#featuring jade

Halloween was always an event at Night Raven College, and it always seemed like something, inevitably, would go wrong.

Overly excitable guests, ghost shenanigans, a plot against magic users, a human trafficking ring disguised as an amusement park…. Even just starting to list the varying things that had happened during past Halloweens seemed ridiculous.

But then, it wasn’t like drama only occurred during the Halloween timeframe. After all, overblots weren’t exactly an odd occurrence, per se.

And yet, despite the distinctly worrying history of things going awry, it was shaping up to be a fairly peaceful Halloween with me helping out at the Mostro Lounge this year.

The theme for this year was jiāngshī, or Chinese hopping vampires, with the Mostro Lounge serving Chinese cuisine exclusively and me, as part of the waitstaff, dressed in similarly traditional Chinese clothes. Though I wasn’t actually dressed as a jiāngshī due to that being the Octavinelle theme.

Apparently there was some ancient NRC rule about having to stick to the costume theme used by your dorm and no students outside of a given dorm being able to use that theme for the year.

Either way, I wasn’t going to turn my nose up at a bonus for working on the holiday, even if it meant having to deal with the tweels in their matching jiāngshī costumes.

Though I did have to admit, their sharp teeth really did add to the image.

All of the Octavinelle students wore very similar outfits, though. Little domed hats and ancient Chinese robes that hung to the floor, as well as a long red beaded necklace. 

The costumes were very similar to what Sebek, Silver, Lilia, and Malleus had worn when they’d dressed as Longs. It was just that these jiāngshī robes were darker colored and had abysmally long sleeves that hung over the students’ hands unless they pushed them back. 

And, then, of course, there was the slip of yellowed paper with red writing that hung from the front of their hats.

Topping it all off was the way the students were walking around with stiff arms unless they were carrying a platter. A few students had tried hopping, but that had ended in disaster and numerous scoldings from Azul as well as a few threats from Floyd about what would happen to them if they ruined a single more dish that he’d made.

At odds with them, and at Azul and the tweels’ recommendation, my clothes were white and red. Making me stand out against the mass of otherwise dark robes. But, as Jade himself had put it, what would any Halloween experience with monsters be without a single victim?

Still, though, I was getting tired of the numerous attempts of the other students to scare me, and I was beginning to wonder if there was some reward for getting a reaction out of me. 

I spun away from yet another table, though, balancing a platter on my hand as I casually went about dodging other waitstaff and made my way back to the kitchen.

It wouldn’t be long before it was time for my break, and then I’d be able to rest easily without fear of a random surprise attack.

I backed my way through the door and sat the platter down, glancing around in search of any waiting dishes, only to find nothing there.

In fact, the kitchen appeared to be empty. Which meant one thing. Floyd had made a run for it.

I frowned, letting out a sigh before I poked my head out, scanning the floor for Jade until I spotted him. Waving my hand to get his attention before beckoning him over. A motion that made him frown before he nodded and went to finishing up with the table he was currently at. 

He was no doubt prepared for some form of shenanigans from his twin, though. Floyd had been complaining at the start of the night about missing out on the Halloween celebrations because of work.

I was kind of surprised Azul and Jade had even gotten him to agree to work at all tonight since he’d been protesting the entire thing quite so strongly.

I stepped back into the kitchen, glancing around with a frown in search of the missing eel merman before I spied the cracked-open door of the pantry.

There was a tiny sliver of light streaming out of it, and I only hesitated briefly before walking over. If I were lucky, he’d be in there. Though the lack of any sound made that seem unlikely.

Normally Floyd would either be grumbling irritably to himself or humming a jaunty tune.

I pushed the door open, peering around only to find there was no one present. It was just an empty room with stocked shelves and the lights turned on.

Which was weird. Because while Floyd was mercurial at best, he normally didn’t run off without cutting the lights off at the very least.

In fact, he was more likely to just walk around in the dark like he was waiting for someone to walk in just so he could scare the crap out of them the very moment they decided the coast was clear.

I stepped into the pantry, still frowning in mild confusion even as I reached for the light switch, only to freeze. My entire body going rigid as two arms wound around me in a perfectly ominous way before tightening and holding me firmly in place before I could even start to think about trying to break free.

“Caught you~” Floyd’s voice was distinctly teasing, and I let out an exhale in relief, of all things.

“Floyd,” His name came out in a frustrated exhale as I glanced over my shoulder. Making eye contact with him from around the talisman that hung from his head as he grinned at me. And I didn’t even want to think about where he might’ve been hiding.

He snickered in response, and I could hear Jade sigh from behind him, the sound causing Floyd to look nonchalantly back with a grin, “I almost got ‘em.” 

His tone was wholly unbothered even as I frowned at his words. Feeling distinctly suspicious as Jade responded in a perfectly mocking tone, “But they didn’t scream, so you still didn’t win, brother dearest.”

I wiggled vainly in Floyd’s grip, doing my best to look back at Jade as I spoke with my frown deepening, “Excuse me? Won??”

“Jade and I made a deal. Whoever gets the biggest scare out of you gets the rest of the evening off.” I looked up at Floyd as he explained, outright frowning at him as he grinned down at me before pivoting wildly. Almost causing me to shriek at the sudden motion as he spun us so quickly that the world briefly blurred until he came to a sudden halt, with his back to the pantry and me out in the open of the kitchen.

“Aw, you were supposed to scream. That’s no fun, Shrimpy.” Despite his sulky words, Floyd leaned down and rested his chin on my shoulder as he frowned at me. 

His motions paired with my disbelieving expression elicit a chuckle from Jade, who still stood in the doorway, “Better luck next time, Floyd.”

“If you two are quite done, there are more customers out here waiting to be served,” Azul’s voice sliced through the space as he appeared behind Jade with an annoyed expression as he glanced between the twins before he let out a frustrated huff. Gesturing vaguely to where I stood, still held captive by Floyd, “And for the Seven’s sake, let Angelfish go.”

Floyd outright scowled at him but let go of me and straightened. Petulantly muttering something along the lines of ‘no fun.’

I stepped away from him, putting a safe amount of distance between us before I turned to look at him as Jade and Azul exited before I could question if Azul was in on the twins’ little scheme. But the two young men were already bickering with one another as Jade casually went about goading Azul.

I frowned after them before looking back at where Floyd grinned at me from behind the talisman that hung from his hat.

“Table four ordered xiaolongbao and char siu.” I rattled off the order I’d come in to give him in the first place in an only mildly clipped tone. Causing Floyd to bob his head.

He paused, though, reaching up to flick the talisman up and out of his as he flashed a distinctly playful grin at me, “Coming right up~” 

It was a complete shift from his earlier petulance, and he finished with a wink. Causing me to smile despite myself.

But at this point, I was used to going with the flow while working with him.

There was something about persistent wanna-be lovers that made one nervous enough to look to even the most shady sources of help. Including Octaveinelle.

“So this young man has been bothering you for…?” Jade trailed off as he looked up from the glass he was currently polishing to where I sat, right in front of him, at the bar.

“A little over a month now, I think.” I frowned as I recounted the numerous times the Pomefiore junior in question had just ‘happened’ to be right where I would inevitably run into him.

 I would be trapped there, having to interact with him and dodging his advances until I was saved by some passerby or thought up a reasonable excuse to leave.

I could’ve gone to Vil for help, considering it was one of his dorm members. But I also didn’t entirely want to put my annoyingly persistent and considerably pushy admirer through quite that much sorrow.

I did, however, want this handled, and me turning him down numerous times as politely as possible simply wasn’t cutting it. Which was why I went to Octavinelle to seek the advice of the infamous tweels. After all, they handled a lot of Azul's issues. Surely they would have advice for handling one persistent admirer.

Floyd let out a low whistle from behind me, causing me to twist slightly to glance at the young man who ought to be sweeping but was now just propped up on the broom’s handle as he shook his head, “Stubborn guy.”

His eyes found mine as a grin crossed his face, and I realized very quickly that I didn’t want to know exactly what Floyd was thinking. That wasn’t really one of his nice grins….

“Come now, Floyd. We can’t exactly blame the poor fool for being quite so smitten with our darling little Prefect, can we?” I almost grimaced at Jade’s teasing tone as I turned in time to catch his mocking, sharp-toothed smile.

“Guys,” I didn’t even bother fighting the whine that slipped into my tone. “I just want some advice. I can’t get him to go away, and I’ve already tried being blunt.”

Jade smiled in an indulgent manner down at me before a frown crossed his face, “I suppose it is rather problematic and concerning if he’s been at it this long.”

He sat the glass down with a tiny clink on the bar as he continued to ponder my plight, “You said he’s a Pomefiore student?”

I nodded, wondering exactly what Jade was thinking as Floyd slipped up next to me, propping himself on the bar, “Should I just scare him off? That’d probably do it.” 

Floyd sounded perfectly willing to do just that as he looked at me with that sharp-toothed grin of his before looking towards his brother. 

But he was soon frowning in confusion as Jade started to shake his head with a slight frown, “No, if he’s as determined as I fear, then I doubt that would solve the problem for little more than three days.”

That mocking smile appeared on Jade’s face again, even though he wasn’t actually looking at either me or his brother, as he continued, “Besides. Those Pomefiore boys are the schooling sort. Always flitting about in a group. If we tried aggression, he’d just come back with his friends, and that would make things more difficult for you, wouldn’t it, Prefect?”

He looked towards me as he finished, and I nodded glumly, “A squad probably would make it tougher.”

Especially since Pomefiore squads were known to be aggressive. Turning him down in front of his posse could be risky at best.

A chuckle slipped from the vice-housewarden’s lips as he smiled at me, “Now, now. There’s no need to make such a face. The solution is really quite simple, isn’t it?”

I perked up at his words, looking at him hopefully before I frowned once I noticed his grin, “What’s it gonna cost?”

The twins laughed together, their voices joining in a strange harmony that made me tense ever-so-slightly. 

“Oh, it’ll be on the house this time. After all, this will be most amusing for both of us.” Jade’s words seemed to surprise Floyd as much as they did me.

Unperturbed by our obvious confusion, Jade leaned forward with an undoubtedly conspiratorial grin. Propping himself on his elbows as he gestured both of us closer with a single flick of his long fingers, “Listen closely…..”

And that was what had brought me to this moment, as I let out a quiet exhale before rounding the corner.

I didn’t even have to worry about setting the guy up. I knew exactly where he’d be.

Propped up on the wall in that careful pose he was always in when he was waiting for me to come and just ‘happen’ to bump into him.

And sure enough, there he was. Leaning against the wall with one arm raised so that he had me slightly caged in from the very second I rounded the corner.

“Prefect! What a surprise,” His perfectly white teeth flashed almost blindingly, and I fought not to gag at the raw amount of perfume he was wearing. 

It was a good thing he hadn’t brought his posse; I probably would’ve passed out from the raw amount of perfume that would’ve been in the air.

But I smiled. Pretending to be surprised and not at all frustrated by his persistent, unwanted affections as I carefully went back through the plan that Jade had laid out in my head.

Interact with him like everything was normal while waiting until reinforcements came, and then follow those very simple directions that Jade had given.

So I waited. Awkwardly exchanging pleasantries and smiling up at the young man who now leaned increasingly closer despite how much I would like him to say far away. He was no doubt about to drop some sort of new line that was intended to sweep me off my feet but would be far more likely to make me grimace.

And right as he opened his mouth with a grin that spoke of some very misplaced confidence, I heard the exact thing I’d been waiting for.

“Shrimpy~” Floyd’s sing-song call came from behind me, and I turned so fast that I almost missed the deep frown that appeared at impressive speeds on my admirer’s face.

“Floyd!” I didn’t have to fake my joy at seeing him, though I couldn’t say the same for him considering that Floyd himself looked entirely bored as he looked towards the Pomefiore junior that now stood stiffly silent. Already frustrated by the mere presence of Floyd.

For a brief moment, I was honestly worried about how well Jade’s scheme was going to go over until Floyd’s gaze shifted and his eyes met mine. Because then there was an entire change to his person.

His gaze softened ever so slightly, and his lips twitched up in an absentminded smile as he walked over, all but cooing at me affectionately, “There you are.”

He didn’t stop until he was right next to me, looking down at me, and then I knew the moment of truth was upon us.

I could hear Jade’s amused voice in my head as I braced myself, swallowing as I recalled his words: “Ten seconds. You will need to stare into each other’s eyes for ten seconds. But that’s all it will take.”

Floyd was far calmer than I was as he slipped off his blazer and draped it over my shoulders, blocking the cool breeze that came through the open window.

 His voice was quieter than usual, though still playful as he spoke, “There you go; can’t have you getting cold.” And that was my cue that we were beginning.

One.

My hand reached up to tug his oversized jacket a little closer around my body, and my hand brushed lightly against his fingers that lingered at my shoulders.

Two. Three. Four.

I twisted just a little bit more so that I could look at him better as his hand slid down my arm so that his arm was wrapped around my shoulders.

Five. 

It was already getting sort of awkward to keep staring for this long into Floyd’s mismatched eyes for this long. But now I was beginning to think more about the color of his irises than the actual situation we were in.

Six. Seven.

One was a yellow color. Not a sickly yellow, but rather it was a warmer color that made me feel oddly safe considering the young man I was looking up at. The other eye was a surprisingly gentle olive that was also welcomingly familiar and spoke of how, in certain moments, Floyd himself could actually be quite gentle.

Eight. Nine.

I could feel numerous people staring at us, and I was fairly certain that one of them was definitely Jade. He was probably utterly delighted by how uniquely embarrassing this really was. Because even though I’d been prepared to feel a little self-conscious, I hadn’t been expecting to be this flustered. Especially since it was just Floyd….

Ten.

Floyd’s smile grew by just a fraction, and then he blinked, “I reckon I’ll see you later. I know you can’t miss your class. Good little student that you are~” He let go of my arm with an affectionate squeeze as he continued to look down at me. But this time with amusement in his gaze and a teasing lilt to his voice.

I swallowed down my overwhelming shyness as I looked away, blinking as I attempted to force my recovery by focusing on his teasing. 

But even then, my voice wobbled as I quipped back, not quite able to look back up at him, “Unlike you, I actually have to study to keep my grades up.”

Out of my peripheral vision, I could tell he was fully grinning now, “Aww, if you ever need help, you can just ask. If you're nervous about Azul, I can help you out.”

He leaned down and into my line of sight so that he could wink at me, and I let out an exhale. Reminding myself that this was Floyd I was dealing with. Not some incredibly romantic male lead who was here to sweep me off my feet and actually be successful.

Which brought me back to my admirer, who was still standing there, staring in open-mouthed shock. 

“Ex- Excuse me, I lost track of time with Floyd and really do need to get to class now,” I  was still flustered enough that I stammered slightly before I flashed him an apologetic grin before I trotted off. 

As I fled the scene, I passed a chuckling Jade and mouthed a quick, ‘Thank you,’ before hurrying on. Attempting to outrun the oddly shy sensation I now felt at the thought of being near Floyd and entirely missing what happened behind me as I fled the scene.

“You haven’t gotten anywhere in a month, and it only took me ten seconds.” So saying, Floyd glanced down at the Pomefiore student, who almost immediately puffed up with indignance that quickly deflated as Floyd grinned in a way that perfectly displayed his too-sharp teeth.