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» Yang Yang » Twenty-one » Legacy, Primrose » First Year » Subissive

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     Lai Shen and Sebastian St. Clair were set to be in a claim arranged by their parents. This would’ve led to prosperous and mutually beneficial business and economic ties. However Sebastian convinced his parents to let him enroll as a single student and that was how the Shens found out that Sebastian wasn’t taking part in the original claim agreement. Only time will tell if this is still a viable option or if things are done for good.

† Biography

    Planning and organization are the two pillars which the Shens have structured their control around for generations. Everything from their international real estate empire to the most minuscule details in the lives of every child born with the Shen name are controlled by the family heads through this dedication to creating organized plans for everything. Lai was no different, separated into the Shen branch family for submissives the moment his classification detection test results came in. Despite being a legitimate son of the current Dominant head of the family, he was raised by submissives amongst other submissives to preserve the purity of his classification as is the Shen way. Lai’s entire existence was service-oriented. He was taught that his worth to the Shens was based entirely on what he could do for the family, and as a child that meant committing himself to obedience.

    Lai excelled in his private instruction and cultural enrichment because it was impressed upon him that being a suitable choice for a strategic claim was his best way of serving the Shens. Those plans were created before he could walk, and all he needed to do was live up to the expectations laid out in them. That was Lai’s ticket to a happy, fulfilled life: getting claimed to honor the Shen name. Even from such a young age, this romanticization of the claim process is what compelled him to be as impressive as possible. He practiced piano and reviewed his lessons every day. When he was allowed to act as an assistant to one of the Dominant Shens, he was sure to always be out of the way while anticipating any need while they managed family business dealings. Lai would even accept praise in a way that was impressive for his classification, with grace and humility, taking care to never develop an ego like he was taught not to. 

    By the time he finished secondary education, Lai was a pro at embodying the ideal for submissives. His every movement, word, and thought were, by design, meant to serve those of more importance to him. At this point in his life, he’d very rarely considered his own thoughts or feelings on anything. He was born to serve and that was perfectly fine with him, especially since he was just about at the age where the Shen heads would begin to arrange for a Dominant to claim him, a common practice for his family. Imagine Lai’s surprise when his birth father, a man who’d barely spoken to him three times in his life, acknowledged his mastery of the piano and instructed him to continue his education at The Sorbonne.  

    Up until that point, Lai only viewed his playing as a means to entertain Switches and Doms, or even soothe the meeker hearts of his submissive brethren. He never thought of himself as talented and never felt a particular passion for the piano, but his post-secondary music education was positively eye-opening for him. He fell in love with music, and even Paris, despite having to always be accompanied by an escort. Lai allowed himself to so selfishly get caught up in these new joys and experiences that he actually felt a hint of disappointment when he was recalled home to be claimed. But he realized his mistake and corrected these thoughts before boarding the plane, reminding himself that he wasn’t born to love but to serve.  

    The process itself was fairly straight forward, he simply had to make good impressions on the vetted suitors and let the Dominants discuss amongst themselves all the details. By the end of the dinners and meetings he was required to be a part of, Sebastian St. Clair was the man the Shen family selected Lai to be claimed by. He figured there were business implications attached to the decision, things he wouldn’t understand, but that wouldn’t matter anymore. All he needed to worry about was fulfilling the commitments in his life plan and satisfying his new Dominant. For a while, it was fun for him. Going on both supervised and unsupervised dates, enjoying the way his body would react to Sebastian without shame, and sharing the intimate details of the life he imagined being able to support with the calligraphic letters he’d send to the St. Clair heir about as much as he texted. For Lai, it was absolute bliss, and what joys he found in Paris were soon forgotten.

    Unfortunately, his life was turned on its head with the news of his rejection. Naturally, the blame was placed firmly on his shoulders. Lai must’ve done something wrong, something to dishonor his name. Beneath intense scrutiny of the family heads, all he could do was tell the truth: he had no idea what went wrong. To be texting Sebastian one day and then unable to even contact him the next, on top of the sudden negative attention, made him feel helpless like never before. For the first time in his life, he resented being a submissive. Lai had never experienced such intense confusion, fear, and self-loathing before, but the truth shattered his heart.

    News of Sebastian’s enrollment in Lowell Academy took no time to reach the Shens with their ties to the school, and the Dominant head of the family was furious. The St. Clair’s wealth made it impossible for even the powerful Shens to gain much leverage in negotiations, but talks were necessary. Plans were made surrounding the claim and for one boy to destroy it all on a whim didn’t sit well with the Shens. They had demands, threats, and no desire to accept anything less than what was promised by the St. Clair’s. Talks between the families are still ongoing since no resolution has been accomplished. For the Shens, it’s a matter of pride and reputation. If someone so esteemed would reject one of their “ideal submissives” then their assurances of producing ideals for all classifications would come into question, and that cannot stand.

    As far as Lai goes, he was sent away to a Shen vacation home in Singapore and told to lay low for a spell while the Dominants worked the mess out. On his own again, he was forced to work through these feelings of abandonment and rage that blossomed inside of him, exasperated only by his own curiosity. Lai was able to use his networking and connections to gain basic insight into Sebastian’s activities at Lowell. Abandonment and rage soon soured to just rage. And hurt. He was definitely hurt, but not just by the intel he was given. It just didn’t seem fair that Sebastian could just say he wanted to enjoy life while Lai was tossed in a corner like trash for nothing. Even worse, lower-class, undeserving, poor plebeians were at the academy too, smiling away without a care in the world. It took him a little more time, but Lai realized he was feeling envy which meant he had a desire. But he refused to reprimand himself for these feelings and instead decided to focus on what he wants for once.

    Some more private correspondences made it clear that there were people at the Lowell who could make use of him. Getting close to Sebastian again—either for reconciliation or revenge; that decision remains unclear to him for now—will just be a bonus. Lai’s primary motivation for transferring to Lowell is serving the Order of the Primrose and restoring the academy’s glory so it can be a place where he’s happy. It’s what he deserves after everything and he hates to think about the scholarship students getting handed what’s his by right. Asking the Dominant Shen head to go to Lowell was obviously misinterpreted as a plan to win Sebastian’s attention back. That’s the mission he was assigned, but for now, that remains a back-burner priority. Lai is quite excited to help the Order’s plans move to the next phase and maybe, in the process, find his happiness again.

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domeverett​:

Location: Library, Promenade, Conservatory, or garden mazes Context: Can be someone he does or doesn’t know already (from classes, from town, from previous attendance, whatever).

    Everett hadn’t been on the grounds all that long but everywhere he turned there were memories of his days as a student here. He had settled into his room and unpacked. Tried to make it feel a little like home but usually traveled light. He knew he wasn’t here for the long haul. Which made everything feel that much more temporary despite the roots of his past all around him. He’d decided a walk would do him some good. Everett never was great at staying still for terribly long.

    Their meeting had been chance but even now he spoke to them like they’d always been friends. That was his way. “Does it count as coming back if it feels like I never left?” he asked, grin on his lips. “Honestly it’s a miracle they hired me on. Research feels a little open ended; which means I plan to have fun with it.” He stuck his hands in his pockets and walked onward, automatically shortening his steps so the other could keep up. “Makes me curious about Headmaster Westinghouse.” Most establishment types would be too afraid to rattle Lowell’s status quo thinking with a researcher in Everett’s field. Research inevitably meant questioning what one thought of as known. “What’s your impression of him?” he asked, blue eyes turned to them in curiosity.

There’s more unknown than known about Mr. Blake, but a discerning study of his publications and the fact that the Headmaster invited him is enough to tell Lai that he could pose a problem eventually. If the Dominants in The Order want to drag their feet and continue to let the Academy be defiled, then that’s on them. Lai is capable of taking action too. 

So he played his role and played it well, the attentive student entranced by the guest lecturer's words. He sat in the third row, close but not too close, and “bumped” into him during his stroll. The perfect opportunity to pick Mr. Blake’s brain about some of the concepts Lai’s poor little mind couldn’t grasp. “I imagine a lot has remained the same since you were a student, Sir. Conversely, there are probably a few alumni from your class who wouldn’t recognize these halls anymore.” Interesting that Westinghouse came up. In truth, Lai isn’t sure what to say, or rather what he should say. It’s blatantly obvious that he’s more rigid than the overly comfortable Dominant, but does that translate to nervousness? Admittedly, that’s what he feels the moment their gazes meet. He’s the first to look away, blushing, but realizes he’s taking a bit too long to respond. “I think he’s doing the best he can with the hand he was dealt. It can’t be easy to shoulder generations of legacy and expectation...” That felt like the safe answer, no real opinions given, little chance for a slip up. But Lai continues, wanting to cover all his bases. “Then again, he might've felt obligated to be extra polite with me, so what do I know? I have family members who sit on the Board that signs his checks, so my opinions might yield bad data. Though, he does have a certain ... gravitas about him that I like.”

[princelai]

remileong​:

     When it came to food, Remi knew he could be a bit of a show off. He didn’t do it on purpose though. He was just so accustomed to people doubting him at every turn. Professional kitchens were not a place for submissives - or so he’d been told - and it was hard to break out of that mindset. Not that Remi had ever really believed it. If he had, he’d be doing some nonsense desk job waiting for a dominant to come along and put him out of his misery. Which, for the record, was the last thing he wanted. He was better than a housewife and one dick forever didn’t sound remotely appealing.

     That being said, he knew this wasn’t the time or place for showing off. So he was being more conservative in his efforts. At least, he thought he was. Lai’s comments had made him rather self conscious about the matter. He was almost tempted to apologize. Not for straying from tradition, people did that all the time, what was the point of food if not to explore? But it wasn’t fair for him to usurp what was meant to a relaxed group activity. The words were on the tip of his tongue when Lai said it. “It will be my restaurant,” he corrected. Not some dominant and not even Davis. When the time finally came it would be his and no one would take that from him. Pushing the edge from his tone he grinned at the other male. “Besides, most doms don’t know what they want until you show them.”

He laughs. It’s all Lai can do to save face and not miss a beat. After all, this is a civil, nice little event that he’s put together. A gracious host should never do anything to make a guest feel uncomfortable. So he laughs, leading the pack because obviously Remi is just kidding. The other’s might not have gotten the punchline so it’s his duty to make sure they do. “Yes yes, your food “your” restaurant. Honestly, your passion for the craft is just so inspiring.” Lai even went so far as to put air quotes around the second ‘your’, because everyone in the classroom knows full well that owning a business is not in their futures. 

“I agree, it’s better for the Dominants in our lives if they’re not thinking about recipes all the time. Which is why the burden is on us to make sure that we’re feeding them proper cuisine. I’m sure Davis loves the way you ... cook outside the box, but the rest of us might end up with someone with a more refined palate.” The implication is clear and present, bordering on pure insult. Lai would never claim that Remi’s cooking style is anything but top tier, not outright and certainly not to be petty. Implying though... “Which is why I spent much of my free time studying authentic French cooking. That’s pretty much the gold standard for technique in the world, and you can apply those techniques to essentially any plate.” Lai positions himself in a way that would obscure the other submissives’s view of Remi’s little show, once again bringing attention back to him. “Let us not forget that Remi doesn’t actually run a restaurant. Despite his accomplishments, we should take his advice with a grain of salt.”

[princelai]

@remileong​

Now, one thing Lai didn’t count on was Remi showing up. Thanks to recent events, Lai has developed a bit of an inferiority complex. This was supposed to be his event, his chance to shine amongst the submissives. Logically, he knows that trying to compete with a Remington Leong in the kitchen isn’t worth the time, but he’s been trapped by all the feelings recent events conjured up. More than anything, Lai needs to feel like he’s worthy of carrying the legacy of Shen perfection on his shoulders. “Yes, watching him cook truly is a spectacle--” he interjects, cutting through the silent awe of the group currently enthralled by a master chef at work. “--but, Remi? We’re supposed to be exchanging useful tips and ideas. I would never dream of telling you how to cook but ... don’t you think you’re straying a little too far from the traditional way?” Admittedly, Lai does feel a little guilty. He’s trying to garner back some of the attention he lost purely out of vanity and selfishness. These are the very kinds of thoughts the Shen’s trained Lai not to have, but after everything he simply can’t help himself. “I just don’t want to give everyone else the wrong idea about what’s proper. Not all of us will end up working in our Dominant’s restaurants like you will. I mean, truthfully we shouldn’t be modifying recipes like this unless one asks for it directly, wouldn’t you agree?” Lai doesn’t want to come across as ‘bossy’ even at an event like this, so he uses all his will power to not let his eyes give Remi a pointed look that contrasts his gentle expression. 

[princelai]

@submorales​

Settings like this are where Lai feels most at peace. Perhaps it’s a product of his upbringing, but he genuinely enjoys spaces where submissives can be themselves and engage in the things they enjoy together. Classification solidarity is something that’s close to Lai’s heart, even if Lowell’s cooking classroom is populated by those who should be sharing his air and those who shouldn’t. Still, he’s glad so many showed up to his little event, though why wouldn’t people? He is a Shen submissive after all, and regardless of the event size Lai is the perfect host. It’s why he leaves the group of legacies he’s showing off for to go speak with a peasant who’s knife work Lai can only describe as caveman-ish. “I’m sorry, it’s just no one can ever agree on the the best dining experiences in the world. Can you blame us though? Private jets can really spoil the palette. You know how it is,” he jests, smiling warmly at Camilo. Lai doubts he’s even seen business class let alone a private jet, but there’s not a hint of rudeness in his tone despite the intended put down. “Have you not taken cooking yet? You should, and soon. The quickest way to a Dominant’s heart is through his stomach! Want me to show you again?” Still smiling, he takes the knife from the other’s hand and quickly cuts the carrot in three ways with flawless technique, peacocking more than teaching. “See? Allumete, batonnet, julienne. It’s quite simple. Want to try again?”

[princelai]

Classy as always

Cre Yang Yang’s team

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