The Twins had just arrived home from training and were soaking in the bath after showering and scrubbing themselves at four-thirty when Morgranna received a holocall. Elder Caine appeared on the screen. "The Councils have decided that, in light of recent events, Bane and his Mammy will be moving in with the Twins permanently. This is for monitoring and safety reasons."
"This is unprecedented, so we'll need to set up protocols in case events like this become more frequent from now on. Unfortunately, this means that the trio will be the guinea pigs for us to establish and perfect these protocols."
"Bane and his Mammy will arrive in less than an hour, so please prepare the Dorm and the Twins for their arrival. They'll form a trio in everything from now on. Also, the Council requests an update on the Twins' cultivation levels."
"The Twins' cultivation levels have risen from eighty-five to a new high of ninety-seven. We should start preparing for their Awakening," Morgranna replied curtly.
"Already on it. Preparations began the day they came out of the Med Tank after conditioning," Caine assured her.
"Anything else? I need to get ready for Bane and Morgana's arrival," Morgranna asked, her mind already running through preparations.
"Only that Bane will now train with the Twins as a trio. Nothing else," Caine said before bidding farewell and logging off.
Morgranna sprang into action, preparing the Dorm for Bane and Morgana's arrival. The Twins, noticing her flurry of activity, asked what was wrong. Morgranna told them the truth, making them become both nervous and excited with anticipation at the same time about their future Mate moving in with them.
They made sure to groom their horns and brush their hair better than usual to make a good first impression, then curled up on the downstairs sofa to read, trying to calm themselves down, while waiting for Bane to arrive for dinner, which Morgranna said would be a good icebreaker.
As they waited, Morgranna cooked up a feast—one designed to get Bane hooked on her cooking—and prepared extra helpings of her famous salted caramel hot chocolate after Morgana had sent Bane's Mammy's data. It showed that he also had a preference for the taste like the Twins.
While the Twins read on the sofa, Morgranna finished cooking and went upstairs to hang sheer curtains for privacy between the bathing and sleeping areas. The Twins were not yet Awakened, while Bane was, and she wanted to avoid embarrassing incidents if they all ended up bathing at once.
She also added a third plumped pillow between those of the Twins on the bed for Bane, as studies have proven that Slayers prefer to be surrounded by their Mates when sleeping or living in general. It gave them a strong sense of security by being flanked by their Mates, and she was going to make sure this was going to happen.
She emptied the wardrobe on the left and placed all the clothes in the one on the right. Then she moved the sundries on the dressing table to each side, leaving space in the middle for Banes. Lastly, she placed a third stool between those of the Twins and put a metallic deep violet cushion on it, courtesy of Morgana sending it to her at her request via the instant transmission between Mammys.
Not long after, a soft chime rang through the Dorm. Morgranna went downstairs to greet Bane and Morgana at the door, along with an Admission Officer from the Academy. "I've brought student Bane and his Mammy, Morgana, as instructed. Please complete registration so I may report back to the Head Masters."
Morgranna entered Bane and Morgana into the system as occupants, enabling them to come and go freely. The Admission Officer smiled, nodded, and left. Morgranna ushered Bane and Morgana inside, leading them upstairs.
The Twins greeted Bane and Morgana on the first floor and offered Bane a seat. "Sit and feel at home—we're sorry you had to change your routine because of us," Yi said nervously.
Bane chuckled. "I'm not upset. If anything, this just makes life more interesting, don't you think?"
The Twins relaxed, reassured that Bane had no hard feelings.
"Morgana, why don't you unpack Bane's things? I freed up space for them on the top and this floor. Boys, Bane, why don't you head to the balcony for dinner? It's a good chance to get to know each other," Morgranna suggested.
Both Bane and Morgana agreed and followed the directions.
"You'll love Morgranna's food—she's a great cook!" Er beamed as they moved to the balcony.
"I'm looking forward to it. Your thoughts are making me hungry already," Bane replied, making Er blush.
"I'm sorry about Er; his mind mostly revolves around food and fighting," Yi sighed, rolling his eyes.
Ers' head snapped up, narrowing his eyes and threatening with a grin, "Are you sure you want to go down that road, brother? Don't make me spill your secrets!"
"You wouldn't dare!" Yi countered in mock horror.
"Try me!" Er said with a mock growl.
Bane burst out laughing, collapsing against the table. The Twins whipped their heads around in surprise.
"Sorry, I couldn't help it. Your thoughts are pure chaos—in a good way! I envy your bond. I hope we'll have something like it," Bane said once he caught his breath.
"I'm sure you will, just give them time. They don't know how to behave around you yet. Now let's eat—Er's stomach will riot soon!" Morgranna interjected light-heartedly.
She served dinner and watched them eat with satisfaction as they savoured every bite until there wasn't a single crumb left.
"Wow, Er—you weren't kidding! Your Mammy's food is the best I've had," Bane praised.
"Of course! It's her speciality!" chimed in Morgana.
"Morgranna makes everything from scratch, tailored to our needs," Er said proudly.
"Wow! That's wild," Bane replied.
"She's known for it, even among the older Clan members. She only allows ready-made food, snacks and drinks in emergencies. Some say it's why her charges live so long, but the data is inconclusive," Morgana explained.
"We agreed Morgranna will handle nutrition, I'll take care of the rest," she continued.
"It's best to divide and conquer. You three just need to enjoy our pampering!" Morgranna finished with a smile.
They shared Morgranna's famed hot chocolate, which Bane fell in love with, on the balcony, chatting until the awkwardness melted away like snow beneath the sun.
At six-thirty, Bane decided to bathe, with Morgana's help in finding his things. Upstairs, Bane noticed sheer curtains between the bathing and sleeping areas, giving privacy while letting in natural light. Two wardrobes flanked a connecting dressing table: his on the left, the Twins' on the right. His grooming kits were neatly arranged between what looked to be the Twins'.
He showered, then soaked in the bath, larger than he was used to. After drying off and donning a robe and fastening the sash, he sat down at the dressing table, on the middle stool with a metallic deep violet cushion, to groom his halo and brush his hair, noticing sundries—hair fasteners, crowns, pins, clips—and started wondering about the Twins' hairstyles. He realised, with a bit of excitement, that he'd soon find out, since their lives would intertwine daily from now on.
Like all Unbonded Slayers, Bane had long looked at Bonded Mates with envy, waiting for his own Bond. Now he had it earlier than most, and he felt lucky, especially as his Mates clearly had a certain awkward charm and seemed to be interesting and fun to be around; he felt himself relax fully around them as if there was nothing that could touch him if they didn't allow it.
He recalled reading on the forums that the Twins had wanted a Slayer since Orientation and requested a show-and-tell of Slayers and Twin Demons for their peers while still in the Hall. Whether being in their batch was good or bad luck, only time would tell. Shaking off the musings, he went back downstairs to unwind.
Entering the first floor, Bane saw Yi straddling Er in a wrestling match, the two bickering loudly.
"Comedy!" Er shouted.
"Drama!" Yi countered.
They kept at it for ten more minutes before Morgranna intervened: "If you two can't decide, let Bane choose!"
Bane glanced between the Twins, tightening his robe further. "Alright, let's settle this with—a battle of wits. We'll watch both a comedy and a drama, and whoever laughs or cries first loses. Deal?"
Yi slid off Er, eyeing Bane. "You just want both, don't you?"
Er grinned at Bane. "That's cheating. But I like it. More snacks for me!"
Morgranna gave them a fond look. "Don't spill anything, please. Morgana and I will be in the kitchen. Try not to kill each other."
Bane called after Morgana, "You sure you don't want to join the showdown?"
Morgana shook her head, lips twitching. "I already know who'll win. Someone has to supervise the popcorn war between those two."
The Twins immediately began bickering over which snacks were best. Bane flopped between them on the sofa. "Alright, Team Chaos—let's see how dramatic or comedic this night really gets."
The Dorm filled with laughter and playful banter, warmth echoing through the first floor as Morgranna and Morgana exchanged satisfied glances in the kitchen.
After the credits rolled and the laughter faded, Morgranna poked her head out of the kitchen. "Alright, chaos-makers, time for bed."
Er groaned dramatically. "But I'm not tired!"
Yi yawned. "You say that every night, and every night you're asleep before your head hits the pillow."
Bane stretched. "I'll race you—first one ready for bed wins!"
The Twins leapt up, racing for the elevator and bickering over towels. Morgana followed more calmly, shaking her head. "Pick up after yourselves this time!"
In the softly lit Dorm, Bane slipped into his new bed, which he would share with the Twins, glancing at the Twins as they fussed over pillows. Morgranna peeked in from the curtains she was closing around the bed. "Goodnight, you three. Holler if you need anything."
"Night, Morgranna. Night, Morgana," the Twins murmured. Bane echoed them, feeling strange yet safe in his new home.
Lights dimmed. Er whispered, "Hey, Bane, are you awake?"
"Yeah."
Yi cracked an eye. "You settling in alright?"
Bane smiled in the dark. "Best first night ever. I think I'm going to like it here."
A quiet hush fell over the Dorm, with Morgana and Morgranna's voices faint in the kitchen and raindrops soft at the window. For the first time in ages, every heart felt at home, and the new trio drifted off to sleep, watched over by their guardians.
Meanwhile, the Head Masters had updated all of the Academy staff about the arrival of Bane and why and informed them what to expect and how to answer the students if they were to ask.
Lesson plans were updated, and the countdown timer for Chaos' Awakening started ticking, four days and counting. The Councils were still discussing whether or not they would follow the wishes of everyone who was requesting the Awakening to be streamed over the Conclave live, as Bane would be joining the Twins in the Awakening chamber, as they were anticipating anything and everything unprecedented to happen that day.
After the Councils discussed and also asked Tian Dao for advice, they had decided to allow live streaming of the Awakening as long as the trio themselves agreed to it; if they didn't, then the stream would be private, viewable only for those who needed to monitor and document the Awakening.
They then proceeded to update both Mammys on the decision and asked them to ask what the trio thought of this. The Mammys confirmed and continued with their current tasks as their charges were currently in a deep sleep and would remain that way until they were woken up.
Morgranna proceeded to update Morgana on Er's atrocious sleeping habit, and both wondered what to do about it, because they were both sure he'd end up suffocating himself one of these days.