Turn [Sho and Phantasmatical]
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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 14-12-2010, 08:21:59</h2>
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				Title: <strong>Turn [Sho and Phantasmatical]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sho</strong> on <strong>14-12-2010, 08:21:59</strong>
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				He didn't usually make an appearance at parties, but he'd heard that a few friends would be there, so he showed up. He had picked up a beautiful set of robes for the occasion - a delicate, midnight blue shirt in the softest, finest mix of cotton and silk, with billowing sleeves tied at the elbows, tucked into slim-cut black pants that clung to legs that when on for miles. With his icy hair, almost silver, and his drowningly blue eyes that were almost black, he looked a bit like a doll. He had high cheekbones, and a wicked curve to his smile with a single dimple on the left side that made him both handsome and somewhat eerie; his smile a bit too perfect, a bit mean-looking. <br><br>He had a single sapphire dangling from his left ear on a delicate golden hoop, and as he entered the party, he casually tossed a delicate black cloak to a servant. He looked around the ground house, passing through the archways with the gauzy curtains, past the lush potted plants. The air was sultry, heavy, and it was perfumed with the scent of wine and fine scents. The entire place was full of the rich and powerful. <br><br>Even so, they avoided him, giving him nervous smiles. <br><br>Those who recognized who he was, at least. He headed out to the balcony where the crowd was a bit thinner, cutting quite a lovely picture, silhouetted by the moon with a glass of pale wine suspended between his delicate fingers. Their host came out and he charmed the man's four year old daughter by summoning a single white rose, sans thorns, out of mid air. <br><br>People clapped in shock, wondering if he really was a wizard, or if it was a hoax. <br><br>Afterall...wizards were dangerous. They were often hunted down after making the wrong enemies. They played in dark magic; people often avoided them out of an obvious fear. It made sense to stay away from them. Then again, wizards were rarely as young or charming as Felix. <br><br>The little girl clapped her hands in delight, and Felix smiled, patting her head and sending her to play with her friends. <br><br>"Ah, it seems you've stolen another heart, Felix." Their host, Andres, teased. Felix ducked his head in mock shyness, "Ah, well. I'm sure she'll grow up to break my heart someday." Andrew knew very well that Felix was about as straight as a circle, and wasn't going to be going after his daughter no matter how lovely she grew up to become. <br><br>Felix and the man laughed softly, chatting quietly, a few people drifting in and out, joining their conversations. "Are there any old friends of ours coming by tonight, Andres?"<br><br>Andres nodded, "Of course. You know that I wouldn't invite you to a party where you wouldn't know anyone. I know how you hate to leave your tinkering, even for a night." <br><br>Felix smiled faintly. He'd found a new object; it was imbued with heavy, dark magic, enough to suck the life out of most people. Being a wizard gave him the power to touch it without hurting himself, but he wanted to draw its power into him. It had been difficult to tear himself away from the shop, and one hand had a thin black leather glove on it, made of the finest kid leather. It covered a series of black splotches on his hand - they came and went - but one of them had appeared on a slim wrist, though he hadn't noticed it yet, hadn't notice the leather wasn't hiding it.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Turn [Sho and Phantasmatical]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Phantasmatical</strong> on <strong>14-12-2010, 09:01:20</strong>
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				Hayyan liked to make a habit of arriving to events fashionably late, but in this case he had arrived a full hour after he intended to. It was no fault of his own nor of his escort, Boulos. They had passed through a troublesome part of the city on business and been caught in the midst of some kind of riot in the making. Probably another guild problem, though he had elected not to stick around and find out for certain. He arrived to the event in traditional form, riding a sleek red roan mare rather than coming in a carriage as many of the foreign nobility had done. He dressed in largely traditional style as well, favoring colors in green with sandy-colored designs. He wore no turban, as many did, for he was both younger and more well-traveled than many merchants native to the city, and had picked up on customs of other countries. As such, he had allowed his coarse black hair to grow down nearly to his shoulder blades. His eyes, dark enough brown to be nearly the same color, scanned the assembled crowd for a few moments while he handed off an outer garment.<br><br>Hayyan could not be much beyond thirty years of age at the most, and indeed he looked a little younger. Notable about his appearance was that he was only half Abakki, as could be told by the mottled splotch of paler skin visible on his neck – a sure sign of a halfbreed by the standards of those he nonetheless considered his people. Unlike many, he did not attempt to hide what many would consider a terrible flaw, but instead intentionally wore clothing that revealed the entire neck rather than having any kind of collar. He was not powerfully built, but his form spoke of one who had traveled long and often, and he had taken a certain amount of pride about the shoulders and brow from his mother’s side, which had contributed his northern blood.<br><br>This was not meant to be a business affair tonight, but Hayyan had never cared too terribly much for convention – or rules at all when they did not benefit him – and so he quickly began to seek out two men in particular, both of whom had been avoiding him of late regarding a loan he’d given each. One single sum, divided up between the two of them. Hayyan was getting tired of hearing them point the finger at one another. He wanted it solved tonight.<br><br>However, it was not to be, or at least not early on in the evening. The sun had scarcely set and the tall torches scarcely been lit in their polished brass trays when he arrived, and it did not hide itself much further when he was accosted by no fewer than four previous acquaintances, who insisted he sit down to play a game or two of tablets – a game of small stone rectangles with a certain number of dots on them. At first he declined, but an offer for a goblet of cool red wine tempted him too much, and he finally agreed to join. Before long any sour mood he might have begun with had more or less evaporated, although he had taken care to send Boulos out to ride a message to the two guest-homes of the men he wished to see. Party or no, after tomorrow they would not get another chance. He was understanding, but his patience did have limits.<br><br>After nearly an hour, Hayyan managed to separate himself from the tablets game and, taking the little brass cup of wine with him, he made his way out onto the balcony, where sheer pale blue fabric had been draped along the pillars. He made for the edge of the balcony originally, but saw two people he was acquainted with: Andres and a wizard named Felix who held some interest – Hayyan did not make his own abilities public and only considered himself a dabbler in the first place. He had no especial power to speak of and only gained what little talent he had from his mother’s side.<br><br>He approached the two, greeting both. “Finally, I find someone I know here who is neither trying to avoid me nor already deep into their cups.” He said with a smirk.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Turn [Sho and Phantasmatical]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sho</strong> on <strong>14-12-2010, 19:24:08</strong>
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				"Ah, well, I may not be avoiding you but I may have had a cup or two more than I usually do," Felix said with a soft laugh. A bird, upon hearing the laugh, alighted upon the rail right in front of them. "Ah, I'm sorry, my feathered friend. I didn't mean to tempt you," Felix said softly. The bird flew away, disgruntled. <br><br>"You should temper your magic, Felix. It flows out of you no matter what you do," Andrew said with a quiet laugh, "You might scare some of my guests - you know how people fear wizards in these parts." <br><br>Felix shrugged, wind catching that silky blond hair, blowing it back from his cherubic face. "Can't help it."<br><br>"You've gotten more powerful, then, Felix," Andres said, and Felix shrugged. Felix had been absorbing power as rapidly as he could, and the darker the magic, the harder it became for him to control his temper or the magic itself, and it had a bad habit of leaking out at the most inopportune times. <br><br>"Hayyan, how have you been doing? How's business going?" Felix asked politely, smiling faintly. He had a certain amount of interest in the other man, but he wasn't certain what signals he was getting from him. He didn't know which way the other man leaned, or if he would have any real interest in him outside of friendship.<br><br>The party had picked up in pace; people were dancing now, silks swirling about their feet. The music had picked up in tempo and the air was a little bit heavier with wine. Felix was thankful for being outside; he got overwhelmed when he was in large crowds. Probably becaues he had grown so used to living in solitude, never leaving his little shop except to venture out and get some new, dangerous object. <br><br>He rah his fingers back through his hair, light catching the small sliver of sapphire dangling from his ear, pale hair making him stand out. He looked quite different from everyone else; it could not have been more clear that he was, in no way, related to them. Where he came from was unclear - his face had hints of something Oriental, and something Slavic, but it was difficult to tell what exactly the man was. <br><br>Andres saw a guest trip and nearly knock over a large porcelain sculpture, and he excused himself politely, leaving Hayyan and Felix together. Felix leant back against the marble railing, all feline grace. "Tell me, Hayyan...what have you been getting up to since I last saw you? Still running your business?" He had always sensed something about Hayyan - he wondered if he had a touch of magic in him. 
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				Title: <strong>Re: Turn [Sho and Phantasmatical]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Phantasmatical</strong> on <strong>15-12-2010, 13:42:35</strong>
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				Hayyan eyed the bird that landed on the balcony rail, listening casually to the ensuing conversation. He did not rise from relatively poor (and now well-hidden) beginnings to his current station by being unable to fade out of a conversation. It was a good skill to learn; without it, people were apt to watch their words around you, and that was rarely a good thing, at least among equals. Hayyan was no silver-tongue. His talent lay in skillful negotiation, and in knowing when to speak and when to keep silent. As such, he let the little dialogue ensue without making any comment, even turning his head a little to seem disinterested - as indeed most people knew him to be when it came to magic. Disinterested and unworried. In reality he had some curiosity about the subject, and tended to be a little distrustful of it. The idea of someone being powerful enough that they could not control their magic completely? That was something that earned both his interest and his suspicion. But then, Felix had always made the hair stand up on the back of his neck. He seemed fragile in form, but there was something about him that made Hayyan unable to discount him - and it wasn't the almost sinister grin. Anyone could wear an expression.<br><br>Turning back toward the two as he heard his voice, Hayyan's eyebrows rose as though he hadn't been listening until just then. "Business is... Passable, at the moment." He said, and was about to elaborate slightly when a series of gasps and murmurs from somewhere behind him made him turn, seeing an expensive-looking statue wobbling on its base. Andres hurried away to deal with the issue, and Hayyan couldn't help but smirk. This was why he never hosted parties. A host was always controlled by the antics of their guests. No matter how one tried, it was never the other way around. Hayyan disliked having the responsibility of making others happy, and so he chose to be the one catered to instead.<br><br>Music trickled out of the large double-doors and onto the balcony, carrying along with it the scent of wine, food, and the bowls of petals in water that were laid about specifically to make the place smell pleasant. Hyacinths, Hayyan recognized immediately. One of his favorites. He might return inside soon to dance at least a little; it was a good way to meet people, particularly the daughters and courtesans of rich men. He cared little for the women overall. They were lovely for an evening or a week, sometimes even a month or two, but in the end he had little to no interest in marrying - though he certainly would not be so foolish as to announce it. But women did like to talk, and eventually that talk got around to the men in question, who inevitably found something out about him, usually due to jealousy... Until they realized he had no lasting interest in the woman in question, and that left them with only the knowledge of a merchant who had a record of buying and selling at very competitive prices - in the end, it all ended in profit for Hayyan.<br><br>Hayyan's eyes moved, just for an instant, to Felix's chest, specifically the shirt he wore. It was plain enough in design if not in material, certainly not made locally. Here they had little use for buttons except as ornaments. Garments were either slipped over the head or tied, the knots used often extremely elaborate and difficult to master. Hayyan's clothing was much the same, the front of his outer shirt woven in quite an elaborate pattern with deep green silk string, the tie hidden cleverly so that the knot itself looked endless.<br><br>The question brought Hayyan's eyes upward again, and he was reminded of the initial answer he'd been in the process of giving. "Of course." he replied. "I think I've been away long enough for now; I've found I'm a little out of step with the city." That was never a good thing. A little out of step could mean financial ruin in a place like this. He'd only been back for a few days, and was exploiting most of the contacts he had to get the news of the city to him as quickly as possible now. "Besides, I've always liked summer here. Winters in the north are a bit too cold." Granted, summers here could be dreadfully oppressive, but that was precisely the purpose of the lower floor of his home; it was underground, and as such was always cool no matter the season.<br><br>He raised an eyebrow, turning the conversation back around. "And you still haven't moved out of your little shop, I'm told." Actually he'd asked specifically about Felix, but that was beside the point. "What do you do there, that takes up every minute of your time?" It was a question asked innocently, while he looked down into his nearly-empty cup, and he expected an offhanded answer, but answers given when the listener didn't seem to care much about the response were often the most truthful.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Turn [Sho and Phantasmatical]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sho</strong> on <strong>16-12-2010, 19:24:47</strong>
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				Felix waved over a waitress, plucking a glass of wine from off of a tray, looking at the faint golden liquid. He took a slow sip, smiling at the taste. It was quite good wine, and he was surprised their host was offering so many guests something of such quality, even if he was rich. He felt the faintest buzz starting to creep up on the back of his mind and he made a mental note to control his magic. It got hard when he got drunk, and the last thing he wanted was to blow the balcony off of their hosts house if he was surprised by someone. He had a feeling their host would not appreciate that.<br><br>"You were gone for quite some time. How long was it, exactly? I asked about you, you know. I wasn't certain where you were, though." He shrugged and finished off his glass of wine, setting it down atop the top of the balcony, on the broad marble railing. A cool wind flew back through the area, ruffling his icy hair, making his dark eyes widen slightly. <br><br>"As far as my shop..." <br><br>He shook his head, and laughed softly, shrugging.<br><br>"I'm still running it. It's still falling down about my ears, but livable. It's a nice little shop - I'd hate to have to leave it. There are, of course, those who would like to see me gone." <br><br>It was no secret that there were quite a few people who wanted the wizard out of their town. It was also no secret that quite a few of them had suddenly had their businesses ruined, or had just simply...vanished. As though the earth had swallowed them whole. Which, in one persons case, it was true. Their shop had suddenly sunk into a massive sinkhole that had, miraculously, left the rest of the houses untouched. <br><br>He <em>was</em> a wizard, afterall.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Turn [Sho and Phantasmatical]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Phantasmatical</strong> on <strong>20-12-2010, 10:56:40</strong>
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				Hayyan shrugged slightly, reaching up to tuck a few strings of dark hair behind one ear as the night breeze dislodged them. He enjoyed evenings like this. It was hot during the day, but almost the perfect temperature at night; warm, but with a cool breeze filtering across the western desert to reach the city. Here on the more affluent western side, the breeze smelled vaguely of sunbaked rocks - to Hayyan it was the smell he most closely associated with home, and of old things that were too important to allow themselves to be forgotten. "I'm always away too long, but never long enough." he responded paradoxically. "In this case? I was away for nearly a year, give or take a couple of weeks." Then he chuckled, taking a sip of his own wine cup and noting how quickly Felix had drained his own - a matter of seconds - before adding, "I make a point of not letting people know exactly where I'm going. When I leave the city I leave its business behind me."<br><br>The way he traveled, he informed a few people who needed to know of perhaps four or five of the places he would be stopping on a trip such as last year's, and anyone who wanted to contact him could either travel to those places directly and hope to catch up with him, or send a letter and wait for him to arrive and send word back. He interacted with others on his own terms only, whether at home or abroad - though sometimes he did have to bend that rule when abroad due to his nature as a merchant in foreign lands.<br><br>"There is always someone who wants to see you gone, from the Pasha Sul himself down to the lepers outside the walls." Hayyan said with a shrug. He dealt with his share of backstabbers as well, as anyone who was involved in trade was wont to do, though he did not do so on quite so grandoise a scale as the wizard - or rather, as Felix was reputed to have done. That was the trouble with magicians; there was no way to properly track the source of magic. The sinkhole in question had clearly not been mundane in origin, for such things in this part of the world tended to open into gaping maws that swallowed settlements, and a city was not likely to be built upon one of any size. But, there was no way whatsoever to trace who had done it, and certainly no witnesses of any crime.<br><br>Truthfully, Hayyan could certainly see the temptation of such power, and to some extent was glad that he did not have the talent to wield much of it. His magic made him more of a vessel than a source of power, and he had a limit that could not be stretched when it came to the amount of power he was capable of holding - or at least, that was his understanding thus far. His dabbling had not exactly been daring, as magic went, and he was perfectly content to keep it that way at the moment. His political life was dangerous enough without adding an extra volatile element to the mix.<br><br>Felix had not answered his question - had ignored it completely, in fact - but Hayyan decided that it was wiser not to ask again. His query had been heard, and if it was not answered then it was intentional. One of the servers walked by, and he stopped her for an instant, draining the last of his cup and holding it out to her. She took it with a bowed head, moving off sinuously through the crowd to refill it and bring it back. Were she not a slave girl he might have watched her go appreciatively, but as it was he didn't give her much notice as he moed to the balcony and leaned down, placing his elbows on the railing.<br><br>"The races are starting soon." he commented, reminded by the overheard conversation of someone nearby. "Is there anyone you are sponsoring this year?" Hayyan was not much for gambling, but the horse races were not gambling, and Hayyan was well known as a sponsor in the city. His being absent the past season had caused a bit of a stir because of that fact.
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