Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)
<h1 id="title">Elliquiy Role Playing Forums</h1>
		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Bondage, D/s, S&amp;M =&gt; Bondage: Exotic Solos =&gt; Topic started by: djin on 31-07-2008, 04:14:23</h2>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>djin</strong> on <strong>31-07-2008, 04:14:23</strong>
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				The marketplace just beyond the sprawling modern city of Riyadh was an old-world retreat. Venders who found the pace of the city too swift could sell their wares in the out-of-the-way spread and still enjoy a stream of curious customers. It was a charming point of interest for tourists, toted by word-of-mouth within the city limits and reputed to have haunted secrets and be rife with strange sounds and sights after nightfall.&nbsp; <br><br>Across a few miles of barren sand from the rambling borders of the city, Souk Ivizar braved the desolate embrace of the desert in a quaint and huddled mass of tents, shanties and rudimentary stone structures.&nbsp; It comprised a tightly packed acre, and at the heart of it was the Mosque.&nbsp; A tourist could be held up for hours listening to the Riyadh locals talk about that place.&nbsp; Behind their corrosive disdain was a glimmer of gleeful curiosity that often accompanied the telling of sordid rumors.<br><br>A century ago, the place of worship had been half-swallowed by a hellacious storm of sand and shaking earth that had toppled the budding city surrounding the Mosque yet left the opulent stone structure intact, though buried beneath wind-tossed tons of sand.&nbsp; Early attempts to reclaim the church ended with the deaths and disappearances of any workers to set foot on it's grounds, and it rapidly fell in to the careful abandonment of superstitious fear. <br><br>When it was purchased by a private party with the intention of secularizing the Mosque and making a palatial home of it, there was no protest from the city officials holding the rights to the land.&nbsp; By the time of it's restoration and modernization, the stories were so thick and dark that they cast a veil over the reclaimed beauty of the pale limestone structure.&nbsp; <br><br>Upon it's completion, the owner.. just as whispered and speculated about as the place he chose for his home.. had invited the establishment of the marketplace.&nbsp; In a decade, it had grown in to the popular Souk Ivizar, with it's mysterious heart.&nbsp; <br><br>Though central to the market, the Mosque was not public domain.&nbsp; Stone walls two stories high surrounded it, and that border was discreetly policed by armed guards.&nbsp; An ornate ironwork gate opened onto an plaza at the center of the market, and the face of the structure could be seen through it. It's courtyard and fountain, the gently arched domes of the central chambers, and the towering spires at each of the four corners that stretched several stories skyward. <br><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>naoi</strong> on <strong>31-07-2008, 16:16:58</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				A bead of sweat slowly trickled down his temple, getting caught in his eyebrow, lost amongst many others. Pinked lips holding a hint of red closed around rich, succulent fruits, and chocolate brown eyes blinked lazily in the glare of the dying sun. There wasn't even the faintest whisper of breeze, leaves hung still and silent around him. With the absence of the rustling, the cicadas seemed to sing louder than ever, serenading him with a private symphony, though their shrilling seemed to hurt his ear. Kim Jung Lee leaned against a slender tree, letting the sweet flesh of the mango dissolve upon his tongue.<br><br>Although, not ten paces away, there was a small bazaar situated, Lee had found himself a secluded area in which to rest himself and reflect upon the day and what had lead up to it.<br><br>Born into a semi-wealthy, aspiring family, Lee was the second oldest son. Not really needed to carry on the family name, he was simply expected to keep up high standards and perhaps marry into another family with a big corporation. However, Lee didn't wish that for himself. Instead, he wished to travel, to know the world. Scorned and belittled by his family, Lee asked his father for a challenge, which was gladly given. His father had told him if he could carve a name for himself on his travels, in order not to disgrace his family, he would be pardoned from all expectations and free to choose his own lifestyle. If he failed, he would obey without question.<br><br>The challenge was gladly accepted, and Lee had set out on his family's funds, trying to make himself known in the world of art. Hard work as it was, it was something Lee loved. Decided to begin his travels directly West, Lee had traveled to all the famous landmarks in India and Iran. Camera at the ready, Lee grew famous for his still image photography and captured-life paintings.<br><br>No matter the taboo, Lee risked even his life to getting the best photos. Many a time had he trespassed unto forbidden ground to snap the perfect photo. And, on his last escapade, he'd been told about a mysterious but beautiful Mosque in Arabia. Naturally, his curiosity had been peaked, and he yearned to learn more about the mysterious structure that bode so many frightening stories.<br><br>Arriving in the city earlier that day, Lee had gotten caught up in the thrill that was entering a market place like that for the first time. The smell of sweat, sweet perfumes, spicy and exotic foods, animal muck, and excitement clung to his very nostrils, creating a unique scent that was very much Riyadh. Enticed by women in silken saris and Egyptian silk robes, and men with seductive sales pitches and special bargains, he'd bought a little of everything, from jewelry and clothing, to food and small household items. <br><br>As the brief whirlwind of activity dimmed as he left the city with his newly purchased mango, Lee had spotted the Mosque in the distance and gasped. Even from a few miles away, it was still breathtaking. Lazily, his finger tapped against his camera. He would take a picture of it in all its glory, even if it meant breaking in. After this vow, he'd found himself a secluded area to eat and ponder, which is where he was found now.<br><br>Finishing off the exotic fruits and washing his hand with water from his skein, Lee stood and made his way to the edges of the city, where a few taxi drivers lounged about, waiting for business. Hailing one, he waiting for it to stop and climbed inside. The interior smelt of spice, old perfume, and Agarwood incense; not at all unpleasant, but still rather exotic for his senses.<br>"To Souk Ivizar, please," he asked in hesitant Arabic, still unsure of a lot of his enunciation, but pretty confident in his knowledge. The man nodded once, Abdel Majid Abdallah's dulcet voice ringing out from the radio. Lee nodded along to song during the ten minute drive over there, losing himself in the different style of music. It was refreshing and all at once calming yet exciting.<br><br>Arriving, his mouth gaped as he took in the sight of the Mosque up close. A myriad of many shades of orange, yellow, gold, and purple decorated the edges of the elegant structure as it was framed by the sunset creating the beautiful array. The shadows seemed softened yet illuminating, giving the building a breathtakingly haunting look to it. Elegant spires rose and looked as if they just touched the edge of the sky, even as elaborate domes and carvings intrigued one as they followed the complex patterns etched into the building itself.<br><br>He was slightly disappointed to see the walls, but he would make it over them, one way or another. He didn't care whether it was open to the public or not. There was an almost aching sensation in his heart that screamed at him to get closer... much closer. The taxi driver noticed the object of his fascination as he payed, and the man grinned.<br>"Very beautiful, isn't it. Unfortunately, not only is it cursed, but it is off-limits to most citizens," he said lowly, as if sharing an intimate secret. Lee leaned down to listen better. "People go missing if they get too close to the Mosque."<br><br>A shiver wracked his body, but it wasn't from far as the taxi driver thought -he'd had to endure a speech on how he shouldn't worry and should just stay near the vendors - it was mostly out of excitement. What sort of secrets did the place hold? He did not know, but he was determined to find out. With purpose, he trekked through the quieter, but no less popular, marketplace of Souk Ivizar. Again, he bought a few items. In fact, an old lady had approached him with a charm.<br>"'Twill protect you from the evils of the Mosque, my child," she'd muttered, and refused to leave him until he'd accepted it. Afterwards, he'd just kept it in his pocket, forgetting it for the moment.<br><br>As it was, night was falling and he needed to slip into the Mosque at the guard change. Quickly, he snapped a few pictures of the beautiful spired building against a backdrop of liquid, fiery sky. It was very much worth coming here.<br><br>Alas. his chance arrived, and Lee quickly scaled the walls with a practiced ease, as if he'd lived his life climbing walls and trees. As soon as he reached the top, he leaped down and looked about suspiciously. Once fully turned around, he stood frozen in shock, mouth wide open. He'd just assumed guards were only on the outside, but they were apparently on the inside too. He neither moved nor uttered a sound, surveying them as silently as they did with him. Finally, he opened his mouth to speak when something hit him it the side. He looked down, only to notice a small needle. The effect was near immediate, and he lost control of his limbs. All he could do was yell out in horror, long and loud, before succumbing to the darkness, wondering what the punishment of his trespassing could be, and asking himself whether or not knocking him out was the best way to go about things.<br><br>The darkness was a blissful reprieve.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>djin</strong> on <strong>31-07-2008, 18:40:22</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				The Mosque did not hulk as other buildings of it's considerable size might have, solitary as it was there upon the sandy horizon save for the dwarfed scattering of the market's structures at it's feet.&nbsp; Those diminutive forms looked, from a distance, slavish and prostrate.&nbsp; Bowing beneath wear and intimidation toward the impressive silhouette of the Mosque, painted in the blazing hues of the westering day.<br><br>The atmosphere of the Souk Ivizarwas just as chaotically bustling, though there was a reverence in the manner of the vendors.&nbsp; A straightness of their posture.&nbsp; Weight in their words.&nbsp; And though they'd been living in it's shadow for more than a decade, almost all residents often gazed surreptitiously at the towering Mosque, or kept it in the corner of their eye.&nbsp; Perhaps it was the skulking yet impressive presence of the guards.. though it was more likely the impeding darkness of nightfall.<br><br>A few heads may have turned as the startled cry scaled the walls with only slightly more ease than had the young man, though there was no effort made to come to his aid.&nbsp; There might've been a head or two shaken in pity, a soft clucking of a tongue here or there; wordlessly saying 'Should've known better', but no one even considered rescuing whatever poor soul had crossed the barrier.&nbsp; Most would agree that those lost to the Mosque became so once the idea to explore it's secrets first entered their mind.&nbsp; Be that the case, Lee's fate was sealed upon the first yarn unloaded upon his ear about the place's mystique.&nbsp; <br><br>The sun, as if in shame of it's abandonment, veiled itself behind distant purple forms of rolling sandhills, surrendering to the pressing dark.&nbsp; As Lee was hefted beneath the arms by two stern-faced guards and dragged like a bag of apples across the courtyard and through the doorway of the first entrance room -a marble corridor set with a dizzying number of identical columns and arches- the golden glow of several lamps sparked to life and chased the violet twilight in to orderly pools and dark corners. <br><br>Yet he saw none of this.&nbsp; The darkness would hold him until he was well within the Mosque.. hopelessly swallowed by it's endless hunger.&nbsp; Once he did surface, he would find he'd only traded one darkness for another.&nbsp; A stale heat surrounded him, and the limey musk of old stone.&nbsp; He was laying on his back, and several uncomfortable ridges would come into the focus of his senses as he came to.&nbsp; Once his head cleared, he'd realize he was laying upon a gently curving set of narrow stone stairs.&nbsp; There was a dim corona of faded gold light so far above him as to appear a dying star, yet the rest of his world was blackness.&nbsp; His pack was gone, as were the contents of his pockets. <br><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>naoi</strong> on <strong>31-07-2008, 22:21:24</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				The darkness slowly ebbed away from the recesses of his mind, ruthlessly wrenching himself from the blissfulness of his naivety to his misfortune and jutting him to a world of darkness within beauty. The first thing he became aware of was several distinct ridges digging into the back side of his body. Weakly, he groaned, but he hadn't even found the energy to open his eyes, much less roll over. And so, while he lay in his discomfort, he systematically checked his limbs and joints, making sure nothing had been permanently damaged. <br><br>As he moved, he found the underneath of his arms were sore, as if he had been lifted or dragged by someone holding onto them. This theory was further by a slight stiffness in his leg. Without another sound, Lee applied all his willpower to the simple task of opening his eyes. Black, long lashes parted to revealed confused and pained eyes, orbs showing more of the latter as he chose to sit up. Calmly, he scanned his surroundings and found that he wasn't in an actual prison or dungeon yet. In fact, he was laying on a staircase.<br><br>This explained the kinks his back, and he grumbled to himself about ludicrousness of the entire situation as he stretched, back popping in several places. Wide awake now, Lee looked around him, trying to make sense of where he was. Around him and below him for the most part, was enshrouded in darkness. But from what he could see, he was surrounded by a bit of beauty and wealth.<br><br>He wasn't going to risk walking into that darkness, and so he turned his curious gaze upwards, eyes meeting with the sight of light, though so high up, as to remind him faintly of the stars he used to try and grasp in the night skies of his youth. Hissing, he stood up, for the first time noticing the stale, rather oppressive heat around him. His body trembled from the aftershocks of whatever tranquilizer they had used. There was no use crying about it now. Normal carefree features twisted into a grimace as he began the torturous journey up the stairs, almost hypnotically focusing on the light ahead.<br><br>Many times he had almost tripped and fell, threatening to tumble back into the bleak abyss below, distancing himself away from that mysterious light. Why would anything be so high up? His light gasps turned to deep breaths, which in turn turned to strangled wheezes. Lungs burning and legs weak, he finally drew near. The light was illuminating the walls now, showing him nonsense to his weakened mind. He needed water, but when he reached for his canteen, he found it gone. As was all his possessions. A growl escaped his lips weakly, but he pressed onwards, wetting his lips along the way. Finally, he stumbled and fell up the last two steps, falling heavily on the landing, to weak from the sedative and long-winded climb to even look about. All he could do was quiver on the floor. 
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>djin</strong> on <strong>01-08-2008, 21:41:47</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				As he began to move and take stock of himself and his dark-shrouded surroundings, the sensation of a great nothingness would impress itself upon him from the unwalled side of the staircase.&nbsp; Opposite the curved wall which the stone stairs were snugged against, there was no railing, and beyond the treacherous edge was an abyss that echoed all his sounds back at him as if in mockery.&nbsp; Climbing, with all that empty and malevolent space to his right, vertigo would've been nearly impossible to avoid.&nbsp; And with only the smoothly and endlessly curving wall, also free of a banister, to offer stability.&nbsp; <br><br>The climb was interspersed with landings only slightly deeper than a stairstep, and each served a door.&nbsp; Half a dozen doors in all, locked beyond&nbsp; hope of budging them, and through which no promising sounds of notice would be detected should he try to pound or cry for help.&nbsp; <br><br>He'd likely realize that he must be inside one of the four towering spires that stood sentinel at each corner of the Mosque grounds.&nbsp; There had been a few ornately carved window holes along those towers, he might recall, though they'd apparently been blocked over on the inside.&nbsp; <br><br>And there was something else as he climbed.. The feeling of being watched.&nbsp; He could only have been more certain a bout it if he'd seen eyeshine or heard the shuffling presence of another, yet all five logical senses detected no confirmation of the eerie certainty that eyes were upon him.<br><br>At the top he reached an apparently deserted landing about 20 feet in diameter, the floor solid save for the rectangle that permitted passage from the stairs below.&nbsp; Glassless windows with deep sills were set to offer a panoramic view of the night-drenched desert and the glowing silhouette of Riyadh in the distance.&nbsp; A slightly cool nighttime breeze sighed through those open spaces, relieving the staleness that took residence in the lower part of the tower and first drying then stirring the sweat-clumped hair that clung to his forehead.&nbsp; The light had come from several oil lamps stationed on the narrow stone supports between each of the windows. Only half were lit, leaving a good portion of the circular room in shifting shadows.<br><br>He wasn't disturbed as he rested from the climb regained his breath, though the prickly sensation of being under observance remained with him.&nbsp; After several minutes, the unmistakable sound of a heavy latch being unbolted and a door creaking open on old, little-used hinges echoed up from somewhere inside the tower below him.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>naoi</strong> on <strong>01-08-2008, 22:08:45</strong>
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				Lungs itching, as if placed on a terrible strain, he managed to roll over slightly, cheeks pressed against the cold stone of the landing. His vision slowly returned to normal from their blurred state, and he took in the windows, finally realizing that he was probably in one of the spires he'd admired from afar earlier. Earlier... when he'd been free. Free from what, he did not know, but he knew, somehow, that he was captured. All the way up the stairs, he'd felt as if he'd been watched. Barely paying attention to his surroundings, he hadn't really realized the lack of railings or supports.<br><br>All he had felt, known even, was the burning desire to get to the top, the deep oppression of the darkness, and the feeling of being watched. A shudder wracked his body again, this time from fear, and he sat up slowly, body swaying from the vertigo he felt. He chose that particular moment to look at the stairwell he'd just climbed, and nearly collapsed again from shock. What light had been provided by the lamps now showed him exactly how dangerous a climb he'd embarked on. The sheer emptiness in the center, where there had been no rail to protect him from, pressed down against him, restricting his breathing.<br><br>He felt nauseous now, and swaying even more dangerously, he dry retched in the solitude of the landing, heart pounding brutally in both fear, outrage, and sickness. He needed to calm down, but he couldn't, because the feeling of being watched was still upon him, though he knew it was impossible. He briefly recalled the doors he'd passed. But even after pounding on them until his fists ached and cracked, bleeding slightly, no one had answered. He was alone in his fear and pain.<br><br>Refreshing breeze came and caressed his almost fevered body, drying the sweat he'd built up, and then slowly shifting his hair, like a mother might do to her child. And with that analogy firmly clung to in his mind, he calmed himself, breathing slowing, though the fear still remained. Why had he climbed? If he were to be ambushed or anything, escape would be nigh impossible without hurling himself out the windows of the spire, which would certainly end in death. A wistful sigh escaped his lips at the prospect of climbing <em>down</em> those treacherous steps; he didn't think he'd be able to do that for quite a while yet.<br><br>Well, at least until he heard a bolt being unlatched and the unmistakable sound of a door opening. Inexplicably, Lee felt a cold fear, a blinding terror overtake him and his body trembled violently. Dragging himself into the center of the landing, even though he was near petrified with fear, he fixed defiant eyes on the now black rectangle in the floor. If he was questioned, he would simply tell them he'd only wanted a picture. It was the truth, and they couldn't condemn him for that... could they?
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>djin</strong> on <strong>01-08-2008, 23:30:47</strong>
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				Scuffled sounds carried furtively up the long stairs, followed by the grating creak as the door closed with a reverberating and horribly final thud.&nbsp; Like a tomb closing, a coffin lid falling shut. <br><br>Presently, continuing sounds would prevail over the thunderous beat of his heart.&nbsp; Sounds so like those he himself made while climbing the tower that they might first appeal as a crazily delayed echo ringing through the solitude of the tower; fist beating upon a door.&nbsp; Then sobs, delicate and broken and defeated.&nbsp; The softness of a feminine voice, murmuring and pleading, her words so slurred by terror and tears, and made ghostly by the distance and columnar echo, that it was impossible to decipher them or the language they were spoken in.&nbsp; <br><br>She had no better luck than Lee.&nbsp; The door did not open again; he surely would've heard it's telltale sound.&nbsp; And, of course, there was the realization that whoever was on the other side was likely to be the same that'd made them prisoners in the first place.<br><br>The almost childlike noises continued, sniffles and keenings, helpless and shattered-sounding, lilting and eerie as they softened but the desperation grew sharper.&nbsp; The words grew measured and rote, perhaps reciting a prayer near-whispered though the strange acoustics of the tower carried their soft sound upward as if on the wings of a thermal draft. Now that the voice was less hysterical, Lee might be able to detect a Slavic language. 
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				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>naoi</strong> on <strong>02-08-2008, 00:02:53</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				As the door slammed shut with such finality as if to condemn life itself to death, Lee's breath caught in his throat, and for a few panicky seconds, he could not breath, could not move, could not see. The fear of the unknown bit deeply into his very soul, rubbing over raw wounds and gouging at previously hidden fears. He hated being helpless, hated the solitude, hated the darkness. He hated all. And then the moment passed, and his lungs inflated with air, sounding extremely loud as it echoed around the empty chamber. Dry lips trembled as he licked them quickly, wasting precious moisture so as to prevent them from cracking. He needed water.<br><br>His heartbeat was loud, roaring in his airs, pumping too much blood to his mind, making him all at once over-think, and not think at all. He heard the shuffle of feet and curled even more into himself protectively. What was this place? Was this the secrets he'd been warned about? If so, he did not want to know. He began to regret his decision to break in, even as the shuffling moved closer. And then he heard it. Heard something so terrifying to his own ears, that he released a sob of his own. The cries sounded so lost and broken, almost tortured. And suddenly, he knew without a doubt that he shouldn't be here, that he should escape. But how?<br><br>The voice was feminine, though broken with despair and terror, slurred as she pleaded. For what, he did not know. She was too panicked for him to make out the words. Briefly, he had an inner debate with himself, whether or not he should call out and communicate with her. For the moment though, fright kept him silent, kept his lips sealed. Even in the heat, he was shivering, tucking more and more into himself, though his eyes remained strong, unwavering as they neared glared at the rectangle in the floor.<br><br>With each sniffle, sob, and helpless cry, Lee felt his own despair welling up inside of him, and tears prickled at the corners of his eyes, though he refused to let them fall. What was going on? What could possibly make a human sound so broken? So helpless and afraid? And why, why did he still feel watched? He felt his resolved break as the voice stopped being so broken, instead raising as if saying a final prayer, as if all hope had been abandoned. He detected a Slavic word, and deciphered her language. He was not fluent in many western languages, but he'd dedicated himself into learning the basics of as many of them as possible, even though his main focus had been the middle east.<br><br>Hesitantly, he cleared his throat, and pulled himself back over to the rectangle.<br>"H-hello," he called out, in hesitant Slovenian, voice filled with a fear and a hint of curiosity. He didn't know what was going on. Perhaps she could tell him something. "Are y-you... alright? Do you need help?"<br>His pronunciation was strange and his enunciation stranger yet, but hopefully, his meaning carried out.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>djin</strong> on <strong>02-08-2008, 00:25:50</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				The prayer ceased abruptly, and there was a sharp inhalation that was half sniffle and half gasp.&nbsp; Then a silence so elongated by their dire situation that it seemed a decade could've slipped effortlessly by in the world beyond, while there was painful awareness of every sharp second within the prison tower.<br><br>Then she seemed to breathe again, another watery sniffle preceding a frail voice.&nbsp; Timid and terrified, but.. the worst.. delicately hopeful.&nbsp; Hopeful for what?&nbsp; What could she possibly expect Lee to do for her?<br><br>"Hello?.. Who are you?"<br><br>She could tell he wasn't one of 'them'.&nbsp; They didn't speak her language and their voices were so terribly hard. Just thinking of them she shuddered, and the tremble crept in to her voice.<br><br>"Who are you?&nbsp; Are you really there?"<br><br>It would be difficult to imagine, not having heard it, how seamlessly hope and fear could blend and be each identifiable in one thin voice.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>naoi</strong> on <strong>02-08-2008, 00:37:52</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				The silence cut into his own awareness for the moment, and he felt suspended, as if time had him hanging from a fine string as it rushed by, gently swaying him in hypnotic tandem to its force. And, for once, the silence didn't frighten him. It gave him time to think, to feel. She was definitely real... she must have heard him. If not, then he was already losing his sanity.<br><br>When her voice came again, he sighed with relief. Despite continuing to think, Lee didn't think he could handle insanity very well. He already questioned himself to much, and he didn't want to constantly question to legitimacy of his thoughts and sanity. It would drive him, ironically, insane.<br><br>"I'm Lee," he responded quietly, as if afraid to draw the attention of whatever was watching him.<br><br>Her fear was palpable, and he was unsure of what caused it. Was it the same as what caused him fear? No, it seemed to be much deeper than that. Again, his tongue wet his lips.<br><br>"Yes... I am real. What is this place?" he asked, after a moment of trying to translate her words. It was hard, but he had a talent for languages thankfully. He struggled to formulate his next sentence. "What cause you fear like this?"<br>He was sure he'd phrased the sentence wrong, but the meaning was clear enough. He peered over the edge of the triangle, allowing his head to be framed by the light.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>djin</strong> on <strong>02-08-2008, 01:17:54</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				A shaky sigh, though she managed to hold her sobbing at bay.&nbsp; Clear tears of something like relief, lately in such short supply, rolled down her cheeks.&nbsp; <br><br>"Lee?"&nbsp; It took her a few moments to recognize it as a name, and in that time she gave a hoarse cough.&nbsp; "Anthea." Eventually responded once she caught her breath.<br><br>More mouse-like scuffling arose from below, and she must've been gazing up as he leaned over the edge, though he couldn't see her. She was below the dim fall of light that came from the lamps.&nbsp; <br><br>"You're up there at the top?"&nbsp; Fearful again, suspicious, perhaps still not quite daring to believe he was real.. or perhaps having been stalked through this place by some shadowy thing.&nbsp; Savaged in the very room Lee lay in, maybe.&nbsp; "Are you alone?"&nbsp; Her voice thickened again, rough with anxiety, and rapid breathing echoed through the hollow place.<br><br><br><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>naoi</strong> on <strong>02-08-2008, 01:40:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Something akin to a smile briefly lifted the corner of his lips as he heard her sigh. Something about the sigh made him think of the return of hope. Perhaps there was a way out of there. Perhaps she had just gotten lost, like him. The darkness was extremely frightful after all.<br><br>"Anthea," he repeated, automatically storing the name away, cataloged into his giant folder of knowledge, which he kept strictly in order. His memory and organization of his mind was what made him good at languages and art. With languages, he simply remembered words and meanings. With art, he remembered detail and perspective. A useful talent. "It's a beautiful name."<br><br>To regain a sense of normality, he spoke as if he weren't at the top of a tower, and that he wasn't speaking to a possibly broken woman who was still hidden in the shadows. For the sake of his sanity, he would act normal.<br><br>"Yes, all the way at the top," he said, laughing softly. He paused, and looked around again, as if to make sure before nodding. Then he realized the woman possibly couldn't see the action. "Un, I am alone. I have been alone since I woke up and climbed up here."<br><br>There was a mild hint of fear and worry in his voice before it was banished, and he listened to the darkness.<br>"Can you make it up here? Are you alone?" He himself was anxious, though more for company than anything. The solitude was starting to get to him again, and his hand trembled slightly before he still it.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>djin</strong> on <strong>02-08-2008, 02:38:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Yes.."&nbsp; The single word encompassed a deep aloneness and loneliness. The sort of solitude that is still painful even when it means the adversaries are for the moment gone.&nbsp; <br><br>She took another bolstering breath, mustering the tattered strength she had left, and gently cleared what sounded like a swollen throat.<br><br>"I'll come up.."&nbsp; There was a touch of uncertainty, though it had nothing to do with him or what dangers the room might hold.&nbsp; Her progress would be slow and pained.&nbsp; Yet she began.&nbsp; Rustling sounds of progress whispered through the well of the tower. There were no clear sounds of footsteps, and given the amount of whispery sounds she may have been crawling up on all fours.<br><br>She began to materialize after several moments, at first a seemingly stark-white thing birthed out of the shadows below. An almost horrible shambling of thin moon-white limbs and large frightened eyes.&nbsp; She couldn't have come all the way from the bottom. She'd been perhaps in the middle of the staircase, but her breathing was quite a bit more labored than his had been, pulled and expelled through an open mouth of parched lips with a disquieting rasp.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>naoi</strong> on <strong>02-08-2008, 03:03:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He felt empathy for her plight. Feeling alone was not the best in the world, and feeling alone whilst feeling watched was another horror all together. He remembered a time when he sat laughing at characters in horror films in similar predicaments to his one now, and realized that indeed, in situations like these, they were indeed helpless.<br><br>He drew himself into a tighter ball, and listened to her labored breathing.<br><br>"Alright... but stay close to the wall, okay," he warned her, voice cracking slightly from the lack of moisture. The heat was really getting to him, and he was really in need of hydration.<br><br>He frowned at the sounds she made coming up. Her breathing was too labored, too forced and there was no distinctive noises to indicate she was climbing. It was almost as if she was not stepping at all, as if she was crawling or dragging herself upwards.<br><br>"Are you hurt? Do you need me to help?" he asked anxiously, wondering why a hurt woman would be sobbing in the spires of the beautiful Mosque. The place was become increasingly mysterious, and not in a pleasant way.<br><br>Finally, she appeared to him, and he gasped, looking horrified. Her skin was pale... way too pale and she looked horrifyingly frightened, as if she had seen terrible things. His skin crawled as he listened to her breath closer, wishing desperately that he had some cool water to give her. Shakily, he moved towards her to help, moving slowly, half to not startle her, half because he could not move any faster.<br><br>"Who did this to you?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>djin</strong> on <strong>02-08-2008, 08:37:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She'd had to pause several times when fits of coughing took her, and after each she was a little slower in her progress.&nbsp; Yet she finally made it, a trembling effigy of what had once been an attractive young woman, though now her cerulean eyes were sunken and the flesh around them dark.. one almost certainly was ringed by a fading bruise.&nbsp; Her cheek was angry red and slightly swollen. Her lips were cracked, one wound certainly the result of a blow that had split it open.&nbsp; Dirt and stains that he perhaps didn't want to know the source of grimed her ivory skin and what had once been a white summery dress scattered with delicate embroidery of cherry blossoms.&nbsp; Fine, white-blonde hair was tangled and shadowed by grit.<br><br>A narrow, cold and quivering hand reached out when he offered his as she crawled up the last few stairs, then came to rest on the landing on her knees and elbows.&nbsp; She didn't lay on her side.. maybe she thought she wouldn't have the strength to get herself up again.&nbsp; She wasn't able to talk for a few minutes, her small body wracked with the effort of regaining her breath and a few dry heaves.&nbsp; She was perhaps seventeen, though looked oddly both younger and older in her current condition.&nbsp; <br><br>Gradually she got a hold of herself, and shambled to where she could rest her back against the wall and sit up.&nbsp; She craned her head up to peer out at the sky through the windows overhead.&nbsp; &nbsp;The line of her throat and hollowed angles of her jaw looked impossibly fragile. <br><br>"Almost full dark."&nbsp; She croaked, and coughed softly to try and bring about a smother voice.&nbsp; The back of her hand brushed across her lips, and she winced slightly and gave a casual glance to the dirty skin of her hand.&nbsp; Checking for blood. A learned habit picked up by abuse victims. She took a slow breath, exhaled a sigh, and brought her eyes to bear on Lee.&nbsp; Bright sapphire embers in a waxy pale face.<br><br>"Thank you."&nbsp; Her voice almost cracked with sincerity.&nbsp; His simple kindness of being concerned, and helping her out of the staircase, was saintly given her current situation.<br><br>She shook her head a little, looking down to her lap where her birdlike hands had come together in a tight knot, one ragged nail picking at a cuticle. <br><br>"I don't know who they are.&nbsp; They live here, I think.&nbsp; <em>His</em> men."&nbsp; She grimaced a sneer as she said that, then eyes that had grown habitually frightful flitted over the shadows of the room as if she expected retaliation for the disgust that had entered her voice.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>naoi</strong> on <strong>02-08-2008, 19:17:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				As she emerged in all her pale glory, Lee couldn't help but notice how attractive she had probably once been. Not only that, but by her state, she had probably been somewhat wealthy, or accustomed to money so as not to be called poor. But that didn't hold his attention for long, no. What did capture his attention was the very state the girl was in. He didn't have to be a Doctor of any kind to tell that those wounds had been inflicted with the intention to harm and damage and hurt.<br><br>Looking at her pale, bruised skin, his eyes took in the stains and he trembled. Just for a fraction of a second, he trembled, and felt terribly cold. And then the moment passed, though the nausea it caused stayed. In fact, as Anthea stayed on her hands and knees to regain her breath, Lee swayed and felt the fear-created sickness wash over him again, but he refrained from dry heaving again. It seemed Anthea was doing enough of <em>that</em> for the moment.<br><br>He waited until she'd regained her countenance before looking at her curiously. When she spoke again, it was entirely irrelevant to anything he had said. And yet, as he watched her check for any sign of blood -though he knew not that was what she was doing- he found himself wishing it was daylight. He coughed slightly, the dryness of the air and his sickness making his throat parched and crackly feeling. It hurt to swallow now, though he continued to try and water it.<br><br>"Yes... we I first came here, it was just nearing night, at sunset, he answered, before realizing indeed that he did not know what time it was, but that it did appear to be almost fully dark. He too fell silent, a brooding look clearly shown on his face, though he gave no indication as to what he was thinking about. She looked too thin, too frail, too fragile; it was actually quite horrifying in a way. How had she gotten this way? Why had she sounded so broken before?<br><br>Dark but warm Asian canted eyes narrowed with a smile, as he grinned lightly, assuring her it was alright.<br>"You don't need to thank me. I'm just doing my job a gentleman," he answered somewhat brightly. Now with some company, however odd, he was feeling somewhat better, and his normally cheerful countenance had returned with a vengeance. He chuckled softly at his own antics before frowning slightly.<br><br><em>His</em> men? Who was <em>he</em>? Did she mean the guards?<br><br>He floundered for a second, unable to think of anything to say. However, the look of utter fear on her face after she'd spoken the sentence, with what he'd associated disgust, had him flinching and looking around too. The feeling of being watched still hadn't left him, and it was starting to make him paranoid. Almost as paranoid as the girl in front of him.<br><br>After a few panicked moments, when nothing had burst out like he'd thought it would, Lee finally calmed down, and weakly collapsed against the cold floor. It seemed he had burned up the last of his energy with that panic. He rolled onto his side somewhat, on his stomach, so that he could face the woman, eyes lightly puffed with fatigue. When his strength returned again, albeit a little bit, he edged to a sitting up position again, and this time, reached out his hand and looked for broken bones amongst her arms and legs. That was all he could do for her.<br><br>"I have no water nor food," he told her grimly, "sorry. But nothing of yours seem to be broken arm or leg wise. I don't know about your ribs though." His touch was light, barely there, and cautious, with him moving slowly so as not to scare her away.<br>"Who or what is he? What did his men do? Why do they live here?"<br>The questions flew before he'd even registered them in his mind, and he winced. But he did not take them back, instead staring at her with curious eyes. "What did they <em>do</em> to you?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>djin</strong> on <strong>02-08-2008, 20:27:36</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				His moment of cheer had been infections, and she managed a gentle laugh without coughing. It was a clear and lovely sound that lit up her eyes and hinted at what the girl had been before this place; beautiful, vital, enamored with life.&nbsp; &nbsp;Though the spark of humor did quickly fade when she'd mentioned the men.<br><br>When he collapsed she made a small sound of surprise, though she seemed to understand the sudden need to fall to ground and just rest a little.&nbsp; He was still moving, breathing, his eyes still open, and she let him take that much needed moment to 'reboot'.&nbsp; She'd looked up at the sky again, where the bruised violet hues of twilight had given way to midnight-blue.<br><br>She'd flinched instinctively when he began checking her for serious wounds, then gave him an apologetic glance, cheeks bright with rosy pink embarrassment that made the fading bruise around her eye stand out all the more.&nbsp; Watching the progress of his hands as they tentatively checked her, she seemed at first unable to speak what was on her mind, though the probing of his questions finally drew her out of silence.<br><br>"They're careful not to break any bones."&nbsp; She coughed a slightly bitter chuckle, touching her lips once again with the back of her hand then running her tongue lightly over the parched skin.&nbsp; "And usually they don't draw blood."&nbsp; For a moment she was stricken with silence again, lower lip quivering then tucked in to her mouth in an expression of deep thought.&nbsp; She sniffed gently, head down cast and a fall of tangly blonde hair forming a scraggly veil.<br><br>"Anunjra.&nbsp; It's his um.. surname, last name, I think."&nbsp; Inhaling another sigh that quivered in the presence of tears she fought not to shed, her fingers finding a bit of her once-pretty dress and scratching absently at a crust of dirt.&nbsp; "This is his home.&nbsp; His guards are-"&nbsp; The fragile vase of her voice finally fractured, releasing some of the tears it held in reservoir.&nbsp; Tears made tracks through the grit on her cheeks, though for now they spilled quietly. "..they're horrible..&nbsp; I heard him tell them-"&nbsp; She inhaled sharply, slender throat working with the effort not to break down and sob, and it seemed to work.&nbsp; "He tells them not to break us.&nbsp; Not to break bones or cut us.&nbsp; But everything else.."&nbsp; Her form trembled wholly, and she shook her head, grimy blonde tendrils swaying back and forth. "Everything else."&nbsp; The sad and desolate sound of her voice cracked, and she was done talking for the moment, head bowed and tears falling and quiet sobs coursing through her.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>naoi</strong> on <strong>02-08-2008, 20:51:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Her laugh was beautiful, and he fell into it's melodious sound for the brief moments it lit up the half-lighted chamber. He was happy he had made her smile, as her desolate look of fear had been all too much for him. Lee had lived a youthful, hearty, pleasant life. The idea that someone could be so fearful and broken seemed ludicrous to him, and also shattered a piece of his somewhat childlike innocent views on the world. Sure he knew there was hardships, but the kind of sobbing he'd heard earlier... there was no need for pain like that.<br><br>When she flinched away from his touch and shot him an apologetic look, he waved it away. If he'd been beaten like she seemed to have been, he'd be flinching away from other hands too. And with this reasoning, was why he kept the slow steady pace, watching her for signs of pain other than breaking. Her words startled him though and he sat back on his behind, legs crooked haphazardly beneath him and in front of him, mouth open in his surprise.<br><br>"They do this kind of thing on purpose?" he asked in growing horror, shooting her an incredulous look. The idea that something like this went on inside the beautiful Mosque was... ludicrous. He watched her move, taking in her shaking and sniffling. The place he was in was filling him with dread the longer he stayed there. Blood? What was going on? Did anyone know about...<br><br>No, if someone had, it would have been stopped, right?<br><br>"A.. Anunjra?" he repeated questioningly, struggling with the word momentarily and shuddering.&nbsp; Was it just him, or had the room suddenly gotten more menacing? Quivering with her, he shook in open horror and disgust the more he listened. And the more he listened, the colder he felt inside. This was madness. They needed to leave, to escape. As her tears began, so did his fears. It was like a psychological torture wheel, and he was the one being tortured. Tortured in a land of mystery, fear, and exotic beauty. His stomach lurched at her final statements. The sheer despair made him sick to his stomach, and his face drained of all color, making him look sickly and sallow.<br><br>"No..."<br><br>He didn't even know what he was protesting to. The room seemed to impose upon him, and his teeth chattered. He wanted out, as far away as possible. Either that, or his father needed to appear up the stairs and laugh at him, telling him it was all a ploy to get him home.<br><br>But no father came. And he was still there. He coughed violently, throat completely drying up from his panicked breathing. He looked at her wildly, though she possibly couldn't see from where she sat, head bowed.<br>"We must leave, then. Leave this place at once," he hissed, limbs reawakening with adrenaline. Struggling to stand, he staggered over to the rectangle, and nearly fell through. Clutching tightly at the wall, he took the first step down and turned back to her. "If we leave together, and you tell me where your family lives, I will try to get you home."<br><br>His body was trembling with fear and determination, eyes bright with the look of an unbroken person, one whom had never encountered true fear and pain.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>djin</strong> on <strong>03-08-2008, 06:53:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She couldn't help but smile a little, and a laugh threatened.&nbsp; The sort of insane laughter born of exhaustion and terror and impossible frustration.&nbsp; But she didn't want Lee to think she was laughing at him.&nbsp; On the contrary, she so admired the brave, bold optimisim that he was suddenly bolstered and lifted with.&nbsp; The urge to laugh was swiftly replaced by the need to cry harder as she faced the task of being the one to burst that bubble. <br><br>She lifted her hands and cradled her face with them for a moment, doing her best to get a hold of herself again.&nbsp; She was strong, but she was waning.&nbsp; Finally able to stop her tears, she swept the dampness from her face and pushed her hair back, snagging her fingers in it for a moment before she folded them again in her lap.<br><br>"There is no way out, Lee."&nbsp; She spoke gently, almost sweetly, all the weight of the world seeming to be on her shoulders as she broke this monumentally bad news.&nbsp; Watery eyes crinkled as she swallowed hard and managed a thin smile.&nbsp; "You're so kind.&nbsp; Not just here but.. I can see, in your eyes.."&nbsp; Memory flashed upon the hard dark eyes of the captors Lee had yet to meet, and her own closed for a moment.<br><br>"No way out." She reconfirmed, shaking her head a little then resting it back against the wall.&nbsp; She'd managed to muster her strength and quietude, and her eyes were calmer when she opened them and looked to Lee.&nbsp; "I live by a lake.&nbsp; It's beautiful. Peaceful.&nbsp; Green."&nbsp; She exhaled a weary chuckle.&nbsp; "But I wanted to see other places, you know?"&nbsp; She drew up her knees, wincing slightly as if all movement rendered one pain or another, and wrapped her arms around them. <br><br>"I found a website where people my age could register for travel companions?&nbsp; My friends back at home.. none of them wanted to go."&nbsp; A fond and thoughtful smile as she thought of home, her friends, though she sighed it away and looked up toward the dark shadows in the apex of the tower, where the stone coned up in to a finial point. Maybe she saw her memories soaring away from her like spirits up in that darkness.<br><br>"There were two American girls on the site, sisters. We emailed for a few weeks and talked on the phone. They were really nice."&nbsp; Her eyes briefly closed again, either summoning thoughts or blocking those that threatened to surface in order to maintain her calm.&nbsp; "We agreed on the Middle East. Found a travel company that provided tour guides.&nbsp; They all seemed very nice, professional.&nbsp; The guy, the guide, was only a little older than us, sort of cute.&nbsp; One of the girls, Becky, she liked him.&nbsp; Flirted a lot."&nbsp; <br><br>"We started in Egypt. Cairo, Alexandria, the pyramids at Giza.&nbsp; It was wonderful.&nbsp; I was so far from home, and sort of.. on my own, you know?&nbsp; It was the first time I'd done that.&nbsp; At home there was just the dairy, and chores, and helping with everything.&nbsp; But I was just.. free."&nbsp; She gave another small laugh, and amazingly it wasn't bitter.&nbsp; She rubbed at her forehead and pushed her unruly hair back again.&nbsp; "Free."&nbsp; Then she just shook her head, looking around the darkening room as if seeing it for the first time, bewildered by how she'd wound up like this. Yet she didn't outwardly succumb to despair.<br><br>"His name was Ildiz.&nbsp; The guide. He was the one who suggested we come to the market.&nbsp; Told us lost of spooky stories."&nbsp; Her thin, humbled shoulders shrugged. "Thought it was just a tourist trap, you know?&nbsp; Stories like that always are.&nbsp; Like the tombs in the pyramids and haunted mummies in the museums."&nbsp; <br><br>"We had so much fun.&nbsp; Becky was so head-over-heels over the guy, trying so hard to be interested in the culture.&nbsp; Heather, her sister, she was sort of bookish.&nbsp; Took a lot of pictures."&nbsp; A frown creased her smooth ivory forehead, anger suddenly sharp.&nbsp; "Bastards broke her camera."&nbsp; She focused on a spot of stone on the floor near her feet, caught up in that outrage, though eventually she'd realized she'd jumped ahead, wasn't making any sense, and she had suddenly been so overcome with the need to tell her story to a pair of ears that cared, that she was loathe not to continue.<br><br>"Ildiz said he knew someone in the Mosque. Could get us a tour of the place. We were all so excited. It looked.. so beautiful from the outside."&nbsp; She was transfixed by her hands again, quiet for a few moments. Both so desperate to finish and hesitant to continue, as if speaking it would make it truly real. As it turned out, five more words would sum up that part of the story, and she spoke them in a quiet and level voice.&nbsp; "He sold us to them."&nbsp; <br><br>Silence came again, though the dears didn't begin anew. She maintained.&nbsp; She focused on her hands, her face stoic and her personality introverted.. what Lee could assume was an unusual thing for her.&nbsp; In life, she'd probably been bubbly and outgoing.&nbsp; Minutes may have passed, though every second in here was an eternity.&nbsp; &nbsp;When she finally did continue, her voice was that same dry monotone without inflection.&nbsp; &nbsp;She'd stripped the sentiment and attachment from the retelling of what had followed, yet she paused frequently as if the strength to push on and get the story told was sapping the last of her reserves.&nbsp; Lee would soon understand why.<br><br>"They let Ildiz have Becky for awhile.&nbsp; He was cruel to her about how she'd flirted with him.&nbsp; He'd been so nice.&nbsp; He just.. <em>changed</em>.. just like that.&nbsp; They didn't force us to watch, but we were tied up in the same room. We could hear it all.&nbsp; Becky cried.&nbsp; Screamed. He hurt her, was really rough."<br><br>"They threw us in here.&nbsp; I don't know how long. Sort of passed out. It was all surreal.&nbsp; Kept thinking it was a bad dream. I'd never been really <em>frightened</em> like that.&nbsp; ...Like this.&nbsp; Then there was sort of.. a schedule.&nbsp; All the guards. Maybe it's when they get off duty or something.&nbsp; &nbsp;We saw <em>him</em>.. just sometimes.. he looked us over.&nbsp; You know.&nbsp; Making sure the meat is fresh.&nbsp; Told the guards not to beat us up too bad.&nbsp; Couldn't se-.. couldn't sell us then. Sell&nbsp; us..."&nbsp; Her tone grew somewhat dreamy, and that bewildered expression overcame her again, a recurrence of the surrealism, as if this couldn't possibly be real.&nbsp; She shook her head slowly, cleared her rough throat, then continued in the flat voice, though she spoke with increasing speed, as if racing against the inevitable moment when her emotions would catch up and make it impossible to go on.<br><br>"Anyway the guards started taking us out. One by one at first.&nbsp; Heather.. she was first.&nbsp; After what Ildiz did to Becky, we knew what was happening though.&nbsp; We were always tied up, and there were three or more of them every time.&nbsp; We had no chance.. One by one.&nbsp; Heather, then me, then Becky.&nbsp; God.. it was so awful.. more even than I'd have thought.. In movies and stuff it's so fast, but when you're there.. it's like it never ends. And the pain...&nbsp; In my body, my mind, my heart.&nbsp; It's like they're getting to all those places."&nbsp; <br><br>She spoke even faster, now.&nbsp; Almost frantically.&nbsp; She couldn't outrun her own collapse for long.&nbsp; And the story was only getting worse.<br><br>"Heather.. she got so out of it.&nbsp; I think it was two days.&nbsp; I don't know how long it's been.&nbsp; I don't know what day it is. But it was only like two days for Heather.&nbsp; She stopped talking. Stopped fighting them. All day it seemed like. So many at a time. All day fucked by so many of those filthy men.&nbsp; Their filthy stink, filthy pain. I knew what she was going through. God, we both did.&nbsp; Becky and I.&nbsp; But she didn't talk. She climbed up here. Heather. That second day.&nbsp; Alone. She jumped."<br><br>Trembling as if taken over by a terrible chill, she stopped. Her hands in small white-knuckled fists in her lap.&nbsp; She wasn't sure she could manage more words, but she <em>had</em> to finish. Tell it once.&nbsp; Tell someone.&nbsp; Because she knew she didn't have much more time.<br><br>"They'd taken Becky before Heather did it.&nbsp; I was running.&nbsp; Heard Heather scream, must've been when she jumped, but it was so hard to get up the stairs.&nbsp; I went to the window. They had Becky outside, down at the bottom.&nbsp; Naked.&nbsp; Her hands tied up.&nbsp; They pushed her down on Heather. Blood everywhere.&nbsp; She looked all.. broken. Wrong.&nbsp; Becky was screaming.&nbsp; She didn't stop.&nbsp; One big long scream.&nbsp; The men were.. laughing.&nbsp; I think I blacked out.&nbsp; When I woke up I was alone.&nbsp; I don't know what they did to Becky.&nbsp; Don't know where she is. I've been alone. Alone in here.&nbsp; They both left me."<br><br><br><br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>naoi</strong> on <strong>03-08-2008, 11:35:06</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				As she smiled, a confused look filtered across his face. This was no laughing matter. If things were really as bad as she hinted, then they needed to escape. His eyes burned with a healthy passion, despite his apparent illness. One as carefree as he was seemed not to be able to handle overdose of pain, fear, and high emotional stress. Especially in the condition they were in, and especially when he was still weakened by the tranquiliser.<br><br>"What do you mean there is no way out?" he questioned, voice understandably shrill with confusion and the tiniest dash of anger. Of course he could <em>leave</em>. They couldn't very well keep him there against his will. That kind of thing was illegal. His face portrayed his thoughts very clearly, as did his actions as a contemptible expression flitted over his visage.<br><br>The expression slowly melted away as he took in her expression. Was she... <em>serious</em>? He had to laugh. And laugh he did, stomach heaving, dry throat making his voice gravely with dehydration and over-use. When he finally calmed down, he wiped tears of mirth from the corners of his eyes, arms still clutching at his now sore ribs, chest heaving from laughter, breathlessness, and panic all at once.<br><br>"You're serious, aren't you?"<br><br>He didn't even expect an answer. Instead, he slid down the wall and laid slumped over, as if he had just been drained of all motion, shut down if you will.<br><br>Her voice calmed and lulled him as she began talking of her home life. Then he realized she was telling her story, and sat up a bit straighter. What had gone on to bring her to this place and have her in this condition?<br><br>He listened intently, agreeing with her about wanted to explore with a smile and nod of his head. He knew all too well that feeling. And look where it got him. Look where it got her. A tiny tinge of regret for his adventurous nature tinged his thoughts before the were brutally crushed. No, after all the beautiful sights he'd chanced upon, he would never regret anything. Once more, he tuned himself back into her tale.<br><br>As she spoke though, the hairs on the back of his neck prickled and his lips fell open in horror, despite the near urgent need now, to preserve moisture. The guard had sold them out? From the way she spoke of it, sat, looked, he could tell it was real, and tell it was painful for her to talk about it. But, in a purely non-cruel way, he wanted her to continue.<br><br>And continue she did, spinning a tale that got darker and darker with each sentence. His skin was now a pallid, whitish-yellow, and sickly looking as he fought down nausea. Just what had he gotten himself into with his penchant for acts of rebellion? He did not know, but he found himself not wanting it. A desperate, gnawing sensation in his stomach made him want to flee, to get away, to just leave.<br><br>But he couldn't move. He was trapped inside her tale, unable to move, ensnared by the tendrils of unabridged terror and despair she'd woven about him, cuccooning him in a hard embryo of pain and anguish of which birthed a knowledge like no other: how wrong this was. How he would probably be next.<br><br>After the mentions of rape, he thought it would end there. Thought the horrible tale would stop, and she would say she just escaped. That, he could handle. Hell, he'd even make sure they escaped together. But he just wanted everything to stop. It was like something out of a horror film, and not the bad kinds either. But the kind which had you on the edge of your seat in suspense and throwing popcorn over everyone because you jumped in fright. Except, it was very much real, and he was the one living the nightmare, and feeling lost, little, and alone.<br><br>He shook his head wildly, as if denying everything she was saying, but her lips continued to move, even as the sensation of being watched continued still. His body convulsed, as if going through a seizure, but he still again almost immediately, and looked to her once more, eyes focused and more lost than before.<br><br>As she began describing the final scenes, tears fell from his eyes, falling with hers as he listened. People had died? <br><br>The air felt cold around them, even in the sweltering heat. He couldn't even choke out horrified words. And with an almost morbid fascination, his eyes urged her to continue the last sickening bit of tale.<br><br>There was a long silence as he digested the information for a moment. He pushed the gory details to the side. If he didn't, he would've been puking his innards all over the floor, his disgust was that pure. His lips quirked to the side and he bit his lower lip hard, until it broke skin, and tiny beads of bloods dripped to the floor. <br><br>Absently, he licked away the remaining droplets before staring up at her with wide eyes.<br>"So, the guards here, the just... raped you?"<br><br>He hated to be so blunt, but he couldn't help it. Everything... <em>everything</em> about that story screamed wrong. Wrong, disgusting, dirty. His very ears felt sickened by it. Especially what happened with Becky and Heather. Even in death, her memory had been tainted. <br><br>Never a time, could he remember, had he been so angry. The very emotion seemed to course through his veins and burn like an indignant Phoenix, born from the ashes of disgust. His lips curled into a snarl.<br>"They won't get away with this. I'll make sure everyone knows," he growled menacingly, still innocently clutching to the hope that he would survive.<br><br>He didn't want to stay there anymore. He wanted to be outside. He wanted to be free. Most of all, he wanted to be home. Nothing had prepared him for the brutality of the world. The harshest punishment he had ever received was a sharp , stinging slap from his mother's Japanese fan.<br><br>It was unavoidable.<br><br>His stomach twisted violently, and he dry retched a few times, the non-existent sick burning his throat just from the sound alone. Weakly, he clutched unto the stone wall. Why? Why?! WHY?!<br><br>He repeated the word like a mantra before his eyes snapped open. <em>Uso da</em>(it's a lie,you lie).<br>"USO DA!" he screamed suddenly in Japanese, not caring whether she understood him or not. His tone was clear enough. "USO DA! I refuse to believe it!"<br><br>Tears coated his cheeks now as he became hysterical, working himself into a panicked frenzy at the wall. Japanese words flew from his mouth, echoing around the tiny chamber and back to his ears. He could only stare at her.<br>"<em>Chi...chigau</em>, (that's not it, it's not right)" he mumbled, finally collapsing in on himself. Perhaps they would just take her and leave him alone. He felt miserable for having thought that, but at this stage, he couldn't even bring himself to care anymore.<br><br>There was nothing. Nothing. He was surrounded by nothingness. Nothing was going to harm him.<br>Or so he prayed. His lips moved in a silent prayer as he wrapped his arms around himself.<br>"I just want to go home," he sobbed brokenly, openly now. He couldn't take anymore of that. His anger was about to snap. He knew not what would happened if he did the whole "change in personality" thing, and changed himself.<br><br>All he knew was that he needed to leave, no matter the cost.<br>"We have to leave. We <em>will</em> leave," he hissed determinedly, shakily gesturing for her to walk behind him, as he stepped down yet another step. His legs gave out soon after though, and he collapsed again. A choked expletive rang true from the disappointment he felt as he stared up at her hazily.<br><br>Why...
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>djin</strong> on <strong>03-08-2008, 15:16:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She endured the phases of his reaction with a pain both first-hand and empathetic.&nbsp; She recalled too clearly the succession of disbelief and fear and desperation.&nbsp; They all still swarmed around her.&nbsp; No matter how long it had been- days, weeks?- she experienced the cycle again and again. Every time exhaustion pulled her in to sleep and she woke from one nightmare in to another. Every time she closed off her mind from what was happening to her body and 'awoke' in&nbsp; new fits of pain and shame.&nbsp; <br><br>A silence eerily redolent with acceptance had settled over her after she'd finished speaking, though her hands were still tightly knotted around the grossly soiled fabric of her dress in two white-white fists of angular knuckles.&nbsp; She flinched as he yelled, her eyes blue and wide in her shrunken face, watching him and not understanding his words yet in those eyes was a quiet compilation of fear and pity and morbid understanding that didn't need words to confirm every ugly facet of the story.<br><br>Crumbling compassion wrinkled her brow, and she reached out for him as he collapsed on the stair, afraid he'd fall or perhaps afraid he'd leap up and flee, another one leaving, her alone again.&nbsp; Her grip was bony and fierce, urging him back up the stairs to the small room where there were no avenues of escape but at least the ground was solid.&nbsp; Her voice trembled, but she was for now dry of tears again.&nbsp; Dehydration robbed even the much needed release of weeping.&nbsp; Her voice a raspy whisper thin in tone and a disbelief in her own words, even as she strove to inject it with solacing assurance.<br><br>"Come on.. come up.. you're right.. we'll find a way out.. but you've got to be careful.. don't fall.. that's it.. come back up.. there's no way out down there right now.."<br><br>No, she didn't believe it.&nbsp; But she felt responsible for the momentary collapse of both his psyche and his physical strength.&nbsp; She guiltily chastised herself for painting the dark shades of his plight.&nbsp; Felt cruel for robbing him of his hope.<br><br>"I'm sorry... I'm sorry.."&nbsp; Once he was still, she laid a quivering hand on his shoulder.&nbsp; Then retracted her touch in a tight fist and crawled slowly backward to the wall once more.&nbsp; "Sorry.. sorry.. sorry sorrysorrysorry.."&nbsp; Tremors stole her breath, depleted it.&nbsp; She didn't really stop repeating the word, it just dwindled in volume until she was only silently moving her lips, lowering herself to the floor where she curled on her side and tucked herself into a tight fetal position.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>naoi</strong> on <strong>03-08-2008, 22:43:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				As he laid, collapsed upon the stairwell, body rocking precariously as if to fall, he lost himself in memories of the past, memories of when he thought he'd been trapped and locked away in a cell of rules and etiquette.&nbsp; Now he knew he hadn't been trapped, merely protected from the horrors of the world. Back then, he hadn't believed he needed to be protected from anything. Back then, he'd thought the worst he'd encounter in life were the usual criminals on the road.<br><br>In fact, he even remembered learning martial arts in an effort to prove to his father that he'd be safe in the outside world. Reluctantly, his father had let him go, providing a difficult challenge. Lee was starting to learn the importance of that challenge. It wasn't about breaking the rules to get the best results. No, his father had wanted to make sure he was strong enough to be recognized, be protected by his own talent.<br><br>A faint trickling sensation brushed down his cheeks, and he realized he was weeping. Not the tears that came with fear, or anger, or even happiness. It was the silent tears that came with realization. And what he'd realized, was that he had been a fool. An unpleasant realization for one as carefree as he.<br><br>He dimly acknowledged her words as she tried to soothe him and lead him back upstairs to safety. He recognized the tone though, and followed her, eyes strangely blank. It wasn't that he'd snapped, lost his mind, or gone crazy. No. He was seeing the world anew.<br><br>Barely paying attention, all he recognized was her tone of voice, and he nodded softly, following her back up into the room. It wasn't until a few seconds later when he heard her broken voice of apology, that sense began to return, and clarity unclogged his mind of it's previous daze. He took in her curled up figure and bit his lip in guilt. She was not the one to blame. With great effort, he pulled himself over to where she lay.<br><br>"Shhh... it's not your fault. It's my fault in here in the first place," he whispered, his turn to be soothing as he gently stroked her arm in the calming way his mother used to. And then, equally as softly and slowly, he wrapped his arms around her, not caring about her state of cleanliness, and slowly pulled her to him, hoping to coax her out of her ball. She was impossibly light as he moved her, and he wondered when was the last time she had eaten.<br><br>But he said nothing, he just held her in his warm embrace, whispering words of apology and encouragement to her. He'd had a brief lapse of strength from his panic overload. New strength was flowing through his body now, and as he soothed her, he plotted his escape. He would wait until it was light. And then he would make the perilous journey back down the stairs. No one was going to stop him from leaving. He told her this with passion emboldening his voice, and he even forgot about the watching sensation.<br><br>Instead, he planted a soft kiss on her cheek.<br>"Thank you. If you hadn't come, I probably would have killed myself in a blind panic," he whispered fiercely, not caring if his voice cracked. "You told me the truth, and it was something I needed to hear, so don't apologize."<br>And then he began to hum softly, as if to ward away the evils that hid in the shadows. His body had stopped trembling and his breathing was calm. Somehow, he'd retained his childlike hope that they could escape.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>djin</strong> on <strong>06-08-2008, 01:45:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Anthea was light and limp in his embrace, introverted and malleable as he pulled her against him.&nbsp; Her arms were folded tightly against her body, tucked between her breast and his chest, her head tucked down against them.&nbsp; As small and delicate as a child.<br><br>Gradually her arms eased out to slip around him, taking comfort from the soft assurances of his voice and the simple solidity of his body within the frail circle of her arms.&nbsp; Her head angled back to peer blue eyes now serene up to his face, and her thin barely-pink lips curved in a smile slight in size yet huge with the gratitude it expressed.&nbsp; <br><br>She rested her forehead against his chest again and her eyes closed for awhile, listening to his humming and letting it calm her, the soft soothing vibrations of it emanating from his chest and in to her.&nbsp; Eventually she seemed to have regained herself, her breathing so smooth and regular that he might've guessed she was asleep.&nbsp; But then she spoke, and despite the weight of the words her tone was calm, with a suggestion of the inner strength, the true grit, that had kept her going through this horrific ordeal. <br><br>"They'll come for me again before morning.&nbsp; If I am not near the door they will search.&nbsp; Please do not struggle with them, Lee.&nbsp; I don't want them to hurt you."&nbsp; <br><br>His words had been fierce with assurance of escape, and he was undoubtedly loathing the guards.&nbsp; &nbsp;He also seemed stricken with the same sense of camaraderie that she was, even in such a short amount of time.&nbsp; It would've been difficult for her to endure witnessing his coming to pain, and she assumed he felt the same.&nbsp; He was full of frustrated vigor, and taking it out on the guards if they came for her would be all but expected. <br><br>She continued speaking in the same measured tone, her voice soft enough to surpass the roughness of her throat and hint upon what her lyrical and lovely voice was before it, like the rest of her, was ravaged by this place through screams of protest and unimaginable abuse.<br><br>"Okay?&nbsp; Please?&nbsp; I could not bear that.&nbsp; And they will win anyway. It won't...&nbsp; be long.. that I'm gone.&nbsp; My novelty seems to have worn off, only a few come to.. use me.. lately.&nbsp; Not as many as before."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>naoi</strong> on <strong>06-08-2008, 03:03:32</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				As he held her, he felt her body slack and her breathing regulate somewhat. With an amused smiled, Lee continued to hum, wondering if she had fallen asleep. The steady silence now felt somehow comfortable as he sat there with her in his arms, instead of the oppressive weight he'd felt before. The watchful sensation seemed to slip right by him as he cradled her softly, unwilling to cause her further harm other than what had already been inflicted upon her fragile body.<br><br>When she spoke, he actually jumped, startled from the lull that had descended upon him, causing him to nearly fall asleep. His hum stopped abruptly, and for a moment, he just stared at her blankly, not comprehending what she was saying. And then it turned on them, and his face took on an affronted expression.<br><br>"What, and let them just <em>take</em> you again to do unspeakable things to you, an torture you again?" he growled out, his grip about her tightening slightly, though not enough to cause any intentional pain. His lips were pull back in a disgusted look and his eyes blazed true anger at the prospect. He wasn't one to sit back and watch as others suffered.<br><br>Her soft voice did nothing to hold back his feelings of anger and frustration at the situation.<br>"Besides, I said that <em>we</em> were going to escape," he grumbled, lips forming something akin to a pout. It was an immature way to act to be sure, but Lee wasn't about to let anyone take either him or Anthea without a fight, pleading be damned. Even if there were many, he would take down as many as he could in a blazing glory. Or, at least, that's how it went in his mind.<br><br>A pained look crossed his face as she continued to speak. Novelty? Worn off? Not as many? These people were sick. Absolutely sick.<br>"I can't promise you I won't fight back. In fact, I know I shall do just that. But I will compromise and say I'll try if they seem reasonable," he replied slowly. In his mind, he figured he'd be able to bribe his way out. There was still that same hint of hope, of escape. In a fit of mock passion, more to lighten the mood than anything, Lee raised his hand up, pointing forwards sailor style.<br>"They will never take me alive!" he half-yelled. Or, as much as he could yell anyway. The sound echoed back to them in the empty chamber.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>djin</strong> on <strong>07-08-2008, 02:19:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She tensed subtly as he began to speak the words she feared he would.&nbsp; During that quiet time she had debated over bringing the matter up at all.. but thought it better to approach the topic before the guard appeared and all tempers and emotions ran hot and ungovernable.&nbsp; The stiffness of her slight form remained until his own grip relaxed, though she'd made no move to slither out of his tightening grasp.<br><br>Those pale blue pools remained fixed upward, and as the disgust registered in his countenance there was a deep flicker of shame in her own.&nbsp; She hated the acquiescence that had been, literally, beaten in to her.&nbsp; Even though she knew that there was no fighting them, that to resist would only deepen their joy and their roughness, she was ashamed of how she'd become frail and malleable, both in body and mind.<br><br><br>"Reasonable.."&nbsp; She repeated softly, though didn't immediately say anything else. A faint smile ghosted over her face as he made his half-joking proclamation, though the shame of having revealed her weakness to him still left her feeling sullied and small.&nbsp; Owned by her fear.<br><br>Her eyes slipped away, and she drew an arm from around him to idly finger one of the buttons of his shirt.&nbsp; Surface smooth and shiny, the fabric around it clean, crisp.&nbsp; She sighed gently, laying her hand motionless against his chest and letting her eyes close.<br><br>"They won't listen. You're here for a reason, Lee.&nbsp; If they didn't.. want you.. for something, they wouldn't bother keeping you."&nbsp; Her words were dreamy as if she drew on some power of divination to make this prediction, and though her surety came more from a deep sense of intuition rather than any real evidence, her voice grew misty only because she was drifting off.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>naoi</strong> on <strong>07-08-2008, 14:37:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Lee watched her with warm brown eyes, distraught at the state the obviously once vibrant woman was in his hands. The fear seemingly deep-rooted into her psyche all at once entranced and appalled him him. He almost wanted to reach deep down into her mind and pull up the dregs of horror that remained stuck to the bottom of the cup, so to speak, so that he could rinse it, and start something new. A strange analogy perhaps, but Lee thought it fit the bill.<br><br>His own gaze met hers in a soft sympathy that showed not pity, nor understanding, but comfort and strength. He could never claim to know how she felt, and the last thing she probably wanted (or needed) was pity, so he offered her what he could, and hoped she took it for it was: Moral support.<br><br>"Yes, reasonable," he repeated, eyes showing his confusion. Weren't all business men reasonable. With the right lingo, i.e. money, <em>anyone</em> was reasonable. Right? Not that he was filthy rich, but surely he could pay off whatever fine he owed.<br><br>Perhaps Lee was a lot more innocent, because truthfully, he didn't believe that he was in any sort of danger from that front. He was outraged and horrified by what they had down to Anthea, but, he thought it very unlikely they would rape men. And so there he sat, arrogant in his knowledge, absently stroking upon Anthea's knotty hair. If they took Anthea away, he would be lost, as he would know no one. Plus, he didn't want to let her go back to those fiends.<br><br>He looked at her sharply at her final words.<br>"Need me?" he asked darkly, deeply afraid for the first time that night. "What would the <em>guards</em> need me for?" He didn't press the question though, instead, stroking her hair and head some more watching her drift off, wishing he had a hairbrush. Just as he was lulling off too, he twitched. Had he heard something? Or was it Anthea? He didn't know... was it even real?
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>djin</strong> on <strong>08-08-2008, 06:31:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Anthea's lips moved breathily as he probed at the question, though no words were formed; too far gone in a much-needed albeit ultimately brief slumber.&nbsp; In the silence following the flux of movement both physical and emotional, the tower once more imposed it's malignant presence. Seeming not merely a stoic prison, but a wicked contributor of the fate Lee now shared with the girl.. though to what extent it was shared he could not yet imagine.&nbsp; Shadows breathed in conspiratorial whispers, the stone skin muted the outside world and made the real seem surreal and as unreachable as a dream ravaged and punctured by the light of waking.<br><br>A few moments of tense peace, the lids of the captives heavy and biology overriding emotive nerves, shutting down to recharge.&nbsp; Then the sound.&nbsp; Slow and grinding, echoed through the hollow throat of the tower.&nbsp; Metal against metal. Crazily, even the sift of powdered rust as it snowed from the hinges to the stone floor seemed not to pass without alarming sound.&nbsp; A heavy groan as metal torqued, swinging open.&nbsp; One of the doors below.<br><br>Cool air sucked in to the heat-choked lungs of the tower, spiraling it upward in a sighing breeze that carried with it sweet and exotic scents.&nbsp; A snatch of conversation in smooth and lyrical Arabic, the words of which were lost as the fragile echo ricocheted from stone to stone in it's climb.<br><br>An open door.&nbsp; It meant hope, didn't it?&nbsp; The things that came through it so affable.. a promise of escape from the heat, scents that could only be foods and spicy perfumes, voices that certainly sounded <em>reasonable</em>.&nbsp; <br><br>Anthea twitched, her fingers reduced to talon-like hooks by her diminishing weight snatched in to Lee's shirt, and in their knee-jerk response he could feel the desperate tension that mounted even before she fully woke.&nbsp; Blue iris quickly shed the fringed cloak of it's lid, snapped open and focused on nothing, it's black belly constricted in fear. <br><br>"They're here."<br><br>As if invited by her words, though they surely couldn't have heard the small frightened whisper, rough sounds of boots on gritty stone and voices harsher than that which preceded them flooded the tower with less hopeful sounds.&nbsp; The voices ran over each other, sharp stones tumbling together down a hillside, carried by that flood of impending ill fate.<br><br>"She moved."<br><br>"<em>Now</em>, girl."<br><br>"Don't make us wait, pretty.&nbsp; Bring your boyfriend, too."<br><br>"Come to the door.&nbsp; Now."<br><br>At least four voices, and each impatient.&nbsp; An undercurrent of playful teasing underlaid one, while another was purely gruff.&nbsp; There was a subtle yet distinctive sound at first hard to place, then recognizable as a large gun being handled.&nbsp; &nbsp;A beam of light speared the dull glow that rose up to the rectangular hole in the floor, they were apparently scanning the steps with a flashlight.&nbsp; They grew quiet now, though the sense of expectancy that clung sourly to them only thickened.&nbsp; &nbsp;And somehow the organized silence was worse.&nbsp; Perhaps they anticipated resistance from the newly captured boy.<br><br>Anthea had come full awake, her focusless eyes now sharpened and peering at the opening in the floor.&nbsp; She sniffed softly, once, swallowed, then began to gently disentangle herself from Lee, apparently intent on moving toward the stairs.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>naoi</strong> on <strong>08-08-2008, 13:05:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Every single sound seemed to be amplified to a ridiculous degree to him. Eyes once foggy with sleep now held the gleam of alertness that came fatigue and weariness. It had been many an hour since he'd last had a drink, and the constant fear had drained a lot of moisture from him. Though weakened, this also left him more on edge, and as new scents wafted and made their slow, tantalizing journeyed to his nose, his strength seemed to grow, as did his wariness at the scuffling noises below.<br><br>Indeed, to his ears, the voices sounded reasonable. To his ears, the voices spoke of someone who knew wealth and power, someone who could speak his lingo. His body relaxed, even as Anthea's began to wake, hands clenching into his shirt almost painfully. Gently, he tried to extract himself, but found he couldn't, and he stared at her in concern. Her eyes were showing the freakish fear from before.<br><br>Somehow, he didn't think humming was going to help her out now.<br><br>The cool breeze was refreshing, even as the watchful sensation returned. The very dust falling to the floor seemed to echo loudly around the chamber, giving him a slight headache. He clutched her pale frame close to his body, her fear slightly infectious, though his gaze was still unwavering and icy cold.<br><br>Then came the voices, taunting, saying strange things. Boyfriend? Did they mean him? What did they need him for? God, he hated all the damn unsolvable questions in his head. Lee didn't like the sound of their voices however, nor did he like the soft but unmistakable sounds of a gun. A beam of light then parted the blackness of the rectangular cut out shape in the ground, giving the area around it a kind of creepy shadow.<br><br>As Anthea began shuffling, his eyes widened in alarm and he pulled her back.<br>"Are you crazy?" he hissed, staring at her incredulously. Slowly, he crawled over to the hole, though he didn't stick his head over. Instead, he tried a different tactic.<br>"What do you want?" he snapped back, sort of rudely, but really rather in a polite tone, getting the message across that he was quite unamused, but without being outright insulting.<br><br>"Let us out of this tower and mosque, immediately. Just show us the way out. I'd be more than willing to negotiate... funds for my trespass," he called down, praying it worked; he really didn't want to battle of a staircase where one fall could mean death. He wasn't gladiator. His lips were whetted again. "Is that acceptable?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>djin</strong> on <strong>08-08-2008, 14:55:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She'd skidded over a few dusty stones as he pulled her back, and for a moment she didn't have the strength, will, or both to continue onward again.&nbsp; She sagged a little against the floor, exhaling a pitiable sound of hopelessness and frustration.&nbsp; Then she just waited, once more on all fours, her dirty hair curtaining her face and sweeping the floor with it's tangled tips.<br><br>A hollow and weirdly frightening sound met his brave voice.&nbsp; Laughter.&nbsp; Soft, subdued chuckling that grownups did when their children were being bold beyond their years and they didn't want to outright laugh at them. <br><br>Obedient but far from obsequious, Anthea once more began for the opening, sharp fingers catching Lee's shoulders and pulling him back.&nbsp; Her voice was a fierce whisper.<br><br>"They will <em>not</em> let you go, Lee.&nbsp; Please.&nbsp; <em>Please.</em> They have your things, right?&nbsp; They took our bags when we came-"<br><br>She was cut off by a sharp demand from below. Calling for her again.&nbsp; The guards were becoming impatient, though still they were apparently too lazy or otherwise uninclined to begin searching her out.&nbsp; She pushed loose tangles of white-blonde from her face, tucking it behind her ear as her vivid blue eyes slipped back and forth between Lee and the hole.<br><br>"Took our bags."&nbsp; She continued.&nbsp; "They took yours, right?"&nbsp; To make certain she had his attention, she placed her alarmingly cold hands to either side of his face.&nbsp; "Lee, they <em>have</em> your money.&nbsp; It isn't what they want."<br><br>There was an exasperated curse from below, and one of the guards began clomping up the stairs.&nbsp; Anthea gasped, braced Lee's shoulder with a stiff arm as if to hold him at bay.. as if she really could.. then slid one leg over the edge until her bare foot touched the first step.&nbsp; Glancing back at Lee, she shoved him with all of her diminished might then in a purposeful scramble surprisingly adroit for her withered and pain-wracked frame, went down the stairs.&nbsp; <br><br>Like a startled dove, one white hand fluttered against the wall, keeping her balance and her bearings as she rushed away from the safe comfort of Lee and in to the waiting embrace of vile roughians.&nbsp; It was a nightmarishly simple predicament; they would get her anyway.&nbsp; They would also get Lee.&nbsp; But she held on to a frayed thread of hope that complying with them would allay the worst of their behaviors.&nbsp; They were more apt to hurt her when they were angry or irritated.&nbsp; To shove and slap and make the ultimate penetration more painful than it had to be.&nbsp; <br><br>The guard hadn't come far. He waited within the fall of light that came from the open door, a sneer upon his mostly shadowed face.&nbsp; Trembling and breathing rapidly, Anthea came to within his reach. He grabbed her roughly by the arm and shoved her toward the trio of men who waited beyond the landing.&nbsp; One took her, and she disappeared within the cool and clean room beyond, casting a wide-eyed glance over her shoulder before the staircase disappeared from view, and hoping against hope that she didn't see Lee on it.<br><br>But the remaining three men were hoping otherwise.&nbsp; They stayed at the door, one ready with a gun that looked more suited to the war being waged a few deserts away.&nbsp; Lean and quick and able-bodied, the three, militantly garbed and surely armed beyond the single gun.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>naoi</strong> on <strong>10-08-2008, 21:57:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The laughter angered him. It sounded just like the laughter his father had subjected him to when he'd asked for his independence. It was a laugh of belittling, as if they thought nothing of him, or rather, were humoring him. He let out a growl of irritation and then clenched his fists. He would get nowhere if he got irritated like that. Still though, he would not put up with any more belittling from them.<br><br>Lee was startled when sharp fingers caught in his shirt at the shoulders, and he winced slightly, feeling a sharp but brief pain. He turned to Anthea with another irritated look. "They <em>will</em> let me go. They have no use for-"<br><br>He too was cut off by the loud voice from below. Quickly, his head snapped to Anthea to look at her and he shook his head violently before turning back to the hole. The voices came again, sharp and impatient yet again, but Lee was focusing more on Anthea's voice. He turned to her incredulously.<br>"Yes, but all my money was not in there. I could negotiate more. I mean, what more could they <em>possibly</em> want with me, Anthea? <em>What</em> is it that they want?"<br><br>He didn't get an answer though, instead, his eyes took in the sight of her leg touching onto the first step. His arm automatically reached out to drag her back, when she shoved him with surprising strength. He hadn't been expecting the force, and instead, went toppling over haphazardly with a yell. By the time he'd righted himself, she was gone, into the bleakness below. Lee caused loudly and violently.<br>"Anthea, come back!"<br><br>There was no reply, and Lee, feeling a bit creeped out, backed up and slid away from the hole in the floor. He'd yet to hear any screaming. Not for the first time, Lee wondered if this was all some kind of scape set up by his father. This was starting to get ridiculous. His heartbeat sped up, but not in fear. Rather, in anger at the situation, at Anthea, and at himself. <br><br>When he realized everything was quiet, he wondered if they'd just taken Anthea and left him. <br><br>What? Did they think he was just going to stay there and wait for him to get back? This time, he cursed the guards loudly, heaving his body back over to the hole. Carelessly, he didn't look before getting on to the steps, instead, turning to look back at the chamber he'd been in. And then, he sensed something odd in front of him. Brown eyes widened as he looked at the three guards, one of which was holding a gun. A squeak escaped his lips before his eyes narrowed, and he stood up haughtily.<br><br>"If you'll excuse me, I have somewhere to be, so you need to get out of my way," he growled angrily, showing one of the guards out of his way, or so he thought. It seemed he couldn't move. He turned to another.<br>"Where is Anthea? Where did you take her? I demand to know what's going on."<br>He was getting a bit afraid. What were military guards doing in a mosque?
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>djin</strong> on <strong>11-08-2008, 04:31:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Anthea was gone. No trace of her save what tears had tumbled free of her cheeks and spattered the marble, as invisible and small as she felt.&nbsp; But as Lee nearly collided with the guards, he heard her.&nbsp; Her voice echoing from within the lushly furnished and temperature controlled chamber, a bright place displayed in the dark frame of the tower door.<br><br>"Don't hurt him.. don't hurt him.. please don't hurt him.."&nbsp; &nbsp;Fear in her voice, and hopelessness. They didn't understand her language, and likely wouldn't heed her if they did.&nbsp; Yet she repeated it with all the strength she could muster, before she crawled in to that secret place inside her.&nbsp; The secret place that these men and no man could ever touch.&nbsp; A place she could go that made the pain and indignities visited upon her but distant echoes.&nbsp; Her inward retreat was how she'd survived.<br><br>They were big men, and Lee's push was ineffectual. Beneath the militant garb, the man he shoved felt like cast iron.&nbsp; Through the fierce pounding of his angered heart he might've heard the soft, derisive laughter again.&nbsp; One of the guards wore an expression of pleasant surprise as Lee spoke Arabic, and quirked his head with a sardonic smile.&nbsp; <br><br>"Yes, you do have somewhere to be. And we will take you there."<br><br>The guard bearing the gun remained several steps away, prepared to take aim should the need arise. The other two stepped toward Lee, intent upon taking him by the arms and guiding him inside.<br><br>"We don't want to mar that pretty flesh, so come quietly and we won't have to.&nbsp; And so we won't need to drug you again."&nbsp; The mention of the drug was likely to send a shudder of nausea through his stomach, as the aftereffect was a potent hangover. <br><br>The voice was amazingly calm, as if dealing with such terrified people was but part of their daily routine.&nbsp; A frightening thought.&nbsp; Then the one on his right, the talkative one, glanced at Lee with a hatefully smarmy expression and tone of voice.<br><br>"Oh you would like to see the girl?&nbsp; Of <em>course</em> of <em>course</em>.. right this way."<br><br>Fingers like steel bands held his upper arms, and he was being led in to the room.&nbsp; The light was achingly bright compared to the dark tower, though once his starved eyes adjusted he'd find it to be pleasantly lit by lamps and immense chandeliers laden with candles.&nbsp; The scent of candlewax was redolent as in a place of worship, though otherwise there was nothing to suggest that this place had once been a church.&nbsp; Spices mingled with the fragrant wax, exotic and familiar alike.&nbsp; The scent of food, as well.&nbsp; And perfumes too many to count that all blended in to an enticing melange.&nbsp; <br><br>But the cool air was the most likely to impress.&nbsp; The temperature frigid compared to the stifling tower.&nbsp; And whereas the tower was monastic, bare and gritty, the chamber he was lead through was a blaze of color and finery, immaculately clean.&nbsp; Gold adornments on furniture and walls, exotic woods, rich upholstery, huge intricately woven carpets and tapestries, recessed cavities in the polished stone floors that were filled with pillows of every color, extravagantly embroidered and dripping in beads and tassels.&nbsp; It all flew by, a blur of visual input, and likely all put aside in his mind when he saw Anthea.<br><br>Three more guards stood over her, one already in the act of removing his pants.&nbsp; Her dress was a pile of sullied fabric pooled on the floor beside the table she was bound to.&nbsp; It was a low, solid construction of ebony wood, with several large rings bolted into the sides. She was tied to two of these by her wrists, laid over the table on her stomach. Her legs dangled off the edge, the toes of her slack feet pointed toward the floor, and hovering just half an inch above it. <br><br>Her head was turned toward where Lee and the guards emerged around a grouping of furniture and suspended wall tapestries.&nbsp; Her blue eyes were vacant, focused upon some faraway place, her face slightly contorted as her cheek was pressed to the nearly black wood, the contrast making her look even paler than she was.&nbsp; An angelic halo of barely-gold hair fanned her head.&nbsp; <br><br>As if having waited for Lee's arrival, the guard now with his pants around his knees, exposing a fully rigid member, stepped behind Anthea's helpless form.&nbsp; Without preamble he roughly forced himself into her, eliciting from the shellshocked girl the slightest gasp of discomfort.. she was all but detached from what was happening to her, hidden away in her secret place.&nbsp; The table stood firm, though Anthea was jostled by the thrusting rhythm the guard took up, until he slapped a dark hand down on her hip and gripped her to keep her in place.<br><br>Anticipating the boy's outrage, the guards that flanked him took a stronger hold on his arms, making an already uncomfortably tight grasp outright painful.&nbsp; From somewhere a safe distance behind him, the one with the gun made a sickening grunt of aroused approval as he watched the darkly erotic tableau.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>naoi</strong> on <strong>11-08-2008, 05:52:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The body before him was like a steel gate or a titanium wall. Lee wasn't weak by any standards, but these men were something else entirely, as if they'd been trained by something other worldly or had undergone frightening training regimes. Which, as Lee was beginning to expect, they probably had. His dark eyes glittered angrily in his frustration, even as he hurt his fists pounding on the rock solid chest in an attempt to get the other to move. It was all to no avail. His lips curled into a sneer and he shot the first guard a disgusted look.<br>"You know <em>nothing</em> of my schedule," he answered, just as haughtily as before, trying to act as important and regal as he could.<br><br>He could feel the ominous presence of the gun behind him, which was the only thing keeping him from attempting to shove one of them down the black hole in the middle of the spiraling stairs, no doubt to splatter sickeningly on the rich marble below. It was a gruesome but strangely satisfying image, and the glint probably showed in his eyes as his head swiveled to the next guard. <br><br>The words were cold, but the effect they had on him was even colder. Without meaning to, a flicker of fear and anxiousness rolled over his expression and he stepped away from the other at the mention of the drugs. He really didn't want to go through the retching and weakness again, especially since it muddled with his mind. Still, he swallowed the lump in his throat and drew himself up to his full height, which had nothing on the three guards and growled. "Just try and hurt me-"<br><br>He was cut off by the sickeningly smarmy tone of the other guard. Before he could reply, a vice-like grip wrapped around his arms, and he was carted into a very beautiful room. Lee didn't even bother to look at anything in the room aside from the decoration. The bruising grip on his arms seemed to fade away as his artistic nature took him over and he gazed at the full wonder of the room. His fingers itched for his camera, and even a paintbrush. Eyes swept over the room, hungrily taking in every small detail. From the beautiful spun tapestries to Anthea bound on a black table to...<br><br>A choked sound escaped his lips and his eyes stayed glued to the scene, not fully comprehending what he was seeing, even as another guard disrobed in front of him, clearly showing arousal. His eyes met hers, but they were dulled and empty. Still, he didn't move. Not even when the guard brutally shoved into her, drawing a surprised gasp. Like her, he'd gone far away, sucked in for a moment by a sickening ache of horror so huge, that when he finally reacted, it was like he was possessed.<br><br>With a cry of rage, he tried to lunge at the guard at the table. But fingers tightened to a extremely painful degree around his arms, rendering him incapable of taking even one step. That didn't stop him from trying though, didn't stop him from screaming her name with tears welling up in his eyes. He struggled like that for a few minutes, spitting venomous words at the guards and threatening to kill them, but still, they held tight.<br><br>And then, as if a wind-up toy who'd finally run out of power and needed to be cranked up again, he slumped, arms purpling around the area where the gripped him, only held up by the hands of the guards, still painfully tight around his muscle. The tears had long since stopped, and instead, there was only a hollow hatred burning deep inside of him. His voice had gone hoarse from all the screaming, damaging his throat even more from it's parched state it had been before. He trembled violently in fear and deep hatred. How <em>dare</em> they do something like that?<br><br>He needed to go, needed to leave. It wasn't something he could handle. Who would do such a thing? It was disgusting, despicable. He dry heaved violently, seemingly having made himself sick from the lack of water and his sudden burst of energy, not to mention the after effects of the drugs. He'd nothing in his stomach though, aside from aside, and so, dry heave was all he could do. The sound was still terrible though, and when he'd finished, he cough, dry, hacking sounds that sounded awful to even to the most untrained of medical attention ears. His head slowly rose, and when he finally stared up at his captors, his eyes were filled with extreme murderous intent; it was a far cry from his usual happy, warm brown orbs.<br><br>"Let me go, you sick fuckers. Haven't you done enough to her? Do you get off doing this?"<br>His voice was weak but still managed to get the disgusted tone across. He eyed them shortly.<br>"I'll make sure you regret this. Every single one of you."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>djin</strong> on <strong>11-08-2008, 18:41:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Lee's cries registered, reached the dark corner where Anthea's consciousness hid.&nbsp; Large tears rolled from her eyes and her lips trembled with her ragged breath, her very inhalation and exhalation having fallen in to tempo with the rough rhythm of the guard that violated her, as her helpless body had little choice under such abuse. <br><br>In the midst of Lee's wordless rant, before the fierceness fled him and took with it his strength, the guard was finished with a protracted grunt.. as if the boy's angered astonishment had fueled his desires. But it wasn't finished for Anthea.&nbsp; A few other guards were milling around, and a second simply stepped up for his turn even as the first was still fastening his pants.<br><br>The men to either side of Lee may as well have been bolted to the floor as were the rings to the table Anthea lay upon, so little did they move as Lee thrashed.&nbsp; They even suspended his weight entirely when his legs flailed, and then eventually gave out.&nbsp; There was no more laughter, yet the talkative one appeared highly amused.. even as he gazed down in to the wrathful brown eyes.<br><br>Getting off was precisely what they were doing.&nbsp; Each in turn.&nbsp; They weren't vocal for the most part, though the third to take his turn spoke vilely to Anthea, asserting in the most disgusting language possible that she was a whore that not only deserved but also adored the attention she received. They cared as little for the idea of 'safety' as they did for Anthea's comfort, none taking any precaution to avoid impregnation, nor anything else. And their attentions were not limited to her womanly core, but to the other orifice offered by her humiliatingly subservient position.&nbsp; Though unlikely to be the first time they'd so violated that sensitive part of her, it still brought from her a choked cry of pain and subsequent whimpering.<br><br>"Perhaps you'd like a turn, little one?"&nbsp; The condescending voice baited Lee after he'd been quiet for some time, smirking as he watched the fifth and apparently final guard prepare for his turn to use the slack body spread over the table.&nbsp; &nbsp;At some point Anthea's eyes had closed.&nbsp; Though the hair scattered over her face still fluttered lightly when she breathed, the pace rapid and hectic.&nbsp; Far from sleep, or anything resembling rest.&nbsp; <br><br>There was then subtle movement in the periphery of Lee's vision.&nbsp; The large chamber was ringed by a wide balcony accessed by a pair of immense staircases that flanked the room.&nbsp; This balcony apparently opened on to second-story rooms.&nbsp; Standing there now, observing the scene below from the balcony rail, was an imposing figure.&nbsp; Tall and lean, resonant of a visual appeal that was difficult to narrow down to a single attribute.&nbsp; Bronze-colored features of obvious Persian descent, eyes too dark to decipher pupil from iris.&nbsp; Hair ebony tendrils in gentle, well-maintained waves that reached his shoulders in stylishly varying lengths, glossily gleaming raven-wing blue.&nbsp; The fabric of the fitted, collarless coat he wore was of such density that it seemed to swallow the light and offer none back, perhaps a thick-napped suede. The hands that came from those expertly tailored cuffs, resting casually wide apart on the rail, were dark and long. Graceful fingers that appeared able to pluck perfect notes from harp strings or sail over ivory keys in a flawless concerto.&nbsp; Silver rings adorned a few of those digits, gleaming pale against the dark yet equally luminous skin.&nbsp; <br><br>The coat was his only visible attire.&nbsp; A chain around his neck caught the light in subtle scintillation, suspending between defined pectorals a pendant that couldn't clearly be deciphered from the distance.&nbsp; Though he'd seemed to be watching Anthea's brutal and repeated raping, those dark, impassive eyes had settled upon the momentarily crippled boy clutched by the pair of guards.&nbsp; <br><br>When he spoke, the volume carried effortlessly through the immense room, yet he did not seem to be raising his voice.&nbsp; The tone was silken, of a baritone timbre to rival the voice any bass instrument those extraordinary hands might be able to coax into singing. Honey upon Lee's ragged senses.&nbsp; The ease with which his words poured and were swallowed suggested the man to be one who expected to have his every wish unquestioningly followed. <br><br>"That is enough.&nbsp; Let the girls bathe her.&nbsp; Give her food."&nbsp; His eyes remained upon Lee as he spoke, though his words were obviously not directed toward him or the men holding him.&nbsp; The eyes of all others in the room were immediately drawn upward to the man aloft, in eerie unison.<br><br>The fifth guard had just finished in Anthea, and withdrew sweating and trembling subtly in the immediate seconds after his release throes.&nbsp; He nodded, breathing heavily as he tugged his pants up and fastened them.&nbsp; Four other guards, undoubtedly those who'd had their desires satisfied during this round, stepped forward to unbind the girl and usher her toward a short, arched hallway on the opposite side of the room from where Lee depended from the pair of guards. They essentially carried her, holding her up much as Lee was supported. Her head lolled listlessly to lay on her shoulder.<br><br>The man to Lee's right clucked his tongue as if in pity.&nbsp; "It looks as if you won't get your chance with her today.&nbsp; Perhaps if we throw you two in the tower together again she'll feel grateful for your little tantrum and reward you, mm?"<br><br>"Kadar."&nbsp; Lance-edged, the guard's name came from the man as he descended the stair, approaching where the three stood.&nbsp; Well.. where two stood and Lee leaned.&nbsp; Sharply spoken by whom could be assumed a superior, probably <em>the</em> superior Anthea had mentioned, Kadar winced subtly at the sound of his name, and glanced obediently toward the nearing man.&nbsp; Had he been chastised for teasing Lee?<br><br>The man had an almost effeminate mouth, full enough to be more pretty than handsome, though in every fiber of the stranger seemed to reside the potential for unfathomable darkness.&nbsp; Those lips could be cruel, both through the words they lyrically formed and by exerting physical pain.&nbsp; It would be difficult for Lee to confirm how he knew this, but he'd <em>know</em>, though the only evidence he had was as ephemeral as the cold shiver that chased down his spine. <br><br>Lee was allowed to slouch down to his knees, though he remained firmly possessed by the guards.&nbsp; He could not know it then, but he was getting his first good look at Jhemni Anunjra from the perspective that most people in the unusual man's life would view him from.&nbsp; The tailored ensemble previously glimpsed proved to consist of coat and pants flatteringly fit to a well-toned assemblage of musculature that was neither too lean nor exaggerated.&nbsp; There was a belt around his trim waist, the buckle fashioned in black-anodized metal.&nbsp; The pendant resting upon his chest proved to be a symbol Lee had never seen, swirls and slashes and arcs similar to yet different than the calligraphic lettering of the Arabic language, enclosed in a circle the size of a large coin.<br><br>Those impossibly dark eyes regarded Lee from a seemingly towering height, and in them was a gaze that defied logic in it's ability to entrance and repulse.&nbsp; To invite fear and foster fascination.&nbsp; Too look in to them was to peer in to a haunted place, searching for spirits that might be benign or malignant.&nbsp; It stirred curiosity.&nbsp; And stirred something else.. there was a primal rawness in him, an open lasciviousness that fanned in to existence embers of lust. <br><br>He seemed to be.. curious.&nbsp; Though it could quickly be determined that his true intentions were rarely if ever revealed upon the surface.&nbsp; He said nothing, perhaps waiting to see if Lee would indulge another righteous fit and demand his release. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>naoi</strong> on <strong>11-08-2008, 21:51:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Her tears fell as silently as his did after he'd collapsed. Lee could not even summon up the energy to angry when, after the first man had finished, another stepped up to resume the cruel punishment, not even giving Anthea a break from her vile treatment. Instead, all he did was shiver and dangle helplessly in the arms of the seemingly steel poles on either side of him. A few more body wracking coughs tore his throat even more, and he winced in discomfort, though hardly paying attention to it.<br><br>In fact, he was too being watching in shock as the third, and then fourth man stepped up. How long would this go on for? How long would he be forced to slump there and watch? The display just continued to make him feel sick. More than once, he wanted turn away. But the way his arms were held and the way he was positioned, not to mention the iron-fast grip on his arms, made it impossible. And so all he could do was watch. Watch and shed angry tears.<br><br>The voice from beside him made him jump for more than one reason. Another wince and a hiss of pain escaped him as he felt his bone creak ominously under his skin. No doubt that area would be sore for a while. Not an ounce of arousal stirred within him, and he shot the guards a disgusted look.<br>"Never."<br><br>He was about to burst into another litany of disgust and anger when something flickered in the corner of his eye, caught in his peripheral. His head snapped up as much as it was allowed, and for no reason whatsoever, his breath caught in his throat in a manner or fear and something he couldn't identify as he looked over the regal looking man. Everything about the man lent casually against the banister screamed power and control. And the mere fact that he was watching over Anthea's brutal rape with a calm eye made Lee <em>certain</em> this way the man Anthea had told him about.<br><br>A low growl of deep anger escaped his already bruised throat, and yet s<em>still</em> Lee said nothing. In fact, it was almost as if he was waiting for something.<br><br>When Jhemni finally spoke, a relieved sigh escaped Lee's lips and his eyes closed, and it became apparent exactly <em>what</em> he'd been waiting for. He didn't care whether the guards heard it or not. Instead, opened his eyes and plastered them on the figure. Only to flinch slightly when his eyes met the other. From his position below, it was impossible to read anything. Instead, all Lee felt was a tingle of dread that seemed to expand and grow with every step Jhemni took down the stairs.<br><br>So entranced by the other was he, that he hadn't even noticed Kadar's apparent distasteful comment, though he <em>did</em> he the rebuke, and see the subtle wince. Confused brown eyes once again focused completely on Jhemni, for once only portraying a small amount of his emotions. Usually, Lee wore his heart on his sleeve, but the eyes that bored into Jhemni's were confused, yes, yet closed off and cautious. He didn't even look angry.<br><br>Close up, Lee could study the other's features better, which he did quickly, brown iris dancing a skittered rhythm over large white corneas. On his knees looking near subservient between the two hulking masses, he looked rather doll like with his wide, long lashed eyes, face seemingly plastic and beautifully set into a false expression of submissiveness. And, even as he look in the almost feminine lips, a shiver of cold fear made it's way down his back. No matter how human the <em>thing</em> in front of him looked, he knew it was not.<br><br>Subconsciously, he flinched away from the figure, eyes now showing a flicker of fear and a whole lot of defiance. Eyebrows pulled into a tight frown, and his normal plump lips were drawn back tight in a hint of a snarl. Before he began to yell, Lee tried to read the other, tried scanning the dark orbs for a hint of remorse. Yet, he found exactly the opposite of that, if he found anything at all. What he <em>did</em> find, caused him to shirk back in even more horror, cheeks flushing dark in anger, embarrassment, and to his utter disgust, arousal which he pushed away almost immediately.<br><br>The silence unnerved him, and Lee finally broke. He'd wanted to stay silent, just to see if any explanation was offered. But apparently not. And yet another growl escaped, this time accompanied by the ragged inhalation of air.<br><br>"Let me go, you bastards!" he yelled, struggling against his captors. He tried to lunge forward, to attack the man in front of him, but as ever, his 'bonds' held true and he went nowhere. There was now unsheltered, burning hatred in his eyes as he glared at Jhemni. "What the hell is wrong with you? What purpose did you have for that? You sick fucker!" He struggled uselessly, straining his voice more and more. "Hadn't you done enough to her already?"<br><br>A few more thrashes and then he stilled, eyes sparkling with unshed tears until they slipped down soft cheeks slowly, like a lover's caress, not gushing. "ANSWER ME!"<br>His final scream finally tore his throat enough for him to choke, gasp for air, and cough violently, flecks of blood coloring his lips red and sprinkling along the floor, creating a nonsensical pattern that eerily entranced him for a moment against the cool stone. Head moving from bowed to straight, eyes stared pleadingly at the man in front of his, lips glistening with red and shining where he had licked it off. "Please, let me go. Let her go... please."<br><br>Again, he slumped, apparently devoid of his earlier fervor. It appeared that he regained energy quickly, but burnt it off just as quickly again. Perhaps it was a side effect of the drugs used on him. He didn't know. All he knew was the soft, salty burn of tears in his eyes, and the silky way they felt as they rolled of his cheeks, and their almost crystalline appearance as they fell on the floor, merging with his blood to create sparkling crimson jewels; it was a morbid beauty indeed that caught and held his focus in his drained state. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>djin</strong> on <strong>12-08-2008, 17:48:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The barest thread of tension traced along Jhemni's defined jaw as a mere trace-scent of blood preceded it's appearance, just before the fine spray burst from Lee's lips.&nbsp; Had there been any attention given to the boy's pitiable plight and fevered words, it was dulled by a glimmering fascination in those dark eyes.&nbsp; For a moment Lee's heart seemed to tighten in his chest, and a thick and heady sensation of allure tugged on him as if his very soul had been lassoed then pulled.. pulled.. by an unseen possessor.&nbsp; <br><br>In Lee's condition, the sensation was easily blamed upon his rapidly weakening state, and the man's distraction merely another sign of haughty imperiousness.&nbsp; Whatever the case, the sensation eased its hold almost as quickly as it seized him, and Jhemni's dark eyes found Lee's.&nbsp; How many things that blackness could contain, and in immeasurable quantities.&nbsp; Amusement, desire, hunger, control. <br><br>A flicked movement of his ringed hand, fingers swept upward with a graceful snap of the wrist, and the guards immediately responded by hoisting Lee up to near his natural height, even if his legs wouldn't quite support him.&nbsp; A single stride narrowed the gap between captive and captor, and Jhemni's hand shot toward Lee's face with startling speed.&nbsp; Though he did not strike.&nbsp; Instead, that quick hand stopped just before Lee's mouth, and the boy felt cool and silken fingers curl under his jaw as the man's thumb brushed over his lips, all the more doll-like now with their painting of scarlet.&nbsp; <br><br>He lifted Lee's chin, and though his touch was gentle it would prove to snap a vice-like hold if the boy attempted to move his face from the posed inspection it was receiving.&nbsp; A wizened lion given the ability to speak could have no more grave resonance in his voice than did the strange man.&nbsp; It purred not only in the smoothness of it's delivery, but in resonance as it seemed to vibrate straight through Lee given their close proximity.<br><br>"This will be your one and only warning.&nbsp; Speak to me again in that manner, and I will next have <em>you</em> bound to that table for my guards to make sport of.&nbsp; Do you understand me?"&nbsp; For confirmation, he waited for the frightened dilation of the boy's eyes that would betray any brave words he might muster, then continued.&nbsp; "You do not realize where you are.&nbsp; That is to be expected.&nbsp; But you tax yourself with the assumption that you will be saved, or will save yourself.&nbsp; You are in a place where those hopes do not exist.&nbsp; You are in <em>my</em> place.&nbsp; And <em>you</em> are <em>mine</em>."<br><br>He released the boy's face, and discreetly tucked his bloodsmeared thumb within the cradle of a loose fist as he folded his hands behind his back.&nbsp; A posture of regal casualness.&nbsp; He'd not yet broken eye contact with Lee since approaching him.&nbsp; And now he gave the barest smile, a man admiring a pleasing new trinket in his collection.&nbsp; Then his gaze shifted to the loquacious and despicable Kadar.<br><br>"Water for him, food if he'll keep it down.. though he probably won't.&nbsp; Once he's calmer, take him to Rhavi. She's expecting him."&nbsp; His scent stirred the air as he turned, leather and sandalwood and spices unnameable.&nbsp; &nbsp;Instead of moving toward the stairs he'd descended, he disappeared through one of the hallways branching off of the chamber.&nbsp; Gait graceful, hem of his supple coat licking at his thighs as he moved.&nbsp; As he rounded a corner, the last glimpse to be had of him might've shown him bringing the stained thumb to his lips, much as one would nurse a paper cut.. though it was a glimpse to quick to be certain. <br><br>Kadar jerked Lee's arm, as if to gain his attention.&nbsp; "Going to behave yourself?"&nbsp; In his baiting voice seemed to be the hope that Lee wouldn't behave, and bring more cruel treatment down on his head.&nbsp; He and the other guard began guiding Lee toward a corner of the chamber where stood an ornate assemblage of counters and cabinetry.&nbsp; A bar, perhaps. There was a sink, and at Kadar's request another guard began drawing water from it in to a wide, shallow bowl-shaped vessel.&nbsp; It was placed on the counter, and Lee was guided <em>almost</em> roughly toward it until his body made contact with the edge.&nbsp; Obviously he would not be permitted to use his hands.&nbsp; They expected him to lap up the water like a beast.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>naoi</strong> on <strong>13-08-2008, 02:55:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jhemni was an odd man to be sure. Even in Lee's normally careless eyes. Because his attention was purely focused on the other, he could've sworn he saw a minute tensing along Jhemni's jaw upon the sight of his blood. And it wasn't even the tension of someone who was disgusted and trying not to show it. No. And the thought rather chilled Lee to the bone. And in that moment, something seemed to grab and squeeze at his heart, almost possessively. It was enough to force a startled gasp from his lips and he twitched in the guards relentless hold.<br><br>Still, he figured he'd imagined the entire sensation, and even Jhemni's reaction, when the feeling receded. Perhaps he was still just tired. A niggling thought tried to tell him it wasn't for that reasoning, which he ruthlessly crushed. Like anybody else in his situation, Lee wanted to hang on to the last dregs of hope he could find, even if it meant disillusioning himself from the painful truth of reality. He was pretty sure that was the only way to keep himself sane. By pretending to have a fraction of hope.<br><br>And yet still the eyes sucked him in, still they portrayed something quite dangerous and dark. Still, he read emotions in them he would've have rather not seen, that caused his own body to betray him. The snap of fingers pulled him out of his daze, and he cried out softly in pain as his horribly bruised arms were battered upon again by the force of being hoisted by to standing level. Lee just about managed to keep his legs steady beneath him, if only to take some weight off of the hands on his shoulder. His eyes widened in shock and he flinched, half expecting his face to be struck. Instead, he was confused by the soft grip.<br><br>Like any other, Lee tried to jerk his face away, but found a grip as steel tight as the ones around his face held him captive. He couldn't look away and instead, turned his eyes down, looking almost subservient, though his purpose was to break eye contact with Jhemni. His body flinched and again tried to recoil in his shock at Jhemni's words. Even as he growled in his throat, his eyes dilated in fear and his heart beat sped up to an alarming rate. The cold words washed over him, bringing a sense helplessness and despair, two feelings Lee didn't appreciate very much. His lips pressed into thin lines. "I am <em><strong>NOT</strong></em> property. I belong to <em>no one</em> but myself."<br><br>The words were spoken with a menacing hiss, and he glared defiantly at Jhemni, burning fear and all. Lee didn't care how bad the situation was. He would never let himself be degraded to the level of being owned by someone else. He was tempted to spit at the man's feet, but he still had some sense amongst his ruined psyche. He hated how he was spoken of, as if he wasn't there, as if he was livestock. His arms tensed for a brief moment. In a fit of weakness, Lee broke the Arabic language and growled out a litany of expletives in his native Korean tongue. It didn't matter if they were understood. His tone should have made it clear that he was damning Jhemni to all levels of hell, and then some.<br><br>As the other disappeared, Lee caught a sight that was liable to be burnt into his retinas for long moments. Even if it was only a quick glance, he was sure he'd seen the man lick his blood off of his fingers, which was something that brought that bone-chilling feeling again. He felt sick again, and had to slump, losing the momentary control he ad over his legs and bringing forth another hiss of pain from his lips. He barely heard Kadar, though when the question registered, he answered weakly by lifting his middle finger in plain sight.<br><br>The water bowl placed on the table was the last straw for him.<br>"Let me go at once. I will not drink from this bowl like an animal, I will not be treating like an animal, I will not be degraded in this manner. I don't care what twisted games you are playing, but I refuse to be including."<br>His face was haughty with barely repressed fury and anger, mixed in with traces of fear, resentment, and want. His parched throat throbbed in anticipation of the cool liquid after all.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>djin</strong> on <strong>14-08-2008, 05:52:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Come on, little one."&nbsp; Kadar crooned as if speaking to a child, and it's near-sincere sound.. utterly fabricated.. was greasier and far worse than his normal, hateful voice. "If we let your arms free I'm certain you'll throttle the both of us, as well as the dozen men you'd have to get through to leave this place.&nbsp; And <em>then</em> wouldn't the boss be upset."&nbsp; A smirk completed the jibe. Though they knew well that Lee was certainly of a mood for murder, they also knew that his exhausted body would get perhaps one step and a weak swing in before crumpling.&nbsp; When he continued his tone was sharper.&nbsp; Down to business.&nbsp; "Drink your water if you want it. We won't stand here forever."<br><br>As they'd been huddled there in the corner of the room, four visions had begun to pass through the wide multi-arched hall that opened in to the chamber.&nbsp; Even in the gilded room, they stood out bright and rich.&nbsp; Their garbs were saturated with color even though most layers were sheer.&nbsp; Silks and gauzy veils that seemed made from ethereal gossamer.&nbsp; Jewels and metal glimmered and dripped from everywhere it might be hung; bands around their foreheads, from their throats, their barely-covered breasts, navels, waists, wrists and ankles.&nbsp; &nbsp;Each of the quartet was adorned in hues that in painstaking detail flattered their coloring.&nbsp; One with fiery red hair was garbed in crimson and ruby and burnt orange, the very colors that gleamed from her wild, free mane.&nbsp; Another with flesh as dark as ebony wood was wrapped in deep, almost black midnight blue that brought out the lustrous sheen of her skin.&nbsp; Paler than the rest, the third's inspiration was her eyes. They flashed as green as the emerald and teal hued garments that adorned her when she flitted a glance toward Lee and the guards. The fourth's mantle of sleek blonde hair, as glorious in hue as the sun sparkling over ancient gold coins, was repeated in shades of yellow, soft orange, and karat gold.&nbsp; <br><br>They were talking amongst themselves as they walked, and apart from their surroundings and extravagant clothing they may have been any group of young women moving through school corridors or the breezeway of a mall.&nbsp; That is, any group of girls meticulously groomed and phenomenally beautiful.&nbsp; Their body types differed; curvy, athletic, waif-like, tall, short, though each was robustly healthy. It glowed in their cheeks and their bright eyes.&nbsp; In the casual, girlish timbres of their voices.&nbsp; Apart from spare glances they paid little attention to Lee and his plight.&nbsp; Their unhurried, sandaled strides carried them through the big room and out of sight, and the sweet normalcy of their voices faded with them.&nbsp; <br><br>They hadn't been feverishly discussing escape. Their conversation had been light, casual. There was no fear in their eyes, even when they'd seen the guards.&nbsp; And nobody escorted nor pursued them.&nbsp; The guards themselves, towers that they were upon either side of Lee, had paid them no attention.&nbsp; <br><br>Lee's time with the water had expired, imbibed or not.&nbsp; Without word the guards were in motion and Lee was brought along.&nbsp; They approached the shadowy hallway which fed in to the chamber through several large open archways.&nbsp; Around every doorframe the stones were deeply carved with prayers and litanies in Arabic script and skillfully crafted ornamentation.&nbsp; Through one of these doorways, along a deep cool hall where currents of warm air chased cold ones in a pleasingly sensual ballet across the skin.&nbsp; They moved to the right, and along the left was a forest. So it appeared at first glance.&nbsp; Orderly rows of smooth stone columns were the trunks, and they extended in to obscuring shadows, giving the room a sense of infinity and confusion.&nbsp; Connecting them high overhead were solid branches of stone arches, pattered in light and dark stone of only a few shades variance.&nbsp; Each collection of arches supported a dome, dozens of miniature versions of the huge soaring ceiling in the main room Lee had just been brought from.&nbsp; <br><br>The hall of arches wasn't their destination.&nbsp; Down the corridor that ran the width of the main chamber and then some, beyond closed doors toward the end of the echoing hall.&nbsp; Soft light from flickering candle sconces like those that ran the length of the wide passageway framed the last door at which the hall ended.&nbsp; The door was open, and whiter light was spilling out from inside in an arc upon the stone floor.&nbsp; Jostling movement had stopped, as if the grace of this filtered and steady light ushered peace and stillness.&nbsp; Gradually Lee would become aware that the painful tethers of the other mans' hands upon his arms were gone.&nbsp; As were they themselves, though they'd managed to do so with utter silence.&nbsp; <br><br>How long had he been staring at that light?&nbsp; And how entrancing must it have been for him not to notice that those vile creatures had finally let him be?&nbsp; Suddenly alone, the slew of possibilities open to him were likely to be a rush of typhoon intensity, only serving to further paralyze him with indecision where he stood.&nbsp; It seemed he was meant to go through that door. But there were other doors. They might lead <em>out</em>.&nbsp; Might lead away.&nbsp; Away from all this surreal-yet-too-real horror.&nbsp; <br><br>Just as the endless possibilities took on a rosier hue, the ghastly familiar sensation of his heart.. both physical and proverbial.. being tugged seized him again.&nbsp; The way he'd felt when gazing in to Jehmni's eyes after exhaling blood.&nbsp; And it was coupled almost instantaneously with a sensation of constriction on the outside.. his narrow arms and chest snared by something the thickness of a man's arm but far too strong and solid to be flesh and bone.&nbsp; Arms pinned against his sides, he was not ushered but <em>jerked</em> backward, in to the columned darkness of that pillar forest.&nbsp; His feet surely left the floor, but then all was darkness and it was as if there was no floor. Only the grip around him, and something solid against his back.&nbsp; Solid.. yet there was movement.&nbsp; A breeze stirred his hair, and it was fragrant. Leather.. sandalwood.. spice.. <br><br>There was still no sound.&nbsp; Since the guards had seemed to vanished the world had been devoid of audio apart from the rush of his own blood in his ears and the cadence of his breathing.&nbsp; He was immersed in eye-aching darkness, not even a distant light or fading glow relieved the weight of the blackness that seemed to want to push through his eyes and in to his mind.&nbsp; &nbsp;Even as his senses suffered, his now weightless body was oddly free of pain.&nbsp; His arms did not ache, the handful of bruises and abrasions he'd sustained during his time in the tower seemed gone. Even the weariness in his very bones was alleviated.&nbsp; <br><br>Then his muted ears, starved for sound, were chillingly filled.&nbsp; A whisper silken-soft, yet it's implication and sinuous way it slipped not only into his ears but in to his mind, his heart, were shattering.&nbsp; <br><br>"<em>Mine</em>."<br><br>Pain returned. Rather than a general ache it had seemed to blossom fully focused on his scalp.&nbsp; Like a hand tangled in his hair and using it to jerk his head to the side.&nbsp; The pain was terrible, swift, unrelenting.. and then it paled to a mere annoyance as he was stabbed in the throat.&nbsp; This could be nothing but death.&nbsp; He felt his traitorous blood flee him, <em>surging</em> out of the wound, the initial sting of which had gone but had been replaced by a cold, sharp, and rhythmic ache.&nbsp; <br><br>The coldness around the wound had solidity.&nbsp; <em>'Mouth'</em> his mind wanted to whisper to him, in terror.&nbsp; And the rhythmic tug seemed a tangible manifestation of the snare that had wound around his thudding heart just before he'd been snatched.&nbsp; <em>'Drinking'</em> again his fevered brain sought to banish logic for the macabre just to horrify and torment him.&nbsp; <br><br>He should've felt blood rushing over his shoulder, down his chest.&nbsp; Should've felt the floor come up to meet him as he collapsed. Yet he remained weightless, supported, <em>embraced</em> and felt no warmth from his blood.&nbsp; Indeed the very warmth of his body seemed rapidly to be failing him, giving way to a deep and terrible cold.&nbsp; <br><br>The darkness finally managed to push past his eyes, and flooded his mind in pursuit of the blood that fled him with a constant and deafening roar.&nbsp; Then silence again.&nbsp; And darkness that was still.&nbsp; <br><br><br><br>******************<br><br>Heaven had an antiseptic smell.&nbsp; But the beds were as billowy as one would expect.&nbsp; There were sounds at first musical, metal clinking against metal, soft rustles of movement.&nbsp; An angel brushed his arm with her wings.&nbsp; Tapped him in the delicate crook of his arm, which was a strange thing for an angel to do.&nbsp; Then poked him with something sharp and cold and stinging that was sure to snap up the reluctant lids of his eyes.&nbsp; <br><br>Not heaven.&nbsp; Some sort of hospital room.&nbsp; And not an angel but a svelte woman in a white lab coat, peering down at his punctured arm over the rim of narrow black glasses.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>naoi</strong> on <strong>15-08-2008, 21:42:05</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				For once, Lee chose to ignore Kadar and everything about the man. It was evident his efforts for escape would be futile at the moment, which meant the other was untouchable. Wasting his energy yet <em>again</em> would just be utter foolishness. Instead, he bent his head in shame, and took two long gratuitous mouthfuls of water, and then slowly swallowed, letting the cool liquid sooth his aching throat. At first, the flavorless liquid burned and ached something fierce as it cleansed and started healing raw wounds. But then the pain faded to a dull ache, which he ignored, as it was far less pronounced than the ache in his arms, and even <em>that</em> he was starting to grow accustomed to.<br><br>Again, he took two more sips, continuing like this until a flash of rich color fluttered in his peripheral and he turned his head to look. What he saw made his lips part softly to emit a soft gasp. The sight itself was a lovely one, and for a moment, Lee just admired. Then came the bitterness. They had spared him not a glance, not a question to his health, a demand to know what was going on. Instead, they had continued on as if nothing was happening, as if they simply <em>were</em> just strolling through a particular boring art gallery, casting a few minor glances here and there without really paying attention. His eyes followed the one in emerald, and then flickered to the one in yellow and the one in ebony.<br><br>Each were beautiful in their own right, and were somewhat what he was accustomed to. In fact, his mother used to wear elaborate kimono that fluttered just like their clothes when he was younger. In him, rose a hunger for family and safety. If he'd had the energy to do so again, he would've wept. As it were, he casually dismissed them and turned back to his water. He needed to drink before it was taken away from him. His precautionary action was not foolish at all, as, as soon as he'd taken three more draws, they'd pulled him upwards and away from his blissful reprieve. Silently, Lee fumed. But, learning his previous lessons, he remained silent, licking his now freshly rejuvenated lips.<br><br>They brought him down a few corridors before they came to, what appeared to him to be, a porcelain forest. However, upon closer inspection, it was found to be a room of columns that rose in a mass of confusion and apparent geometrical logic. Whomever had designed the room was certainly impressive. The ceiling rose high above his head, making him feel even more small than he'd already felt, squashed between the two giant guards. Downwards his eyes flickered now, making a small, intricate pattern with his eyes as they darted around quickly, taking and memorizing details. Even in the sticky situation he was in, Lee's artistic instincts weren't the least bit diminished, and the architecture actually put a small, almost there smile on his face.<br><br>He had no more time to look however, as they continued swiftly onwards, dragging a poor unsuspecting Lee with them down another corridor and through some doors. He was in a chamber now. As he wondered what they would do next, he noticed a soft whitish light. Something about the light drew his attention in, and for once, he didn't ask himself what colors would be good to use, or what sort of picture it would be. No, instead, all he could think of was the peace and serenity that light seemed to offer. It was if everything about him and around him weren't important, apart from the light. He didn't know how long he stood there, just staring in a slightly entranced manner at the light. Then, as if struck by a blow, he suddenly wrenched his eyes to peer at his side, and realized that he was without guard.<br><br>The realization brought on two different reactions. Firstly, it brought about his hope of escape. Second, his muscles finally realized they were being used and collapsed under him heavily. Growling, Lee pulled himself up slowly and peered around. He had a <em>strong</em> urge to go through the door, to see what the light was and where it was coming from. But, it had also dawned on him that this was his chance for freedom. He could run, and come back for Anthea. Just her name caused his face to flush with anger, and he grimly felt himself waiver to leaving. Before he could even begin building up around the idea, he felt his heart constrict in an all too painfully familiar manner, and he twitched.<br><br>Not a sound escaped him as strong arm-like vices wrapped around him and tugged him backwards, so deep into his terror was he. And then there was the darkness. And oppressive crushing darkness, which was as mentally crushing as the arms around him were physically crushing. A scent drifted to his nose, and then he did make a sound; a rather pitiful gasp of surprise. But still, he had no energy to scream, to do anything other than tremble violently in the terrible darkness. The bleak ebony seemed to swallow his every senses, until all he knew was the object behind him, around him.<br><br>Then the pain started. It had just faded to non-existent, when a newer pain blossomed somewhere in his skull. He hiss, but that too was soon replaced by a violent cry of fear as an even greater pain flowed from his neck, and a steady rhythm of it pulsated. He shook. It felt like lips... like his very life was being <em>sucked</em> from his body. A shocked scream finally left his lips as he registered the words, he didn't know up from down, and then his body met floor. But he couldn't do anything... he felt powerless.<br><br>Finally, another darkness came, and this time, he was grateful for it.<br><br>______________<br><br>When he awoke, it was to the pleasant feeling of thinking he was finally dead, and it was all over. But then, it began to become annoying, and finally, a sharp jabbing sensation in his arm had his eyelashes parting in barely concealed irritation as he hissed, "Leave me alo-"<br><br>Realization of his surroundings hit him like a brick flying from the back of a truck, and his eyes widened comically.<br>"Who are you? Where am I? What happened?" he cried out quickly, wrenching himself as far back from her as he could go. Pain came them, aching and rising in degree until he flinched from it. And then his hand shot up to his neck, feeling around desperately. Had it been a dream?
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>djin</strong> on <strong>16-08-2008, 02:04:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The doctor -yes, she appeared to be a doctor- expertly moved the needle back as her patient jerked awake and wrenched himself away from her.&nbsp; The plush bed he was on was situated in a corner, not at all a common hospital bed and a good thing that it wasn't, as he might've toppled right off.&nbsp; As it was, he could seek out the solidity.. or trap.. of the corner, the solace of stone against his back.&nbsp; <br><br>But the doctor did not appear to be something to flee from. Her subtle smile was dazzling white, so like the light that had mesmerized him, and framed in a lovely face.&nbsp; Her features were exotic, but not native to this place. India, perhaps.&nbsp; Her skin cinnamon colored and her eyes a fascinating shade of chocolate striated with violet brought out by the deep purple shirt she wore beneath the pristine lab coat.&nbsp; Glossy black hair neatly trimmed, just past her shoulders in length with bangs to her brow which were pushed back when she lifted the half-moon glasses and set them on top of her head.&nbsp; A stethoscope hung around her neck, and she was perched on a low rolling stool that brought her to the height of the low bed he'd been placed on. <br><br>"It's alright.&nbsp; You're safe."&nbsp; Her warm voice was flavored by a thick British accent. She lifted the needle and wagged it a little as if to show how harmless it was.&nbsp; "Antibiotics.&nbsp; And something to counter dehydration."&nbsp; Apparently she'd gotten enough in to him before he pulled away, for she set the hypodermic aside on a tray of neatly arranged examination tools.&nbsp; Apart from the needle, there was nothing sharp nor frightening on the tray, though upon looking over the room he'd be able to see that it was apparently equipped for most any medical procedure.&nbsp; The tools required for more grisly aspects of medical care were probably tucked away in the stainless steel cabinets that ran floor-to-ceiling along the far end of the room.&nbsp; <br><br>She did not seem to notice how he grabbed at his neck.&nbsp; The pain was still a fresh memory, yet the skin beneath his hand was unmarked.&nbsp; Not so much as a bruise gave testimony to what he'd encountered just before waking up here.<br><br>"I am Rhavi. I am a doctor."&nbsp; Gold jewelry winked as she gestured casually to herself, then the immaculately clean room around them in evidence of her claim.&nbsp; "You have a few abrasions I would like to take a look at.&nbsp; Alright?"&nbsp; Her voice was calm, soothing. An excellent bedside manner.&nbsp; Why in God's name was she in this place?&nbsp; Or was <em>he</em> even in the place he thought he was?&nbsp; Could he have fallen ill? Might it all have been a fever dream?&nbsp; Possible.. however she hadn't answered the two perhaps most important of his questions; where he was and what had happened. <br><br>She reached out confidently, yet with an unhurried gentleness that inspired trust, and rolled back the cuff of his pants to reveal a scrape on his shin.&nbsp; Tsking softly, a sympathetic sound, she wet a cotton ball in a shallow dish of pale blue liquid and began gently patting the scrape with it.&nbsp; The liquid was cool, slightly oily, and didn't sting. It may even have contained a numbing agent.&nbsp; <br><br>"What do I call you?"&nbsp; Violet eyes flickered upward toward him, a twilight gaze beneath a shadow-stripe of black hair that had come loose from the impromptu headband of her glasses.&nbsp; &nbsp;In the same measured, gradual and practiced movements, she began cleaning the assorted scrapes on his arms and legs, and one on his jaw.&nbsp; There was a shallow laceration on his temple which she was a little more aggressive about cleansing, and she murmured a soothing apology for the slight sting.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>naoi</strong> on <strong>16-08-2008, 20:18:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Lee watched her out of the corner of his eye, back pressed against cool stone. A feeling of gratefulness overtook him for the support behind his back. He'd been fully prepared to go plummeting off the edge, but as it was, he also felt cornered. His body was painful, and he didn't think he could make it even if he tried to run. Everything felt stiff, and for some reason, he felt more battered than before. Which made no sense. he hadn't fought, so why the stiffness.<br><br>His brown eyes examined her own chocolate-violet hues, moving down to rove over her. She was from further East, that much was apparent. The Doctor had a calming atmosphere about her, almost as if he could trust her. Somewhat anxiously, he uncurled himself slightly from the fetal position he hadn't realized he'd curled himself into. "Safe? <em>Where</em> am I? Can I leave?"<br><br>Voice cracking on the last question, his wide, somewhat frightened eyes urged her to tell him something, <em>anything</em>. British? He looked around again, and took in his surroundings. Whilst it was obviously not a real hospital, it was stocked like one, and looked pretty much normal. He uncurled some more. Perhaps someone had finally realized how wrong everything was, and had decided to help him. A violent shudder ran down his spine as he felt the smooth skin along his neck.<br><br>There was no way he could've imagined it all, the blinding pain, the pulsating feeling in his neck, and then the whisper. The awful whisper. Lee's body trembled violently on the bed and his breath came in short bursts: Delayed shock. Frantically, he shook his head, smoothing his hand across the soft skin of his neck. No. NO! It had all just been hallucinations from the mental stress he'd been put upon. That was all. Nothing else. There was no way someone had drunk his blood, straight from his neck, like a vampire. Vampire? Inhuman... <br>"Where am I? What happened to me?"<br><br>Rhavi? He recoiled again. That "man" had mentioned a Rhavi. Was she the same person? She'd been expecting him... he was not safe. She was in league with him. Before he could press himself back into a ball, she was beside him, talking soothingly whilst cleaning cuts and abrasions he was not aware he had had. They didn't sting, but he stared at them, entranced anyhow. His eyes followed a tiny trail of them, as if mesmerized, and then he followed each one she cleansed until she cleaned one on his head, which stung. He hissed and pulled away.<br><br>He didn't remember getting any of those. What had happened to him? He remembered her question, and his gaze pinned her.<br>"I am Lee. What happened to me. Please answer, please."<br>His gaze waived and then dropped completely to the sheets, hands twining together as a small tear fell. "Where's Anthea? Please, let me go..."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>djin</strong> on <strong>16-08-2008, 20:41:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				There was a strange pity as she regarded him.&nbsp; The pity of one watching another flounder in the water, but knowing it is the only way they'll learn to swim.&nbsp; Thus was why she let him pose his desperate questions as she tended to him, using the work of her hands as a viable distraction.&nbsp; None of the abrasions nor the shallow cut required stitch or bandage, and as she considered her answer she went about cleaning up the cotton balls and liquid she'd used, rising from the stool and stepping toward a metal sink a few paces away. There were two doors in the room. They were both closed.&nbsp; He couldn't tell then, but they were also both locked, a key required for both exit and entry.<br><br>It was with the same quiet demeanor that she regarded his minor panic attack, though she kept him in the periphery of her gaze, her mind upon the location of the injection that would pull him out of his fits, should they come to pass. As it happened, he resurfaced to a calmer head himself. A development that made her nod introspectively.. Jhemni had an eye for them.&nbsp; The ones that would survive and endure his attentions. <br><br>"Anthea. The girl from the Ukraine, right?"&nbsp; Her lean, white-coated arms folded snugly just beneath her ample chest.&nbsp; Nobody in this place would be of just average looks, would they?&nbsp; The aura of calmness remained as she met his questing eyes.<br><br>"She is fine, Lee.&nbsp; You will be fine, too. I understand how difficult this must be.. I've seen it so many times before.&nbsp; I went through a version of it myself, when I came here.&nbsp; But all is not lost, Lee. Being here.. it's not the end of the world. It is just.. a <em>different</em> world."<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>naoi</strong> on <strong>16-08-2008, 21:02:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The silence was extremely oppressive. Not in the way the darkness was, it just sounded so heavy as he waited for her recognition, waited for her to say something. The eerie way she just moved around, as if ignoring what he was saying made him question if he was even saying anything anymore. Was he even real? Was <em>she</em> even real? It was the kind of psychoanalysis that came from confusion, from being lost and afraid, from feeling pain and hurt without comfort, and not understanding why. But he didn't despair. Instead, his eyes grew harder and his mouth set in a hard line.<br><br>He didn't move, and he didn't speak. He just waited, almost with a saint-like patience. The only thing that gave away his agitation was the faint twitch of his fingers still interlocked. Lee tilted his head to the side. Again, his eyes roved around the room, and he finally noticed the doors. Both of them were closed, but surely they wouldn't be locked. Surely no one would lock her in a room with him.<br><br>Finally, she spoke, and his back stiffened minutely. "Yes, Anthea." Her figure was quite distracting, but, thankfully for Lee, he'd been through too much to be affected by it. He felt her aura again, but rejected it forcefully. He had more energy when he was angry, afraid. The adrenaline was what he needed at the moment.<br><br>"How is she fine? She was <em>raped</em>! What is wrong with you?" he growled, eyes flashing in his sudden anger. Who was expected to be fine after that? He knew <em>he</em> would need therapy after all of this. "This <em>world</em> is sick and twisted. It's not right. You shouldn't have seen any of it, you should have tried to help, to escape, SOMETHING. Why?" He glared at her earnestly now, crying softly with dry eyes. "It's wrong! When can I leave?! Answer me! I WANT TO LEAVE RIGHT NOW!"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>djin</strong> on <strong>16-08-2008, 21:18:36</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Those violet eyes were steady.&nbsp; Kind in an infuriatingly patient and unimpressionable way. Certainly she knew that being locked up in here with a newly claimed captive had the potential for danger.&nbsp; Yet she was calm, though it wasn't the cold, uncaring calmness that had been consistent with the guards.&nbsp; There was an odd sense of compassion, though it was tightly guarded and constructed upon strange foundations.&nbsp; Yes, she did appear to understand. She also seemed to expect him, of all ridiculous things, to simply accept what was happening to him.<br><br>"The world <em>is</em> very twisted, Lee.&nbsp; There is no real freedom.&nbsp; Dangers of one kind or another lurk around every corner. At least here.. you know what to expect. And you are.. protected.. to a certain degree."&nbsp; Her voice was level, containing neither syrupy guile nor detachment. She glanced toward one of the doors. No, not quite at the door.. slightly above it.&nbsp; Set in the nook of where wall met ceiling was what looked like a quarter-section of a shiny black globe.&nbsp; A security camera.&nbsp; <br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>naoi</strong> on <strong>16-08-2008, 21:44:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He met her steady gaze with his own. He hated the way she made him feel like she understood, when obviously she didn't. If she understood, she'd have been angered with him, she would've been sad, upset, infuriated, <em>angry</em>. But she was not. And so, he didn't believe her compassion. Didn't care for her silence. Everything infuriated him. But he kept it simmering under the surface, kept his lips pressed tight.<br><br>"It shouldn't be this way, and you know it. There are certain ways of twisted, and this just crossed the line. Even if there is no real freedom, there is something... something. Not this," he replied, eyes narrowing into thin slits. Her voice didn't fool him, and he simply growled. Then his eyes followed hers to the black box and then snapped back. What the hell? Was he being monitored? He glared angrily. He;d noticed she'd been avoiding his question about leaving.<br>"I <em>will</em> leave. and you can tell him I belong to <em>no one</em>. He can find someone <em>else</em> for his sick, twisted games."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>djin</strong> on <strong>16-08-2008, 22:06:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She nodded her head a little, the light playing silkenly over the glossy blackness of her hair.&nbsp; He'd find her to be more straightforward than most in this place, as his encounter drew on.&nbsp; Thus his infuriation only made her all the more damnably understanding.&nbsp; But she knew the time for words had passed.&nbsp; Eventually he would find counsel in her.. it was one of her many functions in this place, however it wouldn't be now. Likely wouldn't be for quite some time.&nbsp; Though she would emphasize one point to plant the seed of it's sincerity, even if it would not grow just yet.<br><br>"You can trust that you will not be subjected to any.. indignities.. at my hands, Lee.&nbsp; I am here for the purpose of the health of those in residence. That alone should say something as to his mindset.&nbsp; And please.. try to rest."&nbsp; As she offered that last hesitantly, he could feel the weight of an 'or else' silently haunting her words.&nbsp; Might they inject him again with the immobilizing sedatives should he threaten his health with overexertion?&nbsp; <br><br>The sound of a lock being engaged snapped sharply through the room, and the steel door furthest from Lee and closest to the doctor opened outward.&nbsp; Giving her patient a last glance, Rhavi exited past the looming figure of a guard.&nbsp; Scuffled boots from beyond the doorway suggested that at least one more stood out of immediate sight.&nbsp; Thankfully, the one that appeared was not Kadar.. and as he seemed an unlikely type to lurk in the background he was apparently not assigned to this particular task.&nbsp; It could easily have been one of the men that had taken advantage of Anthea earlier, and if not today then almost certainly at some point since her capture.&nbsp; And how many girls before her?&nbsp; Perhaps one of the cruel laughers that had thrown her friend Beth into the splattered remains of her own sister?<br><br>The guard didn't speak, and simply gestured for Lee to approach him.&nbsp; Left to his own accord to cross to the waiting guard, the pristine sterility of the little examining room would be apparent.. there were no sharp items which Lee could palm or brandish.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>naoi</strong> on <strong>24-08-2008, 01:34:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Lee watched her with a certain caution in his eyes. She seemed open... too open. He was pretty sure it was just another trap of some kind, one that could possibly end up with him unconscious again. In his honest opinion, he'd spent <em>far</em> too much time asleep than he should have been. especially considering that now, he had no idea of which part of the mosque he was in, or even if he was <em>still</em> in the mosque. Still, he didn't try to attack her or anything. Something about the woman calmed him, made him feel just a little safe, which was a stupid and dangerous feeling indeed.<br><br>"By your hands?" His head cocked sharply to the side and a flash of understanding shot through his eyes. He didn't panic though, and his arm only trembled slightly. "So, does that mean to say I <em>will</em> be suffering indignities soon?" Lee's lips were wire thin as he glared at her, determined to know the answer. Depending on the answer was the choice between bodily disabling the woman and running for his life, and staying and finishing his treatment. He would <em>never</em> sit there and just blindly accept such a disgusting fate.<br><br>His focus then quickly snapped to the door as the sound of a lock engaging ran through the air, body flinching automatically before he scowled and forced himself to relax. Lee felt a sense of inexplicable foreboding when Rhavi inched out of the room and a guard entered. Lips curling into a snarl, he glared darkly at the man. The only things preventing him from just jetting out of the room after Rhavi were his injuries and the sound of more guards stationed outside the door.<br><br>When the guard gestured to him, Lee tucked himself into himself, ignoring the man altogether. Sharp, intense brown eyes did a quick scan of the room only to come up with a negative for arming himself. Besides, the bed was comfortable; he didn't want to leave it. Instead, he shimmied himself around until he was staring directly at the guard through narrowed lids, and growled.<br>"Go away. Leave me the hell alone."<br>With that said and done, he curled up and tried to think of a way out, a solution to his problems. He completely zoned out then, lost in his thoughts.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>djin</strong> on <strong>24-08-2008, 16:42:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The room was cool and quiet.&nbsp; Though the walls were the same pale stone as the rest of the mosque, there was a minimum of decoration which gave the room a further sense of sterility and unique purpose. What decoration there was; a wall hanging, a few knicknacks, were decidedly Hindu in design.&nbsp; A hospital bed sat in the other corner of Lee's end of the room, a far more utilitarian device than the plush appointments of the low bed he sat on.&nbsp; Strange metallic arms were folded against the sides toward the bottom; stirrups, if Lee would recognize them.&nbsp; There also appeared to be six belt-like restraint devices dangling from the bedframe, leather with soft padding on the inside and adjustable buckles, located where a person's hands and feet would be, and another set near the claw-like ends of the stirrups.&nbsp; A large adjustable light hovered over the bed.&nbsp; There was also the rolling stool Rhavi had sat on, and two tables on casters of varying heights, one designed to slide over the hospital bed like a tray or surgical table, and another more like a cart, with a lower top and locked cabinets beneath.&nbsp; Both were empty.<br><br>A wide steel countertop with sink occupied one wall of the room, holding plexiglas canisters of supplies typical to medical checkups.&nbsp; Cabinetry hung over the counter.&nbsp; The other wall was composed almost entirely stainless steel cabinets and drawers which ran floor to ceiling and continued along the far corner to end near to the door in which the guards stood.&nbsp; The other door was nestled between the hospital bed and the counter.<br><br>The guard exhaled evenly, as if dealing with sharp emotions like those Lee was displaying were a tedious yet quite common part of his jobs.&nbsp; "You'll come with us willingly, or with another shot.&nbsp; Either way you're leaving the room."&nbsp; As he spoke he'd taken another several steps inside, and a second guard appeared in the door.&nbsp; Their demeanors suggested they weren't willing to be as gently convincing as Rhavi. <br><br>Seeing Lee's hesitation, the first guard glanced toward an unseen man beyond the doorway.&nbsp; "Get Kadar."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>naoi</strong> on <strong>24-08-2008, 23:16:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Inside his own mind, Lee was completely ignorant of the guard at the door who was waiting impatiently and making rather idle threats, seeing as his intended victim was nothing short of deaf at the moment. Instead, Lee was again scouring the room for anything that would help him get out of this situation. At this point, he would rather go back home to his father and take over for him rather than stay in the creepy mosque filled with sickening stories disgusting enough to make him feel physically ill.<br><br>His eyes roved over the cool interior of the room, curling himself up tighter, only to follow the cool lines of a hospital bed opposite from him. The more he looked, the less he liked the look of the frame. It reminded him rather of a horrible torture device, and it made Lee wonder exactly <em>what</em> Rhavi had done before to someone else on that bed. A shudder wracked his slender frame.<br><br>The name "Kadar" pierced through his mind dimly and his body twitched reflexively. But still he didn't budge. Still, his eyes scanned the room. What if he disabled the guard and tied him to the table. No. One, that was just a stupid idea. Two, there were other guards. Three, he was hardly in condition to pull that off. Could he strangle the guy with the sheets on the bed? Man, only stupid thoughts were roving through his mind now. He was getting desperate.<br><br>Lee continued to ignore the man, only releasing a small, impatient noise.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>djin</strong> on <strong>25-08-2008, 18:35:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The guard's strides continued as Lee remained unmoved, and the second had entered the room as a third took his turn replacing the door with his hulking frame.&nbsp; <br><br>"Come on now."&nbsp; He mumbled, approaching the low bed and positioning himself to take hold of Lee's arm.&nbsp; Neither stupid nor inexperienced, the guard approached in a way as to minimize any openings for Lee to strike, though of course he wouldn't be able to entirely prevent the boy from thrashing.. hence the other guards. <br><br>The second stood ready to assist with restraint as the third remained in the doorway.&nbsp; The nearest guard closed his hand around Lee's upper arm and began guiding him firmly out of the bed.&nbsp; Meeting resistance, his pull would persist as he hauled Lee up to his feet.&nbsp; The second guard stepped in to rein Lee from the other side.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>naoi</strong> on <strong>30-08-2008, 21:05:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Lee finally snapped back to present times. Eyes suddenly focused and alert on the sheets in front of him. From his peripheral, he spotted two more guards which he hadn't seen, or rather, noticed before. His leg twitched suddenly and his body tensed, as if her were about to lunge.<br><br>The other's mumbling only served to put him on the receiving end of a patented glare, even as Lee tensed himself further, preparing himself to attack. There was only so much he could take. He wanted out, plain and simple, he'd had enough. So certain was he that he had not dreamed any of it; his body still remembered the pain of the darkness before, and his neck... he definitely would not forget.<br><br>Before he could do anything though, he felt a hand clamp around his arm, and he pulled back violently, futilely struggling. Despite his best effort, already considerably weakened, his protests didn't do much to impeded the path of the guard. When the second guard took to his other side, Lee thrashed about and pulled back, putting his whole body mass and weight into it.<br><br>"No! Let me go! I don't want to go anywhere!"<br>He lowered his head to bite at the arms holding him, not caring where his mouth landed before clamping down. He needed to get free.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>djin</strong> on <strong>05-09-2008, 10:21:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Grunting, the guard managed to maintain his balance as Lee attempted to lurch away.&nbsp; He also kept iron hold of the smaller man's arm, and was rewarded with a bitten knuckle for his efforts just as the second guard stepped in to assist.&nbsp; The bitten man gruffed a profanity and reflexively walloped Lee on the back of the head.<br><br>"Watch it."&nbsp; Cautioned the second, his words interjected with minor sounds of exertion and frustration as he helped his compatriot wrangle the determined yet weakening boy.&nbsp; "He doesn't want this one roughed up."<br><br>"Ahh.. still the fighter, little one.&nbsp; What a terrible misunderstanding this all has been, mm? Right this way.. right this way.. We will provide one of our own cars to escort your highness back to civilization."&nbsp; Crooned a voice dripping with saccharine compassion, trailed by a sinister chuckle.&nbsp; Kadar had been watching the last several tense seconds from the doorway, leaning against the frame.&nbsp; His dark eyes then drifted to the guards that flanked Lee.&nbsp; "Hold him."<br><br>He approached at a leisurely swagger, his demeanor reeking of self-bolstered confidence.&nbsp; Certainly thought himself a lord in this twisted kingdom, didn't he?&nbsp; From one of the many pockets of the military-style vest he wore, he extracted a syringe with a sturdy metallic cap over the needle.&nbsp; He twisted the cap free and left it clenched between his teeth, watching Lee all the while with his malevolent gaze.&nbsp; Expert at his task, he lunged in swiftly and succinctly at the perfect moment of the captive's stillness and injected the unknown fluid into his bicep.&nbsp; <br><br>"That should make you a little more friendly."&nbsp; He said after slipping the cap from his teeth and replacing it on the syringe, which he then tucked away.&nbsp; <br><br>The effect of the drug was almost immediate, though it was not as potent as the substance that had been forced in to Lee's veins the first time.&nbsp; His vision would blur at the edges and his limbs grow heavy to the point of uselessness, yet his mind would remain alert, if subtly fogged. Worse, Lee would be able to do little toward avoiding a sickeningly gentle touch that Kadar traced along his cheek and jaw.&nbsp; &nbsp;His voice had an echoy quality as he spoke again, though that was likely another result of the sedative.&nbsp; <br><br>"Too bad he never shares the boys.&nbsp; It'd be so much fun to be the one to break you in."&nbsp; What was probably the first bit of trueness in his voice was thinly veiled and perverse lust.&nbsp; "Perhaps when he tires of you, mm?"&nbsp; He touched Lee's lips, his chin, stroked his throat with fingers that had undoubtedly done unspeakable things.&nbsp; Filthy not with grime but with amoral stains.&nbsp; "Maybe then I'll get to teach you some manners."<br><br>His lewd sneer remained focused upon Lee for several more seconds, then he nodded for the guards to haul him away.&nbsp; <br><br>They bodied Lee past Kadar, who did not step back though was still infuriatingly beyond any reach the boy might have with hand or foot, now made leaden.&nbsp; His grin was crude as the helpless body brushed his own.&nbsp; <br><br>Then Lee was in the hallway, retracing the steps by which he'd been brought to Rhavi's door, for it was before her threshold that he'd been sized.&nbsp; If that was what it could be called.&nbsp; To the left was the deeply shadowed hall with it's myriad arches, though there were softly glowing sources of light dispersed and obscured by the columns that hadn't been there when he'd been dragged by.&nbsp; Not torch light.&nbsp; Daylight?&nbsp; It had been darkening just beyond dusk when he'd been dragged through the chamber and in to this hall.&nbsp; How many hours had he been at Rhavi's whim?&nbsp; And who else's?<br><br>Open arches appeared on the right, and through them the large opulent chamber that he'd first seen upon being pulled from the tower.&nbsp; The horrible ebony table was there, untenanted as he was half-lead-half-dragged past it.&nbsp; Voices resounded within a few niches, of which there were many formed by hung tapestries and arranged objects, most immense in scale such as vases as tall as a man in which grew immense palms, wide lidded baskets, and table-sized pedestals of varying heights in several groups throughout the room upon which nothing was displayed.&nbsp; Might they have some depraved purpose like the ebony table?<br><br>During this drug-calmed progression, more details of the room would be viewable.&nbsp; At the back of the chamber there was a greater concentration of objects, pillowed seating areas, chaise lounges and low tables.&nbsp; It seemed this was the section more often used.&nbsp; It's centerpiece was a dais of tiered stone atop which was a large low couch with a high arched back and short, carved legs, a similarly fashioned pair of tables, and around them several large floor cushions dripping with tassels and beads.&nbsp; A bar separate from the one he'd been 'watered' at took up one corner of this end of the room, made of richly carved mahogany wood detailed with a lot of gleaming brass, beveled mirrors, and a jewel-box of colored bottles and liquors.&nbsp; The counter before it was spread with food; fruits, vegetables, breads and meats.&nbsp; It was in this area that the voices seemed to originate.&nbsp; Perhaps a dozen young women, as grandly costumed as the three Lee had seen, were in residence.&nbsp; They lounged, chatted, and ate, and paid little attention to Lee as he was dragged past.&nbsp; A few glanced, some glances lingered, though their faces if anything were detachedly curious.&nbsp; None sported compassion or concern.&nbsp; <br><br>"Behave yourself and your accommodations will much improve."&nbsp; Spoke one of the guards in a knowing drone.&nbsp; How many souls must he have ushered past this thin glaze of opulence to gain such a rote tone. <br><br>Lee's vocal cords had not suffered from the drug, nor had the use of his mouth save for a tingling yet far from debilitating numbness in his lips.&nbsp; Thus they anticipated his continued vocalization.&nbsp; A third guard, following a few paces behind, had slung back his usual weapon in exchange for readying a few devices soon to be used on the new arrival.&nbsp; <br><br>As they neared a large door toward the back of this more furnished end of the chamber, the third guard stepped around the trio and opened the passage by way of a magnetic key card.&nbsp; The door glided soundlessly on thick recessed hinges, and it's weight kept it open.&nbsp; Though veneered in a sandwich of finely detailed wood, the door apparently had a formidable steel core.<br><br>"Come on now. Almost there."&nbsp; He was jostled through the doorway, into a square spartan room of stone walls and floor and a low ceiling.&nbsp; The light was dim, emanating from several amber-colored leaded glass 'windows' that were sunk in to the walls and gleamed softly from several inches behind ornate ironwork grates inset in the stone sills.&nbsp; Neither the glass nor the electricity that provided the light could be easily reached.&nbsp; &nbsp;Apart from the windows, the only other feature of the room was a slightly recessed archway that appeared to be blocked in with the same smooth stone as the walls.&nbsp; <br><br>The soft light moved over the items in the third guard's possession as he stood brandishing them toward the middle of the room.&nbsp; Several lengths of thick yet supple leather, some braided, lay over one arm, while stretched between his hands was a somewhat thinner and rounded thong. At center of the thong was an elliptically shaped bulge.<br><br>Unable to fend off the guards' manipulation, Lee was shoved to his knees near the third man's feet, and he wasted no time in slipping the smooth thickness of the leather gag into Lee's mouth, where it proved yielding enough to bite without harming his teeth yet could not be penetrated by even the most determined chewing.. though it's width did not allow for enough range of motion of the jaws to bite with any vigor.&nbsp; The gag was tied securely at the back of Lee's head even as the other pair went busily to work with the remaining lengths.&nbsp; His hands were crossed and bound at the small of his back, and his feet side-by-side at the ankles.&nbsp; A sturdy length of braided leather joined the two sets of bindings with just enough play to allow Lee to kneel with his back straight, yet not to stand.&nbsp; Another length affixed the bridging rope to a thick metal ring bolted to the stone floor. Several other such rings dotted the walls at varying heights, and a few depended from the ceiling.&nbsp; <br><br>The guards did their work without communicating with one another, yet their movements were confident and synchronized, the kind of second-nature choreography that came with time and repetition. When they were done with Lee, they left just as soundlessly, the heavy door shutting behind them with only a sigh of displaced air as it swung seamlessly in to the doorframe.&nbsp; Then an electronic whir of a locking mechanism followed by a sound like a bank vault being secured.&nbsp; <br><br>Lee was alone, immobilized, rummy with drugs and unable to speak.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>naoi</strong> on <strong>16-09-2008, 04:25:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Lee's struggle was actually quite short-lived. From the moment the first guard walloped him around the head, he swayed he slumped slightly, eyes looking rather unfocused. That's not to say he wasn't still fighting, it was just less coordinated than before. The words slurred in his ears, giving them a twisted edge. Though the words actually endured his safety, it brought no comfort to the slender Korean. "What are you... ugh..."<br><br>He had to stop mid-sentence, for there, in front of him, was Kadar, the one guard he had hoped never to meet again in the stone cold walls of the mosque. Eyes narrowing in sheer hate and disgust, Lee held his jaw firmer than he ever had before. No words left him -there was no needs for them. His eyes said it all. <br><br>When the command came, Lee instinctively clenched his eyes shut and tried to pull away, but he was held fast. A moment later, he felt a sharp stinging in his arm and he gasped, feeling the drug take effect almost immediately. The speed of it all left him feeling even more disorientated than before and his limbs were now virtually useless... again. A feeble sound left him, an utterance of protest, though definitely not up to the standard it had been before. He was fast losing energy.<br><br>"You... bastard... what did you... do to me?" he huffed out, squeezing his eyes open and shut, trying to shake away the blurring at the edge of his vision. The movements just made it worse, so he stilled in a defeated manner, once again flanked by guards in a prison-like hold. He regained just enough senses to try and jerk away from Kadar's dirty touch, but found he could not. "Don't touch me!"<br><br>It was a futile demand, he knew, but one he had to make non-the-less, as if to prove how disgusting he though the other was. His entire body trembled at the words leaving Kadar's lips, and he fought to control the blood rush to his cheeks. "Asshole. I'll never let anyone touch me that way." Although he couldn't physically struggle, Lee vowed to hold out mentally until the end. He vowed to himself that no one would taint his mind. Ever.<br><br>He found himself relieved when the men moved to haul him away. Eyelashes fluttered as he brushed past Kadar, but other than that, there were no obvious reactions; Lee was already thinking ahead to the next horror he would have to face. No, he wasn't so fool as to think they were actually letting him go, as Kadar had mocked. Now that he'd seen a glimpse of the lunacy in the mosque, he was actually doubting that he'd ever get to leave. NO! That was a bad kind of mentality. He had to stay positive. He would live to see the day the mosque was burnt down.<br><br>Lee remained limp in the guards hold as they dragged him down more corridors, back the way he came. He could see nothing, nor feel anything, so deep within himself he'd pulled. He was only pulled out of his reverie by the sight of the unoccupied ebony table. With a start, he tried to get the guards to stop, but his limbs were still too weak. Neither of the guards seemed to have noticed the futile yet urgent tugs against their vast weight. A huff of frustration left him. Where was Anthea?<br><br>Just as their eyes roamed over him with disinterest as he pondered the whereabouts of his dear friend in the dark world he'd stumbled in upon, he too glanced at them and then seemingly dismissed them. If they weren't going to act humane, he wasn't going to give them the courtesy of a human, plain and simple. On and on they dragged him, until at last, he was pulled into a chamber. Lee had no time to even check the place out before his eyes were glued to a third guard he hadn't noticed before.<br><br>"No! NO! Stop!" he yelled, voice tinted with fear as they began to tie him up. He struggled and flailed, and generally tried to get away, but the drugs made it impossible to do anything effective to prevent him from this nightmare. Even his cries were silenced as the gag fit neatly into his mouth, muffling his protest to unintelligible grunts. A thin trickle of saliva made its way from the corner of his lips down his chin and unto his neck as the rest of his body was bound.<br><br>He continued to silently and sluggishly thrash in protest, wanting nothing more than to scream for all he was worth. Fat, hot tears spilled from his eyes as they left him, not caring one iota for the way he was feeling. The solitude was unbearable in his state. He couldn't even stand. For who knows how long after they left him, he struggled weakly at the ropes, attempting to gnaw through the horribly thick gag, all the while bruises his arms and legs with rope burns. Finally, he fell still, and a rough sob wracked his body, followed by many others. He then proceeded to slump forward, until the ropes grew taut, and stayed there, eyes still leaking hot, salty tears unto his cheeks, although his body was as still as if he were a doll, a silent puppet.<br><br>There was no movement in his empty cell. Just him and his tears. He thought of nothing, felt nothing, saw nothing. All he knew was the vacuous space of the room, and the despondency of the situation. He was completely and utterly at the mercy of whoever ran the mosque. And yet still his eyes remained full of life, the only true sign of his passion and rage at the situation. The flashed like molten fire at the floor which had darkened under his onslaught of liquid pain on the floor. <br><br>Oh, how he hated his solitude.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>djin</strong> on <strong>26-09-2008, 06:11:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Time abandoned him.&nbsp; The room was tomb-silent, sealed off from any audible activities in the Mosque that might've reminded him the outside world still existed.&nbsp; The amber 'windows' glowed steadily, their dim radiance seeming less employed against darkness than tauntingly keeping the truth of the hour from him with their unchanging glow. Trapped in a timeless vault where only the sound of his breath and the growing weariness of his limbs testified to the passage of the hours.<br><br>And there were many hours.&nbsp; An uncountable and nearly unbearable stretch of time until the lukewarm air, until then scented only by the arid earthy smell of the sandstone that entombed him, seemed to stir.&nbsp; Carried upon those foreign currents were threads of luxurious scent; leather and spice and sandalwood.&nbsp; A subtle yet enticing melange that seemed to encompass all of the pleasantly stimulating olfactory samplings of any Middle Eastern market. A perfume that bore with it a clean and sultry scent of masculinity.&nbsp; <br><br>Then He was there.&nbsp; Seeming to have emerged from the very stone, though truly having strode soundlessly from a passageway that ran parallel to the wall Lee faced.&nbsp; No shadows were formed from the sparse, soft lighting and thus the passage was cunningly disguised as a simple niche.&nbsp; The man's chest and arms were bare, lithely muscled and deep-sepia skinned, tall frame clad only in supple leather from the waist down.&nbsp; Unshod feet might've lent a casual air to any other, yet the wicked command he emanated penetrated deep and overrode his calm visual impression. <br><br>Expression coolly aloof, yet dark amusements and lascivious intent glittered in his black eyes.&nbsp; His stride was leisurely, graceful, as he crossed his arms over his chest and circled Lee in an appraising manner.&nbsp; He clucked his tongue softly as he came behind his captive and noticed the abrasions that colored his flesh around his binding ropes.&nbsp; <br><br>"Uncomfortable are they? Not to worry.&nbsp; My leatherworker will be along eventually to custom fit you."&nbsp; His voice resounded through the empty room despite it's purred intimate tones, overcoming Lee's senses deprived by those solitary hours.&nbsp; His was a tongue sharp enough to cut when desired, yet artful enough to poetically entice.<br><br>Crouching just beyond Lee's shoulder as to be out of reach should the sedentary captive thrash out toward him, a long-fingered hand came forth and brushed back a sweat-clumped strand of hair from the boy's temple, clearing his profile for view. That dark gaze has weight, it could almost be felt as it passed over Lee's kneeling form.&nbsp; But there was surprising gentleness in his touch, and like all else about this man there was a stark duality between strength of muscle and menacing capability, and the implied tendernes in his caress.&nbsp; <br><br>"Mm.. yes.&nbsp; You'll make my contemporaries quite envious when those little scrapes heal and I'm able to show you off."&nbsp; <br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>naoi</strong> on <strong>08-10-2008, 00:09:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He felt completely and utterly numb, almost detached from his newest trial. Slowly but surely, he was losing a part of his will. But still he remained as stubborn as ever. Every time he even <em>thought</em> about giving up, he pushed himself beyond his limit, beyond what his psyche could take. There was only so much one could do when one was trapped, bound, and left by oneself, and because of that, he retreated inwards, picking at himself and his faults. It was enough to drive anyone insane. And, after many hours had passed in the dark silence, Lee was sure he was.<br><br>In fact, he was pretty sure he was, when the air seemed to shift and change, molding around him and sending a familiar scent wafting under his nose, tantalizing his senses. But that couldn't be! The door had remained closed, he was sure of it. Of course, this proved a redundant fact as the same man from earlier stepped out from what he'd believed had just been a dark cranny in the wall. For some reason, Lee found himself unable to even react for a few moments, seemingly sucked in by just the man's appearance alone, body gone slack in his awe.<br><br>The moment was short-lived however, and he recoiled slightly, cursing in a muffled manner as his bonds held him as tight as ever. As the words came, he shivered. A combination of fear, anger, and something he didn't want to question too closely. Already his mind was fraying at the edges. Surely that would be the final straw. The words though, broke through the oppressive silence, caressing his ears and cutting through his deafness swiftly, almost entrancing him. He'd been alone too long.<br><br>He wanted to say something, anything, but he doubted he could have, even without the foul gag in his mouth he'd come to hate. In fact, he couldn't even thrash about or fight back. Instead, he just stared at the strange man with large, stubborn, and pure eyes, confusion flickering the most dominant out of all the other emotions in the brown irises as a gentle hand brushed away his hair, almost caressing him. It had been a long time since he'd felt such a gentle touch. Or at least, it felt like it.<br><br>This thought brought back a flash of recognition to something important, something he was forgetting...<br><br>But the thought danced out of his reach, his solitude having made them fickle and fleeting. He wondered how long he was going to have to stay that way, bound like an animal. From what he'd deducted, he would be having custom bonds made. In a strangely repulsive way, the thought almost excited him. That's when he knew he'd been in the mad Mosque far too long. His eyes lifted contemptuously then, bright and strong as he glared at his captor. They spoke.<br>'<em>Release me at once</em>' they said, but he knew they would go unheeded. What else could they possibly do to him now? He was starting to doubt even himself about what he was really.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>djin</strong> on <strong>08-10-2008, 17:27:34</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				It was as if his strange and enigmatic captor could read the harried, jumbled progression of Lee's thoughts as they tripped over one another, swarmed his mind, prowled at the edges of realization, or screamed for attention. When Lee's fear was trespassed by thrill and acquiescence, it was to Jhemni like the inviting whisper of a lover.&nbsp; And Lee's outrage and steely will were no less appealing.&nbsp; He did not want a broken doll. He wanted one with teeth and claws and passion. One with a vivid rebellious thread woven in to the supple tapestry of compliance that would bring need for the joys of a heavy, well placed hand.&nbsp; Lee was proving to meet his captor's expectations.&nbsp; <br><br>His touch said so. As did a throaty, approving murmur that vibrated through the scant space between them, the wordless sound of a man lulled and intoxicated by satiation. His voice was deep and it's tones resonant.&nbsp; "Will you make that tongue of yours behave now.."&nbsp; His caress lingered, passing over the distended muscles of the jaw and tracing where the skin of his cheek was dimpled by the leather thong that bound the gag in place.&nbsp; "I wish to remove this, but do not forget what I told you earlier.&nbsp; Lash out at me with that mouth and I will employ it and the rest of you for the service of my guards."<br><br>A warm, tingling pass of Jhemni's thumb traced the stretched curve of Lee's lower lip.&nbsp; "I would prefer not to have you so disgraced.&nbsp; I am as yet of a mind to be selfish with you and reserve the delights of your body for my enjoyment alone." He withdrew his touch but a fraction, perhaps seeing if the hours pitiful isolation would cause Lee to involuntarily lean toward it.&nbsp; Then, his long and graceful hand gradually slid to cup Lee's neck, fingers threading through the thick dark hair and deftly unwinding the secure knot that held the gag home. The saliva-streaked bit of leather was then dropped aside, and his obsidian gaze rested upon Lee, alive with glittering curiosity blended amid subtle amusement and lust, which even in moments of his fury would be ever-present in those unfathomable black depths. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>naoi</strong> on <strong>08-10-2008, 21:34:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				There was a niggling sense of foreboding hovering in the corners of Lee's mind, threatening with each moment to overwhelm him. The feeling emanated from the man in front of him like a toxic addiction, making him infatuated by it, though he only wished to break loose. He could almost feel the approval, the sensation made concrete by the soft touch upon his slightly damp skin. A shiver wracked his body quickly before he shook it off with impatience; he would not show weakness now. Not after he'd endured so much. Even though it was dwindling, he still clung tightly to the hope of escape. After all, if he gave that up, he'd have nothing at all, which was an eventuality that frightened him above all else.<br><br>Still, he could only hold off so much, and tiny tremors made his body tremble in his bonds as the caress continued, a caress of another kind teasing his ears, though the words were anything but what he wanted to hear. As he listened and occasionally flinched from the touch -especially when it traced his aching jaw- he found himself nodding, unable to disagree. Of course, the threat hadn't gotten past him either, and he glared in disgust at the prospect of seeing <em>any</em> of the vile guards again. When the gag was released, he took deep shuddering gasps from his mouth, wincing at the pain of finally closing his mouth after so long.<br><br>He spared just a moment to glare at his captor before he silently continued to work his jaw, licking his lips to wet them so they didn't get damaged again. His legs and arms protested under <em>their</em> bonds, but Lee highly doubted he was going to be set free from those. If the man ever set him free when it was just them, Lee knew he would grasp that as an opportunity to escape, and he would make sure he left. Finally, he snapped his jaw shut with a loud click and turned his face towards his captor.<br>"So, now that you have me wrapped up like some 'pretty' Christmas gift, what do you want with me?"<br>And truthfully, he wanted to know. What did they possibly want from him that warranted tying him up like this? His eyes bored back into the onyx ones staring at him, trying to ignore the hints of lust he saw. Surely he must be mistaken.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>djin</strong> on <strong>09-10-2008, 17:55:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Those eyes gleamed at the question as a hungry man might glow at the decision of what delectable treat to first load his plate with from an abundant buffet. "Oh.. so many things."&nbsp; The whisper silken, promises of things both terrifying and rapturous conveyed in the simple words.&nbsp; Though it was not yet said, the inflection paired with the sultry darkness in his eyes would leave little room to doubt what lay in Lee's future at the hands of this man. <br><br>"And you <em>are</em> a 'pretty' little toy.&nbsp; Even a few of the girls might envy that face."&nbsp; He'd moved nearer, though the movement was so sleek and silent it seemed that the space between them had somehow shrunk away beneath Jhemni's command that it do so.&nbsp; "But not a weak one, are you.."&nbsp; So near to Lee's shoulder, his slightly cool hand came to rest against the heated skin of Lee's chest,&nbsp; nimble digits slowly crawling in place to gather aside the tattered and stained remnants of Lee's shirt and touch the unveiled skin beneath.&nbsp; Palm and splayed digits came to rest against the left pectoral, above the pulse of Lee's heart.&nbsp; "Mm.. no. Not weak at all."<br><br>"Nor is there weakness in your mind.&nbsp; Thus I trust that when I give this answer to the question of why you are here, you will stop asking it."&nbsp; Slightly amused, he exhaled a single short breath that might've been a truncated chuckle.&nbsp; His fingers, meanwhile, had begun nimbly opening the button front of Lee's shirt, the trailing of the cool brush of his hand so gradual and smooth as if doing such a thing were utterly commonplace.&nbsp; Having finished with the soiled rag, he let it fall back over Lee's shoulders, exposing him to the waist, which garnered a brief yet wanton smile that clearly said 'that's better'.&nbsp; <br><br>Then those dark eyes met Lee's, that sinuous body having moved with the grace of a snake to crouch in front of the boy. Once directly met, that gaze bolted Lee's attention firmly upon the man before him, locking the focus of his eyes and levering open the solid doors of his mind and ever-hopeful heart that would otherwise block out and deny the words to come.&nbsp; The entrancement was stronger even than the bonds that held Lee's body, and thus so captivated he was unable to resist hearing, understanding, <em>knowing</em> the truth in what he was told. <br><br>"There is no escape from here.&nbsp; Were you, by some wayward miracle, able to scale the wall again and find yourself free, you would return home to a slaughtered family who had died cursing your name.&nbsp; Your belongings told me all I need to know in order to find them.&nbsp; I will see that Kadar handles it himself.&nbsp; I can only imagine how he would enjoy dispatching of them.. especially your siblings."<br><br>"This place you are in, my home, is where you will remain until I tire of you.&nbsp; And that.. my pretty boy.. will not be for a very long time.&nbsp; As to what I wish to do with you.. Anything I please.&nbsp; Keep your outrage and your anger, I find them charming.&nbsp; But do not doubt that you became mine the moment you tread on my property.&nbsp; This is not a punishment for trespass.&nbsp; It is your pretty face, the pleasures I will take from your young body, and the fire inside you that has kept you here.&nbsp; You appeal to me, and I claim the things I want."<br><br>"You are bound because you have begun your lessons, and the first lesson is breaking your will.&nbsp; Until you bend freely to mine.&nbsp; How long that takes depends upon you.. and I caution you that false devotion will garner punishment as will disobedience.&nbsp; I am no fool, Lee.&nbsp; You won't trick me."<br><br>He let the quiet prevail, let the bitter deluge of his words flood the boy's locked-open mind and heart.&nbsp; Then; "Let your tears come, if you wish, but watch that mouth as you rage.&nbsp; When you've absorbed all I've said and have calmed yourself, I will tell you the rules."<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>naoi</strong> on <strong>13-10-2008, 20:59:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				A shiver wracked through his slender frame, and, for a few futile moments, he struggled with his bonds. The words themselves, however simple in term, held so much meaning that he could interpret, and not one of them he liked. He had to bite his lip to stop from cursing at the other man, heeding the warning about the guards from before. Somehow, it seemed more humiliating to be afraid of the guards more than this man. Instead, he trembled softly under the piercing gaze, feeling the first few tendrils of defeat curl blackly around the corners of his psyche.<br><br>The trembling increased the nearer he grew to Lee, a stuttered gasp escaping him at the cool hand on his seemingly inflamed skin. Worst of all, he couldn't move away, couldn't do anything except sit there and quake in fear. And he resented the quaking most of all, hated the fact that he couldn't make himself stop, was disgusted with himself for wanting more of the touch as it brushed lightly across the surface of his chest, coming to a halt right above his heart. Said organ sped up and his breathing grew more labored as flushed softly, glaring at the words. Of course he wasn't weak, and he never would be. He didn't respond however, apart from the glare. Perhaps if he remained silent and didn't play into the others hands, he'd go away.<br><br>This was proved false as the same hands that had caressed him so softly just moments before moved to unbutton his grubby shirt, touching and sliding at his skin at every opportunity until he was left bare from the waist up to the others' scrutiny. "S-stop."<br>It was his true outburst of fear, in which he'd shown his discomfort. Jhemni's words had struck a cold chord in his heart, and he felt a sense of bleak foreboding of what was about to be said. His face took on a pained expression as he tried to shrink back, as if distance would make the words to come any less real, true... demeaning.<br><br>But he was pinned in place with the dark look, body locked in one position, entire focused captivated by the man in front of him. No matter how his mind screamed to look away, he could not, and like a trance, he absorbed the words to come. And come they did. They struck him like a slap to the face, making him flinch and shy away. He struggled against his mental bonds, but could not break them. They forced him to acknowledge the truth once and for all, crushing his hope under gargantuan feet of forced acceptance.<br>"No..."<br><br>Still they came, and he felt himself break a little more inside. His family? Everything he had ever known... he would never see them again. He would be the cause of suffering for many. "NO!"<br>But he couldn't deny it. It was plain. No matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't bring himself to believe them false. He was forced to listen, forced to open his heart, and it hurt like a physical wound. And then it was over, and a short silence took over the room. In those few precious seconds, every emotion he could possibly feel burned through his blood: Anger, pain, sadness, the joy of remembrance, the grief of acceptance, worry, and finally, acceptance.<br><br>And with the acceptance, came the tears. They came hard, and he sobbed deeply, hardly able to breathe through his sorrow. He felt hollow, blank, unable to feel anymore: Numb. He couldn't even rage, such was his pain. Instead, all he did was cry. Cry until there were no tears left, and silence were the only drops of crystalline sadness he could make. When he shoulders finally stopped shaking, he bowed his head and refused to look up, refused to do anything. He'd rather wallow in his own thoughts of misery than pretend to care anymore. What did he have left to lose? Nothing.<br>"I hate you."<br>The words lacked any emotion, yet contained every possible connotation of the phrase. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>djin</strong> on <strong>13-10-2008, 22:04:36</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jhemni watched him fracture, watched him bend.&nbsp; Watched as the strength was sapped from him and expelled, crystal clear, to fall upon the floor at the feet of the man in front of him.&nbsp; Lee's head bowed, his hope washed free to leave him a blank canvas; this was the beginning of a slave.&nbsp; <br><br>"I know you do." He crooned, and one could've almost imagined that a little sympathy colored those words as he acknowledged the purity of the boy's hatred.&nbsp; "For now."<br><br>He rose, his movement marked only by the gentle whisper of supple leather and the currents of air stirred by his scent.&nbsp; Pacing footfalls once more circled where Lee stooped, those long slow strides that allowed the master to appraise his property from every angle.&nbsp; "But by the time I am ready to send you away, you will beg out of fear of a broken heart to remain by my side."<br><br>He'd washed the color from Lee, for now.&nbsp; Soon enough a few of those pale scraps would begin to stitch themselves back together and brighten with the strength of the new slave's resolve. So he began to fill that canvas with his own dark colors, the rough outlines of what would be Lee's life, before the boy might restructure it himself. <br><br>"Your life is mine.&nbsp; But I offer many things in return.&nbsp; You will never need worry about having a roof over your head or food in your stomach.. once you've proven trustworthy enough to be allowed on your own here.&nbsp; Your health is important to me, and will not be unduly threatened while under my care."<br><br>"Your body is mine.&nbsp; Those I keep are not whores.&nbsp; You will not share your flesh unless I command you to do so.&nbsp; Place your affections where they do not belong, with any other slave, and you will both be severely punished."<br><br>"You will neither speak nor behave disobediently or disrespectfully, in my presence nor my absence.&nbsp; Speak ill of me behind my back and the punishment will be grave. Not only for you, but for whomever gave audience to blasphemy."<br><br>"If you observe any others in my domain disregarding these rules, you will inform me, or the guards if I am not present.&nbsp; Failure to report such a thing will be viewed as disobedience in and of itself."<br><br>The whisper-rustle of his footfalls came to a stop, bringing him once more in front of the kneeling Lee.&nbsp; "I am a realist and no fool, precious.&nbsp; You will break rules in your time here.&nbsp; Your punishments will never be lenient, but the degree of your offense and the matter of your being new to all of this will be taken in to consideration.&nbsp; I do not deny that I thrill at the thought of taking my hand to you, and eagerly await that moment."<br><br>At some point in his meandering circle, he'd availed himself of a braided length of rope that had been hung over one of the many rings in the wall.&nbsp; the rope was now loosely coiled over the man's shoulder.&nbsp; He moved in to a crouch behind Lee, and the boy would then feel the deft movement of his fingers upon the bindings at his wrists.&nbsp; And soon, the impossibly blissful relief of his bindings coming free, both hands and ankles unbound. <br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>naoi</strong> on <strong>05-11-2008, 01:10:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Lee couldn't even react to the folly of the words he was hearing. If his mind had anything to say about, well, anything, he would hate Jhemni for the rest of his life. No. He growled angrily to himself, he would hate him even beyond the grave. Despite the stupidity of his resolve, Lee clung to it. He had no other life now, that much was made clear to him. Everything he had ever known had been ripped from him. So he would build a new one. A new life based solely around the hatred he bore for the cruel figure in front of him.<br><br>With a new resolve in his heart, though one not set strongly yet, he turned his focus back on Jhemni with a soft snort of contempt. He would <em>never</em> beg in this place. Never. Because that would mean he had to surrender. He had lost everything. But the one thing he refused to lose was his pride. It was all he had left now.<br><br>The rules rushed through his head, each and every word bringing him closer to murderous intent. Every word Jhemni spoke made him bubble with rage, angered by how the other expected him to simply agree, to obey. On the rule of affection, Lee gasped as he remembered his friend. So long ago had they been separated, or so it felt, that he'd almost forgotten her name.<br><br>Jhemni continued to speak, but his mind was nearly completely absorbed with his worry for Anthea. Where was she? Was she still alive? What had happened to her?&nbsp; It appeared he had already broken a rule. He almost wanted to laugh at that, but he get it in.<br><br>He was wrong. He hadn't lost everything yet. He still had his friend, <em>Anthea</em> was still here. As long as she was still stuck here, he would also continue to keep his spirit. He had promised to free her after all. Unknowingly, a soft smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he thought of his friend. She had been wonderful to talk to, despite their mutual horrible situation. Lee had a feeling that they would have probably been the best of friends outside of the mosque.<br><br>He tuned himself back into the torrent of words and spared the other an irritated glare. He just bet the man couldn't wait to do sick, twisted things to him. His body trembled with rage, fear, and a fair amount of lust -which he futilely tried to squash- at the thought. As he was freed, he sagged to the floor and clutched his limbs close to his body, looking slightly frail in his fetal position.<br><br>A few seconds later, he weakly tried to scramble away, heading for the hidden doorway behind the alcove that Jhemni had come from. He simply <em>had</em> to get away from that man. Although he couldn't escape, he couldn't bear to stay so close to Jhmeni, especially since he evoked such a wide array of emotion from him just by being there. Not to mention he needed to find Anthea. As his weak hands scrabbled at the floor, one word fell softly from his dry lips.<br>"Anthea."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>djin</strong> on <strong>05-11-2008, 18:41:11</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The dim amber light of the faux windows was eagerly swallowed by the shadows of the hidden hallway from which Jhemni had emerged.&nbsp; The corridor folded back on itself by way of several sharp turns, and the light expired utterly around the first bend.&nbsp; It was there, within the last reaches of the paltry glow, that the cool shape of a foot met Lee's back and gave him a groundward shove.&nbsp; Strength enough in that push to send the boy to the dusty floor, though in that brief contact Lee would be able to sense the seemingly boundless reserves of strength that coiled within his aggressor's body.&nbsp; No human could have such capacity..<br><br>"Anthea.."&nbsp; It seemed an echo, Lee's spare whisper bounced back from the stones over which he had scrambled.&nbsp;&nbsp; Though there had been no lordly taunting in Lee's voice, there was in that seeming echo, repeated again.&nbsp; "Anthea.."&nbsp; And, this time, a note of questioning.&nbsp; The cruel man behind him attempting to recall why that word might seem familiar.&nbsp; "Mm.. the newest. The pale one.&nbsp; My little white lily.&nbsp; Is that who you would crawl to?"<br><br>"Shall I tell you the wonders of her.&nbsp; Things you will never experience.&nbsp; How her body softens like silk when she yields."<br><br>There was a glimpse of him, matte leather and dark skin and the headiness of his scent.&nbsp; Then he was ahead, within the colorless gloom of the hall, embraced by the dark and beckoning from it's depths.&nbsp; "And you.. how soft will you be, my pretty one."&nbsp; Behind Lee, only the room, it's vault-door locked beyond hope of escape. Ahead, darkness.. and the hateful presence of his captor.&nbsp; <br><br>"Why don't you come this way and we shall see.."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>naoi</strong> on <strong>05-11-2008, 21:11:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The kick wasn't what surprised him; he'd been expecting something like that. No, what surprised Lee was the monstrous strength hidden and restrained in that kick. Just from the feel, Lee could tell that one legs could easily crush and kill him if it so wished. He was literally being toyed with. He forced himself up with a burning shame in his gaze, gasping in horror as he realized his mistake.<br><br>He shouldn't have mentioned her name out loud. Feeling sickened, he prayed dearly that Jhemni -whom he'd adequately called 'that monster'- didn't remember her. Or, at the very least, took whatever punishment he had to dish out on him.<br><br>All hopes were squashed ruthlessly under the cool tone and Lee recoiled from the very words as if he were struck. A sickened look of helplessness, fear, and questioning entered his gaze as he stared beseechingly at his captor. But, by the time he'd prepped himself to speak, he'd been left behind, a locked door behind him, a bleak darkness up ahead, inviting and tempting, yet almost too horrifying to bear. Painfully, he dragged himself to his feet, knees buckling and locking after spending so much time out of commission.<br><br>Unsteadily, he inched himself slowly into the darkness, heart pounding at a brutal pace as he was swallowed piece by piece by the menacing inky black. All he could hear was his harsh breathing and the blood rushing through his veins from his increased blood pressure. He felt very afraid, and took the time to question softly.<br>"Why me? Why? Why?"<br>The darkness sucked him in even more, until he had no notion of time, space, nor direction, and all he knew was the sickening press of ebony.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>djin</strong> on <strong>05-11-2008, 21:33:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Lee was allowed to progress until he found the next turn in the corridor, the stones smooth and time-worn beneath his feet and his questing fingers.&nbsp; The blackness was unrelieved beyond that turn, a sea of nothingness that pressed in on him as if it meant to seep in through every pore and fill him with it's cold darkness.&nbsp; The blackness was perfect here, not so much as a hint of light from beneath a door or around a window gave any reprieve.&nbsp; The scent, <em>his</em> scent grew stronger, the air flavored with it as if it were not simply some place he had passed through, but a place he lived.&nbsp; The subtle spice seduced the senses as his eyes and primal concepts of direction and time were stolen.<br><br>Be it recognized by the change in sound or simple intuition, the space ahead of Lee had a perceptible openness, as if the winding corridor ended in to a large space.&nbsp; An immense space, perhaps, for the rustle of his own feet and sound of his breath were both loud in their aloneness.. his captor made no sound as yet.. and small because the walls against which they might reverberate were a great distance away, allowing them to dwindle and fade.<br><br>"You know the answer."&nbsp; The response seemed to come so long after Lee's question had been voiced in the lesser dark of the hall, though time was immaterial in this place.&nbsp; How long and empty a life without light must be.&nbsp; The voice had seemed distant, the sort of low, irresistible purr that seemed made to draw unwary souls to darkened corners and their demise.&nbsp; Yet the touch came an instant later.&nbsp; The brush of a cool palm against the underside of his own hand, a stroke intimate in it's gentleness.&nbsp; "I should lead you, lest you fall.."&nbsp; Who was to say the floor would not drop from beneath his feet upon the next step, plunge him into an abyss as deep and endless as the dark that pressed against his eyes. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>naoi</strong> on <strong>07-11-2008, 01:17:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				As if being ensconced in the darkness wasn't enough, when the shift in dimensions came, Lee felt way out of his league. Never one to believe in tales of the frightful darkness, Lee was receiving a whole new wake-up call in the world of fear. He felt it pressing around him, suffocating for all the space he felt around him. Though he could move as much as he wanted to, the darkness still felt restrictive to him, as if it had trapped him and held him in place. <br><br>He took only tiny measured steps, afraid to do more in case it led to a painful end. Futilely, his eyes strained in their sockets to see, desperately searching for <em>any</em> glimmer of life, hope. But just like in the room where he was bound, his hope was crushed, and thus, there was no light.<br><br>He grew so terrified, that by that point in time, he would have welcomed the demonic man from earlier with open arms. The response made him flinch violently at the sound, spinning around in a desperate search for contact, anything to prove he was still him, still alive, still sane.<br>"Wha-"<br>His question was cut off by the soft touch. He trembled involuntarily at the soothing sensation, and, without consent, he tightened the grip, clutching to the hand as a child might clutch at its mother whilst crossing a road.<br><br>He didn't even attempt to speak, feeling a billion times smaller and more vulnerable than ever before. How anyone could survive in this darkness...<br>If this was the type of torture he had to experience, he didn't want it. Tremble, his grip tightened further, almost to the point of crushing the other hand. He hated the weakness he was showing, but could do nothing about it. Fear was fear. And he feared it, and thus, he feared the darkness. Tiny, controlled steps were all that he took as he trailed uncertainly behind Jhemni, still desperately trying to see. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>djin</strong> on <strong>07-11-2008, 01:39:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The stone beneath his feet did not betray, did not abandon, as Lee was lead by the man he could not see.&nbsp; The whispers of their movement chased through the room, hissing over stone and trailing in to the long, deep dark.&nbsp; Cupping Lee's hand were fingers slightly cool, though not unpleasantly so, the skin smooth and uncalloused, the flesh beneath it relaying through simple touch that same potential for great strength that Lee had come to know during his brief encounters with the man.<br><br>"You want light."&nbsp; It was not exactly a question.&nbsp; More resonant of a command, even, than an observation.&nbsp; Though Lee's discomfort was easily recognized, given the pace of his heart that seemed to pound more loudly than the sounds of their progress, how rapid his breathing was, the palm that was beginning to grow damp.&nbsp; They had stopped moving, and Lee could feel something soft beneath his feet.&nbsp; A carpet, perhaps.&nbsp; <br><br>"What would you do for light."&nbsp; Deep, silken voice not loud yet managing to fill up the space, filling up Lee as it pried at the gateways the in-rushing dark had left open.&nbsp; A strange intimacy in the voice despite how large it could be.&nbsp; The hand dropped away from Lee's.&nbsp; Would he leave him?&nbsp; Here alone in this horrible vast place?&nbsp; In darkness made dimensional, a blindfold that covered far more than his eyes..
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Domain of Sand and Blood (djin and naoi)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>naoi</strong> on <strong>08-12-2008, 21:32:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Lee was glad the stone beneath his feet remained constant. For although he'd edged along cautiously, a biting fear lodged deep within him, constricting his breathing causing his heart to palpate irregularly, he'd still been afraid of an unknown fall into even darker, hidden depths. He clung to the strangely cool fingers intimately, twining his fingers in them though he still feared the strength they possessed. Somehow though, the darkness posed more fright than Jhemni did.<br><br>At the question he nodded before realizing the other couldn't speak. He opened his mouth to speak, and found he could not. An irrational panic seeped through him, this time silently and he trembled far more than he had before. Short breaths left him and felt trapped in the vast space, imprisoned with a life force he knew for a fact, somehow, was not human. Closer still he moved and forced himself to breath, to calm down, to think.<br>"Y-yes..." There was a stutter, but it was stronger than anything he'd hoped for. It took all his strength and courage not to run back, and also the voice of reasoning telling him that if he ran off by himself, he would never, ever see light again. That thought alone was enough to have him trailing obediently behind the other.<br><br>He blinked at the sudden feel of carpet, though he had to question himself as to whether the small flutter of his lids had occurred or not, so deep was the darkness. That voice wrapped around him again, leaving him aching for its sound again, and yet oh-so-fearful of it. When the hand left his he panicked and felt around in the air for its contact again. He could not be left alone in here; he would surely go mad.<br>"P-please... don't l-leave me here alone," he whispered brokenly, hands still searching even as he fearfully remained glued to the spot he'd been abandoned on. If he moved, he felt he would be lost. And so he stayed.<br><br>"Anything... anything... j-just don't leave me here."<br>His voice was soft with distraught, misuse, and fear. Pure fear. It was one thing to be surrounded by inky darkness in a familiar area, than in a place that was fearful even in the light. Anything could happen to him here. He needed familiarity. He needed light.<br>"Please."
			</dd>
		</dl>
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