the most pretentious thing [ Cy! ]

[Kilnarak]

For all that the seasons slowly drifted toward the cold of winter, the sky was clear and the day was still warm enough for fall - clinging still to the heat of summer. A warm enough day, and granted that it stayed that way, N'raan was dressed for it. Aside from his bangs and braid, his hair was pulled into a high tail, bound up with a wound length of fairly cheap glass beads to bare the back of his neck. Aside from his hair, his clothing was simple enough: a fairly tight carmine shirt, sleeveless and high-collared; plain black leggings; and soft, tall boots.

The new red-rider had left the quarters he shared with his Teimoph shortly after noon - after his hearty midday meal the red had curled up to nap and digest his lunch, and N'raan had decided to take advantage of the brief bout of solitude. Really, it wasn't true solitude, as he could still feel Teimoph's sleeping mind and sense the vague dreamforms taking shape behind the simourv's eyes.

N'raan padded away from the winglets' barracks with the red's sleeping, comforting presence clinging to the edges of his mind. Perhaps it was Teimoph's distant presence that drove him, or perhaps it was merely coincidence - he really hadn't had much by a way of destination in mind when he left his quarters - but eventually he found himself striding through the merchants' stalls, looking over the displays of metalworks. His eyes were for jewelry, precious metals and stones - they were the most eye-catching, after all, but they were also the most expensive and he had little coin to his name. There were other crafts - lengths of chain, embossed leathers, carefully dyed clothes, but for the most part they were of little interest to him. Perhaps the chain...? But it was too dull, lusterless...

He remembered, some days past, when he had walked here with Teimoph. The red's interest had caught on a stall of jewelry. He had wanted the gems and their delicate chains, he had wanted something to rival the bangle Canph had worn when they had last seen him. And now, as N'raan was here, he had decided to acquire something of that sort for his red - if K'huna had been able to acquire such a trinket for Canph, surely he could acquire better with his eye for luster and shine.

But nothing stood out, nothing he could afford - and the things that did were far too delicate to bother with. And so the tanned youth meandered about the stalls, wearing a pleasant enough mask and offering admiring compliments to this merchant and that. His honey-coated words even earned him a thing or two, as he padded away from one stall that sold sweet delicacies with some sort of sugar-coated pastry - a gift from the merchant manning the stall. He nibbled at the treat as he moved about the bustle of the market, easily weaving amidst the crowds.

This was the sort of life he was used to, and without any real thought on it, his eyes sought out those who would prove easy marks - a wolf among sheep. This woman was distracted, not watching the purse she had set aside; and that man dozing at his stall, his head nodding. And that boy over there was... a blinding blotch of color amidst the fairly drab masses. While his eyes didn't pause in their scan of the crowds, the blonde winglet slowly made his way toward the vibrant object of his interest - meaning little more than to observe for the moment, and to do so in an inconspicuous manner. He paused at a nearby stall, offering a pleasant smile to the proprietor before gazing down at the objects arrayed before him with feigned interest.

[Cy]

[/I].

Bright buttercup yellow.

It wasn’t an easy color to pull off even when it was in season, but Embry felt himself perfectly capable of it. He was one of few that could. It made her look fat and it definitely didn’t complement that man’s skin tone, but for him? It made him look daring. It drew attention and that had been his entire purpose as he changed so shortly after his arrival to the Eyrie. He didn’t like holding no opinion of something for too long and he couldn’t very well gain an opinion if he didn’t plunge into the culture that he was becoming a part of! He could be fair. So he’d wasted no time. He’d not even bothered to unpack his bag yet, merely tugging it open and yanking things out carelessly in search of something bright and attractive. The ridiculously yellow shirt had been the first thing to catch his eye and, as such, it had been an easy choice.

Pairing it off with trousers of a contrasting faded green and accessorizing with a series of colorful bracelets, he was on his way, determined to make a statement because giving all of himself to the world he was a part of was an integral part of finding the face he’d be dealing with the most. As a result, he’d have the opinion that would surely last him a lifetime! And would likely, in reality, carry him to possibly the end of the week before he decided something new.

Fond of shopping and people, the ground caverns seemed the best place to go before anything else. He needed to go to the heart of the Eyrie and that would be the most populated area. Before he could blink twice, he was right where he wanted to be, moving through stalls and crowds with a practiced ease. The massive rock ceiling that loomed over them all was impressive, reminding him of the thick canopies of towering Chydyn trees. A wide grin sat genuinely upon his features as he fluttered from one stall to another, drawing strangers into animated conversations before he grew bored and wandered elsewhere. However, it was at a stall of weaponry that he found something to stick with. He didn’t give a lick about the daggers and knives and arrows set on display, glittering and made with great attention to detail. No, it was the young man seeking to sell them. He was a handsome specimen, tall and broad and the whole nine yards. He even had dimples in his cheeks when he smiled. So cute!

With an arm crossed over his stomach and his hand cradling the elbow of his other arm, he playfully toyed with the metal pendant that hung on the leather string around his neck, sliding it back and forth. Weight resting mostly on one leg, hip jutting out, he giggled and flirted. He took on the role of a potential customer, interested in what was on display and yet unknowledgeable of the details. Eager to learn though. He knew a lot but he was always eager to learn, men loved that. This boy was no different. Caught by an uncertain customer, he thrust all of his attention on Embry – and the blonde soaked in it, wrapping it steadily about his fingers as he pressed all the right buttons, asking questions and feigning intrigue. Soon, he was asking how the target knew so much and that led them to another level. He was learning about the boy’s roots in Sayaie, family, and personal interests. He learned the boy had been fresh at school before he’d come to the Eyrie, looking to make a profit and serve the riders. Oh, lo and behold? Embry was a candidate! Destined to be one of the riders he’d be serving. How convenient was that?

Things were going so well. They were getting along, conversation was going excellently and without pause. He felt charming and sexy and everything was going his way, just as it should. His mind had long since turned to all the filthy things they could do with some privacy… and the dumb smith ruined it by bringing up his impending marriage.

Embry’s features froze in a smile that was no longer genuine, his eyebrows darting up in surprise. “You’re getting married?” He croaked out. The man seemed oblivious to any ill will to such a revelation as he excitedly began to gloat about the beautiful woman he’d been fortunate enough to snag, how much he loved her and cared for her, they’d known each other for so long and he trusted her more than anyone in the world – blah blah blah blah blah. It wasn’t long before the teenager was no longer listening, blue eyes focused on that pretty face and nodding along to only the sound of that baritone. Eventually, he released the pendant between his fingertips to wave a hand dismissively, lifting on his toes long enough to swirl to the side and begin to march off. Surely there had to be some other candy to look at around here.[/ul][/size]

[Kilnarak]

Surreptitiously eavesdropping on the painfully yellow boy, N'raan idly glanced over a different stall nearby. It was another selling metal-craft, a mix of chain-mail armor and the heavier scale armor favored by some of the guards. No shiny trinkets for Teimoph here, although the scale-mail drew a bit more than feigned interest - the design of overlapping bronze scales was intriguing, reminding him a bit of something he had killed once while he was hunting (he never had figured out what the small armored creature was, rodent or reptile, merely that it had provided a decent enough repast). Still, the armor would look very fine, polished to shining - of course, it wasn't as though he had the funds to purchase such a thing.

Lack of funds, however, did not stop him from acting as though he would like to buy something similar. Unlike the young man at the nearby weapon stall, while the smith here was just as tall and broad-shouldered, he was not nearly so young or handsome - the stereotypical armor smith. Still, he seemed to know his craft well enough, and unlike the conversation N'raan eavesdropped on, his here was all business and only a bit of fun. Playing the part of one wholly ignorant of the specifics of armor, yet enthusiastic and interested none-the-less, N'raan asked the man a number of questions - about how it was constructed, how it was fitted, what sort of injury it might protect from. He touched the armor now and then as if petting the shiny orange-brown scales - making clear from his manner he was more interested in the looks of the thing than the logistics; a fact the armor smith did not appear overly happy with, but potential diasks were still diasks and if some young fop wanted to prance about in shiny armor that likely weighed more than he did so be it. He did not appear to notice N'raan carefully snapping off a pair of scales near the bottom of the display as he once again touched the armor; and he certainly did not notice the boy pocketing the smallish scales.

N'raan only half-paid attention to the answers he received for his simple, and occasionally inane, questions. Every so often he would glance down as if to examine the armor, looking back toward the boy in the banana-yellow shirt through peripheral vision. From what N'raan understood - he could actually make out very little of what was being said from where he stood, only snippets of voices now and then picked out from amidst the more general voice of the crowds - the yellow boy was playing a game of flirtation; his partner, however, seemed entirely oblivious. N'raan glanced back sharply, decidedly less subtle, when he noticed the boy beginning to move away. His interest wasn't hidden from the armor smith, and the man merely spat in distaste upon the floor as N'raan slipped away from the stall without another word. It was rude, but he didn't particularly care - he wasn't going to buy anything, he didn't need to be on that man's good side.

He spent a few moments, merely tailing the boy - seeing if he would do anything interesting. The boy's failure to woo the weapon-seller amused him a bit - he wondered if there would be any repeat performances? However after a short span of following at a short distance he discarded the idea. Perhaps, then, he might put himself in the game? The dark-skinned winglet lengthened his stride, closing the distance between himself and the object of interest. As he drew nearer, nearly upon the boy's shoulder, he leaned forward and purred pleasantly, his voice all honey and silk: "Giving up already? Or perhaps different game is in order?" He wondered if the boy would jump?

[Cy]

[/I] be success. He never failed. He refused to fail. Failure was not an option.

In such a bright yellow shirt, he had no choice but to be optimistic.

The ground caverns seemed massive and, by the sound of the crowd, it was filled to the brim with people drawn to the area, in large part due to the famous simourv and their heroic riders. However, glancing around, the path he’d chosen to take seemed bland and unappealing. The people he looked over within his immediate surroundings were men that had not aged well, boys that had apparently not aged at all, or women. Some were pretty women, sure, but not his type all the same. Too – female. He released a wistful sigh as he turned his attentions briefly to the actual stalls that he passed by. Jewelry, flowers, fabrics – bright and colorful and shiny. Well, he liked all of those things! With a considering hum, he began to slow his meandering stride down another notch as he skimmed the vibrant display of a florist’s goods. Oh, was that her son sitting back there? He looked old enough to –

A voice of velvet suddenly slithered into the canal of his ear and startled him terribly. He immediately jumped, attentions snapping out of imagination to reality as he straightened and whirled about to focus on the man that had come up behind him without warning. A hand rested on his own chest, directly over his racing heart, and his wide green eyes took the boy in quickly. His glance over the man was nothing special, sizing him up as a man that had caught him off guard rather than a man to be abruptly taken back to his room. He blinked stupidly as it finally sank in that words had been what had announced the stranger’s presence and, as such, something had been said to him. He glanced off to the side in the direction he’d just come from, as if he’d be able to see some highlighted trail to show where the other boy had come from, but he saw nothing and his narrowed eyes returned to the sweet-voiced man. “Excuse me?” He demanded, confusion furrowing his brow as he pulled his head back and curled his fingers idly into the bright fabric of his shirt, holding comfort in that rather than merely in the pendant of his necklace.[/ul][/size]

[Kilnarak]

For all that amusement sparked brightly in his eyes when the boy jumped, a hand to his chest as if his heart nearly stopped, N'raan did not let much of the entertainment he felt show through his expression. There was a slight twitch at the corner of his lips, the barest hint of a smirk, as he stepped back from his shocked object-of-interest and languidly lifted an arm to point in the direction they had come from. His eyes remained focused on the boy a moment, still fairly flashing with entertainment, before he turned slightly to follow his pointing finger with his gaze. "I asked," he drawled, his tone holding a confusing mix of irritation and amusement, "If you were giving up already. Or," and here he let his arm drop and turned his attention back to the boy in yellow, "Perhaps were seeking different game?"

Folding his arms loosely over his chest, N'raan paused a moment and simply regarded the boy - a brow quirking up slightly and that faint smirk still clinging to his lips as he waited for an answer. His voice had been smooth and clear, lacking it's usual accent - he meant to make an impression, as he did with any mark. And really, that's what the boy was, although he hadn't quite figured out what he meant to take from him quite yet, or how he would go about it. It would take further conversation to ascertain which mask he should don - with some it was so obvious, but this interesting, flamboyantly dressed boy was less so.

After a few moments in which he waited for the boy to respond, N'raan's gaze shifted away from him to the others around them - the vendors at their stalls, the others walking about on their business. He looked at the people and he looked at the wares, in particular at the florist's stall that the other boy had stopped at. "You are hunting, yes? If not for game, then for entertainment?" he all but purred the question, his eyes not on the boy ('though still he watched him, peripherally) but rather focused upon an arrangement of orange lilies. He reached out toward one of the flowers and absently brushed his fingers across the soft petals, murmuring thoughtfully - but audibly - "Of course, those two things might be one and the same, yes?"

"Do you like flowers?" he spoke more clearly as he said this, the question abrupt, and he looked back toward the boy again. His expression was difficult to read, his earlier smirk smoothed away - curious, perhaps? Not threatening, at least, not at all like how he had approached.

[Cy]

[/I] about all of that and had still come after him? Well, the odds of being disappointed were suddenly greatly slimmed down, he could only assume. “I don’t really give up that easily.” He returned, tilting his head and focusing his eyes back up on the man’s face, a slight smile of his own beginning to tug at the corner of his mouth.

He’d never thought of it as hunting, the way he prowled a busy place and searched for suitable targets, but that was exactly what it was. In his bright yellow shirt, perhaps he hunted by making himself something to be preyed on, a reverse psychology of sorts, and this man had bitten. He narrowed his eyes, turning slightly enough to look to the flower that the stranger had reached out to stroke, and he studied the details of that hand. Fingertips brushed delicately across soft petals and he imagined them sliding across skin instead, the line of his jaw and the inside of his thigh and so many other places.

The abrupt change in topic caught his attention a moment after the question had been asked, widening his eyes and snapping them back to that face. It wasn’t exceptionally handsome, especially with those peculiar scars decorating it, but the man that carried them had an air of allure despite it all. It was a strange and charismatic blend of dangerous mystery and mere potential. “Ahh…” he started, his lips parted to utter the sound and his green eyes glanced to the side to focus back on the bright orange lily that was fortunate enough to sit underneath the lad’s ministrations. “Sometimes.” He answered honestly. They were occasionally pleasing to the eye and they smelled nice, but he rarely had the time or care to pay proper attention to them, at which point they shriveled up and died and that part was always so annoying.[/ul][/size]

[Kilnarak]

"Well that is promising; perhaps endearing even," his purring voice broke in a quiet laugh as the boy mentioned unwillingness to give up. While his tone wasn't exactly derisive, there was a faint wry edge to it. N'raan turned his attention away from the boy again, his smirk broadening slightly as he resumed toying with the flower. He was aware of the other's eyes on him, the appraising quality of it, and it only caused his lips to curl further. He wasn't really the sort one would call 'handsome' - his features a bit too pointed, feminine. 'Pretty' perhaps, if not for the scars. He was confident enough with his appearance, however - threatening when need be, and alluring enough that he had been able to make a profit off it in the past.

He was happy enough with the sense of the other's gaze on him, playing that it wasn't noticed - let him look all he wants. He savored it for some moments longer, then lifted the lily carefully from amidst it's arrangement - deftly tossing a few diasks to the woman tending the stall with his free hand - and turned back to the boy. He considered him a moment, his own gaze equally appraising, however less subtle, and absently continued to toy with the lily. Then he smiled again - a hint of the predator in that - and offered the flower to the boy. "I do not. But it is a pretty thing, yes? And pretty things have their uses," he laughed again, softly.

"Flowers speak, have meanings. Can you guess at this one?" he flashed his teeth briefly, his amusement plain. He only knew a few, remembered snippets of things told him when he was much younger - but he saved what he could remember, adding it to his arsenal. Lilies and roses and little pale violet clusters of flowers - he couldn't remember the names - the sort of flowers his mother and the other women had kept. Desire and jealousy, longing and lust; he knew what those meant, for all that he couldn't recall those with softer meanings. He'd hold out the offering, the flower, until the yellow-boy took it - letting their fingers brush as the exchange was made - and then he would continue on the topic of the meaning of flowers. "Call it a game, and the prize... Mm. We shall see, yes?"

Just as he had been aware of the boy's gaze on him, he was also aware of the shopkeeper's - the woman selling the flowers looked slightly annoyed; the pair had been dawdling infront of her stall for longer than she would have liked, and for all that she understood people were more... open... here at the Eyrie, she still found the obvious flirtation a touch distasteful. N'raan began to move away from the stall, setting a leisurely pace and giving the yellow-boy a slight nudge to follow, brushing past his side. He didn't seem to have anywhere particular in mind - simply intending to walk for now, and enjoy the game of flirtation. Perhaps it might lead him somewhere interesting?

[Cy]

[/I]. He looked fabulous! He always looked fabulous and this man would surely like what he see. No doubt; after all, why else would he have followed? Breaking from his coy shell, he grinned brilliantly, the expression far more innocent than the predatory smile that the stranger flashed him.

The man didn’t like flowers, but Embry, in that moment, decided that he absolutely adored them. Especially when targets were giving them to him. He ducked his head slightly and tilted it to the side, green eyes looking over the orange lily being offered to him. “Yeah, they really do.” He uttered in return, his own chuckle escaping softly from him. Pretty things, in more ways than one, had their uses. Reaching out to accept the gift, his fingers brushing against those of this stranger’s, he brought it back to himself to look down into the pollinated insides, raising his free hand up to stroke his own fingertips over the petals, subconsciously mirroring the man’s motions from seconds ago. He smirked as he wondered over what use this pretty thing in his hand was meant to have.

Biting at the corner of his lip, he glanced back up to the man at his inquiry, narrowing his eyes in amused skepticism before glancing back down to the flower, releasing his lip in order to smirk. “Well, I do like games,” he whispered to himself, tilting his head the other way as he admired the vibrant orange color of the flower. So focused on the charming stranger and his gift, Embry was entirely oblivious to the distasteful stare of the florist woman, but his attentions were snagged by the brush against his side as the other man began moving. Glancing after the guy, he was quick to step into action, moving after the stranger to settle into a comfortable pace at his side, perhaps walking closer to the man than was truly necessary.

“Okay, a guess…” He started, looking over the flower for a moment and raising his eyebrows. “Well, the colour makes me think of fire. And obviously, fire is hot. And hot things usually make me think ooof…” The train of thought came easily and he said it all aloud without care, trailing off with a lecherous smirk for the rest to be filled in by the other. Abruptly, he gave a small hop in his stride to turn slightly towards the man as he continued to walk, lifting his gaze up to focus on him. “Either that or it means something negative, like I totally gross you out or something. But I kind of prefer the first.” He rattled quickly, nodding before straightening up to look forward, glancing back down to the flower after another moment to tug at one of the petals. [/ul]

[ ooc | Click here! Oh boy. XD ][/size]

[Kilnarak]

[ There is also this and this - 'though the second one lists it hatred/revenge or wealth, depending. I had to do a painting based on a flower and a word, lol. I did the tiger-lily and 'vengeance.' >> Also er. On a related note. T'gan's flowers also meant something~ Because I am sappy. ]

A rather smug smile curled up N'raan's lips as the other boy fell into step beside him - close enough that it wasn't much of a stretch to brush casually against his side as they walked. He watched the boy out of the corners of his eyes as they continued on at a leisurely pace through the markets, that smile still clinging tenaciously to his lips as his eyes flickered over the play of the other's fingers over the flower. He had seemed so very pleased with the gift, it was amusing - almost cute, although he wasn't sure he trusted the enthusiasm. The boy obviously wasn't as innocent as he was acting, and he seemed just as adept at this game as N'raan himself.

The young red-rider hummed thoughtfully as the other offered his guesses, the sound trailing into a sort of purr."It is indeed hot, haa? And whatever does that make you think of, pet?" He flashed his teeth, mirroring the other's lecherous grin. His steps slowed gradually to a halt again, and he turned his attention fully to the boy, his head tilted slightly to the side in a mock-curious manner. "Perhaps it rhymes with fire, mm? I'll give you another guess, and then perhaps we might play another? Or you might decide upon a prize?"

At the other's second guess, N'raan's lips curved into a brief mock-pout - it only remained long enough to be noted, however, before it broke and returned to his previous smirking smiles. He stepped forward into the other's personal space, absently lifting a talon-tipped hand to ghost over one of the boy's lemon-clothed arms. His smile was dark and sly, and his voice was the softest of purrs - only meant for this, his prey - "Ah, you have hit upon it," his soft voice held the hint of a chuckle, "I am so disgusted, I am rooted to the spot." He didn't even try to sound serious, and his lips tugged up slightly at the corners as his hand continued up, grazing the backs of his fingers against the boy's cheek. "What do you think, haa?"

[Cy]

[/b] He teased, letting his gaze drift back over to the other boy for a moment, feeling the way they slowed more than he actually saw it. Smoothly in sync, his own stride eased into a halt, his body turning shortly after the swivel of this stranger, facing the man and discreetly drawing himself up taller. Pouting lips remained curled into a light smirk as green eyes kept locked on his companion, watching him speak. At the offer, his smirk grew, lips parting slightly to reveal a straight row of white teeth, but he was soon ducking his head slightly enough to focus on the flower in his hand, fingers shifting along the stem to make the orange petals slowly twirl. Abruptly, he picked his head up with a gleaming grin and offered a tease of a guess, playful – and surely totally untrue. Really, who could be grossed out by him? Seriously.

There was a physical reaction to the way the stranger crossed invisible lines to enter into a box of personal space without invitation. Bright eyes, though tinged with wariness, grew only brighter with the peak of his intrigue and the strongest desire to just know everything. The edges of his lips softened as he watched the man closely, latching on to those scarred features and refusing to let go. As easily as this individual sucked him in, he could only hope that he was doing the same and he was confident that he was. After all, he’d been followed and pursued before he’d even caught sight of the man; if that wasn’t superb trapping, Embry didn’t know what was. He felt a weight on his chest, compelling and provoking, made only worse by the subtle scrape of fingertips over his arm. For the love of Pohono, this man was absolutely delicious.

A beautiful shiver ran down his spine at the caress of fingers along his cheek, a gesture more intimate and blatantly intentional than the way they’d continuously brushed against each other while they walked. Warmth curled up in the nape of his neck, hair rising, though he was sure that goosebumps scattered along his arm in that moment. He couldn’t tell for sure, he refused to let his eyes slip away to check. The dark skin of this man was entirely more appealing than the sight of his own for the time being. A chuckle ghosted from his throat as his full lips tilted into a smirk of his own, mirroring this man by increments as he lowered his voice to a version of his own purring whisper, tantalizing and fresh. “I think I’d be greatly interested to know what it’d be like if I didn’t disgust you.” He returned, offering challenge and permission in the glint of his gaze and the slide of his tongue against his teeth.[/ul][/size]