𝒲𝒾𝓃𝓉ℯ𝓇 𝒲ℴ𝓃𝒹ℯ𝓇𝓁𝒶𝓃𝒹： 𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓌 ℴ𝒻 𝓉𝒽ℯ ℱ𝓇ℴ𝓏ℯ𝓃 ℋℯ𝒶𝓇𝓉

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑅𝑜𝑠𝑒－𝑅𝑒𝑑 𝑇𝑦𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑡： 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 11

*
"Who's been painting my roses red?"

**
Headmage's Office

As soon as Vanitas and Grim left the office, heading back to the Ramshackle dorm, Isfrid stayed behind because he needed to chat quickly with the headmage.

"I'd like to request something of you, Headmage Dire Crowley." Isfrid says, his demeanor changing drastically. He was all calm when talking with Vanitas and Grim, for he didn't know why. It's almost as if he knew Vanitas; he just couldn't figure out how.

However, that didn't change the fact that his calm demeanor quickly disappeared into a dark and icy expression, his eyes having a sinister glow that made Crowley gulp fearfully. "Well... it's more of a demand, really. I sincerely hope that you approve of it, Headmage." he says, his hand harshly landing on the Headmage's desk, making the poor crow flinch back in fear. "Or else..."

"E-Eeep! W-What is it that you need?!" Crowley stammered, voice catching in his throat as a shiver ran down his spine.

"I want to stay in Ramshackle Dorm." Isfrid simply says.

Crowley faltered. "I-I beg your pardon? You want to stay in that dorm instead of Diasomnia?"

"Yes," Isfrid answered flatly, stepping forward. "That is precisely the point. I refuse to be kept away from her any longer. It's... unsafe. Inappropriate. Unnatural." His voice dipped lower, and though he never raised it, the air seemed to thicken with an unseen pressure. "I'll be transferring immediately."

Crowley adjusted his cravat nervously. "Well, that's highly irregular—"

Isfrid's hand came down hard on the desk with a crack, not enough to shatter wood—but enough to startle. The cold in his eyes was no longer subtle; it was glacial.

"This isn't a negotiation," he said, his voice now velvet-laced with threat. "You will authorize it."

The headmage opened his mouth, but Isfrid continued, voice sharpened like a dagger sheathed in silk.

"And I want a copy of my sister's schedule. Daily. Every detail. Every class, every activity, every passing moment of her day. I want to know where she is, who she's with, and when she so much as breathes in another direction."

He leaned in ever so slightly, eyes glowing faintly with the same eerie brilliance that haunted his magic.

"She is mine to protect. No one else. Not you. Not any of your faculty. And certainly not him."

"Y-Yes, of course!" Crowley squeaked, reaching for a quill with trembling fingers. "I'll have her itinerary printed and delivered to your new quarters—er, Ramshackle—immediately."

Isfrid straightened, brushing imaginary dust off his gloves, his composure once again pristine. He offered a slow nod, satisfied.

"See that you do. And I expect it before tomorrow's classes start."

*
Ramshackle Dorm - Entry Hall

Upon walking down the halls of the dorm, three familiar residents decided to cause some mischief by jump-scaring Grim as Anemone happily escorted Vanitas, Ace, and Deuce inside while the weasel ran for his life as the ghosts chased him.