These halls were exceedingly long, what was the purpose of this? Actually, Arras didn't need to ask that question he already knew the purpose of these halls. They were meant to house people, lots, and lots, of people. Of course they'd be large. It was a rather stupid question on his part. He was just agitated with how plain they were, once again he could feel his anxiety rising in the confines of this space.

"You doing alright? Feels like you're a little bit..."

"I'm fine. Mostly. I'll be fine as well, it's just cramped in here."

"Well... How about I give senses a try on you?"

"...No need to say it like I'm some sort of test dummy." Arras told her half jokingly.

"...My bad?"

"Yes, you can do it. I'm just going to stop trying to make jokes I suppose." Arras said, entirely seriously.

"...Oops. Well, alright, you might feel a little odd at first, but try not to block me out?"

"How would I even do that?" Arras asked curiously as he rounded a corner.

"Well, I think you just let your magic flow like you would when using an aura. So uh, don't do that?"

"...Right, well, go ahead." Arras braced himself and clenched his jaw. Then he felt something odd, it wasn't nearly as bad as he had expected given the warning Illia had given him, but it was certainly an odd feeling. It wasn't a foreign presence that he found on the fringes of his mind, no, it was a very familiar one. That was Illia's magic clear as day. But... He'd be lying if he said it felt normal in any way like a mind link would.

He paused in place for a single instant as he blinked, but before anybody else questioned him he continued to follow the group.

"Now... I know how this works in theory, but I haven't really tried any of it before on an actual person...?"

"...Not exactly reassuring." Arras grumbled and scratched at his head. It didn't help.

"Sorry. If you think there's something wrong, feel free to mess up my spell at any time. I don't want to hurt you in any way."

"I trust you, you're not incompetent when it comes to magic. Well, I mean, at least not mental magic. I can't really speak for what else you can do, you haven't showed me much of what you've practiced recently... But, that's not quite the point. I have faith in your abilities."

"...Thanks. I'll try not to mess up."

It was a REALLY, REALLY, weird feeling to have somebody rooting through your psyche. Though, out of any possible people, at least it was Illia doing it. Arras trusted her absolutely, so even if it was uncomfortable he could deal with it without complaint. As she continued to work, the other two members of their group walked through a door, and Arras followed shortly afterwards.

This room was far larger, it seemed to be some sort of... Actually, Arras wasn't sure what it really was supposed to be. He hadn't seen any sort of room like it before in his life. He took a few steps forward, and into a crowd. Because a whole lot of the familiar faces Arras had seen so far were in this very room. He waved to his two acquaintances, and dipped inside of the crowd to explore.

There was some sort of very large table, with... Arras counted about fifty total seats. Likely for all of them, an interesting thing for certain. In front of the table at a good distance was some kind of stage, not too dissimilar from the one which duels had taken place on. Arras was a little confused, were they going to be dueling or something? Or perhaps it'd be used for announcements like that stage had initially been used for as well? It wasn't exactly far fetched...

He turned back around, and began to make his way... Back... Through the... Crowd?

"...Huh."

"So, is it working...?"

"Surprisingly very well." He nodded to himself as he reached the fringes of the crowd. "I kind of just rely on my instincts to tell me things, and I didn't even feel anything screaming at me that entire time... So I didn't really... Notice it until near the end there, when I felt a suspicious lack of feedback from my own mind. That is, as I said, surprisingly effective."

"That's great to hear! I was honestly a little worried that it wouldn't work, or something... So, do you want me to keep doing it? It's a little magically draining, but I'll need to get better at it soon enough anyways."

"Feel free, it's kind of... Kind of nice, honestly. To not feel like there's a predator breathing down my neck just because there's people around. So, yeah, keep doing it. As long as you can, anyways."

"Gladly! If it's helpful I'll keep it going for as long as I can."

"You've been rather quiet Arras, any problems?"

Amakazi drew his attention after a long while of him not really, well, paying attention to much besides Illia. That really was a nasty habit he needed to correct. He either had something shock him into paying attention to it, or he was too anxious to actually pay anything any attention...

"I literally can't speak, unfortunately."

"...Pardon?"

"I can't speak, not proper common anyway. My form doesn't accommodate for that. I'm effectively mute."

"Hm." She didn't even nod, just acknowledged what he'd said and turned away. Odd. He didn't have well to dwell on it though, because as he thought, the stage was being used as a stage.

"Esteemed Lord's and Lady's! Welcome to Fort Waoakua, I hope your rooms have been sufficiently accommodating, we were not expecting such high profile reinforcements so close to the end of the war."

The crowd remained silent.

"If you would all take a seat, we may begin briefing on the final push that must be made to bring this war to its conclusion."

...

It was pretty easy for Arras to follow along with the crowd now that being among it didn't make him feel like popping out of his own skin. He was... Unironically and completely bewildered by just how much clearer his mind felt. He could still understand the warnings his instincts were lobbing at him a few dozen times a second, but he no longer had to actively suppress the desire to follow them.

The room just felt so... Quiet, it felt serene. Arras wasn't sure if he'd ever felt this calm in a public space before... Ever. Or by himself, for that matter. The only time he'd had this level of peace of mind was with a little bit of good company and a quiet environment. It was nice to be able to feel like this, very nice. It was like basking in a spot of sunshine. Except the sunshine never got covered up.

And despite that bliss, he could still focus on other things??

...Arras supposed he might need to make more excuses than he already did to keep Illia around.

"Unfortunately, due to the short notice in which you were summoned, we were not given information on your individual abilities ahead of time. From left to right, you will introduce yourselves and describe your usage and range of magic. Is this acceptable?"

A range of mumbles and affirmations were delivered in response. Arras himself simply nodded. He wasn't really sure how he was going to do that though... Maybe he could just ask Erickson or Amakazi? Well, he supposed he could wait and watch for a moment.

Anyways, insofar Arras had been listening pretty intently. Now that he could actually pay attention, he found himself rather inclined to do so. It was something new, something interesting. He loved to learn, and so he gave it his ear. Apparently, whichever nation that was being attacked, was on its last legs. The only piece of land they had left to their name was their capital city, whatever that meant.

Unfortunately, they had dug themselves in extremely well. And while they did not have any "masters", they did have a large number of soldiers well above the average in terms of skill, a nation with many mercenaries supposedly. Apparently, that had been why this group of "reinforcements" had been sent in the first place. Because they needed a "strike force". Arras had little to no idea what any of this meant, he was just attempting to figure out what the heck was going on by repeating the things that had been said to himself.

And, after talking about whatever that was... They had gotten into the topic of composing their "forces"... Arras figured that "forces" referred to him and all of the other mages around. But in order to do that, they needed to know what exactly they could do in the first place. A fair point, and Arras had no problem with informing his supposed allies of his abilities. Cause, well, why would he? He was supposed to be able to trust these people was he not? Putting ones life on the line and trusting it to another was an important thing.

Arras... Couldn't personally say that they would, but he wasn't oblivious to the ways of colonial life. Society was an important thing, there were rules and norms to be upheld. Even if Arras... Found some of those rules and norms, incredibly stupid, the fact remained that they were followed to a T. There was more precedent for him to believe that the people around him would act in a "morally green" fashion as Illia had put it, than there was for the contrary.

"Lord Retroski."

"I am adept with four forms of magic, healing, physical strengthening, fire and mental, and an expert with two, those being force and wind."

"An impressive array of mastery, but perhaps not what is needed. Regardless, you will be an excellent addition to the front."

"...Illia?"

"...Huh? What's-what's up?"

"Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah! Of course I am, why do you... Ask?"

"...You don't sound alright."

"Huh? No I'm fine, really I am, just trying not to... Slip up..."

"If you're having trouble, feel free to take a break..."

"You out of all people have no right to say that Arras. Also I'm keeping hold of all your anxiety right now, and it is NOT pretty. There's no way I'm letting that burst in the middle of the room."

"...Fair enough, thank you for the effort."

"Of course, what are... Friends for?"

Arras's initial thought was to answer the rhetorical question, but in a rare moment of wisdom he actually caught the thought in the making.

"Thank you. But, I wanted to ask you a question."

"Uh huh, feel free."

"What do they mean by 'fledgling, adept, experienced,' all of that?"

"Oh... That never was explained to you, was it?"

"Clearly not."

"Uh... Heh, oops? Alright, well, think of it as a sort of ranking system for how good you are at using a specific kind of magic."

"...And that means, what exactly?"

"...Yeah I probably should explain that in a bit more depth shouldn't I?"

"Clock is ticking."

"Yeah, yeah sorry! Jeeze..." She feigned offense, and Arras did his best to not smile. "Alright, so there's seven ranks for the level of mastery somebody has over their magic. It's not really something that's heavily focused on, but well, there needed to be some way to identify somebody's skill level, so..."

"...So?"

"I mean, it's not like Arbre came up with it, it's been a thing for awhile but nobody ever really expanded on it? But, that's really besides the point. I'm sorry I'm totally wasting time-"

"Are you sure you're fine?"

"...Yeah, seriously, I am." She paused for a moment and closed her eyes. "Now, where was I? Seven ranks, inexperienced, fledgling, adept, experienced, expert, master, and grand master. It's a pretty nebulous thing, you kind of just rank yourself where you think you are, and if you're actually that good you can get some official identification for it..."

"Well, that's all very interesting... But... What in the name of the Nine Tails am I supposed to say when I'm asked?!? I have no idea how these rankings work!"

"Oh, uh... No, no, it's fine! I can just tell you what level you're on in terms of ranking."

"Okay, please hurry, there's only seven more people to go."

"Right, uh, quick refresher on what magic you can use again?"

"Hmmm... Water... Barely, wind, earth, fire, mental, force, illusion, transformation, insanity by technicality... I've dabbled a little bit in some of the magic that my siblings used... Gravity magic, dimensional magic, electricity magic, but I never really did much practice with any of those three."

"...Holy crap. I forget just how much of a monster you are sometimes."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're really good at what you do, don't worry about it. Alright... Give me a moment..."

"Lady Mirravesce."

"Illia."

"Don't rush me-we'll be done in time don't worry."

"..."

"That doesn't help either-bah-forget it I'm done! Okay, list your abilities from least to greatest, cause just so you know. That's considered proper."

"...Okay?"

"Now! Water, inexperienced. Gravity, inexperienced, Dimensional, inexperienced. Electricity, inexperienced. Wind, inexperienced. Mental, adept, Transformation, adept. Earth, experienced. Force, experienced. Illusion, experienced. Fire, experienced... Bordering on expert. Honestly? I'm being a little bit cautious, you'd probably be pretty safe to say you're bordering on expert with force, illusion, and fire magic."

"...Really? You don't think I'm an expert or master in anything?"

"Arras... I think you're underestimating what exactly a 'master' can do. If you saw one at work, you'd probably rate yourself closer to the level of a fledgling in just about everything. There's a pretty huge gap between the final three ranks. Don't be upset though, you're still well above the average. And you're, what, two and a half months old?"

"...If you say so. I guess that just means I have more to learn."

"That's the spirit. Now, how were you going to uh, say that?"

"By asking for help."

"...If you say so."

Even Illia was suprised with just how casual he was now. It was like he was an entirely different person. Well, not an entirely different person. He was still...

"HAbjalolulu-"

"...Illia???"

"Nothing, don't worry about me, I'm fine!"

Arras couldn't help it, the corners of his face tugged up just a little bit.

"If you say so."

And he cut off the link.

"Excuse me." And made another with Erickson.

"...Ah, Arras, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Oh, I just needed to ask you for your help."

"...With what?"

"I'm, unfortunately, mute. Would you mind listing my... Ranks, for me?"

"Certainly, I would be happy to assist."

Arras didn't get anything from the man's emotions like he would with Illia, likely some sort of protection against magic like Pennsworth... But, his confident smile spoke almost as loud as his direct thoughts would.

Anyways... Illia had certainly cut it close, given there were now only two nobles left before Arras himself, one, immediately after he finished taking that count.

"Lord Ephimarus."

"I am inexperienced with light magic, adept with healing magic and physical strengthening, experienced with force and earth magic, and an expert in illusion magic.

"Excellent, that should work exceedingly well for our purposes."

The man up on stage cleared his throat.

"Lord Veile-"

"You will have to forgive his inability to answer you directly, Sir Veile is unfortunately mute. He has requested for me to speak for him."

"Very well Lord Ephimarus. Please, continue."

"Thank you. Now, please repeat after me."

"Sir Veile is inexperienced in... Five forms of magic, water, gravity, dimensional, electricity, and wind magic. He is additionally adept in mental and transformation magic..." He paused awkwardly, having assumed that would've been the extent of Arras's repertoire. Even if he wasn't particularly skilled with any of those individual magics, having an arsenal, and by extension, knowledge as wide as seven different kinds of magic already made you a valuable asset. Especially with more difficult kinds of magic like the ones he had listed... However, Arras wasn't done.

After clearing his throat with minimal noise, he continued. "Sir Veile is also experienced with earth magic, force magic, illusion magic, and fire magic... While bordering on expert with... The latter... Three."

"Is something the matter?"

"...No, I'm perfectly fine. I apologize, I was simply caught off guard by your expansive mastery."

He was going to ask, "is it really that weird?" but thought better of it at the last moment, that was probably a question better shared with Illia than a noble who he'd known for all of an hour.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"I see."

"Pardon? Eleven different magics?"

"That is what Sir Veile says." Erickson eyed the man on stage as he stuttered for a short moment.

"...My apologies, Lord Ephimarus, Lord Veile. Very well, such expertise will be valued highly." They paused to clear their throat again, and turned their attention to the next person in order. Amakazi had gone before Erickson, with inexperienced water and force, fledgling illusion magic, Adept physical strengthening, and expert transformation magic. There were still a few more nobles left to go, so Arras steeled his focus and continued to tune in on the off chance he would hear about some kind of magic he had no idea about.

...

Spoiler alert, that didn't happen. Arras unfortunately came away from the experience unsatisfied. Well, he didn't come away from it, he was still there along with six other individuals, as well as Illia and what seemed to be two other familiars, but the point still stood.

"I am sure you all understand why exactly is it that you still remain within this room?"

Everybody nodded, Arras reflexively nodded just because he didn't want to be the odd one out.

"It's because you have the kind of magic they're looking for, lucky you!"

"...That is sarcasm, right?"

"Yes."

"We have unfortunately remained at a standstill with Efimarus for months, their last lines of defense were surprisingly potent. Given this fact, we are in desperate need of a force small enough, yet skilled enough to infiltrate their capital and sabotage them from the inside. We were looking for those skilled with destructive magic, and illusion magic. Everybody still present in this room, possesses these qualities in abundance. You shall all have the honor of serving your nation in the effort of ending this fruitless battle."

"...That's a polite way to say you're being drafted for the second time." Illia noted dryly.

"Is it really that bad?"

"Honestly, probably better than having to actually be on the front lines... But, much more dangerous in the moment... I'm sure you'll be alright."

"Thank you."

"Our operation will take place in three days time, you seven will be briefed as to the specifics tomorrow morning. Please, rest your minds while you still can. The army will be departing by noon tomorrow."

Wordlessly, everybody besides Arras and Erickson dispersed. And, well, Erickson only remained because they were waiting for Arras.

Arras glanced curiously at the man as he stood patiently by the door, but that same confident smile was all he got in response. Well... By colonial standards, it would be rude to leave him waiting...

...

And, once again, back to the same room. Was he anxious again? Well, a lot, as usual, yes. Illia had stopped using her magic, but he was more bored than he was antsy. This entire place was just so... Dreary, to be honest. Dull walls, grey beds. Yes, there was some surface vanity in the room, little trinkets, well crafted furniture. But that's all it was, vanity. Nothing about it was tasteful, not that he particularly respected the man's tastes, but Pennsworth had opened Arras's eyes to the appeal of proper decorations. He could deal with not having such things... Buuuuut, well, it did feel like a worse living space.

...He supposed he saw the appeal of this high life style that nobles lived.

"So, how was it?"

"How was what? I'm afraid you'll need to be more specific." Arras sat down at the desk in the room as everybody settled in once again.

"Oh, yeah, how was..." She started off with a sarcastic tint to her voice, but paused thoughtfully half way through. "You know what, you would enjoy getting to listen to everything wouldn't you?"

"If that's what you're talking about, yes, it was quite enlightening. I'd love to listen to any future conversations similar to it." And like clockwork, he began to play around with his wind magic yet again. If he was "inexperienced" then he wanted to become "experienced" instead.

If she had the physical capability of scoffing, then Illia would've let loose the scoffiest scoff of all time. "Of course you would."

And like somebody jammed an entire crowbar into the clock, his focus dispersed. "...Pardon?"

"I'm sorry, that was mean, and also completely uncalled for. Let's uhm, just act like that didn't happen?"

"...So, how was what?"

She would've scoffed again, but in much better humor. "Jeeze, you're not even trying to do it but you're making me feel awful about a bad joke."

"..."

"Oh my god don't apologize!"

"..."

Illia fluttered off of his shoulder, and landed quietly on the desk. That stare was piercing.

"...Okay."

"Good. Now, how did you feel about my magic?"

"Oh, that's what you meant... Would you like me to be completely honest?"

"Why would you not be honest...? You, are normally, aren't you?"

"Yes, of course. I just thought my answer might be a little bit off-putting. But, you raise a valid point. Why would you ask if you didn't want to hear the truth? Hmm... I'm tempted to ask you to edit the contents of the contract you forced me to make, to you not being allowed to leave my side."

"...What?"

"Well, that's a joke, but also not really? Illia, you wanted me to be honest, so I'm going to be. I've only felt peace of mind like that a few times in my entire life, and even then, nothing quite on that level. Well, that's not entirely true, I can feel that same sort of thing with mental magic, but that's proven to be a very temporary solution. And, well, now that I've felt a better one? The only reason I'm not begging you to keep doing it is because you said it's difficult. I very much like not feeling like any little thing is going to pop out and murder me, even when every logical part of me knows very well that such a thing will in fact, not happen."

"...Uh... Huh...?"

"Uh huh."

"Well, I can keep doing it if you'd like me to...? It's difficult, sure, but if it puts you at ease I'm perfectly happy to help. Besides, it'll be good practice, I need to get better at using this if it needs to be ready in... Three... Days... Oh, wow, this is how you always feel. This sucks."

"So I realize."

"Well, alright, I'll give it my best. Going back to deadlines is a little... Meh, especially one this short... But if you can manage building up one of the most difficult magics from the ground up in a little over a week, I'm sure I can do this in a few days."

"I have complete faith in you." He smiled warmly and ignored the "going back to deadlines" comment. He didn't want to pry into Illia's past without her express permission, just like she hadn't done to him.

Anyways, his response was entirely serious. It didn't matter to Arras that he was better at magic than anybody around him, for, some reason. It just... Didn't matter. He was certain Illia would be able to meet his standards, just like she had back in the forest. She always would be able to. He just knew it.

...

Arras smiled slightly as the air circled around his hand. Using his tails for magic did make it easier, but that was kind of antithetical to training. He'd used his tails for a long time before he realized that. Now he only really used them for actual fights. So, not often. Regardless of that, he continued to smile. Smiling felt nice, very nice. He didn't smile much ever since about two hours ago. He might have to learn healing magic after this was all done and what not, to be able to use senses on himself. Or, maybe he could do it with mental magic alone? It might be a little more advanced...

Arras lightly shook his head (so as to not displace Illia) as he chased away the stray thoughts. He'd done what he had set out to do! Wind magic, on demand. It had taken him a little longer to pick up than most other magics he used, but it would most certainly be worth it. With a twirl of his finger, Arras slapped himself with a slight breeze. Perfect.

He smiled a little wider and gently scratched at Illia's head "I'm sorry that I can't be of much help with your practice. I get that it can be a little bit nerve wracking."

"No, I'm fine, seriously. Thinking about it, this isn't even as bad as what you're dealing with on an average day. If you're going to be worried over me about something like this, than you need to take better care of yourself. Anyways, How's it going for you? Looks like you made a bit of progress."

"Ah, because I did. It's admittedly, still a bit weak, but it's not like I'm using this in a battle, or anything. It's just to keep us cool outside. So in that regard, I'm done practicing with wind magic. I think it's safe to say that I've learned it."

"...Oh! That's great to hear, so what're you gonna do now?"

"Force magic, as usual. Fire and earth doesn't exactly sound like... The best thing to practice indoors. Illusions, I suppose I could work on those, or some other kind of magic if you have a suggestion?"

"...Well, I have a suggestion, but it's not really magic."

"And that is?"

"You should really try and build a relationship with those two. Sir Ephimarus and Madam Amakazi."

"...Why?"

"Well, let me ask you a question to answer your question.... Do you want to continue living in this kind of environment? Not the-whole military thing, certainly not... But uhm, do you want to keep living with colonial life?"

"...Well, I'd say the positives outweigh the negatives."

"Right, but you're also a rather powerful mage. You can't just... Be a normal person in this society, even if you wanted to. That's just not how it works, sorry. So, if you want to live the best possible life, here's my recommendation; build relationships with those in power. Make friends, wherever possible. You want to live... However you want, right? You want to live your own life without working for other people."

"...Yes, I think that sums it up fairly well."

"Well, you're never really going to be completely free if living in a society is what you want to do, but you already understand that, don't you? And you're fine with that, as long as nobody ever tries anything absurd. Well, absurd to your standards anyways... But, that's besides the point! If that's the kind of life you want to live, that's perfectly fine! I'm happy to live it..."

"Illia? Is everything alright?"

"Just to be clear, you still want me around, right?"

"...What kind of question is that? Of course."

"Okay, good! Just had to uh, make sure..." It felt like there was a different reason Illia was asking that, she already knew Arras cared about her, and he knew she did. That wasn't anything to be insecure over... Oh well. Once again, Arras certainly wasn't one to pry.

"So, as I was saying, I'm happy to... Live it with you, if that's what you want. But, you'll be able to live that life better if you have more friends in high places. It's all a complicated mess, if I'm being honest, but this is the best way I can sum it up for you. If you have more people willing to support you, it becomes more difficult for other people in power to make your life difficult. It also becomes harder to force you into working for somebody in particular."

"I see. So, you're saying that I should get acquainted with those two for that reason?"

"Exactly! I'll even talk you through it, if you're not confident."

"No, you can keep practicing. I wouldn't want to take away valuable time from you."

"...Are you sure?"

"You know, I understand the lack of faith, but I can't say it isn't upsetting. I might not want to talk to that many people, but if it's somebody who I can get along with I'd rather we be able to speak with each other."

"...How about you just let me listen in, just in case?"

...

The room was small, so it wasn't like Arras had to really "make his way" towards the two on the other side of it. He just sort of, popped open a link and said hello.

"Excuse me."

"Ah, Lord Veile, may I ask, to what do we owe the pleasure?"

"...Pardon?"

"Hm? Surely you have something you wish to speak about?"

...That was odd, they felt like an entirely different person now. Their tone had drastically sharpened, if he was to describe it, Arras would say they felt on guard.

"...No, I simply wished to learn about you. To, get acquainted, and what not."

"...For what reason? Surely a simple Barony is beneath you?"

"What in the world are you talking about?"

"Uh-Arras, maybe wait a second-"

"I don't care if you're from a Barony, or a Viscountcy, or-"

Arras paused, and turned his attention to the separate link he and Illia had.

"What other noble ranks are there?"

"..."

"Tick tock."

"...Earldom, Dukedom, and then the Monarchs themselves."

With his answer in tow, Arras continued on. "An Earldom, a Dukedom, or if you're even the ruler of this nation. I simply want to get to know those who I'm to work with."

Arras could feel overpowering regret from Illia.

"What?"

"...You really should've let me steer the conversation."

"...Perchance, what is your station?"

"...By technicality, you're a Knight of the Pennsworth Barony." Illia halfheartedly told Arras.

"I'm a Knight of the Pennsworth Barony."

"I... See. You're certainly... Rather skilled to work for a Barony, especially one as... Humble, as the Pennsworth estate."

"It is still however, who I work for. I'm certainly not of a higher rank, or whatever, than you are, so please don't suck up to me. I'm sure you understand, but I detest it. I'd much rather we just talk like normal people."

That was it, he laid it out bare. Illia continued to cringe, but Arras really didn't care. They either were, or weren't people Arras could get along with. He didn't want to waste time trying to make friends with those he found insufferable.

"...Very well, feel free to refer to me by my first name, and I shall do the same, Arras."

Arras recognized the spike of anxiety his body had when he made that initial statement, but he hadn't felt debilitated by it in any way. That really was weird. Anyways, he smiled evenly and nodded. "A pleasure, Erickson."

"Alternatively, just call him Eric, Eri, if you're feeling bold." Amakazi called from across the room as she laid in bed.

"...Ignore her. Well, you may call me Eric, if you wish."

"I see. Well, I suppose I wanted to get to know you, what kinds of things do you do?"

...Arras might've been able to word that a little better. Cause he wasn't particularly interested in the riveting throes of learning how to manage one's territory, and the rife political struggle of trying to stay ahead of your little brother. Well, he could at least spice it up with the dramatic retelling of his many escapades at deaths door during his time in The Grand Forest.

...

"...Against all odds, you actually made a friend."

"What in the world is that supposed to mean?"

"...Oh wow that does sound awful, sorry, I meant you made a friend out of a genuine noble."

"Is that supposed to be difficult?"

"I don't think you understand just how lucky you're getting here."

"No, I don't, which is why you should stop avoiding the question."

"...You're right. Well, yes, it is supposed to be difficult. Nobles don't really... Just be open with people like that. That's not how you get ahead in this game. That's how you get yourself stabbed in the back, or otherwise knocked down a peg. You only really act like that with people that you genuinely know, you know, like me and you. I mean, I guess it worked out? But... Wow. I'm just, genuinely a little bewildered here."

"Well, I'm perfectly satisfied with the results." Arras rolled his eyes as he strode through the hallway with Eric. Following another plain human. That seemed to be the norm around here. A human, dressed in dull clothes with no flair to them. He hadn't bothered to introduce himself, but he had been sent to collect the two from their room in the morning. Amakazi had also been collected, but she had gone in a different direction.

"Right, welp, we'll probably be leaving soon enough. So, get ready I guess. Be ready to listen, get ready with your magic... You're already doing that, sorry. But just, be ready, alright? Things won't be easy moving forward."

"I'm sure we'll be fine, we've always made it through any hardships, haven't we?"

"...Yeah, we have. You're right, it'll be fine."