Today was a fantastic day for people-watching. Gossip was flowing between students like a river and there seemed to be a hum of excitement being passed around on all sides. From mumbling in corners to loud conversations in groups, everyone was talking. Evora was in her element, comfortably perched in a sizable windowsill a few hallways away from the front entrance. She could easily hear whatever she wanted without even having to get up.

The subject of interest was their new teacher. Everyone's schedules had been changed that weekend to account for a handful of brand new classes, most of which came with a new supply list they'd need to participate. Evora hadn't bothered to do any shopping. If she felt like participating, she could just borrow supplies from someone else. She was going to show up to the new class, if for nothing else than to see what all the fuss was about.

Magical and Benign Biology 1 was a cruelly tempting name for a science class, after all.

"Have you gotten to meet the new teacher?"

"Not yet, but I have them this afternoon! I'm in the Anatomy of Beasts and Beings class for second-years and I'm so excited!"

Evora's ears focused on two people chatting near her perch. The creepy magic sand girl and her boy toy, Prince Charming the Lesser.

"I'm jealous! I don't have them until Wednesday! I'm in the Concoctions and Chemistry 2 class and then a basic biology class on Thursday." Sand girl said, showing him her schedule.

"Wow, they really booked themselves out for the week. When do you think they eat?"

"I don't know how they eat at all, teaching about gross body parts and stuff all day."

"Guess you just get used to it after a while." He shrugged.

"No, you don't." Evora caught their attention from her window, sneering. "Some things people are just born with, a strong constitution is one of them." She made a point of looking Charming Junior up and down. "It takes years to train out a weak stomach." He visibly shrunk away from her narrowed eyes.

Sand girl didn't seem to understand and tilted her head, confused. "I suppose our new teacher has a strong one, then, seeing as they have classes nearly all day."

"I wonder if squeamishness will affect our grades. It'd be a shame to fail just because you don't like the gory details." Evora crossed one leg over the other, still staring Junior down.

"Do you think that... uh, do you think we'll be forced to get hands on?" He looked more and more nervous with each passing second.

"It's an anatomy class, genius. What class did you think we dissected things in again?" He visibly paled.

"I-I'm sure it won't be so bad!" Sand girl quickly put a hand on his shoulder, attempting to calm him down from a rapidly approaching panic. "The new teacher knows we haven't had a proper science class this year, they aren't going to start out like that, don't worry Auden."

"Don't baby him." Evora slid out of the windowsill and stalked closer. "He should be prepared. What if the new teacher loves blood and guts and can't wait to make all their new students squirm? You'll have lied to him and made the class worse."

"Stop that." Junior said weakly, curling his shoulders, but still somehow holding his ground.

"I'm just being realistic. We'd hate for our dear prince to get sick in his first biology class away from home, wouldn't we?"

He looked down at the ground, then away to the side, before finally up at Evora's face. He seemed to steel himself before he spoke again. "Are you... is your name Evora, perchance?"

That... admittedly wasn't what she thought he'd say next. "What's it to you?"

"Nothing." He reached for the hand that Sand girl still had on his shoulder. "My sister's just mentioned you before, that's all."

Precious talks about Evora? The fuck does that uppity little pretty princess have to say about her? She probably gossips about everybody anyway, but knowing there were words circulating about herself that Evora hadn't heard yet was... irritating. Why hadn't anybody told her this gossip?

"We should probably get to class. C'mon Auden." Sand girl frowned while she gently tugged her friend away.

"Good luck in class later, your highness." Evora managed to make him flinch once more as they left, hoping the vitriol in her voice hid how unsettled she was.

——

The moment Precious stepped into her Magical and Benign Biology level 3 class, she had a good feeling.

The class was smaller than she had been expecting, for one. Seeing as every student in the school had one or more of the new teachers' classes, she was expecting it to be packed. It seemed they had split them into many different groups while still keeping the class sizes manageable. That was promising, as one-on-one time with teachers was very important, in her opinion.

The second reason was because Gabe was in the class with her, and she wasted no time in happily setting her bag down beside him.

"Oh good, I was worried I'd be the smartest in the class again." She joked while pulling out her books.

"What? Oh- ahaha!" Gabe laughed, realizing after a moment she was complimenting him. "I dunno, Myra's pretty brilliant when it comes to science, she might beat us both." He gestured to the seat in front of them where the other princess was nearly vibrating in her first-row seat.

"It's so exciting, isn't it? Everyone says the new teacher is intense but nobody will explain what they mean." Precious said, "I've already skimmed most of our textbook, but that was the furthest thing from intense."

"Perhaps they are a lover of experimentation, like myself!" Myra said, turning around and sitting backwards in her seat to face them. "Did you know I blew up lab #4 the other day?"

"Ah! I hope we get to blow stuff up." Gabe grinned.

"This is biology, not chemistry." Precious reminded them both. "We'll probably be cutting stuff up, not blowing it up."

"That's cool too."

"What do you think our teacher will be like? I've been picturing a bit of a mad scientist personality. Wild theories and exciting stories about the things they've encountered." Myra said, showing them a doodle in her notebook.

Gabe nodded in agreement, then added, "I think they'll be thorough. Nobody with this many classes is the kind of teacher to skip on detail, so they could very well be stricter than we're used to. Not that I'm complaining-"

The door to the classroom opened and the entire class, previously buzzing with energy, fell silent.

Their heels had a dull tap to them, which sent a shiver of foreboding down everyone's back as they stepped inside, slowly closing the door behind them.

It wasn't as if nobody had seen their new teacher, but up close, they were a far cry from expectations. A vibrant crimson suit jacket sat pristinely pressed atop a black blouse and slacks and their dark hair was tied back into a strict bun. Square glasses were balanced on their nose, behind which were the brightest green eyes anybody had ever seen.

They didn't speak while slowly walking across the lab and to the large board in front of the desks, where they quickly and neatly wrote their name.

"Good afternoon, students. My name is Professor Aquana. Please take out your textbooks." They tugged a cart out of a closet door and waited for the straggler students to have their books ready.

In the second row, Precious had a near perfect view of what they did next, and she wouldn't deny that she was one of many who gasped. Though hers was simply from surprise, the fear from her classmates wasn't quite as hidden.

Pushing the cart ahead of them, Professor Aquana took a step forward, but no heel clacked on the ground, as their legs had, in an instant, split and grown into six huge, long, bloody red tentacles.

As they spoke again, they made their way slowly through the lines of desks. "I hate being the bearer of bad news, but this entire school is woefully behind in the science curriculum. The information from your books is elementary level, at best, and your previous teachers were far out of their element. We will begin correcting that, starting today." At each table, they used a tendril to collect the old textbooks, replacing them with a new (much larger and more intimidating) book, all without looking up from a clipboard in their two human hands. "Perfect attendance on the first day. Very promising." They checked each name off with a pleased nod.

"Wait a minute-" Gabriel hadn't wasted any time opening the new book, eyes wide. "Laurine Aquana?! You're The Laurine Aquana?"

They paused two desks away and peered down at him. "...yes?"

"I've read your guide on trolls! And your paper about harpy migrations!" He said, looking rather star struck. Precious supposed that, being as big a fan of books as he was, getting to meet and be taught by an author he respected was a big deal.

Professor Aquana raised an eyebrow. "Really? You're aware that most of the initial harpy paper was refuted, yes?"

"Of course- I, uh, I also read the addendum." He blushed, but they seemed impressed.

Nodding in approval, they turned back to handing out books. "That's excellent, Gabriel. You might have a leg up on your classmates already."

Precious, too, squinted at the name, sure, now, that it was familiar somehow.

"Oh my cards-! Did you formerly publish under the pseudonym Scarlet Sea?!" Myra piped up.

Professor Aquana distributed the last of their cart and stared at her with mild surprise. "Yes I did, but I have never publicly attached the two names. Please tell me how you made that connection."

"The way you lay out diagrams is so unique! I have your entire collection about plants, potions and elixirs!" The white princess happily pointed out one of the pages.

They hummed. "You have an impressive eye for detail, Myra. Not many can distinguish an individual scientist's style from another's."

"You received an award from my father ten years ago!" Precious blurted out, then smiled bashfully before elaborating. "I remember a Dr. Scarlet Sea receiving a Crown Research Award. My tutors used your books as well!"

"Did you have a little pamphlet about fungal infections published in Neverland?" Caspian Hook asked.

"Hey- these are the same drawings from finishing school classes!" Laila said from Precious's other side. She was a noble girl that hung around Precious a lot, though she didn't really like her.

"Alright, alright, settle down please." Professor Aquana held their hands up to cease the excited chatter. Their new teacher wasn't just smart, and they weren't just a genius. They were famous.

They were famous, and somehow, undeniably and explicitly, related to the great sea witch of the seas, Ursula.

"My reputation precedes me, it would seem. At least those that remember my previous works won't be starting from the very bottom." They set the clipboard on the cart as well. "I do have a few class rules to go over before we begin the real class, however." They faced the room for a moment, then slowly began making their way across the front of the lab. "It is no secret I am very meticulous with my work. I do not like mistakes in my presence that can be prevented, and I do not like mistakes made without a lesson learned." Long, bloody tendrils pushed the cart back into the closet and closed the door behind them without looking. "Nothing will happen within the walls of this lab that I do not oversee, and permit." Their lower half disappeared briefly behind their desk, and the tap of heels returned, as did an additional sound. "That is my guarantee. If you intentionally aim to break my guarantee, then I cannot ensure your safety in turn, nor can I ensure your continued presence in my class." When they stepped out on the other side of the desk, they were holding a smooth, wooden cane.

"I am not a strict individual. Nor am I close-minded. I reward creativity and curiosity, but only when I can remain at the helm of my laboratory to oversee its growth. If you wish to step outside of the perimeters of my instruction, tell me. As long as I am aware of what's before me, I can keep you safe, while still being your guide and instructor. I have no qualms with doing dangerous things, as long as they are being done carefully."

They made their way slowly around to the front of the largest desk. "I don't care when you need to leave my classroom, unless you've got an active experiment that needs attending. I don't care why your assignment might be late, as long as you tell me where it is. I don't care if you want to bring your own supplies for hands-on use as long as you ask before so I may ensure it is up to code."

They leaned their back against the desk and folded both hands atop the cane.

"You are all adults, and I intend to treat you accordingly, but while you are in my class you are also my students, and as such I am responsible for you. Science is a volatile and temperamental subject. It can be dangerous,and there's no way to go about it without being hands-on. I need all of your guarantees that you will trust me as I am trusting you."

The class was stunned silent for a moment, thrown by both the excitement generated by their speech, as well as the surprise from how genuine their words felt.

"Inside the cover of your new textbook is a paper I would like you to sign. It is technically a contract, but it is not yet signed by me. I'd like you all to take a few minutes to review it. You may change anything you'd like before signing. If we need to discuss it after class, we will have fifteen minutes to do so before the next one starts."

There was a shuffling of papers as everyone went to look at the contracts.

"I will be back in ten minutes, if you wish to discuss the paper with your classmates." The tap of heels and the thud of a cane signaled their exit, and the chatter resumed the second the door had shut behind them.

"I can't believe we're being taught by the Laurine Aquana!" Gabriel was looking at his textbook like it was priceless jewels.

"I just know they've got a cabinet of dead things in jars somewhere! This is going to be so cool!" Archie said, excitedly shaking Caspian's shoulder.

"Do you think we'll be dissecting things today?" The pirate's eyes lit up.

"I can't believe they encourage so much free thinking!" Myra seemed close to tears. "I'll get to actually experiment in class!"

"I can't believe they actually expect us to sign this thing." Laila scoffed, holding her contract by its corner.

"What's wrong with it?" Precious frowned, skimming the paper. It didn't seem corrupt that she could see. It looked to mostly cover the general equipment they would be using in class and contained a written promise to communicate with their instructor as much as possible.

"Um, it's a contract. Made by a villain. How obvious can you get?"

She pretended to not understand. "What?"

"Everybody knows this is how villains make deals. There's probably fine print on here somewhere that promises our first born babies to them or signs away our titles and fortunes or something." Laila waved the paper back and forth. "Don't tell me you're seriously considering signing it?"

Precious didn't really care for how comfortable this girl felt talking to her, but she didn't say so quite yet. Nobody got popular by being honest, after all.

"Well, I was considering scratching out the clause about damage to personal belongings. If my clothes get stained in class I will be quite cross."

"This just feels like a trap. I don't want my story to be about how I got tricked by a freaky sea witch by signing a contract."

"I feel the same way, Laila." A boy opposite them turned around- Precious didn't know his name but she vaguely recognized him from Thorne's friend group. "This whole thing smells and looks fishy as hell." Another boy laughed and high-fived him.

"I'm sure they wouldn't railroad our stories like that." Precious kept her face neutral even though she wanted to roll her eyes.

"You've probably got the most important story in here, Precious. You especially shouldn't be signing it." Laila insisted.

She made brief eye contact with Gabe, who was now uncomfortably listening thanks to his proximity. She hoped she managed to convey to him enough exasperation with her eyes alone before finally answering.

"The Fairy Godmother wouldn't hire somebody out to trick or harm us. She has a very strict policy about villains and I'm sure you're aware of that." Precious said, eloquent and diplomatic. "If she trusts Professor Aquana with our safety and education, so do I."

She smiled as her fellow nobles nodded, unable to argue with her logic, and signed their papers. When she looked back at Gabe, however, he and Myra were avoiding her eyes.

She didn't have a chance to ask before their teacher returned and had them all pass up with papers.

Tapping the stack on their desk to straighten it out, they then pulled down a large diagram with blank spaces to be filled in. With more space, Precious could see what Myra was talking about with the unique way they had laid out the images.

"Alright. Please open your books to page thirteen. We will begin class today with a brief lecture about the subject and a few of the basic principles of magic from a scientific viewpoint." They brought out a ruler to point to the diagram. "I would say you can relax, and that this is just review, but I have a feeling it's not. I sorted these classes myself, however. I'm confident you can keep up." And from there, class began.

—————

"Gabriel, Myra, I'd like the two of you to stay for just a moment after class." Laurine said, moments before the school bell released their students, but after they had concluded the lesson.

They hoped they hadn't been too intense. The students seemed to be able to keep up well, and had asked enough questions to show engagement, but not too many to suggest they were confused. All in all, Laurine felt the two hours went well. This was their selected third-level class, after all.

The bell rang and the students shuffled out of the lab, some more hesitantly than others. Their books had included a graph of when Laurine would be in the classroom outside of their class hours if they needed further instruction.

"If you want to wait a minute, maybe we can walk to the next class together?" Gabriel asked Precious as she finished packing her bag.

"Oh, that sounds lovely, do you think you'll be long?"

"They don't seem angry, so probably not."

"We'll wait with you! Myra and I share a maths class next!" Archie happily volunteered his and Caspian's company and the three left the classroom last.

Once the door had shut and the noise of the hallway dulled, Laurine addressed the two students they had singled out.

"I was very impressed by your prior knowledge of my works at the start of class as well as your level of engagement during the lesson. Gabriel, you have a deep love of information and Myra, you, a remarkable eye for detail and memory, and you both displayed a true passion for science. Other students recognized me, sure, but not the same as you two. I'm curious as to your career plans after school." They sat down behind their own desk, stifling a sigh of relief to finally be off their feet. Legs, as it turned out, hurt quite a bit when one's body is naturally built to balance upon tentacles in the ocean. The cane helped a bit on the bad pain days, but sometimes nothing could alleviate the aches.

They were just grateful they'd been having a good day when they first met the Fairy Godmother.

"I am to be the White Queen of Underland once I come of age!" Myra said proudly. "I hope I can use my love of science to tend to my subjects and keep my people safe from the expected tyranny of my beloved cousin!"

"I see. That's quite a noble venture." Laurine nodded. "Gabriel?"

"I, uh, hadn't really had time to come up with a plan for after school. My dad isn't really a books guy, but I know I want to keep learning." Gabriel scratched the back of his head uncertainly.

"I am familiar with your father. I am also further impressed that you managed to hold tight to your love of books in the face of his personal feelings."

"I... thank you?" He seemed confused. Had they spoken too monotone? Merlin had once told them they said nice things like a machine, so people might not always know they were trying to be nice.

"Well, obviously there is no rush right now, you have plenty of time before graduation or any decisions need to be made, but if it appeals to either of you, I would like to go ahead and extend an offer to you both."

Myra and Gabriel glanced at the other for just a moment, confused.

"What kind of offer?"

"Aquana Laboratories will be fully operational in a predicted six months. As the founder, I will be overseeing the research, information, and patents my scientists will produce. If it were to fit into your destinies-" again, they looked to each other, though this time with some kind of inside understanding, "it would be an honor to welcome you as interns." Their eyes widened in disbelief. "It would be a paid internship, of course, and would come with many opportunities to further your education, as well as possible advancements in the science field of your choice-"

"When can I start?!" Myra interrupted, then giggled, embarrassed. "Excuse me, that was rude. Please continue."

Laurine chuckled, however. "Your enthusiasm just means I've spoken to the right people. Obviously this won't matter for some time, you'll have to complete your basic education first, but if you'd like a possible path added to your story, this is one of them."

They seemed stunned to silence, before Gabriel managed to recollect himself. "Is... is this offer going to be for other students, or just those that impress you over time?"

"I am looking to hire a few dozen interns, as I've already amassed a solid collection of scientists to work at my lab. They will need assistants and some are looking for a protege. In exchange for their employment, I have offered to assist in finding that help for them."

"This is such an honor, professor. I'm not sure what to say."

"You needn't say a thing. I simply wanted to present you with this path now instead of later. I also don't want you to concern yourself with impressing me, as you've already done so today. As long as you keep your grade up the offer will remain until you graduate." They adjusted their glasses. "Typically, I scout for interns at specialty universities, but if I am to be teaching here as a favor, I may as well get something out of it."

"I completely agree! I don't think we've ever had a teacher as smart as you! I know I certainly haven't!" Myra said.

Laurine smiled. "I am flattered. If you have no further questions for the moment, I believe your friends are waiting for you."

The two got up from their seats and made it almost to the door when Myra elbowed Gabriel in the side and whispered something to him.

They waited patiently for him to turn back around, once again looking embarrassed.

"Um, don't take this the wrong way, because I promise it has nothing to do with anything, but... you're related to Ursula, right?"

Laurine had to give him credit for his bravery, as no other student that week had asked yet. They hadn't been shy about the use of their tentacles, so the rumors must be flying already.

"Ursula was my first cousin, yes. We share our grandmother's squid-like body."

"Did you, uh, did you know her well?"

They hadn't been expecting that. An inquiry about their similarities, perhaps, or maybe a question about Laurine's own magic (or lack thereof), but their relationship with their cousin? Strange.

"We were small children together, but other than that, we have had little contact throughout our lives." They suspected their tone was just shy of too firm, as he quickly shied away from whatever he wanted to ask next.

"Oh, alright! Thanks again for the, uh, internship offer thing. Really it's amazing, I can't thank you, uh, yeah. I'll just go now."

"Have a good rest of your day." Myra and Gabriel nodded and quickly left without another word. Laurine waited an appropriate few seconds before reaching into their desk for a small notebook.

They had about five minutes before students began showing up for the next class, which meant they had just enough time to make a report about the encounter.

Students inquiring about their direct relationship to a villain of fame was... interesting. Merlin would want to know what had piqued their interest. Obviously Gabriel's parentage might open the line of thought for him, but Myra had encouraged him, which meant she wanted to know just as much.

Students planning things according to school rules didn't act so nervous. They would have to follow up on this lead soon.

—————

Precious took a moment to check her makeup while waiting for Gabriel after class, only half listening to Archie and Caspian chatter excitedly to each other.

She hadn't gotten many opportunities to talk to either of them, but also had no reason to dislike the two other-land boys. She hadn't had much time to socialize at all outside of classes. The only friends she had so far were Drago, Gabriel, Damien, her track team, and possibly the handful of other noble and royal girls that went out of their way to sit with her at lunch, though she didn't often reach out to them herself (they weren't all bad people necessarily, but they were, for the most part, all rather shallow. Their conversations tended to bore Precious after a short time.)

Everyone else she was friendly to, sure, but she was an extrovert. She needed lots of attention, and while she would certainly get it when she was queen someday, it wasn't enough for now.

"I can't believe I didn't realize how much we were missing from our science classes!" Caspian was saying. "Is this what classes are like in Underland?"

"Most of my schooling was done by private tutors, so... kind of? The White Queen did most of my science classes herself, but her teaching method is kind of... scary." Archie shrugged, blushing.

"I thought you said the white queen was a pacifist."

"Uh huh. That's why it's so scary."

"Jeez. That bad huh? Well- did you at least get combat classes? Every good hero needs to be able to fight off scoundrels and scum!" Caspian leapt about like he was fighting off an army, though he only had a pencil to wield.

Archie giggled and shook his head. "No, I don't really need to fight things in Underland, at least not yet. It's not like there's a ton of threats- aside from the Red Court, perhaps." He carefully tucked a lock of curly blond hair behind his ear. "I'd love to show you around, you should come visit some time."

Precious smirked over the top of her hand mirror.

"You mean it?" He grinned, oblivious. "Hell yeah! No sailor has ever traveled that far!"

"It's not even that far, there's ways in and out of Underland all over the place. They change though- ah, it's hard to explain."

"Don't bother, cause I won't remember! If you can lead the way I'll follow!"

"Gag- could you two go fluff up the hallways somewhere else?" A gratingly familiar voice interrupted and they all three peeked around the corner to where one Evora was leaning against the wall.

Precious stepped around the two before Caspian could get upset and brandish his pencil-sword at her.

"Evora, fancy seeing you here."

"Everything in your world is fancy." Evora seemed more sullen than usual; it might be easier to get under her skin. Though it sounded childish, that tended to be how the two interacted lately. It was a lot easier to be around one another when they were both bickering, versus just one of them saying hurtful things.

"Aw, I'm glad you think so." Precious curtsied.

"That's not what I meant!" Her eyes flashed a vibrant gold. "The hell are you all clogging up the path for, anyway?"

"We're waiting for our friends, the new teacher wanted to talk to them." Archie said.

She rolled her eyes. "This is why I don't bother with friends. You're going to be late just because you want to walk together like a gaudy flock of birds."

"No, you don't bother with friends because nobody likes you." Caspian grinned, but stopped when Archie swatted his shoulder.

"Caspian, that's so mean!"

"Nah it's true." She was smiling, but it didn't quite reach her eyes like normal. "I'm the Big Bad Wolf, remember?" And there she went, insisting she didn't care either way. She pushed off the wall to better speak rude things in their faces. "I am all on my own and that's exactly how I like it. I don't need a merry band of clowns like you all to make me feel special."

Her vitriol was routine for Precious at this point, however, and she simply smiled, unphased. "Are you trying to tell us you don't feel special? My, Evora, you need only ask and we'd be glad to lift you up."

"Hey, speak for yourself." Caspian got shoved by Archie again.

"Ha! As if I need the likes of you to bring me anywhere!" Her face was quite cute when she got irritated. Her forehead twitched like she was thinking hard about what hurtful thing to say next and her teeth were very white and sharp when she flashed them. "The only place your kind gives me a lift to is a prison dimension. No thank you." Aw, it was nice to know she at least had manners.

"Last I checked, 'my kind' were just attending school, but if you want to go ahead and put me on the throne I won't argue." Precious batted her eyelashes happily.

"You're so full of it, I can see right through you." Evora's throat bobbed when she didn't believe what she was saying- Precious had noticed that only on the second track meet. "You just put up with me because I'm the best on the team, but if I quit tomorrow you'd waste no time turning around and spilling every vicious thought that lurks in your highlights."

She raised an eyebrow. "You mean the same way you say rude things to peoples' faces? At least I'm polite and do it in private."

Caspian and Archie had fallen silent, watching the two girls go back and forth like a tennis match.

"Yeah, you're a real saint. Gossiping behind someone's back is so kind of you."

"I don't gossip behind people's backs. You can ask Damien, because he does." Precious winked at Archie, who snorted (no doubt well aware of the Red Prince's talent for complaining about other people).

"Ohh, of course not, forgive me your highness!" Evora mocked, already quite worked up. "I forgot that any kind of flaw is unthinkable for someone so pretty and perfect!"

Interesting that she seemed to think using a title for her would hurt somehow. Precious wasn't interested in bickering further in front of her classmates, however, so she simply smiled again.

"You think I'm pretty?"

Evora made a sound like she'd choked on something before stepping away almost violently, her face and ears flushing down almost to her chest. "You- fucking- I- you're ridiculous! You're so full of yourself!" After a few tries she managed to get a retort out, though it wasn't very creative. "Not everybody at this school is in love with you! In fact- way more people hate you! You're just too important so nobody says anything."

She hummed, amused now. "You know I learn something about you every time you lie."

"Like what?" Bright golden eyes narrowed.

"You're a bad liar." This time Caspian choked on his own smothered laughter.

"You don't know a fucking thing about me."

"I know enough."

Evora opened her mouth to retaliate, but the door to Professor Aquana's room opened and Myra burst out, throwing her arms around Archie's neck in delight, Gabriel on her heels.

"Archie! Oh, Archibald, you won't believe what they said! They're amazing! I've never had a teacher so wonderful!" She looked close to tears, but for a good reason.

"What did they say?" Archie patted her head and hugged her back as best he could.

"They're not just an amazing writer- they are also working on their own facility for research and advancement! Did you know that? You're from this world- did you ever meet them before? I wonder how long it's been in the works- it's probably been years- I can't imagine they didn't take time off the project to teach here! How selfless of them I-"

"They offered us an internship after graduation!" Gabriel interrupted, clearly too excited to wait for Myra's excited babbling to finish.

"That's wonderful, Gabe!" Precious beamed. "It's the perfect opportunity for you!"

"I still don't know what to think! It feels too good to be true."

"Don't think about anything! Just be proud of yourself for making such a good first impression." She gently rubbed his shoulder. She was so pleased, she didn't even mind that their Professor hadn't extended the offer to her as well.

"That's what Professor Aquana said." He laughed.

"Hey- not that I'm not chuffed as hell for you guys, but we should probably hit the road if we're gonna make it to our next class on time." Caspian caught all their attentions.

"Right! Let's hurry." Precious turned around to say goodbye to Evora, but found only the end of her long braid as it dipped into the classroom they'd just left. Guess that was as well, Precious hadn't been as nice as usual to her.

———————

By the end of the day, Auden felt incredibly wrung out.

He wasn't sure what happened, he had woken up in such a good mood. Maybe it was the lunchroom being out of his safe food or the pop quiz he had worried himself sick over during his last class. Either way, he had to force himself to not give up on his plans to take a training dummy out into the courtyard and practice with his sword.

Auden was actually alright with a blade (according to the knight he's been learning from), but his anxiety had kept him from successfully practicing for weeks now.

When he woke up after a successful night's sleep for the first time in almost a month, practicing had even sounded fun. Dragging the dummy out of the supply shed and to the farthest corner, however, humbled him once again.

As he approached his favorite spot, a recurring sound caught his attention.

Evora Wolf was repeatedly striking a tree with her fists, muttering rude words under her breath only a few yards away from his spot.

"Stupid, prissy, uppity, snooty, selfish, princess!" Each word was punctuated by her knuckles on wood. "Stupid simpering voice, ugly clown makeup, gaudy frilly clothes- ugh!" She must be complaining about his sister again.

Auden would have been concerned for her hands, but she looked to have already beaten off the bark and was hitting a smooth spot at least. Plus, her fists weren't leaving behind smears of blood, so she was probably fine. He elected to ignore her and set up in his usual spot anyway. She was slightly uphill, so he wasn't likely to bother her. Everybody knew Evora only said mean things to and about people, so there really wasn't much to lose if he embarrassed himself around her, either.

He rolled the dummy the rest of the way, then stretched out his arms and legs before taking up his starting stance.

His sword was wooden, just something with enough weight to train with, and the heavy thud against the padded dummy was cathartic.

Right, left, back, forward, he ran through the different drills to get his feet in line with his shoulders. His hits fell heavier and carried more power with every swing. He attacked in bursts, getting close for a handful of lethal blows, then bouncing back on the balls of his feet to recalculate and go again.

The burn felt good on his muscles. He often forgot that focused exercise like this made him feel better when his mental health wasn't so great. Using energy when you have very little is just... so hard sometimes.

The third time he backed up, however, something crunched beneath his feet, breaking his concentration. He looked down and frowned at the stick that definitely hadn't been there a few minutes prior.

In fact there were a handful of sticks and wood chips that seemed to have appeared from nothing scattered around him. Auden followed the trail to where Evora had stopped punching the tree and switched to scratching and picking off the rest of the bark. Her nails left deep scores where they dug in and the incline of the ground carried the byproduct right to his sparring spot.

Sighing, he kicked the bits of tree aside and approached her.

"Excuse me, could you please throw your mess somewhere else?" Thorne had said he showed promise for diplomacy, so Auden attempted to be diplomatic.

"Kick rocks, princey. I'm busy." Evora didn't even turn around, tossing another handful of bark over her shoulder. He stepped to the side to avoid being hit in the face.

"I can see that, it looks very important, but I'm trying to practice."

"Congratulations."

Seriously? He didn't have the patience for this. "And you are being very disruptive."

"All my life." She would have sounded proud if she weren't being so sarcastic.

"You're making a mess of the courtyard."

"Excellent observation. You'll be an amazing king some day with eyes like yours."

He flinched, feeling his gut curl with discomfort at her mocking words. "Would you just- go find another tree to violate?" Maybe honesty would get through her mind, honesty always worked right? "This is the only spot in the courtyard I'm comfortable practicing."

"Why should I do anything for you? I was here first." She finally turned her eyes away from the tree and sneered.

"Because I asked you nicely. You can ruin any tree, just do it somewhere it doesn't make a distracting mess."

Evora laughed once (Auden knew, he knew her opinion was worthless, but it still sent a cold bolt of anxiety down his spine) and flicked a piece of bark out from underneath her fingernail. "I got some news for you, majesty, but things you find bothersome aren't just going to go away because you asked. That's life, deal with it."

"I know that!" Auden said, defensive. Did she think he was stupid? "All I asked was if you could move or stop making a mess. You can do either of those, you just don't want to."

"No, what I don't want is to cater to your every spoiled, entitled wish, because I don't waste my energy licking the boots of royal brats." Her smile was cruel and sharp, and he could tell his words were going right over her head.

"Ugh! Whatever." Giving up, Auden turned and stormed back down the hill. He dragged his training dummy an extra few yards away until he was out of her path of destruction and readied his sword once again.

Before starting, he made sure to take several slow, soothing breaths to calm himself back down. Why his anxiety should rear its head so badly today was beyond him, but he couldn't let it get the better of him.

He dropped back down into his starting position.

Right, left, back- crunch. What? He'd barely started and already stepped on more tree pickings.

It seemed Evora had changed her mind about moving trees, and she had selected one as close to his sparring set-up as possible. Auden huffed through his nose. "Seriously?"

She made a poor attempt at pretending she had just noticed him. "Hm? Something the matter, your mightiness? I'm not in the way, am I?"

"Cut it out. I don't want to fight with you right now."

"I'm simply minding my business and enjoying the nice weather." Scrrrape- Her nails dragged down the thick bark, and his hands flew to the sides of his head, ears burning like she was clawing at his very brain. It was an awful sound that ground against the inside of his skull and cranked the tension in his body up to ten.

"Stop that! Please!" God, he didn't even want to keep practicing. He just wanted to lay down and forget such a horrible, painful sound existed.

"Stop what?" Evora almost sounded confused, before she did it again. "This?" Scrape, scrape-

"Stop!" his voice cracked and she cackled.

"I'm just scratching the tree, what's your problem?"

"It hurts!"

"How the hell does this-" Scrape- she didn't finish her sentence as Auden shoved her hard in the chest, away from the damn tree. The god awful noise finally stopped. He didn't realize he'd moved for several seconds, vision static, before he heard Evora say, "Oh, so that's how you want today to go, eh princey?" And a foot to his chest sent him toppling down onto the grass.

He felt the wind get knocked out of him, but his eyes finally cleared of the overstimulated static, adrenaline taking its place.

"I don't know what your fuckin' deal is, but you picked the wrong day to have a problem. I've been itching to blow off some steam." Evora cracked her already-bruised knuckles and the scars on her face stretched horribly when she smiled.

Auden scrambled to his feet, muscle memory from his knight's training taking over. He had dropped his sword but he could still defend himself.

Surprisingly, Evora waited until he was up and ready before swinging. Two of her hits he managed to block with his arms, but he hadn't expected her to kick again, and he stumbled away.

In the back of his mind he knew didn't want to hurt her- she was a girl and also much taller and stronger than him, but two more blocked blows to his sides and Auden finally retaliated.

His elbow made contact with her side and she hissed, kicking him away again.

Someone at the edge of the courtyard shouted something about a fight. Oh god. People were watching.

Evora came at him again, only this time with claws instead of fists, a guttural snarl crawling from the bottom of her chest.

Panicked, Auden somehow managed to catch the sharp hands and leveled a solid kick of his own that sent her to the ground instead. She wasn't down long, however, and seemed to give up on form in favor of throwing her entire body into his.

They tumbled down the hill, faces smashing into the dirt and grappling until they reached a stop with Evora's legs holding his torso pinned. Her fists came down on him again and again, Auden unable to do little more than put his arms up to block them until he could make out the pattern.

"What in Grimm's name is happening out here?!" Someone else yelled above the roar of blood in his ears.

When Evora came down with her left hand again, he caught it in his own, and used the leverage to flip her off and-

Her right fist finally found its mark, and he felt his teeth clack hard as she punched him square in the jaw.

Blinded by the pain, he tried to throw her off, though he didn't need to, as the ground fell away from his body suddenly, vertigo making him dizzy when the large, crimson appendage scooped him into the air.

"That is enough!"

Auden's vision cleared of the fog over his peripheral rather fast, though it took a moment longer for Evora to stop seeing red. He watched her struggle against, then kick at the thick tendrils until more of them wrapped around her limbs to hold her still.

"Would either of you care to explain what this is about?" Professor Aquana (oh no not their new teacher... oh god) demanded, their human torso standing between the two students they held aloft by four of their six tentacles.

"He fucking started it!" Evora growled, still tugging against the restraints, trying to get one more hit in.

"He has also stopped trying to finish it." They glared her down, until she finally relaxed, the fight draining out of everything except her face. "Auden?" Sharp green eyes turned on him.

"I- I... I just..." Auden's breath was still coming in bursts, adrenaline starting to wear off. "I asked her to stop-"

"He hit me first! Some future king, lying to a teacher."

"I wasn't lying!" He snapped, "I asked her to stop throwing sticks at me and making a bad sound, and she didn't."

"So you hit her?" Professor Aquana's eyes warned him, and even if he might have been able to lie, he couldn't.

Auden nodded, chest sinking with shame. "I guess I did shove her- er hit her." What had he been thinking? What had possessed him to get so upset? God... this was the worst day ever.

"Hold still and let me see your faces. You are bleeding." He was? Now that they had pointed it out, he could feel the warmth crawling down his chin. Evora, too, was sporting a pretty harsh nosebleed that their teacher took a long look at. "Your nose is broken." Without waiting for a response, they moved onto Auden. They used their thumb to pull his split lip down and grimaced. "You've chipped a tooth."

"I'm not apologizing." Her voice sounded stuffier the longer he listened. When had he broken her nose? Was it when they tumbled down the hill? The last two minutes of his life had been so fast.

"I'm not telling you to. What I am telling you to do is decide if you want me to carry you to the headmistress's office, or if you will walk on your own?"

"I didn't do anything wrong this time! I swear-"

"You left my class for a 'bathroom break' twenty minutes ago, and I came out to find you in a fistfight with another student. I made my rules very clear, but you still took this detour. Both of your parents should also hear of this altercation. Now, I will repeat my question. Do I have to carry you, or will you walk?"

Evora snarled defiantly, probably not planning to answer. Auden just bowed his head. "I'd like to walk, please."

After another muttered curse, she said, "Me too." and they were released from the tendrils. Professor Aquana turned around, not watching them follow as they made their way back into the school.

The sharp tap tap tap of their cane and heels led what felt like a funeral procession down the hallway, and up to the Fairy Godmother's office.