Straight-Up Not Having A Good Time At Night Raven College: Chapter 2

Chapter 3: A Violent Demonstration

Deuce knocked twice on Crowley's office door, then opened it politely, sticking his head in.
"Excuse me, Headmaster-- we're coming in," he called. "Sorry for the intrusion..."

"Hey," Ace added as the group stepped over the threshold and back into the long, purple room. " 'Scuse us... How's it hangin', Headmaster?"

Crowley was sitting back behind his desk at the far end of the room.
He rose from his chair as they entered, pushing it back in neatly.

"Ah, yes-- hello, everyone," he said, walking forward to meet them. "You're right on time... Thank you for coming, Trappola-kun, Spade-kun... And of course Grim-kun and Miss Prefect."

He nodded at Kat, as well as Grim, perched up on her shoulder.

"Hi," Kat smiled, nodding back.

Giving one final nod, Crowley stepped back a bit, casting his luminous gaze across the four of them.
"Now-- allow me to get straight to the point."

Exchanging glances with the others, Kat stood up a little straighter, clasping her hands in front of her as the Headmaster spoke.
"Now that it has been roughly a week since the... Shall we say, incident-- at Heartslabyul, I felt it was my responsibility to give you all a thorough explanation on the matter."

He looked back and forth along the awkward, ragged row, face growing serious.
"As fledgling mages, it is of the utmost importance for you to understand the malady that befell Rosehearts-kun... And how truly dangerous it is."

The four students shifted uncomfortably for a second.

"Um-- you called it... 'Overblot', right, sir?" Deuce asked cautiously.

Crowley nodded again.
"That is correct," he replied, folding his arms. "Do any of you have any prior knowledge of the subject?"

Ace rubbed the back of his neck, screwing up his face as he tried to think.
"Mmm... I think my brother told me a little bit about it before. It's something that could happen to-- like, anybody, right? If they build up too much blot, that is... Besides that-- uhh... No, I can't think of anything else, but..."

He shuddered, grimacing.
"...It seems like what Cater-senpai said about 'evil villain berserker-mode' was pretty on-the-nose..."

"Yeah, okay, but BEFORE all that," Grim piped up, sitting up a little straighter on Kat's shoulder. "What's this 'blot' thing you guys keep goin' on about, anyway?"

Ace, Deuce, and Crowley all paused, giving him surprised looks.

"Yeah, I-- I was actually wondering about that, too," Kat agreed sheepishly. "Uh... Can you explain it a little? If it's not too much trouble?"

"Ah-- yes, of course," Crowley mused, touching his chin pensively as he nodded again. "That's right... Perhaps, for the benefit of Miss Kat and Grim-kun, it would be best to start with the basics..."

Perking up, he stepped back a little, lights in his mask's eyes going crescent-shaped again as he beamed.
"Very well-- allow me to teach you all you need to know! For I am--"

Kat held her breath.

"--A most gracious man, after all!"

Ding. The Crowley Catchphrase Counter (patent pending) ticked up another notch.

Clearing his throat, the Headmaster rearranged his face back into that serious expression, hands on his hips.
"Now. To put it simply, what we call 'blot' is merely a byproduct of the process of using magic... A kind of 'waste product', if you will."