As soon as she and Alec hopped out of the transportation spell to the battlegrounds, her father was waiting for her. The teeth marks on her neck hadn't fully healed yet, but she'd gotten out of going to the mage complex by saying she was preparing for her transfer. What she was preparing, she had no idea, but Neil hadn't come back for any of the three days she'd had to wait.

So, she'd covered the cuts with the smallest bandage she had and worn a high collared undershirt with a vest over it. It wasn't so abnormal for people to cover their necks, but it was the first thing her father glanced at as she walked up to him. They knew each other too well, and she rarely wore anything but lazy T-shirts and V-necks. Outside of the battlegrounds, there was no reason for fancy clothes because she didn't meet anyone important.

She certainly didn't dress fancy to go to the boonies and fight vampires.

Forest, as her father was called here, wouldn't ask her about it with people in hearing distance, but he would get around to it sooner rather than later. Ahead of her in a sleek, black collared shirt and loose, mage-styled white pants, he smiled and waved to them as they headed the remaining few feet to the complex.

Tide was with him, in his full-on mage getup, which was an elegantly designed blue suit that matches his dark hair, the edges embroidered with the foam of crashing waves as was the center where it buttoned. His dark navy pants were stark in comparison to her father who was dressed in his boring day clothes. You could tell whose day off it was.

Silvia wished she looked anything like her father, but her dark colors were from the Cascade blood in her. Their houses often married amongst each other, as arranged matches were common in the battlegrounds, but Silvia was doing her best to avoid that.

Forest had brown hair, like most Copses, and where her father's eyes were light blue, hers were a darkened navy like Tide's. Unlike her and everyone else here though, Forest's hair ran down to his lower back, tied up in a long ponytail. Most mages kept it short for fighting, but her mother had liked his long hair when they'd met, and he'd never changed it, not even after all these years without her.

"Silvia." Her father opened his arms for a hug, and she jumped into them happily.

Just because they didn't live together didn't mean that they weren't close. Her and her father got along better than anyone she knew. It was uncanny how kind and understanding he was all the time. It made her happy just to be near him. All the other mages looked on her with judging eyes, but her father was just happy she was alive.

"You too, Alec." Forest beckoned to her cousin, and he joined them in a hug that crushed but also warmed her to the core. "Come join me in the practice room," Forest said, heading into the complex, and they trailed after him. "I'm really proud of you, Alec. You've advanced well through the years, and you're quite skilled."

"Thank you, Forest. I've been working hard, but I'm also nervous to be out in the field." Alec edged in closer and leaned on her for support.

"You're not alone there. We have four other new recruits who will be walking the borders with you, so rest at ease. We will also have you out with the skilled mages. Don't worry about us dropping you into a fire with no protection."

"I wasn't, sir. I've just never had any real interaction with vampires."

"We'll ease you into it. Silvia, I know you just got here but I wanted you to meet someone in the garden. They are an experienced mage now, but they knew you when you were younger. Could you stop in while I get Alec acquainted with his new peers?"

"Sure..." Silvia said with suspicion. "I'll see you later, Alec. Don't get off'd." Alec cringed, and she chuckled as she headed off to the gardens.

The Copse garden was indoor as they all grew things with magic, but it had a lovely sky dome that let in sunlight to nurture the plants. Half were poisons, half were antidotes, and some were aesthetic, but they all had their uses. It looked like a tropical rainforest, with tall trees curling into the dome, and so many plants at her feet that she had to be careful until she found the path. The air was significantly more humid as she shut the door, but she was used to it.

It wasn't hard to find the man in the garden with the way his light magic fluctuated in use. In the corner area near the plants used for medicinal healing, he was coaxing one with magic to bloom. It was something one could only do with expert control of their flow of magic, which Silvia was very skilled at, and this man just as much so.

"Silvia," the man greeted her with eagerness. The blue flower petals opened in his face as he turned his eyes to her. They were almost amber, but dimmed to their normal brown as his magic faded from his fingertips.

"You," she said, unsure of who he was. Her memory for people as a child wasn't as great as it was for the scary vampires.

"You don't remember me?" The man chuckled and left the flower alone, coming to her side. Like most of the mages here, his hair was a dark brown but dipped to almost black, much darker than her father's. It was a little longer so that it had to be pinned up around his face, but didn't go much past the nape of his neck. "My name is Corval, but my mage name is Spice. There is Copse blood in my line, but it's quite distant. I'm a Cinder."

Cinders were mages whose calling was flames, and there weren't many of them because the magic was much more complicated to handle than things that were solid. Using flames, just like water, took a great deal of skill, but flames were more volatile. That meant this man was battleground trained and skilled, likely better than Alec but with a composure that made him lethal in combat.

"I used to play with you when I was younger. You were about six, I think, and I was ten. It's all right if you don't remember me. I remember you fondly all the same."

Wasn't that lovely. Why did this feel like a trap?

"Come," Spice beckoned, and she came over to the plant he was working with. "I work with Copse and Cinder magic to make flowers that erupt, as well as... spices that have different properties when fed to mages. I can enhance magical power, ease magical overflow, and help with a variety of ailments. Your father tells me you are also skilled at growing?"

"Yeah, I can pop out a plant or two, and I know which to grow with my magic for certain situations. Since it's infusing seeds and plants that already exist, it isn't hindered by my inability to make anything tangible."

"I see. I'm sure with work you'll become a fine mage. Some just take a bit more time than others. Flowers bloom in different seasons, but each are just as beautiful." Spice leaned into her from where he was standing, gliding his hand across her face, and he brought his lips too close to hers.

She punched him straight in the throat.

Coughing, he backed up quickly with a gasp, but she hadn't hit him that hard–just hard enough that he would reconsider getting in her personal space again. She knew this was a set up. Now her father was matchmaking?

"You didn't need to strike me. I would have backed off." Spice whined, and she glared at him.

"I'm not interested," Silvia said, and Spice frowned.

"Silvia, please give me a chance? I am genuinely fond of you, and it doesn't bother me that your magic is coming slower than most. I remember your kindness and your energy, and I know it hasn't changed. At least go on a date with me?"

"No." Silvia stamped her foot and spun around.

She pressed a tree and thrust an earthen wall up behind her as she headed out into the corridors to rip her father a new one. Everyone was out on patrols or working, so she didn't pass anyone as she stormed down the ivory-lined hallways. Unlike in Society, there was little downtime in the battlegrounds. By the time she made it to her father's office, she was seething.

"Dad!" Silvia stormed in, and he pulled his reading glasses off to stand up. Alec must already be working with the mages here. It wasn't hard to drop him off with Tide and start their patrols without her.

"What's wrong?" Forest gestured for her to sit as he shut his door and sat on a chair right next to her.

"You set me up with Corval Cinder?" she grumbled in frustration but lost a lot of her anger when she looked into her father's caring eyes.

"Not set up. I told him you didn't have a boyfriend when he expressed interest. You don't have to humor him. I just thought it was nice that he was interested from his own personal expression and not your position as my daughter. You two used to play together, and he remembers you fondly." Forest sighed. "It would also be nice for you to have a mage who is patient and wants to work with you toward growing. I know most aren't that friendly with you, Alec aside. Could you at least give him a chance?"

"Dad, I... like someone else." She lost her face in a hand in frustration, and he furrowed his brow.

"Alec says you don't hang out with anyone. I did not realize. Whoever makes you happy is who I would prefer you with anyway. Perhaps you could introduce me some time?"

"You're just saying that." Silvia slumped in on herself as she thought about Neil. They hadn't talked in days, nor left on great terms.

"I'm not. I know how hard being a mage is for you, and as your father, I want you to be happy. A good match for you as a mage means nothing to me if it would upset you."

"Well, what if I liked someone you didn't like?" Silvia countered, and Forest frowned.

"I'd get over it. It's your life, Silvia. Being a mage is perilous, and it's best that you have someone who watches your back that you trust, whether I like them or not."

"And if they're a vampire," Silvia's words were hushed, but she knew her father had heard her when he was instantly silent.

It was a long moment, and she watched her father's hand on his armrest. He neither tensed it in frustration nor moved as if he were upset with her, but he did drop his eyes to her neck briefly before he regained their connection with hers.

"I'd want to meet him," Forest said finally, and she froze with disbelief.

"I'm not sure you two would last in a room together," Silvia warned, and Forest crossed his arms.

"I'm capable of being amiable, even with a vampire. I just worry..."

"That he'd off me?" Silvia asked, and Forest shook his head.

"No. Commitment is different with vampires. Most who are committed to a human don't like them out of their sight. It's overbearing for most. You're in the battlegrounds, so his hold on you is still light. That makes me concerned that he only fancies you as a passing thing, not someone he is in love with. Vampires have a habit of thinking they own humans more than they are attracted to them as life partners."

"He doesn't treat me like he owns me. Sometimes he is clingy, but he's respectful of me going to the mage complex and living my own life. I think it's mostly because he's busy with his own, but still, he's very kind to me."

"I'm going to ask, because you're a battlefield mage. Have you two slept together, or has he bitten you?"

Silvia understood the question. Those were the ways a vampire had a blood claim over a human. Mages didn't honor them, but it gave vampires ownership over a human if another vampire tried to harm or take them. The more powerful the vampire was that held her, the more protected she was, and vice versa. It could make her a target just as easily, which is what her father was worried about.

"We haven't slept together, but yes, he's bitten me."

Forest rubbed his temple, narrowing his eyes on her neck.

"Recently, and he didn't even bother to do so where it wouldn't hinder you as a mage." Forest didn't like that, and he reached his hand out to her collar.

She didn't stop him as he pulled down the thin layer of fabric covering her neck and removed the bandage. Running his fingers over the still scabbed skin, he let out a slow breath that shook with concern at the end.

"You wouldn't have let him bite your neck if he'd asked. You know what that means in the mage complexes if you have no report of an attack. Did he force you?" Forest's eyes were dark blue and direct.

"No. It wasn't his fault. It was mine. It's complicated to explain, but he didn't force me, Dad."

"Fine."

Forest always believed her when she said something, which made talking to him easier but also put a lot of her to tell the truth. If she ever lied to him, she'd lose that trust he had in her, but he was very patient and understanding.

"If he's bitten you, it binds your magic with his. The man can track you if you're apart, and he has ownership over you, so you have to tread carefully. You mentioned he is busy and knows you go to the complex. Is he a vampire from society or the battlegrounds?"

"If I tell you, are you going to flip out?" Silvia asked, and Forest lowered his eyebrows.

"He's from the battlegrounds then."

"Yes, but we met in society."

"Have you ever been with him in vampire territory here?" Forest tilted his head, and she swallowed hard.

"Yes?" Silvia said, and Forest's expression jumped in surprise. "I was here for maybe a day and a half, and he brought me home afterward. I made him promise before he brought me that I wasn't going to be a prisoner."

"Those promises mean little when there are no negative consequences of doing otherwise." Forest's tone was tight. "Not to mention the danger if his master caught sight of you and wanted you. He'd have no way to keep you under his master's command. As a mage, you would be seen as a prime target for hostage, especially if they found out your lineage."

"I understand the danger," Silvia said, knowing better then to tell her father that he had nothing to worry about. Since Neil was the master, no one was going to take her out from under him, but that would be worse to her father.

"I know you do. You really like him?" Forest asked, and she couldn't smother her smile.

"Yes." Silvia's eyes wandered to the floor.

"Does he return your affection?" Forest asked seriously, and she rubbed her neck.

"I don't know. At times he gets frustrated and spends time alone, but he also clings to me more often than not. I said I like him, not that I'm in a committed relationship. I just don't want to consider other prospects when I'm attached to him. If he's really not interested, I'll humor Corval."

"I'm more concerned about your safety. If you leave to spend time with him in the battlegrounds again, please let me know. You know, because you've been raised here all your life, that the Copses take a neutral stance on vampires. We aren't as much for their eradication as the other Mage houses are, but we also aren't friends. I trust your judgment, but I fear your kindness. Make sure you feel safe when you're with him. If anything feels wrong, call me. I'll come, no matter where you are. If I have to fight my way out of the center of a vampire's territory to bring you home, I will."

"Thanks, Dad. I don't think that will ever happen." Silvia fiddled with her hands nervously. "I didn't think you'd be... this understanding."

"I'm not really." Forest grimaced, and she sank in on herself. "If I reject you and who you have affection for, there is a bigger chance you'll just abscond with him and get yourself stuck in a position you can't escape. You're an adult, and I don't want to push you away. The likelihood that this will end well, is very slim, but on the snowballs chance that you are good for each other and he treats you well, I am open to accepting it. It's all the other possibilities that give me pause, Silvia.

"I'm old and I've seen many try what you are. The mages usually intercede immediately, pulling the mage away from the situation, but when they don't, it doesn't go much better. Humans by makeup, are fragile in a vampire's eyes. If they truly have affection for one, they either keep them close all of the time for fear that they'll lose them, or they want to turn them, Silvia."

"He hasn't said anything about changing me. I like being a mage, and he knows that," Silvia said the words, but she did wonder. She hadn't been with Neil that long, and he had already shown that he was loath to let her go. Not to mention that if he did change her, it would be harder for him to accidentally hurt her in bed.

"Do you feel safe with him?" Forest asked earnestly. "I don't mean your gut reaction to say yes because you like him. When you are alone with him, do you ever worry that he might do something to you that you don't want or take you away?"

"I don't think so." Silvia rubbed her eyes. "He doesn't... hide things from me, which makes me feel good about spending time with him. He isn't pretending to be some super kind vampire to woo me and lure me into his arms. Like anyone, he gets upset, he has his own emotional struggles, and he knows that what we have is strange, fragile, and likely to not last. He does fear me leaving, and he does get frustrated, but he talks about everything he thinks with me. I don't think he'd hurt me."

"Most vampires don't hurt the ones they covet intentionally. Some do, but most strike them in anger or get into a scuffle over some small misunderstanding, and it's fatal for the human. What they see as a small push can be shoving a human through a wall, Silvia. You need a calm and expertly controlled vampire to have a relationship where you are not in danger, and if the one you care for is easily upset, you are setting yourself up for an accident."

"Yes, he gets upset, but he has never aimed it at me physically. He's very... kind. I would even call him gentle, which is strange for a vampire. When he gets frustrated, he cries more often than he breaks things, Dad. Also, if you ever tell him I told you that, he's not going to spend time with me anymore."

"Would it be possible to meet him?" Forest asked, and Silvia stiffened.

Neil was the house head of the Arcs. It was likely that Forest already knew his face and appeared disposition. Unlike her, he was a general and privy to the changes in power near his own battleground territories. If they met, nothing good would come of it.

"If we ever are serious, I'm sure it will be unavoidable." Silvia settled on, and it curled Forest's expression into a dissatisfied frown.

"If you're ever serious, I might not see you again," Forest said, rubbing his eyes, and she sighed.

"Let me ask him, okay. When I return from the battlegrounds, I'll see if he'd be okay with it. Is that enough?" Silvia asked, and Forest threaded his fingers together and tightened his muscles.

"If he doesn't agree to meet me, then he isn't right for you, Silvia. The man would be hiding something that he doesn't want me to know. Any relationship that is founded on secrets will crumble through them eventually."

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