brave_kreyu | OOM All Skate Skellig Dream Magic Weirdness -Part 12

"The House of the Setting Sun, I think," Ajax says after a moment of thought. Koschei rumbles in agreement. "Other distractions are either out of operation at the moment entirely or likely to cause too much trouble for the rest of you if I am present."

He's being more honest than he intends when he speaks of distractions. His carefully crafted reputation as a playboy, a sybarite, a mostly useless dilettante, isn't ENTIRELY false. He can FEEL the knowledge of his eldest brother's almost certain death trying to get it's claws into him. He hated him, with every fiber of his being! (But he loved him, once, was the worshipful younger brother.)

Edited 2025-01-04 02:15 (UTC)

Death can be (and often is) complicated - especially when it comes to those who you know personally and care for. Friends, family, lovers... the lines blur a bit and emotions tangle and weave their way through your soul in the strangest of ways.

"The House it is," Skellig agrees.

(And that also makes the most sense - as if they grow tired of shared company, it will not be any trouble to retire to their own rooms.)

Edited 2025-01-04 02:57 (UTC)

They settle back into Ajax and Koschei's suite, where they were yesterday, with a celebratory feast.

The drugs won't actually DO anything for Kreyu or Koschei, so neither of them are indulging in those purchases.

The conversation ebbs and flows. At the moment, Koschei and Kreyu are on one side of the room discussing rather technical details about wards. Kreyu is sketching DIAGRAMS on pieces of broken pottery! (Koschei is VERY interested in protecting Ajax in as many ways as he can.)

With the ebb and flow of conversation (and subject matter) mixed with the consumption (and comparison) of herbs, Skellig and Ajax have found themselves on one of the low couches, flipping through one of Ajax's many sketchbooks.

"You can truly see how your skill has grown over your years of practice," Skellig comments idly as he slowly turns through the pages. "Especially with your studies of birds."

After all, a conversation about birds in art was one of their first, so it seems appropriate to discuss it now, relaxed as they both are.

Ajax is quite relaxed, comfortable in this space, with his friend. "Thank you," he says, smiling softly. "I do not think I will ever be a master, but I continue to make progress."

He turns a page, and a very familiar feather is sketched on the page, life sized and in color! "Couldn't resist trying my hand at the mystery you left me," he quips.

"The detail is quite accurate," Skellig says, impressed. "Not that I would think you would settle for anything less, but still..."

He uses his fingertip to lightly trace the edge of the father on the page - it is a familiar shape to his touch, a gentle slope he has drawn his fingers over countless times while preening.

"... it is lovely to see reflected in such a fine way."

Ajax chuckles. "I have spent many hours looking at it, which helps."

He watches Skellig's fingertip trace the edge of the feather. "Thank you. I am sure it pales before the wings it must have come from." His lips quirk in a grin. "Would take the risk of being close to sketch it, even if it might be inclined to eat me."

Skellig huffs a laugh - and then shakes his head. (At one point in time his initial, instinctive response would have been the creature would not be inclined to eat you but his mindset is not that way anymore. No longer does he consider himself a 'creature', especially when in the company of others like himself.)

"He would not be inclined to eat you," he murmurs softly, voice a bit coy. "But speaking of sketches..." Lifting his glass of wine to his lips, he drinks a swallow (perhaps looking for liquid courage) before he glances at Ajax. "He might ask if you would be interested in maybe creating a sketch that he could gift his wife...of his whole form, wings included?"

Ajax's breath catches, his heart thunders, when it sinks in that SKELLIG is winged. "Yes," he replies, almost stammering. "I, I would love to."

He takes a swallow of wine, emotions surging. Eager curiosity, wonder, joy. And if he aches with envy of Skellig being winged, he is also aware enough of human nature to have SOME idea of what it must cost his friend to have them. "No wonder you understood, when we met," he says, voice soft.

Even mildly intoxicated as he is, Skellig can still sense the strong output of emotions that engulf Ajax's being once the realization hits - and for the vast majority of it to be so overwhelmingly POSITIVE... it is deeply touching, in a sense.

(No fear, no revulsion or disgust.)

"Then perhaps on an occasion when our partners are working on..." He glances over at Kreyu and Koschei - where now more detailed diagrams are being plotted out. "...their skillets, maybe in regards to protecting the Procession of the Heavens... we could find time for that."

"That sounds like an excellent idea," Ajax replies, smiling. "I would want to gather some additional supplies before I attempted the final piece, but we might be able to get some preliminary sketches down now, if you'd like?"

Ajax's smile softens, warms, in a way that might be familiar to Skellig as he looks at Koschei. "From the way he is holding himself, I think they will be at this topic for a while. The light in the next room should be excellent this time of day."

"I believe you are right," Skellig agrees, smiling gently as Kreyu motions with her hands, mimicking... something. (What it is? Who is to say.) "And yes, I would like that."

More wine is collected, before they move to the other room. "And your words are proof that you are the artist," Skellig adds, as he places his glass down. "As it would not even really occur to me that the light might change the piece..."

"A matter of experience, learning what conditions make it easier to see and what conditions best suit the subject," Ajax explains.

He has brought a sketchbook and charcoal, to start with. "How would you like to pose, in the piece?" he asks, taking a mental inventory of the room. However Skellig would like to be for the portrait, there will be a way for him to be comfortable. Light pours into the room from open areas near the ceiling. Openings too high for prying eyes!

Skellig is grateful for the privacy of the room, and is also taking note of the room, the furniture within it, his options.

"I...I am not entirely sure," he admits. "I so very rarely show my winged form to others, and I have never asked to be drawn..."

His internal debate - couch or chair - is wandering through his mind slowly, as he works the shoulders loose of his chiton. "I think it would be easier if you saw how my wings look, perhaps. Then we can decide?"

"That sounds like a good place to start," Ajax agrees. "I've never drawn anyone with wings who wasn't a bird, so we'll both be learning here."

And he REALLY wants to see Skellig's wings!

With the shoulders unpinned and the fabric moved down around his waist (this also gives Ajax a better view of his torso - but that is not the subject matter here, at least not in this moment!

Then it is easy enough to remove his amulet from his neck, which reveals his wings in their entirety. He is careful not to stretch them out TOO much, as he doesn't want to bump anything in the room with the tips, feathers rustling as they settle into place after heading been cooped up for so long.

Ajax doesn't say anything when Skellig's wings are revealed, can't, his words are all tangled up in his throat. Wonder, joy, and an aching WANT. Not for Skellig as such, but for wings of his own. For the freedom of the sky.

It takes willpower and several deep breathes before he can manage words. "You are magnificent, he breathes. "I would not have thought feathers and flesh could blend together with such elegance." He takes several steps, giving himself a slightly different view.

"This," he gestures to his own body, "is not a shape suited to the sky. But your body is, in ways I can not put into words."

Skellig is grateful for the effects (as mild as they are) of the wine and marijuana, as it at the very least lessens his automatic urge to duck his head and flush crimson at such attention! He does laugh a bit under his breath, and do his best to stay still as Ajax moves.

"The sky is a most wonderful experience," he admits quietly. "It is often where I feel most at home... things just make sense? When I am aloft."

He extends a wing and sidesteps slightly, closer to Ajax. "You can touch them if you would like," he adds. (Inwardly he hopes Kreyu will not be TOO jealous, but he still feels the energy between him and Ajax is rather chaste, all things considered.)

"You were made for the sky, it makes sense that you would be at home there," Ajax says softly.

He's visibly surprised that he is being allowed to touch, but it is one he gladly takes. He has some idea of how to touch someone with feathers, has handled falcons trained for falconry and orphaned ravens. There is nothing sexual in Ajax's energy, he's not even thinking about sex at all right now. His touch is careful, courteous, but curious. "So strong and yet so flexible, a marvel of nature. It is far easier to truly SEE the structures, with wings your size."

He would have thought about sex, before Koschei. When the only times he could really be sure of someone wanting him for HIMSELF, not the trappings that come with being a prince, was when they were sexual partners wanting release, pleasure.

It is a different type of touch, and Skellig recognizes that - his is one of a man who wishes to study, to learn, to understand.

"You can see now why those who came across my feather were likely so very confused as to where you had come across it," he chuckles. "As they are a great deal larger than your standard owl."

At least, the feathers that he will allow Ajax to touch, on the outside of his wing. Those on the inside, the soft down closest to his body... THOSE are Kreyu's, and hers alone.

"A bit of confusion will do them good, keep them from becoming complacent with what they know," Ajax quips.

"Much larger," he agrees, taking his hand off of Skellig's wing. . "But I would bet they are still silent, yes?"

"They are."

Even though he is not much for hunting outright unless he has to, that does not mean he does not possess the capability for stealth and surprise. He moves towards the low 'couch' slowly, seemingly lighter on his feet now that his wings are free. (Clearly, Ajax has had some influence on the furniture choices in this room - they are made for comfort and pleasure, and can easily fit more than one person.)

"I...I do not know if this is too forward to ask, and if it is...I deeply apologize," he says. "But there was a place where Kreyu and I had stayed before, where some of... well, most of the art, was of nude studies. I think she would...appreciate if I were to gift her one, of me, to decorate our most private space."

If he was not clearly blushing before, he is now.

Ajax smiles reassuringly. "It is not too forward. I would be glad to do such a piece." Ajax sits beside him on the couch.

"The nude form is simple in some ways and so very complex in others. It leaves little room to hide for subject and artist both."

Ideas of what the art in those places Skellig and Kreyu might have been percolate in Ajax's mind. He's slightly flushed himself when he asks "Were you wanting something of an erotic nature?"

It is by some miracle or blessing that his voice does NOT crack when he speaks.

"If that were possible, then yes, somewhat erotic."

Skellig toys with his wine glass slightly - clearly he is a reserved man by nature, that will not be difficult for Ajax to discern. "My wife is a private woman, but I do think she would greatly appreciate such a piece, especially from an artist as skilled as yourself... and there are not many I would trust to show my full form."

"It should be possible," Ajax replies. "Perhaps not in the later stages of arousal," he admits, flushing. "As that would present many difficulties, logistical and otherwise."

"Understandably," Ajax replies. "I am honored that you chose me to make such a piece, truly." He chuckles. "And I have something of an appreciation for erotic art, though most of MY art has not been of that nature. Eroticism need not be so blatant as an erect cock, especially when it is meant for one very special person."

He sips from his own glass to give them both a few moments to settle. "Unless I am very much mistaken, you know how to best position yourself to draw her eye, how to request her attentions with your body alone?"

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