• PM To Join • [The White Fox Inn] And So We Meet Again (Virikai)

[Maebella]

10 Zi'da 717

Despite the buzz of activity that always pervades the place, Maebella finds the inn oddly relaxing. There's no obligation for her to be social here, although sometimes it's unavoidable when you're required to share one of the barrel tables with someone. Still, it's part of the reason that she's brought her mother's Rudimentary Linguistics book. People didn't tend to engage her in conversation if she seemed to be reading but it was understandably difficult to concentrate in the busy location, hence her choice of title. It was here less for the purpose of close reading and more for her to feel some sense of closeness to the woman who had died birthing her.

Thus, she sat with a cup of tea, the well-thumbed tome open before her as her eyes scanned over the neat handwriting that had been added beside numerous passages of the text. The hand was minuscule but unlike her own, it was perfectly legible, the penmanship exquisite and reflecting someone who'd had a great deal of practice in the art. Of course, her mother had been exceptionally well educated, she knew that. Not only had she attended the Viden Academy for many arcs but her family had also invested in private tutors to further bolster her abilities.

It was hard to believe the amount of money that her mother had grown up with, the amount that had been poured into anything and everything that she might ever have desired. Her childhood must have been so markedly different from Maebella's and unlike her children, it never would have been necessary for Trinna Arval to work in order to get what she wanted. Not that her name would give away her degree of wealth for she'd taken on her husband's name, not wanting to be tied to the particular connotations that her original name elicited. Besides, her family had disapproved of her match, unable to understand how a brilliant young woman with so much potential would settle for a man who was interested in something as pointless as literature in their eyes. Thus, her mother had coldly cut herself off from her aristocratic family, doffing the name of Voren and politely declined receiving a monetary allowance from them.

Maebella had never had reason to interact with her mother's family. Prior to her birth, her parents had done reasonably well for themselves. Her father had studied and worked part-time as a research assistant while her mother had lectured, bringing in a decent wage. However, once she'd died, much of the money that had been coming in was lost and her father hadn't been about to go to his dead wife's parents to beg them for some. They'd never taken Aoden who had only ever been viewed as frivolous, a true condemnation by Eídisi standards. It hadn't been enough for them that their daughter had loved him dearly; they'd always viewed him as someone who curbed her potential given how they'd met so young and Trinna had willingly paid to ensure he could receive all the education he desired.

The writing on the page said so much to the young woman, reminded her of so many things that her father had told her about her mother. Maebella didn't regret the lack of contact with her grandparents or her uncles but she did regret that she'd never had a chance to know the woman that had somehow sprung from their line, so different and more open-minded than her relatives. It was funny really that she'd made a name for herself as an Arval rather than a Voren, and the Eídisi wasn't even sure if many people were aware of her mother's roots. After all, who would make the connection with an aristocratic daughter and the woman who had relinquished her high name before she was even considered an adult?

She cradled the cup of tea in her hands, soaking up its warmth as she took a slow sip, a slight smile on her lips as she found a familiar note beside a section on pidgin languages.

"Aoden has correctly pointed out that such mixed, in-between languages are common in certain modes of literature, particularly those that would be considered 'low-brow'. Don't forget this!"

It was while she was smiling with a mixture of fondness and sadness that she allowed her eyes to move over the other occupants of the place, lighting on the doorway as it opened and a young man entered who she recognised instantly, a feat she had failed at when they'd last encountered one another. The last thing she needed was for Virikai Talius to interact with her now, especially given the rather abrupt way she'd left him in the Prime Atheneum just trials before. Her mother had been a topic then too, but right now, she was more vulnerable than she'd been then and she didn't think she could stomach his scrutiny and his cold comments.

Still, it wasn't as if she could get up and run. Her tea was still too hot to down in one go and besides, she didn't see why she should have to suffer simply to try to avoid him. Of course, he might not notice her but a quick glance around told her that her table had the most room. It was an ironic echo of the situation in the Prime Atheneum, except this time she didn't have the pretext of study to hide behind. If he approached and chose to sit with her then they would probably have to have a conversation.

"Damn him to the northernmost regions of the Tundra," she muttered into her drink, dropping her white gaze before - she hoped - he had a chance to catch her looking his way. Her eyes fixed on the page before her instead, the girl taking another, more hasty sip of the hot beverage as she silently begged Yvithia to turn his inquisitive nature elsewhere. She'd commented in an off-hand way at their last meeting that he could psychoanalyse her at some later stage if he so wished, and she hoped that he neither remembered nor had the inclination to do so.

[Virikai Talius]

It was not often that Virikai frequented the White Fox Inn; it was slightly too… common for his high-born tastes. Not that there was anything wrong with the food or drink, to the contrary, Virikai had yet to have a single complaint about the product he had consumed on the premises. The staff, too, were courteous and clearly knew their business well. It was the other punters that Virikai struggled to tolerate on a frequent basis. The White Fox Inn could not be described as ‘rowdy’, but it was hardly the meeting place of high society.

This afternoon he had ventured to the Inn with other medical students in his cohort: people who came from all walks of life. They were all students, however, and were dedicated to their mission to strive for knowledge. Even Virikai found himself respecting the intelligence of most of them, and even enjoying their company.

Entering the pub, one of the other students, another noble, declared that he would be purchasing the first round. Virikai smirked and nodded - Viden’s tight laws on alcohol meant that they would only manage to get two rounds in, three if they were lucky. The later buyers would be paying for soft drinks which was why, even though the Talius scion could obviously afford it, he never volunteered to buy the opening round. While half of the group took a booth table in the bar area, the rest headed up to the bar to assist with the drinks. They were all starting on ale tonight, not Virikai’s favourite drink, but he had been teased in the past for drinking whisky, so he went with the majority today.

Conversation carried on between the companions as they waited for their pints to be pulled, and Virikai was glad to see that the conversation had not taken a dip to match the general facile, mundane chatter around them. In a lull, the Xyph glanced around the room. Most of what he saw was met with indifference, though his eyes lingered on one particular face in the room, expression brightening somewhat with interest. One of his companions nudged him, and Virikai tore his gaze away to see the pints sat on the bar top. Pushing off of the bar, he picked up two of them and followed the others back to the table. Last to return, it was pure chance that he was sat at the edge of the booth at the prefect angle to see his latest upbeat of fascination.

Virikai glanced over once more to the girl before turning away and spending a number of ticks ignoring her in favour of his colleagues. The young man was engaged in the conversation, only passively so, preferring to watch and listen than participate in a debate which he knew would soon become more turbulent than the pleasant back-and-forth banter he was currently witnessing. His mind kept returning to the young insecure woman at the other end of the pub.

When he finally allowed his gaze to wander over again, he was pleased to see that she was also surreptitiously glancing his way. He smiled, though the smile could not be described as entirely friendly, and inclined his head. With the brief eye contact, Virikai made a split-second decision to use Yvithia’s Blessing to invite the young woman over. Maebella would not receive the invitation in the format of words: Virikai could not command his telepathic gifts in such a way yet, but she would receive images and ideas which she could then interpret.

Expecting a fair amount of hesitation from her, the young aristocrat sent a second message, a tick or so after the first. It would be very easily interpreted: all Maebella, who now had his full attention, would have to see was the growing smile on his face to understand the challenge: “Scared?”

[Maebella]

The Eídisi knew herself well enough to know that no matter what she told herself, her curiosity was going to get the better of her. It wasn't as if the man was actually dangerous or anything so there was no harm in looking at him, not really. Even if she did manage to catch his attention, what was the worse that could happen? At worst, he could approach her but that was unlikely as a sly look from beneath her lashes revealed that he was one of a group. The young woman might not be the most adept when it came to interacting with others but she was fairly sure that it was against rules of etiquette for an individual to leave a group they were with to be with another individual. Except in the case of courtship rituals, or the more common scenario of trying to pick up someone in a bar. That certainly wasn't a comfortable way of thinking when it involved herself and the Talius scion.

So Maebella risked the odd glance up again and again, even as she tried to behave herself and focus on the book before her. Every time she tried to concentrate on a particular section about pidgin languages, her eyes would stray to where the other Eídisi sat with a group of others who she guessed were probably other students although she couldn't be certain. It intrigued her to see him among others, especially given how cold he'd been towards her but then the scenario had been quite a different one; the Prime Atheneum wasn't the sort of place for socialisation. Still, she couldn't deny being fascinated by the fact that he seemed to have attracted companions despite seeming to have a personality similar to her own. Perhaps Caius had been right all the seasons ago and she simply needed to allow people the opportunity to get to know her.

Mae chewed on her lip as her straying gaze found Virikai looking straight at her, feeling a little warmth enter her cheeks as she bent her head purposefully over the linguistic passages. Pidgin languages were an intermediary language between two or more peoples who had no common language, she read. It was effectively a stop gap measure, a means of communicating when there was no common denominator. Honestly, it was fascinating to consider that individuals who couldn't understand one another could forge a language out of odd bits and pieces, but she could see how such a language would be primitive and limited in its applications. It didn't allow universal communication between people but it did allow them to understand each other for the purpose of trade usually. Apparently, it was possible for a pidgin language to develop into a more complex form of language that was a combination of more than one language but had a full vocabulary and grammatical structure called a creole language. The primary difference seemed to be that a creole was acquired as a native language or the primary tongue of a people rather than being learned as an additional language for mediation.

Her careful study was rather abruptly broken in upon by... well, honestly it was difficult for her to fully grasp what was happening. She was being communicated with in a manner that lacked words or easily recognisable structure but she could see that there was a purpose to it. It landed straight in her mind, a form of mental language that made her think of the pidgin she'd just been reading about as it seemed more like an intermediary language than a fully developed one. It made her think of the history of languages moving from oral to written form, as pictograms showed representations of real, physical objects and ideograms showed representations of ideas. This was the same but deposited directly into her mind instead of being placed on some medium.

Despite the strangeness of it, Mae wasn't completely clueless in its translation, especially when her eyes rose to meet Virikai's and a certain connection seemed to hum between him. She didn't know how he was doing but the only explanation she could think of that made sense was his mark; Yvithia was the Immortal of Communication after all. He was asking her to join him and his companions, although she doubted that he spoke for them but rather for himself. She didn't fully understand why the invitation had come but it seemed that he genuinely wanted her with him. It made her chew on her lip once more although he made the decision easier with his mocking challenge, sending the youth's eyebrows shifting up her forehead. Oh, so it was going to be like that, was it? No, she wasn't going to let him believe that she was scared of him, or his friends, even if she had been somewhat foolish during their previous interaction.

As such, the girl shut her book and placed it back in her bag before she rose, slinging it over her shoulder. She draped her coat over her arm so she could carry it more easily and cradled her cup with great care against her chest as she moved towards the booth where the group were gathered. There was a seat across the table from the aristocrat and she slid into it with a surprising boldness for her as she set her cup down.

"I hope nobody minds me sitting here but Virikai invited me," the Eídisi explained to the table at large although her pale gaze settled on the man himself as she spoke, tucking her bag between her feet. She took a sip of the still-warm tea, peering at the Talius heir over the cup's rim. When she set it down again, she leaned across the table slightly so it was a little clearer that she was speaking to him alone and gestured in the direction of his face. "I take it that the mark allows you to do that?" she questioned, eyeing it with more open interest than she'd done when they'd last met. "I suppose I should thank you for your invitation although I can't understand why I received it. I suppose that you must have your reasons."

Her eyes took in the array of drinking vessels, noting the whiff of alcohol that drifted from them.

[Virikai Talius]

The aristocrat’s smile grew when Maebella, with an almost haughty air about her, packed up her things and transported herself over, dropping unceremoniously into the seat opposite him. He had not alerted his colleagues to the new arrival, so they were all rather taken aback. The looks of surprise grew when Maebella announced that Virikai had invited her over; they had never known the Talius heir to initiate an interaction. Virikai said nothing, only watching her quietly, amusement evident on his face.

As Maebella continued, Virikai leaned back, once again confounded by the complete lack of filter that this girl had - did she really say everything that came to mind without thought? Whilst the mark of Yvithia’s favour was evident and undisguised across Virikai’s eye, it was not common in civilised conversation to announce the use of it. Even in Videnese culture, where Yvithia was adored, the concept of someone having access to another’s mind was one which made many uncomfortable. The others at the table glanced awkwardly between the pair, wondering what history they had to spur the infamously apathetic and detached scion into private communication.

“Gentlemen, this is Maebella,” Virikai remembered her surname, but he also remembered her discomfort when he pressed her about her heritage. It was not that he particularly cared about distressing her, but he had no interest in causing himself embarrassment by creating needless tension over the table. “She is a student of the Arts… Literature, I believe?” He paused, waiting for her response, before turning away and continuing. “Meabella, these fine men are studying Medicine with me at the Academy. We have just finished a project and are celebrating our successes.”

A cheerful, “Here, here!” was heard around the table as the boys lifted their glasses, a few clinking, the Virikai did not move. His searching gaze had once again turned back to his latest quarry. “While I applaud your dedication to erudition and the constant betterment of yourself,” a few of the boys tittered, “It would be deplorable to allow a beautiful young woman to be reclusive to the point of sitting in a warm, inviting pub such as this, and isolate herself from her peers… or general society.”

The young heir had been undecided about staying in the White Fox for long anyway, and now he had the perfect excuse to leave early, as he tried to shed the reputation of being an unsociable, indifferent snob. Whilst he tolerated the company of others, and could admit their intelligence to an extent, they were not his equals, and he knew why they wanted to socialise with him. It was not for his wit and good nature. But he needed… friends if he wanted to succeed him his goals.

Yes, he would stay for a little while longer, and then he would leave with this girl. She was too intriguing to let slip through his fingers for a second time. “Or were you, perhaps, saving the table for a friend?” He quipped, lips curling upwards as he remembered their first meeting.

[Maebella]

Her arrival seemed to have come as a surprise to Virikai's companions so it seemed that she'd been right in thinking that he hadn't been speaking for them so much as for himself when he invited her over here. However, her own question seemed to cause a greater ripple as she noted an awkward air come over the others. Obviously, she'd touched on something she shouldn't have but she couldn't talk to the scion about it privately; she highly doubted that the mental communication worked both ways. In the meantime, she'd simply have to keep her curiosity reined in and remember not to give her tongue too much freedom when it came to the matter of asking questions; it was rude apparently, at least so she'd been told.

She smiled faintly when he introduced her, oddly pleased by his omission of her surname, especially as there was something meaningful in his look as he neglected to mention it. It seemed that he'd remembered her discomfort and chosen to spare her a repeat of the incident. It made her feel as if she owed him for the kindness, a notion that made her feel a little... peculiar.

"Literature, yes," Maebella murmured in soft confirmation, nodding politely to the other men as she noted Virikai's field. It made sense. Medicine seemed to be a far more practical subject for an Eídisi to undertake and it made sense that the heir to an aristocratic family would be doing something so sensible. It made the young woman feel rather out of place considering how useless her field appeared to most. She wondered if her father had felt this way about her mother and her peers. Still, the aristocrat seemed to hold himself apart from his companions, not partaking in their glass clinking as if they weren't in fact on the same level. Instead, although he did allow his attention to shift away, the greatest part of his attention seemed to be fixed on her. As she had in the Prime Atheneum, she felt his eyes probing her with immense interest. If that wasn't enough to set her blushing, his next comment was.

She hadn't anticipated him calling her beautiful and as such her cheeks took on a darker hue, as much as she wanted them to remain blank and unchanged. She was so easy to read. It was like Caius Gawyne all over again. That comparison caused a painful pang but thankfully, the pain of his abandonment wasn't quite as keen as it had been. Not knowing how else to respond, she simply nodded and drank some more of her tea, her head carefully bowed as if that would hide the colour in her cheeks.

She felt the corners of her mouth twitch up at his teasing comment, a mixture of amusement and bittersweet remembrance causing a little bit of a wobble. The teasing made her think of the Gawyne too. "Well, as you may know, I often save places for friends," she responded sarcastically, surprised at how readily that particular tone returned to her. "No, I was just enjoying a bit of study. A wholly inappropriate location, of course, but silence wasn't of the greatest importance. It isn't for my degree in the Academy but rather a... I suppose you could call it a topic of interest for me: Linguistics, pidgin and creole languages to be precise," Mae explained, a tad more animation in her voice; if given the opportunity, she would happily talk about the matter but she doubted than any person around her right now was genuinely interested in what she might have to say.

"I suppose I must already have resigned myself to having company when I chose to come here to begin with. However, it probably had more to do with what I could get here," the young woman explained with a casual gesture to her cup. Truthfully, it was a way for her to get away from those roommates of hers. She wasn't cut out for sharing with five other individuals who didn't seem to have the will or intelligence to take their studies seriously.

[Virikai Talius]

There was the blush that Virikai was fast becoming to relish - what he loved most that it was he who was causing it. The girl ducked her head over her tea, as if hoping that the men around the table would not have noticed, and that made her all the more delightful. Virikai wondered if she was not used to receiving compliments and as not sure how to deal with them. Maybe she had received them and been spurned… or perhaps she simply had a low threshold for them. More of a puzzle for Virikai to piece together.

And that untamed spirit too, as Maebella was quick with her quip back at the medical student. It was a breath of fresh air amidst the stoic nature of Videnese aristocracy, even if Virikai did not completely approve of it. He took disdain and impassiveness to a whole new level, after all. Most of the students he interacted with, and even the general public, were not too dissimilar from Maebella Arval. Given the choice, Virikai would choose not to socialise with those who displayed their true feelings so easily… but he liked Maebella, because she seemed to have no desperate desire to be liked, and least of all by him.

“Ah, not for the atmosphere but for the tea.” He had allowed her to finish speaking and responded to her final statement first, “I might have to introduce you to a shop or two. They sell tea, you can make it yourself.” More titters from his colleagues and, as always, Virikai enjoyed the impromptu imbalance of power in his favour.

When she had mentioned an interest in Linguistics, it took much of Virikai’s self-control not to lean forward from his relaxed position. So the girl took after her mother… or was it because of her mother that she was seeking knowledge in linguistics? Despite his sister’s love of linguistics, Virikai could not say what Trinna Arval specialised in. But whilst the young scion knew little of linguistics, he knew enough of language to have moderate interest in finding out more. “Which languages do you speak?” He did not ask ‘how many’, because it went without saying that she would speak at least two, and most likely more - what self-respecting eídisi did not? “I recall being taught about a primitive language, a pidgin, being the basis of Leni, here in Viden generations ago.”

Whatever her reasons for wanting to learn something of linguistics in her free time, Virikai noted the enthusiasm with which she spoke. Yet… he also detected a sense of embarrassment about her manner as she trailed off, not providing further information. Virikai frowned as he found himself wanting to know what she had been learning over her coveted cup of tea, and he silently cursed whatever uncultivated cretin to make her believe her opinion was not worthy of being shared. Of all cities, if this girl was as diligent in her studies as she claimed to be, Viden was a haven for her, as it should be for everyone who craved new knowledge.

Even the other students were watching and waiting. Knowledge was power, and they all craved it. It was… there was no other word for it… sad to find someone unwilling to share information. “A pidgin is not a full language, if I remember correctly? Never a native tongue, and with very little grammar, but a combination of two or more languages? Forgive my ignorance, but I do not recall what a creole is.”

[Maebella]

Maebella seemed doomed to be turned into a blushing idiot every time a man complimented her. She wasn't sure if it was any man because after all, she hadn't been complimented by a great many men, only two in fact: Caius and now, Virikai. It could simply be the type of man, given that both were scholars foremost in her mind and aristocrats second, but the thing with Caius was that she'd been attracted to him, which had definitely... Oh no.

She bit her lip and her brow creased as she considered the man carefully. She didn't know him, their first encounter had been awkward and certainly not conducive to attraction... was it? When it came to such matters, what did the girl know? She didn't think that she was attracted to him that way although now that she was thinking about it, she knew that the blush wasn't going to be shifting any time still. Why did her interactions with men have to be so problematic? Either she had to deal with men in potentially romantic or flirtatious situations, or had to deal with their insults like Jevan in her class. Could she not have a comfortable middle ground? Perhaps Virikai could be her friend, if she could only navigate this situation without acting like a total idiot or discovering that she had some latent attraction to him. Of course, that might prove difficult given that her time with Caius Gawyne seemed to have instilled a certain sort of rhetoric into her for these sort of occasions.

"I am in fact aware how to find tea and purchase it," she commented sardonically, a slight smirk on her lips. "I'm staying with others, five others in fact so while it might not make sense, I'd sooner come here to be surrounded by people I don't know rather than remaining with them," she explained simply, a slight twist of her lip giving away her feelings about the matter. She did not get on well with her roommates but that was unsurprising given her track record for annoying other people. She hoped that he didn't question her about that, especially when there were so many witnesses. She didn't need a whole audience to her misery, although they were probably getting a fair idea of how poorly she interacted with others.

However, her mood brightened as things moved back to linguistic matters, the young woman sitting a little straighter as she swept hair away from her face, a soft smile on her lips. It was an opportunity to show off obviously so she took it gladly. "I don't know as many as I'd like but I'm fluent in Common, obviously, and the Ancient Tongue. I also know a little bit of Leni and Ith'ession, both to speak and to write. My writing abilities are... frankly abysmal, especially my cursive," the Eídisi admitted with a soft laugh as she took another sip of her tea.

The young woman was inclined to say more and it was clear that Virikai wanted her to as he seemed to be making an effort to draw more information out of her. She wasn't sure if he was truly interested or if this was something related to politeness. Of course, he was obviously naturally curious so it made sense that he'd want to fill the gaps in her knowledge. Heedless of the the young man's classmates, she launched into a rather more animated monologue than she'd indulged in previously.

"Yes, that describes a pidgin well. It's only a stop gap measure really, a way to communicate if you have no common language between two or more groups. Obviously, it can't be a native tongue because you have to have a base language to begin with while a pidgin is only an addition. However, you've brought up a good point about a pidgin being the basis for Leni. If Leni is an expanded pidgin that has become a native tongue then that's a creole," Mae explained matter-of-factly. "Creoles are born out of diversity but also a more long-term need for communication. It's the evolution of a pidgin language that includes many characteristics of the source languages but is also unique."

She happened to glance to the side and caught a slightly glazed look in the eyes of one of the other young men. She decided to shut up about the matter before she could bore anybody else, favouring the noble with a small smile. "I'm sorry. I doubt that you came here for a lecture. It's hardly fair for me to give one when you invited me over for the sake of socialisation rather than education," she giggled, inwardly cursing herself for the sound. Oh Yvithia, she hadn't made a sound like that since Caius, which didn't make her feel particularly optimistic about this matter of attraction or lack thereof.

The Eídisi downed the last of her drink and set the cup down on the table as she got to her feet, brushing herself down. "I appreciate the invitation but I won't keep you from your celebration. Activities involving alcohol aren't a favourite of mine so I'll excuse myself and leave you to it. Gentlemen," she murmured as she shrugged on her coat, bundling up warmly before she moved out into the city. She was considering going for a walk before returning to her rooms.

[Virikai Talius]

“Ah, you are renting a room in the student residences.” It was not a question, because he knew what they were like. Virikai had considered it two arcs ago, when he first started studying - anything to get away from his overbearing father. He had even moved away for a brief period of time into one of the rooms. Not many knew about it, for what aristocrat would be seen to be living somewhere so basic? But it was not a secret and, for those who did know, the public reason for his return to his family home was the poor state of the accommodation. They were, in all reality, perfectly adequate, meeting all Videnese regulations. If anything, they were finer than what most students would be used to. For an aristocrat like Virikai, however, they were not what he was accustomed to, and sharing facilities made the experience much more farcical.

The real reason for returning home, however, was most definitely not for public consumption, lest Virikai’s deeds were to tarnish the Talius name. It was for the same reason that Virkai’s Tertiary education had been put on hold. He had associated with a naer. Worse, he had collaborated with one. After two long arcs, Verity Talius had finally allowed his heir the freedom he had once enjoyed, trusted again to not embarrass the family. “Yes, I can appreciate why you would want to get away from there for a few bits each day…”

The spark was back as she took up his invitation to discuss the topic of linguistics. There was a light which was only ever seen in the most fervent of scholars, and Virikai briefly wondered how much more passionate she could become, if possible, if he got her onto a topic more closely related to that which she was actually studying at the Academy. She answered his questions, and explained the differences between a pidgin and a creole, but went no further than that. Virikai’s frown, which had disappeared when she began to talk, came back, eyes darkening. This time she was much more verbal in her embarrassment and worry regarding boring those around the table.

A quick glance around told Virikai that, sure enough, some of his cohort were clearly disinterested, but that was not enough of a reason for the girl to stop. She even went as far as to down the rest of her drink and rise. Virikai, was on his feet instantly. He had neglected to do so when she had originally joined them at the table due to his focus being entirely on observing her actions… and an element of watching her squirm in discomfort.

This discomfort Maebella was displaying, however, he did not like, and his good breeding and refined etiquette kicked in once more. Without thinking, and forgetting the numerous students following his every move, he lifted his hand to place two fingers under the young woman’s chin, gently applying pressure so that the two pairs of colourless eyes met. “Never apologise for being interested in something.” His voice was soft, quiet… dangerously so, as if there was a veiled threat as he tried to instil in her that her opinion mattered.

His fingers remained under her chin for a long moment after he had uttered his prohibition upon her before they fell to his side. His gaze lingered for longer still, trying to gauge how indoctrinated towards lack of self-worth and confidence Maebella was that she might resist his command. Finally, he broke away, turning back to his colleagues, “if you will excuse us, gentlemen.” He offered no explanation; they would be used to that, the Talius heir rarely did give reason for his actions. Twisting his body towards the door, he glanced down to the intriguing girl and extended a hand to indicate towards the door, murmuring quietly as he did so, “After you, Miss Arval.”

[Maebella]

The young woman was surprised that the aristocrat knew anything about the Tertiary Accommodation attached to the Academy. Well, he might have heard about it but there was no way for him to have lived in them, surely. He had a nice home of his own, far more luxurious than anything that the Academy could provide. Although, perhaps he would have enjoyed some independence by staying in such a place. Still, it seemed unlikely to Maebella. He probably just viewed them as somewhat crowded and uncomfortable due to the proximity to so many others. It was an easy enough thing for him to work out if it was considered logically so she assumed that that's how he'd formed his opinion.

The idea of going back to such living quarters was a miserable one for her, especially as they'd somehow heard the rumours about her that had come from her classmates the previous season. Now she was the Ice Queen to them or worse, the Frigid Bitch. When she emerged from her rooms to make use of any of the shared facilities, they could be quite lovely to her face but they'd make those little jibes as they spoke to her, allusions about those horrible nicknames and then would whisper about her once her back was turned. It was a horrible environment and it was no wonder that she dreaded to go back to it. The Prime Atheneum was something of a sanctuary for her, as it was difficult for them to interfere with her there, as was any other location she could visit that allowed her some distance from them. She couldn't live in her room the entire time though and even there, they could hammer on the door under some pretence or other.

Still, she couldn't remain and as she slung her bag over her shoulder, ready to leave these people who obviously didn't want her here either, she was startled when Virikai stood. She couldn't understand what he was doing at first, growing all the more bewildered when he touched her. The Eídisi girl froze in place, her eyes widening as the scion moved her head so that she had to look straight into his white gaze. She blinked a little more rapidly than normal, startled by the action. Her mouth moved soundlessly, a slight tremble as she tried to work out what was happening. Obviously she understood the words that came out of his mouth but she was still stunned by what had occurred.

Colour bled into her cheeks again as his fingers lingered on his chin, even though he clearly had nothing more to say. She had no idea what had elicited this but it was odd to have this contact between them, strangely intimate considering that they didn't know each other at all. One of her brows rose in question, as she finally decided to silently question what in Yvithia's name he was doing. He finally released her and did something even more startling. He excused them both.

"Wait, you're- oh!" Maebella stuttered, moving away from the booth and throwing a questioning look his way. The young woman couldn't grasp what exactly was happening but the scion seemed to have decided that she wasn't going to escape him so readily this time. She brushed her hair back and smiled at little nervously at him as she made her way to the exit.

"Is there something you wanted to discuss with me? Also please... don't call me Miss Arval, I don't... Maebella is fine. I don't need any manner of formal title or anything like that," she explained as she passed out the door, wondering what he wanted with her.

[Virikai Talius]

The smile was one that he couldn’t help when the naïve girl started, in a way that only seemed endearing when she did it, to babble without a filter. “Whilst I am aware you are uncomfortable airing your heritage to the general public, it is still polite to maintain certain social boundaries,” Virikai educated patiently as he placed a hand on the small of his companion’s back, guiding her through the throng of punters as the White Fox grew more busy. “But I will endeavour to call you Maebella in the future, thank you.”

The Talius heir quickened his step as they approached the exit of the inn and reached forward to pull open the door ready for Maebella to walk through. “I thought I had just made it clear to you that I was interested in what you had to say,” he replied, his tone taking on a borderline scolding quality, though his expression and gaze spoke of amusement, if she looked over.

“There are few things in the world more beautiful than seeing passion and excitement light up someone’s features. It must be something worth knowing about if it can cause such a primitive emotional response… thus, I would like to know more.” He did not know how to more simply explain himself.

Exiting, the aristocrat glanced around with a hint of derision. The White Fox Inn was located in of of the more pleasant areas of the city. At the top of the Cliffs, it was some distance from The Obsidian Prism in the Fortress, where the Talius residence was, and even a walk from the Carnelian Prism, located with the dregs of society down in the lower levels of the Cliffs. From up here, there was a pleasant view of Viden, as well as the Tundra beyond. Ordinarily, Virikai might have suggested a walk to a viewing platform, but the foul weather of Zi’da made this a rather boring, even unpleasant, experience.

Thinking on his feet, he came up with a solution which he hoped would pique Maebella’s curiosity enough to remain in his company, “I have it on good authority that the Tienite Reavers have been preparing a number of new ice sculptures in preparation for heralding in the new arc.” Obviously, anyone who had spent at least one arc in Viden would know of their work, so Virikai was really pointing out the obvious, but few people would be able to gain access to view the works ahead of time. “Would you be interested in an early preview? The Warehouse is just on the edge of the fortress, not too far from your residence.”