Your hair whipped across your face as you spun around.

No one was there.

With furrowed brows you turned back around only to bump into the chest of a certain violet haired night student.

"Oh I'm sorry- I didn't-" you stammered quickly.

"Relax, y/n." Avery said slowly, draping his arm over your shoulder and beginning to walk. "I'm only messing with you."

You rolled your eyes. Roman was one thing. Dealing with Avery was a whole other story.

"What are you doing? Shouldn't night students be in their dorms during the weekend?" You asked, walking discretely through the plaza.

Avery's icy blue eyes studied yours through hooded lids. A smirk lit up his graceful features as he licked his lips.

"You didn't ask the other night students."

You tried to stop walking but Avery swiftly turned a corner.

"What do you mean?" You asked. "Have you been following me?"

At that, Avery chuckled and stopped walking- but did not release you. His laugh was anything but a reflection of his eyes. Intricate, airy, like a child who wasn't really a child at all.

Avery tilted his head down to meet your gaze, and in that moment, you almost forgot what you had even asked, until he answered.

"As beautiful as you are, I don't have time to spend chasing after day students." He said, a twinkle in his eyes. "But in a night dorm of less than ten boys, rumours spread fast."

Without warning, Avery pulled you into him by your shoulder.

"But why let everyone else have the fun and leave me out of it?" He teased.

This was your first weekend here. At your old school, you never had this many boys vying for your attention. And while Avery came off as a promiscuous troublemaker, something told you there was more to him than he was letting on.

"Alright, well there's just over an hour until supper in the hall," you replied. "I don't have homework yet so I should be free until then-"

"Wonderful-" Avery said as he wrapped his arm around you and began walking again.

"Hey where are we going?"

"Do you like games?"

Not the kind you like to play, you thought to yourself.

"Yeah of course I do." You replied with a slight smirk.

Avery's face lit up, and before you knew it, aside from a few dips and dives from other day class students, you found yourself at a gazebo not far from the garden where you'd first encountered the night student.

Avery gestured ahead of you to the seat under the gazebo, accompanied by another chair and table, and beckoned you to sit. You sat down semi-cautiously as Avery joined you across the table, peering over his hands through hooded blue eyes.

"What are we playing?" You asked with a raise of an eyebrow.

Avery's grin widened as an array of cards flew out of his sleeve and danced from left hand to right hand.

"Let's make a wager." 
The words slipped from his tongue as if he'd said those words a million times.

At your skeptical gaze, Avery continued, his teasing blues watching you through strands of violet hair.

"If I can guess your card, out of all 78 cards and four suits..." he stopped shuffling. "I get to kiss you."

Your eyes widened in unison with his smirk.

"And if you don't guess my card?" You asked.

"Then you get to kiss me."

You rolled your eyes so far Roman would have been proud.

"Is it a bet?" He asked, holding out a hand. The purple ring glinted on his ring finger- you hadn't noticed it before.

"How about, nooo..." you replied. "If you can guess my card, you can have... my utmost admiration."

Avery rested his chin on his hands with a sigh, like a child not very used to hearing the word 'no.'

"Well, for the beautiful y/n's admiration... I'll do it." Avery said, searching your eyes.

"Pick a card..." He said with a caricature-like grin. You studied the deck of black cards flawlessly displayed before you, not noticing the golden borders from how fast Avery was playing with them before.

"Where did you get these?" You asked, picking a card you felt was best.

"I've had them forever." He said, forming the remaining cards into a neat pile.

But instead of hearts, spades, clubs or diamonds, you noticed the card had the symbol VI. A man and woman were on either sides of an angel, who was overlooking them with a warm smile. You looked up.

A natural curiosity would have led your eyes to any sleight of hand Avery might be doing, but instead you were slightly distracted by the lowering sunset and the way it warmed the cool hues of Avery's hair and eyes.

"Place your card anywhere in the deck and shuffle it." He said, placing the deck in your hands but not before trailing his thumb over your minor injury from yesterday. It was hardly noticeable now.

"I'm glad you're not getting yourself into the wrong kinds of trouble." He said leaning against the table as you shuffled. His heavy eyes had not a single care for what you were doing with the cards.

The wrong kinds of trouble... as if Avery were the right kind...

You placed the newly shuffled deck between you.

"Now," he began, "I'm going to spell out your name."

Avery placed a card face down for every letter in your name until there was a line of cards on the table.

"Y/n..." he said, touching each card. "Your card is in here."

"I'll believe it when I see it," you challenged with a sly smile.

Avery flipped over the first card. Then the second. Then every other card he laid down.

"Is this your card?"

"No."

"Is this your card?"

"Nope."

"Is this your card?"

You shook your head.

"Alright, I'm going to take the cards in your name and get them to show themselves." He said, picking up the cards and simply putting them in a stack. "They like to play tricks sometimes."

You were really paying attention now. But you didn't see Avery do anything of note.

He took the top card, which you remember having an image of a skeleton guy on a horse, and held it to himself, only letting you see the black cover.

"I still think your card was in your name." Avery said, leaning forward. "In fact, I think it was right on top."

"All it needs is a little love to show its true nature." Avery said, and he kissed the card without taking his eyes off of you before laying the card face up on the table.

Your eyes widened to the size of salad bowls.

"HOW DID YOU- WHOA- WHAT?"

It was your card.

You picked it up and met Avery's very amused eyes.

"Curious choice y/n, choosing The Lovers," Avery said, leaning back in the chair. "These cards are meant to reveal something about the person choosing... if you wanted to be lovers y/n all you had to do was ask."

You gave him a look but he only smiled wider.

"Where did you learn these tricks?" You asked him.

Avery began putting the cards together and simply slid half and half into both sleeves without looking.

"I learned them when I was a boy by watching street performers," he said. "But most of them I made up myself. Did you like it?"

"I loved it." You exclaimed happily. "How did you do that? You've got to teach me."

"I'd be happy to but this isn't the most ideal place for learning..." Avery said in his melodic voice. "The night class is much more suited towards that."

You averted your gaze and hoped he didn't see any fluster in your face.

"I'll be patrolling the night class on Monday so I'll have plenty of time for card tricks then." You said a bit quickly.

"I look forward to it." Avery said with a voice that was, with lack of a better way to describe it- sexy.

The bell from the plaza abruptly halted your train of thought. It was supper time. You sighed.

"I have to be in the hall to get something to eat," you said, standing up. "Aren't you hungry?"

Avery stood up as well.

"Starving."

He was shorter than most of the other boys you'd spent time with but still taller than you.

"Come, I'll walk you to the hall." He said. "Or at least, close enough to the point I won't be followed by obnoxious day students."

He held out an arm, implying you to take it. You rolled your eyes but didn't argue with Avery's old fashioned sense of manners.

But right as you began walking, something cut off your stride and you plummeted to the ground for the second time this week.

"Oww..."

Avery held out a hand and pulled you up to your feet.

"Shit" you thought to yourself. A pain surged through your body, echoing in your hands and knees. You'd skinned them pretty hard.

"Are you okay?" Avery asked, his blue eyes full of concern.

"Yeah... I'm fine." You said groggily.

"I know what will make it better," he said softly. Avery took both your hands and gently brought them to his lips in a kiss.

When he lowered your hands, he did not let go right away.

Like always, you didn't know exactly how to react to Avery's sense of class- he was simply very peculiar. You wanted to ask him where he was from, but he released your hands and spoke instead.

"As much as I'd like to escort you to supper, Cadere will be looking for me." His eyes looked a bit forlorn, and didn't match his smirk.

The glint of his ring matched the glint in his eyes and in that moment, all you could wonder was who are you Avery?

"I'll see you soon y/n," He whispered softly.

And with that, he was gone.

The bell echoed in harmony with the crows in the distance.

You couldn't help but feel as if it all were a dream. He might as well have never been there at all. But more pressing- you felt as though you were about to walk into something you didn't understand.

The pain was still there but you had to admit, it hurt less after Avery's kissed it. Maybe kisses really do make things better.

There wasn't any blood.

~

Hey, Fanfunctional here. Let me just say thank you infinitely for reading these chapters, voting, commenting, and messaging me. I see everything and it truly means the world to me. I can't thank you enough.

With much regret, I have not been writing lately, as I've been overcome with depression and an overwhelming lack of willpower. It means so much to me and I'm eternally grateful for your kindness and patience as I continue to fight this. It's been impossible for me to do anything- even write, as much as I love it and all of you. So I apologize. I am here now. I will be giving you a hell of a story. Don't forget I love all your comments and feedback, you light up my days.  I can never thank you enough for giving me a reason to fight. I wouldn't be here without you.

Infinitely thankful and trying my best,
Fanfunctional