Leeās Perspective
"Must you bring a stranger? I'm thinking you wouldn't want anyone to see my small gift. It isn't really something to be shared to other people." Bellona said, her sarcastic, cold words rolling off without any remorse or regret or want for more warmth. "Really Vance, this isn't a matter for the little boys and girls, I suppose you ought to grant this meeting some more privacy than what we have right now," She said. She played with the letter envelope with her fingers, edging the sides one by one and exposing the broken wax with the Abernathy's sigil on it. "Though if you want him to know what's in store then I guess I can't really do anything- But do you?" She asked coldly and continued to pet Fidus' small head while the Fennec fox stared at Lee with it's sharp eyes.
The truth was that Lee had no problem getting up and leaving. He would just as easily go to his own dorm, cuddle up between Stonewall and Longstreet (his wolves, not the generals), and sleep until he forgot about all the hardships of the day. But he felt an immense responsibility to Vance, and he would only move if Vance wished it.
Lee had long noticed Caden in the back, since he walked in, but that was no stupendous feat. Lee noticed boys. It was what he did. Oftentimes, friends would stop and shake their head (half in amazement) as Lee would point out otherwise unnoticeable and not-so-astonishing young men. Even after Cadenās concealment spell, Lee wondered why Bellona (the queen of mean and complete anal-retentiveness it seemed) and Vance (the snobby, paranoid prince of perfect) couldnāt notice Caden. Caden was a cute boy, but Lee knew that Caden didnāt like Lee, so he tended to avoid Caden. Lee hated internal-Arietem conflict, and there was enough of that these days.
āI need you to await me in my room, please, since apparently discretion abounds tonight. This shouldnāt take overly long, and then weāll be able to speak,ā Vance said to Lee, with a slight smile on his face and a spark in his eyes. Lee could tell that Vance was up on the ready. Lee, having been overly stoked by the chance of going to Vanceās bedchamber (a feature ā single suites - of the Arietem dormitory that exemplified Arietem esteem and prestige), felt as though his dreams were finally coming to light. He had only been in Vanceās bedchamber once, and that was to bring Vance a piece of candy he had taken from a Ferre kid. Vanceās bedchamber was at the top of the tower, and probably the most ornate and lavish of all the bedchambers, with gold and silver heavily gracing every corner of suite. Now, Lee could go up there and wait in Vanceās bed, maybe Vance was finally going to declare his undying love!
The Beauregard, the unofficial head of his own family, bowed his head in obeisance to Vance and said, āYessuh, Vanz.ā With that he rushed off to the staircase. At the foot of the stairs, he heard Vance say, āThe common room is an interesting choice for a private conversation. They do call it common for a reason.ā Hmmā¦ Lee could tell that was Vanceās way of apologizing, and Lee took in his heart that Vance ā at the root of his black, mysterious heart ā held some amount of affection for Lee.
Stopping off at his bedchamber first, Lee opened the door (never caring to lock it ā if somebody wanted to steal something, oh well he didnāt own shit, and if somebody wanted to rape him during the night while he slept, haha they better be good) and meandered on through his suite. It was simple and plain, something that most everyone would be startled at, having experienced the Beauregardās high regard for himself and his family. The only things up on the walls were pictures of famous Beauregards, especially Pappy and Mama and General Beauregard, and various Southern heroes, and of course the Confederate flag. Above his plain bed was a crucifix, a gift from his Mama one day back in New Orleans. If it werenāt a gift, Lee would have long thrown it away, having accepted that Catholicism or any religion were just falsehoods. Lee was perhaps Arietemās most outspoken atheist, something that pissed off many such as Ćrem, and certainly had even gotten Demetrio to flare up a bit.
Gathering Stonewall and Longstreet, Lee left his room and walked up the spiral stair all the way to the top, finally reaching the golden doors with the Abernathy seal emblazoned upon them. Truly beautiful and unmistakably Vance. Lee attempted to open the door, but no budge. He tried a few spells to unlock it. No budge. Finally, he said, āOpen!ā to which the doors obeyed and revealed the lavishness of the Abernathy suite. There were papers and books thrown across everywhere, perhaps in Vanceās midnight frustrations, but they could never take away from the richness. Lee truly envied and admired Vance. Granted, Lee couldnāt hope to be rich when the entirety of his inheritance AND the two that held on to it were completely destroyed.
Vanceās bed, near the back, was the classical feudal lordās bed, with rich silk sheets and velvet curtains. Pulling back some of the curtains, Lee hopped in Vanceās bed, resting the three heads of him and his two dogs upon a small pillow. Lee realized how large the bed was then. Lee had hoped all of this meant what he thought it meantā¦