A Brief Experiment|Flux
Sept 11, 2011 3:05:04 GMT -5
Post by Kender Bard on Sept 11, 2011 3:05:04 GMT -5
Wisdom walked along one of the upper levels of the temple, following a corridor that was lined with dirty, ancient glass windows. His fingertips reached out to touch the wall and scrape along as he walked, his mind drifting to the only true problem in his life. But it gnawed at him.
Since the rather disastrous event with Filly, Wisdom had withdrawn into himself again for a little while. But this was Flux, and such a mindset didn't last long even if you wished it. Life returned to normalcy. It took much longer for Wisdom to try his hand at seduction and courting. Seduction was easy. All he had to do was find a bored Lustful. And if that didn't count, well, there was no lack of non-Lustful amorous men and women in the temple. But courting... Now that was proving hard.
Admittedly, Fluxians weren't a type to get too hung up on the idea of a long-lasting partnership. This was the city of change. He'd find plenty of welcoming beds, but when he attempted to take a relationship farther, he was usually gently rebuffed.
What am I doing wrong? he thought in despair, stopping in front of a window. His fingertips traced patterns in the dust and grime on the window. Am I never going to find love?
He remembered the brief time spent with Adam. His best friend was always a great source of comfort to him, and more whenever he wished it. He'd not found the pleasures of other men too bad, but he'd had even less luck in that quarter than he did with women. But despite the mercurial nature of Fluxians, individuals settled down with one another on a permanent basis often enough. Marriages were rare, but that was just a matter of ceremony. Wisdom could tick off a half a dozen people he knew that had an 'exclusive' partner with whom they shared their lives. I think, perhaps, I'm just not a very good man. He wasn't especially effeminate (nor was he particularly masculine, he thought), but he wasn't something that other women wanted. I must lack something that most men have. Perhaps I'm not assertive enough, or strong enough. It was true, most of men he knew who were spoken for seemed manlier than most. Even Adam, soft spoken and gentle, had something primal lurking just under the surface that attracted women like bees to a rose.
He flicked his nails against the glass in frustration, turned about, and strode angrily down the hallway back the way he came. Three strides into his huff, his slippered foot stepped on something and slid. He flailed, but managed to keep from falling as he glanced down at what he'd slipped on.
It was a card. Black and white with a swirling, dizzying pattern on the back. Wisdom bent down and picked it up; something about it seemed familiar. It was a regular looking playing card. He turned it to the back again and tried to study the twisting pattern--there! It was a bit of an optical illusion, but if you didn't look directly at the pattern you could see Soahc's sign in the swirling chaos, as if magic.
This is one of the enchanted cards that Dreamwarp was gifted with, long ago, he realized with shock. This was priceless beyond value! He didn't even know what it would do if activated, if indeed it still could be. I should give this to Lysander or one of the Curious, he thought. And he was going to, but something made him hesitate.
Serendipity happened but this seemed awfully coincidental. Wisdom glanced upwards. Are you listening to my thoughts, my lord? It was possible. Or it could mean nothing. Wisdom bit his lip with indecision. I should give this away.
His fingers rubbed briskly over the card, like he remembered. It gave off a warmth and a faint glow. Oh Soahc. Oh Soahc. It works. Swallowing hard, he touched the card to his forehead. Sorry, Curious. I'll make it up to you later.
A strange feeling swept over him and he felt dizzy. He kept his eyes tightly shut as his body became wracked with a simultaneous pleasure and pain. He felt numb and like every nerve was on fire. He cried out in agony and ecstasy and it lasted forever.
Or not. It was over, abruptly, and with no lingering feeling left behind. He opened his eyes, unimpressed. The card was gone, but they'd always crumbled to ash in the past too. "That was--oh!" He'd looked himself over, making sure he hadn't sprouted something new.
And he had. A pair of breasts jutted out from under his robes, obscuring his view. He grasped them, squeaking in surprise. They were his, all right. Or... Hers?
Glancing around, he whipped open the robes to check. "Oh dear," she murmured, then gasped, a hand flying to her throat. "Oh dear!" His voice had jumped up at least an octave. Hastily, she cinched up her robes again. She needed to find a mirror, but she could scarcely think of where to do so. She started running, letting her feet just lead her, and invariably wound up running to her fellows in the Generous hall.
Since the rather disastrous event with Filly, Wisdom had withdrawn into himself again for a little while. But this was Flux, and such a mindset didn't last long even if you wished it. Life returned to normalcy. It took much longer for Wisdom to try his hand at seduction and courting. Seduction was easy. All he had to do was find a bored Lustful. And if that didn't count, well, there was no lack of non-Lustful amorous men and women in the temple. But courting... Now that was proving hard.
Admittedly, Fluxians weren't a type to get too hung up on the idea of a long-lasting partnership. This was the city of change. He'd find plenty of welcoming beds, but when he attempted to take a relationship farther, he was usually gently rebuffed.
What am I doing wrong? he thought in despair, stopping in front of a window. His fingertips traced patterns in the dust and grime on the window. Am I never going to find love?
He remembered the brief time spent with Adam. His best friend was always a great source of comfort to him, and more whenever he wished it. He'd not found the pleasures of other men too bad, but he'd had even less luck in that quarter than he did with women. But despite the mercurial nature of Fluxians, individuals settled down with one another on a permanent basis often enough. Marriages were rare, but that was just a matter of ceremony. Wisdom could tick off a half a dozen people he knew that had an 'exclusive' partner with whom they shared their lives. I think, perhaps, I'm just not a very good man. He wasn't especially effeminate (nor was he particularly masculine, he thought), but he wasn't something that other women wanted. I must lack something that most men have. Perhaps I'm not assertive enough, or strong enough. It was true, most of men he knew who were spoken for seemed manlier than most. Even Adam, soft spoken and gentle, had something primal lurking just under the surface that attracted women like bees to a rose.
He flicked his nails against the glass in frustration, turned about, and strode angrily down the hallway back the way he came. Three strides into his huff, his slippered foot stepped on something and slid. He flailed, but managed to keep from falling as he glanced down at what he'd slipped on.
It was a card. Black and white with a swirling, dizzying pattern on the back. Wisdom bent down and picked it up; something about it seemed familiar. It was a regular looking playing card. He turned it to the back again and tried to study the twisting pattern--there! It was a bit of an optical illusion, but if you didn't look directly at the pattern you could see Soahc's sign in the swirling chaos, as if magic.
This is one of the enchanted cards that Dreamwarp was gifted with, long ago, he realized with shock. This was priceless beyond value! He didn't even know what it would do if activated, if indeed it still could be. I should give this to Lysander or one of the Curious, he thought. And he was going to, but something made him hesitate.
Serendipity happened but this seemed awfully coincidental. Wisdom glanced upwards. Are you listening to my thoughts, my lord? It was possible. Or it could mean nothing. Wisdom bit his lip with indecision. I should give this away.
His fingers rubbed briskly over the card, like he remembered. It gave off a warmth and a faint glow. Oh Soahc. Oh Soahc. It works. Swallowing hard, he touched the card to his forehead. Sorry, Curious. I'll make it up to you later.
A strange feeling swept over him and he felt dizzy. He kept his eyes tightly shut as his body became wracked with a simultaneous pleasure and pain. He felt numb and like every nerve was on fire. He cried out in agony and ecstasy and it lasted forever.
Or not. It was over, abruptly, and with no lingering feeling left behind. He opened his eyes, unimpressed. The card was gone, but they'd always crumbled to ash in the past too. "That was--oh!" He'd looked himself over, making sure he hadn't sprouted something new.
And he had. A pair of breasts jutted out from under his robes, obscuring his view. He grasped them, squeaking in surprise. They were his, all right. Or... Hers?
Glancing around, he whipped open the robes to check. "Oh dear," she murmured, then gasped, a hand flying to her throat. "Oh dear!" His voice had jumped up at least an octave. Hastily, she cinched up her robes again. She needed to find a mirror, but she could scarcely think of where to do so. She started running, letting her feet just lead her, and invariably wound up running to her fellows in the Generous hall.