Turning the Tide
Aaron’s day passed slowly, the mage fading in and out of sleep for what felt like no more than five minutes at a time; he had opted to spend the day in one of Eris’ armchairs, leaving the couch to Salem. The night’s events coupled with the distinct discomfort of staying in another vampire’s dorm made it difficult to relax, and it wasn’t until briefly before sunset, when exhaustion overwhelmed his sensibilities that Aaron was finally able to drift into something resembling sleep.
Of course, like any other chance for Aaron to relax, it was short-lived, a secondary alarm he’d set for himself blaring him back to life shortly before the sky turned completely dark. He silenced it quickly, hoping it didn’t wake Eris up, and made his way from the dorm as quietly as he could, sneaking across a still-deserted campus. A few times he spotted an obsidian-clad patrol in the distance, but they paid him little mind, and he was able to make it to the noble cul-de-sac unmolested.
When he finally shambled back to his dorm (disheveled from a sleepless day in an armchair and what he assumed was a developing hangover) the delivery woman was already there, watching him with unveiled amusement.
“Rough day, kid?”Aaron didn’t bother to hide his look of contempt, running a hand through his hair in a futile attempt to look a
little presentable. He did his best to shake off his lingering grogginess and approached the woman.
“You’re early,” he greeted flatly, voice dry. As if on cue, the first alarm he’d set to wake himself up for just this occasion went off in his pocket.
The delivery woman didn’t seem bothered.
“It’s a slow night,” she explained, smirking as she handed over her clipboard to be signed.
Silencing his alarm with one hand, Aaron signed the clipboard with the other, not bothering to take it from her. He cleared his throat as the woman handed over his usual package, warm to the touch and smelling of raspberries.
“Thanks.” The woman chuckled, amused by Aaron’s unusually short demeanour.
“Happy Revel,” she replied, turning back to her bike and not bothering to hide her snickering.
Aaron glared after her, though he gave that up before she even got her bike started, leaning against the wall and doing his best to blink the sand out of his eyes. A cursory glance told him it was 7:58pm., giving him only two minutes to prepare for what he was sure would be a thorough dressing-down when he finally got inside.
He cast a wary glance at the dorm. His immediate fear of these encounters had since lost its edge, replaced now by an exasperated, yet familiar, sense of dread. He was a mess; he set the box down on the top of the wall to brush himself off, doing his best to get the creases out of his pants while simultaneously knowing it wouldn’t make a difference. He flattened his lapel unnecessarily - his jacket was hopelessly wrinkled anyway - and hung his mask on his elbow, doing his best to rub the sleep out of his eyes and futily hoping the growing headache pounding behind his eyes would subside.
At 7:59 Aaron made his way to the door with his package and stood for a moment at the threshold, taking a deep breath. He didn’t know what awaited him on the other side of that door - though he had a couple guesses - but he resolved that there was no sense giving himself time to get worked up over it, and knocked.
Varis, for once, set an alarm himself the night before when he realized the incompetant oaf was late. Once again, Varis had to wonder what they taught them behind those castle walls. Maybe the royal family was just letting them lounge about like exotic pets until it was time to put them on parade. That would explain all the poor manners the boy had. The earlier hour added an extra edge to his irritation as he got ready. He chose a royal blue suit today with ruby cufflinks. He didn’t wear it often but he was feeling a little color today after the cathartic night before. And raking the boy over the coals would be the perfect way to clear out the last vestiges of weakness he succumbed to.
His next alarm rang at 7:45 as he was stepping out of his room. He’d made sure to draw the curtains when he finished cleaning up his mess. A quick appraising eye around the room and he fixed on a couch cushion left askew; otherwise, everything looked to be in order. Not a thing out of place and certainly nothing to suggest he’d reverted to a childhood habit. He repositioned a chair in the middle of the living room, took a step back, decided it wasn’t quite right, and put it back. It was important to make an impression. The boy was, irritatingly enough, taller than Varis and he wasn’t sure just standing would be enough of a power play to remind the boy of his position but the chair had been used so frequently in recent nights, Varis was afraid its effectiveness was fading.
Varis would never admit it but he lost track of time, startling at the knock at the door. He huffed and straightened his jacket, smoothing out any last wrinkle, drew back the curtains, and went to unlock the door, not bothering to open it as he turned away and made his way back into the living room without looking at Aaron. Varis kept his back turned and snapped once at the spot next to him.
Aaron heard the lock slide over, unsurprised that the door didn’t open, and opened it himself, stepping in with his package under his arm and doing his best to act like he
didn’t look like he’d just returned from some wilderness excursion gone wrong. By the time he got in he could already see Varis in the living room, dressed uncharacteristically colourfully and staring thoughtfully out the window. Yeah, that couldn’t be good. Varis usually sat for their little talks, presumably to lord his comfort over his mage’s groveling and give himself the freedom to perch a shoe under Aaron’s chin, so forgoing that luxury tonight and standing certainly meant he had something
different in mind. Great. He’d do his best not to dwell on that too much. The snap, at least, was expected, and Aaron made only enough of a detour to deposit his package on the kitchen counter before promptly kneeling where Varis indicated, gaze trained silently on the floor.
Varis let the silence stretch between them for a minute. He closed his eyes, enjoying the pleasant aroma of the pastries and the tension that must certainly be in the boy’s shoulders. He let out a sigh.
“After all the progress you’ve made, after you’ve earned a day off, after you made me believe that you were improving. A curfew. That’s all you had to do. No other rules, no other responsibilities. And you couldn’t be bothered to meet it.” Varis sighed again and shook his head in disappointment.
“I was considering the next step would be covering one of those awful letters in your room but I clearly need to rethink that.” Varis let him sit on that for a while longer.
“I’m disappointed, boy. What do you have to say for yourself?”Aaron almost jumped when Varis broke the silence, but truthfully it was nothing more than he expected. In a way, Varis echoed his own thoughts on the matter. Everything he said was true; following a curfew wasn’t rocket science, and after how excited and grateful he’d been to receive his night off, he repaid that kindness by falling short of the only expectation he had to follow. It was shameful, and Aaron would have been just as displeased if the roles were reversed.
“You’re right, Master,” he agreed.
“It was a simple order, and I’m disappointed in myself that I couldn’t manage to follow it. For what it’s worth, know that I had every intention to get back on time. Please accept my humblest apologies.”Varis resisted an exasperated eye roll. Immediately taking responsibility? Exactly as the boy should do but it took all the fun out of this. He thought on the matter some more, considering whether that was enough to let the boy off the hook. Probably not.
“Your apology is being considered. While I am glad you didn’t shirk your responsibility in this matter and accepted your failure for what it is, it still begs the question of why. If you had every intention, what distracted you? The Starags’ reputation suggests perfection to the point of obsession when duty and responsibility are involved so what was so important that you miss your curfew? Walk me through the last hour or so of your evening.” Squeezing his eyes shut, Aaron suppressed a sigh. Again, Varis was right, both about his family’s reputation and how he himself usually behaved. He self-admittedly pursued completion of his orders with single-minded purpose; the problem was that he had to admit it was the pursuit of someone
else’s orders that made him late.
Swallowing his apprehension, Aaron forced himself to speak, resigning himself in advance to the furious response he expected to receive.
“Most of my last hour was unremarkable,” he began,
“I spent it enjoying Revel with Ms. Dionne - the Eve mage - and a few others, with alarms set to return for my curfew. Ms. Dionne stepped on a bottle before we left and cut her foot, and while I did help her home, I was still on track to be here on time.”He took a breath before continuing.
“However, when we arrived in the cul-de-sac, Princess Ryner was standing at the threshold of the Eve dorm with an Eve by the name of Count Benjamin - apparently another replacement for their House’s spot here, Countess Mariette having apparently vacated the position. Of course she wanted to talk, and given her station I was loath to refuse her. The conversation carried on a bit longer than expected, and on top of that she asked me to relay her contact information to the new Count.”Aaron’s next steadying breath was more of a sigh, a bit of lingering exhaustion sneaking into it as he recalled the fiasco at the Eve dorm.
“He invited me inside, and I could hardly leave without giving him Her Highness’ information as requested. He seemed reluctant to release me, and by the time I finally got out of there, I had missed my curfew.” The little tidbit about the new Eve―Count Benjamin? He’d have to look into that later.―was filed neatly away for further inspection. If that had been the end of the story, Varis may have ended their little discussion there with a lighter sentence than originally intended. It was important to encourage good behavior as much as it was to punish bad behavior without going overboard but it didn’t. Of course, it was something about
Ryner. The entire reason the boy was in this situation was to distance him from them and here she was, meddling every five bloody seconds! She hadn’t been without him for a semester and here she was, upsetting everything he was trying to accomplish. Varis sneered and whirled on the boy.
“You missed the simplest expectation because you wouldn’t bother explaining that your Master expected-” Varis stopped short as he finally laid eyes on the boy. The colors, the mask… All of it screamed Noila loyalist. Noila colors. On
his mage. Out at a public event.
“Would you care to explain this ensemble, boy?” Varis spat, jaw clenching as he held himself back from repeating the scene at Ryner’s dinner. The utter disrespect of this situation, first with the curfew and now with his obvious Noila preferences, was a slap to the face and Varis seethed. If anyone saw this brat in this outfit and recognized him… Varis didn’t even want to think about the social consequences of a mage promoting, no flaunting, their loyalty to their previous owner.
Aaron had an explanation on the tip of his tongue - albeit he wouldn’t know what it was until it came out of his mouth - when Varis cut himself off, stopping Aaron’s thoughts in their tracks. A cautious glance up showed Varis’ eyes darkening, a look Aaron was much more familiar with than he felt like he should be, though expected given the situation.
Sure enough, the topic switched to his clothes; Aaron wasn’t surprised at the outrage, but somehow this had been the first time he really thought about the consequences of dressing himself up as a de facto Noila mascot for Revel. Sure, Varis wouldn’t be out in the mess to see it firsthand, but what reaction had he expected when he came back at the end of the night?
A stone of dread dropped in his stomach, and he suppressed a shiver.
“Just something sent from home, Master,” Aaron replied quickly,
“I had no say in the matter.”“Oh? You had no say. Well, that makes everything better!” Varis said derisively.
“Are you saying someone came into my home, put a blade to your throat, and demanded you put those clothes on? Are you telling me you didn’t put each and every piece of that gaudy outfit on, check for wrinkles, make sure your cuffs were buttoned up properly, check the lacing on your shoes more than once because you didn’t want to make a fool of yourself and trip while dancing? Did some sort of enchantment compel you into putting these clothes on because from where I’m standing, it seems to me that you very much had a say in the matter.” Varis crouched, grabbing the boy’s chin firmly, and made him look him in the eye. He let his thrall reach out into the mage, letting it fill the boy with a sense of security despite Varis’ visible frustration.
“Why don’t you tell me how wearing those clothes made you feel. Was it nice wearing Noila colors again?” Varis asked, his tone sweet and soft.
Aaron resisted flinching as Varis let loose his barrage, each point lowering his head a little further with shame. Because it was true. And it
was shameful. And foolish. Foolish to think he’d get to enjoy that one evening of respite from reality. Good lord, he’d have been better off coming home naked! The break was
nights away and he couldn’t wait that long to pretend that his House hadn’t cast him out? Sure, he hadn’t requested the ensemble himself, but he hadn’t told his mother otherwise either, and he’d admired it and cherished it as a memento from home, and somehow hadn’t thought about the consequences. Once more he’d brought this on himself; so much for not making the same mistake twice.
The chin grab was all but expected, though Aaron’s insides squirmed again when he was forced to look into Varis’ black eyes. Strangely, though, the feeling was gone as quickly as it came; Aaron saw the look of utter contempt on Varis’ face, saw the rage swirling in his eyes, but somehow wasn’t bothered by it. It was the same feeling of calm he used to get as a child when he had to be ushered out of the way, warm and distinct. Varis was probably thralling him, but Aaon wasn’t terribly concerned about it.
“It was… a nice reminder of home…” he softly repeated his words to the stranger at the ball, drawn in by Varis’ welcoming tone.
“Yes, I’m sure it was.” Varis kept his voice level and slow, not wanting to snap the boy out of his control. Even if all he wanted to do was to drag the boy outside and sell him off to the Astorios for embarrassing him like this.
“Do you ever wish you could go back?”Only every night, but Aaron couldn’t tell him that. Or, maybe he could? Varis seemed to want to know, after all. He shouldn’t lie; Varis had made clear his contempt for dishonesty. Of course, there was one caveat.
“Yes,” he answered honestly, though his voice did go a little quiet.
“But… I don’t think they’d take me.” "And why is that?" Varis asked, letting concern leak into his voice. He'd heard it plenty from Ryner when she was consoling other vampires that it was easy enough to imitate.
"You're the only male in the Starag line. Isn't it odd to think they wouldn't take you back?"Indeed it was, but it was the only conclusion Aaron could come to. His hopes of being a diplomatic tool had gradually been dashed as Varis’ opinion of him worsened - after all, no one gives a defective gift to curry favour - so why else would he have been sent away? He used to dream of attending the
Queen for fuck’s sake, and now here he was, tripping over himself to obey the simplest orders from a
Count. Clearly he'd overestimated his capabilities - maybe that was why he was here. Maybe being the only fertile Starag left was what kept him from having his name stripped for good, but otherwise, Aaron had to assume that he was here because the Noilas thought he wasn’t worth the trouble.
“I suppose,” he answered Varis’ question somberly,
“but I can only imagine that if they still wanted me, they wouldn't have given me away in the first place.” Varis had enough of the boy’s pity party. He’d never cared for the servant class’ depressive tendencies. It left an unwelcome taste in his mouth like all their other emotions. He stood back up, breaking his thrall, and took a moment to process. Playing with the boy’s head gave him time to collect himself and he no longer felt like an Astorio brute despite the simmering anger. The fact still remained that Aaron disrespected him in one of the worst ways possible, and publicly no less, so he needed to rectify that immediately. He gave Aaron a few moments to shake off Varis’ influence and collect himself before immediately returning to chastising the boy.
“This disrespect is unacceptable, boy. You flaunted another house’s colors, your old house’s colors, in public which sends an unmistakable message to anyone with more than two brain cells. Which thankfully rules out the majority of this school but the rare few are going to be talking about this everywhere. I guarantee that the staff at the very least will spin rumor after rumor that’ll have to be handled sooner than later.” Varis muttered at the end, rubbing his temples as he considered how to handle that. He was definitely going to lean on Eris for that one. The vampire knew how to play the public like a lute and Varis wasn’t above making another headline to avoid this one.
“For now, I want that off. Everything you’re wearing needs to come off right now. Fold it neatly and leave it right where you are. Shoes and mask included. Then, you’ll lead the way into your room and take a damn shower. Clean yourself up because you are disgusting and I will not tolerate that for another second. Just looking at you makes me want to vomit. And then we’ll deal with the rest of your Noila belongings like I should have at the beginning.” Varis ordered.
Varis stood, and the calm that had fallen over Aaron immediately began to lift, an ugly ball of dread coming in to replace it. Oh no. No no no. He did
not just say all that out loud, to
Varis, did he!?
Coming to the full realization of what had just occurred, it was all Aaron could do not to panic. He’d just admitted some things to Varis he would hardly admit to himself, and all of them unbearably traitorous. And now, Varis was silent, and all Aaron could do for a moment was stew in dread.
Mercifully, Varis finally broke the silence, and Aaron had never been so happy to be ordered to strip; better than a million of the much less pleasant alternatives his panicking mind had come up with. He did just as he was told, wasting no time worrying about modesty as he stripped and folded his clothes as commanded. There was no time to wonder what would become of them before he took off to his room; once there, he unceremoniously removed his earring as he turned on the water, leaving it on the bathroom vanity and not even waiting for the water to warm before jumping in the shower.
Varis inspected his nails as Aaron rushed to complete his tasks, rolling his eyes. At least he still did one thing right. Varis followed Aaron into the room and ignored as the mage threw himself into the shower. Varis shook his head. The boy could rival Eris for his dramatics. He helped himself to the boy’s closet, barely bothering to look around as he snatched things off hangers and shelves and tossed them on the floor. Trash, trash, trash… Varis tossed two of his undershirts on the bed, two pairs of slacks, underwear, socks, and the least irritating pair of shoes he could find alongside them. Those would be enough to tide the boy over until he returned to the castle with his tail between his legs.
"If you don't finish washing in the next five minutes, I'll finish it for you." Varis said as he walked into the bathroom and grabbed the earring off the counter before returning to the bed, sitting down, and examining the jewelry.
Aaron didn’t have to be told twice. He’d already been washing at a fever pace anyway, scrubbing like mad to keep his hands from shaking. Part of him knew he really needed to get this stress response under control, but tonight… tonight was different. Aaron wasn’t sure he’d ever screwed up this bad with Varis; even being dragged around the Princess’ dining room by his neck hadn’t felt quite this urgent. As far as Varis was concerned, that episode had merely been incompetence. This… this was much worse.
This was purposeful disrespect.
He didn’t even need the full five minutes to finish; he emerged with about a minute to spare, drying himself quickly but thoroughly. He left his towel hanging on its rack - experience told him it would only irritate Varis, and Aaron had bigger things to worry about at the moment than nudity - and made his way back into the bedroom, sparing only a glance at the mess that was his closet and the clothes delegated to the bed. Seemed about right. The Noila belongings Varis wanted to “deal with” constituted just about everything Aaron owned, and it seemed like Varis really was intent on “dealing with” all of it. A bit of distress sparked up in the back of Aaron’s mind as he considered exactly what that entailed, but he forced it aside as he took his usual place at Varis’ feet, noticing only then that the Count had his earring in hand. That couldn’t be good, either.
Varis waited until the boy settled to turn his attention away from the earring, folding his hands in his lap as he considered the mage at his feet. Varis put his foot beneath his chin and tilted the boy's face to meet his gaze.
"This is much better. I'm quite sick of these Noila trappings you wrap yourself in. There is little more disrespectful than my own mage trapessing about in another family's colors. Plus, it only serves as a distraction. It'll be better once we- you- deal with these, receive your punishment, and we can move on from this mess." Varis clicked his tongue in disappointment.
"But before that. I'll admit I can't quite wrap my head around something. Why, after everything you said, would you even do this? Why scorn the House that took you in after Ryner cast you to the wolves? Do you blame me for this situation you’re in? Is that why you're acting out?" Varis demanded.
Aaron struggled to meet Varis’ gaze when his face was lifted, and this time only partially because of his usual aversion to eye contact. Mostly, it was because he was embarrassed; not even so much from the kneeling or the nudity - he was used to that - but from his behaviour. He didn’t have the heart to try to defend himself, tell Varis it was never his intention and he simply wore what was sent to him, nothing. Not only would Varis not believe him, but it wasn’t even
true. The truth was, he’d known
exactly what he was doing when he put on that suit and strapped on that mask. He was dancing the night away in his nostalgic little bubble, pretending he was back home and everything was fine. Above all, he didn’t just disregard the flagrant disrespect it showed to his new House - he
enjoyed it.
“I don’t blame you, Master,” he murmured. At least that much was true - Varis seemed no more the willing participant in this match than he was. If anything, it was
him who got the short end of the deal, being given a mage as incompetent and reprehensible as Aaron was learning he was.
For a moment, though, he wasn’t sure how to continue. How could he? Anything he said would only serve to further insult Varis, not to mention expose him to more of those mortal emotions he viewed with such contempt. But Aaron had already spilled so much of his guts under Varis’ thrall, was it worth keeping the rest of it a secret now? Wouldn’t it be better to get it all out of his system, take whatever punishment resulted and finally move on?
“Mortal attachments are illogical, Master,” he finally continued, opting to just come out with it.
“Serving the royal family is all I’ve ever known or wanted, I’ve broken a centuries-long legacy, and… I suppose I’m still struggling to accept it.”"Interesting. Tell me, how do you feel about this?" Varis unfurled the earring and dangled it in front of the mage.
"Be honest. I don't have the patience to take the answers nicely this time."Aaron watched the earring swing with hard eyes. Be honest, and expect consequences. Bite the bolt and get it over with. It seemed he had the right idea to start with.
“It feels like a cattle tag, Master.” "It feels like a-" Varis stared in silent amazement at the boy. Varis gave him a claim of ownership, not his first pick of course but an effective one nonetheless, and the boy calls it a cattle tag? Once again, the slow building interest in the boy crashed at his utterly ungrateful behavior. The boy should be thanking him that Varis bothered to show interest in him at all! Varis wasn't the one tossed out from his home, Varis wasn't the one kneeling in front of another, Varis wasn't the one being used as a pawn in some twisted game! Varis closed his eyes and swallowed back the bubbling anger. Mostly.
"A cattle tag. I give you a gift and you treat it like a common piece of garbage. How predictable.” Varis scoffed, returning the earring to his lap.
“I never realized the Starags were such an ungrateful bloodline. I assumed yours above such things but clearly I was wrong. Just another thing on the list of things to correct I suppose. And I thought it was finally getting shorter.” Varis sighed and tapped the toe of his shoe against Aaron’s chin thoughtfully. If the boy didn’t care for it, then perhaps he’d indulge him. Considering the offence, a bolder statement would probably be better anyways as much as Varis disliked the thought. But this mage was as dense as they came and seeing that in the mirror would be much more reinforcing than an earring.
“After some consideration, perhaps you’re right. Perhaps this mark is treating you too much like livestock.” Varis voiced his thoughts out loud.
“Something more personal would be suiting. Would you like to be treated like a pet instead? I’m sure any number of craftsmen would love to be the first to design a collar for a Starag’s neck. I’d even pay to have it prioritized and sent to you at home. That would clear up any misunderstandings quickly enough. We can't have my mage wearing refuse, now can we."Varis had a talent for tearing people down, and it seemed to Aaron that no matter how often he thought he’d hit the bottom, there was always a little bit further to fall. Aaron shook his head as best he could against Varis’ shoe, doing his best to contain his disgust at the idea of a collar.
“No, Master, that won’t be necessary,” he insisted, defeated.
“Forgive me for not recognizing your generosity. I’ve never been given this type of gift before.” “Good. I don’t think I could handle seeing a mage of mine in something as hideous as that.” Varis didn’t bother hiding his contempt for collars as he held out the earring for Aaron to take.
“Put this back on. As for forgiveness, that will be much more difficult to earn. This is the third time you’ve slapped me in the face in less than a night and your punishment will need to reflect that appropriately. The first step is easy enough at least. I don’t think you’ll figure out a way to mess it up.” Varis waved at the clothes on the bed.
“For now, get dressed. What I’ve laid out is what you’re permitted to wear until you’ve returned to the Noila castle. As plain as it is, it’ll do you some good to take away one of your defensive layers for a while.” Varis stood, his foot leaving Aaron’s chin, and he gave the boy an appraising look. He needed to make sure he had the boy’s measurements before he left. Varis couldn’t have him wandering the school like this forever so he’d need to bring an entire wardrobe back with him. Probably a tailor too for quick fittings.
“After that, I want everything on the floor folded and brought into the living room. I have your publicity stunt last night to handle so hurry up.” Varis left Aaron in his room, settling out on the couch with his laptop. He had all his work from yesterday to catch up on and this disaster to avert so he sighed and set out typing emails to whoever he thought useful though he paused over Ryner’s contact information. He’d hold off on that one. Aaron would probably enjoy adding his input to that correspondence.
That Varis seemed as uninterested in a collar as Aaron was was as a small comfort, though of course, it didn’t linger long. Aaron knew quite well by now that forgiveness was a difficult thing to come by in this household, and this latest and most severe of transgressions was certain to prove one of the most difficult yet to erase. He put his earring back on when told, quite practiced by now at securing it, but his jaw nearly dropped when he finally got a good look at what Varis had left for him to wear. This was hardly even
half of a complete outfit! He was smart enough not to hesitate, but there was still plenty of time for the horror to dawn on him as he dressed. An undershirt? That was all? He realized Varis seemed to be purging his entire wardrobe, but surely it would reflect poorly on him to have his mage walking around half-dressed, wouldn’t it?
Varis left, and Aaron stole a precious second when he had his clothes on and the others folded to look into his full-length mirror. In just an undershirt and slacks, arms and shoulders hanging out like some hillbilly in a movie, he felt even more exposed and underdressed than he did when he was naked. The shirt almost felt see-through, though he didn’t think it actually was. Rubbing his bicep absently, he was marginally comforted by the fact that there were no classes to attend between now and when he went home, though that’s when he realized the worst part of all; he’d have to show up at the
castle dressed like a homeless madman. But there was no time to dwell on that while Varis was waiting, and Aaron didn’t tarry long, moving promptly to the living room to deposit the folded clothes and take his place once more at Varis’ feet.
Varis finished replying to an email about a disagreement between a Duke and Duchess under his purview then opened a blank email for Ryner. Or at least her pet mage considering the Princess could barely use a flip phone.
"Now before we move onto the next step, I have to notify a few people that may also be affected by this development and since you grew up groomed for service to the royal family, I thought I'd use your expertise. How would you tell the Princess about your involvement in this incident?" As he spoke, a sense of dread washed over him as he realized he'll soon be in a similar position as the boy. Chances were she already heard and was just waiting to see how faithful he'd be. But that was a task for later, once the boy was away.
How would he tell the Princess? Aaron wasn’t sure how to respond to that. He’d already told Varis that Princess Ryner had seen him last night; she was perfectly aware of the situation, and (he realized, a little late and a lot uncomfortably) also doubtlessly aware of the consequences, given her familiarity with Varis. Although, now that he thought about it, Ryner probably wasn’t the object of Varis’ attention at all. Certainly he knew her skill - or lack thereof - with electronics, and knew that all of her emails went through one of her mages before being transcribed for her to read. Un prior years, that duty fell to her personal mage, Aaron’s mother; but now, with her declining health keeping her at the castle and working remotely, one of Ryner’s other mages had taken over that part of the job while the Academy was in session. Aaron had to bite back a proud little smirk; had Varis just missed the mark?
That must have been it! This was just another humiliation tactic. The email wasn’t for Ryner’s benefit, but for the mage transcribing it; he clearly thought it would be Aaron’s mother - which would have achieved his goal quite disastrously, no doubt - but he hadn’t paid enough attention in recent years to know that job had been passed to a mage Aaron barely knew. Ha! Even in the face of the disaster he’d wrapped himself up in, that one little detail changed his mood more than he ever would have expected.
Doing his best to contain his satisfaction at finally being on the… well, not the
winning side of one of these little punishments, but at least not too far on the losing side either, Aaron shook his head, tucking his tiny victory away for later. He had an idea of how he might turn things around, even just a little bit.
“I don’t think that will be necessary, Master,” he replied evenly, though a bit more confident than before.
“Her Highness is already aware of my disgrace, and besides, I have it on good authority that she might have her hands full with other matters for the time being.” Varis narrowed his eyes at the boy as he considered the question. Varis would give him credit - the boy kept his reactions well in line but Varis made it a point to observe his mages while outside of his direct attention and he quickly realized he'd made a mistake. Varis made a note to look into Ryner's staff. As far as he was aware, Ryner should be relying on one of the boy's relatives to keep track of her emails but the brat barely seemed phased. His response lacked the typical pause when he was forced to consider duty versus pride. Varis put the laptop aside, crossed his legs, and rested a hand on his knee and another on the back of the couch. It seems the boy won that round.
Disgusting as it was, Varis felt, dare he say it, excited. Not only did he play his victory off with a quiet confidence, just a bit more training and he could erase even that, he twisted the conversation away from a track that Varis would have likely picked at until the boy bled. It was the faintest twitch, one Varis wasn't even aware of, but an involuntary smile at the corners of his mouth appeared and vanished before his unimpressed expression radiated disappointment once again.
"Of course she has her hands full with other matters. Ryner is one of the primary diplomatic administrators of the entire government and thus, the world. If she didn't have her fingers in twenty different operations, I would walk into the sunlight from the shock. She calls me a workaholic but I've watched her resist sleeping for two weeks and not suffer an iota of fatigue." Varis said dryly but he gestured for the mage to continue anyways.
"However, I will indulge this obtuse attempt to redirect the conversation. Go on. We'll discuss how you'll dispose of these offending articles after you spit whatever important information you have to offer."“There was a murder on campus last night,” Aaron wasted no time.
“I spent my morning after curfew apprising myself of the details. Mr. Spellman and Mr. Alderman discovered the body, followed by Mr. Samael. It was drained of all blood from a vampire attack. Apparently the scene was gruesome, though Mr. Spellman was adamant that the wound on the victim’s neck had to have been made by a vampire in their right mind.” Aaron inwardly cringed at the thought.
“The three of them were taken by campus guard to Princess Ryner’s office, apparently to avoid interrogation by Princess Nox, though they claim Her Highness was impersonated by a mind mage. After the illusion was broken, all three went back to Mr. Samael’s dorm, where Salem summoned me to hear the details.”Varis considered the information. A murder on Ryner’s personal property? Whoever took on that task was clearly an idiot or suicidal with a thirst for vengeance. At least if it was the latter, Varis could respect the decision especially since they were clearly competent. What a waste of potential. With Nox personally on the case, he had little doubt that vampire would be staked for the sun sooner rather than later. Despite their estrangement, this was a clear attack on Ryner and, by extension, the Noila family and Nox was nothing if not protective of their status. Too bad he wouldn’t have an opportunity to invite the vampire to dinner.
“That is interesting. A murder in Noila territory. And then she hid the three prime suspects from her sister’s investigation?” Varis clicked his tongue disapprovingly.
“She must have had suspicions about the real culprit and went out to handle the situation herself. How disappointing. I haven’t seen her get into a physical altercation before. I would have loved to see that.” He was more than a little curious why Eris hadn’t immediately contacted him. He doubted the vampire was pleased at having the wool pulled over his eyes with Ryner’s little trick and that sort of thing wasn’t a minor slight.
“If it were any other vampire, I would almost believe the murder was staged. A shocking death is a good way to distract from something. Perhaps I should have one of my contacts look into that anyway.” Varis nodded, making a mental note to set it up when he returned home. And then a wicked little light bulb went on above his head. Ryner handed him a little mole on a plate.
“Of course, you’ll tell me everything you hear while at the castle and you’ll make sure to keep a keener ear than you used to. You’re a Sinnenodel mage now, after all, isn’t that right?”Any lingering satisfaction from his tiny victory fled from Aaron as Varis held his position over him, a ball of discomfort taking its place. Impressed or not, Aaron was painfully reminded of his place, and Varis certainly knew how to twist a knife. A storm of indecision whirled in his head, duty to his new Count - assigned to him by Ryner, no less - conflicting with his lingering loyalty to the Noilas. Secrets and rumours flew around like flies back at the castle, and not even the unspoken ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy that governed the servants could inoculate him to them completely. And now he was asked to go
looking for them; who knew what he’d find?
Of course, Aaron reminded himself, it was that lingering loyalty that got him into this mess. Like it or not, Varis was right; he
was a Sinnenodel mage now, and he needed to come to terms with that sooner rather than later. Easier said than done. But maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Surely
someone at the castle must have anticipated this; it couldn’t come as a surprise that he’d become a Sinnenodel earpiece. Really, with that in mind, it was remarkable that he was being welcomed back at all.
“Yes, Master,” Aaron conceded, defeated. His earring hung heavy from his ear.
“I will keep you abreast of the situation.” “Good. Though I doubt you’ll find anything useful, it won’t hurt to give you a task over the break. No need to see your mind stagnating with the Spellman boy around.” Varis said, dismissing the matter as soon as it was resolved and moving forward.
“Was there more information you had to offer or should we continue on with how you’ll make up for your blatant disregard of your new position?”“Just one more thing, Master. The reason for my lateness, in fact.” Aaron spoke expediently, anxious to get on to whatever demoralizing punishment Varis had in mind so he could get it done and over with.
“I mentioned earlier that House Eve has a new representative at the Academy. His name is Count Benjamin; I’ve heard of him a few times before, he's a prominent mage rights advocate, certainly a black sheep of his branch. He took quite an interest in me, though he seemed a little unsure about Ms. Dionne. But that's not the interesting part.” Aaron shifted on his knees as the
other mystery from the night before resurfaced.
“When we were talking, Princess Ryner let skip that Countess Mariette’s absence is due to a death in her family. But I've heard of no such death, so it's either very recent or very well covered up.” His eyes flicked up, just for a moment.
“Does any of that sound familiar to you, Master?”Varis frowned at the phrase “mage rights activist”. First a Marivaldi and now a tolerant Eve. As if he didn’t have his hands full handling his Lady’s business in the family as it was. He needed to figure out who he was as quickly as possible but as much as he hated to admit it, it wasn’t a priority. Dracul’s “death” was a matter of urgency and at this point, Varis wasn’t sure if he had the resources to handle another point of interest. Throwing in some family death on the previous Eve’s part, which Varis was willing to bet a walk in the sun Ryner made up some excuse on the fly, and Varis was going to lose his goddamned mind if she didn’t settle the fuck down this instant. He couldn’t help the groan that escaped as he pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.
“Frankly, I’m surprised the Eves still have anyone left at the rate they’re dropping.” Varis grumbled. He was concerned that so many mage tolerant vampires were in close proximity to the boy. If even one of them reached out and with the intent of offering succor without Varis knowing, doing his job would become ten times harder. He didn’t want to cultivate any relationships with the plebeians but he may have to assemble a little coetere to keep him in check when Varis wasn’t around. Damn bleeding hearts. At this rate, he was going to stake the damn Princess himself.
“If Ryner let her leave to a death in the family, I’m inclined to believe it. It’ll be something to look into later.” Varis said, dismissing the topic with a wave of his hand.
“Though I doubt your precious Princess would appreciate your speculation. A Starag questioning a Noila, I never thought I’d see the day. I’m glad to see you taking your lessons well.” Varis chuckled at the thought.
“As for this Count Benjamin, we’ll see his colors soon enough. It’ll be interesting to see why she chose this one. He clearly has political clout, as poorly directed as his efforts are, but not enough for me to know him. I wouldn’t doubt if Ryner was grooming him into a puppet for later. She is in a unique position to cultivate favors and helping someone rise in their family significantly would put that vampire on a leash for a century or two.” Varis mused and shrugged.
“Something to consider later. For now, it’s time we moved onto dealing with your transgressions. Since you performed well enough in your duties as a Sinnenodel mage, I’ll forgive your tardiness. Do not do it again.” Varis said as he leaned forward, catching Aaron’s chin and turning his gaze to the pile of clothes.
“But that transgression I cannot forgive. Your naivety put my reputation at risk and there must be consequences for that.” Varis shook his head in disappointment.
“I think it only fitting that it be symbolic of your departure from the House. I want every scrap of fabric from your closet burned to ash. You’ll watch every ember wink out and then you’ll burn anything that survived. That awful outfit from last night will be the last thing on the pyre.” Varis let him go, gesturing to the mask.
“That, however, we’ll deal with now. I think it’s the perfect way to affirm your dedication to your new House. Pick it up, admire it if you want. It is an exquisite piece of work. Think of who sent it to you, what it means that the Noila house cared enough to send it to you, that your family cared enough to send it to you.” Varis said.
“And then, I want you to break it right here. Into as many pieces as you can possibly manage and I want you to remember they let you go. Kicked you out from where you were supposed to be without warning into a strange and confusing world without so much as a peep. I want you to remember that despite your many failures, I took you in, I gave you a place,” Varis gently touched the earring, keeping his voice soft and low, empathetic.
“I’ve given you direction and a purpose. And despite this slap in the face, I fully intend to continue to do so. One mistake isn’t the end of the world, no matter how great the stumble, but I need your dedication to this. Can you do that for me? For us?”Varis’ point about questioning the Noilas caught Aaron off guard; how strange, he hadn’t even considered it. Varis was right, it wasn’t like him to question things like that. He figured he was only questioning the source of the information, but he had a point; speculation like that would never fly at home, where everything was governed by a strict unspoken policy of “don’t ask, don’t tell”. Up until this point, Aaron thought he’d been barely stumbling through Varis’ roundabout ‘lessons’ and only (poorly) acting the part, but now had to wonder… was all the espionage actually changing the way he thought?
While he was on the back foot, wondering if the Sinnenodel methods really
had begun getting into his head, Varis explained his punishment and just about bowled him over completely. So he was to purge himself of all his Noila-given belongings? Well, he supposed that was
almost all of his belongings, but his clothes made up the bulk of them, every article made to measure to exacting Noilan standards and lovingly taken care of. Aaron’s gut twisted at the idea. Destroying all he’d been given felt like treachery, like a slap to the face of the family who gave him so much throughout his life, the family he owed everything to.
The family, as he was painfully reminded by Varis’ next instructions, he
thought he’d spend his life trying to repay.
He followed Varis’ gesture, eyes falling to the mask. It really was a beautiful piece of work, glossy black enamel and feathers laden with gold. Regal, elegant, opulent; the very pinnacle of Noilan perfection. Even the crack in the beak only added to its beauty, broken just enough to make it shine. That was how he’d always imagined his upbringing under the Noilas, come to think of it. Like every swing of a switch over a mistake or an insult was a stroke of a sculptor’s hammer, each one expertly molding him a little bit closer to form. The pain was temporary, and he always came out the other side better than he started. Over time, as the corrections grew less and less frequent, he’d thought it was because he was nearing perfection. Lately, though, he couldn’t shake the feeling that it was because he was beyond repair.
Maybe he’d gotten lost somewhere along the way, gone by the wayside and fallen short of expectations. Maybe they thought he wasn’t worth the effort of rebuilding, or that he couldn’t fill the sizable footsteps left by his ancestors. Maybe they thought he’d make a better diplomatic tool than an attendant, and figured they could kill two birds with one stone by giving him up. Whatever the reason, Varis was right; they’d thrown him away. But what hurt the most, what kept him up during the day, was that he didn’t know
why.Aaron froze when Varis touched his earring. He sat stone-still, heart pounding like an animal in a predator’s sights, Varis’ soft tone of voice sending a shiver down his spine as he listened. But what hurt and shocked him was that everything Varis said was true. Aaron was embarrassed to admit it, but something in him welcomed Varis’ reassurance and reached out for it, pining for the sort of stability he described. The Count’s methods were torturous, but were they so different from what he was used to? Methodology aside, they seemed to be working. Was it so absurd to think he might fit the Sinnenodel mold better than he fit the Noilas?
The very thought twisted Aaron’s heart in his chest, like he was betraying every Starag who came before him even just entertaining the idea. But what else could he do? Like every other, the choice had been made for him. His place wasn’t with the Noilas - not according to them. They thought fit to uproot him and turn everything upside-down, jettison him off into a world that - just as Varis said - he didn’t understand. That they’d never prepared him for. But worst of all, they took away his chance to carry on his family’s legacy. His whole life’s purpose, as far as he’d been concerned. Without it, he was aimless. He was nobody.
Aaron picked up the mask, resolve flaring in his chest, though he nearly faltered as he cradled it in his lap, admiring the details and running his fingers over the feathers. His mother meant well in sending it, but looking at it now, it almost seemed a mockery, a feeble glimpse at what he could never be. Sure, he could parade himself naively around in Noilan colours for a night, but at the end of it he’d still have to take them off again, wouldn’t he? Take off his face and name while he was at it and turn back into the unrecognizable thing he was now.
But who said he had to stay that way?
Shocking himself, Aaron suddenly snapped the mask in half, and in half again, and again and again with a vigour he didn’t even know he had. Each snap incensed him further, every hour spent tossing and turning and agonizing burning their way to the surface as he worked. By the time he was done, the mask lay littered on the floor at Varis’ feet like confetti, an unrecognizable pile of rubble and feathers. His eyes stung, and a painful lump formed in his throat, but he remained resolute.
“I can try,” he finally answered, voice betraying a conviction he still didn’t quite understand.
Varis watched as Aaron shattered the mask at his feet. Frankly after all Ryner has put him through so far, it was nice to watch her little pet destroy her family’s image so energetically. Cathartic. He felt something in him ease, a worry he couldn’t quite put his finger on, and he smiled. At least something of his plan was going well. The boy clearly thrived on a supportive relationship with his vampire and Varis would definitely exploit that as a plan B. He of all vampires knew not to trust anyone and Ryner screamed caution. Varis brushed his hand down the side of the boy’s face and guided his gaze to meet with Varis. He knew his eyes would be quite clear considering how pleasant the sight of a Starag destroying
Noila property was.
“I believe you’ll do much better than try.” Varis kept his voice soft, his tone light, before releasing the boy and resuming his typical briskness. He waved at the mess.
“Now, discard this and handle your punishment. Once you’ve done that, meet me in the study. We have plenty of work to do this evening.”
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