Cobalt's first day wasn't quite as illustrious as he had hoped it would be. For on thing, his students didn't respect him in the slightest, either talking throughout his lessons or ignoring the Incubus altogether. He tried once more to call roll at the end of the day, but his nerves got the better of him, causing him to call Izzbelle's name three times before she lobbed a dictionary at his head, knocking him flat on his back and earning a chorus of chiding laughter from the entire class. Saddled with a small mountain of paperwork to sort through, Cobalt was then forced to sit through a faculty meeting, where he felt as though his colleagues didn't quite see him as an equal. By the time he finally stepped outside, it was pushing six o'clock.
"Harder than you thought, huh?" spoke a voice from behind him.
Craning his neck, the Incubus glanced back to see Mr. Hersh shutting the school doors, the same Glutton that helped him with his luggage earlier in the morning.
"Yes... At least I'll sleep tonight," Cobalt replied, smiling weakly.
If there was one thing he was looking forward to, it was staying in the teacher's apartments. Like a home away from home, they were fitted with everything an educator needed; a private office, a personal lounge and even a brand-new computer setup. He had no idea how to use a computer, but Cobalt was more than willing to learn. If it helped him to streamline his paperwork, he was all for new experiences.
"Speaking of, I've been meaning to bring something up with you, Cobalt," Hersh stated, tucking his briefcase beneath an arm as he adjusted his glasses.
Gingerly, he handed the Incubus a weathered key, stamped with the number 521. It looked familiar to Cobalt. Far too familiar.
"There was... a mixup. I'll admit, it's my fault; well, mine and Mr. Zespire's, not that he'll admit it. You see, when you first approached us this morning, we... well..."
His heart sinking into his shoes, the Incubus' shoulders slumped as he gave a deep, weary sigh. Of course; the key was for a room in the student dormitories.
"You thought I was a student, didn't you?"
"I- well- yes... I'm so sorry, Cobalt, I really am. Believe me, I tried to fix it, but I caught on too late. The room is already in your name, and your luggage has been delivered to it. I contacted one of the housekeepers and tried to see about transferring you to Mr. Whitaker's old apartment, but apparently it's being withheld for the school nurse, whenever she finally transfers in," explained the Glutton, wiping his green, sweat-soaked brow.
Cobalt stared at his shoes, feeling the cold tendrils of disappointment sapping his strength. But he caught himself before he could drop the sack of papers he was carrying. No, it would not do to let a little stumbling block like this keep him down. So he'd be living in the student dorms. Very well. So be it.
"It's alright, really. At least it'll be familiar surroundings, right?" he joked, thought his heart wasn't in it.
Mr. Hersh returned a weak laugh and quickly bid the Incubus farewell, apologising all the while. Turning on his heel, he set off down the opposite path, towards the teachers' apartments. With a weary sigh, Cobalt adjusted his course and began the long trek to the other end of the campus, where the student dormitories lay.
Walking the path back to the dorms was nostalgia, reminding the Incubus of his own time spent as a B.I.D. student. The ashbirches had grown taller since his departure, their pink leaves scraping the sky as tiny horned insects scuttled across their grey bark. The crunching gravel beneath his feet beat out a steady rhythm, and as he drew closer to the dorms themselves, the all-too-familiar smell of cigarette smoke and deodorant wafted by on the wind. Spotting a group of smoking Oni on one of the recreational benches, the Incubus called out to them.
"H- Hey, no smoking on campus!"
"Fuck off, you lil' shit!" came their eloquent reply.
He swallowed hard and kept his head down, cheeks burning with embarrassment as he quickened his pace. Perhaps now was not the time to be antagonising anybody.
Up ahead of him, the towering student dorms loomed. If rumours were to be believed, the two structures had apparently begun to lean over some thirty years back. Apparently, rather than build new dormitory buildings, the previous headmaster - a notorious cheapskate - commissioned the erection of multiple supportive beams between them, effectively bracing the two against one another. And against all odds, it worked. Though the struts were rusted and creaked during the night, the twin dormitories still stood.
Cobalt just wished he didn't have to spend the year in them.
Shunting the front door open, he forewent entering the tumultuous common room in favour of hauling his paperwork up the stairs, straining as the heavy pages threatened to tears his arms clean out of their sockets. Ascending the graffiti-covered stairwell, Cobalt kept his eyes to the dull beige carpet underfoot and slowly made his way towards room 521, his home for the next year. Unlocking the door, he opened it with his foot and took in his lodgings.
They hadn't changed a bit since he was a student.
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The student dormitory rooms consisted of a central bedroom, flanked by a small kitchenette and an even smaller bathroom. The wallpaper was dull and peeling in some places, while the couch over by the window had some dark stains on it. In place of a bed, Cobalt was dismayed to see a simple futon, and as he set his satchel down with the rest of his luggage, he noticed that the kitchen still lacked a basic microwave.
"Home sweet home, I suppose..." he sighed, unzipping his suitcases.
Unpacking was a simple affair; after all, it was mostly clothing. The wardrobe just about held all of his shirts and trousers, while one of the drawers on the dresser refused to open, forcing him to pile his socks in alongside his underwear. The bathroom thankfully had enough space for his toiletries, and the sink came supplied with a glass to store his toothbrushes in. Without a bed, the room had no need for a nightstand, so after winding his alarm clock, Cobalt simply set it one the floor beside the futon.
Exhaling deeply, the Incubus piled his paperwork onto the coffee table and collapsed onto the couch. It was becoming more and more likely that they were going to serve as his home office in the weeks to come, and there was no time like the present to begin. Producing a pen, Cobalt sighed and began to work.
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Four hours. It took four long, arduous hours of nonstop writing to get through the entire stack of clerical work he had been provided. The Headmistress had some last-minute forms for him to work through, his students' Language work needed correcting, and he had the next day's homework to arrange. By the time he was finished, his pen had run out of ink, his shirt was soaked with sweat and his fingers were aching. Leaning forward, he held his head in his hands and sighed.
"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea..." breathed the Incubus, massaging his temples.
"I dunno, sugar; I thought you did a wonderful job."
Cobalt sat bolt-upright, eyes wide as his heart froze at the sound of a voice from behind him. Slowly, a pair of hands slipped beneath his shirt and began to massage his shoulders, kneading his stiff muscles with practiced ease.
"Oh, I figured you'd be a softie, but you feel like a block of granite!" tittered the voice.
Catching himself, the Incubus cried out and pulled away, nearly tripping over his coffee table and knocking his paperwork askew. The voice laughed, and as Cobalt shook his head and gazed up at the window, he was shocked to see a woman sitting on his windowsill.
A shapely Succubus dressed in little more than a nightdress lounged outside the window, smiling sweetly as the night wind whipped at her jet black hair. As the Incubus guttered and struggled to speak, she fluttered her wings and climbed into his room.
"H- H- How did you-?!" he stammered, pointing at the window.
She laughed.
"I've been climbing these struts for a long time, sugar. And besides, I'm only across the way." she replied, shifting aside.
Across the way, a window on the girls' dormitory building lay wide open. Beneath it, a rusted metal beam linked it to Cobalt's room.
"Now, how about we get to know each other, hm?"
"But-!"
"My name is Karazelle, sugar. I would have told you properly this morning, but that nastiness with Izzbelle limited my options," she sighed, fanning herself.
What the Hell was she doing here?! Not only did she just walk a rusted tightrope from one fifth-floor room to another, her nightdress was a light breeze away from exposing her completely, and the look in her eyes was downright predatory!
"Now, I was kinda surprised when I heard you say you were a Trayer. Kind of a big name to be throwing around, huh?" the Succubus giggled, crossing her legs.
"I- I don't know what you-"
"Aw, he's shy! There's no need to be so modest, sugar; I've seen all your mom's movies. And I must say, you've definitely inherited her charm."
She sashayed towards him, eyes never looking away. Planting both hands on his cheeks, Karazelle smiled and licked her lips.
"Gotta say, I could just eat you up...!"
With a gentle shove, she pushed him down onto his futon. Naturally, Cobalt tried to save himself, but it appeared as though his fate was sealed once she pounced on top of him, straddling the poor Incubus with surprisingly powerful legs.
"Oh, sugar... never knew our kind could produce a man, so don't I feel like the luckiest girl in the world when I found out you were just a steel beam away?" Karazelle whispered huskily, bringing her head down low to playfully nip at his neck.
Electric shocks ran up and down Cobalt's spine as his brain shorted out. It was all too much; her breath felt hot against his flushed skin, her chest was pressed seductively against his own, even her sweat smelled sweet and honey-like. It was enough to leave a man daze, but gritting his teeth, Cobalt forced out a few words.
"Th- Th- This can't...! Student-teacher fraternisation...! I- It's against the rules...!" he squeaked, tightly squeezing his eyes shut in order to not end up staring down her top.
He heard her giggle once more.
"Don't be coy, sugar; you know how it goes. I'm a Succubus, you're an Incubus... it's only natural~!"
"I- I- I'm not like that!"
"Oho? If you're worried, I don't mind taking the lead. In fact..."
Leaning in close, she bit his ear.
"... I positively encourage it, sugar~!" breathed Karazelle, smiling devilishly.
"O- OKAY, THAT'S ENOUGH!"
Grabbing her shoulders, he drew upon all the strength he could muster and held the Succubus at arm's length, earning a bemused look from her. Avoiding her sapphire gaze, Cobalt cleared his throat and attempted to assert himself.
"A- As your core teacher, I cannot possibly condone such acts! P- Please, return to your room and stop this at once!" he cried, eyes shut tight enough to make stars dance at the edge of his vision.
Karazelle sighed overdramatically and relented. Pulling herself off her teacher, she turned to the window and stretched languidly, her wings and tail shuddering.
"Alright, alright, you win, sugar." she stated with a little smirk, pulling the window open.
Hopping up onto the sill, she glanced back and gave him a predatory wink.
"But just so you know, I'm not one to give up...!"
With a giggle and a swift lash of her tail, Karazelle took off across the beam with all the grace of a natural gymnast. Before he could blink, she swung herself back into her bedroom window before shutting it tight. Alone once more, Cobalt gasped for breath and fell back onto his futon.
He realised he was inheriting the "problem class", and he was willing to take such challenges head on. But he had no idea such challenges were going to be quite like... that!
Deigning to put such thoughts out of his head, the Incubus swiftly readied himself for bed. Flicking the light off with the pointed spade of his tail, he climbed beneath the covers of his futon and settled down for the night.
He sniffed a few times, only to be greeted by the lingering smell of the woman who had just visited him.
"Agh, get it together, Trayer!" Cobalt cried, burying his face into his pillow.
No, his first day was not as illustrious as he had hoped it would be. And yet somehow, it just defied his expectations in every way