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"Tsuna..." Lottie reached up as Tsuna jumped up, beginning to pace as she voiced all her concerns. Micha'el looked like he was silently agreeing with Tsuna bout the Necromancer, and Lottie found herself tucking her feet in beneath her as if feeling smaller and more comfortable might help. Then, out of nowhere, Tsuna's frustrations turned into realisation. "Uh...." Lottie began, scowling at the notion of a quiz right here and now. Where was Tsuna going with this? Micha'el raised his hand as though he was still in class, then answered Tsuna's rhetorical question anyway. "Arcane magic?" Lottie scowled again, this time harder. "Wait, wait, wait" she said, "you think a wizard has something to do with this?"
"Where are you going with this, Tsuna?" Micha'el asked inquisitively.

A silence hung over them the moment Tsuna said it. Alexis. Lottie met Tsuna's horrified eyes, then she looked to Micha'el, who was scowling again, but still silent. Tsuna then went on to quietly explain her thoughts, and Lottie couldn't argue, but she didn't want to believe it. "Tsuna..." Micha'el had begun when she started pacing again. He didn't say more though as she went on to raise the bigger questions that this knowledge brought with it. "Tsuna..." he said again, "we cannot labour over such an accusation, what reason would she have?" His question would go unanswered however, as Lottie noticed Tsuna's gaze turn to the window where Nyru and Claudia could be seen coming to speak with them. Tsuna quickly told them to keep this information to themselves, and randown the short term plan. Lottie nodded, then looked to Micha'el who appeared torn, but also agreed.

When the knock came to the door, all three looked at each other until Micha'el eventually let them in. Lottie could hear greetings and small talk in the corridor until eventually the three of them came into the drawing room. Micha'el leaned against the large table this time, then Nyru stepped forwards and lowered a pile of books it. "Team Sun" he said, giving each of the girls a small smile. "We hope you rested well. The queen has personally selected these books from her personal study, two detailing necromancy, then a third on magical diseases. Lottie watched Micha'el tilt his head, reading the title of the first book that she couldn't see. "Not quite as exciting as your spell book, I imagine" Nyru added, nodding to Micha'el respectfully. Micha'el stared at Nyru blankly, then said "uh, thank you. I'm sure these will be useful" he then turned to look at Tsuna, as if to silently say they're being helpful.
"What's todays agenda?" asked Lottie, hands clasped on her lap. "Well" Nyru pulled out a chair from the table and turned it to face them, then took a seat whilst Claudia made herself comfortable in the room also. "We thought we should ask Tsuna about the Necromancer, then we can decide what to do from there." Nyru now looked at Tsuna with a friendly regard, "did it say anything to you before it died? Did you discover anything about its fighting style, or magical ability? None of us got to face it up close like you did."

Lottie couldn't help but stay quiet, trying to respect Tsuna's wishes not to reveal too much to Nyru and Claudia. Micha'el, on the other hand, appeared to be playing a façade that pained him. The daywalkers might not see it, but Lottie could. Micha'el's expression was soft, eyes focused on the conversation Tsuna was driving. But his jaw was gently clenched, and his hand clenched in the pocket of his trousers. Lottie then returned to conversation once Tsuna made a comment about Claudia's perfume. Micha'el was already standing after Tsuna ruined any attempt for them to get into their libraries, and now Tsuna was basically telling them to get out. After she took the books and vacated to the kitchen, Lottie took no time in showing them out and insisting that Tsuna was stressed. At the doorway, Nyru turned to speak to Lottie, took a breath, and then decided not to say anything at all.

Further down the road, Nyru finally spoke. "I thought Declasia had openly expressed Team Elixer would have access to our information - libraries included." He seemed to sound indifferent, not angry at Claudia for her reaction, nor was he happy. "Anyway" he said, running a hand through his black hair, "maybe you were right. They can't be trusted." He now sounded bitter, "I'm sorry for doubting you. And she didn't tell us anything we didn't already know..." Nyru thought back to late last night, an hour or so after their battle. Nyru had ordered the collection of the Necromancer's corpse where Declasia, Horakhty, Nyru and Claudia all surrounded the half dissected body in the crypt of a graveyard near the outskirts of the city. They had used an art of shadowmagic to speak with the dead. The necromancer had spoken to them the exact same words that Tsuna said, and then arcane magic cut the effect short. Nyru came back to reality and said to Claudia, "She must know about the arcane magic, why else would she be quick to tell us nothing more and kick us out? You should update the Queen... I need to say goodbye to Isabelle before she returns to Absóluté."

"What the hell was that?!" Micha'el commanded, marching into the kitchen after Lottie emerged from the hallway. He threw his Aria onto the worktop, Lottie jumped, not anticipating the outburst. "The Queen of the Kingdom of Crows offers us her insight, her personal guards, and an entire mansion - and you want to insult her by snapping at said personal guard then commanding them out the house? With an added insult at that?! At least you took the books, fancy some light reading before you decide to sneak into the library?"
"Micha'el!" Lottie interrupted, but his eyes were dead set on Tsuna,

Micha'el was ready to stand his corner of the ring until Tsuna described Claudia smelling of rot. He clenched his jaw when she went on to describe wanting to protect them, promising as much to Solomon. She really thought her actions were justified, and Micha'el couldn't really argue with that. Lottie saw how hard he was having to hold back and bite his tongue. She also saw the pain in Claudia's eyes when she told Lottie she didn't deserve being defended. Lottie stayed quiet, unsure of how to respond. Micha'el barely looked Tsuna in the eyes when he took the book and looked away, letting Tsuna take her leave from the room. "How often are we going to go in this circle... Micha'el?" Lottie asked softly from across the kitchen. She saw his jaw clench again as he quietly replied "for as long as she chooses to see the worst in people. I'm going to read this books, now that we can't go to the library."

As Tsuna sat crying into her knees, there was a sudden silence that fell over her, hanging in the air. Perhaps, for a moment, Solomon was able to respond. "My little Tsuna... what a sad hand fate has given you." This was not[/] Solomon, the voice was young, velvet, strong. It spoke to her from the aether, beside her, far away, all around her all at once. But it was clean, precise, direct. "Your beloved father-figure on death's door and the Queen think's you're part of the problem. But we know the truth of it all, don't we? However you don't want to give away too much in case she is part of the problem? Or, perhaps you are right... Alexis Truesvale is the culprit behind it all? Hm..." the voice chuckled, dissipating until speaking up again from the darkest corner of the room. This time it materialised as a shadow-figure, with beady white specks of light for eyes. "You don't want to fail, do you? Let's see if we can do better?"

The black figure tilted its head at Tsuna, a cascade of darkness - hair, falling over its shadowy shoulder as it did so. "Some call me the grey man" he said, "others 'the one who watches'... but I quite like 'the Betrayed One'. I've been watching for as long as you peaked my interest." The figure strode across the room from one corner to the other, turning away from her only briefly before making eye contact with her again, it's pin-p***k white eyes staring straight into Tsuna's. "I usually don't speak to someone until they've hit rock-bottom. Although... you're not far from it. Tell me, Tsuna Miki, how far would you go to protect those you love? How far would you go for justice? How far... would you go in your pursuit against evil?"

The moment Tsuna revealed that she would let the world burn, a slight smile could be seen in the darkness of his face. An amusement falling over him until she added that her loved ones were better than herself. Then, by surprise, she turned the conversation around to be pointed at him. Whatever trace of a smile he had was gone, and his tone became neutral. "You will never be like me" he said, quite matter-of-fact. "For what I am is ancient, and what I did was unforgiveable. To be like me you would have to go to the end of the universe... No, you interest me because I can give you want you need to get answers. And you can give me something to witness. Other's have accepted - and they've all been succesful."

The figure in black smiled once more, stepping forwards as she stretched out her arm towards him. "Information for entertainment" he repeated, " and much, much more." He finally opened his hand and took hold of hers. He was now so close to her than she could truly see how tall and slender he was. "My gift to you, Tsuna Mikim My mark". He gripped her hand firmly. Then, a scratching sensation could be felt on the back of her hand as black lines formed on her skin like an only tattoo. Circular with straight lines scattered, perhaps like a sigil, or a feather obliterated in a spiderweb crack. As quickly as the sensation began it vanished, and the mysterious figure stepped back. "Oh, and for transparency" he said, standing still as the darkness that concealed him finally began to recede. As if a black and white photo were coming into vision, his long, straight, silvery grey hair fell down across his chest and dark clothes, old and stylish, revealed a pale skinned man who had once been a noble perhaps. His eyes were grey, narrow and watchful. Wrapped around his waist appeared to be what was once a crimson whip, repurposed as a belt. Coloured appeared to recede from him. "I am the Prince of Crows. I would suggest you don't let anyone know you bare my mark... less you get locked up and tortured by the Queen herself" he grinned devilishly, as if proud of this moment.