"Richard," Ryan's father said as Ryan sat at the table. "Kayla, Dylan, I'd like to introduce you to my son, Ryan."

"Pleasure to meet you," Ryan heard Richard Veloas speak.

"Pleasure," Ryan responded. "Father informed me earlier you were coming."

"I heard you had a fainting spell," Kayla spoke. "Are you doing better?"

"Yes," he smiled. "I had gotten lost in my thoughts, and the servants nearby didn't bother informing me about meals, resulting in me not eating while sitting out in frigid temperatures. Tyler here likely would have spoken up the moment it was time for breakfast. I've always had a large appetite, so going that long without food has never been good, and the cold only increases caloric consumption. As soon as I was inside, warmed up, and had some food in my belly, I was okay."

"I'm glad," he could hear the smile in her voice. "Other than that, how are you doing today?"

"Quite excellent," Ryan answered. "Especially now that Tyler has recovered. It's boring when I don't have someone to babysit."

He heard Tyler snort behind him, a soft, suppressed sound noticed by no doubt only Ryan. Further conversation on the matter of health ended as dinner began and the discussions Ryan had heard in his last run of the day occurred once more. When dinner concluded and people conversed before dessert, he decided to excuse himself once more.

"Father," Ryan spoke up, and most of the chatter ceased. "Would it be alright if I excused myself for bed? I am still feeling somewhat off after earlier."

"You may," his father responded. "Rest well, Ryan."

"Thank you," Ryan stood. "Would it be alright if Kayla accompanied me to my quarters? I would invite Dylan as well, but he seems invested in the conversation, while Kayla has been quite silent. I am sure she could use a brief break before dessert, to stretch her legs."

There was silence, and Ryan knew once again that his father was probably looking to Richard. His magical 'sight' was turned off at the moment, so he could only guess at that, but it was the most likely cause of the silence.

"That is acceptable," Richard told him. "It can be hard to find quality people your own age to talk with."

"It is," Ryan smiled. "Thank you."

Another chair pushed back, then Ryan exited the room, hearing two sets of steps following as the others resumed talking.

"How are you today, Kayla?" Ryan asked as they walked.

"I am well," she answered. "I hope you sleep well tonight, with everything that has happened."

"I likely will," he told her. "How do you really feel about marrying Jonathan? Please answer honestly."

"I am not adverse to it," she responded. "He is handsome, intelligent, and comes from a powerful family."

"Your only issue," he said. "Is his sexual habits, then?"

"Not many want to broach such a subject with me," he could hear the smile in her voice.

"Yes," Ryan said. "Well, why should I care for tact? It is a logical question."

"Yes," she said. "I do have some issue with that, but am sure he will stop once he has a wife of his own."

"Tell me honestly," Ryan said. "Would you rather marry him? Or marry me?"

"You are not available for marriage," she responded. "Though I know my father would not be too happy with the idea of me marrying you. Not offense intended towards you."

"None taken," he smiled. "I know that I am seen as nothing less than a cripple. But I am not entirely without my own means for things. For example, I know what your affinities and Tiers are, and even your Calling."

She paused momentarily beside him as they walked, and he guessed she was probably looking at Tyler.

"How do you know that?" She asked.

"I'll tell you if you help me into my nightclothes," he answered. "So that Tyler can go straight to bed, as while a healer can cure illness, the body still needs its rest."

"Milord," Tyler interjected. "I would recommend against such a thing, and it will only take me a few minutes."

"Then you can wait outside the door," Ryan said. "Nothing could really happen in that timeframe, yes? You could guarantee by waiting outside that not enough time occurred."

His servant protested once more, but gave up when Ryan insisted on it.

"So?" Ryan asked. "Would you care to do that for me, Kayla? It might be the only time I ever have a beautiful girl undress me."

"How do you know if I'm beautiful or not?" She asked. "For all you know, I might be the ugliest hag you have ever met."

Ryan pushed outwards with his sense for air and warmth, detecting the form of her body and how she was warmer in certain areas over others. A certain region of her was increasing in warmth, too, and he smiled. He pulled back his senses, his magical sight going dark once more.

"Your voice is beautiful enough," he responded. "But I am sure you have a beautiful figure as well. Tell me, Tyler – does Kayla have that hourglass figure and nice bust that I have heard is valued in women?"

His servant didn't respond, instead choking slightly at Ryan's inquiry.

"You can answer without biting yourself in the tongue," Kayla told him.

"She is beautiful, milord."

"See?" Ryan stopped walking. "Tyler says you are beautiful, and I trust him. Since your voice is beautiful, that is all that is needed for me. Do you accept my offer?"

"Then I do," she responded. "A few minutes is enough for a private discussion, and you are correct in that no one can say something happened in such a short time."

"Allow me to relieve my bladder first," Ryan told her. "Then come in."

Ryan entered his room and made his way into his bathroom, which he used, before washing his hands and drying them. Finished, he walked to his bedroom door and opened it.

"I am ready," he spoke.

Ryan listened as Kayla entered his room, his door closing behind him, and he knew she was likely looking around at it. From what he knew, his room was rather bare.

"How do you know what my Calling is?" She asked as he walked towards his bed.

"Ah-ah," Ryan smirked. "Only as you undress me, Kayla."

"Alright!" She laughed, and he heard her approaching him. Her hands gripped the knot on his tie and began to undo it. "How do you know what I am? For that matter, what do you believe me to be, since you think I'm a Specialist?"

"You're a healer," he answers. "With some telekinesis. You might keep it under wraps, but Jonathan noticed a few things and mentioned them to me."

"I see," she finished removing his tie, then began unbuttoning his shirt.

"I told you how I see you," he said. "How do you view me? My body, anyway."

"You are handsome," she responded, just as he expected her to. "If you were available for marriage, I would not mind marrying you."

"More so than Jonathan?"

"I care about where I am in status," she said. "If I can mother the future head of the family, then I will be happy. I don't care for leading it, myself. That can be left to those who have more interest in that. But just having that status? That is enough for me. It comes with it a certain authority and respect."

Essentially the same thing she told him in his last run of the day.

"And fear," Ryan decided to add.

"And fear," she echoed.

Kayla finished unbuttoning his shirt, then let it drop to the ground as she placed her hands on his sides.

"You have a nice body," she told him.

"I exercise most mornings," he explained. "I might not care for how my body looks, but I do wish to keep it healthy, as that should help me live longer."

"Understandable," she said. "Do you always have assistance dressing and undressing?"

"No," he answered. "Tyler helps me when I have ties to work, or buttons to deal with, but otherwise, he mostly just picks out my clothes for me. I have pajama pants and shirts in the closet, if you want to fetch them."

"Okay," she responded, then walked to the closet. He sat on his bed and stepped out of his shoes, something he had done before she began undressing him in the last run of that day. "So you really just wished to speak with me, then?"

"Well," he said. "Sex wouldn't be unwelcome, either, and I know you were expecting that. Why else would a man destined to be single ask his future cousin-in-law to enter his room alone with him, his cousin standing guard?"

"I wouldn't turn sex with you down," she told him as her voice drew nearer. "If you were offering. I'm sure Tyler wouldn't tell anyone how long you and I were alone together."

"Naturally," Ryan said as she reentered his new range of awareness. "Considering you stepped out of time when you placed your hands on my hips, pulling me out with you."

He watched as her body froze in his vision, the heat of her heart increasing rapidly as it beat quickly.

"Yes," he smiled. "I know you're a chronomancer, Kayla. That's your Calling, after all."

"How do you know that?" She asked, her voice slightly panicked. "No one but my father should know that I have chronomancy and can do that."

"Don't worry," his smile widened. "I won't tell a soul… unless I want to. I have some questions for you, Kayla, and you're going to answer them honestly. If you don't, I will know."

As he spoke, he reached out with his empathy. He had plenty of time to practice learning that while his father was at his side earlier, and found it just as easy to learn as the other magics. His range with empathy was even greater than his range for magical sight, and he could sense Tyler outside, his mind frozen in worry. Kayla's mind was full of panic and wariness, a slight fear present as well.

"What are your goals?" Ryan undid the button and zipper on his pants as he spoke. "Your real goals, Kayla. Why would you prefer me over my cousin?"

"Because of your status," she answered. "You're a truth-teller."

"An empath," he corrected as he began pushing his pants down. "It is my Calling, and if you tell a soul of it, I will make sure everyone knows your own Calling and Tiers, as well as the other high magics you know. Not even Tyler knows this, and he knows more about me than even my father. Am I clear?"

"Yes."

"Good," he dropped his pants on the floor. "Why does my status matter?"

"Because of the status I would hold," she answered. "As your wife. Or your cousins, as I doubt I could marry you unless I became pregnant with your child and my father couldn't cover up the abortion he would no doubt want."

"So status is all you really care for," he said, sensing what he hoped was honesty within her mind. "And the authority and fear and respect it would give you. That is it?"

"Yes."

"What would you do with that?"

"Enjoy people's reactions to my presence," she answered. "That is all I really care about. When I can play with time, what use do I have for actually bossing others around?"

"Magic," he said. "Can have an effect on people. It can alter their physical bodies to adjust them to it. A fire wizard may become resilient to heat, especially that of their own fires, as an example. Healers often have increased healing rates. Does chronomancy affect their bodies?"

"Excluding the Grey Mage," she said. "What do the known chronomancers have in common?"

"They could use chronomancy."

"Each died unnaturally," she answered. "Each one was killed. And before they reached sixty. Something which isn't well-known, however, is that chronomancers don't age, starting with their first use of it. There aren't many of us, so we aren't sure if that's true for all, but that's true for the three known ones."

"Except the Grey Mage," Ryan said.

"Except the Grey Mage," she confirmed. "But it is believed he may not even be from Earth."

"Oh?" Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"That's disconcerting."

"Which is exactly why I learned how to do it," he grinned at her, then slipped his fingers under the waist of his underwear and pulled them off, lifting his legs to help him. "Why is it believed he may not be from Earth?"

Ryan did his best not to react at the reaction to her heat patterns and the obvious increasing in her breathing as it disturbed the air. He could tell her head had tilted down to stare at his revealed tool, something she likely would not have done had he possessed sight.

"Because," she responded. "The Grey Mage was the only known mage as powerful as he was. While it's possible the stories of how powerful he was were exaggerated, he was the only mage ever known to kill a dragon. The one which came through a few decades ago even killed a Divine and three Immortals who went after it."

Ryan knew about that, the dragon had came through a dimensional gate and took up residence in East Russia around forty years ago. It was powerful enough, and the legends had it that the dragon had fought the mages who went to put an end to it, killing them in a short fight. Now, it rested where it settled, feeding on the local beasts.

Humans had traveled away from there when it became the dragon was living there, so far the most part, no one was affected by its presence too much. Flights might be rerouted to avoid its territory, and roads and railways might be abandoned in favor of longer routes, but that was it. The dragon only visited a human settlement maybe once every year or two, for the taste of one or two humans, then it returned home.

It preferred living as a beast rather than an antagonist, contrary to many stories Earth had of dragons from before dragons actually became known as something real. Despite that, however, they were beasts to be feared, their wrath something to avoid because of the sheer power and destruction they could cause with a single breath.

Yet the Grey Mage supposedly struck one down in moments. Alone.

"And so it's believed he came from another dimension?" Ryan asked. "Because of how powerful he was?"

"Not just that," Kayla answered. "But because of how short he was here. It seems almost as if the Grey Mage came to this dimension to deal with the issue of magic flooding into the world, then left once it had finished. It may even be that he was responsible for it. These are only theories, though, and the latter one comes from the Guilds. Supposedly, they know what he looked like."

"Really?" Ryan asked in surprise. "Weren't nearly all records from that time lost during the Great Collapse?"

For nearly twenty years, technology went haywire, and most shut down completely. It wasn't until new mages figured out how to make magitech that technology began to work again, with magic assisting its functions in addition to electricity or whatever else it used. As a result, many people died and many records were lost. Fires and corrupted people wishing to start 'fresh' destroyed a lot more.

As the Grey Mage had been around for a very, very short time before vanishing, records of his appearance were inconsistent, no one able to agree on his looks.

"That's what I thought," she said. "But Father says that the Guilds may actually have a record of his actual appearance."

"The Guilds are also looking closely at my family," Ryan commented. "While we're on the topic of them. When they find out that this merger might happen, they may instigate a war between Families."

"The Guilds are fearful of our power and influence," she said. "We run the criminal underworld, after all."

"Indeed," Ryan sighed, tired of the conversation. "Kayla, if you want to suck it, go ahead. We can potentially cause a marriage sooner, though that might also kickstart the war sooner."

At least, if he had sex with her every time he ran through that day.