As Hoshi and Ace focused on painting the roses, Deuce and Grim struggled to change the colors of the roses. After spending a while painting three, four, or maybe five bushes, she turned around noticed Ace was still busy with his third bush while Deuce was still working on the first bush with Grim.
"Red... Red..." Deuce muttered almost like a mantra and used his magic, "BAM! Wh-whoa! It turned blue?!"
"Change, o foul color! Change! AHA!" Grim emitted magic from his collar only for the the beautiful white rose to burst into flames, "BWAH! The rose caught on fire!"
Hoshi hesitated, "Did you just made that up? …Why?"
"Wow. You're even less competent than I thought." Cater entered the garden with an amused look across his face.
"Yo, maybe you should just leave the roses white! They look perfectly pretty 'n stuff to me." Ace complained indignantly.
"It's a matter of tradition." Cater replied with a smile, "You can't have an unbirthday party without the roses being red. And you can't play croquet without seven-colored flamingos as mallets and a hedgehog for a ball. Oh, but of course, the roses need to be white when the garden flowers put on their spring concert. That's absolutely crucial."
Hoshi and Grim were shocked upon hearing this as Grim exclaimed, "All your rules are completely insane!"
"Why?" Hoshi raised a brow with deep confusion.
"They say the Queen of Hearts made up these rules herself - she was one of the Great Seven, you know." Cater replied, "And Riddle is all about tradition. Probably more than previous housewardens, T-B-H. I'll admit that he's, well... a bit extra."
"Extra?" Hoshi pondered in confusion as she felt a little more concerned. Why was she so concerned about someone who she only heard through rumors and seen once?
"Yeah, no kidding. I sure don't have time for this nonsense. Is Riddle here? I gotta talk to him." Ace put down the paint and bucket as he grumbled wearily.
"Yeah, probably." Cater replied with a hesitant look as he pointed out to him, "But are you sure that's wise? Did you even bring an apology tart to replace the one you ate?"
"Uh, no...? I came here first thing in the morning!" Ace scowled with irritation.
"Ah ah ah... That could be a problem." Cater responded wagging a finger, "Have you forgotten rule 53?"
"Rule 53?" Hoshi noted in confusion as she placed the equipment down and thought aloud, "When you say an apology tart, do you mean it's a rule to bring another tart to replace the previous one?"
"Bingo!" Cater smiled, "Stolen items must be replaced." If you're not in compliance, I can't let you in."
"To get a replacement tart, we will have to go outside right?" Hoshi pondered in confusion, "Is there a place where we can get another tart?"
"It'd be outside of the school grounds and we aren't allowed to leave without permission." Deuce replied quietly, "Any other days we can leave without permission is the weekend. But why should we bring tart with us?"
"If it's for a party, they probably need a replacement to a perfect looking tart. If it's the weekend..." Hoshi muttered.
"Yeah..." Grim muttered in agreement with a hopeless expression.
"Are you serious?!" Ace exclaimed in an outburst.
"All dorm residents must obey the rules. If I let you slide, it would be off with my head next!" Cater explained with an exasperated look as he pulled out his magic pen, "I hate to say it, Ace, but I'm gonna need you to leave before Riddle spots you. Thanx".
"I... think this guy is for real. You guys, do something!" Ace yelped in surprise.
"Why should WE do anything?" Deuce cried out as Ace leapt behind Deuce.
"C'mon, please! I can't use magic! Hurry, he's-!"
Before Ace could finish, Cater already shot some magic attack at them. Before it could hit them, Hoshi leapt in and scooping up Grim before he could get hit. "At least let us leave on our own!"
Suddenly, Cater appeared from the light magic as it reached out for Grim. Shocked, Hoshi stomped a foot into the soil and kneed him in the chin with the other leg. She then leapt back as Grim cried out, "Let's go! Give him another kick!"
"Not now." Hoshi responded with a frown, "We're not here for a fight, remember?!"
"But-!"
Suddenly, there was a huge gust of wind, sweeping everyone off their feet!
"Huh? Woah!" Hoshi and Grim flew into the air and she barely landed on her feet! However, the other two weren't so lucky.
Having recovered from the fall, the two looked up only to find themselves thrown outside of the rose maze.
"Wha-?!" Ace cried out in confusion.
Cater was waving at the entrance door of the maze as he smiled, "Do make sure you bring that tart next time, m'kay? Buh-bye now!"
With that, the door was shut behind him as he walked away.
"Was that guy for real?!" Ace exploded!
"We hit him over and over, but he just kept coming. Maybe he was using some kind of illusion magic?" Ace muttered in confusion.
"So lemme get this straight: we walked in there, totally tartless, but this dude still made us do that whole song and dance before throwing us out?" Ace exclaimed as he sees his logic was not received properly, "He just wanted to make us paint his stupid roses!"
"We sure look like a bunch of chumps." Grim grumbled in disbelief whilst ignoring Ace's rant.
"I guess we'll just have to get an apology tart and come back. Maybe after class, we can- Oh no!" Deuce jumped in horror as it dawned on him, "We already missed the first bell! We're gonna be late for class!"
"Oh no!" Hoshi gasped as she finally remembered the note from the headmage that morning stating she would be in Class 1-A. Not just that, but he explicitly wrote on there not to be late and now she is running late!
"Myah! I don't wanna get a blemish on the first day of my glorious Night Raven education!" Grim exclaimed in horror.
"To the classroom, pronto!" Hoshi exclaimed and the four of them dashed to the school building!
Once inside, Hoshi realized how cold she must have been as the warm air hit her. It has been so cold she could barely register how low the temperature must've been! The weather outside was a far cry from being acceptable compared to indoors. However, once her attention returns to the interior, she paused as some eyes rested on her. Some began murmuring amongst themselves as they watched from a distance.
Grim noticed this too and puffed his chest with great pride, "Grim the great magician is here! Move outta the way!"
"Idiot!" Ace hissed, "They're not looking at you! Well, sorta…"
"It's Hoshi, right?" Deuce frowned.
"Well, duh." Ace scowled, "He sticks out like a sore thumb! He's the only guy who can't use any element magic! Plus, there's that rumor going around too… They probably have a lot to say and think about. Lets go!"
He petted her on the back as he walked up, "Things will only get weird if we stay here."
"Rumor?" Hoshi tilted her head innocently.
"Come on, Hoshi. Grim." Deuce urged them forward as he walked ahead.
Despite what he said, Hoshi couldn't feel the same sense of nervousness as the two felt and walked after than without any problems.
"Hey, so what class are you guys in, anyway? You're freshmen too, right?" Deuce changed the subject abruptly as he looked around the halls.
"Yeah." Hoshi took out the piece of paper that came with her uniform that morning.
"The headmage said we're in Class 1-A!" Grim stated proudly.
"Hey, that's the same one I'm in. We got Potionology for first period." Deuce replied with a wide smile.
"Potionology?" Hoshi hummed as she recalled a bottle the headmage once drank, "So making potions?"
"Oh ho, yeah! That sounds awesome!" Grim cheered.
Despite their enthusiasm, Ace wasn't as surprised to hear this. He could only recall the Hoshi's new case carrier counselor requesting the two of them to help watch over Hoshi. Without a doubt, the headmaster and the other teachers must've pulled some strings to put the four of them together. Yet, the idea that Potionology was their first class and they gotta cover Hoshi made him recall another bothersome fact…
His collar.
He grumbled as butterflies danced in his stomach, "M-maybe I don't need magic for that?"
Hearing this, Hoshi thought about it for a bit before she opened her mouth, "Maybe not. You know I'm not familiar with this world… but I did read from an old book in the dorm that the beautiful queen can't use magic, but is still able to make many amazing potions. Maybe we won't be needing magic in this class?"
Ace hesitated with a sense of confusion, "Then I guess I might be all right... Maybe… I think? Hah… To think you're already calm enough to make conclusions like that… Well, I hope you're right."
As they made their way through the halls, Hoshi felt rather hesitant. Actually, she was so tired last night that the two of them crashed as soon as they returned to their room. She wasn't even sure how she knew this information about one of those statues at all! Could she have something to do with the Great Seven?
However, no matter how she thought about it, it was futile. The legends and eras of the great seven was long gone. So how could she have anything to do with them?
Just who was she?
The potionology room looked like a small lab with a few tables positioned around a large black cauldron. Around them, a number of shelves stood tall against the walls filled with vials of color liquids or jars with some small creature or objects preserved in liquid. A few books sat on the shelves propping up large objects behind them, such as branches of trees. Uncertain of what the class would be about, the four sat behind one of the tables just as they've seen others do the same. As few students passed their tables, she could feel many eyes on them as Grim frowned, "I know it's unusual for you to be here, but isn't this a little too many eyes?"
"I agree… Maybe…" Deuce hesitated as he glanced over at Ace, "Ah! Perhaps, they weren't just looking at Hoshi."
"Oh! That's right!" Grim sneered, "Ace's collar!"
"We certainly are an oddball here, then." Hoshi chuckled.
"Ha. Ha." Ace scowled with irritation across his face, "There's nothing funny about this!"
Suddenly a voice interrupted their conversation as a tall man in a tuxedo with a giant black and white fur coat with a hood walked past them, "Ah. You must be my new homeroom students."
His voice carried a hint of displeasure as he turned around and his eyes landed on her. Realizing the hood was actually his parted black and white hair, she looked back at him in confusion which made him raise a brow and observe her more closely, "Hm, that's quite the unusual coat of fur. Do make sure that you arrive properly groomed."
Fur?
She looked around in confusion as the man seemed even more displeased by her action. He walked up to the chalk board and began, "My name is Divus Crewel. You may call me Master Crewel."
Divus Crewel?
That name seems to ring a bell for her but she could not recall when or where she heard it.
"Now, the rest of you take your seats. Class is about to begin. We're going to start with the basics." He instructed confidently as he raised a black teaching pointer, "And by that, I mean beating the names and distinguishing characteristics of one hundred herbs and poisons into your tiny brains. The mycelia are another matter. But eventually, I'm hopeful you'll be able to take a walk without putting anything poisonous into your gaping maws. For now, I realize you have all the self-control of voracious hounds. But I will not abide a single student failing this class. Expect to be drilled accordingly."
His enthusiasm for teaching caught her off guard when his expression hardly looked amused. He seemed more bored or annoyed if anything.
Confused, Deuce whispered to them, "Huh. So... does anyone know what a mycelia is?"
"I've never been one for like, memorizing what things are, ya know?" Ace complained quietly.
"All I care about is how to tell the yummy plants from the yucky ones." Grim added in disappointment.
Hoshi was hardly surprised by Grim's words. The professor continued his lesson as he instructed them to wear their lab coat and equipments.
"Are everyone just as… unexpecting?" Hoshi muttered softly to herself.