[h2][center][b][color=red]Let the Dance Begin.[/color][/b][/center][/h2]
[right][sub]Interacting with: [@trainerblue192][@Obscene Symphony][/sub][/right]

[color=MistyRose]“We are pleased to hear it. With how soft he is on his household, we were worried he would slip into easier habits.”[/color] The mage caressed his cheek caringly. [color=MistyRose]“Stop pouting, it’s unseemly. Ryner provided you with an excellent opportunity to mold the minds of the next generation. You should feel honored.”[/color] The mage hummed as Varis murmured his understanding, his eyes lightning a bit.[color=MistyRose] “Perhaps we will attend one of your lectures. We haven’t the opportunity to see you in such a manner yet. With the Princess’s permission of course.”[/color] Ryner and the mage locked gazes. [color=MistyRose]“We wouldn’t want to overstep our bounds, now would we?”[/color]

[color=bc8dbf]“Academy policy requires any guests intending to visit a student give two weeks written notice normally and must be off Academy grounds by six thirty.”[/color] Ryner replied without hesitation, sipping at her wine while maintaining eye contact. [color=bc8dbf]“As long as your Excellency complies, I see no reason why your visit to my Academy should be denied.”[/color] As the pair spoke, the servant’s door cracked open and another servant whispered in Isadora’s ear, who nodded and curtsied next to the Queen. After holding it for a few moments, the Queen acknowledged the mage’s presence and leaned in as the woman whispered into her ear.

[color=FA8072]“Dinner is over.”[/color] The Queen ordered. [color=FA8072]“Sybil and I. Have business. To attend to. Ryner, we will. Discuss the Spellman. Problem in.The morning.”[/color] With little warning, she stood and swept away in one fluid movement with a grace and speed that defied her earlier motions. Her footsteps barely a whisper, she was out of the room with the blink of an eye. The mage huffed under her breath and stood from her chair, directing her sightless gaze at Aaron. Ryner sighed and looked sympathetically at Salem. Under the table, she patted his knee comfortingly as he watched the rest of the group silently.

[color=MistyRose]“We were glad for a meeting, Mr. Starag. We believe we see some potential in you. We merely need to cut out the Noila influence. Right Varis?”[/color] She asked as a servant cleared her spot and moved her chair.

[color=f7976a]“Indeed. Whether he sinks or swims, I will ensure he is an asset to our House.”[/color] Varis concurred. [color=f7976a]“However, my bets are on sinking right now.”[/color]

[color=MistyRose]“Varis darling. Play nice with the boy sometimes.”[/color] She chuckled. [[color=MistyRose]“We do hope you don’t disappoint us, Mr. Starag. Take care. Varis dear, approach us so we may discuss some business. We have a delightful surprise we know you’ll have fun with.”[/color] 

Aaron stood as Varis did, paying attention to the two as they spoke and bowing deeply to the mage woman when she finished. Beneath the surface, uncertainty gripped him again; Lady Sinnenodel seemed like she wanted to speak to the Count privately, but Aaron had not forgotten Varis’ warning about staying close. He wasn't sure what to do, but this time, he didn't dare guess. 

[color=f0d705]“Please pardon the interruption, Master,”[/color] he said to Varis, bowing his head, [color=f0d705]“Will you have further need of me, or would you prefer I leave you and Her Excellency to your business?”[/color] 

[color=f7976a]“You will attend me.”[/color] Varis spoke, not sparing the light mage a glance. He held out his arm for her to take, leading them over to Lady Sinnenodel herself. The vampire watched the door the Queen escaped through but her position shifted at some point from reclining to sitting upright, arm stretched out to her side. The mage girl settled in the next to her and snuggled close to the vampire, letting the vampire’s arm settle around her as she laid her head on Lady Sinnenodel’s shoulder. Varis knelt in front of them, his eyes fixed firmly on the floor in front of them. 

[color=MistyRose]“After your little incident with our favorite House,”[/color] The mage spoke coldy even as the smile stayed, [color=MistyRose]“We thought it prudent to look into the matter ourselves.”[/color] She reached back onto the couch and frowned, looking back at her seat. A white envelope lay across the chair, far too neat to have been accidently dropped. [color=MistyRose]“Goodness. Varis, be a dear and fetch that for me. It's your chance to earn back my trust.”[/color] Varis’s jaw clenched. Her attempts to separate them were irritatingly obvious and he wasn't about to let her have her way. His eyes darted to the side, looking for anyone he could send other than the boy, and his spied Isadora helping clear away the dishes.

[color=f7976a]“Mage,” [/color]He said loudly, snapping at her. A few servants looked his way but he focused on Isadora, who looked a little disconcerted to be at the center of the Sinnenodels’ attention. [color=f7976a]“Fetch.”[/color] He pointed where the envelope lay. She put on her court smile and curtsied before hurrying to complete the task. She handed it over to the Count and hurried back to her duties.

[color=MistyRose]“Excellent. Open it quickly. We’re sure you’ll love it.”[/color] The mage gushed, clapping her hands. Varis carefully opened the envelope, wary of her last lesson. He could still feel the bite of obsidian from that one. Thankfully, it seemed this was just a plain envelope and he pulled out a few of the papers inside. It was a list of transactions made by Count Illios, the vampire who snatched his business deal out from under his nose. Apparently, the Count indulged in serious underground gambling far too frequently for the Council to willingly overlook.  

Kneeling next to Varis with eyes trained pointedly on the floor, Aaron was [i]more[/i] than happy to go entirely ignored by the Lady and her mages as they had their rather one-sided exchange. The way the mage woman behaved with her Lady unsettled him, though considering that the images of the girl’s back and eyes would probably find their way into his nightmares later, Aaron wasn’t particularly surprised to find yet more oddities surrounding her. He did, however, bristle at Varis’ tone with his aunt, his brashness toward her incensing Aaron more than anything the vampire had done to him so far. He’d had this problem in the past, getting angry when his mother or aunts were treated poorly; he knew it was irrational, but he could never seem to shake it. 

While Varis read, Aaron was thinking. Lady Sinnenodel seemed to be trying to separate him from the Count, and Varis seemed keen on preventing it. Aaron was starting to wonder if Varis’ earlier warning had been for [i]both[/i] their benefit; it [i]had[/i] seemed strange for Varis to warn him for his own sake when the vampire seemed otherwise content to let him suffer whatever consequences came his way. But why would Varis care if his mind was read? If anything, it would just give him more information on his new mage, would it not? Aaron examined the floor as he searched for an answer, but he kept coming up with none. 

[color=f7976a]“I appreciate the opportunity, my Lady.”[/color] Varis smirked. Illios's holdings would be his if it was the last damn thing he did. The mage reached up and wiped gently at Lady Sinnenodel 's brow with a red handkerchief and nodded. [color=MistyRose]“I expect so. You won't get a second chance.”[/color]

Glass shattered at the table behind Varis and Aaron. Isadora stood with a platter at her feet and the remains of wine glasses scattered at her feet. Her eyes were wide open and tears ran freely down her face as she watched the Sinnenodels. She clutched at her head and sank to her knees, mouth open as she gasped before a heart wrenching wail escaped. Ryner jumped to her feet and was at the woman's side in a heartbeat, searching for something causing Isadora such agony.

Aaron’s head snapped up and around at the sound of glass breaking, and he was met with the sight of his aunt in apparent agony, in tears and crying out. His heart jumped into his throat and he didn’t even think before he was on his feet, rushing over and nearly sliding as he fell to his knees next to the woman, searching for some cause of her pain.

[color=f0d705]“Aunt Dora, what’s--”[/color] he was cut off when he felt something take hold of him from behind: a hand, hard and smooth as marble, clamped over his mouth. By reflex, he tried to pull away, tried to reach for his sword, but he couldn’t move, and his sword wasn’t there anyway. Princess Ryner was right there, and there were others who could see him, but no one seemed to notice what was happening. Why couldn’t anyone see? Why wouldn’t anyone [i]do[/i] something?!

As he tried and failed to struggle he started to panic, but no sooner did he feel it than the hand yanked him back; he felt the horrible jolt of falling backward, but he was powerless to stop it and everything went dark. 

[insert memories in hider - RIP me-A new one daddy varis]

Salem watched closely as he saw how Aaron and the others behaved around the council members. How could Aaron stand to watch his family treated so poorly? So, [i]low[/i]. It wasnt right. The thought was soon cut off as Isodora seemed to all but collapse on the floor. Salem quickly rushed to her side as soon as he was able to, kicking away any glass before he knelt to meet her gaze. [Color=82ca9d]"Aaron make a light! Aaron!” [i]Useless[/i][/color] Salem pulled out his phone and turned on the flashlight,  checking Isadoras pupils, pulse, anything that could give him a sign as to where her pain was arriving from. Her pulse was fast and anguished, pupils dilated seeming to show her great deal of pain, yet try as he could, Salem couldn't find a cause. 

[color=f7976a][i]'Someone silence that woman's caterwauling.’[/i][/color] Varis thought irritably as he continued to peruse the papers. The Count's mage won him plenty of money and a nice deed recently it seemed. As the noise continued, Varis finally looked up just as Aaron reached his Aunt. He narrowed his eyes and glanced back at Lady Sinnenodel as a piece of red fabric slipped back behind her. [i]Perfect.[/i] Varis waited long enough he knew she would have him before bolting towards Aaron then snatching him up by his neck and tossing him on the table, visibly trembling with rage. 

[color=f7976a]“Shut her up.”[/color] Varis hissed at Ryner as he kept his hand around Aaron's throat, waiting for him to wake up from his Lady's grasp. Ryner glared at the Count and rose fully. Her eyes were cold as she stared down the mage who only smiled sweetly at the Princess.

[color=bc8dbf]“While I appreciate your presence at my Manor, I believe it is past time you attended your other businesses Lady Sinnenodel. Do have a pleasant morning.”[/color] Ryner dismissed the woman, who only laughed. The other mages muttered under their breath and the recliner hovered a few feet off the ground between them, following them as they left the room. Isadora's screaming faded into gasping as the vampire's presence vanished.

The whole scene was only before Aaron for a moment before it faded away, and a new panic gripped him. He felt the hand around his throat before he saw its owner, and by reflex he grasped the arm it was attached to, struggling against its grip. But it wasn't moving, and when Aaron finally saw who was responsible, his hands flew down to his sides, colliding rather painfully with the edge of the table he found himself pinned to and gripping it tightly. His pulse quickened under Varis’ trembling hand, as did his breathing, when he understood what was happening and what had just occurred. The back of his head throbbed, his knees stung, and the rage clear on Varis’ face was enough to keep Aaron speechless, jaw working wordlessly as his eyes flickered around, searching on instinct for some escape. 

[color=f7976a]“Welcome back, boy.”[/color] Varis spat. Seeing the boy terrified was quite amusing but he had a role to play right now. Varis made a mental note to explore this piece of[i]fun[/i] more later. [color=f7976a]“What was my [i]one[/i] instruction tonight? Was I not clear enough for you?”[/color]

Aaron opened his mouth a few times before any actual sound came out, the hand around his throat distressing him more than it should have given that he wasn’t being strangled. [color=f0d705]“I-I’m sorry Cou--Master!”[/color] he managed to stammer out, nervously fidgeting; his positioning was awkward at best, his spine was grating against the edge of the table and Varis offered no room to move. [color=f0d705]“She-- I--”[/color]

[color=f7976a]“Did I ask for apologies or did I ask for an explanation? Your whimpering and whining [i]sicken[/i] me. If you hadn't failed me again, you wouldn't need an apology.”[/color] Varis cut him off, pulling the boy to his feet by his neck. [color=f7976a]“Can't even bother to remember three damn feet? Three feet! Pathetic. No wonder your House threw you away. Maybe I should do the same.”[/color] He snarled and let the boy drop from his grip, not caring he was dropping him on broken glass. [color=f7976a]“And I thought your performance this far was a fluke, nothing more than nerves. It's clear now you are utterly incompetent.”[/color] Varis wondered if maybe he was over doing it but… it was fun and the boy was an excellent stress reliever after dealing with the damn Devil herself. 

Aaron fell to his knees when the Count dropped him, hands flying up to his throat as he gulped for air he hadn’t even been lacking in the first place. He winced when his knees hit the floor, new shards of glass biting into them alongside the old ones, but it was the sting of Varis’ words that occupied his mind, flooding the mage with horror and shame as all of his fears were openly vocalized. 

[color=bc8dbf]“That is quite enough.”[/color] Ryner demanded and the room went still with her words. It was as if a leash wrapped around every neck in the room, vampire and mage alike, and forced them into compliance. Isadora's whimpers faded away and Varis went stock still, unable to do anything but watch the Princess. [color=bc8dbf]“Your behavior is unacceptable, Count Sinnenodel. Retire to my study so we may discuss your actions when I've made sure Isadora is well. You are dismissed.”[/color] Varis glared at her and stormed from the room, slamming the door loudly behind him and cracking the door frame. Ryner sighed and the intense aura vanished as she scooped Isadora up and put her in Varis’s empty chair. She did the same with Aaron and Salem, depositing them gently back into their seats. 

[color=bc8dbf]“I do apologize about this disaster of a night.”[/color] Ryner apologized, curtsying to the group. [color=f7976a]“I will have the main course and desert sent in so take a moment to collect yourselves. I will have a life mage in to take stock of your injuries. Please, stay as long as you'd like but speak to a guard when you two are ready to leave.”[/color] She gave them both a look. “Together.” With that, she took her leave.

He visibly flinched at the Princess’ command, breath catching in his throat. He could do little but follow when she moved him to a chair, and simply nodded at her words, waiting until she was gone to drop his face into his hands. 

Salem stood from his chair and moved over to Aaron. [Color=82ca9d]"Cast me a light will you? I swear...I can't make heads or tails of you [i]Mr.Starag[/i]”[/color] Salems voice was low, almost as if speaking to himself as he knelt by Aaron and began to pick the glass from his wounds. [Color=82ca9d]"This'll hurt a bit, but luckily I come prepared for such events, not much but...well you can all afford life mages so itll do.”[/color]