Infernal Academia

Chapter 14 - The Interloper

Autumn was here.  The Brimstone Nature Park had shifted from various shades of green to a spectacular kaleidoscope of reds, oranges and yellows, setting the horizon aflame beneath deep red skies.  Flocks of migratory birds winged up above, while every now and then, a small rodent or two would rustle through the undergrowth.  Despite being relatively close to the town, the park was a wonderfully peaceful place, and Cobalt often found himself returning there on his days off.

With a happy sigh, the Incubus eased himself onto a bench nestled away in one of his favourite relaxing spots.  Hidden away from the walking trails by thick brush, it was a lake that had formed beneath a small cliff, fed by water that tumbled over the rocky lip.  Dragonflies darted across the surface of the water, only to scatter as an intrepid frog attempted to catch one.

"Thought they'd be hibernating by now," Cobalt murmured to himself, watching intently as the little orange amphibian hopped over to a pile of wet leaves.

He pondered this for a moment, before reminding himself that he was no longer in Science class, and ought to stop worrying about the finer points of biology.  Settling back into the bench, the Incubus unwrapped a bacon sandwich and tucked in.  He usually preferred to eat healthy, but with the month he had, Cobalt wasn't averse to the odd treat.

In the weeks since the incident with in front of the dorms and his subsequent summons to Mistress Viola's office, he had found himself slowly but steadily settling into his role as a teacher.  He was still a long way from garnering his students' respect, of course, but at the very least they no longer tortured him each day.  He wanted to believe this was because they were learning to trust him, but it was more than likely because of what happened with Izzbelle.   Common opinion held that standing up to the Oni in any way was akin to suicide.

Chewing his somewhat-greasy meal thoughtfully, Cobalt glanced down at the tip of his finger, which sported a ragged scar from where he had tore the skin.  Of course, he also had to deal with paperwork from the Brimstone Town Hall after invoking the Rite of Fair Combat.  Apparently the police had been called by a panicking first-year that night, and many forms had to be filled out for the police to let them know that he had consented to getting his rear kicked.  Bureaucratical busywork, no doubt, but it stopped Izzbelle getting saddled with an assault charge, so he didn't mind.

In fact, Izzbelle Suyas' demeanor had done nothing but improve since the incident.  She was still rude, coarse, swift to anger and slow to forgive, but she no longer threw dictionaries at Cobalt, and had actually taken steps to get along with some of her classmates.  She had quite taken to Jelli in particular, much to Cobalt's relief.  Since she began hanging around with the nervous Glutton, her bullies all but disappeared.

"I don't know how you did it, Karazelle, but you certainly work wonders in your own way..." mused the Incubus, biting into the last of his sandwich just as an errant lark swooped down from a tree.

The Succubus in question was an enigma.  She had broken into his room to harass him no less than six times since Izzbelle's outburst, and continually assaulted him with all manner of lewd quips, and yet he could sense no malice or ulterior motives within her at all.  She was always the first to offer her hand to Jelli whenever she tripped in the hall, never neglected to ask Izzbelle how she was coping, and even occasionally spent time talking with Whitney, despite the animosity between the two.  If he didn't know any better, he would have thought it was her maternal instincts triggering.

But regardless of her reasons, Cobalt had Karazelle to thank for bringing together the closest thing he could call a friend group.  They were his students, of course, but he felt like he had been through enough with each of them to relate on a personal level, and he could only hope that the future brought with it opportunities to help them improve as students, as well as friends.