Welcome to Gaia! ::

It was only a few moments more when the door to the bed chambers clicked shut softly behind Ialu. He wore a slight sheen of sweat, but was otherwise no worse for wear. He carried a good sized worn leather satchel, heavy and laden with jewels and also some food. If they were escaping into the desert, Ialu knew they would need as much. He laid eyes first on the Shana-ete in her bed, looking perfectly peaceful and asleep. Ialu knew though. She never looked that peaceful. He glanced up as saw Eladrian by the window. The power of the display before him made a shiver tingle down the Egyptian's spine. He stepped to Eladrian's side, bowing his head, "I have taken everything. No one saw me."

Ialu blushed ever-so-slightly at his master's praise. The offer extended, he raised his face to meet his master's eyes. He swallowed, quickly nodding. He didn't even have to think about that. The thought of seeing more of that raw power made him feel ravenous. His addiction was strong, he knew. This master would not help him cure it. It would only get worse. But he had to give in to this.
"Yes, master, I would be honored..." He stepped close, his hands sliding slowly up Eladrian's arms, the simplest touch making his hands shake. This noble was raw sex to him. His hands rested on the elf's shoulders before he realized that he had no clue how he needed to hold on to Eladrian. He swallows and had the humility to blush, "Forgive me, I-..." He stopped short, mind going blank.

Ialu held tight to his new master, finding the embrace comforting, if emotionally colder than what he'd want. He blushed at the thought, his body slightly excited.
But then they were in the desert. He stared around, eyes wide. They did it, they really-
Ialu fell to his knees with a gasp sucked between clenched teeth. He shuddered, "Oh, gods, no..." He hunched in on himself, gasping and coughing, his whole body twitching in pain. He hadn't suspected. He thought the magic would die with the Shana-ete. He glanced down. The skin around the rings on his arms was bubbling up, the silver turning a molten red as they heated to the point of branding. But they were stuck on Ialu's arms.
He let out a strangled cry, panicking and clawing at his upper arms where the rings lay, just beneath his shoulders. He screamed in hysterics as the rings burned his fingers as he clawed at them. He gurgled a cry, tears streaking down his face, "HELP!"

Ialu heard his master's voice as if it was far away. He opened his eyes and saw his master standing far in the distance, an oasis around him, cool fresh water. He jumped towards him only to startle himself to consciousness. He gasped, the pain slowly dying. He held on, clenching his eyes shut until the pain had withdrawn entirely. Still too high on adrenaline to feel the blackened burns on his skin, he opened his eyes and looked around.
Only to see his master writhing on the sand. He glanced at the bands and knew what happened. He dove to his master's side, keeping his still as he sobbed, "NO! Master, please... Tell me what to do! Tell me how to make it stop!!" He knew Eladrian was too far away to hear him though. The pain had been all encompassing. It had transported Ialu. He no longer felt in his body, just in a hot desert of pain.
A sudden unexplainable idea popped into his mind. Never would Ialu have thought of this on his own. That was precisely why he acted on it. He dove down and caught Eladrian's lips with his own, letting the kiss fuse them until he pulled on the spell. The magic killing his master held tight so Ialu pulled harder. And in an instant, his ears popped and his tongue tasted of soot. It had let go and ripped in half, imploding on itself. Ialu pulled back, his eyes wide. He had no clue how he knew that the spell had died that way. And he had no clue why he knew it would work. He stared at his master, trembling from exertion and the raw vulnerability he had felt, having that much magic travel through him. He gasped, hoarse, "Master, are you okay?"

Ialu helped his master up, but that was the last of his energy. He felt utterly exhausted, like the life had been taken out of him with the spell. But sleep would help. So when his master pulled him into his arms, Ialu let out a soft sigh of relief and sank into his master, nuzzling into his shoulder. It felt so nice, warm.
When Eladrian pulled Ialu back though, the Egyptian boy stole a glance to his master's eyes, smiling softly. The look he saw made the smile fade. He tensed, fear entering his eyes. He saw suspicion there. And he knew the power his new master had. It scared him to death. He whimpered, "M-master?"

Ialu felt a hint of trepidations, but when those lips met his own, he felt the world slip away. Suddenly it was just their lips pressed together. He felt his heart pound. It was so small, but it felt so powerful. It was torturous to Ialu.

He watched Eladrian pull away as if he knew the elf would do so, calmly studying him in that state of confusion. After a moment, he cracked a smile as well. He glanced down at his own body, for once letting himself feel his arms... It was raw pain where the silver bands still sat, but otherwise the energy boost from the kiss kept him lucid. He said softly, "I think I can stand, but I won't be able to travel too far on foot... I feel a bit light-headed, but at least it cauterized itself..." He glanced to his arms, pulling away to hoist himself to his feet. He let out a small grunt of pain, but that was all. His master drew his attention again, "What about you, master? Are you alright?"

Ialu stopped, and stared at Eladrian, genuinely confused. He was free? He hadn't seen this coming. He had never expected freedom out of this, not since the moment Eladrian took his warrior form. And now Ialu seemed to be staring at someone completely different once again. He looked around the desert, the air cool in the nearly faded dusk. The sky was dark, but Ialu could still see Eladrian in the moonlight, calmly studying him.
Maybe Eladrian didn't want a slave. After all, one had to feed and house a slave. This elf was probably a loner, in no need of any extra help. So Ialu was free...
He glanced down to the bag of jewels, taking it off his shoulder and holding it out for Eladrian. He didn't own any of it, and he never would have taken them if Eladrian hadn't asked him to. Perhaps Eladrian would help him get to a nearby city and give him a bit of money for food until he found a place to work and live. It was scary. But he wanted something different, after all.