Visiting Hours [Closed]

[Nathalia]

Bernard watched the pair slowly pull apart with only mild discomfort...glad that he had finally stopped feeling that odd pang at the back of his ribcage every time he had seen them so...together. It had only hurt for a little while, which was a good thing in retrospect. He could never have had her, not with the way his brain had rewired itself after Lin.

"Common? No, not really I certainly don't have anything and I've only been able to pull the faculty out of three people so far in my lifetime, though I hear that old Vestra in the Diamonds Court has found far more, he actually taught me about this trick. Getting ahead of myself." He muttered, standing quickly and gesturing to them to follow. Leading them over to the entrance to the main garden pathways and opening a small gate, he stepped onto the thin path and walked toward a small, ornate arrangement of black roses.

He smiled over his shoulder at Heilyn.

"It would seem like that, wouldn't it? Since he can pull the water from the air... No, though. A true water elemental focus would allow him to manipulate the water in many more ways than he can, though it may help him to focus more firmly on the element if it is his. Still, best to start off with the easiest to divinate. Seth?"

The King asked, moving over t the Bat and attempting to steer him next to the black roses.

"If you could just stand here for a moment, I'm going to test for an earth elemental wave in you. If you stand with him, Heilyn...I could test you both at once."

He waited until one or both was in position and then reached down to the small bag tied at his hip, removing five objects.

A small keg, a flask of water, a vial of soot, a book of matches, and what appeared to be a stoppered flask of tiny crystals. He then withdrew a thin length of blue chalk and began to draw an outline in the form of three circles around his subjects.

"It'll only take a second, I swear...and no explosions..." He muttered as he yanked out a small piece of paper and muttered off something that sounded oddly flowery, perhaps Yarrow, and then stood back. The hair on the back of the subjects necks would stand completely on end as the feeling of something sniffing at their skin could be felt. The King then came closer, shrugged in an apologetic manner, and blew some of the ash into their faces.

The roses behind them bent forward toward their legs as though there was a strong wind, though the day was lacking in breeze...

And absolutely nothing happened.

"Ah." Said Bernard. "Not Earth, then..."

[carcinoGeneticist]

"I take it, then, that the chances of me having a... thing aren't too high. Especially if you don't even have one.[/b]" he said, to no one in particular. He looked down at the man, face splitting into a wide grin. "Does this Vestra character have one? I doubt he's as skilled a mage as you, just has more practice with things like this.[/b]" He had ultimate faith that Bernard was the very best.

Seth was fairly good at following directions, and stood where Bernard directed him, glancing down at the black roses. More flowers, of course. They just seemed so... pointless to him. You didn't eat them, they took up valuable planting space, and women seemed to expect you to give them boquets as gifts... Why spend money like that on something that would just die in a few days?

With his mind working in such a way, it was hard for Seth to settle into the Heart's court, which clearly held flowers in such high regards. All the same, he was slowly beginning to appreciate them, so he only shot a mildly-seething glare at the black roses.

The man chuckled at Bernard's reassurance that there wouldn't be an explosion, mouth twisting into an amused smirk. "Maybe later today? I do know how much you two love making things blow up..[/b]" His ears flicked back as he watched the King work, eyes watching his every action closely. This kind of magic was new to him. In the Glacier it was all battle-related, used to either aid yourself or wound your enemy. Bernard had taught him that there was much more to it than that. He tensed as he felt the spell unfold around them, closing his eyes and willing himself to relax, completely unsure of what to expect.

Then nothing happened.

The bat opened his eyes again slowly, an eyebrow quirking. "I... see.[/b]" he said, expression almost puzzled. What would happen if... He did have one of those... Things? Well, that would be seen - or it wouldn't. "Well! What's next?[/b]" the cheerful expression returned to the man. No point in stopping now!

[Satra]

As Heilyn followed, she listened to Bernard. No reason she can't benefit in Bernard's instruction as well, right?

Interesting, so even though Bernard's King ability was to create fire, he had no element. It seemed strange to her that there was something magical Bernard couldn't do, but it must've been a luck-of-the-draw thing rather than anything having to do with skill.

Heilyn adored the black roses. She would love to send a sample home to modify them and attempt to grow them there. She touched one gently, watching it bend with amusement. she'd never expected bouquets, always preferring live flowers. Besides, she lived in the Heart's court. Why would she need a bundle of dead flowers?

When Bernard offered to examine both of them, Heilyn nodded and got right next to Seth. Hell, might as well, right? She smirked at Seth and pinched his side at the explosion comment. Hey now! That was only half true! Watching Seth watch Bernard so closely was actually quite amusing. She didn't know what the slightly below average intelligence (to be quite frank) Bat would get out of watching him, but he did so intently.

When ash was blown in her face, she simply winced and closed her eyes. She waited until Bernard spoke again, saying there was no Earth element, that she began wiping her face with her gloves. When she thought she was done, she padded her gloves off on her pants. Some of the ash would've stuck to her skin, being that it was slightly more oil than most other people's.

She looked at Bernard expectantly. Yes, what was next? She was quite curious.

[Nathalia]

Bernard tossed a grin at the Bat, unable to stop it stealing across his face. So a good amount of his experiments liked to blow up...it wasn't normally his fault per say...they were just temperamental, in their own way.

"Even if the chances aren't too high...it's nice to be able to give it a whirl and see, besides if Vestra can get one, I'm hoping one of you two can as well. Vestra is the King of Diamonds, he's a slovenly fat bastard...but a good man. I have no idea how he found the tie to them but, there you are. Heilyn, could you move a few feet to the left, please?"

Once it became apparent that nothing had, nor would happen, the magician let himself sag a little in disappointment. He had been betting on the Bat (at least) having the Earth tie, if any. Still, mustn't give up after one shot, eh?

"Well, that was a flop, but if you two will follow me at an incredibly leisurely pace up to my laboratory, we can see about the others within a few hours. Shall we?"

Fairly certain they would follow...and fairly certain Heilyn would poke fun at his limp. He grimaced a bit as he turned and made his way slowly to the stairs.

Three hours later proved no further luck and Bernard couldn't help his slight frustration.

"Well this is a damn annoyance...I'm sure I've done it right, you're both exceptional...there has to be something." Even though he knew the statement to be irrational, he had so hoped.

Glancing over at the pair; covered in chalk dust, a little bit charred on clothing and fur, and looking as though they could use a drink, the magician ceased his page flipping with a desperate force and turned to the unfortunates behind him.

"You know...why don't we have a drink or something before I kill the two of you with science? We can go up to my chambers, just relax for a bit and have something to eat."

He has hesitated before offering this...Heilyn hadn't been in his chambers since their little...incident but...perhaps it had been enough time now. Besides, Seth was with her, the father of her children, surely he had nothing to worry about aside from one or two pointed jokes...and resting in there would be more comfortable on his back and legs.

[Satra]

Vestra.... Vestra...

King of Diamonds, he's a slovenly fat bastard...but a good man.

Of course! Heilyn heard Theofilus mention him once or twice off-hand during one of her visits to the firm. She was knocked out of her thoughts as she obliged Bernard's request to move over.

Oi, now. The disappointment could go. There were still 3 elements left, right? On top of that, Heilyn had no expectations. If having an element was so rare, then she really didn't count on having one.

Still, she had to admit, it would be fucking awesome.

She followed quite willingly to the lab, catching up quickly to the older man. And, of course, a snarky comment escaped her mouth as soon as it was formed.

"Now, by 'within a few hours' are you including the time it'll take for you to get up there as well?" she asked, dancing a circle around him. As she reached behind him in her circle, she tugged lightly at his ponytail. But, no. It didn't stop there. "You sure you wouldn't like one of us young people with two working legs to carry you?"

Although the man always smiled and took teasing with a grain of salt the size of the average Highland Hearts' ego, she felt as though he got back at her in his own way. She let out a small cough as she tucked a piece of singed hair back behind her ear. However, she had to smile at the man's frustration. She got up from her seat.

"Oh, Bernard," she sniggered at him as she ruffed his hair slightly, messing it all up, "While I'm sure the cosmos acknowledges our endless wonderfulness, I am willing to accept that I'll have to explore other magical avenues." She gave him a little kiss on the top of his forehead in a gesture that, really, meant nothing to her other than a tactile manner of platonic affection. She really did dislike seeing him unhappy. She lit up at the next comment.

"I'd love something to drink!" she was quite certain Seth would have no issue with this as well. The memory of the last time she was in Bernard's room didn't even cross her mind. She was just glad that the room no longer seemed off-limits to her. (He'd never explicitly said so, but he just hadn't invited her back to his personal chambers since then.)

She was sure Betsy wouldn't mind looking after the children for just a little longer. She had told the Feline 'sometime before sun up tomorrow'.

[carcinoGeneticist]

One down wasn't too bad, and in all honesty, the bat wasn't terribly disappointed. If he was going to have an elemental leaning, Seth hoped it'd be something wicked-cool, like fire.. Or lightning! Or even flaming-lightning! The man was grinning widely to himself all the way to Bernard's lab, as much as the place made him feel... nervous. It seemed that every time they were here, Seth's long hair would either catch on fire, or he'd be prodded at, or horror of all horrors, some combination of the two would occur. He swallowed his nerves, however. Exciting things were happening today!

He grinned at Heilyn, then glanced at the mage. In his time working as a bodyguard for both of them, he had made the offer to carry Bernard up the stairs many times, and he was sure he would be making the same offer for many years to come. All the same, he leaned close to the mage, grinning toothily and flexing so that his arm muscles bulged rather impressively. "And by young people, of course, she means me.[/b]"

In the three hours that passed, Seth found himself growing more and more irritable. When was something going to happen? The pangs of excitement that he'd felt at the start of the lesson were beginning to fade, replaced slowly by the hollow pit of disappointment. He had known it would be a long-shot for either he or Heilyn to have something this rare, but much like Bernard, he had really hoped that they would. At Bernard's small rant, the man shrugged, falling back into a seat and brushing some of the chalk and burnt fur off of him. The room stunk. "If there isn't anything, it's alright. I mean..[/b]" he laughed, smiling slightly. "It'd be weird if I had some magic you didn't, Bernard. At least I think it would.[/b]"

He watched Heilyn rise and tease the man, eyes catching every detail. Before, this would have made him jealous. The bat knew now that he had no reason to worry, and knew that Bernard appreciated the small and friendly gestures.

At the mention of food and drink, however, the man perked almost instantly, brows raised. "I'd be all for a drink.[/b]" he said, standing and walking to the two. Red eyes watched the eagle, and a small and wicked smile crossed his snout. "If, of course, you mean the kind with gratuitous amounts of alcohol. And Bernard, I must insist that should these be the types of drink we do, in fact, partake in, that you join us. I'll even make you a treat that I learned about in the Bog.[/b]"

[Nathalia]

Bernard took the snide remarks from the two in stride, knowing (or at least hoping) that they were made in good fun. In all honesty though...if pride would have allowed him, he would have accepted Seth's offer to carry him upstairs. If Temmin saw him hobbling around like this...he might press that "cane" idea he had been so persistent about the last time they spoke. Bernard resolved to walk it himself at the thought.

He was The King of Hearts. He didn't need a cane, or to be carried...he would just...amble slowly. Damn it all.

After a considerable amount of time was spent for nothing, the King slumped against the table and fiddled with a few things; recapping two bottles and closing books, he sighed and wished he hadn't bothered.

At least, he did until Heilyn kissed him...then he wished he were in another country. The blush seeped up his neck and over his face like fire and he turned to put the books away in an attempt to hide it. Even if he did know she didn't mean it that way anymore...it was still...unexpected every time it happened. Sometimes he swore she had made some sort of game out of it, he had caught them keeping what had sounded suspiciously like score once.

As it was, being able to relax with some tea and perhaps a martini, was all he wanted right now. If the others were willing to follow him and talk...then by all means.

"Gratuitous amounts of alcohol? Knowing what it takes to give you two so much as a buzz, I guess I'd better order up something a bit stronger than what I'd normally go for." Snagging a passing servant by sticking his hand directly in front of their face as they passed, he asked them to pass the request onto the kitchens, and then led the way up to his room.

The sitting are hadn't changed much from when Heilyn had last seen it, with the exception of one or two more nick-knacks and books, the decor had remained.

"Since I can't offer either of you an elemental tie, perhaps I can interest you in some regulated small talk until our drinks manage their way up here? I'm actually rather surprised they didn't beat us."

[Satra]

Bernard always turned a very special shade of red whenever she did that in front of Seth. It wasn't...darker or anything, just... different. Extra pink or something, she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She couldn't help but snigger. It was really too easy. Sometimes she liked to see where the lines was: how red she could get him before he snapped and lit her on fire.

"Oh, what where you planning on making, Seth?" A Firecracker, maybe? It did seem to be his favorite. He'd have to go get one of the bottles of alcohol and fizz from their room. She was pretty sure the palace had flavored syrups on hand. And, hell, maybe Bernard would be more inclined to get raucously drunk if Seth was there! She knew he wouldn't trust her if it was just him and her. She looked over at Bernard.

"Small talk? Sure, why not? Do you mind if I clean up a little, first?" she asked, pointing to the chalk on her face.

[carcinoGeneticist]

Ahhh, that shade of red. Seth couldn't help but grin to himself at the sight of it, turning his face to hide his amusement. It was a color that he noticed Bernard had a tendency to turn whenever Heilyn made advances towards him. He didn't mind anymore. He had a lot of respect for the made, and he knew that the respect went both ways.

When they reached Bernard's room, the bat glanced around. He could count on one hand the number of times he'd been invited in, let alone with Heilyn and in a casual setting. It was sad, he realized, how much time he'd spent with Bernard in the last few months, and yet how little time they'd spent actually talking. Seth was a vigorous learner, and could take a lot of information in a short amount of time, so there just wasn't much time to spend with idle chit-chat.

All the same, however, Seth felt as though he could now call Bernard "friend."

He flopped into a chair, stretching out slightly and setting down his bag. He glanced at Heilyn, then grinned widely at Bernard. "Then why don't we get started? The drinks can join us partway through, they'll be a happy addition to our little party.[/b]" he grinned to himself, feeling rather witty as he began to rummage around in his bag. His nose twitched, and he pulled three bottles from his bag, two fairly large, one a small bottle of a thick and dark liquid.

The bat stood, walking to the glasses in the room and beginning to mix the items. "You'll like this Bernard, it's delicious. I learned how to make them in the bog...[/b]" he approached the man, positively beaming as he handed him the fizzing mix of blackberry and extremely potent alcohol. "They call it a Firecracker. Something about the fizz and the burning... All I know is that it's great.[/b]" he gave Heilyn a glass as well before returning to his seat, absently scratching at his chin.

"Small talk, hmmm...?[/b]" Seth murmured, taking a small sip of his beverage before taking a much larger one. "Well, I've actually been... working on something of my own. I'm tired of being the only one of us who doesn't have a human form. ...Granted I'm not making any progress. But I'm working on it. I feel like I should be there by now.[/b]" he grumbled down at his drink.

[Nathalia]

Bernard gestured toward the bathroom at Heilyn's remark. "By all means, clean yourself up...heaven knows someone important is liable to step in at any moment and catch you looking less than your absolute best." He rolled his eyes slightly, and gave her a lopsided grin, trying not to remember the last time Heilyn had been in his bathroom...

Turning to Seth and shrugging, he let himself sink onto the plush white and gold couch with a self-irritated sigh and propping his right leg up on the spar of a coffee table. Hobbling up the stairs had earned him a few more taunts from his friends and Dymphna, who had passed them on her way to run some papers for Queen Rai, but he could take it so long as they all still allowed him to do as he pleased.

"Get started? With wha- ah...I keep forgetting that you come with your own mini-bar, Seth." Bernard said with a slight laugh as he eyed the dark liquid in the smaller bottle warily. "I'll like it, will I? Hmm, I've heard that phrase before...usually right before I wake up to find myself with a new earring, or a tattoo that I didn't particularly want, or shaving cream smeared all over my bed." He smiled though, no sense in not taking a sip, he just wouldn't be able to down the whole glass if he wanted to remember the evening at all.

"I'm sure it's good though, if you make me a quarter glass, I'd love to give it a shot. As to your progress with your Human form, I have to admit to being intensely curious. Have you tried whatever it was you did to get to Biped yet, or do you not remember the sensation well enough?" Honestly, he could probably get the man to force it if he could get the Bat to concentrate hard enough...or convince him to sniff a certain compound of drugs but...if the former could do it, he'd rather not go through with the latter. "How eager are you to get it? I know a few tricks of the trade, after all."