"Broken Shards"

[zauberdecke]

"In the dark
I need to taste the blood
Go on, draw another line
We can cross this time."
- Blindfold by Sleeping Wolf

---



[ Essek Thelyss: Shadowhand to the Dynasty.

One who reached further then the Luxon would allow, who would do absolutely anything for knowledge. Oh no, the man did not care for power, not really. He wanted to cast himself into the portal of knowing, he wanted to surrender himself to books and learning without having to deal with the mundanities of socio-politics that all of the Kryn engaged in. It was tedious and it filled him with sickness even as he plastered on an urbane smile for all and sundry to see.

Within the Dynasty, it was customary to take pets of the Empire; they were brought in across the border of Asarius, across the mountains and into the Dynasty. There were Dynasty born pets on the other side, both lost to the ravages of the other's civilization, generally never to be seen again.

Essek had never really had an interest to begin with when it came to pets; at the market he carefully avoided the slave blocks where those not of the Dynasty were paraded around. However, it had come to this-- it had come to his trading of the Beacon, and in return he recieved a Volstrucker to serve him. And yet, for all of that, Essek Thelyss had not thought he would receive a broken Volstrucker.

In fair trade, he and recieved a dossier on the man in question and had perused it with only a small semblance of annoyance while Trent Ikithon had assured him that a man like him could be rebuilt, the honeyed words of a silken snake which Essek recognized.

After all did not a predator recognize another predator? So now he held in his household a man whom had to be guarded carefully, though Essek was not cruel despite how he imagined Dynasty pets were treated, the cage that he had placed this Volstrucker named Bren within, well it was comfortable-- he'd seen pictures of Vergossen so he supposed it must be far better than that place. But he had not precisely interacted with him-- most of his unseen servants were given the walking of him, the care and maintenance of him.

Perhaps because he did not precisely know what to do with him, or what use he had for something broken. Though he arguably did not know what manner of broken the Volstrucker was, but after a week-- he decided perhaps it was time to summon him and see for himself; acertain what sort of work was cut out for him.

If this man was worth putting back together again.

So it was one evening, he had the Empire man summoned to his chambers. ]

Comments

[zauberdecke]

[ There had been that moment of flustering the last time that Bren had done something that had been indelibly sweet and full of earnest tribute, this time he knew to better expect it, to better compose himself. But there was still the barest hint of a sparkle of gold in his eyes, as if the eyes recognized his mate. He did not think of that in such terms, he did not normally ascribe to the concept of mate as he found it rather archaic held within stories of the Underdark and the mating rituals that defined a species near far removed from the drow.

Save for special cases.

The glow at the touch of lips to the back of his palm, the meeting of the eyes that caused his own heartbeat to quicken underneath his fine clothing, even further underneath ripcage where it rang out something that filled his senses. ]

Then you will be my weapon however I promise to take care of you properly in a way that respects the power and beauty of your very being. [ That was a promise just as Bren had made his own-- and to punctuate that, his fingers tucked a lock of hair behind Bren's ear after the sweetness of smoothing the hair backwards. ]

[ausgebrannt]

[Even if Bren were aware that was a possibility, it never would have crossed his mind. He could be a pet, yes. A curiosity and a diversion. A weapon. A tool for pleasure. Whatever Essek would like him to be. But at the end of the day, still a broken possession, and that would be enough for Bren.

His heart was racing too, and he let his touch linger, holding that hand -- fingers so smooth and soft and cool in his own warmer, calloused fingers.

The gravity of those words spoken in turn, they catch his breath in his throat and throw his heart into disarray.]

I will be whatever you wish me to be... whatever I may be.

[So long as he was allowed to stay by him.]

[zauberdecke]

[ they both were utterly oblivious to the red threads that bound them together irrevocably, especially Essek who did not know nor understand the heart's call. What he did know was that there was something that being Bren's master that spoke to him, made him content in a way that felt surprising.

His fingers cupped a cheek, felt the prickle of facial hair there and stroked lightly-- as if Bren needed another reason to fall. ] Let us talk no more of sacrifice, hopefully that time is far and away.

[ The unseen servants were already scooping the books up to whisk back toward Essek's room
]

My wing is my sanctuary so I hope you feel the same about it-- further good behavior will earn more visits...[ and also being lavished tender affection upon, such as he was doing right now-- soft and rhythmeic with the most loving touch of fingers while he reveled in the fact that this was his pet to touch and caress. ]

Shall we retire to bed then?

[ausgebrannt]

[Bren melted into that touch, eyes dropping mostly shut, a slow-motion blink like he'd been possessed by the spirit of the cats he'd always been fond of, content and feeling safe in a way he as still not used to. No, he did not need more reasons to fall, but they kept appearing and making his plummet all the more certain.

A slight nod of agreement, not enough to dislodge that touch if he could avoid it. Essek was right. There was time between now and that eventually then.

Bed, however, sounded like the most incredible idea that he had ever heard. He'd dozed briefly against his master's leg in his office, but that had not made up for the utter lack of sleep the night before.]

Yes please, Master. Sleep would be very welcome.

[Though he'd also be very happy to fall asleep just like this with Essek's fingers petting against his skin.]

no lie, random gave me this icon

[zauberdecke]

[ They were both falling irrevocably. For Essek it was that flip in his stomach, the tenderness that he felt overwhelmingly as he looked up Bren, as he heard him speak-- as he wanted to make Trent Ikithon rue every single thing that he had done to his Pet, as if he had owned him even before they had met.

And maybe? He had--

Instead, Essek would be such a good Master and that would evidence itself in the way that he quietly arranged Bren's life to be as comfortable and as pampered as possible, though with a healthy amount of punishment as was needed to assuage Bren's own overriding guilt issues. He slowly got up and then he grasped that had that was entwined with his own and slowly tugged Bren upward but it was perhaps a bit closer, and far more intimate than he had anticipated.

But a single breath between them and their bodies would become flush. ]

Ah sleep, yes... you did not sleep well last night because of--

random icon button clearly ships it

[ausgebrannt]

[Bren was no believer in fate or destiny, but fate seldom cared whether or not it was believed in anyway when it decided whose lives to play in anyway. Maybe someday he'd try to piece together the odd twists of chance and event that had brought him here, to where this moment where he felt so strangely as if he were where he belonged.

With the man he belonged to.

That tug at his hand was enough to have him rising to his feet. He hadn't expected to be so close either though, found himself frozen as if caught once more by the magical spell that was Essek Thelyss. His eyes went wide, a near silent hitch in his breath. Then Essek spoke and Bren's expression softened into a smile, that spark of playfulness lighting up in his eyes ever so faintly.]

I did not. Because of... [Well. Because of his own vivid imagination and the fact that his Master had bewitched him fully, body and soul. Bren melted in closer, taking that last breadth of the breath between them.]

[zauberdecke]

[ Because of thoughts of.. of him.

Heat was radiating between the two of them and Essek had never felt more powerless in his life to stop this gravity. He, who had studied gravity his entire life, was suddenly caught up in its tides despite all of his best observational behaviors, his fingers moved upward but only so that he could clench in the fabric of Bren's sleep shirt and then his eyes cast upwards to a mouth curved ever so playfully, a mouth that was in near tasting distance.

He had never wanted to kiss someone before quite like he did with Bren.

And that was a Pandora's box in which he was not quite certain what would be released. This box could hold something or nothing, but it was a gamble that he was attempting to weigh the costs or benefits of resisting. ]

I've never been with another and actually enjoyed it.

[ Thus giving Bren all the window that he needed into the direction of Essek's mind, that he to felt that pull and attraction. ]

[ausgebrannt]

[That hand gripped at his sleep shirt and Bren could feel the way his heart tried to leap through his chest as if it could reach those fingers physically. It was hard to remember to breathe in any sort of regular rhythm, and it all had to do with that wild and inappropriate surge of hope that seemed to find him with every new sliver of touch and proximity.

Essek was not the only one thinking of kissing, or whose attention was stolen by the idea. Bren watched his master's lips form those words as if he had to see their shape to truly believe they'd been spoken, not for what they said exactly so much as what they admitted without speaking.

His hand lifted as well, fingertips brushing along the inside of Essek's wrist, where those fingers gripped at fabric.]

Perhaps they weren't the right persons.

[Not that he was special, but he was smitten, and perhaps that mattered.]

I would not want to do anything you did not enjoy.

[zauberdecke]

I do not believe you would--

[ He'd seen firsthand his Pet's eagerness to please him in whatever manner he was allowed; he'd heard the words and seen the way that the other man built his entire being on being good for him. He closed his eyes for a moment as he considered the paths before him, as if he could use Fortune's Favor to see the possibility, but he could not look in the future but a few moments so perhaps it would've been a moot point.

There was the slightest bit of a gulp and then very quietly, Essek raised himself on tiptoe and then he very carefully brushed his lips against Bren's in a contact that was nearly tangible in how it pulsed with a current of attraction. Something raw that set off a spark within him, as if he was being transmuted by the merest chaste contact.

And yet there was all the hesitancy of someone who had not the experience of kissing-- kissing with the reckoning of waves as they washed through him akin to arcs of energy that surged between them. If this electricity existed between them, what would happen when they approached the lowest common denominator? ]

[ausgebrannt]

[Such a small, chaste brush of lips, but it pulsed through Bren like the foundations of his existence were affected, reshaping themselves as if understanding some greater truth of reality for that one, blissful moment that he felt his master's lips on his own. A soft catch of breath, and Bren shifted just enough to prolong that contact, not pushing for any more than he was being freely given, but oh it was better than he had been brave enough to dream.

His hand found its way until he could graze the back of his knuckles along the line of the drow's jaw, thumb caressing at the point of his chin.

Perhaps this was a dream. Perhaps sleep deprivation had won out, and he'd fallen into some fantasy-filled slumber. It felt real though, exquisite but fragile in the way of a newly formed thing, still defining its shape.]

[zauberdecke]

[ There was no internal debate about it; he had thought he would have some conundrum where he had to decide in further detail if he liked what was happening with their lips together. Come to find out, there was no thought involved-- he enjoyed it and he wanted more of those kisses; he wasn't even entirely sure if one kissed their Pets.. on the lips.

At this moment, he was not inclined to spare a care nor thought to that rumination.

His mouth drew back a second for breath before finally he wedged his lips against Bren's-- this time far more firmly and with a hint of seeking. But there was no one to see this and what happened between the two of them only concerned the two of them and there was no chance that Adeen could come in and spoil it as those wards had been put into place years ago. Taste, yes-- taste.. he wanted taste and so his mouth parted and the barest graze of tongue assaulted Bren's lower lip.

Permission.

He was asking permission, when he could've demanded. It would've been wihtin his right to do so. ]

[ausgebrannt]

[The first kiss broke and Bren was missing it already. Then his master's lips were back on his own, less tentative, that unmistakable spark of something like heat and hunger, and Bren lost a soft, grateful noise into that kiss. No, there wasn't a great deal of thought for Bren either. Instinct and desire had the upper hand, and he saw no sense in trying to pretend he could resist either of those inner drives.

Or that he could resist Essek, in any way. Still, he recognized that seeking permission for what it was, and he was happy to give it, eager to yield and give the other man anything that he had in him to give. Lips parted in entreaty, another low murmur that sounded suspiciously like please though there was no real conscious language there.

He wanted more. He wanted to know the taste of his master's mouth, to know what it felt like to be tasted in turn.]

[zauberdecke]

[ It was often spoken that a proper kiss was a gateway drug into something more. The thing was that Essek had never had a proper kiss that he had enjoyed-- often times he considered it messy and inconvenient, even a shadow of awkward to it. But in this moment, it was a thread that he had to follow and so he pursued it along with the slight opening of that mouth which distinctly tasted of Bren.

And he found himself slipping inside while his hand slid down to waist until his fingers found the hem, bunching it up a bit so that his cooler fingers could touch hotter flesh of the space just above the lounge pants, then he rested it there while that kiss heated up nearly instantaneously, it was an assault of his tongue as he tried this for the first time and found it to be exactly to his taste.

Perhaps it did depend on the persons, as Bren had murmured.

It appeared his Pet was the right person to be kissing him, for each second that passed by and he grew far more intoxicated by a simple kiss, unwound and undone in equal measures. ]

[ausgebrannt]

[Somewhere along the way, Bren's eyes had drifted shut, as he surrendered himself entirely to this -- to the kiss, to the beautiful man in front of him. That touch of cool fingers against his skin drew a soft gasp, though hardly a protest. If anything else, it had Bren melting entirely for the drow, whimpering a soft, wordless little plea to his master's lips.

Please don't stop. Please let this be real. Please kiss me more. Please please please.

While he'd surrendered fully to the kiss, pliant and eager, but that did not mean he did not meet it with just as much heat. His tongue teased experimentally along Essek's even as a shiver thrilled through the length of his body, through all of him.]

[zauberdecke]

[ Essek felt that plea even if he did not precisely hear it-- it was in the subtle vibrations of that body, perhaps even the soft muffled sounds at the back of the throat that he could nearly taste; his own face flushed even as he drew himself in closer and gave himself to what was being offered. The kiss roiled through the both of them with such intensity and his eyes had already fallen shut so that Bren could feel the faintest tickle of lashes against the tops of his cheeks.

And there was a jolt as he explored, drank up Bren like a draught that would bring him clarity.

It was the calm before the storm, it was that slow awakening like in zemnian fairytales where the Princess was awakening. Essek was slowly unfurling and it was underneath Bren's hands that he was able to do so. Perhaps other things would not be so difficult. He drew away, but it felt nearly drugged as if it would be a small matter to lean back in, to follow back through. ]

This is.. alright?

[ This would not violate trust, would it? ] You.. like this too? [ And unfortunately the warmth that flooded him was causing him to ask quite a few stupid questions, that was what happened when every thought in your brain was starting to siphon downward like sands in an hourglass. ]

[ausgebrannt]

[Bren felt weak-kneed. Of course he did. He'd wrapped his mind fully around the fact that he was attracted to Essek; his body had made that shamefully clear on more than one occasion. But what he was forced to confront in this moment was just how far beyond physical attraction this went, how he truly was eager to offer his heart and soul in addition to his body if his master gave him the inclination he might want them.

Not brave enough to say for certain, but Bren felt like this was something beyond the physical way that an owner might be expected to make use of his plaything.

He was more certain of that when the kiss broke for that moment and the drow spoke. It took a moment for him to wrap his comprehension around the words, around the realization that Essek was asking him for permission. Was checking with him. When it was unquestionably his master's right to take what he wanted.

It made that heat in Bren, the desire, all the warmer with a burgeoning and near overwhelming affection.]

Ja. I like it very much.

[A flicker of a smile and he tilted his chin, not to steal another kiss, but to brush his nose along Essek's in a dangerously affectionate little nuzzle.]

[zauberdecke]

[ He liked it.

Very much even.

This made Essek's breath catch in his throat and then he was starting to pull Bren to the staircase. He was not so far gone that he did not understand that perhaps a library may not be the best place at the moment even if there was a bit of romance here in this moment. He was giving the redheaded Pet direction so that they could head back to the rooms. ]

I should.. let you sleep.

[ He should and yet... curiosity still burned within him, a steady flame that had been recently enkindled. ] You are very tired probably?

[ He'd used tired as an excuse many a times in the beginning with Adeen, when it had been insistent-- before Essek had narrowed it down to a single night a month. But, he thought about the words that Bren had spoken, about wanting to please him and he'd never had assistance before; neither had he ever had Adeen take invested interest in making sure that he enjoyed each encounter; which really was Bren's gain. ] Unless you are not--?

[ausgebrannt]

[Bren fell into step with Essek, letting himself be led with no resistance whatsoever. So long as his hand was held within Essek's, well, Bren would follow anywhere in all likelihood. Especially at the moment while his heart was fluttering and skipping over itself in his chest and his feet felt like they weren't exactly touching the ground.

He looked up at the mention of sleep, the first question with a considering hum.

The Volstrucker had been much more tired a moment or two before, before he knew what Essek's lips tasted like. Now? Oh now he was awake and who needed sleep anyway, if the alternative had anything to do with those lips or hands on him, if he had a chance to be able to please his master this way.

That last question, it drew a smile over his lips once more.]

I'm feeling quite awake right now, actually.

[And then because Essek's desires mattered too.] Are you?

[zauberdecke]

[ Essek paused on one of the steps, and with that there was less of a disparity between their heights; therefore he was on eyelevel with Bren now-- able to look at the other man without raising himself to a float. But he had not felt uncomfortable on his feet with having to look up at Bren--- rather the other man had a softness that did not attempt to overpower his own autonomy.

His palm rested on Bren's shoulder and he very subtly smoothed it in a manner that was attempting to be seductive, though it came out as more fastidious than anything.

Essek Thelyss realized he was not built for seduction, not really. ]

I am not too terribly tired, I think I could use some assistance getting to trance-- like last night.

[ His ears burned with the act of outwardly voicing his desires to someone else however he managed to keep the shyness out of his voice-- thankfully he was not timid whatsoever. And oh, how it was a novelty to insinuate this even if he had too much pride to ask this of someone he loathed, But Bren was different, and not just because of their station disparity. ]

[ausgebrannt]

[It worked on Bren on a seductive level. That touch had all his attention, fastidious and alluring and entirely compelling. He looked up to meet his master's gaze. His face flushed at the words and the sudden thrill they sent through him, electric and hot.]

Oh.

[Color him very very interested. Leaning in, he was the one to graze his lips against Essek's this time, tentative but eager. Oh so eager.]

Will you let me help you tonight, Master?

[Quiet and eager, near breathless with the rush of desire and excitement already. Like a puppy, so ready and hopeful to be able to please.]

[zauberdecke]

[ the force of Bren's eagerness almost blew him away, it was so touchingly eager and sincere and he felt keenly the desire to please him irrevocably-- how could he resist that entreaty?

There was no possible way as Essek was finding himself sentimental over his Pet-- and from he who was not sentimental in the slighest. But also there was a healthy bit of pent up lust that had been locked up tight and generally let out in only the most utilitarian ways.

He felt that sweet tribute of mouth brushing against his own and then he let out a hum as he started to tug against that hand to lead him up the stairs-- toward the door that would lead to the corridor and therefore the bedroom. ]

I would allow you to help as you have been a very good Pet and I.. enjoyed our kisses.

[ which meant that more kisses could be on the table between the two of them, considering that Essek previous-to had not enjoyed them in the slightest. ]

[ausgebrannt]

Thank you, Master.

[Allowed this was a greater treat than the library, somehow.

Bren fell back into step, no longer trying not to think of the way that Essek's hand felt curled around and tangled with his, no longer trying to rein his imagination in at the thought of what his master might sound like in his pleasure when he wasn't trying to keep quiet with surreptitiously hidden touches. Nope, he was fully awash in it all and the thrill of the knowledge that Essek liked kissing him.]

I enjoyed them too.

[He echoed, voice quiet but tinted in tone with the smile that had claimed possession of his lips. Bren would like more kissing in the future, yes. Or the present. Any timeframe, honestly.

For now though he was determined to make what happened next good for the other man, to prove that he truly could please him, to show him that these sorts of intimacies could be enjoyable, not something to be gotten through, but to be properly craved.]

[zauberdecke]

[ Bren had a lot to work with unfortunately, there would be that hesitancy with Essek at least through this first time of being intimate with someone else, he wouldn't fully grab anything nor seize it and that had everything to do with his own experience and not-so-healthy aversion toward sex, particularly with Adeen.

But Bren did have the key, even if he knew it not yet.

It was a key that he had even before they had met, like a key that had been lying in wait for Bren to seize it and unlock this mysterious door.

Essek led Bren back, retracing their steps until finally they were back in his far more comfortable bedchambers, the lights had been dimmed and there was only firelight flickering in the grate, a low banked warmth. That was when Essek turned back to Bren with a hint of uncertainty in those indigo eyes. ] So this may be a rather ridiculous question.. but how should we, I.. [ he was floundering but only a little bit.. what he needed was another kiss to bolster his courage. A kiss for as many times as he expirenced some sort of trepidation. ]

[ausgebrannt]

[Once the door has shut and they're in the dreamily firelit room, Bren turned his attention to his Master, waiting to see what the drow would do or say. What he wanted. Instead he saw that uncertainty, heard the hesitation in the other man's lilting voice. Another soft smile, and he stepped in close to Essek, lifting the hand still in his to his lips once more.]

We should do what you wish. Nothing more and nothing less.

[Another step closer and he brushed his lips against his master's. He could take the lead here, could guide Essek through what was a sort of new ground for the Shadowhand.]

If I do anything that you do not like, tell me, and it stops.

[His hand slipped from Essek's, only to find the tie at the side of that tunic, gaze still focused on his master's.]

May I?

[zauberdecke]

[ Essek leaned into the brush of kiss, swayed into it really with his lips slightly parted and a shiver going through him that was pleasant, it was a kiss and yes.. he saw himself craving these kisses in some sort of encompassing way, his eyelids felt heavier with each kiss, but it was not just his eyelids that felt heavy, everything seemed slower and sweeter in this moment.

And then Bren pulled back to regard him, to ask him that question-- consent, ah yes. ]

You may disrobe me, Pet.

[ That was permission, and a soft little smile came to his lips as his fingers found the hair at the back of Bren's neck and he burrowed them within. ] That is a good boy-- [ Praise dripped from Essek's mouth like pearls even as he waited for his own robe to be slid aside and discarded. ]