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Ben gave the princess a final bow before continuing on his way and gave Victor a nod of acknowledgement. An odd duck, that one was. Nevertheless he wasn’t eager to remain outside and entered the Eve dorm wordlessly. He was pleased to find a glass of blood waiting for him in his study as he took a moment to put the cookbook into his desk. He drank his fill as he sorted through the mail and emptied the glass before taking it to the kitchen himself.

Once Ben placed the glass in the sink he walked back to the bedrooms and stopped outside Lilie’s door. It was ajar, showing him his mage looking clearly distressed. He supposed the return was never easy for one unused to this life. He recalled Aaron and Noah’s advice as he brought up the courage to walk into the room. 

[color=C0C0C0]“Good evening,”[/color] Ben said. [color=C0C0C0]“Are you ready for class?”[/color]

Lilie jumped in place, having completely zoned out. Shoot, she didn’t even hear Ben come in! Letting out a tiny sigh of relief, she hesitated as she looked up at him. Remembering what the princess said, she figured she could cut him a little slack; they really had not had a conversation since their fight. Well, new semester, new chance to be friends again?

[color=00BFFF]“G-Good evening,”[/color] She replied, clearing her throat. [color=00BFFF]“Yeah, I’m ready. Thank you for the new bag, I couldn’t really salvage mine.”[/color] She gestured towards the dark blue tote sitting on the bench in front of her bed. [color=00BFFF]“I tried, but...I guess everything has their limit.”[/color]

[color=C0C0C0]“You made sure your backpack lasted far longer than expected. It’s admirable, and it was my pleasure,”[/color] Ben said. [color=C0C0C0]“Although you can thank my mage, Noah, for the design. I’m afraid I have very simplistic tastes even among nobles, and I believe they are ill suited for a young lady who is likely to keep up with the trends.”[/color]

He was glad she had no hostility. There was a part of him that wished he could ask what was on her mind, but it was ill advised. He would focus instead on ‘cheering her on’, as Noah stated. But what else could they speak of? Being concerned about her emotions was important, was it not? Noah stated that Ben had a tendency to be intrusive and he had to admit that he had a point. 

[color=C0C0C0]“Are you excited for your classes?”[/color] Ben asked. 

Ben was right, Lilie really did push her poor backpack past the point where she probably should have gotten a new one. But it was out of necessity--it wasn’t like her family could afford buying her a new one anytime she accidentally ripped it. She had to admit, though, she wasn’t surprised to hear he had help--the tote was [i]way[/i] too cute for someone like him to pick out.

[color=00BFFF]“Noah, huh?”[/color] She giggled. [color=00BFFF]“Is he one of your mages?”[/color]

[color=C0C0C0]“Yes. He is the current heir of the Luscin lineage, one that my father and myself have cultivated for years,”[/color] Ben said. [color=C0C0C0]“I believe you and he are the same age. He Awakened recently as well; he is a shadow mage, like his father before him. I think you two will get along well.”[/color]

The Luscin [i]lineage[/i]? Here Lilie thought that the Starags were the only ones that had that sort of thing, but it looked like she was wrong. At least she’d have someone her age in the future, but she wasn’t really sure how they’d get along--she figured he might be like Aaron, but that was just her assumption. Then again, she didn’t really like thinking about what would happen [i]after[/i] the academy.

Instead of continuing, though, she decided to change the subject. [color=00BFFF]“Hopefully. But yeah, I’m always excited for more magic,”[/color] She told him. She paused for a second, remembering the princess’ words. [color=00BFFF]“Um...I never apologized for accusing you of sabotaging me. I’m really sorry about that.”[/color]

Ben was surprised at the apology as he felt he was the one that needed to apologize. However, if he did now, he would be putting them at the same level. Aaron warned him that he wouldn’t be doing Lilie any favors if he remained gentle. He needed to remain firm, but fair.

[color=C0C0C0]“Apology accepted. Worry not about it,”[/color] Ben said. [color=C0C0C0]“However, I would like to reiterate that I do have your best interests in mind. Please, believe me.”[/color]

Lilie stared up at Ben, a little surprised. Did he feel bad? Well, an apology would be nice--his words were pretty much etched into her head at this point--but maybe she was expecting too much. Oh well, it wasn’t like they had to be super best buddies or something. She had Salem for that. All they had to do was get along, and she was pretty sure she could manage that.

So she nodded, giving him a small smile. [color=00BFFF]“Okay, I will,”[/color] She told him.

Ben mimicked her nod as he walked to her, patting her head. He was glad she was in agreement; their time together would go much smoother this way. For the moment he would leave her be as despite asking if she was ready, he still had to prepare his own bag for the night. He wished he had some of her enthusiasm even if it only extended to magic; he never was the studious type unless it actually interested him.