As the Head of the Institute, Aaron Crimsonvale's everyday life involved shouldering multiple burdens and responsibilities, that came from being the youngest person to be in a position of such importance, having to be the leading researcher in many prominent areas, so that the Institute continued to receive funding, grants and donations. This was in addition to being the guardian of half a dozen underage charges and having to shoulder a majority of the administrative work circling around them. All of this, to summarize that Aaron Crisonelve was certainly not actively looking for more responsibilities. Except for Fiera.

He had been rather active in ensuring her Revokement came through and had been quite interested in being her guardian in spite of the gesture coming from a place of obligations he owed to her parents. He had been looking forward to being the source of comfort and stability for a girl - a child with innocent eyes, and with enough vulnerability to cry upon the sight of his country - however, the girl he collected from the abandoned rice mill was anything but that - coming from a place of intensity and distrust that rather embarrassed him. Her long dark hair braided over her shoulder and her hauntingly silver eyes that never quite relaxed in his presence, she was frail, rather on the thin side, but that didn't seem to give her any indication of even considering relying on him. And he had been expecting a non-complicated simple girl straightforward in her story and what he got was a complicated mess of a person, with more adventures under her belt than the questions he wanted to ask about them and who thought it was cool to give off the mysterious woman aura - something Kai Laiken was probably falling into and something Aaron often caught himself snapping out of because it was important for him to remember that no matter what her past was, she was still a child. He had no idea how to deal with her, and no idea still if she would ever try to trust him, even a little.

"Where is Fiera?" Rose asked in a voice so low, Aaron almost thought he was imagining it.

"On the way," he said and took a seat in the corner of the room. Mr Blake gave him a small nod, gesturing that he had done all his usual tests and was about to go for the door when it opened, admitting Fiera and Zare.

Fiera threw herself by the bedside and the girls dipped into whispering with each other, as Zare and Aaron waited to be admitted into their confidence.

"She is lovely," Zare said, indicating Fiera and he gave a brief nod.

"Aaron," Fiera called out, and they rose to reach for the bedside. Rose did look slightly better than before. Her cheeks had filled out a bit and her eyes had more light. Fiera carefully helped her sit up and she smiled.

"Thank you," her voice was low and Aaron nodded.

"We do have a few questions though. Would you mind answering them?" Rose gave a nod, and they all settled down around her. "Where are you from, Rose?"

"East." That was as vague as responses could go, but he understood that she would prefer not to talk about her whereabouts and origins.

"How did you and Fiera meet?"

"I met her in the East when she was travelling. I happened to fall ill when we met, and she decided she couldn't leave me alone." Rose smiled in Fiera's direction.

"How long have you been travelling companions?"

"A month or two."

"Is your illness hereditary?" Aaron asked.

"As far as I know, yes."

After a few more pointless questions that led to nowhere, Aaron bid them goodbye. Zare followed him out.

"What did you think?" he asked.

"It's not hereditary," Zare said. "Probably the consequences of a curse or a recently acquired disease. That's what Mr Blake told me."

"So she was lying."

"It would appear so." Zare sighed.