Achronum

Of Blood and Magic

_{December 7th, 6:55am - The Sinnenodel Dorm}

Varis should have expected it but the Countess’ pathetic attempt at expressing her scorn and vexation startled him. He hadn’t realized someone of their age and stature could fumble such a simple exchange. He’d given her too much credit; he assumed she’d at least put her energy into a productive and creative outlet while on her self imposed exile―Varis certainly didn’t buy into this grieving nonsense, after all. They weren’t mages.―but clearly she’d only wasted away. No wonder her father didn’t want her to take over the family. She’d probably run it into the ground with how she sold away her potential for melancholy.

“Only confirming the process is moving. The sooner the boy figures out his plan, the sooner he’ll be able to focus on learning to be a proper Sinnenodel mage. I don’t need him stumbling like this at Chaend.” Varis sighed, fiddling with his glass. “Though I’m interested in your lack of faith in Count Eve and his mage. It’s true that the Spellman boy is certainly trouble; he was put under investigation for possible rebel ties after he spoke against the Queen at dinner in the beginning of the year. I’m certainly surprised Count Astorio hasn’t put him on a shorter leash considering he nature of his employment for the Council.

---

“Oh, that’s definitely interesting.” It was most definitely not interesting. In fact, it had all the hallmarks of messy and Maddie was more than content to stay far, far away. She was thinking maybe a test was put in the wrong place or maybe it just didn’t complete the way it was supposed to and his vampire couldn’t leave it well alone but the Princess and her mages offering various excuses and lies that fail to line up? She couldn’t very well believe a seven or eight century old vampire would fail to make sure her various mages didn’t have the same story at the very least. She could believe it out of a pair of six year olds trying to get out of trouble but not some who survived a war and the political minefield of a modernist that challenges her own family values half the time. This is about where she’d just leave the room back at home but here she did not have that option.

And stars only know Amaris would probably care for this information. Hopefully, she’d just find it interesting, they could leave it alone, and move on but a little voice in the back of her head laughed at her. If only she had magic to turn abc time and never ask the stupid question. This was all clearly well above her paygrade and she was certainly content with staying the fuck away from this. “If you take out the constant fear of death, the challenges were fun ways to learn more about each other and how we think and act under stress. It definitely made the Countess much more understandable than she was before.” And speaking of teamwork, Maddie forgot she was supposed to ask Lilie and Aaron something while she had them all.

“That reminds me! Kanalie and I were talking before I started getting ready and she told me to tell you guys that she’s planning some sort of party for Moon’s Mirror before we head into break and she wanted to know if you guys were interested. Apparently, one of Alexander’s friends specifically told her to make sure Firefly shows up because, and I quote, “That guy needs a fucking break before the shit hits the fan.” Maddie chose, very gracefully she thought, not to laugh at all of that. “I asked if I could extend the invitation to everyone here and Kanalie only said the more the merrier so just let me know and I can give her a number. Apparently next semester is a monster for the seniors and they won’t have a ton of time to hang out."

The Gifted - Concluded

James Kingston

---

Location: The Glitter Factory
Skills: Healing Factor

---

---

James hesitantly backed away when Callie told him too, hovering nervously as Callie expertly cauterized the wound. The stench of burning flesh barely bothered him. All he could think about was getting Casper safe, whole, and home again, tucked away where no mysterious dickhead could put a bullet in his chest. How come he could piece together Echo’s spine and have them walking around barely five minutes later but a bullet in his boyfriend’s chest was too much? Logically, it’s probably because he’d condensed an absurd amount of healing and recovery time into those five minutes and it drained him but logic went out the door at the sight of Casper on the ground. All he felt now was frustration and anger and worry and exhaustion. If his ability was going to fail him when they needed it desperately, maybe he needed to talk to Sapphire about getting some first aid lessons or some sort of kit with at least bandages so when shit like this happened he had options other than sear it shut.

“Gotcha.” James nodded to Callie’s command, taking Casper from her so she could get back into the fray. He cradled him gently, keeping Casper’s head propped up on his shoulder, and matched his breathing again, settling neatly into his heartbeat as they synced up. James wasn’t about to move him with fully open wounds and pushed himself to at least close something. Casper seemed to settle a little more and the wound on his back closed itself. James panted, his lungs desperately clawing for air again, as he came back to himself. Little speckles danced in his vision, his head spun, and everything ached. He was definitely pushing himself too hard. He finally got himself together in time to see their attacker vanish and James just swore. Well, fuck him too. Hopefully, his little gizmo was as reliable as Max’s control and he ended up in a god damn volcano or something.

James stumbled as he pushed himself up, hauling Casper up with him in the process, and then promptly found himself hitting the floor again as a wave of dizziness stole away his vision and turned his legs to jelly. He curled protectively around his boyfriend, shielding him from the brunt of the fall, but his own back didn’t fare that well. The pain knocked the wind out of him and he sat there stunned. “I… I think I need a little help with him.” James admitted, eyes shut as he waited for the room to stop spinning. “Everyone else good? Last call for patching up cause I think getting back to the car’s going to take everything I have left.” A headache bloomed behind his eyes as he shouted over the music, the pain beating in time with it. He really wanted to put a bullet in them just to shut them up.

Of Blood and Magic

_{December 7th, 6:45am - The Sinnenodel Dorm}

Varis only shook his head in disappointment at the lack of initiative from the Marivaldi and the Astorio. Squandering away an opportunity he practically handed them on a silver platter. Even if they weren’t politically motivated, certainly they had to be somewhat curious about their newest addition. Why wouldn’t a relatively unknown noble Ryner snatched out of the woodwork and elevated to the public scene not spark some interest? The only reason Varis could come up with was there wasn’t enough there to spark. A couple of simpletons with little more than air between their ears and instinctive thirst for blood. Perhaps Varis would pity them if he didn’t find them utterly repulsive for it.

Eris took the reins of the conversation with Count Benjamin once Varis released them for the others and Varis chuckled at his commentary. Shocked into silence indeed. Eris kept rolling after that, not bothering for splash value anymore, and his little pot stirrer was interesting, if not entirely ludicrous. The Eve mage looked like a strong wind would push her over, much less an adequate dueling partner. She was the sparring partner the boy tried to claim as a suitable candidate despite the fact that he dismissed her skills entirely. “It’s probably a good thing. The boy had the opportunity to cross blades with her the second night here and he found her lacking. Ten years of study and apparently she proved too aggressive for her style, leaving her easily dealt with as he put it.” Varis ignored the posturing the Eve threw out, not particularly interested in a measuring contest, but it did remind him he unfortunately had business with the Marivaldi.

“While we’re here, there was something I needed to discuss with you Countess since their platedate seemed to go well the other night. The boy has discovered a compelling interest in mental magic and as part of his required entrance preparations, he needs to develop some sort of a routine to help relax him or some nonsense. He requested that he have permission to attend regular dancing sessions with your mage. Has yours reached out to you about this yet?” Varis still wasn’t sold on the boy mingling with a Marivaldi, a fire wielding gremlin of a Marvaldi nonetheless, but at the very least he could have some fun watching the Marivaldi struggle her way around the issue. Mage loving freaks they were, the Countess probably wouldn’t want to disappoint her little pet but probably hates the idea of letting her mingle anymore than she has to.

---

“Oh, that’s definitely awkward. I couldn’t imagine having to kiss a vampire, much less one that I have to live with. But your others sound like fun!” The second one sounded vaguely terrifying but probably just some sort of grudge the vampire families still held against each other and they took the opportunity to poke at the Sinnenodels over it. “We almost lost all of our tokens in our last game. We were at a casino and all these cards had our faces, our vampires’ faces, and the faces of the Lords and Lady of each family and we had to figure out which one the little riddles were talking about but we had to put our tokens up against theirs to play. We won our way to a 95 and then Ari―I mean, the Countess―took on the double or nothing round. I thought we were going to lose everything.” Maddie felt her face heat up at the mistake. She wasn’t supposed to use her name at these things but she was just so used to saying it, it just slipped out. Oh dear, hopefully Ari wouldn’t be too upset with her later.

“It sounds like Salem lucked out on the practical then. The rest of us had a… weird time and he found a new way to use his magic. Lucky!” Maddie steamrolled over her mistake, not giving herself a second to continue considering it. “But what made you think there was a mistake, Max? I mean, there are some pretty awful things circulating about the mental classes and the students who take them, it must have been pretty bad if you wanted to get messed up with all of that.” Especially since he made it very clear he didn’t really want anything to do with basically most things, it struck her as odd that he’d willingly trudge off into the crazies. ANd they certainly were crazy if even half the rumors about them were true.

Fire Emblem: The Slumbering Goddess

---

@Hero@Scribe of Thoth

Clarissa returned Auberon’s nod with her own, giving the Archbishop the first response. How fortunate that the House Leader at the top of her priorities to make introductions walked himself straight into the conversation. Two birds with one stone was certainly an apt way to put it. Clarissa smiled at the Archbishop’s words, briefly reflecting on how much the Goddess’ words carried her through. She had no doubt that whatever tribulations brewed on the horizon, she’d find familiar strength in Her wisdom.

“Please, call me Clarissa. Standing on too much formality will only hinder us and I have no doubt we’ll be working together closely during our time here. Your introduction left an impression; out of all the House Leaders, you seem the most experienced with the position. How do you feel about leading the Blue Lions and working with Prince Hresvelg and Jorah?” Establishing Auberon’s opinion of the other House Leaders now would give her a better look into how she measured with the Galatea; so far, they were quite similar. Auberon gave the impression of a matured and focused man while his fellow Blue Lions seemed like children still nervous to be toddling around without their mothers, a situation in which she could empathize greatly. Well, she wished she could call them nervous. She had exactly the opposite problem, toddlers too curious for their own good.

“And speaking of our group Archbishop, Professor Lysnader told us you hand picked us for the Rose unit! I’m honored to have caught your attention but if you don’t mind me asking, what was your thinking behind bringing us together?” Clarissa asked, not bothering to beat around the bush. If he didn’t want to answer, Clarissa could certainly understand that but hopefully it would put to rest some of the unease she still had trailing her out of the first meeting.

The Gifted - Concluded

James Kingston

---

Location: The Glitter Factory
Skills: Healing Factor

---

---

James sighed. Maybe they should just carry something around for Casper in the future, just in case they ran into any more conveniently inconvenient pieces of his boyfriend’s color, and apparently patchy, history. James smiled as he got a kiss on the cheek, following Casper into the club. He was overwhelmed immediately. Strobe lights flashed, music was blaring, and James really didn’t know where to put his eyes. They guys pole dancing were practically Greek statues come to life and James would have to be blind not to be very, very appreciative of that but he also had his boyfriend right here and while Casper wasn’t exactly shy in his admiration for other guys, James would rather talk about all that and get those ducks in a row before he even considered toeing that line. Casper was amazing and fun and James knew he wasn’t as experienced as him in any part of a relationship and he’d be devastated if he lost Casper because he was stupid.

However, as James looked around, he definitely felt like this was a wild goose chase. No one was sick, nothing was on fire, and no one was panicking so the troublesome duo couldn’t be stumbling around in here. He could only imagine Sunshine suddenly popping up in here and releasing all hell on everyone because she was pissed at Max. He was about to say so when Echo ame running out, yelling it’s a trap, and then the gunshot went off. James’ hand immediately when to his ICER, fumbling a bit when he realized he didn’t have one, and watched as Waverly thankfully knocked it out of his hands. “Knock him and out restrain him! If we can get him alive, we can figure out if anyone else knows the MU’s information lines.” James shouted over the commotion, doing a quick headcount in the meantime.

“Oh shit, babes!” James hit his knees as soon as he realized Casper was on the ground, clutching at his chest. He gently took Casper’s hand, giving him a weary, reassuring smile. He placed his other near the wound and he was very distinctly reminded of the time he and Jack both showed up half dead on the MU’s doorstep. “We really gotta stop meeting like this, sweetheart. Give me a second and we’ll have you back on your feet.” James took a breath and let himself fall into the familiar rhythm of Casper’s heartbeat. It should have been a simple thing, nights nestled against each other chests under the covers as they chuckled before they drifted off to sleep made him intimately familiar with the feeling. But something was wrong. The music and the screaming and most of all, the exhaustion clinging to him after the morning wouldn’t let him settle. He tried again and again and again and he felt the room start spinning. He opened his eyes with a gasp, clawing air back into his lungs. He hadn’t even realized he’d been holding his breath.

“What the fuck?" His words slurred even as he shouted. He felt weak and worn and overwhelmed. The last time it hadn’t worked, the last time he failed, someone died. He failed again. Casper couldn’t die. It was just a gunshot wound, right? A haze of panic settled over him and he scrambled out of his shirt, not quickly enough, and pressed it to Casper’s wound. His words wouldn’t come out right, slurred and panicked, but still he shouted. “Jack! Jack, I can’t―”

Of Blood and Magic

_{December 7th, 6:45am - The Sinnenodel Dorm}

“The frivolity of youth indeed. Perhaps your aspirations would have found traction a millenia ago when the world was still wild and chaotic and utterly untamed. It is fascinating to contemplate what could have been if our predecessors hadn’t stagnated our society so. I’ve always wondered what we could have done with such limitless potential at our fingertips. What we could change, what we could improve, but it’s all an exercise in futility. We can only work with what we’re given I suppose.” Varis sipped again at the blood, setting it down and leaving it. It wasn’t his favorite but at least it wasn’t awful enough to compel him to toss it on Eris.

“But forgive me, you must feel as if I’m interrogating you. I’ve barely given you a moment’s rest.” Varis laughed as he relaxed into his chair. The Eve was an interesting specimen. The “modernist leanings” were an absolute gem; Count Benjamin practically handed him everything he needed to a silver platter. Varis didn’t bother hiding the sly little smirk on his face. They all expected him to be plotting and everything was falling into place so perfectly that he felt justified letting everyone know he’s gotten exactly what he wanted. “You have an entire noble’s court interested in you right now; certainly you must have some pressing questions on the tip of your tongue. Or anyone really. While I could easily talk the rest of the morning away, what host would I be to steal away your opportunities to mingle?”

---

A professor attacked a student? That alarmed Maddie more than a little but clearly he was fine so it must have been for educational purposes. She hoped. Hopefully, she wouldn’t ever be in that position. She’d run as fast as she could. At least Lilie’s seemed normal―anyone could be forgetful after all even if it was shocking―and Aaron clearly hadn’t had any issues. That was reassuring for the future. Hopefully, she wouldn’t get anything crazier than singing a song for safety.

“Well, that certainly must have been shocking but at least that’s the extent of it!” Maddie said cheerfully. “Not really interested in having our professors try and impale us so I’ll try to steer clear of that. Maybe they’ll calm down as we get into our majors, maybe. Hopefully.” Maddie was at a bit of a loss as to where to move the conversation next. They’d kinda touched most of the surface level stuff at this point and sitting around in silence didn’t much appeal to her honestly.

“So I have to ask but did anyone else have a… strange time during the practical?” Maddie asked, perhaps a little hesitantly. Honestly, she made the decision to move past it but people liked to talk about weird things so maybe this would push things along a little. “I wasn’t sure how much was an illusion and how much was real but when I was stuck in a box at the bottom of the ocean or a lake with a crack in the ceiling and water rushing in, I didn’t care much about the difference.” Nor did she appreciate Ari's enthusiasm for the whole thing but she wasn't about to admit to that little detail.

The Gifted - Concluded

James Kingston

---

Location: The Glitter Factory
Skills: Hide in Plain Sight

---

---

James nodded his understanding of the plan. Get in, sweep the building, get out. Hopefully, this party would give them enough cover to avoid the trap everyone thought this would be. James cast a quick glance over the line. There were a lot of civilians. No matter the truth, mutants involved in any altercation here would be media fuel against them and considering the rest of the hell going on in the world, the MU didn’t need any additional heat coming out of this. As mortifying for the pair as this may be, he really hoped they’d find them here and quickly. He felt oddly out of place, not quite able to pinpoint why but he felt like an awkward teenager again, not quite comfortable in his skin. He was more than ready to grab the two and get the hell out of here. If anything, this just confirmed clubs, gay or not, weren’t really his scene.

The bouner’s didn’t even offer a token resistance as they passed by, more a formality than anything James hazarded a guess, and that would have been his queue to slip into a few of the spots Wav’s mentioned when heard his boyfriend’s name suddenly growled. Casper dated a guy named Hot Daga and now he was about to walk back into his apparently successful ex-boyfriend’s place to look for their missing family members. James wanted to be a little jealous but honestly, someone named Hot Daga, really? The fact that Casper couldn’t even remember who they were talking about definitely didn’t do anything at all to keep that jealousy from flaring up at all, no way, but James would admit that it was at least consistent with Casper’s wild and colorful history. James wasn’t really sure how to handle this (he sincerely doubted the new boyfriend of the guy who broke their boss’s heart could make the situation better) but Callie saved the day and instead he turned to Jack.

“Well, this is going to be a little bit of a problem. Do we have anything to hide Casper’s face at all?” James asked quietly as they waited for Casper to join them. “Regardless of what happens, I doubt intervention from Casper’s past is going to help us much.”

Held Roll because I’m paranoid

Reactive Adaptation if attacked please!

Fire Emblem: The Slumbering Goddess

---

Wonderful. Bumbling idiots one and two took to stride with barely a breath’s hesitation. She’d foolishly hoped two years apart would have matured their behavior somewhat; perhaps she still had some penchant for fantasy after all. Clarissa rubbed lightly at her temples as Raimund finally took his seat once more, praying to the Goddess that the instructors would have the foresight to limit Jorah and Raimund’s activity before they bullied the entire grounds into it.

But she turned away from the inevitable chaos as the other House’s spoke up. There would be time to mourn the loss of her sanity later. Her greatest concern were the other House Leaders. Auberon Galatea’s directness left little to the imagination and she appreciated that greatly. She’d need to get to know him sooner rather than later; his piousness was refreshing and a conversation with someone outside the Church about their beliefs would be a wonderful way to pass an afternoon. The Imperial Prince was another story altogether. A proper introduction gave way to informality startlingly quick and it was all she could do to not to roll her eyes. What was with boys at this age? They all wanted to drink, dance, and make merry with their pointy toys and ignore the weight on their shoulders. She felt a pang of sympathy for Auberon who, although still wanted to play with his weapons, seemed to have a reasonable head on his shoulders. Cethlean, Cichol, Indech, and Macuil guide the lot of them.

Clarissa enjoyed the other Blue Lions as well. Kellen’s awkwardness was charming in it’s own way, reminding her of a child on their first day at Roundtable. Hopefully this year would ease the tension out of his nerves, poor thing. Lienna Ornheart struck her immediately as a survivor; she moved like she wasn’t entirely comfortable with her own skin, or more likely the trappings she now found herself in, and her closing point focused on creating relationships. Clarissa made a mental note to find out about her goals. Jorah may find himself stuck in the very thing he ran away from if he suddenly became sweet on her. She didn’t have much to go on with Derek. He hadn’t put much personality on display with his introduction and while it certainly could have been a strange case of the nerves or that he simply had no personality, she wasn’t ready to settle on that.

The Black Eagles continued the trend the Blue Lions set. She didn’t particularly care for them, much like their leader. The siblings seemed less real and more a comedic relief from a play as extremely different as their personalities were. Valerian seemed eager to prove her point about all boys only caring about playing with their toys and she didn’t bother hiding the exasperated sigh at the whole ordeal. Another idiot, wonderful. At least she wouldn’t be partially responsible for this one. Of course, her wandering attention snapped back when the Princess Consort introduced herself and if she thought Lienna was a survivor, Clarissa knew Veronica was a shark. Another one to keep an eye on. Maybe she could find a way to rope the three of them into some activities so she could get a better sense of what was behind them.

Although the professors and introductions left Clarissa with plenty of food for thought, none of it mattered in the face of the bubbling excitement at attending a sermon from Lord Ioannis himself. Even her furious disapproval at the idiot twosome was mostly forgotten. She barely made her goodbyes to the other Deers and was out the door as quickly as she could muster without running, absolutely beaming. It was such a blessed experience, having others who found comfort and solace and peace in the teachings of the Goddess. The Leicester Alliance wasn’t particularly faithful and while at home she could easily find companions in faith, her travels often kept her away for months and the Leicester Alliance was not known for its faithfulness to the Church.

A gasp tore out of her throat as she froze. She’d known, objectively, about the Cathedral's splendor of course but seeing how the midday sun glowed through the stained glass, the Goddess a myriad of ethereal colors, in person was more beautiful than she’d imagined. And the people. Seeing so many, all here for the same purpose, united in their beliefs, basking in the sacred divinity that rose from the very stones was almost too much for her. It felt like an affirmation for all the things she;d worked towards, everything she’d done so far was correct, like a reward for the blood, sweat, and tears she’d poured into her life’s calling and it almost overwhelmed her. She could feel the tears prickle at her eyes so she wiped them away hurriedly and took her seat, letting the enthusiasm of the sermon sweep her away.

Afterwards, she took a moment to compose herself. The rest of the day was theirs to settle in but she wasn’t quite ready to leave the Cathedral yet. She kept to the pews a moment, watching the others mingle as she just basked in the feeling of holiness that permeated the air, but that came to a quick end when she noticed the Archbishop wandering among the people. Again, she froze and she repeated some of Jorah’s more colorful language internally (because if he ever knew she sometimes slipped, she’d never hear the end of it and she couldn’t and wouldn’t deal with that). This was an amazing opportunity not just politically but also just for her. The chance to speak with the Archbishop? When would she ever have that again? With that thought, she forced herself to her feet and wove through the crowd to catch him.

“Archbishop, your sermon was inspired! I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything like it!” Clarissa gushed as soon as she caught up with him, forgetting her manners in her excitement. “Back home, the Church doesn’t have much of a presence and having the opportunity to attend something like this… I can’t even begin to express how grateful I am! This is just absolutely wonderful!” Clarissa’s energy didn’t fade but she managed to reign herself in with a mortified look and then curtsied.

“My apologies, I let myself get carried away. Clarissa von Edmund, at your service. I have the honor of attending the Officer’s Academy this year; although, I supposed since you hand picked us, you must already know that.” Clarissa considered after her introduction.

The Gifted - Concluded

James Kingston

---

Location: Outside the Glitter
Skills: N/A

---

---

For most of the ride, James napped. Casper had propeed his head on his shoulder and James followed suit, holding his hand and laying his cheek on Casper’s head. The warmth of his boyfriend and the vibrations in the car made everything feel so peaceful, the euphoria from before fading in the face of the fatigue still lingering after their confrontation with Magneto and company. The subsequent conversations slipped past him as he dozed, dreams of happier times covering the worry and the mess. Everyone featured in his dream; Casper, Jack, Vei, Lunal… even Sapphire and she was happy. It was so surprising that James jolted from his sleep, though that may have been the car stopping.

He stretched as they clambered out and nodded along with Casper’s explanation. He trusted his boyfriend’s judgement on this. This was Casper’s specialty after all. James followed and got in line, looking at the presents. “Going in the front door? That’s a first for us.” James chuckled, thinking about all the other disasters the Underground had gotten into over the months he’d been with them. “So what’s our plan once we’re inside? Put anything together on the ride here?”

The Gifted - Concluded

James Kingston

---

Location: The car
Skills: N/A

---

---

Yeah, there was absolutely zero percent chance this wasn’t a trap. James didn’t appreciate the position they were in―they’d been twisted into dancing along to someone’s tune, again―but on the off chance the bait was the troublesome twosome, they had to spring it. They had absolutely nothing to go off of. James made a mental note to discuss with Veil what kind of tech they could lift and cobble together to help facilitate that. Every time the MU went on an excursion, James’ mutation was pushed to the brink and Magik proved there was a limit. A little information, a little planning, would go a long way in reducing the risks the MU were subjected to.

He was pulled out of his contemplations when Casper used “Sunshine” and “bottomless alcohol” in the same sentence. James frowned as he considered why in the world Sunshine would have ever said that. Sunshine was as guarded as guarded came and didn’t care for anything that would impair her ability to defend herself and alcohol would do just that. She must have been teasing Casper about it or something. “How about we consider alcohol after we maneuver the guaranteed hail of bullets we’re walking into.” James suggested as he climbed into the car. “Also, I’ve never been to a strip club. I’m not really sure what the layout of this place is like. Are we going to be able to sneak through or is it kinda open?”