"Deal. Master Astorio seems like the type to value blowing things up anyway, I doubt he'll ask many questions."

It took Salem a moment to process what he had heard. Did...did Max just agree with him? At most he had expected a scoff followed by some remark about how he could figure it out on his own, but never did he actually expect Max to agree to his proposal. He would've smiled if it wasn't so obvious, so he held his composure and focused on what was at hand here. The clock. Salem sat back and watched as Max worked his magic, twisting and pulling at the thing as it slowly began to fall apart into pieces. It was amazing how far Max had gone with his studies, and it made Salem want to push that much more with his own. Sadly his magic wasn't something that could be rushed. Dealing with living organisms took some extra work and care to ensure that it would work right.

The scene was broken up as Aaron walked into the room, a look of shock and void breaking through his composed facade from earlier. Salem figured he either knew something about this clock, or he assumed that in their boredom they decided to dismantle some of Varis's property. Either way it wasn't ideal. Maddie was quick to fill in the silence and explain, albeit in a much nicer manner, what it was that happened while Aaron was gone. His attention stayed on Aaron the whole time until Lilie spoke up. He didn't think it was enough to cause much alarm. But they were in Varis's domain and if any of them heard that there was a chance Varis could launch an investigation on her just for the sake of making her miserable.

His eyes gave her a look of sympathy, but they had a cautionary stare to them. "What matters is that no one was injured. If anything this investigation turned out to be fruitless." He hoped that Lilie may understand, but he doubted she would. Salem sat back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other as his hands folded in his lap and he looked on at Aaron. "Do you know why anyone would be so brass as to open up a rift into your living room and drop off a timer? Or what this could mean? Should we be expecting an attack in the coming time?" Between the dreams, Varis, and this, he began to wonder what exactly Aaron was getting himself into.

---

Ugh, Fido had returned way too early. Whatever, at least he might provide some context so they didn't have to play guesswork with the clock. Though, with his face looking the way it did, Max couldn't tell if he was horrified at the thought of them breaking something of Varis' or if the clock specifically was important.

"I never promised not to damage the parts," Max chimed in after Maddie's attempt at an explanation. The larger pieces were likely undamaged, but he wouldn't be surprised if some of the more delicate components had been bent out of shape or broken entirely. Lilie seemed to be saying what they were all thinking - or at least what Max hoped they were all thinking. Still, Aaron was that annoying flavor of tattletale that would go report her seditious words to the nearest authority immediately, so he wasn't surprised no one else brought up the obvious that their safety was more pressing than the leeches'.

"If Cinnamon has a teleporting clock that I just busted, send him Eris' apologies. Otherwise, you might wanna explain what the fuck's going on here, because I'm still not entirely convinced this thing isn't going to explode." He didn't see any big runes or anything that suggested somebody embedded any harmful magic inside, but that didn't mean it wasn't present but undetectable. Maybe an ominous warning trying to get the mages to leave their charges to their fate? If he weren't already convinced the Red Hand was a Noila false flag operation, that talk of their potential presence at the Academy might've actually aroused suspicions that someone was playing mage revolutionary with them. Either way, he still didn't trust the situation - or Aaron, for that matter.

---

Aaron’s bewildered question was met with a flurry of responses, though the light mage himself remained quiet until everyone had said their piece. He shouldn’t have been surprised that Max was so nonchalant about dismantling someone else’s property—in all honesty Aaron didn’t expect to get through the evening without something breaking—but the rest was… unexpected, to put it mildly. According to Maddie, they’d been cautious that the clock could pose a threat; Aaron might have been sympathetic, if not for the laughable implausibility that someone with the power to reach across continents would bother to attack with something as gimmicky as a clock when he just as easily could have simply blinked the entire dorm out of existence.

Lilie’s response was characteristically uncouth, but what caught Aaron’s attention was Salem’s dismal attempt at subtlety—the man might as well have raised a flashing neon sign reading “DON’T MAKE MY MISTAKES” for all the good it did him. Fortunately, few people possessed the elite foot-eating skills that Salem did, and seeing as Lilie wasn’t exactly spouting revolution to the Queen, he was pretty sure she’d be fine; no need to speak to her like she was some sort of invalid.

He shot Salem an unamused look before he heaved a breath, pinching the bridge of his nose for a moment. “I assure you, everything is fine,” he began, stepping over to the coffee table for a better look at the carnage. It was a discouraging sight, a fair share of the pieces bent or broken, and he doubted anyone here knew how to accurately reassemble an alarm clock. Great; he was going to have to mail Malek a box full of pieces this time. He heaved another sigh, looking forlornly at the parts before straightening up once more to pull himself together.

“I’m sorry that you were startled,” Aaron told the room, starting to regain his former propriety. “It’s nothing magic or dangerous, just a regular clock. The rift you saw was just harmless Summoning magic, and the hand belonged to one of my superiors; he’s expecting this clock back in the mail.”

He cast another exasperated look at the clock debris, but shook his head, looking back up between Max and Salem. “It’s a bit of a long story—kind of irrelevant, really—but in short, there’s nothing to worry about. This is perfectly normal, and it has nothing to do with any of you. Malek probably didn’t even know you were here.” Actually, the sneaky bastard probably did know and did it anyway, but Aaron wouldn’t dwell on that now. He offered the gathered mages a tight smile before stepping out for a moment, returning from the kitchen with a spare serving tray.

“Once again, please pardon the interruption. I’ll just get this mess out of your way and we can continue like nothing happened,” he offered, finally slipping back into the evening’s persona. He knelt next to the coffee table with the tray, carefully sweeping the broken pieces onto it to be put away until he found something to mail them back to Malek in.

Oh goodness, Ben thought. He had not expected Count Sinnenodel to show such zest for the topic at hand. Admitting that could have gone poorly but it seemed that the count did not hold it against him; for the better, losing the favor of both heirs would have been quite the blow. Nonetheless it did make for a pleasant lecture. If Ben were the sort to enjoy such things he was sure he would be more appreciative. Fortunately this was still a dinner and he was used to all sorts of rambling and knew how to keep invested despite the threat of boredom. He did, however, appreciate that the topic was fascinating, fortunately.

What held no interest to him on the other hand was Eris. What should have no hold over his attention was how he handled the poor mage. Aaron went through the situation with an unbreakable composure wasted on a lech but interrupting would be rude. Bailing a mage out of an unpleasant situation would also hurt both mage and vampire. Ben would, however, simply pretend Eris did not exist the entirety of the interaction and focused on how an ignorant man such as he could possibly reply in a way that wouldn't make himself sound completely clueless.

"I would be happy to take you up on that offer," Ben said the only response that was appropriate. "Her Highness picked the right man for Treaty Law."

“Of course I’m the right choice.” Varis scoffed with a dismissive gesture. “Unlike the Noila who doesn’t bother attending his own classes, I actually work on policy. Regurgitating the same information over and over for centuries only leads to the proliferation of the same stagnant ideas and asinine posturing all our less elders insist on. And for what? Nothing more than crippling future possibilities.” Varis rolled his eyes at the thought and sipped at the blood again. He’d have the boy contact the household at the end of this. Count Eve clearly needed this information last night. How could someone with such grand ambition fail to study such an integral part of their society? Even if he was disinclined to maintain the status quo, the past illuminated mistakes they were likely to repeat again and again. Speaking of which…

“Enough about me though. This is meant to be for you, Count Eve.” Varis sat forward as he continued. “But while we’re on the topic of the Treaty and policy, our last conversation revealed that you held quite a lofty goal. It is a heavy burden you seek and I do not doubt you have a few goals in mind on achieving it. So what would you have cross the Council table if you win your bid for your House’s seat at the Council?”

---

Maddie stayed quiet at Lilie’s correction. Well, that was certainly problematic. For a water mage, she was certainly bad at keeping herself out of hot water. She made another note to avoid discussing vampires and their position as mages with her. It would probably result in an uncomfortable conversation and Maddie would prefer to keep their friendship as intact as possible despite their differences. In all honesty, Salem, Max, and Lilie were all problems she’d have to discuss with Amaris. She’d been hoping not to have anything to return to the Countess with but they kept dropping red flags in her lap like it was a full time job. This was going to be a difficult social group to survive, wasn’t it?

“Well as startling as it was, the magic was impressive at least. Summoning is one of the arcane majors that need to be declared before the end of the first semester apparently. There are a bunch of prerequisite courses that you have to take before they let you actually start it.” Maddie commented. “I can’t imagine that kind of pressure. Most of us have just found out about our magic in the first place and then you have to go and take a ton of extra classes not even a year later? That just sounds like a lot of unnecessary stress.”

“Though speaking of stress, I did hear something interesting the other day. Apparently there have been a rash of pranks on vampires on campus. Supposedly, they all treat their mages… poorly and some people say they’ve always been active on campus but because none of it actually threatens the vampires’ lives, the Princess won’t do anything to stop them.” Maddie put out there. “I haven’t seen any of it myself but I overheard a few mages complaining about property damage when sprinkles and things have gone off around the same time as the pranks supposedly happened.”

The night Ben met a vampire without an ego was the day he would actually be in trouble. At time it was seen with disdain and those with pride argue that giving an inch was in poor taste but it had yet to play out poorly for him. He was a touch surprised that Count Sinnenodel found history so fascinating as his statement seemed to counter his previous speech. To his credit Ben was simply not a man of that type of knowledge but he would endeavor to at the very least make an effort in educating himself. Perhaps Lilie could give him that thing Noah had mentioned once, something about driving notes off of a cliff. It did not sound right but if it meant an abridged version of everything then he was certain he could keep his attention on it.

The time had come to rein himself in as the count turned his attention to him at last. Ben was only surprised at the timing of all things; he was so sure he wouldn't have had any time at all to prepare himself. Letting his guard down wasn't wise but at the very least Ben felt no nervousness. He was ready. Ready as he would ever be, anyway.

"Should the opportunity arise sooner than later I would like to put an end to any current issues; why it has taken so long to put a relatively simple issue on mage reproduction to bed is worrying. Mages lack the foresight and experience that we immortals have, and with that in mind there is no question which way Count Dracul's vote would have went," Ben said. "I'll spare you the uninteresting details but I also believe mages' rights has been an unproductive thorn in the Council's side and I would personally see to it that the issue is indefinitely put down to rest."

Down in the mages' favor, of course, but that went without saying. A Sinnenodel would not like to hear that even if Ben was certain he was aware of it.

It appeared the reality, or as far as Aaron wanted to paint it, was much more mundane than what they had all thought. Each one expected something worse than the last and each one was now being told that it was simply a game of fetch by Aaron and another mage. He wasnt sure if he should believe him or suspect there was more hidden behind what he was saying. But for now he would let it rest, allow Aaron to slip back into his old habits and do what was needed for the rest of the evening. After all it did no one any good to have him flail about and get reprimanded before them all by Varis. Luckily that was one difference between Varis and his father, Varis worked on thr mind and emotional turmoil while his father disagreed and felt they needed physical punishment.

For a brief moment Salems hand drifted to his side subconsciously. Touching the bruise left behind by a previous training session, prompting some flashes of that day interspersed with some old memories of his father. He came back briefly as he heard Lilies voice, her sound pulling him out of his rut and back into the present. "Worst case you can bill Eris if you'd like. Get a new clock or something. There's no sense in worrying over it now however." Salem sat back in his chair again, wanting to offer help but knowing he would be turned away. This wasn't like dinner where you offered to pay out of politeness, doing so could possibly offend the mage in question and Aaron seemed like the kind to be offended. "Well that was a lively bit of entertainment."

Aaron grinned at Maddie’s comments on extra classes, knowing that was straight where his major was sending him next semester, but didn’t comment. Her information about “pranks” on vampires was far more interesting. The idea sat like a stone in his stomach, and he could only hope whatever idiots were behind them had the good sense to stay far away from Varis. He looked over his shoulder enough after that lecture from Malek; he didn’t need any extra garbage to worry about.

“And what exactly do they hope to accomplish?” Aaron scoffed. “Whatever wrongs they think they’re righting, I assure you they’re only liable to make things worse. Her Highness would do well to put an end to that foolishness.” He shook his head. He could have groaned at the thought; if the vampires these righteous prank vigilantes were targeting were anything like Varis, then anything done to them would only ricochet fourfold onto their mages. Hopefully Salem didn’t get enamoured to such a ridiculous scheme, but Aaron wouldn’t hold his breath. Making things worse in the name of ‘justice’ seemed right up his alley.

At least Salem didn’t seem to be paying attention to the story for the moment, so that was a good start - not that it didn’t take some Herculean effort on Aaron’s part not to roll his eyes at his suggestion. If Malek was going to get angry about the clock - which Aaron wasn’t even entirely sure if he would, since his task had technically been carried out - there was no way a replacement would satisfy him. It wouldn’t be about the clock, it would be about Aaron’s despicable failure to secure his Master’s property, or something similarly demeaning. “No sense in worrying about it now” he said. He’d think differently if he had Malek breathing down his neck.

Lilie’s concern pulled Aaron out of his stewing, thankfully. “Oh, don’t worry, I’m sure Mr. Abadi will understand,” he assured her, brushing the last few broken pieces onto his tray and standing. “I’m sure he knows you can’t just spawn a foreign object into the middle of a room full of guests and not expect a reaction.” He offered her a lighthearted smile and a shrug for good measure, then left for the kitchen, storing the clock pieces out of sight and making ready for the next round of serving.

Amaris maintained her silence with the topics at hand, instead sipping politely at her glass in the hopes that Maddie’s familiar scent and taste were hiding the cure to her anxiety within the crimson pool. Unfortunately, no such solace was found, but she was eased somewhat by a lecture of all things. Normally, she had no love for Varis’ lectures. She found them dull and filled with unnecessary condescension, but there was something about the way he spoke about Morgan and her place amongst, or lack thereof, history. It wasn’t quite like his usual class lectures, somehow more animated, more personalized. Varis almost sounded… passionate. Yet, when considering the subject matter, it was hardly any surprise. The Treaty was enough of his specialty that he had been allowed the position of educator on the subject, yet the whispers of le Fey were so harshly disputed and filled with contradictions that it tugged at even the weakest threads of curiosity. Whatever his reasoning might have been, it was enough for Amaris to just be able to sit back and listen.

Enthusiasm waned, however, as the topic turned to policy and the Council. Salazar had made it perfectly clear that she was not welcome to such discussions. He had tried to disguise it, first by reminding her of her especially young age and then again as a conflict of interest as an attendee of such a prestigious academy. As true as those sentiments had been, the Countess had eventually worked out the more constant reluctance. Looking back, her father must have worked especially hard to keep her out of the sight of many and none more than politicians. It would have been foolish to assume that effort had died with him. Yet, she couldn’t help but feel partially let down. Did neither of them believe she had what it took to learn? Had she shown such ineptitude that it had been intended she be passed over completely for leadership of her House? Amaris pushed her thoughts aside and refocused on the scene before her. Now wasn’t the time, though she did consider the possibility that it was time to start pushing Salazar for real answers. She just had to survive the evening first.

The response oozed Eve. Just vague enough that anyone could interpret it however they saw fit. Of course there was no question which direction Count Dracul’s vote went; that’s why Ryner killed him. That decision was still giving him a head; the unexpected acceleration of the muder left him unprepared and his assets hadn’t managed to control the investigation fully. Someone beat him to the mark and it worried Varis what information they got their hands on. But he wasn’t here to fret over his fair weather ally.

He couldn’t fault the Count for keeping his cards to his chest. He wasn’t sure who was an ally and who was waiting for an opportunity to tear him apart. His bid for Lordship hadn’t yet found it’s footing and so everyone was an enemy. One wrong word from anyone and everyone in his House would turn on him, especially the factions who’ve dedicated decades to raising their choice to the seat. They wouldn’t look kindly on a usurper a fraction of their age. He found it interesting that he was still playing the room though; if it was Varis, Count Benjamin would be the only one he’d care to garner the respect of. Amaris and Victor were clearly incompitent and Eris, while growing his influence remarkably, didn’t have the clout to support his efforts.

“I don’t think anyone disagrees with you. Waiting on a singular piece of legislation that, as the boy explained at dinner with Ryner, is utterly unnecessary is just a waste of time. The vast majority of it maintains protections for situations that no sane vampire would be interested in breeding their mages anyways. But I don’t claim to understand the logic of vampires whose regimes have lasted longer than anyone even imagined the people in this room.” Varis agreed with a little sigh. At that point, the boy came out with the next round of blood. Varis would deny it but he was a bit nervous about this. Eris’ lack of discerning taste coupled with his mage’s disagreeable disposition suggested this was going to be an unpleasant experience. Hopefully, Eris thought this through and decided against serving something awful but he wouldn’t put in by the actor doing it just for fun.

“However, I’m more interested in what new ideas you’ll bring to the table. You’re at a disadvantage for the position and you’re going to climb over a number of your own to achieve it. What sort of motivation is great enough to overcome such daunting odds?” Varis asked.

---

Maddie felt awkward when her comment failed to drag attention away from Aaron. She just wanted him to let him do his work in peace but her information fell on deaf ears and all she wanted to do was become one with the couch so she wouldn’t have to try again. Thankfully, Aaron acknowledged it and that helped at the very least. She agreed with him of course; pissing off vampires would only make things worse for everyone involved. It was just some childish lashing out probably. She doubted it would last out in the real world and they were out from under the Princess’ protection. Hopefully that lesson wouldn’t hurt too much.

“I haven’t really had an opportunity to talk to you before but it;s nice to finally meet you face to face. Lilie's told me plenty of good things about you.” Maddie told the plant mage once Aaron had stepped back to the kitchen. "What did you plan to do before you knew you had magic?"

---

Max narrowed his eyes at Aaron, half in disbelief and half in awe of the sheer absurdity of the situation. Someone just randomly teleported fucking alarm clocks into the middle of his living room on a regular basis? Still, Max was sure it had to be the truth; no one would make up a lie that fucking stupid. His comments on the pranks were as quintessentially Retriever as Max would've expected; vampire apologism was disgusting enough when the vampires were actually well-behaved, he couldn't imagine defending some leech who really was acting shitty just because they got hit with a squirt flower or some equally mundane prank. 'Property damage' was probably a gross exaggeration by some overdramatic leech that was trying to make his mage sound like a criminal for knocking a tea cup off a table. Even if it wasn't, arson is the backbone of any good social movement.

Max couldn't be too mad about the situation though; the clock debacle had been entertaining for the short few minutes it lasted and the thought of Eris having to keep a straight face while Aaron explained what happened would probably keep him going for a few more. At least until Mabel or whatever the fuck her name was tried to talk to him. She was already getting chummy with Salem, which meant there was a good chance she might turn on Max yet.

He paced back to his spot on the couch and waited for Aaron to vacate the room before glancing to Lilie, "Do you talk about me like you apparently talk about him?" He questioned, thumbing toward Salem nonchalantly. Gossip was probably his most persistent enemy on campus, if not most troublesome. It was bad enough that talk about Eris occasionally became talk about Eris and his aloof new mage, but if there was some pale moron skipping around and telling everybody that Max 'isn't so bad once you get to know him' and 'probably won't throw things at you if you talk to him', some of the bolder ones might actually try to approach him. Plus, they might think they can crack his painstakingly crafted facade of apathy without realizing it's not a persona and they're wasting both their and Max's time.

---

Aaron appeared to be the only one who took Maddie bait. The sudden change of conversation in the room to pull away from what had just transpired. Salem thought on the rumor, how there were supposedly a group of mages pulling pranks on abusive vampires. He had to wonder if they based their pranks on evidence or rumors as well? Would they target Victors and his dorm just because he's an Astorio? Hopefully that was unlikely, what's more he hoped that Victor took it in stride if they did. Last thing they needed was another mage being chucked across campus to set an example of true strength or something to that nature. There was an itch to sigh, his hand twitching in response as it threatened to pinch the bridge of his nose in annoyance. Luckily Maddie pulled him away from it as she directed the new form of conversation to him.

His cheeks began to grow hot as blood rushed beneath them, his tan skin being a saviour in hiding the blush. Lilie spoke of him? And in good light? Salem was typically more on guard about others talking about him behind his back. If anything it was to spread baseless rumors, or simply speak ill of him without his knowing. After all that was what many did at such parties, swap stories and information as if fact and use the new found information against others in the long run. He gave Maddie a polite smile before answering. "It certainly is nice to meet you in person for once and have a conversation. Though I wasn't aware that Lilie spoke of me,and so highly at that. I can only hope to live up to the image she's painted of me." His posture changed as he sat in the chair. Somewhere between relaxed and yearnfull for the life he could've had before all this happened.

"Before I was awoken I had begun my studies in the medical field. I ran a clinic to help those who couldn't afford it, dealing with a wide range of injuries and illnesses. Had I not awoken to my magic I would've just continued my work, helping others and doing what I could for those in need. I still wish to help with what I can however. I plan on using my knowledge of horticulture combined with my magic and transmutation magic to create stronger herbal medicine so that more treatments can be produced and distributed to the clinic at a faster rate. What about you? What was your plans before you awoke?"

“You ran a clinic? I would have never guessed; I thought you needed years of specialized training to run a medical facility and I thought everyone was pretty much the same age. You must be talented.” Maddie wouldn’t lie that she was shocked. She couldn’t imagine going in for a consultation and discovering her doctor was barely older than her. But he must be a prodigy or something if he managed that feat. “I would have just helped the family business. I have a pretty solid background in math and I was thinking about pursuing finances so when my mom decided to retire, I could take her place. Otherwise, I just waited tables and knit hats and gloves on the side. Nothing so important as a clinic.”

Maddie bit back a laugh at Lilie’s viciousness. Clearly it was unintentional and from what she’d see of Max so far, he’d probably like that response but still it was like a punch to the gut for most people. “Why ruin a good thing?” Absolute gold. Lilie seemed like the type to like everyone, make friends with anything that was even remotely sentient, but apparently Max’s gruffness was her limit. She was a soft soul and Max was clearly the very opposite. Still if his vampire was important enough to be invited by Count Sinnenodel, then she may as well get to know him a little more in case they were shoved into any other situations that required socialization. “And what about you, Max? What were your plans for the future if you hadn’t gotten sucked into all this magic stuff?”

Aaron didn’t linger long in the parlour, serving Eris’ contribution with practiced ease and taking his leave cleanly unnoticed. He was almost a little bit tempted to loiter a moment and see the guests’ reactions to Max’s blood—Aaron recalled Eris claiming once that it tasted like battery acid, and it was hard to imagine anything could get Max in a good mood long enough to siphon off an entire bottle—but given he had the dismembered remains of an alarm clock hidden under the kitchen counter, witnessing a social train wreck was pretty low on his priority list.

Instead, he made a beeline for the kitchen, crouching down in front of the cabinet to assess the damage. Ugh, there was no way he’d ever get the clock into anything even resembling one piece; he’d just have to mail it as it was. He’d told Lilie that Malek wouldn’t be angry, but he really had no idea how the man would react. Would he be angry? The task he’d assigned had been done, and Sinnenodels weren’t known to be picky about methods as long as they got results. Would he find it funny? Aaron couldn’t even picture Malek smiling, let alone laughing. Hopefully he wouldn’t say anything at all.

He stood, rubbing his temple as a sudden wave of fatigue passed over him. Whatever, that was a problem for tomorrow. Right now he had to focus on lasting through the night; Max’s blood marked the halfway point in the tasting and he was already starting to lose his concentration. Goodness, only three months away from home and he was this out of practice? It had only barely been over an hour! Of course, it might have had something to do with the fact that Varis’ expectations were tighter than any he’d ever worked under before, but that was no excuse!

Ugh, and then there was that. Aaron leaned back against the counter, closing his eyes for a moment. Right, the reason he had to take care of that clock business tomorrow and not tonight after the party was because of his jackassery with Eris. I’m honoured by your attention, Mr. Samael, he mocked in his head, I’d be more than happy to arrange some time for you once the night’s events have concluded. Was he literally born yesterday?! Sun and stars, his stomach turned just thinking about what was in store for him with Eris tonight. He’d seen more of Eris than he ever, ever wanted to just from the few ill-fated glimpses he got of the man when he stayed the day with Varis, and then there he was inviting that very debauchery onto himself?!

Aaron could have slapped himself if he didn’t think it would be heard from the living room. What was he thinking? He only said that garbage because he’d heard other mages say it in the past and he couldn’t think of anything better, not because he was at all prepared to actually go through with it! Yeah, okay, as Sinnenodel standards went it was probably the best course of action he could have taken—given what Malek told him about show mages, there’d be a lot of similar schmoozing in his future—but come on, that was really the best he could think of? He probably could have stopped at “I must prioritize my duties” but no, like always, his dumb ass just had to go the extra mile.

Containing a huff, Aaron turned around and busied himself with getting Salem’s blood ready; if he didn’t occupy himself, he’d spend the rest of the night running circles around himself like that. He had to get it together. The night wasn’t over yet, he’d… think of something, surely. Whatever he’d gotten himself into after the party would just have to wait. He had a job to do.

As soon as his fingers stopped shaking, anyway.

I've already lost one heir's approval, would you have me lose another? Ben thought. Having the memory of a dead mage as motivation wasn't endearing to any traditionalist, let alone a Sinnenodel. But completely lying was risky; were he ever called out on it in the future it could come back to haunt him. However, without any sort of friction, he could end up looking subservient. He needed to continue on the path of half-truths and carefully navigate the conversation. A basis was really all he needed without Delia's name ever being mentioned. At that thought, he had an idea.

"If I do gain the seat, unfortunately any ideas I have would have to wait until the dust settled; suggesting anything outside of the status quo would result in even more attempts at my life. It'd be just a touch embarrassing to hold the seat for so little time before getting to do anything with it," Ben joked. "In a world without consequence where everything would go my way, however, I would...what is that mortal phrase? 'Out with the old and in with the new'? Taking the reins from the older generation to give a chance for anyone else would be something to behold. If one is set in their ways with the inability to adapt, it certainly leaves things stale."

"As for my motivation...Laugh if you will, but mine stems from my mother," Ben said. "A brilliant woman in life, she served my father with gusto and pride 'til the end of her life. Even as her body decayed her mind remained sharp and she refused to let anything stop her. As a child I was starstruck and admired her, and seeing as how my father charged her with my upbringing, I believe he also held respect for her as well. Her memory is always with me with every decision I make."

It was more emotional than expected but he would lay it out there; his mother truly was a source of inspiration from him and he wasn't afraid to admit it.

---

Max's brow raised in dry amusement as he stared at Lilie silently for a few moments. Since when was she so passive aggressive? Did he piss her off or something? She did backtrack there at the end, so maybe she just slipped, which worked for him just fine. Eris didn't like her vampire anyway; they didn't need to be friends. Hell, Max didn't even consider himself Aaron's friend and he was actually supposed to play nice with him.

"Wow," The mage responded plainly. It was as good of a response as any. He couldn't insult her; she technically did what he wanted, and he was hardly the person to start policing people on their tone. Unfortunately, new girl either couldn't read the room or read it perfectly and wanted to try her luck with the guy even Lilie didn't like. How utterly annoying. And predictable in the worst possible way.

What was he supposed to say to that? Go be a cog in some vampiric baron's industrial complex? He didn't want to do anything; he was lazy. The fact that the economy existed to benefit tyrannical monsters was just icing on the cake. Not that his current position was any less degrading, but at least he got to tell Eris to fuck off on the regular.

"I think I'd be a great therapist," Max answered humorlessly, though he was obviously struggling to hold in a snicker, "I dunno, probably some boring do-nothing job where you just look smart from a distance. Doesn't really matter though; no point theorizing about what could've or would've happened." Thinking about it would probably just make him mad anyway. He was a glorified pet in some actor's retinue, for fuck's sake.

---