The food that the girls had gotten their teacher was far from fancy. That much was obvious. But Cobalt wasn't a fanciful man, and since he wasn't about to refuse their generosity, he was quite surprised to find himself enjoying the simple eating. Eating plain-cheese pizza for every meal was far from ideal, but Whitney's vegetarian foods came in handy for when he wanted something different yet tasty. Lightly-salted oven chips made for a decent companion when the paperwork piled up, and he always had one of Jelli's baked good to look forward to at the end of the day. Lottie's contribution ensure that he wasn't lacking for calcium, and though Cobalt had yet to touch the whiskey Izzbelle had given him, he had decided to stash it away for a special occasion. Perhaps to celebrate the Winter Festival, or even New Years.

Broke as he was, December began to pass the Incubus by relatively peacefully, and that was all he could really ask for. The snow piled up, and by the third day of the month, the entire town of Brimstone had been covered in a thick blanket of the stuff. Snowmen popped up all over the campus, whilst the boys of the dormitories had begun work on two huge snow forts out on the lawn in anticipation of the massive snowball fight they were planning on having at the end of the month.

Unfortunately, though a lot of money had gone into renovating the school's central heating system, it simply wasn't enough to keep B.I.D.'s old stone buildings warm for very long, and after attempting to tough out the first few days, Cobalt eventually relented and began wearing his coat to class. Most of his students followed suit, save for the Oni, who didn't seem to mind the cold. Just seeing Izzbelle walk around in the snow with her arms exposed was enough to make the Incubus shiver.

"A- And that's lunch. H- Have that assignment done by next week, and I'll see you all at the end of the day," Cobalt called, rubbing his hands together as he finished up his Language class.

Where his students would have once coldly brushed off their teacher's words and charged off to the canteen, a few actually regarded their teacher with slight nods and grunts. Their reactions weren't much, but they made him smile. He was making progress with them.

One by one, they filed out of the classroom, save for a particular Succubus.

"Heading to the teacher's lounge for lunch, sugar?" she asked, slipping her books into her bag.

He nodded and wiped the chalkboard clean.

"I s- suppose so. I'm not thrilled at the p- prospect of walking home in th- that," he stammered, shivering all over as he pointed at out the frosted windows.

With a light giggle, Karazelle stepped over to her teacher and pulled her scarf off. Circling him, she slowly wound it around his neck, filling his nostrils with perfume and the Succubus' own sweet scent.

"Here. You look cold."

"Um... thank you?"

Clucking her tongue, she took a step back and pouted.

"You could at least act a little more grateful! I don't give my clothes to just anybody!" Karazelle chided, though he could tell by the glint in her eyes that she was only joking.

He sighed, but smiled right back.

"My apologies. Thank you ever so much for this wonderous gift, Miss Terna. You truly are a paragon like no other."

"Did... Did you just make a joke?"

"S- Sorry, I was just-"

She cut him off with a loud, echoing laugh.

"Hah! I knew I could melt that heart of ice eventually!" announced the Succubus proudly, pumping her fist in the air.

Shaking his head, Cobalt slung his satchel over his shoulder and nodded to his student.

"Alright, that's enough. Off to the canteen with you," he sighed.

Clasping her hands before her, Karazelle cocked her head coyly.

"Ooh, I'm making all kinds of progress today! Look at you, being all assertive!"

"Karazelle..."

She stuck out her tongue.

"Kidding. Come on; won't you join me? It's awfully cold out there in the corridors~"

Taking a deep breath, the Incubus just nodded. Sometimes, it was better to give in to her pestering. Besides, the staffroom was on the way.

"Very well. Let's go."

With one final check of his desk, Cobalt gestured for Karazelle to take the lead. She laughed and curtseyed. But as she headed for the door, the amicable silence was shattered by two short, sharp knocks.

"Are you in?" called a curt voice from outside.

"Um... I'm with a student at the moment!" Cobalt responded.

"I don't doubt it."

The door opened, revealing Mistress Viola in all her imposing glory. Not only did was she wearing her epauleted cloak, but beneath it she was wearing a stark winter coat, lined with short fur trims. Noticing the presence of her daughter, she turned her piercing eyes onto the Incubus.

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"I hope I'm not interrupting anything, boy," the headmistress said, shutting the door behind her.

Cobalt swallowed hard, already growing weak at the knees.

"N- No, not at all, miss..." he mumbled, staring at his feet.

Karazelle, noting the tense atmosphere, cleared her throat and held her bag to her chest.

"I'll, uh... I'll just head out, then..."

Her mother snapped her fingers.

"Stay. You may as well hear this."

Cobalt expected a response, but surprisingly, Karazelle just nodded and took a seat upon one of the desks. With a sigh, Mistress Viola folded her arms and raised a sharp eyebrow.

"I've had complaints. And allegations," she stated coolly.

"What do you mean...?"

"I mean you were seen gathering with your students atop the girl's dormitory. Not only were you somewhere off-limits to pupils and staff, but you were somewhere off-limits to men entirely. You understand how this looks, yes?"

As she drummed her fingers rhythmically, Cobalt began to fidget.

"I, um... I- It's not what it looks like, miss."

Her eyes narrowed.

"I thought I knew you well enough to know that you lacked any sense of carnality, boy. But if these rumours I'm hearing are true, then-"

"They're not."

Karazelle suddenly spoke up, drawing her mother's gaze.

"Karazelle, adults are speaking. Wait your turn," Mistress Viola stated dismissively.

"I am an adult, Momma. And Cob- Mr. Trayer hasn't done anything wrong," she continued, standing up.

"Need I remind you that you're a part of the offending party, Karazelle? Do I have to explain the school rules regarding teacher-student fraternisation?"

Karazelle bared her teeth, much to Cobalt's shock. He had never seen her look so irate, not even when she argued with Whitney.

"So we can't be friends? Come on, Momma, Mr. Trayer wouldn't lay a finger on any of us!"

As she raised her voice, he could see the headmistress' brow furrow.

"I do not doubt that he is of sound morals, Karazelle, but we cannot forget what he is," she responded, raising her voice in kind.

"What, a man?" Karazelle snapped.

"No, an Incubus!"

Silence briefly filled the classroom as the older Succubus' eyes widened, as if she had just let something slip. Karazelle, however, pressed on.

"So?! 'One's Deadly Sin does not define one's character'! We literally learn that in primary school!"

"Karazelle, you don't understand..."

"Don't understand what?! You know, I'm getting sick over everyone shitting on Mr. Trayer like this! What the Hell has he done to you?!" Viola's daughter barked, jabbing a finger at the man in question.

He had sunken low into his seat, unmoving.

"It's not what he has done. But rather..."

"... what I could do, right...?"

They both turned to face Cobalt, who had begun to fiddle with a pen on his desk.

"When the doctors first told me I had Everlast, they said they couldn't be sure what effect it would have on my head. They said there was still a chance I could..."

Taking a deep breath, he looked up at Mistress Viola.

"Do you not trust me, miss?" he asked, eyes wide.

The headmistress took a step back, looking uncharacteristically unsure of herself.

"It's not a matter of trust, boy," she said quietly.

"Then what is it? Because if you think I'm still going to be a danger to everyone, then why don't you just fire me?" he asked, growing louder as something began to swell up within him.

Cobalt couldn't put a finger on what emotion was rising within him. Anger? Frustration? Fear?

"... If you were to leave, we would all prefer it to be on your own terms," Viola answered after a moment.

"Oh, just face facts, Viola! Ask anybody! Martha, George, Ethan... Even if they try to hide it, the fact is that nobody wanted me here in the first place, so why did you hire me?!

She stared at the floor.

"... Staff limitations..."

"Bullsh-!"

Cobalt bit his tongue.

"That's rubbish and you know it!"

Viola suddenly bared her teeth and slammed her fist against the wall, knocking down a poster as she locked her eyes on the teacher.

"Fine! Because I owe it to your family! I owe the Trayers more than you could know, and I thought I could repay that debt by hiring their son!"

Brushing her daughter aside, Viola marched up to Cobalt and grasped the edge of his desk.

"I never expected to see your resume cross my desk, boy! Bringing you on was a spur of the moment thing, fueled by emotion, not logic! In all honesty, by then I had expected you to be in a damn straitjacket!"

That hot, roiling sensation suddenly took over Cobalt's body, overpowering his fear and causing him to slam his fists and stand up straight, looking the headmistress dead in the eye.

"You and everybody else! Even me! I can't help what I am, Viola, but I will not go back to living in fear! Do you have any idea how bloody hard it was?! Trying to study abroad whilst facing the end?! Thinking it was all going to amount to naught, and that I would spend the rest of my life in chains?!"

The Incubus shook his head.

"I was spared a horrible fate by a miracle called Everlast, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let anybody hold what I am against me! Even if you cut my pay, even you make this job torture for me, I will not stand to be fettered again!"

Viola took a step back, lips tight and pupils narrowed.

"You're more clueless than you know, boy. If it weren't for a promise I made to your parents, you would be out of this school in an instant," she hissed threateningly.

"I'm not the only one with flaws here. So let me put it plainly; I would sooner throw myself off the roof than let any harm come to my students. Perhaps if you'd look past the Incubus and listen to Cobalt himself, you'd understand that," he glowered in response.

With a dismissive sneer, Mistress Viola swiftly turned on her heel and marched towards the door. She grabbed the handle, but took a moment before opening it.

"It's not that I don't trust your judgement, boy. But what good is your judgement when instinct takes over?"

With that, she left the classroom, slamming the door shut behind her. Cobalt listened as her shoes clacked against the corridor floor, slowly echoing away into nothing, until silence gained purchase once more. As quickly as the indescribable feeling of anger took hold, it seeped out of the Incubus. Fear finally claimed its due, causing his knees to buckle.

"Sugar, are you okay?!" Karazelle cried, vaulting over her desk in order to rush to his side.

"Why did I say that...? Why the Hell did I say all that...?!" he breathed, shaking like a leaf.

Helping him back into his chair, the Succubus wrapped her arms around him in and effort to warm him up.

"What was that? What were you arguing about?" she asked.

He swallowed hard.

"There's a reason you don't see many Incubi around, Karazelle..."

"I thought they were rarely birthed."

"They are. But there's something else. When they reach the age of twenty-one... When they advance to the third stage of growth, they..."

He bit his tongue. No. No, he couldn't. She was still a student, still young. There was no point in burdening her with this information.

Especially information this disturbing...

"Go get your lunch. I'm going home," the Incubus sudden announced, getting to his feet.

"But sugar-!"

"Just go, Karazelle!"

Taking a deep breath, he grabbed his bag and made for the door.

"Just... Just go. Please..."

Swallowing hard, Cobalt stepped out into the hall.

"I need some time alone to think..."