As Rhys watched his mentor set things up in the room, he wondered if Joseph could feel the wards being set, along with everything else. It was unlikely, but was it possible? Someday, if he survived, he would be able to do things like this, too. There had been a lot of talk about his 'potential' recently and if it wasn't for those two nights after the fire, he might have disagreed. Since then, too, he didn't wonder about why he'd been embraced, not even once. It was yet another weight that had been lifted off of his chest after the fire. If Henry were still alive, would he return proud of his newest childe? As hard as it had been to really believe in himself past making himself useful, Rhys could answer that for himself.
Henry would have been very proud, and so was he. In himself. For the first time.
There was a flinch when Amadeus cut open his wrist to pour blood into a metal bowl. He knew, somehow, that he would be next in that. It wasn't all that much of a surprise when he, in turn, was offered the knife, but he still hesitated a little bit. Holding the ring between his teeth for a moment, Rhys took the end of the blade and held it over his hand, steeling himself for a second. When the slice came, it was quick and clean, across the middle of his palm. Holding it over the bowl, he closed his eyes, concentrating on everything he needed to until it felt like enough, pulling back and holding the hand to his chest for a second.
When his hand was healed enough, he took the ring from his lips, but this time he didn't hesitate as he dropped it in, watching it sink into the blood before he looked up at his mentor and offered back the knife. He didn't want to hold it for more than he had to. This was definitely different from the ritual he had used, but not at the same time. He'd used a trinket of Henry's, had spilled his own blood. But the first time had kind of failed and the second hadn't gotten very far.
There was a brief thought that if Henry was dead - at least Joseph wouldn't have to listen to the aftermath. "Let's do this."