Two laced-up boots, a clean shirt, freshly-pressed trousers and a brand-new leather belt. His glasses were polished and his tie was perfectly angled. He had gelled his hair and practically doused himself in aftershave, ready for the upcoming confrontations. Valentines Day wasn't for another few weeks yet, but Arnn Srenth was damned if he wasn't going to spend it alone again.

Stepping away from his mirror, the Imp crossed his messy floor over to his couch, where a number of bouquets lay, each stuffed with roses. Their petals were a deep black colour, tinged with red vein-like patterns, and the stems were covered in hooked barbs. Thorned Bindings, symbols of undying bonds. They cost a fortune, but he was pulling all the stops out this year.

He checked his watch. The beginning of the school day was just an hour away.

"Alright, you got this, man," he stated, winking at himself in the mirror.

Surely if he asked everyone out, he was bound to get at least one girl to agree...?

-----

"Erm, and don't forget there's going to be a talk in Madam Pudon's room at lunchtime today. Something about practicing safe intercourse in time for Valentines Day," sighed Cobalt, reading off a note on the teacher's desk.

Up in one of the front seats, Karazelle laughed.

"Ooh, sounds fun! I missed last year's one because I was off with a broken arm," commented the Succubus, doodling in her notebook.

Her teacher groaned and rubbed his eyes. From what Arnn understood, he was still on the mend from a fairly brutal fever.

"Yes, well, I wouldn't advise going. She mostly uses these talks as an excuse to talk about her past 'experiences.'"

"Are you speaking from experience, sir?"

Shaking his head, the Incubus checked his watch and muttered under his breath. Hastily shoving his things into his satchel, he regarded the entire class with a worried gaze.

"Oh shoot, I have to go get the Science room set up for the first years; we're running experiments today. Can I trust you lot to remain here until homeroom is finished?" he asked in an unsure voice.

The class replied with a mixed response; mainly noncommittal grunts or stifled snickers.

"A- Alright then. I'll see you all for Language."

With that, their teacher quickly collected himself and scuttled out of the room, leaving class 2-F to their own devices. Almost immediately, most of the students either pulled out their phones or just straight up left, with only a few remaining in their seats. Noticing that Karazelle was still at her desk, Arnn reached into his schoolbag and pulled out a rose, taking care not to cut himself on the barbs. Hiding it behind his back, he slunk into the seat beside the Succubus, smiling all the while.

She glanced over at the Imp and gave him a polite nod.

"Arnn," she said curtly, not taking her eyes off her notebook.

She seemed to be writing some kind of poetry, but as soon as the Imp tried to get a better look, she shut the book and looked him in the eyes.

"Something I can help you with?"

Arnn cleared his throat, a little taken aback by the sound of her voice. She was the only Succubus in the class, and therefore he was a little unused to dealing with them. Karazelle was a beautiful girl, and he would be lying to himself if he didn't admit to having a teensy-weensy crush on her. Swallowing hard, he pulled the rose out and offered it to her.

"Here, this is for you," he said in what he hoped was a suave voice.

Raising an eyebrow, she took the rose by the petals and inspected it thoroughly.

"Ah, Thorned Bindings. Did you know that Succubus alchemists used to make sedatives out of these?" she said, gingerly placing it on the desk.

"Well- wait, really?"

"Mm. Strong stuff, used on those that overstep their bounds, y'know?"

"Cool. Anyway-"

He cleared his throat again and took a moment to go over his lines in his head. For the past few days Arnn had spent his evenings preparing and practicing various romantic speeches that he finetuned to strike the perfect chords in a woman's heart. Girls loved being serenaded, right?

"Karazelle, you are a Succubus, so your beauty is only natural. But I can tell that your beauty surpasses those of your kind! A simple smile can melt the heart of any man, and alas, your gaze has melted mine! It is no secret that many men pine for your affection, and I am not afraid to count myself among them. Karazelle, I have been gathering my courage for this very moment... will you please be my date for Valentine's Day?" the Imp announced, holding a hand to his chest.

She took a deep a breath and massaged her temples, looking utterly exasperated.

"Arnn."

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember the last time we spoke face to face?"

"Uh... Not really...?"

"I do. Last year. On the first day of school. When we were instructed to introduce ourselves to our classmates."

He scratched his chin.

"I don't see what you're getting at."

Muttering something beneath her breath, the Succubus rolled her eyes and slid the rose back over to him.

"Look, I'll give it to you straight; your display was sweet and all, and probably would have melted my little heart if this was the 1940s, but the fact of the matter is that I don't know you, Arnn. And besides, I'm not available for Valentines," she explained in a curt tone, returning her attention to her notebook.

The Imp deflated at her words.

"Oh... you already going out with someone?" he asked.

"For a guy who claims to know all about the beauty of Succubi, you really are clueless about us, huh?"

"What?"

As Arnn pressed his investigation, however, the bell suddenly chimed through the intercom, prompting Karazelle to sweep her things into her schoolbag. With a sympathetic sigh, she patted the Imp on the head just between his horns.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll land someone eventually. At least I hope you do; these couldn't have been cheap," spoke the Succubus, handing the Thorned Binding back to him before she made for the classroom door.

Though his pride was a little bruised, Arnn just took a deep breath and steeled his resolve. No, he knew rejection was a given when he decided on this course of action. There were plenty more girls in the class. He just had to persevere.

-----

Okay, perseverance alone wasn't enough. Arnn had to think of something spectacular.

The Imp bit his lip as he stepped out into one of the school's courtyards, rubbing the side of his face where Suzy Atkins had slapped him just a few minutes prior. Apparently asking both her and her two friends out at the same time wasn't a good idea, though he still insisted that he was merely saving himself the bother of asking them all individually.

But that didn't change the fact that he was a class into the day and he was still dateless.

"Maybe I gotta compliment them more...?" he murmured to himself, glancing around the courtyard.

Despite the between-class clamour of commuting students, the place was fairly empty, bar one individual. Over to the left, Lottie Deyeyr was sitting on a bench, hugging her schoolbag tightly as she stared hard at a stone wall. Arnn admittedly didn't know much about her, but that was hardly his gift, given the girl's bizarre behaviour. But she was cute, and that was a good enough reason for him to ask her out.

Well, that and two other large reasons that the Golem possessed...

"Hey Lottie! How's it going?" asked Arnn, smoothly seating himself beside her.

She didn't respond, too entranced by the wall. Her brow was furrowed and her mouth was slightly agape, like she was trying to figure something out.

Perhaps it would be best if he took the lead here.

"You know, a lot of people think you're an idiot, but I'm not one of them. No, I can see the potential behind your eyes, Lottie, and I think that's incredibly attractive. You always have something on your mind, and I know that you can see the extraordinary in the mundane, no matter what it may be. Take this wall, for instance. I just see a barrier of stone, but what do you see? I'm sure it's fascinating and entrancing, just like you," Arnn announced, pulling out a rose and holding it in front of the Golem's face.

Rather than answer him, Lottie just raised a hand and pointed at the wall.

"Bug," she said simply, not pulling her gaze away for an instant.

Sure enough, when he looked again, the Imp saw a small snail gradually making its way up the stonework.

"A- Ah, I see..."

"Quinn says its a nail."

"Don't you mean snail...?"

"Yah, a sail."

He shook his head and looked away. It wouldn't do to get caught up in her enigmatic musings. Gripping the Thorned Binding tighter, Arnn shook it before her eyes, finally breaking the Golem's intense concentration, she cocked her head and grabbed it by the petals.

"What's this?" asked Lottie, completely unfamiliar with what a rose was, apparently.

"It's a token of my compassion," the Imp said gently.

She pulled a confused face.

"A token of combustion...?"

Arnn buried his face in his hands. He was doing his best to be patient, but this was painful.

"Compassion, Lottie. A token of compassion."

"Commotion?"

"Compassion."

"Commission?"

"Compassion!"

"... Conation?"

"Comp-! You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?!"

But the blank look in her eyes betrayed no hint of malice, only confusion. With a defeated sigh, Arnn took the rose back and shook his head.

"... Never mind. See you around, Lottie."

Frowning, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small notebook as he walked away. Within, he had written the names of every girl in his core class. He crossed out Lottie's name.

More fish in the sea, or however that saying went...

-----

"The First Blare bled the life from the land, causing crops to fail and livestock to die. The Second Blare sent plagues of locusts and flies, spreading dissent and disease wherever they went. The Third Blare inspired the worst in people, causing wars of madness and violence to erupt all across Hell. The Fourth Blare was quiet, barely more than a whisper, but it was heard by our leaders as their hearts were stilled, claimed by simple death. The Fifth Blare was never sounded, as we surrendered before they could blow the horn, but we know deep in our hearts that if that dreadful noise graced our ears, all would know that we would have been well and truly conquered," recited Cobalt, reading aloud from a book he held.

Arnn stifled a yawn and rubbed his eyes. He considered Language to be one of his better subjects, but once Mr. Trayer broke out the ancient literature, it become a struggle just keep his eyes open.

Up front, Karazelle rose her hand, which was odd, considering she barely paid attention in any of her other classes.

"So... did this all actually happen, sir?"

"Well, that's a debate that's been going on for decades. Some say the West Country became a barren desert because of the Rapture, others say it's just due to environmental factors and that Apollys Veras made it all up. B- But we're not here to discuss whether the Blares were ever sounded or not; we're here to discuss the literary techniques in Veras' works."

Over at the back, Whitney Brode raised her hand.

"Sir? Could I go to the bathroom?" she asked.

"Whitney, we just started! W- We still have the first-hand accounts of the Rapture aftermath to go through!"

"Sir~!"

Up front, the Incubus sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"Alright, alright. Just don't take too long, okay? I'm going to be quizzing you all on this later."

The entire classroom groaned. Nodded, the Nymph hopped out of her seat and skirted out the door. Arnn, rubbing his chin, smelled an opportunity. He never had the chance to get within five feet of Whitney in the past, what with her impenetrable cabal of orbiters following her every move, but now that she's completely reinvented herself, she was free game.

Discretely pulling a rose from his schoolbag, the Imp raised his hand.

"Arnn, this better be about the text," Cobalt sighed, tapping his book.

"Uh, no, actually. I gotta pee too."

"Oh for- be quick!"

"Thanks, man!"

Darting out of his seat, Arnn slunk out the door and did his best to follow Whitney, keeping to the hallways' shadowy corners as he tailed her. Watching the Nymph disappear into the girl's toilets, the Imp cleared his throat and took up his position right outside the door, rose ready and waiting in his hand. Maybe things would work out better if he got the jump on them; denying them the chance to second-guess themselves before they said yes.

From within the bathroom, he heard the sounds of Whitney breathing taking a deep breath before slowly exhaling.

"Alright girl... you got this..." she sighed, much to Arnn's confusion.

What was she doing in there?

"You're Whitney, dammit... You're Whitney, and Whitney doesn't cry because of a few funny looks! Alright?! Mr. C's got your back, girl, so get yourself together!"

Did she usually take time out of class to psyche herself up like this?

Shaking his head, Arnn just slunk away from the door and silently waited for the Nymph to be done with... whatever it was she was doing in there. Eventually, his ears pricked up at the sound of the tap running, and as soon as Whitney stepped out of the toilets, the Imp leaped forth from the shadows, smiling widely as he presented the rose.

"Wh-!"

He didn't even manage to get a syllable out before the Nymph suddenly shrieked and jabbed both her index and pinky finger into his neck, flooding the Imp's body with a painful electric shock. His joints seized up as he collapsed backwards onto the floor, juddering and twitching as his hand involuntarily clamped tight around the rose's thorny stem.

"Gah! What the Hell, Arnn?!" Whitney cried angrily, stopping just short of kicking the downed Imp.

Yelping in pain as he pulled the Thorned Binding's barbs out of his flesh, he grit his teeth and winced.

"I- I just wanted to talk to you alone!" he responded, wincing as he pushed his bleeding hand into his pocket.

"So you stalked me into the fucking bathroom?!"

"Hey, I waited outside the bathroom!"

"That doesn't make it any better!"

"Would you rather I walked in on your little speech?!"

"Do you want to get tased again?!" Whitney hissed, electricity crackling between her fingers.

The Imp shrunk down into the floor.

"No I do not," he murmured in a small voice.

Swallowing hard, he presented the slightly-bloody rose, propping himself up on an elbow in an effort to retain some of his dignity. Shutting his eyes, he began his speech.

"I've always admired you from afar, Whitney, but in your effervescent beauty, you were unreachable to me. Your every step was followed, your every word idolised, like a goddess. But now, you've become something more humble, something much more real, and I find myself falling for you all over again. I'd want nothing more than to-"

Arnn opened his eyes, only to see that Whitney was no longer standing in front of him. Raising an eyebrow, he quickly glanced around to find that she was making her way down the corridor.

"W- Wait, where are you going?!" he cried, scrambling to his feet.

"Back to class. I've wasted enough time as it is," the Nymph responded in an irritated tone.

"But I didn't get to-!"

"To what? Ask me out for Valentines?"

He stopped in his tracks, a little put-off by her intuition.

"Uh... Yes?"

She rolled her eyes.

"Honestly, can't believe I'm agreeing with Whoretits for once..." grumbled Whitney, turning the corner.

Nearly slipping on the linoleum, Arnn dashed after her.

"B- But what about your answer?!" he called, still holding the rose out.

She gave him an annoyed look.

"Do you really want me to say it out loud? I don't think even your ego could handle it,"

"Hey, I don't have an ego!"

"You're giving me a rose and expecting me to fall madly in love with you."

"No I don't! I have spares in case I get turned down!"

"Oh because that makes it so much better. Lemme guess, you're gonna ask out every girl in the class?"

"... I was thinking year."

Whitney sighed and buried her face in her hands.

"Arnn? Can I be real with you for a second?" she asked, brushing her fringe and briefly revealing her other eye for a moment.

He shrugged in response, prompting the Nymph to fold her arms.

"Wouldn't this be easier if you asked out someone you're actually friends with?" she asked.

Arnn stared at the floor.

"... I don't got friends, really," he murmured, deflating.

Surprisingly, her eyes just softened. Glancing around for a moment, Whitney hunkered down and matched his eye level.

"Yeah... I get that. Look, I know being alone on Valentines sucks, but trust me; you gotta, like, actually know your date in order to have fun. Like, even if someone agreed to go out with you, it wouldn't really be fun for either of you, right?"

The Imp sighed and got to his feet, wiping his bleeding palm on his trousers, leaving dark stains.

"I mean, I guess. But like I said, I don't got any friends, so this is the only option I have," he stated, gesturing to the black rose.

"Why, do you have plans for Valentines?"

"Not really. Just thought about getting a date first, then thinking of something later on."

"You're a real Casanova, huh?"

Returning his gaze to the floor, Arnn just shrugged, feeling a little embarrassed. Truth was, he normally didn't try to hard to get girls' attention like this. He was fairly certain that he was too much of a short, scrawny nobody to stand a chance in the romance game. But once he met Mr. Trayer - a short, scrawny Incubus - he felt more inspired to try. After all, if his teacher could effortlessly pull girls, why couldn't he?

"Look, Arnn, how about this; if you've still got nothing going on for Valentines, maybe we could, like, hang out or something?"

His heart damn near stopped.

"Wait, really?!" cried the Imp, eyes bulging out of his skull.

"Not as a date!"

"Oh..."

She clucked her tongue.

"I'm beginning to see why you have no friends..." muttered Whitney, rolling her eyes.

"Harsh."

"Look, do you wanna hang out or not?"

"Y- Yes, yes, absolutely!"

With a sigh, the Nymph nodded and turned on her heel.

"Alright. It sucks having no friends, so I'll be your first one, if it helps," she called over her shoulder.

As she disappeared down the corridor, Arnn just stood frozen, feeling strangely happy. It wasn't a proper date, sure, but if all else fails, at least he'd be able to spend a day with Whitney Brode. He always kind of thought that she was one of those paper-thin, shallow girls that spoke in whiny voices and spent their days preening in front of crowds of slackjawed onlookers. But honestly, now that she's changed herself up, she's actually kind of cool.

Still... he had already spent so much money on the Thorned Bindings...

-----

Whitney was a backup plan; he still had to try. Perhaps Arnn's mistake was going for the class hotties. Whitney and Karazelle were both very attractive, and Lottie was absolutely stacked, so it stood to reason that they would be out of his league. No, he had to go for someone plainer, but still cute.

As he sat and picked at his meatloaf, the Imp stared intently across the canteen, eyes locked with the Glutton sitting at one of the far tables. There, Adeline "Jelli" Pharmine quietly tucked into her third helping of chocolate pudding, taking great care not to get it all over herself in the process. Around her, Karazelle and Whitney bickered, while Lottie and Quinn traded lunch items.

The Imp glanced over at the individual beside Jelli. Ever since Mr. Trayer became 2-F's core teacher, Jelli's position in the social hierarchy went from the very bottom rung to a place of untouchability, and it was all thanks to the worst delinquent in the year, Izzbelle Suyas. The Oni watched over her stout companion like a hawk, making sure no-one dares think to lay a finger on the Glutton.

Which was a problem for Arnn. He couldn't risk approaching Jelli as-is; not with Karazelle and Whitney present, and especially not with Izzbelle watching.

Eventually, Jelli finished her pudding cup, and after saying something he couldn't hear, Arnn watched as she got out of her seat and headed to the lunch line for fourths.

"Bingo," he murmured, getting out of his seat as he pulled a Thorned Binding from his bag.

He waited until she got into the line before he headed to the very end, rose pinched between two fingers. Students snickered and pointed at him as he passed, but Arnn was set on his goal. Jelli was the perfect candidate to ask out; she was an easily-flustered bag of nerves, how could she not say yes? Not to mention, nobody had ever asked her out before. If anything, he was doing her a favour!

After a few minutes, Jelli eventually stepped out of the lunch line, carrying a tray consisting of three cups of pudding and an entire bunch of bananas. Grinning, Arnn stepped behind her and placed the rose on top of her desserts.

She screamed and instinctively tossed the tray up into the air. Hard.

Chocolate pudding rained down all around them as the bananas clocked the Imp across the side of his head, nearly knocking him flat on his back. Around them, students gawped and giggled, pulling out their phones in order to record the ensuing chaos. With her uniform ruined and her face bright-red, Jelli stood stock-still, tears welling in her eyes as the black rose landed right in front of her.

"Uh... Sorry about that..." breathed Arnn, picking the flower up as he scratched the back of his head.

He heard laughing all around him as Jelli's face went redder and her tears began to stream.

"M- Meine Kleider..." she sniffled, trying and failing to dry her cheeks.

This wasn't really an ideal situation for this, but he had her ear now, so...

"Jelli," began Arnn, clearing his throat, "I know we've never really been on the best of terms, but now that I've been given the chance to truly see you for who you are, I've realised that-"

"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER, YOU SCRAWNY FUCKIN' SHIT!" roared a sudden voice that seemed to shake the entire canteen.

Right as he looked up, Arnn was met with the sight of an orange-skinned fist barreling straight towards his face. There was a sickening crunch and a flash of pain as he was launched backwards, blood spraying from both nostrils like crimson fountains. He just about managed to glimpse the furious face of Izzbelle Suyas before the back of the Imp's head struck the pudding-covered floor, and everything went dark.

-----

When Arnn awoke, he found himself staring at a blurry white ceiling. He had been tucked into sterile bed, and his clogged nose had been plastered up. Groaning, the Imp kicked his sheets away and groggily rolled off the bed, wincing as his nose throbbed.

"Ow..." he groaned, clutching his face.

One of the curtains surrounding the bed was suddenly pulled aside. There, clutching a clipboard, was the prim and proper form of Nurse Elya. Peering at him over the steel rims of her spectacles, she pulled a pen from her lapel pocket and began to write.

"You're awake, then," she stated in her characteristic monotone, glancing up at Arnn.

"Y- Yes miss... What exactly happened to me?" he asked.

"You were struck in the face by Miss Suyas earlier on in the day. Your nose was broken, and you suffered a concussion upon hitting the floor. I've stemmed the bleeding and set a cast around the fracture. It should heal in three to four weeks."

There was something about Elya that made Arnn feel strange. Maybe it was her cold and matter-of-fact attitude; it was nothing like a school nurse was supposed to be. Despite her chilly demeanour, he knew that he wasn't the only one who felt that way. Quite a large number of students idolised the Fallen, often purposefully getting injured in fights in order to be tended to by her frigid touch.

"Your things are here. School ended almost an hour ago. You may leave now," Elya stated, returning to her desk.

True enough, Arnn's schoolbag was leaning against the wall, and the clock on the wall had just passed four o'clock.

"Thanks, Miss Yalfre."

"I don't require your thanks," the nurse responded, not bothering to look back at him.

Unzipping his bag, Arnn slowly pulled out one of the Thorned Bindings as a brilliant idea slowly formed in his mind.

Nurse Elya was something of an enigma amongst the student populace. No-one ever saw her outside of regular school hours, and never wearing anything other than her uniform. The teachers all seemed to give her a wide berth; even Cobalt, who seemed to have some kind of history with the Fallen.

So it went without saying that she was single. If Arnn could bag the school nurse, then he'd be a legend! Sure she was six or seven years his senior, but what did that matter? Older women were all the rage these days.

Clearing his throat, Arnn held the rose out.

"Elya? Could I ask you something?" he began, settling his nerves.

"No."

Swallowing hard, he continued anyway.

"Are you free on Valentines Day?"

"That's no business of yours."

"So... You're taken?"

This time, she did look back. Elya whipped her head around, her purple eyes glinting dangerously. She glanced down her left hand as she ran one finger along her ring finger.

"... I have a husband," she muttered, clenching her fists.

"Really? I mean - no offence, miss - but I don't see you wearing a ring."

Elya planted her hands on her desk and stood up straight, her feathers ruffling.

"It's a complicated situation. My love is weak-willed and easily-swayed. But he is still mine," she hissed, her voice barely more than a whisper.

Though he found himself quivering, he took a step forward, rose still in hand.

"Well... I mean... say you wanted to make him jealous for Valentines, I'd be more than happy to-"

"Tatum siroproc. Eralec."

A gust of black wind suddenly swirled around the Fallen, causing her to disappear into thin air. Arn's eyes widened as he looked around frantically, but at that moment, the lights in the infirmary went out. A moment later, the blinds on the windows shot downwards, plunging the room into darkness. The very air seemed to drop in temperature.

"N- Nurse Elya...?" breathed Arnn, seeing his breath form into mist right in front of his face.

He felt something whisk right past his bandaged nose, just as something sliced clean through the Thorned Binding, scattering the petals and cutting the stem to bits. Bits of rose fell to the floor, causing Arnn to stumbled back.

A voice rasped in his ear.

"Leave. Now."

The door swung open. Grabbing his bag, Arnn scrambled out of the infirmary as fast as his legs would allow him. As soon as he stepped out into the hallway, the door slammed shut behind him, locking tight with a definitive click.

Swallowing hard, the Imp clutched his bag to his chest and began to slink away from the infirmary.

Perhaps he was pushing his luck with that one...

-----

Arnn was running out of roses. Everyone he asked would either take them without a reply, stomp them underneath their heels, or throw them away. He only had a few left, and his options were growing thin. He'd asked out nearly every girl in the school, and even some of the teachers.

Not even Madam Pudon would go out with him! And she was as easy as they came!

Standing outside of the old Sports Society building, the Imp nervously twiddled with one of his last remaining Thorned Bindings. Over by the doors, the detention students were filing out, each looking remarkably more bruised than the last. He saw Luca and Lucy Branst march out with matching black eyes, and Magnus Rost had dried blood all over his uniform. Thankfully, none of them noticed the Imp lurking nearby. Once the last of the bad eggs made their way back towards the dormitories, he slinked in through the open door and made his way down to the detention room. Upon hearing voices coming from within, the Imp quickly ducked behind an old rusted locker.

"We talked about this, Izzbelle. You can't keep lashing out like that," spoke the familiar voice of Cobalt Trayer.

"You saw what he did! That little shit had it comin'!" responded the fiery growl of Izzbelle Suyas.

"I understand you were doing what you thought was right, but violence doesn't solve everything! I thought we both understood that!"

From his hiding place, Arnn bit his lip. Mr. Trayer was gonna be in for a world of hurt if he thought he could talk to Izzbelle like that...!

A moment of tense silence passed.

"... I know... I just saw red when Jelli started to... y'know..."

Arnn's eyes widened. He had never heard Izzbelle act so... reasonable.

"I get it, Izzbelle. But when I said that you should find something to fight for, I meant that more figuratively. Something to put your mind towards, so you can vent all this emotion in a healthy way. A way where nobody gets hurt."

"But what the fuck else am I supposed to do?! Hurtin' people is all I'm good at!"

"We both know that's not true."

Another few moments of tentative silence ticked by. Arnn stood as still as he possibly could, desperate to hear more.

"I dunno how else I'm supposed to protect those I care about... I couldn't even protect you from my dad..."

"I- Izzbelle... You can't always be the one doing the protecting, you know? It's okay to be vulnerable sometimes."

"... I don't... know how..."

"It'll come with time, Izzbelle. Don't worry."

Cobalt stepped out of the room, prompting Arnn to flatten himself against the wall as tightly as he could. The Incubus glanced around for a moment, but after confirming that he was alone, he just sighed and slung his satchel over his shoulder.

"Hey, dumbass?" called the Oni.

The teacher looked back through the doorway.

"Yes?"

"About what I said on New Year's..."

Cobalt smiled and shook his head.

"Don't worry; it's already forgotten about."

With that, Cobalt turned on his heel and made his way towards the exit, leaving Izzbelle alone in the detention room. Arnn grasped the black rose tight and went to make his move, but as soon as he peered through the doorway, he stopped. The Oni was still sitting at one of the desks, staring at a pair of iron rings in her hand.

He had never seen her like this before; looking so vulnerable. She had a forlorn look in her eyes, tinged with regret that made Arnn feel strange to look at. He just hid around the doorway as she clenched the rings tight in a fist. She looked as though she was close to crying.

"Agh, get your shit together... You said what you said... No goin' back on it now..."

With a sigh, the Imp tossed the rose back into his bag. Swallowing hard, he rapped his knuckles against the door. Almost immediately, Izzbelle shoved the rings into her pocket as her usual scowl returned. Upon setting eyes upon Arnn, she bared her teeth.

"What the fuck do you want, shortass?!"

Staggering back a little, Arnn forced on a sympathetic smile.

"H- Hey, Izzbelle, how're you doing?"

"Unless you're lookin' for me to rip your nose off altogether, then piss the fuck off!" barked the Oni, clenching her fists.

"I- I just came to apologise, okay! I- I didn't mean to startle Jelli like that, and I sure as shit didn't mean for her to throw everything into the air!"

She slammed her fist down onto her desk, buckling the wood and casting splinters everywhere.

"Sounds like you're sayin' it's her fault!"

"No! No, not at all! I- I just wanted to say I'm sorry, alright?!"

"I'LL SHOW YOU TO BE FUCKIN' SORRY!"

Izzbelle's chair went flying as she rose to her feet, fist wound back and ready to smash Arnn's skull. The Imp fell back onto the floor and raised his hands protectively in front of his face.

"W- Wait! Y- You can do more than just hurt people, right?!" he squealed, desperately pulling from the words he heard Cobalt speak earlier.

Her fist unfurled and she grabbed his lapel instead, hoisting the Imp into the air, right in front of her face.

"What the fuck did you just say?! Do you think you fuckin' know me?!"

"I never said that! I just-!"

He took a deep breath and decided to come clean.

"Look, I came here to say sorry, and I was also gonna ask if you wanted to go out on a date on Valentines!"

Arnn could have sworn he saw a blood vessel burst in her eyes.

"Are you fuckin' with me right now?!" she hissed in a low, threatening tone.

"Well obviously I decided against it, seeing as you're already-!"

"ALREADY WHAT?!"

At that moment in time, Arnn was certain that he was going to die, and when faced with oblivion, he felt a strange kind of defiance rising in his chest.

"You're already in love with Mr. Trayer!"

As soon as those words left the Imp's mouth, Izzbelle's entire body froze as her eyes widened. Not with anger, but with fear.

"Um... Could you let go now? It's getting hard to breathe..." Arnn murmured uncomfortably, kicking his legs fruitlessly.

She drew him close.

"Alright, here's me doin' things nonviolently. You're gonna walk out of here, and you're gonna keep your fuckin' mouth shut. You say anythin' about this to anyone, then I'm gonna pulverise your fuckin' legs until there ain't no bone left, and that's a promise, capisce?" she hissed.

The colour drained from Arnn's face.

"Wh- What about that is nonviolent...?"

"I think the fact that I'm not stuffin' you into a one-by-one foot box and kickin' you off the fuckin' roof right now shows how much I'm holdin' myself back. So get the fuck outta here before I stop bein' so nice."

He definitely struck some kind of nerve.

Slipping out of Izzbelle's grasp, Arnn dusted himself down and back away towards the door. As he reached for his schoolbag, he looked back over his shoulder.

"Um... Tell Jelli I said sorry for the thing at lunch."

Izzbelle narrowed her eyes.

"... fine."

"And, uh... good luck with Mr. Trayer, I guess?"

"GRAH!"

"OKAY I'M GOING! I'M SORRY!"

-----

Arnn glanced around nervously, terrified that he might get spotted at any moment. Though he was an Imp, he had trouble controlling his bestimorphisis, so while he would have preferred to transform into a bird reach his destination by flight, he was forced instead to clamber up a drainpipe, shimmy along a support beam and swing himself through a hallway window into the girl's dorms. Obviously, he was breaking enough rules by stepping foot where men weren't allowed to go, but he was desperate.

He had been rejected by every girl in the damn school.

There was only one he hadn't asked out yet, and he only had a single rose left.

Fuck it. It was a last ditch effort. His pride was already in tatters; he couldn't possibly get knocked down any more pegs.

Slinking through the hallways like a thief in the night, the Imp swallowed hard and hurriedly knocked on one of the doors at the end of the hall.

"Mngh... It's the middle of the bloody night...!" groaned an irritated voice from within.

He heard the lock turn as the door opened, revealing the pajama-clad form of Quinn Redtile. She sleepily rubbed her eyes as she looked her fellow Imp up and down.

Arnn's eyes widened at the sight of her short auburn hair. Strange, he had never seen her without her hat on before.

"Arnn? What are you playing at?" murmured Quinn, glancing around the darkened corridor.

He tried to answer, but he was too busy catching his breath to speak. Glancing down, she sighed at the sight of the rose clutched in his hand.

"I was afraid of this... Come on in and get a drink; you look like trampled dog shit."

"Th- Thank you..." gasped Arnn, stumbling into the dorm room.

He had never been in a girl's room before, so he didn't really know what to expect. The layout was a mirror version of his own room, and the walls were covered in the same peeling yellow wallpaper. Well, he assumed so, anyway, as Quinn had defaced the walls of her bedroom with a heavy amount of graffiti, and the floor was a sea of discarded clothes and general trash. Flicking a lamp on, the other Imp stepped into her kitchenette and pulled a bottle of lager out of the fridge.

"Catch," she called, tossing it at Arnn.

Snatching the bottle out of the air, he nestled himself down on her couch, between a stack of carpentry magazines and loose pile of unmatched socks.

"Thanks... Sorry for the intrusion..." he sighed, twisting the top off and taking a swig.

"So, before you start with your heartfelt confession; you know I'm gay, right?" Quinn said, directing a pointed finger upwards.

Glancing up, he saw that nailed to the ceiling was a sizable rainbow flag, alongside a collection of handmade dreamcatchers, built from twigs and string.

"Yeah, I know... I just..."

Quinn nodded.

"Well, if anything, you're the talk of the dorm. Did you really ask out every girl in the school?"

"Some of the teachers too..."

"Really? Even mad bitch Elly?"

"Nurse Yalfre? Yeah..."

"Cor... I surprised to see you with the blood still in your body."

Leaning forward, Arnn set the bottle down on the floor and clasped the rose between his hands.

"I'm just worried about being alone on Valentines again. It sucked major ass last year, and I guess I was getting desperate."

He nodded at the rose.

"In hindsight this was a pretty stupid idea," he sighed, tossing the flower onto the overstuffed coffee table.

"No kidding. How much did this cost you?" asked Quinn, picking it up by the petals.

"Couple months wages at the chip shop. Been living off canteen trash and vending machine drinks in order to save up."

Snickering, Quinn dropped the rose's stem into her beer bottle and set it aside.

"Valentines isn't about dates, you know. You could just hang out with a friend."

Arnn snorted.

"What friends?"

"I dunno. Didn't Whitters mention she'd be free?"

His eyes widened. Whitney was being serious? He was so used to empty promises that he was just expecting her to flake out on him!

"And I've got nothing on. I could ask Lottie if she wants to come along, and maybe we could all go grab lunch or something?" suggested Quinn, shrugging her shoulders.

"R- Really?"

"Don't see why not. I mean, I've only known you a couple months, but you seem sound enough. Lemme go ask Lottie real quick."

Crossing the floor of the dorm room, the Imp extended a foot and prodded a lump huddled beneath the covers of the futon.

"Buh!"

The curled-head of Lottie Deyeyr poked out from beneath the covers, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Hey, Lottie, wanna hang out with Arnn and Whitters on Valentines?" she asked.

"Arr... Whiddy...?" burbled the Golem, still half-asleep.

Looking over at Arnn, she brightened up.

"Oh hello! He gave a bokken of confolusion today!" she laughed, grinning.

"Did he now?" added Quinn, grinning.

"I, uh... I didn't know you two were..." Arnn stammered, drawing a line between the two.

Surprisingly, Quinn's face went bright red. Redder than her natural complexion.

"U- Um, well, we're not... A- Anyway, what do you say Lottie?"

"Yah okay... yay~..." murmured the Golem, falling back asleep halfway through her sentence.

Smiling, Quinn tucked her back in and planted her hands on her hips.

"Well, there you have it. Group outing on the fourteenth?"

Arnn couldn't contain his joy. Finally! After nineteen consecutive Valentines Days spent on his own, he was finally going to have people to spend it with! Sure they weren't dates, but honestly he didn't really care about that. They were his friends! Real friends!

"Y- Yeah!"

"Solid. Now, you should probably get back to the lads' dorms before someone catches on," Quinn stated, stepping over to the window and pulling it open.

The blood drained from Arnn's face. He hadn't planned this far.

Peering out, he gazed at the rickety drainpipe bolted to the side of the building and followed it down into the darkness far below.

"Right... okay... wish me luck, I guess..."