Wishes and Curses

DragonSong · February 07, 2016, 12:18:55 PM

He was getting use to her closeness, her little touches. But the kiss threw him for a loop. For a long moment Mikhail simply stared at her with rather wide eyes.

Eventually, he cleared his throat and folded his arms over his chest, narrowing his eyes at her a bit. "What do you want?" he asked bluntly. "No one acts the way you do without...some sort of motive. What's yours?"

He supposed it was possible that was just the way she was- but he doubted it. He'd lived too long among nobility and courtiers to really believe that.

Draconian · February 07, 2016, 12:33:36 PM

"I don't want to be trapped in a ring anymore," she stared simply, hands folded in front of her. Manikarnika moved to sit on a table, on leg bent over the other. "You can't help me with that so... I'm just enjoying my time out here. With you, Misha. I am yours after all, you know." She pointed to the jewel on her chest and then back at him, "once you make your wishes I'll become a ring again, you'll lose me and I'll wake up in fifty years to a new master. Simple as that."

DragonSong · February 07, 2016, 12:39:22 PM

His eyes widened a bit. "Oh." For some reason he hand't connected those particular dots- that she was trapped in the ring.

That seemed...horrible.

He frowned. "Is there no way to- to stop the cycle?" he asked, moving toward her and leaning against the table beside her.

Draconian · February 07, 2016, 12:43:49 PM

Manikarnika grinned, though it was a forced false one "if there is I don't know it. So," she clapped her hands together, "know what you're going to wish for, yes?"

DragonSong · February 07, 2016, 01:00:11 PM

Mikhail continued to frown. "Is that...better for you?" he asked slowly, looking her up and down. "If I just make my wishes and lock you away?" He paused, then ventured, "Or...would you rather stay out here? I could...delay the wishes a bit."

He really had meant what he said earlier, about not needing wishes to get what he wanted. It wouldn't exactly be a hardship to forgo wishing immediately.

"Maybe Reina will find something in one of her books that might help you," he added quietly, tilting his head a bit as he looked at her.

Draconian · February 07, 2016, 03:42:26 PM

Frowning slightly she just stared at him, giving him an up down look before resting her hands on her hips and kicking her legs as they hung off the table. Confused. Manikarnika looked at Mikhail, puffed out her cheeks because she was not pleased.

"Are you... Are you being honest?" Usually people made their wishes and carried on with their ill gotten riches. She'd never met a Master before that wanted for nothing. "I... " Looking around, this was a nice place. "Would I bet your guest or your slave?"

DragonSong · February 07, 2016, 03:51:43 PM

"A guest," Mikhail replied quickly. He frowned a bit and added, "Though we'd have to come up with some excuse for you to be here- I'm sure there are plenty of people who would have rather nefarious intentions toward a djinn. Perhaps you could be Reina's lady in waiting..."

He tilted his head at her. "Is that something you would like? Or would you rather I just get the wishing over with?" The thought made him a little sad. He didn't like the idea of banishing her back to that ring.

Draconian · February 07, 2016, 04:09:04 PM

Manikarnika stared at him.

"I don't understand," She said simply, tilting her head down. "You're... Asking me what I want?" It was a strange concept. She wanted him to make his wishes so she could go. She also wanted to... Be free. A strange craving. A gnawing in her belly while she stared at him and gave her head a little shake, still confused.

"I... Want you to... Make your wishes when you find the perfect ones," She said simply, a tilt of her head, finding herself enchanted by the Misha boy. "And if your sister finds something in her books then that's all right, too."

DragonSong · February 07, 2016, 04:17:41 PM

Mikhail offered her a kind smile. "Then why don't we get you settled, while you're here at least," he said quietly.

Rein reappeared from the shelves, four books in her arms. "Alright, these look the most promising, I'll have to go through them." She glanced back and forth between them and her brow furrowed a bit. "Did I miss something?"

Draconian · February 07, 2016, 04:33:29 PM

Manikarnika licked her teeth behind her lips and tilted her head, frowning still. Again. What in the world. A brief look to the woman and her books, wishing briefly for a moment that she could read - either she had never learned or she couldn't remember how.

"You didn't miss anything," She smiled, running a hand down her bare thigh, "in fact, we haven't even started if you wanted to join us."

DragonSong · February 07, 2016, 04:41:33 PM

Reina wrinkled her nose and Mikahil choked. "Um, ew," the young lady said mildly. "That's my brother." She pushed herself between the two and slid the books onto the table. "And if you and the cad are going to be occupied, you could at least go to his room to do it. Or anywhere but here really."

"Reina!" Mikhail protested, frowning at her. "Cad? Really?"

She arched an eyebrow. "Do you deny it?"

He huffed and folded his arms, looking away from her. "You don't have to say it."

Draconian · February 07, 2016, 04:58:24 PM

Manikarnika leaned against Mikhail, giving his sister a look, "That hasn't stopped people before," she picked more imaginary lint off of his shoulder and shifted her seat, looking between the pair. Frowning at the word that made him pout, "What's a cad?"

DragonSong · February 07, 2016, 05:06:13 PM

"Oh, ick." Reina screwed up her face and gave the djinn a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry." Then she giggled at her question and Mikhail felt his face heating.

"It's, ah..." he hedged.

His sister cut across him with, "A philanderer. Playboy. Womanizer. Take your pick."

He glowered at the two women. "Yes, thank you, let's just keep taking about this, shall we?" he grumbled, huffing and crossing his arms.

Draconian · February 07, 2016, 05:38:42 PM

A tilt of her head, trying to process the word.

Manikarnika smiled, "If you like sex so much, why not wish for a harem?" It sounded like a good idea to her. Sure his sister may end up in it if he wasn't specific but... Whatever. No skin off her back. He wanted to keep talking about it so she smiled at him, eyes wide, curious now about his stance on harems.

DragonSong · February 07, 2016, 05:55:14 PM

Reina tossed back her head and laughed while Mikhail spluttered, face going very red. "Oh, I like you," the young lady said, grinning at Manikarnika. "You sure you can't stick around for a while?"

"I'm starting to think that may not be the best idea," Mikhail grumbled, still blushing but at least able to form words again. "And I don't need a wish to...enjoy myself," he added, arching an eyebrow at them both.

Reina wrinkled her nose again. "And with that, I'll be leaving. I really don't want to discuss your sex life, brother dear."

"You started it," he retorted as she gathered up the books and made for the door. "Come find us if you read anything useful."

"Yes, yes." She waved him off and slipped out of the library. Left alone with the skin, Mikhail suddenly felt a little awkward, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

Draconian · February 07, 2016, 06:10:37 PM

"Of course you don't need to wish to enjoy yourself," She supplied, smiling and looking at him with bright eyes, "You'd wish to have ladies available to enjoy yourself whenever you want. Like pets, except a little more high maintenance." A fluttering of her eyelashes and she shifted on her seat at the table and crossed one leg over the other, leaning back and propping herself up on her arms. Arching her back just a little.

"Misha," Manikarnika started, switching the legs and shifting to arch her back again, giving him a long look. "You know how to make me leave," She smiled at him, a little resigned, "If you want to."

DragonSong · February 07, 2016, 06:15:25 PM

He frowned. "I'm not sure what masters you're used to," he said slowly, "but I find the idea of women forced into such a situation repugnant. Besides," and he smirked a bit, "there's no fun in it if there's no challenge. No thrill of the chase."

He sighed, leaning back against the table and looking her up and down almost clinically. For some reason, he didn't mind so much that she seemed to have adopted his family's pet name for him. "I don't want to force you away either," he told her quietly. "I'll admit I'm not entirely sure what to do with you, but I don't want to trap you back in that ring just for my own convenience."

Draconian · February 07, 2016, 06:44:24 PM

A tap of her lips and she shifted her seat, looking thoughtful, a brief downwards glance at herself, "I believe the last place I was... hmm.. Desert?" A shrug, because obviously it didn't matter anymore and she looked at little Misha, smiling all the same. "That's very kind of you, I think," sliding off the table she looked towards her newest Master in a long line and pulled her long braid of hair over her shoulder to smooth the fabric covering it.

"Thrill of the chase? You sound like a hunter," She fixed her 'clothing' and began to wander around, trailing her fingers over anything she could touch. It was like she was starved of sensation and her fingers over the pages of a book had her pause and stare for a moment, silent. Though, she hissed and snapped her hand away from it, the book falling to a low table with a loud clunk, and frowned down at her finger. "The books cut people now?" She snarled down at it, frowning, "Well I don't like you either," A frown and she glared to Misha, "You should control your word-pets!"

DragonSong · February 07, 2016, 06:49:35 PM

Unable to help himself, Mikhail started laughing. "That's- ahaha- that's called a paper cut, Manikarnika," he chuckled, moving toward her and reaching out for her hand. "Here, let me see." Still laughing softly, he pulled a handkerchief from his breast pocket and pressed it to her finger.

"Have you never handle a book before?" he asked curiously, tilting his head at her. "You see, the pages are thin enough that if you slide your skin across it fast enough it will cut you." He glanced at the book and shook his head, smiling crookedly. "It didn't do it to you."

Draconian · February 07, 2016, 07:26:59 PM

Frowning deeply, she frowned at her hand, tears welling in her eyes because it hurt and she couldn't remember the last time she felt physical pain. Sure, emotional pain was in bundles but the physical stuff? Only she could do it to herself and by holding the book and getting a cut she was the one at fault. Her free hand pressed to her face and she let him press the handkerchief to her finger.

A huff of breath and she glared at him and his stupid word-pet.

"Sure it did. Why would I want to hurt myself," A sneer and she stared off to the side, "You can call me Mani. Or Nika. My name can be a bit of a mouthful."