filling in canon: sge oneshots

the lower honor bathroom

Tedros skipped History to go and have a bath.

It wasn't something a good Class Captain would do, but as recent events had established, Tedros was not a very good Class Captain. Plus, Beatrix and Agatha were vying each other for his spot; Agatha had taken first in Good Deeds, Beatrix first in Beautification, and Tedros first in Chivalry. If either one of them got first in History today, they'd knock him off the top of the board.

He'd prefer it to be Agatha. But either way, it wasn't going to be him, because he was skipping the lesson. Hopefully Chaddick would say he was ill, or had a meeting with another teacher, or something. Not that old Sader would buy it, but anything was better than Tedros having to sit through a double lesson about his own father. Not right now, with his shame still fresh and pride still smarting. Arthur would have realised Sophie was a witch. Arthur would have stopped the attacks and been able to successfully defend the School against her. Arthur--

Tedros stopped at the top of the first Honor stairs, eye drawn by something; a set of muddy footprints emerging from a side passageway, tramping across the blue glass and going up the next set of stairs. Not heels, not Everboy boots... flatter than that. More solid and practical.

His first thought was Agatha, tramping about in those odd boots of hers.

His second was Never Attacks.

Immediately, he straightened and put his hand to his training sword, looking this way and that for any signs of infiltration... but the halls were quiet. The only sign of life was the faint echoing of Pollux shouting, down in the dance hall where the other class were practicing.

Tedros looked down at the tracks. Could be Never boots. Agatha's were eerily similar to the ones that the Nevergirls wore, another one of those things that had made all of the Evers look upon her with suspicion. It couldn't be Sophie, because Sophie wore ridiculous impractical shoes, but could easily be a minion or a delegate sent to do her dirty work. Perhaps she doesn't want to risk a broken nail, he sneered to himself.

He knew full well he should raise the alarm, go running to Professor Dovey, but-- but this could be his chance.

Tedros paused, eyes lighting up. Yes, his chance! He could catch the attackers, force them to tell him how they were getting in. He could prove he was worthy of being ranked first, prove he was worthy of his father! He could scrub his embarrassments in the Trial away and redeem himself, start anew, force Sophie out of his school and out of his head once and for all...

Newly eager, Tedros followed after the footprints, tracking them up the second set of blue Honor stairs, past the empty Chivalry classrooms and past the stairs that led to Merlin's Menagerie, all the way to--

The bathrooms?

Well, he'd been coming here anyway, to sulk in the bath, but...

Suddenly wary of a trap, Tedros hovered in the doorway, nervously scratching the heel of his boot into the tracks he'd been following. He'd been so busy thinking of his own redemption that it hadn't occurred to him that these footprints might have been planted on purpose, to lure him in, to further attack and humiliate him...

As quietly as he could, he drew his training sword. He was sure there was someone in here. He could hear scuffling from further in the room. But if he was fast enough, he should be able to subdue them--

His foot slipped slightly on top of the footprints he'd been following. Bewildered, Tedros looked down to find them smearing on the floor, wet once more, as if they'd melted like chocolate--