"Y'know, I thought I was gonna have to wind up attending your funeral when I heard you were getting married to Izzbelle. Cuz if she didn't kill you, man I think I would have. Did her dad really force you into a shotgun wedding? I've literally had dreams about that happening to me! And here you are, back again and I don't even see a ring on it!"

Cobalt blinked a few times. He was standing in the front hall of the dorms, halfway through taking off his coat as a very-drunk Arnn Srenth accosted him from behind the housekeeper's reception. The Imp was nursing a bottle of cider, and he had both feet propped up on the desk. Behind the closed doors of the common room, the Incubus could hear the sounds of drunken revelry. A New Year's party, no doubt.

"Good to see you too, Arnn," Cobalt sighed, shaking the snow off his shoes.

His diminutive student shook his head.

"Nah, nah! You gotta tell me what it was like, man! Getting all close and cuddly with an amazon!" he exclaimed, spilling alcohol all over the floor as he raised his hands to the ceiling.

"I don't know what you heard, but nothing like that happened."

Arnn leaned forward, bearing a lurid grin.

"Everybody done heard about it, teach. How you were kidnapped, the wedding, the fight with the big boss; everything!"

Cobalt blanched. He had hoped that once he returned to B.I.D. that the entire experience at the Sulfur Blood estate would remain a secret between him, Izzbelle and Mistress Viola, but evidently he had vastly underestimated the school's rumour-spreading capabilities.

"Wh- Who told you about all that...?" he asked, eyes widening.

Arnn laughed and drank deep from his cider.

"My dad's the police chief, and he had to head up to Inferno to check out the commotion, y'know? Tells me a lot of stuff when he gets bladdered, stuff I can easily sell to these bozos," he explained, jabbing his thumb at the common room door.

"How many people did you tell?!"

He pulled a thoughtful face and began to count on his fingers, only to get mixed up as he ran out of digits. Shaking his head, Arnn instead pulled his wallet from his pocket and began leafing through the banknotes within.

"Well, everyone wanted to know why you just bailed in the middle of the night, so... everyone, really."

"Arnn!"

"What? You got to marry Izzbelle, and I got paid to tell people that you did! It's a win-win!"

"How long have you been doing this?!"

He shrugged.

"People wanna know about you, man. I've been making bank since you got here."

Narrowing his eyes at the aspiring infobroker, Cobalt bundled his coat up into his arms and wordlessly made for the stairwell.

"Wait! You not gonna come party with us?" called Arnn, leaning back on the housekeeper's chair.

"I think I'm going to have an early night. It's been a rough few days, but I'm sure you already know all about that."

With a heavy sigh, Cobalt began the slow ascent to the fifth floor. Truth be told, even if he wanted to join the students' party, his body simply wouldn't allow him to. His limbs felt weighed down by all the fatigue he had accumulated over the past few days, and he honestly wanted nothing more than to curl up in his slightly less-than-comfortable futon and sleep until Monday. With his ordeal with the Sulfur Bloods now public knowledge, he figured that he was going to have a rough time trying to control his class for the next few weeks...

As if it wasn't going to be hard enough, what with all that was on his mind. Lorenzo Suyas was friends with an Incubus. The B.I.D. student riots were incited by an Incubus. And yet when he had skimmed through the town history books, he found no mention of any Incubi or school riots.

It didn't sit right with him. Incubi wee rare, so it made sense that there would be little mention of them. But why erase them from history altogether...?

Reaching his floor, Cobalt ambled his way towards his dorm room, only to stop in the middle of the hallway.

There was light and sound eking from beneath his door. There was somebody inside.

"Oh, this is just what I need..." he grumbled to himself, picking up the pace as he marched towards the door.

Turning his key in the lock, he pushed it open and prepared to face his intruder, only to be faced with a sight that he was not expecting to see.

His coffee table was laden with all manner of different bottles, as well as bowls full of various finger food. A few rudimentary decorations had been tacked to the walls, and a laptop had been set up on one of his dressers, broadcasting the countdown to midnight.

But it wasn't the changes in his dorm room that threw the Incubus off.

Over in the kitchenette, Quinn Redtile had propped herself up on the countertop, murmuring to herself as she tugged at the wires in the back of an appliance that she was balancing atop her knees.  Lottie Deyeyr stood dutifully by the Imp, handing her various tools with one hand as she used the other to drink milk from a wine glass. Jelli brushed by them as she bustled about the kitchen, humming hurriedly to herself as she set about making a fresh batch of what appeared to be cookies. Whitney was skipping around the room, happily dancing to the music blaring through the speaker that she had set up in the corner. Izzbelle was nursing a bottle of whiskey on the couch, only looking up to keep an eye on Jelli. Though the music was loud, he could hear a fair amount of banging and clattering coming from the bathroom door, which had been jammed shut with a chair from the kitchenette.

Cobalt cleared his throat.

"Having fun in here?" he sighed, kicking the door shut behind him.

A high-pitched gasp of shock suddenly startled everybody, causing Quinn to nearly drop whatever it was she was tinkering with.

"Sir, you're home!" squealed Whitney, zipping forward to wrap her teacher up in a tight hug.

The latent electric charge in her body caused his skin to prickle, and she smelled of equal parts alcohol and ozone.

"I- I am indeed. Whitney, please, you're starting to shock me...!"

"O- Oh, I'm so sorry! I get a little charged when I'm buzzed, heh!"

She backed off, grinning as she excitedly hopped from one foot to the other. Over in the kitchen, Jelli pulled her latest batch of cookies from the oven, only to cry out and drop them upon noticing the Incubus.

"Ah, M- Mr. Trayer! I- I'm so sorry!" she cried, tears already welling as she ducked down to clean up her mess.

Izzbelle stirred on the couch, but Lottie got to the Glutton first.

"It's okay, Jellili. I'll help!" piped the Golem, waving at Cobalt before leaning down to pick the broken cookies off the floor.

Swallowing hard, Cobalt hung his coat up and wiped his brow.

"Can anybody tell me what's going on in here?" he asked, planting his hands on his hips.

"It's a party, innit?"

Hopping off the counter, Quinn set the appliance aside and reached for the red toolbox that sat on the kitchen table beside a bag of flour, a box of eggs and several cartons of milk. Producing a screwdriver, the Imp shot him a cheeky grin.

"Kara heard you were getting back tonight, so she wanted to throw you a surprise New Year's party. As you can imagine, it didn't take much to convince this lot to tag along. Well, except for Izzy; she says she's only here cuz-"

"You watch your mouth, half-pint!" barked Izzbelle from the couch.

"- cuz Jel's here. But seeing as it's basically still Christmas, I got you a present!"

Cocking his head, Cobalt watched as she screwed the back onto the appliance.

"I appreciate the sentiment, Quinn, but uh... we don't really celebrate Christmas here," he said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"Well, call it a Winter Festival gift or whatever! Boom!" she retorted, slamming the whole thing down beside his toaster.

Stepping aside, Quinn proudly gestured to the brand new microwave that she had evidently taken apart and put back together again, if the none-too-subtle duct tape on the outside was anything to go by.

"Um... thank you?"

The Imp shrugged.

"Well whether you want it or not, it's not like you can return it. I already thoroughly voided the warranty."

"D- Don't worry, I made sure she paid for it!" Jelli piped, nearly slipping on her dropped baking tray.

Quinn snorted.

"Yeah, she threatened to kill me if I didn't do this legit," she joked, slapping the microwave.

"I- Ich würde nie!"

Cobalt sighed and shook his head at his students' antics, but he couldn't help but smile. Though the teacher in him wanted to admonish them for - somehow - carrying all this stuff across the support beam and setting up a party in his room without permission, another part of him urged the Incubus to let it slide, just this once. After all, this celebration was in honour of his recovery, and he would be lying if he said that he wasn't happy to see them.

Picking up a bottle of the least alcoholic drink he could find, he sat himself down on the couch, next to Izzbelle. The Oni grumbled beneath her breath and shuffled away.

"It's, um... It's good to see you. How are you feeling?" he asked, eyes widening as Whitney nearly tripped over the leg of the coffee table.

Izzbelle scoffed and knocked her whiskey back.

"Don't matter how I'm feelin'. I ain't the one that got fuckin' shot," she replied.

Cobalt frowned and lightly touched the space on his stomach where Lorenzo had shot him.

"Well, it's not like it hurts or anything. Didn't even leave a mark, thanks to Elya's intervention."

The Oni bared her teeth.

"It still wasn't exactly nice to watch you go through that. I thought you were gonna..."

Shaking her head, she drained her drink and reached for another.

"Forget it. Let's just forget everythin' that happened back there, alright? For both our sakes."

"I- Izzbelle..."

Slamming her bottle down, she glared at Cobalt and stood up.

"I said to forget it already, dumbass! Fuck!"

The Oni marched off into the kitchen, fixing to help Jelli with cleaning up her mess.

Sinking lower into his seat, Cobalt took a deep breath and sipped his drink.

With nothing but time on his hands in the hospital, all he could do was think about the wedding ceremony.

He had resigned himself so quickly to his fate, and it was that fact that scared Cobalt. At the time, he had told himself that he was doing it for Izzbelle's sake, but with some time to think, the Incubus realised that he simply wouldn't be able to. She was his student, and he couldn't see her as anything else. Likewise, he couldn't see himself as anything other than the Oni's teacher. When he tried to think of what married life with her would be like, he could see nothing. He didn't blame her for wanting to forget about the whole thing.

However, Izzbelle's outburst at the altar didn't help matters, and neither did that kiss.

He could still feel it on his lips...

"You okay, sir?" asked Whitney, sitting herself down next to her teacher as the music pulsed and pounded.

Cobalt blinked a few times, bringing himself back to reality.

"Hm? O- Oh, yes. I'm fine, Whitney."

"You sure? You've been acting kinda down," the Nymph responded, shuffling closer.

He shrugged despondently.

"I suppose I've just been-"

Before he could finish his thoughts, however, the chair jamming the bathroom door shut suddenly fell to the floor with a loud bang. The door itself slammed open immediately after, revealing none other than Karazelle Terna, her face heavily-flushed and her eyes half-lidded. Her clothes were uncharacteristically dishevelled, and as she stepped out into the main room, she teetered back and forth on her heels. Hiccupping loudly, she pointed an accusing finger at Whitney.

"This party was - *hic* - my idea, Butterskin! You can't just - *hic* - lock me out!" she announced, glaring angrily at the Nymph.

"I only locked you in there to stop you drinking any more!"

"I'm perfectly - *hic* - sober! Now lemme at - *hic* - my sugar! I missed him!"

Dragging the Nymph out of her seat, Karazelle dramatically flounced onto the couch, unceremoniously straddling her teacher. Though Cobalt tried to squirm away, the Succubus pinned him in place and leaned in close, her breath reeking of spirits.

"You took your time - *hic* - sugar..." she purred, her seductive tone contrasting sharply with her loud hiccupping.

The others all sighed with annoyance. Clearly, Karazelle's drunken antics had been bothering them long before Cobalt arrived.

"Um, Karazelle, please get off me," he murmured uncomfortably.

"I- I think you should do as he says, K- Karazelle!" called Jelli from the kitchen, clutching a pair of folded oven gloves to her chest.

She turned her gaze onto the Glutton and grinned lasciviously.

"Don't worry, sweetie. I'll let - *hic* - you join in if you'd like~!" cooed the Succubus, sticking her tongue out.

Jelli's face went bright red as she held her hands to her face. Izzbelle suddenly placed herself in front of the Glutton protectively, teeth bared with anger.

"Hey! What the fuck did I tell you about sayin' that shit to her?!" barked the Oni.

Though she was heavily intoxicated, the alcohol seemed to have done little to dull Karazelle's sharp tongue.

"Oho! Is this you - *hic* - defending your property, Izzbelle? Can't stand - *his* - the sight of another woman all~ over your precious-!"

"I'LL FUCKIN' KILL YOU!"

The Oni balled her fists and attempted to vault over the kitchen table, only to be restrained through the combined efforts of Whitney, Jelli and Lottie. Taking advantage of her momentary distraction to shake Karazelle off, Cobalt slipped off the couch and clapped his hands, drawing everybody's attention to him.

"O- Okay, okay, let's settle down now! I appreciate you all throwing this party for me, so how about we all calm ourselves and enjoy the night, okay? It's New Year's Eve, after all!" he announced, glancing at each of the girls individually.

Though he wasn't one for merriment, he felt as though he should at least allow them to hold this little celebration for him. After all, he couldn't deny that he hadn't missed them.

"Heh, alright - *hic* - sugar. I'll play nice~!" spoke Karazelle, holding onto the Incubus' arm in order to stop herself toppling onto the floor.

He sighed. This was probably the best he could expect of her in this state.

With a semblance of peace restored to the dorm room, the party finally kicked off as it was intended to. Though she was urged to sit and have a drink, Jelli remained in the kitchen, cooking various finger foods that she had brought with her and baking sweets for afterwards. Cobalt's sudden disappearance had apparently stressed her out to the point that she developed a habit of panic-cooking. Eventually, Izzbelle had to drag the Glutton over to the couch and force a plate into her hands in order to get her to relax.

Aside from Jelli's nerves getting the better of her, the festivities carried on without incident. As drunk as she was, Karazelle's clumsy advances were easily deflected, and Whitney seemed to take great delight in her inebriated state, teasing the Succubus by moving the bowls on the table whenever she reached for a snack.

As the night drew on, they partook in various party games, ranging from charades to truth-or-dare, which Karazelle was expressly forbidden to take part in. However, Cobalt noticed that Izzbelle had been keeping her distance from him, refusing to make eye contact or even speak to him on some occasions.

He couldn't blame her for feeling that way. Saying what she said at the altar, kissing him like that... she must be feeling disgusted.

The snacks were depleted, the drinks gradually drained away, and before long, the entire group found themselves lazily relaxing around Cobalt's room, occasionally checking the countdown. Once the clock hit 11:59pm, Karazelle leaped to her feet.

"Places everyone! It's nearly - *hic* - time!"

Quinn raised an eyebrow and passed a cookie over to Lottie, whose lap she was sitting on.

"Places? Places for what?" she queried, allowing the Golem to give her half.

"The big - *hic* - New Year's kiss! C'mon, everybody get up!"

"We're not doing that, Whoretits!" snapped Whitney, folding her arms as the inebriated Succubus began pulling people out of their seats.

"Of course you wouldn't, you big - *hic* - kiss virgin!"

"What?!"

Though Cobalt silently hoped that Karazelle would pass him by, it was clear from her piercing gaze that she had no such plans. Grabbing his shoulders, she ushered him towards Izzbelle, giggling to herself.

"You and your wifey should - *hic* - start the new year off with a - *hic* - bang, sugar~!"

Izzbelle growled and made to retort, but by the time she opened her mouth, the Succubus had already rushed off to harass Whitney. Swallowing hard, Cobalt gave her a nervous smile.

"J- Just bear with her. She just got carried away with the drinking," he sighed.

Clucking her tongue, the Oni just folded her arms and looked away. He glanced up at the timer. Fifty seconds left.

"Look, I understand you want to forget what happened."

"Shut up..." she growled, baring her teeth.

"But the rumours have already started to spread. It might be a while before we stop hearing about it..."

"Just what I fuckin' need!"

She stomped her foot, startling the Incubus. He looked back at the timer. Forty seconds. Why was he getting nervous?

"I don't think I thanked you," murmured Cobalt, looking back at Izzbelle.

Her eyes widened.

"What?"

"For carrying me out of there. If it weren't for you, well... I don't know what might have happened."

She looked stumped for words, glancing around as she struggled to say something.

"Honestly, I'm surprised you wanted to save me. I kind of figured you wouldn't want anything more to do with me after all that went on with the wedding," mused Cobalt, tapping his chin.

Despite how careful he was, what little alcohol he had consumed was loosening his tongue more than he would have liked.

"What are you talkin' about, dumbass?" asked Izzbelle, lowering her tone.

Thirty seconds. He sighed.

"Well, what you said and did at the altar. You had to put that on for your father, right? I can't imagine how mortifying that must have been, and I'm sorry you had to force yourself to such extremes."

"I..."

The Oni stared at her feet, silent as the countdown ticked down to twenty seconds.

"I just want you to know that I admire your courage for what you did for our sake, and if you want to forget about the whole ordeal, then I'll forget about it too."

Izzbelle's hand suddenly shot forward to grab the Incubus' tie. She pulled him close and glared at him, eyes blazing with both anger and... something else.

"Y- You think I can just forget about everything that happened?!" she hissed, voice barely audible over the music.

There were ten seconds left.

"I thought that's what you wanted?" Cobalt breathed.

Seven.

"Yeah... No, I..."

Five.

"Izzbelle...?"

Three.

"Dumbass..."

Two.

"What's wrong...?"

One.

"... never mind..."

"HAPPY NEW YEAR~!" came the unanimous cry of everybody else in the room.

Arms were thrown into the air as confetti was tossed all over Cobalt's room. Karazelle screeched with delight and lunged for Whitney's face, who intercepted the Succubus and threw her to the floor. Jelli quietly applauded to herself, smiling at the Incubus with her big gooey eyes. By the time he looked back at Izzbelle however, she had already receded into the kitchen, rooting through the fridge for something to drink.

What was she going to tell him...?

Karazelle suddenly swung her arm across his shoulder.

"Happy 2017, sugar~! You wanna - *hic* - kiss while her back is turned?" she mock whispered, pointing at the Oni.

"No, Karazelle. Please, have some decorum."

"Aw, boo."

Raising an eyebrow, Whitney tapped Cobalt's shoulder and pointed at the couch.

"Um... what should we do about them?" she asked.

Turning around, he was surprised to see that Lottie was holding Quinn in her arms, leaning over as she planted a lingering kiss on the surprised Imp's face. Her freckled cheeks grew even redder than usual as the Golem broke the liplock with a wet smack, grinning madly as she let go.

"Happy New Year!" she laughed, pumping her fist in the air.

Quinn - dazed and confused - slumped back onto the couch, eyes wide.

"'Appeh Nyew Yea..." slurred the Imp, her face frozen into a dopey smile as her slitted pupils dilated.

Sighing, Cobalt shook his head, the corners of his mouth tugging upwards.

It was a new year. Perfect for a new start. Hellfire willing, the talk of what happened at the Sulfur Blood Estate would eventually die down, and he and Izzbelle will finally be able to get on as a student and teacher should.

"Happy New Year, indeed."