Eric's wand was in his hand at the instant of the feeling. The words were on his lips and his intention pure and unmistakable. But there was no malice in the feeling - only a familiarity. It was like an old muddled memory that had bubbled to the surface after catching a particular scent or hearing a forgotten song. His Memoral Sealing Charm, one of Eric's own creation, had gotten weaker over the years. He had been careless not to keep it at top strength. It was designed to keep mental intrusion at bay. It kept all external thoughts and feelings not generated by one's own person from afflicting the caster. It was useful in many ways against many things, but it was painstakingly created for one purpose, to ward against one particular individual - and that individual had just made sensory contact.<br/><br/>Anger rushed through him - at David, at the letter...at the author. He wanted to rip it into pieces - and he almost did. Except he knew he shouldn't and that he should calm himself. The past was the past. Inside his cozy cabin in the woods, he began his own letter.<br/><br/><blockquote class="uncited"><div>Dear Team XIV Coordinator,<br/><br/>Save for the unlawful, unwarranted, and unwanted intrusion and violation of my person, I am grateful for providing this information. There are things that my godson must learn, and patience is one of them, though I must admit I have never been able to make headway in that aspect of his upbringing. The death of his parents, the endangered species status of the Aowel name, and the inability to ever truly settle down anywhere and having to be always on your guard have all contributed into an impulsive and protective David. Shooting first and asking questions later is a tactic that has served us extremely well in the past as you might imagine. <br/><br/>However, I truly am sorry that you almost lost an agent. In regards to your recruitment of my godson, you know where I stand, Charlie. But I cannot make up his mind for him and so will not stop him from joining should he accept an offer, one with the appropriate stipend for a member of the Royal House of Aowel, Wards of Wisdom, Speakers of Truth and Justice. <br/><br/>It might do him good to have some structure. <br/><br/>You will not find forgiveness in this letter, Charlie. But you have my blessing. <br/><br/>Forever,<br/>Eric Heartlion-Aowel. </div></blockquote><br/><br/>Eric stood from his oak desk and regarding the letter for a moment. With a flick of his wand, the letter folded itself neatly into a paper airplane. He touched it with the tip of his wand as it hovered before him and quietly spoke with words of warding and recognition - making it so that no one, but Charlie could open or even read the letter, which would then afterward beautifully turn to sparkling dust and then into butterflies with rainbow wings. It was a touch on the dramatic side, but Eric wanted Charlie to know that he still had it in him. He briefly pondered returning the money, but he decided against it. With a word and a graceful flick, he sent the paper airplane on its way. It would make its way descriptively to Charlie.<br/><br/><br/><span style="color: #FF4000"><div style="text-align: center;">Two Weeks Later</div></span><br/><br/><br/>Professor Art, David's history professor, had no sense of humor, much less an understanding of human rights. Ever since the shade, err, Able, caused him to miss his first history lecture - snot nose Art had seen to it that David would suffer for it for the rest of his life, or the rest of the semester at least.<br/><br/>He sat in his single dorm cross legged on his bed. His twenty-five page paper on the "Morality of the Salem Witch Trials," was displayed on his computer. Maybe the universe was telling him something.<br/><br/>Eric's letter came back to him. Boy, it had been nasty. Luckily, he didn't have to answer to the man anymore. After all, he was miles away hiding in some remote part of the world. David would write back, eventually - when he had the time.<br/><br/>Someone knocked at the door.<br/><br/>"No thank you, whatever it is. Not buying." David said, loudly. The Chastity club had been on a heavy recruitment regiment and they'd visited his dorm quite a few times. Yet another hint from the universe?<br/><br/>There was no answer, just another, firmer, set of knocks. David stood, annoyed.<br/><br/>"I said!" He opened the door and his eyes widened as a blue light flew at him, knocking him clear across the room and into the window - which should have shattered but was luckily warded.<br/><br/>"When I write you a letter you answer me. You don't wait an hour. You don't wait a day. You certainly do not wait two weeks!" Eric was inside, the door closed. David's ears rang, partly because of the spell, and partly because Eric had sealed the room so that no sound or evidence of what was going on inside could escape, and thus alert the local population. Unlike David, Eric was extremely good at concealment. He didn't have an all-powerful spell from his parents that hid him.<br/><br/>David reached for his wand. A flick from Eric sent it flying and another flick threw David hard against the window and held him there. Unsuspecting students strolled by, not even giving a young man floating against the window a single glance thanks to the concealment spell.<br/><br/>"This is disappointing, David," Eric made a twisting motion with his wand and David let out a scream of pain. "Three weeks away and you're already soft. I should never have been able to separate you from your wand." He pointed the wand at the other wall, and David flew into it, face first, breaking his nose.<br/><br/>David tried to speak, but the wall muffled his speech. A flick, and David faced Eric, "Don't you ever ignore me ever again, boy, or I will make you suffer for it like you cannot even imagine. Am-I-Un-Der-Stood!"<br/><br/>David tried to shoot back with a smart remark, but a gesture from Eric and his mouth began to melt into itself. In a panic, David said, "Yes! Alright! Yes! I'm f'ing sorry!"<br/><br/>The knocks on the door paused the commotion for a moment. David fell onto his bed as Eric released him. Eric smiled and sat in his godson's desk chair. David climbed off his bed and looked at his godfather for a moment. Eric simply raised an eyebrow. The jerk was going to make him answer the door with blood pouring from his broken nose! Which hurt like hell by the way!<br/><br/>David grabbed some tissue and opened the door. That familiar cold feeling washed over him as Able stood there, already speaking.<br/><br/>David sighed when Able finished speaking. "Why," he readjusted his tissue on his nose as it kept bleeding, "would I wanna talk to any of you?" Something had caught his attention though, Able was expecting - rather - wanting him to say no. He might just accept just to piss him off.<br/><br/>"Invite him inside," Eric said, in a strict tone. David sighed again, and stretched out a free hand into the room, gesturing for Able to enter. When the door closed, the spell re-sealed the room, causing their ears to pop.<br/><br/>"Hello, Able is it? I'm Eric, nice to meet you." Eric smiled and extended his free hand to Able. His wand was being held by its middle and horizontally so that it pointed towards the wall. It was the traditional disarmed stance for a Witch that meant no harm. it made holding the wand awkward and was meant to instill trust while still allowing the Witch to not be fully unprotected.<br/><br/>Though Eric was smiling, he let his eyes show that he wasn't an idealistic young boy. He was a seasoned Witch, powerful and resolute, his speed with a wand rivaled by no one.<br/><br/>"I'm sure my godson is sorry for nearly sealing you away. He's not at skilled as me," Eric wasn't being threatening, but he was letting Able know that he himself could seal Able away.<br/><br/>David, oblivious to the power play, was annoyed, "An audience with whom? What's team XIV?" He threw away the soaked tissues and grabbed some more.<br/><br/>"Tell Charlie I said hello." Eric smiled as he made his way to the door.<br/><br/>"Hey!" David protested, "what about my nose!"<br/><br/>Eric stopped at the door, his hand on the knob, "You're using magic like an addicted human, figure it out." He opened the door, the spell breaking. He stopped in the door way and spoke without looking back, "Fix that addiction. And don't ever ignore me again." The door closed and he was gone.<br/><br/>For a third time, David sighed. He looked at Able, his eyes annoyed and embarrassed and mostly annoyed. He got on his knees and brought out his wand from under the bed. He touched the tip to his nose, scrunched his eyes, spoke the word, "Reperatu," and held back a yelp as his nose set itself back into place with a loud "crack." He cleaned up the rest of the blood with the tissue and threw it away. He glanced at the blood on the wall and pointed his wand at it. It came away from the wall and floated into the trash can with the rest of the bloody tissue. He looked at Able again and flicked his wand, sealing the room.<br/><br/>He looked at the trash bin, "Flama." Fire sparked from his wand and the trash bin was set on fire for a moment. Then the fire was gone, as well as any evidence. Couldn't have some other witch or creature get his blood and use it for something.<br/><br/>"So," David smiled, "my presence is being requested? Let's do this shenanigan then. Who gives a shit about history anyway?"