Through the Dark Mirror

Talk of Tarts

"Ugh, what is wrong with that guy?!" Ace complained, stomping away from the mirror the four had just gone through. "Suddenly there was a whole army of Mr. Diamond. Was it illusion magic or something?" Deuce wondered. "They felt pretty real to me," Akira said.

Ace crossed his arms with a huff, not listening to anyone. "The worst part is, they're not supposed to even let us in the dorm without a tart. He must have seen that we didn't have anything when we walked up, but he got us to do all his work before chasing us off!" He complained. Akira frowned. She was definitely annoyed about that bit. Cater was nice on the surface, but there was a streak of something she couldn't quite name underneath the glib nature. "The little jerk," Grim mumbled.

Deuce glanced at his phone and frowned. "Ah. Anyway, we need to get to class," he said. Ace looked over at Akira and Grim. "Oh yeah, what class are you guys in? You're first-years, right?" He asked. Akira nodded. "Crowley said we're in Class 1-A," she said. Deuce grinned. "That's our class too! First period is potionology," he said. Akira's eyes lit up. "Ooh, I've been excited for this class!" She exclaimed, giving a wiggle. She'd have to remember to thank Professor Crewel for the uniform. "Ooh, yeah, that sounds kinda fun," Grim said. Ace just scowled at his collar.

The potions classroom was even more amazing than Akira had imagined. Liquids and substances lined the shelves, many familiar and many not. She was unfamiliar with the art of using cauldrons as well, but she did recognize a few Bunsen burners and distilling apparatus, so it wasn't entirely unfamiliar territory. A few minutes later, Akira realized that Professor Crewel was also the homeroom teacher when he pulled out a list and began calling names. "Holk, Jameson..." A boy wearing only one of his gloves raised a hand. "Yagoorian, Michalis," a boy wearing a bowler hat raised his. Akira quickly realized Crewel wasn't going in order, instead calling out random names, likely as a way to see who was alert. A few minutes later, he called her name, and she raised a hand. Crewel tapped her on the head with his pointer before continuing on.

After a few minutes, he finished role call and whipped his pointer into the palm of his red-gloved hand. "So you're the new students in my homeroom class. First, you will learn the basics. I'm going to cram those tiny brains of yours with the names and descriptions of 100 types of medicinal and poisonous herbs. Howeber, beforehand-" Crewel suddenly stopped speaking and whipped around, swatting Holk's hand. "STAY!" He ordered. Jameson quickly yanked his hand back from the plant he'd been reaching for, eyes wide.

"Don't touch anything before you've gained the proper knowledge! Listen carefully, pups. If you are going to be in my class, failing grades are not an option, so be prepared for some rigorous training. And the first lesson is, do exactly as I say unless you want to be disciplined. Understand?" Crewel said firmly. Akira nodded along with the rest of the class.

"Second lesson, dress yourself fittingly," Crewel said, pointing towards a wall formed primarily of shelves, which had folded lab coats and safety goggles on them. Akira stepped forward, looking over the small name plaques on each cubby, searching to see if she had one. After a moment, she found hers at the bottom, a sticker with her name written on it in cursive writing stuck to where the metal plaque would be if her attendance had been planned. Akira slipped the coat on and pushed the goggles up to her forehead before making her way to where Ace and Deuce had moved to.

"Sheesh... looks like we 'lucked out' with a strict teacher," Ace grumbled, watching Crewel swat another student who tried to touch something. "You think so? I think he's just passionate," Deuce said. Grim shuddered. "I'd hate to get on his bad side," he said. "You have to be strict in a laboratory setting. A lot of the stuff in here could kill us," Akira said, her eyes falling on a few bottles that were locked inside a glass cabinet.

Ace quirked a brow. "Oh yeah? Like what?" He asked. Akira pointed at the cabinet. "HgCl2, mercury bichloride. It's usually used as a reagent, and is extremely toxic. It'll damage your insides and you'll die in agony," she said, eyes lighting up. She pointed to another shelf, though this one was just cleaning products.