[u]Lidda [/u] 

Lidda frowned at sluggish attempt Alaira made towards her, but it didn't stop her reaction. In seconds, quills, sharp and thin hollow points erupted from her neck and created a hardened mane. It was fortunate that Alaira hadn't been able to rise her hand far enough or been able to strike, otherwise her hand would've been treated to something painful. 

Instead, her eyebrow had rose in question at the half elf and took in her expression of pain. "Nice try, but I suggest against trying it again."

At seeing her current patient examine herself, Lidda waited in silence while Alaira's eyes roamed about her bandage body. Despite Vitamancy being a primary focus on the body, in areas of healing, strengthening, and more, there was only so much mending Lidda dared risk when it came to those suffering Blood Sickness. Mainly due to the fact their arcanite was at such levels and risk crippling the subject beyond repair, a main fact it was ill-advised for vitamancers to heal it. It made natural healers and alchemists like Samuel and Lucilia, respectively, necessary. 

She moved, noting Alaira's stubbornness, when the student had pulled upright to make her way toward the scene. She spied Sam standing there, almost certian Mar should be in bed and rested alongside Lyn. His arms waved about in threatic worry which amused the Vitamancer inwardly. Alaira's comment naturally seemed to have done the trip, soothing the babe into a less fussy state as her little eyes closed into relaxation. Mar was still glaring at Athalus and seemed that the only fact he was in bed had stopped her from lashing out, much to Sam's worry. That didn't last long when he spotted Alaira and started to usher her back into the nearest cot, exclamations of why she shouldn't be out and bout rang through the room. Lidda shook her head before she rose upright and helped him place the others back into bed. 

[Center][b]Time Passing: Two months[/b][/center]

[u]Khan[/u]

Khan sat within his office, his horned head hunched over his desk and papers piled at each end. Currently he was dressed in a white, crisp tunic designed to allow his wings to fold about his form and buckskin trousers that ran down to just below his knees. His left boot tapped softly against the stone floor, making a loud tip-tap to fill the silence. At his side was a elegantly carved cane propped there as a reminder. His focus was fixed on papers which held his official written signature and yet in some odd way, it didn't. 

His chicken scratch, once strong and fluid, had a shaky quality to it with each time he picked up a feathered quill. It had taken what he thought was ages to be able to write eligible once again after his experience but the effects would last a lifetime, his hand's strength weakened and unable to grasp for long periods. At least like it had before. It had taken some difficulty to convince the representatives that this incident wouldn't happen. Yet, many students and staff had decided to return home against his reassurances, leaving the College slightly less crowded then it had been once. There was still plenty of students to avoid the eerie abandonment, but the losses were still felt both in the face of the Headmaster and those left behind. It was a depressing time then. 

Slowly he rose his head and tore away from his current task, a list of the College expenses for the month, as he reached one hand to open a drawer. His wing shifted to make the motion easier while his body half turned to glimpse within. It creaked opened on its mixture of mental and wooden grooves. A glint reflected off a familiar green vial with an attached note. His hand reached in to examine it, bring it up to his odd colored eyes while the words echoed in his mind: we really should be friends. 

Khan hadn't revealed the object's presence to anyone. Niether Lucillia, Tyrael or Uicle, for he feared what all of them would've said. He had his own idea, unsure how well it fit to the personality they had and of what their actions would've been. There was slight discomfort he felt about his friends action, one that held him back from telling them. Khan wasn't ready to risk secrets and he just wasn't sure if they would keep something from him or tell him the dark truth, disliking his current course of action.

He churned the liquid's contain over in his hand while he had little fear of being overheard or walked in on. Mainly thanks to Rathel's little demonic creations and Zaad's part. Rathel, alongside the other demons, had been confined to the Inferno for one month and during that time, he had been busy developing a special type of flower imbue with demonic energies. It had special properties which played upon Rathel's demon nature and herbamancy, creating a slight bounding effect where it could only be manipulated by a single Herbamancer throughout all it's long life. However, there were side effects Rathel was still determined to iron out. Namely the vicious nature of th eplant in question and it's craving for blood, a vampiric trait left off from the original plant chosen for the experiment. Now the plant, hidden below the stone work of Khan's office, had created a tightly woven seal against any would be spies or pests, plant or otherwise. Zaad on the other hand was eager to patrol the hallways, alert and tense in his chore.

Khan's mind wandered over the events which had past in the last two months. 

The days had passed into weeks and before too long, the changes of the seasons had occurred throughout the College, freed from the effects of that terrible night. Changes in the season were clear as frost gave way to the spring breezes, melting them to make way to new greenery within the College grounds and the familiar grey landscape surrounding it. Far in the distance along the roads towards the Twilight College, like tiny trees of a grim nature, were the petrified and rotted heads of a great number of demons purged during the previous month placed there by Tyrael. Khan after all would not allow any remains back upon the College's grounds now cleaned of the losses. Classes had slowly went back to their subtle ways, practice and knowledge passed into the minds of the students as they grow in magic. 

His leg ached, a cry to stir, causing Khan to set the vial aside and gently rub the pain away. The medicine Lucilia had left upon his desk was still there, barely touched, thanks to his overwhelming tasks. Surly skipping one day wouldn't hurt him? Thought Khan, lazily casted his sight upon it before he farther ignored it. 

[u]Mar And Lyn[/u] 

Mar's arm was pressed onto Althalus's chest, her fingers splayed over the contours and felt the soft rise and fall of his breathing. Her head was nuzzled near his neck inhaling his comforting scent. In the past, she would never have been this close to him, sleeping close and coiling her tail about his sleeping form. It had only became a habit due to Lyn's inability to sleep without the presence of both. Now, despite Mar's pride, it felt more natural then anything. 

In a hazy sense, Mar began to wake. The den was too dark to see anything but faded lines blurred out by a pale glow, yet her skin flickered alive. Something was crawling across her skin. Slow and creeping. Mar's eyes snapped open and a dry hiss escaped her lips. He body jerked upright, her arms snapped free from the petite thorns which had twisted about the bed. It was a small rose bush but the thorn were like tiny daggers, their floral blades dug into her skin, splitting it to draw blood. 

Instinctively Mar's head snapped about, her eyes alarmed. Lyn, now six years physically, was sitting just at the foot of their bed. She dressed in a simple, cotton tunic with her brown long hair wild and tangled. Fresh soil smudges had covered her from head to toe, so she appeared like most typical children her physical age. However, her skin looked slight peak as in her hand was a bundle of roses, their stems trailed from her scratched grasp and spread across the bed. She smiled, faintly, through she looked about to tip over from her seated position. Two objects were sitting next to her, the first was a small dagger, made from the bone and twine demon gut connecting the blade and handle (with her toy's baby bells attached), and the last was a well love abused stuff animal patched several times.

When she spotted her mother's surprised gaze, Lyn held out her arms to present her with the flowers. Her head gestured to gathered gift then back to Mar, unable to speak words yet. At first the sudden pace at which Lyn had grown alarmed Mar, not even Naga grew up that fast, and became a slight worry for various teachers in the College. So far there wasn't any thing to determine Lyn's quick growth was harmful to her but rather, natural. It was hard to know for sure due to Lyn being the first of her kind. 

"Lyn... did you do this?" Mar asked in a soft voice, her arms edged to scoop her daughter up. Unaware of the small scratches leaving tiny, bloody lines over her surface. Lyn merely nodded, her thin arms wrapped about Mar's neck while she laid her head upon the shoulders with heavy lidded eyes.