#petel

First appearance of Damon and gang in the game!!! I feel kinda bad sticking long descriptions into anything anymore, but I do love it when I get the chance to describe a character. I've been drawing these kids for years now, so I was gonna make sure to give them a moment to shine. ;w;

there are a bunch of fun details in this chapter in how the game works. like the hint that Vektoria's path through the game is actually on a parallel stretch to Vektor's! And that their systems are separated so that Paige can only hear the players loaded into hers, while Dante and Petel and them can't hear the other Navigator, Jonathan while inside the game. (Paige can't either, but that should be a given hahaha) It's an unbalanced sort of PvP setup because that's not something the Creators ever gave much thought to hahaha. and also to discourage them from befriending one another, I guess.

We also get a brief rundown of how the game's enemies work, with the Classes and the Non-Hostiles. Every single Non-Hostile, Dante recognises as decidedly not usually benign, but this is a Petel POV chapter so we don't get that detail until later hahaha. And Vektor gets offended at being called an NPC because of the literal meaning of the words. I love little moments of Vektor not quite grasping nuance, it makes him a fun character to have bounce off of these more human ones hahaha.

we also get to see that Damon and his gang don't really listen to Vektoria, kinda like how none of Petel and crew listen much to Vektor hahaha. the kids hate being told what to do! and Vektoria is wayyy worse at it than Vektor. I unfortunately don't get to show much of the abrasion between Vektoria and Damon's gang in here, but it does show through at least a little! Petel and the others see it and are constantly thankful they have an annoyance like Vektor instead of a less-forgiving Vektoria, at least. Though I feel bad for Vektoria, she's made several decisions as to why she's so antagonistic and no one understands that really. (not that she'd ever explain it, she's very stubborn)

This is also the first time we get to see Vektor and Vektoria immediately resort to battle instead of, like. listening to anyone else on their teams hahaha. the flippant way Damon and the others treat it is fun, I like that all the kids equally treat this as just a fun distraction (outside of Dante and the two AI programs).

Abraham stabbing his eyes was a last minute change hahaha. He used to just stab himself in the chest, but then I was like "wait I have a source for the bad code in him" and changed it to stabbing out his eyes. Not entirely sure how that would work, considering spoilers, but it's a game and their forms aren't completely solid so I'm using some uhhh exploits here. =7=

(Dante shouting "Liar!" at Damon is meant to have weight, but like. I didn't know how to frame it better or build up to it more. I had to cut out like several scenes in which Dante actually interacted with Damon and Niculaie before the Locked Out chapter, so this probs sounds like it comes outta nowhere in the moment whoops. Dante and Damon's whole relationship gets better explained in Book 2 I just wish I was able to fit it into Book 1 better aaaaaaa)

And then Niculaie's Berserk! I'll be honest, I followed a very simple formula for each level of the game in writing this story hahaha. The kids always get to see a Berserk from their opponents and it's just because I wanted to show them off since I designed all of them. I think, had this been in Dante's POV and not Petel's, we might've gotten more actual heartache over Niculaie becoming a giant Vampire Bat. Niculaie himself is a very fun character who gets underutised because my cast is too damn big, but Heritage and Inheritance are important themes to his character. He's inherited this vampirism from his family and he fucking hates it, my poor boy. ;w;

Petel reaching his decision to apologise to Sonya is also really nice. we love a wolf who can recognise they were in the wrong about something. ;w; and the chat they and Vektor have is honestly one of my fave little moments. I love pairing off the characters to have talks because it gives me time to really explore their personalities and motivations and dynamics. Vektor also gets to talk a bit about the story as it's been written for him (and we unfortunately don't get to see Vektoria's side on it. probs at all. ughhhhhhhh) and we get a cool Actraiser reference since the Mainframe Kingdom is built directly on top of the Mainframe in order to seal away the enemies living inside!! listen if there is one thing I loved doing in this book it was referencing some of my fave video games (there are two whole Undertale references in this book lol)

and then Petel and Sonya get to hug and mostly make up. ;w; Sonya and Petel are bffs and I wanted to get that out there a bit more, since Sonya doesn't get as much time to shine, but I love the little worry birdie as much as Petel and co. do so this was a nice little moment for that. ;w;

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Chapter 1: A Wolf Pact

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Dante Vicario was, perhaps, the weirdest roommate Petel had ever had the pleasure of being stuck with.

It was his second year at this Boarding School, so it was already weird, but when this Dante had rolled himself up into his blanket like a sushi immediately after getting settled and didn't even move for the supper bells, Petel knew things would only get more interesting from there.

And when, two weeks later, this Dante still hadn't bothered to so much as speak five words to Petel, it started to rub his hackles the wrong way.

"At least he's not in your face, right?" Paige reasoned as they ate lunch together. Paige sat beside Petel's odd roommate in their English class, one of three classes Petel shared with the guy, so he'd hoped Paige might have some better insights to share. "Don't let it bother you too much, he'll probably come outta his shell once he's over his homesickness and stuff."

Petel frowned and glanced across the cafeteria, to where he saw the other guy sit down. The oddball sat by himself, his head down, occupied only with the tray of food in front of him. Possibly not even eating it. Petel turned his attention back to Paige and said, "Homesick?"

"He's a special transfer, like you and Ravenell." Paige said, giving Petel a frustrated look. "Don't you recognise his name? You actually met his parents when he first arrived, didn't you?"

Petel shrugged, much to Paige's dismay. This guy's parents hadn't stuck around, insisting they were late for something. And Dante wasn't that recognisable a name, either. At least, not to Petel.

Paige happily dropped the subject as the rest of their friends arrived to eat with them. Petel's 'pack', as he liked to call them. Sonya, his friend since primary school, greeted them with a cheerful, "Looking forward to Band after classes today."

"Absolutely." Kalyuga agreed with a giggle. She played an oboe in their Music class and wore a duck feather in her hat, though that wasn't the reason for her nickname of 'Duckie'. "You think we're doing well on the piece so far? I don't think Ivanovich has the right rhythm yet."

"And he's the drummer." Levy joked; he was Kalyuga's childhood friend and an excellent companion to Petel's recklessness. A mischievous glint entered Levy's eyes as he next said, "Good thing our big bad wolf here's the perfect violinist. Jerk can't fault him there."

"Don't be rude, Epimovich." Sonya snapped.

"What? That chap's a real arse!" Levy protested.

"That could be another factor in your inability to communicate with Vicario." Paige said, unprompted. She caught all of their attention with the use of a word from their vocabulary list. "Everyone knows you as a wolf around here. He might be afraid you're gonna eat him or something."

Levy laughed at the absurd-sounding theory while Petel mulled over this possibility. Golden, wavy hair. Tanned skin. All wrapped in a seaweed. Dante Vicario: A quiet and fancy sushi. Sonya said, "Petel's not actually a wolf, though. That seems like a weird thing to consider."

"This one's pretty weird." Paige said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Sure, the kid of the two leading computer scientists in the world is allowed to be a little eccentric, but he's just weird."

Petel shook his head, coming to a conclusion. "Not worth it. Not tasty enough."

Paige and Levy grinned, though Paige at least tried to hide hers behind her hand, while Sonya and Kalyuga just looked at Petel in shock. Which, fair. Petel hadn't meant to say it like that, but wolves weren't great at speaking. Embarrassed, Petel stood and stalked off as his friends burst into laughter at his slip. Except Sonya. That little Birdie knew how sensitive the issue really was.

Levy called Sonya 'Birdie' because of Sonya's flute playing and his fascination with feathers and Petel liked it. Even if it just reinforced the wolf's desire to consume his friend. The wolf was very protective of its pack.

Sure, Petel wasn't physically a wolf. But it lived inside his head, his body, ever since it had killed his parents. It was a part of himself, by this point. He had to adapt just to stop feeling fear.

The school's setup allowed the pathways connecting the main building, the Gym behind that, and the dormitory to be spotted with trees and grassy terrain, but the two towers which stood on either side of the front gate stayed isolated. There was a rumour to those two towers. Something about them holding something so against school code that any normal, not privately-funded school would've been shut down at the mere mention of them. They were always locked, unfortunately, and Petel had no idea where to find a key.

He returned after a few minutes of stalking about and Paige and Levy apologised for antagonising him. They meant well. Petel forgave them easily. He had to drop Track after his first year and so he continued growing more restless.

Once the end of lunch bells rang, Petel watched Dante stand, pick up his tray of food, and dump the whole thing into the trash before heading out. Petel may have been a wolf, but Dante seemed to exist in a self-imposed isolation, barely interacting with the rest of the world.

A lonely outsider. Petel's curiosity had been provoked.

That evening, Petel was set up on his bed and focused on his schoolwork when Dante arrived. They had the 'standard' setup, as Paige called it once, with their beds on opposite sides of the room against the walls and their desks facing the window, directly across from the door. Petel enjoyed having both beds to himself last year, but now he had a roommate.

Before Dante had a chance to take much more than a step inside, Petel looked him directly in the eyes and said, "I could eat you."

He froze mid-step, his eyes going wide in fear, and he stuttered out a short, "Wh-What?"

That wasn't what Petel meant to start with. Whoops. It did get his attention, though, so Petel had to run with it. He smiled lop-sidedly up at Dante, doing his best to show that he wasn't a threat. "I'm not going to, though. Eat you, I mean."

"Um. Thanks? I guess?"

Dante hesitantly walked inside, dropped his bag by his bed, and climbed up to roll himself into his blanket. Petel hadn't been as successful as he'd thought, then. An annoying setback. Two weeks and a day, now.

Petel went back to his work until, after a few minutes of complete silence, Dante poked his head out of the roll to ask, "How — um. How much d-do you remember?"

His voice was still hesitant, still quiet, as if he was afraid of someone listening in, but it was rounder and more musical than Petel expected. Not to mention that the question itself was really weird and vague. Petel frowned and said, "Clarify."

"Uh." Dante ducked his head, tugging nervously at the seaweed-coloured blanket. "Y-You. Well. Th-The wolf." He stuttered a bit longer, unable to finish a coherent thought, before giving up with a small, "N-No, never mind, it's. It's too personal."

This guy was a bundle of nerves, just as Paige had implied. And it was, indeed, too personal a thing to ask. Then again, better to keep the conversation going now that they'd started. Petel shrugged and answered in a nonchalant tone. "The wolf killed my parents, so I took on its fear."

The memory wasn't exactly pleasant, but it had long since passed. Going on seven years now, in fact. Dante gave a startled, "Ah." Then, hiding farther in his blanket, he said, "Sorry, I-I'm so sorry."

Despite the bad taste in his mouth, Petel kept that nonchalant tone. "It's fine. It's in the past." And he still had his grandpa to return home to, the old Bassoon. That thought brought up another one and Petel asked, "Who are your parents, exactly? Paige and Kalyuga say they're important."

Something about computer science or whatever. Petel hadn't really been paying attention. Dante hesitated, then looked directly into Petel's eyes and said, "Your eyes are blue."

Petel opened his mouth, intending to respond, but found he'd been too thrown from a horse. Okay. Dante didn't want to talk about his parents. That was understandable. But what was Petel supposed to say to this? He grappled for a moment, then went with the obvious on finding himself at too much of a loss for anything else. "Yeah? And. Yours are red?"

"Right." Slowly, Dante withdrew into his blanket once more. "S-So. It's better, if. If we don't talk to each other."

"Because we'd make purple?"

"N-No." Dante gave an aggravated exhale, then looked directly into Petel's eyes again. "M-My eyes. They're. I've been, um." He couldn't hold the gaze and ducked his head, fidgeting with the fabric of his blanket. "I've been marked for-for Hell. So."

Again, Petel had no idea how to respond to that. He'd gotten Dante to talk, finally, but Paige had been so right and Petel had no goddamn clue where this conversation was headed. "I'm sorry, what?" He asked.

Dante cringed, drawing the blanket closer around himself. "I-I've. I've been to Hell. I've been marked for e-eternal damnation. So, um, you really shouldn't t-talk to me or get close t-to me or they might. They might make things w-worse for you."

Red eyes as a marking for hell? Petel thought of Niculaie and Damon, two upperclassmen he'd almost befriended last year, and said, "Who would?"

"Wh-Who?"

Dante blinked at him, surprised. Fair was fair, so Petel clarified. "Who would make things worse? 'Cause if you're thinking of Damon or Niculaie, I know how to handle—"

"N-No!"

Dante huffed out a breath, looking about as frustrated as Petel felt right now. Petel said, "So then you're just saying things without explaining yourself."

"I-I don't. You shouldn't."

Dante groaned and sank into his bed. Petel sat up enough for a more serious posture and said, "Look. If you don't want to be friends, just say so. Until you can transfer rooms, however, let's at least be civil towards one another. Okay?"

Flopping face first into his bed, Dante mumbled a resigned, "Fine. Okay. I guess."

Dante stayed there and that seemed to be the end of that. Considering how unexpectedly hostile he'd been, it was a safe assumption that he was serious about this 'hell' business. Petel grimaced wryly, then went back to his schoolwork.

Blue eyes, huh? Petel smirked at that. Paige had blue eyes, too, but even she called Petel's different. Said they were like a wild beast's, pale in colour and the most wolf-like attribute about him. His straight mop of black hair really wasn't wolf-like, he'd give Paige that, but his eyes. Why did everyone always notice his eyes?

If the past two weeks had provoked the wolf out of him, now he was presented with a mystery. Petel loved a good challenge.

For breakfast, Petel chose to sit right beside Dante at the secluded table he liked escaping to. Before he could get upset or do much else besides jump from the surprise, Petel asked, "What're you doing here, of all places, Hell boy?"

Dante bristled, but kept his head down. "Please. My name is-is Dante." He stressed.

"Dante, then." Petel affirmed. It looked like Dante hadn't eaten much of his breakfast yet, though the pancakes were messily torn apart and strewn all over his tray with no rhyme or reason. Petel stabbed at his own food as he asked, "You're a special transfer, right? Why choose this place?"

From what Petel heard, this particular boarding school was hard to get into. Only a hundred or so students attended per year, with a year-long regime more akin to an Eastern school year than the standard Western. Dante deflated, overcome with an odd sense of defeat, and said, "It's the only place f-far enough away from my-my parents that would a-accept me."

Well. That was suspicious as heck, but Petel had no way of calling him out on that. Better to change the subject and keep the conversation moving. "What are you planning on doing once you graduate?" Petel asked.

Surprisingly, Dante smiled as he joked, "Not, um. Not join any cults?"

Petel laughed and, after a moment or two, Dante nervously joined in. Petel managed a breathless, "Is that really something you need to worry about?"

He'd never heard of any cults associated with this place. In fact, this school seemed much more interested in getting its students accepted into highly sought after internships and top universities. Dante desperately tried to stop his own laughter, which Petel decided was endearing enough to allow the past strangeness to rest.

Paige arrived then, making Dante squeak at the sound of her tray clattering against the table.

Petel smiled in greeting while Dante shrunk in on himself, becoming subdued once more. Sonya and Levy arrived as well and Levy grinned mischievously at Dante as he said, "Hey, it's the Fireball. You must be seriously into flambé, Petel."

"Oh, I heard about the 'fireball' thing from Natalie." Paige said, smirking over at Dante as well. "Fireball's not such a bad nickname. Better than 'Huntsman', wouldn't you say?"

Levy laughed at Paige's jab and Dante sat frozen, radiating too much heat to be natural. Just as Petel recognised the debate running through Dante's face, Dante stood in a swift motion, making their trays clatter against the table. He swept up his own and ran, pausing only to dump his half-eaten food.

They stared after him a minute. Then Paige sank into her seat and said, "Not sure what he hopes to get away from when we'll see him for English."

Sonya, meanwhile, became sympathetic. "You were right, he is a bit skittish."

"He's weird." Petel said, not quite agreeing.

The conversation continued from there, as if that strangeness hadn't even happened. Levy told the story of the fireball incident his own roommate, Ian Karpusi, witnessed and Sonya was concerned over the test scheduled for today in English.

Petel kept an eye on this 'fireball' throughout English and Phys-Ed. Dante shrank away from others, even going so far as to leave when approached. Held himself like he could hurt those around him, not like he might get hurt, surprisingly. And the wolf resting inside Petel's own mind, understanding this perfectly, made the mistake of thinking the two of them as not so different from one another.

Petel then said to Paige, "He said he's been marked for Hell."

Paige rolled her eyes, saying, "Who here hasn't?" And that was fair, too.

Petel was much too restless for Study Hall today. He let Mister Patillo know he'd be going to the Music room, then left to grab his violin. He practiced in the empty, soundproofed room for a good while, concentrating on getting his notes and rhythm just right. The piece they had for the recital was a tricky one and he had yet to master its eeriness with any such proficiency.

He didn't notice the door open, didn't see the intruder until he came face to face with that shock of wavy golden hair.

He flinched back immediately, more shocked than anything else, regretfully screeching his next note. Dante, of all people, winced at the sound. Then he smiled sheepishly at Petel and said, "That was pretty. You're, uh. You're very good."

"Thanks."

Petel lowered his violin to his hip and half-smiled in return, mind racing. What was one to do now that their prey had become the predator? Perhaps that was a bit extreme, but something about Dante was very off. Despite the frightened and weird demeanour, there was something about this guy that made the wolf inside scream 'danger'.

Not that it did anything to deter Petel’s curiosity. A wolf knew when it ran into one of its own ilk.

Dante's smile fell and he bowed his head, fiddling nervously with his fingers. "Sorry. I-I saw you leaving a-and. And was curious."

As soon as the last word left his mouth, he cringed. Petel smiled easier, though, and said, "That's fine. You're from Italy, right?"

Curiosity was much easier to understand. Easier to keep the conversation going, too. Dante's eyes lit up as he replied, "Y-Yes!" He paused a moment, then continued with a much more subdued enthusiasm. "I'm from, uh, a-a smaller town called Bianco. Right at the-the bottom of the boot. Next to the, um, the Mediterranean."

He threaded his fingers together, a genuine embarrassment in his posture that really reminded Petel that they were only a year apart. Sometimes the wolf inside made Petel forget how young and human he was. Eager to get more information, Petel said, "Tell me more about it."

"A-About. My home?"

Dante frowned in confusion. Petel clarified, "Your home. Your trip to Hell. Anything."

He wanted to listen to what this strange guy had to say. Dante struggled for a few moments with finding the right words, then slowly began to talk of where he'd grown up. Of a beach with sparkling beige sand, of the shimmering green sea that was always there to catch the sunset, and of the mountains behind his home which held the path he'd fallen into Hell by. He had much more to say than Petel anticipated and Petel found himself parsing out a rhythm to go along with the near musical quality of Dante's voice.

Unsteady and stuttering, sure. Quiet in admission, in embarrassment of the deep truths being revealed. But round, magnificent, and full of love. Full of admiration for the home he'd left behind, no matter the harsh edge it seemed to hold. Perhaps due to the looming shadow of terror that seemed to be just behind everything.

Petel picked his violin back up and attempted to capture this melancholic, adoring tone as best he could while Dante spoke. A lilt here for the jump in Dante's voice for the home he knew so well, a prolonged note there for the yearning in the way he spoke of the sea.

Finally, once Dante ran out of momentum (or became aware he was rambling), he looked to Petel and gracelessly asked, "You're, um. R-Russia, from the — uh, from Russia, right?"

Petel let the final note fade off, then nodded in reply. "Right. A town called Sharypovo. Very cold, with a forest and a river nearby that freezes in the winter."

A prime nesting ground for wolves, too. Petel grimaced at the thought. Dante averted his gaze and seemed to count the seconds before asking, "Do you like it here?"

Petel hummed softly, his mind going to Paige, Kalyuga, Sonya, and Levy. Of last year's folly with Damon and how Paige won that battle before it was even a question. "It snows during the winter and my friends accept me." Petel answered.

"But that's not." Dante stopped himself quickly and backpedalled just as fast. "N-No, you don't. Never mind, it's. Th-That didn't."

Dante shut his mouth resolutely. Whatever that was about, Petel could see he wasn't going to get much more of an explanation. Curious thing, this so-called Fireball. Too timid to present a threat outwardly, yet shying away from others in a protective manner. Petel had only to bite down just so to be caught by that curiosity.

Petel went back to practicing his actual piece and Dante watched silently, content to listen until the warning bell rang. They both had to return to check in with Mister Patillo, then hurried off on their own ways. It was no small victory that Dante waved to Petel as they parted.

As he headed to the cafeteria for lunch, however, Petel got caught by the two worst upperclassmen he had the displeasure of sharing Music with.

"What makes you think a wolf like you gets to eat inside with civilised folk like us, eh?" Yasha sneered as he dragged the snarling, thrashing Petel towards the back of the building. Straight for where the dumpster was kept. "Untamed, unruly beasts such as yourself should root around in the trash for your meals."

Petel suspected that Yasha's shortness was the root of all this. He also had Petel good, as no amount of thrashing would get him free. He'd have to bite for that and he never needed to taste blood again. Vladimir followed along, hands in his pockets and more nonchalant than he was entitled to be in a situation like this, even as he questioned, "Why do you insist on taking the time to do this?"

Vladimir was much taller, almost reaching the heights of giants like Niculaie and Gaëlle, and should've been the intimidating one here. He seemed content to follow whatever Yasha was doing, however. Yasha aimed an incredulous glare up at Vladimir and said, "Are you saying that we, as good students at this school, shouldn't weed out the feral riff-raff like this wolf?"

"I'm just saying. As an observation." Vladimir grimaced. "You're too hung up on this guy."

"Well, it's either take care of it myself or let the Huntsman take all the glory."

"Not sure the Fourth would—"

"Excuse me." Another upperclassman, Abraham and the in-question 'Huntsman', broke in. "The 'Fourth' wouldn't what?"

Both Yasha and Vladimir froze in their tracks, caught. After that initial panic, though, Yasha waved Abraham off and grumbled, "Go away, Huntsman. This is our game."

"I think not." Abraham said, stepping in front of Yasha to block his path. Petel had never even talked to the upperclassman before out of courtesy to Niculaie and Damon. "You see, I simply cannot allow such bullying to continue while I'm around to stop it."

Yasha gave an annoyed exhale, then said, "Vlad, please handle this."

"You can't be serious." Vladimir protested.

A wordless shout interjected next and startled all of them. Taking advantage of the better distraction, Petel yanked himself free of Yasha's grip and stumbled away, out of arm's reach. Dante, in a surprise twist, hurried towards them.

Even more bizarre, Yasha paled at the sight and backed away, knocking into Vladimir in his rush. Wincing, Vladimir asked, "Now what's the problem?"

Abraham seemed delighted by this turn of events, so Petel supposed the Huntsman couldn't be as big or bad as Damon made him out to be. That Kingpin considered Abraham to be such a thorn in his side that, again, Petel was willing to blame Abraham's lack of height. The guy looked about as tall as Paige, had wild red hair tied back in a short ponytail, and an honest face.

Dante, out of breath but determined, shouted, "You can't j-just. I w-won't let you. D-Don't hurt him! Stay back!"

Petel never expected to hear that timid, musical voice get so loud. A weapon in its own right. Yasha groaned in aggravation, trying to appear in control when he was visibly trembling. "Whatever. Let's go, Vlad. It's not worth the effort anymore."

Vladimir followed Yasha with a soft, "Seriously, dude. What's up with you?"

"The Huntsman, we can take. But that Fireball?" Yasha huffed grumpily. "He'll burn the whole school down and I refuse to get caught in the inferno."

The two faded from earshot. They smelled of fear. Not that Petel was sure how to explain why he thought that. While he was caught up in the whirlwind of it all, Abraham laughed brightly and said, "Good show, Vicario! Jolly good show. Shall we gather our lunches in celebration of this fantastic victory?"

Petel decided on smiling and gave Dante's shoulder a friendly pat. "Thanks."

Dante squeaked and his legs buckled, dropping him to the ground. After a beat of silence, Abraham and Petel both laughed. Considering what Petel learned from this oddball by now, this made the most sense.

He offered a hand to Dante and said, "That was a pretty Fireball thing to do."

Dante exhaled a whoosh of breath and hesitantly accepted Petel's offered hand. "I-I'm just glad the-the Eyesores weren't drawn in b-by the noise."

"The what now?" Petel asked, instantly baffled.

"Eyesores?" Abraham asked, equally confused. "Is that some sort of folktale monster where you're from?"

Dante's frown turned bitter as he stood. "It's. Y-You're welcome." He said, refusing to explain.

Petel allowed it to be and gestured to the cafeteria. "C'mon, eat with us." He nodded to Abraham next and added, "You, too."

"It would be my pleasure." Abraham agreed, much more easily than Petel thought he might.

Dante still seemed hesitant, but followed along after them and did, indeed, join them at their table. Paige was in a heated discussion with a curly black-haired boy whom Petel vaguely recognised as another first year they shared Phys-Ed with. Sonya and Kalyuga managed to sit on either side of Dante, sandwiching the oddball between the two of them. Levy slid into the seat beside Petel and, his green eyes sparkling with their usual mischief, asked, "We makin' a rival gang to the Kingpin here?"

Petel chuckled at the ridiculous notion. Dante, looking uncomfortable, asked, "K-Kingpin?"

"That would be Damon Asheford, heir to the largest law firm in the entire Western world." The boy who'd been talking to Paige explained. Paige rolled her eyes at the mention of that 'git', as she liked to call Damon, as the boy continued. "And you're Dante Vicario, child of Caro and Lietta Vicario, the heads of the company leading the world in computer science!"

Dante curled in on himself, fidgeting with his hands. Petel frowned at this intruder and bluntly asked, "And you are?"

"This is Frank Ernest, Petel." Paige jumped in before the intruder — Frank — could land himself in any more trouble with the wolf's protectiveness. She next looked to Dante, moving the topic along. "Your parents run an internship program for graduates here, right?"

"Is there anything you can tell us about the next big project they're working on?" Kalyuga asked, also intrigued.

Dante kept his head down and seemed to radiate an unnatural amount of heat. Sonya looked to Petel in apprehension, though Petel had no explanation to give for this. Abraham turned to Frank with a jovial, "So you're Ernest! Perci's told me a lot about you."

"He — He has?" Frank asked shyly.

"Yes, he's quite taken with you." Abraham confirmed. Frank held his hands to his face, delighted. Then, as if it made total sense, Abraham changed the subject again by saying, "Speaking of the Demon King, have you lot heard that he's planning on cracking the mystery of our school's towers?"

Dante stood, slamming his hands down against the table and rattling all of their trays. "He what?"

Petel could've easily written off the heat thing before. Now, though, it was hard to deny that it was coming from Dante. Danger, his mind whispered at him. As if he needed a reminder as to why getting to know this Fireball would be so much fun. Paige, the only one unruffled by Dante's outburst, leaned against the table in aggravation. "Of course he is." She said. "Absolutely terrible git."

"Do you think the rumour is true, then?" Levy asked, growing excited.

"I certainly hope not." Abraham said. "Having to finish my final year somewhere else would be quite regrettable, as I very much enjoy this place."

Dante hadn't sat down yet. Petel looked to the Fireball and was surprised by the mixture of fury and fear on his face. He noticed Petel's gaze and mumbled a quick, "I. I have to go."

Then he ran off, out of the cafeteria entirely. Petel had half a mind to give chase, as that was what a proper wolf would do.

His pack, though.

Curbing that instinct, he said to the table, "Why don't we solve this mystery before the Kingpin?"

Frank, Kalyuga, and Levy lit up with immediate excitement. They were eager for an adventure, same as him. Sonya hesitated to agree and Paige let her head fall to the table with a groan of, "Petel, no, please. Don't do this again."

"Why not?" Abraham asked, just as eager as the others. "Any antagonist to the Demon King and his gang of night scum are allies of mine. I'll gladly assist you lot."

He laughed, which was unsettling when coupled with his callous words. He'd helped Petel, however, so there was no need to heed those warning signs. Petel grinned around at them and gave a final, affirmative nod. "We've got ourselves an adventure, then."

The group cheered, even as Paige bemoaned their enthusiasm and Sonya warned them not to get too carried away. There could be trouble ahead.

Petel welcomed the thought of it.

There once was a bitersweet man, and they called him LEMON BOY

He was growing in my garden and I pulled him out by his hair,

Like a weed,

And like weeds do, he only came and grew back again

So I figured this time, I might as well let him be...

Lemon boy and I started to get along together

I helped him plant his seeds

And we mowed the lawn in bad weather

It’s actually pretty easy, being nice

to a BITTER BOY LIKE HIM

And now I’ve got myself

A Citrus Friend!

But soon his bittersweet started to rub off on me

You’d think smelling like lemon zest would be