A Garden of Blooming Coals: Twisted Wonderland OC

Chapter 4 - Peony

"Do the carriages really go underwater?" Hina asks, giving a small grunt as her coffin jerks slightly with, what she's assuming is, a turn of her own carriage.

Holding her phone in this cramped box is hard enough without being jolted around. Why's she even need to be in a box? She's literally the only Vulcanian attending this school, so it's not like it's to save room.

Then again, she did pack a lot...

Jade's voice comes in through one end of the three way call. "Indeed they do, Sunfish. It's quite the odd experience, if I might say."

"I imagine," Hina says, "Seeing that picture of you guys in the uniforms for the first time blew Mama's mind."

Then comes Floyd's raspy laugh, "Orca's always been like that."

Hina giggles. "She wouldn't stop gushing over how tall you two got... I'm kinda nervous to see it in person."

This time Jade speaks. "Is that because you've still not broken the 150 centimeter mark?"

Hina huffs. "You don't have to rub it in," she says, shifting in an attempt to get comfortable in her coffin.

It's certainly not torture, being plush and lined with soft, plum velvet and smelling of seasalt and Uki Uki lilies, but they could have at least made it slightly wider. She's starting to get a cramp in her elbow from having it bent like this for so long. Ah, well at least the robes of her temporary uniform are comfortable. Soft and loose fitting over her button down and slacks. With the hood pulled up over her curls, and with how soft the inside of the coffin is, the robes feel almost like a blanket..

"You guys are in the Sea Witch's dorm, right? What's it called again?" she asks, once more adjusting herself as best she can without wrinkling her clothes

"Octavinelle," Jade supplies.

"Azul's the leader," Floyd adds, "You remember him, right Sunfish?"

How could Hina forget? Azul is a rather interesting character. Hina doesn't know him well, but there would sometimes be times in the past where he would have to come to Waigula himself to get the twins for some kind of work they never go into detail about. She certainly doesn't dislike Azul. Actually, she sort of... has to respect him. He's half man, half octopus, just like the god of death and the deep ocean, Kanaloa, so Hina's somewhat convinced he's at least slightly demigod, though he doesn't bare the types of Kanaloa features that Aheahe does, no dark blue hair, no death aura, no skeletal parts of his body swirling with indigo magic.

On second thought... that's probably a good thing.

"Yeah, I remember Azul," Hina replies, "Somehow I'm not surprised that he's your dorm leader."

"Housewarden," Jade reminds gently.

"Right," Hina nods, "Azul for housewarden, you for vice housewarden, right?"

Jade hums. "Correct."

"Jade makes such a good vice house warden," Floyd says, "He doesn't make me do any of his work."

Hina snickers. "Isn't he the one always doing your homework?" she gently teases.

"Hey!" Floyd whines, "Jade, Sunfish is being mean."

Jade's quiet, low chuckle. "Such a silver tongue you've gotten yourself from that school," he muses, "Never did I think I would see the day."

"What?" Hina says, quirking a brow, though she knows neither twin sees it, "I'm friends with you two and Aheahe, what'd you expect?"

"For you to still choke on nothing whenever I call you cute," Floyd chimes in.

Unfortunately for Hina, and fortunately for Floyd, she does give an audible choke, something that happens whenever she's caught off guard or embarrassed.