Archive of Our Own

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Heartslabyul-

Riddle:

 “The Ramshackle prefect? They’re a nervous disaster, certainly to the point that it inhibits their ability to function. You’ve seen the way they're always looking around, as though a beast is going to launch around the corner at any moment. Despite their… rough attitude, it’s hard to say I don’t pity them.”

• Their anxiety and paranoia do irk him to some degree. Even if it does lead to some creative solutions, it gets in the way of protocol, of routine, of rules. He’s grown more accepting of these things since his overblot, but part of him still wishes they would just be a little less inflexible.It also doesn’t help that their skittishness makes it difficult to hold a real conversation with them. The impropriety! 
• It is sooooooo hard for him to not take everything they say seriously. And personally. For as intelligent as he is, his social awareness leaves much to be desired. But after speaking with some of his peers (Trey, mostly) he realizes it’s probably fear. Yikes. 
• He knows what it’s like to be afraid of something the way they are, punished for any arbitrary misstep, and for that he grants them some reluctant leniency. They have lessons to learn, and it isn’t fair of him to punish them for something they don’t understand, right? (Post-overblot of course, before that he was slinging collars their way every 5 seconds)

Trey:

• Aww… oh… no… 
• As someone with child siblings, he can recognize their cruelty for what it is immediately: an effort to keep people at arm’s length. He doen’t really take their insults seriously because of that. 
• Lowkey wishes he could make them less afraid, but has no idea how.
• He’s tried to be supportive, he’s tried to reassure them, he’s tried to make sure they know he’ll be there for them should they need it, and nothing seems to work.
• He doesn't know what to do beyond just continuing what he’s already doing. Hopefully they can manage to get over this fear on their own, or with the help of someone else.
• Spoiler alert they don’t. Well, they do, but also they don’t. 

Cater:

• Oh, that cute wide-eyed expression they make whenever they're startled or intimidated always does numbers on his page! 
• Sort of loves ambushing them for an impromptu photo shoot. They’ll shout at him, tell him not to scare them like that, maybe throw in a rude name, all while pallid with fear, glancing between him and the space behind him like they’re worried this is some sort of coordinated distraction. 
• Jokingly pokes fun at their anti-social demeanor, but secretly thinks their standoffish behavior is kind of endearing; makes him feel less pressure to be so bubbly and warm. 

Ace:

• He bickers with them a lot. Almost more than Deuce. He finds their fear to be laughable, but also resents the fact that they’re somehow not a coward. I mean, they are a coward in mannerism, but they still put others above their own fear. 
• Hates that he kind of has to look up to this weak-kneed antagonistic little freak. This cognitive dissonance is part of the reason he’s their friend. He still rushes to their aid, partly because he wants to prove that they have to rely on others, that they aren’t a monolith, that they’re weak. 
• And he actually likes them 

Deuce:

• They’re… weird? 
• They don’t snap at him like they snap at Ace or Grim, or most other people. Now, are they particularly kind? No, not really, but Deuce senses a weird tenderness beneath their thorny personality. They always end up doing the right thing, even if they really don’t need or want to. 
• They’d never acknowledge it, of course– they react pretty poorly to compliments, actually– but that doesn’t stop Deuce from giving them. He’s rather surprised at how often he finds them praise-worthy.
• It’s a nice example of how there’s more to people than a prickly attitude. He doesn't have to abandon his inclinations, so long as his actions are reflective of a greater goodness, he supposes. 
• Slightly worried that they conflate tenderness and weakness.

Savannahclaw- 

Leona:

“That herbivore really lives up to the name. Never seen anyone scare so easily, trembling like a newborn impala whenever a spell is cast. It’s more than a little pathetic.” 

• Genuinely so amused and irritated by them. The prefect reminds him of a little mouse squished under his paw. The smell of raw terror that comes off of them the moment anything gets serious is hilarious to him. 
• It does get old sometimes. Alright, we get it, you’re scared, it’s not really cute anymore. Grow a spine already, would you? Also doesn't like that they’re so weak and terrified yet also somehow so mouthy and rude. 
• Pretends not to take notice of how compassionate they are beneath all the attitude, just quietly catalogues it away. If they can't take care of themselves, then a tender heart is pretty useless.

Ruggie:

• Fellow scrappy. In an eat-or-be-eaten world, game recognizes game. Does think their level of paranoia is a little over the top, but he’s seen people that were that far gone and worse in the slums where he grew up, so he shrugs it off.
• Little opportunistic shit actually feels a teensy weensy bit bad when he finds himself taking from them. And even though they don’t hold back on him when they find out, he can tell they’re not actually that mad. They know what’s up. It’s a dog eat dog world, and you gotta get your own. They almost seem… resigned to it. Yikes.
• They do get along. They also kind of encourage him to take Leona’s stuff. They may or may not dislike the lion…

Jack:

• “Coward…”
• Initially he thinks very little of them; irritable and cowardly, what could be a worse combination? Was very hesitant to work with them to investigate Azul, but his personal morals compelled him to suck it up. 
• His view of them started changing when they took on Azul’s contract to try and free the anemones. They made it very difficult to commend them with how sour and foul-mouthed they were about it, but it was undeniably an incredibly compassionate personal risk to take.
• Slowly he managed to look past their fuck ass personality and annoyingly skittish behavior to see a person that would go to great lengths for people they didn’t even seem to like. It was… oddly sweet. It was kind of embarrassing for Jack, since that’s often the same mistake people make with him.
• Still finds himself bickering and arguing with them over nothing. He can’t help how disagreeable they are, even if they are a good person. 

Octavinelle- 

Azul:

“Ah yes, our dear prefect. Such an… interesting one they are. Very… err… cautious and… frank as well. Truly, there’s plenty to say about them, really, too many things; I must refrain from continuing.”

• Assumed someone so weak and pathetic would be really easy to take advantage of, but their extreme caution was an unexpectedly gargantuan hurdle he’d have to overcome to get anywhere with them. And besides their labor, and perhaps Ramshackle again, there isn’t really much he could get out of them, so he shelved them as someone whose debt was more trouble than it’s worth.
• As for how much he actually enjoys them as a person, he would say not at all. They’re not exactly easy nor pleasant to make conversation with. 
• He does feel some sense of debt towards them after what happened with his overblot, and he does his best to be civil and well-mannered with them, no matter how difficult they make it.

Jade:

• “lmao”
• Ohhhh, they hate his ass. Avoid him like the plague. And he pretends to not know why, all while actively making them feel as unsafe as possible whenever he can.
• It’s not that he harbors any genuine ill will towards them, of course. They’ve never done him wrong, not really, he just found that waver in their voice, and the twitchy little widening of their eyes whenever he’d push their buttons so… endearing.
• And the way they’d “defend themselves” as he liked to think of it, spitting some venom as they discreetly backed away, like a funny little lizard or something.
• Has invited them to the mountains before, but they’d sooner saw their own legs off than be in a remote location alone with Jade lmao. Literally giggled so hard when they said “HELL NO 😟”

Floyd:

• Literally the shrimpiest shrimp that ever did shrimp! It’s hysterical! 
• It’s common knowledge that people are wary of him, but this little magicless prefect takes “wary” to the next level! The way they go rigid when he’s in the same room, shuffling away when he gets close, looking at him like he’s a rabid bear, yet still they manage to have a mouth.
• He finds their nasty attitude so funny, and really likes messing with them. He wants to know all the nasty little nicknames they can come up with, see all the different shades of terrified their face turns. 
• He’s gotten sick of them more than a couple times, but they always take the chance to scuttle off when he’s in a bad mood. He likes that.

Scarabia-

Kalim:

“The prefect? Oh, they’re great! Well, not great at, like, talking, or, uh, a lot of other things… but they’re not bad! They’re just… um… nervous, I think. They always refuse my party invitations, but they’ll come along if it’s more of a hangout, you know? And they’re a really nice person deep down. A lot of people think they’re super rude, but I think they’re just shy.” 

• Definitely an “actions speak louder than words” kind of guy. Was a little taken aback by how vicious they could be– seeing them around school, with that hunched posture and scouring look, he assumed they were kind of like Ignihyde’s Housewarden– but he didn’t let that distract from their weirdly compassionate attitude. 
• Knows what it’s like to be threatened from all sides, and also knows the only way to let go of that fear is to be able to rely on those around you. He really wants that for them. Unfortunately his methods aren’t particularly tactful. He just keeps dragging them into big social events, places that send them into paranoid overdrive.
• They find him overbearing and annoying, but they’d be lying if they said he wasn’t a breath of fresh air in this school of psychos. They like him, really… They just wish he’d stop trying to force himself into their life. 

Jamil:

• He tends to be wary of wary people. While he doesn't believe they have the will– or the power– to be malicious toward him or Kalim, he doesn’t enjoy being around them simply due to how much scrutiny he feels he is under.
• Not used to people looking at him. He’s usually so good at fading into the background, letting others take center stage while he maintains his careful mediocrity, but it’s as though the prefect can sense the predator lying dormant in him. They won’t stop looking at him. I mean, they don’t exactly stop looking at anyone, but still. 
• Post-overblot, Jamil feels much the same, worse, maybe, now that he let his true colors show briefly. Oddly enough, despite treating him with an excess of caution, the prefect actually seems more welcoming of him, if that makes sense. Don’t get me wrong, they’re still a prick, but Jamil can tell they appreciate his new honesty. 

Pommefiore-

Vil:

“Right, them. What more can one say about them beyond what they readily display? Not to mention they seem to prioritize preserving their bad attitude over everything, especially their appearance… No, no, I have no problem with them, but really, it’s a wonder that they manage to function. I could help. I suppose, but some people just don’t want to be helped. What? Oh, yes, I suppose you could say we’re ‘friends,’ but…”

• Hopeless. Vil doesn’t like using that word because it’s rarely appropriate, but in this case, it just might be. He’s never seen anybody so belligerently pathetic. Literally nothing going for them besides a compassionate streak.  
• I mean, their stress acne is ridiculous.
• They don’t hold themselves upright, and they don’t even have the courtesy to be shy along with it. It matters not if they're fair of face, just looking at them, you gather everything you need to dismiss them. That hunched posture, rapid eyes, the distrusting furrow in their brow, the way they fiddle with their hands like they’re afraid of being at rest for even a moment… It's just upsetting. 
• But it’s not like Vil can’t handle a challenge. They did him a service, and he feels a weird sort of pity towards them that he rarely feels. They’re a person deserving of beauty just as much as anyone else, so he’ll help them. 

Rook:

• Oh what an intriguing little trickster they are! Several times now they’ve managed to catch him spying on them and their compatriots. They’re as observant as he is but with none of the carefully cultivated skill or tact he possesses.
• And the odd aggression that accompanies their pure terror of the magical mundane? Comme c'est charmant! What other curiosities swirl in the great storm of their mind?
• He is conscious enough to not make them feel more unsafe than necessary, but he just can’t help it if he feels drawn to that ever-present alertness they possess.

Epel

• Lowkey liked that they were afraid of him the first time they met. Not because he wants them to be upset or scared, but because it made him feel big and strong for a sec lmao. 
• He got over the initial power trip quickly though. It was replaced almost immediately with disturbed concern. Uhhh… you alright, buddy?
• Doesn't fully understand what their problem is. He wishes they would just talk to someone about what’s bothering them instead of snapping and retreating all the time, can’t they see it’s exhausting them? 

Ignihyde-

Idia:

“Wee-hee-hee! It’s actually sort of reassuring to see someone who might actually be more awkward than me around here! They still manage to have their outgoing moments… but, watching them shake like a leaf at any strong display of magic is p. satisfying!”

• Honestly does sort of feel for them. He’s a pretty anxious person, and sometimes the look on their face reminds him a lot of himself. He thinks some of their fears are a little stupid and silly, but he’s not above a little normie empathy. 
• The prefect did lowk fw him before the STYX incident, but now they just don’t. Like, great, yeah, cool, thanks for being honest, ig, but why the hell do you act like that when you have that kind of power, are you trying to lull me into a false sense of security????
• Their attitudes are way too similar for them to get along well. Inferiority complex vs god complex (both are losing).

Ortho:

• Also reminded of his brother. Can’t help but think a little more socializing would help them be less… neurotic? He doesn't even know how he would describe the prefect. He’s relatively used to being able to categorize data, but they just don’t fit neatly into his scaffolds. He likes being around them solely for the reason that they’re weird. 
• Have thrown off his statistical analysis several times. He’s gotta be missing something… if he sticks close, he’ll find it. It’ll help him better understand what it means to be human. Oh yeah he’s worried for them too ig. (can you tell i have a strong distrust of robots)
• In all seriousness though, he does eventually realize their insecurity and by proxy their behavior stems from their weakness relative to everyone at NRC. Not just other-ness, weakness. 
• And, yeah, no, he can’t really help them with that. Look, he might be magicless too, but he has other things to make up for that. The prefect? Nothing. He can provide his protection when they’re in immediate danger, but almost everyone who cares about them does that, and it seems to do very little to help. But he’s resilient. If they’ll keep trying to live in this world, he’ll keep trying to help. 

Diasomnia-

Malleus: 

“The Prefect. Yes, I would say I like them a lot. I’m aware that other humans do not appreciate their hostile way of speaking, but I think there’s a great deal of softness and compassion beneath that fierceness.”

• He could tell they were fearful of him. It was an expression he’d grown used to seeing, not exclusively on humans, but especially on humans as well. But he wasn't particularly used to the scowl on their face, like he was bothering them somehow. 
• At first he regretted calling out to them; just another person to turn their back on him. But they didn’t. Albeit hesitantly, like when approaching a rabid animal, but they stood out there in the night and spoke with him. They listened to every word he said. They were skittish, rude and snippy too– he found that rather amusing– but that was also oddly endearing. He learned later that they spoke to him the same way they spoke to everyone. 
• Over time, he felt them grow warmer. Not warm, but certainly warmer. They spoke to him  more willingly, sometimes even adding to the conversation more than they had to. That was a big step for this particularly stiff-shoulder child of man, he believed. He saw them smiling once or twice. It felt like… it felt like he had actually developed a relationship; planted and cultivated the seeds of friendship in another creature and reaped real joy from his efforts. It was one of his first and only connections like that: mutual. 
• He was not happy when they mentioned briefly in passing that they might find a way home. They had had such a smile on their face; one wider than any they’d donned before. He couldn’t see it. He wasn’t looking at them.
• They clammed up after his overblot. He knew better than to take it personally, but to say it didn’t hurt would be a lie. They couldn’t look at him, not in the eyes anyway. They tried to cary on speaking with him as usual, but he heard their voice quaking slightly. They would jump when he moved too suddenly. Apologize. Leave. 
• Poor thing. How can a life so robust understand dread like theirs? It cannot. It can never. 

Lilia:

• Bro knows ptsd when he sees it. 
• Jumpscared them(and the other freshies) when they first met, nearly killed them with a heart attack, and they were VICIOUS. They ripped into him, they did not hold back. Lilia wasn’t affected by that of course, he’s an old man, but he did notice something else. They were sweating, they were shaking, their eyes were wide and frightened. It was more than evident that their aggression was a traumatic fear response. 
• He’s a little more careful about spooking them. 
• They probably get on fine beyond that, but the prefect is EXTREMELY wary of him

Sliver:

• Barely remembers it, but every time he’s been in their dreams, he wakes with a terrified start. He’s seen them get torn apart by all manner of magical threats, drown in blot a hundred times over, get eaten alive by the very students they rub shoulders with. How can anyone rest with such horrors playing on loop in their head?
• Before he knew them well, he just felt bad for them, but upon becoming friends, he feels worse. His compassionate nature tells him to hold them, to ease their fears and cradle them like a motherless newborn fawn, but he knows they would accept no such treatment. 

Sebek:

• They literally jump like 10 feet in the air every time he speaks with that loud, proud, bravado. 
• They’re literally everything he thinks humans are, in a bad way: rude, loutish, and weak of both mind and body. And he’s sure to tell them. 
• It’s clear they don’t like him either. If he had a sorcent for every time they told him to shut up, he’d have enough money to pay for all the therapy Malleus needs. 
• And yet they're so… chivalrous. Not in the typical sense, no (he laughed out loud at the thought of them as a knight) but they’re always reducing people. Of course, they’re terrified every time, their legs shaking, their face pallid and their hands clammy, but they do it anyway. 
• It really fucks with him. Bro’s narrow mind cannot fathom a courageous coward. People acting in spite of his perception of them???? What???? Shit’s got him blue-screening (I like Sebek, I stg)

—

GRIM:

• For a while they thought he could be an anchor. Something too docile and loyal to harm them, even if he was so strong. And then the incident happened.
• He felt them pulling away from him like a tide away from the shore. They didn’t sleep until he did and were always awake long before him. Their body went rigid when they held him. 
• It hurt, knowing that he did this to them. They were always kind of yellow, but knowing that it was things like him that made them scared. He couldn’t really wrap his head around why it made him feel so bad.