Tremble [The Dandy and Sho]
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		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Bondage, D/s, S&amp;M =&gt; Bondage: Human Solos =&gt; Topic started by: Sho on 11-10-2009, 04:27:23</h2>
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				Title: <strong>Tremble [The Dandy and Sho]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sho</strong> on <strong>11-10-2009, 04:27:23</strong>
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				The sky was <em>so</em> blue. And the walls of the Emperor's palace were <em>so</em> red, and all the gold designs gleamed like they'd been polished just hours before. They probably had been. Everything was so luxurious, even in the outdoor setup that had been arranged. The air was filled with the delicate scents of flowery oils and powders and flowers, all being wafted from both the noblewomen and noblemen's sleeves. There were great strips of silk hanging out, strung from one high wall to the other, providing long stripes of shade for the aristocracy to lounge under while sipping cool tea and dipping their fingers into the small sticky cakes that were set out to celebrate this momentous occasion. <br><br>Alright, well, momentous for Lei. This was just a typical summer day of entertainment for the aristocracy, but for this lucky country boy, this was the day that his life would change. He was finally being accepted into the royal troupe. He and his mentor, Kang, had put huge amounts of effort into training and they'd finally made their way into the big leagues of performing. <br><br>Back behind a small, screened-in area, the performers were getting ready.<br><br>Lei was utterly starstruck. He didn't know what he was supposed to do so he just sat still and let all the servants help dress him, the artists place makeup upon his face. He'd been trained and practiced for weeks for this role. He was going to play the tragic role of Mingyu, a young woman who had loved a nobleman and been betrayed and left alone, eventually drinking poison to end her sorrows. While he'd been trained as an acrobat, theatre was Lei's passion and to be granted the opportunity to perform for the Emperor was more than he could have possibly wished for. He was talented, naturally, but it was his beauty that had secured him this opportunity. He wasn't fully conscious of it, as Kang had sheltered him from when he was seven years old until now. <br><br>He could feel a brush passing over his lips, and he parted them to allow the color to go on smoother. It felt comfortable to wear the elaborate layered robes of embroidered silk that a woman like Mingyu would have worn. Only males were allowed to perform, and he felt himself slipping into her persona. <br><br>"-Doesn't even look like a boy. Do you really think he is?"<br><br>"...Must be lying. Couldn't possibly-" <br><br>"-Can't believe he got the role. Country bumpkin. Probably's never even <em>seen</em> the palace before..." <br><br>He let the hateful words glide over him as best he could, though they stung. The other members of the Emperor's troupe were quite cruel to him, and only Kang ever looked after him and took care of him. He felt incredibly lonely here, but couldn't admit it, being so far from home. He came from the country, out in the rice fields, and it was only by luck and chance that he had ended up here. <br><br>Finally it was time to go to the empty area cleared out before the Emperor's raised stage, where he would perform. The soft music started playing, and with eyes lowered, he walked onstage. Without ever really seeing the world about him, he performed. <br><br>When he told stories, or performed, his spirit was able to rise above the pettiness of the other members who hated him, rise above his loneliness, about his fear of disappointing the Emperor in his first ever performance, the first time that he ever made his way onto the stage before the great man. <br><br>His body dipped and swayed, arms raising gently, embodying the tragic character of Mingyu in the highly stylized song and dance that Chinese theatre was. <br><br>Under the setting evening sun, Lei's dark hair gleamed, falling past his shoulders, partially pulled up with intricate silk ties, styled to frame a delicate face, the long, almond-shaped eyes peering up at the sky and around him, anywhere but the Emperor because of his fear to catch the Emperor's eye with his own. His eyes were a sweet, warm cinnamon, framed by lashes that touched his high cheekbones with each stylized blink. His slim fingers raised up, covering the red-painted cupids bow lips, sweet voice catching and rising like a swallow's. His eye makeup faded from red to pink, giving his cheeks a virginal flush, looking the part of Mingyu as well as any woman could have. <br><br>His small size and delicacy was only framed by the sash cinching the robes around the delicate swoop of his waist, the turn of his knees inwards shyly, the occasional flash of a tiny foot or a fragile ankle. Kang, his protector, the one person he knew in this entire compound, played his lover, the callous nobleman who left him. As Kang walked away, Lei reached for a cup of tea, singing like a songbird all the while, taking a sip. Two dramatic jerks of his delicate frame and he lay prostrate, obviously having killed himself for the lack of love. The play was a tragedy of the heart, and many young women had their sleeves to their eyes, dabbing tears off of their cheeks, though Lei lay there carefully until he was certain he was allowed to move once more.<br><br>When he finally was given the signal to move, a single tap on a drum, he immediately turned but didn't get to his feet, instead falling to his knees and pressing his hands to the ground, as well as his forehead, bowing before the Emperor. He was close enough that the Emperor could most likely see his finely-boned trembling hands, the exquisite curve of lips that had driven many a man wild with dreams. <br><br>His eyes were trained on the ground, lips pressed shut, clearly fully subservient to the will of the Emperor, as he should have been. Rather than the hardened, slightly disdainful aura that so many of the Emperor's troupe actors had, he was open and his innocence and nerves showed in the faint trembling of his fingertips, his youth evident in the way his body tensed along the spine, body held rigid even at the soft swell of his backside under the colorful silk robes. The other actors were bowing as well, but Lei was closest from where his role had ended, eyes raising slightly, seeing the Emperor's for only a second and then falling immediately when he met the Emperor's eyes, cheeks going pinker than they already were, terrified he'd be beaten or called aside because of his rudeness, unintentional and innocent as it was.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Tremble [The Dandy and Sho]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>The Dandy</strong> on <strong>19-10-2009, 00:07:07</strong>
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				The Emperor was a portrait of elegance as always, his servants carefully dressing him in what appeared to be a simple pair of golden silk robes. But to the trained eye rested a detailed portrait that lay hidden amongst the plain fabrics of the robe; resting along the curve of the emperors back was the majestic beauty of a dragon desperately flying towards the heavens as gods and demons clawed at it, trying to drag it down to the terrible earth below. The other aristocrats would never appreciate such a subtle design but these robes were among the emperors favorites; they were the last work of a master craftsman, a man who the nobles forget while pursuing their garishness<br><br>"You look great sir." Whispered one of the imperial servants, her eyes sheepishly turning to the ground as the emperor looked to meet her gaze.<br><br>Their words hovered behind the Emperors back like daggers. He had worked hard to create his empire. His ambition allowed him to juggle the petty needs of the aristocracy and ascend to the throne but there were many that shared his ambition. Their every action motivated by some political scheme. The Emperor was fierce man feared for his harsh actions. He could see the true meaning behind every action and responded severely to those that would challenge his rule.<br><br>But now was not the time to navigate the intricate web of politics. Some country bumpkins were going to perform a play for their rules. It was amusing how they danced about and pretended to tell tragic stories of terrible wars, star-crossed lovers and the horrors of pride, as though acting like nobility somehow transformed those peasants into some noble, something more than themselves.<br><br>Emperor Chengdi took one last look in the mirror as the last pieces of imperial clothing were placed upon his body. Though he had been transformed into the son of heaven, his heavy adornment making him look like something much more than a man, he could still see the man underneath, a simple man who dared to fufill his ambition.<br><br>The play was just about to begin as the emperor came to rest upon his throne. His mind wandered as the music signaled for the beginning of the play. He had seen the tragedy of Mingyu before and he had no interest in seeing it again.<br><br>But something was different this time.<br><br>A new actor, one the emperor had never seen before, stood atop the stage singing, moving and dacing unlike anything that the man had seen before. It was though Mingyu herself had come alive and was performing atop the stage before his very eyes. That was absurd. Yet the Emperor himself could not take his eyes off of the beauty performing on stage so etherically, as though they existed in her own world apart from all of the riff raff. Each tragic jerk, each tear, each note manipulated the emperors heart as he what the beauty be destroyed and tossed away by her callous lover. Chengdi's eye's burned with obsession as he eyed every movement the actor performed; his gaze breaked only for a second as he watched for the reactions of the other nobles. <br><br>How could they be so unmoved? Could they not so what was happening on the stage?<br><br>How could an actor, a man, possess such ethereal beauty? A single tear was quickly wiped away from the emperors eye as the play came to an end. His hands slowly came together as he clapped softly in celebration of the play. The performance was great but only one thing was on the emperors mind; the beauty that he had to own. The beauty that now lay before him trembling as it bowed looking for his approval, a stern, disapproving look spread across his face as he stared intensely into the actors eyes, their gazes only meeting for a second. He could not betray his intentions, despite what passion the actor had placed in his heart.<br><br>"Bring me that actor over there." his low resonant voice hummed into his attendants ear as he slowly extended his hand and pointed to the possession he desired. "I wish to speak with him." The behavior was uncommon for him and the attendant jumped with shock as she retrieved the young man.<br><br>Little did he know what the emperor had in store for him.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Tremble [The Dandy and Sho]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sho</strong> on <strong>19-10-2009, 03:56:41</strong>
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				Lei felt like he'd been glued to the floor. Like if he moved, he'd be doing something terribly wrong. He had a sinking feeling that his fear would keep him cemented here until everyone had moved away and gone back to their rooms to do whatever luxurious things they did behind these hallowed walls; drink expensive tea, read wonderful stories, drink liquor, write poetry, dance, or smoke opium. His slim fingertips brushed the carefully cleaned stones of the courtyard, trembling slightly. His body was delicately bowed before the Emperor and he was terribly self-conscious of the other noblemen and women looking at him, questioning whether he really was male. <br><br>The Emperor clapped, but...but when Lei looked up, the older man wasn't smiling. He looked disapproving. His hand started to shake even more, and he managed to tuck his hands back a little bit under the tattered sleeves of his robes. Even these robes were torn and ripped, and they were the finest ones that he had. The hair accessories he wore were cracked and the lacquer was peeling off but they'd made an attempt to patch them up before placing them in Lei's hair. <br><br>Lei's breathing came more quickly when he saw the servant approaching him, breathing coming more quickly. His eyes widened, showing their lovely cinnamon color, the heavy makeup framing his face perfectly. Cherry-red lips parted into a scared little O briefly before shutting. He was utterly innocent, terrified to be around a man quite so powerful.<br><br>As the servant was told to bring the actor while the nobles shifted - all getting ready to go back to their private apartments - Lei stepped off of the stage and, in his anxiety, stumbled fast. His legs almost gave way and he just barely managed to catch himself. Amused titters came from all around him, the women, already jealous of his fair skin and sweet face laughing at his momentarily clumsiness. He composed himself and managed to walk forwards with complete and total grace, hips swaying as though some bit of Mingyu still clung to him. The robes brushed the ground but his shoes were so worn that they had holes through the soles. <br><br>The bottoms were falling apart and he did his best to hide them under the long fabric dripping from his waist in colorful, but patched, swatches. <br><br>"Emperor..." he murmured, sinking to his knees once more, bowing so low that a few long, dark strands of hair brushed the ground, forehead almost touching the stones. He was only a foot or so away from the Emperor, maybe less. Close enough to touch, certainly, and a bit too close to be considered polite.<br><br>He'd never been a part of a formal court, though, and he didn't know the rules.<br><br>"How rude. He clearly doesn't know anything-"<br><br>"Look at him. His eyes are so...he looks stupid, like a cow."<br><br>"He dances like a woman. What man's hips do things like that?"<br><br>"He must be a woman, lying. How dare someone do that? And if he isn't a woman, then..." <br><br>Lei's cheeks took on a brilliant flush as he heard the gossip about him, terrified, unhappy. He didn't know what to think. He'd never cause quite such a stir before.<br><br>He didn't speak, didn't presume to say anything. Unlike the courtiers who would have already been spouting honeyed words, Lei's fingertips trembled, lips pressed shut, too scared to say anything. He was illiterate, and all that he had was acting and performing. It was all he had to offer and he didn't know what to say outside of his plays. Perhaps if he'd been in a less public setting he might have had a witty word to say, but he was far too anxious right now.
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