With a checked-out book underearth his coat, Axel began to hug one of the walls, looking for somewhere to sleep.
The problem was most rooms already had people in them. And even if the room wasn't full, a random person dropping in to sleep would be rather suspicious.
So, he kept searching. Peeping into every room he checked for people, what helped that every door to a bedroom was open.
'The doors are probably required to be open'
Axel still checked the closed doors though, just because the room wasn't a bedroom didn't mean he couldn't sleep in it.
At some point along Axel's journey of looking at very messy rooms, rooms with shrines to the head of the Emperor's Coven, and supply closets, he found a locked room.
The door had a hanging sign over it 'Not Available'. Axel then pulled the door to no response, to make sure he wasn't stupid he tried to push the door open, still to no fortune.
The door didn't seem to be locked in anyway, but behind the door was something keeping it closed. Probably magically placed.
Looking at the side of the door, Axel noticed that he could see a diagonal rod blocking the door.
He then drew a few of his cards, and pushed them into the slit in the door, and pushed on the bar.
It took a little finesse, but the bar eventually fell on the floor with a small thud. He then pulled open the door.
The right most part of the room had a leaky roof, a stained bed had been moved out of the way of the leak, there was a desk with a broken chair shoved under it, and frankly it smelled.
But desperate situations cause for desperate answers. And frankly Axel was happy to have a bed to sleep in. Plus, the stain was only on the sheets, not the blanket or the mattress.
Throwing the mattress of the broken frame, Axel then took the sheets off and laid the blanket on mattress.
Axel then sat down on the mattress, taking his coven clothes off, leaving him in his camp outfit.
It was time to go to bed, but his head couldn't stop racing. He was in a new place that doesn't want him, and he came here with a friend.
'Luz I hope your safe'
Was she ok? Was she cursed or brainwashed?
Thoughts raced inside his head, competing to see which one will be worried about first. And Axel knew it was all pointless. It was night at Axel couldn't do anything about it.
Maybe if he had more information, maybe if he knew magic, but it was night he was tired, and he was weak.
Tomorow he would work, but to do that today he must sleep.
Of course, just thinking he needed to sleep didn't instantly put him to sleep. So first, he prayed.
He prayed for the safety of Earth, Luz, and himself, before taking out his book and...
————————————————————————
Axel woke up with a book on top of his face, while sprawled out across the mattress with no memory of how he got like that.
Getting up Axel was worried about being late to go to school but quickly realized there were other things he had to worry about.
He grabbed his scout uniform and took a peek through the side of the door.
There were scouts walking back and forth with the sound of plates and forks echoing. It seems that next time Axel would have to set a timer for earlier in the day.
Axel then snuck out the door, being as careful as he could, making sure he wasn't caught coming out of the room that no one was supposed to be in.
Getting to the dining hall wasn't the hardest due to Axel mostly following a wall to get to his room, but the final stretch to the dining hall was a bit confusing.
He either needed to get a map of this place or make one himself.
As he got to the cafeteria, he could see scouts putting up their plates and heading somewhere. Which probably means Axel hadn't missed anything important to the coven.
So, he grabbed a plate, thew out the rice looking things, stuffed the eyeball into his mouth, hid the small tentacle in his hand, and ran out to where the other scouts were running to.
They were lined up in the same place that Axel got dismissed to go to the cafeteria. With the same long-haired woman was yesterday standing in front.
Scouts stood shoulder to shoulder in several lines facing straight at the woman. Axel stood in the second to last row on the rightmost side.
There were whispers about which jobs they would be assigned, and the ones that they wanted to get
Silently the woman took out a folder and opened it, quickly silencing anyone who was talking.
"Knee, checking for wild witches, first row," she called out.
With a little mumbling, some of joy and some of sadness, the first row turned around and left to go to the left knee.
She continued done the line, calling out a certain number of scouts from the nearest row, from left to right, would leave to go do what she called.
Some left to go to schools to show off the Emperor's Coven, others went to arrest criminals, though none took as many people as searching for wild witches.
As more and more people left to do jobs, Axel began to get worried and curious about what job he would get.
Maybe he would be hunting wild witches, perhaps he would be catching a witch criminal.
And finally, there was only one person in front of Axel in line, and no job had only needed one person. It was time for him to get his assignment.
"Bonesborough, clean Conformatorium, two people," she called out.
'Not the worst'
————————————————————————
Both scouts walked around a float concrete path behind large walls. They were halfway crouched down looking for small pieces of ash.
It was a hot day, and the clothes that the two scouts were forced to wear weren't helping with the heat.
"I thought we brushed?" a scout asked confused.
"It was swept, they just didn't clean the small bits, that's our job," Axel explained, "Do you know what happened?" he then asked
"Something blew up in colors, that's all I know," the scout replied gathering the pieces of the trash and flying it over the trash can.
"Interesting," Axel replied picking up the trash and shoving it in his pockets.
'Fireworks, feels familiar'
They tediously worked to completely clean the concrete floor, picking up each piece of trash.
"I think this is good enough," the scout said stepping back, "You think so?" the scout asked.
"One second," Axel replied.
He took all the trash out of his pockets and put them in the garbage can.
"Yeah, I think it looks good," Axel said looking out to the clean lot, "Someone ought to pressure wash it," he commented.
"Pressure washing?" the scout asked.
"You know, spraying high pressure water on the concrete to get the dirt out," Axel replied.
"What?" the scout asked.
'This place doesn't have pressure washing?'
"Guess it just a family thing," Axel brushed off.
"Anyways, jobs done, let's go get lunch then hunt some wild witches," the scout said excitedly.
"I am getting hungry."
'Did they just say hunt?'