A Misappropriated Tart

Before any more words were said, Xinyi grabbed Ace by the arm and pulled him inside, making sure to close the door behind them. She led him to the lounge, having him sit on the sofa before leaving again. When she returned she brought a warm cup of tea, which he accepted eagerly.

They sat in silence for a bit before it was broken by the small monster. "That's the same collar that red-haired upperclassmen put on me during the entrance ceremony. Why do you have something like that on?"

Ace looked away, not meeting the two residents' gaze. "I ate a tart," he mumbled bitterly.

Xinyi looked at him with a tilted head. "Huh? A tart?" she asked, not understanding what he meant. 

"You heard me. Just that," he confirmed before relaying the story. "I was hungry when I got back to the dorm, so I checked the fridge and the tarts were chilling inside. Three whole tarts! So…"

*****

Ace had just gotten back to the dorm leaving Deuce to his room. His stomach groaned as he walked down the halls. "Ugh, I'm so exhausted after the first day. I haven't even eaten. I'm so hungry." he ventured into the kitchen "What's in the fridge?" he asked as he opened it. "Ah, tarts! These look delicious!"

Ace licked his lips in hunger. "There's so many. Shouldn't hurt if I have a slice~" looking around to make sure no one saw had gently taken a piece out of the platter and onto a plate. He took it to the table and sat down. "Bon appetit!" he called before taking a bite. "Whoa! This tastes amazing! What the hell?!"

"Of course it's delicious. Trey does not bake tarts that are anything less than exquisite." A sudden voice came from behind him, startling Ace a bit.

"Seriously, this tastes insane! It tastes even better than the stuff you get at-" he stopped when he saw the red hair and silver eyes of Riddle. "Holy crap!... Dorm leader!?" Ace jumped out of his seat in surprise.

Riddle narrowed his eyes at the first year, unhappy with the ginger's decisions. "You certainly have some nerve putting your hands on things that belong to me." the dorm leader stated before raising a hand. "Queen of Hearts Rule number eighty nine: 'One shall not eat a tart without the queen's permission.' Tart theft is an unforgivable crime! Off With Your Head!"

With that, a bright flash came and the heart-shaped collar appeared around Ace's neck, choking him slightly.

*****

"...the end." Ace finished explaining the events that had transpired before he arrived at the ramshackle dorm. Both Grim and Xinyi looked at their friend with an unsurprised gaze. They said nothing and listened but one could tell they were not reacting the same as the ginger.

"You're both in the wrong, you know," Grim grumbled, to which the girl nodded in agreement.

Ace gaped at them in surprise. "Don't you think it's a little much to seal my magic just because I took a tiny bit of tart?! I'm a mage! This is basically like having my arms and legs all chained up. And anyway, there were three whole tarts in there! There's no way he could eat them all by himself! How narrow-minded can one guy be?!" the last part he muttered but it was audible by everyone in the room.

Xinyi shook her head thinking a bit. "Mmm… well…" she started, trying to relate to him. She did not bear any magic so she was living what he felt. "I-I won't deny that, but…"

"That's all you have to say?" Ace exclaimed, glaring at the girl.

Grim looked at Xinyi and began to think. "Hang on…" he gasped, putting a paw in the air. "If there were so many tarts, they could've been for some party or something. Y'know, like a birthday party. I'm a master of deduction, I tell ya!" Xinyi smiled in agreement while Ace stared at them.

"A birthday party?" he said in a bit of bewilderment.

"T-that would certainly explain his anger." the girl said then looked at Ace. "D-did you apologize?" She somewhat already knew the answer.

Ace looked away, not meeting the girl's gentle gaze. "Um… I thought maybe if it's you, the dorm leader wouldn't be so cruel," he muttered, knowing that Xinyi had a calming effect on people. She also didn't have magic so the dorm leader wouldn't have any control over her.

The girl only shook her head, coming beside the first year to look into his eyes. "I-I know it's demeaning, but..." she paused with a sigh. "Stealing isn't good."

"You're also at fault for eating his food." Grim agreed, making the ginger glare at him.

Xinyi giggled a bit before standing up to put the dishes away. "Let's go apologize tomorrow." she started, moving towards the kitchen "I'm sure he'll forgive you if you apologize. For now, I'll make you something to eat, since you still haven't had anything." Ace muttered a small thank you before she disappeared behind the door

Grim sighed, annoyed by the situation. "Don't underestimate grudges over food, Xinyi," he warned before realizing something. "Ah! Wait a second, I never got my tuna can from the headmaster!" He rushed into the kitchen after Xinyi, Ace following close behind.

When the two got there a bowl of soup was on the counter and a can of tuna, Xinyi was in the background washing some dishes. The boys didn't say anything, sitting down to eat the food.

While Grim started goblin his down, Ace merely picked at the small vegetables. "I know I should just apologize." He confessed then looked at the girl. "...This is your idea, Xinyi, so you are coming with me."

She looked at him with a small smile. "I understand." was all she said before continuing to clean.

After they finished and the dishes were clean the ginger spoke up again. "So then, where should I sleep for the time being?" he asked.

Grim glared at him. "You're seriously staying the night?" The monster growled, jumping onto the girl's shoulder. "Every room is messy except for mine and Xinyi's rooms. If you wanna sleep here, clean a room for yourself."

Ace shook his head in disgust. "Bleh, I am not cleaning." He looked at Xinyi, with a slight smirk. "Xinyi~ Let me stay in your room. I'm slim so I won't take up a lot of space. 'Kay."

The girl shook her head, smiling a bit. "The rooms on the north side of the dorm are clean," she stated, moving away. "The beds just need some new sheets, that's all."

Ace looked at her surprised. "Really! That's fine, I guess." He followed her to one of the rooms, making the bed and receiving a spare change of clothing for sleep. Ace looked at the girl again with a small smile. "I'm going to sleep. Good night!" he said as he closed the door. Grim went to bed as well leaving the girl alone.

Sighing, she went to the kitchen looking through the ingredients. Once determined there was not enough she decided to head out, to get what was needed. "I hope I don't get in trouble for this," she muttered as she left the dorm. It was still dark out, not being but an hour or two after she and the others returned from the dwarf mines.

 She clutched her arm firmly remembering the injury she received from the monster. What had that thing been? Why had it been there? Why had it been protecting the magic crystal? So many questions flowed through her head which stopped the moment she heard a cough behind her. Turning she was met with a familiar friendly face.

"Headmaster!"

*****

The sun was beginning to shine through the windows when Ace was startled awake by a pounding sound. "Ugh… Who's knocking on the door this early in the morning?" he grumbled looking around. "Uh! This place is so rundown, dust comes falling at the smallest shake!" another round of banging came, sending more dust down. "I'm coming! Just stop banging on the door!" He called walking down the halls to the foyer. He was surprised by the other two not being there but didn't question it as he opened the door.

A familiar black-haired freshman looked at him with an unmistakable frown. "I thought you would be here," Deuce said glaring at Ace.

"Ugh. Deuce…" Ace moned not wanting to deal with this right now.

The other just shook his head. "I heard what happened from the other students. You got collared after you stole the dorm leader's tart. You are a complete idiot."

Ace growled. "Shut up! I don't need to hear it from you! So… is he still mad?" he asked, trying to calm his tone.

Deuce shook his head sadly. "Not really. He looked a little irritated at some guys who were late for the morning roll call but…" he was debating whether or not to tell his friend this but in the end, it wouldn't make a difference. "Three people met the same fate as you." was all he said looking away from the ginger.

Ace gaped at the raven. "That's your definition of 'not really'?! He hasn't calmed down at all!" he yelled, rushing inside to get dressed. Deuce waited in the lounge for him and the other two residents. When they came down, a certain girl was not among them.

"Where is Xinyi?" Deuce questioned, but only received a shrug from Grim.

"She wasn't in her bedroom so I assumed she left already," Grim explained. "Her loss if she's late. I'm not helping her this time."

With that, the three left walking down a familiar path of Main Street. Grim danced across the stone, smiling happily. "Hey hey. Outta my way!" he chimed. "The Great Grim is making his way as a student of Night Raven College!" He then looked at himself. "Look at my collar, given to me by headmaster Crowley, Unlike the rest of you!" he elated before looking at Ace. "On top of that, you still can't use magic right now, yeah? You'd make a good janitor today. I feel good!"

Ace growled, glaring at the small monster. "I'll remember this for when I get my magic back!" He threatened, having little effect on the creature's mood.

Deuce got in between the two, trying to break them up. "The headmaster just told us yesterday not to make another scene…" he warns, trying to settle them.

"Y-you won't let that stuff from yesterday go…" a sudden voice caused them to look up at the girl heading towards them. Her hair and eyes were now covered by the hood of her jacket but a small smile was on her lips. "G-good morning." She said with a slight wave. A bag was on her shoulder.

"Xinyi! Where have you been!" Grim exclaimed, going up to her shoulder. "You weren't in the room! Did you do something!"

The girl was a bit startled but slowly relaxed. "I-I went out to grab something earlier in the morning. I-I met the headmaster on the way and we got to talking, h-he even helped me with some of it," she said, helping Grim up, and looking at the other boys. "I-I hadn't realized how much time had gone by. I-I swear I did leave a note."

Ace only laughed, placing a hand on her shoulder. "No, you're fine. Just worried, that's all," he said, before looking at her side. There was a cooler back hanging from her shoulder, not big but noticeable. "Hey, what's in the bag?"

The girl jumped a bit in surprise. "I-i-it's a s-secret." She said looking away, clutching it a bit.

The other looked at each other and the girl but decided not to press. From what they experienced, she was easily frightened. Deuce cleared his throat, drawing their attention. "Nevertheless, you're going to have problems in class with your magic sealed," he said looking at Ace. "Have you thought about apologizing to Dorm Leader Rosehearts and having him remove it?"

Ace groaned glaring at the ground. "Damn it, I can't believe I have to do this."

Grim's ears perked up, and an evil smile creeped onto his face. "We've still got time before class and I'm curious about the other dorms." he turned to Xinyi but kept an eye on the ginger. "While Ace goes to apologize, let's go look around."

"This isn't a show! Damn it!" Ace chased after the monster as they began to yell. The other two watched and waited for their friends to calm down to go to the Heartslabyul dorm.

Stick with the people who pull the magic out of you and not the madness.

- unknown