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Realistic or Modern Night’s Embrace | Private |

The tension between them was just as uncomfortable to Emory as it was to her. His eyelids felt heavy, body threatening to sway back as his energy felt drained. The anger that he'd been relying on so heavily seemed to have burst like a balloon, leaving only the scraps behind. It wasn't a pleasant feeling, and he could feel as if the room was beginning to spin, prompting the man's bandaged hand - of which was currently bloody - to press against his forehead. The heat was unbearable, boiling through the bandages and causing the man to visibly flinch, though mostly at the pain that was quick to follow at the injured hand, his lips pressing into a frustrated line at her firm words. As much as his first reaction was to snap and protest, to tell her that he was fine the way he was... Emory would be lying to both himself and to her. Even if he had no intentions of dying, he couldn't lie that his situation proceeded to get more and more dire. "I think it's too late to tell me that." He grumbled those words, his voice now becoming slightly weaker now that rage didn't fuel him, his thumb running over Rose's knuckles a few times, as if attempting to reassure himself that she was still here, that she was still alive.

He sucked in a sharp breath, bringing with it the sensation of burning once more as Rose had told him to not die on her. The faintest of smiles had managed to cross Emory's haggard face, his eyes crinkling slightly with the smile though his golden eyes still didn't seem quite so bright when he did genuinely grin, "..Believe me, I have no intentions of allowing myself to die. Not to this, not to anything." He struggled to breathe as he said those words, another sharp inhale bringing tears to the man's eyes at the burning, causing him to clear his throat in response, his head pounding more within the headache that was assaulting him. Granted, he had nodded his head in agreement with no more apologizing. After all, it seemed as if it were unnecessary at this point in time, for both of them certainly felt remorse.

Offering to change his bandages made Emory stiffen, his expression becoming guarded immediately as his eyes shifted to his bandaged torso and arm. A debate seemed to be going through his mind as he didn't seem like he would agree, the man having certainly a lot of pride as little help that it would give him at this moment. Eventually, he released a defeated sigh. If he planned to send as many sentries as he could spare to protect Rose, he wouldn't be able to have anyone on hand to treat his injuries, so getting Rose to tend to it now if he decided to stay behind would be the better option. "..Very well, just... be careful." He wasn't sure if contact with his torso and left side would be too much for her, and even now his expression seemed unconvinced and very much fearful on her behalf. And then there was the final question, a question he didn't seem like he wanted to answer.

Emory's expression grew guarded then, the man closing his eyes as he released her hand from his own, turning his back to her, giving her access to the bandages though it seemed like the back of him wasn't doing any better than the front with the sickly blood seeping through the tightly wound bandages. His hands rested before him, his left hand's fingers twitching as if they had a mind of their own, as if anticipating the agony of air upon his fresh wounds. Underneath the bandages, the sight wasn't very comforting as the burning skin was afresh with the sickly blood oozing from deep crevices that were forming, as if a beast's claws had sunk into his skin, and deep within the crevices, akin to the corpses it seemed as if there was dying embers beginning to flicker to life, though very faint and almost unnoticeable if one didn't pay close attention. Of course, the smell would get worse once the bandages would be removed, burning flesh and overwhelming heat being the primary uncomfortable things to deal with.
 
Rose studied Emory as she sat across from him. The young lord seemed to be drained of all the energy he had before. It was clear in the way that his body seemed to droop. Despite her own exhaustion and her own pain, she knew that she needed to care for Emory before herself. It seemed as though she would be going back to the manor alone currently and she would allow Viola to tend to her then. For the time being, Emory was the first priority. “I might be too late for me to say it, but at least I finally am. You did far too much earlier and your body needs to rest.” Her voice was soft and soothing, much like a concerned mother’s would be. She glanced down to the hand that held her own, watching as his thumb moved over her knuckles. The movement was comforting and helped for her to relax more. The worry that Emory might’ve hated her was slowly beginning to subside the longer that she sat here with him.

Relief flooded through her chest at the small smile he managed to produce. It flashed across her expression for a moment before she allowed her own smile to cross her lips. “It will be quite amusing someday when you are a grumpy old man, waving his cane up at the sky to tell it you refuse to die.” She continued to try to lighten the mood, hating the uncomfortable air that still lingered between them. The image of Emory that she created in her mind was a rather amusing one in that situation. It almost made a laugh escape her. Though any amusement she felt was quick to leave when she noticed the sharp inhale, followed by him clearing his throat. Her expression returned to the concerned look she had before. It pained her to know that there was nothing she could do to help him in this situation.

It only grew worse when she noticed the way he tensed at her offer. It wasn’t as if it surprised her, per say. She had already been aware that Emory was a stubborn man that didn’t particularly like relying on others for help. It just hurt to know he still didn’t want to allow her to help. She slowly nodded her head at his comment. “I will, do not worry.” She assured. She stood as soon as he released her hand. She didn’t bother removing the bandages immediately. She rushed about the room to grab the supplies necessary for after she would take them off first. She made sure to grab an extra cloth along with the bandages and cream she managed to get in the kingdom. She wanted to try to carefully clean around the area of the wound. It would be better for him in the long run.

She returned back to his side, placing what she grabbed on the bed beside him. It was then that she began to carefully remove the bandages. The heat only grew worse within the room and the smell was overpowering. It reminded her far too much of Freycrest. She took a deep breath to stop her hands from shaking while she carefully tended to his wounds. “Despite him being a savage, I do hope that the mage was right when he said what he observed. You living this long is incredible after the damage he did to you. If you had seen the bodies of the men in the room, you would agree.” Her voice was quiet as she crumbled the old bandages and placed them to the side. She lifted the cloth she found and began to clean around the area as gently as she could. She then began to pat the wounds themselves to gather what blood she could. The cream came next. This was the part that she was most gentle with. She made sure to lather plenty on, doing her best to not bring him anymore pain. She finally placed the new bandages on.

It was only then that she realized Emory never responded to her about coming back to the manor with him. “You do not plan to join me, do you? You are planning on waiting here for him to find you.” Her words were quiet as she moved to gather everything that she used. She placed them elsewhere before returning to her chair. “I never told him that I knew of you. He asked me if I did, but I spoke that I was from the capitol and only passing through. I made sure that he wouldn’t know about you,” She paused, glancing to her lap. “He wants to play this game of cat and mouse with me. While I know he would love to see you alive, he is hunting me. I do not want for you to try to get caught in this crossfire in the state you are in.”
 
A small, albeit dry laugh had left Emory's lips at her joke, though it did little to tear his mind from the pain. His muscles coiled and tensed as he awaited for Rose's inevitable touch upon his injuries, the soft clinking of the container that held the cream, with shuffling sounds of her footsteps echoing in his ears as he silently tracked her progress through the room. It wouldn't be long until he could feel her body heat approaching, her footsteps becoming louder as he sucked in a breath to brace himself, a shuddering breath leaving him as her hands had come in contact with his bandages, feeling each section peel away slowly from the blood had made the man bite down upon his tongue, hands curling into tight fists as his skin pulled painfully against the bandages being removed.

"I see.. ah-" Emory's brief sentence had broken off in a painful exhale, the cloth pushing against his injuries made his hands and fingers twitch and coil as he struggled to keep himself still. Endure. Endure. The man's eyes closed tightly, eyebrows furrowing as he grunted, bitterness flaring in his chest, "It'd better be worth it, whatever the end result is..." Granted, Emory wasn't even sure what was the end result of all this pain he was being put through. All he could feel was burning, both inside and out, and the sensation was growing more so intense as Rose had placed the cream upon his burns, causing sweat to bead his skin, dripping down his temples and making his arms tremble. Yet, he remained as still as possible, even if the cream only served to further agitate the burning of his flesh, his left hand trembling with agony as she had then wrapped up his injuries, resulting eventually in the young lord feeling like he was fit to collapse.

A grunt left his lips as he positioned his body, settling himself down upon the bed as his eyes temporarily closed, breath coming in short gasps, showing his pain. Yet, at Rose's question, the man's eyebrows furrowed, a stubborn clenching of his jaw followed as he turned his head and opened his eyes once more. Eventually, that resulted in the man shaking his head immediately at Rose, "No. If Freycrest was merely the beginning of his path of destruction, I highly doubt he's just focused on you alone." He turned his head away from her, staring up at the ceiling, "Perhaps, he wishes to destroy this entire continent? It wouldn't end just at one person, whether he gets his hands on me or you." He was silent for a few moments more, lost in thought, no doubt considering his options which were limited. He doubted he could do much against a mage, never having fought one before or even came into contact with one. However, if he could buy time if only the slightest bit to be a roadblock in the mage's plans, to send word to the kingdom as well as notify Avrune - things that he had every intention of putting into place - then he'd much rather have Rose somewhere relatively safe.

"These are my lands, and I still have my duty to fulfill. It doesn't matter what condition I'm in," His words were firm, his golden eyes focused upon Rose's face again, "So, no. I'm not coming with you. Not yet." As much as it perhaps would be beneficial for him to flee with Rose; the man had questions and he certainly was going to get answers to them. He wasn't going to lie to himself either, even if he did not speak the words out loud. Whatever was happening to him was killing him, he could feel it with each scorching breath, each painful second that passed. If he could receive some sort of reprieve, any guidance at all, or even if the mage could possibly reverse the effects which was a long shot, he would take that chance. Emory didn't have much of a choice, and he didn't want Rose nearby when he would confront the crazed mage anyways, she needed to be safe and he could tell she was not feeling well herself.
 
Rose appreciated the gentle laugh that managed to make its way past his lips. It brought her some relief, though it was short-lived as she noticed the immense amount of pain he was in. She felt the familiar pressure gathering back in her chest as she worked on his wounds. “I truly hope that the end result is far better than this. I hate to see you in this amount of pain. You do not deserve to be feeling this way.” She spoke truthfully. She let out a gentle breath then. There was so much that she hadn’t told him about what occurred in Freycrest. She knew she would have to tell him sooner rather than later. The details weren’t the best and she didn’t want to relive them. She could only hope it wouldn’t make him more upset. It could wait though. She didn’t want to push her problems onto him immediately. He deserves to have some sense of mind that wasn’t consistently worried about her.

She watched as he shifted in the bed. He seemed as though he was on the edge of consciousness. She wanted to urge him to rest, to allow himself to heal in that way. She knew that this discussion was far more important. They both needed to be on the same page currently. “He believed that the people of Erista are savages. He wants to try to experiment on us to turn us into the people of Avrune. If we aren’t able to, he wants to eliminate us.” She explained. The mage’s words still haunted her. They caused for a chill to go down her spine. “He just wanted to hunt me down for sport. The creature that he raised…” She trailed off, unable to finish her sentence. She dropped her gaze down to her lap. She could still see the way its skin would shift to accommodate the new faces still terrified her. She brought her arms up to wrap around her stomach, holding herself.

She lifted her head quickly at his words. Her breathed hitched in her throat. She expected for him to say that, to insist on staying here. “Alright. There is nothing I can say that will convince you to accompany me. I know how stubborn you are.” It clearly hurt her to know that he wouldn’t come with. She didn’t want to be separated for him any longer. They had been apart for far too long now. “I wish you would come with me though. At least, I hope you might join me sooner rather than later. It would be better for you to heal in a place that you feel comfortable in. Viola can tend to you as well and we wouldn’t be apart for any longer. I missed you dearly Emory.” She spoke gently. She seemed to dwell on her thoughts for a few moments before she decided to suggest something that crossed her mind a few times. “Would you be alright with me at least handling your paperwork and your lordship duties while you stay and heal? I know that much of diplomacy from how my father raised me. It would lighten your work as well for when you return to the manor.”
 
Disturbing news indeed, as Rose had explained what the mage's intentions that he'd deigned to divulge, this made Emory's expression tighten and gradually become disturbed. He didn't understand the motive, truly it seemed like an excuse for useless slaughter, but perhaps the mage saw it as a mercy? It was laughable, but no one could truly begin to unravel the thoughts of a madman, and he wasn't going to start now. It did little to change his current course, further inflaming his rage that the mage in question had the nerve to send a creature to hunt Rose down for sport. A clenching of tightened fists could be seen as Emory struggled to compose himself, he was far too tired to begin operating on only rage. Saving energy for the inevitable confrontation was all he could do. "That bastard.." The words hissed, slipping past his lips as he struggled to take in another breath, anger coiling deep within his chest only for him to exhale sharply, releasing yet more heat from his lips.

Anger was quick to evaporate, however as he heard Rose stir, golden eyes immediately meeting hers as it seemed as expected, she was not happy with his decision to stay. Such a desire was unfortunately a pleasantry, as much as he yearned to remain at her side, he could not afford it. Even he needed to rest, such rest would only last all too briefly, as he needed to prepare and wait. Bide his time and be patient for the inevitable, it was that simple. Nonetheless, his expression had softened slowly, but the grim set to his jaw was enough to show his resolve. He would not allow himself to give into his emotions that desired Rose to stay with him, he would not allow himself that selfishness. Nor was the man going to take a chance with her potentially doing something incredibly foolish, if she were at the manor there wasn't much that she would be able to get into, and he would have his sentries watching her anyways. She would be protected, she would be safe. So certain was he of this plan, that she would be completely and utterly unscathed, that the man perked up slightly at her offer.

Her words certainly were true, after all she was the king's daughter and had received imperial instruction. It would be a rather simple matter for her to keep the manor functioning while he was away, and within his foggy mind, he didn't think that she would be poking her nose into anything she didn't need to. He trusted her, at least trusted her enough with that. "..Hm.. very well." He agreed, nodding his head to her as he reached out his good hand to gently press it against her cheek. Cool to the touch still, even if that caused a tinge of worry within him, his thumb had brushed lightly over her skin as he said in a gentler tone, "But don't overwhelm yourself. I don't need you pushing yourself too hard while I'm away." A warning tinted his words, clearly attempting to tell her to take care of her health. The thought of her collapsing due to being overworked, or even getting ill again did cause him some hesitation to continue to remain; but Rose was a grown woman. She most certainly could handle herself.

"I'll make sure I'll return to you soon." He spoke those words with a bit more conviction, a bit of strength and stubbornness as well. Keeping Rose as the inevitable destination would be a welcome motivator for him while he waited for the mage to come. After all, even now he didn't want her to leave his grasp, too terrified that she would vanish from his sight forever. Perhaps it was merely him still reeling from seeing her in such a weakened state earlier, but the man couldn't help the silent terror that was coiling deep within him as his thumb continued to gently brush along her cheek, unwilling to allow himself to let go of her... but he would have to. Closing his eyes, the man's hand lowered from her cheek, now resting at his side as he murmured, "You should begin preparing to leave. Do not stay here longer than you need to." Emory knew that if he didn't send her away now, his resolve might weaken. She needed to leave his side, go somewhere safe. And being with him, where they currently were was anything but safe.
 
Rose predicted the anger that would be quick to follow the words that she told him. No one truly wanted to hear that their people were being hunted down as if they were deer frolicking in fields. It was completely inhumane and unheard of. Despite the conflict that engaged many of the lands within Erista, no one ever planned on slaughter an entire species to get something they desired. This wasn’t just a war to the mage; this was a conquest. She hoped that she might be able to get a letter of warning out to Avrune and to her father in enough time. She was aware she would have to write it as if she were Emory and not herself. It was far too soon to allow everyone to know she was alive still. She hoped that they would be able to make it to the spring hall and that Emory could present her then. It was the one idea she was clinging onto as if it were a lifeline.

A smile broke her lips as he agreed to her suggestion. She was glad to know he trusted her enough to handle things while he was away. She didn’t plan to do anything other than his lordship duties. She believed that it would be easy enough for her to do. “I do not think that I will be doing anything other than resting for a day or two. I am feeling rather exhausted.” She admitted. Her adrenaline was fully gone by that point, her body having shifted away from her fight-or-flight mode. She was sure that she would end up falling asleep rather quickly when she got back to her room within the mansion. She was still worried that her dreams would be plagued with the new memories that she had, but she would have to learn to deal with them. It wasn’t as if they were to go anywhere. The smile fell from her face quickly as he spoke again.

All hope that she had for him to join her quickly left as he allowed his hand to drop from her cheek. It was then that she realized there was nothing she could do to change his mind. This was how things were to be. She would just have to learn to accept it. She slowly stood then, taking in a deep breath as she kept her eyes on him. She seemed to be savoring this moment. She wanted to appreciate every detail that she could in case the worst were to happen. While she certainly wasn’t hoping for that, she hadn’t a clue as to what could occur next. “There isn’t much for me to prepare.” She admitted in a soft voice. It was clear to see the distaste she felt towards this decision. She took a step closer to the bed, bending down some to where her face was level with Emory’s. She placed a gentle kiss to his lips.

Once she pulled back, she placed another to his forehead. “I will see you when you return to the manor. Please be safe.” She spoke as she stood fully once more. She glanced around the room, only then noticing her discarded dress from the days prior. She moved to carefully gather it in her hands. It would be best for there to be no trace of her here. She worried the mage would make a rather unsavory connection once he reached the hideaway and saw any remnants of her. The dress was the only thing that she noticed of her own, her mind completely forgetting about the corset in the other room. It wasn’t as though she cared for it. It was rather uncomfortable, especially with how long she had been stuck in it without a break. She made her way to the door leading to the exterior of the house. She paused to look back at Emory. “I love you Emory. I will see you soon.” With those words, she opened the door and stepped through before closing it quietly behind her.
 
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(Thanks for bumping! Will respond soon, started a new job around April/May so I was super busy with that and school, should be able to respond later today when I get off of work!)
 
(Had to reread a little bit to remember where we were! Thanks, though it's been rough! Really tired like all the time now x.x)

Emory didn't react, or rather forced himself not to react too much at her words, or even the expression upon her face. He knew quite well she didn't like his decision, but it was necessary for him to take, if only to keep her as well as the people he was supposed to protect out of harm's way. However, he too was savoring these last moments he would have with her before she would leave his presence; knowing not when or where he would see her again, but only knowing through perhaps his own stubborn determination that he would indeed see her again. He would not permit himself to die; not while she still lived, this he silently would promise himself despite the pain running through him.

Her kiss was almost enough to unravel the determination inside of him, the soft press of her lips against his own causing an odd pain in his chest that almost made him want to reach out, grab her and keep her there. But that would be foolish, he was not a child, and she needed to stay away from him for the time being. Somewhere safe, and anywhere he wasn't currently. As much as it stung to think that perhaps her being involved with him was putting her in danger, he would take care to make sure her safety was a priority before his own, nodding solemnly at her in a silent agreement that he would return to the manor, though part of him wondered when that would be... the thought drifted about in his head as he watched her progress, collecting the very small amount of clothes she had brought with her, remnants of her being there having to be carefully erased. And eventually, she would turn to leave, her footsteps echoing slightly more loud in the silence of the room as she had paused, and her words made the man have to look away. "I..."

Before he could muster even responding, his voice failed him, and with it the door had closed, leaving Emory to himself. The silence now seemed more deafening than ever, prickling heat crushing down upon the man as he closed his eyes, "...I love you... too." Words that were perhaps a bit late to be spoken considering Rose had already left, but admitting out loud that he indeed loved her made the man's expression twist, as he sucked in a painful breath, one that he had been holding back, the fire within his body felt as if it were intensifying, causing his limbs to tremble and quake uncontrollably in response. The intense pain would always be temporary of course, subsiding into a barely tolerable burning sensation. Emory's eyes closed, his strength feeling as if it were ebbing away, leaving his body rapidly despite him willing it not to. A grunt left past cracked lips as he forced himself to slowly sit up after what felt like an eternity, though this mostly was due to him listening for eventually Rose's departure, making sure that only once she had left would he begin to prepare... for what little good that would do for him. What could possibly prepare him for the threat that Rose had told them about? A mage with a monstrosity of a creature? How in the world did Emory expect to even so much as put up a decent fight? What could he possibly do on his own? He probably was throwing his life away at this point; or rather that is probably how most people would come to a conclusion. A foolish last stand, an act of misplaced bravery. Or perhaps, was it desperation?

Emory struggled to his feet, the support of the bed soon leaving him as he shakily made his way across the room, his gait uneven and lopsided, almost wishing for the adrenaline rush he'd experienced earlier to put some sort of strength back into his body, however he could not simply rely on that for now. Golden eyes shifted down to peer at the sword that he'd not bothered to clean within the corner, although secured in its sheath, the blade was tinged with blood. His expression grew colder as he grasped the hilt, almost feeling as if the sword was far heavier than before. The man's steps were heavy, uneven as he staggered through the small hideaway, gingerly collecting his discarded tunic and with much struggling, painful breathing and nearly feeling as if he was on the verge of collapsing, he had at least covered his torso, concealing the fresher bandages at least for now. It would be inevitable for the bandages to bleed again, especially if he were to fight this new threat of a crazed mage, but it was an unfortunate gamble he had to take.

... A few hours later ...​
Nightfall would soon come as Emory remained planted before the hideaway, sitting hunched over before the wooden door, sword grasped tightly between his hands as sweat trickled down the sides of his face. His tunic was fresh with speckles of blood, leaking through from the bandages underneath as his breathing was harsh and ragged. He'd ordered a few hours prior for all of his remaining sentries to return to the mansion, though there was protests at first, eventually they had complied, leaving Emory on his own in the silence. The night, although cold, he couldn't feel the chill air any longer, only feeling intense heat that coursed through his veins. A tongue swiped over his cracked lips, uncomfortable heat flowing past. His throat felt uncomfortably dry now, every breath still feeling agonizing, and yet he remained stubbornly sitting in silence as he listened to the sound of insects on the breeze, and eventually a peculiar sound reached him in the silence. A rumbling, heavy sound.

This caused the man's head to jerk upward, golden eyes peering down the road. The moon provided some sort of light to shine upon the approaching mass, though at first Emory wasn't even sure what in the world he was seeing at first, causing the man to blink a few times in disbelief only for a bitter smile to cross his face. The monstrosity was hideous, with a humanoid figure cloaked in dense material upon its back. This must be the mage. The thought was enough to cause Emory to force himself to his feet, using the sword for some sort of support as he staggered forward, his legs very much heavy as he struggled to keep his composure, pain briefly flashing behind golden eyes as he settled himself upon the dirt pathway, deep frown crossing his face as the creature in question had skidded to a halt before him, dirt flying into the air underneath its heavy bulk as it grunted and grumbled, sounds that caused chills to go down Emory's spine as the man's eyes turned upward to the mage atop the creature's back, an eerie glint coming to the mage's eyes as he looked down at Emory with unrestrained excitement. "Oh, oh oh? Who is this? Ah, it couldn't possibly be true!"

He watched as the figure dislodged himself from the squishy flesh of the monster's back, the gray flesh of the beast making Emory's burning insides churn as he planted the sword before him within the dirt, gripping the hilt tightly until his knuckles turned pale. The mage, with great theatrics had exaggerated his movements he had landed upon the dirt path with nary a single sound, not even stirring up the churned earth, and even though Emory could not see the individual's face clearly within the darkness, the glint of violet flashed from beneath the dark cowl, eyes that shown nothing but excitement and wonder as he spread his arms out wide, "I've found you again! Oh my, how wonderful this is that you still live!" He cackled, raising his hands above his head toward the twisted creature behind him, "Finally, it seems like you barbarians have some promise!"

Emory's lips twitched as he exhaled, leaning more on the hilt of the sword to support him as he felt his limbs beginning to grow heavier with each passing second. He closed his eyes, forcing his body to keep upright as the mage seemed to ramble on, but if he could get some answers before he tried to kill this man, or even get an idea of what was happening to him, he would. With a shuddering breath, Emory forced his head up, golden eyes narrowing in distaste as the mage, "What is happening to me? What the hell do you want?" The man paused, turning his full attention to Emory, his violet eyes sparkling with an odd adoration that sent chills down Emory's spine, "Ah, another one who asks the right questions!"

The madman had pointed at Emory, the moonlight providing some light to shine upon the man's features, "You, my dearest convert, are beginning to awaken to your mana potential! Well... your body is mutating as it should be from your previous imperfect form, from it seems at least from what I've done so far is different elements wield different results." He chuckled as he snapped his fingers, and flames began to dance upon his fingertips, "By a stroke of luck, it seems like you've been blessed with fire, though clearly it seems to me your mana is spilling out of you rapidly since your body is... unaccustomed to such superior abilities. Such a shame, since I'd rather not have you burning from the inside out, it all seems like it's up to chance!" He snapped his fingers again, the flames disappearing from view, "As for what I want, well... surely that little woman that ran this way had told you? Do not think me a fool, as my dearest pet wouldn't be charging this way if it didn't pick up a familiar scent."

Emory's expression didn't change, although his lips did press together in a tight line. This is all an experiment. His teeth gritted together, anger soaring within his chest. Why the hell was he to be yet another plaything for someone else? I tire of this. Mustering the strength he had left in his body, the man shifted his weight to begin to pull the sword out from the dirt, causing the mage to tilt his head, "You don't think you can stand a chance little barbarian? Are you trying to pick a fight with me? I'd much rather not have you die here, after all you'll be the first of many enlightened." Emory's lips twitched up in a cold smile, eyes glinting in the moon's light as he spoke, "I never asked to be 'enlightened'. After all, these are my lands you're intruding on. And from what you're telling me so far, it seems like keeping you alive would be useless." The mage visibly pouted, crossing his arms across his chest as he shook his head in dismay, "How disappointing. I was hoping for much better from you. Looks like I'll just have to start over again with some other more fortunate soul. A shame how ungrateful your pathetic species has been so far." The creature behind the mage stirred, though the cloaked figure shook their head at it, "No, no. Not this time my pet, you stay and be a witness to this... though I suppose this wouldn't be much of a fight at all, now will it?"
 
lol i did too. oh no! well hopefully you can still get enough sleep and it doesn’t get to be too taxing for you! also, i apologize for any mistakes in this reply! i typed it on my phone and my contacts are out so i am semi-blind ))

Every instinct in Rose’s body was telling her to stay, to fight alongside Emory. After all, the two had seen this threat before. Emory had been injured the first time but with her own knowledge of the mage, they could’ve had a greater chance of success fighting together. She had been the one to witness what that wretched creature was capable of and she had spoken with the mage before. Yet, she knew she couldn’t go against his wishes again. She already lied to Emory about going to gather supplies. It ended up with a dead sentry and her being far more emotionally scarred that she would ever admit. She slowly made her way to the carriage that awaited her. Her steps were slow as the late afternoon light cast an orange shadow on her. She lifted her gaze to look past the carriage, focusing on the horizon for a few moments.

She could picture what would be happening if none of this had occurred. The two would’ve spent the evening together, strolling through the flowering fields. They might’ve even decided to go to the lake for a while. After all, the day seemed temperate. There would be a gentle breeze skating the trees. The sound of the leaves would mix with the rustling of the grass and the chirping of the birds to create a soft melody. It would float along the breeze, surrounding them. She was sure that they would’ve spent much of the day out wandering. She would’ve teased him for avoiding his lordly duties and Emory would’ve responded with a remark that would cause for her laughter to break past her lips. It would’ve been perfect.

She blinked as she remembered truly where she was then. Her eyebrow furrowed and her expression hardened. She couldn’t find it in her to say anything at that moment. The images in her mind were polluted by the images of Ludovic’s split body and Emory’s injuries. A shaky breath left her. She carefully climbed into the carriage, keeping her gaze on her lap. Those images stuck in her mind no matter how hard she tried to remove them. It felt as though they were burned into her memories. She doubted she would be able to find any peaceful rest for the upcoming days, though she already figured she wouldn’t until Emory returned safe back to the manor and back to her side. She would force herself to stay awake, even if she felt exhaustion pulling her down. Was it a healthy thing for her to do? Absolutely not. It wasn’t as if she would be able to find any sense of calm in anything else.

That familiar pain creeped back into her chest, the pressure weighing her down for a few moments. There was so much that she had done these past few days that she never thought was possible. Her body had been pushed to its limits. She felt as if she had fought death and survived. Now she wouldn’t consider every decision that she made rational, but she had managed to come out of it each time. She only hoped her luck wasn’t running out. If Emory was unable to defeat the mage and his beast, she didn’t doubt the beast would continue to track her here. Maybe she would allow for death to sweep her up in its arms and carry her away then. After all, her people and family already believed her to be dead. There wasn’t much she could do to prevent it at that point.

Her mind drifted through thoughts similar to those the entire carriage ride back to the estate. She only refocused her vision when the carriage pulled to a stop. She didn’t bother to wait for someone to open the door to the carriage for her. She reached her hand over and did so herself. Her legs ached in protest as she forced herself out to stand. Her body hurt more than she could properly express with words. She was feeling worse as the time progressed, but did her best to not let anything but her exhaustion show. She turned her head to look at the sentries that accompanied her back, knowing they were under orders from Emory to stay and protect her. “Thank you.” Her words were quiet and hoarse. She didn’t elaborate any further. She knew they would understand she meant it as a blanket statement for all they had done and will do for her.

She made her way to the door and soon was inside. Her steps echoed on the floor, bouncing off of the walls. It was too late for Viola to be there by that point. She hoped that maid hadn’t been worried too much about her and about everything that had been occurring. While it was wishful thinking, she was sure a sentry might’ve filled her in on everything. If one hadn’t, she would speak to her in the morning about it all. After all it was quite the story. She climbed the stairs slowly, carrying the dress and corset in her arms while she did so. Once she was in her room, she allowed for both clothing items to be draped over a chair. They would have to be cleaned eventually. She just didn’t have the energy to do it now. She decided to draw herself a bath. Her skin was in desperate need of cleaning.

She lost track of the time she spent scrubbing her hair and her skin, the latter red from the harshness of the scrubs. She dried it with a towel much more delicately. She pulled on one of her night gowns and braided her hair after managing to remove the remaining knots in it. Her stomach consistently growled from the lack of food, but she didn’t bother going to the kitchen and getting herself something to eat. She just pulled the covers of the comforter on her bed back and climbed underneath it. She didn’t sleep as she believed she wouldn’t. She just stayed quiet, waiting for any hopeful indication that Emory might be returning home to her.
 
(Yep, I'll be fine! Luckily I had today and tomorrow off from work so I'm catching up on resting before I gotta go in on Monday. And it's all good! c: )

Emory's eyes warily shifted to the creature as it reacted to the mage's words; or rather there was a lack of much reaction from it at all. Instead, it had grown uncomfortably still, a mass of pulsing gray flesh blocking a possible escape route if he did have to retreat... not that he probably would get too far if he even so much as tried to make an attempt. In this moment, he needed to do the best he could, or he wouldn't be able to return at all. With grim determination set upon his features, the young lord had tensed his aching muscles as the mage had outstretched his arms to the man, grinning broadly, "Well? Are you going to attack me or not?" The taunting tone caused Emory's irritation to flare, nonetheless the young lord had kept his expression under control as he charged forward, his body feeling heavy and aching with each movement, however just as he closed in upon the mage, bloodied sword glinting evilly in the moonlight, he felt a pressure against his chest as a sudden force went through his stomach, his eyes widening in shock as his body was sent hurdling backward into the dirt. In the second that the sword would have made contact with the mage, the man was swift enough to use magic to force Emory back, causing the weakened man to lay sprawling in the dirt, the air knocked from his lungs as the hooded figure had taken the initiative, the sound of wind howling reaching Emory's ears as the man rolled to his left quickly, his heart beating quick within his chest as where his head had previously been, the mage had seemed to conjure blades of wind within his hands, having struck where Emory had been just mere seconds before.

He's fast. That was the only thought he could process in his mind as he surged to his feet, narrowly dodging another swift slice from the mage's wind conjured blades, a crazed glint in the man's eyes as he continued to with eerie precision, mere seconds away from cutting at Emory's vital spots, preventing the man from responding much in turn. All he could do was dodge, prevent himself from being injured further, not a single second could the man even get in a slash in, much less rely on years of swordplay. No, instead the opponent before him was clearly playing with him, and with as quick as the other man was, Emory was in no state to be able to keep up for much longer. Sweat beaded down his face, his breathing coming in heavy gasps as he was forced to skit around the deadly slashes and expertly timed cuts from the mage in question, though his arms felt like lead the longer he continued dodging, his feet catching on something within the earth, causing the man to lose his footing, a sharp exhale left past his lips, eyes widening as his mind was racing.

First, he processed he was falling backwards into the dirt, second looming behind him was the creature that the mage had created, it's horrendous maw opened wide as its head was descending downward to devour the young lord, and lastly, Emory realized the mage had been keeping him on the defensive to cause him to be forced to stumble back into his pet. The world felt as if it were growing darker, a foul stench hitting Emory's nose from the creature, rotten flesh. He was going to die. This feeling that flowed over him was enough to tell him that much, he was trying to attack an opponent without being in the best of shape, there was no possible way he could leave this unscathed. But, it was an option for him to die, he couldn't do so just yet, not when Rose still lived. If he died, who would protect her? No, he couldn't die, not here, not yet.

He knew not in the few seconds as he was falling what he had done, his hands stretching outward as if to possibly brace himself as he felt an unbearable heat surge within his stomach and flow through his body. It was as if a spark had flared, suddenly burning out of control as it surge from his fingertips, brilliant flames conjured from seemingly nothing surging with such desperation and vibrancy that it practically blocked out the creature's disgusting features, lighting the monster ablaze in a brilliant fireball as the air was suddenly filled with pitiful painful wails. Emory's body landed upon the ground, his breathing coming in swift grasps for air as the creature in question flailed about, forcing the man to quickly roll away as the monster collapsed, twisted limbs tearing at burning, melting flesh as it screamed in agony as if begging for help. Of course, Emory wasn't too focused upon that at the moment, as the man got to his feet, breathing coming heavy as the mage now was staring at him with uncontained excitement.

"Now this has gotten far more interesting!" The mage grinned from ear to ear as a vicious light flared to life in the man's eyes, "Your true potential is shining through, just as I hoped! Come, show me how desperate you can be!" Emory's mind was spinning, unable to process what had just happened, but he wasn't going to allow himself the luxury of trying to figure that out just yet. Whatever had happened had narrowly caused him to escape with his life, for that he should be grateful. But, the battle wasn't over yet, he knew this well. And so, with the little strength he had left and the odd sensation flaring within his body, he had charged again, determination to slaughter the mage filling his mind.

... 5 days later ...​
For four days, there was no word from the hideaway, despite the sentries after hearing nothing from Emory after the first two having gone to check to see if the man was still alive and well. All that was left, much to the sentry's dismay and astonishment was an odd pile of melted, gray flesh that covered the earth, with singed grassed and horrid tears within the earth. Whatever had happened there was clearly out out of the ordinary, and yet despite checking for miles around there was no sign of the mysterious hooded figure that was the mage, and even more worryingly, there was no sign of Emory even being there. Not a single trace of the young lord was at the hideaway, as if he'd suddenly vanished. Of course, the sentries in return did as much as they could, using the Black Market connections that had been formed over the years to possibly try to locate Emory once more, as if he were dead surely there would be a body to collect?

However, unknown to his sentries, Emory was indeed very much alive, yet the man had been attempting to track down the mage to no avail. The fierce fighting that had taken place had resulted in nothing but a stalemate with the mage growing bored and disappearing before Emory's eyes. The man had no clue where in the world he was going, or even if the man would appear again, but allowing such a dangerous element to run about without being under control was something that he wouldn't tolerate. Not only that, Emory's newfound powers were... infuriating to control. Yes, he felt far better than he'd been before, after releasing so much of the so called "mana", his body seemed to feel lighter, although still battered and bruised from his all too recent battle with the dangerous man, he was having difficulties not setting things alight. It would take the slightest lapse in concentration and anything his fingers would touch would be burned to a crisp. As such, the man had kept to the outskirts of his territory to continue his rather fruitless search, but with no leads he wasn't getting anywhere and with no supplies on hand, it left him haggard and exhausted. So, the eventual and inevitable result was to return to the manor, of which took him quite a few days as he desired to avoid being spotted by anyone, having cloaked himself head to toe as to prevent any of his bandages to be seen or to be recognized. Such efforts had taken him longer than usual if he would just move normally.

On the fifth day, Emory's heavy steps echoed up the path to his estate. The sight of the mansion was a relief, though his eyes caught the sight of his sentries moving about upon the grounds, activity suddenly bursting as if they had a fire lit underneath their feet, but without a doubt upon spotting Emory, the sentries were probably calling off any and all searches for the young lord. Lowering his gaze, he focused instead upon the mansion's door and now with gloved hands - ones that he'd stolen in secret in his desperate search for the mage - the man had pushed the front door of the mansion open, taking care to keep his breathing calm, attempting to lower his heartrate. It certainly was far too early in the morning for Viola to be at the manor, with the sun barely lighting up the skies, he didn't expect anyone to be awake, and certainly not Rose. As soon as his mind focused on Rose, he almost wished he could rush immediately to wherever she was in the mansion and hold her tightly. He knew his absence would have made her think the worst had happened to him, and even now he was feeling a tinge of guilt that he hadn't contacted her to reassure her that he was alright, but attempting to destroy the mage had consumed his thoughts for the past few days; resulting in nothing but disappointing failure. How was he to face her, knowing full well he had failed his duty? Even if the monster was destroyed, albeit accidentally, she as well as the rest of the continent was still at risk, not to mention the "mutations" that was going on in Emory's body at this moment in time as the mage had called it.

Stress caused the man's shoulders to sag as he lingered a few moments more in the entryway of his mansion, gazing listlessly at the stairway before him. He felt rooted to the spot, as if he couldn't move, almost terrified to do so. What if he was a danger to Rose at this moment in time? Should he have even come back? What if the fire came back again? He wasn't even sure what even triggered the damned thing yet, and if he hurt her... no, he wouldn't allow himself to hurt her. No matter how exhausted the man was, not once would he ever hurt Rose, he needed to regain his self-control once more, his confidence. He took in a deep breath, the air no longer being as painful to breathe in as he hesitated, his feet slowly beginning to make the now seemingly long trek up the stairway, the heaviness of his feet being a familiar sound to fill to air upon the wooden stairway.
 
that’s really good! hopefully they are consistent with that so you can get the rest you need))

Rose hadn’t slept that evening, as she figured she wouldn’t. Exhaustion had been pulling at her the entire night, but she stayed focused on Emory. His safety and return was the only thought that she had. It brought a newfound sense of worry to her that worked on ebbing her exhaustion away. She had managed to keep her mind solely on him the entirety of that evening. She forced herself from her bed the next morning around the time that Viola normally would arrive at the mansion. She pulled on a usual dress to try to improve her appearance, though she knew she looked terrible. The usual glow of her green irises had dulled from everything she had seen and experienced. The bags underneath her eyes were dark and wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon. Her skin was a bit paler as well. Once she decided she was as presentable as she could be, she made her way down to see the maid.

She spent a decent part of the morning filling the other woman in on what had happened while she had been away. She refused to go too far into the details in an effort not to concern Viola more, though she knew that the maid was already frantic over everything. The only thing that she left out was the dread beginning to fill her over Emory not returning. She had faith in his abilities with a sword and with his hands. After all, the rumors wouldn’t have been started about him if he wasn’t able to defend himself. But in the state that he was in, she hadn’t a clue if he made it out alive and well. That thought alone turned her stomach. She forced herself to eat the food that had been brought to her, her fork moving slow while she did. She knew that she needed to get something in her body by that point. It had been days since she had last eaten.

After the meal, she made her way up to Emory’s office. She paused at the door, hand resting on the handle to it. She couldn’t place why she hesitated. The other male agreed to allow her to help with his lordly duties and it wasn’t as if this was anything different than she had been trained for as a child. With a small sigh, she opened the door carefully and stepped inside. She made her way to the desk, frowning at all of the papers she saw scattered on it. She skimmed through what she could. She then did her best to organize them. She pulled some paper out once she was satisfied with the state of it. She practiced Emory’s handwriting, knowing she needed to adapt her own in order for it to seem like the other male was still handling what was necessary of him to. It took part of the afternoon to do, but she had soon mastered it. The first thing that she did was send a warning letter to her father about what was occurring in Emory’s lands. She has to write slow in an attempt to not make it seem as though she was writing it herself. She wished she could see him and her sisters again, truly.

The next letter was sending word to the other lords about what was occurring. She kept all of the letters to them written the same, giving enough detail to where they could understand the need to be concerned. The last letter was to Avrune. She hadn’t a clue if it would get there, but she needed to at least try. She hoped their rulers would be much nicer than the mage, especially since they wanted to begin to trade with their lands. She decided she could worry about any normal lordly correspondences the next day. Her eyes were beginning to blur and she didn’t want to say the wrong thing on Emory’s behalf. She carefully folded and sealed the letters before making her way outside. She recognized the female sentry that had been sitting with her when she first awoke, deciding she would be the best to talk to. “Would there be a way for something to send these out for me?” She inquired, holding the letters to the woman. She was greeted with a nod and a small smile. Rose dipped her head in appreciation before returning back inside.

She didn’t bother returning to the office at that time. She only made her way to the dining hall to have a small portion of her dinner. The food hurt her stomach, though she blamed that entirely on the fact that she hadn’t been able to eat much. She knew it would take a while for her to readjust to eating properly. After the meal, she hid Viola goodnight. She slowly climbed the stairs, glancing around once she was to the top of them. She took the familiar steps to the library. Despite the need to sleep, she wanted to see if she could find anything on magic or Avrune. Besides, she was terrified of attempting to sleep and drifting into nightmares of what she witnessed. She pulled a dozen books from the shelves, looking through them slowly. She hadn’t even realized that her head had fallen onto the desk until her surroundings shifted.

She found herself back in Freycrest, locked in the same building she had been in. The smell of the rotting bodies was overwhelming her nostrils. She brought a hand up to cover her mouth and nose. She hadn’t noticed the blood on it until she felt it on her face. She quickly pulled the hand away in horror. Tears began to prick at the corner of her eyes, unable to stop them as they streamed down her face. She looked around her in a desperate attempt to find a way to leave, but there was none. She turned to face the door when she spotted it. Ludovic’s mangled body. She stumbled backwards, tripping over the mask sitting on the floor. She hit her head back against the ground behind her. The building began to shake and she realized that it was the mask to release the beast. Instead of it releasing itself outside, it filled the space behind her. She scrambled to a standing position and rushed to the door, yanking on it multiple times. It budged on the last one. Her other was blocked though by the mage. Her limbs became immobile and her eyes rolled to the back of her head before the creature lunged at her.

She woke up with a cry, sweat covering her body. Her breathing was heavy and she couldn’t catch it. She looked around her with rather wide eyes, realizing then that she was in the library still. She reached a hand up to rub at her face. It was then that she realized her entire body was shaking. She pushed herself to a standing position and made her way to a window. The sun’s rays were just beginning to peak over the horizon. She decided then to try to read some more before Viola arrived again.

That was days ago.

Her worry about Emory only grew as time continued to go on without a word from her. She did her best to not let that be her sole focus though. She needed to handle whatever she could hear. She managed to get all of the duties he normally would have to do done. She had written down what she found about Avrune and matin in the books she read. She even began to decorate the mansion. The walls now held new paintings of different sceneries. There were also flowers in multiple different vases. It seemed as though life had finally been brought back into the bare was of the walls. Her nightmares continued each evening. She was lucky enough to get a few hours before she was ripped awake by them. The morning of Emory’s return was the first night that she had managed to sleep longer than she normally would’ve. Her body and mind’s exhaustion caused for it. She hadn’t bothered closing the door to her bedroom that evening. She was laid underneath the heavy comforter of her bed, expression somewhat peaceful despite the torment in her mind.
 
(I'm hoping so too, though I think my schedule will be still hectic, but it might calm down in the next few weeks I think)

Silence was all that he could hear aside from his footfall as he finally reached the top of the stairway. From what he could see, Rose had already started decorating the mansion on her own, with new paintings that he'd not seen before, and flowers in different vases. She was settling into her role well it seemed, and even if he wasn't one to typically show much approval on such colorful decorations or anything of the sort, she had done well. Part of him worried that perhaps she had overworked herself in his absence; this being evident as he paused in the hallway and looked down the hall toward Rose's room, the door being open much to his surprise. In that moment, his heart had begun to quicken within his chest, though the very action made him turn away just as quickly, forcing himself to breathe slowly to calm it down. Control yourself. That was right, letting his emotions get the best of him now would only risk him starting a fire at random; not that he was unused to making himself emotionally numb, but when it came to Rose... such a task was easier said than done.

He desired nothing more than to rush to her bedside and scoop her up in his arms, hold her as tightly as he could and apologize for being away for so long. To reassure her that he was alive, that the pain had subsided for now, that he no longer was at death's door - or so he hoped. But, that would be irresponsible of him; he'd spotted her small shape underneath the heavy comforters, obviously still sound asleep. She needed her rest, and not only that, Emory was still an unpredictable danger to her at this moment in time. It was better for him to try and reclaim his old habits of emotional calm to keep himself under control, not only for her sake but for those around him as well. A tinge of frustration bloomed in the man's chest as he clenched his gloved hands tightly to his chest, the pounding of his heart having slowed to a normal rate as he walked down the hall, retracing an ever familiar pathway to his room and eventually the bathroom where he would have to tidy himself up. Going on nearly weeks without proper selfcare, Emory had quite the haggard appearance, he needed to properly clean himself, if only to make himself feel a tiny bit better.

So, as he drew water for the bath, and after gathering together some simple clothes from his wardrobe, the man had slowly begun to unwrap the many thick, dirtied bandages that covered his torso, the fabric sticking uncomfortably to his skin due to days of sweat and dried blood that had collected underneath, leaving eventually a stinking, damp heap of bandages upon the floor, one that he would take care to discard of appropriately after he was done. His body, although keeping its same muscular form had certainly lost a few pounds due to lack of proper meals and the concerning burns that had covered most of his left side had oddly enough had faded into what was darker splotches of skin, contrasting against the normal pale. No longer was the burns noticeable like before, as his regular skin seemed to have overtaken the cracked and broken skin before, healing to a somewhat normal state even if it still indeed felt hotter to touch than the rest of his body. Experimentally, Emory had flexed the fingers upon his left hand, clenching the fist as he gazed at the darker oddly colored skin, feeling minimal pain as his thoughts raced through his head on the possibilities behind his sudden recovery, though from what little he got from the mage, the release of most of the mana in his body perhaps had spurned this healing to begin. Do I need to continue to release this mana every day? The thought was a reasonable one, granted Emory knew not the first thing when it came to magic, prompting the man to heave a sigh as he stripped himself of the rest of his clothes and submerged himself within the tub of water, setting to work upon scrubbing the grime and filth from his skin.

By the time he was done and had re-clothed himself with the fresh change of clothes, as well as tidied up his beard the morning sun was beginning to climb higher in the sky in which Emory now settled upon trying to catch himself up on what else Rose had done. His next steps would take him to his personal study in which case he saw the papers upon his desk had been organized, with clear use being shown upon the desk. It was then that he set to reading through the various letters that were upon his desk, most of which of course surrounded the recent events. His eyebrows furrowed as he looked over the letters, albeit they were so far only from the various lords in the neighboring territories that had answered letters that had been sent out by Rose; with there being yet to be responses from the kingdom or Avrune just yet. Granted, Emory would assume it would take some time to get an official response, as Avrune was across the vast sea, and concerning Rose's father... well, that relationship was strained. He wouldn't be surprised if the king would have treated any letter that supposedly was under Emory's name with some reluctance. Catching himself up on everything certainly took quite a few hours, eventually drawing the young lord deep within his usual habits of focusing solely on his work, responding to how the other lords could go about protecting their territories along with supplying accurate descriptions of the mage he had been locked in combat with; warning explicitly that the man was dangerous and to not approach without care.

Of course, as he was writing such warnings and polite responses, by this point in time the sun was clearly bright within the sky, streaming into Emory study and casting better light within the room. So absorbed he was in his tasks that he would not notice any stirring within the mansion yet, though it was clear with his study room being slightly ajar that someone was clearly there.
 
that would be good! i feel like places always overwork you the first few months you are there))

Rose woke late that morning, much later than she would’ve liked to. Despite the nightmares that still plagued her mind, she managed to get a full night’s sleep for the first time in days. Her exhaustion was still present, but it was bearable now. A gentle groan left her as she rolled to her back. The light streaming in through her windows immediately caused for her to close her eyes once more. Her body didn’t want to move from where it currently laid, but she knew that she had things that needed to be done that day. She knew that there were letters she needed to respond to. She also wanted to get an update from the sentries on if they had found any sign of what happened to Emory. The thought of the young lord caused her heart to clench. While her mind did worry that he might be dead, she remained insistent that it wasn’t the case. He was strong, even in his weakened state. He had also promised to come back alive. She was holding onto that promise with every ounce of her hope.

She brought a hand up to rub at her face for a few moments, eyes staring up at the ceiling once it returned to where it had been laying on the bed moments before. She forced herself into a sitting position before pushing herself to stand. The soreness from her journey still lingered, though it was much more manageable then. The first few days had been terrible. She was surprised she even managed to get around the house, much less climb the stairs. She glanced around her room for a few moments. It was in desperate need of some tidying. She had been far too preoccupied with everything around the estate to worry about it as of late. Normally she was insistent on cleaning it up herself, but she figured it would just be easier to allow Viola to do so for the time before. She slowly walked to the washroom, undoing the braid that had been in her hair while she did so. She still hadn’t bothered shutting the door to her room. It had completely slipped her mind.

She set a bath for herself, the warm water relaxing her. She had half a mind to crawl back into the bed and attempt to get more sleep, but she forced herself to focus on cleaning herself and beginning her day. The movements to scrub her skin were slow and gentle. She had taken multiple baths to help ease the feeling of any remaining dirt and grime on her skin. She did the same with her hair, making sure that it was clean without any knots remaining. She pulled herself out only when she finally felt comfortable enough to do so. She dried her skin just as carefully as it had been washed. She pulled on a less elegant dress for the day, knowing there was no need for her to dress fancily. She allowed for her hair to stay down to air dry, it being damp still. She then decided to begin her day.

She stepped into the hallway and slowly made her way towards the stairs. She planned to greet Viola, grab some tea, and then respond to whatever letters she needed to. As she walked, she spotted the door to the study partly open. It immediately caused for her to pause, turning her head towards it. Despite her exhaustion, she knew that she closed it the day before. She had noticed Emory constantly keeping the door closed when it was not in use and tried to do the same. She immediately shifted directions to make her way to the door. Her steps were quiet and light, as they always were. She doubted that Viola would’ve come in to clean. She recalled the state it had been in when she first stepped in. She reached to grab the handle, pushing the door open carefully. A soft frown graced her features as she glanced around, not noticing the other male at first. It was only when her eyes fell on the desk did she recognize his finger. Her expression softened and her eyes widened slightly. For the first time in days, she truly looked alive. Her lips twitched up into a smile. “For a man whose sentries believed him to be dead for the past week, I am surprised the first thing you do upon arriving home is immediately go to work.” Her words were gentle with a familiar teasing tone.

She moved towards the desk then, her steps much quicker. “I am so grateful to see you alive. I missed you dearly.” Her words were a bit breathless. It was clear that she meant each one she said. Seeing him alive and sitting here in front of her lifted much of the weight off of her shoulders. “Are you alright? How are your wounds?” She inquired, worry now becoming evident. Her eyes scanned him over for any sense that something might be wrong.
 
(Yep! Plus I just need to get used to it as well c: )

Emory paused in the midst of his reading as he heard a distinctive sound of someone approaching the door to his study; perhaps due to the days he'd been on his own attempting to track down the mage, the man was a bit on edge, his eyes flashing upward toward whoever had entered and only when he realized it was Rose had the man froze in his spot, feeling as if he were unable to move from his spot as she had spoken. Ah, his heart leaped at the sound of her voice, the liveliness of her eyes as she had approached the desk, steps eager and swift. She was breathless in her speech, which prompted the man's previous guarded expression to gentle and thaw. The guilt of leaving her in the dark for so long as well as his sentries that probably had been trying to track him down had settled deep within his chest as he lowered his gaze to the desk, feeling her gaze shift over his form. It was only when her words had ceased had Emory slowly and hesitantly stood from his seat, responding with a slight joke of his own, "I'll only rest when I'm dead; though I do have to thank you for taking care of everything in my absence."

His eyes finally met her own, though upon closer inspection his eyes seemed paler. The honey gold that was deep and warm was slightly paler as if the color was being sapped from the warm gold, although he didn't seem to be in any pain at the moment. His steps weren't staggering and weak like they had been as he walked around the desk, a clear sign of some strength that had returned to him as he hesitantly reached out to her, his arms circling around her as he drew her close to him in a tight embrace. He spoke not a single word at first, allowing himself the comfort of knowing that she was in his arms, alive and well, and it was clear that the smell of burning flesh no longer clung to Emory at this moment in time. Though, considering the man wasn't wearing any gloves at the moment, his left hand where the bandages had been could be seen, although still appearing somewhat normal it was covered in a purplish skin that was soft to the touch albeit slightly hotter than the rest of his body, clearly having not fully healed just yet.

Eventually, the man would speak, his eyes closed as he said quietly, "I'm alright." He wanted to assure her that he was perfectly fine, even if that probably wasn't the whole truth at this moment in time. Emory still was unsure how much damage his body had undertaken, and even the knowledge he'd gained from the mage was so minimal that he couldn't just solely rely upon that. There was no telling if his condition would suddenly get worse even if at this moment in time he seemed stable. Regardless, Emory was silent as he held Rose tightly to his own body, attempting to calm his breathing, slow his racing heart as he tried to stay calm. It was a struggle of course, as he was relieved to see that she was fine, that no physical harm had come to her in his absence. It was only after a few moments that felt far too short had he released her from his tight embrace, his hands hesitantly coming up to her face, thumbs gently brushing against the skin of her cheeks, his eyebrows furrowing as he looked down at her. Yes, she seemed far happier now that he was here, but he was not a fool. Evidence of dark bags underneath her eyes and a paler coloration to her skin was enough to tell him that she was probably worrying herself far too much on his behalf; something that he couldn't blame her for, but one that caused him to sigh, a trickle of heat flowing past his lips, though he quickly reigned in his exasperation. Calm. The thought rang out in his mind in warning, as frowned at her, though this too was quick to fade as he leaned his head down and lightly placed a kiss upon her lips, though such a kiss was all too brief as his lips parted from hers, "Did you even take proper care of yourself while I was gone?" The tone was almost accusatory as he had moved so that Rose was against the desk, his arms settling upon the desk's top on either side of her, golden eyes narrowing down at her as he was clearly expecting an answer, blocking any chance of her possibly dodging the question or leaving his sight just yet.

Of course, considering the position they were in, it was probably the closest Emory had gotten to her than he'd ever did before. The heat of his body could be felt, although no longer uncomfortable like before, and perhaps he was unconsciously doing such a thing due to him not having much time with her before he'd sent her away back to the mansion. Regardless on whether he could express that he missed her or not, his actions was showing that he indeed had missed her closeness, his actions showing that he was willing enough to close the distance between the both of them, even if his mind was constantly reminding him to control himself, to be as careful as he possibly could with her so that she'd not get hurt underneath his care.
 
are the hours really long too?))

The smile that was slowly forming on Rose’s lips immediately spread into a grin at his response to her. Oh how she had missed the sound of his voice. These weeks had been terrible for the both of them and she was grateful that it seemed like they would finally be able to spend some well-deserved time together. The few days she saw of him while he was injured hadn’t been enough for her. She yearned to be around him, to be held by him once again. “If you continue doing what you are, you are going to be dead before you know it,” She continued to tease, though the subject was something that obviously had been weighing on her. She nodded her head slightly at him words. “It was the least I could do.” She didn’t elaborate more, knowing they both understood what she meant.

The guilt for her own actions while he had been ill was constantly brought forth any time that she thought of him. She had apologized plenty already and she knew he didn’t want to hear her say it anymore. She let out a gentle breath in an attempt to ease her mind away from it. She lifted her gaze to meet his own. Emory seemed different. It wasn’t something that surprised her after everything that he had gone through. She shifted to watch his steps carefully. He seemed to have regained plenty of the strength in which he had been lacking before. Her shoulders relaxed some as she noticed that. He was alright, truly, and that was all that mattered. Her arms immediately wrapped around him in return, hands carefully gripping the clothes on his back. She rested her head gently against his chest. His familiar scent washed over her. It was almost enough to bring tears to her eyes.

“You truly have no clue just how happy I am to know that.” She whispered. Her voice hitched in her throat while she did so. She blinked a few times to calm the stinging in her eyes. She could hear his heart beating and it helped relax her even more. Her grip tightened slightly, fingers curling into his clothes. She savored the embrace for as long as she had it, though she didn’t fight Emory when he shifted to pulled back. She allowed for her arms to return to her sides, head tilting up to look at him. She leaned gently into the callused touch of his hands. Her green eyes had softened. Despite the dullness in them, the affection she felt for the young lord was still shining through. She let them flutter shut at the soft kiss that was pressed to her lips. A soft frown flashed across her face at the quick manner of it. “I have barely seen you in weeks and I am only allowed one kiss?” Her tease was quiet, though she withheld the urge to roll her eyes at his concern.

She puffed her cheeks gently at him as she shifted their positioning. She felt the desk at her rear with his arms carefully beside her. It didn’t take her long to realize that there was absolutely no way for her to escape his question. “I did actually. I know it truly does not seem that way, but I can assure you I did,” She paused, adverting her gaze for a few moments as she debated on how to tell him what all had been happening. “There was only one night where I was unable to sleep and that was the night I returned to the mansion. I just have been experiencing nightmares, but it is something I am working on getting under control. Besides, that combined with my worry was bound to leave me exhausted anyways.” She explained. She did appreciate his worry and she knew her confession would only make it worse. It was then that she realized the closeness of their bodies and the way in which they were standing. She couldn’t recall a time in which Emory allowed himself to be this close to her. She allowed for a smile to grace her features once more. “I am alright though. All that matters is that you are home.”
 
(The hours aren't so bad since I'm a part-timer; but since it's retail and we're understaffed I had to work a few more hours than I usually would be expected to do. Can't complain though since I do get paid for overtime, but it's been kind of rough with trying to balance it with college stuff as well since they do call me in sometimes on days off or to come in earlier if we have too many customers to keep up with. So I'm just physically tired most of the time; but they try to keep it at six hours per day which isn't too bad, it's just usually always busy though so I'll be running all over the place trying to keep up with everything; the store unfortunately gets super messy x.x)

Emory had rolled his eyes at her response at first to him only giving her one kiss, choosing to not respond to it at first as her health was his priority at this moment in time. As she had responded at first to his question, an eyebrow raised at her in slight disbelief; yet as she explained, guilt had settled deep within his chest. Of course she would have nightmares, it wouldn't be much of a surprise after all she had been through. A heavy sigh left his lips as he closed his eyes, his facial expression turning grim. If only he could have done better, no matter if he had been on death's door, he should've done better for her. If he had, perhaps the strain on her wouldn't have been as bad it current was. But, there was no point in thinking about what he could have done better; it only matter what he could do now for her.

The man had leaned his head down so that it rested on her shoulder, merely staying in that position as his mind whirled, though settling upon agreement that he was grateful that he returned back to the mansion; back to Rose. "If you say that you're alright, I'll choose to believe that. However, I expect you to catch up on resting when you can." His voice was a bit stern, if not muffled, but at the very least it seemed like he wasn't in the mood to scold her much at this moment in time. After all, why would he? She had done well enough in his absence, and furthermore he had been the source of her worries. The least he could do was be as gentle with her as possible; his mind recalling the all too unpleasant moments before they had departed with him yelling at her... he didn't want to do that again. His hands clenched into fists upon the desk underneath them, a sigh leaving his lips as he leaned his head back to look upon Rose's face, his features calm once more as he allowed the faintest of smiles to touch his face.

"Now, what was that about one kiss? You shouldn't be too greedy, you know?" Avoiding speaking too much or prying more into her nightmares wouldn't be wise. After all, he didn't desire to see her in any type of distress or panic, as he was sure she'd not been in the best mental state for quite some time. Allowing the mood to change to be more lighthearted would be a welcome change for the both of them, a moment of peace that he would savor, as some part of him reminded that from here, things would only serve to grow far more complicated. "Though, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised," His head dipped closer to her own, his heart quickening within his chest as one hand came up to her chin, turning his head as he placed a soft kiss upon the side of her neck. The soft skin underneath his lips was warm, his golden eyes half-lidded as her familiar scent flowed into his nose. It was enough to make his head spin, a sensation that he didn't run from and instead allowed himself to embrace it if only for a few seconds. Soft kisses would soon follow, slow and methodical in where he would place them, the heat of his breath pooling over her skin in between each soft kiss, taking his time as he slowly drifted his trail of kisses up across her jaw, across her cheeks, eventually settling upon one on her forehead as he then spoke in a soft purr, "Are you satisfied now?"

Of course he was merely teasing her, taking delight that he could do so again. This is evident in the way the gold of his eyes was sparkling with amusement as he gazed down at her, obviously quite in control of himself and his emotions. Composure was something that he pride himself in, such wouldn't be so easily broken especially considering he was being as careful as possible with Rose. But, he knew quite well that such teasing kisses were not satisfactory at all, neither for himself or for her, but the man couldn't help himself. Perhaps older bad habits were surfacing again within him, but then again who could really know for sure?
 
i have heard terrible things about retail from my friend who works at a target, so i give you a ton of credit!! i work in a restaurant so i can semi relate lol))

Rose watched the change in his expression, knowing that it shouldn’t surprise her any. The two of them had been through quite a lot recently and it would be with them both for some time. After all, this wasn’t the end of the mage. They still had to worry about him among other things. She decided in that moment to just appreciate what time she had with Emory now before things grew to be worse again. She nodded her head slightly at his words before resting it gently against his own for a few moments. “I can assure you that I will. My mind will be much quieter now that you are back.” She murmured. She only hoped that she could shake those terrible nightmares. The toll it was taking on her had already been noticed by the young lord. If they continued, she was sure he would be rather unhappy with how it would continue to affect her.

She held her head upright once more as he shifted to look at her. She forced all of the unpleasant thoughts out of her mind for the time being. A small smirk spread on her lips, her expression returning back to that familiar mischievous look she often had when teasing him. “I believe that I deserve the right to be greedy after being unfortunately detained from you.” She commented with laughter in her tone. The change in Emory from how he had been months ago was a welcome one. She truly couldn’t believe she was lucky enough to see this side of him, especially with the rumors she had heard of him. She held so much affection for this man and she knew it wouldn’t disappear anytime soon. She believed that he felt the same way about her, truthfully. For the first time in years, she felt lucky and truly happy.

She hadn’t expected for the soft kiss to her neck. Her breath hitched in her throat and her eyes widened slightly, though she soon relaxed. She tilted her head to the side in order to give him an easier access where he kissed. She allowed her eyes to close for a few moments while he continued to kiss where he pleased, not bothering to stop him in any way. She missed moment such as these tremendously. Each kiss helped relax her more and more to a point where she almost looked completely like herself again when he placed the final kiss to her forehead. Her gaze was soft and her lips spread in a lazy smile. “I would be lying if I told you that it was. I believe we both will be requiring many more.” She murmured. She raised a hand to gently caress his cheek, tracing her fingers down to his jawline. She admired the sharp features of his face before leaning forward and connecting their lips once more.
 
(Yeah retail is rough, I definitely do not recommend it lmao, but oof, I can imagine that's just as bad :c )

Relief filled Emory's heart as he could feel her relax underneath him, temporarily distracting him as a pleasant smile touched his face. Yes, this was how she was supposed to be, content and happy, relaxed and at ease. If only he could keep her calm, to keep her happy with him, that was the only thing he could possibly ask for in this moment. However, her expression had caused his heartbeat to quicken as her response had made his body tense, her touch sending tingles of strange electricity through his skin. His breath quickened ever so slightly in response, the pale gold of his eyes seeming a bit taken off guard as Rose connected their lips once more in another kiss, one that he would eagerly respond to if only after a few seconds of being absolutely still. He knew he should be careful, to not get too carried away, for his body was anything but normal; but the surge of emotion that swept through his heart was far too much for him to fight back against as he eagerly moved his lips against her own, his hands once more braced against the desk, restraining himself from touching her as part of him knew that he would get far too out of hand too quickly.

"Rose.." Her name left his lips in a brief moment to catch his breath before crushing against hers again, similar to the first kiss the two had shared, Emory was finding it increasingly difficult to hold himself back. The unusual surge of desire was so vivid in his mind, something that he'd forgotten long ago, though perhaps it was a sensation that he had felt at one time, but when and where he could no longer remember due to such memories being tainted. The weight of his body pressed eagerly against her own, pressing her down against the desk as heat flowed through his body, desire causing his blood to feel like fire within his veins. His teeth caught against her bottom lip, lightly nibbling, a low groan rumbling within the man's chest as his mind was spinning, struggling to hold onto the last remnants of his self-control. You need to stop. His mind warned, for he knew better. If he went much further he wouldn't be able to stop himself. His hands however disobeyed against his mind's rational thoughts, grasping her lips and hitching them to his hips, his lips pressing demandingly against her own as his tongue traced the outline of her lips, golden eyes filled with nothing more than lust.

Bad habits indeed, usually Emory would be able to conduct himself with control; but by all means he was acting on desire like a wild animal, not the gentleman he promised Rose previously he would strive to be. His more rational thoughts were being swept away by nothing more than basic, selfish desire to ravage and claim. For this woman was his and his alone, the only woman he'd ever desired so strongly in his unfeeling world for so many years. Who could truly blame him as long lost desires were surging out of control within him like a torrent? One hand slipped from her leg, in the midst of his demanding kisses, his hand grasped the buttons of his tunic, the heat from his skin becoming unbearable at least to him, granted to anyone else his body's heat would be normal. The muscular contours of his torso could be seen only briefly as he grabbed one of Rose's own, pressing it against the heated skin of his chest, his warm skin tingling underneath the pressure of her hand. Foreign, it felt strange for his skin to be touched again, but instead of the fear that would come with it, the feeling of desire was only stroked further. This could perhaps be blamed on the sole reason that he trusted Rose, trusted her to not harm him, but the needy feeling to be touched, to feel her warmth was something that was unknown to Emory, but he wasn't fighting it. No, instead he wanted more.

His lips finally parted from her own, the haze within his mind making it difficult for him to think as he gazed down at her, his eyes half-lidded as his breathing was uneven, ragged. It was rare to see Emory in any sort of haggard state, but the man's gaze was unusually honest in this moment, intense. The lust he was feeling was as clear as day within the pale golden depths, each shuddering breath making the feelings more so true, only for the man to close his eyes, eyebrows furrowing as he reigned himself in; his hand coming to gently rest against her check, thumb brushing against kiss bruised lips as he shook his head at her, finally opening his eyes as the desire had died down within them, "Requiring much more? I think I've reached my limits for today." The joke was spoken in a breathless tone as he tried to slow his heartrate down, his gaze shifting now to the once neatly placed pile of paperwork he had, some of which had scattered to the floor perhaps in his hazy state. The sight made him feel a tinge of embarrassment, causing the man to move away from Rose, allowing her some space as there previously was none just a few moments before. He didn't think himself capable to be so swept up in a moment before... perhaps it was because he'd been apart from Rose for quite some time? Regardless of the reason, he'd conducted himself less than appropriately.

A tinge of red had settled upon the man's cheeks, coloring his ears as well. Embarrassment settled deep within him as he fumbled with buttoning up his tunic, concealing the muscles underneath, though his skin was still tingling pleasantly from where her hand had been placed upon his chest, a sensation that no doubt would pester him for the rest of the day. Why do I do these things to myself?
 
i originally was aiming for retail, but ended up in food. thankfully the place i work at isn’t a corporation and is a small family owned place, but it can be hell lmao))

Any worry that Rose had about the other male pushing her away in that moment disappeared at the kiss they shared. She couldn’t recall a time where she felt as much desire as she currently did. There was never any moment such as this during her prior marriage. She knew in that moment that she had fallen far deeper into love with him than she could’ve imagined. Her body yearned for his hands to roam her body, to explore it. She wanted to feel his lips on every inch of her skin. She didn’t care that Viola was in the house with them. Her lust was beginning to overpower any rational thought that she had. She allowed for the hand that had gently traced his cheek to fall down to his chest, fingers gripping the tunic he wore. She wished she could discard of it then and feel the muscles rippling underneath her hand.

She gasped into the kiss as he nibbled her bottom lip, allowing him full access to do as he pleased. She could feel his hands tracing down her body to grip her hips, pulling them upward to meet his own. Each touch to her was electric. Her heart felt like it was racing within her chest. She didn’t mind the feeling though. It added to everything else she was currently experiencing. As such, she only wanted more. She wanted more of him. She wanted more of his touch. It was a rather selfish thought, but she truly just needed more. She adjusted her hand as he began to unbutton his tunic, allowing him to move it where he pleased. She was at his every command in that current moment. She would do whatever she needed to in order to have him.

She leaned against the desk for a few moments, chest heaving slightly as she worked to regain her breath after he pulled back. That moment reminded her far too much of the first kiss they shared. She could recall the desire that she had felt that day, hoping he would knock on her door that evening and join her. It was far more overwhelming then. She didn’t know if she would fully be able to restrain herself. The combination of him being gone and the lack of touch she experienced was too much for her to handle. But as he pulled away from her, she knew that she shouldn’t push him. The fading lust in his eyes only confirmed it even more for her. “You are far too much of a tease Lord May.” She decided to use his noble title then, unable to help herself. She truly enjoyed being able to tease him back just as much as he did her at times. She pushed herself carefully away from the desk to notice the papers on the flour.

She couldn’t stop the light laugh that left her when she did. “We always do seem to make quite a mess, don’t we?” She mused as she carefully knelt down to begin grabbing them. She didn’t bother looking through to see which belonged where until all of them were gathered and back on the desk. She took to organizing them once more. “I found it is much easier to handle them when they are sorted. Your desk was a bit messy when I arrived.” She commented, though she didn’t mean it impolitely at all. She soon finished, making sure that it was exactly as it had been before. She shifted to gaze at the young lord then. She could see the red tinting his cheeks. “You are absolutely adorable when you are embarrassed.” A faint smile seemed to have taken permanent residence on her lips for the time being.
 
(I can imagine lol, but that's good at the very least that's its not a corporation though)

Emory couldn't help but chuckle slightly at her using his title. He certainly wasn't expecting that from her, though he shook his head at her as he said in a gentler tone, though slightly playful, "I fear that you keep indulging me too much; allowing me to dip into bad habits isn't good you know?" His mind was still racing from the moment, Rose's every reaction to him only shown him that she would have indeed been willing to continue if he didn't stop himself, which was both exhilarating to know but all the same quite dangerous indeed... at least for his self-control. His mind was already filtering through the knowledge he'd not used in so many years, wondering how her face would look twisted in pleasure, how she would sound, how she would taste upon his tongue - Let's not think too much further down that path. Emory forced the rather unbecoming thoughts to cease, bewildered at how unruly he was becoming. He wasn't aware he could be so filthy, it was concerning. Unbeknownst to him, his face had deepened in the crimson coloration as his mind was still racing with all the possibilities, his imagination getting the better of him in this moment as he visibly flinched at the sound of her voice. Focus!

A faint smile crossed Emory's face as his gaze shifted toward the scattered papers, his embarrassment flaring up further as he spoke, "I suppose so." Though, certainly he would not want his mind to picture how messy his own study probably would have gotten if they continued, certainly not just papers would be ruined. Clearing his throat, he forced his mind elsewhere in assisting Rose to clear away the many papers from the floor, though allowing Rose to organize them as he found that it was certainly easier to sort through them when he'd returned. Of course, he allowed the comment to slide, knowing full well the study had been messy when he'd left, he had been in a bit of a hurry despite usually keeping his personal study clean of much clutter, "I appreciate it, it made it easier for me to look through them-" His sentence broke off as she commented on him looking adorable when he was embarrassed, causing the flood of crimson to darken further as he turned his head away from her, his face burning. If only she knew why he was so embarrassed in the first place, but then again he probably wouldn't hear the end of it from her either, or rather would it scare her?

At the very least, he took comfort in the fact she was smiling, even if it was at his expense. The man cleared his throat once more as if to regain some composure again, though he was clearly failing, unable to look directly at her, "How cruel of you to take delight in my embarrassment; after I'm taking such care to make sure I conduct myself properly." He huffed, although it was exaggerated, a smile pulling at his face despite himself, "A cruel princess indeed, taking enjoyment in my suffering." Suffering, although not due to pain, as Emory was still reminding himself that he needed to court her properly after she'd practically been denied such pleasantries from Blaine in her previous marriage. Merely rushing to take her now wouldn't do, especially considering his years of pent up emotions... well, he wasn't sure if she'd very much be able to keep up with his desire for how much he could possibly do. Nor would he want to push much further, uncertain of how she would look upon him afterward. Was he perhaps a bit fearful if she were to spurn him afterward? Or would he accidentally hurt her from being overeager? He knew not. But, taking such risks would not come yet, for now he would take enjoyment in the playful banter they would have back and forth.
 
yeah! i couldn’t imagine working for a McDonald’s or Wendy’s))

Rose allowed an eyebrow to raise at his words, a soft snort leaving her without meaning to. “You believe I am the one indulging you? You might forget that, despite me being a woman and a princess, I would surely enjoy those activities just as much as you. Who said you were not the one indulging me?” She turned the question back around onto him, continuing the banter for as long as she possibly could. She would prefer to keep the atmosphere light between them. After all, she didn’t want a repeat of what occurred during the one night at the hideaway. She never wanted to see Emory as upset as he had been. She mentally vowed to do her best to keep him happy. After all the other male had gone through, he deserved to live a joyful life. She only hoped he would allow for himself to enjoy the small things in his life from then on.

She leaned against the desk carefully with her left arm after placing the papers back on it, gaze focused solely on the man in front of her. She was finding her footing more, returning back to the confident woman she had been before. The thought of acting in the ways she had when she first arrived worried her. She didn’t want to slip back into the shell of herself. She knew she would still always hold that kind front, but this was who she was and who she wanted to be. It brought her great relief to see that the other male appreciated the way she was acting now. A loud laugh broke through her lips at the way in which his face flushed and he forced himself to look away. “A perfect example of such!” She exclaimed. The smile spread to a grin once again. “How can I not love a man who flushes so brightly red at my sweetest of compliments?” She leaned her head back slightly as if she was pretending to swoon, laughing again.

She shook her head lightly at him, though it was out of the amusement she was currently feeling. “You are the picture of a perfect gentleman.” She assured with another giggle. She adjusted her gaze to look back at him with adoring eyes. “I do take great enjoyment in watching you suffer in this way. It isn’t often that someone can say they saw Emory May blush.” She commented before pushing herself to a fully standing position. She looked to the papers back on the desk once more. She hoped the other male would allow her to help him handle his duties that day. She would prefer for him to ease back into them. “Are you composed enough to join me for breakfast this morning? I am sure Viola would love to see you. She had been worried sick about you.” Her words grew a bit more serious. She doubted the maid even knew that the young lord was back yet.
 
(Same! Also decided to make Viola have an emotional moment, Emory of course is feeling very guilty, his soft side is showing through c: )

Emory was a man that would prepare himself for the unexpected, or would adjust his facial expressions accordingly to not appear shocked or surprised. However, when Rose just as easily turned the question back on him, his eyes widened slightly in response, the red coloration that merely crossed his cheeks and ears now had spread across the flustered man's face, "I-" For the first time he was speechless, heart beating fast in his chest. What other reaction could he possibly have? Though, it wasn't as if he hated being teased relentlessly by Rose, even if he would not admit it out loud, seeing the laughter in her eyes, and a smile on her face was enough for the man. Her happiness was something he was finding he was beginning to treasure, far more than anything he owned in this world. A sigh left past his lips, shaking his head at her in exasperation. Maybe she was right, that he was indulging her instead, though it wouldn't be difficult to see that Rose definitely could push the right buttons to cause Emory's face to ignite in a fiery crimson. It was embarrassing for the usually composed man.

He rolled his eyes at her remarks, a hand coming to his fiercely blushing face as he narrowed his eyes at her, "Very cruel indeed. Take care not to push too much, I fear even my patience will fail eventually." A warning, but not a serious one. He didn't mind if she would push more, but he definitely thought she truly wasn't aware of what she was asking for. Of course, he was relieved for the topic change, relief filtering across the man's eyes in response, though now it settled upon Viola. Ah, that was right. He'd not informed the maid of his return, and without a doubt she would have been severely worried about the young lord. A frown crossed his face, uncertain how she would react to his return; his mind immediately thinking she would probably be quite cross with him, or maybe she would cry? Well, it wasn't the first time he made the maid cry over his actions; but it never had bothered him before now. I really have changed. Beforehand, Emory probably would not have cared at all what Viola or anyone else would think about his actions, but Rose was the source of such change within him. Consideration for others as well as their emotions was something that he'd never thought of before, and even during his fight with the mage, never before had he ever worried about dying; but the fear of death was only placed in him due to now finding that there was things that he wanted to hold onto in this world still, though before he considered his life as expendable if the situation called for it. He was becoming more vulnerable to his emotions; of which he wasn't sure it was a good thing or not, even if Rose responded positively to his emotional responses.

You're growing too soft. That emotionless side of him chided, rational and cold as he closed his eyes, forcing his face to cool. Yes, he was growing far too soft for his own good. But, if it made Rose happy...

"I think I should be composed enough, though I doubt she won't be too happy with me." His golden eyes turned to the door, still ajar as he braced himself, already hearing the familiar footfall of lighter steps upon the bottom floor in the kitchen, sluggish it seemed. His eyes turned to Rose, almost expectantly as if to check if she were to follow as the man had exited his study, the heavy footfall of his shoes against the stairway echoing through the house causing the activity within the kitchen to cease abruptly, only for him to be startled by wide brown eyes looking out from the kitchen itself, a face that was quickly becoming blotched with red which prompted his progress down the stairs to slow to a halt as the maid slowly stepped from the kitchen, approaching Emory as if in disbelief, her lips parting in the beginnings of words that caught on her tongue, only for her lips to begin to quiver as much to Emory's alarm, large tears swelled in Viola's eyes and began to drip down her face as her breath caught in her throat, and her next action was one he was not anticipating whatsoever.

She moved toward him, steps quick and soon he felt warm arms circle him as the maid sobbed, her tight embrace foreign which certainly caught Emory off guard as she spoke in broken, accusatory sentences, "Y-you fool! Don't you ever put your... do you have any idea-" One sentence was switched quickly to another as a swell of reprimands flowed endlessly from the maid's lips, her tears staining his tunic as she eventually settled on, "...You foolish boy... don't do anything like that again..." As if she were referring to one of her own sons, the concern there had finally prompted Emory to finally react as he hesitantly placed a hand on top of the maid's head, spotting quite a few new gray hairs in the midst of her brown locks. Maybe he had worried her a bit too much? His eyebrows furrowed as he remained still as possible, unable to bring himself to say anything. I know. I'm sorry. Those were words he should have said to her, to the woman who tried endlessly since his childhood to get him to be a normal boy, a woman who remained even after he had turned out to be a monster, there was so many things he was indebted to her for. A woman who acted more like his mother than any other. And yet, he could not promise her he would not put himself in danger again, he couldn't even promise Rose that either. I'm sorry.
 
my heart!!!! emory is honestly such a sweetheart and his character progression makes me so happy))

Seeing Emory speechless was something that Rose never believed she would accomplish. The shock that flashed across his expression followed by the flushing of red to his entire face brought a strong sense of pride to her. She enjoyed this side to Emory far more than any other that she had seen before. She believed that he had three sides to his personality. There was the cold exterior that he kept up for a tremendous part of his life, always keeping his emotions shoved down to where they wouldn’t interfere with what he did. She assumed this came from his traumatic experiences, or at least the ones he gave privy to. The next side was the one he was showing to her now. It almost held a childlike joy to it, something he had missed out entirely on. This side let its emotions be known no matter what occurred. It took in each moment of the day as if it was a new and exciting journey.

The last side was one that she believed she would never see. The darkness from the traumatic events in Emory’s life left a dark stain on it. While it had caused for him to gain his reputation from it, she knew there was more beneath it. That had exterior was just protection for his younger self. He never truly had been able to work through his emotions. While he was allowing himself to feel more now, which she could easily see, she wondered if he would ever be able to come to full terms with what he felt. This last side was his completely vulnerable side. She hoped that she would be lucky enough to bear witness to it someday. There had been glimpses through these past months. She recalled the time in the bathroom and the moments in the hideaway as some. There was still so much hidden beneath the surface of the young lord that she wished to one day know. Her expression softened some as she pulled herself from her thoughts. She knew she needed to focus just on what she could with him at that current moment in time. She was lucky enough to be sharing mutual affection with him. She needed to savor each moment

She shook her head lightly at his comment, knowing the interaction would be the complete opposite of what he might be thinking. While she understood the maid was angry for the lack of communication while he had been gone, she also was aware just how much Viola cared for Emory. It had been evident when she told her everything that happened during her own time at the hideaway. She slowly followed after him, offering him a reassuring smile once he turned to glanced back at her. She made her way down the stairs after Emory stopped. She watched the interaction from a few feet back. The way in which Viola acted reminded her of her own mother. She hoped that the young lord would realize just how many people truly cared for him then.

“I have called him foolish more time than I can count as of late.” She mused as she slowly continued her progress down the stairs. She slipped by the two with a small smile gracing her lips. “I think I have gotten through his thick skull enough to where he understands he needs to write anytime he will be gone for extended periods with continuous updates.” She assured Viola in a teasing tone directed towards Emory. The air surrounding the three of them was heavy. She had been around enough of that lately to where she wanted to do whatever she could to change it. “I am going to go get some tea. Please continue to scold him Viola.” She added after a few moments, turning to face them as she did. She gave Emory a wink before she moved towards the kitchen. Despite the happiness she felt from the actions not long ago in the study, that heaviness was still weighing on her soul. She let out a soft breath once she was inside the kitchen, moving to gather the tea set along with a few cups. She brought it out to the table like she normally would.
 
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