“If you did, you did it poorly. Sullen silences are not indicative of proper conversation. Another weakness in the Starag line apparently.” Varis rolled his eyes. Did Ryner not teach them how to carry a conversation for longer than five seconds without irritating their conversation partner? That’s what he gets for picking up this caged lapdog. INo experience in anything other than polishing boots of those who treat him as a pet rather than the resource he is. Irritating but if the boy couldn’t do better on his own, Varis would enroll him in some sort of socialization program. If there was one.

“If you don’t improve, I’ll have to dedicate more time to your training and that would displease me greatly. I expect a fruitful conversation the next time I see you two together.” Varis demanded. He tapped his fingers on the desk. He couldn’t shake the concern that Ryner found a loophole and the gnawing uncertainty in his chest grew at the thought. “What did you discuss while Eris and I were occupied?”

“We traded theories on the methodology of the skull challenge, discussed the probable use of mental mages for the exam.” Aaron answered simply. It seemed a little odd for Varis to arrange a new training schedule for him if such a thing bothered him, but maybe he meant specifically social training, though Aaron wasn’t sure why one would be more irritating than the other. Did Varis just expect every mage to come ready-made and prepared for subterfuge, and was frustrated that he didn’t? Actually, that probably wasn’t far from the truth. Mages raised by the Sinnenodels were probably taught to socialize with the same enthusiasm as Starags were taught the Treaty. “Mr. Alderman was also interested in the various uses of each of our affinities after I told him about what his clone was capable of, although he wasn’t fond of having to wait the few years it would take to reach that level.”

He mentally ran through the full challenge again, and suddenly remembered something. “Oh, pardon me Master,” he added abruptly, “before we stray too far, you wanted me to contact Malek for something from your vault.”

Varis nodded along absently as the boy spoke. So despite his general abrasiveness, Eris’ mage wanted to progress. Manners he may not have but at least Eris’ mage had ambition. It was so much more entertaining to manipulate people with actual passions rather than bland loyalty. Loyalty that, it seemed, had reason to be questioned after tonight. Maybe he’d make the boy detail his days from start to finish in addition to his normal chores. It would add another thing to his list and keep him out of trouble since apparently his punishments weren’t enough to dissuade the boy from keeping secrets from him.

“Oh yes. I do need Malek to have quite a bit sent to me. I recommend you write it down; maybe then you’d remember how to serve your master.” Varis said, pulling out his phone and tapping on it for a bit, scrolling as he spoke “I need the files from Events 12 through 27, History 266 and 345, and all of Training. Training and History can be mailed but I expect Events in my hand when I walk out of my room tomorrow.” Varis locked his phone and put it away when he had a most interesting idea. Maybe adding things to his list wasn’t punishment enough. No. He knew an excellent idea. One he fully expected to make the boy think twice.

“Now, I’ve been considering how to augment your punishment. Lines are important. I think 1500 repetitions of “I will not lie to my Master” will pound it into your abnormally thick skull but after our last session, I’m not sure it will be enough. Especially since this time, it was lying and not just being an idiot.” Varis shook his head in disappointment. “So, I was thinking then maybe I’d have you write a full report everyday about your activities with as much detail as you can on top of it all. Make you so busy you wouldn’t even have the time to do anything that you could lie about. But by the crown, I don’t want to read that on top of all my work. At that point, it’s my own punishment and I haven’t done anything wrong.” Varis waved the very concept of his wrongdoings away. He acted as perfectly as ever and no one could say otherwise. Plus, reading the boy’s work every day meant seeing him for longer and frankly, that idea exhausted Varis even more than the reading would.

“Since you like to keep secrets, I clearly don’t know you as well as you do so I’ve come up with a better idea. In addition to your lines, I want a two page minimum apology for lying to your better and a paper on punishments you believe would be far more corrective to your behavior. And if I don’t think they’re suitable enough, well let’s just hope you don’t mess this up like everything else. What do you think?”

Kneeling on the floor as he was, Aaron obviously couldn't write anything down, instead listening carefully as Varis rattled off everything he needed from his vault. At least he had a good memory for this sort of thing, a list locking itself away in the back of his mind until he could contact Malek.

It was just as well, as Varis’ next order of business got very overwhelming very fast. Aaron’s chest filled with dread imagining the sheer volume of busywork in store for him as Varis spoke, only for him to long for that very tedium when the Count changed his mind. Dammit, it was Dawn all over again! Varis had a talent for tormenting people, that much was clear. Hell, he made a sport out of it. Being forced to arrange his own punishment was about as potent a deterrent as Aaron could think of - not that it stopped him before, apparently - and lightened Varis’ workload besides. The efficiency was impressive, and he hated everything about it.

Not that he'd voice as much. Besides, Varis could probably guess that anyway. Instead, he bowed his head, resigning himself to the worst, as always. “An elegant solution, Master,” he agreed appropriately, “I will begin tonight as soon as I'm able.”

“Considering I expect you to start thinking about your assignments immediately, you should have started as soon as you heard it.” Varis replied, an unamused look directed the boy’s way. “You’re dismissed. And while you’re leaning on yet another person to cover your ineptitude, ask how to develop some degree of resistance. Blemishes on a Sinnenodel’s property are so unbecoming and I expect you to avoid them in the future.”

“Yes, Master,” Aaron replied dutifully, standing with letter in hand and offering a proper bow before he took his leave. He tarried only long enough to grab his phone from his room before promptly quitting the place, knowing Varis would want him gone for some time. Just as well; maybe the infirmary had painkillers.

Sight was restored to the Countess once again as she was guided to her seat, Amaris blinking several times out of surprise for the sudden shift. For the second time, the pair found themselves transported to a setting that shouldn’t have existed considering their circumstances. While the luxuries of what appeared to be a casino were preferred much higher to an underwater cage, Amaris found the bustling energy and cacophony of voices to be incredibly unpleasant.

She couldn’t deny the marvel that was yet another bubble reality weaved together by magic, this one seemingly more complex than their encounter with the serpent. There was an illusion of life around her, individual voices crying out their wins and losses, yet she knew none of it mattered to them. It was simply the soundtrack chosen to add to the atmosphere, a control over the ebb and flow of tension for what the pair was about to face. Once their business with the, now, animated dealer was completed, the fake lives of the casino goers would fade into the night like a desert mirage on the horizon.

Amaris returned her full attention back to the figure that would be their dealer for the evening, doing her best to maintain a neutral expression as he spoke.

“I’m going to pretend not to be offended by the implications of such a statement.” While the thought didn’t sit right with the Countess, the worst of it was that the man wasn’t wrong. Others of her status were already used to manipulating everything and -one around them in order to achieve an optimal outcome for themselves. It was the game of politics she despised so much but could find no real escape from.

Rather than dwelling on such things, though, Amaris set her sights to the table before her as instructed. Her eyes shifted over the images of the mages to their vampiric partners, and then again to the rows containing faces less familiar to her. It wasn’t until she rested her gaze upon her Ralmevik that she understood the group she was faced with. While his visage was that of a man far younger than she had ever met, there was no mistaking the sight of her late father. She almost burst out laughing at seeing him so young; a stark contrast from her memories of him. The rest she took in one by one, associating the Lord or Lady with the current nobles, until she reached the unpaired image. Ryner’s beauty had only grown with her age, but it was still unnerving to see the past of such an important figure in their society. It felt almost forbidden somehow…

Her eyes snapped up as the dealer began his explanations of a surprisingly straightforward game. Despite the provided scenarios and a sense of a correct or incorrect answer, there was seemingly still the possibility of an unlucky or dud draw. But if such an assumption were true, that also gave the pair the potential to win even if they were at a loss for a proper response. The gamble was in avoiding the one death card out of the near dozen incorrect answers.

A part of the Countess wanted to ask what the consequence of losing the game would be but instead chose to assume the pair would be sent along their way without either of their prizes, having wasted an undetermined amount of time. She couldn’t imagine much worse as a potential outcome for an exam crafted by a woman who claimed to take her students’ safety so seriously. With the explanations complete and the first clue dispensed, Amaris tore her eyes from the ghost of her father to glance at Maddie.

“Leave it to the House to come up with something as unique as this.” Amaris spoke with a smile, the same insatiable curiosity lighting up her eyes as she plucked a chip from the table and rolled it back and forth across her fingers.

“I think it would be wise to play conservatively to start, at least until we are sure we have a grasp on the mechanics of our challenge. So, how does one chip on Ryner sound?” The yellow chip continued to flip about her digits absently as she awaited her partner’s response.

So far everything seemed straightforward, yet the purpose of the abacus hadn’t been detailed in their tutorial of the game. It was possible it meant nothing at all to the pair as players, a tool meant only for the dealer of the game… but it might also serve as a way to keep tabs on which cards had already been played, a visual clue to help narrow down the probability of future draws. Amaris would have to keep an eye on it moving forward until she was certain one way or the other. For the time being, she simply awaited the blessings of her partner before making a final decision.

With the boy out of sight, out of mind, Varis let himself slump in the chair with a sigh. He could feel the tension radiating off himself. Feeding would have worked wonders for his mood but frankly, keeping the boy around any longer would have been detrimental to his own sanity. Everyone put the Starags on such a high pedestal. Even when he got the boy, he hadn’t imagined they were even capable of lying to whoever they swore their allegiance too. Clearly he judged them without all the facts like the common rabble and that made him angrier than the boy lying. He’d have to work on that apparently.

But the biggest problem was Ryner. He didn’t know how she did it but the fact that she pulled back a natural immunity that he’d relied on so hard scar―upset him. It put him at a very clear disadvantage. He couldn’t afford his Lady finding something like that out otherwise she’d take the soonest opportunity to stick her mage’s prying eyes somewhere he’d rather her not. She sent enough wandering eyes as it was but at least those were easily deceived. If she got in his head, he imagined it would be a short trip to a sunrise viewing and frankly, Varis was far more interested in his continued health. Varis chewed at his lip for a moment before shaking his head. There was little he could do until he had his discussion with Ryner. Coming into a conversation like that in this state would only put him at a disadvantage and he didn’t need that.

Instead, he pulled out his phone and fiddled with it. He considered messaging Eris to see how soon he would be arriving. He needed that distraction more than ever but he heard the front door open. It seemed Eris showed up just on time and Varis clicked his tongue irritably. He could have shown up a few minutes earlier and he opened his mouth to make that exact point but he held himself back when Eris made his demand. Varis took a moment to look Eris over and inwardly sighed. There was nothing whimsical, flirtatious, or energetic in his posture which meant business. Instead, Varis straightened in his seat and frowned.

“Should we move to a more appropriate place or will the study be satisfactory?” Varis asked. He wasn’t sure where this was going but Varis had a sneaking suspicion this was a conversation for the Sinnenodel heir rather than his noble acquaintance and that did nothing to ease the gnawing unease in his stomach. But if that was what Eris wanted, then Varis would deliver.

“Here is fine,” Eris replied quickly, pushing himself off the doorway and walking in. It was obvious he wasn’t happy, but he wasn’t about to lay it out there just yet. The redhead was uneasy as it was--Eris had to be careful not to go imploding the interaction too early.

Running a hand through his hair, there were a few seconds of silence as Eris stared at the wall. “In hindsight, I thought the mix-up meant things would be easier. I’d like to think at this point we know one another well enough,” He started off slowly, irritated. “If I couldn’t take a few insults, then I may as well quit show business considering that’s all the tabloids do. What I was not, however, prepared for were your apparent ‘true thoughts’.”

“My true…” Varis repeated softly before it clicked and Varis fought rolling his eyes. The damn challenge. Whatever soured Eris’ mood must be connected to that and Varis didn’t quite like the sound of that. Once he reassured Eris whatever happened in there was nonsense, he was going to murder Ryner. “I see. So enlighten me to whatever grand revelation was bestowed upon you, Eris. What did you learn?”

Eris slowly shook his head at the redhead, further aggravated, but he held himself back. “Grand revelation? There was no ‘grand revelation’ but it was nice to see you lump me in with the rest of the plebeians,” He couldn’t help but snap. “You’d think at some point in time that there was an inkling of change, but no, and apparently I’m the only one that thought this partnership was worth something.”

He was actually getting genuinely upset as he talked, but he reigned himself in again before continuing. “First it was just showboating about how you love to lead me on, and honestly, I wish it had stopped there--I know what I do, my pride isn’t dented by any of that,” He threw his arms up in the air, pacing slightly as he ranted. “But lo and behold, you decided to slam me with your ‘apparent truth’--that of course I was just being used, that of course I was just another tool to you. You mocked me about how stupid I was, that you were clearly incapable of feeling anything for anyone.”

Varis kept his thoughts to himself as Eris rambled, feeling his own temper rising to match Eris’ apparent frustration. Varis kept himself composed and focused as he watched Eris, not sure how much was theatrics and how much was honest anger. What exactly did his copy say that made Eris think even half of this way true. Varis let him into his home and quite a bit of his secret dealings. This partnership, as Eris put it, was incredibly beneficial; otherwise, it would have ended a decade ago.

“I’ve never considered you stupid, clearly this little game of Ryner’s did it’s job. Whatever it spouted was lies, disinformation, or exaggerations of the truth.” Varis replied coolly. “I have invited you into my home, into this dorm, into my life far more than any other I’ve met and you think, for even the slightest second, that means this partnership means nothing? Please, spare me the theatrics. You have never been stupid. You’re ambitious and we both know the dangers of permitting ambition close and yet here I have.” Varis stood as well, far too irritated to sit.

“It is a grand revelation because apparently, whatever you spoke to knows myself better than I or you, two of the most observant vampires on this campus. Please continue. I quite enjoy having my inner thoughts dictated to me.” Varis gestured that the floor was Eris’.

The blonde stopped pacing, his eyes darkening slightly as he looked at the redhead. There was the tiniest part of him that wanted to amp the theatrics purely out of spite, but that wouldn’t get him anywhere. He needed to be careful and not go losing his temper. Not yet, anyway. Instead, he openly scoffed in apparent disbelief.

“Whatever that practical did, it went into our heads--both of our heads,” Eris replied. “My mage ended up getting me and now he knows the truth about the deal between my sister and I, something I would never tell anyone. That led me to believe everything I heard in my part was true as well.”

His hands ruffled his hair in frustration, lightly pulling on it before dropping his arms to his sides. “I honestly don’t even care about what the mage knows, I could dispose of him any time. But I can’t…” He trailed off, squeezing his eyes shut and pinching the bridge of his nose. Just remembering what Not-Varis said was getting him upset, he needed to reel himself in.

Eris suddenly looked at Varis, eyes wide. “Just tell me who Greta is.”

Varis was really hoping that whatever came spilling out of Eris' mouth would present itself as a salve to his concerns but instead, it only fueled them. Varis' eyes darkened completely and he crossed his arms to hide the shaking of his hands. Eris was right. No one else would know about that unless either Eris or himself made a mistake covering his sister's tracks but Varis was always careful to double check his tracks and like he said, Varis didn't believe Eris was stupid.

Which meant Ryner did really find a way in. He wanted to believe the boy's theories but clearly they were wrong and he had to face the facts. Ryner had him at her mercy far more than he was comfortable with. He had to figure out a way to balance their relationship. Once he was finished handling some loose ends, that was his next priority.

"Greta?" The sudden subject change threw him off and Varis' narrowed his eyes at Eris. "I don't know a Greta. The only one I can think of is Princess Nox's trainer and lover but she died before the forming of the Treaty. What does a long dead vampire have to do with this?"

Interesting, so that was the Greta that had been referred to. Which, of course, made absolutely no sense whatsoever--he would need to carefully investigate to see if he could come up with some sort of concrete timeline. Eris tucked that bit in the back of his mind, easing up slightly as he gave Varis a look. The interest in the name had to be thrown aside, his body stiff as he slowly raised his chin.

“My replacement, apparently,” He uttered bitterly. “A beautiful little thing, throwing itself all over you. A daughter of an old blue-blood family in charge of some territory that you had your eye on. Leagues better than I could ever hope to be, according to you.”

Not that the idea of having other people was foreign to either one of them, but it was clear Eris took this one to heart. He walked up to Varis, torn between yelling and probably crying. “If there’s someone else, just tell me,” His voice was almost pleading. “The very least you can give me is the truth.”

Varis just stared. And stared. And stared. The manipulation was a fair accusation. The mocking was also a fair one. But this? Replacing him? After all he had invested in him? Absolutely not. Though Varis did make a mental note to reconsider his gift for their 3 decade mark.

But this was what Eris was upset about? Some imagined slight against him? Varis couldn't disprove anything because there wasn't anything to disprove. How did he clarify there wasn't anything going on? Eris was always one for dramatics and more often than not they were good for a temporary distraction but this was utterly ridiculous. He let out a sharp, cold, cruel laugh and shoved his way into Eris' personal space, finger jabbing furiously into the vampire's chest.

"I am dealing with the fall out of the murder of Count Dracul, pushing my energy company to grow into previously uncharted territory, handling a suprise Chaend announcement that my peers get decades to prepare for, you've confirmed Ryner is two steps away from selling me out to my Lady, and I have been humiliated and set on fire tonight." Varis's voice raised until he was practically yelling. "I have no time for other distractions. I barely have time for you but I make time. So cut whatever this show is, Eris. You have the resources to have me investigated and you're privy to the vast majority of my business so get to the point."

Eris took a page out of Varis’ book and stared at him, though after a few seconds he looked at the wall again, contemplating his words carefully. He had the vampire right where he wanted him, fortunately, but he needed to tread carefully--angering any vampire could lead to unintended results. But as Eris felt himself deflate, there was a nagging feeling in the back of his head, a possibility that presented itself perfectly. But did he really want to go there?

Well, now was as good a time as ever.

His expression was easily a pathetic one as he mustered the courage to look back at Varis, chartreuse eyes searching his expression for something, anything. “I just want to matter to you the same way you matter to me,” He mumbled.

Varis wasn't sure if he should be angry or confused or relieved so he settled on his most familiar: livid. "And you couldn't have just asked that in the beginning, instead of making wild, unproven accusations? Really Eris? I expected better of you." Varis snapped, running a hand through his hair with a frustrated sigh. "But frankly, I don't know what to say. What else do you want me to say or do? You said yourself, we're partners and I don't think I've done anything to prove any less."

Was this a sign from the universe telling him something? Eris wasn’t entirely sure, but for once, now he was the irritated one. It was either a misunderstanding or a blatant sidestep, but he wasn’t going to throw out another accusation. He couldn’t quite help his jaw drop, snapping it shut as he searched for the words. Maybe he should just get away with what he could and drop everything now. But his mother did tell him he was a glutton for risks.

“That’s not what I meant,” His voice came out a lot quieter than intended, the vampire feeling as if something had gotten trapped in his throat. Weird, that was a really odd feeling. But as he went to talk again, he felt like the words were stuck, his mouth moving but nothing coming out. Wait, was he anxious? No, no, no, he was just...irritated. Annoyed. Eris didn’t know what anxiety was, he must have drank some bad blood or something. “I’m not talking about that kind of...partnership,” Great Anastasia, why was this so hard to say all of a sudden?! He was the one that wanted to know, why in the everloving hell was his mouth not working the way he wanted it to?!

Despite the frustration building, Eris pressed on. “Even if it wasn’t real, just the possibility of not being at your side is something I can’t accept. All I want is--that is, I...you see, my head is still not completely on apparently.” Eris shut up again, hands slowly combing his hair out of his face. The stumbling was both worrying and horrifying. Was this a stroke? Was he having a stroke? Could vampires get strokes?! “I need to know how you feel about me. Personally, not professionally.” He managed to get that much out, looking at Varis expectantly.

Varis stared at Eris like he'd grown a second head and was speaking in tongues. What in the world was this vampire blathering on about? Varis felt his anger deflate into just pure confusion. It was like Eris was speaking an entirely other language. If he didn't want to leave Varis' side, just don't. It wasn't like he answered to a monster that pushed and pulled him however she saw fit.

"Do I need to call a doctor, Eris? Did Ryner do something to you because honestly, I'm.not understanding what you're saying." Varis said carefully, searching Eris' face. Not finding it. Varis wasn't sure what kind of trap he was walking into but Varis decided that triggering it was the only way he'd find out.

"Personally? Well, I respect you far more than I do my noble peers. You're ambitious and cunning; although I personally find the whimsical, air headed persona you rely on so heavily just as tiring sometimes as I appreciate its effectiveness and the comfort I often find in it." Varis spoke slowly, watching Eris warily. "I prefer your companionship far more than others after a troublesome night at Council or after my Lady drags me across the coals. I appreciate your mind and your view of society and…" Varis frowned as he found himself at a loss for words. He'd never separated his personal and professional life. He lived and breathed his professional life so he was struggling to do so now.

"I admire and respect you?" Varis settled on hesitantly.

Eris’ expression was blank and unreadable. He didn’t look angry, but he didn’t look happy, either. That was it? That was all he got? Of course it was, why was he expecting anything better? Varis could argue that the events in the practical were exaggerated all he wanted, but Eris knew he had been presented with the truth. And he was stupid enough to hope it was wrong. At least now he knew and never had to wonder anymore. Sure, he felt hollow and dead inside, but now the uncertainty was gone. He should thank both the count and the princess--he had been getting soft, and this was just the wake up call he needed.

The blond nodded, taking a few steps back. “Thanks. Just what I wanted to hear,” He replied, giving him a small smile.

What. What just happened? Varis had no idea what just happened to elicit that sort of response. "Excuse me? Thanks? That's all the explanation I get? After you came in here, insulted and disrespected me, all I get is a thanks?" Varis snapped, his temper returning in full force. "No, no, no. Don't even think about walking out before I get an opportunity to respond to all this!"

“Your response said plenty,” Eris replied dryly. “If that’s all I’m going to get, then there isn’t much else I can do or say. I can’t force you to have feelings for me.”

Varis flinched as if struck. Feelings? Did he mean… Varis opened his mouth once or twice, words failing him. This wasn't meant to be anything more than a business transaction, a friendship, a mutually beneficial arrangement but Eris expected more? Well fuck. Varis had no other words for that and he took a brief moment to compose himself as he saw every second he'd poured into this burn into ash. That was a problem and he wasn't quite sure how to recover that right now.

"I was unaware your feelings developed in that direction. Eris, I…" Varis sighed and sat back at his desk. "You know full well my feelings on those sort of affections. Though I supposed that clarified some things. So what now? You know full well I cannot afford those kinds of weaknesses."

Way to throw it back on him! Eris didn’t bother looking at the redhead, feeling utterly humiliated enough as it was. This was all stupid. He shouldn’t have said anything. The silver lining was now he could quietly investigate the Not-Varis’ challenge to find them, but for some reason he couldn’t really think about that right now.

“I won’t ask you to take on a weakness. I only wanted to get it off my chest,” He lied. “The stupid illusion exposed a lot of things I would have rather not thought about. So troublesome.”

He turned around, running a hand through his hair again. “I’ll take the night to recover and get back to my ‘usual’ self. Tomorrow we can act as if nothing happened. Put it out of your mind, chalk it up to having had my worst insecurities exposed ruffling me up and causing me to say the most idiotic things,” He suggested.

Empty. That's how this fight left him and he hated it. He felt like someone yanked the rug out from under his feet. Eris was a certainty for the past three decades and now he's finding out he had no idea what was going on? And Eris expects him to just go back to how things were before? Well, that would make his life easier but he had plans for Eris and if he couldn't control him as easily anymore, that changed the game entirely.

Varis unlocked another drawer in his desk and pulled out a thin case and its key. He placed it on the desk for Eris to take and slumped back in the chair. "This was supposed to be a gift when I built it up a bit more but maybe it'll help you feel better. Take it." Varis stood up. He sighed and he frowned thoughtfully. He had a lot to think about and no time to do so.

Eris was tempted to leave without it just so he could hide his shame a little longer, but he supposed the cat was out of the bag already. He quietly walked back to the desk, taking both case and key in hand before bowing to the count. “Enjoy your evening,” He said.

“Interesting.” Amaris responded, her tone lowered to match her partner’s. The logic was sound and not all that unlike her own, however, she had inverted the intentions. It wasn’t uncommon for vampires to sell or trade mages with breed pairing in mind, thus giving away a heart that wasn’t theirs; and who had more influence in the movement of mages than a member of the royal family? However, Maddie’s angle was something Amaris had not considered. Mages were legally considered property of the vampire they were bound to. To fall in love outside of an approved pairing was to offer something in which they had no legal claim.

She decided to trust in Maddie’s assessment and adjust her selection from there. Turning her eyes back to the table before them, she considered her mage’s words carefully as she glanced at each of the other three in turn. One would hope that a mage belonging to a Sinnenodel would know better than to mess around haphazardly, however, knowing Varis and his manipulative ways such a situation could still be remedied to his advantage. And she couldn’t very well count the Starag boy out completely when the mage of an Astorio was also part of the equation. She also knew both boys had ties in one way or another to Eve’s mage, Lilie.

The Countess recalled the scene Victor had caused by throwing the girl clear across the arena during their joint lessons. While both of the boys had made it over to their friend, Aaron had been the quickest to respond to Lilie’s ‘accident’. It was possible he was just the closest to her physically, or that the boy had some sort of hero complex that launched him into action, but to a girl who had just been knocked around by a vampire it wasn’t likely to matter.

“Hmm, Lilie then? I’m a first hand witness to her ignoring a directive from her partner, so I suppose a forbidden romance wouldn’t be too far outside the realm of possibility. And from what I could learn about her from my previous partner, she seems like a kind person overall. Not too far of a stretch to believe she and one of the boys might fall for each other eventually.” Amaris suggested, maintaining her hushed tone from before.

Maddie considered it and then nodded. The Countess, even with her limited interaction, knew more about Lilie than she so Maddie decided to trust her judgement. They had a one in four chance on the mages so Lilie it was. Maddie picked up a chip and tapped it on the table for a moment before laying it gently on Lilie’s picture. She was a pretty girl that was true though she doubted her hair choice did her any favors. But hormones never cared about the color of someone’s hair, Maddie supposed.

“Are we sure that’s the choice we make?” The smirking dealer crooned. “Last call for bets.” Maddie bit her lip and nearly nodded until a thought occurred to her. He said appropriate faces. As in, more than one face could be chosen. Maddie was curious but she’d voice the idea to the Countess next round. She had a sneaking suspicion the game was rigged in their favor. For now.

“That is the Countess’ choice.” Maddie said softly and the dealer nodded, humming as he pulled the first card: The Kill Card. With a flourish, he slapped down Ralmevik. “Lucky, lucky. No lost chips!” A counter on the abacus next to his name flew from one side to the next. He drew another card from the box and slapped it down, revealing Aaron and just like before, a counter next to Aaron’s name flew from one side to the other.. “Well, not so lucky I guess. No winners, no losers, this round goes even!” He pushed the chips back to the girls. The two cards vanished and the dealer held up two fingers.

“A house divided cannot stand and yet it does, again and again, against a ruler now long dead. Fear their lies and their truths, for chaos reigns each century anew.” The Dealer spoke their next clue immediately.

Aaron glanced back as Eris wandered off, swinging his key and whistling without a care in the world. A bit of a contrast from his former concern, but Aaron supposed he’d never seen Eris let anything get him down for more than a couple of minutes. Still, that he let a “spat” with Max get him down at all was unexpected in itself. Frankly, he never expected there was anything anyone other than Varis could say or do to hurt Eris’—feelings? Pride? Whatever it was—that much.

He expected to leave the issue there, but the farther he walked, the more the curiosity gnawed at him. What on earth happened? Surely all this couldn’t have been brought about just because Eris and Max couldn’t manage to coexist. Had Max said something particularly cutting? Done something to Eris? It was improper to pry, but… he was tasked with getting to know Max better. Twice, in fact.

Giving in to his curiosity, Aaron pulled out his phone, tapping out a quick message.

> Hey, did something happen? I just ran into Eris and he was all doom and gloom about the two of you not getting along. What did you do?

While he had his phone handy, he gave Malek a call, quickly listing off the documents Varis asked for and getting little more in response than a raspy, painfully monotone confirmation before the call abruptly ended. Aaron was still getting used to that; the department heads back at the castle at least had a bit more charisma to them, even with the lower staff—of which Aaron certainly was one now, to his mild chagrin. Still, it was clear the man earned his position well; only someone extremely well-versed in Varis’ methods and preferences would be capable of squeezing that much general disappointment into just a few words.

The infirmary was a tad busier than usual, a few of the waiting room chairs filled with mages Aaron assumed had just returned from the practical themselves. Many were dirty and tired-looking, holding sore arms or ankles, and one girl cradled her hands in her lap, bloodied palms peppered with shredded bits of leaves likely from taking a fall in the woods. An obviously concerned vampire looked over her from the adjacent chair, though when her eyes met Aaron’s, she looked more embarrassed than anything. Past her, the receptionist already looked bored, though to her credit, she put on a smile as Aaron approached the desk.

Pleasantries were exchanged, and before she had the chance to ask him to wait, a subtle flash of his earring and the seal on his letter got him sent straight to an examination room. That was one thing he actually appreciated about his earring, not to mention the crests on the rest of his clothes; priority treatment at every campus office and town shop made the thing feel less like a tag and much more like the gift Varis made it out to be. He didn’t even really need to throw his last name around anymore—not that he did it all that much to start with—although when it came to campus business, there was still one purpose for which his name would always weigh heavier than Varis’.

Alone in the examination room, Aaron allowed himself a weary sigh. Was that even true anymore? After all this nonsense in the exam, he couldn’t help but think the Starag name and its secrets weren’t all that high up on Ryner’s priority list at all. He didn’t want to believe that—Ryner had always treated his family with care and dignity—but what other conclusion could he come to? She allowed massive family secrets to be thrown around as the freaking venue for a trial, and outed one of his own besides— not to mention his clone’s talk of Yvaine! Even if Ryner didn’t directly oversee what her mages did for the exam, how could she allow such sensitive information (she herself had called the nightmares a matter of national security for stars’ sake) to just sneak out like that, to who knew what student might see?!

He slumped against the back of his chair. Unless she’d intended to reveal all that to Varis—in which case, telling him to keep the nightmares from him was pointless—this was, at best, a massive, critical oversight, and that didn’t sit right with Aaron. Reputation aside, a vampire didn’t live to be as old as Ryner did if they were prone to such glaring mistakes. In which case, she did plan it, and all that secret information Aaron safeguarded so preciously in his head really wasn’t worth much to her at all. He was between a frightening rock and an uncomfortable hard place, and he didn’t like his chances with either.

And now Varis was on track to uncover it all. Aaron wanted to believe Ryner would throw him off the scent, but did he have any basis for that? For all he knew, she could lay it all bare and just watch him squirm when Varis’ ire reached him—though that didn’t make a lot of sense either. Nightmares and scars aside, that mausoleum was a problem. It was highly illegal, blatant special treatment of the Starags by the royal family, which of course would not go over well if revealed publicly. Granted, Varis wasn’t the type to throw information around without getting something in return, and he doubted the Count really cared much about how the Starags lived back at the castle, but leverage was leverage, and in this case, it was leverage against Ryner— she’d been the one to approve the mausoleum’s construction in the first place. So, assuming it wasn’t accidental, why would she open herself up to that sort of blackmail? It didn’t make sense.

He ran an agitated hand through his hair. Ugh, nothing made sense! And he was supposed to keep his mouth shut about all of it, while she threw around the keys to every lock in his head! This was the problem with secrets, right here. One vampire tells him to keep quiet, the other tells him to spill, and who’s he supposed to listen to? Varis, his master? Ryner, who raised him, who told him his secrets were a matter of national security? De facto leader of the realm, or the man who decided if he got medical attention? The man to whom, lest he forget, Ryner personally handed him over. Seriously! How could she tell him to hold his peace while handing his leash to the family that dealt in information and played inside people’s heads?

Aaron’s leg was bouncing, and he impatiently checked his watch, surprised to see that only a short time had passed since he’d been sent to the examination room. Whatever the answer was, he couldn’t just let Varis traipse into Ryner’s office and find out his mage had lied about a lot more than a little scar on his ear. He could only hope that Ryner didn’t out him straight away, and if that was to be the case, she needed some warning. He would have also liked to give her a piece of his mind, but even as irritated as he was, he wasn’t that stupid. Standing, he looked around the room for something to write with, coming up only with a cheap pen and a pad of prescription notes. Tearing a leaf off the pad, he flipped it over to the back and wrote:


There. He folded the paper into his pocket, returning the pen to its place and sitting back down as if nothing had happened. He'd send that when he was done with the life mage. Now no one could say he didn’t do what he could, though the irony of resolving lies and subterfuge with yet more subterfuge wasn’t lost on him. It all left a bad taste in his mouth; he didn’t want to hide things from Varis. Not only was it exhausting, stressful, and altogether too complicated for his taste, but keeping things from his master legitimately didn’t sit right with him. He was an attendant. His job was to help his master, to be dependable and valuable, and the sort of master-servant relationship he’d always idealized (even if only a shadow of it was attainable with Varis) required trust on both ends. He wasn’t so presumptuous to think he could rightfully expect respect and honesty from his master if he couldn’t provide it in return, and on top of it all, secrecy was simply a huge slap in the face to his superiors.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. None of this was making his headache any better. As pressing and confusing and frustrating as it all was, he’d done as much as he could for the time being. He needed a distraction. As luck would have it, pulling his phone out of his pocket provided just that: a response from Max, apparently from a few minutes ago. Weird, Aaron hadn’t noticed; either he was that wrapped up in his thoughts (a real possibility) or he must have sent it while he was talking to the receptionist.

> Yeah he’s having a meltdown or something idk

Aaron almost rolled his eyes. Yeah, he could have guessed that from what Eris told him, but that wasn’t what he asked.

> Well yeah, but what actually happened? Whatever you did, he seemed pretty upset about it.
> Or, as upset as Eris can be, I guess.

The Countess’ eyes tracked the moving counters as they flew from one side of the abacus to the other, first with her father and then again with Aaron. While it did seem the purpose of the object was exactly as she assumed, Amaris was somewhat suspicious of the convenience of such an item. With traditional gambling, the house was typically against card counting and took measures to prevent consecutive wins employing such a method. Here, however, it didn’t seem to matter that the abacus was documenting the numbers for them. Not even bothering to have the players rely on memory to hedge their bets.

Ameris was beginning to get the feeling that there was perhaps more to the game, no, the entire exam, than met the eye. The challenge facing the snake had teetered on the edge of revealing information she had been ordered by Salazar, as well as Ryner, to keep absolutely secret. But in return it seemed to hint at something hidden by or within her partner, whether she was aware of it or not. Still, up until this point, the invasive nature had been contained to the pair as subjects… so why, all of a sudden, were they gambling for a peek into the private lives of their fellow classmates?

Sharp, amethyst eyes snapped back to the dealer as he began speaking once again, revealing that which was to be their next clue. At first, the clue seemed rather specific, but the longer Amaris thought on it, the more she realized the description fit each of the nobles in one way or another. Even her own house had experienced a division surrounding the shift in leadership, but she didn’t know anything about standing against a past ruler. The Astorios had never hidden their displeasure surrounding the treaty and had suffered greatly for it, but she didn’t know enough about the inner workings of their family to know if their stances were united or not. When it came to the Sinnenodels, she couldn’t understand how anyone could trust one another in a house filled with venomous snakes. They seemed like the backstabbing sort but so long as the damage done was overshadowed by the reward it didn’t seem to matter.

The chip in her hand weaved its way around and around her fingers, never once breaking stride as she stared at the table intently.

The Eves. The Countess thought to herself, eyes locking on to the image of a man she was sure had to be Lutheran. He had functionally taken over for the house of Eve after their patriarch had vanished, but unlike her own Salazar, Lutheran had not been able to legally seize the lordship. With so much uncertainty surrounding the house and its future, the internal hierarchy had all but collapsed on itself. Even now at the academy, since the very first night, the Eve selection had changed not once but twice. Of course, the reasons for such frequent shifts in attendance were kept fairly need to know, but it didn’t stop the rumors from flowing.
Still, she wasn’t fully convinced. While Eve made a good selection for a ‘house divided’, she still didn’t have much of an answer to the latter portions of the clue. Leaning back into her partner, Amaris turned her focus back to Maddie.

“I’m thinking of selecting from the family heads since we’re talking about ‘houses’ here, but the best answers I’ve come up with so far have been Eve… and Sinnenodel.”

---

Max waited until he was sure Eris had left and wasn't coming back before opening the door to let the damn dog in. He didn't know why the vampire was punching walls all of a sudden but he wasn't exactly keen on finding out either. Today was a fucking mess.

"You know you're fucking annoying, right?" Max grumbled as the dog scurried past him and took up a comfortable spot at the foot of his bed.

Maxie said nothing in her defense. Typical.

And then there was the note on the ground. Max hadn't opened it yet; he wasn't sure if he was going to open it at all. If Eris couldn't say something to his face, Max had no reason to listen. Though, if the note was something stupid like 'I hope you know how to patch drywall because there's a fat hole behind the sofa', it'd be better to go around collecting all the things he was going to throw at Eris before he got home and saw what the mage was preparing. He eventually caved and bent down to pick it up.

Pointless things that didn't need to be said and-- He was sorry?

What the fuck. Since when did vampires apologize?

The leech was probably just too embarrassed to say it aloud, but holy shit, he just produced written proof that he, Maxwell Alderman, had Eris Samael's balls locked firmly in a vicegrip. Max could show this letter off to anyone he wanted. He could post it online. He could frame it, hang it on his wall, and laugh at it everytime Eris walked past.

A chime from his phone shook the mage from his petty revenge fantasies. What the hell did Eris want now? Max walked over to where his phone was discarded on his bed as he crumpled the note up in his fist. Retriever. Arguably worse. Especially if it was about today.

> Hey, did something happen? I just ran into Eris and he was all doom and gloom about the two of you not getting along. What did you do?

What the fuck.

Since when is 'I can't control my mage' a common topic of vampiric bragging? Especially in front of Cinnamon's number one informant. Was his plan to make Varis think he's pathetic and thus not a threat? That or he actually was bothered, which was creepy in its own way. Maybe Max was meaner than he thought. Still, why tell Aaron of all people? Max couldn't tell if Eris was three moves ahead of him or five moves behind.

How was he even supposed to respond to that? What did he do? He listened to a bunch of bullshit and threw Eris' accusation back on him. Apparently leeches don't have that happen to them much. Plus there was the issue of not knowing exactly what Eris said, which meant any response could potentially be digging both of them into a deeper hole.

> Yeah he’s having a meltdown or something idk

Deflect the question. Easy. It wasn't like he was lying either, Max genuinely had no explanation for the way the vampire was acting aside from that exam unsettling him. A little too much, now that he thought about it. Who gets emotionally effected by some illusion talking in word salad? Not knowing what the hell Cinnamon was talking about might've been irritating but hardly anxiety-inducing. Eris was hiding something.

Which was fair, all things considered - nobody liked spilling all their weird inner feelings - but hardly anything to be worked up over. It wasn't like the real Varis knew anything the clone spontaneously knew about him. Max was the only one that had interacted with the clone Eris, and it hadn't been very forthcoming with secrets anyway. Not to mention, if the leech was that worried, wouldn't he have just asked Max what the hell he heard in there?

The more he thought about this, the more he was certain Eris was over at the Sinnenodel dorms making a big mistake. His phone dinged again. Aaron must've recovered from the heart attack he had after hearing Max dare to say a vampire was being a drama queen.

> Well yeah, but what actually happened? Whatever you did, he seemed pretty upset about it.
> Or, as upset as Eris can be, I guess.

Ugh, he wasn't gonna leave this alone, was he? 'Upset as Eris can be' was comforting, at least. It meant he at least pretended to be composed and wasn't crying on Varis' lap while wailing "He doesn't lo~oooove me!" for the whole street to hear. Or maybe he was, if even Aaron picked up on it.

> I pointed out the flaws in his logic cuz he assumed I was a fucking moron, apparently he crumples when you raise your voice

No surprise there; the vampire is a creature of deceit, Eris was evidently just as baffled by bluntness as his double was. No, that wasn't enough to stop this line of questioning. Max needed to change the conversation's direction or he'd be getting pestered all night.

> Why do you even care

That was valid. What the fuck was he concerned for? It wasn't his vampire or his business.

---

@Obscene Symphony

The place they ended up in was vaguely familiar. Scanning their surroundings, Victor only momentarily looked over the two masked individuals across from them settling his eyes on the Lord. Lord Perion was a formidable sight to behold. Victor himself had only met the man a handful of times, a few times when he would visit the Strigois stronghold and just before coming to this school. The brief conversation about his mission here flashed through his mind, he still hadn’t made progress on it.

A flicker of light in the cabin caught his eye. “Look for something out of place or missing?” well the candle was definitely out of place. The lord would never do anything that would even show the slightest hint of an accommodation for a mage or human. They were insects to him, even some vampires were. He needed to investigate the light source but would the lord intercept him if he tried? It would need to be investigated before he was comfortable engaging the other two in what was clearly a trial by combat.

“Salem, we need to be cautious and plan-” his mage took the initiative and charged forward, “Don’t.” an irritated growl followed. While Salem charged forward, at least he knew that combat tactics were to be hammered in next.

Victor glanced at the weapons that were left and chose the axe, before he could grab it he began to be surrounded by tall grass and vines. Another plant mage? Or just an illusion? These challenges were strange and he only felt that they were specifically designed to test the relationship between vampire and mage more than actually just testing the mage. Honestly he could understand, Ryner seemed particularly interested with messing with them.

Moving past the ever growing grass with the axe in hand the count moved toward the cabin. He only stopped for just a moment to give a passing salute to the lord before continuing. Illusion or not a lord was still a lord and it had been engraved in him to show respect whenever able. Even if it was just a simple gesture. The light source was out of place and the only thing that seemed off about this whole situation so far. That was what he was investigating, if it turned out to be nothing then he would join Salem with fighting the other two.

@Trainerblue192

---

---

Interacting with:@ReusableSword

Salem watched the two masked beings closely, feeling the earth beneath his feet rumble as he could see trees both in his peripheral as well as behind the pair, shifting and moving closer to them. This was a challenge like any other, and if the previous one was anything to go by then the trees were the hard timer for them to either win or lose. The magic was enough of a distraction that when he had returned his attention, he noticed the vampire was now lunging towards him. His arm was grotesque in the way it was shaped, holding the sword at an odd angle and making for an unconventional form of attack. Salem held up his glaive, pointing it towards the swordsman at an angle in an attempt to either catch the blade within the glaives mouth, or to use the length of the shaft to block the sword and quickly disarm his opponent with a twist of the glaive.

Victor on the other hand didn’t seem too concerned with the fight that was currently raging on. He hadn’t joined in yet, only grabbing the obsidian axe as he made his way towards the cottage that was behind Salem. Salem had no idea what it was that his partner was doing, whether he was simply going up to the other Astorio to confront him, or perhaps he found another way to complete this task. Whatever his plan was he needed to do it fast before time ran out. As Salem prepared for the onslaught from the Vampire, He slowly allowed some of his magic to connect with the ground, growing up a long blade of grass slowly behind the mage’s leg in an attempt to help remove their mask without their partners notice.

The cacophony of noise was both uncalled for and eerie. Ben had to admit he had hoped that his vision would be restored but that was not the case. Instead he stayed put and tried to see if he would understand what he was hearing. It sounded very much like grinding, but that was all he could ascertain. It must not have been a threat if Lilie did not say anything, but the grinding was so unpleasant he could have easily missed her words. Only when they came to a halt did he feel the tug at his sleeve. His steps were awkward but he remained true that they were safe for the moment.

The deep voice that spoke was a stark contrast to the previously soft-spoken mage of his. Entirely jarring, but Ben listened intently. It spoke of a familiar history. He had been mistaken in a sense as it would seem each object was indeed tied to the noble houses in some way. A small oversight but nothing he worried about.

Lilie spoke and confirmed his initial thought that the scepter was indeed related to the Noilan family and Geoffrey Noila stood before them. But what did it mean? 'History remembered not quite the same as that to those who lived its page.' But what dangerous truth does he speak of? A perplexing thought to be sure. Of course, the real question was which object to give him. The threat mentioned had been the Lycanthropes, that much he was absolutely certain of. The ones that reveled in slaughter must have been the Astorios, the ones content with scrolls must have been the Sinnenodels, the ones that walked between the Eves, and that left the last of them as the Marivaldi. The binding referred to the Treaty but he did not know who wouldn't fear the King.

"I believe you are correct. We need only to decide what," Ben said. "First, I think we should match item with House. I initially believed that the scepter was connected to the royal family, and it’s safe to assume the rest follow suit.”

He thought to himself for a moment as he wondered where to start. One object did come to mind right away. “The mirror you mentioned...I believe it is connected to our House,” Ben said. “You’ve heard of our holiday, correct? It is called Moon’s Mirror.”

Each marble item was connected to a noble house? That did make sense. Lilie frowned, looking down at each one. The mirror being connected to the Eves wasn’t something she expected, but it did make sense. She stared at the weapon, scratching her cheek. “That sounds right, I think,” She replied with a small shrug, stopping when she remembered he couldn’t see her. “What about the rest of them?”

Ben mulled over the rest of the objects. Associating the weapon with the Astorios seemed too simple but he felt overthinking things would lead them astray. No other House came close to their bloodlust nor did he believe them scholars or whatever the disk represented. That last object was going to be found by process of elimination as he already had a decent idea on which the book represented. What sort of disk represented noble vampires?

“I believe the book represents the scholars, which would be House Sinnenodel,” Ben said. “The mace may be related to the Astorio, which would leave the disk as the Marivaldi representative.”

Lilie’s mouth formed a small ‘o’ in understanding, realizing that he had a point. Well, it all sounded good to her at least! “So which one do you think had the guts to not be afraid of the King?” She ended up asking. [color=deeskyblue]“To me, the mace seems most likely, so let’s go with that!”[/color]

“Indeed,” Ben said. Of course he spoke from experience seeing as how the Astorios were notorious for attempting to wrench power from the Noila royal family, but Lilie got to the conclusion on her on. “Do lead the way, if you would.”

Grinning, Lilie guided Ben to lift the mace up. She warily eyed the thing, lightly pushing Ben back towards the intimidating statue. “Okay, here goes,” She said, the pair waiting anxiously as they handed the King a mace.

---

---

Interacting with:@ReusableSword

The trees lurched forward once more, the sign of their challenge drawing closer to failure once more. Thr mage seemed to be focusing on their spell, possibly the one drawing the scenery closer and the one needed to be struck down for a success or stay of time. Salem kept a calm and stoic face as he focused more on his magic, smiling once his glaive made contact with the vampires sword. He pressed forward with his weapon, feeling the emptiness of the vampire as he let go of his sword and unbalanced Salem. The sudden shift through his off guard as the vampire flew over Salems head and landed with a devastating blow to his center back. Salem could feel his bones pop, the cracking sound of his spine as he lunged forwaed from the hit.

He gripped his glaive with pained hands, a surge of needles shooting through his torso and down his arms and legs. Salem dug the pommel into the earth and used his weapon to help keep him upright. He turned to face the pair ensuring his back wasn't to wither of them. His breathe had quickened, trying to grasp at air that was knocked out from the blow. All he could do was maintain his hold on his magic and grow the blade a bit more as his breath grew raspy. "If ever there was a moment of time for you to join me, it'd be now Victor."

“Have you ever known vampires to unanimously agree on anything? I’m sure there were plenty who resisted King Geoffry’s rule, just as there are still those that try to resist Queen Anastasia’s. They’ve just learned to do it less openly to avoid the hassle of capital punishment.” Amaris’ tone had taken on a more bitter note than she had intended, although she wasn’t quite sure what it was that bothered her so much. Perhaps it was the reminder that history, as it was written, always seemed to be heavily filtered through a biased lens.

“I would have preferred to be on the up before risking multiple bets, but it might just be our best option on this round. Let’s do it and see what we learn.” She spoke after a moment of silence then shifting her weight forward. Amaris gently placed her chip on Lutheran before selecting another chip and placing it on Sybil per Maddie’s suggestion.

“Are we in agreement then or do we have any last-minute thoughts?” The Countess ran the clue through her mind yet again, searching for any detail that might change the pair’s selections. However, Amaris still couldn’t find anything to narrow down to just one house or better implicate another.

Maddie continued to consider the table while Amaris took on a harsh outlook on history. Maddie didn't know the political subtleties of the various families but she made a mental note to learn. She was the partner of one of the highest Marivaldis. It was only proper she take the extra time to educate herself. She had a unique situation to help: unfiltered access to other family's mages, even if only one vampire was of any note among the humans. She would think how best to exploit that but they had a challenge to win.

"I don't know enough about either family to say." Maddie agreed with Amaris' observation. There wasn't enough to tie the riddle to any of their choices specifically but if they assume their logic is sound, they had far greater chance of winning than losing on either face. "That seems the best bet."

The dealer broke into a grin as the bets were settled and set. "Bet's are made, let's see the game!" He shouted cheerily, drawing the first card and slapping in down. He pulled his hand away to reveal Lord Peiron. He snapped his fingers and sighed in mock disappointment. "A few cards down and I woulda had ya! Let's see if you win this round!" He whipped out the next card, Lady Sybil Sinnenodel.

"And lookie here! Your first win at the table, congrats!" He cheered, flicking a chip on top of theirs and pushing it all back at them. "Now, now into the next round we go!"

"A blade long sealed away for keep, with care and love does it sleep, this one who wields with it perfect skill, equal to tongue and pen in kills."

> I pointed out the flaws in his logic cuz he assumed I was a fucking moron, apparently he crumples when you raise your voice
> Why do you even care

Aaron almost vocalized his groan that time. Could Max not guess? He hit the nail on the head back in the woods, for stars’ sake. But if he had to explain it, how could he word it so that Max wouldn’t brush him off out of spite and get both Varis and Eris mad at him?

> Believe it or not, Eris’ problems tend to become my problems.
> Besides, it’s… weird. He seems genuinely concerned about you. I honestly didn’t think he had it in him.

There, hopefully that got the message across well enough. It was a hard balance to strike between genuine concern and ‘flippant enough not to freak Max out’, but it was one he’d have to learn to master if he was going to get anywhere with him. Good lord, though; Aaron actually liked Max (albeit for reasons that eluded him) but walking yet another tightrope was a headache he didn’t need.

“Mister…”

As if on cue, a sudden voice made Aaron look up from his phone to see a plump woman with chestnut brown hair in the doorway, dressed professionally in a lab coat and A-line skirt and reading a chart. Squinting at the page, she pulled a set of turquoise glasses down from the top of her head, blinking for a moment before her eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Oh! Mr. Starag!”

Looking a little bit flustered, she perked up immediately, dropping her clipboard to her side and approaching Aaron’s chair with an outstretched hand. Aaron stood to shake it and she looked a little surprised, smiling brightly up at him. “A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Starag. My name is Dr. Ogden, though most people call me Shelley.”

Aaron returned her smile with one of his own, nodding as they each sat back down in their respective chairs, with the doctor glancing back at her clipboard on the table. “Nice to meet you, Dr. Ogden. Most people call me Aaron,” he chuckled, before quickly clearing his throat. “I hope this doesn’t seem rude, but I usually see Dr. Adad. Does she have the night off?”

“Hmm…” Shelley looked pensive for a moment, tapping the end of a pen on her clipboard before shaking her head. “Oh, no. She only does appointment visits. Otherwise it’s me and Dr. Jameson who do walk-ins.”

“Ah, I suppose that makes sense.” Aaron gave the doctor a nod, making a mental note of the difference. Truth be told, he’d never realized there was a distinction, but he supposed that was yet another pitfall of his upbringing. They were piling up fast, it seemed. He wasn’t sure how comfortable he was making any more people than necessary aware of his medical history, but he supposed it couldn’t be helped.

“Yep! Don’t worry though, I’ll take good care of you.” Shelley gave him a jovial smile and a wink before sliding down her glasses once more and reading down her clipboard. “So… it says here you’re in for a bit of an injury,” she said slowly, before turning back to Aaron. “Let’s take a look at that, shall we?”

“Oh, of course.” Aaron moved to the examination table and pulled off his shirt, revealing the tortoiseshell pattern of welts on his arms and shoulders, the oldest of which were just starting to darken from red to purple. Shelley stood to examine them, looking at them closely and very gently prodding and pulling the skin. An expression Aaron could only describe as ‘mildly troubled’ crossed her face as she backed away a bit, but whatever was bothering her, she didn’t comment on it.

Sitting back in her chair, she raised her glasses and wrote a few notes on her clipboard before turning back to Aaron, hands in her lap. “Well, looks like nothing too serious. We’ll have you fixed up in a jiffy.” She gestured for Aaron to return to his chair, glancing back at her clipboard.

“Now, it says here you have a biiit of a dependency on life magic. That won’t be an issue, but it just changes how we handle things a bit. Nothing you need to be concerned about, though.” She smiled. “Is there anything else you want to address before we start? Aches, pains, anything? ‘Cause it’s best if we do it all in one go.”

“A bit of a headache is all,” Aaron replied, “although I do have something for you.” Producing the envelope Varis had given him, he handed it to the doctor, who seemed surprised to be holding something bearing a noble seal.

Breaking it, she took a moment to pull out the letter and read the contents, expression falling as she did. “Uh-huh…”

Aaron tilted his head. “Is something unclear?”

Shelley shook her head, brow knitted together as she read the page a few more times. “Not really, just… a little out of the ordinary,” she replied hesitantly, tossing the letter and envelope in her trash bin like it was something dirty. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment. When she was done, she perked up, wiggling her fingers. “Alright, let’s get this show on the road then. Just do me a favour and relax...”

She wheeled her chair closer to Aaron’s and placed one hand on his shoulder, the other on his forearm, closing her eyes. Immediately Aaron felt a comforting warmth wash over him, a familiar sensation almost like being submerged in warm water. The tension left his shoulders and the throbbing in his arm subsided, his headache melting away along with it. He felt his phone buzz in his pocket, but he didn’t really care.

He let out a long breath as the doctor did her work, though he was a little disappointed to find that it ended earlier than he expected. “Alright, all done!”

Aaron opened his eyes skeptically, glancing down at his arms. For a moment, he wasn’t really sure what he was seeing; there were still some brownish-yellow shadows where the bruises had been, not nearly as dark as before but still noticeable. For a moment he even thought he might just have been dirty, but that made no sense.

“Pardon me, but… we’re done?” he asked hesitantly, gesturing with his arms.

Shelley looked just as displeased with her work as Aaron was, but she sighed. “Yeah, I’m sorry. It said in the letter to just fade them rather than completely heal them,” she replied, displeasure clear in her voice. “I think that maybe used to be a treatment for dependency, but it’s outdated. Still, rules are rules I suppose.”

Aaron nodded, casting one more exasperated glance at his arms before pulling his shirt back on. He doubted it was an outdated treatment - more likely, Varis didn’t want him to forget his shameful fragility too quickly - but he’d let her believe that. “That’s true,” he agreed.

Standing, he shook the doctor’s hand again, the two exchanging pleasantries until Aaron remembered something. “Oh, my Master did want me to ask about… resistance?”

Shelley raised an eyebrow, looking puzzled. “Um… ‘resistance’?” she asked incredulously, “Is there… something more specific?”

Aaron nearly sighed, knowing what he was about to request was ridiculous. “My Master is curious whether there’s some way to develop ‘resistance’ to things like this,” he explained, shrugging his arms again.

“Ah,” Shelley looked decidedly unimpressed, releasing a nervous laugh before shaking her head. “I think your, um…” she tried, wrinkling her nose in distaste and lowering her voice a bit. “I think maybe he’s overestimating life magic a bit.”

Yeah, no kidding. Aaron could have told him that, but it was better to get the information from authority. He gave the doctor a sympathetic smile, offering her a nod. “No problem,” he assured her. “Good evening.”

He thanked the receptionist on the way out, and turned sharply out the door in the direction of the campus post office. As he walked, he pulled his phone out of his pocket, finally reading a reply from Max.

> He’s making a big deal out of nothing, you’re better off ignoring it

Ha! Aaron almost laughed. Just ignore it? If only anything were that simple!

> Ha, ha. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you I don’t really have that luxury.

Still, it was probably unwise to keep pushing it if he wanted any hope at all of getting on Max’s good side. All the same to him; he didn’t need another headache tonight.

> But, fine. Good luck with all that. Let me know if there's anything I can do.