Aaron nodded to Salem and the three of them set off where they vaguely remembered Sariel’s tour taking them before. As they began to walk, though, Aaron simply shrugged.
“He didn’t want anything very interesting,” he replied casually.
“He just wasn’t sure where to go for dorm inquiries. Turns out he got reassigned as well.” Aaron glanced over to Salem.
Lilie's curiosity got the better of her, looking between both Aaron and Salem as they walked.
"Max, too? It's like a game of musical chairs," She noted.
"How did you know he got reassigned?"Aaron raised his eyebrows.
“Oh, because his new master is friends with mine,” he clarified matter-of-factly, though a shiver did worm its way up his spine.
“And judging by tonight, it looks like we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.”Salem tried not to grimace as Aaron said the word master once more, this time referring to another vampire. True he understood how it must be hard to break years of beatings, but it was a bit sad to watch any spec of self worth dwindle each day in him.
"Who's his new partner? Perhaps he can arrange a play date to allow him to come to the picnic?" Salem said poking fun at how Aaron made it sound like they were children to Varis and this new Vampire.
Now it was Aaron’s turn to try not to grimace: something about childish language always turned him off, and Salem’s little jab rubbed him the wrong way just as Max’s had on the phone.
“Eris Samael,” he replied flatly, clearly unamused.
“The one who burst into Treaty Law, remember?”Lilie barely contained her squeal of excitement, her hands flying to her mouth in an effort to muffle it. All that came out was a short sound, but her excitement came out in other ways. She was practically jumping in place, hands waving around excitedly. She couldn't believe it, Eris Samael was part of her group! Well no, Max was, but they were basically a pair, right? Did that mean she would see him? What if he came to their study sessions? Could she actually talk to him? What if they got to talk?!
"Are you sure?!" Lilie asked, eyes wide as she prayed for a good answer. Before getting a response, she continued,
"I loved him in Sunset, he was so dreamy! I don't care what anyone says, he and Samantha Russell had way more chemistry than him and Rosaline Blackdale! The way he holds himself, the way he holds her hand, that little wink of his—it's all so perfect! He's so much hotter than Julius Moraine, I don't even know why people bother comparing the two when it's so easy to see which one of them dominates the polls!"Salem glanced over at Aaron, giving him a look that could only be read as retained laughter. He let Lillie have her moment if it meant her happiness and a distraction from his current predicament.
"Can't say that I know this Eris Samael. Or at least I haven't seen his films. Maybe we can have a sleepover or something one night and you can show me your favorite films of him.""Yes!!! That's such a good idea!" Lilie jumped on the chance.
"We could all get together and watch The Blood War!"Aaron winced at Lilie’s squeal, that grimace from before threatening to sneak to the surface once again. He’d seen some of Eris’ films too, but he had never understood this infatuation with celebrities. Then again, perhaps growing up under the roof of royalty just dulled him to star power. He could conclude, though, that despite Eris being nice enough so far, Lilie might have a different opinion of the vampire if she spent a few minutes alone with him.
At the mention of
The Blood War, however, Aaron couldn’t help but burst out a laugh.
“You know what, I might actually take you up on that,” he told Lilie, chuckling.
“That movie is hilarious.”"Wh—" Lilie's bubble of joy popped at Aaron's words, her jaw dropping.
"What? No, it's a historical drama about the events leading to the formation of the treaty!"Aaron could only laugh a little more, despite himself. Once he composed himself a little more, he shook his head.
“It’s definitely a drama, but I wouldn’t exactly call it historical.” He sighed, smiling as he remembered his mother’s live commentary when he’d watched the film with her for the first time.
“Definitely a fun watch, though. Especially in my family!”Salem went to go place his hand on his chin, a slight movement reminding him of the cuts and making him think better of it. He hummed a thoughtful hmm as Aaron spoke.
"I suppose I could see some similarities between you and Eris Samael. Perhaps your lineage is much like you and thus easily shown through him."The grin was all but slapped off Aaron’s face, and his gaze snapped over to Salem with brow furrowed.
“What on earth makes you say that?” He asked, desperately hoping that Salem was referring to the fact that they were both blond and not implying that they at
all behaved the same.
"Well your looks for starters. Blonde hair, fair skin, similar build. Really it's a perfect cast." Salem neglected to mention how they both have an air of arrogance to them, they are both flashy in their own regards, and each clearly thinks too highly of themselves. However Aaron's tone and gaze told him that he shouldnt reveal such details lest he gain his rancor.
Aaron squinted at Salem for a moment, not buying a word of it. They had, what, blond hair in common? Even so, even that detail was slightly off. Eris Samael being a “perfect cast” for Landar Starag himself was almost laughable. His performance was excellent, that much Aaron would freely admit, but the closest detail he shared with the Starag patriarch were the artificially blue contacts he’d been coerced into wearing for the part.
“You did see that painting of my grandfather at Her Highness’ manor, right?” he questioned, a hint of sharp sarcasm sneaking into his voice.
“Mr. Samael put on an admirable show, but he’s not exactly a stand-in for the man himself.”"I was a bit distracted by the vague rules, body modified vampire, creepy blind woman and oh yes her highness herself, to pay too much attention to the portraits that lay on the wall. I'll have to pay closer attention when I'm there next break." Salem's tone was as friendly as ever, yet carried a hint of annoyance at the other mage’s denial at the obvious.
The mere mention of Vanessa made Aaron’s skin crawl, but turning the conversation to the next break and Salem’s planned castle stay was (thankfully) enough to push
her from his mind. He shook his head, though a wry smirk did curl his lip. Salem would have a hell of a time if he tried to convince the other Starags that Eris was in any way comparable to any Starag, and the very thought of three tiny blonde women laughing the idea out of the room was enough to lift Aaron’s spirits again.
“Whatever you say,” he conceded smugly, shrugging.
“You’ll have plenty of source material available when you get there.”There was a brief silence as the reality of that statement sank in, and somewhat of a somber mood fell over the group again. Aaron spun his ring, wondering if now was a better time to repeat his offer from the night before, or if he should even repeat it at all. But he’d been ordered to get close to Salem, and the plant mage was clearly struggling despite his outward demeanour, so surely at least it couldn’t hurt?
“Speaking of which,” Aaron added more quietly, looking over Lilie’s head to Salem. He debated pulling Salem aside, or waiting until later, but Lilie already knew about Salem’s investigation, and Salem had only reacted poorly to any attempt at discretion, so he decided to come out with it.
“My offer from last night is still open. There might be something I can do to ease your family’s minds throughout this whole… process, if you’ll let me.”Salem's eyebrow arched at Aaron's daring proposal. How many times did someone have to reject him for him to understand what it meant? Or was he the type to have never been rejected and believes he will inevitably get his way if he asks enough. Regardless of the answer Salem would hear his proposal to see what the mage had in mind.
"What were you thinking?" His voice was flat and devoid of any hope.
Though his voice didn’t quite betray it, Aaron had a hunch that Salem would be suspicious of him no matter what he did. Of course, given his own orders, maybe that was warranted, but that didn’t make it any less exhausting to talk to Salem when the man seemed to carry this air of superiority just because he was raised differently.
Maybe Aaron was more irritated than he thought.
Taking a breath to calm himself, Aaron’s tone was sincere when he spoke next.
“I can write a letter to your family to tell them you’re well and inform them of the investigation. That way at least they’ll know you’re okay and have some idea what’s going on, instead of worrying themselves sick over radio silence.” Salem's brow furrowed a bit as he heard the proposal, something someone raised with a silver spoon would suggest. Not that he wasn't raised with one himself, but at least he could see the severity of this idea.
"So all you mean to do is write a letter on my behalf?" He asked feigning curiosity.
Aaron nodded.
“Coming from me, no one should bat an eye, and when they check it for anything suspicious—which they will, by the way—they’ll find nothing but a letter on behalf of a friend.” He gave Salem a serious look.
“I can even inform Princess Ryner about it, if you’d like. If so, any investigator would be hard-pressed to see it as anything but innocent.” "That's...not a bad idea...is what I would say if it was anything but. However I fear that you doing so, Starag or not, would be viewed as impeding in the investigation and would only cause for it to take longer or a darker turn. I do appreciate your concern and want for help but I can't agree to what it is you're asking of me. However what you do on your spare time is not up to me nor does it require my approval." Salem hoped that Aaron would catch the hint he was throwing, but didn't fully know if the mage spoke in such subtleties.
Lilie looked between the two, quietly listening. It tore her heart to know Salem wouldn't be able to see his family, and she thought Aaron's offer was so touching. She was surprised Salem rejected it, though at that point she did walk ahead a little, turning around and walking backwards so she could face them.
"But that's what friends are for!" Lilie insisted, breaking her silence.
Aaron nearly rolled his eyes at Salem’s remark. True, fair enough, it was probably prudent to err on the conservative side when it came to accepting help while under investigation, but he didn’t seem to realize just how much weight the Starag name could carry in a situation like this. He never really had much reason to use it until now, but Aaron was sure that he could make it work to Salem’s benefit if he would only
let him. But he was insistent, and as far as Aaron was concerned, there was nothing to do but accept his answer.
Lilie’s interjection made Aaron’s expression soften, some of his lingering spite melting away. He offered her an appreciative smile, and looked over to Salem.
“If you’d rather I not, then I won’t,” he assured him,
“but the offer is open if you change your mind.”Lilie gave Aaron a look of disapproval, wagging her finger at him.
"No, you're going to do it," She informed him plainly.
"Salem can't ask, so I will. It'll be a favor from me." She cleared her throat as she tried to give herself a more uppity expression.
"If you would be so kind as to inform the Spellman family, we would be utterly grateful." Her tone could have been mistaken for a mocking one, her words drawn out and delivered stiffly in what she assumed was a noble tone.
Brows knitted together, Aaron shot Lilie an utterly confused look. Was
everyone just picking on him tonight?! He was briefly overwhelmed with an urge to veer off and head back to his dorm, but even that was out of the question if what Max told him was true. Besides, without a key it wasn’t like he could get in anyway.
Good grief, this night was testing his composure. Luckily it had been bred into him strong, and with a breath Aaron gathered himself again, even if his reply came out a little stuttery.
“I— Lilie, I’m not going to contact his family if he doesn’t want me to,” he tried to reason.
"But I want you to," Lilie replied in earnest.
Aaron heaved a sigh. He would never understand humans.
Or, human-raised mages anyway. The urge to clap his hand to his forehead was strong, but for Lilie’s sake he refrained.
“I do too!” he defended instead, gesturing to Salem.
“Talk to him! He’s the one who won’t let me.”Lilie frowned at Aaron's response, a little confused, but she gave Aaron a sincere, pleading look.
"But you should do it anyway. You're a good person, and you're doing a really nice thing for a friend. If it was the other way around, I know Salem would do the same for you," She gently prodded Aaron, clasping her hands together.
"Would you send it? Pretty please? For me?""She's not wrong. If it was me I'd go behind you and do it anyways. It's what friends do. But once again, what you do on your spare time is none of my business. If you write a note to my family telling them you've befriended me and that I am safe and you were concerned about the fact that I am incapable of reaching them, well I couldn't stop you because that is your prerogative." Man was Aaron dense.
Aaron glanced between Lilie and Salem as they spoke, confusion and frustration only mounting as they went on with what sounded to him like utter nonsense. So they were telling him that after Salem saying no, he should go behind his back and do the thing anyway, because that’s “what friends do”, and that Salem would betray him just the same if the tables were turned, and that all somehow… was a good thing.
What?! As much as he wanted to groan out his frustrations, he kept his anguish inside for the sake of politesse as he struggled to grasp this concept that seemed so natural to these two. He was a good person if he blatantly went against someone’s wishes and behind their back to help them? Sure, maybe the intent was fine, but if Salem wanted the help, wouldn’t it have been so much simpler if he said yes? Yet here he was, all but begging Aaron to go against what he’d been told. Shouldn’t an hour with Count Julian bloodying up his knuckles have demonstrated to him why Starags weren’t particularly good at disobedience? And how on earth was he meant to procure Salem’s family’s contact information if Salem wouldn’t outwardly cooperate?
He was silent as they approached the infirmary until he finally let out a breath.
“Whatever you say,” he conceded again, sounding defeated as he opened the infirmary door for his companions.
Salem let out a light hum as he spoke to no one in particular, more close to speaking aloud to himself.
"I wonder if Princess Ryner has information on family members and emergency contacts. I believe I recall filling out a form and having added my mother as the emergency contact. No doubt that she would be a source of wisdom if ever I lost her number or my phone." Salem walked past Aaron, thanking him for holding the door as he went in.
Lilie watched Salem, waiting for a second before placing herself between Aaron and the entrance.
"Did you get the hint?" She whispered.
Aaron glared a hole into the back of Salem’s head as he passed. He thought humiliation was Varis’ forte, but apparently it was a more common tool outside the castle than Aaron realized. Mocking a man for being unfamiliar with backwards human customs; what a way to cry for help.
Raising an eyebrow at Lilie, he couldn’t bring himself to give her a snippy reply, and simply closed his eyes and nodded.
“I think so, yeah.” She beamed up at him, taking his arm with hers as she pulled him along.
"I knew you were a good person," She told him happily, dragging him along with her into the clinic.
Salem's eyes wandered around as he took in the sights, noticing a cluster of plants by the windows that when mixed together helped to create a potion to alleviate pain. His gaze moved on over towards the mage and the book she was reading, though its title remained hidden by the table it lay on. Salem knocked on the door as he stood by it, using his second knuckles to knock three times to catch the mages attention.
“Come in, come in. I’ll take it it isn’t an emergency.” The woman’s voice carried with practiced ease, waving them to approach her desk.
“What are you doing at the infirmary then?”"No emergency. I just need some gauze bandages to wrap my hands in." Salem held them up, knuckles towards the woman to show her the damage.
"That and if you could spare a few cotton swabs and rubbing alcohol to clean and sterilize the wound as well. I run a clinic outside of here before I attended so I won't keep you from your book."“Oh dear. Rough day at the Arena? Unarmed combat isn’t usually the first subject but the Arena Master like to changes things sometimes.” The woman clicked her tongue sympathetically as she stood, stepping over to a few cabinets and pulling out the requested items. She returned to her chair, taking care of the wounds herself.
“It’s my job and it’s a slow day. The book isn’t going anywhere so just relax.” She said as she began dressing his wounds. “Who are your friends here? Did they need medical attention or are they just moral support?”
Salem sat down in front of her and laid his hands on the table. Chuckling slightly as she asked about Lillie and Aaron.
"That's Aaron Starag and Lillie...huh, I don't know her last name… Well they met me after class to hang out but were concerned for my wounds and thus we ended up here before going about planning a picnic."Lilie waved at the receptionist, finally releasing Aaron.
"It's Dionne, by the way," She told Salem with a small nudge.
"And yeah, we're both friends offering moral support."“Isn’t that sweet. It’s nice to meet everyone.” The mage cooed as she finished cleaning one hand and started bandaging it.
“How has everyone’s first day been? I know the transition can be hard. Doubly so for some.” She asked as she switched hands.
"It's been an experience I won't soon forget," Salem said as he winced through the burn if the alcohol.
"I had no idea that school could be so...eventful in just a short few days. I suppose it's good that today has been slow for you though, wouldn't want to see too many students here so early."Lilie frowned at the question, rubbing her sore arm. How was she supposed to respond to that? She gave the mage a small shrug, trying not to look too down. She forced herself to perk up, nodding in agreement with Salem.
"Yeah, really eventful!" She forced a smile, though after a few seconds she dropped it and replaced it with a real smile.
"It's a good thing I made some friends! Not really sure what I would have done otherwise…"“Friends are what will get you through the rough times. That and willow bark tea for the hangovers of course.” She chuckled as she patted Salem’s bandaged hand gently.
“Was there anything else I can help you with today?”"I don't suppose there is. Thank you once again for your hospitality and what you do for this school." Salem stood up and gave the woman a bow, turning back to Lillie and Aaron as he headed towards the door.
"Shall we?"Aaron was content to stay quiet as the other two chatted with the nurse, taking a moment to enter Lilie’s last name into her contact when she mentioned it.
Dionne… it was delicate, feminine. It suited her well, he decided. He watched on as the nurse cleaned and bandaged Salem’s hands, letting his mind wander. If the consensus was that he
should send word to Salem’s family, then he’d need to speak to Princess Ryner again; he wasn’t fond of bothering her twice in the span of a night, but he was sure she’d be understanding of his request. He’d also need to inform Varis—wait, he should ask
permission, it’d come across more favourably that way—and arrange for the letter to be examined sooner rather than later. There was a small, spiteful part of him that wanted to forego the whole plan after Salem’s mockery, but he pushed that impulse aside. He had a duty to get close to Salem whether he wanted to or not, and hopefully the vitriol could be written off as frayed nerves from a difficult night with Count Julian. Aaron made a few mental notes to take care of everything and came back to his senses as the nurse finished her job, perking up when he was addressed.
“Indeed!” he replied brightly, though he did check his watch. Good grief, 5:10am already?
“I have some time before I need to head back, where would the two of you like to go?”Lilie scratched her cheek as she tried to think. Her eyelids felt a little heavy, but she ignored it as she thought of an idea.
“I know! We should check to see if Salem’s stuff made it to the dorms,” She suggested.
“We’re all neighbors, too, so it’ll be easy to point out where each of us live so we all know for the future.”Aaron hadn’t quite been expecting that, but it made as much sense as anything else. He wasn’t fond of the idea of setting foot on a noble’s property without permission—man, Salem belonging to an Astorio would take some getting used to—but at least he’d be close to his own dorm when his curfew rolled around.
“Good idea,” he replied to Lilie, before turning to Salem.
“Do you have a key?”Salem thought back onto his interaction with the student housing representative and realized he hadn't received a key to his dorm. His lips curled down into a worried frown as he thought about how to enter his new abode.
"Now that you mention it I don't. Maybe the front door will simply be unlocked or perhaps the student housing building could provide me with one?"Lilie opened her mouth and then closed it. Right, the move meant Salem probably didn’t have a key.
“Then let’s go get one!” She cheerfully said.
Tilting his head in thought for a moment, Aaron wondered if Salem’s dorm might indeed be unlocked. Or, accessible anyway. On the first night the keys had been in the mailboxes, would they risk that after dorms were meant to be claimed?
“A groundskeeper let me into my dorm last night after dinner, but they were expecting me,” Aaron commented absently.
“Lilie has the right idea, you might as well go visit the housing office and be sure about it.” "May as well. I was just going to attempt the door or a window, but housing sounds like a much easier way to go about it. Who knows maybe we'll run into Max and can invite him over as well. Need to build that repertoire for treaty law after all."
On their way to pester [Scribe of Thoth]
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