#v:the crusades (spider bites)

[nosgothpillarofdeath]

Break Free

@arachnicianhierophant

"I assure you again, inquisitor, I have no need for an escort. I'll be in disguise and the college isn’t far. This lecture may not seem of great importance to you, but one must keep their appointments. I’ll return in a few days."

Those were Mortanius' last words to Zephon before he departed the stronghold on horse in the morning. The untimely attempt on his life made escape more difficult than he accounted for when he arranged this trip a month ago, but he would not let a trifling imbecile who relied on hired thugs infringe on his plans.

Mortanius took to the road dressed in the clothes of common merchant. Few outside the order knew his face, for his title and feats inspired common people to spin wild tales about his appearance which he allowed to spread, causing most to recognize him solely by his red robes and Sarafan regalia. As he passed beyond the vantage point of the stronghold's highest tower he bid his horse to gallop. His long black hair danced with the vivid spring air blowing against his skin and his heart swelled with renewed vigor. 

How many times had assassins set upon him in his lifetime, only to be cut down by the sword or reduced to a fine red mist by his spells? Too many to count. Zephon simply could not understand that.

He arrived at a crossroads. One path led north, to the college where Mortanius had been summoned to give a lecture on human anatomy and medicine. The other path led westward, to freedom. Mortanius unflinchingly rode west. The summons was a lie.

Several hours later, around sunset, Mortanius arrived in a small town situated near the southern shore of the Lake of Tears. He stopped only once along the way to rest and eat a little and sit in the grass. It felt good to be on his own, away from responsibility. Leaving his horse at the stables, he entered a large inn and headed for the bar. The space was crowded with unrestrained human energy. People drank and laughed and gambled and a man played jaunty music on a lute.

"You here for the festival tomorrow?" said the bartender.

"Yes, sir. I have a room here, name of Alastair. All paid in advance."

"Aye," the bartender replied after checking his booklet. He handed Mortanius a key from under the table. "First timer, eh? I ain’t seen you before.”

“That’s correct. I’ve heard this festival is... well, quite something.”

The bartender chuckled. “Keeps me in business! Keeps the whole damn town in business, to be honest. Can I get you anything?"

"The steak and potato stew and hard cider, please."

"I'll have my wife bring it to ya, take a seat."

"Thank you."

Mortanius turned from the bar and walked toward an empty table, smiling to himself. Only one table was free. As he was about to pull out a seat he noticed someone approach him and straightened his back with a start.

For a moment he was too surprised to be mortified. Somehow, he'd allowed himself to be followed. He felt the blush crawling up his neck. Those freckles were a dead giveaway. He whispered, "Oh dear lord... Zephon? How did you...?" 

[nosgothpillarofdeath]

Somebody to Love

((A discord RP with the incredible @arachnicianhierophant, taking place directly after Break Free. I typically don’t post this type of content to my blogs but this was simply too good not to share.))

The inn was still going strong by the time they returned. Mortanius felt slightly self-conscious as the two of them crossed the bar for the stairs, but at least the noise would provide them cover. His room was at the end of the hall on the second floor. A bit larger than the others with a window and space for a round table with a couple of chairs. The bed was roomy enough for two. He sat on the edge of it with his traveling bag and started moving some of the contents onto the bed stand, a couple of towels and a bottle of something. 

 "I apologize, I'm not accustomed to doing this with someone I know," he said sheepishly, realizing that he had suddenly gone all closed off. It felt strange to have performance anxiety. Usually he didn't care so much as long as he felt satisfied by the end.

Undoubtedly Mortanius was doing better than Zephon. 

Zephon was looming in the corner, looking like he was waiting for instruction... Which honestly wasn't far from the truth. 

 "I'm not accustomed to this at all, if it helps?" Zephon asks. After a moment of awkward silence he swallows. "S... So. How...?" He sighs. "Um. How do you... Normally want this to happen?" He asks.

"Well... we have to get undressed. You could sit beside me, too." He started by taking off his shoes. Usually he helped his partner out of their clothes. With Zephon, he wondered if he would enjoy that. By now the reality of what happened with the knife had finally sunk in, leading him to realize that Zephon was much more closed off than any partner he'd had before.

Zephon's eyes widened. He looked down at his ensemble and slowly reached into his sleeve. 

With a few moments of trouble, out came the knife... Then he reached into his other sleeve, pulling out another. He removed his scarf before bending down to his boots, taking one out of each and finally pulling his socked feet out of their confines. 

Even in his baggy disguise Zephon appeared willowy and lithe, a little less awkward than before as he straightened out and walked to sit by Mortanius. "Just... A fore warning... There are more."

Mortanius crossed one leg over his knee and removed his sock. He blinked at Zephon. "More what?"

"... Weapons..." He uttered. "Distractions..." His head sunk. "knives."

He blinked again. "Oh..." 

 Mortanius knit his brow, frowning at the knives Zephon had already removed from his sleeves. It did not seem like this decision was something made simply for the sake of this mission. Did he always do this? 

"Would you like some help? You still haven't come any closer."

Zephon sat down on the bed. "I'd like... That if you would like. If not I... May need a moment to make myself un-prickly."

Mortanius touched Zephon's uninjured shoulder, which he knew to be safe, and kissed his jaw. He hoped his affection would sooth the tortuer's nerves. It would be a difficult evening if they were both on edge. "I'll be careful." 

He started with the vest.

There was noticable... Heft to the vest. Zephon let out an audible sigh of relief as he reached out to touch Mortanius' arm. Two knives were tied to the inside of the inquisitor's vest, and another tied on a harness over his shirt. Zephon helped by shimmying out of both, then lightly tugged on Mortanius' sleeve. "... May I?"

The sight saddened him more than he expected. He felt as though he had seen something like this before, although in a much more metaphorical sense. After setting the vest to the side of the bed (he would have to remember which side, lest he step on them in the morning) he started to reach for the harness, but Zephon stopped him first. Color rose to his cheeks. "If you'd like... actually, I have something hidden as well. Go ahead. Mine don't poke."

Zephon now was curious. A curious smile crept on Zephons face. "Really, now?" He asked, a hand reaching into Mortanius' jacket as he palmed the usual suspects. Nothing in the shoulders, Pectorals... He leaned in. Nothing on the back he could feel... 

Slowly he shrugged off the elders jacket, feeling a little embarassed for realizing how handsy he got. "Where?"

Mortanius tried very hard not to shiver. It felt so good to be touched like that, even if it wasn't inherently sexual. He licked his lips. "You'll have to take off my shirt."

"Really?" He purred. He pulled at the elder's shirt, untucking it if it had been. He hadn't been paying attention as he skipped a hand up his shirt and... 

Zephon paused. 

"Wait..." He said, pushing up Mortanius' shirt to be greeted with a bit of hubris. "How? How are you so muscular?" Zephon asked.

The muscles Zephon had just discovered tensed. He leaned his head forward, brushing against Zephon's brow, and softly grasped his wrist. After thirty years it didn't take much to make him eager. "Spar with Malek sometimes. Magic takes a toll on the body so... it helps to keep in shape." 

Zephon let out an exaserbated guffaw and lifted the shirt up. "You're as built as Turel!" He says, trying to lift the shirt off. 

And he was hairy! Dark hair he... Probably would have expect to be there, but like this? Zephon pondered how the pillar kept cool in his abundant clothing.

"Now I'm envious..." He says. The most definition he ever got was some in his midsection, calves and shoulders, but nothing like this. "... Well. I do believe it's your turn." 

"Ugh, I am not! Turel is an ox and I'm... I don't know what - but not that." He wriggled out of his sleeves and tossed the shirt aside without any of the care he showed for Zephon's knife infested clothing.

There was another kind of sleeve under Mortanius' clothing, a tattoo that practically covered his right arm from shoulder to elbow. The marking on the shoulder was the most complex - a sigil comprised of the symbols for elemental light and elemental darkness overlapping each other much in the way the moon overlaps the sun during an eclipse. Beneath the sigil a few black bands encircled his upper arm. Each band knotted in the middle and broke apart at the ends. Given the amount of flat black ink in his skin, obtaining them must have been a test of pain.

Mortanius now reached for the harness on Zephon's back. He kissed his cheek again as he undid the buckle and dropped the heavy armament over the side of the bed with his vest and then moved onto Zephon's shirt.

Zephon immediately found himself gripping his shirt. "No."

The reaction was damn near involuntary, and even then Zephon seemed embarassed. "I... I dont mind if you touch my chest or arms..." He is clearly some combination of troubled and embarassed. "I just... I don't like my back uncovered."

He sighs and tightens it's hem so the fabric is pulled taught around his torso. "No knives. I swear..." He says. "Well. At least there."

Mortanius stopped immediately. For a second he forgot about his earlier assessment, about Zephon likely having a reason to guard himself so carefully. He touched his clenched fist and caressed it reassuringly. As Zephon was beginning to notice his hands were rough in texture, calloused from casting volatile spells, but their scars did not diminish his innate tenderness. "I'll just unbutton the front. Is that alright?"

"Ah-uh..." He seemed to breathe, holding his hand for a moment. "Yes... Please, by all means."

Zephon rakes in a few more deep breaths as he releases Mortanius's hand and places his arms on the built man's shoulders. Did he have to react like that? Why couldn't he just be normal?

Even Mortanius just being tender with him was getting him a little overwhelmed.

Mortanius kissed his lips softly while his hands worked on the buttons of his shirt. He whispered, "It's alright. You don't have to be perfect. I'm not interested in perfect."

His eyes drifted down to Zephon's bare chest. He was not as sculpted as the men Mortanius usually favored nor as manly. Running his hand from his stomach, his fingers raked through a sparse cluster of curly chest hair as red as Zephon's head, covering a heart that was fluttering like a frightened bird. And he was positively covered in freckles. Mortanius bit his lip slightly, smiling. "I like your freckles."

Zephon was at a loss.  He found it strange being ogled. Was this ogling? This was ogling wasnt it? By the wheel he wanted to burry himself in Mortanius' shoulder, but he found himself wiggling to stay a little discreet.

Zephon nervously kissed the elders' temple gingerly, laughing nervously. "T... Thank you. I like... Um. Your chest." He muttered out an apology for not saying so earlier.

Mortanius laughed softly in reply. He did not expect to like Zephon's freckles. They made him look silly, he used to think, but now, in this context... He lifted his head and buried a deep, gentle kiss. "Please don't tell me you have knives in your pants," he cooed.

"..." Zephon let out a sigh of defeat. "... Alright. I won't." 

He looked at Mortanius with an absolute grin of nervousness. "But I can, for sure, say there are caltrops."

Was he being serious? Caltrops? Mortanius sighed and eyed Zephon's trousers like a mouse eyes a mousetrap. He slid his hand down between Zephon's thighs, rubbing against the front with a slight pressure. "Hmm. This spot seems safe..."

Zephon let out an audible moan, curling forward as his knees buckle. Zephon's face grew beet-red as he squirmed. "... I- what if..." He huffed. Evidently Zephon liked that. "I disarmed myself?"

Grinning, Mortanius gave another small squeeze and stroke. He truly did not want to let go. When he did release it was only to unbuckle Zephon's belt and greedily stuff his hand all the way down his trousers.

"You better get started," he exhaled hotly.

"A-ah-"

Zephon's singing voice, apparently didn't leave him in... Other instances. The younger man bit his lips to try and keep quiet, but little whimpers of pleasure still trickled through.

Zephon removed his hands from Mortanius's shoulders and down to his drawers. Two daggers of various sizes came from his belt, as well as a bag. Once the belt was gone, Zephon removed a few more from the inseams of his drawers.

Finally, it seemed, Zephon was unarmed, an entranced smile glossed over his face as he returned his hands to Mortanius' face. "Done. Truly this time."

After a certain point Mortanius needed to stop and sit back, both to give Zephon space and to bewilder at the absurd amount of steel. Seeing Zephon's manhood bobbing out the front of his loosened trousers only made this scene more ridiculous. Mortanius smiled. He wanted to laugh but his stomach was twisted in knots.

Kissing him, he bid him to lie down. Finally he relieved Zephon of his pants and underwear. Freckled all over. Seeing all of him at once - sans the portion covered by his unbuttoned shirt - Mortanius almost didn't know what to do with himself. Grabbing the bottle from the nightstand, he straddled and intently placed Zephon's hand on the hem of his pants while he worked on unscrewing the cap. Teamwork.

He was more than willing to oblige. Zephon did his best to make up for lost time and rubbed small circles with his thumbs on Mortanius' abdomen. Would have kissed him, if not how preoccupied Mortanius was.

When Zephon found his fingers unlacing the others' drawers did it finally hit him. He was having sex... With Mortanius of all people.

Well. He better try to make this exciting.

"Tell me what feels good?"

Mortanius paused with the cap in one hand and the opened bottle in the other. Didn't Zephon say he was inexperienced?

"Right now, anything. I'll let you know." With his pants around his knees, he cupped Zephon's dominant hand and poured a little bit of the liquid into his palm. It felt cool and incredibly slippery. He then gave himself a little and stretched to return the bottle to the nightstand where it would not be disturbed. "Use that on me, like this..."

Leaning over Zephon, he started stroking the younger man's shaft with his slick hand, spreading the stuff around. It already felt much better than when Mortanius used his dry hand. His calloused fingers no longer chafed on sensitive areas.

Zephon let out an audible noise again, and fought the urge to move his hips. He let out a breathy sigh and followed suit, gripping Mortanius. Surprisingly, Zephon's fingers weren't, as calloused- but more toned with dexterous muscles. "This better?"

"Mmm," he moaned softly. Yes, it felt good.

Mortanius paused the action for a moment to shift to a new position between Zephon's thighs and lowered himself until their privates touched. He nudged Zephon's hand back into position. Their fingers bumped as Mortanius joined in stroking and rubbing their intimate parts together, supporting the back of Zephon's head with his arm and kissing him passionately, hips rocking. This was the closest they had been yet. It was easy to do, too. Zephon's inexperience made little difference here.

After about a minute Mortanius' hand turned downward. His fingers slid between Zephon's cheeks, spreading the slippery stuff around and pressing his hole like a button. He did not intrude, he only wanted to see if he liked it.

Zephon's middle ached with something he couldn't quiet place. It wasn't fear or curiosity, but he did feel paralyzed as Mortanius began to move and kiss him.

After a moment of catching up to himself mentally did Zephon use his brain and do something about it. He cupped Mortanius' cheek and rocked his hips back against his lover, letting little open- mouthed moans mix between them.

This? This was incredible, it was more than he had ever thought it was. Sure, Zephon had primarily wanted to stop being lonely. However there were times in Raziel's peripheral he'd scorn the physical act of lovemaking. Surely sex wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Especially between two drastically different sorts of people.

Zephon was pleased to know he was... Wrong. So pleasantly wrong.

Even when Mortanius pressed behind him did he only shudder slightly, rolling his hip back further up into the elder.

Mortanius confessed he wanted more from this, despite the pleasentness. It felt artificial. This position excited him more with long term lovers, men who shared his bed for years. Zephon could be one of those men, but right now? Right now Mortanius had thirty years of tension tied up like a rat king in his stomach. He wiggled the tip of his finger inside, about an inch. "You like that?"

Zephon tensed, his face scrunching as he was invaded from behind.

A pit in his stomach formed as unease made it's way in Zephon's gut. "Uh-" he was speechless. The sensation was certainly... Different. Not unpleasant, but...

Zephon shook his head. "I... Not... Not so fast, please."

Once he saw Zephon's face it was impossible to hide his disappointment. If he disliked that he would certainly hate what Mortanius had in mind. He withdrew, grasped Zephon's thigh and pulled it up against his hip. "Then just... squeeze me  a bit, would you? You could move more."

He could think of other things. Zephon might be too unsure of himself to top him properly. Maybe the other way? It wasn't really what he wanted. No point stopping just to think about it, he should be enjoying himself. He squeezed the hand on his shaft and kissed Zephon's neck. "Rougher."

Zephon shivered at the requests. Mortanius seemed... Unsatisfied. That only made him feel worse about the situation.

Zephon wanted to be able, but right now- even known this man as long as he had: couldn't entirely trust him.

The inquisitor paid close attention to Mortanius' word and felt his face harden. If that's what Mortanius wanted: it was what he'd get.

"Rougher you say?" He posed, his grip tightening on them as he made sure to stroke with a little more force. "... I can provide that..."

He didn't like it, but Mortanius... Plainly needed this more than he did. He'd remember that as he kissed Mortanius' head in response. "Harder?"

His muscles tensed and he let out a slight groan. That did feel better. He slid his hand back into place around Zephon. "P-please... ah... How do you want it?"

There was enough room to give Zephon what he wanted, too. Not that he would have felt too bothered about finishing first. In fact, he rather liked that idea. There was one thing he always liked doing and he knew for a fact Zephon would enjoy it.

"I don't-" Zephon grunted, rubbing his pelvis up into the death pillar's with a little bit more desperation.

Zephon couldn't say as though he was surprised, he prayed to the wheel Mortanius didn't know of his youth in training... He prayed, honestly that he could forget it hinself, but that seemed moot. The best he could do is help the man who had been so kind to him.

"S-surprise me" he challenged lightly as he ran his thumb over Mortanius' head.

That made Mortanius snicker into Zephon's shoulder. Surprise? He could only imagine.

He merely played with Zephon's cock. It was easy enough to keep him stimulated without pushing him over the edge. Mortanius, on the other hand, did not even try to contain himself. His mind was racing. Quite suddenly Mortanius arched his back and with a muffled yelp released his seed over Zephon's stomach. After that he simply leaned his head against Zephon's shoulder for a moment, catching his breath. He stopped stroking Zephon but he hadn't let go of him yet either. No, he wasn't done yet.

Zephon released Mortanius for the time being, instead wrapping hus clean hand around the elders'  chest and gently pulling him into a panting embrace. He littered kisses across Mortanius' neck and murmured quiet words of affirmation into his skin. "Are you alright? Was that too much? I'm sorry. Is this too much? You must be tired..."

Mortanius let out a panting laugh. He braced himself against the bed, preventing himself from being moved, and kept his hold around Zephon. The torturer was still hard. That was good. He lifted his head and swept back the dark hair hang over his face, revealing a satisfied grin. "You're... being too kind... to this old man. Ah, now then..."

Sitting back on his knees, he collected his hair in both hands and wrapped it up in a bun. He was getting his slick hand in it but he could wipe the stuff out later with a towel. Zephon would need one too with the state he left him in, although that too could wait a few more minutes. Mortanius cleared his throat. "Lie back and relax. You're about to learn something about me."

He scooted back a step then placed his hands on Zephon's waist. Next he steadied Zephon's shaft, pointing it up, and raked his tongue lovingly over the tip. In the next moment he leaned forward and slid the thing into his mouth; not just the tip - the whole entire thing!

"How else am I supposed to treat you?" Zephon pondered openly. Was being kind after the act not common? He rarely heard of people boasting about it, but almost always of being rough.

He was halfway to sitting when Mortanius told him to lie back down, and he couldn't help but wonder curiously what was going on. Mortanius came, didn't he? Yes... What else was on his stomach?

"Learn soemthing like wh-AHaaa-" Zephon's voice tappered out into a gasp loud enough that he covered his mouth with his hands and shook. Mortanius was, evidently, very good at this sort of  thing. Zephon would have almost certainly have been done by this point and time with himself- but his partner seemed more than willing to draw out the time they were together.

He wanted to touch Mortanius- he wanted to say something- but as the satisfied moans racked his lungs he found himself damn near clawing his own mouth shut.

Faint vibrations tickled his shaft as Mortanius moaned in kind. It might surprise Zephon how much he enjoyed this after he already climaxed. In the first place he came by thinking about it. He took his time, sucking and slowly drawing Zephon deep into his throat, supporting him with his tongue. Tasted terribly bitter. By the Wheel, how he missed doing this.

Pent up and painful, now it was Zephon's own fault things weren't going as fast as Mortanius probably wanted. Zephon's thighs flexed to keep himself in check as he tried and failed- to get used to the sensation of recieving head for the first time. Honestly, there was only so much Zephon could keep up before the inevitable happened- he wasn't entirely stupid in this regard. However- he really... REALLY didn't want to make Mortanius uncomfortable. Zephon slowly lowered a hand from his mouth to the elder's hair lightly touching his head with equal parts desperation and attempted kindness. "P-please... I don't... I don't want to make yo- Ah-" deep breath. Mortanius was... Too good at this. Or maybe Zephon was too inexperienced. "I don't want to make you dirty-"

A new taste emerged as he drew on Zephon's tip. Mortanius hummed. Some of his hair fell out of place as Zephon touched him and he paused with half inside his mouth and lifted his eyes. Ah, the look on Zephon's face. Mortanius' cheeks dimpled. As he went down on him again he stroked his hand across Zephon's stomach, prodding along the sides near his hips. There was a nerve here that usually made men come. He just needed to find the spot.

Mortanius seemed to not heed his words- maybe he had grown numb to Zephons whimpering? Didn't hear him? Whatever the case may be Mortanius kept on keeping on. If given the chance to speak directly, Zephon would have suggested Mortanius was being too kind to him, instead of the other way around.

"Wa-wait..." he said as Mort's hand trailed along his stomach.

His core and legs were already so engaged and over-reacting. If Mortanius kept this up then there'd be no chance Zephon could save face. "If you do that I'm going- Ahh-" his voice hit a crack as the heat in his belly stirred. It was too late. All Zephon could do was hope.

His knees buckled slightly as his lower calves cramped up. The fingers in Mortanius hair grabbed strands with a death-grip as Zephon's other hand clutched anything beneath him. His back arched, letting out a vocal littany of moans and gasps as he came to the elder's mouth. Bright lights danced behind Zephon's closed eyes as he finished with a shiver and string of gasps.

"Ah- ah... I'm so sorry. I didn't-" But could he move afterwards? No. Not at all. Zephon's body couldn't and wouldn't cooperate with him. In fact, words failed the normally coherent man.

"Mmm-hm!" Mortanius' shoulders bunched up like a cat being scratched in just the right spot. His lips sealed around Zephon's base as he sucked and swallowed the thick stream. He coughed faintly, squeezing his nostrils shut with his fingers as he kept going. Too much!

By the time Zephon emptied Mortanius' lungs ached for air. He sat up, gasping and sniffing loudly but smiling with supreme satisfaction. Still catching his breath he reached for a towel, rubbed out the stick from his hair, and lovingly wiped down Zephon's stomach, cleaning away the mess he left behind after Zephon stroked him off, spreading tender kisses across the torturer's freckled and sweaty chest.

"Don't be sorry," the Death Guardian purred. "It was a pleasure."

Quivering, still where he laid, Zephon replaced his hand from Mortanius' hair onto his arm. He couldn't coherently say how- but he muttered something gentle and sat up a bit to bring the other man down to the bed with him. "I didn't mean to grab you like that..." he uttered.

Casting the towel aside, Mortanius gingerly wrapped his arms around Zephon and made himself cozy. He pried his pants from his ankles with his feet and nudged them off of the edge of the bed to let his bare leg lie across Zephon's thigh, nuzzled his head against Zephon's cheek and gazed down his chest as he lightly touched a cluster of freckles around his collar bone. Freckled all over. Unbelievable. His breath warmly drifted across Zephon's neck as he spoke. "I liked it. And... I like you."

Zephon shivered quietly at the little confession, but adamantly rubbed his hands along Mortanius' back. It pleased him that Mortanius enjoyed that, he couldn't even begin to think of what he would do if this was something he'd regret. He still had reservations about accidentally hurting the man, though, even if it was just a hypothetical.

"Thank you... I like you, too..."

Zephon hurt people for a living already. He didn't want to do that to a lover.

Wait, were they lovers now? Zephon squinted and tried not to think too much on it, instead he kissed Mortanius' face and quietly breathed with him.

Then a small sigh. "... Mortanius. Don't laugh."

Mortanius closed his eyes after the kiss. God, he smelled nice too. The familiarity made it better. "About what?"

Zephon giggled. "We should... Probably relieve ourselves."

Mortanius groaned. "You certainly know how to ruin a moment. There's a chamber pot in the corner, you go first."

Zephon fell into a fit of giggles. "I'm sorry-" he wheezed. "Aaah I didn't want to break away without saying something~" the tension he had was now gone. All of it, surprisingly. The fear of returning back to the Stronghold? Gone. The fear of under-performing? Gone. The fear that he'd say the wrong thing? Okay, that was there- but at this point the stress-to-ease ratio was so far to the other side every mistake he made came with humor.

Zephon sat up a bit, careful not to hurt Mortanius as he ascended... Then smiled a bit, leaned over and kissed the man's nose again.

"I'm sorry. I'll be right back," he bade a little more quietly, confidently as he sauntered off.

Mortanius rolled onto his back and gazed at the ceiling. This all felt so natural. Like a lot of evenings in the distant past. His brows knit. At heart he was a monogamist. Even in his youth it took him a long time to move into a new relationship after the death of his previous partner. How long had it been since Inquisitor Bartholomew? Four - no, five centuries? Their relationship had been short by comparison with Mortanius' other lovers, he died of his wounds. Maybe it was the weight of all his grief that convinced him to swear off relationships. Or maybe it was the eccentric way Bartholomew chose to be remembered. The man had a morbid, almost sick sense of humor.

Bartholomew was also a red head, come to think of it. Not like Zephon, though.

Feeling the mattress move as Zephon sat back down brought Mortanius out of his thoughts. He stared at Zephon upsidedown for a second. His expression was hard to read: a little wistful, perplexed, guilty. Without saying anything he rolled off of the bed and moved to relieve himself. Hopefully Zephon did not peer too closely. As Mortanius walked away Zephon noticed another tattoo. On his back, it was impossible to miss. A complex rendering of the Wheel of Fate, a work stabbed into his flesh through centuries of anguish. In spite of its intricacy the piece clearly wasn't intended to be viewed. Mortanius dressed conservatively at all times.

Zephon couldn't help but notice. Tattoos were not... Well, not exactly common in Nosgoth. There were few cases where even he saw them; often times their nature was ritualistic or ceremonial in origin.  Not always, but few people decided it was worth the pain agony and time it took to make such immaculate changes to one's body.

And that was coming from him.

Zephon turned away from the tattoo when he noticed how long he was staring. Zephon didn't openly like oggling people when they could not see him. It came with the profession, of course, but he wasn't on duty for the moment... Speaking of which, he should do something about those weapons, shouldn't he?

The  Sarafan bent down to properly untagle the various harnesses, belts, hilts, and their weapons and slide a choice few under the bed, a few of the smaller ones (and the caltrops) he kept above on the night-stand. No sense in not being prepared... Just in case. Silently he moved back into the bed, straightening out the blankets and waiting, a tad bit eagerly, for Mortanius to return.

Mortanius looked even more pensive as he came back to bed. This time he felt certain Zephon would notice he had something on his mind, but it wasn't the sort of thing he wanted to comment about. Bringing up past lovers was a bad way to begin a new relationship. Instead he crawled into bed and snugly wrapped Zephon in his arms.

Zephon smiled and pulled Mortanius closer. "Heh... I'm happy to see my... Comment earlier didn't endear you any less to me." By the Wheel he hoped. Wait..

Zephon's face fell. "... Are... Are you alright?" he asked.

He leaned his head on Zephon's shoulder, considering how best to answer that question. While he certainly felt sad he found that grief did not diminish the pleasure of lying with a valued companion. Some hope in that.

"Do you know why I said I could be the one who understands you?" he asked quietly, looking up at him openly. "I also have scars. A lot of scars. The Pillars are divine, ineffable - but my feet are made of the same clay as yours. I don't expect you to be perfect. I hope you feel the same way about me, because I know I cannot be."

Zephon let out a sigh of relief and squeezed Mortanius a bit. "I understand," he murmured. "Although I haven't found something about you that isn't... Well. Fatally flawed, I know, in time, I'll probably come to find them." He, however, would do his best not to go looking for it. He was bad about finding every little horrible thing out.

He let out a tired yawn and readjusted himself. "So... This was... This was a fair night?"

Mortanius shifted and nuzzled into the cozy space between Zephon's neck and shoulder. It felt good to know he would not need to fly come morning, good to know that Zephon shared his appreciation for these tender moments after sex. They could sleep late until the sun's warmth enveloped them. By way of answer, he said, "I want you to stay tomorrow. I'll think of an excuse to cover your absence when we return. We can spend the whole day together."

There would be few opportunities for that when they returned to the stronghold. They were both busy men. His relationship with Bartholomew involved a lot of note passing and sleepless nights due to their overloaded schedules. Some weeks it was all they could do simply to eat lunch together. If his time with Zephon ended shortly, he wanted to have  at least one good day with him.

Zephon let out a noise of.... Well, it seemed excited. "I can think of several excuses," he promised. "I'll... Find a way to send a message back to the Stronghold tomorrow. We should come up with a consistent story."

A smile spread across the Death Guardian's face. For the first time in memory he felt suddenly, very plainly happy; the short of joy that children feel when they're hoisted onto a grown-up's shoulders and spun around. He felt so giddy it embarrassed him. Unable to speak, he wrapped his arm around Zephon's chest and squeezed him.

Zephon responded in kind with a surprised laugh and squeezing Mortanius back again. He was happy his inexperience with relationships or sex didn't turn Mortanius away from him, like he thought it would have. If anything, Zephon learned that this sort of thing would be new any time you started this sort of relationships.

Tonight; they were both inexperienced with each other. Inexperienced, awkward, but great.

Zephon didn't even mind how Mortanius was touching his back.

Mortanius cupped his face and kissed him like he did on the hilltop. He wanted to make love to him again, right now, but it was perhaps fortunate that his body was not as willing as his heart.

"I want to teach you things. In the morning. We'll have fun together. I'll show you how to do that thing I did for you." He paused to kiss Zephon's jaw and reconsidered his words. That might be intimidating. "Beginner's course, obviously. Then we can eat breakfast together and go see the festival. Mmm, maybe skip breakfast. I'm sure there will be all kinds of food there. Music and dancing."

Zephon laughed again. "How long are we staying here?" he asked.  "And don't worry- I'll likely be up well before you are!" Or maybe he wouldn't be? Wheel be praised. What was Mortanius' usual routine like?

Mortanius kept kissing him. He started to slow down a little, if only because of lack of focus. So much to think about. "Through the festival. Watch the effigy burning at sunset, spend another night at the inn, ride home in the morning. I suppose we could stay... maybe one extra day, if we want to? Is there anything pressing on your schedule?"

He scratched at his beard. Moebius could hold things down without him for one more day. When it came to his brother he usually assumed everything was proceeding according to plan, so if they did stay an extra day he doubted it would surprise him (though he was probably annoyed about it already).

Zephon sighed. "Too much," he said. "Provided; most my job recently revolves around you getting back safely... So..." he hums. "Maybe we should go to the university. Create an alibi." He then paused. "Unless being there would tip off somone you do not want to know..."

"No, that would take too long. We only need an alibi to fool the inquisitors and they're too busy to look into it. The Circle respects my privacy as long as I don't strain their trust too far. And Moebius knows when I'm going to wipe my ass so," he shrugged, "try not to worry about him. Keeping secrets is what he does."

Zephon paused, realization dawning over him.

"Moebius knows."

He throws his head back, going red.

"That's... That explains so much."

That might have been a little too much for him. Regardless, it was a concept he needed to come to terms with if they were going to be comfortable in a relationship. Mortanius leaned his weight against him protectively, looking at him with easy sympathy.

"I'm not suggesting he arranged this. He may tug at a thread here or there for the betterment of Nosgoth but many events are either beyond his control or beneath him to intervene. I remember the first time I fell in love, really in love. I had to accept that I would always be what 'ordinary' people called deviant. Do you know what Moebius did? He smiled at me and he said, 'I knew. I always knew. Didn't care.' He's not such a bad man."

"Oh, no. I'm not-" he pauses. "Well, I am. Sort of..." Zephon wasn't proud to admit it; but often times when he needed some sort of mental edge over someone or something and had no place to turn; he'd turn to Moebius. Moebius was wise beyond his years, but as far as he knew- Moebius only had a few strings attatched to his powers. He'd never tell Zephon what to do or how to do it- but he'd make strong suggestions.

"When I was at the stronghold last night; Moebius was the one who told me you'd not be going to give a lecture, but to escape into a festival... Everything else fell into place afterwards." The bastard was also smiling. Damn him... Also; Wheel bless him.

"Yes, I was wondering about that when you mentioned it. It's unlike him to be so forward." Hard to say what that was all about. Even if he asked he knew Moebius would not answer him truthfully. Having Moebius as a brother meant accepting that truth was a luxury. Since Moebius had been involved with Zephon from a young age, Mortanius always suspected that he was in some manner touched by fate. That could be a good thing - or it could be devastating. Mortanius' expression fell. Death was always on his mind.

"I did not mean to imply, by the way, that you or I are in fact deviant," he said, changing the subject. "There are a lot of people like us, men and women, others. A lot of them in the Order, actually. Nosgoth on the whole is less tolerant than I'd prefer. I've heard that this festival is a good place to be for people like us. I'd prefer to see it for myself but... it would be nice, wouldn't it? We could just be ourselves."

Zephon shrugged. "I never thought of you as Deviant," he admitted. "Truth be told, I felt odd and out-of-place because I... Well, saw everyone around me forming relationships and I just... For whatever reason, couldn't." Zephon  sighed and relaxed a little bit more. This was the sort of thing he enjoyed speaking of with other people. Personal matters with people he trusted.

"... You... Do know I will keep myself armed tomorrow, yes?" he asked. "Not as heavily as today, but.... Still."

Mortanius bobbed his head on Zephon's chest. "I shall have my spells, of course. I can't very well judge you for being armed when I've always had the security of being able to defend myself at a moment's notice. But it did make me happy that you were able to put them down for tonight."

Zephon let out a sigh of relief and readjusted. He took a moment to switch his side and lay facing Mortanius. "Fair..." he blinks. "...I'm tired..."

Mortanius hummed. With everything about Moebius and tomorrow going through his mind he felt wide awake, but he had his fill of talking. He wrapped his arms around his new lover and softly stroked his fingers through his curly hair. "Thank you, Zephon."