#mostro lounge

“You must think you’re really something, what with how all the teachers, housewardens, and even the headmage flock around you, huh?”

You stepped backwards and away from the trio of young men who crowded you back toward a wall.

Being bullied was, at this point, nothing new. The fact that you were friends with both the housewardens and the staff had only enlarged the target that had already been painted on your back ever since orientation. 

Apparently the student body at large had decided that you were getting preferential treatment from the teachers and didn’t like you befriending the heads of their dorms at all. And now, even with how your friends tried to help out, there were always going to be times like this where you were caught alone, without even Grim nearby to assist you. Though truthfully speaking, he might just make matters worse with that mouth of his….

You took another step back only for your back to hit the wall, signaling the end of your retreat and causing you to grimace slightly. Causing all three of you harassers to laugh amongst themselves.

But you knew better than to try and defend yourself from their insults. That always ended with them slinging magic or throwing a punch and you making a trip to the infirmary unless someone intervened. And that wasn’t terribly likely in an empty hallway like this one.

So you took it all in uncomfortable silence as they continued to crowd you and heap insult after insult on you.

“Must really suck being magicless. You can’t even be a student on your own! Just a half-a-student.” 

The one from Ignihyde elbowed his buddy excitedly, apparently unable to come up with a good insult on his own without bouncing off one of his companions, “Magicless and poor. You really aren’t worth a thing, are you, ‘Prefect’?”

“Better not step too close to boys!” One of them, the Scarabia boy, crowed out over the other two's laughter. Causing both you and his lackeys to look over at him in honest confusion as he continued. A nasty grin on his face as he stepped back with his hands raised in a mockery of being cautious, “They’ve got to be bad luck with all the stuff that goes wrong around them.”

Another round of harsh laughter started up almost immediately. But, even despite the way you had to suppress the urge to roll your eyes at his melodramatic tone, that accusation actually had some weight to it.

 You were always present for overblots, and numerous mishaps had occurred since you’d come to NRC. And in some ways, as ridiculous as it was, you really did seem like bad luck.

“Oh, but their luck isn’t all bad, is it?” The smooth, ever-calm voice sliced through the raucous jeering with an almost surgical precision. Causing your harassers to whirl as you stared wide-eyed at the young man who approached at an easy pace with a characteristically polite smile.

“After all, think of all the powerful friends they’ve made in just a few short months,” Jade’s eyes flashed slightly, and, for a brief moment, his too-sharp teeth could clearly be seen as he eyed the young men who’d now fallen silent.

The boldest one, the Scarabian leader, recovered first. Stepping forward as he sized up the vice-housewarden and glanced around as if checking for the other twin. Seemingly satisfied, the man grinned. Having apparently decided that his chances were good even if you highly doubted that.

“And think of how many of their ‘friends’ have fallen prey to their bad luck.” He glanced over his shoulder at you, his smirk on full display as he continued, “Once the novelty wears off, this half-a-student will get ditched.”

Again, you frowned at his words. But, again, he unfortunately had a point. After all, once people started graduating, you probably would be alone. 

It wasn’t like you could just leave NRC after graduation like the rest of the student body. You didn’t even have a birth certificate or ID in this world, much less any money.

Some of your friends might come by and visit, and you would have the staff until they retired, but other than that, life would quite likely become lonely. With it just being you, Grim, and the ghosts watching as people came and went.

At odds with the man’s words and your own thoughts, Jade chuckled. His eyes closing in amusement as he shook his head, “My… But I do doubt that.”

One of the other young men, the one from Pomefiore, snorted and crossed his arms confidently as he eyed Jade with open derision, probably at least slightly miffed that his skin was nowhere near as clear as Jade’s was, “Oh really? And why is that?”

Jade’s eyes were already open again, the yellow one glinting like a warning even as he continued to smile politely, “Well, you three do seem to be overly preoccupied with them at the very least…..”

He trailed off briefly as his gaze flickered over to where you stood, amusement flashing through his eyes’ mismatched depths before he continued, “So I wouldn’t be worried about novelty being an issue. They’ll no doubt have friends for the rest of their life.”

Judging from their annoyed expressions, Jade’s brief change in expression had gone totally unnoticed. In fact, the leader of the trio spoke up once more. Biting out his words as he glowered at the still smiling vice-housewarden, “What do you want?”

Despite the venom in the man’s tone, Jade looked utterly pleased with the question. Almost like it was what he’d been waiting on, “I merely came to collect the Prefect. Their presence has been requested for the housewarden meeting. Though….”

Jade paused, frowning slightly as he looked off to the side and toward a clock with a distinctly concerned frown that you were positive was fake, “I fear we’ll be late as things currently stand.”

Jade’s frown only deepened as he shook his head pityingly, “The housewardens will all be so disappointed once I explain.”

His eyes widened in an almost comical fashion as the harassers began to shift around, laughing quietly amongst themselves at Jade’s seeming distress.

“Oh, but don’t worry,” They all froze at the vice-housewarden’s sudden words. 

“I assure you that I’ll be careful to explain that the Prefect was just busy listening to each of you air your woes.” A positively evil glint appeared in those mismatched eyes as a smile curved ominously across Jade’s face, “I’m sure that all of your housewardens and vice-housewardens will understand.”

His eyes flicked to the side, “Toby.” 

The Pomefiore boy to your left twitched, but Jade had already moved to the next.

“Oliver.” The Ignihyde student to your right grimaced, and you could already see their Scarabian leader going pale as Jade looked towards him, still smiling.

“Ingwald.” The Scarabia student visibly flinched while Jade continued to smile. The perfect image of a polite young man as he twisted to look at you and held out his hand in a beckoning gesture, “Come along, Prefect. I’m sure the housewardens will have waited for you to arrive for quite some time now.” 

You trotted past your harassers, who were all still frozen with looks of special horror as they realized that everything that Jade had overheard was going to be reported to the housewardens.

Jade glanced over his shoulder, the amusement clear in his voice as he began to escort you away, “Good evening, gentlemen.”

For a brief moment, silence filled the hallway, with only the sound of your and Jade’s footsteps ringing out. And then, in the distance, you could make out the frantic whispers of the three men you now left behind you. But you largely ignored them in favor of glancing towards your rather ominous savior.

“Thank you,” Your voice was soft, but it didn’t go unnoticed. In fact, Jade smiled immediately and looked towards you. His expression speaking of how he was perfectly pleased with himself. 

“But of course, my dear. I couldn’t very well leave things as they were, now could I?” You smiled slightly at his words and shook your head slightly. They were a comfort even though you realized perfectly well that Jade could have easily left things be.

He didn’t have to step in and help you. He could have easily ignored what was happening and pretended he couldn’t find you if he had been questioned about it. And Jade wasn’t one to simply swoop in and save just anybody. You knew perfectly well how awful he could be. After all, he hadn’t helped any of the people who got ensnared in Azul’s contracts, no matter their circumstances.

So the only reason he helped you came down to the simple fact that he wanted to. It was possible that he had some sort of grand scheme that involved you being indebted to him, but you doubted it. After all, you’d never repaid the Octatrio for helping out when Jamil had overblotted, and their assistance had gone well beyond simply repaying you for helping with Azul’s overblot.

They’d sheltered you, given you the benefit of the doubt, and gone with you into a potentially dangerous situation when it wasn’t strictly necessary. And then they’d continued to side with you even when it meant risk to their person. 

Helping you fight Jamil and ensuring that you wouldn’t bear the entirety of the burden of any malice Jamil might have had from you fighting his overblot and ruining his scheme. In fact, they’d made it so that they were the ones who’d done far more damage to his scheme than you had.

Jade couldn’t have a really good reason for helping you outside of simply wanting to because nothing else made sense. Bluntly put, you had nothing to offer. You were a magicless half-a-student who had no money, and even if you were friends with some powerful people, Jade was perfectly capable of swaying people on his own.

So you smiled at him, genuinely touched by his actions even if you might be reading into them a little bit too much, because the fact remained that he’d helped you. And even if he hadn’t explained why and was quite obviously not going to, it was kind.

“Still, thank you. Really.” You reached out, lightly touching his arm and causing Jade to pause, his eyes widening slightly as he glanced down at where your fingers brushed fleetingly across his arm.

“I….” He paused, relaxing once more as a genuine smile spread across his face, and you realized that his next words were ones that you could trust. Because even if Jade was worryingly comfortable with lying, he could be honest at times.

And his next words were soft enough that even if there had been anyone else in the hallway, they could have never heard the warmth they held, “You’re welcome.”

You nodded, turning to continue walking with him only to feel yourself falter as you frowned, “Um, Jade. The meeting hall should be back there….”

You trailed off uncertainly, and Jade chuckled, nodding his head, “Indeed, but this is the way to Ramshackle dorm.” He paused, glancing your way as a far-too-pleased smile curved across his face, “I’m sure your three ‘friends’ back there will be quite surprised to learn that there isn’t any housewarden meeting today when they get back.”

He paused, tilting his head as his overly sharp teeth flashed into view and he outright grinned in the face of your amused surprise before he finished, “Though I will still be sure to let each and every one of the housewardens know what was going on today. It will be interesting to see what will come of it. Don’t you think?”

You shook your head, doing your best to fight the smile that was crawling its way onto your face at his words, “I guess we’ll just have to wait.”

Serving: A Bharatanatyam Performance

🌹 Riddle Rosehearts

The Reaction: Complete, silent fascination born of immense respect for discipline.

Riddle is a stickler for rules, and he recognizes immediately that this dance is governed by them. He sees the rigid structure, the precise angles of your arms, and the perfect symmetry of your stance (Aramandi).

He is mesmerized by the fact that you never break form. Even during the fast-paced jathis (rhythmic sequences), your posture remains statuesque.

After the show: "The discipline required to maintain that half-sit position for so long... it is commendable. Every movement was calculated and precise. You followed the rhythm without a single deviation. It was... perfection."

🐙 Azul Ashengrotto

The Reaction: Assessing the value of talent (and being secretly impressed).

Azul usually looks at things through a lens of "profit," but he finds himself forgetting to calculate during your performance. He is struck by the sheer presence you command on stage.

He notices the audience's reaction—how you hold them in the palm of your hand. He realizes that this skill is rare and honed over years of grueling practice. He respects the "hustle" it took to get this good.

After the show: "A magnificent display. The intricacy of the costume, the precision of the movement... it is a high-value performance indeed. You have a unique talent, [....]. If you ever wish to perform at the Lounge... we could negotiate a very generous contract. I insist."

☀️ Kalim Al-Asim

The Reaction: Pure, unadulterated joy and rhythm.

From the moment the music starts—the rhythmic Carnatic vocals and the percussion—Kalim is hooked. He loves music and dance, and the sheer energy of Bharatanatyam vibrates in his soul.

He is obsessed with your Ghungroos (ankle bells). Every time you stomp your feet and the bells ring out in perfect time with the beat, his eyes sparkle. He’s practically bouncing in his seat, wanting to join in.

After the show: "Woah! [....]! That was incredible! The sound of the bells—chhan chhan! And the way you moved your hands like you were telling a story? It was like magic! You have to teach me! Can I try the bells? Please?"

🐍 Jamil Viper

The Reaction: Analytical respect.

Jamil is a dancer himself. He knows breakdancing, he knows flow. Watching you, he is dissecting the technique. He realizes very quickly that this isn't just "dancing"; it's a mathematical equation of rhythm.

He watches your footwork closely. He notices the complexity of the rhythm cycles (Talam). He is impressed that you can keep such a complex beat with your feet while your hands are doing something completely different. It appeals to his intellectual side.

After the show: "That was... intense. The isolation required to move your neck like that without moving your shoulders is difficult. And your stamina didn't waver once. It’s a very complex art form. You performed it flawlessly."

👑 Vil Schoenheit

The Reaction: Critical appreciation turning into genuine awe.

Vil knows performance. He knows the pain of beauty. When he sees you in the traditional silk saree and temple jewelry, he approves of the aesthetic immediately. But more than that, he watches your eyes.

He is captivated by your Abhinaya (facial expressions). He notices how you isolate your neck movements and how your eyes dance in time with your hands. He knows the physical toll this takes on the body, and he respects the stamina it requires to look so graceful while stomping your feet with such power.

After the show: "The makeup is exquisite—it highlights the eyes perfectly, which is essential for this art form. But your control... very good. To combine such heavy footwork with such delicate hand gestures? You are a true professional, potato. I could not look away."

🐉 Malleus Draconia

The Reaction: Entranced by the storytelling.

Malleus often feels disconnected from human culture, but he understands rituals and legends. Bharatanatyam is often used to tell stories of gods and ancient epics, and he picks up on this immediately.

He is fascinated by your Mudras (hand gestures). He watches how your hands transform into a lotus, a bird, or a demon. He feels like you are casting a spell without using magic. To him, the performance feels ancient and regal, something fit for a court in the Briar Valley.

After the show: "You spoke a thousand words without opening your mouth. I saw the battle, the devotion, and the victory in your hands alone. It was a spellbinding display, Child of Man. You looked... truly radiant."

A "dish" served with rhythm, tradition, and grace! Thank you for sharing such a beautiful art form with the Lounge.