[The Lyceum] Balm [Syllke]

by **Seodai** on December 18th, 2011, 4:54 am

Syllke felt so bare and exposed against Seodai, who was fascinated with the sensation of their chests touching with nothing between them. He released a pleased sigh and stroked exploratory fingers down the curve of Syllke's hip and between the tangle of their legs, raking across soft hair in search of something much different. Just before he could find that which he sought, however, even as cool knuckles brushed against hard heat, his Vantha had pulled away. Positively chattering, the chill that plagued Syllke was a proverbial ice on the fire as well. Seodai lost his nerve as concern washed over him, and his hand drifted away, upwards again.

"You never get cold," he murmured, with a furrowed brow. Syllke just burrowed closer, and after a moment of holding the freezing Vantha close, Seodai realized his body heat would not be sufficient for the both of them. He remembered very clearly just how uncomfortable it was to be freezing, after his jaunt in the sea only a few nights before. And so he carefully extricated himself from those clinging arms and slipped from the bed.

Syllke's room was small, but equipped with a hearth sufficient enough to warm it. The Vantha seldom used it, as he was naturally impervious to the cold, and so Seodai started with nothing as he knelt in bare feet and only his trousers to create a fire. It took a few moments, but soon enough flames were glowing brightly, dancing against shadow on Seo's face as he stared into it. Once he was convinced that it was more than sufficient to heat the room quickly, he stood and carried his lanky form back towards the bed. He seemed boyish, soft, at ease as he smiled into colorful eyes and climbed into the covers again. Rather than resume their previous positioning, however, Seodai climbed across Syllke so that he was closer to the wall. He pulled Syllke's back into his chest and, with the covers tucked snugly around them, held the Vantha close.

Syllke was facing the newly born fire, with farmers arms wrapped possessively around him. Seo's fingers idly stroked whatever skin they fell upon, and he nuzzled his face into the nape of his friends neck.

"It'll warm up soon," he promised, shifting a bit closer, so that as much of their bodies connected as possible.

by **Syllke Skyglow** on December 18th, 2011, 5:06 pm

Syllke would have protested loudly at Seodai’s withdrawal, but he couldn’t keep his teeth still long enough to get any words out. He had never been so cold in his life, and he wondered if this was what it felt like before one froze to death. But by all accounts, that state was preceded by a comforting sensation of warmth and drowsiness – not as if icicles were forming in your very veins and your heart turning to a lump of ice. In fact, the very coldest part of him was his gnosis mark on his chest, and his fingers moved to touch it shakily. It burned with the intensity of flesh touching ice in sub-zero weather. He jerked his hand away, and placed both of them between his legs, though there was no warmth to be found there either. Hearing the movements of his friend, Syllke could tell what he was doing, and he was more grateful for that care than any words could have expressed at that awful moment. When Seo crawled over him and slid in beside him once more, tucking the cover in carefully, Syllke could feel the heat emanating from the fireplace. Holding onto Seo for dear life giving heat, he could only think that somehow, finally, the wacked out happenings of Denval had caught up with him too.

Pressing length to length wrapped in his friend’s arms, feeling the amazing strength in them that he had overlooked before in his somewhat blind smugness about life, Syllke felt the warmth from that other heart suffusing his own. Slowly, between the fire laid by loving hands, and those loving hands themselves, and all the rest of Seo, he began to warm up. There was no return of the previous eroticism for Syllke, not yet anyway, for he was far too bothered by this experience and was feeling very sleepy. That realization alarmed him though.

“Seo,” he murmured into the boy’s neck. “Don’t let me fall asleep. Keep me awake somehow.” His fear, of course, was that this all might be a trick of nature, or malignant magic, and he might, in fact, be starting to freeze to death.

by **Seodai** on December 21st, 2011, 3:17 am

Seodai was filled with relief when the frame he held so close stopped shivering with a violent intensity. This was all very new, the press of skin to skin, the freedom to touch and feel without any hesitation. Seodai nuzzled the dark hair near his cheek, and sighed across a delicate temple. Syllke had explained to him how his gnosis worked, and with a grim sort of realization Seodai easily connected the unnatural chill Syllke experienced with the corruption of that.

"I'm so sorry," Seodai murmured quite sincerely. One hand stroked the length of Syllke's back, attempting to infuse him with even more heat. "I wish I could fix all of this."

There was a moment of quiet, the crackle of wood in the fire and the very distant sounds of the Lyceum coming to life filling it. He could feel Syllke beginning to doze, and so he shook him gently.

"No, don't sleep. Stay with me, sweetheart."

Seodai scrambled for something to say, something to do to keep Syllke interested. With fingers curling in that dark hair, he relaxed against his partner and spoke quietly.

"I could never tell a story like you do," he said, shushing Syllke's rattling objection. "But... I have one I could tell."

With that, he held Syllke closer, pressed his lips to the forehead of his artist, and then began to speak quietly.

"A long time ago there were two kingdoms. One was vicious and greedy. They loved to fight, and they wanted to control the whole world. The other kingdom was peaceful. They loved magic, and people, and life. They were forced to come to arms, though, to defend themselves against the brutes who were constantly at their door. In this kingdom, the one of peace, there was a child. A daughter born to a king who died before he could see the beautiful woman she would grow into."

As he spoke, Seodai focused his fingers on the side of Syllke - tracing and learning every dip and curve he had seen but not touched in the weeks and months of their friendship.

"And she did just that. She was just a child when she became the ruler of this kingdom, but even then you could see in her dark eyes that she understood the responsibility she had been given. She understood the lives that she held in her tiny hands. Syllke, are you listening? Are you awake?"

With another kiss, and the assurance that he still had an audience, Seo went on.

"While she lived, there also lived a man. A mage. A powerful wizard who could control earth and fire, summon creatures from other worlds... a man who watched the girl grow. He loved her as his Queen, and having loved her for years, he came to love her as a woman as well. He risked and lost a lot for her cause. He'd have done anything she asked. He traveled half a world away, sacrificed his own brothers, and fetched a magical artifact for her. Because he loved her."

The dip of Syllke's lower back was fascinating to Seo, who scratched ever so lightly at the smooth skin from there, over the curve of Syllke's ass, and then back up again.

"It didn't work. The magic she'd sent him a world away to find. It wasn't enough. Her people were losing, and she knew that they would suffer greatly. So she sacrificed herself for her people, and broke his heart. She promised to marry the King of the vile nation who plagued her so. And..."

Here, his voice faltered just a little, his head dipping as the emotion of Melchior swelled up to make words difficult.

"Her gift was spurned. She was cruelly, viciously destroyed. It destroyed him, too. And then ...Then Ivak came, Syllke. The mage felt a rage to match that of Ivak, who brought fire from heaven and caused the whole of the world to be destroyed because of her, because of Kova."

Seodai pulled away just enough to peer down into those brightly colored eyes.

"That was me, Syllke. Who I used to be. That mage. I lived in Alahea, and I loved Kova with every bit of myself. I traveled to Denval all those lifetimes ago, and I stole the stone from them. I watched my brothers die to pave the way. I took it back to Alahea, and I placed it in her pretty hand. I watched her pack her things with a somber face, and walk off towards her fate. I watched hell fall to earth because of Ivak's fury, and I rejoiced in the end of it all, I delighted in his fury, because I felt the same. His name was Melchior, and I was him."

Seodai brushed his lips across Syllke's own, tip of his tongue darting out to taste the flavor of his would-be lover.

"Melchior was powerful," he murmured. "But... even in his happiest moments," Seo continued in a near whisper, "he didn't have what I do in this moment. He loved her so much it hurt, but he could never touch her."

Seodai curled his fingers against the thigh he was stroking to squeeze Syllke for emphasis.

"He could never kiss her."

Seodai trailed a line along Syllke's cheekbone with his lips, before rubbing the tips of their noses together.

"I feel lost inside of Melchior," he admitted, his fingers creeping along the curve of Syllke's hip and forward, to tease the soft curls he found close by.

"But I have more than he ever did, right now. You help me remember that Melchior is lost in me, and not the other way around."

Seodai, with sweetly tentative fingers, brushed aside the hesitancy that so often quelled him in life. With trembling breath and lips hovering just over Syllke's, he found the courage to touch, heated fingers stroking with abject fascination the very center of Syllke's pleasure.

by **Syllke Skyglow** on December 22nd, 2011, 2:53 pm

Practically melding his body to touch every inch of Seodai’s as much as he possibly could, Syllke listened. And with every word spoken so softly yet so fervently by his best friend and now impending lover by the look of things, he felt a growing warmth. But it was not a comfortable warmth, nor was it an erogenous one. Syllke listened, at first to simply keep his brain active and to hold slumber at bay. But with each sentence, he felt a growing uneasiness. His teeth ceased to chatter, as his ears pricked up. He felt Seo’s fingers tracing so sensuously against his skin, but . . . his touch was accompanied by an odd pricking sensation. At first, Syllke took this for a sign that his body was beginning to warm up and feel again. But as Seo went on, speaking of . . . him – letting those names fall from those soft lips with such emotion – Kova – Ivak – Melchior – the name he had used when first he had explained why he had come to Syllke’s bed – Syllke felt the sting of Seo’s touch more. He tried to ignore it – as you would ignore an itch in the middle of your back that you couldn’t reach. But the irritation grew, and Syllke’s skin rippled involuntarily, as if he would shake off those loving fingers. At the same time, he felt a wave of nausea hit him so hard it was if he would lose the contents of his stomach right then and there. He wanted Seo to stop talking. He needed Seo to stop. If he didn’t . . .

And then . . . Seo was touching him – in the most exquisitely tortuous way. Syllke closed his violently swirling eyes.

She had red hair, and green eyes, like a cat. Her name was . . . what was it again? Roselle? Rosa? Rosamond – that was it. Rosamond. Stroking him so expertly. Kissing him and wrapping her long, shapely legs about his. Their kisses interspersed with sighs and moans, as she drew him into her, her breasts soft against his chest, her fingers now twirling in long locks of his own reddish brown hair.

Without thought, Syllke moved against Seo’s touch, into his touch, his hips pushing forward a fraction of an inch, his lips going hungrily to that irresistible mouth. The stinging burn was gone, the nausea as well. His hands moved from where they had curled so pitifully against Seo’s chest, to wrap around the back of his neck and head, fingers twining in soft curls, pulling him down into that passionate kiss. His mind was moving in a sweeping circular pattern much as his eyes were, as he tasted the wine on their breaths, and he laughed, a soft, deep chuckle. This was worth it. This was worth whatever Rosa wanted – money, silks, jewels – she was perfection. And she was so sweet, she said such adorable things, he thought, pressing into her, his hands now moving to hips that rocked against his. Always so interested in what he did – how he made the beautiful jewelry that adorned the bodies of so many nobles throughout the kingdom. She was fascinated, and fascinating, and gorgeous and sensual.

If she wanted him to meet with this friend of hers, what of it? Many people were interested in acquiring the fantastic pieces that Innis crafted. All he cared about was . . . this.

Syllke’s hand slipped to the front of Seo’s trousers and began deftly to unbutton them.

by **Seodai** on December 29th, 2011, 4:51 am

Syllke came to life beneath his affections, and then some. It was amazing, and fascinating, and it felt so good, this tension and heat between them. Seodai moaned Syllke's name into his perfect lips, instinctively rocking his hips forward towards that which his hand so carefully adored. The whole rhythm of their bodies felt like a dance, one that he'd never been taught, but needed no lessons in. It felt easy, and right. His desire began to funnel until it span around so quickly inside him that he felt frenzied, and so when Syllke so easily unbuttoned his trousers and exposed the throbbing evidence of his delight to skilled, artistic fingers, Seodai made a garbled moaning noise and pulled away.

Positively flush, with bright eyes and swollen lips, he pulled both hands free to reach up and grasp Syllke's face.

"Syllke," he panted, "wait."

Just like Seodai. Always stopping, always hesitating. But this time was different. The smile that followed was sweet enough to soothe over whatever injury he might have caused, and he nudged Syllke back onto the bed, lifting himself to hover over the long, lanky form.

"I want to slow down. I want to..."

He was at a loss for words, his dancing blue eyes dropping to the curve of Syllke's throat. He paused to kiss it, to taste it. He made a soft 'mmmm' of pleasure, and continued lower until his teeth could challenge the jut of clavicle.

"I don't want to rush. I want to know you, like this."

by **Syllke Skyglow** on December 30th, 2011, 2:31 pm

Syllke lay back, looking up at Seodai, his eyes taking in that familiar, sweet face, but also seeing another, now. And it wasn’t her – it wasn’t the red haired girl. It was a face of hard set lines, though they were soft enough in their wheedling supplication, as he spoke. So obsequious, so flattering. Syllke felt a rush go through him, and he saw a rain of blood – his own, drenching that stranger’s face. These images were there and gone in a flash – one millisecond and that was all. He blinked, and all he saw was Seodai, panting a bit, their faces so close but not close enough.

Syllke reached to grasp Seo by the shoulders with panicked fingers. Seo was already himself lowering his lips again, though, murmuring against Syllke’s neck. In a state of profound and total confusion, Syllke slid his arms about Seo’s back, turning his face into those light colored curls, squeezing his eyes shut. For once they saw too much. Tightly, but forcing himself to stop before he broke Seo in two with his fear, the young artist clutched his friend to his chest, feeling Morwen’s mark between their bodies, now burning into his skin as if it had been set on fire.

With his lips pressed to Seo’s ear, he released a breath that was half laughter-half sob. He whispered, “I guess that’s what I was trying to do, Seo. I think I’ll leave the exploring to you for a bit, though.” He nuzzled his face into that softness, as if he could hide there. “Take as long as you like – just don’t leave me, OK?”

His hand trailed down slowly, over the dip of Seo’s lower back, pulling him closer, like a blanket – a shield against . . . whatever the hell it was that was here in this room with them.