Infernal Academia

Chapter 25 - Shotgun Surgery

Cobalt had never in his entire life had a worse time at the breakfast table.  After catching the girls red-handed trying to sneak into his room the previous night, he had to return to Quinn's room - whom he had the foresight to swap with - and make sure that he bolted the door tight.  Not one to be put down, Elya then again tried to accost him in his sleep, this time attempting to gain access to his room from outside by climbing in through the window.  Unlike his dorm room back at the school, the windows of his childhood home had intact locks, and thus the Fallen was forced to merely squat on his windowsill and stare at him.  Having one of his old schoolfriend's mostly-naked body displayed right outside his window was of course a harrowing experience, but the Incubus eventually managed to overcome it by just turning over and trying to go back to sleep.

Once morning broke, the real trouble began.  With the Trayer household lacking a stairlift, Cobalt was forced to ask Izzbelle for help in ferrying both himself and his wheelchair down to the ground floor.  To her credit, the Oni obliged him, but she refused to even make eye-contact with him, ashamed of the previous night's escapades.  For breakfast, Jezebel served a wonderful fry-up, but the Incubus wasn't feeling particularly hungry.  What he was feeling was a sensation intense disappointment directed towards his family, and they could all feel it.  None of his sisters met his gaze as they tucked into their bacon and eggs, save for Violet, who just looked exasperated.  His mother tried to spark some conversation, but it was clear that the mood at the breakfast table was not a jovial one.

His family's plans had been thwarted, his students had all been embarrassed, and Cobalt was starting to consider never staying the night at his mother's place again.

Once breakfast was over, the Incubus made his excuses and left, before even any of the girls departed for the school.

He figured it would be best to leave them alone for the day and hope they forgot anything happened at all.

After all, he was doing the same.

Brimstone, unfortunately, was not a terribly modern town.  It was miles ahead of Phrodival - which still lacked electricity and central heated in most buildings - but in regards to disability access, it meant that Cobalt was at a heavy disadvantage.  Unable to get into any cafés, enter any entertainment venues or even get up the library steps, the Incubus eventually found himself in the park, holding a rather disappointing club sandwich that he bought from a street vendor.  Without an income, his future lunchtime prospects were looking bleak.

"I really ought to be setting assignments today..." he muttered to himself, slowly trundling down the path towards the lake.

Obviously his first instinct was to throw himself into his work, but returning to the school campus ran the risk of running into any of the girls.  And Cobalt was far to ashamed of his family's intrusive antics to speak with any of them at that point in time.

He could only imagine what they had been put up to.  He could almost understand how Lottie or Whitney could be manipulated into something like that, and both Karazelle and Elya would hardly need any convincing to harass him.  But Jelli?  Izzbelle?  Why the Hell did they go along with it?

"Ugh... just stop thinking about it, Trayer.  You can bet Mom certainly didn't," he stated dourly, taking a bite of his sandwich.

Reaching the lake, he was about to sit back and watch the waterfall when his phone began to ring.  Absentmindedly, he answered it.

"Hello?  Cobalt Trayer speaking."

"It seems a little bluebird has finally wandered back into my domain~!"

He nearly choked.

"A- Alison?!  How the Hell do you-?!"

"Give me some credit, bluebell!  First thing I did was rig cameras all over the park!"