Completed Blood is thicker than...Paint?

"No."

Alistair replied simply, before letting the letters float back to the board and rejoin on the alphabet. One minute they were floating magical sigils, and the next just simple chalk.

He turned back to face her and paused momentarily as he thought of the best way to encourage her.

"Think of language, especially the written language, as its own art form. A series of simplistic drawings that when morphed together convey a message to a reader. If you master the language then your art grows."

This was one of the basic ideas of not only language learning but also the rune magic that he specialized in. He began to draw a rune to hang in the air, a highly complex elven rune that translated directly into melody. He chose this rune style primarily because of the elven style's focus on aesthetics.

As soon as the rune was completed, it began to play a soft and delicate tune that lasted only for a few moments.

"See?"

Mariana
 
The way he said it made sense. Kirxus blue eyes stared at the rune as he drew, transfixed. "Art runs in our family," she announced. She knew his mom liked to paint. And drawing runes really was its own artform, different than hers'. But still one.

Picking up one of her favorite pieces of colored pencils, a green-blue one, she began to copy the rune on a piece of parchment paper. Stroke for elegant stroke.

An exact copy.

Only, hers didn't float in the air or play music. It stayed sitting there as she tapped the pencil's tip against it. "Okay I think I can copy them but I still don't get how they work together to form things that mean something to people." She huffed a strand of her bright hair away from her eyes.

"Also I heard the house-keeper talking to an errand boy this morning. They said that someone named Gilrum is causing trouble a few towns over. Do you think we should be worried about him or his followers coming here? She said there were some in your class that joined them. Will they come here and try to hurt you?"

While Mariana couldn't read, she was really good at catching others gossiping. That's how she got her news.
 
Unfortunately, Alistair would not be teaching Mariana how to properly use runes, yet. For now, she would have to be satisfied with learning Anirian.

Although he would admit. Her rune did look nice, so she may be a natural when the time comes.

"Well, in the case of the normal languages. One letter just makes an 'a' sound. However, put them were some others and suddenly you have a word that means art. Then mix some words together and you have a sentence that says 'art is beautiful.' The better you get with the language and the better you can craft the image in someone's mind."

He would have preferred to stay on this topic, but he stopped when he heard her next question. Thankfully, he was turned away from her, so he could hide the frown on his face, before finally turning back to her.

"Gilram has been causing problems for the Republic, but they won't try anything on Vel Anir. Not until they solidify more of their positions...And yes, some of them are might classmates, but they won't come for me. They aren't that dumb."

Mariana
 
Mariana stood and went back to the chalkboard. Picking up a piece of the chalk she began tracing the letters she thought might be in her name.

M

A glance over her shoulder at Alistair. "Are they still your friends? Are you friends with most people from your class? It's been awhile since I was at a school so i'm just trying to understand."

And hopefully her questions wouldn't make him think about sending her there. Dreadlords were scary and she didn't want to be scary. But some friends one day would be nice.

a

Maybe she could go back and visit that shopboy again and chat with him more.

r

He seemed kinds of weird and fun.

iana
 
"Very good. That is your first name."

Telling her that she was spelling correctly was easy, but the first question made him pause. That was all kind of complicated. There were some that he still wanted to be friends with, but...that wasn't possible now.

"I still have some friends from the class. I'll introduce you to Kristen or maybe Ral, at some point. As for those that joined Gilram...No, they are not my friends. They betrayed us for selfish reasons."

It was best to just leave it at that. There were more unique circumstances for some like Edric, and then there were those that deserted after the incident but did not join Gilram.

"Your last name is simple. K, R, I, X, U, S." He wrote out the name for her to see.

Mariana
 
"Hm, Kristen and Ral. Isn't Kristen the super religious one that gets hurt a lot? And um Ral," Mariana scrunched up her face in thought as she tried to remember what she'd heard from people. "OH, she's traveling and being a very important...guardswoman?"

Mariana began to write out Krixus. But paused. And a quiet question.

"How do you spell Lopez?"

It is/was her last name. Her mother's last name. Before she met Alistair and found out she had other family.
 
"Don't let the rumors of Kristen skew your understanding of her. She can be a little clumsy, but she turns into an incredible warrior when she is on the battlefield. As for Ral, yes. She has been traveling even more than me as of late."

Alistair was busy reorganizing some material on a desk off to the side when he looked up in slight surprise, but the look quickly turned into a soft smile as he nodded in understanding.

"Lopez, L, O, P, E, Z. A simple but elegant name."

Alistair wanted to take care for and bring Mariana into his family, but that did not mean he had any plans to remove her history from her. That was a foundation that only she could hold onto.

Mariana
 
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Mariana began writing out Lopez, listening to his instructions of the letters. She put it right between her first and last name so it ready Mariana Lopez Krixus. She was grateful Alistair answered the way he had.

"You know, you're not like most dreadlords I heard stories about or met. I always thought they were cold and calculating." She turned over her shoulder to look at him. Her hair today was highlighted a bright yellow and pink.

"I mean besides when you scared me when we first met. But you've been actually kind and thoughtful. It's almost like you were ready for a sister." She turned and continued to practice the letters. Every now and then, one that she drew would lift off the chalkboard and flutter around the room before dissipating into a small puff of chalk powder.
 
The compliment Mariana gave him...or was it a compliment. Most Dreadlords might take it as an insult. Alistair paused what he was doing as he tried to organize his thoughts on the best way to explain this. Lying would do her no good. She needed to be told the truth so that she could learn this lesson early.

Slowly, he put down whatever he was holding and turned to look Mariana in the eyes.

"Let me make this clear so that you can thoroughly remember this. I am a special case who better understood the need to hide my true self for business dealings and matters pertaining to my family, but...Dreadlords are worse than any rumors you have heard Mariana. We are broken down and turned into killers. The most efficient and brutalistic of them. No matter who they are, or how kind they are to you, never underestimate the potential for violence that Dreadlords are capable of."

This entire monologue was said with an incredibly serious tone, while never breaking eye contact. That is until, Alistair broke his demeanor as swiftly as he had taken it on.

"That being said, Dreadlords are also children in some regards. Meaning we are selfish and greedy. You are my family, and I will not let others touch or harm what is mine."

He understood that this could possibly scare his sister, but her being a little scared of him in order to be far more cautious around the other Dreadlords was a price he was willing to pay.

Mariana
 
Krixus blue-eyes widened as he spoke. The warning in his tone and words was clear. He was telling her not to trust other dreadlords. To be cautious. Well, she hoped she never met any others. Alistair was enough.

Warring feelings tugged at her chest as he claimed her as his own family.

Still, she never forgot what he said to her the day they first met. The day he dragged her to Vel Anir. That if she ever tried running away again, he'd find her and deposit her body wherever he found it.

"Don't make me go there," she said suddenly, fingers gripping around the piece of chalk she held at her side tightly. "I don't want to become a killer." Now she really was scared. Scared of what he was about to say. Scared that he really would just drop her off there and never look back.

Did he drag her back here just so he could use her? Make her go there?

He said he wouldn't let any others touch or harm her but...perhaps he excluded what would happen to her at the Academy to that.
 
Alistair was silent for the longest time, choosing to focus back on his own work. Although, he was lost in his own thoughts. Her reaction was not unexpected. He had already known that she was looking to avoid the Academy, and it would seem his comments had only cemented her worries.

His silence was long enough to make most people wonder if he was just going to ignore what she had said, but finally, he spoke up.

"Being a killer can be scary...It also brings with it safety. The Academy would teach you to protect yourself and to not let others so casually manipulate you...The people that come from the Academy are scary, but they are scary because they are strong."

That was the core of Alistair's reasoning for why she needed to go. In his own head, the only reason Alistair had survived as long as he had was because of the Academy. It had broken him and scarred him, but he was stronger because of it. Only a very select number of individuals could harm or manipulate him without him wanting it.

Mariana
 
She didn't hear a confirmation or denial that she'd go there. That didn't make her feel any better. If anything, it made her feel worse. More unsure and more unhinged. She hadn't wanted to run away so quickly but...

"I'm NOT GOING AND YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!!" She screamed and threw the chalk to the ground, before turning on her toes to storm out of the study. Acting very much her age, though she'd deny it later. She would head toward her room without looking back. And if she got that far, she'd slam the door closed behind her.
 
The sound of Mariana's footsteps filled the hall, as Alistair let her leave. That went...about how he expected it to go. Nothing was broken, so it actually went better. Was it bad to assume that Mariana would act like a child? Maybe, but he had not been proven wrong so far.

After a few moments, Alistair got up from his seat and walked down to her room. He opened the door, as he had made sure the door could not lock after the first incident.

"Mariana, can we talk about some things rather than you storming off? I need you to tell me what you actually want to do."

Mariana
 
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The room looked empty when he first opened the door. But the window wasn’t open. There would be a long beat of silence before he’d hear her muffled voice finally answer. She’d always been a good hider.

“What do you mean what I want to do? You’re….not going to make me go to the Academy?”

What kind of choice did she have?
 
"Well, that depends on your answers for the next few questions I have."

He moved into the room and sat down on the bed. No point in looking around for her, she could come out when she felt like it.

"If you could do anything you wanted in this world. What would you want to do? Own a restaurant, become a trader? In the future, what would you like to be doing?"

Mariana
 
Mariana's voice floated up from beneath the bed. It wouldn't take him long to realize where she was. Eyes stared into the darkness of the mattress above her head. Eyes closed for a moment as she thought. It was hard for a pre-teen to answer that question. Right now all she could think about was getting settled into this strange new life.

Not having to worry about finding food.

Or a safe place to sleep at night.

Sure, there were more restrictions. Like she couldn't just leave and go wander. But it was a trade-off she was willing to make. At least up until the moment they brought up the Academy.

"Um, I think one day I want to travel and meet other artists. I want to learn more about painting and drawing and sculpting. Anything to do with art."

There was a breath and her voice got smaller and quieter.

"I don't want to fight in wars and kill people."
 
Alistair did his best to keep his face a mask covering his emotions. She wanted to focus on being an artist, which was...expensive.

A small sigh escaped his lips as he rubbed his eyes with one hand before looking down to where knew Mariana was.

Ok, art. He could work with this.

"That's...certainly a choice. Let's compromise then. For now, we will continue to help you with your artistic works. However, I will not be around to home-school you forever...Therefore, you will have to go to school. It does not have to be the Academy, but you will at least receive a basic education to learn how to help manage the affairs of the house."

Mariana
 
"What?"

Nose crinkled at what he said.

"What do you mean? You mean this house? Helping you with this house like ordering groceries and supplies and...," she thought really, really hard. "...stuff?"

Well all that sounded really boring.

Or did he mean once she was older and maybe on her own? It was funny because thoughts of running away aside, she actually saw a future of her staying here with Alistair forever. And that was saying something to a girl who ran. A girl who grew up going from town-to-town every year.
 
"Well, that would probably be the beginning steps, but it is also managing the business of House Krixus. Currently, that business is rather small, but it will only get larger. My mother handled most of it, but she...has been unable to keep up with the work."

Alistair had originally planned on hiring another administrator for the home, but he was not in the business of giving out free rides. If she was going to be around, then she could help.

"You won't just be working though. The school will teach you etiquette, business, science, and the arts. If you won't be a warrior then you will be the ideal lady."

Mariana
 
"A business?" Muffled voice continued to filter up through beneath the bed. Mariana was barely a teenager. Any talk of running a business made her want to disappear into the floor almost as much as being forced to go to the Academy.

"What school will teach me those things? And...an ideal lady?" Eyes rolled. Squirming on the ground, she finally slid partially free from beneath the bed, her head popping out into the open, hair pressed against the floor around her as she looked up. "What does that even mean?" Blue eyes crossed as she looked up at him.
 
Alistair looked down at her as soon as he saw her head pop out. He just sighed with a small smile on his face. Yes, she was barely a teenager. It was very easy to see that.

"You won't run it, until much later, but you will help. As for the ideal lady part, you will learn the skill that society has determined all ladies should know. You will be educated. As for the school, I have never had to look into them, but I have a few acquaintances that I am sure to know of some good schools."

He could understand her not liking the idea. The idea sounded horrible to him as well. That was why he would have chosen the Academy.

Mariana
 
"Well, are you the ideal gentleman?" She asked, sticking the tip of her tongue out at him as she looked up at his face. But deep down she was truly relieved that he wasn't making her go to the Academy.

He'd make her go somewhere...and she supposed that was fair.

Even though she just wanted to stick to how she'd been living around here the past few weeks. Minus the boring alphabet learning. "Would the other schools be far away?" Eyes shifted to look out the window from her vantage point on the floor.

"Would I still see you?"
 
"An ideal gentleman?"

Alistair questioned, with a stoic face looking down on the mocking face of his new sister, before he leaned back on the bed a little.

"No, I don't suppose I am...Then again, I didn't go to school for that did I?"

In truth, he did not know of many of the schools that taught nobles, ladies, or gentlemen. He had been sent to the Academy because of his magical talent. If not for that, he probably would not have gone to school, at all. His family did not have the funds for that when he was young, he likely would have just been home-schooled by his father as an assistant.

"As for distance, I will try to keep you close to the city. I just found you, after all, I would not want to suddenly send you far away. And, I would come to visit whenever I had free time from my assignment or other journeys."

Mariana
 
Alistair Krixus said:
No, I dont suppose I am...Then again, I didnt go to school for that did I?
Click to expand...

Head shook silently in agreement at what he said. And then there was a flicker of relief and hesitation across her face that always seemed to be smudged with one form of art supply or another. Today there were bright flecks of purple from paint along her cheeks and a spot on her chin.

He didn't want to send her away and it seemed like he wasn't trying to get rid of her or dump her off on someone else. She didn't like that it made her feel better. That meant that she was starting to care about Alistair and caring about someone else like family was dangerous. Because in her short experience it meant that she always lost them in the end.

She swallowed.

'Well," she thought for a moment, her brow scrunching up. "Can I at least check them all out and then make a decision? And if I go to the Academy...does that mean I have to kill people?"

It was the last thing she wanted to do. But maybe dreadlords didn't always have to be killers? The heck if she knew.
 
Alistair's mouth opened, but nothing came out as he slowly closed his lips. He had nearly just lied to her or tried to answer with a technicality. Some Dreadlords ended up not having to kill because they were healers and bad at killing. However, even they had been trained to kill...With Mariana's abilities, she would not be a healer.

"Yes, you likely will. You will be trained to kill. That is what the Dreadlords are."

As he said it, his mind struggled to imagine the young Mariana's face on the body of a trained killer...However, he was sure there were many like that before they were sent to the Academy. The simple fact was that one either learned to kill or they did not survive.

"As for the other schools, I don't know their policies on students coming in before they are enrolled. As for the Academy, we may be able to let you visit, but I do have hesitations about you interacting or visiting when you have no capabilities to defend yourself."

Mariana
 
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