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[hr][Achronum] [Hero] [Apoalo][/center][hr]
As soon as Aaron was certain that Varis was gone and busy, he let his head fall into his hand once more, producing the object he'd been hiding from his pocket with the other. It was a wide silver chain with a badge set into the middle bearing the paramedic symbol; on the back it bore a warning about an Amoxicillin allergy. His medical alert bracelet, the one he'd been given only a few days before leaving for the Academy. The thing had completely slipped his mind this evening, probably due to a mixture of lingering stress from the night before and simply not being used to it. Luckily, Varis had either not noticed or not cared; Aaron was fine with either. 

He moved to fasten it to his left wrist, but paused. No, that wouldn't do. He doubted Varis would appreciate the addition of something new to the outfit he'd crafted. After a moment of thought, he decided to fasten it to his ankle instead, where it would be hidden. It was an odd sensation, but that was apparently the theme of the night. 

His free hand found its way to the necklace as he began to write, tracing over the texture of the Sinnenodel crest that hung from it and sighing. It wasn't exactly subtle. Aaron had a sneaking suspicion Varis had chosen it for more than just to appease his Lady. Not to mention his collar was unbuttoned, tie hanging out of his vest, sleeves rolled up... It took a conscious effort not to put everything to order the way he was used to. 

He was only about a page into his lines when he was jerked out of his concentration once more by a sound. It was coming from his bedroom across the hall, unmistakable. It must have been 2:45am, because his phone's alarm was going off.

He'd been told to write until Varis was ready, but certainly the Count wouldn't appreciate a phone alarm going off for the next hour. Satisfied with his brief reasoning - he felt the need to go over everything twice in his head in light of recent events - Aaron stood abruptly and started out the door, pausing only to make sure the coast was clear before near-sprinting into his bathroom for his phone. He nearly dropped it in his haste to silence it, but managed to shut it up before it did any more damage. 

When silence fell back into place again, Aaron let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. He was about to put his phone back down and return to the study when he paused. He could hear the shower in Varis' room running; maybe he had a few minutes. 

Feeling a little daring, he leaned back against the counter and brought up a new contact entry to make a contact for Lilie, hoping he'd memorized her number correctly, and sent her a message.  

[color=CBBA2E][i]> Hey, Lily? This is Aaron, I can't talk right now but here's my number. I hope everything went okay with that woman! See you tomorrow?[/i][/color]

He got a little flurry of nervous excitement when he hit send, shoving off the counter and turning to the mirror over the sink. His mood dropped significantly, however, when he saw his reflection. There was that shocking alteration to his face again, the artfully messy hair, the carefully disheveled outfit, the foreign jewelry...

[color=CBBA2E][i]Good lord, I look like a whore.[/i][/color]

He frowned. The Queen's tastes were... [i]conservative,[/i] to say the least, and that extended to everyone in her service. Believe it or not, Aaron had been the one pushing fashion boundaries back home with his khakis and cardigans. Compared to what he was used to, this outfit made him look like a hooker the morning after. 

He moved to spin his ring, only to find it missing; it was on the counter, and he considered putting it on only for a second before throwing out the idea. Like the bracelet, he was pretty sure Varis wouldn't be impressed if a new accessory appeared. Still, he felt utterly powerless without either his ring or his sword, so he opted simply to put it in his pocket. 

At the thought of his sword, though, a horrifying realization crashed into Aaron's mind. He and Lilie had completely ditched Salem at the arena! He nearly gasped, he felt so horrible. Just then, though, he heard the water in Varis' room turn off; he was out of time. 

Fingers flying, Aaron sent a hasty, typo-ridden message to Lucan asking him to apologize to Salem on his behalf before throwing his phone into the pillows on his bed and rushing back to the study as quietly as he was able. He made it back without hearing any more movement, and was cautiously optimistic that Varis had either not noticed or not cared. 

After waiting a minute or so, his suspicions were confirmed, and he was left alone. So, with a deep breath to dispel the nerves from his little risk, he set back to his lines, fiddling with his ring in his pocket as he wrote. [hr]