|
Roue Windmere was as normal as any other wizard in the magical city of Geffen, a town home to its myriads of mage and wizard guilds.? Its center was punctuated by a looming giant, aptly named, Geffen Tower, a host to Rune Midgard's largest collection of magical tomes and scrolls; a location on every budding mage's to-do list as it also housed the magic academy.? Despite being built on an island in the midst of a giant lake as a measure of safety, it was open to any and all visitors who wished to be surrounded by ancient knowledge and powerful magic.? But Geffen was not the focus of this story.? In fact, it's been 5 years and then some since Roue had stepped foot in the same town that was his birthplace.
Normal as he may have seemed, Roue was an elf and he was on the run for his life ever since he left.? Relentlessly pursued by his maddened parents, there was not a moment where he stayed in one place for too long.? A week or two at the most, always paranoid and looking over his shoulders.? This time was no different.? Yet again, the knights and assassins were hot on his heels as he ran through the streets of Einbroch, the famed city of steel and home to a populous blacksmiths guild.? The Kafra warp brought him here but as soon as his feet touched the cobblestone, he took off like a bat out of hell.? The air was rife with the chocking smog created by the mixture of steel exhaust and the nearby coal plants, so much so that Roue was coughing with every leap he took.? Try as he might to cover his mouth with the fringes of his wizard's cape, it was not enough to mask the smell nor the smoke that filled his lungs.? His eyes wildly looked for a corner, some corner or an alley that he could dive into but where?? He's never been to Einbroch and so wasn't familiar with the layout at all.? So how was he, a wizard who wasn't build for all this running, and heavily wheezing to boot, meant to escape his would-be captors?
"Crap, crap, crap! *cough cough*" he coughed out, sliding to a halt in the middle of the city square.? He turned around as his eyes widened as the sight of his unwelcome entourage, like a pack of wild beasts, heading straight for him.? There was no time to think, no time to make a plan and an ice wall was only going to hold them back so long.? Roue was running out of time.? He raised his hand and chanted a quick spell, waving his hand over the area in a horizontal arc in front of him.? A mere second later, the ground rumbled as a water main exploded below the cobbled stone and shot out of the ground in a highly pressured spurt.? Just as quickly, the water began to coalesce into an ice wall, but before it even had a chance to grow tall enough to hide him out of sight, an assassin threw a well targeted kunai at Roue.? The wizard dodged, or at least attempted to, as the sharpened piece of diamond shaped steel wizzed by his side in bullet time.? Luckily, he only felt it scrape his side, but no pain, cutting off a chunk of his cape.? Frowning, but wasting no more time and with the wall hiding him at least temporarily, he turned around and ran into a brown colored cloud of smog that was sliding across the ground.
There!? An alley!? He peeked over his shoulders, hearing but not yet seeing his pursuers.? He dipped into the narrow pathway, coughing up a storm, his lungs crying out for mercy.? No, be silent!? For crissakes, stop coughing Roue! he screamed in his head.? He tried to jam some of his cape into his mouth, diminishing the sound of his coughing but not stopping any of it.? He was not just running out of time, he was running out of energy.? Stopping for a second to try and catch his breath, Roue then half stumbled, half ran through the dimly lit pathway, using his arm to hold onto the wall as his eyes tried to adjust to the sudden darkness.? The loosely strewn garbage didn't help any either, threatening to stumble him and that it accomplished as he came upon a stray piece of pipe jutting out of a suspicious looking pile.? Before he could even react, his left leg collided with and caught onto the pipe, and for that brief moment, he quite literally flew forward as there was nothing else to stop his momentum.? Except the nice brick wall which he tackled head on.
"Argh!...that *cough* really, really *coughcough* smarts," he winced, nearly every word punctuated by his cough.? Disoriented and now in pain, Roue's hand flew up to try and get himself up when it alighted to the dead end's wall.? His eyes widened as his heart sank faster than an anchor in the ocean.? "No, no...no no no no no no!" he half whispered, sitting up as slid his hands over the wall.? As much as he didn't want to believe it, it was as solid as the ground that he was occupying.? In his disbelief, he didn't realize that he stopped breathing and as his lungs forced him to inhale, he started coughing up a storm just as he heard a quite loud "I hear him!? He must in this alley!? This way!"
Wasting no time in standing up, Roue pinned his back against the dead end wall, gasping as he tried to think of something, anything.? He was trapped, like a mouse being advanced upon by a pack of rabid cats.? He could hear the vicious assassin's hoarse laugh as they hastened to reach this narrow alleyway.? There was no way out, so he started preparing for a fight he knew would end with either his capture or his last breath.? Just then, he felt the wall behind him recede a bit, an action which caused him to jump back in surprise, turning around to see no longer just a wall, but an ornately carved door where there was only brick.? His eyes, now more adjusted to the dim light could make out some minute details, the carvings of unfamiliar words softly glowing in the darkness.? Was the door always there or was he imagining things?? Was he already dead and this was his purgatory?? Perhaps he was hallucinating now.? His hand automatically moved down, his fingers alighting on a rounded, brass-colored knob that he tried turning, his heart quickening in response.? No movement, so he desperately tried again.? A single hand too weak, he now used both and tightly gripping the knob, turned it further to the left and pushed.? The door groaned and creaked, but it opened and with it came a scented, but fresh breath of air.? Turning his head to inhale, Roue was broken out of his stupor as the narrow path darkened even more as a pack of towering knights entered the alley.
"There he is!? Get 'im!"? Time seemed to slow down as the towering giants broke into a run.? Not wasting this chance, Roue turned towards the door, it giving way much easier now and slipped inside, immediately shutting it it behind him, immediately bracing both hands as he prepared to push back.? He felt the door violently vibrate as the knights slammed their armored fists against the frame, shouting something loud but muffled, but the more they did it, the quieter it got and the less and less he felt the door twitch until it all just stopped.? Not one to question his inanimate savior, Roue placed his head against the cool material, taking quite a few deep breaths in an effort to calm himself when the sounds of distant, pleasing music and the loud tinkling of glasses being shuffled filled his ears.? Wait a minute...he turned around and at once received a shock at the sight before him.
He stood at the far end of a darkened corner of a bar.? The rest of the space was filled with rounded tabled and equally ornate chairs, some filled with patrons and some with naught but air.? There was light for sure, but it was soft and dim, so as to keep a soothing, sort of muted environment.? Various torches lined the walls which were not wood as he expected but metal worked and stuck into supporting beams? There was no fire inside but within the yellow glass was a shining round orb.? All sorts of smells filled his nose, delicate scents of different types of wines, succulent meats, punctuated by the atmospheric scents of what he thought was pine intermixed with tones of primrose and lilac.? Overwhelmed by where he was, Roue didn't even notice how all the patrons stopped their conversation to turn and look at this new visitor, their conversation changing from previously lively tones to a more hushed discussion.? Suddenly he felt a sharp twinge on his left side, wrapping his right hand around to try and soothe the pain.? It must've been from all the running he did, he reasoned, having been on his feet since the morning.? He stooped a bit more forward, closer to the light of the candles as he spoke to the barhand who was curiously eyeing him as he kept wiping the myriad of glasses in front of his person.
"<Wh-where am I?? What is this place?>" he asked the man, but only received a look of confusion and a brief sniff in Roue's general direction.? He was starting to feel slightly light-headed and gripped the bar's edge even harder, his breathing becoming a bit ragged.
(Tag Rabbit)
P.S. the <> around Roue's words are to indicate he's speaking in a language unknown to the inhabitants of this place.
|
It was a busy night at the Dionysus Club and Rabbit scurrying all over the place, tending to all of the patrons, fetching drinks from the long bar and picking up orders from the kitchen.? It was the usual crowd, or at least what passed for usual in a club that was itself highly unusual. A mix of guests from all over the world, all of whom dwelled on the fringes of humanity, the kind mentioned in stories but not really believed in. Not by 'normal' people anyway. ?
The young vampire had just delivered a tray of drinks to a group of what he suspected were British female lycanthropes on holiday but couldn't really be sure.? It was an understood rule that staff of the Dionysus did not ask too many questions of the patrons.? People came here to be themselves in comfort and safety, not to have to explain themselves.? He was heading back to the bar when he heard a tell-tale chime go off, indicating that a new patron had entered the club.
Rabbit started looking around - it was one of his duties to handle newcomers to the Dionysus - but it was hard to see over the crowd, especially with so many of the patrons being taller than he was.? He finally caught a wave from one of the barmen on duty, Klaus, who then pointed him towards the far end of the bar where a man was half-standing, half leaning against the bar's curved end.? Rabbit nodded to Klaus and hurried over.
Up close, the newcomer stood out, even by the club's standards.? Very elegant clothing from a different era, the kind one usually only saw on stage or at costume balls, though in this case they looked like they'd been experiencing some hard wear and tear.? The man's hair also stood out, very obviously blue-tinted even in the club's dimmer lighting. And did the man's... ears? Rabbit tried not to stare, but found it very difficult not to.? He had of course seen pointed ears before, but not like the ones he was seeing now.? These were delicately shaped, coming to points that suggested something out of a high-fantasy story that dealt with aristocratic elves.? And the man's face had a kind of unearthly beauty that the stories always associated with elves.? But elves weren't real, were they?? The young vampire bit his lip, trying not to fidget, before finally remembering that he had a duty to perform.
"Uhm, w-welcome to the Dionysus Club, sir," he managed, hoping the man wasn't put off by his momentary fascination.? "Can I, uhm, you know, g-get you anything?"? Suddenly the little vampire froze as an all-too-familiar scent brushed across his face, causing him to tense as his eyes went wide.? "You.... you're b-bleedin', sir," Rabbit stammered, taking a step back.? He bit his lip, desperately fighting down the instinct to have his fangs emerge.? "Do you n-need help or somethin'?"
Tag - Roue
|
Though the immediate danger seems to have passed, at least for now, Roue still felt his hackles or the equivalent thereof, the hair on the back of his neck, stand up when a shadow started moving towards him from the corner of his eyes.? It didn't help that the bar was dimly lit so the shape was kept hidden as it continued to increase in size.? Damn, Roue thought, they have really thought of everything.? With a free hand, he began to focus a spell on the tips of his fingers, a light, icy sheen covering his glove though it was hidden by the cape that draped over his shoulders.? If they wanted to go so far as taking him down in this place, well, he was then going to give them a fight of their lives.? If he had the energy to do so.
However, the shadow suddenly stopped and seemed to hesitate in its forward movement.? Confused, Roue kept his eyes on the figure as after a minute or so it started moving towards him again.? He felt another sharp twinge in his side but kept his focus forward.? Once the being came closer, the light from the nearby sources revealed his would-be assailant.? His eyes widened as he looked over his greeter, eyes running over his form as he tried to understand what or who he was looking at.
In front of him stood a slightly shorter boy, fidgeting in place as he faced Roue directly.? The kind of garb he was wearing was not befitting anything he'd ever seen in Rune Midgard, so he wondered if this was some kind of strange visitor from a land neighboring the country.? He wore a sharp and crisp black-colored jacket over a similarly hued but striped button down shirt, and had a collar fitted across his neck?? A small light glinted over what appeared to be a tiny bell, though he had to squint to see it.? Was this a new trend that he wasn't aware of?? He couldn't tell and had to shake his head because it felt like his vision was going fuzzy.
However, what stood out even more is this person's hair and face.? His hair, its color reminiscent of a sunlit field of wheat, falling across his head in several relaxed, but spiky waves, starting short at the top and lengthening as it traveled down, half of it hiding the left side of his face, hiding one eye from view.? The other beheld an amazing azure blue orb, much like the color of Roue's own eyes, yet it seemed to have this unnatural glow about it.? There was only one word to describe him - beautiful, but he must be going mental thinking that right now.
Both of them seemed to be frozen in place, locked in each other's gaze, but it was Roue who first broke that connection.? A sharp hiss emanated from his lips as he involuntarily convulsed, stumbling forward but catching himself at the last minute.? He brought his left hand up to his face, going pale at what he saw.? The entirety of his gloved hand was slick with blood,? a rightly sticky mess that covered half his right side, violently staining his vest.? This immediately brought him back to the kunai the assassin managed to throw his way right before the ice wall fully materialized.? He thought it just shot by him, maybe ripping a few threads here and there, and cutting off a piece of cape, but he must've been too much in shock and adrenaline to feel its bite until now.
Roue looked back at him, feeling quite dizzy at this point? The boy suddenly began addressing him, looking very distressed and fidgeting in place again.? Roue didn't understand a single thing that was coming out that boy's mouth, though he noticed that whatever he spoke was definitely accented, not unlike his own at all.? Nothing seemed to make sense - not the place he found himself in, nor its settings, or the fact that he had no clue what was being said.? Before he could take the time to process all of that though, he felt himself falling forward as pain and exhaustion took over.
"<I-I think I'm going to faint,>" he said and collapsed like a ragdoll upon the floor.
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Original Message ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
On Friday, January 3, 2020 4:34 AM, Whitt Pond <whittpond@...> wrote:
It was a busy night at the Dionysus Club and Rabbit scurrying all over the place, tending to all of the patrons, fetching drinks from the long bar and picking up orders from the kitchen.? It was the usual crowd, or at least what passed for usual in a club that was itself highly unusual. A mix of guests from all over the world, all of whom dwelled on the fringes of humanity, the kind mentioned in stories but not really believed in. Not by 'normal' people anyway. ?
The young vampire had just delivered a tray of drinks to a group of what he suspected were British female lycanthropes on holiday but couldn't really be sure.? It was an understood rule that staff of the Dionysus did not ask too many questions of the patrons.? People came here to be themselves in comfort and safety, not to have to explain themselves.? He was heading back to the bar when he heard a tell-tale chime go off, indicating that a new patron had entered the club.
Rabbit started looking around - it was one of his duties to handle newcomers to the Dionysus - but it was hard to see over the crowd, especially with so many of the patrons being taller than he was.? He finally caught a wave from one of the barmen on duty, Klaus, who then pointed him towards the far end of the bar where a man was half-standing, half leaning against the bar's curved end.? Rabbit nodded to Klaus and hurried over.
Up close, the newcomer stood out, even by the club's standards.? Very elegant clothing from a different era, the kind one usually only saw on stage or at costume balls, though in this case they looked like they'd been experiencing some hard wear and tear.? The man's hair also stood out, very obviously blue-tinted even in the club's dimmer lighting. And did the man's... ears? Rabbit tried not to stare, but found it very difficult not to.? He had of course seen pointed ears before, but not like the ones he was seeing now.? These were delicately shaped, coming to points that suggested something out of a high-fantasy story that dealt with aristocratic elves.? And the man's face had a kind of unearthly beauty that the stories always associated with elves.? But elves weren't real, were they?? The young vampire bit his lip, trying not to fidget, before finally remembering that he had a duty to perform.
"Uhm, w-welcome to the Dionysus Club, sir," he managed, hoping the man wasn't put off by his momentary fascination.? "Can I, uhm, you know, g-get you anything?"? Suddenly the little vampire froze as an all-too-familiar scent brushed across his face, causing him to tense as his eyes went wide.? "You.... you're b-bleedin', sir," Rabbit stammered, taking a step back.? He bit his lip, desperately fighting down the instinct to have his fangs emerge.? "Do you n-need help or somethin'?"
Tag - Roue
|
(Roue)
Though the immediate danger seems to have passed, at least for now, Roue still felt his hackles or the equivalent thereof, the hair on the back of his neck, stand up when a shadow started moving towards him from the corner of his eyes.? It didn't help that the bar was dimly lit so the shape was kept hidden as it continued to increase in size.? Damn, Roue thought, they have really thought of everything.? With a free hand, he began to focus a spell on the tips of his fingers, a light, icy sheen covering his glove though it was hidden by the cape that draped over his shoulders.? If they wanted to go so far as taking him down in this place, well, he was then going to give them a fight of their lives.? If he had the energy to do so.
However, the shadow suddenly stopped and seemed to hesitate in its forward movement.? Confused, Roue kept his eyes on the figure as after a minute or so it started moving towards him again.? He felt another sharp twinge in his side but kept his focus forward.? Once the being came closer, the light from the nearby sources revealed his would-be assailant.? His eyes widened as he looked over his greeter, eyes running over his form as he tried to understand what or who he was looking at.
In front of him stood a slightly shorter boy, fidgeting in place as he faced Roue directly.? The kind of garb he was wearing was not befitting anything he'd ever seen in Rune Midgard, so he wondered if this was some kind of strange visitor from a land neighboring the country.? He wore a sharp and crisp black-colored jacket over a similarly hued but striped button down shirt, and had a collar fitted across his neck?? A small light glinted over what appeared to be a tiny bell, though he had to squint to see it.? Was this a new trend that he wasn't aware of?? He couldn't tell and had to shake his head because it felt like his vision was going fuzzy.
However, what stood out even more is this person's hair and face.? His hair, its color reminiscent of a sunlit field of wheat, falling across his head in several relaxed, but spiky waves, starting short at the top and lengthening as it traveled down, half of it hiding the left side of his face, hiding one eye from view.? The other beheld an amazing azure blue orb, much like the color of Roue's own eyes, yet it seemed to have this unnatural glow about it.? There was only one word to describe him - beautiful, but he must be going mental thinking that right now.
Both of them seemed to be frozen in place, locked in each other's gaze, but it was Roue who first broke that connection.? A sharp hiss emanated from his lips as he involuntarily convulsed, stumbling forward but catching himself at the last minute.? He brought his left hand up to his face, going pale at what he saw.? The entirety of his gloved hand was slick with blood,? a rightly sticky mess that covered half his right side, violently staining his vest.? This immediately brought him back to the kunai the assassin managed to throw his way right before the ice wall fully materialized.? He thought it just shot by him, maybe ripping a few threads here and there, and cutting off a piece of cape, but he must've been too much in shock and adrenaline to feel its bite until now.
Roue looked back at him, feeling quite dizzy at this point? The boy suddenly began addressing him, looking very distressed and fidgeting in place again.? Roue didn't understand a single thing that was coming out that boy's mouth, though he noticed that whatever he spoke was definitely accented, not unlike his own at all.? Nothing seemed to make sense - not the place he found himself in, nor its settings, or the fact that he had no clue what was being said.? Before he could take the time to process all of that though, he felt himself falling forward as pain and exhaustion took over.
"<I-I think I'm going to faint,>" he said and collapsed like a ragdoll upon the floor. (Rabbit)
Rabbit watched helplessly as the stranger brought up a gloved hand slick with blood, which made him take another step back. The man stared at the blood in puzzlement, as if only now realizing that he was wounded and bleeding.? He said something in a language Rabbit didn't recognize, let alone understand, and then collapsed to the floor.
"Oh, sh-shit," stammered the little vampire, staring down at the unconscious patron.? His immediate impulse was to kneel down next to the man, but he didn't want to risk getting close to him with all that blood about.? The sharp metallic tang was already threatening to overpower him and it was taking all of his willpower to resist. But he had to do something, and fast. ?
"Klaus," Rabbit hissed urgently.? "N-need some help here."? The muscular barman came over and saw the stranger lying on the floor with blood.? The man knelt down quickly but gave the little vampire a suspicious look. ?
"It w-wasn' m-me!" Rabbit said.? "H-honest!? I think he c-came in like this."? People were starting to look their way but fortunately most were not close enough to see the blood and just assumed the man had had too much to drink.? "Can you take him to one of the p-private rooms? I'll go get someone who can h-help."
Klaus picked the fallen stranger up and carried him off to one of the private rooms.? After noting the room, Rabbit hurried into the crowd, looking for one of the Dionysus regulars whom he knew could help in situations like this, trying not to think about what this was likely to cost him.? He found her sitting with her usual escort, sipping a glass of champagne. ?
"Excuse me, Doctor H-hirono?" Rabbit said, trying to keep his voice down but still be heard over the club noise. "W-we've got a patron who, uhm, kinda needs your help?? If'n you d-don' mind?" he asked, looking hopeful.
The lady turned to regard the anxious little vampire with a cool calm gaze, her face reminiscent of a Japanese Noh-mask even with her short dark hair jutting out all stylishly modern.? "Well, well, if it isn't our dear little Rabbit," she said, setting her glass aside.? She let a moment pass, evidently enjoying his discomfiture. "Are you asking for yourself, or for your boss?"
"For myself," Rabbit managed, trying not to fidget nervously but failing.
"You know I come here to get away from things like that." Her escort, a tall man of indistinct ethnicity but a heavily scarred face, glanced at her as if asking if she wanted him to send Rabbit packing, but she waved him back, keeping her gaze fixed on the little vampire.? "You also know I don't do favors for free."
"I kn-know," Rabbit said, swallowing uneasily.? "What d'you, uhm, w-want?"
"Why, I want you to pose for me again, dear boy," she said, grinning pleasantly though with her eyes keeping their fixed stare on him.? "I've had an outfit picked out for you that I've wanted to photograph you in for months."? She paused to take a sip from her glass and then set it down again, cocking her head at the little vampire inquiringly.? "So, do we have a deal?"
"Y-yeah," Rabbit said, wincing in spite of himself.? "But you need to come n-now.? He's bleedin' pretty bad." He bit his lip, adding "P-please?"
"Very well then."? The doctor turned to her escort as she stood up.? "This shouldn't take long, Sab.? Wait for me here."
Rabbit took her to the private room Klaus had chosen and stood anxiously just inside the door as Hirono examined the unconscious stranger who was stretched out on a cushioned sofa.? The smell of blood was even worse in the enclosed space and Rabbit didn't want to be any closer than he had to be.? But at the same time, he couldn't help staring at the man's face.? Even pale as he currently was, there was a handsome beauty that lingered there.
"Strange," the doctor said after a moment, running her hand back and forth about a foot over the stranger's body.? "Not from around here, I think. But wounded, yes.? Fortunately whatever it was didn't nick a major artery."? She went silent, lowering her hand to just above where the wound in the man's side was now visible.? As she began chanting, a soft purple mist seemed to flow down from her fingers.? As soon as it touched the man's skin, the wound began to grow smaller as the flesh around it was restored to it's previous state.? Rabbit watched in anxious silence until the skin was completely whole again.
"There," Hirono said finally, waving the last of the purple mist away with her hand.? "He's stable now.? Will probably be a bit weak from the loss of blood.? And he will probably have to deal with some discomfort as his body deals with the restored tissue, but he should be okay in a few days." She stood once again, stopping to face Rabbit as she made ready to leave, favoring him with one of her smiles that only made the little vampire shiver.? "I'll let you know when I'm ready to have you pose.? The outfit shouldn't require any refitting." She smirked as she added "I still have your measurements from the last time, after all. But we will have to do something about that hair of yours," she went on, running a hand disapprovingly through his blond locks.? "Yes we will."
"Th-thank you," Rabbit managed as Hirono went back into the main club area, passing him without so much as a parting glance, the anxiety he'd been feeling seeming to leave with her.? He then looked back to where the stranger was apparently sleeping quietly.? After a moment's thought, he took a blanket from the room's large bed and spread it over the man.? He then dimmed the lights and left the room quietly, closing the door behind him.
A short time later, the little vampire returned, carrying a tray with a mug of broth, a bowl of meaty stew, and a pot of tea, which is set on a small table near the sofa.? Returning to the sofa, he cautiously gave the man's shoulder a gentle touch.? "Uhm, mister?" he whispered experimentally.? "Are you awake?? I, uhm, b-brought you somethin' if'n you're hungry."
Tag - Roue
|
(Rabbit)
Rabbit watched helplessly as the stranger brought up a gloved hand slick with blood, which made him take another step back. The man stared at the blood in puzzlement, as if only now realizing that he was wounded and bleeding.? He said something in a language Rabbit didn't recognize, let alone understand, and then collapsed to the floor.
"Oh, sh-shit," stammered the little vampire, staring down at the unconscious patron.? His immediate impulse was to kneel down next to the man, but he didn't want to risk getting close to him with all that blood about.? The sharp metallic tang was already threatening to overpower him and it was taking all of his willpower to resist. But he had to do something, and fast. ?
"Klaus," Rabbit hissed urgently.? "N-need some help here."? The muscular barman came over and saw the stranger lying on the floor with blood.? The man knelt down quickly but gave the little vampire a suspicious look. ?
"It w-wasn' m-me!" Rabbit said.? "H-honest!? I think he c-came in like this."? People were starting to look their way but fortunately most were not close enough to see the blood and just assumed the man had had too much to drink.? "Can you take him to one of the p-private rooms? I'll go get someone who can h-help."
Klaus picked the fallen stranger up and carried him off to one of the private rooms.? After noting the room, Rabbit hurried into the crowd, looking for one of the Dionysus regulars whom he knew could help in situations like this, trying not to think about what this was likely to cost him.? He found her sitting with her usual escort, sipping a glass of champagne. ?
"Excuse me, Doctor H-hirono?" Rabbit said, trying to keep his voice down but still be heard over the club noise. "W-we've got a patron who, uhm, kinda needs your help?? If'n you d-don' mind?" he asked, looking hopeful.
The lady turned to regard the anxious little vampire with a cool calm gaze, her face reminiscent of a Japanese Noh-mask even with her short dark hair jutting out all stylishly modern.? "Well, well, if it isn't our dear little Rabbit," she said, setting her glass aside.? She let a moment pass, evidently enjoying his discomfiture. "Are you asking for yourself, or for your boss?"
"For myself," Rabbit managed, trying not to fidget nervously but failing.
"You know I come here to get away from things like that." Her escort, a tall man of indistinct ethnicity but a heavily scarred face, glanced at her as if asking if she wanted him to send Rabbit packing, but she waved him back, keeping her gaze fixed on the little vampire.? "You also know I don't do favors for free."
"I kn-know," Rabbit said, swallowing uneasily.? "What d'you, uhm, w-want?"
"Why, I want you to pose for me again, dear boy," she said, grinning pleasantly though with her eyes keeping their fixed stare on him.? "I've had an outfit picked out for you that I've wanted to photograph you in for months."? She paused to take a sip from her glass and then set it down again, cocking her head at the little vampire inquiringly.? "So, do we have a deal?"
"Y-yeah," Rabbit said, wincing in spite of himself.? "But you need to come n-now.? He's bleedin' pretty bad." He bit his lip, adding "P-please?"
"Very well then."? The doctor turned to her escort as she stood up.? "This shouldn't take long, Sab.? Wait for me here."
Rabbit took her to the private room Klaus had chosen and stood anxiously just inside the door as Hirono examined the unconscious stranger who was stretched out on a cushioned sofa.? The smell of blood was even worse in the enclosed space and Rabbit didn't want to be any closer than he had to be.? But at the same time, he couldn't help staring at the man's face.? Even pale as he currently was, there was a handsome beauty that lingered there.
"Strange," the doctor said after a moment, running her hand back and forth about a foot over the stranger's body.? "Not from around here, I think. But wounded, yes.? Fortunately whatever it was didn't nick a major artery."? She went silent, lowering her hand to just above where the wound in the man's side was now visible.? As she began chanting, a soft purple mist seemed to flow down from her fingers.? As soon as it touched the man's skin, the wound began to grow smaller as the flesh around it was restored to it's previous state.? Rabbit watched in anxious silence until the skin was completely whole again.
"There," Hirono said finally, waving the last of the purple mist away with her hand.? "He's stable now.? Will probably be a bit weak from the loss of blood.? And he will probably have to deal with some discomfort as his body deals with the restored tissue, but he should be okay in a few days." She stood once again, stopping to face Rabbit as she made ready to leave, favoring him with one of her smiles that only made the little vampire shiver.? "I'll let you know when I'm ready to have you pose.? The outfit shouldn't require any refitting." She smirked as she added "I still have your measurements from the last time, after all. But we will have to do something about that hair of yours," she went on, running a hand disapprovingly through his blond locks.? "Yes we will."
"Th-thank you," Rabbit managed as Hirono went back into the main club area, passing him without so much as a parting glance, the anxiety he'd been feeling seeming to leave with her.? He then looked back to where the stranger was apparently sleeping quietly.? After a moment's thought, he took a blanket from the room's large bed and spread it over the man.? He then dimmed the lights and left the room quietly, closing the door behind him.
A short time later, the little vampire returned, carrying a tray with a mug of broth, a bowl of meaty stew, and a pot of tea, which is set on a small table near the sofa.? Returning to the sofa, he cautiously gave the man's shoulder a gentle touch.? "Uhm, mister?" he whispered experimentally.? "Are you awake?? I, uhm, b-brought you somethin' if'n you're hungry."
------------------------------------
[Roue]
Whatever happened once Roue hit the floor was going to become a big black hole of mystery to him.? He seemed to be stuck between fading in and out of dreams, some nonsensical and others pulling from elements of his memory, an amalgamation of everything that was churning inside his head.? The most pervasive seemed to be a replay of the events that led him to this situation but that was not the worst of it.? Every time he came to the moment where he began casting the ice wall, he tried to remember the assassin's face but try as he might, the face always seemed to appear half in focus.? Then after a few seconds, it would twist into an angry visage of his mother, her lips curved in a most ugly manner, her arm stretching out and then throwing that kunai at him.? His pulse would quicken very rapidly as he turned around and ran in the opposite direction as the ice wall gained in size, presenting this temporary obstacle.? He would keep coming back to this over and over and over again, and it was agonizing.? If there was someone watching from outside all of this, they would see a very pained expression on his face.
He felt feverish.? Inside the dreams, he felt his body growing hot and his throat starting to constrict, making him feel like he was choking.? The smoke that he had inhaled was still irritating his lungs.? Sweat started appear across his body, but just as it seemed he was going to alight himself on fire, a strange sort of coolness seemed to awash him from head to toe.? The pained expression that he wore started to relax and a sense of calmness took over instead.? The dreams that replayed like a broken tape had dissipated, instead replaced by this greyish white smoke.? Try as he might clear it, waving his hands in front of him to try and get the air cleared, it just kept coming back.? Then just as suddenly, his mysterious host's face floated into view and spoke to him, but try as he might, he still couldn't understand.? Who was he and why was he appearing in his dreams?? That seemed to be enough to knock him out of his stupor, and just as Rabbit reached out and touched his shoulder, he convulsed and his eyes started to open.
As his consciousness brought him back, his head began to pound like a heavy drum.? He propped himself up on his elbows, the mere action of which seemed like a giant chore and made him feel like he was out of breath looking around.? His head swiveled as he tried to take stock of the room, trying to figure out just where he was, when his eyes alighted to Roue's and a sense of panic rapidly took over.? He sat up at the speed of light, scrambling backwards until his back hit the sofa's arm and he nearly careened backwards, stopping himself just in time, now looking down at the flood behind him.? He wheezed as he tried to calm himself down, turning back to Roue who seemed to be just as apprehensive.? Waited a minute...wasn't he bleeding before?? His alarmed response caused a sharp twinge in his side, wincing as his hand touched where he was previously wounded.? When he didn't feel any wetness, he brought his hand back up to his face and examined the glove.? No fresh blood and what was on then was now dried and crusty.? Pulling both of his gloves off, he lifted the bottom edges of his bloodied vest and looked at his skin.? Though there was a slight scarring where he was cut, the wound was no longer there and the skin had closed up.? Roue looked back to Rabbit, his eyes wide open and confused.? This still didn't explain what happened and how he ended up here.
"<Wh-who are you?!? What do you want with me?!>" he exclaimed, raising one arm up in defense, his finger splayed and pointed towards his host.? He was just about to act before the other could, but then it hit him.? A nice, fragrant smell of food.? Turning, he now noticed a side table with some dishes on it, a cup of tea, some kind of soup and another tall container with a clear liquid inside.? His stomach violently growled in response, causing the wizard's cheeks to become rosy and so he meekly looked away.? The intense hunger he felt took over, however, and without wasting a single moment, he swung his legs over the sofa's edge and took to the food with gusto.? Screw being ceremonious and noble, he thought, I'm so hungry I could eat a Peco-Peco.? He shoved as much of the stew into his mouth, moaning out in response to the deliciousness that assaulted his tongue.? He guzzled the other liquid which he now recognized as a type of broth, followed by the tea.? Roue ate ravenously until each bowl and container was emptied, fully satisfied and no longer affected by the sharp hunger pangs.? Taking a few minutes to get his breath back into control, Roue then turned back to the boy and placing one leg beneath the other, took hold of both his knees and deeply bowed his head.? Though he was still suspicious of the other, the doubt that he would be fed first and then attacked seemed to go away.
"<I thank you for this generous offering of food,>" he said, raising his head.? Tilting his head, he examined the other, as he raised one finger and pointed to his own lips.? "<Can you...do you understand what I'm saying?>"
Tag Rabbit.
|
[Roue]
Whatever happened once Roue hit the floor was going to become a big black hole of mystery to him.? He seemed to be stuck between fading in and out of dreams, some nonsensical and others pulling from elements of his memory, an amalgamation of everything that was churning inside his head.? The most pervasive seemed to be a replay of the events that led him to this situation but that was not the worst of it.? Every time he came to the moment where he began casting the ice wall, he tried to remember the assassin's face but try as he might, the face always seemed to appear half in focus.? Then after a few seconds, it would twist into an angry visage of his mother, her lips curved in a most ugly manner, her arm stretching out and then throwing that kunai at him.? His pulse would quicken very rapidly as he turned around and ran in the opposite direction as the ice wall gained in size, presenting this temporary obstacle.? He would keep coming back to this over and over and over again, and it was agonizing.? If there was someone watching from outside all of this, they would see a very pained expression on his face.
He felt feverish.? Inside the dreams, he felt his body growing hot and his throat starting to constrict, making him feel like he was choking.? The smoke that he had inhaled was still irritating his lungs.? Sweat started appear across his body, but just as it seemed he was going to alight himself on fire, a strange sort of coolness seemed to awash him from head to toe.? The pained expression that he wore started to relax and a sense of calmness took over instead.? The dreams that replayed like a broken tape had dissipated, instead replaced by this greyish white smoke.? Try as he might clear it, waving his hands in front of him to try and get the air cleared, it just kept coming back.? Then just as suddenly, his mysterious host's face floated into view and spoke to him, but try as he might, he still couldn't understand.? Who was he and why was he appearing in his dreams?? That seemed to be enough to knock him out of his stupor, and just as Rabbit reached out and touched his shoulder, he convulsed and his eyes started to open.
As his consciousness brought him back, his head began to pound like a heavy drum.? He propped himself up on his elbows, the mere action of which seemed like a giant chore and made him feel like he was out of breath looking around.? His head swiveled as he tried to take stock of the room, trying to figure out just where he was, when his eyes alighted to Rabbit's and a sense of panic rapidly took over.? He sat up at the speed of light, scrambling backwards until his back hit the sofa's arm and he nearly careened backwards, stopping himself just in time, now looking down at the flood behind him.? He wheezed as he tried to calm himself down, turning back to Rabbit who seemed to be just as apprehensive.? Waited a minute...wasn't he bleeding before?? His alarmed response caused a sharp twinge in his side, wincing as his hand touched where he was previously wounded.? When he didn't feel any wetness, he brought his hand back up to his face and examined the glove.? No fresh blood and what was on then was now dried and crusty.? Pulling both of his gloves off, he lifted the bottom edges of his bloodied vest and looked at his skin.? Though there was a slight scarring where he was cut, the wound was no longer there and the skin had closed up.? Roue looked back to Rabbit, his eyes wide open and confused.? This still didn't explain what happened and how he ended up here.
"<Wh-who are you?!? What do you want with me?!>" he exclaimed, raising one arm up in defense, his finger splayed and pointed towards his host.? He was just about to act before the other could, but then it hit him.? A nice, fragrant smell of food.? Turning, he now noticed a side table with some dishes on it, a cup of tea, some kind of soup and another tall container with a clear liquid inside.? His stomach violently growled in response, causing the wizard's cheeks to become rosy and so he meekly looked away.? The intense hunger he felt took over, however, and without wasting a single moment, he swung his legs over the sofa's edge and took to the food with gusto.? Screw being ceremonious and noble, he thought, I'm so hungry I could eat a Peco-Peco.? He shoved as much of the stew into his mouth, moaning out in response to the deliciousness that assaulted his tongue.? He guzzled the other liquid which he now recognized as a type of broth, followed by the tea.? Roue ate ravenously until each bowl and container was emptied, fully satisfied and no longer affected by the sharp hunger pangs.? Taking a few minutes to get his breath back into control, Roue then turned back to the boy and placing one leg beneath the other, took hold of both his knees and deeply bowed his head.? Though he was still suspicious of the other, the doubt that he would be fed first and then attacked seemed to go away.
"<I thank you for this generous offering of food,>" he said, raising his head.? Tilting his head, he examined the other, as he raised one finger and pointed to his own lips.? "<Can you...do you understand what I'm saying?>"
(Rabbit)
Rabbit was startled when the stranger's eyes opened suddenly and the man tried to sit up. ?
"C-careful there, s-sir," the little vampire cautioned, backing up a step.? "We just got you p-patched up.? Don' go m-makin' it worse by hurtin' yourself."
The propped himself up against the back of the sofa, then began examining himself, pulling off his gloves and opening his outer garments to check the place where he'd been wound.? A look of puzzlement came over his face and he looked back to Rabbit, saying something in that strange language he'd spoken in before.? Rabbit bit his lip and shook his head slightly, but then the man seemed to notice the food the little vampire had brought to the room. Without further ado, the stranger drank the broth and the tea and devoured the stew with a ravenous fury.? When he'd finally finished everything on the tray, he surprised Rabbit by bowing to him in what seemed like a gesture of gratitude. ?
The man began speaking once again, gesturing questioningly, apparently wondering if Rabbit could understand what he was saying.? Rabbit could only shake his head once again.? "S-sorry, sir," he said helplessly.? "I d-don' understand."? The little vampire chewed on his lip for a moment.? He'd heard a lot of languages and accents in his time, especially here at the Dionysus, but nothing was ringing a bell with him.? He tried addressing the man in Japanese, then in Romany, but the stranger only looked as blank as Rabbit had felt.? Falling back on the few words and phrases he remembered from other languages only produced the same lack of understanding.
Communication apparently not an option at the moment, Rabbit turned his thoughts to things he _could_ do.? He gave the man a serious lookover, noting that the man's clothes were not only torn and encrusted with dried blood where he'd been wounded, they were also somewhat dirty as well. ?
"Uhm, s-sir?? Would you like to, uhm, m-maybe get cleaned up?" he asked, miming movements of washing his face and upper body.? "I can get your clothes cleaned too, if'n you want.? And maybe fix the torn parts?"? He tried miming those things as well, wondering if anything was being understood.? "I can get you a, uhm, b-bed, if'n you wanna rest some more. Which wouldn' be a bad idea, y'know."
While he waited to see if the stranger would respond, the little vampire let his eyes settle on the stranger's striking face once again.? "You s-sure are good-lookin'," he sighed, starting to reach up to touch the man's smooth features and strangely colored hair but quickly stopping himself, feeling his cheeks suddenly blush with embarrassment.? "Wherever you c-come from."
Tag - Roue
|
(Rabbit)
Rabbit was startled when the stranger's eyes opened suddenly and the man tried to sit up. ?
"C-careful there, s-sir," the little vampire cautioned, backing up a step.? "We just got you p-patched up.? Don' go m-makin' it worse by hurtin' yourself."
The propped himself up against the back of the sofa, then began examining himself, pulling off his gloves and opening his outer garments to check the place where he'd been wound.? A look of puzzlement came over his face and he looked back to Rabbit, saying something in that strange language he'd spoken in before.? Rabbit bit his lip and shook his head slightly, but then the man seemed to notice the food the little vampire had brought to the room. Without further ado, the stranger drank the broth and the tea and devoured the stew with a ravenous fury.? When he'd finally finished everything on the tray, he surprised Rabbit by bowing to him in what seemed like a gesture of gratitude. ?
The man began speaking once again, gesturing questioningly, apparently wondering if Rabbit could understand what he was saying.? Rabbit could only shake his head once again.? "S-sorry, sir," he said helplessly.? "I d-don' understand."? The little vampire chewed on his lip for a moment.? He'd heard a lot of languages and accents in his time, especially here at the Dionysus, but nothing was ringing a bell with him.? He tried addressing the man in Japanese, then in Romany, but the stranger only looked as blank as Rabbit had felt.? Falling back on the few words and phrases he remembered from other languages only produced the same lack of understanding.
Communication apparently not an option at the moment, Rabbit turned his thoughts to things he _could_ do.? He gave the man a serious lookover, noting that the man's clothes were not only torn and encrusted with dried blood where he'd been wounded, they were also somewhat dirty as well. ?
"Uhm, s-sir?? Would you like to, uhm, m-maybe get cleaned up?" he asked, miming movements of washing his face and upper body.? "I can get your clothes cleaned too, if'n you want.? And maybe fix the torn parts?"? He tried miming those things as well, wondering if anything was being understood.? "I can get you a, uhm, b-bed, if'n you wanna rest some more. Which wouldn' be a bad idea, y'know."
While he waited to see if the stranger would respond, the little vampire let his eyes settle on the stranger's striking face once again.? "You s-sure are good-lookin'," he sighed, starting to reach up to touch the man's smooth features and strangely colored hair but quickly stopping himself, feeling his cheeks suddenly blush with embarrassment.? "Wherever you c-come from."
{Roue]
His host appears to have understood that Roue was thanking him which was good though it seemed to have flustered the other a bit.? When Rabbit spoke again, it seemed like he was trying to use different languages because the tone and the way he spoke changed, but it didn't help with the verbal understanding so it seemed like this was still a no go.? The fact that the other was able to communicate in so many different languages has impressed Roue as he only held fluency in a couple of languages under his own belt, but again, unless Rabbit was well versed in elvish and/or was taught the lingo by one of his race, that wasn't going to work either.? Despite their current predicament though, their gesticulation seemed to be working on a basic level, so at least they had that going for them.
So now that his hunger was resolved, his attention now turned to his own state of being, so when Rabbit started miming washing up, Roue had vigorously nodded as answer.? He felt absolutely filthy.? Not only was he sweaty as a result of all the running around he did, his feverish dreams adding another layer on top of that and he was dirty in several places to boot.? His clothing was a lot more tattered than he originally thought, plucking at the edges of his vest where he previously bled through, though he was amazed that his wound was closed up so quickly.? It wasn't his natural healing, that's for sure.? He wondered if the fidgety youth was the one who healed him but he wasn't quite sure how to ask.? Point to his side and then place a quizzical look onto his face?? It sounds very silly in theory.? So he decided to leave that for later.? The fact was that he was healed though the pain and ache was still there.? Almost like his body didn't yet recognize that he's recovered though that didn't do anything about his tired.? He did feel like he was being lulled to sleep but he wanted to wash up first.? What to do about his clothes though?? He looked back at Rabbit who seemed to pick up on that and mimicked again the actions of sewing up and pointed at the wizard's clothing.? Reaching into the folds of his cape, Roue pulled out a small leather pouch and then placed it into the table, opening it and letting Rabbit peer inside.
"<I'd like to pay you for taking care of me,>" he said, gesturing to the insides.? "<And board and room.>"? Since his pursuers seem to be unable to enter this place, at least for now.? Who knows when they would be successful, as any place that he's been at, regardless of how hidden away or fortified it was, has always had its peace breached and so he too couldn't stay here for too long either.? Otherwise, these unassuming people would too be caught up in the storm, so he planned to leave as soon as he regained his strength.? though there was still the matter of his clothing.? He had nothing else on him so that means he'd have to get them mended.? Since it is a service he can utilize or purchase, he too nodded to Rabbit's askance of the same.? So raising one finger, he copycatted Rabbit's gesture of washing up.? Now two fingers, tugging at his clothes and cape, pantomiming the sewing.? Lastly, he raised three fingers and clasped his hands together to use as a pillow, indicating a need to sleep afterwards.? So he gestured again at the pouch full of coins hoping that would be enough.
When Rabbit reached for him, he didn't quite understand what he was trying to do.? Did he want to shake his hand in a gesture of goodwill?? The wizard reached out himself, taking Rabbit's hand into his own and gently shook it, smiling.? He pointed with the other to himself and said one word.? "<Roue..Roouuu...> hoping that at least that could be understood as his name.
<Tag Rabbit>
|
{Roue]
His host appears to have understood that Roue was thanking him which was good though it seemed to have flustered the other a bit.? When Rabbit spoke again, it seemed like he was trying to use different languages because the tone and the way he spoke changed, but it didn't help with the verbal understanding so it seemed like this was still a no go.? The fact that the other was able to communicate in so many different languages has impressed Roue as he only held fluency in a couple of languages under his own belt, but again, unless Rabbit was well versed in elvish and/or was taught the lingo by one of his race, that wasn't going to work either.? Despite their current predicament though, their gesticulation seemed to be working on a basic level, so at least they had that going for them.
So now that his hunger was resolved, his attention now turned to his own state of being, so when Rabbit started miming washing up, Roue had vigorously nodded as answer.? He felt absolutely filthy.? Not only was he sweaty as a result of all the running around he did, his feverish dreams adding another layer on top of that and he was dirty in several places to boot.? His clothing was a lot more tattered than he originally thought, plucking at the edges of his vest where he previously bled through, though he was amazed that his wound was closed up so quickly.? It wasn't his natural healing, that's for sure.? He wondered if the fidgety youth was the one who healed him but he wasn't quite sure how to ask.? Point to his side and then place a quizzical look onto his face?? It sounds very silly in theory.? So he decided to leave that for later.? The fact was that he was healed though the pain and ache was still there.? Almost like his body didn't yet recognize that he's recovered though that didn't do anything about his tired.? He did feel like he was being lulled to sleep but he wanted to wash up first.? What to do about his clothes though?? He looked back at Rabbit who seemed to pick up on that and mimicked again the actions of sewing up and pointed at the wizard's clothing.? Reaching into the folds of his cape, Roue pulled out a small leather pouch and then placed it into the table, opening it and letting Rabbit peer inside.
"<I'd like to pay you for taking care of me,>" he said, gesturing to the insides.? "<And board and room.>"? Since his pursuers seem to be unable to enter this place, at least for now.? Who knows when they would be successful, as any place that he's been at, regardless of how hidden away or fortified it was, has always had its peace breached and so he too couldn't stay here for too long either.? Otherwise, these unassuming people would too be caught up in the storm, so he planned to leave as soon as he regained his strength.? though there was still the matter of his clothing.? He had nothing else on him so that means he'd have to get them mended.? Since it is a service he can utilize or purchase, he too nodded to Rabbit's askance of the same.? So raising one finger, he copycatted Rabbit's gesture of washing up.? Now two fingers, tugging at his clothes and cape, pantomiming the sewing.? Lastly, he raised three fingers and clasped his hands together to use as a pillow, indicating a need to sleep afterwards.? So he gestured again at the pouch full of coins hoping that would be enough.
When Rabbit reached for him, he didn't quite understand what he was trying to do.? Did he want to shake his hand in a gesture of goodwill?? The wizard reached out himself, taking Rabbit's hand into his own and gently shook it, smiling.? He pointed with the other to himself and said one word.? "<Roue..Roouuu...> hoping that at least that could be understood as his name.
(Rabbit)
When the stranger brought out a pouch of coins, opened it and set it on the table, Rabbit picked up a few and examined them. He was a little surprised that many seemed to be actual gold or silver, but the images and writing on them were, once again, nothing he recognized. If there were numbers on them, he couldn't distinguish them from the other strange characters.? Putting them back into the pouch, he looked back to the stranger uncertainly.? It was a good guess that the man was wanting to pay for something, perhaps as a gesture of gratitude for the help he'd been given.? The man's subsequent miming however suggested that he was wanting some services that the club might be able to provide him with.? Trying to explain the finer points of how the club handled such things was clearly beyond their currently limited form of communication however, so Rabbit motioned with his hands and trying to indicate what he hoped the man would understand as wait or not-yet.? "D-don' worry 'bout that for now, mister.? L-later, okay?"
The stranger was able to communicate the nature of what he wanted though, in fairly clear terms.? First, he wanted to get cleaned up, then get his clothes cleaned and repaired, and after that, some sleep.? Rabbit nodded.? "Okay.? N-no problem. We can do that."
It took Rabbit by surprise when the stranger took his hand and shook it, just when he was resisting an impulse to touch the man's face.? But the man was smiling, so at least he wasn't offended by the half-made attempt.? Then the man was clearly trying to tell Rabbit who he was, or at least what he was called.? "R-row-oooh?" the little vampire ventured, biting his lip.? "Rue?? Roo?"? Uncertain if he was getting it right, he pointed to himself.? "I'm, uhm, R-rabbit." He took a moment to collect himself, then tried again.? "Raa-bit.? Like in, you know, rabbit.? Okay?"
"Let's see about gettin' you cleaned up and stuff, sir," the little vampire said, remembering what the stranger had indicated he wanted.? He gestured for the man to stand, then studied him for a moment, trying to assess what size of clothes the man would need while his were being cleaned and repaired.? "I think I can f-find some stuff for you to wear.? Just w-wait here, okay?"? Rabbit mimed for the man to sit and wait, then picked up the tray and now-empty dishes and slipped out of the room, the noise from the main room intruding during the brief time the door was open and then subsiding back into a distant hum once again.
A short time later Rabbit returned, this time bearing a set of clothing that he hoped would fit the stranger.? "I kn-know it's not like the fancy stuff you're wearin', but it'll probably do you for n-now."? He gestured towards the door, motioning for the man to follow him.
Rabbit stayed close as he led the stranger around the fringes of the crowd until they reached a quieter section that was separate from the main room.? "Folks usually like to use this for, uhm, you know, p-parties 'n stuff," he said, opening a door that was one of several along the short hallway.? "But you can use it to clean up in."? The room was a miniature Roman bath, styled like a small grotto, with a section of wall dotted with niches that held towels and toiletries.? He closed the door and flipped the sign to indicate 'occupied', then set the clothes he'd brought on a nearby shelf. ?
"If you'll just, uhm, give me your clothes, sir, I'll take them to where they can be, you know, cl-cleaned and fixed up. And you can get yourself cleaned up while I'm gone."? Rabbit hesitated, fidgeting awkwardly.? "But if'n you, uhm, you know, n-need any help gettin' cleaned up, I can stay and, you know, h-help," he offered, trying not to sound hopeful.? He could feel himself blushing furiously even as he said it, dropping his eyes to keep from openly staring at the stranger, cursing himself.? He was usually more professional than this.? But something about the man was just drawing the little vampire to him.? He was beautiful in an exotic way. And he smelled so damn good.? Especially his blood.? "No, dammit," Rabbit muttered, feeling his fangs starting to emerge. "Not now!" ? It took an effort of will to force them back to normal.? When he felt in control of himself again, he looked back to the stranger.? "If you'll just, uhm, g-give me your clothes 'n stuff, sir, I'll take care of them," he said, miming that the man should undress and give him his clothes.? He then quickly turned his back, keeping his eyes averted as he waited.
Tag - Roue
|
(Rabbit)
When the stranger brought out a pouch of coins, opened it and set it on the table, Rabbit picked up a few and examined them. He was a little surprised that many seemed to be actual gold or silver, but the images and writing on them were, once again, nothing he recognized. If there were numbers on them, he couldn't distinguish them from the other strange characters.? Putting them back into the pouch, he looked back to the stranger uncertainly.? It was a good guess that the man was wanting to pay for something, perhaps as a gesture of gratitude for the help he'd been given.? The man's subsequent miming however suggested that he was wanting some services that the club might be able to provide him with.? Trying to explain the finer points of how the club handled such things was clearly beyond their currently limited form of communication however, so Rabbit motioned with his hands and trying to indicate what he hoped the man would understand as wait or not-yet.? "D-don' worry 'bout that for now, mister.? L-later, okay?"
The stranger was able to communicate the nature of what he wanted though, in fairly clear terms.? First, he wanted to get cleaned up, then get his clothes cleaned and repaired, and after that, some sleep.? Rabbit nodded.? "Okay.? N-no problem. We can do that."
It took Rabbit by surprise when the stranger took his hand and shook it, just when he was resisting an impulse to touch the man's face.? But the man was smiling, so at least he wasn't offended by the half-made attempt.? Then the man was clearly trying to tell Rabbit who he was, or at least what he was called.? "R-row-oooh?" the little vampire ventured, biting his lip.? "Rue?? Roo?"? Uncertain if he was getting it right, he pointed to himself.? "I'm, uhm, R-rabbit." He took a moment to collect himself, then tried again.? "Raa-bit.? Like in, you know, rabbit.? Okay?"
"Let's see about gettin' you cleaned up and stuff, sir," the little vampire said, remembering what the stranger had indicated he wanted.? He gestured for the man to stand, then studied him for a moment, trying to assess what size of clothes the man would need while his were being cleaned and repaired.? "I think I can f-find some stuff for you to wear.? Just w-wait here, okay?"? Rabbit mimed for the man to sit and wait, then picked up the tray and now-empty dishes and slipped out of the room, the noise from the main room intruding during the brief time the door was open and then subsiding back into a distant hum once again.
A short time later Rabbit returned, this time bearing a set of clothing that he hoped would fit the stranger.? "I kn-know it's not like the fancy stuff you're wearin', but it'll probably do you for n-now."? He gestured towards the door, motioning for the man to follow him.
Rabbit stayed close as he led the stranger around the fringes of the crowd until they reached a quieter section that was separate from the main room.? "Folks usually like to use this for, uhm, you know, p-parties 'n stuff," he said, opening a door that was one of several along the short hallway.? "But you can use it to clean up in."? The room was a miniature Roman bath, styled like a small grotto, with a section of wall dotted with niches that held towels and toiletries.? He closed the door and flipped the sign to indicate 'occupied', then set the clothes he'd brought on a nearby shelf. ?
"If you'll just, uhm, give me your clothes, sir, I'll take them to where they can be, you know, cl-cleaned and fixed up. And you can get yourself cleaned up while I'm gone."? Rabbit hesitated, fidgeting awkwardly.? "But if'n you, uhm, you know, n-need any help gettin' cleaned up, I can stay and, you know, h-help," he offered, trying not to sound hopeful.? He could feel himself blushing furiously even as he said it, dropping his eyes to keep from openly staring at the stranger, cursing himself.? He was usually more professional than this.? But something about the man was just drawing the little vampire to him.? He was beautiful in an exotic way. And he smelled so damn good.? Especially his blood.? "No, dammit," Rabbit muttered, feeling his fangs starting to emerge. "Not now!" ? It took an effort of will to force them back to normal.? When he felt in control of himself again, he looked back to the stranger.? "If you'll just, uhm, g-give me your clothes 'n stuff, sir, I'll take care of them," he said, miming that the man should undress and give him his clothes.? He then quickly turned his back, keeping his eyes averted as he waited.
[Roue]
Roue, letting go of other's hand, watched intently as Rabbit examined the coins, waiting on baited breath as his eyes followed Rabbit's every moment, feeling a sense of pride at the size of compensation that he was offering.? However his look of satisfaction was quickly replaced by confusion when the other boy put the gold back, gesturing in a way like he didn't like it or perhaps didn't want any of it.? How come, he questioned, looking back at his host, was this amount just not enough?? Perhaps the quality of the coinage was deemedsubpar or maybe metals such as these held no value in this place?? But all of Rune Midgard accepted zeny, with some even killing for less than what he had on the table.? Perhaps he was being too hasty in his own judgement, he reasoned.? Maybe services are rendered first and then a bill produced at the end.? But not knowing how much he had to pay made anxiousness rise like bile in his throat and so nervously chewed on his finger.? His stormy thoughts were broken by Rabbit, however, who made an honest attempt at pronouncing his charge's name.
"<Oh, you almost got it!? Row, just like that.? Try it again!? Row, row!? I am Roue," he repeated excitedly, leaning forward as his ears perked up, listening intently to Rabbit's voice.? It really was a strange accent and again he wondered how come no one in this place spoke the same common tongue that he did?? However, it seemed now it was his turn to try when the other gestured to himself and produced a pattern of sounds that he repeated a couple of times.? He cleared his throat, coughing a bit, as he took a breath and gave it his all.
"Raa-raa..bitte.? Raabiit.? Raa raa raa.? Bitte...bitte...bitt...Raabbiiiitt," he kept saying it over and over, as if he was carefully tasting each syllable like a bite of food, taking a moment to swallow and digest it.? He attempted to draw it out, letting it roll off his tongue until it seemed like maybe this Rabbit person had enough and then gestured for him to stand.? His eyes traveled over Roue's form, seeming like he was sizing him up, but then gestured for him to sit and wait.? So he dutifully sat and waited as Rabbit picked up all the dishware and utensils, then disappeared behind the door.? The peace that the room contained was briefly disturbed as distant notes of very lively music seemed to reach his ears and was just as quickly extinguished once the door shut.? He dutifully waited for his host to come back, looking around the room and marveling at its design when Rabbit reappeared within the room but this time his arms were filled with a pile of clothing rather than another round of dishware, indicating for Roue to get back up and follow him.
The wizard obediently followed on his heels, his head becoming like a non-stop swivel as he tried to take in the places they were passing.? They left one hallway, skirting around quite an energetic crowd, then entered another when they finally reached a door that Rabbit opened and motioned for Roue to step inside.? He thanked him for letting him go in first, but once he did, he froze at the sight that greeted him.? The room was a tiny oasis, with a statue spilling water into a pool of muted water at the farthest end and columns surrounding the rest of it on the edges.? Various alcoves seemed to hold all kind of soaps and liquids, probably shampoos and such, and towels to help one dry off.? As small as it may have been, this was still twice the size of the baths he was used to taking at home.? A distance memory at this point.? Roue couldn't remember the last time he's been able to take a bath, much less a hot one, which made him so eager that he even forgot that Rabbit was still in the room or even talking to him.? He started by deftly unbuttoning his vest, shrugging it off as he tossed it to the side, then loosened and wiggled out of his pants, glad to be temporarily rid of the constricting fabric.? Then he pulled off his underwear and socks, leaving himself clad in nothing but the cool air, causing goosebumps to appear on his otherwise smooth skin.? Reaching the edge of the water, he dipped one foot in, hissing at the heat the bit at his toes.? He hesitated a bit, letting the pain subside until it was replaced with pure glee.
"<Well, there's no time like tomorrow!>" he exclaimed, launching himself towards the deeper end of the pool.? Upon surfacing, he threw his head back, flipping his hair back and off his face as it clung to him every which way, revealing the toned contours of his body.? The water, though very hot and nipping at his skin, felt extremely wonderful.? He could not believe that this is what he's been missing all these years, this much welcome warmth.? He stood there for a little bit, running his hands to the back of his neck, tilting his head, elbows up as he stood waist deep the water, relishing the way the steam wrapped around him like a veil.
Tag - Rabbit.
|
[Roue]
Roue, letting go of other's hand, watched intently as Rabbit examined the coins, waiting on baited breath as his eyes followed Rabbit's every moment, feeling a sense of pride at the size of compensation that he was offering.? However his look of satisfaction was quickly replaced by confusion when the other boy put the gold back, gesturing in a way like he didn't like it or perhaps didn't want any of it.? How come, he questioned, looking back at his host, was this amount just not enough?? Perhaps the quality of the coinage was deemed subpar or maybe metals such as these held no value in this place?? But all of Rune Midgard accepted zeny, with some even killing for less than what he had on the table.? Perhaps he was being too hasty in his own judgement, he reasoned.? Maybe services are rendered first and then a bill produced at the end.? But not knowing how much he had to pay made anxiousness rise like bile in his throat and so nervously chewed on his finger.? His stormy thoughts were broken by Rabbit, however, who made an honest attempt at pronouncing his charge's name.
"<Oh, you almost got it!? Row, just like that.? Try it again!? Row, row!? I am Roue," he repeated excitedly, leaning forward as his ears perked up, listening intently to Rabbit's voice.? It really was a strange accent and again he wondered how come no one in this place spoke the same common tongue that he did?? However, it seemed now it was his turn to try when the other gestured to himself and produced a pattern of sounds that he repeated a couple of times.? He cleared his throat, coughing a bit, as he took a breath and gave it his all.
"Raa-raa..bitte.? Raabiit.? Raa raa raa.? Bitte...bitte...bitt...Raabbiiiitt," he kept saying it over and over, as if he was carefully tasting each syllable like a bite of food, taking a moment to swallow and digest it.? He attempted to draw it out, letting it roll off his tongue until it seemed like maybe this Rabbit person had enough and then gestured for him to stand.? His eyes traveled over Roue's form, seeming like he was sizing him up, but then gestured for him to sit and wait.? So he dutifully sat and waited as Rabbit picked up all the dishware and utensils, then disappeared behind the door.? The peace that the room contained was briefly disturbed as distant notes of very lively music seemed to reach his ears and was just as quickly extinguished once the door shut.? He dutifully waited for his host to come back, looking around the room and marveling at its design when Rabbit reappeared within the room but this time his arms were filled with a pile of clothing rather than another round of dishware, indicating for Roue to get back up and follow him.
The wizard obediently followed on his heels, his head becoming like a non-stop swivel as he tried to take in the places they were passing.? They left one hallway, skirting around quite an energetic crowd, then entered another when they finally reached a door that Rabbit opened and motioned for Roue to step inside.? He thanked him for letting him go in first, but once he did, he froze at the sight that greeted him.? The room was a tiny oasis, with a statue spilling water into a pool of muted water at the farthest end and columns surrounding the rest of it on the edges.? Various alcoves seemed to hold all kind of soaps and liquids, probably shampoos and such, and towels to help one dry off.? As small as it may have been, this was still twice the size of the baths he was used to taking at home.? A distance memory at this point.? Roue couldn't remember the last time he's been able to take a bath, much less a hot one, which made him so eager that he even forgot that Rabbit was still in the room or even talking to him.? He started by deftly unbuttoning his vest, shrugging it off as he tossed it to the side, then loosened and wiggled out of his pants, glad to be temporarily rid of the constricting fabric.? Then he pulled off his underwear and socks, leaving himself clad in nothing but the cool air, causing goosebumps to appear on his otherwise smooth skin.? Reaching the edge of the water, he dipped one foot in, hissing at the heat the bit at his toes.? He hesitated a bit, letting the pain subside until it was replaced with pure glee.
"<Well, there's no time like tomorrow!>" he exclaimed, launching himself towards the deeper end of the pool.? Upon surfacing, he threw his head back, flipping his hair back and off his face as it clung to him every which way, revealing the toned contours of his body.? The water, though very hot and nipping at his skin, felt extremely wonderful.? He could not believe that this is what he's been missing all these years, this much welcome warmth.? He stood there for a little bit, running his hands to the back of his neck, tilting his head, elbows up as he stood waist deep the water, relishing the way the steam wrapped around him like a veil.
(Rabbit)
"Roue," Rabbit repeated, this time pronouncing it row. The stranger nodded to indicate that he'd gotten it right, but then stopped and stared in apparent amazement at the Roman-style bath room Rabbit had taken him to.? It was like the man had never seen one before.? Maybe he came from a desert somewhere?? His clothes didn't really seem to suggest it.? But then Roue was suddenly more than eager to make use of the place, stripping off his clothing before the little vampire had even gotten halfway through his attempts to suggest that he could help Roue bathe if he wanted it.
"Oh! Uhm, uh..." Rabbit quickly turned his back to the now-naked stranger. But when he heard the man immerse himself in the steaming water, the little vampire couldn't resist sneaking a furtive look.? Roue, however, was completely distracted by the delights of the heated bath and was oblivious to Rabbit's staring.? Naked, the stranger was even more exotic and enticing, with a smooth, elegant body that seemed not quite human and yet sublimely human, like human-plus.? The long blue locks and pointed ears seemed to complement the rest of him perfectly.? He chewed his lip as he continued to stare in spite of himself.? He could feel the desire starting all the way down in his toes and working its way up, filling him with a seductive warmth, to the point that he suddenly had to look away, busying himself with collecting Roue's discarded garments. ?
"Uhm, I'm g-gonna, you know, take your clothes and get them cleaned and f-fixed, okay?" he called out as Roue continued to indulge himself in the relaxing pool.? Carrying the rather considerable load - didn't he _really_ wear all these things at the same time? - Rabbit slipped out of the room, closing the door behind him. ?
"Wh-what the fuck is that guy?" Rabbit murmured, leaning back against the wall of the hallway with his arms full, his face feeling very flushed.? Did elves really exist, the little vampire wondered.? And are they all so inhumanly beautiful?? He _had_ to find out what Roue was and where he came from.
Rabbit hoped that Roue wouldn't mind a good long soak in the bath because he was going to have to take them outside the club to get them repaired and cleaned.? Fortunately one of the club's doors opened out to a street in New Orleans that had an all-night laundry that was reliable, open all night, and didn't ask questions about embarrassing blood stains.
It was about an hour and a half later when the little vampire made it back to the private room at the Dionysus. He peeked in cautiously, not wanting to catch Roue by surprise in case he was naked while more than half-hoping he would be.? "Uhm, Roue?? I'm b-back.? Are you done with your bath stuff y-yet?"
Tag - Roue
|
(Rabbit)
"Roue," Rabbit repeated, this time pronouncing it row. The stranger nodded to indicate that he'd gotten it right, but then stopped and stared in apparent amazement at the Roman-style bath room Rabbit had taken him to.? It was like the man had never seen one before.? Maybe he came from a desert somewhere?? His clothes didn't really seem to suggest it.? But then Roue was suddenly more than eager to make use of the place, stripping off his clothing before the little vampire had even gotten halfway through his attempts to suggest that he could help Roue bathe if he wanted it.
"Oh! Uhm, uh..." Rabbit quickly turned his back to the now-naked stranger. But when he heard the man immerse himself in the steaming water, the little vampire couldn't resist sneaking a furtive look.? Roue, however, was completely distracted by the delights of the heated bath and was oblivious to Rabbit's staring.? Naked, the stranger was even more exotic and enticing, with a smooth, elegant body that seemed not quite human and yet sublimely human, like human-plus.? The long blue locks and pointed ears seemed to complement the rest of him perfectly.? He chewed his lip as he continued to stare in spite of himself.? He could feel the desire starting all the way down in his toes and working its way up, filling him with a seductive warmth, to the point that he suddenly had to look away, busying himself with collecting Roue's discarded garments. ?
"Uhm, I'm g-gonna, you know, take your clothes and get them cleaned and f-fixed, okay?" he called out as Roue continued to indulge himself in the relaxing pool.? Carrying the rather considerable load - didn't he _really_ wear all these things at the same time? - Rabbit slipped out of the room, closing the door behind him. ?
"Wh-what the fuck is that guy?" Rabbit murmured, leaning back against the wall of the hallway with his arms full, his face feeling very flushed.? Did elves really exist, the little vampire wondered.? And are they all so inhumanly beautiful?? He _had_ to find out what Roue was and where he came from.
Rabbit hoped that Roue wouldn't mind a good long soak in the bath because he was going to have to take them outside the club to get them repaired and cleaned.? Fortunately one of the club's doors opened out to a street in New Orleans that had an all-night laundry that was reliable, open all night, and didn't ask questions about embarrassing blood stains.
It was about an hour and a half later when the little vampire made it back to the private room at the Dionysus. He peeked in cautiously, not wanting to catch Roue by surprise in case he was naked while more than half-hoping he would be.? "Uhm, Roue?? I'm b-back.? Are you done with your bath stuff y-yet?"
[Roue]
Soaking in the warmth, Roue turned around, just about to reach for a bar of soap when he saw Rabbit going around and picking up his clothes which he so unceremoniously dropped all over the floor.? He suddenly felt awful as it was completely unlike to be so uncouth in his action.? Rabbit didn't have to clean up after him like that.? He could've just as well folded everything neatly but it was too late for that now.? Before he could apologize for his behavior, Rabbit had disappeared through the door, leaving him by himself in the steam filled room.? Sinking into the water because of embarrassment, Roue turned back around, starting to scrub all the grime off his skin, making sure to really rub the soap into all the nooks and crannies.
He didn't quite know how long he was in the bath.? There were no windows to the outside so he had absolutely no concept of time in this space.? However, that didn't seem to bother him much if at all.? The gentle flow of waterfall splashing down coupled with the warmth of the water added to his relaxation and created such a soothing environment that he started to feel quite drowsy.? Time to get out, he decided, and stepped out of the water, carefully walking on the floor as he reached for a towel.? Drying himself off, he grabbed the clothes that Rabbit set aside for him and started to get dressed.
Every piece of clothing that he donned on had surprised him.? Slipping on the underwear, he shivered at the soft feel of fabric on his skin.? Next came the socks, then pants.? They were free flowing unlike the tight garb that all wizards insisted on wearing.? The shirt was the same.? It had a bit of a silken feel to it which he buttoned up to his midriff, letting the the upper half of it rest loosely upon his shoulders, exposing his chest.? Someone of his station would not typically allow such a flagrant display of skin, but there was something about the softness of the material and the relaxed atmosphere that made him want to be less uptight about everything, so he wasn't.
Discarding the now thoroughly wet towel, though folding it, Roue reached for another and started drying off his hair.? He sat upon the bench as he rubbed his locks between the material, waiting for Rabbit to come back.? Yawning, he folded this towel as well but set is as a makeshift pillow at the other end of the bench laying down onto his back and resting his head upon it.? He stared at the ceiling for a while, letting his eyes go out of focus, looking at everything and nothing at the same time.? Placing one hand upon his chest, he let the other fall down, his fingers tracing patterns on the tiles beneath.? Slowly, but surely his breath evened out and his eyes closed, promptly drifting into sleep.
<tag Rabbit>
|
[Roue]
Soaking in the warmth, Roue turned around, just about to reach for a bar of soap when he saw Rabbit going around and picking up his clothes which he so unceremoniously dropped all over the floor.? He suddenly felt awful as it was completely unlike to be so uncouth in his action.? Rabbit didn't have to clean up after him like that.? He could've just as well folded everything neatly but it was too late for that now.? Before he could apologize for his behavior, Rabbit had disappeared through the door, leaving him by himself in the steam filled room.? Sinking into the water because of embarrassment, Roue turned back around, starting to scrub all the grime off his skin, making sure to really rub the soap into all the nooks and crannies.
He didn't quite know how long he was in the bath.? There were no windows to the outside so he had absolutely no concept of time in this space.? However, that didn't seem to bother him much if at all.? The gentle flow of waterfall splashing down coupled with the warmth of the water added to his relaxation and created such a soothing environment that he started to feel quite drowsy.? Time to get out, he decided, and stepped out of the water, carefully walking on the floor as he reached for a towel.? Drying himself off, he grabbed the clothes that Rabbit set aside for him and started to get dressed.
Every piece of clothing that he donned on had surprised him.? Slipping on the underwear, he shivered at the soft feel of fabric on his skin.? Next came the socks, then pants.? They were free flowing unlike the tight garb that all wizards insisted on wearing.? The shirt was the same.? It had a bit of a silken feel to it which he buttoned up to his midriff, letting the the upper half of it rest loosely upon his shoulders, exposing his chest.? Someone of his station would not typically allow such a flagrant display of skin, but there was something about the softness of the material and the relaxed atmosphere that made him want to be less uptight about everything, so he wasn't.
Discarding the now thoroughly wet towel, though folding it, Roue reached for another and started drying off his hair.? He sat upon the bench as he rubbed his locks between the material, waiting for Rabbit to come back.? Yawning, he folded this towel as well but set is as a makeshift pillow at the other end of the bench laying down onto his back and resting his head upon it.? He stared at the ceiling for a while, letting his eyes go out of focus, looking at everything and nothing at the same time.? Placing one hand upon his chest, he let the other fall down, his fingers tracing patterns on the tiles beneath.? Slowly, but surely his breath evened out and his eyes closed, promptly drifting into sleep.
(Rabbit)
Roue was stretched out on a bench when Rabbit entered the bath room, his head resting on a rolled-up towel, sound asleep.? Not really surprising, Rabbit thought, considering that the man had apparently been through some rough treatment just prior to getting into the Dionysus and probably desperately needed to recuperate.? The little vampire was disappointed that Roue had gotten dressed - he would really have liked to have been there to help - but at least there was more of Roue showing in the clothes Rabbit had left for him.? Careful not to make any noise, Rabbit moved closer.? Few things were more silent than a vampire drawing closer to something that enticed him, and Rabbit had gotten very, very good at that over the years.
Crouching down, Rabbit looked over the sleeping elf with great curiosity. Relaxed in slumber, the stranger seemed even more beautiful than before.? Rabbit knew that some vampires were obsessed with beauty, not just their own but that of things and of other beings.? He'd heard that they could be so entranced by beauty that they could stare at something for hours, completely forgetting about the time.? Which was not a good thing if you happened to be a vampire, so he wasn't sure if it was true.? But looking at the exotic features of Roue's face, ears and upper body, the little vampire could at least imagine it.
In spite of himself, Rabbit drew closer until his face was just inches away from Roue.? He could feel the warmth radiating from Roue's sleeping body, especially from just over the man's chest where the skin was revealed in the more open shirt he was now wearing. The little vampire drank in the elf's scent, which only added to the impression that Roue was something more than just human.? The impulse to climb on top of the sleeping stranger, to feel the warmth of Roue's body against his own, to be able to rub his face along the elf's bare skin, to lick and taste it and fully immerse himself in how the stranger smelled and felt was almost too much for him and he backed away suddenly....
...and almost fell into the bath.? "Whoa-whoa-whoa!" the little vampire yelped, managing just barely to catch himself in time. ?
Tag - Roue
|
(Rabbit)
Roue was stretched out on a bench when Rabbit entered the bath room, his head resting on a rolled-up towel, sound asleep.? Not really surprising, Rabbit thought, considering that the man had apparently been through some rough treatment just prior to getting into the Dionysus and probably desperately needed to recuperate.? The little vampire was disappointed that Roue had gotten dressed - he would really have liked to have been there to help - but at least there was more of Roue showing in the clothes Rabbit had left for him.? Careful not to make any noise, Rabbit moved closer.? Few things were more silent than a vampire drawing closer to something that enticed him, and Rabbit had gotten very, very good at that over the years.
Crouching down, Rabbit looked over the sleeping elf with great curiosity. Relaxed in slumber, the stranger seemed even more beautiful than before.? Rabbit knew that some vampires were obsessed with beauty, not just their own but that of things and of other beings.? He'd heard that they could be so entranced by beauty that they could stare at something for hours, completely forgetting about the time.? Which was not a good thing if you happened to be a vampire, so he wasn't sure if it was true.? But looking at the exotic features of Roue's face, ears and upper body, the little vampire could at least imagine it.
In spite of himself, Rabbit drew closer until his face was just inches away from Roue.? He could feel the warmth radiating from Roue's sleeping body, especially from just over the man's chest where the skin was revealed in the more open shirt he was now wearing. The little vampire drank in the elf's scent, which only added to the impression that Roue was something more than just human.? The impulse to climb on top of the sleeping stranger, to feel the warmth of Roue's body against his own, to be able to rub his face along the elf's bare skin, to lick and taste it and fully immerse himself in how the stranger smelled and felt was almost too much for him and he backed away suddenly....
...and almost fell into the bath.? "Whoa-whoa-whoa!" the little vampire yelped, managing just barely to catch himself in time.
[Roue]
Roue was fast asleep, his chest rising and falling evenly with his breaths.? There were no nightmares this time but no dreams either.? Subconsciously, it was as if he was just floating out in the middle of dark space, cradled by a grayish sort of liquid that cushioned his body.? Though the bench didn't quite have enough space to really be sleeping on one, he managed to somehow balance himself on it when he decided to turn to his side, slipping his hand under the towel to provide some additional support.? This action caused him to breathe out heavily though he did not wake.
The wizard didn't even stir when Rabbit decided to move in for a closer inspection.? Despite his ears listening for any unnatural external noises, there were none except for the gentle splashing of the water in the bath, so if that didn't wake him up, then Rabbit's more than silent movements certainly would not have disturbed him either.? Even when the other was just about hovering over him, the youthful elf gave no indication that he had sensed anything at all.? The only thing he did when he shifted again was hug himself tightly, subconsciously seeking physical comfort that he has been missing all these years.
It wasn't till Rabbit suddenly cried out that Roue was startled awake.? In his half-asleep stupor, he thought he was being attacked and kicked forward with his legs, his feet alighting with the floor and instead of actually kicking anything, he pushed himself backwards and promptly fell off the bench, legs danging over the top.? His back hit the floor first followed by his head, first knocking the wind out of him and at the same time causing him to cry out as his skull collided with the tile.? Curling up into a ball, he cradled his head in his arms as he waited for the stars to subside in his eyes.? Once the pounding had dulled into a small ache, he propped himself up with his hand and turned around to see Rabbit close by him, his heels teetering on the edge of the pool.
"<Rabbit?? Wh-what happened?? Were we being attacked?>" Roue asked, rubbing the back of his back with his right hand.? "<Are you okay?? when did you come back?>"? He hoped that despite their lack of verbal understanding, that the other could feel the inflections in his tone.? Swiveling his head, he noticed no one else in the bathroom except for himself and his host.? Placing one hand on his chest, he breathed out a sigh of relief which inveritably turned into a deep yawn that he tried to stifle with his arm.? Though he'd just woken up, his body was calling for more rest, preferably not on the bench and not in the steamy room either.? Using the back of the bench as support, he stood up, dusting himself off and then widely stretched out his arms, shutting his eyes as another yawn found its way out his mouth.? Tears appeared to moisten his eyes as he looked back at Rabbit, something that was a common occurrence for the elf when he was especially exhausted.
"<I think I want to go back to the room,>" he said, making the motions of sleep by tilting his head and putting both his hands under it.? He hoped that Rabbit understood that, since he seems to have looked like he did when Roue first showed him what he wanted to do.? "<So tired...>" he mumbled, rubbing his eyes.
<Tag Rabbit.>
|
[Roue]
Roue was fast asleep, his chest rising and falling evenly with his breaths.? There were no nightmares this time but no dreams either.? Subconsciously, it was as if he was just floating out in the middle of dark space, cradled by a grayish sort of liquid that cushioned his body.? Though the bench didn't quite have enough space to really be sleeping on one, he managed to somehow balance himself on it when he decided to turn to his side, slipping his hand under the towel to provide some additional support.? This action caused him to breathe out heavily though he did not wake.
The wizard didn't even stir when Rabbit decided to move in for a closer inspection.? Despite his ears listening for any unnatural external noises, there were none except for the gentle splashing of the water in the bath, so if that didn't wake him up, then Rabbit's more than silent movements certainly would not have disturbed him either.? Even when the other was just about hovering over him, the youthful elf gave no indication that he had sensed anything at all.? The only thing he did when he shifted again was hug himself tightly, subconsciously seeking physical comfort that he has been missing all these years.
It wasn't till Rabbit suddenly cried out that Roue was startled awake.? In his half-asleep stupor, he thought he was being attacked and kicked forward with his legs, his feet alighting with the floor and instead of actually kicking anything, he pushed himself backwards and promptly fell off the bench, legs danging over the top.? His back hit the floor first followed by his head, first knocking the wind out of him and at the same time causing him to cry out as his skull collided with the tile.? Curling up into a ball, he cradled his head in his arms as he waited for the stars to subside in his eyes.? Once the pounding had dulled into a small ache, he propped himself up with his hand and turned around to see Rabbit close by him, his heels teetering on the edge of the pool.
"<Rabbit?? Wh-what happened?? Were we being attacked?>" Roue asked, rubbing the back of his back with his right hand.? "<Are you okay?? when did you come back?>"? He hoped that despite their lack of verbal understanding, that the other could feel the inflections in his tone.? Swiveling his head, he noticed no one else in the bathroom except for himself and his host.? Placing one hand on his chest, he breathed out a sigh of relief which inveritably turned into a deep yawn that he tried to stifle with his arm.? Though he'd just woken up, his body was calling for more rest, preferably not on the bench and not in the steamy room either.? Using the back of the bench as support, he stood up, dusting himself off and then widely stretched out his arms, shutting his eyes as another yawn found its way out his mouth.? Tears appeared to moisten his eyes as he looked back at Rabbit, something that was a common occurrence for the elf when he was especially exhausted.
"<I think I want to go back to the room,>" he said, making the motions of sleep by tilting his head and putting both his hands under it.? He hoped that Rabbit understood that, since he seems to have looked like he did when Roue first showed him what he wanted to do.? "<So tired...>" he mumbled, rubbing his eyes.
(Rabbit)
Rabbit could make out his name in what Roue was saying but nothing else. The man seemed startled at first - probably because he was waking up in an unfamiliar place - but quickly calmed down once he'd looked around a bit.? He was still apparently very tired though, yawning and looking ready to fall right back to sleep again, even as he was making gestures that made it clear that that was what he was wanting. ?
"Uhm, okay," Rabbit said, looking around the bath for a moment before turning back to Roue.? "But you can't, uhm, you know, s-sleep in here.? This particular bath is pretty p-popular, and there'll be other people wantin' to use it. Let's get you back to the private room you were in, okay?"? The little vampire helped the stranger get to his feet and then slipped his shoulder's under the man's arm to help keep him steady as they left the Roman bath.
"We r-really need to get you an account set up, Mister Roue," Rabbit said as they headed around the fringes of the main club room to where the private room they'd been using was.? Especially if'n you're gonna, you know, b-be here for a while. I mean, I'd be more'n happy to let you stay in my room..." he said, chewing his lip pensively as he glanced up at the elf's handsome face, adding a wistful "... and in my, uhm, b-bed, if'n you like.? But I cain' do that 'cause of the, uhm, you know, r-rules here 'n all. Leastwise not until you can, you know, understand me 'n all."
When they finally reached the private room, Rabbit helped the sleepy Roue over to the edge of the bed, then stood in front of him.? "You can sleep here, Mister Roue. But I need to go and, uhm, let the management know that you're gonna be usin' the room for a while.? And since you ain' a, uhm, you know, Dionysus m-member, I need to get you some, uh, c-credit."? The little vampire fidgeted awkwardly, trying to mime gestures of the pouch Roue had shown him before.? Finally he dug into his pocket and brought out a few coins and showed them to Roue, then gave the elf a questioning look.? When Roue got it and brought out his pouch, Rabbit picked three of the smaller coins, trying to get one of each kind, then pushed the rest of the pouch back into Roue's hands.? "I just n-need these," he said, slipping them into his pocket, "to show 'em you've got money, even if'n I got no idea wh-where these're from.? I'll bring 'em back when I'm done, okay?"
"Meanwhile, you can just, uhm, get some sleep while I'm gone, okay?"? Rabbit copied Roue's earlier mime about sleeping and nodded at the bed.? The little vampire hesitated, then said "Uhm, you should p-probably take your clothes off before you sleep though. At least your shirt 'n p-pants?" He mimed taking those garments off and hanging them up.? "You know, so's you can still wear 'em when you wake up?" The little vampire couldn't help giggling impishly a bit when he added "Of course, ifn' you wanna take _everythin'_ off, I wouldn' mind that either." ?
You shouldn' be flirtin' like that, Rabbit chided himself, recovering his self-control.? Not till he can understand you anyways.? "Anyways, you go ahead and I'll be b-back and check on you in a few hours, okay?"? With that, he quietly slipped out of the room and left the stranger alone.
---
"Where did you get these, Rabbit?" Antonin asked, eyeing the coins curiously through a jeweler's eyepiece.
"From a, uhm, g-guest," the little vampire replied. At the man's questioning look, Rabbit became defensive.? "I didn' s-steal 'em!? You know I don' do n-none of that inside the club!"?
"I didn't say you did, kid," the cashier said, motioning for Rabbit to calm down.? "I was only asking."? Antonin was one of the few Dionysus staff members who could get away with calling the deceptively young-looking vampire a 'kid'.? No one except possibly the boss knew how old Antonin was, but from the stories the man would sometimes tell, he knew it was at least a couple of centuries.
"Well, uhm, the thing is," Rabbit began, biting his lip, "he kinda needs a place to stay, but he ain' a, uhm, you know, Dionysus member. So I wanna try'n, you know, s-set up some credit for him.? It's kinda tricky right now, 'cause he comes from somewhere where they don' seem to speak any language I've ever even heard in the club.? And we get f-folks from, you know, everywhere!"
"Yeah," Antonin said, nodding distractedly as he continued to examine the coins.? "We do. We do indeed."
"So," Rabbit said when the man finally looked up again.? "Are they worth anythin'?" he asked anxiously. "And can he stay?"?
"Oh, he can stay alright. I'll need to check these out, but if they're what I think they are, he can stay just as long as he wants."? The cashier removed his eyepiece and regarded the little vampire speculatively for a moment, as if pondering how much to tell him.? "I'll need to keep these for now," he said finally, "but you can tell your guest that his credit's good with the club. Okay?"
"S-sure thing!" Rabbit said, much relieved, relaxing for the first time since entering the cashier's room which overlooked the club's main floor.
"One thing though," the man cautioned, his dark-as-coal eyes fixing on Rabbit's to make sure he had the 'boy's attention. "I wouldn't go showing these around. Especially not in here. They could attract the wrong kind of attention."
"Oh. Uhm, s-sure thing," Rabbit said standing up again.? "I'll make sure he kn-knows that too.? And, uh, thanks, Antonin.? I owe you."
"Yes, yes you do," the cashier said with a wry glint in his eye. "But it can wait."? As the little vampire turned to leave, the cashier went back to his books, waving Rabbit away with a final admonishing "Remember, you're staff.? Be good!"
Tag - Roue
|
(Rabbit)
Rabbit could make out his name in what Roue was saying but nothing else. The man seemed startled at first - probably because he was waking up in an unfamiliar place - but quickly calmed down once he'd looked around a bit.? He was still apparently very tired though, yawning and looking ready to fall right back to sleep again, even as he was making gestures that made it clear that that was what he was wanting. ?
"Uhm, okay," Rabbit said, looking around the bath for a moment before turning back to Roue.? "But you can't, uhm, you know, s-sleep in here.? This particular bath is pretty p-popular, and there'll be other people wantin' to use it. Let's get you back to the private room you were in, okay?"? The little vampire helped the stranger get to his feet and then slipped his shoulder's under the man's arm to help keep him steady as they left the Roman bath.
"We r-really need to get you an account set up, Mister Roue," Rabbit said as they headed around the fringes of the main club room to where the private room they'd been using was.? Especially if'n you're gonna, you know, b-be here for a while. I mean, I'd be more'n happy to let you stay in my room..." he said, chewing his lip pensively as he glanced up at the elf's handsome face, adding a wistful "... and in my, uhm, b-bed, if'n you like.? But I cain' do that 'cause of the, uhm, you know, r-rules here 'n all. Leastwise not until you can, you know, understand me 'n all."
When they finally reached the private room, Rabbit helped the sleepy Roue over to the edge of the bed, then stood in front of him.? "You can sleep here, Mister Roue. But I need to go and, uhm, let the management know that you're gonna be usin' the room for a while.? And since you ain' a, uhm, you know, Dionysus m-member, I need to get you some, uh, c-credit."? The little vampire fidgeted awkwardly, trying to mime gestures of the pouch Roue had shown him before.? Finally he dug into his pocket and brought out a few coins and showed them to Roue, then gave the elf a questioning look.? When Roue got it and brought out his pouch, Rabbit picked three of the smaller coins, trying to get one of each kind, then pushed the rest of the pouch back into Roue's hands.? "I just n-need these," he said, slipping them into his pocket, "to show 'em you've got money, even if'n I got no idea wh-where these're from.? I'll bring 'em back when I'm done, okay?"
"Meanwhile, you can just, uhm, get some sleep while I'm gone, okay?"? Rabbit copied Roue's earlier mime about sleeping and nodded at the bed.? The little vampire hesitated, then said "Uhm, you should p-probably take your clothes off before you sleep though. At least your shirt 'n p-pants?" He mimed taking those garments off and hanging them up.? "You know, so's you can still wear 'em when you wake up?" The little vampire couldn't help giggling impishly a bit when he added "Of course, ifn' you wanna take _everythin'_ off, I wouldn' mind that either." ?
You shouldn' be flirtin' like that, Rabbit chided himself, recovering his self-control.? Not till he can understand you anyways.? "Anyways, you go ahead and I'll be b-back and check on you in a few hours, okay?"? With that, he quietly slipped out of the room and left the stranger alone.
---
"Where did you get these, Rabbit?" Antonin asked, eyeing the coins curiously through a jeweler's eyepiece.
"From a, uhm, g-guest," the little vampire replied. At the man's questioning look, Rabbit became defensive.? "I didn' s-steal 'em!? You know I don' do n-none of that inside the club!"?
"I didn't say you did, kid," the cashier said, motioning for Rabbit to calm down.? "I was only asking."? Antonin was one of the few Dionysus staff members who could get away with calling the deceptively young-looking vampire a 'kid'.? No one except possibly the boss knew how old Antonin was, but from the stories the man would sometimes tell, he knew it was at least a couple of centuries.
"Well, uhm, the thing is," Rabbit began, biting his lip, "he kinda needs a place to stay, but he ain' a, uhm, you know, Dionysus member. So I wanna try'n, you know, s-set up some credit for him.? It's kinda tricky right now, 'cause he comes from somewhere where they don' seem to speak any language I've ever even heard in the club.? And we get f-folks from, you know, everywhere!"
"Yeah," Antonin said, nodding distractedly as he continued to examine the coins.? "We do. We do indeed."
"So," Rabbit said when the man finally looked up again.? "Are they worth anythin'?" he asked anxiously. "And can he stay?"?
"Oh, he can stay alright. I'll need to check these out, but if they're what I think they are, he can stay just as long as he wants."? The cashier removed his eyepiece and regarded the little vampire speculatively for a moment, as if pondering how much to tell him.? "I'll need to keep these for now," he said finally, "but you can tell your guest that his credit's good with the club. Okay?"
"S-sure thing!" Rabbit said, much relieved, relaxing for the first time since entering the cashier's room which overlooked the club's main floor.
"One thing though," the man cautioned, his dark-as-coal eyes fixing on Rabbit's to make sure he had the 'boy's attention. "I wouldn't go showing these around. Especially not in here. They could attract the wrong kind of attention."
"Oh. Uhm, s-sure thing," Rabbit said standing up again.? "I'll make sure he kn-knows that too.? And, uh, thanks, Antonin.? I owe you."
"Yes, yes you do," the cashier said with a wry glint in his eye. "But it can wait."? As the little vampire turned to leave, the cashier went back to his books, waving Rabbit away with a final admonishing "Remember, you're staff.? Be good!"
[Roue]
Having zero comprehension of what Rabbit was saying, when the slightly shorter youth addressed the elf again and then slid under his arm, the wizard at first thought that he was looking for a hug.? Remembering his social cues and training, he was just about to too, getting ready to reach around, when the other indicated towards the door of the bath and made a motion for them both to start walking together.? He felt his cheeks grow hot at the misunderstanding, instead reaching back up to scratch his cheek instead, as they left the hot, steamy room.? As they slowly made their way back, the elf now realized why Rabbit clung to him at that moment.? He wasn't sure if it was exhaustion or too much steam, but his head was spinning a bit and he was still unsteady on his feet, so that fact that Rabbit acted as his support was very welcome.
As they walked back to the room, Roue didn't pay so much attention to what Rabbit was saying but as to how he was saying it.? Lowering his head a bit, he trained his ears to listen to the inflections in his tone as his eyes focused on how his lips moved.? Though the words sounded like gibberish to him, he was still trying to wordlessly mimic the way the other man was spoke, in a weird sort of way of trying to make a connection, any connection, to the strange language he was hearing.? He didn't even realize how much he was staring until Rabbit suddenly looked up at him, his look a bit softer than he expected, immediately looking away, cheeks rising in color.? He had to stop that - staring was rude.? It's something he was taught from a very early age, but he couldn't help it.? Roue had to keep telling himself that it was nothing else...that there was nothing else except the desire to understand each other.
Once they got back inside the room, Rabbit helped the wizard to the bed, but then started motioning for something.? It wasn't until he produced some coins that Roue understood what he was asking for.? Taking the money pouch out, he unfastened the top and stretched his hands out, welcoming the other to take whatever and however much he needed.? He half expected that the lot of it would be gone but his expression changed to one of a surprise when Rabbit only took out a few medallions all of which were of a small value.? The wizard questioned why he would take so little but Rabbit simply waved him away, showing that this was enough, at least for now.? Pulling the string taught and tying them into a knot, Roue re-fastened the top and then shoved the pouch back under the pillow.? When he looked back, the other man indicated that it was now okay to undress and head to bed, so he proceed to do so as instructed.
The elf started by kicking off his shoes, using his heels to hold the soles down so he could pull out his feet.? Placing the pair of boots onto the bedside bench, he then stood up and hooked his fingers into his pant waist.? Unlike the wizarding outfit which required one to wiggle out of them almost like a worm, there was no such struggle as Roue easily slipped out of the pants and neatly folded them on top of the shoes.? The shame of having previously discarded his clothing like a ne'er-do-well floated up to the forefront of his mind so he wanted to make sure that he didn't do something so uncouth again, so when he slipped the shirt off, it too went neatly on top of the rest of the pile.? Once he was clad in nothing but his underwear, Roue promptly jumped into bed, pulling the comforter right up to his neck and then cocooning himself by piling the rest of the blankets around him.? The bedding was so soft he felt as if he was surrounded by clouds, and all the better, as at this point he was just about ready to drop into la-la land.
"<Thank you, Rabbit>," Roue said, turning his head to face him.? The young man said something back, eliciting a small chuckle as he smiled, though he knew not what was said.? Once Rabbit made sure that Roue was all set, however, he turned around and left, leaving the elf all to himself.? Now that he was along with his thoughts, Roue thought back to the entire day's events.? He had not expected this kindness nor this level of service after having been on the run for so long.? How long was this going to last, he wondered, I'm going to have to leave sooner or later.? He suddenly felt like he did not want to be alone, that he did want some kind of companionship, but it was too late to call the other back.? It would probably be super awkward anyway, he reasoned, seeing as they just met and barely even knew each other.? He pulled the covers closer to him as he laid in the dark for a little while, waiting for sleep to claim him.? It didn't take long and soon he was deeply sleeping, the exhaustion and stress finally claiming him.
<Tag Rabbit.>
|
[Roue]
Having zero comprehension of what Rabbit was saying, when the slightly shorter youth addressed the elf again and then slid under his arm, the wizard at first thought that he was looking for a hug.? Remembering his social cues and training, he was just about to too, getting ready to reach around, when the other indicated towards the door of the bath and made a motion for them both to start walking together.? He felt his cheeks grow hot at the misunderstanding, instead reaching back up to scratch his cheek instead, as they left the hot, steamy room.? As they slowly made their way back, the elf now realized why Rabbit clung to him at that moment.? He wasn't sure if it was exhaustion or too much steam, but his head was spinning a bit and he was still unsteady on his feet, so that fact that Rabbit acted as his support was very welcome.
As they walked back to the room, Roue didn't pay so much attention to what Rabbit was saying but as to how he was saying it.? Lowering his head a bit, he trained his ears to listen to the inflections in his tone as his eyes focused on how his lips moved.? Though the words sounded like gibberish to him, he was still trying to wordlessly mimic the way the other man was spoke, in a weird sort of way of trying to make a connection, any connection, to the strange language he was hearing.? He didn't even realize how much he was staring until Rabbit suddenly looked up at him, his look a bit softer than he expected, immediately looking away, cheeks rising in color.? He had to stop that - staring was rude.? It's something he was taught from a very early age, but he couldn't help it.? Roue had to keep telling himself that it was nothing else...that there was nothing else except the desire to understand each other.
Once they got back inside the room, Rabbit helped the wizard to the bed, but then started motioning for something.? It wasn't until he produced some coins that Roue understood what he was asking for.? Taking the money pouch out, he unfastened the top and stretched his hands out, welcoming the other to take whatever and however much he needed.? He half expected that the lot of it would be gone but his expression changed to one of a surprise when Rabbit only took out a few medallions all of which were of a small value.? The wizard questioned why he would take so little but Rabbit simply waved him away, showing that this was enough, at least for now.? Pulling the string taught and tying them into a knot, Roue re-fastened the top and then shoved the pouch back under the pillow.? When he looked back, the other man indicated that it was now okay to undress and head to bed, so he proceed to do so as instructed.
The elf started by kicking off his shoes, using his heels to hold the soles down so he could pull out his feet.? Placing the pair of boots onto the bedside bench, he then stood up and hooked his fingers into his pant waist.? Unlike the wizarding outfit which required one to wiggle out of them almost like a worm, there was no such struggle as Roue easily slipped out of the pants and neatly folded them on top of the shoes.? The shame of having previously discarded his clothing like a ne'er-do-well floated up to the forefront of his mind so he wanted to make sure that he didn't do something so uncouth again, so when he slipped the shirt off, it too went neatly on top of the rest of the pile.? Once he was clad in nothing but his underwear, Roue promptly jumped into bed, pulling the comforter right up to his neck and then cocooning himself by piling the rest of the blankets around him.? The bedding was so soft he felt as if he was surrounded by clouds, and all the better, as at this point he was just about ready to drop into la-la land.
"<Thank you, Rabbit>," Roue said, turning his head to face him.? The young man said something back, eliciting a small chuckle as he smiled, though he knew not what was said.? Once Rabbit made sure that Roue was all set, however, he turned around and left, leaving the elf all to himself.? Now that he was along with his thoughts, Roue thought back to the entire day's events.? He had not expected this kindness nor this level of service after having been on the run for so long.? How long was this going to last, he wondered, I'm going to have to leave sooner or later.? He suddenly felt like he did not want to be alone, that he did want some kind of companionship, but it was too late to call the other back.? It would probably be super awkward anyway, he reasoned, seeing as they just met and barely even knew each other.? He pulled the covers closer to him as he laid in the dark for a little while, waiting for sleep to claim him.? It didn't take long and soon he was deeply sleeping, the exhaustion and stress finally claiming him.
(Rabbit)
Tag - Roue
|
OOC - Ignore that last post.? I meant to just save it as a draft but hit send instead.? Sorry for the confusion. Will post later.
|
OOC - no worries. ?Looking forward to it as always :)
On Sun, Jan 12, 2020 at 5:00 AM, Whitt Pond < whittpond@...> wrote: OOC - Ignore that last post.? I meant to just save it as a draft but hit send instead.? Sorry for the confusion. Will post later.
|
[Roue]
Having zero comprehension of what Rabbit was saying, when the slightly shorter youth addressed the elf again and then slid under his arm, the wizard at first thought that he was looking for a hug.? Remembering his social cues and training, he was just about to too, getting ready to reach around, when the other indicated towards the door of the bath and made a motion for them both to start walking together.? He felt his cheeks grow hot at the misunderstanding, instead reaching back up to scratch his cheek instead, as they left the hot, steamy room.? As they slowly made their way back, the elf now realized why Rabbit clung to him at that moment.? He wasn't sure if it was exhaustion or too much steam, but his head was spinning a bit and he was still unsteady on his feet, so that fact that Rabbit acted as his support was very welcome.
As they walked back to the room, Roue didn't pay so much attention to what Rabbit was saying but as to how he was saying it.? Lowering his head a bit, he trained his ears to listen to the inflections in his tone as his eyes focused on how his lips moved.? Though the words sounded like gibberish to him, he was still trying to wordlessly mimic the way the other man was spoke, in a weird sort of way of trying to make a connection, any connection, to the strange language he was hearing.? He didn't even realize how much he was staring until Rabbit suddenly looked up at him, his look a bit softer than he expected, immediately looking away, cheeks rising in color.? He had to stop that - staring was rude.? It's something he was taught from a very early age, but he couldn't help it.? Roue had to keep telling himself that it was nothing else...that there was nothing else except the desire to understand each other.
Once they got back inside the room, Rabbit helped the wizard to the bed, but then started motioning for something.? It wasn't until he produced some coins that Roue understood what he was asking for.? Taking the money pouch out, he unfastened the top and stretched his hands out, welcoming the other to take whatever and however much he needed.? He half expected that the lot of it would be gone but his expression changed to one of a surprise when Rabbit only took out a few medallions all of which were of a small value.? The wizard questioned why he would take so little but Rabbit simply waved him away, showing that this was enough, at least for now.? Pulling the string taught and tying them into a knot, Roue re-fastened the top and then shoved the pouch back under the pillow.? When he looked back, the other man indicated that it was now okay to undress and head to bed, so he proceed to do so as instructed.
The elf started by kicking off his shoes, using his heels to hold the soles down so he could pull out his feet.? Placing the pair of boots onto the bedside bench, he then stood up and hooked his fingers into his pant waist.? Unlike the wizarding outfit which required one to wiggle out of them almost like a worm, there was no such struggle as Roue easily slipped out of the pants and neatly folded them on top of the shoes.? The shame of having previously discarded his clothing like a ne'er-do-well floated up to the forefront of his mind so he wanted to make sure that he didn't do something so uncouth again, so when he slipped the shirt off, it too went neatly on top of the rest of the pile.? Once he was clad in nothing but his underwear, Roue promptly jumped into bed, pulling the comforter right up to his neck and then cocooning himself by piling the rest of the blankets around him.? The bedding was so soft he felt as if he was surrounded by clouds, and all the better, as at this point he was just about ready to drop into la-la land.
"<Thank you, Rabbit>," Roue said, turning his head to face him.? The young man said something back, eliciting a small chuckle as he smiled, though he knew not what was said.? Once Rabbit made sure that Roue was all set, however, he turned around and left, leaving the elf all to himself.? Now that he was along with his thoughts, Roue thought back to the entire day's events.? He had not expected this kindness nor this level of service after having been on the run for so long.? How long was this going to last, he wondered, I'm going to have to leave sooner or later.? He suddenly felt like he did not want to be alone, that he did want some kind of companionship, but it was too late to call the other back.? It would probably be super awkward anyway, he reasoned, seeing as they just met and barely even knew each other.? He pulled the covers closer to him as he laid in the dark for a little while, waiting for sleep to claim him.? It didn't take long and soon he was deeply sleeping, the exhaustion and stress finally claiming him.
(Rabbit)
Once he had taken care of getting some credit for Roue, Rabbit returned to his regular duties, looking after the patrons on the club's main floor.? But every other hour he poked his head into the private room to see if the stranger was up and about yet.? On his fourth check, he noticed that the elf was beginning to stir, so the little vampire slipped into the room and closed the door behind him. ?
"Uhm, Roue?" he called softly, leaning over where the stranger's head was resting on a pillow.? "Do you feel like g-gettin' up yet?? Or like, uhm, you know, maybe gettin' somethin' to eat?"? He mimed eating, then looked for Roue's response.? "If'n you still wanna sleep though, I can c-come back later."
Tag - Roue
|
(Rabbit)
Once he had taken care of getting some credit for Roue, Rabbit returned to his regular duties, looking after the patrons on the club's main floor.? But every other hour he poked his head into the private room to see if the stranger was up and about yet.? On his fourth check, he noticed that the elf was beginning to stir, so the little vampire slipped into the room and closed the door behind him. ?
"Uhm, Roue?" he called softly, leaning over where the stranger's head was resting on a pillow.? "Do you feel like g-gettin' up yet?? Or like, uhm, you know, maybe gettin' somethin' to eat?"? He mimed eating, then looked for Roue's response.? "If'n you still wanna sleep though, I can c-come back later."
[Roue]
Roue was fitfully sleeping but he was still alert enough that when Rabbit called to him, his eyes fluttered open.? Blinking the sleep away, he rubbed his eyes and then looked up, seeing Rabbit hovering right above him.? It was a nice change from being woken up by some brazen thugs wanting to mug him or a rude awakening from being discovered by his pursuers.? So when his eyes got into focus and he looked up at the other man, he reached up with his hand and gently touched Rabbit's face, runnig his hand up his cheek and then through his hair, feeling the softness of it.? Roue didn't know why he did it, other than that it just felt the right thing to do at the time, but before he could continue, he suddenly broke into a yawn and pulled his hand away, stretching out every part of his body in a very satisfying manner.? Once that was done, he sat up as the covers fell down to his waist and swung his feet over the edge, scooting over so that he could get to the clothes, pulling them over to his side.
"*yawn* I'm awake now...sort of,>" he mumbled, still feeling quite sleepy, eliciting another yawn out of his throat.? Though he slept many more hours than he has in the past couple of days, he was still a bit tired and felt like he was hit by a pile of bricks.??? But to regain his energy, he needed to eat and as Rabbit mimed that very action, his stomach growled quite violently as a result.? Laughing sheepishly, Roue rubbed his stomach, feeling yet another rumble of discontent.? "<Sorry, that was quite rude.? Yes, I'd like something to eat.? Could I wash up first though?>"? In turn, the elf placed two hands over his face and mimicked a washing motion, raising his index finger first, and then indicated that he wanted to eat.
<Tag Rabbit>
|
Luukasama