Nine Star’s cafeteria in Tower Two impressed even Raven. Richly stocked kitchens filled with gourmet chefs produced a bounty of delights three times a day. The head chef, Monty Messier, possessed a chef pandora which did most of the prep work, leaving him free to create never-ending culinary masterpieces to be subsequently underappreciated by the naïve youth of his school.

Hot foods warmed an expansive refectory that was a popular oasis from the cold. Groups of teachers and students sat at tables with bowls of soup and hot sandwiches, or reclined on comfortable couches with cups of coffee or cocoa to read the papers. Other sections were designated with study areas, where some students were already attending to newly assigned homework. Dozens of roaring fireplaces and oversized armchairs provided relief and cozy tranquility.

Van found Raven sitting at an empty table during lunch time, and after a moment of hesitation, he sat across from him. The whole room immediately exploded with chatter.

“Did you decide it’s okay to associate with me now?” Raven asked with a sly grin. “I’d hate to ruin your reputation.”

“Too late. Everyone knows.”

“Ah.”

Van started to dive into a steak sandwich when he noticed what Raven was eating. An immense bowl of chocolate ice cream was set before him, covered in almonds and nearly half-eaten. Raven ate with gusto, using a large spoon to devour it.

“Something wrong with your lunch?” Raven asked.

Van set his sandwich down and folded his hands together. “So, I realize you’re an orphan and therefore had no parents to tell you what’s wrong and right as you grew up… but did you learn nothing when you were a kid? Like… at all?”

“I learned many things.”

“But not what is proper to eat for lunch.”

“Life is far too short in a world ruled by a tyrant. I do what I want.”

“Yes, well, the rest of the school is starting to realize that.” Van lowered his voice. “After your little display this morning, the masters had an emergency meeting sans Smith. Apparently, he was too fragile at the moment to join them.”

“I wonder why?” Rue whispered.

“I can only imagine what they talked about,” Raven said.

“They discussed ways to expel you,” Van replied. “Well, mainly Czeslaw and Turngood did most of that talking. Nothing new. The others just didn’t know what to do. Nothing really came of it. But the really crazy part was Master Fyre.”

“What about her?”

“She was livid. And that’s saying something. She’s famous for her optimism. Usually cool as a cucumber, but when she heard what happened, she stormed out of the room.”

Raven set his spoon down. “How do you know all this? Communes between the professors are normally private affairs.”

“I have my ways.”

“I see. Well that is indeed unfortunate. I was hoping to gain her as an ally. I wasn’t aware she had any kind of entente with Smith.” He frowned. “It appears my research on the masters was deficient.”

“There must be more to it.” Rue encouraged. “What you did during enrollment was far more outrageous than this. She shouldn’t have been so shocked.”

Raven nodded. Rue was right. How could Fyre have been surprised by what happened in Smith’s class that morning? Even if she did have some sort of association with Smith beyond their professional relationship, she could have easily warned Raven beforehand, but she welcomed him the day he came to Roespeye.

His rumination was interrupted when a tray of food slammed onto their table. Raven and Van looked up to find Valentine fuming.

“You embarrassed me,” she seethed, casting a scornful look at Raven. “In front of the whole class. Not to mention in front of Master Smith!”

Van was stunned, his jaw nearly on the floor. But Raven simply looked up at her before resuming to eat his dessert-for-lunch.

“Um… excuse me… Raven?” a small voice inquired tepidly.

Raven looked back at Valentine. The previously irate girl was now a nervous, shy thing shrinking within herself to make herself smaller. She was slightly shaking, and her cheeks turned red.

“I did not appreciate your remarks,” she said to him, looking away and rubbing her arm. “But I think if we became better acquainted, we might gain mutual respect for each other. YOU HUMILIATED ME!”

The shift was more violent and sudden than an earthquake. Valentine’s personalities were switching without warning, upset by the perceived slight. Raven grimaced, realizing she was becoming more unstable than he anticipated.

“I suppose I did,” he answered.

“Why?” she asked. “Did I wrong you somehow? If so, I deeply apologize.” Her face contorted. “No! I did nothing to you, and now you’ll pay for it! Meet me tomorrow night at the Grewwauld Clock in Roespeye’s city square. A pandora duel. If you don’t accept, you’re a coward, and I’ll make sure everyone knows it!” She shrank again. “Unless you’re not feeling well. Or you just want to apologize and let bygones be bygones. No big deal.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Her eyes became cruel and she drew closer to Raven. “I will not be disrespected by anyone, let alone a diminutive child with no manners.”

“Careful what you wish for,” he replied. “You might just find monsters scarier than you can imagine.”

She clenched her jaw, confused by his statement. Glancing quickly at Van, she then picked up her tray and walked away.

Van was slow to recover from the confrontation. In fact, by the time he did, they had dropped off their dishes and were back out in the blistery cold, making their way back to Panka’s Tower.

He finally slapped his forehead. “What the hell, man? I thought you were going to help me win her affections? Now she must see me as the lackey of a person she probably already hates more than anyone! How is this going to help me?”

“Trust me. This needed to happen.”

“Why?”

They stopped at the entrance to the Sleeping Devil’s courtyard. “Because I have a plan. But for it to succeed, she needs to lose her stability for a time. Didn’t you notice how she reacted? Only one side of her was angry with me. She responded exactly as I hoped, and it will serve our purpose if we act swiftly. Let’s discuss it further in the tower.”

They turned to make their way for the secret door, but then stopped immediately. Standing beside the Sleeping Devil’s cocoon was Fanny Fyre. Her whimsical manner was gone, replaced with an angry glare. Her robes were coated with a thin layer of frost. She must have been waiting for a while.

“You and I need to have a talk,” she said, looking straight at Raven.

Van started to back away, but she whipped her head. “Don’t even think about it. I’m talking to you, too, Vam Sopher.”

He winced and returned to Raven’s side. “It’s Von Sephim,” he said meekly. His pale partner simply folded his arms.

The math and science teacher quickly approached to stand before them. “What do you have to say for yourself? If there’s one thing I won’t tolerate, it’s attacking someone so vulnerable. What you did was completely uncalled for!”

“Master Smith invited me to play,” he replied with a casual smile. “So I played.”

“I don’t care about that old fart,” she snapped. “If he picked a fight with you, then he had it coming. I’m talking about Valentine Chessex.”

Raven’s smile faded. “Valentine?”

“That’s right. I heard what you said to her in front of all the other students. If you want to pick a fight with the teachers, fine. They should know how to handle themselves. But I won’t allow anyone to berate Valentine so callously. You come at her again like that, I’ll make your life a nightmare.”

Van’s eyes bugged at her statement, but Raven matched Fyre’s cold gaze with one of his own.

“What are you to her?” he asked.

“It’s none of your business, but if you have to know, you can consider me her guardian of a sort.”

“And how did that come about?”

“Like I said. It’s not your business. Just stay away from her.”

Raven considered her demand a moment, before smiling. “How about we make a bet. You’re always up for a little game, right? If I can name all the items in your robe pockets, you answer questions I have about Valentine.”

Her eyebrow rose. “What do you want to know about her?”

“I’ll tell you if I win.”

“And what if I win?”

Raven smirked. She truly was a sucker for a gamble.

“Be humble, Raven,” Rue warned. “This might be your chance to gain her as an ally.”

He nodded. “If you win, Master Fyre, I’ll never speak to Valentine again.”

Fyre’s demeanor changed. Her eyes sparkled at the prospect of a new game. “Alright, I accept. Name the three items in my pockets.”

“Nice try,” Raven shot back. “There are five items on your person. And judging by the surprise on your face, I’d guess you already know I’m going to win this bet. Shall I continue, or do you want to concede now?”

“Continue,” she replied, intrigued.

“Four of the items are as follows: a pack of playing cards, a money purse, a bag of ivory and jade dice, and a bit of paper containing your own class rosters.”

Fyre sighed and shook her head ruefully. She produced the four items exactly as he said. “I should have known it was a bad bet.”

“How did you know what she had?” Van asked. “I wouldn’t be shocked to learn you’re a stalker.”

He leered at him. “Master Fyre is notorious for carrying cards and dice at all times. That was simple. I’ve seen her buy lunch with her money purse. And from discussions I’ve had with former teachers and students of the school, one thing that always struck each of them was how bad she is with names. On the first day of school, the odds were very good she would keep her student rosters with her.”

She ran a hand through her ponytail. “There are better things to pay attention to. Well I guess you win. What did you want to know about Valentine?”

“Wait, Raven said there were five items,” Van said.

Raven smirked and reached into his own robes. Fyre flinched. “Indeed,” he replied. “The fifth item I cannot name, because I don’t know what it is, but I have this.”

He produced a rolled-up bit of cloth and unraveled it. A yellow image was crudely drawn onto the surface, and when Fyre saw it, her eyes bulged. It resembled a thin cylinder with a ring on one end. Something long and jagged emerged from the bottom of the other end.

“Where did you get this?” she asked, taking it from him.

“This is the fifth item you are carrying. It’s with you everywhere you go, isn’t it?”

“No one is supposed to know about this except…” she trailed off, realizing she had said too much.

“Except Master Forir,” Raven finished. “Because he has the other one.”

Her jaw dropped.

“What is it?” Van asked.

“I have no idea,” Raven answered, laughing. “But it must be valuable. I assume from the one peculiar end that it’s a key.”

The math teacher exhaled mightily. Then, she shrugged and reached to her neck and lifted a silver necklace to take out the cylinder. It matched Raven’s cloth drawing, but that image hardly did it justice. About a span long, the key glowed as only pure gold does.

“I sure hope you haven’t told anyone else about this,” she replied. “I was warned to never reveal this to anyone or talk to anyone but Forir about it. But I have to say… I’m kind of glad someone else knows. It’s a bit of a burden.”

Van reached out, running a finger along the smooth surface. “Why? What is it?”

“I don’t know. But I was told it was an extremely valuable school treasure by my predecessor.”

“Interesting,” Raven said. “Meaning it’s passed down from one math teacher to the next. Same for the war master, I presume?”

She nodded. “Frankly, I’m astonished that I’m fine with revealing all this to you, but with some self-reflection, I realize now that I’m hoping someone as smart as you can help me figure out what it is. I hate not knowing.”

He hummed. “So… regarding Valentine Chessex.”

“Ugh, get on with it,” she grumbled, replacing her necklace. “I don’t know what you want, but a bet is a bet. But I better not hear you used any of this information against her. She is a precious student of mine. You hear me?”

“I hear you. What exactly is your connection to Valentine?”

“Actually, why don’t we get out of this cold first? Aren’t you two freezing?”

“I’m fine.”

“Hey!” Van protested. “Speak for yourself.”

“I did speak for myself. Otherwise, I would have said, ‘We’re fine.’”

He grumbled, but didn’t reply. Master Fyre smiled wide, red cheeks turning chipmunk. “You two are quite a pair. We can talk in my quarters in Tower Three. It’s warm, and I’ve got treats.” Then her smile turned mischievous. “And maybe we can play a game or two.”