The master suite of the Calius Dorm was composed of four separate rooms, a master bedroom, a smaller second bedroom, a study (unfortunately bereft of books), and a lounge. Unlike their previous apartment, it lacked any kind of kitchen or bathroom. There were two secluded nooks, little more than closets, which were designed for the purpose of waste elimination.
The furniture and decorations were impressive, but seemed slightly dated, even to Mike's uninformed gaze. It reminded him of some of the Victorian Era mansions he'd toured in his old life. So much so, in fact, he felt a little uncomfortable using the furniture. While he was sitting down on an immaculate but uncomfortable chair in the lounge, he half expected some kind of tour guide to pop in and yell at him.
Dismissing his ruminations, Mike proceeded to start unloading his extradimensional sack on the floor. He'd taken a moment to run back to the dorm and grab his companions' belongings. In no way, shape, or form was it an attempt to delay the coming confrontation. Not at all.
He made sure to separate the alchemical gear belonging to Lily and set it aside. William had finally managed to push the woman into the master bedroom and force her to put on some proper clothing, somehow scaring up a casual dress for her to wear until bed. He was apparently practiced enough at the procedure, that he even had time to stop by and pick up Lily's things while she was occupied.
It seemed like his companions had already spread out, claiming rooms for themselves. Tal and Sera were taking the servant room, which had multiple beds, while Brenden was setting up in the empty study, evidently planning on sleeping on the floor. The confrontation he'd been fearing hadn't taken place yet, and he was hoping that he could get a decent night's sleep in before dealing with the situation. Alas, it was not to be.
"I didn't know you were so close to our neighbor." Sera's tense voice called from the doorway. Mike took in her guarded body posture, and the slight puffiness of her eyes. Evidently, she was still very upset.
"We're in the same Alchemy class, but I wouldn't call us close. If you haven't noticed, Lily's got an unusual personality. Here's your stuff by the way." He replied while pushing a chest in her direction.
"A shameless personality, maybe. She certainly wasn't treating you like a simple classmate."
He sighed. "I'm not sure if it is the cause, since I have no clue what's going through her head, but I did save her life. However, judging from her priorities, I think the reason for her attachment had more to do with the equipment I was carrying at the time. She refused to leave the dorm without it, and it seemed like that stuff was her primary concern. I'm sure her desire for us to share rooms is motivated by her love of Alchemy more than anything else."
Sera frowned, while muttering to herself. "I don't know about that…"
"What?" He asked, barely catching the words.
"Nothing. Anyway, why did you accept her invitation? We could have figured something else out."
Mike finished laying out the rest of their things, stood, and turned to face her. "If you want to know, there are three reasons I said yes. First, she was very insistent, and turning her down would have only created a scene. I don't know about you, but I was starting to get tired of all the drama. Second, this would allow the four of us to maintain a level of separation from the rest of the residents. We'll still have to be a bit more careful in how we handle things, now that we have two more sets of eyes and ears nearby, but it's certainly better than contending with the entire dorm."
She shook her head, a little angrily.
"Finally, I think it is very likely that we will be getting involved in the coming conflict with Tennundi, if we haven't been already. I hope that things work out for us, but should the worst happen, it would be beneficial to have a friendly relationship with the influential members of other countries. You know, in case we have to flee the country. Lily, for all of her eccentricities, is a member of the high nobility of Dovistan. I think you, of all people, should understand the value of staying in her good graces."
In response, Sera grumbled something else under her breath, even quieter than before. He barely managed to catch the phrase, "Doesn't mean I have to like her."
"Fine. I understand what you are saying, just make sure you don't get too close. It would be a shame for your identity to be discovered because you were mesmerized by that cow." She said while walking out, clearly still upset.
Mike sighed. It could have gone worse, he supposed. He glanced over at the chest of Sera's possessions that he'd set out. She seems to have forgotten about it.
Almost as if on cue, the Oracle walked back into the room, red faced. Picking up the chest carefully, she gave him a simple "good night," before leaving again.
Chuckling, he finished up separating the gear, before delivering it to their rooms. Tal accepted hers with a simple nod of thanks, but Mike could sense a degree of coldness from her that spoke volumes about her feelings. She quickly closed her door before he could say anything else.
Feeling slightly dejected, he headed to the study to find his own place to bed down. Brenden had already passed out under a table, so he found himself a spot in a corner to sleep. Thankfully, the room had a thick carpet which was fairly comfortable, all things considered.
[Now, let's see. If this was a real rom-com, I should expect a night raid.] He figured he would have to keep an eye open for any such behavior.
As he expected, the door opened quietly a little while later, as a figure crept in stealthily. Fully planning on turning the overly affectionate woman down, Mike was surprised when a male voice whispered in his ear.
"Master Mike, may we speak?" William asked quietly, trying to avoid waking Brenden.
[Looks like I'm not getting much sleep tonight.]
He nodded, and followed the butler to the lounge.
"So, what do you want to talk to me about?" Mike asked once he'd taken a seat and made himself as comfortable as possible in the hard chair.
William stood in front of him, and gave a formal bow. "I want to offer my sincere apologies for Lady Lilianna's behavior. I know her selfishness was inexcusable, and I thank you for minimizing the damage her actions caused."
Mike was slightly taken aback, but waved it off. "Its quite alright, I've only known her for a little while, and I can tell she's a bit of a handful."
The butler straightened with a long-suffering sigh. "Indeed, although it's not entirely her fault."
"What do you mean?"
Looking slightly pensive, William continued. "It is due to bloodline. Milady has inherited the legendary blood of the Frost Giants, which occasionally appears within the Dovistani royal family. While this grants them incredible strength and endurance, the giantblooded, as we call them, almost universally have an unusual or difficult personality."
[Is it some kind of recessive trait tied with whatever element of their giant heritage enhances their strength? Is that even how this world works, now that I think about it?]
The butler continued."In most case it manifests as a violent and volatile behavior. One of Milady's uncles is also giantblooded, and is well known as one of the most dangerous and powerful warriors in Dovistan. However, he is equally well known for his temper, and has caused the family near constant trouble for the people he has injured or killed in a fit of anger."
"Lily doesn't seem to have that problem, as far as I can tell."
"That's true. Milady is one of a rare few who have the almost opposite temperament. She lacks the capacity to feel anger. Her unusual behavior and difficulty in understanding others is also a product of this particular manifestation of her blood. Or so the records relate. You must understand, there hasn't been one of her type in a few hundred years." William spoke quietly.
"I suppose there are worse conditions to have."
"Once again, Master Mike, you speak the truth. However, I hope you can imagine how difficult life must be if you never felt anger, and were unable to disassemble the motivations of others. It is a vital part of being human. Without anger there is no impetus to defend oneself or the things one cares about. It is the stimulating force which creates change. And its absence has left Lily vulnerable to the machinations of her family." The butler's knuckles whitened on the table where he was resting them.
Mike frowned at that. "Is she in danger?"
"No, nothing like that, but I am sure you can imagine how a high noble with a powerful bloodline would be considered a valuable asset. Especially if she lacked the desire to protect herself in any real manner."
He nodded, feeling a little sick at the idea.
William must have caught his facial expression, "My apologies, Master Mike. I did not mean to lay Milady's burden on you. In truth, it is not as bad as I make it out to be. Milady has her own drives and desires, as I am sure you are aware. She might lack a great deal of common sense due to her sheltered lifestyle, but there are very few people in this world that could force her to do something against her will. It is merely unfortunate that two of those people are her parents."
"I see. Although, that is not much better."
The old man chuckled at that. "No, I suppose not."
"So what about the whole Alchemy obsession thing?" Mike asked, wondering if that might be another aspect of her bloodline.
This inspired another laugh from William. "That's just Lily. Nothing inherited about that behavior, I can promise you. Anyway, thank you for listening to the complaints of an old man. I'm sorry to have troubled you. Have a good night, Master Mike."
"You as well." He replied while watching the butler leave.
Leaning back in his chair, Mike looked at the ceiling, thinking about what he heard.
[I'm really starting to get tired of noble politics. It seems like they get worse every time I run into them.]
Standing up, he headed back to the study to sleep. He debated running down to the Adventurer's Guild tomorrow and picking up a quick request. For some reason, he had the sudden urge to kill something.