The group had to make a quick detour back to the Ramshackle Dorm so Kat could retrieve her new lab gear.
Somehow, though, they managed to reach the classroom before the second bell rang.
She hadn't had time to put the gear on properly, though.
She had the lab coat draped over one arm, the safety goggles were hanging around her neck, and she'd just shoved the gloves haphazardly in her pocket.
Coughing, she bent over with her hands on her knees, breathing heavily for a few seconds.
"I'm... REALLY sorry," she apologized, straightening up and pushing her bangs out of her eyes. "It's-- I, I REALLY didn't mean to be late, it's just--"
Looking around, she blushed.
Oh, geez-- everybody was looking at her... Or more specifically THEM, since Ace, Deuce and Grim were also with her.
The room was...
Well, not to stretch an example, but it was a lot like the Potions room from Harry Potter.
It had a sort of dungeon-y feel, all stone walls, but was a lot bigger than the set in the movies. It was even down in the basements, too...
There were shelves lining the walls, filled with-- well, stuff.
Some of it looked like standard school lab equipment... Beakers, vials, thermometers, the works.
Most of it was definitely not, though.
There were lots of small wooden boxes, like tiny chests of drawers. All kinds of weird glass containers and bottles filled with... Substances.
Big, fancy old books, sprigs of dried plants-- basically, if you imagined a wizard's or alchemist's lab, it was pretty much exactly that.
There were wooden desks with barstools arranged in a ring around the room-- a lot like a lab classroom back home, actually.
Almost all of them were full of students.
And all of them were staring in her direction.
"Ah-- you must be my new homeroom students," a voice rang out.
There was the scrape of a chair being pushed back, and she looked around.
There was a large mahogany desk in the corner by the door. A man had just stood up from its thronelike chair, padded with red velvet. He didn't so much walk over to them as sashay, wingtip shoes clacking authoritatively on the stone floor.
Coming to a stop, he observed the group with one hand on his hip.
He had a-- well, it looked like a weird combination of a riding crop and a pointer in his other hand, with a red dog collar hanging from it like a cell phone strap.
Whatever it was, he tapped his chin thoughtfully with the end of it for a second, one thin eyebrow quirking.
Then he cast a sharp gaze at Ace and Deuce, standing awkwardly behind her and trying to catch their breath as well.
"Trappola. Spade. Sit down-- and take the little mongrel with you, too."
He pointed his whatever-it-was at Grim, who had collapsed into a puddle at the door, panting.
"This one--"
Here he whipped the pointer at her, making her jump.
"Stays here. I'd like to talk to the brains of the operation for a moment."
"What?!" Grim protested.
Instead of saying anything back, Ace and Deuce just nodded. Snatching up Grim, Deuce bowed sharply, then scuttled off, followed by Ace.
Kat watched them go, then turned back to the man, blinking awkwardly.
He was tall-- about six feet, so roughly the same height as Crowley-- and very slim.
His outfit had a lot of similarities to the Headmaster's, actually, at least in construction. Suit pants, vest, shirt and tie, complete with oversized coat... Except he was actually wearing his correctly.
The whole ensemble was black-and-white, with accents of deep red-- shiny red leather gloves, red tie, red socks, even red buttons on the vest. The coat looked like fur, lined with red silk and made up of alternating black-and-white strips.
She wasn't an expert, but the fur looked pretty real...
Even his hair was black-and-white.
The black side was slicked back along the side of his head, while the white side swept high across his forehead in an arc.
He had a sharp, handsome face with a jawline you could cut glass on.
His eyebrows were thin and well-groomed, and, unless she was very much mistaken, he was wearing eye makeup.
It looked like a cat's-eye liner with a crisp, gradient cut crease of white, silvery gray, and black eyeshadow.
He looked her up and down with steely gray eyes, then chuckled quietly.
"Hm... That's a rather unusual coat of fur you've got there... Not bad, though-- not bad at all. Do make sure to come to class properly groomed, of course."
"U-Um... Thank you?" She ventured, standing up straighter and folding her hands in front of her.
This guy was-- well, he was just so put-together and classy...
She was suddenly painfully aware of the wrinkles in her clothes.
He nodded, with a small, thin smile.
"My name is Divus Crewel," he informed her, putting a hand elegantly to his own chest. "Though you may call me Crewel-sama."
Oh, great, he was one of THESE types.... What was the male equivalent of the 'ara, ara' girls?
Nevertheless, Kat nodded, returning the smile and ducking her head respectfully.
"It's nice to meet you, sir," she said.
"Sorry for-- y'know-- almost being late..."
Crewel chuckled again.
Taking a small step back, he tapped the handle of his pointer against his chin.
"Let me see-- your name was... Kat, correct?"
"Yes, sir," she confirmed, nodding.
"I've never been much of a cat person, myself," he continued, still looking her up and down.
"...But you seem to be an acceptably trained young she-pup-- or perhaps kitten, in this case- despite your narrow brush with tardiness. Is it true you can't use magic?"
She shifted uncomfortably, holding her elbow.
"...Yeah-- I mean, yes," she admitted.
The assembled students started to whisper amongst themselves.
She looked down, feeling her heart rate starting to rise.
"HUSH!" Crewel barked, turning to face the class and bringing his pointer down sharply into his other palm. It swished and cracked like a whip, and immediately the whispering ceased.
"There is to be NO whining, whimpering or whinging while I am speaking to the new student, understand?"
A brief moment of silence.
"Good boys," he nodded, turning back to Kat.
"As I was saying. In fact, the little creature over there is the one in possession of the arcane talents in this arrangement?"
He nodded in the direction of Ace, Deuce and Grim, all sitting at-- or in Grim's case, on-- an empty desk.
"Yes, sir," she confirmed again.
"I see."
He paused for a moment, still giving her a thoughtful look.
"Very well then-- put your equipment on properly and take your seat, Little Miss Pup. Class is about to begin."
She nodded, bowing her head.
Then she hurried off towards the last empty desk, which just so happened to be next to Ace's and Deuce's.
Sitting down on the stool, she quickly pulled on the lab coat, fumbling with the buttons.
God damn Crowley and his stupid flaky, scatterbrained eccentricity... It would've been nice if he could've given her a schedule instead of just dumping the number of the class on her. Maybe she'd have been able to bring the stupid lab gear with her instead of running all the way back to Ramshackle!
Grim hopped off Ace and Deuce's desk, jumping up onto the spare stool next to her while she tugged the gloves on.
Crewel walked to the center of the room, smacking his pointer against his palm with a swish again.
"First things first-- we're going to start with the basics," he announced, voice ringing through the room.
"And by that, I mean beating the names and characteristics of one hundred herbs and poisons into your tiny heads. The mycelia, of course, are another matter entirely... But hopefully, you'll eventually be able to go for a walk without putting anything deadly into your greedy little mouths."
He paced back and forth a little, shoes clacking as he folded his arms behind his back, looking at the class.
"For now, of course, I know all too well that you all have the self-control of a pack of hungry dogs. But--"
Once more, his pointer swished and cracked into his palm, making them all jump.
"I will not abide a SINGLE student failing this class. Prepare yourselves to be put through your paces accordingly."
"I see," Deuce murmured, nodding.
"Um..." He glanced around.
"By the way," he whispered. "Does anyone know what a mycelia is?"
"I think it's the scientific name for fungus," Kat breathed back. "You know, like mushrooms and molds and stuff."
"Ohhh..."
Deuce nodded again.
Ace groaned, propping his head up in a hand and drumming his fingers against the desk.
"Geh... Man, I've always HATED memorization," he muttered.
Grim scoffed, crossing his forelegs.
"All I care about's tellin' the yummy plants from the yucky ones," he grumbled.
"Sshhh!" Kat hissed, smacking him lightly with the back of her hand.
Crewel had started talking again.
"First--"
She tried her best, she really did.
Plus, she realized, looking around, she was the only one who didn't have anything to take notes with.
Maybe she should've thought of that sooner...
Going to school without actually having any school supplies, that is.
She didn't even have a pencil or a single scrap of paper...
She sat there stiffly, surrounded by the scratching of writing utensils.
Crewel's voice loudly rattled off the names of plants she'd either never heard of or only heard of in fantasy books.
Abruptly, the bell rang-- not the typical buzzing of a school bell. This was a real bell, like a cathedral's bell, echoing loudly through the castle.
Crewel looked around at the class, putting his hands on his hips.
"Hmm. Very well-- it seems our training session for the day must come to an end. Class dismissed."
The whole class seemed to exhale at once. People started getting up from their stools, quickly grabbing their notebooks and hurrying towards the door.
"HEEL!" Crewel boomed, with another swish of his pointer.
"You do not all pile through the door at once like that! No pups of mine are going to injure themselves roughhousing in MY classroom, understand? Now-- step back, and wait your turn. Two at a time."
There were a few muttered complaints...
Apparently nobody wanted to end up on the wrong side of that pointer, though.
The students shuffled out cautiously, with Crewel's steely gaze watching them like a hawk.
Ace and Deuce had just stepped out, and Kat and Grim were the only ones left.
Grim strolled out the door, and she was about to head out after him when--
"STAY!"
She jumped, making a small, startled squeaking sound.
"You are not going anywhere, Little Miss Pup."
Crewel walked up to her, crossing his arms and fixing her with a cold stare.
"I couldn't help but notice you weren't taking any notes... Is my class that unimportant to you? Or perhaps you simply have an eidetic memory, hmm?"
He raised an eyebrow.
"O-Oh! Um..."
Kat looked down, already feeling the hot flush of shame creeping up her neck.
"I--I'm really sorry, sir-- Crewel-sama.. I-it's not that I didn't WANT to! Really, but I just..."
"...Came woefully unprepared?" He interrupted her sharply.
"Yes, I noticed... As I understand it, your case is an exceptionally unusual one, isn't it? A magicless student, enrolled in a magic school... As only half of one student, but enrolled all the same. Did you assume that, since the circumstances of your enrollment were so exceptional, you could merely skate by, as it were?"
"N-No!" She protested, shaking her head emphatically.
"Look, I-- I really, really AM sorry, but it's just-- I- I don't have anything, okay?!"
Oops-- that came out a little louder, and a lot more frantic, than she meant to.
She clapped her hands over her mouth, blushing hotly.
"Sorry," she mumbled. "I- I didn't mean to shout..."
"Anything?" Crewel repeated, giving her an even colder gaze. "Explain, please."
Kat started fidgeting with her hands, twisting her fingers together aimlessly.
"Um... I mean, I don't have any... L-Look, sir. I don't have any-- any notebooks or paper or pencils... I don't have any money, so it's not like I could go get them..."
She cautioned a glance up.
Crewel wasn't giving her quite as chilly of a look now.
Unless she was very much mistaken, he actually seemed a little concerned.
"I... I don't want to be rude, 'cause I'm really grateful to the Headmaster for letting me stay. And for enrolling me-- I mean, us-- me and Grim, I mean. But... Um..."
She looked down at her sneakers again.
"I live in an abandoned building right now, and I only have one set of clothes besides all the--"
She gestured down at herself.
"The school-assigned ones, like this, and I... I mean, I didn't MEAN to come here, you know? It was an accident, s-so it's not like I had any time to prepare or grab the stuff I might need..."
Crewel stayed silent for a moment.
"Are you telling me," he said flatly.
"That the Headmaster simply declared your enrollment, while completely overlooking the fact that you, having come unwillingly from some other realm with only the clothes on your back, would be ill-equipped to participate in said studies?"
"...Yes," she admitted.
Crewel's face darkened. Giving a sharp sigh, he pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes and scowling.
"...Imbecile," he hissed through his teeth.
Kat stood still, staying silent.
"...Not you," he added as an afterthought, seeming to remember she was still there.
She nodded, but didn't say anything.
"Wait here for a moment," Crewel ordered. Turning, he went to his desk. Then he started opening and closing the drawers, muttering under his breath.
She caught the words 'flighty' and 'irresponsible'... As well as what sounded like a fair amount of profanity.
After a few moments, he had a stack of battered notebooks and uneven sheafs of paper in his hand.
Looking around, he frowned for a moment, then flicked the pointer.
With a burst of sparkles, a brown leather bag-- like the ones Japanese schools used-- dropped lightly onto his desk.
He picked it up, opening the flap and shuffling in the stack of papers and notebooks. Then he took a handful of pens and pencils from an expensive-looking organizer on the desk, tossing them in as well.
Shutting the flap, he hooked the handle of his pointer through the strap, lifting it up and walking over to her.
"This should be enough for now," he said, holding the bag out for her to take. "Come see me after classes-- I'll be in my office. I'll find you a spare textbook and some less secondhand supplies."
She took it cautiously, holding it awkwardly to her chest.
"Thank you," she ventured.
Crewel nodded.
"You are dismissed."
After a moment, he stopped, back turned to her.
"...You're still here," he said flatly. "Why?"
Kat shuffled her feet awkwardly, looking down.
"Um..."
"....You're wondering why I'm bothering with all this?" Crewel asked, turning his head slightly and giving her some serious sideeye.
She nodded.
He rolled his eyes, turning to face her.
"I make it a point to give all my students the tools necessary to succeed," he said, hand on his hip again.
"Whether they choose to utilize them or not is none of my concern. Apparently, the Headmaster--" the note of derision in his voice was obvious.
"Neglected to even offer."
"Oh," she said, nodding.
"I- I see.... Um-- thank you, sir! I mean..."
"Don't mention it," he said, shaking his head with a very small smile.
"Now-- run along. I think your little pack of strays is waiting for you in the hall."
Stepping forward, he opened the door, nodding for her to step out.
Sure enough, Ace, Deuce and Grim were standing awkwardly in the hall.
They were all looking extremely nervous, like they were waiting outside an operating room for an urgent surgery.
Fighting down a laugh at their grim, gray faces, she looked back at Crewel, smiling.
"Thank you!"
Bowing her head one more time, she hurried out the door.
"Now-- hurry along to your next class," the teacher said, one hand on his hip.
"I'm sure one of these two will allow you to store your lab coat and equipment in their lockers."
"Yes, sir," she agreed, nodding.
"Thanks-- again! Really!"
"Don't mention it," Crewel smiled.
"Again. Goodbye, Little Miss Pup. Strays."
With another nod to the three boys, he shut the door firmly with a loud click.
Smiling, Kat started walking, looking back at Ace and Deuce.
"Okay-- where's the next class?"
"Uh--"
The Heartslabyul duo shook their heads rapidly.
"It's-- Y-You're not in trouble?!" Deuce asked in bewilderment, jogging after her.
"No," she shrugged, stopping to let him catch up. "I think I was GONNA be, but I explained things... He was really nice, actually! Kinda intense, but I think he's just like that."
"Seriously?!" Ace demanded, eyes widening. "Dude-- everybody's TERRIFIED of that guy! And you get held back after class on your first day, and stroll back out like it was nothing?!"
"I don't know what to tell you," she said, shrugging again.
"Maybe I just have better vibes than you... Seriously though, where's the next class? And do you have anywhere to drop this stuff off or not?"
"Oh! Right-- um..."
Shaking his head again, Deuce pointed down the hall, taking off his lab gloves as he started walking.
"The lockers are this way... And the next class is on the next floor up!"
She nodded, starting to follow him, with Ace and Grim trailing behind.
The 'lockers', as it turned out, were a lot more like cubbies or cabinets. Once again, it was a lot like the kinds Japanese schools had...
At least, the ones in anime.
She'd never actually been to a real Japanese school, so she wasn't sure.
She stashed her folded coat, gloves and goggles in Ace's cubby.
Then she followed him and Deuce up a small flight of stairs and down another hall, chatting over the noise of the milling students.
The next classroom they entered was actually surprisingly familiar.
Looking around, she blinked.
She was pretty sure this was the room she'd climbed out of the window in when Grim was chasing her the first night...
There were rows of tiered desks on either side of the room, kind of like a college lecture hall. A big desk sat at the front of the room, stacked with books, with a large blackboard behind it.
She noticed something on top of a bookshelf-- a big, shiny purple globe in a stand, with swirling golden streaks.
Wonder what that does...
Sure was shiny, though.
"Take your seats," another voice announced.
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