[center]
[h1][color=f49ac2]Amaris Marivaldi[/color][/h1]
[sub]Interacting with: [color=LemonChiffon]Minfillia[/color] [@Leslie Hall][/sub]
[/center]

Looking out across the sea of people, Amaris took note of some of the other personalities she would be spending the next few years with. The natural born vampires were the first to blend in, flocking together to gossip and network, quick to solidify alliances before the classes had even begun. Having been apart of upper society for as long as they had, their etiquette (while not always perfect) was refined and reflective of their status. She wouldn’t deny the benefits of such a move, but she had a personal belief that such binds were shallow and easily corrupted. One false move and the entire group could be turned against one another. 

Mages were a far more interesting group to watch, coexisting with differences as plain as night and day even between one another. Some seemed uncertain of themselves, anxious about their newfound position and purpose within society. Amaris could understand their apprehension, after all, it couldn’t be easy to have one’s life affected in such major ways. Others, however, seemed right at home. Those she assumed to be acclimated to vampiric life prior to attending Noila academy, perhaps born to mages with family assignments. Their origins were inconsequential to Amaris, all she could hope for was that their studies would be fruitful and their partnerships beneficial. 

She had to stifle a laugh as her eyes trailed after a particular child barreling through the crowd with the grace of an ox, only to topple as they reached the edges of the crowd. After a brief interaction with the person they had bumped into, it became clear to Amaris that it was another pair coming together for the first time. Attention shifted to the boy, a twinge of sadness staying her excitement. Clearly he was a vampire but he was nothing at all like her. He stuck out like a sore thumb, a quivering and almost sickly looking boy despite his physiology. 

[i][color=f49ac2]An Embraced.[/color][/i] Amaris sighed internally, fighting the urge to shake her head. While Amaris herself had nothing against those that had once been human, the mere thought of what they had to go through in order to gain immortality was enough to make her ill. She couldn’t help but to wonder if he had asked for such a life or if it had been forced upon him due to forces outside his control. The young noble turned her eyes away as the two made their way back through the crowd and toward the tables of food. It was not up to her to feel pity, what right did she have to impose her sadness onto the boy? For all she knew, he was perfectly content with his situation or had long since come to terms with the changes at hand.

A shimmer of gold out of the corner of her eye pulled Amaris’ attention away from the partygoers, the vampire turning to greet the newcomer as she made her approach. She recognized the human immediately from the picture that had been provided, the beauty untarnished in the pale lighting. If there was one thing Amaris had to admit, there was something additionally enchanting about seeing Minfillia in person; a grace in movement that a still frame could not possibly capture. Though, if she had to gauge from the mage’s reaction, a similar realization had been reached by the young woman.

“[color=LemonChiffon]P-pardon my intrusion.[/color]” Minfillia was polite in her approach, careful to announce herself should she be interrupting a conversation of some kind. It was pretty obvious that Amaris had been standing on her own, but there was something to be said about the attention to etiquette and social standard. Amaris allowed a light smile to brighten her features, something soft and welcoming but not so overly friendly so as to give away the excitement bubbling up inside her.

“[color=LemonChiffon]You are Amaris Marivaldi, are you not?[/color]” Amaris was impressed with how quick the mage was to recover, having started off wide eyed and shaky of voice, Minfillia now presented herself with the poise and grace Amaris had come to expect only from her own kind. Her bow was a simple one but it was precise and spoke to practiced precision. It wasn’t a large leap to assume that this particular woman had grown up close to vampires. She showed no fear in the presence of what would be considered the world’s top predator, nor did she seem daunted by the chasm society dictated were between them. Mere moments after meeting and Amaris already found herself impressed with the human that stood before her.

“[color=LemonChiffon]My name is Minfillia von Reinhertz. From this night, I am at your service.[/color]” And there it was, the confirmation of classical training. Amaris had no doubts this woman had spent her entire life leading up to a moment like this, practicing her poise and mannerisms in a way that best served the situation at hand. It was not an easy thing to do and Amaris had witnessed many a pureblood struggle to show the decorum this human had mastered at such a young age.

Sensing the girl was finished with her introductions Amaris nodded her head back in acceptance of Minfillia’s courtesy, the same soft smile lightening her eyes to a sparkling lavender.

“[color=f49ac2]Minfillia von Reinhertz you may be, but at my [i]service[/i] you are not. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.[/color]” The last thing Amaris needed, or even wanted for that matter, was a servant. Noila academy was one of the few places a mage and a vampire could be considered the same. Both she and Minfillia were students with studies and jobs of their own; co-enhabitors, not master and servant. There was still a long way to go before they could be considered anything close to friends, but Amaris wanted to be clear that there was nothing but friendliness to be found in their partnership… or rather she hoped.

“[color=f49ac2]Please, allow me to introduce myself properly.[/color]” Without stooping her posture, Amaris gently lifted Minfillia’s hand in her own.

“[color=f49ac2]I am Countess Amaris of the house Marivaldi, daughter of the late Lord Ralmevik. I am looking forward to working alongside you in these coming years.[/color]” Her words flowed from her lips as naturally as the air flowed, a light and airy sound that spoke to the pride of family lineage rather than the arrogance of status. Having concluded her sentence, she lightly kissed the back of Minfillia’s hand before freeing the appendage back to the control of its owner. 

“[color=f49ac2]Your surname, I believed I recognized it. If I am not mistaken, your family has been rather influential in our society. The current lord of my house has spoken highly of Viktor’s accomplishments… Ah, but I’m sure the last thing you want to talk about is someone else’s work. How about you tell me a bit about yourself on the walk over to the dorms, unless you have some unfinished business to attend to first?[/color]” Amaris was in no particular hurry and was fully prepared to operate at Minfillia’s preferred speed for the night. Her attention to the response was stolen, however, by a familiar voice from somewhere behind her.

She turned her body just enough so that she could see without turning her back to her conversation partner, her smile dwindling to a straight-faced scowl. The lightness of lavender gave way to the harsh cold of amethyst and her posture became slightly more rigid, unnoticeable to the untrained eye but a clear sign of discomfort to those who knew how to read her body language.

[i][color=f49ac2]Count Varis.[/color][/i] The name, even unspoken, left a sour taste in her mouth. She had only met him on a couple of occasions but it had been enough for her to begin actively avoiding him. Amaris despised the way he carried himself, nose high as if he was better than the rest of the world. The relationship between his family and the rest of the noble houses had been strained at best, their love for heated debate the source of many a conflict between the families. Their intellectual might was something to be admired but their application is what made them difficult to work with. It wasn’t just the antagonistic behaviors that irritated her, however, as they were just as easily ignored as engaged. Her aggravation was directed at the treatment of their mages, varied but almost always poorly. Even now she had to bite her tongue from lashing out as she watched the interaction between him and the mage assigned to him.

Had the blatant disrespect gone on any longer, Amaris might not have been able to hold herself back, her visage slowly darkening the longer her eyes bore into the side of Varis’ head. But after what seemed like an eternity the mage, who carried a decorated sword upon his side, was allowed back on his feet. Just like Minfillia, the mage appeared to have been tutored in some way prior to enrollment, but there were some major differences between them. She couldn’t be sure without further investigation, but Amaris was fairly certain she knew who the young man was.

As Varis and the mage departed from the scene, Amaris filed the information away to look into at a later date. She had more important things to attend to than stirring up trouble on the first night at the academy, turning her full attention back to Minfillia with a strained smile.

“[color=f49ac2]Shall we?[/color]”