Nazhun's sudden outburst chipped at Erin's bold facade, causing the apprentice to wince with a mix of fright and concern as her master started to stumble and wheeze. The magess had never seen him in such a state, his once powerful aura and stature whittled away in a single moment's display of frailty. She could almost see the years tugging heavily on the old man's hunched shoulders. It was a sight deserving of sympathy and yet all Erin could offer was a slight frown as she attempted to meet his heated look, only to falter soon after. Failing to face him, she instead chose to turn aside and focus on finding a place to slip the torch rather than try lock gazes with a man who likely had a century's worth of glowering on her.<br/><br/>The invoking of her family name had little effect on the apprentice. She wouldn't have even been there, under the tutelage of Nazhun, if she cared as much for the wishes of her parents. Still, she listened, if for no other reason than because this person was her teacher and had done much to help her, even if unwittingly, over the years.  Such could only carry her so far however...<br/><br/>"Master Nazhun," words which should have left her bursting with pride instead felt bitter on her tongue as she spoke, "You should know that it's not in my nature to walk blindly into a deal, especially not at the behest of a man who holds me in such obvious contempt." The very thought was enough to draw a smirk as she continued, "But, seeing as such disdain is hardly mutual, I'll at least hear your<em>acquaintance</em>out."<br/><br/>She approached the mysterious woman with a disarming smile and a polite bow of her head, allowing a hand to rest on her hip as she introduced herself. "Greetings Rhayne, my name is Erin and from what I've been told you apparently have an offer for me."<br/><br/>If the Blackwood sibling had picked up anything from her merchant family it was that everything had its price, with the amount of risk almost always proportional to the possible gain. And if power was all she craved, then she would've striven to be more like her siblings rather than fly in the face of years of Blackwood tradition and social graces. Still, no matter the loss, the apprentice had the heavy feeling that she was bound to sign this agreement either way. The night had been filled with far too much urgency to end with a brief decline and swift return to her warm bed sheets.<br/><br/>As she waited for her the woman's response she couldn't help but glance towards the familiar. For some reason, she had the gnawing urge to poke at the horned pixie like creature, if just to test whether it wasn't simply a figment of her imagination.