Ask The Best Laid Plans

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc glanced over as Jaikus enjoyed the kebab, finding it strange how anyone could like chewing on literal flames. He rubbed his eyes as they finally moved on, blinking through the moisture to find Jaikus holding up a drink towards him. Emryc took it quietly, sipping from it tentatively before deciding he didn’t mind it. It was refreshing and cool, though a bit sweet for his tastes. He generally liked the mint teas and had grown fond of them over time. Emryc eyed Jaikus as he used his fingers to pick off the kebab, grimacing slightly at the sight. Why did people like touching greasy foods so much?

The half Sephi walked in silence for a moment, taking in all the sights around him as he sipped from his drink. By now the music began to resound around them as the suns continued to descend below the horizon. More and more people were gathering in the main square, all adorned in bright and elaborate clothing. The medina was coming completely to life as the skies began to turn into a rich blue.

Emryc turned back towards the stalls when Jaikus spoke. He could smell the shisha, his gaze roaming over some of the tall hookahs. He had long since decided he wanted one for himself, but he simply didn’t have the space for it. His gaze next fell over the jewelry, his eyes narrowing slightly at the price. One of the vendors, a Toydorian, turned to Jaikus.

“Welcome welcome sirs!” He said excitedly, “I see you eying my wares. Anything strike your fancy? I got some jewels here to match your eyes,” He cackled as he addressed Jaikus. He then looked at Emryc, taking in sight of his attire, “Can I perhaps interest you in this fine Hookah all the way from Indupar?” He pointed at an over the top ornate hookah.

Emryc looked over at the jewelry, blinking at it for a moment. All the prices were written in Huttese. He pointed at a necklace.

“How much for that?”

“Ahhhh, 200 Crowns, sir and it’s a steal!”

Emryc stared flatly at the tag that clearly said the price in peggats. Doing a quick conversion in his head told him that the shopkeeper was attempting to charge three times the amount. The half Sephi rolled his eyes and began to walk away, but he paused. Emryc’s gaze fell on a thin, gold chain bracelet. It was subtly tasteful without appearing overly gaudy.

“Ahhhh this catches your eye-”

Emryc cut the Toydarian off abruptly by speaking rapid Huttese. The alien’s eyes went wide and it suddenly looked terrified. There was a bit of bickering back and forth with Emryc getting progressively more irritated. At some point the words ‘Spice Lord’ and ‘Preef Callo’ were dropped which made the Toydarian squeak in terror. After a bit more bickering in Huttese, Emryc reached for his wallet and handed over a stash of Crowns that was still a decent amount.

The half Sephi took the bracelet and turned to Jaikus, his face still revealing that he was grumpy. He set his drink down and took a hold of Jaikus’ wrist without a word.

“Spaceway robbery out here,” He grumbled, “Think they can charge whatever they want since I’m not a Jawa,” As he muttered, he kept his gaze trained on what he was doing. He clasped the bracelet around the Axxilan’s wrist, the gold working perfectly with his bronze skin. Emryc eyed it from a few angles before releasing his hand. He stepped back to take in sight of Jaikus’ attire, now complete with the bracelet.

“Hmm,” Emryc said in quiet appreciation before he grabbed his drink and kept walking. It didn’t even register what he had done beyond the fact that it certainly enhanced Jaikus’ look. He didn’t give it a second thought as he kept walking, now guiding them towards the square. Emryc tossed his finished drink cup aside as they arrived near the square.

The half Sephi turned towards Jaikus with an amused look in his eye, “Dance here is different. It’s a lot more footwork and precision steps with lots of coordination. Might not be conducive to Axxilans,” He added with a grin.

Song​

Emryc turned towards the crowds that were already dancing to the live music, and he clapped his hands to the beat before he loosened his shoulders slightly to begin bobbing them to it. After he found an opening, he stepped into the throng of people, joining in on a group dance. He stepped forward and then back, his feet working in perfect sync to step to each beat. He clapped his hands and spun around in concert with the others, his arms swinging back and then his whole body spinning around again. He turned to face Jaikus at the end of a spin, grinning at the other man. This dance required a lot more coordination and it was vastly different from the waltz or grinding they had done on Serenno.

Most of the men danced differently than the women. The women were dressed in flowing attires that revealed their bellies, and their hips moved with hypnotic sway. Emryc was far too rigid to move like that, so he stuck with the more masculine version of the dance. However, his gaze certainly flicked over to some of the lithe men that could move their hips just as well as the ladies.

@Altaris

 

[Jaikus Thorne]

With his snack in hand, Jaikus strolled alongside Emryc as they passed several of the stalls and street vendors. While the kebab was spicy and likely would’ve been the death of Emryc, it was clearly enjoyed by Jaikus - the man not seeming to mind the fiery sensation that came from the spices and peppers. The farther they walked through the medina, the smell of shisha grew thick and heavy in the air, and Jaikus’ eyes followed the half-Sephi’s as they fell upon the tall, ornate hookahs for sale. Much like cigarras, it was a habit that the Axxilan rarely if ever partook of, and yet he nevertheless silently took note of the way Emryc appreciated the decorative pipes before shifting to the jewelry.

When the Toydarian suddenly appeared and began rattling off the prices of his wears, Jaikus’ eyes narrowed slightly before turning to face some of the stalls ahead. Foreign to the planet as he was, the Axxilan still knew better than to trust the street vendor at his word - fully expecting to be ripped off like the tourist that he was. Still, his eyes nevertheless lingered upon that thin, gold bracelet for a few seconds. Prepared to walk away empty-handed from the stalls, he stopped dead in his tracks Emryc started speaking again.

Jaikus’ eyes widened suddenly when Emryc broke into speaking fluent Huttese, suddenly unable to comprehend a word of the bickering that followed. Any mention of ‘Spice Lords’ and ‘Preef Callos’ went entirely over the Axxilan’s head as he listened without understanding, though it was clear by the elevated voices and the irritation on Emryc’s face that they were duking it out verbally. A few minutes passed, and Jaikus only began to understand what was happening when the half-Sephi suddenly pulled out his wallet.

Jaikus could do nothing but stare wide-eyed as Emryc turned and grabbed him tenderly by the wrist, clasping the golden

bracelet onto his slender wrist. Subtle yet stylish, it was a piece of jewelry that complimented Jaikus’ tanned complexion and attire perfectly, and fit with his taste for wearing a variety of different bracelets.

While the half-Sephi did this all rather matter-of-factly, as he so often did, the gesture was clearly not so nonchalant for the Axxilan. Almost immediately after the bracelet was clasped to his wrist, Jaikus’ face shifted from its bronze tones to a bright shade of crimson across his cheeks, his heart began to beat a bit faster in his chest. Citrine eyes fixated on the bracelet for a few more seconds before shifting to stare into those familiar silvers. It was impossible to hide the way the gesture left Jaikus completely flustered, and yet it delighted the man in ways he would never say aloud.

“..Thank you, Emryc.” He finally managed to sputter out a response, overcoming his momentary malfunctioning. There was a tender look behind his eyes now, pulses of emerald once more visible streaking across his iris’.

Without another word, they continued walking and eventually the pair made their way towards the market square, arriving at the heart of the lively dancing and music. Just as Emryc abandoned his cup, Jaikus tossed the empty skewer from his kebab into the trash can as well. Of course, the Axxilan spent a few seconds longer than necessary cleaning his hand afterwards, using a rather large stack of napkins to wipe the grease off his fingers. While he certainly preferred picking at his food rather than tearing into it face-first like some kind of savage, the thought of spending the rest of the night with oily fingers was not going to be tolerated by the man.

After a few more moments, Jaikus joined Emryc where the man was standing. When the half-Sephi turned to speak, the Axxilan flashed him a characteristic smirk – eyes seeming to glint mischievously against the fainting light. “Maybe not, but you should know I’m a rather first learner, by this point.”

With that, Emryc had turned to face the dancing crowds – finding his opening and entering the throng. Rather than immediately joining, for a few minutes, Jaikus watched the half-Sephi and the other men and women who danced to the lively music – observing the foreign routine it utmost interest. At one point or another, Jaikus had found himself looking at Emryc alone, watching the man spin and rotate in sync with the others. He caught sight of the grin Emryc flashed at the end of his spin. There was something about the way the half-Sephi smiled – all the stoicism and frigidness melting away in that moment – that caused Jaikus smile with palpable warmth, his lips tugging upwards into that wide, cheesy expression.

After a few more minutes of observing the dance, Jaikus rolled and shoulders and entered into the group – finding an entrance to the dance with only a few people separating him from Emryc. While the half-Sephi danced in the more masculine fashion, Jaikus fell into the movements that came more naturally, moving in sync with the music alongside the ladies and more lithe men. Fluid sways were mixed with more rapid, percussion movement of his hips, occassionally shifting onto the balls of his feet to spin in tandem with the group. It was nothing like the way he danced on Serenno, but true to his words Jaikus was picking up on the new style rather quickly – any awkwardness in his movements starting to fade the longer after the first few minutes of dancing.

Through it all, that stupid smile never faded from the Axxilan’s’ face, and his eyes remained fixated on Emryc the entire time.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc completed his spin to find Jaikus standing across the crowds watching him. For a moment it felt as if the crowds around them blurred into smears of colors. There was only Jaikus amidst it all, staring at him with that goofy smile. Had he been watching him the entire time? Emryc’s grin gave away to a genuinely puzzled expression, his face tilting slightly as his eyebrows furrowed. There was something different about the way Jaikus looked at him, something different about the way his eyes gleamed like that, something different about how he watched him unapologetically as if nothing else on the planet mattered. The half Sephi paused what he was doing just for that moment, silver eyes a bit wide as he was caught entirely off guard. There was that familiar rush, the one where he suddenly felt very hot, where his thoughts turned to mush and he felt physically weak. For all the ways Jaikus smiled stupidly at him, he stared back just as idiotically vacant as if he were frozen and malfunctioning.

A woman bumped into him during her dance to shake him out of his reverie and he finally broke eye contact. By then Jaikus had joined the group and began to dance. Emryc simply shook his head with a slight grin before he resumed the dance, taking a moment to face the woman that wanted to dance with him. He grasped her hand and spun her around before spinning himself out from near her. There were only a few people between him and Jaikus now, both men dancing within their circles. Every now and then Emryc’s gaze flicked over to the Axxilan, watching the way he eased into the steps and especially how he moved so gracefully. Every gesture was limber and elegant, and some of the women were beginning to give envious glances.

The first song ended and a second one began that favored Jaikus’ style of dancing far more.

SONG​

As the beats began, Emryc kept his gaze on the Axxilan, watching the way he moved and spun. He kept his distance, always behind a few others and following the practiced steps. His feet stomped to the beat and his shoulders moved in sync, hands clapping before rising and his wrists rolling. As the song progressed, Emryc finally stepped out from behind the others, keeping his gaze locked with Jaikus as he did so.

The half Sephi moved towards him to the beat, light on his feet with each precision tap on the ground. Once he was closer, he grabbed the sash around his shoulders in his hands and tossed it in a loop around Jaikus. Emryc grinned as he tugged with his hands to bring the Axxilan closer to him with his sash hooked around his torso. He paused there for a moment, gazing down at the other man when he was mere inches away. Emryc said nothing as his sash slid down along Jaikus’ torso until it stopped at his hips. The half Sephi then tied it around his hips to leave a length of the fabric hanging from the side. The grin never left his face as he lightly nudged Jaikus in the chest to push him back into the dance.

As he did so, Jaikus would feel his own sash slipping off his shoulders into Emryc’s hand. The half Sephi tossed the Axxilan’s sash around his own shoulders so it was around the back of his neck and the ends in his hands. With that, Emryc bobbed his shoulders again and moved his torso to the beat with the sash in his grip. He danced around Jaikus this time, falling into a step rhythm as the other man would sway his hips, the sash around the waist accenting the hypnotic gesture.

It was clear that though Emryc wasn’t as lithe, he could still move to the dance. The half Sephi dropped to a crouch by where Jaikus was dancing, still hopping to the beat before his feet extended and switched to the rhythm. He leaned his torso back and rolled his shoulders and arms to the music before slowly coming back up to stand on beat, his gaze never leaving Jaikus.

@Altaris

 

[Jaikus Thorne]

For those brief moments, Jaikus was entirely fixated upon the half-Sephi as he spun and clapped his way across the dancefloor. The foreign music and singing faded into the background and fellow dancers were little more than streaks of vibrant color across his peripheral. The only thing that remained was Emryc – emerald-tinted citrines meeting silvers unwaveringly. He did not miss the way Emryc paused and seemed to malfunction on the dancefloor, causing Jaikus to giggle in response. The sound of his warm laughter was muffled and barely audible above the music, but the half-Sephi would immediately recognize the way his face contorted gleefully.

Time had slowed to a near halt in those moments, but the trance was broken and the world came back into view when Jaikus entered the dancefloor. He clearly took his ques from many of the ladies and lithe individuals who danced – his hips swaying hypnotically with the beat to the new song that began to play, torso undulating and rolling fluidly. His gaze never left the half-Sephi for very long even as they danced amongst their own little circles, only briefly breaking contact to regard the men and women who danced alongside him, before picking Emryc out of the crowd once again, the two of them eventually working their way towards each other in precision step with the music.

Jaikus paused briefly when he felt the half-Sephi’s sash loop around his torso, eyes widening a bit as Emryc tugged their bodies together and closed the distance that had existed until this point. The flush against his cheeks had returned, and yet the Axxilan grinned widely all the same as the man swapped the sashes they wore. Once the swap was complete, Jaikus snaked a hand forward and wrapped his fingers through the sash that hung around Emryc’s neck – using it to pull their bodies together, chest-to-chest. The Axxilan held them there for only a few moments, breaking the contact to resume their dance.

While Emryc began to dance around him, Jaikus raised his arms above his head lazily, his wrists rolling and fingers snapping to the beat of the music. As he spun a full three-hundred-and-sixty degrees, his hips rose and dropped with rapid percussion bursts. With the sash hanging from his waist, the movements were even more entrancing to behold – gray-and-black fabric whipping and swaying in tandem with his hips as Emryc dropped down to a crouch and extended his leg outward.

Once Emryc had risen back to his feet, Jaikus flashed him a bright grin. While his torso undulating and rolled, the Axxilan planted his weight onto his heels, slowly began to sink down his knees, wrists rotating above his head as he sunk. Once there, he leaned his torso back until he was almost horizontal with the ground, shimmying his shoulders to the music and weaving his hands through the air in front of him. He held the position for several seconds before slithering back to his feet to face the half-Sephi, once more swaying his hips and shoulders in sync with the man infront of him.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc hadn’t expected the tug from Jaikus, pulling him easily back till their chests pressed together. The half Sephi stared at the other man, silvers clashing against the citrines that burned with intensity to rival the twin suns sinking behind them. The gesture was possessive and bold in nature and Emryc didn’t even realize when one of his hands found its way to Jaikus’ waist. Fingertips pressed into his body, and it had all been almost instinct. He lingered there for as long as the other man demanded, holding that gaze and letting the crowds blur into a kaleidoscopic abstract all around them.

They broke away soon enough, Emryc moving to the floor as Jaikus danced in front of him. The half Sephi was doing his own balancing act with his legs, switching them as he hopped to the beat and kept a perfect posture. His gaze followed the Axxilan’s movements, watching the way he raised his arms and swayed his hips as he spun before him. It was hypnotizing to behold, his hips and the sash moving with sensual grace to the passionate tune of the music. Silver eyes were fixed on every little oscillation and jerk of the hips and the sash. The languid way he moved his hands and the way his body swayed with casual confidence made him appear as a prince in his domain, a sultan in his palace court. In many ways it felt as if Jaikus still had a hold of the sash around Emryc’s neck, commanding the half Sephi’s attention sternly and refusing to let him look away. He was a dervish with his spins, dangerous and sensual in his own right.

Emryc was standing by the time Jaikus began to sink into the ground, the half Sephi staring down at him. The descent was perfectly controlled, revealing the command Jaikus had over his body as he arched back. Emryc did not shy away from looking this time, taking in sight over the man as he tilted back. He watched the way the sherwani tugged slightly lower at his collarbone, and the desire to see more of that bronze tone abruptly crept into his thoughts without his permission. Every little gesture with Jaikus' fingers and the way his wrists rolled was a teasing tug at strings that had hooked into the half Sephi. They were anchors he hadn’t known were there, but he felt every painful tug the further Jaikus leaned back, the clawed hooks sinking deeper into his chest and beyond. They ventured into places he wanted to protect, places he felt vulnerable, places he didn’t want the other man to see. And yet he couldn’t look away, watching as Jaikus shifted himself forward serenely with the music as each vertebrae slowly lined above the other to straighten him back up to his feet.

The music was still going and the half Sephi moved to the beat and stepped closer to the other man. A hand grasped the sash around Jaikus’ hips, tugging him close but spinning him around. Emryc’s body pressed very gingerly against the Axxilan from behind. It was nowhere near the Serenno dancing, but there was something entirely different about the heat there that had nothing to do with the suns. Emryc’s hands found Jaikus’, entwining their fingers as he moved their hands in the same gentle sway to the song’s rhythm. Their arms were extended out laterally, Emryc’s hips swaying behind Jaikus, though nowhere near as lithe. The half Sephi leaned in close near Jaikus’ ear, his baritone softly murmuring against his skin.

“You know I can’t go to Korriban with you..” He spoke quietly, his words betraying desire and agony at once. He didn’t release the other man, continuing their dance and rolling their wrists as their arms were perfectly malleable and they moved as one.

@Altaris

 

[Jaikus Thorne]

Emryc had closed the distance between them, and once more Jaikus was blissfully unaware of his surroundings. With every graceful spin and hypnotic sway of his hips, even as his shoulders shimmied in rapid bursts and he sunk to his knees, his eyes – more emerald than citrine - never broke contact with the half-Sephi’s silver. The world melded together and warped into a tumultuous sea of color and sound, and Emryc remained as the sole buoy amongst the waves. A sole figure of clarity that Jaikus fixated upon above all else.

His hands had been raised above his head, wrists rolling and fingers snapping when Emryc boldly pulled him by the sash, his breath hitched and caught in his throat. Without ever missing a beat, the Axxilan spun on the balls of his feet until he was pressed tenderly against the half-Sephi, his arms lowering until they weaved together with Emryc. Conjoined as a single unit, his limbs moved hypnotically to the music – weaving and curling through the air with almost serpentine technique. His hips oscillated and swayed with the sash trailing him, gingerly bushing against the half-Sephi’s lower hemisphere with every other undulation.

It was not nearly so forward as their dance had been on Serenno. Raw desire and promiscuous movements had been replaced by something precise and sensual. Their bodies did not grind together and their hands did not explore each other, and yet their current dance sent pulses of electricity through Jaikus’ body all the same. The sun had set and the air had grown cool, and yet the Axxilan’s body radiated heat with the intensity of a small inferno.

Jaikus tilted his head back ever-so-slightly when Emryc leaned in close, his cheek brushing tenderly against the half-Sephi’s stubbled jaw, a shiver running down his spine from the hot breath on his neck. He paused when he heard Emryc’s baritone words.

The Axxilan did not respond immediately, instead continuing to dance in sync with the half-Sephi. While his body never left the dancefloor or Emryc’s touch, his thoughts were drawn back to their last encounter at the lake. He remembered how the half-Sephi had hesitated and pulled away, the color gone from his face and looking as if he’d seen a ghost. The Axxilan remembered the mention of others, and the distinct feeling of guilt that settled into his stomach when he realized what existed beneath the surface.

A puzzle had tugged at Jaikus’ mind since Serenno, and the pieces had slowly fallen into place since then. Keldooine had left him with profound new understanding, and the half-Sephi’s words now served as a reminder of what he’d momentarily forgotten. When Jaikus finally spoke, his words were soft and tender, honeyed with that characteristic drawl in which the Axxilan always spoke. His fingers squeezed a bit tighter, tender and desperate not to break contact. Not just yet.

“I know you can’t.”

He tilted his head back to Emryc, meeting those silver eyes from his peripheral. While the half-Sephi would only be able to see Jaikus’ side profile from his angle, it was clear that there was still a smile painted across his bronzed features. There was no anger or outward disappointment. While the precise details alluded him still, Jaikus understood Emryc’s hesitation and the Axxilan could not fault him for it, as much as it might pain him internally. The commitment he’d made on Keldooine echoed in his own mind again. Even if it could not be in that way, Jaikus would enjoy being around the half-Sephi however he could.

With that, Jaikus leaned his head back once more, and he would continue to dance for as long as the song played. Emryc had not pulled away, and Jaikus would remain unwavering where he stood for as long as it lasted – however brief it might be.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc felt Jaikus tilt his face back so his cheek brushed against his jaw. The gesture was subtle, and yet seared into him from the touch. A part of him wished Jaikus hadn’t done that, while the other wanted to lean into it. It was a warmth he didn’t know he wanted as the glaring heat of the suns began to give way to the cooler winds of the night. Silver gaze could see Jaikus from the side, the emerald tinged citrines glinting under him. Emryc never released his hands, their bodies swaying to the music and their shoulders loose and rolling with languid grace.

He felt Jaikus squeeze his fingers tighter, as if fearing letting go. The half Sephi saw the smile on the other man’s face, but it wasn’t mirrored on his own. He heard Jaikus speak, felt him continue to dance, and the colored waves lapped around them. It was so easy to just keep swaying and moving like this. So easy to float amidst the waves and let them wash away any complex thoughts. However Emryc moved before his mind registered what he was doing, his hands working to spin Jaikus around so he faced him. The half Sephi fully gazed at him, looking into his eyes and taking in sight of the flushed face from all the dancing or perhaps something else. It didn’t matter. He knew when Jaikus smiled and he knew when that smile didn’t reach his eyes.

Emryc didn’t release his hands quite yet, his face returning to its familiar stoic as he gazed down at the other man. The music continued around them, as did all the laughter and cheering. For all of his sensitive hearing, he could only listen to the sound of Jaikus’ soft breathing and the gentle rustle of the wind against their sashes. He could only focus on the hooks raking against surfaces he had wanted to shield. Hooks Jaikus didn't even know he held.

There was no smile on his face as he regarded the other man. However his gaze finally lowered as he looked at where he had their fingers entwined. His thumb brushed over the chain that was dangling near Jaikus’ palm.

“Why are you choosing this pain?”

@Altaris

 

[Jaikus Thorne]

For a few brief moments, Jaikus continued their dance exactly as it had been. He would’ve been happy to dance through the rest of the night, rather than lingering on the complex questions and sad realities. For a few brief moments, that is what the Axxilan did – his hips swaying a bit slower, arms still knitted together and carving a serpentine path through the space around them.

Reality snapped back to the forefront when Emryc spun him around, positioning their bodies so that they were face to face once again. The flush against his cheeks remained for several moments longer, but the sad smile that had once been painted across his face quickly faded. Somehow, to wear anything less than that genuine, stupid smile was exhausting and no longer worth the effort. His disappointment at Emryc not being able to come with him was clear, but there was distinct understanding that burned behind his eyes as well.

Jaikus focused only upon the man in front of him now. Emerald-tinted citrines met the silver eyes with equal intensity, glinting against the low light and burning with steady resolve. As so often did, Jaikus refused to shrink away from the question that was asked of him. He did not avert his eyes of waver where he was standing. Instead, he tenderly squeezed the half-Sephi’s fingers within his own – gingerly tracing his thumb across the top of Emryc’s hand.

“Because I can’t remember the last time I have smiled as I have tonight, or laughed as you make me do effortlessly." Jaikus finally mustered his response, breaking the silence that had been previously been filled by the faded music and revelry of others.

“I know there are limits, and I don’t ask you to compromise them. Nor anything else, on my behalf.” A part of Jaikus wished to overstep them anyway. A part of him was prepared to knock any door off its hinges without fear of the consequences or what might lead to, pursuing his feelings blissfully and without regard. And yet, he hesitated. It was not because the Axxilan was scared, because he wasn’t. Nor had he been hurt by anything Emryc had said or done thus far. He hesitated, because that was not a threshold Jaikus would cross unless Emryc was moving in lockstep with him.

His eyes followed Emryc's until they settled upon that gold bracelet. The sight of his brought a smile to his face once more - that characteristic warmth and genuine glee surfacing once more. “I choose this, because to not be around you is something far worse.”

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc’s gaze didn’t linger too long on the bracelet, his eyes forced back up to meet Jaikus’. Though there was a period of time when he couldn’t look at the other man, he pushed past it. They both knew Emryc had Raze within him, and they both knew what he was capable of. And yet Jaikus remained.

His life had several others that gravitated to him for one reason or another, but it always began with the pretense of seeking something from him. It had been under the guise of knowledge he could share, how he could assist on an operation or some other way he could serve a purpose. The man before him had never asked for anything but moments shared together. Moments doing a lot. Moments doing nothing. Moments laughing. Moments spent bickering. Moments that made no sense. Moments Emryc shouldn’t have had. Moments he shouldn’t have craved. He was reminded of all the sins he struck his back for, all the atonement he had done for whenever he overstepped. They were rules shaped by his religion. His religion had no answer for this new kind of sickness that roiled within his stomach and crept up like acid into his heart.

He felt Jaikus squeeze his hand tighter, and he heard his words. Silvers never left the eyes that looked more and more emerald, a curious remnant that hadn’t quite left Jaikus since Telos. It was one of the ways he had been unraveled by the tug of a thread that was caught on Emryc. He didn’t want to hear any of these words. He didn’t want to hear how he made Jaikus laugh or smile. It was the sweetest poison, every word spreading salt into a festering and open wound that had appeared without his control. His mind fortress failed him here, his religion failed him, all the words and whispers of commitment he had uttered elsewhere became the grains of sands so easily brushed away by the wind that was Jaikus. Seeds of doubt, most at himself cracked open as agonizing vines wove from them and spiraled out throughout his entire being.

A part of Emryc wanted to run away as he had so many times. He wanted to take a few steps back and slip into the crowds. He knew he would leave Jaikus behind. He knew the face the man would wear as he did so. He knew the Axxilan would never find him again. Raze told him to step back, logic told him to step back, the searing vines told him to step back. But he simply couldn’t.

“I choose this, because to not be around you is something far worse.”

The words echoed within his mind many times over. This was the man that had met Raze. This was the man that had experienced the fury of Raze first hand. He had almost died as a result. At some point in their paths, at some moment, at some juncture in time they had both committed some fatal flaw to be here now. For all the ways Emryc was meticulous, for all the ways he planned and organized, this was a variable that he hadn’t factored in. And it was something he never could have predicted as he parted ways from the man on Serenno. As he parted ways from the man on Telos. As he parted ways from the man on Keldooine. It was always that very last time. And yet each time the smallest part of him didn’t want it to be the last time. It was a part of him he should have stamped out.

But to do so would have been far worse.

Emryc exhaled softly as he gazed at the other man. Surprising himself, he stepped forth and wrapped his arms around the Axxilan, easily embracing his smaller frame. The half Sephi was not a man that liked contact like this, and he couldn’t explain this sudden gesture even if he tried. For that moment he simply wanted to hold him. He could have stared into the distance beyond Jaikus’ shoulder, but he closed his eyes. He focused on the way Jaikus felt, the way he smelled, the way he sounded. He committed it to memory, knowing it would likely never happen again. Knowing it couldn’t happen again. Knowing it shouldn’t happen again.

“And I can make you weep just as easily,” Emryc said quietly, a bitterness creeping into his tone. He spoke while still holding the other man, “I am broken in every way a man can be, Jaikus. You are chasing a disaster. You are wishing for despair. You are wanting to walk into fire,” Emryc paused for a moment before he continued, “Fire that engulfs and burns anyone that has ventured in thus far.”

@Altaris

 

[Jaikus Thorne]

Jaikus’ eyes lingered on that bracelet for a moment longer, eventually drifting back to stare at the man in front of him – fixating once more upon those eyes of silver. Eyes that filled him with comfort and caused his heart to beat just a little bit faster each and every time. The world melted away, and he heard the familiar sound of a baritone laugh that make all else seem unimportant in comparison.

And yet, Jaikus understood what lied underneath just as well. For all the ways that Emryc caused him to laugh and smile effortlessly, the Axxilan knew the beast that slumbered just beneath the surface and filled him with dread. For all the ways Emryc filled him with warmth and comforted him just by being close, Jaikus remembered with vivid clarify the pain that ached across his body with every blow from Raze and the coldness of distance that cut deeper than any blade could.

For better or worse, Jaikus had been witness to just how broken the man before him was. He had seen Emryc and Raze both – two sides to the same coin – in their full effect, more vividly and clearly than most ever would. He had seen them both and through it all, he remained where he stood. He had every opportunity to walk away, to make final their farewell, and yet his path always brought him back to Emryc. To this crossroad.

Jaikus could not explain why he felt as he did, or why he had remained. He had given up trying to understand the underlying reasons for his feelings, but instead choose to embraced them as unapologetically as he did everything else. Doubts and fears melted away until all that remained was that simple, plain reality.

His eyes never broke contact with Emryc even after he spoke, waiting and prepared for whatever response would come. A part of him expected Emryc to flee – to turn and walk away as had been done in the past. Jaikus knew the pain that would lance through his chest when it happened. He knew that despite every fiber of his being screaming to do so, he wouldn’t follow. He knew the uncertainty that would plague him in the aftermath, not quite sure if that is how it would end. His fingers squeezed Emryc’s a little tighter, but he gave the man the space to walk away if he so chose. Instead, Emryc did something Jaikus could not possibly hope to predict.

Emryc stepped forward and held him close, and Jaikus felt his body freeze in place for a brief moment. His eyes widened and arms suddenly went limp, suddenly enveloped within the tender embrace and momentarily rendered incapable of response. It was a gesture he never expected from Emryc, and yet Jaikus soon felt himself melting into it, something he never realized he wanted until this precise moment. His lapse in response passed, and Jaikus slid his hands up and wrapped them tightly around the half-Sephi’s larger frame. He tugged the other man close and squeezing him tenderly, his face turning to the side and resting against Emryc’s shoulder.

He did not speak immediately, but instead focused solely upon their embrace. All other sounds faded into the void until all that remained was the sound of Emryc’s breathing. All other myriad of smells dissipated and only the scent of that distinctive cologne was left in its place. All other feelings went numb, and Jaikus focused upon the way he was held and the heat that radiated from Emryc and warmed him to his very core. Nothing else mattered in that moment, and it was one the Axxilan cherished and would not soon forget.

Minutes passed, and finally Jaikus forced himself to respond. His hands slid gingerly across Emryc’s back until they rested on the man’s shoulders, squeezing each side of him tenderly. Rather than push the half-Sephi away from him, Jaikus leaned his torso back just enough to look upon Emryc’s face once more. There was no hint of citrine within his iris’, no dark side taint, but only the natural hue of emerald that glinted against the light. They were the eyes he was born with. Eyes filled with confidence in what he would say next.

“Emryc,” His words carried that same sense of finality they had at the lake on Keldooine, resolved in his position and unwilling to budge. “I see you for all that you are. The good and the bad in equal parts. The broken and whole pieces.” A smile slowly worked its face back onto Jaikus face, tender and caring in ways that the Axxilan found impossible to be with most people. There were no walls of practiced demeanor or debonair charm, in that moment. All had been peeled away until all that remained was something genuine.

“I see you in your entirety, and I trust you still. I simply wish to be near you, and I don’t ask anything from you beyond that. I would gladly take that door of its hinges or brave any flames that may engulf and burn. Because to do otherwise would be far worse.”

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Theme​

It was so easy to forget about the galaxy just then. All his compartmentalized boxes were set aside, all his flaws and imperfections were forgotten. He simply focused on the present and the feeling of having Jaikus in his arms. There was a tenderness to the touch that would seem almost uncharacteristic of the frigid half Sephi. For all his frost, for all his walls, for all his rage and the monster that roiled within him, he was still human at the core. He still had the fires deep down under sheets of ice. Others danced around them, sang around them, cheered and laughed. And yet the two men stood amidst it all, locked in embrace and poised as a tragic statue.

Emryc felt Jaikus’ hands begin to travel along his back, his touch brushing over the grooves and bumps of every welt on his back. Of every reminder to avoid this very thing. Of the wounds that tried so hard to turn the half Sephi away from this. The wounds remained just as unchanged as Emryc himself. He still existed within those layers of ice, coming out of the shadows only when a path had been created. It was a path Jaikus hadn’t even known he shaped. And Emryc followed it just the same, man and monster for better or worse walking along the same trail.

He wasn’t delving into deep thoughts or any profound realizations as he stood there. His mind was at peace, the roiling oceans giving way to a calm, blissful lake that was warmed by the sun and blue skies above. It was a world crafted simply from holding the other man, a sanctuary built from the earth of his touch, the breeze of his soft breath, the sun of the heat from his body. It was a place he wanted to capture, but one he knew he couldn’t create alone.

Emryc’s ears shifted slightly as Jaikus uttered his name, the half Sephi glancing down at the other man to see pure emerald eyes looking back at him. The bejeweled greens shined brilliantly against his bronze skin, and they betrayed the fire in Jaikus more than the citrines ever could. They were a fire of his own, not one crafted artificially by the dark side.

Jaikus repeated words he had said before, revealing once again that he was unwavering in where he stood. He didn’t take a step forth, nor did he take one back. He simply remained where he stood since back on Keldooine. Or perhaps even since on Telos. No matter the doubts, the hesitation, the uncertainty that came from Emryc, Jaikus stood unapologetically in the same place. There was a hand extended out for Emryc whenever he chose to take it, but it didn’t reach forward or withdraw away.

The half Sephi stared at Jaikus for a moment, not wanting to think. He understood and didn’t understand at all at the same time. His hands had loosely slipped down to rest against the Axxilan’s waist. Emryc closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against Jaikus’, remaining there for a moment. He had no will or words to debate with the other man. He had no will to remind him of all the ways Emryc destroyed. He had no desire to remind him about all the ways he was poison. Because he knew that hand would still be there waiting for him. It wouldn’t move forward, and it wouldn’t withdraw. For better or worse.

Emryc’s forehead was still pressed against the Axxilan’s and his eyes remained closed, “Say my name again..” He whispered quietly.

Only a few more moments were allowed before the other dancers bumped into them. One of the women grabbed Jaikus by the forearm to pull him into a dance. Another man grabbed Emryc, tugging them apart as a group dance began to include everyone. The half Sephi opened his eyes as he stepped back, his gaze lingering on Jaikus as he was pulled away. He didn’t resist the pull, his eyes sharing words he didn’t have the courage to speak aloud as he stepped back.

An upbeat song began that included everyone dancing in lines with stomping and clapping. Emryc’s gaze remained on the other man even with people in between them. The half Sephi watched him for a moment before a genuine smile slowly graced his face. As he smiled, he tossed the sash on his torso over his shoulder to wrap it around himself. It was the Axxilan’s sash that he intended to keep even when they were parted. Even as they went their separate ways yet again from this planet.

@Altaris

 

[Jaikus Thorne]

Theme​

Jaikus spoke unapologetically and with the same unwavering resolve as he always did, emerald eyes filled with a confidence that nothing, and no one – not even Raze – could diminish in that moment. The Axxilan repeated the words he had spoken to Emryc back on Keldooine weeks ago, and they were just as genuine now as they had been the first time.

For all the ways that Emryc hesitated and doubted himself, Jaikus was steadfast as he so often was. It was a confident and sense of assuredness in himself – in what he was feeling, and what he wanted - that Jaikus could not quite explain, and yet it was a strength he embraced fully. The Axxilan knew there were boundaries, and he would not cross them. He knew that Emryc would not take the hand that was extended today, maybe he never would, but it a hand that was extended all the same. For better or worse, Jaikus would stand unapologetically, no matter the path that lied ahead of them.

His words were spoken, and Jaikus allowed himself to melt back into the half-Sephi’s embrace, his hands once more lifting and shifting positions. As Emryc’s fingers gingerly came to wrap around his hips, Jaikus’ arms snaked upwards and looped around the back of Emryc’s neck – loosely hanging there as their foreheads were pressed together. Emerald eyes closed and for a few moments, the galaxy melted away all around him. There were no complex analysis or cogs that turned behind his eyes, nor a sea of emotions that raged within, but instead his mind was a plane of peaceful tranquility. All the music and revelry died, and only the sound of Emryc’s breath existed to fill the void, and only the feeling of his tender embrace – not twin suns – provided warmth.

Jaikus heard the words as they were spoken, baritone whispers that brushed against his skin and sent a shiver down Jaikus’ spine. They were words that he had heard once before from the half-Sephi, and they brought the faintest smile to the Axxilan’s lips. His lips parted to speak, and yet he was interrupted before he could vocalize a response.

Reality rushed back when Jaikus felt the tug against the forearm, eyes quickly moving to regard the woman who beckoned him before fixating back onto Emryc – noting that he too was being pulled away. Jaikus knew that the shared embrace could not last forever, and yet he defiantly clung to it for just a moment more. Before more than a few inches of distance were put between them, Jaikus’ free arm rose from his side and reached for the half-Sephi. Slender fingers snaked into the space between the buttons of his sherwani, curling and gripping onto the placket of the garment. With a firm tug, Jaikus pulled their bodies together despite the pull from others, pressing his chest against the half-Sephi’s once more.

“Emryc..” He whispered quietly, his honeyed words reverberating against the half-Sephi’s sensitive ear.

With that, Jaikus finally let the other man go. His grip laxed and his arm fell away – allowing them both to be pulled off in opposite directions. A new dance began and the Axxilan felt his body spun to the upbeat music, and yet his eyes never broke contact with Emryc, once more allowing himself to get lost in those silver eyes for a moment. As the half-Sephi tossed the sash over his shoulder, couldn’t help but smile in that wide and ridiculous way he always did. With a smile on his lips, Jaikus lifted his wrist, readjusting the golden bracelet that dangled near his palm and tightened the sash around his waist.

They would part ways on this planet as they always did, and yet Jaikus was surer and more confident than he had been before. He knew, perhaps for the first time since Telos, that this farewell would not be their last.

/End Thread

@Sreeya