[Oh, that's... not great. Because even if there are three of them, they will eventually end up low on magic while keeping the monster at bay, or at least end up in range where using anything more puts them close to overblotting if they get careless.]
Damnit... this thing is proving to be more difficult than expected...
[This is probably the time when they should flee, but Azul is stubborn, despite how much of a bad idea it is to stay put...]
[They should absolutely run, because this thing is very grabby and very bitey, and it could easily turn very bad very quickly-
-and that's the lounge doors opening from the other side. Evangeline has a gleaming white scythe that's as big as she is and wastes absolutely no time in putting herself in between the three of them and the monster.]
We're going to talk - [she swings her scythe and slices into the monster's skin, and it cries out in pain and tries to bite off her head, but she dodges out of the way] - about this later-
[Azul looks like he wants to interject to that--it's not like he did anything wrong!!--but that's when Jade actually steps in and puts a hand over Azul's mouth before he can potentially say something rude.]
"Of course. Thank you for coming to our aid, Miss Evangeline."
"Yeah, kick it's ass Angerfishie!"
[Floyd is also more than happy to let her take over from here, since he's low on magic and does not have any interest in trying to keep going despite that.]
[Fine with her. She moves with the efficient grace of someone who's done this many, many times before, striking when she can and dancing just out of the range of its claws and teeth.
It takes a bit, but the monster's movements slow down, turning more and more sluggish, before it finally collapses to the floor. It's not dead, just too injured to fight anymore, and she watches it for a wary moment more before turning to the three boys.
Her grip on her scythe is tight enough to turn her knuckles white.]
Which one of you decided to ignore the evacuation?
[Is what Azul responds with, once he carefully pushes Jade's hand away from his face. The other two nod, but... it is entirely possible they would have stayed even if they had not agreed with the plan, given their odd relationship with Azul here.]
And also maybe Azul being a little too prideful as the house warden to just flee without even trying to protect an important part of his dorm.]
There are many irreplaceable items kept inside of the Lounge. Not to mention that the Lounge itself in general is a symbol of pride for Octavinelle, so it's worth protecting on behalf of the rest of my dorm as it's leader.
[Yeah, that's the exact thing she didn't want to hear.]
No goods are as valuable as your life, Azul! No symbol of pride is worth risking yourself like that - do you think it'd be any comfort to the people who care about you to know the Lounge was safe if you were dead?
I knew that the staff was going to step in eventually--Crowley is a lot of things, but he's definitely not going to let a student die on his watch without trying to intervene at least a little.
[Not without being prepared for the impending lawsuits, anyway.]
And even if I had somehow perished, the only ones that would truly miss me are Jade and Floyd... and possibly not even for very long. The rest of Octavinelle know what's necessary and would find a way to keep going in my stead without me rather than linger on the loss.
[Jade and Floyd exchange a look with each other behind Azul's back--a mutual frown of disagreement to Azul's words, but otherwise they don't say anything to interrupt him yet.]
[Every word he says just makes her more upset, and by the end she's nearly shaking.]
I would miss you! Don't talk like that-
[Actually, you know what, Floyd, hold this scythe for her a moment. She hands it over to him so she can then immediately go and hug Azul tight, burying her face in his shoulder. He can likely feel her trembling.]
Azul was definitely not expecting a hug of all things, and as a result he ends up going still in shock--no one ever hugs him, unless you count his parents, or Floyd, but Floyd's hugs are more like chokeholds so those definitely don't count.
Speaking of which, Jade and Floyd also appear to be momentarily surprised by this turn of events, before they both end up smirking in amusement.]
"Aww, that's so sweet! Anglerfishie reeeeeally cares about you!"
"Indeed. Shouldn't you apologize for worrying her like that, Azul?"
[He gives them a look, but otherwise says nothing because telling them both to shut the fuck up and stop needling him is probably not the most appropriate thing to say when someone is hugging you.]
[It's funny, actually, how it's not the hug itself, but her letting go that causes Azul to have the realization that he did in fact like being hugged by her. And he already misses it.
... He will examine that feeling more closely later because if he does so in this instant he might legit run the moment the answer hits him, so instead he sighs.]
[...And she's going to take that scythe back from Floyd now, sorry Floyd.]
I'll drag this thing out of here so it's easier for the specialists to grab it - it'll be going straight into secure containment. You're probably going to get in a little bit of trouble with Crowley for ignoring the evacuation order, but I'll put in a good word for you.
[Time for her to start dragging this monster out by the tail, giving Azul plenty of time to reflect on weird feelings.]
[Good thing she remembered that Floyd was holding that, because he absolutely had a look like he was about to run off with it if she hadn't taken her scythe back. And that's the last thing Azul needs to be worried about, having Floyd run around with a scythe of all things... even if Evangeline had make it look really cool when she was doing it... wait don't focus on that right this minute--]
Oh, no, I've got it! [Cheerfully. And to the monster that's starting to stir:] Come on, big guy, we're going on a trip to somewhere nice and quiet for you to stay. No more stunts like this for you, alright? There's a good boy.
[It grumbles a little, but doesn't put up any resistance to Evangeline tugging it along by the tail. Bye Azul, see you later!]
[Azul watches her leave, and he realizes he must have been staring in the direction she left for a while now as Jade suddenly grasps his shoulder.]
"Is something the matter?"
[Azul opens his mouth, but then closes it, shaking his head.]
No, it's fine. We've done enough standing around, I need you and Floyd to get started on cleaning up the mess that wretched beast left behind. I'm going to see about bringing the rest of our classmates now that it's safe again.
[So he leaves his two friends behind to do that, but once he is well and truly alone, his pace slows to a stop as he catches sight of a mirror. Glancing at his expression, he thinks he finally knows what this feeling was that he was dealing with.
And this feeling is that he is so fucked now when it comes to holding up his end of the deal he had made to help Evangeline find a date, because now it's easier to imagine himself in that position instead. Because he likes her. He really likes her, in fact, he finds himself thinking.
And that's a bad thing, because despite her request to think better of himself here, his first immediate thought is that he is not qualified to be the person who gets to be dating her. Not when the mere idea of her seeing what he really looks like is enough to leave a bad taste in his mouth, because she may have those kinds of taste, but his octomer form is still very ugly in comparison to most merpeople, he thinks. She'll probably be disappointed once she finally finds out about that.
He's glad he's alone, because honestly it's tempting to cry in frustration at the realization here, but he manages to suck it up and move on. He's got a job to do.
[The professionals arrive and take the monster away, as they said they would, and Evangeline is at the Lounge for dinner as always. She asks how they're feeling, says again that she's so glad they're still here in one piece.
Crowley does indeed punish them for disobeying a direct order - but the scolding they get is light, probably because he's also just glad they didn't get seriously injured. If they're so concerned with the pride of the school, they can all spend an hour cleaning the statues of the Seven.
After that, things go back to relative normal - as much as they can, anyway. Unsurprisingly, no one wants to come forward and admit to being the one who accidentally called that thing, so that's still an open question, but there aren't any more dangerous incidents.
And the next week...]
Oh, it looks like I'll have enough points for my wish by the end of this week. I hadn't realized I was that close.
[Azul has... not come up with a solution to the problem he realized he had here recently, even if he has done a pretty swell job of treating Evangeline the same as he did before. Floyd and Jade are not completely oblivious though and have thus caught on to some degree, with Floyd being the most vocal about it when they're alone. At least they don't say anything about it in front of Evangeline, but that doesn't stop them from smirking at him sometimes whenever they're standing somewhere that Evangeline can't see their facial expressions from.
At the mention of the wish, Azul's hands pause from where they had been about to lift a cup of tea to his lips, and he ends up setting it back down without taking a drink as he nods.]
Yes, that's right. Which reminds me... aside from being an octomer, I realized that I had yet to ask if there were any other traits you were looking for in regards to our deal. I'd like to make sure that I don't accidentally set you up with someone who has a personality that you detest, after all.
Oh, hm, personalitywise... I can get along with a lot of different kinds of people, so I'm not too picky, but my ideal partner would be someone who's fun to tease, someone who's caring... I don't want to make your job too hard by putting in too many restrictions.
It's quite alright--I want to make sure that you're getting the absolute best that can be offered out of our deal, after all.
[Except... even though Azul has indeed done some investigating on his own, he's found that either there isn't any other octomer students like himself, or they're also doing a hell of a job of hiding it like he had. Which, he can't say he even blames them for doing.]
[Azul looks like he wants to say something to that, but then there's suddenly a tapping noise, as if someone is rapping their fist against glass. Upon looking over at the source, it's... oh, hey, it's Floyd. In eel form, as it were, because he's inside part of the aquarium that surrounds Octavinelle and can be accessed even from this part of Mostro Lounge. And being a bit of a shit as he is very noticeably tapping to get attention from next to a sign that says "please don't tap the glass" as he calls out.]
"Heyyyy Azul, can you get someone to cover my shift tonight?"
Why? What's keeping you from work this time?
"Do I gotta have a reason?"
Yes?
"Then it's because I don't feel like it today. I'll come in tomorrow instead, is that cool?"
No, it is not "cool" at all... but fine, I'll find someone to cover you. Also, don't be hanging out here when asking to skip work, it just makes you look even more unprofessional.
"Good thing I don't care about being professional, huh? ... Oh, hey Anglerfishie!"
[Floyd casually waves, not at all caring about the look Azul is giving him right now.]
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The good news is, it doesn't seem terribly interested in the lounge! The bad news is that the trio are much more interesting.]
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Damnit... this thing is proving to be more difficult than expected...
[This is probably the time when they should flee, but Azul is stubborn, despite how much of a bad idea it is to stay put...]
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-and that's the lounge doors opening from the other side. Evangeline has a gleaming white scythe that's as big as she is and wastes absolutely no time in putting herself in between the three of them and the monster.]
We're going to talk - [she swings her scythe and slices into the monster's skin, and it cries out in pain and tries to bite off her head, but she dodges out of the way] - about this later-
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"Of course. Thank you for coming to our aid, Miss Evangeline."
"Yeah, kick it's ass Angerfishie!"
[Floyd is also more than happy to let her take over from here, since he's low on magic and does not have any interest in trying to keep going despite that.]
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It takes a bit, but the monster's movements slow down, turning more and more sluggish, before it finally collapses to the floor. It's not dead, just too injured to fight anymore, and she watches it for a wary moment more before turning to the three boys.
Her grip on her scythe is tight enough to turn her knuckles white.]
Which one of you decided to ignore the evacuation?
[She's Pissed.]
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[Is what Azul responds with, once he carefully pushes Jade's hand away from his face. The other two nod, but... it is entirely possible they would have stayed even if they had not agreed with the plan, given their odd relationship with Azul here.]
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[She has an idea, but the idea is stupid, so if they have a better reason for being here she'd love to hear it.]
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[It's definitely the Lounge.
And also maybe Azul being a little too prideful as the house warden to just flee without even trying to protect an important part of his dorm.]
There are many irreplaceable items kept inside of the Lounge. Not to mention that the Lounge itself in general is a symbol of pride for Octavinelle, so it's worth protecting on behalf of the rest of my dorm as it's leader.
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[Yeah, that's the exact thing she didn't want to hear.]
No goods are as valuable as your life, Azul! No symbol of pride is worth risking yourself like that - do you think it'd be any comfort to the people who care about you to know the Lounge was safe if you were dead?
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[He was confident in that, at least.]
I knew that the staff was going to step in eventually--Crowley is a lot of things, but he's definitely not going to let a student die on his watch without trying to intervene at least a little.
[Not without being prepared for the impending lawsuits, anyway.]
And even if I had somehow perished, the only ones that would truly miss me are Jade and Floyd... and possibly not even for very long. The rest of Octavinelle know what's necessary and would find a way to keep going in my stead without me rather than linger on the loss.
[Jade and Floyd exchange a look with each other behind Azul's back--a mutual frown of disagreement to Azul's words, but otherwise they don't say anything to interrupt him yet.]
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I would miss you! Don't talk like that-
[Actually, you know what, Floyd, hold this scythe for her a moment. She hands it over to him so she can then immediately go and hug Azul tight, burying her face in his shoulder. He can likely feel her trembling.]
I'm so glad you're okay...
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Azul was definitely not expecting a hug of all things, and as a result he ends up going still in shock--no one ever hugs him, unless you count his parents, or Floyd, but Floyd's hugs are more like chokeholds so those definitely don't count.
Speaking of which, Jade and Floyd also appear to be momentarily surprised by this turn of events, before they both end up smirking in amusement.]
"Aww, that's so sweet! Anglerfishie reeeeeally cares about you!"
"Indeed. Shouldn't you apologize for worrying her like that, Azul?"
[He gives them a look, but otherwise says nothing because telling them both to shut the fuck up and stop needling him is probably not the most appropriate thing to say when someone is hugging you.]
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Just... Try to value yourself a little more. Please.
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... He will examine that feeling more closely later because if he does so in this instant he might legit run the moment the answer hits him, so instead he sighs.]
Understood. And... I apologize for worrying you.
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Apology accepted.
[...And she's going to take that scythe back from Floyd now, sorry Floyd.]
I'll drag this thing out of here so it's easier for the specialists to grab it - it'll be going straight into secure containment. You're probably going to get in a little bit of trouble with Crowley for ignoring the evacuation order, but I'll put in a good word for you.
[Time for her to start dragging this monster out by the tail, giving Azul plenty of time to reflect on weird feelings.]
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Do you, ah... need any help dragging it out?
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Oh, no, I've got it! [Cheerfully. And to the monster that's starting to stir:] Come on, big guy, we're going on a trip to somewhere nice and quiet for you to stay. No more stunts like this for you, alright? There's a good boy.
[It grumbles a little, but doesn't put up any resistance to Evangeline tugging it along by the tail. Bye Azul, see you later!]
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"Is something the matter?"
[Azul opens his mouth, but then closes it, shaking his head.]
No, it's fine. We've done enough standing around, I need you and Floyd to get started on cleaning up the mess that wretched beast left behind. I'm going to see about bringing the rest of our classmates now that it's safe again.
[So he leaves his two friends behind to do that, but once he is well and truly alone, his pace slows to a stop as he catches sight of a mirror. Glancing at his expression, he thinks he finally knows what this feeling was that he was dealing with.
And this feeling is that he is so fucked now when it comes to holding up his end of the deal he had made to help Evangeline find a date, because now it's easier to imagine himself in that position instead. Because he likes her. He really likes her, in fact, he finds himself thinking.
And that's a bad thing, because despite her request to think better of himself here, his first immediate thought is that he is not qualified to be the person who gets to be dating her. Not when the mere idea of her seeing what he really looks like is enough to leave a bad taste in his mouth, because she may have those kinds of taste, but his octomer form is still very ugly in comparison to most merpeople, he thinks. She'll probably be disappointed once she finally finds out about that.
He's glad he's alone, because honestly it's tempting to cry in frustration at the realization here, but he manages to suck it up and move on. He's got a job to do.
He'll worry about this later.]
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Crowley does indeed punish them for disobeying a direct order - but the scolding they get is light, probably because he's also just glad they didn't get seriously injured. If they're so concerned with the pride of the school, they can all spend an hour cleaning the statues of the Seven.
After that, things go back to relative normal - as much as they can, anyway. Unsurprisingly, no one wants to come forward and admit to being the one who accidentally called that thing, so that's still an open question, but there aren't any more dangerous incidents.
And the next week...]
Oh, it looks like I'll have enough points for my wish by the end of this week. I hadn't realized I was that close.
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At the mention of the wish, Azul's hands pause from where they had been about to lift a cup of tea to his lips, and he ends up setting it back down without taking a drink as he nods.]
Yes, that's right. Which reminds me... aside from being an octomer, I realized that I had yet to ask if there were any other traits you were looking for in regards to our deal. I'd like to make sure that I don't accidentally set you up with someone who has a personality that you detest, after all.
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[Except... even though Azul has indeed done some investigating on his own, he's found that either there isn't any other octomer students like himself, or they're also doing a hell of a job of hiding it like he had. Which, he can't say he even blames them for doing.]
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[He's doing a very good job of not making it obvious that he hasn't found anyone, at least.]
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"Heyyyy Azul, can you get someone to cover my shift tonight?"
Why? What's keeping you from work this time?
"Do I gotta have a reason?"
Yes?
"Then it's because I don't feel like it today. I'll come in tomorrow instead, is that cool?"
No, it is not "cool" at all... but fine, I'll find someone to cover you. Also, don't be hanging out here when asking to skip work, it just makes you look even more unprofessional.
"Good thing I don't care about being professional, huh? ... Oh, hey Anglerfishie!"
[Floyd casually waves, not at all caring about the look Azul is giving him right now.]
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[It's the first time she's seen him like this, and she does give him a pretty obvious once-over. Verdict: boy cute.]
Did you come to hear another story?
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