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Aaron allowed himself only as long as it took to get out of immediate view of the Eve dorm’s windows to recover from that abysmal first impression, taking a long breath of cool morning air before he broke out into a run. It wasn’t far, but he all but sprinted to his dorm, hopping the wall around the property and leaping up the porch stairs two at a time, as quietly as he could manage. A glimpse of his watch as he knocked on his own door told him that it was [i]several[/i] minutes past six, and he braced for the inevitable lecture and punishment (though he didn’t know yet what it would entail, he felt like more lines was a safe bet) apology on his lips, as he waited for Varis to let him in.

A moment passed, though, and then another, with no answer. It wasn’t unusual for Aaron to have to wait a little while to be let in, but he didn’t even hear any movement inside. Great, Varis was making him wait even [i]longer[/i] to be let inside, probably intentionally delaying it in hopes that someone would walk by and see Aaron standing like an unwelcome guest on the porch of his own dorm. He supposed that was fair enough, as he [i]had[/i] missed his curfew, but as a few more minutes passed by, Aaron started wondering if perhaps Varis hadn’t heard him. 

He knocked again, louder this time, and even sent the Count a reverent and apologetic text asking permission to enter his dorm, but another several minutes passed with no response. Had he fallen asleep? He had to have been home, even Aaron knew Varis wouldn’t deign to set foot outside during Revel (he’d gone on enough tangents on the ridiculous frivolity and chaos of the holiday to adequately establish his distaste) but this was getting excessive. Aaron had no doubt that Varis wanted him to suffer a little before he issued his punishment, but surely he still wanted his mage inside to complete his morning duties. Right?

As a few more minutes passed with no movement, Aaron got his answer. Apparently late was no better than never, because he wasn’t going to be let into his dorm. 

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Aaron took a moment to assess his options. The infirmary was out; it was probably full of drunk fools who had somehow injured or poisoned themselves during the festivities, and he couldn’t very well be seen crashing there for a [i]second[/i] time and trash his reputation further. He couldn’t sleep on the patio, as it was screened in and certainly locked, and the porch was no option either; if someone saw him sleeping on his own porch after a night of Revel, he’d never live it down. 

There was no one he could stay with; Salem might have been amenable but that was [i]definitely[/i] out, considering the uproar that would certainly erupt from him seeking refuge at another noble’s dorm. He couldn’t go to Eris, either; Max would probably strip the skin from his body, and even if Eris allowed him to stay, Aaron would never hear the end of it and Varis would certainly pile on extra repercussions for good measure for going to his lover to circumvent his punishment. Princess Ryner would probably take him in, and it was partially her order that had delayed him in the first place, but Aaron couldn’t very well keep running to her every time he had a problem. Besides, her order or not, this was his doing. Sure, he couldn’t very well deny her, but Varis was his master now and he should have prioritized his orders over any other. That was how Ryner’s household raised him, after all. 

Of course, knowing he technically deserved it didn’t make the prospect of sleeping outside any more welcoming. Aaron ended up deciding to try to sleep at the foot of the stone wall surrounding the Sinnenodel property, near enough to meet the delivery woman in the evening, but hidden from view from the street. He could only hope that no one would go looking behind Sinnenodel walls; Aaron didn’t need rumours circulating about the Noila mage passing out drunk on his lawn during Revel. 

Sitting down at the base of the wall, Aaron let his head fall back against the stone, closing his eyes as he let out a long, frustrated breath. Now that he was seated, he could feel fatigue settle into his limbs; no doubt the result of carrying a whole other person on his back up a cliff and across campus. Truth be told, though, it wasn’t [i]bad[/i]. It called to mind the trip over; Lilie clinging to him had been oddly gratifying, not to mention her lazily caressing his chest and tugging at his shirt collar from time to time. He doubted she even realized she was doing it in her state, but more than once it had distracted him from his task as he savoured the feeling of her hands on him, her hair tickling his neck, her voice in his ear… 

Aaron smiled. She had been chattering the whole way over, wondering where her shoes were (he was carrying them), vaguely mentioning something about wanting carrot cupcakes (which Aaron had never even heard of), even gushing at length about ‘how good they looked together’. As much as he wanted to think that she had been flirting with him, logically Aaron knew that it was probably just drunk rambling. Even still, it didn’t stop him from committing her words and her dreamy tone of voice to memory. 

It hadn’t all been lighthearted, though. As they neared her dorm, she had also complained about her Countess “poofing” on her, which Aaron took to mean that she’d simply left without explanation. At the time, he thought the Countess must have gone off to celebrate Revel in her own way and simply hadn’t had the courtesy to inform Lilie. After tonight, though, it was probably fair to assume that the Countess must have left earlier in the night for good. 

It was so strange, too. He might have expected another flake-out, given how much of a mess House Eve had been at the Academy so far, but it was Princess Ryner’s explanation that gave him pause. It had been offhand, but she’d mentioned there’d been a [i]death[/i] in Countess Mariette’s family. Now, perhaps it was simply too early to tell, and he’d be inundated with gossip in the coming nights, but a death in a noble family was a big deal; vampires didn’t just [i]die[/i], and assassinations or suicides, while not altogether uncommon, were big news in Aaron’s circles. He wondered who it could have been, and how it happened, what was being done. He wondered if Varis was aware; Aaron even considered texting the Count again in hopes that an offer of noble gossip might get him let inside, but he figured it was a stretch. Better to take this first stage of his punishment quietly than risk more for trying to weasel out of it. 

Phone in hand, though, he did finally open it to set an alarm for the evening - not that he expected to get much sleep in the daylight out there anyway - but just as he unlocked his phone, a message came in from Salem.

[quote][color=82ca9d][i]Don't ask, I'm getting pulled into a murder investigation and going to be seeing the princess, which one would I likely see and what's the best etiquette and demeanor to hold with her? Any known titles she prefers? Eye contact no eye contact? Please reply quickly. [/i][/color][/quote]
Aaron stared blankly at the screen for a moment, re-reading the message a few times.

[color=f0d705][i]“How!?”[/i][/color]

Aaron clapped a hand over his face. Was Salem fucking with him? Maybe, the bastard had a weird sense of humour, although this didn’t sound like it. In which case, how on planet earth did he manage to get involved in a [i]murder investigation!?[/i] Wasn’t he under [i]enough[/i] suspicion as it was!? At this rate, Aaron would have to lock him in Noila dungeon on break just to keep him out of trouble!

He did reply quickly, but he wasn’t about to keep his questions to himself. 

[quote][color=f0d705][i]It’ll probably be Princess Ryner, I don’t think Nox is here. Call her “Your Royal Highness”, don’t make eye contact unless she initiates it, and don’t speak unless you’re spoken to. 

Now, how the hell did you manage to get wrapped up in a murder??[/i][/color][/quote][right][sub][@Trainerblue192] [@Achronum][/sub][/right]