As the odd trio walked through the simple, yet surprisingly lavish hallways of the mansion, with Victor following behind the father-daughter duo, he took in the sights, the smells, the sensation of the clothing on his skin. Humans, and other humanoid creatures it would seem, lived with all of these sensations every waking moment. Victor had been in this body for three years now, and he'd still not gotten used to it. A stray wind would put him on edge, as an example of how foreign it felt to him.

Victor had long since foregone the courtesy of caring where he stared, looking at passing maids and butlers all with his distinct naturally glowering face. On several occasions, the maid's almost fainted, when he looked at them, and Butlers tensed. Later, when they were all out of sight, the servants would gossip amongst themselves, saying they believe Eleonor was about to be wed to a high-ranking noble. They'd say they knew because they had that air about them, and that one "noble-y face". The one Eleonor had told Victor he had, and that he had firmly denied having. Others had said they believed he was just a merchant. Another group thought he was here to offer his services as a knight - but this idea was shot down instantly for no concrete reason.

It had taken several long minutes before they'd finally made their way into a small room. It was lightly furnished, with a couch that would fit three people, or more if they were especially lithe, four chairs around a table wide enough for Eleonor to lie down on, and a large window the size of Victor. As Bern, Eleonor, and Victor finally sat down, with Bern seating his daughter, Victor almost marvelled at the craftsmanship of the chairs. The sides of the chairs were a mixture of intricately carved wooden spirals, one set was a light red bordering on a dim orange, whilst the other colour was a deep brown. It gave off a feeling as if the very trees were weeping with joy at how much effort was put into them.

But Bern cleared his throat and then sighed, leaning his head on his hand. "Eleonor," He'd stated with a small heft to his voice. "You have promised Victor, whom I know can be a very dangerous man should he wish to be, access to our personal libraries, maps, and books." His tone was most definitely not one to be taken lightly, at least not for Eleonor. His point seemed to have been crossed to her, at the least. "And where do you think you've earned the ability to offer up something such as that? That has belonged to no one but our family, with books even the capital doesn't have? And all of a sudden, to a man you've never met, you offer it all up?"

Eleonor cringed and lowered her head to her lap. She tried to form words., but the words seemingly became stuck. "I always wondered where you got your foolishness from. My brother never was smart, and it seems his stupidity spread to you." Victor could hear her bite the inside of her lip as Bern mentioned his brother. Victor spoke up, annoyed with his lack of context.

"Why does your brother play a part in this conversation. We are discussing books and maps." Victor asked, sitting comfortably in the chair. Bern looked to Victor with an irritated glare, and Eleonor flinched.

"My brother, not that the people know, had been in an affair with my late wife, Eleonors mother. He had gotten her pregnant, which led to Eleonor's birth." Although Victor nodded, he didn't really understand, Unlike Humans, Dragons knew it was inevitable that no one would have a single lifelong partner. Especially in recent years after the war, the notion that one would be so full of themselves to lock themselves to only one mate, thus endangering the rest of the species closer to extinction.

With that miniature revelation out of the way, Bern would look towards Eleonor once more, and she opened her mouth only for Bern to talk first. "I allowed you to stay here because I believed Jardin's idiocy would not be inherited by you. I had planned on many things for you. You disappoint me, Eleonor D'siri. And as for you, Victor. As much as I wish you were not, you're blameless. I know not, and care not for what you had planned to learn from my books. However, I cannot just let you enter the library." Bern sighed into his hands.

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A thought rattled in his head. The thought was terrible and seemed to go against his nature, but if it meant knowing that he could not get it anywhere else... he would it aside for now. Perhaps another idea would come forward. Or so was his hope.

"So just give me a book based on certain prerequisites then. I won't enter the library." He said with a shrug, sighing internally. If this was going to go how he thought it was, he would have to go on a series of jobs to get access to even a couple of books, and that irked him. However, when he looked at Bern's face, he'd see a mix of confusion and reluctance. Or so that's what he thought it was.

"I said this to Eleonor not long ago, but allow me to repeat myself: We have books that the capital does not. I've spent years collecting books, which is both costly and difficult, since there are so few printers in the Empire. I simply can not let you read anything in there." Unlike what Bern was expecting Victor simply nodded once.

He sat in the chair for a long moment, covering his mouth with his eyes closed as he contemplated several things inside of his head. His mind was still debating the previous idea, but he had wanted to exhaust every other option before it came to that.

"What... what if I... read the books through the... door? Maybe?" Eleonor rubbed her arm after having awkwardly been silent whilst her "father" and Victor had been exchanging words. At this point, Eleonor wanted to stand up and go cry somewhere. She'd hated the fact that her mother had been involved in an affair with a man who never even came to visit her. Leaving her with a man who knew she wasn't his daughter yet forced himself to look at her whenever he saw her. Acting as if it didn't infuriate him to see her living in his home. "If that's also a no, then don't worry about it."

Bern did just that, letting Eleonor sink back into the chair, as Victor watched the entire thing going on in front of him. Eleonor, from what he had seen just from this small meeting between the three, was pitiful. Not as pitiful as those on the streets, mind, but for one of her standing, she was. She was certainly talented, he could see that, just that the things she was being taught, for the most part, simply didn't suit her.

"What plans did you have for Eleonor, if I may ask. And what you've had her taught." Victor wondered. Quirking a brow, Bern breathed.

"You're a good man, Victor. But this... I don't care anymore. She's not mine at this point. The final straw fell. She was being taught the majority of things a noblelady aught to know. Proper manners, posture, history, mathematics, social etiquette, reading, and instruments." Victor looked... surprised, all things considered. His brows raised slightly.

"Not how to defend herself? Or how to fight?"

"By the God's taints, no. For one, she's the daughter of my impecile of a brother, who couldn't fight a scarecrow without losing, she's too frail. Her body isn't suited for fighting."

He went back to pondering, then spoke once more. "So. She's no longer going to be under your care. I assumed you would leave her a place to live at least, not simply throw her out, you humans are strange like that I've found." He raised a finger to quiet whatever objection Bern or Eleonor would say and thought for a few moments longer. "If that's the case, then what she learns is of no consequence to you. And what she does no longer matters..." Bern was wary of where this was going, and only a few moments of silence later did Eleonor slightly catch where Victor was bringing it. Strung along by his every word, Bern leaned forward.

"What are you saying, Victor?" He asked. And, although he asked, Victor remained silent, still thinking about what exactly it was he was about to say, do, and think about.

"What I am saying, Bern, is that I will, in your stead, take her with me. I've no other reason other than she holds information I can use, and that she will offer assistance. In what ways I do not know." Not only did Eleonor's eyes widen, as it was actually one of the few things she had not expected, but so did Berns.

"W-wait, Victor, I don't... know what you mean? I'm not good at anything! I can't help and I'm not pretty, I'm not talented in anything other than sewing!" She realized she was digging her own grave and promptly covered her mouth with a quiet squeak.

"Talent can be brought up. Besides, you told me that it was every lady and their mothers dream to wed a dragon."

Eleonor's face ran red in embarrassment, whilst Bern was both bewildered and off-put.