pawnstorm | sweet dreams till sunbeams find you

Entry tags:

sweet dreams till sunbeams find you

Who: Jae-ha and various
When: March 17-19
Where: Airy, and a job thread downtown
What: Assorted Airy threads (and a job thread)
Rating: Accidental drug use... tasteless cruising for chicks with Setsuna? Will add warnings to thread headers if necessary.

[ I will be writing different starters for people, so that we can have a unique scenario. If you'd like one, please respond with a blank toplevel and I'll surprise you with something. Or, feel free to leave me a random prompt, instead.

If you'd like to plot something please hit me up at

baklava or PM! ]

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[ Adra can't believe this whole place, and not in the good way. It reminds him of the seediest corners of Silvermoon, teeming with decadence and temptation. He all but hugs himself as he walks around Airy, his expression fixed in a nearly immovable scowl. When he hears Jae-ha call out to him, he starts, as though jolted from some angry dream.

He pauses at the door of the salon, peering in. (

'-kun', he thinks, in the back of his mind. Is that like the -san suffix Asuna uses? Hmm.)

Spotting Jae-ha, he reluctantly steps inside. He walks towards the other man as though he's got needles under his feet, as though he feels attacked by the very atmosphere of the place. ]

Did you need something, Jae-ha?

[ Adra's uncomfortable demeanor doesn't go unnoticed, which is interesting to Jae-ha, given how nice and well-maintained Adra kept himself. Surely, he had to take good care of that lovely hair, didn't he?

Speaking of, despite his obvious distaste for being here, Adra is drawing the attention of the workers, who are both happy and curious to have yet another handsome Hero in their midst. So, he really doubts they'll complain about giving up one of their chairs for their temporary amateur helper.

He motions towards said comfy chair. ]

Why don't you have a seat and relax for a bit? Your beautiful hair looks like it could use some tender love and care.

[ Okay, maybe this was an aggressive way to ask, but at least he's not beating around the bush?? ]

[ Adra approaches with obvious trepidation; he looks at the other salon workers as though staring down a pit of hissing vipers, and he isn't much less baleful towards Jae-ha, either.

He stands beside the chair, leaning on his staff, frowning. Despite anyone else who might be watching, Adra's eyes are trained solely on Jae-ha. ]

That so? What will it cost me?

[ It's difficult not to be tickled at the sight Adra makes, so affronted and grumpy among a small crowd of smiles. Granted, he doesn't doubt that some of those smiles are purely courtesy to draw in customers, but it's still quite the contrast. It's cute. ]

Why would it cost anything? Unlike these lovely ladies, I'm not a pro. But, I think my work speaks for itself. [ He's talking, of course, about his own hair, which is now adorned in a brand new ribbon, courtesy of Miss Vietnam! ]

[ He has to admit -- that's well-kept hair. He shifts his weight from foot to foot, still unsure. Typically, he brushes out his own hair at night, in a careful but perfunctory way; he maintains, he rarely styles. He has no interest in cutting it, though he'd be hard-pressed to articulate exactly why. Some vestige of vanity in the blood.

It's perhaps this vestige that gets him in the chair. He sets his staff aside, sighs, and sits down. ]

... all right. But don't get drastic, okay?

[ He can see the conflict happening clearly as Adra deliberates, which is actually better than he was expecting, since, given the distaste radiating off of him as he walked in, Jae-ha expected the other man to just walk away. Once he sits down, he looks thoughtfully at what he's got to work with-- his hair is golden, like Zeno's, but less wild, more silk than lion's mane. ]

For starters, it'd be a shame to cut any of this.

[ So no wories on that end... While he's thinking about the possibilities, he takes the jeweled comb by their side and begins to gently comb through his hair. ]

What's your favorite color, by the way?

[ Adra shuts his eyes, forcing himself to relax. After a few strokes of the comb, he doesn't have to work for it; his muscles naturally turn liquid, and he sinks down a little in the chair. He likes having his hair brushed. The gentle, scratchy pressure of his scalp, the sensation of ordering and symmetry--it satisfies, both in a tactile and figurative sense.

He murmurs, with a sigh. ]

Red. Scarlet.

Red.

[ Had they a bit more time (and were the sinks not currently all occupied), Jae-ha would have opted to wash his hair, as well. Not that Adra's hair needed it too badly. Compared to what Kija and Shin-ah give him to work with on a daily basis, Adra's hair is a dream. He marvels at how little it snags and pulls on the teeth of the comb, how the golden tresses seem to easily give and fall into place, and he scarcely has to do much of anything. ]

The color of passion, adventure, and anger. Somehow, I'm not surprised. It suits you.

[ He sets aside the comb for now, working a bit of a sweet-smelling pomade into his fingers and weaving his hands loosely through the other's hair. ]

Hmmn.

[ He breathes in deep, his eyes half-shut. His muscles feel liquid, his heart steady. The tension that always sits just between his temples is gone. Is this what it means to relax?

Even so. ]

Do you flatter everyone like this, or am I special?

Eh?

[ Jae-ha's eyes widen. He didn't think of it as flattery, not really. It's just an honest observation, because well, red did suit him. But, he can still answer. ]

I like to appreciate beauty wherever I can find it, that's all.

[ Lightly, he begins to comb a bit of the pomade along Adra's scalp, lightly massaging the skin with the tips of his fingers. ]

Truthfully, though... I don't find beauty such as yours in men very often.

[ In fact, before meeting his dragon brothers, he had never found any man worthy of visual admiration. ]

[ Much as he'd like to be, Adra is not immune to compliments. He tries to brush them off--classifying them as meaningless flattery helps. But Jae-ha insists, and as a result, he feels scarlet color warming the length of his ears. ]

Visit Silvermoon. You can't turn your head without seeing someone just like me.

[ He mutters, sinking a little into the chair, shoulders hunched. ]

Except taller.

[ Jae-ha's fingers are in Adra's hair, but he can practically feel the heat radiating off those ears. It's immensely cute, but given that Adra seems to have had enough embarrassment for one day (it's probably still a trying notion to stay where he is, given how uncomfortable he looked), he doesn't remark on it. Instead, he separates his hair into sections. ]

And yet, the gods of this world decided to summon you, and from the looks of things, [ He hasn't seen another elf among their ranks ] Only you. There has to be some reason for that, don't you think?

[ Perhaps Adra was special in ways beyond superficial beauty, but even if they were summoned here completely by random chance, he's already seen the care the other man extends to complete strangers, to people crying out for help. Beauty wasn't limited to nice hair and well-defined features.

Adra may be slinking down in his chair, but Jae-ha feels at peace, doing this favor for him. He opens a drawer-- here, the women keep all sorts of colorful accessories. There are feathers, and beads, and even fully adorned tiaras (wouldn't that be a sight to behold?), but his eyes are drawn to the flowers.

Red orchids, and perhaps something else, later. He sets a few aside and begins to slowly braid, shifting each section with care not to accidentally pull or tangle. ]

Silvermoon. Is that the name of your country, your kingdom? What is it like?

Bad luck of the draw.

[ He's grumbling, but his ears are perked upright and forward as Jae-ha continues to work. Vanity is frivolity, but Adrasteius maintains himself. He brushes out his long hair, keeps his nails trimmed, bathes daily. The delicate scent of lavender oil, daubed on his wrists, clings to him.

He is not immune to the kind of attention Jae-ha's offering him, and he shuts his eyes as the other man's fingers work gently through Adra's hair. It's such a light, careful touch. He exhales, slowly, and then he catches the perfume of the orchids, the feel of them as Jae-ha braids them into his hair. Color rises to his cheeks. What does it look like? Is it beautiful?

But wait. A question. ]

The country is Quel'thalas. Silvermoon is our capital city.

[ He sighs, opening both eyes now, glancing up at the ceiling. ]

It's a wondrous place. Everything built and sustained by magic. Clean, sparkling streets, swept by animated brooms. Floating topiary. Golden spires that gleam under a constant autumn sun, cream white walls inlaid with enormous rubies. My people strut about, casting flashy spells, sparring one another, trading in the bazaar.

It is elegant, magnificent ... and deeply corrupt. A glittering surface with a rotten underbelly.

[ He laughs at that. ]

I won't argue with you there, actually. I don't feel particularly lucky to be here, myself, despite all the fanfare. [ Largely because he didn't choose to be here and he was expected to fight for a cause that wasn't his own.

He keeps quiet as Adra continues, working diligently and silently at dotting areas of that voluminous, loose braid with hints of red. Initially, he isn't surprised by the description. Adra seemed very comfortable around magic (it seemed like one of the few things he was comfortable around, actually...), so it makes sense that he should hail from such a whimsical, wondrous land.

Then, his hands pause where they stand, lightly rested against the edge of Adra's scalp, for just a second while he takes that second part in.

He may be reading too much into it, but in that moment, he thinks he may understand why Adra was so apprehensive about entering the shop, about accepting a little bit of vanity. ]

Beautiful, but only on the surface. It sounds like such a trait doesn't just apply to the land itself, either.

Of course. You have things to do, no doubt. People to look after.

[ Because--who doesn't? Everyone's got people. Adra mostly just has the one, but he's pretty important all the same.

He wants to reach back and touch the flowers, feel the petals, maybe pluck one for himself--but he folds his hands steadfastly in his lap. Looks straight ahead. ]

No. We rid ourselves of our traitor prince, but still too many of my people are arrogant, scheming. Obsessed with power in any form. They are faithless and decadent.

[ He sets his jaw. ]

And vain.

Truthfully, I only worry about one person. A young girl, who barely knows how to take care of herself, to be honest. My dragon brothers, except for one, are all here.

[ And seeing how Zeno literally couldn't die even if he tried, he's not worried. He finishes the rest of the braid quietly, then lays his hands carefully on Adra's shoulders. ]

I feel honored, then, that you're willing to indulge me on this show of vanity. [ and-- ]

Does that mean you do hold faith in a higher power, Adrasteius?

[ Dragon ...? At this point, Adra doesn't have a firm idea of the connection between Jae-ha et al, but he's not surprised if Jae-ha is, in fact, a dragon. He certainly flew like one. Adra's about to ask about it, but then Jae-ha sets hands on his shoulders, then he asks his own question.

Fortunately, he's so relaxed from all the careful attention that he doesn't immediately tense up and jerk away, though that's still his instinct. Instead, he breathes slowly, evenly. ]

Well--it does feel--not bad.

[ It feels much better than that, but. He purses his lips. ]

And I have faith in the Light. It is less so a higher power as it is simply a power, suffusing everything. The spark of creation. Hope and life.

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sweet dreams till sunbeams find you

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sorry for the delay ;3;

take ur time!

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