Maybe he should have asked someone to just record these mage observation sessions. Sure, it was nice once in a while to have a little free time to catch up on messages and emails, but whenever Eris was ahead of schedule, he didn’t really have much to do, and he could only watch Wells quietly brood with his magic so many times before that got boring.

Speaking of the mage, Eris had a lot to think about for once, though none of it had to actually do with Wells himself. The moment he first laid eyes on him, the very first thing he had considered was that the kid had a certain look he liked, and he’d probably end up making a lineage for Eris to cultivate. Alderman was a decently stylish last name, too--he was perfect. Until he opened his mouth, but he supposed if the attitude couldn’t be fixed, he could always sell him to an Astorio.

But the kid’s health form had changed things. The phrase ‘diamond in the rough’ had never applied more until now, and he had to consider how to protect his precious little asset. Dumb luck as it was having such a thing stumble onto his lap, he had to consider the lineage seriously now. He would have liked to wait some before starting Ismene’s fertility treatments, but neither of them were getting any younger, and he had the age gap to consider. He’d have to think about requesting the kid’s fertility test sooner than later, too.

Stretching his arms above his head, Eris decided he had enough, taking his phone out. He supposed he could ask Antigone to send over any contracts, but as he raised his gaze, a blot of red caught his attention. Said red belonged to a vampire whose face he swore he had seen before. He hadn’t taken too much care to get to know all of his classmates--not that he hadn’t gotten to know them by getting swarmed by some of them before--but he knew her face from somewhere.

Despite his initial thought being to dismiss it, he ended up getting out of his chair. Fortunately there was an empty seat right next to the redhead and Eris was all too glad to slide into it, perching his chin in his hand as he gave her a wry smile.

“Pardon the interruption and usual line, but I feel like I know you from somewhere,” He had to laugh, knowing it sounded exactly like a lame pickup line. “Care to help me figure it out?”

The woman in question turned her head at his voice, careful not to jostle her phone where she was recording her mage. She took a few moments to look Eris up and down before an excited glimmer of realization lit up in her eyes. Ailsalia ended the recording and turned to give Eris her full attention. “I doubt I’d have given you the opportunity to forget me if we’d had the pleasure of meeting but by all means, Mr. Samael, you’re more than welcome to learn now.” Ailsalia chuckled at the awful pick up line before holding out her hand. “Ailsalia Margaux.”

A pretty name for a pretty lady, but not one he knew. Marques or Margot, maybe, but no Margaux. Eris had to stop himself from mentally scrolling through every Mar- in his head, the glimmer in her eyes telling him that this was definitely the first time. Recognition and remembrance had different looks, but he wasn’t about to go doubting himself. Maybe they ran into each other once? It wouldn't be surprising but he knew her face, he just didn’t know from where. Great, this was going to drive him crazy until he figured it out. He was terrible when it came to names he didn't care for, but she seemed important, like he should know her name.

Happily taking her hand, he decided to, for once, be more upfront about it. "No, you're right, I don't think I'd forget your gorgeous face, but I feel like I've seen you before--outside of this school, I mean," He ended up explaining, trying to think. "I want to say...business related, perhaps?"

“I sincerely doubt it unless you’re in the market for cars. Margaux dealerships are common enough in most Sinnenodel territories but I doubt we offer the type of luxury vehicles you’d be interested in.” Ailsalia considered, humming thoughtfully. “Why don’t you take a seat and we can compare our recent history. Maybe it turns out we crossed paths at an event or a meeting.”

Eris gladly took the seat offered, putting on a polite smile as he crossed one leg over the other. Dealerships in the Sinnenodel territory didn't ring any bells, either. He honestly didn't even know what brand he rode around in, but that wasn't important right now. For a second he wondered if maybe she was a cousin of his--every once in a while there was a random Samael that came to light, but she didn’t really look like any of his relatives aside from the rouge of her hair.

"Attending has muted my schedule somewhat, I hope you don't find it too boring," Eris joked, once again perching his chin in his hand as he eyed her, a little curious. "Nothing in the industry, the last event in a Sinnenodel territory I ended was...a soiree, I believe, though I accompanied Count Varis Sinnenodel."

"That would certainly explain it." She sighed, her smile falling. "I have the dubious pleasure of sharing blood with that worm. Varis is my cousin, his mother my aunt. We share some resemblance but until I found myself confined to the same grounds as him, I did not realize I was so unappealing."

Eris squinted at the woman, the realization hitting him a second later. That definitely explained it, she really did resemble Varis. Thank goodness she came right out with it, he didn't know how much longer he would have lasted without satisfying that itch. He wasn’t too surprised to hear her displeasure at sharing genetics with him, but he did her last statement odd.

"Unappealing? I'd daresay it was the opposite," Eris chuckled, albeit he had to admit redheads were more up his alley, so maybe he was biased. Hm, would she be open to his questions, or would she be guarded? He was definitely curious to hear the source of what she mentioned. "I didn't know you grew up together. My mother had my sister and myself kept in her estate for some time for some attempt at bonding, but well...it didn’t work out."

"Until just this year, I'd gone a wonderful seventy seven of them without meeting him. We met infrequently for the first thirty of our lives but his father decided that on the passing of our mothers, that I was no longer welcome in his household and Varis has maintained that decree ever since." Ailsalia rolled her eyes. "He was a difficult little worm to deal with back then; I can't even imagine how awful he is now."

Biting down on his lower lip, Eris tried not to laugh too hard, settling into something resembling an amused grin. Considering how the smallest of things would set the vampire off, he wasn’t surprised. Well, actually, that he would follow in his father's steps and continue to uphold one of his decrees did strike him as a little weird.

"Imagine taking one of his classes--he's the aide in Treaty Law now. I don’t think anyone has scored perfectly on any assignment yet," Eris said, leaning back a little. "Though I'm a little surprised I'm only meeting you now. Well, not that I'd wish being a Sinnenodel on anyone, but you seem very...not Sinnenodel-like. At least a complete contrast to your cousin."

Remembering something, he added, "I was always under the impression he was a needy child. Did he spend his youth terrorizing you?"

"With the exceptions of our forced time together, I grew up away from most of the Sinnenodel family influence and I'm thankful for it. I have no desire to be a puppet in their matriarch's games." Ailsalia waved the observation away with a shiver. "Varis was constantly attached to his mother's hip unless he was clinging to mine. It was the only haven besides the library he could find away from the rest of his father's brood. Absolute nightmares, all of them." Ailsalia pulled a face at the memory of Varis' siblings.

"He was always carrying around a book or a blanket and built himself little pillow forts away in the library back then and would start crying if he thought he couldn't find a single piece of his pillow hoard. It's why I called him a worm; always burying himself beneath his pillows and in a book." She explained almost fondly.

Getting to hear something like that stirred something in Eris, but he ignored it. No need to get sentimental, he was an emotional mess as it was and needed to get a better handle on things. Still, he couldn’t really stop his imagination, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He flattened it back down with another reminder that again, their relationship was professional, though his curiosity hadn’t been sated just yet.

“I honestly can’t imagine him clinging to anyone,” That time he did let himself laugh. “You poor thing! Well, not poor, you’re lucky to be away from all that. I suppose I’m just surprised, I didn’t think anyone that had been close to a noble heir would be so obscure.” Was that harsh? He was going to say ‘a complete nobody’ but she hadn’t really done anything yet to draw his ire.

"Well, he wasn't the heir of anything when we were closer. He was the youngest of the third eldest bloodline." Ailsalia watched her mage for a few moments as she considered what she said next. "He managed to secure his position through currying favor with Lady Sinnenodel. I was surprised when I heard it, even sent a letter asking after him, and I didn't even get a courtesy response."

“Ah, the rise of power...it’s so hard to see the little people once you soar in the sky,” Eris waved his arm to his eyes as if shielding himself from the light. “Sad, really, but I suppose the sudden change is enough to make anyone forget. It fuels their egos and suddenly they go denying that they ever knew you.” He rolled his eyes. “Mirabelle Hanover still won’t admit we were friends. Though I wonder if she sings a different tune nowadays.”

He was distracted for about two seconds before frowning at the redhead. “Is he still cold to you? I can’t imagine not having run into everyone else here at least once,” He asked.

"Yes, he certainly has changed." Ailsalia laughed. "We crossed paths once at orientation. He was talking with Countess Eve and Marivaldi and he stumbled over himself escaping my presence. Took a dirty shot at my dead family too but what can I expect from a Sinnenodel." The amused tone quickly turned bitter at the reminder. "He's proved himself his father's son."

Eris fully frowned at the change of tone, a little pensive. Even when he was younger he had heard of Laucian Sinnenodel, though it was never in a good or flattering way. Varis had not had a good relationship with him, either; he was pretty sure he would ruin Ailsalia if he heard her comparing the two. Not that he blamed him too much, he had done his best to step away from his own father even though their relationship was positive for the most part. Or as positive as it could get, anyway.

“Countess Eve…? Oh, I don’t think I got to meet that one,” That said he would never pass the urge to crap on the Eve house, if only out of spite. “At least I know the fourth one. Benjamin Eve, I had the pleasure of a dinner with him and Countess Amaris Marivalidi, probably the same one you saw. I felt like a third wheel with the way those two were eyeing one another, though.”

Ah, that would be a fun one to spread, he would work on that one more. It was probably for the better, he felt like he was asking too much about Varis, and he didn’t want to get mouthed off for ‘asking from plebeians when it’s best to get it from the source’ even though hearing it from others was fun.

“And what, may I ask, are your plans while here?” He decided on a safe subject.

"The Eves and the Marivaldis bedding each other? I suppose Count Benjamin must realize she'd be an excellent way to support himself. The Eves are always desperate for help. Even if she isn't technically the heir to the family anymore, she must still have quite an array of strings to pull." She spoke thoughtfully, interested in the intrigue, before considering his next question.

"I don't have any grand plans. A little networking sure but otherwise just enjoy this. Classes are easy, the student body a pleasant distraction, and my mage is absolutely delightful." Ailsalia glanced down into the classroom and waved at her mage who'd looked up just at the right time. "And yourself? I doubt the famous Eris Samael is resting on his laurels here."

Shoot and score, Eris would have to follow up on that to see where it went. Unfortunately it wasn't as subtle as the others, but it was worth it to see old Benji get flustered and confused when people asked what was happening with him and his new piece. He could claim ownership when he would inevitably be confronted by the blond no problem--the two were basically at each other's throats anyway, love and hate are two sides of the same coin.

He followed her gaze, amused that she was so into whatever they were doing. "It's a prime chance to renegotiate some contracts and focus more on investments and the business side of my career," He admitted that much. "I was offered a few parts that would've gone through filming by now, but taking a small break for a few years to cultivate what I have is needed. I'll admit, getting to meet Her Highness was a definite bonus."

He threw her a wink. "Which is to say I'm taking a small break. That'll be our little secret," He joked. That was basically the top response anytime people tried to guess at his motives over his attendance and he figured leaning into it was easy.

Ailsalia regarded Eris for a moment and laughed. "I guess everyone needs a break every now and then. Though, I'd expected you to take time to yourself rather than drop feet first into a noisy academy surrounded by nobility." Ailsalia smiled slyly. "Including a particular red headed one. I've not often discussed anyone's childhood habits with the intent of business. Maybe I should be asking you about him. Despite our estrangement, I do still harbor some fleeting care about his well being."

"I live for the noise, though this is basically my equivalent of taking time for myself. I can't even take a vacation without a laptop or a few conference calls planned without losing my mind," Eris ended up admitting. "My mages are amazingly competent this generation, too, so I could, but all I end up doing is trying to get ahead of schedule. I really don't know how to relax for more than a few hours."

Eris smiled fondly as he recalled Ismene booking him a trip only to find out he had spent it attending meetings. It wasn’t his fault the resort happened to have several rentable meeting rooms that just so happened to be close to several of his business associates, that was on her for not checking. Though considering what she expressed she would make sure the 'next time' he'd end up on some private island, so it was safe to say she had learned her lesson. Ah, young Ismene was fun to cultivate.

As for Varis, well, he couldn't get around that one. "We have a recent business agreement that has finally seen some fruition, although in our few years working together, I don't actually know much of his personal life. I've worked with a few Sinnenodels before and they tend to have the same M.O.: strict professionalism with any attempts at anything personal ending up with getting tossed aside or laughed at," He ended up explaining with a shrug. "I think even with little contact you know him better than I do, and I honestly couldn't resist asking."

Eris kept up the smile, but inside that irked him to no end. He supposed it was because they really only ever did talk business, but to see someone who hadn't spoken to Varis in so long still know more than him was just annoying. But that was what he had signed up for, even if he found it less and less amusing as time went on. Then again, any chance to improve that status was single handedly tanked by his emotional outburst, so it was going to be some time before he could try again. If he ever got the chance, that is. Just the thought was enough to annoy him further, and he needed to remind himself to get a better handle on things.

"Family ties are important, it's sweet of you to still acknowledge it," Eris chuckled.

"True. They adhere to a strict no emotion, no connection policy. Everything is fodder for that thing that sits at the head of their family. Thank the Queen that I'm not one of them for that reason alone." She shivered at the thought of Sybil being anywhere near interested in her life. "Family is important to the Margauxs. Varis may not like it but he shares our blood and we don't abandon each other, even if they are awful pricks. My mother used to dream of the whole family together living in some semblance of happiness and thus far, I've kept her last wishes. Varis is the one exception."

“Maybe in some weird way, he divorced from everyone because of Sybil,” Eris thought out loud. “Though it’s not exactly secret that Laucian ran an odd house as well. I don’t think I’ve heard anything positive come out of that family fiasco, and well…” The banishment didn’t exactly help things. But it was easier to be alone when you wielded such power and climbing to the top in a family of backstabbers meant there was no affording any weakness.

“The concept of family for him must have been doomed from the start,” He couldn’t help but mutter, looking back at Ailsalia. “Have you tried talking to him here?”

"Perhaps. I'd like to ask him one day." Ailsalia sighed. "I only approached him once during orientation but since he ran like a feral cat at the earliest opportunity, I figured I'd give him the opportunity to acclimate to my presence before trying again. He used to get so flustered when his routine was disrupted; I'm sure suddenly seeing me after all these years completely upset whatever he was trying to do."

Varis ran? Why didn’t Eris believe that? The idea was absurd, he couldn’t even really imagine it unless someone was physically threatening him, maybe. But from talking? Where he liked to verbally dominate people?! He genuinely couldn’t wrap his head around it no matter how hard he tried.

“Maybe it’s because you have some juicy secrets that he doesn’t want you to spill,” Eris gave her a mischievous grin. “Like...he secretly had a crush on you when he was little, or that he didn’t properly feed until he was ten!”

"Maybe you're right. I do have quite a number of stories. Like that time he…" She laughed to herself and waved the thought away. "No, no. I shouldn't gossip if I want to get the opportunity to speak with him. But I guess you're right. I just thought that talking to me about staying quiet would be better than letting me run my mouth to anyone that asks."

Eris supposed he could ask on her behalf, but he wasn’t sure Varis would be receptive. If he’s been actively avoiding her until now he’d probably get nowhere, and he wasn’t sure if it was even worth it. Maybe he could squeeze out one story and find something of interest later? Was he coming off as too obsessive?

Ah, fuck it, he was already in. “Can’t even spare one? The least embarrassing one?” He asked, grinning.

She grinned in return. "Well since you are business partners, I guess one little secret wouldn't hurt. But which one." Ailsalia considered her choice seriously for a few minutes. "I guess talking about his first love wouldn't be terrible. It's not such a bad secret for most vampires these nights but as a strict traditionalist, I suppose it is a bit of dirty laundry. Varis' first love was a mage and a fire one at that. He'd write poetry about her for weeks and even composed a piece of his violin for her. It was sweet but you can imagine how that went with a father like that."

Had there been anything in Eris’ hand, he was pretty sure he would have either shattered it or just plain dropped it. He honestly had no idea why he was angry--or surprised? No, he was surprised. No, he really was angry. His eyes darted away as he let out a mock laugh, hand covering his eyes as he tried to buy himself some time to recover. Varis couldn’t love him, an accomplished actor and businessman, but he could love some hodunk mage. Yup, that hurt and infuriated him to no end.

But he was a professional, and as he finished laughing he gave Ailsalia an incredulous look. “I honestly wouldn’t even believe you if it wasn’t for the things you said before,” He said, his left hand twirling a blond lock. “Or...maybe you are? I mean, I’ve always heard that the Traditionals were usually the most mage-loving freaks out there, but you know, this is too much.”

"Now, Mr. Samael, why would I lie to you? You said it yourself, I'm not a Sinnenodel. I'm not looking to put myself ahead of anything in this conversation or get anything out of it except your company." Ailsalia laughed. "Ask him about the piece the next time you talk. If I recall, he titled it "A Waltz in Sunshine". It was pretty. I'm sure you'd absolutely love it.”

Yeah, well, Eris would believe that when vampires could freely walk into the sun. He’d admit he was definitely enjoying the conversation more than he should have, but even then it was only because it was a subject he had way too much interest in. Well, at least he had a new talking buddy for these observation periods.

“I will,” He promised. “I have to admit it’s nice to talk to you as well. I hope I haven’t bored you too much with my questions.”

"Oh no, not at all." Ailsalia waved off his concern. "It's understandable why you'd go behind his back. I'm sure he isn't exactly forthcoming with any of this. I hope it's helpful in your business with him."

“Ah, I’ll take special care to learn more about you next time,” Eris replied after a glance at his watch told him that their time was up, the scuffle of the mages below confirming as much.

As the pair bid their farewells, Eris added a few more things to his to-do list, though his mind kept circling to the same thing. A mage. Eris wouldn’t have believed it, really, but he didn’t think Ailsalia had any reason to lie about it. Why did that bother him so much, anyway? Varis drew the line, Eris accepted it, things were back to normal. He didn’t have any reason to linger on it. He wasn’t about to bring out the whole book of people he had slept with. It didn’t matter.

Great stars above was Eris tired. Dame Patel was a sadist and no one was going to convince him otherwise--he had dedicated as much time as he possibly could to her training and she reveled in kicking his ass nearly every day. He was starting to think he definitely took up the wrong offer, but he had to admit, whenever he didn’t feel like his muscles were on fire or wasn’t collapsing face first into the couch because his bed was too far, it was fun. Combat learning was great exercise and it was actually nice not to have to worry about anything else.

That said, it took up more time than he wanted. Dame Patel was a great conversationalist, yes, but he was neglected in an area he wasn’t used to. This was probably his longest dry spell and now he knew for a fact that anyone that decided to wait until marriage was so full of shit. It was exceedingly easy to get some in this campus, usually taking a smile and a lift of his eyebrows and it was on, but even that felt like too much effort. And ever since the post-practical fiasco of his little outburst, he hadn’t really approached the redhead that way. Not that there hadn’t been any effort, but it was always dismissed with a wave of the hand or an eyeroll that told him ‘not now’.

What didn’t help matters was that Eris still had Ailsalia’s comment in the back of his mind. He’d be lying if he said he was surprised that a Traditionalist ended up falling for a mage--actually, that sounds exactly like something that would happen to a younger vampire--but it bothered him for a multitude of reasons. For one, it showed just how little he actually knew Varis, which wasn’t something he really thought of until now. Then again, maybe that was the best way to go about it without getting himself too entangled. And yet, there he was, dying of petty jealousy that somehow the emotionless being had somehow gotten wrapped up in a mage but wouldn’t give him the time of day. Figures as much.

And so he stared at the slim part of Varis’ neck that hadn’t been covered, eyes trailing up his jaw and landing on his lips. He was in a neutral mood, which was as good as you could get with a Sinnenodel. He had seemed pleased with that weird dinner, even if he did bitch Eris out for a solid four minutes afterwards. Who knew Starag blood was actually good? It wasn’t like he was chummy with the royals! But even that didn’t stop Eris from letting his eyes wander, and eventually, he had enough of waiting.

Rising from his seat, he walked around the desk and stood behind Varis, scrunching his nose at the papers. Ew, schoolwork. He could interrupt that. Eris leaned down and wrapped his arms around Varis’ shoulders, taking a quick nip at the exposed part of his neck.

“You should take a break, rifling through trash for too long isn’t good for you,” He muttered, hand working on turning Varis’ head towards his.

Varis fully intended to flay half his class alive for making him read through this utter nonsense. He didn’t even have to nitpick at them. They were truly abysmal. He just didn’t understand why these students couldn’t wrap their heads around some of these concepts. Others he just wondered how they communicated. If they spoke anything like they wrote, it must just sound like garbled nonsense. When this was all over and he could leave this mockery of an institution, Varis was either going to do everything in his power to see it razed to the ground or open his own and teach Ryner how to mold minds.

He wasn’t sure what Eris wanted when he first arrived, only waved the whimsical actor away so Varis could finish his work, but it made sense now. Eris had seemed relatively busy. He was probably suffering from a lack of attention. Not that he didn’t get much wandering the school grounds. While the endless murmurs and whispers in his wake finally vanished, people still watched him pass but that was something Eris was accustomed too. Varis gave a quiet sigh at the nip, his hand pausing at the promise it held, and only resisted for a brief moment before following Eris’ hand. He’d been brushing off the actor in the wake of the weirdness after Eris’ revelation but Eris returned to his usual manner of annoying without hesitation. He must have enjoyed the gift and finally understood the purpose of their relationship; Varis clearly made the situation more complicated than it needed to be. He put his pen down and gave Eris his full attention.

“True. I’ve had enough of their idiocy today.” Varis turned into the hand Eris had on his cheek, letting his fangs drag across the blond’s hand as he pressed a kiss to it. “Did you have something in mind or should I find a way to distract myself?”

Eris clucked his tongue in mock disapproval, albeit he did stare at his hand for just a second. His mind unwillingly went back to the practical, but he waved it off--no weird mark on his hand, no need to think about that. “I’ll borrow you for just a moment,” He promised, fingers running over the soft material. Shit, it really had been a while, he had almost forgotten about the gloves. They had been consistent since the practical for some reason, though he had initially assumed that he had a scratch that hadn’t healed or something.

Nope, he was thinking too much, he needed to stop that and go with his whims. Wanting to feel more skin, he did make an attempt to get Varis to stand as his hands looped around his wrists and pulled. “Avoiding my touch?” He joked, his right thumb stroking under the glove.

"Avoiding your touch?" Varis crowed into Eris' space, forcing the other vampire to sit on his desk and smirking. Varis stood barely a hair's width away. "Quite the opposite. And if you behave, I plan to be away for much longer than a moment. It's been too long since I've heard you beg properly." Varis purred, pulling Eris down to claim his mouth fiercely.

Oh, yes. It was never a good thing to give in too easily, but fuck it, the dry spell ended tonight. Eris was all too happy to indulge himself, a low groan of approval at the back of his throat. He was tempted to throw them both on the floor, but last time he was spontaneous he ended up getting a lecture, so instead he ended up wrapping his arms around his neck, shifting himself closer. He got a little impatient with the feel of Varis' glove, his left hand slipping underneath with the intention of pulling it off. As corny as it sounded, he wanted to hold his hand to feel closer, but as his fingers trailed down the back of Varis' hand, there was something off about it.

Varis' felt a smug sense of satisfaction rush through him at the noises Eris made. He was so easy and responsive when he was needy and Varis relished the ease with which he could read Eris when he was like this. Varis moved with Eris, pressing them together as Varis pressed another kiss to his mouth and down his throat, savoring the willing man under him.

He blamed it on his lack of control, on the trust Eris managed to earn despite everything Varis was, but he was caught completely unaware when Eris went for his gloves. He hadn't even considered it an issue; Eris knew the rules and Varis didn't have any issue dumping Eris out on the street if he broke them. He hadn't even considered that his gloves were usually the exception, how the touch of his hands was usually a reward for good behavior. So when Eris started playing at the edges, he'd ignored it.

It wasn't until Eris crept further and he felt Eris' fingers slide along the back of his hands that he realized his mistake. He bared his fangs as he snatched his hand away and jumped back against the wall, hand cradled protectively against his chest. He tried to keep himself steady and still, fighting the urge to curl up into himself, but he couldn't keep it all under control. His shoulders trembled, his eyes were dark and wide, and Varis struggled to find words.

"Why… Wha…" Varis stammered, everything inside screaming at him to run. Someone found out. Everything he worked for, everything he'd done was gone. As soon as it got out, she was going to kill him. "Why did you do that?!" The demand came out weak and trembling.

Eris was stunned at the sudden shift in mood, jaw dropped as he saw the terrified vampire in front of him. He hadn’t even realized his mistake, a teasing question on the tip of his tongue when Varis had backed out. But he knew him well enough to know that he had done something very wrong--he could handle a hiss and lashing, but seeing the redhead look frightened of all things felt like he was seeing something he wasn't supposed to. What happened to his hand? What happened to him?

Raising his hand in a weak effort to calm him down, Eris shook his head as he slowly approached him, doing his best not to set him off. "I-I’m sorry. I'm--I got overzealous," He admitted, still trying to wrap his head around Varis, Sinnenodel heir and King of Emotionless Beings, being scared of all things. "Are you...are you okay?" It was the stupidest question, yeah, but fuck, what else was he supposed to say?

Eris’ approach had him trying to press further into the wall and scatter what few thoughts he managed to piece together. For a moment, he wasn’t in the dorm anymore but back at his Lady’s home, trying not to beg for mercy, knowing that it would only make it worse. He could only whimper as he slid down the wall and crouched, going deathly still as he tried to keep himself grounded. She wasn’t here, she wasn’t here, she wasn’t here. Ryner would keep her away, Ryner would keep her away, Ryner would keep her away. Even she wasn’t confident enough to cross Ryner directly like that. He was safe for now. He was okay. Everything would be okay.

His eyes were trained on the ground and he scowled. The boy must have gotten injured during his training or something. That’s the only reason he could find why there would be blood stains on the ground. It escaped him that more were appearing in front of his eyes and that his face felt oddly wet. He stared up at Eris, eyes vacant and emotionless despite the familiar downward tilt of his mouth. “Why did you do that?” He asked again, his voice robotic. “Everything was fine, everything was going so well, we had something pleasant. Why did you take that away?”

Unfortunately Eris was doing more harm than good. It reminded him of one of the first times he had his old tiger, how low to the ground and frightened she had been when he approached her. He had broken some invisible line of trust, and as amusing as it was watching his mages trip over the line, he'd be damned if he was going to lose everything over one slip up.

"Everything is fine. You're fine," Eris tried a different approach, remaining where he was. "Nothing is going to happen to you. There's nothing that can hurt you here. The last thing I would ever want to do is make you feel unsafe."

Everything sounded muffled and distant, like he was underwater. He saw Eris’ mouth move before he heard it and it almost made him laugh. Unsafe? Unsafe? He hadn’t been safe in sixty years, this had nothing to do with safe. This had everything to do with his Lady finding out that he slipped up. He knew exactly one person she couldn’t drag information out of and it wasn’t Eris. Eris was unsafe. Eris was a problem, his problem, a problem he’d sunk decades of resources and time into, decades of trust into, and now it was ripped away from him like everything else he wanted. He fucked up. He’d grown attached. He broke the number one rule: Don’t get attached to people less powerful than himself. Use them, abuse them, break them, and dump them. That was how it went. And yet here was a walking testament to his own failure.

“Nothing is fine. You know.” Varis whispered. It was all he could manage, struggling to force himself to breathe. “You know how disgusting I am. You know what she’s done. You’re a target now. You’ve ruined everything. Nothing is fine, nothing.”

For fuck's sake, what was with all the crypticness? Eris had half a mind to smack the guy in an effort to get him back to himself. He could handle getting yelled at, getting belittled, getting scolded, but having to play nice and have patience was so foreign it made his skin crawl. But even as he listened he still felt like he needed to give an effort to correct things. Years of work weren't going to up and vanish over something as stupid as a mistake. He refused to let it be so.

"I don't know what you're talking about and I'm not going to ask. That's what we agreed on," Eris decided on a different approach, offering his hand. "Come on. You can yell if you'd like, you can come hit me. You know I'm not going anywhere no matter what happens, right?"

Varis started at the proffered hand for several long moments. He struggled to think about anything but the terror and dread boiling in his chest. Taking that hand was dangerous. Vampires only cared about themselves, only cared about how they could benefit. Eris would leave as soon as Varis stopped being useful to him. He’d flutter away and land on some other flower that would grow taller and reach higher. Taking that hand meant trusting Eris, meant shifting his entire world view, ignoring every instinct and experience. Could he do that?

At this moment, he needed it. He’d been alone for half his life, standing on his own, suffering on his own, fighting the constant pressure to break on his own. And still it felt like his hand was heavier than ever before, that moving it was like trying to move a castle. Could he do that?

Varis put his hand hesitantly in Eris’.

The blonde scarcely moved, unwilling to let the other vampire shrink back into his shell. But there was an odd satisfaction watching Varis reach for him, a slight disbelief as he realized what was actually happening. It was definitely a good ego boost, but there was something else to it. Something almost intimate.

No, he was just overthinking things.

Eris moved painfully slowly, making sure to keep his grip on Varis as he placed a kiss on the back of his hand. “I’m yours completely. Don’t ever forget that,” He told him. “I don’t care about anything or anyone else. If you see it fit to toss me aside the second I’m no longer of any use, then fine. Until then, I’m here.”

Varis tensed as Eris moved, eyes tracking every movement the other vampire made. He wanted to laugh at Eris’ declaration. How stupid, how idiotic it was to put yourself at the mercy of another, much less a Sinnenodel and the heir at that. But he couldn’t because it felt...nice. Reassuring. Something he desperately craved and Eris was here, willing to give it to him.

Varis stood up, not willing to take his hand away just yet, and stared at Eris, brow furrowed. He felt like his thoughts were slipping through his fingers like sand and Eris was an anchor in the confusion. Everything seemed muffled and distant, like it was underwater.

Except Eris.

Eris was steady and firm and, in that moment, perfect. Varis took a step closer and closer and closer, until they were a hair width apart, and just stared. Stared and stared and stared until he pressed up to Eris. Eris claimed he was his. Eris claimed he wouldn’t leave. Something darker curled inside him and a possessiveness tugged at his gut. Then it was time for Eris to prove himself.

Varis didn’t speak, instead scooping Eris up like he weighed nothing, and moved across the dorm in a blink, slamming his door behind him. He didn’t even think about the boy; after all, he was just another piece of furniture and no one considered the furniture. He tossed Eris on the bed like a rag doll and was on top of him in an instant. Varis’ eyes were still blank, staring through Eris rather than at him, as he tugged off one glove and then another. Crisscrossed scars, raised and red, crossed the back of his hands. Next came his shirt, unbuttoned slowly to reveal the patterns that ran down his chest and stomach, crossing around to his back.

All the while, Varis himself felt nothing. He felt detached and floating as if his body wasn’t his, as if he was watching all of this from an outsider’s view. He was free and emotionless and yet all the while, he knew this was a mistake. This was too vulnerable, a weakness like this would destroy him, and yet he was helpless to stop it.

They watched Eris intently as the shirt hit the floor.

The movement was unexpected and Eris wasn’t proud to admit that if it hadn’t been for him forgetting to breathe, he definitely would’ve let out an unflattering yelp. It wasn’t until he practically bounced on the bed that he had any sense of his surroundings, but it wasn’t like he could do anything, almost nervous that any sudden action would spook Varis. To his shock, he revealed his hands, no longer the usual, perfect ones he had been used to seeing. But he wasn’t sure which surprised him, those or the marks on his body.

He didn’t even realize he had lifted his hand upwards, fingers looking like they were going to touch, but they barely grazed--had they any warmth, maybe then it would have been felt. His eyes eventually made his way to Varis’ golden ones, propping himself up on his elbows in an attempt to get closer. He felt like he should say something, but the words never came, getting stuck in his throat as he stared back at Varis for a moment.

That didn’t really stop him from acting, however. Both his hands cupped Varis’ face as he managed to get himself in a seated position, his gaze turning into something intense. Yeah, he was speechless, but he had honestly never seen anything like this.

Finally, he choked out a word: “Beautiful,” He mumbled, not letting the moment slip past him as his lips attacked Varis’ neck.

Varis flinched at Eris’ raised hand but didn’t look away; Eris’ eyes drew him in and held him there, not letting him move an inch. A sob tore out of him when Eris spoke, so horribly at odds with how he saw himself: disgusting, repulsive, revolting. A walking testament to his own failures, forced to relive every single one anytime he saw himself in a mirror. He could feel the tears rolling down his face as he snapped back into himself and he needed. He didn’t know what but he clung to Eris desperately, desperate whimpers escaping as he dragged Eris back to his mouth and shoved him down, slipping his hands under his shirt in a desperate attempt to get closer, closer, closer without breaking the kiss.

Eventually, he gave up and the shirt was shredded as Varis tore it off him. He wasn’t willing to break away from Eris, his mouth everything he needed in that moment, as his hands wandered and explored a body he’d mapped a hundred times but felt so new and forgein now that he’d bared a part of himself he’d hidden for so long. He felt like he couldn’t get enough of this vampire who told him he was beautiful even if it was a lie, that was devoted enough to pretend. Eris couldn’t leave him now; Varis would make sure of it. He’d kill the vampire before he let him.

Of course, that thought drew Varis up short and he froze. “Oh no. Oh no no no.” Varis whispered. “Oh no, you know. Fuck, I’m an idiot.” But still he couldn’t bring himself to move away from Eris, just staring at him with wide eyes. “Sybil can’t find out. She’ll kill you.”

It was confusing and thrilling and satisfying and overall just something new. No, that wasn’t right. It was something Eris hadn’t felt since Rosaline. Even if the thought should have caused him to curl up and cry, it was too good to pass up. Fine, he could end up cold and alone later so long as he got to have this now. He was fine with that. He was getting something he had been desperately craving for so long that he wasn’t preoccupied with the consequences.

Once Varis broke away again, however, he had to consider that there was more to it. Just hearing ‘Sybil’ was enough to make any vampire run for the hills. His hand reached for a piece of his shirt and wiped away Varis’ tears, his head slowly working. There was no fighting the Lady, no real escape if she chose to turn her eye to him. But for once, he not only accepted it, but he just didn’t care.

“I’ve been doomed for a while now. Nothing’s really changed,” Eris replied, the smallest touch of bitterness in his voice as he spoke. With Varis’ face clean, he tossed aside the cloth. “No one else will know. And when she finds out, that’s when you throw me away to save yourself. Same as always, right?”

Varis stayed still as Eris wiped his face. It was a confusing experience, the tenderness behind the action and the words coming out of Eris’ mouth clashing in Varis’ mind. Varis hadn’t stumbled across a vampire ever that was okay with simply being tossed to certain death like they didn’t matter. He couldn’t decide if he was annoyed at Eris for not caring or annoyed at the idea that he’d ever throw away his property. He grabbed Eris’ chin roughly, searching Eris’ face for something that suggested anything other than what nonsense was coming out of his mouth.

“And you’re fine with that? It isn’t a pleasant death. She’ll drag you through whatever sadistic pleasure has her attention this decade and then she’ll slowly burn you alive, drinking a glass of blood all the while. That doesn’t make you care more for your own skin than this?” Varis gestured between them with his free hand, not intending to let Eris go anytime soon.

His life wasn’t pleasant, either, so having an unpleasant death wouldn’t surprise him at all. Eris couldn’t really shake his head, but he could suppress a laugh. Maybe he was just overconfident and promising something that wasn’t true. Maybe he’d end up regretting everything after all as he was tortured.

“If it ever comes to pass, it means that I failed. It’ll mean that I wasn’t good enough for you, that I was careless or overplayed my hand. And I’d rather be dead than be a failure,” He replied, a weird emptiness in his voice that could be mistaken for him being serious. “And...I don’t know. I just think it’s worth it for you.”

So Eris was being honest. What a strange concept. He’d rarely see the vampire without something behind his words, even if it was usually just a trick to be played. Varis wasn’t used to vampires being dedicated to another; it was a foriegn concept to any Sinnenodel. They were taught to turn on each other from a young age, that dedication to anything other than yourself was a weakness. Varis certainly wouldn’t claim he felt the same about Eris. He doubted he’d ever feel that way about someone but he certainly felt possessive after that declaration. Maybe it wasn’t so bad to have someone love you.

“You said you were mine, mine completely.” Varis said slowly, trying to remember earlier events. Everything was a little fuzzy but now wasn’t the time to think about that. “If you mean it, look me in the eye and say it again.”

Eris never did find a reason to look away, but as always, did what he was told with enthusiasm. The blond stared up at Varis, a hand touching Varis’ as if it was meant to be comforting. “I am yours completely,” He said. “Everything and anything I have is only for you.”

Varis released Eris and immediately patted his pockets, clicking his tongue when he couldn’t find his. He must have left it at his desk when Eris distracted him. He fished out Eris’ instead and held it out to him. ”Unlock it.” Varis demanded. He snatched it back as soon as Eris did, tongue sticking out as he typed furiously on the phone and then tossed it to the side. A smug little smirk tugged at the corner of his lips again. He still felt odd, like he’d spent three nights dealing with inane vampires and blundering mages all at the same time, but he felt light too. Someone else knew his secret and hadn’t run screaming. And he was very interested in showing exactly how grateful he was about it.

“Stay the morning with me.” Varis demanded, leaning down to press a short, chaste kiss to him.

Eris’ eyes did follow his phone, but there wasn’t any time to question it, his interest gone as soon as their lips clashed again. He’d spend the rest of the week if he could, though that wasn’t what was asked of him. His initial response got caught in his throat again, a slight groan escaping him instead. He couldn’t say no at this point, especially as he was at the redhead’s mercy.

“Y-Yes,” His response was more for show than actual acceptance, easily giving into the demand. “I’ll stay.”

“Perfect.” Varis purred. “That deserves something special. Stay right there. I have to get something.”

Varis sauntered into the closet, pushing aside the clothes on the right side to reveal the colored rope. He hadn’t shown these to anyone and he certainly wasn’t ready to explain the real purpose for these to Eris―one emotional discussion was enough for the next few centuries, thank you very much!―but since the rules were changing, it only fit that his favorite toy changed as well. He considered a few ropes, picking them up and considering how’d they look against Eris’ skin, how’d they make his eyes pop, and put them back, until he finally settled on a blue. He’d play with color combinations later; now was to change the rules of their relationship and Varis was far too excited to deliberate further.

---

"Join me for a bath?"

The request was a simple one, and coming out of anyone else, it would’ve been expected after the deed. But hearing it come out of Varis had caused Eris to do a double take. They’ve never done that before--and now he knew why--and that look and that gentle tone of voice was just...it was all new. It was all tender and everything he wanted and everything he wished for and he was almost expecting to wake up at any moment now.

Giving the redhead a nod, Eris had to stop himself from bouncing over to the bathroom, taking a second to search for the chest. Those things freaked him out, but for some reason, Varis loved them. He still remembered the first time he had stumbled onto the discovery, having offered him one after receiving some samples some time ago. Silly, but he supposed they all had their quirks. Once he found it, he avoided picking any of them up, fearful of accidentally breaking one. His hand absentmindedly ran over his shoulder, fingers stopping at a groove from where he had been tied. He was used to the rope, but this was the first time it was colored blue, now that he thought about it. Eh, no need to think about that now, he needed to pick up one of these things.

Once his mind was made up, he pulled up the stopper for the tub, turning the faucet. Once the water had collected somewhat, he placed the bomb in, withdrawing his hand as it fizzled and spread. He avoided making any commentary, though he did let out a small noise of surprise as a few petals floated along, not dissolving. They must have come included--he still remembered accidentally slipping on a little frog that had come with the bomb he had tried--but he ignored them as he tested the water.

He looked over to the bedroom, taking a second to let everything sink in. He still couldn’t believe this was happening. This was probably the first and only time he still felt like he hadn’t quite climbed down from the high, usually after sex he’d wind down but he felt like he was just floating along. What if this was just for tonight? Well, it would be worth it. He probably wouldn’t go forgetting it anytime soon.

“It’s ready,” Eris ended up calling out, poking a flower petal floating in the water.

Varis closed the door to the closet and made his way to the bathroom, pausing to admire the view. His bath bombs, his lover, in his bathroom… it all fit so perfectly. He'd have to make this a more permanent arrangement but that was a thought for another time. He carefully avoided looking at the mirror and covered it as usual with the sheet under the sink. The fear and self consciousness crept up again and he fought the urge to cover himself, instead focusing on getting Eris in the shower with him so they could rinse off. He made it quick, dragging Eris into the warm water.

For once, he was quite pleased at their height difference. He pushed Eris into leaning against the back of the tub and settled down better his legs with a pleased sigh, relaxing with his back against his chest. He instinctively reached for his phone to pull up his playlist but realized he'd left it out in the study and was content just to hum, his fingers tracing patterns into Eris' thighs. "You're good at that. What a shame I hadn't let you take the lead for so long."

Settling into a comfortable position, Eris let out his own hum of approval. The aroma was divine, setting the mood and making everything so much more pleasant. His right hand was settled on the edge of the tub, the left moving the water so it swirled before them. At Varis’ comment, he couldn’t stop his laugh, having to bite down on his lip to stop himself.

“I aim to please,” He replied, slicking his hair back and off his face. “There’s always the possibility of more opportunities in the future.”

"I'd certainly hope so." Varis smiled along with Eris' laugh, closing his eyes as he rested his head against Eris' shoulder. He could feel himself relax even further, muscles he didn't realize could untense ease in the warm water. "I guess now's the best time to discuss how we proceed forward as I'm very interested in seeing what else I've underestimated you in." This discussion could turn uncomfortable but the fact of the matter was Varis wouldn't rest as easily as he'd like unless he knew how everything fit together. Delaying it was nothing less than moronic and Varis wouldn't let himself be called that.

Tonight was just full of surprises. Considering that he had just gotten rejected not even two months ago, however, one couldn’t blame Eris for being too wary. Even as he felt Varis’ weight as a comfort, he had to consider the next step. He was willing to go whatever way possible, but he needed to be smart about it. He had been burned before, he wasn’t sure if he was willing to go through that again.

“Can’t I be selfish and just keep the moments to myself?” He couldn’t help but whine, fingers trailing through red locks. “Call me sentimental if you want, I’d like to enjoy you more without having to worry about any red tape or interviews or any of the hassle.”

Of course, that wasn’t realistic. Neither of their positions could keep something like this under wraps for too long. That said, the answer that did pop in his head wasn’t one he was fond of. “You can’t afford a weakness. Not such a public one, anyway. A fling, maybe, but more than that would be a hassle,” He said, though he didn’t bother hiding how dissatisfied he was with it. “Though I’d think to proceed business as usual on the outside.”

"Able to withstand me for 32 years and a few measly interviews scare you off commitment." Varis teased, tilting his head into the soothing feeling of Eris' fingers in his hair. It was a problem and Varis wasn't going to be satisfied until he'd gotten everything arranged how he wanted. So how to balance keeping Eris close without getting him caught up in his awfully complicated situation?

"Realistically as long as my Lady doesn't find out you know what you know, she won't care about you. Just anytime she decides to visit us, stay near me and you'll be safe from her wandering curiosity." Varis started counting off the list of threats. "I think Ryner wants this to happen for some reason so I don't think she'll leverage you against me. The other Sinnenodels are already plotting my death but none of them is stupid enough to think I'd let anyone get away with touching one hair on your head. So really, there isn't much more to do other than expand your security detail. That little metal rat Ryner gave you isn't very intimidating as much as poorly raised. I guess I'll pick up some new mages for home as well. Maybe a few Astorio trained ones."

If it was only interviews then Eris wouldn’t have bothered trying to be serious. But even in throes of happiness he had to consider the possibilities. At the mention of Ryner, Eris actively rolled his eyes, the smallest click of his tongue leaving him. If he was going to be serious about this, he needed to be honest. Holding certain cards to his chest was useless if they could very well be turned against him.

“I agree with your assessment of Her Highness,” He ended up admitting. “And at the risk of having everything blow up in my face, I have some potential proof for that absurd claim. As well as a confession.”

Varis was going to laugh at Eris' clear disapproval of the woman. He agreed, she was awful to deal with but she was a useful ally and a downright nuisance as an enemy. But Eris continued and fear started bubbling in his stomach. Confessions were never a good thing and the fact that he'd just revealed his biggest secret to someone who wanted to confess concerned him.

"That is more than a little concerning." Varis didn't move from his spot, hoping that at least he could enjoy the head rub for a while longer before this little bubble of peace and relaxation came to an end. "But by all means continue, darling."

It honestly was concerning and, frankly, stupid. The possibility of him even finding out was close to zero. But it wasn’t zero, and he would rather have everything come out now to give Varis the out than have everything come crashing down later on. He was not going to let this happen the wrong way. If he told him to leave and never come back, he’d accept it.

Of course, nothing he could say wouldn’t sound like an excuse, so he took the plunge. “There was an odd mark I had inherited after the practical that wouldn’t go away. I didn’t bother bringing it up for some time because I didn’t know what it was, but it turned out to be some form of blood manipulation and it dissolved after some practice,” He explained that much first, testing the waters before continuing with, “Ryner seemed to know exactly what it was. And it was connected to you.”

Varis frowned at that. "It was a strange experience but no one else had any sort of mark as far as I'm aware. I didn't know you knew any forms of blood manipulation and certainly not any that erased marks from your skin." And Varis wasn't even going to mention the fact that Eris hadn't told him but instead went to Ryner. What was with the people around him trusting her over him? It was something to deal with later. "And how would some mark pertain to me? I can't erase marks off my skin. Seems like a useless skill considering how long it takes to master them."

He was treading on dangerous ground, but there wasn’t any going back. Nicking his thumb, he reached over to his left hand, drawing the symbol to the best of his ability. “I had no idea, either. But this is what it looked like. At the time I was...dejected by your rejection and didn’t consult you first. Not that I thought it had anything to do with you--if I had, I wouldn’t have resorted to asking her about it,” Eris told him. “I initially went to complain to the princess because the thought of any mage putting anything on my skin was ludicrous. She informed me of my ‘innate talent’ and implied that I would find the meaning of the symbol with you.”

Placing his hand in the water, he let the suds make work of the blood. “I guess in hindsight it could have been a result of the practical, but I hadn’t seen anything like it before. I’ve been in your room more times than I can count. I don’t know, for a while I thought it was some inane way to get me to act like a crazy ex and go through your things. But once it was gone, it didn’t matter anymore. I never found anything else that matched, and put it out of mind.”

Eris moved his hand around until the mark disappeared. “It was an error in judgment. Despite dismissing it, I never brought it up to you, and that could have been a mistake,” He admitted that much. “I want to be honest: I don’t trust Her Highness. Of course, there is nothing I would do that would jeopardize that relationship, but things like that...it’s hard to say. Regardless of the outcome it’s something I should have brought to your attention and I regret not doing so sooner.”

Varis let Eris get out his confession and he let out a sigh of relief, relaxing back into Eris. Here he thought it was going to be something terrible, not something stupid. "You're right. You ought to have brought it up to me. I could have waved off all your concerns easily enough. At least this explains Ryner's weird behavior recently." Varis resumed running his nails over Eris' thigh as he considered. "I seriously thought she was trying to kill me but now I just know she's being a meddlesome hag with nothing to do but play matchmaker for favors. I don't trust her anymore than any other family but she is useful and we have a mutually beneficial business relationship. As soon as that's over, I'll wash my hands of her and I can make sure to put some distance between the two of you if you don't like her that much." It was strange that she knew that he was connected to that mark, not to mention how she figured out how to get Eris to put it on without teaching him the technique, but something told him it wasn't the important part right now.

"The important part is that you came clean about it now. The symbol is an old glyph from my mother's family that they used to seal personal objects away from detection spells. I have one on my trunk; it used to be hers." Varis explained. "I'll open it for you one of these nights; honesty is important in a relationship I understand though this is my first time trying my hand at it. Was that all you had to confess or should I mentally prepare myself for a slew of issues?"

“It’s a slow slew. It’ll happen gradually and I don’t think you’ll care about half of them,” Eris couldn’t help but joke, giving Varis a squeeze. After a second he fell quiet, clicking his tongue as he deliberated. “I have another confession but it isn’t anything serious. It’s more of an...apology offering.”

Letting out a groan, he put it off before finally talking. “The last relationship I have didn’t go too well. Despite coming out and denying any rumors and another relationship being revealed, I did in fact date Rosaline Blackdale,” He admitted that much. “I know. Who cares? But I’m not proud to admit it broke me when she decided to fuck off with another. And now you have the most humiliating moment of my life in your repertoire. I’m afraid you can’t go far with it, but it puts me to shame every time I think about it.”

Varis considered the information he was given and then turned to look at Eris with a grave look. There was a long pause.

"Who is Rosaline Blackdale? And what is this an apology offering for?" Varis frowned, sincerely confused.

“For not telling you about the mark,” Eris had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. “She’s the main chick from The Blood War. You said you’ve watched it!”

"Well, yes but why would I care about anyone but you in them? I don't have much spare time and I certainly don't want to spend it watching frivolous nonsense. The only reason I watch anything is if you play a role." Varis scoffed, settling back into his spot. "Everyone else is just an extra."

Holy crap. This is the man he wanted to spend eternity with, and he didn’t care about celebrity gossip?! Even at the thought, Eris couldn’t help but laugh, wrapping his arms around Varis as his entire body shook. He honestly hadn’t laughed like that in a while, placing a kiss on his cheek before he calmed down.

“You’re right. My apologies,” He chuckled, settling back down.

Vaeis grumbled at the extra jostling but was content to stay in Eris' arms still. The water was starting to cool past where he liked it but Varis was comfortable and he was loath to disturb the peace just yet. "Now that you've unburdened your aggressively self sabotaging conscious, can we return to this thing between us?" Varis asked pointedly. "Good. Though on a side note if you lie to me from now onwards, I will take it personally and use all my available resources to ruin you. Not that you'd expect anything less I'm sure but just to keep the air clear. That being said, do I need to ask if this experience with Black whomever is going to affect your behavior in our current situation?"

“No, but usually in relationships exes come up as a topic in one way or another. I just figured I’d get over that hump sooner than later,” Eris outright admitted that much. “And I want this to work.”

"Excellent." Varis nodded as if something was settled. He stood, the water officially unpleasant and fetched towels for the both of them. "I guess I ought to be honest about my history too. I've never been intimate with anyone who I cared to permit to invade my personal space purely so I would have the pleasure of their company. So now we're both on the same page." Varis dried himself and stretched again, this time with a yawn.

"I’m surprised you seem interested in keeping this quiet. I'm surprised. I expected you'd want to flaunt it everywhere." Varis told him, propping his hand on his hip as he waited for Eris.

Listening as he dried himself off, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at Varis. "It's not about what I want, it's about what's smart for the situation," He pointed out, taking a moment to towel dry his hair. "Not to mention I don't know if you really want to deal with dating me publicly and I'm a hassle in private as it is, do you really want that in public, too? You'd kick me to the curb by the end of the week!"

Letting his hair fall in a mess around him, he looked directly at the redhead. "In addition using that information and pocketing it for the future is another strategy to be used," He concluded with a small sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Although I suppose that does make me come off as more methodical."

Varis looked around and realized he'd forgotten his sleep wear so he couldn't even look in the mirror. "Well, I thought it would be easier for you overall. I mean, I can't imagine the rumor mills won't take notice when you're living in a Sinnenodel castle full time and if we take control of the narrative early, we can spin it so you can use it as a springboard for whatever you decide to do after this." Varis explained, heading into his room briefly and returning in a robe he tucked tightly around himself. He pulled the sheet off the mirror and folded it, stashing it away again.

"But if you have a strategy for that, you're more than welcome to pursue it. Just keep me informed so I'm not blindsided by someone snooping after you." Varis asked as he started getting ready for bed.

Eris would have to think on it. As much as he hated to admit it he struggled between what he wanted and what was for the best. He couldn't hide the small smile at the idea of living at the Sinnenodel castle--Eloise would never let him live it down. But there were a lot of things involved, assets to consider, mages to bring. Antigone was always on the road, anyway, but he would want to keep Ismene with him and he wasn’t entirely sure how she would do in that environment. The list just kept growing as Eris thought about it, watching Varis as he let his thoughts wander. He didn't have any sleepwear but it didn't matter, he was clean now and he'd figure out how to get back to his dorm before classes started.

"I'll think on it for a little," Eris said, sliding into bed next to Varis. "Need to think about a lot of things now."

Varis yawned and curled up around Eris as he slid into bed, tangling their legs together and throwing one arm over his waist. He gave another yawn, burying his face in Eris' shoulder to muffle it and nodded. "Yeah but that can wait until tomorrow. We can just stay here together for now."

Settling himself in, Eris' free hand stroked the back of Varis' head, agreeing with the statement. For now, things were fine. They could use the few years they had here to figure things out. Sleep pulled at him, comforted by the feeling of his lover in his arms, and he couldn’t resist one last squeeze despite feeling the disapproval radiating off of Varis. "Mhm. Together is nice," He quietly admitted, letting his thoughts wander to better things.

---

Stirring in his sleep, Eris moved, though he was held in place. He muttered a groan, assuming it was Sasha pinning him down. As he opened an eye, he only met red, momentarily forgetting where he had spent the morning. Varis was still asleep, and judging from the lack of alarm, Eris didn’t really have a need to get up just yet. He cautiously reached for his phone to double check the time, making sure the light wouldn’t awake the redhead, though the glint of something let him know something in the room had changed.

Despite the lowlight from his phone, Eris saw nothing but flowers all around them. A series of gorgeous bouquets all adorning what looked like at minimum forty-something vases (from the ones he could see and count) were placed all around them. The sight was topped off by a small pedestal in the center of the room holding a box. It was corny as all hell but Eris adored flowers; there was something behind getting anything from a single rose to a bouquet that he loved. They never lasted long, sure, but they were always beautiful to look at. The glint informed him something different was in the box, but for now, he would leave it for when they both woke up. He couldn’t resist giving the sleeping vampire a grateful squeeze once he tossed his phone back, happily willing to fall back asleep.

You have to tell me what you would expect if someone was to sweep you off your feet, romantically speaking.

As the words echoed in his head, Eris’ eyes opened as froze in place. He had almost forgotten completely about the practical’s challenge, the unpleasant memories tucked away somewhere else. Now that he thought about it, had he ever told Varis of his love for flowers? No, it must have come up at some point in these past thirty years. Unless it really was that other Varis that remembered. But that was just magic, the princess herself had dismissed it as such. Then again, Eris didn’t trust her as far as he could throw her.

Huddling the still-asleep redhead closer to him, Eris stared off at something in the darkness. The other Varis had challenged him to find him, but was that really for the best now that he got what he wanted? He mentioned a whole slew of trouble could come from it as well. Was this how it was always going to be anytime he thought he found a sliver of happiness?

The song and dance of the academy was fun sometimes, but Eris didn’t understand why there was so much paperwork involved. Technically homework, but homework, paperwork, same thing. Maybe it was worth it for some classes, but for others it was basically pointless. Still, if he had to do paperwork, he was going to make sure everything was done well. It’d be pretty embarrassing if he failed anything, after all.

But borrowing books was annoying. Not the process itself, but the fact that anytime he did go to any of the student buildings, he ended up unable to study properly without getting bombarded by a horde of fans. Usually, he didn’t mind--and while he’d never admit it out loud, he loved the attention--but he figured by now people would get used to it. Well, they did, but if he spent too long sitting down, it gave people the sense that it was just okay to approach him for some reason.

With books in hand, he figured studying in the dorm would be easier. As he walked back to the dorms, however, an all too familiar sight was met: one Benson Eve looking down at his own book as he walked. They hadn’t had a chance to have a digest of the little party the other night, did they? But he was in such a good mood that he figured he could try playing nice with the little Eve.

Despite knowing he had better things to do, Eris couldn’t resist the chance for another talk. “Good evening, Count Bennett,” He greeted him cheerfully.

Ben wasn’t too absorbed in his book; after Count Sinnenodel’s commentary that he needed to educate himself, he thought it best to do just that. Of course he had greatly underestimated his own patience for reading history texts. It was one thing to pour over reports and compile his own knowledge but something about reading dry words bored him to tears. If he could get away with never having to do his own assignments he would; as unbecoming as it was he was not a fan of higher education.

The nearby voice caused Ben to snap his book shut as he looked up. Ah, Eris Samael coming with another wrong interpretation of his name. No surprise there albeit he could not help but wonder why he bothered remembering the rest of his name wrong. Clearly he remembered ‘Ben’ consistently and while it would initially bother him to be called by his nickname by someone he could not stand, it was better than constantly having to correct him.

“It’s Benjamin,” He said. “Good evening to you as well, Mr. Samael. To what do I owe the pleasure of your presence?”

“Is it really a pleasure? You’re such a good liar,” Eris chuckled, tapping his chin. “We never did get a chance to chat since that night, did we?” He knew damn well he wasn’t a pleasure, but he figured he’d jump right in. No need for subtleties, after all. “I never did get to follow up with you on that charity I talked about. I did mean what I said--if you’re looking to free the mage, I do have someone who would be genuinely interested.”

Eris had a point; none of their encounters were anything even resembling pleasing but that was his own fault for defaulting to smalltalk. Ben would strive to correct that going forward by making sure he would not encounter the actor for as long as it could be helped. He was a little surprised at his question and would have possibly considered it if he wasn’t acutely aware that the actor would revel in immediately telling Lilie and whoever else would listen that he considered dismissing her. Of course, he would lie if he said he wasn’t curious.

“Your gesture is appreciated but unnecessary. Miss Dionne will remain in my possession until I deem otherwise,” Ben said. “I must ask, do you actually know someone with such a charity or was it a play of yours?”

Eris rolled his eyes--why the hell would he lie about something like that? It was stupid, he wasn’t going to just plug Katya nilly-willy without any followup. “If you want my honest opinion, there are plenty of Astorios that would love to break in a fragile little thing like that,” He informed him cheerfully. “That said, I know that sort of decision would keep you up at morning, so I suggested the charity as an alternative.”

Digging around in his jacket pocket, he clucked his tongue in disappointment. How the hell did he forget his cardcase? He searched his other pockets, only to come up empty, and shrugged. “I’d give you a card if I had one, but you can just look up Viscountess Katerina Vasiliev if you don’t believe me,” He told him with a shrug. “I know the name makes what I say seem even less likely, but I do promise I was serious.”

Ben wasn’t aware there were any viscounts, let alone viscountesses. He always thought there were counts, dukes, and the royal family. Interesting. The name did not sound familiar to him at all although he would be lying if he said he had never heard it. From where, he hadn’t a clue. Eris’ followup however warranted some questioning.

“Why would the name make me doubt you?” He asked. “Is the Vasiliev name a known one?”

Eris quirked an eyebrow at Ben, a little confused. Old Benji must have forgotten that other nobles exist outside the four houses. “Then I take it you’ve never heard of Alexander Vasiliev, infamous tyrant of his territory,” He figured he should explain. “He had methods that would make an Astorio blush and was utterly ruthless. There was the odd rumor that he was planning to make a move to integrate his family into the Astorios, but nothing ever came of it. It was all hearsay, anyway, and there’s no real proof that that was his intention since he seemed to enjoy ruling over his territory with his vassals.”

Ben had not heard of the man at all. He felt like he should have, but there were many nobles outside his jurisdiction that he did not know of. But to think there was a vampire who had such power, why hadn’t he heard of him before this? He felt such a figure would have made the rounds by now. Not to mention what he just said completely contradicted the idea that a charity would come out of someone like that.

“And this viscountess is related to him?” Ben asked.

“Correct. She’s the youngest daughter and a darling--you’d never think the two were related,” Eris laughed a little, remembering Katya fondly. “I don’t think she’s very active in mage matters, but her charity has picked up now that Feliks Vasiliev has made a name for himself. It’s an organization that helps mages with defects live normal lives--at least, as normal as they can. She takes in broken ones, defective ones, you name it.”

It now made sense why Eris would recommend such a person but it did not give him much confidence. The actor did seem serious but Ben had to have some caution when it came to those that chose to associate with him. He would have to look into it in his own time and judge from there. As for the other name, Ben did not recognize that, either.

“I don’t believe I’ve heard of Feliks Vasiliev,” Ben said.

“He’s a mortal fashion designer. Rightly talented considering he just gets my style,” Eris sighed happily, though the smile never quite reached his eyes. “Charges me both arms and legs but I think he just likes to overcharge me to be an ass. He’ll be showing up at Chaend, I think, so I could introduce you if you’d like.”

Ben could not believe what he was hearing. Was Eris truly looking to introduce them? It would be convenient yes but owing Eris anything left an ashy taste in his mouth. However he could not outright dismiss it. Perhaps he could delay it until Chaend rolled around in case he found the need unnecessary.

“I will get back to you on that,” Ben said. “I have to ask, however. Why do something that would benefit me? You don’t seem like the type to help without getting something in return.”

The blond shrugged, placing a hand on his hip. “I like Chérie, so if you do decide to get rid of her, I’d want her to go to a good place,” Eris told him.

Likely story.

“You wouldn’t take her in?” Ben asked.

“And have the paparazzi devour her? That’s just cruel,” Eris declined immediately, shaking his head. “That delicate little flower is already wilting in nobility, you really think she has what it takes to survive stardom? I mean, I could do it for shits and giggles just to watch her drown, but that gets old quick. Even Wells has probably already learned not to Google himself by now, and he doesn’t care about anything.”

Ben figured that would be the extent of Eris’ response. Right, he did have a mage but Ben had yet to interact with him. His words rang hollow but he wouldn’t indulge him; it was obvious that feeding the actor the negative attention he was looking for. As amusing as getting into another humorous back-and-forth would be, Ben had better things to do with his time. There was only one thing left on his mind.

“You have a point. Albeit I must ask, with a father like that, wouldn’t someone like that be more heard of?” He asked. “And how is it that he would allow his daughter to do something like that?”

“Oh, he’s dead now. Assassinated, if I recall correctly,” Eris replied cheerfully.

How grim. For once, however, such news did give Ben pause to seriously think about what Eris offered. He wasn’t a fan of being in debt to someone like him but he could not deny that it was something to think about.

“If you have nothing else to say, I’ll need to get going,” Ben said. “I will consider your proposal.”

“Mhm. Do let me know, I’m sure you and the viscountess would get along swimmingly,” Eris gave him a wink, figuring his one good deed of the decade was done.

“Wake up, Eris.”

“No,” Eris mumbled in protest, pulling the blanket over his head. “Tell Cornelius that I’m exhausted.”

“That’s not very professional.”

“If we had to stop production because some mage collapsed on set, then he should be willing to cut his main star some slack,” He yawned, currowing himself into a cocoon. “My contacts bother me, the lights are too bright, and Emmett’s a pain in the ass. It’s not worth getting up.”

“Come on, it’s not all bad. We don’t want to let everyone else down, do we?”

Poking his head out of his protective barrier, Eris looked at the woman trying to coax him awake. Her crimson locks spilled over her shoulders, covering up more of her body than he would have liked, shimmering blue eyes looking down at him fondly as she sat up. She beckoned him out as he stretched, though she made the mistake of getting closer. He took his chance to grab her, pulling her in and trapping her.

“Does that mean you’d stay with me, Rosaline?” He asked, peppering her cheek with kisses. “Because that doesn’t help your case.”

“Eris! No!” She giggled, her efforts to free herself in vain. “We’re behind schedule as it is!”

“Mmm...I’ll consider it,” He said into her skin, giving her a squeeze. “I’m tired of putting on that mask.”

“Seriously, get up, if we’re both missing, people are going to talk,” She urged him. To her relief, that seemed to do the trick, though as she wriggled free and turned to reprimand him, her words died as she saw his expression. Concerned, she shook his shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

Eris’ eyes flickered to hers for a second, though he just turned his back on her. “Nothing. I agree with you, you should probably get going,” He waved her off, settling back in.

Realizing her mistake, she rolled her eyes. “You sensitive baby, it was your idea to keep this a secret,” She reminded him. “If it was up to me, I’d tell everyone. This is going to end up being your big break, and when everyone’s clamoring at your feet and pushing each other aside for attention, you’ll push me to the wayside.”

That got Eris to turn back to her, propping himself up on his elbows. “I wouldn’t do that,” He frowned at her.

“That’s what everyone says,” Rosaline shrugged at him, climbing off his bed and unbuttoning her pajamas. “Fame changes people. It’ll change you, too.”

Eris scrambled off the bed after her, nearly tripping, but he stumbled his way to her, grabbing both her hands and placing them on his chest. “I wouldn’t do that,” He assured her. “You mean everything to me. And I know it goes against this being behind closed doors, but I need you to trust me on this.”

Rosaline gazed up at him, fighting back a smile as she interlaced their fingers together. “I really hope you don’t change,” She told him. “Please, don’t ever change.”

“I won’t.”

But she did.

The thought came to him clearer than the memory did, clearer than anything else in his surroundings. Even as Eris had to untangle himself from his blankets, the thought rang out repeatedly like a bell, taunting him. After all that talk of sweet promises and eager anticipation, after constant reassurances, Rosaline ended up being the one that changed. Eris let out a groan as he ran his hands over his face, staring up at the ceiling. He shouldn’t be thinking about that, it was harder to wear the mask in a bad mood.

Letting his arms drop to his sides, he searched the bed for the little puff, disappointed to find her missing. Right, he wasn’t at the academy. Sitting up, Eris stretched a little before blindly searching for his phone, unphased by the sudden brightness as he scrolled through his notifications. His thumb stopped as he saw an article from a gossip magazine, double tapping it to open up its contents. An engagement was announced between Rosaline Blackdale and Julius Monraine, sparking up a myriad of observations and guesses for the timing, the locale, what she would wear, and a bunch of other useless tidbits that people would eat up.

He stared at her smiling face for a moment before closing the tab, throwing himself back onto the bed. Maybe he should stay in, he felt like crap. No, he could deal with that, what he couldn’t deal with was the emptiness in his chest. Well, if he had time to mope, he had time to do better things. That much was enough to get him out of bed at least.

Going through the motions by habit wasn’t anything new, but by the time he was standing in front of the mirror, Eris couldn’t help but stare at his reflection. Absolutely flawless as always, but he wasn’t satisfied. Of course, even with that pathetic look on his face he was still better looking than three fourths of the entire vampiric population, but that wasn’t the face he should have. He needed confidence, he needed charisma, he needed a face that made every idiot throw themselves on the floor in front of him. And this sorry excuse for a gloomy pout wouldn't do at all.

A small smile, a rise of the eyebrows, opening up his eyes, throwing in some classic contempt with a splash of amusement, and there was the face he needed. Alright, now he was ready for the night, and he had a list of crap to take care of, and one of them was in this very condo.

Exiting his room, he was surprised to feel the heat and hear the noise from the kitchen. As he strolled in, he saw Antigone in casual conversation with Denise. The latter was one of the few hired help he had who normally worked during the daytime, so it was rare to see her there. She was quiet, effective, and barely noticeable, so she was perfect for taking care of cleaning and maintaining the condo to let Ismene work.

The pair stopped as they heard Eris coming, both giving him a bow. “Good evening!” Antigone greeted him.

“Good evening. It’s good to see the two of you,” Eris replied slowly, clearly waiting for an explanation.

“My sincerest apologies, sir, I’ll be out of the way in just a moment,” Denise told him. “I thought it’d be prudent to adjust the meals for tomorrow but that required more prep work.”

“Adjust?” Eris was confused--not to say he wasn’t normally confused by cooking in general, but he understood this less.

“Ismene’s got the sniffles. Some soup will fix that,” Antigone chuckled. “I just happened to drop by, some meetings got cancelled and shuffled around so I’m left with some spare time, I’m just waiting on a phone call before I get going.”

That made more sense. Eris nodded, the pair resuming their conversation as he went into Ismene’s bedroom. It was rare to see her asleep at all, really; there were multiple times he had to peel her away from her computer or confiscate her phone just to get her to eat, but there she was, snoozing away. Sitting down on her bed, he placed a hand on her temple. Yeah, that was higher than usual. And she was all sweaty, ew.

Her eyes opened at the touch, shifting slightly so she could sit up. She looked pale, her nose all pink and cute, though she looked like she was ready to die. He motioned for her to lay down but she refused, shaking her head. “I received a call from Mr. Abadi. I think you already know what it’s about,” She said, not letting the hoarseness in her voice stop her from speaking.

“I do,” He admitted. “But let’s not talk about that right now, you need to rest. Do you want me to tell Denise to get you food? I think she chopped up the lettuce this time.”

“Better than getting the entire head, but no, I’m not hungry and we need to talk,” Ismene declined. “If this conversation is to proceed, I need to speak freely.”

Oh boy. Ismene was mad at him. Either she was going to tear him a new one or he did something to anger her. There were a few things that came to mind but he wasn’t sure which one it was this time. Maybe it was the suggestion of getting an assistant? Or was it that he wanted Antigone to accompany him to his grandfather’s house instead of her?

Well, only one way to find out. “Speak your mind, then,” Eris made a grand gesture, grinning.

Ismene wasn’t amused, but to her credit, got right to it. “When were you planning to tell me that you became something to Varis Sinnenodel?” She asked.

Oh yeah, he knew he forgot something. “I figured you would’ve picked up on it. You’re a smart girl, you tend to pick up things before I have the chance to even tell you,” Eris replied.

Ismene was entirely unamused by this response, seemingly trying to make sense of what he said before dismissing it. “Becoming part of House Sinnenodel regardless of intentions or plans or developments or anything is not something you can just drop on someone’s lap like this. It’s dangerous. He is dangerous,” She said as she tried to emphasize her point. “This is exceedingly reckless, this isn’t like you.”

“Things have changed,” Eris replied, not really feeling like he needed to justify himself. “It’s different now.”

“Different how?”

How would he describe it without sounding like a total sap? Nah, there wasn’t any way to do that. “We’re involved. Personally,” He shrugged. “And if I didn’t say anything, it was because I didn’t want you all up in a tizzy.”

“I’m up in a tizzy because you’ve decided to let me scramble to make adjustments over the very sudden news that I had to learn about my own vampire second-hand. I just--I can’t accept this,” Ismene informed him.

“It’s a good thing I’m not looking for your approval, then,” Eris rolled his eyes as he stood. “I expect better than this from you.”

Ismene grabbed his arm, trying to prevent him from leaving. “If I protest, it’s because I care about you. My loyalty is to you, and yet here you are informing me that you’ve decided to put yourself in danger and just expect me to go along without saying anything?!” She asked in disbelief. “What sort of mage would I be if I just let you do something so foolish?”

Prying himself out of his grip, Eris shook his head at her. “I know. I’m taking a leap of faith,” He informed her. “All you need to worry about is learning a few new things; for all intents and purposes, everything is business as usual. Rest, I need to talk to Antigone.”

Walking out of her room, Eris couldn’t help but feel a little miffed. He didn’t expect his right hand mage to get so passionate and upset about something that would be a benefit in the long run. Maybe it was cause she knew her lenient life was coming to an end--she was afforded a lot more luxury under him, but being a Sinnenodel mage entitled changes. He’d have to go over that with Varis, he supposed. As stupid as she was being right now, she was at her best when she was being alone, so maybe her worry had some merit.

To his surprise, he found Denise wearing a pair of earbuds as she worked. Clicking his tongue in disappointment, he walked over and pulled one out, causing her to jump in place. “Oh--I’m so sorry, ” She said, eyes wide and full of worry.

“I don’t like these when I’m here,” He commented, giving her a weary look as he noticed how loud the music was.

“Yes, I know, but Antigone suggested it,” She told him meekly.

Was he going to have to deal with two insolent mages tonight? Ignoring Denise’s apologies, he walked over to the living room where Antigone had made himself comfortable, skimming through a book while also listening to music through headphones. He smirked to himself as he pulled his own pair out, giving Eris a wide grin.

“I figured you two were going to argue,” He commented, looking back down at his book.

At least that explained the headphones. Throwing himself onto the couch, Eris let himself sink into it. “Your sister can be surprisingly stubborn,” He replied. “That’s a terrible trait for a mage to have.”

“She’s only stubborn when it comes to your wellbeing. She worries about you,” Antigone chuckled. “Don’t worry, she’s already gone ahead with the restructuring as per Mr. Abadi’s instructions, they’re going to meet once Angelique brings everything she asked for.”

“That doesn’t mean I can just accept her going off like that. No one likes a hysterical woman,” Eris grumbled.

Antigone gave him a half-hearted shrug, closing his book and deciding to turn on the television. A news program came on, with the mage taking out a small notebook and clicking a pen. “She’ll apologize in a few minutes, you’ll see,” He assured him.

Eris mumbled a noise in affirmation, eyes nearly glazing over at the horrid suit the newscaster was wearing. After some story about some port getting renovated, he looked over at his mage. “Are you worried, too?” He asked.

“I’m a little worried, yeah, but if anything happens, that’s what we’re here for. For you,” Antigone replied simply.

That made him feel a little better. He decided to relax a little, another question on the tip of his tongue, but before either one of them could say another word, the television screen flashed, distracting them both.

“We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming for an emergency broadcast. Authorities discovered Count Varis Sinnenodel’s personal vehicle smoking on the edge of Astorio territory.”

Antigone’s jaw dropped, slowly looking over at Eris, who let out a groan. “Well, fuck.”

Aaron’s painted-on smile threatened to chip as he saw his fellow mages off, but he managed to maintain it until the door was closed, only to mirror his master and drop it completely when Varis addressed him. Flexing his fingers to dispel the last of the shakiness, he clicked the timer button on his watch—five minutes was one of Varis’ favourites—and set to work immediately; first the parlour, then the sitting room, sweeping through to collect empty glasses and anything else left behind before depositing it all in the kitchen.

The kitchen was a funny thing. Varis never went into the kitchen, and so it was the only part of the dorm that Aaron himself had near-complete control over. He couldn’t exactly do whatever he wanted with it—if he left it a mess, for example, one glance walking by would be all it would take for Varis to notice—but if he were to, say, hide some dirty glasses in the fridge until he got the chance to wash them properly... Well, Aaron could meet his five-minute time limit, and Varis would never be the wiser. Everybody wins.

That said, Aaron wasn’t feeling quite so sly as he went about his task. Instead, that all-too-familiar dread made its menacing return as he buzzed around the dorm, eyes unfocused and hands unsteady as he tried to get through his cleaning without his knees buckling under him. It had been some time since a lecture from Varis elicited such a response; their little bashing sessions had long since lost their punch. It was an old routine: he would grovel, Varis would berate, and no matter how much better he’d gotten since the last one, Aaron would walk away feeling like he’d taken two steps backwards. Disheartening, sure, but no longer scary.

But now, all that was out the window. It felt like his first night with Varis all over again: he was nervous, unsure, scrambling to figure out what under the sun he could possibly have done wrong to draw such vitriol. He racked his brain as he tidied, going over Varis’ instructions for the fiftieth time that evening: answer the door, separate the guests, organize the blood properly, be charming, genuine—by all accounts he thought he’d been hitting each nail on the head. Things had been going so well! The only thing he did differently was the order of the bottles, and while he could cope with having made a bad call, that couldn’t be it: Varis was already on his tirade before he could possibly have known the bottles were switched. Was it how he handled Eris, then? Varis didn’t seem displeased at the time, and it was usually pretty easy to tell when something rubbed the Count the wrong way. Did he not put up a good enough act? What could possibly have prompted Varis to humiliate him so arbitrarily?

No matter how he turned it in his head, Aaron couldn’t figure it out—probably more a testament to his own cognitive ability than Varis’ reasoning, but still. And above all, what tormented him more than the uncertainty and dread was the shame. This was supposed to be his chance to show Varis he could handle being a show mage—a show mage! The entire career set before him was to act well and look pretty and he couldn’t even do that!—and in his weird, twisted way, Varis had sounded like he had some tiny glimmer of faith in him before the party. But of course, somehow, some way, Aaron let him down. Just like he always had, just like he always would. Sun and stars, why couldn’t he get with the program already?!

The thrum of his watch’s one-minute warning woke him from his pity party, but Aaron was sure it would be only a temporary relief. Still, he took a deep breath and forced himself to finish his task, loading trays of dirty glasses and leftover hors d'oeuvres into the fridge to be hidden and dealt with later. As he did so, though, something unusual caught his eye: a glittering diamond tennis bracelet looped around the stem of one of the glasses. Man, he must have been in a daze when he collected everything, he hadn’t even noticed that when he picked it up. Good thing it hadn’t fallen. He wasn’t sure who it belonged to, but he recalled Maddie had kept her jewelry quite understated, so it was probably a safe bet to assume it was Lilie’s. He slipped it into his pocket, making a mental note to return it later.

Another thrum on his wrist alerted him to thirty seconds remaining, and he stood, straightening his clothes and hair to the best of his ability before leaving the deceptively spotless kitchen behind and finding his place in the sitting room, sinking silently to his knees at Varis’ feet.

Varis let his conversation with Eris dwindle away into silence when the boy returned. It wasn’t anything important anyway; only that Eris apparently had a royal’s palate. No wonder Varis couldn’t find anything suitable for him. Varis was starting to consider that the issue lay with him but this confirmed he wasn’t losing his touch. Now he just needed to get Eris more invested and he’d have a firmer hand on the wily vampire.

Varis left the boy to sit in the silence for a while longer while Varis turned over this opportunity in his head. The fact of the matter was the boy performed as expected tonight. His performance was off but his serving was acceptable and the blood situation well handled. Having anyone leave this evening without tasting the boy’s blood would have been a far greater travesty than skipping the Astorio’s bottle turned into. And while usually tearing apart the boy at the end was something to look forward to, more pressing matters demanded his attention at the moment but he had a job to do and no one would claim he hadn’t taken his role in the Princess’ little production seriously enough. He sighed loudly.

“I intended this night to earn you a reward. A few nights off or a picture over one of those ghastly letters hanging on your wall. I believed you finally got it through your thick skull that you were no longer a Noila mage but a Sinnenodel one. Tonight was a glaring reminder.” Varis clicked his tongue irritably, every word dripping with frustration and disappointment. “I can’t even claim that I am angry. I had high hopes for you tonight and so I only find myself terribly disappointed. Three mistakes in a single evening. One is too many, boy. You have this one opportunity to explain yourself. Use it well.”

Stars above, it really was his first night all over again. Oh, how he hated when Varis made him guess! And of course he wasn’t supposed to guess, but after all that agonizing Aaron could still only think of two mistakes he’d made—switching the bottles and his handling of Eris—not three. Was he referring to the debacle with the clock? He thought he’d handled that about as well as could be expected, and besides, he was pretty sure Varis didn’t know about any of that.

But the shame of Varis voicing his disappointment distracted him, and he couldn’t waste time trying to come up with a third answer; he’d have to put all his eggs in the first two baskets and beg for forgiveness on the third—he certainly wasn’t about to make the same mistake he’d made that first night a second time.

“Firstly, Master, I assure you it was my very last intention to insult Count Astorio by omitting his mage’s bottle,” he began first and foremost, speaking more to the floor than to Varis. “I knew time was running short and decided it would be better to embarrass myself by adjusting the bottle order than to embarrass you as a host by failing to serve your own offering. I stand by my decision, but I realize I wouldn’t have had to make it if my timing hadn’t been off. It won’t happen again.”

He tried to swallow the sand in his mouth, but it didn’t do much good. “As for my handling of Mr. Samael, I’ll be the first to admit that I… don’t know how to handle a situation like that. The royal family doesn’t allow such behaviour with their mages, and while I have taken steps to rid myself of their mindset, I’ve never known any different. I was taken by surprise and I knew it would be uncouth to frebuff him completely so I made the first excuse that came to mind; something I’d heard from another mage at a function once. I wouldn’t be surprised if I handled it poorly. I was grossly unprepared.”

And now came the worst part. “As for my third mistake…” Aaron drew a long, shaky breath, using that short moment to work up the courage to slam the guillotine on his own head. “...I don’t know what else I did wrong, Master. I thought I did well, and I realize that was foolish of me. I’m sorry.” Shame dripped from his voice, and he punctuated his apology with a low bow, preparing himself for whatever punishment Varis decided to dole out.

"It’s always the same with you. Still hiding behind the Princess’ skirt.” Varis spat. “Noila’s this, Noila’s that. Stop using them as an excuse. You’ve been away from your sheltered upbringing for months now. You could have taken that opportunity to brush up on your etiquette. You have a wonderful library, your peers, and your instructors as available resources. I have plenty of mages you could have reached out to and yet you’ve done none of this. A Sinnenodel mage needs to show initiative and here you are, waiting for orders.” Varis frowned at the boy in front of him, the irritation far more genuine now. He was sick of the whole Noila angle. It’s always Noila's fault, never his own. Add a failure to accept responsibility to the lengthy list of flaws.

“Your third mistake was altering the musical piece I provided for you. Imagine if that’d been a request by one of my guests and you changed it. Vampires, especially older ones, are very specific in their tastes and any alteration can have devastating consequences on my, and thus your, social standing and in the event you missed it, my social standing is the only thing keeping you from her.” Varis didn’t bother elaborating on who he meant. Even the boy wasn’t enough of a simpleton to need it spelled out for him. “You know you’re meant to be a show mage; you’re a Starag for Anastasia’s sake! I don’t know what a show mage is in the Noila court apparently but you must be able to perform everything perfectly at all times no matter the time constraints or distractions. A show mage is exactly that, a show. You are constantly on stage and your script will be evolving and changing with every word and utterance and step. You have to learn to handle the situation as it is and not take shortcuts.” Varis ran his fingers through his hair with another sigh. It was all too easy to sink into this role with the boy. He really didn’t appreciate how little it took to get him riled up over this. It was something to contemplate when he’d finished with the mage.

“Now, for the other two. There isn’t much to say about your bottle fiasco. The apology was made and frankly, the punishment was on the Astorio’s shoulders. Next time, I’ll keep you on a shorter leash. It was my mistake that I gave you the opportunity to socialize with your lessers. However, your slip up with Eris. That is an entire disaster. Imagine if it was someone outside of my direct control. Eris, thankfully, I can pull around as I need to and that includes sheltering you from mindless decisions.” Varis grumbled, his fingers tapping. “But I’m not going to. You’re no longer in the world of moonlight and fireflies the Noilas had you all comfortably sheltered in, protected from the awful, terrible things that happen right beneath their noses. No, no. You’re going to learn what happens when a show mage offers their services to a vampire. I doubt you’re unaware that objectively, you’re conventionally attractive. Blond hair, blue eyes, tall and well built, I have no doubt you have plenty of admirers, and you’re going to find out what happens when a pretty thing like you gets in the hands of someone who is usually off limits. Count yourself lucky Eris is relatively tame. Do you understand what this is likely going to entail?”

Aaron had to consciously resist flinching as Varis spat reprimand after reprimand at him, head sinking lower and lower with every word. Goodness, he really was stupid, wasn’t he? When Varis spoke, he made everything sound so easy: research, network with your fellow mages, take initiative, by all accounts it was obvious, basic stuff. But somehow, as braindead as it all was, none of it ever occurred to him. Maddie talked about her experience in the practical, being trapped underwater with a crack in the ceiling, and that was how Aaron felt; it was like he had to take his hand off one crack to stop up another one, and no matter what he tried, he didn’t have enough hands to save himself from drowning. He thought he’d gotten better, was paying more attention to Varis’ habits and needs, looking over his shoulder for anyone who might target him, but apparently in the course of those changes he’d forgotten the basics. One step forward, two steps back, just like always.

He nodded along with Varis’ reprimands, shocked he hadn’t remembered his changes to the solo he played. He started making excuses in his mind about how alterations were a common practice in music before he cut off that train of thought. Varis was right, this was just one small example of a larger problem that could ruin him down the road.

And speaking of, it was time to get to the meat of Aaron’s worries: Eris. The earlier twist in his stomach came back full force when the topic came up, and he felt the blood drain from his face as Varis explained exactly how big of a screwup he’d made. He laboured to stay quiet, but his breath came in shallow bursts as awful, whispered stories came to mind of mages coming back from exchanges like that broken, used up and ruined. Even the ones that made a career out of it were never the same, he’d heard, and his skin crawled to think that was the very path he might well be treading soon enough.

“I… think I do, Master,” he croaked at the floor, shaking his head at his own recklessness. “I’m sorry, I just—I did what I thought you would have wanted. I see now I was wrong.”

“You thought offering yourself up was something I’d want? You’ve had first hand experience of the disastrous consequences of leaving my side and you thought you should offer yourself away to the first vampire that touches you with the intent to use you?” Varis demanded incredulously. “I am one of the most secretive and private vampires of my generation and you... “ Varis was truly speechless at that point. The boy must know vampires aren’t well known for sharing. You had to send a letter just to inform a Duke or Count that you’d be traveling through their territory to avoid it being considered a threat and he thought Varis would want him to defuse a situation by giving himself away!

“Usually I’d berate you and make you consider the why’s and reasoning but this is far too important for me to give your pea sized brain time to process.” Varis snarled, yanking the boy’s head up. “I will never expect you to offer yourself unless I specifically demand it. There will be times where you’ll share a vampire’s bed but it’ll be at my discretion and often when I know no silly little mental mages are going to play games. For fuck’s sake!” He all but threw Aaron away from him, rubbing at his temples.

“You are going to go shower and clean yourself up before marching over to Eris’ dorm and offering your time and services to him. As long as you can complete the task before the sun sets, you are to agree to whatever he requests.” Varis spoke coolly once he’d reined in his frustration. “And if I get even a single complaint out of Eris about your performance, be aware that anything you’ve suffered so far is little more than a minor inconvenience compared to the agony you’ll suffer tomorrow. Is that clear?”

Aaron’s heart jumped into his throat when Varis grabbed him; goodness, no matter how many times it happened it always scared him. If he ever bothered to consider why that was, it would probably be because he knew firsthand the power held even just in the tips of a vampire’s fingers, and if he lost his temper or if he slid his hand just a few inches down that it could very well be the end of him—but he wasn’t thinking of any of that right now. What he was thinking about was the weird, weird storm of feelings swirling around his head. He was terrified, sure, and ashamed, that was a given, but to hear Varis berate him over thinking he had to offer himself to guests… Aaron wasn’t sure how he’d word it, but it was almost strangely comforting. He knew very well that it was all Varis’ self-interest talking and that none of it came from any place of concern for his mage, but even still, he couldn’t shake the odd reassurance he got from the idea that Varis valued him just highly enough not to want to throw him to the dogs.

But that could be puzzled over later: for now, there was still the sickening truth that despite all that, tonight Varis was willing to make an exception. On pain of death, apparently; or at least, that was what Aaron got out of it.

“Yes!” he answered quickly, his nerves moving faster than his brain as he regained his balance. “I-- yes, Master, crystal clear,” he recovered, nodding quickly at Varis’ shoes.

“Good. You’ll have a new set of lines when you return.” Varis sat back. After that, he needed a drink. “Bring me a bottle of blood and a glass before you begin preparing and then I don’t want to see you until Eris is satisfied with your performance.”

Aaron had never gotten ready so simultaneously quickly and slowly in his life. Once he had Varis set up in the sitting room, he all but bolted to his bedroom, barely getting everything off before he jumped into the shower. He washed quickly, but kept repeating the same motions over and over again: he’d get an earful if he took too long, but Varis’ words echoing in his head made him hesitant to get out. Not a single complaint. What might Eris complain about? Did he have as discerning an eye as Varis? Would his regular hygiene routine be sufficient, or should he do it all again with even more painstaking attention than usual?

Eventually he had to force himself to get on to dressing, but there was just as much second-guessing to be had there as before. What on earth did a mage wear to offer his “time and services” to a vampire? Did he go formal? Casual? Good lord, for all his implications Varis made it sound like he should strut over completely nude with a damn ribbon around his neck. What if Eris’ “one complaint” was about his outfit? Aaron was at a loss, but he couldn’t ask for help; he was pretty sure if Varis laid eyes on him before his very glare would burn him to ashes where he stood.

At long last he forced himself to just pick something, settling—or rather, forcibly landing—on a pink button-up shirt and grey slacks. Foregoing a tie, he rolled his sleeves up for good measure, then hmmed and hawed in the mirror for what felt like an eternity before deciding to step out of his comfort zone and undo his first two shirt buttons as well. Pssh, the thought might have made him laugh if not for the nerves sealing his jaw shut; out of his comfort zone, this whole affair was so far out of his comfort zone it might as well have been on another planet. And somehow, in a feat of apex stupidity, this most daunting challenge yet was his own stupid idiot fault. Unlike the public apologies and the humiliation in front of the Queen and every other degrading thing he’d done these past few months, he couldn’t even tangentially blame Varis for this one; nope, all his doing. He could have punched himself if he didn’t think the bruise would be a point against him with Eris.

Aaron wanted nothing more than to delay his meeting further with more indecision, but he was pushing it as it was—the twenty minutes he spent getting ready might as well have been a week and a half by Sinnenodel standards. So finally he threw on his coat and boots and all but catapulted himself out the door just to force his legs to move, counting his steps all the way to Eris’ dorm to keep his mind off what he was about to do.

There was a short delay after his knock, followed by muffled talking on the other side of the door. It was mostly indiscernible, up until an agitated shout of “I’m getting it, shut up,” erupted from directly on the other side and the door swung open. Max leaned against the halfway-opened door, having already clawed his way out of his suit in record time. His eyes trailed up and down Aaron’s figure briefly before he let out a breath in a derisive sneer.

“You look like a tool,” The metal mage greeted with all the nonchalance normal people might’ve used to say hello. He swung the door open wider to let Aaron in, sweeping his foot in the same motion to push Maxie away from the exit as her little legs scraped uselessly against the floor. “Welcome to Le Château d’Eris, you poor, misguided fool.”

What else is new. In a way it was good to see that no matter how nerve-racked he was, Max could still manage to make him want to roll his eyes. Aaron leveled Max with a flat look as he stepped inside, though his nerves were quick to come back to him. This wouldn't be the first time he spent a day at Eris’ dorm, but the change in purpose was more than enough to put him on edge as if it was.

Eris himself was nowhere to be seen in the front room, though, and Aaron had no idea of the protocol for this sort of thing. “Where's Eris?” He finally asked Max, voice barely a whisper.

“Master Eris is freshening up at the moment, monsieur,” Max replied with a frilly bow. No wonder Eris kept this stupid French crap up all the time, it was funny once you were in on the joke. “You may await him in the… fuck, I don’t know the word for bedroom. Go sit on the bed, I hope you wore your nice red panties.”

Max shut the door with the same butler-ly grace he’d tried to emulate earlier and made a flourishing motion toward Eris’ room. Naturally, he’d be hovering close by for as long as he possibly could; this was hysterical and he wanted to hear every juicy detail right up until the pants came off. Then he’d fuck off back to his room and pretend something else was happening.

Aaron shot Max another unimpressed look; he was quickly crossing the threshold from irritating to downright mean. But he held his tongue, lest Eris be displeased by a quip at Max—whether or not he'd do the same himself. At least it took his mind a little off what he was about to do, even if only temporarily.

It was strange to think about, but this wouldn't be the first time Aaron was in Eris’ bedroom—hell, it wouldn't even be his first time seeing him naked, he remembered with a barely-suppressed shudder. It was no comfort, though. Just… surreal. To think a few short months ago he was gearing up to serve the Queen, and now here he was, awaiting the lecherous whims of common actors.

He cast a backward look at Max as he shifted on his feet in the bedroom, equal parts annoyed and unsure, but he wouldn't ask anything more. Every extra second Eris spent “freshening up” in another room was one he was going to savour.

The sound of the shower could be heard, though the silence that followed once it was turned off was much more noticeable. A hum of a song let Aaron know that Eris was doing...something, though when the bathroom door finally opened, it was revealed that the blond was towel drying his hair. He hadn’t bothered with any shirt, sporting a pair of loose pajama pants as he stepped into his bedroom. Stopping at the sight of Aaron, he looked him up and down, eyes darting over every detail, albeit there was much more scrutinizing than usual. He didn’t say anything as he tossed the towel into the bathroom without a second look, giving Aaron a smile as he passed him.

"Well, well, you actually came," Eris mused out loud, almost sounding genuinely surprised. "And here I thought I'd be getting an apology letter. Good to see you stick to your word."

Aaron stiffened up as Eris emerged, respectfully averting his eyes as the actor looked him up and down. It was just as well, he didn't need to see Eris examine him to feel his eyes all over him, like a foreign creature crawling over his skin. It wasn't the first appraising look he got from Eris, nor would it be the last, but the context overpowered any familiarity, and the gesture felt a lot more invasive than Aaron was used to.

“Of course,” he replied quietly, still avoiding Eris’ gaze. His eyes flicked through the open door to where Max was observing—great, just perfect—but he quickly looked elsewhere, trying to put that out of his mind. “It wouldn't do to…” the word caught in his throat, but resigned to his fate, he forced it out anyway. “Tease someone like you with empty promises.”

Eris' eyebrow quirked at the word, coming to a stop as he crossed his arms. Oh boy, Varis had his work cut out for him. The kid was terribly stiff, he was pretty sure he could lay him down and iron his shirts from how rigid he was. He already knew how this was going to end, unfortunately, shaking his head to himself as he stepped back towards Aaron, lifting his chin.

"True, but you don't really seem enthusiastic," Eris pouted, taking his hand back. "I'm a little confused. I didn’t ask Varis for you, you said you'd come here. Unless you don't want to? You could always just leave if that's the case, I'd rather not waste my time."

Oh crap, a misstep this early? Well no wonder, even Aaron could tell he was exuding all the charisma as a piece of wood that sprouted legs, no one in their right mind would be interested in that. But as much as he'd love to take Eris’ offer and quit the place that second, he knew whatever awaited him when he got back would be a hundred times worse than whatever trial faced him here.

Of course, it was one thing to think that, and something else entirely to go through with it. How could he be expected to do this? Undertones and implications aside, he was woefully inexperienced at this. He could turn on the charm at the party, but whatever reserve he'd pulled that from was proving difficult to tap into again.

His instant of hesitation felt like an eternity, but at last the pressure managed to click his brain into a different gear. If he couldn't do this, then he'd just have to pretend to be someone who could. That should be easy enough, right? He was well accustomed to putting on a mask and burying his insecurities under it—this couldn't be that different, right?

Newly… well, not confident, but at least no longer shaking, Aaron took a breath, willing himself to don whatever mask he'd worn when he offered himself to Eris in the first place.

“Please, don't misunderstand a lack of familiarity for a lack of enthusiasm,” he replied, trying on the same honeyed voice he'd used back when he peeled himself off Eris in the sitting room. Shooting another sharp look Max’s direction, he took a step away and closed the door, hand lingering on the handle for a moment before he turned back to Eris. “You seemed quite interested at the party; I'd hate to think you went away feeling short-changed.”

Too bad Eris could smell hesitance a mile away, he might have otherwise believed the shaking leaf of a mage. Well, at least there was an effort, so he couldn't really fault that. As the blond walked to the door, however, Eris couldn’t resist a comment that popped into his head. Unrolling his arms, he placed them on his hips as he gave Aaron a mischievous grin.

"Oh, you didn't want Maxwell joining us?" He asked. "I thought having a familiar face would help ease you into the process."

The handle twisted out of Aaron’s grasp on its own and the door slowly creaked open again. Max stood on the other side, phone raised and at the ready as if he were taking pictures—or worse, a video.

“Careful, Eric, if you keep asking I’m gonna start thinking you like me for real,” He scoffed with a dismissive wave of his hand, “Don’t mind me, I’m just here to watch the show and maybe send Lilie a recording.” As funny as it would be, Aaron was lucky Max wasn’t actually eager to get involved in that conversation. Maybe he could get away with sending it to Flower Boy and waiting for him to inevitably blab. Either way, Max wasn’t letting Eris get any satisfaction at his expense today; the Retriever was the only punchline here and Max intended to keep it that way.

“Not to worry,” He wedged his foot against the door to keep Aaron from simply slamming it on him again, “I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone once you start going at it.”

The wave of anger that washed over Aaron almost made him break character, though he wasn't sure who to be angrier with: Eris for his usual bullshit or Max choosing that moment to team up with him. He shot Max a look that could boil water before raising his hand, fingers curved as if he was holding a ball. There was a second where a small ball of light condensed in his palm before it erupted into a blinding flash; Aaron used the opportunity to kick Max’s foot out of the doorway and slam the door behind it, this time wedge his own foot against the door to prevent the metal mage from barging in again.

Turning a thin, accommodating smile back to Eris, he explained, “Sorry about that, but you know how private my Master is; he approved this arrangement for one set of eyes, no more.”

Max staggered back as his balance was suddenly thrown off, dropping his phone in the commotion. He heard the door slam and more or less pieced together what happened. Well, he halfway got what he wanted—if goodie two-shoes Aaron was slamming doors in other people’s houses, he was properly pissed off. Besides, he didn’t need photo evidence to start a rumor mill; Eris got him to believe that nonsensical load of crap earlier with just a passing remark, and this was actually true.

“Dick,” He grumbled as he rubbed the spots out of his eyes, then raised his voice to call into the room, “Oooh~ Getting right to it, huh? Naughty, naughty! You kids have fun, call me if you need anything—snacks, a condom, you know.” Once he could see enough to function, he crouched to retrieve his phone and made his way back to his room.

“C’mon Maxie, let’s go gossip about this to Auntie Lilie,” Max said casually enough to not make it sound like he was trying to be loud, but vocally enough that he hoped Aaron could still hear. The dog, to her credit, yipped affirmatively. Dumb rat probably thought it was getting a treat.

Oh, what a show. Eris had to admit there was the tiniest sense of pride in him as he watched Max, though he had to wonder who had slighted him. As easy as it would be to blame Sunny, he somewhat doubted that he had managed to get him so riled up that Max would react instead of sulking off to his room right away. Eh, he’d ask later, he had a task he was supposed to be prioritizing.

The blond did give Aaron a short clap of approval, sliding onto his bed as he quirked an eyebrow at him. “Bet he’s just jealous he doesn’t get such a handsome bedwarmer for the morning.” He winked.

Making a mental vow that Max would suffer twofold for anything that got back to him about this, Aaron quickly pushed Max from his mind; one worry at a time was all he could really handle at the moment. Eris’ “bedwarmer” comment made him feel like he swallowed an eel, but he managed to twist his expression of discomfort into something bashful, putting on a grin. “You flatter me, sir,” he said, finally stepping away from the door.

Realizing he had no idea how to proceed, he fiddled with the cuff of one of his sleeves, resisting the urge to roll it back down to his wrist where it belonged. Much as the idea repulsed him, he didn't want to keep Eris waiting any longer; he wasn't sure if Eris had a thing for the clueless virgin type, but if he didn't concede some inexperience then they'd never get anywhere.

“I can be here until sunset tomorrow to do whatever you ask of me,” he started, though he wished he could take the words back the moment they left his mouth. That was stupid, Eris already knew that, but whatever, there was no taking it back now. “So, if I may be so forward… what would you have me do?”

Eris watched Aaron’s movements, the smile on his face never leaving him. Sunny really was adorable, his nervousness practically rolling off him. He made a mental note that he may as well give Wells a head start on his own training, but for now he focused on the blond in front of him. What not to do? He didn’t want to scare him off just yet, but the temptation to tease was just too much.

He settled for patting the spot next to him, throwing a wink at the kid. “How about we start by you coming over here? You’re a little far for my taste.” The obedient mage did as he was told, and Eris scooted a little closer, batting his eyelashes. “Isn’t that better?” He asked, reaching out to brush back a hair on Sunny’s head.

Eris had always been touchy, but it was usually impersonal; a poke here, a prod there, touching his hair or clothes or whatever just to get a rise out of him. But that was different. Aaron managed not to pull away, but even that small of a touch, in this context, was enough to start the alarms in Aaron’s head ringing. But he had to resist. That was barely a glimpse of what awaited him; if not now, then sometime in the future. This would be a part of his life whether or not he ran screaming tonight, and he needed to come to terms with that. The sooner he got used to it, the better, and like it or not, Eris would be an excellent test run.

Putting on a bashful smile, Aaron touched the lock Eris had moved, almost as if he was savouring his touch. “Much better, sir,” he murmured.

For just a second, something resembling sympathy (or maybe exasperation depending on who you were asking) went across Eris’ face as he slowly shook his head. “I’m not going to hurt you, if that’s what you’re thinking,” He took a random shot in the dark, his hand trailing down to the pink shirt, his hand hooked on the spot where his shirt was still buttoned.

---

“We’re going to have fun. If you’d like, you can sit back, relax, and let me take the lead,” He offered as his free hand pushed the mage down, thumb pushing the button through the hole and freeing up his chest a touch more.

Sun and stars, at this point, hurting him would be preferable; Aaron would take a few good blows over this any night of the week. It was strange, though; Eris sounded genuinely concerned for his comfort, even as he pressed on. Aaron was sure he was in on Varis’ scheme to make him regret offering himself up, but he was acting like he was genuinely there to have a good time. Whether that was better or worse, Aaron couldn't say, but it was… weird.

He raised his eyebrows in surprise as Eris pushed him down, and he had to fight down another wave of panic with a deep breath he hoped would just sound like a symptom of anticipation. “Whatever you want, sir,” he said, sounding more confident than he felt. In fact, it had felt like someone else was doing the talking for a little while now, but if that was what it took to get through this, then Aaron would go with it.

He raised his head to look at Eris, glancing down at his newly exposed chest, and that other person spoke up once more. “Don't worry about me, though; I'm tougher than I look.”

Oh? Had Eris underestimated Sunny? For all the faults Varis had listed, he had expected some difficulty here. Or was it an act? Well, there really was only one way to find out. Eris didn’t usually go all out for mages--he’d be lying if he said he never bedded a mage--but Sunny here needed to be taken care of. Not to mention part of Varis’ guidance stated that he shouldn’t need a life mage after, so no bard biting or nicking. He knew what to do.

His hand continued on getting rid of the shirt, his other exploring the canvas. Hmph, the Astorio was right, there really was some lost muscle definition, though he wondered if Varis even noticed things like that. Still enough to look good, at least, and boy was Sunny still a gorgeous specimen for a mage.

“If you say so,” Eris hummed, pleased as he let his lips explore. He figured he may as well get the blond comfortable, hands sliding downwards until they hit his pants. Fortunately he didn’t need to look to unbuckle them, freely working on the last button and zipper.

To his credit, Aaron didn't squirm much, merely shifting on the bed to lie a bit more comfortably as Eris went about his business. He seemed quite occupied, which was good; while he was looking elsewhere, he couldn't see Aaron set his jaw, eyes burning a hole into the ceiling. The buttons weren't so bad—it was just a shirt, he'd been naked plenty of times before—but the… lips were a different story altogether. Aaron’s skin crawled where Eris kissed him, and his breathing grew heavy as Eris’ hands made their way downward, chest heaving as he tried with all his might to stay put. His cheeks burned as he tried to distract himself, counting shadows on the ceiling and reciting the first section of the Treaty in his head, but when he felt Eris slide down his pants’ zipper he knew it was over.

A small, desperate noise escaped his throat as he moved despite himself, perching up on his elbows and pulling away no more than a few inches before freezing up again. Fuck, he'd really done it now; all the panic that made him move in the first place was nothing compared to the crisis that paralyzed him now, Varis’ words echoing in his head once more.

If I get even a single complaint out of Eris about your performance, be aware that anything you’ve suffered so far is little more than a minor inconvenience compared to the agony you’ll suffer tomorrow.

---

He was stuck in place for a moment before he remembered Eris, and he whipped his head back at him, fumbling for something to say. “I-I’m sorry,” he stammered, breath catching in his throat as he tried and failed to shimmy back to where he was. He couldn't meet Eris’ gaze, eyes locked on the sheets next to him. “First-time jitters, please pay me no mind.”

Ah, now that was what Eris had expected. He didn’t know if he should laugh or be annoyed, the blond vampire staring at him for a moment. There were a few things he could do next, but ultimately he only saw one way that this was going to end. His face was blank as he deliberated his next step, though in his head there wasn’t anything that could be done.

Eris touched Aaron’s chin to make him look at him, flashing a grin. “No, I don’t think so,” He stated, getting off of Aaron and settling himself on top of his pillows, making himself comfortable. “You can see yourself out, right? I think I’m going to call it an early morning, I need to get up early for some training.”

Aaron’s face lost all colour as Eris climbed off of him, the mage jumping to his feet. “What?” He gasped, circling around the bed to Eris’ side. “N-no, I mean--I’m sorry, I'm fine, really.” He gestured frantically, mind racing through all the horrible things that might await him if Eris sent him back empty-handed. “Please, I--I’m inexperienced, that's all. I didn't mean to offend.”

Eris settled in, reaching over to his nightstand and grabbing his phone as he let Sunny make a half-assed attempt at redeeming the night. “Is it inexperience or a lack of eagerness?” He asked, not bothering to look at him as he scrolled through a page. “Because I’ve dealt with the former before on multiple occasions. I can deal with no experience. But I don’t know how to handle unwillingness. There are certain lines even I won’t cross, you know.”

If Aaron wasn't so panicked, he might have been confused. Eris sounded spurned of all things, like he was insulted Aaron didn't want to spend a passionate day with him. But wasn't he in on this with Varis? He should have known what to expect from the start. Not to mention Eris set this garbage in motion by yanking him off his feet at the party! The actor knew perfectly well how discomforted he could be, what did he expect?!

Of course, Aaron was in no position to argue: as far as he was concerned, if he left Eris with a bad impression, he was as good as dead. But he couldn't very well just grin and bear it, Eris saw right through that. So what, then? The truth? Aaron didn't need to be a Sinnenodel of any great aptitude to know that the truth was almost always the wrong answer. But what else was left to him?

Aaron re-fastened his pants as he deliberated, looking around the room as if the answer would be written on the walls. When he failed to come up with a better solution, however, he resigned himself just to come out with it.

“Mr. Sa--Eris, listen, I'm sorry,” he tried, sounding sincere for the first time all morning. “I… I'm in over my head. I made a bad call at the party and this is how Master decided I would atone for it. I didn't mean to insult you.”

He doubted the truth alone would set him free, but he'd rather humiliate himself here than face whatever Varis would come up with tomorrow. “Let me try again,” he said, “I won't back down again, I swear. Whatever you want. I just…” he sighed, a crushing helplessness settling over him. “I can't go back empty-handed.”

At the end of Aaron’s rambling, Eris finally looked up, entirely unamused. He was quiet for a second, but he wouldn’t leave him in the dark for too long as he let out what sounded like an exasperated sigh. “It was a bad call, at least you recognize it,” He admitted that much, though he didn’t move from where he was. “Imagine if it had been someone else, someone who your master was trying to gain the favor of. You’re given the chance to follow through only to collapse in yourself the second things even hint at a chance to heat up. Then what?”

Contrary to his usual, jovial self, Eris was completely serious as he spoke. And he wasn’t finished. “It’s funny, I thought to myself, ‘Why is he so hard on Sunny?’ a few times. Sinnenodel training has always been harsh, yes, but I still thought he pushed down too much. But now I know why,” He said, shaking his head. “You say you’re willing to try again, but with most people, there is no trying again. You get one shot, one try, and it has to be perfect. There is no begging for a second chance, there are no redos or retries. I don’t think you really understood what you had done back there, you had at least three other options to get away from me and you chose the worst one. You decided your fate tonight, making a promise you damn well knew you couldn’t keep, and it’s insulting that you think I would take that likely.”

Aaron listened as Eris said his piece, feeling more and more ashamed with every word, until suddenly, in a moment of clarity, his shame turned to indignation. One shot, one try, it has to be perfect. There are no second chances. That was Varis’ creed: if you weren’t perfect on the first try, you were garbage. And suddenly, all his difficulties adjusting to Varis’ methods made sense: How on the green earth was anyone supposed to learn if they never had the chance to fail?!

It all seemed so clear now, Aaron didn’t know how he never saw it before. He used to take pride in his ability to learn, but failure was a crucial step in that process; he learned everything back home flawlessly because he made every single mistake once and never repeated it. Now, though, if he couldn’t even be allowed that first crucial misstep, how could he ever take the next? Good lord, no wonder he struggled! It was like learning swordplay from scratch with sharpened blades, every student would die before they ever got the chance to learn anything. Varis’ expectations weren’t just strict, they were literally beyond human capability!

Of course, he couldn’t say that to Eris’ face, but Aaron couldn’t help but feel like this particular scheme had backfired. Maybe not—maybe Varis really did want him to learn something valuable from this little excursion—but he doubted the goal was to send him back feeling better than he did when he left.

It was strangely comforting to think that maybe Varis’ standards weren’t so easily achieved after all, but Aaron wasn’t foolish enough to think that was the end of the story. Malek and Eloise and all the others somehow managed to get through, so it couldn’t be impossible, but that was something to look into another night. Right now, there was still a very huge problem staring him in the face: groundbreaking realizations wouldn’t be much good to him if Varis melted him into a paste after hearing Eris’ terrible review of his performance tonight.

The tension that had momentarily released his lungs came back full force as he remembered that little detail, and Aaron’s mind was set racing once again. If Eris wouldn’t let him complete his job tonight, what was he going to do? It wasn’t like he’d be happy with a good lecture and call them even; Eris liked toying with mages just as much as the next traditionalist. So what now?

“You’re right,” he conceded, an air of determination replacing the former tone of defeat in his voice. He’d just have to find a Sinnenodel solution to this problem, or otherwise go down trying. “I was stupid, that’s no surprise. You and Master and everyone else have made that abundantly clear to me. I truly am sorry for insulting you; I assure you, it comes down to incompetence, not malice.”

He met Eris’ eye then, something that still made him squirm, but he had to make sure Eris knew he was serious. “But I meant what I said: I obviously have a stake in having this morning go well, but I really don’t want you to leave this engagement feeling short-changed. If my… services won’t suffice, there must be something I can give to make up for it.”

Now this was what Eris wanted to hear. Not that he came in this expecting this outcome, but the kid was way too skittish for his taste. He’d have to recommend Varis introduce him to someone sooner than later to get him to be more effective, so the night wasn’t an entire loss on that end. There was, however, one minor snag:

“And what would that something be, exactly?” Eris couldn’t help but ask, raising an eyebrow. “Everything you have you owe to your master, and I’m not interested in a sword.”

If he was perfectly honest, Aaron didn’t expect Eris to bite in the slightest. He was an enterprising vampire, sure, but he was usually so deep in Varis’ pocket that it was hard to believe a favour from a mage could make him even entertain the idea of straying from his purpose. But then again, he wasn’t in so deep with Varis anymore, was he? Outwardly they seemed as thick as ever, but after Eris’ snooping and what Aaron could only assume was some kind of fight, it was likely that whatever ties they had between them had been stretched beyond comfort. Vampires were creatures of convenience, but they weren’t known for forgiving or forgetting.

But that was beside the point. Eris had lowered only a hair of a lifeline, but Aaron would grab it with whatever strength he had left to him. “Of course, I’m sure you’re not interested in anything I have to give,” he agreed, “but think of who I am—more importantly, who I know. Right off the bat, I have three other Starags serving members of the royal family who would pursue almost anything I asked them to; beyond that, we have a network of contacts all throughout the aristocracy. Nobility, business giants, media—it goes on. I can’t offer you anything on my Master’s behalf, but there are things that I myself can make happen.”

Said vampire stared at Aaron intently, though the gears in his head were turning. There was something to be said about having a Starag in debt, but the mage was too smart to accept a favor open-endedly. Still, he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t interested; his annoyance smoothed over into something more thoughtful.

“Quick to think, too. If Varis does end up choosing to throw you away, I need to make sure to scoop you up for myself,” He mused out loud, looking back down on his phone. “Mmm...I’ll warn you now, while your offer is tempting, it’s not something I’d cash out on right away. I’d need to hold onto it for a little until my own pieces line up. But I’ll need an audience with someone you can get me in touch with--I’ll let you know when, and you can set it up.”

Looking up at Aaron, Eris gave him a wide smile. “It’ll be our little secret. I can’t say I like seeing you in distress, so I can give you my word that this won’t get out to your count,” He promised that much. “Let’s see...you were inexperienced yet willing, but otherwise it was a fun time.”

While Aaron wasn’t thrilled with issuing what sounded like a blank cheque, he didn’t exactly have much room to argue. At the very least, Eris agreed to keep this little transaction under his hat, and he seemed alright with limiting the scope of his as-yet undetermined favour to something Aaron himself could give. That was… well, it was as good as Aaron had hoped, really.

It was hard to contain the sheer relief on his face, though after a moment he didn’t even bother trying. “Yes, yes, perfect!” he all but exclaimed, offering Eris a series of flustered bows. His head swam with relief, and he nearly had to catch himself when he teetered slightly off-balance. “Just say the word and I’ll set you up, absolutely. Thank you, sir, Eris, really.” He’d probably have to work on his closing skills for future negotiations, but at the moment, he didn’t care.

There was no helping the amused chuckle from him, the blond vampire waving Aaron away. “Just promise me you won’t make promises you can’t keep in the future,” Eris reiterated. “I don’t think you’ll get so lucky in the future--nor will any future prospects be as flexible, all things considered.”

Settling himself in bed, his hand bopped the lampshade, darkening the room. “I’m going to bed. You can hang around if you want, but you should find something to do before going back to your dorm to make it believable,” He told him under the muffle of his blanket.

“Yes--yes sir, absolutely. I won’t forget this,” Aaron promised, wasting no time collecting his things. He had to resist another round of nervous bows, instead slipping out of the bedroom as quietly as he could manage and quitting the dorm before Max could see him.

By the time Aaron got out of Eris’ dorm, the sun had already started to rise, bathing the Academy lawns in a pale golden shimmer of sunshine on frost. He took a deep breath, savouring the bite of the crisp, frigid air in his lungs after spending the past hour or so suffocating under a veil of dread. Not that it was gone, mind—far from it. But at least with a tentative agreement—however fluid it might be, vampires were fickle—it was a drowned out for the moment by an intoxicating sense of relief.

So, rather than think too hard about the fact that he’d saved his skin with the Noilas’ resources and risk ruining the first good mood he’d had in weeks, he focused on the soft crunch of frozen grass beneath his boots as he made his somewhat meandering way home, watching the way the sun glinted off the leafless trees. The sunrise was colourful, but more interesting was the gathering blue of the rest of the sky, so pale it was almost white; it was as if the sky itself was frozen. He sighed. Strange how one of his rare chances to admire the daytime came on the heels of one of the most harrowing experiences of his life.

Regretting his decision not to bring gloves, he shoved his hands in his pockets, though his brow furrowed when one of them met with something cold and hard. When he pulled his hand out to investigate, he was greeted with an exquisite diamond tennis bracelet, sparkling magnificently in the morning sunshine. Weird, that was the bracelet of Lilie’s he’d found on her glass; he must have shoved it in the pocket of his new pants during his brainless, manic dressing session.

He rounded a bend at a leisurely pace, the gated cul-de-sac of noble dorms coming into view. Well, now was as good a time to return it as ever; it wouldn’t take long to deposit it into her mailbox, but it wasn’t like there was much else to do but wander the campus for another few hours anyway.

Pulling out his phone, he tapped a quick message to Lilie; she was probably asleep by now, but he wouldn’t want her to pull her mail out in the evening only to unknowingly lose her bracelet on the ground.

> Hey, just FYI I found your bracelet in the living room, I’m leaving it in the mailbox ^^

The message’s tone momentarily stopped Lilie, causing her to abandon the couch cushion to go back to her room. The place had looked like a hurricane had passed through, her sheets scattered around the floor and nearly every drawer she had partially opened. In her manic search, she didn’t bother cleaning up--what she had lost was too important and she needed to find it, cleaning could come after.

It wasn’t until Lilie had returned to the dorm (and after admiring herself for a lot longer than she wanted to admit) that she realized the bracelet was missing. She thought she had put it in her purse, but she hadn’t brought one to the dinner, so the next logical conclusion was that she had lost it somewhere. Considering how fine it was, she thought maybe it had fallen somewhere, but in her panic she had torn the dorm apart looking for it.

So when Aaron’s message came, a wave of relief surged through Lilie, her hand to her chest as she tried not to laugh. How could she have been so careless to forget it over there? Shaking her head, she decided to send him a quick message before she went around the living room trying to put everything back into place:

> OMG I’m so glad! Do you mind bringing it to the dorm? I don’t want to lose it again >_<

Aaron hadn’t even managed to get his phone back in his pocket before it buzzed with a response, earning it a look of surprise. Lilie was still up? Well, by the tone of her message, she’d probably been looking for her bracelet, though he seemed to recall that she was a bit of a day jay under normal circumstances. Nevertheless, it was a great coincidence; whatever happened between them at dinner, seeing Lilie’s face after all he’d gone through tonight would be a blessing.

> Yeah, no problem! Be there in a sec.

He was only just outside the cul-de-sac gates when he pocketed his phone, so it didn’t take long for Aaron to make it to the Eve dorm steps, thankful that the closed curtains on every dorm guaranteed Varis wouldn’t see him skulking around where he wasn’t supposed to be. He knocked on the door as lightly as he possibly could, hoping not to wake Count Benjamin.

There was a tiny scuffle before Lilie made it to the door--despite having been the one to tell Aaron to come, she momentarily forgot she was only in a silken nightgown and needed to make herself decent. Grabbing the robe hanging from her bathroom door, she hastily wrapped herself up in it, opening the door partially as she fidgeted with the knot. To think she was such a mess! She supposed she could live with Aaron seeing her hair all loose and frazzled, even if she wished she had given herself a minute to pretty up.

As she lifted her head, however, another thought hit her as she realized she wasn’t wearing any makeup. She had only discovered she was missing the bracelet after her bath, and the last thing she wanted was anyone seeing her pale face. Without thinking, she suddenly slammed the door shut, holding it down with both hands.

“I--I’m sorry!” She apologized through the door, opening it just a crack but making sure to hide behind it. “Thank you! I--I’m so glad you found it, I thought I lost it.”

Jumping back in surprise from the door slam, Aaron glanced around on instinct to see if anyone noticed before leveling the now-cracked door with a confused look. “Lilie?” he whispered, leaning to get a better look at her through the crack, “Is everything alright?”

“Uh…y-yeah, why wouldn’t it be?” Lilie squeaked out a response, seeing Aaron’s figure looming and hiding further behind the door, unintentionally opening it further.

Aaron stepped a little closer, almost sticking his head in the door. “Why are you hiding?” he asked, mostly ignoring her question. He tried to peer a little further into the dorm, but from what little he could see, there wasn’t any sign that anything was amiss. He lowered his voice further, a little nervous about whatever she might be hiding. “Did something happen?”

Lilie’s heart was pumping fiercely as she tried to think of a way out of this. Every single thought went out the window, however, as soon as she saw his blond hair. He was close! Too close! She was going to get exposed! Her first instinct was to try to slam the door shut again, shaking her head as she cried out, “No! Don’t come in!”

Reflexes kicking in, Aaron blocked the edge of the door from hitting him in the nose with his forearm. Concern overtook his regard for boundaries, though, and in one motion he pushed the door back and forced his way in, briefly scanning the entryway before looking around the door for Lilie.

The coats slumped on the floor beneath their hooks gave him a bit of a cause for alarm, but behind the door, Lilie looked… normal. Frazzled, maybe, with her hair like a fishing net all around her, wearing nothing but a robe and a silky little nightgown that only went down to her-- well, she seemed fine. Aaron let out a sigh of relief; the way she was acting, he was scared she was all beaten up behind the door or something.

“Goodness, Lil, you had me worried there,” he breathed, remembering himself and stepping backwards toward the door. He leveled her with a questioning look. “What was that about?”

Throwing her hands up to her face, Lilie quickly turned away, her heart jumping up to her throat. She was caught between being over the moon at ‘Lil’ and sheer horror at him looking at her face. He was acting like he hadn’t seen anything, and she could feel him staring at her. A sudden chill went up her spine, and she realized she never did tie her robe up fully.

One hand stayed over her eyes as the other blindly groped herself for either the tie or the edge of the robe as she frantically shook her head. “N-Nothing, there’s no need for you to worry,” She lamely tried to assure him with a fake laugh. “I just--I’m not dressed, b-but there isn’t anything wrong!”

Suddenly straightening, Aaron realized how inappropriate he was being, averting his eyes to the doorway as Lilie tied her robe up. “Oh, I’m sorry, I just-- you know, I mean, not that I think Count Benjamin would-- ah,” he shook his head at himself; barging into noble’s dorms to save distressed damsels one moment, tripping over his words the next. He resolved to shut up until he saw in his periphery that Lilie had finished putting herself together, though strangely she still covered her eyes.

Brow furrowed, Aaron took a step closer, stooping down to her eye level. Goodness, maybe he was too quick to let down his guard; he’d been too distracted by her state of dress to see whatever she was trying to cover. He was pretty sure he wouldn’t get it out of her like this, though, so in Lilie’s interest, Aaron made an executive decision: taking her wrists in hand, he gently, but firmly, pulled her hands away from her eyes until he could see them.

But, like before, there was nothing there; she looked perfectly fine, if a little different. He supposed this was his first time seeing her without mascara—it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that her eyelashes were also white, but he supposed he never really gave it any thought.

Unable to resist a bewildered grin, he peered at Lilie. “I’m sorry for the intrusion, but what on earth are you doing?”

Good, good, she bought herself a little time. At least, that had been Lilie’s initial assumption, but she could hear Aaron stepping closer. No, no, no, now what?! Should she scream? No, that’d get Ben up, and the last thing she wanted to do was admit she had forgotten the bracelet so carelessly. Not to mention she could get him to think the wrong thing!

In the time she spent thinking, Aaron managed to pull her hands away from her face, and at that point she knew it was all over. The first thing she tried to do was cover her face again, but he wisely chose to keep her wrists in his grip. Blinking back tears, she looked up at him, though she was thrown off guard by his grin. She must have come off as completely ridiculous to him.

“I...I didn’t want you to see my face like this,” She replied quietly. “It’s weird and off-putting...I look like a ghost.”

The tears welling up in Lilie’s eyes were concerning, but as soon as Aaron heard the explanation, he couldn’t help but laugh. It was a tiny, barely noticeable laugh, more of a little chirp before he clapped a hand over his mouth, but what could he do? Here he thought she was hiding bruises, but this was all just because she didn’t want to be seen without makeup!

He released her other wrist, standing back to his full height as he shook his head. Only when he was finally confident he wouldn’t let out another chuckle did he lower his own hand from his mouth, but the grin that remained simply wouldn’t be wiped away.

“Lil, come on,” he reasoned, his barely-contained laughter tinting his voice. “With all due respect, every woman thinks they look weird without makeup. I grew up with three of them, remember?”

Still grinning, he dug into his pocket and produced the bracelet. “You look perfectly fine, I promise,” he insisted, holding the bracelet out to her. “But please, don’t scare me like that again.”

Shaking her head, Lilie refused the bracelet as she took a step back from Aaron. “You don’t understand, your family looks normal. No one’s going to call them weird, or freaky, or--or abnormal, or--” She stopped herself as she realized she had raised her voice, her hands covering her mouth as she squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, pushing away a bad memory.

Letting out a sigh, whatever anger she had dissipated, though she still couldn’t look him in the eye. “I’m sorry. It’s just a touchy subject for me,” She apologized, timidly looking up at him. “I can’t really do anything about my hair because my mom wouldn’t let me dye it, but at least I could make my face look like a person. You have to admit I look really weird and off putting without my mascara on. And without blush, I look like an actual corpse.”

Aaron’s grin faded, and he withdrew the bracelet, placing his hands on his hips. “I do not have to admit that, no,” he replied flatly, though his tone softened afterward. “Come on, give me a little credit. I’m not a vampire. I think--” he cut himself off before he said something he’d regret, remembering their conversation in the kitchen back at the party. She didn’t share his feelings; he didn’t want to make her even more uncomfortable than he already had.

“...I think white suits you,” he finished, reining in his urge to sing her every praise. “Anything darker would be much too dreary to deserve you.”

Lilie’s eyes widened as he talked, though after he finished, she couldn’t really stop her smile. She wondered if he really thought that or if he was just trying to make her feel better. Well, either way, she could take it as a positive thing, right? And he didn’t seem like the type of person to just say things he didn’t mean.

“You really don’t think I look weird?” She couldn’t help but ask.

Happy that his (admittedly weird) comment wasn’t taken the wrong way, Aaron offered a soft smile, shaking his head. “Of course not.”

Looking down as she tried to control her smile, Lilie tried to calm herself down. He really meant it, didn’t he? Of course he did, he wouldn’t lie to her. But she felt like she made a big deal out of nothing, even if it was a sensitive topic for her.

Clearing her throat, she gave him an apologetic look. “I’m sorry I was so weird about it,” She told him first and foremost. “It’s hard to admit, but I...don’t really like the way I look. I know it makes me come off as really vain and shallow, but I’ve always gotten weird looks and comments from, like, everyone I’ve met. I kinda hate it, honestly. But I…”

She didn’t even really know what her point was or what she was really trying to say. Goodness, even in situations like this Aaron was too easy to talk to! “...I’ll hate it a little less if you don’t think it’s weird,” She ended up admitting.

Smile widening as Lilie’s did, Aaron took his hands off his hips, fiddling with the tennis bracelet as he listened. It was sad to hear, but he couldn’t say he was surprised; for better or worse, Lilie stood out from a crowd, and that sort of attention would only have gotten ten times worse when she entered the world of vampires. At her last admission, though, Aaron felt his heart swell, and he had to swallow the lump that welled up in his throat. To think his approval—if that was even the right word—was the thing bringing Lilie comfort touched him to his soul, awkward kitchen exchanges and unrequited feelings be damned.

“Good,” was all he could manage to say, grateful that the gloom of the hallway hid his dopey expression of joy.

As she straightened up, Lilie spotted the bracelet, having nearly forgotten about the whole reason Aaron even came around in the first place. “Oh, right!” She gasped, though she laughed a little at herself. “And thank you for bringing it! I can’t believe I didn’t notice I didn’t have it until I was putting everything away back in the little box Ben--Count Benjamin had.” She thanked him, reaching for the bracelet now that she had calmed down.

“Ah-ah,” Aaron hummed, pulling the bracelet just out of Lilie’s reach. In a fit of playfulness he himself didn’t even expect, he raised a finger at her, fixing her with a mischievous look. “Not until you promise not to scare me like that again; I don’t need to be breaking into dorms again thinking you’re under duress.”

Instinctively following the bracelet, Lilie didn’t realize what Aaron was trying to do until he spoke. Blinking slowly, she huffed in disapproval, crossing her arms at the realization that she’d never reach it unless she decided to climb him to grab the bracelet. Why was she the only one in her family that ended up so short?!

Still, this was the Aaron she liked to see--he was genuinely himself, sweet and caring and apparently a little on the mischievous side! She listened carefully to his words, letting out a hum of agreement. But she couldn’t really resist doing something equally playful, reaching out as best she could, only to fail as her fingers barely brushed the jewelry. Life wasn’t fair.

“Mmm...okay. I promise,” She held out her hand, bouncing on the heels of her feet. “But…”

Genuinely unable to resist, Lilie approached Aaron, ignoring her racing heart as she reached for the bracelet as he lowered his hand. Instead of grabbing it, however, she acted in the moment, placing a grateful kiss on his cheek before backing away in slight disbelief.

“But I’d...really like it if you’d come breaking the door down if I’m in trouble!” Lilie giggled, trying not to look too giddy as she blushed.

Aaron chuckled as Lilie strained to reach, allowing himself to enjoy the new, happier tone of her voice as she hummed in his ear. It threw him a little off guard, lowering his hand a bit, but he didn’t care; that was, until he felt her lips on his cheek.

It was only a split second, but all at once the smile vanished from Aaron’s face, his expression going blank with shock. Did… did she really just kiss him? For real? Did he pass out back at Eris’ and this was his version of a fever dream? No, there she was, standing in front of him and giggling as she teased him. It had to be real. It was real!

It took everything in him to resist touching the spot where she’d kissed him, instead dropping his hand and handing over her bracelet. He’d have probably handed over all his credit cards, too, if he had any; that and the heart from his chest if she asked for it, so astounded was he. Was that just friendly? Salem was in the habit of kissing everyone he met, but this was definitely something different. Lilie was giggling and blushing—who said she looked like a corpse, she was full of colour!

“...Anytime,” he finally replied, bewildered and still not entirely sure what just happened was real. But he wouldn’t question it; if he was about to wake up from this dream, then he’d savour every second before he did so.

There wasn’t anything that could wipe the smile from her face, Aaron’s reaction sealing the deal. As much as she wanted to invite him to stay so they could spend more time together, she figured it wasn’t a good idea. She was indecent and he looked ready to pass out.

Taking in a deep breath, she exhaled happily, tucking a hair behind her ear. “Thank you again, I’m going to make sure that it’s put back safe and sound,” She told him, her eyes landing on the coats. “...and I have to clean up. I kinda tore apart the place looking for this.”

“Anytime,” Aaron repeated, chuckling a second later as he realized his mistake. “Um, I mean-- yeah, it’s no problem, don’t worry about it.” He was also having a hard time wiping the newly refreshed grin off his face, and he couldn’t quite muster the energy to turn completely away, awkwardly sidestepping to open the door. As he did so, just for a second, the daytime light illuminated the red flush on his cheekbones. “Have a good day.”

The harvest this year will be bountiful.

Your daughter will find herself healthy and hale in a few days’ time. Apply the herbs under the nose three times a day and you’ll have her running around soon enough.

We lost another shepherd. It’s the third one this year.

She enjoyed listening to the voices now. The wind no longer demanded she hear them, bringing whatever its whimsical flights of fancy to grate against her ears. Now it only spoke when she asked politely and quickly held its tongue when she had enough. Her moon taught her painstakingly, sheltering her when it got too much, praising her when she didn’t need the silence only her moon could bring. It made something in her chest warm, like when she finally learned to count to twenty and her moon was delighted or when she read her first full sentence without stumbling or asking for help. Those pesky little lines that made letters still confused her but she’d do anything if it put that smile on her moon’s face. She realized that the voices had faded but a peek at the hourglass said it wasn’t time to move on so she focused once more on the gentle breeze swirling in from the open balcony.

Cydril… I won’t let it happen. She can’t touch this one.

The girl flinched at the tone, her moon’s gentle voice all wrong. It was harsh and mean and… and… All she could think of was the belt and the cold and the hunger and the stone and she curled in on herself to get away, hands wrapped around her knees and she shoved the wind away and away and away, demanded it take the scary voice with it and bring back her moon, bring back the person who saved her. But the wind didn’t listen. It spoke and it spoke and it spoke.

Oh stars above, you like the little thing don’t you? You got attached. Our sister dearest is relentless. Are you really going to tell her no, hm? You knew what we were doing going into this.

You may have the spine of a jellyfish but I have no asinine fears. This one is mine and if I come back and find a single hair out of place, I will stake every one of you for the sun.

Yvaine… Very well. I’ll see what I can do. Though do make sure to come back in one piece. I’m not in the habit of risking my neck for a pile of ashes.

The wind slipped away, the words fading with it, but she wasn’t there anymore. She was far away, on the ground, in a dirty cell with tens and tens and tens of marks carved into the wall. Where she couldn’t remember which flake of blood was hers or someone else's. Where the sound of a belt was her worst nightmare and her only solace was the silence. She couldn’t stop the tears but her throat squeezed painfully to fight back the sobs. They wracked her body anyways.

She didn’t know how long she was like that. Only that at some point she’d heard the creak of the door, the softness of a voice, and the chill of arms around her. She realized she was rocking back and forth and a familiar rush of peace washed over her. Her moon sung sweetly as they rocked, her dress soaked through where the girl buried her face. A hand carded gently through her hair and the tears threatened to spill again. She didn’t know why her moon was so angry, why the star who played with dolls and puppets with her sounded so upset, but she did know her moon loved her and as long as the moon stayed near, the girl was safe.


Aaron gasped as he woke, clutching his sheets where the moon’s dress had been, but he wasn't in a panic like he usually was; rather, he only felt a little irritated, having been rudely pulled from a sound sleep and the pleasant embrace of… Yvaine, he supposed. Of course, as seconds passed and he came to his senses, the realization of what had happened struck and turned his irritation to fear—or it would have if he wasn’t so damn exasperated. Sun and stars, didn't he have enough going on already? Alarm clocks popping up all around the dorm in the middle of the day, looking over his shoulder for assassins, preparing for the Mental program—in the two months since his last dream, he'd been foolish enough to think he could turn his mind to the million other things in his life jostling for attention. But no, of course fate decided he needed something else to keep him up all day.

Dragging himself upright, he downed the glass of water on his nightstand, fuming. Not only that, but the dream dared to have such a pleasant, soothing ending that he found himself longing to sink back into it even now. What was he, five? Was he really so starved for comfort that he’d seek it in the arms of long-dead vampires from foreign memories?

He flopped back onto his pillow, slapping his hands over his eyes. He supposed he couldn't just ignore this, could he? If it was anything like the two previous iterations, it would plague him for at least a week before leaving him alone. Ugh, and Salem probably got the same one; great, something else to look forward to when he got back to the Academy. At least he wasn’t in the castle this time, beating down his door and shouting incriminating details for every servant on the grounds to hear. No, he'd probably be shouting it from the rooftops to be heard by everyone in whatever backwater human town he came from—honestly, Aaron had half a mind to just distance himself from the man and let Salem dig his own grave.

He groaned, drowsiness creeping back in as his anger faded. Those were all matters he could worry about in the evening. Maybe he was jaded, but Aaron was presented with a rare opportunity to sleep uninterrupted by alarm clocks and paranoia, and nightmare or not, he was going to take advantage of it. Moon only knew he wouldn't be getting any sleep when the break was over.


Evening came too quickly, and though with no duties to attend to Aaron could finally sleep past six—something he still wasn’t sure how to feel about, given the extra sleep reminded him he’d been replaced—he was still out of bed bright and early, fiddling with his clothes for an hour until it was finally an acceptable time to seek an audience with the Princess.

It was strange making his way to Ryner’s study through the main hallways, but with no place among the staff and no job to do, it would be even stranger to show up from behind a bookcase through one of the servants’ corridors. He’d made sure there were no guests expected tonight, so at least his presence wouldn’t be noted by anyone of importance, but even though the Starags were given largely free reign of the castle, walking through the halls like a guest in his own right felt… well, weird. Though, he supposed he really was a guest now, wasn’t he?

He shook his head to dispel that disheartening thought as he reached the study door, taking a breath as he raised his hand to knock. He really shouldn’t disturb her without notice, but he reminded himself that for whatever reason, she’d taken great interest in his dreams before. She’d want to know.

Ryner looked up at the sound at her door. She wasn't expecting anyone and certainly neither her mother nor her sister would be kind enough to knock. She'd permitted herself more casual attire tonight, a pair of sturdy and comfortable jeans and a button up blouse rather than a more formal dress, and she cursed her laziness. She cleaned up her desk, putting away a financing request from the charms department at her academy, and schooled her face into a polite smile.

"Enter!" She called through the door, fingers tapping irritably on her desk at the interruption.

Aaron grimaced at the Princess’ tone, but it was too late to withdraw now. Clearing his throat to wipe the discomfort from his face, he opened the door quietly, sliding in a step and offering a bow.

“My apologies for disturbing you, Your Highness,” he said, though he still closed the door behind him. “I would have given notice, but there have been some… developments I thought you'd want to be alerted of immediately.”

The tension melted out of Ryner immediately and her smile softened into something far more genuine. She stood up and made her way across the room to him. "Oh please, don't apologize. I thought you were someone else, that's all." She rested her hands on his shoulders, taking a moment to cast a critical eye over his appearance. "I'm glad to see this break is getting you some well deserved rest. But is everything alright? Are you alright?"

Aaron offered the Princess a thin smile, but it was clear his heart wasn't in it. Looking down at his cuff, he fiddled with it as he spoke. “I suppose; as alright as could be expected, anyway.” He looked back up, expression more serious. “I've had another dream.”

"Another…? Oh dear." Ryner sighed but she gestured for him to sit across from her as she returned to her seat. She took a moment to pull out paper and a pen. "Tell me about your dream and let's see if this one will give us a clue as to why you're getting them."

Aaron sat where Ryner indicated, taking a moment to collect his thoughts before launching into as detailed a summary of his dream as he could manage after only one repetition. He told her every detail he could recall about the voices on the wind and the overheard conversation between Yvaine and the puppet man, now given the name Cydril, focusing more on that exchange than the now-familiar lamentations of Ellmare. When at last he finished, he sat back in his chair, rubbing his temple.

“So we have a name for another major player, that’s good. And some sister in play, and confirmation that Ellmare is actively being pursued. Maybe for having escaped her confinement?” He looked up to Ryner with weary eyes, the toll all this confusion was taking on him plainly evident. “This Cydril is definitely the man she mentioned before that would play with her, but it’s strange… his voice sounds vaguely familiar, but I don’t really recall hearing him speak in any of her recollections before.”

Aaron looked puzzled for a moment, twisting a lock of hair between his fingers, before he sighed, rubbing his eyes. “I don’t know, maybe I’m just forgetting. I’d be lying if I said all these dreams and whispers weren’t starting to run together.”

Ryner was staring at her notes, frowning as she considered the new information. “It seems there’s a break in the ranks, hm? Something’s going on that Yvaine is willing to kill over and clearly it has to do with this little girl sending out her experiences.” Ryner chewed at her lip as her fingers tapped. She looked up but she seemed elsewhere as she seemed to look out beyond the confines of this room, lost in thought. It took her awhile to come back but she registered Aaron’s exhaustion and cooed sympathetically.

“I’m sorry this is happening on top of everything else that’s going on in your life. I have some colleagues looking into the matter but so far we haven’t found out why you’re having these or how to stop them.” She informed him with a reassuring smile. “I’m hoping that the techniques you pick up in the mental classes may stop these but the lack of precedence leaves me as unsure about that as anything else in this situation. Though, I do wonder about your feelings of familiarity with Cydril’s voice. I wonder if your mind is accepting these memories as your own as opposed to recognizing them as outside transmissions. You can’t think of where you may have heard it at all? Maybe even something remotely similar?”

Aaron’s brow furrowed as he combed back through the conversation in the dream, racking his brain to pinpoint what exactly felt so strangely familiar. But remembering a voice he’d never truly heard was as difficult as remembering a face in a dream; every time he thought he had it, it escaped him, like grasping at smoke. The harder he tried, the more difficult it was to determine whether the voice in his head was a dream, a memory, or an outright fabrication.

Finally he had to give up, plopping his cheekbone on his fist. “It’s like it’s on the tip of my tongue,” he explained. “The closest thing I can think of is that it sounds a little like Master’s voice, but… I don’t know, deeper maybe? But that doesn’t feel right, either.” He sighed, his frustration evident as he clawed at the arm of the chair with his free hand.

“Whatever it is, it’s nagging at me,” he continued. “Almost like deja vu. Do you think that might be what’s happening?” Aaron flicked his eyes back up to the Princess, latching on to her comment that he might be adopting Ellmare’s memories as his own. He sat up a bit straighter. “I mean, I think I can easily separate Ellmare’s memories from my own, but what if the edges are blurring? Should I be worried?”

His leg started bouncing, the mage more awake now as he seemed to search the wall to his right for answers. “I remember Mr. Deshane saying something similar about affinity loss through mental magic. The way he said it, it sounded like your affinity is a culmination of your experiences, and mental magic can make you lose track of which experiences belong to you or someone else. Is that what’s happening to me with these dreams?” He was growing distressed, the notion not having occurred to him before. “Not affinity loss necessarily, but… I don’t know. I don’t like this.”

“I don’t think you’re in any danger of that. Mages who stop being able to tell the difference between their own lives and others usually speak about the others as if they were their own.” Ryner reassured him, giving him a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry I alarmed you; I was only thinking out loud. You’re heading into the mental program to help defend yourself from possible situations for the time being; perhaps the tools you learn in the program will work to keep whatever this is away from you.” She leaned back and stared at Aaron unblinkingly, deep in thought.

“You say it sounds like Varis but not Varis… I wonder if your mind is unconsciously filtering it to help you make sense of it. Which would mean…” She trailed off as she considered, fiddling with the pen, and then turned her attention fully to Aaron. “How would you feel about meeting the Dean of the mental program when you return to school? He may have some more insight into how these visions come about. We’ll have to be careful with what we reveal but if we play our cards right, we could learn something about this situation that’ll help us stop them.”

Aaron nodded as Ryner spoke, marginally comforted by her explanation. It wouldn't surprise him if his mind was constructing similarities where there were none; he had no way of knowing if these things worked the same, but he imagined it was like searching for something and imagining having put it in every possible place.

His head snapped up at the mention of the Dean of the mental program, and he nodded. “Absolutely,” he answered instantly, “I’ll do just about whatever you think might put an end to this.”

"Excellent! I will warn you, Vizar has a… mild hyperfixation on the Starag family line so I apologize if he comes off as a bit too enthusiastic with you." Ryner warned him. "But I will take care of the details. As for now, thank you for bringing me this so quickly. Why don't you capitalize on this opportunity and enjoy some extra sleep, Aaron? You don't have to worry about anything and I know that is a rare thing these nights for you."

Aaron couldn't help but laugh at that; what did a “hyperfixation” on his family line even mean? Was he going to start pulling hairs out of his head for genetic examination? It was funny to think about for sure, Aaron wouldn't have expected a mage to take special interest in any family line unless they were a geneticist or something.

At the Princess' suggestion, he was hesitant at first, but slowly nodded. The idea that he “didn't have to worry about anything” was foreign to him, but he supposed she was right; he couldn't do anything for Varis from here except keep track of current events, he had no Academy assignments coming up, and there wasn't any work for him to do here. He wasn't sure if that last part was a relief or a burden, but either way, he'd be an idiot to give up a few extra hours of rest.

“That's probably wise, Your Highness,” he finally agreed, standing from his chair. His fatigue was even more apparent now that he was a little more relaxed, but he still offered a bow. “Thank you for your time.”

Rybee stood with him, coming around the desk to give Aaron a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "You know you never have to thank me for it; I'll always have time for you, Aaron. Sleep well."

She watched Aaron leave and waited until she couldn't hear his footsteps any longer before she let her lip curl into the sneer she'd been keeping at bay since he told her. Whoever was behind this was going to pay dearly once she got her hands around their neck.

♪ As we sat on the front porch of that old grey house where I was born and raised
Staring at the dusty fields where my daddy worked hard every day
I think it kinda hurt him when I said, "Daddy, there's a lot that I don't know.
But don't you ever dream about a life
Where corn don't grow?" ♪

The newspaper in Aaron’s lap crinkled quietly as he tapped his foot to the music, cheek resting on his fist as a country guitar picked in his ear. His taste in music was a bit of a mystery to his peers at the castle, but what never failed to impress him was the sheer detail of the imagery these writers could cram into just a few sentences; one verse in and he could already picture a small house with faded vinyl siding and a porch bathed in the auburn light of a melancholy summer sunset, sinking under an endless stretch of rolling fields. He’d always been envious of that detail; Aaron could hardly express a single sentiment without tripping over himself, whereas a country writer could turn two verses into a vivid memory from a life he’d never lived.

He shifted upright in his seat, rubbing his eyes as he realized he’d been reading the same out-of-focus sentence for the past few minutes. Goodness, he must have been dozing off, he didn’t even remember the last few songs in his playlist. Ha, wasn’t that something that would never happen at school; the only place he ever felt calm enough to doze off there was the infirmary, in what few precious spare minutes he could get away from his duties and the trials that plagued him after he went to bed. It was still a little weird to think he nearly fell asleep in the Starag sitting room at the castle, but with no duties metered out for him anymore and no Varis to catch him slacking off, maybe it was okay to take a break. It was apparently a slow news day anyway, with the front page story in this particular paper being something about some green energy company preparing for new business deals. Probably good to keep track of, sure, but with nothing else to do for two weeks but read the paper, there was probably some time in the night to follow Ryner’s advice and catch up on his sleep. With a new nightmare and a lingering lack of sleep dating back about a month, moon only knew he probably needed it.

Mind made up, Aaron set his paper aside, took his earbuds out and stood up to stretch, only to jump when the TV on the wall flashed to life. He squinted suspiciously at it—they really only had it for shame’s sake, no one even remembered where the remote had gone off to—as a “Breaking News” splash sequence played, before cutting to muted aerial footage of a smoking car wreck in the forest. Aaron took a step to turn it off, but stopped in his tracks when the words “SUSPECTED ASSASSINATION NEAR ASTORIO TERRITORY” rolled across the chyron on the bottom.

A stone grew in his stomach as he watched—something felt off. “Assassinations” on Astorios weren’t emergency broadcast material; that family would fight to the death over a parking space. Feeling around the edges of the screen, he eventually found the volume buttons, clicking blindly until he could hear what was being said.



Count… Sinnenodel?



What?

The feed switched to a panel of hastily-assembled analysts, already chattering theories of what might have happened and the consequences of the Red Hand pursuing such a high profile target, but Aaron was deaf to it. He was rooted in place, staring blindly at the screen, until a faint shrieking noise garnered his attention.

The sound drew nearer like a speeding car, resembling a woman’s scream in pitch until it finally reached a piercing climax at the sitting room door; there materialized a very flustered-looking Clara, almost losing her balance as she came to a sudden halt.

“Aaron, did you—”

Before she could finish, she was cut off by a thump and the sound of clinking glass as a wide-eyed and pallid Dora materialized a little too close to a side table, shaking one of the antique lamps. “Clara, did he see?”

“What do you think I was just asking him?”

“Oh come off it, it’s not a race.”

“Well pardon me for rushing to check on him!”

“What do you think I’m doing here?!”

“Sun and stars, must the two of you be so dramatic?” Aaron’s mother’s voice was comparatively calm from the doorway, where she’d simply walked in cradling a cup of tea. She leaned against the door frame, looking exasperated. “Honestly, it isn’t that far a walk.”

“I was all the way over in the west wing!” Clara argued.

“And I was upstairs!” Dora added.

“Guys!” Aaron snapped, finally shaken from his daze by his relatives’ bickering. He leveled them each with a sharp look, but any trace of anger quickly evaporated to a much more familiar expression of worry. As if to pester him further, his phone chose that moment to buzz, and a short message from Max rolled across the preview screen on his smart watch.

> LOL

Aaron let out a slow breath; it was a good thing the message displayed on his watch, because if he had his phone in hand at that moment he very well might have thrown it through the window. Fortunately for Max, though, the message reminded Aaron to move, whipping out his phone not to toss it, but to call Malek.

When the line opened, Aaron didn’t bother waiting for a greeting before he started talking. “Mr. Abadi, are you seeing this? Is this true?! This can’t be true.” His mouth moved faster than his brain, the words practically falling out of him. “Do you have more information on the Count? What’s going on? Why wasn’t I contacted before the press got a hold of this?!”

There was a pause on the line, as if to wait and see if another verbal outburst were to follow, before Malek’s voice rumbled back with an answer.

“Everything is under control.”

Aaron opened his mouth to demand more information, but the line went dead before he got the chance.

His family had congregated behind one of the couches, looking on in muted concern as Aaron tried three more times to reach Malek, to no avail. He moved without realizing it, pacing a few laps around the rug before making a break for the door.

Clara intercepted him, blocking his path. “Slow down, darling. Let's not be rash.”

Aaron didn't hear her. All he heard were Malek’s words echoing in his head, like a cruel, mocking prediction coming true. Your final responsibility will be to protect the Count as the final line of defense.

And after this conversation, I have no confidence in your abilities.

Aaron tried twice to sidestep his aunt, only for the other two to close in on him. “I have to go,” he growled, malice borne of desperation leaching into his tone.

Dora was clearly shocked at his tone, but his mother didn't seem perturbed, placing a hand on his arm. “Go where, honey?”

“I— somewhere!” Aaron shouted, wrenching free of Ella’s grasp and stumbling a step backward. “I have to go… figure out what’s going on! See if I can help! They’ll probably have questions—I can’t just sit here and do nothing!”

“Aaron, calm down,” Ella cooed, her soft voice a sharp contrast to her son’s shouting. “Sit down and think for a moment. You were nowhere near him when it happened. This isn’t your fault.”

It was uncanny how his mother could always find her way to the root of an issue without ever being told, but Aaron wasn’t concerned with that right now. “My master might be dead and you want me to be calm?!” he shouted back, raking his hands through his hair. “How isn’t this my fault!? I’m his mage, I’m supposed to protect him, and I wasn’t there to do my job because I was here, relaxing while my single biggest responsibility got blown up in the fucking woods!” His breathing was growing more ragged by the second, and he had to sit down, rocking with his elbows on his knees. “Sun and fucking stars, Mom, I might as well have killed him myself!”

As Clara and Dora looked on in shock, Ella leveled her son with a look of matronly patience as he had his outburst, approaching only when he’d finished to sit next to him on the couch. “We don’t know that anyone’s killed him yet, sweetheart,” she reasoned softly. “You can’t always be there. You’ll always regret it, but it’s the way things are. You’re not his only lifeline, Sunshine. If his retinue let this happen, then that’s their stone to bear.”

Aaron was lightheaded as he tried to listen, labouring to steady his breathing so as not to pass out. He wanted to believe his mother. Everything she said was sound. But with Malek’s words bouncing around his head and the sharp memories of his every failure haunting him, it was hard to reconcile the idea that he wasn’t somehow to blame.

“I can’t keep going on like this,” he finally croaked, a new subject popping to mind as he dropped his face in his hands. “I can’t. I can’t live between two worlds anymore. I can’t be Count Sinnenodel’s mage at school and come back to the Noilas at home like nothing changed.”

Ella’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t belong here, mother!” Aaron suddenly shouted, looking at Ella with burning eyes. “Good lord, Mom, don’t pretend you don’t see it! It took them minutes to replace me! I come home and I float around like some kind of transient with no job to do and nowhere to be, while my real master goes on without me! I’m useless here!”

His voice broke a bit on those last few words, and clutched at his eyes, allowing himself a moment to swallow the lump in his throat. When he spoke again, he was much quieter, nodding to himself. “If I’m to join another family, then I have to commit,” he decided. “I can’t stay here where everyone insists that I stand still. At least at my master’s estate they could find some way for me to make myself useful.”

The three sisters shared a pained look, peering at Aaron for a moment in silence. “You don’t want to come home anymore?” Dora asked timidly.

Aaron shook his head, finally thinking a little clearer. “This isn’t home anymore, Dora. I’m as much a guest here as any other.”

Dora’s eyes welled up with tears, but Ella maintained a flawless mask of motherly neutrality. “And that’s your decision?”

Aaron met her eyes, his anger starting to evaporate. But even if he said it in distress, he couldn’t deny the truth behind what he said; coming home felt like pretending, a brief escape from the harsh reality that the Noilas had no further use for him, but the truth always burned in the back of his mind nonetheless. But even still, he couldn’t decide tonight that he’d never come home again. “I don’t know, I just… I feel like if there’s anywhere I should belong, it’s in my master’s home, and this isn’t it anymore.”

He let out a long breath, only to double over once more in a harsh realization of the situation. “Moon above, if there’s even anything left of him.”

Ella considered her son with sad eyes, but if she had objections, she didn’t voice them. “If that’s what you think is best, I won’t stop you.” She placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to meet his eye. “You do what you feel you need to do, Sunshine.”

Aaron’s head snapped up at that, and though his heart wanted to break at the sight of his mother, he had more important things to deal with. “Thank you, Mom,” he told her, kissing her cheek before he jumped to his feet and took off in search of something to contribute to Varis’ situation.

He was far away by the time Ella started sobbing.

The faint buzz of her phone and the soft light of her lock screen proudly displaying whatever notification roused her from the doze she’d just slipped into. She’d just been zoning out and she felt herself grow calmer, heavier, and her eyelids had just shut when her phone yanked her out of it and she blinked against the light. She debated ignoring it but she was up and she didn’t really have a reason to so she flailed in her phone’s general direction until she managed to grab it and yanked it off its charger. Too much effort to roll over. It took her eyes a few moments to adjust to the light, always keeping the brightness at full because it was easier now that she really was nocturnal.

> Hey, are you up?
> I’m sorry to bother you, but I could really use your help.

Well, that was strange. A text message from Aaron during daylight hours? A knot formed in Maddie’s stomach. It must be serious if he felt it couldn’t wait. She should let Ari know but she’d taken to bed a while ago already and she wasn’t sure how the Countess would feel about being distrubed so early in the day. She struggled out of the cocoon of covers and sat up, swinging her feet off the bed before responding.

> Yeah, sure.
> What’s up?

There was a long moment of what looked like indecisive typing before the next message finally sent.

> Can you meet me on the edge of the woods behind the dorms?

Warning bells rang loud and clear in Maddie’s head. Edge of the woods, huh? This had Do Not Get Involved written all over it and Maddie was so tempted to listen. Getting a vague request for help during the day, weird. Getting asked to go into the woods where the vampires wouldn’t be able to tell what they were doing? Shady as fuck. Maddie groaned, already knowing she’d lost this debate as soon as he asked for help because Aaron was not the help needing kind of guy but it didn’t mean she had to like it. This sounded complicated and she really didn’t like complicated.

> Yeah, give me ten. Gotta get dressed.

Maddie threw on the first things she found, jeans and a shirt and a jacket because winter sucked, toed on her boots, grabbed her focus and keys, and slipped out back as quietly as possible. Maddie scanned the treeline and found Aaron at the edge. If she didn’t know better, she’d say he was skulking around out there. She sighed, shoving her hands in her pocket like him because it was fucking cold, and trudged out across the frozen grounds to meet him. Hopefully, today wouldn’t get any weirder.

Aaron wasn’t too comfortable with the situation either, looking around nervously for a campus patrol or weird daytime walker or anyone else who might see him out when he wasn’t supposed to be. He hadn’t really thought this through, but at least Maddie agreed to come, so it probably wasn’t the end of the world. Still, he didn’t want to stay out in the open—literally in broad daylight—any longer than he needed to, so when he saw Maddie emerge from around the dorms, he quirked his head for her to follow.

He brought the two of them into the shade of a large spruce a little bit behind the treeline, close enough to see the dorms but deep enough that anyone looking from the paths probably wouldn’t notice them. Giving Maddie a grateful, if a little pained, look, he cut right to the chase, glancing around one more time before pulling his hands from his pockets, holding them out with palms down for Maddie to see.

In sharp contrast to Aaron’s usual, put-together style, his hands were a mess: blood, both dried and fresh, was smeared all over them, still seeping slowly from nasty gouges over each of his first three knuckle joints. The skin was torn and ragged, and upon closer examination, little bits of stained tree bark could be seen stuck inside the wounds.

“Thank you for coming on such short notice,” Aaron said quietly, opting not to linger on the obvious. His hands looked painful, but he seemed more bothered by his request than his injuries. “Do you think there’s anything you can do?”

Maddie didn’t say anything as Aaron led her a little further into the trees. Apparently she didn’t know better; this was definitely skulking shit. She hadn’t thought Aaron capable of it honestly. She looked over her shoulder, making sure no one was watching as the pair stepped out of sight, because they really didn’t need anyone spreading any weird stuff about the two of them considering some of the things she heard that already spread about Aaron.

Aaron was on edge as he spared her a pained smile and revealed his hands. Maddie gasped quietly and gently too one, ignoring the bite of the morning chill. They were a mess. Gross and dirty and bloody and Maddie realized why he came to her. He’d mentioned how his outlets were all physical on their Titan viewing night and Count Sinnenodel must have taken them all from him and so he turned to punching trees where no one would see. Her heart broke a little.

“Fuck, Aaron.” She muttered, not even bothering to keep up the nice pretense she had while in view of the vampires. She pulled out her knife and held the tip above the wounds. She felt the familiar rush as the green mist floated down the edge of the blade and drifted over the wounds. Life magic for her was a thrill; the same feeling she got when she rode a rollercoaster with a long drop or when a Titan match went down to the last second and you jumped up as the timer buzzed, screaming and yelling. It felt like she was experiencing every positive emotion at once and all heightened to the extreme; overwhelming joy, happiness, exuberance, and it was all she could do not to smile. She’d been told that was poor bedside manner.

Usually, the wounds would start knitting themselves together as her magic settled in but she felt something heavy against her magic. It wasn’t much more than usual but it felt like she was moving in standing water rather than an empty field. She wasn’t sure what that feeling was but she poured more magic into it and watched as the wounds closed, the bits of wood stuck to the newly healed skin. She repeated the process on the other hand and when she was finally done, slid the knife back into its sheath.

She tucked her hands back into her pockets and let out a long sigh. “I don’t know what to say here, Aaron. I can’t say anything about this you don’t already know.”

Aaron visibly relaxed as Maddie’s magic set in, some of his tension melting away as the familiar warmth of life magic flowed over him. If the procedure took any longer than normal, he didn't notice; it was kinda bad, he'd admit, but he was paying more attention to that little shot of vitality than how long it lasted.

He sighed as Maddie finished, flexing his newly-healed fingers and peeling off bits of tree bark stuck to his skin. “Thank you,” he said, momentarily ignoring Maddie’s disapproval.

Crouching down, he scooped up a handful of snow and rubbed his knuckles with it, scrubbing the blood off his hands as best he could before it started itching. “I won't make a habit of this, I promise,” he assured her, kicking some fresh snow over the pink stain at his feet. “I would appreciate it if you could keep this under your hat, though.”

As the rush of life magic wore off, a bit of worry started creeping back in, Aaron remembering how this must have looked. “Don't get the wrong idea, I'm not a violent person,” he insisted, “I just couldn't sleep and the arena is closed during the day and--well, you know.” He stopped himself from saying anything further, knowing that every extra detail he gave was just another loose thread to be tied up. He liked Maddie, and respected her, but the two of them were more alike than was convenient; especially with her mistress, he couldn't expect her to actively protect him if someone started prying. It wasn't like some big huge scandal—he just didn't need any extra scorn from Varis right now and the infirmary would have put the injury in his records—but among nobles, the gravity of the incident mattered little. Their arrangement for his stress management sessions was strained enough with the Countess without meeting behind their vampires’ backs.

“Thank you,” he repeated, giving Maddie a grateful look. “Sorry for getting you out of bed. And good job, by the way.” He held one hand up to show Maddie, the skin as good as new, if a little stained. “I'm impressed; the best I can do is some shoddy little illusions.”

She appreciated his restraint. They had a mutual understanding; they kept their vampires’ business out of their conversations, regardless of the situation. He was loyal to a fault and she wasn’t willing to cross the person in charge of the rest of her life no matter how kind they were. She nodded when he asked her to keep it quiet; she wasn’t about to go blab to the rest of the mages. That would only make everything more complicated and that, at least, was something she could control.

“Well then you’re lightyears ahead of me; I can’t make any illusions.” She joked. “And you’re welcome. I’m just glad you stopped when you did. Any more damage and I’d have had to turn you away. I’m only going to ask one question and then that’ll be that. Do you feel better?”

Aaron chuckled along with Maddie, nodding at her admittedly logical warning. Of course, she had a way of getting to the heart of things while staying on the surface; her question was expertly crafted, and it was easy to tell she'd grown up under Sinnenodel influence. She wasn't talking about his hands, she was talking about the underlying issue she didn't want to know about in the first place. It was touching, in a way.

“I do, thank you,” Aaron answered honestly; even now, a bit of much-welcomed fatigue crept into his voice. He tilted his head toward the dorms. “I owe you one.”

"I only helped my friend out. You don't owe me anything." Maddie waved it off. She pulled her coat a little tighter around herself. "I think I'm ready to head back inside. Get some sleep Aaron. Sweet dreams." She waved, offered him one last smile, and hurried on her way, thoughts now only of a warm bed and sleep.

Crash! Bang! Clang!

Maddie groaned into her pillow before peering irritably at her phone. 7:12pm. Who the fuck on this campus had the balls to make this kind of ruckus in the noble area of the dorms? The guaranteed silence was the greatest perk of living there and now some dumbass woke her up before the sun was away. Hopefully, they would also wake up Count Sinnenodel because the sooner this jackass’ hide was flayed, the fucking better. Ugh, but it was still daylight so even if they did, the snake couldn’t come out to do it. She buried herself deeper into her duvet and slammed the pillow over her head.

The noise stopped after that, a guard or something probably shooing off whoever was attempting to sabotage the nobles’ sleep schedule, and she dozed off again. She’d never have gotten this kind of sleep at home with her siblings and her parents and her uncles and aunts and cousins and grandparents. It was always a noisey mess. Maybe that’s why she took to the Academy so fast. It was quiet and no one there to break down the door when she over―

“How long are you going to sleep, you lazy daughter?” The door slammed open and Maria Vasquez came storming in, yanking back the covers and prying Maddie’s pillow out of her hands. Maddie scrambled to get them back, confused, but just sighed as she slumped down onto her bed again. “I know you’re about to wake up anyways. The whole family is here and we made all your favorites.” Her mother continued, pushing aside the blackout curtains. Those hadn’t been in her room before and Maddie was grateful they’d given her some. Her mom turned and looked at Maddie, smiling.

“I’m just so happy to have you home.” Maria sighed, pressing a kiss to her daughter’s forehead. “It’s like my heart is whole again. Now, come downstairs and help me set the table.” Her mother swept out of the room just as quickly as she’d entered. Trust her mom to tell her she missed her and then start assigning chores all in one breath. Maddie laughed and pushed herself up.

Her room changed since she’d left for the Royal Academy. Before her sister shared the room with her but now Adrina’s side sat empty. She could see where poster a and pictures had hung for years, the sections just a bit lighter than the rest of the wall, and while they had discussed the change while she was here last, it didn’t change the fact it was weird. It made sense of course and she appreciated the privacy and personal space but eighteen years of shared room experience screamed at how different this was.

Maddie rolled out of bed and stretched, meandering around and shrugging herself into the first things she found. A pair of jeans and an old faded out t-shirt, perfect. Her mom could gripe at her all she wanted but Maddie was tired and it was just the family. Usually now, she’d secure her focus but she wasn’t going to class, she wasn’t practicing, and she wasn’t around Ari if she needed her magic for some reason or another. Should she bother? The other mages in the family did but they had normal foci; just wands they’d grown attached to. Hers was a knife and her family sometimes forgot the difference between everyone’s stuff, especially the little ones. She didn’t want one of them trying to grab it and play with it but at the same time, leaving the key to her magic laying around, out of arm’s reach, made her feel uneasy. She had magic now and the idea of not being able to call on it when she needed to was unsettling beyond belief. It was hard to imagine she’d lived an entire life without it.

She strapped the knife in place on her side. Maybe she’d get something that she could hide it in; Amaris might have someone at her home that she could talk to about it because now that she thought about it, carrying a chef’s knife around on her hip was kind of weird. Great, now she felt self conscious. She shoved her phone in her pocket and left those thoughts stewing in the room while she headed out. Her room was the last one upstairs, directly across from her mom’s crafts room and next to her oldest sister’s room. Well, her second oldest since the other one moved when she got married. That’s probably where Andrina stayed now. Family photos still lined the walls, in between the garish wall decorations her parents loved, and she ran her hand along the worn railing of the stairs as she went down.

Maddie couldn’t help but stifle the giggle at the discolored carpet on the fifth stair, when her and her sister decided running with paint was a great idea. Or at the slight bend in the banister where she’d gotten her knee stuck between the railings and her abuelo used butter after she’d nearly dislocated it trying to struggle out. She didn’t know how she’d survived her childhood without more injuries but they really did get into a lot of shenanigans.

“Aunty Maddie!” A screaming child slammed into her as she stepped off the stairs, nearly knocking her back onto them as they wrapped their arms and legs around her. Her nephew beamed up at her and she laughed as she picked him up, situating him on her other hip. Natallie, her eldest sister, followed behind him, wrapping them both in a hug and giving her a peck on the cheek.

“He’s been talking nonstop about how excited he is to see his favorite aunt again.” Natalie laughed, gently taking him from her. “Aunt Maddie’s tired, Alex. Don’t go bothering her so quickly!”

“He isn’t a problem, Nat. He is so big now though. I can’t believe he’s only six.” Maddie gave her sister a look that Nat clearly ignored and continued talking. Something about how Josue’s promotion and how they purchased a house. But Maddie was just so confused why Nat took Alex from her. Nat had dumped him on her at every opportunity for two years but Maddie was fine with that. She loved playing with her nephew, even if he was an energetic little monster, but before she had a chance to say anything, Nat was off to talk with Uncle Hector, taking Alex with her.

Maddie shrugged it off as one of those maternal instinct things magazines were always spouting. Getting her own space, wanting family time and all that. She caught a flash of red and black in the living room and followed it out to the back patio. Andrina dropped into a patio chair, clearly still stuck in the goth phase mom hated if the black and red band t-shirt was anything to go by, and picked up a can of beer out of the several scattered across the table. Their Aunt Veronica was across from Andrina and waved as Maddie stepped out into the night air.

“I see the princess finally decided to wake up.” Andrina giggled, waving Maddie to sit down. Veronica swatted at Andrina’s shoulder despite her own laughter. “Come on, pull up a chair, grab a beer, we won’t tell!”

“No, I’d rather not.” Maddie snorted as she sat in a chair, kicking the one next to her out and propping her feet up on it. “What’s going on?”

“Andrina was just telling me about your pa--”

“So sis, sister, Maddie, Mads!” Andrina interrupted loudly, slapping her hands on the table. “How’ve you been and all that? It’s been great here, with my own room and everything! Only took Nat gettin’ preggers and hitched but hey, improvements all around!” Maddie stared at her sister. What the fuck was that? She exchanged a confused look with Veronica and decided it wasn't worth it. She must be drunker than Maddie thought.

“Uh, yeah. I mean, I’m glad I don’t have to see your shitty posters anymore. As much as I love seeing bone thin, half naked guys screaming into a mic with more eyeliner than I’ve ever owned on, I’ll pass. I have better taste.” Maddie said dryly above Andrina’s outraged shrieking. Why had she missed this again. “What have you been up to? Finally dump that jackass or are you still on and off again?”

“We’re taking a break.” Adrina shrugged. “Whatever, he’ll come crawling back again soon enough. It’s all good.”

“And what about you? Any special someone in your life?” Veronica asked as she took a swig. “Remember, you can get with someone with lots of money now.”

“No, no one like that.” Maddie laughed. She had so many other things to deal with right now, romance was at the bottom of the list. “And besides, the Countess is technically supposed to take care of most of my financial needs. She’s been understanding so far; I doubt I’ll get into a situation where I’m leaning on a significant other desperately.”

“You never know. Those vampires are sneaky creatures. We’ve all heard the horror stories.” Veronica shrugged and Maddie frowned. Marivaldi aside, Ari had been nothing but kind and understanding this whole time. She was a stark contrast to their neighbor, the literally the heir of the snakes himself, and she was warning her against Ari? Maddie was going to reply but Andrina stood suddenly, knocking the chair back (Maddie found the source of the noises earlier apparently, drunk ass bitch).

“Oh look, we probably need to help mom set the table! Let’s go!” Andrina gave a fake laugh and grabbed Maddie before pulling her inside away from Veronica. Maddie yanked her arm away from her sister as soon as they got inside and gaped at Andrina.

“What the fuck?” was all she got out, gesturing to the entirety of outside.

“Look, we all know how your kind gets about your vamps.” Andrina whispered, eyeing Alex playing on the other side of the room. He’d stopped, his Lord Pieron action figure frozen in midswing, and turned a curious look to the sisters. “And that’s fine. It’s totally fine, we get it. You serve them, you are loyal to them, but your kind can get a little… defensive about it. I’m just trying to keep you from getting upset about it, that’s all.”

Maddie stared at her sister. Defensive? Sure, she was going to dispute her Aunt’s concerns but she wouldn’t have gotten upset about it. First Nat and now Andrina acting weird as shit. Maddie didn’t even know how to respond to that but the opportunity was taken away when she felt a tug at her focus. Her hand snatched around the offender and she looked down to see Alex with his hand wrapped around the hilt, his wrist in her grip. She laughed at the guilty look.

“Why do you have a knife? Mommy says you can't carry knives.” He pointed out. But before Maddie could respond, Andrina had him in her arms.

“You can’t touch that, Alex! Never touch your Aunt’s knife, understood?” Andrina snapped at him. “Now go find, mommy okay? Dinner is probably going to be done soon so Aunt Maddie and I are going to go help grandma okay?” Alex nodded and rushed off, excited to finally eat. Andrina didn’t meet Maddie’s gaze as she too hurried off, bounding up the stairs instead of into the kitchen.

Maddie was just so confused so instead of dealing with that mess, she made her way to the kitchen. She took a deep breath and let out a pleased hum. The intoxicating aroma of her mother’s carne asada enveloped her and she never wanted to leave this kitchen again. It was an easy recipe but it was just so good, she couldn’t help but love it. Her mother really did mean all her favorites because this was literally in every single one of them.

“My love! Come here!” Her father bellowed, wrapping her in a hug and lifting. She smacked his back repeatedly as he crushed the air of her and when he put her down, she took a deep breath as he laughed. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here to meet you when you came home but business at the restaurants has been good and I couldn’t get away but you are a sight for sore eyes! I have missed you every day!”

“I missed you too. I’m glad the restaurants are doing well! I was afraid you’d tank without my free labor when I left.” Maddie joked as she grabbed the silverware. She ducked her dad’s half hearted attempt to swat her and she headed into the dining room and started setting the table.

The issue didn’t occur to her until she finished setting the table actually. Her mom said the whole family was here and while they did splurge on a large dining room table because of how often they had company, it wasn’t enough for everyone. Normally if it was everyone, they’d just lay everything out buffet style and people could grab what they wanted and wander the house but this meant there were at most twelve of them and four of them were the people who lived here. Nat, Alex, and Josue made seven and Uncle Hector and Veronica made nine. There were way more than that.

They were probably just coming after dinner, just in time for desert. Maddie shook her head. Typical of them, dip in for the good stuff and dip out just as fast. Her contemplations were cut short as her mom yelled through the house that dinner was ready. She shrugged and headed into the kitchen to help bring out food.

They settled down and conversation flowed, spanish and english in equal measure, and Maddie relaxed, the earlier tension at her observations easing away. It was nice being somewhere that she didn’t have to consider how her actions would affect another; she could just relax. Dinner was amazing and she almost cried as she shoved all the familiar foods in her face as fast as she could, choking at one point and drawing a laugh out of everyone at the table. Not that she cared, as she laughed along with them, and everything was okay.

Until Maddie was seeing her uncle and aunt and sister off for the night and Andrina was passed out on the living room couch. She settled in to clean up after dinner with her parents, her dad joining them after she finally got Andrina upstairs. He returned grumbling to Maddie’s laughter and got put on dish drying duty. Late night music played, a mix of slow dance songs and easy listening music, and Maddie felt the concerns of the night collapse over her. She shouldn’t ask; she could already tell she wouldn’t like the answer but she needed to know why everyone was so weird.

“It was nice seeing everyone again. Nat is doing great and Alex is so big. Andrina is ‘drina. Glad to know that hasn’t changed.” Maddie stared, focusing on the plate she was cleaning. Behind her, her parents shared a tense look. “But it was weird. Nat took Alex from me really quick and Andrina thought I was going to get into a fight over my vampire and she yelled at Alex for touching my focus. And then it was basically only the immediate family and Uncle Hector and Aunt Veronica? Why didn’t anyone else show up?”

There were a few beats of silence as they continued working. Her dad sighed and put down the glasses he’d been putting away. The radio was deafening.

“My love, you know how the family is. It’ll just take a little bit for them to adjust.” He spoke softly. “You’re involved with some pretty powerful vampires now and you can do incredible things, Maddie, that they just don’t understand. They’re just a little spooked. They just have to remember that beyond all that, you’re still their family. They’ll come around.”

Maddie felt numb as her dad explained why her family avoided coming to see her. All the aunts and uncles that she’d shared birthdays and holidays with, that had been there for her her whole life, scared of her? Her own sisters all acting like she’d suddenly changed into some new person, ready to defend her vampire at the drop of a hat or freak out at her nephew, the nephew she helped raise and love, because he did something silly? Maddie scrubbed the plate a little harder than necessary, swallowing back the frustration and the hurt at the thoughts. Her parents put down what they were doing, wrapping her in an embrace, and she forced herself to relax into it.

It felt like she was losing her home.

Squinting down at the needle, Lilie put her whole focus into trying to thread it, letting out a small wail of frustration as she failed for the fifth time. Letting out a sigh, she looked down at the lace detached from the sleeve of a shirt she was wearing five minutes ago. Her habit of fiddling with sleeves finally came back to bite her, resulting in the lace getting pulled off. In her defense, she assumed that something so fancy would be more durable, but it turns out it was just as delicate as anything else she wore.

Truthfully she didn’t really have any reason to be nervous, but she couldn’t help it. Ben would be coming back from his appointment with the princess any minute now, and he had promised he would talk to her about her desire to take longer classes. While Protection wasn’t really her first choice, after finding out Aaron would be taking some of it she really couldn’t help herself. They wouldn’t be in the same class, but it was definitely an excuse to study together if he ever had the time. Maybe he could tutor her!

Of course, when she found out her schedule would only work with ‘permission’, she had to ask Ben. Which resulted in an argument. She wasn’t proud of it, but there was no way she could go along with Ben’s suggestion. Why would she take showmageship when there was magic to be learned? Okay, yeah, the argument was her fault, but he promised he would leave the decision in the princess’ hands, and she had no reason to think the princess would decline.

The sound of the dorm room door opening caused Lilie to practically toss aside the shirt and needle onto the dining room table, rushing over to meet Ben at the entrance. “Welcome back!” She greeted him, practically bouncing in place as she looked at him eagerly. “What did she say?”

Not even a step in and Lilie was already there to greet him; the thought made Ben chuckle, reminding him of one of his pups coming to greet him in the evening. He would, of course, be acutely aware that this would last. In the end, Princess Ryner met with his concerns and agreed that Lilie’s request would be denied. While she was willing to shoulder the blame, he felt the over enthusiastic mage was at minimum due an explanation.

“Unfortunately, Princess Ryner denied your request,” Ben said. “I am sorry, but she felt it best to stave off for a semester or so.”

Lilie visibly deflated at the news, frowning. He didn’t have to lie and say he was sorry, she knew he didn’t want her to do it so that she’d take that stupid class instead. She wasn’t really satisfied with it, trying to wrap her head around it. “But...did she say why specifically?” She asked him.

Ben chose to walk to the study with Lilie in tow. The girl was predictable but he was aware he wouldn’t shake her off easily. In truth he was relieved Her Highness was on his side; her ambition was admirable and shouldn’t be stifled, but she had yet to understand her limits. It was common in young mages, of course, and he had dealt with it with Noah already.

“Her Highness expressed concern that you may be overzealous with your new abilities,” Ben said. “Magic is like training a muscle that you didn’t know you have. As such, you cannot overexert it without endangering your health. It’s also important to me that you go at a pace best suited for you.”

‘Best suited for her’? What was that supposed to mean? Lilie was super confused, trying to wrap her head around what he said, but it really sounded like he was saying he--they, apparently!--didn’t think she could handle it. Did he not see her grades? She studied her butt off for magic! She practiced every single day! Why did they think she couldn’t handle it?

“If I couldn’t handle it I wouldn’t have such good grades in my affinity classes,” Lilie couldn’t help but point out. “I can handle it. I like magic, I give it my all every time, so I don’t know why the princess would think that.”

“I understand your disappointment but Her Highness’ word is law,” Ben said. “Truthfully I think it’s for the better.”

Lilie stared at Ben for a second, his words suddenly hitting her. “You...you said something, didn’t you?” She asked, peering up at the vampire. “You wanted me to take that dumb show-whatever class, so you totally made me look bad, didn’t you?”

Ben would have laughed if he wasn’t acutely aware that it would further upset Lilie. What was worse was that there was, yet again, another disagreement just waiting to happen. Their relationship was like a wave in the ocean, rising repeatedly and crashing into the sand only to repeat the notion over and over again. He hadn’t expected such a fierce fighting spirit from someone who looked like she could easily be bowled over.

“I presented the facts. I am sorry it is not the outcome you expected, but the princess’ word is final,” Ben said. “I believe your frustration is misguided.”

The white haired girl narrowed her eyes at him, crossing her arms. “I don’t believe you, Ben,” She ended up admitting. “You just...it’s hard for me to believe that you wouldn’t do things so you got your way.”

At the very least she was honest. Ben could appreciate that. If only it was better timed. He wasn’t sure what he could say to convince her otherwise but now was as good a time as ever to get to the bottom of it. Finding the solution would work out better for the future as well, as this would hopefully nip any future disagreements in the bud.

“I am still unsure where this misplaced trust is coming from, but I believe we should discuss it in full,” Ben said. “Tell me, why do you think I would do such a thing?”

Shifting in place, Lilie couldn’t really verbalize what she meant. Because he didn’t trust her? It wasn’t that, though she did think that was part of it. “I just feel like...ever since the dinner, you’ve been a little weird with me. I already told you that I didn’t have anything to do with Countess Marivaldi, but I feel like...I don’t know, that we’re back at square one. That you’re not being honest with me lately, and I’m not really sure why.”

Ben was a little ashamed at that topic; he honestly wasn’t sure why it had turned into such an argument, but the countess’ insistence would cause anyone to be suspicious. Now, he knew better, but it was clear that she had driven a wedge between them. If this was her intention, then well done.

“I, too, feel that our relationship has regressed,” Ben said. “However, I also feel that you don’t also take what I have to say to heart as well. It is coincidence that Her Highness agrees with me but the concern we share comes from a good place. There will be plenty of time to practice with your affinity but very little until you enter my house. Magehood for one born among humans is an exceedingly difficult challenge and I want you ready for it.”

Lilie tried not to be annoyed, but she felt like once again Ben was missing the point of what she was trying to get at. Every time she complained to Aaron about him he always made it seem like things would be easier if she gave Ben a chance, but how was she supposed to do that when he’d get like this? Letting out a sigh, she figured she may as well sit if she was about to get lectured.

Walking back to the living room, she sat down on the lounger, crossing her ankles as she gave him a weary look. “I feel like you don’t like it when I practice,” She ended up telling him. “You always have this weird look on your face when I talk about my magic or my swordplay, like you’re not really interested. I’m actually really proud of my progress but you don’t seem to care about it at all.”

Ben supposed he should have feigned his interest some more but he was more astounded at how Lilie picked up the subtleties. Perhaps to avoid such conflicts in the future it would be best to come out with it as she was already suspect. What was it the mortals said? Better now than never? He made sure that he was seated as well before he would give her his complete attention.

“With all due respect, your magic is not a priority at this moment,” Ben said. “I’ll reiterate that you have a few short years to learn the ways of servitude and I believe your time would be better spent on abilities that will help your future. I don’t believe there is a need for magic or combat-oriented skills which was why I suggested Protection as an arcane major in the first place. I will find a place for you in my home, but it will not need any skills you can’t already learn in the safety of this dorm or a classroom.”

“What?!” Lilie blurted it out without thinking, clearly shocked. What was he talking about? The whole point of being a mage was to do magic. She hadn’t spent years on learning fencing just to never use it. What, did he really want her to prioritize which stupid fork was supposed to be used on a dish? Even through her shock, though, Lilie couldn’t accept that. No, she refused to accept it.

“I can’t just sit around doing nothing. I’m proud of everything I’ve gotten so far, and I was going to go into dueling since I can’t participate in my usual championships anymore,” She started out slowly, picking up the pace. “We agreed Evocation wasn’t the best choice, but now I’m starting to think if it was up to you, I wouldn’t be able to do anything. But why? Do you really think it’s okay for me to just--to just go to parties all dressed up just to sing a song and have everyone judge me?”

Ben had to ignore his initial response as he looked at the situation logically. He anticipated resistance of course but he needed to choose his words with the utmost caution. Dueling was entirely out of the question no doubt and she could not handle being part of his protection squad. He wasn’t entirely sure why she seemed so judgmental of her performance, however.

“You sang beautifully. Not a soul had a single negative thing to say about it,” Ben said. “I think a career as a songstress is more befitting a young lady. Why go through all the trouble of getting into brutish fights just to get hurt?”

Did she get teleported back into the 1950s?! “If you knew anything about my fencing, you’d know that I’m actually really, really good at it,” Lilie told him, shaking her head. “I’m not some songbird for you to let in and out of a cage as you like. I have my own wishes and dreams, and if you don’t like it, then...then I don’t know what to tell you.”

“If I don’t like it, then you change,” Ben said. “If you do something that I believe will bring you harm, then you don’t get to do it. That is my final word.”

“That’s not fair!” Lilie protested, standing from her seat. “You don’t even give me a chance to prove myself!”

“You can’t handle it, Lilie,” Ben said. “You have this fantasy in your head where you believe that with magic you can accomplish anything, but the truth of the matter is that magic can only get you so far. You’re only human and can only see what is in front of you now and what your desires are in the moment. You say that you want to duel but have you the slightest idea of what that entails? How intense and brutal the training is?”

“I’ve been fencing for ten years, I know what it is to train and to work hard. You act like I’m some glass flower that’s gonna shatter if anyone so much as looks at it, and you’re wrong,” Lilie snapped, feeling like she was at her boiling point.

The argument was going nowhere and Ben had to admit he did admire this passion Lilie had. Unfortunately he would not budge from his position and knew there wasn’t a way to end this peacefully. If he needed to bring down the hammer, so be it. He could work on repairing the relationship at a later time.

“Ten years and you lost your first duel on your second day,” Ben said.

Lilie’s expression fell as she stared at Ben, frozen in place. Her heart was beating in her ears, a surge of frustration and anger hitting her, but she couldn’t do anything. She didn’t even know how he found out about her first duel with Aaron, but he was right. Was she really weaker than she thought? Was everything she worked for always going to fall short? Was it always going to be like this?

Even with what he said, she couldn’t help but ask, “Do you think I’m weak?”

His comment seemed to hit home more than even he had anticipated. Gone was the flame of passion that had risen and instead only the embers remained. Perhaps it had been harsher than Ben had intended and he had to stop himself from apologizing. This was a crucial moment where he needed to assert himself and show Lilie her place; no matter how it may seem he knew it was better to snuff the defiance out now than to wait until later.

“As of this moment, I do,” Ben said. “I think that you have long since compared yourself to other humans without considering you’re in a different field now with different standards to uphold. It is better to save your energy for where I need it to be.”

The tiny sob that escaped her came out unwillingly--Lilie couldn’t even listen to anything else he said anymore. Shaking her head, Lilie left the living room and made a dash straight to her room. Closing the door behind her as she leaned back into it, she couldn’t stop herself from crying, sliding down to the floor and huddling her knees to her chest. She hated feeling so powerless, she hated being here at the academy, and she hated Ben a lot right now.

But there wasn’t anything she could do about any of it.

Scrunched over a book like a wolf over its meal, Lilie was devouring the words as her eyes glided through the words. She was probably too mad to actually be reading, but the arena had no openings and she thought that studying would calm her down. After a few seconds, she let out a whine of frustration before throwing herself on her books, pouting.

How was she supposed to get stronger if her own vampire didn’t trust her? Was she just doomed to stay at mediocrity while her friends and Max all got ahead of her? She was still in disbelief over Ben’s flimsy justification, and it didn’t help that it felt like ever since then she avoided him. As she picked herself up, she let out a huff of annoyance. If only she could talk to the princess, she was sure she would have gotten the okay. But no, instead she’s stuck with a count that was convinced he was her dad and kept holding her down and kept being overbearing and--

Resisting the urge to scream, Lilie let out a long exhale. If it wasn’t for the weather, she would have been at the beach practicing her affinity. Well, it was pretty cold out, but maybe practicing in a warm bath would be just as good. Making up her mind, she gathered her belongings into her bag, taking her coat in hand and walking towards the library’s entrance.

As she walked, however, a familiar face caught her attention. It looked like her neighbor, Countess Marivaldi, was here again. She had seen her a few times when she came to study, but she didn’t really go out of her way to approach her since she never really had any reason. Before she could continue, however, Ben’s words rang in her head. Right, he was convinced that she was lying about knowing her.

Well, now was as good a time as ever to clear the air. Taking in a deep breath for courage, Lilie strode over to the countess. “Um, Miss--Countess Marivaldi, I need to talk to you,” She said, doing her best to recover after her initial stumble. “Do you have a sec?”

Snaking her way through the rows of texts, Amaris swept her eyes lazily across the shelves before her. She wasn’t exactly sure what it was that she was looking for, only that she hadn’t found it yet. The Countess found herself in need of a break from her regular studies but she wasn’t quite ready to head back out for more training, nor was she up for locking herself away in order to practice her craft. Somewhere among the seemingly endless expanse of books was one just waiting for her to come along and whisk it away from the shelf on which it sat, Amaris just wished it would shout a little louder so she could finally grab a seat and relax.

With each pass she made, Amaris grew more and more impatient until she decided that she had finally had enough of the aimless wandering. Despite not having found anything that had called to her in particular, the Countess nicked a single item from the shelf nearest her hand and went to claim a seat for herself. She avoided the group study areas in favor of a less populated section near the library’s entrance, claiming a reading chair as her own before turning her eyes to the random selection. However, before she had a chance to figure out what it was that she had actually chosen, Amaris heard her name being spoken by a nearby voice.

Glancing back up, the Countess was surprised to find the voice belonged to none other than young Lilie. It would have been a lie to say that she had never noticed the mage frequenting the library during her own visits, but so far the pair had never really had a reason to interact with one another during the overlap. Flashing the mage a friendly smile, Amaris left the book forgotten in her lap and gestured to a neighboring seat.

"Ah, Lilie! What a pleasant surprise. What’s on your mind?"

Lilie was a little surprised by the friendliness, blinking slowly. After a few seconds, she decided to take the seat, though she didn't intend on staying for long. It was probably best to just come out with it, but where should she even start? With herself? With what Ben said?

"I think there's been some sort of misunderstanding," She decided on a starting point, making sure to look at the countess seriously. "Count Eve is under the impression that you and I are close. And that isn't true at all, but for some reason he didn't believe me after he asked me about it. He made it clear you said something to make him think we were and the last thing I want is for anyone to think I'm close to any vampire."

Amaris fought back a groan at the mention of the count's name. It was precisely the subject that had her using every resource available to her in order to distract herself. As much as she would have preferred not to have to think about the man while trying to relax, she didn't think it would be fair to turn the girl away over something so outside of her control.

She maintained her friendly expression but it was difficult to completely hide her disappointment. Not only was the Eve unable to let the issue go, but he was digging in his heels in the most bizarre way. If he were so worried about it he could have simply asked her directly, yet it seemed he had some preconceived notion about the situation he couldn't let go. As a result of what she could only describe as insecurity, the Count had resorted to pinning it to his mage instead of dealing with it properly.

"I see." Amaris began, shifting the book so that she could cross her leg over the opposite knee. "Unfortunately, it seems that a personal disagreement of ours has broken its banks. I expected better of him but he seems intent on proving me wrong wherever possible." The Countess did regret the inconvenience she had caused Lilie but she couldn't fully deny the vindication this news produced. After having made such a fuss about being the one who would know his own partner best, here she was proving that he didn't know as much as he pretended to. After all, he was refusing to believe the truth over a fiction of his own creation.

Lilie had no idea what breaking the banks meant, but she wasn't really happy with the response. She stared at the countess expectantly, waiting for a moment, though when it was clear that's all she had to say, she rubbed her temples. This was why she didn't deal with vampires, you tell them one thing and all they do is talk about themselves!

"I'll be honest, it doesn't matter to me what the disagreement was about," Lilie continued. "What does matter is you saying things that give the wrong idea. I haven't done anything to you or even gone out of my way to talk to you until now, so I don't really appreciate being thrown in the middle of whatever you and Ben--Count Eve have going on."

The countess was a bit surprised by how tense the mage came across. Was it disappointment that sparked her response? Aggravation perhaps? Whatever the emotion, it was becoming clear this was more than just a simple inconvenience to her.

"I can and do apologize for the stress the situation has caused you. You shouldn't have had to go out of your way now to address this yourself so for that I also apologize. Unfortunately, I have very little idea what fairytale your partner has adopted as truth. You mentioned that he didn’t believe you, may I ask what about?"

Of course Lilie was going to address it, what did the countess think was going to happen? Was it not typical for people to talk about their problems? Or what, did she expect her to send Ben to talk about it? Lilie was an adult, she could handle talking about her own issues without needing Ben.

"He said at the party you talked about me like we knew each other and was concerned our relationship was inappropriate, especially since it contradicted what I said when I mentioned that I didn't know you," She decided to start there first. "I don't know what exactly you said to give him that impression but he wasn’t happy to hear it, especially since he thought I was lying, and I don’t blame him."

Not to mention the lecture she got about how bad it would be if it turned out she was lying to him, but she wasn't going to get into that here since it didn't matter. What did matter to her, however, was setting the record straight. She had enough problems with Ben, she wasn’t letting some uppity countess add to the list.

"If I'm going out of my way to address it, it's because I don't want problems with the guy I'm supposed to be dealing with for the rest of my life," She told her. "It's easy for a vampire to just say and do whatever they want, but I'm not going to let you think you can say what you want and I'll take it sitting down. I get that you're supposed to be someone important but I don't owe you anything."

"An inappropriate… relationship?" At first she didn’t know how to respond. What sort of things was he imagining his mage getting up to when he wasn’t around? With an imagination that wild it was no wonder he felt he had to have such control over the girl. Still, the situation was so ridiculous to her that Amaris failed to contain her laughter. Between her own passive observations and Maddie’s assessment from the party, the picture that had been painted of Lilie was one of a soft spoken airhead yet sitting beside her was something else entirely. Perhaps she had underestimated the mage just a little.

"And what, exactly, do you think it is that the Count is doing?" She asked of Lilie as she settled. A part of her was amused, but it was a feeling that was quickly beginning to fade. "Listen, I’m not even sure where to begin but I don’t expect a thing from you and I never have. You have made your disdain for me abundantly clear despite our lack of contact, something I respected out of a desire to maintain the relationships fostered by my partners. But I’m finding it difficult to wrap my head around the idea that you’re mad at me for, how did you put it, just saying whatever I want while you ‘can’t blame’ your partner for doing the exact same in response to a simple disagreement. A disagreement, I might add, that started over the color of your hair."

Lilie wasn’t sure how to react to the laughter, though she wasn’t really surprised at it. Not to mention that her disdain wasn’t directly at just the countess, even if she was annoyed right now. At the mention of the disagreement, however, she was a little surprised. Ben had mentioned that the conversation between the nobles got weird, but he didn’t give any details. She had no idea it was about her, her hand moving instinctually before she stopped herself. It looked like she couldn’t really escape it here, either.

“It’s not colored, this is my natural hair,” She mumbled, shaking her head. “Why would that even cause a disagreement between nobles?”

The countess nodded her head in understanding, already well aware the culprit behind her lightly tinted hair. But had Ben really not talked to her about any of it? Amaris shouldn’t have been surprised but the realization only added to her irritation with him.

"Natural or not, it’s different. Please don’t misunderstand, I’m rather fond of it. I think it’s a lovely color and suits you well. However, it was one of our host’s critiques about you, one that was not eased with Ben’s explanation of your genetics. The pair think it in your best interest to… remedy this issue. I disagreed with their assessment on the matter, which did not go over well, and caused some friction throughout the evening."

Why would that be a reason to cause friction? Lilie was entirely confused, trying to wrap her brain around the idea. She didn’t even dream of even being mentioned, let alone actually talked about. What bothered her more, though, was that she was completely clueless and learning about this from a third party. A third party that was ‘fond’ of her hair--the thought was enough to make Lilie consciously scoot away from the countess, unnerving her a little. And what was this about remedying an issue?

“You can’t alter genetics, so I’m not really sure what you mean,” She said slowly, looking down at the table. “And why disagree? Isn’t the whole point of the mage-vampire relationship one of subservience?” A point she had been butting heads with Ben over, but she wasn’t about to bring that up.

Raising an eyebrow, Amaris took mental note of the girl’s shift in position after hearing what she had to say. Did she… frighten her? Unfortunately, it was a thought that would be pushed to the side as Lilie spoke.

"He was not specific in his methodology. I believe he was planning to take you to a hairdresser, which I’m assuming means hair dye or perhaps another form of alteration. For that I have no answer outside of conjecture. I could run through every point I disagreed with if you’d like, but can I ask you something first? What do you know about the house of Marivaldi?"

The first thing that popped into Lilie’s head was that her mom would probably end up scolding her, but unfortunately if that’s what Ben wanted then she’d have to say something to stop it. What was the point of that anyway? She couldn’t change something she was literally born with. What, would she have to dye her eyebrows, too? Letting out a huff, it was Lilie’s turn to raise an eyebrow at the countess as she asked her question.

“All I know about that is they’re nicer to mages for some reason compared to the other vampires and that you’re the next in line. I don’t know much about any of the noble houses aside from rumors and stuff,” She admitted with a shrug. “Why ask a random mage about your own house?”

"I was a little curious what your base of experience was with us if you were asking me if the point of a vampire-mage pairing was subservience. It’s not exactly a secret that we do not fully subscribe to that belief. Just for your context, I am the daughter of our late Lord not our current. Our current Lord caused quite the stir on a couple of occasions: when he took over as our head of family and, even before that, was granted the rare request to become Embraced. Before that, he had been a mage just like you, however he served as something closer to an advisor to my father. It’s not that my father was nicer to him, he truly respected and trusted him, otherwise he would never have made it to where he is today." Amaris stopped herself from continuing, clearing her throat as she realized she had begun to ramble. She was beginning to find it was a common problem when she tried talking about her father.

"Sorry, that was a bit of an information dump. My point is that we, I especially, see a lot more potential for our world if we change the nature of that relationship. Unfortunately, that sentiment is not shared by many of my peers and I am not so practiced in the art of bluffing my way through a simple blood tasting. I was perhaps a bit forceful in expressing my concern over the ill effects forcing you to alter your body might have."

If she was asking, it was because she didn't have a clue--it wasn't like they taught anything that wasn't the bare minimum back home. Lilie had heard similar stuff about the late Count Marivaldi but she wouldn't say she knew anything concrete. Her eyebrows did shoot up some when she mentioned body altering--what the heck was Ben planning?!

"Except Marivaldis are in the minority since the other three houses are Traditionalists," She replied--that much she did know!--with a lidded stare. "And besides, it doesn't change that you're all vampires. It's easy to just have whatever opinion you want when it doesn't affect you."

And easy not to care when it didn’t.

"That said, I don't get why you bothered. I'm not your mage," Lilie continued. "I already knew Be--Count Benjamin wasn’t happy when he learned I was his mage, so if he wants to change me, then...that's on him. You don't have to butt in."

"My stances on mage rights and treatment aren’t dependent on their personal relationship to me. And that seems to be something your partner doesn’t appear to understand; the empathy for people outside of his circumstances. It doesn’t sit right with me that it is acceptable for one party to recommend beatings and public humiliation while I can’t ask that you be called by your name. Just because it is the belief of the majority does not mean it is the way it ought to stay." Amaris eased back with a defeated sigh, sensing that she likely wasn’t going to get anywhere with the mage. She had already accepted her new lot in life from the sounds of things and that meant that people like Amaris were little more than a nuisance to the status quo.

"All I wanted was for him to at least consider the consequences of his choices."

Outside what circumstances? Weren't they both nobles? Lilie didn't understand, though it was obvious they weren't really on the same page. This girl--vampire was convinced Ben was some devious guy when just the other day he ended up punching out the microwave because it beeped at him without having anything in it. But even that didn’t matter; it was clear to Lilie that this conversation was going nowhere because she was being pitied. She couldn’t help but remember Salem's lessons or the look Aaron had at the party.

"It doesn't matter what he chooses to do with me, because I'm not going to accept any changes he tries to enforce on me," Lilie informed the countess as-a-matter-of-factly. "And that's besides the point. You're supposed to be some important heiress in your family, aren't you? If you want to be of real help, how about you do something about the students that are actually abused around campus? Like the ones who get humiliated publicly by their vampires? The ones getting tugged around by leashes? Or the ones like my friend who was physically abused during his lessons to the point that his knuckles were cracked and bleeding and he wasn’t allowed to be treated by anyone?"

At that point Lilie stood up from her seat, turning to Amaris. "I'm not going to let him or anyone else change me, and I don’t care what anyone has to say--not him, not you, no one," She stated clearly. "I'm no one's charity case, if you want to cause problems in my life, then you clearly have the time to be doing better things."

For the first time in quite some time, Amaris had been rendered completely speechless. Not a sound escaped the countess as she peered up at the mage who now physically looked down upon her. Not even the passive aggressive snark of the nobles could compare to the passion of a girl determined to live her life in spite of the world around her. But it was more than just the shock of the moment that got to her, it was what Lilie was implying.

No, there is no implication here. This is an accusation. She thought as her eyes remained fixed to the mage. Amaris found her initial reaction to be something along the lines of indignation. How was she the one causing problems when it was Benjamin who was making wild assumptions and projecting his insecurities onto his partner. It was hardly her fault… right? She couldn’t exactly control his interpretations… … … But that wasn’t her point at all was it? It didn’t matter what she had said, it was never really about the misunderstanding. It was about her sticking her nose into a situation that was already under control.

Then there was the matter of the other mages, the ones she wasn’t addressing, the ones she had written off as beyond her reach. She had trusted in the princess to keep her students safe even if that meant from one another. Evidently, they had two different ideas of what that looked like. But did Lilie truly think there was something more she could do that Ryner could not? It would take decades, perhaps centuries more, to fight a battle of that nature. What could she possibly change from- Amaris’s eyes widened ever so slightly as realization washed over her.

That. That was the point. Lilie had become a special interest of hers due to her relationship to Cassandra. She had rationalized her involvement because of it, but all the while it had just been an excuse; a distraction. It was an empty gesture because it ultimately affected nothing, there were no stakes and no consequences. As much as it pained the Countess to admit it, Lilie was more than just a little right. She was supposed to be someone important. She was supposed to be someone of influence who could serve as an example to the rest. She was supposed to be respected… Amaris had always assumed it just went with the name. That she was mocked for sharing her family’s beliefs, that it was the name that held her back just as much as societies dislike of change. But it was never any of that at all. She demanded results without ever lifting a finger, like a child crying about the rain while ignoring the umbrella in her hand. Everyone else could see it, so why did it take this unassuming little girl to be the one to show it to her.

Straightening her posture in her chair, Amaris removed any lingering remains of her earlier amusement and replaced it with solemn neutrality. She still didn’t have any of the answers, but it was about time she stopped expecting them to fall into her lap and instead go looking for them herself.

"I see. This has been a rather… enlightening conversation. As much as I have valued our chat, it appears that you have somewhere else you’d like to be. Thank you for lending me your time, Lilie. Was there anything else you needed to address before you go?"

This was enlightening? Lilie would have laughed if she wasn’t so ready to just end the conversation. She did end up letting out a disappointed sigh--it was so easy for vampires to just sit on their thrones and be completely oblivious while everyone else had to scramble underneath. Maybe this was why the Marivaldi and Ben didn’t get along. She still didn’t understand what the countess’ problem with Ben was, but honestly, she just didn’t care.

She did take the chance to put on her coat, focusing more on bundling up for a second. “No, that was it,” Lilie said as she took a hold of her bag again. “In the future, please mind your own business and leave me alone. Dealing with one vampire is more than enough for me.”

Without waiting for a response, Lilie marched off, positively fuming. First Ben, now this lady--what was it about her that made people think she was so pitable? Did she really come off as that pathetic? It angered her to no end, her frustration coming back in full all over again. She was so sick of these vampires assuming they knew more about what she needed than she did. For all her years Countess Marivaldi was so haughty and talked like she knew her, how dare she?! Lilie couldn’t believe half the stuff that came out of the countess’ mouth. But it didn’t matter anymore, Lilie said her piece and she didn’t want to ever talk to the spoiled countess ever again if it could be helped.

She really needed to let off some steam. With that in mind, Lilie decided at that moment to go to the Arena.

The chill of the night was the same as ever, keeping the snow on the ground for a little longer. The candle lights that floated around in the courtyard flickered quietly, giving the area a sense of calmness. The air was crisp and the night sky was filled with stars, illuminating the sky along with the moon. The only thing Lilie heard was the clicking of her own heels against the exposed cobblestone, the soft wind causing her to huddle her beige coat around her.

It seemed a little callous, but Lilie wanted to be alone for a little bit. Everything was feeling a little more overwhelming than usual and she always felt being outdoors helped calm her nerves a little. Of course, it was usually nicer outside, but for now, she didn’t really mind the cold as much. It felt nice as it bit at her cheeks, her chin huddled into the fur collar as she tried to brace herself against the cold. For once, she was actually okay with wearing a long skirt, even if she still felt like they were too heavy for her.

It was hard not to think back on the argument she had with her count. She had been actively avoiding him and he didn’t try to talk to her aside from earlier. He thought it’d be nice if they did something together, but she lied and said she already had plans. Not that she needed to--she was a bad liar and just didn’t want to. Their conversation had replayed in her head a hundred times, Kanalie’s invitation looking more and more enticing. Still, there was a very real possibility that even that wouldn’t change things, that she’d be small and weak and powerless no matter what she did.

Arriving at the fountain, she was pleased to see the candle lights floating above the ice. One bobbled as she poked it but it returned to its rightful place. She wondered if people anticipated others touching it, but she was still amazed by it. As she walked, she paused for a moment as she realized the snow was starting to fall down, adding a gentle touch to the scenery. Taking a seat at the fountain, she stared at the candles under the pagodas, letting herself get lost in thought.

Moon’s Mirror at the Academy was surreal. Maybe it was just an extension of every other strange experience he’d had since his world was turned upside-down, but for Aaron, it felt like no other Mirror he’d ever experienced. The campus was superbly outfitted, with a veritable maze of ice walls and sculptures reflecting twinkling candles like stars in the night sky, at once hiding and exposing couples and friends reminiscing on the year gone past; it was quiet, serene, and elegantly fitting for the spirit of the occasion. But for Aaron, having spent every other winter holiday surrounded only by family and close friends behind the walls of Noila Castle, sharing such an intimate occasion with the Academy at large felt… lonely.

It was strange how that worked.

Still, he tried not to mind it too much. He’d be going home tomorrow to spend the rest of the holiday with his family, and Varis had even allowed him to decorate the dorm a little bit before kicking him out for the night. Aaron wasn’t about to argue with a mandatory night off, but there still remained the issue of what to do with it: normally he’d take to the infirmary for a few precious hours of sleep, but instead, he found himself wandering around campus, taking in the sights with a misplaced sense of melancholy nagging at him. It must have been homesickness; with everyone he knew here either moody, insufferable, or otherwise engaged, there was no one he was particularly eager to spend time with.

Well, there was one, but with her vampire a member of the holiday’s patron family, she probably had something better to do.

He had considered texting Lilie about twenty times that night, but each time he lost his nerve. What if she got the wrong idea? What if Count Benjamin got the wrong idea? After all, men didn’t seek out women on Moon’s Mirror for any purpose either of their masters would approve of. He’d been revisiting her kiss on his cheek for the past two weeks since it happened, near-certain that it meant what he thought it meant, but what if he was wrong? Not to mention Varis would rightfully have his head for even considering such a thing. But if it helped him get through the night, was it so wrong to hope?

Maybe, if he ever tried to make that fantasy a reality.

Aaron paused in his wandering to admire the fountain in the library courtyard, shaking his head at his own foolishness. Maybe that was why he felt such a nagging tug in his chest: he did want to spend the holiday with someone, but she was far, far out of reach. He’d be better off heading for a nap at the infirmary like he should have done than wandering around like this, tormenting himself.

He cast a look around the courtyard before leaving. Ryner had done a great job with it, erecting pagodas where the tables had been, bathing the area in the soft orange glow of floating candles. A couple here and there lounged under the pagoda lights, lost in their own little worlds; it was a picture worthy of a postcard. But as he rounded the fountain for a better look, something much prettier caught his eye: a flash of white bundled up in beige, sitting on the ledge of the fountain all alone.

Aaron’s heart leapt in his chest, but he froze. He should just walk away, he shouldn’t get into this. With all the rumours that already circulated about him, he didn’t want to risk his or Lilie’s reputation on the chance that someone might see them together, on a romantic holiday meant for reflecting on relationships, and get the wrong idea.

… But he couldn’t just leave her alone on Moon’s Mirror, could he?

The decision was a little too easy to make, but once it was made, there was no going back; taking a deep breath, Aaron approached Lilie’s side of the fountain, leaning down into her field of view, and smiled. “What’s someone like you doing here all alone?”

At the sound of Aaron’s voice, Lilie was brought out of her thoughts and back to reality, eyes widening as she looked at him. There wasn’t any stopping her warm smile, though she couldn’t help but laugh just a little bit. What did he mean ‘someone like her’? Well, she usually was always with someone one way or another unless she was studying, so maybe it came off as weird to him.

Still, she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t happy to see him. “It’s a time of reflection, after all, so I’m...reflecting,” She told him, wondering if it came off as lame. But it was the truth, and there wasn’t any shame in that. Her smile fell a touch as she returned her gaze to the ground. “It’s...definitely been a year to reflect on.”

Aaron’s spirits fell a touch when he noticed the air of gloom that settled over Lilie. His first thought was that she might be homesick too - if starting off the holiday at school was weird for him, he could only imagine how foreign this was for her - but her words made him think something else was weighing on her mind. At least this time, it sounded like something he could empathize with, even if he was sure their experiences were night and day.

“It certainly has,” he agreed, putting his hands in the pockets of his black wool coat. After a second’s hesitation, he sat down next to her on the fountain’s edge, offering Lilie a gentle smile. “Still, it’s not Moon’s Mirror without company.”

Lilie watched Aaron as he chose to sit down next to her, smile returning in full--with an added skip of the heart to boot. “You’re right,” She agreed wholeheartedly. Without giving it much thought she scooted a little closer to him, happy to have him with her. He always had a way of lifting her spirits whenever she felt low, and if she was being honest, she really, really liked the idea of having him with her right now.

It was really the perfect moment, wasn’t it? The candlelight, the mood of the area, and it was just the two of them. It gave her a quiet happiness, a nice warmth settling in her chest as she tried to steady her heart. But as much as she enjoyed the quiet, she needed to say something, right?

“I’m glad you’re here,” She ended up admitting, placing her hands on her knees. “I don’t mean just right now--well, I am glad you’re here now, of course! I just mean…” She trailed off, scratching her cheek as she tried to find the words that wouldn’t come off as weird or inappropriate.

Thinking back, she figured Aaron was long overdue for at least one thing. “I don’t know if you remember, but back at the Revel I mentioned that when I came here, it felt like I was dropped in a dark cage and you were my flashlight,” Lilie decided to start over, pulling out her words from a memory. “Thinking back on it, that was kind of an understatement. My Awakening made so many things harder at home, and coming here didn’t really--well, it was hard. Really hard. I really thought I wasn’t going to make it through the first day, let alone come this far. I know that seems silly since it’s only been a few months, but…”

As she looked down at her hands, she realized she was shaking. Taking in a breath to steady herself, she looked back at Aaron. “But you were my flashlight. And without you, I don’t think I would’ve been able to be so comfortable here. I mean, I’m still learning, but you made things...you made me look forward to the day. Um, night, sorry, I don’t think I’m ever gonna get used to switching up my words!” Lilie couldn’t help but laugh at herself.

Aaron chuckled along with Lilie, if only to try and loosen the growing lump in his throat. Her words meant more to him than he could express, but he still felt they were undeserved: Like so many other things in his life, he felt like he couldn’t possibly have done enough to deserve such praise. He what, copied some notes for her in Treaty Law? Helped her make sense of noble etiquette from time to time? Even comforting her after a row with her Count seemed so miniscule a favour in comparison to all she’d done for him. Hell, there weren’t even enough hours in the night for him to see her outside of class more than a few times a week, and here she was singing his praises. He’d feel like a fraud if he wasn’t so moved by the sheer sincerity in her voice.

“Oh, come on, you’re exaggerating,” he tried to recover, grinning like a brutally self-conscious idiot down at his feet. Really, if anyone between the two of them was a light at the end of a tunnel, it was Lilie; she had a way of turning his night around just by existing, sitting next to him in class with those ridiculous fuzzy pens of hers bobbing and weaving over the page, or a smile and a wave across the dining hall, even a cloth napkin full of cookies in the mailbox as a thank-you for her notes. She’d turned one of the scariest nights of his life into one of the best with a simple kiss on the cheek, and all apparently without even realizing it.

But there was no way he could ever put all that into words.

“I think you sell yourself short,” Aaron said after a long pause, a little more serious now. “You’re talking like you would have crumbled to dust if I wasn’t here to help you, but I have no doubt you’d flourish just fine with or without me. I mean…” He wanted to tell her how the challenges she’d overcome seemed insurmountable, how he and everyone around her could see the wellspring of potential she possessed, how she shrugged off the equivalent of moving to another planet like it was little more than a speedbump, but he couldn’t find the words. Instead, he thought of a memory, and caught Lilie’s eyes. “You can move oceans, Lil. In every sense.”

Of course, as quickly as he’d looked at her, he looked away again, as if there was something somewhere in the courtyard that might quell the butterflies in his stomach. He couldn’t very well leave things there after all she’d said in his favour, but she was so close, and the night was so calm, and everything was so perfect; he could barely string a sentence together on a good night, and he’d be loath to spoil everything with a misplaced word.

But there was one thing that he could say, and he forced himself to look at her when he said it. “I’m glad you’re here too. You’re the best thing about this place.”

Aaron had so much confidence in her that it genuinely left Lilie speechless. What could she even say to that? There were a few things that came to mind but they all didn’t feel like enough. She did wish he would believe in himself a little more, but she supposed there wasn’t much she could say to change his mind. Well, she could think of a few things, but he’d probably dismiss it.

Still, even if she had found something to say, it would’ve gotten caught in her throat with his next words. Lilie couldn’t really look away from him, even as bashful as it made her feel. Did he really think that? There were plenty of other things here that were better than her. But as selfish as it sounded, she secretly liked that he really thought so.

The blush on her face spread like wildfire as she shook her head and couldn’t control her own grin. Ah, she probably looked like a doofus, didn’t she? It was exceedingly difficult to look him in the eye, her hand covering her mouth in some attempt to maintain her dignity. But she couldn’t really hide how happy it made her feel and she’d be lying if she said she didn’t like it.

“I feel like you stole what I wanted to say about you!” She giggled, nudging him a little as she finally remembered that she shouldn’t just stare at him in awe. “I’m really, really happy that you think that, though. If I can repay you back for your kindness in any way, even if it’s just hanging out or getting to spend time with you, then…”

Then what? Then they could get closer? That was what she wanted, yeah, and his words were sweet, but it felt so delicate that if she said the wrong thing it could end up ruining everything. Maybe she was taking them the wrong way? But it’d be so nice if it meant more, right?

As the thought crossed her mind, she tried to control her face, knowing it was probably getting redder by the second. “Then I’d do anything for you,” She blurted it out, her eyes focused on her knees. “And...I just really like being with you.”

Aaron felt his ears get hot at that remark, his insides all aflutter that Lilie seemed just as eager as he was. It played on something deep down, something old and primal and largely undisturbed, to think that a woman like Lilie valued his company as much as he valued hers. But, at the same time, a streak of guilt tainted his delight, and he’d be remiss to let this moment go by without addressing it.

“I like being with you too,” he told her, his smile turning a little sad. “I’m… I’m sorry I can’t be around more. Here you are singing my praises and half the time I’m too busy to even sit down and chat like this. I just…” Aaron trailed off for a moment. It was weird and uncomfortable to open up like this, but he had a very dangerous feeling that Lilie might reciprocate what he’d been feeling about her since the night they met, and it would kill him to think that she thought so highly of him when so often, he couldn’t even give her the time of day. He let out a long breath, shrugging. “I’m glad I’m only one of many, because you deserve people who can drop everything for you.”

“Aaron…” Lilie was so touched that he felt so bad about it. She wished he wouldn’t feel so bad--she wasn’t really someone worth dropping everything for--but it was hard to deny how much she felt her heart soar after hearing that. There were a lot of things she could say but none of them really felt right. Nothing she could say really felt like it was enough, either.

Her hand reached out and touched his, giving it a gentle squeeze as she smiled at him. “I’m just happy to have you here with me now,” She told him.

Aaron’s head snapped up when he felt Lilie’s hand on his, and once more he was thankful for the relative dark when he felt his flush spreading to his cheekbones. It wasn’t the first time she’d taken his hand - in fact, she was even more insistent at Revel - but this felt different. It wasn’t a friendly touch, or a gesture of sympathy, or a half-drunk attempt to pull him down a beach. It was something else, something that made his heart run a mile a minute, and that smile of hers wasn’t helping, either.

“Me too,” he breathed. Something overwhelming welled up in him like a gathering wave, and for a second he sat there, transfixed, like a deer in headlights under Lilie’s gaze. He shouldn’t. He couldn’t. This was a bad idea for all involved; it was forbidden, they’d get in a mountain of trouble, someone could walk by and see--many of his same concerns when he first sat down ran through his mind at a record pace, but at the moment, none of them seemed particularly moving. What moved him instead was the way Lilie looked at him, the touch of her skin, the sound of her voice saying she wanted to be near him, the way the candlelight on her skin and hair made her shine like a star in the darkness. What moved his free hand to her face was a desperate and long-denied desire for one single thing in his forsaken life that he could call his. He really couldn’t justify it; it was stupid, it was risky, and there was nothing else in the world he wanted quite as badly.

So he pulled Lilie closer, and he kissed her.

Lilie had no idea why two little words suddenly threw her heart into overdrive, but maybe it was less what he said and more how he looked at her. It wasn’t something that he normally did, but it was hard to look away. Should she say something? Was now the time?! Could she make up for that fiasco at the party?! But it was too sudden, wasn’t it? Every single one of her thoughts, however, dissipated into the cold as he pulled her closer. And before she could properly digest being so close, before she could take a second to lose herself in sight of those cerulean eyes, he kissed her.

He kissed her! He was kissing her! Every thought in her brain promptly exploded with shock and glee and uncertainty and a weird satisfaction, confusing and delighting her all at once. Her eyes fluttered shut as she moved closer, savoring the moment the best she could. The free hand she had rested on his coat, pulling him in a little more, as if wanting to be as close to him as she possibly could.

For all his boldness, Aaron was still surprised and ecstatic that Lilie didn’t pull away. Very few times in his life had his heart ever soared so high, and his magic soared with it, brightening every candle in their vicinity - and Aaron wasn’t about to let that feeling go without a fight. He pulled her ever closer, his former gentleness giving way to a deeper need; his other hand found its way to the nape of Lilie’s neck, fingers weaving blindly through her hair as if to remind himself that she really was there with him. Sure, his kiss was clumsy, it may have lacked the experience and grace of everything else he did, but it was passionate, and it was real, and in that moment, that was all that mattered. Everything but Lilie melted away; there was no Academy, there was no Varis, there was no family name to live up to. Just for a moment, on the edge of that fountain under the stars, he was free.

“Welcome to The New Star!”

The greeting came as Lilie walked into the cafe, the small bell on the door ringing as it closed behind her. She was glad to be out of the cold, trying to warm up her frozen fingers as she rubbed them together. It was surprisingly empty inside, an assortment of chairs and tables littering the floor as she walked around to approach the counter. Then again, when she used to come here it was always daytime, but her nightly schedule meant she was dying for something at the ripe time of three o’clock p.m. Because that was her life now.

Stopping in front of the pastry display, her eyes roamed over everything left over. Too bad it was late, she was pretty sure none of it was too fresh. Continuing to the register, she gave the cashier a smile. “Hi, could I please get a cappuccino with cinnamon and a club sandwich?”

"Of course!" The cashier responded cheerfully, punching in some numbers as the barista got to work. "That'll be eleven dollars and twenty five cents, please!"

Scrounging around in her purse, Lilie took out a blue card and presented it. As the cashier swiped it, however, she gave her an apologetic smile. "Oh, sorry, I guess I must have used up my monthly allowance," Lilie apologized as she opened her wallet. Weird, she usually budgeted pretty well all things considered. Then again, she had been using her card a lot more. Between taking Maddie out and treating Kanalie, she definitely burned through what she allowed herself to. She had been using her savings from when she worked part time, but she supposed it wasn't really prudent. As she tried to figure if she should just withdraw more from said savings, she noticed she did have the card Ben gave her. She could use it--he made it clear it was hers to use at any time for anything--but she wasn’t really used to being a mage and depending on someone else for money.

Reluctantly taking it out and promising herself to give him the money back, she handed the card over. To her surprise, the cashier was completely shocked, turning the card over before looking at Lilie in wonder. Before she could question it, the cashier cleared her throat. "Sorry, our machines don't take this, but you could use our ATM," Her entire tune had changed from friendly to somewhat nervous.

"Oh, um, okay, I'll just be a sec," Lilie turned away, staring down at the card. Was it the Eve insignia? Even her name printed on it looked kinda weird. Whatever the case she needed to pay, so she went over to the ATM as instructed. She vaguely remembered setting up a PIN, but she figured she should take out the minimum. Wait, Ben had just given her the card, what if it didn't have anything yet?

The best thing to do was a balance inquiry, but as soon as she did, Lilie felt like she was going to have a heart attack. Never in her life had she seen so many zeroes! This had to be some kind of mistake, right?! She didn't realize her jaw had dropped, her expression frozen in a mix of shock and horror. Yeah, Ben said he gave her a small allowance, but this was not small at all!

Eventually, she hastily punched the minimum she was able to take out, handing it over to the cashier wordlessly. Once she got her order, she sat down at the table, putting in the phone number on the back of the card and calling it. As she went through the steps it was confirmed that the balance she had seen wasn't a fluke. 'Small allowance', did Ben know what small was?! Then again, he was a noble, and he replaced her entire wardrobe and got her that pretty jewelry before, so it wasn't really farfetched to find out he was rich. But this was too much!

Lilie ended up stuffing the sandwich into her purse, her mind ablaze as she got up. It wasn’t until she was headed for the door that she realized the cashier and batista had been whispering, both claming up as she looked over. Were they talking about her? She didn't know what to think, only giving them a small smile before leaving. The cold did wonders to cool her down, but her head was still whirling. She should've known better than to trust a vampire's judgement considering this was the same guy that still used a really loud and annoying typewriter.

"Lilie? Lilie Dionne? That's you, right?"

Stopping at the mention of her name, Lilie didn't realize someone had been calling out to her. She turned around, a familiar looking girl approaching her. Her blonde curls stuck out from her hat, green eyes shining excitedly.

"It is you, I'd know that hair anywhere!" She said excitedly. "It's me, Melinda! Remember, we were in Homeroom together for senior year?"

Lilie blinked slowly, remembering as she nodded. "Oh, yes, I...sorry, yeah, I do remember," She said, trying to stay polite even as she got a little nervous. "You're Jason's cousin, right?"

"Yeah! Wow, you actually remembered me," She giggled, looking Lilie up and down. "You look amazing! Mage life is treating you well, huh?"

Following Melinda’s gaze, she did think maybe she was a little fancier than usual. She stopped packing up clothes when she came home, but she chose to bring along the plush pea coat and knee high boots that were part of Ben’s choice of wardrobe. Not to mention the fancy purse, fancy jewelry...she may as well have packed her academy clothes.

“Oh, yeah, you know…” She shrugged, not really knowing what to say.

“It suits you, you’ve always stuck out and now you’re more refined,” Melinda said, though she caught herself. “I mean that in a good way, of course! You were pretty popular in school for a while, right?”

“Only ‘cause I hung out with Helena and--” Lilie stopped, finding the second name getting stuck in her throat. “...and Claire. They were the popular ones, I just hung out with them a lot.”

Melinda’s eyebrows shot up, though she gave Lilie an apologetic look. “Oh, right, I...I forgot, I’m sorry,” She apologized sincerely. “I always felt like Helena was a third wheel, though. You and Claire did everything together--you guys had been friends since elementary school, right?”

Lilie quietly nodded, her gaze dropping down to her boots. She could feel her heart racing in her chest, but it paled in comparison to how cold she suddenly felt. It almost felt lonely, but she didn’t know what to make of that. Instead she shook her head, putting on a smile as she gave Melinda an apologetic look.

“I really have to get going, I’m sorry,” She said, giving her a wave. “But it was nice seeing you again.”

“Oh, yeah, of course! Take care!” Melinda eagerly returned her wave before setting off.

Lilie watched her for a second, her hand over her mouth as she tried to calm herself down. She could feel hot tears pooling in her eyes as she tried to will them to go away, deciding to walk back home. The winters here were usually mild, but it looked like some snow had fallen last night. It looked like it was still soft, like a giant white blanket had covered everything. She usually preferred warmer weather, but she had to admit the snow was nice, especially since it was now associated with a much more pleasant memory.

Fishing her phone out of her pocket, any negativity she had was washed away as she smiled fondly at the picture she had of her and Aaron as her background. Her fingers touched her lips, unable to hide her shy smile. Maybe she should call Aaron now? No, he might be sleeping. She could just text him! She scrolled through their messages, thumb hovering over her keyboard as she looked over their last conversation.

A > Yeah, I guess I kinda did sabotage myself on that one, haha.
A > Still, this break is starting to feel awfully long.

L < could be a little longer imo

A > Hey rude! XD
A > I meant the break feels long because I can't see you!

L < OMG
L < IM SO SORRY
L < but itll be over soon and then we’ll be together again ❤❤❤
L < how about u call me when u get up?

A > Hahaha
A > Sounds good (^_^)

The temptation to call Aaron soared as she reread their conversation. Then again, she didn’t want to come off as clingy. Besides, they had agreed on a video call later, so she should just wait. It was hard not to get excited at the idea as she tried not to look too giddy as she waited for the light to change so she could cross the street. Ugh, if only they could meet up somewhere. Maybe when the weather was better they could go on a picnic?

The sound of someone clearing their throat brought her out of her thoughts, and she mentally chastised herself for getting too wrapped up in her little fantasy. Shuffling in place, she exhaled into her hands, trying to warm herself a little, though she felt like she was being watched. Fortunately she didn’t have to look far--unfortunately the last person she wanted to see was the one watching her.

Helena stared at her without caring if she was seen, though instead of the glare she had seen before, this look had more disdain than anything. It was a little amusing to see her stare her down with her mink trimmed coat, but that wasn’t something she could focus on. Instead of the usual panic, Lilie could only stare back wearily, already feeling the impending tongue lashing.

“Heading home?” Lilie asked, daring herself to keep eye contact.

“My house is the opposite way,” Helena reminded her, shaking her head. “It hasn’t been that long since you’ve been there.”

It hasn’t been, but it feels like it was forever ago. As Lilie looked back to the street, she noticed there were a few people on the other side. One pair had been speaking to one another, staring directly at her, though as soon as they noticed she was looking their way they made sure to avert their gazes. She thought it was weird, but after a few seconds, she realized they were probably talking about her.

“Everyone knows you’re an Eve mage now. Ever since you came back, you’ve been the talk of the town. You and I both know how people talk here and how quick word gets around,” Helena ended up revealing. “It’s funny how they went so quickly from pitying you to putting you on a pedestal.”

The light changed, and the two girls ended up walking together. The ones across the street walked by, their stares on the back of Lilie’s head. Was that really how things were now? She wasn’t sure which was worse if she was being honest. Was she just born to always be stared at for one reason or another?

“I’m not really someone that should be on any pedestal,” Lilie ended up muttering.

“I don’t think so, either. But then again, they did a good job covering up what happened nine months ago,” Helena replied. “The Dawsons ended up moving out last month to get away, too.” Lilie’s eyes widened considerably, looking at Helena in shock. Maybe she shouldn’t have been too surprised, but it was still news to her. Helena didn’t look back at her, but she did let out a sigh. “I heard they were compensated. I think it would’ve been more difficult for them to stay.”

“I can’t believe it…” Lilie couldn’t help herself.

“Now there’s nothing that would remind the town of what happened. It’s almost like a clean slate--you should be happy,” Helena commented. “Now you’re known as a fancy mage to a noble. No one’s going to paint you as the murderer that you really are.”

Lilie frowned, stopping in place as she watched Helena take a few steps ahead of her. “Except you.”

Helena stopped as well, turning around to look back at her. “Except me,” She confirmed that much, her hair brushing her dark locks off her shoulder. “I’m not going to go around shouting it to the skies. But I’m never going to forget or forgive you for it, either.”

The situation didn’t call for a laugh, but Lilie really couldn’t help herself. Something about it felt cathartic, though she managed to control herself. “Can you believe we were best friends once?” She asked in disbelief. “Anyone that was watching this conversation would think we were mortal enemies or something.”

“Enemies? No, I don’t think of you as an enemy,” She admitted that much, shaking her head.

Despite knowing it was a bad idea, Lilie couldn’t help but ask, “Then...could we be friends again, someday?”

Helena stared at her again, and while it lacked the harshness of her usual glare, the look she gave her was still empty. “No,” She answered. “They all died because of you, and instead of bringing you to justice, the mages came and whisked you away. And now the town practically celebrates you: the new star of Glendale, Eve Mage Lilie Dionne. I can’t accept that you just get to walk around like nothing happened.”

As hard as it was to hear, at the very least Lilie could say she knew where they stood. It looked like that was all Helena had to say as well, as the girl continued on her path without another word. Lilie couldn’t help her sigh, but maybe it was for the best. Helena was right about one thing at least, their friendship had been over for a while. Maybe Lilie was just hoping it wasn’t, but there wasn't any point in wishing otherwise.

Lilie turned back and continued on her way, though she ended up taking a detour. She didn’t think Helena would lie, but she felt like she needed to see the Dawson home for herself. Once she reached the block, she continued to the second-to-last house. Nothing looked that much different from the outside but the curtains had changed from what she could see. The cars parked in the driveway were different, too.

Approaching the house, she stopped as she looking around for the mailbox. Mrs. Dawson was a creative woman, often doing several home improvement ventures on her own, and the one that everyone in town knew about was the modified mailbox. From a glance it looked like someone had splattered paint on it, but she remembered Claire telling her that her family all dipped their hands in paint and left their handprints on the metal. It was their way of letting everyone know that this was their home.

And it was gone.

Whoever owned the house now opted for a mailbox next to their door, it looked like. Lilie almost couldn’t believe it, but she had no other reason for it suddenly going missing. She could always knock, but it’d be awkward explaining herself, wouldn’t it? No, she was better off just going home now. With a heavy sigh, Lilie did just that.

Quaint, private, informative. Libraries should have been one of Ben’s favorite places were it not for how utterly boring he found studying. Aesthetically they were pleasing and had atmospheres of introspection and knowledge, two things he sincerely hoped would help. In truth he did wish the knowledge here would help him and perhaps it was his own sense of pride that held him back. However, he needed a fresh perspective, one that would hopefully give him insight to the enigma that was Lilie Dionne.

Their talk went poorly and that was an understatement. He had no choice but to call for help. To ask for such a thing to be kept under wraps meant he needed someone that was both familiar with magehood and could communicate to him how to properly address that with his own mage. And so he waited in what he thought was a private table in a part of the library that did not draw too many people. He hoped Aaron would arrive sooner than later as his own nerves were giving him a myriad of different ways he could handle Lilie going forward.

Aaron pushed into the library a few minutes late, a harsh, snowy wind trailing him inside as he looked around to catch his bearings. The Count had asked to meet him in a part of the library he didn’t usually visit, so it took him a moment to find his way through the labyrinth of shelves, not helped by the fact he was reluctant to ask anyone for help—the last thing he wanted was anyone remembering him coming here. He really shouldn’t even have come—Varis would have his head if he found out he was doing rival nobles favours—but the Count had never asked for anything more than friendly conversation in the past, and with mention of a “delicate situation”, Aaron could guess what said conversation would be about.

At long last he got where he was going, a small study area near the back of the library that students often overlooked. Aaron made sure no one was looking before slipping inside, and sure enough, there was Count Benjamin, looking characteristically pensive.

“Good evening, Count,” Aaron murmured as he neared, offering a shallow bow before taking a seat. It was a little more casual than he’d usually like with nobles, but Count Benjamin had made it pretty clear in the past that he’d prefer to keep the formality to a minimum.

“Pardon my lateness, I had a few things to attend to for my master before I could make my way over.” It was probably unnecessary, but he hoped the Count would pick up on the hint: Aaron didn’t personally mind helping him out, but it wasn’t something he could safely make a habit of.

“My sincerest apologies for taking any of your time, I would have preferred to resolve this on my own,” Ben said. It wouldn’t do for any vampire to pick up a habit of asking a mage that wasn’t of his house for anything and he could understand what Aaron was getting at. “I can assure you I would have rather asked for your time for something more jovial. I thank you for coming.”

“To avoid wasting your time, I will be direct. I have not dedicated myself to training my mage as much as I should have. There aren’t any reasons that don’t sound like excuses as the truth of the matter is I greatly overestimated her capacity for adapting to change. It’s apt to describe it as Lilie drowning. The irony is not lost on me,” Ben said. “The crux came the other day; as I am sure you are aware, any schedules that go against the norm required approval. Lilie’s request was denied and it led to a conversation that ended poorly.”

Poorly was an understatement truth be told.

Aaron couldn’t claim to be surprised; by what both parties in the Eve partnership had told him, they tended to butt heads over the subject of Lilie’s transition to mage life. He’d done his best to counsel them both—Lilie on the sad reality that things were different in vampiric society than she was used to, and the Count on how he might accomplish his goals with a gentle hand—but he was hardly an expert. In fact, he could only hope his advice hadn’t been the cause of any issues between them.

Similarly, that Lilie’s intended course load was a point of contention between the two came as no surprise either. Aaron had tried his best to be encouraging, but the combination of classes she wanted to take rivaled his own schedule in intensity; it wasn’t far-fetched to think the Princess thought it might be a little much, or that her Count would want her to pace herself. Aaron partially blamed himself for letting it get that far—he should have been firmer when he hinted that her plan was pretty taxing—but to be fair, it wasn’t his job to police what Lilie did with her time. It was Benjamin’s.

He nodded slowly when the Count finished, taking a moment to unwind his scarf from around his throat and drape it on the chair next to him before he replied. “Would I be right to guess that that decision didn’t fall solely to Her Highness?” he asked.

If the situation was so transparent that Aaron could already guess then Ben felt he had little in the ways of keeping the conversation vague. Being direct truly was the best course of action, he decided that he would speak plainly going forward.

“While it was a mutual agreement you are correct,” Ben said. “I can assure you, however, that I did nothing to sabotage Lilie’s chances outside expressing my own concerns. She is convinced otherwise. It seems anytime we make one or two steps of progress we lose five going backwards.”

And if he was to be direct, he also needed to be honest. “I don’t believe Lilie understands that while her enthusiasm and eagerness for magic are admirable, her priorities aren’t where they need to be,” He said. “I do fear that I was too harsh with our last conversation. I thought it best to bring her down and make things clear. It resulted in tears and we haven’t held a conversation since.”

Aaron raised his eyebrows. Tears? Lilie wasn’t the pinnacle of emotional fortitude, and she’d cried to him about her issues with her Count in the past, but it was somehow a shock to hear she’d break down in front of a vampire. Maybe it was his upbringing making it seem strange; he came from a world where you hid everything away until you could let it out behind closed doors. But Lilie came from a different world entirely, and, well, that was really the problem.

“I see…” He twined his fingers together on the table, spinning his ring for a moment in thought. “Do you know what specifically got her so upset?” he asked, “Or was it the issue of having her plans denied in general?”

The risk of losing Aaron’s positive opinion of him nearly caused Ben to hesitate. He wondered for a moment if his honesty was going to end up making things worse for him but he supposed there wasn’t much he could do without coming completely clean. He couldn’t very well hide what he did if Lilie did decide to tell him, after all.

“As much as it pains me to admit, I was the cause,” Ben said. “We spoke of her intentions for dueling and her desire for magic. It all came to a point when she mentioned that she had been fencing for years to which my response was to point out that even with that behind her, she still lost her first duel here. After that, she asked if I thought she was weak. I said yes.”

Oh yeah, that wasn’t great. Aaron visibly cringed at the admission, although he was glad the Count opted for honesty; this would be a lot harder if Count Benjamin tried to sugar-coat the situation. He could certainly see why that would have upset Lilie, but he had a feeling it wasn’t the comment alone, but a lot of previous buildup, that led to such a dramatic fallout.

“I see,” he repeated, searching for the right way to put his thoughts without coming off like he was scolding a noble. “Well, for starters, I wouldn’t hold that duel against her; truth be told, it wasn’t a fair fight,” he admitted. “She trained in fencing as a hobby—a dedicated hobby, mind you, but still—whereas my training has been considerably more intense. Add in a significant difference in size and strength and it would have taken a miracle for her to have won that night.”

He sighed, starting to feel a bit like one of those tired couple’s counselors on sitcoms. “That said, I can see why you’d disapprove of her proposed class schedule,” he continued. “For reference, I’m joining one of the most demanding major programs this school has to offer, and her schedule would have resembled mine in intensity. My counselor described it as spending six straight hours in the gym with minimal breaks—it would have been a considerable drain on her, and while I’m on the fence over whether she could handle it, it would make anything extracurricular impossible. I’m taken to assume the two of you are still working on mage etiquette together?”

Everything Aaron said made sense and Ben was relieved to know that the core of his message was still in the right. He wouldn’t say it, but he was well aware one of the reasons Lilie wanted to do her schedule the way she had chosen was because Aaron was also doing so. The difference between the two was a gap so wide it was concerning why she would make any attempts at following his lead.

“One of her slots will be taken with an Introduction to Showmageship. We no longer need to take time out after classes with that, fortunately,” Ben said. “While I have no issue teaching her myself, I felt she would take it more seriously in a classroom setting. Her grades alone show that she takes her studies to heart.”

Aaron couldn’t help but smirk, despite the somber tone of the conversation. “I’m sure she wasn’t a fan of that idea either.”

“She was not. She claimed she had no such interest in the subject,” Ben said. “She is under the belief her desires trump mine.”

Aaron nodded. That was a pretty critical misunderstanding that he’d tried to help straighten out when Lilie came to him before, upset that Count Benjamin had replaced her belongings. Apparently, his reasoning didn’t stick.

“Yeah, that sounds about right,” he said absently. But what more advice could he offer? Count Benjamin had the right of it: his word was final, that was how this all worked. Of course Aaron felt for Lilie, he could only imagine how hard it must be for her to have many of her freedoms taken away, but what could he do? Lying to her would only make the eventual fall of the hammer hurt even more.

“I can sympathize with your difficulties in dealing with Lilie,” he voiced as much, spinning his ring. “And as much as I’d like to tell you she needs a soft hand, I agree that it’s better for her to learn her place sooner rather than later.”

He studied the table for a moment, trying his best to put his words in the right order. “Still, I can see why this is hard for her. She’ll never be comparable to a mage raised around vampires: she lived her whole life in almost total freedom. She had dreams and plans for her future, one where her life would be her own making. With all due respect, Count, it may seem trivial to you, but we mortals hold those plans very close to our hearts.”

He didn’t want to lecture a Count, but he wanted to make sure Benjamin had a full understanding of what he was dealing with—or at least, as full an understanding as Aaron had. “Obviously I can’t relate to transitioning from human life to magehood, but I do know that having what you thought was your future taken away can be devastating. I’m not surprised she doesn’t want to give up whatever control she was used to before.”

Aaron sighed, leaning back in his chair. This was getting a little too personal for comfort—maybe he should have just stuck to the tried and true ‘don’t worry Count, you’re totally right, Lilie’s difficult is all’, but it was a little late for that. Still, there was something to be said for Benjamin’s side of the situation too, and the fact that he cared enough for his mage to ask advice on dealing with her in the first place was something rare among nobility. “Of course, I don’t think you’re wrong to lay down the law. Some gentler wording might have been a good idea, but in my opinion it’s better to be honest and brutal than to lie and set her up for failure later on. It’s… a hard situation, and I admire that you’re concerned enough for her well-being that you’d consult me.”

“But at the risk of missing the obvious: what exactly do you want my help in doing?” Aaron finally asked. “Do you want my help convincing her to speak to you again?”

Aaron’s words were something Ben seemed to drink in; the perspective of a mage that had his own voice was something sorely needed. There wasn’t anything he disagreed with but the conclusion he arrived at was grim. Eris’ offer suddenly made sense as much as it pained him to admit. Of course, taking up said actor’s offer was an entirely different story and not one he should approach lightly.

“I wanted understanding,” Ben said. “It could be that I am expecting too much in too little time, but that’s exactly the point I tried to make. In almost three and a half years she will be entering my house and then what? My father wouldn’t have it; she’s likely to either get relegated to a scullery maid or sold elsewhere.”

Ben paused. “Perhaps I could ask Her Highness for a switch. A noble setting is harsh even on mages that have trained their entire lives. She would still serve a vampire but she could end up with one with less responsibilities. I was also informed of a charity that may be able to take her in.”

“What?” Aaron blurted out, too shocked by the Count’s words to temper his own in the moment. Benjamin was considering just, getting rid of Lilie? What? He knew as well as any other vampire-raised mage that many, many mages met similar fates, but something about that happening to Lilie, especially after all she’d already been through, got Aaron more heated than he’d prefer to admit.

“Count Benjamin, I…” he was speechless was what he was. Good Lord, it was a good thing he took this meeting—Lilie’s situation was far more precarious than he thought. But of course it was, why wouldn’t it be? She’d been given so many chances already, and she was entering a harsh world. Maybe the reason it hadn’t sprung to mind sooner was the very fact that Varis still kept him around; there was no way Lilie could be more of a disappointment than he was, so it hadn’t even crossed his mind that she was at risk of being discarded. It seemed that was yet another example of Aaron being blind to what was right in front of him.

“Forgive my boldness, Count, but if you care about Lilie at all—and it seems that you do—then you cannot send her away.” It was ludicrous to speak to a noble that way, but the Count came looking for advice, and he’d get it. Firmly. “She’s already been passed around three other masters before you. Three. I don’t think she could bear being discarded a fourth time.”

He hadn’t noticed till then, but Aaron was leaning out of his chair. He took a second to settle himself back down before continuing. “Not to mention that there’s no telling what would become of her under someone else’s care. A charity is a fine thought in theory, but I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that things are rarely what they seem.”

He sighed, a deep-seated weariness apparent on his face. “I understand that you feel pressured to mold her into an Eve mage by the time she enters your household. I do. And I agree that that’s imperative; it’s no mercy to protect her here only for her new life to eat her alive. But I implore you, don’t give up on her yet.” He met Count Benjamin’s eye, something he seemed to be doing a lot more of lately than he’d prefer. “Lilie is not a lost cause. She’s only a late bloomer. I was, too; I’m three years older than her and not much more advanced in my magic. Remember that she started with nothing: in four short months she’s made incredible strides. Hell, I know someone who grew up with vampires and still didn’t know to hold his tongue in the Queen’s presence, and already you have Lilie singing for an audience and conducting herself respectably at formal functions. She has great promise, in that I am confident.”

“I’m sure it seems like mere moments until she’ll have to reckon with the real world, but consider this,” Aaron added, “she’s only halfway through her first year here, with three more to go after that. To a vampire, that’s a blink; to a mage, that can be a lifetime.” He held the Count’s gaze a moment longer before finally sitting back. “There’s still time to shape her the way you want her to be. More time than you might think.”

While it was the last thing he wanted to think about, Aaron reminded Ben greatly of the first time he had met Countess Marivaldi; she had asked him what it was that he wished he could inherit from a mortal. He wished he could take mortal passion to see what it was like to see it blossom and rage, to be at the height of emotion without regard. Seeing it in Aaron had put Ben to shame, if only for a moment.

He did take Aaron’s words to heart—the boy may have lunged himself across the table if he didn't!—and considered his next words carefully. Nothing Aaron said was inaccurate but it still left him with a conundrum. He did not leave Aaron’s gaze as he thought to himself and the many possibilities before him. It would look poor on him if he made such grand claims in front of Count Sinnenodel and then turned around to ship the girl off the first chance he got.

“I apologize for upsetting you in any way. It was not my intention,” Ben said. “I would like to believe you, truly. Perhaps the problem doesn’t lie in the mage, but instead the master, then.”

Even so he needed to make a decision. “I suppose I should try harder, then,” He said. “How do you think I should go about apologizing?”

Aaron carefully avoided heaving the massive sigh of relief he wanted, instead relaxing a little more in his chair. Thank fate, he seemed to have gotten through to him. Of course, now he’d dug himself into a hole that might be harder to get out of: he wasn’t exactly the most practiced at making amends.

“Your patience is admirable, Count Benjamin,” Aaron told him. He spun his ring for another moment, thinking of what Lilie might want to hear from the man who was poised to control her life’s trajectory. “... I think making it clear that you want to understand what she’s struggling with will go a long way. That said, she has a pretty deep distrust of vampires. I don’t know if she’ll believe you.”

Hm, it was difficult indeed. Count Ben would have to reconcile the necessity of laying down the law with his clear desire to be on Lilie’s side. He shrugged, a little out of his depth. “Well, you know what they say: actions do speak louder than words. I know it’s important that she knows where her boundaries lie, but maybe you could help build some trust by compromising on something trivial? I’m not sure; I’ll be honest, the idea of a Count capitulating to a mage is extremely foreign to me. But this is a unique situation.”

Ben couldn’t help but laugh at Aaron’s words. Unique was not his first choice in describing the situation but it was apt! He would need to think hard on what course of action he could take to earn Lilie’s forgiveness, albeit he was interested in the idea of compromise. For all his talk of sympathizing with mages, he had yet to do so for his current partner. He would have to take strides to amend that. However, something else Aaron said struck Ben.

“I do earnestly believe I could come back with the moon itself and be refused simply because I’m a vampire. However, I was recently enlightened to the truth behind that, perhaps if I were to confront the vampire from her past, it could lead to something?” Ben asked. “It seems when Lilie was a child, her mother had caught the attention of a vampire. It’s a tale as old as time but the result bore a scar that wouldn’t be forgotten.”

“From what I have been told, Lilie’s mother was an accomplished fencer. So much so that she defeated a vampire in a one-hit match. Unfortunately said vampire dealt with it the same way most do, by ensuring she would never fence again. Seeing that as a child would traumatize most, I feel. But had I the method to find that vampire, I wonder if bringing him to justice would make her happy.”

Aaron raised his eyebrows, not bothering to hide the look of astonishment on his face. The Count was willing to go to such lengths just to try and earn Lilie’s trust? He’d heard about the infamous mage sympathizer Count Benjamin Eve, but it was interesting to see those ideals put to practice—not to mention interesting to learn something so personal about Lilie’s past. He wasn’t sure how he felt about learning it from a third party, but it shed some light on Lilie’s discomfort with vampires at least.

“I must admit, I didn’t think you’d be willing to go so far,” Aaron said. “I suppose I should have had more faith. Your reputation does precede you.” He nodded. “I don’t know if it will fix everything, but if it were possible to bring something that harmed my mother to justice, I know it would bring me a measure of peace. Maybe that could help her begin to move past her trauma.”

Of course, there was one pretty important hurdle he’d have to jump first. “But do you think such a thing is even possible?”

“At the end of the day, regardless of my actions, it is clear that no matter what I do there will always be doubt,” Ben explained. “If I could ease that burden, we could make real progress. My actions would be taken at face value and wouldn’t have ulterior motives painted in her mind.”

When it came down to it, however, Aaron had a point. In light of the conversation and honesty, he had one idea in mind. “I sent a letter to Lilie’s family recently requesting to meet with them. I had been planning on asking about something else while I was there. I could add this question as well, and there is no better place than the source,” He said. “I would ask for your discretion on this, of course. I don’t believe a vampire trespassing on what must be a ‘safe haven’ for Lilie would go down well.”

Aaron nodded once more, still bewildered at the lengths the Count was willing to go to help Lilie find some peace. “Of course. It’s not my business to be a liaison between the two of you anyway. But if I may, thank you for coming to me.” He caught the Count’s eye once more, completely sincere. “I’m by no means an expert, but it’s a testament to your character that you’d seek another mage’s input on this rather than another noble’s. It’s… reassuring to know that Lilie is in empathetic hands.”

Ben was truly humbled by the mage’s words. As much as he disagreed, it was nice to see his efforts recognized. He genuinely hoped he would reach a similar conclusion with his own mage sooner than later. He had looked too broadly at the situation, hadn’t seen the forest for the trees, and there was another approach he reached that he never would have found without his help. With that in mind he did decide he had taken up much of Aaron’s time and chose to stand.

“No, thank you. Your insight and your passion reminded me of why I have my reputation,” Ben said. “Though if I may be so bold, I will remind you that my empathy is not solely in my house. While there may not be much I can do without incurring judgment, I would still like you to see me as a safe place. If it’s to entertain yourself or even just a talk about nothing in particular, I implore you to seek me out if you’d like. I understand and respect your duty to your count, of course. I would simply find myself at ease if you knew you had a space to unwind or even found it a place of peace.”

Aaron stood as the Count did, wrapping his scarf back around his neck. But where he expected a cordial ‘good evening’, instead he received an offer of solace. Goodness, this was from the party, wasn’t it? The Count had been good enough to ignore him after Varis’ scathing review, but it must have prompted some sympathy from him. Aaron offered a cordial smile, nodding along with Benjamin’s words, but really, he was just embarrassed; nothing Varis said was exactly undeserved, and the last thing he needed was a vampire—a noble especially—pitying him.

Still, he supposed the thought came from a good place; he shouldn’t rebuff it outright. “That’s very kind of you, Count. Consider it noted.” He moved to bow, but stopped himself, hesitating for a moment before holding his hand out for a handshake instead. It felt weird, but the Count clearly wanted him to feel like he was on equal footing, and Aaron supposed he deserved that comfort after all he promised to do for Lilie. “Have a good night.”

Ben gave what he hoped was a warm smile—he didn’t want to come off as too overjoyed lest he scare the mage off. He did, however, take the handshake with much enthusiasm. Now that he had a plan in mind he supposed he should get to work on it. For now he would allow Lilie the distance as it was warranted.

“Thank you, Aaron,” He said. “Have a good night.”

“It would seem Count Sinnenodel is deceased.”

The quill stopped in place as Ben contemplated what he was just told. It would seem the information he had gathered was correct; with that in mind, however, he could not ignore the grim implications that followed suit. He put down his quill for the moment as Noah brought in his laptop, replaying the live clip for him to watch. An emergency broadcast with a statement from Lady Sybil Sinnenodel herself bode ill indeed.

Ben waited until the video finished before looking at his young mage. Noah didn’t seem too surprised, albeit he was deep in thought as well. Once he noticed Ben looking at him, he cleared his throat and straightened up as he closed the laptop and took it back in hand.

“You look troubled,” Ben said.

Noah stayed quiet for a moment before he would shake his head. It was admirable to see the boy so concerned. “I think this is the first time I’ve seen something like this publicised,” He said. “Father said it was inevitable, but was it really? It seems...violent to kill someone in that manner even if they are a Sinnenodel. It’s outright cruel.”

“I would say it’s practical. Flames are one of the few surefire ways to kill a vampire as brute force can only get you so far,” Ben said. “Whoever was responsible for this planned accordingly. It’s no secret that the noble House Sinnenodel relies on intelligence rather than physical prowess. Count Sinnenodel didn’t stand a chance against his pursuers.”

The Red Hand was used as the executioner but Lady Sinnenodel’s words indicated that said treachery meant someone who knew of the count’s schedule had informed the terrorist group of their chance. Was the group truly reliant on leaks to do their work? He supposed it would have been one way for them to make their mark on the world. Disturbing as it was he guessed that if the opportunity arose then there was no real reason not to take it. Varis Sinnenodel likely had many personal and public enemies that would benefit from his death.

Callous as it may sound, however, Ben had his own problems to address. He looked over the medical records in his hands as he placed them down and picked his quill up once again. He continued his notes until something else came to mind and decided to address Noah.

“With your Awakening around the corner, I believe it’s time to put you to work,” Ben said. “Someone aside from my father has planned to take over the seat, which in turn means that I have competition. I’d like you to find out who and report it to me as soon as you can. I may need to adjust my own plans depending on who it is.”

Noah lit up at his words and drank them in. He took the order well and without question as he only gave Ben a bow before turning around and exiting the office. Ben chuckled; he didn’t mean for him to do so right this second, but he appreciated his enthusiasm. For far too long had Noah constantly wanted to prove himself but anything Ben needed was too delicate of a task to be left to a newcomer. At least that much Noah could look into without there being any risks. He would learn from his father soon and be just as effective.

Speaking of Geoffrey, Ben wondered why he hadn’t shown up yet. The results of his own task had been a mixed bag. The obsidian shipments were delivered by a company called Emerald Sun, a subsidiary of Green Vision Inc. and the very same one Varis Sinnenodel was a board member of. He was young, but not too young to naively assume the two weren’t connected somehow. Not that he could ask the count anymore, but he did find it interesting how things were connected.

And speaking of connections, he was willing to bet his mines that the high profile celebrity was also up to something. He had nothing conclusive to point to Eris Samael being the one to stick his nose into the arrest that had taken place in Duke Horvath’s territory aside from a hunch, although it didn’t match the confirmation of the rumor he had heard about his mage trying to find out more about Morgan Le Fey. Was everything more intertwined than he expected or was it his own paranoia whispering untrue things? What was a celebrity doing involving himself in such affairs? Eris and Varis had been close enough that Ben didn’t doubt the two had some business ventures together, but would Eris really involve himself that much? Anything he did was on the public radar and Varis seemed more the secretive type. What did those two even see in one another? There were too many questions and not enough answers, but at this point he had to seriously consider looking into the actor as well.

Ben stood from his seat and decided to search for his mage. He needed to focus on the obsidian for the moment. If any attempts to follow the trucks are thwarted it meant he was onto something. Perhaps he was approaching this from the wrong angle. This meant that he was onto something but he wasn’t entirely sure what. He should try to see who the board member replacing Varis was, that way he could try to get an in and see about the shipments. It wasn’t the best plan but he wasn’t too sure how to go forward at this point.

There were many things on his mind now and Ben had to take a moment of pause. Green Vision Inc., obsidian, Algeria...and of course there was Lilie. It would be prudent to look into her ancestry but he doubted he would get very far. There wasn’t any real reason to do so, either. Instead of the past, he needed to start thinking about the future. He had nothing in mind for any role to fill as she was now. It was sad to say but getting saddled with a genetic failure was more of a burden than a boon. Still, the conversation he had with Aaron was still fresh in his mind; the way he defended her so meant she had value that he himself could not see. Tomorrow he would be paying a visit to Glendale and see where the white thread would lead him.

There was much for Ben to think about and little time to do it.

Every once in a while Ben was reminded how much his viewpoint differed from others. This impromptu trip of his was no exception; he distinctly remembered Glendale being described as a small town, but his definition of small had left him flabbergasted at the reality. He would have used ‘tiny’ or ‘miniscule’ instead, the few streets and houses nearly swallowed up by acres of farmland. Quaint indeed, the serene and quiet air of the night marked the end of any activity. Very few people were out at this time, the lights of the houses indicating that most of the townsfolk were home.

The vampire remained in his car for some time as he watched the small house for any activity. It wasn’t often that he was instructed by those below his station, but he felt it was best in this case. After taking a look at his watch the door to the house opened and a very familiar face stepped out. One could see that shock of white hair from a mile away as the young lady carefully went down the stairs accompanied by another woman. He did not recognize her but she very much looked like Lilie; it was safe to assume they were related.

The two women linked their arms and left together. Only when they were out of sight did Ben inform the chauffeur that he was stepping out. The chill of the air was refreshing and it wasn’t long until he reached the front door. He knocked without hesitation and waited.

The front door opened right after, a tall, dark haired man standing in the doorway. He looked a little startled as he saw the vampire in front of him, straightening up considerably. “You must be Count Eve,” He said, giving the count a smile as he backed away from the door to give him room to walk through. “I’m Will. Please, come in.”

“Thank you very much,” Ben said. He offered the man a bow before stepping into his home. It wasn’t often that he interacted with humans, but Will was very polite, reminding him of his servants at home. He could see where Lilie got her manners and soft spoken voice, his smile genuine and infectious.

“Excuse the intrusion, I won’t be long,” He said. “Where can I find your wife?”

Will looked towards the back of the house. “She’s having a smoke at the moment, but I’m sure she’ll come in at any second,” He told him. “I can show you to the kitchen. Unless the dining room is better?” He caught himself, realizing that seemed inappropriate.

“That won’t be necessary, I’ve bothered you enough as it is,” Ben declined. “I’ll go outside and be out of your way.”

After a brief nod, Ben made his way to the other door and back into the cold. A woman had perched her elbows on the railing, a cigarette in hand as she stared out into the distance. For a second Ben was stunned at the family resemblance—no, resemblance was too weak, Lilie was the spitting image of her mother. Felicia’s features were a touch sharper and obviously older but she looked young for her age and it was like he was looking at his mage’s future self. In the back of his mind this only served to confirm his suspicions although he would not make assumptions without her input.

“Good evening.” Ben said. “I thank you for meeting with me. I hope you do not mind speaking out here.”

Felicia hadn’t looked at the vampire just yet, focusing more on getting in another smoke. After a few seconds, she took another drag, exhaling as she straightened up. Crossing her arms, she twirled her cigarette between her fingers, blue eyes sharp. “Good evening,” She returned his greeting warily. “What do you want?”

Ben was not surprised by her directness but it was humorous somehow to him to hear such a harsh tone from a face he has grown to know. He couldn’t even imagine Lilie speaking to him like that even at her harshest. But Felicia Dionne had all the bite of mortals and more. She was relaxed as she spoke, tense yes but not in the way most mortals were. She was anticipating something from him. An attack perhaps but he wasn’t so crass to lay hands on anyone. It was best to get directly to the point.

“I recently received medical records pertaining to your daughter and something didn’t seem right,” Ben said. “A mage’s lineage is valued to most vampires for a multitude of reasons ranging from appearance to pristine health. Lilie is somehow not an exception to this rule even with her albinism and frailty in childhood. Were I a betting man, I would think Lilie was descended from a mage.”

Felicia listened to the count, expressionless. Even at the end she didn’t react much, only looking back out towards the backyard. She was quiet for a moment, thinking of what to say, but nothing seemed right. Finally, she shook her head. “I think you’re right. I found out shortly after the...incident,” She admitted, raising her cigarette to her lips. “There always is that small chance of magehood every couple of decades, as rare as they are. But I didn’t think...I never considered that such a big clue was in my face this whole time.”

She only thought he was right—she had no confirmation. With the situation at hand, however, that was good enough for Ben all things considered. As it was he was sure there would be no concrete evidence at this point in time.

“I thought it was strange, I’ll admit,” Ben said. “The Dionne family has existed in this town for generations. It’s comparable to some vampire dynasties how expansive it is between this town and the next. Many families here were the same and those that weren’t never came from too far away. I could find plenty for your father’s family—the Douglas family—but I couldn’t find anything of your mother. The only thing for certain is that Liliane Diggory lived here. I hope you can enlighten me on this.”

Taking in a breath, Felicia slowly exhaled. “You sound like you have it all figured out,” She muttered, letting out a sigh. “I never questioned the lack of family from my mother’s side since my father had six siblings and they all pumped out four kids minimum. She told me once that her family was much too far to communicate with--unlike these days where we have cellphones and the like, once you got far away enough from certain places you could basically disappear without a trace. One time, I think, she admitted that she had never met her father. And...she said something about a sister. But other than that, no one knew where she came from, and she died relatively young. It was...eight years ago. She was only fifty-seven.”

As she spoke, her tone became melancholy, even as she knit her eyebrows together. “Why are you asking me about this?” She suddenly asked, looking directly at Ben with cold eyes.

Recent years have made it harder for mages to escape but it wasn’t unheard of some decades ago. Depending on the family it would have caused a quiet yet hasty retrieval. Perhaps Liliane belonged to a small family. Or perhaps she was not missed. Fleeing to the countryside was wise but Ben was surprised nonetheless. It must have taken some courage to leave everything she knew behind.

Felicia’s hostility was warranted but Ben was not done. “Knowing my mage’s lineage is important,” Ben said.

“It’s easier to sell a flawed mage when you can swear this is a one time anomaly,” Felicia’s response was sharp and to the point, and she made sure she was standing straight as she gave Ben a glare. “I’ve spent years doing my damndest to make sure my daughter never saw herself as different, but your kind loves to pick apart mortals for a hair out of place and every abnormality they have just because we have the misfortune of being imperfect.”

Ben could also see where Lilie got her defensiveness from. Yet once again Felicia was much harsher, much more threatening. It wouldn’t do to simply make an attempt to calm her down; she would just as easily verbally rip him apart. Hearing her speak however gave Ben a sudden understanding.

“Yes, the immortal have always looked down on mortals for their flaws. But do not misunderstand my intentions,” Ben said. “I have come here to look for answers to questions I have. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Felicia couldn’t help but scoff, fully turning back to the yard. “I don’t believe you. But there’s not much I can do about it,” She replied. “Unfortunately I’m going to have to disappoint you if you want to know anything else. My mother appeared one day suddenly, lived her life here, then died. I haven’t been able to find out where she came from or who her family is--I’m willing to bet her name was something she came up with herself, too. The only thing I do know is that she isn’t from this territory and she was probably a mage.”

Disappointing but Ben had an inkling Felicia would not be convinced. Fortunately her words gave him plenty to think about; the circumstances of Liliane Diggory’s appearance yielded mystery even from her own flesh and blood. They had come to the same conclusion as well. Still, she sounded so sure of what she said.

“If I may ask, what makes you so sure she was a mage?” Ben asked. “People run away for multiple reasons ranging from abusive homes to wanting to start a new life.”

“True. I could be wrong, just grasping at straws for some justification for everything that’s happened,” Felicia admitted that much. “Honestly, it’s just...a feeling I have.”

Going with your gut was usually the way to go. Ben could honestly agree with Felicia solely on that as he had a familiar feeling. The mystery came to a cold ending and he supposed he would never truly know. He would lay the issue to rest and decided he would ask one more thing.

“I understand,” Ben said. “If it is at all possible, can you tell me about Lilie’s Awakening?”

“I’ll tell you now, I’m not going to elaborate on what happened at the dam,” The woman warned him. “For one, I still don’t know exactly what happened. I can tell you the aftermath and that’s pretty much it,” She told him. “Anything more you’re going to have to get out of her.”

After waiting for some inclination of agreement, Felicia let out a sigh, shaking her head. “Truth is, I only have bits and pieces and guesses to what went on. The only reason I found out what happened is because an old colleague of mine let me know something was going on in the first place--the less humans know, the better they’re ‘protected’. I was told that the dam’s destruction was Lilie’s doing. To his credit, he was able to explain that mages without control had the capability to cause things like that to happen. There was no need to worry about costs as the vampire owning the territory would receive funding, and Lilie would be taken to another town for training. I remember hearing all that and conveying it to my husband, but as soon as I finished talking, he burst into tears. I think at that point I didn’t understand what was happening, even as I comforted him.”

That much was a surprise to Ben for some reason. Perhaps it was because he was used to having mages but he had been under the assumption that even a mage from a human family would be informed of what happened to the mage. However, what she said did make sense from his perspective as he was aware young mages’ abilities did have a chance at manifesting before their Awakening. He was also surprised to hear that Lilie had managed to destroy a dam of all things. There was some irony in hearing that after having previously discussed his weak mage but there was no point in bringing that up.

“After the incident, there was a record stating that a prescription for buspirone and benzodiazepines was handed out,” Ben said. “I understand that using such power could be shocking, but I don’t see why those were given.”

For a moment, Felicia fell quiet, but her expression changed completely. She struggled with something at first, trying to find the words. “I don’t suppose you...looked up any news articles, did you?” She asked slowly. “Even though the mages did their best to cover it up, the destruction was pretty obvious. Thing is, around here, that area was a common place for people to hang out. Specifically, teenagers. That night was no exception.”

Ben could not fight the sinking feeling in his chest as Felicia spoke as he understood her hestiance—and Lilie’s—in revealing what had happened. Suddenly he remembered the practical and their last challenge where Lilie had nearly drowned. She had been exceptionally shaken by seeing her friends ‘floating’ in the water. He had initially assumed that it had been her current friends that had drowned but he did not consider that it had been friends from her previous life.

“With that said, they…” Ben couldn’t finish the sentence. But he would go on. “And Lilie believed their blood was on her hands. I see. I didn’t consider it would be so personal.”

Raising a hand to her forehead, Felicia let out a hollow laugh in disbelief. “For a century old being, you’re not as smart as I thought you would be. Or maybe you’re just naive,” She couldn’t help herself, giving Ben an incredulous look. “What did you think I was going to tell you?”

Ben did not have a response to that. He initially believed that he was not told solely because it was a source of shame. What did he think Lilie was hiding? The truth was he didn’t care what it was so long as he learned about it. As he looked at Felicia, who waited for an answer to her question, it was he who was ashamed of himself. Never in a hundred years did he expect this, either. He never expected Lilie to have killed even by accident.

“I don’t know,” He said in earnest.

Shaking her head, Felicia finished off her cigarette, extinguishing it as she let out one last huff. Rubbing her hands together, she was at a loss as to what to say. “Well, unfortunately I don’t have much else to say. She was medicated for a while due to recommendation from a psychologist, and she only came back when she had the princess’ invitation. I don’t think she’s been the same since, but…” She trailed off, pinching the bridge of her nose. “That’s all I have for you. I won’t bore you with the details of what happened in between.”

“I see.”

Ben wished he had more to say but it was difficult to follow up at this point. He did want to know more but if Felicia could not provide any more answers then this was where it ended. Even so, he was glad he asked; he had gained valuable insight into who Felicia was as well. The transparency was refreshing and he knew she did the best that she could.

“Thank you. I will be sure to compensate you for your time,” Ben said.

Felicia scowled at him, openly rolling her eyes. “Gee, thanks,” She looked Ben up and down, eyeing him warily. “In return I’m going to give you some free advice from a lowly human: generally speaking, going behind someone’s back to learn their secrets is seen as a bad thing.”

Ben was once again surprised but he supposed he had this coming. He didn’t make it as secret as he should have; asking the family to make sure Lilie was away when he visited, going out of his way to make sure the circumstances were in his favor, all of it spilled multiple flags. If anything the fact that Felicia had already seen through it made Ben wonder why Lilie was so naive.

“It is for the better,” Ben said. “I am surprised at your temperament. You daughter is very kind and soft, and you are…”

“Bitchy and direct?” She asked, raising an eyebrow as a grin formed. “Yeah. Most people thought Lilie was my sister’s kid--they’re a lot alike in that way. But like I said, even a nice girl like Lilie wouldn’t be happy to learn her vampire is trying to sniff out the truth.”

And how perceptive! She would certainly even give some of his own servants a lesson. Ben could not stop his smile but he would nod graciously. It still amused him to no end to see how different this woman was. No wonder she was allowed to work alongside mages in her past. That thought was enough to remind him of one last thing.

"One more question and I will leave you be," Ben said. "I have heard much of your skill. Who was the vampire that you won against?"

Felicia kept her grin, extinguishing her cigarette as she shook her head at him. “Don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m human, I don’t stand a chance against your kind. You must have heard wrong,” She chuckled.

Disappointing but it could not be helped. Now, however, he truly would take his leave as he felt sticking around was not needed. “I understand. As I mentioned before, I have the best intentions,” Ben said.

“Altruism is only noteworthy if your actions match them,” Felicia replied, patting Ben’s shoulder as she walked past him.

Ben would not argue with that. However, he had imposed on them for far too long. He followed Felicia in and gave her a short bow before walking back to the living room though he did stop before a wall filled with pictures. The streaks of white were noticeable even from several photographs albeit the times were different. A much young Felicia holding a toddler Lilie, for instance, had caught his attention. The photo next to him, however, shocked him. The older woman in the photo could have been Felicia, though the brunette sat next to her, holding Lilie as a child. This must have been Liliane with her daughter and granddaughter.

Ben would not linger and instead chose to see himself out.

Salem made his way towards Victors door, stopping a half step away as his hand drifted hesitantly in the air. Should he open up a conversation between them? Things had died down since the exam took place, and he had time to reflect and think about his perspective. He wanted to make sure his partner was ok. Salem knocked on the door in the rhythm of 'shave and a haircut' before taking a step back and making his way towards the living room where he'd wait.

He sat there on their couch, wringing his hands together like an old maid as he thought about three pressing matters in his mind. Hopefully they could be addressed tonight and his restless mind laid to bed. Salem spoke out softly but enough for Victor to hear him. "I wish to speak to you if that is ok. I'll be waiting in the living room"

Victor had been spending the majority of his evening away from others. Meditating in his room with his family sword. The recent events have been ruining his calm and making him more emotional than he was used too. The count decided the best use of his time was to wait and just breath. However his mage would see to it to cut his peace of mind short. Salem didn't even have to knock; he could hear his heavy footsteps down the hall.

The slight hesitation of his mage almost made him call out to the boy yet he spoke up first. Asking him to come out and he could only guess clear the air for what had been said earlier. He couldn't blame him, he didn't really explain everything to him. With a sigh, Victor stood and put some sweatpants on and headed for the living room. The boy seemed to be noticeably more comfortable around him when he was wearing all his clothes.

Salem watched Victor's approach with heavy eyes. He patted the seat next to him on the couch as he began to speak up. "I know I was hot-headed before but.. I just wanted to check in with you and make sure you were ok. I've spent so much of my life having to look out for myself. I've forgotten that I need to take care of others feelings as well. What we went through couldn't of been easy for you, dredging up memories like that."

The vampire didn't look amused but didn't seem too dismissive either as he took a seat near his mage but not where he offered. “I will always be fine, those memories do put me on edge but i have learned to control myself.” Victor seemed to ponder his next words for a moment before continuing. “Is there anything that I said that may trouble you? Or that you still need questions about?”

Of course he would say that he's fine. Even in their privacy Victor's candidness had to have its limits. Salem was hesitant as the words became caught in his throat. He needed to tread carefully with what he would say and how he should say it. "I suppose I was concerned about her likeness to Lilie, and how constant exposure to such a reminder might feel for you. "

Victor sighed then looked from the wall and back to his mage, “I have had a long time to… deal with my memories and how they affect me. To a point.” the muscles in his jaw flexed while he gritted his teeth for a moment, “you are correct that Lillies likeness to her caught me off guard. It was likely the reason why I treated her the way I did.” the vampire rolled his shoulder for a moment. “The only thing that truly gets to me now is when I have to relive that memory.”

"Then i won't force you to relive that memory. No one should have to relive their trauma, especially by force." Salem was looking past Victor now, searching the space behind him for the words he wanted to say. "I've been growing closer with Lilie, ever since we met but more so with our practices that you had started. I was hoping to find out just how close that feeling is, I'm asking for your permission to date her. I am not sure if Count Eve will approve but I do not doubt he likes me to some extent. But...if this will cause further issues for you then I will back off and stay as friends."

The vampire smiled, “I'll allow you to pursue your needs as long as it does not interfere with training or school.” he caught himself rubbing his finger together and looked at the boy. The count was thinking of explaining something to the boy, he knew he would have to tell him eventually. “Salem, in my profession secrets and keeping them are key. So i will give you a secret as a test but also to explain something about my family.”

“I'm sure you know that Astorio households are traditionalists, my family is what you would call ultra traditionalist. We are so far away hidden in the mountains, lurking beneath our city in bunkers and tunnels. Humans and mages are basically second class citizens still and the word of a vampire no matter how low is above all else except other vampires. This is why I want you to keep up with your etiquette classes for my father is very strict.” pausing for a moment before continuing, “Sarah was the love of my life, someone who taught me how to be gentle, how to be kind. She could bring warmth to my dead heart.”

Vicor dropped his head resting it on the seat behind him and stared up at the ceiling. “She was my first mage, we trained together when I was very young. She was stubborn, hard headed, headstrong, determined. She would either push through or break through any obstacle in her way. But she had a gentle heart, cared about others, made sure no one was left behind. Her smile was like seeing the stars in the sky for the first time, that beauty, that wonder, it had the power to make my heart flutter but now it haunts me in my dreams.” still he didn't look at the boy. “One day my father found out about this, love between a vampire and mage was forbidden. Sure you could fulfill your urges with them but you could not love them.”

“Soon I learned that she was being held on charges of treason. Someone had found plans to assassinate my father and then the queen in her chambers. They kept her in a cell for two more months, she was pregnant from a prearranged agreement to breed her with another water mage. After she had her daughter I only saw her one more time before she went to trial. I told her that we could run, that we could disappear. But she told me not to, she told me to be strong. Made me promise to protect her child to the best of my ability.”

“The trial, if you could call it that, was over in a day and she was sentenced to death. My father forced me to watch as they burned her at the stake. After that I was quickly taken to the next phase of my training, counter interrogation. In this phase we are tortured so that we know what it's like and learn how to deal with it. Normally this only lasts six months. I was stuck there for three years as I apparently kept failing the course. It is the main reason I am covered in scars.” Victor was quick to wipe off a small trickle of blood coming from his eye then looked back to his mage.

“That is your secret to keep, all paperwork of Sarah’s existence has been erased from the records, the only memory of her is what I hold. So no, I can't go to anyone about it. It is my secret so I can keep her daughter safe. If anyone finds out I will deny it so lets hope this doesn't happen.” it had been a very long time since he spoke about Sarah openly and even just for a moment he was happy again to remember her as she was and what she meant for him.

Salem could see the conflicting emotions within Victor. There was a deep sadness burned into those happy memories. The look of someone who drowned themselves in a void of nothingness, always feeling like they're suffocating on their past. It wasn't too far off to how Salem felt when he thought of his last love. If you could even call him that. Salem felt guilty just listening to Victor's tale, as if by him now knowing he had sentenced his daughter to death.

"You have my word that I won't tell anyone about this. It shall be our secret, not just for you but for your child's sake. I will help to keep her safe and protected." He thought a lot about what Victor had been saying, deciding perhaps there was more that he could do to help. "Etiquette classes will only get so far with your father and other Astorios. What can you tell me about their...your customs. What laws and rules do the Astorios follow so that I may learn them and impress them not just with my etiquette but also my knowledge and willingness to adapt."

“Keep a cool head but don't back down from a challenge. You will see the other houses backstab, gain favors, or just wait for the person above them to die in order to gain favor or ranks in their families. For us all you have to do is prove yourself to be the better fighter.” Victor did not sense any fault or change in demeanor from Salem to suggest he was lying. “Be smart but confident in any answer you give to someone and never question an order. Remember weakness is not tolerated and beating around the bush will not earn you anything. Be respectful and you will be ok.” a short and simple answer but that was to be expected for Astorios, blunt and to the point, as if they were still at war with an unknown enemy.

It seemed simple. Almost too simple. In a way Victor was telling Salem to be exactly who he was to an extent. There was no espionage, no backstabbing, no double talking, just being honest, accepting challenges that lie ahead, as well as to continue his training to be strong. He wasn't exactly certain as to what strong meant for a mage to the Astorios. After all the mage he'd met on the field the other day was using his magic to manipulate a vampire. Was that something that was allowed? Was it a form of asserting dominance? Salem thought about this as he looked at Victor's face, searching it for answers and finding very few. "Seems fairly straight forward. I think I can manage that."

“Good. This also means your magic has to reflect this, you can be as beautiful as a rose but you have to be as sturdy as a red wood. Show that even if you're different you belong all the same.” The count stood and headed for the kitchen to open a bottle as well as consume some of the pig blood he had stored as well. “But I'm not going to ask Benjamin for you, that's for you and Lillie to figure out. Just remember to use protection whenever you kids are mixing your magic, getting another nobles mage pregnant will make you the most popular mage here for all the wrong reasons.” Victor was very open about these things and had no problem teasing people about it. He knew it made him a bit of an ass but he found it to be humorous.

Salem blushed and turned away from where Victor was heading as he mentioned Lillie and him ‘mixing magic’. It wasn’t exactly something that he was thinking of, or even planning to do. Those weren’t his intentions, and even he understood the consequences of breeding with another nobles mage without their explicit permission. He let out a short cough before moving past the subject and back towards what was being discussed before. ”No need to worry about my magic. I plan to implement some family skills into my teachings here to not only create dangerous hybrids but to also transmute and weaponize them in a way that would make the Astorios recognize my worth. Granted, that doesn’t mean that I intend to leave my clinic behind. While toxins are all fine and well for the Astorio’s, they do little for my clientele. So I’ll also be creating things to speed up healing, and help those in need. I hope that is more than fine with you.”

The vampire poured a small glass of pig blood and a larger glass of Salem's blood while he listened to his mage from the other room. “At least you have a plan but don't be surprised if you get orders for it, one idea some of my family may like is an anticoagulant. You know something that stops your body from being able to form clots. Just be careful with it, you go too deep and the council may swoop in and confiscate your experiments.” Victor drank the swig from the shot glass and grimaced, chasing it with a sip of Salem’s blood. “I already told you that I didn't need you as a combat mage. Not only is that specifically what Leaf trains in, but right now the council doesn't trust you so they wont send you on jobs with me anyway.”

”I could look into it possibly, but as you just pointed out that does sound like a slippery rabbit hole to fall into. They already suspected me of being part of the Red Hand, such experiments may make them believe I'm attempting to delve into the area of necromancy and that wouldn’t exactly bode well for any of us. But like I said, I’m willing to look into such matters given time. I’m sure there’s some plant out there that does that already to a certain effect, breed it appropriately and transmute them enough and chances are you can create a fairly potent anticoagulant.” Salem began to ramble on for a moment, his mind racing at the new concept that was just put before him and using his knowledge to help him find the best path there with the least amount of risk. Though his curiosity was peaked, there was still the part inside of him that worried just how dangerous of an experiment this may be. Not just for the future of having such a spell or weapon, but also the legal implications of it and how the other nobility or royals would view it.

Victor returned to the room and sat back down with his glass, “your rambling again, almost like you are trying your best not to talk about lillie and how you think of her.” Victor took a sip of his drink and raised an eyebrow inquisitively. “Just dont get super depressed if she says no, just means you have to be her friend for a little while longer and ask again. But don't go all, what's the word, Stalker? Yeah don't do that.” He took another sip and sat back farther in the chair, obviously enjoying teasing the boy.

Salem stopped his rambling mid sentence and gave Victor an odd look. He wasn't sure whether to laugh or be offended at the notion that he would stalk her. What's more he wasn't exactly the type to take a no as a 'not right now'. If she did turn him down, and she changed her views later on he would wait for her to say so more than not. "Don't worry about me. I won't become a stalker, if she chooses to just be friends then that's more than alright with me. I value our friendship far too much to ruin it over something as trivial as 'the friendzone'. That's something for the straights to worry about."

“Hmm alright well i'll leave it to you then. Just keep me updated on what's going on, i don't need a play by play but at least let me know ahead of time. Also if you think you may need time off from training to have your own fun then run it by me first. If it's not too much then i'll likely be okay with it as long as you make up the time on another day.” He stood and downed the rest of his glass. “Is there anything else you wanted to talk to me about before I continue with polishing my weapons and armor?”

"I think that should be all for now. But I appreciate you taking time from polishing your weapons to have this conversation."

The world seemed so much more peaceful away from people. It lacked the tension of silenced conversations and judgmental stares. Out amongst the trees, there was no one to care about the clothes the Countess wore or the political stances she took. There was only the rustling of the leaves and creaking of branches as the wind whistled through the forest. December had brought the temperatures down into frigid territory, enough that even Amaris was beginning to feel it. While it didn’t make her severely uncomfortable, it had been enough that she had begun fussing over her partner’s attire and stocking her pockets with small hand warmers just in case. Amaris, however, was not as quick to follow her own advice as she stepped out into the cold night air in the athletic attire she had purchased and a simple lengthy sweater. Where she was going, a bulky coat would only slow her down.

Amaris scanned the area around her to make sure she was truly alone before setting off on her path, making her way swiftly and silently past the treeline of the forest that stood behind the nobles’ dorms. It wasn’t as if the student’s were forbidden from entering the forest, but she preferred solitude and didn’t need any unnecessary intrusions in a space she rather enjoyed. The privacy it offered had originally enticed the Countess as a potential practice space for her magic, somewhere away from her mage so that Maddie would be safe should she screw something up. Unfortunately, she had started second guessing its security following the mage exams. It wouldn’t take much for security to use a scry and catch her in the act of casting something highly illegal, which was the very last thing she needed right now. Until she had an opportunity to speak to Ryner about it directly, Amaris would have to put that plan on hold. In the meantime, she figured that a clearing she had come across would make for a decent and private training ground for her meetings with Victor.

She expected to find Victor waiting for her when she arrived, as that was usually his style, but it was not this expectation that fueled her pace. Once the view of the dorms had been obscured by trees, the Countess’ gait had harshened, her steps less polite and her stride more determined. It had already been a few days since the soiree at Varis’ dorm had taken place, but Amaris still found herself rather wound up from the encounter. So much so that she had sent a personal letter to Victor requesting his presence out in the middle of a dark forest in the hopes of being able to distract herself from the irritation. After several minutes of stomping through the trees, Amaris finally approached her destination and peeked around the last line of trees to scope the area out. As she had predicted, Victor was already waiting for her in the clearing.

“I appreciate you meeting me out here, hope it wasn’t too much of a hassle.” She spoke softly despite the fact that there was little to no chance that he hadn’t heard her approaching from a mile off. Amaris figured her graceless entrance was more than enough disrespect to his meditation efforts.

The forest was always quite peaceful this time of night. The occasional chirp of some insect, the chorus of the frogs in some far off pond or stream, the sound of an owl calling out through the trees. Even at night this world was alive. Yet even with the gentle breeze and the smells of the plants around him couldnt put his mind to the ease that he was hoping for while he sat in between the trees. After all it wasnt everyday you get a letter from a countess to meet out in the woods for training. Honestly he should have come here sooner, most of the other mages and vampires were not interested in venturing into the forest or off the beaten path for that matter.

The dependency the others had on their cellular devices always irked him a little and yet he was going to force himself to sit through one of these classes just so he can learn how to use them. It would mean he wouldn't have to rely on Salem everytime something new came out or everytime he broke one of his phones “indestructible my ass” he scoffed at himself. It soon dawned on him that the forest became silent, the frogs and bugs stopped making sounds leaving only the gentle rustle of the trees in the breeze.

That was until not so subtle steps could be heard approaching at a fast pace. They didn't seem to be angry but definitely not trying to hide their presence. As he scanned the forest from his seated position with one eye the flash of color between the trees made him sigh, the countess seemed to have finally made her way to him. A quick hello from the countess as per usual for her.

Victor did not say a word or look up to her. Slowly he raised one finger to his lips in a shush motion then held out his hand in front of him offering her a place to sit. Here he would wait, not moving or breathing just waiting. It wouldnt be until the frogs began croaking again and the song of the forest at night began again that he would speak. “It never is countess.” He was speaking quieter then he usually did but still did not open his eyes to meet hers. “Is there anything you would like to talk about before we begin today? I’m sure that you have also found yourself to be rather restless after that last meeting.” it was only after speaking that he finally opened his eyes and looked up towards her.

Amaris hesitated as she stood before a still seated Victor. She had expected something a little more hit-the-ground-running, or at least it was what she had hoped. However, the Count didn’t so much as open his eyes to look at her as she came to a stop ahead of him. Looking around at her surroundings, Amaris reluctantly took a seat across from the man in silence. She found herself growing more and more antsy the longer she sat, eventually having to fight the urge to stand back up as she waited until Victor spoke at last. Restless was a nice way of putting her experience since the soiree had taken place, but at the very least it didn’t sound like she was alone in her discomfort.

“You seem to be handling it far better than I. The amount of calm you can maintain with Varis is admirable, if not just a bit creepy.” She noted, crossing her legs in front of her. Her hands were clasped together and rested neatly in her lap, however, her thumbs continued to twirl endlessly around one another as the pair sat and talked.

“Even a few days later I can’t seem to shake the feeling of him looming over my shoulder with that smug ‘I know everything’ face. It’s driving me insane. ” Amaris wasn’t exactly sure why she was confiding in him but it seemed better than the alternative of actually going insane.

Continuing to listen to her silently Victor kept his stoic facial expressions. Even with his eyes closed most of the time he could still pick up on her subtle and not so subtle fidgeting and movements. Both her emotions and body movements were erratic almost like she couldn't sit still. “I’m more of a soldier then a noble, I've been trained to go through alot worse.” he glanced at the scars on his arm’s for just a moment then continued. “That doesn't mean that it doesn't annoy me. The training we go through helps us focus and subdue our emotions. We are taught that an enemy that can provoke your emotions, that can get under your skin, can control you. Then we are taught how to get under other people's skin in order to control them. This is in a combat setting but it's similar to what Varis does.”

With a deep breath the count continued, “that's actually something that we are going to work on today. You have been doing well with your exercises, I can see it in your muscle tone. However, now we move onto the next step. That is to train your mind and your senses, we will go over several things, several things you can practice on your own. Eventually you will find that your mind and emotions could very well be as still as mine in the face of any obstacle.” This was something that he needed to freshen up on anyways as it was the next step in even Salem’s training.

She forgot sometimes that Victor wasn’t just your run-of-the-mill combat enthusiast. He must have thought her worries were so trivial in comparison to things he was trained to handle. There was little doubt in the countess’ mind that she would crumble under the kinds of things he was likely used to, something he was more than likely aware of. Still, here he was still agreeing to help her out regardless of the vast differences in their skill sets, and for that she couldn’t bring anything less than her best effort.

Snapping to attention, Amaris listened closely as the count explained what they were to work on for their current meeting. It took her a bit by surprise, as she had thought they would do more physical training… rather she had expected they would. How was she supposed to let off some steam by sitting here training her mind? Her disappointment was mixed with a fair amount of confusion and apprehension as she nodded her acceptance slowly.

“Is it noticeable? I suppose I just wouldn’t know what to look for, but it’s reassuring to learn that your efforts haven’t been a waste.” Amaris was relying on Victor’s experience to become stronger precisely for the reason that she wasn’t able to accomplish it on her own. If left to make her own decisions regarding training, she would likely never make any real progress… so if Victor thought mental exercises were more important, then who was she to second guess that decision? “Where do we start?”

“First we start slow then we move to more physical things. So first I'll teach you a breathing exercise that helps one remain calm and let stress simply wash over them rather than taking it full force. Once we go through it a few times then we will move on.” The count adjusted himself slightly then continued. “I'm aware that we as vampires do not need to breathe but I find the rhythmic breathing helps even us to be calm. This won't take us too long so don't worry.” Victor rested his hands in his lap then nodded to her.

“First step is to close your eyes and take a deep breath for 4 seconds, hold that breath for another 4 seconds. Then exhale for 4 seconds and hold your diaphragm still for another 4 seconds. We will do this for 2 minutes then continue on with our training. The humans call this box breathing.” keeping to his word, victor continued the breathing exercise at the mentioned pace to try and help her follow along.

With a furrowed brow, Amaris spent a moment watching Victor just to make sure she had heard him correctly. The longer he sat there, the more it solidified that he was not joking about his instructions. They were going to practice… a breathing exercise. How did some mortal breathing exercise, box breathing as he had called it, train the mind to be more calm? It wasn’t as if the flow of oxygen was going to make any difference.

Amaris kicked herself internally, reminding herself of why she was even out here in the first place. Just do as you are told. After a few moments of clear confusion, the countess closed her eyes and listened for the sound of Victor’s breathing. Once she had grasped the rhythm, she joined in as instructed with short four second inhales followed by short four second exhales. Stillness. Repeat. It was fairly labored and somewhat awkward as she had to consciously think about breathing for such an extended period of time. It was different when it was solely used for effect, like in cases such as gasps or sighs. Short, single use bursts, but hardly ever consistent enough to make this exercise feel like easing into a habit.

After the two minute period he stopped and slowly stood. “It's not easy to get used to but eventually you stop thinking about everything around you and simply focus on your breathing.” moving to a neat pile of his things and picking up a long white scarf. “This exercise may not help you too much. I find it is hit and miss with vampires. However, teaching it to your mage or other humans may bring you into a better light with them especially if they have issues with anxiety.”

Victor stepped up to her with a mischievous grin, “tell me during the practical when we were all blinded, did you panic? Did you suddenly become unsure of your foot steps? Maybe stumble and fell a time or two?” He held the scarf out to her clearly and it was meant to be used as a blind fold. “This exercise is about trusting your instincts and focusing on your senses other than sight. This will be your blind fold. Again we will start small, let you listen for a moment to your surroundings then once you're ready you will try to figure out where I am.”

He paused for a moment to think about how he was going to pull this off, “After that we will move into you defending yourself or at least trying to.” He wasn't going to teach her like he was taught, too dangerous and bloody for that to happen out here. “After we go through these exercises we can finish with combative bouts. I'm sure you're going to get frustrated from this. I know i was when I first started”

She considered his question carefully, thinking back to the night in question. Had she been anxious during the exam? Well, of course, that was a given… it was an exam. But that wasn’t quite what he meant. Had it been her induced blindness that played a large role in her uncertainty?

“Not quite.” Amaris spoke thoughtfully. Even now, eyeing what was clearly meant to be a blindfold of sorts, she didn’t feel anything that she could describe as being panicked. She didn’t fear being blind. “I won’t lie and say I was completely at ease, because I wasn’t. It was uncomfortable and unusual for sure, but I can’t say that I panicked because of it.” To her, it had felt like something more than just a simple loss of sight. It had an effect on her entire body, knocking her just out of sync with herself. Perhaps it was a sort of panic that she was not familiar with, or perhaps it was by Ryner’s design. Such a thing was difficult to tell so long after the fact.

Regardless, the idea of blocking her sight didn’t present as much anxiety as most would assume it would. It wasn’t an entirely foreign concept to her, after all. In the years following her father’s death, she had spent a large portion of her time avoiding anyone and everyone she could. That was easier said than done when you had an entire household attempting to look after you. If she wasn’t locked away behind a door, she was finding nooks and crannies to hide in when venturing out; a tactic that only really worked if she was able to avoid being seen in the first place.

“I have a bit of experience with avoiding company. Although, never with someone quite on your level of self awareness and control. This will be interesting to see how much my body remembers.” She mused, trying not to think about the implications of the next step. What exactly was it that she was going to be defending herself against? Amaris had to shake the feeling off, knowing it would only distract her from her current goal. One step at a time. With one final steady inhale and exhale, Amaris took the scarf from Victor and tied it securely around her head. She allowed him the opportunity to check it, though he wouldn’t find her trying to cheat the system.

“Well that's good to know, what i've heard is most others felt claustrophobic at worst and uncomfortable at best.i was caught off guard at first but it didn't take long to get back into it.” He stepped back and watched her for a moment; he was being quiet for a little while, letting her get used to the sounds of the forest. Quietly he spoke up again, “have you been keeping up on the defensive blocks I showed you last time?” he knew very well that if she hadn't been he would know. Again he went silent and moved with heavy footsteps around her just outside of her reach. “For now just try to point to where i am, if you're wrong i'll hit you with a pinecone. Once I'm satisfied we will move on to see what your muscle memory looks like and see if you can defend yourself while blindfolded.” she couldn't see it but he was smiling slightly annoying others is something he does enjoy regularly.

Again he fell silent he was still breathing and made sure to step on a leaf or a twig here and there to give away his position. Slowly he made it harder, he stopped breathing, footsteps became lighter and lighter until he was making barley a sound that didn't match up to the surrounding forest. Occasionally he would stop, that way if she was predicting his movements she would be off and he had picked up quite a few small things to pester her with when or if she got it wrong.

Amaris was plunged into complete darkness by the blindfold, but it didn’t take her long to start adjusting. Unlike her experience in the forest, it wasn’t accompanied by any sense of confusion or vertigo. She didn’t feel quite as isolated from her surroundings this time around. It was as if her body were lighter somehow, less cumbersome than it had been while making her way through the exam. Was it the change in setting that made the difference, or had she really improving through her training?

While the countess already had a general idea of what the space around her looked like, she decided it was better to get a grasp on where she stood from scratch. There was a natural air current that whispered through the space, rustling the leaves on the outer edges of the clearing the pair occupied. It helped her define the overall size of the space, and hopefully, the max distance Victor would wander for the exercise. She could just make out holes in the sound of the shifting blades of grass, areas where objects larger or sturdier than plant matter stood steady against the gentle breeze. Perhaps if her goal had been to make her way around the area, the information she had gathered so far would have been enough. Unfortunately, she was looking for something specific. She had to pick Victor apart from any other tree or item, a task she suspected was only going to get tougher with time.

At first it had been fairly simple, the noise he made was enough for her to point him out with ease. She could hear the faint whistle of air being pulled off its natural path, the sound of a vampire breathing nearby. Paired with the sound of rocks grinding into the dirt and twigs snapping under pressure, it was fairly easy for her to point her target out. With each correct guess, her confidence grew, but her queues were becoming scarcer. Victor cut his breathing first, leaving her with just the sound of his footsteps, but eventually those vanished as well. That was when the pelting began. By her count, the side of her head had experienced three pinecones and four pebbles with her ponytail becoming home to the various sizes of twigs tossed in between. After another pinecone dropped to her feet, Amaris was beginning to wonder if she needed to reconsider her approach. From the beginning, she had been using sound to locate her target… but what was she to do when there was no sound at all? It wasn’t as if she could use her initial method if she found herself deafened as well as blinded, so how could she adapt?

Back to the beginning. Four seconds in, four seconds out, stillness, repeat. Four seconds in, four seconds out, stillness, repeat. Four seconds in, four seconds out, stillness… He might have removed the option to pick him out based on sound, but he could not reroute the natural shifting of the breeze. The air current would betray his position as he moved against it, or so she had thought but she still couldn’t sense any particular disturbance in the air.

As if struck by inspiration, Amaris whirled around and pointed in the direction she was now facing. “There!”

At first she was able to track him just fine but after a bit she started to fail and slowly she began to drop the ball. The first few times she messed up he corrected her by hitting her with a pinecone from where he was. The frustration and annoyance she showed on her face almost made him laugh. Especially when he started using pebbles.

Soon amaris stopped and went silent, Victor watched as she slowly started her breathing exercises like he showed her. He wanted to see how far she could go with it so he began to move again. The sounds of the forest and the gentle wind almost seemed to give him away, almost as if she was starting to take this seriously. For a moment she reminded him of himself when he first started, when he first heard the silence and the noise that gave people away. She suddenly rose her hand and nearly shouted.

A pebble flicked from his hand to just above her right eye, “Very close you were two steps behind me. Good job I believe we can move on to the next step.” he stopped using his ‘stealth mode’ and stepped up to her. “So next i'm going to start poking you, your shoulders, your stomach, and your forehead. This exercise is to test your instincts and reflexes as well as muscle memory. The blind fold will stay on for this but I won't be trying to hide which point I'm going for.” The count shifted his stance slightly. “All you have to do is block, don't tense or anticipate getting touched, just block. If you start to think too much about it I'm going to slap you in the face. We will start slow then pick up the pace a bit more after. We will begin when you say go.”

“Damnit.” She cursed under her breath as she rubbed the back of her hand across the sore spot above her eye. Amaris was sure she had it that time, but two steps off was better than many of her previous attempts. Surely that counted as progress. It might not have been much, but even Victor seemed somewhat pleased. Well, to be specific, he didn’t sound mad. She wasn’t about to get picky with his responses.

Next up was the more interactive portion of the blindfold adventure. She wasn’t at all sure how she felt about the thought of being slapped across the face. Was that allowed? Well, it was his time she was taking up, as well as his training regiment. It wasn’t exactly illegal for him to hit her. She would just have to avoid thinking too much about it then. Easier said than done.

“Don’t think, just react. Got it.” Relax, relax, relax. “Go.”

He started slowly in a clockwise fashion, left shoulder, forehead, right shoulder, then stomach. He was doing this slow first to get her used to it then started speeding up. The count found her midsection and forehead to be the slowest response but she seemed able to predict the movements after a few rounds. He could tell her movements were slowly becoming more smooth and less jerky as she started to just let herself go with the flow. Once he was satisfied victor would pause for a moment then start again in a counter clockwise movement.

Again Amaris seemed to be anticipating the first few but soon got back in the rhythm of things. Then came the fun part, randomized jabbs, no more patterns. Again she was anticipating and the change was slow but soon they were able to pick up the pace faster and faster. Then he stopped just for a moment and started again varying the direction and speed of his jabs. The countess kept up very well. Soon Victor stopped again and stepped back, “very good, you are starting to trust yourself. That will be all for that for now unless you wish to continue. If not you can remove the blind fold and we can start on the next step of your defensive training.”

It was a strange feeling to be voluntarily poked by someone that she couldn’t see, but if it’s what she had to do to get better then so be it. She was just glad it was training that had taken place all the way out here where no one could see, although the optics were likely far stranger here if someone were able to locate them by chance. Thankfully, she doubted it was something she would have to worry about. Sneaking up on Victor seemed like an impossibility at this point.

Lifting her arms up, Amaris untied the scarf and pulled it down from her face before opening her eyes. There was a moment of disorientation as she transitioned from her time spent blind back into the moonlight. “As awesome as that sounds, I think I might need to take a raincheck on the defensive training. I’ll be sure to work on the… box breathing in the meantime. You have my word.”

“I'll know if you don’t countess. Have a good night and I'll see you again.” He sat back down at the spot where she found him and smiled. “oh, and Amaris, this has been… fun. I do enjoy teaching.” He nodded to her as she left. Again, he found himself focusing on his breathing and the world around him. Slowly the vampire began to hum to himself then slowly began to sing a small tune.

“Walk in the deepest of footprints
Step into the fog
Breaking the silence
A threatening song.
On the trail of the ancients
The demons awake
At the end of all evil
The battleground shakes.
To the sound of the metal
The splinters of bone
In a war with the summoned
The soldiers of stone.
As the vessel of guardians
I follow along
With the words of the wise
In the way of the strong.”

Victor slowly kept humming then slowly stopped laying back on the ground and looking up at the stars. “It sure is peaceful here.” He whispered to himself.

“A vampire getting revenge on the princess and quickly being dispatched, a few casualties? Some interesting events at your practical but as you reported nothing to interesting. It says here your mage acted impulsively but otherwise didn’t back down from a challenge at the lords mountain cottage?” sitting on a throne in an intimidatingly large dark room sat an older vampire flipping through pages in a file. “You seem to have had a private meeting with one Benjamin Eve? Perhaps knowing that an Astorio is training his mage with her physical fitness will be interesting to mention.” Another page turned, the paper making the only sounds in the hall.

“It says here you also are helping the Marivaldi with her fighting ability as well? It is noted here that she can be impulsive when stressed or making her point heard? You also note that both yourself and the countess are at a disadvantage when it comes to political games and being able to steer conversations. On top of that it seems that the Sinnenodel and the Eve are much better at this with this Eric person being somewhere in the middle?” The elder handed the report off to the mage sitting next to him and rubbed his brow.

“Still after all this you have nothing to report? Nothing on the very reason we sent you to the school in the first place, you would be better off returning to work with the council. Although you have given some useful information it’s not complete and if I knew any better I would say that you specifically left out information to save face with the princess. You don’t answer to her you answer to me and lord Perion.” He was being loud and was obviously upset that he would have to give this information to the Lord knowing it was lacking.

“The issue with the Vampire was handled by me. By the time I found the vampire whatever the Princess and her talked about was already finished. I was ordered to take care of her so I did.” Victor had been standing a few feet from the throne at attention while his father was going over his last report. “Salem’s progress with combat leads me to believe that he will be a capable opponent towards most within the next year. However, his skills would be better used as a body guard and he has expressed interest in fabrication poisons and toxins for our use. That and the illusion was quite real for both of us.” His eyes shifted momentarily from his father to the mage next to him, “Count Eve is not in a position to be a threat to us and he could look to us in a favorable way if my training with his mage goes well.”

His father simply crossed his arms and waited for him to continue explaining himself, “This could possibly be the same for the countess as well, and she is upset that she can’t protect anyone with her own hands. On top of that it is true that I am not good with the political game you all play as you made it so I was to specialize in combat and survival.” He was still standing at attention but he was pausing to make sure what he was saying was correct.

“I am well aware that my progress on the red hand is not going well. I do have a few leads but I have to approach these things slowly we both know humans are slow to trust. My reports are completed to the best of my ability, if I was to continue digging it would make others look into what I was doing more and I can’t risk it. It would be helpful if I didn’t have the council still breathing down Salem’s neck, the rumors of his possible involvement with the red hand makes him someone that they may reach out to in the future but they won’t do that if the council is still going through everything. I recommend you get the council out of the way so we can go down this avenue.” Victor was keeping himself from also raising his voice.

His father looked to his mage for a moment who only nodded to him. Sitting back down on his throne with a sigh, “Fine. I'll see what we can do to get the council investigators to move on from the Spellman family. However, until we can verify the information in your report you are forbidden from doing any kind of work for the council. You are to focus on your schooling and your mission and nothing else. If your next report is lacking like this again you will face punishment.” His mage stood and walked off down another hall. “Your dismissed I don’t want to see you for the rest of your time back.”

That wasn’t an order he had to repeat, Victor bowed then left his chambers closing the heavy stone and metal door behind him. This could be problematic for him, the mind mage hadn’t sensed that he was lying to them. His father would have been a lot more upset if she thought he was. This red hand business was a pain, even if he didn’t find anything he knew he couldn’t come back with nothing again. He had to start digging a little more which meant he would have to start talking to people more. Victor grimaced at the thought of it. “At least I don’t have to see that asshole for the rest of my stay.” He thought to himself.

The town was abuzz in its winter splendor. The cold and snow didn’t slow down the small city that stood as the surface of their underground fortress. Some street performers and some rather strong smelling foods were out and about. The long dark of winter sometimes could bring out the best in the people here. He knew more people would be moving underground where the steam gathered from deep below was used to keep the earthen city warm and unaffected by the frigid cold air of winter.

Victor had been wandering around town all day, stopping here and there to visit some of the local shops. He was wearing a heavy black cloak that covered his face. Although he wasn’t too interested in the gifts or the food that was offered, he always liked to look at the art and sculptures people made. Occasionally he would find a good one but today he had no luck. Not even the weapon smiths had anything interesting. Still this wasn’t the reason he was out and about today. He was walking in a wide pattern across the city, doubling back on his path or making random twists and turns. The count was making sure he wasn’t being followed.

Making one final turn down a tight alley that led to a small opening on the edge of town. The count was leaning against an old brick building looking up at the stars above. Listening to every slight sound and movement, at that moment he knew he wasn’t being watched or followed. Reaching down to open a door that leads to the buildings cellar, he was quick to shut and lock the door behind him. Seemingly knowing exactly where to go he continued down several dark paths filled with debris and trash, old boxes and spider webs.

It only took him a little longer to push open one final door and step into a room lit by a few candles. There was a large table in the middle with several chairs, old crates and barrels. Papers were spread out on the table and a small brief case sat open on it. Another man sat at the table looking over a few pictures of odd things with some documents next to him. This man was middle aged with a darker skin tone and shoulder length brown hair. He wore a grey winter coat and thick wool pants. His green eyes locked onto the count for a moment and with a slight motion from his hand a soft breeze closed the door behind the count.

“Nice to see you too leaf.” Victor was using sign language, Leaf was a mute after all and you never know who could be trying to listen. “How is the family?” he asked and stepped up to the table looking at the notes. The information and pictures before him wasn’t that much. Partial burnt documents, pictures of documents in an old room, Pictures of partial ritualistic circles with no context, and a few full documents encoded in different languages. This is all that leaf could get for him in the time he had asked him. His combat mage was risking his life for this but the payout could be worth so much more.

“Crazy like always.” Leaf replied and gestured to the documents with a shrug “did you hear about Varis?” a questioning look before moving on, “this was all I could find, your father is good at covering his tracks.” He began pointing at several of the burnt documents and started signing again, “these mention a research base or laboratory maybe? Some place they experiment far from here.”

Victor picked up a few of the pictures, “Yeah but I haven’t heard anything about it. I personally think he was kidnapped.” they were pictures of pictures and various documents. Most didn’t stand out to him but the word “Falchion” seemed to mean something other than the sword. Pointing to the word on the photograph, “this one then? You think the base is called Falchion?” that would be a smart idea, although not a popular blade, Asterio’s talking about weapons is not uncommon at all.

“Maybe, I haven’t heard of anything like it though. I’ll have to do more digging but I’ll get it to you if I find anything.” Leaf went back to the brief case and pulled out a few more pieces of paper with hand drawn symbols on it. “I wasn’t able to take a picture of these things but I was able to draw them out, it looked like a partial ritual. Similar to what we have seen before when hunting those cults a few years ago.”

“Yeah those guys were adamant about not getting captured alive. It could be a stretch but they could be conec-.” Victor stopped mid signing when he saw the drawings. They looked familiar like he had seen them before. However the moment he tried to remember where, he was hit with an extremely painful headache. So bad it made him grip his head and partially collapse to a knee. Whatever this was it was something that he wasn’t meant to remember or it was sealed behind some sort of trauma.

Not only was his head throbbing but his arms on his biceps and around his chest also started to burn. It took him nearly 5 minutes to regain his composure. Leaf quickly put the paper away and tended to his friend with a concerned look. “I don’t know.” Was all victor could say, something was off about this. The whole situation felt wrong but familiar. He could only wonder as to what his father was up to and what he could have possibly done to him.

Slowly the pain faded and he could concentrate again. Leaf still looked rather concerned, “we don’t have to do this you know, we can still destroy this and just walk away.” He was right, currently they were not suspicious but if they were caught then they could get into a lot of trouble possibly even killed. So was this worth it? To risk life and limb to possibly expose his family on the things they were doing or have done and if they did would their family get a slap on the wrist or annihilated. Victor knew it was all about how much information and proof they could gather.

The counts expression turned cold his body language betraying him as if he was a dam holding back a sea of rage, “I know the consequences old friend and I told you already. I will make my family burn even if I have to burn with them.” it took him a moment but slowly the rage subsided and they began packing everything into the brief case. After locking it the two embraced each other for a moment as if they would not see each other again and nodded. “Be safe old friend, I’ll make sure that nothing bad happens to your family after this.” Leaf nodded and left down another corridor extinguishing the candles without even trying.

He stood there in that dark room for a little while longer. Leaf was a good friend and more than likely the person he trusted the most, they had each other’s backs through many life threatening issues. He was pondering thinking of the idea of destroying the evidence right then and there. Until the image of a girl with white hair and a sweet smile filled his mind. The memory of her screaming resolidified his intentions and his will. Even in death Sarah continues to drive him forward.

With that he tucked the brief case under his coat and returned to the city above. Now he had to keep this out of sight and return to the school to continue his search. This is what he was here for after all, to continue searching and looking for where this path will lead him. Patience was what he needed, focus on school and keep searching for this research base. He would raid it if he had too, he was sure the ability he had now was tied to this. Perhaps the princess would be able to help him if he had enough proof.

Maddie was a sight for sore eyes, the Countess’ nerves easing ever so slightly now that her partner was near. Now that she was back by her side, Amaris could make her escape at last… or at the very least she could put some physical distance between herself and the evening. There were still responsibilities she would have to attend to back at the dorm, but the Countess hoped that the safety of home terf and the company of her companion would bring at least a little comfort to the situation. With the host’s dismissal, the pair left the space with little delay and made for their own dorm. It wasn’t all that far of a distance but the time seemed to stretch on as exhausted silence surrounded Amaris. She couldn’t bring herself to speak a word until she was safely tucked within the walls of her own dorm, the front door shut firmly behind them.

Pressing her back into the door, Amaris heaved a heavy sigh in an effort to expel some of the tension that had built up over the evening. “If I never have to experience that again, it would be too soon.” She murmured to herself, taking a moment longer to collect her thoughts before peeling herself from the door. An attempt at a relaxed expression was made but was swiftly abandoned as the effort to maintain it was more than the Countess had to spare at present. Amaris was somewhat hopeful that Maddie had found some enjoyment in the get together, that perhaps the night wasn’t a complete waste after all. This weak glimmer of hope brought a faint smile to her face which was quickly directed to the mage.

“What did you think? Did it match your expectations?”



Maddie took a deep breath of the early morning air as they stepped out of the Sinnenodel dorm. It had been an interesting night and all she could think about now was collapsing face first into her bed. It hadn't been awful by any means; a few awkward spots but she was just really getting to meet everyone while they seemed to… not get along but at the very least tolerate each other more than they would a stranger. She just wished there weren't so many topics that needed to be avoided. Having to be careful was such a hassle.

Amaris was silent the entire walk over. Oh dear. Things must have gone poorly. Maddie didn't miss the way her vampire needed a moment to collect herself when they returned. Maddie grimaced as she made her way into the kitchen for a drink. She didn't envy Ari in the slightest. She gave Ari a reasonable amount of time and returned with, returning the vampire's smile.

"I learned quite a bit about the others. I think Max honestly hates life, Lilie is sweet but an airhead, Salem is a walking disaster, and Aaron is definitely a Starag and everyone noticed how his morning just got worse and worse." Maddie sighed, sipping at her water. "It was nice to finally meet everyone but I think I'm going to stick to being friends with Lilie and Aaron. Not that Salem isn't nice but I think he's going to be trouble in the future. How about you? Was it as awful as Aaron made it seem? He came back completely shut down after the last round."

“I suppose someone threatening the structure of your bones is bound to have that effect. There was a minor hiccup in the serving schedule that resulted in Count Astorio’s tribute being skipped. I’m sure you can imagine how well that went over with a Sinnenodel host.” Amaris pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and middle finger. “It would also seem I was too quick in my judgement of the new Eve representative. While I had hoped he would be more firm on his mage treatment standards, he was far too comfortable around Varis and his suggestions. Makes me worry for that poor girl.” She shook her head as if the memories of the evening would just fall away with the motion. Unfortunately for her, they seemed intent on remaining.

“That does remind me though... Varis brought up the arrangements for you and Aaron to attend an activity together as part of his magic program.”

Maddie winced at the thought of Count Sinnenodel’s wrath over the missed bottle. Aaron must have been seriously distracted if he’d stumbled over that. Her mind wandered to the shy looks exchanged between him and Lilie. No, Aaron was far too professional for something like that to distract him. It must have been the mages as a group. Maybe he wasn’t used to having to wait on two groups at one time? She made a mental note to ask how he was the next time they saw each other.

Speaking of how someone was, her feet chose to remind her how awful heels were. She winced at the painful reminder in her toes and heels, placed her glass on the counter, and slipped them off. She gave a grateful sigh and then gave Ari a curious look. “Yes, Aaron needs a calming activity for his program.Apparently, it has to be scheduled and everything but it can’t involve any sort of fighting. He chose dancing since physical activity does relax him the most and I was the obvious choice since Count Sinnenodel likely won’t allow him to mingle with Lilie and after tonight’s conversations, I doubt he’d care to relax with Max and Salem.” Maddie told her, sipping at her water again. “Did Count Sinnenodel suggest it was inappropriate?”

Easing herself over to a chair, Amaris followed Maddie’s example and released herself from her shoes. While her feet hadn’t necessarily registered pain of any sort, simply removing the shoes had gifted her instant relief. It was almost as if a piece of her tension had been stored in the material and that by removing them she could also distance herself further from the evening.

“No, no. Nothing like that. Varis is just impatient when it comes to deadlines is all. I informed him that he would receive a swift response but before I send him the official approval we need to have a chat. Hanging out with Aaron is one thing, and I have no intentions of going back on our agreement. That being said, there are some risks to participating in a mental mage’s curriculum even if that role is fairly passive. I just want to know that you’re prepared for what’s to come.”

Maddie followed the Countess’ example, sinking into the couch across from her. She frowned, concern overwhelming the relief at the news that Count Sinnenodel hadn’t raised objections. Risks? Aaron only mentioned they would be dancing and they would probably be talking because it would be weird to dance for any period of time without speaking to each other. What risk could there be? They both knew better than to spill secrets and while she had no doubt Aaron could trick her into revealing something if he really tried, she figured she had enough wits to keep the more important things carefully locked away.

“I’m sorry, Ari, but I thought we were just dancing. I don’t know what risk there could be honestly.” Maddie admitted.

“Mental magic is a rather unique study with an incredibly strict curriculum. And after having the opportunity to speak with someone in the program, I can honestly say that I don’t particularly envy the study. Aaron’s first year will be spent essentially breaking down the boundaries of his own mind. Unfortunately, something like that is bound to have a few side effects outside of his control.” She explained. There was nothing inherently dangerous about allowing the pair to dance so Amaris had little concern for her partner’s physical safety, but she couldn’t forget the expression Dennis had worn when he had shared his experiences with her during the Revel. The last thing she wanted to happen was for Maddie to get hurt because her partner allowed her to walk into a situation she wasn’t prepared for.

“There is a very real possibility that you might hear something not meant for you as well as the other way around. And it might take some time before he is able to limit the blurring of those lines.”

Breaking down the boundaries of his mind? For an entire year? She wasn't sure what that meant but it didn't sound pleasant. "I don't understand, Ari. Aaron knows better than to tell me anything that could put either of us in a tough spot." Maddie frowned in confusion. "How would opening his mind have anything to do with me learning things? It's still arcane magic so he'd have to purposely use his magic to mess with me. Right?"

Amaris shook her head as she tried to recall what it was that Dennis had said to her. “This isn’t your average affinity. Normally you would be right, but with mental magic things start to get a little complicated. His grasp over his own magic will be at its weakest during his first year of the program, or at least that was my understanding. Think of it like opening a bottle of soda after you’ve shaken it. It’s not so easy to put it all back.” It probably wasn’t the best of comparisons, but it would have to do for the moment.

“He might not always know when he’s using his magic and you might find that he’ll be talking to you without actually speaking. The student I mentioned before said it was something that just sort of happened until he was able to control it better. I’m sure you can imagine how awkward that can get.”

Maddie chewed on her lip as she processed this new information. That… could be dangerous. If Aaron had no control over the things he “said” or “heard”, it put a whole new spin on this activity. She had heard weird things about the mental mages but she’d dismissed most of them as rumors spread by the ignorant. Ari made her reconsider now. Maybe she ought to have paid attention. She took another sip of her drink.

“And you’re… okay with this.” Maddie was more than a little confused. The implications were a lot and while she didn’t have much in the way of secrets, Aaron must certainly have plenty of them. Getting to learn some of the things he keeps under lock and key, or several locks and keys, sounds like a whole series of drama that she really didn’t want to get in the crossfire of. “If I learn anything or if he learns anything, not that I really have anything interesting for him to learn, won’t that endanger your position with Count Sinnenodel?”

“I don’t think ‘okay’ is quite the word I would use here.” Amaris admitted, leaning her head back to stare blankly at the ceiling. Aaron’s decision to go into mental magic had set before her several opportunities but not one of them came without a major drawback. The whole situation had her feeling like she was back in the forest sitting at the dealer’s table, the betting chip rolling across her knuckles whilst the soulless eyes of the mannequin tapped expectantly for her response. Tilting her head back to its natural resting place, Amaris returned her gaze to a slightly distressed looking Maddie. She couldn’t fight the feeling that she had simultaneously stressed out and disappointed her partner by bringing up her concerns but, unfortunately, this wasn’t something they had the luxury of time to ease through.

“That being said, if that was all there was to this I could have pulled rank and that would have been the end of it.” She continued, lacing her fingers together in front of her. “If this evening’s festivities didn’t already endanger my position with Varis, I would be surprised. No matter what we decide, someone is going to be uncomfortable or at a disadvantage. The best we can hope for is to pick the one that hurts us the least, which means we need to decide who and what our priorities are.”

"Okay, that sounds simple enough." Maddie said cautiously. "Though I don't know what the list of priorities is but if you explain it to me, I'm sure I could help with a decision." At least she assumed Amaris wanted her input. She'd said "we need to decide" rather than just her but honestly, Maddie was very much out of her element. Little situations she could handle but Ari didn't make this sound like a little situation.

"I just want to say that I appreciate that you didn't just pull rank. I'm not blind to the fact I have the best partner of the group. I don't think I've thanked you for treating me like my own person yet but thank you." It may have been a little out of the blue but the party had made her acutely aware just how easy she had it with Ari. She could only imagine what the other vampires would do if the other mages were in a compromising situation like this but she doubted they'd be a part of the decision making process.

Maddie’s words brought a genuine smile to the countess’ face, perhaps the warmest she’d felt all night. She didn’t treat the mage like her own person for any sort of praise but because it was the very least she could do; because it was the right thing to do. Still, she couldn’t help but appreciate the impact such a small decision could have.

“I am responsible for your life and wellbeing, the least I can do is have a little respect for it. But your words are greatly appreciated, I hope you know that.” And perhaps someday, it might not feel quite so much like an exception. She wished to see a world where mages were recognized for more than just being convenient sustenance and entertaining playthings. But that was a daydream for another time.

“As I mentioned before, no matter what we decide someone will be stuck in a less than ideal situation. To move ahead with this would provide a potential benefit to my house but in doing so I put your friendship with Aaron on the line. Not to mention it’s a risk to your autonomy depending on what is learned. I could refuse the proposal but that would be a definite end to your interactions with Aaron, paints me with a less than flattering political brush, and jeopardizes Aaron’s safety in an already difficult program… assuming he’s still allowed to participate.” To most, the decision likely would have been a no brainer. A mage centered risk didn’t really carry the same weight to those that treated them as simple tools in the first place. It would have been treated as an expectation, one that Amaris was strongly opposed to.

It just had to be mental magic, didn’t it? An agitated finger tapped rhythmically against her interlocked knuckle as the countess continued to weigh her options. There had to be something else she could do, right? Something she hadn’t thought of yet that might help her keep her promises to her partner without taking unnecessary risks.

“Well, I could always petition for a tutor with a specialty in mental protection as a condition of the arrangement. It would eat into your free time and minimize any potential benefit for me, however, it would also minimize the risks to us from our first option.” Unfortunately, as lovely as this alternative sounded on the surface, there was still one more drawback that Amaris had failed to mention. The added protection for Maddie opened the door to further punishment for Aaron depending on the situation. Learning nothing could be a failure and leaking information could be misconstrued as sabotage. They wouldn’t just be minimizing the risks, they would be shifting them to someone else completely.

Maddie matched Ari's smile. She enjoyed how easy their relationship was so far; it didn't feel like they forced themselves to interact and Maddie didn't feel like she was treading on eggshells everywhere she went. Becoming a mage with the expectation that she'd go to a Sinnenodel household was not a pleasant experience but Princess pulled her out of that and plopped her here. She was beyond grateful because otherwise she'd probably be just like Aaron.

"A tutor? I don't know if the Princess would permit that considering the mage class restrictions." Maddie considered out loud. She'd picked her schedule so that Ari wouldn't have to waste her time begging on her behalf and so that she'd have a reasonable class schedule. "I mean, the only reason I even took dowsing was because everyone said it was basically an unwritten requirement for life magic." Maddie explained, confused how Ari forgot. She was pretty sure she explained…

"I forgot to talk to you about classes." Maddie's hand flew to her mouth. "Fuck, I mean, damn, I mean. Ugh. I was so worried about the party it just slipped my mind. I haven't submitted it yet so there's still time to play with it." Maddie practically ran from the living room to her bedroom where she has printouts of the email and the class selection forms. Idiot! How could she forget to run it by Ari. So much for thanking her.

She came back, having taken a breath to compose herself, and sat on the arm of Amaris' chair, leaning on the back as she held out the papers for her to take. "So, there are two mandatory classes, Affinity Mastery 102 and Spell Theory 102, that are both an hour and a half. The email suggests we take only 45 minute classes so we have the same time frame as this semester but says we can take one more one and a half hour class instead without requiring permission but it cuts our lunch period in half. That's Dowsing class." She pointed to where she'd circled it in red. "And then I took Intro to Spellcraft because I am interested in spell development in the future but I could drop it to add in Intro to Protection but because that's another one and a half hour class, you'd have to talk to the Princess about because it would extend my school day by 45 minutes as well."

With stifled laughter, Amaris watched as Maddie scrambled from the conversation to retrieve something from her room. Admittedly, she had forgotten that the forms for their next round of classes were due soon. She’d have to remember to submit her own before the deadlines arrived.

Once Maddie had returned, she accepted the papers and skimmed over the options carefully. The initial plan seemed solid enough that had there not been any issue concerning the dance classes with Aaron, she’d have given it her stamp of approval without a second thought. Unfortunately, it wasn’t so simple this time around, but she was determined to find the best solution to an iffy situation.

“You picked your classes well, I think it will be a great semester for you. With Dowsing being important for your affinity I’d rather not touch that if it can be helped. We might be able to find room later on in your schedule for Spell Theory, but if we can’t, that doesn’t close any doors to you concerning the subject. This could actually work out rather nicely if I play my cards right with Ryner. It still eats into a portion of your day but not nearly as much as I feared. Do you think it’s something you can commit to without risk of burning out? Because, if so, we might be able to make this whole thing work.”

Maddie considered the question. She wasn’t sure, honestly. It sounded like a demanding class load and she wasn’t sure how intense the protection class would be. It was an intro course so maybe it wouldn’t be challenging? “I don’t know honestly. I don’t have any way to gauge the magical demands of all these classes. The course load should be fine; Spell Theory this year wasn’t incredibly demanding other than practice and Affinity Mastery is half the time me studying textbooks and dummies but I have no clue about dowsing and protection classes.” Maddie admitted, staring at the papers in hopes it would just tell her the solution. She really didn’t like the idea of Aaron hearing what was in her head or vice versa without control but she also didn’t want to leave her friend on the wayside either.

“I should be able to do it. If it turns out it’s too much, I only have to survive a semester and then I can step out of protection and help Aaron find another outlet.” Maddie decided. “And besides, I have you to lean on if stuff gets rough, right?”

The Countess nodded her head attentively as Maddie laid out her uncertainties. It was a lot to consider but it was something she wanted her mage to consider on her own. No one could face the situation in her place or tell her what she was capable of. That was something she was going to have to figure out.

“I’m not going to tell you that it’s going to be easy, but I will say that I believe in your strength. Just to step up to the challenge is a great feat all on its own. But, should you find that it gets to be much for you alone, I will be right here to support you.” Amaris smiled as she returned the papers to their rightful owner. By taking the situation one semester at a time, it left room for gradual negotiation should there be a need to revisit the terms of the arrangement later on.

“It seemed like the two of you really enjoyed each other’s company, and I would hate for that to change. This seems like the best way to prevent such a thing from happening, so, with your permission, I can send Varis the official approval and we can submit your schedule proposal tomorrow. If I have to speak with Ryner about it, then so be it.”

“You don’t need my permission to do that. I’ll submit the final choices on the school site before I go to bed tonight and then it’s up to you to convince the Princess.” Maddie took back the papers and hopped off the arm of the chair, stretching out some of the soreness. Chair arms do not make good seats. “Hopefully, this goes well. Aaron’s a good guy from what I can tell, just stuck in a bad spot. And now, I think I’m going to take a bath. That little gathering wore me out more than I thought. Sleep well, Ari.” She bid the vampire good night and headed into her room.

“I will certainly try. Rest well.” If Amaris was just glad that the night was over at last. It was finally time to change into something far more comfortable and have a good, long rest… something she would definitely need if she was going to be convincing Ryner of anything. With her discarded shoes in hand, Amaris disappeared down the hall and shut her door behind her.

The Marivaldi estate was a quiet thing on even eventful evenings, only rowdy when it’s Masters were in the mood, and this night was no exception. Despite the flurry of meetings and discussions and small talk, a subdued hush rolled across the grounds like an early morning mist. It was the last day of a major family policy change and Salazaar was all too pleased to finally send the rest of the Marivaldi’s away and indulge in the pleasure of the company of his immediate family. He’d barely seen his wife and son in weeks and now they had the added opportunity to include Amaris in their morning walks around the grounds. He chuckled with a shake of his head and folded up the final letter, dropping it in the outgoing letter bin on his desk for his mages to have sent off.

He leaned back in his chair with a huff. So much had changed since his old master found his rest in the sun. His master’s daughter was grown and pried away from his protection by that meddlesome hag, the Marivaldis chafed with poorly concealed discontent at his position, and the Eves continued to drain the family of critical resources in order to maintain some facade of stability. Several mage factions rose without the help of any vampire, truly independent, and have made his covert network their own personal plaything, sticking holes in it whenever they could. It was a problem though the arrogant Sinnenodel heir seemed to have dealt with one of them all on his lonesome. That made him worried; Sinnenodels were cunning and smart but out playing an entire terrorist group that had just come crawling out of the woods? Salazar’s first thought was that Varis or his mistress decided they weren’t deserving of Sinnenodel resources but his intel suggested they weren’t affiliated with anyone. Clearly they crossed the wrong person somewhere; Salazar just wished he knew why.

He lost track of time, considering everything he’d learned over the past few nights, trying to make sense of it.

Amaris stood silently before the door to Salazar’s study with her arms by her sides and her eyes fixed ahead. Her entire trip home had been spent deep in deliberation as she considered her time spent at the academy. She could remember feeling the same way on her return trip home for her last break, though the circumstances then had been significantly different. This time, however, she found herself less afraid; less confused. If she had to name the feeling, Amaris would have dared to call it determination. Yet again the Countess had been faced with how little she actually knew, not to mention how little control she had over any situation, but this time she wasn’t so keen to take it lying down. Until this point, Amaris had been content just riding the waves caused by other people, pretending she could ignore them and that all would be well. But if life at Ryner’s school had taught the youth anything, it was that this way of existence would only bring her more pain. The question was, what did she want to do about it?

There was a time that the Countess believed she was above the behavior exhibited by her peers. She had thought them petty and cowardly, but it was just the way the world around her was determined to work. The way she saw it, Amaris had two choices ahead of her: she could either learn the game or run from it. No matter what her decision ended up being, though, the girl could not continue the way she was with one foot in and the rest of her running for cover. It put her a step behind the rest of the nobles in attendance but, more importantly, it had blinded her to her own misdeeds.

Having allowed herself to get so wrapped up in her feelings about the loss of Cassandra, and then again with her concern over Count Eve’s mage, she had become one of the lofty do-nothing-hypocrites she often lamented about. Her encounter with Lilie had made that nearly impossible to ignore. Even now she could still hear her voice echoing about her head, the words of a girl who simultaneously accepted the status quo and yet refused to let it rule her. As much as it hurt the Countess to admit it, Lilie had been 100% correct, and more than a little justified in her reaction. If she had the time to be poking her nose into ‘safe’ cases such as the disagreement she had experienced with Benjamin, she had the time to be working on the more severe ones like Aaron and Varis. There was only one issue, she hadn’t the first clue about how she would accomplish such a thing. What she did know was that there was but a single door between her and someone more familiar with the subject than she would ever be.

Preparing herself for what was to come, the young countess finally lifted an arm and knocked her knuckles twice against the door before moving to peek inside. “I hope I’m not disturbing you. May I come in?” She asked, a sense of calm washing over her that came as a surprise to no one more than herself.

“Oh, Amaris!” Salazar startled, the surprise in his expression melting into familial warmth. “I hadn’t realized how much of the morning I’d missed. I lost myself in thought, it seems. But please, come in. It’s been far too long; the house is far too quiet without your presence.” He stood and came around the desk to meet her, opening his arms to give her a hug.

Amaris stepped through the door completely, shutting it behind her before stepping forward to accept his embrace. She had heard the past few weeks had been particularly busy for him, and as usual, he had poured all of his focus into his work.

“Working hard as always I see.” Amaris responded, flashing a smile as she spoke. If there was one thing she could always count on, it was Salazar knowing exactly what to say to make her feel at home. “I heard about your meetings so I thought you’d like a moment to yourself before I started pestering you. But I agree, it’s been way too long. I’m happy to be home. You’ve been taking care of yourself I hope?” She asked with a pointed look, a joking accusation laced with genuine concern.

“Thankfully, an immortal biology carries the burden of my negligence well.” Salazar laughed. “I can hardly remember how I got by as a mortal, magic and all, anymore. But here, sit down. Regale me with the stories of your time at school while I open some blood for us to enjoy.” He gestured at a chair and made his way to a locked cabinet, opening it with a key on his keyring, and pulling out two glasses and a bottle before turning his attention back to Amaris and bringing the bottles to the desk.

“You still shouldn’t let it become a habit, old man.” She clicked her teeth at him as she found herself over to a seat. Settling in, Amaris found herself struggling to find a place to start. There was so much she wanted and needed to say, yet now that she was here it had all but abandoned her.

“Well, I can tell you what hasn’t changed: the place is quite an experience and I dislike my neighbors more than ever. But my new partner is pretty great so I suppose that makes up for a good portion of it all. I think you would like her. She knits these comfy little hats.” Amaris couldn’t keep a small smile from creeping onto her face at the memory. It didn’t last long, however. She knew she was just delaying the inevitable by choosing to talk about the warm and fuzzies but it also didn’t seem fair to drop all her problems on him so soon after he wrapped up work. The way she saw it, if she could wait this long to talk to him, she could wait just a little longer to bring up the heavy stuff.

With that in mind, Amaris chose to recount the most interesting event she could think of since her last trip home: the mage’s exam. She excitedly set in to telling him all about how the vampires had been blinded and the bizarre puzzles that had been set up as obstacles on their path. It was likely a strange thing to be excited about but there was so much about the experience that was so fascinating to her.

“You should have seen Varis, he was absolutely fuming. I’m talking tantrum levels of not having any of it. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought it was fate's way of apologizing for his little soiree in advance.”

Salazar chuckled at her enthusiasm. He’d known she wouldn’t get along with Varis Sinnenodel since he’d heard they would be attending together but he hadn’t expected her to relish in his childishness. “Well, home hasn’t changed much at least. The family is vying for attention constantly, bemoaning the current status of mage rights, and avidly launching auctions for rare items just to outbid each other. In fact, you’d have met them all if you’d been able to come home a few days earlier but maybe it was better that you hadn’t.” He muttered, rubbing his head just at the memory of the rabble. Yeah, definitely not. “Speaking of Varis, I thought I’d inform you that the purpose of the family gathering was to discuss the business proposal put out by Green Vision Inc. Giving them a seven year plan to lease our current facilities and upgrade them would save a significant amount of money for us as well as reduce the overall price for both vampires and humans in all Marivaldi territories. Of course, that means letting a snake into the garden.”

If she had to be perfectly honest, she didn’t feel like she had missed out on much with her timing. The Countess was already somewhat familiar with the behavior Salazar spoke of, having heard the whispers around the house whenever their presence was due. There were times when it seemed nothing would satisfy them, even when their requests were being met. An interesting bunch to be sure, and she had no idea how either he or her father had dealt with them in the past. It was certainly no envy of hers. Still, it would not be their immature antics that would capture her attention.

Amaris barely contained the look of disdain that threatened her good mood. She understood the importance of maintaining good business relations across territory lines, and that sometimes that meant tolerating the presence of less favorable folk, but why did it have to be them? Of all the houses, of all the opportunities, why did it have to work out to be the Sinnenodels?

“I suppose it is better to bring it in under your watch than to have it sneak in and cause havoc but I can’t say the idea makes me very comfortable. Not that I don’t trust your judgement, I do! That’s part of why I needed to talk to you. It’s just difficult for me to comprehend how we can continue to be so accommodating of people who openly mock us at every turn. Why should they get to benefit off of us when all they do in return is screw us over?” It took a moment for Amaris to realize that the ire she had kept from her face had instead seeped into her words. Casting her eyes downward, the countess apologized sheepishly.

“I’m sorry. It’s not really my place to feel any type of way about this, is it?"

"You're a Marivaldi. Of course it's your place to have an opinion on our family's relationships." Salazar chuckled with a sympathetic smile. "Time will temper that fire and you'll wield it with honed precision, I have no doubt, but this is an opportune learning moment. We are not accommodating; this is neither charity or hospitality and we are certainly not welcoming them with open arms. The Sinnenodels are our enemies, our polar opposites in almost all regards, which is why before we can consider the reasoning behind my decision, we must first understand who the decision involves." Salazar's expression grew grave and he sat taller, no longer her friend and guardian, but for all purposes Lord Marivaldi as he instructed his ward.

"Any fool with an eye and a half a brain knows none of Lady Sinnenodel's heirs will ever see her throne. She changes them like outfits, bestowing on them all the privilege and responsibility they could dream of, and goals them into action with the whispers of power and prestige. Most families would fall apart at this kind of chaos. Leadership changing hands too often, rules and guidelines changing every century? A recipe for disaster. So, why does she do it?" Salazar asked Amaris.

As Salazar took on a more serious tone, Amaris instinctively shifted her own position to match the change in role that had occurred. She agreed with him that Lady Sinnenodel’s methods of leadership did little to provide structure for the house long term but she had never really given it much thought as to why she would choose such methods. It didn’t really make much sense of the surface but then again, what did make sense about the snakes? You never really knew for sure where you stood with one of their kind, and the moment you thought you had an advantage something would happen to put you right back at square one. Amaris’ expression twisted subtly as she fought the urge to dive down the rabbit hole of theories. Instead she decided on two guesses and hoped that they weren’t complete disappointments.

“Misdirection perhaps? Or to maintain control? Chaos serves well as a smokescreen to outsiders as well as an obstacle for those within. And, if you control the shift in the tides, you leave your enemies a constant step behind. Sort of like the sleight of hand in a card trick.” While she was fairly proud of her theory she still remained uncertain. She was used to observing people from afar, learning about them from a safe distance, but the motives of nobles always seemed just beyond her reach.

"Correct but superficial. Everything a Sinnenodel does is a smokescreen, everything is for control. Their house is a deception. They could tell you a fact and it still is a lie. But Lady Sinnenodel does it specifically to deprive her house of the one greatest ally any vampire has: Time." Salazar explained. "Sybil Sinnenodel has had centuries on centuries to expand and solidify her influence and resources. It would take obsessive planning and preparation to even consider toppling her. And she is fully aware of this so she twists them against each other. Even those willing to ignore the heir position are caught up in the chaos, desperate to at least ensure they don't come out rock bottom. Everyone is so busy protecting themselves that Sybil is impossible to touch, even if they wanted to try."

"However, it also serves a second purpose. Not only does it deprive them of time, it demolishes any capacity to trust. They live in a house where they can't use weapons and magic against each other so they have to be on guard for weapons in words and actions, for spies and skulking threats. They develop a fierce independence and a protective apathy from those around them, both in and out of family." Salazar sighed, shaking his head. "It doesn't excuse any of their actions but it should offer some insight into how they work and the methods they use. In an environment where their political skills are primarily developed to adapt and change on a short term basis, they've become opportunistic manipulators. What do you think that means and how have you seen that in Varis?"

Amaris’ eyes widened with dawning realization. She almost shouted in her excitement to share her thoughts, but her somewhat recent training with Victor flashed through her mind. This was an opportunity for her to really put his teachings into practice. While this was her home, and she knew that Salazar was far less strict with certain matters, how was he supposed to take her seriously when she was constantly blurting out answers like a child? With a fair amount of conscious effort, Amaris took a moment to resituate herself by sipping at her glass before speaking.

“I don’t think I have any better example than his recent blood tasting.” Admittedly, it had taken until this very conversation for her to fully grasp the idea of what had taken place. Even Victor had picked up on it but she had been so focused on Benjamin and Lilie that the notion had completely passed her by… As was likely the design.

“By making the party about welcoming Count Benjamin, he made it impossible to refuse the invitation without coming across as rude. However, by stacking the table with two traditionalists and only one modernist, he essentially forced a man from a house desperate for allies to skew his responses to political based questions. Simultaneously isolating two parties while putting one under his thumb.” She said aloud before shifting her eyes guiltily to the side. It seemed that she might have to consider apologizing to the Count… especially after her chat with Lilie.

“There was, however, something else that stood out to me. He has some kind of relationship with that actor, Eris Samael. From the outside, you would assume that the two of them were friends… but based on a few things I’ve seen and speaking to you now, it doesn’t really seem like he’s capable, let alone willing to have such a thing. I’ve always thought it sort of odd, but I suppose there is a lot of opportunity to be had.” Amaris fell silent for a few more moments as she tried to consider what lesson Salazar was trying his best to teach her.

Salazar listened intently, nodding along with her assessment. "That is exactly what he did. It wasn’t so much that he stacked the room on purpose, it just happened to be a happy coincidence. He saw the opportunity to apply pressure and seized it. And, knowing the Lady he serves, he probably barely lifted a finger during the whole thing and just watched as the scene played out.” Salazar considered the information Amaris gave him about the actor. “Eris Samael… While I’m not personally acquainted with him, I do know his work and I did come across an odd bit of information recently. For some reason, Varis was funding a rival production studio against the Samaels but recently transferred ownership to the Samaels. Why, I’m not quite sure, but perhaps that can help you if you plan on figuring that out.”

“Now, we know that the Sinnenodels are short term goal oriented and they don’t trust enough to allow others to handle the issues they face. Which means any success they can achieve, they’ll snatch it up in a second. They have too many things going at any given time with a limited amount of direct attention to always allow a situation to ferment to its greatest potential. They’re impatient and hasty in their obsession for success and that is where we can get them.” Salazar paused to walk across the room, grab a bottle of blood, and two glasses. He spoke again as he settled back into his chair and poured them both a glass. “Varis’ company has seven years to earn my approval, well within their short term goal orientation. I have no doubt he’ll succeed since my initial goal is to ease the financial burden of our human populace. After that, I’ll offer him a twenty year contract, which also fits nice and neat into the Sinnenodel model, and his company will do a little worse but still much better than we did. After that, a forty year contract which is starting to push the Sinnenodel’s typical strategy timeframe. It’s likely that, since Varris’ tenure will likely come to an end, mistakes will be made and issues exposed.”

“That’s what I’m waiting for, Amaris. When the Sinnenodel scheming machines break down and fall apart and their mistakes come oozing out, I’m going to light the whole damn thing on fire. I’ve let them in because Varis wanted a win. After failing with his bid for the Astorio paper company, he was desperate and I handed him one on a silver platter but now he’s in my territory, playing by my rules. And when they stumble, I will skewer them for the sun and if I’ve put a few… stumbling blocks in their way, well, no one really needs to know, now do they?” Salazar asked as he sipped.

“So, if I’m understanding this correctly… their greatest strength is simultaneously their greatest weakness. If they always have to be prepared for some sort of shift in the tide they’re not always looking at the bigger picture, making their foundation about as solid as the desert sands. Planning for a long game with that in mind does sound like the optimal strategy but it doesn’t come without risks of its own, does it?” She questioned. Time ran differently for vampires than it did mortals. Sure, there were likely ways for mages to augment their lifespans to a certain extent, however, that was not a luxury humans had, and it was not nearly enough to be considered a significant amount of time. Especially not when vampires endured for an eternity.

They were talking about decades as the short term, with forty years only beginning to push the Sinnenodel’s out of their comfort zone. That was nearly half the life expectancy of a healthy human, meanwhile the Sinnenodel’s short term games continued to cause harm wherever they went. Mages and humans already under their direct protection could afford the wait but what about mages like Aaron whose life was tethered to a man who saw benefit in pain? Or Lilie’s unnamed friend whose teacher was allowed to cause him physical harm while refusing access to assistance?

“How do we avoid the loss in trust that we will achieve our goals? Even mages have started to turn their noses up at our name. We have so much pride in something we can offer to so few, with wishes of a world they’ll never know. How many generations can we expect to keep them waiting before they think our efforts are nothing but empty gestures? Do we not do more harm than good offering hope to those that are likely to never see it, will our own charges not eventually feel the guilt of having escaped what others could not? As we speak, my peers are essentially having their vile habits validated and reinforced by our very own rulers… is that not something of importance to us as well?” Amaris could hear her voice waver despite her own efforts to remain steady. It was still difficult for her to hide her true emotion behind stoic masks, even with Victor’s help. Besides, Salazar could read her like an open book. There wasn’t much she could hide from him.

“While I understand your frustration, the simple fact of the matter is our opinion is in the fierce minority. We have come a long way from the signing of the Treaty but as it stands, we are still ultimately bound to a Traditionalist agenda. The concept of equality does not exist in those who’ve seen mortal kind as livestock for this long and their progeny do not care to disagree because it benefits them. The Council is founded on Traditionalist principles and it has taken five hundred years of fighting and scrapping even to get what little rights they have now.” Salazar sighed. “With the Eves in disarray, the Sinnenodels and the Astorios command unparalleled influence over the Council. Even the Noilas, with the exception of Princess Ryner, lean traditionalist and while Ryner is a political force to be reckoned with, she cannot stand against both the Queen and her sister. Which is why I’ve turned to targeting higher ranking members of the families and pulling them under our influence. Who knows how long it’ll take the Eves to stabilize even once they have an official head of house and who knows which faction will command them. Unfortunately, short of a drastic shift of the fundamental ethics and morality of the Council and it’s leadership, it could very well take another 500 or 700 years to get anywhere near what you envision.” Salazar explained.

“And now I sound like your godfather all over again.” He huffed in amusement before taking another drink.

Amaris heaved a sigh and sunk further into her chair. It was difficult, she understood that, but was there truly nothing they could do in the meantime. She wasn’t expecting everything to turn around immediately, nor even quickly, but there had to be something she could manage in the meantime. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem that she was going to quite get that answer just yet.

“I know, it just feels like I should be doing more. I mean, look at Varis. He’s running companies and signing deals, and scheming all on his own. Victor is a full fledged soldier. And Ben, well, he might be just one of many vying for the lordship but it’s a goal. And then there is me, who can’t even make it through a simple party without losing my cool. I am not feared but I am also not respected, not really. Even I am starting to wonder if I am the family failure.” As hard as she had been trying, Amaris found herself tapped out of any reserve of energy she had left for class. She tipped her glass back and downed the rest of her drink seeking comfort she wouldn’t find. Amaris moved to set the glass down on a nearby surface, but her fingers hesitated in their departure from the object. Something wasn’t right.

“Hold on a moment… Did you just say godfather? I don’t have a godfather.”

"I am clearly more tired than I thought." Salazar muttered, rubbing his temples. "You aren't supposed to know you have a godfather. Not yet. You have one for an unpleasant reason and you certainly don't need to have that hanging over your head. But before any of that, you aren't the family failure. You sequestered yourself out of grief and as a result you are a little behind your peers. It takes just a little effort to push yourself forward and I have no doubt if you take this experience and use it as motivation, you'll catch up in no time. Don't doubt yourself, Amaris. You're on the precipice of amazing things. All you have to do is jump."

"As for your godfather, if you wish to know, I will tell you. It isn't pleasant and you won't find him anytime soon but we sounded so much like him, I couldn’t help but laugh." Salazar chuckles.

It helped uplift her somewhat to hear Salazar speak so kindly about her, though it would likely still take some time for her to believe the sentiment herself. Much of it, however, was overshadowed by the discovery of something brand new. Well, brand new to her anyway. There was a small twinkle of curiosity in her eyes, the one that appeared any time she was presented with something fascinating. It was like the book all over again, forbidden and yet meant for her. But why hide the knowledge of a whole person for so long? What could be so bad?

“I take it you know him well then?” She figured it might be better to get some of the distractions out of the way sooner rather than later. It wouldn’t do her much good to have the information come back to bite her in the ass later on. “You’ve already dangled the piano, might as well let it drop.”

He chuckled, taking a moment to compose his thoughts. “Your father never had siblings by blood but there were a group of vampires who he would consider his kin. They knew each other before their turning and their vampirism only brought them closer together. The five of them were dedicated and driven and for a long time, they only cared how they affected each other, until Lord Ralmevik met your mother.” Salazar’s gaze grew distant as he slipped into the past. “The others didn’t approve when Ralmevik introduced her to them. They called her a distraction and a weight, something that would drag Ralmevik down when she finally died but your father stood his ground and they relented, giving the couple their blessing.”

“Your father took those words to heart though. He knew she would die and he would be alone in a world without the woman he loved and it broke his heart. He wanted to turn her but she refused every time. She didn’t have any interest in this life but she offered an alternative. A physical reminder that their love was real, that the memories wouldn’t be consigned to the inexorable march of time. That reminder was you.” Salazar smiled fondly at Amaris but his laughter was bitter and dark. “Of course, imagine the uproar that caused. His siblings, for a lack of a better phrase, flew into a frenzy. The arguments turned physical and Ralmevik banned them from his property to protect his wife. He put up every defensive countermeasure he could and despite the threats, your parents still had you.”

“Six months after your conception, they broke through. I had never seen vampires with such vicious fury as I had that night. There was no shred of humanity in them that night, nothing but the monsters we are so often made out to be. We were unprepared and so it took them less than an hour to secure the estate, including myself and your father. We were helpless as they dragged her, kicking and screaming, to a pyre. One of them told him her death would purge this unnecessary distraction from him.” Salazar shivered involuntarily. “Your father was begging for them to stop. Groveling in front of them like a dog. That image still haunts me, illuminated by the fire as he was. Thankfully, this isn’t how that story ends.”

“One moment they were dragging your mother to the pyre and the next everyone was deathly still. No one could move except this strange man who skipped into the estate like he owned the place, cackling like it was the most amusing thing he’d ever seen. But he got the others to release us and sent us on our way, promising to take care of it. Ralmevik spoke with him for a little before we left but I don’t know what he said.” Salazar stayed quiet for a while. “I’ve only seen two of them since. But the strange man is who your father made your godfather, Cydril Sinnenodel.”

It was very possible that she might have underestimated the gravity of the information she had requested. She had expected a piano, and instead had received the entire orchestra. From the very start of Salazar’s tale, Amaris found herself on the edge of her seat as she hung onto every word. Clearly her mother had not been burned alive while carrying her child, otherwise the countess would not be sitting across from the lord to hear the story. But knowing the outcome of her birth did little to quell the anticipation of how things turned out ok. Well, ‘ok’ was relative at this point wasn’t it? By the end of it all, she was reeling from a mixture of pure shock and information overload. Was that why her father had always been so protective of her? Was that why she was hidden away from the same spotlight others were thrust into? It was all a bit much to take in at once, but there was something out of the entire thing that caught her immediate attention.

“Cydril… I’ve heard that name before.” She mused, trying to remember where it might have been. If memory served, it had been during a conversation with Ryner. The very same one that ended in her revealing a book of magic spells that was supposedly unique to the house of Marivaldi. She was certain that when Ryner mentioned her father, it was as if she was speaking about an old friend, nickname and all… But there was another she had mentioned, a man that was always butting heads with him over the most ridiculous things.

“He’s… He’s a Sinnenodel?”

“Technically, yes. His own agendas align poorly with the family so if he were to resurface, I have no doubt he’d be stripped of that name and then put to death.” Salazar laughed at her astonishment. “Cydril Sinnenodel and your father shared similar goals but were drastically different in their execution. Both of them wanted to see mortals and vampires stand as equals but where as your father preferred the slow and steady route, using the Council to build support and trust in a public system, Cydril would burn it to the ground and start again. In fact, he very nearly succeeded along with an Astorio. Cydril was instrumental in nearly toppling the Asotio power structure about three hundred years ago.” Salazar gave Amaris a long, calculating look.

“Now, where did you hear that name from?” He asked.

Amaris looked apprehensively at Salazar, suddenly nervous to answer his question. While she had done nothing wrong, it still somehow felt as if she had been caught somewhere she wasn’t meant to be. There wasn’t, however, much point in lying to him at this point.

“Princess Ryner. The day she met with me about the book I had, I may or may not have accused her of thinking my father a traitor. She told me about some silly nickname he hated, and mentioned how he and Cydril used to be at each other’s throats over stupid things. It was only in passing, but I definitely remember that she said Cydril, she just never mentioned that he was a Sinnenodel. I suppose it makes sense as to why.” She finally explained, before her expression twisted to one of confusion.

“There’s just one things that doesn’t quite add up though. When Ryner spoke about my father and Cydril, she spoke as if she were a part of their group. That would be absolutely ridiculous, right? I mean, even if she technically was, it’s not like all ten of the others had it out for mother and I. Right Salazar?”

Salazar held her gaze for a long while. “Ryner was part of that group. I can’t claim to understand what was going through their minds then but there hasn’t been any ill will since that incident. If anything, we’ve gotten along even better than before.” Salazar leaned back in his chair with a sigh. “They’re dangerous vampires, Amaris. Use their resources if they offer them but do not, under any circumstances, trust them.”

“I let her near my face with a knife.” Amaris sighed, hand reaching up to touch the memory of the cut. Despite her concerns, there was one thing that she did believe, and that was that Salazar was telling the truth. Ryner had plenty of opportunity to throw her to the wolves if she so desired, but instead she had offered help. Went so far as to protect her from her own sister regarding the book. Ill will or not, however, it wasn’t a very warm and fuzzy feeling.

“And you’re none the worse for it, it seems.” Salazar pushed his chair back as he stood, stretching as he did. “Our conversation turned unexpectedly heavy. Why don’t we continue this another night? I’ve missed my nightly walks and I would love it if you joined us.”

“We’re starting to make this a habit, you know.” She tried to laugh off the tension, succeeding somewhat, but perhaps not completely. “Yeah, I think a nighttime walk sounds lovely right about now.”

Varis glided silently across the lawn. He’d triple checked the guard schedule; they were in the middle of a shift change and they were conveniently lax in maintaining a patrol on the periphery of the estate during that time. It afforded Varis a little more than four minutes. His stopwatch was running, not that he needed to check it to see the numbers distinctly in his mind, but he wasn’t concerned. He’d run this scenario a hundred times and it would take him just over three minutes to get to where he needed to be if everything went smoothly. He couldn’t help but sneer in contempt at this duchess and her laziness. He would never tolerate this kind of security breach in his own household. Everyone knew the consequences; if they were lucky, they’d be sold off to one of the Astorio arenas as dog chow.

He stopped just underneath the terrace that jutted out of the duchess’ castle like an ugly, malformed ear. Whoever designed this building must have been on some kind of hallucinogenic because only someone with no sense of perspective could have come up with this. It looked like a twenty-year-old fledgling threw paint against the wall and said it was art. Why this vampire hadn’t fixed it all already was beyond him. If he was the one who needed some low grade vampire to guard a life-changing secret, he would have taken one look at this place and decided that it was better off razed and redone with something better than two-hundred year old locks.

Varis rolled his neck as he considered the height. This was the tricky part. He’d gotten rusty over the years and this would be his first time scaling something this high up, not to mention outside. He’d brought three bottles of blood just in case he needed a refresher on the way up; he’d spent the past two nights poring over his plan and decided he should only need one by the time he hit the balcony and one more on the way back down so naturally he brought one more just in case. The extra weight shouldn’t drastically alter his performance but he’d have to stay focused the entire time. He checked to make sure the bag was shut tightly, zipped, clipped, and tied off just in case. The last thing he needed was something slipping out and clattering down on the ground below him. Satisfied, he hoisted the straps a little higher on his shoulders and closed his eyes.

He never enjoyed this. Whatever old vampire came up with this must have been out of their mind to even consider it but considering how instrumental it had been to several of his plans, he probably shouldn’t complain. He could feel his blood writhing and shifting, like it was a living creature rather than a food source, as he concentrated on it. It rose to meet him, eager to move, and he shivered at the sensation of his skin bloating and deflating as his blood shifted and sloshed until it was whirling, faster and faster, against his stomach and chest. Disgusting.

He took one step, and then another, and then another until he was fully on the wall and walking up it. He kept focused on putting one foot in front of another and not the occasional slip of the foot and brief moments of terror before he wrangled his blood back into behaving. Varis remembered the brutal war over the damn scroll holding the technique. Some silly, backwater Duke thought he had a chance against Varis. He couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the thought. Of course, he didn’t realize it would take a decade to even master this degree of competency or even that it would come in stages; it was supposedly a flying technique. Although it could be he was too young but this was useful enough and that’s all he cared about at the moment.

Remembering the scroll made him remember Malek’s naive grandchild who nearly cost him the scroll and his next step didn’t move him at all. Instead, Varis clapped a hand over his mouth as he almost screamed as he slid halfway down the wall. He growled in frustration and focused again, grumbling as he continued his ascent. Too bad he sold the child; should have saved him as a stress reliever because he was certainly going to need something after this.

He pulled himself up and over the balcony, collapsing onto the stone floor as he stared at the night sky. He hated to admit it but that wasn’t his best performance. He was rustier than he thought. Varis groaned and unzipped the bag, pulling out a bottle of blood, and unscrewing the cap so he could chug it down. He wasn’t really certain what the mechanics behind the blood techniques were but they were exhausting and that was probably the most unsettling thing of all. Varis rarely felt exhausted or drained from physical activity because he rarely did physical activity but this persisted deep in his bones and he did not appreciate it. How the Astorios dealt with this on a regular basis was beyond him; it felt like everything inside of him wanted to come up and then some.

Eventually, Varis got to his feet. The next line of defense was just a locked glass door. A beautiful and ornate glass door, but a few hundred years out of date with a lock to match. Child’s play really. Varis skulked across the landing and knelt so the lock was just above eye level. He nodded a few times and dug around in his bag until he felt the familiar cloth, pulling out a roll and unfurling it on the ground in front of him. Several pockets filled with various picks and tools greeted him and he picked them out and compared them to the lock until he found the ones he wanted. It took barely any time, the old lock clicking open with ease, and Varis packed everything up in a flash and slipped inside before anyone noticed.

The halls were just as expected, large draping tapestries of various conflicts the Astorios believed they dominated. The particular attention to detail of the gorey mess of battle made Varis roll his eyes as he slipped from one corner to another as quietly as possible. He checked his watch. If his informant was honest, he had a little under eight minutes to find the room and get inside. He frowned. He was behind and that was a problem. Security for the room he needed was a bit more complex and those two minutes he lost in the climb were going to be sorely missed. He pressed on nonetheless.

Door 8622 was all on its lonesome in a tiny dead-end side hall. With how it was set up, Varis thought it would have been better protected but not even a single camera could be found. Had there been, it would have been a problem because there wasn’t a tapestry or art piece or furniture for him to at least try and hide behind. He moved quickly and quietly to the door, blinked at it, and sighed. Instead of the easy pin pad and door key combination lock he expected, a shiny new, steel reinforced deadbolt mocked him in the faint light. The damn vampire probably knew and fed him shitty intel to get him caught. The cylinders were probably pick resistant chambers too if they’d installed reinforced steel guards on the damn thing.

Varis mouthed every explicative he knew, repeatedly, as he settled in to try and pick the locks. The clock was down to three minutes and Varis could feel the tension pressing down on him. If he got caught, his little distraction wouldn’t be a lie anymore. This was breaking and entering Lord Pieron’s private record rooms and Varis had seen how the Astorios handle their private affairs. If he could sweat, he probably would be. His hands trembled as he picked up his picks, checking each other against the lock to see what would fit. He took a steadying breath and started.

Voices started carrying down the hall, their footsteps getting louder. Varis muttered a curse when he slipped on a pin and the whole damn thing reset. A voice laughed, just around the corner.

He managed it just in time, slipping off the lock, pulling the dead bolt, and all but throwing himself inside just to hastily shut it behind him. Hopefully, it was such an out of the way location that they’d just glance, see the door shut, and move on. The footsteps stopped.

Varis closed his eyes.

And then they continued, unhurried and unrushed, another soft laugh ringing out into the still air and Varis slumped to the ground. Ryner owed him. The favors she traded did not equal the stress he was going through. Still, he pulled himself to his feet and gave the room a better look now that the constant threat of Lord Pieron’s axe wasn’t quite as imminent. Varis could feel his blood pressure rising.

Filing cabinets. So. Many. Filing cabinets. They hadn’t had the common decency to modernize their systems at all? Varis groaned, hand hand running down his face. How in the ever living fuck was he supposed to find something in here? There had to be forty fucking filing cabinets and none of them had labels! Not a single one! The little slots, the little metal frames meant for labels? All empty. It was everything Varis could do not to slam his head repeatedly into a wall.

So he opened the nearest few, hoping at least the file names would help. They did seem to be organized alphabetically so Varis started rifling, looking for a project named Midnight Genesis. What that meant, he didn’t know, but it was a stupid name. Pulling open cabinet after cabinet, he found the M’s scattered across two and quickly discovered that the Astorios were incredibly unimaginative. There were seven projects just labelled “Marn 1-7” and at least six midnights with different adjectives. Hopefully, they all had some connection but still. They had the entire language to work with and they repeated themselves constantly. That and family member names. Over and over again. A bunch of barbarians, honestly.

It took him long enough but finally he found the Midnight Genesis file. He plucked that right out and stashed it away, planning on reading it once he made his escape. He closed the cabinet and zipped shut his bag, intent on quitting this horrifically inefficient place, when another idea struck him. He had a lovely little Astorio as his new neighbor. Maybe there was something on Victor here he could leverage against him. Varis grinned wickedly.

Now, it wouldn’t be under Victor Astorio because if he knew old vampires, they would slight him even here. No, no. Victor’s family were honorary Astorios, gifted the name for services in the war, but he sincerely doubted they’d be under their new name. What was that name? Varis snapped as he thought, the name on the tip of his tongue. Strigois. That’s right. Varis skipped right over to where the S section should be and poured through it eagerly.

And find something he did. Several somethings. He giggled like a child on their birthday as he lifted them out and into his bag. Perfect. There would be something there he could use to keep the Astorio under his thumb. He bid the room adieu, locked it again, and slipped out the same way he came in, little more than a shadow on the wall, and just as ignored.

Except he missed the prickle on the back of his neck as he slipped back into the forest as a heavyset woman watched from the balcony, expressionless.

It had been a few nights since the blood tasting they had all attended. Salem laid on his bed, listening to his music as he thought about what had transpired between the teleporting clock, the tension from Max and Aaron, and the general feel of the night. He pulled out his phone, glaring at his messages as he debated on texting Aaron to ask what it was all about. He scrolled aimlessly through their previous messages, not reading anything in particular as the words glided past his screen in a blur. Salem didn’t have to recount their conversations to know how Aaron would react. It was clear that he would dodge and avoid the issue as much as he could until convenient enough to state that the matter was at rest and handled. Much like the nightmares they had shared before. Salem tossed his head against his pillow with a large sigh, certain it would do nothing to solve this issue and only annoy Victors as he attempted to concentrate on something or another. As he took another look at his phone, the answer hit him in the face. Quite literally, the phone had slipped out of his grasp and fallen onto him, changing the page and moving onto a new messaging tab with Max’s name on it.

Salem couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought of it sooner, seven days of thinking on how to make Aaron speak up when the answer was to speak to Max all along. Sure he was grating at times but his mannerisms seemed simple. If you offered him something of interest then he might bite and hand over what is being asked. So Salem set off to do just that, though not offering anything immediately so that there was more room to play in later.
> Hey Max, its Salem. I was wondering if you were free to talk tonight. Had a few things on my mind about that disaster of a party and was wanting to pick your brain about it.

Two short replies in rapid succession came back a few short moments later.

> Yeah w/e, Eric’s gone so stop by whenever
> I reserve the right to kick you out if I don’t like your questions tho

Salem half expected for him not to get a reply back, instead he received two and it caused him to pause and re-read them. Did, did Alderman just invite him over while Eris was away? Salem wasn’t going to question it,and he sure as hell wasn’t going to toss the opportunity away. So he waited a few moments, long enough to not seem like he was an eager texter before finally replying.
> Cool. See you in a bit

He got off his bed, changed into some casual wear and left for Eris’s dorm. Knocking at Max’s door after texting him another message as he waited outside.
> Hey, I’m outside waiting

The door swung open and Maxie burst out immediately, the overeager dog making it all of two steps outside before her neck jerked awkwardly and the metallic clasp of her collar stretched against her movements back toward the dorm. She fought the pull in vain for a few moments, losing ground with every second before she suddenly spun around and slid back inside.

Max stepped up to the door a few moments later with a subtle grin at his handiwork written across his face. The dog barked in indignance before the mage shushed her with a nudge from his foot. “If you brought tea, I don’t want it,” he greeted with an inviting gesture toward the room behind him.

Salem watched the poor dog struggle before Max arrived. If he didn’t know any better he was trying to make an entrance, and that just meant Eris was rubbing off on him. But he decided not to think too much on it as he gave Max an equal grin. ”No I'm actually here to tell you about the great and wonderful Andel Starag, do you have time to hear about our saviour?” Salem's face fell flat with the hint of a smile before continuing. ”I figured you wouldn’t which is why I didn’t bring any. I’d debated on alcohol but it seemed inappropriate given…” He didn’t say much more before pressing in before Max had the opportunity to slam the door on him. Making his way towards the door he was gestured to but not yet entering it until Max did.

Max snorted in mild amusement, “People are really out here named Andel.” He followed the other mage inside and stepped into his room, making a vague gesture toward his desk chair before taking a seat on the bed himself. “If you really think we need to be drunk for this conversation, I’m not looking forward to whatever you need to ask. You’re lucky your vampire doesn’t come off as the blackmailing type.”

Salem followed his motion and sat at the desk chair, nervous yet still smiling as he thought of how best to approach this subject. ”Luckily he’s not. We actually had a conversation about that a few nights ago. So I'll be blunt and honest instead. I wanted to ask what the fuck was up between you and Aaron that night. There was some serious tension and it didn’t seem like you two were having a lovers quarrel so what is it? Oh and this is not in any sense to the betterment of Starag. Whatever is said here won't leave the room if you don't want it to.’

Oh great, it was everyone’s business now. Still, Max didn’t have anything to lose from this conversation; Aaron was the one that wanted it under wraps. Unfortunately, Max had no idea what the point of that conversation even was anymore. Eris was back to his usual sick puppy act, as far as Max could tell. Either he was really good at hiding his motives or he’d bought some load of bullcrap because he was thinking with his penis.

“Oh, yeah, I was just fucking with him. You know how I said Ryner fucked up on that test? It gets weirder,” Max explained, “We all got a mental magic clone of one of the other people there. Eric got Varis and he spilled a bunch of weird secrets - well, not so much secrets as nonsensical historical references - but Varis denies any knowledge. From what I was told, it looked like Eris could see the mage in charge losing control of the spell in real time. All of the other clones were faithful duplicates, if a bit exaggerated in their emotional extremes, but this was out of left field.”

Max raised a finger dramatically, as if he were just getting to his point, “Eris had me follow up with the mage in charge, and her story didn’t add up in the slightest. All I know is the spell definitely went wrong somehow, and instead of an apology I got a shoddy cover-up. Anyway, Aaron knows and I wanted to piss him off because I thought our vampires were at odds over this. Apparently not.” Whatever the fuck Eris’ endgame was, it sucked.

Salem leaned forward in his seat as Max began to explain it all. It was a lot to take in, and it explained quite a few things about the exam that he hadn’t realized before. ”How exactly didn’t the stories add up? Also can i just say how tired I am of all these mind mages around here. Between the dinner with the Queen, The Revel, and now this, it seems like they need to either get a handle on what’s happening here or just fess up that they have no real control. Honestly I'm beginning to wonder if Ryner actually runs this school or if it's just a mind mage posing as her while Nox gets her kicks off or something. Hell I almost died during my exam.” He accentuated his last point by quicking leaning back into the seat and throwing his arms up in frustration.

Max raised his hand as if he were holding a wine glass, pretending to propose a toast, “I say again, fuck the mental magic program.” He dropped his arm with a huff, “Eric talked to Ryner beforehand and the coverup she gave him and the coverup her lackey gave me differed just enough that it sounded like a lie they’d been briefed on rather than actual events. Clone Varis started talking about Greta Bordeleaux and Ralmalamadingdong Marivaldi - where would that even come from? That had nothing to do with the exam. Either Ryner’s covering for her ally or she intended to fuck him over and play off her involvement as an unfortunate spell failure.”

He leaned back to lay on his bed briefly and checked his phone. “Worst part about it is, I thought Eric would capitalize on this and actually hit Count Cinnamon where it hurts, but instead he’s over at the Sinnenodel dorm right now lodged firmly in both his pocket and his ass. It’s a disaster waiting to happen. Aaron doesn’t have to know that though - so I keep bringing it up to get him nervous.” The mage raised his head up to look squarely at Salem, “Now spill, how’d you almost die? Another convenient ‘spell failure’?”

Salem was beginning to wonder if the nightmares were also Ryner or his mages trying to fuck him and Aaron over with the intention of playing it all off as either a mistake or a Red Hand involvement. If he was being honest he would have thought he was the main target given the dinner and that Aaron was simply an accidental casualty just based off of proximity or something. But he didn’t have the time to think on it, not with Max asking him a question finally, and Salem wasn’t sure yet if he wanted to bring Max into the fold of the dreams. Salem had placed his hands behind his head as he was leaning back onto the chair and quirked an eyebrow up at the question. It wasn’t something he had thought about but it was a potential explanation.

”Honestly i can’t say if it was a failure or not it was just...out of place almost. There was some riddle that another mage or vampire had fucked with. Broke off the ending so that we couldn’t get the full picture. Next thing I know I'm at the Astorio lodge fighting off a vampire and mage thinking I'm doing decently well until I find out that the mage had pumped me with spores and was killing me from the inside out. I was literally coughing up root systems on the ground while Victor made his way to the cabin thinking I had the fight handled. I knew the exam was meant to be difficult but to pit me against someone that can just kill me like that. It was more than a little concerning.” Salem leaned forward slightly so that his feet would hit the ground. Looking at Max and thinking about what to say next. ”Like i said, if you ask me there’s definitely something going on around here and it seems to be surrounding those mind mage freaks.”

That sounded… gross. If it was just an illusion, Max couldn’t say it was quite as troubling as Salem was making it out to be, as shitty as the situation probably was in the moment. “I don’t think that’s too far out of the ordinary - when Aaron and my clone got locked together apparently I sliced his arm to ribbons or something. It was perfectly intact when he was done, though. I assume all of the danger was simulated by some smug mind mage fuck with a chip on his shoulder because he got ignored at lunch.”

The point about mind mages was a good one - while he doubted the students were actually in on it, the professors were definitely one of Ryner’s weapons and not just educational professionals. “Ryner has the mental program staff under some kind of obedience spell. I don’t know how far it runs, but the one I talked to had to do some creepy ritual before she could even talk about that test, and only about Eris’ experience specifically. Not a stretch to think there’s even more influence at work there than forbidding them to tell secrets.”

His arms dropped down and were propped up on his knees as Salem’s smile faltered into a more serious frown. ”Well that could further explain why none of the nobility were willing to even hear me on the issue i had brought up to dinner. It seemed simple, even if they viewed it as naive, to allow mages onto their council as equals to help decide future mage rights, and how it is we are treated. But then that would mean that Ryner might lose her lackeys and that this strange...cult would have to be broken. I won't lie and pretend i know much about mental magic and the program but it just gives off real bad vibes and no one has spoken about them in a positive light. I'm sure that's for good reason too.`` Salem tried to put on a smile again, or at the very least a more pleasant face so that the mood didn’t stay too harsh. ”Well here’s hoping that it was all an illusion and that they didn’t actually try to kill off one of their students who just happened to be under investigation. Cuz that would solve their issues fairly nicely. Especially given that the test right before that one had me basically relive the day my mother and I almost died by subterfuge so it seemed like a very pointed threat.”

Max sat up to stare incredulously at the plant mage as he elaborated on the infamous dinner conversation. He picked that as a topic? Might as well discuss the merits of veganism with a pack of wolves. “No wonder you’re getting called a terrorist, they probably think you’re insane,” He scoffed, then took on a more stern expression, “I know I make the same judgment about most people’s character, but those mental magic kids came off very unpleasant when I talked to them. They deserve every bit of that reputation they have if you ask me. Still, I doubt Ryner’s quite that bold to off you in the middle of her test. She can’t afford the negative press after that fucking fiasco of a Revel, and she had ample opportunity to just kill you there anyway. Probably meant to fuck with you rather than seriously hurt you.”

As much as he hated to give Ryner credit for being ‘nice’, he doubted she’d sabotage her own institution so overtly. Especially if she had a network of mind readers that could keep the place under her thumb. It just made Salem’s assumption all the more confusing. Why didn’t Ryner have anything about this place under control? Either this was all according to plan or she was being seriously fucked with, and Max couldn’t even begin to fathom who had the ability to pull this level of bullshit off.

He hated politicking with these elder vampires - he wanted to stick to the few-centuries old upstarts who were still arrogant enough to slip up, not contend with some smug bitch that’s wrapping him in webs she’d tangled half a millennia ago. And his vampire seemed content to dip his toes into the conspiracy just enough to endanger himself - and more importantly, Max - but not enough to just finish the job. Fucking actors.

Salem couldn’t help but chuckle at Max’s reaction to the news of what had actually transpired that night. Though he felt he should correct him on one thing before pressing forward. ”Actually, I was accused of terrorism because some mind mage invaded my privacy at the table and i accused Lady Sinnenondel’s mage of having done so. They had then agreed that perhaps the events I was describing as mind magic was more so an implanted spell done before I reached the grounds and thus the work of this mysterious Red Hand. Granted I wasn’t the only one who was messed with but I was the only one with the gal to call them out. So i suppose that makes me a terrorist for now” He offered the mage a shrug as if this was just another notch on his belt now given that there was no way to change what had already happened.

He was a bit surprised to hear Max almost compliment Ryner, or anyone for that matter. But he was right in thinking that it was too bold of a move for her to do. Salem figured she could easily blame it on the wildlife, or simply say that he had resonated from attempting to do an improper spell and caused himself to grow from the inside out. Really she could spin most any tale and have the faithful followers gobble it all up like she seemed to do. However for now he would defer to Max’s judgement and assume it was more of a reminder than an immediate threat to his life. ”I guess I'm glad to hear that they deserve the talk about them? Honestly I'm not sure why anyone even wants to join the course. You give up your free will to what? Read someone's mind? I'm sure it's going to get them far being someone's pet at a party as they play their games of espionage without any self worth to their name.”

“Ask our mutual friend. Apparently your experience with Lady Cinnamon’s mages scared him shitless enough to risk it,” Max remarked dismissively. He wasn’t even going to dignify the Red Hand theory with acknowledgement; he wasn’t even there and he could see Sybil was just lazily covering her own ass with that. “If he turns into even more of an insufferable jackass, I guess we’ll know he got mind controlled by their weird hive mind. Oh yeah, that rumor’s real too - they have a weird psychic group chat where they talk shit all day.”

Okay, he didn’t know for sure they talked shit, but what else does one do with an entire class of networked social outcasts? Wasn’t like they had any hobbies beyond prying into shit that wasn’t their business. “Besides, he’s already a pet at a party, might as well gain some usable information for a change instead of selling his body.”

Ofcourse Aaron was going to become a mind mage. He already gave up his sense of self a while ago so why not give up a bit more to gain some magic? Salem couldn’t help but feel like Max’s assumption about Lady Sinnenodel lighting that fire under Aarons ass, but if he had to guess given Varis and Salem’s fathers likeness, they may of done that on purpose as a ploy to get him to follow the dog treats as he tended to do. Salem simply let out a sigh of disbelief at the news as he shook his head. ”I suppose we’ll have to see then. If he can become more of an insufferable ass i mean. Honestly i feel as if i'm talking to a wall half the time, and to think i had a crush on him when i first started here. Speaking of Varis’s pets where Eris at the moment?”

The metal mage grimaced distastefully in response. Salem had given him so much to be disgusted with there, too. Crushing on the Retriever was pretty low, but he supposed it was excusable if it was before they’d properly met. Then again, this same bozo had tried shoving his tongue down Max’s throat, so it wasn’t exactly a surprise. The situation with Eris being disgusting went without saying, especially when they were making such good progress on unmasking Varis’ weird history lesson conspiracy.

“The Sinnenodel bedroom, if I had to guess. He never learns,” Max grumbled.

”Oh. Oh. Right you had mentioned something about his ass but i had assumed it was a weird figure of speech.’ Salem let the silence cling in the air as he could practically feel the awkwardness filling the room. This was the appropriate time to have a drink, to help get over this feeling. Instead he gave a short cough. ”Well then i suppose at the very least those rumours were true. I heard about it a while ago at one of my mothers tea parties. People tend to gossip and the things I've heard about Varis were...interesting.” He straightened up a bit, adjusting himself on the chair as he had thought about how to move the conversation forward but in all honesty he may have gotten all he could from Max’s point of view about the tension between those two. ”So, you mentioned that Victor hadn’t seemed like the kind for blackmailing, is Eris the type? Should i be worried?’ It came out halfway as a joke, but one that had truth within it.

“Eris is absolutely the blackmailing type,” The metal mage warned nonchalantly, “But we don’t exactly collaborate on things that don’t concern both of us and I’m pretty sure he thinks Victor is just some dumb ogre that’s not worth his time. So, I wouldn’t be concerned.” Not for Max’s lack of trying - which was saying something, because if he had to be the one to reach out, there was clearly a trust issue involved. “Until he decides you look fun enough to mess with, he’ll probably forget you exist, and even then he’s only worth worrying about if your failure benefits him. By the way, don’t go posting that sex thing online, it’s supposed to be a poorly hidden secret.”

Max paused a moment, as if considering something. “If that question was more aimed at me, I can keep a secret if you need me to. I’m sure half the campus knows where my loyalties lie by now, and it’s not with some D-list actor. Just don’t do anything that’ll force me into spilling the beans.” It sounded like more of a threat than he’d intended it to, but the point needed to be made anyway. If the choice was between him or someone else, he’d always pick himself, but barring circumstances like that, it wasn’t like he had anyone to gossip to in the first place.

When Max said not to post the sex scandal online Salem pulled out his phone, unlocked it, then gave Max a look. ”I'm sorry what did you say? I was posting the sex scandal on twitter. Joking, I’m joking. No worries, I can keep my mouth shut if needed as well. Though i guess that makes at least two sex scandals in this school. Aarons, and now Eris. Granted only one was actually true.” He wasn’t exactly sure how to take the news about Eris’s blackmailing. What considered him fun enough to mess with? What kept him out of the actor's gaze? Honestly he was surprised that Eris could see past his own nose long enough to notice anybody. ”While i'm not exactly fond of the idea that you could blackmail me,I do actually enjoy talking with you and wouldn’t put it past making you someone i could confide with if only because i know most people are either too afraid to speak to you or you wont give them the time of day to do so. Granted most anything i know does go to Lilie given some past instances that i had accidentally made her worry.”

Max managed a flat glare for a few seconds before he ruined it with a snicker at Salem’s mention of Aaron’s sex scandal. If only he knew how right he was. Max was tempted to spill the beans right there, but this was a juicy piece of information and the brunette didn’t want to spend it carelessly.

“Oh, relax,” He said with a dismissive wave of his hand, “I’m not blackmailing anyone. But if you tell me to keep a secret and Eris tells me to do something I know is detrimental because of said secret, I guess I’m no longer keeping it secret.” Being someone’s confidant was good, even if it was sappy cute shit that he wanted no part of on a sentimental level. Information was more than currency here, it was strength. While he might not be able to spend anything he learned without a serious breach of trust, the more he knew, the better he’d be able to react if something came up. Even if it was just Salem. Lilie seemed like she’d fold if she was asked a question in an assertive voice, let alone actually interrogated - Flower Boy clearly didn’t have secrecy weighing too heavily on his mind here anyway.

Salem offered the metal mage a simple shrug. As much as he didn’t like it, that was essentially how things worked around here. Regardless of how close someone was they always had to weigh their relationships with that of what their vampires wishes are. He wasn’t sure if Victor would ever do something like that, and he hoped it never came to light. ”I can’t exactly fault you there. I’d just hate to think that you or anyone else was just around me to farm for information and play games. The vampires might have time for that but my life spans too short to give a damn. I'm simply trying to do what I can with the time I have.” He leaned back once again in the chair, giving Max a quizzical look. ”So, did you have anything you wanted to speak of or was this simply just to answer what i had in mind?’

Fair enough. Max figured Astorio mages had that kind of privilege, given how… intellectual that fine House of vampiric scholars was. Given Eris’ weird Sinnenodel connection, though, he doubted he possessed that luxury himself. Still, he wasn’t exactly acting maliciously. Here he was, holding back on ruining Aaron’s reputation for at least a few weeks out of nothing but… yeah, nothing. Aaron’s integrity had no value to him. Truly, Max was a virtuous soul for this.

“You wanted to talk, I had nothing better to do, here we are,” He said unenthusiastically. Quite frankly, he had no idea what Flower Boy would even want to talk about. Tea and gardening weren’t fields Max intended to take an interest in, and if Salem was expecting some weird love confession here, he was shit out of luck.

Salem wasn’t going to be the one to say that Max most likely had nothing better to do. Figured they could either leave it unsaid or have Max be the one to bring it up. However now came the most awkward time of all, when they ran out of what to talk about and it was either Max kicked him out , Salem bows out, or they found a way to actually hang out together. Question was...what the hell did Max even like? ”So...do you like video games or movies?” Geeze what grade were they in?

Landar’s dick, did Flower Boy really just ask him that? He really was reaching. He definitely wasn’t talking about movies - the conversation would loop back to Eris and Max would end up having to watch some of his crap. Probably one of the corny romance dramas, if he had Salem’s tastes pegged right. That left… video games? Were they twelve?

“Eric ruined movies for me,” Max flatly announced, “And I’m pretty sure he’d smell it on me somehow if I watched something one of his ‘rivals’ starred in. Out of gossip so soon you gotta resort to playing skirmishers with me?”

Salem moved a strand of hair behind his ear as he realised just how idiotic that sounded. Sure he wasn’t the best at making friends but at least he was trying. ”Figured you had nothing else going on may as well hang out. I haven’t actually seen any of his films, and I doubt you're the type to want to just make out or hook up. Least of all with me, so that left the only two options you seemed like you would enjoy like watching movies with lots of pyrotechnics and death or some games with well basically the same things just that you'd be controlling them.”

Would he be out of line to just break Salem’s nose? No, that wouldn’t end well and he was trying to be friendly here. The fact that he mentioned hooking up at all was troubling, but at least he’d phrased it as something he recognized Max wouldn’t want to do.

“Eric doesn’t do pyrotechnics. He does fights with the love interest’s mother.” Actually, Blood War could very well have had Eris-Landar torching vampires by the hundreds for all he knew, but that hardly made for a decent propaganda piece. “Put on whatever you want, if you’re bored. As long as it’s not Julius Monraine; he will break down the wall to turn it off.”

The one time Max’s empty schedule was a detriment - he had no excuse to kick people the fuck out of his dorm. Not that he particularly wanted to watch a movie, but he definitely wasn’t crawling back to the Astorio dorm to humor Salem with video games. Plus he was half-convinced Victor would make them do push-ups if he caught them playing.

“Unrelated question, but does Count Astronomy start regaling you with war stories when he catches you playing games? He strikes me as the type to see you swing a sword and start ranting.”

”He has a whole workout regimen for me as is. Aside from that I can do what I wish with my time without his bothering me usually. I think he’s too...traumatized by the war stories or he thinks I don't care. Either way I haven't heard much if any and he refuses to let me use a weapon yet. I don't know if he thinks i'll hurt myself or Lilie, or both.” Salem stood up from the chair and gave a small stretch. He didn’t want to invade Max’s space and take a seat on his bed, but man he wasn’t a huge fan of just sitting in chairs. ”Pick whatever movie you think would suck the least. No offense but if his acting is anything like him i assume it's over the top so i suppose you’ll be the best judge on what to watch.”

Max simply shrugged and stood up. “I haven’t watched any of them, I’ll be honest. How ‘bout I list off titles and you pick the one that sounds the easiest to make fun of?”

Max stared at the TV with a lopsided grin. His mother was saying something - he wasn’t listening; it didn’t matter anyway. Probably asking why hearing ‘Count Varis Sinnenodel’ sent him running out of his room. He thought he’d misheard, honestly, but there was old Sybie looking like a wet sock on camera while the banner along the bottom of the screen scrolled through some made up crap about the Red Hand.

“No fucking way,” He murmured, trying to contain his glee. That was sick, he needed to go back in his room before someone called him a sociopath. He pulled his phone out as he slunk back into the bedroom from which he’d emerged wordlessly. First text went to Aaron, that was a no brainer. Eris needed a text too - no, a phone call. He needed to say it out loud to really get the full effect. Besides, sadistic joy aside, this had the potential to be a big issue.

Red Hand was code for dishonest news story, as far as Max was concerned - he was sure a prick like Varis had a lot of enemies, but Ryner knew that Eris found out… whatever the fuck they found out about Cinnamon and the timing was certainly convenient. She could’ve realized her coverup operation sucked and decided to just have him killed. Or worse, he faked his own death to coax his enemies into acting, possibly with Ryner’s help, if they were truly both in on this conspiracy. A conspiracy which, of course, he still had no clues on beyond two names and an old Marivaldi crest. Hell, Eris might already be staked. Or… he could just be overspeculating and Varis really did just get the fiery solar reckoning he deserved.

Ugh, Max was too good at ruining his own fun. That initial rush of giddy excitement was the best he’d felt in weeks and his heart was still pounding somewhere in between thrill and fear. Gloat first, plan later. His heel leaned back to nudge the door closed as he hit the call button under ‘Eric’.

After three rings, the call connected. “Good evening, Maxwell,” Ismene’s voice came out, a touch of annoyance on her end as a male voice could be heard in the background. “May I ask the reason for your call tonight?”

Nope, he was already losing it. Max clenched his teeth to suppress a giggle while Ismene was talking. His first thought was that Eris might not’ve heard yet, but this wasn’t some business number; if Ismene was answering the phone, Eris was probably busy having a breakdown. Or entertaining guests, judging by the noise, but that just made the whole scenario funnier.

“You know why,” The metal mage responded jovially, “Put him on and don’t tell him it’s me if he didn’t hear you already.”

Letting out a weary sigh, there was a minor shuffle heard. A few seconds later, the sound of her heels clicking could be heard followed by another pair of voices. One was noticeably Eris’ while the other was Antigone’s, though despite the volume it was hard to make out what they were saying.

“You have a call,” Ismene said.

“I’m not taking any calls right now,” Eris replied.

“You should take this one--” A low growl came through and interrupted her, though Ismene shooed it away. 5“Take it, I need to feed Sasha.”

Another scuffle, and then footsteps followed by a closed door--Eris was likely alone. “Eris Samael speaking.” He said professionally.

Max had to practically hold his breath to not make any noticeable noise while Ismene was wrangling Eris into taking the call, but the moment he heard the vampire’s voice properly on the other line, he burst out into raucous, explosive laughter. It was probably hard to tell it was even Max at that point, given the rarity in which he ever manifested positive emotional extremes. If one could call laughing at a dead man ‘positive’, anyway. He kept going until he sounded out of breath, making a noise somewhere between a horny donkey and a dying seal before he managed to form words.

“Oh fuck… I think I’m gonna throw up,” He panted out before returning to his earlier cackling.

Eris waited in silence until Max finished, letting out something that was either a groan or an exasperated sigh. “That could’ve been a voicemail,” He told him, annoyed. “If that’s all you’re calling me for, I’m hanging up.”

“Hang on, I’m not done yet,” Max snapped in reply before he let out his final laughs, “And no, that couldn’t have been a voicemail - you wouldn’t have listened to the whole thing.” He took a moment to catch his breath - his abs hurt, holy shit that was great. “And I needed to make sure you weren’t staked in a ditch somewhere anyway. If this is about you-know-what you’re probably next on the list.”

And here was the part where Eris calls him paranoid and underinformed. Still, Max probably would’ve gotten at least a heads-up if Eris was in on the whole death faking scheme. Or not, the actor was so fickle with information sometimes.

“Aww, you care about me, that’s so sweet,” Eris’ voice couldn’t have been dryer if he tried. “Unfortunately you’re not that lucky, you’ll be stuck with me for the rest of the forty-something years left in your life before you’re either stabbed or dead due to a stroke from trying to feel something that isn’t perpetual disdain.”

There was a brief pause before he continued, “And even if I was dead, don’t you think you’d see it on TV, too? You keep joking that I’m a nobody but I can’t even step out of my condo without the gossip magazines writing six pages on the fact that I chose to wear sneakers instead of whatever shoe they’re trying to push sales on.”

He decided to soothe Max, however, with his next words, “I know it’s your first time getting tangled up in nefarious affairs by proxy, but you need to relax,” There was the sound of papers being flipped through. “If you jump at every little thing, your blood pressure will pop your head off your body.”

Here Max was having a good time and Eris still accused him of being crabby. The nerve of some people. Honestly, Eris dying would garner media attention but he seemed like one of those deaths that Max would learn about from a meme rather than an actual news story. He made it a point to avoid Eris-related news if at all possible, if only because he might see himself included by proxy.

“Don’t get too comfortable, I just needed to make sure no Noila death squads were gonna knock on my door later,” Max huffed, “As far as I’m concerned, the only one with red hands around here is Ryner, and she knows we’re on to something weird. Either she offed him or Varis knows we’re onto something weird so he’s playing opossum. Is that an unreasonable assumption? You know the people he rubbed the wrong way - I don’t need to hear it, it’ll probably take all night - can you think of anyone else on that list with the balls to try this stunt?”

Chuckling to himself, Eris waited until Max finished. “I love the way your mind works. Really, you’d give some of my own mages a run for their money,” He took a second to think. “All plausible concerns you should carry in the back of your mind, but I wouldn’t worry too much about anyone showing up at your door just yet. Whoever decided to off Varis played their card too soon, and while you and I agree that the Red Hand is synonymous for vampiric activity, we disagree that it’s Ryner this time around.”

His phone took a picture of something and he took some time to scroll through another phone, the sounds coming through on the call. “Do you know how the merry-go-round of heirship works in noble houses? Aside from the Marivaldi house, Eve, Sinnenodel, and Astorio have their own way of determining their lines of power. The Eves are essentially a massive popularity contest, but if one has enough pull and enough vampires rallying behind them, they can successfully put their family at the head. The latter two operate under the same principle: anyone can get anything at any time provided they outmaneuver their fellow brethren. The Astorios, for instance, are all about physically dominating one another, constantly challenging their superiors for their seats of power in duels to the death. The Sinnenodels differ in how their Lady chooses their heir, but the same principle applies: all they need to do is either kill the heir off or prove themselves in some other way to gain the Lady’s favor.”

“Now, if you listened and haven’t dozed off yet, I’ll get to my point. Assassination attempts are common not just in noble houses but in vampire life. While it’s less likely that I’ll find anyone coming after my life, all it really takes is a business deal going wrong before another vampire decides that I need to be taken out as an obstacle. Considering we’re immortal beings, it’s just a way of life,” He continued. “With that information in mind, you tell me: do you really believe what we’re seeing right now?”

So much for that Sinnenodel crap about them being too haughty and civilized for violence. That wreck looked about as brutish as it gets. Eris’ point made sense too, unfortunately. Especially since Nox was leading the investigation - maybe a red herring to veil Ryner’s involvement, but if they really did dislike each other, he couldn’t imagine Nox would be too complicit in the scandal when Ryner could’ve assigned one of her own loyalists instead.

“Hardly. No confirmed body, which means our assassin either did sloppy work or this is all a big hoax,” Max responded as he paced in circles around his room, “Political assassination sounds entirely reasonable, but again, wouldn’t they have made sure he died? You mess up once and Varis is gonna be on his guard for-” A knock on the door cut the mage off, eliciting an annoyed groan. “I’m on the phone!”

“Is this about Count Sinnenodel?” His mother asked from the other side.

“Yeah, I’m playing leech politics, go away.”

The door opened, much to his dismay, and he was greeted with a fully grown woman grinning like a teenage girl, “Is that Eris?”

Tactless. Max sighed and rudely inched the door closed right in her face. “Yes, and no, you can’t talk to him,” He turned his attention fully back to the phone call, “Where was I?”

There was a much more genuine laugh before Eris cleared his throat. “Anyone who has a target on their backs would already have their guards up, but otherwise you’re correct,” He replied, light taps clueing Max in on Eris typing up something on a keyboard. “You could argue that they’re trying to save face, but with someone on that scale it wouldn’t be nearly as vague. I’m a little surprised at the amount of detail that went into it, hearing that Varis died some distance away would be accurate considering how little the Sinnenodels value physical exertion. But I digress.”

“The only reason I believe this isn’t Ryner’s work is because she still needs him for something. I don’t know what, exactly, but he’s too valuable an asset to lose just yet,” He sighed, clicking his tongue. “So Varis has his own security detail, plus whatever the princess can afford him, so the thought of him getting offed isn’t likely. Of course, there is the very real possibility that I’m entirely wrong and he is dead, but...I doubt it.”

“Unless she decided whatever you found was more of a risk than whatever she’s gaining is. Then again, she was playing coy with you so she evidently wasn’t too worried. Not to mention, if she’s assigning him extra security, she could’ve just had one of them off him quickly and quietly.” Fuck, there goes Max’s best lead. Maybe it was a bit too egotistic to assume everything revolved around him and whatever weird conspiracy he was involved in, but he still wasn’t keen on counting it out entirely.

“So this hypothetical assassin would’ve had to outplay two groups of security personnel, leave no survivors, and still somehow be incompetent enough to let the actual target get away. Not likely. Could be a kidnapping, but then why fake the death, that’s free ransom money. So the only question left is; what’s Cinnamon’s endgame here?”

“Sinnenodel. You’re on the right track, at least, I’ll give you that much,” Eris told him. “I’ll tell you this much, I don’t believe Ryner has given me that much thought yet. Maybe soon, but…” He trailed off for a moment, though he changed his mind as he continued with, “Whatever the case, really take a second and think. If we know it isn’t Ryner, why do you think Varis would fake his own death?”

Oh good, Eris was about to do something stupid. Max expected as much but the confirmation didn’t give him any comfort. Whatever, messing with Ryner beat mundane mage activities by far. As for Varis, fuck, he had no idea what that guy wanted. Money, power; he had those and pretending to die wasn’t doing him any favors unless he was committing insurance fraud.

“Well, with him out of the way, I’d assume all the other potential heirs will promptly rip each other’s throats out, so that’d be a win for him. There’s certainly more efficient ways of getting you out of his business, so I think we can rule us out as the culprit unless we really opened a pot of shit in that exam.” Max clicked his tongue as he thought for a moment, “Maybe get Ryner to slip while she tries to adjust her plans around losing him as an asset, but again, I think there’s easier ways to do that.”

“All good answers. Well done--not that you care about my praise, but it’s there,” Eris paused. “...actually, since I have you here, before you either burst into hysterics again or decide to hang up, there’s something I’ve been meaning to discuss with you.”

Max would hear more paper getting moved around before Eris would get to it. “I was going to wait until the break was over, but I need to bring this up sooner than later. I’m not sure you’re aware of this, but your physical revealed that you’re a Taldrin model mage. Do you know what that means for you from a vampire’s point of view?”

Ugh, Professor Hot Wheels blabbed. Why was that on his medical records? Did they have to start screening for dementia or something because of that?

“That I wasn’t kidding when I told you I would rip the wires out of the walls and strangle you with them?” He fake-hedged a guess. Max knew it was apparently rare but was it a novelty or something? As far as he knew, vampires didn’t seem to know or care about magic beyond immediate utility for themselves, let alone obscure models of magical theory for old people.

“Aside from that. Taldrin model mages are exceedingly rare and well sought after by collectionists. The Academy’s staff are sworn to secrecy but I didn’t know what the extent of your knowledge was,” Eris explained. “This leads me to one of two things: that little joke about vampires coming to knock at your door is a real possibility. If I were you, I would keep that information under tight wraps. If you get kidnapped I’m going to have to chase you down and then you’d have to live with the embarrassment that is me saving you.”

What the fuck, there were mage collectors? Of course there were, who was Max kidding, those insane fucks will make a collection of anything if they think it has enough value. Would’ve been nice for him to get that memo from someone other than Eris of all people, though. The Crown’s official stance was probably that this event never happened and thus the staff wasn’t allowed to bring it up.

“I’m touched, really,” He responded flatly, “What’s so special about it? For all you bloodsucking fucks know, the mage being shown off to you could be a traditional mage faking it.” Just what he needed, more fucking magic trouble. Being a mage sucked and he was going to stand by that point for at least the next hour until some lowly human irked him and he was back to savoring a place in the magical elite.

Fuck, he was turning into Aaron.

“Vampires value genetics in mages, and if it’s rare and special and something they can brag about, then it’s something worth having,” Eris explained. “It’s why vampires tend to pick one or two to bring with them to parties and the reason showmages exist. It’s honestly just one giant dick measuring contest.”

Which would bring him to his next point. “With that in mind, this leads me to the other thing. I think once I settle on your breeding schedule, I’ll be looking into you getting proper defensive training,” He informed Max. “Without giving too much away, certain things have changed for the future and I think properly molding you into that bodyguard idea Ismene had would work out better for everyone.”

Oh good, Max had pricy sperm. Just what he needed to hear. Now he really was turning into Aaron. Breeding schedule? There were only so many bribes Eris could offer equal in value to an unenthusiastic night in bed with a woman he’d never met. And he certainly had no desire to be the start of some weird line of stagehands.

“Can’t say I blame you. I almost feel bad for your incensed business partner that tries to stab you, or however these assassination attempts go,” He responded casually to deflect away from his next point, “Oh yeah, and my breeding what now? You find out I have unorthodox magic and I’m your new prize bull?” Speaking of which, Eris had a whole staff of mages - was he a weirdo collector too or was a retinue of that size standard for uppity celebrities?

“Your breeding schedule. I know you’re human-born, but you have parents. They bred to make you,” Eris said as if it was the most obvious thing.

“Yeah, dumbass, but unless you’re asking me to go find out the date my parents fucked so you can look up the exact alignment of Sagittarius and the moon at the time I don’t see what that has to do with schedules - or me.” Schedule didn’t mean once or twice either, it meant regular occurrence. Nasty.

“Anastasia’s tits--that’s not what that means,” Eris groaned. “When I say ‘schedule’ I mean the time period where you stick your dick in a female to produce a child. Originally, I thought the window between the age of twenty one to twenty four was alright, but I figure if I push it to your graduation, I could have a few little Maxwell pups to keep for myself and then sell whatever for profit. I’ve been looking for someone to mate with Ismene, too, so there’s that to consider.”

Ooh, somebody had been paying attention in Mortal Biology. Apparently not in Mortal Psychology though because who the fuck says that?! What, was he supposed to babysit a bunch of brats like foster kittens until Eris found someone to buy them? That was disturbing at best. Having kids with Ismene wasn’t any better. Hell, it was worse; he’d have to look at her afterward.

“I know charming socialite Eris Samael doesn’t understand this, but that’s gross and creepy,” Max responded after a short delay, “I might blow off your little rewards most of the time, but trust me when I say my body isn’t free.”

“The miracle of creating life isn’t gross, that’s so mean,” Eris disagreed, clicking his tongue. “Are you telling me you never planned on having children? It’s basically the same thing, except I pick out your bride. If you have any preferences I’ll try to keep them in mind, but ultimately it’ll be someone advantageous to your newfound status. What’s wrong with that?”

Max approached the wall and thumped his head against it with a sigh. He really didn’t get it, huh? Of course not, Eris probably thought of his mother like another one of the servants and his father as some nebulous authority figure. He didn’t imagine family ties were particularly tight among leeches.

“Eris, do I sound like the nurturing type?” He asked rhetorically. Yeah, Maxwell Alderman, the guy who could barely put up with half the mages at this school was looking forward to changing diapers. Either the vampire wasn’t giving this much thought or he’d been reading inaccurate books about human behavior written by some equally out of touch vampire.

“You’re really telling me you’ve never even considered settling down?” Eris sounded more surprised than anything. “Getting married, starting a family, those are all common human goals. What were your goals before you found out you were a mage?”

“Sure, maybe, absolutely not. In that order,” He grumbled wearily. Yep, it was probably the book. As for plans… fuck, did looking smart from a distance while doing as little work as possible count? Because he was pretty sure he was still going with that plan, albeit in a more… hectic work environment than some menial day job.

“And no, ‘getting married’ and ‘getting married to a complete stranger that Eris thinks will make nice babies’ are not the same thing,” Max tacked on quickly. Maybe he could get away with jerking off in a cup and keeping his dignity.

“Why aren’t they the same thing? It takes all the trouble of having to meet anyone. I actually figured this was the one thing you wouldn’t grumble about,” Eris commented, confused. “You get married, get all dressed up and pretty, then spread your legs to pump out two or three kids, then you lounge around doing whatever while the nanny takes care of everything. Easy life for minimal effort, I really don’t understand you sometimes.”

“But don’t think I didn’t notice you not answering my question,” He added. “You’re too smart to not have something in mind.”

For a guy who catches feelings over arguably the most offputting vampire on campus, Eris sure was missing the point. Max figured the argument was more about breeding animals than marrying people, but still - how could the face of cinematic sex appeal be this bad at cheesy romance concepts?

“People tend to marry people they like, I know this is probably news in your ivory tower.” Ugh, why was he even arguing this? It was sappy and dumb. “Anyway, I hate to break it to you but I really didn’t have much planned. Hard to be enthusiastic about spending the next forty-something years toiling for people you hate.” Fuck, that was too honest. Max couldn’t catch a break here; he should’ve just hung up when sex came into the conversation.

Eris was quiet on the other end, thinking to himself. The only thing that broke the silence was the sound of a door opening. “And now you’re stuck toiling away for a vampire you hate. Funny how that works out,” He stated wistfully. “Still, you’re under my care now, and that includes everything from finding you the mother of your future children to completing my trifecta of mages. And as much as you hate it, you’re in capable hands.”

Eris getting quiet wasn’t a good sign; either Max said something too heavy - fuck, let’s face it, he kinda did - or the leech was genuinely taken aback by his lack of… optimism? Motivation? Evidently he wasn’t too taken aback given he jumped right back into the conversation without skipping a beat.

“Mhmm,” He hummed affirmatively, “Did you need anything else or do you need to go bride shopping for Taldrin ladies?”

“Nothing that comes to mind that can’t wait until we return. Though I now have a tiger chewing on my leg that wants attention as well as a few irrelevant items to tackle on today’s to-do list, so I’ll take the opportunity to end the call now,” Eris replied cheerfully. “Keep yourself busy until then. Bonne nuit.”

“Yeah, bone nut to you too buddy,” Max replied lazily before ending the call. It took him a few moments to register what Eris had even said. A tiger was chewing on his leg? Was that, like, a euphemism? Was Ismene the tiger? Was that code for call on hold? Knowing Eris it could very well have been a whole ass tiger. No, that was ridiculous, even for him.

About a minute later, Max’s phone rang again. Once he answered, the caller got right to it: “I meant to call you earlier but I had to wrap my head around things,” Ismene’s voice came out hastily and quietly. “Since you didn’t call me and I just found this out, I have every reason to believe this development was recent. For whatever reason Eris is very certain that once you and he leave the academy, we will be moving to the Sinnenodel estate.”

When Ismene called, Max was expecting either an impromptu French lesson on Eris’ orders for the ‘bone nut’ comment or she just really wanted to be filled in on what they spoke about. Instead, he got the craziest thing he’d heard all night.

“Uh, no the fuck we’re not. He can lounge around there all he wants, but I’m certainly not coming.” As if he had any control over that. What the fuck was Eris thinking? If a noble family is housing somebody in their estate, that usually means said person is totally under the thumb of the presiding noble. Eris surely wasn’t stupid enough to sell his soul to House Sinnenodel - maybe horny enough, but that was beside the point - so what could he possibly stand to gain from that?

“And yeah, I called Eris first thing after it got publicly announced. How long has he been going on about this Sinnenodel angle? Seems like career suicide, honestly.”

“I don’t know, I was blindsided with the information after receiving a call from a...Mr. Malek, I believe his name was,” Ismene sounded a little desperate, a tiny groan escaping her. “Never mind that Count Sinnenodel is currently ash, but I suppose it would explain Eris’ lack of melodramatics. I asked about it earlier and it resulted in an argument, so I’m unable to get any specifics.”

“That said, the only logical conclusion that comes to mind is that somehow they’re ‘together’ or Eris has something on the count or it’s the other way around or--I don’t know. I actually don’t know,” She sighed. “I don’t know how or when this happened. I did notice a Sinnenodel pendant around his neck, but I just thought it was another gift. He seemed mighty pleased with himself, too, but…”

“Allegedly ash,” Max corrected, “Eris doesn’t think he’s dead. Honestly, I don’t either.” He flopped back on his bed with a sigh; if he was as stressed out as Ismene everytime he didn’t know something, he’d probably have that stroke Eris kept alluding to for real. “I’ll ask him about it. I recognize the name Malek, I think, but that doesn’t do us much good.”

What the fuck was Eris thinking? If Varis was blackmailing him, Max should’ve been the first person to be informed; he was the boots on the ground, as it were. Otherwise, he could see no reason to want anything to do with House Cinnamon, let alone wanting to live with them.

“Does he ever take the pendant off? That’s a pretty ballsy symbol to be displaying even if you are being leveraged into doing it.” If he only wore it in public, Max reckoned it was for show, but if he was wearing it everywhere, he was serious and that was a big issue.

“No. He hasn’t had any appointments to go to, so he’s been wearing it here, but I fear the worst,” Ismene replied. “I was so convinced that the hapless lover thing was an act and I don’t know what the next step would even be if it isn’t. Part of our argument involved that, but he seems serious about it. Unfortunately, I lost my temper so the trust between us is...damaged for the moment. My brother thinks it’s not all bad, but he’s an idiot.”

Act, probably not. But Max definitely thought whatever the fuck happened in that stupid vision got rid of whatever weird thing Eris had going on with the Count. If he refused to explain his reasoning, the mage could only assume the reason sucked and Eris would be rightfully ridiculed for it.

“Is the necklace magic? Maybe he’s a hostage,” Max blurted out in confusion, “Y’know, say you love House Sinnenodel or it sets off a fireball.” Who would even bother enchanting something like that? Horrible way to ensure cooperation in the long term. “And he had the audacity to grill me on my romance situation.”

“Romance situation? What--Never mind, I’ll assume it’s none of my business,” Ismene tried not to get distracted. “I could try to get to it in the morning to see if your theory holds merit. Otherwise, we have to assume the worst and prepare accordingly. Sinnenodel mages are notorious for their inability to trust and constant usage of blackmail and backstabbing, it’s a terrible environment.”

“Yeah, I go on regular play dates with one,” Max mumbled drearily in response, “And for the record - ‘romance situation’ meant he wanted to sell me off for babymaking. And he brought you up, which was beyond creepy.” He had a reputation, damn it. Not that Ismene’s opinion really mattered, but still; it was about principles. “Uh, no offense.”

He doubted there was any magic on the pendant, honestly, but it wouldn’t hurt to check. He was tempted to call Eris up right now, but he wouldn’t have the full force of personality he’d need to get the leech to confess over the phone, and it’d just give him time to come up with a lie for when they got back to school anyway. If Malek knew, then Aaron… might know? They both worked for Varis, but that didn’t mean much given Aaron seemed only a step above the carpet. Literally - Varis had to step up from the carpet to stand on him. Either way, it probably wouldn’t hurt to approach the issue, but there was absolutely zero chance of Aaron spilling anyone’s master plans, even if it was the plans of a supposedly dead man.

“None taken,” Ismene muttered back, taking a second to compose herself. “I think for now, it’s best to play things by ear. There could very well be a chance that you’re right and it’s a situation needing to be resolved as opposed to a change for the future, in which case it’s best to reconvene for a resolution. I don’t think you should confirm it just yet, at least one of us should stay in his good graces, but I can’t stop you if you choose to. Otherwise, there isn’t much left to discuss, unfortunately. I do apologize for my own lack of grace, I didn’t take the news well and...didn’t know who else to call.”

Max grunted at Ismene’s idea. He already hated this plan - why was he the suckup? Antagonism actually liked the idea, why wasn’t he the patsy? “Don’t worry about it, I like being informed. Feels like I’m a nearsighted manatee smacking my head into the aquarium wall instead of a completely blind one. I’ll hold off, but if I see a good opportunity to bring it up, I’m taking it, with or without your approval.”

There were only so many ways Eris could answer an on-the-spot question of ‘why are you so dumb’, anyway.

“Fair enough. In the meantime I’ll be in contact with Malek and relay anything relevant,” Ismene sighed, clicking her tongue as a low purr was heard. “I’d like to think that this is a stopgap measure and that maybe my position will exempt me from Sinnenodel practices, but all it takes is the wrong mage to have an interest and things go sour from there.”

“I’m certainly not playing along. Those guys are very unpleasant to interact with,” Max grumbled. Not that he had much room to stand on, but if Aaron was considered a failure by Sinnenodel standards, he didn’t want to meet the successes. “Plus I’m about as subtle as a brick through a window, so I can’t imagine I’ll be anyone’s favorite pet. See if you can get anything out of Malek without raising too many alarms. Play dumb or something and maybe he’ll deign to correct you.”

“Playing dumb doesn’t work when dealing with true Sinnenodel mages, but I think I can get what I need by being direct. Once I’m back in the master’s good graces I can navigate this properly,” Ismene thought out loud, punctuating it with a sigh. “Don’t worry too much about yourself for now, while you’re attending the academy you’ll need to focus more on your battle prowess. Your affinity makes you the perfect right hand mage, and while I understand your relationship is tumultuous, I hope I can count on you to protect him if need be. I can understand if you choose not to, of course, and at minimum you can learn to skewer any who would seek to harm you in any way, so that’s a positive.”

The purr rose into a growl, followed by Ismene shushing it. “I was on the phone before you got here, you silly animal,” She scolded something before returning to the conversation. “Either way, I’ll be counting on you.”

What the fuck was that noise? It sounded like a really shitty engine. Was… was Eris serious about the tiger? Eris had a fucking tiger and Max was supposed to be the security detail? He got the wrong guy.

“Yeah, yeah, nobody gets to spear Eris except me, whatever,” He grumbled. She got one thing right; he needed to learn to defend himself. Especially with Eris’ ominous comment about pissing Ryner off - for an actor he sure was intent on making his life dangerous. At this rate Max should just petition to be reassigned to an Astorio and cut the pretense out entirely. “Being direct usually works for me - they’re not used to people saying what they mean without fifty double meanings. But I’ve never talked to this dude, so I’ll defer to your judgement.”

He paused a moment, then continued, “Okay, I have to ask - does he really own a fucking tiger?”

“Technically, he owns multiple tigers. They’re rescues purchased from neglectful caretakers; his grandfather owns an animal sanctuary where they spent most of their time. This one’s gotten particularly attached to him for some reason so I’ve arranged it to be here anytime he returns from the academy,” Ismene replied. “Not that there’s any room for a tiger to be roaming around in a condo, but she seems to put up with it to see him and annoy me. I’ll introduce you whenever you come visit again.”

What the fuck, Eris. Max couldn’t even be surprised - it was so on key for the vampire that he probably wouldn’t have thought anything of it if he’d heard it casually mentioned anywhere else. Why the fuck did he buy that little rat of a dog then, did he plan to feed it to - what’d he call her earlier, Sasha? He really did collect pets. Max was a new exotic animal for his stable. Unbelievable.

“Mmm, I might pass on that one. She might bite me or something.” Couldn’t animals smell when you didn’t like them or something? Apparently not, given how Maxie followed him around, but that was probably just because he feeds her.

“True, we did have to replace our last chef due to mauling,” She mused. “It’s a joke. We did have to replace the chef but it wasn’t tiger related. There’s a reason I don’t allow the lion here anymore.”

The lion. Eris had a whole fucking zoo of predators somewhere, didn’t he?

“Good thing I’m so valuable apparently, maybe he won’t put me on poop scooping duty…” Max sighed into the phone. He was surprised Eris even had a chef, he seemed like the type to forget people had food preferences at all. In fact, he was pretty sure the leech had mentioned he thought lettuce was a treat at one point.

“Does he have any other weird hobbies I should know about? Because I don’t know how someone could forget to mention they own a fucking tiger.”

“It depends on what you define as ‘weird’. Vampires live for a long time, they have a tendency to pick up a variety of skills and hobbies,” Ismene replied. “Animal conservation has been a staple of the Avaline family for centuries with the former duchess Nikolette Avaline--that would be Eris’ grandmother--having one of the largest sanctuaries to date. It’s a lesser known fact considering the Samael family’s fame has largely eclipsed Eris’ efforts.”

“As for his hobbies, they range from swordplay to studying history to menial tasks such as folding laundry to...a lot of things that wouldn’t normally interest anyone,” She thought to herself for a second. “I’m sure there’s a few hobbies he picked up before I was born that I don’t know about.”

“What the fuck kind of hobby is folding laundry?” Max asked, choosing that to hone in on specifically in the sea of oddities. He probably thought it was quaint and cute or something. Little mortal chores. The long life angle explained why every vampire he seemed to meet was a fucking weirdo, at least; being normal must’ve gotten boring several centuries ago.

Still, mage collecting made no sense to him. None of the arbitrary status symbol crap did, honestly, but maybe that was his pragmatism talking. Having a tiger was… cool, he guessed, but not having a whole sanctuary of them. Well, he did have the excuse of it being the family trade or whatever, so Max could let that slide.

“He finds it therapeutic. His words, not mine,” Ismene said. "In my experience vampires tend to latch onto the oddest hobbies. There is a cousin of mine who serves a Samael who has dedicated their eternal life to cultivating peanut plants in an effort to make the perfect peanut butter. Never mind that vampires don't eat…"

Clearing her throat, she continued. "A majority of quirks and hobbies can be attributed to immortal curiosity and a lack of understanding of the way we mortals live. I don’t know why it fascinates some while the rest couldn't care less, but there you have it."

Damn, now Max wanted some perfect peanut butter. Eris could arrange that, right? No, that was probably a bad move; he might latch onto that and start trying to give him peanuts when he was good or something equally degrading.

“They could try, I dunno, asking. All the eccentrics just come off as getting their information from poorly researched Mortals For Dummies books written by other out of touch vampires.” He shuddered slightly as Katya popped into his head. Doing weird things to understand mortals seemed like her schtick - up to and including weird marriages, apparently. Then again, she didn’t exactly come off uninformed, just kind of creepy. “One time I used ‘shit yourself’ as an expression and I think he took me seriously.”

Ismene barely held back a laugh. "They think themselves superior, I don't know if they'd take kindly to taking instruction from mortals," She pointed out. "Though that does explain a few texts. Their bodies also function differently from ours so their inability to understand certain expressions comes naturally. I did, however, confirm that it wasn’t a literal expression at the time since he was so concerned.”

Max snorted in vague amusement. The image of Eris worriedly typing out ‘why does my mage have to poop?’ shouldn’t have been as funny as it was. It had to have been one hell of an ego thing if leeches didn’t want to ask people about other people, though. He was pretty sure zoologists would kill to be able to ask an animal why the fuck it was doing some idiotic behavior. Hell, he felt like that with the dog half the time. Her fascination with windows was beyond him.

“How sweet to know he worries about my bathroom habits like that,” He muttered unenthusiastically, “Not that I really blame him - he probably assumed I’d make fun of him for asking.”

“Are you saying that because you wouldn’t?” Ismene asked slyly.

“Depends on the question,” Max huffed in response, “And he’d get the information regardless of whether I called him stupid first anyway.”

“How considerate,” Ismene mused. “It’s good to see you’re reliable regardless of how many insults you sling. Usually you just get the insult and no response.”

After thinking about that for a second, she let out a sigh. “Well, back to work, then. Thank you, I feel a lot better now,” She told him sincerely. “If any other information comes to light, I’ll make sure to keep you in the loop and hope you’ll do the same. I’d like to stay optimistic but it just makes things easier if I walk in with my usual neutrality and take things as they come.”

“Uh-huh. Keep me posted. If anything new on the Varis angle comes up I’ll let you know. I can only imagine he’ll have me digging into that as soon as we get back.” Probably send him to harass Aaron, like that would do him any good. Well, he did have a bit of blackmail to play with, but Max couldn’t be entirely certain he’d pick Lilie’s opinion of him over loyalty to Varis, especially since he’d weathered the rumor about him getting a girl sent to the mines by being a whore.

Max paused a moment to let out a long-suffering sigh before continuing, “Also, I can already tell my mom is gonna want an autograph so what’s the easiest thing to get him to sign? A Blood War copy or something? A napkin?”

“Blood War copy? Hm, I could arrange that or the napkin if you so wish, though since it’s for your family I’ll make sure to send something a little more personal--Sasha, do not chew on my pillow!” Ismene scolded the tiger, clearing her throat afterwards. “I’ll get on it right away, did you want more memorabilia or will the autographed copy of the DVD do?”

“I want her to stop bringing Eris up, but I don’t think I’m gonna get that so I’ll settle for whatever you think is best,” Max responded. With any luck he could milk this for every gift-giving holiday of the year, but he’d have to deal with a sappy display of gratitude and he definitely was not looking forward to that. Whatever, he’d cross that bridge when he got to it. “Just pretend she’s thirty years younger than she is and make sure he doesn’t write anything inappropriate because I’ll probably vomit.”

"I'm sure the shine will fade eventually and only spark up anytime a new film is released," Ismene assured him. "I'll put something that'll tide her over but not too personal to keep it interesting. Text me her name and I'll have it sent over as soon as it can get there."

She paused for a moment, letting out a quiet sigh. "It goes without saying, but be careful. Things are changing at a pace that begets caution," She decided to throw it out there. "I'd watch who you choose to trust going forward. Not just in the Sinnenodel matter, but in general. That being said, I do hope you can count on me as one of them."

Well, at least that was handled. Probably better to let Ismene do all the thinking anyway, he had no idea what women wanted out of their Eris obsession - aside from the obvious, but that was gross. That shine couldn’t fade fast enough, to be quite honest. Everytime he even alluded to Eris while he was home she’d perk up like a dog that heard the word ‘walk’.

“See, when you say stuff like that, it makes me think you’re not someone I can trust,” He mumbled, then waved off the complaint despite her not being present in the room, “But it’s fine. We’re collaborators, right? It’s no secret I have entirely self-serving interests but they align nicely with Eris’ interests, so… Unless you start fucking me over behind the scenes, I don’t see why we can’t scratch each other’s backs. I don’t like any of this any more than you probably do, don’t worry about me.”

“I say it because I worry. Shocking, I know,” She told him, trying not to laugh. “As my understudy I do feel obligated to look over your transition into magehood and the world that is Eris Samael, it wouldn’t do to have you stumble around the dark all by your lonesome. I don’t have any particular thing that I can say to have you trust me, but it would make things convenient. And if Eris decides to go through his hackneyed plan of…that thing, then it’d make things less awkward if we were to trust each other. Or make things even more awkward, who knows.”

“Gee, thanks. And I hate that I meant that genuinely.” Ismene hadn’t given him any reason to distrust her, but it wasn’t lost on him that she could be playing him somehow and he’d never know. It seemed like an Eris thing to do, sort of. Either way, she was certainly a better source than the leech himself; he was so loathe to give Max any tidbit of information beyond the bare minimum sometimes he had to wonder if he actually wanted the mage to fuck up whatever task he was assigned to.

Of course, he couldn’t really disparage vampiric paranoia when he was considering this in the first place. Ismene puppeting him around under the guise of helpfully tattling on Eris would be some bullshit, but not completely unthinkable. She was just a little too subservient for him to feel entirely comfortable, but he’d made worse deals with the Retriever. Plus Ismene was, y’know, pleasant company. Aaron just hit him with a stick and degraded his manners.

“You’re a step or twelve above Sinnenodels, whatever happens. Don’t beat yourself up too much,” He continued, then took on a clearly facetious tone, “I’m just grumpy with people. You know how it is.”

“I’m flattered and relieved you think so. Enjoy the rest of your evening, Max.”

“Yep, take care of yourself. Don’t get eaten by the tiger,” He lilted before promptly hanging up.

Salem watched as the school began to shrink in the distance. Passing by buildings, shops, and places he'd frequented while he was being sequestered from his family's home. As every streetlight went by the buildings began to be replaced with large oak trees tightly packed and forming a natural barrier from the hills that marked his home. There was a final break in the tree line and Salem could spot the large rolling hills that his family had sat upon.

His face moved closer to the window, viewing his families home on the lower hill overlooked by the larger mansion of their vampiric partners. As they approached the greenhouses became more visible, the cobblestone facade and wooden beams that's decorated the front of the house. A soft smile crept onto his face, it'd felt like a lifetime since he came home, since he'd heard his mothers voice, or even gotten to read her writings. When the car finally pulled up Salem ran towards the house, pausing just before the door as his hand hovered over the handle.

Salem opened the front door, stepping in and closing it behind him as he called out into the household. "Hello?" He looked around at the familiar surroundings, watching the darkwood walls, the grand staircases that descended down to the floor with green and gold runners, and the stand that held had held a vase he'd broken before.

The silence that lingered in his greetings wake didn't have much of an opportunity to settle. His mother came around the corner, her smile wobbly and her eyes shining with unscheduled tears, and she crossed the distance between them with fierce determination, her hug threatening to suffocate the poor boy. In the time they had been separated, a few strands of grey had worked their way in Alice's hair.

"Salem, you're finally home! It felt like so much longer than its been." She pushed him back, holding him by the shoulders as she inspected him. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you? We received your friend's letter but we've been so worried with this Red Hand business."

Salem matched his mother's tears as he welcomed the embrace. Holding her tightly as if she may be gone at any moment. When she pushed him back he smiled at her critical eyes, searching for any offense they may have done to him. "I'm fine Ma, they didn't do much to be honest. I was reassigned my partner with a very odd Astorio. He doesn't seem to fit the portrayals I've heard about but thats a blessing I suppose. Aside from that it almost as if the investigation was distant, making me worry that perhaps they had done something to you all here."

He gave his mother a looks, gauging her reaction and as if to plead with her to be honest about what had transpired while he was away. "How were things here? What has happened while I was gone? Did they do anything because of this ridiculous red herring?" He would tell her all about Lilie and how he was able to spend some nights at the Starags place but only after he knew she was safe and unharmed.

"Well, not really honestly. We received notice about all this hogwash, we had tea up on the hill with some stubbornly apathetic detectives--I even told the funny joke about the hare and the crow and neither of them laughed!--, and then we were informed the clinic's operations would be suspended." Alice explained, looping her arm in his and guiding him further into the house. "Of course, your father skirted a heart attack. The man wanted to be here to greet you but I decided he'd be better of with a double whiskey sour and a touch of my special lavender. Don't need that brute bothering my time with my darling boy after I hadn't see him in ages." She bopper Salem on the nose as they walked into the living room, depositing him on a couch and setting out some cookies and cakes.

"So now tell me all about school. It's been an eventful year for you, hasn't it?" She asked, nibbling at a cookie as she settled across from him.

"Sometimes I feel as though it's been a little too eventful. Between dinner with the queen, the murders, étiquette classes, normal classes, training with an Astorio, and finally making friends, well its been quite a bit." Salem grabbed a small cake and took a bite out of it. Giving his mother time to process all he had just said. "The last break I ended up spending it with Aaron Starag. It wasn't horrible but it felt as if the whole manor had eyes and watched my every step. Not to mention the boy is more high strung than his aunt and mother. Both were rather sweet and caring, they had some warmth to them that is sorely missed from Aaron."r]

Alice made a sympathetic noise at Salem's list. "I was worried sick after the incident at Revel. I tried to demand someone return my calls about your health but eventually I had to ask Lucy to send an official inquiry. It still took longer than I care for but at least I got confirmation that you hadn't been hurt." Alice sighed, her eyes burning with the fury of that memory. She'd been so frustrated with everyone but her son was safe and home and thats all she cared about right now.

"I could only imagine the tension in the royals household. The things they must have to deal with compared to us, how strictly controlled the Starags are, must make it difficult to interact with those who haven't gone through the same things." She sighed. She picked up a cake and smiled at Salem. "But why don't you tell me about your friends. You must have made quite a few by now!"

It broke his heart to hear about the troubles she had to go through just to get confirmation of his safety. Putting even more blame and guilt on him than he already felt for having had this investigation launched in the first place. Salem looked down at his cake as he thought about his friends, thinking of only one that he could truly consider a friend.

"I've been keeping it close to my chest after the investigation was launched. No need to pull others into my mess. Though there are a few id call acquaintances and even fewer id call friends. I met this lovely girl named Lilie, she's very...peculiar. A water mage who has yet to see her full power, but her hearts bigger than anyones I've ever met. She works out with me and watches over me like a second mother at times. Always fretting about things she can't help. Then there's the Starag, he can be friendly if ever he could see past his own view points. He's made few friends and had a few rumors spilled about him. I think he'd be rather charming if he ever considered anyone else's worldview. Finally there's Max. Not much to say about him other than he has a tough exterior and immovable hatred for others. Or so thats the disposition he likes to throw up. But he can be spoken to and reasoned with more than Aaron ever could."

"Well with the investigation over, maybe you can lower your guard. Three friends, and only one you speak well of, isn't enough for you sweetie. I know you'll benefit from a large, branching network. But you aren't home for me to nag you. Give me a few more days and then we'll see." She laughed, taking a bite of her cake, and gave Salem a sly look. "Of course, maybe there's another reason you're complimenting Lilie so much?"

"I compliment her so much because she deserves it. Unlike a few of my classmates she's one who even after opening her mouth remained in good light. Before I even knew the Starag was who he said he was I had found myself with a slight crush I'll admit. However it wasn't long after he opened his mouth to speak that I realized he was all beauty and no brains. Which is to say he rarely opens his mouth and improves upon the silence. There was a small…thing with Max but that was to hide a dead body and escape onlookers glares."."

"Salem, don't speak so poorly about your classmates. I'm sure Aaron and you have your differences but imagine growing up in a place without freedom. You were suffocating after one visit; imagine how you'd feel if it was your entire life." Alice lightly chastised her son. That was how his father spoke and she wasn't very well going to let him turn into that man no matter how frustrated Salem was. She sighed and stood to settle next to her son, pulling him into another hug. "I know this has been rough for you. You've had so much independence and then to have life shove this new arraignment on you is awful but it doesn't mean we can lose ourselves. The world is such a dark place sometimes--you've seen it yourself now--but we can keep the light going and oftentimes it just requires a bit of kindness. Always remember that, Salem. No matter how bad it is, you always have the power to make it better. Don't let them take that from you." She placed a gentle kiss on his forehead.

"Now why don't you tell me about this vampire of yours and then I'll get you all caught up on family business." She suggested, staying on the couch next to him.

Salem wasn't sure what hurt him more, how disappointed his mother sounded at the way he spoke, or how it felt that she was able to draw a comparison between him and his father. Hr thought back to some conversations he'd had recently as he let her pull him in as he sat in his own mind thinking about what she said. He had been criticizing Aaron for being immovable and he hadn’t even attempted to fully place himself in Aaron's shoes. He let out a sigh as he debated messaging Aaron and how his conversation with Max had went.

"Well I'm currently paired with Victor Astorio after something had happened with Lucian of the Queens Guard. I wasn't exactly told what, just came to my dorm to find it emptied as I was coming back. But Victor’s actually not bad. He has his standards of course, has me drinking shakes, working out an enormous amount, and wishes me to be an ally in the fight against lycans. Though, I'm not exactly sure why. He has however given me a lot more freedom than other mages have, and allowed me to expand my views on plant magic in a more...offensive way."

Alice’s face paled at the mention of an Astorio of all people. She held him a little tighter. “Well, I suppose you’re making the best out of the situation. It sounds like it could be worse; although, I don’t know how I feel about him grooming my baby boy to be a war machine.” Not that her opinion held any sway here but she doubted any mother would be pleased to see their sweet child turned into a ruthless fighter. “Now, lycans? Aren’t they all dead or gone?”

Salem pulled away as his mother questioned him about the Lycan's. Offering her a simple shrug before proceeding. "They are to our knowledge, though I'm beginning to believe we don't have anywhere near a full picture. That, or maybe the Astorios need something to cling to and this is their way of being prepared in the event they ever come back in some way. I doubt he has any real plans to utilize me in such a way. It's more just for show for when I'm around other Astorio’s since they don't approve of weakness. Aside from that I've been free to do as I please so it seems like a small compromise."

He offered his mother a reassuring smile, letting her know that everything was alright and that he wasn't becoming a mindless killing machine. "So how's the family been in my absence? Anything new or exciting happen?"

“Oh, nothing too exciting. Your father has been away on business for a few weeks. Something about solidifying a deal to increase production but otherwise, I don’t know. It’s just been blissfully peaceful around here. I’ve been enjoying a little bit of a break myself but work will call me back soon enough.” She tapped her finger on her chin for a while, humming. “The vampires are bringing in a new mage actually! We aren’t permitted to know the details but apparently she was taken away because the vampire in question was committing some unscrupulous acts with her and our benefactors agreed to take her in. She’ll arrive sometime next month so you’re next break, we’ll have a new friend!” She clapped excitedly.

“The poor thing will probably be a wreck but she’ll be safe here. I already spoke to the vampires about keeping her away from your father. No need to traumatize her more.” His mother muttered with an eye roll. “She’ll be in the guest wing for a while here until she decides if she wants to move to her own place or just stay here, at which I guess it won’t be a guest wing anymore.” She considered as she picked up another cake.

Salem's eyes went wide at the news. He was glad that his family was able to and willing to help this poor mage. It was this sort of connection and conviction that made him the person he is today. He was excited, happy, and sad all at the same time. "Thats horrible news as to the why, but wonderful news that she was able to be pulled away from that situation and fortunate enough to come into our home. I'm happy to hear she'll be well looked after and cared." It was exciting the idea of adding someone new to the household, but for some reason it just kept reminding him of the dreams.

He thought for a moment on them, the mage in chains now helped out to be free. The Eve no one had seemed to hear from and the itch that burned inside to contact Count Benjamin and ask him of any knowledge he may have towards this person in history or recent times. His well had run dry with Aaron who was constantly attempting to rid himself of the nightmares and Salem debated on asking his mom. He thought twice on it, deciding it was best not to involve her especially after the Red Hand events.

“Of course, nowhere better to heal than with the Spellmans. But that’s about all the exciting news I have for you, sweety. Otherwise business as usual.” She finished her cake and stood with a twirl. “Now, why don’t you come with me to the kitchen. You must be famished and a boy your age isn’t going to get full off some snacks.” She stood, daintily brushing off the crumbs on her fingers onto the platter and looped her arm in Salem’s, chatting away about all the preparations she’s been doing for their new guest.