Chapter Text
The morning came with crisp, cool air that told Yuu it had snowed even before they looked out the window saw the thick, white blanket covering campus. Wrapping a thick comforter around them, they pulled themself out of bed and trudged downstairs to find some tuna and bribe Grim to melt a path down the hill. Unfortunately, what looked like every can in the dorm had been emptied and was lying in a pile on the kitchen floor. Grim was sleeping off his crimes next to the radiator, snoring happily. Yuu decided to make him clean up later. First was breakfast. A cursory inspection revealed that Grim hadn’t touched anything but the tuna, leaving their stockpile of novelty flavored cereals and other non perishables unmolested. They poured a bowl of s’mores-ohs and started scrolling through their texts while they ate.
First, Ace and Deuce had added the twins and Azul to the group chat so they could arrange a trip to the museum to return the photo they stole. Ace wanted to wait until Yuu was finished recovering so he could show them some exhibits the guards recommended. Azul wanted to wait so he had time to remove himself from the picture. The twins wanted to go as soon as possible so that Azul wouldn’t have enough time to doctor the photo. Deuce had foisted his tie-breaker responsibilities onto Yuu. They thought for a moment, contemplated returning to the Coral Sea, even for just a day trip, and sent their response. “The sooner we get that photo returned the better, don’t bother waiting for me. Just make sure to send lots of pics, ok?” The rest of the chat started planning the trip for once the snow around the Hall of Mirrors was cleared, so Yuu muted them and looked through their other messages.
Riddle had also texted, saying that he was currently busy organizing Heartslabyul’s excavation from the snow, but he would be sure to send Cater and some freshmen to help dig Ramshackle out since Yuu was probably still too sore to shovel. It would likely take a few hours to get there however, since the Hall was also buried.
Yuu tried messaging Jack to see if he wanted to chat a bit, but got back his automatic response, “I’m at Spelldrive practice, I’ll text back later” Either the Spelldrive team didn’t believe in winter break, or they were busy trying to dig out the Hall of Mirrors like everyone else.
Whelp, that was everyone in their contacts accounted for. Yuu regretted not getting Malleus’ number. He could probably just teleport in, mirrors be damned, but past experience led them to believe he wouldn’t do so unless specifically asked. Maybe if they started a fire on the roof, they could get some smoke signals going, and one of the people shoveling could relay their invite to Diasomnia? …Or, instead of burning the dorm down, they could just wake up Grim already. “Hey, Grim! Up and at ‘em!”
”MROW!? What are you-the tuna? Pff, how can you accuse me like that! I’ll have you know it was…an eagle! An enormous eagle burst in here and ate all the tuna! I tried to fight it off, but it was just too strong and-you’re not buying any of this, are you?”
”Nope. We’re snowed in and I’m bored. Can you do us both a solid and melt a path down to campus?”
”Oh yeah? How’s this benefit me?”
”Well for starters, since a “giant eagle” ate all the tuna in the dorm, you can’t have any more until I buy some from the campus store.”
Grim looked like he hadn’t considered the prospect of a tuna scarcity until it was pointed out to him. “No tuna!? All right, out of the way human, and let the Great Grim show you how it’s done!” Once he got to work, Yuu went back inside to make some hot chocolate. Then they remembered they had stuck a child proof lock on the cocoa and left it on the top shelf so Grim couldn’t get it. Would Grim even get sick from chocolate? He looked like a cat, but kept insisting he wasn’t one, and he ate those weird black gems from the Overblotted students just fine. They weren’t going to test that until they could get him to a vet, and they weren’t gonna have any cocoa until they could raise their arms above their head without pain. They made tea instead.
Warm drink in hand, Yuu went outside to watch Grim work. He was a cat-weasel-whatever on a mission, breathing out spurts of fire until the entire section of path was uncovered and then spreading salt so it wouldn’t freeze over again later. Yuu made sure to text Riddle so he’d know they didn’t need the help anymore, and then started tossing salt.
On the way down, Grim started talking. “Hey so what’s the deal with Hornton anyway? I heard some of the housewardens talking and you can’t possibly believe any of that stuff about identical twins, right? Like, you’re a dumb human, but you’re not that dumb.”
”Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence, Grim. And yes, I definitely actually believe that Malleus has an identical twin that no has ever heard of despite supposedly being at the school for three years, and they just happen to never be in the same place at the same time.”
”Wait, WHAT!?”
”It’s a joke, Grim! I needed to defuse an awkward situation, said something stupid, and now “Hornton Draconia” is a thing! And honestly, I can see why Malleus wanted to stay incognito when we first met, if he has to deal with Sebek full time.”
”Do you think everyone else knows you’re joking?”
”Yes? Like you said, I’m not that dumb, and it’s patently ridiculous!”
Eventually, they made it all the way to campus, just in time for lunch. Shovelers were still bustling around the Hall of Mirrors, but steady progress had been made on that front as well. Grim had offered to help out after lunch, but oddly enough no one wanted him wanted him belching fire near all the incredibly powerful magic mirrors. For all his complaining earlier, Grim seemed disappointed that there was nothing left for him to do, but he brightened up considerably when Yuu told him he could buy as much tuna as he could carry back to Ramshackle House provided all the empty cans from earlier were thrown out before they got back.
With that out of the way, Yuu started looking around for somewhere to eat. Most of the hall was empty, the majority of the students having returned home for break yesterday, or still trapped in their dorms. Yuu wondered if having all the dorm mirrors in the same building was a good idea if a single bad storm was enough to cut that building, and thus all the students, off from the rest of campus. Out of the corner of their eye they caught Sebek, taking a break from shoveling and complaining about Professor Crewell’s punishment for breaking into the storeroom, which had apparently kept him on campus overnight during the storm. Yuu winced slightly in sympathy.
The greenhouse seemed to be a popular place to eat lunch today, both because of how warm it was and because Leona was on the other side of the mirrors and couldn’t guard his territory. In the back corner of the subtropical zone was a familiar horned figure sitting with his own lunch. “Hornton! Teleported out of the Hall, I guess?”
”Yuu? And yes. Lilia promised to get Diasomnia shoveled while I freed the Hall of Mirrors. I’ve been shoveling all morning and the faculty said I should take a break. How did you get here? I saw Ramshackle from the distance and the gate looked completely buried”
”Oh, I had Grim melt the snow down. Riddle promised to get us dug out eventually, but I was so bored, you know?”
”I see. I was planning to do something similar here, but the mirrors are fragile and I can’t do ‘delicate’ very well.”
”Well that explains everyone’s faces when Grim wanted to try the same thing. Did you see Sebek earlier? It sounds like he really went to Crewell’s ingredient storeroom and now I almost feel bad. Do you think we should apologize?” Malleus pulled a face. “Wow, you really don’t like him, huh?”
”He’s very…enthusiastic. I’m aware he means well, and just wants to protect me-er-my brother, but it can be a bit much.”
”You can just say he’s a stalker who won’t give you or your ‘brother’ a moment’s rest.”
“Perhaps. My brother does find him very irritating on occasion.”
Wow, Malleus was really committed to the bit. Yuu couldn’t help but try to push it a little. “By the way Hornton, you’ve never told me your actual name! I can’t just keep calling you by some nickname Grim thought up, you know?”
”Grim came up with Hornton? I thought it was your invention.” Oh no, he actually looked disappointed. Yuu wasn’t sure why it even mattered who came up with the nickname, but now they wanted to sink into a hole. Just bury them here in the greenhouse, they’ll make great fertilizer.
”Um, yes? I told him I met this guy with horns who wouldn’t say his name, and Grim suggested Hornton, and it kind of stuck you know? I cannot think of names for the life of me, you know I used to just reuse the same name for all my pet fish. Interesting fact about beta fish, they-“ Yuu was saved from further embarrassment by Professor Vargas announcing that the shovelers’ break was over, and Malleus stood up.
”I should get back to it. Don’t worry about the name. I’ll tell you mine tomorrow? After both the Hall and Diasomnia is shoveled at least.” He followed the other students out into the snow, and Yuu finished their lunch still wondering what all that had even been about.