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The walk did plenty to refresh Eris as he successfully pushed out a majority of his annoyances and focused solely on the conversation that was about to happen. He had a decent plan in mind, something that would rattle the count and throw off most of his suspicion. Playing the fool [i]did[/i] come as easily as second nature at this point in his life, so he couldn’t say he was too worried. By the time he reached the gates, he could even argue that he was somewhat confident. If not confident, though, he was definitely better prepared.

Now, if only he could get the stupid kid off his mind.

Who the hell did Max think he was anyway, talking to him like that? He could take an insult and roll it off like nothing, but apparently the kid had some hidden trust issues or something. Actually, if Eris didn’t know any better, he’d think that the kid was actually pissed that Eris didn’t trust him. But that didn’t seem right. Until now the kid had been an easy read and it had been relatively easy annoying him to some degree, but the solution to his blowup eluded him. The small apology wouldn’t do it alone, he wagered.

Scratching the back of his head, Eris lowered his right hand into his pocket. Honestly, he needed to put Max aside, but the stupid nagging voice in his head wouldn’t let him. He could also vaguely hear a mocking Ismene and her stupid “I told you so” ringing over and over. Wasn’t it tedious enough that he already might have maybe possibly felt a smidge bad? Did his mind really have to repeat itself over and over? Why should he bother putting himself at the mercy of someone that ‘didn’t quite’ hate him?

Eris openly scoffed at that thought. Neglecting the kid had turned out bad, what he needed to do was properly mold him in a way to his liking. Going forward he’d put in more time, the diet and exercise alone weren’t enough. He was a smart kid, he just needed some polish and shine. And while he did that, he’d find something to bind them together so he wouldn’t need to worry about pissing him off again. He supposed looking into his background to see what he could find was a start, maybe he’d have Antigone do that when he had a chance.

As the thought crossed his mind, Eris spotted a familiar blonde up ahead--he had been so deep in thought he didn’t register who it was right away. Sunny Starag, looking clean and just a smidge stiff as usual, just like every good mage. Eris planned on passing a cordial greeting and nothing more, but then it occurred to him: Sunny had gotten Max in the exam, didn’t he? [i]That[/i] would be his ticket into getting into Max’s head.

The actor brightened up considerably as the pair crossed paths, both hands in his pockets as he flashed the other kid a smile. [color=ccff99]“Good evening, Sunny,”[/color] Eris greeted him, eyes flickering to the letter. [color=ccff99]“On postal duty, are we?”[/color]

Aaron had been running through his mental list for Malek when a familiar voice made him look up, only to see Eris striding up to the subdivision gate. Ah, right on time. Maybe that would put Varis in a better mood by the time he got back. Not that it probably mattered on his end, but it might at least make tomorrow a little better. 

[color=f0d705]“Good evening, Mr. Samael,”[/color] he greeted back with a short bow, as if they hadn’t seen each other hardly an hour before. At least Eris seemed more himself now; maybe all that strangeness of his at the clearing really had just been the culmination of the trial and a frustrating night in the woods after all. Aaron could certainly relate. 

Glancing down at the letter, he shook his head, tapping it on his hand. [color=f0d705]“No, not this time. I’m just on my way to an appointment,”[/color] he replied, opting to leave it vague. Even if Eris had seen the bruises all over his arm back at the clearing and probably knew exactly where he was going, Aaron was sure Varis would rather he didn’t go into detail on such [i]unsightly blemishes[/i] nonetheless. [color=f0d705]“Good timing, though. My master will be glad to see you so soon.”[/color]

Eris felt like that would change sooner than later. Should he warn the kid? He cast an inspectful eye on the Starag, walking around him once. Varis already had his influence over the mage’s wardrobe, his body language hiding his exasperation well. Or was it genuine exhaustion? Not that Eris blamed him, living with any Sinnenodel likely put those courtly manner lessons to good use, but it was usually a strenuous test.

Whether he felt merciful after what happened with Max or a desire to see if the kid would squirm, Eris’ lips twisted into a pitiful smile. [color=ccff99]“That’ll change by the end of the night, I bet…”[/color] He mused, giving Sunny a sympathetic shrug. [color=ccff99]“I’d take as much time as needed at your appointment if I were you. Maybe there’s a long wait, maybe there was a small incident, maybe you nearly got run over by a horde of my screaming fans or whatever...you know, something to give you time to mentally prepare yourself.”[/color]

Aaron watched Eris as he circled, though he was careful not to look too perturbed. Besides, he was used to it by now - the actor had always been a little too… [i]involved[/i]. His words, however, were cause for concern. Things would change? Give himself time to prepare? Aaron mentally prepared himself to face Varis every time he went back to his dorm in the morning, but this sounded a little more foreboding than his usual routine. 

[color=f0d705]“Well, I do have at least one errand to do, but rest assured I hadn’t planned on rushing home in the first place,”[/color] he explained, hoping that would dissuade some of Eris’ concerns. Maybe he was just making some lewd allusions, and Aaron was overthinking it. Still… [color=f0d705]“Is everything alright?”[/color]

Eris’ eyes suddenly averted before the vampire stared at something off in the distance. He seemed to think about what he was going to say, his left hand at his chin as he closed his eyes. Now was as good a time as ever, he supposed. [color=ccff99]“...No, actually,”[/color] He quietly admitted, dropping his hand to frown at Sunny. [color=ccff99]“Got into a minor spat with Wells. Not too surprising, what with his consistent moodiness, but...I don’t think I’ll ever understand him.”[/color] 

A lesser vampire would scoff at Eris opening up, but he understood that the ends justified the means. [color=ccff99]“Tell me, did you get to know him a little better after your illusion?”[/color] He asked the mage. [color=ccff99]“Maybe a hint at how to get him to open up to me or something? I’d like to think we could someday be at least neutral to one another, but…”[/color]

Aaron raised an eyebrow. Eris and Max got into a “spat”? Aaron knew they had a… [i]unique[/i] living situation going on over there, but that didn’t shake his shock at the idea of getting into a [i]fight[/i] with your [i]master[/i]. Moreover, if that was how Eris ran his household, how had it taken this long for tensions to finally bubble over? Was Max that apathetic that he didn’t bother pushing at home, or was Eris just that tolerant? 

Regardless, none of that had anything to do with Varis or that ominous little warning. It was definitely a sidestep - he’d been getting better at spotting them in recent weeks - but far be it from him to point it out. Instead, he let Eris lead the conversation, staying respectfully attentive as if nothing had changed. At the question, he paused a moment to think. Now would probably not be a great time to bring up the murderous ravings of Max’s clone, and with luck, those were exaggerations anyway. But man, two vampires wanting to know about Max in one night; Aaron really [i]would[/i] have to step up his efforts at chipping away at the mage, not only to please Varis but to satisfy everyone’s curiosity, apparently. 

[color=f0d705]“Well, he wasn’t fond of the idea that mental mages might have been involved with the exam, though I think the same could be said about everyone,”[/color] Aaron shrugged, reaching up as his earring got caught in his hair. [color=f0d705]“He was intrigued by the magic his clone pulled off. He seems eager to progress with it - although I guess a better term would probably be ‘impatient’. Maybe he’d be receptive if you… took an interest in his affinity progression? Or his arcane major?”[/color] He threw out the best suggestion he could think of, even if it probably had equal chances of worsening Max’s relationship with Eris as it did improving it. After all, if magic was the thing he used to [i]escape[/i] his troubles for a while, he probably wouldn’t take kindly to vampires butting in on it. But what else could he say? It wasn’t like he knew any of Max’s hobbies. 

[color=f0d705]“What [i]is[/i] his major, anyway?”[/color] Aaron added, realizing that for all his talk of his own major back at the clearing, he’d never asked Max’s. Yeesh, that was rude. Maybe he [i]did[/i] need to work on his social skills. 

Not really what Eris was looking for, but it was as good a start as any. Then again, just the mention of obsidian was usually enough to silence even the most vocal of mages, but relying on that as some sort of punishment wouldn't go over well. The mental mage thing was already something they had previously discussed, but as for a major, Eris had no idea. As far as he was aware most mages hadn't chosen, either. Did Sunny already pick his? That shouldn't be surprising, Varis did moan and groan about something to do with the kid's choice, now Eris wished he had paid better attention. As far as he knew, the kid had decided to sign away his life to mental magic, but fuck if he knew why.

[Color=ccff99]“I don't know,”[/color] Eris admitted, letting out a sigh. [Color=ccff99]“Though if all he talked about was magic, I guess I'm at a loss. It's not exactly something I'm knowledgeable in.”[/color] He slumped his shoulders in disappointment. 

Aaron’s brow furrowed, a little discontented to see Eris deflate like that. Over a [i]mage[/i] of all things. It occurred to him that he might have made Eris feel bad for no reason - now that he thought more about it, he wasn't sure if all students declared their majors in November or if that was just for the Mental students - but bringing that up would be no help. Instead, he tried a more optimistic route. [color=f0d705]“Well, I doubt he expects you to be [i]knowledgeable[/i] in magic. I think just showing you’re interested in his progress might be enough to at least get him talking.”[/color] He hoped, anyway. 

That was such an optimistic thought that Eris wasn't entirely sure what to think. It couldn't possibly be that simple, could it? Argh, what was he thinking, this wasn't even what he was looking for! Maybe he should just try a more direct approach.

[Color=ccff99]“It's not that I don't believe you, he's just so…[i]hostile[/i],”[/color] Eris said. [Color=ccff99]“I feel like he hates me, but not for the usual reasons people hate me."[/color] He frowned at Aaron, sheepishly looking away. [Color=ccff99]"I guess...I'm just asking if I came up at all when you were with his clone.”[/color] Ugh, how embarrassing, thank goodness no one was around to see this.

Both of Aaron’s eyebrows raised that time. So [i]that’s[/i] what Eris was fishing for. He supposed it should have been expected, but Aaron had such a hard time imagining that Eris gave a damn what Max - or anyone other than his fans and Varis - thought of him that it hadn’t crossed his mind. 

Crossing his arms, he paused to consider. Eris [i]had[/i] technically been mentioned, but was that really about him? He’d been a name in a list during a rampage, and Aaron doubted it was any more personal than the fact that Eris happened to be Max’s vampire. [color=f0d705]“The clone was angry at vampires in general,”[/color] he admitted. [color=f0d705]“It did mention you, but Princess Ryner too; I think it was just pulling out the names of vampires Max knew to be important rather than targeting anyone personally. And for the record, I think it was [i]quite[/i] exaggerated. I think it just wanted to get me angry.”[/color] 

Right, Sunny did mention that. Oh well, he’d have to do some investigating on his own time, he supposed. Eris nodded in understanding, rolling back his shoulders, though he couldn’t quite hold himself back as he leaned in towards Sunny. [color=ccff99]“Oh? Does that mean you have a soft spot for me?”[/color] He teased slightly. [color=ccff99]“I’m flattered.”[/color]

Rather than reply, Aaron smiled sheepishly and looked away, the sort of bashful display he knew Eris was partial to. He liked to think he had the actor more or less figured out by now, specifically that humouring him was more efficient than rebuffing his little advances if one wanted to get away. [color=f0d705]“Well, I had better get going,”[/color] he stated, hinting that Eris should get moving too, and gave him a polite bow. [color=f0d705]“Enjoy your evening, Sir.”[/color] 

Ha, he was adorable. Eris couldn’t help but chuckle, giving Sunny a nod. Once the two had taken maybe two steps, though, he whirled around, hooking two fingers into Sunny’s collar and stopping him. Couldn’t quite let him get away [i]that[/i] easily, now could he? For once, however, he had no intention of bothering the mage any further. 

[color=ccff99]“Ah, before I forget, I did have an itsy little favor I hoped you’d listen to,”[/color] Eris got right to it, deciding not to waste any more time. [color=ccff99]“I know it’s not my place to ask, but I’d appreciate it if you two got along. He’s rough around the edges, but I think he’s lonely. Everyone can use a friend, right?”[/color]

Luckily his shirt collar had a bit of stretch, but Aaron still hooked back when he was grabbed, allowing Eris to pull him back in. However, the invasive touch or flirty remark he was expecting never came.

Aaron was taken aback for a moment, both by Eris’ unexpected restraint and his favour. Getting along with Max was already one of his duties to Varis, so no conflict of interest there, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t surprised Eris wanted it too. He figured he’d always wanted the two of them to get along on some superficial level, sure, but this time, he was trying to find Max a [i]friend.[/i] Honestly, Aaron wasn’t sure what to think. All this talk of Max had him thinking that maybe he’d misjudged the vampire; maybe he cared more for his ‘little ones’ than he let on. 

Offering a more genuine smile, Aaron bowed again in acknowledgement. [color=f0d705]“Quite right,”[/color] he replied smoothly, [color=f0d705]“I’ll do my best to warm him up a bit.”[/color] 

[color=ccff99]“I’ll hold you to that,”[/color] Eris beamed cheerfully, patting the blonde’s shoulder. Once he had bowed and gone on his way, Eris made a mental note to lay off the teasing for a little--at the very least he should be rewarded for being so cooperative--but then again, with how he planned on tonight’s events going, there was a possibility they wouldn’t be seeing one another for a while.

Unpocketing the key he had been given some time ago, Eris clasped the thin chain he had looped through it and spun it around, whistling nonchalantly as he arrived at the door. Time to hit this night’s kneecaps with a sledgehammer. Sliding the key into the lock, he took a moment to mentally compose himself, a glint in his eye as he went ahead and opened the door, closing it behind him. He strode in like he owned the place, eyes attentive to where the redhead would be. He stopped at the doorway, eyebrows furrowed as he readied himself. If he left in one piece then mission accomplished. Otherwise...

[color=ccff99]"We need to talk,"[/color] Eris stated his arrival, crossing his arms.

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[sub][right]Encountering a wild [@Obscene Symphony] on the way to break [@Achronum]'s kneecaps.[/right][/sub]