of-pinned-wings

[of-pinned-wings]

LETO :

“oh, i love lakes. the variety of wildlife always makes me smile. though sea creatures and lake creatures differ in color. mostly due to their habitats. ocean animals are bright a lot of the time. pastels and neons. beautiful colors.” sighing, he goes wistful, traveling back to easier times. “and the lake fish are darker, duller… but not in interest! it’s simply to blend in with the mud.”

who knew the prince when drunk had such a passion for fish?

“an angel?” he laughs and drinks heartily. “you are far too kind. I am far from an angel. they’re far too noble, and i feel like noble…ness comes with a certain amount of grace. and well. you see me now. i lack soooo much GRACE.”

Propping her head up on her hands she took a mouthful of the liquid that warmed her from the inside. It had been a little while since she’d consumed alcohol and knew that this was considerably strong. “I’m like them. Darker ... blending in.” There was a small giggle from Nyx, “Have you ... have you ever thought what it would be like to be a fish?” Falling into another fit of giggles she did her best to keep the drink in her hand level and not waste it on the sheets.

Her jaw dropped as though she had just been rudely insulted. “No, you most certainly do have grace, it's just in a different way. Your soul is graceful, and don’t forget kind too.”

[of-pinned-wings]

GAIUS :

“They’ll tell me that you haven’t been using my name? That you don’t belong to me?” He wanted to laugh in her face. Too often, he had seen how the other slaves acted around her and how the attitudes had changed. It was exactly as he wanted everything. She could be in denial all she wanted, but there would come a point when she had no one left to turn to. Hearing her actually admit that she had used his name was extremely satisfying. He was sure that it had been more than the ‘once or twice’ she claimed, but this was enough for the moment. “And how has that gone for you?” he asked. She was clearly learning something about manipulation from him. Perhaps someday she would be successful in goading him along. However, that time was not today. She would have to become much, much better. 

“It’s important to know history. Even a slave should learn that much.” He felt her lean into him, knew every movement her body made in response to his touches and he was confident she knew his just as well. That was the one downside to letting himself be more open with her. As much as he learned about her, he was leaving himself open to her learning of him. Someday, that could backfire on them both. However, he would not let her get away from him even then. Never. Someday, perhaps, his family would be overthrown and on that day, he was going to kill her or take her with him on the slight chance he managed to escape. Gaius had little interest in being called a coward. The purpose was to survive and eventually win. That victory could be anything from how the war had ended to simply continuing to live. He laughed softly. So many would see him merely breathing at the end of a revolt as a loss. 

He grinned, so happy she remembered that sheet. Part of him considered it one of his finer moments with her, a game he had twisted and turned until the words were so jumbled that he was able to humiliate her without the need for a single blade. “You should know not to leave your requests so open,” he chuckled. ‘More than a sheet’ could mean just the simple addition of a necklace or broach and he would have done exactly what she wanted. Malicious compliance was one of his most entertaining weapons. Those on the other side had no one to blame but themselves for the situation they found themselves in. “I will be very certain to give you more than a sheet. Presenting you in bed-linens would be disrespectful to my uncle.” The king was the only person that the punisher respected in any way.

She wanted to lie, every part of her should have lied. But she simply remained silent, stubbornly she told herself. Using words and situations to her advantage had been a small part of her life previously, but since spending so much time with him, she had come to find it rather useful, fun even. It was harder to play that game with him, he was far better than she was at it, but the others in the castle, now they were almost as easy to mold as clay. It was useful, but infinitely less fun. No one played the game that she wanted except for him. Cocking her head slightly she forced an air of confidence. “It’s been going remarkably well, who knew so many people were scared of you.” She was not one of those people, not in the slightest. But she’d had mixed results, some people brushed her off, some people did what she wanted, and others gave her such wicked looks like they were simply waiting for her to drop dead by his hand. 

The two of them fed off of each other's chaotic energy, both were happy to use and abuse the other if it meant gaining something for themselves. Even growing up she was to learn the history of the fae as a court noble but it had never held any interest for her. “I don’t care for history. It’s boring and dull.” Nyx was far too impulsive to sit down and really study, it hadn’t been for her, she preferred learning by doing, that was how she’d learned most of her magics. A lot of it had been trial and error, and a lot more burnt dresses and fingertips on her part. Perhaps that was why she was so stubborn and determined, she’d always had a need to be able to do things herself, to not rely on anyone. Yet here she was, in a bath with him.

Her eyes widened as he spoke, shit was he really going to put him in a sheet again. Yanking on her wrist, trying to pull it from his grip she turned to him, looking every bit as defiant and fierce as the day she was captured. “I swear to the gods if you put me in a sheet again …” Leaving her very obvious threat open ended her eyes narrowed. “I don’t care about what your Uncle wants, put me in proper clothes. A dress, or shirt and pants. NO BEDSHEET.” She yelled in his face leaving the confines of the bathroom and storming into his room like it was her own. She could feel the heat in her hands as her anger bubbled just beneath the surface, her fire was always so wild and uncontained but she had been doing her best to keep it suppressed while in the castle, she didn’t want people finding out.

[of-pinned-wings]

Don’t underestimate the allure of darkness.

@gaius-chaumoux

[of-pinned-wings]

GAIUS :

“With how long I have claimed you, it is most certainly not,” he replied. Gaius was very sure she was not being honest with him. “I’ll find out how well it has been going for you. I’m certain one of the other slaves will be happy to tell me.” His entire job for a decade had been to pull information from the unwilling and he had no issue with doing it again. He would find out just how much Nyx was using him to smooth her own life. Whether or not he allowed it to continue would be determined by what she was using him for. Would she tell him herself or simply wait for another slave to be put under his knives? He really didn’t care either way, but if she chose the second option, he would make very sure that the slave knew exactly who had sent them to him.

“Do you ever wonder about those who were in power before us? Where did they come from?” In a few generations, if his family held onto power, they would simply become normal. It would be a ‘we have always been here’ rather than a ‘we are the fresh conquerors’. Slaves and humans would become used to them. That was what they needed, but until then Gaius had no problem keeping his eyes out for those who would overthrow his family. He still remembered seeing his family’s old villa for the first time, seeing it filled with half breeds. His family’s history was in this land even if it was not directly in this castle. During the war, watching over his shoulder had been normal and now that continued. Very little had changed for him and he couldn’t help but laugh at that fact.

As she closed the distance, his grin grew and he pressed his lips to hers, teeth biting at her lower lip as his hands slid down her shoulders. Whether she would admit it out loud or not, the whole castle knew she was his. From what she was saying, she had even used his name and that only solidified it more. Without a fight, he let her put distance between them. “We should go,” he whispered to her, hand snaking around to grasp her wrist, fully intending to drag her out of the water with him. She was going to this dinner, even if he had to knock her out and carry her over his shoulder, she would be there. “Don’t worry,” he chuckled, “I’ll make sure you’re presentable for the king.”

For the longest time now she was looking anywhere but his face, which given their closer proximity was rather hard to do. Instead, she watched in the rippled reflection on the water. Nyx remained silent, a selfish move given that it would likely end in someone else being under his blade. But her own stubbornness kept her from admitting anything to him. “I’m sure they’ll tell you the same thing.” There was nothing about that she truly believed. Regardless of who he picked to put on his table, they wouldn’t last forever, she couldn’t and she was stubborn as hell. He would return to his room with her shackled in the corner with the answer he sought. Perhaps a compromise would work, “Ok fine, I’ve used it once or twice.”

The only time she’d thought about before him and his family, was when she wished things to go back to how they used to be. She’d never really given any thought to those that came before them. “Who knew you were such a lover of stories.” Her tone was flat and dry, very little interest, a hint of sarcasm tainting her words. There was a small gasp just as she felt his lips against hers, the warmth, the tease as his teeth trapped her lower lip. Nyx leant into him for the smallest moment, almost imperceptible except to those that knew her, to him, making the kiss last a fraction of a moment longer. As the space between them grew she felt the colour staining her cheeks and wanted nothing more than to sink beneath the water.

Feeling his hand around her wrist she wasn’t at all surprised, but instead of arguing she quickly tried to climb out of the water, dragging him with her as she wanted to move on, move away from that kiss. She hated how easily he got to her, whether by knife, words or a simple kiss. Her eyes narrowed as he said she’d be presentable, the only thing she could rely on him for was to have more than the surface meaning to his words. Carefully watching his face for any telltale sign of his plan, like a skittish kitten watching a toy. “Something more than a sheet this time I hope.” While she wasn’t particularly fond of bringing that up, she desperately hoped that she’d not have a repeat of that evening.

[of-pinned-wings]

ALEXANDRE :

alexandre’s eyes follow the movement of her wings for a moment.  the fae, alexandre has always thought, have a quality more enchanting than that of even the sirens.  it makes sense that he’s seen a handful around the castle already – treated like pretty decorations.  the half-elf takes the side of the sheets closest to him, pulling it taught across the corners of the bed.  “ nice to meet you, nyx.  i’m alexandre  i don’t spend much time in the castle – i imagine why we haven’t met before. ”

“You go out of the castle?” She didn’t know why she sounded so surprised, even more so than his seemingly kinder nature than the others. Nyx managed to catch herself before doing anything stupid, but she wanted nothing more than to leap across the bed and beg him to take her with him next time. No, she’d have to be far more tactful than that.

“You don’t hate us.” It wasn’t a question, but rather a statement, there seemed to be no disgust or malice in his heart, at least not from what she could see. “What takes you out of the castle so much?” She neatly tucked the corners of the sheet in, turning to grab the last of the bedding, the light catching on her wings sending an array of light scattering across the room for a brief moment.

[of-pinned-wings]

GAIUS :

Suits her needs. What would those be? He could only think of somehow using his name to get herself out of trouble. If she could convince others that he had given her permission for certain things, then they would leave her alone. However, that also only reinforced the notion that she belonged to him and was given special privileges because of that. Nobility would take that stance as well. By using him, she was only going to dig herself further into a hole he was certain she wanted nothing to do with. “How has that been working for you?” he asked, half amused, half genuinely curious. There was very little he could get from her in terms of power. What he wanted was entertainment. She could still resist him and yet admit she was his. To him, it was all a game anyway, one he would make certain he won.

“You already are,” he whispered, “according to them. Do you think they’ll see everything the same way you do when we are overthrown?” He drew out the ‘when’, teasing the word as though it was some hysterical, horrible joke just between the two of them. There would come a revolt, probably more than one. Always, throughout history, enslaved populations tried to overthrow their captors with varying degrees of success. With the loss still so fresh, many of them were not broken yet. That was part of his job. He would make them see how horrible rebellion was, how much better their lives could be if they just obeyed. “They know you belong to me. They know you’re on my side. When they kill me, your blood will mix with mine.” He brushed his hand down her neck and then into her hair in a gesture that might have been comforting or sympathetic if not for the darkness twinkling behind his eyes.

More than his knives? That had already begun. It had begun the moment she decided to press herself to him, to not throw him out the window. It grew with every single time she did not push him away as he kissed her or when she tried to use herself as a bargaining chip. “I have done nothing to cut the ties of family and friends, you did. You could have run from me and no one would suspect you of being mine. Instead, you come.” He had hurt many people and yet the slaves banded around them. For her, he would make them hate her so she was only left with him to choose. It was a long game, a longer one than he had ever played before, but the reward was absolutely wonderful.

With him so close she could feel herself getting both nervous and excited. What was it about him? “It’s too early to tell.” Another lie, she’d used everyone elses fear of him to her advantage on a number of occasions now, and every time it had worked. At the time she’d only thought it a triumph, but now reflecting back on it, she was starting to think that perhaps it wasn’t such a good idea, her smug grin faltering a little. Pushing herself flush against the edge of the bath she didn’t like being cornered, it put her on the defensive and things never ended well around him when she did.

Her teeth clenched together as he dragged out the ‘when’, clearly he didn’t think that would be overthrown. The downside to stealing power, was you had to constantly fight to keep it. They’d never be able to let their guard down, and if they did, it would be the end of the human tyrants. “Maybe not at first, but they will.” If there was one thing she could count on, it was her own stubbornness, she wouldn’t stop until they did. They had to, right? No matter what she did now, they would see it as trying to survive... she still clung to that idea, however foolish it might be. Her grin returned ever so slowly as she closed the distance between their faces, her lips hovering just in front of his. “That’s where you’re wrong Gaius, I will be the one standing over you.” A threat, a promise, a fantasy. 

Those last words stung more than she would have liked, and more than she’d care to give credit. She did keep coming back to him, no matter how stubborn she was and how much she willed herself to stay away, she always wound up in front of one of his doors. Pressing a hand to the centre of his chest she pushed him back, not hard, but hard enough to move him out of her space. “You should go.” Like she had any real power here, like this was her bath in her room and she was simply asking him to leave. She was done talking about 'whta ifs' and 'maybes', while it gave her some degree of hope for the future, it was pointless because somewhere deep down she did believe that this was her life now. She'd already surrendered to it now she just had to surrender to him and stop denying it. 

[of-pinned-wings]

ALEXANDRE :

     alexandre arches a brow at the suggestion and continues with the linens instead, stripping off the old bedding.  “ are you saying you want to touch the sheets potentially covered with a stranger’s sweat and cum ?? ”  he makes a face at the thought and tosses the dirty sheets as quickly as possible.  “ i can relax with a bath later.  i don’t get off on making someone else do housework for me.  what’s your name ?? ”

Pulling a rather sour face as he spoke, not because it was he who spoke, but rather the subject matter. “I don’t think anyone would, least of all you.” Pulling on the sheets, she kept the clean ones well clear until the potentially ruined ones were on the floor. It was his next statement that caught her off-guard, not many in the castle shared his opinion. “Well, that makes you a rarity.” There was a certain gentleness creeping into her voice, something decidedly less hostile than their first encounter. 

Holding one of the pillowcases between her teeth she tossed one half of the sheet across the bed to him. “Nyx” she mumbled through the fabric in her mouth, her wings moving ever so slightly behind her, disturbed by the air moving from under the sheet.

[of-pinned-wings]

CON :

“And it’s your job to clean it up.” Con’s tone was just as annoyed as her’s. “Now we’ve established that, can I return to what I was saying?” He grew more and more irritated the more they spoke back. Each of them thought they had something witty or smart to say, but, in reality, he’d heard it all before - usually from people prettier than the ones he interacted with now.

“Nyxie, then.” He allowed her that much. ‘Little pixie’ was far too much of a mouthful when a convenient and simple ‘Nyxie’ was available. “I want an apology, Nyxie, for addressing me so very rudely.” If not, he had other plans. But he was feeling generous, and he would at least give her the opportunity to get out of it.

Despite the fact that he was asking her a question, it was rhetorical, she knew he would return to his point regardless of her approval or not. The fae couldn’t help but bristle as his apparent nickname for her, her fingers wrapping around the handle of the broom till her knuckles turned white.

It was laughable to her that he wanted an apology, the corner of her lips curled up into a semi-smirk. “Will you apologise for traipsing mud through the halls?” The implication being that if he didn’t apologise, neither would she. He started it. She knew it was petty, but she couldn’t help herself. She hadn’t been given the chance to see him playing at their human sports, but she assumed if he was the kind to entertain himself with such things, that he was fairly fast. She remained just outside the doorway, a small thought tugging at her. Who was faster?

[of-pinned-wings]

CHEL :

She rose a brow, amused by the mischief in Nyx’s manner the same way a mother would be amused by a rather intelligent answer from their child.

Soon enough, she felt the effects of the soothing additions, and Nyx’s magic. She heaved a sigh of contentment, sank further down in her bath. She needed more room, ideally, but this was good, for now.

“Absolutely wonderful talents, Nyx.” She complimented the fae. “Truly brilliant.”

Part of her wondered if they’d ever met outside this new life of theirs, would they have gotten on? What kind of friendship would they have? With a small shake of her head, it was silly to think such things, there was no sense on dwelling on what-ifs, it only served to hurt her more.

“Most here would disagree...” There was no sarcasm or malice in her tone, it was very matter of fact. It was why she’d kept it so well hidden, particularly from those that would punish her for using such talents, or think her even more disgusting ... “but it comes in handy when it gets cold.”

"At least your magic is beautiful."

[of-pinned-wings]

CHEL :

Surprised by Nyx’s sudden change, Chel’s head followed the fae across the room towards she shelves. She shook her head fondly when she caught on but didn’t say no. They shouldn’t - if they were caught messing about with a master’s things they would be punished.

“Thank you.” She smiles instead, thanking her genuinely for her help. She did truly need the care and Nyx was offering it to her. The siren would more than happily accept it.

There were some in the castle that wondered why she protected her kin so much, but it wasn’t them, most of them could go to hell for calling her wicked names. But she would gladly protect people like Chel, Nova, Odiana and a few other fae. When she wanted to protect something, she clung to that idea wholly, which is why if it came to it, she would take the punishment for the two of them if they got caught. 

Tipping salts and gels and oils into the bath, Nyx stuck her hand in the water while the other pressed a finger to her lips. She didn’t openly use her magic around the castle, mainly because it got her in trouble. Opening her hand underwater, she kept it away from Chel’s tail as she began to let the heat radiate from the palm of her hand, slowly heating the water back to a relaxing temperature.

[of-pinned-wings]

CON :

He’d been taken aback by her tone, by her words, but when he turned, he could see the shock on her face. She hadn’t been aware of his status, clearly. He would certainly relish what he would do to her next.

“Well now, little pixie.” He grinned and it was patronising. “That wasn’t very wise was it?” A brow rose, his arms crossed. He would do all he wanted with her now. He had a perfect excuse to. Perhaps he would as Gaius if he could borrow his room?

She stood there stuck to the spot, cursing at herself for a stupid mistake, his tone only grating on her even more. Glancing at the hallway which was covered in mud she turned back to him, responding rather defensively. “But you got mud everywhere.” As if that was going to make everything she’d said just disappear, she should know better by now, but her stubbornness knew no bounds. 

She didn’t dare move, not out of fear of him or punishment, no this was because she didn’t believe she’d done anything that bad, and she wasn’t one to back down from a fight. Pulling on the loose threads of the bottom of her dress she looked back at him. “My name is Nyx, not little pixie.”

[of-pinned-wings]

GAIUS :

Oh well, one game wasn’t too bad to ‘lose’. Then again, he could punish her for disobeying orders. Instead, he let his nails run along the delicate membrane of the wings, pushing and lightly scratching at intervals just to remind her how easy it would be for him to fully puncture them. One option: she flew and was punished for it. Another option: she disobeyed an order. Either way, now he had cause to attack her. For the moment, however, he decided to let her have her win. The bath was too nice to dirty with the blood of a slave anyway. “Fair enough,” he chuckled, “it seems you’re finally learning to obey the rules. It only took much too long.” He knew she barely listened as it was and that this obedience was only for her benefit. Still, it was fun to mock her for it. The accusing tone in her voice only made it all the better. “Do you really think me so horrible as to punish you for being a good slave?” 

“Yes, you are,” he whispered back. “The whole castle knows you belong to me.” He could hear the lack of force in her words and was certain she was coming around to believing his. All she had to do was accept it, but that would also mean that he had won. Pride was such a terrible thing. As she wiggled free, he made no move to after her, letting the slave settle on the other side of the bath. That was fine for the moment. “I do,” he replied, nodding. Yes, there was a dinner to go to, but no one said he had to show up exactly on time. “Dinners last a while.” He shrugged and let his hands fall into the water, tracing nonsense patterns into the liquid surrounding him. She was right in that she had chores, but any amount of those could be overridden on the orders of a royal, easily. What the other slaves did to pick up the slack was their own issue. 

Pushing himself off of his side, he closed the distance between them and placed his hand on her cheek, boxing her in with his body. “Why are you so concerned with maintaining the illusion that you’re not different from the other slaves?” he asked. It was obvious to anyone who looked that she was his. Whether the slaves liked it or not was beside the point. He still hurt her, was still perfectly content to cut her bloody just as he did with everyone else, but he had seen how they had begun to turn on her. “Why do you care about them now? They have abandoned you.” There was no comfort to be had in the arms of those who despised a person. They would sooner throw her to the wolves than welcome her back. 

She could feel the ghost of his fingers on her wings as she leaned back against the edge of the bath, her head tipping back exposing her mostly unmarked neck (but for the few times she’d been locked in an iron collar, leaving behind small marks), losing sight of him completely, but she was in no sense relaxed. She was aware of the water moving, she was aware of how far away his voice sounded, she was ready to react should he try something. It was Gaius after all, anything was a possibility. Except for the fact that he’d let her be right about something. Staring up at the tall ceiling she considered what it would be like to fly in here, not very much room, but more room than most of the places she was confined to in the castle. “It suited my needs, that is all.” She was well aware he already knew that, but it was a curious thing, would he grow bored of her if she stopped fighting and suddenly became so compliant? She almost felt ashamed to admit to herself that she didn’t want him to grow bored with her. She left his question unanswered but supposed that was an answer in of itself. Yes, she thought he would punish someone for any reason he wanted.

It played over and over in her mind on a daily basis, she was his, and people were starting to notice. There was a question that often came trailing behind that line of thought, what would it take for her to consider herself his? She genuinely didn’t know, and it worried her that she couldn’t nail that down, because it meant it could happen today or tomorrow, or perhaps in a week. She didn’t trust herself not to just submit to the notion of being his. That shift in the water had her head snapping up quick enough to make herself dizzy for a moment, watching him carefully and suddenly aware of how foolishly she’d boxed herself into the furthest corner from the door. A light tingle ran down her spine, not the kind of shudder that you feel when you know you’re in danger, but the kind when you can’t help but feel excited.

Only when he began to speak did she push his arm away slowly so as not to splash water. “Because when your family gets overthrown, I want to be on the right side of history.” Dangerous words, she knew that. Words of revolution and riot had already begun to be whispered among the races that now served. The part of Nyx that clung to her old life thought it was only a matter of when, not if. But her more sensible side knew that it wasn’t the case, it was just an excuse, a security blanket so she wouldn’t have to face her current feelings. There was an exasperated sigh before she spoke, staring at him right in front of her, “I get that you don’t care about people, but I do. They’re my friends, my family. It will take more than your knives to cut those ties.” She was on the very precipice of losing her kin completely. She was still trying to keep them and play him for her own advantage (or so she keeps telling herself), but she’d have to choose and it was coming up quicker than she would have liked, she still didn’t know which she wanted more.

[of-pinned-wings]

CON :

“Ow!” He lands on his ass, again, and pants, hurt this time, but not willing to show it.

Freshly shaved, freshly washed, and freshly rested was exactly the best time, his friends had decided, to invite him to play a game of lacrosse out in the palace gardens. He’d never been one to refuse sports, and had been quick to join. Only... well, he wasn’t all that good at lacrosse, no matter how enthusiastic he was. And now, as he stood from another trip and fall, it was clear he was the muddiest player on the pitch.

“I’m just gonna get a drink!” He notified his team mates before heading inside, glad to get away from them all. He was still muddied and carrying his lacrosse net over his shoulder as he walked, not truly making his way to the kitchens but at least trying to hide away.

There were footsteps and he presumed he’d been found.

“Yes, yes - alright, I’ll be out in a minute! Just give a man a moment alone to tend to his arse, will you?!” He called, a little snappily.

She hadn’t been given the honour of attending the game that the new rulers had held together, what she wouldn’t have given to see them smack each other with those sticks. Gods knew they deserved far more. Instead, while they played silly sports, her and the other slaves were stuck keeping the castle running.

Broom held in one hand she looked rather pleased with herself, cleaning the floors wasn’t one of her normal tasks, but for some reason today it was hers. She’d spent the better part of an hour cleaning, from washing to sweeping, it was only as she stood up that she noticed some idiot had decided to traipse mud across the floor.

With a small flare of rage, it was a miracle she didn’t simply set the broom on fire, she swung it around, before following the footsteps a few feet, her tone scathing as she thought it one of the slaves assigned to the stables. “You’d best get your arse to cleaning these floors before I beat it with my broom.” It was only when her anger subsided and she looked up that she realised it wasn’t a slave. Fuck.

[of-pinned-wings]

ASTRID :

     “can i help you ? ” tone tips apathetically, eyes quick to appraise her approaching company - she’d just settled down. the day had proven to be quite difficult, the halfling flitting from one wing of the castle to another, barely pausing for a moment to breathe. she was lucky enough to even attempt to relish the minute of peace she stumbled upon before returning to work. exhaustion evident in her posture she cants her head, the female clearly absolved of any intention to maintain her usual compliant facade. lips downturn. “ or are you so desperate that you can’t even bother to find someone else ? ”   //

Nyx had spent a majority of the morning avoiding areas that the masters frequented, instead sticking to the servant's halls and even taking to ducking behind a pillar. Turning the corner her wings bristled, shifting at her back as she heard a voice. One hand raised in mock surrender the other clutching a piece of cloth, a smug grin slipped over her lips, no matter how long she’d spent here, her mischievous nature had not diminished. “Hey, this isn’t just your hideaway spot you know.”

Approaching with some modicum of caution, unsure whether the other would simply strike out at her for interrupting, she ended up plonking herself down just out of arms reach. Placing the cloth between the two of them, she let the ends of it fall open, revealing a small collection of biscuits and sweet treats that she’d stolen from the kitchen. “You look like you could use a pick me up.”

[of-pinned-wings]

ALEXANDRE :

    “ the linens look pretty fresh to me, ” alexandre says brusquely.  his eyes flicker from her expression to the wings at her back.  he feels guilty, immediately, for his outburst.  she’s doing a job.  not even a job – a forced obligation.  “ no, don’t go.  you’d just bother me twice then. ”  he gets up off the edge of his bed and starts to pull the linens off.  “ just give me a hand and we’ll make quicker work of it. ”

“Gods forbid I bother you more than once.” She muttered under her breath as she neared the side of the bed. “Appearances can be deceiving, can they not? You weren’t expected back and I’m sure some selfish master helped themselves to an empty bed for a few minutes of entertainment.” Her words were scathing, but only in the sense of general distaste of the masters just helping themselves.

There was a mild surprise to her, sure there were other Masters that could boast they knew how to change a bed, but to find one that was willing to actually do so was a rarity. “Perhaps Sir should relax with a bath, and I will be done before you are.”

[of-pinned-wings]

CHEL :

She shook her head.

“No one here is kind.” She said, her smile still on place. It was small and sad, but she figured she ought to keep it up because it was probably the only smile most people saw most days.

“But I get by. I have learned only to follow the stories of others’ love - not to search for mine.” She was destined to be cursed by what she’s involved in - cursed by the tradition of her species, which did not allow room for love.

While Chel was correct that no one here was kind, that only applied to the Masters here, not to those captured and pulled in from elsewhere. Those that were fae, elf, siren and lycan alike. Finding kindness among other slaves was still a little rare, people were starting to look out for themselves, it wasn’t impossible. 

Leaping up all of a sudden, she had the attention span of a gold-fish today, she looked in the small wooden cabinets and plucked out some oils and scented salts from the back, the ones that wouldn’t be noticed to be missing immediately. “Well then, lets give you a treat then.”

[of-pinned-wings]

GAIUS :

“Show me,” he chuckled. With her swimming toward him, he was certain her wings were wet by now. He wanted to see her fly, wanted to experiment with what she could do. How long could she stay in the air? It wasn’t often that he gave her permission to fly and he was very sure she would want to take advantage of it. If not, then he could punish her for disobeying orders. Either way, he won. He let his hands continue along her back, brushing the delicate wings every so often and purposely dragging water up to wet them more. The harder he could make it for her, the more entertaining her attempts would be. What had the fae been like in their own home? What had they done during storms? What had they done for entertainment? None of that mattered in the end. They had been conquered. 

Her threat had him digging his nails into the scars on her back, pulling her closer so their chests touched. There was no possible outcome in which he would allow anyone else to have her. She belonged to him and he had been doing everything in his power to make sure every other person in the castle knew that. Grinning, he pressed his lips to her shoulder and began to trail small bites along her skin, more marks to prove his point. He moved back up to brush against her neck and finally bite down on her ear. “You know you’re mine,” he chuckled. She was offering herself in exchange for being allowed to stay here and yet he would take her anyway. “Everyone knows you belong to me,” Gaius continued, “the only other person who could have you is my uncle.” The punisher had no authority to stop the king, but he was very sure Nyx would not want to be anywhere near that man. 

Getting bored of her was something he doubted would happen. She was the one slave in the castle who he allowed to push back against him. On top of that, she was rather attractive, although he would never admit having such thoughts for a non-human. He was more than entertained by her and the fact that she now seemed to be learning his methods of manipulation and word twisting only made him want to keep her more. Someday, he would make her fully come to realize what the rest of the castle already had. She was his and nothing would change that. Even if his uncle decided to have his fun with her, Gaius would still take her when that was over.

Nyx stopped for a moment, her eyes narrowing as she was confused by his order, was it a trick? It was Gaius asking, so most likely yes. “Umm, no.” Shaking her head she pulled back ever so slightly, aware of his hands on her back. “I’m not allowed to fly.” She knew the rules, more often than not, she ignored the hell out of them, but now, it served her remember them. “I’ll not be punished for something that was encouraged by you.” Her tone was rather accusatory, that was what he did after all, made people do things against their own self-interest, and then punish them for it. She’d been through that cycle far too many times and didn’t care to repeat it just now. The water he ran over her wings and back was warm and it sent a shudder up her spine, it was too comforting and it was starting to lull her into a false sense of safety.

Biting her teeth down she hissed as his nails dug into the scars of her back, he could have dug in anywhere across her back and likely hit a scar of some sort. Her breath hitched in her throat as he pulled her against his chest, his kisses making the colour rise to her cheeks, which could easily be mistaken for the heat of the water. Biting her own lip as he bit her ear, his whisper making her heart race. His words weren’t a question, they were a statement, one that she wanted to refute, a small squeak falling from her lips, “No ... I’m not.” Her own words lacked any conviction, she hated how weak they sounded.

Pressing her hand against the middle of his chest, she pushed herself back, feeling his hands digging into the centre of her back. She needed to get out of this bath before she did something stupid. Slipping through his fingers she moved back to her end of the bath, “You have a dinner to go to, and I have chores to do.” Another reason he shouldn’t take her to the dinner, there were things she was supposed to be doing, and if she didn’t do them, then some poor other slaves would have to do them as well as their own work. Not something she wanted as it once again looked like favouritism, everyone already had plenty of their own work to do, she didn’t need someone else despising her for making their night longer. Turning her head to the side she was clearly done with this conversation, not wanting to get into a verbal sparring match with him.