The man with the lion ears stated, "If it's just catching some stupid raccoon, can't you do it yourself, Teach?"
"How many times do I have to tell you, I'm not a raccoon!" The cat hissed as his tattered black and white stripe ribbon quivered around his neck, "The Great Grim that will become the greatest magician ever is me!"
The glasses guy Lotus had heard was called Azul folded his arms and walked over to the red hair boy, "It certainly has moxie. Care to help me, Riddle?"
The boy stated solemnly, "I can't overlook those who break rules. Let's hurry and get this over with."
"Oh? Trying to bring me down, huh?!" the black cat scoffed with a smirk on his face in ridicule, "Forget it. You're too..."
Before Lotus could hear the rest of the show, she noticed that one of the blue flames was starting to get rather close to the Diasomnia dorm students. Being freshmen, they weren't very surprised but weren't as optimistic of the situation either. It was then that a small gust of wind blew in that the flames suddenly grew bigger.
Lotus frowned and glanced around the room. The place was a chaotic mess, but, amongst it all there was an open window as Lotus could see dust particles flying in with the currents. She frowned and thought for a bit.
"The windows!!!"
"Wh-What's going on?!" The cat called out in bewilderment before shaking his head, "I-I mean, haha! Do you believe me now?!"
"Fool..." Lotus scowled under her hood and glanced over to the window. With a forceful wave of her sleeve, she gathered the winds and broke the window shattering the tall mural glass into large shards.
"Slyphs," She called out quietly, "Catch those evildoers quickly, please. Leave everything else to me. I have a feeling they're dangerous, be careful."
Small white figures flew into the room raising the temperature as it did so before leaving out the broken window.
"Oh?"
Lotus looked aside and saw the small dorms leader with the purple and black hair staring at the sylphs to Lotus's surprise. However, she realized that he hadn't been the only one. Behind him, the boy called Ren stared at the fairies in bewilderment as Lotus's frown deepened. On one hand, she sighed in contemplation as to how she would make up for the window. After all, the repairs can't always be done so by the school. So, she began thinking of the pills she had made beforehand and the money she had gathered from the constant auction of the black market she took part in when she once went to save Maisey from.
First the fire.
Lotus looked up to the cat standing on top of the mirror to which Lotus nodded her head and opened her palm. There was a lot of magical energy in the air. With her body capable of absorbing magic and processing it, she gathered the energy and allowed to flow into her chest. the energy was strong and free of any restraint. With that, she reined it into her body from her palm and her breathing.
With the lack of oxygen, the fire finally began to dim as Riddle jumped up and pointed the crystal gem in his hand to the cat with a loud shout, "Off with your head!"
Suddenly, a red and black collar rimmed with gold shackled itself around the cat's neck which suddenly bound it from moving steadily as it struggled to stay on top of the mirror.
"The heck is this?!" the cat struggled with the collar around his neck.
With a firm glance, Riddle stated, "Laws of the Queen of Hearts: Number 23: One shall never bring a cat into a festival. You being a cat means you've broken the rule. I shall have you leave at once."
"I'm not a cat!" The cat called itself Grim declared firmly and tried to burn away the collar much to its misfortune of being unable to, much less utilize his fire abilities.
At this point, Lotus was too tired to give anymore sarcastic remarks, so she kept her mouth shut as she tiredly leaned against the wall next to the broken window.
The boy smirked in triumph as he humphed, "You won't be using any magic until I remove the collar. Just like an ordinary cat."
"Wh-What?! I'm not a pet!"
"Don't worry." Riddle stated firmly with a harsh glare, "I'd never keep a pet like you."
Riddle then continued bluntly, "I'll take it off anyway when you get thrown out."
"Wow, as wonderful as ever." Azul noted with a smile plastered on his face after having set out the flames on his classmate, "Any and all magic gets sealed by your Unique Magic, Riddle. I want it..."
Hearing his words, Lotus stared at the young man called Azul as the guy quickly shook his head, "No. I wouldn't ever want that cast on me."
"You must do something about this!" Crowley scowled at the human boy with no magic, "It is your familiar!"
"Properly discip-!"
"He's not my familiar!" Yuu managed to squeeze in his reply quickly before he could be drowned out again.
During the entire time, Lotus had seen Yuu fumble clumsily around the flames seeking for shelter during the fire or looking amongst the people in confusion. Eyes were lost as it sought for some form of action. Lotus then knew that this guy was an obedient little puppy. That was till he finally raised his voice.
Lotus smirked. It would seem the little puppy knew how to bark after all.
"Eh?" A dawn of realization finally came over the headmaster as he repeated the meaning he received, "It's not yours?"
"How many time do I have to tell you?" Yuu groaned in both agony and relief when his words finally got through to the adult.
"Y-You did?" The headmaster said in a slightly flustered manner before clearing his throat and regaining his bearings with a wide smile, "Anyway, let's get it out of the school at any rate. We won't turn you into a stew. For I am gracious. Somebody, please help."
The cat screeched, "Let me go!!! I'm going to, going to... Become the greatest magician!"
However, the students Savannaclaw, a dorm emulated from a beast king called Scar, grabbed the cat by the collar and began to drag him out of the halls. With a frown, Lotus headed on over to the broken window and checked to see if she still had her ability working before leaving the chambers from the windows.
She landed on the grass of the yard and walked through the grass with great care when her eyes landed on the pinned bodies of the black-clothed figures. By now, the skies have turned dark and the light of the full moon shone with a kind light. However, it was a pity that the light won't be the same sense as it was for the people before her. With a frown, she wanted to turn them into the authorities, but she had known from experience that the people here were too weak to handle people like them. With a sigh, she pulled out the reptilian potion, she had concocted and poured it over the guy.
It was then that she watched as the three figures changed into three large tortoises which she quickly bound with chains from her ring. She then took their clothes and poured an acidic chemical over it before taking the sack of powder away into her ring. She, then, brought the three tortoises into her magical ring and pulled out her check from her pocket. Before leaping back up to into the room. By now, everyone had left the place and the headmaster with the boy Yuu had just gone as well.
With a frown, Lotus shook her head with a sigh seeing that the coast was clear and not much fun could be had from this.
"I see thy art enjoying themselves."
Hearing the familiar deep voice, Lotus stepped towards the mirror with a wide grin, "Enjoying myself? Well, that was the plan at first..."
She sighed and sat herself cross-legged on the ground before the great mirror, "What a mess. I didn't think those guys would dare to cross the school."
"Night Raven College will protect you." The mirror stated.
"Mh..." Lotus nodded quietly, "However, if cases like this happen again, I'd like to protect the school from time to time. Like the current seal on my body."
The mirror remained silent as Lotus continued, "Well, you pretty much knew who broke the window. Apologies, I'll pay for it."
The mirror grew silent still as Lotus finally turned to look at him again with a wide and mischievous smile, "So, can you see my magic now?"
"I do not see thy magic." The mask face responded bluntly with a shake of his head.
"I see, I see." Lotus nodded in an aloof manner as she looked up at the chandelier free of the damage from earlier.
"Just now, I have witnessed a magic very alike to thy name." The mask face confessed bluntly, "A lotus in full bloom, but dyed in dark black."
"Ren, right?" Lotus responded as she rested her chin on her hand.
The mirror looked at her with a curious look as he asked, "What did thou feel towards the child?"
"A sense of familiarity." Lotus replied.
"Dost thou want to seek him out?"
Lotus shook her head as she fell back onto the stone cold ground, "Nah. We'll let his decisions decide that. But, I am curious to see him. This Ren guy. Ren Ebonvile, was it? Doesn't that name feel to be out of place for him?"
The mirror was quiet as he heard this before she continued to ask him, "So, what will happen to me now? I don't have a dorm to go to nor magic in me."
"Then, you should leave the academy."
Lotus sat up and saw the headmaster returning with a frown.
"To think there was another student that snuck out from the group." The headmaster groaned as if ready to faint at any moment from shame, "And, not to mention another without magic..."
"Yup." Lotus responded with a sigh, "Which means that I won't be in any of the dorms. So, what will happen to me? I have the acceptance letter and the robe, but no magic."
"Then, why are you here?" Crowley questioned in confusion having snapped out of his little drama.
"To help pay for the window." Lotus responded bluntly.
"What?" The headmaster looked to her in stupor, "You mean the broken window was caused by you?!"
"Yup." Lotus answered, "I'll explain the situation after payment, I guess."
The headmaster stared at her in bewilderment. Those were glass window the mirror specifically said to be surrounded by magic this year! Could he have been the reason the mirror made a special visit and request?!
Normally, the mirror doesn't appear without being summoned, but, that day, the mirror appeared without being summoned making unusual requests!
The headmaster felt everything was a little strange, so he asked, "Normally, we'd get an explanation out before talking about payment. So..."
"All right." Lotus smiled, "It's rather simple. Some mischievous individuals have been sprinkling ignition powder into the room from the opened window during the fire. So, I scared them and kicked them out, but the window was broken in the process. So, I had them make part of the payment."
"Someone actually broke into the school grounds?" The headmaster looked to her in bewilderment and turned to the mirror who nodded his head adding even more to his surprise.
The mirror is also supporting this student with no magic?
Normally, the mirror is very neutral in situation like these, but...
Seeing his change of expressions, Lotus smirked and said, "So, how much is the window? It's probably very expensive."
Examining the young man before him, Crowley frowned suspiciously at her, "You look rather young, but the hood and the ebony coffin makes no mistakes in the past hundred years."
"I came here on a scholarship." Lotus responded, "If you look into it, a rich family is backing up my tuition fees and I'm here on a recommendation."
"Your education?" Crowley questioned.
"Self-taught." Lotus answered.
"Is that so?" Crowley looked to her with a plain look of disbelief, "I recall there being a few students on the system, but you don't have any magic and you have a place to return too. Night Raven College is a school of magic. Who recommended you?"
"Mister Mirror did." Lotus responded.
Lotus saw that the headmaster was actually taken aback by this to which she could understand. After all, how could a person behind glass do something outside?
The headmaster shook his head, "Now that you're here, you might as well pay for the window. And, as for the letter of acceptance..."
Very troubled, the headmaster unwilling stated, "We can't send you home very easily since the mirror was the one who had the school send the letter."
"Really?" Lotus questioned it curiously.
"Of course." Crowley responded bluntly as he saw the mirror slowly vanished back behind the darkness of the glass, "Since the mirror was the one who recommended you, we'll enroll you as a student after everything in your background is checked."
"But, I don't have a dorm."
"We can rearrange something later." He responded with a smile, "Though it'll be a lot of effort, I can put you into a dorm somewhere on campus for now. With your contributions to the window, I won't have to charge our new handyman for the window."
"So, no dorm, but can't leave?"
"I'm afraid not." Crowley said with a look of confusion but smiled, "Like I said, I'll get you into a dorm somewhere on campus, despite you not having magic. Normally, I would have you leave campus and return home as you are not in the same position as our penniless teenager this evening. However, the mirror was the one who want the letter to be extended to you. So, I shall find a place for you to stay. For I am gracious. What is your name again?"
"Lotus Xue." Lotus responded.
"Lotus? As in a flower?" Crowley looked to her in confusion.
"Pretty much." She responded, "My mom was the one who gave me the name."
Honestly, she had wanted a more masculine name, but her mother was very adamant about a flowery name for her alias despite the girly aspect of it. She recalled her saying with a bright smile, "I think it's very nice. Your name is already a flower to begin with and I think a flowery name would suit you wherever you go. It'll be easier for us to recognize you later on too. A boy or girl can have the name, so there's no problem with it, right?"
It was very hard to talk her mother out of an idea once she came up with one too. So, she accepted her mother's idea without further conflicts.
"Very well." The headmaster stated, "We'll speak more about this in my office."
"Got it!"