Make It Real

[Aeros]

TIMESTAMP: -
NOTES: -

► Show Spoiler

- - -

- - -

Falling in love is truly an enchanting thing, is it not? Spellbinding, dazzling, confusing…and with a dash of the actual arcane in their case, it all came in a flurry and so bright these things might as well all be the same. Æros worried that the closeness he desired could prove overwhelming to the other should the pacing be off, and he knew that the last thing he wanted was for the effervescent flame they shared to reveal itself as only an evanescent spark. However, knowing this offered him little wisdom. There was no guide to follow, no previously trodden path to tread…and thus he was left with little choice but to rely on instinct and guess as the two of them moved forward. The concept thereof had him excited to a point of exuberance, yet simultaneously, he was gripped by a myriad of snaking nerves.

But why worry in a moment like this? In quiet solemnity, sequestered away from the world with nobody else other than the object of his affections? As tranquility returned to his lover's song, so too did calm envelop him. In the future, Æros wanted for the two of them to weave together and become the closest of confidants. For now, he would simply find happiness in the boy's comfort.

Khyan's words regarding outlook towards one's fate rang harmonious with an outlook he himself had in the past. "Everything feels different when there is…no frame of reference to predict or control fate. I understand, it's just…parts of me, some selfish, some not, wince at the thought because I simply adore you– maybe a bit too much, but that is reality." The Færie's words served as prelude to hushed yet playful laughter.

Not one for patience with drink, Æros finished his glass by the time Khyan had finished the last thing he'd said. As he set down the now emptied vessel, the half-elf smiled and exhaled something of an amused sort of sigh at what his lover had said. "You are…so cute, you know? …but I do feel much the same. Changing patterns always causes unease, at least, for me. But I also carry much excitement; having you all to myself fills me with a warm sort of joy I haven't felt in a long time, among other things…" he trailed off, and though one might assume it a pause to think, he had done so deliberately. "I do wonder what life'll end up feeling like, especially once we move 'afore the season's end."

While he talked, the Faerie's fingertips traced gently down the back of his partner's neck into drawing idle patterns on the boy's back. Parts of him wanted much more, but at the same time, parts of him were quite content just to remain like this– a true conundrum, really.

- - -

'Thoughts'

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Vastien Tongue/Speech"

"Valasren Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

[Khyan Nykara]

Khyan's hitherto wan smile widened and brightened a bit at the expression of adoration. The sentiment was strangely grounding for something so heady and starlit. It was a common link between their prior context and their present. The circumstances may have altered, but the sensations didn't need to- or at least not by much.

"Too much is more fun, I think." He added, sipping his drink as the other man gulped his down. Part of Khyan was tempted to follow suit and keep pace, but he much preferred brandy as a sipping drink. Were it a smoother spirit he might have been bolder, but such as things were he just took two sips in a row and placed his cup down.

He chuckled at that frequent assertion that he was cute. It made him feel like Æros saw him as some sort of whelp or cub, rather than the sort of lurid creature he sought to evoke. It didn't trouble him as it might have if the infantilisation weren't complemented by Æros' more sensual affections. He needn't question whether the designation betokened any dearth of sexual interest, when he could see plain as day with mundane or Sembling eyes that it was very present.

"These are strange times." Khyan sighed, "We're all struggling to adjust to the mercurial winds sweeping us this direction and that, but at least we have each other now. Perhaps you novel influence in the senate might moor you to sturdier ground than most of us are favoured with..." He trailed off as Æros' fingers graces his neck and travelled down to his back, humming in wordless approval.

"Are you terribly excited at your new prospects, or are you dreading it? I was never eager to follow in my father's footsteps... Politicians are under such scrutiny, all the time." He paused a beat, realising: "...as my current predicament may well suggest."

[Aeros]

TIMESTAMP: -
NOTES: -

► Show Spoiler

- - -

- - -

One thing about having Mesmer as a tool one can wield as easily as one breathes is that oftentimes, instead of actually processing emotion, one will opt to simply push it away or replace it with something else. Now, the problem with doing this is that when one recalls a particularly evocative situation or enters into something similar in the future, one has learned absolutely nothing from that past. Consequently, somebody who is prone to not processing their own emotions manually may struggle to do so when they actually have to, when they enter new situations and so on and so forth.

As such, Æros was stepping quite lightly when it came to processing and expressing how he felt directly to his lover, which was a shame, really, because in an ideal reality, Khyan would be the one person to whom he could speak with most freely. Alas, that destination has yet to be reached and so when the Færie hinted at the strength of his fondness for his partner, he was likely far more nervous than he should have been– though such an emotion did not display physically.

When Khyan responded by simply saying that such an abundance of affection served to make things 'more fun,' however, Æros' expression warmed further. Whether he could hear the sentiment's corresponding rhythms in the boy's Symphony or not didn't quite matter; the active choice to verbalize anything always felt far more concrete than leaving one's thoughts unsaid.

"'More fun,' huh…?" Sounding quite pleased as he echoed his lover, Æros posed the question in a musing manner not necessarily meant to be answered. "...I am happy to hear it, as I think I'll only find my fondness for you growing as the days continue to roll by."

As moments slipped by and the conversation shifted towards the strangeness of the times, the star-touched half-elf continued to idly run fingertips over his partner, finding delight in simply having the other in his arms, knowing that this time, they needn't part any time soon. It was clear, too, that Khyan enjoyed the run of his hand. As Æros listened to the boy speak, he flattened his palm when it neared his partner's mid back and continued until the lower spine before drifting back up again.

"Though we are stuck in fate's eternal zephyr, you're right that it does feel far better bound together." One of the many novelties he'd been swept into over the past season. "...but you do have a point. A career in politics promises either great stability…or great ruin. I-..." His words cut off abruptly as something clicked in his head.

Æros had been about to state his opinion of the future's potential portents, but to do so without acknowledging the fact that Khyan had just been thrown to wolves, essentially, by a failed politician only to be then put back in a situation wherein which he lived beneath yet another politician would be a bit…daft? Short sighted? Thoughtless? of him.

"If I were to fall, your fate won't be as poor as mine, I would think; I'd endeavor to have you freed by then. I…do hope not to fail so monumentally in so very short a time," at this, he couldn't help but laugh a bit in an attempt to draw out some levity. "...plus my family, and the head of my house, are really rather old. Given that, I think that before they let me make any bold decisions I'll be adequately trained."

"As such…I find myself excited about it, personally. I've always wanted more from life, it's just that…prior, I really felt aimless. But now? Now, I've been granted a path forward, one that can result in a life far grander than I'd ever expected. And for what it's worth, I'd love little more than to share in that potential grandiosity with you." His voice drifted to something as honeyed as his words were saccharine by the time he'd finished speaking, and once he had, he kissed the top of his lover's head.

"Majesty and prowess are endlessly enticing on their own, but they are so much more when one has another to share such a life with."

- - -

'Thoughts'

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Vastien Tongue/Speech"

"Valasren Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

[Khyan Nykara]

"Well, you've certainly proven your commitment for the moment, at least..." Khyan chuckled, jovially downplaying the gravity of the day's events. Indeed, Vinicius Nykara Khyan was a very expensive toy to simply cast aside upon being procured. Æros had taken time- not a copious, but a formidible amount- to assess whether this was a course he wished to pursue. He'd acquired the money and, indeed, spent it and now here they were and he was no less adoring for having been put out. It was a great relief. He might have easily turned resentful, even unwittingly or after it was too late, and taken it out on the expensive servus. He might still, Khyan supposed, but he hadn't yet and that was more promising than it might have been.

There was greater comfort to be felt in the gentle grazing of clawed fingers over tender skin, and greater still to be found in his Aura. When Æros responded to his mention of political pitfalls, he smile apologetically. Perhaps he ought not to have brought it up, when it should have been an exciting new chapter in his life. A stepstone toward the ambitions he'd borne for as long as Khyan had known him: Power.

"Oh, no... That wasn't what I meant at all." Khyan softed, and touched Æros' face. "If you fell to such a fate, I'd be worse off for losing you, but it wouldn't be the same as what happened with my father. I'm your property, not your family, but... I do appreciate your sentiments." Another dose of comfort to assuage the nerves that intruded upon the happy a day.

"You should be excited!" Khyan encouraged. "You're going to have a say in how the kingdom is run! Things have been changing so much lately... not just for you and me, but with the influx of foreign influence, the more frequent dragon sightings, and... Some of the odd things you've gotten involved with lately, it's clear that we're on the precipice of something. Times of shifting tide are often the best moment to make something of oneself. When the ground rumbles beneath you, you need not stand firm- You need only stand firmer than most."

[Aeros]

TIMESTAMP: -
NOTES: -

► Show Spoiler

- - -

- - -

To have a confidant through the tumult of the past season with which to cap off the end of such an aimless phase of his life, really was a remarkably stabilizing thing. Stabilizing, it was, even despite the precarious circumstances under which their affair had begun. Æros found himself surprised at the circumstances, but he supposed he'd, on numerous occasions, made himself quite a bit more amenable to the concept with his own magic– and for that, he was glad.

As such, when Khyan mentioned the possibility of his failings bringing ruin in his upcoming position, Æros' immediate concern was to reassure his lover. Further, if such failings did not result in the Fæ's demise, he would find himself deeply distraught to be parted from his newfound partner; neither of these things did Æros wish to subject either himself or the other to. To that end, he sought to assuage the worry that such a thing would happen, only to elicit a similar response from his lover.

Khyan's response warmed him. "Then we are of one mind…I've let myself– mind, body, æther– weave so tightly with you that the worst pain would be losing you…regardless of circumstance. And because of that, you've my word that I'll surely do my level best to avoid any fate that would part us." Æros smiled something confident, something genuinely hopeful.

As Khyan continued, the half-blood found himself again in agreement. "I am! As intimidating as the prospect can be, I, too, feel that we stand on the precipice of change…and I've…fallen so many times that I tire of being broken; whatever the future holds, I intend to embrace it, to weather it and grow stronger." Æros' voice was woven with vibrant, confident conviction; as he spoke, both of his arms draped over his lover's back and he gave the boy a reassuring squeeze at the end. Of course, 'the future' is a muddy, ambiguous concept, but with newfound determination, the Færie would not fall easily.

"...and you must teach me that Semblance trick of yours now that I've the rune with which to wield it, love," Æros said with a playful wink.

- - -

'Thoughts'

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Vastien Tongue/Speech"

"Valasren Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

[Hector]

Review

Khyan

Lore: 12 lores that glimmer
Points: 10, mundane
Injuries/Ailments: x
Loot: None

Æros

Lore: 13 lores which glow in the dark
Points: 10 [magic capped]
Injuries/Ailments: x
Loot:
-10,000 gold avens
+1 Khyan

Notes: transaction complete! ùwú
*if I missed magic use lmk