Lilie gave the princess an enthusiastic wave, somewhat invigorated. Once she was addressed, she gave Aaron a sheepish grin, having fully anticipated a well earned 'I told you so' in response. Instead, he moved on, asking about Salem.

"I'm not sure what time exactly," She admitted. "When I saw his schedule, it said it was at the library. He said it was one of his...punishments for what happened." She frowned as she spoke, shifting in her seat slightly.

Aaron’s brow furrowed at Lilie’s mention of ‘what happened’—right, he remembered Salem mentioning that he’d told her his side of the story—but he shrugged her concern away. “I wouldn’t call this a punishment,” he replied casually, “it’s just etiquette training. Besides, he’ll need it if he’s been assigned to that Astorio Count.”

A flash of irritation hit Aaron again at the mention, though his thoughts turned to Salem’s reassignment. He hadn’t really thought much about it when they were talking to the Princess, but it made a lot more sense out of Lucan’s cryptic disappearance. He made a mental note of the change to report to Varis later, and took a breath to banish the pang of guilt that came with it. Visibly brightening (in expression, anyway), he extended his hand to Lilie, giving her a smile. “In any case, why don’t we go wait for him? I think there’s a courtyard outside of the library, we can meet him when he’s done.”

Lilie looked at Aaron's hand, then up at him, a little confused. It lasted about two seconds before she would take his hand, assuming that was probably what was proper. Right, she should probably take the princess's advice and ask for some pointers, she didn't have a clue on what was right and wrong. She gave Aaron an appreciative smile as he helped her to her feet, nodding at his suggestion. Her smile faltered slightly when he mentioned the Astorio, her heart breaking slightly as she remembered how crushed Salem looked when he found out.

"Good idea! Maybe I should ask for some lessons, too," She tried to stay light on the subject as they began to walk. "I'm clueless on everything. My brother told me that there's this thing some vampires do where they all bite your neck when they feed, but apparently they can drink from anywhere." She huffed slightly at the misinformation, rubbed her neck where Mariette had bitten her. "It felt so weird."

Aaron’s heart went out to Lilie. After all, if he was having such a hard time adjusting coming from the world of aristocracy, then to a human-born girl like Lilie, it all must seem impossible. But he couldn’t help but smile at her; for whatever reason, she was cute when she was irritated.

His own hand went to his neck when Lilie rubbed hers, brushing past his new earring as it went. “Definitely weird,” he concurred, remembering how dazed he’d been after tonight’s feeding, and subsequently suppressing a groan at the reprimand he’d gotten because of it. Pleasant as the sensation of feeding might have been, Aaron was going to have to find a way around it if he didn’t want to be bumbling around like a fool every time Varis fed. He looked back to Lilie, a little concerned. “Not bad though, I hope?”

"I guess it's not bad after that first burn," Lilie did concede that much as she looked back up at Aaron. Something glinting caught her attention as her eyes followed the swinging. She leaned forward a little as she tried to see what it was, catching a glimpse of the silver earring. Her mouth formed a small 'o' as she was distracted by the earring, though her expression brightened. She didn't know he had his ears pierced. "Was that what you had to do after class?" She asked him, gesturing to his earring.

Aaron’s eyebrows shot up when Lilie mentioned his earring, hand flying up to it as soon as she motioned to it. He could feel a blush burning his ears, and apparently the earring had already started weaving itself into his hair. Excellent.

“Oh, yes,” he replied hesitantly, doing his best to separate the earring from his hair with some difficulty. “Or, well, I had to shower and change and Master had to feed first, but—”

Stepping in front of Aaron to stop him from going any further, Lilie reached up on tiptoe and gently batted away his hands. Hearing him say 'master' again gave her such an uneasy feeling, but that wasn't important right now. "Here, let me help," She said, her fingers expertly pulling the caught hairs off the silver without any breaking. Once they were free, she would gently brush his hair behind his ear and away from the earring so that it wouldn't get tangled again. She took a few seconds to really look at it as she backed up, noticing the crest engraved. Nobility through and through--she had never seen that kind of dedication to anyone's house before.

Deciding to inquire about it, Lilie motioned towards his earring. "Is that your family's crest?" She asked him.

Aaron was confused when Lilie stopped him, but stooped a little once he realized what she was doing, so that she wouldn’t have to reach up quite as high. He had to fight to keep an idiotic smile off his face, even if Lilie tucking his hair behind his ear put butterflies in his stomach. He smiled as he straightened once Lilie was done, taking a breath to thank her before she cut him off with a question.

Heat rushed back to his ears at the mention of the crest, and this time a little blush even coloured his cheekbones. Though he cursed himself for being so childish, he couldn’t help it; he’d been marked like some kind of draught animal, and now his suspicion was confirmed that other people would notice, too.

His hand returned to his newly-uncovered earring, and he ran his fingers over the face of the pendant, feeling the pattern of the Sinnenodel adders imprinted on the surface. “Oh, no, it’s… actually my Master’s crest,” he replied awkwardly, glancing away and inwardly shouting at himself to get it together. He cleared his throat. “House Sinnenodel, I mean. You’ll probably see it on the mailbox the next time you go by.” He forced himself to drop his hand and at least try to pretend he wasn’t embarrassed, even if he couldn’t quite meet Lilie’s eye.

Oh, that made more sense. Lilie nodded in understanding, looking at the earring briefly. She reached up and flicked it playfully, watching it swing. It was an interesting choice all things considered; the emerald and silver went well together. Very elegant, and it matched Aaron's personality. She ignored the feeling in her stomach when he repeated what he called his vampire, choosing to focus on him instead.

"Very cool," She commented, her hand batting her own teardrop earring as she tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "I like it."

Aaron’s eyes widened. She thought it was cool? She didn’t even seem a little weirded out! He felt immediately better, straightening up a little taller and letting himself bask in that tiny bit of praise. “Thank you,” he told her sincerely, smiling, “I actually have a stud version too, for when I’m training. That way it won’t get caught on anything.” That’s what he thought it was for, anyway.

He tapped his pommel for emphasis, and was reminded of something. “Oh, but if you’re interested in my family crest, it’s right here,” he added, turning so that Lilie could see his scabbard. The hilt bore a large imprint of the Noila crest, a raven clutching a ruby burned expertly into the leather, but he gestured past it and nearer the tip where a smaller crest was similarly burned in, a rampant stag with a crown around its neck.

Lilie looked where Aaron indicated in genuine interest. She felt bad that she hadn't noticed it the first time, only recognizing the Noila crest. She admired it for a moment, finding it curious that his family would be represented by a stag. At least, that was her assumption anyway, since it was obvious that the crown represented the royal family.

"I feel like it should be bigger," She commented as they resumed their walk. "Serving the royal family is good and all, but that doesn't erase where you come from."

Aaron glanced down to Lilie in genuine surprise. Erase where he came from? As far as he was concerned, serving the royal family was where he came from. Not only that, but until now it had also been his greatest ambition. But that was to be brooded over another time.

Instead, he simply shrugged. “Humility runs in my family,” he replied, sending Lilie a cheeky grin, “and besides, my family is proud to serve the Noilas. After all, my grandfather bending the knee to King Geoffrey was what got the Treaty signed, and who knows what would have happened if not for that.”

His grin turned sheepish, though, and he rubbed the back of his neck. “Although, since coming here I’ve noticed that not everyone seems to see it that way.”

Lilie bit her lip as she tried to suppress her giggle. He was so devoted! Not that she could blame him, she was sure that if she grew up around Princess Ryner she would be in the same boat. She gave him a more neutral expression as she couldn't who might not completely agree, although the first person that popped into her head was Max. His comment was the result of that, though she couldn't say for sure if that was who Aaron meant.

"Like…" She left it vague, hoping to get an answer.

Aaron tugged on his ear. He probably shouldn't sow discontent among his new friends, should he? “Well, you should have seen this TA in my and Salem’s Affinity Mastery class. Called me just about every name except my own.” He chuckled, if not a little awkwardly. “He clearly didn't like me or my family. Called us ‘the ones who enslaved us’ or something.”

Lilie’s eyes widened in shock. That was so rude! She was offended on Aaron's behalf, huffing out a breath. "I can't believe that!" She exclaimed in disbelief, crossing her arms. "The nerve of some people...and that's just so wrong on so many levels that it's just--hmph! No one should talk to you like that."

After a few seconds of huffing some more, she shook her head before speaking again. "And how did your class with Salem go otherwise?" She asked, frowning.

Lilie’s indignation was sincerely adorable, likely boosted by the fact that she was speaking in Aaron’s defence. He couldn’t stop his grin until she asked about the rest of the class, and Aaron inwardly groaned.

“Well, our class seemed to be more experienced mages, so we both got the hang of the exercise pretty quick. I’ve done the crystal exercise before, and Salem grasped it really fast.” He started off innocently enough, though as they neared the library courtyard he remembered Salem’s warning in that very class. Withholding things drew a wedge between people, and Salem wouldn't see anyone hurt Lilie. Just as before, hurting her was the last thing Aaron wanted to do, even if he didn’t agree that a little lying by omission was the thing to do it. But he figured he owed it to Salem to be honest with Lilie, egged on in no small part by the guilt he was still fighting over spying on the man.

Aaron led Lilie to a table by the fountain, pulling out a chair for her out of habit. “He did mention that you two talked this evening before class,” he continued, waiting for Lilie to take her seat before taking his own with a slightly embarrassed sigh. “I don't suppose he told you that he and I don't quite see eye to eye on some matters?”

Once again temporarily distracted by Aaron's mannerisms, Lilie decided to take the seat so the guy wouldn't be left standing. Such a gentleman, he was making her feel like she was actually someone important. At the mention of Salem she couldn't help but keep her frown, shifting slightly in her seat.

"He did mention that," She admitted. "He invited me to his dorm and we talked about a lot of stuff; Princess Nox, Lucan, the arrest…and some good things, too."

She paused for a moment, wondering if she should ask what actually happened. Her mind seemed to be made up as she continued, "Salem also told me his side of what went down last night at the dinner," That much she could confess. If Aaron didn't want to tell her anything, she couldn't really expect anything otherwise. They got along great, yeah, but she didn't think she had earned his trust just yet. Just because she clung to him didn't mean he was obligated to do the same.

Aaron nodded at his hands, where he folded them on the tabletop. Just as Salem had told him, though he wasn’t sure why he expected to hear any different. “What did he tell you about last night?” he asked, hoping he wouldn’t have to delve into any more than was necessary.

"He talked about how sudden it was, and how he thought that something weird happened to him," Lilie said. "Someone went into his head, and he ended up saying a lot of things that he didn't mean. He was accused of things and now he's cut off from his family and they even changed his vampire." She looked at Aaron worriedly, her hands fidgeting slightly in her lap. "He also mentioned that your...master...wasn't happy with how you acted, either." Uttering the word made her shudder slightly; even just saying it like that was hard. Her heart was beating against her chest at the thought, a sudden unease gripping her.

"Are you okay?" She suddenly asked, somewhat alarmed. "That's not normal, is it? Is he--is your vampire making you call him that?"

Aaron nodded along as Lilie spoke. She misunderstood a bit, but that made sense, seeing as she heard it all second-hand. And, if he were being honest, Aaron didn’t entirely understand everything that happened either. But of course, the conversation came back to him and Varis. His eyebrows shot up at Lilie’s concern, however. It was touching, but also unexpected, although Aaron wasn’t really sure why.

Nonetheless, he nodded. “I’m fine, there’s no need to worry about me,” he assured Lilie, offering her an appreciative smile before his expression grew more shy. “And yes, he is. Whether or not that’s ‘normal’ depends on the family you belong to, but after my performance last night, he apparently deemed it appropriate for the time being.” He tried to come off as casually as he could, but that didn’t stop him from spinning his ring.

He took a breath, not wanting to scare Lilie with a lot of doom and gloom. “Like I said to Salem, though; that’s just one less thing to remember, right?” He forced a small chuckle, but grew a little more serious again. “But yeah, that’s actually what I wanted to speak to Princess Ryner about. I was apologizing for how I acted.”

He sighed. “For her part, Her Highness was very gracious. And to spare you the details, I acted without thinking and suffered the consequences. I thought I was better trained than that, but I know now that I have a lot to work on.” He offered Lilie an apologetic look. “I’m sorry if this whole… ‘master’ business makes you uncomfortable. I understand why it might. I can do my best to avoid it when we’re together, but I do have orders to follow, and I hope you’ll understand why I’d like to try to follow them more closely this time.”

Lilie listened carefully, but a lot of what Aaron said seemed to do little to assure her. This was to be expected, or at least that was the impression she got. He didn't seem too phased by calling his vampire 'master' even though the thought of it bothered her. Just like she thought, everyone else fell into place. No matter how nice or mean, servitude was expected.

This was his life now--and hers, too.

She stayed quiet for a second, unsure if she should admit that she didn't quite understand. Still, she gave him a short, thoughtful nod. "Well...you still have me and--" Her optimistic thought was quickly extinguished as she almost said Salem's name, deflating slightly. "--and we're friends, so we should look out for one another. Even as servants we still have rights, and we're..." she trailed off as she tried to think of what she could say.

"I think that if your...vampire is like that, and you're okay with it, then...that's good, right?" She tried to stay positive.

Aaron’s expression softened as Lilie got out her halting response, a pang of sympathy hitting him. She really was a fish out of water here, that much was painfully clear, and it was obvious that she cared deeply for the people around her, even those she just met. It really was touching, but a grim thought passed through the back of Aaron’s mind that Lilie might not know just how few rights she actually had.

Lilie’s attempt at positivity was appreciated, and Aaron conjured up a soft smile for her. “I’ll admit that it’s not really something I’m used to,” he clarified, loath for Lilie to think he was weird but also not wanting to worry her by laying bare his discomfort, “but I’m sure in time, I’ll adjust. And it seems like a more or less temporary thing anyway. I’ll be fine.”

He spared a glance at the library building, suppressing a shudder before turning back to Lilie. “I just hope we can say the same about Salem. The Astorios have a nasty reputation, and… well, you got a taste of it firsthand.” He gestured to Lilie before letting his hand drop on the table. “I hope Her Highness is right in that he’ll learn to conform to his Count’s expectations. In the meantime, you and I seem to be all he’s got. We should do our best to be there for him.” It was the least he could do while he wasn’t spilling Salem’s secrets to Varis, after all.

The white haired girl nodded once again, perking up as Aaron finished her thought. It was just the third day, she was probably overthinking it. Not one to stay negative for too long, instead she drummed her fingers on the table as she inspected Aaron for a second. He didn't look like he was physically hurt, at least, so she would have to take his word when it came to being okay. After a few seconds she did return his smile with one of her own, clapping her hands together.

"We should!" She agreed happily. "And I know just the way to start! A housewarming party for all the noble mages in the cul-de-sac," She told him excitedly. "Remember Cassandra from lunch? She's the mage in the Marivaldi dorm. So you, me, Salem, and her should at least get to know each other a little. I already gave her a heads up that we should all get together." She took out her phone, opening up a blank note page.

"I was thinking a picnic would be nice. We can do it before classes," She brainstormed as she started jotting down a few things, her phone responding with each letter she touched. "I can make food for everyone, too. Maybe we can grab a table around here, or host it on the front lawn of the Eve dorm."

Aaron brightened up as Lilie did, her excitement as infectious as it was stunning. “That sounds like a great idea,” he agreed, running a quick mental inventory. If he could finish his lines early and avoid further punishments, he could probably attend; he might even be able to convince Varis on the grounds that this would be a good step in befriending Salem, as he’d been ordered. “I can probably make it, I think,” he continued, “as long as your Countess would be alright with you hosting it outside your dorm, anyway.”

The scoff came out without a second thought with Lilie dismissing Aaron's concern with a wave of her free hand. "It's my dorm, too," She said, scrolling through some meal ideas. "No point in looking for permission from someone who's avoiding me, anyway. I haven't seen the Countess since last night."

Oooh, that was a bad sign. Lilie really didn’t know what she was involved with at all, did she? Aaron very nearly blurted out that no, it wasn’t her dorm, it was her Countess’ dorm and she was merely living in it, but stopped himself. Lilie’s attitude clearly stemmed from ignorance rather than rebelliousness, and he was nervous that giving her the kind of wake-up call that he thought was necessary would freak her out. Sure, she would have to learn eventually, but… couldn’t he spare her feelings for now?

“Well, keep in mind that vampires can be pretty territorial,” he offered uneasily, tugging on his left ear. Hopefully this was a gentler way to get his point across. “Especially nobles. You should probably run it by your Countess just in case; you don’t want to accidentally offend her and get in trouble.”

Lilie looked up from her phone as Aaron spoke, her eyes wide. She hadn't really considered that now that he mentioned it. Her gaze dropped to her phone for a moment as she thought about it. He did have a point, she was sure if Mariette chose to throw a party she would have liked to be informed, too. Conceding to Aaron's suggestion, Lilie continued looking for ideas for a second before looking back up at him.

"You're probably right," She let out a small sigh, perching her chin in her hand. "I already got in trouble last night. Even though Princess Ryner said it was okay, I should probably try to get along with Mari--the Countess better." She remembered Salem's advice about trust and let out another sigh.

"I made a really bad impression last night," She muttered, her shoulders slumping slightly. "Her Highness said it was better to listen to Princess Nox, but...I just don't know how to act around them." She stared at something in the distance, eyes unfocused.

Aaron’s eyebrows shot up. “Come again?” he questioned, mind racing. “When were you around Princess Nox?”

Lilie turned her gaze to Aaron, a little confused. "Last night," She said. "I thought I told you when I texted you."

“You left out the detail of meeting her,” Aaron shot back, a disbelieving chuckle escaping him as he spoke. “No wonder you were freaked out!”

His chuckle morphed into a laugh for a moment until he composed himself again, shaking his head. “What happened that you think you made a bad impression? If I may ask.”

Sitting up slightly, Lilie played with the end of her ponytail for a moment. "Well, there was this truck, and all these people were swarmed around the Marivaldi dorm," She started, hands releasing her ponytail as she started gesturing. "I saw your teacher, Lucan, and Princess Nox was there, too. Apparently they had arrested someone, and that vampire--um, I don't know her name--wanted to know what was going on. Mariette and I--Countess Mariette and I went outside, and then Princess Nox yelled at us about some stuff that I didn't understand. A...snake? The Marivaldi's possessions had been taken--or was that Sinnenodel--no, that can't be right," She tried to accurately remember what it was that Princess Nox spoke of, although she couldn't quite remember off the top of her head.

Giving up after a moment, Lilie continued, "I don't know, I didn't really understand anything she was saying. What I do remember was that she told all of us to go back to our dorms. So I did...and left the countess behind," The thought actually embarrassed her now that she thought about it, and she hung her head in shame. "Mariette was not happy about that and let me know, too. I told Princess Ryner about it before you came, and she assured me that the princess's word comes before anyone else's so I don't think I'm in trouble, but...my vampire wasn't happy."

Aaron blinked a few times as Lilie finished her story, taking a moment to try and make sense of the events in his mind. “I see…” he murmured absently, tapping his fingers on the table for a moment before he perked up. “Well, Her Highness was right. Unless you’re getting an order directly from the Lord of your house himself - which in your house isn’t really something you need to worry about - Princess Nox’s orders would eclipse your Countess. Especially in matters of defense, like what happened last night.”

He gave her a smile he hoped was reassuring. “Your Countess wouldn’t be able to legally punish you for that, so I wouldn’t worry too much. But it is important that you know what she expects of you.” His expression grew serious. “She hasn’t spoken to you at all since then? Are you sure it isn’t just a coincidence? After all, it’s only barely been one night.”

Aaron meant well, but his words resulted in an exasperated Lilie throwing her arms up. "I've been trying to see what's expected of me, but if it isn't a weird giggle or a 'do what you want' or--these Eve vampires are all crazy!" She was animated as she spoke, waving her hands around. "I'm telling you, this house is full of weirdos, every time a new one comes in, they're crazier than the last one."

After her little outburst, she took in a deep breath, exhaling a small giggle. "Okay, that's a little mean, but it is frustrating," She looked at Aaron fondly. "I'm sorry, I'm spending all this time complaining. You're gonna get tired of me soon if all I do is whine all the time."

Aaron frowned throughout Lilie’s spiel, but he could definitely empathize with her. Uncertainty always killed him, and so far deciphering Varis’ expectations had felt like being trapped in a dark room, hoping that the next thing he touched was a candle and not a mousetrap.

Nonetheless, he couldn’t help but chuckle at Lilie’s display, though he did lower his voice. “Maybe keep your voice down though, it’s not usually wise to badmouth your own house,” he warned, hunching down a little for emphasis. After a moment, he straightened up, speaking once more at a normal volume and offering Lilie a smile. He was tempted to reach out and take her hand, but refrained. That was probably improper.

“And don’t worry, I’m not getting tired of you,” he assured her sincerely, “I can definitely see why you’re frustrated. It seems like you’ve had a run of bad luck. Hopefully you and your Countess can come to an understanding.”

Hopefully.

Lilie gave Aaron a sincere, appreciative smile. "You're so sweet, thank you," She said, happily returning to her phone. She was really going to have to be more careful, anytime she talked about vampires she just got depressed. Still, she sincerely appreciated Aaron's advice in this uncertain time.

Suddenly rising from her seat and dropping her bag onto her chair, she snatched her phone as she hurried over to Aaron's side. "I think I'm going to take the princess's advice and cling to you for as long as you'll have me," She teased him as she squeezed herself onto his lap, brushing her bangs with her fingers as she readied herself for a selfie with him. Leaning back against him, she raised her phone as she got ready.

Aaron’s heart barely had the chance to leap at Lilie’s comment before it just about exploded altogether when she wormed her way onto his lap, getting ready to take a selfie. He had to shake his hair out from behind his ear to hide the blush that coloured it, but his stomach brimmed with butterflies as he tried to figure out what to do with his hands. Should he leave them by his sides? Hug her? He settled on placing his hand on Lilie’s waist, in the same spot he would a dance partner, figuring that was probably appropriate without him seeming entirely rigid. Smiling for the picture was all too easy, and it didn’t fade even after Lilie took the picture.

“Are you going to send that to someone?” he asked, chuckling. It was more of an expression of delight than amusement, but either way he couldn’t quite hold his laughter in.

Lilie admired the picture for a second before she decided to upload it, looking back at Aaron. "I'm gonna post this, but I can send it to you if you want," She replied, her fingers already working as her Instagram popped up on her phone. "Wow, I don't even have to put a filter for this, the lightning is just perfect." She mused.

Aaron grinned proudly; he’d always been told he was photogenic, though he attributed it to his magic rather than his looks. “Yeah, if you could send it to me I’d appreciate it,” he said, though he quickly followed up with, “Like Her Highness said, I’m sure my family back home would like to see what I’m up to.”

He was surprised when Lilie stayed on his lap to post her photo, but didn’t complain, instead watching as she opened her Instagram. He didn’t have instagram, but he made a mental note of Lilie’s username nonetheless. Lily-with-an-i-e. It was charming in a funny way.

He caught a glimpse at the clock on her phone as he watched. “Salem should probably be done soon,” he commented, pointing at the time.

"Oh, wow, time flies when you're having fun," Lilie commented, hopping off of Aaron's lap as she grabbed her backpack. "Let's get going, then!"

Varis watched as Eris skipped off to deal with his newest mage and his new rat. Why in the world anyone wanted that around their feet. Varis would step on it the first night but Eris was always whimsical. He’d probably lose interest in it fast enough. But he would admit watching Eris weigh his options, choosing dealing with the absolute mountain of things the actor likely had piled up and him, was fun but only because Eris made the right choice.

“Very well.” Varis lead the pair of the shop. A black car pulled up in front of them and a mage stepped out, dressed in Noila colors, and held the door open for them as the slid in. “I’m ready to retire for the evening. Between the atrocity that is public transport and the idiocy of the masses, I’d rather never see this pathetic collection of buildings again. The sooner we are back at the dorms, the better.” Varis shook his head as he relaxed into the seat, leaning his head back.

---

Count Julian switched to the metal rod halfway through the class, clearly displeased with Salem’s performance. The entire class was spent on the same lesson, how to properly enter the room and hold the bow until given the right to release and step out of the line of sight. Salem’s knuckles were split and long stripes of bruises painted the back of Salem’s hands. When the muted buzzer rang from his desk, Julian made Salem hold his bow for a few minutes longer as he cleaned the flecks of blood of the dark metal.

“You are dismissed. I recommend you try harder tomorrow. You may bandage your wounds but painkillers or other medical attention is not permitted.” The Count reminded him, not bothering to face the mage.

---

“You direct the blame.” Hannah shrugged. “Vampire heads are a bit trick but most of them open up when you shock them. Queeny will use me to plop an idea in her head. Turn the blame on one of the Nobles. Apparently, the Queen slapped one of the newbies with an investigation so we’re going to hop on that train and see if we can thin the hounds a little.”

“You’re really just telling anyone what we’re doing?” Evalyn sighed with a shake of her head. It really didn’t matter. If the Hive wanted to do something, far be it from her to take issue. That was Rowan’s headache, not hers. “Anyways, we’re hitting up some rich brat of a mage “accessory” tycoon. Want to make a statement early in the year. If you’re with us, lets go.”

“And if you’re not-” Hannah cut off suddenly, her eyes glazing over before she blinked and her face turned sour, a bored look on her face. “We’ll drag you along kicking and screaming. Sorry Eva, Queeny needs Hannah’s skills over at the Arena. We’ll give her back in a bit.”

---

"Right, then. You're free to do as you please so long as you watch my little Maxie. She needs to be taken out every four to five hours, will need to eat at least one more time before she goes to bed, and has to be brushed at least once so that she gets used to the sensation. Everything you need will be in a red bag sitting on the kitchen counter--and she'll be very anxious so make sure she stays with you and sleeps in your room whenever you call it a night."

What an annoying laundry list. It wasn't much in actuality, but the way Eris rattled it off made it sound like he'd be busy all night. Couldn't he just tie the little rodent to a post outside and leave it at that? The leech hurried off before Max could give him a piece of his mind, which was unfortunate considering Max had genuinely intended to thank him for the focus. Oh well.

The mage made his way to the curb to head home when he had the wonderful realization that Eric conveniently forgot to tell him where home was. If Morrigan was no longer his partner, Max would have no reason to stay with him, and he sincerely doubted the vampires would be the ones who had their housing situations altered before the mages. Was he supposed to ask someone? Were campus services even still open? Even then, who would he ask? Was there like a housing department?

Aside from wandering around campus with this stupid dog in his arms like an aimless idiot looking for someone to answer his questions, Max really only had one reliable source of information at this point; as much as it pained him to even think of it like that. Regretfully, he pulled out his phone and scrolled down to ‘Retriever’ in his contacts. He could’ve texted him, but some people were sporadic about answering in a timely fashion. Big guns, then. His finger hovered over the call button briefly as he tucked Maxie awkwardly under his arm and, with a heavy sigh, he pressed it and put the phone to his ear.

There were a few rings before Aaron answered. “Hello? Max?” he greeted, sounding surprised.

“Hey. Our… mutual friends ditched me with this stupid dog and Eric- err, Eris forgot to tell me where his dorm even is. Is there somebody I ask about that?” Max grumbled back into the phone, starting on a casual stroll down the street. He didn’t want to be anywhere near that apothecary shop in case the employee from earlier came out to pet the dog or pester him with more questions.

There was some muffled talking on the other end of the line. “...The administrative building is probably your best bet, sounds like that’s where the student housing offices are,” Aaron finally replied. “Do you happen to know where our… friends went off to?”

Great, he’d get to have some petty functionary chide him over not knowing where to go. And what happened to his old dorm? Did some leech go through all his stuff? He’d heard about someone else’s dorm getting raided the night before, was this the same type of situation?

“Dunno. Probably some tea party where they can gossip more or whatever le- vampires do in their spare time. Eris looked pretty happy but he had some stupid actor persona on the whole time so I couldn’t tell if it was genuine.” On second thought, the vampire kind of implied he wouldn’t be back that night given the list of tasks Max was given, “My guess is your dorm, Eris acted like he was spending the night.” He refused to read into that. Especially with Cinnamon involved.

“Ah-hah…” Aaron hummed. “Thanks for the heads-up. Did you ever find out what happened to your first partner? Maybe administration can shed some light on that as well.” He paused. “Could be that your dorm didn’t change, although I somehow doubt Mr. Samael would agree to moving into a second-hand dorm.”

Max let out an audible groan at the reminder, “No idea. Eris said he bought me out or something along those lines. Guess I’m quality merchandise or something,” That joke would’ve probably gone smoother if he wasn’t talking to actual quality merchandise. Plus, his delivery was flat as always. “Supposing my dorm did change, did they go through all my stuff or am I expected to collect it myself?” He didn’t really have anything important in his room, but it was the principle that mattered.

“...I’d expect they moved it,” Aaron replied hesitantly, “but either way, I’m sure a visit to the housing office would be smart. Did Mr. Samael give you any tasks in the meantime?”

Max gave the dog squirming under his arm a quick glance. “Feed the dog and make sure it doesn’t shit in the house. Why, did you need my help licking Varis’ boots clean?” He knew it was uncalled for the moment he said it, but Eric wasn’t around for him to yell at so he’d settle for taking it out someone else. “That was a joke,” Max added flatly as a half-apology. It wasn’t.

There was a bit of a confused stutter and a sigh on the other end of the line, but Aaron didn’t comment. Mostly. “Is there anything else you need my help with? Kick-starting lethargic magic, for example? I just now thought of a new technique you could try.”

Was that a counter-jab? Decisions, decisions. Max could spill the secret right now, but he sort of wanted his debut to be a bit more dramatic. Maybe stabbing a guy.

Ew, he sounded like Eris there.

He let out a ‘pfft’ noise in response, aiming to sound equal parts dismissive and amused. Now he was really sounding like Eris. “I think I’ll be alright. Gotta make these professors earn their tenure somehow, right? Thanks, though. Really.”

There was a muffled chuckle on Aaron’s end, but his reply was sincere. “No problem. Let me know if you have any more trouble, I’ll see what I can do.”

“Right, I’ll forward you my complaint letter before the princess gets it so you can tell me my wording was too harsh. Oh, and give Eris a hard time for me if you get home and he’s sitting there.” Poor Retriever would be stuck with them all morning. Max almost felt bad. Almost. “Bye.”

“Have a good night.”

Max slipped his phone back into his pocket and lifted Maxie up to eye level. "Well, you heard him. Let's go find the administrative building." The thing had the audacity to lick his nose. He took that as an 'okay'. "Right," he muttered as he slipped the dog back under his arm and headed for the bus stop.

---

@Hero (sort of?)

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Interacting with: @Obscene Symphony@Hero

The class felt like it had gone on for an eternity. Salem’s ruthless teacher seemingly making excuses just to batter him with a rod. Your bow was a degree off. You took three and a half steps not three. Your second knock was too soft. and so on. It was absolutely ridiculous. If he didn’t know any better he would say that his teacher was an Astorio and chalk it all up to being a sadist to some degree, who knew? Maybe that was still true. Salem would have to ask Aaron later. With every crack of the rod, his knuckles pained more and more until eventually it just went numb. The skin was split and blood trickled out, running down the sides of his hands, into the crevices, and on his palms. By the time that he was finally dismissed, there was a raw feeling to his hands, a burning sensation around the cuts but no longer on it. He stood up silently, letting the blood drip down his fingers as he held his head low and walked out of the room.

Salem didn’t bother attempting to use his hands to open the library door, opting to simply press against it with his shoulder and use his weight to swing it open for him. His right hand shakily reached into his pocket to pull out his phone in an attempt to send Lillie and Aaron a message letting them know his class was over. His hands however had a different idea. The shook and gave way to the weight of the phone, dropping it as Salem just stood and watched it hit the ground, bouncing twice before landing on the backside of the phone. It was a good thing he had a case. A long exhasperated sigh harshly flew out of his mouth as he bent down to pick up his phone, attempting to use both hands so that he wouldn’t drop it again. Salem slid his phone into his pocket and just looked up to the night sky, watching the stars twinkle and the moon shine for just a moment before gathering himself. He took one step forward and then saw Lillie and Aaron just sitting there not too far off. Had they seen the spectacle just now? It didn’t matter, at least now his fingers could rest for a while.

Salem made his way over to the pair, his hand waving in the air, the cold night breeze both soothing and irritating the fresh openings on his skin. Some blood trickled down his arm as he greeted the pair and made his way to the table. ”Well I sure hope you guys have had a more eventful time than me. Who knew etiquette could be so hard.” He forced a chuckle to try and make light of recent events, not wanting to worry Lillie too much but knowing that Aaron would know better of the situation. There was no use hiding his bloodied knuckles however, seeing as how any attempt to do so would just be futile as they would inevitably notice. ”I was going to say i need a minute at my dorm to clean up but...who knows where my stuff is now, or if i have it all. I’m still up for hanging out though” He attempted to give the pair a warm smile as he tried to steer his mind away from the pain and need for medical attention. All his bandages and equipment was in his previous dorm, he would need to see if it was transferred with the move.

Content to sit quietly and listen as Lilie rattled off her plans, Aaron noticed Salem’s return a second before Lilie did. While he didn’t react as outwardly as Lilie, he still made a painful hissing sound at the sight of Salem’s bloody knuckles, barely containing his wince. Yeesh, maybe this was meant to be more of a punishment than training. If he was being taught by a Noila instructor, then he was either exceptionally stubborn and rebellious, or they’d been told to make this class a lesson he wouldn’t soon forget.

Aaron was just a child when he went through etiquette training, and while he’d definitely gotten his fair share of the switch and even the metal rod from time to time (not to mention a number of other, more creative punishments), he didn’t remember ever being beaten to the point that he needed medical attention. Still, Aaron was no stranger to split knuckles; after all, Lucan hadn’t gone nearly as easy on him as his other instructors had. If experience was any indication, then Salem probably wasn’t feeling a lot of pain at the moment. Tomorrow, though…

Salem’s attempt at keeping good spirits was admirable, and Aaron would have respected it if not for Lilie’s subsequent panic. She was obviously horrified, probably rightfully so from her perspective, and Aaron let her get it out of her system before placing a hand on her forearm and shaking his head, hoping to calm her down.

“That’s probably not necessary,” he told Lilie gently, referring to finding Aine. “Don’t want to develop a dependence on life magic, remember? It’s usually best to let minor injuries heal on their own.” He turned a more critical gaze to Salem’s knuckles, examining them for a moment. If memory served, then he’d probably been ordered not to seek anything beyond the most basic medical attention, but he’d spare Salem some dignity and leave that detail out. “Although, a trip to the infirmary would be wise. You’ll want those cleaned and bandaged up for sure.”

Before he could move the conversation to lighter subjects (as Salem was apparently trying to do), Aaron felt his watch buzz, displaying an unknown number. He frowned at it for a moment as he took out his phone and politely excused himself from the conversation, taking a few steps away from the table. It didn’t make a whole lot of sense to be getting a call, but there was only one person who had his number who didn’t have a contact yet, so it must be… “Hello? Max?”


Aaron needlessly nodded, smirking. “Have a good night,” he replied, before dropping his phone back in his pocket. Maybe Max wasn’t so bad. Hopefully. It would be nice to make something of a friend out of Eris’ mage; if tonight was any indication, he imagined they’d be seeing a lot of each other whether they liked it or not.

He walked back to the table, offering Salem and Lilie an apologetic look. “Sorry about that, Max of all people needed my help,” he explained, not bothering to retake his seat. He looked between the two of them, letting his hand rest casually on his pommel. “Want to head to the infirmary, then?”

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Interacting with: @Obscene Symphony@Hero

Salem awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, a slight pain as the split skin on his knuckles closed in on itself. He kept his smile on and bright to help assuage any of her feelings towards the matter. He listened to another one of Aaron's lies and had decided now wasn't the time to call him out on it. After all, it gave a good platform for which Salem could work with. Salem spoke in a hushed tone so as to not have Aaron's conversation interrupted, or distracted while also keeping his unheard.

"It's not a huge deal Lillie don't worry. I did mention this was a punishment, we could only assume that something of this caliber were to come from it. Besides, you forget I work at, and own, a clinic. I can tend to my own wounds but should gather some bandages as it's all I'll need. If anything I feel this experience has brought me closer to understanding Aaron."

Lilie's frown only grew, her concern scribbled all over her face. "How?" She asked quietly, confused at his newfound understanding.

"It's simple. I now know why he's such a wound up kid." Salem laughed at his jest but knew it to be wholly true. "I have one of his instructors as my etiquette teacher and it's like being able to glimpse into Aaron's past and understand what he went through to become the mage he is today."

Stealing a glance at the blonde as he spoke, Lilie seemed unsure for a moment. After a few seconds she looked back at Salem, shaking her head. "Salem, you're bleeding, this can't possibly be okay," She protested. "And if Aaron went through this--it doesn't matter what you did, it's supposed to be a class, not a punishment!"

Salem watched as she remained concerned for the time being and his mouth scrounged up into a frown. "Its fine. Honestly. I'm just looking at what positivity I can gleam from an otherwise ill situation. Now if we can press past this I'd like to hear about your ideas for this picnic I overheard, and are we inviting our Law partner Max to it? Maybe have him warm up to us so we can work well together?"

Lilie's jaw dropped as she stared at Salem, seemingly offended. "I can't just ignore you being hurt. It doesn't matter what you did, that isn't right," She insisted.

This was clearly going to be an uphill battle and Lillie had the high ground. Salem thought for a minute on how to respond and decided to try and deflect once more, this time with a new subject. "Hey, do you think we could use Aaron? He seems pretty chummy with Max, maybe we can use him as bait to get Max to warm up to us?" It wasn't his finest work, but it was all he could think of on the spot.

Struggling with a response for a few seconds, eventually she seemed to give up as she got the hint, shoulders slouched in defeat. Picking up her phone from the table, Lilie looked over at what she had written. "Yeah, I guess," Her previous enthusiasm seemed muted as she swiped around.

By this point in time Aaron had finished speaking to Max, finally, and was looking to move things along as well. Salem looked at the deflated water mage and then back at the retriever and just let out a defeated sigh as he knew he couldn't win either battle. "I'm ready when you are. We can talk about what Max wanted on the way there."

Varis allowed Eris his clingy indulgence, rolling his eyes but otherwise didn’t bother moving. The actor was unnecessarily dramatic. They had seen each other five years ago. Considering they’d been alive for twenty times that, five years slipped by with little problem. They’d have plenty of time to catch up now that they were stuck in this miserable school. The things he did for his House. He let out a little sigh at the thought, all the other more important things flicking through his head before he pushed them away again.

“Unfortunately, the Princess focuses on offering the area to previous students for an absurd discount. Of course, she doesn’t pay tithe on the land so she can do whatever she wants and still break even.” Varis explained as the town disappeared and he gave Eris his full attention. “She encourages free marketing for them. Doesn’t bother to collect on her investments with them and supports them financially if enough of the student populace visits them. Plus, the restrictions put on the vampires there are some of the strictest in the world but that’s Ryner. The mage sympathiser.” He rolled his eyes as the thought.

“Oh, I have something for you. Since the mages at home let you roam freely, you may as well have the same power here." Varis pulled out the second house key, fiddling with it as the car pulled to a stop outside the noble dorms. He smirked at Eris. "But, I think I'll give it to you in a little bit. I should use it to make a point I think." He didn't wait for the driver to get out and left the car on his own, barely waiting for Eris before striding up to the front door and unlocking it.

---

The infirmary was a ten minute walk to the far side of campus, on the edge of the woods. The building was far simpler than most others, none of the fancy embellishments or metal words denoting its purpose. Instead, it had a large red drop of blood with backlighting so it would be easily seen no matter the time of day. The bottom floor seemed to boast no windows but the second floor did, small ones with curious flowers blooming in the planters hung on the outside. No one window had the same flowers but plenty of them had none.

Inside, the first floor was mostly open with only sheets tied back against the wall to act as dividers between the beds. One sheet was pulled, the solid white blocking all chances at seeing who lay in the bed behind it. Each bed, rather thin to accommodate its neighbors, had a wall mounted rack above it and a side table next to it. A few chairs lined the walls next to the doors, probably meant to be carried over and a grey haired, green robed mage sat at the back as she read a heavy book. At the group’s entrance, she looked up with a tired smile but confusion lingered in her eyes as she didn’t immediately notice broken limbs or missing body parts.

Meanwhile…

Max lucked out and catch the bus back to school just before it left. It wasn’t nearly as crowded as it was when he rode in and the ride was calm over all. Maxie demanded she be put up to the window to see the road fly by, scratching at it when she realized she couldn’t go through. Another mage over chuckled at the display, catching a quick photo of the dog and possibly Max, before he returned to his own phone.

The ride took less than ten minutes, stopping off at the Academy before pulling away again almost immediately. The crowd for the bus had thinned considerably, a few odd complaints that Eris had already left on his own, and it was relatively peaceful until the mage from the bus tapped Max on the shoulder.

“Sorry, I know this is a bit rude but can I pet your dog? She’s so cute.” The guy asked sheepishly. He was clearly around Max’s age, possibly a year older, and wore a simple shirt and shorts combination. Brown hair cut short and glasses on his nose, his only adornment was the bag on his back.

The administrative building was within sight from the bus stop and running away from the dog lover would take very little effort.

---

Max took his place on the bus wordlessly, setting Maxie down on his lap and holdng her in place with one hand. He'd hoped that would be the end of it, but the little shit started squirming toward the window the moment the bus started moving. Why couldn't it just lay down like an obediant animal?

"Alright, alright, relax you stupid mutt," Max muttered as he lifted the dog closer to the window, where it promptly started... trying to scratch through it. It had barely been ten minutes since Eris left him with it and the rat was already trying to kill itself. "You'll die if you jump out there, moron." Why was he talking to it? It didn't understand him.

He turned back to his phone when he noticed some chucklefuck holding his own phone in the telltale 'I'm obviously taking a picture of you but I'm trying to pretend like I'm just holding my phone at a weird angle' position. Great. Had that guy seen Max with Eris? Or was he just interested in the dog doing something stupid? Max better not end up on a fucking meme. He was halfway ready to walk over and break that guy's phone. Would he even have to go over there? He was pretty sure phones were at least mostly metal. He had a focus now, he could rip it apart with the flick of his hand. But then he (read: Eris) would probably have to pay for it, and he didn't want to be in the leech's debt. Annoying.

Max spent the rest of the bus ride entertaining increasingly grandiose fantasies of how to dismember a phone with magic, then ripped Maxie away from her spot at the window as they reached their destination. He was well on his way to the administrative building when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Of course. Was this another Eris fan? Some glorified hall monitor coming to tell him animals needed to be leashed on campus? Oh, no, it was just picture guy. Maybe he would get to break a phone today.

“Sorry, I know this is a bit rude but can I pet your dog? She’s so cute.”

Max's go-to response was, of course, 'fuck off', but he supposed petting the dog was an easy enough request to grant that he wouldn't be saving much time telling the guy off compared to just humoring him. Max pulled Maxie out from under his arm and cradled her against his chest with both arms, presenting her to the other mage.

"Go for it," He flatly conceded. He had no idea what people's obsession with this thing was. Why couldn't Eris have gotten a cat? At least they leave you alone and clean up their own shit.

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@Achronum

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Aaron nodded to Salem and the three of them set off where they vaguely remembered Sariel’s tour taking them before. As they began to walk, though, Aaron simply shrugged.

“He didn’t want anything very interesting,” he replied casually. “He just wasn’t sure where to go for dorm inquiries. Turns out he got reassigned as well.” Aaron glanced over to Salem.

Lilie's curiosity got the better of her, looking between both Aaron and Salem as they walked. "Max, too? It's like a game of musical chairs," She noted. "How did you know he got reassigned?"

Aaron raised his eyebrows. “Oh, because his new master is friends with mine,” he clarified matter-of-factly, though a shiver did worm its way up his spine. “And judging by tonight, it looks like we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.”

Salem tried not to grimace as Aaron said the word master once more, this time referring to another vampire. True he understood how it must be hard to break years of beatings, but it was a bit sad to watch any spec of self worth dwindle each day in him. "Who's his new partner? Perhaps he can arrange a play date to allow him to come to the picnic?" Salem said poking fun at how Aaron made it sound like they were children to Varis and this new Vampire.

Now it was Aaron’s turn to try not to grimace: something about childish language always turned him off, and Salem’s little jab rubbed him the wrong way just as Max’s had on the phone. “Eris Samael,” he replied flatly, clearly unamused. “The one who burst into Treaty Law, remember?”

Lilie barely contained her squeal of excitement, her hands flying to her mouth in an effort to muffle it. All that came out was a short sound, but her excitement came out in other ways. She was practically jumping in place, hands waving around excitedly. She couldn't believe it, Eris Samael was part of her group! Well no, Max was, but they were basically a pair, right? Did that mean she would see him? What if he came to their study sessions? Could she actually talk to him? What if they got to talk?!

"Are you sure?!" Lilie asked, eyes wide as she prayed for a good answer. Before getting a response, she continued, "I loved him in Sunset, he was so dreamy! I don't care what anyone says, he and Samantha Russell had way more chemistry than him and Rosaline Blackdale! The way he holds himself, the way he holds her hand, that little wink of his—it's all so perfect! He's so much hotter than Julius Moraine, I don't even know why people bother comparing the two when it's so easy to see which one of them dominates the polls!"

Salem glanced over at Aaron, giving him a look that could only be read as retained laughter. He let Lillie have her moment if it meant her happiness and a distraction from his current predicament. "Can't say that I know this Eris Samael. Or at least I haven't seen his films. Maybe we can have a sleepover or something one night and you can show me your favorite films of him."

"Yes!!! That's such a good idea!" Lilie jumped on the chance. "We could all get together and watch The Blood War!"

Aaron winced at Lilie’s squeal, that grimace from before threatening to sneak to the surface once again. He’d seen some of Eris’ films too, but he had never understood this infatuation with celebrities. Then again, perhaps growing up under the roof of royalty just dulled him to star power. He could conclude, though, that despite Eris being nice enough so far, Lilie might have a different opinion of the vampire if she spent a few minutes alone with him.

At the mention of The Blood War, however, Aaron couldn’t help but burst out a laugh. “You know what, I might actually take you up on that,” he told Lilie, chuckling. “That movie is hilarious.”

"Wh—" Lilie's bubble of joy popped at Aaron's words, her jaw dropping. "What? No, it's a historical drama about the events leading to the formation of the treaty!"

Aaron could only laugh a little more, despite himself. Once he composed himself a little more, he shook his head. “It’s definitely a drama, but I wouldn’t exactly call it historical.” He sighed, smiling as he remembered his mother’s live commentary when he’d watched the film with her for the first time. “Definitely a fun watch, though. Especially in my family!”

Salem went to go place his hand on his chin, a slight movement reminding him of the cuts and making him think better of it. He hummed a thoughtful hmm as Aaron spoke. "I suppose I could see some similarities between you and Eris Samael. Perhaps your lineage is much like you and thus easily shown through him."

The grin was all but slapped off Aaron’s face, and his gaze snapped over to Salem with brow furrowed. “What on earth makes you say that?” He asked, desperately hoping that Salem was referring to the fact that they were both blond and not implying that they at all behaved the same.

"Well your looks for starters. Blonde hair, fair skin, similar build. Really it's a perfect cast." Salem neglected to mention how they both have an air of arrogance to them, they are both flashy in their own regards, and each clearly thinks too highly of themselves. However Aaron's tone and gaze told him that he shouldnt reveal such details lest he gain his rancor.

Aaron squinted at Salem for a moment, not buying a word of it. They had, what, blond hair in common? Even so, even that detail was slightly off. Eris Samael being a “perfect cast” for Landar Starag himself was almost laughable. His performance was excellent, that much Aaron would freely admit, but the closest detail he shared with the Starag patriarch were the artificially blue contacts he’d been coerced into wearing for the part.

“You did see that painting of my grandfather at Her Highness’ manor, right?” he questioned, a hint of sharp sarcasm sneaking into his voice. “Mr. Samael put on an admirable show, but he’s not exactly a stand-in for the man himself.”

"I was a bit distracted by the vague rules, body modified vampire, creepy blind woman and oh yes her highness herself, to pay too much attention to the portraits that lay on the wall. I'll have to pay closer attention when I'm there next break." Salem's tone was as friendly as ever, yet carried a hint of annoyance at the other mage’s denial at the obvious.

The mere mention of Vanessa made Aaron’s skin crawl, but turning the conversation to the next break and Salem’s planned castle stay was (thankfully) enough to push her from his mind. He shook his head, though a wry smirk did curl his lip. Salem would have a hell of a time if he tried to convince the other Starags that Eris was in any way comparable to any Starag, and the very thought of three tiny blonde women laughing the idea out of the room was enough to lift Aaron’s spirits again. “Whatever you say,” he conceded smugly, shrugging. “You’ll have plenty of source material available when you get there.”

There was a brief silence as the reality of that statement sank in, and somewhat of a somber mood fell over the group again. Aaron spun his ring, wondering if now was a better time to repeat his offer from the night before, or if he should even repeat it at all. But he’d been ordered to get close to Salem, and the plant mage was clearly struggling despite his outward demeanour, so surely at least it couldn’t hurt?

“Speaking of which,” Aaron added more quietly, looking over Lilie’s head to Salem. He debated pulling Salem aside, or waiting until later, but Lilie already knew about Salem’s investigation, and Salem had only reacted poorly to any attempt at discretion, so he decided to come out with it. “My offer from last night is still open. There might be something I can do to ease your family’s minds throughout this whole… process, if you’ll let me.”

Salem's eyebrow arched at Aaron's daring proposal. How many times did someone have to reject him for him to understand what it meant? Or was he the type to have never been rejected and believes he will inevitably get his way if he asks enough. Regardless of the answer Salem would hear his proposal to see what the mage had in mind. "What were you thinking?" His voice was flat and devoid of any hope.

Though his voice didn’t quite betray it, Aaron had a hunch that Salem would be suspicious of him no matter what he did. Of course, given his own orders, maybe that was warranted, but that didn’t make it any less exhausting to talk to Salem when the man seemed to carry this air of superiority just because he was raised differently.

Maybe Aaron was more irritated than he thought.

Taking a breath to calm himself, Aaron’s tone was sincere when he spoke next. “I can write a letter to your family to tell them you’re well and inform them of the investigation. That way at least they’ll know you’re okay and have some idea what’s going on, instead of worrying themselves sick over radio silence.”

Salem's brow furrowed a bit as he heard the proposal, something someone raised with a silver spoon would suggest. Not that he wasn't raised with one himself, but at least he could see the severity of this idea. "So all you mean to do is write a letter on my behalf?" He asked feigning curiosity.

Aaron nodded. “Coming from me, no one should bat an eye, and when they check it for anything suspicious—which they will, by the way—they’ll find nothing but a letter on behalf of a friend.” He gave Salem a serious look. “I can even inform Princess Ryner about it, if you’d like. If so, any investigator would be hard-pressed to see it as anything but innocent.”

"That's...not a bad idea...is what I would say if it was anything but. However I fear that you doing so, Starag or not, would be viewed as impeding in the investigation and would only cause for it to take longer or a darker turn. I do appreciate your concern and want for help but I can't agree to what it is you're asking of me. However what you do on your spare time is not up to me nor does it require my approval." Salem hoped that Aaron would catch the hint he was throwing, but didn't fully know if the mage spoke in such subtleties.

Lilie looked between the two, quietly listening. It tore her heart to know Salem wouldn't be able to see his family, and she thought Aaron's offer was so touching. She was surprised Salem rejected it, though at that point she did walk ahead a little, turning around and walking backwards so she could face them.

"But that's what friends are for!" Lilie insisted, breaking her silence.

Aaron nearly rolled his eyes at Salem’s remark. True, fair enough, it was probably prudent to err on the conservative side when it came to accepting help while under investigation, but he didn’t seem to realize just how much weight the Starag name could carry in a situation like this. He never really had much reason to use it until now, but Aaron was sure that he could make it work to Salem’s benefit if he would only let him. But he was insistent, and as far as Aaron was concerned, there was nothing to do but accept his answer.

Lilie’s interjection made Aaron’s expression soften, some of his lingering spite melting away. He offered her an appreciative smile, and looked over to Salem. “If you’d rather I not, then I won’t,” he assured him, “but the offer is open if you change your mind.”

Lilie gave Aaron a look of disapproval, wagging her finger at him. "No, you're going to do it," She informed him plainly. "Salem can't ask, so I will. It'll be a favor from me." She cleared her throat as she tried to give herself a more uppity expression. "If you would be so kind as to inform the Spellman family, we would be utterly grateful." Her tone could have been mistaken for a mocking one, her words drawn out and delivered stiffly in what she assumed was a noble tone.

Brows knitted together, Aaron shot Lilie an utterly confused look. Was everyone just picking on him tonight?! He was briefly overwhelmed with an urge to veer off and head back to his dorm, but even that was out of the question if what Max told him was true. Besides, without a key it wasn’t like he could get in anyway.

Good grief, this night was testing his composure. Luckily it had been bred into him strong, and with a breath Aaron gathered himself again, even if his reply came out a little stuttery. “I— Lilie, I’m not going to contact his family if he doesn’t want me to,” he tried to reason.

"But I want you to," Lilie replied in earnest.

Aaron heaved a sigh. He would never understand humans.

Or, human-raised mages anyway. The urge to clap his hand to his forehead was strong, but for Lilie’s sake he refrained. “I do too!” he defended instead, gesturing to Salem. “Talk to him! He’s the one who won’t let me.”

Lilie frowned at Aaron's response, a little confused, but she gave Aaron a sincere, pleading look. "But you should do it anyway. You're a good person, and you're doing a really nice thing for a friend. If it was the other way around, I know Salem would do the same for you," She gently prodded Aaron, clasping her hands together. "Would you send it? Pretty please? For me?"

"She's not wrong. If it was me I'd go behind you and do it anyways. It's what friends do. But once again, what you do on your spare time is none of my business. If you write a note to my family telling them you've befriended me and that I am safe and you were concerned about the fact that I am incapable of reaching them, well I couldn't stop you because that is your prerogative." Man was Aaron dense.

Aaron glanced between Lilie and Salem as they spoke, confusion and frustration only mounting as they went on with what sounded to him like utter nonsense. So they were telling him that after Salem saying no, he should go behind his back and do the thing anyway, because that’s “what friends do”, and that Salem would betray him just the same if the tables were turned, and that all somehow… was a good thing.

What?!

As much as he wanted to groan out his frustrations, he kept his anguish inside for the sake of politesse as he struggled to grasp this concept that seemed so natural to these two. He was a good person if he blatantly went against someone’s wishes and behind their back to help them? Sure, maybe the intent was fine, but if Salem wanted the help, wouldn’t it have been so much simpler if he said yes? Yet here he was, all but begging Aaron to go against what he’d been told. Shouldn’t an hour with Count Julian bloodying up his knuckles have demonstrated to him why Starags weren’t particularly good at disobedience? And how on earth was he meant to procure Salem’s family’s contact information if Salem wouldn’t outwardly cooperate?

He was silent as they approached the infirmary until he finally let out a breath. “Whatever you say,” he conceded again, sounding defeated as he opened the infirmary door for his companions.

Salem let out a light hum as he spoke to no one in particular, more close to speaking aloud to himself. "I wonder if Princess Ryner has information on family members and emergency contacts. I believe I recall filling out a form and having added my mother as the emergency contact. No doubt that she would be a source of wisdom if ever I lost her number or my phone." Salem walked past Aaron, thanking him for holding the door as he went in.

Lilie watched Salem, waiting for a second before placing herself between Aaron and the entrance. "Did you get the hint?" She whispered.

Aaron glared a hole into the back of Salem’s head as he passed. He thought humiliation was Varis’ forte, but apparently it was a more common tool outside the castle than Aaron realized. Mocking a man for being unfamiliar with backwards human customs; what a way to cry for help.

Raising an eyebrow at Lilie, he couldn’t bring himself to give her a snippy reply, and simply closed his eyes and nodded. “I think so, yeah.”

She beamed up at him, taking his arm with hers as she pulled him along. "I knew you were a good person," She told him happily, dragging him along with her into the clinic.

Salem's eyes wandered around as he took in the sights, noticing a cluster of plants by the windows that when mixed together helped to create a potion to alleviate pain. His gaze moved on over towards the mage and the book she was reading, though its title remained hidden by the table it lay on. Salem knocked on the door as he stood by it, using his second knuckles to knock three times to catch the mages attention.

“Come in, come in. I’ll take it it isn’t an emergency.” The woman’s voice carried with practiced ease, waving them to approach her desk. “What are you doing at the infirmary then?”

"No emergency. I just need some gauze bandages to wrap my hands in." Salem held them up, knuckles towards the woman to show her the damage. "That and if you could spare a few cotton swabs and rubbing alcohol to clean and sterilize the wound as well. I run a clinic outside of here before I attended so I won't keep you from your book."

“Oh dear. Rough day at the Arena? Unarmed combat isn’t usually the first subject but the Arena Master like to changes things sometimes.” The woman clicked her tongue sympathetically as she stood, stepping over to a few cabinets and pulling out the requested items. She returned to her chair, taking care of the wounds herself. “It’s my job and it’s a slow day. The book isn’t going anywhere so just relax.” She said as she began dressing his wounds. “Who are your friends here? Did they need medical attention or are they just moral support?”

Salem sat down in front of her and laid his hands on the table. Chuckling slightly as she asked about Lillie and Aaron. "That's Aaron Starag and Lillie...huh, I don't know her last name… Well they met me after class to hang out but were concerned for my wounds and thus we ended up here before going about planning a picnic."

Lilie waved at the receptionist, finally releasing Aaron. "It's Dionne, by the way," She told Salem with a small nudge. "And yeah, we're both friends offering moral support."

“Isn’t that sweet. It’s nice to meet everyone.” The mage cooed as she finished cleaning one hand and started bandaging it. “How has everyone’s first day been? I know the transition can be hard. Doubly so for some.” She asked as she switched hands.

"It's been an experience I won't soon forget," Salem said as he winced through the burn if the alcohol. "I had no idea that school could be so...eventful in just a short few days. I suppose it's good that today has been slow for you though, wouldn't want to see too many students here so early."

Lilie frowned at the question, rubbing her sore arm. How was she supposed to respond to that? She gave the mage a small shrug, trying not to look too down. She forced herself to perk up, nodding in agreement with Salem.

"Yeah, really eventful!" She forced a smile, though after a few seconds she dropped it and replaced it with a real smile. "It's a good thing I made some friends! Not really sure what I would have done otherwise…"

“Friends are what will get you through the rough times. That and willow bark tea for the hangovers of course.” She chuckled as she patted Salem’s bandaged hand gently. “Was there anything else I can help you with today?”

"I don't suppose there is. Thank you once again for your hospitality and what you do for this school." Salem stood up and gave the woman a bow, turning back to Lillie and Aaron as he headed towards the door. "Shall we?"

Aaron was content to stay quiet as the other two chatted with the nurse, taking a moment to enter Lilie’s last name into her contact when she mentioned it. Dionne… it was delicate, feminine. It suited her well, he decided. He watched on as the nurse cleaned and bandaged Salem’s hands, letting his mind wander. If the consensus was that he should send word to Salem’s family, then he’d need to speak to Princess Ryner again; he wasn’t fond of bothering her twice in the span of a night, but he was sure she’d be understanding of his request. He’d also need to inform Varis—wait, he should ask permission, it’d come across more favourably that way—and arrange for the letter to be examined sooner rather than later. There was a small, spiteful part of him that wanted to forego the whole plan after Salem’s mockery, but he pushed that impulse aside. He had a duty to get close to Salem whether he wanted to or not, and hopefully the vitriol could be written off as frayed nerves from a difficult night with Count Julian. Aaron made a few mental notes to take care of everything and came back to his senses as the nurse finished her job, perking up when he was addressed.

“Indeed!” he replied brightly, though he did check his watch. Good grief, 5:10am already? “I have some time before I need to head back, where would the two of you like to go?”

Lilie scratched her cheek as she tried to think. Her eyelids felt a little heavy, but she ignored it as she thought of an idea. “I know! We should check to see if Salem’s stuff made it to the dorms,” She suggested. “We’re all neighbors, too, so it’ll be easy to point out where each of us live so we all know for the future.”

Aaron hadn’t quite been expecting that, but it made as much sense as anything else. He wasn’t fond of the idea of setting foot on a noble’s property without permission—man, Salem belonging to an Astorio would take some getting used to—but at least he’d be close to his own dorm when his curfew rolled around. “Good idea,” he replied to Lilie, before turning to Salem. “Do you have a key?”

Salem thought back onto his interaction with the student housing representative and realized he hadn't received a key to his dorm. His lips curled down into a worried frown as he thought about how to enter his new abode. "Now that you mention it I don't. Maybe the front door will simply be unlocked or perhaps the student housing building could provide me with one?"

Lilie opened her mouth and then closed it. Right, the move meant Salem probably didn’t have a key. “Then let’s go get one!” She cheerfully said.

Tilting his head in thought for a moment, Aaron wondered if Salem’s dorm might indeed be unlocked. Or, accessible anyway. On the first night the keys had been in the mailboxes, would they risk that after dorms were meant to be claimed?

“A groundskeeper let me into my dorm last night after dinner, but they were expecting me,” Aaron commented absently. “Lilie has the right idea, you might as well go visit the housing office and be sure about it.”

"May as well. I was just going to attempt the door or a window, but housing sounds like a much easier way to go about it. Who knows maybe we'll run into Max and can invite him over as well. Need to build that repertoire for treaty law after all."

---

Whoops! Blame shit data reception

Victor Astorio

It was a cool evening and everyone seemed to be unwinding as expected. A few other noticeable faces passed by here and there, as he sat and waited for his mage to emerge. The one mage that did eventually emerge was Lille, the ghost haired mage from earlier. He could not help but smile at her.

Victor seemed to wait for a while longer before growing bored; his prize seemed to have exited out another entrance or was perhaps still inside. Either way he still wanted to venture around the perimeter of the compound and get a good feel for the number of paces between buildings. All things to figure out and remember with the hope that they would not need to be used.

Rustling of leaves in a gentle breeze, the odd giggle or whisper from those hidden in the foliage or up in the trees, footsteps down gravel walk ways, the odd clink of metal or glass that someone was carrying. All subtle sounds that filled the more heavily wooded park areas near the border of the school. He was sure he was being watched, they all were this close to the edge. The last thing a place like this would want was party crashers.

The vampire felt a familiar vibration in his coat pocket while he continued with his slow stroll, the name “High and Mighty” came across the old screen. The contact name and number for his father or one of his father’s advisors. Pondering to answer the phone for a brief moment or toss it into the woods, he hesitated before answering on the fifth ring. “Hello.”

He was met with silence but he could tell someone was there, “not a strong start.” The voice sounded disappointed but was obviously his fathers, “you are supposed to befriend the mages not toss them across the arena. Lord Perion would find that amusing but I don’t.” the irritation in the voice soon overcame the disappointment. “Do not think that I won’t brand you as a traitor and take your standing with the council away from you. You are not invincible and we cannot look inept in front of the clan.”

Silence on both sides of the phone for an awkward few moments, “Yes Sir, I understand.” Was all Victor could muster through his gritting teeth. Always judging his every move like he know better or knows how to read people. His father never wanted to see his plans through, thinking they were always dependent on too many variables and not worth the risk.

“Fix yourself before I have to remind your friend here why she is in the position that she is in.” his father never gave idle threats and he did have the one thing left that could control his son by his side every day as one of his personal mages and assistants. An unknowing hostage.

“The situation will be handled, there is no need to go to such lengths for punishment.” All he got in return was the click of the phone and the conversation ending. Quickly victor dropped the phone before he crushed it and punched a nearby tree, splintering wood and sending cracks through the tree.

It took him more than a few moments to regain his composure. Picking up his phone, he carried on towards his dorm. Not only was his father ever paranoid of his progress but he probably had a spy or two on the grounds here, not to mention his sister monitoring social media from some of the students here. It would be tricky to take any sort of action against his father or their house from here. a dangerous thing to have at the princesses school but he wouldn't put it past him.

Perhaps he could find an audience with the princess; he does have enough information to at least bring his family down currently not the whole Astorio line but at least the Strigois clan. First things first he would have to free the hostage and be taken in to speak with the princess without asking. That way he could at least avoid suspicion there. He would lose all standing with his family and branded a traitor if he was not careful. He has been to imprisoned once but Victor was aware that they would kill him rather than have him speak. It is a fight either way, but one way or another his father would pay for what he has done.

Emerging from the park area the tall vampire continued to his dorm. The Astorio Dorm looked quite well off and it was not hard to find. He opened the front door with the key he had been given when he arrived and set the one that was for his mage on a small table next to the door. He left his coat on a rack next to the door and took his shoes off before entering his new home. Victor checked on one of the small office rooms, it was rather plain but at least the furnishings seemed appropriate.

Continuing on to his room he noticed it was rather plain, a desk in one corner of the room and a small covered area for sleeping if he so wished. Then back towards the far wall stood what almost looked like a shrine. Burning candles and incense ready to be used, sitting on top of this small table was his family’s heirloom. The sword he brought with him titled, “Moon Slayer” for its use in a time long since passed. it was set up the same way he had left it at home. clearly set up that way on purpose.

Victor picked up the well-maintained and well-balanced long sword, looking at it and the inscriptions that covered it for a few moments. After a little while, he picked up one of the candles and a stick of incense and walked to the back yard. Lighting the stick and blowing out its flame he set it down on the swords scabbard in front of him so it could burn, the candle was set just behind that.

After taking off his shirt he sat down in the grass, his legs crossed in front of him. The sword was being held with his left hand on the flat side of the blade and his right hand holding the hilt. This was another way for him to meditate and listen to the world around him as well as plan and think about what he had to do next.

Interacting with: @Hero

---

“A grudge against a mage? They aren’t worth that. Especially the boy. No,” Varis opened the door and let them in, closing and locking it behind Eris. “The boy has the mental flexibility of a brick and the independence of the newest toy you had delivered. I have to break him before I can piece him back together into something even passingly acceptable. The Noila’s have shielded him far too long and its stunted his capacity for reasonable thought.”

“Plus, I know it makes Ryner furious and why not have a little fun while I’m working?” Varis sneered as he passed Aaron’s doorless room. “Would you care for a glass of blood? I have a bottle that will absolutely ruin you for any other taste.”

---

---

Interacting with: @Scribe of Thoth

“Aw, aren’t you the cutest thing around.” He cooed at the dog as he petted it happily. After a few playful nips at his fingers, Maxie barked equally as happy and relaxed in Max’s arms as the other mage pet it. “Well, not quite. Your owner has you beat I think.” The mage winked at Max with a laughed and backed away again. “I’m Liam by the way. I run a dog blog so I took a picture earlier but I accidently caught your face in the picture. Not that I’m complaining but I didn’t want to post it without running it by you first. And ask you if you would let me take more pictures sometime? Whenever you’re available of course. I’ll treat you afterwards as thanks.” Liam grinned at Max.

Cassandra

@Achronum

Cassandra thought it was rather odd that they seemed to want her, a complete stranger, in on this scheme so darn badly. Could it be some kind of trick? But if so, from whom and to what end? Cassandra had no enemies that she knew of, and she reasoned that anyone who would want to harm her just for being a mage wouldn't bother with such an unlikely plan.

They hadn't invited her unsoliceted, after all. She had over heard them.

That just leaves the question of the insistence. Is it possible that they know she is a fire mage? It's not likely, and if they did that would be an even more suspicious sign. There could be tells, though. And really, if they weren't giving her a choice, she may as well enjoy herself.
"Okay. If we can hurt one abuser, and frame another, then I'm in. What do we do?"

---

“Aw, aren’t you the cutest thing around. Well, not quite. Your owner has you beat I think.”

Was everyone on this campus horny? The vampires he could understand, they were likely just eccentric hedonists or... whatever the hell Eris was, but now the mages were joining in. He must be hot or something. Still, the lack of fangs involved made this situation only mildly exasperating rather than outright weird like with Trenchcoat Guy.

“I’m Liam by the way. I run a dog blog so I took a picture earlier but I accidently caught your face in the picture. Not that I’m complaining but I didn’t want to post it without running it by you first. And ask you if you would let me take more pictures sometime? Whenever you’re available of course. I’ll treat you afterwards as thanks.”

A dog blog. Not only did this guy waste his time posting animals on a regular basis, there were people who actually considered that entertainment. At least he was nice enough to ask about putting the picture up online. Or he caught one of Max's death glares. What was he even supposed to tell this guy? He had no idea what Eris planned to do with this mutt, or for how long. It might end up getting turned into a scarf for all Max knew. Though, a photoshoot for the stupid thing would probably be right up Eris' alley, albeit with a more renowned photographer no doubt.

"I don't really care what you do with the picture, but this actually isn't my dog," Max explained apathetically, "I can ask the owner for you but I'm not really sure if he likes working with amateurs." That probably made no sense without context. How was Max supposed to describe Eris Samael without saying Eris Samael? "Like, he's got expensive tastes, and you're just... some guy with a website. I think." Max seriously hoped no one actually got famous off dog blogging. "Then again, he really likes attention, so..." The mage trailed off with a shrug.

---

@Achronum

Normally Dakota would have laughed at Damien’s stammered response, listening to him try and salvage what he could from the misconception that had just occurred. There was no sense of judgement from the youth, but Dakota had a habit of pushing jokes just a smidge too far at times. This was the first person Dakota had managed to click with so far that didn’t feel especially awkward or forced. It would be a real shame to lose a friend so soon, especially in a place like this school.

Instead, Dakota opted to grin instead, offering a curt shrug before falling back into line with the pace Damien set. It became clear rather quickly that he didn’t actually remember the way with any degree of clarity, but Dakota didn’t mind the roundabout route. An adventure wasn’t good until someone started walking in the wrong direction.

Eventually the pair was able to locate the stop, the line a bubbling entity of a surprising amount of order. Students were paired together talking about this and that, somehow maintaining an actual line instead of an amorphous crowd. Small bits of various conversations floated from the group back to the approaching pair, but nothing that really drew Dakota’s full attention. There was mention of some guy named Eris which Dakota assumed meant the oddball from an earlier class. Despite the vampiric world’s penchant for strange names and titles, even Dakota doubted there were many people who went by that name.

Ever so often Dakota would hear a hushed whisper about a vampire throwing a mage across the arena quickly followed by a shuffling of bodies. This, for whatever reason, annoyed the young mage. That particular event happened not too long ago, and yet it was already a topic of conversation at a bus stop of all places? On the one hand, being able to identify that kind of a threat in order to avoid it was one thing, but it was Dakota’s experience that the victim quickly becomes the center of attention.

Despite the many conversations Dakota could have tapped into, a movement out of the corner the eye caught the youth’s attention. Glancing over to the side, Dakota caught sight of Joryldin rushing up to speak with a small group. From the looks of things, one of them was a vampire… which shouldn’t have seemed all that weird if not for the fact that Jory had spoken so harshly of the race before. A change of perspective wasn’t a bad thing, but the timing of it all sat strangely in the gut. He didn’t seem nervous at all, at least not from the distance Dakota was spying at, but his mannerisms seemed almost relaxed which was a big difference from how he had been back at the dorms.

What have you gotten yourself into? Dakota thought silently before slowly nudging Damien with a gentle elbow. Once Damien’s attention was grabbed, the youth pointed the small group out with a tilt of their chin, expression difficult to read.

“That’s him, my partner… or so-called anyway. Has enough sense to tell me that he’s going to be out late and not to wait up, but won’t tell me anything about what he’s doing. Now I catch him hanging out with another vampire, something doesn’t feel right about this.” A scowl was beginning to form on Dakota’s face but their eyes shone with concern. There was no real context given for Damien, the youth forgetting that he had not seen the text message, nor had they spoken at much detail about the boy’s previous behavior… the realization of sounding like some jealous lover dawning quickly.

“Ah, sorry. I meant to just point him out, not trying to get you wrapped up in anything.” This time it was Dakota’s turn to grin and laugh sheepishly.



Leaning against the far wall Amaris stood with her arms criss crossed along her torso, unblinking eyes locked on the book awaiting her return. She could feel the warmth of the light in the tank on her side but she couldn’t bring herself to move just yet. The countess, despite her discomfort, found herself continuing to just stare at the book from a distance... wondering. There was little in the way of understanding of what stayed her in these moments, especially after all she had gone through to get it in the first place.

Amaris had been so ready to face expulsion from the school, not to mention severe punishment from the Crown, yet now that she had her prize she found herself hiding from it. Sure, the sudden appearance of her name among the list had been rather startling, however there was something more than surprise at work. It was a sinking feeling deep in her gut that only twisted tighter the longer her thoughts dwelled on the object.

Her father had rejected the information and the consequences that went with it, or so she had been told. But how much of those words could she actually believe? Princess Ryner had seemed pleased with the countess’ decision to keep the original copy, going as far as to lie to her own sister about the arrangement and provide false intel to the royal guard. There was also the matter of her parting words, more warning that instruction the longer Amaris sat on them.

“I would consider, before you try what is in that book, the information you’ve learned today and attempt to reconcile that with the father you knew. I hope you see with new eyes. For history goes to the victor and we have yet to win.”

The concept of winning spoke of a struggle, but it was the ‘yet’ that held Amaris’ attention. Could it be that such a struggle was still ongoing? And if so, who all was involved? It was as if Amaris had been watching a play only to discover the back curtain concealed an entirely different play that contradicted the source material. The whole situation had trapped the countess on a carousel of thoughts, running her round and round until she couldn’t distinguish directions any longer.

There was no other alternative.

Amaris finally pushed away from the wall and approached the vanity, taking a seat before opening the cover once again. The pages looked exactly as she had left them, her name still shining back at her in scarlet text. Whatever happened, whatever was happening, she was now a permanent part of it and there was no erasing that fact. Her only option was to move forward and hope that it didn’t get her killed.

Flipping to the next page, Amaris almost burst out laughing. Somehow it was not at all a surprise that the first topic of study would be how to hide the damned tome, and yet the relief just about brought tears to the countess’ eyes. It would seem her nerves were beginning to get the better of her after all.

Glancing over the text, the first lesson it thought to teach was something known as a glamour. It was a general type spell with many applications as far as she was aware of. Magic was cast to change the appearance of something, make it easier to hide or misdirect those searching for it. She had seen it used several times by the researchers employed by the family, but she had never once seen them use a process anything like what the book was describing.

She read the words silently to herself for fear of accidentally setting something off she would have no control over. Words of power spoken careless was just asking for trouble, though she doubted she would be able to pronounce half of them correctly anyway. The glamour in question not only called for a sinister sounding incantation but a sacrifice of blood in specific amounts. If that was any indicator of what the rest of the spells would look like, she was in for a painful time. She would have to be cautious not to draw attention to herself with injuries if she was going to be practicing any of them.

Pushing the extra thoughts aside, Amaris returned her full attention to the words before her. There was a recommendation to start small before attempting a full cast, but the patches of information weren’t exactly complete. The text gave her an amount of blood to be used for the full spell but said nothing about how much should be used for a small piece like it was suggesting. Was it the same either way? How was she supposed to know what was going wrong if the paper didn’t change colors?

“Well Getsuga, it seems like this is going to require a little more research than I thought. Do you think the library would have anything that could help me?” She asked, turning around in her seat to gaze at the reptile who lifted his head to gaze back.

“I know, I know. There won’t be any books on this type of magic, but maybe I could get a better understanding of magic itself if I read up on it a bit… Oh, but someone might get suspicious if a vampire starts checking out books on magic spells. So what should I do, it’s not like there’s anyone I can tell about this who knows how to cast-”

”Lord Marivaldi is fully aware of all the details…”

It’s worth a shot I guess. Who better to explain magic to me than a former mage? He’s probably going to be really mad at me for getting into this sort of situation in the first place though. I did promise to stay out of trouble after all. A sigh of resignation was followed by the rustling of Amaris searching for her phone. Turning the screen on, Amaris selected a number from her list of contacts that did not have a name associated with it and opened an empty text thread.

Her fingers tapped lightly against the screen as she entered her message and sent it off, sitting back in her chair to await the possibility of a response.



Her words were intentionally casual and overly familiar as it would defeat the purpose of concealing the number to address the recipient as she normally should. In all honesty, Amaris had only intended to use the given contact in the case of an actual emergency but the situation was much different now. After all, she couldn’t very well hide from her Lord forever after speaking with Ryner now could she?

It took Varis less than a second to shrug Eris off, sending him a flat look as he went about pulling out the newest bottle he insisted the actor would fall in love with. "Focus. I need you to experience this in full so we can fix that awful habit of drinking from just anything." Varis shuddered as he popped the bottle and poured the actor a glass, passing it to him and led him to the living room, where Varis sunk down gratefully. Not having a mage to deal with for a while was a small blessing at least.

"I have my eyes set on the Eve here next. Once I get her under my heel, I think I may have enough away to knock that insufferable failure from his seat." Varis said, sipping from the glass. It was light and fruity, almost refreshing compared to some of the heavier vintages. He liked it well enough but it was an uncommon enough variety that maybe Eris wouldn't have tried it. He'd set himself this little task of developing the actor's palate more but so far, he'd had little luck. He'd keep trying though. He was nothing if not persistent.

"So, what are your plans for the short term? Clearly you've needed to put your work aside for a while but I doubt you're going to sit idle for long, if at all."

---

On the walk back to the administrative building, Lilie’s phone pinged with a text notification.



Otherwise the walk was much the same, allowing the little group more time to themselves.

Meanwhile…

The Champion’s group made their way quickly into the dorm section and made their way to part of the dorms that was quieter than the rest. Only two students were in the garden between buildings and neither Hannah nor Evalyn paid the9m any mine. Hannah whispered a short incantation and made as if she was throwing a net over the group, holding her finger to her lips in a clear sign to shut the fuck up. Whatever she did seemed to render them unnoticeable, a vampire and mage nearly hitting them despite the fact they were looking straight at them. Evalyn led the group up to a door and unlocked it, ushering them inside.

The dorm was immaculate,almost nothing seemed to be touched. Evalyn and Hannah ignored most of the area. Instead, the beelined straight for the rooms and ducked into the first one.

“You guys check the other one. It might get kinda wierd so be careful. Put these on and drag out anything that looks like its meant for humans. Her dad is a “Mage Accessory” big whig so collars, leashes, restraints all come out in the living room.”

---

“Oh.” Liam’s face fell a little at the clear apathy in Max’s face and the blatant disregard for his hobby. “I think I’ll avoid that for now. Don’t really need celebrity drama on my blog, especially his. But hey, the offer to hang out is still there if you ever want to. I’m normally sobbing my eyes out in the library over the eight billion conjuration prep classes I have to take.” Liam chuckled and ruffled Maxie’s fur one last time before waving goodbye and slipping into the administrative building towards the Library.

The main administrative building muffled all sound as soon as the door shut behind them. A small reception area met the pair, a few comfortable chairs scattered around a couple tables with various forms stored carefully in vertical leather magazine holders. The receptionist wasn’t present behind the counter, a little sign with a clock on it reading another ten minutes, but several plaques acted as signs for various departments in the building. Student Housing, with Inquiries and Requisitions printed in cursive beneath the department name, stood out among Library, Tutoring, Finance, Student Government, and various other areas.

Following the Student Housing sign would take students down a few hallways and up one flight of stairs before depositing them in front of a large frosted glass wall with a door titled Student Housing. Beyond it, a small row of chairs lined the inside and three receptionists sat behind counters. A muted clicking filled the air, the sound of three pairs of hands typing into their computers, and a few students either trying not to doze off as their vampires chatted after running into each other in the office.