[FIN] Better Than Beer Stains On Counters {Leukos+Sajahka}

[MissMisnomer]

Pushing his empty plate aside, Leukos wiped at the corners of his mouth with the cloth napkin on his lap. Staying at an inn had its benefits: he never needed to touch a spatula or frying pan in order to enjoy a fresh meal. It certainly was not cheaper than cooking for yourself, but Leukos was never very good at that, and besides, there was a discount for eating in rather than going out. So this had just been one of many meals he had enjoyed here.

But this night, and a couple before, he was sharing the table with someone else.

Saj sat across from him, working on getting his meal finished as well. Eating was always a quiet affair with him: hard to have a stimulating dinner conversation with someone who needs to put down their utensils in order to reply. That didn't stop Leukos from saying what was on his mind, filling the quiet with his voice, even if it was just with meaningless thoughts. But Leukos was patient, and if anything felt important enough, he would always wait till they were done to try to get a real answer from Saj.

So he set his napkin down, folding it into a neat triangle. “Well, now that dinner is out of the way, want to go somewhere? Some of the others from work wanted to meet up for drinks at this bar after they got some food in their bellies, and I thought you might like to join us?”

[1/10]

The Only Black Uke

 

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

After the first day of Sajah’s arrival, Leukos had opened his living quarters to him — for the time being — as roommates. Several days now had passed, leaving Sajah with both some work experience and time to adjust under his belt to all other surrounding circumstances. He didn’t suppose he was all the way there yet. But certainly, he felt better acclimated than he had, and things were going well. Other than perhaps a handful of mildly disgruntled co-workers who hadn’t been the most enthusiastic about someone being taken in ‘off the street’ so easily, things had gone over relatively smoothly and by the day, things felt easier and more natural.

Having a place to come ‘home’ to and a routine of his own was more pleasant than he might have given it credit for. Without personal dispute between them, they didn’t butt heads over space or cleanliness—and though perhaps it was thanks in part to the fact that Sajah had nothing to take up space with for the moment, he did not anticipate trouble on that front in the coming future. He was content, and it was nice, to have someone to share an evening meal with.

He thought privately that perhaps, after his first payday, he ought to find a way to return the favor on that front. It might have been better if he trusted himself with cooking, but given his own inability to taste…

Perhaps he would do better to simply bring a meal home.

He was just finishing his own, thoughts still drifting, when Leukos made his comment, and Saj glanced up, blinking. Drinks? Sajah still distinctly remembered his first encounter with Leukos, which had involved a bar and drinks, but only — from his perspective at least at the time — the two of them. Sajah didn’t suppose it was surprising that Leukos still engaged in such things, though this sounded like slightly different of an affair, if it involved a collection of those they worked with.

He wasn’t certain there would be much for him to engage in, since the bulk of his conversation would be dependent on how much Leukos was willing to be about to translate—and already, he didn’t think he needed to be that sort of friend for Leukos. It was one thing with Nyko, but Leukos had his own life and friends and did not need a tag along attached at the hip. But, Sajah had spent time in public ‘alone’ before — unsupported by the benefit of detailed conversation — and in fact, even his first night with Leukos had been as such. So it wasn’t as though he was completely incapable of managing himself and interacting without a detailed dialogue.

And, if the alternative was to sit at home and do nothing while Leukos went out drinking and engaging…

Sajah rolled his shoulders and nodded. «Sounds fun. Where to?»  

[MissMisnomer]

“It’s just about a twenty minute walk from here, so not too far. One of the guys has a brother who owns the place, so the drinks are cheaper, which is great. Amd we don’t need to catch a ride or anything, it’s easier that way,” Leukos said as he made eye contact with the boy working as server for the night, fishing coins for the meal out of his bag and placing them at an obvious spot in the middle of the table.

“We’ve met there a few times before, the place is nice. But not too fancy so that you feel uncomfortable relaxing. And they usually have at least one person providing music, which I am always a fan of.”

Leukos grinned, standing from his spot as he pushed his chair in. “I think you’ll enjoy yourself. And everyone hasn’t really had the chance to get to know you yet, so this is a good opportunity for that. Pull back the shroud of mystery you’ve been sporting since you arrived~”

[2/10]  

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

Convenient indeed.

Sajah listened, taking in the info but also watching and making mental distant note as Leukos paid. One day, hopefully not terribly far from this day. But not yet. For now, just some unfathomable mental tally of debt. At shroud of mystery, however, he couldn’t help but snort, standing as well as amusement tugged wryly at a corner of his lip.

«I don’t think I am especially mysterious.»

But, he supposed to his co-workers was a different matter than others, as they had real reason to wonder to some extent, and he had come in as a surprise to everyone, including Leukos. It also wasn’t as though he had much opportunity to lift any such shroud. He wasn’t sure if this night would change that, but there was no harm in trying. Though he wasn’t personally very accustomed to it, he knew many found alcohol to be relaxing, warming—and enlivening, to an extent. There was no telling whether it would be easier or more difficult to communicate with tipsy or more-so companions, but only time would tell that.

When they made it outside, the evening air was pleasant. Still warm with the last hints of day, but no longer approaching ‘hot.’ A pleasant mix of the lingering heat of the sun-warmed ground and atmosphere and cooler, inward rolling seabreezes as the day sank out of sight.

Edrao was the largest of Matori’s establishments as Sajah understood it, and it wasn’t difficult to believe. Like Oba’s trade centers, it bustled with merchant life and evidence of success and wealth woven in directly alongside more need. But everything else was different. The vast majority of all of it, wealth and otherwise, was Matorian made and Matorian owned. It felt like a testament to the success of their people to see it, and it was refreshing to him to observe.

Of all the places he might have ended up ‘stuck’, it certainly wasn’t the worst. In fact, he rather suspected he’d grow a fondness for the city in time, particularly as he got to know it better.

A bubble up of laughter from one of the merchant stalls drew his attention as they went along, and his eyes landed — some young woman, posing with necklaces and inquiring with amused flare as to how they looked — then he looked away, puffing lightly and turning his gaze toward the sky. Only the first two or three dots of stars were visible yet.

He wondered, in spite of himself, where Nyko was at this point.

Then, very quickly, he quieted the thought. There would be plenty else to think about tonight.  

[MissMisnomer]

Stretching as he stepped outside, Leukos hummed in open appreciation of the temperature drop from earlier. “Mmh, it looks like it's going to be another beautiful night. I'd walk even if we weren't going anywhere in particular.”

But they were, so he set off leading the way. Small talk helped pass the time, asking Saj how his newest day on the job went. He did not have to actively participate in maintenance of the facilities at the ranch, his time used instead for training their wards, so it was interesting to learn what went on behind the scenes.

And soon enough they were at the bar, light already glowing through the windows as people moved around inside. The building was two stories, stone on the bottom and wooden on top. A thick sign hung from a brace above the door, painted with a red zanteer enjoying a miscellaneous mug of grog. Leukos stood beside the mounts tied up on their posts, out of the way of the door. A bushi sniffed at his bag curiously, but the inquisitive snout was promptly pushed away as he chuckled. “No, there is nothing in here you'll be interested in.”

“But, before we go in, I picked up something today that might come in handy for you,” he said, flipping open the bag over his shoulder to pull out the items he was looking for. He handed Saj a small slate rectangle with a leather thong laced through the corner, along with a little bag of chalk sticks.

“I figured you might not want to have to rely on me all the time when you have something on your mind, or in case I'm not around. You can just tie it to one of your belts. ” He grinned, thinking back on their first night together, and the communication issues that had plagued the pair. “Besides, it'll work ten times better than beer stains on counters.”

[3/10]  

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

I picked something up today…

Sajahka’s gaze moved Leukos’ way. It was strange and yet not how easy it had felt to get into a routine with him, despite how little time they had had together before in the grand scheme, and how little they really knew each other beyond the scope of largely bedroom talk. But it had been easy. Easy to be casual and easy to be friends, easy to hold a conversation on the way over such that he was relaxed when they approached the bar and not thinking of much else when their talk came to an easy finish.

Whatever this was, he hadn’t anticipated anything and when it registered what he was being handed—heat climbed his neck in spite of himself, an abashed flush warming his cheeks and then his earfins as they flicked. Better than beer stains on counters…

Retrieving one of the chalk pieces, he scratched out: thank you followed by a rather crude and quick but earnest attempt at depicting a butterfly.

After tying it away safely at his hip as suggested, he managed a sheepish grin. «I think that you are right, and…» He hesitated only a moment. «You are a good…» Why did ‘friend’ still sound presumptuous? As though he hadn’t earned the right yet to call Leukos his friend for all he had yet to repay. «…person. I appreciate it.»

He had considered before that it might benefit him to purchase (or ‘acquire’ under his prior way of working) some form of small hand journal or paper set, but methods to write and funds or opportunity to acquire such a thing had never come together into any concrete action, and now, he would have had to wait until he could purchase. Instead, Leukos was gifting him everything he needed—and for such an appropriate occasion as well.

«I am sure it will begin its long history of loyal service tonight.»  

[MissMisnomer]

Leukos had expected a certain amount of easy gratitude out of Sajahka for the slate, since he surely must be tired of having to always go through Leukos any time he wanted to say anything. It was a logical solution to the problem. But what he got went above and beyond that, honesty surprising him with the intense sincerity and blush the simple items had earned from Sajahka. Unprepared as he was for the response, it got Leukos blushing as well, pleasantly embarrassed by how much Saj seemed to appreciate it.

“It's really not that big of a deal, I just thought you must be tired of relying on me by now, it just made sense-” he rambled, stepping past to place a steadying hand on the door handle. After a deep breath, he smiled, cheeks still tinted lavender. “You're welcome. I'm glad you like it.”

He pulled the door open and stepped inside, warm air tinted with the smell of people and drinks greeting them. The place was large, designed for high capacity, but at the moment, it was only housing a smaller load. Leukos led the way to one of the private alcoves dotting the establishment, coming to a collection of people seated in armchairs and sofas around a low lying table. A man with a well endowed gut waved him over, drink in hand.

“Hey, we got the same spot again, isn't that grand?”

“It is, though I'm sure the fact that your brother owns the place might have had something to do with our luck, Henrik,” Leukos said, approaching the group. “Since that is your favorite chair in this whole place.”

The large man tipped his glass with an innocent grin. “A lucky roll of the dice, I'm telling ya.”

“But of course,” Leukos purred, gliding around the various feet and knees in his path to an unoccupied sofa. Taking a seat as he crossed his legs, he patted the spot next to him. “And I hope you all don't mind, but I thought I'd invite my friend to our rendezvous. You've all met Sajahka by now?”

Various murmurs and words of agreement rose from the collective, a slim woman with slanted eyes leaning forward to offer Saj her hand. “I've only seen you in passing, so let's get formality out of the way. I'm Pyra, I lead the team in charge of jockey training.”

Henrik chimed in enthusiastically. “Fastest she-devil the world has ever seen, that one. Even in a race with a herd of xaarans, and she was on a bushi, I'd still know where to place my winning bet.”

Pyra’s lips curled into a grin, tipping her chin his way. “I'm not used to such flattery coming from you. How many drinks did you have before we arrived~?”

Henrik harumph-grumbled through his mustache. “Just take the compliment, woman. Grinning like a damned prize winning perzi…”

[4/10]  

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

Sajahka was — glad, he supposed — that Leukos’ surprise at his reaction was brief and modest enough.

He wasn’t accustomed to gifts, and had perhaps only ever been the recipient of one or two of note in his life. The book Nyko had stolen, from which they had taught themselves his language, and his two primary daggers, a gift from one of the older slaves who had taught him much of the basics in what he knew of knife fighting to begin with. This one was timely, and simple surely to Leukos.

But Sajah already knew it would last as long as the material survived. Thus, even if it was ‘small’ in the larger scheme of things for Leukos — not that big of a deal — it was touching to him: that he had been thought of at all, that Leukos had gone out of his way to make the thought not only present but turn it into concrete action at the cost of his own coin, and that he would now have something from Leukos to use indefinitely going forward.

It was a big deal to him, and, ‘You’re welcome…’ was all he needed to nod.

There probably wasn’t an appropriate way to express any further thanks, and for the moment at least it was easiest to follow the man in. Social scenes were not his specialty. He enjoyed company, people, and revelry to an extent, and imagined he might have even more so if not robbed of the opportunity to further engage properly. But the fact that he couldn’t generally actively be a part in the way most expected was an ever present drawback. Add upon that of course the fact that he hadn’t had much opportunity to practice it under other circumstances, and—he was fairly out of place.

Yet, he did have his gift now, for emergencies, and beyond that Sajahka for all his faults was at least not naturally withdrawn or shy by any stretch. For all his personal bottled insecurities, he had enough outward curiosity and interest to tend towards overlooking them at the beginning of any social interaction, and even knowing that some awkward pauses were bound to come about, he still felt uncharacteristically optimistic going in.

Henrick. Sajahka made mental note, and—Pyra. After taking a seat beside Leukos it was hard not to have her as the first of his focus, and Sajah extended a hand to meet hers. Since Leu was at his side, and it wouldn’t yet make sense to highlight his chicken scratch over efficiency, however, he simply signed, «It is no surprise you win races, with that first to the draw attitude…»

It didn’t take long after that to become familiar — or at least mentally bookmark the names of — Niiro, Qyriah, Urosahn, Brakkas, and Oli…something. Sajah began to lose track after that. More of them were those Leukos had opportunity to work with, though he was already personally acquainted with (or knew the names of, at least) Laddos and Natisha, who worked more directly with him. He was just fairly certain Laddos was specifically unfond of him for reasons unknown.

When the opportunity to drink came around, he was happy enough to indulge. He wasn’t the most experienced of drinkers, but in this case, that was likely a boon to all. He wouldn’t need much, and even if he became intoxicated, he probably couldn’t say much to permanently embarrass him. Since it was what everyone was doing, it couldn’t hurt to at least warm his gut such that by the time anyone looked ready to do anything other than talk, he could feel the effects swimming warmly in his bloodstream.

He elbowed Leu. «Will there be dancing?»  

[MissMisnomer]

“Mmh?” Leukos hummed, turning away from the person he'd been talking to as Saj vied for his attention instead. At the question, he looked around, assessing the general vibe of the group. They were definitely at ease, the kind that comes after time and a few drinks. And the room was filling up as more people came in, the evening warming up even as the temperature dropped outside. And the band playing were doing a good job of keeping the energy of the place high.

But, that being said. “I don't know. Maybe? It all depends on what everyone is up for. Let me ask.”

He rested the glass he was holding on his knee, speaking to be heard above the din. “Does anyone have any plans for what to do now that everyone is here?”

“Well, I'm glad you asked. Because I actually do,” said Brakkas, fishing a stack of cards out of his pocket and slapping them down onto the table. “I got a new deck of cards from the Mrs. for my birthday, so we should break them in. And you are all still WAY too sober right now, let's play a game!”

“Ooh, good idea,” the woman sitting next to him chimed, clapping her hands. “We could play Old Man’s New Shoes, that's always a fun one. Or Prince’s Ransom, let's play that!”

Brakkas grinned, shuffling the cards easily in his hands. “That's a good choice; everyone open to that?”

Shifting forward in their seats, he got a round of agreement from those gathered. “Well alright then, I'll deal everyone in. Let's get this party started!” The man leaned, snapping to get their waiter’s attention. “Can we have a round of 12 shots over here? The dark stuff in the green bottle…Dreskol’s? That one.”

As the man started deftly setting out piles of cards around the table, Leukos shrugged, turning Saj's way. “Well, it's not dancing, but it's fun. Last time, Niiro got so drunk he wound up serenading a statue for a good 5 minutes. It was hysterical.” He finished off the drink in his hand as the platter of shots arrived. “Have you ever played the game before?”

[5/10]  

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

Sajah watched—and then flicked his attention to the stack of cards with interest as it appeared. That was something he had at least some familiarity with. And, card games involved minimal talking, generally, but for what went on around them. Of the very few sources of entertainment available while being held as property, card games were among them, or had been in Sajah’s group of prior company. Small, portable, playable in almost any location, and easy to turn into a hundred options. He liked to think he was familiar with a good number.

It was also, apparently, going to be a drinking game in this case.

«A version of it, yes,» Sajah answered, his lips pulling up at a corner at the revelation regarding Niiro. At least they knew how to have fun here.

And, fortunately, it seemed that what Sajah had retained of the basic principles from the last time he’d participated mostly lined up. For the benefit of everyone, though, one round of explanation was offered to the full table, clarifying the specific finer point quirks to the way it was played here to have everyone on the same page. Then, the rounds began. Sajahka liked to think he was doing well. He understood the game. He was having fun, certainly.

It just, also involved a reasonably rapid consumption of alcohol even when not doing poorly, and Sajah’s system was not the most accustomed. He felt it trickling through him as he fiddled his hand, his body warming first in his gut like a bloom, and then edging up to tingle in his fingertips as he shifted and played his cards. And over time, everything just seemed a little easier.

And Leukos was especially warm and pleasant smelling at his side.

“Alright, alright…but next one to ten dunks…” There was a ‘dramatic’ pause, and Sajahka couldn’t honestly say he remembered the name of the speaker, but for the fact that it was female, “…starts stripping. Clothing penalties begin-”

There was a babble of responses, all more or less simultaneous, but it seemed like in the aftermath the challenge had been taken up on. Sajah tapped his fingers to his cards and eyed his hand. Hopefully Leukos would not be faring so well as he already felt.  

[MissMisnomer]

Leukos was not particularly great at card games.

Many involved a certain attention to patterns, probability, and mathematics - things he was not very fond of. That’s not to say he did not find the games enjoyable, especially in good company. But even when his luck was shining more than usual, he tended to not fair very well at gambling. And that was just something he lived with.

Now DRINKING games: those he was good at.

He’d had enough fun with alcohol in his life to have built up a higher tolerance, plus his considerable size helped diffuse the disorienting effect libations carried. So as everyone else was getting sloppier and making more mistakes, he still had his wits about him. Which usually led to victory on his part.

Usually.

For whatever reason, tonight it seemed like he was being handed more drinks than normal.

‘Oh, I have to wake up really early to take my daughter to her mother’s place, I can’t drink as much. You look like you’re doing well, can you help me out?’

‘Your friend is SO SMALL, you should start drinking his for him. It would be DANGEROUS if he drank too much.’

‘My doctor said I should avoid having too much alcohol after that fever last week. Will you have mine instead?’


They all sounded like reasonable requests, and Leukos couldn’t think of very good reasons to argue or refuse. He could handle it, he'd had a full meal. So he took the drinks passed off to him like a champ. And he WAS doing fine.

Or at least, he HAD been. But at some point everything seemed to catch up to him, and Leukos couldn't remember how many shot of liquor he’d slung back. At some point the music started catching his attention more than the game in front of him, and he'd space out, only to return when someone said something funny. The numbers on the cards in front of him would disappear, and then suddenly they'd be back, and he felt ridiculous for thinking they'd gone anywhere in the first place. He squinted at the stiff paper in his hands with the general impression that he was not doing very well, but had lost track somewhere just how bad.

“Oi, Leukos, it's your turn!”

He jumped with a bit of a start, laughing. “Oh, sorry, you're right!” He pushed hair back behind his ear, biting his lip. “s**t…what number were we on…” Shuffling for a moment with no real plan in mind, he placed one down on the table with a less than confident look on his face.

“OHHH!”

It was an almost unanimous cry from around the group, hopping up in their chairs with varying degrees of enthusiasm. And with it, Leukos knew he'd messed up somehow. What was the punishment again? Was he supposed to take another drink? How many would that be…was he paying for these?

“That's it: 10 dunks!” someone crowed in his ear, slapping the table emphatically. “Start stripping!”

Oh…was that really all he had to do?

“Alright,” he said, shrugging as he put his cards down on the table. Standing, he whistled shrilly, drawing the attention of the band as their song ended. “Hey, could you guys please play ‘Our Endless Night’? Do you know that one?” Waving dismissively with a grin, he turned back around. “Pssh, of course you do; it's a classic.” He untied a cord from around his wrist, pulling his loose hair back into a ponytail as he pushed his chair back roughly with one foot.

“Um, hey, so is he allowed to do this? He seems…a little too into it, don't you think?” Henrik said, nervously twisting the end of his mustache. “This is a pretty packed bar, we could get kicked out for public nudity-”

“HENRIK, you shut your damned mouth right now,” Pyra hissed, quickly moving glasses off the table and out of the way. “We've been trying to get his a** drunk ALL NIGHT and I will NOT have you ruining this just because you’re paranoid. If your masculinity is feeling threatened, then just…cover your eyes or something.” She looked around the table, fiery determination in her eyes. “Same goes for anyone else, you all agreed to this! So if you don't like it, just zip it!”

At her ultimatum, the music switched gears as the new song started playing. Apparently, they DID know the one he had requested, and being a people-pleasing band, had decided to just go with it. Like the bleating of a rapid fire gatling gun, the musician hammered onto his hand drum, crying out an indistinct introduction. Moving his hips in precise flicking isolation along with the rapid drum roll, Leukos immediately stopped as the musician did, winking with a confident smirk.

And then, after a heavy moment of silent anticipation, the rest of the band joined in with a lively, if less merciless beat. Leukos began unfastening his shirt, exposing his sculpted chest to the pounding rhythm as he gyrated his pelvis at the shocked face of the nearest seated female.

He did so love putting on a good show.

[6/10]  

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

Sajahka had only fairly passively noted the ‘start stripping’ rule when it was initially presented. He was a good ways away from being the target of it, in any case. In fact—he squinted at his hand, his drink, and then the other participants of the game—if he was keeping track as well as he thought he was, Leukos was most distinctly in ‘danger.’

He found after only a moment’s thought that this was in fact probably the best circumstance that could be hoped for, and suddenly felt a much more active appreciation for the new rule—and a very attentive interest in Leukos’ plays as the round went around the table. If the sway and squint to his posture and expression or the way his fingers thumbed distractedly over his cards were any indication, he suspected the man was easily far enough along to cooperate with such a thing, if it came to him.

And-

There was no shortage of small uproar — amusement, taunting, good natured jibing — as Leukos walked into it. Privately, Sajahka felt a very distinct interest that he felt was likely more sharply defined and possibly more inappropriate than whatever camaraderie was on the minds of others. But, shifting his weight in his seat, he decided that was just as well, and he found himself reaching again for his drink as Leukos—well, reacted almost exactly as he might have expected, standing up and taking the full attention of the room in a single whistle.

Music, just for him.

Sajahka snorted, further amusement pulling at the corner of his lips—what a show off. «You look delicious already…» He managed, he thought, not to look too immediately offended at Henrick’s completely unnecessary dissuading commentary-

But fortunately, Pyra was on his side. Along with Natisha and Qyriah, though the latter seemed to only barely be withholding a fit of giggles. “Leukos, you’re beautiful! Show these men how to dance and what women really want…”

Sajahka managed a stray glance. What women want. When the music shifted though, starting up anew, his eyes were immediately back on Leukos, following the slip and drop of cloth over visibly shifting muscle under skin. Very distantly, a part of him was reminded his friend had asked for some degree of subtlety—but, he reasoned, he was getting the same show as every other man at the table, he could hardly be faulted for enjoying it more.

Qyriah, while talkative before, managed to turn a distinct shade of purple, though, when Leu’s hips rolled in with intimate confidence, and—Sajahka decided immediately she was the luckiest person in the room, and gave a short scoff from behind his drink before sipping more down. Everything felt warm, a trickling ease under his skin and through his system, smoothing around the edges of his conscious and lending a sense of calm, and opportunity, to the situation.

He likely wasn’t supposed to touch, but — when he managed to catch Leukos’ gaze just for a moment: «I would swallow you whole right here, but for all of your wonderful friends…you look so good when every eye is on you.»  

[MissMisnomer]

Shirt completely open now, Leukos drew his attention away from his flustered victim to asses the captive audience. The general atmosphere was: pleasantly shocked. Good. That was the right reaction he was looking for. Loosening the garment to drape down to his elbows, his eyes locked on Sajahka. And he couldn't help thinking:

How are you enjoying it?

Well, he got his answer. And it was straightforward, as always.

Under normal circumstances, he'd likely choke on his own tongue and flush crimson, giving Saj a good smack to discourage him from ‘saying’ things like that in public. But: this was not a normal situation.

…You look so good when every eye is on you.

It just made him feel sexier.

Tossing his head with a taunting little smirk, he looked back down at the woman whose space he was occupying, taking her hands and placing them on his a** while he shimmied it in Saj's direction. He pulled his shirt all the way off, twirling it above his head.

Wasn't he supposed to be refraining from teasing him?

Oops.

Too late now~

Qyriah was practically squealing in flustered embarrassment as she half-heartedly covered her eyes, peeking through her fingers at Leukos. Looping it behind her head, he pulled her face down to his crotch with the shirt, giving a farewell pelvic thrust before tossing the shirt aside and stepping away from her.

Performing a series of hip shimmies and belly rolls along with the beat, he swirled in place, dropping down to the ground and pulling himself back up. Bunching a fist into his hair, he pushed his hand down along his chest, rolling abs, and down to his groin, slipping fingers past the hem of his pants as he popped the fastener loose, winking right at Saj.

Guess what's coming off next~

[7/10]  

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

Leukos held his gaze, and for a moment, none of the rest of the establishment, its patrons, or even the musicians truly existed—all the world was encompassed within the stretch of space between them and the sharp, dominating lure of Leukos’ natural charisma. He might have expected a blush, or some look of mock offense in response to his suggestion, though he didn’t anticipate anything outrightly negative—and nor did he get it. Instead, Leukos seemed to take his words as bait and encouragement, tipping his head with a self-satisfied swish-

Her hands were everywhere he wanted to be.

Sajah’s eyes narrowed the barest fraction. Not out of any real jealousy — it was all in good fun — but because his hands could have been there and he knew very well he was being teased now. It was pleasant, encouraging, and frustrating all wrapped into a neat bundle soaked in the haze of inebriation.

His eyes trailed greedily over each successive motion that followed like a beast honed on a catch he could almost taste, and the pulse of the music thrummed under his skin while Leukos’ fingers shifted and slid over the undulating dips and grooves of his body. I could kiss that. But he couldn’t. Not here. Not yet.

Perhaps never, but that wasn’t an immediate concern. He knew what it felt like to have Leukos’ stomach under his lips, to feel the salt of his sweat against his mouth and his scent under his nose-

Instead, Leukos’ thumb was tripping over the fastenings just above his crotch, and — Are you even wearing anything underneath those? — he must have been, or surely he wouldn’t-

Wink.

Sajahka felt heat already present in him move for polar ends, flushing his earfins as they flicked and also pooling distinctly lower. «I could bite those off of you…» He signed, quite forgetting all the world around him. «I think they would look better on the floor.»

While to Sajah, all his words were private and he knew no one in the room understood their actual content, it had not further occurred to him to consider yet how much was being said by everything else: from his body language (still in his chair, but perched forward, shoulders squared off with interest), to the paths his eyes took (entirely on Leu as though locked in the trails light and fingers made on his skin), to the intensity of his general focus such that whatever the words might have been—there was no mistaking Sajah’s general opinion on the matter for anyone who spared him a glance. He saw nothing else, and anyone who looked would have known.

Sajah was momentarily oblivious.

And fortunately, most of the room’s attention was handily on Leukos as well, such that it was only the stray observer who might have noted how curiously interested the young mute seemed to be.  

[MissMisnomer]

Engrossed as he was in adopting a full persona for the performance, and letting alcohol make the choices for him, Leukos didn't really have any more of an outward filter. If he was a bystander watching, he'd probably get out of his chair and force himself to sit down. There was no way anyone was going to forget what he did tonight, what would his boss think?

But those were all questions for a sober person, and Leukos was far from that. He was having too much fun.

So, in response to Saj's words, despite all the eyes watching, he deliberately bit at the air with a snarled grin.

And shimmied his pants down.

A combination of whistling, cheering, and mortified gasps filled the room. But, luckily enough for some of the more sensitive onlookers collected, and perhaps as a disappointment for the more rowdy, Leukos had worn underwear today. Not that they left much to the imagination, tight little black briefs that clung to all his curves. And then the pants were off all the way and tossed aside, Leukos now kneeling on the table as he continued the show. Which involved further creative variations on the same sexually charged pantomiming, all cleverly disguised as ‘dancing’, in the loosest sense.

He whipped his hair, descending off the table. And planted his booted foot firmly between Saj's thighs, pushing forward to leave the chair precariously leaning back on two legs. With a challenging grin, eyes hooded seductively, he slipped his thumbs under the hem of his underwear, and started pulling those down too-

“OKAY THAT'S QUITE ENOUGH!”

The music stopped in its tracks as a man hollered over the din.

“This is not that kind of establishment: I won't have it going any further! Not on my ground, under my roof.”

[8/10]