✿ THE HOUSE ✿
Adra's house is a cozy stone cottage on the outskirts of Caissa, close enough to the sea that one can hear the breaking waves throughout the day.
This afternoon, there's light, cool rain falling intermittently, tapping in a rhythm at the windows and roof. Fortunately, the kitchen is warm, bright, and welcoming. Its counters and tables are covered with freshly prepared foods of all kinds, and there are plenty of chairs for visitors who might like to sit and relax.
A door from the kitchen leads out into the garden, which is not quite yet fully landscaped, but which boasts a promising array of flowers (orchids, roses, lilies, tulips, etc) and herbs. Adra's also cultivating strawberries, tomatoes, lettuce, and so on; the strawberries and cherries in particular are ripe for picking. Adra has strung enchanted, floating fairy lights all over the garden; they cast a soft, ethereal glow over the paths and carefully tended patches of greenery. At the garden's center, there's a clear pond filled with red and pink lotus blossoms.
Back inside, a visitor might like to rest in the den. There's a roaring fire in the hearth, and sitting near it for a short while offers a boost to the weary spirit. Soft, plush chairs and couches fill this room, making it ideal for lounging. The tables are covered with books borrowed somewhat indiscreetly from the library; they deal largely with the magic and history of Enprise.
Adjacent to the den is Adra's study. In here are half-empty bookshelves and antique rolling desk covered with neat stacks of papers, boxes of quills, and numerous pots of ink, each one in different, brilliant colors. His journal is somewhere here, too ...
Finally, down the hall one will find a half bathroom and, across from that, the door to the second bedroom--belonging to one Gilgamesh. The master bedroom, belonging to Adrasteius, is at the end of the hall. There's a full bath in there, but this room is definitively locked.
✿ THE SPREAD ✿
As usual, Adra's gone over the top in his preparations. For drinks, there's a sweet, refreshing punch; delicately pink and decorated with sprigs of flowers. There are pitchers of sparkling ice water, jugs of wine and spiced mead, and plenty of glasses to share.
Though Adra does not eat meat himself, he prepares it ably; there's a honey-glazed, roasted turkey in the center of the table, right beside a carving board heavy with seasoned, hand-carved slices of fresh beef. Red potatoes, bright with paprika and salt and glistening with pats of melting butter, are arranged in wedges around the turkey. There are woven baskets of steaming rolls, flaky and soft; platters of carrots and broccoli and asparagus; enormous bowls of belly-warming soup filled with thick wheat noodles, sliced egg, and shredded cabbage. At one end of the table, there's a plate of burgers, along with small dishes to fix them--bacon, crispy onions, sauteed mushrooms, and all the necessary condiments. He has plates of savory pies, filled with beef or pork or chicken; steamed and fried dumplings stuffed with meat and spring vegetables, plump and perfectly shaped.
The desserts are similarly extravagant: he has a plate of meticulously crafted flower and fruit cakes; some look like ripe, blushing peaches, others, he shaped into red orchids, lotus blossoms, or golden roses. He's made a chocolate tart so dark that its smooth, sugar-dusted surface shimmers reflectively in the overhead light. Cupcakes of all kinds are scattered here and there, as well as an extravagant, multi-tiered confection dripping with fudge sauce, encrusted with sliced strawberries and vibrantly colorful, fondant flower petals. There are loaves of warm banana bread; fruit tarts glittery with rainbow sugar crystals; and, under glass, an assortment of flavorful macarons baked to look like something plucked right from the starry sky.
But the most important thing about Adra's lavish banquet is this: all of the food is enchanted, laced with magic meant to inspire feelings of comfort and security. Eating it may conjure up familiar, welcome sensations or memories--nothing sorrowful or painful, and only as specific as you'd like. It could be something as simple as the feeling of a fuzzy blanket on a cold day, or as complex as a particular soothing memory. In all cases, the intended effect is meant to inspire calm and ease.
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Hilarious, Jae-ha.
[ Another bird-nibble. ]
My means are not for myself.
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[ He, on the other hand, is going to eat his portion in two bites. He still savors it, of course. ]
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[ Which means: literally everybody, everywhere, ever.
Adra took his nibbles, and now he's just prodding gently at what's left. He has a bad habit of this. ]
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We're not so different, then, believe it or not.
[ Except he definitely does not mean everybody, everywhere, ever. Damn, son. ]
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[ He taps the cake, and some of its crumbs fall to the ground, scattering in the soil. Food for birds, now. ]
I felt confident in making these flower cakes because I knew that even if you didn't like them, you'd be happy if your brothers did.
[ It's clear to anyone how close they are, and it's clear to Adra that Jae-ha's happy when he's doing things for other people. That day at the salon is still very clear in his mind. ]
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Enough that he doesn't have a response immediately, and he suddenly finds himself turning away from Adra's gaze, cheeks flushing pink and his voice a bit lower, momentarily stripped of its easy confidence. ]
Yes, well, Shin-Ah will eat anything, so...
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Jae-ha ... are you blushing?
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He's not impervious to this treatment, it seems so that only makes him blush deeper.
while trying TO DIVeRT THE QUESTION-- he turns around, looking idly over the rest of the garden. ]
Have you gotten the chance to plant anything else?
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Eh? Sure. Fruits, vegetables, all kinds of things. Gil sent me a golden rose once; I want to plant those next, if I can discover where he even found them.
[ Leans ... ]
Really, are you okay?
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[ He turns back around to face Adra, now having gained most of his composure back, though a faint hint of that blush remains. This time, however, he himself leans close, perhaps too close. ]
You just stirred my heart, that's all. I'm happy... I'm happy to know that your beauty runs deep. [ When all else fails, point-blank honesty. ]
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I only say what I see.
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I'm sorry, what was that?
[ He does pull back, however, and it's not like he's expecting an actual answer. ]
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You know, speaking of your family, they all have dragon parts, right? Shin-ah's eyes. Kiki's hand.
[ He inclines his head to one side. ]
You, however, look perfectly human. Where's yours?
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He watches Adra curiously, amazed that he's managed to be so acutely perceptive. He visibly hesitates. There's a reason he keeps his leg hidden in long boots the majority of the time. It's difficult to shake the idea of his leg being anything but a curse, a source of misfortune and a fate he never asked for or wanted.
Not to mention, he finds its appearance utterly grotesque. ]
My dragon part...
Can mostly be hidden by clothing, thankfully. But, I'll show you, if you want.
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Only if you're comfortable sharing.
[ Why is he so reticent? Dragons, and their parts, are fantastic. ]
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[ ... ]
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Perfectly sure.
drumroll
[ He sighs, then nods slowly.
... Before unbuttoning and unzipping his pants and apparently shifting to remove his undergarments. ]
no subject
Jae-ha, what--
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He stops before actually pulling down any underwear, feigning a hurt look at Adra. ]
You changed your mind?
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[ the dragon part isn't your dick is it ]
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He not only keeps his boxers on, but re-fastens his pants, too. Instead, he reaches down to quickly unlace his right boot.
After a few more moments, he shakes free of it and rolls his pant leg up.
There it is.
Even now, he doesn't looking at it for too long, so instead, he looks up at Adra.
He feels more exposed than if he had actually bared his privates, somehow. ]
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Those are lovely green scales.
[ As one might expect from him by this point, there's not a shred of sarcasm in his tone. ]
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You don't need to flatter me; I know it's not very beautiful to look like you're part lizard.
[ Except, didn't Adra just tell him he only said what he saw? Jae-ha stands upright again, letting his bare foot hit grass for the first time in a while. ]
But I can't complain too much. It's the dragon's leg that gives me the freedom to jump and fly wherever and whenever I wish.
[ though that's not entirely correct in Blanc. He lifts his leg and moves it a little, making the anklet on it jingle. ]
Well, it did back home, anyway. Here, this anklet they gave me gives me a similar ability.
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[ He shakes his head. ]
But, Jae-ha. Do I seem like the kind of person who flatters?