DZH Extracurriculars -- a collection of oneshots

[tarot]

Exalted Exile, Miffed Miss
no applicable warnings

---

The warm orange-yellow glow of the outside light mingles with the cold halogen of the medical ward. The scene is peaceful, still, silent. Three bodies lay in the infirmary, well enough as they'll ever be; Exalt, a delinquent, Maize, a survivor, and Alicorn, not quite yet a corpse.

Maize deigns to interrupt the pure and sweet silence.

MAIZE: You know you're insufferable, right?
EXALT: Oh? Speak for yourself.
MAIZE: Sorry, which one of us is in here for getting beat up by a teacher? That's right, it's clearly not fucking me.
EXALT: Teacher's assistant. Bullet doesn't have full certifications-- "yet," he might say, but we all know he'll die before that.
MAIZE: You'll die before that. You do realize that by treating everyone else as a target you're becoming one yourself, right?
EXALT: Let the rabble hate me. Any attention will only make me stronger.
MAIZE: Holy fuck, dude. Are you even listening to yourself? You're insufferable!
EXALT: Guilty as charged.

His smarmy grin is practically audible, the twinkle of sharp amerveille heritage teeth sparking yet more silent anger in Maize. She tries her best to remain silent, get back to reading a horror tale upon her digital book.

It's a good four minutes before Exalt decides to break that silence again.

EXALT: Lost your bite, have you? Come on and try to throw an insult that actually wounds me.
MAIZE: You're not worth the effort.
EXALT: Ohoho! Insulting my sense of self-worth is a good start, but you're not quite there yet. Come on! Throw in a little fire!
MAIZE: Could you shut up? This scene is supposed to be really tense and your chatter is ruining it. I'm reading horror to feel alive, not feel like some kind of bug is buzzing near my ear.
EXALT: Oh, of course, your majesty. I didn't realize you had such an important, monumental task ahead of you. Do continue.
MAIZE: Have you ever been sincere? Have you been sincere in your lifetime?
EXALT: Oh, I'm always sincere when I insult people. I simply call what I see. It's not my fault the world is made with more flaws than can be salvaged.
MAIZE: You're one to talk about flaws that can't be salvaged.
EXALT: I've never been one to ignore that, but I try to be the best I can. It's a shame no one else has that capacity...
MAIZE: On god, you're infuriating.
EXALT: Maybe I should use one of your favourites on you...? "You're one to talk."
MAIZE: Ugh.

Maize turns idly, in a sort of desperate plea, to look towards Alicorn. The ruffneck is still comatose. In this state, he would offer no retorts, no amelioration. She tries, with a twitch of her ears, to press on against the immovable object.

MAIZE: Come on, Alicorn, say something.
MAIZE: Weren't you always the one trying to make sure everyone gets along?
EXALT: It's a good thing that foolish endeavour has been put to rest.
MAIZE: The boy's practically dead, show some respect. Don't you have a shred of decency?
EXALT: Fine, fine, I'll refrain from insulting the one who can't even react to it anyway.
MAIZE: Need I remind you how you got here?
EXALT: Yes, that was far more fun than slinging insults at Alicorn. I should berate Bullet more often!
MAIZE: Your scrap affinity is actually, you know, pretty fucking useful. You're an asset to Class 12 when you get off your shiny fucking throne and stoop so low as to help us out.
EXALT: Thank you, thank you.
MAIZE: But you can't just shut up and help. You have to have all the attention on you, one way or another.
MAIZE: Literally everyone is sick of it.
EXALT: But they're not sick of me, not quite yet.
MAIZE: Oh, they're getting there. Bullet must be, if he beat you up enough to send you here.
MAIZE: It hurts to get up, but I'm getting to that point, too.
EXALT: Perhaps we can agree to a truce, for now?

She considers her words carefully; Exalt adds weight, importance to his. A grave aura fills the air for the briefest moment.

MAIZE: Fine. Truce, for now.
MAIZE: But shut up.
EXALT: Deal.