They can... Do that? Together? Really? [rhiii]

[Anonymous]

It took him a few weeks to get here, he'd just recently bathed in a cold river, so while he had unsightly stubble across his chin he could still pass off as a traveler and not a greasy homeless person. Being from Connlaoth made this place strange. The strange looking people made him nervous, the magic made him scared. Vail licked his lips while he walked down the street, wanting to get to a hotel or some place to stay as soon as possible.

Or at least find someone normal looking.

Rubbing the back of his neck he licked his lips and walked into the first hotel-like building he found, not really realising just what kind of hotel it was. The instant Vail walked in he took a breath and felt himself calming. This place was nice. The fact there was a pair of women cuddling in a corner of a large chair didn't really bother him. The fact they were half naked didn't bother him. Vail rubbed his arms and shook his head, going to the front desk.

"Um..." His voice was quiet, the receptionist wasn't totally human, he could see pointed ears and it made him even more nervous. The other person, however, smiled at him brightly. " Hello, Good Sir! How may we help you tonight?"

"I'd like a room, please." He looked around again, frowning slightly.

"Male or female?"

Vail rose his eyebrows and looked down at himself, rubbed his fingers against the light stubble on his face and blinked at the receptionist before patting at his chest looking for possible breasts that might have appeared there. Didn't he look like a man? "Um... Male?" Another bright smile and the woman flipped through a book and made a delighted noise "Avery's room is free tonight! Aren't you lucky? I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time!" Vail tilted his head to the side and passed the money over before stepping it, adjusting the backpack over his shoulder. He took a moment to listen to where the room was and wandered his way there, looking around nervously and covering the side of his face and ducking his head when he heard noises coming from another room.

When he reached the room he placed his bag on the ground and stared. It sure was... Fruity. Vail wasn't exactly manly man, mismatched eyes, bronze hair, a bit of a fragile looking face. First things first. Ignoring most of the room, he found his way to a bathroom with his shaving supplies and stared into the mirror, pulling up his coat to cover a mark on the side of his neck before going about his business of not looking like a messy man. If there was one thing Vail couldn't stand it was himself looking like a scruffy homeless person.

[Rhindeer]

"You've a boy waiting for you in your room, Avery!"

Avery had just walked out of the bathing area, all clean and smelling faintly floral with most of his dark hair pulled up off his neck, a few thick locks loosely framing his face. He looked over at the receptionist and smiled. "Oh?" He looked left and right, making sure no patrons were in hearing distance, then stepped closer and lowered his voice conspiratorially. "Cute or sleazy?"

"Cute as a button and nervous to boot. Probably one of those boys trying to keep it from their friends."

Avery adjusted his robe, loosening it just enough to expose his neck and more of his chest. "Nice. Been a long time since I've had one of those," he said before bidding the receptionist good night and heading upstairs.

He preferred those types to the sleazy ones he usually got. The young ones were usually eager and enthusiastic and even if they didn't have the slightest idea what the hell they were doing, hey, they were eager to learn and he would gladly give them tips. The sleazy ones...ugh. He denied most of them and the receptionists knew better than to send those ones his way because he couldn't handle them. Still, every now and then he got a special one, like that guy with the tail and all those weapons. He paid well enough to make it worth it and his bedroom skills were enjoyable but that still didn't negate the fact that, below all that, he was kind of a freak.

Hopefully this kid was human. Nothing against tails, but he just preferred his own kind.

On the way there he paused to peer at himself in a mirror so he could fix some of the hair ornaments he was wearing and slick some of the loose hairs into place. It was going to get messed up anyway, but presentation was everything! He blew into his palm and sniffed. Breath check, good to go. He examined the side of his neck. Hickeys...well, nothing to do about that. Alright then. Time to give this kid his money's worth.

Avery opened the door and shut it quietly behind him, then turned the lock until he heard it click. He didn't see the kid anywhere, but he heard noises coming from the wash room and so he headed there.

Aww. He was shaving! How considerate! Didn't want to give him a stubble rash? With a smile, Avery leaned against the door frame and watched him, letting his robe slip off of one shoulder. He could see the kid's face in the mirror and he didn't look bad at all. "Shall I wait for you to finish or would you like some help?"

[Anonymous]

The noise from the door closing didn't reach his ears, but the voice sure did and Vail cut cleanly across his cheek, along the side of his chin and stared for a moment, startled before letting out a breath and closing his eyes slowly.  "I'm so sorry." Vail had just finished, but the voice still scared him, he carefully wiped at the now bleeding cut before he put the shaving supplies away messily and turned around. "I really am sorry. I..." Vail looked up the man up and down, blushing slightly when he spotted the discoloured skin at his neck.

Still hadn't dawned on him.

"I...The lady in the front said to come to this room... I..." Vail swallowed and looked Avery over again before turning his head and brushing carefully past him. Humiliated. He swallowed again and wiped at the cut on his chin, hissing when it stung. "I.." Another pause. " This is 'Avery's Room' right...?" He pursed his lips and placed the supplies back into his backpack, pushing his bronze brown hair from his face, blinking slowly.

Which one of them had the wrong room?

Vail was purposefully ignoring the small fact he could have gone to somewhere he didn't mean to.

[Rhindeer]

Oh, ow, that looked like it hurt! Avery clamped a hand over his mouth to bite back a wince and averted his eyes. It was bleeding and blood made him queasy. Ack. He hadn't meant to scare the kid, much less make him hurt himself.

And now he was apologizing? For what?

He stepped to the side to let him pass, eyebrows arched in confusion. Of all the nervous, shy clients he'd had before, this one had to be the most...perplexing. It was natural to be a little nervous if you'd never been to a brothel before, but this jumpy? Maybe he was a virgin. "Yes...this is my room," he said, blinking slowly. "Unless there's another Avery here, and as far as I'm aware I'm the only one. Now, why are you apologizing? I should be the one saying sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. Here, let me help you--and stop touching it, you're just going to make it worse."

He went to his dresser and fished out a cloth handkerchief, dabbed it in some water from the wash basin, then slowly approached the younger man. He grabbed his wrist and moved his hand out of the way, then dabbed the cloth to his chin. Way to go, Avery. What a way to start a night. Terrorize the kid and make him cut himself. Good job, Avery, good job.

"Now, stop apologizing and relax. I don't bite." Well, unless they were into that. But jumpy as the kid seemed, he decided not to add that.

Wait.

Suddenly a thought dawned on him, his mind switching back to that one question: this is 'Avery's Room', right? With him feeling bad about spooking the kid, he hadn't really give the question much thought. Now a humorous, but potentially awkward, possibility dawned on him.

The boy's confusion over being in the right room. Avery. It was both a man's and a woman's name.

Oh dear.

Avery pulled the cloth back and tilted his head. "You did want a man, didn't you?"

[Anonymous]

Vail felt his jaw drop and his hand clamped over the cut. "Your room?" His voice was small as Avery pulled his hand away, staring at him from the corder of his eye. What the hell was going on. This was a man! Vail went a little pale. This was a hotel right? What could be going on? Maybe they sent two people to the same room and this just happened to be one hell of a coincidence? Vail licked his lips and moved his hand gently to cover the burn scars peeking out of his clothing.

When Avery pulled back, Vail tilted his head too, to stare, to blink. You did want a man, right? Right? Vail's eyes widened. Want? Where did this want come from? "Want? As in..." Vails cheeks went a bright red and he made interesting motions with his hands "Want?" His hands went up and he felt his heart beat a little faster. This couldn't be a hotel if... Vail wanted a man. Quickly he cleared his throat and took a step back. "... I'm not gay! And... I think I made a mistake." Vail quickly put his face into his hands and groaned. "I'm so sorry."

Better start off with an explanation. "I'm from..."Vail got quiet before looking around, he knew better than anyone how much people disliked people from Connlaoth," Not around here. And I didn't know what I was doing. Is... There a chance we could.. Uh. Just sleep? Without the.." Vail went even more red and he cleared his throat. "Stuff? Before sleeping?"

[Rhindeer]

Oooh spirits. There had...clearly been a mix-up here...

Avery's eyebrows climbed up his forehead and he blinked slowly, staring at Vail. How did...how did you make a mistake like that? But soon enough the shock wore off and made way for amusement. The kid looked so mortified, his voice so mouse-like! Avery's lips twitched, and he set the cloth down on his dresser, wound satisfactorily clean. Okay. Calm down, Avery. It wasn't proper to laugh at a client, it wasn't--

"Ahahahaha! Oh, gods, you really didn't know?!" he blurted, shoulders shaking with mirth. Horrible as it was laughing at someone else's expense, this made his day and maybe his week. It was just so...funny and cute. It had been ages since he'd encountered anyone so, well, so uncorrupted.

He tried to fight back the laughter, wiping at the corners of his eyes. "Sorry, sorry, I...that was terribly rude. It's just...ehehe. You're very cute, and I mean that in a 'cute like a puppy' way. Don't worry, it's okay, you've nothing to be sorry for and...heh...you're safe. It's okay."

Finally gaining control of his mirth, Avery sat down on the bed and pat the place beside him. Poor kid looked like he'd seen a ghost, or like he expected Avery to jump him right then and there. Aww. He kind of wanted to wrap him up and give him a hug and a kiss on the forehead--totally platonic-like!--just for being so adorably naive. Guess he must not have seen the "brothel" part of Peaches 'n' Cream...or put two and two together when he saw all the half-dressed people. Maybe he was just that sleepy.

"Don't worry," he repeated, still wrestling with his amusement. "You can just sleep if you like; I won't try anything, promise. Really, kid, you're not the first person to come in here and lose their nerve--first to think this is an inn, but...anyway. You'll just be paying for my time rather than my services and that's juuust fine by me."

He arched his back and stretched his arms over his head, yawning, then smiled warmly at the kid. "I'm tired anyway. Busy day," he said with a suggestive wink, reaching  back to pull the covers down.

"If you don't mind, I'll be sleeping with you--just not like that, unless you change your mind. This is my room and my bed and I like sleeping in it. Okay?" Another pleasant smile. This wasn't all charity; he still expected to be paid for his kindness and he still wanted to see how much more he could squeeze out of him. After all, this was a business.

"Is there anything you'd like before bed? A bath, perhaps something to eat? We have games, too. Not those kinds of games, but I'm quite good at those, too," he said casually, letting down his long hair, which had been piled atop his head and ornamented with a fancy silver piece. "I'm Avery, by the way. May I ask your name? Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Anything that happens here, stays here. Promise."

[Anonymous]

Vail lowered his gaze to the ground and held his hands loosely in front of himself, fingers curling slightly into one another. With every snorfle and giggle his head dipped lower and his cheeks brightened. He got that question now. Male or Female? And he said male. Male.  He groaned inwardly and avoided Avery's gaze, pulling his lip into his mouth and looking up sharply when this man had the gall to call him cute.

Cute!? He was a full grown man! He just shaved stubble off his face and this strange whore was calling him cute!?  Vail's face drew into a frown and he looked away and crossed his arms over his chest, leering when he pat the place beside him on the bed. Vail didn't go, he was still freaked out at this place being a brothel and the sheer fact he had to sleep all night with a stranger.

Then he heard the 'paying for my time.' The blush worked its way up his neck again and Vail pressed a closed fist to his mouth and coughed before shifting uncomfortably. Awkward. This was so awkward. Vail could only thing of another time more awkward than this and he'd been naked, so this was pretty bad. Embarrassing to say the very least.

"I can pay you for your time. Since this mixup is my fault and I wouldn't want to be the cause of... um... You losing money." Busy day. Not like that unless he changed his mind. Vail licked his lips and his shoulders straightened before he let his eyes look down, "I... probably won't change my mind, I wouldn't want to force anyone to pretend to like my body." Vail ran a hand through his hair and rubbed at his forehead.

Did he mention bath? And food? Probably cost extra. Vail wasn't made of money, limited funds, probably a good bit would cost him right here. Probably live like a homeless man within the month. Oh, screw it. "How much would a bath and a meal cost...?" Oh, right, a name, too.  "My name is Vail, Vail Adair. I'm..." His hand rubbed at his chest a moment, "Not from Adela. Visiting, Though I'm hoping to immigrate." Connlaoth was too choking, even if magic scared him still, that entire country's ideas never sat with him right. "Are you a native Adelan? I heard they look like.. Well, you. Dark skin and hair with bright eyes."

[Rhindeer]

Could that guy get any redder? Avery hoped not, because he'd probably pop a vessel and that would be quite the inconvenience. Also looked like he was trying to will the floor to swallow him whole while still staying right where he was like Avery was a leper or something. Oh well, suit himself. The bed was comfortable and if he didn't want to sit, so be it.

Avery gave a slight nod when he said he would pay him, smiling in a pleasant way, even if it did have an edge of 'you better believe you'll pay me or you'll just have to find another room.' But then the smile melted when Vail mentioned forcing anyone to pretend to like his body. What the...?

He gave Vail another quick, sweeping look, assessing him. Sure he had clothes on, but it didn't look like he had parts rotting off, he was rather attractive, and the fact that Avery couldn't smell any serious body odor from clear across the room was always a promising sign. He arched an eyebrow. Either the guy was hiding something freaky beneath his clothes or he was just self-conscious. The latter was kind of cute.

"What are you...where did that come from? Pretend to like your body? Are you kidding me?" Avery gave Vail another once over, though this time he made sure it was very obvious and very thorough. Then he smiled lazily. "You clearly have no idea what my regulars are like. Balding older men cheating on their wives because they truly fancy men but can't admit it in civilized society, people with tails--yes, I mean honest-to-the-gods tails!--older women unsatisfied by their balding older husbands who want a cute young thing who actually knows how to please them and looks good doing it..."

Avery gave his hair a self-satisfied flip and grinned smugly. "For what it's worth, I really do think you're adorable and there would be no arm-twisting involved in bedding you. I'd still expect payment, though, don't get me wrong. I'm just saying it wouldn't be a terrible experience for either of us."

In Avery-speak, that was a genuine compliment. His fake compliments usually involved in waxing poetic about goddess-like beauty and the like. Hiding a yawn behind his hand, he decided to press on before he spooked the kid too much. He couldn't say he was all that used to the shy ones; people that visited brothels weren't usually shy.

"Anyway, Vail--unique name, by the way. Anyway, yes, I'm full Adelan, born and bred. And you must be...let me guess." Avery squinted and leaned forward a little. "Hmm...fair complexion...Serenian? Rather plain hair, though, but vivid eyes. Ah, but where you're from isn't important, you want food. And a bath. Would you like the bath first or the meal?"

Intentionally leaving out the prices? Nope, not him.

[Anonymous]

A visible recoil and Vail stared long and hard at Avery. Blading overweight men? Women cheating on their husbands? Tails? Vail had seen a few strange looking people on his way here but he hadn't seen any tails. His cheeks were bright keep and he could feel his face burning while his arms were tucked closely against his chest, he cleared his throat gently and looked away for a moment.

Vail didn't try to explain why Avery would likely have to pretend to like his body. Burn scars were gross, he'd have to warn any girls he was with and by the time he took his top off they'd tend to look uncomfortable and he'd smile weakly and then just leave. Of course he put his top back on but hey.

There was a tang of bittersweet in his chest and he tried to smile. He was both flattered and confused and he took a breath and held it while Avery spoke, his cheeks went even more red at the mention of being bedded and he looked away for a moment. The change of topic was nice and though he winced a little at being called Serenian. Maybe he was, somewhere down the line.

He always got a few weird looks because of his mismatched eyes so he simply looked into Avery's and smiled when he just jumped right onto food and a bath. Vail knew he was going to be poor by the time he left here. Everything was probably so expensive. Then again, Vail looked away for a moment before he turned his head to the side. "Does most of the fee for bath and food go to you? I still feel really stupid about... well." He moved his hands to indicate he meant this situation, so he'd feel bad to deprive a night of reckless pleasure in order to bathe and feed him with all the money going to the establishment. "I could use a bath first, I feel a little well, greasy. I should warn you though what I said before, I may have a cute face but parts you can't see aren't pretty and I've had more than enough people recoil. I may not be fat and balding but I'm sure it's just as gross to someone like you."

There was an edge on his voice and Vail sighed before moving his hands through his hair. "Anyway. Bath, then food? I brought enough coin from Connlaoth and managed to find a nice trader to exchange it with, so I think I have enough for those."

[Rhindeer]

"I get a cut of any revenue I bring in..." Avery said slowly, one eyebrow raised. That was an odd question, and not one he'd gotten before. Most people didn't care where the money went as long as they got what they'd paid for. "So some of it does. I wouldn't go so far as to say most, but you needn't worry your pretty little head about that, okay?" he added with a bright smile as he rose from the bed and started toward Vail. "Don't feel stupid. You were technically right: this place does have beds."

However, when Vail started prattling on about his cute face but ugly 'parts', both eyebrows raised clear to his hairline. Gross him out? Just what on Earth was he hiding under there?

He decided to take a wild guess.

"...It's your penis, isn't it?" Avery asked bluntly, deciding to just throw it out there and cut straight to the heart of the issue. Why not? This kid wasn't planning on sleeping with him, he only wanted to use this place as an inn, so he could talk to him a little more plainly since he didn't have to deal with seduction.

"You're self-conscious about your manhood. I understand. It's something most men agonize over. But trust me, I've seen all sizes and types and I know some people are weird about that, but I don't care." He came to a stop beside Vail and gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Besides, it's like anything. You can have a broadsword but if you don't know how to wield it, it's useless. But if you're good with a short dagger, you can do a lot with that. Unless, of course, you mean it has some deformity...or warts..."

Avery made a face at that, because while there were a lot of things he'd do, that wasn't one of them. But realizing that wasn't really pleasant talk, he laughed and waved it off. "But I'm sure that's not your issue! Come, let's get you cleaned up!"

Then a sudden thought struck him and he paused. "...You're from Connlaoth?" The kid had inserted that right into the middle of everything else, and it sank in belatedly.

[Anonymous]

Vail's face was bright red to the roots of his blonde hair and he opened his mouth to speak, to protest that it wasn't his manhood that he was ashamed of. He was average, he figured. Not that he'd ever actually compared, himself to another man. The idea of that made him blush brighter and he quickly licked his lips and turned away, rubbing his arm awkwardly.

"N..No, it's not my... My manhood." He cleared his throat and rubbed at the front of his shirt awkwardly, looking away. "It's fine.  My parts are normal, average, even. They're not gross or...I... Keep clean?" He cleared his throat and removed his shirt, holding it carefully against his chest the burn scars on the back of his arms and the ones that curled around his neck, to his collar bone.

Then he went pale, his shirt still balled up at his stomach and he stared at Avery with wide mis-matched eyes. "Connlaoth? It...Y-yes." He frowned and rubbed his arms, taking a step back his scars momentarily forgotten and he let the shirt drop down, "I'm sorry. I... Are you offended by that? I.. I... I'm sorry. I'm not like most people from Connlaoth. Magic makes me uncomfortable but I don't think that people who use it are... bad." He went even more bright red and turned away. "I... can leave. If I make you uncomfortable."

[Rhindeer]

It was an effort not to giggle as Vail stuttered and told him more about his 'parts' and personal hygiene habits than Avery could have found out if he'd looked, but the urge fortunately passed when Vail removed his shirt. Avery arched an eyebrow at that. That took some skill, wiggling out of a shirt without flashing any skin...and why was he stripping here, anyway? As far as Avery knew, they weren't playing any bedroom games unless--oh. Maybe he thought he was bathing up here?

And whoops. Looks like the Connlaoth thing was the wrong thing to say.

Truthfully, Avery had a big issue with those animals. However, why would a Connlaothian be here in Adela if they were one of them? They certainly wouldn't be wandering the city if it were an issue, nor visiting a whore house, no matter how accidental it was. "Oh, no, I was merely curious," he said with a wave of his hand. "I've never had a Connlaothian client before, that's all, or ever met a Connlaothian for that matter. It's alright. I imagine if you had a problem with our ways down here, you wouldn't be here to begin with, no? Besides--"

And then he cut off when Vail's shirt lowered and drew in a sharp, hissing breath of surprise before he could stop himself.

[Rhindeer]

[ooc: Dropping this thread, sorry. Been since August sooo... P: ]