|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2016 3:51 pm
It would probably never feel natural to say that he ‘had plans.’ Or at least, not plans especially for himself. Not a scheduling conflict between him and two other clients, but actual, for his own personal enjoyment, plans, that involved him leaving and ignoring the brothel for several consecutive hours. There were no chores, no errands, no going with someone he worked with, or doing anything for anyone else. He did not need nor ask for permission, and didn’t feel a pressing desire to tell anyone he was going anywhere.
Except Syth.
Naarhiji couldn’t help but tell Syth. The woman was excellent at figuring things out on her own, and this was likely to be no exception. Particularly after the way she’d found him with Malik just a few short days prior. ‘Compromised’ was the most immediate word to come to mind. In the early hours of the morning, pearly toothed smiles always had a way of appearing overly threatening. More so when directed at him while doing something he knew on multiple levels he shouldn’t be doing. While Naar had been very vocal in his surprise at seeing her (and probably unfairly and almost rudely suspicious of her actions), Sytherina continued to be one of the very few things the dark goddess had created that was actually worth something.
She displayed a significantly less amount of surprise at the scene than Naar expected and was instead as ever-amused as usual at the sight the pair made. If she knew the details of the events that transpired the previous night before Naar and Malikai had managed to climb into bed together, she didn’t mention it. He couldn’t tell if he was grateful or more suspicious for it.
Regardless, he’d only ever felt compelled to share secrets with one person, and this was no exception. And it did feel especially secretive, now that he’d been very specifically banned from seeing Malikai at all. He still couldn’t precisely pinpoint an exact reason why, and he complained to Syth about it while selecting dark, fully-covering, ‘secretive’ attire for the afternoon. “It’s not as though I’m doing anything worse than what I’ve been doing for the past two years,” Naarhiji griped as he dragged a slinky, long-sleeved mesh top from its hanger.
Syth lay across the foot of his bed, picking from a box that held the remains of Naar’s least-favorite leftover sweets. She gave a noncommittal shrug. “All parents worry over their kids’ mating choices. I wouldn’t take it personally.”
“No one said anything about mating,” Naar retorted, as he dropped a pair of leggings over her head. She scoffed and flicked them to the floor with a snap of her wrist. “And Remalus isn’t my father.”
“You’ve lived with him near as long as the man who is,” she replied patiently as she sat up and eyed him.
“Doesn’t change the fact that he’s not and shouldn’t be telling me what I can and can’t do.”
Naar couldn’t quite put a name to the emotion that crossed Syth’s face. Her lashes dipped, chin tucking in ever so slightly, and there was the faintest pursing of her lips. She didn’t press the subject, and instead grunted, “Are you planning on leaving sometime this season?”
He might have asked and probably should’ve, but some extremely selfish part of him said that he had a date to keep and Syth’s feelings would be what they were whether he asked right now or not. “I like to keep him waiting,” Naarhiji asserted smugly instead, as he twisted a stray wave of hair about a finger before tossing it over his shoulder.
The look was gone as quickly as it had come, and Syth was smiling (albeit a bit devilishly) again. “I’m sure Malikai is deeply appreciative of that.”
“He can be ‘deeply appreciative’ that I’m going out of my way to see him at all.”
And that was that. A hasty farewell tossed over his shoulder and Naar was headed out, out to the collection of stalls and carts and traders that had served well enough as the very first spot he’d met Malikai outside of the brothel. Naar expected it would work at very least as well as the first time. And maybe there’d be chocolate involved again, too.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2016 11:07 am
Malikai was not precisely sure what he was doing.
To be fair, this assessment of his affairs tended to apply broadly and frequently — perhaps far more often than it ought — but in this case, it seemed especially appropriate, with far more going on that he ‘ought not’ be involved in than he cared to count up. He oughtn’t be sleeping with anyone half his age. He oughtn’t be bedding oblivionites generally. He oughtn’t be bedding anyone other than his dearly beloved wife, for that matter, and atop all of those combined, he certainly oughtn’t be returning, again and again, to some barely-of-age, boychild oblivionite prostitute, taking him out of the spaces he belonged, endangering him, developing unfounded hopes and wants in regards to him, and—
Except that all of it, even if he ‘ought not’ be involved in any of it, was actively making him happier than he had been in longer than he cared to remember. It seemed difficult to imagine, he supposed, that he could make the overall scheme of his life much worse at its current stage, even by pursuing something inappropriate, and he felt a bizarre recklessness in regards to it all. Not enough to want to overstep into putting Naarhiji in plight again, but enough that insofar as it affected his own affairs, all of this, to whatever end it took him, was worth the journey.
So, on the morning he’d awoken in Naarhiji’s bed after being officially barred from the brothel by its owner only to be directly under the open scrutiny of a watchful Sytherina, Malikai had felt—well, largely uninclined to do anything more than synch an arm more securely around Naarhiji’s middle and tuck his face out of the way of the light because it had at the time still seemed far too early yet to be morning. The fact that she hadn’t seen fit to eviscerate or even report him at that point was one more of a growing number of reasons Malikai found himself not only in deep indebtedness, but genuine gratitude towards the woman.
Now, Malikai waited in the heat of the main market, around the same stall he and Naarhiji had first encountered each other outside of the brothel’s walls and — because it was a sweet shop — he saw no reason not to purchase one, or two, or ten small wrapped candies. In the safety of protective paper and a tied bag, it wasn’t as though they would cause issue. Then, he spotted the familiar deep green of Naarhiji’s hair in the crowd and the familiar — if unjustified, at this point perhaps — knot of quiet anxiety at the thought that the younger man would change his mind prior to arrival, dissipated, allowing a more relaxed stance, and a hopeful, borderline sheepish grin of good humor.
“Oi, y’ did make it,” he said when Naarhiji was within range of speaking comfortably, despite the crowd. “No heightened security as t’ lettin’ you be out an’ about?” His gaze slid down the younger man on instinct, taking in his ‘outfit’ — ever impossible to ignore — and then, before he could curb the impulse to, letting his fingers move out to skirt the outer side of his wrist as if to catch at his hand—but retreating before the motion could be completed. “And eh…wha’ was all this ‘bout shoes an’ no bugs or brothels or blood? Feel like the day’s plan’s in your hands an’ ‘m at your service.” Remembering them, he plucked out one of the wrapped chocolates and held it out. “Wha’s first, highness?”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon May 23, 2016 2:56 pm
“Of course I did,” Naar scoffed immediately when the first words from his companion’s mouth sounded genuinely relieved, as if Malikai though he actually might not’ve ‘made it.’ He shifted out of range of passerby then stepped in close to Malik’s chest, perched forward on his toes, and pecked his lips in a soft kiss, before crossing his arms behind his back, and settling in with a small smile. That was surely the most appropriate thing he could’ve done, anyway. “I’ve never- not ever-” He reached to tap a well-manicured and newly varnished (with something called ‘Sugar Plum’ which didn’t mean much to Naarhiji, but it sounded delicious) finger to the older man’s nose. “-given you reason to think I wouldn’t.”
Except maybe that no one else wanted him to, and most people that weren’t Naar might consider that reason enough. The thought of ‘security’ did give him a fraction of hesitation, though, before he shook his head and rolled his shoulders. “I… suppose not,” Naar decided at length. “I’m an adult. I can make my own choices. It’s not as if I’m going to be locked up or trailed after all day long.” No one had the time to tend to him to such a degree. Probably.
Anyway, all of that seemed irrelevant, and discussing it now seemed to defeat the purpose of the exercise. These were issues he didn’t want to concern himself with, at present.
Instead, he plucked the offered candy from Malikai’s fingers and twisted open the wrapper. This was already far more enjoyable than previous topics. Before he had the chance to pop the candy in his mouth, he shot the older man a skeptical, narrow-eyed squint. He did distinctly remember telling Malik about ‘no bugs, brothels, or blood,’ but they were already managing that much, and keeping from it shouldn’t be that hard a task. He huffed, and popped the chocolate in his mouth, savoring the melty morsel while he thought on his actual course of action.
Probably best to not actually leave the town this time around. Not that doing so with Malik wasn’t a great and engaging adventure, but- He swallowed.
“First.” He slipped his fingers into Malikai’s palm, curled his digits around his hand and tugged lightly upward, dusting the back of his knuckles to Malik’s lips. “You really ought to show me a little more appreciation for meeting you out here,” Naar informed his companion seriously, fixing their entwined fingers with a look that was both expectant and impatient. “I think knights are supposed to bow to their princess.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 29, 2016 3:12 pm
Malikai blinked, eyebrows raising with the faintest twitch up as he opened his mouth to explain that—
Except, that suddenly seemed wildly unnecessary a moment later as Naarhiji leaned in, pressing up onto tip toes and touching to his lips with a soft kiss. Instead of words, heat crawled up, dusting his cheeks, and he cleared his throat, beaming a moment later in spite of himself.
“I don’t suppose you have, no,” he admitted. “Not on your own account, anyhow. Was more other folk I was concerned with, but…y’ clearly made it just th’ same. Of which I’m most grateful, an’ honored, an’ pleased.”
His eyes followed Naar’s candy to his lips, and stayed there all up until Naar’s fingers wound into his—and raised up. Again, his brows arched, though this time higher, with more amusement, and when he discovered what the younger man was doing, he went with it, gripping lightly and pressing a kiss to his knuckles. Then came the last statement, and he laughed before meaning to—a soft, but open and rumbling chuckle before he cleared his throat, gathered his composure, and nodded.
“I do apologize, princess,” he said, taking a half-step back and dipping into a practiced bow. “Distracted by your highness’s radiance, ‘m sure, but no excuse not t’ perform as I ought. Y’ look like the fairest thing ever t’ grace the marketplace…” When his gaze landed for a moment on the actual state of Naar’s fingers, his smile curved up further, eyes warm with good humor. “And th’ purple suits you. Can’t imagine a sane man I know tha’ wouldn’t fight for the opportunity t’ kiss such pretty hands.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
