[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. Then everything went dark. 

[hider=Glimpse]Aaron's lines from earlier echoed through his head; his wrist burned and for a fleeting moment, there was bliss. He fell through the branches of tall pine trees, fell until he was upright, in his dorm room, face burning and gut quivering as he stood naked at Varis’ command. The hand jerked his head to the side and he was kneeling on cobblestone, hot embarrassment welling up as he was forced watch his old tutors witness his humiliation.

He was shoved and fell backward into a chair in a quiet room, moonlight spilling onto white marble floors from tall windows. There was no chance to calm himself, no time. Cello between his legs, he was struggling to keep his composure and looking pleadingly to Lucan, seated beside him with a violin.

[color=#9932CC]“Remember. Regardless of what happens, you can count me on your side.”[/color]

Confused devastation consumed him as the hand dragged him back into darkness. It was cold, terribly cold, biting and burning where it touched him. His ears filled up and he couldn’t breathe; he was underwater, freezing, drowning, as everything he’d ever known and worked for went up in flames.

[color=f0d705][i]Failure. Disappointment. Unfit. Unworthy. You didn’t work hard enough. You aren’t good enough. They don’t need you. They don’t want you. They’re getting rid of you.[/i][/color]

Another jerk of the hand and a gut-wrenching cocktail of sickening shame and cautious optimism gripped him; he stood at attention alongside his mother and aunts, organ music filling the air. Everyone was dressed head to toe in black, and Dora was crying, but all he could think about was who might fill that empty space by the Queen.

He was all the more ashamed because he knew it was sick. Twisted. Deplorable. But how could he not consider it? Cold panic crept up on him; what would the Queen think? What would your mother think? What the hell is [i]wrong[/i] with you?

He was mortified; horror smothered his mind until the hand wrenched his head down and he fell to his knees before Princess Nox, a brand new Dawn in his hands, pride and awe aching in his chest. The glint of the metal grew brighter; beams of golden light emanated from the crystal in his shaking hand, and a tidal wave of relief crashed over him. Weeks and weeks of pent-up anxiety finally melted away; every muscle in his body complained as they finally relaxed, but the pain was meaningless compared to the joy that rocked his very core.

The hand knocked him sideways and he was standing before a tapestry, still incomplete. There had always been something daunting about it. Something ominous. A family tree, but he knew better. He knew some names were missing. More than a couple. Nobody talked about them. Nobody remembered them. Nobody cared to learn them anyway.

All those muscles twisted again as anxiety and panic roiled inside him. He couldn’t sleep. Couldn’t think. He could barely keep his food down. Desperate hope and crippling fear consumed his every thought, the weight of dozens of generations pressing down on him. Cold fingers of dread wormed their way into everything; just a few weeks left, what if the worst happened? What would happen to him then?

He lost his footing and caught himself on the edge of a bathroom counter, pristine white furnishings smudged with red. The teenaged boy in the mirror was hunched over in hysterical laughter, covered from head to hip in blood.

His hand slipped and he was falling, rolling, pinning someone down. He couldn’t see their face, couldn’t see anything; all Aaron knew was the searing in his ear and the ache in his side and the stinging in his knuckles as he frantically attacked, throwing his weight behind every desperate punch. His mind was aflame with pain and grief and blinding anger; he barely heard his victim’s shouts over his own heartbeat. The only thing that did ring clear was a hand gripping his throat and the world turning sideways, the floor coming up to meet him, the stars in his eyes and explosion of pain as his head cracked against the floor.

The impact brought him no catharsis; his chaotic panic only mounted as the stars faded away to a door at the end of a hallway. He needed to get in there. An armoured mage was in his way.

[color=f0d705]“Why can’t I see her?”[/color] he asked again, voice strained with emotion.

The mage shook his head and sighed. [color=lightgray]“You [i]know[/i] why, Aaron.”[/color]

[color=f0d705]“But they used to at least let me talk to her! Over skype, or, or through the door—”[/color]

Aaron was cut off by a chorus of disturbing, guttural noises from behind the door, several voices murmuring urgently around it. Tears stung in his eyes as he tried to rush past the guard, only to be restrained again.

[color=f0d705][i]“Mom!?”[/i][/color]

All he could hear was the steady ticking of a metronome.

[color=#9932CC][i]Dead. Dead. Dead. Stop breathing. Dead. Dead. Footwork boy, what did I tell you?[/i][/color]

A shock rocketed up his arms; his sword clattered to the floor. He was tired and frustrated, covered in sweat and breathing heavily, heart pounding, staring Lucan down. When the vampire turned his back, Aaron inhaled sharply and rushed him; Lucan dodged and kicked him square in the chest, and he landed hard on his back.

[color=#9932CC]“What did I tell you about breathing dead boy?”[/color]

The hand over his mouth dragged him painfully down through the floor and dropped him in a tall, echoing room. On one wall a massive portrait of Landar Starag looked down at him sternly; the other was lined with urns, generations of honourable mentions stacked up high, high above him. He felt so small. He [i]was[/i] so small. He needed to get bigger. Get better. [i]Be[/i] better. Measure up. There were big shoes to fill. He had to set an example.

Aaron felt something like cool glass glide over his skin; as it did, the hand’s grip on his mouth loosened, icy fingers trailing back across his cheek until they finally disappeared. The glass soothed his panic as it passed over him, and the room once again went dark.

He hadn’t noticed the ringing in his ears until it started to subside, nor the burning in his lungs until he could finally breathe again. When he opened his eyes he was in another room, warmly lit with stone walls and low ceilings. Lined up were fourteen blank sarcophagi - wait, he hadn’t counted - but for some reason, he was not alarmed. The soft notes of a distant piano did wonders to calm him.[/hider]

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 wasn’t 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 going on and what had just happened to him. 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 actually 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]sickens[/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=bc8dbf]“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. [color=bc8dbf]“Together.”[/color] With that, she took her leave.

Aaron 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] Salem’s 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 it’ll do.”[/color]

[hider=+]Ryner watched the boys enter the car and drive off from a second story window, actively avoiding Varis for a bit so he could cool his head. What was left of her heart went out to the boys. Salem’s forward thinking was what their world needed but he lashed out at the wrong vampires and now he’ll pay the price. And Aaron… she sighed at the thought of the sweet light mage. If it hadn’t been necessary, she would have never paired him with Varis. No one needed to be under his authority and the word [i]Master[/i] twisted a knife in her gut. She shivered at the thought. Aaron’s upbringing convinced the boy would start higher on his training regimen but apparently Varis found him lacking. It would be a rough few years if Aaron couldn’t figure out the Count’s pace. Perhaps a helpful push from the shadows…

She shook away the thought. Varis’s inhumane treatment of the boy worked nicely in their favor and she knew Varis would turn up the heat soon. Interfering would only hinder their progress or worse, send everything in the completely wrong direction. And if Varis found out she helped, Aaron would be collared faster than Ryner blinked. She turned away from the window after a murmured “Good Luck” and squared her shoulders as she made her way downstairs. His temper tantrum was likely near its end so quieting the Count down would be easy. 


She threw the doors to her study open with a bang and swept into the room with as much regality as she could muster, actively ignoring the obviously brooding vampire in one of the leather chairs in front of her desk. She took another moment to look around her office space, a beautiful rug decorating the wooden floors and bookshelves containing books on every subject and a variety of archeological treasures. She let out a little sigh and finally turned to look at Varis, a pleasant smile on her face that fell flat when she saw Varis paying no attention to her. Instead, he was reading the folder she predicted he’d request later on the students he would be teaching. A folder that was safely stashed in her desk drawers she might add. The Princess cleared her throat loudly.

[color=f7976a]“Yes, yes. A wonderful entrance. Excellent poise. Perfect pause. The dress hit the desk with the turn but almost perfect.”[/color] Varis drawled as he read. [color=f7976a]“Congratulations. You’ve graduated from C-list to B-list.”[/color] Ryner rolled her eyes and sat down behind the desk.

[color=bc8dbf]“I’m glad to discover your temper under control.”[/color] Varis sent her a disbelieving look. [color=bc8dbf]“You were very convincing for someone just acting.”[/color]

[color=f7976a]“The anger was real. The direction was not.” [/color]Varis shrugged. [color=f7976a]“The Astorio deal still irritates me and the Spellman mage’s earlier commentary made it an easy wound to open.”[/color] Ryner laughed.

[color=bc8dbf]“And your opinion of the boy?”[/color] She asked, pulling out a few pieces of paper and looking them over.

[color=f7976a]“An idiot. Completely out of control and naive.”[/color] Varis snorted as he flipped a page. “However, he’ll serve as a useful fracture point. Aaron will get close to the boy on my order and report back everything he says and does under the guise of wanting to crush the imbecile. I’ll indirectly encourage their friendship, build up their bonds and trust, until either the Spellman discovers his close friend’s treachery or the boy betrays me.” Varis explained. “All the while, I’ll be interfering with the investigation. I’ll be sure to extend it, plant false leads and evidence based on what the Salem boy reveals to Aaron. And when something happens? Well, suddenly Aaron is a willing accomplice and both mages should loathe me more than they do now. An excellent way to galvanize the boy. If we’re lucky, the Spellman will exacerbate the polarization and get us exactly what we need.”  

[color=bc8dbf]“You enjoy this too much.”[/color] Ryner sighed. Varis hummed in agreement as he flipped to the part explaining Alder’s changes. A comfortable silence stretched between them, broken only by scoffs from Varis.

[color=f7976a]“Has this man ever read the treaty? The changes he made to my lessons are horrifying.”[/color] Varis grumbled. [color=f7976a]“He writes like an enthralled mage. Is this the garbage the self important peacock teaches?”[/color]
 
[color=bc8dbf]“He does tent to wax poetic about it but his material is solid. I think you just don’t like him.”[/color] Ryner laughed. [color=bc8dbf]“However, I have arraigned for Alder to be preoccupied most of his class time. It will leave you as the primary instructor as you requested.” [/color]

[color=f7976a]“What [i]business[/i] does Alder have?”[/color] Varis asked.

[color=bc8dbf]“Nothing for you to worry about.” [/color]Ryner said sweetly.[color=bc8dbf] “In fact, it may even help you with Aaron.”[/color] Varis glared suspiciously but didn’t push the topic. Instead, he look at the miniature chess board on her table with its pieces moved. Since he last saw it, a black rook had taken a white bishop. He picked up the newly taken piece, rolling it between his fingers while he considered it. This piece should have stayed in play for another few months. He frowned at it.

[color=f7976a]“You killed the Eve early. We said end of the year.”[/color] Varis placed the piece back down on the table. [color=f7976a]“My assets weren’t prepared to handle this event and now you’ve forced them out of position while they scramble to cover your tracks. Sloppy job, Ryner.”[/color]

[color=bc8dbf]“They compromised earlier than we expected. Allowing the breeding bill to move off the table would ruin everything we’ve done so far.”[/color] Ryner defended as she pulled out a bottle of blood and two glasses. Vitae Felix specifically. She knew Varis’s favorite and expected the Count to have… objections. He never handled sudden change well. She open the bottle to Varis’s irritable look and poured, passing the ount a glass.

[color=f7976a]“We made a plan and we work the plan.”[/color] Varis snapped, the offering somewhat mollifying him. [color=f7976a]“We work the plan, with a few spot adjustments, and everything works. Murdering the leader of the Eve traditionalists early is more than a spot adjustment, Ryner.”[/color]

[color=bc8dbf]“Everything is under control. Just worry about doing what you’re good at.”[/color] Ryner smirked over the edge of her glass. [color=bc8dbf]“Being an ass.”[/color] Varis deadpanned but couldn't hold it, shaking his head with a smile. They sat quietly for another hour, enjoying the silence as they went around their tasks, until Varis stood and stretched. His shirt rode up just a bit, revealing a distinctive set of spiderweb scars jutting up from the helm line of his pants. Ryner did a double take as Varis adjusted his shirt and gave her an inquisitive look.

[color=bc8dbf]“Its nothing.”[/color] Ryner said, her voice trembling. [color=bc8dbf]“Have a good night. Make sure to ask the guards for a car back.”[/color] She couldn’t even bring herself to laugh as he grumbled on his way out about not getting a car for the way here. She waited several long moments after he left and her head fell into her hands. Scars on a vampire were nearly rare, especially so on a [i]Sinnenodel[/i] the least physically combative of them all, and that pattern itself even more so. The even spacing and grid of the scars screamed Lacrime Solis. Ryner felt sick. She could practically smell the skin burning, the screams and broken pleas of the old days. And she sent him to her. The very one who… She felt the prickle of blood at the edge of her eyes and it took everything in her to keep them at bay. She knew it was [i]his[/i] decision, that they rushed in with much less information than they usually had She knew he demanded they take the opportunity but she still felt responsible.

[color=ed1c24]“Well, you’ve made a right mess of things haven’t ya.”[/color] A deep voice echoed through the room and Ryner whipped around, an obsidian dagger springing into her hand from a secret compartment in her desk. The wall behind her bulged outwards, forming into an arm and a leg, a torso, the other limbs, and finally a head. Ryner sighed and relaxed, slipping the dagger back into place as her old friend made his way around the desk. The colors of the wall still stuck to his skin and clothes so he shook himself like a dog until his colors went back to normal. A bald man with a salt and pepper beard dropped into the chair Varis previously occupied, not caring that his rugged clothing sat awkwardly at his angle. He kicked his boots up on the desk, earning a raised eyebrow and shrugging in return.

[color=bc8dbf]“Yes, I have. I mean, I should- we should- we were too hasty.[/color]” Ryner sighed wearily. The man grunted.

[color=ed1c24]“He’d tell ya all pretty like but shut the fuck up and get over it.”[/color] The man growled as he reached for the open bottle of blood. He took a long swig. [color=ed1c24]“Shit ya drink fancy crap now. If I didn’t know better, I’d accuse you of falling.”[/color] He shook the bottle a bit, growling in displeasure when he discovered it empty. [color=ed1c24]“You still have a bottle or two of that Starag guy’s blood yeah? What was his name… Lathan? Londor? Well, whatever. I’m parched so hand it over.” [/color]

[color=bc8dbf]“Yes I do but thats for when our youngest comes back. He loved that man’s blood and he deserves something after going through the hell we put him through. Voluntarily or not.”[/color] Ryner handed him another bottle, which earned her an eye roll as he bit the glass off, spat it out, and drank the bottle greedily. Ryner picked up the glass he scattered everywhere as he ate. 

“Have you found Biero?” Ryner asked. When the man gave her an odd look, she sighed and repeated her question but this time the words sounded more like a song carried too far on the wind. 

[color=ed1c24]“That's what he goes by? Awful name.”[/color] The man grunted. [color=ed1c24]“Not bad. Your old man locked him up in torpor at the old rite site. Shouldn’t be hard to kill him when its time. Found something better though.” [/color]He dug around in his coat for a bit and pulled out a small notebook, flipping it open and slapping it down on Ryner’s desk. The whole book was written in a language most considered dead with little to no existing translations. Ryner had no issue reading it and gasped at the content.

[color=bc8dbf]“You found Yvaine?”[/color] Ryner demanded in disbelief.

[color=ed1c24]“And if I did, you can bet your undead ass they will soon.”[/color] The man stood, retrieving his book. [color=ed1c24]“I’m recovering her before they do.”[/color] Ryner nodded and the man stood to leave, walking back to a wall. 

[color=bc8dbf]“And now its noon.”[/color] Ryner whispered. The man paused and clapped a comforting hand on her shoulder.

[color=ed1c24]“We’re almost there. Just a little longer.”[/color] The man said, obviously uncomfortable by her emotions. [color=ed1c24]“Keep in touch. The wilds are a bit lonely now, priestess.” [/color]Ryner chuckled and a thought struck her.

[color=bc8dbf]“Rhalgar, your box. He changed the time and I’m worried he may hurt the boy accidently. He needs something in case Varis takes control and I’m not present.”[/color] Rhalgar squinted at her, weighing the pros and cons briefly, before handing over a black box from hs coat. He stepped back into the wall, melding seamlessly into it, and vanished.

Ryner wrote a short note on it and put it in the basket for outgoing delivery, labelled Aaron Starag.

[hider=note][color=bc8dbf] When the snake grows too venomous, find him and ring twice to escape and thrice for help.[/color][/hider][/hider]