Will hums softly, carefully taking in the appearance of the servant. Young, a teen perhaps. A few years… How old must he have been when he arrived? "Do you work here willingly?" He asks, flipping the page and briefly taking in the first set of annotations paired with a simple diagram.
He cocked his head faintly, raising an eyebrow. "Sir?" he asked slowly. "I…enjoy working here, if that is what you are asking." he adjusted his sleeves, still watching Will cautiously, still trying to figure out why Will had asked him that. Did the young human think he was a slave? That he had been abducted?
Will blinks, nods, and shifts his position on the armchair that he had moved to to allow Ivan the chance to tidy the bed. "Yes, but I'm asking if you are forced to work here." He licks the pad of his finger before flipping the page, reading over how energy flows through the veins of sentient plants, making them conscious and independent. The servant could be… Well, not a slave but maybe indentured. Will's own way of arriving in the palace wasn't luxurious in the slightest. It makes him wonder if others faced the same treatment.
"Oh. No, not really." Ivan replied, shaking his head. "This is not a horrid place to work, in general." typically, anyway. Sure, Kaz could have a temper, but the servants were not generally the ones he took that temper out on, unless they had purposefully screwed something up. There had been one time a servant was working for one of Kaz's enemies, and had been spying on the emperor. That…had not turned out well. It had taken a long time for that servant to die, and Kaz had ensured that almost every moment was public. Everyone knew exactly why that servant had been tortured, and it had been burned into their minds how long it took for them to die.
Will nods, accepting the information without any question. The servant wouldn't really have a reason to lie to him anyways. Plus, this Ivan doesn't seem to feel malicious or conniving in any sort of way. His words feel the truth, so Will believes him. "Alright then," He responds, just to fill the silence before flipping another page to observe a diagram of a simple sentient sapling… Fascinating, He murmurs internally, brushing his fingers over the picture. Perhaps he should take a pen to the margins like the reader before him.
Ivan paused for a moment, waiting to see if Will had any more questions. When none came, he shrugged faintly and went back to tidying the room, eyes narrowed slightly as he worked. He didn't speak as he did, just continued to gather clothing, blankets, and other assorted items.
Will's eyes start to wander, away from his book to the man that lightly peddles around the room fixing this and that. He's quiet. He feels uneasy. His presence makes Will wish to fill silence, to fix the tension that's probably just a pigment of his imagination. He taps the spine of the book before snapping it shut, setting it on the nightstand. Standing, he picks up his bag and fits the two library books next to his sketchbook, pen, and deck of tarot cards. The room is crossed in a few quick strides, he hangs the bag in the wardrobe, letting it dangle next to some of Kazimir's garments. Not wanting to stand around, Will begins to pick up a few discarded pieces of clothing on the floor, folding them neatly - just like his mother taught him.
Ivan glanced up when Will began to assist in cleaning. "Oh– no, please do not. I can take care of everything." he said, quickly crossing the room to take the clothing from Will's hands, setting it to the side. "Just read your book. If oyu need something you can ask me for help, but please do not do my job for me."
Will looks at the boy with a teeming, unimpressed glance. "I'm feeling restless. I thought I might help out a little bit." He grabs the clothes back from the servant. "And please, don't tell me not to do something." You are not somebody who has authority over me. "I only do what I want to do. I can assure you that… Ivan, correct?"
Ivan hesitated for a moment, staring at Will with uncertainty and a trace of fear in his eyes. "Yes. Ivan." he confirmed softly. "Ah…my apologies, sir." he didn't know anything about Will beyond that the man was Kaz's concubine, and that did not bode well, necessarily. Kaz could be vicious and for all he knew, Will was the same way.
Will nods softly, accepting the boy's apology before continuing his work straightening Kazimir's wardrobe. The pieces are surprisingly subtle and scarce compared to what William would've assumed for a king. There must be a second closet somewhere, he rationalizes internally. This has to be day-to-day wardrobe. In this massive palace, there's likely an entire room three times the size of his house. Hell, if there's a room for the king's party clothes, who knows what other treasures these doors could hold. "Ivan," Will addresses, still halfway in the wardrobe. "How well do you know the palace?"
Ivan paused, considering the question. "Ah, I…I know it well. Why?" he asked, straightening some of the clothes and clearing his throat faintly. He did not quite look at Will, just kept his gaze fixed on the closet and the clothing, rather than on the man standing near him.
Will turns to the boy, fixing him with a heavy stare. "Could you take me to… Somewhere else?" His hands fall from the group of clothes, brushing against the silken fabric in the process. "Is there a store room nearby?" The bedroom may be beautiful and fascinating, but Will's increasingly getting bored and his itch to adventure is only multiplying.
"A…store room?" he echoed slowly, blinking at Will in confusion. "I…I don't understand." he stammered, shaking his head a little. "Why would you want to see a store room?"
"I want to know what Kazimir does," Will states as if it's nearly obvious. "A store room? Things from old parties, memoirs, old portraits." He waves his hand in a repeated circular motion, relaying the list could go on and on. "Things that aren't used for the palace anymore…" He briefly trails off. "An archive, perhaps?"
His brows gathered together. "Surely you already know? I…I mean no disrespect, but…you are his concubine. Don't you know about him, what he does?" he avoided Will's gaze, eyes moving about the closet that they stood in. He adjusted his sleeves, shaking his head faintly.
Will sighs, quickly carding his fingers through his hair. "I'm fully aware of what Kazimir does." It's a… half-lie. There's the few facts that he's positive of - Kazimir's a king, a cruel one, and likes to maim and kill and take full control of whatever he lays his eyes on. It's been the same in every life. Will doesn't expect fate to switch it up on him anytime soon. "And please don't call me a concubine. The term feels degrading," He adds. "I just would like to see an archive of sorts. Something that holds some history of these lands."
"The library?" Ivan suggested. "They have history books in there." he cleared his throat faintly, hoping he had not misunderstood. If Will was anything like many of the nobles here, and he lost his temper…well. It had happened before, it would happen again. If it was Will, it was Will.
"I've been to the library," Will mutters, but mainly for himself. He made a beeline for the horticulture books as soon as he entered, not really bothering to search around more. "Library. Yes. There." He snaps his fingers.
Ivan gave a quick bow, leading him out of the closet and towards the doors. "Just, ah, follow me, then. I'll take you there." he said, leading Will out into the halls. Unlike Kaz's wandering and weaving through the halls, meant to confuse and disorient Will, Ivan took what was obviously the easier route to the library, meaning the trip was much shorter than Kaz had made it earlier. The halls Ivan used were also larger, and more obviously central and well traveled. They passed a few people, some nobles and some servants. They all ignored both Ivan and Will.
Will blinks at the actual people he sees in the halls. Kaz must have taken him through some sort of backrooms or something because even these halls feel slightly different than the last. Well, that or Kazimir quite literally cleared out any hallway he was about to enter with whatever Snake Magic he has. Will slightly purses his lips, but the library arrives soon enough. The path was quite simple. He hopes to remember it.
Ivan opened the doors, holding them for Will and waiting quietly as the young man came into the library. "Is there anything that I can help you find?" he asked, blinking quietly at Will as he waited to see what Will would respond with. The library was still and quiet; there didn't seem to be anyone else there, or if there were, they were being very quiet and staying secluded.
"Which way to the historical section?" Will inquires, taking in the library for the second time that day. "Preferably recent history. Biographies, memoirs, testimonies…" An idea dawns on him. "Architecture of the castle?" A map would certainly be helpful.
"I don't believe there are any files of the palace's architecture available publicly." he said, looking over at Will. "Too much of a security risk. My apologies. But I can take you to the history section." he started walking, wings staying carefully folded back to keep them out of the way. He knew better than to flare them in public like this; it stirred up too much dust, too much trouble.
Will hums softly, concealing his disappointment. He'll eventually figure his way around this maze. After all, if he's going to die here, he's going to die knowing where the hell everything is. He carefully follows behind the servant, noting how he seems to curl his wings into himself. Will wonders if he's ever shunned for having them. It's been a long while since he's met a winged fellow - if the cloudy memories from past lives are enough to truly go off of. "Thank you," Will says quietly.