Obscene Symphony

Of Blood and Magic

_{Interacting with: @Hero @Trainerblue192 @Scribe of Thoth}

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

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

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

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

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

Call with Max

“Hey. Our… mutual friends ditched me with this stupid dog and Eric- err, Eris forgot to tell me where his dorm even is. Is there somebody I ask about that?” Max grumbled back into the phone.

Shelving his incredible surprise that Max bothered contacting him at all and his confusion at the mention of a dog, Aaron’s brow still furrowed at the question. He lowered his phone for a moment, covering the microphone to look back over to Salem and Lilie. “You two went to the administrative building for dorm matters, right?” he asked, regretting having to bring up what must have been a sore subject at a time like this. To his credit, though, Salem nodded.

Aaron nodded back his thanks and raised the phone back up to his ear. “...The administrative building is probably your best bet, sounds like that’s where the student housing offices are,” he finally replied. He cast a cautious look back at his friends and turned a little away. “Do you happen to know where our… friends went off to?”

“Dunno. Probably some tea party where they can gossip more or whatever le- vampires do in their spare time. Eris looked pretty happy but he had some stupid actor persona on the whole time so I couldn’t tell if it was genuine.” There was a brief pause on Max’s end. “My guess is your dorm, Eris acted like he was spending the night.”

Oh good, there was that stone in his gut again. “Ah-hah…” Aaron was loath to think too hard about why Eris would be spending the day at his dorm, and even less excited to think about what he might find when his curfew rolled around, but he chose to hope that whatever was going on between the two of them would end before he needed to be anywhere near it.

“Thanks for the heads-up,” he replied, pushing his suspicions from his mind and moving the topic away as quickly as he could justify. “Did you ever find out what happened to your first partner? Maybe administration can shed some light on that as well.” He paused a moment to think. Salem’s things had been moved, presumably because he was being transferred to the Astorio dorm, but Eris would be living in the regular dorms, so was there any need to move? “Could be that your dorm didn’t change, although I somehow doubt Mr. Samael would agree to moving into a second-hand dorm,” he decided, although he really couldn’t be sure about the former.

Max let out an audible groan. “No idea. Eris said he bought me out or something along those lines. Guess I’m quality merchandise or something. Supposing my dorm did change, did they go through all my stuff or am I expected to collect it myself?”

Aaron tugged on his free ear. Salem’s dorm had been cleared out because he’d been moved, yes, and his more dangerous belongings had been confiscated by the sounds of it, likely due to the investigation. Likewise, the rest of his things had probably been searched. But to Aaron’s knowledge, no such suspicion had been cast on Max. “...I’d expect they moved it,” Aaron replied hesitantly, “but either way, I’m sure a visit to the housing office would be smart. Did Mr. Samael give you any tasks in the meantime?”

“Feed the dog and make sure it doesn’t shit in the house. Why, did you need my help licking Varis’ boots clean?” There was a pause on Max’s end, hopefully so he could kick himself for being such a jackass, before he continued. “That was a joke,” he added flatly.

Aaron wasn’t convinced. A strangled noise or two escaped his throat as he processed the insult, a mixture of anger and shock flashing through him. What was that for? He had been nothing but polite since meeting Max, but apparently Max felt like taking his scorn for vampires out on him.

Aaron sighed. He wouldn’t usually have paid such an insult any mind, and he was pretty sure that Max was probably just frustrated and lashing out, but after baseless reprimands and arguments and piercings and Ralph, Aaron was still feeling a little more snarky than he usually let on. “Is there anything else you need my help with? Kick-starting lethargic magic, for example? I just now thought of a new technique you could try.”

Max let out a ‘pfft’ noise in response, sounding equal parts dismissive and amused. “I think I’ll be alright. Gotta make these professors earn their tenure somehow, right? Thanks, though. Really.”

As quickly as Aaron’s annoyance struck, it was gone again, and he had to concede a chuckle. That little noise Max made made him sound like Eris, and something about the two of them being similar despite Max’s incredible distaste was too funny for Aaron to stay mad. “No problem,” he replied sincerely. “Let me know if you have any more trouble, I’ll see what I can do.”

“Right, I’ll forward you my complaint letter before the princess gets it so you can tell me my wording was too harsh. Oh, and give Eris a hard time for me if you get home and he’s sitting there. Bye.”

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

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

Obscene's Scratchpad

"Sing me a song of a land that is gone
Say, could that land be mine?
Wary of soul, we sailed on a day
Over the sea to Skye..."

ＦＩＮＡＬ ＦＡＮＴＡＳＹ Ｘ｜Ｖ： Ｔｈｅ Ｂｌｅｓｓｅｄ Ｔｗｅｌｖｅ

J'torha Tia

_ＮＡＭＥ
J'torha Tia
_ＲＡＣＥ
Miqo'te
_ＣＬＡＮ
Seekers of the Sun
_{ＢＩＲＴＨＰＬＡＣＥ}
Central Thanalan
_{ＯＣＣＵＰＡＴＩＯＮ}
Traveling Busker
_{ＳＯＵＬ ＣＲＹＳＴＡＬ}
Dancer

_{ＡＰＰＥＡＲＡＮＣＥ}

Women with heart conditions are advised not to look directly at J'torha. This also applies to women without heart conditions.

(he's very pretty)


<sub>Commission credit: Kanato/Cait ep22kun.tumblr.com

I forgot to turn the HUD off, shut up

cute n' confused</sub>

With tan skin and bright, slitted eyes, J'torha is a pretty classic specimen of the J tribe. He stands only a little over average height for a seeker male at 5'6" with a tail on the shorter end, straight with a slightly tapered tip. His blond hair is long and kept wound in several braids, all tied at the back of his head to keep them up and out of his way while still maintaining some movement and style. His left eye is gold while his right eye is crimson (a trait his tribe considered lucky) and alongside the eye marks characteristic of miqo'te males, he also adorns his face with light yellow paint, though he's been known to change it up in colour and motif depending on the occasion. He has two symmetrical scars, one on each cheek, and on his chin he sports a short goatee.

For clothing, J'torha likes to stand out. His dancer's gear usually scratches that itch, with its airy silhouette and red-and-gold theme to match his eyes, but he's also fond of a far-eastern outfit he managed to procure from a traveling merchant. However, he likes to think that he could make anything look good. Like most miqo'te, he doesn't like anything that restricts his movement.

_{ＰＥＲＳＯＮＡＬＩＴＹ}
Perhaps his greatest virtue and flaw all in one, J'torha isn't known to take things seriously. This has been of great benefit to him in the past, being that he doesn't usually suffer long from heartache or disappointment, and it's nearly impossible to get under his skin. However, his tendency to make light of any situation has blown up in his face once or twice in the past, although he still doesn't seem to have learned his lesson. He's laid-back, playful, and confident, bordering on cocky at times. J'torha is generally happiest when all eyes are on him, even at his own expense.

Like many of his kind, J'torha is drawn to wander, never staying put too long in one place. Perhaps this urge to move came from his nomadic upbringing, but a friend of his might suggest he's only traveling between fair maidens' beds. As a notorious flirt and a fair charmer, even J'torha would have to admit that such a theory isn't entirely baseless.

Beneath the flippant attitude and flirtatious remarks, however, J'torha is a genuinely kind soul, averse to doing harm unless he must. He does harbour an ambition to eventually amass a harem and start a tribe of his own, however, and as such his search for glory can make him short-sighted, sometimes blind to the consequences of his actions.

_{ＢＩＯＧＲＡＰＨＹ}

A Star is Born

J’torha was born in Central Thanalan, although growing up on the move made him comfortable calling all of Thanalan his home. His tribe, a nomadic pocket of the J tribe, was always moving, never staying in one place for more than a few days at a time. With a harem of about thirty and a handful of children at any given time, the true backbone of the tribe was their nunh, a strong and diligent male by the name of J’rukoh, who took up the uncommon mantle of leader with ease. J’torha saw how the women of his tribe respected (and even admired) the nunh, and came to idolize the position, if not the man himself. As many young male seekers do, J’torha came to see defeating his nunh and taking up the position himself as the ultimate accomplishment, and being the only tia in the tribe, set his sights on doing just that.

Of course, some are better suited to such endeavours than others, and J’torha always seemed to fall in the latter category. Ever a carefree child, he always had trouble taking things seriously, often showing off or making a game out of everything, getting himself into trouble more often than not. Despite being a fairly skilled hunter, J’torha was still generally outclassed by even his less skilled peers, as he never seemed to put as much effort into catching his quarry as he did into exploring and getting into mischief. His mission to become nunh was no different; in the infinite wisdom of youth, J’torha expected challenging J’rukoh to end as well as most of his other misadventures did, relying more on luck and confidence than raw skill.

His life was happy and calm until his fifteenth summer. J’torha was largely unaware of the conflict on the Carteneau Flats, but J’rukoh could sense an oncoming threat; when the nunh saw Dalamud falter, he wasted no time reacting, ushering his tribe directly south along unfamiliar routes from their position at the time in Northern Thanalan.

The journey south was undoubtedly the most difficult in the tribe’s history, with J’rukoh pushing them harder than they’d ever been pushed before. They moved continuously, stopping only long enough for the bare minimum of sleep and hunting along the way without halting. An adolescent at the time, J’torha was tasked (along with other adolescents) with keeping the tribe’s children occupied as their mothers hunted, to stave off panic and keep their spirits up even as they strained to cope with the backbreaking pace set out by J’rukoh.

Thanks to the nunh’s quick thinking, however, J’torha’s tribe made it as far as Minotaur’s Malm before the chaos of the 7th Umbral Calamity truly took hold. They waited out the carnage holed up in the canyon tunnel, eventually emerging, scared and hungry, to find that a different Thanalan awaited them. Shaken, as all of Eorzea was, by the destruction, the tribe regrouped with the U of Forgotten Springs for a time, doing all they could to repay their standoffish hosts before finally setting out again with the daunting task ahead of them of re-mapping their migratory routes to fit the altered landscape.

No home to destroy meant no home needed rebuilding, and as such the J of Thanalan recovered quicker than most after the Calamity, finding new routes across the desert and new hunting grounds to sustain themselves. Life continued on as normal as could be expected in the wake of disaster until J’torha reached his eighteenth summer, when he decided that it was time to make good on the promise he’d made himself as a child and take up what he believed to be his rightful place as nunh. Against the counsel of his sister, mother, tribemates and even the nunh himself, J’torha went through with his plan, to an unfortunate, yet predictable, result.

J’torha was wholly outmatched and soundly beaten; so easily defeated was he that J’rukoh was able to give him two identical scars, one on each cheek, as both a reminder of his folly and a warning not to act so foolishly again. Humiliated, J’torha knew he would never survive challenging J’rukoh a second time. His tribemates advised him to be grateful that he was spared death and move on, but he simply couldn’t bear the thought of remaining a tia forever; likewise, he knew amassing a harem of his own in Thanalan would be hopeless, at least until the fast-traveling news of his defeat passed out of memory. So, once his wounds had healed, J’torha decided to leave his tribe and strike out in search of new territory and enough glory to prove his worth as the nunh of his very own tribe.

Like anything, this again proved a daunting task. In the beginning, J’torha tried a number of ways to make a name for himself, but the slog of performing menial tasks for random townspeople as a freelance adventurer wasn’t exactly the stuff of songs, and was deathly boring to boot. But over the course of one such task, helping a Gridanian woman round up her class of children for a lesson in ritual dance, J’torha found a new calling. Rather than gil, the woman paid J’torha by teaching him the same dance she taught the children, and offhandedly commented that he was a natural at it. It struck a chord within him that nothing before it had touched; despite their penchant for song, his tribe had never practiced much dance, and he found himself falling in love with it.

Opting to take a hiatus from his mission, J’torha temporarily set out to learn every dance he could find, traveling all over the realm in his search. He was particularly captivated by the infamous dancing girls of Ul’dah, but for once, was less concerned with the supple curves of their bodies and more interested in the way they moved. Infatuated with their craft (lowly as some may have seen it) J’torha set out to learn from them; after some bargaining, some flirting, and a little begging, one such clique of dancers finally agreed to take him on, reasoning that in their line of work it was probably prudent to have a man on their side.

It didn’t take long for J’torha to come to love the busking life. Within a few moons he graduated from pseudo-bodyguard, to instrumentalist, and even up to performer in his own right, relishing every moment. The music, the movement, the joyful cheers of onlookers, it all easily eclipsed the meagre gil as reward for his performances - not that the attention of female admirers was anything to scoff at, either.

However, J’torha had never been good at staying in one place. Eventually he was struck with the itch to get moving and parted ways with his Ul’dahn group, setting out on his own again. It wasn’t long before he crossed paths with another, a woman from the Steppes who soon became a dear friend and traveling companion (not that she’d ever admit it out loud). They traveled together for six moons, traversing the realm and teaching each other about their respective cultures, until their paths diverged in Limsa Lominsa, and J’torha was on his own again.

J’torha would contribute the following events to some lingering good luck from his companion; not a day after she left Limsa did J’torha attend a performance by a troupe of foreign dancers, exhibiting styles and techniques that eclipsed his Ul’dahn partners’ skill by far. He threw every gil he could muster into their collection basket and sat at the pier that was their stage until two umbral cycles had passed. He was among a handful of enthusiastic onlookers who stuck around to gush at the performers as they packed up to move on, but as he spoke animatedly to the lead dancer, the troupe’s leader apparently saw something in him; when she asked, almost offhandedly, if he had any interest in learning their craft, J’torha’s “yes” flew out of his mouth before he even understood the question. The leader explained that their method of dance merged beauty and combat, and after he agreed to help the troupe spread their art in the hopes of bringing a measure of comfort to the still-recovering realm, they welcomed the weak-kneed and delighted seeker into their ranks.

J’torha studied his troupe’s deadly art of dance more fervently than any other undertaking of his life, working each day until his fingers bloodied his chakrams and his legs melted beneath him, all the while hungry for more. Several moons into his training, his leader and troupemates deemed him ready to fully adopt the true art of the Dancer, and gave him what is now his most treasured possession: his soul stone.

Imbued with the wisdom and skill of generations past, J’torha became a force to be reckoned with. His body seemed to know what to do without his mind ever sparing it a thought, and his performances could embolden his partners like no other skill he’d ever seen. Soon enough, the troupe leader decided that there was no more they could teach him, and bid him strike out and hone his newfound power with all of Eorzea for his stage. Swearing to uphold the troupe’s mission, J’torha agreed, and has been traversing the realm with newfound vigor, light of foot and bold of heart, ever since.

_{ＯＴＨＥＲ}

• His favourite food is Shakshouka, a spicy foreign dish introduced to him by a dear friend from the steppes. He likes to eat it with flatbread. He’s fond of spicy dishes in general, but this one most of all because of the nostalgia it brings up.
• Growing up, J’torha’s tribe was always on the move, though they always stopped, without exception, for meals. Rather than spacing out their meals, his tribe ate two meals each day; a small one in the afternoon when it was too hot to travel, and a large one in the evening. As a result, meal times are sacred to J’torha, and he’s accustomed to fasting and then eating a lot of food at once.
• J’torha loves children, and is very good with them. His older sister J’delika claims this is because he’s an overgrown child himself.
• J’torha holds his friends close, but isn’t too troubled by goodbyes. In the back of his mind, he’s confident that his and his friends’ paths will cross again.
• He’s super good at making flower garlands.
• Alongside his skill in dance, J’torha harbours love and skill in all things musical, including a great singing voice. His tribe did a lot of singing, but not much dancing to speak of. He knows songs from all over Eorzea.
• He's a very social guy, and has friends all over Eorzea (as well as a number of enemies in the forms of spurned lovers and the angry spouses of said lovers)
• Colour code CB3011

_{ＲＥＡＳＯＮ ＦＯＲ ＥＮＬＩＳＴＭＥＮＴ}

The Legend Begins

Laughter and cheers echoed through the cool night air outside of Ul’dah proper, bouncing off the hulking city walls as a merry group of strangers took refuge from the crowds. J’torha was still a little lightheaded from the skin of wine being passed around, but that didn’t stop him from showing off.

“This time for sure,” he declared, to the great entertainment of the three taffeta-clad ladies at the top of the steps.

“Fifth time’s the charm,” drawled the lone midlander of the group, backed by the giggling of the two seeker girls who accompanied her. J’torha couldn’t remember if they were twins or just friends who looked really similar, but he wasn’t too worried about it either way.

“Five tries, those were your words,” J’torha called up, doing a few stretches mostly for show. “And then your five gil are mine.”

The midlander scoffed, but looked on in interest just the same, tossing her gil up and down in what J’torha could only assume was rapt anticipation. Thankful for the wine that dulled the throbbing in his shin and elbow from his previous attempts, he took a few quick breaths; on the third he jumped, propelling himself backwards over the bottom flight of steps. Bringing his knees up to carry his momentum, he caught his first touch on his hands on the middle step, bending at the elbow and kicking up his legs to bounce back up again. This time he actually managed to bring his feet down in time and landed the handspring at the bottom landing, skipping backward on the sandy stone to catch his balance but managing to stay upright.

He held his position with knees bent and arms out for a moment to let the world stop spinning before straightening up, tail curling with pride. When he was sure his company had seen the spectacle, he jumped up to pump his fists in the air with a triumphant, “Ha!”

The ladies at the top broke into applause, laughing and cheering all at once at the man’s antics.

“Incredible!” called the seeker girl with the red earrings, hopping in place.

“And you’re in one piece!” her sister (possibly her friend) added, in a tone that J’torha chose to interpret as amazement rather than smugness.

J’torha gave the women a theatrical, exaggerated bow from the bottom of the steps, and only barely straightened up in time to catch the glimmer of gil flying down towards him. He managed to catch four of the pieces, scrambling hither and yon as the midlander girl made no effort to make it easy for him, but when he reached too far for the fifth he stumbled, tumbling into a cackling heap on his rump.

Musical laughter cascaded down the steps to meet him, and J’torha let himself fall back, sprawled wide on the warm sand as laughter quaked in his own chest. His chuckles eventually faded to long, worn-out breaths as he stared up at the glimmering Ul’dahn night sky, a wide - if not still just a touch inebriated - smile still splitting his face.

“Just like a man to fall asleep in the middle of the fun,” the midlander girl teased, probably sore at losing her gil to such an extraordinary performance.

J’torha raised one arm as far as the elbow and lazily waved the thought away. “If this is how hard you drive your men, then they deserve the rest,” he called back, chuckling at his own joke as he let his hand fall. After another long look at the sky, though, he did pull himself to his feet, a heaviness of the limbs creeping in to replace the giddiness of drink.

He was upright just in time to see another few figures step through the Gate of the Sultana and saunter up to the ladies he was treating. “If the kitten down there can't keep up with you, then I'm sure you'll be more than satisfied with me.”

J’torha’s ears perked up to listen better, and the midlander girl gave the newcomer the sort of half-hearted chuckle that only comes out (as he knew from experience) when a woman wants to end a conversation. “I’m happy here, thank you,” she told him curtly.

“Come on, gorgeous,” the stranger drawled, stepping closer. “I can pay, if that’s what you’re after…”

J’torha started up the steps, tail twitching with irritation. Meanwhile, the midlander girl was having none of it, tossing her hair and turning away. “You can’t afford me.”

As she tried to walk away, the man - either a tall midlander or a short highlander, from this distance J’torha couldn’t tell which - followed her, catching up to her in two long strides and reaching out to roughly grab her by the arm. “Listen you little—”

SHING!

The chakram flew before J’torha even realized he’d drawn it, flying true to its mark and colliding with the stranger’s wrist all the way from a flight and a half of stairs below. The man cried out and stumbled back, clutching his bleeding wrist as the chakram returned to J’torha’s outstretched hand. He bounded up the last few steps to the woman’s side, ears flattening menacingly. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I-I—”

“Get going before I give you a matching set!” J’torha threatened, gesturing with his chakram to the man’s injured wrist.

The man and his companions, miners by the look of them, didn’t need to be told twice; the injured one scrambled to his feet and away, grumbling something angry and unintelligible under his breath while his two companions in tow carried on about how a woman wasn’t worth a fight in this heat.

J’torha glared at their backs until they’d faded back into the crowd inside the gate, then turned back around to find the seeker girls fussing over the midlander’s arm as the woman herself tried to quell their concerns.

“Are you alright?” J’torha asked.

The midlander rolled her eyes. “Please,” she sighed, “how fragile do you think I am?”

J’torha’s smile returned at the reassurance and he visibly relaxed, though the midlander’s friends seemed worried. She paid them no mind, however, instead placing a hand on her hip and looking J’torha up and down. “But… thank you, adventurer.”

J’torha’s brow furrowed, and he shook his head, uncharacteristically humble. “Oh, I’m not an adventurer,” he clarified.

The midlander raised an eyebrow, giving J’torha another long look before shrugging. “Maybe you should be.”

Eyebrows shooting up, J’torha had no time to reply before the midlander and her two friends took their leave back into the city proper, responding to J’torha’s plea for their names with only a chorus of giggles before they, too, melded into the crowd. J’torha followed them as far as the arch of the gate, watching the sway of their hips as they left, until he was alone again.

Staring wistfully after where the trio had disappeared, he leaned against the cool stone of the gate, only to hear the crinkle of dry parchment under his shoulder. When he looked to see what he’d touched, J’torha found a leaflet haphazardly pasted to the wall, advertising a free company called “The Blessed Twelve” to adventurers young and old. He examined the poster for a moment, glancing between it and the spot where the trio had gone. The gears in his head started spinning.

Maybe...

Hello

Hello! Welcome to the Guild! We are definitely active!

Of Blood and Magic

_{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!"

Obscene's Scratchpad

_{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!"

- Fragmented - (dead; stay tuned for the next one!)

@SmokeDragon@Achronum@Ejected@Trainerblue192@Angel Vicky@blubirb@LadyAnnaLee@Hero@Sir Hawke@hagroden

Here we go! Please note that your character would have been informed in advance that the first night would be a cocktail party, so dress accordingly (or don't, your choice). As always if you have any questions or need any clarification, just ask!

- Fragmented - (dead; stay tuned for the next one!)

It had been weeks since the letters were sent out and answered, travel plans exchanged and approved, bags packed and lives organized around a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a number of Fragmented to sate the longing in their chests. Some came hoping for the best, some fearing the worst, but still they came, united by the fact that, whatever their reasons, they were all prepared to take a chance.

The sky above the mountaintop estate swarmed with activity as helicopters danced around each other, two chartered by the Abramson twins themselves and others owned by some of the wealthy guests. Those arriving by helicopter got a breathtaking view of the estate from above on approach; the whole thing was housed within a roughly circular plateau in the mountain, walled in on all sides by rough stone peaks blanketed in evergreen trees. The plateau itself was home to a small river, cascading down from a picturesque waterfall on the east side of the mountain, which fed into a lake to the north. Nestled near the river were five large, identical houses, and jutting out onto the lake was another building, accompanied by a wharf.

Those coming up the mountain by shuttle got to experience an oft-intense ride up the mountainside, occasionally threading through narrow passes and around sheer drops as the drivers navigated the winding road expertly. Upon reaching the plateau, these guests were driven through an ornate iron gate at the only entrance accessible by ground and up a hedge-trimmed driveway, where they got to see what the helicopter arrivals couldn’t until landing: the manor itself.

The manor was grand, to say the least; nestled against the western wall of the plateau, it would easily be larger than any home most of the guests would ever have seen. It was three storeys in most places, two in the wings, framed at the front with a circular driveway leading to a rounded outcropping for the entrance, and set into the landscape by an array of bushes and flowering plants. The most striking features, however, were two parts of the mansion which jutted out above the rest; at the far north end of the manor, a thin tower reached an easy storey above the rest of the structure, topped with a small round room domed in glass. In the centre, a much more striking structure rose just as tall, a massive glass dome that drew to a pointed tip, tall enough to touch the last few rays of sunlight falling into the plateau as the gloom of evening set in. The structure looked almost too fragile to stand, like an ornate birdcage replicated in glass, and if one looked closely they could see the silhouettes of all manner of tropical foliage within.

Guests stepped out of their respective vehicles and were scanned by security personnel; weapons and drugs were confiscated with a promise of safekeeping and return, quicker and more thoroughly than most gatherings half this size could manage. Luggage was taken care of by attendants while guests were led past the manor’s gardens to the entrance, where the opening festivities were taking place.

The main foyer looked more like a ballroom than an entryway, with a pair of ornate double doors opening into a large circular room with a two-storey ceiling, backed on the far wall with a twin set of curved staircases leading up to the open loft corridors of the second storey. The walls were paneled in dark wood and drew the eye up to the ceiling, where a massive crystal chandelier cast a warm glow of diffused light onto the gathering below. The first few guests to arrive, however, would find that the focal point of the foyer was not the chandelier, but the floor; a veritable expanse of shining white limestone inlaid with a smoky marble mandala, exquisitely designed with a complex motif in a style no one could quite recognize. In the air above everyone’s heads, colourful paper birds drifted about in all shapes and sizes, with no tethers to be seen. A few guests whispered about the quality - and naturally, the cost - of such lifelike looking holograms, a hint to how large of an undertaking that this gathering must have been.

There were open bars staffed by sharply-dressed bartenders on either side of the room, and similarly dressed servers wandered the room with trays of food and drink while a few hulking security personnel stood watch by the entrance, periodically muttering something unintelligible into something on their wrists. One thing every server had in common, and every guest for that matter, was an earpiece clipped over each ear, connected with a thin wire and looking vaguely similar to antique Bluetooth devices.

It was one of these devices that each guest received upon entering the manor. With just a few words to the server woman distributing them and a quick adjustment of settings, each one popped to life in the ears of its wearer, and instantly the low hum of a room full of dozens of different spoken languages became comprehensible, everything from direct conversation to overheard snippets translated flawlessly into the wearer’s preferred language. Some of the wealthier guests gathered in excited clusters after first activating theirs, gushing over the device’s ability to translate conversations without delay and in the speaker’s own voice, a feature not yet on the market in any model of translator.

Guests milled about the foyer as more trickled in, dressed in a range of styles from all over the world. The disparity of wealth in the room was distinct, and it was clear that people of all backgrounds had been invited; some more simply dressed guests stood out against the lavish background of the manor, while wealthy guests dressed to impress, looking like any one of them could have owned the massive estate. For a while though, the actual hosts were nowhere to be seen.

About an hour into the gathering, when every guest had finally been accounted for, some could notice the security personnel and servers nodding to each other, apparently listening to something in their ears. A hush fell over the crowd when every server looked up to the landing at the top of the staircases, guests following their gaze in anticipation. The light from the chandelier dimmed, and the paper birds above cast a soft glow as the hush in the crowd deepened, interrupted only by a few excited whispers.

Suddenly, the low music that had been playing came to a crescendo and some of the floating paper birds rushed to a corner of the upper loft, and emerged again swirling around a man walking out from the right side, smiling wide and waving to the crowd below. The man was tall and thin, with straw-blond hair and dressed in an outfit that might have been outlandish under different circumstances. It was reminiscent of a slim-fit white suit, with a pair of long coattails trailing behind and accompanied by black riding-style boots. Dusty pink accents around his cuffs and lapel livened up the look, but the most notable part was the cut-out window on the right side of his abdomen, which stretched from his upper ribs to his hip and drew to a point on the left side of his ribcage, exposing a thin and wiry frame beneath.

As he approached the centre, another flock of paper birds rushed to the opposite end of the landing, where emerged another man, equally tall and lanky and identical to the first, save for his head of shock-white hair and slightly more muscular build. His clothing was a mirror image of the other’s, trimmed in light blue with the cut-out on his left side. He approached much less extravagantly, shaking his head and chuckling at the other man's antics.

The paper birds dispersed when the two men reached the centre landing, and the light came back up, revealing the purpose of the cut-outs in their suits. In the light, the crowd could see large, tattoo-like markings stretching from each man’s side and across their abdomens; when they stood together they formed the motif of a blooming lotus, the righthand man’s in pink, and the lefthand man’s in blue. A few in the crowd gasped when they realized what they were looking at: unmistakable marks of the Reunited.

“Good evening!” the blond man called to the crowd, smiling wide, “and welcome to The Winds!”

The crowd broke into quiet applause, which continued only a moment before the white-haired man put up a hand. “Welcome indeed,” he repeated, tossing the other man a sidelong glance. “I am Isaac Abramson, and my showboating brother here is Raphael. Together we are the owners of this estate, and more importantly, the hosts of this gathering.”

“We are thrilled to be hosting an event such as this, and humbled by your attendance,” Raphael continued. “It is our hope that you all find your visit with us worthwhile, be it in finding your other half, or simply taking comfort in the company of people who understand you.”

“Indeed,” Isaac added. “My brother and I are among the lucky few to have Reunited at birth, but we recognize that not all are so fortunate.” His tone grew somber. “For years we have enjoyed the benefits of Reuniting, all too aware that we reaped rewards that many like us might never experience in their lifetimes. We’ve done what we could over the years to help other Fragmented find the peace that we were blessed with, but our efforts so far have been… less effective than we’d hoped.”

“So we’ve decided to take matters into our own hands,” Raphael announced proudly. “With the costs of finding one’s soulmate so dear and the consequences of becoming Lost so great, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to gather as many of you - of the world’s Fragmented - in one place as possible, and your response has been beyond our most hopeful expectations. With luck, we are hopeful that many of you will find your other halves here.”

Isaac smiled, and the mood of the room grew instantly brighter. “But we know you didn’t come here to listen to us. Therefore we invite you to relax and enjoy yourselves, and take advantage of every amenity The Winds has to offer. When you’ve had your fill of the evening, one of the attendants can show you to your lodging. Thank you all for taking this chance, and may luck be on your side.”

With that, the lighting went back to normal and the music resumed, a thrum of conversation rising once more as the guests resumed the party. Before they descended to mingle with the crowd, Raphael leaned towards Isaac.

“I thought we agreed I’d do the talking,” he murmured, low enough that only his brother could hear.

Isaac rolled his eyes. “Please,” he groaned, though his grin betrayed his amusement. “You always do the talking.”

Obscene's Scratchpad

TEST

What attracts you about an interest check?

I like a 1x1 check to skip the decoration and get straight to the point. Who you are (age, time zone, sex if you think that should be included) what your posting habits are, and then get right into what you're looking for and what you have to offer. I'm talking barebones bullet lists here, just lay it out in plain English. That way it's easy for people to click, see if you're compatible, and go.