Vermont looked at victor with a wholesome smile but shook his head, rushing the boy out with his hands as quickly as possible. "No, no, Victor. I appreciate your praise, but I must ask that you abandon this idea of yours. I work alone for a reason, and I really must get some rest. This ritual has put quite a bit of stress on my arcane network, and I'm [i]very[/i] tired. Tomorrow, I will gladly be explaining the process behind my restorative progress to anyone who approaches me... But, if you'd like, I can save you a key meeting at 6 AM," Vermont urged, ending with a calm offering, albeit only to get Victor to leave. He'd acknowledged the boy's potential in the back of his mind, but was awfully eager to have his study empty as soon as possible.

	The moonlight glistening tiles went dark for a split second as something shuffled past one of the windows. There was nothing there, but the occurrence made Vermont visibly startled. He stepped back and grabbed his chest, breathing deeply. "I'm awfully excitable, right now."

	Victor might have noticed something strange in the passing shadow. It was played off as if it were a crow or some other animal, but there was a distinct purple glow that flashed into his peripheral vision as it happened. Something familiar. Something like.. [i]Eyes.[/i]