In return for pretties
Mar. 11th, 2007 09:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
maderrSince Kitty spent all weekend and killed her hand drawing me pretties ^^;;
Interesting Customers
Only years of keeping his expression under control prevented the clerk’s jaw from dropping to the floor.
In all his years…
The man who walked in seemed to have stepped straight out of the plays his daughters watched with such unmitigated glee every year during the festivals, matched only by their love of the silly books they bought with their purse money.
A rich, shimmering orange kerchief held back long midnight-blue strands of hair, esmeralda and saphir sparkling where they were fastened to the orange fabric. Beneath it, his hair was tucked back enough to show off the jewels in his ears – a total of six, three in each lobe, every gem a different color. At a glance, the jeweler identified a fire opal, an esmeralda, a saphir, a diamond, a rubi, and amber.
The man’s robes were light, fit for summer, a rich, fine spring green trimmed in white. His sash matched his kerchief, a shimmering orange embroidered with green ivy and white flowers. Wound through it was a string of esmeralda and pearls, enhancing the ivy and flower pattern.
More rings than the clerk could quickly mark glittered and flashed on his fingers – gold, highland silver, even copper, and enough jewels amongst them to make his own ring case begin to feel inadequate.
The top of his robe gaped slightly, a frequent sight in the blazing heat of summer, even as early as it was, showing to perfect splendor a thick rope of perfectly matched pearls, a final perfect accent to the touches of white in the trim of his robe and on his sash.
How on earth had this man come across his humble little shop?
Granted, his jewels were fine. No one ever complained about their quality or beauty – but he was still new and small. A man such as this must have far better connections.
“Greetings, my good sir,” the man said with a smile that the clerk somehow could not resist returning. “I’ve heard many fine things of your shop. I am hoping to obtain some fine rubi today.”
The clerk scrambled to obey while maintaining his outward aplomb. “Of course, my lord. Were you after necklaces? Bracelets?” He dropped his eyes to the man’s hands and could not resist a faint smile. “Rings?”
The man laughed. “All of it, but particularly necklaces. Thick ones, to show off a long throat, enhance fine skin.”
“Ah, my lord is purchasing for a lover? A sweetheart?”
“A treasure,” the man replied, and bent over the velvet trays the clerk set on the counter.
His daughters might spend their purse money on frivolous things, but they earned the right to do so in the jewelry they created. As talented as their mother had been. The clerk smiled proudly. “My lord will note how carefully matched every rubi bead is. Each was crafted by the same hand for the express purpose of this necklace. Bought raw at the Bazaar and crafted on the premises.”
“Quite lovely,” the man said, pulling out a loupe and putting it to his eye as he motioned a request to take up the necklace. Granted permission, he examined every last increment of it, humming in obvious pleasure.
The clerk smiled, happy to see such honest enthusiasm. All too often his clients were people who wanted to show off, not caring a whit about the jewels they wore, only in how jealous they would make someone.
“Exquisite,” the man said at last, tucking his loupe away and returning the necklace to the tray. He moved next to a set of bracelets, then on to rings and earrings, and from there they began to slowly work their way through the entirety of the store, until the clerk felt as though not one more drop of information could be wrung from him.
Before he could delicately inquire as to what the man might be purchasing, the bell above the door chimed – and for the second time that day the clerk caught himself staring.
Ocean blue hair. This man had ocean blue hair. That…he quickly shied from the thoughts, afraid he’d pass out if he finished it. The man was…there was no other word but pretty, though there was…some delicate edge to it that said to stop at describing him as pretty would be a terrible mistake.
“Taka,” the first man said, seeming nearly to vibrate, even glow, as he looked at the new arrival.
“What are you doing, Raiden?” Taka demanded. “I might have known you’d slink away to buy yet more jewels. Haven’t we enough? You’re going to sink the ship.”
Raiden merely grinned and reached out to snag Taka’s wrist, dragging him back to the counter where the rubi still lay out. “Try this on,” he said.
“No,” Taka said flatly. “I’m not a girl.”
The clerk frowned, unable to keep from speaking. “Jewelry is not the sole provenance of women. All too often I see people come in here and wish the jewels would go to the men rather than the women, who do not make the jewels shine as they ought. Indeed, my daughters oft design these pieces with their favorite beaus of the hour in mind. That necklace, my lord, will likely go to some fancy miss who will throw it in her jewel box and forget it after wearing it only once. Your coloring, if you’ll pardon the impertinence, is perfect for it and the deep red contrasts with your hair in splendid fashion. Jewels should enhance natural beauty, as they would with you.” He bowed his head. “Though perhaps I speak out of turn.”
“Not at all,” Raiden said smugly, and promptly fastened the necklace around a silent, still Taka’s throat. Then he picked up two of the bracelets and fastened them in place as well, finishing off the whole with a rubi cuff to Taka’s right ear. With his blue hair, the paler blue of his robes, the brilliant red of his sash – a shocking color for early summer but the man managed it quite well – the clerk could not quite decide which of the two figures was more stunning.
Taka recovered himself at last. “You’re going to pay for this, dragonbreath,” he muttered, then turned and strode from the shop.
The clerk started to panic, watching his jewels stomp away, but a second later a purse hit the counter in front of him.
“I should be back in about nine months,” Raiden said with a smile. “Perhaps something with black opals? Set in silver, yes. I will give a generous commission for that.”
Blinking, the clerk thought of the fine man who’d just stormed from his shop, and how beautifully he’d worn the rubi beads. “It will be a pleasure, sir. My youngest is quite talented with opals.”
“So I saw. In nine months then.”
“Nine months,” the clerk said, and smiled the rest of the day.
The Finest Jewel
Taka rolled over in bed and stretched, groaning at every ache that made its presence known. The room was saturated in the smell of sex, emphasizing just precisely why he had so many aches in interesting places.
With another groan and a wide yawn, Taka slid from the bed and tugged on a robe, then rang for a bath, dozing lightly on a settee while it was drawn, murmuring a soft thank you to the servants before stripping and sliding into the hot water.
The balcony doors were open, letting in a cool mid-morning breeze, the sounds of the sea combining with the hot water to nearly put him right back to sleep.
He was stirred from his dozing by the sound of the door opening and closing, the familiar tread of his lover’s sandaled feet and rustle of the light robes he wore around the house. Taka tilted his head back and stared up at Raiden, who beamed down at him.
“You’re awake sooner than I expected, my treasure.”
Taka made a face at the endearment, never quite able to get used to it even though he liked it – something to which he would never admit, even under pain of death. Raiden did not need to be encouraged in his behavior. “No.”
Raiden laughed. “I haven’t even asked yet.”
“The answer is still no, and you’ve got your hands behind your back so I know you want me to wear something.”
Grinning like a cat about to pounce upon a fine, plump bird, Raiden suddenly moved, faster than Taka could ever follow, scooping him from the bath, sending water splashing and streaming everywhere, then carried him across the room and deposited him in the bed.
“Raiden…” Taka said in a warning tone.
“These just arrived this morning though,” Raiden said with something remarkably like a pout. “I had them special made for you. An entire set.” He tugged out a large, flat case from where he’d tucked it into his sash before scooping up Taka, presenting it with a flourish and smile.
A smile that Taka was helpless before, though he didn’t think Raiden knew that…yet. How did one resist someone so genuinely happy about something so silly as dressing his lover up in jewels for which a king would pay a hefty ransom if not outright kill.
He carefully held back any reaction, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t impressed.
Set in highland silver were the finest black opals he’d ever seen. The rainbow of colors were rich and dark, mesmerizing. They shimmered in the sunlight, begging to be touched, admired.
Dozens of them, all oval-cut, set into a choker, two slave bracelets, armbands, an anklet… Taka shoved the case back at Raiden. “You’re incorrigible. I’m not wearing those. You haven’t even let me eat breakfast yet.”
Raiden grinned – but before he could reply there was a knock at the door, and at his call servants came in bearing a large breakfast tray. They left as quietly as they’d come.
“Storms take it,” Taka said with a groan.
It turned quickly into a needy whimper that he did not like at all as Raiden pressed him into the bed, straddling him, the soft linen of his robes sheer torture as it rubbed against Taka’s still-sensitive skin. He dug his nails into Raiden’s shoulders as his mouth was plundered, thoroughly annoyed and yet not that once again Raiden was having his way.
Too soon Raiden pulled away, leaving Taka shivering and aching, struggling to sit up. “You are infuriating. I am not a doll to be dressed up at your leisure!”
Fingers slid over his skin as Raiden fastened each piece in place, growling low in satisfaction, eyes dark and hot. “You are my treasure. Beautiful and fine.”
Taka almost snorted. He rather thought Kyo carried off being pretty far better—the thought broke off on a stuttering moan as Raiden finished with the jewelry and started to explore elsewhere. Taka held his arms out, the weight of the slave bracelets odd yet familiar, the metal warming on his skin.
Raiden went into his arms immediately, leaning down to take a kiss that left Taka’s lips tingling. If it were possible to feel as though he’d been devoured by lightning, that was how Raiden almost made him feel.
“Mmm, my treasure, look at how they glow against your skin. Such jewels should always be worn against skin, they lose their light when left alone.” Raiden lapped at his throat above and below the choker, hands greedily exploring, making Taka writhe and gasp. “Though without you they do not shine, you shine no matter what, my finest jewel.”
Taka dragged his head up for another kiss, smiling faintly when it finally ended, unable to resist his lover. Not once had he ever really been able to resist his storm dragon. “A jewel is only a rock until it is shaped and polished, dragon.”
And for that smile, he would wear whatever Raiden asked.
Interesting Customers
Only years of keeping his expression under control prevented the clerk’s jaw from dropping to the floor.
In all his years…
The man who walked in seemed to have stepped straight out of the plays his daughters watched with such unmitigated glee every year during the festivals, matched only by their love of the silly books they bought with their purse money.
A rich, shimmering orange kerchief held back long midnight-blue strands of hair, esmeralda and saphir sparkling where they were fastened to the orange fabric. Beneath it, his hair was tucked back enough to show off the jewels in his ears – a total of six, three in each lobe, every gem a different color. At a glance, the jeweler identified a fire opal, an esmeralda, a saphir, a diamond, a rubi, and amber.
The man’s robes were light, fit for summer, a rich, fine spring green trimmed in white. His sash matched his kerchief, a shimmering orange embroidered with green ivy and white flowers. Wound through it was a string of esmeralda and pearls, enhancing the ivy and flower pattern.
More rings than the clerk could quickly mark glittered and flashed on his fingers – gold, highland silver, even copper, and enough jewels amongst them to make his own ring case begin to feel inadequate.
The top of his robe gaped slightly, a frequent sight in the blazing heat of summer, even as early as it was, showing to perfect splendor a thick rope of perfectly matched pearls, a final perfect accent to the touches of white in the trim of his robe and on his sash.
How on earth had this man come across his humble little shop?
Granted, his jewels were fine. No one ever complained about their quality or beauty – but he was still new and small. A man such as this must have far better connections.
“Greetings, my good sir,” the man said with a smile that the clerk somehow could not resist returning. “I’ve heard many fine things of your shop. I am hoping to obtain some fine rubi today.”
The clerk scrambled to obey while maintaining his outward aplomb. “Of course, my lord. Were you after necklaces? Bracelets?” He dropped his eyes to the man’s hands and could not resist a faint smile. “Rings?”
The man laughed. “All of it, but particularly necklaces. Thick ones, to show off a long throat, enhance fine skin.”
“Ah, my lord is purchasing for a lover? A sweetheart?”
“A treasure,” the man replied, and bent over the velvet trays the clerk set on the counter.
His daughters might spend their purse money on frivolous things, but they earned the right to do so in the jewelry they created. As talented as their mother had been. The clerk smiled proudly. “My lord will note how carefully matched every rubi bead is. Each was crafted by the same hand for the express purpose of this necklace. Bought raw at the Bazaar and crafted on the premises.”
“Quite lovely,” the man said, pulling out a loupe and putting it to his eye as he motioned a request to take up the necklace. Granted permission, he examined every last increment of it, humming in obvious pleasure.
The clerk smiled, happy to see such honest enthusiasm. All too often his clients were people who wanted to show off, not caring a whit about the jewels they wore, only in how jealous they would make someone.
“Exquisite,” the man said at last, tucking his loupe away and returning the necklace to the tray. He moved next to a set of bracelets, then on to rings and earrings, and from there they began to slowly work their way through the entirety of the store, until the clerk felt as though not one more drop of information could be wrung from him.
Before he could delicately inquire as to what the man might be purchasing, the bell above the door chimed – and for the second time that day the clerk caught himself staring.
Ocean blue hair. This man had ocean blue hair. That…he quickly shied from the thoughts, afraid he’d pass out if he finished it. The man was…there was no other word but pretty, though there was…some delicate edge to it that said to stop at describing him as pretty would be a terrible mistake.
“Taka,” the first man said, seeming nearly to vibrate, even glow, as he looked at the new arrival.
“What are you doing, Raiden?” Taka demanded. “I might have known you’d slink away to buy yet more jewels. Haven’t we enough? You’re going to sink the ship.”
Raiden merely grinned and reached out to snag Taka’s wrist, dragging him back to the counter where the rubi still lay out. “Try this on,” he said.
“No,” Taka said flatly. “I’m not a girl.”
The clerk frowned, unable to keep from speaking. “Jewelry is not the sole provenance of women. All too often I see people come in here and wish the jewels would go to the men rather than the women, who do not make the jewels shine as they ought. Indeed, my daughters oft design these pieces with their favorite beaus of the hour in mind. That necklace, my lord, will likely go to some fancy miss who will throw it in her jewel box and forget it after wearing it only once. Your coloring, if you’ll pardon the impertinence, is perfect for it and the deep red contrasts with your hair in splendid fashion. Jewels should enhance natural beauty, as they would with you.” He bowed his head. “Though perhaps I speak out of turn.”
“Not at all,” Raiden said smugly, and promptly fastened the necklace around a silent, still Taka’s throat. Then he picked up two of the bracelets and fastened them in place as well, finishing off the whole with a rubi cuff to Taka’s right ear. With his blue hair, the paler blue of his robes, the brilliant red of his sash – a shocking color for early summer but the man managed it quite well – the clerk could not quite decide which of the two figures was more stunning.
Taka recovered himself at last. “You’re going to pay for this, dragonbreath,” he muttered, then turned and strode from the shop.
The clerk started to panic, watching his jewels stomp away, but a second later a purse hit the counter in front of him.
“I should be back in about nine months,” Raiden said with a smile. “Perhaps something with black opals? Set in silver, yes. I will give a generous commission for that.”
Blinking, the clerk thought of the fine man who’d just stormed from his shop, and how beautifully he’d worn the rubi beads. “It will be a pleasure, sir. My youngest is quite talented with opals.”
“So I saw. In nine months then.”
“Nine months,” the clerk said, and smiled the rest of the day.
The Finest Jewel
Taka rolled over in bed and stretched, groaning at every ache that made its presence known. The room was saturated in the smell of sex, emphasizing just precisely why he had so many aches in interesting places.
With another groan and a wide yawn, Taka slid from the bed and tugged on a robe, then rang for a bath, dozing lightly on a settee while it was drawn, murmuring a soft thank you to the servants before stripping and sliding into the hot water.
The balcony doors were open, letting in a cool mid-morning breeze, the sounds of the sea combining with the hot water to nearly put him right back to sleep.
He was stirred from his dozing by the sound of the door opening and closing, the familiar tread of his lover’s sandaled feet and rustle of the light robes he wore around the house. Taka tilted his head back and stared up at Raiden, who beamed down at him.
“You’re awake sooner than I expected, my treasure.”
Taka made a face at the endearment, never quite able to get used to it even though he liked it – something to which he would never admit, even under pain of death. Raiden did not need to be encouraged in his behavior. “No.”
Raiden laughed. “I haven’t even asked yet.”
“The answer is still no, and you’ve got your hands behind your back so I know you want me to wear something.”
Grinning like a cat about to pounce upon a fine, plump bird, Raiden suddenly moved, faster than Taka could ever follow, scooping him from the bath, sending water splashing and streaming everywhere, then carried him across the room and deposited him in the bed.
“Raiden…” Taka said in a warning tone.
“These just arrived this morning though,” Raiden said with something remarkably like a pout. “I had them special made for you. An entire set.” He tugged out a large, flat case from where he’d tucked it into his sash before scooping up Taka, presenting it with a flourish and smile.
A smile that Taka was helpless before, though he didn’t think Raiden knew that…yet. How did one resist someone so genuinely happy about something so silly as dressing his lover up in jewels for which a king would pay a hefty ransom if not outright kill.
He carefully held back any reaction, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t impressed.
Set in highland silver were the finest black opals he’d ever seen. The rainbow of colors were rich and dark, mesmerizing. They shimmered in the sunlight, begging to be touched, admired.
Dozens of them, all oval-cut, set into a choker, two slave bracelets, armbands, an anklet… Taka shoved the case back at Raiden. “You’re incorrigible. I’m not wearing those. You haven’t even let me eat breakfast yet.”
Raiden grinned – but before he could reply there was a knock at the door, and at his call servants came in bearing a large breakfast tray. They left as quietly as they’d come.
“Storms take it,” Taka said with a groan.
It turned quickly into a needy whimper that he did not like at all as Raiden pressed him into the bed, straddling him, the soft linen of his robes sheer torture as it rubbed against Taka’s still-sensitive skin. He dug his nails into Raiden’s shoulders as his mouth was plundered, thoroughly annoyed and yet not that once again Raiden was having his way.
Too soon Raiden pulled away, leaving Taka shivering and aching, struggling to sit up. “You are infuriating. I am not a doll to be dressed up at your leisure!”
Fingers slid over his skin as Raiden fastened each piece in place, growling low in satisfaction, eyes dark and hot. “You are my treasure. Beautiful and fine.”
Taka almost snorted. He rather thought Kyo carried off being pretty far better—the thought broke off on a stuttering moan as Raiden finished with the jewelry and started to explore elsewhere. Taka held his arms out, the weight of the slave bracelets odd yet familiar, the metal warming on his skin.
Raiden went into his arms immediately, leaning down to take a kiss that left Taka’s lips tingling. If it were possible to feel as though he’d been devoured by lightning, that was how Raiden almost made him feel.
“Mmm, my treasure, look at how they glow against your skin. Such jewels should always be worn against skin, they lose their light when left alone.” Raiden lapped at his throat above and below the choker, hands greedily exploring, making Taka writhe and gasp. “Though without you they do not shine, you shine no matter what, my finest jewel.”
Taka dragged his head up for another kiss, smiling faintly when it finally ended, unable to resist his lover. Not once had he ever really been able to resist his storm dragon. “A jewel is only a rock until it is shaped and polished, dragon.”
And for that smile, he would wear whatever Raiden asked.
