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bakerstreet2015-09-25 06:56 pm
seethers) wrote in bakerstreet2015-09-25 06:56 pm
((Voice testing a new character! Kink list here and some insight about his species and personality here! (Part 5's the only done section as yet.)
Tonnaw is all about TLC, kissing better, providing comfort for those hurts. He's a somewhat older, more experienced character. Age (outside of OOC hard-lines of 18+ characters/players) is unimportant. M/M, M/F, it's all good.
His arms are heavily tattooed, but he does have a notable burn scar on one arm. He could be utilized for platonic cuddles and kisses but smut is also welcome.))
Tonnaw is all about TLC, kissing better, providing comfort for those hurts. He's a somewhat older, more experienced character. Age (outside of OOC hard-lines of 18+ characters/players) is unimportant. M/M, M/F, it's all good.
His arms are heavily tattooed, but he does have a notable burn scar on one arm. He could be utilized for platonic cuddles and kisses but smut is also welcome.))
Edited 2015-09-26 02:29 (UTC)
Winter hadn’t arrived yet but it had become evident that the village would have at least one non-tonnaw staying through until spring. In physical age Clear numbered just enough to count on one hand, while in his life experiences he was only a young adult, but at the end of a day the android had proved more inclined to settle with those who knew far more of the world and had more answers for his many questions than his “peers” would have—even if this was a much different world than the one he’d been made in.
He liked it very much, though. It was a world where he had at least learned that he didn’t have to hide his face.
Clear had found his way back around to Tonnaw today and so there the android sat at the older man’s side in some lazy, comfortable place of repose. With one bare hand, he was slowly tracing some of the tattooed marks down Tonnaw’s arm, his fingertips light and gentle across their stories. Clear had only just begun to learn the things those marks could tell him about their bearers, but even from a simple aesthetic viewpoint, they captivated him.
“Do your people ever give marks like these to outsiders, Tonnaw-san?” proved to be the next idle question of the night. Perhaps Clear’s use of his native-language honorific sat oddly at the end of the alien’s name, but it was a sign of politeness and respect that Clear couldn’t be swayed to drop.
He liked it very much, though. It was a world where he had at least learned that he didn’t have to hide his face.
Clear had found his way back around to Tonnaw today and so there the android sat at the older man’s side in some lazy, comfortable place of repose. With one bare hand, he was slowly tracing some of the tattooed marks down Tonnaw’s arm, his fingertips light and gentle across their stories. Clear had only just begun to learn the things those marks could tell him about their bearers, but even from a simple aesthetic viewpoint, they captivated him.
“Do your people ever give marks like these to outsiders, Tonnaw-san?” proved to be the next idle question of the night. Perhaps Clear’s use of his native-language honorific sat oddly at the end of the alien’s name, but it was a sign of politeness and respect that Clear couldn’t be swayed to drop.
Not that the much older alien seemed at all inclined to change Clear's proclivities! Tonnaw did not really understand what an android was, save that Clear was relatively slim and pink in the skin, and tended to pick up the lingo (both spoken and not) relatively quickly. He was happy to see some mixing of habits, as embodied by such a simple honourific. He was also happy to have his markings traced as he settled into his evening. The idle reflection was soothing after a busy day spent battling with other elders over distribution of seasonal resources.
Tonnaw was shaken from his reverie, which was in fact a drowsing rumble of a purr, but when he roused his pointed ears perked upright. "We do; we could. You've been staying here long enough to consider it a home?" The thought of it gave the older man a private thrill. He hadn't been outside the borders of his people in many years... and to still feel like he could inculcate Clear to feel welcome enough to consider sharing what was essentially a tonnaw badge of belonging... it certainly lent a glow to his grin.
He turned to Clear and brought his large hands to bear on the android's, bringing first one up to his eyes to inspect the back of his hand, his wrist, his forearm, then the other. "Usually children get their first mark, a small one, somewhere on the wrist, but that is a mother's mark," Tonnaw muttered, considering out loud Clear's options. "For someone like you... an overwinter mark might be acceptable, but I would like to give you the choice." He lowered the younger man's arms and pushed his spectacles back up his nose, beaming as he continued to consider out loud. "What do you like best about your time here? The work? The beaches? The vinyards?" Goodness knew that in his younger years, a few of those vines etched across his forearms had been cautionary reminders. "It should be something meaningful to you, my friend."
Tonnaw was shaken from his reverie, which was in fact a drowsing rumble of a purr, but when he roused his pointed ears perked upright. "We do; we could. You've been staying here long enough to consider it a home?" The thought of it gave the older man a private thrill. He hadn't been outside the borders of his people in many years... and to still feel like he could inculcate Clear to feel welcome enough to consider sharing what was essentially a tonnaw badge of belonging... it certainly lent a glow to his grin.
He turned to Clear and brought his large hands to bear on the android's, bringing first one up to his eyes to inspect the back of his hand, his wrist, his forearm, then the other. "Usually children get their first mark, a small one, somewhere on the wrist, but that is a mother's mark," Tonnaw muttered, considering out loud Clear's options. "For someone like you... an overwinter mark might be acceptable, but I would like to give you the choice." He lowered the younger man's arms and pushed his spectacles back up his nose, beaming as he continued to consider out loud. "What do you like best about your time here? The work? The beaches? The vinyards?" Goodness knew that in his younger years, a few of those vines etched across his forearms had been cautionary reminders. "It should be something meaningful to you, my friend."
Edited (a couple of errors!) 2015-09-26 04:38 (UTC)
Clear startled visibly at the word ‘home’, though not in a bad way. The slight widening of his eyes and the perk in his attention was a is that what it would mean? reaction. He sat back a bit as Tonnaw moved, accommodating the motion, and as his hands were lifted and examined Clear splayed his fingers loosely and did not resist. Instead he watched the older man with interest and curiosity…and a bit of happy blush to be so freely touched once again.
That observant expression was marred briefly by concern at ‘mother’, though, and he looked like he might make a hesitant protest, but then he stayed quiet as Tonnaw continued speaking. By the end Clear looked less troubled, lowering his hands to his lap at first, then idly tracing one with the other as if reinforcing the tactile sensations he’d just felt.
“The belonging,” he answered, words escaping on the back of a relieved sigh. He looked down at his hand, making a loose fist and touching the wrist below it in a melancholy gesture. “Although I am a stranger, I have never been made to feel strange.”
That observant expression was marred briefly by concern at ‘mother’, though, and he looked like he might make a hesitant protest, but then he stayed quiet as Tonnaw continued speaking. By the end Clear looked less troubled, lowering his hands to his lap at first, then idly tracing one with the other as if reinforcing the tactile sensations he’d just felt.
“The belonging,” he answered, words escaping on the back of a relieved sigh. He looked down at his hand, making a loose fist and touching the wrist below it in a melancholy gesture. “Although I am a stranger, I have never been made to feel strange.”
Tonnaw brought a finger up, tucking it under Clear's chin to bring their gazes to one another, should the man desire. "Now why ever would anybody want to do that to you, I wonder?" His grin had mellowed, but there was something in the way that Clear's touches seemed to linger--and something in his gaze--that Tonnaw knew very well. That kind of affection and even yearning was hard to hide.
He didn't linger on the fond stare for long, but if Clear felt any reservations over that sense of belonging, Tonnaw hoped to abolish them. He pushed himself up away from his sofa, gesturing with a gentle tuck of his hand for Clear to follow him to the table near the hearth. Near there also was a locked chest, and from it, he retrieved a few tools. Unfolding a very delicate looking cloth, clean and unstained, he laid a long, pen-like dowel down as well as a sealed basin of ink. Extracting a finger-length spine from a similarly fine cloth bag with a second kerchief, Tonnaw placed the needle into a groove made glossy with many sealings. Another dowel, shaped more like a precision club, a gob of black wax, and a razor went onto the cloth as well, though he chuckled over the latter. "I doubt you need much of a shave, first. You're a downy duck."
Waving his hand over all of these articles, he explained, "these are the tools. There is also wine or smoke if you are worried about pain, but it is your choice!"
He didn't linger on the fond stare for long, but if Clear felt any reservations over that sense of belonging, Tonnaw hoped to abolish them. He pushed himself up away from his sofa, gesturing with a gentle tuck of his hand for Clear to follow him to the table near the hearth. Near there also was a locked chest, and from it, he retrieved a few tools. Unfolding a very delicate looking cloth, clean and unstained, he laid a long, pen-like dowel down as well as a sealed basin of ink. Extracting a finger-length spine from a similarly fine cloth bag with a second kerchief, Tonnaw placed the needle into a groove made glossy with many sealings. Another dowel, shaped more like a precision club, a gob of black wax, and a razor went onto the cloth as well, though he chuckled over the latter. "I doubt you need much of a shave, first. You're a downy duck."
Waving his hand over all of these articles, he explained, "these are the tools. There is also wine or smoke if you are worried about pain, but it is your choice!"
The tonnaw reminded her of home. It was in ways that were more furtive than obvious, and they were ways that Kaitan did not want to think too deeply on for too long lest she feel the full sting of them. It certainly wasn't the way they looked, at least, not in the broad strokes: she found their golden complexions lovely and their ample fluff fascinating, pleasant, downright compelling to sink her fingers into, but not homey, not exactly.
Maybe it was the easy physical affection. The resident species in the part of this world she'd been unceremoniously dumped in was so free with touch, it was like being back among a passel of Hunters again. It had taken her very little time to take to it again, and it made her feel young in a way that she didn't like to admit to enjoying. Still, admitting it or not, Kaitan indulged regularly since she'd come to terms with her stay here. In some ways she felt like the Hunter, among the tonnaw. Even the small ones were bulkier folks back home, and she had had great success so far draping herself over laps, over shoulders, over bodies in general.
Today she had done exactly that with the Tonnaw. He was a familiar cuddle prop, one of her favorites: big, soft in all the right ways, hard in all the other right ways. Moreover, he was patient with Kaitan when she was feeling moody. That went a long way.
She had cast herself over his lap, curled up, arms crossed over one of his big forearms. She was tracing his tattoos with her fingers: a hobby she enjoyed, along with hearing everyone's stories about their markings. When a bump of scar tissue interrupted both the scars and the path of her finger, she hmmed, pressed her face down to his arm both to lean her cheek on it, and to get a good look at the shiny scar.
The redhead looked up at the big man. "Well, this don't look nearly as intentional as the rest of them."
Maybe it was the easy physical affection. The resident species in the part of this world she'd been unceremoniously dumped in was so free with touch, it was like being back among a passel of Hunters again. It had taken her very little time to take to it again, and it made her feel young in a way that she didn't like to admit to enjoying. Still, admitting it or not, Kaitan indulged regularly since she'd come to terms with her stay here. In some ways she felt like the Hunter, among the tonnaw. Even the small ones were bulkier folks back home, and she had had great success so far draping herself over laps, over shoulders, over bodies in general.
Today she had done exactly that with the Tonnaw. He was a familiar cuddle prop, one of her favorites: big, soft in all the right ways, hard in all the other right ways. Moreover, he was patient with Kaitan when she was feeling moody. That went a long way.
She had cast herself over his lap, curled up, arms crossed over one of his big forearms. She was tracing his tattoos with her fingers: a hobby she enjoyed, along with hearing everyone's stories about their markings. When a bump of scar tissue interrupted both the scars and the path of her finger, she hmmed, pressed her face down to his arm both to lean her cheek on it, and to get a good look at the shiny scar.
The redhead looked up at the big man. "Well, this don't look nearly as intentional as the rest of them."
"That," Tonnaw purred--for he had been purring gently, content as a cat in a doze as she traced fingers over him--"was the most intentional of them all."
He had accepted Kaitan into Chazkwhiln along with all of the other worker-groups that filtered in over the course of the summer, but where most of those had spent their time out in the vineyards, tending fields, fishing or bringing in game for elders to dress and dry, the human had become a much-loved fixture in town. Children seemed fascinated by her bright hair and freckles--like tattoos given by nature--and thusly took some time to settle down whenever she was in view. She had been bapped on a leg at least half a dozen times in daring games of tag, and more than once she had been experimentally hefted by youths who wanted to show off and coo over her.
To the elders who lived in Chazkwhiln full-time, Kaitan had become a project. She was new, everything about her was strange, and they wanted to bring her into the fold... but at this time of the year, being introduced to a work posse seemed a little bit cruel. In any case, the way that she draped her lithe little body over available laps and shoulders was endearing, not the least of which to Tonnaw, the Tonnaw, himself.
"It was also from very long ago. I've had the other tattoos re-done atop it, by request."
He had accepted Kaitan into Chazkwhiln along with all of the other worker-groups that filtered in over the course of the summer, but where most of those had spent their time out in the vineyards, tending fields, fishing or bringing in game for elders to dress and dry, the human had become a much-loved fixture in town. Children seemed fascinated by her bright hair and freckles--like tattoos given by nature--and thusly took some time to settle down whenever she was in view. She had been bapped on a leg at least half a dozen times in daring games of tag, and more than once she had been experimentally hefted by youths who wanted to show off and coo over her.
To the elders who lived in Chazkwhiln full-time, Kaitan had become a project. She was new, everything about her was strange, and they wanted to bring her into the fold... but at this time of the year, being introduced to a work posse seemed a little bit cruel. In any case, the way that she draped her lithe little body over available laps and shoulders was endearing, not the least of which to Tonnaw, the Tonnaw, himself.
"It was also from very long ago. I've had the other tattoos re-done atop it, by request."
Edited 2015-09-26 06:11 (UTC)
That drew him a look from the little redhead, curious interest with an edge to it that, of late, she'd been doing her best to mellow out. "Well there's a story there," she exclaimed.
Huffing a little noise of dissatisfaction with her current posture and the way it made her crane her neck to peer up at him, Kaitan took the opportunity to squirm a readjustment to her posture. Not letting go of his arm she wiggled until she'd flipped herself over, belly-up in his lap, his great arm tugged over her bare torso so she could keep examining it as well as watch his face.
She looked to that arm again, and then up to his bespectacled eyes. "So tell me."
Huffing a little noise of dissatisfaction with her current posture and the way it made her crane her neck to peer up at him, Kaitan took the opportunity to squirm a readjustment to her posture. Not letting go of his arm she wiggled until she'd flipped herself over, belly-up in his lap, his great arm tugged over her bare torso so she could keep examining it as well as watch his face.
She looked to that arm again, and then up to his bespectacled eyes. "So tell me."
Clear most definitely let his chin be tilted and was not shy about letting his own pink gaze meet up with Tonnaw’s glowing green one. While he had been no stranger to those public romps of the younger generations of Tonnaw’s people, he gravitated better to more intimate settings, the one-on-ones and trios and even a quartet once, but when his attention could be focused on someone and that attention was returned was when the android blossomed best.
He got up and followed right away, admittedly close enough that he was practically craning to see around the bigger man’s shoulder—until he just stepped to the side and could more easily watch everything be laid out with fearless curiosity. As understanding dawned, his eyes got wider and he gasped an audible, “Ah!” An excited sound, to be sure.
Though he’d held on to his yellow scarf and his old, broken wristwatch, the longer Clear had stayed with the tonnaw, the more his attire mimicked their own…or rather, he dressed in piecemeal gifts from this friend or another. Oh, sure, they mostly hung off of him, being shorter and much slimmer than Tonnaw’s people, but the same could be said for the clothes he’d arrived in: hand-me-downs from the human “grandfather” that had “raised” him. All just a roundabout way of saying that Clear’s arms were exposed in all their marklessness and now he crossed them, like hugging himself. Palms upon his own bare skin, imagining a mark of some kind upon them, Clear looked nothing less than thrilled.
It had only been a half-idle question, but here Tonnaw was, turning a query straight into a reality. That’s what he was doing, right??
“Tonnaw-san, you’d really do this? If that’s the case, I’m not worried about pain at all! I’m really very hard to hurt anyway and…it would make me…truly very happy….” An answer begun in an enthusiastic blurt trailed off to one more subdued in belated humility, but his expression remained quite in earnest.
He got up and followed right away, admittedly close enough that he was practically craning to see around the bigger man’s shoulder—until he just stepped to the side and could more easily watch everything be laid out with fearless curiosity. As understanding dawned, his eyes got wider and he gasped an audible, “Ah!” An excited sound, to be sure.
Though he’d held on to his yellow scarf and his old, broken wristwatch, the longer Clear had stayed with the tonnaw, the more his attire mimicked their own…or rather, he dressed in piecemeal gifts from this friend or another. Oh, sure, they mostly hung off of him, being shorter and much slimmer than Tonnaw’s people, but the same could be said for the clothes he’d arrived in: hand-me-downs from the human “grandfather” that had “raised” him. All just a roundabout way of saying that Clear’s arms were exposed in all their marklessness and now he crossed them, like hugging himself. Palms upon his own bare skin, imagining a mark of some kind upon them, Clear looked nothing less than thrilled.
It had only been a half-idle question, but here Tonnaw was, turning a query straight into a reality. That’s what he was doing, right??
“Tonnaw-san, you’d really do this? If that’s the case, I’m not worried about pain at all! I’m really very hard to hurt anyway and…it would make me…truly very happy….” An answer begun in an enthusiastic blurt trailed off to one more subdued in belated humility, but his expression remained quite in earnest.
By the time that she had flipped herself, Tonnaw was already slipping a great hand over her stomach, under her shirt. Her skin was soft enough that he found simple pleasure in stroking her torso, but her question was more of a demand. She had his focused attention.
"It is a long story, and an old one, and one that involves some sadness and danger," he explained. One of his ears went askew, but he continued without verbally hesitating. It was a story that he hadn't shared with anyone, old friends and lovers alike. Kaitan, though... she was outside all of that. She had no context of the enormity of the situation. "Tonnaw are not the only people that live on this planet," he explained first-most. "Do you come from a place where land is shared? Here, we've drawn our borders at the mountains. Beyond them, others live in strange ways that I am not sure I fully comprehend, but this has been going on for a very long time now, and it seems to work out."
"It is a long story, and an old one, and one that involves some sadness and danger," he explained. One of his ears went askew, but he continued without verbally hesitating. It was a story that he hadn't shared with anyone, old friends and lovers alike. Kaitan, though... she was outside all of that. She had no context of the enormity of the situation. "Tonnaw are not the only people that live on this planet," he explained first-most. "Do you come from a place where land is shared? Here, we've drawn our borders at the mountains. Beyond them, others live in strange ways that I am not sure I fully comprehend, but this has been going on for a very long time now, and it seems to work out."
It wasn't often that Tonnaw blushed with pride, but Clear was making him puff up a little bit. He brought his arms up, gesturing with both hands for Clear to settle on his lap for a few moments. This wasn't customary to the process, necessarily, but it felt warranted. "I have been doing this for many years, but yours is the face I will be thinking of for a long time, I suspect. That smile..." he leaned over to nuzzle it, but refrained from making any more intimate gestures as yet. "Yes, we can begin this any time you like. Sit beside me, pick the arm that you would like to work on first. We can make a matching set if you prefer symmetry, but if you plan on exploring or commemorating any other events in your life... well, you are young, you may want to leave space for later."
One of his greatest regrets about his own marks lingered over how many he had taken in his early life. Moments that had felt significant back then were hard to recall now, and moments that he felt a much deeper connection with had had to be placed upon his chest or back, often where he had no clear view of them. Such was the way of owning up to being an elder.
"This one here, these ones," Tonnaw pointed mid-way up his right forearm to a tattoo that was somewhat more clear than others in the area, but only by dint of being half-marred by a scar and then re-coloured. "The flock of birds perched on this barrel are a few of my work crew, the barrel was my very first job, transporting pickled fish down-river to another village. It seems very mundane now, but that was a moment of togetherness that started me on a path to who I am today. These," he gestured to what amounted to little wavy lines, sometimes crested with simplified ovoid shapes, "these marks don't recall anything in particular, but to me they remind me of the tubers that my home village grew in quantity. As children we threw them at one another and through boards cut with holes, we had so many. You can use animals or plants, if you like, or any shapes that feel... hmm, together." He crossed his fingers, shrugging as he smiled.
"Sometimes, when somebody is stuck, I ask them to say the first thing that comes to mind. Usually it isn't what they would suspect. Sometimes it's what they want but weren't sure how to say it." Sometimes it started a conversation, but more often than not it prompted them to laugh and throw the idea away. It broke ice.
One of his greatest regrets about his own marks lingered over how many he had taken in his early life. Moments that had felt significant back then were hard to recall now, and moments that he felt a much deeper connection with had had to be placed upon his chest or back, often where he had no clear view of them. Such was the way of owning up to being an elder.
"This one here, these ones," Tonnaw pointed mid-way up his right forearm to a tattoo that was somewhat more clear than others in the area, but only by dint of being half-marred by a scar and then re-coloured. "The flock of birds perched on this barrel are a few of my work crew, the barrel was my very first job, transporting pickled fish down-river to another village. It seems very mundane now, but that was a moment of togetherness that started me on a path to who I am today. These," he gestured to what amounted to little wavy lines, sometimes crested with simplified ovoid shapes, "these marks don't recall anything in particular, but to me they remind me of the tubers that my home village grew in quantity. As children we threw them at one another and through boards cut with holes, we had so many. You can use animals or plants, if you like, or any shapes that feel... hmm, together." He crossed his fingers, shrugging as he smiled.
"Sometimes, when somebody is stuck, I ask them to say the first thing that comes to mind. Usually it isn't what they would suspect. Sometimes it's what they want but weren't sure how to say it." Sometimes it started a conversation, but more often than not it prompted them to laugh and throw the idea away. It broke ice.
Edited 2015-09-26 07:06 (UTC)
"I can't decide whether I think that's the more sensible way to do things or not." That slipped out without much thought; Kaitan had been doing that a lot, since she'd begun to relax into her odd, makeshift role in this strange world.
Now, though, she grimaced. That called for an explanation. Kaitan had done very little talking about home. "We share the land. Sometimes in very close quarters." Rather than elaborate any further on that, she arched her back into the big callused width of Tonnaw's hand and ran her fingers down his forearm and over that scar again. "So these neighbors of yours offered you this souvenir?"
Now, though, she grimaced. That called for an explanation. Kaitan had done very little talking about home. "We share the land. Sometimes in very close quarters." Rather than elaborate any further on that, she arched her back into the big callused width of Tonnaw's hand and ran her fingers down his forearm and over that scar again. "So these neighbors of yours offered you this souvenir?"
"Hmm," he replied, momentarily distracted by the way that she arched to his touch. She was so responsive that even an old man like him felt an appreciative bit of a tingle. "Oh no, not like that, not the way it sounds." His ears skewed flat for a few moments as he gathered his wits and his memories. "When I was younger, I would gauge a decade or two older than you, my work crew and I had begun a years-long circuit into the eastern villages. We had heard that there was a lot of majestic wildlife up that way, and good hard work, cutting and floating logs down to encampments, priming the lumber, that sort of thing. It was only after our first winter there that we heard of monsters lurking on the edges of villages further north of us."
He gathered a breath, hand stilling on Kaitan's abdomen as he fell into his recollection. "A child went missing the following spring and after that, there was a concentrated effort to find her; and the culprit. It turned out that there was a culprit, that there were several culprits. Crazed creatures, bodies smoking, eyes alight, they had come wandering out of the mountains over the winter, chasing after smoke signals left by villages as they burned their wood. At the time we didn't understand. Most people did not know what a provilac looked like, let alone one who had lost a significant portion of its will to, hmm, love and serve, I think is the way that they would phrase it."
He cast a rueful smile down at the little human. "We attempted to negotiate with these creatures, but found it impossible. One of my closest friends thought that he could perhaps bargain with them, but he had heard information about provilac that was... skewed, I think. They were not happy with his approach and they attacked him. He didn't survive."
Now he brought his free hand away, gently covered Kaitan's over his arm where the scar was, covering the both of them completely. "After that we decided we needed help, so we sought out provilac from a neighbouring hive... village, underground village built under the mountain. The help that we got was brutally efficient, when we got it." He felt his complexion heat and knew that he was flushing, cream skin turning golden behind his ample facial hair. "At first the provilac that we had hired wanted to stamp these attackers out, but I was against the killings. I probed for answers and discovered that there was another way. They were exiled from provilac space, but we were given leeway to incorporate the attackers into the villages they were haunting, once we learned how to soothe them and bring them some semblance of free will again. They agreed to work to pay the debt of the lost girl that had been taken, as a unanimous group. I believe that most of them are dead, now, but in the time I came back through that area they were loyal to their elders to a fault."
Clearing his throat, Tonnaw released his grip on Kaitan's hand. He idly twisted his arm, kick-starting the process of her rubbing his skin again. "I got this mark from our help. She was giving a sort of permission. On provilac, a mark like this is embedded in armour covering their body. It doesn't hurt them. On tonnaw it scars horribly." He chuckled again, but sadly. "I don't think that she entirely understood the confusion, but like the provilac that stayed in the villages, she made it up to me." She was still making it up to him, though that was something he would not freely admit to anyone, lest their agreement make a sudden unwanted turn.
He gathered a breath, hand stilling on Kaitan's abdomen as he fell into his recollection. "A child went missing the following spring and after that, there was a concentrated effort to find her; and the culprit. It turned out that there was a culprit, that there were several culprits. Crazed creatures, bodies smoking, eyes alight, they had come wandering out of the mountains over the winter, chasing after smoke signals left by villages as they burned their wood. At the time we didn't understand. Most people did not know what a provilac looked like, let alone one who had lost a significant portion of its will to, hmm, love and serve, I think is the way that they would phrase it."
He cast a rueful smile down at the little human. "We attempted to negotiate with these creatures, but found it impossible. One of my closest friends thought that he could perhaps bargain with them, but he had heard information about provilac that was... skewed, I think. They were not happy with his approach and they attacked him. He didn't survive."
Now he brought his free hand away, gently covered Kaitan's over his arm where the scar was, covering the both of them completely. "After that we decided we needed help, so we sought out provilac from a neighbouring hive... village, underground village built under the mountain. The help that we got was brutally efficient, when we got it." He felt his complexion heat and knew that he was flushing, cream skin turning golden behind his ample facial hair. "At first the provilac that we had hired wanted to stamp these attackers out, but I was against the killings. I probed for answers and discovered that there was another way. They were exiled from provilac space, but we were given leeway to incorporate the attackers into the villages they were haunting, once we learned how to soothe them and bring them some semblance of free will again. They agreed to work to pay the debt of the lost girl that had been taken, as a unanimous group. I believe that most of them are dead, now, but in the time I came back through that area they were loyal to their elders to a fault."
Clearing his throat, Tonnaw released his grip on Kaitan's hand. He idly twisted his arm, kick-starting the process of her rubbing his skin again. "I got this mark from our help. She was giving a sort of permission. On provilac, a mark like this is embedded in armour covering their body. It doesn't hurt them. On tonnaw it scars horribly." He chuckled again, but sadly. "I don't think that she entirely understood the confusion, but like the provilac that stayed in the villages, she made it up to me." She was still making it up to him, though that was something he would not freely admit to anyone, lest their agreement make a sudden unwanted turn.
"She made it up to you." Kaitan's hand was joined by her other, and soon both of her palms were smoothing over Tonnaw's forearm, his big hand, back up and to his bicep in an exploratory wander. "In the usual way?"
The tonnaw approach to sex was still a subject that diverted Kaitan whenever she put it to mind. It was perhaps the single thing that she had found most jarring about her shift to this place. She had grown up in a place she'd been taught to perceive as permissive about sex, but this was something else, and alternately it left Kaitan titillated and, at other times, strangely and privately stung. How had these creatures, these people, come to the sweet and easy understanding that they had with one another? Why hadn't the people in her home done the same?
What it meant was that Kaitan had, so far, been playing coy despite herself. She felt puritanical in a way that left her frustrated with herself, compared to these people. It meant all she'd yet engaged in had been petting, sensuality, occasionally being an accessory to someone else's coupling with her hands or her voice or simply her presence.
In part that was because it still felt like crossing a line, sleeping with a non-human. The more she approached that line, the more she wanted it, and the more she wanted it, the more a part of her that sounded like her brother Iunis screamed at her to dig her heels in and be a decent human being.
But what was more decent than the sweetness these people showed each other?
She looked up at Tonnaw with wide, interested eyes. Had he dallied with something not of his kind?
The tonnaw approach to sex was still a subject that diverted Kaitan whenever she put it to mind. It was perhaps the single thing that she had found most jarring about her shift to this place. She had grown up in a place she'd been taught to perceive as permissive about sex, but this was something else, and alternately it left Kaitan titillated and, at other times, strangely and privately stung. How had these creatures, these people, come to the sweet and easy understanding that they had with one another? Why hadn't the people in her home done the same?
What it meant was that Kaitan had, so far, been playing coy despite herself. She felt puritanical in a way that left her frustrated with herself, compared to these people. It meant all she'd yet engaged in had been petting, sensuality, occasionally being an accessory to someone else's coupling with her hands or her voice or simply her presence.
In part that was because it still felt like crossing a line, sleeping with a non-human. The more she approached that line, the more she wanted it, and the more she wanted it, the more a part of her that sounded like her brother Iunis screamed at her to dig her heels in and be a decent human being.
But what was more decent than the sweetness these people showed each other?
She looked up at Tonnaw with wide, interested eyes. Had he dallied with something not of his kind?
"Aha," Tonnaw hedged, feeling reticent about this but not for the reason that Kaitan was thinking of, not in the least. "No, not exactly in the same way." He fell silent for a few moments, but her touch was welcome, and even despite himself he couldn't help but rumble a half-started purr again. Eventually he rolled right into an explanation, "that phrase I mentioned earlier, that love and service. There are things about the provilac that are not like tonnaw, and that is one of them. Very many provilac live for the service of their village, and a very few guide and shape that service."
He hesitated, nearly falling silent again as he tried to explain. "The provilac who ventured out of her hive to help us was one of the latter. By marking me, she gave me permission to act in her stead, but there was an, hmm, a contract inherent in that, one that she very... very thoroughly explained to me beforehand," he felt his face going even more golden, and then found himself laughing to dispel some of that tension. "I came into her service, after a fashion. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced, but all at once it was fascinating." His voice dropped to a quiet, concerned rumble. "I think she may have been reaching for what she found familiar. I believe that most provilac like her that leave a hive... a village... they aren't allowed back, and she was lonely. At the same time, I don't think that she understood how close I was to my posse. It didn't quite work out the way that she would have liked, but it was for the best."
He hesitated, nearly falling silent again as he tried to explain. "The provilac who ventured out of her hive to help us was one of the latter. By marking me, she gave me permission to act in her stead, but there was an, hmm, a contract inherent in that, one that she very... very thoroughly explained to me beforehand," he felt his face going even more golden, and then found himself laughing to dispel some of that tension. "I came into her service, after a fashion. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced, but all at once it was fascinating." His voice dropped to a quiet, concerned rumble. "I think she may have been reaching for what she found familiar. I believe that most provilac like her that leave a hive... a village... they aren't allowed back, and she was lonely. At the same time, I don't think that she understood how close I was to my posse. It didn't quite work out the way that she would have liked, but it was for the best."
"Hmmm." Kaitan's hands ran back to Tonnaw's forearm, drew the limb close to her face again. She could see the scar just fine from far away, with its dark tattooed markings, but now she narrowed her eyes to thoughtful slits, nosed against the scarred skin. She nuzzled his mark, thinking of love and service and strange beloveds.
But Kaitan did not have the capacity to speak of such things, not just then. An ache throbbed in her chest, one that wanted to be put to words, but instead she squeezed her lips shut against it.
She turned his broad hand over in her grip, digesting his story as she traced lines on his palm. "I like your hands," she said simply. Then, a beat later, "I like your scar." That came more subdued, and carried with it an undercurrent of gratitude for the tale. It felt like something important, though Kaitan didn't yet know the right rituals on this world to acknowledge such trust.
But Kaitan did not have the capacity to speak of such things, not just then. An ache throbbed in her chest, one that wanted to be put to words, but instead she squeezed her lips shut against it.
She turned his broad hand over in her grip, digesting his story as she traced lines on his palm. "I like your hands," she said simply. Then, a beat later, "I like your scar." That came more subdued, and carried with it an undercurrent of gratitude for the tale. It felt like something important, though Kaitan didn't yet know the right rituals on this world to acknowledge such trust.
"You're welcome to have either of them at your disposal," Tonnaw replied, though his voice was hushed as she contemplated him. He felt something growing in the space between them, a familiar thunderhead that, were Kaitan tonnaw in species, he would have quickly smoothed... but she wasn't tonnaw...
But she was interested in living like one. That much was apparent. He flexed his arm, slipping a hand over Kaitan's again to clasp her in place as he lifted her bodily upwards on his lap. "So is the rest of me, if you would like anything else." His eyes were heavy-lidded, fond as he caught her gaze and attempted to hold it. Now that she was up, he looped his arm around her back and brought one finger up to caress her cheek.
But she was interested in living like one. That much was apparent. He flexed his arm, slipping a hand over Kaitan's again to clasp her in place as he lifted her bodily upwards on his lap. "So is the rest of me, if you would like anything else." His eyes were heavy-lidded, fond as he caught her gaze and attempted to hold it. Now that she was up, he looped his arm around her back and brought one finger up to caress her cheek.
Well, maybe the right ritual was presenting itself.
Not that these people seemed to consider sex as any sort of solemn engagement, she amended privately. She squirmed as he lifted, but only to get her feet under her and then propped over his legs, dangling to either side of his torso when she came back to rest.
"There's so much of you." She was almost certain that if she curled up, she'd've easily fit inside the space his torso filled. Making a point of it, she began a visual and physical examination of his shoulders, where they disappeared down his shirt. Impatient with the garment and all that it blocked, she tugged on it, making her desire to be rid of it clear. That wasn't more than she'd already done at other times, for more innocent reasons.
Not that these people seemed to consider sex as any sort of solemn engagement, she amended privately. She squirmed as he lifted, but only to get her feet under her and then propped over his legs, dangling to either side of his torso when she came back to rest.
"There's so much of you." She was almost certain that if she curled up, she'd've easily fit inside the space his torso filled. Making a point of it, she began a visual and physical examination of his shoulders, where they disappeared down his shirt. Impatient with the garment and all that it blocked, she tugged on it, making her desire to be rid of it clear. That wasn't more than she'd already done at other times, for more innocent reasons.
He gave a throaty chuckle and settled his hands over either of her shoulders, engulfing theme entirely to still her. "There is so little of you," he amended. She had merely tugged loose the folded-over outer vest he wore, the one just under his officious looking scarves, but under it she'd see another layer of darker fluffy, natty fabric, like a teased wool undershirt. He settled her back on his knees as he tugged loose the knot that held the garments down over his chest, and then tugged the scarf that kept his mane in check. Then it all came off, set on the table without much regard.
She had much more of him at her fingertips, now; the tattoos on his arms proved to rove all the way up and over his pectoral muscles, still firm despite the silver hair that occluded those darker markings. He pushed his spectacles back up on his nose where they belonged, then thought better of it and set them on top of his shirts. "Kiss me," he murmured, thumb on her jaw for a moment before he brushed it over her lips. If she wasn't entirely familiar with the way that things were done, she could definitely learn. He didn't want to startle her too thoroughly by making moves on her, but he could give her suggestions.
She had much more of him at her fingertips, now; the tattoos on his arms proved to rove all the way up and over his pectoral muscles, still firm despite the silver hair that occluded those darker markings. He pushed his spectacles back up on his nose where they belonged, then thought better of it and set them on top of his shirts. "Kiss me," he murmured, thumb on her jaw for a moment before he brushed it over her lips. If she wasn't entirely familiar with the way that things were done, she could definitely learn. He didn't want to startle her too thoroughly by making moves on her, but he could give her suggestions.
[ okay either way ]
Edited 2015-09-26 11:57 (UTC)
[still voice-testing/adjusting to her.]
[ probably more likely to be the one doing the kissing, but i'm open to other scenarios c: ]
Clear moved happily to the gestured summons, settling himself sidesaddle in that familiar lap where it was cozy and easy to see and be seen. He was still shuffling his knees a bit, making sure they were hooked comfortably over Tonnaw’s thigh when that nuzzle came in, prompting a bubble of laughter and for that smile which the older man admired to grow accordingly brighter.
He lingered in Tonnaw’s lap as some of those tattoos were explained to him, sagging sideways into the warm bulk of the other. Though eager to take on a mark of his own, he was in equally less of a hurry to leave such a cuddly, companionable ‘chair’. When Tonnaw had finished, Clear pulled one of those large hands back between his own again, holding on gently as he smoothed a palm over those marks and regarded them with this new degree of learning.
The first thing that came to mind was….
“Jellyfish!” he announced, looking back to his friend’s kind face. “Do you have anything like jellyfish in this world? They’re sea creatures, like—” he drew his hands and sculpted the air with them, trying to illustrate a shape, “—little domes of jelly, see-through like glass, and often they have long tentacles!”
He lingered in Tonnaw’s lap as some of those tattoos were explained to him, sagging sideways into the warm bulk of the other. Though eager to take on a mark of his own, he was in equally less of a hurry to leave such a cuddly, companionable ‘chair’. When Tonnaw had finished, Clear pulled one of those large hands back between his own again, holding on gently as he smoothed a palm over those marks and regarded them with this new degree of learning.
The first thing that came to mind was….
“Jellyfish!” he announced, looking back to his friend’s kind face. “Do you have anything like jellyfish in this world? They’re sea creatures, like—” he drew his hands and sculpted the air with them, trying to illustrate a shape, “—little domes of jelly, see-through like glass, and often they have long tentacles!”
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