Welcome to Gaia! ::

If he had had to will the child to do his bidding, it wouldn't have been much different. In fact, all the spontaneity of the boy's actions, from the genuine, almost contagious happiness, to the subservience and the sincere pledge, made these moments so so much sweeter and memorable. Alston would, in the future, frequently look back to this turning point and smile at the beginning of the road of his most successful pupil.

"Looks like reading won't be one of the things I need to teach you..." Alston laughed, kneeling by his newest charge. A gentle hand reached for Altais' chin and softly but surely pulled his face up first and then his body, leading the boy to stand without the need for a single word. Sometimes, the right gesture at the right time was enough to tip someone into the desired action. "When you've recovered, I'd very much like to see how you wield those pointy things..." The nobleman pointed at the knives, his tone saying he was apparently not familiar with their use. As he took them by the blade's edge between two fingers and flicked the knives into the air to catch them by the handles, however, it was obvious the truth was quite different.

"First things first, though. You need to sleep, so get back in bed young man! Children like you shouldn't walk around with those injuries!" Alston scolded the naked boy playfully, laying the blades aside just as carefully as before. They were Altais' prized possessions, after all, no care was too much. As a matter of fact, they were his only possessions. The thought lingered in Alston's mind for a moment. That would have to change. As amusing as it was to have a youngster run around in nothing but a set of knives and his birth suit, it just wasn't a good idea in the long run.

Patiently, with a tender glimmer on his eyes, Alston guided Altais by hand back to the bed, and rose from his knees to tuck the boy in, kissing his pale, almost ivory forehead. It was quite out of place of his usual self to be so... fatherly, but this boy had already earned a special place in his consideration. He was the one Alston had been waiting for, and so he'd pull all the stops, skip nothing, bide his time raising his little seed. "Sleep well, Altais."

Alston had been sipping patiently on a cup of tea while he awaited his charge. It was quite the odd habbit for someone such as him to develop, and a few daring souls had even jested about the fact. They forever regreted their actions thereafter. How could someone make light of such a relaxing and thought inducing moment? The hot bitterness transported him into the furthest reaches of his mind, let him peacefully dwell through the organized chaos, unknown to Altais, that was his life. Not unknown for much longer though. Curiously, it had been over a cup of tea that Alston had made the decision that the boy grown man was ready to fulfil his destiny. Now, this new cup directed him to take a good look at the youngster and his development.

They were eerily similar physically, the enough to give people reasons to believe Altais was indeed Alston's heir. Both had the slender build of an agile fighter, even if the elder male still towered over the other despite the growth. Alston's hair was as dark as a raven, just as Altais', though long enough to braid down his back and with a single white bang insisting on falling over his pitch black eyes, the only sign of aging. Everything else was just the same as when Altais had first met the man, no day or year putting a dent to his physical form. As for Altais... after the young boy waltzed in, a small smile found its way to Alston's lips. Quite the stunning growth... and all his tasks and classes completed with distinction. "Good morning, Altais. I see you've been giving some thought to what I told you yesterday..." His voice was so casual he might as well be speaking about the weather, but inside the man was just as brimming with excitement as the boy. How could he not? Finally, after years of patient waiting and nurturing, of trial and error, he could feel it. Altais would prosper where others had fallen apart.

Slowly, he put the cup down, fully turning to his teenaged trainee. The moment of truth. There was a sliver of a chance it could all tumble down now... but it just added to Alston's inner anxious anticipation. He wanted to do it now. His absolutely cool exterior was growing harder and harder to keep by the second. "Tell me, are you ready for your surprise?"