Ives was asleep on the bed, his chest rising up and down with every breath. He slept rather soundly, though he could still feel somewhat sore. The man was quiet the whole morning, only his heavy breathing indicating that he was still alive. His blonde curly hair was messy and all over the place, one arm rested by his face upon the pillow, his eyelids were closed and his mouth was open. His eyes didn't even twitch as sunlight filtered through the window, illuminating his face yet Ives only turned to prevent it from bothering him. He wasn't even dreaming, just the sound blackness of his sleep was more than enough to satisfy his tiredness. Yet his chest was bare, so was the rest of his body, so the sheets that wrapped around him was his only warmth, only comforting thing that kept him feeling cozy. Perhaps it was a good sleep, however he heard a few noises but ignored them. Then what sounded like footsteps then a door opening and closing but he merely turned and groaned at the sound of it, his face headed into the pillow. However that did not prevent the noise from stopping. No, in fact there was more noise. A faint voice followed by another click of the door closing. Yet he still tried to sleep. It was uncomfortable with his head in the pillow, nearly suffocating as he then rolled again, facing upward. Perhaps it was all this commotion which then caused him to stir. The elf groaned again, the arm that was by his head now reaching for his face, and a hand went to rub his eye. It was beginning to get warmer, feeling the sunlight on his face as now his vision turned black to white. His eyes couldn't take it anymore as he then awoke, his eyes fluttering open. They soon closed again, seeing nothing but the ceiling above. The Lore Keeper didn't even know what time it was or what had happened. He continued to rest, adjusting his head on the fluffy pillow as he then turned onto his head, resting his hands beneath his head as it sank into the white fabric. That was much better, now that the light was away. He then began to realize something. What time was it? Was it past sunrise already? Ah, the doors were locked so they could probably wait a few more minutes. No one came early in the morning anyway. Wait a minute, who came last morning?

His thoughts then brought him to an awakening, the blue orbs finally open as he stared at the wall in front of him. He then felt light, lighter than usual. His head turned, noticing that his sleeve was missing from his arm, before turning downwards as he began to sit up, noticing his whole shirt was gone. He now begun to feel his legs, bare as the light sheets covered them. Feeling heat rise to his cheeks, he wondered what he had been doing last night, was he thinking of Rook? His eyes then moved straight, toward a man standing right by his door as he almost gasped, taken by surprise. Rook. Was it him? No, this had to be all a dream. Ives then rubbed his eyes again, but suddenly he began to feel more awake. He was coming to his senses now, but that was Rook, right there in front of him. It was hard to believe. Had he come back after all this time? But what had happened? And how did he get inside? Ives was full of questions, but as he thought he grimaced in pain, the sores coming back and hitting him hard, mostly in his lower back and his bottom side. A hand went there to dull the pain. But what had happened? He was confused as ever but he looked up at Rook, who was now present and Ives was naked in bed. Fortunately it had not been a stranger. Or Orin. Ives looked up at him.

"Rook... is that you?" he asked, rubbing his back. His eyes then closed slightly as he could feel more pain arrive, mostly to his legs. "What happened?"

He looked on surprisingly as Rook handed him the tea. It was rare that Rook would serve him tea first thing in the morning, nevertheless do any sort of similar gesture. With a confused look Ives took the cup any way, holding it but still looking at him with bewilderment. He was too focused on trying to figure out what was going on that he had forgotten to thank him, or even begin to drink the tea for that matter. He was more concerned that Rook was here now. He said that he would be back by the morning that one night but he never did. Ever since then Ives had only encountered a mage while doing his usual Lore Keeper duties. "Ah," he said in understanding. So Rook didn't know either. How strange, the more he tried to remember what he did the previous day, or even the previous night, it was all a blur. Such rarity that Ives couldn't remember anything. Thinking harder he closed his eyes, pressing with a hand on his temple. He had to think, how did Rook come by and not remember what happened either? But then as something was beginning to come to him, Rook asked him the question.

Ives looked at him after he spoke. It did hurt... some. But not any worse than usual, Ives thought. But rather... he felt unpleasant in those certain areas, as if they worked so hard and they had a rougher time than normal. Blue eyes averted downward and to the side. "Not really," he said, the hand holding the cup setting down on his lap. His focus then shifted back up to him. "It's nothing that I can't handle." The pain was beginning to subside some, and after a moment of silence he then began again. "It seemed that... we had a night together," he said uneasily, not knowing to make of the situation considering the fact that neither of them knew what was going on. He then tried to remember, as he thought he just had a memory. Focusing further he tried to recall everything he did yesterday. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The night before he had put everything away then had gone to bed, although he was up worrying about Rook and his apprentice. Then once he fell asleep he woke up to the noise of the sound of knocking. He then remembered that he opened the door to find Rook there.

Ives' eyes widened at the memory. "You were there..." he said, immediately gazing at him again, this time in surprise. "I remember now," he then said, focusing more as he pushed his memory further. Rook said some strange things that had bewildered him. Something about a fire mage in the desert, then about how he tried to set him on fire and continually beat him. He thought that the mage was controlling his mind, but then he remembered the delicate woman who entered the scene. Dressed in white with ethereal beauty as her long white hair flowed before the men dressed in dark clothing followed behind her. He then remembered that she ordered Rook to hold him down. Then... as Ives called for him... he couldn't remember anything else.

His mouth dropped open slightly as he recalled what happened. Then his eyes narrowed and he looked off to the side and at the ground. "The Almoner..." he spoke, the two words low and harsh. He had not known much about her before, but now he knew that she must have cast some sort of spell upon Rook, then him. But what? He then looked to Rook, although he still couldn't recall what sort of magic she had. He thought that it had to do with healing or whatnot. But... one thing was for certain.

"She was there."

Ives then realized that Rook wouldn't remember. Oh yeah, he was under the spell at the time. He would have to explain to him from the beginning, although Rook probably wasn't going to like the sound of it. He began hesitantly. "Yes, well... I was here when you came," he started, eyes averted down but then back up at him again. Realizing he had the tea in his hand he brought it up to his lips, taking a sip in between to prepare of what he was going to say. "She was," he then said, nodding in affirmation. "I... You were under her control first Rook. I don't know what happened but somehow you came back with her." He lowered his cup of tea, looking down again. He hoped that he wouldn't be too angry. Though Ives wasn't at fault. He had no idea what was going on either until she entered the library. His blue orbs casted back up to him. "It was yesterday morning that you came. You knocked on my door, and, well, you were acting strange," he then began, telling the tale of what happened of what he could remember.

"You seemed... angry, to see me," there was an anxious look to his eye but he continued. "I don't know what happened or how she controlled you, but you were determined to harm me." He didn't know what to say about that part. If anything he knew that Rook would probably get mad at himself for doing so. He left it at that as he didn't go into detail. About how he choked him, nearly setting him on fire, tearing apart the library and everything that he worked so hard to preserve. About the many times he hit him as Ives fell to the floor. No, he couldn't tell all that to him. His eyes lowered briefly before looking back again. "She also made you say some strange things, I think," he then began in thought. "Like that you slept with a fire mage in a desert, that you burned a bunch of elves alive, that you thought that I only thought of you as a soldier," he said, quizzically looking at him. Of course he didn't believe those things. It sounded very abstract, and odd to him. He brushed them off as something the almoner had forced him to say to perhaps intimidate the lore keeper. Ives then continued. "Then, she came." He sounded defeated. He remembered as how the woman treated Rook as one of her pawns, the other men following obediently behind her. Then, she forced Rook to hold him down. He screamed for Rook, to call him back, but the man didn't hear him. Then, as she touched him, that was where his memory had ended.

"That's all I can remember," he then said.

Ives looked a him pained, of course he couldn't remember. He was under the spell, or whatever it was, of the almoner. His eyes softened as he apologized. He didn't have to apologize. It wasn't his fault that he did. He shouldn't have told him that he hurt him, however he only just said as he recalled his memory. He looked back down at the tea once more, the brown ripples of the liquid shining under the sun's light. His blue eyes then went back up to his. So he couldn't remember how he met the woman? That was a shame, Ives would have liked to know. Where did Rook go? Why wasn't he back in the morning like he had promised? Maybe she kidnapped him or something similar. But, he did not wish to go into further detail, to push Rook's memory for it could only go so far. If the memories were perhaps unpleasant, then Ives didn't want him to revisit them. As Rook asked the question Ives thought for a moment, his eyes briefly off of him.

What did she do? All he could remember was Rook arriving and acting strangely. The woman didn't say what her powers were. It was vague to him as well, for his memory was gone when she had touched him. But, when she did, he then remembered a feeling. Hate. But why, though, was unknown to him. He tried to think further, but not much was coming to him. Perhaps he was still tired. But Rook did have a good point though, maybe she needed knowledge. But from what he remembered she didn't need a certain book, or else she might have just forced Rook to force the information or where the book was out from him. Unless, she wanted to know something about Ives personally. Though it didn't make much sense to him. He didn't know much about the almoner but from what he judged she was a kind person. How could it be that she had done that to them? What did she need? All Ives could remember was that she wanted Rook to hold him down, to have him become like him. Then... he wondered what he acted like. Did he act the same way as Rook did? It made him wonder what he said. Then, why did they sleep with each other? Did that have something to do with it?

It was all odd, and Ives continued to think until he came to a conclusion. His eyes moved to meet his again. "Perhaps. Though maybe she-!" he was about to say but then he heard knocking. His head abruptly turned to the door. Hardly anyone was willing enough to knock on the Lore Keeper's bedroom door. Sighing, Ives got up. He placed the tea down onto a nearby table, and pulled one of his robes from a nearby rack. Pulling it over him he heard more knocking, then muffled sounds coming from the outside. "Lore Keeper!" Knock knock knock. "Lore Keeper! A message!" Ives rose his brow a bit, wondering what it could be. It didn't sound urgent, sounding from the man's voice. Soon enough, Ives opened the door, however only slightly as his poked outside to peer at the man outside. A messenger stood waiting attentively, however behind him he saw all the elves sitting upon the tables and reading. Ives' eyes widened at that sight for a moment. When did they get here? He could see that the doors were wide open. How long did he sleep in for? Then his eyes moved to the messenger who then began to speak. "Sir, a letter for you," he handed him a closed scroll with one white glove. Ives took it, then began to close the door again. "Thank you," he dismissed him, before shutting it. Looking down at the scroll in his hand, Ives headed back to Rook, sitting on the foot of the bed. Opening it, he began to read what the letter said.

An invitation? Once he was finished reading it he closed it back up again. His attention turned to the other man. "It seems that there is going to be a ball. And everyone is going to be there," he told him, although there was no apparent expression in his voice.