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As the sheep ahead of him meekly accepted their fate, Varis seethed with every step that brought him closer to the mage. An idiot could tell that, minus a suicidal Astorio, not a single vampire believed this a good idea but Varis alone was apparently the only one willing to voice it. Every single one of these weak willed, pathetic puppets deserved whatever happened to them in the forest; they sealed their own fates. He hoped this little trip would open their eyes but faith wasn’t something Varis put much stock in. The next time she pulled some inane stunt like this, they’d all quietly accept whatever inane trial Ryner put them through next and grumble angrily about it behind closed doors. Deplorable excuses of vampires, the lot of them. Not a single shred of pride or dignity present anywhere.

Varis glowered at the mage as he stepped up, not for the first time wondering if the heaviness and trepidation was what the condemned felt as they walked to the executioner. He resisted the urge to snap at the mage, conjure up some false offense and demand the whole event be suspended until he found satisfaction in the punishment, and forced himself to relax. He could feel his hands trembling as the mage spoke and he noted with some detachment that his limbs started tingling unpleasantly. The world faded away slowly and he tried to memorize the face of the one casting the spell so he could find them later and ruin their life but the details slipped as everything surrendered to the dark. He barely noticed the symptoms of the spell, panic welling in him as he tried to move and found himself stuck. His arms and legs refused to move. There must have been a mistake, there was no reason he couldn’t move. He wasn’t confined, it wasn’t day, nothing was holding him back but he couldn’t even bring himself to speak. It felt like his throat had sealed itself and the words he wanted to scream were stuck firmly in his chest. 

[color=cadetblue]“My arm is in front of you, Count Varis. Take it when you are ready.”[/color] The words cut through the panic building up in him, shattering whatever hold the mistake had on him. The mage must have realized what they did and corrected it. Varis should have said something but he latched onto the proffered arm. His words still wouldn’t come out but that would probably come back to him in a bit too. Everything was [i]fine[/i]. He thought the voice familiar, one of Ryner's lackeys no doubt, but he didn't particularly care. He was far too focused on trying to walk without stumbling, trying to make his steps look stately rather than cautious. Even in this sorry state, he still had to look as dignified as possible even if it meant slowing his pace to a crawl. 

It felt like an eternity past before his guide stopped. [color=cadetblue]"Count Varis, Mr. Starag is to your left."[/color] the voice spoke again. Varis frowned. Perhaps it was the stoic one of her favorites. Walter, Wade, Westly… Something like that. Varis dismissed the thought as soon as it came and opted to hold his hand out for Aaron to take rather than letting take the initiative. 

[color=f7976a]"Hurry up, boy. The sooner we're done, the better."[/color] Varis snapped, an extra edge to his words as he realized he sounded more strained than he wanted to admit. [color=f7976a] "This is absolute madness and apparently I'm the only voice of reason here! Everyone else is too busy worshipping the ground our princess walks on to realize that had we objected as a cohesive unit, we would have turned over this insane requirement. Blinding vampires to put them at the mercy of mages. For shame."[/color]

[sub][right] Interacting with: [@Obscene Symphony][/right][/sub]