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Despite the tension in the car from Varis’ festering, the ride back to the dorm was mercifully silent, and afforded Aaron a rare moment of relative peace. Now that he was no longer preoccupied with forest obstacles, challenges, or an iron vice on his arm, an aching tension behind his eyes was apparent. Even considering his existing headache, it was clear that the spell had taken a toll, though he was honestly just glad he’d been able to keep it up. He hadn’t anticipated any issues with it, sure, but it was still a marathon of a stamina test (not even counting everything [i]else[/i] they’d had to deal with) and he could only imagine how much angrier Varis would be if he’d buckled and dropped the spell halfway through.

He held back a sigh. Not as if succeeding with the spell was going to bolster him at all tonight. With how angry Varis had been at the mere [i]concept[/i] of the practical, let alone its execution, Aaron had fully expected to bear the brunt of the Count’s frustrations tonight no matter how well he performed. Now, though, there was an errant sigh and an unfortunate human weakness to having the daylights squeezed out of him working against him as well, not to mention whichever other misdeeds Varis would conjure up to satisfy his vexation. Aaron wasn’t stupid; he had no doubt that there was some merit beneath his many, many scoldings, but anyone with eyes could tell that Varis also used him like a stress ball just as often.  

But there was no use dwelling on it. Aaron had been done with tonight since the moment he woke up, and while the puzzles in the forest had started out as a nice distraction—it was actually pleasant to work [i]together[/i] with his master for once, and get the chance to do his job as an aide rather than an ornament—they had quickly become the night’s foremost headache, leaving the mage feeling a type of violated he was all too familiar with.

Despite knowing what was waiting for him, finally arriving back at the dorm was a relief. At least he was out of the cold. Aaron followed silently as Varis tore into the dorm, offering a silent bow in response to his orders before Varis took off to his room. Aaron swore he heard the faint sound of tearing when the door closed, but paid it no mind, instead stopping off in the study to leave Varis’ belongings neatly on his desk before making for his own room. Dirty clothes went to the hamper and he was quick into the shower, turning the water as hot as he could stand and allowing himself a moment to savour the warmth—after all they’d been through tonight, he was confident Varis would take a few extra minutes as well, giving him a little time to himself. The water helped soothe his aching shoulders, though the welts where Varis had been holding him remained tender. They’d be even more tender tomorrow, he was sure, unless Varis allowed him to see a life mage and rid himself of such unsightly bruises. A look in the mirror when he got out revealed the damage in full: while he was still a little flushed from the heat, there were clearly red and raised spots all over his shoulders, and of course, some very recognizable handprints on his arms. Some were even just beginning to darken. Something else Varis could criticize, no doubt.

He didn’t tarry long, though, and finished his routine promptly; he’d had enough post-shower lectures that he was pretty quick at the process by now. As Varis ordered, he didn’t bother dressing (nudity barely phased him at this point, a convenient development even if he wasn’t sure how to feel about it), instead making sure his bathroom was tidy before taking his place on the floor at the foot of his bed, ready to get this all over with.
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