Roxas' tone was candid when the locker door closed shut. "Where were you last night, Prince Charming?"
He answered with a wide grin. "Prince Charming? Is that what they're calling me now?"
"Only me," Roxas said with a frown. "I say it whenever I see someone with a goofy look on their face."
The boy smiled back at Roxas. He rubbed his chin with a delightful smile and said, "Why, I was simply out investigating the dormitories last night. And I must say, I investigated them firmly with a delicate touch."
"Knock it off," Roxas snarled with an eye roll, "you couldn't get laid even if you paid for it."
The boy tilted his wrist on his forehead in distress, "why, I'm not some ogre! I'll at least dance with her before I consider sinning."
Roxas pinched at the bridge of his nose, "Naveen, you were one of my best guards last year. Now I can't even get you to do nightwatch."
"Can you blame me if I can't help it? There weren't so many… Distractions… Last year."
As he spoke a group of glamorous girls walked down the hallways past them. They had glossy blonde hair with bright smiles, almost dazzling as they walked down the hall in their school uniforms. Cinderella, Aurora, and Belle were only a small sample of the beautiful women who roamed the school now. Catching the eye of every desperate man wherever they walked.
Presences like theirs was intoxicating for everyone else. But for Roxas, it was a living nightmare.
"Focus, Naveen," Roxus growled. "Look, I get it. Last year girls couldn't enroll here. You and half of the guards are giving up on their duties just to hang out with them. Just be honest with me, are you still committed to the watchdog committee or not?"
Naveen didn't respond. He was still staring at the girls who had passed by. With a long and heavy sigh, Roxas said, "alright, this settles it. You're off of the committee."
Naveen let out a dragged, sarcastic noise, "oh nooooo." And walked forward to follow where they'd gone to. "How ever will I fill this time?"
Roxas shook his head as he left his sight. 'Well, that's one less airhead I have to deal with.' Roxas stared down at the badge on his chest as he walked toward the mess hall. The watchdog committee was meant to be a preparatory club to teach students about law enforcement and catching warlocks.
A year ago, the committee was a reliable group of friends he could fall back on. He'd built the club from the ground up, both to fit in and to prove his self-worth in a place he didn't belong. With the new addition of students, nearly all his friends had given up on the group to pursue courtships with the new enrolees.
"Ugh," he grumbled reaching the mess halls. The delicate smell of cuisines conflicted with his emotions. Aromas coming from the kitchen were some of the finest smells Australia could afford. Fruit from Central America, Arabian breads, African beans and Indian spices. The School cut no expense when it came to feeding its students. Which only made the romantic gestures among students that much more effective.
Charming and Philip were chatting up with the ones who'd passed him in the hallways. Eric had taken a liking to a redheaded girl, though she rarely spoke back to him. Beast and Aladdin were too self-conscious to approach the girls they liked, with Gaston was giving them shitty advice. In truth, it was all shitty advice.
The boys didn't know how to approach girls, and the girls didn't know how to respond to boys. It was like puppies meeting puppies for the first time. Making up arbitrary rituals to win over their counterparts. They couldn't actually fail because no one knew if they were doing anything wrong or not.
It was a grand game of love, and no one had the rulebook.
"What did you just call me!?"
Heads turned towards the shouting. It was Alice. One of the more… Vocal students in School.
"Thank you?" Alice pushed the husky boy away from her. "You don't get to come to my dorm, and tell me I owe you anything!"
Maui's lips perched. He looked around the room and noticed others looking his way. "I think we're getting off the wrong foot," Maui said grinning. "When I said, you owe me, I meant it in a good way. As in, you owe me, for letting you spend time with me."
Roxas shook his head. Alice pulled her hand back into a fist.
"Oh boy, here we go."
Black tar wrapped around Alice's arm. It solidified into a rock-like substance with tendrils sporadically sprouting about. Alice slammed her fist against Maui's body. The punch splattered tar around them and sent Maui flying across the cafeteria.
"He had it coming," Roxas said standing up.
This was the school they lived in. One year ago, only boys and humans were allowed to enroll But after the gold rush brought in so many new people, the Akademia Commune decided to allow warlocks and girls to enroll as well.
The vast majority of new enrollees were witches. Powerful beings that could take out armies. Roxas was an Ashen Acolyte. Training to become a warrior to someday hunt down rogue warlocks. Things were peaceful a year ago. But now, just as the watchdog committee was at its lowest member count, warlocks roamed the school ready to break down the institution walls at any moment.
Roxas pulled a necklace from around his neck. Aether Crystals. The only tools capable of mimicking warlock abilities. The only weapon capable of capturing warlocks. He raised his Crystal towards Alice. Before he could trigger it, another girl slammed her heel against the table.
"Stop!"
The students turned towards her. It was Aqua. She pointed heroically towards Alice and yelled, "you need to apologize!"
Roxas facepalmed. "Oh god, not now."
Aqua subtly looked over at Roxas and winked, signaling that she'd take care of it.
Aqua had been annoying him for weeks about joining the Watchdog Committee. Suggesting that the best warlock hunters were fellow warlocks. The problem was; having a warlock on the committee could lead to massive collateral damage. Fights between Ashen and warlock students are bad enough. But fights between untrained warlocks? The walls couldn't withstand such a prospect.
There was no doubt in his mind that Aqua was ready to throw hands with Alice just to prove her own worth. Even if it cost the structural integrity of the school.
[] Roxas decides its best to get between them before this escalates out of control
[] Roxas decides to wait and see how this plays out, and only intervene if things get out of hand
