9th of Ashan, Arc 719, Afternoon
The key pressed into its socket, Alistair gripped the chain that extended from the golden lion's mouth, opening the door to the Ashvane Estate and gesturing for his partner to enter in ahead of him. Zarik would be greeted by an opulent room, moreso than the sheer light-colored stone of Woodstock, as though Ashvane did not carry the same grandiose size it was much more visually appealing. The floors of the entry room appeared to be marble, a black-grey color with crimson crystals seemingly pressed against the surface of the flooring from below. Immediately upon entering, Zarik would see two small doors to two separate rooms on the left, a large door to what appeared to be a 'living area' to the right, and an open doorway behind the stairwell that visually appeared to be the opening to some sort of library.
If he peeked into the living area, he would see the entry to a considerably large kitchen, and then a connecting hall to the East End of the estate. He likely would not, however, as the magister quickly beckoned him up the stairwell, which was made largely of wood - rare for their city. A crimson-colored rug seemed melded into the steps, extending to the bottom slope of the woodwork as if inviting them forward. The stairwell itself was perhaps the most opulent portion of the room, sitting directly within the center of the entry area as the center-piece of it all. Once they'd reached its summit, though, they would be met with a second floor marked by a large common area, an upper living room by all means. It was littered in seats, couches and tables, with most furniture a reddish brown leather, a mahogany colored carpet underlying the entirety of the central area. To the left was three rooms, this time, or at least three doors that seemed to form a triangle, as one set sat opposite from itself, and one was indented into the wall between them. Kleine's room, Daniel's room, Asher's room. On the lower floor, the two bedrooms were Abaddon's and Kaelrik's.
All of the people residing here were permanent, and had some sort of function in the household. His thralls weaved around the width of the estate, seemingly searching for messes or scattered items. As a result of their diligence, it was truly perfect. There were no messes, ever, and everything was wholly orderly and organized. The estate looked untouched by man, yet somehow still maintained. His welled thralls did not need ether to function, and as Revenants it was easy to integrate commands into their routine.
To the right of the upper floor was two doors; one against the wall to the back of the building, and one sitting roughly by the center of the right end of the living area. This was the door that Alistair headed towards, guiding Zarik by his hand as he moved to open it. When it was revealed to his fiance, it was clear that the room and its furniture were truly luxurious. No expense was spared; all of the furniture was ornate and well-crafted, with satin sheets and curtains, and a crimson shade coloring the whole of the interior. His candles were already lit, whether prepared by the Revenants or left burning, Zarik would not know. They did not appear to be burning out, as much of the wax still remained.
As a result, the room was fairly bright, and everything was clearly visible. His mirrors, desks, closet... it was all perhaps unnecessary, but he had a fondness for opulence, being a noble. His personal residence displayed that with utmost clarity. And yet, compared to what he knew in Rynmere... this was nothing.
"This will be your home until we leave for Rynmere," he stated. "There are other people living here. Kleine Volgotha and Daniel Blackstone; my dearest friends. Asher, my son, who is typically taken care of by Kleine. Kaelrik is my slave, though I do not support slavery. He... has refused on multiple occasions to leave my service," he said. It was a strange topic to raise, but he needed to be clear of his stance before any impression was formed. "And then, there is Abaddon, an occasional visitor. There are also my thralls, of course, though you've seen two of them already. They don't speak. If you speak to anyone and they ignore you, they're likely a thrall." He said this matter-of-factly, though he was certain there was a lot of information that Zarik would need to digest. And there would be much more.
"Anyhow... on the East End of the building is my business, Ashbrook Hospice. There are typically a few patients residing there. When they die, they are brought to the morgue by my thralls. Much of the business is automated, as my thralls, Kleine and Daniel can handle many of the required tasks. I still do spend at least a few hours there each trial, however, to ensure my patients are doing well and feel adequate," he explained.
And then, he moved to the doorway, and closed it behind them. Alistair began to remove his coat, placing it on a rack that stood by the entryway, before moving to unbutton his vest and laying it atop one of his sets of drawers. He stood now with a white shirt and a pair of brown slacks, his shoes following in being removed as he set them by the side of the bed. The mage appeared... somewhat stressed, though it perhaps didn't need explanation. If it did, he cleared it up immediately, regardless; he wanted to discuss the one thing that was truly on his mind. The moment all things were explained and all of his unnecessary baggage was removed, his face turned to his fiance, somewhat narrow eyes fixing upon him.
"Zarik, your father is a vile man," he stated clearly. "I will not allow him to abuse you further. We should become legally married in Quacia as soon as possible, in case he attempts to bring this forward to the Theocratum. I am a foreigner, and can easily be accused of corrupting a citizen of Quacia against his father's will, both by sexual misconduct and even heresy. If we marry in the light of the Theocratum beforehand, however, that risk is minimized." It was no new revelation, no great surprise. They had already agreed to become married. Alistair was... extremely uncomfortable with the way in which his father seemed to view things. The possibilities began to run in his mind.
"He made you bleed," he said, angry. "Fucking bastard made you bleed. I'm not letting him do that to you again. Do you understand me?"
The key pressed into its socket, Alistair gripped the chain that extended from the golden lion's mouth, opening the door to the Ashvane Estate and gesturing for his partner to enter in ahead of him. Zarik would be greeted by an opulent room, moreso than the sheer light-colored stone of Woodstock, as though Ashvane did not carry the same grandiose size it was much more visually appealing. The floors of the entry room appeared to be marble, a black-grey color with crimson crystals seemingly pressed against the surface of the flooring from below. Immediately upon entering, Zarik would see two small doors to two separate rooms on the left, a large door to what appeared to be a 'living area' to the right, and an open doorway behind the stairwell that visually appeared to be the opening to some sort of library.
If he peeked into the living area, he would see the entry to a considerably large kitchen, and then a connecting hall to the East End of the estate. He likely would not, however, as the magister quickly beckoned him up the stairwell, which was made largely of wood - rare for their city. A crimson-colored rug seemed melded into the steps, extending to the bottom slope of the woodwork as if inviting them forward. The stairwell itself was perhaps the most opulent portion of the room, sitting directly within the center of the entry area as the center-piece of it all. Once they'd reached its summit, though, they would be met with a second floor marked by a large common area, an upper living room by all means. It was littered in seats, couches and tables, with most furniture a reddish brown leather, a mahogany colored carpet underlying the entirety of the central area. To the left was three rooms, this time, or at least three doors that seemed to form a triangle, as one set sat opposite from itself, and one was indented into the wall between them. Kleine's room, Daniel's room, Asher's room. On the lower floor, the two bedrooms were Abaddon's and Kaelrik's.
All of the people residing here were permanent, and had some sort of function in the household. His thralls weaved around the width of the estate, seemingly searching for messes or scattered items. As a result of their diligence, it was truly perfect. There were no messes, ever, and everything was wholly orderly and organized. The estate looked untouched by man, yet somehow still maintained. His welled thralls did not need ether to function, and as Revenants it was easy to integrate commands into their routine.
To the right of the upper floor was two doors; one against the wall to the back of the building, and one sitting roughly by the center of the right end of the living area. This was the door that Alistair headed towards, guiding Zarik by his hand as he moved to open it. When it was revealed to his fiance, it was clear that the room and its furniture were truly luxurious. No expense was spared; all of the furniture was ornate and well-crafted, with satin sheets and curtains, and a crimson shade coloring the whole of the interior. His candles were already lit, whether prepared by the Revenants or left burning, Zarik would not know. They did not appear to be burning out, as much of the wax still remained.
As a result, the room was fairly bright, and everything was clearly visible. His mirrors, desks, closet... it was all perhaps unnecessary, but he had a fondness for opulence, being a noble. His personal residence displayed that with utmost clarity. And yet, compared to what he knew in Rynmere... this was nothing.
"This will be your home until we leave for Rynmere," he stated. "There are other people living here. Kleine Volgotha and Daniel Blackstone; my dearest friends. Asher, my son, who is typically taken care of by Kleine. Kaelrik is my slave, though I do not support slavery. He... has refused on multiple occasions to leave my service," he said. It was a strange topic to raise, but he needed to be clear of his stance before any impression was formed. "And then, there is Abaddon, an occasional visitor. There are also my thralls, of course, though you've seen two of them already. They don't speak. If you speak to anyone and they ignore you, they're likely a thrall." He said this matter-of-factly, though he was certain there was a lot of information that Zarik would need to digest. And there would be much more.
"Anyhow... on the East End of the building is my business, Ashbrook Hospice. There are typically a few patients residing there. When they die, they are brought to the morgue by my thralls. Much of the business is automated, as my thralls, Kleine and Daniel can handle many of the required tasks. I still do spend at least a few hours there each trial, however, to ensure my patients are doing well and feel adequate," he explained.
And then, he moved to the doorway, and closed it behind them. Alistair began to remove his coat, placing it on a rack that stood by the entryway, before moving to unbutton his vest and laying it atop one of his sets of drawers. He stood now with a white shirt and a pair of brown slacks, his shoes following in being removed as he set them by the side of the bed. The mage appeared... somewhat stressed, though it perhaps didn't need explanation. If it did, he cleared it up immediately, regardless; he wanted to discuss the one thing that was truly on his mind. The moment all things were explained and all of his unnecessary baggage was removed, his face turned to his fiance, somewhat narrow eyes fixing upon him.
"Zarik, your father is a vile man," he stated clearly. "I will not allow him to abuse you further. We should become legally married in Quacia as soon as possible, in case he attempts to bring this forward to the Theocratum. I am a foreigner, and can easily be accused of corrupting a citizen of Quacia against his father's will, both by sexual misconduct and even heresy. If we marry in the light of the Theocratum beforehand, however, that risk is minimized." It was no new revelation, no great surprise. They had already agreed to become married. Alistair was... extremely uncomfortable with the way in which his father seemed to view things. The possibilities began to run in his mind.
"He made you bleed," he said, angry. "Fucking bastard made you bleed. I'm not letting him do that to you again. Do you understand me?"
