Expectations When Expecting

Book 3, Chapter 7

Yuu paced outside of the classrooms, waiting to see if Jack would join her. She did feel bad about skipping classes, but it was necessary in order for her to figure out whatever Azul was playing at. Stuck in her own head she muttered her rants before she slammed face-first into someone.

"Ack- sorry. I didn't see you..." She finally looked up, rubbing her nose. "Jack?!"

His golden eyes sparkled in amusement as he lifted his hand to wave at Yuu. "Yo. I'm here and ready to get this Azul thing started."

Yuu squinted up at him, raising an eyebrow. "Wow. I wasn't expecting you to show up." She rubs her sore nose again. "Nor was I expecting to slam into the brick wall you call a chest."

Jack smirked. "Sorry." The wolf man shrugged dismissively. "Besides, the headmage ordered this personally. He'll let an unexcused absence slide." His ears lowered in annoyance as he grumbled. "... And, I don't like admittin' defeat."

Yuu nodded. "Fair enough. Now, let's go. I didn't get a copy of his schedule from the Headmage just to dawdle around here."

"Got it. So, what's his first period anyway?"

"Let's see... it says," Yuu squinted at the letters on the page. "Music."

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Music, Animal Linguistics, and Alchemy. Yuu and Jack had tailed him through all of those classes and only figured out that Azul seemed to be incredibly talented in multiple areas. Currently in the cafeteria, Yuu and Jack were sitting across the cafeteria from Azul and his two giants.

"I think I'll have some squid ink pasta for lunch today. Ah, but I do need my vegetables as well." Azul stated. "An all-carb meal would be quite nutritionally lopsided... and more to the point, it would go straight to my thighs."

Jack frowned. "Seems like Azul's a perfect honors student in every way." He remarked, looking at the quietly seething Yuu.

"There has to be something we're missing." Yuu muttered, rubbing Grim's head in a desperate attempt to calm herself.

Grim whined and mewled, clearly achy from his short time as an indentured servant. "Azul sure didn't waste any time workin' us to the bone. If I wasn't dead on my feet before, I sure am now." His ears were pinned to the sides of his head as his forked tail drooped exhaustedly.

"Cleaning Octavinelle Dorm, waiting tables at the lounge, going on grocery runs... He's been running me ragged..." Ace's groan was muffled as he spoke, faced down on the cafeteria table.

"I got called in at six a.m. this morning..." Deuce lamented, keeping his head on the table and his eyes closed in a desperate attempt to regain some energy. Yuu pitied her friends and hated how hopeless she felt, abandoning them to their fates. She wondered if she would fail as a mother as she failed as a friend.

Yuu, calm down. This isn't your fault.

"... It sure feels like it though."

Yuu snapped herself out of it when her three anemone boys sighed loudly.

Jack waved the boys off distastefully. "Pah. You reap what you sow."

Yuu whined, picking at her lunch. "I wish I could get them out of this mess." She poked at a potato, sighing, earning herself a worried glance from her friends.

"... Why the long faces, boys?" A sadistically amused voice broke through the silence of their table. Yuu turned around, instantly finding there to be a bitter taste in her mouth.

"Oh, fuck no." She groaned.

A crazed laugh escaped the second eel, as he and his brother stalked toward the table. "Look, Jade! It's a sea anemone garden." He teased, sitting beside Yuu, poking the anemone on Grim's head. Yuu slapped his hand away, eyes narrowed.

In her arms, Grim grumbled and shifted before finally deciding to turn around. The cat monster let out a horrified yowl as he sat up, hissing as the fur at the scruff of his neck raised, terrified.

"It's them! It's the lookalike brothers!"