The group made their way into the cafeteria as other students hurried in eagerly and some with growling stomachs. Grim, being one of the students with such a stomach, cheered as he examined the cafeteria, "Wooo! Lunchtime at last! Whoa!"
Seeing the food from afar, Grim drooled, "They got some good-lookin' grub!"
Standing in the line with them, Hoshi looked to the food catering system and the options for the day alongside her remaining budget saved for her lunch. She could see an array of options as the students picked out their choices while the ghost staffs added their selection onto a clean plate which then went onto a tray. Once the students grabbed their tray, they hurriedly left the cashier after paying and went to find a seat in the large dining area of the building. The room was lined with wooden tables and benches and it was also lit by candles. Also, the chandelier they broke was somehow already replaced with another one. Hoshi watched as their line became longer and longer. It was a good thing they stood in line as soon as they came in. She watched as a student picked out his choice and noted rather impressed, "Ooh, a buffet style. That's fancy."
However, it soon dawned on her as she glanced over to Grim nervously, "Wait! Can you even eat squid and onions, Grim?"
Despite her concerns, Grim had already began picking out his choices as he awed at the food before him, "Look how fluffy those omelets are! Ooh, grilled chicken! And a bacon-and-egg tart!"
"Shhh! Dude, inside voices! Where was this energy earlier today?" Ace sighed in dismay ignoring Hoshi's sigh of relief.
Ignoring him, Grim noticed Hoshi picked a croissant and latte and called out, "Hoshi, grab me the grilled chicken! There's only one left! And an omelet too. And that jelly-filled bread. Just fill your whole tray with 'em!"
"Yes yes..." She grumbled in disappointment before noticing flicker from the corner of her eye, "Grim! Wait!"
"Ow!"
She was too late. Grim had bumped into the student next to him as the guy glared at them, "Hey! Watch where you're goin'!"
The guy looked back down and noticed something with his food before complaining at them, "M-my carbonara! You broke the yolk!"
"Whoa, that's messed up! Pokin' the egg is the best part!" The guy next to him spoke up with a smirk, "You better make this right, pal!"
"I'm gonna need that grilled chicken of yours as compensation." The guy with the carbonara sneered.
Huh?! All that for a chicken?
Without waiting for her input, Grim growled, "Myah?! No way! Hands off the bird, chump! I need my protein, because I am HANGRY!"
"Hey! That's no way to speak to an upperclassman! Catch me outside and I'll teach you some respect!" The guy's friend responded confidently.
Deuce cut in apologetically, "Um, excuse me, sir, but it said in the handbook that fighting with magic was prohibited..."
"Fighting? You got it all wrong. This is just me helpin' an ignorant freshman know his place." The guy scoffed and pushed him aside.
"Now, let's see just how many ways there are to skin a cat, heh!" The other sneered and got into a fighting stance.
The second guy already began by throwing in a punch. Grim swiftly dodged that and pounced at his face knocking the guy back. However, the Carbonara guy began his attack as soon as Grim landed. Caught by surprise, Grim didn't have time to react as Deuce leapt in and grabbed Grim away. Hoshi quickly grabbed the guy's fist and easily twisted his arm into a lockhold. However, rather than pinning him there, she easily let him go.
The guy was quickly supported by his pal as he grumbled in surprise, "Whoa, didn't know you had that in you..."
"Look, I'm gonna let you off the hook this time, but only 'cuz I don't want my pasta gettin' cold." The other guy responded nervously as he and the other guy grabbed their food before leaving.
"Pffft!" Grim sneered, "I knew you were all talk! You better hope I never see you again!"
Hoshi turned to Grim and stated coldly with a glare, "What happened to "no more incidents"?"
"Hey! They started it first!" Grim pointed out in disappointment.
Seeing the guy refuse to admit his guilt, Hoshi sighed in defeat, "I guess this is my life now."
"Can we just get some lunch already?" Ace complained as he frowned, "I missed breakfast, and I'm about to collapse."
Hoshi looked back and saw a bunch of other students glaring at them as she nodded and grabbed whatever it was that Grim wanted along with her own share before hurrying with the other two to the tables. After finding a seat, Ace sighed in relief, "Glad that was over. Clearly you can see the guy just wanted trouble! You should have said something back at them, Hoshi!"
"I can't believe this." Deuce muttered in disappointment as Grim escaped his grasp, "Textbook bullies at an academy that's supposed to be famous for producing exceptional mages…"
"Deuce? Are you okay?" Hoshi tilted her head with uncertainty. "It seems like… you're forcing yourself…"
"Aw, get over it already. It's time to chow like the wind!" Grim exclaimed before stuffing his face with food as he held the fork with both paws and marveled, "This omelet is as fluffy as a cloud, and practically burstin' with cheese!"
Seeing Grim chow away without a care and marveling at the taste, Hoshi looked to her own food which consisted of an apple, bread and water. Uncertain with her choice, she looked to the others before looking back at her food with a strange sense of relief as she took an apple and had a large bite from it. She paused in surprise as juice dripped from her apple to her hand. It was rather sweet and crunchy. Probably more so than she had thought it would be. The bread was also soft and warm. Grim began as she pondered to them curiously with a mouth full of food, "So, I saw your guys' dorm, but what are the other ones like?"
"I'm sure you're familiar with the statues of the Great Seven?" A voice interjected their conversation much to their surprise, "Night Raven College has a dorm themed after each one."
"Bwah!" Ace jumped back in surprise only to find it was that guy from back in the garden this morning, "You're that guy from this morning!"
"You tricked us into paintin' those dumb roses!" Grim jumped to his feet in an outrage.
"'Tricked' is such an ugly word. Do you think I wanted to spend MY morning painting roses?" Cater responded in denial and disappointment, "It's dorm policy! I was just following orders."
"And grinning like a fiend all the while." Deuce added in disdain.
"Next time, please give us at least a few minutes to leave. I thought we were still needed to paint the roses…" Hoshi muttered as she recalled the mess that morning.
"Now, now, Deucey." Cater smiled as he sat down next to them, "Outside of the dorm, I don't care what rules you follow. Here, I'm just a friendly mentor figure!"
"Please." Deuce scowled rather unpleasantly, "Do NOT call me Deucey."
"Ah ha ha. That's how Cater shows he cares." Another student responded as he tried to pacify the situation.
"And who are you?" Ace grumbled seeing another newcomer at their table.
"Ah, I should introduce myself." The guy sat down and pushed back his glasses into place, "The name's Trey. Trey Clover. I'm a junior at Heartslabyul, like Cater here. And you must be Hoshi, the new prefect from that dump of a- ah, I mean, the 'rustic dorm'. I heard the whole story from Cater. Thanks for looking out for our boys yesterday."
Though she was irked at being reminded of the mess their dorm is in, Hoshi could not reply since her mouth was full from pieces of the apple she had. Embarrassed, she gave a small nod.
"I don't recall inviting you to sit with us..." Ace butted in with disapproval.
"Hey now, we're all from the same dorm, right? Let's try to get along. Here, gimme your digits." Cater suggested with a wide smile.
Having finished her food, Hoshi was caught off guard, "Wait, what?! U-um... I don't have a tablet."
"For real? I've read about luddites like you, but never imagined I'd meet one in the wild!" Cater exclaimed in surprise, "I know a place that sells the latest models cheap. How about you and I go on a phone-shopping date?"
"Date? Wh-What's a date?" Her eyes widen in surprise as she was taken aback and grasped Grim in response.
"What is up with you, Hoshi? You look so tense! It's okay, baby! Relax! Relaaaaax!" Cater responded in surprise and laughed, "Looks like you rarely talk with others that your brain took a vacay for a bit there! I bet you're the type that's awkward IRL but can text up a storm, huh? Just give me your info when you're ready!"
Trey sighed, "Cater. You're freaking out the freshmen. Maybe take it down a notch?"
"Ha! Sorry! I can get a little extra sometimes. What were we talking about... The dorms, yeah?" Cater laughed, "Ah, what fun to mentor new students! Go ahead, A-M-A."
"Before you get into the other dorms, I wouldn't mind learning a bit more about ours. Like, what's the deal with all this 'Queen of Hearts rule number whatever' junk?" Ace jumped in with a scowl as he recalled the events the last couple of days.
Trey nodded, "I'm sure you're familiar with the legendary Queen of Hearts already? She had to rule over a kingdom of weirdos, and did it by emphasizing order and making strict rules."
"Our dorm, Heartslabyul, is an homage to her. By tradition, we wear armbands with the red and black of the Queen's dress." Trey explained, "And we live by the rules she created."
"The Queen of hearts?" Hoshi hummed as the words played on her lips as though it wouldn't leave.
"Pfft. Can you make me any more bored?" Grim grumbled.
"Now, the degree to which we adhere to the rules depends on the sitting housewarden. Past wardens have been much more lax." Cater explained.
"Riddle though?" Trey added, "He doesn't mess around. Basically, you could say that we're honoring that tradition to the utmost extent possible."
Hearing the familiar name, Hoshi paused and listened intently. For some reason, just the name Riddle seems to make her feel on edge.
Ace shook his head in disappointment, "Bleah. Just my luck…"
"So what are the other dorms like, then?" Grim questioned curiously.