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Having lost track of time a while back, Lilie was relieved when Allison would finally stand from her seat, informing her that it was time to go. She figured it was best not to bother the vampire with too many questions, not when she could just ask Arianna herself. Her restlessness was evident even as she tried to control herself; one would think her hands were glued to the hem of her dress by the way she gripped it.

The main gates were just as she remembered it, though the only sounds heard were those of Allison’s strides and Lilie’s heels clicking as she tried to keep up. One lone figure stood, waiting patiently, and she recognized them as Arianna. She didn’t so much as look as they approached, though Lilie stopped in her tracks shortly behind Allison. Her eyes looked so distant, her expression unreadable.

The academy itself was a wonder, though that was to be expected from a place essentially built to honor a treaty. The ball of fur that rested in the pocket of his hoodie wriggled for a moment, causing Ike to slide his hand over the furry lump until it stopped moving with a huff. Narcissus had been having trouble sleeping since they arrived in the car, and had seemingly refused to sleep for any longer than minutes at a time for days now. Ike himself was having troubles as well, as much as he was ready to get this thing going and meet some new people, doubts were beginning to form just as quickly. However before anything else the car stopped and Ike forced himself out, stirring the white furred lump once again and causing it to hiss gently in annoyance, it’s head peeking out from the pocket of the blue hoodie to see what was going on.

Ikelos grumbled to himself as he noticed the people already waiting for him at the gate, two he at least recognized. [color=MediumSlateBlue]“Miss Allison, glad to see you.”[/color] When it came to Arianna he simply offered a silent, respectful nod. Ike then took a slight bow, once again earning another hiss from Narcissus, who had had quite enough of the jostling already and slid out of Ike’s pocket and tried to leap to the ground, being caught mere inches from freedom. “Now now Narcissus, enough of that.” Ike spoke softly to Narcissus and slid the animal into his currently unused hood, giving it an easy view of the new folks.[color=MediumSlateBlue] “I hope you both are well, my name is Ikelos Eve.” [/color]

Arianna abruptly turned to Lilie, the grace in her movements all but gone. A brief hug, a kiss to her cheek, a whispered [color=lightblue]“Associate with the common crowd, dearest Lilie.”[/color], and Arianna was gone. The drive had come around, fixing Ikelos a disgruntled glare at leaving the car on his own, and assisted the countess into the car and shutting it behind her. 

[color=ed1c24]”Welcome to the Noila Academy, Ikelos.”[/color] Allison spoke warmly. Four porters approached the car, two wheeling Arianna’s luggage while the other two unloaded Ikelos’s. [color=ed1c24]“This is Lilie, your partner for the duration of your stay here. She will be providing you blood while you are here. As is usual, other vampires may not drink from her unless you give express permission and vice versa. Do you have any questions or concerns for the time being?”[/color]

Ikelos already had his hands up in mock surrender by the time Allison spoke. [color=MediumSlateBlue]”Did I do something wrong? Arianna looked as if she wanted to murder me.”[/color] Ikelos sighed as he dropped his hands and looked to what was apparently be his partner. They shared a few physical attributes at least, namely the pale skin, white hair and pale blue eyes. It seemed a bit strange to him, the mage might as well be a family member at that point, and Ike was not quite sure how he felt about that.

[color=MediumSlateBlue]”Well at any rate, hello Lilie, I hope that we get along.”[/color] The ferret grumbled again from the hood, briefly distracted by the strange look from Arianna. [color=MediumSlateBlue]”Well I guess there is one thing, I brought a few things for him from home but what will I do about feeding Narcissus? I seriously doubt I brought enough to last him our whole stay.” [/color]

The white haired girl stared at Ike. The contrast between him and Arianna was like night and day. He was so...casual, especially for a noble. She always had this image of vampires in her head that had matched the ones she had seen, but if she didn't know better, she would have thought Ikelos to be a normal, easygoing human. Though she couldn't quite ignore the somewhat cold look Arianna had given him. As if she wasn't nervous enough! She didn't know what to expect from him, which arguably only added to her anxiety.

[Color=deepskyblue]”Um...hello, Lord Ikelos,”[/color] She was at a loss at what to say, the entire situation still not sitting well with her. She certainly felt like a pet being given from one person to the next. 

“He is a Count, not a Lord.” Allison corrected. “As for your pet, submit a supply to have it's food stocked in your dorm. Lilie will give you a tour of the grounds and your living quarters. If you need me, you can find me in the main administrative building.” Allison bowed slightly and took her leave.

Ike nodded as Allison left, waiting until she was out of sight before speaking again. [color=MediumSlateBlue]”Err, sooo, what’s next?”[/color]Ike was waiting for Lilie to take the lead, but she clearly was just as in need of a second to cope as he was. Narcissus however, was not distracted by anything as silly as introductions, and reached up to bite Ike right on the ear as if to say ‘Well let's get a move on already!’ [color=MediumSlateBlue]” Oww, what was that for? I guess we should get a move on, I think Narcissus is getting hungry.”[/color]

Lilie didn’t know there was a difference between a lord and count, thinking that they were either interchangeable or...oh, who was she kidding, she had no idea. Still, the entire exchange had gone about as smoothly as it could have, even if she never did get the chance to properly talk to Arianna. Her eyes watched the little ferret curiously, taking note of how Ikelos treated him. He was small, but very cute. If she recalled correctly, though, ferrets had a tendency to steal things, so she would have to make sure she secured anything she had that she would miss.

[color=deepskyblue]”Right, um,”[/color] She wasn’t entirely sure where to start, although Narcissus gave her an idea. [color=deepskyblue]”Actually, there’s food at the dorm, we can go there first and see if we have anything we can give him. That way you know where you’ll be staying, and we can go from there.”[/color] She suggested, trying to be helpful.

Ike laughed and nodded, he could more than likely find something for Narcissus there. [color=MediumSlateBlue]”Well let's get going then… oh and don’t worry about the whole Count thing, it’s always kinda bugged me, makes it sound like i’m actually important in some way.”[/color] Ike chuckled nervously at that as he adjusted his hood and Narcissus slid down to curl up.

Beckoning for him to follow her lead, Lilie made sure to lead the way, but once again found herself surprised by his words. Not that she was going to complain about the lack of title, despite her ignorance she knew it was best to just go with the flow and keep her head down. She wanted to ask more about him, but Allison’s reminder made her wonder where the line was. The Eve family was filled with odd vampires, though considering this was her first brush with them, maybe this was typical.

Clearing her throat, she decided to try to strike up the same conversation she had the first time she met Arianna. [color=deepskyblue]”Do you have any requests or expectations from me?[/color] She asked him, her hands behind her back as they walked. [color=deepskyblue]”I like to tget the mail during the day, so you’ll have it when you get up at night. But other than that, I don’t really know anything about serving nobility.”[/color] Honesty was always the best policy, or at least, that was what she believed.

Ike sighed, he had enough of people bending over backwards for him at home, but he had a feeling that neglecting the girl as her first real companion might prove to be an ill choice. [color=MediumSlateBlue]”Well unlike what I would imagine other vampires here may be like, I won't follow your every move and punish you for any slight, if you haven't yet figured it out i'm not like that. [/color] 

Ike stretched as he followed behind [color=MediumSlateBlue]”But that being said, I guess I can’t reflect poorly on you and have you do nothing. In private treat me as you would anybody else, but if it comes to us having to be seen in public I would think it would be better for both of us to keep up a bit of an appearance, for both of our sakes. As for expectations? Just as long as you aren't actively trying to leave me out in the sunlight, not much. I will say though, if there is anything I really do expect, it’s that you do your best here. I’m not exactly the best influence and I want to see people succeed, especially the person I am paired with.”[/color]Ike felt a bit silly as he finished his rambling, he really did not know what to say to be perfectly honest. He was used to people doing a whole lot of things for him but if he planned on actually making friends instead of servants, well he may need to learn how to do some of those things for himself. 

Lilie nodded to show that she had heard and understood. He was interesting, she would give him that much. Doing her best, huh? She supposed now was a bad time to bring up her new record of no wins and one loss, courtesy of Aaron. Despite being off to a bad start, she had every intention of following through on Ike’s wishes. It was a relief, really, she seemed to have gotten lucky, being conscripted into serving a noble who was more into hoodies than formal attire.

[color=deepskyblue]”I suppose I’ll do my best and you’ll have to judge me from there,”[/color] She mused. Wanting to keep the ball rolling so to speak, she continued. [color=deepskyblue]”Any hobbies or interests? Aside from the little one.”[/color] She referred to Narcissus with a small smile.

Ike shrugged with a chuckle. [color=MediumSlateBlue]”Hobbies? Shoddy romance novels mostly, I seem to be addicted to the things lately. Anything else I suspect you might find out soon enough. Only question is, do we have our own kitchen?”[/color]

Romance novels? Ikelos was just full of surprises, it seemed. Lilie nodded, making sure she directed them to the right dorm. [color=deepskyblue]”Each noble family has their own private dorm, which includes separate bedrooms and yes, a kitchen,”[/color] She informed him, motioning towards the Eve crest distinguishing it from the other private dorms. 

[color=MediumSlateBlue]”Figures anything that I would be staying in would have the crest plastered all over it. Let’s get inside then I guess? Perhaps a larger tour can wait until I get Narcissus something to eat and sit down for a bit. Plus, you asked about hobbies, and I plan on delivering.” [/color]Ike smiled and slid into the building, almost making a beeline for the kitchen and placing Narcissus on the counter.

Delivering? Lilie followed Ike into the kitchen, curious about what he meant. She watched the ferret for a moment, quietly watching both it and its master. She didn't know much about vampires, but she had believed that they couldn't eat human food. Maybe he was going to make food for Narcissus then show her his hobby? That had to be it.

[Color=deepskyblue]”Mind if I watch?”[/color] She asked him, getting a little closer but not too close to Narcissus.

As if in response to Lilie’s hesitation, Narcissus scrambled across the countertop to get as close as he could to Lilie without leaping off, arcing his body as he tried to get a better look at her. Ikelos meanwhile rummaged through the cabinets for whatever his goal was. [color=MediumSlateBlue]”He won't bite, at least not until he thinks you have something for him. Even then he never draws blood, only ever bites me that hard.” [/color]

That was a relief, she really didn’t want to get her nose bitten for getting too close. She didn’t have many opportunities to interact with animals, so this was a treat. That and if they were going to be living together, then it was better if they got along. [color=deepskyblue]”Nice to meet you,”[/color] She told the ferret, offering her hand to him.

Narcissus sniffed her hand, looking up at her for a moment before pressing his head against her hand. His fur was soft and thick, giving him the texture of a recently washed and dried teddy bear. Ike meanwhile found a medium sized bowl and produced several ingredients from their places in the kitchen and withdrawing a small sack of chocolate chips, of all things, from his jacket pocket. [color=MediumSlateBlue]”Hope you can recognize what these ingredients are for, good thing you had what I needed. Also open this for me?”[/color] He handed Lilie a small rectangular can whose label had been rubbed off, and Narcissus immediately took an interest in it, nose working overtime as he tried to figure out why she was not already giving him the contents.

Grinning, she obliged, letting Narcissus explore the outside of the can as she fished through the drawer for a can opener. With tool in hand, she made sure to lift the can up a little to avoid cutting the ferret, opening it quickly. Her eyes flickered over to the ingredients, with Lilie raising an eyebrow as she handed him the open can. [color=deepskyblue]”Cookies?”[/color] She asked, curious.

Ike nodded as he slowly measured the needed ingredients, he always liked to be sure he got things just right, because if he messed up he could not taste it properly to see if it was correct.[color=MediumSlateBlue]”Yep, cookies. It’s weird right? But I like baking, just the fact I made something is pretty cool to me. Plus, it’s something people can enjoy, I always liked learning things like that. You can give Narcissus the can if you want, unless you have a little bowl or something. I don’t normally give him wet food but it’s what I got.”[/color] Narcissus however seemed to be simply enjoying the smell of the food, trying to find a way to climb up Lilie to get at it. [color=MediumSlateBlue]”But yea, at any rate this is the kind of stuff I do. Not really Count material if you ask me, but I guess you can’t choose your family.”[/color]

Obliging the little animal and placing the can on the counter, the girl's eyes lit up as Ike spoke. The last thing she expected was for a noble to like baking of all things, especially since she thought they had servants. But his words matched his actions, a practised ease about them as she watched. Not being able to eat didn't seem to deter him, either. At the mention of family, she frowned slightly, though she kept up the good mood as she gently pet Narcissus.

[Color=deepskyblue]”I think it's really nice to have a hobby you like,”[/color] Lilie said. [Color=deepskyblue]”If you have fun with it, that's what counts, right?”[/color]

Ike nodded as he finished the dough, moving to quickly place globs of the dough on two trays that he slid into the oven. [color=MediumSlateBlue]”Ok well these are cooking, just don’t let me forget about them.”[/color] Ike moved to sit down near Narcissus, who was already face deep in the little can of food, his body wiggling side to side, visually reminding Ike of a snake’s slithering.
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