《Winter Wonderland》The Merchant from the Depths: part 26

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"Is it just my imagination, or is someone looking a bit dour today?" Jade asked with a smirk.

"Oh, y'know, we're just coming to terms with being ordered around by a trio of tyrants" Ace huffed, taking a spoon of Y/n's chocolate pudding, who had the same shocked expression when Crowley bribed Yuuna into trying to stop Azul.

"Aha ha! Isn't that cute? The sea anemone that breached its contract is talking!" Floyd laughed, taking a seat next to Yuuna. His mood then switched, making a scary look on his face. "You guys know you're in no position to complain. So shut your traps"

What surprised the group the most was that Y/n agreed with Floyd. After all, she did say something similar.

Grim then went to hide under Y/n's long hair, tearing up towards Floyd's look of malice that really doesn't suit his personality. "Eep! Not the squeeze!"

"Allow me to clarify: I wasn't talking to the sea anemones. I was specifically addressing you..." Jade turned towards Yuuna, having a gentle smile. "...Yuuna from angelfish's Amaryllis dorm"

"Yes?!" Yuuna squeaked, who moved a bit further from the Leech twins, causing Jade to frown a little. "Awww, look at you, scurrying backward like a shrimp afraid of being someone's lunch!" Floyd teased. "And on that note...You're so teeny as Y/n, so Imma calls you 'Little Shrimpy' from now on!"

Yuuna sweatdropped at the feeling of Y/n glaring daggers towards her chocolate pudding after hearing Floyd basically calling her short.

"I think most students on campus would be small compared to you two" Deuce muttered.

Ace leans over to Deuce. "Yeah, and having two guys this big standing together is a special kind of imposing" he whispered.

"I understand that you were playing little spy games from Riddle, Miss Chione, and others just recently, Yuuna," Jade said, ignoring Deuce's and Ace's comments. "You may know who we are already, but I've always been a stickler for formal introductions." he then gently grabbed Yuuna's hand and gave it a kiss on the back of it. "I am Jade Leech, and this is my twin brother, Floyd"

Floyd grabbed Yuuna's other hand and kissed the top of it as well. "Heya. I'm Floyd. Nice to meetcha, Little Shrimpy" he grinned.

Y/n chuckled at Yuuna's bright red face as she heard Jade do the same as well.

"Now, where as I? Ah, yes...Allow me to infer what troubles you, Yuuna. Could your anxiety perhaps stem from these three anemones stooges?" Jade asked. Wow, what a gentleman.

"'Perhaps'? Listen to you, acting all coy" Jack huffed.

"What's your problem?" Floyd asked. "You're as prickly as a sea urchin"

"Wh- I'm a WOLF, not a sea urchin!" Jack said, having an angry expression.

"If the source of your troubles does in fact lie with these sea anemones...I believe you would be well-served discussing the matter with Azul in person, Yuuna" Jade suggested.

"Wait, what?" Jack and Y/n asked in unison, snapping their head to the gentleman twin.

Jade's expression didn't change a bit. "You will find Azul to be as benevolent as the Sea Witch, one of the Great Eight. I have no doubt he would treat your misgiving with all due gravity"

"Yeah! Azul's a real problem-solver. For example...He could set these sea anemones free if you asked him to" Floyd said with a grin, pointing to the trio with the anemones on their head.

"Really?!" Ace, Deuce, and Grim asked.

Jade smiled. "Absolutely. Just remember: you can't get something for nothing"

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"There it is" Y/n mumbled.

"Tch. So that's your angle" Jack said. "You wanna rope Yuuna into one of his contracts" he growled.

"Please, there's no need to bare your fangs at me. Goodness, you land mammals are so belligerent" Jade sighed, quite tired of the conversation.

"We're just passin' on a top tip outa the goodness of our hearts" Floyd smirked, turning to his twin. "Ain't that right, Jade?"

"Exactly, Floyd. We wouldn't dream of leaving a poor, unfortunate soul by the wayside" Jade replied.

"Heh heh heh...hee hee hee..." Jade and Floyd chuckled.

"If your interest is piqued, feel free to visit the Mostro Lounge sometime after nine tonight. We'll have some piquant tea ready for you upon your arrival" Jade tells them.

Floyd then leaned over to Y/n. "Angelish~ Azul has specifically asked for you to come tonight," he said. "We'll be waiting, Little Shrimpy, Angelfish!" Floyd said as the Leech twins took their leave.

"wait, so, uh..." Deuce muttered before Grim continues. "If Yuuna makes a contract with Azul and meets his conditions, whatever they are..."

"...we could be freed from this?!" Ace exclaimed. Then the trio immediately turned to Yuuna. "Please, Yuu! You gotta beat him for us!" they all shout in unison.

Y/n let out a sigh. "How rude"

"You guys are shameless, you know that?" Jack scoffed.

"You don't have an anemone on your head! You've got no idea how miserable this is!" Grim exclaimed.

Y/n let out a sigh in anger. "Maybe if you attended my tutoring lessons when I offered, you wouldn't be in this mess" she states.

"Look, I've already learned my lesson, okay?!" Ace says.

"Yeah, I'll never do this again for sure. I'll take my results like a man, even if that means failing" Deuce said.

"You're supposed to say you'll work hard to ensure you stop failin' altogether." Jack sighed before turning to Yuuna. "Well? What's your call, Yuuna? You gonna take them up on their invitation?" he asked.

"If all he wants to do it talk..." Yuuna mumbled.

"Y'know, for this first time, I think I'm ready to recognize you as my mistress!" Grim said. After all, Yuuna did say that Grim was her familiar to keep him from getting kicked out.

"Tch. Fine." Jack huffed. "I'm going with you, though. You seem like you'd get yourself into trouble otherwise" Jack suggested.

"I'll come along as well" Y/n offered.

"Dang, Jack!" Ace said, a bit surprised. "You're a big softie"

Jack's face then turned red. "D-don't get me wrong, okay?! I just don't like Azul's scheming. I can't stand the thought of losin' to guys who profited off of someone else's hard work"

Suddenly, the anemones made some noises.

"So much for chatting. My sea anemone's tugging at me again!" Deuce winced.

"Ow, ow, ow! C'mon, at least let me have my lunch break in peace!" Ace shouted.

"I'm countin' on you, Yuuna!" Grim yells.

"WOE IS ANEMONEEEE!" The trio shouted as they were pulled away. Back to Mostro Lounge they go.

Jack, Y/n, and Yuuna sweatdropped. "Yeesh...Hopeless, the whole lot of 'em." Jack sighed. "Anyway, I guess we're going to Mostro Lounge tonight"

"This place is hopping" Yuuna widens her eyes in awe. The place was bustling.

"This is kind of classy" Y/n smirked, crossing her arms.

"Remember, you're in enemy territory here. Stay sharp at all times" Jack warned the two females, as they nodded.

"Eyy, Little Shrimpy! Angelfish!" Floyd spotted the trio, rushing towards them. "Glad you could make it! I see you've got a sea urchin plus one"

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"I told you not to call me that!" Jack yelled.

"Well, well. Thank you for coming to our establishment so promptly" Jade walked towards them. "Welcome to the Mostro Lounge. It an honor for her majesty to join as well" Jade bowed respectfully towards Y/n. "Is this your first time dining here?" he asked.

"Y'know, I've been wondering since lunch...Do you have a thing for askin' questions you already know the answers to?" Jack asked.

"Heh. I like to keep my bases covered" Jade chuckled a bit. "Now then, if you would allow me to provide you with a rundown of our establishment..." he then started to explain the details about this Lounge. "The Mostro Lounge is a meeting place for gentlemen. Any quarrels with other dorms are verboten here. Students from all dorms are expected to abide by Octavinelle's rules on the premises. We pride ourselves on providing a place for everyone to enjoy under the same set of rules. With that out of the way...How may I assist you today?"

"I have some anemone business to discuss" Yuuna stated, a bit afraid.

"Heh heh heh...Very well. The manager is currently meeting with another patron." Jace informed them. "Could I ask you to wait in the lounge until such time as his schedule opens up? And lest I forget, our establishment has a one-drink minimum. You must order at least a single beverage of some variety." Jade then looked over his shoulder, towards Ace and Deuce. "Sea anemone, if you could take our esteemed customer's orders? We shouldn't leave an Empress waiting"

"Sorry, I've got drinks to run" Deuce apologized, his hands filled with plates.

"You do it! We're slammed over here!" Ace argued, "You keep making us do all the work while you're just sittin' pretty over there"

"You're talking back to me?" Jade perked an eyebrow. "How impressively bold for a sea anemone" he then walked over to Ace and Deuce and immediately pulled onto the anemones.

"OWWW! Geez!" Ace whined.

"Quit tugging our anemones!" Deuce pleaded.

"Azul tasked me with instructing the new staff, so it falls to me in instill proper discipline in those who fail to respect authority, especially in front of Her majesty, Y/n." Jade scolded them, still tugging on their anemones.

"Ow ow ow ow ow! Okay, okay! I get it!" Deuce cried out.

"Now hold on a minute! Aren't you going way overboard here!" Yuuna stood up from her table as Y/n just watched.

"Ah, but you must understand. As I just finished explaining, here in the lounge, everyone must follow our rules" Jade said, having a disappointed look on his face.

"And according to the rules, we're allowed to squeeze problem employees who don't do as they're told!" Floyd grinned, making weird motions with his hands, causing Yuuna to shrink into Y/n feathers.

"Tch...You're just makin' a show out of hazing the rookies in front of us. It's making me sick" Jack scoffed, gentling patting Yuuna's back as Y/n did the same to comfort her.

"Is this your way of offering to take their place helpin' out around the lounge?" Floyd asked.

"Ooh, that's a great idea! I second that proposal!" Ace piped in. "All in favor? Aye! The ayes have it! Y/n, Yuuna, and Jack hereby nominated temporary assistants, effective immediately!"

"eh?" Y/n glared at Ace.

"Hey, what're you tryin' to pull?!" Jack snapped.

"We're not picky, really. We'll take anyone, as long as they're willing to pull their weight. But we couldn't possibly order an Empress around, surely, you know why?" Jade asked.

Deuce seems to understand as he leans down to Jack and Yuuna. "You guys wouldn't want to get kicked out of the place, right?" he whispered.

Ace did the same. "I'm running on fumes here, and Grim's in the back, up to his eyeballs in soap from dishwashing. C'mon, be a couple of pals and help us out" Ace pleaded.

Jack and the two girls grew quiet. They had no comment until Jack spoke up. "Tch...Fine, whatever. The sooner we wrap up our business here, the sooner I can go back to my dorm and catch a few winks"

"What? Dude, it's barely nine. What time do you go to bed?" Ace asked.

"I'm always tucked in by ten" Jack answered.

"Whoa, we got a serious model student over here that isn't Y/n or Yuuna!" Ace exclaimed.

"So I can put both Little Shrimpy and Sea Urchin down for helping out with a shift, yeah?" Floyd asked as he drink Yuuna a tray of drinks. "Perf. You can start by running these drinks to table three"

"Am I just gonna sit here, alone?" Y/n asked. She was gonna be really bored. "Actually Y/n. Would you like to sing for us? I'm sure our customers would love to have the famous singer, Rebirth, sing for them" Jade offered.

"Ah! Angelfish, sing for us!" Floyd asked, which sounded more of a demand.

Y/n sweatdropped before she eventually agreed. "Alright. But, what would I wear? I don't want to go all the way to Amaryllis to get something fancy..."

"Don't worry about that. Azul actually has a dress for you!" Floyd said, taking Y/n to the dressing room.

Jade gave her the dress that Azul gave him to give to Y/n as she went back into the dressing room to change.

"I feel that my cleavage is a bit too low..." Y/n muttered.

"This is just perfect on you, your majesty. It's a lovely mermaid dress, a perfect theme for Octavinelle" Jade said as he placed a seashell hairpin in the girl's hair.

"Now, go out there and break a leg" Jade lightly pushed her towards the stage.

"Haha, alright"

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

The music began to play as the students in the Mostro lounge began to quiet down a bit.

Azul came out of the VIP room once he heard his beloved angelfish's voice. He blushed madly once he saw the dress she was wearing. He was glad she agreed to wear it.

Suddenly, the air around began to change, caused by Y/n to fit the song.

Y/n would have a dark smile before putting the microphone closer to her mouth.

Azul looked entrance at the song, as the band behind Y/n began to play.

Y/n would avert eyes to Azul as she smirked. Making sure to not have the students know she was staring at the Housewarden.

Jade and Floyd were backstage, watching the performance with a large grin on their faces.

Suddenly, a creepy instrumental began to play. WIth wedding bells, and heart beat sounds. What was shocking the most was that Y/n let out a hysterical yandere laughter to fit the song.

Y/n let out a low chuckle.

"

The song has finished, as everyone immediately burst into applause.

"Wow! Rebirth sounds like a angel up close!" a student said.

"I agree. But she's more like a siren! You saw how captivated everyone was. Some even stopped working just to listen" an Octavinelle student said.

Y/n smiled and bowed to the audience, but not without noticing Azul walking back inside of the VIP room with Yuuna behind him.

"I guess that he is free now.." she mumbled and got off stage.

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