Twisted Wonderland 2

A New Transformation

In the foyer, you open the door and are immediately met with Ace's loud cheer.

"YOOO! Congrats on the Ramshackle makeover!"

You laugh, stepping to the side to welcome them in. "Hey, guys! You should see the inside."

Deuce steps in and his eyes widen. "Whoa! And I thought the outside was nice. It looks amazing in here!"

Ace chuckles. "It's enough to make me forget what it was like when we first enrolled. Dust used to fall from the ceiling every time I took a step!"

Deuce hands you a cake container. "Here, Trey made a celebration tart for you."

You admire the beautiful tart. "That was so sweet of him."

"And this is from us." Ace raises a bag he's been holding. "It's a stash of the newest snacks and drinks from the school store."

"Score!" Grim hops onto your shoulder and begins riffling through the bag.

"Hey, mind your manners." Deuce chastises. "Don't just open it right here in the foyer."

Grim ignores him and looks over to the tart. "Oooh! Check the size of this strawberry tart! Let's eat it right now!"

"Why, that's a capital idea!"

You and the boys jump. Whirling around to see the Headmage at the door.

"Might I have a slice?"

Headmage! You're back?" Deuce questions.

Ace glowers. "For cryin' out loud! Can you knock it off with the popping up outta nowhere?"

Crowley folds his arms. "I take umbrage at that. You're all grossly overreacting to a mere visit."

"So, whaddaya want?" Grim asks.

"As the recent Styx affair has come to a close, I've been making the rounds and reporting to each housewarden." Crowley steps into the foyer, revealing Idia.

Crowley and the others walk into the lounge while Idia hovers outside the door, nervously fiddling with his hoodie strings. "Uh, hey."

"Hey, Idia." You wave with your free hand. "Would you like to come in? There's a bunch of sweets and a tart."

"Oh, uh, sure."

Idia steps inside but now he looks very unsure of himself. Not knowing what to do now.

You laugh, taking his hand. "Come on, let's go to the lounge."

You drag Idia with you, Idia's cheeks tinge pink as you both make your way to the lounge. You let go of Idia's hand as you set the tart on the coffee table. Idia looks to his hand, still feeling warm from when you held it.

Crowley clears his throat now that everyone is gathered. "Goodness, it was absurd, I tell you. I was called before parliament in the Land of Dawning. Bigwigs from Styx, the Department of Education, AND the Department of Magic all bombarded me with questions and glared daggers at me. 'Why are so many consecutive overblots happening on your watch? How do you explain this?' That's what I want to know! What have I done, except run this school as diligently as I could? Night Raven College has resident counselors and medical mages appointed by the Department of Education as it is. Since the assembly saw no major issue with the school's leadership, the inquiry came to a close. But I certainly didn't expect one of our students to bring about an off-campus catastrophe even as we convened!"

"Sorry..." Idia mumbles.

"Luckily, the matter was resolved without any lasting damage thanks to the intrepid actions of our very own students. It was those deeds that convinced the assembly there was no issue with school leadership." Crowley gestures to Idia. "As for Idia Shroud here, he and his parents have expressed a desire for him to return to campus, and so he shall. I do hope you'll all be able to get along again."