Elya Yalfre was a lot of things, but - unfortunately - she was no liar. True to her word, she stuck to Cobalt like glue every moment of the day; sitting outside the classroom window during school hours, following him around during his breaks, and even hanging from the support beams like a bat during the evenings. She would stare through his window at whoever had night watch duty that night, eyes filled with thinly-veiled vitriol.

With the Fallen dogging his every move, it was a miracle that Cobalt was able to somehow slip away and pass the floppy disk off to Alison. According to her, inquiries were being made around town as to the identity of the Fallen vandal that destroyed the town library, but apparently the head librarian had been struck so hard across the head that he couldn't remember the incident or the events preceding it.

Cobalt tried not to think about that.

As for his daily routine, even after all the Diate business, things seemed to be returning to normal, save for the fact that he now had one of his students bunking on his couch every night. In a way, it was almost scary how he was getting used to it.

Yawning in his sleep, the Incubus rolled over and bumped into something soft.

Frowning, he turned the other way and bumped into something smooth.

His frown deepened.

This wasn't right.

"Mm, I thought you'd prefer them on the bigger side, but it seems you can't decide, sugar~" cooed a voice that was uncomfortably close to his ear.

His eyes snapped open.

Tucked beneath the ruffled covers of his futon, Cobalt found himself sandwiched quite snugly between lascivious form of Karazelle Terna, and the still-slumbering Whitney Brode. He opened his mouth to exclaim, only to be silenced by a purple hand.

"Shh... Don't wanna wake her up now, do you?" Karazelle whispered with a smile, nodding at her classmate.

"Wh- What are you doing here?! It was Whitney's turn last night! Why is she- Why are both of you in my bed?!" he hissed in response, his entire body going rigid as he tried not to touch either of them.

"Seems Butterskin's quite the sleepwalker. I saw her bumping around your room through the window last night. I thought about putting her back where she belonged, but then I saw you sleeping so adorably soundly and I just couldn't help myself!"

"This is a serious breach of privacy! Both mine and Whitney's!"

She cocked an eyebrow and gave him a smirk.

"Oh please, it was only a matter of time. I'm willing to bet she can't keep her hands off herself when she stays the night here."

"Karazelle!" Cobalt gasped, a little too loudly.

Beside him, Whitney snorted and jerked awake. Blinking blearily a few times, her face crumpled with confusion as she looked around.

"Where...?" she murmured, still blinking the sleep out of her eyes.

Her gaze settled on Cobalt. Her eyes grew wide, and she looked over at Karazelle, who was grinning devilishly.

"GYAAGH?!"

Her whole body tensed as though she made to bolt out of the futon, but the Succubus suddenly reached across Cobalt and grasped her classmate's wrist, jamming her teacher's face into her chest in the process.

"Now now, Butterskin, it's a little late to be shrieking like that," scolded Karazelle, clucking her tongue.

"What the fuck did you do to me, you bitch?! Why are we all in the same bed?!"

"It doesn't matter how this situation came to be. What matters is what we make of it. Now, if we combine our strength, I'm willing to bet that you and me could easily overpower our dear Mr. Trayer here. If you're willing to co-operate, I'm willing to let you take his bottom half first. Sound good?" the Succubus said coolly, smiling slyly all the while.

Wriggling out of Karazelle's buxom grasp, Cobalt gasped for breath and tried to escape the futon.

"Not so fast, sugar! No squirming until Butterskin's considered my proposition!" Karazelle laughed, clinging tightly to him.

Whitney completely froze up, allowing the Succubus to giggle and squeeze closer to her, denying the Incubus his escape. It was suffocating, being stuck between a rock and a hard place, though it was more like being trapped between a soft and a smooth place.

He shook his head and tried to breathe through his mouth, already overwhelmed by the combined scents of sweet perfume and petrichor.

"Oh my, are you actually considering it?" the Succubus pressed, leaning in closer to Whitney's blushing face.

"Wh- What?! N- No! Of course not! I'm not like you, Whoretits!"

"Ah, but you hesitated, didn't you?"

"I- I did not!"

Karazelle laughed and pulled back a little, granting Cobalt enough wiggle room to claw his way out of his students' combined embrace.

"Well, as much as I'd like to continue this little tease, I can practically hear the bowstring straining. You okay over there, Elya?" she asked, turning her head to an empty corner of the room.

Appearing in a gust of black wind, the Fallen bared her teeth and raised her Obsidian Bow. She had nocked a pair of jagged arrows, both of which were aimed at Cobalt's students.

"Do you think I'll allow you to abuse your duty and defile my beloved?!" she hissed, eyes narrowing.

As Cobalt and Whitney began to panic, Karazelle just smiled and snuggled closer to her teacher.

"Y'know, if you ask nicely, I'd be amenable to letting you join us~"

"I SHALL NOT DEBASE MYSELF AND FORNICATE WITH THE LIKES OF YOU!"

Right as Elya made to let the arrows fly, the Incubus finally broke free of his futon and dove in front of the Fallen.

"A- Alright, this has gone on long enough! Karazelle, enough joking around! Elya, put the bow away! Whitney, please don't scream, it's still very late!"

The sound of frantic tapping on glass suddenly echoed through the dorm room, drawing everyone's attention to the window. Motioning for them all to stay calm and not make any sudden movements, Cobalt crept over to the window and raised the blind.

Jelli was hunkered on the outside sill, eyes awash and cheeks soaked with tears as she repeatedly knocked on the glass. Wasting not a moment in opening the window, the Incubus offered her a hand, only for the Glutton to latch onto him like a terrified child and knock the pair of them to the floor. She was dressed in a nightdress patterned with little cartoon pigs, and she looked as though she had rushed straight out of bed.

"D- Du musst ihr helfen! Sie- ah, sh- she's not- something's wrong! Y- Y- You have to help, please!" Jelli blubbered, her tail tucked between her legs as she clung tight to her teacher.

As soon as the Glutton crashed into the dorm room, all levity drained from Karazelle's face, replaced instead with intense worry. She shunted Whitney out of the futon and rushed to Jelli's side, gently prying her off the Incubus as she whispered reassurances to her.

"Hey, hey, it's alright sweetie. Sugar, do you have any tissues?" she asked, cradling her head as she stroke her mousey-brown hair.

He glanced up at Elya, who was standing next to a shelf containing a box of tissues. The Fallen glanced at them and narrowed her eyes, before she loudly scoffed and tossed them at him.

"I ought to... kill them all..." she murmured, dispelling her bow.

Grabbing a handful of tissues, Karazelle began to gently dry Jelli's eyes.

"There we are. Now, what's the matter?" she asked, pulling her head away from her tear-soaked top.

Jelli sniffled, her nose beginning to run.

"I- It's Izzbelle. She's s- sick. Very, very sick. Y- You have to do something!" she blubbered.

"Isn't Elya, like, a nurse? Why don't you do something?" suggested Whitney, still reeling from waking up beside her teacher.

"No," snapped the Fallen, folding her arms.

Cobalt sighed.

"Elya..."

Her face soured.

"Fine..." she hissed between her teeth.

She hunkered down and brought her face uncomfortably close to Jelli's.

"Explain her symptoms. Quickly," the Fallen snapped, startling the Glutton.

"U- Um... she said her head is h- hurting reall bad, a- and it's hard to think... um... and her whole body is c- cramping up-"

Elya stood back up.

"The Suyas girl is suffering from a blockage of magical energy, possibly a side-effect of possession. She shall require applied pulses of magic from an outside source to stimulate the nerves and increase the flow again, otherwise her entire body may begin to suffer serious nerve damage," she explained in a cold, robotic tone.

"So... Do you know how to do that?" asked Karazelle.

"Yes."

"... Are you going to?"

"No. I've helped you harlots enough."

With that, Elya disappeared in a swirl of black wind that swiftly shot out the window. With a deep sigh, Cobalt inched closer to Jelli and put his hand on her shoulder.

"I'll... see what I can do."

 

-----

 

Cobalt didn't like how used to climbing across the support beams he was getting. Whereas he once felt sick at the mere thought of teetering across that rusty steel tightrope, he now just felt mild unease as he scuttled across into Karazelle's room. Toppling through onto the Succubus' couch, he couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu. Indeed, this wasn't the first time he had to rush to Izzbelle's aid because she refused to seek it out herself, and it wasn't the first time he had to trespass into the girls' dorms.

He sighed as he stood up and stepped out into the hallway.

"Best make this quick and quiet..." he murmured to himself, looking around nervously.

The halls were thankfully empty, allowing Cobalt to make his way down to the third floor. Even from the stairwell, he could hear the agonised groaning of the Oni rumbling from beyond her door. Swallowing hard, he crept towards it and quietly knocked.

"Gnrgh... I thought I told you... to leave me the fuck alone...!"

Despite her best efforts to sound gruff, her voice was hoarse, and edged with pain. Feeling that no good would come of arguing in the corridor, the Incubus apologised beneath his breath and cracked the door open just enough to slip inside.

Izzbelle's room hadn't changed much since the last time he had been there, though the window had been repaired since she defenestrated him all those months ago. The floor was still covered in clothes and sporting equipment, and the entire room still smelled rather strongly of the Oni's sweat. The only thing that was different was the ripped wedding dress hanging in the wardrobe, which lay half-open.

Izzbelle herself was lying on her rumpled futon, digging her nails into a pillow that she was holding right to her chest. Her breaths were coming quick and fast, her skin was flushed and her clothes were soaked through with sweat. Her wild hair was a mess as well.

"Izzbelle? Are you okay?" Cobalt asked in a soft voice.

She whipped her head around, eyes wide with shock. Her entire face was strained, and every now and then her eyelids would twitch.

"What the fuck are you doin' here, dumbass?!" she spat, wincing as he held a hand to her forehead.

Her horn was glowing ever so slightly, pulsing erratically.

"I heard from Jelli-"

"I told her not to fuckin' tell anyone!"

He sighed and got down on his knees.

"Well can you blame her? She's worried and wants to help. As do I."

"There's nothin' to fuckin' do, alright?! I'll be fine by myself! I don't need your fuckin' help!"

Cobalt took a deep breath.

"Izzbelle, remember what we talked about before?" he said, speaking slowly and quietly.

She didn't answer.

"I promised to always be there for you, and that includes now."

"You're my fuckin' teacher!"

"And your friend besides. Now come on; we've done this song and dance enough times. Let me help you."

Muttering swears beneath her breath, Izzbelle grumbled and slowly turned over, still clutching the pillow tight. She winced as her horn glowed a little brighter.

"How? I don't even know what the fuck's wrong with me!" she growled, her fingernails threatening to rip the pillow wide open.

He frowned. She didn't know anything about Diate yet, and with how stressed she already was, Cobalt wasn't about to tell her straight away.

"You're suffering from a blockage in your magical channels. Your nerves can't handle the build-up of passive magic, and if something isn't done, it'll start to affect your whole body," he explained.

The Incubus gestured to his forehead.

"You're gonna need someone to apply pulses of their own magic to the affected areas. In this case, that'll be your, um..." he continued, his voice dying away.

The Oni's eyes widened as she bared her teeth.

"No! No fuckin' way! Not a fuckin' chance!" she snapped, covering her horn with her hands.

It made sense that she'd be so averse to the procedure; Oni's horns were sensitive, and would scream in pain at the lightest touch thanks to the tightly bundled nerves within.

"Izzbelle, I know it'll hurt, but-"

"You do not fuckin' touch an Oni's horn! I thought you knew that!"

"Yes, but... I figured that I've already touched it before... and, um..." Cobalt mumbled, staring down at his hands.

No, this was a terrible idea. Izzbelle had told him face to face; she wanted to forget everything that had happened between them, especially regarding anything... intimate. Taking a deep breath, he got to his feet.

"You're right. I'll call the hospital and let them know. I'm sure this kind of thing is best left to a professional anyway," he said, making for the door.

Before he could even open it, however, Izzbelle suddenly shot forward and grabbed his ankle.

"Wait, no!" she cried, her iron grip holding him in place.

He looked down. Through the pained wincing, he could see her look sheepishly away.

"F- Fine... If it has to be done... I'd rather it be you..." she muttered.

Swallowing hard, Cobalt nodded and stepped away from the door, his heartbeat already growing faster. Why was he feeling so nervous...?

Sitting in front of Izzbelle, he gestured for Izzbelle to lower her head. For a moment their gazes met, causing them both to blush.

"Y- You better be fuckin' gentle... Or I'll hurt you. I- I mean it...!"

Cobalt nodded shakily.

"Alright... Menidutitrof ihim ad..." he breathed, raising both hands.

Shadowy energy slowly coalesced around the tips of his fingers, causing them to dimly glow a dark blue. Slowly - ever so slowly - he pressed them against the sides of Izzbelle's horn, causing her to stifle a gasp and bite her lip. The surface of the horn was hard and rocky, but strangely warm.

"Are you okay?" he asked in a worried tone.

"It doesn't- it's fine, just hurry up!" she retorted, cheeks reddening.

"A- Alright."

Bit by bit, he amped up the flow of magic and wrapped his fingers around her horn. The glowing began to dim, but for some reason, Izzbelle didn't seem to be feeling any pain. In fact, the more he touched her, the less agonised her face looked.

"O- Okay, I only have theoretical knowledge of this, so just bear with me...!"

He placed his palms against the surface of her horn, causing the Oni to suddenly cry out and wrap her arms around him, pulling him against the sweat-soaked tank top she slept in.

"Agh! I- Izzbelle! L- Let go...!" he cried, struggling against her strong arms.

She wasn't listening. She was gasping - almost panting - for breath, and shivering with every movement of his hands. Figuring that she wasn't really in a rational state of mind, he held his own breath and continued as quickly as he could.

"I- Izzbelle! Come on, I know this is hard, but I need you to bear with me!" he exclaimed as he continued the flow of magic.

"Can't... t- too... much..." she panted, struggling to form a coherent sentence.

He was definitely nearly finished, but at the right she was crushing him, Cobalt worried that his spine would break before the procedure was complete.

Wait, was she... moaning...?

"Nearly done... Nearly done...!"

With his hands wreathed in magic, the Incubus grasped the length of Izzbelle's horns in both hands and prepared to release one final pulse.

"Sorry" he breathed, before squeezing it tight.

Her reaction was phenomenal. Izzbelle suddenly held Cobalt in a tight embrace as she screamed at the top of her lungs. She buried his face deep into her sweaty chest and wrapped her legs around his body, threatening to pulverise his entire skeleton.

"I- Izzbelle... please... let me go..." he gasped, growing dizzy from the smells and sensations alone.

Though she didn't respond, her grip loosened just enough for Cobalt to squirm out of her grasp. Wiping his pyjamas down, he staggered to his feed and looked down at Izzbelle. Her horn had stopped glowing and her skin had returned to its natural hue, but her cheeks were still burning, and her eyes had rolled back as her entire body periodically twitched.

"Oh no... what have I done...?" Cobalt gasped, staggering back.

"Made her nut her soul out, by the looks of it," spoke a sudden voice from the doorway.

He nearly screamed as he whipped around to find both Quinn Redtile and Lottie Deyeyr standing just outside the room, both rubbing their eyes sleepily.

"Q- Quinn, i- it's not what it looks like, I swear...!"

The Imp just nodded and yawned as she stepped into the room.

"Yeah yeah, I know. I heard Izzy was suffering from summat. Just didn't think this would be the solution," she responded, prodding the Oni with her toe.

"Why was Izza hugging you and screaming?" asked Lottie, leaning against the doorway like she was still half-asleep.

"Never mind that, Lottie. Let's get her cleaned up," Quinn interrupted, wiping the sweat off Izzbelle's forehead with a nearby t-shirt.

He raised an eyebrow at her words.

"What? Can't just leave her stewing in her own juices like this, can I? You head on back and tell Jel that she's fine. I've heard her blubbering through the walls enough for one night," sighed the Imp, stepping over to the Oni's chest of drawers and pulling out a fresh set of nightclothes.

Nodding shakily, Cobalt just stumbled out into the hallway of the girl's dormitory, feeling decidedly weak.

To touch an Oni's horn was to inflict them with terrible pain.

So why did she react in such a way...?

Eyes widening, he grabbed the front of his nightshirt and tentatively sniffed it.

Great... now he was gonna reek of Izzbelle all night...