Interacting with: each other like giant nerd children
Lilie gave the princess an enthusiastic wave, somewhat invigorated. Once she was addressed, she gave Aaron a sheepish grin, having fully anticipated a well earned 'I told you so' in response. Instead, he moved on, asking about Salem.
"I'm not sure what time exactly," She admitted. "When I saw his schedule, it said it was at the library. He said it was one of his...punishments for what happened." She frowned as she spoke, shifting in her seat slightly.
Aaron’s brow furrowed at Lilie’s mention of ‘what happened’—right, he remembered Salem mentioning that he’d told her his side of the story—but he shrugged her concern away. “I wouldn’t call this a punishment,” he replied casually, “it’s just etiquette training. Besides, he’ll need it if he’s been assigned to that Astorio Count.”
A flash of irritation hit Aaron again at the mention, though his thoughts turned to Salem’s reassignment. He hadn’t really thought much about it when they were talking to the Princess, but it made a lot more sense out of Lucan’s cryptic disappearance. He made a mental note of the change to report to Varis later, and took a breath to banish the pang of guilt that came with it. Visibly brightening (in expression, anyway), he extended his hand to Lilie, giving her a smile. “In any case, why don’t we go wait for him? I think there’s a courtyard outside of the library, we can meet him when he’s done.”
Lilie looked at Aaron's hand, then up at him, a little confused. It lasted about two seconds before she would take his hand, assuming that was probably what was proper. Right, she should probably take the princess's advice and ask for some pointers, she didn't have a clue on what was right and wrong. She gave Aaron an appreciative smile as he helped her to her feet, nodding at his suggestion. Her smile faltered slightly when he mentioned the Astorio, her heart breaking slightly as she remembered how crushed Salem looked when he found out.
"Good idea! Maybe I should ask for some lessons, too," She tried to stay light on the subject as they began to walk. "I'm clueless on everything. My brother told me that there's this thing some vampires do where they all bite your neck when they feed, but apparently they can drink from anywhere." She huffed slightly at the misinformation, rubbed her neck where Mariette had bitten her. "It felt so weird."
Aaron’s heart went out to Lilie. After all, if he was having such a hard time adjusting coming from the world of aristocracy, then to a human-born girl like Lilie, it all must seem impossible. But he couldn’t help but smile at her; for whatever reason, she was cute when she was irritated.
His own hand went to his neck when Lilie rubbed hers, brushing past his new earring as it went. “Definitely weird,” he concurred, remembering how dazed he’d been after tonight’s feeding, and subsequently suppressing a groan at the reprimand he’d gotten because of it. Pleasant as the sensation of feeding might have been, Aaron was going to have to find a way around it if he didn’t want to be bumbling around like a fool every time Varis fed. He looked back to Lilie, a little concerned. “Not bad though, I hope?”
"I guess it's not bad after that first burn," Lilie did concede that much as she looked back up at Aaron. Something glinting caught her attention as her eyes followed the swinging. She leaned forward a little as she tried to see what it was, catching a glimpse of the silver earring. Her mouth formed a small 'o' as she was distracted by the earring, though her expression brightened. She didn't know he had his ears pierced. "Was that what you had to do after class?" She asked him, gesturing to his earring.
Aaron’s eyebrows shot up when Lilie mentioned his earring, hand flying up to it as soon as she motioned to it. He could feel a blush burning his ears, and apparently the earring had already started weaving itself into his hair. Excellent.
“Oh, yes,” he replied hesitantly, doing his best to separate the earring from his hair with some difficulty. “Or, well, I had to shower and change and Master had to feed first, but—”
Stepping in front of Aaron to stop him from going any further, Lilie reached up on tiptoe and gently batted away his hands. Hearing him say 'master' again gave her such an uneasy feeling, but that wasn't important right now. "Here, let me help," She said, her fingers expertly pulling the caught hairs off the silver without any breaking. Once they were free, she would gently brush his hair behind his ear and away from the earring so that it wouldn't get tangled again. She took a few seconds to really look at it as she backed up, noticing the crest engraved. Nobility through and through--she had never seen that kind of dedication to anyone's house before.
Deciding to inquire about it, Lilie motioned towards his earring. "Is that your family's crest?" She asked him.
Aaron was confused when Lilie stopped him, but stooped a little once he realized what she was doing, so that she wouldn’t have to reach up quite as high. He had to fight to keep an idiotic smile off his face, even if Lilie tucking his hair behind his ear put butterflies in his stomach. He smiled as he straightened once Lilie was done, taking a breath to thank her before she cut him off with a question.
Heat rushed back to his ears at the mention of the crest, and this time a little blush even coloured his cheekbones. Though he cursed himself for being so childish, he couldn’t help it; he’d been marked like some kind of draught animal, and now his suspicion was confirmed that other people would notice, too.
His hand returned to his newly-uncovered earring, and he ran his fingers over the face of the pendant, feeling the pattern of the Sinnenodel adders imprinted on the surface. “Oh, no, it’s… actually my Master’s crest,” he replied awkwardly, glancing away and inwardly shouting at himself to get it together. He cleared his throat. “House Sinnenodel, I mean. You’ll probably see it on the mailbox the next time you go by.” He forced himself to drop his hand and at least try to pretend he wasn’t embarrassed, even if he couldn’t quite meet Lilie’s eye.
Oh, that made more sense. Lilie nodded in understanding, looking at the earring briefly. She reached up and flicked it playfully, watching it swing. It was an interesting choice all things considered; the emerald and silver went well together. Very elegant, and it matched Aaron's personality. She ignored the feeling in her stomach when he repeated what he called his vampire, choosing to focus on him instead.
"Very cool," She commented, her hand batting her own teardrop earring as she tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "I like it."
Aaron’s eyes widened. She thought it was cool? She didn’t even seem a little weirded out! He felt immediately better, straightening up a little taller and letting himself bask in that tiny bit of praise. “Thank you,” he told her sincerely, smiling, “I actually have a stud version too, for when I’m training. That way it won’t get caught on anything.” That’s what he thought it was for, anyway.
He tapped his pommel for emphasis, and was reminded of something. “Oh, but if you’re interested in my family crest, it’s right here,” he added, turning so that Lilie could see his scabbard. The hilt bore a large imprint of the Noila crest, a raven clutching a ruby burned expertly into the leather, but he gestured past it and nearer the tip where a smaller crest was similarly burned in, a rampant stag with a crown around its neck.
Lilie looked where Aaron indicated in genuine interest. She felt bad that she hadn't noticed it the first time, only recognizing the Noila crest. She admired it for a moment, finding it curious that his family would be represented by a stag. At least, that was her assumption anyway, since it was obvious that the crown represented the royal family.
"I feel like it should be bigger," She commented as they resumed their walk. "Serving the royal family is good and all, but that doesn't erase where you come from."
Aaron glanced down to Lilie in genuine surprise. Erase where he came from? As far as he was concerned, serving the royal family was where he came from. Not only that, but until now it had also been his greatest ambition. But that was to be brooded over another time.
Instead, he simply shrugged. “Humility runs in my family,” he replied, sending Lilie a cheeky grin, “and besides, my family is proud to serve the Noilas. After all, my grandfather bending the knee to King Geoffrey was what got the Treaty signed, and who knows what would have happened if not for that.”
His grin turned sheepish, though, and he rubbed the back of his neck. “Although, since coming here I’ve noticed that not everyone seems to see it that way.”
Lilie bit her lip as she tried to suppress her giggle. He was so devoted! Not that she could blame him, she was sure that if she grew up around Princess Ryner she would be in the same boat. She gave him a more neutral expression as she couldn't who might not completely agree, although the first person that popped into her head was Max. His comment was the result of that, though she couldn't say for sure if that was who Aaron meant.
"Like…" She left it vague, hoping to get an answer.
Aaron tugged on his ear. He probably shouldn't sow discontent among his new friends, should he? “Well, you should have seen this TA in my and Salem’s Affinity Mastery class. Called me just about every name except my own.” He chuckled, if not a little awkwardly. “He clearly didn't like me or my family. Called us ‘the ones who enslaved us’ or something.”
Lilie’s eyes widened in shock. That was so rude! She was offended on Aaron's behalf, huffing out a breath. "I can't believe that!" She exclaimed in disbelief, crossing her arms. "The nerve of some people...and that's just so wrong on so many levels that it's just--hmph! No one should talk to you like that."
After a few seconds of huffing some more, she shook her head before speaking again. "And how did your class with Salem go otherwise?" She asked, frowning.
Lilie’s indignation was sincerely adorable, likely boosted by the fact that she was speaking in Aaron’s defence. He couldn’t stop his grin until she asked about the rest of the class, and Aaron inwardly groaned.
“Well, our class seemed to be more experienced mages, so we both got the hang of the exercise pretty quick. I’ve done the crystal exercise before, and Salem grasped it really fast.” He started off innocently enough, though as they neared the library courtyard he remembered Salem’s warning in that very class. Withholding things drew a wedge between people, and Salem wouldn't see anyone hurt Lilie. Just as before, hurting her was the last thing Aaron wanted to do, even if he didn’t agree that a little lying by omission was the thing to do it. But he figured he owed it to Salem to be honest with Lilie, egged on in no small part by the guilt he was still fighting over spying on the man.
Aaron led Lilie to a table by the fountain, pulling out a chair for her out of habit. “He did mention that you two talked this evening before class,” he continued, waiting for Lilie to take her seat before taking his own with a slightly embarrassed sigh. “I don't suppose he told you that he and I don't quite see eye to eye on some matters?”
Once again temporarily distracted by Aaron's mannerisms, Lilie decided to take the seat so the guy wouldn't be left standing. Such a gentleman, he was making her feel like she was actually someone important. At the mention of Salem she couldn't help but keep her frown, shifting slightly in her seat.
"He did mention that," She admitted. "He invited me to his dorm and we talked about a lot of stuff; Princess Nox, Lucan, the arrest…and some good things, too."
She paused for a moment, wondering if she should ask what actually happened. Her mind seemed to be made up as she continued, "Salem also told me his side of what went down last night at the dinner," That much she could confess. If Aaron didn't want to tell her anything, she couldn't really expect anything otherwise. They got along great, yeah, but she didn't think she had earned his trust just yet. Just because she clung to him didn't mean he was obligated to do the same.
Aaron nodded at his hands, where he folded them on the tabletop. Just as Salem had told him, though he wasn’t sure why he expected to hear any different. “What did he tell you about last night?” he asked, hoping he wouldn’t have to delve into any more than was necessary.
"He talked about how sudden it was, and how he thought that something weird happened to him," Lilie said. "Someone went into his head, and he ended up saying a lot of things that he didn't mean. He was accused of things and now he's cut off from his family and they even changed his vampire." She looked at Aaron worriedly, her hands fidgeting slightly in her lap. "He also mentioned that your...master...wasn't happy with how you acted, either." Uttering the word made her shudder slightly; even just saying it like that was hard. Her heart was beating against her chest at the thought, a sudden unease gripping her.
"Are you okay?" She suddenly asked, somewhat alarmed. "That's not normal, is it? Is he--is your vampire making you call him that?"
Aaron nodded along as Lilie spoke. She misunderstood a bit, but that made sense, seeing as she heard it all second-hand. And, if he were being honest, Aaron didn’t entirely understand everything that happened either. But of course, the conversation came back to him and Varis. His eyebrows shot up at Lilie’s concern, however. It was touching, but also unexpected, although Aaron wasn’t really sure why.
Nonetheless, he nodded. “I’m fine, there’s no need to worry about me,” he assured Lilie, offering her an appreciative smile before his expression grew more shy. “And yes, he is. Whether or not that’s ‘normal’ depends on the family you belong to, but after my performance last night, he apparently deemed it appropriate for the time being.” He tried to come off as casually as he could, but that didn’t stop him from spinning his ring.
He took a breath, not wanting to scare Lilie with a lot of doom and gloom. “Like I said to Salem, though; that’s just one less thing to remember, right?” He forced a small chuckle, but grew a little more serious again. “But yeah, that’s actually what I wanted to speak to Princess Ryner about. I was apologizing for how I acted.”
He sighed. “For her part, Her Highness was very gracious. And to spare you the details, I acted without thinking and suffered the consequences. I thought I was better trained than that, but I know now that I have a lot to work on.” He offered Lilie an apologetic look. “I’m sorry if this whole… ‘master’ business makes you uncomfortable. I understand why it might. I can do my best to avoid it when we’re together, but I do have orders to follow, and I hope you’ll understand why I’d like to try to follow them more closely this time.”
Lilie listened carefully, but a lot of what Aaron said seemed to do little to assure her. This was to be expected, or at least that was the impression she got. He didn't seem too phased by calling his vampire 'master' even though the thought of it bothered her. Just like she thought, everyone else fell into place. No matter how nice or mean, servitude was expected.
This was his life now--and hers, too.
She stayed quiet for a second, unsure if she should admit that she didn't quite understand. Still, she gave him a short, thoughtful nod. "Well...you still have me and--" Her optimistic thought was quickly extinguished as she almost said Salem's name, deflating slightly. "--and we're friends, so we should look out for one another. Even as servants we still have rights, and we're..." she trailed off as she tried to think of what she could say.
"I think that if your...vampire is like that, and you're okay with it, then...that's good, right?" She tried to stay positive.
Aaron’s expression softened as Lilie got out her halting response, a pang of sympathy hitting him. She really was a fish out of water here, that much was painfully clear, and it was obvious that she cared deeply for the people around her, even those she just met. It really was touching, but a grim thought passed through the back of Aaron’s mind that Lilie might not know just how few rights she actually had.
Lilie’s attempt at positivity was appreciated, and Aaron conjured up a soft smile for her. “I’ll admit that it’s not really something I’m used to,” he clarified, loath for Lilie to think he was weird but also not wanting to worry her by laying bare his discomfort, “but I’m sure in time, I’ll adjust. And it seems like a more or less temporary thing anyway. I’ll be fine.”
He spared a glance at the library building, suppressing a shudder before turning back to Lilie. “I just hope we can say the same about Salem. The Astorios have a nasty reputation, and… well, you got a taste of it firsthand.” He gestured to Lilie before letting his hand drop on the table. “I hope Her Highness is right in that he’ll learn to conform to his Count’s expectations. In the meantime, you and I seem to be all he’s got. We should do our best to be there for him.” It was the least he could do while he wasn’t spilling Salem’s secrets to Varis, after all.
The white haired girl nodded once again, perking up as Aaron finished her thought. It was just the third day, she was probably overthinking it. Not one to stay negative for too long, instead she drummed her fingers on the table as she inspected Aaron for a second. He didn't look like he was physically hurt, at least, so she would have to take his word when it came to being okay. After a few seconds she did return his smile with one of her own, clapping her hands together.
"We should!" She agreed happily. "And I know just the way to start! A housewarming party for all the noble mages in the cul-de-sac," She told him excitedly. "Remember Cassandra from lunch? She's the mage in the Marivaldi dorm. So you, me, Salem, and her should at least get to know each other a little. I already gave her a heads up that we should all get together." She took out her phone, opening up a blank note page.
"I was thinking a picnic would be nice. We can do it before classes," She brainstormed as she started jotting down a few things, her phone responding with each letter she touched. "I can make food for everyone, too. Maybe we can grab a table around here, or host it on the front lawn of the Eve dorm."
Aaron brightened up as Lilie did, her excitement as infectious as it was stunning. “That sounds like a great idea,” he agreed, running a quick mental inventory. If he could finish his lines early and avoid further punishments, he could probably attend; he might even be able to convince Varis on the grounds that this would be a good step in befriending Salem, as he’d been ordered. “I can probably make it, I think,” he continued, “as long as your Countess would be alright with you hosting it outside your dorm, anyway.”
The scoff came out without a second thought with Lilie dismissing Aaron's concern with a wave of her free hand. "It's my dorm, too," She said, scrolling through some meal ideas. "No point in looking for permission from someone who's avoiding me, anyway. I haven't seen the Countess since last night."
Oooh, that was a bad sign. Lilie really didn’t know what she was involved with at all, did she? Aaron very nearly blurted out that no, it wasn’t her dorm, it was her Countess’ dorm and she was merely living in it, but stopped himself. Lilie’s attitude clearly stemmed from ignorance rather than rebelliousness, and he was nervous that giving her the kind of wake-up call that he thought was necessary would freak her out. Sure, she would have to learn eventually, but… couldn’t he spare her feelings for now?
“Well, keep in mind that vampires can be pretty territorial,” he offered uneasily, tugging on his left ear. Hopefully this was a gentler way to get his point across. “Especially nobles. You should probably run it by your Countess just in case; you don’t want to accidentally offend her and get in trouble.”
Lilie looked up from her phone as Aaron spoke, her eyes wide. She hadn't really considered that now that he mentioned it. Her gaze dropped to her phone for a moment as she thought about it. He did have a point, she was sure if Mariette chose to throw a party she would have liked to be informed, too. Conceding to Aaron's suggestion, Lilie continued looking for ideas for a second before looking back up at him.
"You're probably right," She let out a small sigh, perching her chin in her hand. "I already got in trouble last night. Even though Princess Ryner said it was okay, I should probably try to get along with Mari--the Countess better." She remembered Salem's advice about trust and let out another sigh.
"I made a really bad impression last night," She muttered, her shoulders slumping slightly. "Her Highness said it was better to listen to Princess Nox, but...I just don't know how to act around them." She stared at something in the distance, eyes unfocused.
Aaron’s eyebrows shot up. “Come again?” he questioned, mind racing. “When were you around Princess Nox?”
Lilie turned her gaze to Aaron, a little confused. "Last night," She said. "I thought I told you when I texted you."
“You left out the detail of meeting her,” Aaron shot back, a disbelieving chuckle escaping him as he spoke. “No wonder you were freaked out!”
His chuckle morphed into a laugh for a moment until he composed himself again, shaking his head. “What happened that you think you made a bad impression? If I may ask.”
Sitting up slightly, Lilie played with the end of her ponytail for a moment. "Well, there was this truck, and all these people were swarmed around the Marivaldi dorm," She started, hands releasing her ponytail as she started gesturing. "I saw your teacher, Lucan, and Princess Nox was there, too. Apparently they had arrested someone, and that vampire--um, I don't know her name--wanted to know what was going on. Mariette and I--Countess Mariette and I went outside, and then Princess Nox yelled at us about some stuff that I didn't understand. A...snake? The Marivaldi's possessions had been taken--or was that Sinnenodel--no, that can't be right," She tried to accurately remember what it was that Princess Nox spoke of, although she couldn't quite remember off the top of her head.
Giving up after a moment, Lilie continued, "I don't know, I didn't really understand anything she was saying. What I do remember was that she told all of us to go back to our dorms. So I did...and left the countess behind," The thought actually embarrassed her now that she thought about it, and she hung her head in shame. "Mariette was not happy about that and let me know, too. I told Princess Ryner about it before you came, and she assured me that the princess's word comes before anyone else's so I don't think I'm in trouble, but...my vampire wasn't happy."
Aaron blinked a few times as Lilie finished her story, taking a moment to try and make sense of the events in his mind. “I see…” he murmured absently, tapping his fingers on the table for a moment before he perked up. “Well, Her Highness was right. Unless you’re getting an order directly from the Lord of your house himself - which in your house isn’t really something you need to worry about - Princess Nox’s orders would eclipse your Countess. Especially in matters of defense, like what happened last night.”
He gave her a smile he hoped was reassuring. “Your Countess wouldn’t be able to legally punish you for that, so I wouldn’t worry too much. But it is important that you know what she expects of you.” His expression grew serious. “She hasn’t spoken to you at all since then? Are you sure it isn’t just a coincidence? After all, it’s only barely been one night.”
Aaron meant well, but his words resulted in an exasperated Lilie throwing her arms up. "I've been trying to see what's expected of me, but if it isn't a weird giggle or a 'do what you want' or--these Eve vampires are all crazy!" She was animated as she spoke, waving her hands around. "I'm telling you, this house is full of weirdos, every time a new one comes in, they're crazier than the last one."
After her little outburst, she took in a deep breath, exhaling a small giggle. "Okay, that's a little mean, but it is frustrating," She looked at Aaron fondly. "I'm sorry, I'm spending all this time complaining. You're gonna get tired of me soon if all I do is whine all the time."
Aaron frowned throughout Lilie’s spiel, but he could definitely empathize with her. Uncertainty always killed him, and so far deciphering Varis’ expectations had felt like being trapped in a dark room, hoping that the next thing he touched was a candle and not a mousetrap.
Nonetheless, he couldn’t help but chuckle at Lilie’s display, though he did lower his voice. “Maybe keep your voice down though, it’s not usually wise to badmouth your own house,” he warned, hunching down a little for emphasis. After a moment, he straightened up, speaking once more at a normal volume and offering Lilie a smile. He was tempted to reach out and take her hand, but refrained. That was probably improper.
“And don’t worry, I’m not getting tired of you,” he assured her sincerely, “I can definitely see why you’re frustrated. It seems like you’ve had a run of bad luck. Hopefully you and your Countess can come to an understanding.”
Hopefully.
Lilie gave Aaron a sincere, appreciative smile. "You're so sweet, thank you," She said, happily returning to her phone. She was really going to have to be more careful, anytime she talked about vampires she just got depressed. Still, she sincerely appreciated Aaron's advice in this uncertain time.
Suddenly rising from her seat and dropping her bag onto her chair, she snatched her phone as she hurried over to Aaron's side. "I think I'm going to take the princess's advice and cling to you for as long as you'll have me," She teased him as she squeezed herself onto his lap, brushing her bangs with her fingers as she readied herself for a selfie with him. Leaning back against him, she raised her phone as she got ready.
Aaron’s heart barely had the chance to leap at Lilie’s comment before it just about exploded altogether when she wormed her way onto his lap, getting ready to take a selfie. He had to shake his hair out from behind his ear to hide the blush that coloured it, but his stomach brimmed with butterflies as he tried to figure out what to do with his hands. Should he leave them by his sides? Hug her? He settled on placing his hand on Lilie’s waist, in the same spot he would a dance partner, figuring that was probably appropriate without him seeming entirely rigid. Smiling for the picture was all too easy, and it didn’t fade even after Lilie took the picture.
“Are you going to send that to someone?” he asked, chuckling. It was more of an expression of delight than amusement, but either way he couldn’t quite hold his laughter in.
Lilie admired the picture for a second before she decided to upload it, looking back at Aaron. "I'm gonna post this, but I can send it to you if you want," She replied, her fingers already working as her Instagram popped up on her phone. "Wow, I don't even have to put a filter for this, the lightning is just perfect." She mused.
Aaron grinned proudly; he’d always been told he was photogenic, though he attributed it to his magic rather than his looks. “Yeah, if you could send it to me I’d appreciate it,” he said, though he quickly followed up with, “Like Her Highness said, I’m sure my family back home would like to see what I’m up to.”
He was surprised when Lilie stayed on his lap to post her photo, but didn’t complain, instead watching as she opened her Instagram. He didn’t have instagram, but he made a mental note of Lilie’s username nonetheless. Lily-with-an-i-e. It was charming in a funny way.
He caught a glimpse at the clock on her phone as he watched. “Salem should probably be done soon,” he commented, pointing at the time.
"Oh, wow, time flies when you're having fun," Lilie commented, hopping off of Aaron's lap as she grabbed her backpack. "Let's get going, then!"
1x Like
