Dúyè's Story

---

---

It was already late morning as a trail of thick smoke puffed quickly through the air along behind the tall figure that walked down the hallway in a rather hasty fashion. His name was Memphis, the newly appointed Headmaster of the Academy – a demon no less who has been put in charge of influencing the young minds of those he was suppose to help and guide in their time at the school. Quick steps echoed through the hall as he made his way to his office, a half-burnt out cigarette hanging over the side of his lower lip as he bit down hard and inhaled a deep breath.

Upon his arrival there had been a few changes put in place which caused some minor issues for the demon to deal with, such as new students arriving and the removal of old ones. Due to this the morning class had been delayed for a short time which allowed the students to wander the academy in the meantime, awaiting some form of structure to their day. However some may notice that some of their classmates were not around and the headmaster could only hope he explained things soon to avoid any unnecessary uprising amongst the youths.

"What a palaver." He sighed and dropped his shoulders, before nudging the door open and heading into his office, though only for a moment. The morning so far had been less than organized and the demon needed to get things on track – which meant getting the students to class and his colleagues in order, especially since he hadn’t met any of his staff yet though he assumed they had been made aware of his sudden arrival – somehow. He quickly made his way over to his desk – well it was his now though some of the prior headmasters belongings were still there – and accessed the academy’s intercom system.

"Attention students this is your new acting Headmaster. I realize this morning has been a bit chaotic but for now if you would, make your way to your designated classroom – that is an order. Mr. Kurayami, Mr. Akigawa and Miss Rayne, you are also wanted at class." Short but to the point. That was Memphis.

The intercom system was connected to every location within the academy, so all the students should have heard him and hopefully would begin to make their way to their classroom. Likewise his staff too. Turning the demon took his leave and exited the office, before making his way down to the classroom. With a shrug he continued on his way down the hallway, raising a hand as he ran it through his hair and unenthusiastically thought of how endless the day already felt. What was he suppose to do with these kids? What were they even like? The demon smirked a little as his curiosity grew and soon enough he arrived at the classroom and made his way in, opening and closing the door behind him as he took a seat at one of the desks. Swinging his legs up he rested the heel of his boots against the surface of the desk, leaning back in his chair as he crossed his arms against his chest. After all no one was about so he could make himself comfortable in the meantime, as he parted his lips slightly and let his burnt cigarette fall to the floor, before popping out another that quickly replaced the former and the demon inhaled deeply.

"Well, looks like the fun will begin soon enough." The demon yawned a little and stretched his legs. The teachers ought to arrive soon, and maybe even some students might arrive early! But he wouldn't hold his breath. "Maybe I should plan out exactly what we’re going to be doing for this class – or even what I’m going to say." He huffed, digging into one of his pockets as he brought out a crumpled piece of paper with his crude handwriting scribbled all over it. Looking over the notes he then reached over, grabbing a clipboard with names jotted down on it – presumably the students of the class, and began familiarizing himself with the names and information.

---

Cleo was wide awake and already up and about the academy. Since their morning class had been delayed for a wee bit of time, the feline figured she’d grab something to snack on in the meantime until told otherwise. Whilst in the cafeteria the girl prowled around and looked at what was on offer, eyeing up all the goodies before settling on an apple and a packet of chocolaty-treats. After all breakfast was an important meal and the girl was set on not missing it!

“Maybe I should bring something for Buggie and Ichi." She pondered for a moment, snatching up some treats for the boys before stuffing them all into her pockets. Reaching over she swiped another packet of chocolates before walking away contently. As she was about to bite into her apple her ears perked up at that moment as an unfamiliar voice suddenly filled the air – the Headmaster, or rather new one. Did they get a new one already? Didn’t they just start? Cleo raised a questioning brow.

"Attention students this is your new acting Headmaster. I realize this morning has been a bit chaotic but for now if you would, make your way to your designated classroom – that is an order. Mr. Kurayami, Mr. Akigawa and Miss Rayne, you are also wanted at class." It said before falling silent.

Well, it looked like her free time had come to an end as the students were summoned to the classroom. With a shrug the feline bit into her apple before heading out of the cafeteria and began making her way to the room. On the way there the girl couldn’t help but wonder if everyone else got the message, and who would be first? A smile formed on her lips as she thought of her friends and teammates, and a general feeling of excitement filled her being at that moment.

A short time later the feline arrived at the classroom and made her way inside, dropping her eaten apple in the bin before taking her seat. Her eyes immediately fell onto the red-haired figure at the desk, who either hadn’t noticed her quite yet – or was just uninterested. The girl sat in silence for at least a minute before leaning forward on her desk and waving to the man that was busy looking over some notes, or something at least.

“Hi! I’m Cleo – are you the Headmaster guy that was speaking earlier?" She asked and titled her head, leaning back in her seat as she watched the figure carefully. However he never answered her question, actually he never really looked to the girl at all. Lowering her ears Cleo slumped her shoulders and focused her attention to the door to see who entered next.

---

Ruzik was begrudgingly awake and moving himself around the academy after being informed that their morning class had been put on hold temporarily. He hadn’t really slept and was a little lost as to what to do with himself for the time being. His insides felt twisted and he could already feel his hunger creeping up on him slowly – the only good thing he was really feeling at that moment.

As he walked along he looked at all the students he passed, gradually wondering what exactly was going on that would cause such a delay in their academic schedule. Not that he was really complaining mind you, Ruzik wasn’t exactly the best student the academy had and really the more free time they got was welcomed – albeit he was a bit bored during it. Friends weren’t exactly his forte, he didn’t have many at this point in time, but of course he didn’t want any either! Did he?

As the red-head wandered down a hallway he heard a voice suddenly speak, tiling his gaze up to a speaker held up in one of the corners of the hall. "Attention students this is your new acting Headmaster. I realize this morning has been a bit chaotic but for now if you would, make your way to your designated classroom – that is an order. Mr. Kurayami, Mr. Akigawa and Miss Rayne, you are also wanted at class." So they had a new Headmaster? Ruzik thought briefly over this, smirking just a little. Did that mean he was free of those damn pills? Oh if only. The demon felt a slight twinge in his lower stomach and let out an uneasy sigh in response, as he straightened himself up and continued on his way. Surprisingly he opted to go to class; perhaps it would enlighten his boredom just a bit.

A short while later he arrive at the room and promptly entered, sparing a moment to look at the figure who sat slumped and puffing on a cigarette, though seemed to pay little attention to things around him. Unbothered, the demon then noticed the familiar cat-girl sitting looking in his direction and offered her a small smile. Sitting behind her, he place his elbows on the desk and leaned forward, before tapping her shoulder.

---

Cleo turned and faced the boy, ears twitching just a little. She remembered him from the day before and how he stormed off, somewhat crazily. Though hesitant to converse with him the girl decided she should make an effort at least. “Yeah?"

”Looks like we’re first to arrive, and your that cat-girl from the other day?” He asked, though knew he was fairly right in saying it. Cleo was hard to not remember after all, especially with her defining features.

“Uh-huh, and your that demon who stormed off all crazy like, eh?" She teased and playfully twitched her eyebrows. “lookie-here. If you don’t go all moody on me again I may just start to like yah." Sliding round in her seat she faced him directly and rested her arms on the edge of his desk, shifting forward as her ears lowered a rather amusing way. “Let’s start again? I’m Cleo, please to meet yah, Ruzik."

The redhead merely shrugged in a sort-of agreeing manner. Maybe he ought to make some friends, though either way the cat-girl wasn’t entirely bad and was pretty attractive, so it worked for him. ”Sure, alright. Nice to meet you Cleo.”

Smiling, the girl spun back around and moved down in her seat, leaning backwards as she rested the back of her head against his desk and looked up to the boy with an amusing grin. “So, who you betting turns up next?"

---

---

The plane ride from Hong Kong was quite the boring for the red-headed demon despite the fact that it was her first trip on a plane. Perhaps she would have found more novelty in the experience were it not for the mage who was accompanying her, breathing down her neck and never letting the girl out of her sight. Her only source of of entertainment for the duration of the trip was the bit of people-watching on the other passengers who sat nearby. It was a great relief when they finally landed it was a great relief to the girl who reveled in the chance to move and stretch, though this respite was short lived as she was quickly stuffed into a car with whom she could only assume were more mages.

Apparently they were going straight to this ‘Academy’. Dúyè could only sigh as she leaned against the cold glass of the window and watch the sun rise in the distance. Some time later she woke groggily as the car came to a stop. The sun was a bit higher now but it was still morning. The door was opened for her and she was escorted into the front gates of the school. The man handed her a paper that detailed a ‘team’ she was now on and where she was to head for now. Her eyes scanned over the words lazily before she folded it roughly and pocketed it away in her coat. As she wandered into the school she reached into her other pocket to retrieve a pre-packaged cheap-looking pastry, unwrapped it, and quickly consumed it.

As she walked the halls she eyes the students she passed curiously but ultimately did interact with any of them. It didn’t long to locate her designated class and as she open the door she crushed the plastic wrapper in her hand into a ball and tossed it into the trash. Immediately the pungent and unpleasant smell of cigarette smoke assaulted her nose, and it wasn’t hard to find t its source. With an expression that was anything but pleasant she turned towards the mature looking, red-headed man and spoke, ”That’s disgusting. I don’t mind if you wanna smell like shit but I, and I think a few of the people here, would appreciate it if you did that outside.” She didn’t much care to hear the man’s reply as she turned and quickly identified the members of supposed ‘team’. Without sparing it much thought she waltzed over and took a seat behind the two of them and muttered ‘good morning’ to the two in Mandarin out of habit more than anything. ”Zǎo ān”

---

---

Memphis had paid little attention to all that occurred around him. Though of course knowing when a student arrived he did little to acknowledge their presence for the time being – he was too busy thinking to do much else. However when one redhead in particular gave him grief over his smoking the man did little but shrug in response, though similarly when a blonde-haired boy approached him the demon simply uttered a faint, "Yeah." One by one student came to the door and took a seat, and even the two mage teachers arrived in good time too. Once a general majority of students were present the demon began to move himself up and off his seat, though he’d give it another 5 to ten minutes to see if the remaining students showed up before doing anything official.

The demon walked around and sat on the edge of the desk before turning his attention to the two mage teachers who sat at his side. Crossing his arms he leaned in a little closer to them and said, "My master has spoken of you two though I only know you by name. My knowledge of yourselves goes no further than that." Indeed the elderly mage had mentioned the two mages and spoke quite highly and fondly of each, though he never really divulged any more information to the demon, other than they were friendly and he should get along with them. "I too wish for us to work well together, and I assume that you know by now that I am a demon and not a mage?"

Leaning back he let a thick puff of smoke escape the side of his mouth before turning to face the students who sat in front of him. For a minute he looked at each of them carefully, studying them almost, as he mentally guessed who he thought was the stronger and weaker of the class. "As you may be aware there are some changes made to the groups. Mr. Kurayami your group is still the same, though Mr. Akigawa instead of Hive you now have Kou, the rabbit demon. I expect you both to keep your students under control and out of trouble, for their own sakes. So far I am being lenient but once this class officially begins I will not tolerate it." He added quietly.

---

---

---

Ruzik shifted his gaze from the feline for a moment as his eyes fell onto the familiar figure of the rabbit-demon who stood by the door. At first he didn’t do anything but instead merely looked to the girl for a moment, before raising a hand and beckoning the rabbit over to the desk next to him. ”Kou, come here!” It wasn’t an order as such but rather a friendly calling, at least in Ruzik’s own way it was. It was only then that he spotted the familiar green-haired boy who entered at that moment and spoke briefly with Kou, before sitting beside Cleo. When the demon greeted him the redhead replied with, ”Hey, bug-boy.” Just then he saw the teachers enter and Mikari grinned at him with a wink and the demon uncontrollably smirked straight back at the blue-haired mage.

Cleo looked to her teammate with a warm smile and quickly wrapped her arms around Bugby in a brief hug, before settling beside him and giggling a little. “Yeah, I just couldn’t sleep too well so I got up super-duper early and went for a wander – I see you two never had any trouble." Sliding round and sitting on the side of her seat the feline looked between Bugby and Ruzik, of course noticing Kou and giving the girl a smile before the redhead summoned her over. Hopefully the rabbit would join them as the cat-girl could use some female company too. “Oh here." She said, digging out a packet of chocolate treats as she handed them to Bugby. “I brought some for you and Ichiro – I bet you never got any breakfast, did you?" Placing the packet on his desk the girl then looked to Ruzik and offered him some from her already opened packet. “Want some?"

”I don’t eat that stuff.” He waved his hand in front of him and turned the snack down, though the feline gave him an odd look of disbelieve. What weirdo didn’t like chocolate? Clearly Ruzik. As a girl passed the redhead he couldn’t help but notice her glare directed straight at him – what had he done to her? For once nothing! He hadn’t done a single thing to that girl and yet she had the nerve to look upon him with such displeasure. Whatever. He wouldn’t lose the rag just yet, after all it wasn’t like he wasn’t use to it.

Cleo also noticed this but refrained from saying anything as not long after Ichiro appeared at the classroom. Another smile filled her lips as the mage soon approached the demons, though a questioning look quickly fixed itself onto her features as he said, "I'm having a little headache right now so I'm going to sit more by myself today." Before she could even say anything the boy had already walked away and sat further back next to a girl who she believed was a mage. The feline couldn’t quite believe his excuse for not sitting with them, she couldn’t help but wonder why their mage didn’t want to be near them. Not to mention she didn’t get a chance to give Ichiro the chocolates she had got him.

“Bugby what did you do?!" She elbowed the boy in the side before sighing and dropping her hands to her lap. For a moment she believed her teammate was the reason for their mage distancing himself, but then once rethinking it over, Cleo realized that Bugby could never doing anything that serious to cause Ichiro to avoid them. “Sorry Buggie, I didn’t mean it." She sheepishly giggled and rubbed the back of her head.

”Face it, mages stick with their own kind. Why else would he dump you two and go sit with her?” The redhead spoke up a little, resting the side of his face against his hand that propped him up. Ruzik wasn’t stupid, he had seen the look the other mage had given him too, and was starting to get a little irked by it. ”Do you think that mage really cares about you – a demon? No, he doesn’t. You’re just some demon he’s grouped with, and sure he may say he’s your friend and all, but who’s he sitting with at the end of the day? Not you.”

The feline lowered her ears a little and looked out the window for a few moments. She didn’t like to think of Ichiro as some lame mage who cared little for demons, considering how much she had come to care for him over the past day – the girl was surprised how immediately she had grew fond of the boy, but then again he did remind her of the old mage who looked after her. They were both kind and fun to be around. She turned to Ruzik with a smile and confidently said, “Nah, Ichiro is totally not like that at all." At least she hoped he wasn't, but given how he had walked away from his two demons the cat-girl was in a slight moment of doubt. Did he prefer mages over demons? With a huff the girl slumped in her chair, ears lowered with a visible pout forming on her lips. Maybe Ruzik was right.

The demon just rolled his eyes and slid round in his seat as he looked over to the two mages in question. Ichiro and what’s-her-name, those two who had looked to him with such disgust only a short time before. Resting one arm against the chair he faced them directly, raising his other hand as he gave the mages a cheeky wink and blew them a kiss in a rather taunting manner.

However his smug exterior was only short lived as a sharp pain in his gut caused the demon to quickly turn around and face down at his desk. His inner hunger was beginning to stir after a long night of slumber, but the demon wasn’t entirely prepared to deal with it. The heartbeats of those surrounding him grew louder ever so slightly, and the more he thought of those damn mages the more the demon felt the urge to rip their hearts out. Just the feeling caused a smirk to fill his lips as he imagined it all in his head.

Bugby listened to the feline though couldn’t help but still appear quite surprised by her early awakening, and even more so, the boy appeared surprised still as the girl handed him some sort-of chocolates that was placed on his desk. ”Uh, thanks. And yeah, I skipped breakfast if you must know.” He picked the packet up and stuffed it into one of his pockets, figuring he’d get them later.

Over the course of a few minutes he noticed a few more students entering the room, one of which being Ichiro. When the mage approached the demons Bugby could already see Cleo’s face lit upon his arrival, however even he was surprised by what the mage said. "I'm having a little headache right now so I'm going to sit more by myself today." Raising a brow, Bugby watched as the mage left the two demons somewhat too quickly and sat himself further back in the classroom, next to a mage. Watching the blonde boy for a moment, the demon then felt a sharp knock to his side and quickly spun round to face Cleo.

”I didn’t do anything! He’s not that sensitive is he?” He huffed with a sulk before rubbing his side a little as it now hurt to a degree. A moment later Cleo apologized and the boy gave a nod of acceptance. ”Yeah, whatever. Just don't make it a habit, eh?”

Sitting back in his seat the green-haired boy sighed quietly, before hearing the redhead behind them talking about their mage, which caused Bugby to look round at him. Surprisingly Ruzik had a point, and Bugby still couldn’t grasp why their mage had ditched them so suddenly, more so as he could clearly see how much it disappointed Cleo. ”You have a point, I guess. But Ichiro isn’t that bad he’s just an idiot mostly, heh.” Turning back round on his chair the demon got to his feet and walked towards the back of the classroom towards the idiot mage he had been grouped with. Though if things were to work out for the team then they had to stick together, not be apart.

Ichiro was sitting next to some mage, though Bugby was unfamiliar with the girl and had no reason to disturb her. However, once close enough to Ichiro, the demon sucker-punched him in the shoulder suddenly though wasn’t too forceful. Just enough to make his point, and perhaps get a little payback from Cleo hitting him for the dumb mages departure! ”You idiot, that’s for ditching us.” He muttered with his common bored look, before turning round and calmly walking off back to his seat, before sitting down and leaning back in his chair.

Looking to Cleo, the boy reached his hand up and tried to nudge her ears back upright to their more happier position. Though the cat-ears just dropped back down every time and the demon gave a sigh. ”Cheer up, alright? He'll be back.”

Tilting his head a little he looked to Ruzik and Kou who had returned to being perched on his desk. He couldn't help but get a weird feeling that those two were connected to one another in some way, but he didn't wish to pry. He noticed the rabbit demon offer a lollipop to the redhead at that moment. It gave him an idea then. Rummaging around in his pocket the boy dug out the packet of chocolates that the feline had given him earlier, but this time held them out and offered them to the girl in a bid to cheer her up a little. ”Go on, have some. You know you wanna?” Attempting a smile, the demon tried to use a more friendly tone of voice as he waved the packet right in front of the cat.

---

Laurence was a little caught off-guard as a girl approached him in the classroom shortly after his own arrival. He had been too busy staring out the window that he almost jumped, but once regaining his composure the boy looked to the unusual looking female. ”I am your demon Etelka Lantos, a pleasure to meet you m'Lord.” She said, and the boy looked quite surprised. M’Lord? He wasn’t a lord and never expected anyone to refer to him as such. ”If you do not mind, I will take a seat.”

He watched her take a seat at the desk next to his, gradually getting to grips with the information that he was presented with. So this was his demon? Laurence didn’t know how to really react to the demon, she was very pretty and looked rather nice and not completely how he imagined such a creature to be. ”My name’s Laurence and you don’t have to call me m’Lord. Just Laurence will do, haha.” From the way the girl spoke the boy got the general impression that she took her role seriously, or at least was well accustomed to that role at least. He really didn’t want to upset her ways though. ”You know, you can just call me whatever you like I don’t mind really. Whatever you're comfortable with suits me, is there anything you'd like me to call you? Or is Etelka fine?”

Smiling at the demon he heard the arrival of another, a red-haired demon who had said something to the Headmaster and then made her way towards the pair and muttered, ”Zǎo ān.” Laurence didn’t know what it meant however he just assumed it was a form of greeting, or a positive interaction in some way. He hoped. The female took a seat behind him and Etelka, and being polite he turned round in his seat to face the red-haired girl. ”Wow, you talked to the Headmaster like that, you must be pretty brave.” The boy knew these demons were his group, since he had been vaguely told of the two demons he would be grouped with, though really he was pretty happy that they found him rather than the other way about. But still, seeing the two up-close was way different to how they were initial described to him before.

”I’m very pleased to meet you both and I hope we get along well together.” Looking between the two females the boy was quite surprised at how pretty each were, though he found that some demons were naturally better looking than some humans, and just his luck to get two girls! He couldn’t help but feel excited and nervous about working with them, more so as they both looked equally tough too.

Looking to the red-haired demon he said, ”Oh, I'm Laurence by the way. This is Etelka here, and what would be your name?” He only hoped the female was equally as friendly as Etelka, or really so long as she was tolerable of him that was all the boy could hope!

"Hello there," A voice suddenly spoke, and the boy noticed a rabbit-girl he believed who seemed to know Etelka. Quickly he smiled and returned her wave before the girl was away again. She seemed nice and very cute in a way, and he guessed she was a demon. The boy also noticed a few other new arrivals in that moment, most being demons though he could pick out the few mages who were there. ”Wow, so many people are here. They all look powerful too, I wonder if I'm as strong as they are.” He muttered before forcing a calming smile.

---

---

---

---

Listening to her talk, it seemed to Ichiro that so far her experience at the school was opposite his own. Quickly bonding with his team and making friends with some of the other Demons. Though now that he thought of it almost all of the Demons seemed very close while all the Mages distanced themselves from each other, at least for the first day. "Wow both removed on the first day that's a feat. Must of been a pretty bad first day huh." Glancing at his group. It never really occurred to him the ratio of Demon's to Mage's. If the rest of the school was the same as this class that meant that their were half as many Mages in the whole school as Demons. Suddenly it seemed as if the Mage class looked even smaller in his mind. Focusing back into Liliane's remark about his stance with the Demon, eyes widening as she bring up stealing his women. "Haha.... no, no, no I'm not to sure what it is about him that rubs me the wrong way, but just since the first time I met him he got on my bad side really quick. It probably sounds like a really bad reason to dislike someone greatly, but I'm usually good at reading people and first impressions stick with me most of the time. I bet you have a much better reason for disliking him." Giving off a quick, slightly hesitant laugh as he rubbed the back of his head feeling slightly embarrassed.

It's funny though Liliane didn't act how he expected. A Demon seemed to walk over in the middle of their conversation saying she was apart of Liliane's team. She was interesting looking definitely appeared more Demon like then most of the others, more of what Ichiro pictured all the Demons to look like before coming to the school. Ichiro sat unsure of what to do next, he wanted to make a good impression on his fellow Mage, which was unusual since he normally couldn't care what people thought, but with so few fellow Mages he wanted to make sure to make a good impression. The previous day for sure wouldn't help, though it seemed as if they would be the only Mages still from the previous day.

Without warning he felt a hit on the shoulder, turning around just hoping it was the red haired Demon so he could start a fight. Though standing there was Bugby who seemed a little peeved. Ichiro looked back over to his team as Bugby returned after a few words. He felt pretty bad for leaving them, but right as Bugby returned it seemed they all returned to hanging around Mr. Smug. Who after making a clear taunt to them, only pissed Ichiro off more with him. He could only hope for a sparing session between the class. Maybe he could suggest it to the new headmaster as a way of getting to know each other better more. Letting out a sigh he leaned back in his chair returning his gaze to the new Demon and Liliane, wanting to listen into their conversation more. Feeling pretty out of place now that her team seemed to be arriving.

"I brought this from the cafeteria," Ruzik heard Kou say and slowly raised his head to face the girl with a curious stare. In moment or so the rabbit held out a lollipop to the demon. "Want to try it?" The redhead was very surprised to see such a thing, since he had discovered that lollipops were quite nice, but how did she know? Or was it just luck? Regardless the demon accepted the lollipop and unwrapped it before popping it into his mouth.

”Thanks.” He said, before actually forming a slight smile. The redhead didn’t really know what else to do or say at that moment, he seemed just a little awkward as he looked away briefly, before quietly muttering, ”I’m… sorry for running away the other day.” Refocusing his stare onto the rabbit-girl, Ruzik tried to regain some form of composure as he adjusted himself in his seat. ”I mean, well it was hardly surprising anyway. You pissed me off, so yeah. Whatever.”

Casually grinning as he usually did, the demon leaned forward and rested one arm against the desk whilst sliding his other hand up and onto one of the girls thighs. Well, she was on his desk so he could hardly resist! With the lollipop still in his mouth the redhead playfully nudged it about with the tip of his tongue, before adjusting his arm and raising his other hand up and around the side of the girl’s waist. ”You look pretty sexy on that desk, you’re like the hottest girl in this room.” With a light pull, he scooped the girl up and slide her off the desk and onto his lap. His hand that was originally sat against her waist was now up and around her shoulders, whilst the other was still placed firmly on the side of her thigh. ”But you look more enticing up against me.”

From the corner of his eye he noticed another entering the classroom, as well as a teacher he assumed. Watching, the girl walked over to the mages and Ruzik could only assume all the bad things they were likely saying about him, but still, the horned girl was strangely alluring to him. Not that he was surprised, if anything it was just a natural reaction of his towards anything, really. He continued to look at the attractive female for a few seconds more before pulling his attention away and returning his focus onto Kou. A more smug grin filled his features just then, as he leaned closer to her and whispered, ”You know, if you really want to make me feel better we could ditch this class and go to my dorm. Get it off, then get it on, as they say.”

It was as if he was oblivious to the awkwardness of their relationship. Though Ruzik was very much aware of the confusion that lingered within him, however when it came to one thing then he’d prefer to not think of such emotions – they’d only ruin it. Without really thinking the demon lowered his hand from around her shoulders and brought it down towards her tail, as he began to run his fingers through it softly, as if stroking it. That tail was adorable. Ruzik also just wanted to see if he could get her hair to turn pink, or whatever other reaction would spring from the little rabbit on his lap.

---

Cleo let out a small giggle as Bugby tried to get her ears upright. For sure, whenever perked up it did signify the felines happiness, and in a way it was sweet of her teammate to try what he did. ”Cheer up, alright? He'll be back.” He said, and the girl only hoped he was right. In fact, she knew he was right – hopefully. Ichiro would hang with them when they had a group activity, surely? ”Go on, have some. You know you wanna?” Just then the green-haired boy offered her the chocolates that she had given him, and though not wanting to take all his treats, she did however accept a few to begin with. She noticed his efforts to comfort her, even his smile and voice were clearly an effort as Bugby wasn’t usually so, well, affectionate in a way.

Taking a few of the chocolates from the packet the girl ate one, holding the few others in her other hand. ”Thanks Buggie, I’ll try not to eat all the chocolates.” She laughed before cramming the last few she had into her mouth, swallowing them down moments after. Leaning over the feline rubbed the side of her head against his shoulder as a sign of her appreciation, a purr soon following as she twitched her ears contently. ”You know, we so gotta get Ichiro back. Maybe jump him in his sleep, or scare him, ha.” She said with a playful hint of evil, as it was all meant in good nature of course.

Pulling away she slumped in her seat, eyeing up the teachers for a moment, before eventually peering round in her chair as she looked to Ichiro again. The feline couldn’t help but want the mage to be at her side, and also wondered what she could do to gain his attention. It was then that she noticed Ruzik and Kou getting pretty comfortable with one another, and only then did a realization hit her that the cat-girl felt the need to get conformation on it. ”Oh my lordie Kou, is he your boyfriend?!” She asked in a half-whisper before moving fully round on her chair, especially noticing how the pair of demons was sat and the insinuations their closeness suggested. And, it would explain their mysterious meetings and how they went off together the other day.

Cleo herself had never had a boyfriend, but she knew the signs of how a couple acted and such. Raising a brow, she reached over and grabbed Bugby before spinning the boy round and holding him close to her. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she felt the need to share them with the closest person. ”Psst, Bugby. What do you think?” The feline questioned, pressing her face against his as she gave the boy a mischievous grin.

---

---

---

Tilting his head, Memphis noticed a woman enter the room and promptly she approached him. "Hello, Headmaster. It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Sarah Rayne. I hope we will get along in the future." She said and held out her hand, and after a few seconds of pondering it over, the demon soon raised his hand and held hers as they shook hands. Memphis wasn’t really the type for handshakes though he didn’t necessarily reject them either. They were too formal for his personal liking, but figured for the sake of getting off to a good stare he’d go along with it.

"Hello, Miss Rayne. It is good of you to join us, and I am sure we will get along perfectly fine." He replied before releasing her hand. "In case you are unaware yet, your group has been changed and you now have Hive and Muse though Liliane is still within your care. If you would, please take a seat with Mr. Kurayami and Mr. Akigawa. The class is just about to begin shortly." Having informed the woman the demon moved his attention towards the class and took a few steps towards them, as he stood in front of the rows of desks.

Raising a hand he slide two fingers up and caught his cigarette before removing it from his lips entirely, exhaling thick smoke whilst doing so. Clearing his throat he retained a rather emotionless expression, as he began to speak. "Alright everybody, take your seats and sit quietly. Class will be commencing shortly. You will be informed of what your exercise is for this morning though I must warn you it is an important assessment and you must act wisely." With that said, he felt it was interesting to give them a little hint of what their activity would be, though also keep them in a slight suspense. With a slight smirk on his lips, he returned his cigarette to the side of his mouth and inhaled contently.

Just realizing, the demon spun round and picked up a clipboard with the students names scribbled down it. Facing the students once more he continued, "Some of you may notice your groups are not the same, or some of your classmates are no longer here. The new groups are as such; Group 1 is Laurence Snow, Etelka Lantos and Dúyè. Group 2 is Liliane Auringer, Muse and Hive. Group 3 is Ichiro Ogura, Cleo Gardenia and Bugby Marshall. Lastly, Group 4 is Kasumi Toshiko, Ruzik Rosaline and Kou Usagi." With a confident nod he sat the clipboard back on the desk and added, "Your teachers are still the same however Group 1 will now have myself as their teacher - good luck." With all said for now the demon returned to perching himself on the side of the desk as he sat, awaiting the students to be ready as the class was soon to begin.

The mages they brought to this academy truly did not understand the relationship they would be having with demons, yet another who insisted it was fine to refer to him without grace. Still the boy was entirely timid, the way he danced around his words carried almost no force. The boy was clearly more powerful then the cripple, magically and physically, hopefully he shared the same determination, then the Lord may actually be worth serving. "Call me what you please my Lord, it is not my choice," Etelka responded to his question of name calling, the only name that would bother her is if he started to refer to her as 'Lantos'. It may have been given to her as a last name but it was not one she deserved, truly it would be insult to a great man to have his servant live by his families name.

Shortly after another demon joined them in the back, based on her being unrecognized and heading straight for the group she was undoubtedly the masters other demon. The women muttered something in an unusual and foreign language before walking past the two and sitting behind them. The master turned and commented on something she said to the headmaster, Etelka had missed her entry to the room and so had little to add to the comment. The Lord gazed at both the women for some moments, was he sizing them up or simply gazing at their beauty, honestly the servant couldn't care less. He then proceeded to introduce himself and his loyal servant, Etelka bowing her head politely to the odd eyed demon when her name was mentioned.

The rabbit girl suddenly intruded into the trio's business, thanking the maid for the patchwork she had done for her dress. Etelka didn't recall giving that back to the girl, actually since they were no longer group members she had entirely planned on throwing it out. No matter, if the animal took it with her when she moved out Etelka hardly cared, she simply gave the rabbit girl a bland nod. Kou introduced herself to the mage before leaving the group alone and returning to her business. A short silence lasted before the new headmaster master began to speak, turning Etelka's gaze to him.

Her practiced stoic face would not break at the realization that this new headmaster was a demon, but truly had the academy gone mad? The one track mind to locate the new master had caused her to not notice earlier, but truly this 'leader' was a demon. Not only this but he appointed himself as teacher of her group, if he was powerful to become a headmaster it would not be long before he sensed the ire from the servant girl. Still, she had to admit, unlike the previous disappointing headmaster who was the second strongest mage she had ever seen, this was the strongest demon she had ever found. Mikhail would have a run for his money taking this foe on, not that Etelka thought that this headmaster would easily take on Mikhail either.

Still a few moments remained before class, but Etelka hardly had anything to do. She cared little about the new demon, unless the master desired something she had little to say to him. The servant was hardly well versed in the realm of small talk, generally in her life holding conversations was not a skill she needed. One thing perturbing the girl were her urges, already they were returning, squirming their way into her mind. She had told Ruzik that his services would be needed weekly simply because that was her limit, much beyond that and the pain is maddening to the point that she can hardly control herself. For now however, she would ignore the urges. While she had no verbal comments she was constantly keeping the new demon in her sight, hardly trusting them.

---

---

Looking none too pleased, Dúyè set her elbow down on the desk and used her palm as a chin rest as her uninterested gaze traveled to the front of the class, resting with disdain upon the red-headed smoker. It had been a relatively cold morning and Dúyè hadn't had the chance to eat anything nice in a while so, suffice it to say, she was in a rather poor mood. Before she could dwell much longer on repulsive man at the front of the class, the mage of her group turned to address her. He looked... Small, and physically weak, not the least bit physically imposing. When he spoke she could sense the naiveté in the boy just from the sound of his demeanor, his voice reminded her of a child's.

Her disinterested expression didn't shift as she gave a glance up at the man who was, according to this boy, the headmaster. She arched a brow subtly as she took a moment to look the headmaster over, he was certainly a demon, she hadn't expected that. Her face twisted into a look of disgust once more as another whiff of the cigarette's smell offended her sense of smell but was soon after focusing herself once more upon the boy before her who decided that now was the time for introductions. Dúyè glanced between her two partners as she sat up into a more proper posture to address the boy who introduced himself as Laurence. "Long as our little group here isn't a losing one and you're not intolerable I don't see why we'd have any problems." For a brief moment a smirk graces her lips as she glances at Etelka, "I wouldn't mind getting along with you though, Etelka."

Now fully grinning she leans back in her seat and stretches her arms up into the air before exhaling deeply. As she lowers her arms she opens a single eye, "My name is Dúyè though I don't expect either of you to be able to pronounce it correctly, so just call me Venom." With both of her bright orange orbs she warily gazes over at the outsider, a rabbit demon, who approaches. The bunny-girl's words go unnoticed as Dúyè instead lets her gaze wander the room. From the looks of things there were three other groups, making four in total. Many of them were pretty but, for now, they were enemies and nothing more.

It wasn't much longer that the headmaster finally spoke up to address the class, apparently he was to be their group's teacher, lovely. Some part of her was happy to hear their instructor would at least be a demon but, if this smoking thing kept up they were going to have some issues. With his address finished Dúyè shook her head and sighed as she slumped back into her seat. All she wanted at the moment was to leave, get a nice hot cup of tea and some real food in her belly but all there was to do now, was wait for things to begin.

---

---

---

---

Listening to Liliane's warning, to stay away from the red haired Demon, seemed well deserved, Ichiro would have warned his own group, but it seemed to late. Though by watching his actions Ichiro could tell a simple rejection would fail to stop him from making further advances. As Liliane brought up attractiveness Ichiro took a few glances noticing she was quite attractive. He hadn't really bothered to look to much into it, but now that Liliane brought it up it seemed obvious. Quickly glancing around the room it seemed almost all the girls were gorgeous.

Ichiro propped his arm up on the desk placing his chin in the palm of his hand listening to the two's conversation. Just as Muse asked if she was attractive in a slightly confused or curious way Ichiro responded without thinking. "I would say ya." Blinking a few times before realizing he said that out loud instead of in his head. "Though of course you shouldn't just judge a person on appearances alone." Saying with a hesitant laugh just hoping he hadn't made Liliane think worse of him then she must already think. After yesterday he was surprised she even spoke to him today and he only hoped he hadn't made it worse by coming off as that kind of guy.

Muse starting talking about herself and it made Ichiro ponder the question of what it must be like to have no memories. Would the loss of ones memories change their personality as a whole? The idea was fairly interesting, but it must be quite frustrating. "You know the headmaster, or even one of the teachers may be able to remove that talisman so that you can take part in the assignment we are about to get without having a heavy restriction? Though it's just an idea." Saying while looking her up and down wondering why a seal would be placed on her, was she that powerful? The idea kind of excited him, just begging him to find out the mystery behind the girl. He had been waiting for something fun to finally show itself and maybe she would provide that fun. "You must be pretty strong though for them to be that scared of you huh." He said inquisitive like.

For now it was at least nice getting to know the rest of the class. Still taking a look back at his group he saw the red haired Demon just flirting about with Kou and Cleo getting pretty close with Bugby as well. He wouldn't be surprised if the Demon was already trying to spread about his bad influence upon everyone else. Ichiro starting to get a little jittery just wondering what the assignment could be. "Maybe it's a capture the flag, or scavenger hunt where combat plays a factor. Or maybe it's a team battle type game where you have to beat others to gain points. Ugh, I can't wait." He said to himself while he started tapping his foot as the excitement built up.

Bugby sighed as he felt Cleo pulling him round to look at the redhead and rabbit together. Really the demon preferred to not watch people, at least not so obviously and as close as they were. ”I think we should mind our own business.” He quietly replied to her question, before pushing her shoulder and forcing the girl to turn back around and face the front, and smirked, ”You should be focusing on your own little love dramas.”

Not long after the Headmaster spoke up and informed the class that their session would be beginning soon. With a sigh, the demon wasn’t entirely looking forward to the assessment. Considering what they had done yesterday, Bugby wasn’t overly thrilled at the thought of having to face some monster again. But what else would the teachers have them do? Not to mention, what was the demon even good at? Bugby couldn't even begin to think of what their 'important' assessment could be. After the man had finished and returned to sitting against his desk, the boy leaned back in his seat and focused his gaze ahead of him as he watched the teachers for a short time.

The only good thing was that Midora was not Headmaster now, it was a slight relief in a way. Though he still wasn’t enthusiastic of having a mage watching over him, again. His bored expression was ever present as he seemingly sulked and sat still in his chair for some time longer, taking a moment to casually look around the room and study the unfamiliar faces that were now present in the classroom. There was at least one new mage he concluded, as well as one or two new demons to boot. A minute or so later, the demon leaned forward and rested his arms onto his desk as he laid his head against them. His foot annoyingly tapping against the floor beneath him.

”This ought to be fun.” He sighed before raising his stare just a little above his arms. He knew the session would being any moment, so he’d just wait the last few minutes out. Turning a little towards Cleo's direction, he rested his chin against his arm. ”Guess you've cheered up then?”

---

Laurence listened to both of his demons, and despite one appearing to be not that talkative and the other somewhat intimidating, the boy couldn’t help but smile and come across as unaffected by it all. So far things had gone not too badly which was good, at least. When Dúyè smirked and looked to Etelka, saying something about how she’d like to get along with the other demon, the young mage couldn’t have been happier. As it to him it meant that his demons were going to get along, and anything more just went way over his head.

”Haha, yeah. That is a bit hard to pronounce. I think I’ll stick with Venom!” He laughed a little sheepishly before looking to Etelka. ”Well in that case, I guess I’ll just call you Etelka then.” Smiling, he fidgeting a little in his seat before noticing another student enter the room. It was a girl with black hair who made her way to the back of the room and sat nearby. Offering a friendly wave when she looked to him, Laurence tried to appear welcoming before returning his gaze to the front of the classroom.

The Headmaster addressed the class just then, causing the boy to take note of little snippets of information. He would’ve written them down but he didn’t have any paper to write on, instead opting to just remember what he could. Once the red-haired man was finished the young mage couldn’t help but feel a little nervous afterwards, feeling a bit uneasy towards the exercise that was to come. Especially since the man had said it was important and they needed to act wisely, such things Laurence didn’t find particularly reassuring.

”I-I hope I don’t mess up terribly, it’s only my first day after all.” He sighed quietly and nervously tapped his fingers against the desk. ”Maybe I’m worrying too much.” The boy turned around at that moment and looked to his two demons, as they oddly enough gave him a sense of ease. Maybe it was because they seemed just a bit older, and were girls. Females were always more comforting he found, despite how his demons appeared. ”Alright guys, or I should say girls! Or ladies. Ah, let’s just do our best.” He said in a bid to raise a bit of team morale.

Turning back around he faced the front as the class was soon to begin. With a deep breath he calmed himself and tried not to think of their daunting assessment. He also took the chance to look around the class and see the other students who had arrived. All the demons looked so diverse and intriguing, and ever so slightly intimidating. But perhaps everyone was friendly enough, he hoped. The mages too tickled his interest and he hoped to get to know everyone better.

---

---

Memphis had listened to the two mage teachers and was a little surprised by how highly they held his master in their thoughts. So the old mage had taught them? Clearly is master was more than he originally thought – though his master was merely just that, his master. A father perhaps as the mage did summon him at an early age and has shaped the demon over the many years. Did that make Memphis his child? The demon surprisingly hadn’t thought much over the concept, and maybe in a way he did love the mage but the fire-y demon wasn’t one to admit such emotions so openly. But still, it was rather nice discovering more of his master whilst residing at the academy. Maybe he’d learn more.

Midora then said something that peeked his attention, to which the demon responded later with, "True, I do not know much of this academy and its ways – an assistant would prove useful. If you’re up to the challenge then consider yourself promoted," He grinned a little towards the mage before concluding. "It may take some time for me to refer to you by your first names. My master taught me to always address others by their surname – he guessed it would make me seem more polite. But anyway, Mr. Kurayami and Mr. Akigawa, that is another thing for another day.”

With that said it was time for class to begin. Turning round and facing the class once more the demon looked over the students quietly for a moment, before raising his hands and clapping twice to catch everyone’s attention. Once all students were facing him Memphis began, shifting up from his desk as he stood up straight.

"Class has finally commenced so all talking shall now cease – or I will kick the crap and so much more out of anyone who dares speak over me," He spoke in a slightly threatening tone, before pausing for a single moment to ensure silence was achieved before continuing, "My name is Memphis and I am your new appointed Headmaster. Some of you may be aware, but for those who do not know I am a demon. Whether this bothers you or not I do not care – you will just have to deal with it." Truly, he did not care. The confidence was ever present in his voice as he let his words loose upon the youngsters. "The day has been a touch slow this morning but I assure you all things will be travelling at a much faster pace in the future."

Resting his hands against his hips the red-haired demon puffed out a waft of smoke as he thought quietly for a moment. One of his students would be late – he’d deal with that later. Right now he was mentally pondering the possibilities with those who sat before him. Tallying it up in his head, a moment later, a slight grin filled his face. "Right, onto your assessment for this morning." He began, grasping the end of the cigarette with two fingers as he held it away from his mouth so to allow the demon to speak more clearly. "I’ve decided that this morning will be spent doing an exercise known as ‘Defend The Staff’. One student from each group will defend a staff whilst their teammates try to capture it by any means." Pausing for a brief moment he allowed the information to sink into the students minds first before continuing, as he wasn’t entirely sure how they would react to it. "It is a simple exercise though it means a great deal, oh - and you will be marked on your performance. Obviously whoever wins will get more marks, though there are a few things that will be taken into consideration; such as skill, precision, and how many injuries you sustain – if any."

Looking away and reaching over to the desk, the demon took hold of the register yet again and glanced through the names - occasionally peering up from the board quietly, until Memphis was ready to continue. "Ruzik will be defending for Group 4, Bugby will be defending for Group 3, and Laurence will be defending for Group 1," Looking at the board he noticed there was an uneven amount of students, and when glancing over bits of information regarding a few certain individuals at that moment, the demon quickly sorted out a solution with a casual grin. "However Muse, you will not be participating in this exercise and will sit back and watch with the teachers. Liliane, you will be forming a temporary team with Group 4, as your teammates are otherwise unavailable for now. You will join Kou and Kasumi against Ruzik. Otherwise, that is that." With the names called out he placed the register back onto the desk, before returning the cigarette to the corner of his lip and crossing his arms.

"The exercises will take place just outside in the training grounds, so when you’re ready just head outside and get started with your group. There are four staffs outside stuck into the ground – just pick one. I don’t expect these to take long and remember – you’re just either trying to protect the staff or capture it. Though you can do so in whatever means you choose, just don’t kill each other. Your teachers and I will be watching and judging you, though each teacher will only be judging their own students – so don’t worry too much, heh. This exercise will show your flaws and strengths, and whatever else – so begin."

With that said he turned round and took a step over to the teachers who sat just behind him. "As I said you’re all expected to watch your students and judge them, take notes if needed, and once they’re all done I expect you to give them feedback and point out their downfalls and strengths. They’ll never improve if they don’t hear the truth – so be brutally honest to them, I demand you do that. Miss Rayne, you'll be joining Mr. Akigawa, as your students are together for this exercise. Once you’re ready meet me outside, and if you have any questions, well, you know where I am." With a rather serious or quite dull expression, the demon had finished all that he had to say before taking his leave, and beginning to head outside for - surprisingly - some fresh air!

---

Cleo turned and smiled at Bugby when he asked if she had cheered up. In truth, she had in some small way. But it still didn’t quite distract her from the uncomfortable feelings that she felt within her. ”I have a bit thanks to you Buggie.” The girl purred before raising her arm up and resting it against the boy as the pair waited for class to begin. Although, when the students were informed of their new groups the cat was pleased to know hers wasn’t changing, thankfully!

And sure enough it did moment after. The Headmaster introduced himself as Memphis, he seemed like someone who shouldn’t be easily messed with – though Cleo wasn’t entirely put off him. Sure, he didn’t answer her question, but he was kinda cool with his slight ‘devil-may-care’ attitude. Plus, the girl already sensed that he was a demon when she entered the class but she could only wonder what the mages thought. Memphis didn’t care, clearly. The demon later went on to explain their assessment and the cat was a little surprised, though excited at the same time. A game? She’d finally get a chance to prove herself against her teammates! It was also the perfect way to relieve the slight stress she had felt since watching Ichiro sit with that mage girl. Memphis had also mentioned that they were going to be judged on how they performed, but Cleo didn’t really pay much attention to that – she was just interested in the game!

Grinning, the girl peered down at her green-haired teammate after learning that he was the defender of their group. She’d have to beat Bugby to win? It was an interesting concept and sure, the girl wasn’t entirely enthusiastic at having to face her friend, but it was only a game after all so what harm could be done?

As the Headmaster spoke more on other little bits of information Cleo vaguely listened, all the while keeping her eyes peeled on everyone else as she mentally analyzed each one, somewhat. Once the man was finished addressing the students and turned his attention to the teachers, Cleo immediately sprung out of her seat and eagerly nudged Bugby. ”Come on Buggie-Bear, you’re up! Heh, this’ll be fun.” She half-teased and ceased touching the seemingly un-thrilled boy. Of course her attention soon enough drifted over towards their mage who sat elsewhere, and despite desperately wanted to run over and drag the boy outside with her, Cleo amazingly refrained from doing so. Instead opting to spin round, running a hand through her long hair before swishing it to the side with an air of confidence about her. Not even saying a word to her own mage as the feline began to head outside.

”Catch yah’ outside Buggie.” Once outside the feline stretched her arms up into the air as she waited for the boys to catch up – already mentally debated her course of actions for the exercise that lay ahead of her.

---

When Ruzik heard the mentioning of groups he actually could not believe his luck at that moment. He got Kou as a teammate? Sweet. Though of course that probably meant something entirely different to Ruzik than it did to anyone else, as for him it was merely a case of who’s bed he’d be sleeping in, since he got his precious little rabbit sleeping literally under him. Oh the fun! As Kou turned to face him he raised his hands up and clasped them behind her back as the two looked at one another.

”Looks like we’re going to be roommates now – or bedmates.” He said rather teasingly, as the rabbit most likely knew what was on his mind already. A few minutes later the class had officially began according to the Headmaster as he then addressed the students, giving his name and revealing he was a demon – though Ruzik had a slight inkling to this, he still was a bit surprised at the fact the academy was allowing a demon to lead them, more or less. Of course, the time soon came to when the demon finally spilled the information regarding their assessment – a game no less that revolved around one student outsmarting the other, or really, one beating the other and claiming victory. Ruzik didn’t protest the idea, he was unsurprisingly keen on outwitting someone – mainly anyone who irked him enough and so far that had proved true thus far in the morning.

Finally, the groups were revealed and the redhead couldn’t help but smirk just a little. Glancing towards the back of the room he spied the pony-tailed mage with whom he’d be facing – such a pleasuring thought it was too, to bring pain upon the brat who’d dared look so disgusted at him earlier. He’d show her. Likewise it was revealed that he would have to go against Kou and that other girl Kasumi? The Headmaster went onto explain a few more things but Ruzik was too busy focusing on Kou just then to really pay much attention.

”I think we’re going to have such fun, as you’re really my only competition out of this little game. Those mages don’t stand a chance at outdoing me.” He laughed quietly, until realizing he had been keeping Kou on his lap this entire time. Oh well. With one simple motion he slide the girl off his lap and onto her feet with ease, before getting onto his own and turning his attention to the mage-girl at the back.

With that, he began to walk through the classroom and up towards the back of the room – or really he sort-of skipped quite happily, before standing in front of the mage-girl. Knowing Kou would follow in her own time, the redhead wasted little effort in sliding himself onto the girls desk and peered over at the mage until their faces were quite close to one another. ”Looks like we’re going against each other mage – so let’s make it interesting.” He said, flashing the pony-tailed girl a sharky-grin before sticking his tongue out rather teasing as he rubbed it against his pointy teeth – and no doubt already felt the hatred and disgust from the mage that clearly did not like him. Besides, he already knew neither of the boy mages were in his team nor facing him, so it made sense to assume this girl was either his mage, or at least his opponent either way. ”If I win I get to kiss you, and touch you ~” The demon didn’t feel a need to go into further detail as just that alone was likely enough to make the mage feel a tad uncomfortable. ”And if you win well, that’s entirely up to you whatever you want.”

With a grin, Ruzik hopped off the desk and spun round to face the mage with a delighted expression. ”Whenever you’re ready just come outside.” Hardly. But still, Ruzik knew that was enough for now and so left the mage be, before looking over to the other mage-girl with long black hair. ”Oi, if your part of this group then get moving.” He ordered, be finally taking his leave and making his way outside. Once there he made his way over to one of the staffs and stood beside it, debating over his tactics to defend such a thing – and show those mages who was the real boss.

Whilst he waited the boy summoned forth a blade of some sort - a claymore to be exact as that was what he mentally wished for, as the weapon then formed itself within his right hand suddenly, before the demon gave it a few swings to test its feel. Though he wasn't entirely sure what form of defense he would take, or what weapon. For now though he busied himself with swinging the thing around as he paid little attention to that around him as he waited for his group to join him.

Bugby sighed in a rather unimpressed manner as he found out the class assessment. A game? Well, what else could you call it? One member was to defend a staff as the other two tried to take it. It wasn’t an overly complicated concept though the demon couldn’t help but appear not too thrilled when hearing that he was the defender for their group. He was to defend some staff from Cleo and Ichiro? He didn’t like those odds and knew only bad things could come from it.

Once things had been explained and the Headmaster turned to the teachers, the demon felt a sharp nudge against him as his teammate got to her feet. ”Come on Buggie-Bear, you’re up! Heh, this’ll be fun.” Bugby didn’t look all that enthusiastic, and somewhat begrudgingly he rose from his seat. ”Buggie-Bear?” By the time he was already standing the cat-girl was already out the door, clearly the girl was more eager than he was but then again he didn’t expect much else from Cleo. Bugby also wondered how Ichiro felt about it, though he was certain he’d find out soon enough once the group was together again.

Heading outside the boy joined Cleo for a moment, taking the chance to glance around the area of the training grounds as he eyed up the staffs that had been put in place. Choosing one, he shrugged a little before making the long walk over to the staff and stood beside it as expected. He gave it a few light nudges with his foot, testing its sturdiness, before shoving his hands into his pockets. ”Seems sturdy enough, though how the hell am I suppose to defend this thing?” A part of him didn’t care for it really, he’d rather not do this at all though clearly that wasn’t an option. Unless he felt brave enough to challenge the Headmaster, but he didn’t. The demon also didn’t much enjoy the fact that they were to be judged during this exercise, since he already knew he wouldn’t do well. He couldn’t begin to think what Midora would think of him either.

With a sigh he looked back to Cleo, who was most likely awaiting Ichiro to join her. Once that happened were the two of them going to attack him right away? It was a little hard to plan for something he wasn’t entirely sure of, nor was he that familiar with their attacks and capabilities. Either way, he’d need to think of something to keep himself from losing, since that was the aim of this exercise, for him at least.

---

Laurence nearly jumped a little as the Headmaster got everyone’s attention. The man was certainly, well, commanding in a way. The young mage certainly didn’t wish to get on his bad side and paid exceptionally close attention to every little thing he said. Though the boy was a little unnerved when informed that the figure was actually a demon. Laurence wasn’t sure how to feel about that, especially as the Headmaster was their appointed teacher after all. Was that a good thing or a bad thing?

The demon went on to explain their assessment and what exactly it would entail. From what the mage gathered it was a game of some sort, in which one student guarded a staff whilst their other teammates tried to take it. That was simple enough, right? Laurence took a deep breath whilst contemplating such a task, especially as he wondered what role he would play. Soon enough that was revealed, as the boy found out he would be his groups ‘defender’. Oh goodie.

The Headmaster had also explained that the students would be judged and marked upon how well, or badly, they each performed. Hearing this only added to the boy’s nerves and caused him to feel uneasy, as he always hated whenever he was going to be graded, and worse, watched. As he tried to calm his nerves Laurence could already feel his insides acting up just a little, as whenever the boy was emotionally uneasy that was always a reason for his elements to kick up within him. He could only hope things would settle by the time the exercise would begin, or else who knows what he would do. And just the thought of a poor mark already prompted the boy to feel discouraged.

The demon figure talked some more about this and that, and once finished turned to talk briefly with the teachers behind him. With this, the boy turned in his seat and looked to his own demons. ”A-Alright girls, I know we can do this no problem!” He said, trying to appear confident though he was sure his nerves were seeping through despite his attempts. ”If I’m right, all you have to do is get the staff that I’m guarding. Simple, huh? Look, I don’t want you to go easy on me, in fact I want you to really go for it. Give me all you got!” With a forced smile the boy got to his feet, filling himself with whatever enthusiasm he could before giving a confirming nod.

”I’m good to go! I’ll see you two outside, I’ll be waiting!” Turning round he boy walked to the door and made his way outside into the area that was known as the training grounds, before picking one of the staffs that had been placed outside beforehand, and walking over to one. Once there, he noticed the red-haired boy was already at one too, as well as the green-haired boy, and the cat-girl was waiting by the door. Laurence was certainly interested to see how things went, and more especially how his own group fared and the chance to see what his demons could do.

---

---

Finally, something was happening. She certainly wasn't a fan of this 'headmaster' so far but the idea of actually doing something pushed her to listen to the man's words carefully as he spoke from the front of the classroom. Apparently they were to have a contest of sorts. This was something Dúyè could get behind. A grin spread across her lips as news that Laurence, their timid little mage, would be the defender. The boy oozed discomfort at the idea, it was clear despite his effort to hide behind a smile, Dúyè said nothing but simply gave him a wave as he left the room. "Haha, well, this should be fun. I'll handle this Etelka, you can just sit back and watch."

Dúyè slams her hands down onto the top of her desk as she rises up to her feet and makes way for the door. The moment she steps outside she stops and takes a deep breath of fresh air, quite pleased to be free of the repulsive cigarette smell of the classroom. After reveling in the clean air for a few moments her eyes open and scan the field, quickly spotting the staff that Laurence had chosen to guard. She slips her hands into her coat pockets as she smirks and approaches the boy, the gears in her mind churning with a plan. Once within the distance of about 20 yards Dúyè comes to a stop and calls out to the mage, "Hey! Laurence, could I take a look at the staff before we begin? I want to get a better idea of what I'm after."

As she expected, the boy kindly nodded and even stepped out of the way to allow Dúyè access to the staff. Casually, she strolled up to the thing until she was right up close. Once there she leaned in as if to inspect the staff before quickly reaching out to grab the thing and free it from its rooted place in the ground. With a wry chuckle and a grin she twirled it around in her hand, "Tada! I win." Looking rather smug she turns towards the headmaster, their group's teacher, and holds the staff aloft in the air. "An A+ performance if I do say so myself! Hahaha!"

The 'headmaster' demanded attention as he spoke and Etelka gave it to him. Even if she did not think of him as a headmaster he could still very clearly kill her and as such demanded respect. The activity the group would be participating in would to to steal a staff, from the Lord. The servant exhaled with disappointment, not only did she have to wish to work against the master, it was rather simple to her that she could not beat him. More terrible news about the task at hand followed, it would be taking place outdoors, with the sun hanging overhead and assaulting the very existence of Etelka. With the explanation finished the servant let her master lead the way, he spoke shortly before heading out to which the girl replied with a simple nod.

The master had asked her to not go easy on him, it seemed most akin to the command to 'squirm' that Ervin had given her many times. To hopelessly flail with all your might despite knowing that you could not win, this task would be entirely in the hands of the new demon, who spoke as Lord Snow went ahead. The demon known as Venom told Etelka to simply watch, honestly she would be glad to, it was just as obvious as it was with Kou that her 'ally' was far more combat ready. Not only that, even if the girl was attempt and out perform the mage it would not be outside where she could barely see, "Very well, I'll let you handle this Ms. Venom."

Following shortly behind Venom it was not long before the sun attacked the girl. Her eyes clenched shut but for the sake of not making more of a fool of herself and tripping over things they were forced open to a squint. The light felt like a mold on her open flesh, growing discomfort festering across her body, it was a shame she destroyed those sunglasses. Arriving with her assembled group Etelka retreated to a nearby tree, allowing herself to fully open her eyes and her flesh to avoid burning. Etelka would observe her groups battle from here, she was not supposed to aid the master and had no wish to aid the demon so this would be ideal either way.

The servant cared little if the 'headmaster' who was assessing her gave her a poor mark, what would that mark do to her anyway, prove to her more that she was weak. Etelka may be stupid and uneducated but she most certainly already knew she was weak, she knew her dream to ascend to the same position as Mikhail was foolhardy at best. As she watched Venom with attention to ensure the masters livelihood the servant was left to only brood on her own thoughts. Unfortunately at this moment she felt only disdain, this stupid academy was beyond useless. It had given her a new master which she thanked them for, but she would gladly simply serve his every need instead of partake in these useless activities she could not contribute to. As the rabbit had learned and surely enough the new 'headmaster' would learn Etelka's skill lied in menial tasks, not combat, and this school had done little to teach her other then throw her in and wish her luck.

It seemed Venom had gained the staff through and undermine method of simply asking for it, the prospect allowed Etelka to chuckle. His Lordship truly was as naive as she thought, if this was a month earlier she would have gladly tricked the boy into submission and tortured him to death. Yet now she stood under a tree with her arms crossed under her breast, dis-interested eyes looking towards the laughing demon who had beaten the mage already, and was showing proof to the 'headmaster'.

Laurence had to look twice as he saw Dúyè holding the staff, twirling it around proudly as the demon showed off a little to the Headmaster. The boy just couldn't believe it, that the demon had fooled him so easily, so simply, and so soon. He didn't know what he hated more, that the girl had tricked him or that he never even suspected her of doing such an act towards him. Frowning, the mage just stood there for a few minutes.

”W-Why did you do that?” He asked rather sheepishly, though his voice was not filled with anger as such, but instead more emotional and soft as expected from the boy. ”I thought we're supposed to be a team, but how could you be so... dishonest. Why did you trick me!” Narrowing his eyes a little Laurence tried his best to appear as frustrated as he could towards the demon, though the boy couldn't quite pull the look off. It was only then after hearing the light chuckle from Etelka did the boy eventually voice something more truer to his inner feelings, as he uncontrollably snapped in the direction of the demon beside the tree, ”It's not funny! At least I was trying to fight, so stop laughing!”

As quickly as he had spouted it out the boy regretted his words, raising both hands as he placed them tightly over his lips with a look of surprise about him. It was out of character for him to speak like that, and yet just because one had outsmarted him the young mage was taking it out on the other. Looking to Dúyè briefly, the boy then looked to the ground and awkwardly tugged on the edge of his sleeve. ”I still forgive you, whether you deserve it or not. You may have pulled that trick on me but I won't fall for it so easily in the future.” He muttered quietly, seemingly unaware of the thin trail of black aura that began to form around him, his eyes appearing to freely alter into an odd pale shade of red.

Looking around at the other groups who had yet to even start, Laurence began to feel somewhat self-conscious as technically he had already lost. Just that fact on its own caused the boy to bite down on his lower lip, an attempt to hold back his emotions as the last thing he wanted to do was break down into tears just yet. But the fact still remained, and the young mage could only speculate as to how such a foolish choice of judgment could impact on his mark. Would he be marked down for it? Raising his shoulders a bit the boy lowered his head and allowed his chin to touch his chest a little, as he mentally refused to look back at the red-haired girl who’d deceived him so easily. The inner embarrassment he felt at that moment was overwhelming though he tried to keep it in check, attempting to gain control over his nerves but even he knew that was not an easy task.

”I-I need a minute.” He said, turning his back to the demon for a few minutes as the boy rubbed his eyes with his sleeves. And no, he wasn’t crying. Though perhaps feeling like it ever so slightly the boy got himself together, taking a deep breath as he relaxed his shoulders and got his thoughts straightened. ”S-Say Venom,” He began, and slowly turned back around to face Dúyè. ”I know you've got the staff, but if I reclaimed it then that would still count as defending it, right? Plus, I won’t have to be sneaky about it either, unlike some.” Raising a brow in a rather amusing way, a smile then formed on his lips as the boy appeared more like his usual self.

Without warning suddenly, the mage quickly leaped into the air as he practically bounced right over the redhead and came to a graceful landing on the other side of her. Almost as if he had been propelled into the air, he performed it quite effortlessly though that didn't stop him staggering a little as he returned to his upright position. Wasting little time the boy hurried over before jumping up and grabbed the end of the staff before landing back down on his feet, pulling the stick with him as he then gripped it with both hands and pulled it just a tad closer to himself.

”I re-challenge you, Venom! I'm going to get this staff back one way or another!” As a flare of confidence came about him all of a sudden, likewise the black aura too had grown around his small frame. His red eyes looked to the demon in a challenging way, his hold on the tip of the end of the staff just managing to keep on. Though the demon still held the other end, if not more of the staff than he did and could easily snatch it back completely, mostly likely. Parting his legs, the boy pulled on the staff and edged his upper body backwards. The demon was stronger than him, mostly due to that Laurence had little physical strength to him, but he was somewhat oblivious to this fact until now. After a few minutes of heaving and pulling, his feet hadn't moved at all and his head was halfway down his back as the mage had leaned back so far!

And yet still he didn't give up! ”C-Come on Venom, show me what you can really do, or was that all you had? How disappointing!”

---

---

Dúyè's grin remained as she turned to face her mage as he spoke up meekly. The boy's expression and tone of voice was one that might have made someone that wasn't a sociopath feel bad for what they had done, but to Dúyè it was only amusing. "Why? Isn't that obvious? I was tasked with taking this from you and did so using the method I thought would work most easily. It turned out splendidly didn't it? We may be a team but as soon as that disgusting headmaster made this a competition we were enemies." Her orange eyes glance over at Etelka as the sound of her laughter reaches them, her brows rising at the unexpectedly heated reaction from the normally quiet little mage.

Her face twisted in amusement as the boy covered his mouth, apparently surprising himself even. Dúyè could hardly contain her laughter as the boy so pitifully looked to the ground and said he would 'forgive' her. It was around this time however that something of the mage's power seemed to leak out. It was easily detectable to the demon and was enough to change her expression from used to curious as she arched a brow and watched the mage carefully. The boy seemed to making quite the effort to contain himself as he turned away, refusing to even look in Dúyè's direction. Dúyè only shrugged as her gaze wandered to the other groups around the yard, it seemed she was quite obviously the first victor among any of the groups. Whether that was because none of the others were as clever as her or their defenders were a bit too wise didn't much matter to her, she couldn't deny the small ember of pride she felt at being the first to achieve victory.

These thoughts however were interrupted as Laurence finally deemed himself ready to rejoin their little group, now finally turning to fave Dúyè once more. Again a look of curiosity came over her features as she heard the mage's words and saw his expression return to something that seemed to be more normal for the boy. She could easily follow his logic but cared little, to her the contest was over. Before she could say much of anything however the boy quite literally leaped to action. Her head rotated to follow his movements as he jumped overhead and landed effortlessly on the demon's other side. A smirk formed across her lips, perhaps this mage wasn't so helpless after all. Dúyè made no effort to keep the staff away from the mage as he ran up, leaped, and grabbed the opposite end of the wooden stick.

Dúyè held tightly onto the staff, easily resisting the boy's feeble efforts to pull it free from her grasp. Re-challenge? Pff! What a laughable suggestion. With her lips curling into an evil looking smile she spoke gently, "I understand that I've wounded your pride, but my task was to -take- the staff, not to keep it, I have fulfilled the conditions for victory and am thus, the winner." She pulls lightly on the staff before letting it go, the sudden lack of resistance likely causing the mage to stumble back and fall on to his rear. With her grin returned she swiftly returns her hands to her coat pockets, "Instead of getting all mad and crying about it, you should consider this a lesson mage. Never forget who your enemy is and don't place your trust so foolishly in others." With that she turns and begins walking towards the tree where Etelka stood not far off.

Shortly after her chuckle the master shouted at her to desist at once, and of course she stopped immediately. Shame carpeted her as she bowed deeply, "My deepest apologies m'Lord." The master raised his hands to his mouth after the outburst, it seemed he thought he had said something out of place. It was completely irresponsible, disrespectful, utterly distasteful of her to laugh at the master like that, truly the servant deserved worse then a verbal scolding. However despite thinking she deserved it Etelka was hardly going to encourage the young Lord to harm her. Lord Snow then muttered something to Venom, from her place under the tree she did not catch the words but was aware of the growing dark aura around him.

How intriguing, it seemed that this master was not to be trifled with. This aura was powerful, yet it seemed he was trying to suppress it. Why would one want to hold back their strength, this was utterly baffling to Etelka, never once had such a prospect occurred to her. What was the purpose, what was- No, don't think that, don't ask questions. The master would do as he pleased and she would serve him, nothing more. Returning her focus to the matter at hands it seemed the master had pounced at the staff and was wrestling to reclaim it, good, he was determined.

Still he was naive, Venom had not be assigned to keep the staff, only to acquire it. His struggle for the staff ended as the demon released her grip and allowed the young master to fall down with his own force propelling him. She heard the demons advice, Etelka agreed with it completely, trust was not something that should be easily given. Yet hearing Venom speak so condescendingly to the Lord angered his servant, as the red haired demon walked to join Etelka she ignored her approach. She wished to aid her mage but had no desire to wound his pride further, or venture into the sunlight. She also wished to condemn Venom yet she had done nothing wrong, so all the girl could do was maintain her stance under the tree and keep her eyes on the master.

While Etelka choose to not look at the demon and instead continue to observe the defeated master she still spoke quietly as the demon arrived under the tree with her, quiet enough to hopefully avoid the master overhearing. "Ms. Venom, while I do congratulate you on victory I ask you to be more... kind? The humans they have at this academy are undeveloped, and I would like to see my master develop. As such I request of you to humor this trial, of course," the servant reached her hand slowly up to the demons head, pulling her face into her cleavage. She placed her chin atop the head of the demon she had planted in her breasts and whispered sensually, "Of course if you do I'll be glad to give myself to you in return." Etelka let her soft grip go and pushed the demon off her breast, giving a small smile as she waited hopefully for a response.

---

---

Memphis was already outside and mentally occupying himself whilst the students and staff readied themselves and eventually came out one after the other in their own time. So far, his group was one of the first few to emerge outside and was quick to jump into their exercise, or so he thought. One of the girls stood beside a tree and was seemingly uninvolving herself with the other demon and mage, however the man himself wasn’t too experienced with talking to young girls, and really he didn’t fancy delving into such a thing right now and opted to cast a blind eye to it for the time being. Figuring he’d say something later.

The young mage was already beside the staff and looked ready to defend it, though when the demon he was to face beckoned at him, it looked as if he was allowing the redhead to examine the staff – though from where Memphis stood he couldn’t exactly hear what they were saying, but going by actions, it suggested as much. Rolling his eyes the man knew already that the boy had been played, and sure enough the demon snatched the staff and held it high into the air. "An A+ performance if I do say so myself! Hahaha!"

In response, Memphis merely clapped his hands somewhat unenthusiastically towards the red-haired girl. His applause was short and quickly came to an abrupt end, before the demon gave the other students one last glance, before deciding to walk over to his group. During that time he witnessed the mage attempt to reclaim his staff, a sort-of honorable attempt, however it ended as well as he could have expected. Once over beside the group, or at least the mage since both demons were over by the tree, Memphis looked down at the boy who sat on the ground and gave a disappointed sigh.

"That was the dumbest thing I have ever, sadly, witnessed." He said, reaching down as he grabbed the boy by the collar of his clothing and pulled the mage back upright and onto his feet. "First thing you should know mage, is that, despite everything, never let your competition see the prize." Moving over his hand the demon flicked the youth’s forehead, somewhat hard, just to emphasis his words. "And you sure as hell should not be so naive, I can see we’re going to have a fun time with you." Peering down at the boy Memphis could sense his slight displeasure of the demon, or rather the uncomfortable nature that was evident whenever around him, but the mage would just have to learn to deal with that in his own time. "Besides the obvious issues you have, I guess you’re not entirely that bad. Attempting to get the staff back was a… nice idea, but once it’s lost - it’s lost. That demon outsmarted you and won fair an’ square, so next time think before you act so stupidly, and beat her - oh, and keep an eye on that aura of yours, its so obvious."

With his words of wisdom over the demon was about to head over to the girls, though the pair seemed to be having some form of intimate moment, which kept the demon at bay for the next few minutes. But once they seemed to have finished their brief chatter, he grabbed the boy by the upper arm and lightly pulled him along as the Headmaster approached the females beneath the tree. "Well done Freaky-Eyes, you managed to trick your mage and gained victory through a rather simple method. Though this boy is hardly a challenge for a demon like yourself," He didn’t mean his words to come out as a compliment, and once realizing he was still holding onto the mage the demon quickly let him go."Anyone could fool this boy, so shame on you for taking the easy route. However, a victory is a victory and I cannot take that away from you, and thus you win."

Sparing a moment the Headmaster shot a glance at the other girl, figuring now would be an ideal time to question her a little. "You, tell me why you did not participate in this exercise? If there is a problem then it should be dealt with and addressed now, not later. I expect this team to function together, not individually. You are a demon and capable of doing something, yet do nothing. So speak girl." His words were direct and to the point, carrying little care and concern as really he only wanted an answer, an explanation, nothing more.

His master had always told him to treat the young mages and demons as if they were his own children, but Memphis clearly could not grasp this concept, as he had neither children nor much else to call his own. As such, he’d address the young ones like he’d treat anything else, quite frankly. From the corner of his eye he noticed a new face joining their class, as a demon made their way into the area and sat beside the other demon-girl who he had told was not participating in the exercise. It must’ve been the late student, who finally decided to join them it seemed. Memphis mentally chose to deal with the boy later, once he’d finished dealing with his own group. Turning back to face the three youths, he placed both hands to his hips and let out a puff of smoke. "All in all, not bad. Could be better - though I don't believe it could've been any worse, so an interesting start."

The next thing Laurence knew was that he felt himself falling flat to the ground as he dropped hard onto his backside, visibly causing the boy some discomfort. Throwing his head forward he looked to the demon with a displeased expression, rubbing his side as he edged himself forward a little more. He had heard her words, though clearly wounded more emotionally than physically, as he looked away momentarily with a slight pout. Regardless of what the demon had said it was hardly surprising to think that the mage would most likely still trust others as easily as he did, if not more so without even realizing.

As the girl walked off the boy still remained on the ground, his clothes getting a little dirty as consequence to his sudden fall. The aura still burned around him, growing more rapid as his emotions turned rather downward, though a sudden surprise quickly killed off any little remnants of the darkly source. It was the Headmaster who spoke to him just then, pulling the boy back upright whilst giving the boy a mini fright in the process. From what Laurence could tell the demon was not happy with him, pointing out little flaws here and there, and generally having a go at the boy for his foolish behavior. "Besides the obvious issues you have, I guess you’re not entirely that bad. Attempting to get the staff back was a… nice idea, but once it’s lost - it’s lost. That demon outsmarted you and won fair an’ square, so next time think before you act so stupidly, and beat her - oh, and keep an eye on that aura of yours, its so obvious." The mage smiled just a little to this, feeling just an ouch better about himself as the boy felt oddly encouraged by the Headmaster.

Though when the demon suddenly pulled him along, the mage had to make sure he didn’t trip up or fall whilst being hurried over by the Headmaster. Thankfully he didn’t trip, and was at least saved from further embarrassment for the day at least. The man spoke to the redhead first, and Laurence listened keenly to what he said. However when hearing, "Anyone could fool this boy, so shame on you for taking the easy route. However, a victory is a victory and I cannot take that away from you, and thus you win." The man had released him, and the mage quickly turned round to face the demon.

”N-Not just anyone could fool me! I just didn’t think that’s all, I won’t mess up again!” He protested and formed his hands into firsts, as the boy dared to speak at that moment. It was one thing to have a demon trick him, but to have another one treat him as some dumb child was another thing. ”I know I can beat these demons, and I will next time. J-Just don’t judge me by today, I’ll be a better mage tomorrow! You’ll see.” His aura had returned and was a tad more violent than before, even if the boy tried his best to keep it under control his emotions proved too strong for it to remain in a calm state. However, the Headmaster hadn’t seemed to pay much attention to the boys little outburst, as Memphis moved onto Etelka and questioned the girl about her lack of involvement in their exercise.

The young mage stood silently for the next few minutes, attempting to keep his inner struggle of feelings hidden from the others. Although, so far, he’d more or less failed in that respect and wondered why he was still trying to appear tougher than he was. The Headmaster knew the boy was no good, and his demons most likely viewed him in the same way. Whilst the man looked away briefly for whatever reason, the boy looked to his two demons and said with a disheartened tone, ”I’m going to go clean up, I don’t think I’m needed anymore, anyway.” By the time the Headmaster turned his attention to the group, the young mage had already headed off and made his way back to the class and quickly hide inside. Really, he just needed some excuse to leave, and quickly made his little escape back into the comfort of the classroom.

Running a hand against his sleeve he noticed he was slightly dusty, and began to pat himself down. Laurence debated whether it was worth running and hiding in his dorm, or daring to face his demons again knowing the embarrassment he felt deep inside.

The 'headmaster' walked over to the master and began to speak to him, however the way he went about it annoyed the servant to no ends. He grasped him by the collar and flicked him on the forehead, Etelka wished to lunge at the demon who dared act as such, but still knew it was not her place or in her ability. The two men traveled to meet the girls under the tree, it seemed the exercise was done with and the master would not receive any practice today. It seemed her attempt to get the other demon to continue to play with the boy was fruitless, the exercise was over and they all knew it. It seemed the male demon shamed Venom for taking her route to victory, it was true that was the easy route, someone as worthless as Etelka would win with methods like those. The boy verbally protested for a moment, at least he wished to improve.

Then the 'headmaster' adjusted his attention to Etelka, ""You, tell me why you did not participate in this exercise? If there is a problem then it should be dealt with and addressed now, not later. I expect this team to function together, not individually. You are a demon and capable of doing something, yet do nothing. So speak girl." The girl stared at the man for a moment before looking back to the mage, she still entirely lacked interest in anyone but him. Still, she had no real reason to not reply to the male demon so she did so, "I did not participate because I have nothing to contribute, I entirely lack combat magic and if you cannot tell by my frame and dress I am not a combatant. As such I am only a nuisance in battle, feel free to ask anyone who witnessed me yesterday. Yes I am a demon, I am capable of sewing, cooking, cleaning, torture, and sex, my uses beyond that are limited."

She let out a long sigh as she finished, during her explanation of skills the Lord had mumbled something and began to leave. Etelka looked up to the 'headmaster', "Since your curious I might as well tell you for future exercises, I cannot see in the sun and it burns my flesh quickly, as such I avoid it. Now since our group has already finished our exercise I wish to stay by his Lordship, excuse me." She made her way past the man, venturing into the crippling light again, if he did not believe her before the way she flinched and squint in the light would instantly prove that part true. Now finding the mage would be the tedious part, ugh the stupid girl had forgotten about giving her wand to the Lord.

Thankfully the servant had guessed correctly, he had returned to the classroom and sat dusting himself off. The servant stood in the doorway and looked at the boy for a moment, she had to serve this? Powerful as he was mentally the boy was nothing, naive, uncertain, tedious. Etelka kept her blank expression as she approached the boy, she did not know how to comfort him and would not try, instead she tried to do what she knew. Her eyes ran up and down the boys body, "Do you want those washed now, I can do so with haste. I am to serve you always my Lord." Etelka reached an arm out into the air, the wand conjuring itself into her grasp. She then placed it on the table in front of the master, "That is yours, I would appreciate it if you kept it on you, it will enable me to better serve you."