(( Heh, gomen nasai ^^' I've been a bit busier than I expected. Well, I had suggested Uriel catching Heiro sneaking away from the palace, but perhaps that should wait. I'm also trying to think of how he would feed while there as Fae blood can have some... interesting side effects XD ))

(( *points at Uriel* And he can't be the only changeling either. I think the Queen might have hinted to them that letting Heiro feed off them would help gain her favor. Maybe Uriel could catch him sneaking away the next night? ))

(( Hai, I suppose XD It would certainly open the door to the relationship, so to speak. And sure ^^ Heiro would need to feed tonight though, seeing as he had a long trip and is still injured from the very tale he is telling. So.. maybe Heiro usually feeds from other Changelings but Uriel offers this time? ))

((Sounds good to me. XD ))

After a short pause, he leaned back into the chair and continued his tale. "By the time we had gotten to the cell, we had a decent view of how the place worked. You would think they would know better than to not blindfold their prisoners and be intelligent enough to not put us in the same cell, but I guess all the other were full." He said with a slight smirk. "Anyway, once they had us locked up, we went to work, Nadinya shifting and sneaking out under the door and I connecting to the shadows of the building. It was fairly easy to track her and the guards, the bright but infrequent lighted areas of the corridors making it perfect for my friends to show me everything." He said, tilting his head back to rest on the back of the chair. "The guards checked on us every few hours and after the first three rounds, we were able to time our explorations fairly well, the two of us taking turns leaving the cell. This went on for two days, giving us ample time to explore the building and plan our escape."


"On the third day of our stay in the cramped, cold cell, we were taken to meet Andrei. Hands behind out backs we were forced to kneel before him as he examined us. He was a short, portly, but thin boned man, with beady eyes and a constant sneer. He didn't speak at all, a large man that smelled like a bear did instead, ordering us to explain why we were there and who sent us. Of course, neither of us bothered to say a thing, instead staring calmly as his leader turned a darker shade of red to each unanswered question." he gave another chuckle as he pictured the small man's angry face then took another mouthful of liquor.

"We were sent back to the cell after only an hour of interrogation and the promise of a more painful round of questioning, neither of us having given even the slightest of hints. The next day, they fulfilled the promise, but were very unhappy to find we heal faster than they expected and still did not give the information they wanted. We were sent back to our cell once again and this time we formulated a plan. Nadinya wasn't happy about it, but it's only because I got the glory." He said, giving a bitter half-laugh."Another day passed before we were taken for more interrogation, this time separately, like we had assumed. Nadinya pretended to give in, giving them half the information and telling them I had the rest of it. When it was my turn, I was instead taken to Andrei's personal chambers." he said, a wicked smile beginning to creep onto his lips.

Almost despite himself Uriel began trying to imagine what he might have done in such a situation. Probably something very similar, though he could certainly have made it easier to sneak out by creating illusions of himself and not really worrying all that much about the cell being discovered empty. Unless there were people who could sense magic, then that would have been impossible though from the way Heiro spoke no such people had been anywhere near.

A shiver ran down his spine at the sight of his friend's smile at the end of this section of the tale. That Andrei, he certainly had a surprise coming. An answering smile slipped across the changeling's lips. "Such a horrible situation for the man, and he didn't even know it," murmured Uriel with a dry chuckle. Shushing himself, he looked expectantly at Heiro as he waited eagerly for the rest of this story.

Heiro let out a deep chuckle that held a tinge of something other than humor. "Ah yes, that poor man..." He said, taking another sip from the bottle before continuing. "I was taken to a small stone chamber that was attached to his bedroom and once again forced to kneel before him, hands bound behind me and chained to the floor. He ordered all of his guards from the room, and started pulling out his... tools. But that's not the good part." he said as he bit back a laugh. "When he turned around, he glared down at me and said 'You will tell me everything, or suffer.', but his voice! His voice was so high-pitched and raw sounding, he squeaked with every syllable! I couldn't help but smile, then laugh as he yelled at me to be quiet. Oh, I paid for my laughter, but I couldn't resist, it was so fun to taunt him." He said, light laughter escaping him again as he spoke about it.

"He didn't know what to do with me after I enraged him, he threw everything he had at me, all the while I remained silent, not even giving him the pleasure of hearing my pain. Eventually, I began acting like I was getting worn down, wincing and leaning and the like. He seemed convinced I was close to giving in, but kept at it until I fell over. I pretended to struggle to get back up, making a show of it, only to fall back to the dirty floor. This was what he was waiting for- the sick rat used not only psychological and physical torture but rape to get his results." He explained, disgust in his voice as he glared at the floor.

"But he had to unhook the chain from the floor and get it to the wall first. The moment I felt the chain go slack, I flexed the power I had been building during my silent beating and the room was overtaken by the shadows, leaving just enough light for Andrei to see, not that it would help him any." He said with a smirk.

I got to my feet as he started to yell for his guards, fear showing me the whites of his eyes as he watched me slip my hands from the now-soaked leather bonds. However, the guards were making their way into the next room already. They had been closer that I had estimated, so I didn't have time to be too clean about the finale. I grabbed the silver knife from the table and just as the door burst open, slipped it between his ribs. His guards seemed too shocked to move, so I stole those few seconds to make sure the short blade hit it's mark, then let the shadows take me." He put his chin in his palm as he rested his elbow on the arm of the chair. "I had just enough energy to get Nadinya and I out after that. I have to say it's not my best job, but it was certainly one of the more interesting. Sometimes one gets a little tired of the same process over and over." He said with a slight chuckle.

The changeling winced and gasped at the appropriate places. A smile tugged up his lips, though he doubted it hid his worry as well as he wanted it to. "When was this?" Remembering how the other man had walked up the steps again only firmed his certainty that this adventure had been the latest one, and that Heiro still carried the wounds from it.

Though he knew the dhampir didn't like being fussed over for any reason Uriel still felt obligated to at least offer up help. "You've had a long journey, and seem to still carry some wounds from your latest adventures. If there is anything I can do to help you only need to ask." Letting the words hang in the air, Uriel shrugged as he moved to stand.

With quick steps the white haired man found himself looking down upon the ocean. It truly was a wonderful sight. An awesome force of nature lay below in all it's glory on a calm night with the light of the moon dancing upon the waves. It helped calm Uriel a little, easing his worry aside and replacing it with calm and a deep sense of relief.

Heiro gave a short, dry laugh. "Let's just say I'd still be resting if the Queen wasn't so damn impatient." He said, shaking his head. He lifted the bottle in his hand to his lips, but paused as Uriel continued, a sigh escaping his lips at the other man's words. He took the swig of liquor then put the cork back in the neck of the bottle and set it on the small table by the chairs. He watched Uriel as he stood at the window for a moment, then stood and followed him, moving to lean on the wall beside the window.

"You worry too much, Uriel. I just need to feed and rest, and I'll be healed in less than two days. Though, a trip to the shore would certainly help as well." He said with a smile as he looked out over the water, the energy of the waves seeming to reach him already. "Perhaps if you could just call Nerita for me, you can help me and get back to your other duties." He suggested, naming one of the changelings he usually fed from.

The young man shot a glance Heiro's way with a raised eyebrow. "Considering your line of work, I doubt I worry enough." Returning his eyes to the sea below Uriel leaned against the window sill with a small sigh. "The Queen is keeping all the other changelings busy with preparations for a grand feast. She's still trying to find a consort for Ignatius. Perhaps I ..." For some reason the white haired man couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.

Shaking his head to rid himself of thoughts that always seemed to surface around the dark haired dhampir, Uriel shifted imperceptibly. "Tomorrow I can bring you to the beach. In fact, I've found a peaceful little cove that no one else has even set eyes upon." He went there to think after a hard day, and wash away the guilt of many of the things the queen ordered him to do. Killing the guilty was alright, but going after the innocent only made the changeling want to cry and run far away from the court. The duties he needed to take care were along the lines of the ones that only saddened his heart, making Uriel want to forget all about them.

Heiro started to make a displeased face when Uriel uttered those two words, causing him to stop completely as his truly undead relatives do, every muscle- even his heart- pausing as the changeling changed the topic back to the water below the castle. He returned to normal soon enough, but he was still caught off guard and confused. The Queen surely wouldn't have left him without proper care unless.... unless she meant for him to feed of Uriel. Did the man even know exactly what he offered?

His face fell to one of his near-emotionless masks as he looked out over the moonlit waters. "That sounds wonderful, Uriel, you'll have to show me one of these evenings." He said softly before continuing on the other topic. "You said the Queen is keeping all the others busy, surely she has more motive than her son's happiness to take away something that is necessary for my survival. She should know better by now than to deprive me, it can be... dangerous." He didn't bother to keep the displeasure and bitterness out of his voice this time. The fae woman knew what could happen, and he never trusted her to have merely one reason for doing something, which made him all the more suspicious.

Though, part of him wasn't all too upset about it, because that meant Uriel was the only changeling available. He had to admit the white-haired man's blood smelled good, and he was powerful, but it could very easily create complications in their relationship, complications that could either work in his favor, or ruin their friendship. Perhaps that was her motive, then? It was known to him that she did not like how close he and Uriel had gotten, which quite frankly he found ridiculous, honestly, what did she expect when she assigned Uriel to accompany him time after time?

Either way, it was still a troublesome topic. He needed to feed, the court's changelings were his only source of blood and the only changeling available to fill the role of donor has a relationship with him he would never forgive himself for ruining. Then again... what choice did he have?

As he turned to face Heiro, Uriel watched him very carefully. He couldn't tell very much from simply looking at the other's features but that fact alone let him know that something was bothering the dhampir. "I cannot presume to know what the queen plans. All I do know, is that you're my friend and I would have offered my blood up time and again if I knew it would help you." Truth rang from every word as the young man turned away from the window and averted his eyes from his friend.

Lifting a tanned hand Uriel ran it trough his hair uncertainly in an action he rarely ever used. "I haven't before because I suspected that such an offer would be refused." Besides there had been no need to do so, though curiosity had always made Uriel wonder silently what might happen if he did.

Lifting his grey eyes from the floor seemed like an impossible task. A niggling fear, a constant one, had waited in Uriel's mind for years for a moment like this. It sent out long tendrils now, making his heart beat pick up at the thought of doing something wrong. He didn't know what he would do if the friendship he shared with the dhampir shattered.

"I was merely speculating. I would not expect you to know." He said with a soft sigh, dark eyes scanning the equally dark waters, as if looking for some sort of advice. After a moment, he closed his eyes and listened to the distant waves crashing on the rocks, the sound soothing his mind almost immediately. After what seemed like ages, he opened them again and turned to face Uriel, watching the changeling closely as he spoke.

"The idea both thrills and terrifies me.... I want to refuse simply because I do not want to gamble with what we have. However, it seems her Highness the Queen has left us with little choice." He said, each word careful and measured, though the bitterness came back at the mention of the Queen. "There is much more to feeding than most assume... What do you expect of it, Uriel?" He asked, telling himself the young man's answer would the deciding factor in the situation. If he knew what he was getting into, or at least asked to know more before giving himself, Heiro was willing to gamble their friendship. If he was as clueless as most were, he wouldn't, simple as that.

However, Heiro knew he was lying to himself. Not once had he known Uriel to be clueless and as always, his own desires had a firm grip on his mind. The decision was already made, he was just buying time and looking for an excuse not to give in.

The silence weighed upon Uriel as he waited. It felt like the lack of words, and the crashing of waves upon the cliffs below, would never end. Of course it was broken, though now Uriel found himself struggling to find the right thing to say. Usually speechlessness was something left to others. He was a trained ambassador of the fae court after all, but now he found himself fumbling frantically in his mind.

"Tell me what more there is." A simple sentence to be sure, but it had taken many a long moment for the changeling to find it. Uriel could only hope it had been the right thing to say. Quickly letting his eyes move to the ocean again he watched the dark waves silently. The cool sea breeze was refreshing and comforting with it's salty smell. That was something that would never change, no matter how much time passed. The same went for the stars in the sky ... Though now Uriel found himself suddenly all too aware of his humanity.

Though his life would be longer then most he would still die. Glancing at the dhampir for a moment, the white haired man sighed. Considering the way things were at present, such things seemed to be only a far off worry.

Heiro watched Uriel closely as silence once again fell between them. The changeling was clearly battling with himself, the display of confusion, slight as it was, telling the dhampir much. His answer, when it came, caused a sigh to escape the pale immortal again. So the man didn't entirely know what he was getting into.

"When you offer your blood, it goes much deeper than the physical. You offer your life force itself, as well as your mind and create a bond with me that may become permanent." he explained, not bothering to cover his words and soften the impact of their meaning. "It is more intimate than sex, and just as addicting... Are you willing to give yourself to me, Uriel, mind and body?" he said, still closely watching the pale-haired man.

Perhaps he was trying to scare the other man off by stating the situation so clearly. When presented with the idea of completely giving up oneself, many shy away. It would make things a bit uneasy between them for a while, but if it worked, their friendship would remain intact and he would not be so tempted to give in to his personal desires. He did that much to often as it was, the second flame of hunger within him making it much harder to deny lust.

Grey eyes wide, the changeling turned to stare at the other man. For the few moments it took for Uriel to compose himself, the changeling's features shifted from one emotion to the next without pause. Uncertainty filled his heart to be replaced with silent determination. Uriel found himself remembering those times he'd watched Heiro from afar with one of the other changelings. He'd always felt a pang in his heart at the sight, without really knowing why.

"Yes," came the simple reply. There was really no other choice, though Uriel knew very well that if he'd have wanted to avoid the situation enough he could have found one. Nervously running a hand trough his hair once more, the young man wasn't quite sure where to look anymore. He'd never been in a situation like this before, and knowing it was partially his own doing did nothing to improve the matter.

There were so many things running trough his mind. Questions about the queen's motives and so many other thoughts that served mainly as a distraction. No one had ever thought to teach Uriel how to act or react when faced with something like this. He doubted anyone ever could have prepared him for the nervousness flooding trough him as he caught his friend's blue eyes with his grey ones. The query about whether or not the bond Heiro spoke of was something that would go both ways went unasked as Uriel reached out tentatively to brush a stray lock of hair from his friend's face. The white haired man couldn't count all the times he'd wanted to perform the simple action before this. A small smile crossed his features accompanied with a telling blush.

(*pokes thread* So am I gonna have to make Uriel do something extremely embarrassing to get a reaction out of Heiro?)

(( No, I just need to get better at doing 1x1 RPs ^^' I'll try and work on something tonight, I seem to be able to write today. I'm sorry in advanced if it's not that great though. This one is still giving me issues for some reason. ))

((lol I'm sure it'll be fine, besides everyone has off days.))

Heiro stood still as stone for a few long moments after the changeling's simple reply, his breath even seeming to stop again until the smaller man reached up to touch the black fringe of his hair, brushing it to the side. The simple movement almost made him step back, the hesitance that was so clear on Uriel's face starting to find it's way to his own. Looking to the slight blush on the other man's face, he found himself unwilling. Why was this suddenly so complex, sending his mind in circles? Just minutes ago this hardly seemed like an issue... he was simply concerned for their friendship, wasn't he? But then, why was he trying so to unnerve the other man, attempting to scare him off?

Becoming frustrated with himself, the immortal turned his gaze away, midnight eyes once more staring at the churning ocean waters. "Do... do you honestly understand the implications and the dangers that go along with this?" He asked again, voice quiet. His composure quickly falling away- the careful mask of the confident predator slipping. He ran his thin fingers over the window ledge, the cool, worn stone grounding him some as attempted to bring his focus back to the suspicions he had of the queen. This had to be a plot of hers- she was surely smiling on her throne as she delighted in their predicament. The question was, however, what was she aiming to do through this?

((Sorry if this doesn't quite match up with what we had before, I can't exactly remember my frame of thought. Then again, it has been over half a year since we actually posted anything here. ))

Tumbling thoughts wrought their work within the changeling's mind as he watched his friend's features change and veer away from the calm demeanor he was so used to. Uriel found no words within himself to truly explain what he felt at that moment, with all the weight of what his simple assent could bring, or could possibly mean. "In truth, I don't know for certain. But of the fact that I trust you with my life, there is no doubt in my mind." Voice ringing out into the near silence of wind and waves, the changeling shifted from the wall to stand closer to the other man.

Uriel knew that Queen Phryne had taken a hand in this predicament, for what reasons he dared not think about. Perhaps she was simple trying to control the lives of others, to play with them and watch as they reacted to the situations she threw them into. It had become a horrible hobby of hers.

Heiro turned to meet Uriel's eyes again, a slight, bitter smile on his lips. "A dangerous thing to be doing, my friend." He said before shaking his head and falling silent again. He carefully watched the tanned changeling, dark eyes roving over his lean body, noting posture, expression, anything to give him a clue as to how to act next. After another few long moments, he took a step towards the other man. "Thank you." He said softly, trying to express as much of his gratitude as he could in those two words. Tentatively, he reached out with a slender, cool hand and brushed his cheek. The heat from the remaining flush immediately sparked his senses again- the smell of the man's blood reaching him stronger than before. His eyes shimmered in what can only be described as a ripple of gold washing over the blue, only to fade just as quickly as it came.

((Sorry this took so long, dinner got me distracted. ^^'))

"You've never behaved in any way to shake that trust." The white haired man fell silent beneath Heiro's gaze. Lifting grey eyes slightly, he regarded his friend curiously. Uriel had no idea what to expect next, and yet something within him shivered in anticipation. All thoughts of the queen's interference fled his mind, swept away by two simple words spoken with more emotion then he'd ever seen from the dark haired dhampir before. And then a simple touch had his breath catching unexpectedly. It was hard to imagine what caused gold to flash trough his friend's eyes, but Uriel found himself fascinated by the change even so. His mind caught onto that, rather then the strangeness of the whole situation.

It was all the stranger for the fact that once in a while such scenes would play trough his mind unbidden, against his will. Only because he'd wonder silently after seeing others caught in such close quarters, and there were so few people he considered to be friends.


((I'm thinking interruption will happen after your next post, alright?))

Heiro said nothing more, another small, although genuine smile on his lips as he watched Uriel's reactions. His hand slowly drifted lower of it's own accord, brushing the changeling's slender jaw before hesitating above his neck. "We... should move closer to the bed." He said, voice low as he pulled his hand away, instead reaching to gently grasp Uriel's arm and turn them both towards the wide, plush object.

Just as he started to lead the younger man to it, hurried footsteps came from outside the bedroom. Heiro instantly let go of his friend and took two large steps to the bed, quickly grasping a short blade. Hiding it behind him slightly, he glanced to Uriel, then made his way to the door, coming before it just as three sharp, quick knocks rang out.


"Sir Heiro, ple- Oh!" The fae started loudly from the other side, jumping as Heiro pulled the door open. "Lord Heiro, please forgive the intrusion, but the Queen calls for your attendance immediately!" He said before glancing inside the room. "Er, you as well, Uriel, the Queen demands your presence." The fae did not question, but a curious and suspicious look came upon his face as he noticed the faint blush remaining on the changeling's features.

Heiro looked down at the man, displeasure clear enough on his features. "Very well." He simply said before giving the fae a short, shallow bow and closing the door before he could say more. Once he was sure the man was gone, he let out a sigh and made his way back to the bed, tossing the blade onto the covers before reaching for his outer clothing again. "Now I know she's planning it." he muttered bitterly as he pulled them on. "It seems I shall have to continue to wait.... I do hope the offer still stands, my friend." He said, the slight smile coming back for a moment as he tied the sashes at his waist.

Mutely the changeling nodded at the suggestion after vainly trying to calm his racing heart. Uriel turned to peer at the piece furniture, which had suddenly become something intimidating, and alien, all at once. It was nerve wracking trying to find out what would come without having any idea at all... Thoughts made no sense, and limbs refused to obey completely until a stumble brought their owner back to reality.

Instinctively the pale haired man shifted his weight to crouch defensively. A serious expression had replaced his earlier uncertainty, though it did nothing to hide the flush upon his cheeks. Annoyance filled every fiber inch of him as he listened to the fae servant going on about the queen's demands.

For once Uriel wanted to disobey, and yet the fae's urgency had made an impression upon him. Slowly, he moved away from the bed to stand by the door. Glancing back at his friend, he smiled with more composure then he'd shown in very recent moments. "Of course it does." With that said, the changeling opened the wooden door and slipped out into the corridor.

He waited for Heiro before retracing their steps down into the queen's throne room where she sat regally awaiting them. Strangely enough, there were no guards by her side. The lack brought Uriel up short. Something was wrong. The fact was brought home by the slender gem encrusted wand held loosely in Queen Phryne's left hand. There lay power there, and magics to enhance Phryne's own formidable powers threefold.

Wordlessly the young man moved to kneel before his queen to await her orders. "Heiro, those I wanted you to eliminate have capured my son. Take Uriel with you and hunt them down immediately. Do what you must, but return Ignatius to me." Her voice brooked no argument, leaping from her lips as they did like icey winds. Ignatius was her heir, and not only that ... He was perhaps the only person in the world Queen Phryne truly loved.

KageShio: (Is this better?)