Liliana's Office, Thursday

[deathsmajesty]

Office hours had been skipped last week due to ponification, but this week, Liliana was once more ensconced in her comfortable office. She was, however, not particularly comfortable. Instead she was pacing, or maybe it was more of a restless prowl.

How was she supposed to handle this? Even if Erasmus asked for lessons tomorrow, that kind of mental shielding required weeks, even months of practice. What was she supposed to do? Tell the boy he'd just have to live with it? In class?!

There wasn't much that Liliana considered important, at least when it came to other people, but, dammit, teaching was one of them.

"None of this would have happened if his ridiculous plane trained their sons, instead of just letting them crash out!" she seethed.

Comments

[stringstothesoul]

Erasmus had activated a pain charm, thrown up, sucked down an orange juice, and then called his father.

And now he was--as far from Liliana's doorway as he reasonably could be while still being said to be trying to talk to her. "Mistress Vess?" he asked, mumbling a little because he had a Lifesaver in his mouth in a bid to get and keep his blood sugar up further. "Or, um. Necromancer Vess? Professor?" Which was your preferred form of address, Liliana? He really didn't want to be rude while he crashed out.

Oh, the headache was cresting again. Please hold while he dug around in his pocket for another pain charm with the hand not holding his phone.

[deathsmajesty]

"Erasmus?" Liliana whirled towards the door, taking a step or two closer to it, before realizing that what would really be appreciated would be her going the other way. She moved towards the opposite wall, where she could still see him, but was as far as possible from him.

It likely did a whole lot of nothing, but at least it wouldn't make it actively worse.

"Mistress, Professor, Ms, Lady, whatever," she told him. "I'm hardly particular about my titles here. What can I do for you, Erasmus?"

[stringstothesoul]

"My father would like to speak to you," he said, sounding apologetic about this. "I wanted to ask if it's all right if I give him your contact information." And then to flee.

[deathsmajesty]

She raised an eyebrow at that. Honestly, for all that it might have sounded almost like a threat, Liliana was actually pleased to hear it. If the man was involved enough to both have Erasmus call him for aid and want to speak to her, it was possible he wasn't as completely negligent as most of the warlocks Eramus had mentioned last week.

"Of course you may, though I appreciate the courtesy of asking permission." She waved a hand. "My personal number is--" she rattled it off for him. "Do let him know I am expecting his call."

[stringstothesoul]

"Thank you," Erasmus said. "I'll--I'll do that," he said, and scuttled off to A) get as far away from all of those spirits as possible and B) lie down in a darkened room before the full migraine took hold.

It probably wouldn't be long before Nikodemus called.

[chef_chocobro]

Ignis had thought himself a very clever man, indeed, about a lot of things, really, but at the moment, it was in the beautiful mastery of his new Thursday schedule. Because with Liliana's class moved to a much less offensive-to-her hour, and the class he was taking at a very reasonable-to-him period, it left a good amount of time for him to prepare something to bring to her office afterwards.

And with it being a food class, he could use the weekly Food Adventure to inspire his new recipehs to bring to her.

This week was,admittedly, easy. Pomegranate and raspberry beignets and café au laits, with a vanilla crème anglaise for dipping.

And, yes, that powdered sugar had been liberally sifted.

So there was a knock at the door, but no wait for an answer before Ignis opened the door to step in.

"My darling," he announced, "I've brought you a treat, should you feel so inclined."

A pause, and a grin.

"And beignets, as well."

[deathsmajesty]

Now sugar was in on sifting? WOULD BIG FLOUR NEVER STOP?

Sadly, unlike most office hours, Liliana wasn't lazily lounging upon the chaise, or even industriously occupied at her desk. If anything, the air was heavy with tension, and Liliana was stalking around her office. "Oh! Ignis! I hadn't realized--"

She shifted direction, her pacing bringing her over to him, and gave him a kiss, even if that was also simmering with tension, like the moments before an oncoming storm. "I'm glad that you are here, my darling."

Not angry, but oddly high strung.

[chef_chocobro]

It was, admittedly, a tone that he had felt almost immediately upon tellentering the office, but in an effort to discern a bit more before making any conclusions, he'd continued on anyway. And now he had a few things to weigh as he considered not only what sort of storm was brewing on the horizon, but he best to navigate it, and perhaps even settle it out.

"As am I, my love," he said, and sometimes, one felt the need to dance away from something, and then other, the more suitable move was one simply forward, and with the softness of concern, he had to ask, "Is everything alright?"

[deathsmajesty]

"No," she said quietly, curling in on him in an unspoken request for...not quite comfort, but more...to be a safe place to land, if that made any sense. "Erasmus, the new necromancer student I told you about last week? He is sensitive enough to hear the dead. Or, at least, unquiet souls."

[chef_chocobro]

It made perfect sense, certainly enough that Ignis felt it to know that the gentle but strong embrace her wrapped around Liliana offered to her as much of that as it could. And only that, for a moment, before any other response followed.

And when it did, it was a quiet, "Ah. I see," and then nothing else again for a moment more before he then stirred to start moving them toward the chaise.

"Come, then," he said, "let's have a sit."

When it came to offering more than just mere comfort, standing was abysmally limited.

[deathsmajesty]

He was making excellent points, as he so often did. Liliana moved with him - and yes, still marveled at how well they moved together, even like this - and barely waited for him to sit down before she was pouring herself into his lap.

"Much better," she murmured.

[chef_chocobro]

"Agreed," Ignis said, proving himself to be the perfect receptical in which to be poured, and allowing them to just exist in that state for a moment. Letting it just linger with that something more, before his hand lifted to rub her shoulder and his head turned to press a kiss into her forehead, where she might feel that smallest whisper of a smile.

"Even if," he tried, "our coffee will be getting cold, but I think, somehow, we'll survive."

[deathsmajesty]

"Ah, this may be a truer expression of love than even my ring," she said, a hand sliding up into his hair, nails finding that spot just behind his ear. "Deliberately allowing coffee to go to waste on my behalf."

[chef_chocobro]

"I mean," Ignis said, his head ducking just enough to make that reach that much more effective and so that he might better lean into those scratching fingers, "not to discredit the validty your statement, because, truly, 'Iana, the vast depths of my love for you cannot ever be overstated, but let it go to waste?" He huffed the softest of laughs. "Never. I've brew it with some of my finest beans, you know. Hot or cold, I will still be drinking it."

Hot or cold, he said, but it was clearly they both fully knew the answer was undoubtedly cold. But while the coffee might as well turn to ice, there was nothing but warmth coming from Ignis himself. Even as (especially as) his voice became softer and more cautious.

"What are you thinking," he asked, "about this discovery at the moment?"

[deathsmajesty]

"I am...upset," she admitted. "I have no problems making my students uncomfortable as part of the curriculum--"

Her Ethics class could attest to that.

"--or in response to intellectual laziness--"

Jonathan Sims could attest to that, though he would likely protest.

"--but because of something they cannot help?" She shook her head. "That is unacceptable. He had to leave because the Onakke were just too loud for him. How am I supposed to teach him or have him in my class if his every interaction with me triggers a migraine?"

And, yes, she could blame his lack-of-training for this, but that wasn't actually entirely their fault. After all, it wasn't like she could shut them out, either.

[chef_chocobro]

"Mmm."

And they both knew that simply eschewing the Chain Veil, even for so short a time as a class period, was, depressingly, not an option.

"Considering how onerous they were to deal with in even my own brief interactions with them, I'm not at all surprised it would be overwhelming for someone so uninitiated and unexpecting..."

The musing trailed off into that quietness that Liliana would recognize as a sign that now Ignis was thinking.

"Perhaps," he eventually continued, "you could set up some sort of remote learning apparatus for him, in the meantime? Until some method to help him block them out, anyway. It deprives him of some of the active learning benefits of the danger shop, bit he could still listen in on lectures. And perhaps we could use the training room to provide some sort of facsimile of the practical challenges to some degree..."

Assuming he'd even be open to the tutelage. Was this not the student who seemed strangely resistant the idea of improvement and training? Now he almost wondered how much was an actual issue and how much was just an excuse...

[deathsmajesty]

"The practical challenges involve attempting to survive on the island while being threatened by zombies," Liliana pointed out. "I'm not sure how much of that could be simulated via a training room. Though distance learning on days when it's just a lecture might work...I've been drafting up a list of people who might be able to make me items that offer protection from artifacts, but I'm not sure that would even work, since they're not attacking him."

She groaned. "I might have to reach out to Jace for assistance."

In case Ignis needed to know how badly she wanted to solve this...

[chef_chocobro]

The similar disgruntled sound emerging from deep within Ignis's chest should tell Liliana just what he thought of that prospect. Though she probably didn't need it to know.

And the sigh that followed made it clear that he could only acknowledge that it was potentially a very likely, if obnoxious, prospect.

"One mustn't leave any stone unturned, " he regrettably admitted, "especially not in matters particularly in that stone's wheelhouse..."

[deathsmajesty]

Liliana would be much, much happier once she got off the phone with Nikodemus. It made the odds of having to go to Jace so much less.

"I am planning on reaching out to anybody else first," she said. "Though, even if I did find an artificer capable of making an artifact like that, it would take time. Jace might be a faster option..."

Ugh. If Erasmus hadn't been not only a student, but one of her students, they wouldn't even be having this discussion.

[chef_chocobro]

Yes, yes, yes, tell us all about how selfish and uncaring and heartless and so on and so forth, Liliana...

Ignis tightened his embrace in a reassuring squeeze, buring a smile in hee hair.

"Well," he said, "if there's anything at all I can do to help, you know all you need to do is say the word."

[deathsmajesty]

Wow. Woooooooooooooow. Was she not already having a bad enough day? Now Ignis out here with the insults.

"Well, the word I suppose I am most interested in saying right now is noting that you said something about treats?" She leaned up to kiss him, slow and soft. Not passionate, more of a request. "And also something about beignets?"

[chef_chocobro]

Insult, clearly, was just a matter of opinion.

And Ignis was more than happy to lose that smile now in her kiss. "Our Food Adventure today," he murmured against her lips, "brought us to New Orleans, so, naturally, I had to make us some beignets. With raspberry and pomegranate filling and a vanilla crème anglaise. And also gained a few ideas to try with my paella, especially since, well, I've rather had an insatiable craving for it lately..."

[deathsmajesty]

"How odd, I've noticed a similar craving myself," she said with a small laugh. "It seems like it will be especially strong over the weekend."

[chef_chocobro]

"Well, then," Ignis breathed out a soft laugh of his own, "I daresay that certainly takes the work out of my menu planning, doesn't it? What would you say to perhaps tomorrow evening? We find ourselves a nice quiet section of beach and tend to quelling that craving? I'm afraid I do believe fresh sea air is a vital ingredient to this particular recipeh."

[deathsmajesty]

"An excellent idea," Liliana said. "But this time, I'm bringing a blanket. And perhaps you ought to bring a timer."

These two things were absolutely related, yes.

One benefit of having a steward? When they (inevitably) ended up wanting to return to the house to continue previous activities, they could just send him to clean up.