You Are Woefully Uneducated!

  "Did you ask anyone else to join us?" Grim questioned as Yuu left to open the door.

  "Nope, just Deuce and Epel." Ace shook his head in confusion.

  "Just ignore it, then." Deuce suggested as he shook his head, "It's probably someone selling something."

  However, Deuce was too late as Yuu had already opened the door for them and lound thundering footsteps rushed into the door before the door was slammed open. A familiar loud voice thundered angrily, "EXCUSE ME. It's proper manners to answer the door when someone rings the bell!"

  Jack moved out from behind Jack as he hesitated in confusion, "Somehow I doubt they wanna hear about manners from a guy who just barged in before anyone answered the door."

  "Hello, Sebek Zigvolt. And hi again, Jack Howl!" Ortho said with a bright expression on his face, "Come on in!"

  "Welcome to my humble abode." Yuu replied as he returned into the lounge.

  "Indeed, I've done just that." Sebek smiled with a proud smirk.

  "Yeah, thanks for having me." Jack nodded courteously.

  "Is your training over?" Ortho questioned in confusion.

  "We're on break. Silver said he needed to do something, and marched out with this serious look on his face." Jack explained with a look of similar confusion, "So I went for a run to clear my head and just happened to come this way. I wasn't looking for Ortho and Ace, okay? This is a total coincidence! That's all it is!"

  "Sure, whatever you say." Deuce said with a wide smirk.

  "So Jack Howl is on break... wait." Ortho looked to Sebek in confusion, "Then what are you doing here, Sebek? You were mashing the doorbell pretty hard. Is there something urgent?"

  "I wouldn't call it urgent, per se..." Sebek hesitated with a slight blush as he denied firmly.

  "He was pacing nonstop in front of Ramshackle's gate until I went over to him." Jack stated calmly.

  "Seriously?" Grim staggered in surprise upon hearing this.

  "He kept glancing at the dorm all sneaky-like while going back and forth." Jack nodded.

  "Hey, don't go casin' my dorm!" Grim scolded Sebek angrily.

  "Casing? I resent that!" Sebek argued angrily having felt rather offended, "Don't put me on your level. I was just... Um... That is to say..."

  "Ooo, what's this now?" Ace sneered, "Were you looking for us? You refused Housewarden Riddle's request, but you just couldn't let it go, huh? C'mon, admit it!"

  "What request? ...Oh, right!" Ortho recalled the information with a delighted smile on his face, "Leona and Riddle asked you to take part in the Fairy Gala, but you said no. But you were still worried about us, so you came by to check on us! Thank you!"

  Seeing his touched expression, Sebek shouted in denial, "NO! I am by no means worried about anyone! I simply heard from Silver that you'd hit a stumbling block, and I came by to tell you something! You cannot possibly expect to succeed at the Fairy Gala with no knowledge of the fae. I thought you deserved to know how foolhardy your plan was. Don't mistake my intentions. I am NOT here to help!

  "Foolhardy, huh... Yeah, you're right about that." Ortho nodded as he recalled his mission once again, "That's why we need to brainstorm more. We don't have much time, so could you leave now?"

  "Rgh...!" Sebek hesitated as he remained glued to his place with an annoyed expresson. 

  "Huh? What's wrong?" Ortho looked to him in confusion seeing that he did not leave hastily.

  "Don't grumble when you know he's right and doesn't mean anything by it." Jack supported Ortho calmly.

  After much hesitation, Sebek finally opened his mouth in defeat, "D... Diasomnia is in dire straits right now. The students are freezing and huddling together for warmth. If your mission doesn't succeed, the repercussions will definitely affect Malleus and Lilia. Hence... I shall lend you uneducated humans my aid!"

  "So you are helping us." Yuu smirked upon hearing this, "Ace totally called it..."

  "Wow, really? Thank you, Sebek Zigvolt!" Ortho cheered with a bright smile and a face full of delight. 

  "We don't actually need your input, you know. But if you're SO moved to help, I guess I could let you stick around." Ace sighed in disappointment clearly conveying his eagerness to make him leave previously.

  "Hmph. Protest all you like, but I'm sure deep down you were hoping I'd show up. I heard about all your struggles." Sebek's smug smile radiated uncontrollably in the room as well as his confidence as he continued, "You're welcome to weep with joy at my magnaminty..."

  "Dude, seriously?" Ace scolded him with a deep scowl as he complained, "You show up this late in the game, and this is how you act? Hey, Yuu, give this guy the boot!"

  "So many of my fellow freshmen here, just to help me..." Ortho's eyes brightened sounding rather touched as he brightened in relief, "The problem hasn't been solved, and our probability of success hasn't gone up... But for some reason... I'm feeling like things are gonna work out! Thanks, guys! I'm so glad you're here!"

  "So what do the gala fairies mean by "evolution," anyway?" Deuce muttered hesitantly.

  "The word has many different definitions and usages, but for our purposes, it means advancement, growth, and change." Ortho explained, "The reasoning behind using freshmen is because we evoke the potential for future advancement."

  "And Vil handpicked Ortho because he especially represents the theme." Ace continued the explanation, "He was like, "Ortho's the evolutioniest of them all!"

  "Wow, Vil picked you personally? Nice going, Ortho!" Epel said in awe upon hearing this.

  "Yup, I was flattered too!" Ortho cheered before looking rather glum at his current predicament, "But now I don't understand how I represent evolution. I applied my skillset, compiled the data, and compiled a performance with the highest probability of success...But Vil told me to come up with an original form of expression, something of my very own. Not copied from someone else."

  "Hmm... Vil can make some pretty big demands." Epel nodded nervously in disappointment.

  "Right?" Ace sighed in defeat, "He just flat out called Ortho's work "dreadfully dull." I totally winced when I heard that!"

  "Yeah, that's not hard to imagine." Deuce nodded nervously as he recalled the training from the Sing And Dance Competition, "Vil's got pretty high standards, both for others and himself."

  "He's definitely demanding, not to mention ruthless and intimidating. But he never says things on a whim." Epel nodded as he tried to encourage the robot, "What kind of show does he want you to put on, Ortho?"

  "He's asking for something stirring, a show that makes the audience want to be a part of it.

But I don't really get what "stirring" means..." Ortho shook his head in confusion.

  "Everyone feels things differently. I can see why it'd be hard to come up with a good answer there." Deuce responded as he voiced his thoughts.

  "What makes you all feel that way?" Yuu questioned curiously.

  "You're asking us? For me, it's when I'm riding a blastcycle!" Deuce responded passionately with great excitement, "Nothing beats the thrill of blasting down the road so fast the scenery becomes a blur! And when I get through a tight turn, it makes me wanna just jump up and down with excitement!"

  Yuu frowned in confusion, "It means you get excited, then?"

  "Oh yeah, I feel that way when I see blastcycles too!" Epel nodded his head in agreement, "I can't ride one like Deuce, but when I see a cycle that's all flashy and slick... I just wanna know how its chassis handles the road!"

  "You know what gets me excited? Seeing a really cool, tricked-out blastcycle." Deuce added eagerly with shining eyes.

  "Oh yeah, me too!" Epel chimmed in with a big smile across his face, "There's nothing cooler than a blastcycle with a custom muffler and spoiler."

  "You two like blastcycles? There are a lot of students in Ignihyde who are into modding them." Ortho brought up curiously, "Idia's gotten into some passionate debates with them in the lounge about how there's no point to decorative parts with zero functional value."

  "Really? Personally, I think the more decoration a blastcycle's got, the better." Epel chuckled brightly.

  "For sure." Deuce nodded in agreement, "It looks awesome when you slap a bunch of stickers over some hologram decals and then put some decorative studs around 'em."

  "Yeah, that would look totally rad! They look great with a lotta blinking rainbow lights, too!" Epel cheered.

  "I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about." Sebek shook his head in bewilderment upon hearing this.

  Saddened, Deuce looked to Yuu desperately, "You get me, right, Yuu?!"

  "Oh yeah, totally." Yuu staggered back with a dry smile as Deuce got a little too close to him.

  "So, to summarize your viewpoints..." Ortho concluded as he calculated to himself aloud, "You get excited when you see something flashy? Biological creatures do tend to be drawn to eye-catching things. Like with certain species of birds. Their plumage and dances are meant to attract the opposite sex!"

  "Sounds like we gotta trick you out." Deuce suggested after some thoughts.

  "Should we put some string lights on him?" Epel suggested as his mind was still on the blastcycle similar to Deuce, "Or what about some dragon and tiger stickers on his front plating?!"

  "You should do NONE OF THAT!" Sebek's loud voice finally cut in after much confusion, "Fae are sensitive, refined creatures. That much should be obvious when you look at Malleus!"

Everyone looked to Sebek in deep confusion. Despite this, Sebek did not tone down as he continued angrily, "Don't give me those blank stares! It would be a mistake to assume that fae and humans share the same sensibilities."

  "Aww, but lights and decals look so cool..." Epel groaned in deep disappointment.

  "For the record, not every human thinks that." Ace shook his head in dismay as he corrected Sebek.

  "But the idea of adding a little more ornamentation isn't entirely off-base. Diurnal fae do enjoy flowery things." Sebek finally toned down a little as he explained a little more calmly.

  "They do?" Ortho looked to him in surprise.

  "There will always be exceptions, of course. But you'll find it's true for the vast majority of gala attendees." Sebek explained.

  "That information wasn't in any of my books or data." Ortho noted in surprise as he looked to Sebek in awe, "You really do know a lot about fae, Sebek Zigvolt. Boy, am I glad you're here!"

  Drinking in the praise with his nose in the air, Sebek huffed with a smirk, "Heh, you should be. As for what flowery thing the gala fairies like most? Well, that would be spring. Those fairies consider ushering in spring to be their most sacred of duties."

  "Hold up, I know the Fairy Gala is a party to usher in spring and all, but..." Jack's eyes widen in shock as the fact sunk into him, "Wouldn't it just happen anyway if we waited?"

  "Oh, Jack. I have no words. You are WOEFULLY UNEDUCATED!" Sebek scolded him angrily.

  "You clearly have PLENTY of words, which you're yelling at full volume. Man, you get on my last nerve." Jack glared at him angrily for the insult.