TWST'D: Keys to the Future

Delt a Bad Hand pt. 2

"That's just playin' scared!" Grim protested, "they did us dirty, why can't we do 'em dirty back?"

She turned to him, her brows furrowed as she clenched her fists.

"Don't get me wrong, Grim...I want to get them back for this...I really do, but right now isn't a good time! We have to play this smart- we barely know anything about the enemy, or if they plan on doing anything further. We need to gather evidence-"

"You don't seriously think that useless Headmage will step in and help us, do you?" Grim deadpanned, his paws folded.

"Who says we need to go to the Headmage? We just need to find a reliable adult..."

"But we're janitors, remember?!" Grim pointed out, "we don't know nobody here! And even if we did, we ain't students so why would someone care?"

Camila clenched her teeth, a feeling inside of her that she didn't recognize.

She felt her chest to see if she was getting a fever.

What was it?

***********

The torment didn't end with the defacing incident at Ramshackle; from being shoved around to getting pushed off the steps and narrowly dodging a trip to the infirmary, Camila and Grim faced no end of sly tactics directed at her and her partner.

One day while she went to mop the hallway, she noticed the mop had gone missing.

Another instance was later that week when she picked up litter off main street, only for the wind to pick up and cause her cans to knock onto the ground, completely undoing her process.

Most of the time, nobody would be around, but she could smell the scent of various cakes and sweets drifting all around her.

She swore she heard the faintest sound of laughter, different from the playful cackles of the ghosts back at her dorm.

It came to a head when Grim caught a Heartslabyul student running away with Camila's trash report (as Crowley wanted them to jot down how many supplies were used, likely for cost saving reasons).

When she caught up to him, she found her poor partner flung in the garbage can right with the clipboard that held her now soiled report.

She knew it had to be Grim in there, as his tail was sticking out and flailing around the trash.

She plucked him like a weed from the ground and brushed off the old, slimy food and junk before she retrieved her report to try and save anything she could.

"That's it!" he exclaimed, "this has got to end! I'm gonna show those cheeky brats what for- don't you dare try to stop me, Camila!" He jabbed an angry paw Camila's way, the paws curiously curled like fingers pointing towards her as he bored angry holes into her with his large blue eyes.

She simply nodded; Camila was sure there was nothing she could do to persuade him, though, honestly, she didn't like having to hold back against someone who wronged her either.

Camila hated that Grim's potential as a future mage would be squandered, but at least she could get out of this crazy school.

And who knows?

Night Raven hardly had to be the only good school for mages.

She was certain he could find his way into some better places with less hostile students.

However, an idea struck her like lightning.

"Ah, but might I suggest something?" she asked innocently.

"If it's not about puttin' those losers in their place, I don't wanna hear it," he snapped.

"I promise it has everything to do with that," she gave him a smile, "as I have another plan..."

She trailed off as the sound of footsteps broke her and Grim's concentration.

She turned to see they belonged to none other than Deuce Spade, who was alone.

Camila and Grim went into a fighting stance.

"How long had you been standing there?!" Grim demanded.

"Huh?" His face flushed, "I-I had just gotten here! I was just, uh, going for a walk!"

"You do not sound very convinced of this yourself," Camila pointed out, "please tell us the truth."

His face fell as he slumped forward in embarrassment before he stood straight again.

"Ugh, I'm sorry...I was watching those guys, okay?"

The Ramshackle pair withdrew their stance and stared at the bluenette.

"Huh?" Grim gave a confused look as he crossed his paws. "What gives? You in on their scheme and wanted to rub it in?" He glared at Deuce.

"What?! Of course not!" Deuce spoke defensively as he flailed his arms, "I did this to try and catch them before Rosehearts or Eleganté did! After all, it's a Disciplinary Squad member's duty to mitigate as few beheadings as possible!"

"Displaced Canary who?" Grim raised a non-existent brow while Camila silently stared at the shiny gold badge he wore.

"No, no, no! Disciplinary Squad!" Deuce corrected.

"Heartslabyul is the spirit of strictness, but due to the Queen's occupation as a judge, we are also known as paragons of justice. If any wrongdoing is afoot, even if it's at the hands of my own dorm mates, I can't turn a blind eye!"

"Yo, Camila," Grim called her over and she excused herself before the pair went into a corner.

"I think this's fishy. We shouldn't trust him," Grim said without  missing a beat.

"Hold on, Grim," she said as she took a glance at Deuce before returning to her partner, "I don't smell anyone else nearby. Maybe we should see where this goes."