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The walk from the infirmary to the post office wasn’t far, but with Max having quieted down, there was nothing to distract Aaron from his stewing. He realized about halfway there that if he fiddled with his note in his pocket anymore he’d destroy it, and had to make a conscious effort to spin his ring instead, picking up the pace just to leach off some nervous—or perhaps frustrated—energy. Some of the tension he’d been relieved of at the infirmary was coming back, balling up in his chest like some kind of angry swarm, and with every step he took, he grew more and more agitated. Part of him almost wanted to turn back, crumple up his strongly-worded letter and just let Ryner deal with whatever storm Varis was about to sweep into her office without warning, but he didn’t stray. For once, this wasn’t about her. He was doing this for [i]him.[/i]

He pushed open the post office door with a little more force than he intended, but luckily there weren’t many people inside to hear the ensuing [i]bang.[/i] It must have been a slow night, with a quarter of the school occupied and all; in fact, there was only one other patron in the small building, standing at the counter with his back to the door. Inside, the office was unexpectedly cold; moreso than would have made sense if a gust of cold wind had simply blown in when the door opened. But when the only other patron turned around at the sound of the door, Aaron realized with an inward groan the exact source of the chill.

[i]Ralph.[/i]

[color=0072bc]“Damn. I was enjoying my night away from you.”[/color] Ralph grumbled, his expression mirroring Aaron’s feeling. He all but slammed the package on the counter, ignoring the postal worker as they weighed it in favor of glaring at Aaron. [color=0072bc]“Your master let you off your leash already, huh? Guess you’re pretty good at licking dirt off your master’s boots.”[/color]

Aaron only became aware of the tiny sliver of good mood left in him when it drained away at the sight of Ralph. He leveled him with a cold stare, crossing his arms.

[color=f0d705]“How kind of you to notice,”[/color] he replied cooly, walking up to the second kiosk of the counter and leaning an elbow on the desk. Fortunately, there was a small basket with blank envelopes available for use, and Aaron quickly produced his note, skimming it one final time before stuffing it into one.

[color=f0d705]“I hope that's the only package you have tonight,”[/color] Aaron commented as he sealed his envelope, unable to resist a jab. Yeesh, maybe Varis [i]was[/i] wearing off on him. [color=f0d705]“Stay here any longer and the poor staff will freeze.”[/color]

[color=0072bc]"They can put on a jacket."[/color] Ralph muttered, taking a moment to confirm the sending information. [color=0072bc]"I know you don't like getting too much time off your leash but us peons can afford them too now. It’s amazing how much things can change 500 years after you sold us all off."[/color]

[color=f0d705]“Indeed. And what prosperity we bought,”[/color] Aaron replied, shooting Ralph a smug grin. He used a pen from the desk to write Ryner’s name and title on the front of the envelope in elegant script, then flipped it over to write “No Reply Necessary” on the back.

With the office attendant still working on Ralph’s package, Aaron turned toward him, drumming his fingers on the counter. Fuck it, tonight was bad enough already; he could afford to have some fun.

He put on a blatantly false pensive expression, looking up at the ceiling. [color=f0d705]“Speaking of… you're Mr. Martin’s nephew, right?”[/color]

Ralph just scoffed at Aaron's comment, grabbing a pen and filling out the paper the postal worker asked him to sign. [color=0072bc]"Unfortunately. Why does it matter?"[/color]

[color=f0d705]“Hmm…”[/color] Aaron kept his face carefully thoughtful, having to resist the urge to grin. No wonder Eris messed with people so much - it was a surprisingly good stress reliever. [color=f0d705]“I thought I recognized the name, and I finally remembered why.”[/color] He slapped the counter, grinning. [color=f0d705]“One of my great-grandmothers was a Martin!”[/color]

Ralph stared at Aaron like he'd grown a third head. The postal worker quietly took the form and the package off the counter, placed a receipt in the same spot, and placed them on the counter along the back wall. Ralph's jaw clenched and relaxed repeatedly. The postal worker turned to Aaron.

[color=BCABAE]"What can I help you with tonight?"[/color] She asked.

[color=0072bc]"Don't be disgusting. There's no way I'm related to a family of vampire fetishists."[/color] Ralph ground out. If looks could kill, Aaron would have dropped dead. Ralph certainly wished he would. [color=0072bc]"There's more than one Martin family out there."[/color]

Aaron grinned smugly at Ralph, the strangest giddiness filling him at the sight of that scowl, before turning his attention to the postal worker. [color=f0d705]“I’d like this sent as soon as possible, please. Before sunset tomorrow, if possible,”[/color] he asked politely, sliding the sealed envelope toward her. As he did, he brushed his hair behind his ear, covertly flashing his Sinnenodel earring.

Turning back to Ralph, he shrugged, insufferably nonchalant. [color=f0d705]“Yeah, you're probably right. There's no way your Martins are connected to the Garrick family.”[/color]

[color=BCABAE]“We can probably have it there before sunrise.”[/color] She said, skipping over the outgoing mail slot and depositing it in priority mail. [color=BCABAE]“Was that everything you needed tonight?”[/color]

The family name wiped that scowl off his face immediately. [color=0072bc]“You’re joking.”[/color] Ralph said flatly, though his face had paled considerably. [color=0072bc]“We are not related in the slightest. I refuse to believe we share [i]any[/i] sort of blood relation.”[/color]

Aaron smiled sweetly at the post office worker. [color=f0d705]“Yes, that's everything, thank you.”[/color]

He didn't bother wiping the grin off his face when he turned to Ralph. [color=f0d705]“Small world!”[/color] He exclaimed happily, leaning on the counter like he hadn't a care in the world. [color=f0d705]“Oh yeah, the Noilas pull from the Garrick Martins every few generations or so. I hear they're very healthy. You and I probably have more than just one common ancestor.”[/color] He had to laugh, the look on Ralph’s face pleasing him more than he'd care to admit. [color=f0d705]“What are the chances?”[/color]

[color=0072bc]“Fuck you.”[/color] Ralph snatched the receipt off the counter and flipped Aaron off. [color=0072bc]“Go ruin someone else’s night.”[/color] He stormed out of the postal office, slamming the door as he left. The postal worker, Sarah, just rolled her eyes at the display as she typed at the computer.

Breaking into full-on laughter for the first time in what felt like months, Aaron must have looked like a maniac cracking up in the post office, actually needing to brace himself on the counter to get it all out of his system. By the time he was done, his eyes were watering and his cheeks were sore from smiling. He had to take a few breaths to calm himself down enough to thank the postal worker and make it out of the door, welcoming the cold air on his flushed cheeks. His only regret was that he hadn't had time to shout “See you around, cousin!” before Ralph took off, but that was fine. He'd have the chance to do that the next time he saw that asshole in class. For once, he was actually looking forward to it.
[right][sub]Letting out his inner Sinnenodel and fuckin’ with [i]Ralph[/i][/sub][/right]