A Tradition Lesson

The fighting was kept to a minimum with the help of Xinyi. She directed the attacks and countermeasures against the assailant so no one else was hurt and damages were not a problem. Eventually, the attackers ran out of steam, deciding to retreat. 

"M-Maybe you're a little better than I thought…"

"We'll let you off the hook this time since the pasta is getting cold!"

They ran away after complaining, causing Grim to laugh. "Heh, they're all bark and no bite! What a disappointment!"

Xinyi was still shaking slightly and ended up collapsing on the floor. Deuce and Ace helped her up seeing as she was pretty frightened. "I-I thought we were finished," she mumbled as she teared up.

Both boys were at a loss for what to do but Ace took the lead. "Let's just have lunch. I haven't even eaten breakfast. I feel like I'm gonna pass out." he joked trying to lighten her mood. He ended up bringing Xinyi to a seat and helping get her situated.

Deuce stayed back and descended to make sure the delinquents didn't try to bother them again. "Ha. Well, this was a terrible experience. I didn't think there'd be such hooligans at this prestigious magician school." he then looked back at his friends who finally found a table.

Grim had already started eating happily, not even bothered by the mess that just happened. "No point dwelling on the riff-raff! Let's eat! Om nom nom! Delicious!" he smiled so joyously trying to help his supervisor. 

"The egg of the omelet is so light and fluffy, and the center is filled with such gooey cheese!" he then looked at his two champions, his mouth still full of egg. "*nom nom* So we saw your guys' dorm this morning, but what are the other dorms like?"

"You know about the statues of the Great Saven displayed on Main Street, right?" A familiar voice said, causing everyone to turn. "There's seven of them so there are seven dorms," Cater smiled at them.

"Hey! You're the one from this morning!" Ace said grumply.

"You tricked us into painting those roses for you!" Grim exclaimed, growling at the man.

Cater just smiled nonchalantly at them. "I wasn't trying to trick you, you know? I didn't want to do it either." He said. "But I have to do it because it's dorm rules!"

"Well, you looked pretty happy about it…" Deuce grumbled.

"Now now, Deucey." Cater jokes. "Those rules are only while we're inside the dorm, so right now. Caycay is just your kind, friendly senior."

Deuce jumped up. "D-Don't call me Deucey!" He tried to intimidate but failed.

Laughter was then heard coming towards the table. "Haha, that's just how Cater shows affection." a man with short, dark green hair came up behind Cater patting him on the shoulder. He was tall and fair-skinned. His eyes were warm hazel and with black, full-rimmed glasses. On his left cheek is a small, black clover. He wore the same uniform as everyone and shared the same armband as the Heartsibal students.

Ace stared at the newcomer. "Wait so… Who is that next to you?"

The man looked up with a clever smirk on his face. "Oh, my bad, I am Trey," he said, sitting next to Cater. "Trey Clover. Just like Cater, I am a third year here at Heartslabyul." He looked over at Xinyi who was still calming down. "So you're from the Ramshackle *cough* You're the freshman who is residing at that unused dorm, right? I heard from Cater about all the trouble these guys have caused you. Sorry about that."

"Tch, I was sitting right next to you…" Ace muttered while the girl lightened up a bit more.

She laughed and shook her head. "I-It's no t-trouble, Ace and Deuce a-are good company a-and have been helping me g-get used to things," Xinyi said, gaining an unseen smile from the two boys.

Cater then jumped in already excited to get to know the unique student. "Come on, we are in the same class, so let's get along, contact info exchange~" he exclaimed getting closer to her.

"I, um…" Xinyi started to shake again, not used to all the attention.

Cater looked at her curiously. "Huh? What's got you all stiff like a board, Xinyi? Everything's okay, you're doing fine, just relax!" He said in a joking tone trying to alleviate some of her tension. "Ooh, are you one of those types that can talk a lot more through Magicame? Tell me your account later, all right?"

 Despite his enthusiastic world, the student looks down shyly. "I-I don't have a smartphone," she mumbled, just loud enough to hear.

Cater's eyes widened in shock. "Eh? You don't have a smartphone? Seriously? That's so rare!" He then stopped himself as he saw how she flinched at his words. "I'll introduce you to some places to get the latest model cheaper~ When do you plan on getting a smartphone?"

"Cater, you're gonna scare the new kid off. Calm down a bit." Tray intervenes, pulling his housemate back to his seat.

Cater decided to laugh it off and focus on the question at hand. "Sorry sorry! So you were asking about the other dorms? That's a good conversation topic! Makes for a nice change. Let your elders tell you whatever you wanna know."

"First of all, I'd like to ask about your dormitory first." Ace decided to get as much information as he could. "Like, what's this weird rule 'The Law of the Queen of Hearts'"

"You've probably heard about the legendary Queen of Hearts," Trey explained calmly. "To adhere to discipline, she created the strictest of rules, to keep the citizens of her world in line."

"And out of respect for the Queen of Hearts. Our dorm Heartslabyul wears red and black to represent her dress." Cater jumped in. "It's a tradition to obey the laws created by the Queen of Hearts."

Grim looked up from his meal with a distasteful expression. "That's a pretty strict dorm huh?" he muttered.

Cater looked away with a sheepish grin. "Well how strict the tradition is held depends on the dorm head, but former dorm managers were a lot more lenient."

Trey nodded his head in agreement. "Riddle, however, is the most strict of all past dorm managers." he expanded. "That is why he tries so hard to preserve the tradition to the fullest extent."

"Geh… how annoying…" Ace murmurs in annoyance but is ignored by most.

Grim then looked up fully and started looking around the room. "So, what about the other dorms?"

"Tut, tut, child!" said the Duchess. "Everything's got a moral, if only you can find it."

Lewis Carroll Alice's Adventures in Wonderland