A Debt and a Gift

[raventonbeauty]

The realm of Cocytus was a cold, dark, barren little island in the midst of a river, which made it quite to the taste of the god-thing that owned it and not at all to the taste of anyone else. Cocytus made certain to meet her guest upon the shore, welcoming the senior deity who was not quite her liege.

"Ereuvir," she said, in a voice reminiscent of things that bubbled in the dark depths of caves. Her rags fluttered as she performed a slow bow. The gray, tattered hood that covered her head served also to conceal her face and the elegant, swollen, contorting blisters that her guests found so strangely unpleasant. Cocytus simply could not understand the universe's lack of appreciate for her beauty and wonders. "Welcome. I have such a thing to give you."

A gift that was not quite a gift. Cocytus owed a debt after all, which was not the sort of thing that Cocytus liked, and recently she had come into possession of something else that she did not like. Cocytus liked suicides, and she liked them to be as self-loathing or as depressive as possible. The particular despair that came from those who had turned violence upon themselves was a vintage sweeter than any Cocytus had ever found, and the rest of the gods were happy to let her collect her little tragedies. Except that one of those tragedies, lately, was proving to be such a thorn.

Well enough, then, that Cocytus was expecting a visitor, and one with very different taste. Debt and thorn could be bundled up together and handed over to Ereuvir, and Cocytus could go back to basking in the soothing misery of her precious island.

Comments

[notcharming]

He rarely comes here.

He actually finds Cocytus's company pleasant enough, far more so than most of her callers here, but she is out of the way, easily forgotten, which seems to be how she likes it, and so he rarely finds his way here. When she had requested a boon some ages ago, he had given it gladly, but all things require recompense. It is enough already that he allows her her island on the edges of his domain, and the dominion over what small number of souls she finds interesting enough to keep here.

Still, it is not as though they are friends, exactly. Or if they are, they are friends such as meet over chess games. If she has something to give him, it is liable to be a double-edged gift, a hollow horse filled with something unexpected. Even so, it is also liable to be interesting. She does know his tastes.

"Do you?" he's dressed in the full robes and beastly horned helm of his estate, somewhat terrifying to behold, her opposite in many ways, the horrifying exterior concealing unearthly beauty underneath. He takes her hand, courteous, and brings it to the mouth of the helm, "Then by all means, show me. If it is something you have found, I have no doubt it will be unusual."

[raventonbeauty]

"Strange, pretty thing it is," Cocytus tells him, leading the way along the shore and over the piles of rocks that she finds so artful in their ugliness. "Mine only on a technicality. Took death for a lover in the form of those cherry and lemon twins, the ones that feed on life and beauty--you know them?" They're below Cocytus' notice, most of the time, so she will not be surprised if Ereuvir doesn't immediately recall the twins she's talking about, as they are so much farther beneath his notice.

"Not quite suicide, but not quite anything else, that fly who walked into the spider's web and embraced his murderers. And now it's here." A note of distaste betrays itself in Cocytus' tone, and she quiets herself. Best not to sour the gift, after all. "Restless and passionate. Such a unique flower for my garden." Cocytus prefers her flowers as dismal and uniform as possible.

They come over a ridge and Cocytus bends to peer down into the rocky pit where she put her noisy little thorn.

Ashley's muddy and his clothing is torn, but his captivity in this strange place has fired his indignation, and he's been pacing for hours, trying to find a way to escape the pit or to lure help. His long red hair is tangled and he's haggard with fatigue, but he still burns with determination. When figures appear over the rim of the pit, Ashley glares up at them, pride undiminished by circumstances.

[notcharming]

"I can't recall," it's his own way of saying that they are, indeed, beneath his notice. "Death as a lover, hm? I can see why you would think I would be intrigued." Not the lover part so specifically, but Ereuvir has always found himself a bit more inclined to those interested in his work, as it were. An obsession with Death, after all, is very nearly an obsession with him, and while he is not ruled by vanity, he's not immune to flattery, either.

Looking down into the pit, his current seeming far more monstrous than normal, and seeing the young man glaring up at him all the same, he understands what he's being given, and why,

"A bit too unruly for you, then," he makes no attempt to remain unheard by the young man in the pit, though he's very clearly not addressing him, "And you'd like it if I took him off your hands, so you can return to your peace and quiet?" It's not the same as no, she will notice. And he turns to her with a smile she cannot see through the helm, but can hear in his voice, "Very well. Have him bound and brought to my boat. I will accept your gift."

Truth be told, he's not sure exactly what he's going to do with the young man, but the debt she owes is symbolic only, so even if he just releases him into the greater underworld after a time, he is fine to have it settled and help her besides.

[raventonbeauty]

Cocytus compels some of her better-trained possessions to take care of it, and the wall of the pit shifts into steps so that it can be managed by human creatures.

Ashley's intrigued enough to cooperate, and even gives his wrists when they come to bind him. It isn't the captivity he minds so much as the filth and ugliness of the place. The creature in the frightening helm who wants him may well be crueler and more awful than Cocytus, but Ashley is willing to take the risk and to cooperate until he finds out. He's clever enough not to ruin an advantage when it comes his way, so he keeps his mouth shut and lets himself be led to the boat.

Sitting patiently as he waits for the gods to finish their business, Ashley does what he can with his hair while his hands are bound. It cannot be made clean or shining, but at least he can comb his fingers through it to make it a little tidier.

When the creature with the helm returns, Ashley sits up straight and puts his hands in his lap, watching his new owner with wary resentment.

[notcharming]

The rest of the business isn't long, mostly pleasantries and ceremony, though he does mean it when he bids her good tidings as he leaves. They are both strange and count each other oddities, but they do get along and he does intend to come calling more often, though they both know he likely will not be back for a while.

He smiles slightly, when he sees that the young man has only needed the most rudimentary of restraints and that he's seemed to attempt to make himself more presentable for him as he strides back to the boat.

"It seems you've caused my friend a bit of trouble," he says, the helm making his voice echo a bit. He knows he resembles nothing quite so much as some kind of demon warlord like this, brutal and monstrous. He doesn't wish to scare his new "gift" for the sake of scaring him, but he does want to know how he handles it all, particularly as he steps aboard and pushes away from the shore. Nothing has been done to make this boat look like anything different than all the renderings of it over the years, and as they move into the mists around Cocytus's isle, surely it must feel like something from a myth as well.

"What is your name?"

[raventonbeauty]

"Ashley Raventon," he offers at once. He cannot help but be curious about what is under the helm, but it would be impolite to ask just yet. Ashley may not be a polite person by instinct, but he is a calculating person, and that keeps him quiet enough.

He offers no apologies or explanations toward his previous keeper. No apologies or explanations had been given to Ashley, after all, and he is simply glad to be leaving.

"May I have these off? I'll behave." He offers his wrists, expecting to be obliged by having them off.

[notcharming]

"It's as much for show as anything else," it's not an apology, but it's an explanation for why he leaves them on, at least. "I don't intend to parade you about as an example, but we will be seen on the way back to the heart of my domain. I need word to spread of my gift, and the release of Cocytus from her obligation to me. Besides," he adds after a moment of silent polling through the water and the mists, "You are my prisoner."

It's clear that it's a source of at least some amusement to him, in his tone, so it's unlikely that he's immediately going to be a tyrant of a jailer. The way he just refuses to take them off, however, almost off-handedly, might be concerning.

[raventonbeauty]

Ashley isn't concerned. He drops his wrists back into his lap, accepting the situation. The restraints don't hurt, after all. They're simply irritating.

Curious and calm about his unnerving surroundings, Ashley leans over the side of the boat, gazing curiously into the water. It seems to gaze back at him, but he looks fearlessly for a couple of minutes until he grows bored of the faces in the water and returns his attention to his new keeper.

The god in the frightening helm is clean, at least, and dressed in rich robes, so he's already an improvement upon Cocytus. Aside from the helm, there's no implication that he's deformed in the same way Cocytus was. "What do I call you?"

[notcharming]

"Ereuvir," he has no family name to speak of, though he tends towards the same one when he is forced by circumstance or disguise to give one. He needs neither, here.

"You are not afraid," he isn't offended at all, but he is somewhat surprised. In his raiment of office he is designed to cause fear. "Although you are dead, much more terrible fates than the bottom of a pit could yet befall you." It's not a threat, really, though if it were taken as one it would not surprise him. He is simply curious if it is naiveté or something else that motivates the calm. "It is my job to bestow most of them."

After there is an answer, whatever it is, the shoreline appears close, out of the mists, as though it was waiting for one.

[raventonbeauty]

"May I have a bath and a hairbrush?" Ashley asks, by way of answer. He isn't so clever as not to reveal his most driving motivation. Terrible fates and frightening visages are all very well, but Ashley's truest miseries are filth and ugliness.

The shoreline appears, and Ashley draws himself up, straightening his shoulders and lifting his chin. His instinctive reaction to the approach of land is not curiosity but vanity--if he is going to be seen, as Ereuvir has said, then he will be seen with all the pride and beauty that his state of misery can garner.

[notcharming]

Ereuvir can't help but chuckle softly, the helm turning the sound more haunting and sinister than intended. Perhaps someone else, a lesser god of some sort or someone who gained their power rather than being composed of it, might be offended by Ashley's lack of concern or fear, his vanity, but Ereuvir is amused and, perhaps, a bit charmed. He has seen what sins people might commit in the name of vanity, but he is not particularly judgmental of it on it's own, for all he doesn't really understand it.

"Of course. You'll get everything all dirty otherwise," it's said as though he's teasing, but it's also a way of letting Ashley know that they are not headed to a pit.

He chuckles again watching the young man draw himself up as they approach the shoreline. He does not waste time when they get there, tugging Ashley out by the chains and sending him sprawling to his knees on the dock. It's calculated, though, and perhaps Ashley will appreciate it, after a moment. Surely they paint an exquisite picture like that, with him all pale and fiery at Ereuvir's feet.

There are several people at the dock, clearly servants, and one of them that is likely something more like a majordomo.

"A gift from Cocytus," he says, simply. "Go ahead of us and alert the house to ready rooms and a bath. Both of us enjoy our gardens, but I prefer mine a bit more... cultivated." Once the other man leaves, Ashley's dragged to a carriage, more Victorian than Grecian, though it's pulled by four spectral horses, and then inside. It seems this place takes from a large number of stories.

[raventonbeauty]

Ashley glares when he's thrown to his knees, but he lands prettily enough, and he does stay there. He behaves himself well enough as he's herded into a carriage, though he chafes against his restraints and snarls at anyone but Ereuvir who comes near him.

Skittish now and spooked, Ashley's tense as he's transported. The existential horror of the river and the helm doesn't bother him as much as being handled by servants, and he's much more cooperative while he's not being dragged about. He keeps himself relatively well-behaved, even so. The promise of a bath is enough of a bribe to win a very large measure of Ashley's temperance.

[notcharming]

Ereuvir is mostly silent and impassive as they journey and the journey is short, surprisingly so. There's no way to figure out what he's thinking from the silence of the mask. But he does handle his "guest" personally, if not with a bit more manhandling than is absolutely necessary, perhaps.

Still, he helps him down out of the carriage as elegantly as possible for someone in chains and they are in the courtyard of a large home. It straddles the line between manor house and castle, dark stone and foreboding windows, but with some more modern touches to it as well. After a moment of consideration, Ereuvir touches the chains and they fall off and then, a servant rushing up to take it, he pulls off the helm, revealing a perhaps surprising visage underneath.

"I will show you to your rooms. There should already be a bath waiting," he pauses, considers, "You don't seem inclined to do anything foolish, but I suppose I should warn you that should you decide to do so, you will regret it."

[raventonbeauty]

Ashley is very surprised by the pretty face beneath the frightening helm, but he's pleased, too. He saw Cocytus' face and despised it for its ugliness. While he would not so much have minded a monstrous keeper, he is pleased to have a master as beautiful as himself, or nearly.

When Ereuvir warns him about good behavior, Ashley replies with a wickedly coquettish smile, biting his lower lip to imply that he does not so much mind a certain type of punishment. He keeps quiet, however, very careful not to risk real provocation until he's had his bath. Being dirty is the most awful misery Ashley has ever endured, though it is true that he is a stranger to most forms of physical pain.

[notcharming]

He catches that look and returns a sharper one,

"I said you would regret it, and I mean it. I have very little patience for brattish behavior meant to provoke a rise out of me," his smile is wicked, but of a sort where it's clear he's already getting a measure of his new guest and can likely be made to play along, at least somewhat, "Unless you think you will enjoy being thrown in a filthy cell until you beg me to release you? Then, by all means, test my patience and my hospitality." Still, while he clearly means the threat, there's also quite a bit of warmth in his tone, teasing, a far cry from the coldness of the figure on the boat.

He shows him through the castle to a set of rooms, lavishly appointed and, as much here seems to be, hung in deep shades of blue and midnight blacks. He'll find that these, too, are more modern, with running taps and a huge clawfoot tub, albeit one with a functioning drain, for all that the modern conveniences seem set in a backdrop of ancient, dark stone.

"Go on, see to yourself. You can ring this bell," he indicates a bellpull on the wall, "when you are done and a servant will come to bring you to me. Do not go wandering as of yet. I will be happy to give you a tour once you're settled. Do not try to leave. You will be met with force." If there are any further questions or demands, he'll answer those, but otherwise, he turns to leave.

[raventonbeauty]

"Where would I go?" Ashley asks, rhetorically, with a hint of light humor. He's calmly resigned to the fact that he is dead, and captive. The thought of leaving a room of luxury for the unknown realms of hell is anathema to him. There's nothing for him to seek out there, unless he can find some hint that might lead him to Arkady.

Not yet bold enough to touch his keeper, Ashley blows him a kiss, instead, and goes into the bath to wash himself.

He takes his time, rinsing the grime and then washing again, scrubbing his skin and then covering himself in a sweet-smelling lotion. He brushes his hair until it's smooth and shining and dresses in a simple but high-quality outfit of black trousers and a white shirt, open at the collar to show off his throat, with his hair hanging loose down his back.

Once he's clean, he rings the bell as instructed. He's hungry, but understands by now that such things are mere pleasantries now that he's dead.

There's nothing in this place that interests him quite so much as Ereuvir, and Ashley is acutely aware that beauty is of no use without someone to appreciate it, so he's motivated to return to his master's company as soon as possible.

[notcharming]

Where indeed? It certainly seems as though Ereuvir isn't particularly worried about the possibility, as he gives the warning but leaves no guards for him.

A servant comes to collect him eerily quickly, and they seem pale-faced and not inclined to speak to him, but it's certainly more pleasant than his reception on the island. He's shown to a small sitting room where Ereuvir is sitting in a chair, dressed simply but more recognizably like a gentleman than a warlord. He is reading, but he looks up as Ashley approaches and gives him a once over, more assessing than sexual, before nodding, and gesturing to the other chair.

"As I expected, you cleaned up well. Please, help yourself," there are an assortment of lighter foods and pastries on the table, along with tea, which Ereuvir already has a cup of on the table at his elbow. It's unclear if he somehow knew Ashley would be feeling hungry, or if it's incidental and he also desired to eat. He doesn't look like he's eaten anything yet, but he has clearly been enjoying the tea.

He studies him again for a moment, more speculatively,

"I haven't yet decided what I'm planning on doing with you. I am not wholly unaccustomed to guests, or to tribute, but this is the first time the two have been combined into something quite so... personal."

[raventonbeauty]

Ashley's very pleased by the array of treats, though he does wish that there was wine instead of tea. Still, he drops into the indicated chair and immediately reaches for food and drink. He eats with very little decorum and licks his fingers shamelessly, though he's still attentive to his vanity. Everything about him is carefully performed to be sexually appealing. Normally, Ashley would give more care to being unattainable, but it's quite clear to him that he's already found the largest fish in this particular pond.

"Are you taking suggestions?" he asks, meticulously deconstructing a pastry and consuming a morsel at a time from the ruins.

[notcharming]

In some respects, Ereuvir is completely unaffected. In others, he is quickly becoming ensnared. The sexuality of the motions does nothing in particular for him. He is without strictly biological needs or, if perhaps it could be said that is not entirely true, then the only ones he requires are more intimately linked to his function rather than some kind of more human-like desire.

That said, watching this lovely young man meet adversity and an unknown and clearly powerful supernatural captor with such a sensual means of attack (or possibly defense) is fascinating. It's not what most people would do without knowing anything about him and it is therefore interesting to him. He considers the slightly impertinent question for a moment and then his lips twist into a wry little smile,

"I wasn't intending on it, but if the suggestion is interesting enough, I might be persuaded." He is curious to see where Ashley is going with this, though he has at least some idea.

[raventonbeauty]

With that permission, Ashley gets up, taking his teacup with him. He comes around the table and seats himself neatly across Ereuvir's lap, and then continues his process of deconstructing and eating pastries as casually as ever. He hooks one foot very coyly around the back of Ereuvir's calf, which also helps to keep him balanced on Ereuvir's lap as he reaches across the table for the pastry that he wants.

Ashley feels that it would be vulgar at this point to specify his suggestion, but he thinks he's made himself clear enough.

[notcharming]

He doesn't have to work very hard at staying in Ereuvir's lap because Ereuvir puts his hands on him immediately, first sliding warm and slightly covetous up his sides and then one wound more warmly around his hips, seating him more firmly there. The opposite curls almost delicately around his throat, tugging it back a little and baring it, but not with any intent to cut off breathing. His voice is low and warm but dark, sinister,

"I am the Lord of the Underworld. Ruler and... reformer of all of the wicked souls of this earth. I control everything in this land absolutely. And you would presume to suggest warming my bed so casually? Have you no sense of self preservation, or are you simply unaware that you can still feel pain, can still be tortured, here, but here, there is no death to end it."

Neither his tone, nor the way that he's holding him make it particularly clear whether he is talking of being tortured because he's taking offense or tortured because that's what warming his bed entails. Truthfully, he wants him to wonder. He continues to be curious what makes this beautiful young man tick. Something must frighten him and while Ereuvir doesn't necessarily want to scare him, he does want to know what that is.

[raventonbeauty]

Ashley responds pliantly and gracefully as he's grasped, following Ereuvir's lead like it's a step in a dance, so that he doesn't spill a drop of his tea. Instead, holding carefully still where Ereuvir's gripping him and keeping his foot hooked around Ereuvir's calf, he closes his eyes and sets the teacup safely down on the table before he responds.

"I'm aware," Ashley says. His hands are both free, but he doesn't touch. He's been bold enough already. "The island was awful, but Cocytus lacked a certain creativity in my miseries. I don't--" Ashley's eyes flick around the ceiling, though there isn't much to see with his chin tilted up like this. He swallows, and a little tremor goes through him. He is frightened, though he's very good at hiding it, and even better at not letting it stop him from doing what he wants. "I don't think you lack that creativity."

Relaxing back against Ereuvir's chest, Ashley tucked his head over Ereuvir's shoulder. "Every creature I have ever encountered desires attention and flattery. Human or otherwise." It's true that Ereuvir is unlike any of the mere mortal creatures Ashley has encountered. But he has a physical body and an interest in keeping up appearances. Both of those speak quite clearly to Ashley that Ereuvir will be interested in someone who can offer him more than yet another body to torture. "How many of the beings in your realm offer you attention for the sheer pleasure of it?"

[notcharming]

"I could take my pick of beautiful, sycophantic creatures, if that is what I desired," he does not deny, however, that he does sometimes wish for companionship, if nothing else, someone to pass the days with. There is much in his realm that requires his attention, but much more that runs mostly on it's own. The hand around Ashley's throat turns instead to a caress,

"What is it you stand to gain? If I offered you the chance to walk out of here, would you take it instead? Do you offer because you think it will save you, or do you offer because there is something you desire?" The arm around his waist shifts, the hand moving to his thigh instead, spreading his legs across his lap. The position is obscene, but his hand moves no further, simply holds him like that, lets him feel how easy it was for him to do it.

"You are beautiful," he offers the praise freely, "and I do like to surround myself with things that are beautiful. But I have all of history to choose from. Here, your beauty is not enough. Show me what else you will offer."

[raventonbeauty]

"May I never be sycophantic," Ashley prayed, with a grimace. He wriggled against Ereuvir's grip, annoyed at the thought of being so well-behaved as to be thought sycophantic. But when Ereuvir spread his legs instead of letting him escape, Ashley laughed and relaxed again, grinding his hips once against Ereuvir's lap. "Walk out of here and go where? I've seen all of two places in death, and of everything I've seen so far, I like this spot here best."

[notcharming]

"So you think to trade your body for luxury, safety? Or perhaps you think you can twist me around your fingers just because you fuck well?" the obscenity falls cold from his mouth, along with a grinding push back against his ass, vulgar.

Unlike the questions before it, this one seems colder, more like a test of some kind.