[u]Uicle[/u]

Uicle was walking the halls, ignoring anything bad that happened to him because of Aarem's curse, his mind turned inwards. He only barely noted that Gregor was dutifully following him around. Forty years. Forty years since he had rejected the service of Aarem, and not until this day had he had a 'relapse' so to speak. Oh, he had been sorely tempted, many times. But he had never truly fallen back into old habits, old skills, and old...tastes. Not until he had to deal with that Naga, that is. The only thing that had been different in that scenario was the fact that Xyden had tried to kill a child. A newborn. If Sam hadn't been there to stop him...Uicle shuddered to think of what state Xyden would have been in. And he had a large pool of memories to select from to give him a vivid imagination. And if Gregor hadn't been there to stop him from retaliating against Sam...it would have been a mess all around. Especially given that anniversary of Khan's twin brother was coming up, and the Esyire would have more stress and memories weighing on him than usual. [i]It's interesting how easily we can become those things that we claim to despise.[/i] Uicle idly observed. He should know. He was like that for 160 years of his rather lengthy lifespan.

His forward motion was halted when he heard someone addressing him. Turning to gaze at Leith, he snapped in reply, "An acute observation. Tell me, what is one who notices such obscure and hidden things doing in a mage college and not by a king's side?" He paused, seeming to realize the irritated tone he had taken. A deep, and completely unnecessary, breath went through him. "I'm sorry. My day has...been bad."