The mutter was quiet enough to not be overheard, but just glancing at the girl would tell any passerby what she was doing: crystalline eyes darted towards the nameplates outside of the dorms, looking specifically for the one belonging to Salem. Despite initially assuming she was going to be alone in walking around, she did see the odd student or two, a few speaking to one another and others making their way out of their dorms. They kept to their business, and Lilie to hers, though once in a while they would offer a nod or smile, something she found herself returning happily.
She probably took longer than she should have, but eventually she did find it, nearly surprising herself with the second name that had occupied Salem's: Lucan Bordeleaux. Now that she thought about it, she wasn't able to ask Aaron about what had happened last night with the princess. Talk about a missed opportunity, she really needed to stop forgetting things. But he had seemed just as clueless as she did. Would questioning him get her anywhere? Well, at the very least he deserved to know, and there was no harm in asking. Hopefully. She'd cross that bridge when she got there.
For now, Lilie was more focused on the door in front of her, hand running through her bangs as she inhaled. Alright, time to--hm, she actually didn't know what they were going to do. Just hang out, right? She owed him that much. Knocking on the door, the white haired girl exhaled, patiently waiting.
Staring off into the distance, Lilie absentmindedly tugged the hem of her blue skirt, completely absorbed in her own thoughts. A small chime managed to snap her out of it, her phone telling her she had a new text. Was Aaron up? As she squinted at the unfamiliar number, her eyes widened as she saw it was Salem. How did he get her number? Oh, who cares, he was texting her! That meant he wasn't upset with her! The relief that washed over her seemed to brighten up her mood immensely, and after shifting herself so her socks wouldn't get caught on anything, she focused on the text as she wrote up her own response.
> Hi!! I’m so happy to hear from you!!! > Yeah, I’m up, definitely not used to this ‘being awake all night’ thing yet >> Didn't your family have vampires as well? Or were you the first mage of your family?
Lilie groaned as she read that response. Yeah, she was definitely the outsider, it seemed.
> First mage...lucky me >> I'm sure you'll get used to it. I'm usually asleep by now but it doesn't want to stick today it seems. >> An empty house will do that to you. > idk, the vampire I got is > really, really, really weird > all the vampires I get are weird
Stupid Eve house.
>> All? At least you have one, or...some? I haven't seen mine since the arena.
His vampire was Lucan, wasn't it? So maybe Salem didn't know about what had occurred last night, either. Weird.
> something’s going on with this place because i had 3 vampires all come in > first one left because of...something, then I was ditched by the second > idk what’s happening but I don’t know how to handle this woman (・_・)? >> That's...not normal. Who's your new partner? >> Sorry that this is happening to you by the way 😢
Finally, some sympathy! Take notes, Aaron!
> no need to apologize ^_^ > her name is Mariette Eve, i dunno too much about her but we got off to a...awkward start > I think the whole Eve house is crazy because Arianna and Ikelos were also...quirky >> Wow, three nobles. I bet that's a load of fun, then again I suppose I have a noble by proxy.
If by fun he meant stressful beyond all possibility, then yeah, she was having oodles of fun.
> Does that mean you’re in the cul-de-sac too?! >> Oh no. I'm with the other dorms. Kinda wish I was though, wouldnt mind having a friend here right now… >> had a...bad night > bad night? > but you were with Aaron, right? Meeting with the Queen? >> That would be the bad night. Yeah 😓
Aaron didn't mention anything that had happened, now that she thought about it. Then again, he had stopped messaging her for a while and she ended up falling asleep waiting for a response.
> what happened? >> Well I single handedly put my family under investigation, as well as my clinic, I cant contact anyone I know and I am not considered to be potentially associated with the Red Hand, whomever that is.
The Red Hand? What's that? It sounded familiar, but Lilie couldn't quite recall at the moment. Instead, she decided to focus on Salem.
> i’m so sorry to hear that > but > can they really do that? >> Its the queen. Besides, I placed a very harsh accusation on a council member, I'm lucky I wasn't executed on the spot. Luckily the search should prove fruitless as my family has nothing to hide. > that sounds really scary
Horrifying, really.
> but you’re not alone, you have me and Aaron at least! >> I hope so...its his partners family I accused. Aaron didn't seem to pleased with me, but I think we're ok at the moment. > I know so! We’re both here for you, I promise!!! (っˆーˆ)っ > I wasn’t able to get to you yesterday, but I’m going to make sure to stick close to you going forward okay? >> Sounds like a deal >> Speaking of...I've been alone all night and I was wondering if you wanted to come over for a bit and just hang out before classes start?
Now that sounded like what she needed!
> yeah! > oh > is that allowed > am i gonna run into your vampire (☉_☉) >> If you do, let me know 😆 I havent seen a trace of Lucan since the arena. >> But you should be fine to come over if you wanted to. > alrighty then! Let me know where you are, I’ll find my way over there!
The sound of metal caught Lilie's attention, bringing her out of her thoughts as she looked around for the source. Looking behind her, she figured someone else was finally up. Seeing as how she was about to head out anyway, she would carefully get to her feet, although just as she was about to hop off she noticed a familiar blond man not too far away. It took her a few seconds to realize it was Aaron, her head putting together that the mailbox he was in front of was where he lived. Right, they were neighbors, she had nearly forgotten about that. Well, now was as good a time as ever for a neighborly greeting!
Once Lilie made sure she had her balance, she cautiously walked along the wall, gaining a little speed once she reached the front of the house. Jumping off the wall, she managed to land on both feet, though her victory was short lived as she stumbled in her next few steps. So much for a graceful entrance. Clasping her hands behind her back, Lilie gave Aaron a cheerful smile.
“Good morning, neighbor!” She greeted him happily.
Aaron followed her with his eyes as she jumped off the wall, reflexively reaching out to catch her when she stumbled, though she recovered just fine on her own. He couldn’t help but chuckle at her odd greeting, though there was no malice in it. “Good evening!” he replied, mirroring her posture and grasping his mail behind his back. “You’re up early!”
Right, evening, how could she forget. Her lips formed a small ‘o’ before she would laugh at herself, shaking her head. “Getting used the time change will be the first of many challenges here,” Lilie couldn't help but joke. “I've actually been up since...I think two? I've never slept in so late, it was weird!”
Lilie's eyes couldn't help but roam over Aaron's clothes as she gave them a quick glance. She noticed it yesterday, but today seemed to solidify that his style was very preppy, reminding her of the rich private school students she would see whenever she traveled to the city. She wondered briefly if he dressed that way all the time, though his outfit seemed to be missing something. Oh well, it wasn't any of her business. Instead, she hopped in place once, feeling a little more energized as she remembered their texting. “Um, thank you for last night. I really needed that,” She told him sincerely.
“Oh, that’s right, this is pretty much all new to you isn’t it?” Aaron asked. "I’m sure you’ll get used to it soon, I think you’ll find the nighttime plenty stimulating.” At her next comment, though, he softened considerably, remembering how insecure she seemed about the whole situation. “Oh, that’s not necessary,” he waved off her thanks with a shrug and a smile. “We all do what we can, right? I’m happy to help.”
He was just so sweet! She genuinely didn't know what she would have done without his kindness. Lilie averted her gaze for a moment, her hand combing through her bangs as she thought of a response. “If everyone is as nice as you are, then I won't have to be so nervous about all this,” She said before returning her eyes to his, giving him a somewhat bashful smile. “Still, don't sell yourself short. A little kindness goes a long way.” And would probably save her from a lot of heartache.
Aaron glanced down, a bashful smile of his own creeping over his face as he tugged on his ear with his free hand. He was a giant compared to her, but that smile was so cute! “Yeah, I suppose you’re right,” he admitted, glancing to his dorm and back. “But I mean it, I imagine this is all a lot to take in if you’re not used to it.” He gestured with his mail to the Eve dorm. “Especially serving nobles. I grew up around them, but I imagine some of the rules can be confusing. That’s not to say that you can’t handle it yourself, I mean…” he trailed off for a second, tugging ever more insistently on his ear. “I just mean I can probably help if you think you need it.”
The girl was momentarily stunned by Aaron's words, minor confusion on her face before she managed to catch herself. “You grew up around nobles?” She repeated his words, absentmindedly brushing a stray hair behind her ear. Whoa. Was Aaron some sort of prince and she didn't know? Wait, no, he said 'serving'. “That's...well, then you know way more than I do, I bet.” Shifting her weight from one foot to another, Lilie crossed her arms before hanging her head, letting out a defeated sounding sigh. Her initial assumption that Aaron was just like her was about as off as assuming rabbits and hares were alike. “I'm going to need all the help I can get.”
Aaron smiled gently, taking some pity on the girl. “I’m sure you’ll do fine,” he reassured her. For some reason, he checked his phone, looking at the time. He looked between his dorm and Lilie. “I’m sorry, I need to get back. I’ll see you in class though, right?”
Perking up, Lilie nodded as she hopped in place. Right, she needed to get going as well. “Yes! And we'll get to learn real magic today, too!” She replied excitedly. “I told you, it's going to be a good day! So we just need to hang in there!”
“Yep! See you later, then,” Aaron said, offering a wave and turning back up the walk.
Lilie watched him for a moment before mirroring his movement, although she decided to stop at the dorm to grab her backpack just in case she lost track of time. She didn't mention Salem, but since Aaron needed to go, she figured he might not have had the time. Speaking of which, she was pretty sure she had plenty of time before Mariette would even be up, but it was better to be safe than sorry. She wasn't entirely sure if the vampire would even want to see her after last night's...interaction. Pushing those thoughts aside, Lilie left her dorm and made her way to the common ones, hoping she wouldn't get too lost.
You were brave enough to ask, sadly the thread proves precisely why we can't all be friends. Differences of opinions, egos, hiding behind a screen, anonymity...It could be one thing, it could be multiple things, but honestly, I almost feel like that's why cliques exist. If you find a nice group of people that you vibe with well, you avoid that stuff for the most part and you generally stick with them. I don't think it's too far fetched to think maybe someday people can put their petty differences aside. But right now? I just don't think this community is there just yet. I'm hopeful I can be proven wrong.
The nonsensical tone that rang from her phone didn't sound like her ringtone or her alarm. As she slowly opened her eyes, she could see that the screen was different, too. As she stifled a yawn, she grabbed her phone, blinking a few times in the brightness of it as her eyes adjusted. The screen showed that it was a Skype call, the picture of a scowling chestnut haired young man who seemed to be yelling at what appeared to be a bird on a windowsill pecking at some baked goods that had been there.
Eyes widening, Lilie picked up immediately, and after a second of the call connecting, she could see the young man in person, considerably less grumpy. He looked like he was driving, eyes focused on the road, though he threw her a glance.
“Good morning,” He greeted her. “Are you still in bed?”
Lilie could have cried right there and then, but her happiness took a hold of her first. “Good morning, Ren!” She returned his greeting enthusiastically, immediately sitting up. She couldn't believe she was actually getting to talk to her brother right now, her attempt at trying to get her sleep schedule in place having always just missed him whenever she had a chance. At his latter comment she stole a glance at the time, surprised it was only eleven in the morning. She felt like she had been asleep for much longer. “Yeah, I'm trying to get used to the reverse cycle sort of thing, I'm supposed to be staying up all night and sleeping during the day.”
He nodded in understanding, fingers tapping the steering wheel. “I meant to call you sooner, but I thought you'd still be figuring stuff out, I didn't want to add to that,” He said, hands turning the wheel.
“It's going to take me more than a couple of days to figure anything out,” She admitted as she leaned against the headboard, freely admitting her frustration. “I already got reprimanded.”
Letting out a dramatic gasp, he held one hand to his chest, his breathing quickening. “Oh no! The perfect student actually got in trouble?! Call the fire marshal, inform the press, Lilie Dionne is a menace to society!” He wailed, albeit he broke out of it as the car came to a stop, giving her a deadpan look. “What did you do, offend some vampire by not getting on your knees and treating them like the Queen?”
“Joke all you want, I got paired with an actual noble,” Lilie informed him. “So offending someone is bound to happen, and then I'll get executed, and then we'll see who's still laughing.”
“Damn, Lilie, I was kidding.” Ren frowned as he turned off the car, leaning back in his seat. “Is it that bad?”
She was pretty stressed out, especially after already messing things up with Mariette, but she wasn't sure if she should tell him. Ultimately she decided against it; there was no point in worrying him. Besides, she didn't get beaten like she thought she would, so no harm, no foul. She probably wasn't going to be able to look Mariette in the eye for a while considering the whole ‘bloody tears’ thing, though. That was going to haunt her nightmares for days to come, for sure.
“I'm just stressed, I can't tell you a lot about it, but there's a lot I'm going to have to learn and no one to actually show me what to do,” She continued to voice her gripes. “I'm probably going to have to learn proper manners and etiquette or whatever, on top of whatever else I have to learn here, so…”
Ren nodded in understanding, thumb flicking his nose as he crossed his arms. “You're a smart kid, you'll figure it out,” He assured her, his faith in her being exactly what she needed to hear right now. “So day three now, how are you getting along with the other kids?”
Lilie brightened up, glad to tell her brother something positive. “I've made two new friends!” She replied excitedly. “One is named Salem, he's super nice and friendly, and when he gets excited he just goes off, it's hard to follow but he means well, I think,” She paused for a moment, hoping Salem wouldn't be too mad at her tomorrow. “And the other one is named Aaron, we actually had a spar earlier today--last night, sorry, and he's already able to use his magic, so I'm hoping I can kinda watch and learn from him,” And get some payback for her defeat.
Ren raised his eyebrows, rolling his head to the side. “Didn't you make any girl friends?” He asked.
“I met one of my neighbors that's a girl. But we didn't get to talk much,” She frowned. “And the countess is, well, a countess, so…”
Scowling at her, Ren uncrossed his arms as he threw them up, exasperated. “Then stick to them and forget the guys,” He insisted.
“This isn't high school, Ren. I'm going to be too busy learning about magic and trying not to upset my vampire instead of thinking about boys, if that's what you're worried about,” She chided him. “I have to just...do this. I'll figure it out, like you said. So don't worry about me.”
Opening his mouth to retort, he seemed to catch something she said, his frown settling on his expression. “I'm never not going to worry about you, so you just need to deal with that,” He told her sternly, albeit he had a rather soft look in his eyes. “Here or there, I'm...listen, Lilie, it doesn't matter what the time is, if you need me you just have to call. I mean it.”
Lilie watched Ren’s image on her phone, finding herself wishing she could hug him. “I know. Thank you,” She gave him a genuine smile as she rubbed her eye, feeling some tears biting at her. “Um, I'm going to try to sleep, but I'll make sure to call you again before I go to class. I promise.”
“Alright. Take care of yourself.”
As she ended the call, Lilie let out a breath she wasn't aware she was holding. Everything she had been holding back seemed to sneak up on her all at once. Ren had seen right through her without her having to admit how alone she felt right now, how lost and confused she was. But she couldn't admit it to him, knowing he had his schooling and the family business to deal with. Any issues that would arise would have to be dealt with on her own.
Part of her felt trapped, knowing that this was going to be her life going forward. There was no going back to how things used to be, the only thing she had to look forward to was being with an eccentric vampire for the rest of her life. It was a suffocating thought, and one that caused her great distress anytime it came to mind. But she also felt alone with that sense of dread; seeing her future classmates and texting Aaron told her that all of this was normalcy with them, that this was to be expected. No one was freaking out or worrying like she was, everyone was taking things with stride, falling in line as they should be, as she needed to be. She just needed to get her head in that mindset, too, no matter how scared she was.
Looking at her phone, part of her had wished she had been able to speak to Aaron about some of her thoughts. But it was probably too personal to indulge so much to someone you had just met, right? He might think she was weird, and she was desperate for human friends. The very last thing she wanted was to alienate him, and he actually texted her back, so she wanted to think that he wanted to get along with her, too, so no use in ruining a good thing.
Making herself comfortable, she found herself thinking about what her brother said about making friends. Hopefully Salem wouldn't be too upset with her, she could find him tomorrow and apologize properly, and she could try to make friends with Cassandra, too. She still wasn't sure what she was going to do about any vampires, her experience from them soured already. Mariette was a complete mystery, she needed to decide how she was going to handle living with her.
"However, one day I will be taking you away from everything and everyone that you know, back to my manor. You'll be allowed to visit your family and friends, but you'll always have to come back to me."
That terrible dread threatened to creep up on her again, causing Lilie to huff as she shook her head. The countess was giving herself too much credit; Lilie had already been taken away from her old life, everything going forward didn't mean anything to her. Not yet, anyway. Taking in a deep breath, she made herself comfortable as she closed her eyes.If she was going to lose it on the third day, then she was just pathetic. Everything was just going to take some getting used to, that's all.
Despite going back to bed within the hour, Lilie ended up getting out of bed at around two in the afternoon. She genuinely tried to sleep more, but her body refused. It didn't seem like staying asleep was an option, and though she was aware Mariette would still be asleep, she found herself getting bored in her room. Quietly putting herself in the kitchen, her hungry stomach was telling her to make herself something to eat, though she was distracted by how nice the kitchen was. Everything about this place was so fancy, even the cookware was high quality.
She ended up cooking herself a late breakfast (or would it be lunch at this point?) with whatever she found in the fridge, cleaning everything shortly afterwards and putting everything back before realizing that she didn't know what to do with herself for the rest of the day. If yesterday was any indication, then classes wouldn't start until late evening.
Oh boy.
After doing everything she could possibly think of, Lilie ended up sitting outside, watching the forest move with the wind as the sun started to set on the horizon. It was a beautiful view and the sun felt nice; she had no idea why she felt like it had been forever since she had felt it on her skin. Despite knowing sitting on the wall was probably inappropriate, she figured as long as she wasn't seen, she would be fine. She had shot Aaron a quick text to see if he was awake, but being up during the day seemed to be out of the ordinary. It was so strange to see a place so empty during daylight, but she supposed she needed to get used to it.
Now was as good a time as ever to decide what she was going to do about Mariette. Ignoring her probably wasn't an option, but interacting with her seemed like it was going to be difficult. Maybe she could request a new partner. Placing her head on her hands, she let out a groan. Maybe she could just run away somewhere and go into hiding or something. Running her hands over her face, Lilie's mind was abuzz with trying to figure out how to handle the vampire. She needed some advice. Eyeing her phone, she wondered what Aaron and Salem would do in this situation. Maybe they got along better with their vampires better than she did. Or at least, they would have a better idea than she did.
Mara's words were music to Victoire's ears, all too happy to get the fuck out of here. The night was a complete disaster, no one was happy, the dating arrangements just served to piss everyone off, and of course, nothing of importance happened. Following the blonde's lead, she only looked to see Kavi go berserk on his way out, rolling her eyes. Yeah, she wasn't going to stick around to deal with that, the staff could go ahead and handle it. Either she'd just go home and go to bed or spend the rest of her night bashing her head against the wall in an effort to knock herself out until tomorrow.
As she trailed behind Mara and considered the third option of crashing at her place, she was stumbled into. As she fully prepared to unleash her misaimed wrath on the poor soul, she wasn't the least surprised to find her own brother had been the culprit. Before she could properly chew him out, she was hit with the scent of alcohol.
"Vic, take me home," He grumbled at her, and she noticed a rather bright, red spot on his cheek. Likely someone above him who had rightfully put him in his place.
"Oh no, no, no," Victoire immediately shut down the idea, shaking her finger before pointing it at him. "You're just going to hit on Mara the whole time and say dumb crap, and believe me, I am beyond my stupidity tolerance for the rest of the weekend."
Lucas threw his head back, exhaling a whine. "Come on, Vic, there's no way I'll make it home like this. What if I get into a crash and die? You want that on your conscience?"
"So you are shit faced," She didn't think it was possible for her to be even more disappointed, but there he was, proving her wrong. "So much for 'I know my limits'."
"You know, for once, I actually don't know how it happened," Lucas mumbled, shaking his head in an attempt to clear his head. "But um...please take me home."
"Nope. You got yourself into this mess, get yourself out of it. Goodbye and good night," She dismissed him, pushing past him as he grumbled something about his 'boy' and staggering off in another direction. Paying no mind to him, she instead caught up with Mara and sighed. Stupid dance.
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