"So," she said, stabbing her fork into an entire cow's worth of premium steak, "you're really just going to sit there and watch me eat your money?"
"Better than you swallowing me in a single bite," I smiled.
"What?"
"Just trying to avoid this common Aztec scenario," I showed her a picture of a Quetzalcoatl devouring a man whole from the Codex Borbonicus.
QUETZINOM.jpg [https://github.com/alexiussssss/romac/blob/main/QUETZINOM.jpg?raw=true]
The Quetzi-girl blessed me with an eye-roll.
I dug into my bag and put up a marker-etched fancy sign onto the table that read 'DEFEAT ME FOR A FREE LUNCH!'. "'N'waaaaays, I've got match business to attend to."
"Hrm." Cinder scoffed between bites. "What kind of scam are you running now?"
"What scam?" I laughed. "This is chess grandmaster training! Keeps the mind sharp!"
Before she could respond with another snarky comment, a green-scaled Basilisk wearing designer sunglasses approached our table, eyeing the chess boards with interest.
"Sooo... Free lunch if I win?" he asked, adjusting his shades.
"Absolutely!" I beamed, gesturing to the empty seat. "Choose your weapon - chess or checkers?"
"Chess," he said, sliding into the chair across from me.
From the corner of my eye, I could see Cinder sending me snarky looks as she continued demolishing her lavish meal. Her wings shifted slightly in what I was starting to recognize as her 'this is so stupid' posture.
A small crowd was starting to gather, attracted by the promise of free food and entertainment.
"What happens if we lose?" someone called out from the growing audience.
"If you lose, you give me your Omnigram ID and you will owe me a small favor in the future." I grinned. "Nothing illegal. Just wanna make friends and break up some anti-human-blood prejudices, that’s all."
I could hear Cinder choking slightly on her spite-steak behind me.
In another twenty minutes, she watched with increasing disbelief as I moved from board to board with practiced efficiency. At times, her meats lay forgotten as I systematically dismantled opponent after opponent, my hands moving in an almost mechanical rhythm.
"Knight to E4... Rook takes Queen... Checkmate in three..." I muttered.
The crowd grew larger, students gathering to watch the spectacle of the new nullie student inexplicably simultaneously destroying multiple opponents in both chess and checkers. With each victory, I collected another Omnigram ID, said a compliment, offered another handshake and made another connection.
"How the fuck are you..." Cinder's voice trailed off as I executed yet another perfect combination. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she studied my movements. I could practically see the gears turning in her head, trying to figure out how the awkward human was suddenly a chess prodigy and a socialite.
She had no idea that the small camera in my wrist was directing the view to my LLM with vision armed with a chess app. These fools were fighting an unbeatable machine. At the end of the match, I pointed my wrist to each opponent and the LLM wrote up a cute joke for me to say about them, which drew laughter and chortles from the gathered crowd.
"Uncle George was a chess grandmaster," I shrugged at Cinder, capturing another queen with a lazy yawn. "He taught me everything. Bishop to F6, checkmate."
The gathered students oooooed at my performance.
"Good game, June!" I grinned, reaching across to shake a Kelpie's moist hand. "Your opening was really strong - that Queen's Gambit variation caught me off guard! How about a photo of this historic moment?"
"Sure," the Kelpie gave me a wide smile. She seemed genuinely cheerful and nice, unlike the 'Harold-hide-the-pain' face Cinder was making whenever she smirked at me.
"Say, since you're heading to the lunch line anyway, would you mind grabbing me something? I'm kind of stuck here with all these matches."
"Can do!" June beamed, shaking her liquid mane, pleased by the compliment and the quality photo I took of her despite her loss. "What would you like?"
"Mega sushi platter boat," I grinned at her. "Grab the most expensive one and half of it is yours. Here, use my card to pay for it."
I could practically feel Cinder's eyes boring into the back of my head, her wings rustling with what I imagined was supreme annoyance. The contrast between my earlier awkward fumbling around her and my current smooth operation probably wasn't helping her suspicion levels.
Whatever, let her stew. I've got more Omnitheans to conquer.
The Kelpie girl returned with the enormous sushi boat, a mountain of raw fish and rice wrapped up into nice bundles that could probably feed a small army - or one very hungry Omnid. It was a comically oversized platter for my human frame, but I attacked it with gusto anyway, grabbing and popping pieces into my mouth as I purposefully stepped between chess boards like some sort of sushi-eating chess-dominating emperor penguin.
"Knight to D5," I called out between bites of salmon nigiri, barely glancing at the boards as I made my moves. "Check. Rook to B7!"
I defeated another opponent and took down my sign just as the fifteen-minute warning bell rang through the cafeteria. The crowd had grown impressively large, and I'd collected quite a stack of Omnigram IDs from my challengers.
"Ladies, omnivores and carnivores!" I called out, gesturing to the remaining mountain of sushi. "No sense letting this go to waste! Who wants some? You with the lovely purple scales - this tuna roll would perfectly complement your coloring! And you, with the gorgeous head crest - this salmon nigiri is calling your name!"
I could hear Cinder making gagging noises behind me as I distributed compliments and sushi in equal measure.
"Could you BE any more of a try-hard?" she mumbled my way.
"I could," I fired back at her. "Sadly only so many chess sets fit into my backpack today! Tomorrow I will increase the number of challengers!”
As the lunch crowd dispersed, Cinder stood up abruptly. "Well, this has been sufficiently nauseating. Thanks for a free lunch, I guess. Hopefully I'll see you never.”
She had no idea that there was no escape from me due to the Pink One's machinations. I swiftly packed up my boards, momentarily glancing at her. Cinder’s scowl deepened as she scrolled through a barrage of messages on her phone.
MothMayhem🦋: yo dawg where u at?
MothMayhem🦋: we at auditodium
MothMayhem🦋: Cinder
MothMayhem🦋: answer ur phone
Em-the-rawd🔥: Ci!
Em-the-rawd🔥: Cinder
Em-the-rawd🔥: Ciiiiiindrrrrrr. Where the f are you? Did you tear out the nullie’s spine yet?!
Em-the-rawd🔥: stop ignoring me! heeeello? I swear when I find you I'm gonna break your kneecaps.
Em-the-rawd🔥: Stop turning ur notifiucations off, u dumb beerch.
I pretended not to look at her phone, shoving the last board into my backpack.
Cinder paid no attention to me, typing out responses, her claws clicking against the screen.
I navigated through the crowded hallway to my assigned locker, carefully avoiding bumping into any tails or wings.
The metal door creaked as I opened it, revealing the bare interior. I hadn't had time to personalize it yet, but that would come later. Right now it just needed to hold my chess empire equipment.
Throwing the board-game bag into the locker, I rushed to my next class.
----------------------------------------
I slipped into the music room just as the bell rang. The classroom was a jumble of instruments, sheet music, and what appeared to be... yes, that was definitely Mr. Sterling sleeping on the job.
The music teacher was sprawled in a hammock strung between two support pillars, his round wire-rimmed glasses askew, a nightcap atop his head, 50's style pajamas crumpled. His wide pants have ridden up slightly, revealing mismatched socks - one covered in musical notes, the other featuring tiny sleeping cats.
"Right then, loves," A velvety voice sounded in my head. "Free period today. Just... express yourselves, get a feel for a new instrument or two, see if you can make whatever you want to sound the way you want it to be. Peace and love, peace and love."
The sleeping teacher didn't move. He was definitely snoring.
Ah right. He was a Dreamwalker, monitoring all of us through the Astral or whatever.
Since nobody asked me to introduce myself, I ignored the few 'ew nullie' looks and went to poke at the massive piano in the back.
Cinder stormed over to the piano. "What are you doing here?" she demanded, feathered tail lashing. "Are you seriously in this class too?"
"Yep," I nodded, not looking at her. "Music seemed like a fun elective!”
"Fun?" Her voice dripped with sarcasm. "You're just effing everywhere today, aren't you? What's next - are you going to join the Agromancy Club too?"
"Hmm. Gardening is good for the soul," I nod, jabbing the piano aimlessly. “So yes. Absolutely. Joining every club. Especially if they have pretty girls like you for me to ogle at free of charge.”
"I told you to stop with these comments!" Cinder's wings flared dangerously, her feathers shifting through shades of rage-red. "And get away from that piano before you break it, you uncultured chuppy!"
"Make me," I grinned, purposefully playing the opening notes to 'Chopsticks' as badly as possible. "Also, what's a chapy?"
Cinder's ears twitched at my deliberately awful playing. "A chuppy is a very dumb-looking bird-fox cub from Arx. Which you clearly are, massacring that piano like that."
"Shush, woman. I'm musikering!" I said.
Cinder's wings bristled with barely contained rage. "Stop. Poking. The. Piano." Each word was punctuated by her tail lashing dangerously.
"Why?" I asked innocently, continuing to press random keys to bug her. "Is it yours?"
"You know," she growled, "some of us actually take music seriously. Unlike a certain halfkin who just showed up and thinks he can-"
"Oh? Are you a talented musician, perchance? Wanna show a music incompetent how it's done?" I ask slyly. "Do you take requests? How about My Immortal - Evanescence?"
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
"What? Do I look like a fucking street musician to you?" Cinder bristled.
"Whatever, dude. Yulia, pull up the Evanescence Piano Cover keys," I ordered my massive phone and laid it sideways when the piano roll visualization appeared on screen. "I bet I can kick your feathered ass at piano, bae.”
I started jabbing keys out of tune horribly, following the video on screen.
Cinder's wings flared with red as she watched me butcher the song. "Abyss, stop! You're murdering it! That's not even close to how it goes! Get off the seat and watch!”
She shoved me from the piano and sat down.
Her claws flew across the keys with practiced precision, the opening notes of "My Immortal" filling the room with haunting clarity. Despite her obvious anger, her touch was delicate, each note perfectly weighted.
"See?" she snapped, not missing a beat as she glared at me. "THIS is how you play it. Not whatever tone-deaf massacre you were attempting."
I watched her hands move across the keys, noticing how her wings relaxed slightly as she played. The tension in her shoulders eased, and for a moment, she seemed to forget she was supposed to be mad at me.
Responds well to dares. I mentally filed down. Easy to rile.
"That was... acceptable. I bet you can't do Metallica on piano… while singing it," I challenged with a smirk. "How about Nothing Else Matters? That seems right up your goth alley."
Cinder's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Are you trying to bait me or something?"
"What, scared you can't handle Metallica?" I taunted, pulling up the piano roll on my phone. "I mean, if it's too hard for you… I can always…"
"Too hard?" Her wings flared with indignation. "Please. I could play that in my sleep." Her claws hovered over the keys as she glared at me. "But I'm not going to just because some halfwit chuppy is trying to provoke me."
"Uh-huh," I nodded. "Sure. I get it. Metallica's pretty intense. Maybe something easier? Like... Twinkle Twinkle Little Star?"
Cinder choked on her anger. "You know what? Fine. FINE. I'll show you 'intense'." She cracked her knuckles and positioned her claws over the keys.
I made sure that my phone was recording the video and audio.
The opening notes of "Nothing Else Matters" filled the room, her hands dancing across the ivory with practiced precision.
The class suddenly fell silent, all eyes focused on her.
Cinder didn't notice that I put up a GoPro Omnica10 Black on a small tripod facing her wings. She began to sing, her voice carrying a raw, emotional edge that made my heart skip several beats.
"So close, no matter how far..."
Her voice was... incredible. Deep, rich, with just the right amount of growl on the lower notes. She wasn't just playing the song - she was living it, her tail moving like a metronome to the tune.
"Couldn't be much more from the heart..."
I watched, mesmerized, as she lost herself in the performance. Her usual scowl melted away, replaced by an expression of pure focus. Her wings moved subtly with the rhythm, creating an almost hypnotic effect as the silver feathers caught the light and shined with violet, blue and gold colors. The entire class was transfixed, even Mr. Sterling had lifted his sleep mask to watch.
"Forever trusting who we are..."
Her claws glided across the keys, adding subtle embellishments to the melody that made it uniquely hers. The combination of her haunting voice and skillful piano work transformed the metal classic into something entirely new. Encouraged by my hand-signals and tripod setup, other people pulled out their phones, recording her.
"And nothing else matters..."
As she hit the final notes, the room erupted in applause. Cinder seemed to suddenly remember where she was, her wings snapping tight against her back as her usual scowl returned.
"There," she growled at me. "Happy now?"
"Not even close to happy," I shoved a guitar into her arms that I had procured from a wall while she was singing. "Let's see your guitar skills. Red Hot Stratos Peppers - Omnithornication! Go."
Cinder's wings bristled as she held the guitar. "You're seriously pushing it. What's your game here?"
"No game," I shrugged, adjusting my phone's position slightly to get a better recording angle. "Just curious if you're as good with strings as you are with keys. Unless... you can't play guitar?"
"Of course I can play guitar! I'm in a troupe as a Bard class, you ignorant-"
"A-pa-pa-pa. Prove it," I challenged. "I ain't got time to attend your puny concerts or whatevs. Destroy me right now with your skills if you think you're so hot."
Cinder's claws tightened on the guitar neck. "You're such an ass, you know that? Like, an actual professional-grade ass."
"Less talking, more rocking," I grinned. "Unless you're scared..."
"Scared?" She scoffed, but her claws were already moving to tune the guitar. "The only thing I'm scared of is catching whatever weird social disease makes you act like... this." She gestured vaguely at all of me.
But despite her protests, her fingers began picking out the opening riff of Omnithornication. The guitar came alive under her touch, each note crisp and precise.
Mr. Sterling suddenly sprang up from his hammock with surprising agility for someone who had appeared asleep moments ago. "Oh, brilliant! Simply brilliant!" He practically bounced to the drum set, his outfit somehow becoming even more rumpled. "Let's give it a proper go, shall we?"
The music instructor settled behind the drums with unexpected grace, his mismatched socks visible as he positioned his feet on the pedals.
"Right then," he beamed, twirling a drumstick. "Three, four..."
He launched into the drum part with startling skill, his sleepy demeanor completely transformed.
Cinder's eyes widened slightly, but her claws never faltered on the strings. The drum beat kicked in, and suddenly the classroom was filled with a perfect fusion of guitar and percussion.
And then Cinder began to sing.
Her voice took on a different quality with the guitar - rougher, edgier, with a punk rock growl that sent shivers down my spine. She attacked each verse with barely contained fury, as if every lyric was a personal challenge.
"Psychic spies from Thunderland try to steal your mind's elation..."
Her wings moved with the rhythm, creating dramatic shadows as she leaned into the music. The entire class was transfixed, even those who had been pretending to ignore us earlier.
Mr. Sterling was in his element behind the drums, his face practically glowing with enthusiasm as he matched Cinder's energy perfectly.
"And tidal waves couldn't save the world from Omnithornication..."
Cinder's performance was electric, her voice and guitar work transforming the classroom into an impromptu concert venue. With Mr. Sterling's expert drumming backing her up, she was completely in her element - fierce, passionate, and utterly mesmerizing.
I made sure my cameras caught every moment, especially the way her wings moved with the music, opening and closing wide and changing colors as she struck specific chords.
The song came to an explosive end as the room erupted in applause and cheers. Even I had to clap, though I made sure to maintain my challenging smirk.
I watched as realization dawned across Cinder's face as she rotated to face the class. Her blue eyes widened as she took in the applauding crowd, then narrowed dangerously as she spotted my recording setup.
"You..." Cinder sputtered. "Is that a freakin’ camera?! Cameras?! You recorded that?"
"Sure did," I grinned. "Got the piano performance too. You're really talented, you know that?"
"You can't just..." she hissed.
"Three cheers for our resident genius musician!" I interrupted her and spread my arms, working the crowd like a seasoned conductor. "Come on, let's hear it for Cinder! Shake the room in your voice of support! What should our Rock Star play next? Any requests?"
The class erupted in enthusiastic calls, drowning out Cinder's attempts to confront me about the cameras. Her wings puffed up in clear agitation, but she was trapped by the wave of positive peer pressure I'd orchestrated that washed across her like an ocean wave.
"Do 'Welcome to the Black Parade'!" someone shouted.
"Yeah, MCR!" another voice joined in.
"Do you know any Panic! At The Disco?" A ghostly figure called from the back.
"How about Hallelujah?" I offered.
Mr. Sterling was already settling back behind his drums, beaming with infectious enthusiasm. "Capital idea!"
I watched as Cinder's internal struggle played across her face. Her feathers bristled with rage at my manipulation, but the enthusiastic crowd and Mr. Sterling's expectant drumsticks left her little choice.
"Fine," she growled at me. "But after this, you and I are having a serious talk about boundaries and consent."
"Whatever you say, angel," I grinned at her. "Go on. Pick one of the requests. Crush me with your voice instead of your boots."
Cinder's claws tightened on the guitar as she turned back to face the class.
"Welcome to the Black Parade it is," she muttered, though her death glare in my direction promised terrible future retribution. Eh, that was a problem for the future me.
Song after song she went, getting more and more into it, trapped in the social bear-trap I had constructed.
The bell rang just as Cinder hit the final note, and she immediately whirled on me, wings and fangs flared aggressively. But before she could tear into me about the recording, she was swarmed by enthusiastic classmates.
I slipped out of the music room while Cinder was surrounded by her new fans, clutching my cameras close. My heart was still racing from her performances - both from their raw intensity and from the knowledge that she was going to absolutely murder me when she caught up with me.
----------------------------------------
Next class was Geography with Ms. Steele.
I walked in, already scanning the room for threats and escape routes.
Ms. Steele turned out to be a Lindworm with shimmering emerald scales and golden spectacles perched on her serpentine snout.
As for threats–in the back corner by the window, was Cinder–still slightly flushed from her impromptu concert.
"Ah, a lovely new student," Ms. Steele's voice was surprisingly gentle for someone with that many teeth. "Would you like to introduce yourself to the class?"
I stepped to the front of the class. Time for another performance.
"Greetings, Geography-inclined colleagues!" I declared with excessive enthusiasm, my voice echoing across the room. "I am Alexander Glock, recently arrived from the frozen, radioactive wastes of North Acadia. Like many great explorers and historic figures, I too am on an epic journey of discovery - though sadly with significantly less conquering and pillaging than my namesake Alexander the Great.
"My hobbies include photography, drawing, chess, and avoiding being stomped on by very angry Quetzalcoatls," I continued cheerfully, vaguely waving at Cinder which produced a squeak-growl from her direction. "They say Alexander wept when he had no more worlds to conquer... I just weep when my SD card is full. Cheers!"
I slipped into a seat near the front of the class, well out of Cinder's wing-reach. The murderous aura was practically radiating from the back corner, but I kept my eyes fixed firmly on Ms. Steele as she began her lecture about the Great Fault.
I took meticulous notes as I actually found the subject of Cometfall quite interesting.
The bell rang and I was out of my seat before the sound even began, notebook already shoved in my backpack. No time for niceties - I had an angry Quetzalcoatl to avoid.
Cinder practically flew out of her seat after me.
I narrowly avoided her grabby claws and slipped into the crowded hallway, using every evasion technique I knew.
Weave between groups, use larger students as cover, never run in a straight line, leap across the stairwell holding onto the baluster. My bag was light too as I had stashed the tripods in my locker earlier.
"GET BACK HERE, YOU EFFIN' CHUPPY!" An angry voice pierced the air behind me.
I ducked under a Sasquatch's outstretched arm, rolled past a cluster of shocked Thunderbirds, and sprinted down the hall and around a corner.
My heart was pounding, but not entirely from fear. There was something incredibly exhilarating about this chase, about pushing Cinder's buttons and being chased by a feisty predator.
I dashed through the corridors, my heart pounding. Cinder's angry shouts echoed behind me, accompanied by the sound of her boots thundering against the floor.
"I SWEAR WHEN I CATCH YOU-"
I vaulted over a bench, narrowly avoiding a collision with a group of students.
"Sorry!" I called back cheerfully, using their bulk as temporary cover. "Just playing tag with an angry angel!"
Her wings created distinct whooshing sounds as she pursued me.
I burst into Mr. Yamamoto's classroom, quickly scanning it.
The shadowy-samurai teacher was already there, calmly arranging cushions on the floor for our detention meditation session.
Cinder stormed in right behind me, wings flared aggressively, only to realize too late that I'd led her predator-self straight to our scheduled detention.
I quickly closed the door behind the panting goth Quetzi with a twist of the lock, grinning innocently as I settled into seiza position on one of the meditation cushions, perfectly centered, hands folded in my lap, the picture of serene acceptance.
"THERE YOU ARE, YOU LITTLE Ffffffuuuuuuuiiiee-" Cinder started, then froze as she registered Mr. Yamamoto's looming presence. Her wings snapped tight against her back as she realized she'd been outmaneuvered.
"Ah, fellow detention-mate," I said calmly. "Here for our mandatory meditation session?
"Excellent timing, my pupils!" Mr. Yamamoto nodded approvingly, his wooden katana tapping gently against the floor. "Time for meditation and refection on hamony!"
Cinder fluttered with barely contained rage as she was forced to take the cushion right next to me.
"Cross regs. Straighten spine. Empty mind of anger," Mr. Yamamoto instructed, pacing in front of us with measured steps.
I closed my eyes, keeping my breathing steady.
Every time Cinder tried to hiss a threat or demand at me, Mr. Yamamoto's wooden katana would tap sharply against the floor.
"Sirence!" he commanded. "Empty mind, find inner peace!”
Inner peace was surprisingly easy to find with an angry Cinder stewing in her rage beside me.
"Breath in hamony!" The teacher instructed. "Let go of negative thoughts!"
I maintained perfect meditation posture, listening as Cinder's frustrated huffs gradually subsided into something resembling normal breathing.
"Hamony," Mr. Yamamoto intoned, his wooden katana tapping a gentle rhythm. "Like water flowing around rock, we must adapt, not fight."
I risked cracking one eye open to peek at Cinder. She sat rigidly on her cushion, but her expression had lost some of its homicidal edge. The light coming from the Kitlix lanterns above danced across her sparkly silver feathers.
Mr. Yamamoto continued his philosophical musings, occasionally dipping into Engrish.
"Inner peece comes from self-understanding," he droned on. "Like bamboo in wind, we must bend not break."
Cinder shifted slightly on her cushion, and I quickly shut my eyes again before she could catch me staring. My heart was still doing that stupid flutter thing, even after an hour of meditation.
More exposure therapy was clearly needed. Can't have angry goth Quetzi girls ruining my perfect Alexander Glock mojo.
"Remember," Mr. Yamamoto's voice took on a more serious tone, "words can hurt like blade. Choose them with care."
In due time, our meditation session was complete. My legs were stiff from sitting still for so long, but years of hiding in uncomfortable spaces had given me decent endurance for this sort of thing.
Cinder, however...
I watched as she tried to stand, her legs clearly cramped from maintaining the formal position for so long. Her wings fluttered uselessly as she attempted to find her balance.
"Need a hand?" I offered automatically, reaching out before my brain could remind me that she probably still wanted to murder me.
"I don't need your-" she started to snap, but her legs betrayed her. She stumbled, and suddenly I was supporting part of her weight, her wing brushing against my shoulder.
Time seemed to freeze. The iridescent feathers were impossibly soft against my skin, and I could feel the warmth radiating from her.
My heart was doing gymnastics in my chest. This close, I could smell that hint of lavander and ozone again and see how her ocean-blue eyes had flecks of violet-gold near the pupils like rays of a setting sun.
Danger! Danger! My brain screamed. Abort mission! Too close!