goldencharms | FOR INFY!!!

[ Kalim already has a contract. But if there's one thing he loves, it's getting to know other people. He hasn't paid much attention to what was on his fact sheet. (1. Not a virgin anymore, 2. Likes things on the spicier side, and 3. Missing a special someone)

He honestly hadn't put a ton of thought into who he might meet at this little event-- nor had he paid attention to the "fun facts" provided about him. At least, not beyond finding it was weird he didn't get to choose them himself.

But, he could deal with that easily, as he takes a seat, waiting for his first partner to appear. ]

[1. Lives to serve 2. A real charmer 3. Can't stop thinking about you. If Jamil knew what their captors had decided to write about him, he would be seething right now--or at least, would be even more than he already is. Who wouldn't be furious over such mockery?

This whole situation feels enough like a mockery as it is, even without rubbing salt in the wound. This far from home, where his social status no longer matters, where he no longer has obligations, where he should be free--where he should be thrilled that he's been chosen to be one of the elite..... Somehow, it doesn't feel as though he's done anything but stepped from one cage into another. What good is this power and authority if he didn't rightfully earn it through acknowledgement of his own capabilities? Why is it that being placed in this position makes his skin crawl with anxiety, feeling countless eyes on him wherever he walks, knowing the weight of the expectations ~~crushing~~ being placed on him?

It's their captors spitting in his face, that's what it is, making his dream something that only leaves him even more tightly bound and scrutinized than he's ever been before. But if he understands the consequences correctly, what else can he possibly do but force himself to smile, and humbly accept the "honor" he's being given like an exemplary Dominant should? It would be far too dangerous to refuse. He needs to know his place if he's to have any hope of surviving this situation. That means whatever this "tea date" is meant to accomplish, whoever these facts are about, he needs to at least pretend to be happy to have the opportunity to spend time with them.

At least some tea might actually settle his nerves, when this whole day has been absolutely exhausting so far? And gaining useful intelligence on their situation could be vital to--

Jamil freezes in the doorway as his eyes scan the tables for his dining partner, heart abruptly constricting in his chest and carefully crafted smile stiffening along with his shoulders. Why is he here?! Somewhere like this, of all places?! If that card he was given is actually correct, then that means--

Seven, he feels like he's going to be sick. He's not sure if he wants to rush to Kalim's side, abandon this whole farce and run away screaming, or pinch himself and pray he wakes up from this nightmare. How did this happen? Why did this happen?!]

[ hm?? there's still no one there. Kalim had been ignoring the card, but now that he was alone for an extended period... should he be worried? should he read in advance? he isn't sure. Finally, though, instead of reading, he looks around in confusion.

And then he sees Jamil.

His eyes go wide, his heart feels-- something akin to relief, but heavier. And he stand up immediately, running to him ]

Jamil!!

[ as he runs, and then shortly before he crashes into him, hugging him tight. He's missed him so much. It's hard to believe he was there, event hough he knows he was there before. But still.

It's been over two months. The longest they've ever been apart, and the anxiety's been eating him every single day. ]

Edited 2025-01-02 04:21 (UTC)

[For a long, excruciating moment, it feels hard just to breathe. Navigating this crisis alone while only having to worry about and rely on himself had felt daunting enough, but now having to keep an eye on Kalim on top of that? What exactly is he even meant to do at this point? There's no way people who can abduct people from across dimensions would have goals so trivial that they would leave a ransom note. (And even if they did, he's not confident that the Asims would bother to pay for the release someone like him.) They could be here for the rest of their lives, if these people don't decide that they're no longer useful and dispose of them. And even if they somehow manage to escape and make it back home, if something happens to Kalim along the way--

Yes. He's concerned about avoiding the consequences that would have for him if he fails in his duties. He's most certainly not worried about what would happen to an innocent--no, to a naïve, gullible, feckless idiot like Kalim if this sort of place chewed him up and spat him back out. This kind of place would eat him alive for sure if someone wasn't keeping him out of trouble. What a headache.....

Even his racing thoughts can't stop Jamil from automatically reaching out to catch Kalim, to keep him from crashing into him and sending them both tumbling to the ground. It's not exactly returning the hug, but..... Well, it's better than nothing, right? He's not shoving him away, at the very least.]

Kalim! What are you doing here? Why aren't you at Scarabia?

[None of this makes any sense. There had been nothing to indicate the school's barrier had been breached. He had noticed nothing amiss, on campus or in the dorm itself. There's no way Kalim could have been abducted before him without him knowing; he had seen Kalim right before they'd gone to bed for the night, and he hadn't woken up to any sounds of a struggle. There's certainly no reason some assassin or kidnapper would have seen any value in targeting him of all people, either. And if they had been taken at the same time simply for convenience's sake, shouldn't they have woken up together here? Why is Kalim clinging to him as though they've been separated for ages? Does he have some sort of amnesia? Had magic or drugs been used on him when he was taken here?]

[ of course Jamil's yelling at him. and Kalim's heart has not been happier in awhile, to hear his voice and feel properly like it was fine again. He has to keep himself calm to not cry against Jamil, but he can't help the way that tears prick at the edges of his eyes. he laughs, a little unsteady from all the relief. ]

Oh.... Ah... time works strangely here, apparently. So, I've been here for a couple of months already. And maybe no time at all's passed since you saw me!

Which is a huge relief!!

[ he fights with himself whether or not to tell Jamil that he's been there before, but ultimately decides... he doesn't want to. He only heard about that from Silver. So maybe it's up to Silver to tell Jamil. Kalim absolutely doesn't want to focus on that, hiself. ]

I'm so glad to see you!

[ regardless of anything else, Kalim thinks Jamil needs to know that. That wouldn't add any other pressure onto him. ]

A couple months?!

[What. What. How?! What is this place? Why would time work differently without some extenuating circumstances like Malleus' frankly insane Halloween prank? How has Kalim even managed that long without supervision? He's not used to doing anything by himself! What if he's already gotten hurt?!

Who cares if Kalim is glad to see him? (Of course he's glad to see him. He always is. Seven, he's just..... why does he have to be so..... so insufferable?) That's utterly irrelevant compared to the apparently months long gap he'll have to answer for. Jamil looks Kalim up and down with a critical eye, scanning him for injuries and more. Has he been eating? Has he been sleeping? What about laundry? What about medicine? What about--]

[ he looks Fine. He's not too thin-- basically almost the same as he was last seen... somehow.

The only marks are his submissive collar and the tattoo under his chin down to his collarbone. And his clothes look perfectly serviceable. Clean, most certainly, but the sort of average clean that comes from... not being rich. ]

Yeah! I have so much I wanna show you!

[ he wipes his eyes, and all traces of tears are gone. There's only happiness there. And all the things Jamil's read on his card by now. ]

Do you, now.....

[Of course he does. Of course he's all smiles, now that they've been reunited. Of course he's not concerned about any of this. Kalim has barely worried about anything actually important a day in his life. Why would he start now? And that collar..... they went over what that means in Orientation. Kalim Al-Asim, of all people, is a Submissive. Maybe not an obviously mistreated one, given the adequate state he's in, but the sheer audacity of subjecting Kalim to such treatment is astounding.

It should..... make him feel happy, finally standing above Kalim, shouldn't it.....? Isn't this what he'd wanted? Instead, he only feels even more uncomfortable in his own skin than he already has been since he'd first arrived, the exhaustion hanging heavy and suffocating over him like a leaden shroud. Even this sort of victory, they had managed to pervert and make hollow, somehow. He could really do with sitting down.]

.....We should stop blocking traffic. People are staring.

Okay!

[ he doesn't seem to mind them sitting. He still hasn't read Jamil's card-- maybe he wouldn't, if only based on how happy he is to see him, and how much maybe he didn't need to read it.

Unless he did? The thought occurs to him as he lets Jamil go, and backs away to allow him to head to the table they'd both be seated at. But he just can't help himself-- he's so happy to see Jamil. Even if the situation is less than ideal, Jamil was there. And if there was anyone who would know what to do it would probably be him. ]

Let's sit, let's sit! We're supposed to get to know each other!

[ he laughs a little-- but there's something needling at the back of his mind as he sits down.

Something that makes him put his hand over the card he was provided. ]

.....What rubbish. What else is there to get to know, after so many years? They obviously just threw people together at random without even checking to see where they're from.

[It isn't as though he's been allowed to keep his secrets any longer, given the circumstances. And Kalim..... he can't keep secrets to save his life. Can he? Whatever their captors had been hoping to accomplish with this absurd social engagement, they're clearly not going to get it with the two of them; it's surely just going to be a frustrating exercise in futility.

Still, there's no point in resisting. Not when they'll almost certainly be observed the whole time, to make sure they're doing as they're meant to be. Jamil sighs and follows Kalim back to the table, reaching for a menu once he's settled in. Just how long will they need to do this? They'll need to only have tea, based on what he'd been told--he certainly has no local currency yet, and Submissives apparently aren't allowed to use money at all, are they? What a disgusting place. What a disgusting system. If only someone could burn it all to the ground.....]

[ Kalim ignores the tea. but he was always going to ignore the tea. and looks at the card provided in front of him. The first one-- that rings hollow to hm. That can't be what Jamil lives for. He knows it isn't.

The second-- that has to be a reference to his unique magic, doesn't it? But someone like Jamil would be able to play that off easily. Kalim would struggle to lie, but not Jamil. Not with something as vague as "charmer."

But it's the third one that makes him pause. Can't stop thinking about you? Does Jamil really obsess over someone? Who is this "you"? He wants to know them. He's missed them somehow, but if it's true... He looks up at him, over the card, studying.

and then finally asks, bluntly, ]

Jamil, are you obsessed with someone...?

[Well, Kalim won't be drinking anything unless he does first, of course. But it's fine as long as the waiters bring the pot right to the table for them to pour their own cups, isn't it? As long as they can keep an eye on it while they talk, there's nothing to worry about.

Jamil places his order while Kalim reads his card--a fragrant jasmine tea, as it turns out--, raising an eyebrow at him incredulously. As tactless as always..... but that aside, really? What kind of question is that?]

What? Obviously not. What would even give you that idea?

[ Kalim's all but forgotten about having others taste test for him, so it's genuinely not on his mind. Instead, he frowns at the card in front of him.

Were they all lies? ]

Oh... It was just this.

[ he offers the card for him, smiling sheepishly. ]

I was wondering if the third one was true, and who it was about if so...

Let me see that.

[Jamil takes the card to read over himself, jaw tightening subtly. There are some very choice words he could say about this slander.....

Instead he just huffs dismissively, dropping it back onto the table. That idiot..... If they had been paired together randomly, then the last one was clearly a personal dig at him being "overbearing" or some such nonsense, as if his caution wasn't constantly justified at every possible turn. And if this had been deliberate, well..... the who should be obvious, right? The card had been given directly to Kalim, after all.

Not that it's true even if that is the case. He's not obsessed, after all. It's his job to worry about Kalim--and even when he's off the clock, how is he supposed to stop thinking about him when Kalim won't leave him alone? He doesn't exactly get much peace and quiet or time to himself. Ugh, of all the things they could have written..... Why pick something so embarrassing?]

They're trying to turn everything into an innuendo to get people excited to meet each other, that's all. It's probably just a comment on Scarabian mindfulness and planning.

Oh...

[ does he look a little relieved? he doesn't mean to, but there's that brief flash of... something ]

That makes sense.

[ he says, giving Jamil all the grace in the world. there's supposed to be tea drinking he knows, but he's still a little surprised when something actually comes to the table, and his eyes widen. ]

Oh! I wouldn't trust anything they give you to eat or drink.

Think of it like clickbait on Magicam. These aren't even worth the paper they're printed on.

[Kalim never has been able to hide his feelings worth a damn, has he? Of course he's going to notice that momentary shift, ridiculous as it is. Why would Kalim be worried that he's obsessed with anyone, anyway? Classes and club meetings aside, it seems as though they're hardly ever apart these days. Does Kalim really believe he has time for other commitments in his life right now, especially ones he wouldn't already know about the moment they developed? Honestly, it'll be a miracle if he ever manages to get into a romantic relationship, at this rate.

The flash of alarm in his eyes when Kalim warns him, though--it's certainly not proving the card wrong, in either sense it could have been meant in. Has Kalim been subsisting off tainted food and drink for months? How badly has it hurt him already? He doesn't look thin enough to have been starving himself the way he used to..... Ugh, this never would have happened if he'd been around to cook. Unbelievable.]

How do they tamper with it? Are you alright? What have you been eating and drinking, in that case?

Just trust me, it isn't worth it!

[ he says, more insistently, immediately putting his hands out to block the pot as much as possible. The last thing he wants is for Jamil to find himself in the state he was on the first day. The idea makes Kalim uncomfortable in ways that are hard to describe.

If he has to be there... Kalim wants him to have the awareness for every moment of it. To make his own choices, and to not feel like anyone has manipulated him into anything. ]

It makes your head go-- funny. And you can't really think through what you do.

[ he could describe it more clearly, or answer any of his other questions. But Kalim is more concerned about dissuading Jamil from drinking than anything else. ]

So that's their angle.

[What a wretched pack of scum, claiming this is some sort of innocent social engagement only to drug and manipulate strangers who couldn't possibly know better. Just how badly have they hurt Kalim already? How many times? What exactly have they forced him to do?

Jamil's voice is tightly controlled to force down the anger, but he does reach around Kalim's hands to take the pot--and set it on the next table over, spout pointedly facing away from them, rather than give into the unseemly impulse to fling it onto the floor and watch it shatter. Observation be damned, if the refreshments are drugged, then this is more important than remaining inconspicuous.]

How do you feel? You didn't breathe in any of the steam, did you?

Eh?

[ he stares at Jamil, confusion on his face, ]

Don't worry, don't worry! That... isn't that strong!

[ he falters, and then finishes much more self assured. And more relaxed now that the pot is away from them. Jamil is safe. He won't drink it, and then there won't be any awkward situations. ]

I've been cooking for myself! I want to make something for you, too. I'm no where near as good as you, but you've been cooking my meals for so long, I really want to try to make something for you too. Lilia will be glad to see you, and I really want you to meet Ruby, too!

[ his questions: forgotten. the fact sheets: forgotten. He just wants to share every little thought that has popped up inside his head. ]

You've been cooking?

[That's..... one way to avoid being drugged, he supposes, but somehow it doesn't really make him feel any better. Kalim isn't supposed to handle knives or fire for a reason. At least he doesn't seem to be sporting any bandages, and he hadn't seen any cuts, burns, or blisters..... But still!

And yet..... He genuinely can't decide if it's better that Kalim risks the kitchen, or that someone like Lilia cook for him. He's heard horror stories about the kitchen abominations Lilia is capable of producing, ones that frankly beggar belief. How ill would Kalim get, trying to eat that man's culinary disasters? Every possibility he hears about is worse than the last.....

How is he even supposed to feel about the idea of Kalim cooking him something, anyway? It's just..... unnatural. It makes him feel uncomfortable in a way he's not sure how to articulate--so he won't. At all. Maybe if they just move past it, Kalim will forget about the idea entirely, and he won't have to say anything.]

I'm..... glad you've had a friend to keep you company, at least. Who's Ruby?

She's the other submissive contracted to Lilia.

[ Kalim doesn't know any of the turmoil going on under the surface for Jamil. Instead, he just assumes that this is all brought up as natural curiosity. After all, there was a lot for him to talk about with his life ere.

About how they were definitely equal now, and he didn't want Jamil to worry about being employed. Because there was no way he could, and also... he wouldn't be allowed to. They were different statuses now, after all. Something that might be a relief, Kalim hopes. To free Jamil from having to worry. ]

She's not good at cooking either, so I do a lot of it! I've learned a lot about the sort of stuff you've had to go through. And now, you don't have to worry at all! That's great, right??

So you're contracted to Lilia.....

[What a master to have..... He's not sure what to make of this new information, honestly. A careless, chaotic man like Lilia sounds like an absolute chore to serve. Then again, he's clearly far sharper than he lets on, and he's difficult to read, not to mention a quite capable mage and fighter..... what a dangerous man. At least he's fond of Kalim. For all his eccentricities, Lilia has probably done an adequate job of keeping Kalim safe. He hopes.]

What are you talking about?

[Idiot..... As though he'd ever be able to just stop worrying. Why does Kalim assume he would, just because he's learned how to operate a stove? And why does he think he suddenly knows him now, just because he's been forced to be a Submissive? He doesn't know a damn thing about him. How could Kalim possibly understand what he's gone through, or how he feels? The very notion is absurd. He's just.....

They're just too different. Kalim's not that kind of person, and never will be.]

[ he blinks at that response, and glances down, trying to think of what he wants to say, before settling, ]

Well, the idea of the al-Asim heir doesn't matter here, right? And Rook told me I should try to embrace being a submissive to understand everything you have to deal with...

[ so, he did.

to varying degrees of success. ]

So, here, it doesn't matter what things are like back home. You don't need to worry about me at all!

[ he says it so cheerfully, certain this will free Jamil up. Maybe he'll even be happy! Kalim hopes he'll be happy... he just wants them to be equals... but he'd take their positions switching at the very least, if it would make Jamil happy. ]

[How meddlesome. Should he be grateful that Rook tried to step in on his behalf, or just annoyed? The man is almost as hard to read as Lilia in some ways. But he can admit that maybe it would be..... useful for Kalim to get a little perspective on his job, if it means Kalim's a little more conscientious about staying out of trouble and not giving him so much extra work. Just because Rook had tried doesn't mean that Kalim had gotten the point though, does it?

He never seems to get the point, even if he's apparently suddenly trying to. Why is Kalim always so..... so..... ugh! What a damn fool! What is this fresh nonsense? As if he could ever just forget what they're going back home to..... Wouldn't it only hurt worse, pretending that none of it mattered, only to need to pick right back up where they'd left off? Just like that brief taste of an independent school life, going up in smoke in a matter of weeks..... How is it that Kalim so cavalierly asks for the moon and stars, without the slightest idea that they might be impossible to pluck out of the sky? Why can't he just be reasonable for once?]

Don't be ridiculous, we can't just forget where we come from. Or do you seriously mean to tell me you've already given up hope on making it home?

Not at all!

[ he says, oblivious to all of the internal turmoil Jamil's shifting through. ]

Just, it doesn't make sense to pretend things are like they are at home while we're here, right? It's not like I could pay you or anything, so... You don't have to worry about it.

FOR INFY!!!

spill the tea

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