Into the World of Twisted Wonderland

🐙The Merchant from the Depths🐙 Chapter 15

After an hour, practice ended, and everyone seemed way more awake than usual, Grim included. "Who knew a morning workout could feel so good? I'm alive, I tell ya! Aliiiive!" Grim exclaims, full of energy.

"Right?" Jack says with a smile, agreeing with Grim. "S'why I get up an hour earlier than this to get some jogging in."

The comment only makes Grim hesitate. "O-okay, that might be a little overboard." Grim looks around, seeing that some of the students are stretching and talking to each other, hearing about tips about form, spell formation, and plays to make. "So Savanaclaw Dorm's already trainin' hard for next year's interdorms, huh? Looks like we'll have some worthy rivals," he smirks.

"Oh, I guess you guys haven't heard yet," Ruggie says, heading to the freshmen with Leona in tow. "Every May, we have an even bigger Spelldrive event than the interdorm tournament."

"MRAH!" Grim exclaims. "It gets even bigger than that?!"

"Yup. It's the interscholastic games," Leona states.

"Oh yeah, this isn't the only magic school, huh?" Angel approaches the four, coming back from cleaning.

"Well, then, to answer your question," Ruggie says, "as the name suggests, it's a Spelldrive event where different schools compete."

"Our school always plays against Royal Sword Academy," Leona states.

Grim thinks for a moment. "Ooh, I've heard of them!" Wasn't that the school Chenya said he was from...?

"Twisted Wonderland's got a number of educational institutions for cultivatin' magicians. Night Raven college and Royal Sword Academy are particularly prestigious. We're basically known as the Big Two," Ruggie explains.

"So, what's Royal Sword Academy like?" Grim asks.

Leona scoffs and smirks. "It's a school for pampered lordings that's fulla snooty, scrawny wimps."

Ruggie snickers. "Shyeheehee! What he said. Their campus 'n uniforms are all shiny and sparkly. Talk about lame! Can you imagine how much a single scuff would stand out on a white uniform? I know they're supposed to be a big deal, but I wouldn't go there even if they begged me."

"Hasn't Night Raven College lost the interscholastics for the past hundred years running, though?" Jack states.

"Grk!" The comment only take Ruggie aback, not really expecting the freshmen to know of the losing streak. "W-well...We're only at 99 so far!" He exclaims with a pout. "You can bet your tail we'll win this year. Hundredth time's the charm."

"From what I've seen watching the interscholastic on TV..." Jack starts, thinking about the information. "Royal Sword Academy's roster of players are all individually outstanding, but that's not why they dominate. The real key is their incredible teamwork."

"Hey, wait a minute," Grim speaks up. "If we're talkin' interscholastic here...Does that mean it'll be more 'n just Savanaclaw? Will the other dorms be goin' up against Royal Sword Academy, too?"

"Yeah. Each dorm contributes a player into one big team that represents the school," Leona explains.

"W-whoa..." Angel says. "That team REALLY wouldn't have room for any quarrels." I hate to say it but it's hard to imagine a group of people from each dorm working together.

"Last year, the team broke out into a brawl before the game even started, just from arguing over who got what position," Leona sighs, thinking about the spectacle. Angel just sweat dropped at the information. Ah, that I can imagine.

Grim only chuckles. "Hah! I like their moxie. If you want a position, you gotta fight for it! I'll make sure I get picked as a school rep!"

"If you wanna strut your stuff and make a good case for gettin' picked, the best way to do that is to stick to your daily practice," Jack states.

"The interscholastics get higher TV ratings than the interdorms, so it's a prime chance to get scouted for the pro leagues!" Ruggie smirks.

"You'd better start thinking now about what you're gonna do to beat out the competition and land a team spot," Leona says.

Angel thinks about the tournament. "The interscholastic games, huh...?" She mumbles.

"Anyway, now that practice's over, let's wash up. I need a shower," Leona yawns, heading to his room.

"Oh, yeah, we didn't figure out how you were going to wash up, Angel," Ruggie says. "Well, it doesn't make sense to use the shower room since everyone uses it..." he trails off. "Ah! Why don't just use Leona's shower?"

"What?!" Jack looks at Ruggie. Leona only turns his head and glare at him for the suggestion.

"Hey hey, don't look at me like that!" Ruggie quickly says. "Think about it. Instead of making her shower with a bunch of other people, she could just shower in Leona's room since she stayin' in there and all. It'll be good for her and the students. Just sayin'."

Jack thinks about the situation. "It might be best if she did use Leona's shower," he says, looking at the students. "Don't want to be ambushed when your guard is down after all."

Angel looked at the two in confusion. "Ambush? What are you guys talking about?"

"Tch," Leona clicks his tongue annoyed. "Fine, rabbit, follow me. Ruggie, I'll speak to you later," he glares at Ruggie and Ruggie only snickers.

"We don't want her being a victim to any rough housing after all, shyeheehe!" Leona scoffs and glare at Angel and Grim, who only flinch and sigh at the look, following Leona to his room.

Once the three arrived at Leona's room, Leona turned around and looked at the duo. "You two, stay here. I'm goin' first. Don't bother me and wait for me to finish." He heads to the bathroom, leaving the two alone in his room. Soon enough, the two hear water running, proving that Leona just started to shower. While waiting for her turn, Angel and Grim only look around Leona's room, seeing that it was a little bit cleaner than last night. While Angel was cleaning, she fixed Leona's bed, moved his clothes on the floor (at least made a pile at Ruggie's instructions), and cleaned up the items around Leona's dresser, which seemed to be little gems and jewels. Angel walked over to the dresser, trying not to be snoop around, but just look at the picture that caught her eye, seeing that it was a picture of two males, Leona and his brother, smiling at the camera. From what she noticed, it seemed to be a picture of Leona when he was younger, though he still had the same attitude he does now, he did give a little smile while his brother's arm is around his shoulder. The picture seemed nostalgic, and knowing that it was years ago, it made her wonder, what changed? Maybe it was the fact that king of Sunset Savana was getting old or the fact that his brother was the crown prince and he was the second born, but from the picture, it seemed they were brothers who were best friends. She looked at the picture, taking in the details. The decorations in the background, the emotion in both him and his brother's faces, their posture, their outfits...it all seemed so peaceful. Suddenly, the water stopped running, breaking Angel's thoughts as she hurries over to the couch, sitting and acting like she didn't spend a few minutes staring at a picture on Leona's dresser. Not soon after, the door opened, making Angel jump as she sees Leona already dressed in his school uniform. "Alright, rabbit, it's your turn. Hurry up and get cleaned so we can eat," he says, yawning at her.

"Y-yes!" She squeaks, trying to keep her cool and trying to make sure that Leona didn't hear her or at least figure out that she was looking at his stuff. "I'll be right quick!" She hurries in the bathroom, making Leona confused. He looked around his room, seeing that it looked cleaner than before, but only a little. The bed was made, the floor was seeable to his standards, and the gems he had littering around the dresser was placed on the dresser, making him sigh. What's the point of cleaning when it's going to get dirty again anyway? He casually throws his P.E. uniform on the floor, ignoring the piles of clothes already made for easy separation, and walked to the dresser, trying to make sure he looked as good as he wants. He noticed that the photo of him and his brother was moved from its original position, making him think that the girl deliberately moved it to see it clearly. He just stares at the photo for a while, then just continued getting ready for his day, trying not to think of the times him and his brother shared.