Salem watched as Aaron went to go toss the paper, fear flickering in him for just a moment. Was he unaware that it was a note? Or was he truly so upset that he couldnt be bothered to read it? As the golden haired boy noticed some inkling of writing on the side of one piece, he began to unfold and read it. A wash of relief ran through Salem and he almost wanted to sigh audibly, but he wasnt out of the woods just yet. Aaron's eyes scanned the page, and continued to do so, and still did so. Man, was he a slow reader or what? Finally Aaron put the note down and then verbally asked him about the topic. Ok, sure he was bred into slavery but...did he truly not know what a note is? That he needed to write back? An exasperated sigh rushed out as Salem placed his hand on his forehead, shaking it in disbelief. He wrote down another note, this time with a doodle of a cute cartoonish radish that also appeared to be writing a note.
"You have to write back. That's how note passing works silly. But no, I havent heard anything about my ettiquite classes...but I thought maybe...you could give me a head start? Come over my place?
Salem sat in silence for what seemed like eternity. Every once in a while using the crystal to sporadically change the dimness of his light as the instructor had asked of him. He began to think about their arguements and varying opinions, understanding that it's part of life, yet not quite sure how anyone could be bred for servitude and still consider this life peace. It certainly wasnt freedom. Thinking back, Salem chuckled at the jest of him serving the Marivaldis. It was something his family had heard often and somewhat of a running joke. Though their vampires were not nobles, they certainly liked to emulate them, the Marivaldis in particular. [82ca9d]"This is stupid. How can we hope to advance I'm this class if we cant even have a civil conversation?"[/color] He began to look around, seeing other students dutifully working while also painting some sort of conversation. For the most part they all seemed pleased. "How do they do that? How can you maintain such a jovial tone with someone you dont even know?"
It was certainly easier to be nice and cordial when hosting. That was easy, but this, this seemed worlds apart. Salem began to think back, trying to find any hint of a past where he was able to maintain such interactions without it being at a party. A flash of Troy popped into his head, souring his mood further. Although it was true they got along outside of parties and in seclusion, Salem was never truly sure if that was him being so extroverted or if it was the pheromones making him. How does one differentiate what is real or not in that situation? The more he thought on it the more his throat seemed to want to close up, that cold hand gripping him once more. A loud screech could he heard as Salem jolted back, his chair scraping against the floor. "Sorry. Sorry. Uh, leg cramp." He quietly adjusted his chair back into the table and recalled something that may be of worth. Quickly he began to write unto a piece of paper and tearing it out, making a small origami triangular football, putting it onto one corner so that the middle point faced Aaron, and then flicking it, clattering it onto his notebook that he was writing on.
"Hi, I'm Salem Spellman. I have a knack for putting my foot into my mouth when I speak and I often use the wrong tone. It's a good thing that notes carry no tone and require you to think about what you say. I hope to meet your acquaintance soon, I hear you're real good with etiquette."
Max's head hung low as he heard about what happened in New York. How could anyone do such a thing? From what he could tell, the Morlocks weren't harming anyone. They just wanted to live. His gaze shifted away from Erg and Blink, not wanting to look either of them in the eye as he shifted away from the pair. "You're right, I dont know these things Erg. I dont know a lot of things. I was raised in a household that wouldnt allow mutant news to air, they weren't a healthy subject to discuss. My own parents turned Purifiers against me and I've been running ever sense. I thought maybe with the Brotherhood gone, we wouldnt have such devastating mutant on mutant attacks. I meant no disrespect, I just know what it feels like to be recently chased only find the barrel of a gun." His voice was low and full of pain for those slaughtered over a senseless fight.
His gaze finally wavered up as he noticed Jack and Sunshine sitting around a board game. Max made his way over, sitting next to Jack's right, and accidentally having his hand placed ontop of Stretchs. He leaned in close to him and whispered "Thank you, for what you said. It means a lot to me, really. I've got Sunshine covered if you dont mind. It appears the new arrival is freaking out at all this new information and the gun and squabble must not of helped any. Now, I'm no scientist, but I do know that any news, good or bad, is always more well received when it comes from a handsome guys." With that Max gave a gentle nudge with his elbow against Jack's arm as he looked at Sunshine with a smile. "I've never actually played this game, mind showing me how its done?"
Xris's attention was quickly brought over to a girl, seemingly older than he was. If dip on her breath, a lump in her lip and the apparel weren't enough to tell him shes American, then the Noble Arms of not one but two guns, surely nailed it in. He allowed her do make her little demonstration, taking in as much about her style and abilities as he could gleam from it. She pinned Xris as a melee fighter, good, that would certainly be her downfall if they got into a combat situation with one another. As he sat there, he pondered for a moment on if he should reveal a bit more of his Arm, or simply let her comments slide. What's more, should he offer a sass back so early on? Finally the strange American floated back down to Earth with a haughty bow, making Xris chuckle a bit. "Right shame. I wouldn't mind a bit of a tussle. Two Arms clashin to find a victor." Dismissing his doubles, Xris removed his feet from the top of his desk, they now floated off the ground as he continued to sit, his position shifting to face Ellie. A large pink bubble formed again before it popped. "Whutz your name and rank Winchester?"
"Speakin of names and ranks what's yours?" Xris dismissed his Arms as he pointed at the Half-Irish Filipino. Leaning in onto his desk, both elbows pressed against the top as he rested his chin between the palms of his hands. "You sure talk a lot of rubbish, and speak of trust and the like, acting like you know your onions; yet here you are with not a name to put you by and I dont even know what your Arms. Hows anyone to build a team without knowing their teammates strengths and weaknesses. How am I to know you're not juat takin the piss? Or a cock-up? Blimey, I trust Hercules here more than I do you at the moment. What's more my mate here makes some very valid points." Xris nodded his head towards Charles.
It wasn’t long after Aaron and Salem fell silent before the professor, Mr. Martin, came bounding over, all cheerful advice and friendly suggestions. He didn’t leave much room to get a word in edgewise - though Aaron would have liked to point out that they weren’t having any trouble - before he scooted off again, leaving an annoyed-looking Ralph in his wake.
“Now how are you failing already?”
Aaron’s eyes only flicked up for a second, settling back intently - and maybe a touch dismissively - on the crystal before he spoke. “We’re fine, thank you,” he replied curtly, mostly ignoring Ralph’s actual question in favour of shrinking his crystal glow down to something like the light of a candle and holding it there.
Salem gave a weak sigh as he shook his head at the pair. “It would seem Mr. Martin believes that we should focus on building the strength of our friendship rather than this exercise. He said that you could help with that.” Salem glanced around to ensure Mr. Martin wasnt near, “So, how come you stay so far away from him? Is it because of your affinities? Or?”
“Have you met him?” Ralph glared at his Uncle's back, the man treating the other table with as much enthusiasm as the pair's and moving on just as quickly. Ralph scoffed and turned his attention back to the table. “I get why you're struggling with it over there but just fake it for now. It'll keep Mr. Brightside away from you for a bit. Once he clears you, you'll only have to deal with the turncoat twice a week.” Ralph's attention drifted upwards and back down to Aaron. “Speaking of which, our overlords are arriving. Best make sure their favorite pet looks sharp.”
Salem rubbed the palm of his hand, distracted, thinking of Aaron's magic and how it felt inside of him during their little match. It was always tricky, describing magic. It's more of a feeling, a being, than it is just a force to wield. And describing another's magic? Even more so. He thought back on it, the rush of emotions that waved over his when Aaron's light began to overtake his. It was lively...no that wasn't quite right, excited? Closer. Enthusiastic, that's more like it. Bright enthusiasm, eager to bend and shape to its users whim. Cooperative, malleable...Salem's thoughts trailed off as Ralph mentioned the arrival of their partners, the previous nights dinner flashing back into his mind. Of course this would be the emotions that Aaron's magic took on, he is a servant through and through...He shook the idea out of his head as his eyes scanned for Lucan, seeing even now he was still abandoned.
As Ralph spoke, Aaron narrowed his eyes at the crystal, more out of disdain than focus. Soon, the light inside the crystal began to move, drifting lazily from side to side before finding a more steady, circular path near the edges. He continued until he heard the shuffling up above, and turned his gaze up as Ralph did, looking to the balcony overlooking the class. Ah, an observation platform. Of course, the vampires would be interested in their mages’ progress. Aaron wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about being watched, a little caught up in his irritation for the moment, but a streak of red hair up top brought him back to his senses, and he dropped his eyes to the crystal again.
“It will be fine, thank you,” Aaron replied, practically spitting the word back at Ralph. “Now if you have no more sage advice to offer, I’m sure there are other students who need your help more than we do.” Perhaps against his better judgement, he finally looked up from the crystal, offering Ralph a shrug and an icy smile. “Beats spending your valuable time with turncoats, anyway.”
“I couldn't agree more.” Ralph dismissed Aaron as he turned to Salem. “Good luck with the lap dog.” The ice mage moved away from the table, once again moving away from Mr. Martin even as the other TA gave him an odd look as he stopped at the table next to hers.
“I suppose the crystal’s all yours. Not like Lucan bothered to show up anyways. Tsk. Some partner, he hasn't made himself visible once. Go on, feel free to impress yours, I'll just make notes on how to best progress forward.” Salem began to scribble into his pad once more, a tad faster than before and clearly a bit upset. Without lifting his head to view Aaron he said “So, apparently we must be simpático if we are to press forward onto the next lesson. How do you propose we go about this?”
Aaron glared at Ralph as he left, taking his hand off the crystal and leaning back in his seat when he was gone. He looked back up only long enough to confirm that Lucan really was absent, and flick his eyes to Varis again before he lowered his gaze once more. Right.
“I think I’ll take a breather for now,” he decided, realizing that his irritated showing off had succeeded in tiring him out a bit. Salem was right, though. They needed to come to an understanding, but for more reasons than one.
“Can I be honest and say I don’t know?” he asked finally, smirking despite himself. It was a bit of an absurd admission, but oddly enough, it was genuine. “I mean, it was true what Lady Sinnenodel said last night; I haven’t had much exposure to life outside of castle walls. Closest I ever really came was the observation deck for Sanguenum.” He couldn’t help but laugh a little at himself, imagining how ridiculous it must sound to someone like Salem, but it was all he could say. “Forgive me, but I haven’t had much practical experience in making friends.”
“You could've fooled me.” Salem stopped what he was doing, clattering the pencil onto the desk as his other hand pinched and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Sorry. That was rude, I'm stressed, but that's no excuse. I just...I have so much swimming around in my head right now…” he let the table fill with silence for a breathe until final he sighed “Alright. Friends, this should be easy right? What's your favorite T.V. show?”
Brow furrowed, Aaron let Salem have his moment. He could certainly sympathize, though seeing someone else apparently as freaked as he was softened him a bit. “Don’t worry about it,” he replied quietly to Salem’s apology, though the stress the man showed drew his attention far more than the remark.
“...we don’t have a TV back home, but I like to watch TCL fights online,” Aaron replied warily, watching Salem. He was tempted to press on his comment about the stress, but he figured that it might be best to leave it alone for now. “You?”
“Well that varies from what's on really. Currently watching a cute cartoon called Steven Universe. It's...hard to explain.” Salem clicked his tongue a few times searching for a topic. “Whaaaat’s your favorite kind of...tea? No, that's stupid. What's your favorite hobby?”
“I play the cello,” Aaron kept an eye on Salem, not entirely convinced of his change of attitude. It wasn’t like him to prod, but… “Are you alright?”
Salem stared at Aaron for a moment. Was he for real? Did he just ask him if he was alright? Was he not at the same dinner as he was the night before? Did he suffer a concussion? Salem tried his hardest to smile as he answered back “I'm perfectly fine.” the answer was pointed and through gritted teeth. “After all, my entire family is only under investigation, I have no ties to the outside world, I must spend my free days from these walls with you, I cant even call or text to apologize to my family for the inconvenience, the Queen thinks me a liar and traitor both of which I am not, not a single soul in that room could bother to defend me, my supposed partner can’t be bothered to be bothered with me and all the while I sit here being tasked to make friends as if the world is fine and nothing wrong has happened in the last 24 hours. So yes Aaron Starag I am perfectly fine.” His tattoos began to flare up, growing brighter than they ever have in his presence as his emotions began to flare.
See? It was always better not to ask.
Aaron fought down the urge to grimace at Salem’s outburst; no wonder he was so tense. He eyed the glow of the man’s tattoos warily, shifting a little more upright in his seat. What was he supposed to say to that? He didn’t know what was keeping Lucan - the vampire hadn’t answered any of his texts - and he was sure apologizing about the events of dinner would come across as an empty gesture. What could he say about any of that anyway?
“Me too,” he admitted, sarcasm and exhaustion creeping into his voice. He averted his gaze for a second, letting silence stretch between Salem and himself as he thought.
Finally, he sighed, looking back to Salem. “...I don’t know about most of that, but I might be able to help you with your family, if you’d let me.”
Me too? Me too?! What kind of response was that? Oh sure, he was certain that he had soooo many issues. Salem would've choked the damn man had it not been for what he said after. His gaze wavered for a bit as his eyes began to tear up. The thought of it washing some relief over him as his tattoos began to dim a bit. “No. Thank you but no. My family and I are innocent of the claims. Any possible interference…” he began to choke up for a spell, then cleared his throat, pushing the lump down “Any possible interference would make us seem guilty or that we are hiding something.” Salem wiped the tears out of the corner of his eyes. “So, do you like ice cream?”
Aaron’s face fell, but he nodded down at the table. Of course Salem wouldn’t want his help. Who could blame him? He was dutifully cooperating with the investigation, doing everything in his power to help it go smoothly and clear his name. And here Aaron was, doing the opposite.
“Of course I do,” he replied, more than a little crestfallen. But no, he couldn’t think like that. Sure, he might have been tasked with relaying information for the investigation, but what would it reveal? Salem’s conviction in his innocence was convincing; so if he was innocent, what would any of Aaron’s digging hurt? And if he was guilty, then he was a rebel and it was good that he was caught. But he was innocent, so it was fine. Right?
“Do you play any instruments?” Aaron asked, doing his best to lighten the subject. “Or… do you like animals? I haven’t interacted with many, but I used to talk to the palace ravens and I was pretty fond of meeting racehorses.”
“I play a mean test tube. But aside from that, no. Now animals, who doesn’t love them? I have a cat named cat. A cricket called cricket. My abuelita has a snake. We have dozens of lady bugs and other critters at the mansion. Haven't met any racehorses, what are they like?” Salem saw Aaron's efforts to change the subject and appreciated them, attempting to keep the mood light himself.
“Jumpy,” Aaron smirked, remembering the first time he’d met one. He’d been so excited, all of twelve years old, that he’d spooked the poor thing. “They call them ‘hot blooded’ because they’re high-energy and reactive. Breeds like that make excellent competitors, but they can be hard to handle.” His smirk widened to a smile, happy to transition to a more pleasant topic. “When I was little I used to want to be a jockey, but I was never good enough for that. And now I’m too tall for it anyway,” he chuckled.
“How about ravens?” he asked, “There’s a special way to deal with them, you know. And I’m sure the campus is crawling with them.”
“I hear they like shiny things. With your magic I'm sure they must've loved you. Glistening out there, calling to them. We didn't keep many by us though. They're bad omens, so we stayed clear. No, black cats. That's all a myth, they're not bad at all. I didn't quite spend most of my time with animals however, a lot was fixated in training for my magic, if I had any, from the ground up.” At this point Salem began gesturing with his hands, excitedly speaking on the subject as if the vampiric overlords themselves demanded there be a break between the long dialogue. “Sure, anyone can just feel and will their magic to go forth but...do they truly understand it? Before the awakening I has herbology, botany, and many other plant based knowledge taught to me up until my awakening. It is believed that by knowing the full cycle of plants and life and understanding each bit of nature from beginning to end will give us a stronger connection and understanding to our magic, making it easier to commune with it when needed. I haven't really gotten a chance to practice it, not in the sense of growing, fertilizing, and nurturing them with magic only. I do however feel connected to its power when I'm working on potions and tonics and other medicinal things. Like their guiding my hand on what's needed next.”
Bad omens? Nonsense. Where Aaron came from, ravens only caused bad luck if you didn’t address them properly. Haughty things, they were. But Salem wasted no time on the topic, launching into a fascinating description about his studies growing up. Seeing an opportunity, Aaron fished a small notebook and a fountain pen from the bag beneath his seat, jotting down a few lines. But it wasn’t english he was writing, or even the latin alphabet; instead, it was a series of loops, swoops and lines, seemingly random and messy.
“That’s impressive,” he commented as he finished, looking back up. He paused for a moment, deliberating on something, before he continued. “But… What if you hadn’t turned out to be a plant mage? I remember you said your whole family were plant mages, but there’s still that small chance, right? What if you were being prepared for the wrong thing?”
“Not possible. The Spellman line has only been plant mages for generations. We marry into other plant mages to help ensure that. Those that don't get the gift of magic are still offered a life with us. I mean, we're all free to choose what we wish, but many enjoy the lucrative pay there is within any of the many companies we have. After all you don't need magic to tend to plants, it just helps.” Salem watched curiously as he spoke, at Aaron grabbing a notebook and jotting things down. His life wasn't that interesting to take notes on but perhaps Aaron really did have such a horrid memory that he couldn't even recall simple details of a friends life.
“Fascinating,” Aaron replied, quite sincerely. “Starags don't have much of a ‘family affinity’, although fire does pop up more frequently than others, I'm sure you can guess why,” he shrugged. “We’re bred more for health, capability, blood quality, certain features Her Majesty is fond of… that sort of thing.” He flicked a lock of golden blond hair back, to emphasize the point.
“That’s admirable that you keep ties with your mundanes, though,” he continued, shifting the subject a little. “We’ve never really had to deal with that; there isn't a single person on the Starag family tree who didn't have magic.”
“We prefer to call them family, not mundanes. Fire mages huh? Can think the Queen is too fond of that, who knows, maybe some of that fire magic is inside you, filling you with a bit of fight. So, do friends usually take notes? Or is my life really that interesting?” Salem joked, a small smile creeping up.
Aaron laughed, pointing at Salem. “Careful there, my mother’s a fire mage you know,” he joked, dropping his hand to the table.
At the mention of notes, he chuckled a bit, tapping his pen against the notebook. “Your family’s methods are so different from mine, I can't help but be intrigued,” he replied, shrugging. “My upbringing was all academics and etiquette and swordsmanship. We didn't even touch on magic until my Awakening.”
“Right. Etiquette. Suppose I'll be learning all about your cucumber sandwiches, silver spoons and when to hold out my pinky soon enough. Speaking of, how was your upbringing? How were you treated? Viewed? Taught to believe and behave?” Salem looked up at the Vampires viewing down on them and back to Aaron. “Don’t forget, big brothers watching.”
Aaron was a little surprised by Salem’s questions, not expecting him to go so… deep. Weren’t questions like that a little personal for someone you barely knew? He supposed he couldn't be sure, reminded once more that he was sorely inexperienced in the art of making friends.
He glanced up to the balcony as Salem did, but didn't linger on it. For the topic at hand, it didn't concern him much, though he was sure Varis could hear every word of their conversation from there if he wanted to. “I assume you're talking in relation to the royal family, and not my mother,” he remarked, perching an elbow on the table and gesturing lazily. “Well, they unchain us from the dungeon on special occasions and even feed us twice a day, so I suppose I can't complain.”
He paused for a second before chuckling to himself. “I’m kidding. It's like I said, Queen Anastasia and her family are exceptionally kind.” He offered Salem a reassuring smile. “I really don't have any complaints about my upbringing. The Noilas treat their mages with dignity and make sure we have the best resources available to us. I was taught everything from math to magic by the best tutors in the realm, I had free reign to go almost wherever I wanted in the castle, and my family and I were held in high regard, all things considered. I wouldn’t recommend making mistakes or misbehaving, but even then you'd never end up with any more than a few days of soreness and a lesson learned.” He sighed, grinning fondly. “Besides, I never did make the same mistake twice.”
Salem placed his hand on the crystal, making it glow as he darted his eyes motioning towards Varis. He removed his hand and sat back in his chair “That's not what I meant. How do I phrase this...your magic. It seems...to be dependent. No, that's wrong. It seems to want to...it's like a puppy. Eager to please its owner and willing to do what it takes to make them happy. I am simply asking, were you groomed to be a servant.”
Aaron raised a brow. What was that, a trick question?
“Of course I was,” Aaron replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. He shrugged, not sure what Salem was expecting. “Salem, that's pretty normal among mages whose families serve nobility. And I'm a Starag. Being an attendant is literally what I was bred for.” Despite how his words might have sounded to an outsider, Aaron said them with conviction. He wasn't ashamed or even self conscious about it. To him and his family, it was a point of pride.
“Perhaps I don't get it because I'm not nobility. We weren't raised to serve. We were raised as equals. I don't know how you could ever be ok with just...being a tool for someone else. Especially for…Nevermind. It's not my place to say. Well I don't have a teen vogue magazine so, have any other topics?”
A prick of Aaron's former irritation returned at Salem's remark, Aaron stiffening a bit. What, did he think he was raised to be a draught animal or something? Maybe Salem was right in that it was his social rung that was the culprit; he clearly didn't see a mage's work as vitally as Aaron did.
“Well I’m not nobility either, I just serve them,” Aaron corrected, though he took the hint and decided to move a little along.
“Well, you asked me about my upbringing, only fair that you return the favour, right?” Aaron leaned back in his chair. “You were raised as equals, how did that work?”
“Exceedingly well. We act as if we are one big family. They feed when they need to of course, but we also offer to have our blood bottled and ready for them at a moment’s notice. They attend and also host a few of our parties and we invite other socialites into our homes to greet them and entertain. Not quite the same as making friends but you do hear some interesting gossip amongst all the conversations of who is doing better than who. It's what I wish the Queen could see I was attempting to say last night. Not words of treachery but words of a more blissful future. Where you don't have to serve you may be equals, families intertwined, making people less fearful of vampires and more trusting of them. Does that not sound like a future worth sharing?”
Well, no wonder Salem was so progressive. Apparently, it was all he knew. Suddenly it made much more sense to Aaron why Salem seemed to chafe so much in the face of more traditional expectations, even if to him, it was all perfectly normal. If he were being honest with himself, Aaron found the prospect of a household where mages and vampires were considered equals to be… disorderly. With no clear hierarchy, conflict would be inevitable, wouldn’t it? Wouldn’t there be some lack of direction?
“Are you sure your family doesn’t serve nobles?” Aaron asked, mostly joking, “Because it sounds like your vampires would be right at home among the Marivaldis.”
He was quiet for a moment after that, touching the crystal absently and watching the glow pulse rhythmically, this time to the tempo of his heartbeat. He took a second to jot a few more things down in his notebook before he released it, looking back to Salem much more sincerely.
“It sounds like you and your family are very fortunate,” he said, a little quieter than before. “I’ll admit that the notion of equality between vampires and mages seems… odd, to say the least, but I’m not saying that it shouldn’t be allowed or anything.”
He let out a long breath, perching his elbow on the table again. “I do understand, or at least I think I do, where you’re coming from. You want everyone to be able to enjoy the sorts of privileges you did, and you don’t like the idea of mages being treated as lesser. I can understand.” He looked Salem in the eye, somewhat more serious.
“But try to understand my position. I don’t think that serving vampires is something to be resented, or ashamed of. My family and I, we see our work as a point of pride.” He laughed a little then, though there wasn’t a lot of humour to it. “Maybe you think we’re brainwashed, I don’t know. But remember, my grandfather, the man who started all this -” he gestured to the room and vaguely to the balcony, “- he was the Treaty’s biggest opposer. He hated vampires, he killed more of them in the wars than anyone else. But he signed the Treaty anyway. He gave up his freedom and that of all mages for the greater good of all humanity. And as a result, we got peace.”
Aaron shrugged. “My family has grown out of hatred. We recognize that we, and other mages, by doing what we do and sacrificing our freedom, we’re upholding that peace. And even though what you hope for might be better, I don’t think the vampires would accept it without a fight. And I won’t see our peace destroyed for that, even if the alternative is disagreeable.”
“With all do respect Aaron, we didn't get peace with that treaty. We got tolerance. If we had peace then we wouldn't have people like Dora being tortured via her own magic. We wouldn't have young minds invaded and probed, and we certainly wouldnt have them being bashed against a table and choked. Don't get me wrong. Serving is noble, but it's hardly a personality. Don’t you have any aspirations of your own?”
“We got an end to the unchallenged hunting and brutalizing of humans,” Aaron retorted, Salem’s words having struck a nerve, much like the night before. “We got enough peace for the human population to live without vampiric interference, to stop hiding in the dark and live their lives in relative safety. Everyone can’t have everything, remember. This world needs a lightning rod, Salem, and like it or not, we’re it.”
Aaron had to pause a second, realizing his tone was growing sharp. It wasn’t like him to get snippy, but Salem seemed to have a way of drawing it out of him. How dare he throw Dora’s ordeal in his face like that? How could he not see that that dangerous idealism of his was the very thing making his life harder? After a moment, Aaron rubbed his jaw, willing his anger to subside.
“This is my aspiration,” he insisted, though it might not have been the complete truth. Being a good attendant, that was his aspiration, but just… for someone else. “You’re proud of your family, aren’t you? Is it so bad to want to follow in their footsteps?”
“Here is the difference between my family’s footsteps and yours. I'm given the choice to follow, you're being led by those footsteps. Well...I was given a choice, until I joined this academy. Now I'm forced to be another's and my freedom has been stripped. Just like that in one night...My prospective future, gone. My choices, taken. That's the peace you so valiantly uphold. Tell me Aaron, how elated were you that you, a Starag, is being forced off onto another family? Do you truly wish to serve anyone other than the Noilas?”
Aaron very nearly whirled on Salem, but held himself firm, swallowing the spike of anger that shot through him at the comment. Salem did have a talent for dredging up sore topics, didn’t he? As if the fact that he wouldn’t be serving the Noilas hadn’t been swirling around in Aaron’s head ever since he got notice about his acceptance to the Academy. As if tonight would be the first time it tortured him. And yet, Salem seemed to think that he was the only one of the two of them whose entire future had been torn apart and set on fire.
“The Noilas made that decision,” Aaron replied simply, much colder than before. “I’m sure they have their reasons, and I will happily comply. For all they’ve given me, it’s the least I can do.” He slid the crystal over to Salem and turned his attention back to his notebook, jotting down more swooping symbols and making it clear that their conversation was over.
Salem felt sorry for the boy. Raised and bred to serve without question, so much so that now when he is being given a command to do something that would strip him away from what it is he dreamt he’d be doing, he has to face the world and pretend not only to like it, but actively defend it. He glanced back towards Varis for a moment, thinking to himself about what Varis said the other night on Aaron's training. A servant made to serve isn't living up to Varis’ standards...how much more was he planning on breaking him? What more could he need of him? He glanced at Aaron scribbling down more notes, just wondering to himself what Aaron had gotten himself into.
TCL = Titan Championship League, basically the mage equivalent of the UFC with some extra categories.
Max turned to look at Erg with a dumbfounded face. "Not cool. You can't open with assimilation, at least work on a warmer greeting. Sorry about that. I'm new here as well, and although I wouldn't call myself a germaphobe, I do understand where you're coming from. Here." Max pulled out the white gloves from his messenger bag and handed them to Leighton, giving her a welcoming smile. "These should help some while you're down here. They're clean and freshly made, it's one of my many talents. Watch." Max flipped to a page of his magazine with a lovely plaid trenchcoat and white pants. His eyes became over taken with the cosmic energy as it the pages of the magazine began to flip around and landed on a scarlet red evening gown before it became wrapped up in the mutants power and flowed freely off the page. Moments later there lay that exact same dress across his held out arms before the power subsided. "Uh, that's not what I meant to do. But, um, I suppose I'll take it? Thanks cosmos for just throwing me a curveball." He appeared to say up towards the sky to no one in particular. "May need a new outfit if you're on the run. You know, to change the physical description a bit. So uh...here, its Vogue."
Max began to make his way towards Erg, who was for whatever reason holding a gun. He whispered to him "Seriously, chill. She looks lost and scared and I dont think a gun will win anyone any favors. This is a mutant underground isnt it? I dont think anyone would be stupid enough to enter alone and be surrounded. Besides, like you said, Blink can toss her anywhere if she is a turncoat for some reason." Max placed his hand on Ergs shoulder patting it twice before turning back to face Leighton. "Chilis over there, if you're vegetarian I have some protein bars to help as a meal supplement. Now, Erg, what's the deal with the generators and stuff. I'm no electrical engineer but if we need a supplies run I'm more than happy to lend a hand. I do have some combat training if it gets to it, and making garments is surprisingly a good non lethal combat power. Just ask Sunshine and James over there. Man he really needs a new name huh?"
The sound of Xris' phone could be heard resonating throughout the room."Ugh, just five more minutes." he groaned as he went to snooze the alarm. Try as he might, it wouldn't go snooze. Finally Xris shot up with a panicked feeling "What time is it?!" he quickly grabbed his phone and noticed it was 5:40 in the morning. "Oh no oh no oh no oh no, I'm gonna be late" He jumped out of bed, in only a pair of black boxers, and began to rummage through his drawers, grabbing pants, a shirt, a sweater, and socks. His feet hurried into the bathroom as he began to brush his teeth with one hand while attempting to get a dissolved hair look with the other. Satisfied, he began to slip his legs into his pants as he hopped over towards where his shoes lay. After a moment he finally finished getting g ready and checked his phone 5:50am. Xris grabbed his skateboard and over the ear headphones, music blaring, and began skating down the hallways in a race against time.
As he whizzed past students and teachers, trying to make time, he heard someone yell behind him "No skateboarding in the hallways!" Xris barely heard him over his music and gave the disembodied voice a shrug as he summoned his Noble Arm, transforming it as he kick flipped his board into his hands and proceeded to glide off towards homeroom. He checked his phone one last time as he saw the doorway into his class, 5:58 am, perfect still on time. As he neared the doorway, Xris stuck out his staff, using it to help him turn the corner into the door and then dismissing his Noble Arm upon entry. One foot tumbled over the other and he fell, tripping onto the floor and landing near a desk. "Bloody Hell that smarts. Mornin' Mrs. Ellora, hope I didn't miss much. Woah, Deja Vu." he said as a nervous laughter escaped him while he got up to make his way towards his seat.
Not a moment later the teacher appeared to be called away on some form of duty. Perfect, more time to relax. Xris didnt waste a second after the teacher left, popping in some gum, leaning back onto the hind legs of the chair as he propped his shoes onto the desk. He slid his headphones on and began to play some music. A large pink bubble formed at his mouth, with a satisfying POP, Only to reveal a Philipino student speaking to him. With that Xris slowly pulled down his headphones realizing he may not get the peace he wanted as another student with olive skin came over proclaiming to be a hero. "Ey, Hercules. Have you ever saved a town before? Reversed a natural disaster? If not then I'd say you've lost the plot mate." His attention shifted from him towards the strange Philipino kid. "Names Xris. Is that your Noble Arm? To believe in others? Not sure how works but sounds like bollucks to me. Mine on the other hand." With one hand under his desk, Xris summons forth his staff and began to make duplicates of himself, one behind Drake, then Pablo, then the ginge. Each speaking up as they popped up. "Has the power-" "-to create-" "-duplicates of me." finally circling back to the real Xris "Amongst other things."
Max was unsure if the woman was genuinely confused yet interested, or if she was mocking him to some extent. "Um. No. Its...So it's a game that you play on a table top. You pretend to be these heros, adventurers, on a quest to defeat a great evil. Theres magic in it, well because it's a fantasy setting, and one of the cantrips, that's a 0th level spell essentially, is called Dancing Lights and it's essentially what you've done here. I believe the description for the spell is 'You create up to four torch-sized lights within range, making them appear as torches, lanterns, or glowing orbs that hover in the air for the duration. You can also combine the four lights into one glowing vaguely humanoid form of Medium size. Whichever form you choose, each light sheds dim light in a 10-foot radius.' Or you know, something like that." He laughed nervously, pretending as if he wasnt fully aware that that was the exact description that hed memorized from his countless times playing D&D.
Max tried to ignore the worlds oddest foreplay by Sunshine and Stretch as he spoke to Glow. Waiting for Stretch to finally acknowledge and answer his question, and after a moment he did, and not too soon either. "Oh. So there's no way to be a Morlock and not have to brand myself as well. I want to help, I really do but...I'm only 18 and that is a permanent brand on me. Perhaps if it was somewhere less visible than my face but..." Max spoke softly, trailing off as he watched someone enter the hidden area but seemingly confused. He wasn't sure if she was new here as well, but she did seem to have style. Max took a few steps towards her, patting Stretch on his shoulder as he made his way past him and offered a clean hand to the new comer. "Hey, names Tome. What's yours?"
Salem walked Lilie to his front door. Closing it behind him, yet continuing to watch her for a l moment as she left. He watched as she skipped away, seemingly without a care in the world, save for those she expressed inside. In a way, Salem kind of admired her blissful ignorance to a lot of what had transpired, and began to wonder how she would react to hearing Aaron's side of the dinner tale, as well as what her view points were on the current political system and if they aligned with his ideals or Aaron's. He moved away from the peephole and made his way back into his room, sitting on his bed and looking at the space where she once sat. It would take some getting used to, having no one at his side, not even his family or vampires, and he only hoped he could make more friends like Lilie. Salem began to swing his legs, thinking back on the last thing Lilie had said to him "Thats what friends are for". A smile crept onto his face as he pushed away the negative thoughts and focused on what would lay ahead, class and the mastery of his affinity.
Salem stood in the freezing cold room, blowing small tufts of air out as if he were a dragon. He shivered every now and then, not being one for the cold but finding seeing his breath as amusing as ever. By the entrance stood two mages, TAs no doubt, and he began to wonder if everyone in this school ran on their own time. Whatever the professors motive for being late was, he was sure it must be a good one. A small sheepish girl began to speak as a jet of water shot out from beneath the doorframe and into the classes view. There it formed the professor theyd all been waiting for. He spared no time immediately getting into lecture, Salem pulled out a very rustic looking notebook and a pencil that still retained the trees bark on the outside. He took notes of what the teacher was saying, although basic, any leads on control and how to mastery his affinity were greatly appreciated.
It appeared their first excersises would be similar to the awakening. They would hold the crystal, see it light up, but this time they would attempt to control its brightness. Too much power it seemed would short circuit the medium, two little and itll fizzle. The sheepish mage from before made her way to Salem, handing him a note and striking conversation. Salem began to smile as she mentioned his tattoos, ofcourse, how could he forget? His family is always with him, even when he cant reach them. "They're casting focuses, the design and placings are a Spellman family trademarked tradition." He took his slip and thanked her for the conversation, making his way over to the table and sitting down. Salem wrote down into his notebook "Sent a girl into the mines." onto the last page, then flipped back over to the front and began to sketch an illustration of the crystal before him. After a moment, Aaron joined him at the table and seemed friendlier than their last encounter. "What did he say that makes you think he doesnt like you?" Sslem asked, blatantly ignoring the topic of Lilie.
Salem's anxiety shot up even more, practically pushing him into auto pilot as he made his way towards the front door. As he opened it up, he stood to the left of it giving her a half bow while waving her in with his injured left hand. "Welcome in Lilie. I hope you're doing well” His voice was soft and serene while the one in his head was much louder What're you doing you idiot? Are we really hosting? Is this how these things go? Salem's eyes opened slightly and he realised he was still wearing his plant pajamas from earlier in the night. His cheeks began to blush as he cleared his throat a bit. ”Sorry for my appearance, to be frank I was expecting you to decline as Aaron had.”
The white haired girl brightened up, though her expression turned to one of concerned as she noticed the hand he waved had bandages around it as she entered. As Lilie wanted to inquire, she found herself a little confused by his statement. Maybe she was just used to pajamas at this point, though she did give him a small smile, shaking her head.
“Oh, it's okay, I was a little eager for some company,” Some human company, to be exact. Lilie tried to blame herself for rushing over, though she paused for a moment before continuing with, “I ran into Aaron earlier, he did seem busy.”
”Sounded like it. His…master was none to pleased with his performance last night at dinner. But then again, there is no pleasing a Sinnonodel.” Salem spat the word like venom, uncomfortable with the idea of a ‘master's and servant approach to the partnership. As Lilie came in, Salem closed the door behind her and escorted her into the living room/kitchen where there lay two trays for tea on the coffee table. ”I'm not going to lie to you, I'm new to having...friends...over. I typically host guests and attend to their needs. I'm not sure if that is how people interact when they're hanging however.”
Master? What? Lilie raised an odd eyebrow as Salem spoke, a little confused by both his tone and what he was talking about. Was it typical for mages to call vampires that? Maybe that's just how things worked around here. Aaron never did divulge any details about what had happened. As she took a seat, she found herself grinning as he mentioned her as a friend. Yes! Two friends! Putting that aside for the moment, she wondered which topic she should address first.
“Well, don't worry too much about me, like you said, we're just hanging out,” She replied, hands lightly tapping her knees as she thought to herself for a moment. Would Salem be honest with her if she asked? Only one way to find out. “But, um...what did happen last night? It certainly seemed eventful for the Queen to suddenly show up out of nowhere.” Testing the waters, she watched Salem cautiously.
”Hmmm. Well, as I mentioned earlier I am under investigation now. I'm not quite sure how much I'm allowed to say, or if anyone's even listening right now.” Salem went and sat next her to as he poured her a cup of tea and then one for himself from a different pot.”Spellman tea, grown by us and using secret techniques and recipes for it.” he gave Lilie a small wink and then stared into his cup for a moment.
”I was getting ready for a relaxing evening, waiting for Lucan to come home, I hadnt really seen him since the Arena and we hardly got to talk. All of a sudden there was a knock on my door, asking me to get ready to meet the Queen for dinner. As I've mentioned I typically host parties, I am not a guest at them…” he stared a while longer at his cup again before continuing along.
”The car took me to her mansion where I was met by the Princess as we awaited the other guests and Lucan, whom I assume was the main reason I was invited. Once everyone had arrived we made our way into the dining hall where we spoke on some subjects and i said some controversial thoughts on how i believe we should move forward as a society. That's...that's when things went weird. Someone invaded my mind and began to pour through my thoughts, it was obviously magic and also an invasion of privacy. When it finally ended I had accused a council member of having done it seeing as how a mind mage was present at the time. The chalked it up to me being rebellious and stated I had no proof of the accusation to which I recounted my experience and they agreed it was a high form of interrogation. However they believe at some point along the lines I may have unknowingly encountered a member of some group and that they had planted this seed of interrogation in me and chose to trigger it while in their presence. Thus my current investigation where I am now cut off from my entire life outside of these school gates. Aaron's views and mine didn't exactly align, putting us on opposite ends. But we both agreed to help each other see other others side.” Salem took a sip of his tea and looked at Lilie with a ghost of a smile. ”Honestly I'm surprised Aaron didn't mention anything to you, you did say you spoke on the matter.”
Wow, that was a lot to take in.
Lilie was grateful for the tea, but she hadn't quite had a taste as she chose to listen carefully instead. Talk about an eventful night. As Salem addressed her, she found herself drinking at last, the flavor of the tea calming her somewhat. What could she even say to any of that? Well, aside from all the craziness she wasn't expecting Aaron and Salem to have been on opposing views so quickly.
Lowering her cup, Lilie cleared her throat. “No, um...he didn't mention any of that,” She replied softly. “He mentioned you were there but...didn't say anything else beyond that.”
And apparently for good reason. It was a lot to take in, but she didn't think Salem was exaggerating or anything. Not to mention she had seen Lucan last night, operating on the Marivaldi residence, so it just seemed like a night of madness in general. As she thought about how to respond, she did recall waiting for Aaron to text her back, but he never did, did he? The time stamp had shown some time between hers and his.
“Well, I guess that's my own fault, I got so absorbed in my own house's rotating door that I didn't get a chance go ask for a lot of detail, there was a bit of a commotion outside of the noble dorms,” He had shared what happened with him, she may as well return the favor. “I actually saw your partner--Lucan--along with Princess Nox. They had been arresting someone, and, uh...shoot,” She looked up at the ceiling, trying to remember through her panic what little she had learned. “...someone got arrested, accused of...something I can't remember. It was pretty serious, I don't believe I had ever seen the princess so...terrifying.”
Salem raised an eyebrow as Lilie mentioned how Lucan was at the noble dorms last night. Whatever had happened, it must have cleared out by the time he arrived back. Although, why invite Lucan to dinner if he was doing business? Something didn't sit right with him, was this happening behind the Queens back? Calm yourself Salem, no more baseless accusations.
”Sounds like you had quite the evening as well. Though I suppose it's somewhat comforting to know Lucan is just caught up with work and isn't just avoiding me.” a small awkward pause filled the air as Salem searched for what to say next ”Sooooo, you excited for class?” Really Spellman? That's your big move?
Despite the sudden change of topic, Lilie nodded enthusiastically. Whatever was going on with the royal members was far above her head; no need to think on it too much right now. Taking a second to have more tea, she seemed a little more energetic as she spoke. “I can't wait for class, I'm so excited to finally get into magic and controlling my affinity,” She admitted, bouncing slightly on her seat. “There's really not a lot of magic where I come from, so it's all new territory. Not that I mind! I was pretty studious in high school, so studying magic is just exciting for me. How about you? Are you excited for class?”
”Very excited. I can't wait to see what all I can learn from this academy.” Salem leaned in close and began to whisper to Lilie "Between you and I, this tea will help us focus our magic much better today.” Of course that was a lie, but a little placebo never hurt anyone. ”What class are you in? Maybe we'll be in the same room!”
Lilie suddenly felt very much like a child, having to stop herself from outright chugging the rest of the tea. After a few seconds of successfully holding herself back, she giggled to herself, mentally chiding herself for getting overexcited. She'd end up exhausted at this rate. When Salem asked for her classes, she fished out her schedule, neatly unfolding it for Salem to see. “With Sariel's tour yesterday. I might actually not be completely lost,” She joked, pointing to the rooms. “I got lucky, two of the classes I have are at the Rose Hall so that will be easy to memorize. Aaron and I have Treaty Law, Spell Theory, and Self-Defense, I'm hoping we have some shared classes, too. Maybe we can all sit together?”
Salem chuckled at her joke of Sariel, who in and of herself was practically a joke. ”Maybe, let's see I have…” he realised his schedule was no where near him so he got up and began walking towards his room, gesturing for Lilie to follow. ”Schedules in my room on my desk. Feel free to come in.” As he walked into the room he could be heard saying "Morning cricket. I have company.” As she walked in Salem began to read his schedule to Lilie. ”I have Affinity Mastery in Ceruleum Hall, then Treaty Law in...Vilbrek, Spell Theory back in Ceruleum, and Self Defense. Oh...and at some point I have to take etiquette classes to learn how to properly speak to royalty.”
Following Salem as soon as she managed to down the rest of her tea, Lilie was surprised to see his room completely covered in plants. Ot was actually rather nice; everything was obviously well taken care of, though at the mention of a ‘Cricket’, she wondered what he was referring to until she spotted the caged animal, though she had to admit that she wasn't expecting an actual cricket named Cricket.
Giving Salem her attention again, she found herself getting excited again. “We have Treaty Law and Self Defense together at least!” She pointed out, pausing as she realized his schedule had more classes than she did. “Is that last one an extracurricular?” She asked.
”A punishment, one of the many I got for speaking out if turn at dinner. But I suppose its better than having my magic locked away, or execution, or many other things. By the way, this is cricket. My abuelita believes that he will bring me good luck at school and in my endeavors. I'd of brought cat but, well I don't think the school would've allowed it. Anyways, be careful of the plants please. They're not all friendly.” he said as he began to place his schedule into his bag and than sat on the bed.
What?! Lilie's eyes widened at his last statement, cautiously looking around the room with a concerned expression. ”Wh-Why aren't they friendly?! She squeaked out in slight horror, making sure she wasn't particularly close to anything and making sure she took up as little space as possible.
Salem laughed at her display, wiping an invisible tear from his eye and patting the bed next to him for her to sit. ”I make potions and tonics of many kinds. Sometimes to cure an illness you need poisons, especially to make anti-toxins. So excrete it and can be absorbed through skin, I try to keep them out of reach but curiosity has been the downfall of many people, and...I like you too much to let that befall you.”
Looking around at the room, Lilie realized she really couldn't tell what plant was alright and which wasn't. How did he live like this?! Well, this was the type of business he did, or at least that was what she recalled. For now, she wouldn't think too hard on it, instead carefully making her way to Salem without touching anything. As she would take a seat where he indicated, she finally stopped looking around the room long enough to look at Salem, breaking into a bit of a laugh. ”Thank goodness for that, then, otherwise I'd be in real trouble,” She couldn't help but joke, though his warning was appropriate for her curious self. Pausing for just a moment, she decided to go on her original intention for wanting to speak with him. ”Um...I'm really sorry for yesterday, at the arena. I promise, I didn't leave you on purpose,” She said, frowning. ”I was basically whisked away and...I tried to go back, but was denied.”
Salem's smile faded "That seems to be going around. Who was denying you access to go back? He began to wonder if the two students who had blocked Max off earlier were responsible for keeping others out while the altercation was dealt with. He couldn't quite fault Lilie or Aaron, as much as it hurt to be left by them, he did understand how some mages have more of a duty to their vampires than others.
Lilie wrinkled her nose, a small pout on her face as she remembered sitting there doing nothing until she was made to follow to meet Ike. ”It was another Eve, apparently she works in the school. Felt like I was a little kid being held at the principal's office waiting for a parent to come collect them,” She didn't seem too pleased with the experience, letting out a sigh. ”I got to see Arianna before she left, but...it's the worst feeling, getting passed around from one person to the next. Like you're not good enough. And all for nothing, after that show Ike left, too, so...”
A compulsion took over Salem, as if her feelings were in perfect sync with his. He quickly hugged Lilie tightly and held on for a brief moment as he said ”Don't ever think you're not good enough. You're more than that, you're amazing...I can tell.” Salem released her and gave her a warm smile, she may need a bit more self esteem help than he did. ”I'll tell you what. I know, a little bit of magic. Not much. But, just a smidge that may help, we just need that tea cup you drank out of. Care to see?”
Salem's hug came as a surprise, leaving the girl momentarily stunned. She couldn't deny that it wasn't unwelcomed, and his words sincerely made her feel a lot better, even if she still had some doubts. But that wasn't his fault; it was hers. The previously repressed anxiety crawled up on her, though she forced it away; no need for that, not now when there was someone else around. As she was released, there was no hiding the small look of joy in her eyes as he mentioned magic. Right, that was the whole reason she was here, to learn and improve herself. Everything else, specifically serving a crazy noble household, came second in her mind.
So Lilie nodded, curiously examining Salem. ”What're you going to do?” She asked him.
Salem quickly got up, asking her to wait there as he went to grab her tea cup. When he returned he held it up and sat back onto the bed, staring into the cup. ”You see this line here? It tells me that you're very determined. You seem to have an eagerness about you in wanting to learn as much as you can on how best to focus it. That curve there? That shows me the strength you have inside of you, even if you aren't aware it is there. And that odd shape, that shows your spirit, how well natured you are and sweet and it tells me you are someone worth being with. And I hope you learn to see these things too.” Now, while tea leaf reading wasn't a hoax, he never fully learned how to do it from his grandma. Most of that reading was him telling her what she needed to hear and he hoped there wasn't any nefarious signs in the leaves he didn't catch.
Listening intently to Salem's explanation, Lilie wasn't entirely sure what sort of magic this was. It must have been a plant mage thing, her eyes trying to follow what he pointed out, but having a harder time seeing the same things. Still, as he continued, she found herself smiling rather bashfully, watching Salem as he spoke and occasionally glancing at the cup. She supposed if it helped with magic, reading the leaves wasn't so far fetched. At least, not to her. She did find it a little incredible that he seemed to get a lot more information than she had anticipated, and whether she realized it or not, it really felt like a nice little boost of confidence.
”That's pretty amazing of you to see,” She told him, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear as she straightened up slightly. "I didn't think you could garner all that from just a cup!”
”You can get a lot from nature, its information and skills are as bountiful as the things it can grow. Of course, it helps coming from a line of plant mages who eat, breathe, and sleep herbology, botany, and many other forms of plant based studies. Though there is superstition surrounding tea readings, one cannot read their own cups as it'll cause them to change. So this really only works in the company of others.” Salem chuckled a bit at the old superstition, yet it's one he never tempted to try.
”By the way, you were amazing in the ring yesterday. I'm sure Lucan would want me to pick up how to fight at some point, seeing as how he is a guard and all that. I'm thinking...whip. What do you think?”
Ah, yes, her public defeat.
Lilie averted her gaze, letting out a small, somewhat bitter laugh. Right, that was something she had completely forgotten all about. Salem's compliment was truly nice, but really, the spar hadn't ended the way she would have hoped. Not that she thought she would have cleaned the floor with him, but the way he ended it on his terms had been just a bit embarrassing for her taste. She could already hear her mother's sharp words critiquing her sloppy strikes, she could see her rolling her eyes at her hasty movements, she could practically feel the glare as she would chide her for not using enough technique against her opponent. They had the same length, but it was obvious who the superior swordsman was among the two.
Clearing her throat, she waved away Salem's compliment. "I, uh...yeah, a whip sounds really interesting, Sidestepping her defeat for the moment, she focused on Salem as she moved her arms, pretending to crack a whip. "It would be really cool if you could control it, making it wrap around people's limbs and then yanking them back, or hitting them super hard--those things hurt,” Dropping her arms at her sides, she grinned. "I wouldn't have expected that to be your choice of weapon, but maybe it's only because I can't see you fighting, you're just so nice!”
Salem leaned both his hands behind his back, looking up at the ceiling in a sort of dream state. ”I always thought they were so cool. The fluidity, the way the crack, but most importantly...the thought of crafting one with magic out of a rose's thorny stem. Then I'd really be able to control it and have it wrap around people. Maybe even have little Rose's bloom along its length as a display of victory” He sat up and cupped his hands around his mouth, mimicking the sound of an audience cheering him on. ”But you're right, I'm not much of a fighter. But if it's something my partner desires, then it's a simple demand.”
‘Partner’, not ‘master’. So at least Salem and his vampire saw themselves as partners. Lilie rested her chin onto her hands as she leaned forward, gaze unfocused as she thought ti herself for a moment. It was very admirable for Salem to want to learn something on his vampire's behest, but did Salem want to? Well, if he didn't, she was sure he would have said otherwise, or at least be less enthusiastic about it. Speaking of ‘partners’, though, she still wasn't sure how she was going to handle hers. What an issue. Clucking her tongue, she would sit up as she looked at Salem again, her hands on her knees.
"At least it sounds like you have a plan!” Better than her clueless self, anyway. "I'm sure Lucan would be happy to hear it, he really was something in his fight.”
Pausing for a moment, Lilie looked away from Salem, a question lingering on her mind. After a few uneasy seconds, she would finally speak. "Um...It's best to get along with your vampire, right? But…” Arianna's words still hung over her, and she ended up finishing with, ”That doesn't mean we have to trust them, right?”
Salem looked a bit shocked at Lilie, his head hung low as he searched for the right answer to say. Silence filled the air for what seemed like an eternity to him before he finally spoke. ”You should strive to get along with your partner, but I believe that trust is something of a different matter. In most cases I believe that distrust should be earned and that trust is a default you should fall upon. But that's a naive notion, if you feel like you can't trust them, you should talk to them about what it is that is causing this rift. But no, I don't feel like you need to trust them. Why do you ask?”
Lilie bit her lip, his initial shock already telling her she was treading dangerous territory. Right, no matter how kind Salem was, he was already integrated into this world. She kept thinking other mages would have the same kind of thought she had, but it was much too naive to keep thinking like that. Granted, despite Mariette's words, she had yet to instill actual distrust in her, but she just couldn't put her complete faith in her, either.
Knowing she needed to speak carefully, she decided she would not lie, but she wasn't exactly going to tell him why she said what she did. "Honestly...vampires are terrifying,” She admitted quietly as she dropped her gaze back onto her lap. "My hometown doesn't really see a lot of them, much less interact with them. Mages, yeah, they oversaw a lot of things, and I'm sure they visited at night, but...it's mostly farmland where I'm from, and honestly, the first time I had interacted with one was…” Her throat seemed to close on her as she inhaled sharply, a horrible memory threatening to resurface before she pushed it away. "Less than pleasant. So I guess maybe I have a bias against them. Not on purpose, I just...I don't know, I'm not sure I'm making much sense.”
”They aren't all great I'll give you that. But they aren't all bad either. The Marivaldi's been a good example of some you shouldn't fear. My family's own being another. Just as there are good people and bad people, human, mage or otherwise, out in this world, there are good and bad vampires too. You just have to trust in your gut that you can tell the difference. You mentioned you have an Eve?” Salem tapped his index finger against his lip thinking back onto the Eves. ”Their house is a bit...disorderly, but I believe most of them mean well. A house based on neutrality, regardless of one's personal opinions.”
Right, neutrality, Mariette mentioned something about that. Lilie slowly nodded, taking Salem's words to heart despite her mixed feelings. He did have a point, she supposed the best thing to do was to just keep her head down and hope for the best. "Yeah, I was partnered with the Eve house for...whatever reason,” She shrugged. "I don't really have any experience with nobility but...I guess we'll see what happens.”
”Trust me, there are far worse houses to be partnered with. But I suppose that means we're on the same boat huh?” Salem nudged her gently. "After all, I'm literally taking etiquette classes to learn how to behave around them, although it's much easier when the person in question isn't Varis or a Sinnonodel.” His feet began to sway off the edge of his bed as he looked off into the distance, after a moment's pause he said to Lilie in a soft voice "Thanks for being here with me. It means a lot.”
The white haired girl watched Salem for a moment, though she smiled as she nodded at him. "Of course. That's what friends are for, right?” She asked him with complete sincerity.
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