Welcome to Gaia! ::

Ialu swallowed hard. He had heard of this kind of custom from the Greeks nearby, but never had the bond between mentor and pupil been anything more than teaching the younger experience. Ialu knew that, even in Greek culture, men who stayed together as lovers were frowned upon. He nodded slowly, not having to ask about Eladrian personally. After all, Eladrian was pure enough for Maya to approach him without question. He finally spoke, "I see... Do two men ever-... I mean, does a man ever refuse to marry a woman and simply live with a man, as equals? Do you know if it is the same for peasants? I had heard that the Greeks to the Northeast have the same kind of mentor bonding, but that it ends once the young man grows up."

Ialu listened carefully, truly engaged. But the last question caught him off-guard. He took in a harsh gasp and choked on some sand in the air, a sudden hacking cough seizing him. Embarrassed and red in the face, more from blushing than from choking, he finally got a good breath in.
"I-uh...Well, I suppose, yes..." He chuckled and shook his head, "As much as I favor anything anymore... Honestly, Eladrian, sex with both men and women is pleasant, but it's never been more than simply pleasant for me. It has become a chore, and I'm somewhat numb to all of it... But whatever I feel, as far as, um... well, as far as arousal is concerned, to put it bluntly, I only feel that for men... Here in Kemet, it's very unwise to ask a question like that, though. We are friends, and I trust you with my life, but I have to warn you to never ask that to anyone else here. You could be killed simply for the speculation. That's a grave suspicion, even if unconfirmed..." He smiled at Eladrian, "But I don't mind. It just surprised me... I-..." He blushed and looked off, "In fact, when the Shana-ete purchased you, she did so, partly, to punish me... I had recently made love to another stable boy, and-" He blushed, "It was the first time I've laid with another voluntarily. But she was furious. She was trying to both tempt and and make me jealous when she bought you... But I know she also found you attractive. You would be a prize for any stable."

Ialu chuckled at Eladrian's blush, finding it incredibly endearing. His smile warm, he said softly, "You're welcome... Excuse my reaction, I kind of rambled off there... This is just very surprising to me. Maybe I'll visit your land one day. I'd be shocked to see it so openly."
He remembered back to their conversation, "Anyways... Your mother sounds like a brave woman. Mine was very much the same. I never knew my father either. I'm not sure what happened to him. I was so young, my mother just told me that he 'went home'. Of course, she could have meant that he died and she didn't want to upset me... She used to tell me stories of him though..." He smiled, but it slowly faded, "She's dead now. She remarried so she could support me, but she died giving birth to my half-sister. My step-father was the one who sold me into slavery afterwards."

((lol, I'll introduce it then))

Ialu blushed just slightly from the attention, curious as to why Eladrian would be inspecting his face so closely. The touch made him shiver, and all in all, his lust kept him from wondering too deeply what it was about. He wouldn't even mentally voice the possibility of Eladrian harboring any real attraction for him, beyond simply sex. The last bit made him blush and avert his eyes, "Oh, you flatter me, Eladrian... I'm sure such beautiful elves wouldn't be interested in someone of my complexion..." He glanced up, catching a glint of light as they peaked over a large sand dune.
On the other side lay the little Nile harbor city of Aswan, the last city before Odesa. There was a large lake in the center of the city where greenery thrived, and harbors were set up to catch trading ships coming from the Northern delta and the South lands, below the edge of the desert. All sorts of people lived in Aswan. Ialu grinned, "Ah! Aswan! I've only travelled through this town before, and I was only rarely let out of my mistress' caravan! Everyone knows of Aswan. I bet we'll see some elves here too, hm? Come on!"

((Back story? If you have a distinct direction you want to take things, let me know beforehand. Otherwise, I tend to wander off. I figured they would pass through a few cities before going to whereever the elf guy is-- lol, do you see how bad my memory is?))

Ialu nodded, "Of course, my Lord," he spoke, trying to get into the habit of saying it. It wasn't an unknown habit, just different for addressing Eladrian. He glanced back at Eladrian and smiled before leading them in.
At the open city gates, he dismounted and unhooked the reins on Azizi to form a lead. The guards nodded them in and Ialu began leading Eladrian through, finally looking up, "I know of a specific inn near the center of the city, close to the lake, my Lord. The amenities are luxurious without being overly opulent. Food, wine, baths, it should be perfect for our needs. Does this please you?"

((Ah, well, we can work it out. I basically pictured them travelling southward parallel to the Nile. Perhaps maybe his ship sunk in the Red Sea, between Saudi Arabia and Egypt, or maybe Eladrian travelled some with Amun before being sold... However we can work it out, I'm open to anything))

Ialu kept himself calm even though he wanted to run around like a little kid, looking at everything, buying little bits of food or trinkets. This city was so engaging, and he saw food and clothing and jewelry from all around the world beckoning him. But he kept walking. He would talk to Eladrian at the inn, but he knew it was a possibility they would have to find someone to sell some of the jewels to in order to have spendable money. He trusted though that Eladrian would have enough to get them a room. He glanced up to his Lord and smiled, barely able, at his angle, to see the look on his face. This must be just as tempting for Eladrian. However, he knew it would be improper for them to grab food from a stall or make a bargain with a vendor. Respectable Lords did no such thing.
They approached the inn, large building within an encompassing stone wall, the inn itself housing an open courtyard in the middle, along with private baths. Ialu looked up to Eladrian, "My Lord, this is the inn I recommended. Servants will take our beast," Azizi snorted, "and we can make arrangements for our quarters."
Inside the stone wall, a servant rushed out. Ialu offered his hand, helping Eladrian to dismount in the most elegant way possible, although Azizi was putting up quite a fight. Ialu bowed his head to his dismounted rider, "My Lord, once inside, if I should haggle the price of the room, tap my shoulder."

((I have a feeling Azizi is going to become a great character. I might have Ialu try out a few more names with him, just because I think it's cute if they are always calling this poor camel thing something different, haha))

((I had been loosely basing it to give it structure in my mind and to give me a reference point for research, but nothing has to be set in stone))

Ialu opened the door to their room, holding it for his Lord to come in. The large windows were open and light flooded the room with its large bed, full table, and private bath.
Not paying attention to the single bed, or perhaps used to it, Ialu closed the door and ran to the bath like a little boy, "Ooooooh, look! It's huge. There's even pipes that will send hot water up and drain it once we're done!" He glanced back to Eladrian, grinning like a boy, "How amazing is Aswan?! We should see if we can disguise ourselves later and go into the city as two free men. I've always wanted to explore the market!"