goldencharms | FOR INFY!!!

[ he takes a sip, and then-- ]

Oh, there isn't enough sugar in this!

[ time to load it down. ]

I don't taste anything bad, so I think you were right! It's fine. And it isn't too bad of a blend!

[ but it isn't a great one, either. Still. now they can both enjoy tea as they talk. as he adds sugar, he continues, ]

It doesn't feel right to not drink with you! And you already said it was fine, right?

I only said it was fine so far! You can't just--

[Oh, but he can, and he will. It's too late to argue now, isn't it? Whatever will happen, will happen. Jamil can't help but sigh, shaking his head. What are they going to do if they both get hit with something stronger, more delayed, more dangerous? They don't have any family doctors on call here like they do at the palace. And there's no Professor Crewel to quickly diagnose such a poisoning, like there is on campus.....]

You idiot..... The whole point of testing it in advance is to make sure at least one of us isn't incapacitated.

[ he looks at him quite calmly, though he's smiling like they aren't talking about life or death. ]

But nothing happened. So we can keep talking like before!

Yet. That we know of.

[But there's really no convincing a guy like Kalim, is there? Any attempted scolding is just going to go in one ear and out the other, as always. So..... Fine. Fine. He has no choice but to accept it, now that Kalim is already drinking too.]

If something happens, I'll call Lilia. He'll know what to do.

[ after all, Lilia's been taking good care of him, and more importantly, Lilia's got a wealth of experience from age that there was no way Kalim and Jamil could compete with. ]

But for now, you can relax. It's not that frightening here, most of the time.

.....If you say so.

[Relaxing is the last thing he wants to do, if he's honest. Lilia hardly seems like the most reliable person to nurse anyone back to health, given the rumors he's heard.....

But it's anyone's guess if there actually will be any further effects from whatever they've been drugged with. He still doesn't feel any unnatural heat, or anything clouding his thoughts. Maybe they're just..... who even knows? Trying to forcibly pair-bond strangers for this twisted experiment they're running? It's a futile effort, if that's the case. After all, the two of them are already.....

He'd really rather not think too hard about it, when his head is hurting as it is.]

I'm not so sure we have the same definition of frightening, if everything they serve in public is tainted.

I think it's a lot easier!

And not everything is tainted. Ruby likes to get drinks from cafes and things like that, and sometimes I go with her! I just got really unlucky one time.

[ he shrugs, and that was probably more than he would've said a moment ago, but he doesn't seem too perturbed by it. He's more openly happy Jamil's there. ]

And after that, it didn't matter, since no one else could cook, especially after Riddle went back home! So I decided to try it, since I couldn't keep my promise to only eat your cooking if you weren't there.

How exactly did you get unlucky?

[Is he sure these cafe drinks aren't tainted routinely, if there's something in the tea today? Or is it that they just have sneakier, less lethal effects than Kalim has to worry about at home? Either way, mentioning a particularly "unlucky" day is clearly evidence enough that this place is dangerous, that they should be cautious.

Even that concern is momentarily distracted from, hearing that Riddle was not only seized, but has managed to escape their confinement. Without even taking the rest of them with him, or letting them in on the secret? He'd thought Riddle was more of an insufferable goody--ah, was more conscientious than that.]

Riddle went home? How?

I dunno! Silver said you were here before too.

[ Kalim shrugs-- and then rests his cheek on the palm of his hand ]

I think it just happens sometimes.

Edited 2025-01-03 07:06 (UTC)

Wait, what?!

[That's..... that's in incredibly poor taste, if it's a joke. But Silver is far too earnest to joke about something like that, isn't he? Not so rigid as Riddle, perhaps, but serious and diligent, honest and capable, kind enough that he sometimes questions how Silver ended up in Night Raven College at all. No, if Silver claims he was here at one point before, then.....

He feels a little sick just contemplating the possibility, headache only worsening as he struggles to make sense of it all. Does he have amnesia? Was his memory altered with magic or a potion? How? Why? Had they let him go deliberately for some reason, or had he managed to escape? If he had escaped, why wouldn't he remember it? If they had released him for a purpose, then why? What else had they done to him that he can't remember? Why would they need him here again, if they had been satisfied enough with..... whatever they were doing to surrender him? What reason would there be to toy with him like this?

His can hear his heartbeat racing in his ears; Jamil takes another drink, tense all over again as he forces a surge of cold anger down. Whatever reason they may have for not wanting him to remember being taken previously, nothing good can come of letting them know he's aware of it now.]

Escaping a situation like this doesn't just happen at random.

Eh...?

[ jamil was upset? Kalim can't quite make sense of the reaction, except that he feels guilty for doing that to him. perhaps not mentioning it at all was the right call. Kalim frowns, concern apparent in his face. And he stops rocking distractedly, straightens up ]

Are you upset?

[ the gears are trying to turn. he's trying to infer something. He's trying to communicate.

And instead, he gets up only to move and sit next to Jamil in the booth, leaning against him heavily without thinking about how that might be taken. ]

I'm sorry!

No, no, you're fine. I just--

[Might he have snapped at Kalim's sheer obliviousness, normally? Or pushed him away, at the very least? Instead, he's..... he doesn't know. Grateful, he guesses? The idea is horrifying in its implications, (not the least because of his own unique magic's capabilities) but better to know he's been deceived, manipulated, violated, controlled than to live in blissful ignorance. At least maybe he can try to figure out how to protect himself somehow, if he's aware of the danger.

Maybe he can figure out how to protect Kalim from this somehow, too. It's..... actually reassuring, having him so near. Can Kalim feel the way his heart is pounding, leaning against him like this? What a strange feeling, being so acutely aware of his own helplessness feeling frightening for once instead of absolutely infuriating. They're both still just teenagers, after all. What are they supposed to do against the sheer enormity of the disaster they've found themselves in?]

It's fine. Whatever they're doing to us, it's dangerous--far more dangerous than anything I'm capable of.

[ is jamil really dangerous? Kalim supposes that he could see why others might think that... but honestly, if they asked him, he would say that Jamil was far from it. Even if he lied about it. He 'hmms' as he considers what Jamil said.

Is the real problem that he's worried? That makes sense, Jamil always worries, even when doing so won't really help them... And yet, he knows that it isn't exactly unwarranted.

So, should he distract him? how?

He'd say they should leave but... this was important for Jamil. He needed a submissive to be contracted to, or else he'd get in trouble.

(the thought makes his heart ache, and so he immediately speaks instead) ]

Well, right now it's not so bad, right? And later, I can show you some of the nicer places to visit. Who knows, maybe it'll help you think clearer!

[Even his most earnest attempts had never been this..... this professional. This slick. Kalim has always at least been aware of the fact that he's been losing time, even if he had successfully convinced him that he was prone to nodding off at the worst possible times. And yet..... he doesn't remember this place. At all. He doesn't even remember any time that he could have gone missing, nor anything subtly off that could betray fabricated memories to cover up the discrepancies caused by his absence. This..... is absolutely perfect, practiced, seamless.

He's overwhelmingly envious, even if it makes his blood runs cold.

He should learn from them, if he can--not only for the sake of escaping, (again?) but for his own personal growth as well. Just because he gets average marks in alchemy doesn't mean he's bad at it by any means--he'll just need to start seriously studying science, if he can slither his way into their captors' good graces enough to gain employment with them. All he needs to start with is a foot in the door somehow, so he can work towards gaining their trust.....

At least developing the first inklings of a plan means he has something to cling to, some rock to steady himself with as the storm rages around (and within) him. Far better to plan for the future, as the Sorcerer of the Sands would surely have done, rather than to make himself sick stressing out over hypotheticals.]

.....I suppose so. We'll just have to see, won't we?

[ he seems to have calmed down... and so, Kalim relaxes a little too. That was better than the opposite, at least. ]

Where are you staying, by the way? I wanna visit as soon as possible!

[Right. Yes. He still needs to deal with the fact that Kalim is here. He'll still need to find the time to watch over him, just as he always has. He can't get too ahead of himself with this sort of big picture thinking, or he'll forget to attend to all the tiny mundane details that will need to fall into place, to lay the groundwork for those grander plans.

Calm down. Focus.

A steadying breath, and Jamil reaches into his pocket to pull out an engraved key. (Strange, he doesn't even think to grumble to himself about Kalim invading what little privacy he'll have.) He offers it over for Kalim to examine; if he's been here so long, he probably knows the building, doesn't he?]

It seems they've set aside an entire apartment building to serve as a dormitory of sorts. Every newly taken Dominant has been assigned a room there.

[ Kalim has no clue where it is. though he turns over the key before looking back at Jamil, ]

You'll have to show me.

[ and also-- offering the key back. Jamil can't give him his only key-- Kalim already has a place to stay, after all. And he couldn't impose. ]

There was something similar for Submissives, but I didn't really stay there. Lilia found me and invited me over right away! So that's where I've been ever since!

[Of course he will. Why is he not surprised that he'll be the one finding their way, even though he's only been here for a matter of hours, compared to Kalim's apparent months? Somehow, he can't find it in himself to be irritated; Jamil just tucks the key back into his pocket with a twinge of unremarked on exasperation, and hopes that it isn't too far from this cafe they've been sent to. As long as they have GPS, they'll be fine, right?]

Good. Everything I heard suggested the Submissive accommodations are insecure and poorly appointed; we can take a look at my assignment, and I'll walk you home.

[After all, he'll need to know the way to Lilia's as soon as possible himself, if he intends to keep an eye on Kalim. He'll have to thank Lilia for making sure Kalim didn't have to brave these dangerous Submissive slums, won't he? Perhaps a meal will be good enough.]

Edited 2025-01-04 00:22 (UTC)

[ oh... it's kind of like home. He really didn't realize how much he missed Jamil walking him home-- it actually makes his heart feel... hm... light? And he beams up at Jamil at the suggestion. ]

Sure!

[ he'd want Jamil to visit too. though, Lilia's place is pretty small... still, for visits it should be fine. ]

Oh, you should come for dinner!

[ he is absolutely going to attempt to cook for him. in fact, the way his eyes stare deeply at him implies he won't take no for an answer. ]

That's..... really not necessary.

[It's a strange, awkward, viscerally uncomfortable thought. Kalim shouldn't need to cook for him, even if he's been forced to do so to protect himself from poison. That's not how things are supposed to be. Maybe he needs to get used to that being how it is here, needs to readjust his understanding of his place in this new society, but.....

He can't just rewire his brain overnight. Besides, this is only a temporary setback caused by some overwhelmingly powerful pack of inscrutable villains..... right? Right?]

Don't worry, don't worry!

It's not any trouble at all!

[ he just thinks Jamil is being modest, not that he's. you know. trying to get out of it. ]

I just wanna try to treat you, too.

If you're sure.

[Kalim isn't going to just let this go, is he? He'll just..... have to humor it and help him pull it off, the way he does with any other scheme the boy comes up with. Surely Kalim won't rebuff him at least bringing a bottle of wine or something similar, even if he wants to do all the cooking himself.

That said..... even if he accepts this bizarre role reversal, he still has reservations about the idea. Big, glaring, Lilia-shaped reservations. Will he need to bring some sort of medicines or antidotes with him, too?]

You don't get any..... help in the kitchen, do you?

Oh, Lilia's not allowed in the kitchen. Ruby usually distracts him!

[ he says cheerfully. he knows... exactly what Jamil is getting at. ]

Hmph..... At least you get the help you actually need, then.

[Is it a little too obvious that he's relieved at the thought? Sorry, Lilia. He'll have faith in your capabilities once you've proven yourself worthy of it. Just because you're knowledgeable doesn't mean you're actually competent, or even just willing to put that knowledge to good use.

It seems this Ruby girl has been watching Kalim's back, at least. Just what sort of person is she? Aside from yet another person he doesn't want to have to be indebted to, of course.....]

[ Kalim doesn’t think to explain who Ruby is, since it sounds like Jamil is agreeing to let him cook for him. So instead, he leans against him again, pleased. ]

Then it’s settled!

[ and now he’s trapped. Kalim just… missed him so much. ]

FOR INFY!!!

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