Aayla brokered a deal between Dormi and the gremlins. Dormi could make all the sweets that the gremlins wanted, but needed actual workers to do some of the chores around the residence hall. The artifact spirit also hated cleaning up all of the gremlin's messes. The gremlins agreed to certain follow certain rules, limit the chaos in the residence hall and act as part time workers in exchange for food. Aayla provided the recipes and drafted the contract. Both parties happily agreed and signed.
Since the credentials and authority to manage the artifact spirit were lost, the faculty didn't really have a say in this. Of course, the deal would be mentioned to Ramona, along with Aayla and Dormi's plot to get the gremlins off of sugar. Unknown to the gremlins, many of the recipes were sugar free or had sugar free substitutions. They also didn't need to know about the staff member who would drop off any missing supplies each week.
Ramona was stupefied. She had never heard of someone bargaining with gremlins. Neither did any of the other faculty when word about the gremlin workers spread. Later, Ramona and Headmaster Marin had to have a friendly 'chat' with a few of the overeager researchers who wanted to investigate. They quickly calmed down.
No one tried to kill Aayla for the rest of the week. The rest of her exams went smoothly, and Aayla got an automatic 'A' on the practical for the incident on the practice field instead of just removing the exam from her class grade. Though, she barely squeaked by with a 'B' in magical theory.
As for the residence hall, it became much more peaceful for a few days. The gremlins became much more tolerable when they weren't on constant sugar highs. There was a brief coffee incident, but the gremlins were quickly banned. They didn't like the bitter taste anyways.
Unfortunately, Lyse Foryl only got a slap on the wrist. He claimed it was an accident, and the teachers couldn't prove that it was on purpose. So, he simply got a warning, detention and dormitory confinement for a few days. Lyse threw a tantrum about the dormitory confinement. He still had never visited the residence hall, but was convinced it was no better than a condemned shack. Security and his uncle had to force him to move into the residence hall.
The arrogant young man was only slightly satisfied with his new room but still calmed down. His new roommate belonged to a family that served the Foryl's, and essentially became a live-in servant to take care of the picky Lyse. The misfortunate young man was miserable but still had to put a smile on his face every day.
Lysander Foryl brought chaos back to the residence hall. Since he couldn't leave, his friends came to him. Without Daren and Chris, Lyse became the highest-ranking student in the dormitory, and no one could stop him. He would take up the entire lounge with his friends. Wild parties would rage late into the night. Afterwards, the room would look like a trash tornado went through. The rowdy group would kick familiars and taunt the gremlins. Bullying became routine. The first-years had the roughest time.
The residents were annoyed. The staff was miserable. Dormi was angry. The gremlins were furious. Aayla could barely contain them from tearing Lyse and his goons to pieces. Now the resident trouble makers, Lyse and his clique refused to listen to any of the resident advisors or staff. Daren and Chris were forced further into hiding to avoid them. Aayla complained to Daren and Chris every chance that she got, because only they had the necessary background to stand up to Lyse. All of her reports to Ramona were essentially useless since no one was available to handle Lyse.
Chris secretly recorded some of Lyse's antics and submitted anonymous reports. Ultimately, the student council got involved due to the complaints. They had hoped that Lysander would calm down after being forced to live in the far reaches of the campus, but he only got worse. With no one to stop him, the power went to his head. Members of the student council actually transferred into the dormitory to handle the situation.
The Disciplinary Committee Chair fourth-year Junius Ahroyor quickly moved in along with Disciplinary Committee member third-year Renee Parlow. They moved into Nafriton Residence Hall on the 14th of Kilm, not even a week after Lysander Foryl arrived. Aayla and Theo waited by the front gate for their arrival.
"Good afternoon and welcome to Nafriton Residence Hall. I'm the head resident advisor and advisor for the Women's Wing, Aayla Glowery. This is Theodore Lawlor, the resident advisor for the Men's Wing."
"Mm. I am Junius Ahroyor from the Student Council. This is Renee Parlow. We will be handling the complaints against Mr. Foryl."
Junius was an imposing, physically fit fourth-year student while Renee was a petite third-year student with a neat bob cut. Honestly, Junius would have fit in better at a military academy. Each wore a badge with a navy-blue ribbon on their chests. He extended his hand, and Theo stepped forward to shake it.
"Thank you for coming. I really didn't expect the chair of the Disciplinary Committee himself to come personally, though."
Junius smiled wryly.
"There's not much of a choice when it comes to Lysander Foryl. He barely listened to normal committee members when there were upperclassmen or other high-ranking students to keep him at bay."
Aayla led the group to the office while Theo kept chatting with Junius and Renee. When the arrived, Aayla kicked out the students inside and shut the door. Then she unlocked the inner office for better privacy. Daren and Chris were already waiting inside. They had managed to clear out some space in between their lessons to sneak in. Renee blinked in shock, but only a glimmer of surprise flashed across Junius' face. Chris smiled and waved while Daren kept reading his book.
"Hey Junius. What a surprise to see you here!"
"Don't act so surprised, Chris. There are few students who can handle Lyse right now. So, this is where you two were staying? That explains a couple of things."
Daren looked up from his book as everyone found seats around the table in the room.
"A couple of things?"
Renee pulled a stack of papers out of her bag then began to pass them around.
"Yes. Who sent in the detailed anonymous reports… and why Jerome Foryl was so intent on getting his nephew into this dormitory."
Jerome Foryl was a fairly well-known figure at Nafriton University. Aayla heard of him frequently. He is a very popular and unpopular man at the same time. She only saw him briefly a couple of times, and he seemed very strange. At first glance, he was stoic and polite yet in the depths of his gaze Aayla felt an enormous amount of cold disdain and arrogance. Honestly, Jerome Foryl reminded her of Dr. van Brakke.
The fourth son of a Foryl branch family, he was Lyse's distant uncle. Jerome made a name for himself through magic. He was a key figure in the conservative faction among the nobility, but publicly he kept his favoritism out of teaching affairs. Jerome maintained a reputation as a professional researcher and teacher who avoided politics. Support poured in across many factions for him to become the next dean of the College of Magic.
However, one day Ramona explained that Headmaster Marin and most of the Deputy Headmasters are actually against his appointment. Despite a lack of evidence, Jerome always seemed off to them. She warned Aayla that it was best to stay away from him.
Why would a man that avoided politics like the plague suddenly try to get his nephew into the same dormitory as Daren Forolan? Was it truly just a coincidence? Another question popped into Aayla's mind.
"Wait, why would Jerome Foryl want to get Lyse Foryl into Nafriton Residence Hall?"
She was met with confused stares. Renee pointed to Daren.
"You know who Jerome Foryl and Daren Forolan are, right?"
"Yeah, Professor Foryl teaches here. Daren's a shut in, rich young master with only one friend appointed by Headmaster Marin to help out around here yet never shows up."
Chris spit out his drink and started laughing hysterically. Junius merely raised his eyebrows while Renee looked completely shocked like a deer in the headlights of a car. Aayla was just as confused by their reactions as they were to her question.
Daren started sulking that he was demoted to a mere 'shut in rich young master'. He's practically never been insulted in his entire life. That actually stung a little, yet he wasn't sure why because he doesn't care about a wild little girl from nowhere. Hmph. He absolutely doesn't care.
"Technically, that's right," Chris continued between giggles. "He's definitely a shut in, but that's not everything. Where you living under a rock or something when you were abroad? Wow, that was the most hilarious description of Daren that I've heard in years."
When Chris finally calmed down, he cleaned up his spilled drink.
"Daren's not just a rich young master. He's a direct student of Headmaster Marin and the heir of the Forolan family, the major magical family that's been ruling Halcyon City since before the founding of the Chinebar Republic."
Oh.