Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by Obscene Symphony
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Somehow Aaron had begun to drift off when a buzz in his pocket pulled him awake again, the blond clumsily pulling his phone out with an annoyed groan. Oh, good. Salem. Now he chose to respond. Rolling his eyes, Aaron flicked the lock screen open and lazily read the message, suppressing another groan when he finished.

Was Salem serious? No answer after dropping that kind of bombshell and now he expected Aaron to trek across campus just to talk to him? Did the man not consider for a second that he might not be able to make that trip? That he might be occupied with his master, a vampire Salem claimed to know well enough to know what he could be like? No. Aaron wouldn’t do it. Maybe he would be the petty one for once, pocket his phone with no answer and leave Salem hanging. The man seemed to think he could drag Aaron this way and that at his convenience, belittling him and his way of life all the way; well this time, Aaron would return the favour. Let Salem feel the weight of his dangerous antics without his help. It might even do him some good to realize the consequences of his actions.

Aaron pocketed his phone, leaning stubbornly back against the property wall and training his eyes firmly on the stars, resolute. But, as minutes passed and his energy started to sap from him once more, he sighed in defeat, giving in to his curiosity.

Fine. It wasn’t like he had anything else to do anyway.

He wasn’t sure if meeting Salem was necessarily a better alternative to spending the day on the lawn, but Aaron got up anyway, brushing the dust from his slacks and smoothing his jacket as he read the message again. Try not to be seen? The discretion Aaron could understand, but that was a little absurd. Salem was far too paranoid.

He didn’t even have the heart to question why Salem was with Eris, resolving instead to get his story straight. Eris would probably know that he missed his curfew, but at least this way he could honestly say that he was visiting at Salem’s behest and not to save himself the trouble of this first phase of a likely lengthy punishment. He spent half the walk over swearing to the sun, moon, and every twice-damned star in the sky that Salem would never hear the end of this when a sound pulled him from his mental tirade.

Or, rather, the lack of sound; Aaron paused in his walk as he approached the common dorms, peering around at the eerie stillness around him. The distant shouts and music from earlier had faded to silence, and where there had been throngs of students milling about before, the paths were strangely empty. In the distance, Aaron could see a guard on patrol, obsidian armour glinting in the moonlight: that was much heavier gear than the usual guards wore, and Aaron felt a tightness in his chest. His hand instinctively reached for Dawn’s handle, only to grasp air; shoot, that was right, he’d omitted Dawn from his outfit for fear he’d be too easily recognized if he carried it. He cursed himself. Of all nights not to wear his sword…

In its place, he pulled his mask off his arm and donned it, hoping that it and his dark tuxedo would conceal him from any prying eyes. It pained him to admit it, but Salem might have been right; he couldn’t help but feel like stealth would be wise tonight.

He made it to Eris’ building without incident, recalling the dorm number from a few errands Varis had sent him on in the past. Walking briskly to the door, he pulled off his mask and knocked with as much confidence as he could muster; he had no fear of Noilan guards, but now that Salem had him spooked he couldn’t help but feel like he wasn’t supposed to be anywhere but his own dorm tonight, and didn’t want to look any more suspicious than he already did.

Salem had been waiting by the door all night, unsure if Aaron would actually come or if he simply passed away. In truth he hardly expected a response given who his partner was, but he would still wait vigilantly by the door in case the blond mage did show up. To his surprise there was a knock on the door, and Salem peeked to see who it was before cracking the door open and immediately pulling the light mage into the dorm and closing the door, locking it behind him.

"I'm surprised you came, I wouldn't have blamed you had you been restricted by Varis, or asleep already. But if figured I owed you an explanation and you seemed to want one." Salem kept his voice down as he spoke, trying not to bother the others in the household but wondering if the backyard was a wise idea. He tapped his fingers against his leg a few times before speaking again.

"Earlier tonight there was at least one murder. I'm sure you've heard by now. I had thought I stumbled across the culprit when in fact it was another who had also managed to find their way towards the crime scene. We attempted to alert the authorities and in doing so were now wrapped up in a murder investigation and although we weren't viewed as culprits, we were still detained. We were taken to Ry…" Salem stopped for a moment, his hand trembling as he recalled the events. "To a mage adept with illusionary magic who put on the persona of Ryner. She was kind for a moment and seemed to know what we all wanted." Salem paused and made his way over towards a seat before patting down the one next to him offering Aaron some comfort so that they weren't standing.

“She sure as hell didn’t know what I wanted, or she would’ve staked herself on the spot!” Max abruptly called from the other room, apparently having been listening in.

Aaron wrested himself free of Salem's grip as soon as the two were inside, stepping away indignantly as Salem started to explain. He had to resist rolling his eyes at the comment about Varis, but at least for once the fool was smart enough to keep his voice down. Apparently not low enough though, as Max chimed in from another room.

“Max?! You were--” Aaron cut himself off with a frustrated groan, pinching the bridge of his nose for a moment. He remained standing, collecting his thoughts.

“How do you manage these things?” He finally blurted out, too tired and annoyed to keep up his usual ‘gentle’ way of speaking to Salem. “Firstly, no, I haven't heard, the only indication of anything amiss was the campus being strangely empty when I came over here.” He glared daggers at Salem. “Secondly, how on earth did you manage to become a suspect? What were you, messing with the body or something? And thirdly--” Aaron turned to the door where he'd heard Max, “Max? How did you get wrapped up in this?!”

"Well to answer your first question, I became a suspect because I was seen at the crime scene with Max as we diverted the party attendants eyes from the scene to avoid a mass panic. As to how Max got involved, he's the shadow I saw lurking over the body in the first place, the one who I assumed had done it. Which is incidentally how we both got involved I suppose." Salem began to pet Maxie as he spoke, giving the small creature attention it yearned by two new faces.

Salem raised an eyebrow at something Aaron had said. "What were you up to tonight? There were sirens going off, an ambulance, and even some police vehicles earlier tonight near where I left you and Lilie." Normally an individual might put two and two together, but this far into the game Salem still had yet to notice their liking to each other.

“I wanted to get drunk, stumbled on a corpse, and for some reason thought I should do the right thing,” Max continued, still not stepping out of his room, “My mistake. Also I think the M-word was supposed to be a secret until they made an official statement, dumbass!” Not that Max really cared; Aaron didn’t seem like the type to run his mouth, and even if he did, that was Eris and Ryner’s PR team’s problem, not his.

“Well you don't have to worry about that, because neither of you are going to breathe a word about this until they do,” Aaron spat back, a threat clear in his voice. This was not happening. On top of everything else, Salem did not get wrapped up in a twice-damned murder.

Aaron had to sigh at the realization that yes, it was happening, and yes, of course he did. The man attracted trouble like a corpse attracted flies—he almost smirked at the analogy.

His anger slipped away as quickly as it came, a heavy mix of disappointment and exasperation taking its place as Aaron steeled himself with a breath. “I didn't hear any sirens,” he continued more calmly, “they must have sounded while I was inside, or something.” He didn't need to be getting into that right now, either.

“So what now?” He asked the room.

"You tell me Starag. You always seem to have the answers, or so you claim. And Max, the agreement between that imposter and Eris is more than likely not going to hold, I don't believe a word she said, especially the fact that this won't affect me at all...regardless if anyone can help us keep Nox off our tail so we aren't incarcerated and forcefully mind read again then its Aaron." Salem shook his head at the whole ordeal as he realised the irony that this all happened because Max and him wanted to get drunk separately.

Salem took the flask out of his pocket and tossed it in the direction of Max's door. "Heads up Maxie, try and use your magic to catch this if you still want to get drunk." His attention turned back to Aaron as he placed his fingers together. "So you have your answers. Now what?"

The flask clattered uselessly to the floor outside Max’s doorway and sat there for a brief moment as the metal mage weighed his options. They were both talking shit now, in his dorm, no less. The flask slowly levitated upward and, after hovering momentarily, shot forward in Salem and Aaron’s general direction to try and peg one of them, or at least scare them. Though without a clear visual on the room, he was basically firing blind.

“Piss off, both of you, the rat barks enough around here.”

Aaron caught the flask as it careened toward his shoulder, and very nearly threw it back at Salem. But he refrained, placing it on a nearby end table, out of Salem’s reach. He glanced down when Eris’ little white puffball of a dog let out a yap in Max’s general direction, but paid it little mind, raising his hands.

“Excellent suggestion Max,” he stated flatly, turning to the door. “I want no part in this.”

There was a mostly unnoticed murmur coming from Eris’ room, steadily growing louder. By the time Aaron decided to make Max’s suggestion, everything went quiet. The door suddenly burst open, a mildly disgruntled Eris with slightly disheveled hair and in only a towel stomping out for a few steps before giving Aaron a shrill whistle, free hand gripping his phone.

“Get comfortable, Sunny, the entire campus is under martial law and Varis would have my ass hanging above the fireplace if you got caught and he found out you were here,” He stated sharply, whipping his hair out of his face.

“As for the whole ‘now what’ thing, that’s a loaded question coming from a pair that can’t do anything,” Eris continued as he walked to the kitchen, returning shortly with a bottle. “I’m already taking care of things, the very minimum you boys have to do is not saying anything to anyone.”

Aaron nearly flinched as a sharp whistle pierced his ears, whipping around to face a towel-clad Eris. He dipped his head immediately - partly out of respect, partly because he was already more familiar with a disrobed Eris than he ever wanted to be - but took a long enough detour to glare daggers at Salem before his eyes landed on the coffee table.

“Yes, sir. Pardon me,” he apologized quietly. He sank into the nearest chair, spinning his ring. At least Eris had some sense; Max, too, really. Which, predictably, left only one contender for the situation’s only possible problem.

Salem wasn't sure if he should avoid his eyes, or just look on casually as if this was supposed to be normal. He elected to turn his gaze onto Aaron without looking at Eris' exposed visage. He was fully unaware as to why he was being glared at, Aaron had asked for all of this. He couldn't expect to ask for details on a murder investigation and then say he wanted no part in it.

"With the exception of Starag over here, I don't plan to tell anyone. I only offered to speak to him about this because I had messaged him prior to meeting the princess so he was already involved to a degree. I trust your resourcefulness Eris."

“Your validation means nothing to me,” The blond replied, shaking his head. “The whole ‘corralling everyone into their dorms’ thing is only going to make people speculate. Once the news comes out, everyone is going to do anything and everything it takes to find out what actually happened.”

He was a little more concerned on who or how many people actually saw them, tapping his phone to his chin. “Keep your head down, deny any allegations, and in the worst case scenario, get your story straight before word gets out. Otherwise you end up with rumors circulating around about how much of a manwhore you are or you get pointed out as a traitor to the crown,” He said, walking back to his room. “And you two already know you can’t afford any more attention than what you already have.”

Aaron bristled at the insult - come on, he wasn’t the one who got himself tangled up in a murder investigation here - but, begrudgingly, he figured “rumoured manwhore” was at least a step above “rumoured traitor” and didn't comment. Instead, he looked at his watch again, nearly grimacing at the time before he went back to impatiently spinning his ring.

“I'm confident that Her Highness has a handle on things,” he stated, more for his own benefit than anyone else’s. He willed himself to calm down, taking a long breath. “And besides, I saw a guard in full obsidian plate on the way over. Those aren’t Academy guards; they're Princess Nox’s men.” He looked to Salem. “I know you're nervous about her, but at least take comfort that with her here, no one else is going to come to harm tonight.” Unless they were being interrogated, anyway. But if Salem and co. had been released as easily as they made it sound, he doubted Nox would have much in the way of questions for them anyway.

“I told you Nox would come sniffing in this direction! Did anyone listen? Nooo,” Max barked out again from the other room, “If she shows up, I was never here and the window was already broken.”

Eris openly rolled his eyes, uncorking the bottle as he replied, "Yeah, she's going to come all the way over here for you since she has something against smartass mages instead of apprehending the actual murderer." He shook his head.

Despite the tension, Aaron almost laughed, a ghost of a smirk appearing on his face before he shook his head. “Mr. Samael is right,” he called, “Her Highness’ main priority right now will be locking down the campus. I don't imagine she’ll move on to knocking down doors for another few hours at least. And if you were spirited away to some facsimile of Princess Ryner so quickly, I doubt Nox is going to be after you.”

He supposed there was a chance, but if everything had gone as smoothly as Salem made it seem, it was probably unlikely. “Could you shed some light on what exactly happened, though?” He asked the room, “What did you… find?”

“Oh, fuck you Eric, you know what I meant,” Max grumbled, still refusing to leave his room. At this point he was just being childish, “We found a dead girl with all the blood drained out of her, what did you expect?”

Aaron almost put his face in his hands. Good lord, why was it always like pulling teeth with these people? “We’ve established that there was a body,” he replied, doing his best to conceal his remounting irritation. “What else did you find? Anything? And what happened next to bring you to an illusion mage representing Princess Ryner, of all people?”

Good grief, no wonder Varis was so annoyed with the kid’s lack of thinking skills. Didn’t Flower Boy already tell him what happened? Eris guessed connecting the dots wasn’t a strong suit of his, slowly sipping at his drink as he rolled his eyes. He leaned against the wall, slicking his hair out of his face as he sighed.

“Did you forget the part where we were arrested? We were told we would be taken into Her Highness’ custody and wound up with an imposter,” He reminded Aaron. “Why? Who knows. I didn’t think you had it in you to question the crown like that.”

Taking a more elementary route, he laid out the events. “The body that had been attacked by a vampire was found. The victim held onto some evidence in her hand that I probably shouldn’t have touched, and we got arrested as a result. Supposedly, Princess Ryner’s orders made it so we were taken to her at her office--it wasn’t her, it was an illusionist or mentalist or whatever the fuck those mages are called. We were released, and here we are,” He said it as plainly as he could. “If you want to find out why your princess decided not to speak to us in person, by all means, ask and let me know, I’d love to hear that.”

The blatant disrespect for the crown predictably grated on Aaron, but he let it slide - not that he was about to voice his displeasure to his master’s lover anyway. So they were taken to the Princess’ office? Considering Aaron was confident that no one could possibly get in there without her express consent, that at least meant that whoever they’d spoken to had at least had permission from Ryner to act on her behalf.

“Do you have any idea why they wanted you in her office, sir?” he asked. “And what evidence did you find?”

“You’re asking a lot of fucking questions for a guy who just had his panties in a twist about us shutting up about what we saw,” Max commented again from his room.

Maxie hurried off in the direction of his voice excitedly, apparently having heard Max yell ‘shut up’ at her enough to recognize the words. Either that, or she felt slighted by the inattention from the other three.

“What? Go away.” Max could be heard muttering from the doorway.

Maxie just barked in response.

Aaron watched the dog go, his irritation almost entirely fading at the sight of Max thwarted by a fluffy rat. “Well I don’t want anyone going around starting a panic or a rumour mill,” he replied, “but given that I’m involved now I think you’ll agree it’s prudent to find out as much as I can.”

Not to mention that no small part of him was horrified that such a thing could have happened on Academy grounds, of all places. He wouldn’t admit it, but the thought that he’d spent his evening wandering about in the dark without care (or brooding unprotected on his lawn) while a murderer was prowling around had him shaken to the core. That was the last time he ever left his dorm without Dawn at his side, that much was certain. As much as he lived by the standard of “don’t ask, don’t tell”, now that he was involved experience had taught him that not knowing would probably torment him more than whatever gruesome details they could provide.

Eris looked offended for a second, watching the pomeranian wait patiently outside of Max’s door. He didn’t have to be so rude to her, she didn’t do anything wrong. As for Aaron’s question, Eris shrugged. “Considering we were led to believe that we were talking to the real princess under the guise of sparing us from the other princess’ wrath, I want to think that the original intention of protecting her students was what Princess Ryner wanted,” He threw in his best guess. “For whatever reason, she wanted us or whoever to believe that she was there.”

“And as for the evidence, it was a bundle of multicolored strings. Pretty sure that was taken directly from the murderer’s garb,” Eris closed his eyes as he remembered. “Green and silver, likely from either an expensive dress or a cheap suit. I’m more inclined to believe it was the former, there weren’t many lessers at the ballroom.”

"Apart from that, as it's already been explained, the victim had similar puncture wounds as a feeding vampire, though the bite itself was a bit strange. I did inspect them to make sure they were alive first, and gathered this was either an attack to make it seem like a vampire’s doing to cause strife, or it was an actual feeding. The lack of blood pooling around them suggests it was the latter while the wounds let me know this wasn't a ravenous attack. It was nothing like the ones I've seen in the poorer human districts, this was precise, deep, and controlled. Yet they were also larger, and more jagged than a normal bite. They were in a proper state of mind when attacking and feeding...well maybe not proper but definitely weren't feral."

Aaron nodded as the others spoke, though he wasn’t sure why he was trying to put the pieces together. Investigating murders was not his job, and experience taught him that things such as these were much better left alone. Still, it didn’t stop him from trying. He agreed that Salem’s information suggested a vampire in their right mind, though he supposed that could have been assumed from the start; a feral vampire could never have exhibited the self control needed to remain undetected. No, the whole campus would have known were that the case. As for the strings… Aaron could recall only one person wearing green and silver at the ball: the stranger he’d danced with. His stomach twisted in knots at the idea that he could have come so close to a killer, but he stubbornly pushed the thought from his mind. No. he couldn’t jump to conclusions. There were dozens of people at the ball, and droves more crawling around various other events on campus; surely she couldn’t have been the only vampire in green and silver.

“Disturbing,” he sounded a little more nonchalant than he probably should have, but he wasn’t sure what else he could add. “That was everything, then?”

Salem nodded in agreement. "Aside from a rune that disappeared after a while that's it. Unfortunately I'm not far enough along in my studies to know exactly what it was or what it was meant to do aside from attract attention by providing a dim glow on an otherwise dark night. It could potentially have been the Rune to signify someone finished their allotted drink but again we got no real information from our time with that mage or officers besides the fact that Nox was supposedly out for us and wanting to interrogate with the use of mind magic."

Brow furrowing at the mention of a rune, Aaron shook his head. “As long as you told the guard everything you knew, then you don't need to worry about what any of it means.” He gave Salem a flat look. “And don’t take Princess Nox’s actions too personally. Her only goal is to get to the bottom of this - she has no interest in torturing you unless she thinks you’re hiding something.”

With that settled, Aaron checked his watch, grimacing a bit at the time. Logically he knew it didn’t matter - he was already in trouble and locked out, it made little difference whether he spent the day here or on the lawn - but he looked up to Eris just the same. “Sir, respectfully, how long do you want me to stay here? It’s… rather urgent that I get back on time in the evening.”

"The entire student body was instructed to stay indoors, I figure you could head out at sunrise and be alright," Eris said, waving his hand around. "I'm heading to bed, the couch is all yours."

He stepped into his room and almost closed the door before he remembered something, snapping his fingers and pointing to the pair. "And no sucking face, keep it in your pants please and thank you," He warned them both, leaving the door open a crack in case Maxie decided to join him.
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Time: 10:45 - Staging Grounds


Colds wind swept over the campus the night of the practical exams, following in the wake of several days of clouds and light snow. Class had been cancelled for the first years to give them time to rest, eat, and prepare for the upcoming exam at midnight. The mage Professors had explained that the practical was a test of their magical ability and their teamwork with their vampire, who would be present with them in the forest at all times. The goal was to return from the drop point to the staging area before six am. Completing the goal generated an 80% for the practical and guaranteed passing. Failure to return to the staging ground by 6 am resulted in an automatic failure and a team of ages and vampires would collect the pair from the forest.

In order to find their way back, mages would have to employ the Dark Eyes charm to read a series of signs placed inside the forest and written with viatymbol. These signs had the directions to return to the staging area. The vampire would be magically disoriented and blinded for the duration, adding the extra challenge of a helpless addition that the mage had to guide through the forest and fostering the trust between vampire and mage. Vampires would wear a special amulet given at the staging area that would act as a homing beacon for the rescue teams in the event the pair required it.

The students had been instructed to dress warmly and meet at 10:15 at the bus stop, where students would be chartered from the school to the practical grounds. They had been warned that only their focus was permitted. No technology, including watches, and no navigational devices including maps and compasses. The atmosphere on the buses was nervous, every emotion from excitement to down right dread adding to the nervous sense, and even vampires shifted warily in the seats. Not many of them too kindly to the idea that they’d be losing the use of their sight for the duration but their protests had been shut down firmly by both their professors and Ryner with practiced ease. The other option was to withdraw from the school and no one wanted to drag down their family’s name. Royal guards accompanied each bus, two unmarked cars flanking them and four guards standing on the bus itself. Ryner made it clear that security had been increased for their protection and the practical was no different.

Busses pulled up at the grounds neatly at 10:45 and before being allowed to disembark, all students were required to leave any restricted items behind. They were magically scanned prior to leaving the bus, the guards confiscating cleverly hidden phones and notes and depositing them in lock boxes. The staging ground itself was a large clearing with several long tables. A variety of snacks and water bottles were being put in small bags for mages to take into the forest with them and another was handing out hand warmers for the cold night. Ryner stood with one of the guards and Dr. Manuel, the pair speaking quietly together while Gregor stared with disinterest at the arriving students though he did stand a little straighter than normal.

“Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please!” Someone with a megaphone called out to the group. “The practical is set to begin at Midnight. If all vampires would please proceed to the Princess, we will begin preparing you for the enchantments. Mages, please take this time to grab food and water for the trip and some hand warmers in case you get cold! Once you have, find your name along the yellow line at the edge of the forest and your vampire will be brought to you. We will be giving out further instructions 15 minutes before the start of the practical.”
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A quiet song played from Lilie's phone, a clock ticking down on the screen. The musical notes were constantly interrupted by a constant splashing accompanied by the occasional giggle. Getting used to being up all night was a work in progress again, but at the very least she always had some alone time before classes. At the moment, Lilie paid no attention to anything else, the idea of a relaxing bath long since forgotten. To be fair, it definitely started that way: she had prepared a warm bath, wound her hair into a messy bun on top of her head, added some bubbles, and put on a song that she knew would help her take it easy. The bubbles were probably where she went wrong, the urge to mess with them a little completely sidetracked her.

She couldn't really control them, but she was having the time of her life making tiny little whirlpools or taking a part of the water and trying to make shapes. She distinctly remembered seeing a bird made of water fly over her back at the first day of school, and while she knew it would be some time before she could do it, it was still fun to try. Complex shapes were a lot harder than she thought, but she could make small spheres for a brief time. What she especially liked to do was guide a small stream with one finger, watching it do her bidding with little effort. Her right finger stayed in a continuous loop, circling around her left index finger and forming a ring. When she stopped moving, it stayed for just a moment before collapsing back into the bath.

Lilie grinned, slicking her bangs away from her face, and she let out a happy sigh as she sank back into the water. It lasted all of ten seconds before her alarm went off, reminding her that it was time to get ready for the practical.


Rocking on the heels of her boots, Lilie stopped long enough to adjust her earmuffs. Her white, double-breasted pea coat was a lot warmer than she gave credit for originally so she felt alright, but she still chose to bundle up with a scarf and gloves just in case. Her thigh high boots over her thermal tights were probably a little much, but she wasn't about to go out in an ankle-length dress in the cold. Besides, no one was going to be looking at her anyway, and even if they were, she didn't care for once: today was all about magic. Arcane magic, sadly, but still magic!

It took her longer than she wanted to admit to get the spell down, but hopefully she wouldn't find herself too behind everyone else. She kept tracing the pattern on the palm of her hand to keep herself busy, exhaling slowly. She pumped herself up, though she jumped when the announcement was made. She flashed a grin at Count Ben, giving him a small wave before scampering off to the supply tables. No wonder they were allowed bags, she wouldn't want to just lug around everything. Still, how long were they expected to be out here for? The deadline was told, but were they really going to take so long?

Her anxiety crept up on her, but she shoved it away as excitement took over. Nothing to it but to do it!

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Aaron had actually been pretty excited about the practical, but that anticipation had dimmed considerably by the time they finally disembarked. With Varis pushing him harder than normal lately and the added strain of watching him abuse Dawn every chance he got, exhaustion largely eclipsed his excitement; tonight had been one of the nights that the circles under his eyes were dark enough to need concealer, though he wasn’t sure whether to be proud or annoyed that he’d gotten pretty practiced at applying it. Additionally, an irritating headache was starting to form at the base of his neck, no doubt a remnant of Varis’ little ear-ringing tantrum back at the dorm. He didn’t look it, sitting next to Aaron on the bus all calm and dignified, but a displeased Varis could get incredibly loud. At least he wasn't the source of Varis’ outrage this time, although Aaron had a sneaking suspicion the consequences would still find their way back to him somehow.

The cold air, at least, was a blessing, helping him clear his head a little as they stepped off the bus onto the staging grounds. Aaron pulled up the collar of his turtleneck against the wind; it wasn’t too cold, but he knew it would feel a lot colder after six hours in the woods and had dressed accordingly, opting for a black double-breasted coat and matching leather gloves with a pair of insulated boots replacing his usual oxfords for the evening. He wasn’t fond of giving up his watch (he kept moving to check it out of habit, only to come up empty) but what really made him uneasy was the lack of a scabbard on his hip. The few days since Dawn was taken away had been weird enough without being dropped into the middle of the forest unarmed, and Aaron was feeling more vulnerable than he’d like without it, no matter how safe and well-guarded the practical grounds logically were.

He caught a glimpse of Lilie through the crowd of first-years getting off the buses—goodness those earmuffs were cute—but didn’t follow her to the supply tables just yet, opting to hang back out of the way until the crowd dispersed a little. He’d say he was being polite and letting other people have their turn first, which he supposed wasn’t altogether false, but mostly he just had neither the energy nor the patience to wade through a crowd of nervous and excited mages at the moment.

He winced when the announcement sounded—oh good, a megaphone, that felt great on his pounding head—and cast a weary glance over to where the Princess stood with one of the Spell Theory professors, waiting for the vampires to assemble and receive their enchantments. Oh boy, he did not envy her the earful she was about to get from Varis. He had no doubt she wouldn’t budge, but Varis seemed to think he could lean on her to get out of this ordeal, and far be it from Aaron to try and stop him. Aaron just hoped he didn’t cause too much of a scene.
Ogling @Hero and dreading @Achronum's oncoming episode
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Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by Bert Macklin
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Bert Macklin

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I do not like this, had been the first thought that had come to mind once the details of the practical had come to light. The initial thrill of getting to participate and get up close and personal to his mage's prowess had hurriedly been overcome by both shock and dread once the finer details had been revealed. Ben was more than happy to offer any and every assistance he could muster; if it would help Lilie with her studies, he would provide her with the finest in the realm no matter what the cost. That thought and all its good intentions backfired spectacularly, however, as he did not realize that having that sentiment was dangerous, especially if the 'no matter what' portion included paying the price of his own vulnerability.

The thought was a touch dramatic, sure, but after the reveal of what had happened during the first night of the Revel, his concern suddenly didn't seem so farfetched. Were he completely honest, he would have to admit there was an additional worry that had recently revealed itself: Lilie had put some distance between them. He naively thought they had made genuine progress, and she remained ever polite and they had yet to argue again, but something had changed. If he only knew what he had done to cause her to erect a wall between them, but there had scarce been any time to properly ask. In a sense he supposed the practical was one way to get them alone long enough to ask, but he wouldn't blame her if she was unwilling to talk. After all, she had to focus on her task.

And that led to his personal discomfort. He could be surrounded by a hundred guards with a hundred mages and his own personal mages shielding him, and he still would not warm up to the idea of being willingly blinded. Obviously it was meant to be some sort of trust exercise. He did not like it one bit. Part of him wondered if it was despite having positive intentions, he hadn't had complete trust in Lilie just yet. Perhaps it was penance; after all, she was a mage. Victor Astorio praised her battle prowess. Ben himself had seen her practicing her magic every day late into the morn. There was no reason for distrust, but the idea of relying on someone so small just came off as comical.

Alas, the decision was not his to make. And when the announcement came, Ben would stand tall and composed. Lilie offered him a wave that he returned, and then he walked towards the intended gathering place. Ben did not hide his displeasure, but he would bear with it. He only hoped that this would be done with quickly. Not that I think the fates are on my side, he thought, a small chuckle of nervousness escaping him.
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Hidden 4 yrs ago 4 yrs ago Post by Achronum
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Achronum The Pyro

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To say Varis was displeased with this turn of events would be an understatement. The second he discovered what participating in this inane mage assessment required, he’d nearly marched over to Ryner’s office and gave her a piece of his mind. Leave a vampire blind in the hands of a mage? The commoners were understandable. They infested this sad excuse of an establishment and could be replaced as easily as rats but the nobles? She collected the irreplaceable ones and now had the audacity to send them stumbling about in the middle of the night when their mages couldn’t see the tip of their noses? No matter that’s the point of the exercise. The fact still remained, the boy would be in charge of his safety and Varis was barely ready to let him be in charge of his correspondence, much less this.

On the bus he wanted nothing to do with anyone so where he would have normally invited Eris to sit, he sat Aaron on the outside and refused any sort of interaction. He kept himself together in public, even as he still wanted to murder, and focused instead on how to handle the situation with Ryner. She’d probably politely “insist” that he accept it because everyone else has to. Varis would tell her that was unacceptable because not everyone else was a noble and had a hand in council matters. Anything that resulted in his injury would ultimately reflect poorly on her tenfold considering the situation during revel. That’d be his angle. She couldn’t use some second rate news broadcast to hide anything happening to him and he’d make sure to remind her of that. As if Varis was going to rely onthe boy of all people.

But Varis was prepared for the inevitable. As he expected, the royal dogs planned on magically searching each of the students and right after the boy was done, Varis immediately offered his phone to the inspector. “Don’t bother. Just take it.” Varis snapped as the man took it, stashed it away, and put his hand out in front of Varis before he could leave. Varis gave the man a look that would have killed anyone else but he continued with his job without batting an eye. It wouldn't be the first time handling an upset noble. He had children at home too.

“Compass, map, and pen light please.” The guard held out his hand. Varis’ jaw worked as he reached into his coat and pulled out the pen light, pulled the compass out of his pant pocket, and lifted his pant leg to fetch the map he’d folded so carefully out of his sock. He stormed past the guards and off the bus, furious that his ploy to get through this nightmare as quickly as possible was ruined, and scoffed at the words being blasted from a megaphone. Herding vampires around rather than mages? What a disgrace to vampire kind. These other sheep may be perfectly content being at their mage’s mercy but Varis would rather take a long walk at dawn than let any of them lead him anywhere.

Ryner caught his eye and he stormed through the crowd, not bothering with avoiding people as he made his way through. She was making conversation with some nobody as if she wasn’t practically sentencing him to death and that just riled him up more. He made little effort quieting his approach and Ryner broke off the conversation with a sigh when he snapped her name.

“Do you really expect me to think I’m safe after your little slip up during Revel? You want to put vampires, the nobles, and me at the mercy of mages barely even trained in their magic when for all we know there could be another deraigned killer on the loose. Varis snapped, having at least the forethought to keep his voice down despite the situation. “I will not allow this nonsense to happen to me while the security of your campus is in question! They’ve had their magic and actual training for a few months! Vampires are the superior race― our entire body of law revolves around that particular concept, in case you’ve forgotten―and here we are, surrendering ourselves to the whim of mages? I will not be made to look like a fool, Princess, so you’ll either wave my need for this enchantment or cancel this whole thing all together, do you understand?”




Madalyn Vazquez


Sleep did not come easily that day. What if she lost Ari somewhere in the woods? What if she got tired, ran out of magic, and had to forfeit the exam? Why was she being put in charge of a vampire’s safety so early on? She was a life mage. She didn’t really come with the skills necessary to escape a forest. Sleep came to her in bursts at first but eventually, she succumbed to sleep and resumed her normal routine of snoozing at least the first three alarms. There was definitely a process to her waking up and the sinking feeling in her stomach wasn’t making it any easier for her to face the day.

But eventually, she couldn’t ignore the alarms any longer and she hauled herself out of bed, stumbling into the kitchen where―and thank the Queen for whoever had the foresight to give them this―the preprogrammed coffee maker already had a pot of coffee waiting for her. She pulled out her favorite mug, poured herself a cup, added a healthy dose of cream and cinnamon, and leaned against the counter for a second while her brain caught up with the morning. She made sure to hurry up, being a little behind schedule, and launched herself through her morning routine. She picked out warmer clothes: A thick long sleeved shirt, pair of insulated pants, a plain jacket, a pair of sturdy hiking boots, gloves, and a scarf. When she shopped, she aggressively went for plain and nondescript in her clothing. She had no intention of standing out and only wore the nicer pieces that caught her eye to places that she felt comfortable with the people she was with. She tucked her focus into it's sheath and attached it firmly to her hip. Hopefully, she wouldn't need it but it was better to have ti on hand just in case.

“I wonder if it would look bad to have something confiscated.” Maddie thought out loud to herself. She really wanted another cup of coffee and she did bring a thermos but she wasn’t sure how far away the grounds were and leaving a half full thermos of coffee would be kind of gross. So, with a sigh, she opted against it. She left with Ari and trudged onto the bus, taking the seat next to the Countess. “This is more than a little nerve wracking.” She said softly to the Countess as the bus pulled away from the school. A name caught her attention, a fighter from the most recent Titan match. Another pair next to them was talking about the move one of the fire mages pulled, hiding a nasty evocation spell beneath the fire they started, that nearly won them the match when the air mage launched himself over top of it. Maddie listened in intently, adding her own piece or two when it felt appropriate.

When the bus stopped and it came time to seperate, she squeezed Ari’s hand discreetly before they stood. “I’ll see you soon.” She said as she followed the mage she was talking with on the bus ride. They kept up a conversation about the match, grabbing their bags and hand warmers before they split up looking for their names.
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Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by WeepingLiberty
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WeepingLiberty ~Friendly Garden Statue~ / ~Blink And You're Dead~

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Amaris Marivaldi

Mentions: Madalyn & Varis @Achronum


No Getsuga, you cannot come with. We’ll only be gone a few hours, it’s no different than any other school day. Stay here where it’s nice and warm.” Amaris scolded the reptile as she caught him attempting to slither from his tank for the third time. She scooped the creature up in her arms and kissed his tiny head before gingerly placing him back at the bottom of the tank and latching the lid. It wasn’t a feature she used often, but if the little monster wouldn’t stay put she didn’t see much other choice.

This was the day that Amaris had been looking forward to since the nature of the practicum had been announced. It was slightly bittersweet as she had always pictured herself working side by side with Cassandra to complete whatever task the instructors had laid out for them. Still, she was excited for the opportunity to strengthen her bond with Madalyn. They might have still been fairly new partners, but Amaris had a good feeling about the test.

Adjusting her towel accordingly, Amaris sat before her vanity and set to work on her hair. She wasn’t going for anything particularly nice, after all, it was about to go up into a ponytail for the remainder of the night. However, the chilly weather wasn’t going to mix well with drenched hair. Amaris worked to remove as much of the moisture as she could, alternating the brushing of her locks with applied heat from the blow dryer she seldom used. Once everything was to her liking, the countess selected a tie and got to work pulling her hair back from her face into a high pony. For good measure, Amaris slipped a backup tie onto her wrist before rising from her seat and approaching the closet.

Colder weather had always been her favorite and the dipping temperatures rarely caused her any problems. Had she been going out alone dressing light might have worked out just fine, however, she had a partner to think about and a mortal one at that. She carefully selected a few different items, holding pairs of clothing up together and glancing them over before swapping pieces out and repeating the process. Eventually, Amaris had settled on a thin, black, long sleeved shirt and a pair of form fitting pants to match. Slipping into thick, wooly socks, the countess dug out a pair of hiking boots that would support her ankles and set to lacing them up before returning for the final piece; a jacket. She had many different options concerning the garb, each one holding a benefit and drawback to her upcoming activities.

Several minutes went by before Amaris selected the plum dyed wool from the closet, wrapping herself in the fabric before clasping the folds into place with a wide black belt. If she was honest, she wasn’t entirely sure what the type of jacket was called, or if it was truly a jacket at all. It had been described to her once as a ‘princess style cape jacket’ but really it just looked like a dress made of thick wool. Either way, it was sure to keep the elements off of her, and if need be, easily removed to cover her mage should she need it more.

A quick glance of the clock let Amaris know that she was right on time to depart, the countess swiping a thing pair of gloves that she tucked into the side of her belt before turning to leave the room. She stepped out into the hallway and made her way through to the entryway where Madalyn stood ready and waiting for the big day.

Oh good, you look warm and ready to go. Shall we?” Amarris prompted, opening the door to allow Madalyn out first before closing the door firmly behind them. It was a pleasant walk from the dorms to the bus stop, at least in Amaris’ eyes it was. Light conversation, thinner crowds due to the differences in scheduling for those participating in the exam and those with regular classes, and a familiar sense of calm that always seemed to accompany the colder weather. Winter was close and she couldn’t wait to see it.

The pair arrived on time as expected, loading up onto the bus with little waiting required. Amaris selected a seat that would allow for the pair to sit together, opting to give Madalyn the outside so that she could participate in the many conversations taking place around them. The countess didn’t care much for joining in, far more comfortable just taking in the various sounds and pondering the events to come.

This is more than a little nerve wracking.” Came the voice from beside her, Amaris turning her head to smile reassuringly.

It will be ok, you’re going to do great. We’ll take this one step at a time.” She settled back in her seat and tuned in for a bit to the conversation Madalyn had found herself in. Amaris was at a loss to the content and thus found herself drifting into the topics of other conversations further up until the bus had pulled up to its destination.

The countess took pause as she waved off her departing partner, taking a moment to watch her shuffle off with the other mages towards the refreshments provided to them by the school. Once she was certain Madalyn was on her way to getting prepared for the practicum, Amaris turned and followed her own kind to where they gathered and awaited further instruction. She had been waved through the security check with a fair amount of ease, but she hadn’t expected any pushback considering she had shown up with only the clothes she had been wearing. The same could not have been said for Varis, however. Amaris fought to contain a smirk as she witnessed the guard stop the count and proceed to request quite a few forbidden items from his person. The man had always been a control freak but this was just extra, borderline on sad.

Shaking her head, Amaris made her way gently through the gaps left by the raging count until she was close to the front of the group. She didn’t dare speak for fear of Varis turning his vitriol upon her, but she wasn’t about to miss the response of Varis challenging Ryner in front of everyone the way he was. While he might have had a point that disabling all four noble heirs presented a risk with serious repercussions, the truth was that not all of the nobles in attending were actually council heirs. Amaris herself might have been the last of the main bloodline, but the leadership was already in the hands of another. Should she fall, the title would still move organically to the next in line after her. Victor she knew to already have ties to the council but she couldn’t see him running things from the chair, not to mention she doubted he would be in much trouble regardless of his condition. Muscle memory was on his side if anything she witnessed in the arena meant something. The only outlier was the Eve representative, which she realized she still didn’t know anything about. Word of Mariette’s departure had reached her but that was about all she had detail wise.

Aside from the obvious, Amaris couldn’t see anything more to prompt what could only be described as a juvenile tantrum. She would be lying if she said that she wasn’t nervous about the idea of having her senses magically altered, however, the nerves were quickly replaced with a sense of excitement. It was an interesting opportunity, one that didn’t come around all that often especially when one was a noble. Her only worry was not being able to protect her mage should something happen… but the escort and extra guards insisted that hypothetical something would remain hypothetical, didn’t it?


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Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by Hero
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Hero Sincerest of Knights

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Since the moment he got up, Eris' evening was a blur. The practical wasn't exactly a surprise at this point, but the reality of it hadn't really hit him until now. From the time they had left the dorm to getting on the bus, the blond was hit with an absolutely terrible realization: he was going to have to rely on his mage for this. As in, Eris Samael, vampire actor and superior being, was going to be rendered helpless and forced to rely entirely on Maxwell Alderman, a vampire-hating mage who would probably sell him to the devil for one corn chip if the opportunity presented itself.

So needless to say, Eris was a little stressed.

He did make sure to wear the cheapest clothes he owned--to add insult to injury, they were going to be wandering through the dirty outdoors, stars knew only why--since he wasn't about to ruin a good suit. He also didn't doubt for a second that Alderman wouldn't take advantage and have him stumble and crash into every tree possible. Suddenly Ismene's insistence that they got along seemed like a warning for the future, but it was far too late to rectify that. And Eris wasn't about to do anything asinine like ask him to go easy. In fact, he barely spoke to the mage aside from a few "mhms" and grunts.

The cherry on top was not even getting the chance to whine, because for once, Eris was not the biggest drama queen on the bus; Varis was throwing a fit. Not on the bus, of course, but he had known the vampire long enough to tell his mood just by looking at him. And sure enough, once they got off and the announcements were made, he watched Varis make a beeline for the princess. Eris felt completely abandoned, but he hung his head in defeat, giving Alderman a wary glance (to which he was sure was met with glee) and dragged himself off to the princess with the other vampires.

Moping around caused him to bump into someone; he straightened up immediately. "So sorry about that--" But the apology died in his throat as he realized he had bumped into the only blond on campus that actively irritated him. "Oh, Count Benson, it's you." Whether it was being already annoyed at the practical or still being annoyed with their previous conversation, Eris hid his disdain poorly. He examined Benji's face carefully, finger tapping his chin. "You look nervous, what's wrong?" He asked, crossing his arms.


Poking @Bert Macklin and hoping @Scribe of Thoth has some mercy in his soul.
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Hidden 4 yrs ago 4 yrs ago Post by Scribe of Thoth
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Scribe of Thoth It's Pronounced "Thot"

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"Hand over the lighter too please."

This guard was killing him. First you can't have phones, then no magnesium strips tucked away in your sock, and now lighters. He should've brought cigarettes as a backup plan so he could pretend to be a smoker. No, they'd probably confiscate it anyway; people's comfort didn't seem like a priority here.

"And take those off," Guardy McStick-Up-Ass ordered wearily as he pointed to the plates on Max's wrists. That was where he drew line; he wasn't going to have his affinity rendered worthless in the middle of a dark forest.

Other people got away with jewelry, so clearly that wasn't the issue, and Max saw no way to cheat with armor that he couldn't do without it. If anything, it was a liability - he'd ditched the cuirass earlier for that exact reason. If he argued too vehemently, it would look like he intended to cheat, but like hell he was going to let this underpaid functionary win. Okay, if he was arguing along the same lines as the people that got to keep jewelry, his excuse was fashion related, so what would Eris do? Probably whine. Not an option. What else? Degrade their outfit. That'll work.

Max made a point of eyeing the guard's attire up and down as he summoned up his best Eris look - like he'd just seen someone wearing socks with sandals. No, not potent enough. Socks in an out of season color and sandals. Perfect.

"I know you probably wouldn't recognize current fashion trends if they smacked you in the face, but this is a Feliks Vasiliev piece. It's decorative, so if you let Countess Tacky over there through with that eyesore of a necklace without complaint, you should be fine with this."

"Current fashion trends, really," The guy repeated flatly. He wasn't buying it, shit, Max needed more big names than just Feliks. Eris had to have mentioned someone he could use...

"Mhmm, Emmett Anderson wore something similar on the red carpet last month." He really hoped that was an actual celebrity and he wasn't remembering some useless secretary's name. "It's supposed to be evocative of chivalrous valor and knightly prestige, while also acting as a subdued part of any outfit." What a load of crap, he couldn't believe people actually talked like that.

The guard mumbled another incantation as he looked at the vambraces, no doubt scanning them for... Max really had no idea. Hidden blades? A GPS? Eventually, Max got waved along, though he took the opportunity to make a nasty face back at the guy as soon as his head turned to the next person he was grilling for contraband.

When he returned to his partner's side, Eris still looked nervous as ever, which Max took no small delight in basking in - pass or fail, he still won here. He even had the audacity to flash Eris a shit-eating grin every time the leech looked in his direction. In fairness, Max might give him a pass later; Eris hadn't tried to bully him into compliance, so he really had no reason to be deliberately spiteful. Though if the vampire was posed to walk into a tree branch or two, he was sure they both knew Max wouldn't stop him.

When the announcements were made, Max filed off toward the refreshment stand, throwing a wave and a sarcastic "Have fun Eric!" back at his partner as he went. The exam would take six hours tops, though he didn't know how energy-intensive maintaining a spell for that long would be. With the way his magic was always pouring out of him, he assumed he might have some stamina advantage here. Or maybe a disadvantage, since he was wasting magic all the time. Why couldn't he just be normal?

He paused at stuffing granola bars and trail mix into his pockets to look over at Varis' progressing tantrum, immediately scanning the area for Eris on the chance he joined in on the whining. Too bad they already took his phone, a recording of that online would be viral in hours. Unfortunately for him, Cinnamon was being too quiet for Max to pick up what he was saying and Eris looked like he was talking shit on the sidelines with some other vampire like a gossipy schoolgirl instead of joining in.

Vampires were such fragile creatures, it was almost funny. Even the slightest loss of control and they collapse into mass hysteria; Max was certain the air of subdued anxiety rather than outright panic was only due to the fact that none of the leeches wanted to be the first to lose face in front of their peers.


@Hero
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Hidden 4 yrs ago 4 yrs ago Post by Obscene Symphony
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Obscene Symphony sea wench

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The line at the supply tables moved quicker than Aaron expected, though admittedly he was a little distracted with watching Varis cut a trench through the crowd on his way to Ryner. Aaron couldn’t hear what was being said, but the Count’s posture and his attitude back at the dorm combined with the Princess’ disinterested stare told him just about all he needed to know.

He sighed. He wished Varis could just accept his fate this once, but he knew better than to think that was a possibility. Varis cherished control and even after only a few months, Aaron knew it would be a battle to convince him to surrender it. Especially under these circumstances. Aaron had to admit he was a little hurt that Varis trusted him so little, but he supposed it was to be expected; even after he thought they’d finally made some progress, Varis still barely trusted him enough to put him in charge of letter-writing, much less his safety. A bitter thought that he could have done this job better with Dawn still in his possession crossed his mind, but Aaron wouldn’t dwell on it. Varis seemed intent on digging his own grave and he was in no position to refuse him.

He watched Eris trudge by in what he could only describe as workout spandex with veiled amusement (and almost had to stifle a laugh at Max's cheery comment) before finally approaching the supply tables, the crowd having thinned as mages found their spots along the woods or collected near the assembly of vampires to watch as one of the Counts got in the Princess’ face. Aaron did his best to ignore it—a noble tantrum was a lot less exciting when you were the one who had to go home with it at the end of the night—and focused on the mages handing out food.

Taking food, water and a pair of hand warmers, Aaron leaned over the table a bit, lowering his voice. “You guys don’t happen to have any painkillers to hand out, do you?”

The girl behind the table shook her head apologetically. “I’m afraid not, just the food and warmers. Sorry!”

Aaron shook his head, thanking the girl before making his way over to the line at the edge of the woods. There, though, a familiar grey hat caught his attention, sitting on top of a brown-haired girl in plain, neutral clothing who also seemed to be looking for her name. She was about the same size and build as Lilie, though maybe not quite as thin, not that anyone could really tell under all those layers. It took him a moment to figure out why someone so otherwise nondescript caught his attention, until he saw the person she’d been speaking to veer away and remembered; she’d been sitting a row or so ahead of him and Varis on the bus, chatting to that other person across the aisle about a recent TCL match. He hadn’t been able to catch the conversation in full, but he perked up considerably at his fortune, falling into step next to her and gently tapping her on the shoulder.

“Excuse me?” he asked politely, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “Sorry to bother you, but I overheard you talking about a TCL fight on the bus and I was wondering, did you happen to see last night’s match? I follow it pretty closely but I...” He chuckled a little uncomfortably and massaged the sore part of his neck, recalling how Varis had him running hither and yon all night in his irritation over the upcoming exam. “I didn’t get the chance to watch.”
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Hidden 4 yrs ago 4 yrs ago Post by ReusableSword
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ReusableSword The Mighty.

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Victor Astorio


The practical exam had gotten him excited since they told everyone what was going to happen. Victor hadn’t had his senses magically altered for some time. These trainings were always good to get the blood flowing make you really get a sense of dread or danger. An emotion few vampires felt during their daily lives. This was going to be fun.

The trip there wasn’t that bad, Salem kept to himself but at least he sat through the couple quick lessons he was able to give the boy on land navigation. A crash course really. Even though they had been focusing on physical training he was still able to get a few survival tips in here and there when it came to the outdoors. He wasn’t all too worried about his mage, he knew he would be quite capable. This would be a good test to see what his training has accomplished so far.

The hulking Astorio was quite aware that the guards would find his hidden weapons, but to him it was less of trying to get things past the guards and more about testing them. It didn’t hurt that he might get a good laugh out of it too. He could see that after they arrived that a few people had things confiscated from them. Mostly lights, a few compasses here and there, maybe a map or two, and a lot of phones. Finally it was his turn as the guard stepped up to him.

The look on the guards face as he starred at him was one of first, “I don’t get paid enough for this” turned quickly to a “What the?” as he looked up at the count. “No weapons Astorio. leave them with your other belongings at your seat and you can get them at the end of the test.”

Victor could see the guards facial expressions change again as a few others glance over at him. “What do you mean no weapons?” The guard’s expression was funny for a bit as Victor pulled a pocket knife out and placed it on the seat.

“All of them. There is no reason for you to have 47 knives and blades on you in the first place.”

Victor smiled and held his hands up, “alright you got me.” He then proceeded to empty every secret and obvious pocket of blade after blade. Most of them small, others strapped together in a bandolier fashion, and he also put his shoes and socks in the bin as well. His shoes containing at least 6 blades each. each item was left in the seat closest to the wall. “Did I get everything?” he asked.

“The Amulet too.” The guard answered.

A small laugh as he shakes his head and takes his family’s crest off his neck. Pulling on one of the sides to reveal a small blade before putting it with the rest.

“And the flask.”

He hesitated for a moment holding the flask in his hand. Taking one last swig of the contents he closed it and put it with the others.

“Move along.” The guard ordered.

Victor smiled then carried on as the guard just shook his head. “At the very least I can try to make your night interesting.” Speaking towards the man while walking out of the bus and into the crowd of gathered vampires and one very heated looking Varis. Ryner didn’t seem like she was going to be putting up with any of his crap for this one. Looking around for a moment he noticed the atmosphere of the place. Most of the other vampires seemed very worried, annoyed, or down right scarred of the uncertainties that come with being blinded like this. At least a few looked excited like he was.

The tall Vampire could see one opportunity to get under some ones skin a little and stir the pot so to speak. Making his way up toward Varis and Ryner at the front of the group he paused nearby to say something. “Although I do understand where you are coming from Varis, it is after all, perfectly natural to be scared in this situation. But do not fear the unknown, for there’s more than one way to see. I’m sure we will all have a lot of fun.” Speaking with a smile on his face while he bent down to roll his pant legs up and off the ground, digging his toes in to the ground with a sigh. “We all know what it means to not participate, those rules were very clear.” after he said what he did he realized the count may very well attack him, "well at least it was worth it." he thought to himself.
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Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by Achronum
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Achronum The Pyro

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“While I appreciate your ill advised attempt to offer comfort in these trying hours Count Astorio,” Varis snapped, turning away from Ryner for a moment. “This lunacy is an affront to our way of life! We fought wars just to sign into effect the very pillar that supports our entire society and here we are making an absolute mockery of it. We wield our authority, shoulder our responsibility, and uphold our obligations because we are stronger than them. Our image must stay strong, resolute, and infallible and stripping us of the basic means to maintain our awareness is the exact opposite of doing so. I’m not suggesting I sit this out; rather, I’d like to actually see may mage in the process of his struggles so I know where to shore up his shortcomings. There are bound to be plenty. I’d rather not be at the mercy of them. Varis scoffed in disbelief.

“What are you doing? He asked. Why in the world would Victor wear something too long just to roll it up here. What was the point? Meanwhile, Ryner hid a laugh behind a poorly disguised cough at Victor’s teasing but Varis missed it now that Victor was the target of his ire.






Madalyn Vazquez


Maddie turned at the tap, confusion turning to a polite smile as he asked about the match. She took the time to look him over, noting the quality of clothes and the way he held himself. Clearly not someone cut off the common cloth. “That’s too bad. They had us on the edge of our seats.” Maddie shook her head at the memory. “I was certain they would hit overtime. They traded blows at the beginning, the usual testing the defenses, but Rijker broke out of that earlier than normal and nearly covered the entire arena with fire. It was intense.” Maddie shook her head at the memory, her jaw hitting the floor at the display of raw potential.

“Of course, Hollyfield took to the sky. You could see him sweating but he kept trying to blow holes in the fire but Rijker wasn’t having any of it. She’d bring it back as fast as he could blow it out. It seemed like a bit of a stalemate until Hollyfield tried touching down and an arcane lance came hurtling out of the flames! Apparently, no one noticed Rijker holding like ten or twelve of them in the fires. She’d been placing them everytime she brought back the cover fire!” Maddie chuckled at the memory. The magical stamina that must have taken was incredible. “So we all think Holyfield’s done for. I mean, he can’t land long enough to get his bearings and he must be exhausted between the heat at the top of the dome and the drain on his magic but suddenly,” Maddie paused for a moment, leaning in. Her normal passive personality fell away the longer she talked, the adrenaline from the match coming back.

“All of it disappeared. Just gone. In the blink of an eye. No fire, no traps, nothing. Maddie chuckled. “Apparently, Hollyfield learned a new trick since his last match. He neutralized everything at one time and while Rijker was trying to process it, Hollyfield dive bombed her from thirty feet. Nearly had her too but she managed to deflect the brunt of it. The crowd was going absolutely wild.” Maddie shook her head. “Did you not at least record it so you can watch it tonight? I watched it live and I still did.”

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