lapetitmauvais's castle full of Valentines...

[lambwolfandman]

Oh Valentine's Day! It's one of those days Alistair is perfectly suited to. Nearly everyone is cheerful. From the sappy couples to the jeering singles. Even the children are happy. There are extra treats around the castle, after all. With the fading sun the mood only becomes more intense.

The children scavenge inside for any forgotten boxes of

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[lapetitmauvais]

Sebastien is quite snug here in his windowless room. With no worries about the sun, or of intruders, he is sleeping better. Better rest means he needs even less than would be usual back in his own world. Thus he is awake at dusk, rather than an hour or two after.

He has been awake long enough to dress in clean clothes and arrange his hair into something approaching neatness. At Alistair's cheerful call, he goes to the door and opens it. When you've been around as long as Sebastien has, the days tend to blend into one another. He tends to think more in terms of seasons rather than months of the year. He knows it's winter, for instance, and he's aware that Christmas was sometime in the recent past. Beyond that, though, he's completely oblivious.

Alistair's comment about mademoiselles on the prowl leaves him baffled and somewhat alarmed

[lambwolfandman]

"Valentine's Day," Alistair replies. Nearly dazed himself at Sebastien's forgetfulness. Or maybe it's just too hard to keep track of holidays with such little social interaction. Lichtenstein should really have mentioned it to the poor vampire.

A flick of the wrist reveals a handful of envelopes. One or two heavily scented with their own perfumes. "I was asked to give these to you if I saw you. They didn't trust me with any chocolate though."

[lapetitmauvais]

"Valentine's Day?"

Oh merde.

He reaches out and grabs Alistair's arm, hauling him inside, perfumed envelopes and all. The door is closed soundly behind them and locked. Sebastien leans against it, groaning.

"They don't know where I am, do they?" he asks, mildly panicked. Heaven help him if they ever find out! He looks down at the envelopes in Alistair's hand, pink and lavender and white, his own name written in loopy, girlish letters. The scent of rose and gardenia and hyacinth drifting up, inescapable. He looks at Alistair helplessly. "What do I do about them?"

Whether he means the Valentines or the girls, it's not exactly clear.

[lambwolfandman]

"I think you open them. Maybe even read them." Alistair lifts the envelopes closer to his face and shrugs. "Maybe they want you to smell them. Maybe they scent coded them. So you can sniff every girl until you find the right one."

The healer laughs and hands him the letters. "It will be alright. I know someone who survived today every year by declaring that his heart was promised to justice and only justice. Be happy, Sebastien. You're one of the most loved guys in the castle right now."

[lapetitmauvais]

Sebastien's eyes light up at the mere mention of the assassins. He's fascinated by them, has been ever since he saw them running and tumbling through the halls that first night. He's also suddenly and intensely self-conscious. Imagine just walking up to them and starting a conversation! What would they think of him, this odd, pale, awkward boy with his strange accent and even stranger clothes? Just being Lichtenstein's assistant put him in a different class to everyone else, since they all seem to think Lichtenstein lurks in the cellar and eats babies or something. That could work in Sebastien's favor. make him seem lich-like by association, no one to be trifled with

[lambwolfandman]

The healer pauses before a door to look at Sebastien. With a smile and a nod, he pushes the heavy wood open. Holding it for Sebastien, but walking on as soon as he's gone through. "It would suit you. They're a lot better with using the body to the full. Not so much muscle needed. Not that you couldn't get some on you. But it might be a better place to start. While you're waiting to get the hang of strength or magic."

Alistair glances back up at the vampire. "Do you want me to introduce you to a few?"

[lapetitmauvais]

Sebastien nods, stepping aside as the heavy door swings shut.

"Yes. I should like that very much."

Perhaps having Alistair there will make him less shy. He walks along, listening to Alistair with interest. Yes. Maybe being an assassin is what's right for him.

"Professor Lichtenstein said time will tell what I will be," he says. "But I admit, I quite like the idea of being an assassin. I think it suits my abilities. What is a vampire after all but a solitary hunter?" He walks on, glancing about, hoping he didn't say the v-word too loudly. "But if I had my way, I'd be everything," he says, unable to help chuckling at himself. "An assassin, a warrior, a mage and a healer. I want to learn everything!"

[lambwolfandman]

"Time tells a lot of things. You have to have a crash course in a few areas anyway. I mean, what if I was stuck in a place which suppressed magic?" Alistair laughs quietly. "I'll be thankful I can wield a sword then. I know some people who are only good at a bit of magic. You could merge your different skills. I know assassins who use a little magic to cause distractions. Warriors who throw up a weak shield that can save their lives."

[lapetitmauvais]

"I'd like that, Alistair. Thank you."

Sebastien looks up, surprised at Alistair's question. It hadn't really occurred to him that he'd have such a choice.

"I...I don't know." He thinks about it for a moment, then smiles, almost shyly. "I want to learn everything. I asked Professor Lichtenstein about classes but he just said they're mostly in the daytime."

A flicker of disappointment crosses his face. He's still unsure of his place here. Not quite student, not quite outsider. Where does he fit in?

"I would be grateful for anything. I want to learn, very much. Anything anyone has time to teach me. I know I am not like the others, and I can't be with them. And I have to be mindful of the professor, and be available when he needs me. But if you could arrange something, I'd like that. I'd like that very much."

[lambwolfandman]

"I can help you with some of the warrior skills," he says with a certainty. Then he pushes against the floor to make his chair swing. A bad habit to be sure. "I'll see what I can get out of the other teachers."

"I don't know how much help the other students will be. The assassins aren't known for their welcoming streak when it comes to sharing tricks. I mean, they're all nice enough. It's just that they like their secrets." Alistair shrugs and smiles then. "But you'll have enough time to learn plenty."

[lapetitmauvais]

Sebastien smiles. "I suppose they need to maintain their air of mystery."

He laughs softly, enjoying their joke. He gazes at Alistair, his expression turning a bit more serious.

"You are so good to me, Alistair. How can I ever repay you? You have been so welcoming and so kind to me. I don't know what I would do without you."

[lambwolfandman]

"Oh yes. One's air is very important," he agrees with a laugh.

"I think you would get very serious. What with being around Selik on your own all the time." Though the healer shrugs again and continues to smile. "You don't need to repay me. I like helping people. It's one of the benefits of this job. Gives me some purpose, and makes me new friends. So as long as you don't forget me completely when you make your new friends? Then I'm fine."

[lapetitmauvais]

"Thank you, Alistair." Sebastien beams. He says a silent prayer, thanking God for bringing him here, for giving him this chance. Surely it was divine intervention that led him here, that has led him to the one place on earth where a wayward vampire might be rehabilitated, made into something he could never have imagined. "I don't know what I would do without you. You and Professor Lichtenstein both. You have done so much for me already. You give me courage and support. And companionship."

He smiles.

"I've missed this. Funny, how you forget the little things. How much they mean. Simple things, like sitting on a balcony, whiling away the evening with a good friend. A good walk, a good talk. A night's ride. I am rediscovering things I didn't even know I'd forgotten."

[lambwolfandman]

"You'll repay us both back in time," Alistair chirps in return. "You seem like that kind of person. But I'm always here if you need something. If I'm not out helping villagers I'll certainly help here when I can."

Alistair nods as he listens. Trying to imagine how different it must be. How many times he must pause to feel out of place. "Sebastien, if you could do something that you used to love, what would it be? Other than riding or painting I mean. Something you used to do all the time."

[lapetitmauvais]

Sebastien smiles, his expression growing wistful

[lambwolfandman]

Alistair smiles as Sebastien recalls such sweet memories. Laughs when he laughs. Indulging in the vampire's childhood. A taste of normality. Well, normality for a French eighteenth century aristocrat.

"I'll get them for you as soon as I can. I promise." A soft smile then and he tilts his head. "What did you talk about?"

[lapetitmauvais]

Sebastien hesitates. No longer sure things are quite so black and white.

"Forgive me, Alistair." He sighs. "You know the professor - and this place - so much better than I. If you say it is so, then it must be so." He is quiet for a moment, thinking. Then he smiles. "It is so like him, isn't it? He does what he thinks best, even if it means being unpopular, even if it means being feared. Or hated."

He rocks for a moment, just enjoying the silence.

"You seem at ease, too," he says at last, smiling at Alistair. "But then I suppose you're used to it. I suppose the professor is, too. He can defend himself quite ably, I am sure."

[lambwolfandman]

"You'll find out for yourself," he assures Sebastien with a cheerful wave of his hand. Then laughs at Sebastien's observation. "Yes it is! He certainly sticks to what he thinks is right."

"I don't see why I shouldn't be at ease," Alistair replies with a light shrug and a smile. "Though I'm hardly the most skilled fighter around. And nobody is in comparison to Selik."

[lapetitmauvais]

"Yes," Sebastien agrees. "I suppose I'm still getting used to things. I haven't even met anyone else really. Just you and the professor. Oh, and the lady Martha, briefly, at the Christmas party." He pauses and grins. "What a night that was! There were so many people there, but it was such a whirl I scarcely recall them all!" He pauses and gives a rueful smile. "I can only hope it's the same for them, considering I sang in front of them."

His eyes light up at Alistair's mention of Lichtenstein and fighting.

"You've seen him?" he breathes, shaking his head in awe. "I've never seen the professor fight." He leans forward in his chair, fascinated. "What's it like?"

[lambwolfandman]

"Oh they'll remember the pretty little French boy with the angelic voice. You have hundreds to remember. They only have one." Alistair chuckles as he recalls. Letting his chair settle on the ground once again. Thinking about the mention of not meeting many. "Martha is very nice. She's a very good listener. And there are friends of mine you must meet when they visit. Heroes often come home every once in a while. Though it can be years if they don't roam."

"It's rare to see him fight properly. I was helping with damage control while Selik dealt with a particularly troublesome necromancer. I... It was like an explosion. If you didn't know magic it looked chaotic. If you did? It was very refined."

Alistair shakes his head and sighs. "I scarcely believe what I saw. He healed people on his way past. People on the brink of death and then strolled into the middle of a battle! It... He must have so much magic... And people think he can get better."