Bad Decisions [Goblin] [M]

[Juno]

"Only innocent favors," Julian agreed easily enough, taking the wink as playfulness. He returned it with a smile. "What did you have in mind?"

[GoblinFae]

The gambler could not believe his luck. Julian was actually interested in agreeing. He decided to play along, keeping things innocent and tame before working his way up to see how far he could push the other man before he like a frightened bird tried to soar. Then and only then would he let the trap snap closed and the gilded cage trap his pet in place.

"What are you willing to do?" he countered.

[Juno]

Caught off guard by the question, Julian sat there pondering it for a moment as he stared at the food the man had left. He had no idea what to expect of him, but he had been friendly enough so far despite their few short problem bursts. The younger man eventually just shrugged. "I don't know. Probably almost anything," he chuckled lighthearted. "I could fetch you something, help you with something. I could tell you a story," he admitted with a blush, having no idea what he wanted.

"We could talk, I could give you advice... I'll tell you if I'd rather not do something. That sound fair enough?"

[GoblinFae]

"More than fair," the older man purred. "Here," he offered, "a bite for good faith then." Artorius smiled, leaning back to rest against the headboard, his legs straight upon the bed in front of him. "Now what would be a suitable favor to ask of you first I wonder?" He pondered quietly, making a big show of it all the while observing the other man's reaction.

[Juno]

Julian eagerly snatched up the food, the small amounts serving well to whet his appetite even further. Chewing slowly in the same way to savor it, he watched his acquaintance getting comfortable upon the bed and scooted down a bit to give his legs some more room. As he stared in anticipation, though, he found himself grinning like a fool for his nervousness and curiosity. Fidgeting, he played with the ends of his hair as he waited. "Anything you want," he prompted gently. "Within reason, of course."

[GoblinFae]

Artorius shrugged and then pointed over to the nightstand where his own tankard sat just out of his comfortable reach. "How's about bringing that on over here then for me?" he suggested, testing the waters delicately to see the other's reaction.

"There's a bite waiting for you when you settle on down," he continued, patting the bed right beside him with a large grin.

[Juno]

Quickly following his gesture, his eyes settled upon the vessel. His immediate thought was that this was too easy, and he hoped the other "favors" would be just as simple. "Oh! I can do that," he scoffed proudly, hopping down from the bed to get it for him.

Carefully holding it with both hands at arm's length and wary of how full it was, Julian stretched out to try and hand it to him with a proud smile. "Here."

[GoblinFae]

"You can just hold it," he replied, offering up another bite as payment. "I'll drink some in a bit. My hands are already quite full and yours seem empty enough. I'm sure you don't mind." Looking Julian up and down, enjoying once more the cut of the over-sized tunic on his slight form, Artorius thought of more ways to gain favors from his little mouse.

"You know you should probably take a seat," he coaxed, again patting the spot opposite the side he was sitting on with one hand while pulling Julian closer by the waist with his other one. "Hovering over an eating man is rather rude you know."

[Juno]

Startled a bit and confused by him refusing to take it, Julian looked between the two drinks, one in his hands and one on the table. He wasn't quite sure how he expected him to sit with his hands full if he had both. Ignoring the food being offered, the shifter furrowed his brow in thought, unaware that he was being watched.

Gasping and turning his attention back to the other man, Julian's eyes widened at being pulled closer and more off-balance. His eyes flickered to the heavy tankard in his hands, and he frowned in frustration as he tried to figure out how he would do this. "Couldn't I just...set this down on the tray for a moment?" he asked, trying to reason with him. "I'll sit, but I need my drink first."

[GoblinFae]

Enjoying the trouble Julian was finding himself in, Artorius did nothing to assist with the situation. In fact he reveled in the moment. "You have two hands. You can't honestly tell me that that tiny little woman who carried all of this up was stronger than you man. That would just be really sad," he chuckled darkly, shaking his head in amusement.

"Putting it on the tray would just overbalance it anyway. Come on Julian, just sit down. No need to make a whole production of it."

[Juno]

"All she had to worry about was the tray," came his grumbled response, hating being compared to a "tiny little woman" as he called her. He was not particularly muscular, but it still hurt his pride a bit to be talked about that way, especially when he didn't think he was making such a big deal of it.

Gritting his teeth, he stubbornly pulled away from him and hastily moved the full drink to one hand as he snatched up the mug with what little remained of his own. That was the easy part, though. As he turned to face the bed again he was fidgeting as he struggled with the thought of exactly how he was going to get up there with full hands and a shirt that seemed to just love to ride along the slight curves of his thighs.

Shaking his slightly damp hair out of his eyes, the shifter cautiously lifted one leg and set his knee upon what sliver of bed he could. Wary of the shirt riding up dangerously high, he quickly set his other knee next to the first and balanced there on the edge of the bed for a moment to let the shirt fall again and gather his wits as he stared triumphantly at him, thinking he probably didn't even notice or care about his near-miss.

Confident in himself, he carefully climbed over to the other side of the bed on his knees, only straddled him momentarily before he was over quickly. Muttering an apology, he got as settled as he could be with the shirt stuck uncomfortable high. He held out the full tankard to him, proud of not having spilled it on him in the process, that would have just been asking for it considering their initial encounter. "Will you take it now?" he teased. "Or should I still keep it?"

[GoblinFae]

Artorius was having a ball. Jerking the other man's chain was hilarious and making him squirm was just icing on the cake. Admittedly, the gambler regretted not seeing more beneath the tunic but he certainly was not going to complain about the bit of thigh he caught glimpses of as Julian shifted and balanced on the bed.

Once the slighter man was settled, Artorius raised the food-laden fork once more to Julian's lips. "Eat your food, mouse. Quit worrying about holding the drink, it's not like your arm is going to fall off after all."

[Juno]

Blinking and looking down at the fork in front of him, Julian flushed as he listened to the words being said. Slowly, he retracted his arm and held the drinks against his legs instead. He was feeling more and more awkward about pushing the drink on the other man, especially because he had asked him to get it for him. But there was that "mouse" again. "Julian," he reminded him quietly, blushing even darker as he finally submitted and ate the food being offered to him.

Turning his head away, he stared off at the room, trying to find something to distract himself from him. "Is there anything else you want? Or should I just let you eat?" he asked before taking a sip of his own, almost dry drink.

[GoblinFae]

"There's always something, I be wanting," he replied, eyes agleam. "But if you're not hungry then this can stop. Otherwise there is more food with your name on it, Julian." Artorius loved the way the other man's name just flowed off his tongue. It was perfect for the slight man, giving both a delicate and attractive blend to match the man who bore it.

Taking not of the quickly emptying mug, the gambler could not help but to remark to himself how it was no wonder Julian was out of money with the way he was drinking. 'You would think it was liquid gold with the way you're drinking it mousey. Is that why you were cast out by your family? Are you just another boring alcoholic under that feisty front? Certainly hope for your sake that's not the case. I like your fire, pet.'

"Relax, will you? I'm not about to bite, you know."

[Juno]

"I could eat," he tried to shrug it off, still not quite willing to tell him how hungry he was for something other than the charred, gamey stuff he managed to make on his own. Oblivious to his opinions, though, he made it his mission to finish his drink. When it was empty he casually leaned it against the headboard and stared at the other one intended for his acquaintance.

"You keep saying that, about the biting, but it only makes me fear you more," he half-teased without lifting his gaze from the drink he so desperately wanted to taste. "And yet you're kind and offer me food and comforts. Makes me feel like you have ideas. Or am I just paranoid?"

[GoblinFae]

Artorius raised a brow in Julian's direction. "Could or would?" he rhetorically asked before shrugging. "Scoot on closer, friend and you may have your next bite," the gambler offered holding out an arm to provide more room for the smaller man.

"As for the paranoia," the man chuckled letting his sentence trail off to be punctuated by a moment of silence. "I don't think it ever hurt anyone. Certainly got me out of a scrap or two when I needed it. I'm surprised though a small guy like you living in the wild though wouldn't have learned that mighty quick. Or did you just let it get to your head and go overboard?"

[Juno]

Complying with his request, Julian carefully moved himself closer, though he was very careful not to touch him. His words about paranoia did worry him with how he got the impression that he was trying to guide the conversation away from his worries. Still, he was a bit offended that he was being called small.

"I'm not small," he muttered to himself, sighing before he spoke up. "I've learned a lot of things in the wilds, but being paranoid is something I generally am not. I take care of myself well enough to get by. Sometimes there's trouble with hunters, though." He shrugged, not expecting the other man to understand or willing to offer more of an explanation for now.

"Is it overboard to wonder about you, though?" he asked, finally turning his eyes on him, staring at him with that curious but pouty face. He felt the need to point out, "You don't exactly seem like you're the type to be lacking attention."

[GoblinFae]

"My mistake then," came his unapologetic reply. "And as we are not aboard a ship I see no reason why anything could be "overboard." You really must have been spending a long time in the wilds if you are getting that kind of stuff confused. As for me, well there isn't much to tell. I'm a simple, fun-loving kind of guy you know?"

Artorius shrugged before giving Julian two more bites, the second he claimed was for the interesting explanation of his own brand of paranoia. Afterwards, the fork was replaced on the tray so that his arm could be moved around Julian's waist to pull him flush against his side.

"Now that's better! And what's this about me not lacking attention? What are you implying there, friend?"

[Juno]

He wasn't about to get into an argument about it, so he decided to just keep his mouth shut, or at least until food was offered again. Taking it without complaint, he chewed quietly as he contemplated their odd conversation. Distracted, he was caught off guard when he was pulled closer and had no easy way of protesting it without drawing attention to it. Swallowing hard, he refused to look him in the face and only glanced at him from the corner of his eye as he sat there awkwardly trying to make himself smaller in his presence. He was trying not to touch him or even feel himself touching him anymore than was required by their proximity with a careful stillness.

Wanting to ignore his questions, Julian took a bold move and lifted the man's tankard to his lips and took a long swig of the drink he felt he'd been holding for him for far too long. Without commenting on it, he shrugged and lowered it to his lap again. "Nothing really. I just get the feeling you're the kind of guy that can't stand being alone. It isn't necessarily bad, but... You seem comfortable with the company of a stranger, so it makes me wonder about you."

[GoblinFae]

"I have to be the kind of guy that can't stand being alone because I'm comfortable in a stranger's presence?" The tankard's journey and slight emptying had not escaped his watchful eyes. In fact, Julian's boldness served to amuse him. He liked that fire more and more about the other man. It just made him so much more irresistible and the idea of putting him in his place that much more delicious a flavor of revenge.

Just to make his companion squirm, Artorius intentionally hugged Julian firmly to his side and left his arm there. "I'll have you know that I am quite comfortable all by myself. But, I don't see the point in being alone when there is a chance for company. Didn't you say you had been off in the wild by yourself for a long while? Are you really complaining about sharing some time in the presence of another human being?"