Soaked to the Bone (Leto)

[Denen Sunsinger]

Summer 11, 511 AV Denen was frustrated. He couldn't get the mixture right! He threw up his hands in dismay and let the mortar topple from his lap, spilling the herbal concoction across the earth before him. “No! No! No! No!” He huffed in irritation and brought his hands up to cover his face. “Petching...P-Petch.” He grumbled as he gathered up the instruments and hugged them close to his flat belly. He'd have to find more daisies at this rate. He needed to get this mixture right. If he could figure out how to amplify the properties from the daisy juices and combine them properly with field balm... Bah! Enough! He forced his lithe frame upright, and carried his mortar and pestle to the bucket near the fire. He dumped them into the water there, and followed it with his thin hands. He scrubbed the stone clean, the water stained a sickly color of green from the combination of daisy juice and field balm. Denen drew back his hands, placing the implements aside, and wiped the back of one across his fine brow, leaving behind a streak of moisture that caused a dark strand of hair to cling to his skin. He heaved a sigh and pulled his scarf down from around his head. It was too hot. He dipped both of his hands into the greenish water, cupping it in his palms and bringing it up to splash it across his face. The droplets hung on his lashes and dripped off the end of his nose, soaking his long tunic. This he drew off, dropping it to the side and leaving himself shirtless and in his small clothes. He stretched out his long limbs, allowing for his joints to pop and stretch. The fine tree spread across his back was fully visible now, the Windmark celebrating the bond he had formed with Reth so many years before. He yawned now, before a smirk touched his lips, and he hoisted up the bucket, rose to his feet, and dumped it over his head, soaking himself. He blustered and gave his silent, shaking laugh. Ah, relief! He sighed and bent down to grab the discarded tunic, drying off his face.

[Leto Sunsinger]

A bright hot summer day was what it happened to be, and Leto couldn't help but walk around Endryakas with his shirt off, exposing the scared tissue that raptured his body. He was worrying about what people thought of it less and less given more than half of Endrykas probably had battle scars of their own that covered a better portion of their bodies. Smiling as he rode Arias around, sitting gently upon him, he somehow managed to make his way to Sama'el's pavillion, whether by choice, or by fate, he managed to make it their on his own, his short blonde and brown hair spiked upwards a bit as the gentle warm summer breeze blew through it.

As he approached Sama'el's pavillion, his obsidian gaze looked for Sama'el but found him no wheres to be seen. Instead, his eyes laid upon a younger man, perhaps only sixteen or seventeen, without a tunic on, and a windmark upon his lower back. Interesting positioning for it, he thought, as his own windmark happened to be directly in the center of his chest, a triangle with a line through the lower center of it. As he watched the boy dump water upon himself, a smile crossed his face, until he finally recognized him. It was Denen, a boy he had met only two season's prior, whom had recounted a story of a women whom crossed death through the web to return to her lover. Leto remembered those words, and grinned when he finally truly recognized the boy.

As his obsidian gaze laid to rest upon him, he carefully dismounted Arias, giving the horse a pat upon the neck, and then looked towards Denen carefully. If he remembered correctly, the boy didn't hear very well, so instead of calling out to him, Leto gently walked up behind him, and gave him a tap upon the shoulder, stepping backwards as he did it. Once he was sure he had Denen's attention, he looked towards him, and then waved his hand saying, "Good day to you Denen, How are you this fine day?" As he asked the question, he then wondered why Denen was at Sama'el's pavillion, as he looked towards him, his eyes smiling at the boy, whom he was a bit attracted to, but didn't allow that to show at the moment.

All Denen would see was a man whom had scars upon his body, and tattooes of runes to cover portions of them, but not all of them. He'd hopefully recognize that it was Leto, and not get that upset or scared by the tap on the shoulder that Leto had given him, as he seemed to be within his own world, soaked to the bone in the herbal waters he had been working with...

[Denen Sunsinger]

Denen loved summer. The weather was warm, and he got to to go hunting for herbs. They were, after all, in their prime during this particular season. The trick was finding the right ones. Everyone seemed freer in the summer, after things were settled and comfortable, and a routine was established. The baby animals that roamed the grasslands were growing up, and there was satisfaction in the knowledge that when the fall came, the world would be full of supplies to prepare for the cold winter ahead. Denen hoped to have improved his cooking by then, so that he could help feed Sam more than disgusting gruel. He cooked as much as he could these days, though it wasn't always good. The young healer was oblivious to the presence of Leto, and he shook out his hair as he bent forward. Water trickled off the end of his nose, pooling around his feet. Not that he was bothered by this. The water was refreshing, especially as heat came in, and he spent a lot of time in his tent trying to sort through his things and prepare mixtures and poultices. His slender frame shivered as a light breeze teased his dripping skin, and as a result, goosebumps crept across his skin. He brushed his hands over his arms quickly, and then shook himself again from head to foot. He was pondering wriggling out of his trousers and making a dash to the tent. It wasn't like there was anyone around who would see him. They lived fairly isolated, and he... He had his thumbs hooked in his pants and was about to shimmy free of them when he was tapped on the shoulder. He startled and spun around with wide eyes, alarmed until he realized it was Leto. They'd met a few seasons before, and Denen had thought him to be rather kind. He smiled, trying to hide his blush. He gave a short, huffing laugh, and bit his lower lip. “I...I'm...f-fine,” he answered. “H-H-H-How are you, Leto?” He pushed dark hair from his eyes. “It h-has been...been a long time.” He extended his hand, smiling widely. Denen was, after all, always happy to see a friend. He didn't have many, and so he cherished those he could gather. “I w-was...I w-was just...just trying to cool off,” he informed. The color lingered in his cheeks, and he reached for his tunic, holding it close to his chest. Water trickled over his shoulders and arms, and caused the fabric he wore still to cling to his body. He glanced over Leto's shoulder, wondering if Sam was with him, but he saw that he was alone. “W-What brings you t-to our cam...camp?”

[Leto Sunsinger]

Smiling, as Leto looked over Denen's body, he grinned, and put forth his hand to shake Denen's outstretched hand. "It's fine Denen, you don't have to be worried about what you're doing around me..." he said, placing a hand upon the boy's shoulder and squeezing it gently. Withdrawing his hand, he nodded his head, and looked up towards the sky. "It definitely would be a nice day to cool off, and just enjoy the day as it is..." he then said as he looked back towards Denen, his obsidian gaze watching him carefully.

"You don't have to be shy around me..." he said, but he often wondered what Denen was like entirely bare, the thoughts brought excitement to the man, but he cooled it off and calmed himself before it brought anything else. "Now come, what was it you were making before you soaked yourself?" he asked, placing a hand behind Denen's back as he walked forwards, looking down towards the herbs that were tossed upon the ground. He himself had his shirt off, scars exposed and everything like that was visible. His leather pants felt tight, and were held low upon his hips as usual, exposing the top of his waistline.

Arias walked up behind him, giving him a brief nuzzle before settling down into the grass behind him, and Leto smiled as he watched his horse enjoy some nibblets of grassy food that it was now chewing upon. Looking back towards Denen, whom was still soaked, Leto grinned, and then removed his hand from the boy's back, smiling, and said, "You know... you do look decent without a shirt on. You shouldn't bother to hide your natural beauty, as I have for so long because of my scars..."

It was almost like admitting to himself that he was scarred, damaged, in a way that was unreparable, one where he could barely even stand to look at himself within a mirror. His body was not like it should have been because of the attack that had happened when he was so young. Sure it had muscle mass, and was lean, and beautiful, but it was also scarred, and not normal. Denen would even notice the scars in the sunlight more than he had that night they had first met...

[Denen Sunsinger]

Did he just...Oh, gods. He did. Denen felt his face go hot, and his mouth dry, and he glanced down at his feet in disbelief. He'd never been so deliberately examined. Not intentionally, anyway. Leto was watching him very closely, and the color burned on Denen's cheeks. When Sam wanted him, it was usually a sudden, intense thing. He wasn't rough with Denen, of course, but his passions didn't usually come from close studying or looking Denen over like a piece of meat. He reached up a thin hand once it was released to brush damp, dark hair out of his eyes. In the next moment, he felt the warmth of Leto's hand on his back, and he swallowed hard. He wasn't fully sure of what to make of the contact, and he didn't want to be so forward as to assume that Leto was the same sort of boy as Denen. He hadn't admittedly, given much thought to Leto since the night they met. He'd been rather preoccupied with Sam and the fact that he was given willing and often tender affection from him now. Of course, stolen trysts in the small hours of the morning hardly counted as a romance, but Denen savored them. He relished every hurried kiss, every thrust, every soft, gasping breath. It was strange to think that there were others like him out there, others who had to hide. “I...I w-was...I was t-trying to...f-f-figure out...a n-numbing...salve,” he informed. It was incredibly difficult to get a strong enough mixture without taking it to the level of being lethal. He was about to speak again when Leto began, and the words that came from his mouth caused Denen to flush deeper still. He swallowed hard and licked his lower lip. Still, he held the tunic close to his chest, before he hesitantly let it drop. He felt almost immodest, allowing himself to be exposed like this. Denen thought little of scars. His own body was the subject of handicaps and his ears were, internally, deformed enough to make him one who judged very little based on appearance. To some, too, scars were an attractive mark. It meant that one had seen a great deal of pain and lived. He lifted his eyes at last. “B-Beautiful?” He stammered. He bit the inside of his lower lip and shook his head. “I...I am...n-no such...n-no such thing.” Oh, gods. It was a lot warmer now.

[Leto Sunsinger]

Leto grinned as Denen removed the tunic from his body, albeit slowly as he did. He seemed to be embarrassed by it, but Leto saw no reason to be embarrased by one's natural beauty. If anything, Denen should show it off more often, and not be afraid of it, as he seemed to be. Perhaps what the boy needed was some tender, love, and care from an elder male Drykas. Then again, weren't they supposed to be taking wives? Leto was never much into women, and his uncle had come to accept that fact, barely. His aunt was a little more accepting of it, but not really, they just sort of dealt with it in their own way. Standing there, next to the boy, he asked, "I don't mean to be rude or prying, but, you're not like other drykas are you?"

He was very interested in Denen's interests at this point, looking towards his feminine body, and wondering what people saw in the boy if he wasn't strong like other Drykas. Leto himself saw a beautiful younger man standing before him, and he was feeling hot himself as he looked towards the boy, not with carnel lust, but almost with feelings of pleasure just laying eyes upon him. He most certainly couldn't have been like other drykas, wanting three to four wives, and having only the carnel lust of mating, and producing offspring. Well, he might as well spill the beans while he was on a roll with embarrassing the younger male. "I'm not like other's either... I don't really enjoy the company of woman you see, actually, i quite enjoy the company of men..." he then said, as he looked at Denen to gauge his reaction, and see if he would get punched for saying something like that, as most Drykas might do.

If not, depending on Denen's reaction, Leto would smile a bit a she looked down towards the ground, his muscles flexing a bit, and his lean body feeling a bit faint after having gotten that off of his chest. He neede to tell somebody, and this hopefully was the person to talk to about these things, given he had a significant feeling that Denen had the same tastes as him, if not similar feelings. He certainly seemed to be good friends with Sama'el, so perhaps this was the reason that Sama'el couldn't discuss with Leto about Denen having been kicked out of his Pavillion.

Whatever the cause, Leto would look back up towards Denen, his own face feeling a bit flush after having asked the question, and admitting his own faults, the fault of a drykas, that every Drykas would hide if they actually had feelings like that for another male. Leto didn't believe in hiding it from his family or friends, and his family barely understood it, so why should his friends? Would he be able to consider Denen a friend? Or merely an aquaintance that he was giving up his secrets to. And better yet, would Denen keep his mouth shut when it came to telling others of his secret...

[Denen Sunsinger]

Denen had always been more accepting than many of his kind. Drykas were, as a rule, a suspicious people. Denen had been a victim to their hostility in the past, and he lived now as one. His family had banned him for a thing he could not help, loathed the very core of what he was. His father had learned the truth, or at least been forced to accept it, and Denen was now left without a family, one of the greatest shames that might be laid upon his shoulders. He was fortunate in his friends, however, blessed to have Sam, who was willing to accept him for what he was and to give him hope. Beyond that, Sam gave him what he desired. He reached out and allowed for the young healer to believe that he was desirable, that there were parts of him that were worthy of attention and affection. Still, even with this acceptance, Denen was caught off guard by Leto's question. His eyes went wide and his jaw slackened. Color crept across his cheeks, and he immediately clutched the tunic near his bare chest again, giving himself a sense of restored modesty. His blue eyes turned down, doing what they could to clear themselves of emotion. But to do so was, for Denen Brokensong, nearly impossible. His eyes had been inherited from his father, and in those clear pools lay every single thing he felt if he was not quick enough to catch himself. He did not answer Leto for some time, but stood there, his head down, silent. He wished Sam was here. Gods, he didn't want to have to explain this all to Leto, but he couldn't lie about it. Not after it had taken this long to respond, at any rate. As it was, he hesitantly shook his head to confess that he was, in fact, different. He felt his eyes get hot, stinging with tears, and he prayed the mockery would not yet start. As it was, however, Leto's response caused his own eyes to widen significantly, and his jaw slackened ever-so-slightly. He drew his arms near his body, and immediately cast his eyes to the ground, crouching down to gather together his things. Gods, where was Sam? He pushed damp hair out of his face, and his hands trembled, causing him to drop the slick bowl he'd been attempting to gather together. But he was too upset by this confession, and the discovery, and he covered his face with his hands to hide his humiliation. After a moment, he lowered them again, and released a shaken breath. “Y-You...You m-mustn't tell...” He whispered. Gods, if Leto told anyone...He was already suffering from the embarrassment of being kissed in public by another man. Fortunately, his friends seemed more willing to just pretend nothing had ever happened than to cause any issues. Still, he was beyond embarrassed. Denen preferred to keep his private life private. Very few people had known the truth before Eldon's party, but now his entire life was open for the public eye. He simply hoped people would think Eldon had been his lover, rather than Sama'el. The last thing he wanted was to cause his best friend any embarrassment.

[Leto Sunsinger]

OOCSorry for the delay in this

Leto, startled by Denen's sudden reactions, quickly took a step back, his hands outstretched, looking towards Denen, as he ended up tripping over his own feet. "Ack! the words were released from his mouth before he could even hold them back, and he landed upon his bottom, his obsidian eyes looking up towards Denen, themselves holding tears of pain back as his rump even then hurt from the slight, but sudden fall. "I... I won't tell anyone, I promise!" he exclaimed, still sitting upon the ground, as he pulled his knees up towards him, his own emotions getting to him as he looked up towards Denen, relieved to have figured out the truth about him, but at the same time, not relieved in the sense that he had pretty much humiliated the boy as well.

His eyes were slow to tear as he brought his knees up to his chin, but then they started flowing, and he placed his head within his hands, between the pain, and his own humiliation of admitting it to Denen, he couldn't hold back his own emotions either. Eyes reddening with the tears, the elder Drykas didn't know what to say anymore, other than to just weep into his own hands, his scarred arms becoming more apparent than not, and his lean body heaving with every breath he took as he continued to cry. He had not cried like this in some time, but the realization that he was not alone in this cold Drykas world, made him feel too much emotion at once, and he couldn't help himself but to just cry it all out. He would not give away Denen's secret, and even as he looked up to him, his eyes blurred in tears, he said, "I'm sorry..."

Remaining silent, on the ground for a time, he looked down towards the dirt and grass that he was sitting within, the ground had been made wet by the tears that had been streaming down his face, and his feelings had been hurt that Denen had not immediately accepted him for something that they both seemed to share, but at the same time, he couldn't help but feel happy that he had found someone similar to him, a younger male that had the same feelings as him, and in that he felt grateful for. He hoped that Sama'el would not be angered at him for having discovered Denen's secret, almost rather forcefully, in also humiliating the boy at the same time, something he had done unintentionally, and even as he sat there upon the ground, he felt his heard beating faster and faster, unable to think, or do anything about his predictament at the moment. He feared Denen would just run off, and leave him there upon the ground, sobbing in his own desperation at finding people like him.

He feared he'd never be accepted, even by his family, whom seemed to have shown acceptance to him, but perhaps had never truly accepted him for what he was, given he wasn't a normal Drykas, whom could have a family, and contribute to the Drykas way. He'd be abnormal in almost every sense of the word, a social outcast, and something that would never be accepted, or would he? Would Denen choose to accept his tastes in men, which he hadn't shared with Sama'el yet, but he felt comfortable enough around Denen to do it? Perhaps it had been a mistake, the man didn't know whether it had or not, but even as he sat upon the ground sobbing once more, he wiped his eyes, and peered up to see if Denen had run away, or what he had done in response to Leto's own emotional breakdown...

[Denen Sunsinger]

It wasn't often that Denen had no clue of what to do, but this was one of those moments. Generally speaking, he was very good at comforting others. He looked at Leto, a bit unsure as to why he had reacted this way. His brow furrowed. The sudden tears confused him, but he knelt near him, and placed a gentle hand on his knee. Gods, people were complex. He offered a small sigh and tried to be encouraging. The reaction was so completely unexpected that he wasn't sure of how to handle it. His soft, blue eyes turned down for a moment as he tried to think of the right words. “L-Leto,” he began quietly, “I...I d-did not mean t-to start-tle you.” He smiled again, and carefully sat down next to the older man. “P-Please,” he stammered. “Don't...Nnn...Don't ap-apologize.” He fiddled with his fingers, searching for the right words. “L-L-Let-to, v-very few...few people know. My f-family has disowned me. S-Sam...Sam is...the only one who knows.” And in many ways, this was only acceptable because what they did together meant that he wasn't alone. But he wasn't about to implicate Sam in such an action, even to someone who was like himself. It was a secret, and for Sam's reputation, he would carry it in silence. Sam wanted a Pavilion, and it would be difficult to have that if people knew what he did in secret with his healer friend. “I c-cannot...b-be upset with you. It...is just...I d-don't want it to..r-reflect badly on S-Sam.” He hoped Leto would understand. “Please...Please don't cry.”

[Leto Sunsinger]

Still sobbing a bit, he wiped his eyes once more with his arm as Denen took a seat next to him. "I...i'm the one who should be asking for forgiveness..." started Leto as he looked up towards Denen through tear stained obsidian orbs. He didn't want it to reflect poorly on Sama'el either, therefor was resolved to keep the secret to himself about Denen's tastes. But he yearned for acceptance in the Drykas society, he yearned for his people to accept people like him and Denen for who they are, and not disown them for what they are. Turning his head towards Denen, he allowed his eyes to fall to the ground once more as he spoke. "I shouldn't have pried, I had no right to... what you do is your business, and not mine... I just got perhaps too excited that I wasn't the only one like this, that other Drykas were like me as well..." he said, a sigh escaping his lips as his tears slowly stopped falling from their ducts.

Turning his head upwards towards Denen again, he cracked a smile as much as he could through his distress, and then said, "You see... i've known it for quite awhile, about myself anyways... ever since I was little, probably before you were even born... I always knew I was different, always interested in the mysteries of the world, and never in the combat aspect of the drykas way... Then the tradgedy that befell my family happened, and i gained these scars... I closed myself off to pretty much everyone except my aunt and uncle... my uncle wanted to disown me when he found out about it, but my aunt stopped him... She said I was the only family they had left, the only reminder of my mother that they had left... And she did everything in her power to keep my secret from the world, she's done a fine job of explaining why i haven't married yet, and had children of my own, saying i'm just a bachelor for life I guess... But she's the only one who really truly seems to accept me for who I am... I promise you, I won't tell a soul about you, but now I can understand what Sama'el told me one time about you being expelled from your pavilion for reasons that he couldn't comprehend... I don't comprehend them either, but he was right to keep your secret, even if I managed to guess it on my own... I'll keep it as well, and I refuse to tell a soul about it..."

Even as he spoke, he dried his eyes, and watched Denen carefully, hoping that his story of his past didn't hurt him too much, or startle him anymore. Perhaps Denen would realize how emotionally stricken Leto was to actually have found someone like him, or perhaps not, only time would tell as they continued speaking with one another. Leto's only hope now was that Denen would accept him for being himself, rather than deny him as his uncle had done. One thing Leto wouldn't tell Denen about though, was his growing feelings for Sama'el, being a teacher of the many mysteries to him, he had this urge to tell Sama'el how he felt about him, but wouldn't do so yet...