Obscene Symphony

Of Blood and Magic

Aaron allowed himself only as long as it took to get out of immediate view of the Eve dorm’s windows to recover from that abysmal first impression, taking a long breath of cool morning air before he broke out into a run. It wasn’t far, but he all but sprinted to his dorm, hopping the wall around the property and leaping up the porch stairs two at a time, as quietly as he could manage. A glimpse of his watch as he knocked on his own door told him that it was several minutes past six, and he braced for the inevitable lecture and punishment (though he didn’t know yet what it would entail, he felt like more lines was a safe bet) apology on his lips, as he waited for Varis to let him in.

A moment passed, though, and then another, with no answer. It wasn’t unusual for Aaron to have to wait a little while to be let in, but he didn’t even hear any movement inside. Great, Varis was making him wait even longer to be let inside, probably intentionally delaying it in hopes that someone would walk by and see Aaron standing like an unwelcome guest on the porch of his own dorm. He supposed that was fair enough, as he had missed his curfew, but as a few more minutes passed by, Aaron started wondering if perhaps Varis hadn’t heard him.

He knocked again, louder this time, and even sent the Count a reverent and apologetic text asking permission to enter his dorm, but another several minutes passed with no response. Had he fallen asleep? He had to have been home, even Aaron knew Varis wouldn’t deign to set foot outside during Revel (he’d gone on enough tangents on the ridiculous frivolity and chaos of the holiday to adequately establish his distaste) but this was getting excessive. Aaron had no doubt that Varis wanted him to suffer a little before he issued his punishment, but surely he still wanted his mage inside to complete his morning duties. Right?

As a few more minutes passed with no movement, Aaron got his answer. Apparently late was no better than never, because he wasn’t going to be let into his dorm.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Aaron took a moment to assess his options. The infirmary was out; it was probably full of drunk fools who had somehow injured or poisoned themselves during the festivities, and he couldn’t very well be seen crashing there for a second time and trash his reputation further. He couldn’t sleep on the patio, as it was screened in and certainly locked, and the porch was no option either; if someone saw him sleeping on his own porch after a night of Revel, he’d never live it down.

There was no one he could stay with; Salem might have been amenable but that was definitely out, considering the uproar that would certainly erupt from him seeking refuge at another noble’s dorm. He couldn’t go to Eris, either; Max would probably strip the skin from his body, and even if Eris allowed him to stay, Aaron would never hear the end of it and Varis would certainly pile on extra repercussions for good measure for going to his lover to circumvent his punishment. Princess Ryner would probably take him in, and it was partially her order that had delayed him in the first place, but Aaron couldn’t very well keep running to her every time he had a problem. Besides, her order or not, this was his doing. Sure, he couldn’t very well deny her, but Varis was his master now and he should have prioritized his orders over any other. That was how Ryner’s household raised him, after all.

Of course, knowing he technically deserved it didn’t make the prospect of sleeping outside any more welcoming. Aaron ended up deciding to try to sleep at the foot of the stone wall surrounding the Sinnenodel property, near enough to meet the delivery woman in the evening, but hidden from view from the street. He could only hope that no one would go looking behind Sinnenodel walls; Aaron didn’t need rumours circulating about the Noila mage passing out drunk on his lawn during Revel.

Sitting down at the base of the wall, Aaron let his head fall back against the stone, closing his eyes as he let out a long, frustrated breath. Now that he was seated, he could feel fatigue settle into his limbs; no doubt the result of carrying a whole other person on his back up a cliff and across campus. Truth be told, though, it wasn’t bad. It called to mind the trip over; Lilie clinging to him had been oddly gratifying, not to mention her lazily caressing his chest and tugging at his shirt collar from time to time. He doubted she even realized she was doing it in her state, but more than once it had distracted him from his task as he savoured the feeling of her hands on him, her hair tickling his neck, her voice in his ear…

Aaron smiled. She had been chattering the whole way over, wondering where her shoes were (he was carrying them), vaguely mentioning something about wanting carrot cupcakes (which Aaron had never even heard of), even gushing at length about ‘how good they looked together’. As much as he wanted to think that she had been flirting with him, logically Aaron knew that it was probably just drunk rambling. Even still, it didn’t stop him from committing her words and her dreamy tone of voice to memory.

It hadn’t all been lighthearted, though. As they neared her dorm, she had also complained about her Countess “poofing” on her, which Aaron took to mean that she’d simply left without explanation. At the time, he thought the Countess must have gone off to celebrate Revel in her own way and simply hadn’t had the courtesy to inform Lilie. After tonight, though, it was probably fair to assume that the Countess must have left earlier in the night for good.

It was so strange, too. He might have expected another flake-out, given how much of a mess House Eve had been at the Academy so far, but it was Princess Ryner’s explanation that gave him pause. It had been offhand, but she’d mentioned there’d been a death in Countess Mariette’s family. Now, perhaps it was simply too early to tell, and he’d be inundated with gossip in the coming nights, but a death in a noble family was a big deal; vampires didn’t just die, and assassinations or suicides, while not altogether uncommon, were big news in Aaron’s circles. He wondered who it could have been, and how it happened, what was being done. He wondered if Varis was aware; Aaron even considered texting the Count again in hopes that an offer of noble gossip might get him let inside, but he figured it was a stretch. Better to take this first stage of his punishment quietly than risk more for trying to weasel out of it.

Phone in hand, though, he did finally open it to set an alarm for the evening - not that he expected to get much sleep in the daylight out there anyway - but just as he unlocked his phone, a message came in from Salem.

Don't ask, I'm getting pulled into a murder investigation and going to be seeing the princess, which one would I likely see and what's the best etiquette and demeanor to hold with her? Any known titles she prefers? Eye contact no eye contact? Please reply quickly.

Aaron stared blankly at the screen for a moment, re-reading the message a few times.

“How!?”

Aaron clapped a hand over his face. Was Salem fucking with him? Maybe, the bastard had a weird sense of humour, although this didn’t sound like it. In which case, how on planet earth did he manage to get involved in a murder investigation!? Wasn’t he under enough suspicion as it was!? At this rate, Aaron would have to lock him in Noila dungeon on break just to keep him out of trouble!

He did reply quickly, but he wasn’t about to keep his questions to himself.

It’ll probably be Princess Ryner, I don’t think Nox is here. Call her “Your Royal Highness”, don’t make eye contact unless she initiates it, and don’t speak unless you’re spoken to.

Now, how the hell did you manage to get wrapped up in a murder??

_{@Trainerblue192 @Achronum}

Burn-out and Hiatuses

You don't necessarily have to be overwhelmed/have adverse things going on in your personal life to justify a hiatus. Sometimes we all just plain burn out, lose interest, lose our motivation to write, etc. It's best to really be honest, don't worry about fabricating some sort of outside issue if one doesn't exist. If you force yourself to write through a burnout just because you feel like you have to have some kind of better excuse to justify taking a break, your writing is going to suck, your partner will notice, and your rp will suffer. Not good for anybody. Your partner should understand, it happens to all of us.

I've taken breaks from the guild in the past that lasted almost a year, and shorter ones for a few months, but you really don't know how long it'll take to get your energy back until it happens. When you're ready to return and craving rp again, return. Don't force yourself to come back after a certain time if you're not feeling it.

Of Blood and Magic

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Lilie’s humming was easily swept away with the breeze, her swaying more noticeable as she walked. Instead of toppling over, however, instead she swung her arms out, doing a dance as Aaron’s jacket and her dress billowed out around her. Despite the uneasiness of the sand, she found herself having little trouble, the sand cushioning her toes as she lifted herself on them. Spinning on her heel, she attempted to perform what looked like a pirouette, though she made it about halfway through before leaping ahead. She landed on both feet, throwing her arms in the air as if giving a performance, but dropped her arms as she looked out to the ocean.

The waves gently lapped the beach as Lilie stood a few steps away. The breeze did wonders to soothe her as she breathed in the salty air. Before she would decide to dip her feet, however, she turned back towards Aaron, hands behind her back. “So…‘Martoch’ is your secret agent name?” She joked lightly.

Aaron followed, dumbfounded, behind Lilie at a safe distance as she traversed the sand, watching in delighted wonder as she performed what he could only describe as a drunken ballet for some unseen audience on the ocean. More than once he had to smirk at how his jacket seemed to swallow her up, remarking once more just how strikingly small she was compared to him, though in the back of his mind there was also a less recognizable satisfaction at seeing Lilie wearing something of his.

Lilie paused, and for an alarming moment Aaron thought she was going to walk into the water, but instead she turned, chuckling out a question. Aaron grinned, drawing nearer and absently untangling his earring from the hair the wind had started twisting it up in. “Nah, I’m not that cool,” he joked back, shaking his head. “I figured that guy might have recognized me from the, well…” He cleared his throat, reluctant to rehash the humiliating incident. Lilie knew full well about it anyway, seeing as she’d been directly involved. “Well, you know.”

Refreshing his grin, he moved right along. “But yeah, Martoch is just my father’s last name.”

Raising her eyebrows, they knitted together soon after as she casually stepped to his side. “I thought your last name was Starag, though,” She tapped her chin, squinting at him.

Aaron raised an eyebrow of his own. “That’s correct,” he replied, close to laughing a bit at the end of it. The alcohol must really have kicked in.

Raising her free hand to her head, she poked her temple. “Yeah but, if that was the case, then your name would be Aaron Martoch,” She informed him, punctuating her sentence with a gasp. “I mean...unless your dad isn’t in the picture anymore?” She asked slowly, wincing slightly as she caught her lack of tact.

Aaron had to snicker at Lilie’s outward reasoning, giving her a warm look when he saw the realization cross her face. “Oh, I get it,” he replied kindly, realizing where the confusion lay. The two began to walk parallel to the ocean, Aaron careful to make sure Lilie stayed steady as he explained. “The Starag family is a bit different than regular mage families. Since it’s so important that the Starags serve the Noilas specifically, we don’t get our last name just because we have a Starag parent. The last name goes to whoever is in the family and belongs the the Noilas.” He offered a smile, checking to see if Lilie was following along. “So for example, my grandmother was a Starag, but since her twin sister went to their mother’s family instead of the Noilas, her last name ended up being Smart.”

“So in my case, I got my last name from my mother because I stayed with the Noilas,” he concluded, hoping that would clear things up. “You’re half right, though,” he added, cracking a cavalier smile, “I never met my father anyway.”

“You never met--” Lilie managed to (miraculously) keep up with Aaron’s explanation until he dropped that anchor of information on her. Normally she would have known better than to openly show surprise, or at least politely apologize for her assumption, but this was shocking! “What do you mean you’ve never met your father?!” She sounded genuinely distressed as her voice took on a slightly higher pitch, her hand on his arm in worry.

Brow furrowed, Aaron looked to Lilie in abject confusion, utterly unsure why she was so distressed. “I suppose it just never came up!” he replied with a shrug, though he did smirk, placing what he hoped would be a comforting hand on Lilie’s. “Honestly, until a few years ago I had a hard time remembering his name. I think he belongs to the Astorios, but honestly I never really looked into him much.”

She supposed that she was thinking about her own relationship with her father. She genuinely couldn’t imagine growing up without having him around; he had always been her rock and biggest supporter! Something about hearing Aaron having the opposite experience tugged at her heartstrings, her eyes searching his for what to say as she tried to piece together some kind of response.

“How come?” She found herself asking. “You’ve never wanted one?”

Aaron regarded Lilie for a moment as he thought of a response, still unsure why she was so broken up about something so common. He chalked it up to a difference of norms between mages and humans. Thinking back, though, he couldn’t really place a time when he could pinpoint wanting a father. He supposed that was probably because he had the royal institution itself to serve that purpose; it administered all the structure in his life, taught him right from wrong, helped him grow and disciplined him when needed. He had never felt like there was anything missing until… well, until coming to the Academy, he supposed. If he was being honest with himself, that was the only time he could think of having the rug ripped out from under him and really feeling as if he was missing something to fall back on.

Still, he pushed those thoughts away; now was not the time to dwell on his own difficulties in adjusting. Instead, he offered Lilie a comforting look. “I guess I never gave it much thought,” he told her nonchalantly, “I was perfectly happy with my mom and aunts and tutors, I didn’t really think there was much else I could want.”

Aaron seemed sincere, and she genuinely couldn’t see him lying about that. Still, even if he didn’t feel bad, she certainly did. Or maybe she felt guilty, especially considering how lucky she felt to have her own dad. Taking his hand, she pressed it against her cheek for a moment, wishing there was something she could do or say. Well, not that he needed it if he was serious, but she wasn’t entirely thinking straight, and it felt right.

Still believing that Aaron needed cheering up, she started gently pulling him closer to the water. “That’s good,” She said as she beckoned the waves to come in as softly as possible, motioning for Aaron to follow her lead as she stepped on the wet sand. “Now you can want new things.”

Aaron’s cavalier attitude flew away when Lilie lifted his hand to her face, a quiet awe and anticipation replacing it, not unlike the feeling of watching something rare and beautiful, nervous to disrupt it. Something he said must have touched her, and the alcohol was probably helping, but Aaron still savoured the moment, briefly committing the softness of Lilie’s skin to memory before she let their hands fall again.

Lilie took Aaron’s hands gently in her own and started pulling him toward the water, close enough that the waves gently lapped at their feet, warmer than he would have expected. But beyond the sudden change in tone, it was her words that captivated him. She had a point. Everything was different now, new, and on a night like tonight when he had the rare freedom to do as he pleased it was especially apparent. And now, looking at the beautiful girl in the surf, he could admit to himself that there was at least one new thing at the Academy that he wanted.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

Nodding in agreement (to her own statement), Lilie sighed as she looked down at the waves. They were pretty small at the moment, but the water was nice and warm. Curling her toes in the sand, she beckoned a wave to come in with more water, watching as it crashed ashore and pooled around them. She hummed to herself again, waiting for another wave before pulling more of it towards them. Just as it looked like it was coming, she threw her arms up, and it was like the tiny wave had hit a wall, surging upwards and lightly raining down on them.

Dropping her hands to her sides, Lilie seemed displeased. "I'm still getting the hang of it," She admitted, lazily flicking her wrist as she would gather the droplets on her in the palm of her hand. She dropped it as she walked forward, the water pushed aside with each step she took. "I still can't believe I can use magic. That's just something we used to pretend we could do. I'd sit on the beach and look at the waves, pretending I was pushing and pulling them...I didn't ever think I could actually do it, though. It's so surreal."

She paused as she stared at her feet, the water avoiding her. She grinned as she looked up at Aaron. "Did you ever do that?" She asked. "When you were little, I mean."

Aaron was a lot more impressed by Lilie’s demonstration than she was. He wasn't overly familiar with water magic, and she was clearly getting the hang of using it. He suddenly felt very behind as he watched her push and pull the waves while he'd been proud of managing to get a little bit of distance from a ball of light. He knew the two couldn't really be compared, yes, but that didn't quell his awe and envy as he looked on.

“Pretend to have magic?” He confirmed, thinking for a moment. “Well… I grew up around magic, so… yes.” He laughed a bit at the memories. “But my mom and aunts could actually do it, so they kept me busy most of the time.”

He smiled. “She would put on these little shows for me, like shadow puppets, but made of fire. I was so jealous,” a fond look crossed his face. “I used to mime what she did - not that there was much to copy, she doesn't move much to cast - and pretend I was doing it, or try to put out candles with my mind. I would hear these stories about my grandfather and his magical prowess and I wanted to be just like him.”

Aaron let the memories wash over him for a moment before he returned to the present, sheepishly adjusting his tie and clearing his throat. “I think everyone wanted magic as children.”

Lilie watched Aaron as he spoke, fascinated with the idea of magic growing up. He seemed to remember his home fondly, giving her a moment of her own homesickness. Perking up, the waves resumed their push and pull as she approached him, hands behind her back as she giggled.

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” She replied, straightening up as she pretended to wield a weapon. “When I was a kid, I didn’t think about magic--I wanted to be just like my mom and dad. Strong like her and kind like him,” She spun around as she spoke, kicking the surface of the ocean. “No magic in Hillsdale, that stuff was only on TV. It was this thing that existed but was so far out of my reach that I didn't even consider the chance of it ever being a part of my life.”

Smiling, Aaron watched Lilie’s theatrics, nodding along with her story. “I was just the opposite,” he replied, “For me, not being a mage was the thing that seemed impossible. It was my worst nightmare, used to keep me up during the day. I was so nervous on my Awakening night I could barely see straight.” He shook his head fondly, recalling the miles of Noila Castle halls he’d nervously paced through as he waited for the ceremony, a concerned Lucan hot on his heels trying to calm him down.

Lilie’s initial response was a slightly impolite laugh, her hand flying to her mouth. Pushing down some old, bitter feelings, instead of going on a rant on how much different their point of views were, she decided to see why Aaron thought that way. "Oh yeah? Scared you'd end up a servant instead of a mage?" She couldn't help the tease in her tone, lazily walking along and kicking water out of her way.

Aaron almost burst out laughing, but contained himself to a muffled chuckle, clearing his throat as he shook his head. “No no, you have to be a mage to be a servant. No humans allowed,” he told her, a bit of that laugh still present in his words before a breath cleared it completely. His smile remained, but he grew a touch more somber. “If I wasn’t a mage I would have had to leave, and since I trained my entire life for this, I don’t know what I would have done.”

He was quiet for a moment as the old familiar dread from three years past washed over him once more, but promptly pushed the feelings away with another breath, allowing the cool breeze from the sea to bring him back to the present. “Luckily, I don’t have to worry about that!” he added brightly, creating a quick little ball of light between his palms for emphasis before allowing it to fizzle out.

Lilie's expression fell out of concern. Would they really have just kicked him out? For some reason she couldn't imagine the princess ever letting that happen, let alone his family. It was too mean, establishing your life just to get kicked to the curb. She stopped in place, the waves crashing against her ankles as she turned to Aaron, deciding to take a few steps towards him and stopping at arm's length. As the wind blew between them, she stared hard at him.

"Aaron...I don't know what I'd do without you," She flat out told him. "You don't have to feel like you're not wanted or needed. I--"

Her words were cut off as she took a step forward, suddenly jumping as a sharp pain came from her foot. The sudden imbalance cause her to drop her shoes as she let out a cry of shock, her foot still on the ground deeper in the sand as she fell back.

Aaron looked back quizzically as Lilie approached and took a moment to just stare, wondering if he had somehow said something to upset her. Her next words, though, crashed through him like a wave, that same giddy fluttering in his chest returning from when he’d first asked her to dance. Somehow, even in her state, she saw right through him, and managed to find just the right—thing to step on in the sand?!

Aaron’s thoughts were cut off when Lilie yelped, the blond lunging on instinct to catch her when she pitched backwards and quickly lifting her up off the sand and away from the spot she’d stepped on. He placed her down gently next to him, keeping a hold of her so she wouldn’t lose her balance as she favoured her foot, and looked to the spot where she’d been. There, revealed by her footprint, was the jagged point of a broken bottle almost entirely buried in the sand, along with a dark spot surrounding it that must have been Lilie’s blood. A by-product of some earlier Revel beach activity, no doubt. Aaron was suddenly a lot less impressed with the group at the fire and their questionable disposal of bottles, though his concerns quickly returned to Lilie. “Are you okay?!”

Clinging onto Aaron for dear life, she tried not to move too much, but being intoxicated didn't really help. She swayed a little after Aaron put her down, letting out a tiny whimper as she looked at her foot. A tiny drop of blood fell on the sand as she kept her leg up. "I--I think I cut myself," She replied, clumsily trying to lift her foot to see the cut and nearly falling over, haphazardly grabbing Aaron's arm to keep herself from falling.

“Yeah, I think you stepped on some glass,” Aaron offered, holding Lilie to him by her waist so she could lean on him for support. Leaning over as best he could without toppling Lilie, he was grateful for his night vision as he did his best to examine the damage. From what he could tell, she was at least bleeding, a few more drops of blood falling onto the sand.

“Here, you’ll want to clean that,” he suggested, looking around for a second and realizing that the only real option was the ocean. He had heard somewhere before that salt water could wash wounds, though, so he supposed that was as good an option as any. He looked to Lilie for confirmation. “Ocean?”

Lilie nodded, leaning on Aaron for support as she half hobbled, half tried to hop a little deeper in. Fortunately he didn't let her fall, and despite the stinging when she lowered her foot into the water, she figured it was better than nothing. Seeing her shoes floating on the water, without thinking she went to try to snatch them. Aaron beat her to it, managing to keep her steady and prevent her from falling headfirst in.

"I should...probably head back to the dorm and wrap it up," She said, dejected. As much as she didn't want their time to end, it was hard to continue the walk.

“Yeah, probably a good idea.” Aaron was similarly crestfallen, but he didn’t let it show, offering Lilie a comforting smile as he helped her hop back onto dry land. “Oh, this might help until we get there,” he added, getting an idea. Fishing his handkerchief out of his pocket, he shook it out of its meticulously neat fold and bent to tie it around Lilie’s injured foot. “This way at least sand won’t get into it,” he explained as he finished.

Letting out some sort of odd mix of a whine and maybe an 'aww', the girl greatly appreciated it. It was awfully kind of him, even if in the back of her head she felt like she was inconveniencing him, but she wasn't going to turn his help away. The dorms were a little too far to hobble back on her own, and if she was being honest, she didn't want to leave him just yet. Or something. Despite not saying a word about her thoughts, Lilie was oddly embarrassed, tucking some of her hair behind her ear as she clung to his arm and the pair carefully traversed the sand.

They made it to the foot of the cliff path when Aaron paused to straighten up and stretch his back, a little sore already after only about a dozen yards of walking stooped over to help Lilie balance. The difference in size between them was becoming painfully clear, and their progress was slow. Climbing the cliff path and getting all the way back to the dorms this way would take forever.

Getting an idea, Aaron placed Lilie’s hand on the path railing so she could balance and turned away from her, crouching down so she could get onto his back. “Hop on, we’ll get up faster this way.”

It took a little longer than it really should have for Lilie to realize what Aaron suggested. For some reason, she found the idea greatly amusing. She hadn't really done that in a really long time, though she found no reason to decline as she cautiously leaned onto him, probably a little clumsier than usual. She wondered if she should hold onto his shoulders or carefully wrap her arms around his neck, but the decision was made to the latter as Aaron standing was apparently unexpected. Because she was overthinking. Then again, she was easily distracted by how much higher she was, erupting into a burst of giggles.

"So this is what the world looks like for tall people!" She found her joke hilarious, happily leaning on Aaron's shoulder with a happy hum as he started to walk. She really liked this. Aaron smelled like the forest, his soft hair tickling her cheek as she sighed. "Getting carried by a handsome guy...I bet anyone would get jealous." She said.

Chuckling softly, Aaron tried his best not to let the comment go to his head; of course, he wasn’t above tucking it away for later either. Lilie was even lighter than he expected her to be, and carrying her was way easier than hobbling alongside her. Plus, he certainly didn’t mind the feeling of her head on his shoulder, or the few locks of hair tumbling down over his chest. He didn’t even mind the lingering smell of alcohol on her breath, mixed as it was with the alluring scent of her lavender perfume.

“Even if cutting your foot is the price of admission?” he joked at her comment, adjusting her weight a bit as they crested the top of the cliff path and made it back to even ground.

Taking a second to think about it, Lilie ended up nodding as she held on just a touch tighter. "Hmm...I think it's worth it," She replied cheerfully, lightly nuzzling Aaron's shoulder. "Dancing, drinks, a walk on the beach...getting carried home? Yeah, it's definitely worth it." Her tipsy talk made her voice a little sweeter, but she was genuine.

A bit of heat flushed Aaron’s ears at the comment, and he was glad Lilie was behind him and couldn’t get a view of his bashful smile. He tried not to get carried away with it, reminding himself that Lilie still had some alcohol in her, but that didn’t stop the warm feeling spreading through his chest. “Well, I’m glad you had a good time,” he replied, a bit quieter. He couldn’t wipe the grin off his face if he tried, and instead focused on putting one foot in front of the other in the direction of the dorms.
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Obscene's Scratchpad

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Lilie’s humming was easily swept away with the breeze, her swaying more noticeable as she walked. Instead of toppling over, however, instead she swung her arms out, doing a dance as Aaron’s jacket and her dress billowed out around her. Despite the uneasiness of the sand, she found herself having little trouble, the sand cushioning her toes as she lifted herself on them. Spinning on her heel, she attempted to perform what looked like a pirouette, though she made it about halfway through before leaping ahead. She landed on both feet, throwing her arms in the air as if giving a performance, but dropped her arms as she looked out to the ocean.

The waves gently lapped the beach as Lilie stood a few steps away. The breeze did wonders to soothe her as she breathed in the salty air. Before she would decide to dip her feet, however, she turned back towards Aaron, hands behind her back. “So…‘Martoch’ is your secret agent name?” She joked lightly.

Aaron followed, dumbfounded, behind Lilie at a safe distance as she traversed the sand, watching in delighted wonder as she performed what he could only describe as a drunken ballet for some unseen audience on the ocean. More than once he had to smirk at how his jacket seemed to swallow her up, remarking once more just how strikingly small she was compared to him, though in the back of his mind there was also a less recognizable satisfaction at seeing Lilie wearing something of his.

Lilie paused, and for an alarming moment Aaron thought she was going to walk into the water, but instead she turned, chuckling out a question. Aaron grinned, drawing nearer and absently untangling his earring from the hair the wind had started twisting it up in. “Nah, I’m not that cool,” he joked back, shaking his head. “I figured that guy might have recognized me from the, well…” He cleared his throat, reluctant to rehash the humiliating incident. Lilie knew full well about it anyway, seeing as she’d been directly involved. “Well, you know.”

Refreshing his grin, he moved right along. “But yeah, Martoch is just my father’s last name.”

Raising her eyebrows, they knitted together soon after as she casually stepped to his side. “I thought your last name was Starag, though,” She tapped her chin, squinting at him.

Aaron raised an eyebrow of his own. “That’s correct,” he replied, close to laughing a bit at the end of it. The alcohol must really have kicked in.

Raising her free hand to her head, she poked her temple. “Yeah but, if that was the case, then your name would be Aaron Martoch,” She informed him, punctuating her sentence with a gasp. “I mean...unless your dad isn’t in the picture anymore?” She asked slowly, wincing slightly as she caught her lack of tact.

Aaron had to snicker at Lilie’s outward reasoning, giving her a warm look when he saw the realization cross her face. “Oh, I get it,” he replied kindly, realizing where the confusion lay. The two began to walk parallel to the ocean, Aaron careful to make sure Lilie stayed steady as he explained. “The Starag family is a bit different than regular mage families. Since it’s so important that the Starags serve the Noilas specifically, we don’t get our last name just because we have a Starag parent. The last name goes to whoever is in the family and belongs the the Noilas.” He offered a smile, checking to see if Lilie was following along. “So for example, my grandmother was a Starag, but since her twin sister went to their mother’s family instead of the Noilas, her last name ended up being Smart.”

“So in my case, I got my last name from my mother because I stayed with the Noilas,” he concluded, hoping that would clear things up. “You’re half right, though,” he added, cracking a cavalier smile, “I never met my father anyway.”

“You never met--” Lilie managed to (miraculously) keep up with Aaron’s explanation until he dropped that anchor of information on her. Normally she would have known better than to openly show surprise, or at least politely apologize for her assumption, but this was shocking! “What do you mean you’ve never met your father?!” She sounded genuinely distressed as her voice took on a slightly higher pitch, her hand on his arm in worry.

Brow furrowed, Aaron looked to Lilie in abject confusion, utterly unsure why she was so distressed. “I suppose it just never came up!” he replied with a shrug, though he did smirk, placing what he hoped would be a comforting hand on Lilie’s. “Honestly, until a few years ago I had a hard time remembering his name. I think he belongs to the Astorios, but honestly I never really looked into him much.”

She supposed that she was thinking about her own relationship with her father. She genuinely couldn’t imagine growing up without having him around; he had always been her rock and biggest supporter! Something about hearing Aaron having the opposite experience tugged at her heartstrings, her eyes searching his for what to say as she tried to piece together some kind of response.

“How come?” She found herself asking. “You’ve never wanted one?”

Aaron regarded Lilie for a moment as he thought of a response, still unsure why she was so broken up about something so common. He chalked it up to a difference of norms between mages and humans. Thinking back, though, he couldn’t really place a time when he could pinpoint wanting a father. He supposed that was probably because he had the royal institution itself to serve that purpose; it administered all the structure in his life, taught him right from wrong, helped him grow and disciplined him when needed. He had never felt like there was anything missing until… well, until coming to the Academy, he supposed. If he was being honest with himself, that was the only time he could think of having the rug ripped out from under him and really feeling as if he was missing something to fall back on.

Still, he pushed those thoughts away; now was not the time to dwell on his own difficulties in adjusting. Instead, he offered Lilie a comforting look. “I guess I never gave it much thought,” he told her nonchalantly, “I was perfectly happy with my mom and aunts and tutors, I didn’t really think there was much else I could want.”

Aaron seemed sincere, and she genuinely couldn’t see him lying about that. Still, even if he didn’t feel bad, she certainly did. Or maybe she felt guilty, especially considering how lucky she felt to have her own dad. Taking his hand, she pressed it against her cheek for a moment, wishing there was something she could do or say. Well, not that he needed it if he was serious, but she wasn’t entirely thinking straight, and it felt right.

Still believing that Aaron needed cheering up, she started gently pulling him closer to the water. “That’s good,” She said as she beckoned the waves to come in as softly as possible, motioning for Aaron to follow her lead as she stepped on the wet sand. “Now you can want new things.”

Aaron’s cavalier attitude flew away when Lilie lifted his hand to her face, a quiet awe and anticipation replacing it, not unlike the feeling of watching something rare and beautiful, nervous to disrupt it. Something he said must have touched her, and the alcohol was probably helping, but Aaron still savoured the moment, briefly committing the softness of Lilie’s skin to memory before she let their hands fall again.

Lilie took Aaron’s hands gently in her own and started pulling him toward the water, close enough that the waves gently lapped at their feet, warmer than he would have expected. But beyond the sudden change in tone, it was her words that captivated him. She had a point. Everything was different now, new, and on a night like tonight when he had the rare freedom to do as he pleased it was especially apparent. And now, looking at the beautiful girl in the surf, he could admit to himself that there was at least one new thing at the Academy that he wanted.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

Nodding in agreement (to her own statement), Lilie sighed as she looked down at the waves. They were pretty small at the moment, but the water was nice and warm. Curling her toes in the sand, she beckoned a wave to come in with more water, watching as it crashed ashore and pooled around them. She hummed to herself again, waiting for another wave before pulling more of it towards them. Just as it looked like it was coming, she threw her arms up, and it was like the tiny wave had hit a wall, surging upwards and lightly raining down on them.

Dropping her hands to her sides, Lilie seemed displeased. "I'm still getting the hang of it," She admitted, lazily flicking her wrist as she would gather the droplets on her in the palm of her hand. She dropped it as she walked forward, the water pushed aside with each step she took. "I still can't believe I can use magic. That's just something we used to pretend we could do. I'd sit on the beach and look at the waves, pretending I was pushing and pulling them...I didn't ever think I could actually do it, though. It's so surreal."

She paused as she stared at her feet, the water avoiding her. She grinned as she looked up at Aaron. "Did you ever do that?" She asked. "When you were little, I mean."

Aaron was a lot more impressed by Lilie’s demonstration than she was. He wasn't overly familiar with water magic, and she was clearly getting the hang of using it. He suddenly felt very behind as he watched her push and pull the waves while he'd been proud of managing to get a little bit of distance from a ball of light. He knew the two couldn't really be compared, yes, but that didn't quell his awe and envy as he looked on.

“Pretend to have magic?” He confirmed, thinking for a moment. “Well… I grew up around magic, so… yes.” He laughed a bit at the memories. “But my mom and aunts could actually do it, so they kept me busy most of the time.”

He smiled. “She would put on these little shows for me, like shadow puppets, but made of fire. I was so jealous,” a fond look crossed his face. “I used to mime what she did - not that there was much to copy, she doesn't move much to cast - and pretend I was doing it, or try to put out candles with my mind. I would hear these stories about my grandfather and his magical prowess and I wanted to be just like him.”

Aaron let the memories wash over him for a moment before he returned to the present, sheepishly adjusting his tie and clearing his throat. “I think everyone wanted magic as children.”

Lilie watched Aaron as he spoke, fascinated with the idea of magic growing up. He seemed to remember his home fondly, giving her a moment of her own homesickness. Perking up, the waves resumed their push and pull as she approached him, hands behind her back as she giggled.

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” She replied, straightening up as she pretended to wield a weapon. “When I was a kid, I didn’t think about magic--I wanted to be just like my mom and dad. Strong like her and kind like him,” She spun around as she spoke, kicking the surface of the ocean. “No magic in Hillsdale, that stuff was only on TV. It was this thing that existed but was so far out of my reach that I didn't even consider the chance of it ever being a part of my life.”

Smiling, Aaron watched Lilie’s theatrics, nodding along with her story. “I was just the opposite,” he replied, “For me, not being a mage was the thing that seemed impossible. It was my worst nightmare, used to keep me up during the day. I was so nervous on my Awakening night I could barely see straight.” He shook his head fondly, recalling the miles of Noila Castle halls he’d nervously paced through as he waited for the ceremony, a concerned Lucan hot on his heels trying to calm him down.

Lilie’s initial response was a slightly impolite laugh, her hand flying to her mouth. Pushing down some old, bitter feelings, instead of going on a rant on how much different their point of views were, she decided to see why Aaron thought that way. "Oh yeah? Scared you'd end up a servant instead of a mage?" She couldn't help the tease in her tone, lazily walking along and kicking water out of her way.

Aaron almost burst out laughing, but contained himself to a muffled chuckle, clearing his throat as he shook his head. “No no, you have to be a mage to be a servant. No humans allowed,” he told her, a bit of that laugh still present in his words before a breath cleared it completely. His smile remained, but he grew a touch more somber. “If I wasn’t a mage I would have had to leave, and since I trained my entire life for this, I don’t know what I would have done.”

He was quiet for a moment as the old familiar dread from three years past washed over him once more, but promptly pushed the feelings away with another breath, allowing the cool breeze from the sea to bring him back to the present. “Luckily, I don’t have to worry about that!” he added brightly, creating a quick little ball of light between his palms for emphasis before allowing it to fizzle out.

Lilie's expression fell out of concern. Would they really have just kicked him out? For some reason she couldn't imagine the princess ever letting that happen, let alone his family. It was too mean, establishing your life just to get kicked to the curb. She stopped in place, the waves crashing against her ankles as she turned to Aaron, deciding to take a few steps towards him and stopping at arm's length. As the wind blew between them, she stared hard at him.

"Aaron...I don't know what I'd do without you," She flat out told him. "You don't have to feel like you're not wanted or needed. I--"

Her words were cut off as she took a step forward, suddenly jumping as a sharp pain came from her foot. The sudden imbalance cause her to drop her shoes as she let out a cry of shock, her foot still on the ground deeper in the sand as she fell back.

Aaron looked back quizzically as Lilie approached and took a moment to just stare, wondering if he had somehow said something to upset her. Her next words, though, crashed through him like a wave, that same giddy fluttering in his chest returning from when he’d first asked her to dance. Somehow, even in her state, she saw right through him, and managed to find just the right—thing to step on in the sand?!

Aaron’s thoughts were cut off when Lilie yelped, the blond lunging on instinct to catch her when she pitched backwards and quickly lifting her up off the sand and away from the spot she’d stepped on. He placed her down gently next to him, keeping a hold of her so she wouldn’t lose her balance as she favoured her foot, and looked to the spot where she’d been. There, revealed by her footprint, was the jagged point of a broken bottle almost entirely buried in the sand, along with a dark spot surrounding it that must have been Lilie’s blood. A by-product of some earlier Revel beach activity, no doubt. Aaron was suddenly a lot less impressed with the group at the fire and their questionable disposal of bottles, though his concerns quickly returned to Lilie. “Are you okay?!”

Clinging onto Aaron for dear life, she tried not to move too much, but being intoxicated didn't really help. She swayed a little after Aaron put her down, letting out a tiny whimper as she looked at her foot. A tiny drop of blood fell on the sand as she kept her leg up. "I--I think I cut myself," She replied, clumsily trying to lift her foot to see the cut and nearly falling over, haphazardly grabbing Aaron's arm to keep herself from falling.

“Yeah, I think you stepped on some glass,” Aaron offered, holding Lilie to him by her waist so she could lean on him for support. Leaning over as best he could without toppling Lilie, he was grateful for his night vision as he did his best to examine the damage. From what he could tell, she was at least bleeding, a few more drops of blood falling onto the sand.

“Here, you’ll want to clean that,” he suggested, looking around for a second and realizing that the only real option was the ocean. He had heard somewhere before that salt water could wash wounds, though, so he supposed that was as good an option as any. He looked to Lilie for confirmation. “Ocean?”

Lilie nodded, leaning on Aaron for support as she half hobbled, half tried to hop a little deeper in. Fortunately he didn't let her fall, and despite the stinging when she lowered her foot into the water, she figured it was better than nothing. Seeing her shoes floating on the water, without thinking she went to try to snatch them. Aaron beat her to it, managing to keep her steady and prevent her from falling headfirst in.

"I should...probably head back to the dorm and wrap it up," She said, dejected. As much as she didn't want their time to end, it was hard to continue the walk.

“Yeah, probably a good idea.” Aaron was similarly crestfallen, but he didn’t let it show, offering Lilie a comforting smile as he helped her hop back onto dry land. “Oh, this might help until we get there,” he added, getting an idea. Fishing his handkerchief out of his pocket, he shook it out of its meticulously neat fold and bent to tie it around Lilie’s injured foot. “This way at least sand won’t get into it,” he explained as he finished.

Letting out some sort of odd mix of a whine and maybe an 'aww', the girl greatly appreciated it. It was awfully kind of him, even if in the back of her head she felt like she was inconveniencing him, but she wasn't going to turn his help away. The dorms were a little too far to hobble back on her own, and if she was being honest, she didn't want to leave him just yet. Or something. Despite not saying a word about her thoughts, Lilie was oddly embarrassed, tucking some of her hair behind her ear as she clung to his arm and the pair carefully traversed the sand.

They made it to the foot of the cliff path when Aaron paused to straighten up and stretch his back, a little sore already after only about a dozen yards of walking stooped over to help Lilie balance. The difference in size between them was becoming painfully clear, and their progress was slow. Climbing the cliff path and getting all the way back to the dorms this way would take forever.

Getting an idea, Aaron placed Lilie’s hand on the path railing so she could balance and turned away from her, crouching down so she could get onto his back. “Hop on, we’ll get up faster this way.”

It took a little longer than it really should have for Lilie to realize what Aaron suggested. For some reason, she found the idea greatly amusing. She hadn't really done that in a really long time, though she found no reason to decline as she cautiously leaned onto him, probably a little clumsier than usual. She wondered if she should hold onto his shoulders or carefully wrap her arms around his neck, but the decision was made to the latter as Aaron standing was apparently unexpected. Because she was overthinking. Then again, she was easily distracted by how much higher she was, erupting into a burst of giggles.

"So this is what the world looks like for tall people!" She found her joke hilarious, happily leaning on Aaron's shoulder with a happy hum as he started to walk. She really liked this. Aaron smelled like the forest, his soft hair tickling her cheek as she sighed. "Getting carried by a handsome guy...I bet anyone would get jealous." She said.

Chuckling softly, Aaron tried his best not to let the comment go to his head; of course, he wasn’t above tucking it away for later either. Lilie was even lighter than he expected her to be, and carrying her was way easier than hobbling alongside her. Plus, he certainly didn’t mind the feeling of her head on his shoulder, or the few locks of hair tumbling down over his chest. He didn’t even mind the lingering smell of alcohol on her breath, mixed as it was with the alluring scent of her lavender perfume.

“Even if cutting your foot is the price of admission?” he joked at her comment, adjusting her weight a bit as they crested the top of the cliff path and made it back to even ground.

Taking a second to think about it, Lilie ended up nodding as she held on just a touch tighter. "Hmm...I think it's worth it," She replied cheerfully, lightly nuzzling Aaron's shoulder. "Dancing, drinks, a walk on the beach...getting carried home? Yeah, it's definitely worth it." Her tipsy talk made her voice a little sweeter, but she was genuine.

A bit of heat flushed Aaron’s ears at the comment, and he was glad Lilie was behind him and couldn’t get a view of his bashful smile. He tried not to get carried away with it, reminding himself that Lilie still had some alcohol in her, but that didn’t stop the warm feeling spreading through his chest. “Well, I’m glad you had a good time,” he replied, a bit quieter. He couldn’t wipe the grin off his face if he tried, and instead focused on putting one foot in front of the other in the direction of the dorms.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Black Iris Society

High atop one of the many luxury condo complexes in Manhattan was a lone penthouse, taking up the entire top floor of the skyscraper and costing about as much as one would expect. A picture of clean, sharp modernity, the condo was decorated lavishly, with hardly a thing around that didn’t scream ‘opulence’. As the sun finally dipped below the horizon, a number of timed blinds slid open to reveal the glittering cityscape of Manhattan below. From this height, one could hardly see the filth that infested the place.

In the master bedroom the owner, a tall, lithe man with an ivory complexion and snow-white hair, fastened a silver cufflink to the sleeve of an extravagant jacket. His whole suit was white, decorated with shimmering silver embroidery and glinting with silver accents, including a sharp-looking pair of steel collar points framing a grey satin tie. As he finished choosing his rings for the evening - a few on each hand, in silver, white and black to match his outfit - he picked up the mask on his dresser, examining it one last time. It was a minimalist wolf mask, white with a texture that glistened like freshly fallen snow, accented here and there with silver and onyx. He’d spent a long time figuring out what to wear to this occasion (a man’s reputation took no rest after all, even in his position) and the wolf motif seemed fitting. He grinned at the mask, blue eyes still cold as ever and teeth just a little too sharp, before he placed it back down again, leaning to call out the bedroom door.

“Natasha, come here,” he commanded, barely having to raise his voice for it to carry through the condo. “And bring my shoes.”

The scurrying of footsteps ceased before reaching his door, slowing into something more acceptable as she walked in. The chiffon of her dress followed lazily, coming to a halt as she did. Holding his shoes in one hand, the other tried to push in a comb that kept her hair out of her face. After a few unsuccessful attempts, she thought it was finally in and presented the shoes requested, polished to perfection. She tried not to look too excited, though her expression fell as she felt the comb slipping once again.

“Here they are, Mi--ah,” She cut herself off as her hand flew to her head, holding back a groan of frustration.

Mikhail only looked up when he heard Natasha enter, though she didn’t get far before fumbling. He quirked an eyebrow and resisted the urge to roll his eyes, instead shaking his head and painting on a benevolent smile as he crossed over to her.

Natasha was much shorter than him, so he could easily see the problem; her hair ornament was sloppily secured. He sighed. He didn’t know Natasha for her expertise in anything, but he thought she might have figured this out at least.

“Here,” he murmured, gently prying the comb from her grip and freeing it from her hair. She’d done it so demurely, too; he didn’t exactly mind, but she could have stood to dress it up a little more for an event like tonight’s, even if he didn’t want her outshining anyone. After gently flicking a few locks of hair into more appealing arrangements, he secured the comb properly, and stepped back to lift Natasha’s chin, guiding her face this way and that to admire his handiwork.

“Much better,” he reassured the girl, voice dripping with sweetness and offering her that same caring smile he’d practiced so carefully for so long. He gave her a light tap on the chin before he dropped his hand. “Do forgive me, I should have expected you’d need a little help.”

Natasha was still as a statue, pointedly looking away as she tried not to react. Admittedly, it was a little embarrassing; she was in the middle of working on her hair when he had called. The proper thing to do was to finish what she was doing and then answer his call, but she didn't realize she had taken off until it was too late. At least she was virtually dressed, her cocktail dress elegant and refined, almost making her worthy of attending the masquerade by Prince Mikhail's side. She couldn't quite control the way she felt her chest flutter as his fingers worked through her hair, appreciative of his help. Trying not to stare too much as he turned her face this way and that, she couldn't quite hide her shame as he blamed himself for her ineptitude.

"Thank you," She said, once again offering his shoes. "I have your shoes shined and ready."

Mikhail nodded in response, examining that hint of shame on Natasha’s face with the slightest satisfaction before turning his attention down to his shoes. That, at least, was something she'd gotten the hang of, and this time she did not disappoint.

“Very nice,” he complimented her, stepping back to his bed and taking a seat. Natasha knew what to do, and he looked her over as she worked, nothing every detail of her outfit with a critical eye.

“The dress suits you,” he remarked, following the drape of the chiffon and back up to her hair again. He'd chosen the dress, a cocktail style with bell sleeves and an outer chiffon skirt all in black, to strike a balance between acceptable for the occasion and still not too flashy, and combined with Natasha's pleasing looks and body type, he'd say he achieved his goal. Acceptable, but plain. It seemed fitting for the wearer. “Do you like it?”

Holding back a grin, Natasha knelt down as she carefully slipped on each shoe. His compliment was wasted on her, she thought. He had gone out of his way to pick something for her after informing her she would be accompanying him to the masquerade, and she had a few sleepless nights out of a combination of nerves and anticipation. It was the first time they would be attending something together--not that they were together, of course--and it was something she found herself actually looking forward to. That said, being a nobody suddenly turning up somewhere with the prince was bound to get a few people talking, and it would be hard to ignore looks and questions and the like. Or maybe she'd get away with everyone ignoring her existence. Admittedly that was preferable, and that way she would probably have a nice time.

“I do, it’s lovely,” She replied, a light tug on the hem of his pants signaling she was finished as she stood straight.

As Natasha stood, Mikhail spared only a glance at his shoes to ensure they were done properly before looking up and motioning for the girl to spin, looking critically over her outfit one last time. “I’m glad,” he commented absently, taking a mental inventory of everything she’d put together. Pantyhose looked fine, shoes were acceptable… he took her hand in his, examining her fingers and nails and finding them passable; the manicurist he’d hired did a fair job, though he wasn’t sure he’d ever let her touch his hands. Looking up to her face he motioned for Natasha to come closer, reaching up to steady her chin as he looked over her makeup.

“You’re looking nicely put together, save for that eyeliner,” he noted, not specifying anything particularly wrong with it before he continued more brightly, “But that won’t matter much tonight, with the mask and all. Speaking of.”

Mikhail stood and moved to his dresser, where next to his own mask was a nicely decorated box bearing the logo of a designer popular among the upper class. Flipping open the top, he reached inside and lifted out a fine mask, done in black enamel with a hint of gold in the vague likeness of a sheep, similarly minimalist to his. It was simple overall, just a half-face covering thing with a flat nose and eyes accented in gold, but the focal point were the two horns set into the mask, curling back over the head and down to the cheekbones. Allowing Natasha a moment to admire it, he beckoned her to turn around, positioning her so she was facing the mirror and him standing behind her.

“I had this specially made,” he told her, placing the mask gently on her face and taking a moment to tie the black ribbon attached behind her head to secure it.

There wasn’t a chance to ask about his comment despite the feeling of her stomach dropping. Natasha hated to disappoint, even more so when she didn’t get a chance to explain herself. Then again, if she didn’t make the mistake in the first place, he probably wouldn’t have commented on it.

Fortunately, the ornate mask was a welcome distraction, her excitement coming back in full. She reminded herself not to look down, watching Mikhail work behind her in the mirror’s reflection. It was hard not to stare, her eyes following his movements. The way he concentrated and ensured his work was perfect was admirable, even if it was something as simple as tying a mask.

“It’s beautiful,” She commented, biting back a giddy giggle. “You have very good taste.”

Mikhail grinned. “I’m glad you agree. I chose you didn’t I?”

He took Natasha by she shoulders and turned her to face him, pressing on the small of her back as he did to get her to stand a little straighter. “And now that you’re finally presentable, just one more thing before we leave.” He gave her a firm questioning look, not unlike a professor cold-calling a nervous student. “Do you remember what I told you?”

Natasha straightened up, a little excited that for once she could say she did. “Stay with you unless told otherwise, don’t speak unless spoken to,” She listed each one off with a finger as she spoke. “And be polite and respectful no matter what.” Even if he was to the contrary, which she never understood, but who was she to question him?

Mikhail nodded, smiling wide. “Exactly,” be praised her, knowing how profound an effect it had on her and secretly relishing the fact. But he moved on quickly, growing a little more serious again. “But there’s one more thing.”

He took her hands in his, a comforting gesture. “There’s something you must be aware of. Although my father invited the whole Society tonight, we’ll still be mingling with a lot of the elite. And your kind—half-bloods—aren’t held in very high esteem.” He shook his head solemnly, as if he held any different opinion than the rest. “They’ll think you’re worthless, filthy, the lowest of the low, unfit even to breathe the same air as them.”

He allowed a second for that to sink in before lifting Natasha’s face with a finger, having her meet his eye. “I just don’t want you to be blindsided if someone treats you poorly, and it pains me that this even needs to be said. After all, it’s me who made you this way, addled as I was by whatever was in your blood when I found you. But you’re lucky.” He smiled. “You handled your transformation beautifully. Many half-bloods can’t say the same. You could almost pass for a regular turned as long as you keep those unsightly long fangs hidden.”

How she lived for his praise! Short lived as it was, it was put to the side as he informed her of a fact she had once heard him mention. The vampire hierarchy was more complicated than she had anticipated--then again, vampires existing in the first place was something that had shocked her, so where she ended up on the totem pole had been the least of her worries at that time. But now, it actually was a concern; the last thing she wanted was to embarrass her prince after everything he had done for her.

It was hard not to feel her heart sinking as he informed her gently the reality of the situation. At least he warned her ahead of time. And well, she figured she could handle it. The feeling of her hands in his comforted her greatly, filling her with determination. “I won’t let you down,” She said, lightly squeezing his hands in return.

It never ceased to interest him how so little could motivate this girl so much, but Mikhail certainly wouldn’t complain. She was endlessly entertaining, the perfect little pet, living for every ounce of attention he gave her and hanging on his every word. Certainly a pick-me-up at the very least, and Mikhail bottled the laughter that threatened to escape him and turned it into a smile, dropping Natasha’s hands and clapping once. “Wonderful!” he exclaimed, plucking his own mask from the dresser and securing it to his head as he swept out the door, Natasha on his heels. “Tonight we have fun!”

ＦＩＮＡＬ ＦＡＮＴＡＳＹ Ｘ｜Ｖ： Ｔｈｅ Ｂｌｅｓｓｅｄ Ｔｗｅｌｖｅ

@Hero

“How is that your problem?!” J’torha repeated indignantly. How thick was this auctioneer? “I just made it your problem, if you didn’t notice. But I can make it go away if you do as I tell you.”

He crossed his arms, tail swishing in aggravated disbelief. Did this man not understand the concept of extortion? He worked in Thanalan for crying out loud, it was practically a cultural tradition. “Listen, I don’t give a marmot’s tits about Otkar or what you do with whatever else comes across your podium, all I want is whatever’s related to that property, no more. After that it’ll be as if we never met, I’ll announce I was mistaken, clear your name, the Brass Blades will be none the wiser, and you’ll be back to peddling stolen goods before you know it.” J’torha was just as adamant as Tilman, giving no ground and hoping he didn’t need to push much harder.

Obscene's Scratchpad

Earlier

High atop one of the many luxury condo complexes in Manhattan was a lone penthouse, taking up the entire top floor of the skyscraper and costing about as much as one would expect. A picture of clean, sharp modernity, the condo was decorated lavishly, with hardly a thing around that didn’t scream ‘opulence’. As the sun finally dipped below the horizon, a number of timed blinds slid open to reveal the glittering cityscape of Manhattan below. From this height, one could hardly see the filth that infested the place.

In the master bedroom the owner, a tall, lithe man with an ivory complexion and snow-white hair, fastened a silver cufflink to the sleeve of an extravagant jacket. His whole suit was white, decorated with shimmering silver embroidery and glinting with silver accents, including a sharp-looking pair of steel collar points framing a grey satin tie. As he finished choosing his rings for the evening - a few on each hand, in silver, white and black to match his outfit - he picked up the mask on his dresser, examining it one last time. It was a minimalist wolf mask, white with a texture that glistened like freshly fallen snow, accented here and there with silver and onyx. He’d spent a long time figuring out what to wear to this occasion (a man’s reputation took no rest after all, even in his position) and the wolf motif seemed fitting. He grinned at the mask, blue eyes still cold as ever and teeth just a little too sharp, before he placed it back down again, leaning to call out the bedroom door.

“Natasha, come here,” he commanded, barely having to raise his voice for it to carry through the condo. “And bring my shoes.”

The scurrying of footsteps ceased before reaching his door, slowing into something more acceptable as she walked in. The chiffon of her dress followed lazily, coming to a halt as she did. Holding his shoes in one hand, the other tried to push in a comb that kept her hair out of her face. After a few unsuccessful attempts, she thought it was finally in and presented the shoes requested, polished to perfection. She tried not to look too excited, though her expression fell as she felt the comb slipping once again.

“Here they are, Mi--ah,” She cut herself off as her hand flew to her head, holding back a groan of frustration.

Mikhail only looked up when he heard Natasha enter, though she didn’t get far before fumbling. He quirked an eyebrow and resisted the urge to roll his eyes, instead shaking his head and painting on a benevolent smile as he crossed over to her.

Natasha was much shorter than him, so he could easily see the problem; her hair ornament was sloppily secured. He sighed. He didn’t know Natasha for her expertise in anything, but he thought she might have figured this out at least.

“Here,” he murmured, gently prying the comb from her grip and freeing it from her hair. She’d done it so demurely, too; he didn’t exactly mind, but she could have stood to dress it up a little more for an event like tonight’s, even if he didn’t want her outshining anyone. After gently flicking a few locks of hair into more appealing arrangements, he secured the comb properly, and stepped back to lift Natasha’s chin, guiding her face this way and that to admire his handiwork.

“Much better,” he reassured the girl, voice dripping with sweetness and offering her that same caring smile he’d practiced so carefully for so long. He gave her a light tap on the chin before he dropped his hand. “Do forgive me, I should have expected you’d need a little help.”

Natasha was still as a statue, pointedly looking away as she tried not to react. Admittedly, it was a little embarrassing; she was in the middle of working on her hair when he had called. The proper thing to do was to finish what she was doing and then answer his call, but she didn't realize she had taken off until it was too late. At least she was virtually dressed, her cocktail dress elegant and refined, almost making her worthy of attending the masquerade by Prince Mikhail's side. She couldn't quite control the way she felt her chest flutter as his fingers worked through her hair, appreciative of his help. Trying not to stare too much as he turned her face this way and that, she couldn't quite hide her shame as he blamed himself for her ineptitude.

"Thank you," She said, once again offering his shoes. "I have your shoes shined and ready."

Mikhail nodded in response, examining that hint of shame on Natasha’s face with the slightest satisfaction before turning his attention down to his shoes. That, at least, was something she'd gotten the hang of, and this time she did not disappoint.

“Very nice,” he complimented her, stepping back to his bed and taking a seat. Natasha knew what to do, and he looked her over as she worked, nothing every detail of her outfit with a critical eye.

“The dress suits you,” he remarked, following the drape of the chiffon and back up to her hair again. He'd chosen the dress, a cocktail style with bell sleeves and an outer chiffon skirt all in black, to strike a balance between acceptable for the occasion and still not too flashy, and combined with Natasha's pleasing looks and body type, he'd say he achieved his goal. Acceptable, but plain. It seemed fitting for the wearer. “Do you like it?”

Holding back a grin, Natasha knelt down as she carefully slipped on each shoe. His compliment was wasted on her, she thought. He had gone out of his way to pick something for her after informing her she would be accompanying him to the masquerade, and she had a few sleepless nights out of a combination of nerves and anticipation. It was the first time they would be attending something together--not that they were together, of course--and it was something she found herself actually looking forward to. That said, being a nobody suddenly turning up somewhere with the prince was bound to get a few people talking, and it would be hard to ignore looks and questions and the like. Or maybe she'd get away with everyone ignoring her existence. Admittedly that was preferable, and that way she would probably have a nice time.

“I do, it’s lovely,” She replied, a light tug on the hem of his pants signaling she was finished as she stood straight.

As Natasha stood, Mikhail spared only a glance at his shoes to ensure they were done properly before looking up and motioning for the girl to spin, looking critically over her outfit one last time. “I’m glad,” he commented absently, taking a mental inventory of everything she’d put together. Pantyhose looked fine, shoes were acceptable… he took her hand in his, examining her fingers and nails and finding them passable; the manicurist he’d hired did a fair job, though he wasn’t sure he’d ever let her touch his hands. Looking up to her face he motioned for Natasha to come closer, reaching up to steady her chin as he looked over her makeup.

“You’re looking nicely put together, save for that eyeliner,” he noted, not specifying anything particularly wrong with it before he continued more brightly, “But that won’t matter much tonight, with the mask and all. Speaking of.”

Mikhail stood and moved to his dresser, where next to his own mask was a nicely decorated box bearing the logo of a designer popular among the upper class. Flipping open the top, he reached inside and lifted out a fine mask, done in black enamel with a hint of gold in the vague likeness of a sheep, similarly minimalist to his. It was simple overall, just a half-face covering thing with a flat nose and eyes accented in gold, but the focal point were the two horns set into the mask, curling back over the head and down to the cheekbones. Allowing Natasha a moment to admire it, he beckoned her to turn around, positioning her so she was facing the mirror and him standing behind her.

“I had this specially made,” he told her, placing the mask gently on her face and taking a moment to tie the black ribbon attached behind her head to secure it.

There wasn’t a chance to ask about his comment despite the feeling of her stomach dropping. Natasha hated to disappoint, even more so when she didn’t get a chance to explain herself. Then again, if she didn’t make the mistake in the first place, he probably wouldn’t have commented on it.

Fortunately, the ornate mask was a welcome distraction, her excitement coming back in full. She reminded herself not to look down, watching Mikhail work behind her in the mirror’s reflection. It was hard not to stare, her eyes following his movements. The way he concentrated and ensured his work was perfect was admirable, even if it was something as simple as tying a mask.

“It’s beautiful,” She commented, biting back a giddy giggle. “You have very good taste.”

Mikhail grinned. “I’m glad you agree. I chose you didn’t I?”

He took Natasha by she shoulders and turned her to face him, pressing on the small of her back as he did to get her to stand a little straighter. “And now that you’re finally presentable, just one more thing before we leave.” He gave her a firm questioning look, not unlike a professor cold-calling a nervous student. “Do you remember what I told you?”

Natasha straightened up, a little excited that for once she could say she did. “Stay with you unless told otherwise, don’t speak unless spoken to,” She listed each one off with a finger as she spoke. “And be polite and respectful no matter what.” Even if he was to the contrary, which she never understood, but who was she to question him?

Mikhail nodded, smiling wide. “Exactly,” be praised her, knowing how profound an effect it had on her and secretly relishing the fact. But he moved on quickly, growing a little more serious again. “But there’s one more thing.”

He took her hands in his, a comforting gesture. “There’s something you must be aware of. Although my father invited the whole Society tonight, we’ll still be mingling with a lot of the elite. And your kind—half-bloods—aren’t held in very high esteem.” He shook his head solemnly, as if he held any different opinion than the rest. “They’ll think you’re worthless, filthy, the lowest of the low, unfit even to breathe the same air as them.”

He allowed a second for that to sink in before lifting Natasha’s face with a finger, having her meet his eye. “I just don’t want you to be blindsided if someone treats you poorly, and it pains me that this even needs to be said. After all, it’s me who made you this way, addled as I was by whatever was in your blood when I found you. But you’re lucky.” He smiled. “You handled your transformation beautifully. Many half-bloods can’t say the same. You could almost pass for a regular turned as long as you keep those unsightly long fangs hidden.”

How she lived for his praise! Short lived as it was, it was put to the side as he informed her of a fact she had once heard him mention. The vampire hierarchy was more complicated than she had anticipated--then again, vampires existing in the first place was something that had shocked her, so where she ended up on the totem pole had been the least of her worries at that time. But now, it actually was a concern; the last thing she wanted was to embarrass her prince after everything he had done for her.

It was hard not to feel her heart sinking as he informed her gently the reality of the situation. At least he warned her ahead of time. And well, she figured she could handle it. The feeling of her hands in his comforted her greatly, filling her with determination. “I won’t let you down,” She said, lightly squeezing his hands in return.

It never ceased to interest him how so little could motivate this girl so much, but Mikhail certainly wouldn’t complain. She was endlessly entertaining, the perfect little pet, living for every ounce of attention he gave her and hanging on his every word. Certainly a pick-me-up at the very least, and Mikhail bottled the laughter that threatened to escape him and turned it into a smile, dropping Natasha’s hands and clapping once. “Wonderful!” he exclaimed, plucking his own mask from the dresser and securing it to his head as he swept out the door, Natasha on his heels. “Tonight we have fun!”

Of Blood and Magic

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

As they drew nearer, the figures around the fire were more easily deciphered, and the chorus of voices began to overpower the murmur of the waves on the sand. Louder still, though, was music; a figure seated with his back to the cliff wall strummed a guitar and sang, the words becoming audible in a smooth, low voice as Aaron and Lilie approached.

“...I need you,
Like a needle needs a vein,
Like my uncle Joe in Oklahoma needs a rain;
And I need you,
Like a lighthouse on the coast…”

Aaron kept a hold of Lilie’s hand as they neared the edge of the fire, placing a finger over his lips so as not to interrupt the musician. A few of the other people at the fire, vampires and mages alike it seemed, looked up on their approach, but they responded only with a few smiles before turning their attention back to the guitar. One girl waved the pair over, patting an empty stretch of one of the logs situated around the blaze. As they quietly took their seats, a girl sitting next to the guitar player smiled deviously at him, the two sharing a light-hearted kiss through a bridge in the song before the girl continued with the next verse in a voice much more powerful than Aaron expected.

“I wanna get lost in some corner booth, Cantina Mexico,
I wanna dance to the static of an AM radio,
I wanna wrap the moon around us, lay beside you skin on skin;
Make love ‘til the sun comes up, ‘til the sun goes down again,
Cause I need you…”

Lilie took her seat as quietly as she could, setting down her heels and purse on the sand. Everyone was so relaxed, happily listening to the song playing. She was completely at ease, swaying a little with the music before taking a quick look around. There were more people than she thought, though she did notice the more distant people were probably vampires steering clear of the flames. One guy briefly tapped the bottle he was holding before taking a swig, and Lilie looked back at the couple as the girl sang. It was such a cute display that she openly admired.

Listening dreamily, even Aaron could relax at the fireside, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and watching the guitarist’s fingers skate expertly over the strings. The acoustic sound was warm and inviting, much like the fire, but as he let himself relax Aaron found himself paying more and more attention to Lilie rather than the singers. He watched her sway with the music without a care in the world, saw how the firelight bloomed over her skin with a warm richness moonlight couldn’t give, saw the flames reflected in wide eyes that shone like jewels as they took in the performance. It was a good thing she was wrapped up in admiring the music, or she might have noticed him admiring her.

After a few minutes the song came to a close, Aaron joining the rest of the people around the fire in gentle applause before talking picked back up again.

“Hi!” the girl who had offered Aaron and Lilie a seat piped up next to them, offering a wide, cheerful smile and a hand. “I’m Meghan, sorry I didn’t say hi before but, well, you know!” she laughed and gestured to the singers, who had become embroiled in a lively debate over which song to play next. “Happy Revel!”

Aaron smiled back, taking Meghan’s hand and shaking it. “Happy Revel to you too!” he replied, attempting to mirror the girl’s enthusiasm, “I’m Aaron. Thanks for letting us join in, we’d hate to impose.”

Meghan scoffed. “Impose? Please, those two are begging for an audience, and we’re glad to have you. The more the merrier!”

She did peer at the pair’s outfits, though. “Oh man, you two must have come from the ball, right?” she exclaimed, pointing up at the cliff where the lights from the ballroom could be seen. “Oh, you look so nice! How is it up there?”

Lilie wasn't sure how to respond to that question at first, briefly looking at Aaron with a small frown on her face. "Well, it's nice to watch everyone dance and there's a great view of the sea," she said. "But it's kinda stuffy. Everyone else looked like they were having a good time, at least!"

She nudged the blonde, giving Meghan a cheeky look. "This one here is one heck of a dancer, though! I felt like I was Madame Angelique from that drama Storm of Love when she's dancing with Sir Frederick!"

Aaron beamed down at Lilie with the nudge, but shrugged to Meghan. “She certainly makes for a captivating dance partner,” he added, butterflies jumping in his stomach with the more direct compliment.

Lilie smiled bashfully, tucking a hair behind her ear. Goodness, Aaron was just showering her with compliments tonight! Without her mask, she was sure he could see her blushing, biting down lightly on her lower lip as she tried to control her smile. What could she even say to that? She fanned herself for a moment, trying to think of something and finding it hard to make eye contact.

"I was only able to keep up because of you," her voice came out a little softer than intended, and she cleared her throat as she caught herself. "It was nice. Really nice! And fun! I'm going to need some lessons so next time I can keep up better!"

As the three of them talked, Aaron noticed a young man across the fire staring at him, studying his face suspiciously. When he looked over properly, the young man sat up, but didn’t move his eyes away.

“You look… familiar,” he explained slowly, gesturing lazily at Aaron with a near-empty bottle of liquor. “What was your name again?”

Aaron inwardly groaned. Of course, without his mask he was open to the ostracization he’d grown accustomed to after that apology disaster. He should have known better, but he still wanted to see if he could stretch this one evening of anonymity a little longer before he had to face the looks and whispers again.

“Aaron Martoch,” he replied smoothly, quirking a brow and hoping one change would be enough to throw the guy off the scent, “why, have we met?”

The man with the bottle peered a moment longer, seemingly debating something, until he slowly began to nod. “No, you just look like someone I guess,” he conceded in a tired voice, before giving his bottle a shake and downing what was left in it.

“Stop harassing the new dude, Sean,” a guy to his left chided him, grinning good-naturedly at Aaron and Lilie. “He’s like this whenever he drinks, thinks he knows everyone,” he explained to the pair, chuckling. “I’m Manpreet, call me Manny, nice to meet ya.”

Barely waiting for a response, Manny started digging in what must have been a cooler behind the log he was sitting on, and after a moment pulled out a pair of coolers by the neck and held them out to the pair. “You guys want a drink?”

Lilie barely contained her surprise at Aaron's introduction, pretending she was more interested in the fire as she tried not to react to much. Fortunately, she was quickly distracted by Manny's offer, her surprise turning to that instead as she shook her head. "I'm Lilie, but um, no thank you," She politely declined. "We didn't really bring anything to share."

Manny waved the idea away, scoffing. “Oh man, don’t worry about that,” he insisted, “We kinda... bought way too much and we need to get rid of it before morning, I’d rather give it away than dump it.”

Maybe getting rid of it should have caught her attention first, but hearing that it would go go waste did make her feel bad. She had previously encountered alcohol in parties before, but she'd be lying if she said she was a hard party drinking kind of person. A little uncertain, she looked at Aaron for confirmation, met with a smile and a shrug. Well, if he wasn't declining, then it was okay, right? Everyone seemed relaxed and having a nice time, no one was too rowdy, either, so she felt comfortable enough accepting with a nod. Reaching out and taking a bottle for herself, she pressed the top down until she was able to twist it off. Deciding to take a cautious sip, her eyebrow twitched slightly at the taste, not really used to it.

Aaron took the second bottle, more hesitant than his outward confidence might have betrayed. As a matter of health he avoided alcohol outside of royal functions - granted, there wasn’t much alcohol to avoid at Noila Castle in the first place - but Manny’s mention of waste made him feel like it would be impolite to decline. Besides, it was Revel! Of all nights to cut a little loose and try something new, tonight it was practically mandatory. He followed Lilie’s lead, twisting off the cap and taking a drink, only to be blindsided by a sickly-sweet-but-somehow-tart concoction bubbling over his tongue like worse champagne. It was unlike anything he’d ever tasted; he could practically feel the sugar in his teeth and he couldn’t help but imagine his insides being dyed the same dark purple as the cooler, and if not for the label he wouldn’t have guessed it had any alcohol in it at all. He’d put it squarely in the category of “far too much for him”, but nonetheless when he lowered his bottle he found himself raising it again for another drink, and another, until it was suddenly half empty.

Conversation around the fire got a little louder as one of the vampires a bit farther from the blaze recounted a story, prompting raucous laughter and one indignant shout, and Aaron used the din to nudge Lilie with his shoulder, tapping his bottle against hers. “So, is this how these bonfires usually go?” he asked, chuckling a little at his own ignorance, “Sitting around talking and singing and drinking…” he peered at his bottle’s label, “...‘hard black cherry fizz’?”

Suppressing a giggle, Lilie nodded, her free hand rubbing her arm. "It's nice, isn't it?" She asked, encouraged by his own swig to take a braver sip of her own. The coldness sent a chill down her spine, and she scooted a little closer to the fire. "I think the best ones are the spontaneous kind, where you just get a bunch of friends together and light something up. I don't usually drink, but there's nothing wrong with a little drink to pass the time." She joked.

Aaron nodded, grinning, opting to follow Lilie’s advice. She was the expert of the two of them, after all. Leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, he clinked his bottle to hers, raising it up. “To passing the time, then,” he toasted, finishing off the last few mouthfuls of his cooler.

When he came back down to jam his bottle in the sand by his seat (a method employed by most of the others at the fire for their empties), he noticed Lilie huddling close to the fire, and his brow furrowed. “Are you cold?” he asked, though he didn’t wait for an answer before taking off his jacket. “Here, let me help.”

Before she could properly protest, anything she could have said died as he draped his jacket over her shoulders. The warmth was a little too good to pass up, even if she felt bad. "Are you sure?" Lilie decided to ask, trying not to get too used to it in case he changed his mind.

“Yes I’m sure,” Aaron chuckled in response, unbuttoning his sleeve cuffs so he could roll his sleeves up to his elbows. Although the heat wave had passed, it was still pretty warm for a September night, and he was nowhere near cold at his size. Lilie, though… “Not to offend, but... you’re tiny.”

He couldn’t help but laugh again; he didn’t think the alcohol was affecting him with any significance, but maybe it combined with the relaxed atmosphere of the fire was loosening his lips a bit. “It’s the least I can do,” he added more sincerely.

Lilie pouted at the initial response, displeased at...actually, it wasn't like he said something that wasn't true, but still! She straightened up slightly, pushing aside any previous hesitance as she drank. His next words were a little weird, but she didn't pay too much mind to it. After all, she was the one constantly in his debt. But he seemed to be having a good time, and it was nice to see the other side of the perfect gentleman persona.

Downing the rest of her drink, she cleared her throat as she buried the bottle into the sand. "Alright, but no asking for it back if you get cold," she replied, pulling the jacket closer as she decided she wanted another bottle. "Could you pass another pair this way? We have some catching up to do!"

Bottles were passed around as requested (Manny looking decidedly relieved as his cooler full of contraband began to empty) and conversation flowed, the group around the bonfire relaxed and enjoying each others’ company. Several of them, the pair found out, didn't even know each other; Manny, Sean, Meghan and the pair of singers had lit the fire and the rest had either been friends-of-friends invited through lengthy message chains or had simply seen the glow on the beach as Aaron and Lilie had. Aaron had never seen such a sincere gathering of strangers before; where he came from, you either grew up with everyone or put on a courtly facade to make a good impression on visiting guests. But here there was no facade, the class difference between the mages and vampires blurred as laughter flowed and stories were exchanged. It was unlike anything Aaron had ever taken part in, and two more coolers in, he decided that he liked it.

“Alright that's enough out of you,” the man with the guitar finally decided, promoting a laugh from the vampire that had been telling his third embarrassing story in a row. He took up his guitar and looked around the group insistently, asking, “Any requests?”

“Yes!” Aaron replied immediately, only realizing he'd spoken after the word came out, but continuing on anyway. “Do you know Home For A Rest?”

“Where have you been all my life?” The man with the guitar replied enthusiastically, grinning wide and tapping his guitar. “Finally, someone else who knows good music!”

Aaron had to chuckle, knowing the song as he did, and he felt a distinctive burn in his ears, though whether it was from the alcohol or speaking up, he didn't know.

The guitar player’s expression grew focused as he looked down at his strings, and the group went quiet as he began to play. The tune was slow and thoughtful, plucked rather than strummed, and Aaron felt a nostalgic calm wash over him. He hadn't heard this song in years, but he still knew every word. After several measures of intro, the guitar player nodded to Aaron; it seemed, as the one who requested the song, it fell to him to sing it.

A familiar quiver of anticipation rose in Aaron, but the usual nervousness that accompanied singing didn't come; with the alcohol’s help no doubt, it felt more like playing his cello than his previous, less-than-impeccable attempts at singing.

Taking a breath as his cue came, Aaron began.

“You'll have to excuse me, I'm not at my best;
I've been gone for a month, I've been drunk since I left;
These so-called vacations will soon be my death,
I'm so sick from the drink I need home for a rest…”

Lilie sat up straight as Aaron began to sing; despite having suggested it, for some reason she wasn't expecting to hear it. He sang slow at first, voice solemn as his voice carried the notes well. As he came to a pause, she noticed a few others looking at one another, a few smirks exchanged and even a little excitement passing, but before she could question it, the song exploded, the tempo picking up considerably and rising in volume as others joined Aaron in singing the song. She jumped a little, pleasantly surprised by the sudden change. She found herself joining some people in clapping the beat, the joyous mood infectious even if she didn't know the song. The lyrics themselves fit the current mood, the crowd singing about the drunken adventures of a few men causing trouble. It was hard not to get swept up in the song, only pausing once in a while to keep drinking.

Aaron’s face split into a wide smile as the song went on, pleasantly surprised that so many others at the fire knew the old folk song he’d suggested. Clapping, singing and occasionally laughing, he felt almost at home. The masquerade was charming and fun, but this was the sort of Revel he was used to.

The song came to an end in a chorus of laughs as the verses ended and the guitar player decided he didn’t want to play the solid two minutes of bridge afterward, earning some teasing before someone suggested another song and he started back up again. Aaron didn’t know the song he played next, so he opted to sit it out, leaning back on one arm and finishing off his… third(?) cooler. Airy grin still crooked on his face, he looked over to Lilie, pleased to see she seemed to be enjoying herself. Despite the gold glow of the firelight, though, he didn’t miss the subtle blush on her cheeks and shoulders, eyes lingering perhaps just a little longer than was polite.

“This was a good idea,” he finally suggested, lifting his bottle again only to chuckle when he realized it was empty.

Lilie's agreement came in a feverish nod, the tiniest sway as she leaned back. She was disappointed to find that she had finished her drink so quickly, leaning back more and more until she could confirm that no, there was no last drop hiding from her in the bottle. Casually dropping the bottle on the ground, her fingers rapped against her knees as she considered asking for another one. The fire did well to hide the building pink on her face, though with the way she hummed to herself and often broke into a fit of giggles for no reason made it obvious that it was time to cut her off.

She was pleased that Aaron was having a good time, giving him a giant grin. "I'm glad!" She said a little louder than usual, catching herself at the end as she bit her lip to control her own laughter. With her free hand, she lazily waved at Manny. "One more, please!" Her voice was lighter than usual and sickenly sweet, wanting nothing more than just one more cooler. Just one, the heat was starting to get to her.

After some rummaging, Manny offered a sympathetic shrug, missing Lilie's pout as someone else caught his attention. She bent down to collect her things, standing from her seat. "Let's go down to the water," She told Aaron, fanning herself lightly. His jacket nearly slipped off her, though she surprised herself by catching it. Displeased, she slipped her arms through the sleeves, the size difference comical as she bid the party farewell and began the short walk to the water.

Aaron’s eyebrows shot up at Lilie’s demeanour, but the grin remained, the blond not knowing what to think of her state other than to be amused by it. Realistically, he should have known that her drinking the same amount as him would have affected her more strongly, but having never really been around much drinking beyond a glass or two in royal company, he supposed he hadn’t expected so… much. He couldn’t help but chuckle as she pouted, clumsily covering his grin as she promptly stood with a bit of a sway. He rose with her, momentarily afraid she’d fall over, but she turned out to be more steady than he anticipated, navigating the sand pretty well as she made her way away from the fire.

A little surprised at Lilie’s sudden conviction, Aaron shook his head, grinning as he bid thanks and farewell to the people at the fire before hurrying to join her. “Okay!”
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The song, if you want it

Obscene's Scratchpad

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

As they drew nearer, the figures around the fire were more easily deciphered, and the chorus of voices began to overpower the murmur of the waves on the sand. Louder still, though, was music; a figure seated with his back to the cliff wall strummed a guitar and sang, the words becoming audible in a smooth, low voice as Aaron and Lilie approached.

“...I need you,
Like a needle needs a vein,
Like my uncle Joe in Oklahoma needs a rain;
And I need you,
Like a lighthouse on the coast…”

Aaron kept a hold of Lilie’s hand as they neared the edge of the fire, placing a finger over his lips so as not to interrupt the musician. A few of the other people at the fire, vampires and mages alike it seemed, looked up on their approach, but they responded only with a few smiles before turning their attention back to the guitar. One girl waved the pair over, patting an empty stretch of one of the logs situated around the blaze. As they quietly took their seats, a girl sitting next to the guitar player smiled deviously at him, the two sharing a light-hearted kiss through a bridge in the song before the girl continued with the next verse in a voice much more powerful than Aaron expected.

“I wanna get lost in some corner booth, Cantina Mexico,
I wanna dance to the static of an AM radio,
I wanna wrap the moon around us, lay beside you skin on skin;
Make love ‘til the sun comes up, ‘til the sun goes down again,
Cause I need you…”

Lilie took her seat as quietly as she could, setting down her heels and purse on the sand. Everyone was so relaxed, happily listening to the song playing. She was completely at ease, swaying a little with the music before taking a quick look around. There were more people than she thought, though she did notice the more distant people were probably vampires steering clear of the flames. One guy briefly tapped the bottle he was holding before taking a swig, and Lilie looked back at the couple as the girl sang. It was such a cute display that she openly admired.

Listening dreamily, even Aaron could relax at the fireside, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and watching the guitarist’s fingers skate expertly over the strings. The acoustic sound was warm and inviting, much like the fire, but as he let himself relax Aaron found himself paying more and more attention to Lilie rather than the singers. He watched her sway with the music without a care in the world, saw how the firelight bloomed over her skin with a warm richness moonlight couldn’t give, saw the flames reflected in wide eyes that shone like jewels as they took in the performance. It was a good thing she was wrapped up in admiring the music, or she might have noticed him admiring her.

After a few minutes the song came to a close, Aaron joining the rest of the people around the fire in gentle applause before talking picked back up again.

“Hi!” the girl who had offered Aaron and Lilie a seat piped up next to them, offering a wide, cheerful smile and a hand. “I’m Meghan, sorry I didn’t say hi before but, well, you know!” she laughed and gestured to the singers, who had become embroiled in a lively debate over which song to play next. “Happy Revel!”

Aaron smiled back, taking Meghan’s hand and shaking it. “Happy Revel to you too!” he replied, attempting to mirror the girl’s enthusiasm, “I’m Aaron. Thanks for letting us join in, we’d hate to impose.”

Meghan scoffed. “Impose? Please, those two are begging for an audience, and we’re glad to have you. The more the merrier!”

She did peer at the pair’s outfits, though. “Oh man, you two must have come from the ball, right?” she exclaimed, pointing up at the cliff where the lights from the ballroom could be seen. “Oh, you look so nice! How is it up there?”

Lilie wasn't sure how to respond to that question at first, briefly looking at Aaron with a small frown on her face. "Well, it's nice to watch everyone dance and there's a great view of the sea," she said. "But it's kinda stuffy. Everyone else looked like they were having a good time, at least!"

She nudged the blonde, giving Meghan a cheeky look. "This one here is one heck of a dancer, though! I felt like I was Madame Angelique from that drama Storm of Love when she's dancing with Sir Frederick!"

Aaron beamed down at Lilie with the nudge, but shrugged to Meghan. “She certainly makes for a captivating dance partner,” he added, butterflies jumping in his stomach with the more direct compliment.

Lilie smiled bashfully, tucking a hair behind her ear. Goodness, Aaron was just showering her with compliments tonight! Without her mask, she was sure he could see her blushing, biting down lightly on her lower lip as she tried to control her smile. What could she even say to that? She fanned herself for a moment, trying to think of something and finding it hard to make eye contact.

"I was only able to keep up because of you," her voice came out a little softer than intended, and she cleared her throat as she caught herself. "It was nice. Really nice! And fun! I'm going to need some lessons so next time I can keep up better!"

As the three of them talked, Aaron noticed a young man across the fire staring at him, studying his face suspiciously. When he looked over properly, the young man sat up, but didn’t move his eyes away.

“You look… familiar,” he explained slowly, gesturing lazily at Aaron with a near-empty bottle of liquor. “What was your name again?”

Aaron inwardly groaned. Of course, without his mask he was open to the ostracization he’d grown accustomed to after that apology disaster. He should have known better, but he still wanted to see if he could stretch this one evening of anonymity a little longer before he had to face the looks and whispers again.

“Aaron Martoch,” he replied smoothly, quirking a brow and hoping one change would be enough to throw the guy off the scent, “why, have we met?”

The man with the bottle peered a moment longer, seemingly debating something, until he slowly began to nod. “No, you just look like someone I guess,” he conceded in a tired voice, before giving his bottle a shake and downing what was left in it.

“Stop harassing the new dude, Sean,” a guy to his left chided him, grinning good-naturedly at Aaron and Lilie. “He’s like this whenever he drinks, thinks he knows everyone,” he explained to the pair, chuckling. “I’m Manpreet, call me Manny, nice to meet ya.”

Barely waiting for a response, Manny started digging in what must have been a cooler behind the log he was sitting on, and after a moment pulled out a pair of coolers by the neck and held them out to the pair. “You guys want a drink?”

Lilie barely contained her surprise at Aaron's introduction, pretending she was more interested in the fire as she tried not to react to much. Fortunately, she was quickly distracted by Manny's offer, her surprise turning to that instead as she shook her head. "I'm Lilie, but um, no thank you," She politely declined. "We didn't really bring anything to share."

Manny waved the idea away, scoffing. “Oh man, don’t worry about that,” he insisted, “We kinda... bought way too much and we need to get rid of it before morning, I’d rather give it away than dump it.”

Maybe getting rid of it should have caught her attention first, but hearing that it would go go waste did make her feel bad. She had previously encountered alcohol in parties before, but she'd be lying if she said she was a hard party drinking kind of person. A little uncertain, she looked at Aaron for confirmation, met with a smile and a shrug. Well, if he wasn't declining, then it was okay, right? Everyone seemed relaxed and having a nice time, no one was too rowdy, either, so she felt comfortable enough accepting with a nod. Reaching out and taking a bottle for herself, she pressed the top down until she was able to twist it off. Deciding to take a cautious sip, her eyebrow twitched slightly at the taste, not really used to it.

Aaron took the second bottle, more hesitant than his outward confidence might have betrayed. As a matter of health he avoided alcohol outside of royal functions - granted, there wasn’t much alcohol to avoid at Noila Castle in the first place - but Manny’s mention of waste made him feel like it would be impolite to decline. Besides, it was Revel! Of all nights to cut a little loose and try something new, tonight it was practically mandatory. He followed Lilie’s lead, twisting off the cap and taking a drink, only to be blindsided by a sickly-sweet-but-somehow-tart concoction bubbling over his tongue like worse champagne. It was unlike anything he’d ever tasted; he could practically feel the sugar in his teeth and he couldn’t help but imagine his insides being dyed the same dark purple as the cooler, and if not for the label he wouldn’t have guessed it had any alcohol in it at all. He’d put it squarely in the category of “far too much for him”, but nonetheless when he lowered his bottle he found himself raising it again for another drink, and another, until it was suddenly half empty.

Conversation around the fire got a little louder as one of the vampires a bit farther from the blaze recounted a story, prompting raucous laughter and one indignant shout, and Aaron used the din to nudge Lilie with his shoulder, tapping his bottle against hers. “So, is this how these bonfires usually go?” he asked, chuckling a little at his own ignorance, “Sitting around talking and singing and drinking…” he peered at his bottle’s label, “...‘hard black cherry fizz’?”

Suppressing a giggle, Lilie nodded, her free hand rubbing her arm. "It's nice, isn't it?" She asked, encouraged by his own swig to take a braver sip of her own. The coldness sent a chill down her spine, and she scooted a little closer to the fire. "I think the best ones are the spontaneous kind, where you just get a bunch of friends together and light something up. I don't usually drink, but there's nothing wrong with a little drink to pass the time." She joked.

Aaron nodded, grinning, opting to follow Lilie’s advice. She was the expert of the two of them, after all. Leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, he clinked his bottle to hers, raising it up. “To passing the time, then,” he toasted, finishing off the last few mouthfuls of his cooler.

When he came back down to jam his bottle in the sand by his seat (a method employed by most of the others at the fire for their empties), he noticed Lilie huddling close to the fire, and his brow furrowed. “Are you cold?” he asked, though he didn’t wait for an answer before taking off his jacket. “Here, let me help.”

Before she could properly protest, anything she could have said died as he draped his jacket over her shoulders. The warmth was a little too good to pass up, even if she felt bad. "Are you sure?" Lilie decided to ask, trying not to get too used to it in case he changed his mind.

“Yes I’m sure,” Aaron chuckled in response, unbuttoning his sleeve cuffs so he could roll his sleeves up to his elbows. Although the heat wave had passed, it was still pretty warm for a September night, and he was nowhere near cold at his size. Lilie, though… “Not to offend, but... you’re tiny.”

He couldn’t help but laugh again; he didn’t think the alcohol was affecting him with any significance, but maybe it combined with the relaxed atmosphere of the fire was loosening his lips a bit. “It’s the least I can do,” he added more sincerely.

Lilie pouted at the initial response, displeased at...actually, it wasn't like he said something that wasn't true, but still! She straightened up slightly, pushing aside any previous hesitance as she drank. His next words were a little weird, but she didn't pay too much mind to it. After all, she was the one constantly in his debt. But he seemed to be having a good time, and it was nice to see the other side of the perfect gentleman persona.

Downing the rest of her drink, she cleared her throat as she buried the bottle into the sand. "Alright, but no asking for it back if you get cold," she replied, pulling the jacket closer as she decided she wanted another bottle. "Could you pass another pair this way? We have some catching up to do!"

Bottles were passed around as requested (Manny looking decidedly relieved as his cooler full of contraband began to empty) and conversation flowed, the group around the bonfire relaxed and enjoying each others’ company. Several of them, the pair found out, didn't even know each other; Manny, Sean, Meghan and the pair of singers had lit the fire and the rest had either been friends-of-friends invited through lengthy message chains or had simply seen the glow on the beach as Aaron and Lilie had. Aaron had never seen such a sincere gathering of strangers before; where he came from, you either grew up with everyone or put on a courtly facade to make a good impression on visiting guests. But here there was no facade, the class difference between the mages and vampires blurred as laughter flowed and stories were exchanged. It was unlike anything Aaron had ever taken part in, and two more coolers in, he decided that he liked it.

“Alright that's enough out of you,” the man with the guitar finally decided, promoting a laugh from the vampire that had been telling his third embarrassing story in a row. He took up his guitar and looked around the group insistently, asking, “Any requests?”

“Yes!” Aaron replied immediately, only realizing he'd spoken after the word came out, but continuing on anyway. “Do you know Home For A Rest?”

“Where have you been all my life?” The man with the guitar replied enthusiastically, grinning wide and tapping his guitar. “Finally, someone else who knows good music!”

Aaron had to chuckle, knowing the song as he did, and he felt a distinctive burn in his ears, though whether it was from the alcohol or speaking up, he didn't know.

The guitar player’s expression grew focused as he looked down at his strings, and the group went quiet as he began to play. The tune was slow and thoughtful, plucked rather than strummed, and Aaron felt a nostalgic calm wash over him. He hadn't heard this song in years, but he still knew every word. After several measures of intro, the guitar player nodded to Aaron; it seemed, as the one who requested the song, it fell to him to sing it.

A familiar quiver of anticipation rose in Aaron, but the usual nervousness that accompanied singing didn't come; with the alcohol’s help no doubt, it felt more like playing his cello than his previous, less-than-impeccable attempts at singing.

Taking a breath as his cue came, Aaron began.

“You'll have to excuse me, I'm not at my best;
I've been gone for a month, I've been drunk since I left;
These so-called vacations will soon be my death,
I'm so sick from the drink I need home for a rest…”

Lilie sat up straight as Aaron began to sing; despite having suggested it, for some reason she wasn't expecting to hear it. He sang slow at first, voice solemn as his voice carried the notes well. As he came to a pause, she noticed a few others looking at one another, a few smirks exchanged and even a little excitement passing, but before she could question it, the song exploded, the tempo picking up considerably and rising in volume as others joined Aaron in singing the song. She jumped a little, pleasantly surprised by the sudden change. She found herself joining some people in clapping the beat, the joyous mood infectious even if she didn't know the song. The lyrics themselves fit the current mood, the crowd singing about the drunken adventures of a few men causing trouble. It was hard not to get swept up in the song, only pausing once in a while to keep drinking.

Aaron’s face split into a wide smile as the song went on, pleasantly surprised that so many others at the fire knew the old folk song he’d suggested. Clapping, singing and occasionally laughing, he felt almost at home. The masquerade was charming and fun, but this was the sort of Revel he was used to.

The song came to an end in a chorus of laughs as the verses ended and the guitar player decided he didn’t want to play the solid two minutes of bridge afterward, earning some teasing before someone suggested another song and he started back up again. Aaron didn’t know the song he played next, so he opted to sit it out, leaning back on one arm and finishing off his… third(?) cooler. Airy grin still crooked on his face, he looked over to Lilie, pleased to see she seemed to be enjoying herself. Despite the gold glow of the firelight, though, he didn’t miss the subtle blush on her cheeks and shoulders, eyes lingering perhaps just a little longer than was polite.

“This was a good idea,” he finally suggested, lifting his bottle again only to chuckle when he realized it was empty.

Lilie's agreement came in a feverish nod, the tiniest sway as she leaned back. She was disappointed to find that she had finished her drink so quickly, leaning back more and more until she could confirm that no, there was no last drop hiding from her in the bottle. Casually dropping the bottle on the ground, her fingers rapped against her knees as she considered asking for another one. The fire did well to hide the building pink on her face, though with the way she hummed to herself and often broke into a fit of giggles for no reason made it obvious that it was time to cut her off.

She was pleased that Aaron was having a good time, giving him a giant grin. "I'm glad!" She said a little louder than usual, catching herself at the end as she bit her lip to control her own laughter. With her free hand, she lazily waved at Manny. "One more, please!" Her voice was lighter than usual and sickenly sweet, wanting nothing more than just one more cooler. Just one, the heat was starting to get to her.

After some rummaging, Manny offered a sympathetic shrug, missing Lilie's pout as someone else caught his attention. She bent down to collect her things, standing from her seat. "Let's go down to the water," She told Aaron, fanning herself lightly. His jacket nearly slipped off her, though she surprised herself by catching it. Displeased, she slipped her arms through the sleeves, the size difference comical as she bid the party farewell and began the short walk to the water.

Aaron’s eyebrows shot up at Lilie’s demeanour, but the grin remained, the blond not knowing what to think of her state other than to be amused by it. Realistically, he should have known that her drinking the same amount as him would have affected her more strongly, but having never really been around much drinking beyond a glass or two in royal company, he supposed he hadn’t expected so… much. He couldn’t help but chuckle as she pouted, clumsily covering his grin as she promptly stood with a bit of a sway. He rose with her, momentarily afraid she’d fall over, but she turned out to be more steady than he anticipated, navigating the sand pretty well as she made her way away from the fire.

A little surprised at Lilie’s sudden conviction, Aaron shook his head, grinning as he bid thanks and farewell to the people at the fire before hurrying to join her. “Okay!”
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The song, if you want it

ＦＩＮＡＬ ＦＡＮＴＡＳＹ Ｘ｜Ｖ： Ｔｈｅ Ｂｌｅｓｓｅｄ Ｔｗｅｌｖｅ

@Hero

J’torha shrugged smugly, but finally did allow his habitual smirk to make its way back onto his lips, posture relaxing a bit as he let the act drop. But he only allowed himself one proud swish of the tail before he had to grow serious again, but this time sincerely. He braced his hands on the desk and eyed Tilman for a moment.

“You’re auctioning items from a house in the Goblet that was recently sold,” he finally addressed the heart of the issue. “Problem is, the house was swindled off its owners. Now. I can’t say I care where you got your other wares—” well, J’torha wasn’t fond of thieves, but he wasn’t concerned with the other wares “—I just want every item you still have from that house, and the money you made from the items you’ve already sold. And… maybe the names of the people who bought them, if you’re feeling generous.” He straightened up, hand on his hip, and flashed a wicked grin. “Do that and this whole fiasco goes away. Sound fair?”