfectly ordinary morning, right down to the musical squabbling of Ace, Deuce, and Grim that so often accompanied your breakfast. You almost didn’t notice as the surrounding noise of the cafeteria died down, what with Grim’s yowling.
What was hard to miss though, was the thirty-odd students in white milling about near the cafeteria entrance. A flock of RSA students had descended upon the school, and you just knew this was going to be a headache.
Sure enough, less than ten minutes after their arrival, you found yourself cheerfully and threateningly volunteered by the headmage into being the sole member of the welcoming committee, leading the RSA students on a tour of NRC. And they did like asking questions, about NRC, about the different dorms, about your studies here… right up until they decided that as the lone magicless student living in Ramshackle Dorm, you were in desperate need of rescuing. Whether you like it or not.
That was when you’d decided to run.
Poor Deuce. Almost as soon as you get to the courtyard, you run into him at full speed, knocking you both to the ground.
“I need to hide. Now.” You don’t have time to explain; your mishap is giving the RSA students a chance to catch up and you’re left scrambling.
Deuce is scrambling just as much as you are, as wide-eyed as whenever Trein springs a pop quiz on your class, pulling out his magic pen because what else is there to do but-
“I summon thee cauldron!”
Everything is dark now. At least Deuce summoned the cauldron the right way down. All things considered, you’re fairly comfortable in your improvised hiding spot.
Deuce gets perilously close to entering delinquent mode when the RSA students ask where you went, practically yelling if they’d even asked your opinion on the matter.
Finally, the cauldron is rolled off of you, and you see Deuce’s face, sheepish but grinning, backlit by the sun.
“Sorry about that, Prefect.” He reaches out a hand to help you up. “It was the first thing I thought of.”
You grin back, taking the hand. “Hey, it worked, didn’t it? Sounds like honors student problem solving to me.”
After your compliment, nothing can deflate Deuce’s good mood for the rest of the day.
Cater is of course perusing Magicam when you sprint past. “Prefect? You… you okay there?”
“Cater. Help. RSA’s trying to kidnap me.” You skid to a halt, scrambling back a few feet to hide behind him, closing your eyes and bracing for impact. “Hide me.”
It’s not going to be enough, of course it’s not, you’re hiding behind one person, and-
The horde of RSA students thunders past, somehow not noticing you behind Cater. Wait, what? You open an eye.
Thank goodness for Split Card. You’ve successfully hidden behind a wall of five Caters.
“Leave it to Cay-Cay!” The five Caters say, posing in unison.
“Thank… you… hah.” You’re still breathing heavily when you hear the telltale click of the camera. “Cater?”
He shows you the picture, already on Magicam, captioned, “Someone’s too popular for their own good. #rsavisitsnrc #getyourownramshackleprefect #thisoneisours”
Well. It’s Sebek. He’s not exactly subtle, and he’s not a fan of people running through the school.
(I love this goofy crocodile boy)
Just your luck. You’ve been dashing through the hallways trying to lose the RSA students when you come across Sebek. He steps in front of you at the last moment, and you scarcely avoid collision. It’s too late to avoid him entirely though.
“HUMAN! DON’T YOU REMEMBER THAT RUNNING IS EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED IN THE HALLWAYS!”
“Sh!! Sebek shh!!” You glance over your shoulder. “Can’t you save this lecture for later?”
“WHERE COULD YOU NEED TO BE SO URGENTLY ANYWAY?”
“Please Sebek just shush!! I have to-“
“NOTHING BESIDES SERVICE TO MALLEUS COULD REQUIRE SUCH DISREGARD FOR OTHERS MOVING IN THE HALLWAYS!” Oh for f-
“SEBEK I AM TRYING TO GET AWAY FROM THE RSA STUDENTS SO CAN YOU PLEASE! BE! QUIET!” You shout, every bit as loud as Sebek himself.
It is quiet. Dead quiet. You turn around. The RSA students have stopped behind you, staring in abject horror. Quick as a wink, you duck behind Sebek. It’s the least he can do, considering he got you caught.
“WHAT? MORE RUNNING IN THE HALLWAYS? AS GUESTS OF NIGHT RAVEN COLLEGE? YOU SHOULD BE-“
You’re not sure if Sebek fully caught onto your conundrum or if the RSA students have just earned a ticket to a typical lecture on decorum and Malleus Draconia, but you take the opportunity to sneak away.
You’ve been avoiding your would-be rescuers all day, and you’d think they’d have gotten tired by now. Or at least needed to have gone back to RSA already.
You make a break for the mirror chamber and Octavinelle specifically.
You get to Mostro Lounge so close to opening that you are quite literally ducking under Jade’s arms to get in as he’s still opening the doors.
Not that you stick around long enough for him to say anything, instead making a beeline for your target.
Azul jumps when you throw open the door to the VIP room.
“Ah, Prefect.” He straightens up, seemingly relieved upon seeing that it’s just you. “You… you don’t have an appointment.”
“Azul, please.” You cross the room in an instant, slamming your hands down on his desk. “Hide me.”
“Hide… you?” He’s perplexed, but sure enough you can see the wheels turning in his brain on how to turn this to his advantage. “From what?”
You can hear Floyd exclaiming about the sudden influx of RSA students and know that you’re going to regret this.
“RSA students. One week of Mostro Lounge shifts. And excuse me.” You don’t really give the octopus a chance to counter offer before you crawl under his desk.
At least there’s more room under here when you’re not trying to fit Jack there too.
The botanical garden should be deserted at this hour, given that Crewel is busy teaching… your… class…
You make a mental note to beg for Epel’s notes later
But with all of the paths through the botanical garden, it makes it that much easier for you to get stuck between groups of RSA students
Meanwhile, a certain lion’s nap has been disrupted, and while he’s just waking up, Leona quickly pieces together what’s going on
You’re hiding behind some shrubs when someone picks you up, you letting out a shriek as you’re thrown over their shoulder and they start walking
“Quit screamin’, or do you want those pompous brats to find you?”
“Leona?!” You pause in your flailing, even more startled than you’d been a moment before.
“I said, quit screamin’.”
“Um… where are you… going?” He doesn’t respond as he navigates the botanical garden, and it strikes you that he probably knows it as well as Crewel himself. Leona easily avoids being spotted by any of the RSA students, who grow quieter as he - and by extension, you - get further away from them.
“Ack!” As unceremoniously as he’d picked you up, he drops you on the grass.
“They won’t find ya here.” A pause, as you stare, wide-eyed and wordless, up at Leona. “Tch. You’re welcome.” He says, stretching, cat-like, before flopping to the ground as well.
“Oh. Oh! Thank you. Um… Leona?” Your confused gratitude is replaced with pure confusion as Leona pulls you toward him.
“What? You’re ditchin’ class and the tour group already. You have nothin’ better to do.”
Yeah, you might be stuck as Leona’s pillow for a while.