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Robert was holding up his side of the bargain. After he'd walked away from Reine, he hadn't looked back. He headed straight for Caelius' office, walked down the corridor, and turned the knob of the door. That was as far as he got, because Caelius had locked it with his own keycard, which Robert did not have - and Caelius was stuck in the labs getting Robert's body to stop dying.

Which was good. He liked not dying.

But of course, that meant he couldn't fulfill his part of the bargain. He was stuck waiting for Caelius to recover, which could be longer than the entire day. What did that mean for him? Should he go gallivanting off on some adventure, getting in lots of trouble and completely disregarding his promise?

Robert was not the kind of guy to disregard a promise.

So this hallway became his home. He started pacing the hall, all the way from one end to another, because it felt like the right thing to do while in this body. His legs felt restless, and he had to move, move, move. So he moved. For a while.

But Robert's impatience ran out.

So instead, he tried to run at the door. His shoulder slammed into it again, and again, but this was Caelius' shoulder, and the door was far more solid than the ones their dorms used. It was a useless effort, but he tried anyway. He even slammed his head into the door once, and came to the quick conclusion that his own head, on his own body, was really very hard in comparison to a normal head.

At least, he came to this conclusion when he came to.

So now he sulked, sitting indian style in front of Cael's door, and stared at it sullenly. He was bored, he was lonely, and his whole body ached - he almost wished someone would come up and ask him what the ******** he was doing. At least, the buzzing in his head would stop.

At first, he figured it was because he'd bashed his head into the door. He rubbed one finger in his ear to try and make it stop, but it only got worse, and worse. And yet, despite how he was certain it was getting louder, it was he who was changing, and getting more accustomed to it. It felt more like a hum, than anything. A gentle, constant hum, that vibrated in his ear and slowly started to fill his mind and take over his thoughts.

There weren't many thoughts to take over. It didn't take long until Robert was simply sitting there, staring at the door, with his mouth agape. Not a thought in his mind remained, and despite the steady sound within him, it was kind of nice.

He wasn't so lonely, anymore.

The world shifted to white, and then-

She was smiling at him, waiting at the edge of the marble dais outside, long dress folded underneath her. Though everything around her was simply grey, she alone remained beautiful, eternal, powerful, as she raised one tanned hand open towards him in invitation.

'I have been waiting.' She didn't wait for an answer. 'Come then, it has been a while since I have heard a new traveler's tale, now, my new master, will you not share your stories with me?"

It was the gentlest of gestures, a warm alluring feeling, the soft singing still echoing throughout the surreal landscape. Sitting next to her, reaching out towards her just felt right.

'Oh please, no formalities needed, guests are always invited here.' She returned the favour, leaning close to him to kiss his forehead gently. She began to hum again, the noise louder, drowning everything else out as she re-adjusted the hem of her dress. 'You must be tired though master, after such a long journey. Why not take a second to rest first?'

Everything began to blur again, even her voice growing soft, vague, once again drowned out by humming. It was idyllic, peaceful, and above all else-

- Nothing else mattered any more. It would be nice, just a second, just a second for her cool hands to wrap around his body, for her to lean over him as she sang, and waited for Robert in return to close his eyes.

Entirely unabashed, she pressed his head to her lap, stroking Robert's hair as if he was nothing more than a demure animal. 'You are my guest, and that is all that matters.'

Robert would feel again the touch of soft lips against his eyelids, coaxing him to keep them closed. 'Don't you think you would rather stay here, forever?'

'Petra?' She moved her head to one side, just as Robert shot straight up. 'That is an interesting name, can you tell me a little more about them?'

But when Robert tried to think about this person, to really think about them, Petra didn't seem to be a name he recognized at all.

There was the smile again as she curled her fingers into his. She leaned over him, arms suddenly heavy as they rested over his body like thick iron bars. The tips of her fingers were cold.

And when Robert looked up, he would see nothing in those endless teal eyes but an insatiable hunger. She was singing again, or perhaps she had never stopped, yes, that seemed right, he belonged here, belonged to here, there was no Robert any more, just a mere flicker of a presence, a wayward soul perhaps, that had found, like so many before him, an enchantress who loved them dearly.

Everything was numb now.

And then a dissonance. A jarring sound playing above the steady hum, a familiar and yet distant command.

"Circe."

The humming stopped, its spell shattered as everything suddenly returned with an alarming clarity. The memories, the painful feelings, of where Robert was, of Petra, who this woman really was and-

- The person standing there, vying for control of his own weapon. "Circe," they held out a hand, neither sad, nor angry, or even disappointed, but simply accepting, "You will return to me."

She laughed, soft and gentle. 'Then my old master has come back, to be mine and mine only.'

The second that person looked at Robert, the trainee for a brief moment caught an unusual expression. A passing second where the man standing in front of Robert looked ten years younger, lost and dazed, caught before a maelstrom.

The jarring dissonance ended the second Circe returned to her old master, pulling him in, taking him into her arms once again, kissing him gently, just once, old, experienced lovers, partners, and yet at the same time-

- Robert woke up seconds later in his own body, staring at the cold hospital floor.