Ruzik felt incredibly uncomfortable in that moment as Kou rose up from the bed, something was off about her and it only caused his heart some minor discomfort and brief tingles of panic. Maybe he was too use to feeling nothing, she suggested and the demon could sense her hopefulness. He wanted to reassure her hopes and embrace the girl but things would not be playing out in that way it seemed. Maybe she was right. Was he to use to it? She hissed his name then at that moment, her eyes practically glowing with rage that was aimed squarely for the incubus. He couldn’t deny it, knowing this caused him to fidget a little and squirm under her hateful gaze. What unnerved him further was how Kou never raised her voice – not even once. A verbal bashing may have eased him, finding it oddly comforting but then again it was hardly anything new. He was so use to it that Ruzik expected it, but for once he never got it.

In truth Ruzik didn’t see what was so wrong for the most part. The latter of his distasteful words were a bit too much but he had apologized for those, he didn’t mean them not at all! Besides it wasn’t as if he had said he didn’t love her. It was quite the opposite, he did love her, but even he didn’t fully understand why he did some of the things he had done. He just wanted to be honest with her, express himself openly but clearly that was his mistake. Why even bother. Was he that bad? Maybe he was a monster, only in a different sense. By that point Kou had called him a wimp, that he only cared about himself, and now that he’d had his fill he was dumping the rabbit just like that.

He didn’t deny it nor put up much in the way of a protest. She was right he was disposing of her though not for the reasons she thought – his body was betraying his heart, his love for Kou was always being tested by the wanting of his own flesh. It wasn’t fair. No one else went through this suffering and yet they were all quick to blame him for it, even when he tried to talk about it! But his silence wasn’t to be taken as an agreement to her words, however hateful and emotional they were as really Ruzik thought the opposite. But now wasn’t the time to argue such things out as the girl was already in such a state as it was and the incubus didn’t wish to add to it, surprisingly enough. He knew when enough was enough and going by what Kou had said, were they over? She said that she was tired of the game, presumably their relationship he guessed. But what did that mean exactly? Had he messed up again for a second time in one day? Even Ruzik could only handle so much, what with their constant bickering and making-up, no wonder he preferred no-emotions to this.

Maybe Kou was right – was he so use to feeling nothing that he just couldn’t feel anything at all, even when it was with the he beloved? Perhaps, maybe. He hadn’t thought about it before though that could have been because he never noticed before, his lack of care and feeling never seemed to bother him. Shaking his head he pushed the thoughts aside for now, noticing Kou redressing. However all of a sudden there was a puff of smoke and then a rabbit appeared in sight, was that her? For a single moment the redhead forgot everything and just stared at the creature from where he sat, until the rabbit scampered beneath the bed and kept out of sight. Great, was that his fault to? It felt as if every little thing he did was problematic, so maybe it was? With that thought in mind he climbed out the bed and got dressed, pulling his clothes on one piece at a time and all in an awkward silence that filled the room at that point. It was almost funny in a way how something so great could turn so badly, maybe he should had just kept his mouth shut?

He immediately walked over to the door to make his abrupt departure, perhaps the only good thing he could have done at the moment. He clearly wasn’t wanted around not even by Kou now, and as he sat a hand against the handle he merely quietly said, ”I’m sorry for everything, I won’t come back. You can finally be free.” Short, but he couldn’t think of anything else to say beyond that. It was quite sad to realize that the one he hurt the most was his beloved, and that was enough reason to force Ruzik to remove himself from the dorm, perhaps even permanently. Kou didn’t want him around or at least that was the only logical thing he could assume, and their mage was already freaked out by him.

Quietly he left the room and closed the door behind him. Looking about he didn’t see a single body around which was preferable just then as he felt a sudden cold dampness trail along down the outline of his cheek. When raising a hand to inspect it Ruzik realized he had shed a tear and quickly wiped it away with the end of his sleeve. Crying was for wimps and he definitely wasn’t one! Despite what Kou had said. Walking down the hallway Ruzik aimlessly wandered, he didn’t know where else to go and actually, he had no place to go. He really blew it this time and even he didn’t not know how the pair would come back from this. Would Kou stay mad at him? It wasn’t a pleasant thought to have, to think the rabbit genuinely didn’t love him anymore. It was his own fault, he knew that. Now.

A few minutes had passed and he found himself at the end of the hallway before coming to a sudden halt. A shriek of pain left his lips at that moment as his fist was slammed hard against the wall beside him. His body shook lightly as the pain seeped in, his fingers and knuckles aching a little. If he could, he would have tried to rip his own heart out however with no powers causing any form of pain onto himself was made more difficult. It was almost depressing, as he stood with his cheeks flushed with a crimson colour and dampened from evident crying. His lip began to quiver and instinctively he bit down on it, quickly looking round to check he was alone. Stepping back Ruzik turned round before sliding down against the wall and dropped to the ground, his back flat against the wall as he brought is knees up to his chest.

A sudden pain filled his chest, a heavy burdening feeling that weighted his body down. Despite his efforts to suppress it Ruzik knew it was pointless to even try, his heart was in minor chaos and nothing would settle it. Biting deeper on his lip in frustration he flung his head back against the wall without thinking, earning himself a nasty smack to the back of his skull. All of a sudden tears formed in his eyes and dripped down all over his face, the realization that he was truly alone and unloved hitting him all at once.

Ruzik had never really known what it felt like to love and beloved, he didn’t really notice it before until now, having lost it. He bit down on his arm and sank his teeth into his flesh, venting out his inner conflict as he wept against the wall. His cries echoed down the hallways a little though he tried to muffle his pathetic whimpering with his sleeve. Why was he so pathetic all of a sudden?

---

Cleo ducked and dived over and under the oncoming attacks of the gargoyle. The creature was surprisingly quick and kept the girl on her toes at all times. As it swung its arm the feline twisted her body round and back to narrowly escape the impact, before throwing herself forward as she clashed heads with the monster. Its skull was thick and solid and sent Cleo flying back against the ground, but the girl was persistent enough and scrambled onto her feet before lunging at the creature again.

Though her vision was a little shaken from the earlier hit to the head, causing the feline to stagger slightly as she threw herself at the monster again. This time however she clung to its arm and spun herself round it, dragging it with her as she ran behind its back and twisted the stone limb in her grasp. The gargoyle cried in discomfort and shook about furiously, trying to fend the girl off it. Wasting little time Cleo grabbed the arm hard and gave it a forceful pull, its body cracking and crumbling apart as the arm was ripped from its body. Spinning on her heel the feline brought the arm round and struck the monsters head, knocking the it clean off before leaping up and swinging a leg round as she sent the remaining pieces falling to the ground.

Quickly Cleo dropped her focus on the monster as it was done with and just as eagerly flipped her eyes over onto the Minotaur. Maybe she was being over confident? With a shrug and stretching her arms the feline ran at the big beast at incredible speed for leaping to the air and pouncing on it. However, the beast turned round quickly and slammed its fist into the girl and sent her dropping hard onto the ground. Baring given time to raise her head the monster grabbed Cleo and flung her into the air, quickly twisting its body round as it nabbed the feline by the leg and spun her round, slamming her headfirst into the ground once more. But stubbornly enough the girl rose back to her feet, despite not being a born fighter the demon would still give it her all and overcome all odds. Once upright Cleo wobbled a little before getting her balance.

Throwing herself forward she sunk her fangs into the monsters arm and held her hold on it, despite the Minotaur repeatedly striking her back to force the girl off, Cleo refused to let go. She closed her eyes and bared the pain, hoping the monster would ease up and give in soon. And if not, she could only hope someone or thing would take pity on her.

It was certainly an interesting read, but an odd one at the same time. I was a strange feeling to open a book and find a section on you, describing tendencies and urges you had with great accuracy. However her reading was interrupted when she heard a howl of pain echo down the halls, followed not long after by faint crying. Etelka normally would care very little about a random person injuring themselves, however when she heard the crying she thought it to be a child. It made no sense for a child to be roaming the halls of this academy, but logic was not in the girls mind as she dashed up from her seat flung her door open. She didn't stop to think about why she cared, or if this was some sort of trap, her only thought was that a child had been injured and now sprinted towards the source of the noise.

As she got closer it became very obvious it was not a child, and Etelka was not amused when she was close enough to identify who it was. She stopped slowed her sprint down and stopped a meter or two away from the source of the sobbing, what was the shark doing in this random dead end hallway bawling his eyes out. Etelka was hunched over and breathing deeply in front of Ruzik, running had taken quite a bit out of her; however the exhaustion did not stop her from glaring at the demon.

"Dear god Ruzik you had me worried, I mistook your crying for that of a child." Her comment was very much meant to express the truth and also insult the shark, comparing his current state to that of a child. Etelka hated this man deeply, she wished to kill him, yet right now she couldn't actually bring herself to be overly aggressive with him. Perhaps it was because she had just read a book that had told her that indeed the two of them were kin, one of the kind. Knowing they were the same and seeing him in tears hiding at the end of a hall, it reminded the girl far too much of herself to act hatefully towards him right now.

Having regained her breath she stood up straight and extended her hand towards Ruzik, "Take my hand and come to my room, here you are going to wake a mage even as you try to hush yourself." Etelka didn't want him to know that right now she was actually feeling empathetic towards him. So for now she hid her want to at least comfort him slightly with her usually concern for mages, glancing behind them to make sure no one was coming. Even if someone did come she logically knew that here they would not scold him for crying, but at the back of her mind was the irritating thoughts of her past. "I don't why you are like this demon, but here is not the place to sort through your emotions."

---

---

”That sounds pretty cool,” Momoko commented as the pair walked, finding the other mages abilities to be rather cool and impressive in her opinion. ”Sounds like you could do a lot of damage, I guess I better not get on the wrong side of you.” She joked, as the pair continued to walk along the hallway. Things seemed to be going relatively well with the two girls and Momoko was actually beginning to like Liliane, as the other mage seemed nice enough and she hadn’t really done anything to suggest otherwise just yet.

However when the topic of her team was brought up, mainly Ruzik, Liliane did not seem overly thrilled by the demon which gave Momoko cause for concern. Was he that bad? Nevertheless, Momoko wouldn’t be quick to judge the demon too harshly, as she believed despite what he did maybe the redhead would change since he knew she didn’t like it? Hopefully. Shaking her head she pushed the thought aside before looking back to the other girl. ”Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to keep an eye on him and ensure he doesn’t try anything.”

The topic soon moved onto what had happened that day as Liliane updated Momoko on all that which she had missed. By the sounds of it the morning had been pretty fun, minus the near-death of Ruzik apparently. The blonde girl sighed a little as the issues between the girl and redhead were apparently worse than first thought, however she wasn’t the type to really get involved unless she absolutely had to. Apart from that, Liliane had mentioned that other mages and demons of their class were away on a mission of some sort though its details were otherwise unknown for now. That would have explained why the place was emptier than she thought, then again it was late so some students could be in their dorms for all she would have known. ”It sounds like quite a day, though hopefully I didn’t miss too much. I can wait for tomorrow when I’ll get to meet everyone properly, and show the class what I can do!”

When ask of what her pet looked like, Momoko had entirely forgotten that she hadn’t really described the little creature. With a quiet hint of laughter the girl dug into her kimono before pulling out a small photo of her familiar, and then showed it to the other mage. ”His name is Sage, he’s a plant-demon though is relatively harmless, I’ve had him since my childhood.” She explained somewhat before a thought suddenly occurred to her, and a worried expression filled her face. ”He wasn’t with my belongings in my dorm, d-do you think the Headmaster might still have him? He wouldn’t do anything to my familiar, would he? M-Mister Memphis did not seem too pleased when I met him.”

Pushing the thought aside once more, Momoko focused on what else the girl had said in regards to an instructor. Some woman she guessed, who was possibly a demon, or even an angel. ”That would be lovely, I would love to meet her. If she is an instructor then she would be useful to know, so I’d happily take you up on that offer of meeting her tomorrow. Thank-you, Liliane.” Unhooking their arms at that moment the blonde girl turned round to bow at the other female, baring a smile as she then straightened herself up. Tilting her head to the side slightly, Momoko pondered for a moment as an idea gradually formed in her mind. ”I wonder… if Sage might be in the Headmasters office? He was the first person I met when arriving here, so maybe Sage followed him by accident… or else perhaps my familiar is… somewhere else. I don’t really wish to get into trouble, but I will do anything to find Sage! Let us go Liliane, onward!” Turning round suddenly the girl marched forward with a look of determination about her, it was clear she would do anything to find her beloved little familiar again, by any means.

Ruzik was visibly surprised when the sight of Etelka entered his vision all of a sudden, he almost had to look twice just to make sure he wasn’t imagining the whole thing and soon enough he realized, that it wasn’t a figment of his imagination. Ruzik wiped the end of his sleeve against his eyes and under his nose, trying to appear less pathetic. Did he truly look so emotionally weak that even his enemies were showing him sympathy? Heck, the girl had even just said that he more or less resembled that of a child at that moment.

”I am clearly not a child.” He remarked with a slight roll of his eyes, before noticing the demon-girl straightened herself upright and offer a hand out to him. His face retained it’s initial look of surprise as Ruzik wasn’t entirely sure what Etelka was up to, and whether or not her interest in him was genuine or not. She had requested for him to take her hand and return to her room, seemingly more concerned about him waking up a mage than anything else. ”As if I care who I wake.”

Despite his words however the demon accepted her hand and pushed himself off the ground, standing upward soon after as Ruzik faced the girl. Releasing her hand for a second, the incubus quickly wiped his eyes again and rid himself of any stray tears that reformed, inhaling a deep breath before clasping his fingers round hers as the demon held her hand once more. ”Come on.” He said, as he gently pulled the girl along with him as the pair retreated back to Etelka’s room. In truth, Ruzik just wanted somewhere to hide and most certainly did not want Kou seeing him in his current state - so he’d settle for whatever he could get at that moment.

Shortly after and once at the girl’s room, the demon headed straight into it and tugged Etelka in with him before closing the door quickly behind the pair to ensure no one would see them. As soon as the door was shut Ruzik turned round and clung to Etelka suddenly, burying his face into her shoulder as tears emerged and trailed down the sides of his face. He was an emotional wreck which was very out of character for the demon, he never usually dared to bare his feelings so openly but the incubus couldn’t really help it just now. In a weird way it felt nice to have someone close to him just now even if it was Etelka, her presence was oddly comforting even though a part of him was cautious of her sudden kindness.

”Kou and I had an argument,” He said quietly and pulled away a little from her shoulder to face the girl somewhat. ”She doesn’t want to speak to me, or even be near me anymore… I don’t have anywhere else to go.” To think of it hurt the demon, the fact he couldn’t go back to Kou right now evidently stinging the poor incubus. ”I-I want to love her and be with her, but I’m never content, always wanting more. I just wish I could be satisfied. Do you feel like this, Etelka? Have you ever loved anyone?”

Etelka assisted in lifting Ruzik off the ground, and then was pulled along by him towards her room. The door was shut quickly behind the pair, she sighed as it slammed rather audibly, people really were trying to sleep at this hour. She would have been much less in the mood for empathy if Ruzik had woken her, luckily for him she was still adjusting to sleeping during the night and was rather nocturnal. The male demon suddenly threw his face into the girls shoulder, startling her slightly as he began to cry again. To put it lightly it was uncomfortable supporting him in her shoulder, he was after all quite a bit taller then her.

Ruzik and the rabbit had argued, this hardly surprised nor intrigued Etelka. The shark was after all a beast that seemed to thrive on causing conflict, even if it seemed to also harm himself. The sentiment of never being satisfied, that was something she could easily relate to. Her urges for sex could only ever be curbed, she had obviously become far better then him at with dealing with it. Then again to her it was like a constant headache, and pain was something that only slightly perturbed her. However the rest of his words perturbed her greatly, no in fact she had never loved anyone, anything.

It was a rather depressing thought when she was caused to dwell on it. There was not a single thing in this world that she loved, the closest thing was Lord Snow. However she did not love him, she simply served and respected him, her loyalty did not come from love. "No, I have never loved anyone, never have I appreciated a person for any reason other then loyalty or intimacy. I have no parents, I have no one I would call a guardian, I have never given nor received love." Etelka found her life rather empty, it was where most of her loyalty came from. Her own life did not fulfill her, it was simply satiating urge after urge, her time without a master was all null to her. It was when she learned to be stoic simply because she was empty, Etelka had no purpose and couldn't seem to gain any purpose.

She wished to help Ruzik, but she couldn't understand how he felt. If anything seeing him like this had only re brought forth her feelings of worthlessness, if not worsened them. Despite her now raging inner turmoil Etelka accepted she would rather help her kin first, even if now she wished to join him in weeping about how pathetic their lives were. She remained stoic and silent, Etelka would let her kin cry on her for as long as he needed and answer any questions he had of her. She couldn't recall being this kind of a person, actually if she had to describe herself it would be as cruel, but it seemed kinship had affected her far more then she could have anticipated.

Ruzik listened as the girl spoke and answered his question, her response something he hadn’t quite expected however. Had she truly never loved anyone, nor felt it? An odd concept to comprehend as even though Ruzik didn’t fully appreciate his own affections, both given and received, the incubus at least had Kou who quite obviously loved him. ”That’s a pity,” He said before taking a small step back from the girl as he stood in front of her. ”Can’t imagine why no one would want to love you, heh.”

It was truly a weird feeling to know that he was there with Etelka, seemingly being comforted by her in some strange way. Her newfound kindness hadn’t completely fooled the incubus, as wasn’t it only earlier today that they were threatening one another? It bothered him to say the least. ”Why aren’t you hurting me? I’m a wreck and this would have been your perfect opportunity,” He stated before rubbing his eyes a little from beneath his glasses, ensuring that his crying had stopped for now at least. ”You’re more understanding and nice, like a sister or…a friend. It's a little unusual as you can understand.”

Reaching over he held her hands in his own carefully, his need for physical contact ever apparent as it always was. He wondered if Etelka felt like this, if the succubus shared all his minor feelings and desires. Entwining his fingers with hers, Ruzik stepped closer to the other demon until his face was merely inches from her own. At first it would have looked as if he were about to kiss the girl though stopped just before their lips made contact, instead casting his gaze down at their hands. ”How do you keep so restrained? You feel the same things that I do but you seem so much more relaxed and in control.” His hold on her hands tightened a little as his gaze travelled back up to her face. ”If you want something why not just take it? Like I do. We have needs that need to be fulfilled often but you are not like me.”

Why was he so different? Mikari had said that he knew some of his species to live happily and yet Ruzik was restless when it came to Kou and settling with her. Maybe he was just afraid to allow himself to be vulnerable, scared to truly love. He had often proclaimed to love the rabbit but at the end of the day it was just words, his actions certainly spoke louder, and said so much more. Shaking his head lightly he pushed the thoughts aside, refocusing on Etelka who stood before him. A sudden smirk crept onto his lips as he said, ”Guess you’re not so tough after all, I actually thought I should fear you but really your just a girl,” He taunted a little before grinning widely. ”Don’t worry though, I won’t take advantage of you this time.”

Etelka scoffed when Ruzik said he found it surprising no one had loved her, it stung with sarcasm even it wasn't intended. The shark then proceeded to ask why she wasn't attacking him; a rather reasonable question given thoughts of killing him were at the back of her head. Given that he very well knew she had these thoughts it was rather unwise of him to bring it up, "Do you want me to hurt you?" Clearly he didn't, it was more of a question posed to make him back off the subject. Etelka did not wish to tell him that she felt kinship with him or that she took pity on him for reminding her of the past, until at least he had calmed down more.

The male demon held her hand tightly; it bothered her little as physical contact was something she took for granted. Then he got very close to her, their faces barely apart as he moved in for a kiss like motion. However his gaze was seemingly more interested in their hands, forming another question for her. "I seem more relaxed and in control because I am more relaxed and in control. I can actually resist my urges unlike you, it comes with forced practice. My past is shorter and worse than yours Ruzik, while you seem obsessed with being in control I have only been in control of my life for a few years. My life is pain so I am used to sitting still and taking it methodically, you are like a poorly taught child who lacks enough self-control to eat with a fork instead of his hands."

She wondered if he had even heard her entire speech, Ruzik’s eyes seem to have lost focus implying he had lost himself into thought. It mattered little to her if he heard it all, he had clearly calmed down and as such her levels of sympathy were dwindling. Now he was being his usual cocky self as he taunted her with a grin, Etelka did not appreciate someone she did not consider her better taunting her. She pushed herself past him and walked over to the desk, grabbing the book she had been reading, mostly as a cover while she grabbed her sewing needle and hid it in her palm. The girl walked back over to him, showing the book off as she did so, "I have been reading of our kind, t'is interesting certainly. I am now entirely convinced that you did not lie to me and we are one in the same species."

Upon returning to in front of Ruzik she dropped the book to the floor, shoving the needle so close to his throat that he would feel it nearly piercing it. "Not once did I say you should not fear me demon, I am merely being nicer as I have confirmed our kinship. As I am now to call you kin, I find your behavior even more detestable, and I very well plan to fix that." Etelka pulled the needle down from his throat and gave a terrifyingly genuine smile with a head tilt to boot. "Since you are no longer a pathetic babbling mess, let us be out of here. I will accompany you and will make things better with Ms. Kou." Her smiled evaporated as she glared at her kin, "Or do you have objection?" She didn't entirely know where this was coming from herself, but for now she would improve this terrible demon she shared race with. Etelka had always longed for a feeling of family, but considering this ill mannered brute as kin? It was difficult. If he did have an objection it would be one fight she could win, she need only hit him once and then use her magic.

Ruzik visibly frowned when being called a poorly taught child by the other demon, evidently disliking the comparison to a greedy brat with no sense of self-restraint. Was he really that bad? Why did so many view him as some little toddler! Pouting a little the demon merely raised above it and held his tongue for the moment as he digested her words. Oh how he envied Etelka in a way, despite feeling the same thing she actually held some power over her urges whereas he merely gave into them the second he felt them! And despite forever indulging himself the incubus was never relaxed either, making his efforts one big pointless cycle.

Rolling his eyes quietly he vaguely noticed the girl retreated to the desk and picking up a book. He cared little for whatever its contents was, and it was only when Etelka returned that he cast a bored gaze over the thing that she showed off to him. ”Of course we are, I wouldn’t lie about a thing such as that – it’d be pointless. Besides, as if I’d willingly want to be of relation to you.” He remarked and glanced away for a moment. Despite having little experience with the succubus type Ruzik wasn’t overly in dire need to rectify that fact, having a slight preference for incubus’s more. Not that he had met many of them either.

Suddenly Etelka dropped the book and aimed the end of a needle to his throat – the very tip of it lightly grazing his flesh just a tad. He was very surprised, almost angered by her sudden course of action. However despite appearances the girl had actually been nicer to him entirely due to their kinship of all things. Perhaps he should have been more grateful, his life spared only for such a small fact, seemingly. One thing in particular she said caught his attention, her goal to fix his behavior more precisely. ”Excuse me?” He frowned somewhat childishly and looked to her, watching as she lowered the needle away from him and gave an odd smile in return. After cheekily calling him a pathetic mess, Etelka then told the demon that she’d accompany him and improve things with Kou. Yeah right.

”Whatever, she doesn’t want to see me and quite frankly it’s not a good idea for me to go back there,” He said before walking over and sitting down on the nearby bed. Crossing his eyes he looked away from Etelka and quickly pouted. ”In your d--” A thought hit him suddenly that caused him to lose his voice mid-way for a moment; realizing that Kou was locked in their dorm. Any other time wouldn’t have mattered but she was a rabbit last time he saw her, meaning she was stuck in the room? Oh crap! What if something happened to her? Was that possible! ”Crap, crap, crap! Hurry up, let’s go Etelka! We need to go now!”

He practically flew out the room as the redhead madly dashed all the way up the hallway and towards his room. He wasn’t sure if Etelka had caught up before reaching the room door – which was opened slightly, and once entering Ruzik frantically went about searching the dorm for the fluffy white rabbit. ”Kou! Where are you?” He called repeatedly, after having looked under the bed, wardrobe and even in the drawers! But there was no sign of Kou much to his sadness. Her clothes were still where she had left them so it was obvious she didn’t leave as her usual self, but then where could she have gone?

”Somebody stole my rabbit!” Ruzik looked as if he were about to cry all over again similar to a child who had lost their favorite toy, though clearly Kou was not a simple toy. She could not be replaced and not knowing where she was struck worry into the incubus. To the side near the bed he noticed a familiar bottle and quickly scooped it up, recognizing it to be the same bottle that contained his pills. Seriously? It was beginning to feel that wherever he went those pills would follow as quite frankly they had been popping up everywhere even after throwing them away! With a shrug, he opened the bottle and peeked inside of it. The only known sources to have such things were either Mikari, Kou or the nurses at the infirmary. So either their teacher or nurse had taken Kou?

Within a moment of whirling emotions and poor logic, the incubus flung his head back and popped five of the pills into his mouth. Thinking that one was bad enough the taste was almost sickening when consuming five, the demon feeling as if he would be sick at that moment. He figured, well, that they were supposed to help him in some way so why not up the dose? He was out of other options anyway so it couldn’t hurt? Maybe it’d calm him a little, or not, but whatever the side effects he didn’t know nor care.

---

Cleo felt the sudden touch from Muse as the other girl pulled the feline from the Minotaur, thankfully the horned-demon had came to her aid and Cleo gladly did as instructed and released the monster and moved a short distance from where it fell. ”Wow, you hit that thing pretty hard!” She complimented the girl and gave a light hint of laughter, seemingly impressed. The feline watched as Muse struck the creature again and sure enough the Minotaur was down for the count. A moment later she looked to the other demon and gave a nod and quick thumbs-up, ”Sure, you bet! Consider your back watch.”

It was a relief to know someone was watching out for her, especially when not knowing that person well. Muse seemed rather nice and kind though Cleo hadn’t expected anything else from her, simply settling with giving the horned-female a friendly smile. ”Thanks for that you really helped me, I appreciate it.” Pulling her attention away for a few minutes Cleo looked to see how the others were getting on, her eyes glancing over the two teachers as well wondering how well her performance was being viewed. They were getting judged, right? At least she thought so, in some way. Anyway it wasn’t as if mattered as the feline was determined to do her best regardless.

Switching her gaze back to Muse the girl added. ”Let’s go, the sooner we do this the quicker we can get this whole thing dealt with. I’m game if you are!” Grinning, the girl sprang into action as she led the way towards another group of monsters. Of course they ran right at her but Cleo was ready, as she skipped and ducked, and weaved through a handful of gargoyles that came her way. Targeting the smallest one the cat pounced upon her prey and tackled it to the ground with force, causing cracks in his back and limbs. As she raised both hands up and clenched them into firsts, Cleo hammered her hands down into the monster and broke its body apart. It took little effort to do so considering her strength, but her attention was immediately diverted to the other monsters as she leaped to her feet.

Springing onto one of them Cleo twisted her arms round the neck of one of the gargoyles and spun her body round side-ways, turning its skull all the way round and rotating its neck. Landing her feet to the ground behind it, she inhaled and puffed out her chest before heaving the thing over her shoulder and threw it to the ground with a loud thud. The gargoyle wailed a bit and scrambled about before her, its body breaking apart. As it lunged up with whatever energy it had Cleo spun on her heel and brought a fist forward as she slammed it into the monster and knocked it to the ground again.

---

---

Momoko pulled out a photo of the familiar she was talking about. Liliane had no clue what to make of it. It looked like moss clumped together to form a figure and received leaves for a tail and a hat with flower petals for eyes. Momoko stated that the creature was a plant demon named Sage. After studying the picture for a while longer Lili handed the photo back.

"Don't worry about how the Headmaster looks. That non-too-pleased expression he wears is his normal face. So don't take it to heart if he looks like he is glaring at you. It seems he knows no other facial expressions. And with him being a demon, I don't think he'd hurt another of his kind without good reason. If he did find the creature then he would probably hang on to it until morning then address it to the class to see if it was missing...That's what I would do anyway."

”I wonder… if Sage might be in the Headmasters office? He was the first person I met when arriving here, so maybe Sage followed him by accident… or else perhaps my familiar is… somewhere else. I don’t really wish to get into trouble, but I will do anything to find Sage! Let us go Liliane, onward!”

"Momoko, wait." Lili stopped the girl before she begun heading for Memphis' office. "The Headmaster isn't in. And I'm sure breaking into his office is a punishable office. I've already had my strike for the day. Let's not do anything to get him more upset at me and give him a bad impression of you. This campus is pretty safe so if he's around somewhere then I'm sure it'll be fine until the morning." Liliane let out a quick breath. "Besides, it's getting late and we still have classes tomorrow. Bright and early. I think it'd be best to get rest if anything we do tomorrow is like what we did today."

Ruzik almost choked when the nurse suddenly arrived outside of the door. Within a split second she ran toward him and snatched the bottle from his grasp. Once securely acquiring the pills the women went on to lecture the demon on taking so many – apparently more than three could kill him, but Ruzik wasn’t quick to believe the nurse until it was proven to him. With a faint sigh, the demon knelt down and sat on the ground figuring that he wasn’t planning on leaving with the woman. Dying or not he had to find Kou, that was his priority and he would not seek aid until he did just that!

He listened to the nurse’s lecture though it didn’t seem to improve his attitude towards leaving the room. ”I-I can’t go, not until I find my rabbit!” He told the nurse, his hands slowly clenching into fists as he set them down against the floor. ”A small white rabbit, the most beautiful little creature you could ever have seen… she was here, but I shut her in and now she’s gone. Someone must have taken her!” Moving his gaze away from the woman he looked to the discarded dress near the bed and reached over to pick it up, holding it close to him as he hugged it against his chest. Ruzik couldn’t deny the guilt that overcame him by that point, perhaps he had been a bit cruel to the girl? He hadn’t meant his words; he was just prone to lashing out at whoever was closest to him which unfortunately was Kou.

”I don’t care if it poisons me I-I just want to find Kou and fix things,” He felt relatively fine for the most part, so Ruzik believed things weren’t as bad as the woman was making out. Maybe she was just exaggerating? Or the effects hadn’t kicked in just yet. ”For your information I’m not sick and therefore I do not need medicine. For all I know you could be trying to scare or trick me, you’re just like the rest of them. I don’t have some disease...” He wondered where Etelka was at that moment, figuring the girl would have been with him though clearly she wasn’t. Perhaps she was on her way? Yeah, probably. The incubus had rushed ahead after all, he figured. Oddly enough he’d rather have the demon with him than the nurse, for some reason. Besides, he had already consumed the pills so what did it matter now? What could the nurse do? Ruzik just rolled his eyes and kept Kou’s dress close to him whilst hugging it.

Taking a deep breath the incubus rose from the ground and straightened himself upright, however once back onto his feet he stumbled backward a little and caught himself against the drawer. His balance had wavered for a moment but the incubus regained himself quickly, clutching the girls dress before pushing off the drawer and finally standing unsupported.

”D-Don’t bother nurse I have to find Kou! Either help or get out my way.” The demon said and took a few steps forward, before slightly stumbling again as he fell into the nurse a little and grabbed her gently. Frowning just a tad he pushed off her and forced his way across and outside of the room. ”Etelka! S-She's not... here... Kou's... gone.” There had been a few awkward pauses between his words for some reason as he leaned against the door frame and tried to play off his sudden bout of lethargicness, his eyes looking about for the other demon-girl. What was the nurse going to do anyway, drag him to the infirmary? Whatever. It didn’t matter, he just had to find Kou.

It seemed like he planned to resist her for a moment, when suddenly Ruzik was overtaken by what seemed to be panic. He sprinted past her and even told her to come along, it seemed when he was concentrating on being a contrary ass he did appreciate her at least slightly. Etelka not sharing the same panic did not sprint as he did, instead calmly walking down the halls towards his dormitory. She heard his shouting from down the hall and dreadfully wished to apologize to everyone he would be waking at this hour. A woman who seemed to be a medical officer slipped into the room only a short moment before the demon girl arrived, and then also shouted for a moment.

Etelka leaned on the wall outside the room as the nurse was lecturing the stupid incubus about drugs or something. Did he have such little self-control he needed to be medicated? The mere idea caused the girl to be overcome with shame and pity; hopefully these drugs were related to other issues or cravings. The incubus spat back uncaring words at the nurse; he was truly desperate to be with this rabbit. This love he felt must have been rather strong given he was willing to poison himself to simply make up with the rabbit, and if the poison was anything like the ones Etelka had been subject to it was a not a thing one should seek.

Ruzik stumbled his way into the doorway and spoke to her, actually it barely seemed like it was to her. He barely even looked beyond the entrance and his words came out slowly, the incubus had clearly become very stressed dealing with this issue. In order to confront the issue finding the rabbit was priority number one. If he wasn't in such a state perhaps she would have the ability to realize that doctor hardly showed up because her doctor senses were tingling about drug abuse. It at least seemed possible that the rabbit was at the infirmary, she had no other leads anyway.

Etelka didn't even move or change her gaze from the wall in front of her. "Miss Kou is probably at the infirmary, and no this is not a ruse I care little for your health. Run ahead I'll catch up." She glanced to the side and waited for her kin to depart, moving into the doorway after his movement. "Doctor you'll be able to get the pills out of him after he calms down, or if you can't I will. Either way you may wish to run back to the infirmary, he is going to tear that place apart looking for the rabbit." The demon stepped out of the doorway and began to walk her way to the infirmary.

---

---

Momoko sighed a little with momentary relief when hearing that the Headmaster was just generally displeased in the way of his expressions. At least it meant he hadn’t been particularly mad with the girl, so that was something! Smiling, she then had heard Liliane speak up once more and quickly the blonde girl looked to the other mage. ”Yes, what is it?” Momoko asked as she stopped and turned to face Liliane fully with a curious gaze. From what she heard it seemed the Headmaster wasn’t in and entering his office without his presence was deemed a punishable offense. Well, it was true. Perhaps Momoko hadn’t been thinking clearly when desiring to find her little companion.

”I understand,” She said and gave a little sigh. ”I wouldn’t want to give him a bad impression of me, and I would never purposely want to get you in trouble. I guess I just wasn’t thinking.” Giggling a little, the girl gave a quick bow to the other mage and offered a nod in response. ”You are probably right, this place does seem safe so wherever he is I guess I should not worry too much. And sure, it would be wise to get rest while we can before class tomorrow.”

Thinking quietly for a moment, the girl crossed her arms and looked about the hallways briefly. She had only just arrived and was still finding her way about, though she figured Liliane knew her way around the layout or at least better than Momoko for now. ”So… do you know the way back to the dorms?” She asked with a tilt of her head. ”I’m still getting accustomed to being here so my sense of direction is not at its best you see, I apologize for being a nuisance. But if you could… guide me back I would truly appreciate it?” As she waited for the girls response Momoko took a few steps forward and looked about again, trying to get more familiar with her surroundings. However, just then another thought occurred to the mage as she quickly turned back to look at Liliane.

”Say, why don’t you show me your dorm? That way I will know where to find you in case I need any help. And besides,” She paused for a moment and rethought of something mentioned to her earlier. ”By the time we get there it should be more than safe for me to go back to my dorm. I am sure Ruzik and Kou will be finished with whatever it was they were doing, I hope B-But anyway let us head off, are you coming?”

---

---

Nurse Julie frowned as Ruzik began agonizing over finding a certain animal. "Did you say rabbit?" Julie tuned into his wailing. "You know what happened to her?" She grabbed Ruzik's shoulders as if this were very important. Was Ruzik the one that had put the girl in that state? "Etelka's right, she's at the infirmary. She was in here earlier, when I entered she was laying on her side in pain. I took Kou to the infirmary but unfortunately her injury is the one thing my magic can't heal." Julie released the incubus and shook her head, it was obvious the dosage he took was beginning to take effect, his words were slurring and he was stumbling. They really needed to get to the medical center before Ruzik passed out.

"Come on," Nurse Julie put Ruzik's arm over her shoulder, the boy was in a pitiful state and she didn't think they could wait any longer. "You can see your rabbit after we get those pills out of you." Julie only had to remove the last two, the other three could remain in the Incubus's stomach. The scientist in her was dying to see how this medicine worked, but Julie knew better then to subject a student to such an experiment. Something like that could potentially be deadly.

"Etelka you can come along if you wish," hopefully Mikari would be there by the time they arrived. Unfortunately her discussion with him would have to wait until she fixed the redhead. Some vomiting and a good night's sleep would fix Ruzik right up but Julie couldn't guarantee anything. It would be her fault if he died, she was supposed to give him the medicine and advise him about the dosage but had gotten distracted earlier. If the boy perished it would be on her head and quite frankly Nurse Julie enjoyed her job and did not want to see her position terminated due to such a mistake.

Whether the boy agreed to come or not didn't matter, Julie began taking him to the medical center and thought about her stock of items she could use that would possibly make Ruzik chuck the things he had swallowed. Magic would be a last resort as she needed to save her powers for when the students out on the mission returned in case any of them were severely injured. Of course this was an emergency, but Julie had priorities and if there was something in her cabinets that could make Ruzik vomit she would use it. "Stay with me boy," Julie prompted as they neared the infirmary.

She pushed the door open and figured Ruzik could find a place to sit or lay on his own. Kou was still on her side in the basket, the only difference was that the rabbit's eyes were closed. The nurse frantically ran over to check that the girl was still breathing and breathed her own sigh of relief when she saw the rise and fall of the girl's chest. "Now, what do I have here that tastes so bad you'll have to throw up?" Julie spoke to herself and unlocked the cabinet of medicines and dangerous medical tools she kept on hand. She pulled out bottles, checking names and putting them back or simply dropping them depending on if it was glass or plastic. "Ah ha!" Julie grabbed a glass bottle and a measuring cup, pouring a syrupy green liquid into it and placing the cup in the boy's hand. She brought over a trash can and sat down in her rolling chair, reaching for her stethoscope so she could check his vitals when he was done with the medicine.

---

---

The aerial battle was a mess, Hive learned, as flying monsters still headed down to the ground-based students. Surely, the harpies were still up and afloat, but multiple gargoyles targeted the other students regardless. He'd better hurry up, Hive figured, as he couldn't prevent them all from providing air support. It was a good thing their opponents were such a disorganized mess. Case in point, Cleo and Muse had been able to take care of the minotaur uninterrupted. It was a good thing that Muse knew her way around a fight... He could leave it to her to watch Cleo's back.

To not change a winning strategy, Hive once more charged a lone harpy. However, since the initial shock and panic had dissolved, this one was ready. Doing what harpies do best; scream!

The wounds he'd received from Midora still withstanding, Hive was unable to react as quickly as he could against the wall of sound. The high-pitched shriek pierced through his head like a spear; causing unrest within his body. Hive abruptly halted in the air, dropping his makeshift weapon and plugged his ears. Several gargoyles were quick to respond to the opportunity, each single one latched onto him; using their claws and jaws to take a piece out of Hive.

“Tsk.” Hive scowled, clenching his teeth. No less than three gargoyles began to rip at his wings, but Hive's hands were tied. Was he really that rusty, that he was at the mercy of some monster trash? That was a tall tale for even Hive to believe, he just needed that harpy to stop yelling at the top of it's lungs. Hive concentrated on transforming his tongue, and glands within his mouth to copy a nasty termite trick. Hive fired a glue-like liquid from his mouth, and managed to aim part of the sticky mass straight at the harpy's face! The monster's instinct to shut it's mouth did the rest; it's lips were permanently zipped!

With the threat of all the bugs being driven insane gone, the gargoyles were no longer a threat. Hive dissolved in a cloud of insects; causing the gargoyles to grab naught but air. Hive reformed right above them; but with one important change. His abdomen now was a bright fluorescent light, causing all his attackers to turn to stone and drop straight out of the air! Yet before they hit the ground and smashed to bits, the gagged harpy too went for Hive.

“Tsk, annoying pest.” Hive growled, as his arm transformed in a mantis' blade. He flew straight at the harpy, meeting it midair. Settling it with one strike, the blade cut off the birdwoman's head, which, followed by it's body, plummeted down onto the battle field.

Much as Hive complained, however, he was enjoying himself. Or perhaps rather, he was relieving a lot of pent up frustration. “Who else wants to be cut to ribbons?” The demon smirked, as he sought out his next target. He might not had been at full strength, but that didn't mean there was anything that could not take on. There were plenty more monsters to go around, and Hive had a bet to win.

Ruzik was about to run off or at least attempt to when feeling his arm being pulled and wrapped over the nurse’s shoulder. He looked to her with a slight frown on his lips, clearly unappreciative of her assistance. However it wasn't like he was in any place to resist and so the incubus went along with it for now, especially when it was made clear that Kou was at the infirmary. If he was planning on getting there then his goal would only be achieved through the nurse aiding him to walk. As they began making their way towards the medical area Ruzik looked about and saw Etelka ahead of the pair a little, which weirdly made him feel slightly relieved. However, the demon-girl wasn't necessarily his friend either, so it wasn't a totally relief per say.

As they arrived at the infirmary the nurse left the two demons and walked over to check on the rabbit that lay in a basket. Almost immediately Ruzik knew it was Kou and wanted to run over to her, but he got the feeling that neither the nurse nor Etelka would allow him to until he coughed up the pills. As the woman wandered over and rummaged around in one of the cupboards Ruzik sat himself down on a nearby bed and waited for her. The incubus didn't wish to anger either of the girls in fear of what they may do, and so in the meantime he simply sat without uttering a single word. Though that didn't stop his gaze obsessively watching over at the rabbit that lay.

"Kou." He sighed, though before his impulsiveness could take over the nurse reappeared with a cup filled with a green liquid of some sort and placed it in his hands. Bringing over a trashcan and placing it next to him the woman then sat nearby, making Ruzik feel a little uncomfortable for a moment as if felt as if everyone was staring at him. Plus, the green stuff in the cup didn't look too tempting either and the incubus knew he had to drink it much to his displeasure - mainly as it would allow for him to go to Kou finally, and nothing else. It was hardly surprising to figure out that he'd suffer it just to get to the rabbit.

Not wishing to drag it out any longer Ruzik prepared himself and took a deep breath, before raising the end of the cup to his lips and forcing the drink down his throat as he swallowed it whole. After a moment he set the cup aside and sat on the bed in brief silence as he allowed the liquid to pass into his stomach and to see what would happen. Luckily it didn't take long for things to take effect as his gut was rapidly becoming unsettled and soon enough the incubus hopped off the bed and dropped to the floor, as he hunched over the trashcan that was near him. An odd colored substance of red and green left his mouth and stained the bin as his insides were up heaved and poured out of the demon. Ruzik evidently was not happy and looked quite unwell as he leaned against the bin for support, a few uncomfortable noises escaping him as he stuck his head down inside of the trashcan. Needless to say it wasn’t pleasant and whatever the nurse had given him was quite vile to say the least! Once he was sure that he was done the redhead sat up and raised his head high, feeling a little lightheaded for a moment though he stubbornly pushed it aside before gradually getting to his feet.

”H-Happy? That was… disgusting.” Wiping his mouth with the end of his sleeve the demon slowly regained his bearings and shot his gaze over towards the rabbit once again. Kou was still in the basket, and without giving another thought for Etelka or the nurse Ruzik hurried over to the bed where the basket was place on. Staggering over ever so slightly he sat his hands onto the bed to support himself upright as the boy peered over at the small creature.

Kou looked dead, that was the first thought to occur in his mind. Despite seeing the normal rhythm of her chest the incubus could not suppress nor ignore the fact that the rabbit was injured and in pain. All because of him as well which only piled on the guilt, as Ruzik cautious placed a hand over and onto the white rabbit to stroke the soft bundle that lay within the basket. ”Kou? Are you alright?” Genuinely he was concerned for the girl and his voice gave that away, perhaps due to his earlier crying and how he could not truly hide his emotions as well as he wished. ”Please wake up, bounce around and hop. Please do… something.”

Sparing a moment he looked back over towards the nurse and Etelka, giving a rather confused expression as the incubus was a little unsure of himself. Ruzik wasn’t entirely sure of what to do or how to approach Kou, the only thing he knew was that he wanted her to be alright and well as she was before. ”Kou, we’re all here. The nurse, Etelka… and especially me, I’m here for you.” He ran his fingers beneath her belly and stroked the rabbit softly, hoping to comfort her and raise the rabbit’s spirits. ”I shouldn’t have left you but I didn’t want to hurt you anymore, clearly that was wrong. We need to be together Kou, we can’t function without each other. I… need you, I was just being stupid as I always am.” Suddenly he slid his hand around the rabbit and moved his other hand on the opposite side before lifting the small animal up and over against his chest. His heart was beating just a little bit quicker than normal, but the incubus wasn’t feeling a hundred percent after having spilled his guts up earlier thanks to the nurse. His body felt weaker too though that was most likely caused by his tiredness and overworked emotions. ”I-I’m sorry for what I said… I didn’t mean it. You’re not used, you’re mine! It was a hurtful thing to say, everything I said was. I didn’t mean it. I-I was just scared and lashed out at you.”

Plopping down in the chair next to the bed Ruzik made sure he held the rabbit carefully, hoping that somehow Kou would wake up and return to her former self. A few tears welled up in his eyes just at that moment, no matter how hard he tried to suppress them as damp tears began to trail down his face. ”You were right I am a wimp, I can’t handle things and get scared. I do cruel things without thinking to hide it! B-But we can fix that, sort out our problems together. No matter what we’ll always be with each other... as a couple, I swear it.”

---

Cleo swept the hair out of her face as a cool breeze blew, her gaze fixed on Muse as the feline watched the other demon fight. A little in awe, Cleo remained standing and observing for a few minutes longer. It wasn’t until an approaching noise distracted her that the cat sprang back into action and resumed her course of actions that was defeating the monsters. ”You alright Muse?” Cleo called whilst running across the ground, giving the horned-girl another quick glance before refocusing her eyes onto the monsters close by.

For a moment however her attention was then placed to the sky, more precisely her old companion who was busy tending to the monsters in the air. There was a moment that Hive looked to be in trouble but Cleo wasn’t too worried, not that there was much she could have done anyway unless they came to the ground. But either way. Hive was back to action before she knew it and a wide smile filled her lips at the sight. Snatching the chance she also gaze about to check on her other peers and their progress.

Baring her fangs she ran towards one of the ogres that was accompanied by three imps, quickly dispatching the smaller monsters with a few kicks and punches, and bites! Wiping her sleeve across her lips Cleo looked up to the bigger monster and assessed its structure, her ears lowering a little when comparing herself to the ogre. Shaking her head Cleo took a breath and regained her confidence, before hurrying to the monster and dodging its oncoming strikes. The monster furiously swung its fists at the cat though with her speed and agility Cleo easily sidestepped the danger and leaped onto the ogre and crawled behind its back. Throwing itself around it clearly was trying to shake her off but Cleo held on strong, keeping her hold on the monster.

As it rose its hand to grab at the feline Cleo was quick to snap back at the beast and sink her fangs into its fist, the ogre letting out a roar of frustration and pain as the cat pierced through its flesh. Retreating its hurt hand the monster swung its other fist at the girl, prompting Cleo to leap into the air and flip round as she soared, before crashing back down and striking the ogre in the back of the head. The impact sent the thing stumbling forward before falling to its knees, and then its face as it dropped to the ground in mild confusion. It wasn’t dead but Cleo couldn’t help but start to feel a bit bad for attacking the monsters – she wasn’t a natural killer and had only recently began to just around the time she had been captured and forced into the academy.

A frown filled her features for a moment, noticing how easy both Hive and Muse made such an act seem. When she didn’t think about it Cleo was capable of murder, but now she wasn’t sure. When casting a gaze at Ichiro to see how he was doing the feline was then reminded of her purpose, she couldn’t let her mage down and for him she’d keep fighting. Yes, that would be what she would do. Grabbing the leg of one of the imps Cleo swung the lifeless body above her head before bringing it down hard against the back of the skull of the ogre. A muffled cry could be heard but that didn’t stop the feline from repeatedly striking the beast. With a heavy breath she continued until a sharp crack was heard, possibly its skull caving in she guessed, which caused the girl to give a sigh of relief.

Ruzik didn’t like to listen to the nurse as she suggested that the incubus went to sleep and visited tomorrow, for all he knew something else could have happened to Kou and then what would he do? Shaking his head he held the small animal as gently as he could as the rabbit wiggled in his arms. ”Oh, sorry.” He mumbled whilst drying his eyes with his sleeve, clearly realizing it was bothering the rabbit.

As he looked down at Kou the incubus couldn’t help but feel useless and frustrated, the girl that he loved was in pain and the demon could do nothing to help. Right now, the demon just wanted to snatch the rabbit up and keep her in his arms for as long as he could, though Ruzik got the feeling that doing so would prove troubling. ”But she’s my rabbit, why can’t she stay with me? I can’t just leave her… again.” Frowning the redhead held onto the rabbit more tightly, visibly not wishing to let his beloved go so easily. What if Kou didn’t change back? Was the transformation permanent? A look of concern filled his features as the boy looked down at the little bundle in his arms. However, when not wishing to cause the rabbit any further distress, Ruzik forced a smile down at her before lifting the animal up to meet his face. Nuzzling her a little he whispered, ”I still love you, even as a rabbit. We’re together forever and I won’t let anything ruin that, not even myself, not again. I’m just sorry that I did this to you.”

Forcing himself out of the chair the demon stepped beside the bed and slowly lay the rabbit down inside of the basket, ensuring she was comfortable and giving her a few gentle strokes as he ran his fingers through her snowy fur. ”I don’t want to leave you here but I guess they’re not going to allow me to take you, but that doesn’t mean I won’t visit you every day, every hour! I’ll even bring carrots!” Clearly he was trying to at least make the best of their situation, or perhaps he just couldn’t face the fact that Kou may be forever a rabbit. Either way his love for her would not end over some small fact, but he would do all that he could and at any risk to try and get the Kou he knew back. ”You should rest now and save your energy, and I’ll come and see you tomorrow as soon as I can.”

Leaning down he kissed the top of the rabbits head before straightening himself upright, sparing a moment to look at the small animal once more before forcing himself to walk away. He didn’t want to, but he had to for now as the incubus approached the nurse and gave the woman a displeased frown. Baring his teeth he snapped at her, ”You better look after her! She’s worth a hundred of your patients so you bloody well better take good care of my rabbit!” Taking a moment to calm himself Ruzik realized that this was not the way to go about things, especially as Kou was all that truly mattered, not his childish temper. ”She’s all that I have, I can’t live without her! S-So I trust y-you to watch over her while I-I’m gone.”

With his voice giving out the demon hurried over to Etelka at that moment and clung to her arm, seeming about ready to leave the infirmary until Ruzik glanced back to the rabbit once again. He truly did not want to leave her despite what little he could do to help, but the incubus was nothing but stubborn after all. ”W-Wait, what if I stayed here? I-I could watch Kou!” His face had lit up at that point with a brief ounce of contentment, before slowly fading just as quickly. Ruzik didn’t know what to do, whether to stay or go. He felt as if he was betraying Kou if he did leave, but then maybe he was furthering her pain by staying? Feeling unsure of himself he looked to the nurse and then to Etelka, as if seeking guidance. Admittedly he was quite tired, so maybe rest would do him some good. But he was so obsessed with his rabbit that his own needs weren't his priority.

Etelka stood across the room in silence with her eyes closed as Ruzik was forced to intake some sort of fluid. From the noises alone she could discern while unpleasant it most certainly fulfilled its goals. The incubus spoke to the rabbit going on and on about things the girl cared little about. The words annoyed and satisfied Etelka, she was glad he accepted his wrongdoings and his weakness, but generally lovey talking annoyed her. Her reason for bringing the incubus to the rabbit was fulfilled and she felt little reason to stay, but also felt suddenly leaving would be inappropriate.

Apparently the rabbit stirred and reinvigorated more speaking from the incubus, Etelka was hoping he would accept the doctor’s words and leave the place. How much affection Ruzik was spurting to a literally rabbit was making her wish to depart even more, he wanted to come back here every day, which was good to keep him humbled. Finally the demon was ready to depart, the girl opening her eyes and waiting to exit with him. The shark snapped at the mage and if Etelka were closer she would have smacked him that moment for being so suddenly irritable, however he quickly calmed himself and gave her a more well-formed and polite request.

He made his way over and clung to her arm, glancing back over to the rabbit, he very much wanted to stay in the infirmary all night. She however more preferred the idea of making him sleep alone, it seemed like this was one of few times he was being forced to deal with the repercussions of his actions for more than a short while. Kou truly was too forgiving to ever change this demon, if he never faced consequences both would be stuck in a spiral of barking hurtful words and actions at each other before immediately forgiving one another. As Etelka saw it the only reason this time was different was because herself and whatever 'god' that gave the rabbit her form intervened.

Since he was clinging to her arm it was easier than normal to simply tug him along toward the exit, however she clearly struggled with movement with such a large weight on her. "Come demon, this is a place for the ill to rest and you are only desperate. Unless you want me to gravely injure you, you shall sleep in your own bed this night." Etelka continued to make her way out of the infirmary with her kin alongside her. Normally she would have curtsied to the mage, but given her current state she merely bowed her head as they made their way out. "I am satisfied with your apology to Miss Kou, now let us be off to your dormitory so I may return to mine. I am sure we are both tired." In reality she was only tired of dealing with him and his emotions, she would likely stay awake until the master returned.

---

---

Liliane was glad she managed to change Momoko's mind about searching the headmaster's office. She didn't want to be anymore under radar then she already was. Then Momoko asked, not only, a way back to the dorms but she even asked to show Lili's dorm room as well. She mentioned Ruzik and Kou doing something and Lili's mind instantly came to a single conclusion. She couldn't imagine much else going on in a Succubi's mind besides sexual relations with the next person desperate enough to give in.

"Yeah, I'll show you my place. This morning it was empty because the two teammates I had yesterday disappeared. And I don't possess too much." Just then Liliane's face went pale. With everything that happened she somehow forgot her prized possession in the classroom. The section of classrooms had to be locked by now. Maybe it will be there in the morning. But what if someone took it? What if a janitor saw it and threw it away thinking it was just junk? Now Liliane had a good idea as to what Momoko felt like moments earlier. All the sudden Liliane felt sick with dread. If her mask was lost then she would find it near impossible to contain herself if someone pushed her. She shook the thoughts from her head and focused back on what was currently happening. Momoko was already starting to walk when she turned back around to check if Liliane was following.

"I'm coming. It's not too far off." As the two walked Liliane couldn't help but think of the mask. It was the only thing she had to remember her mother by. Before she knew it they were back in the dorms and in front of the door leading into her room. As she opened the door she saw some extra things which she guessed was Muse's. But other than that the room was completely empty. It looked the same as it did when Liliane first moved in. She didn't have anything to put on the walls or decorate the room with. She guessed Muse didn't either, or maybe the demon hadn't had time to unpack yet.

"Sorry, the room lacks any type of character. I've never had many possessions. My things are in the closet. The things laying against the bunks are one of my new teammate's. She is one of the ones gone of that special mission with the others tonight." Lili thought back to Momoko's team and remembered that Kou and Ruzik seemed to share some type of relationship. Momoko was the third wheel in a sense.

"If your team mates ever get on your nerves, then I'm sure Muse and I wouldn't mind your company. Muse is a nice girl as well, although her appearance might be a little shocking at first. But you'll warm up to her. She's not scary looking in the slightest. Just two horns poking out of her head." Liliane put her hands on her head and showed, with her fingers, where the horns would be. "So do you have a good sense of where your room is from here?"

Ruzik looked to Etelka and frown a little towards her as they walked, something clearly bothering him though it was hardly anything surprising. ”What if I don’t want to sleep in my own bed?” He asked and grinned ever so slightly, dropping his head to the side a little. ”I am tired but after all that’s happened I don’t think I can sleep so easily, at least not without some company.” Chuckling a bit, the demon released his hold on the girl and walked by himself with his arms crossed against his chest. Despite trying to be a little flirty the incubus couldn’t quite be bothered with it somewhat, his emotions already being strained more than enough for one day let alone the fact that his rabbit was alone in the infirmary. But the demon couldn't shake old habits so quickly, could he?

It was only then that he remembered the mirror that the nurse had given him and quickly dug the small object out from his pocket to look at. As he held it carefully in his hands he quietly whispered the rabbits name and in moments saw a small image of Kou sleeping in her basket. Ruzik just wanted to reach in and touch the animal though clearly that was impossible. ”She looks peaceful, that’s something I guess.” The demon muttered and held the mirror against his chest before the vision of Kou disappeared, the redhead hoping that the rabbit was truly in some form of peace.

Sliding the mirror back into his pocket Ruzik returned his attention back to Etelka for a moment, giving her a rather bored expression, until his eyes focused on the path ahead. It wasn’t long after until the two demons arrived at the dorm-room of the incubus and the redhead turned to the girl. ”Thanks for walking me back, I don’t know what would have happened to me if I didn’t have you here to guide me home,” Rolling his eyes, the demon leaned in closer to the girl and sat his hands against her waist. ”Oh please wont you come in and let me thank you? You’ve been such a great help.” He said and flashed a sharky-grin.

Before he could do anything else some familiar voices caught his hearing and immediately Ruzik knew who it was further down the hall. ”It’s my mage,” He said quietly and dropped his hands to his sides. ”She must be with Liliane.” He had almost forgotten about the two mages until hearing them, suddenly remembering his earlier incident with Momoko which caused a slight feeling of uneasiness within the incubus. Could he trust himself around her? He didn’t know, and given that Kou wasn’t around it made things even harder.

Quickly Ruzik grabbed Etelka’s arm and tried to pull her in the opposite direction from his room. ”Hey, I could just sleep in your dorm! There’s an idea, and that way I can give my mage all the space she needs! Let’s go Etelka,” Tugging on her arm like some ill-patient child, Ruzik clearly just assumed the girl would do as he wished. ”Move it, or else I’ll wake all the students up! You wouldn’t want me to scream, would you? You know I'd do it. Or should I cry instead and make you feel sorry for me? Heh.”

As they walked back to the dormitory Etelka largely ignored the other demon. She was entirely done with him for today; and given she had little time she would like to focus on making him a better demon tomorrow. Currently he was too emotionally and physically exhausted to retain anything. When they arrived she ignored his sarcastic remarks, and whatever physical contact he made in an attempt of seduction did not fluster her in anyway. How long would it be before Ruzik realized the succubus had no concept of personal space to begin with? Etelka heard some speaking down the hall, one was of the mage Liliane and the other unfamiliar, but the male demon told her it was his mage.

Etelka glared daggers at Ruzik while he tugged at her arm, making petty threats and mocking the sympathy she had shown earlier. He assumed she would merely go along with what he wanted, letting him sleep in her room like a lonely animal. Etelka herself had no issue with sleeping in the same quarters as the other demon, however since he wished to do so to avoid his mage it was rather dim witted of him to forget about hers. The most she would do was sleep in his room to comfort him, however given this would most likely worry the master this was something she did not wish to do. Yanking her arm away from her kin's grasp Etelka shoved him slightly back towards his room, crossing her arms but looking at him with a more usual stoic face.

"Do not threaten me kin." She spoke the words at him albeit in a hushed voice. "You will sleep in your own room Ruzik, if you would rather sleep in the garden that is fine with me too. Before you have a tantrum I do want you to recall that if you do sleep in my room Lord Snow will be there. My loyalty is stronger and more enforced than any other bond kin." Turning around Etelka began to walk off towards her room, waving to the man behind her as she did so. "Sleep well kin, if you bother a single mage I will make your life miserable." In the morrow she would work on improving his attitude, and when he was more logical it would be easier. Threatening the rabbit while he was exhausted like this would surely bring forth and outburst so it was avoided. Tomorrow however she would not limit herself when it came making Ruzik settle down and obey.