As the headmaster spoke, Mordoe froze with a fresh shirt still over his face. A terrible chill rolled up his spine and for a moment he wondered if it was just in his head or if the air was always colder when that man spoke. He pulled the shirt down and opened his mouth to say, â€œBut this is one of my very nicest shirts.â€ Instead, his mouth shut of its own accord before he could so much as squeak. It, apparently, remembered faster than the rest of him that Paver Valentine was not a man to mock. And this may be the worst time imaginable to start up that bad habit.<br/><br/>In any case, his vocal cords seemed to have been scared into his stomach, so he  just locked eyes with the other man and tried not to swallow the absurd amount of saliva forming in his mouth. This was going to end very poorly for him. Very<span style="font-style: italic">very</span>poorly...<br/><br/>When the headmaster spoke to the others, Kurai and Ellie, Mordoe was glad he'd closed the door when he had, so they couldn't see him in the bedroom, not  fifteen feet from the body, scrambling to get out the window before anyone thought to check the rest of the dorm. The question was, had Paver let them hear him speak Mordoe's name? The man was grinning that devious grin he made when he thought he was doing something particularly witty.<br/><br/>Usually, Mordoe dreaded that grin. It was cocky, and he never enjoyed what followed. But this time? Well, what could that bastard be planning that was worse than expulsion, or execution?<br/><br/>Then Valentine just turned and left with a gesture to follow. And what else could Mordoe do? Make a run for it? That made him laugh, and then cough as the stench of burnt flesh entered his lungs.<span style="font-style: italic">At least it will mask my scent. Maybe those critters in the hall won't even know I've been here in hours.</span>He thought to himself.<span style="font-style: italic">Fat chance. And right when I got them to </span>just<span style="font-style: italic"> the right level of fear I'm going to have to start being nice......if I'm still here tomorrow.</span><br/><br/>And with that thought, Mordoe slipped through the window and dropped to the ground already walking after the man who held his fate in his hands.