[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/190120/b458a81531631a6916fa9413063c5f80.png[/img][/center] Aaron shared Maddie’s laugh, shaking his head at her nigh-unbelievable story. [color=f0d705]“Your old professors didn’t find out, did they?”[/color] he joked, giving her a sly look. It would be a miracle for a practice like [i]juggling flaming knives[/i] to get a pass if anyone working for a Sinnenodel-run institution caught wind of it. He just caught the end of something Lilie said when he looked up, catching her look. He followed her gesture to the couch, eyes trailing back up her arm to the elegant drape of the sleeve of her dress and her maddeningly tempting smile. But while he’d have loved nothing more than to take the seat next to her and spend his next few free moments extolling the virtues of her performance, he couldn’t; it was bad form for attendants to sit down during an event, and even more so when he was the only one around to press the buttons and pull the strings. Before he had the chance to voice as much, he was subjected to Salem, launching into a soliloquy consisting of some lame attempt at a psych evaluation and a poor understanding of the role of noble mages at gatherings. His owning family’s rationale was certainly showing; Count Julian must not have gotten to parties with him yet. Of course, that much was clear from the fact he [i]was[/i] sitting down—if Count Julian saw him sitting while his master was just feet away in the other room, he’d make sure he couldn’t sit again for a week. Giving Lilie an apologetic smile, he looked between her and Salem, shrugging. [color=f0d705]“You’re close,”[/color] he offered, though it was hard to tell if he was addressing the room as a whole or Salem in particular. [color=f0d705]“I can’t speak for wealthy civilian gatherings, but the role of mages at noble events is a little more involved. Usually, the host’s servants would run everything behind the scenes and the attendees would bring a show mage or two. Their job would be to socialize, charm, and generally steer every possible situation in their master’s favour whether they’re at their side or not. It’s a fair sight more demanding than being ‘seen and not heard,’ but believe me, some mages [i]live[/i] for it.”[/color] He placed a reassuring hand on Lilie’s shoulder, hoping to ease her discomfort. [color=f0d705]“Take it as a blessing. Instead of playing politics tonight, you guys get to leave the dancing to the vampires and relax. It’s not often mages in our position get the chance to do nothing.”[/color] [right][sub]All the mages[/sub][/right]