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Now that Aaron was gone, Ben decided he needed to address his mage properly. The princess hinted that the pair had their little fun, and while he would not place judgement (seeing as how the Revel was a day to let go and [i]technically[/i] she was under her previous mistress at the time) he did feel that laying out the rules would hopefully prevent any further embarrassment. Once he deemed himself recovered, he decided to return to the living room. Lilie hadn’t moved, fortunately, and he counted himself fortunate that she hadn’t retired to her room yet; they had much to discuss and he had to see exactly what he was dealing with.

[color=C0C0C0]“Miss Dionne,”[/color]  He decided to see exactly what he was dealing with first and foremost physically. [color=C0C0C0]“If you could please stand for me for just a moment, sans jacket.”[/color] 

Lilie looked up at the count, raising an eyebrow at him. She still couldn’t believe that she was getting [i]another[/i] vampire, how unlucky was she? Ryner said Mariette was sorry, and she guessed that the pretty dress was another way of saying that, but she didn’t really know what to think. Maybe it was for the best or whatever, or that’s what she felt like right now. 

Once she made sure her foot was alright, she wobbled a little as she stood, staring at him as she shrugged out of Aaron’s jacket. Now that she thought about it, if he actually stuck around, she wasn’t really sure how she felt living with a guy. He was handsome, like all the other guy vampires were, but he seemed stuffy. After a few seconds, she realized that she was staring for too long, quietly laughing at herself. Geez, those coolers were too good, she felt funny in a great way.

[color=00BFFF]“I got to interact with two hot blonds tonight,”[/color]  She giggled to herself.

Ben did not get the joke, if that could be called one. Instead he suppressed a sigh and gently lifted her face to his as he inspected her facial features. Large eyes, small nose and mouth, but a little on the plain side. He supposed other mortals would find her cute at best, maybe with another few years she’d lose the baby face and gain a more mature appearance. Then again, there was the hair, an extremely hard to ignore detail that he wished Her Highness would have at least hinted at. He drew a critical line down her figure; she was a little too thin. He would have to look at her diet and exercise regime, either she overworked herself or wasn’t eating enough. He felt her arm with his free hand, shaking his head in disapproval. She must have barely met the age requirement, but that much was just as much a pro as it was a con. 

Lilie made a small noise in protest as he kept turning her face. Why was he touching her face? Well, chin, technically, but still, it was weird. The way he was looking at her made her feel some type of way, too! It felt invasive, the fuzzy, warmth fizzling away as he turned her face this way and that, his little poke earning him a look from her. What was she, a show dog?

When she had enough, she squirmed back out of his grip, hitting the couch and clumsily falling onto it. [color=00BFFF]“What are you doing?”[/color]  She asked as she scooted away from him.

Ben was equally confused by her actions. [color=C0C0C0]“I’m inspecting you?”[/color] Her questioning led to him questioning as well, even though he was certain he did nothing out of the ordinary. He shouldn’t have assumed that he would have gotten a trained mage after hearing about the Starag attending, but had it been too much to hope for someone at least familiar with vampire-mage dynamics? The princess had literally plucked a literal no one out of who knows where and placed her with him. But he would persevere. There would be time to properly educate her, properly guide her, and all that was needed was to undo eighteen years of habit.
 
[color=C0C0C0]“If I had made you uncomfortable, I apologize,”[/color] He started there, seeing it as a good place to begin as any as he decided to sit on the armchair closest to him. [color=C0C0C0]“I won’t speak for Countess Mariette nor your previous partners, but I have my own standards that I will be holding you to, as well as expectations and duties for you to fulfill. Going forward, you and I will be working as a team.”[/color]

A team? Lilie eyed him suspiciously, wondering if he was being honest. She didn’t appreciate the touchiness, but at least he was sorry. So that was good. As long as everyone kept their hands to themselves, she could listen. Not like anyone else ever told her what she needed to do or anything.

Nodding, Lilie accepted as she sat up. [color=00BFFF]“Sure! Sounds like a plan, boss,”[/color] She saluted him.

At least it was the right spirit and not to the contrary. Ben matched her nod as he mulled over what to talk about next. There was one thing that also came to mind, but he wasn’t completely sure how well it would go over. Then again, she was being receptive. [color=C0C0C0]“Indeed. As part of my expectations, I want you to remain courteous at all times, think before you speak or act, and above all, carry yourself with dignity. Your lack of background is but a bump in the road and easily overcome with a bit of discipline. I will take it upon myself to polish you up and guide you as needed.”[/color]

He paused for a moment to let her absorb that before he continued with, [color=C0C0C0]“Now, for a few rules. Firstly, I expect any orders given to be followed without question. Second, I have no issue with inviting anyone here, but you must inform me of visitors. Thirdly, I would err on the side of modesty when it comes to your wardrobe.”[/color] He cast a weary glance at her exposed shoulders, the length of the skirt a little concerning as well. 

Oh boy, now that he was talking a lot, the count was reminding Lilie a lot of Varis, except less condescending and a little fancier. Well, they’re both counts, so she guessed this was normal. She wasn’t sure what he meant by a ‘lack of background’ but since he had asked about her ‘family’, she understood. And then he had rules! Wow! They were kinda lame but at this point having [i]any[/i] of her vampires actually interested in teaching her whatever was awesome!

Except for the wardrobe part.

Lilie followed his gaze down before looking at him, frowning. [color=00BFFF]“You mean my clothes?”[/color] She asked. [color=00BFFF]“I don’t dress like this every day. Mariette gave it to me for the Revel. I’m usually more casual.”[/color]

[color=C0C0C0]“How casual do you mean?”[/color] Ben decided to ask.

[color=00BFFF]“Uhh...shirts and skirts? And sometimes jackets and hoodies?”[/color] She felt like it was a really weird thing to ask, but answered. 

Ben wasn’t too surprised at her response. It would have been too much to expect, but adjustments could easily be made. He gave himself a moment to properly articulate what he wanted to say, clapping his hands together. Improvements were always exciting if he was being honest, he recalled helping Eleanore adjust to his house. If he could bond with Lilie through that as well, then that would be the biggest benefit.

[color=C0C0C0]“Right, then, I’ll clarify,”[/color] He replied, clearing his throat. [color=C0C0C0]“It’s actually quite easy to remember, nothing above the knee, nothing above the elbow, no cleavage, no see-through fabrics, and personally I prefer simplicity, but I wouldn’t want to restrict your choices.”[/color]

What? 

Lilie didn’t mean to stare, but it looked like Benjamin was just as crazy as the other Eves. And he chose to be crazy about clothes. Why? And he said he didn’t want to restrict her but also just smacked her with a bunch of rules about what she could wear? Was it a joke? It had to be a joke, she barely had cleavage to show off! But he didn’t seem to be joking. Pursing her lips, Lilie had no idea what to say. She felt like all those requirements were going to make her look like a grandma. What was wrong with looking cute?

But maybe she was jumping to conclusions. Hopefully. [color=00BFFF]“Is this just for parties and stuff? Or do you mean all the time?”[/color] She really, really hoped it was the earlier one. And she could understand that a little, even what she was wearing right now was a lot nicer than anything she owned. [color=00BFFF]“Cause if not, that kinda eliminates like...everything I have,”[/color] She said quietly. [color=00BFFF]“I mean, I don’t have anything see-through but--I don’t have long skirts. And most of my shirts are t-shirts. I usually just put a jacket or vest on top. But um...if I just got rid of it all, I wouldn’t have anything.”[/color]

That wasn’t surprising, either. He would simply have to take matters into his own hands, fortunately that was an easy fix. Having more admissible clothing would help more than harm, and unfortunately, they were going to need all the help they could get. Appearance, etiquette, educating⁠—it would take time to get her presentable for anything. He was excited for the challenge, seeing her as more of an unpolished diamond.

[color=C0C0C0]“Worry not for the moment,”[/color] Ben said as he decided to move on to another point of contention. [color=C0C0C0]“I’ll take it upon myself to guide you in the right direction. By the time you’ve graduated, I’m confident you’ll exceed expectations.”[/color] He would need to make sure to check on her grades and provide extra tutoring if need be. 

[color=C0C0C0]“One last thing, and you may retire for the night,”[/color] He nearly forgot one of the most vital points. [color=C0C0C0]“I prefer my blood with a bit of a chill too it, but not too cold⁠—if the dorm has a wine cooler, you may store your bottled blood there. I prefer to feed for breakfast so to speak, so I ask you take the bottle out of the cooler at approximately 5 p.m. just before the evening. You may leave it wherever it’s convenient, either the dining room or the kitchen will do.”[/color]

Lilie’s lips formed a small ‘o’ as she listened to Ben. He wanted it bottled, but she had no idea how to do that without stabbing herself and bleeding out. Unless he wanted her to use that terrifying catheter with that giant [i]needle[/i]. Her eyes flickered to the closet, biting her lip nervously.

[color=00BFFF]“Uh...I don’t know how to use that thing,”[/color] She said meekly. [color=00BFFF]“Arianna and Ike--Countess Arianna and Count Ikelos never fed, and Mariette used to just drink from me.”[/color]

Right, she wouldn’t have any experience. He had forgotten that she came from a human family. And a human community at that. At least she was teaching him a valuable lesson in that he needed to be more open-minded. However, he came to a crossroads, as he preferred blood from a glass as opposed to feeding directly from mages. In his opinion, it was much too intimate and awkward, and being so close just felt strange. That said, he couldn’t go long without feeding, so this was potentially problematic.

[color=C0C0C0]“Until you’re comfortable providing it bottled, I will...feed directly,”[/color] He supposed that he should get over his discomfort sooner than later. In an emergency, he should know how to properly feed from his mage. But if feeding from his own mage was odd, then feeding from a small thing like Lilie was going to be a challenge.

She was used to that, though getting super close with a guy was probably going to be weird. But it was only going to be weird if she (or he because he didn’t seem so sure) made it weird. So yay? The thought of having to get used to that [i]needle[/i] was probably going to give her nightmares, but oh well.

She looked down at Aaron’s jacket, the thought hitting her [i]very[/i] late--she totally stole his jacket! Well, he left without it. Either way, she snatched it as she stood, swaying just a little and wincing at her foot. But she could walk over and deliver it and tell Aaron how [i]weird[/i] the count was.

[color=00BFFF]“Okay, so, I’m gonna return this,”[/color] She draped the jacket over her arm. [color=00BFFF]“And then...go to bed. Or we can talk! Whatever you want.”[/color]

Ben had little protest for that, although he was still concerned with the bad first impression. He would have to work on repairing that and apologizing sooner than later. [color=C0C0C0]“Shall I accompany you?”[/color] He suggested as he would stand as well.

Lilie couldn’t contain her giggle, shaking her head. [color=00BFFF]“I’m just going next door!”[/color] She told him, shaking her head. [color=00BFFF]“We’re neighbors with him and [i]Professor[/i] Varis.”[/color]

The world truly was unjust. The Sinnenodel gets a [i]Starag[/i] plucked from the castle itself. Either he has the princess wrapped around his finger or he was more dangerous than he thought. Meanwhile the Eve family has long since lost its prime and was awarded appropriately with what could very well be considered table scraps. It was an insult, really, but after the initial sting, he reminded himself that there was little to be done about it and he wasn’t suicidal enough to question the princess’ wishes.

It didn’t stop him from letting out a quiet sigh, however. [color=C0C0C0]“Very well, then,”[/color] He replied, dismissing her.