Nakmarr Party: Big Trouble, Little Wings

[Nykolas]

Some time after he was told he is not allowed to go upstairs anymore, Nick went and found a nice sitting room to rest in. He doesn't seem to have as much energy as he is used to. With his vampiric powers he is used to having a near unlimited source of energy and strength. Now he feels like a weak mortal. He rests in a tall wing backed upholstered chair. Zarvan of course is in the room too but Nick is mostly ignoring him. He's much more likable when Nick can wake up and get away. It's weird having met him in the waking hours and in his light headed state he had to keep reminding himself that he's not dreaming. Most the guests are still sleeping off the night before, their late night excursions, and the middle of the night interruptions by a dragon and a robot. Nick isn't sure why they all sleep late, but he tries very hard not to think about it, assuming the reasons to be naughty and gross.

[Trixie]

The little starlight pixie waited until the dragon had gone back up the stairs and even then waited for him to get back to his own floor before she made a move toward Nick. Things had very quickly gotten out of control. She never should have bonded herself with Howard, but Tevjol didn't give her much choice after he tossed her out. The guards are enchanted to go unnoticed, but with her little relic in hand she notices them and thus can easily get around them. It's hard to spot a itty bitty girl that is only an inch tall in this huge manor though. It feels like it takes forever just to flutter from one side to another in her true tiny form. Of course they could turn out all the lights and look for her glow. All pixies glow when using her magic, they can't help it. Though she has been hiding and staying put mostly so her glow would not stand out like a bright little star twinkling in a naked sky. The relic helps to hide her and she's not afraid to overuse it if it saves her little transparent wings from being ripped off by mean dragons. She uses her magical relic to remain out of sight and notice until she is right up behind the chair Nick rests in. Then she slips past his long black locks and toward his shoulder where anyone trying to get to her would have to go through him. “I'm calling in my favor. I need you to get me out of this manor, alive of course.”

[Mael]

Sipping from his coffee mug, Mael wondered briefly just how much longer the excitement was going to last. Between that robot last night and the murders, this party was proving to be even more entertaining than he'd first taken it to be. He smirked briefly into his coffee. Not to say that Arako's parties ever lacked for entertainment, of course. But this one seemed hellbent on being a few shades bloodier than the previous ones. Not that he minded. Not as long as things stay fun, at least. Knowing Arako, that likely wouldn't be an issue. The last five parties he'd attended had all been no end of entertaining for him. And this year, he even had the added bonus of two tag alongs that he could annoy if he got bored.


Taking another sip of coffee, he wandered through the entry hall and into the first open sitting room he came to. His single eye glanced over the occupants, making absent note of the demari, before he walked over to another chair and flopped himself down in it. Shouldn't be too much longer and the kid would come looking for him, ready to make another scene. And that would just amuse the absolute hell out of him, watching the boy stutter his way through his demands in front of an audience. Grinning, the assassin tilted his head toward the pair. "Mornin'." 

[Nykolas]

Nick wants to dismiss the pixie. He was shot by Howard and she undoubtedly helped him in that endeavor. He opens his mouth to tell her where she can stick it, but that is when Mael enters the room. He hadn't really expected not to see other guests, but he'd hoped they'd see his assassin looking armor and leave him alone. He must be drunk Nick casts his judging gaze on Mael and glances to his mug which Nick is sure contains more than just coffee. Normally he could smell what else was in there and would have heard the footsteps and the heartbeat of Mael long before he entered the room. Instead the entrance of the other man takes him by surprise and this annoys him even more than a murderous space pirate pixie on his shoulder. In his mind he plays through the rest of the scene where he snatches the pixie and throws her onto the end table where he then flings out the flowers in the vase and tips it upside down, trapping the winged annoyance within. In reality he just lays leans back in his chair pretending he has more energy than he does. If he responds to the pixie, the other man will think Nick is responding to him and it would probably sound rude when he tells her to flutter off. Also she is right, he owes her a favor. Maybe more than one if she kept his secret from Howard, which he suspects he did since Howard didn't tell Lola or Drake. He sighs and decides to ignore Trixie for the moment. She might take that as affirmation he is willing to help her, maybe he is. He hasn't decided yet. He looks over at the other sitting in the other winged back chair near him, "Yes." He agrees that is is in fact morning.

[Mael]

Swirling the coffee around in his mug, Mael studied the other man with his single amber eye. A simple patch covers the missing right eye, the hint of a scar peeking from beneath it. Despite the commotion of last night and the early hour, he seems wide awake and in rather a good mood. He took another slow sip of his coffee and let out a satisfied hum. "Never a dull moment around here, is there? That dragon raised a lot of fuss last night, after what he did down in the servant's quarters." No doubt that their host would take some issue with that. "And the mess he made of that dwarf that shot him. Few inches higher and he'd be missing more than a few pints of blood," he added conversationally. The entire time, he watched Nick for his reaction, never once allowing that smile to leave his face.

[Nykolas]

Nick's frown never really leaves his face. His expression remains a mix of judging and annoyance. It's his mask, but he wears it so well that most never see past it. Even Nick himself doesn't see past it most days. He opens his mouth to inform the newcomer that he prefers dull, “I like excitement.” He sighs again and frowns at his own declaration. He stares blankly at Mael for a moment and then looks toward Zarvan as if searching for answers. Anything he felt about hearing of Shin's troubles the night before he hides. Still he considers his near death experience to be winning at the moment. He doesn't want to make it a competition, but it'd be nice if one of his sisters was here to brush his hair and tell him he'd be okay. Realizing his need of others when he just wants to be a cold loner who feels nothing does not help improve his mood.

[Trixie]

“Since when?” Trixie asks from Nick's shoulder, but to Mael or Zarvan her little voice just sounds like little chimes. She makes the bold move to remove herself from Nick's shoulder, but doesn't go far. Instead she moves to his lap and enlarges herself to an elf size. Her elf form looks like the Silcadian forest elves who are a little shorter than some of their other kin. The dragon is a few flights up the stairs and the only one currently hunting her. He is also hunting a pixie, not an elf. She leans in closer to Nick, taking a chance he won't kill her as she mouths the word misdirection. She taps on his chest twice with the tip of her finger.

[Zarvan Thuxra]

Zarvan hasn't really done or said much of anything during the interactions of everyone else. He was paying more attention to the pixie than she realized however and was ready to act if need be to save the boy. He reclines on a sofa in the sitting area, looking at the pictures from the book he'd found in the other room. Nick is pretending he doesn't see the book Zarvan is reading, but that's half the fun of it. The boy should face his fears in order to conquer them, but there are some areas of social interactions that he has always feared and might do so for a very long time. It's different meeting him in the waking world and seeing how he carries himself here. He's more vulnerable in the dream world and it's odd for Zarvan to see the stronger sides of the boy that Darja is always saying is there, but Zarvan has never seen before. He's Darja's project and Zarvan has only interacted with him a few times, even in the dream world.

The old demari lord also watches Mael with a curious expression. Older creatures seem to get bored easier and this one looks like it might make the babysitting a little more bearable. Or if someone would actually attack, that might be fun. Zarvan would take it easy on them and hold back just to make them think they stood a chance.

“Well,” He says in a joyful tone while looking at his book and flipping a page. “It seems the Veritas makes us be truthful even to ourselves?” His inflection makes it sound like a question, but it's rhetorical. He then sits up and shuts the book, setting it aside himself on the sofa as he regards the other two men. “We could test it? All say something we deem true about ourselves and see how true it really is?”

[Mael]

The faintest of smirks manages to cross Mael's face. His single eye fixed on the female as she took on elf form. Well well. What have we here? "Excitement is what makes life interesting," he agreed with Nick. The boy's perplexed expression amused him to no end, and the revelation of the Veritas in the air only served to heighten it. In other words, the kid was a liar and he didn't even realize it. Ah, the self delusional types were always fun to play with.


Glancing over to Zarvan, he inspected the demarii a bit more closely. I think I could like this one. Sounds like a fun way to get under the boy's skin. Above all else, Mael valued his own entertainment even beyond his personal well being. That quirk had cost him an eye, but it never ceased to be fun. "Sounds like fun to me." Hm, something he believed to be true about himself, was it? "I work for fun, not for money." That had always held true. It didn't matter how much someone was willing to pay him, he only accepted assassination contracts based on how much fun eliminating the target would be. His eye fixed on Nick once more, clearly expecting him to play along.

[Nykolas]

Nick closes his eyes and relaxes back into the back of the chair. He takes a long deep, yet slow breath to stay his anger. He doesn't have enough energy to fight them all but right now he'd really like to. Or at least toss Trixie down and rip off her wings. He's not really angry with her, but since she was helping Howard, she's a good target. The new guy is as annoying as their host, trying to pry into things just to see how fun it might be. Nick doesn't like prying, not even within himself. He's dressed for a hunt and a fight, but there is nothing left to hunt or to fight. He'd really like to go change into more comfortable clothing and go lay down somewhere to sleep until this party is over. It'd be awkward with Zarvan staring at him. He hates being watched.

Trixie won't get out of his lap until he gives her want she wants however. He doesn't understand why she doesn't keep using her relic to hide and why she needs some of his misdirection enchantment, but he removes one of the amulets he was wearing and offers it to her. It'll mask her scent, race, and magical signature to those around so long as she doesn't go back into her pixie form.

“No.” He simply states in response. The least he has to say the better. All this Veritas already has his jaw hurting from too much speaking.

[Trixie]

Trixie happily takes the trinket offered to her. She hopes that doesn't qualify fully as repaying the favor, though she knows how rare it is for him to part with anything he owns. He doesn't seem overly possessive, it's more like he's thrifty and doesn't pay for much. Or maybe that is just her pirate way of seeing things. She slips the amulet around her own neck and sighs a breath of relief. She does not yet get up from Nick's lap despite knowing she is pushing her luck with him. That's half the fun. Nick might not want to play but it sounds fun to her. She decides to speak a truth of her own and looks right at Nick as she says, “I have no desire to try and kill you.”

[Zarvan Thuxra]

Zarvan suggested the game so of course he wants to play. He decides to test his own confidence. Having seen the different in how Nick is in his subconscious and how he is in his waking hours makes him wonder if he too hides things from himself. “I am the most powerful creature in this manor.” He nods in approval and then can't help but crack a little smug smile. His eyes glance toward the darkest part of the room and hopes Arako was listening in on them.

[Mael]

Mael grinned into his coffee. Believing something didn't necessarily make it true, of course. But that wasn't a debate he was willing to start. Yet, at least. Maybe if he got bored later. Stretching his legs out, he settled himself comfortably in his chair. At this rate, it wouldn't be much longer until he was tracked down. But that could prove fun too. The boy had shown himself to be incredibly amusing so far. No telling how long it would last, but he was willing to let the game run its course before doing anything to rid himself of the nuisance. His gaze moved back to Trixie, twinkling brightly with humor. There could be some fun to be had here as well. How much would that dragon be willing to pay to know about her? Better yet, what would she do to avoid it. "I might blackmail you," he told her conversationally.

[Nykolas]

Nick sighs as an impatient adult might with a child making declarations beyond their ability. He glances over at Mael again and despite having already sized the other up, takes time to pretend to do so again while he thinks on what he might say in response. His mind races with possibilities and many different actions, reactions, and outcomes. He doesn't defend Trixie in all of them. In his mind's eye he sees himself draw his weapon with his vampire speed and knock the guy's head off with a swing of his sword. But he doesn't have his vampire speed right now. Or his vampire strength and heads don't come off nearly as easily as people think they do without those things. "She's under my protection now." Other than his words, he makes no action. Just a statement of fact devoid of any worry or threatening tone.

[Mael]

If anything, Nick's statement just makes Mael's smile grow. It gives him a wicked, faintly menacing look. "That just makes it more fun for me." The idea of fighting a Keloshian doesn't phase him in the slightest. Then again, not much truly does. He took a slow sip of his coffee, studying Nick with that single amber eye over the rim of the mug before he chuckled quietly beneath his breath. "Yes, that makes it much more fun for me, Nykolas." He just can't resist throwing that in there. After the way that the Keloshian had pitched such a fit at Trish and that flighty siren princess in the music room when everyone had arrived for using his name, he just couldn't let the chance to nettle him slide by.


The assassin looked as if he might have spoken further before a voice cried out in rage, "You!" 

"It's so hard to be popular," Mael snickered as he looked toward the doorway.

[Yris]

The figure in the door could have been mistaken, at first glance, for a rather pretty young woman. It took a second, much closer look to realize it was, indeed, a young man. His hair was black, falling halfway down his back like a pool of ink. Deep teal eyes blazed angrily as he advanced into the room toward the smirking assassin like a man on a mission. "You're not getting away this time, s'tach'a!" the young man declared. Leaning down, he grabbed Mael by the front of his shirt and shook him. "You're going back with me, and you're going to explain what happened!"

[Thais]

"You know that you're wasting your time, Yris," a white haired man drawled lazily from the doorway. His arms were folded back behind his head as he simply watched the boy rage at Mael. "He said that he won't go. Not unless it's fun, at least." The white haired man had the bearing of a soldier, his gaze sweeping over the other occupants of the room that Yris seemed so oblivious to. His eyes lingered long on Nick, making no secret of the fact that he was sizing the Keloshian up. Whether or not he was impressed was anyone's guess. Instead, he simply gave a brief nod of his head. "Thais, Knight of Crimson Dawn," he introduced himself. "The one manhandling Mael is Yris." Tossing an amused look at Yris, he arched a brow. "Y'know, you keep that up and he might just think you're comin' on to him, Yris."

[Nykolas]

There are too many people and too much talking for Nick's tastes. He doesn't like talking all that much. He doesn't always like to listen either, most people don't say anything of any importance or note. It's just senseless chatter. Though the subtext of what Mael says does not go unnoticed. Yris hits all his buttons, or at least a good deal of them instantly. He has a brief fantasy about killing them both with the same strike. The silence would be much more preferred as would the lack of eyes studying and measuring him. He doesn't bother with a threat or a warning. They'll come to blow later and it'll be better of Mael underestimates him. He has to admit with his injury it's not really an underestimation. He seems to have lost his vampiric powers due to the ether. He's sure they'll return when his heart does. He hopes his heart does. He looks at Thais and even thinks to answer in response to the introduction, but then Thais is already moved on from that topic and talking to the noisy one again. Noisy will either go away or die later, Nick hasn't decided, but he doesn't get a name either way.

He decides to pretend the three aren't there at all. Ignore a problem and it goes away. Or grows big enough to justify killing it. Either is okay with Nykolas. He motions for Trixie to get up and starts to rise so she'll understand he wants to get up. Once she is removed from his lap, he moves to the sofa where he lays down and puts his head on Zarvan's lap. “You can kill them.” He says it softly because he doesn't care if the three hear or not, it's not a warning. Zarvan wanted to kill everyone earlier and now Nick is giving his blessing for these three.

[Trixie]

Trixie looks at Nick with a pout when he motions for her to get up, but then she feels him rising and realizes what he wants. She does as he wishes, after all he is her protector now. She knows he is good for his word, the hero types always are even when they come in the guise of an assassin. She watches him move to the sofa with curiosity and then laughs at little and cocks her head. “I didn't know you were the affectionate type?” She pretends she didn't hear his declaration of death. Some people fight their own heroic natures and she has pegged him for one of those. She wonders if he feels guilty when he kills. She thinks he must.

[Zarvan Thuxra]

Zarvan watches the three with mild interest. It's something anyway. Something mildly entertaining in his place he doesn't want to be in hosted by someone that should be an enemy. Until recent times that is. Or recent by his standards anyway. A few millennia do pass for mortals in the same way. He watches Nick come toward him with the same mild interest and then looks a little surprised when Nick lays on the sofa and puts his head in Zarvan's lap. Zarvan is on the far right end of the sofa so Nick is laying on his right side, half curled as he is a tall man. Boots and all. Zarvan wonders if a little piece of Nick is dying having his boots on the sofa. So prim and proper about so many things and then in such disregard for them when it suits him.

He grins a little wickedly at Nick's statement and then looks up at the other three. He decides to do the introductions. It should be clear to them if they have any intelligence that Nick is under his protection, so any threat to Nick might be considered a threat to him as well. “Zarvan Thuxra. Lord of the Lost and exiled.” He holds his arms out as if giving a welcoming gesture but then a sort of tension comes over him. He puts his right arm to rest on the arm of the sofa and the other over Nick's shoulder. His fingers find a stray strand of Nick's hair and he toys with it absentmindedly. “To some mortals, the god of dim lights in dark places.” He doesn't know it, but he's selling himself short. Most don't use the word dim. But his light doesn't shine as bright as it used to, something only he seems to remember as he's only been the god of these things to mortals for a few thousand years. Before that is just rumor and speculation of where he came from and how he'd remained hidden.

Then he looks to Trixie and responds to her comment. “He is to family.” His silver eyes move back to Mael as if to ask if it'll still be fun to pick a fight with his boy, Nykolas and at the same time to warn not to.

[Mael]

Oh, but this was fun. Mael laughed as Yris shook him before placing his coffee off to the side. No need to waste it, after all. He snagged the boy by the wrists and came quickly to his feet, towering over the teen. "Already told you, kid. I'm not goin' back to Sendari unless something fun comes up there. And it's more fun for me this way." He gave a negligent little push, sending the boy back into Thais. The white haired Knight rested a restraining hang on the teen's shoulder to still him.


Nick's comment caught Mael's attention, his single eye turning to watch him plant himself on the sofa with the demari. And his smile just grew as Zarvan spoke. "Pah, it's no fun to fight someone so weak they can't even handle their own battles. Like the boy." He jerked a thumb back at Yris. "It wouldn't have been any fun to kill him, he's too weak to entertain me." His shoulders came up in an unrepentant shrug. There was also something about the contract that niggled at the back of his mind, and he just couldn't place it. Retrieving his coffee, he took another slow sip and studied Zarvan. There was an odd glint in his amber eye. "I do not fear you or death, because I have no life to lose." Almost immediately, his face screwed up as if he'd just tasted something bitter. That was a truth he'd have been happier not revealing.

[Yris]

Damn that assassin. Fuming, Yris allowed Thais to keep him in place as he glared at Mael. "If you won't go back, then tell me who hired you to kill me in the first place!" He quieted a little as Mael mentioned having no life to lose, puzzled. What could that mean? He was alive, so obviously he could be killed. He stared at the assassin, trying to find some explanation for the comment. Teal eyes shifted, turning up to Thais. "What does that mean?" he asked the Knight quietly.

[Thais]

"Your guess is as good as mine," the Knight replied softly. A faint smirk crossed his face, though, at the idea of Nick giving Zarvan permission to kill them. "If words bother you that much, then I'd say you have a lot of growing up to do. Not that it really matters to me. Though I have to admit, it disappoints me a little to know that Kelosh's best assassin is so...." He trailed off before simply shaking his head and laughing. Oh, but that was great. The most feared assassin of the Kelosh empire got his panties in a twist over off color comments and a lot of noise. His dad would have a field day with that if he ever fought against Nick. Off color was Demitrias' bread and butter. "My father is going to laugh his ass off when I tell him about this."

[Nykolas]

Nykolas has his head resting on Zarvan's left leg, his own right arm curls up around his face protectivly, resting his hand on his own shoulder. His left had lays near the elbow of his right. And it does bother him greatly that his boots are on the sofa but he calculated the risks and these boots are clean so it's probably okay. Too many buckles for him to remove. He had just enough energy to get dressed, leave his room, and find prey to kill. That energy is gone. This sofa is as far as he could make it from the chair. His nanites, the heart of darkness, and his armor all battle to help him get up and running faster, but he's starting to think they are in competition and he doesn't need that. He doesn't think much of Mael's comment about not dying. Maybe he means he has nothing to lose. That is why assassins don't form attachments. Maybe he means something magical. Nick has met constructs and undead things before and knows many ways to end their existence.

Yris words bother him a little bit, the boy seems too innocent to be at a party like this. He should be out somewhere playing dress up and going to balls. He also looks like he could be an Arepharis, but he doesn't feel like one. Arepharis can sense each other so Nick doesn't bother to ask if the boy is some distant relative. He's not. Nick would sense it if he were.

Thais' words do not bother him in the least. He frowns a little disappointed at the talkative knight. Of them all Thais seems to talk the most which actually annoys Nick the most. “Your father already knows assassins prefer silence.” He doesn't look up and his voice comes out tired, but a part of his tone suggests everyone knows that and he should too. But knights are funny like that. They seem to prefer shiny and bold and very rarely understand the way of shadows. Unless they are the Black Knights of the Netherworld. They only knights that don't annoy Nick in general. Individual results may vary.

He won't admit to to anyone and doesn't try to speak on it for fear the Veritas would force him to admit it, but he's actually happy Zarvan didn't kill them. They are a nuisance, but nothing more and therefore do not deserve to die. Though he tries to pretend even to himself that the reason is because Zarvan would have to stop being his pillow and he doesn't want to be moved.

[Trixie]

“Fun? That's what we pixies love the most in life.” She gives a sage nod to Mael, agreeing with his life choices and goals. “And this party is pretty fun. I'd like to have come under different circumstances.” She doesn't really care what any of them are saying. Their lives are none of her business and none of her concern. Without Howard alive to tell her what to do, she has to make her own choices and that isn't as easy as one would think for her race. Nick will get her out of the party or possibly they'll die together. She isn't sure the odds with him in his current condition, but she is hoping that his godly bodyguard will make the difference and get her out. Then she'll have to search for a new queen. There is a growing pit deep down in her soul for having a lack of one, but it's small right now. The party will end and she'll find a queen in time. If she lives to get out the gates. Dragons are such ragey creatures, it's no wonder her ancestors fought their ancestors in an epic war a million years ago. She wishes her kind would have won and pushed them back to the Netherworld before they became part of this realm and evolved.

[Zarvan Thuxra]

Zarvan leans back on the sofa. One arm still on the rest and the other draped over Nick. He looks over the little mortals. They are told they are in the presence of a god and none of them care. He wonders on how freeing it must feel to be a mortal. So unaware of your own weakness that you think you can stomp out a volcano with your foot. Sure, they'll die trying, but they believe. They have such faith in their short little lives and their own abilities. It's almost endearing. Except that tomorrow he'll blink and they'll all be dead of old age. He is starting to get a little bored again. He has things to do, but his father insisted he come protect Nick, that if Nick dies their family dies with him. Zarvan doesn't understand why yet, but knows Darja believes it fully.

“There is Veritas in the air.” He says looking at the boy, Yris. Something about the boy attracts him on a magical level. Appeals to his ascended nature. “So ask him what you want to know, and if he speaks again he'll have to speak the truth on it. Veritas compels not only the truth to be spoken, but for one to speak as well. Even Nick is being very talkative, far more than normal for him.” Zarvan has seen into the boy's subconscious since before he was born and knows him pretty well. That he has responded to these three at all is a feat unto itself.

[Mael]

Chuckling, Mael tilted his head at Trixie. "I like you. You seem like you could be fun." The mention of Veritas again only seems to make his smile widen. Things like that always add a fun twist on the game. "That's true, I would. But I can't tell him something I don't know, now can I?" He'd been hired through an intermediary and had never heard the client's name. Oh, he could probably find out, but that would involve travelling back to the Sendari system, finding the intermediary, and then beating the information out of him. None of that sounded like it would be very fun.

[Yris]

Yris looked surprised as Zarvan addressed him, eyes widening a little at the mention of Veritas. He started to smile before Mael spoke and dashed his hopes. The boy slumped, looking completely crushed. "So.. you don't know who wanted me dead.. and if you don't go back to Sendari to tell my father the truth, I can't go home..." Frustrated, he clenched his fists and shot Mael a glare.

[Thais]

Thais smiled at Nick briefly, still amused. Shifting his weight, he fell silent as Mael and Yris spoke. The situation was an odd one, to be sure. The assassin wasn't one to do something unless he thought that he could find some way to be amused by it. But the boy couldn't get home unless Mael did act. Or so it seemed on the surface. Young he might have been in terms of how his people measured time, but Thais was most certainly not stupid. Folding his arms, he nudged Yris before inclining his head toward Zarvan. "There's a solution for you. He's a god of exiles. Entreat his aid. After all, you said your father banished you, so that does make you an exile." It would be heartless to just abandon the kid, and he wasn't heartless by a long shot. Mael wasn't either, really. But appealing for the assassin's aide was a tricky business that most didn't have the fortitude to handle.

[Zarvan Thuxra]

Zarvan looks over the little mortal boy again. Most the people he bothers to help are immortal in the sense that they are eternally young. It's very rare he helps mortals, even if they invoke his name in the proper rituals to ensure he hears them. There is a brief mirror of sadness behind his silver eyes. He knows what it's like to be unable to return to the place you call home. He's had to make a new one and after a few thousand years it's starting to feel like home, but it's not the same. He can never return to where he was or what he was. But the boy might be able to. Zarvan glances down at the sleeping Nick who has passed out. He wills his wings to appear and unfurls the left one to cover Nick. He wills darkness to fill the space under the window so light will not touch the sleeping boy. He hasn't complained yet as the party manor is already dimly light, but it's still too bright for him. Zarvan can tell. He glances back up to Yris. “You have to ask. Say my name, and then tell me yours.” It's part of a ritual to call upon a person of power like Zarvan, but he also wasn't paying attention to introductions as he didn't think there was a need to memorize their names so he needs to hear it again. “But before you do, know whether or not you truly wish to return to the home you once had or if you wish to find a new place to belong. Sometimes you can't go back.” His tone is almost fatherly, but in a stern way, like a strict and scary father might sound. His silver eyes seem to burrow right through the boy as if he can see into his soul and find the answers there.