of frustration and found opportunities

To Cassie's eyes, Diam barely moved. There were flashes here and there, but though she'd watched him carefully for any reaction during her impassioned admissions, she hadn't really gotten most, if not all, of them. Maybe, maybe, she'd be able to pick up his tells with more time in his presence- Cassie usually prided herself on her observant nature-, but that was assuming they'd be spending more time together-

Which was, apparently, an assumption Diam wasn't hesitating to make. His further prodding elicited a thoughtful frown- compared to him, Cassie might as well be openly projecting her reactions- but following that train of thought to its logical conclusion, she decided that she did want Diam's aid. She hadn't realized it until then, but Diam had coaxed out what she'd been failing to dredge up with just a few well-placed words. Cassie wasn't so blind as to not recognize someone who could help her when he was right in front of her, nor in denial enough to refuse his help out of a belief that she could eventually work her issues out on her own. Even with this realization, she couldn't quite figure out what kind of capacity she wanted to ask Diam to fulfill. Yes, obviously she wished him to be a mentor to her- he was an elder vampire with a different, refreshing view and great knowledge-, but it would be insulting to the both of them to expect that he'd baby her through everything. But the only role of authority Cassie had experience with were her parents, who had vacillated between neglectfully distant or hovering over her shoulder at every moment, throwing criticisms left, right, and center.

Before she could even try to verbalize this conflict, Diam's reminder of their environment had her own gaze flickering about, some of that timid nervousness returning to thread through the self-assurance that had come with her facing the first of the many obstacles that stood in her way. "I... perhaps we should move inside." She murmured, her arms tucking themselves into her sides. It was something Cassie used to make herself as unobtrusive as possible, to draw less attention to herself, but she usually did it unconsciously when she felt insecure.​

Pale eyes blinked at the chuckle that sounded almost foreign from the older vampire in comparison to his usual lack of noticeable reaction. Cassie did her best to fight down the light flush that wanted to make itself known on the high points of her cheeks, though she wasn't offended or truly embarrassed. Instead, it simply highlighted the different perspective Diam had, one that Cassie was becoming increasingly convinced of the importance of now that she'd encountered someone willing to help rather than hurt. Since she couldn't find fault in Diam's logic, she offered a nod of easy acquiescence; there was no rush, though Cassie often felt like there was a clock she had to fight against, that one day, she'd run out of time-

The light furrow in her brow was the only sign of her troubled thoughts, ones she did her damnedest to figuratively shove as far from her being as possible- those kinds of thoughts often got her panicking. Taking a deep breath to find her center once again, she turned and started down the path of chaos she'd made in her haste. A chagrined moue distracted her from the depressing spiral, her eyes sweeping along the damaged trees and plant-life. In one particularly eventful instance, she'd completely bowled a tree over, its trunk snapped in half. The only reason it hadn't made a huge racket in falling was due to the surrounding trees supporting the broken one. Silently promising to return and plant a few ferns and a baby tree in recompense, she glided gracefully forward- it was a testament to how much Diam had impressed her that she allowed him at her vulnerable back, though she kept her ears out for the inevitable signs of his following of her.

And so, it was in thoughtful silence that she led him back to the Academy grounds. She hesitated when it came to choosing a particular building, but she eventually continued on to the arts building, and from there, to one of the music rooms. It was a place that was both public and private, a neutral ground of sorts; yes, she'd gotten a glimpse of how much she could learn from Diam, and he had most definitely proven himself willing to provide help, but old habits die hard and Cassie had barriers for her barriers and a sense of paranoia that gave vampires double her age a run for their money.​