Welcome to Gaia! ::

Sajah had at least solidly returned to the realm of no longer knowing what to expect from the situation. He supposed, had he given it much thought, he expected at best surprise and some hesitant but carefully polite dismissal and retreat. At worst, disgust? Revulsion? Some lashback at somehow being deceived?

He couldn’t have known, but fortunately, he did not have to wait long for realization to dawn. And this time, it dawned accurately.

The apology still caught him off guard.

Perhaps it shouldn’t have. The other man had initiated. And pushed. And pressed further still after that. But somehow, somewhere between the confusing moments of initiation and the moment he had realized that he was likely to be kissed and had no objection to it—no, had wanted it—the fault had seemed to shift. But perhaps, since he was now on the receiving end of apology and no longer knew what he wanted, there had been little to no ‘fault’ involved to begin with.

Heat burned warm in his earfins and face as his gaze flit from his company to the counter, some lingering from physical components of their interaction and some of it new. Embarrassment, relief, and unsatisfied ‘wants’ on various levels all contributed. But the question still remained:

Why hadn’t he stopped him?

He frowned, then rapped the counter with his knuckle, waving down a bar hand as soon as one glanced his way and then, after enough gesturing and a showing of coin, managed to communicate his desire for a mug of his own. While this involved a wait, and he hadn’t intended to consume anything, alcohol no longer sounded like the worst idea, and seemed at that moment at least, worth the brief pause. When it arrived, he drank, taking as many large swallows as his unaccustomed-to-ale throat could handle before setting it back to the counter, dipping a finger again in the ‘spare’ ale from before and hesitating only a moment before scrawling:

beautiful

He gestured, indicating to Leukos with his dry hand and then, on the slim chance that that was not answer enough on its own, he let his gaze make another full sweep of Leukos’ body before returning their focus to his face. After a moment, he gave another slight upward notch of his eyebrows and tipped his head, leaving the, ‘So…? What now?’ unwritten.

Sajah frowned.

The initial response — including apology and questioning as to ‘why’ — had been a relief and more positive than expected. This, however felt…

Well, much more like the pithy and careful, politely crafted dismissal that he anticipated upon clarifying matters. Now that the facts were on the table, Leukos was no longer interested, and he ought to just leave. ‘I hope… that a part of you doesn’t either.’ Had he not made himself clear? But no sooner had the thought occurred to him than he knew he was not being fair to the man, only dwelling in his personal frustration, because no: apparently he had not made himself clear, and he could hardly blame Leukos for that.

The entire situation had been wildly confusing all around rife with rampant miscommunication and even still, here he stood, at a bar with a near-full mug of ale and an attractive man who was at least telling him he did not regret giving him his first kiss, all other misconceptions aside. It wasn’t that bad of a situation. Better, arguably, in many ways than any number of other possible alternative outcomes for the night, and it was — as the saying went — ‘not over yet.’ Once the haze of blustery emotions and high-running hormones had ebbed to a more managable level, he knew miscommunication was a rampant element of his life experience and that much was unavoidable.

And not Leukos’ fault.

Grunting, he took a moment to return to his ale, and used the time to debate. Being that it wasn’t over and that the man before him was likely as cooperative as he was going to get, what did he want from the rest of the night? It might have been simplest to finish his drink and slip out without further action. By the time he was ready to return his mug to the counter, however, Sajah had decided otherwise. Even if that were the ‘simplest’ answer, Sajah did not expect to live an especially long or risk-free life. He had had a roughshod one to date, and though things were now infinitely better that was because he had the freedom to drive it where he chose.

And right now, there was a very welcome course of action standing directly in front of him. Nyko took no strides to limit himself from expressing interest in (and taking, when he could) the things and persons he pleased, and Nyko’s opportunities for such things were numerous and ever recurring. Sajah couldn’t fairly say he ever expected to have another opportunity quite like this again.

So, because he’d clearly failed — again — at communicating his position on things and there didn’t seem to be any great risk involved in clarifying at this point, after setting his drink aside, he dusted his hands to dry them, leaned away from the counter, towards Leukos, and reached. With most of the space between their bodies already eliminated, fitting his hand into the juncture between Leukos’ legs was the difference of but a few inches, and amidst the cacophony that was the rest of the bar, it seemed unlikely any of the other mostly-equally-or-more-rowdy patrons would care or even notice.

To be sure that Leukos noticed, however, Sajah gave an appreciative squeeze.

If nothing else, it felt like fair game after the unrequested foot massage some minutes prior.

After all that had transpired, Sajah actually had not expected the man to be so taken aback. Had he not been comfortable getting just so ‘familiar’ with him not but a handful of minutes before, when they knew even less about each other?

But, he also saw no reason to take offense, since Leukos didn’t, and thus likely looked more subtly amused than anything else, returning to approximately the mood he had been in just before the other man had initiated what had already transpired of their escapades: curious and interested, but at least no longer in a state of mental chaos. At the eventual offer, he grunted and nodded.

‘You,’ he attempted to clarify, tapping lightly to Leukos’ chest with a finger. A fresh start sounded best for all parties. But not, he gestured back towards the bar with a shake of his head, more alcohol. He tapped his mug, held up one finger, and then gave a thumbs up. One was plenty for him. Besides…

Though he knew his personal sign language would not be comprehensible to Leukos in the strictest sense, his fingers moved anyway on the assumption that — now familiar with his condition — the man would at least know he had something to say, even if it was not clear what.

«You seem to have had enough for the both of us,» he signed, his teeth flashing again in the barest and briefest of grins before he notched his head and started away from the counter again. There were far too many bodies up front, and if they were going to attempt to communicate—or whatever else this man wanted to do in the process of ‘starting over’—it seemed that getting a space at least as minimally private as the table they’d shared before was preferable.

Perhaps Leukos would even settle for a walk. The night air, by now, was a tempting siren, and at least the many beaches of Matori were a blank canvas upon which he could write without commandeering someone’s drink.

“Mm.”

While Sajahka had no doubt that more alcohol would further loosen his inhibitions, he could already feel the warmth in his gut from what he’d had, and didn’t kid himself: his body was comparatively small, he had virtually zero built up tolerance for the drink, and he was not in familiar territory. However the night went down, he wanted to remain in control of his wits—at least to whatever extent necessary to remain vigilant for safety purposes. Besides, he didn’t feel enough in want of a drink to pay for it himself, and if he was going to divest the man of his coin later, he might as well spare himself the cost.

Fortunately, Leukos not only did not press the point, but did exactly as Sajah might have hoped. He made it clear what he wanted to do. Dancing was not a special talent of his, but neither was he the sort to be embarrassed or shy under public display, and after downing the third quarter of his drink and setting it aside, he allowed himself to be pulled along, a pleasant, prickling warmth under his skin.

The music was pleasant. Good, even.

Not so refined or entrancing as Nyko’s voice had the capacity to be, but that wasn’t a fair comparison to begin with, and Sajah enjoyed music. It being Nyko’s passion, he knew more about it than most through him, and could thus recognize some of its stylistic components and chord patterns. As they pulled onto the floor, though, Sajah was content to let his mind appreciate the music at a more base level and focus instead on his company. He had so much energy. A liveliness and vivid thirst for the spices of life that, while Sajah understood to be something he would only have to appreciate for the moment, he still found innately alluring in the present moment. Almost familiar, and perhaps later, if he closed his eyes he could pretend.

For now, he let his hand come to rest at his partner’s hip, and stepped in.

Leukos knew what he was doing. This was news (Sajahka did not automatically expect any level of coordination even in the most enthusiastic of dancing drunks), but of a pleasant sort. Especially beneficial since he didn’t know what he was doing. Or, at least by contrast, he was not nearly so flashy.

Leukos’ body seemed to move as though it were designed to be put on display and catch the eye, the curving lines of his body language and swinging movements near perfectly in tempo and clearly experienced at doing so—most of the time. There was the occasional instance where Sajah suspected intoxication might have come into play, but for the most part the man was impressively graceful, and entertainment simply to watch. But Sajahka had the special privilege of a more hands on role than that, and though he was no expert, he was an opportunist, and not about to waste this one.

He kept pace best he could, mostly being the subtler and more stable half of their balance, being the base or the still hand to hold when Leukos needed something to twirl from, and all the while, he appreciated the full combination of the show. The lively, almost pulse-like rhythm of the music that beat through and around them. The tune which jaunted from song to song, bidding its dancers along like a very loose set of instructions. The warm hum of alcohol in his blood, subtle but there which gave just enough of an added sense of ease and flow to the situation to be noticeable.

And Leukos himself, glittering and alive, not just in the sense of breathing, but in being part of and adding to the spirit and flavor of the moment, so much so that he seemed to almost naturally make himself the centerpiece. It was, again, a familiar feeling, and one Sajah was very content with—put at ease and even arguably drawn further in by. He never wanted the spotlight himself, but found himself entranced by those whom it truly suited, and to be close to that — a part of that, catching, bracing, turning, and touching as Leukos’ body moved with and around him — was a gift of itself.

Admittedly, though he was doing far less than Leukos in terms of raw energy expenditure through aerobics and the natural cardio of dancing, Sajah too was feeling the drain of it as they continued on. He had just begun to wonder how much energy this man had—when very abruptly there came Leukos’ thud and the silencing ripple among the crowd in its wake. Sajahka’s first instinct was concern, jerking forward before anyone else to assess what happened and if Leukos had been hurt, his pulse suddenly quick for two reasons instead of one.

Then came his laugh.

And, like an emotional pacifier, it immediately blanketed down Sajah’s fears, allowing a gradual, creeping amusement to settle in in its place. He stepped in the rest of the way until he stood at Leukos’ side, over him and looking down, his expression bright with more genuine warmth than had been on display yet that night.

“Mm,” he agreed with a nod, and stooped to a knee beside him, offering a hand up.

After catching it though, and before pulling to help him upright, Sajah leaned, dipping over Leukos’ still-prone form, and touching their lips in a kiss. Because, while he had no special interest in further drawing the attention of the surrounding crowd or putting any form of affection on display, if he could not take the opportunity to kiss smiling lips breathless with laughter and winded from dancing, what was the point of such moments? Surely there were few instants more deserving of tasting raw and appreciating for all their worth in the blink that they existed.

They would never come again quite like this, after all.

Sajahka hadn’t intended for the kiss to linger. They were, after all, in the midst of a crowd, in the middle of a dance floor, and while he was not a shy man, neither was he showy, and it had seemed simply like a good window of opportunity for a brief brush of a thing. Leukos evidently had other plans, stalling Sajah where he was and—well, Sajah supposed he didn’t mind that, either.

More touching than he’d anticipated, but nothing shocking or objectionable, and for a moment, he almost forgot they were in the middle of something. Until Leukos withdrew and spoke, and Sajah blinked, then gave a quiet, amused snort of acknowledgement and nodded as he stood, this time actively helping Leukos onto his feet as well. While he hadn’t given it much thought before this moment, he was hungry now that he did think about it, and particularly after the unexpected extra exercise, the prospect of heading out somewhere to fill themselves was certainly welcome.

After maneuvering his way out of the crowd, though, Sajah left it to Leukos to lead. He certainly didn’t know the area especially well himself, Leukos seemed to prefer to take point, and it had been the other man’s suggestion, if nothing else. Even if they got ‘lost’ along the way it didn’t seem like a great risk—just more time to spend in the night with a curious stranger.

In the first moments after Leukos came to a wavering stand, Sajah supported him as best he could, being perfectly steady by comparison—he hadn’t hardly drank, after all. Leukos was larger than him (certainly taller, at the very least), but it fortunately wasn’t an unsteady enough situation to give him much difficulty, and the man did seem to regain most of his balance after.

As Leukos closed his tab and offered him a glass of water, Sajah sipped it, eyes on his company. Truly, the man was a small storm within himself: energy and flare, even when it came to the simple tasks. Sajah felt the corner of his mouth twitch briefly upward, betraying new amusement when Leukos slammed his cup to the counter as he finished. Meat and spices did sound fantastic, so he nodded, and followed after Leukos when he was ready to part.

The salt air was crisp with evening, leaving a pleasant, enlivening prickle under his bare skin on contact. Sajah drew a full breath, gaze flitting skyward to appreciate the starry heavens before coming to a pause as Leukos did and letting his eyes shut. The air was never quite like this in Oba, and this was something he would miss if he and Nyko were to travel far from Matori. He glanced downward at Leukos’ inquiry, and it wasn’t a bad idea at all.

Though he generally dressed conservatively, most every wardrobe choice he made was practical above all else, and while his boots were useful — if he was to be wandering about in seedy bars or down public streets where there might be waiting dangers for his feet — they weren’t so necessary here. And he, too, preferred free toes. So, he knelt, unclasping his boots and working them off before tucking them under one arm and burrowing his newly-bared toes into the loose sand with an appreciative grunt.

It was a beautiful night.