Our Revelries [Raithen]

[Kala Leukos]

.

"Ah, they are private about that," he admitted, "but I have watched them go from close friends to lovers. It was quiet and, hm, romantic." He laughed, feeling joy in their bond, a little of which he could well and truly empathize through his own lighter bonds with both of them. "Perhaps they would, but I haven't asked. Perhaps you should ask."

But then they were on the dance floor and talking was more difficult.

And then Raithen was laughing and calling him names.

And then they were flying. He didn't know if Raithen was showing off for the crowd or just wanted to share what their people could share that others couldn't. He supposed it didn't matter.

Kaus understood how controlled the populace of Solunarium was, but here he felt free. While he wasn't a sembler like his twin, he wasn't an idiot either, nor was Raithen subtle. He picked up what the elven Avialae was putting down. To make it all easier, his wings unfurled and he helped hold them aloft with his telekinetic power. Then he pulled Raithen close and kissed him, something slow and exploratory, ice-pale eyes heavy-lidded, but open.

While still young, he wasn't a walking hormone. But he did want to spend some intimate time with this fascinating man, this bird of a feather.

Somewhere inside him where he was connected to Kala, he felt something that he translated as her squealing and clapping. She thought he was hot, too.

The kiss was long. Kaus was in no hurry. He heard the music slowly segue and he could feel eyes on him even though he only had eyes for the Dux at the moment. When their lips parted, a gossamer strand of shared saliva briefly connected them before snapping and disappearing. A mercurial smile lit up his face.

"I was just wondering what your mouth tastes like," he declared matter-of-factly, not mischievous at all.

.

[Raithen]

Romance was not something Raithen had encountered often, either in reality or in fiction (not that he read much unless he couldn't help it). The occasional play included the concept but those were mostly foreign things. Infatuation was something that was not at all uncommon but figures of similar rank rarely became infatuated with each other at the same time and connection was always to a specific purpose; children, sex, power, politics.

The idea of the two burly Avialae men falling in love with each other was as intriguing as it was unexpected and the youth raised both his brows in a show of interest and surprise, glancing back at where Ceran and Indric were still seated almost close enough to be considered atop one another.

"I suppose it would be terribly rude to ask them about it?" This was mostly a joke and that was obvious from his tone and the little laugh that followed but if Kaus contradicted him, Raithen would be asking. Probably over another bottle because the chance of them becoming further aroused while talking about how their relationship formed seemed fairly high and...

Well, while all of that was of interest Raithen had never been one to ignore the beauty before him because he was imagining what he might have later. When lips somehow cold and soft at once pressed against his eyes, lashes sprinkled in snow, fluttered closed. He didn't grab Kaus as he had many others in that very place. Letting the other Avialae begin the connection felt so...

Raithen had wanted it, of course he had wanted it, longed for it, dreamed of it, and now he didn't want it to be of his doing. He didn't want it to be Kaus giving in to him or politely accepting his advances or even succumbing to the lust induced by the Mesmer mages and the wine.

The two pale, beautiful men rotated slowly in the air, kissing slowly, Raithen's wings coming open and then wrapping half around them to create a idea of them being alone even in so crowded a space. When the exploratory kiss finally broke he blinked at the other Avialae a little stupidly and then smiled, looking perhaps the closest to innocent joy he had since he'd been too young to speak.

"Come away with me?" He murmured, still close enough that the words brushed Kaus' lips. Then his brain started to come back on and he laughed again, this time at himself but it was still joy.

"In a little while, when we're tired from dancing."

They continued to dance, touching more but no more than most of the others in the club were doing. They returned to the table once or twice to finish their wine and rest when the dancing grew particularly robust, but, eventually, Raithen led the trio of other Avialae back out into the starless night of the Umbrium.

Once he had assured himself that all of them could fly more or less straight he leapt into the air and led them to a place that was only his. It had been a rooftop garden once, though, how it had been maintained he could only imagine required several types of magic. Perhaps the new owners of the palace had decided it was foolish to keep it, or perhaps they had never known about it. Either way, at some point the entrance from within had been bricked over in a renovation and now the only way to access it was from the air. There were so few Avialae in the city that Raithen liked to believe no one else in the world knew about his little haunt. There was a lovely marble belvedere in the center and some of the magically created plants still grew, wild now, glowing softly in the darkness. Long ago he had brought up a scattering of soft rugs and throw pillows that were enhanced to be unaffected by being left out to line the floor. He'd only ever taken one other person there, but he liked to come and lay out and think alone.

Neither thinking nor being alone was what he had in mind as he landed and let the others take in the magnificent view of all the nights in the darkness. The heat of magma under the ground could be seen in places from the vantage. It was like looking at a sky full of stars except they were below you. His hands found Kaus' hips and he nuzzled at his neck and into his hair while the Kalzasern took his fill of the sights. When it seemed he was willing Raithen took his hand and tugged him gently toward the pavilion.

"Lay with me?"

It could mean whatever they wanted it to.

[Kala Leukos]

.

"Perhaps... after another bottle of wine," he suggested. "Gently."

It was nice to let the wine and the music and the magic move through them. In Kalzasi, a Leukos was expected to be a paragon of Avialae virtue while also fading into the background. Here, Avialae virtue was unimportant and it was impossible not to stand out; it was encouraged. In Kalzasi, he was a runt. Here, he felt perfect. Certainly, there could be repercussions to a lord kissing on a dux, but it seemed as though the sight of it merely aroused those around them.

Kaus knew what Semblance felt like; while he didn't have the Rune himself, he was so closely bonded to his twin that he could sense things through her. There was a primal sort of connection happening here, aided by the music and the magic. The dance floor was an organism, and they were its feathered crown circling above. He kissed Raithen, and while there was some heat within their inwardly curled wings, there was snow falling slowly and no rush.

There was more wine. Eventually, they got Ceran and Indric to dance as well, first upon the floor and then in the air. When they kissed, there was an aching sweetness to it. Again, perhaps it was the music and the magic, but one could almost sense how they complemented each other, how one's mere existence was a balm for the other's childhood wounds and vice versa. Kaus wondered if he would ever know that. He was closer to his sister than to anyone else in the world, and there was an undeniable intimacy there, but it was decidedly not romantic. But that bond, they worried, might preclude them from sexual, romantic pair bonds.

Even more so now that she was a young goddess, and he her hierophant.

'Come away with me,' Raithen had said. It echoed in Kaus' head when the four of them did leave, flying through the vasty caverns to the dux's secret place. Kaus heard refrains from on of the songs Lord Finn had performed for them back at the banquet. He hummed.

They stood like beautiful gargoyles looking down upon the subterranean city. Kaus did not complain of Raithen's touch; yea, rather his hands came down to lightly rest upon Raithen's hands. As they quested along Kaus' hips and around his waist, he held his own steady so they brushed along his new friend's wrists and forearms. It felt good to be wanted. He glanced momentarily at Ceran and Indric, who whispered observations to each other, a world unto themselves. He was occasionally lonely despite his closeness to his sister, the close bonds of friendship with the Silver Wings. Sometimes he envied Ceran and Indric, wished he could lie between them. It was likely they would welcome him, but he felt as though he would be misusing his authority.

'Lay with me,' Raithen said now, tugging.

Ceran and Indric ambled the perimeter, hand in hand, taking in the sights and allowing them a bit of privacy as Kaus turned into Raithen's arm, carefully slipping his own around the small of his back and tucking his fingers into the top of his lower garment. His fingertips were no longer cold from creating snow out of thin air, but it was comfortable to sling them there all the same.

"Come away with me in the night," he sang quietly. It was Lord Finn's song, and Kaus lacked both his skill and his Mesmer, but he wasn't performing, not really. It seemed as though Finn Farstrider used his Mesmer less to press feeling upon his audience than to open up his own experience of emotion to his audience; they were invited to feel with him rather than commanded to feel for him.

"Come away where they can't tempt us with their lies..."

The song had had a low, longing thrum at the banquet. Now it was a simple, tired request. His smile as he looked at Raithen was sweet, satisfied, and the slightest touch sad. When they reached the pavilion, he doffed a few of his clothes - not enough to imply a burning urge to copulate, but almost as if he were lining their nest with soft things.

The more skin he showed, the more he revealed the warrior he was. Long and lean and athletic, he looked like the embodiment of springtime. Though his pale eyes had seen more than most, there was a freshness, an innocence about them all the same. It would seem impossible to retain that as a nobleman traveling now through multiple courts, but here he was, revealing himself to his Atraxian cousin. Both had been touched by Avaerys. Both were often seen as the least of their brethren.

But none of that mattered here and now.

"Thank you for tonight," he said as he knelt, then arranged himself to lounge among the pillows and cast off clothes. A hand was held up, perhaps to help Raithen down, perhaps a physical manifestation of his words. "Of all the things I have seen in Solunarium, the best of them is you."

.

[Raithen]

If the host was hoping that all his guests might end up, in some configuration or other, laying among the soft carpets and pillows of his bower, it was only peripherally. He was content with the man who filled his eyes and his hands as they made their way, discovering each other with hands and mouths, to the covered space. It was a conceit, like most other things, to want a covered pavilion in a place where it never rained, but it still felt nice, like they were hidden together from any unknown eyes.

He barely recalled having heard the song at the party as Kaus sang the words, but a lovely man was singing to him. When Kaus began to leave behind one piece of clothing and then another Raithen followed his example, almost as if they were playing a mimic game.

"Amabilia," He murmured as he ran a hand down the pebbling of hard-won muscle on Kaus' flat belly. There was something almost innocent about the younger lord, but then there was something almost innocent about Raithen in that place, in that company. The Dux had never really felt like a virgin and he didn't feel that way now but this was something new, something gossamer and beautiful that should be treated with care. Because he wanted it, more than most things, and he wanted it for more than just that night. He wanted Kaus as a person, not as a sexual release, though, it was true and Raithen would not have objected to the later so long as it did not preclude the former.

Watching as Kaus lowered himself to his ease Raithen drank him in before taking his offered hand and following him. Indulging himself he just looked, or mostly just looked, on hand running lightly over pale skin wherever seemed best, for a long time, then, lowering himself he brought their mouths together and let his mind drift away.

Later, they lay wrapped close, still and quiet together until Raithen asked, quietly, as though it were for a secret,

"Can your twin... see what we do? Can she feel it?"

Questions about the bond between Avialae were not something that had been encouraged in his youth, so it did feel secret. He could only hope that it was not as offensive to a Kalzasern as it seemed to be to Solunarians.

[Kala Leukos]

.

Raithen's touch was exciting. He had already heard stories about the Avialæ dux who had to fly or be hip deep in broken-hearted—but extremely satisfied—lovers. Raithen didn't live up to expectation. They weren't lovers yet for all his shivering touches, but Kaus didn't feel as though he were being hunted, or that he would become another notch on his four-poster bed should he lay with him. Perhaps this was the truth of the dux, that he made one feel seen, precious without being delicate. The moment was delicate, but he took Kaus' hand and descended into the pillows to join his cousin from Karnor.

Time was funny in the underground.

At one point, through his bond, he felt the polite query—whether he wanted the Silver Wings to draw near. He gently declined. Though he knew Raithen admired them, if he was only to enjoy this one night, he wanted the dux all to himself. Ceran and Indric had each other every night, whether they took advantage of that fact. Kaus slept alone. And while he didn't spend a great deal of his time with Raithen sleeping, he did realize that he had been drowsing when Raithen spoke.

It took a moment to parse the question, and then he chuckled darkly.

"When we choose... we can all but meld our consciousnesses. But generally... one or the other has to meditate, go into a trance, to really do so. She was... rather beside herself with glee when I kissed you, but soon after, she shuttered her mind away from mine so as not to play voyeur to our time together. I—" But a yawn overtook him. At first, it seemed as though it would be a small thing, but then it went on and on as if he were some snake attempting to unhinge his jaw. It cracked quietly, and then he snuggled closer. They were rather well matched and it would have been difficult to say who was the big spoon and who was the small.

They clung to each other, but without desperation.

"But you must know that," he reasoned, eyes closed as he nuzzled his nose against the hair above Raithen's ear. "With your great bond and all..."

.

[Raithen]

Raithen blinked, slow and owlish, as he listened to the appreciatedly detailed answer to his tentative question.

"That sounds... nice." He said at first, then realizing he was sort of zoning out listening he turned his head a little to try and see if Kaus thought he was an idiot while amending, "I mean, amazing. I'm not really close to anyone, not like that. Not that you are close to other people like that...are you?"

The idea of doing it with one person struck him as a little terrifying but a part of him that he had learned to repress longer ago than he had substantive memories was stirring in its sleep enough to fill him with a quiet longing in a far away part of his mind.

The latter part of what had been said sunk in as he replayed it in his mind and his sleepy expression began to grow into a combination of gently wicked amusement and intrigue.

When the question of his own bonding was asked more directly he shook his golden head. They were cuddled close so he ended up sort of nuzzling his denial into Kaus' hair and part of his face but that was nice too. Resisting the urge to poke a finger into the other Avialae's mouth to poke his tongue when he yawned expansively he instead answered again aloud.

"I don't think I have any bonds, not the Avialae king, not like yours and Lady Kala's. I'm quite close with my mother but we form a sort of bond based on my bloodline through her. She can speak into my mind if she wants, hear my thoughts, outside of Semblance or any runic magic."

After another pause in which he thought about falling asleep surrounded by Kaus' scent he added,

"Do most Kalzasern Avialae have bonds as strong as yours?"

[Kala Leukos]

.

"I am... hm..." He considered. "We were born with a soul-deep bond. That is unusual. One priestess called it a sign of divine favor, but I don't know about that. Well, perhaps it was now that Kala is..." The shoulder bare to the air shrugged. "I have light bonds with Ceran and Indric, and Asallon, the Siltori mage who remained behind with Kala. They might deepen with time. I don't know. I don't know the future. But I suppose I am not close with many people..." He paused. "Not like this."

Kaus couldn't be aware of Raithen's urge to stick a finger in his mouth; he wasn't a Sembler. All the same, perhaps they did have a sort of simpatico, because afterword, he gnawed gently upon Raithen's jaw.

"You don't?" he asked quizzically, but Raithen's explanation seemed to mollify him somewhat. He could have sworn he sensed a core bond in his sparsely clad companion. "Ah, well, I suppose that makes sense." Re'hyæan magic was strange to him, at least compared to what he knew from Karnor. Perhaps she had some ability with Semblance to speak directly into her son's mind. Wait, no. It was blood-based, not runic? His brow furrowed. He was too tired to really think that through and while he wasn't sure he was still drunk, the aftereffects of the runeforged wine still had him thinking outside of his normal box.

"Aye, well..." Kaus took a deep breath and exhaled, then a quick breath to speak. "The way we were created by Garel of Atoria, we had the ability to bond in a way that no other race had. It protected our forebears from the Hellmaw. So yes... we are encouraged to form relationships, find people that we trust implicitly, and bond with them. There are levels of depth, of course, but... Kala could command me and I would struggle to resist. If she really wanted to. It is... hm, blunted somewhat now that she has her wings. But also, now she is a goddess, so..." He shivered, though it wasn't truly cold. "We bond to someone we trust, opening ourselves up to the possibility of being manipulated. But that bond protects us from other forms of mind control. So yes, most Synnekar Avialae have bonds. If not as deep as ours, they still have them. Want them. Perhaps even need them. Indric and Ceran have each other. Kala and I have each other. Sometimes it's romantic, but it doesn't have to be. It is, perforce, intimate, though. Emotionally and mentally. The Kathar... they have been bound to the Obelisk in Gel'Grandal by perverting their bond instinct. It allows the Emperor to command them, to subvert their free will. That is why Kalzasi and Gel'Grandal can never truly be allies or friends."

.

[Raithen]

The idea of a divinity stepping in to show favor was not at all outside the realm of Raithen's daily reality so he listened without comment or expression to indicate disbelief. Which god might have graced the Leukos twins wasn't something he could guess at, knowing that Kalzasi, as with most placed outside his home, did not have specific patron gods, or, if they did, they were the distant sort.

Drowsy as he was, and as interested as he was in the specific topic of their shared race and its traits Raithen didn't note the slight slip when Kaus covered it and continued. Instead, he digested the idea that Avialae formed intrinsic bonds with those they were close to, and gnawed on the idea as Kaus gnawed at his jawline.

When he was questioned he shook his head a little, wiggling enough that their eyes could meet in the meager light available. Searching the young lord's eyes he asked,

"Can you feel them," Grey eyes darted briefly toward where the other two were giving them a semblance of privacy to share, "All the time? What does the bond tell you about them? What does it... feel like?"

He didn't know how else to ask the questions that were a swirl of growing need inside him. Even so, he kept his tone gentle, not demanding. This seemed like a private thing and the last thing he wanted was Kaus to feel any discomfort with him.

The Dux knew that Avialae had been created intentionally, as warriors to fight the Hellmaw and the other world-ending nightmare creatures that had come after the Fall. He had embraced the idea that being a fighter, a guardian and a protector, was in his blood. He had not known that the ability to bond was what had enabled his fore-bearers to survive the ravages of what they faced and survive.

Enraptured he listened as he might have to the heroes' tales of his people as a child. Only the alcohol and its magic still in his veins kept him relaxed rather than hanging on to every word that was spoken. When the second slip came, and the revelation with it, several other things that he had wanted answers to but hadn't been willing to ask about spilled into place.

When Kaus shivered in his arms Raithen wanted to kiss him, despite knowing that it was not due to being cold, however much clothing they had shed. But doing so would have stoppered his words and they were more important. In lei of his mouth the elder Avialae pressed his lips to the younger's shoulder.

The explanation belayed his next question, which would have been 'what do the Avialae get out of the bond?'. Being immune to mind manipulation, or even only somewhat protected from it, in Solunarium would be a great boon indeed. There were more questions, not ones for Kaus but for his family, that were beginning to lightly tug at the inside of his mind but he couldn't seem to grasp them. He would try again later when his mind was clear and he wasn't already so engagingly and pleasantly distracted. His mind grasped onto certain words, grabbed and clutched them into a little pile.

Intimate. Emotionally. Mentally. Bound.

Something was happening, a struggle in his mind that he couldn't get a look at or understand. It sort of...hurt? Pushing his consciousness away from whatever it was he said, quietly,

"I've always had... trouble, forming closeness, even friendships don't come to me. Not easily, I have a few but most of the ones I've had just fade away, other time."

It sounded like the opposite of what Kaus was describing as normal for their kind.

"Maybe I'm broken."

He didn't laugh, and when he tried to smile and get laughter into his voice it broke instead.

[Kala Leukos]

.

"I can," he said with a lethargic smile. "I can feel them. I have them shuttered at the moment so... so they aren't eavesdropping on us. They would feel it if I felt alarm or... well, they can probably feel that I am relaxed, content, and..." He laughed quietly, a touch bashfully. "Kala is asleep now, dreaming of the Crownwyrm's home star. The boys are tired, but happy. It's like... with Kala, she's always there, hand on my shoulder, even if she isn't there. If I close my eyes, she's there, inside me. We can share thoughts, feelings, images, concepts. Those few times we have been completely cut off from each other, it has felt like... like I imagine it would feel to lose a limb. The phantom... shape of her would haunt me. Sometimes she feels... inexorable. We grew up with this, so her will doesn't overpower mine, though she could in an emergency. 'Tis difficult to articulate. Our bond has always been. With the boys..." He glanced after them. "...it's more subtle. Like I know what direction they are in. What they are feeling, almost as if I am feeling it myself, but not quite. With Kala, we have to be careful not to spoil each other's mood if one of us is upset." He laughed again, quiet enough it didn't echo.

Kaus didn't mind the silence while Raithen ruminated. The kiss on his shoulder felt nice, as did allowing his fingertips to explore golden skin. When the dux did speak, the break in his voice broke the Synnekar's heart.

"Oh Raithen," he soothed, throwing a leg over his, leveraging himself so he was above, looking down on beautiful elven features. "You aren't broken." His callused hand brushed the man's face, his hair, petting him, comforting. "It can be difficult to have normal bonds when our bonds are so strong. But there is nothing wrong with you, patruelis. Believe that. If... if you wish to be sure, Kala could semble you... ensure that bond you share with your mater has dovetailed the blessing of gens Phædryn-Sol’Aværys and the parts of you that are Avialæ..."

.

[Raithen]

The idea that the Silverwings, or Lady Kala, might have been listening in on their conversation had not occurred to Raithen but, when it did, he was rather intrigued. Could a close bond as Kaus said he had with his sister allow her to feel what he did?

Knowing what sex felt like from a woman's point of view had always been something out of reach but which he thought he would try, if it was ever an option. Having a Mesmer give him the experience as an illusion inside his mind didn't seem like it would be the same, even if it 'physically' felt the same. It was a question for another time. There would be another time, he intended to ensure that now, both while the twins remained in Solunarium and after. He didn't think his duties to his family or his deities would preclude him from ever leaving the nation of his birth. It might even open opportunities for the furthering of the goals of one, or both, small groups. He didn't ask in the moment because the conversation was moving on and watching the curve of Kaus' mouth in the meager light was almost as interesting as the words that came from it.

The golden brow was furrowed in concentration as he tried to absorb and imagine what was being suggested for himself. Having someone who he was so close to would be like, well, like having a twin. Having a twin who shared this bond must multiply the closeness beyond what he would really comprehend.

When their positions shifted he didn't resist or even think to, he let the other man move over him, and then, to Raithen's astonishment, begin to comfort him. The touch of hands roughened by training and labor was not something he experienced very often. The contrast between the hands of courtesans and courtiers to Kaus' was stark and, he realized, pleasant. His trysts were pleasant and honest in what they were, which was negotiated. This was honest in a different way, two people without anterior motives coming together to share themselves, not just for the night. Closing his eyes he let himself feel what was happening instead of thinking about it, allowing the lack of connection in his life and the ache that it left to be felt, and the gentle touch to soothe it. After a little time he opened his eyes, vulnerability in all the lines of him.

"If her doing so would tell if there was anything wrong with my ability to bond, I would have her do it. I don't think it has anything to do with my mother's intention but the blood of our family is so strong, maybe my elven side is overwhelming my other."

If that was the case then maybe there was nothing to do about it, but maybe there was. Avialae had existed for thousands of years and interbred with many species, maybe he wasn't the first to have such trouble.

"You have so many bonds. It must feel... safe." There was longing in his voice. Though he didn't feel unsafe, sometimes he felt like there were no walls in his life where there should be. He didn't know how else to explain it, but when he closed his eyes, sometimes, often, it felt like he was alone in the dark and that there should be others there with him.

"Does it ever feel like you are losing yourself to her? Are there times you aren't sure who is thinking the thoughts, feeling the emotions?" There was no judgement, positive or negative, only continued needy curiosity. Given the chance, he would continue to talk, as they were, dozing occasionally, touching as much as they wanted, until Kaus' guards, or his sister, called them back to the rest of the world.