Late Night Practice

[Mayquiri]

Here it comes again.  Even in the dead of night he could see the small projectiles that shot from pillars at him  Actually, he could see them better as he could see the small quasi-heated wakes left in the air as the little darts whizzed by.  Smirking slightly to himself, Venorik dropped to the ground to dodge the darts as he tossed up a stone laying on the ground.  He wasn’t quite certain, but Venorik was suspecting that when they didn’t hit anything, they knew.  After all, this was the third time he dodged, and they kept coming back, only doubling each time.  It was a little concerning.

Unfortunately, Venorik wasn’t quite as fast as he thought he had been.  One of the darts had scraped his arm.  The cut would have been nothing, had he moved even a millisecond faster.  As it was though, a hefty sized chunk of flesh was missing from his arm, and his black robe was quickly soaking up the blood that rushed out.

“Vith.” He cursed softly as he rolled into a crouch and waited.  His arm hadn’t quite begun to hurt, and that was probably a good thing, but the course wasn’t finished yet, and Venorik was determined to end it.  He needed to, for his pride.  Satisfied that the darts weren’t going to follow him anymore, the young drow sprang to his feet and raced for the end, dodging and jumping over obstacles that seemed to pop up out of no where.  Had they not been so very strangely shaped and covered with spikes and sharp edges, they would have provided nothing more then a warm up for the youth.  As they were though, they provided quite a challenge to the youth as he barreled forward, needing to decide quickly whether he should duck, twist, dodge, or jump as he came to each obstacle.

After what felt like minutes, but had only been seconds in reality, Venorik came out of the other end of the course, a relieved grin on his face.  He survived and completed the course with what only felt like a small scratch on his shoulder.  “Perfect.” Venorik hispered to himself as he looked back at the course, a self satisfied smirk crossing his ebony face before turning towards the gate, fully confidant that no one was nearby.  After all, why should he think another would be around?  It was nearly three in the morning, and there was absolutely no light.  Venorik felt that he would have seen them coming along ways off.

[Fell]

"There\'ve been many tales, tainted by truth, twisted by time..." Blue sang quietly to an old, mysterious tune taught to him by his mother. It echoed eeriely and flatly through the air as Blue fluttered gently along, his opalescent wings making barely a sound as he flew. He\'d just been sent to deliver a late-night message to the labs, and now he was returning to the South Wing - albeit via the scenic route. Blue had always loved nature, and being in nature, so he did so every chance he got. Besides, it was highly unlikely that anyone else would need him this late at night, so he didn\'t need to feel guilty about that either.

It was near the training grounds that Blue heard... something. The fae\'s ears quivered ever so slightly as the noise his them, turning his head soon afterwards. Someone\'s out late... I wonder if they\'ll be okay? Blue thought, concerned. He\'d seen the condition students returned in sometimes, and it could be... horrific. Maybe I should wait... Just in case, the servant thought, landing lightly on the ground near the exit. There he sat, waiting until the student within emerged.

The student who came out looked like an elf - drow, to be specific. Another species Blue had seen occasionally and heard many stories of. They were very fast, he knew, and this one was wearing a white sash. First level? Wow! Blue thought, smiling pleasantly. He always liked it when he saw sylvan creatures in the higher ranks. That was about when he noticed the blood as well.

"Oh!" Blue said softly, covering his mouth with a hand. The fae moved slowly so as not to startle the adrenaline-charged student. He\'d had bad experiences doing that in the past, and he planned not to repeat them. "E-excuse me sir?" Blue said, reaching out gently towards the other though they were about 8 feet apart, "Your shoulder... Are you alright?" Blue wasn\'t actually one of the healers, but he knew enough of the basics to help out, at least... And he was never one to just leave someone be when they were hurt. Plus, when one was full of adrenaline, they might not know how bad the wound even was! Blue hoped that this elf would let him take a look...

[Mayquiri]

For a few seconds, Venorik didn\'t even take notice to the worker\'s appearence.  He just stood there, face alternating between an angered scowl and a giddy look of self-satisfaction.  Upon noticing the small fae though, Venorik\'s scowl returned.  He didn\'t need any help.  Not from some worker, or another student, or anyone.
 
"I\'m fine.  Just got a little scratched." Venorik said quietly, his usually smooth legato voice grating out the words.  Swaying a little in his place, Venorik took a better note of the clothes, then of the wings.  He\'d seen this particular worker before, flitting around the grounds on one errand or another.
 
Unfortunately for the drow, he nevere got a chance to speak his observation to the worker.  Obviously, Venorik had lost more blood then he believed, or perhaps cared to take account for, and was swaying rather dengerously in his spot.  Just as Venorik opened his mouth to speak, red glowing eyes rolled into the back of his head as his small body fell forward.  the crunching thud that followed signified that, if there wasn\'t anything aside from the cut on his arm wrong with Venorik before the fall, there was now.

[Fell]

Blue chewed his lip a little at Venorik\'s rough words. I... Somehow don\'t think it is, he thought, eyes showing concern. "Oh dear..." Blue murmured when Venorik swayed. He knew what came next, but didn\'t want to dart in until Venorik was actually passed out. Someone had reflexively stabbed Blue because of that once already, and the fae wasn\'t eager to repeat the experience.

Blue tensed a little bit, waiting for the fall he was afraid would come. It was only a second or so before Venorik\'s eyes actually did roll up into his head. "Ah!" Blue cried, his wings lifting to their flight position even as he took a half-leap forward. The combined speed got him there before Venorik hit the ground.

Blue wrapped his arms around the student\'s torso, slowing him down before he plopped into his lap. There was still an odd crunching noise, but it couldn\'t be as bad as it might have if Blue hadn\'t caught him. The fae exhaled, glad he\'d managed to move quickly enough - and glad that Venorik didn\'t weigh too much. Blue wasn\'t very strong, so it would have been a little bad if the drow had been large.

"Now let\'s see," Blue said to himself, peering over Venorik\'s body to examine the wound. The fae winced when he got a close look at it. "This is a scratch?" he asked no one, thinking Venorik was good and out at the moment. Blue didn\'t sweat it too much. Instead, he quickly removed his sash and tore a strip from it, using one of Venorik\'s throwing knives to start the cut.

Blue gently slid Venorik\'s body to the ground, hurrying over to his other side to begin cleaning his wound, beginning with water. It probably stung, but it was important to try to wash the thing out. That would prevent infection, and wash away any poison that was still left in there - if the weapon had been poisoned at all. Blue had no idea, but he knew washing it was a good first step.

[Mayquiri]

If Venorik had been unconscious when Blue spoke, he woke up with a sharp hiss when he felt the water pour over his wound.  He wasn\'t poisoned, the darts were just that, simple iron darts intended to maim or kill.  Adrenaline surging through his veins for a moment, Venorik jumped, eyes snapping open and hand reflexively going for the offenders throat.
 
It took the drow a few moments to recognize the worker outfit, then the bright red hair and light brown skin.  It took a moment after that for Venorik to work out what must have happened.  He had been training, that much he knew, and he got a cut on his arm.  It hurt, yes, but earlier it hadn\'t hurt to much.  Like he had been barely knicked with the blade.  Apparently Venorik had been wrong.
 
"I passed out, didn;t I?" He asked softly as he relaxed aagin, partially because he realized he was in very little danger, partially because as soon as the small burst of energy hit him, it left him, leaving the elf feeling weak and out of sorts.

[Fell]

Uh- That was about all Blue had time to think before Venorik caught his throat in a vice-like grip. Blue let out a small "urk!" noise, then just froze. Struggling was always a bad idea - you either hurt yourself, or them, and Blue couldn\'t fault the drow for an instinctive reaction anyway. He just hoped Venorik would realise that he wasn\'t a danger and let go soon.

Well, Venorik didn\'t let go, but a relaxed hand was much better than a vice-like one. At least Blue could breathe. To the drow\'s question, Blue just smiled understandingly. "Yes, you did. It must be worse than you thought..." the fae said, concerned eyes flicking to the student\'s wounded arm. Venorik was fading again; Blue could see it in the way he stood. "Please, let me take care of it?" he asked softly. He wasn\'t sure if Venorik would listen to him or not, but he sure hoped he did.

At least it\'s clean now! Blue concluded happily, because even if Venorik didn\'t let him, he\'d managed to do some good. It was the bleeding that really needed to be stopped, and there were probably some cloth fibers in there that needed to be picked out... It was an awkward angle for someone to try to do themselves, and Venorik might miss some if he tried it on his own! Besides, what harm was there in letting a servant... serve? At least, that\'s what Blue was hoping the drow would think. Even if Venorik turned down his offer, though, Blue would make sure he at least got to the infirmary. What kind of servant would he be if he couldn\'t even manage that?

[Mayquiri]

Nodding slightly, Venorik turned at look at the few, interested in gfetting as good a look as his eeys would allow for the moment.  If the servent was hired by another student to poison him if an oppertunity aroused, or if he was just against dark elves, Venorik would know who to kill if the wound became infected, or if he fell ill.  Assuming the poison used was a slow one of course.
 
Sitting himself down on the ground, Venorik looked away from the pixie and over at his arm.  He couldn\'t see the wound very well, but it didn\'t look good.  Obviously, the dart had cut into his flesh far deeper then he thought, which would explain why he felt so light-headed and weak.
 
Knowing that there was little Venorik could do on his own at this time, especially seeing as he didn\'t know any healing spells, he nodded.  "If you poison me, I\'ll kill you." He warned softly, smiling faintly.  Apparently that was his way of giving permission without looking to terribly weak.

[Fell]

I wish that was a less common response, Blue thought with a resigned smile. "Why would I?" he responded out loud, cheerful. "I wouldn\'t have someone hire me; after all, you\'re all here to become assassins, so you should be able to do it yourself. And I have no personal motivation at all! I like seeing other sylvans attain high ranks!" the servant continued, his voice lighthearted even as he spoke of serious matters. All of it rang true, too. The fae didn\'t seem like a liar, or a very malicious being anyway.

Blue worked as he spoke, first ripping away some more of the sleeve so he could get a better look at it, then an additional tear so that he could wrap the bandage well. "I-I\'ll sew it back up for you later, if you like," Blue offered guiltily, his black eyes a little nervous as he glanced up at Venorik. The fae always felt bad when he had to mess up someone else\'s stuff, but there was really no way around it here. Well, other than asking Venorik to take his shirt off, and Blue was a little too shy to do that on a first meeting.

Blue eyed the wound, moving a little bit closer to it. He had been right - there were fibers in it. The fae winced, sure that this would hurt, then reached forward to start removing them. "Sorry...!" Blue whispered, clearly meaning it even as he tugged little bits of cloth out of the deep cut.

[Mayquiri]

Moderately satisfied with the answer, Venorik nodded.  Blue certainly didn;t seem malicious, but Venorik had also seen students who, upon first meeting them, were the sweetest creatures alive, but when set to a task were cold-blooded killers.  Those tended to be the people that Venorik watched the most carefully.
 
Hearing the fabric rip, Venorik winced slightly as well. He hated it when his clothes got ruined for something so trivial as a small, but deep, cut on his arm.  He\'d understand the haste had there been a gaping hole in his chest, or if his arm had been completely and utterly shredded.  "I could have saved the robe." Venorik said softly, some of his personality beginning to creep back into his attitude.  Wincing slightly as he did so, the dark elf begun to shrug off the top part of his robe, letting it pool around his sash.
 
Like many of the assassins in the academy, Venorik\'s body was well toned and slim.  On the shoulder opposite of the cut, there was an intricate, sprawling and slightly shimmering tattoo of a spider\'s web.  Venorik gave praises to Lloth when he realized that the tattoo was unharmed.  There were also several small scars running along his shoulders and back, ancient things that had long ago healed.  "Is that better?" He asked softly, turning to stare at Blue.

[Fell]

Oh gods, I really should have just asked, Blue thought guiltily, wincing at Venorik\'s words. "I-I\'m sorry!" the fae said, sounding like he meant it, too. "I will mend it for you, I promise!" Blue continued, moving hastily to help Venorik remove his robe as soon as he saw that that was what he was doing. It was more out of instinct than anything else that he did; after all, Blue helped people bathe fairly often, as a personal servant, and helping de- and re-clothe them was just part of the job.

Blue barely noticed Venorik\'s body, though the little attention he payed it was the positive sort. He was more interested in getting everything out of the wound, which he began to do as soon as the robe was off and Venorik seemed moderately comfortable. "Y-yes, it is!" Blue replied with a grin as he worked, still feeling a little bit sheepish over further hurting the robe.

The fae frowned at the would now that he had a really good look at it. Very deep... Blue thought, wrinkling his brows. All the fabric fibers were out of it now, but it was still bleeding pretty badly. Blue reached into the small bag that hung off of his sash and removed a small bundle of stringy white stuff. He pulled a little bit of it away from the rest, separating it out gently with his fingers. "Spiderweb," Blue explained, holding it out for Venorik to look at. The winged boy smiled. "It helps it to stop bleeding," he continued as he began to press the thin layer he\'d removed from his clump into the wound. It was something he usually kept with him, just because it was so useful! Even with small cuts, it could stop the bleeding very quickly. It promoted healing, too. Blue loved the stuff.

Venorik\'s tattoo wasn\'t lost on the fae, either. "That\'s a pretty tattoo," Blue offered, smiling hesitantly as he did, "especially with the way it shimmers..." Something in the tone of his voice begged an explanation, though he didn\'t ask overtly. It was a trick servants learned, how to ask without asking. Blue hoped that Venorik would humor it.

[Mayquiri]

Oh, he was enjoying this.  On the one hand, Venorik knew he should feel bad for making the servent fae act so jumpy.  He actually almost felt bad too, the servent was just trying to help.  But on the other hand, Venorik loved the power.  He loved seeing the pixie squirm and saplogize.
 
"Don\'t worry about it.  It\'s just a robe, and odds are, the stains would remain."  He said after a while, smirking faintly as he enjoyed the fussing.  After all, it wasn\'t often that someone fussed over him like he actually mattered.
 
However, teh spider\'s web caught his attention, forcing his mind out of its fog enough to pay attention properly.  He never knew that a spiders web could be used to heal.  Oh, Venorik knew the uses of Spiders venom, and the uses of certain types of woven web in order to strangle someone, but he never thought that it would be a good coagulant.
 
upon seeing Blue eye his tatto and comment on it, Venorik smirked, catching the hint.  He had been here long enough, and at home long enough as well, to know when a servent was asking a question.  "It\'s something my sister did for me a long time ago.  Do you know of the Drow diety Lloth?  She\'s a spider goddess that we all pray to.  She enchanted the ink used in the tattoo to shimmer and shine that way a true spider\'s web does."

[Fell]

Blue chewed his lip lightly, looking up at Venorik through concerned eyes. "I can get the stains out too, you know..." he offered, still feeling bad about ripping it when Venorik had clearly not wanted him to do so. Blue brightened a little bit at a thought of his. "I can even embroider something little into it, if you like," the fae added, his voice a little more cheerful now. Still, he wished he\'d made a better first impression. First impressions were always the most important.

Oh, he caught it! Blue thought, smiling pleasantly. He\'d figured that someone like Venorik would catch the question, but it made Blue happy to be answered anyway. Oftentimes, people here were very cold, and Blue got answers to his servant\'s questions less often than he liked. It just meant that every answer he got was all the more important to the fae, though. In truth, Blue was always delighted just to be talked to! It wasn\'t an infrequent occurrence by any means, but Blue was uplifted by it every time.

"Lloth..." Blue said softly, thinking. Right! Drow - from the Underdark! the fae thought suddenly, lightly smacking himself in the forehead. "Yes, I have heard of her! I don\'t know her well, but... It\'s very interesting, the way she can enchant ink. But then, she\'s a God, I suppose..." Blue said sounding genuinely interested in the subject. He always felt like he should know more about the other sylvan races, but he never had the time to study it. Being a servant at the Academy made one pretty busy, even on one\'s off-time. Right now was a perfect example of that, actually.

Blue looked at the wound again, now that the spiderweb had had a moment or two to sit. He was glad to see that while the bleeding had by no means stopped, it was starting to slow down a little. Thank the Gods for spiderweb! Blue thought cheerily, looking about for an "owie weed" (as his mother had taught him when he was small). "Ah! J-just one moment, okay? I need to grab some owie weed," the fae explained to Venorik, waiting for his assent before fluttering about 10 feet to the side and picking some small, five-veined leaves from the edge of the forest.

Blue fluttered back, the leaves in hand, and took his place next to Venorik again. "Umm... Well, these need to be chewed. W-would you like to, or should I? I don\'t have venomous saliva!" the fae said, speaking the last part quickly. It might have seemed a strange comment to make, but with all the different species running around the Academy... Some probably were venomous. Blue waited anxiously for Venorik to reply, though, hoping that the drow would allow him to use the medicinal herb on his wound.

[Mayquiri]

Once again, Venorik shrugged, wincing slightly at the pain his left shoulder caused him.  He honestly didn\'t really care if the robe was tattered beyond usefulness.  It hadn\'t been one of his favorite robes, even though it wasa  ncie one.  "Do what you will with it." he replied flippantly, neck craning to inspect how the spiders web was doing.
 
"Enchant ink?" Questioned the male suddenly as he looked up, then at Blue before shaking his head.  "No, Lloth is the Spider Goddess.  As far as I know, her powers are not connected to inking.  My sister simply infused the ink with a small spell to make things glow forever.  Somewhat like our natural Fairy Fire, but it doesn\'t fade after we forget, or die." Venorik explained, an expression of confused mirth on his face.  All in all, Venorik was surprised with himself, he usually wasn\'t so forthcoming with information, the more he knew and the less othersd around him knew, the better.
 
"What?" Venorik asked sharply when Blue went in search f the \'owie weed\'.  That was most certainly a new one to Venorik.  But, once again, he was more skilled in the poisoning, then the healing items in nature.  When Blue returned, Venorik just stared at him. "I, didn\'t think you did." He whispered, still smirking faintly, "You\'re a pixie, and unless my studies are horribly off, you\'re not poisonious at all.  You can chew it."

[Fell]

Oooohhhh... Blue thought as Venorik explained that it had been his sister, not the god, who had enchanted the ink. But... "Faerie fire?" the dark-eyed servant asked, very curious (especially at the name). It was all the more curious that they had it naturally and still called it "faerie fire". Why not "drow fire," if it was theirs? Whatever it was, it sounded pretty... Blue just hoped that Venorik wouldn\'t mind telling him about it. After all, as a fae, Blue was very interested in anything named after his kind.

The sharpness in Venorik\'s question made Blue wince, a bit. "I-it\'s just an herb! It cleans wounds and numbs them up a little bit, but it\'s good for just about any abrasion, sting or rash!" the fae explained. He spoke it all very quickly, for Venorik\'s tone had made him anxious. Blue tried not to deserve sharp words, so it always made him a little jumpy when he somehow did.

When Venorik told Blue he could chew it, he just nodded and put the whole handful in his mouth. He was still feeling a little bit bad about making Venorik use that tone, so he was eager to please. It didn\'t take him long to chew the herb, and when he was done he just spit it into the palm of his hand. Blue knelt, then began to apply it. "This shouldn\'t hurt at all, in fact, I wouldn\'t be surprised if it started hurting less!" the fae said, still speaking a little quickly (and in run-on sentences).

[Mayquiri]

Venorik grunted in response to the question.  Gods he was an inquisitive servant.  Unfortunately for Venorik, he was also one skilled enough to either finish healing him, or leave in a rush, letting the dark elf bleed to death.  So, the drow figured that it was in his best intrests to let the little fae know what his fire was.
 
"I was only curious." He explained, arching one brow at the pixie\'s jumpiness.  Either he\'s had more then a few bad masters, or he was just a very jumpy soul by nature.  It was rather amusing.  Taking a deep breath as the herb was placed in the wound, Venorik looked down at Blue\'s hands for a few moments.
 
"That, is faerie fire." He said tiredly as he nodded down at Blue\'s hands.  The small pixie\'s hands were now laced in a bright blue fire, outlining them quite nicely.  However, as hotly as the fire appeared tp burn, the flames never once got hot as they licked across Blue\'s flesh.

[Fell]

That? What\'s he... Blue thought before realising that Venorik was nodding down... At his... "Yeep!" Blue squeaked, tearing his hand back suddenly out of surprise. He quickly realised that the fire wouldn\'t hurt him, though, and sat fascinated by it. "I-It\'s.... beautiful..." Blue said softly, his wings lowering back down into their relaxed position. The servant moved his fingers a little bit, but watching out the cool fire played over his skin. "I wish I could do this..." he continued softly. Blue waited a moment or two more, then dropped his hands. There was work to be done.

The pixie continued his attentions, working the herb gently into the wound. "Sorry about that. It\'s just really... nice," Blue said, finally getting around to wrapping the wound with the strips of cloth. He wrapped them tightly, but not so tightly as to cut off blood flow. Blue acted with a semi-professional air as he finished up his work, though his smile softened the look. He definitely knew a thing or two about wounds, though. Venorik probably wouldn\'t even have to go to the infirmary! Blue tied a knot, then sat back with a happy sigh. "How does it feel?" he asked, his voice friendly.

[Mayquiri]

Smirking faintly when Blue pulled away, Venorik closed his eyes momentarily.  Most people reacted like that when he cast his spell.  Usually he was careful enough to just place a small dot where the target wouldn\'t see.  Unless of course he was meant to frighten them.
 
"The fire, or the cut?" Venorik asked softly, sighing faintly as he willed the fire away.  A spell that complete took a bit out of him in this state.  Especially considering he wasn\'t to used to casting the spell over such a large space.  Opening his eyes again, the drow winced slightly as Blue packed more herbs into his cut.  He didn\'t so much wince at the herbs, which didn\'t hurt at all, but at the movement of his flesh, which did sting a bit.  "it\'s good." He murmured softly, nodding as he looked down at the bound arm, nodding in approval.  The job was very nice indeed, especially for a feild job.  "Good thing you came through when you did."

[Fell]

Blue was a bit surprised by Venorik\'s question. The cut...? he wondered, puzzled as to why that would be beautiful. Maybe Venorik was from house Cruori, though... Those who came from that house usually had some kind of fascination with blood. Or maybe Venorik was just like that... Blue chewed his lip a little bit in thought before finally remembering he\'d been asked a question.

"Oh!" the pixie gasped suddenly, reddining due to his rudeness, "Um, the fire... Are you alright?" Blue had heard the sigh and now looked down on Venorik with renewed concern. Maybe it\'s very tiring? he wondered, sorry that he\'d asked to see it if that was, indeed, the case. Blue hoped that it wasn\'t his fault. That would be horrible!

Blue beamed when Venorik told him it was alright. "T-thank you!" the pixie exclaimed, clearly very proud of having done something well. It wasn\'t a pride for the sake of self, though, but instead a pride that was focused on others. Blue was happy because he could be helpful. "And, well, I was just coming back from delivering a message... You should be thanking Master Jude, not me," the fae told Venorik, sounding almost shy as he did. Blue tended to err on the side of humility, and it really was Master Jude\'s fault he\'d been out in this direction at all!

A thought struck Blue. Looking up suddenly, he asked, "D-do you need any help getting back? Is there anything else I can do for you? Oh! But I need to go with you anyway, to get your robes... I\'m sorry I ripped them..." The pixie looked down abashedly, thinking back on his behavior. That was so stupid of me! he thought, berating himself for doing a job poorly. Next time, he\'d be sure to ask.

[Mayquiri]

"I\'ll be fine." He replied softly, a faint smikr on his face.  And Venorik would be finetoo, eventually.  He was just tired.  After all, it had been a long day, and a challenging training session.  not to mention that Venorik had lost more then a spot of blood and he had performed more magic then he usually did in one sitting.  He had every right to be a bit tired.

"I thank you.  Master Jude didn\'t fix me up." He replied softly, jawclenching slightly as he made to sit up properly.  "I should be fine." He repated, more to himself then to Blue as he looked down at the arm, a frown on his face.  He had to be feeling so dizzy and tired from the blood loss, usually arm injuries don\'t hinder his movement to terribly much.

Half listening to Blue babble, Venorik slowly and carefully pushed himself to his feet, the young drow swaying slightly in place after standing.  "Do not worry about the robes.  I have others.  I may need help back to my room though.  I need to wake tomorrow early so I can study."

[Fell]

"I\'ll end up mending them one way or another," Blue said with a little laugh, rising as Venorik did. He hovered attentively at the Drow\'s elbow, just in case the student so happened to require more help than he thought he would. I don\'t want him to fall on the way back or something... I hope he lets me come with him, the fae thought but a moment before Venorik himself spoke.

"I-I\'d be happy to help you!" Blue told him quickly. "Just tell me where you stay, and I\'ll make sure to get us there!" He realised the words sounded a little bit silly after he said them, causing him to blush a little bit. Blue gulped, looking up at Venorik through his long lashes. "Sorry... that sounded silly, didn\'t it?" he added softly, placing his hands behind his back in the typical position of waiting servants.

Blue knew it really didn\'t matter whether or not he was liked by his masters, but for some reason it always mattered to him. He didn\'t mind it if they didn\'t respect him, but he really did want to at least be on good terms with them. Sometimes on less good terms than they\'d like, but... Blue thought, thinking about the "special" calls he sometimes got. "Any way I can serve," the fae added softly, both to Venorik and as an end to his mental statement. And he meant it, too.

[Mayquiri]

"Does that matter?" Venorik replied wearily as he looked over at Blue.  the creature was helpful, and certainly kind, but he was perhaps a bit annoying.  A little to quick to aplogise for Venorik\'s tastes.

"My...lodgings, is this way." He then muttered as he pointed towards the general direction of the dormatories.  Of course Venorik lived generally where all the other students lived, however, the exact buiding and room was yet a mystery to many students.

[Fell]

"Umm..." Blue said, taken aback by Venorik\'s simple answer to whether or not it had been silly. The fae felt suddenly as though he\'d managed to get on the others\' nerves... It made him stiffen slightly, stand a little more at attention. Oh, he\'d probably more professional than that Blue! You should have known! he chided, eyes flicking to follow Venorik\'s movement.

"Yes sir," Blue said cheerfully, bowing just a little bit before moving to stand just behind Venorik\'s elbow. It was a common stance for a servant; just out of sight, but close enough to help out when needed. Plus, Blue didn\'t know exactly where Venorik\'s room was, and the student corridors could be warren-like in their complexity, especially in the older areas.

[Mayquiri]

Nodding slightly, Venorik didn\'t speak much again to Blue as he half led the sprite, was half carried, to his dormatory.  Venorik seemed far more interested in musing to himself, his crimson eyes very nearly glowing as his face twisted into a disappointed frown.

He should have been more cautious.  Should\'ve doused the lights so we could see everything better.  Or he should have lit more candles.  If he were to keep getting himself injured like that, he was never even going to make apprentince.  Forget becoming a master.  Of course, other logic would argue that he never deserved to become anything more then a student.  He was a male, an inferior in his homelands.  If his sister could not survive the evils of the surface world, who was Venorik to not only survive, but thrive?  

"It was a stupid mistake." He muttered softly to himself, shaking his head slightly, then looking upward.  His building loomed just ahead, he could already see the main door.  His room was only four doors away from there.

[Fell]

Blue had some trouble supporting so much of Venorik\'s weight, but he was determined not to say anything. He was strong in some ways, it was true, but carrying had never been a specialty of his. Quite the opposite, really. Though Blue\'s grip was very strong, his muscles were more attuned to work that didn\'t rely on brute force. Because of it, even Venorik\'s light frame was somewhat difficult for the pixie. Blue set his jaw and strained against the other, absolutely mortified at the thought of perhaps dropping his Master.

Perhaps Blue would have liked to speak on the way there, but the way Venorik\'s eyes looked... They were a little bit frightening, and the servant elected to simply preform his duties without causing Venorik any more trouble or strain. If think was what the elf wanted to do, Blue didn\'t mind. But whatever he\'s thinking about... sure seems to be bad, the Fae thought, glancing over at Venorik with concern. Fortunately the building was close, though it was large enough that Venorik\'s room could still be very far off. Blue hoped his room was near the door, because he wasn\'t sure how much longer he could support the student.

"Huh?" Blue asked, surprised when Venorik suddenly spoke. \'It was a stupid mistake\'...? Does he mean his wound? the servant wondered, though he refrained from asking. He would very much have liked to, but perhaps silence was the best way to get back on Venorik\'s good side. Blue blinked slowly, half dragging Venorik to the door. The pixie used his foot to push it open, though he had to make quick use of his wings to avoid overbalancing and falling over. Blue let out a small "eep!" sound as he almost fell, and he looked quite horrified with himself afterwards. "I-I\'m sorry," Blue said softly as they entered, though he immediately bit his tongue. I think he was annoyed that I apologised so much... Ohhh, Blue! he lamented mentally, though he simply went on. "Just tell me where your room is..." Blue said somewhat nervously. Please let it be close!

[Mayquiri]

When Blue questioned his words, Venorik didn\'t respond, to deep in his thoughts to even notice the sprite speak.  Odds were, if he were feeling more genial, he might have indulged Blue, but as things were...

Grunting faintly when Blu slipped, Venorik cught himself, surprised slightly to find that a little of his srength had begun to return.  By morning he should feel better.  Hopefully.  The sprite had done a good job on his arm.  

"Four doors down.  ...Left." He whispered harshly, swallowing before picking himself up a bit more, determined to stand on his own, without needing to rely on anyone else for his safety.

[Fell]

"R-right," Blue whispered, cowed by the harshness in Venorik\'s voice. His wings dropped a little bit more as he let Venorik support himself a little bit more - he could tell when the other roused himself a little more, picking himself up. The pixie was glad to see it - after all, that meant he was feeling a little bit better! Blue stayed very close still, just in case. Blood loss could be pretty tricky.

They made their way down the hallway almost painfully slowly, their footsteps quiet on the stone floors. There was little noise around - perhaps a snore or two from that room, or the scratch of a quill from another, but no one walking this hall tonight. No one save the servant and his wounded master. Blue found the silence eerily satisfying; to have it quiet enough to hear every breath, every heartbeat, was something of a gift.

When they reached the door, Blue reached out carefully to open it. He paused just before the handle, though, glancing at Venorik. I should probably ask if he trapped it... thought the redhead nervously. Many students, especially those in the higher levels, got into the habit of trapping their doors even though they weren\'t really supposed to. Blue had been hit by a few of them, too, and he really didn\'t want to get hit by another.

[Mayquiri]

Of course Venorik had trapped the door.  Did one really think that he was going to allow just anyone to enter his room without even the slightest resistence?  However, for the most part,  Venorik\'s trap wasn\'t dangerous, if one was careful and knew where to look.


"Draw your hand back." He ordered, his voice far calmer after recovering from Blue\'s misstep.  Quietly, Venorik drew out a hand to open his door, for the pair to be greeted with impenatrable darkness.  The same kind that enorik had shown Blue earlier.  Waving his hand, Venorik dismissed the spell, showing a room nearly as dark as the spell had been.  Cobwebs hung thickly along the ceiling and walls, leaving an intricate path system that appeared to lead to a bed, a desk, and a bookshelf.  The latter two were so crammed with texts that piles lay upon the floor.

"Mind the spiders." He explained as he started limping into the bedroom, several dim blue lights appeared in the room, one over the bed, one at the door, and one at the desk.  There were no candles or other forms of light in the room at all.  "Some are very poisonious, but they\'re all my pets."  The spiders had been the true trap in the room, the darkness charm merely a screen meant to hide them from any unwary visitors.

[Fell]

Even had Blue not wanted to listen, his hand would have drawn itself back immediately. It was something that happened after serving for such a long time - orders were carried out almost subconsciously. Venorik opened the door himself, revealing... Nothing? Blue thought, confused by the pure dark he saw before him. Venorik soon waved a hand, and the room brightened slightly. It took Blue a moment to adjust, but no more. Pixies were capable of seeing in the dark.

It surprised Blue how messy the room was. It wasn\'t the spiders that he payed mind to, for Venorik clearly wanted them there, but the clutter - and that was everywhere. I should clean this up for him... he thought, glancing at the student\'s back. But he probably wouldn\'t want me to. Even though he knew that, Blue found it difficult to restrain his serving instincts.

Blue nodded when Venorik told him to mind the spiders. The pixie wasn\'t really afraid of them - of anything found in nature, really. He could hear the whispers of their consciousnesses as he walked by, and he sent back an amicable whisper of his own. Animals had never been much of a problem for the pixie. "They\'re beautiful," Blue remarked softly as he looked at a spindle-legged emerald one. The pixie looked back at Venorik and smiled a little bit, his hands automatically folding behind his back. "Is there anything else you want from me?" Blue asked, still a little bit worried about the student. Perhaps he\'d like help changing, or perhaps he\'d reconsidered about the robes...?

[Mayquiri]

As far as Venorik cared, his room wasn\'t cluttered.  He merely had more books then shelf space, so he piled them on the floor in what he considered an orderly fashion.  The only criteria he had for them was that the spiders not lay eggs near them, and they not get set down improperly.

Looking over at Blue, Venorik caught sight of the emerald spider.  "Get away from her." He warned as he moved slowly oer to the green spider.  Like most of his venomous spiders, she was a ery aggressive creature to anyone who wasn\'t Venorik himself.  He just knew that she was one of the four spiders in his room where one bite was usually deadly.  For one that small, unless his body had some very strong anti-venoms, Blue would die rather quickly.

"She doesn\'t like who she thinks are intruders.  No-one here does." He explained softly as he gently prodded the emerald beauty into returning to the center of her nest and await one of the hapless flies and moths that Venorik rouinely caught and released in his room.

[Fell]

Again, Blue moved without thinking. He took two careful steps back, letting Venorik move close to the spider. The way Venorik said "no-one here does" sent a small chill up Blue\'s spine, making him think that perhaps he wasn\'t welcome here at all. I hope I\'m just imagining it... Blue thought nervously, looking around. He still couldn\'t really imagine that one of the spiders would bite him, but nor did he have any desire to test the hypothesis. If anyone could train spiders to attack even pixies, Blue had a feeling it would be Venorik.

"Yes sir," Blue said softly in response, his pitch eyes wide as he watched Venorik handle her with such fearlessness. Yes; if anyone, Venorik. Blue was curious, though.... "Can you hear them?" the pixie asked, biting his lip a little bit. Venorik sure seemed comfortable with them - perhaps a connection with spiders was an inborn trait among the Drow. Blue didn\'t know much about them, so it was fully possible as far as he was concerned.

[Mayquiri]

Venorik couldn\'t exactly say whether or not he had trained the spiders.  He had certainly caught them and brought them to his room, used magic to keep them there if they tried to escape, and eventually gave them an outlet for frustration.  Venorik was of the mind that Spiders were actually very smart creatures though.  They knew they were in a warm, reletively dry, and safe environment.  They were fed and protected, and al they had to do was bite someone who was not the one who brought food if one ever entered.

"Hear them?" He asked softly as he stared down at the spider before limping over to his bed and grabbing a book.  As tired as he might be, enorik still needed to study.  "No.  They can\'t speak the same language as me.  That\'d be stupid.  However, I do believe that they recognize one who prays to their goddess.  After all, wouldn\'t you enjoy being around a person who prays to a giant pixie-god?"

[Fell]

Blue looked down, blushing, when Venorik said it would be stupid. Was it stupid? Sometimes Blue himself wondered, usually after someone made fun of him for it, or called it dumb. But deep down, Blue couldn\'t help but like it. It was so... interesting, to hear the voices of everything around him, even if other people thought it.... stupid.

The servant looked up sharply when Venorik asked him the question. "Pixie....god?" Blue repeated pensively. The idea of gods of things was one he had a bit of trouble wrapping his mind around, as all the gods he knew of weren\'t gods of things so much as just... gods. Things that had been around forever. Blue supposed that the would be nature gods, if they had to be categorized at all.

Blue moved to help get Venorik comfortable on the bed as he thought, reaching out to set up a nice backrest for the student. It was what he did, after all - make sure everyone was comfortable and happy. Or at least passably content, as happy was often too much to ask from the students here.

Blue cast his eyes upwards as he thought about it, imagining a pixie-god and people who prayed to the theoretical it. "I guess... it would be kind of nice," the servant finally answered, smiling faintly.

[Mayquiri]

"A God who is, at least in part, a pixie by species." Venorik clarified at blue\'s seemingly confused questioning.  With a flick of his wrist, Venorik gestured to a small statue in a corner of the room.  the statue seemed to be even more covered with cobwebs then the rest of the room save the doorway.  However, underneath the gossamer white, sat a small figurine of an elfin woman.  Her skin was obsidian black, and two small red stones were set for her eyes.  Just underneath her breasts, where the curve of her belly should be, the body of a spider billowed gracefully downward, just as smooth and as black as her flesh.  Upon her back was a small hourglass shape, as red and glittering as her eyes.  In all aspects, elven and spider, she was exquisitely beautiful.  Undeniably dangerous, yet beautiful.  Small stone spiders were carved around her body, some almost barely discernable for their size, but all carved meticulously, and with care.
 
Gritting his teeth as Blue moved to make him more comfortbale, Venorik pulled his hand back and almsot glared at the servent.  He did not ask to be helped, but then again, once the creature had finished, Venorik could not deny that he did indeed feel more at ease.  "Then you can understand why they like me." He replied softly, nodding slightly as he turned his eyes down to his book, somehow able to see it despite the fact that he refused to light a lamp.  in fact, there didn\'t seem to be a single candle or window in his room at all save a small, half burned candle in front of the statue.

[Fell]

Blue looked at the statue Venorik had gestured towards, blinking at it in surprise. He hadn\'t even registered that it would be a statue, at first! It was so covered in spiderwebs... Now that he payed more attention, though, he could notice the small details about it - the way her eyes glittered, the delicately carved spiders all over her body... It was an impressive statue. "Wow... I can see why anyone would worship her," Blue said quietly, peering at it from across the room. Blue could definitely appreciate beauty, especially in art, but for him the idea of worshiping a god was more about that beauty of idol than about the god itself.

"I... suppose so," Blue said, imagining a little pixie-god with a statue as nice as that. Who knew? Maybe the spiders could appreciate it as well. And even though Venorik\'s jaw had tightened when Blue first began to make him comfortable, the drow looked rather pleased now. The pixie smiled slightly; perhaps he\'d managed to do at least that right.

Tucking his hands behind his back, Blue asked, "Do you need anything else, while I\'m here?" Venorik didn\'t seem to need a light, but perhaps he had some other desire. An inkwell, some laundry, anything really. Blue was called a general servant for a reason; he could do almost anything that was asked of him, at least in the realm of domestic talents.

[Mayquiri]

"If you say that only because of her beauty, you\'re a fool and she\'d probably kill you.  Lloth, like all females, is a dangerous creature.  Intelligent, strong, cunning, malicious, and vengeful.  She is someone to be feared and respected, not admired blindly and only because of her face." Venorik cautioned softly as he turned his attention to his studies.  "That little thing is nothing but a faint representation of her true nature.  I did a very bad job in cerving it.  My sister taught me how badly I erred long ago.  But I do not have a proper alter for her, so the statue must suffice."
 
For a moment, Venorik looked up from his book and stared at the little figurine, before he shook his head, braided white hair rustling softly.  "No.  I require no more assistance.  I need to work, and I need to rest.  Your presence would only make those things more dificult to do." He replied softly, no true edge of malice in his voice.  Venorik was merely tired, and already becoming absorbed in his text.  Had Blue just found a corner to sit in, perfectly still for a few hours, Venorik probably would not have noticed him.

((Edit:  Yep, end time methinks))

[Fell]

All females are dangerous? Blue thought, though he didn\'t comment. He\'d never seen either guys or girls as particularly more dangerous than the other. After all, everyone in this academy was highly dangerous, regardless of gender. All the adjectives Venorik listed applied just as easily to the men Blue knew as to the women.

At the same time, Blue didn\'t really understand why someone would worship it at all - that it was beautiful made just about as much sense to him as anything else, and more sense than a lot of things. "I think it\'s very... finely carved," the pixie said softly, stopping himself from using the word "beautiful". He may not understand it, but he could respect Venorik\'s opinion on the goddess.

Blue\'s wings dropped a bit when Venorik told him he would only get in the way, but the servant didn\'t say anything. He simply bowed, hands folded behind his back, and exited the room. Blue closed the door softly behind him before padding down the hallways, making his way to the South wing where he lived. It had been a rather long day, and he was looking forward to getting some sleep...

[End?]