Salem sat in silence for what seemed like eternity. Every once in a while using the crystal to sporadically change the dimness of his light as the instructor had asked of him. He began to think about their arguements and varying opinions, understanding that it's part of life, yet not quite sure how anyone could be bred for servitude and still consider this life peace. It certainly wasnt freedom. Thinking back, Salem chuckled at the jest of him serving the Marivaldis. It was something his family had heard often and somewhat of a running joke. Though their vampires were not nobles, they certainly liked to emulate them, the Marivaldis in particular. [82ca9d]"This is stupid. How can we hope to advance I'm this class if we cant even have a civil conversation?"[/color] He began to look around, seeing other students dutifully working while also painting some sort of conversation. For the most part they all seemed pleased. "How do they do that? How can you maintain such a jovial tone with someone you dont even know?"

It was certainly easier to be nice and cordial when hosting. That was easy, but this, this seemed worlds apart. Salem began to think back, trying to find any hint of a past where he was able to maintain such interactions without it being at a party. A flash of Troy popped into his head, souring his mood further. Although it was true they got along outside of parties and in seclusion, Salem was never truly sure if that was him being so extroverted or if it was the pheromones making him. How does one differentiate what is real or not in that situation? The more he thought on it the more his throat seemed to want to close up, that cold hand gripping him once more. A loud screech could he heard as Salem jolted back, his chair scraping against the floor. "Sorry. Sorry. Uh, leg cramp." He quietly adjusted his chair back into the table and recalled something that may be of worth. Quickly he began to write unto a piece of paper and tearing it out, making a small origami triangular football, putting it onto one corner so that the middle point faced Aaron, and then flicking it, clattering it onto his notebook that he was writing on.


@Obscene Symphony

While Salem thought, Aaron seethed, slowly writing his loops and lines and glaring down at the paper. He surprised himself with how irritated he was getting, never having been much for anger. But then again, until now he’d never had to deal with so many direct affronts to everything he believed in; something he’d have to get used to, apparently, between Salem, Ralph, Varis and whoever else would have a problem with his family name.

And Salem, with his damn comment about him serving the Sinnenodels… Aaron could have choked him. “How elated were you to be forced off to another family?” Surely he could guess. Surely he could surmise that Aaron hadn’t slept a solid day for weeks, lying awake sick to his stomach wondering what he’d done, how he’d failed, why he wasn’t good enough to serve the family that he loved. As much as he’d tried to convince himself it was part of some broader plan, some diplomatic move on Princess Ryner’s part, just has he had almost come to peace with it, he kept coming back to the same gut-wrenching, life-ruining conclusion: They simply didn’t want him, they were throwing him away and he’d go down in history as the first and only Starag to become someone else’s problem. Dozens of generations of good and worthy mages, all leading up to the spectacular failure that was Aaron Starag. And he didn’t even know why.

Such was the poison Aaron brewed in as the class time ticked by, deaf and blind to anything around him. He was briefly interrupted by a screech from Salem’s chair, which earned him little more than a sidelong glare, and Aaron returned to his writing until something fell onto his notebook, finally snapping him out of his toxic reverie.

Aaron blinked a few times, coming back to the present, and narrowed his eyes at the thing. A little triangle of folded paper. What was the point of that? Was Salem actively trying to irritate him? He picked the thing up and turned it, and was about to throw it away when he saw the ghosting of writing through one side of the paper. Curiously, he unfolded it - with only a little bit of difficulty finding the opening - and found a note written inside.

"Hi, I'm Salem Spellman. I have a knack for putting my foot into my mouth when I speak and I often use the wrong tone. It's a good thing that notes carry no tone and require you to think about what you say. I hope to meet your acquaintance soon, I hear you're real good with etiquette."

Aaron read the note over a few times, anger slowly yielding until he simply felt drained. It may not have been worded as such, but Salem’s note sounded like an apology. Rubbing a hand down his face, Aaron inwardly scolded himself. What was wrong with him? It wasn’t like him to get so incensed, and he couldn’t just sit there and sulk like a child. At the very least, he had a job to do; he glanced up at the balcony again, seeing that Varis had left. Great. He couldn’t be sure, but he suspected he’d be hearing about that little argument later.

Aaron let out a breath, folding the note in half and tucking it between the pages of his notebook. Salem was making an effort, and so should he. Duty or not, it was only fair, and Salem clearly needed his help with something.

“...Do you know who your etiquette teacher is going to be yet?” Aaron asked, once again longing for the familiar people and protocols back home as he struggled for something to say, “If it’s one of the Noila instructors, I might know them.”

Salem watched as Aaron went to go toss the paper, fear flickering in him for just a moment. Was he unaware that it was a note? Or was he truly so upset that he couldnt be bothered to read it? As the golden haired boy noticed some inkling of writing on the side of one piece, he began to unfold and read it. A wash of relief ran through Salem and he almost wanted to sigh audibly, but he wasnt out of the woods just yet. Aaron's eyes scanned the page, and continued to do so, and still did so. Man, was he a slow reader or what? Finally Aaron put the note down and then verbally asked him about the topic. Ok, sure he was bred into slavery but...did he truly not know what a note is? That he needed to write back? An exasperated sigh rushed out as Salem placed his hand on his forehead, shaking it in disbelief. He wrote down another note, this time with a doodle of a cute cartoonish radish that also appeared to be writing a note.

Salem’s sigh and facepalm earned him a quizzical look from Aaron, moreso as he opted to write another note instead of replying. What was that about? Wasn’t he trying to make amends? Aaron was left wondering what he’d done wrong - a feeling that was growing more familiar than he’d like so far - until Salem folded up the new note and flicked it at him again, the little paper triangle this time hitting him in the chest. Aaron managed to catch it, a smirk threatening on his lips at the antics.

"You have to write back. That's how note passing works silly. But no, I havent heard anything about my ettiquite classes...but I thought maybe...you could give me a head start? Come over my place?

Right. Note passing. Aaron recalled seeing something like this in a movie once, though he’d never actually had any classmates to pass notes to. The closest thing he remembered doing was playing telephone with his aunt Clara as a child, though that consisted of them whispering to each other from different parts of the mages’ wing and Clara using her sound magic to carry their voices. Aaron also remembered Sariel blowing paper airplanes around to amuse herself while he worked on his control exercises, but that wasn’t quite the same, either.

Mood lifted significantly by the memories, Aaron kept quiet this time, instead writing his reply in elegant cursive. Slower on the upstrokes of the loops, like he’d been told. Salem's handwriting was clearly traditional as well, but the consistent loops and perfect, parallel slant of Aaron's contrasted with the organic wavering of Salem's, Aaron's looking like it could have been lifted from a cursive exercise book whereas Salem's looked more like it was pulled out of a field journal.


He was going to slide it across the table flat, but paused for a moment, deciding to see if he could emulate what Salem had done. He tried his best to re-fold the note along Salem's fold lines, but it only resulted in a vaguely triangular shape that kept popping back open. Suppressing a chuckle at his own difficulty, Aaron conceded, flicking it gently across the table to slide in front of Salem.

Salem let the note fall where it may, picking it up afterwards. Aaron's writing was...it was... well it was a lot like him. Very structured, unwavering, and clearly beaten in. Was there any real flaw to him? Salem began to balance his pencil between his upper lip and nose as he read the note, the scent of natural wood and graphite filling his senses. "What he taught him before?" What did Aaron teach him again? He began to chew on his pencil, every once in a while tapping it against his cheek as he thought on what Aaron possibly could've meant. He reread the note once more, a bit of a disappoint half frown on his face. He certainly seemed to be busy as every hour of the day, they really did lead separate lives.


Salem folded up the note again, this time a bit slower to give Aaron a chance to see how it's done. He silently pointed at him and then pantomimed a field goal by placing both his hands up, elbows on the table and palms facing towards Aaron, his two thumbs extended and touching with his pointer fingers straight up and the others in. He waited for a moment until Aaron finally caught on and mimicked what he was doing, quickly flicking the paper football into the goal and having it hit his chest.

It took a second for Aaron to catch on with what Salem wanted to do, but soon enough he figured it out, mirroring Salem’s position. He almost laughed when Salem flicked the note back at him, having to fumble a bit to catch it before it fell into his lap. It was a game! Not one Aaron had ever seen before, but it was charming nonetheless. He felt like they’d probably get a few funny looks from the TAs carrying on like this, but honestly, the idea of bothering Ralph a little more was not an unwelcome one.

Aaron inwardly groaned, however, at the new note, asking who he was going to town with. He had hoped it would have been obvious. Did Salem really want him to have to write out that word every time? He supposed it was probably an honest question, but he still wasn’t thrilled about it. Even in your messages.


Smiling faintly at a memory stirred up, Aaron re-folded the paper the way he’d seen Salem to it, having a bit more success this time, and motioned for Salem to hold up his hands like before. Balancing the triangle on its point as Salem had done, he flicked it back; however, Salem’s aim was a lot better than his, and instead of going between Salem’s hands, the note veered off to the side and bounced off the crystal, coming to rest on the table.

Salem chuckled silently at Aaron's struggle to land a goal. It appeared they would both be teaching each other something. He may not know exactly how to socialise, but he did know a thing or two about not being so rigid all the time. When he opened the note however, his face scrunched up at the sight. Theres that word again. Salem thought back to what Aaron had said earlier in ckass, being forbidden from using his name. Was that some odd punishment? Something Varis just preferred? Or perhaps another Sinnonedel mental tactic to break their mages. Salem scribbled over the word, redacting it before continuing to write his own response.



Salem refolded the note, waiting for Aaron to put up his goals before launching it at him.

The room was quiet when Lucan entered it, his new dorm. Moonlight streamed in from the windows and for a brief moment the vampire was transported to a time in his past. He closed his eyes and smiled softly as the memories assailed him, gentle tapping and an inhaled breath… Damien entering the dorm broke Luc from his thoughts and he had to double take to ensure that he was in the present and not reliving memories. ”I’m going to go and rest before we meet with the rest of the freshman class. I will request a feeding session before we leave, if you’d like to decide between my two preferred methods.” He gave a polite nod of his head before he headed to the rooms. He had no idea which one would be his and simply entered the room that contained all of his belongings. He entered and closed the door before dropping his ‘perfect’ posture and composure.

He was stressed, anxious, and was second thinking everything. It was far past due for a Violin session. His eyes found his instrument case quickly, the gold handle shining from the very soft white glow of a low watt light. His brain stopped working, and while he briefly considered warning Damien, should the Mage dislike music, he decided against it and figured that it would be something the partners would have to discuss at a later time.



The first note was soft and gentle, and Lucan’s mind cleared instantly. Music, it was one of the primary foundations of the vampire’s entire identity. His entire world revolved around it, and it was the gravity that held his swordsmanship, court etiquette, emotions, and being in orbit.

The song grew in pitch, and within his head other Violins joined in, swelling slightly with a bit of percussion to finish the atmosphere. All of his worries from the last week slipped away as he got lost within the song. Thoughts and concerns just washed away and all that mattered was the next note, the next line of music. It built and built before it softened again, coming to a complete stop…

It seemed like an eternity of silence for Lucan, the vampire already in a much better position to think coherently. He realized he still hadn’t texted Aaron back, nor did he even speak to Salem who was no doubt lost and confused. A twinge of guilt hit his gut, but even had he been returning to the Spellman Mage, he would have had to explain his absence and besides with the investigation the plant loving innocent was going to have much bigger problems.



After the ‘eternity’, which was in all actuality five seconds, Lucan continued the song. The returning music was once again soft for a brief moment as if the song decided to try and enchant the listener. It was light and breezy and promising of a better time. The swelling line however warned of the dangers of life and when it returned to the solo, at least within Lucan’s head, it was his father nagging voice telling him he could only trust himself. He hated that voice, but in music form it was beautiful, along with everything else. The notes dipped lower before the solo part began again, stronger this time and more sure of itself. It continued until it was once again joined by the harmonizing lines and percussion. It swelled and then dropped, swelled, and then dropped. It was just like life, or unlife, and Lucan had a large smile across his face as he played, his head moving occasionally with the beat or due to a particularly bothersome note. Finally, the ending and the orchestra swelled one last time, loud and telling everyone that they were not afraid to end things right here. And they weren’t, as the silence that fell in the room was overwhelming. Instead of moving, Lucan just remained still in order to take in the pure and even enchanted feeling of freedom that the silence gave.

Clarity, that was the word that music seemed to give Lucan, and with his new piece finished the vampire retrieved pen and paper and began to write the notes that had entered his head. He also retrieved his phone and looked through his messages, wincing a bit at how many he had ignored. It wasn’t all entirely his fault but it didn’t stop him from regretting leaving Aaron in the dark. The worst part of it was that the main reason he had hesitated was because of Aaron’s new master. He hadn’t wanted to believe it at first when he found out from one of the Academy computers files, and had he not just finished playing his knuckles would be white(er) from his clenched fist.

Letting out a sigh, the vampire scrolled through the rest of the messages and formed a response to Aaron. ”Hey, It’s been a crazy few days but I’m fine and back at the Academy. To much to say over text, can you meet me at any point this week? How was the dinner?” He tapped the send button and then tossed his phone onto his bed. What was he doin? Oh yes, writing down the beginning of the suite he had just formed. He knew he should be resting, but this relaxation was more than needed at the moment. After the notes were all written down, Luc stretched and decided that his current outfit was far too… Extra for a day at the Academy, at least as a student. He began undressing, taking his time and folding everything neatly. He entered the attached bathroom and didn’t bother turning on any lights, and instead just turned the shower on. It seemed that whomever brought his things assumed he as the vampire would have the larger ‘shower’ bathroom. Luc gave a brief roll of his eyes and focused on cleaning himself.

While he was busy he let another symphony of his play in his head. It was the starting song to an orchestral/choral epic that he had just began to write. It was the first time that the vampire had decided to include vocal performances in his work and as such it was taking him much longer to write it. He waited until the last note left his head and then smiled as he stepped out of the shower. The towel was hung upon a hook attached to the door and as he dried himself he considered how it was he was going to handle this assignment. Things were getting serious, and many hands had started to move pieces around the game board. He would need all of his training and skill to handle the task that was set before him.

Giving another sigh, he was really starting to do that a lot more recently, Lucan padded back into his room and put on a pair of black silk briefs and then slipped into his bed. He set both his internal clock and phone alarm and then closed his eyes. He used his talent of ‘military sleep’ to just knock himself out instantly and didn’t have to worry about his thoughts keeping him awake, he was out like a light. He just hoped Damien didn’t make to much noise, he was easily awakened…

Aaron watched curiously as Salem made a face at the paper, scratching something out before he wrote his reply. Did he say something wrong? The next launch of the note cleared things up, Aaron managing to catch it after it passed between his fingers. Salem had scratched out the word ‘Master’, as if he couldn’t stand to even look at it. It seemed a little extreme, but Aaron could admit that he wasn’t enormously happy about it either. His question wasn’t one Aaron was too thrilled to answer, but given Salem’s earlier complaints about him hiding things made him think a little honesty would put the man more at ease.


He he did his best to draw the little smiley face at the end and folded the note back up, more easily this time, and aimed a little better when he launched the triangle back. He still didn’t get it between Salem’s fingers, instead hitting one of his hands and sending it ricocheting off onto the table. He actually did let out a quiet chuckle at that, shaking his head at his own difficulty.

Just as Salem opened the note, Aaron felt a buzz both on his wrist and in his pocket. His watch displayed a text notification from… Lucan! Speak of lycans! Aaron cracked a wide smile as he fished his phone out of his pocket.

> Hey, It’s been a crazy few days but I’m fine and back at the Academy. Too much to say over text, can you meet me at any point this week? How was the dinner?

Aaron was thrilled to hear from Lucan, quelling some of the worry that had been flooding his mind, but his question made the mage’s face fall a tick. Dinner again. Why was everyone so damn interested?

Shelving his annoyance, he waited until Salem had read the note before tapping him on the shoulder and showing him the message, waiting long enough for him to read it before tapping out his reply.

> Glad to hear it!
> Dinner was certainly something, a little too much to explain over text as well. I don’t know when I’ll be free this week but I’ll look into that ASAP. Maybe we can work on Gloria?

He almost put his phone back before remembering something fairly important, rushing out another message before tucking his phone back in his pocket.

> By the way, apparently there’s a rumour going around that I got some girl sent to the mines? I have no idea where that came from or what that’s about, and I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how ridiculous it is, but you should know before you hear it somewhere else.

The bell rung repeatedly, signaling the end of the freshman affinity class and human biology. Students quickly made their way out, most feeling first day nerves about making their next class and beelined for their next lecture. As it turns out, almost all of them headed in the same direction. They deviated at the same place, some turning into Vilbrek Hall and others into the opposite hall. The doors opened at the top of the room, leading down a central flight of stairs with desk on either side and ended in a large speaking platform and a series of there screens. A desk with a computer sat on the right side. Like every other classroom, the nobles had reserve seating just at the front of the platform.

In Vilbrek Hall, a coat hung over the back of the chair and a brief case lay open on the desk. Varis Sinnenodel stood on the platform, an unimpressed look on his face as he watched various students filtered in. Behind him, only the center screen displayed a title slide. Like



Each desk had a syllabus on it, printed with the usual due dates and class requirements. Those glancing through it would notice study sessions and oral arguments listed once each month with the name of a noble house after it. This house was also printed in the top left corner. Three seats sat empty in the front of the room. Varis started speaking as soon as 11:15 pm passed



“Welcome to Treaty Law, the first in a long and highly recommended academic line if for no other reason than it governs every aspect of your life now. For mages and those…” Varis paused, disapproving gaze lingering on the three turned students in the hall, “recently joining our distinguished ranks, this class will be both enlightening and disheartening. The treaty is, like it's creators, strict and unforgiving despite recent attempts at softening it's punishment, restrictions, and even it's wording. It is a testament to the bond between mage and vampire and the degree of protection each needs from the other. That being said, the Treaty is at its core merely a contract. One with wide authority and brutal consequences but a contract nonetheless. The goal of this class will to teach you it's history and provide you with the tools to read, comprehend, and interpret the Treaty's maze of jargon.” Varis paced as he spoke, pulling out a clicker and the other two screens popped to life.

“Look down at your syllabus. You'll notice a noble family's name printed on it. Each House represents a study group and each of you have been assigned to one. Others with the same name are your study partners for the rest of the semester. If you flip to the next page with your assignment dates, you will notice study sessions and oral arguments. Each study group is required to attend to one study session with me a month. Failing to attend even one of these will drop your grade by 10%. If your group cannot make the date listed for your family, contact me with at least two weeks notice or I will not reschedule it.”

“Now, oral arguments are done in class. Each month, we will discuss a major portion of the treaty and it's relevant amendments in addition to its general timeline. Each study group will have to come up with an amendment to the current law we are discussing and present it in class and open themselves to counter arguments from other groups.” Varis stopped in the middle of the stage and looked around. “While you do not need to format your ideas in the manner of your assigned House, it will earn you extra credit for the assignment. At the end of the semester, the house with the highest oral argument grade will have the option to take that grade as their final exam grade rather than take the three hour long test I have written. You will also notice that every two weeks, you'll have a three page paper to submit. Each paper's topic will be available exactly fifteen nights prior to the due date and cannot be submitted early. All assignment submission or presentation requirements can be found on the last two pages of your syllabus. And for your first paper…” he pointed the clicker at the computer and the center screen changed. “The topic for your first paper is your current knowledge of the treaty. Anything and everything, or a summary in the case of the purebloods, you currently know or have a vague notion about. Questions so far?”

Damien nodded at Lucan's instructions as the mage let him pass into his room. He didn't know the man- vampire? Which one was more appropriate? Maybe he'd ask- long enough to get any sort of read on him but he assumed he must be tired from spooking people all night. Damien would be tired too if he had a fancy title that had him randomly boarding cars in the middle of the night. He shrugged and instead looked around the place with wide eyes.

The dorm was better than anything he'd lived in. Three parents and five siblings made for a tight living situation and although their house was pretty big, it was still cluttered and cramped and in much needed repair. This place was squeaky clean and Damien didn't know how he felt about it. It felt very show, like someone wasn't really meant to live here, and he was sorely tempted to make a bit of a mess just to make it feel more like home. Damien frowned as he looked around, finding very few things to toss around. He almost started pulling out kitchen utensils and dumping them in a cup or a big bowl or something just to break the monotony but another idea popped into his head as he grinned. He fished out his phone from his pocket and bounded out the front door, catching it just at the last second before it slammed shut. He'd forgotten the vampire man said he needed some chill time and although it was supposed to be over, the rip your fingers off threat lingered in the back of his head. He shivered a bit and turned his attention to his current task. He put his phone up and started recording himself, throwing up a peace sign.

“Yo! Damien's here all safe and sound, not counting a semi terrifying encounter with the vampire man!” He signed with his free hand as he spoke. “He needed some zzz's so I'll get something from him later. For now, let's tour the new digs! Here you see our lovely front door and more importantly…” He swung it opened, again almost slamming it but catching it with a grimace. “It doesn't scream!!” He swung it back and forth to emphasize his point.

“This is the kitchen. Papa, you'd love it but it looks fu- empty. It looks empty. Swear? No, not me.” He looked a little sheepish at the almost slip, knowing all three of his parents would bury him in a heart beat for swearing in front of his younger siblings. “Like look at this nonsense. I feel like I'm going to be evicted for trespassing! It's like none has lived here ever! I can't be the only one who thinks that.” Damien moved into the living room and spun around slowly.

“And this here is where movie night is going to happen. We should figure out some schedule to do that together! You know, after Dad manages to recover from that gremlin attack. Aren't they awful, stealing all that popcorn.” He cackled but slapped his hand over his mouth as he looked at Lucan's door. Right, sleeping. “Anyways, yeah. We can start the movie at the same time and stuff so we can still do movies or something. We'll figure that out when we get there! And here is outside but who likes outside? He did a quick walk through of the porch and moved on.

“So now let's check the room! See if it's as swanky as everything else. Let Mom and Papa see it all clean and fancy before I wreck the place.” He threw open the door gently and looked around, almost vibrating with excitement. “I get my own bed! No more bunk beds! It's so big!” He lept on it and rolled around on it. “And it feels like a cloud! This is kick as- awesome! Kick awesome!” He managed to catch his mouth but his fingers flew without much thought and he cringed inwardly. Oops, he was excited. They couldn't blame him right.

“But look at this! I have a full closet and a little desk thingy and a dresser to myself and…” he barged into the bathroom and his voice dropped to a whisper, “My own bathroom. I've never had my own bathroom. I don't have bang on the door or wake up early to get hot water. I didn't realize I could be won over so easily. Apparently, a private bathroom is my price. This. Is. AMAZING!” He couldn't keep his voice down and he jumped around and then stuck his tongue out at the camera. “Sure, I'm opening my veins everyday but hot water when I want it? I think that's worth it.” He joked to the camera.

“Well, I think that's about it. Next video will be the vampire man himself, Lucan something or other and the Knight of Darkness or something equally emo-y. He had about a million names after his and I think there was a Duke in that somewhere but the whole feeding me my fingers thing kinda knocked that out of my head but we're pals now so no need to worry!” He hastily added. Vampire or not, his parents wouldn't be bothered to hold their tongues if they thought Lucan was mistreating him. “Apparently, it was all some sort of military test thing and since I told him off, I passed? Not sure what that was about but he got kind nicer after that so…” Damien shrugged. “Well, this is Damien signing out! Catch me next time with Vampire Man: Help me pick a nickname!”

Damien stopped recording and uploaded it to the family folder, tucking it back into his pocket. The guy definitely needed a nickname. Like the Sparky Sparky Boom man. Not that but something fun like that. He'd enlist his whole family, get a few candid recordings so they could decide on how he acted when he didn't know Damien was around. After he knew the campus though. He'd have to set up perfectly.

Damien spent a little while lazily unpacking before just leaving the rest in the suitcase and plopping down on the bed. He let something play, some black list Nirvana pumping from the phone speaker. Lucan's feeding comment came roaring back as he listened and he would have to admit, he was nervous. Lucan mentioned something about needles. Did he drink through them like a straw? That sounded really fucking gross. The other option was drink directly right? Was his tongue like a mosquito's or did he actually bite? Or maybe they were like cats and they just licked at the wound? Damien chuckled at the idea. Cat vampires.

“Guess we're getting up close and personal.” Damien muttered, the weirdness if the needle straws outweighing the cat vampires. At least he had zero concept of personal space already. Damien swung his feet off the bed and grabbed his guitar, taking a moment to check the tune, and shut off the phone. He played quietly, yellow songs falling from his lips and fingers as he attempted to ground himself before he fell into a familiar spiral.

[color=f26522][/color]“Oh, it's just a mark! It didn't hurt you a bit.” Aine exclaimed quietly. “Lucky you, that's a rare natural trait.”

"No," Cassandra greed, "It never does. I didn't realize that was uncommon, I've been like this since my awakening."

Something from across the room drew Aine away just as fast as she had come.

“A fireproof fire mage, nice! Most of 'em really gotta work to get that skill down but looks like you're a natural, lucky lucky! Come teach my best friend, save me some time when our boyfriend forgets his turn on date night.” Kanalie rolled her eyes. “Says he doesn't care about it and then sets the dorm on fire when our vampire takes him at his word. Boys. Such drama queens. Anyways, I'll get out of your hair for now unless there are anymore questions. And since I've decided you two are awesome…” She quickly scribbled her number on a piece of paper. “Here is my number. Don't hesitate to text if you have questions or just want to hang out with someone.”

"R-right," she took the number and put it in her pocket. She didn't really understand a lot of what the older girl had just said, but it seemed like they were friends now.

Cassandra looked at the back of her hand during the last part of the class, musing. That her immunity to fire was useful was common sense, but she had never known it was rare. She had always assumed it was just a fire mage thing. It pleased her, to know that she had a power others didn't. It was the first step to being powerful, and she would take any advantage that came from herself, rather than her brother's infamy.

The ringing bell startled her some, and she got up from the table in sync with Lilie. She glanced back at the crystal one last time, wondering how much time she would be spending mastering the basics.

Together, they walked to their next class, chatting idly. It was strange to Cassandra, who hadn't interacted with someone her own age since she was ten.



When they arrived, they found a much larger class. The name listed as the TA was familiar to her, but it took her a moment to place it. Sinnenodale was all too well known, of course, but she knew this particular member of the family because he had invited her to a party, tonight in fact. Well, he had not invited her, it was Dominique Astorio. This gave her pause, but she supposed she would have to check with her new partner to see if she was still meant to attend.

Speaking of whom, Cassandra had scanned the class, but Amaris had yet to arrive. There were seats set aside for the nobles, but unsure whether she was meant to join the Countess or not, Cassandra selected a seat just behind the noble's section, and checked her syllabus.

---

---

-Ugh, what the hell is that noise?
-Nevermind, it's just the bell...
-WAIT, SHIT! IT'S THE BELL! I DIDN'T DO THE-
-Oh, I did... The packet's right here in my hand. Stamped and everything. 100. Nice.
-Do they seriously expect people to get any of these wrong? Everybody's like a hundred years old! How could they not know how their body works!?
-Oh right. They're dead. So am I.
-What's next? Treaty Law? Sunlight. I'm probably gonna need that earring for this shitshow.

-Who's this prick? Varis? Sounds like something out of a fantasy novel. Typical. Might as well pay attention here too. It'll teach me how not to get my head cut off.
-Never heard of a Marivaldi, but of course the noble houses would stroke themselves in our classes too...
-Aaron and Lucan. Wasn't Lucan that one guy I met before lunch? Yeah, the one that was actually not too bad. Even apologized when he thought he insulted us. Not the worst guy to get paired up with. How am I supposed to answer like this house if I've never heard of them in my whole damn life?
-I've never read the treaty before! How am I supposed to know any of this? SUNLIGHT!!! I'm gonna need to do some research, or else this TA's gonna have it out for me all semester. Maybe I can get on his good side with a question? Damnit... Gotta stick my neck out here, so I need something good.

"Excuse me, Count Varis? I have one quick question. If it's in our best interest to take a stance in the oral debates based on the house of our study group, will there be lessons later in the semester outlining the platforms of each house?"

-Ow. I think I got a migraine just saying that. Can I even get migraines anymore? Whatever. Just gotta sit back and see if it worked.

---

Max continued his blank stare at Joey as the TA gives his horrible copout of an explanation. Typical, shift the responsibility onto someone else. What was the point of this class if all the work was on Max's end? He had no doubt the spell theory professor would be just as grossly incompetent as this idiot too. The bell unfortunately rang before he had a chance to vocalize any of this, leaving Max fuming in his seat, eyelid on the verge of twitching again.

He stomped out of the room without so much as a 'goodbye' to Dakota, fumbling through his phone for the location of his next class. He didn't have to try very hard, it seems, as all the other freshmen were on their way to more or less the same place. He took a seat near the back, eyeing the syllabus with growing displeasure. This class wasn't about magic, it was essentially pointless. Some smug prick would lecture the mages on all the restrictions being placed on them like petulant children and leave out all the handy loopholes that one might actually care about. And it was a lot of work. Total bullshit.

At least he'd have spell theory soon, not that he expected it would help. Maybe that class would deliver some insight that a hack like Ratshoe failed to provide, especially given that he'd provided basically no instruction the whole time. No, he needed to calm down. This was only the first day, he'd expected setbacks. Anger didn't help, apparently. More bullshit. This affinity better be worth his while. He needed to stop wasting his time in pointless law classes and hit the library. Max still maintained skimming Magic For Dummies would be a more informative experience than whatever these leeches had to babble on about. The one up at the front looked particularly annoying. He already had that judgemental sneer on his face.

---

@WeepingLiberty(sorta)

Salem seemed relieved when he read Lucan’s message, much to Aaron’s own relief, and the two fell silent as Salem read the note and Aaron wrote his reply to Lucan, the tension between them seeming to have lifted. It wasn’t long before the bell rang, and Aaron was interested to see that Salem offered no reply to the note, instead holding on to it as they gathered their things and left the classroom. Mr. Martin seemed busy speaking with some other students at the end of class, so Aaron made a mental note to speak to him tomorrow to see if his suspicions about his name were true.

The walk to Vilbrek hall was uneventful, Aaron keeping pace with Salem even though the two walked in relative silence. When they reached the lecture hall, Aaron was interested to see how many students had made it there before them; briefly he scanned the room for a head of white hair, but came up empty once again. She did say she had class in that hall at that time, so she must not have arrived yet.

He opted for a seat near the middle-back, reasoning that there were students who actually needed to pay attention more than he did who would benefit more from the seats up front. Truthfully, though, the lecture hall setting was bizarre; the room was filled with the low buzz of hushed conversation before the lecture started, and the very presence of so many people was unnerving. Aaron didn’t have any particular problem with crowds, but wouldn’t learning in such a packed room be distracting? Or was this the norm, and he’d just been spoiled by one-on-one tutelage all his life?

Finding a spot with a few open seats in a row, Aaron chose the middle one, hanging his messenger bag off the back of the chair. Before he sat, however, he noticed someone familiar in the seat directly behind him. That was the guy Sariel had introduced him to, right? That scowl of his was pretty unmistakable, after all.

Nonetheless, Aaron offered the sulking man a friendly smile. “Hey, Max, right? Any luck with your control this evening?”

Max returned his smile with a glare that could curdle milk, replying with an annoyed, “What do you think?”

Aaron’s eyebrows shot up at Max’s tone. What was this, ‘yell at Aaron’ night? Or had he just struck a nerve? Recovering quickly, he chuckled a bit to diffuse the tension and cleared his throat, not particularly gunning for another confrontation tonight.

“Well you have my number, let me know if you want any help,” he replied neutrally, taking his seat and turning his attention to the syllabus before him. He skimmed over the assignments, making a mental note to mark them in his calendar later, before skipping straight to the house assignments, mood immediately improving when he saw that he’d been grouped up with Lucan. Excellent! He wasn’t at all worried about their grades - they both knew the Treaty back to front, though it was the one thing in the world that Aaron actually knew better than Lucan - but getting a guaranteed chance to see Lucan was a great relief. Aaron didn’t recognize the other name in their group, but he was confident that whoever it was, with both him and Lucan on their team, they’d do just fine.

A sharp jolt to the back of his chair pulled Aaron’s attention from the syllabus, the man turning curiously to find Max addressing him again. “It’s not a basic affinity, apparently. And no one can seem to give me any tips that don’t sound like a corny line from a self-help book.”

Hm, Aaron hadn’t expected any more out of Max after that glare, but he was content to look past it. He thought for a moment about what Sariel had taught him after his Awakening before replying, “Well, if it's a complex affinity you'll need a casting focus. Did you do the crystal exercise? Could you establish any kind of connection?”

“It was there, but it’s... stubborn. There was like a wall blocking it from entering the crystal efficiently, and it definitely didn’t want to move once inside either.”

Aaron paused again to consider, spinning his ring and thinking back to what Sariel and other mages in his life had told him over the years about their own experiences. “Well, ideally your magic is an extension of yourself. It might help to think of what motivates you and try to apply that to your magic to convince it to get moving.” He paused, remembering something Clara had told him once, then chuckled, shrugging. “It might just need a kick in the ass.”

Max leaned forward curiously. “Okay, and how do I kick my magic’s ass?” He asked, more genuine this time.

Aaron shrugged again, gesturing lazily. “For some people it works like a reflex, but if you have a weak connection to start with, it might need to be more of a conscious effort.” He finally stopped spinning his ring, opting instead to gently tap his fingers on the desk. “How do you get yourself going when you have to do something you don't want to do?”

“I don’t do it.” Max replied flatly, then sighed, “Do it out of spite? I don’t know.”

Aaron smirked. Cheerful-sounding guy. “That might be your problem, then,” he replied, glancing back to the front when Varis started speaking.

“Contact me later,” he added quickly, voice hushed, “I might be able to help.” With that he turned his attention hastily to the front, loath for Varis to perceive some disrespect.

As Aaron sat there replying to Lucan, Salem doubled over the note searching for an appropriate response. Not long after the bell began to ring, he gathered his notes and placed them methodically into his bag, then grabbing the note he and Aaron had been passing around, refolding it into a football and then placed it in his pocket. Silently he stood, smiling at the blonde mage as he waited for him to gather himself so they may proceed to the next class together. The walk was silent as Salem looked about the area. Taking in his surroundings so they could better get around the school, as well as enjoying the nice night air.

Upon entering the classroom, Salem waved Aaron off who eagerly found a seat next to a mage he had seen before in orientation. The two began to chat and it appeared the mages face contorted into a foul look, making Salem wonder if Aaron just had that affect on people. As he continued to stand, scanning for the best seat, someone seemed to grab him out of nowhere, startling him. Soon his saw pure white hair flash in front of him as the small girl pulled him across the room towards Aaron. "Lilie you could've just asked me to follow" he chuckled out as he began to match pace with her, arms still linked. Where as she took the seat next to Aaron, Salem took the seat next to her. Looking over his syllabus he noticed Varis was the T.A., thinking back to the dinner when he was told about this last minute arrangement. Salem pulled out a new notepad, this one was had a yellow cover on it, flipping it open and taking notes as Varis began to speak. Once he concluded, a vampire appeared to speak up and asking about the noble houses. Either he is recently turned or very out of the loop. When Salem noticed his partner was Lilie and some guy named Max, he nudged her gently sticking his tongue out with a wink, pointing at their assigned houses. Once Varis finished answering the vampires question he held the top of his pencil up before saying "If it's alright with you Professor, may we speak shortly after class?"

A bell signaled the end of the first round of classes, and an end to the deceptive task. Dakota had opened their mouth to bid farewell to the lab partner, but Max had already risen from his seat and marched off without a word. The last thing the mage had expected from the boy was an instant friendship, but for whatever reason… it still stung to be left behind so thoughtlessly. Frustration was understandable but the pair was in the same boat with the assignment, so shouldn’t they try to work together on it?

Eyes casting down to the floor, Dakota sighed and stood from their seat before grabbing their belongings and heading out to the second class. According to the schedule, Treaty Law was up next in Vilbrek Hall… whatever a Vilbrek was. While history had never quite been a favored subject for the youth, there was no denying the importance of the information this class would provide. Having grown up outside of the world of mages and vampires, there was really only a small portion of the treaty that mattered (or at least used to). Now that Dakota had been thrown into the middle of it all, there was the matter of law pertaining to mages that now had to be committed to memory.

Let’s just hope this professor doesn’t put me to sleep, otherwise I’m screwed.

~~~



Dakota was among the last to arrive, scanning the room quickly to see if there were any familiar faces. Max appeared in the crowd, already (or still, it was difficult to tell) irritated in his acquired seat. The mage thought about sitting close to him in the hopes of learning something about him that might help their assignment in Affinity Mastery. That thought was quickly dismissed, however, as it was most likely going to be more of a distraction than the youth could afford with the subject at hand.

Instead, Dakota chose a lone seat off to the side of the room, sneaking back a few rows in order to increase range of visibility. A few rows away, the mage caught sight of Joryldin who looked to be somewhat lost in thought. The smallest twinge of guilt plagued Dakota as they peered unseen at him, feeling a little bad at having missed the opportunity to greet him earlier in the evening. An apology would have to wait until lunch though, as the TA began speaking to the class.

Already Dakota disliked the man. While they couldn’t quite give the feeling a name, there was something about this Varis guy that rubbed all the wrong ways. Everything from his posture to his voice was overly condescending, not to mention his punctual start was more than a little unnecessary. But, above all else, there was something about his eyes that struck a fearful chord within the mage. They were cold and calculating, borderline on predatory in a way that made Dakota’s blood run cold. There was no denying who held all the power in the room, regardless of his status as TA.

He wasted no time or pleasantries on the subject at hand, detailing the expectations of the course moving forward. Dakota had expected the class to be work intensive, but what Varis was talking about was far beyond what the mage had expected. The whole thing was going to be taught like some honors master class, complete with individual study sessions and frequent papers with attendance to outside meetings being mandatory for a grade?

Hell, this is absolute hell. Dakota thought to themselves, staring at the syllabus before them on the desk. The name Astorio appeared next to their own on the page, a quick scan showing several others who would be paired similarly for the year’s assignments. Just as things were beginning to feel overwhelming, a familiar voice spoke up in the room.

“Excuse me, Count Varis? I have one quick question. If it’s in our best interest to make a stance in the oral debates based on the house of our study group, will there be lessons later in the semester outlining the platforms of each house?” Hearing Joryldin’s question brought a glance of amusement to the youth’s face. For whatever reason, perhaps it was the style of clothing he chose to wear, Dakota had pegged the boy for an academic slacker. It was a pleasant surprise to hear him speak up, especially when the teacher was someone so intimidating. It might have been easier just to sit tight and hope that someone else asked or that Count High-and-Mighty would mention it in his lecture.

Varis stared up at the vampire- Joryldin Nailo if he recalled- keeping his face arraigned in polite interest as he spoke. The boy must be joking. Seven article blocks to cover in a short five month period and the boy expected guidance on the political platforms of the Houses. Varis raised an eyebrow instead of scoffing like he wanted. And how does he not have a basic understanding of them? Apparently the thing was raised under a rock. A few choice words weighed heavily on his tongue but he brushed them aside.

“No, we will not. I recommend using the library and the resources of your group to curtail your arguments appropriately..” Varis turned his attention to a familiar voice, the Spellman child. Of course, what better way to interrupt his plans that have the Spellman slow him down. “You may, Mr. Spellman. If those are all the questions, we’ll continue into our first topic of the year: The Fundamental Articles. The Treaty is comprised of twenty one articles clustered into blocks based on a variety of criteria. Articles one through three are in the Fundamental block because they were the original articles the human delegates demanded complete first and establish the social structures we experience today. A change to any part of these Articles, even just the wording, would cause massive alterations in the day to day operation of our society. Both King Geoffery and Landar Starag, the heads of the Vampiric and Mortal delegations respectively, included a clause in each of these Articles that requires unanimous agreement from the Council for an amendment to any of these articles to pass into law. To date, this feat has only been accomplished once in recorded history..” As Varis spoke, he made his way over to his briefcase and shuffled inside in shortly. He stepped away from it again and gently tossed an egg up and down.

“Article one is known as the Declaration of Authority. This article does exactly what it suggests, establishing vampires as the superior race and delegates mages and humans as subservient to them. It continues on to declare the Noila family as the permanent head of state and details the process in the event of the Noila line disappearing. Interestingly enough, the human delegation demanded that none of the other Noble Houses assume the throne if tragic circumstances eradicated the Noila line. Rather, the Four noble houses would have to establish an entirely new Royal line that all four agreed would sit on the throne. The Noble houses nearly withdrew their support over the idea but lucky for everyone, a well timed werewolf attack on vampiric territory spurned them to overlook it. Almost one hundred amendments have been put forth to change the clause but neither King Geoffery nor Queen Anastasia are willing to support the measures.” Varis clicked his little clicker and the screens behind him showed seven massive books sitting side by side, the first four in glass cases. “These are every single original failed amendment organized by date. Almost five thousand pages of writing with the sole purpose of influencing the Noilas into changing the amendment. Almost every single one drafted by a member of every house, ensuring they each gave up things of equal value. And yet, the Noilas refuse to budge even to this day. I’m sure I don’t need to explain why.” He gave people a moment to consider before continuing onwards. “Furthermore, this amendment establishes the Sinnenodels, the Eves, the Astorios, and the Marivaldis as the only Noble Houses and cements their position on the Moonlight Council. It continues and establishes the Moonlight Council as the highest authority in the land and that its decisions are Law.”

“Where Article One legitimizes the ruling bodies of our society, Article Two distances humanity from Vampires. The Declaration of Immunity divides the mortal race into two different groups, Mage and Human. A Mage is anyone defined as having awoken, through either natural awakening or the Awakening ritual, to their magic potential where a human is someone who has not undergone an Awakening. This was not always the case however. Originally, Mages were considered anyone who showed magical aptitude. With little to gauge the term “Aptitude”, often times mages and humans were mistaken for one another in early years. It wasn’t until 1647 that the Awakening ritual was developed and the Council altered the wording in a unanimous decision to better clarify the difference and reduce accidental violations.” Varis paused again, letting anyone taking notes a moment to catch up before continuing again. “It also established feeding requirements, shifting the burden fully onto mages. This article took nearly two years of deliberation between the mortal and vampiric races, the longest of all the articles, specifically because of this issue. Landar Starag and Morgan le Fey, a powerful mage known as the mother of modern conjuration, demanded hunting of the human race cease immediately. It was an impossible task. With the vampiric forces stretched as they were, King Geoffeory and the Astorios who ran the military at the time would have been hard pressed to enforce such a policy. Their counter offer was a transitional period in which the hunting of humans would be restricted further and further every year until a complete ban after the war ended plus a year or ten years, whichever came first. Eventually, article two included a transitional period of five years or a year after the Lycan threat was deemed eliminated. The Lycan threat was eliminated two years later and a year after that, feeding on humans was fully banned.” Varis paused again, tossing the egg between his hands and watching people write. Once enough pens stilled, he continued pacing.

“However, Morgan le Fey felt another issue needed attention. Vampires were used to a massive herd size, used to indulging in their desires whenever they wished as long as they could catch their prey. Limiting their herd so quickly would, in Ms. Fey’s opinion, drive vampires into a frenzy of overfeeding, especially since mage blood was difficult to procure at the time. Remember, this was before most blood bottling techniques were made public and the idea of drinking blood from something other than the source was horrific and barbaric. Morgan le Fey personally penned the Guardianship clause, the part that demands a mage be directly tethered to one vampire but a vampire may have many mages..” Varis clicked his clicker, switching the screen to the massive length that was the clause. It was the longest clause outside of Article 3 and was incredibly ironclad. “Unlike Article One which suggests mages are at the mercy of all vampires, the Guardianship clause demands a mage be in the service of one and only one vampire at any given time if they are to be in the service of a vampire and establishes that only the vampire a mage is in service to may drink from that mage. Other vampires could drink from a mage given they had sufficient permission but this clause drastically reduced deaths related to overfeeding almost immediately and had all but eliminated them within two years. This clause is one of the best pieces of legal literature in existence.” Varis’s face remained rather impassive but his tone took on an almost awestruck edge as he spoke about the Guardianship clause. “Spanning three pages alone, the Guardianship clause has been torn apart time and time again by treaty scholars and it is only one of sixteen sections with no possible loopholes. It is in an of itself a piece of art and I highly recommend spending the time reading it outside of class.” He clicked the clicker again, and briefly the screen read MAJOR TEST POINT: GUARDIANSHIP CLAUSE as he made his suggestion before it flickered into the next Article.

“Now Article 3 is the longest of the three and is known as the Declaration of Atonement. It details the various punishments vampire can suffer for violating any part of Article 2 specifically. This was the only article the mortal delegation walked in with practically completed. Morgan Le Fey and Landar Starag were both adamant the punishments for failing to follow the Declaration of Immunity were harsh and severe. This Article wasn’t debated deeply because the entire mortal delegation made it clear they would walk without the proper safeguards in place and the King and the Council had little say in the matter. The bare minimum the mortal delegation would accept for harming a human without cause was defangment and public torpor. These are still the easiest punishments a vampire can receive to this day. They are displayed in their Lord or Lady’s main hall for anyone to see for about a century. If a human is fed on or killed, the vampire is to be starved to near frenzy and then caged for the next dawn. Breaking the Declaration of Immunity is considered high treason.” Varis paused again, his face blank as he considered his next point. He shouldn’t necessarily include this discussion but it was a major point, even if the Council wants it faded away and Varis was nothing if not thorough. Academic integrity… Lawful conduct… Academic integrity… Lawful conduct…. Varis shrugged mentally. He’d done worse than discuss blacklisted topics. “But that wasn’t the original demand. While technically the mage status amendment to Article One was the first recorded unanimous vote, there was one struck from the record shortly after the Treaty’s ratification. In 1293, just over two centuries prior to the Treaty, the Sinnendol family made a move to stop an ancient punishment the Originals handed down and their Children refined. A torture method known as Solaris Pius in which a vampire was locked in a special box with sliding surfaces. While closed, the vampire remained entirely in darkness but pieces could be pulled back to reveal parts of the victim to sunlight for ten seconds at a time, never long enough to kill but long enough to inflict brutal pain. Kept fed just enough to stay above torpor, the victim would often suffer this for several weeks before finally being allowed to leave. It’s one of the guaranteed ways to scar a vampire, mentally and physically. It was a popular punishment but the Sinnenodel family managed to abolish it by the early 1300 hundreds. The practice was meant to fade into the background of history but Landar Starag and Morgan le Fey rediscovered it and demanded those who violated Article Two suffered a full year of Solaris Pius before finally being allowed to die. The Council’s first move, once the treaty was ratified, was to alter that particular punishment to extended starvation rather than branding by sunlight.” Varis’s face stayed neutral as he spoke, the egg still for the duration of the discussion but he resumed tossing it as he continued on.

“Now the most interesting part of Article Three in my opinion, is the Starag Commandment. Written and repeatedly announced by the mage, The Starag Commandment is a demand that those who swear fealty to the Council and the Throne uphold specifically the punitive measures of this treaty. Realistically, the commandment has little power or authority as part of the whole but rather is a symbolic representation of the weight of the Treaty. Not a single member of the council suggested a change in the wording or recommended its removal altogether despite that it places a heavy expectation of responsibility on the shoulders of those involved. But that isn’t the interesting part of the Commandment.” He clicked again and a new series of pages popped up on screen, a large red circle superimposed on a blank space in the center of them. “That was the space the Council left Landar to write his commandment. However, he chose instead to write it on a seperate piece of parchment that is kept away from non-council members under Noila lock and key. There are no other images of the document, no scholars have permission to interact with it, only a few mages associated with the Council are permitted to maintain its integrity. Rumors have it that Landar created a powerful magical failsafe in the event the Treaty was ignored but any archivist granted the honor of seeing the document deny it.” Varis stopped pacing, still tossing the egg in the air. “Questions so far?”