"Spare me your childish glares soldier," the apprentice chided with a dismissive flick of her hand as if to bat aside the guard's disdain like a fly in the wind. It was a sight Erin had grown far too accustomed with in her life, where spiteful siblings or rivals whispered and cast dirty looks rather than confront the target of their ire. Normally she'd ignore such glances but a rude awakening, followed by a quick romp through mud and rain while being roughly dragged by a cantankerous old guard, had left her more than a little moody. Without another word, the young Blackwood stepped passed Mark and into the tower.<br/><br/>In an effort to retain some semblance of decorum the budding magess alternated between combing her nails through her dripping hair and straightening her dress, with neither slowing her step as she pressed deeper into the eerie home of her master. "Nazhun," she softly called into the torch-lit chambers, her only company the soft click of her soles and the dull drum of a still raging storm.  With no response forthcoming and a flight of familiar steps growing ever closer, the apprentice decided to take the initiative. Reaching out, she slipped one of the torches from its bracket before - with a sharp breath for courage - proceeding up the steps of the old tower.<br/><br/>The flickering of her torch caused the dark of the narrow stone stairwell to dance ominously around her, like so many shadowy figures taunting her from the void, with each step bringing the ever growing urge to glance over her shoulder and finally face the imaginary creatures which caused her spine to shiver so chillingly. It was as if a cold finger had lightly played its way from the small of her back to the standing hairs of her neck. And yet, on the outside, Erin somehow managed to maintain a look of authority. Defiant to the end, even to the monsters which lurked only in her mind, as she climbed the spiralling steps with such confidence and clout that one might have mistaken the tower for her own.<br/><br/>The only clear signs of hesitance came as she neared the top, where the thick wooden doors of the mage's lab caused the apprentice to question the wisdom of barging in on the old man, unannounced and uninvited. She could only imagine the possible damage should a complex spell or alchemical brew be suddenly interrupted... And yet a soft click and wooden creak roused the magess from such troubling thoughts as she came to realize that her hand had instinctively opened and pushed aside the heavy door. At first the young mage braced herself for the repercussions certain to come but as the scene on the other side of the gradually opening door slowly unfolded, she quickly found herself considering a different approach.<br/><br/>The impression Erin held at the sight before her was not one of shock, disgust or even suspicion, but rather that of amusement as the corners of her lips drew into a wry smile and her eyes took on a devious twinkle. She had the look of someone who had just caught their master with his hand deep in the proverbial cookie jar. "Horned pixies, summoning circles and beautiful women... Isn't this all a bit kinky for your tastes master Nazhun?" Raising her torch as well as a curious brow, Erin stepped just inside the lab, knowing only that something was off but unsure exactly what she'd caught the powerful wizard engaged in...