Cabin Fever

[Mayquiri]

Two months.  Two months since he had submitted an application to become a tutor, and still no answer.  It wasn't as if they weren't in need of another tutor.  There were always more young students then was Really necessary in his house considering that all of the dregs were admitted as well as those with true potential into the House of Libramen.  Yes, Navan knew that patience was a virtue and that he had plenty of time ahead of him, but honestly, he was growing bored.  Bored with spying on the new students and arranging 'accidents' to those who he deemed useless.  Bored with practicing his archery and his acrobatics day in and day out.  Bored with visiting the library and reading up on any family name that piqued his interest.  Navan was even beginning to grow tired of wandering the gardens of the academy.  It wasn't that he didn't enjoy those things, but he wished for something More.  Knowing he wasn't nearly good enough for a student of his own, he was still a mere apprentice after all, Navan wished to instruct the newer students in his house.  Perhaps if he could pound into their heads the finer points of their arts, they might one day grow into respectable assassins.  Assassins that would hopefully remember the tutor who worked hour after hour to help train them.

But Navan was getting ahead of himself, as he often found himself doing.  It was nearly the end of several classes.  Hopefully he could catch a teacher or tutor between lessons.  Or at the very least find Something to distract his racing mind.  He knew a great deal of it was that he missed the forests.  Aside from the few escorted excursions into Kennylrynth Forest, Navan had been cut off from his natural habitat for what seemed like decades.  A part of him loathed this perceived weakness within himself, and tried to deny it, but the young wood elf could only deny his heritage for so long.

[Existentially Odd]

Aarik was also walking through the corridors on his way to the outdoor area.  He wasn't walking nearly as efficiently as he usually did, for he was hoping to catch Samuel, of House Libramen.  It had been some time since he'd spoken to the new student and, truthfully, his curiosity was getting the better of him.  He'd heard rumours that the pompous ass was failing his (Aarik's) pet subjects - poisons, potions, chemistry... the sciences - but he wasn't sure that was true.  He wanted to know because he might be able to tutor the man - though he wasn't committed to offering, he was simply toying with the notion.  To amuse himself.

He eyed off Navan as he strolled, his black apprentice pants and tunic outlining his muscular body succinctly, his sash looking almost as if it had been plaited about his waist and not dangling at all.  He vaguely recognised the man as coming from House Libramen and wondered if he should converse with him.  For the time being he simply stared suspiciously while he approached, his hands clasped together behind his back and his lips lightly pursed.  At the very least, as they came closer, he would nod politely, only because thoughts of Samuel were putting him in an odd mood.

[Seragil]

Having entered the corridor earlier IstaunVal took a moment to pause and quickly double check he had all the freshly forged travel documents the Master had requested he make, and since he believed the fewer questions asked the better he had augmented the shadows around him to help keep him concealed from prying eyes.

At the sound of approaching footsteps he lifted his head from his search and watched as both Navan and Aarik walked towards each other from opposite ends of the corridor. He didn’t know much about Navan except his name and the fact that when a student needed hunting down or just needed an end put to them he was always the first to put his hand up for the job. As for Aarik he knew even less except that like IstaunVal he too was a member of Eruditio House.

Curious and admiring the view, IstaunVal leaned comfortably against the wall behind him and smiled to himself as he folded his arms across his chest and continued to watch the two very good looking men walk down the corridor, only to curse softly yet emphatically as his packet of documents slipped from his robes and spilled across the floor. Exasperated he dropped the concealment spell and quickly tried to gather the papers, the two approaching guys were for now, completely forgotten.

[Existentially Odd]

Out of nowhere, sheets of parchment fluttered across the corridor before him, drawing Aarik's attention downward and causing him to stop immediately.  When he realised that the threat was minimal, he continued onward, bending down to scoop up the document that had reached closest to him.  He held it out towards the exotic elf with an impartial expression on his face, expecting it would be taken and he could go back to deciding whether he'd speak to that Libramen apprentice or not.

[Mayquiri]

Aarik was Not who Navan wanted to see.  As a result, he paid no attention to the man until the fact that he was striding closer was impossible to ignore.  What could this apprentice possibly want with Navan?  He was an Erudito, and most likely looked down upon Navan and his housemen.  Likewise, Navan couldn't help but find a small amount of disdain for this flashy man.  He was skilled, no one could doubt that, but he was also arrogant, and seemed to hold his studies and aspirations above his job as an assassin.

All the same, Aarik was a man Navan had noticed a while back, shortly after he was first promoted to apprentice.  He seemed to know how to network well, and could be useful to Navan one day, so the young man smiled faintly towards the other and bowed his head slightly. 

When the flurry of papers seemed to appear from thin air, Navan blinked, looking around quickly until he located the elf.  Of course.  Another Erudito apprentice; one that Navan felt a slightly more personal kinship with.  At least He was elf and likely to outlast this shifter, just as Navan himself was.  Bowing slightly now, not to Aarik, but to IstaunVal, Navan went to move around Aarik in order to help the other apprentice.  He couldn't help but smile to himself at how this somewhat pompous man might react to being seemingly brushed off for some Other apprentice.

[Seragil]

Crouched down from retrieving some of the spilled papers that were closest to him IstaunVal quickly looked up as a pair of boots appeared in front of him, but relaxed slightly when he realised it was only Aarik returning one of his runaway forms.
 
Straightening up he quickly appraised his fellow House member as he went to take back the offered form. Aariks tight pants and tunic showed of his body beautifuly, he was lean, wiry and defenitely fit; not that he was overly surprised to find him so as those who weren’t didn’t last overly long in the Academy, they certainly didn’t last long enough to get to the position of apprentice anyway.
 
As he slid the form out of Aariks hand he couldn’t help but notice the marks and scars on the hand before him, for they were a sign of a man who had firsthand experience in the dangers offered by the blade; signs of a man who knew how to handle them as well. He smiled to himself as he knew no such signs were on his hands; as a pleasure slave marking him was punishable by death, as a thief allowing such marks to remain was a sure way to end up dead.

“Thank you” he said quietly, his voice deep yet soft and silky; like velvet rubbed against stone. He smiled slightly as he slipped the form in with the others he had gathered, then flicked his eyes quickly towards the approaching Navan, seeing the wood elf bow slightly to him whilst apparently ignoring Aarik he nodded back in greeting and thanks. With a quick amused smile and an arched eyebrow he flicked his gaze between them.

“So, you two know each other then?” He asked, amusement richly evident in his voice

[Existentially Odd]

Aarik also quirked an eyebrow and looked at the man indicated by the dark elf, thinking that 'know each other other' was quite a stretch in a place where everybody was encouraged to keep to themselves.  From the way he spoke, it seemed that it was likely they knew each other and the dark elf was amused that he and the Libramen guy apparently did, too; it wasn't true, he barely remembered IstaunVal's name and they shared a house (though that was likely more of a selective thing, since they were more or less opponents when it came to promotions and he didn't want to appear overly familiar with a rival).  He definitely had no idea who the Libramen guy was, even though he'd seen him around.  Elves were always obvious to him.

"No," he answered quickly, his voice nowhere near as beautiful and rich-sounding as the drow's was.  "Should we?" he added mildly, raising both eyebrows as he contemplated the wood elf.  It was clear that he expected a connection to be made by his fellow housemate if there was one to be made and he was quite pleased that it had come about this way, for it was a much smoother introduction than simply stopping the guy in the corridor and asking if he knew what class Samuel was currently attending.

He could bank on the Libramen knowing who Samuel was, for the rumours about the new recruit who'd been accelerated to level four (and only been stopped there by his limited sciences knowledge, otherwise he might have ended up anywhere!) just a few weeks after entering the academy were rife across the campus.  Everyone knew that Libramen had been chosen by someone gifted and most eyes were turned speculatively in their direction.

[Mayquiri]

"Not intimately." Navan replied smoothly, mildly amused by Aariks assertion that they did not know each other at all.  The elf would have thought that Aarik would learn what he could about the other apprentices.  At least the ones of note.  Perhaps his ego would not permit himself to look at another as a rival worthy of respect and study?

"I know we are not of the same house Apprentice Aarik, but I must admit, I am mildly surprised that you seem to have so little knowledge of other apprentices of note, such as myself and IstaunVale.  Perhaps is it our elven ancestry that allows us to slip from your memory?" He asked innocently enough, a faint smirk upon his lips.  He knew little of IstaunVale, and hoped that his memory would not be quizzed.  As much as he enjoyed learning about the other students within the Academy, he was no Erudito student, and he often found that many facts slipped his mind without constant study; an idea that bored him deeply.

The teacher he had been hoping to locate was long gone at this point, but Navan pretended not to notice.  There were two apprentices in front of him, both with their own reputations and uses.  Perhaps if he could manipulate Aarik well enough, he could get the man to aid him in becoming a tutor.  A man like him was far to skilled to be disposed of, so it could be useful to make an alliance.  It wasn't as if they were competing for the same things after all.

"I most certainly hope that the order of those papers wasn't important.  If you didn't have them memorized, you could be in for quite a bit of trouble once they reach their destination." Navan then offered, eyebrows arching slightly as he looked down at IstaunVale.

[Existentially Odd]

"Are you saying I'm racist?" Aarik bristled, overriding the last of the wood elf's comments toward IstanVal regarding his papers.

His dark brows were drawn down in a scowl as he glared at the stranger who'd just told him he should pay attention to everyone who ranked as an apprentice (unless he dismissed them due to race).  Coming from a house the size of Libramen - that probably had a ridiculous amount of apprentices to Eruditio's five - saying Aarik should be aware of everyone at that level in the academy was a very rude directive.  He wasn't on campus enough to warrant making friends and having tea parties outside his own house!

"Although I daren't pop your bubble of self-importance, sir, I must assure you that I'm not.  I know you're an apprentice.  I know your house.  Beyond that, I have no care for you and it's not because of your race, it's just because there's no purpose in knowing you!"

[Seragil]

IstaunVal coughed quietly in amusement at the confrontation starting to build between the two other apprentices before raising his hands in mock surrender.

“ Hey, I’m glad you know little to nothing about me, bringing too much attention to one’s self usually ends up with you getting a knife in the ribs or poison in your food from overly ambitious fellow students in this place, then you have to track down and kill the would be assassins and yadda yadda, yawn yawn. I have better things to do then teach fellow students their rightful place” he said half jokingly to Aarik before turning to Navan. “Thank you for your concern Navan, but they aren’t those types of papers” he replied with a conspiratorial wink as he tucked the forged travel documents safely back into his robes.

IstaunVal knew he was coming across as an overly friendly chump but didn’t care, if his fellow apprentices ended up underestimating or over looking him the better for the long run, after all everyone was an enemy or rival until proven otherwise and even then you still had to watch your back.

[Mayquiri]

At first Navan was taken aback by Aariks anger.  He had expected an apprentice to be able to better control his emotions.  Putting on his most practiced and most disarming smile, Navan leaned back slightly.  He refused to surrender to Aariks temper, but he also wanted to make it clear that he did not wish to fight unless he had no other choice.  Until he was able to leap and twist out of reach, he was as good as dead if Aarik attacked him.

"I fear you misunderstood me." He explained calmly, visibly amused now that he found just how simple it seemed to be to upset this creature.  "I merely meant that often times one race can find it difficult to tell individuals apart in another race.  To an unpracticed eye, two very different wood elves could appear nearly as twins.  I know that, on occasion, I have mistaken one human for another.  An innocent mistake and nothing more." As he spoke, Navan pulled much effort into keeping the obvious mirth from his voice, not wishing to sound like he were mocking the other.

"And as for knowing every single apprentice, I don't believe you fully heard me.  I said apprentice of Note.  Ones that are, well, bound for greater things, if you will.  Such as yourself.  Judging from what I've seen over the past months, you aim to become High Apprentice for your house within the year, am I correct?" The young elf asked, hoping to soothe his ego slightly before turning back to IstaunVale.  "Hm, you do make a Very good point.  Attracting attention in a place such as this is a delicate balancing act.  The slightest misstep, and what once was such an asset could quickly become an overly decorative noose." He chuckled, bowing his head slightly once more. 

"I'm pleased to hear that.  Tell me, is the information on those papers confidental?  Because I would love to hear about what you're working on.  Assuming our young friend here isn't planning on breaking my jaw of course."

 

[Existentially Odd]

Aarik's expression cleared into a defensive mask as the wood elf talked about his desire for obtaining a higher rank.  His secret desires... that he was obviously making so plain, an apprentice from another house could talk openly about them, in the middle of a corridor.  Well.  He supposed he should be flattered that he was being noticed, but it really just made him uneasy.  As the conversation between the other two continued, he held his tongue, doing what he was best at: thinking.

He'd possibly drawn so much attention from the Libramen apprentice due to his initial association with Samuel.  The man was far too smart for that pathetic house - and Aarik suspected he'd only joined Libramen because he had a mission that was best achieved from inside the house - and he'd gone to great pains to woo him to Eruditio.  Even getting caught breaking into his beloved laboratory and copping a ban for their efforts.  Of course, he'd been at the academy for eighteen years and it was very difficult to pinpoint the age of a wood elf; for all Aarik knew, Navan had been watching him since he was a family-approved admission at eleven years old.

Was he seen openly courting Jandah on the campus too?  It was true, he was by the man's side as much as he could be... and he supposed, to the like-minded, that that could be obvious as a move for ascension (especially if they knew Jandah to be a Master lacking a High Apprentice).  He looked speculatively at Navan, presuming that the man must be of the same ilk to have recognised his behaviours for what they were.  Navan wanted more power, too.  Despite having no affiliation with his house beyond a desire to get closer to Samuel (and he really couldn't say why that man had got so deeply under his skin that he was, even now, contemplating further association with him), Aarilk could respect Navan's mutual desire for success.  Perhaps all Libramen weren't entirely a lost cause.

[Seragil]

IstaunVal arched an eyebrow as Navan let spill Aariks possible plans for the future and smiled slightly. Obviously Navan had a big mouth and felt that he needed to prove his superiority over the other apprentices by spouting whatever he knew or had dug up on them. A total waste of perfectly good information as far as IstaunVal was concerned, yet Navans apparent need to over share did come in handy as IstaunVal had just learned something he hadn’t known about Aarik; not that Istaunval cared about Aariks ambitions or immediate plans, it was just that he believed all information was worth knowing and keeping, as who knew when it might become useful later.

At the re-mention of the documents IstaunVal narrowed his eyes slightly as a deadly calm settled over him; draining all emotion from his face as he calmly yet unobtrusively as possible, reached into the opposite sleeves on his robes and rested his hands on the concealed daggers he had strapped to his forearms. IstaunVal’s forgery abilities were common knowledge as it was one of the ways he made money in and out of the Acadamy, no it was the fact Navan wanted to know what information the documents contained that was the problem. It was a shame really; as he had found the two apprentices to be, if not overly interesting at the moment, at least amusing; but alas Navan had already proven he couldn’t keep his mouth shut or the doings of other people to himself.

His amethyst coloured eyes lit up with a dangerous yet faint lavender fire as he smiled slightly and answered Navans query “Oh.” he replied as nonchalantly as possible, not wanting to alert his companions to any danger nor draw any more attention to the documents, but ready to strike if the ploy didn’t work. “They aren’t of much import, just some maps of some old ruins and information about their surrounding area. Research for a person whom I owed a favour to.” He shrugged negligently, hoping to convince with his body language that the papers really weren’t that important. Even if for some reason IstaunVal decided to let him live, the Master would still need to be Told about this whole damn encounter, about Navans curiosity and his big mouth. That just pissed IstaunVal off to no end as he knew he would be held accountable for this mishap.

Still he couldn’t help but have a twinge of regret for what was most likely to happen, he didn’t really want to kill either of them and Aarik certainly had done nothing to deserve a knife to the throat, but killing Navan and leaving him alive would leave the very handsome human with too many questions. It really was a shame, as Aarik had the best lips and eyes he had seen in ages, not to mention the ass those pants hugged so tightly. 

[Mayquiri]

As soon as the mood shifted, Navan recognized his mistake.  He needed to spend less time around his own house and more time observing and possibly even befriending those from other houses.  He had mistakenly assumed that these Eruditos would be impressed that a Libramen not only was capable of study and knowledge retention, but was willing to learn more. 

Stepping back casually, Navan bowed his head slightly.  "I apologize.  I assumed that it was public knowledge and not something secret." He explained quickly, his own hands dropping to his waist where he concealed several poison-tipped throwing knives.  Inwardly, Navan was cursing his own cocky attitude.  It seemed that the casual attitude he assumed with many of his own housemates was bleeding into other situations.  It was a foolish, stupid mistake that he would have not allowed one of a lower rank to get away with.  He'd be lucky to escape this encounter completely unscathed, and he feared that, instead of building allies, he may have made enemies.  A true pity seeing as he wasn't competing with either of the other two.

Bowing his head slightly again, Navan sighed lightly.  "I apologize if I have caused unnecessary tension between the two of you.  It was not my intent.  Perhaps I should leave you to your duties." He murmured, carefully sliding away from the pair.  In close combat, he was useless, and felt highly uncomfortable with the pair so very close.  To compound matters, he often didn't carry his bow around with him in  the corridors.  It was simply to large and obvious, and if someone were to attack him, he would have to flee just to string the damned thing. 

As it were, Navan also wanted to leave so he could observe some of the lower classes; perhaps even join in and assist the instructor if asked.  If he couldn't speak directly to the teachers and masters, he could slip into the classes and therefore into their minds.

[Existentially Odd]

More than seeing anything that alerted him to the danger that IstaunVal presented, Aarik sensed something awry the moment that feeling of calm arose between the three of them.  It was something he recognised instinctively, the hairs on the back of his neck lifted up and then his gaze began flicking between the two men, his own muscles tensing.  Something was wrong.  Their postures shifted subtly, professionally, but years of experience told Aarik the danger he was about to be in... and the Libramen guy too, by the looks.  His backing away was an obvious sign of supplication and Aarik looked at his housemate to see if that would appease him.  He hadn't moved yet, but he was ready to, if the Libramen apprentice's actions weren't successful.