brave_kreyu | OOM All Skate Skellig Dream Magic Weirdness -Part 10

"No need to apologize," Ajax assures him. "There are so few here who appreciate such things, who truly LOOK, that is a joy to meet another who sees as I do."

He sighs. "People look, but they don't see what's around them." He gestures to an art piece with birds on the wall. "Take that piece, for instance." There's the faintest irritation in Ajax's energy at the sight of the piece.

Skellig will be able to tell what is wrong with it at once, as someone who HAS wings. The wing angles are all wrong for a bird who would be leaping into the air as the image suggests.

"The wings are all wrong," Skellig says bluntly. "That is not the way that they move when they go to take flight. They reach, pull for the air, not act tucked as if they are in a dive. They would end up in the water in a spiral, like that."

He glances closer at the art.

"And the shadows are wrong on the water, based on how the sun is moving... and the wind is blowing the reeds opposite the branches above."

He sips at his wine. "I have quite a fondness for birds," he offers as explanation. "And flight."

"Exactly," Ajax replies, tone slightly triumphant. "And yet I don't think anyone other than you and I have ever noticed it on their own."

"I am fond of birds as well, have envied them their wings." His smile turns fond, wistful. "I have studied them, observed them in the wild, learned their songs as well as a human can."

He chuckles. "I built myself a set of wings once, when I was younger. Broke my leg in two places with the fall when they didn't work, but those few seconds in the air were glorious."

Edited 2024-09-15 03:27 (UTC)

Choosing his words carefully, Skellig nods. "Flight is something to envy, that freedom that comes with breaking free of the hold of the earth's grasp. The curve that holds us here is unbreakable, and yet sometimes... we can get close."

Like leaping from a cliff's edge into the river below, those moments before your feet hit the water. Or swinging on a rope from a tree branch, that split second when you reach the top of the arc where you are weightless...

Edited 2024-09-15 03:46 (UTC)

"Yes, that freedom." There is a joy in Ajax, a feeling of connection with Sokratis that he hasn't had in....a very long time.

"I've never met anyone else who understood that before, that longing." He leans toward Skellig a little, not so close as to intrude on his personal space, but closer. He chuckles, low. "I had not planned on company this evening, but a wise man knows that plans ought to be subject to change."

His eyes flick to where Kreyu is still talking to the owner. He gives Sokratis/Skellig his warmest and most charming smile, his voice dropping low and intimate. "If you are interested in intimate company for the evening, I would be eager to oblige. Your lady friend would be welcome also, either as an observer or a participant, according to her preferences."

It's clear that while he finds Kreyu attractive it is Sokratis/Skellig he is most interested in, that has drawn his desire.

Edited 2024-09-15 04:04 (UTC)

That offer takes Skellig by surprise - that is certainly not the direction he expected their conversation to travel in - but his outward reaction is relatively restrained.

(Inwardly, his heart rate jumps a bit, and his adrenaline surges faintly. His body... simply doesn't know what to do with such a proposal.)

"I...I am quite flattered," he stutters softly. "My wife and I..." My wife is not interested in sharing. He trails off briefly for a moment, studying the wine in his glass.

(Is his heart rate doing this as an effect from the wine? And the earlier ouzo? Why does his skin feel flushed? His metabolism usually doesn't react this way... would Kreyu want another partner? Would he want another partner?)

"We have been traveling for some time, I am...unsure of...her desires."

Kreyu picks up on Skellig's jumping heart rate, his adrenaline. She has finished questioning the owner and walks quite quickly toward her husband.

"I understand," Ajax replies. "I would not press either of you, but I would have kicked myself later if I had not made the offer."

Kreyu assesses Ajax as not an ACTIVE threat and slides onto the couch next to Skellig without an invitation of any kind. She wraps her arm around his shoulders, leans in. "Are you alright, love?" she asks, voice soft.

There is a definite sense of 'MINE' in the way her arm is wrapped around his shoulders, the way she's leaning into him.

"Quite, darling," he replies, voice equally as soft. "You should try this wine, the vintage is excellent..."

"No need to offer her yours, sir," Thia 'interrupts' smoothly, approaching with tray in hand to offer a fresh glass to Kreyu - and refills to both Ajax and Skellig. "The House keeps a healthy stock of it on hand for our guests."

And just as quickly as she arrived, once the wine has been passed to each of them, she (and her assets) move on elsewhere. Once she has gone, Skellig lightly clears his throat before he speaks to Ajax.

"This is my wife, Kreyu. Kreyu, this is Ajax... he and I were...discussing birds and flight, among other things." He glances over the embroidery on Ajax's chiton once more. "And you are wise to offer us your company," he adds. "For it is better to take the risk than regret not."

Edited 2024-09-15 04:47 (UTC)

Kreyu offers her thanks to Thia, tries the wine. It IS quite good.

She unconsciously pulls Skellig just a little bit closer when the offering of company is mentioned. "I am not surprised that you would desire the company of a kindred spirit so lovely as my husband," she tells Ajax.

Ajax chuckles. "You have excellent taste, Lady Kreyu." His expression turns more serious, wistful. "It has been many years since I have felt such connection with another soul as I have with your husband. A prince meets many, but true connection is a far rarer and more precious thing than gold."

Skellig's outward reaction to that admission is a warm, soft smile play the part, you must keep the appearance up that is gentle and pleased. "Absolutely," he agrees, as he reaches up to place a hand atop Kreyu's where she has placed it on her shoulder. "Of all the precious gems, gold and silver...none comes close to matching her as far as what I value most."

Through their shared touch, she will be able to sense that he is unsettled (but not in a negative way, just oddly flustered, like a bird who has gotten caught in a sudden gust of wind and now his feathers are all askew and in DESPERATE need of preening) but he is also actively pulling just the slightest bit of her Karma from her - something that he doesn't do often.

(It is weaving through and wrapping around his Light, their energies aligning.)

Yours.

Edited 2024-09-15 12:36 (UTC)

Something in her settles at the feel of their energies aligning. Hers. The motion of her fingers on his shoulder should hopefully be soothing. She doesn't dare preen his actual feathers in public.

"You are a man to be envied, Sokratis," the prince toasts them both. "If I marry at all, it will likely not be with such affection as you have with your wife."

Kreyu goes through her mental list of who's who. "You are the youngest of eight living sons, if I recall correctly?"

Ajax chuckles. "I am indeed, Lady Kreyu. And the one my honorable father has made it clear he finds a disappointment in every sense of the word." Ajax's tone is light, joking, but there are echoes there of old pain.

Preening his actual feathers in public - even with them hidden by the enchantments of his amulet - would be too much for him to handle right now, and he is grateful she is aware of that. Her fingers stroking his shoulder are enough.

"Eight," Skellig says softly, tilting his head slightly - he appears as if he is just listening to another hint of conversation from another alcove, but what he is actually hearing (and absorbing) are the echoes that filter beneath Ajax's words, the sadness and frustration, the feelings of being seen as a disappointment, the yearning for approval and love from a youngest son who needs his father.

He lightly squeezes Kreyu's hand, intertwining their fingers - to steady himself more than anything. "That is many lives to compare to your own, but there is no need for it. Each of us are individuals and will walk our own path."

Ajax's smile turns wry. "My honorable father was always content to be the one doing the comparing," he quips. (Not that he didn't compare himself to his brothers, many times.) "My nature, my choices, all disobedience a half step from treachery in his eyes."

"To cage a bird is no kindness, however good your father's intentions may have been," Kreyu says, voice gentle.

Ajax leans toward them, lowers his voice to a whisper. It COULD look like the beginnings of negotiating a sexual liaison later, to an outside observer. He meets Skellig and Kreyu's eyes, gratitude in his gaze for all his smile is still all charm. "Your words are kind, but you should be careful not to speak them at court."

A shadow passes over his expression for an instant. "No, I would advise you not to go to court at all now, however far you might have traveled to reach it. You are either too late or too early for it to be safe there."

Kreyu will likely understand any undertones being spoken in regards to 'court' much better than he could hope to, so he does not comment on it outright. He also knows there are others in this room than just the three of them, and while he does not sense any threats outright...

(The prince has also mentioned that this place is his 'home' when he is not at home; logically he would not choose to stay here if he did not feel at least some level of trust and safety as far as his surroundings and the other patrons.)

"We will take your words and advice to heed," he replies back, voice equally as soft. "Our schedule and our plans for travel are...flexible."

Ajax leans back as Thia is making the rounds again with drinks.

"That is a relief to hear," Ajax replies, genuine, as Thia refills their glasses. "I would not wish you to run afoul of local storms."

"You are expecting fierce winds?" Kreyu asks. Neither of them are talking about literal weather.

"Very fierce, though this House has withstood such storms before. It has its protections." He sips his wine as Thia is waiting on someone else across the room. He chuckles. "Another reason I have made it my home these days, besides the lovely company."

Kreyu nods. "You expect the storm to last a while, will the city be in danger?"

Ajax thinks for a moment. "No, I don't think the city will come to major harm. Around the palace, perhaps, but no great fires, no tearing down of the city walls, famine, or pestilence."

Skellig rapidly is realizing that he has very little clue of what is actually being discussed in the space between the words that are being used in the conservation between Ajax and Kreyu. Kreyu is interested and intrigued, and he has seen her act like this before, so he is relatively unconcerned... he is happy to just nod when it seems appropriate, but otherwise he will play the part of 'husband' and allow his wife to discuss affairs.

It is natural for their bodies to shift while sitting on the couch; at some point he stretches as he drinks his wine and allows his arm to settle around her shoulders, as she leans in closer in her conversation with Ajax, her hands settling on her glass.

He is listening to this conversation closely, tasting the echoes of certain words to get a sense of the energy of it.

Edited 2024-09-15 14:33 (UTC)

The echoes around winds and storms suggest some kind of political unrest. A succession crisis, perhaps? Ajax did say they are either too late or too early for it to be 'safe' and with eight sons who could inherit the throne...

There is a moment of raw WANT cut with loneliness from Ajax when Skellig wraps his arm around Kreyu's shoulders. Their partnership, their friendship, the intimacy in that easy exchange of touch and position...Ajax is startled by the strength of the desire for what they have between them that surges in him. Startled enough that he has to cover it with an unplanned sip of wine, cover up such weakness in himself. A cover up that would work a lot better against two people who couldn't LITERALLY sense emotions, but he has no way of knowing that.

"I expect matters to sort themselves out in a few moons," he continues after he's settled himself a little. "Though I can't say which wind will be the prevailing one once the storms are over."

"And what of you, Prince Ajax? Will you still be brightening this House when the storms are over?" She is concerned for Ajax's well being. What she's seen of him, sensed from him, is stirring her compassion for him.

"Your concern is touching, Lady Kreyu, truly." Ajax is being entirely sincere, is truly touched. "Only the Fates can speak with certainty of the future, but my hope is that I am not so tall that the winds are in a hurry to knock me over."

Even Skellig is surprised by the strength of the wave of raw want and desire that radiates off of Ajax, enough that he is also forced to sip from his wine glass to cover the reaction that threatens to spread across his features.

"There are advantages to going unseen," he interjects.

He transfers his wine glass to the hand that is currently around Kreyu's shoulder, then with the hand that is now free, he reaches over and touches Ajax on the forearm. Kreyu will be able to easily sense the transfer of Light from his 'reserves' - similar to the bump he gave to Kirke and Xenophon earlier, this isn't a HUGE boost, but it is stronger.

"And there is no shame to be had in ducking, either, to avoid appearing as tall as you stand," he adds. "I feel as if the Fates would not view it as cowardice, but instead as strength, knowledge in knowing when to lower your head."

"Indeed there are," Ajax agrees. His mood brightens at Skellig's touch, shaking off some of the negativity. "I am much practiced at hiding here in plain sight from storms of all kinds, ducking all seven winds when need be."

"Even so," Kreyu muses. She grins as someone in particular crosses her mind. "If I may be so bold, a friend of my eldest brother quite enjoys storms of all kinds. My darling husband has not met him yet, his name is Koschei."

She smiles at Skellig, and he can feel her certainty, her relief, she has a Plan. Ajax looks intrigued by the mention of Koschei. "Named after the hero Koschei, the rescuer of princesses and slayer of monsters?"

"That could be," Kreyu replies. "He certainly has the martial skill to match the name." Given that Koschei is a friend of her oldest brother he is most likely a dragon and therefore old enough that he IS that Koschei. "And he has a fine eye for art, especially sculpture. His work is quite lovely."

Ajax's smile is broad, eager. "Several varieties of fine marble are quarried near here, I should like to see what his hands would make of them."

"I would too, if I am being honest," Kreyu admits.

"As would I," Skellig says honestly.

He can sense within her energy and her smile that she has formulated a Plan, and has a relatively good idea of how to put it into action; her certainty and relief are helping to settle his own nerves.

(Though once they find themselves in a private room, he is definitely going to need to decompress.)

"Do you do any art of your own, Ajax? Or do you tend to simply...appreciate it?"

"We will be traveling roughly where he was last spotted, he's a bit of a wanderer. Should we find him, I will gladly send him your way."

"Splendid," Ajax replies, cheerful.

Kreyu will be glad to help him decompress!

Ajax waves a hand. "I dabble a bit," he admits. "Sketches of what I find intriguing, for the most part." He chuckles in a self deprecating sort of way. "A great many of them of birds, as you might imagine."

If this were another time, another universe, another version of himself and his relationship with Kreyu different...Skellig might offer himself up as a model for a sketch session. (This version of himself is so not confident yet that he would be 'worthy' of it, even with how much he's grown.)

"I had a suspicion, yes, that you might trend towards birds as your subject matter of choice," he says with a smile. "Given your opinions on the piece we discussed earlier."

Those poor birds and their awful wing alignment.

"Perhaps with the help of Koschei, you might grow enough in your skill to be able to decorate this place with some pieces of your own," he offers encouragingly.

"A goal worth working toward," he replies, raising his glass in a toast.

Thia drops by unexpectedly, offers Ajax a glass of a green liquor. Ajax's mood shifts as she offers it. "Thank you, my dear, but not tonight."

Once Thia has left, his gaze turns back to them. "I've made arrangements for certain advance warnings. It would appear my oldest brother is on the premises. They'll stall him for a while, but not forever."

He smiles softly. "I have most enjoyed your company, but it would be prudent for you and Kreyu to retire upstairs for the night before he sees you."

Skellig subconsciously makes note of the newest heartbeat that has arrived within the area that he is 'monitoring', files it away for reference.

"Of course." His smile in return is genuine but also shows that he understands what it is that Ajax isn't saying out loud. "Thank you for your hospitality this evening."

He moves to rise, offering his arm again to clasp in gratitude.

Ajax rises with them, offers his forearm to clasp to Skellig again. "I look forward to speaking with both of you again."

"Likewise," Kreyu agrees. Ajax isn't FRIGHTENED, as they leave him, more a man preparing to face a great deal of unpleasantness.

Kreyu leads Skellig up to their room, opens the door. The suite is lavish, if not as lovely as 'their' room at the House of the Blue Lotuses. The artwork on the walls is also far more sexual in nature.

She locks the door behind them, takes Skellig into her arms. "You did so very well, my heart."

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