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Realistic or Modern Night’s Embrace | Private |

Emory paused as she had reacted wordlessly to his first words, though in the back of his mind he did fret... was that the wrong thing for him to say? Of course, he was being genuine, perhaps he had taken her off guard? These worried thoughts had halted as she had thankfully latched onto the topic change, prompting him to relax as eventually a chuckle left his lips, her mimicking his tone had once more caused him to roll his eyes at her, "I suppose you're right, though I'm sure that habit of yours is going to make me age twenty years, perhaps even get a heart attack." He was merely joking of course, though Emory mumbled, "Though, I suppose that's what I get for allowing you to get so close." It was a fault of his own for falling for her, and he didn't regret a single second of it so far. These new emotions and sensations that had been all but lost to him for so many years... it was like he was experiencing life from anew again, to be able to look at the world and begin to actually feel, rather than his heart being numb and empty. Of course, Emory couldn't allow her following tease at her compliment to slide, retorting with amusement lining his tone, "You will only have yourself to blame if my ego grows too much." Granted, Emory knew he would never become unbearable in his ego. He would never permit himself to do such a thing.

After their final kiss, her joke had caused him to raise an eyebrow at her, the gentle pressure of her body supplying him warmth though he was quick to respond back, "Did you truly expect anything different?" Though, this eventually caused him to sigh at her next teasing words regarding his dirty mind, exaggerating disappointment as she had rolled off of him, though he had let her go automatically as she had done so, not desiring to force her to remain on top of him. Mockingly, he stuck his tongue out at her, a rather playful side indeed as he added, poking a bit of fun at his own self, "I think you've forgotten, I had been a prostitute before. My mind is truly too far gone to be innocent." He waved his hand dismissively, "If anything I'm being rather tame! But, I shall behave, I promise. Besides, I blame you for trying to make me feel emotions again, I fear I'll only get worse from here if you keep indulging me." The Black Market where he had lived at one point certainly didn't instill a sense of proper and polite manners; and even if he had learned to be proper and behave within reason under his time under the former Lord May's "care", his true personality was beginning to slip through the cracks occasionally, especially in these moments with Rose where he could let down his guard.

However, he was relieved at least to see the bright green of her eyes shining, something that he wanted to keep. This caused his expression to gentle, knowing full well he had succeeded in drawing her mind away from her pain, and her words certainly helped the warmth return to his face as he spoke in a softer tone, "I suppose so, I truly must be the luckiest man in the world." He truly meant it, although his luck had truly been awful prior to meeting Rose. Having her in his life had brought him so much.. emotion, so much joy. Emory hesitated, trying to think over his words as he spoke, "Thank you, truly. For the first time I truly feel like I'm..." He trailed off, searching for the word that could properly describe the emotions within him that had been lost for so very long, sensations that he thought he would never feel, "..Alive." That was it. He had been living like a dead man for so many years that it had become normal, in fact he did think he had been acting normal for so very long, and it was only when Rose had pointed it out to him had he begun to realize the chill that had overcome himself, the numbness that he had used to protect himself for risk, from allowing anyone to hurt him again. Although he knew full well the risk of trusting someone, he trusted Rose wholeheartedly, obvious in the way his expressions were tender and warm when she was near him. He certainly loved her, the love in his chest scared him, intensely so for it made his heart ache. It was a painful feeling, but warm all the same and he wasn't about to allow himself to turn from it.

His eyes had closed as her hand caressed his cheek, leaning into her touch as her thumb brushed over his cheekbone. The feeling was warm, filled with affection and made his heart ache and skip a beat in his chest. The sensation washed over him, burying deep into his body as he took in a breath and exhaled. Though, as she withdrew her hand, Emory couldn't help but notice more so that his skin felt cold when she had drawn her hand away, looking up to her as she had spoken, though his expression grew tender as he too had sat up, his hand gently coming to grab her own and raising it to his lips, placing a soft kiss upon her skin, "Then sleep. I'll stay awake." She needed rest, and he wasn't going to allow her to push herself more than necessary. Although exhaustion was dragging at himself, he would not permit himself to sleep. He was used to going days without resting, adding one more day to it was nothing... though he would eventually crash if his body was pushed far too much.
 
A soft hum left Rose’s lips at his teasing comment. The smirk that had been on her lips before had returned. “I do hate saying this because I know this is going to inflate your ego more, but I believe you would look even more attractive with grey streaks in your hair. I doubt you would have a heart attack though. I don’t think I would be able to stress you out that much.” She stated with a shake of her head. His mumbled statement afterwards caused that familiar feeling of concern to flare in her chest. Despite the distance the other male had come, she knew that there was still a lot that Emory had to overcome. She hoped that he wouldn’t allow himself to get too into his own mind about it though. She allowed for the concern to be pushed away as the conversation continued to flow. She didn’t want to dwell on anything too much that could bring both of their moods down. “That’s true. You have the right to have an ego though, especially if I am the one constantly reminding you just how handsome you are.” Her response was lighthearted still.

The other sticking his tongue out at her causes for laughter to begin to bubble in her chest. Her head tilted back slightly as she did so, eyes pinched shut. It was so odd to see this side of Emory, especially after she had grown to know the male as quite the serious man. She truly did enjoy it though. She much preferred seeing the gleam in his eyes compared to the coldness that he normally had. “Terribly diplomatic of a young lord to admit such travesties. A dirty mind is quite improper.”” Her words continued to carry the joking tone, wanting to keep the air as light as she possibly could in that moment. She brought a hand up to rest gently on her chest, letting out a gasp as though he had truly offended her. “Oh no, the horrors of my own actions! How dare I force you to feel emotions!” She exclaimed before laughing once more. The sound echoed against the walls of her room.

Her laughter didn’t last as long as the one before had, her expression settling into one of joy. Her eyes softened at his confession. She bit her bottom lip gently. “You are far too kind to me Emory, truly.” She confessed, words soft. She gazed down at him with a kind gaze, her affection clear in that moment. She shook her head once more. “There is no reason for you to thank me on that. I am just grateful that I have been able to help you experience life the way that you should’ve from the moment you were born.” She explained. She knew that she was no better in him in accepting the thanks that was being offered. She normally accepted other’s appreciation quite easily. “You deserve all the love that I can give you and more. I hope you know that.” She added after a moment’s silence.

She took in a gentle breath, shifting slightly once more. The weight she rested on her arm was beginning to cause it to ache one again. She allowed for him to carefully grab ahold of her hand and smiled at the kiss he gave it. “If I do, do you promise to wake me in a little while? I need to ensure that I don’t overcook the stew. I want dinner tonight to be perfect.” She confessed. She shifted to carefully lay down beside him once more. She returned to the position she had been in originally, head resting carefully on his chest with one arm draped over his stomach. Her eyes closed partly as she listened to the gentle beating of his heart. As much as she had been fighting her sleep, it didn’t take much longer until her eyes fully fell shut. She clung onto him more as she slept, almost as though she was attached to his side.
 
Emory chuckled, "Hopefully I'll age gracefully then if that's the case." Though, Emory wasn't too concerned with his own appearance of course. The man wasn't vain, prioritizing other matters rather than making sure he was attractive to others... though it certainly did give him a slight ego boost with Rose's compliments. Her following comment only prompted the man to shrug his shoulders, "Indeed it is." Happiness flooded his chest at her reaction to his playful, yet childish action. The fact that he could bring out her laughter in such a manner was pleasant. If it was possible, he would want to make sure there was never a day that the joy would be extinguished from her eyes... but was that even possible with him? The gnawing doubt began to worm its way in his chest, eating at the temporary high of happiness that was flooding through him. She said she wanted to be with me, that's all that matters right now. Rose is happy with me... or so she says. His eyes lowered a bit to the comfortable mattress underneath them, trying to keep his mood afloat as he fixated his mind back on the playful back and forth the two were sharing.

A chuckle had finally left his lips at her words, shaking his head at her, "Are you complaining, Rose? I'm fairly sure you had enjoyed yourself when I had acted 'improper'." He was merely teasing her, though her exaggerated actions had truly made a hearty laugh leave him once more, "Yes, how dare you indeed! You're making me too soft; what did you call me? Ah, yes a terrifying teddy bear! Truly, a grave error has been made." He wasn't serious at all with the way his laughter still managed to leave him, though he had hesitated and raised an eyebrow at her as she seemed to be unable to take his gratitude, saying in a slightly more subdued tone as his laughter was finally beginning to leave him, "And you say I'm bad when it comes to accepting gratitude." A sigh left his lips, he truly meant it as the man wasn't one to give compliments at all, especially heartfelt compliments like that. However, as she had said he deserved all of her love, hesitation truly had managed to break through on the man's face as he whispered, his voice too quiet to hear, "Do I really?" Emory May, the man who had slaughtered thousands, who had killed his own family by his own hands as well as the innocents in the manor, who bared his teeth at the royal family; the same family who Rose treasured dearly... the same man who had been broken and used for all he was worth, deserved Rose's affection? His expression became somber then, lost in his swirling thoughts.

However, this brief moment of a somber cloud had disappeared as Rose's voice had managed to break through his depressing thoughts, caught off guard he had stared at her for a few seconds as he processed what she had said, only for a gentleness to touch his face although he didn't smile this time. "Of course, I promise." As she had settled down next to him once more, he had shifted his position so she could hold onto him again with ease. Eventually, Rose had fallen asleep, leaving the man staring up at the ceiling above him, the sound of Rose's quiet breaths would have usually brought him some peace... but now that he was alone in the waking world, the man's expression of gentleness had faded, only settling on the emptiness that had been threatening to surge out of him before. Although he loved basking in Rose's presence now, part of him couldn't truly accept it. Why did she love him of all people? Although, he knew she stated that she saw good in him, that he was truly a kind and gentle person... he couldn't accept it. His tired mind filtered through all of their previous interactions, and even if he had acted kind and gentle toward her, she still deserved someone far better than he.

Emory was merely trying to be some figment of a man that he thought she would love, desperate now to claim her affection for his own despite knowing full well he did not deserve a single scrap of it. He deserved love? What a joke. A bitter feeling swelled in his chest as his arm wrapped around Rose, holding her closer to him while she slept, anguish filling his eyes as he whispered under his breath to himself, "...I'm scared.." The first time he would admit out loud he was scared of how close he was becoming to Rose, how much she was becoming someone he could not replace. It was terrifying, she was terrifying. Her warmth, her touch, the happiness and joy she brought with her, it scared him how much he was becoming used to it, like it was normal. Losing her, losing everything would... would he be able to recover? Did she inadvertently become the one weakness he was terrified of becoming a reality? Was he indeed becoming far too soft? Too vulnerable?

He could feel his fingers beginning to feel cold, at least the very tips of his fingers as he fought to push down the wave of paranoia in his mind. Maybe he was overthinking things, that he needed to enjoy the good moments between them now while he still could. Eventually, she would find another, eventually she may leave his side... eventually she will throw him away. That thought pained him far more than he expected, his free hand coming to his head as he closed his eyes shut, willing his past memories to not taint the present. That wasn't even close to the reality he was living now, Rose would never do such a thing! He knew her far better and should never doubt the truth in her tone, and considering his past traumas were beginning to run rampant in his own head, he shouldn't confuse them with Rose and how she was now. She wasn't like those vipers, she wasn't even close to acting like his mother... she was pure and sweet, he shouldn't allow his mind to break such a perfect image of what she truly was... but part of him still rebelled, reminded him that anything could happen. People could change, and there was no telling what would happen months or years from now. He needed to keep his guard up, didn't he? But she would be hurt, wouldn't she?

His eyes dropped down to the sleeping woman clinging to him, his expression tormented as he forced his head to turn then, allowing his mind to wander as he sank into the silence, deeper and deeper; allowing himself to drown in it.
...​
The smell of food had managed to finally reach Emory eventually, though the man hadn't slept and had been as promised, awake and forcing himself to focus on the smell of the food that was cooking. Deciding that this was as good as a time as any, Emory had turned his head toward Rose, his free hand coming to gently shake her, gripping her shoulder as he spoke, his tone calm, "Rose, it's time to wake up... I think." The smell of food didn't smell burnt, luckily enough. But he wasn't entirely sure if it was ready or not, considering he had been seemingly held captive by Rose clinging to him the whole time and didn't want to awaken her too early.
 
Not much greeted Rose in her sleep, her mind surprisingly rather empty. There were no dreams that managed to break through the calmness that had washed over her. It was a strong contrast from what she experienced the night before, though she knew that was entirely due to Emory being beside her. The warmth that radiated from him kept her in a deeper slumber along with the exhaustion that finally was catching up with her. She didn’t move much while she slept, just keeping her grip on the man beside her a bit tighter than she normally would’ve. It was an unconscious reassurance that he truly was there, that her mind hadn’t just conjured him back up. Their desperation had caused her quite a bit of panic and thinking he had died was the worst of it all.

It was surprising to even her how she had fallen for Emory. She was rather skilled at being able to see sides to others that they normally couldn’t see themselves thanks to Blaine. He had completely changed her perception on many portions of her life. Emory was like a breath of fresh air sweeping in through the window on a warm summer’s day. He embodied everything that she had desired in a partnership, even if he couldn’t see those sides to himself just yet. It wasn’t as if she minded reassuring him when he needed it. After hearing the full extent of what he had gone through, she would do everything in her power to make him feel as safe and loved as he made her feel. She didn’t care that he often questioned if she meant what she said. She didn’t care that he had killed so many. She didn’t care that his reputation was a stain no one could ever wash away.

She was utterly and hopelessly in love with him. That was all that mattered to her.

Her eyes didn’t immediately open once Emory gently shook her shoulder. Instead, a soft mumble broke through her lips. Her expression tightened for a moment, eyebrows furrowing. It was only when he spoke that she forced her eyes open. Blurriness was the first thing that greeted her, causing her to blink rapidly in order to clear her vision. Her head didn’t lift from the spit that it rested on his chest just yet. The smell of the stew wafted to her nostrils and she let out another few mumbled. “I shouldn’t have slept. I truly do not want to get up.” She whispered. She released the trip that she had on him before she rolled off to the side onto her back. Her one arm was thrown off of the side of the bed, dangling down. Her legs were bent as she did her best to stretch in the position she found herself in.

She kept her gaze focused up on the ceiling for a moment before she finally was able to get herself sitting up. Immediately the aching in her muscles intensified, though she did her best to hide the wince from Emory. She didn’t want for him to worry over such a thing. “I believe it should be ready if you want to accompany me to eat.” She offered, sleep still laced in her voice. She bit back a yawn before she got herself standing once more. Not waiting for the other male’s response, she began to make her way slowly from the room and towards the stairs. Her hip was still aching, but it was far more bearable than it had been before. She carefully got down the stairs before hurrying off to the kitchen. She grabbed the towel she had set aside earlier, placing it over the pot. She then carefully lifted it off of the fire. She brought it to the counter and place it down. A small smile came to her lips once she lifted the lid and saw how it looked.

She then returned to the oven and pulled out the bread that had been cooking as well. She was glad to see that everything ended up seemingly perfect. She had wanted this dinner to be a good one as it was the first that she was making for an Emory. She placed the bread off to the side by the stew and then placed the towel down as well. She hurried back over towards the herbs and grabbed a few more twigs of thyme. She lifted the lid from the stew once more and sprinkled a few extra pieces of thyme on top.
 
Emory watched as she had begun to stir, slowly becoming alert to her surroundings. It was a relief to him, her now warm presence accompanied by her tired grumbles had temporarily chased away the stressful thoughts in his head. Her grip had finally eased away, allowing the man to finally move, sitting up as she had done, granted he didn't seem to mind whatsoever that she had drooled a bit on his tunic. It wasn't as if it were a big deal, as he had far worse stain his clothes before, besides Rose was tired... how could he blame her? "You needed the rest, besides you can always go to sleep again later." Granted, Emory was tempted to tell her to go to sleep sooner rather than later. Her exhaustion concerned him... even if he should be a lot more concerned at his negligence regarding himself.

As she had stood up, it was not lost on him that she had winced prior to doing so, which caused a frown to touch his face. Nonetheless, he had silently risen to his feet from the bed, accompanying her down the stairway as he kept a close eye on her progress down the stairs. It seemed as if she was moving slightly better... but not by much. He shouldn't be surprised though, considering it was only a few hours, it wasn't enough for her body to magically repair itself from the soreness. Regardless, the man felt a bit helpless as he watched her move to the kitchen, peering with worried eyes, practically burning holes into her back although he did not speak a single word just yet.

This worry had faded slightly as he observed her looking down at the stew she had created, and the pleased smile that crossed her face in response. It seemed as if she was pleased with herself, which in turn made him look a little bit more to the food she was ppreparing. It certainly smelled heavenly, though his stomach did not twist in hunger or anything of the sort. Though, he would not allow him to get anxious just yet, there was no guarantee that he wouldn't be able to even taste the food, right?

Eventually, he finally stepped from his standing position from the side of the kitchen's entryway, his steps eventually halting behind her as his firm hands had settled gently upon her waist; keeping care not to agitate her particularly sore hip as he looked over her shoulder, "It certainly looks good." His tone seemed a bit impressed, though this delved into slight concern as he finally looked to her, "But, are you alright enough to be moving around? You're still in pain."
 
She could feel Emory’s eyes staring at her as she moved about the kitchen, making sure that everything was prepared in the way it needed to be before the two sat down to eat. His concern was greatly appreciated, but she believed it to be quite unnecessary. She knew that she wouldn’t be able to spend the entirety of the next few days relaxing in bed while waiting for her sore muscles to stop aching. Besides, it would cause her even more of a headache to do nothing when she knew there was much to be done. The inside of the manor still needed to be painted and there were still arrangements that needed to be discussed for the garden. She need to begin mapping out how she wanted to decorate the interior walls once the painting was done. She still had to finish reorganizing the library as well. Her main goal was to make the mansion feel as if it were completely their own. She didn’t want a trace of the former Lord May to be found. She believed it would be the best thing to help ease Emory’s mind.

She could hear his footsteps approaching her, expecting the gentle touch that came to her hips. She turned her head to the side in order to look towards him. A smile slowly spread onto her lips, though this one didn’t meet her eyes. The green of her irises were a bit duller due to the sleep she had yet to completely shake off. “Emory, I can assure you that I am fine. I knew that I would be sore after my first round of training.” She explained. She placed the lid carefully back onto the stew before turning in his grip to fully face him. Her eyes studied his expression for a moment, taking note of the way the corner of his eyes wrinkled in worry as well as the way in which his eyebrows pinched as he watched her. “You are worrying as much as my mother used to and there is no need to. I will be alright. This will not kill me. I have survived far worse illnesses than that of some simple soreness.” Her voice grew quieter as she spoke.

After the first time she had fallen ill while being here, she knew he had ever right to be as concerned as he pleased. It was the sickest she had been in quite some time and it even terrified her in the moment. She hoped that it wouldn’t be that bad ever again, though she never truly could be sure with how easily she was able to get sick. She supposed she shared his own concerns for her health, even if she didn’t voice them. She leaned up to press a careful kiss to his cheek, his beard tickling her lips as she did. “Now go and sit. I will bring everything out soon.” She commanded once she pulled back, using her right hand to gently pinch the sleeve of his shirt. She pulled herself carefully out of his grasp and then moved to grab a few bowls as well as smaller plates from the cupboard. She placed the two bowls by the pot of stew before bringing the plates out of the kitchen to the table. She set them up at their respective places. She then repeated the process with silverware, napkins, and drinks for the two. She got them both some water as well as some tea.

Once she was pleased with the table setting, she brought the loaf of bread out with a knife. She carefully placed it in between the two of them. She then brought the two bowls out that were now filled with the stew. She placed one at his seat and one at her own. She paused by her chair, eyes looking over everything she brought out. “Alright, that should be it. Make sure to save some room for the dessert as well. I have a feeling it will be your new favorite treat.” She confessed. She then pulled her chair out. Her movements to sit down were much slower than normal, the aching beginning to catch up with her once more. She leaned back in her seat once she was finally sitting. She waited patiently for Emory to join her. “I want you to try it first so I can see your reaction if you hate it, I swear I will cook no more.” Her tone was joking, a hint of a smile still on her lips.
 
The words spoken to him did little to cause the man's worry to disappear, his frown deepening even if he knew she was indeed right. Both of them knew she would be sore, but physically exerting herself more would probably be worse. Granted, Rose wasn't actually doing anything that would cause harm to her body, rather minor things instead, and he shouldn't be hovering. A huff left his lips as he reluctantly obeyed; his hands released their grip from her, although he never had been holding her too tightly to begin with as he withdrew from her side, retreating back into the dining hall and settling once more within his ever familiar spot, his eyes shifting restlessly about the room.

It was odd how... uncomfortable he felt now in the dining hall. Remnants from thw past night's confessions beginning to settle upon him as memories threatened to cloud his somewhat decent mood. The man's arms crossed, muscles tensing as he fixated instead on the kitchen and the clinking sound of silverware and bowls, his eyebrows furrowing as he realized he probably should have helped her bring everything out rather than sit and wait. Just as the man was about to rise to his feet, Rose had turned the corner and began to set the table before him.

To Emory, as he gazed upon what she had prepared... it was a simple meal, but it smelled delightful. The warm smell of bread as well as the scent of the stew had caused the man's previously worried gaze to soften and ease into a silent appreciation. Rose's voice had caused him to look up, her words prompting a smile to finally break its way upon his face, though his eyes still didn't seem to fully match the warmth of his smile which was... odd. But, Emory couldn't help but feel the tense nerves in his stomach begin to writhe with anxiety as he spoke, "I have no doubts it'll taste wonderful." Hesitation settled upon him for a second as he gazed down at the stew before him, though not wanting to be suspicious, he had picked up a spoon, dipping the utensil in the soup and bringing it to his lips. The heat coming from the food felt appealing against his skin, though he was quick to place it in his mouth...

There was no taste.

His tongue felt the heat, though it did not pain him, but there was no flavour that ignited upon his tongue. It was as if his very taste buds had long since burned away. Disbelief settled upon him for a second as he swallowed, the hot liquid flowing down his throat, but no pain had flared from it. His expression was unreadable for a few seconds, then he continued eating, although slightly quicker than before, not desiring to waste the food Rose had prepared before him, though the bits and pieces of stew in his mouth was all too tasteless upon his tongue though he knew enough that this could not be. His stomach didn't seem to feel full either, feeling as empty as ever despite the food he was pushing down his throat. It was disppointing... though he was disappointed with this insufferable condition.

With his bowl eventually being empty before him, he hesitated, then his expression turned warm as he spoke, "You did well." It wasn't a full lie, but he did feel a bit guilty that he couldn't appreciate the flavour. If anything due to his body's incompetence now in regards to taste; there was no flavour on his tongue even if he could detect heat. However; lying to Rose felt... wrong. She had put so much effort in... Emory lowered his gaze, his eyebrows furrowing as he debated telling her, only for him to give in as he took in a breath and exhaled.

"..I'm unfortunately... unable to taste anything. Though, it is not a fault of your own. But this has been happening since I've gotten back from... Freycrest." Emory's expression seemed a bit more guilty, "I haven't even been able to taste Viola's cooking, so I was hoping that maybe I could this time but, it seems that hope was misplaced. I'm sorry." It was foolish of him to apologize for something he had absolutely no control over, but he couldn't help it when Rose clearly had done her absolute best. A bit of resentment was beginning to settle in his chest toward himself as his apology had ended, the man staring at the table rather than directly at Rose.
 
Rose’s eyes settled on Emory as she awaited his reaction to her cooking, hoping the man would like it. She knew that there were many different things that she could’ve made instead, as she had collected a few recipes while she had been by herself, but she believed the simplicity of the dish would be perfect for the two of them. It was also the easiest thing for her to prepare after the training earlier that day. It took the least amount of time and effort. Part of her was grateful that Emory had forced her to lay down while the stew was cooking. The other part wished that she could’ve chosen another recipe that might’ve been even better for the two of them to share. She decided that if he was to truly enjoy her cooking, she would just have to try out a few different recipes. After all, they both now had the entirety of their lives to spend together. She knew she would need a few different recipes to use every now and then.

She waited patiently for Emory to taste the stew before she grabbed her own spoon and lifted it to her mouth. It was clear that she was pleased with the way the stew tasted herself, a glimmer coming into her eyes. She had been a bit worried that she was going to over-season it with the herbs, but everything had melded together perfectly. She carefully placed her spoon down to take a slice of the bread. She ripped a small piece off and popped it into her mouth. She looked back to Emory as she chewed, finally noticing his unreadable expression. It cause worry to build within her, thinking that he might not like it. But with the manner he was eating it, she assumed her mind must be overthinking his initial reaction. She instead just focused on eating the rest of the stew in her own bowl as well as some of the bread.

She lifted her head at the sound of his words, a small smile beginning to form on her lips at them. It was rather short lived though at his confession came not long after. She wished that she had been able to hide the disappointment that came into her eyes. They had widened slightly, mouth parting to form an ‘o’ shape. She forced it shut once she realized she had done so, biting her bottom lip carefully. She shifted her gaze down to her own empty bowl. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly before she forced her expression to return to being neutral. A weak smile formed on her lips as she shook her head then. “It is alright Emory. I appreciate you telling me.” She confessed, voice quiet. She carefully stood then before moving to gather his empty bowl as well as her own. She paused at the door to the kitchen, turning to face him once again. “If you do not want to have the rolls for dessert, that is alright as well. I don’t want for you to feel as though you are obligated to. I am sure it is disappointing not being able to taste anything and I don’t want for you to feel worse about it.” She spoke truthfully.

She offered him once more smile before carefully pushing the door to the kitchen open and stepping inside. She brought the bowls to the washbasin, pausing there as she set them into it. She truly wished that Emory had told her sooner, but she knew she couldn’t be upset at him for it. It seemed as though he had a lot happening since Freycrest. She wouldn’t push for him to tell her anything he didn’t feel comfortable revealing yet. She turned her head to look towards the pot that still held some of the stew. Her steps brought her there next. She decided that there wasn’t enough to be saved for the next day. She put the lid back on top and then brought it to the washbasin as well. She then finally turned to make her way back out to the table. She was quiet as she grabbed the remaining portion of the loaf of bread and the plates she brought out for it. She brought it to the kitchen as well. She knew the bread could be used for the next few days and it would save Viola from having to make any.

She peaked her head back out of the kitchen to look to Emory once more. “Would you like anymore tea before I begin to clean up in here?” She asked, voice gentle as she spoke. She hoped that he wouldn’t overthink what he had just told her. While she had been disheartened at the confession, she had no plans to let it cloud her mind any longer.
 
Emory could feel the disappointment radiating off from Rose, the guilt in his chest causing his heart to sink lower as his expression tightened in response. However, her response of course was gentle and forgiving, though the man had released a heavy sigh in response, shaking his head stubbornly at her, "No. I'll still eat it." Though, this was mostly due to an urge to not waste any food. The man had lived a rather rough life before, and even if he could still taste food, he would have eaten every scrap, regardless of the taste. Though, even now the man's stomach still felt incredibly empty, as if he'd not eaten a single thing at all.

However, as he watched her progress to and fro from the kitchen, he felt an odd sensation beginning to come over him, a wave of dizziness. It was sudden, enough to stun him for a few seconds as he heard Rose's voice, causing him to try to focus on her as she had spoken. "No, that's-" Another wave of dizziness overcame him again, causing the man to clutch at his head, a grimace crossing his face as it felt as if the world around him was spinning. Granted, dizziness wasn't something that he was unfamiliar with, but the sudden intensity was disorientating. His body suddenly felt heavy, exhausted almost as if all of his previous energy had suddenly vanished.

His expression contorted with obvious discomfort as he felt unable to move, eyelids feeling heavy as he struggled to cling to consciousness. The dizziness intensified again, causing the man's body to slump forward, his arms being enough to luckily brace himself before he head could hit the table. What overshadowed everything however was the intense pain that suddenly sparked in his stomach, as if his insides were beginning to tear apart. His skin alone seemed to be burning again, as if the previous fire that had once been seemingly extinguished in his body had ignited all over again.
 
Rose appreciated that Emory was at least going to try to eat still, even if he couldn’t taste a single thing he was. She hoped that it wouldn’t be a permanent loss, instead something that was just a temporary sensation. There was nothing that she had heard of herself to cause such an issue. It was odd, but then again everything about what had occurred in Freycrest was. The mention of beings who could wield magic were just stories told to scare children to behave once they were acting up. Parents told their children that a magus would come and curse them if they didn’t. She could recall being told such things herself when she was younger, though she never believed them. But now? Now she knew better. The possibility of their country being attacked by beings far more powerful themselves was very real. If one could cross the border and cause as much havoc as he did, she couldn’t imagine what an entire army could do. The thought sent a shiver down her spine.

She had been about to turn to return to the kitchen when Emory’s words had broken off. Her eyebrows furrowed as she took a step towards the man. She didn’t immediately move to his aid, wanting to give him the space he might require in that moment. She knew he could still be startled by sudden physical touch and she didn’t want to add to it any. Yet, the moment that she saw the grimace cross his expression, she immediately moved forward. Her steps were soft but quick as the moved across the short distance to his side. “Emory?” Her words were soft, clearly unsure how to help him in that moment. Her hand hovered near his arm, fingers trembling slightly. She was almost afraid to touch him, almost as though her memories from a few days prior were coming back to her mind. She carefully knelt by his side, balancing herself on one knee. Her body ached in protest as she did so, but she ignored it.

“What’s wrong? Is there anything you would like me to grab? I can get you some water or a rag.” Her words came out tumbling onto one another. Her co verb was growing more and more with each passing second. His sudden lurch forward didn’t help ease her mind any. She immediately moved to help him balance himself, hands gently gripping the shoulder closest to him and the arm he had used to grip the table. His skin underneath her palm felt much warmer than it normally did. It was almost exactly as it had been during Freycrest. The remnants of the smell of the rotting and burned flesh wafted back to her nose, almost making her want to gag. She shoved it off the best she possibly could in order to keep Emory as her main focus. She carefully stood once more, hands still gently holding onto him. “Please tell me there is something I can do to help.” Her words were no more than a hopeless whisper. She hadn’t a clue if she would be able to help it and it made a weight rest of her chest.
 
Emory's world continued to spin, a rapid, nauseating blur as his stomach writhed and twisted in his stomach, the tearing sensation beginning to devolve into what felt like intense hunger pangs, such things that he'd not felt in years; and even then it was never as painful as now. His eyelids nearly closed, breathing becoming uneven and unsteady as he looked to Rose who was now kneeling at her side. As she had spoken, it felt distant to his own ears, a ringing sensation beginning to build in his eardrums as the painful twists of his stomach persisted.

His eyebrows furrowed, desiring to tell her to not worry, but even then that would be obvious enough that there was cause for concern. The man clearly wasn't alright, his skin continuing to build up heat underneath Rose's hand, "..I need... to lay down.." He struggled to force those words past his lips, but it was the only thing that he could think of in this situation. Although the feelings of pain centered in his stomach rather than his whole body; he could have sworn that he had released enough mana so that he wouldn't be in such dire straits... Perhaps he was wrong. It wasn't as if there were any clear clues as to how to prevent his condition from accelerating, instead all there had been left was questions and no answers.

For now, the man didn't seem as bad as he had been when he'd been bedridden. His skin, although very warm to the touch was nowhere near as unbearable as it had been before; and it wasn't as if the whole room was heating up.

Gripping the table, Emory forced himself up to his feet, the motion causing him to nearly stagger and fall back, but he had steadied himself, discomfort as clear as day upon his face as he began to slowly make his way toward the stairway, though this alone was perhaps a bad idea for him to do when he still was quite dizzy. From the way he was walking, he clearly wasn't walking confidently, instead being careful and stumbling almost over his own feet, but it was only out of his own stubbornness that he'd not collapsed on the spot. The last thing he needed was for Rose to try and support his weight, she already was very sore, not to mention considering the man was well-built with muscle, he was a bit heavy.

Eventually, the man had reached the base of the stairway, gripping the railing as he hesitated. Everything was spinning again; causing him to lean against the rail, nausea breaking through the horrid pains lancing through his stomach.
 
The heat that was beginning to radiate for the young lord was worrisome. It seemed to only be growing each moment that her hand spent resting on his arm. Her grip hadn’t loosened just yet as her mind tried to wrap itself around anything that she might be able to do to help him. She found herself feeling just as helpless as she had been when he originally got injured before, when she thought he was going to die. She did her best to steer her thoughts away from the darkness that began to creep forward with that reminder. She knew that this wouldn’t be the death of the man she loved so dearly. He was strong, a fighter. He had always been one and she knew he always would be. Yet, his words did little to ease the concern that was beginning to bubble over in her chest.

She forced herself to carefully stand, letting her hands drop to her side. Her fingers curled into her palm for a moment as she kept her gaze focused on him. She was waiting for the moment that she would need to step in and help him. Despite the man’s stubbornness, she knew he wouldn’t be able to do it all on his own. “Alright, let’s get you upstairs.” She agreed after a few moments of silence. Her tone echoed the worry that she felt, words quiet. There was nothing that she could possibly say to help get his mind off of what he was feeling, especially not with the way he almost fell backwards as he stood. Her hands immediately came out to help balance him, even though he managed to do it himself. Her eyebrows had furrowed once more, eyes narrowed as she watched him. She only allowed for her hands to drop once more when she saw that he managed to balance himself enough.

She moved alongside him rather slowly, going along with the pace he deemed acceptable. Her hands fidgeted at her side, itching to reach out and help him walk once more. Every ounce of care for the soreness she was feeling had gone out the window with this sudden development. She would do anything that she could for him, whether it be running back off to the kingdom to get something that could rid him of his pain or just being beside him for as long as he needed her to be. It wasn’t the first time that she had done something of the sort for the man and she would do it any time that he needed her to. If it had been any other moment, she would’ve laughed at the irony of the situation. The two were willing to risk almost everything in order to care for one another in their times of need. It was endearing, truly.

She paused at the base of the staircase with him, turning to fully face him. “There is no way you are going to be able to do this by yourself. Let me help you.” Her voice was a bit firmer then, knowing he would probably immediately tell her no. She truly doubted he would be able to get himself up the stairs by himself. She moved behind him to his other side, wrapping her arm carefully around his waist. She then took his free arm and move it around her shoulders. “Alright, let’s move slowly.” She murmured. It was only when she moved to take a step that she notice he had hesitated. She turned her head in order to look back to him. “Emory, what’s wrong?” She inquired. She hated that there was nothing she could do in that moment to help him. She felt absolutely useless and she hated ever feeling like that.
 
Emory opened his mouth to protest, "No, I don't need-" But, Rose's tone was enough for him to give in with a reluctant huff of breath leaving him. Before he could even think of moving, he could feel the gentle pressure of her arm around his waist, his free arm draping over her shoulders as she prompted him to move slowly. However, the man tilted his head back as he looked up the stairs once more, the sight alone was dizzying again as his eyes couldn't focus, causing him to grimace as he closed his eyes again, shaking his head as if that could possibly help. The action only served to make the dizziness intensify for a few moments, causing his weight to shift, nearly leaning out of Rose's grip against the stairway as his hand still gripping the railing had tightened to steady himself. So much for not needing assistance... The annoyed thought rang in his head as he gritted his teeth, "..Nothing. I'm just.. dizzy." Admitting as much was a sting to his pride, but there was nothing much that he could do about it at the moment.

His body internally felt still uncomfortable, stomach still being ripped apart by the odd hunger pangs that he just didn't understand why it was occurring. "..Let's... go." His voice strained as he could feel an uncomfortable heat swelling in his throat, one that he certainly didn't want to feel anytime soon. Slowly, the man began to make his way up the stairs, each step feeling more so difficult than the last as his body threatened to collapse underneath the dizziness that was plaguing him. However, it wouldn't take too long for the man to eventually make the seemingly long climb up the stairway and eventually on stable flooring again, making his way toward his room - though he would not send Rose away, not this time. Considering he knew she would be worried, he wouldn't refuse her presence near him.

As the door opened, Emory had stumbled through, his steps immediately heading toward his bed and immediately collapsing on it when the opportunity was given. His breathing had steadied slightly, clearly not on the same intensity as when he was in Freycrest, however the surge of dizziness was not leaving him anytime soon. It would almost make him nauseous... but he didn't want to vomit, not now. At the very least, the comfort of the mattress underneath him was enough to cause his tense muscles to relax a little bit, a heaviness sinking into him that left him feeling weak. Eyes slowly opening, he looked at Rose then, the gold of his eyes seeming slightly paler, if that even was possible. It was as if the vibrancy of the gold was being sapped away, slowly but surely, "Stay with me.. please." It was rare for Emory to request such a thing, as the man wouldn't permit himself to be so weak to require someone's presence... but he was bewildered by his sudden change in condition. Rose provided him just a tiny bit more of extra comfort, something that he needed to ensure he could remain calm.

Those words would be the last he would speak for a while, the waves of dizziness as well as the pain within his stomach; not to mention him being already sleep-deprived, the young lord's eyelids felt heavy as they closed, immediately falling deep into unconsciousness.
...Minutes to Midnight...​
Normally, messages to Lord May wouldn't arrive late into the night as the sentries were well aware of the importance of their lord's duty when he would leave his home. As such, no interruptions were usually permitted unless it was of grave importance; and usually the delivering of messages would require at least two sentries to accompany each other to the manor in case there was an ambush. However, this was not the case, not this night. The important letter had arrived in one of the sentries' outpost out of seemingly thin air, a flash of brilliant light had been the first to greet most of the startled sentries eyes before they could even begin to draw weapons, and much to the many men and women present the letter in question seemed normal enough, but with an unfamiliar crest that no one in the room could match with any nation on Erista, meaning one thing and one thing only.

Avrune had finally responded.

This letter had caused the sentries' activity to spike, sending out Hugh to the manor due to Leofstan and Ludovic's unfortunate deaths, although they had caught the boy when he was just about to fall asleep in his room within his parent's tavern, he was all too eager to prove himself to Lord May and considering time was against him due to his senior's urging, Hugh had snuck away in the cover of night and began his hasty delivery to the May manor. The sound of the farm horse he had "borrowed" from his neighbors was the only sound that would ring in his ears as the horse's heavy hooves pounded against the earth, his legs gripping the large horse's sides due to him being unable to grab a saddle, hands gripping the horse's mane as he leaned forward, his blood ringing in his ears as his heart pounded. Perhaps he was merely nervous, Viola and Merewin had no idea that he had personally signed up to be one of Emory's sentries, nor were they aware that he had snuck out during the night... ah, and his neighbor probably would be beyond angry if he didn't return his horse before dawn... he couldn't be caught after all.

None of these things mattered though, as Lord May needed this letter! And Hugh would do his best to fulfill this duty... even though he had a feeling the other sentries didn't want to do it themselves. Regardless, as Hugh's borrowed horse had finally drew close enough to the manor, the young boy had slipped quickly from the saddle and promptly rushed toward the front door, unaware of Emory's unstable condition right beyond the doors as he knocked a bit frantically on the front door, his appearance clearly looking frazzled judging by the hastily put on clothes, a bit worse for wear due to it being clothes he wore solely for heavy work when he wasn't on sentry duty, his brown hair being wild and tousled by the wind, unable to properly see to it that he was fit for an audience with Lord May. But, he had no other choice. The letter in his hand felt heavier for some reason, probably due to his own nervousness as he raised a hand to knock again, looking over his shoulder into the darkness as his lips pursed, nervousness causing his legs to begin to shake a bit.
 
Relief managed to edge its way into the concern that Rose was feeling as he allowed for her to help him. She had grown used to him assuring her that he was to need no help even when she could see that he did. It made her feel as though he was trusting her fully, which normally would’ve warmed her heart if she hadn’t been so worried about the sudden turn in his condition. She was slow with her movements, making sure that she was able to support his weight without jerking him around any. Even if he did just say that all he was experiencing was a wave of dizziness, she didn’t want to accidentally do something that would cause him more discomfort. She kept her eyes on him as the two made the slow climb up the stairs. Her eyebrows were still pinched, expression tight as she stayed patient.

The climbing of the steps was the worst part and it seemed like he was much more comfortable once they hit the level flooring again. She adjusted her grip to make it easier to support him as they walked quickly towards his room. She opened the door carefully for him once they were there, her body beginning to protest against the extra weight she was supporting. Her already sore muscles were aching far more than they had been before. She didn’t care about her own discomfort though, forcing herself to push through it in order to help Emory. She would always place his own needs above her own, especially in a time like this. He never had anyone truly care or worry for him in the way someone should. She had every intention to be that person for him from then on.

She eased him down onto his bed, removing the arm that had been wrapped around him as she did so. She patiently waited for him to adjust his body in the way he wanted to. She then pulled the comforter carefully over his legs. She paused after doing so, eyes scanning him over. She hadn’t a clue as to what she could do in order to help him in that moment. Everything that she knew to normally help most likely wouldn’t work on him due to the magic now flowing through his veins. She was also worried that she might end up doing something that would harm him even more. This was a new frontier she had yet to learn about. She had turned to leave the room, to at least get him a cold rag to rest on his forehead, but his words stopped her. She turned back to face him, gently take his hand in her own. She pressed a gentle kiss to the back of it, offering the brightest smile she could. The dullness in his eyes only sparked new worry. “Of course. I will be right here.” She assured, words soft and soothing.

She stayed quiet as he managed to doze off to sleep, only letting go of his hand once she knew he was in a deep enough sleep that he wouldn’t notice. She was quiet as she moved from his room to finish cleaning the kitchen as she had planned to do before. She made herself some more tea and brought it back to his room with her once she was finished. She had pulled a chair in from another room to place beside his bed, taking her seat there. She didn’t want to lay beside him and accidentally startle him from the sleep he so desperately needed. She got as comfortable as she possibly could sitting there, though she was unable to find sleep herself. Her body was still aching from the training she undertook that day and the chair she sat in did nothing to help it. She allowed for her eyes to finally scan the room she sat in. It wasn’t the first time she had been in Emory’s room, but it was the first time she was able to take it all in.

The walls were rather bare and there were any decorations that adorned any of his furniture. It was rather bland, if she did say so herself, though she knew he preferred it to be that way. There was a darkness that she couldn’t place. She wondered if Emory would allow for her to at least put a few paintings up on the wall as she believed it might improve his mood a bit more. Too much dullness in one area always caused the mood to sour. She leaned back in the chair more, a gentle yawn breaking through her lips. It would be a sleepless night for her, that much she knew. Emory would probably scold her for it in the morning, but she didn’t care. She wanted to make sure she was awake if he woke up and needed her. Her eyes had fallen partly shut when she heard the sudden pounding on the front door. She immediately sat up straighter, head turning to look towards the noise. She carefully stood and silently slipped from the room and down the stairs.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she opened the door, knowing that someone coming at this hour meant there was a message for Emory. Her eyes fell upon Hugh as the boy stood there. She had seen the boy many times before though she was surprised he managed to sneak away from Viola and Merewin so late in the evening. “Hello Hugh,” She greeted, voice quiet in order for her words to not drift back up the stairs and startle Emory from his sleep. “Emory is asleep and I am assuming you have a message for him. Would it be alright if I passed it along? He hasn’t slept in days and isn’t feeling the best, so I do not want to wake him.” She explained. She hoped that he would understand and allow for her to pass it along herself. It had taken quite a bit of time to get most of the sentries to trust here and even then a few were still rather wary of her presence in the mansion. She didn’t blame them as she knew she would’ve reacted the same way if she had been in their shoes.
 
Hugh's lips parted in surprise upon seeing Rose open the door and not Emory, brown eyes stretching wide for a few seconds before he had politely bowed to her like his mother had lectured him plenty of times to do so whenever he would sometimes cross her path, "Good evening, Lady Barclay." The polite words slipped from his lips like instinct, though hearing that Emory was asleep had caused another expression of shock to cross the young boy's face, "Lord May is-" He shook his head, casting aside the surprise as he felt a bit of embarrassment flood him from head to toe, "I'm afraid that this is very important." The young man began to search for the odd letter, though upon finding it eventually on himself he had presented the letter to Rose, the envelope seeming to glow in the moonlight that was still visible, glistening to the eye with the strange crest gleaming upon it.

"..Avrune has responded. This is a matter of utmost importa-" His sentence broke off as the letter seemed to glow brighter upon him extending it to Rose, the immobile parchment suddenly flaring to life and twisting about in the startled sentry's grasp, eventually causing Hugh to let go. Upon him letting go, the letter in question upon falling upon the floor had suddenly shot up the stairway, disappearing from sight much to Hugh's dismay and bewilderment. However, realizing that he had let go of what was probably a magically enchanted letter, alarm had finally sunk into the young boy as he stammered, "E-excuse me!" The sentry darted past Rose, grabbing a hidden dagger he had on him to perhaps attempt to pin the letter down as it careened down the hall as Hugh's hurried steps resounded against the stairway leading upward to the second floor.

This wild goose chase however was not to end quickly, as Hugh had finally reached the top step, he spotted the letter's edge sticking from underneath the entrance to Emory's room, "Ah!" Though the exclamation was quiet as he did keep in mind that Emory was sleeping, quickly trying to approach only for the letter to slip underneath fully which made him grimace. Entering Lord May's bedchambers was forbidden to the sentries without his permission, he couldn't possibly try to disobey such a thing? But, what if the letter had been a trap? What would he do then if something bad happened to Lord May just because he couldn't overstep just one simple boundary? His expression tightened then, determination settling in his features as the boy approached the door... only to see a blue light beginning to flare underneath the door itself. T-that can't be good!

The flare of magical energy could be felt even by the most simple of creatures, causing the hair on Hugh's arms to stand on end as he exclaimed, now not bothering to suppress his panic, "Lord May!" Flinging the door open, the sentry's eyes settled upon the still sleeping Emory and the letter in which seemed to be twitching and bouncing upon the floor, the seal upon the letter protruding and sinking with each wild movement as blue, magical light seeped from underneath the sealed flap. Something seemed to want to burst free from within.
 
Rose’s eyes shifted to the letter that the boy pulled from his pocket, widening at the glowing nature of it. Even as he explained who it came from, she had immediately known it must’ve come from Avrune. She couldn’t place the feeling that came to her chest, whether it be relief or another set of nerves. Her only experience with anyone in Avrune had been that of the mage. She hadn’t a clue if everyone was like him or if they would be willing to help them capture the mage in order to prevent the suffering of many. She had seen what they were capable of doing to people. She didn’t want for anyone else to have to go through what Emory or the people of Freycrest had. His confirmation of the letter’s origins only caused for her to nod. She had been the one to draft the letter to send out while Emory had been ill. She honestly hadn’t thought they would get a response. She reached a hand out to carefully take it from him when the letter managed to slip from his grasp.

She whipped around as the letter began to scoot across the ground, a wave of panic hitting her. Before she could even move, Hugh had slipped inside past her and began to chase after it. Her temples were beginning to pound in a familiar headache, the combination of her exhaustion melding together with her worry being the culprit. She closed the door carefully behind her before she began to follow after him. Her steps weren’t nearly as quickly as the boys, the muscles of her legs aching in protest as she pushed them to ascend the stairs as quickly as she possibly could. Her steps were light against them as they always were, almost not making a sound as she moved. By the time she reached the top of the stairs, her head was fully pounding and she had to pause. Her hand reached out to grip the railing, vision blurring somewhat as she did. She stayed in that position for a few moments in her best attempt to compose herself.

Yet, when she finally managed to push herself away from the railing, she noticed Hugh opening the door to Emory’s room. Her lips parted to scold the boy for doing such a things, but she couldn’t fully form the words to do so. A soft spew of curses were muttered as her steps brought her to his side. She strode to his side, placing her hand on his shoulder as her words finally came to her. “Hugh, be quiet. I do not know when Emory will sleep again and I do not want to wake him. We will figure this out ourselves.” Her tone was firmer, much firmer than the one she normally used. She would be lying if she said this hadn’t annoyed her some. She was sure the situation with the letter could’ve been handled much easier, but then again she had to remind herself the letter did unfortunately have capabilities to move on its own.

She took a few steps forward into the room, forcing herself to be as quiet as she possibly could. The magic from the letter was filling the air, her stomach knotting and twisting much like it had that day in Freycrest. It wasn’t nearly as strong as it had been, which caused her a bit of relief as she hadn’t wanted to grow sick to her stomach due to it. Her eyes were focused solely on the letter that hadn’t stopped moving since it managed to escape Hugh’s grasp. She paused when she was finally beside it to look back towards Hugh. “I am going to grab it and rush it to Emory’s office. You are to stab the corner with your dagger to keep it from moving on the desk, understand?” Her words were softer, but loud enough for the boy to hear. She knew Emory would’ve probably scolded her for even touching an enchanted letter that neither of them had a clue if it was safe or not, but she would much rather take that risk than disturb the sleep that he desperately needed. She quickly reached out and grasped the letter with firms hands, standing and beginning to move towards Hugh once more.
 
Hugh had nearly jumped out of his skin at Rose's hand on his shoulder, the young man's head turning to face her only for shame to flood him from head to toe as he took a guilty glance toward the sleeping Emory, still blissfully unaware of the waking world, "B-but..." He kept his voice at a whisper now, a protest beginning to form on his own lips in response, but he bit his tongue. Rose was still the lady of the manor now, or was going to. From his mother's frequent babbling about Lord May's infatuation for Rose, he knew well enough that the two would perhaps marry one day... as absurd as it seemed to most of the sentries underneath Emory's command. Regardless, Hugh knew he needed to treat Rose with respect, otherwise his mother wouldn't let him hear the end of it if she ever heard a single complaint about him.

Nervousness caused the boy to grip the dagger tighter in his hand, a bit of sweat beginning to appear upon his brow as he peered with distrust at the bouncing letter, saying quietly, "M-my apologies, Lady Barclay." The sincerity was there in his tone, feeling a bit of remorse for possibly crossing the line, but when it came to Emory's protection the young man wanted to keep him safe, no matter what the cost. His attention shifted toward Rose as she took a few steps within the room making the boy feel on edge the closer she got to the letter. Part of him desired to stop her before she got too close to it, after all there was no telling what it could possibly do if someone touched it in its current state. His heart pounded harder in his chest, anxiety beginning to spike as Rose had stopped beside it and looked to him, her words causing Hugh to firmly nod his head in response, bracing himself as she had reached out and grabbed the bouncing letter... only for the bright light to suddenly burst.

Startled, Hugh instinctively shield his eyes from the sudden flare of blinding blue light, the burst of magic energy feeling overwhelming as he struggled to stay upright, unable to stop himself from hissing out, although trying to keep his voice from being too loud, "M-my lady, are you alright?!" The sentry moved forward into the room then, the letter jumping from Rose's grasp and landing on the floor, seal snapping open as what seemed like a piece of glowing paper had finally slipped from the hold of the glowing envelope. Blue light flared from the parchment itself, forming a shape although indistinct at first, it mattered not. Hugh firmly placed himself between it and Rose, brandishing the dagger in his hand and firmly using his body as a shield to prevent Rose from coming to any harm from... whatever it was.

Eventually, the shape solidified into what seemed to be a woman, although what made up the woman was all various shades of blue, it was clear from her garb alone that she was clearly someone from Avrune. A pleasant smile was upon her features as she bowed her head, the voice echoing about the room although her voice alone held no malice, soothing almost, "Greetings and salutations. My name is Ephovia, and I'm here to respond to your..." The figure trailed off, her attention drawn to Emory still surprisingly deep asleep, "Oh... oh my.." The concern lacing her tone was one that caused Hugh's jaw to clench as he spoke in a hiss, "Whoever you are, if you are a threat, I'll cut you down here." The mysterious figure dropped her gaze to the dagger he was brandishing still, only to shake her head in dismay, "My mistake, I suppose the letter is quite the surprise. But, fear not, no matter how much I talk, that man will not wake... I'm assuming he is Emory May, if this letter was delivered to the correct residence?" Turning again to face Emory, her expression drew into a deep frown, "This mana... he is unwell. I've never seen it fluctuate so much.." Her sentence trailed off into mumbling, though it seemed like this Ephovia... whoever she was was clearly not physically there, merely observing through some sort of magic. Nonetheless, Hugh didn't seem to be letting down his guard anytime soon, still not budging a single inch from his spot.

Eventually, Hugh looked over his shoulder to Rose, "..Lady Barclay?" He questioned, obviously looking to her for what to do. Though he wasn't moving an inch, whoever this mage was, she seemed to have some sort of knowledge on Emory's condition just from observing him from.. who knows where. Perhaps she could help? Although it was a vague hope that she could help at all, or perhaps she held knowledge about that was happening to the man.
 
There was no disdain that Rose held towards Hugh, especially since she knew that the boy was just doing his job. If it had been any other sentry, she knew that they would’ve done the same thing as the boy had only they wouldn’t have been as polite about it. Even with Emory’s assurance that his sentries were to protect her in any given situation, their loyalty would always belong entirely to Emory. She actually was rather grateful that it was Viola’s son that had been sent. She felt far more comfortable around him than some of the others. Her eyes shifted back to the letter as she grabbed it, though she hadn’t expected for the burst of magic from it. That immediate feeling of nausea overcome her as the light filled the room. The blast from it startled her, causing her to stumble back and trip over her own feet. She landed on the floor, a soft groan leaving her lips as she did.

She stayed there stunned for a few moments as she was unable to wrap her mind back around what was happening. She believed that she wouldn’t have to deal with this much magic ever again. Her vision had gone black for a few moments, a wave of dizziness hitting her. Her ears were ringing somewhat as she sat there, one arm helping support her. She almost hadn’t heard Hugh’s words. She brought her other arm up to rub at her eyes in her best attempt to clear her vision again. “I am alright Hugh.” She assured, voice shaking. She forced herself to sit up fully and then shifted back to her feet once again. She appreciated Hugh trying to put himself in between the two of them, but she would much rather put herself at risk in this case.

Her gaze settled on the blue woman standing before then, eyes narrowly slightly. She took a few steps forward then, using her hand to carefully put Hugh behind her. The woman’s tone was kind, truly, but she knew better than to trust someone just on their words. She hadn’t a clue as to how this message was working. Perhaps the magic was capable of much more than she expected. “He is. He was the one that was attacked by one of your citizens who then went on to slaughter an entire town.” She explained. Her own words were a bit guarded as she still didn’t know if she could trust this woman. She looked to Hugh once again. She bowed her head slightly. “It’s alright. You should get back to your mother before she wakes. Thank you for bringing the letter.” She whispered. She offered him a weak, but reassuring smile.

Her attention turned back to the woman then. “When he was found, he had severe burns that almost killed him. Since then he has been able to heal, but he just admitted to me today that he hasn’t been able to taste a thing since the attack. He also has shown me that he is able to manipulate fire, though I am sure that is from his attack.” Her words were rambling slightly. She held a rage for the mage that had injured the sleeping man and was doing her best to not let it cloud her vision. “I was the one who wrote and sent the letter under his name. The mage told me himself he has plans to try to ‘enlighten’ our citizens. If he goes through with it, he will slaughter our entire population.” She was finally beginning to find what she needed to talk about. She glanced towards her feet and let out a gentle sigh. “Is there anything that you can do to help him? Or at least something you can tell me that I can do to help him?” She wouldn’t allow for her pleading to come off in such a way. She had to be careful still, that much she was aware of, but there was a kindness to the woman she hadn’t seen before. It made her feel more at ease.
 
(Would write a lot more, but gotta head to work!)

Hugh's jaw clenched as Rose had told him it was alright for him to leave, making the boy cast an uncertain glance toward the blue woman who was still mumbling under her breath, clearly far more interested in Emory than to pay the sentry pointing a blade at her any mind. With a heavy sigh, the boy had relented, lowering the dagger to his side and concealing it once more within his clothing, "...I hope you know what you're doing. I don't trust it." This couldn't be blamed too much, considering magic was an unknown territory to most in Erista, the situation didn't seem right to Hugh. He knew quite well he was out of his field of expertise, but allowing Rose to be on her own was something he very much didn't seem to want to do... but he would obey this time. Bowing his head to Rose, Hugh had stepped away from the room, casting one more suspicious glance toward the glowing figure before he finally had retreated, the sound of his light footsteps echoing down the hall and down the stairs until eventually he exited the mansion. Keeping in mind that Rose still needed protection, he would probably tell his fellows to keep a close eye on the manor in case she needed aid, he wasn't that much of a fool to allow Rose to be on her own, especially with some magical letter.

Ephovia's mumbling had ceased as she paused, hearing Rose beginning to speak directly to her which prompted the figure to turn her head to fully focus on the other, her eyebrows drawing together in a tense expression as the mage's arms crossed, a frown clearly beginning to form upon her features, causing creases of what could only be stress on the mage's face. Only when she had finished, the woman had lowered her gaze to the sleeping form of Emory, "I fear there is not much that I could do from a scrying letter, after all I'm not truly here in person. From what you have told me - along with what I can observe - his mana is out of control. Especially considering what I can assume he had been blasted with an intense magic flame, his body had absorbed most of it which I assuming has mutated his blood and flesh. Normally, for our people this is a simple matter to take care of, as our bodies are used to being in a mana-rich land, Erista, however is severely lacking in mana." She spread her arms wide, as if to add emphasis to her point, "Everything in Avrune is blessed with mana, from what we consume, to the very earth we walk upon. Our bodies are naturally bathed in mana-rich properties and thus we are able to manipulate it, give life to the elements we are blessed to control. In fact, our people can see mana naturally, as if it were as easy as breathing... Erista to my eyes even now, there are weak and very little spots of mana materializing before my eyes... the only overwhelming sight is your companion, but explaining it perhaps wouldn't help, wouldn't it?"

Her lips pursed as she shook her head, "...I've never tried this before, but seeing is believing." A tingling feeling could be felt in the air as Ephovia had raised a hand, pointed toward Emory as what seemed to be a pale orange flare had spiked from his body, the color looking sickly. It rose and fell with each second, flaring brighter and dimming, twisting around his body, though it curled around his chest, centering around his heart where it seemed.. dark. Blackened mana particles flowed inward, breaking off into bits and pieces of the pale orange, "This is not normal, though I'm sure you could see that. His mana is not flowing normally like my people would be, instead it seems like it's failing to flow properly through his body, since where his heart would be the mana would be brighter than anywhere else. I fear if this continues without correction, his condition will worsen. He will die." The words were chilling as she turned her head to face Rose, "You said he could not taste anything, but that is to blame on the lack of mana in this continent. He's not sustaining the mana in his body, any food he may consume is severely lacking in what is required for him to be healthy. Although this is not a problem for our mages, if he is able to coat any of the food he consumes here in mana, then he should be fine. This man is mana-starved, but that is the least of his problems."
 
you are completely fine! i worked open-close today so apologies for this not being the best!))

The words that the woman spoke didn’t do anything to ease her mind. In fact, it only made that aching in her chest grow more and more. She couldn’t tell if it was just worry anymore. There was a tinge of fear that was beginning to push its way in, though she couldn’t explain the jumble of emotions that she was experiencing. The aching was strong enough to where she almost believed her heart was beginning to fail her. That along with the knotting of her stomach made it rather hard to keep her focus solely on the apparition of the woman. She shifted her hands to carefully grasp one another in her best attempt to pull her mind away from the physical discomfort that was growing stronger with each moment that passed. She blamed most of it on the magic that filled the room from the letter. She turned her gaze to look towards the man sleeping on the bed, the sight of him not easing her mind any. It hadn’t helped that the woman in the letter mentioned he would not be waking anytime soon due to his condition. She felt as though she had her hands tied and didn’t know what to do to break free.

She turned her head back towards the blue-figure as she began to gesture. Her eyes narrowed once more, the hair on her arms raising at the change in the air. It caused a shiver to run down her spine, a feeling she had grown unfortunately used to whenever encountering this type of heavy magic. There was a large part of her that wished she had been dreaming, that none of this had ever happened. She wanted to be a young girl again without any of the stressors that were constantly plaguing her mind. It was a truly selfish thought, but she had never allowed herself to be selfish before. She believed she had the right to finally. She took in a gentle breath, pushing the thought aside. She knew that the time wasn’t the best to begin to think like that. Emory needed her far more than ever. “How I am to help him then? If he needs this mana, how can I help him get it?” She inquired, words a bit quieter than they had been before.

One thing had immediately crossed her mind and she hadn’t particularly liked it, though she knew she needed to speak it. “He will need to move to Avrune then, won’t he? In order to receive enough of the mana and get the help he needs to survive, it is the only logical explanation. Am I wrong?” There was misplaced hope in her tone. The two had finally begun to build a wonderful like here together and it could come crumbling down oh so quickly. She would never forgive the man who did this to Emory, especially if the two were to leave Erista. That was, if she was even allowed to leave to live in Avrune with him. She didn’t know the rules of the kingdoms there, but she was rather wary after seeing the way the mage had reacted to those without magic here. “And what are we to do with the mage that did this to him? He is one of your citizens and slaughtered many innocent lives for his experiments.” She managed to pull herself together enough to firm her tone up once more, speaking much like her father would when addressing such issues.
 
Ephovia's expression remained gentle and kind, although she pursed her lips as Rose had spoken in regards to Emory being forced to move to Avrune. "..That certainly would be the easiest solution, yes. His body is severely unstable, unless he has a skilled mage at his side to regulate the mana flux in his own body, he would only continue to deteriorate. But, I know that this solution - even if it is the easiest - perhaps is not one you would want to go for." The woman turned her head to the sleeping man, "I could instruct him how to coat his food with his own mana whenever he wakes, that solution is only a temporary fix on a much bigger problem, but it will prolong his stay here for as long as possible as well as preserve what lifespan remains in him. I fear I cannot do much more than that. His condition perplexes me, for there was not a case such as his before... and I certainly hope it is the last." The dark edge to her tone broke the kindness that had seemingly been there just moments before, anger sparking in the depths of the woman's eyes only for it to immediately fade as she turned her attention back to Rose.

When she inquired about the mage, the woman's expression turned bitter for a few seconds, her hands clasping before her as she seemed... ashamed and furious all the same. "...My hus... no, that monster Agruis was one of our best and brightest mages here in Avrune. However, it seems as if he has been dabbling in things better left untouched, by the time any of us were aware of his treachery, he had already fled our grasps. Believe me when I say we have been doing all in our power to try to track him down, but... he had eluded our grasp every time we were even close to finding his location. Something, or rather... someone in this land is shielding him from our eyes from afar. Although, this was a matter I was hoping to reveal to Lord Emory May, one of my other colleagues have contacted the king in this continent to inform him of a selected group of us will be coming to your... Spring Ball, was it? We strongly believe that whoever has been shielding Agruis is there."

Her expression grew dark, serious as she said in a far more chilling sentence, "We believe that there is another mage in these lands, although I fear whoever that may be have perhaps been gifted in the forbidden magics that Agruis had been seduced by. But, know that until this other magic-user is apprehended, not only Avrune but everyone and everything you hold dear will be reduced to ash. Forbidden magic, we have distinctly thought we had locked away many, many centuries ago, it is what most would call Black Magic." She crossed her arms and shook her head, "It is through Black Magic that this condition was possible to begin with, regarding Emory May. Under normal circumstances, non-magic beings who are struck with magic would not be able to absorb it and merely be harmed by whatever element they have been struck with. They would not be able to suddenly be able to use magic, for it is a genetic gift, not something that can be forced into the body... which is why his body is rejecting it so intensely now."
 
Her heart sunk at the confirmation that Emory would eventually need to move to Avrune in order to sustain his new condition. She wouldn’t ever admit the pair that began to form in het chest at the thought of it. All of these people that relied on Emory, despite them not loving him entirely, would still miss him if he were to leave. Her father would probably end up being the one to overtake these lands like he had been trying to for as long as she could remember. It would cause a huge uprising and an outrage that would harm everyone in this region. Her eyebrows furrowed more, fingers curling tighter into her palms. She tried her best to keep her mind grounded in that moment. The two of them would still have some time here in Erista, but she knew it wouldn’t be long. She really didn’t know what all to think of the unfolding situation. She had every intention to follow how wherever he needed to go if he wished her to. She just didn’t know what else she could do to help him now.

“It does not matter what I want. It only matters what is best for him. If moving to Avrune will be best, that is what we will do. I won’t allow him to die just because I do not want to leave.” Her voice was much quieter than it had been before. She wouldn’t allow herself to start getting selfish now. Her head was beginning to pound the longer that she spent around the faint hum of magic filling the air. It was combining with the exhaustion that was creeping up on her more and more with each passing second. “As long as you are able to help him in some way, that is all that matters to me. I do not want to think about him dying. Whenever he wakes, please show him how to do that. He needs to find some relief from everything he is experiencing right now.” She added after a moment of silence. The mention of it being the first case that the woman had seen of this didn’t calm her racing emotions any.

She lifted her gaze fully as she heard the explanation as to what their plans were to combat the crazed mage. She tilted her head slightly then. “You spoke to my father then. That’s good—“ She broke off as she let out a gentle breath. “That’s good to hear. I had sent a letter to him regarding the situation as well.” She confessed. She doubted the woman truly wanted to hear what she had to say in regards to that, but she couldn’t help herself any. “We will be attending the ball as well. Perhaps one of your mages could help Emory there. If you could, it would give us a little more time until we could relocate.” She rambled the words out slightly. She allowed her hands to drop from one another before she took a step towards the bed. Her hand reached forward to rest on the wooden footboard. “If you need any assistance you might need in tracking them down, please ask. While everyone does think I am dead, I do have pull with many people that might have some information.” She offered, finally giving her a gentle smile.
 
(Got on a roll with nightmare sequence time, because... nightmares need to happen with as much detail I can possibly put in without getting too explicit lmao! Trying to make Emory begin to deteriorate mentally enough to prepare for the time skip! He's not quite at the point I want him yet! Plus planning Eunice to be an issue at the ball too because Emory needs more mental torture apparently to make everything worse and more set up too! Wouldn't added more but I'm running late now x.x)

Ephovia's expression had thawed slightly from the anger that had previously overcome her gentle features. Though, she had inclined her head to Rose in response to her considering what would be best for Emory; the mage's eyes had noticeably turned to look at the slumbering man once more, her eyebrows furrowing. Something felt off, though she knew not what. It was a brief change in the air, a very subtle change at that. If one wasn't well attuned to the slightest magical shift, it certainly could go unnoticed; but there was another presence here. Not necessarily in the physical sense, as Ephovia certainly wasn't within the room herself, but it felt as if something dark had suddenly crept in. She didn't like the sensation of dread that settled in her core, but should she bring alarm to something that quite well might be nothing? After all, with the fluctuating mana raging in Emory's body, it could very well be only that. Dismissing it for now, as she did not desire to be rude, her attention turned back toward Rose to refocus on her words.

A tinge of surprise managed to spark in Ephovia's eyes however as Rose had stated that the king of these lands were her father, her lips parted in a bit of surprise though her expression evaporated as spoke softly, "Forgive me for my rudeness then. I hadn't thought that you were a princess of these lands." Considering the rather animated letter, especially at such a late hour... it was improper of her to say the least, an embarrassing oversight indeed. Yet, in regards to the ball, she had nodded with a smile, "I personally will be attending as well, though I hope what few skills I have will be useful for the lord's condition. It'll certainly be easier to discuss matters in person." Her posture visibly relaxed as she bowed her head again, though a bit of confusion settled in her eyes at Rose's words regarding that everyone considered her dead. Ephovia hadn't truly looked in too deep in the kingdom's affairs, as the king's familial business was not of her concern, but she would not question it for now, "Any assistance will be greatly appreciated... though I certainly would want to avoid any casualties if possible. I..." She trailed off, attention shifting back to Emory's slumbering form again, her eyebrows furrowing once more as if distracted. Now, she was certain. They were being watched.

Her lips pursed, expression becoming serious as she looked to Rose, "Forgive me, but I must end my connection for now. Make sure that this letter remains unscathed, it will be the easiest way for me to stay in contact... or if either of you desire to speak to me." With that, in clear haste the blue figure had flickered, the mana within the air beginning to dissipate as the connection had suddenly been severed. The room as a result was left in silence, the odd letter and the envelope it had came from seeming to appear as merely normal pieces of parchment, any magical light or glow from the objects in question having flickered out. However, the sensation of a presence that was observing didn't disappear, although barely noticeable, it did seem as if the room had gotten a bit colder.

Emory still hadn't stirred from his spot, though from his facial expression, whatever he was experiencing in his unconscious state didn't seem good. His face was pinched with discomfort, or agony, sweat beginning to cover his face as his breathing had picked up. Though, his body seemed fine enough, it didn't seem as if he was giving off any more heat, though this could be blamed on the mana rising and falling in his body, that didn't seem quite right either. His hands clutched at the bed underneath him, beginning to tremble from head to toe. It seemed like a nightmare had seized hold of the man... but this was inevitable. He hadn't been getting enough sleep for quite some time, and considering he had recently revealed quite a lot of sensitive information regarding his past, as well as being plagued by nothing but problems, his mind wasn't unscathed from it.
...​
The dream had been dark, Emory was sitting in an unfamiliar place. It seemed nice, cozy although even if he tried to focus on a particular object or any details within the room itself, it simply turned murky or so incomprehensible that he couldn't process it. But, by all means he knew enough that this was a dream... but it felt so vivid. The plush chair he was seated upon felt comfortable, he could even feel a pleasant warmth from the crackling fire that was ignited in a fireplace that was the sole light of the room. It caused him to let his guard down, allowing his muscles to relax as he leaned comfortably within the chair... only for a pair of slender hands to suddenly grip his shoulders. A tight, unyielding grip, causing his eyes to immediately turn upward and his blood to run cold at the woman leaning over the top of the chair, ruby lips twitching upward in a mocking and jubilant smile, "It's been far too long... but I didn't expect you to be looking as if you'd seen a ghost. How cruel of you."

His body remained unyielding despite the urge to run beginning to flare in his chest, his eyes shifting now wildly around the room which now seemed... smaller? How was that possible? Was he merely panicking? This was a dream by all means, it wasn't possible for it to feel this real. Of course, the sensation of the woman's hands now trailing down the side of his neck made him jerk his head away, her fingers continued forward unimpeded by his sudden movements to turn away, "You can't run this time from me, you know? It's been far too long since I've last seen you... you've grown quite well, haven't you?" His lips parted, to possibly try and snap at her to stop her slowly creeping progress. Her touch was disgusting, causing him to nearly desire to vomit if he could. But his body wasn't obeying, no matter how much he wanted to urge himself to move, it was as if he was permanently glued to his chair.

"Considering you were ripped from my grasp so rudely last time... there were so much I still wanted to do, Emory. I still own you, despite whatever foolish little ideas have gotten in that silly head of yours... oh, I know! We can make up for lost time here." Her fingers began to tear at the tunic, the fabric falling away underneath her fingertips with ease as his chest began to heave, panic surging within him as he could feel memories beginning to refill his mind. Eunice's laughter sparked as the woman before him had turned the corner from the chair, "My, you really have a vivid imagination, do you?" He could begin to smell the scent of the brothel once more, the chair falling from underneath him and settling on an unyielding wood floor, a faint pain flaring from the back of his head from an old, forgotten injury he had been subjected to from so long ago. Why was his body aching? It had not ached in such a way for so very, very long... it hurt. His lips parted to speak, but again his voice would fail, the hazy sight of the interior of the brothel becoming far more clearer than he would have liked as Eunice's fingernails began to dig into the exposed flesh of his chest, blood beginning to well up from the sudden sharpness. It felt as if knives were beginning to carve his skin.

A pained sound finally managed to escape him, the warmth of his blood beginning to drip from the injuries as Eunice's head leaned down, the feeling of her tongue on his skin made him shiver, his eyes filled with panic. He didn't want to relive this again, nothing but this. "...P.." He struggled to speak, his mouth feeling numb now, old sensations beginning to fill him anew, "..Pl..please... do.. nt..." The plea was fragmented, tears beginning to burn at his eyes as Eunice paused, a cold smile crossing her face, her mouth beginning to move in a sentence he now could no longer remember as his brain was beginning to go haywire with remembering more and more details. The sensation of sticky blood on the back of his head, his fingers aching with pain, some of which having been broken anew... or it certainly felt like it. He could even feel the sensation of heavy footfall on the floorboards of approaching people, causing his expression to become more panicked. He couldn't do this again, he... he couldn't! No matter how much his body desired to run, it remained unresponsive as his body felt uncomfortably hot, a burning sensation licking his insides, the vivid details of the room began to fade as long forgotten faces began to obscure his vision. He could feel hands around his neck, someone squeezing with all their might as Eunice's voice cooed from somewhere else in the nightmare, "Take care not to kill him! We still have..." The sentence become incomprehensible again as he was struggling for air, choking as his broken hands struggled to push against the unknown figure above him.

Help.... m...e...h...e...l...p.

He couldn't see well anymore, colors and shapes beginning to blur as the sensation tightened, fingernails beginning to dig into his neck causing a dull sensation of pain, the throbbing agony of his twisted, purple tinged hands continuing to try to push, but all the strength that he thought - that he knew that he had as a grown man now seemed to have vanished. It was as if he were a boy again, weak and unable to defend himself. Saliva dripped down the side of his mouth, feeling something being pushed down his throat, a piece of moldy bread drenched with an ever familiar and loathsome drug; the bitter taste was all too familiar. He didn't want to remember any more, the choking sensation having not left him as he struggled to breathe. A sharp pain from his side caused him to hit the nearby hard wall... did someone kick him? Pain flared from where he had been struck, though he didn't look, he knew his skin would bruise.

H...e...l...p...

Emory struggled from his position on the floor, the shifting colors and vibrancy beginning to settle on muted grays and blacks as he crawled on the floor, seeing a door beginning to rise from seemingly nowhere. Hope sparked within his chest as he approached, eventually reaching the door and struggling to reach for the doorknob... it was out of reach. His broken fingers could not reach the doorknob, twisted at an impossible angle, useless. Emory's hands pounded at the door then, the useless fingers suffering much more damage, blood smearing the wooden door as he was panicking. There was a presence behind him, he could feel it. "N... no!" The word managed to slip past his cracked lips, breathing heavily as hands sunk into his bare skin, prompting him to struggle... but his body had been too weak, feeling himself being dragged back, his blood staining and smearing the door as well as the emptiness of a floor underneath him, his broken fingers proving to not do him any favors as he could hear heavy breathing in his ear, another hand grabbing his throat and wrenching his head back roughly only for a disgusting mouth to press down against his, denying him breath as his neck was squeezed, the man's familiar voice echoing in his ears, though whoever was holding him was clearly the owner of such a voice. A raspy, deep voice, "Hold still, boy." His lips was freed temporarily, a disgusting, light popping sound as more saliva dripped down his chin, "..S..stop.. mhm!" Yet again he was denied air, a tongue pushing into his mouth, he could feel blades pressing against his skin, the edge of a knife perhaps? He knew not where they were coming from, nor was his mind giving him anymore answers anymore.

His body slackened, his eyes growing dull. It... doesn't matter does it? The thought echoed in his mind, a familiar thought that crossed his mind perhaps many, many years ago. Going limp and allowing whatever to happen would make things end faster... wouldn't it? Just... don't think... don't move... don't...
 
ahh my heart aches for emory! the poor man has been through so much lol and you are completely fine c: ))

The response she received in regards to her familial relations was one she expected. Rose was never pegged to be the child of any royalty. She didn’t hold herself in the ways that many others in higher status did. She had always worked quite hard to ensure that she would be kind to whoever she met, regardless of who they were or what rumors surrounded them. It had worked very well for her so far, especially since she had gotten to be so lucky as to falling in love with a man that would’ve never done so in any other situation. She just allowed for a tired smile to come to her lips, bowing her head slightly herself. The shift in the room hadn’t been felt by her just yet as the mana was still enough to make her feel ill. Her stomach was turning inside itself and she was rather grateful it had been a decent amount of time since she had eaten last. She knew she would’ve emptied whatever remained in her stomach if she hadn’t.

“Truthfully, I will just be grateful for whatever help you can give him. He has been through enough and doesn’t deserve to suffer anymore.” She confessed, her own gaze slowly shifting to look back towards the man slumbering on the bed. She wished there was more that she was able to do to help him. She absolutely hated that her hands were tied in this situation. “There is no need for you to apologize. I am glad we received a response back from you. I was beginning to worry we might not.” She added after a moments silence, her mind having shifted back to the thoughts that were beginning to jumble on top of one another. She turned her head to look back to the glowing woman. She could see the shift in her expression, even from the distance she stood away from where the letter had ended up. That familiar pang of worry hit her chest, heart feeling as though a hand was clenching it once more.

As she had opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, thinking something was happening with Emory, she was immediately cut off by the words that slipped from Ephovia. She blinked a few times in surprise, eyebrows raising. She didn’t question it any as she believed it was best to not test her luck in regards to this. It was enough to know that there was going to be an attempt to help him. They just needed to get to the kingdom, to get through the ball. The thought of having o leave to Avrune was still present in her mind, something she knew she would have to revisit sooner rather than later. She just hoped they would have enough time to sort things out before it got to that point. “I will. Thank you.” Her words were soft as the blue light immediately faded. She was left alone in the darkness of the cold room, the shift in the level of mana immediately causing her body to stop reacting to it. It was only then she became aware of the sudden coldness that lingered. Her body froze for a moment, a shiver going down her spine. The hair on her arms and the back of her neck stood as she moved to grab the letter sitting on the floor.

Her fingers carefully gripped it as she lifted it to study it more closely. She almost couldn’t believe that it had been enchanted in such a way. She shook her head slightly, turning to make her way to her room. She searched through the drawer of her bedside table once she was there, placing the letter carefully underneath the cover of her journal. She closed the drawer and made a mental note to remember that it was there. Her mind was beginning to fog from the lack of sleep and the stress that had been brought forth by everything that occurred that night. She quickly made her way back to Emory’s room, returning to her seat by his bed. Her eyes closed pertly once she sat back down. The chill in the air hadn’t vanished, though it was only present in his room. It was odd, truly, something she hadn’t ever experienced before. She shifted to scoot the chair closer to the side of his bed.

Her eyes finally fell down on the sleeping man once more. His face has twisted in anguish from whatever dream he was experiencing. She supposed that the telling of his memories had done quite a bit of damage to his mind. She just reached a careful hand out to grab once of his own. She undid his fingers from where they had curled into the sheets. She then carefully laced her own through his. She used the index finger from her free hand to trace small patterns on the back of it. A gentle sigh broke through her lips, another wave of exhaustion hitting her. It was only growing worse and worse the longer that she spent by his side. She forced herself to begin to hum a soothing tune, one that her mother used to sing to her whenever she was ill as a child. It kept her mind focused on where she was and why she needed to stay away. Her lips parted and she allowed for herself to whisper the words along, her voice light as she did so. She hoped it would do something to ease the young lord.
 
Emory could feel his body being dragged backward in the clutches of his nightmare, though he would not resist. The kiss he was locked in had finally released him, giving him now a chance to breathe, struggling to draw air into his lungs only for the crackling sound of a whip to fill his ears, and almost immediately fear began to spike into him despite his mind being all too ready to endure. The dullness to his eyes sparked with fresh fear as the cracking sound drew closer, echoing in the now dark and empty space he was in. Fear caused for his body to try to curl in on itself, though realizing his clothes had been completely stripped away causing more panic to surge... as well as the clinking sound of chains.

The heavy, unyielding metal of cuffs had so suddenly appeared around his ankles, far too tight than they should be. The metal bit into his skin, blood welling up before his very eyes over the restraints, the binding chains connected to the metal stretched far into the darkness, beyond his vision. Then he felt himself being dragged again, the cracking sound of a whip increasing his volume the more he was dragged across the floor. His broken fingers attempted to latch onto the floor beneath him, but to no avail, all that resulted in was more pain to lace through his hands as the first bite of the whip met its mark, tearing a painful lash upon his back as a choked sound left him.

Laughter buzzed in Emory's ears, a mix of both feminine and masculine voices beginning to speak in incomprehensible sentences around him. Another lash of pain flared through him, yet another blow to his back as tears sprung to his eyes, though he stubbornly refused to let them fall. His chest heaved from the effort to suppress any more cries of pain as his body was forced to turn over, now a flare of new pain surging across his stomach causing his body to writhe in response as a female voice cooed from somewhere in the darkness, "Now that's a good boy, trying to act tough isn't cute you know?" There was a sensation as if a woman was touching the fresh wound upon his stomach, their fingers pressing deep into the bloody crevice causing the man to finally cry out, tears beginning to trickle down his face as the stranger purred, "I wonder, what would happen if I crush something a bit more personal to you, hm?"

Emory's teeth clenched, staring wide eyed into the darkness, his breathing ragged only for pain to rush through his body, far more intense than before, struggling for air the woman laughed above him, "Oh, how funny! You're squirming so much! Why hadn't I done this before?!" His chest heaved, struggling to get away as the phantom pressure had suddenly vanished, leaving Emory alone in the darkness. The sounds of his own painful breathing filled the air, broken with the sound of broken breathing as he struggled to catch his breath... then he heard the distinct sound of something as if a liquid was falling to the floor. It echoed somewhere, though the smell alone was... sweet, causing his body to move despite his mind struggling to resist.

Eunice's voice now rang through the darkness, "It seems you finally learned to be docile, good boy." There was a puddle of the familiar clear liquid on the floor; the drug that he could remember vividly being forced to take through food or other methods. His body moved in its own, tongue beginning to eagerly lap at the drug upon the floor without hesitation, despite the revulsion at his actions and the shame, a tingle of the unpleasant heat had flared in his body once more, the intensified pain becoming nothing more than a dull ache tinged with tingles of pleasure. That was right... this was his only savior in times like these. The heat of his breath pooled against the liquid, only for a foot to stamp on the back of his head, his weakened body following suit to collapse on the floor despite his tongue still struggling to draw more of the liquid into his mouth, a shameful whine managing to leave his lips as he struggled in vain.

"You really look foolish like this; have you turned into a dog?" Another hit to his head followed, accompanied by Eunice's chilling laugh as she released him, grabbing his chin as he was forced to look up at her, the woman looking quite triumphant as she gazed down at him, "Good... it's nice to see the light beginning to fade from your eyes. Whatever had gotten into you to make you act so boldly against me? Hm?" No words left Emory's lips as her lips drew closer to his own, beginning to whisper something, only for her body to go rigid, her eyes narrowing in annoyance as she roughly shoved him away. "Tch... that woman..."

"I'm afraid I must cut our time together short, but let me leave you a gift. I'm sure you'll love it." The cold edge to her tone made him confused, but as she had vanished from sight, he felt something warm and sticky underneath him. His hands drew back on instinct; the warped fingers twitching in dull pain at the sudden movement as his head had turned to see where the blood was coming from... only for his heart to sink deep down in his chest, a bubbling bit of laughter leaving his lips despite himself.

On hands and knees, he crawled through the steady stream of blood underneath him, his mind reeling as an agonizing pain had rend his heart. The woman laying motionless in the bloody pool, skin having long lost the luster of life, her eyes having been robbed the light that he loved so much... his broken hand struggled to touch her cheek, her skin being cold to the touch, though the more he stared at her exposed skin, the more injuries he could see beginning to flare to life before his eyes. Tears began to pool his vision, his laughter breaking into broken sobs as his body felt the strength beginning to drain from him, holding the woman tightly to himself with the support of his arms, struggling to pull her arms to embrace him as if that would magically draw life back into her.

But her arms would fall every time he tried, limp and lifeless like that of a corpse.

His body quivered, sucking in a sharp breath as his arms tightened around the corpse as a heart rending cry left his lips, unable to stop the overwhelming shock of grief beginning to tear at him. The cloying smell of Rose's familiar scent only served to make the grief unbearable, his tears staining her skin, her blood serving only to smear against his own skin, head buried into the corpses neck as his body rocked back and forth, sobbing like that of a scared child as he felt as if he was going mad. His mind could only supply him endless pain, surging within and smothering him as Emory felt his heart being torn apart. Yet, he knew full well that this was useless.. he knew and yet he couldn't bring himself to let go of the lifeless corpse held awkwardly within his arms.

"No... please... dont.. don't leave me..." He begged, his chest heaved with the weight of his crying as if the useless plea would help. Emory's empty gaze, swimming with nothing but his tears could only merely sit in the darkness surging around him, unwilling to move, maddened whispers of desperation leaving his lips as he could no longer muster any more tears, merely holding the corpse that was becoming stiff in his own arms. He could feel her blood drying on him, but he didn't care. Nothing matter anymore, now did it? It was all meaningless.

A glint of something in the darkness caught his eye, causing the man's unresponsive body to turn. A sword... wasn't it? Though this could be blamed merely on Emory's mind desperately searching for a solution to end the overwhelming pain that he was crumbling under; a bitter laugh left his lips as the sword seemed to be drawing nearer, taunting him. Who was he to refuse?

Raising a broken hand, he reached for the sword, his mind feeling as if it were breaking at the seams. He could take anything... anything but this...
...​
Emory's eyes snapped open, his surroundings were... familiar. This was his room, was it not? The uncomfortable feeling of heat within his body had confirmed this was indeed reality, though he heard someone at his side. The sensation of his hand being held by something warm and soft had caused his head to turn, staring blankly at whoever was at his side. Rose. At first, his mind couldn't process what he was seeing.

She was alive and safe at his side, humming an unknown tune to his ears. Although, the melody did little to soothe him as his mind was still reeling. Was this truly real? Or was this a joke at his expense? The hollowed look to his eyes didn't leave them, though he forced a bit of strength to his fingers to curl around her own; feeling the thrum of life within them. His breath sucked in sharply, relief beginning to surge in him and despite himself a few tears began to sprang free as he could only stare at Rose, his chest quivering with him trying to hold back from sobbing. As much as the man refused to shed tears, it was truly alarming when he finally reached such a point, being in such mental anguish that he couldn't very much take it.

Emory's body moved then, sitting up rather abruptly although a tinge of dizziness served to cause him to nearly fall back again, but he didn't care. His arms suddenly wrapped around her, holding her so tightly as his breathing was uneven, tears beginning to spill as he was unable to say a single word. She was still alive, still at his side... she wasn't out of his reach, she was still here. His fingers curled into her clothes, much like how a scared child would as he struggled to make his mind catch up to the situation, phantom pain still clinging to him as if he had truly relived it in reality.
 
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