Dragon's Blood

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Explanation/summary is at the bottom of description.


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A shadow loomed over Selt who sat curled up on the windowsill, hard at work on a carving. He'd already gone out for the day and then came back home late to the theives' guild common-house, avoiding the morning conversation with Pietro altogether. Now, confronted with what he'd done last night, Selt ignored the frustrated shadow pointedly, saying not a single word to his latest big mistake. Pietro lowered his shapely chin, glowering at the forger through his blackened eye. Pietro knew what the silence from his long time friend meant, and Selt knew HE knew what it meant... Pietro recognized these facts in their entirety. Pietro chose to keep up this angry, silent tension in spite of their mutual twin-like knowledge of one another's intentions. Pietro shifted his weight onto his one hip, tightly clad in red leather. Selt angled the carving he was working on so that it was out of the shadow cast by Pietro. The light helped the younger rogue be able to work on his carving again.

"...It's like I'm not even here. How nice is THAT?" Pietro spat, moving his shadow back into Selt's light. He wouldn't let Selt just pretend he wasn't there. The thief of hearts was beginning to shake. Selt's lower eyelids tensed in annoyance, as he continued to carve in the dark. Selt did not acknowledge the older boy's shaking at all. Pietro felt his bitter heart race in his chest. His heart, as always, ached for its salvation which never came. He thought about hitting the younger thief for a good minute or two, to get his attention. That ...wasn't how he felt right now though. Out of desperation to get some sort of a reaction out of Selt, he loosed the strings of his tunic, and systematically pulled his laced strings wide open. Selt's eyes flickered up briefly at this, a perplexed expression shattered his stern facade. On Pietro's chest were two different sets of marks - the marks from his recent penitence beating - punishment from a priest for attempting to seduce a female acolyte... and succeeding. - and the marks that Selt had put there personally. Lovingly. Drunkenly. No one else would be able to tell the specific bruises apart, even though their fling had been witnessed by many.

Even this slight reaction: looking up at the marks briefly, and seeming to be surprised at how dark they were made Pietro smile wryly. Selt closed his eyes for a long moment. With a sigh, Selt opened them back up focused on the carving in his hand. Pietro sat down beside him, wedging himself all the way up against Selt's side. He leaned his head back against his best friend's gaunt shoulder. Selt's body felt rigid and unloving. He refused to respond to this physical variant on whining. In truth, he was too afraid to speak his mind. His words weren't ready yet. Selt wondered if it would be better just not to say a thing about it ever again. Pietro rolled his eyes, folded his arms, and folded his knee over his leg. He had the patience of a stubborn ox.

"What WAS that last night, Selt?" Pietro asked, finding pronouncing the short name rather unsavory at the moment.
"A whole lot of drunken nothing." Selt replied flatly. It was an impulsive response that he didn't mean to let out of his head. Pietro pursed his lips. The slight urge to shed the forger's blood now flooded his mind.
"...nothing?" Pietro's voice cracked. The flood overflowed so that his mind could empty.
"Yeah... nothing. So get off." Selt kept the horrible pity he felt completely to himself. The hot salty tears of a man-whore's anguished hopes began to wet his shoulder. Comforting his friend was not an option. Not this time. Nor did Selt bother backing up his demand for Pietro to get off by trying to push him off his shoulder, either. Selt never dreamed he'd be just another regret to have broken the man behind the mask. It felt like failure. It felt like a complete betrayal to a friend who was ever more 'lost' than Selt himself. He had no idea how Pietro did this to women routinely when it felt so... horrible, really.

It was that day on which Pietro decided, for his own sanity, that Selt was the UGLIEST man he'd EVER seen. What WAS he thinking...?

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This pairing is non-canon with the two ACTUAL characters.. However, in an alternate reality, (As dictated by the events of an ongoing text role-play) Pietro, 'The Masque', heart-breaker extraordinaire gets a taste of his own medicine when a strange brew is introduced into the picture. Dragon's Blood, a drink which would later gain the reputation of being 'the drink you don't want to try AT the tavern'. Partially for comic relief, and partially to make a few points about how I felt my different characters' minds 'work', Selt became paranoid that he'd perhaps acted on his vague curiosity for males, (which I think occurs to many people at some point or other, and is realistic to feel) and took Derren up on more than just an offer for drugs, per Derren's bisexual reputation. Derren is quite shameless, and some things Derren did to suggest he got more entertainment out of the prank than he'd willingly share... (Actually, Derren's gloating was primarily because he had achieved several evil goals with this prank...) Selt, completely disgusted, didn't really /want/ to know that which he might have not remembered, but was annoyed that if they /had/ done anything, that he didn't at least remember it. The vague curiosity, the wish to remember the perceived homosexual encounter, and the judgement-blurring side effects of this spicy alcohol inspired Selt to act out incredibly amorously toward his long time friend. In Selt's drunken, Dragon's Blood warped mind, he decided if he could not remember the event to assess how he felt about it, he would make a more pleasant memory instead. Or, in the very least, simply make a more pleasant memory instead. Because... nobody wants to be told they slept with Derren. He's really just disgusting. Pietro on the other hand, is very close to him. As written in the role-play, Pietro wasn't even drinking at all. Pietro mind is... I feel that although Pietro doesn't care for men, if he thought that Selt loved him, he would definitely give Selt a go. ....Selt on the other hand, even if there was a significant attraction, the thought of some sort of relationship with Pietro would deter him... Selt can see THAT wall miles before hitting it. OUch.