goldencharms | FOR INFY!!!

... I don't like that you have another submissive.

[ he admits softly-- the other person doesn't need to hear. but Kalim can't help the jealousy that's welling up all of a sudden. ]

Hmmm?

[Jamil closes the door behind them again, raising his eyebrow as he takes Kalim's hand to clean it up. Barely more than a paper cut..... He hardly even has to think, to let a trickle of healing magic tingle against Kalim's fingertips and smooth over his skin.]

Look, I don't like having to participate in this travesty any more than you do. But if we want to survive, we just have to keep our heads down and do as we're told for now.

It's not that!

[ he shouldn't say something, he shouldn't say something, he shouldn't say something.

that's what he would be thinking, anyway. but, no, he just wants to tell Jamil exactly what he thinks. ]

This was the longest we've been apart and we're still apart and I hate it!

What.....?

[He's right here. They're even touching, at least as long as he's taking care of the bite. How much more does Kalim really need to consider them to not be apart? Is he just confused because it's been so much longer for Kalim than it has been for him, or is this just..... nonsensical?

It isn't as though they could live communally like in Scarabia, in a place like this. Not without Lilia moving back into these apartments, which he obviously wouldn't be willing to do. And if he means literally living together..... It's not legal for two Dominants to share any sort of home, even if they keep their own Submissives, is it? They'd said you could let Submissives that aren't your own visit for a few days, but.....

Seven save him. With a Submissive of his own occupying the spare room now, he'd have to share his own bed. What a headache. Does Kalim seriously mean he should be Jamil's Submissive? There are so many things wrong with that suggestion, he doesn't even know where to begin. How inappropriate it is given their professional relationship, how irresponsible it is given their current circumstances.....

He should have known Kalim wouldn't actually share his feelings on the situation they're in. That's all on him, for daring to hope Kalim might understand his position a little more now.]

Kalim, you're already contracted. To one of your closest friends. You've made a commitment to Lilia for at least until its terms expire.

[ wait, what is he saying?? he places a hand to his head-- Jamil is right, but also that should be his choice. Kalim didn't want to just say something like that to influence him... No...

He steps back. ]

Ahahaha, you're right...

[ where did the desire to even say that come from?? and now... well, he's lucky that Jamil doesn't look too upset. So, maybe it didn't matter that much?

Ah. That hurts to consider, too. ]

My bad, my bad...!

[Is it any wonder that someone so keenly attuned to another's safety and comfort would note the sudden tension and confusion gripping him? He had initially assumed this was simply born of spontaneous impulse, the way so many of Kalim's schemes are--but he actually seems distressed right now. As though he hadn't actually meant to say it. As though he regrets it? Why say anything at all then, unless it was some heat of the moment confession..... in spite of the fact that the moment wasn't heated?

Since when can Kalim keep secrets from anyone, let alone him? What had happened to him? Is he sick? Drugged? Poisoned? He had seemed fine when he arrived, and he hasn't eaten or drank anything since he got here--even ignoring the fact that anything Jamil made would obviously be clean. So..... poison, then? Do any bats have venom? It's certainly possible; those damn vermin probably feed on blood. Who knows what kind of transmittable diseases they could be carrying, too?

He knew handling those things bare-handed was a bad idea. Dammit! He can circle back around to actually letting himself think about any of this when there are less pressing matters to take care of.]

If you still feel that strongly about it, we can discuss it more when your contract expires. For now, you should at least sit down. How do you feel?

No...

[ he frowns at that first statement, completely ignoring the second. instead, he shakes his head, even though he wants to drop it ]

What do you want?

[ he asks instead, more insistent. He doesn't want to be taken care of right now. and even though he wants to drop it, his mouth is moving ahead without him thinking ]

I want to figure out if you need a doctor. What else?

[Obviously. Why wouldn't this take priority? Does he need to call Lilia? He's Kalim's primary caretaker right now, after all--and with all those familiars he brought to school with him, Lilia should have some idea of what a bat--rabbit? Rabbat? Batbit?--bite might do to someone, even a strange, potentially magical chimera of one.]

I feel fine though! I don't need to be taken care of like that while we're here!

[ distracted-- and then blurting out his immediate thoughts without reservation ]

Do you? Why were you holding your head like that, then?

[Can Kalim really be sure he's fine, without being looked over by someone familiar with those creatures? It's always better to head off potential problems, after all--what he really wants is no more trouble. What he wants is to not have to deal with any of this bullshit. What he really wants.....

Seven, he's so tired, right down to his soul. What he really wants is for everything to stop being so wrong.]

Well...

Because I didn't want to say that. It just slipped out.

As if that isn't proof enough you need to be taken care of right now..... Slipped out because you spoke without thinking, or slipped out even though you were actively trying not to say anything?

[One is mere carelessness, the other proof of being influenced by something outside of his control. Kalim understands how dangerous such a seemingly tiny difference can be, doesn't he?]

... Oh, you're right! Maybe something is wrong.

[ oops.

he does understand the difference. ]

[Sigh.]

As I said, you should really sit down. Do you feel anything different than normal, aside from saying things when you don't want to?

[The latter, then. It has to be the latter. How is it that Kalim is actually holding things back, when he always seems to run his mouth without the slightest hesitation to consider what he's saying? What else has he been biting his tongue about? When he'd said he hates that Jamil has a Submissive other than him, he'd meant.....

Ridiculous. Lilia and Cater are Kalim's best friends, the ones who actually like him. Even if Kalim abandoned Lilia for his sake, that wouldn't actually make him happy. Surely Kalim would just be miserable for it, shattering Lilia's trust by breaking their contract, living under the control of a traitor who had nearly killed him. Wouldn't he?]

[ he shakes his head, guilt starting to flood his mind. He'd been so quick to dismiss it, but Jamil really had just been looking out for him this whole time. It made his jealousy over--

well... Over Jamil not even trying to ask him...

It made it seem that much smaller of him. His smile is a bit subdued, but it's still there. ]

No, I think that's it. Ahh, sorry. I hadn't considered it until you said something.

[ he can't quite make himself laugh it off-- at least not yet. ]

It's fine. It's difficult to realize your own mind has been altered, isn't it?

[Jamil puts a hand on Kalim's shoulder to gently steer him towards the couch; if it's really so insidious, then he should probably keep an eye on him for now, hmmm?]

Would you mind looking through the network for anything about rabbit bites?

Those Teeny Sanguini things, you mean? Sure, I'm on it.

[There, now he'll be cleared out of the way for a while and doing something useful. If Kalim really is feeling like this, it's probably better the two of them don't have to spend time together for the moment, right? They can just..... figure out what happened, and what he needs.]

[ huh? did he really have to leave? That was odd. It sticks out to him, even as he sits down like Jamil's guiding him to. it still felt unnecessary, when the worst thing that had happened so far was him saying something he didn't actually want to say.

But...

Maybe Jamil was right. And he really should stop questioning it. After all, that just made him feel worse. And who knows when one of them might leave again-- a feeling that causes a tightness in his chest. He really should just trust him.

After all, it's not like he knows any better either. ]

I could ask around too!

[ he offers instead, two immediate names coming to mind. and he's digging out his phone, focusing on that for now. ]

[Maybe he is being a little too jumpy about this. After all, it's not guaranteed that this is a disaster, is it? There are worse things than being forced to speak your mind--even if having the thoughts dragged out of you is bad enough all by itself. Maybe he's just anxious because speaking your mind is potentially so dangerous for him, while someone of Kalim's status would find it a mere inconvenience. But given the unnatural role reversal they've been subjected to, doesn't that mean it really is dangerous for Kalim in this city?

Hah..... as if Kalim has ever had a treasonous or subversive thought in his life. Even the worst guards here probably couldn't find anything to be angry about if Kalim spoke candidly with them, without making accusations up entirely. Meanwhile, even as a Dominant here..... he'd probably end up far worse off than just arrested.

Still..... this could just be the first step, too. Some poison takes a while to kick in. Some illnesses can incubate for days before the true misery they inflict makes itself known. Who knows what simply blurting things out could progress into? Jamil settles down next to Kalim, close enough to be able to watch him carefully--and definitely not because it's close enough that Kalim could lean against him, if he needs to.]

You probably do know who's been around for the longest..... Surely at least one of them has prior experience with these things.

Floyd is close... And he's been around for ages.

[ just don't ask why he knows where floyd lives, he may just tell him. ]

Hah..... Somehow, I wonder if Floyd would even notice.

[He's spent enough time with Floyd at Basketball Club to know just how..... flighty the man is. Impulsively speaking his mind seems to be Floyd's default state, not something he'd need to be sick or poisoned to induce.

That said, he is very pointedly assuming that Kalim has paid social visits to all of his friends, and enjoying their hospitality just as much as he enjoys showing his own. If his assumptions are wrong, he doesn't need to know. Given the "caliber" of classmates they attended Night Raven College with, why would he have any desire to know about their sexual exploits? Strangers are much safer and easier.]

Hmm, but Jade would probably know too. After all, he's been here a long time too.

[ implicitly agreeing, Floyd might not know or care. Though, if it were dangerous, he was pretty sure Floyd would notice.

Maybe...

Kalim pulls a leg up, letting his foot rest against his thigh, while his hands rest on his ankle. ]

And there's where I work too-- Rayne sells all sorts of antidotes, he's made sure to tell me which ones are which!

Both the Leech brothers, hmmm..... Seven help us if Azul were here, too.

[Ugh. Ugh. Azul is a far slimier leech than either of the twins could ever hope to be. Knowing him, Azul would not only have antidotes prepared for these creatures, but also sell them at a steep markup. It's possible Jade would know, with his interest in flora and fauna..... But he has to admit, someone who runs a potion shop sounds more knowledgeable and promising than either of them.]

You're welcome to call any of them, if you think they might have some answers.

I don’t know if they do or not, but it wouldn’t hurt, at least.

[ he answers easily enough, and all it would take is a well crafted text. Which means it probably won’t be well crafted, just earnest and honest instead. Something to distract him from the occasional pangs of jealousy he feels and has to bite down.

He can’t force Jamil into that sort of situation. He knows he can’t, and with Jamil taking their positions at home so seriously still…

Keep quiet. It’s easier that way. ]

There’s Rayne, and now Floyd.

[Jamil glances at the screen over Kalim's shoulder as the boy types, humming thoughtfully. Understating the situation a bit, isn't he? Of course Kalim isn't as worried about his own condition as he should be. He never thinks about the consequences or mundane practicalities of what he says and does: how dangerous things can get, how much extra work he gives ~~Jamil~~ people, how much money he might be spending, how it might affect his reputation.....

.....Or does he? What a strange thing to question, when it's been a universal constant for what seems like their whole lives. But hearing this outburst now..... Just because he hates having his privacy violated doesn't mean he has any qualms about prying into others' affairs. He can use this, if it turns out the consequences of being bitten are as minor as Kalim seems to believe.

After all, Kalim has been here for some time, now--things are bound to have changed. Knowing exactly where Kalim stands can only be beneficial in the long run, even if he has a sneaking suspicion that he's going to hate dealing with it in the moment.]

While we wait for their answers..... there isn't anything else you need to get off your chest, is there?

[Start broad. Start simple. Yes or no questions are a good foundation to begin fishing for specific details, once he gets a better idea of what he's working with, is able to define what the rules of this malady are. If this is a game of pulling things to the surface of Kalim's thoughts and just waiting for them to spill out of their own accord, then patience is the word of the day.]

Huh?

[ he hits send, and then looks bak at Jamil with a simple smile ]

What did you say? Sorry, I wasn't paying attention.

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