<div class="floatright">(http://i.imgur.com/LJX8V3E.jpg)<div align="center"><strong><em>Gregor Donovan</em></strong></div></div>It was harder to gauge what they expected of him, as if to acquiesce to the new arrangement could come in awed state so quickly that all that he had been beaten to belief upon could fade like carapace to reveal something so new, so quickly. No, the husk that contained him, that was hard won by blood and pain, by countless hours of instruction and training, not to be set aside so quickly. Magic and awe, belief in those things were etched into his bones, as masterful and sweeping, as epic and gorgeous as all of this was, each food that he questioned even now the reality of, each stone set to castle in the state of beautiful death and rebirth that it was could all be trickery. Nothing of substance but within this world, this existence that was not his own. No. He was used to his life not being his own- but never owned by one who sat before him in action that was so human, in the basest of ways.<br/><br/>The roughness of his voice was smoothed by the intake of wine to those lips of his as he listened to Liadian, the subtle shift of his body within the chair it resided within as he struggled to find some bit of normalcy to cling to in the moments where his mind was wrestling with what had taken place.<strong>"The name you use here may not be the one you used with your mother or father, with whom you have shared secrets but not total truth of this place. One who would lie to their blood of birth, normally does so out of shame of knowing their actions are wrong if there is not mistreatment of the individual at hearth and home. "</strong>He was not accusing merely presenting facts as he saw them.<strong>"If you have taken a name here, then it would be the truthful name, your birth discarded and thus your humanity left behind to be what he requires and wishes of you." </strong><br/><br/>To Conri's utterance of his name, those amber eyes turned to face the being.<strong>"My Lord?"</strong>As if the name had been spoken to give some order. That came naturally enough in some ways, to answer so quickly to the direction that one might be put to. But the use of Ashtore, made the man lift his gaze to Liadian, as if to say,<em>"See that could have been your new name..."</em>but he spoke not a word out loud in that regard, choosing to take another long drink from his wine, as if that would buy him a small amount of time to comprehend that which was fathomless.<br/><br/><strong>“Liadian, my Lord’s witch, or Asthore, whichever brings you both amusement, my judgement of you was in violation with the direct orders of the Church that magic should not be brought to the realms of man. That those who control it lay outside the simple rules of man, because older beings cannot be ruled by such lines. The mixing of magic and humanity comes at a cost of pain, the pursuit of power that is not given, means suffering because of those things that hunt within the darkness. Perhaps you have been sheltered, perhaps you have found good within the one you are so protective of. But even he, I am sure, cannot admit to always being so kind and gracious to humans who wander near to him. Innocent blood or blood shed for amusement, the sound of screams, the offering of pain, hunting because of the birth right to hunt, being the predator itself- have you never partaken of such, My Lord? Have all humans been granted what you give Liadian too? If so, then I ask forgiveness for my ‘judgement’ without ‘knowing’ either of you, but if My lord answers that he has never taken another’s blood or pain merely because he felt the right too then surely, he is a special circumstance. If he has, then perhaps you can understand why I would be so quick to judge, considering what I have seen and what you judge me in quite the same way you scold me for judging.” </strong><br/><br/>The golden haired one set his goblet down, his  calloused fingertips reaching for a small berry to place within his lips, breath leaving that body of his as if exhaustion had set in.<strong>"Would it be rude of me to ask where I may bathe? " </strong><br/>