milliways_bar | (no subject)

"'Kay."

He sips his tea.

"So, what do you have preferences in, if not food?"

"Books. Music... vampires, apparently..."

"Yeah, the preference in vampires came as something as a surprise. I'm not much for blood normally."

He shrugs. "Considering my other tastes, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised."

"What other tastes?"

Another shrug, and he pulls his sleeves up, showing Richard the finger-shaped bruises around his wrists.

"I like for him to hurt me. Shouldn't be so surprising that I like the blood."

Richard raises his eyebrows and speaks softly.

"Amadeo likes that too. I don't really understand it. I don't want to hurt him."

He draws one knee up, wrapping his arms around it.

"It doesn't always make sense like that."

"How does it make sense to you? If I may ask."

"It's about trust, trusting your lover to give you just enough pain to give an edge to the pleasure without pushing too far."

"It's going too far that worries me. I'd never forgive myself if I truly hurt him."

"Well... you've got the bloodlink, that should tell you if you start getting too close to his limit, shouldn't it?"

He nods.

"It should. I suppose I should trust it more, and talk to Amadeo about it."

"It might be the best idea. He's probably different to me, you shouldn't just go by what I can tell you."

He nods again.

"You're right. That must be personal taste like everything else. I'll speak with him tonight. Thank you for your help."

A brief, hollow smile.

"I'm glad I could help."

"You said you like books. What sort?"

"Bar's been giving me what Nick calls fantasy books... they remind me of Tortall. A lot of the worlds in them are similar."

"I should ask her for some. I used to read a lot of science fiction and fantasy. I've been reading some of the books about the vampires that I know. That's been helpful."

"I think she knows what Tortall was like, wants to remind me of it."

I miss Jon and Gary and Raoul...

"What was Tortall like, Alex?"

He looks slightly startled.

"It... I don't know, it's a fairly large country, bordered by Scanra, Galla, Tusaine and Tyra, and the Emerald Ocean. There's the Great Desert in the south, where the Bazhir live, the Grimhold Mountains in the north, on the border of Scanra. The middle's hill country, where three of the major lake fiefs are; Naxen, Goldenlake and Tirragen. Corus is on the coast, near the coastal hills and Port Caynn."

"It sounds very pretty. Was the Emerald Ocean really green?"

"Mmm. Especially at dawn and sunset. A beautiful dark green colour. I was ten the first time I saw it, when I was taken to Corus for training. I'd spent the first ten years of my life in Tirragen."