The prince's smile makes him once more curious, however he is far more interested in getting his answer than asking any more questions at this point. His eyes dart back and forth between the tome in his arms and the prince, his blinking noticeably sped up in his muted excitement. He pauses in his excitement however when the prince moves, his eyes locking on the moving target as he shows the old man a touch of open affection. [i]'He must like this one better than the other. Smiles can be deceiving, but then again, so can affection, however I think this be true'[/i] His eyes remain locked on as the prince approaches, his head tilting as he is given permission to peruse the books. 

As much as this raises his normally dormant spirits he recognizes the tone of voice and sets the book open on the table, ready to follow the youth as he leaves the tower. However, the prince has other plans and he can feel his body keying up as his charge vanishes from his sight. He tumbles over and over the possibilities, weighing the pros and cons of disobeying the prince's order to stay and the likeliness of him actually encountering any problems on a quick trek to the kitchens, and finally, he decides to stay put. [i]'If he is not back in a reasonable amount if time, I will go look for him'[/i] He decides, and without a second guess of himself, he slides into an empty chair next to the tome he'd picked up earlier and flips to the front page.

He does not have long to enjoy it however seeing as as soon as he feels the prince move out of the building, a new magic laces it's way about the room, tangling none too pleasantly with his own. With unhurried movements the fae stands, his hand going to his dagger. His eyes lock on to the man's back as he moves and he can feel his cool, killer instincts kicking in at the feeling of the old man's magic rubbing against his own. Fortunately for Rei, the magic is nonthreatening at the moment, unfortunately as well however, Rei is not so talented in his magic to recognize that. [i]'Is he challenging me?'[/i] He moves slowly around, seeking out the man's eyes to better assess the situation. While most assassins would sty behind their target, Rei knows that would do no good against a magical opponent, and as he has proven many times with his kills, he has no need to stab them in the back to make it clean, and quick.

He pauses only for an instant as the man speaks, not relaxing at the apparently kind words and fond tone, but instead comes at last around to face the man, reading his face, not his words. Sensing no malice, no anger, only a touch of warning, Rei at last relaxes, giving the old man the benefit of the doubt. [i]'Besides, if it comes down to magic, he could easily be stronger than me and I will not only not have been able to tell, but would not stand a chance'[/i] His hand remains grasped on the handle of his dagger, but he moves up from his slightly crouched position, drawing back in his magic to get rid of the annoying grating feeling on his magical nerves. He blinks one of his slow blinks, all traces of his excitement and interest gone in the face of this old man's warning and possible real peril facing him.

He considers the question for a long moment, assessing his true intents in this case, and after a long moment where the old master waist patiently Rei falls back into his old habit of few words and looks to the man, answering with a simple, “No.” The old man takes his time as well replying to the declaration, his milky white eyes looking at Rei as his own magic touches here and there. To true magic users like the fae, and human mystics like this one, magic is almost an added sense, helping them to probe the world around them, and Rei does not begrudge the light poking.

His smile from before returns and he motions the youth sit down before him and without hesitation the fae walks over slowly and takes the prince's seat, hand still on his blade. “I believe you.” The simple words carry truth, however Rei can not help, at this declaration, his curiosity once more peeking up for a question.

Waving to the tome the prince had been reading he murmurs, “Then, do you not believe the history you teach, or are you simply accepting that I am different from they?”

The old mage chuckles lightly, his body relaxing slightly, the folds of his robes once more threatening to eat the old man. “Oh, you are quite different from they, though closer to they than your kin, if my eyes be not deceiving me.” Rei does not even try to question the veracity of that assessment, knowing full well that indeed, the life of a killer applies to his life more than the gentle folk he came from. However a moment later the elder man manages to surprise him a bit by rescinding his statement. “No, forgive me, the pretend fae in this book are evil, and I sense you do not have even a touch of that in you. . . .You are something else entirely.” He raises an eyebrow as Rei shakes his head slightly. “You disagree child?”

Rei nods slightly. “While I agree, I am not evil, in the eyes of my people I am near to it, and even in the eyes of my current ward, I may be. Life is built not only on truths, but people's perceptions of the truth, so even if I may not be, I am still perceived as such, so in the eyes of most, I truly am nearer to they than those who call themselves my kin.” The Meister looks at him for many long silent minutes, and Rei stays silent as well, simply looking back at the man. 

When at last he speaks, Rei listens with his usual look of disinterest. “People may perceive the world one way child, but that does not change it, no matter how hard the people believe it to.” He smiles warmly after that. “I must say however it is nice to hear someone speaking the tongue of philosophy so eloquently once more after such a long time. You have a good head for figuring on your shoulders.” He then waves a hand dismissively. “As to the prince, if he truly thought you evil, he would not have you around. As I said, he is a good boy. . .”

Rei notices the old man once more falling back to sleep and in the interest of honestly he decides to ask his question from before about the wig. The elder opens his eyes once more, a but confused at first, however he at last figures out what the youth is talking about. “Oh, that look from earlier. . .It's his wig. I have a great distaste for his need to wear it. I find this whole thing quite foolish, and I am sure it does not bring out the best in him to have to hide a part of who he is.”

Rei nods softly, “I agree.” The Meister's eyes snap back open at this, giving Rei a look he does not recognize, but after a few silent moments the man chuckles, letting himself fall back to sleep without another word. Rei stands slowly, moving back around the table to where he left his book as he thinks over the old man's words. [i]'He may be right. The prince may not think me evil. However that look in his eyes on occasion. That almost startled expression. . .As if he is just remembering what I am and what I do for a living. If not thinking me evil, he at least finds my actions as such'[/i] He settles back into his chair behind the sleeping man. [i]'As to the rest. . .'[/i] 

Rei does not quite know what to make of the old mage's breakdown of his way of thinking, so for now he lets his go. His hand slides from his dagger hilt, sliding up on to the book as he begins reading. He has to sit on his knees to be able to read the top lines of the tome properly, using his arms to lean over the giant book. And as with many things in his live, the exchange with the old man soon leaves the forefront of his mind and he is once more excited about the opportunity to read books he's never read before. He does however keep his magic pulled in tight, not wanting it to brush against the old man's should it snake out again. The feeling was rather unpleasant. As such, he does not feel the prince returning, only catching his attention when he hears the young man's feet on the stairs. His head comes up only as the door opens before darting immediately back to the line he was in the middle of before the door opened.