Expectations When Expecting

Book 1, Chapter 8

Yuu and Grim ceased their bickering once Trey cleared his throat to speak. As much as she hated to admit it, Yuu was curious about the school she'd be stuck in. She leaned forward with interest.

"As Cater mentioned earlier, the dorms of this school are themed after the Great Seven. We have our dorm, Heartslabyul, modeled after the strictness of the Queen of Hearts. To run down the rest of them for you, we have..." Trey began to explain, Yuu listening as she began to recognize the different dorms:

Savanaclaw, based on the persistent spirit of the King of Beasts.

Octavinelle, based on the benevolent heart of the Sea Witch.

Scarabia, based on the mindful personality of the Sorcerer of the Sands.

Pomefiore, based on the tenacity of the Fairest Queen.

Ignihyde, based on the diligence of the king of the underworld.

And finally...

Diasomnia, based on the noble spirit of the Thorn Fairy.

Yuu remained quiet for a moment, an attempt to take in the new information, trying to make her brain remember. Finally, she spoke, a little overwhelmed. "Wow... that's definitely a lot to take in."

"All those names are way too long! How's anyone supposed to remember 'em?" Grim agreed, splaying himself onto the table dramatically.

Cater gave an amused laugh at Grim's antics. "Well, you get the idea. Want to or not, you'll learn them soon enough."

"At orientation, the Dark Mirror picks a dorm for you based on the essence of your being. As a result, each dorm ends up with a distinct sort of... flavor, we'll call it." Trey began, simplifying the rules of the school for her.

"That is sooo true. I totes see it." Cater agreed.

"'Flavor,' huh...?" Deuce muttered, trying to understand it.

Yuu, however, chose to catch everyone off guard, "Wow, we've only just met, and you've already called me taste-less." She joked, recalling the mirror's words of her soul being shapeless and colorless.

This lovely joke caused Trey to stumble across his words, attempting to explain how he didn't mean it that way, while Ace choked on the water he was drinking and Deuce attempted to cover his laugh with a cough. Cater looked at her, his eyes twinkling with amusement. Yuu gave a nod of satisfaction, finally choosing to calm Trey down.

"Sorry, I saw the opportunity." She said, awkwardly laughing as Trey finally took a breath, nodding.

"Y-yeah, I knew that." His voice cracked before he cleared his throat. "Anyway, take that guy, for example." Trey gestured to a very tall, tan and muscular fellow with very large ears on the top of his head.

Yuu's eyes widened in surprise, slamming her hands on the table. "He has dog ears?!" She yelped before clearing her throat, before attempting to play it cool. "Muscly dog man, sure why not."

"That rough-and-tumble vibe he's got has Savanaclaw House written all over it." Trey said. Yuu noticed how the boy's ears perked slightly.

"No doubt. That dorm is full of scrappy guys who are into, like, working out and fighting." Cater said, leaning closer to Yuu, who now seemed to be a bit less tense with him. "How should I describe the vibe...? Macho dudes? Gruff big brothers? Something along those lines. The black and gold armband is another giveaway." Yuu nodded, understanding.

"He's a lot like one of my cousins. That man looks scary, but he was a pretty nice guy. He even has a daughter now." Yuu said.

Grim lifted his head, pointing to a familiar gray-haired boy. He looked to be rather frail and wore glasses. Yuu looked to see that the boy had pale, very shiny skin.