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 Posted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 1:20 pm
 Rasalas is the northern most outpost of the Starlets on Peione, no average Starlet daring to brave the harsh cold of the northern Haldis lands. Teh Island of Rasalas would be uninhabitable for the warmth loving Starlets if not for the high Eastern Mountain range holding back the bitterly cold winds from the north. The town that occupies much of the southern end of the island grew thanks to the warm waters of the Firefrost river which is sourced from the large hot springs at the base of the mountains. (( Open to future editing by Vel, lil or Dusty only))
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Posted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 1:37 pm
As soon as he stepped off the ship Dominic was struck by the biting winds that plagued the small port town of Rasalas, having spent most of the trip to the island in his cabin, the sudden wind was like getting a bucket of cold water to the face. Shivering Dominic pulled his cloak as tightly as he could and checked on the small bundle he held closely to him. Cold or not Dominic wasn't going to be turned away after coming this far, Loran had disappeared north weeks ago and Dominic hadn't heard from him since; tired of waiting for Loran to return, Dominic had come north to drag his lover back south. Plus there was the small surprise Dominic had in store for Loran, he smiled again as he checked on the bundle and walked into the city, making a bee line for the Hotel he had arranged to stay at.
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Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 10:08 am
Loran sighed as he wiped his brow, looking towards the setting sun to get a sense of the time. "Getting late, I should probably wrap up my work here and get some dinner." He coughed lightly into his gloved hand, waved to his fellow worker, who gave him a teasing whistle, and started back on the trail towards home. It had been a long while since he had seen his beloved Dominic, but he did have to return to work sooner or later and building their little lovenest was one of his top priorities. "Sooner it's built, the sooner I can invite him to come live with me!" He had a broad smile on his face as he merrily walked the icy path down from the forest to the M District, where most of his freinds were waiting for him. They'd frequently harass him about his secret lover ever since he came back home with a large number of hickeys across his body. It was often all in good fun, although there was an interesting amount of people who were not thrilled to hear that the innocent Loran had been corrupted by someone. However, Loran was happy to have Dominic's love and that's all he really cared about.
Finidng his way to the bar to meet up with his fellow Ms, Loran collapsed into one of the comfier booths and sprawled out. His friend nudged him a few times but he was far too tired to respond with anything more than a grunt and a goofy grin. "Whatcha smilin' about, Lor?" "The house is almost done, just got to scrounge up the last bit of my savings to get an adequate heating system and nice furnishings and then it'll be ready." He smiled as he drifted off into a slight nap, his friends laughing as they pushed him upright in the booth's corner so they could sit. "So I wonder who this 'let is, makin' him work so hard day in and day out... Hah, I hope it works out for the kid." Loran only halfway understood what his friend was saying, he was too tired to comprehend much past mention of Dominic. That thought was all he needed for a good night's sleep.
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Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 10:51 am
After settling in and making all his arrangements at his modest hotel, or at least what the overly pampered O thought of as modest, Dominic ventured back out to track down Loran. Dominic had grown up in the capital Kalb, much further to the south and free of the constant cold that Rasalas was known for, as such he was unaccustomed to the icy breeze here and was shivering moments after leaving the hotel. Quickly he got into a waiting carriage, the small bundle he carried held carefully under his coat, away from the wind. Giving directions to the driver, he sat back and stared out the windows as the carriage made it's way through the city towards the poorer district. Dominic had never been to the city before but he had done his homework, or rather had paid a few individuals to do a little discrete poking into Lorans affairs. Dominic wasn't so tactless as to just show up at Lorans job or house unannounced, but a not-so-random meeting in a bar Loran was known to frequent? The thought of seeing Loran again soon brought a small smile to his face, it had been far too long since they had last been together and Dominic had, had many a restless night tossing and turning in an empty bed.
Dominic was jarred from his random daydreaming when the coach suddenly drew to a halt, having finally reached the neighbourhood Dominic was looking for. Getting out and looking around Dominic was struck by how much smaller everything seemed to be, the houses, the shops, even the streets seemed so much narrower compared to the capital. Pulling his coat tight he set off in search of the bar Loran was meant to go to, asking for directions he got some odd looks from Starlets obviously wondering what a Starlet of Dominic's rank was doing in this part of town. Eventually though he found the place he was looking for and made his way in, grateful to be out of the cold again Dominic stood near the bar and searched for any sign of Loran.
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Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 11:09 am
Loran was happily dreaming away about having Dominic in his cozy, hand-built lovenest: sitting on the porch during the summer months drinking hot chocolate, cuddling on the sofa next to the fireplace on winter nights, and finally romping around on the bed every chance they got. He was almost drooling, and his friends would testify that he was talking dirty in his sleep. He easily slept through all of his friend's hoots and hollars as they started to play games and tell stories, but he couldn't sleep through the silence that washed over the bar. He opened his eyes slightly, his body doubled over and almost lying on his friend's lap, and all he could see were legs. Lots of legs, and they were all facing the door. "What in the First's name is an O doing in here..? We bein' bought out or something?" One of Loran's louder friends slammed his cup on the table and got up, heading for Dominic with a stunned look. "Uhh, look Sir, sorry but this is the only area we have. If you buy us out, we'll have no where to go since we can't live further up the mountains..." Finally Loran decided to take a peak at who this O was and got a grip on the table, pulling himself up.
"Mmm..what's going on? Uhh...Oh my stars, Dominic? Is that you?!" Loran flung humself up, tripping over his friends to get out of the booth as he stumbled over to Dominic, nearly crashing into him as he gave him a shocked look. "What are you doing here? I didn't send for you yet, the house isn't finished, and I can't afford to put you up in a nice hotel!!" His voice was loud, which shocked the rest of the bar as his friends started pulling him away and bowing, sending their deepest appologies for his rude welcome. "Stop, hey, stop it! This is who I'm building the house for... This is Dominic, my lover." Loran blushed brightly as he gave a small smile and shrugged off his friends, going behind Dominic and holding him lightly, kissing his shoulder. "Dominic, these are my friends..."
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Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 11:32 am
Dominic wasn't sure what he had expected to happen, but walking into a bar and have it go so quiet you could hear a pin drop, with every eye in the place looking right at you was more than a little unnerving. All he wanted to do was ask if anyone here knew Loran, but before he could ask some guy walked over and started babbling about buying something. For a moment Dominic thought he might have been trying to sell him the bar or something, but before he could make any sense of it, he heard the voice of his beloved, if some what rattled Loran. In that instant his face lite up and all the hassle of travel and shivering with the cold was worth it, a little confused by the activity that followed Dominic finally realised Lorans friends were as confused by Dominics presence as he was by there reaction to him. In the end Dominic found himself stood in front of Loran facing his friends, his face turning slightly red after Loran publicly proclaimed him his lover and now apparently expected to say or do something.
"Ummm... Hello?" Dominic ushered the small greeting and nodded his head slightly, then feeling the need to say something more turned to a man standing behind the bar, he assumed to be the owner or manager of the place. "Uhm would you mind opening a tab for me and placing everyones drinks on it for the night? This should do for a down payment?" He said passing a sum of money over the counter. Taking another look around the bar he felt a little self conscious with all eyes on him and took a step back to stand behind Loran.
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Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 12:39 pm
Loran was busy trying to coax his friends into actually speaking when Dominic had a talk with the bartender. At first he wasn't wanting his lover to start paying for everyone, this was his turn to show him around afterall, but after reaching into his empty pockets, he sighed. He wasn't supposed to be here for another month, the house isn't ready, I haven't been paid yet...How am I going to support him?? His friends noticed his worried look and gave him a heavy pat on the shoulder in congratulations. "So how'd you manage that, Lor?? He's a beaute AND an O! You must be rollin' in luck!" His friends chuckled, Loran blushed, and a few of the women in the bar were clearly angry. Of course the oblivious Loran didn't noticed the looks of dislike headed for Dominic, and he made them worse by going over to Dominic. He stroked the young man's white hair lovingly, "I missed you so much, I'm glad you're here. Errr, but my place isn't all that great and your house isn't ready yet."
There was a small commotion in the background and Loran turned around to see two women coming over and pushing him out of the way, confronting Dominic. "Excuse me, but we can pay for our own drinks thank you. And why are you here anyway? Come to steal another M to serve you, hmm? Don't you have enough people to push around, you capitol brat?" Loran was pretty much shoved away and as much as he tried, he couldn't get through the girls. "Hey, knock it off you guys! I'm not his servant or anything, really! I love him and he loves me, alright?!" "He must be brainwashed, our Loran wouldn't fall in love so easily. You must have some magic that controls minds, don't you? I've heard that the upperclass can do that.." There were a few murmers and gasps in the background, almost enough to drown out Loran's voice.
"I said knock it off!! I invited him here, I'm the one making him live here instead of the capitol so leave him alone!" Loran grit his teeth and plowed through the wall, none too gently, which caused an uproar with the women. They pushed him back, a few of them holding Loran down as the other half confronted Dominic. The tallest one grabbed the young man by the arm, "Loran is a hardworking man meant to be with a hardworking woman of the same class, that's how it works O. ... Now let's see what you have in your arms there, I bet it's some high class gift of some sort that you'll use against us one way or the other. Ah, I bet you're scouting out the land here? Going to bring some more of your upperclass buddies down here and steal all of our men?"
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Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 1:04 pm
Dominic gave Loran a look of mild confusion, unsure of what his lover was talking about. "House? I'm staying at a hotel, I didn't want to put you out since it was a surprise visit and all. And it's only a short visit I hadn't planed on staying long so why would I buy a house here?" Before Dominic could think anymore about it he was accosted by several women, having grown up very sheltered the only women he had known growing up were the very pimp and proper ladies amongst the O's, who acted nothing like these women. He was bombarded by questions and accusations, but before he could answer one another was thrown at him, all he could do was give Loran a helpless look as he tried to understand why these people were taking so much offence to what he thought had been a very friendly gesture.
And then they laid hands on Loran, that alone would have put him on the defensive, but then they tried to make a grab for the precious bundle in his arms and that sent him over the edge all together. "ENOUGH!" The word was barked rather than said in a tone that commanded, used to being obeyed with out question or hesitation. "Get your hands off Loran, or I will give you a demonstration of O magic this town will never forget..." The confused look was gone now replaced by a cold rage aimed directly at those who would dare do any harm to the one thing he loved beyond all others.
Directing his gaze right at the woman who had a hold on him, he funneled all his anger at her. "You want to see what I have here? I'll happily show you..." Pulling back the blanket, Dominic revealed a small head of white hair over a pink face. "Let me introduce Seakas, my son... Our son to be precise." Dominic's dark expression wavered as he gave a warm look over towards Loran, holding the little bundle up to his lover could see.
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Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 1:28 pm
Loran gave a stunned look when he heard Dominic yell, his hands clenching into firsts before going completely limp. The bar went silent when Dominic revealed that the bundle in his arms was actually a child. Loran's friends were quick to jump in, moving the women aside and tugging Loran close to Dominic once again. He nodded a small thanks to the others and asked the bartender for access to the back room. Once he gained permission, Loran took Dominic by the hand and led him back to the other room. "I'm sorry about them, I didn't know they would react like that...well, first of all I didn't think you'd show up but now I see why you did." Loran's face was a cherry color and his hands kept shaking as he opened the door, letting Dominic in first before waving goodbye to his friends. "They'll most likely be leaving soon, and the guy at the bar is also a good friend, he'll let us stay back here in private for as long as we want."
After shutting the door, Loran found a seat and plopped down, stretching out and putting his hand on his face. "So...we have a child? Seakas? Umm, can--can I see him?" He peaked out from beneath his hands as he sat up straight and held out his hands, "And, uhh, how exactly did we do this? I mean, well, I wouldn't think that they'd let someone so young adopt." He cleared his throat and stood up, moving to Dominic's side without waiting for the child to be passed over. His nerves were still on fire from earlier, and he was not at all patient at the moment. "Oh yeah, the house, well, it was supposed to be a surprise but, uhh, I was building us a house like I said I would...only it's not finished yet."
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Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 2:27 pm
Following after Loran, Dominic gave one annoyed glance over his shoulder before entering the room with Loran. "I'm sorry Loran, I didn't expect that, I've made your friends upset.... I.. Uuuh... Sorry I complicated things for you." Sighing Dominic seemed a bit depressed until Loran mentioned Seakas and he brightened up a lot, holding out the small child for Loran to see. "Isn't he adorable, I tried to find a kid that looks like you actually. I remember reading that kids help bring couples together so I hoped one would help us out, you know make you want to come back home more often..." Suddenly he looked up and starred at Loran. "Like you said you would? I thought we agreed you'd move to Kalb and live with me there? Didn't we?" Dominic seemed worried or disappointed and gave Loran a concerned look as he sat down with Seakas still in his arms.
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Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2008 1:54 pm
Loran waved Dominic off, "Don't worry about that, I don't care anymore." He didn't even look at his lover, his eyes were unable to leave the adorable white-haired bundle of baby. He cooed softly as he got on the floor to get his face level with Seakas, one arm on Dominic's lap and the other reached out to cradle the child. "Huh? So you looked for a child because you wanted me to be with you more? Well...yeah, it works, but are you sure you really thought this through? I mean," he stroked the child's hair lovingly, "you can dress him up however you want, but people will still know that he's not from the upper class." He sighed and leaned against his lover, cuddling both and thinking of what to say. Dominic was right, Loran did say that he'd stay in Kalb, but it was a quick decision he soon hated and that's why he decided to come back home and build a house. He knew that Dom had a job, had a life, had everything back in the capital but it was also something he knew Dominic didn't like.
"I don't want any of us going back to Kalb. It's...smothering? I don't know how to describe it but the more I was there, the more I hated being there. It's much safer here, and now that I have a whole family to care for, I really don't want to leave here." Loran sighed and got up off the floor, standing and pulling Dominic into his arms to give him a hug. "The house is almost done. It's secluded, decently sized, and safe. There's plenty of room in the master bedroom and I supposed the guest room will make a wonderful nursery with a few changes..." He smiled and kissed Dominic on the forehead, sitting back in the chair and settling his lover on his lap. "I really don't want to go back, especially now. I want to protect my family."
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Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2008 2:49 pm
Dominic listened patiently to what Loran said but it was obvious from his expression that he didn't like what he was hearing. Now sat in his lovers lap, Seakas still cradled in his arms Dominic had a distant look in his eyes. "You want me to come here so you can protect me? From what? Vile foul tempered woman? The harsh and bitter elements? Those are things I've only had to deal with here. You know I love you and would do anything I can to make you happy, but...." Dominic sighed and leaned his head against Lorans "You don't want to leave here but I'll never be accepted here. You saw how those people acted and they were your friends. How would others react when they learn an O is moving here?"
Dominic got up and paced before Loran, slowly rocking Seakas in his arms, eventually stopping and turning on Loran an annoyed tone to his voice. "And who says you should protect me anyway? You've been working yourself ragged to build this house, when I have a mansion in Kalb! Why are you taking on this burden and exhausting yourself, when I can care for us both in luxury back in a civilised city?!" Dominic stared down at Loran, tapping his foot irritably, managing an air of authority despite holding a baby in his arms
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Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2008 3:23 pm
Loran snuggled Dominic close, "No, no! Well, the cold is something I can't change but there's plenty of coats for that, but I didn't not intend on the women harassing you like that. Mm, you did show up unanounced and those women are by no means my friends, just aquaintances I happened to grow up with. To be honest, they scare me a lot." He looked to the door and made sure it was closed before speaking again, "All the good women aren't found in bars at this time, they're either taking care of their own kids or looking after others' kids as a nanny. Those women are the tough ones who chose to do outdoor labor instead of indoor labor. I've worked with almost all of them, and I'm not sure I'd be able to take 'em if we got into a fight... Ah! But that's beside the point! Those women aren't my friends and they'll get over it. My real friends were just shocked 'cause I didn't tell them that you were an O. To be honest, I wanted you to tell them and show them how good of a person you are!"
The man watched as his lover got up and started pacing. "You'll be accepted, just talk to them! They'll love you!! I mean, how could you be a bad person if you fell in love with a low class O and even adopted one?" He chuckled and stood up, a little wary of Dominic's comanding tone, and walked over to him. "I say that I should protect you, and if my dad was around he'd be saying the same thing. I know I've been working hard and you have a mansion in Kalb and you're richer than everyone here combined and you're gorgeous and have a great job, but are you really happy over there? I'm happy wherever you are, but whenever you go off to work I realize how much I can't do. You can do whatever you want here, but I can't do anything there, and niether can Seakas." Loran slowly came over to Dominic and reached a hand out to play with the child's small hand, a smile growing on his face. "We have to think about him now, too."
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Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2008 4:19 pm
Dominic glared for a moment towards the door. "Well if I ever see any of those women near you again they'll regret it for the rest of their lives... But as for your friends I'm not as sure, it was obvious they weren't comfortable with me there and it's not just them, everyone I've spoken to in this town has seemed nervous or uncomfortable, like they thought I was going to eat them or something.." Dominic watched Loran play with Seakas, he smiled but there was a sad look to his eyes as he leaned against Loran and held the baby between them. "But.. well there is something I can't do here, I've applied to the Mages Guild's Arcane University in Kalb, I had hoped to further my studies and maybe one day become a lecturer there myself. It's not official yet but with my aptitude and rank it's as good as. Does Rasalas even have a chapter of the mages guild in it?"
Dominic sighed and let his head tilt against Lorans shoulder as he gazed upon little Seakas. "And why wouldn't you and he be better off in Kalb? There are loads of M's working in the city, I could easily get you a good job there and make sure Seakas had a secure upbringing. I know you have your pride and don't want my charity or to be seen as mooching off me, but surely it isn't wrong for me to help you get a better job in a safer work environment? You said it was hard and dangerous work for M's out here in the bitter cold, I worry that you'd push yourself too far and wear yourself out..."
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Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 1:03 pm
"Ah, they'll get over it! I did! You know how much of a bumbling idiot I was when I first met you and then I changed to how I am now after I found out you weren't a big scary monster O that I grew up to think your Class would be." Loran beamed a smile and put his hands on his hips but it drooped as he saw Dominic's smile lessen. "Huh? You applied to a university? Err, well, umm...I can't prevent you from going but..." He sighed, ruffling his hair as he tried to think of what to do. "There may be Ms there but-" he paused, saying that they were treated like slaves and were better off losing a limb in Rasalas probably wouldn't better the mood in the room. Instead he moved closer again, kissed Dominic on the forehead, and took Seakas into his arms. "I won't push myself too far, and now that I have a kid and a family I get to do the safer jobs." He stuck out his tongue playfully and turned around, heading for the other room. "Now I want to show off my son!!"
Loran proudly flung open the door to a relatively quiet room and waved over to his friends, "Come see my son!! His name is Seakas, and he's so tiny.." He met his friends half way and presented the infant that was carefully tucked in his arms, being rocked gently. "I don't know how Dom was able to adopt him but I'm so happy right now. Oh! And y'all better be nice to Dominic or I'll--" "Relax shortie, there's nothin' you can do to us that hasn't already been done an' we don't feel like disruptin' your happy little family. Afterall, we built that house, too! Just make sure we're invited to some family dinners and we're even, 'kay?" Loran smiled and nodded, being the shortest and youngest amongst the men in the bar he was often treated like their own son. And now I have a son... "Feel like an old grandpa yet?" His friends hooted with laughter as a few of them began cooing to Seakas to try and get him to smile. "Where's your darling wife, Lor?" "He's afraid of the women, but I think he'll be out soon." "Who in the First's name isn't scared of those women?!" The room filled with laughter as the bartender brought out more drinks, Loran still searching for any signs of his lover emerging from the backroom.
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