Dione's Protection

MorinehtarThe sound of heavy wooden mugs slamming against the tables grew louder and louder. "Mascot dance! Mascot dance!" the chorus of veterans echoed through the Hall of Force, while Bryan smiled triumphantly, waiting for Warren to dance half naked in front of everyone.

Warren tried desperately to pull down the hem of the fluffy fleece hood, but it was completely useless, his lower half remained 100% exposed, and the biting chill of the hall only made the humiliation worse.

Just as Bryan reached out a massive hand to shove Warren up onto the table, a loud crack of splintering wood echoed through the room.

Dione had slammed her heavy iron-rimmed horn mug onto the central table with enough force to make the solid oak structure groan. The chanting and jeering stopped almost instantly.

"That's enough, Bryan!" Dione stepped forward, her nearly six-foot-three frame cutting through the crowd like a stone wall. Her expression was completely devoid of its usual playfulness, this was the pure, unadulterated authority of the Voice of the House. "He and Juliet completed the Trial of the Twelve Bronze Rings. They faced freezing water, the monster, and the magic seal while the rest of you were sitting here drinking."

"Oh, come on, Dione? It's just a freshman welcome, don't kill the mood..." Bryan grumbled, keeping his arm raised but taking an involuntary half-step back. "He is cute like Little Lamb, Isn't?"

"Teasing a kid because he lost his underwear in a lake is one thing. Forgetting the code of Aldebaran is another," Dione countered, locking eyes with the giant until he looked away. "True resilience is proven by force and honor in the arena and out on missions, not by forcing a housemate to act like a court jester."

Without breaking eye contact with Bryan, Dione walked over to Warren, unclasped the heavy leather and bear-fur cloak from her own broad shoulders, and wrapped it securely around the boy. The mantle was so massive on Warren's slender frame that it draped over him like heavy armor, instantly covering him from neck to ankles and completely hiding the ridiculous hood and his nakedness.

"Juliet, go fetch a spare pair of trousers from my quarters," Dione ordered calmly. Juliet nodded rapidly, visibly relieved to have an excuse to escape, and dashed down the corridor.

Dione delivered a firm, yet surprisingly friendly, slap to Warren's back, nearly knocking him off balance.

"You're still the mascot for tonight because you managed to lose your clothes like a total fool, Morinehtar," Dione announced loudly enough for the entire hall to hear, drawing a few restrained chuckles from the seniors. "But you're a kid who had the guts to dive into that lake. Anyone who doesn't respect that will have to answer to me in the arena tomorrow morning."

The hall murmured amongst themselves, but no one dared challenge Dione. Bryan simply shrugged with a frustrated scoff and slammed down his mug of ale.

Dione leaned down close to Warren's ear, a sideways smirk playing on her lips:

"You're welcome, Little Lamb. But tomorrow you're still buying me a round of drinks to make up for that pathetic illusion trick."