>>@ENTERTHEDRAGON | @ALL

[ryuji]

Anyone else getting a massive wave of culture shock? It's totally kicking my ass right now. I got a nice little gig set up here above a bar, but the catch is I gotta work. But yeah, people are coming and going like crazy around here. Weird outfits, weird hairstyles. Seeing everyone go crazy about freedom is pretty freakin' cool. Nobody needs some stuffy old dude sittin' in a golden high chair sucking his royal thumb and giving out orders all the time.

Not gonna lie, I've seen some pretty big palaces before, but I totally wanna raid the hell out of Versailles.

So anyway, is it like this all the time when you guys get a new mission? I've never been to Paris before, but I kinda know what it looks like from pictures back in my own time? Universe? Good luck getting your head around that shit, it's way too deep for me. I was all excited to see the Eiffel Tower, but apparently it's not gonna exist for like... a hundred years.

Comments

[ryuji]

[He doesn't know shit about Achilles. And even if there was some big, dramatic reveal, chances are he'd only know that he was a Greek hero who had done big things in his lifetime, but he wouldn't be able to pin much more than that to him. He doesn't think it's so much "charm" as it is... just the comfort of knowing that he feels safe around him (logically, he shouldn't, and he probably knows he shouldn't- but maybe that's what the perceived charm really is. A trust that he probably doesn't deserve, at least, not yet).

And then Achilles is pulling him forward, closer to him, between his legs. He's about to raise his voice, to yell at him, scream profanities about how he shouldn't be doing this- and then he simply places his head up against his chest.

Ryuji looks down at the mess of spiked back strands of hair below him. Fuck. This was weird. All of this was. Feeling conflicted, he stands there, not knowing what to do with this situation. What the hell was the right thing to do in this situation? With a sigh, he awkwardly raises his hand up. With some level of trepidation, his eyes affix downward at the man whose currently got him fixed in position.

It's not what he meant by asking him to stay with him. It's not even fucking close.

And yet, still, his hand moves as if to betray him, and he pushes back Achilles' bright emerald locks until his hand is softly rifling through his hair. Just once, just straight back to the undercut beneath the sway of tinted hues.

Whatever.

Rationalize it all he wants, but... it's not the worst thing in the world to feel his chest tighten up like this. He doesn't want to be left alone tonight, even if that means compromising a part of how he views himself that he thought he knew for the short sum of the last 17 years of his life.]

Yeah. Okay. [Gulps.] I'd kinda like that.

omg

[chariotry]

[ That's all the permission he needs.

He sighs appreciatively at the fingers carding through his hair, pulling Ryuji closer so he can tuck his face closer against the slender column of his throat. Having a physical body has allowed him to indulge in exploring his senses, whether he's inhaling the pungent stench of gore or breathing in the sweet scent of a lover. He relishes it, but he enjoys the sensation of touch even more.

Achilles is too hot... He is a beautiful man with beautiful eyebrows. It only makes sense that this horny teenage boy would give into his advances.

Given his acceptance, Achilles lifts his head, craning his neck in an effort to catch the boy's lips in a sure kiss. His hands are pushing underneath his shirt... already, blunt fingernails scraping at his back as he tries pull him down and coax him into his lap. ]

[ryuji]

[Honestly, he should've seen this coming a mile away. Ryuji was playing with fire when he had raked his fingers softly through Achilles' hair, but it wasn't as if he'd expect Achilles to start eating that shit up, to become as forward as forward gets. He's young, stupid, inexperienced- not piecing together that to share an intimacy like touch, or to come to him while his legs are positioned open and receptive... god, of course that's what it meant. He wanted Achilles to stay close to him because of that pit in his stomach, that fear that being alone would be worse than being near. And here he was, crowding up to his neck.

He should feel sick to his stomach. He should be pushing Achilles away, should be telling him that this isn't fucking right, because he's not into dudes that way. But, that attention, that careful, slow acknowledgment of Ryuji as a person that could actually be desired by someone, makes him feel something that he hasn't before. It's not just a weakness to it, it's a fucking sledgehammer against his heart, and he feels himself being swept up into it, letting it just envelop his body. Maybe this is Achilles' wicked charm, but for a moment, when he's this close in Achilles arms, he actually feels like he's worth being someone to be held. It's probably pathetic. He's probably done this with so many people before, centering the focus on himself so strongly, so enchantingly, that the individual ego starts to dissipate and Ryuji is just... there, somehow okay with these advances.

Achilles is a hero. One of the greatest heroes in the annals of history. Even though Ryuji only knows him as Rider, there's this charismatic draw to him. He's not horny. It's not just the hormones that rage through his body. Something about being held by this man makes him feel stronger, like the limelight focused on him has its own radiant path that makes him feel like he's worth enough to be in a hero's arms. That's the type of current that drags Ryuji into the undertow, drowning him whole.

When he's kissed like that, his face blooms into a flurry of heat. From this angle, he must look so innocent, so unsullied, and for all the tough boy image that he tries to exude, the reality of it all is that he's just a regular person who's been dealt a really shitty hand in life. The taste of wine is inlaid against those lips, and the room suddenly feels like it's ten times smaller than it was just a second ago. It sends chills down his spine, both scared by and comforted by the thought that this is something he actually likes, and as he raises his hands up to Achilles' chest, he half-heartedly pushes at him in protest, at the same time that those skilled hands make blunt warnings against his back, almost like they're scolding him to not bend away from this. He doesn't. He presses his lips more firmly against the other's, indulging himself into it like he's walking straight into the grape-stained darkness of the evening.

And Ryuji arches his back forward, his posture realigning itself as he's moving, forward, dangerously, coming to Achilles' call like a war horn. But he accepts it, because, fuck. He wants all the affection and intensity of that attention on him.]

I... uh... fuck, you're a good kisser.

1/2

[chariotry]

[ Ryuji's inexperience is evident by the way he refuses to completely yield to the motion of his own lips moving against his own. He's rigid, obviously tense, but that will change in due time. For now, he focuses on aligning their mouths and teaching the younger boy how to move and when to part. Clearly, Achilles is more practiced, having kissed countless people in his previous life and bedded just as many. Fortunately for Ryuji, that includes those just as inexperienced as he, so he knows how to lead.

He holds him up by his arms, letting his body relax and slump against his broad chest. With one hand drifting to the outside of his hip, he tries to coax him again, to lift his leg and hook it around the hard post of Achilles' own thigh. He takes his time, understanding that his hesitance is based on his lack of knowledge, and pushing him would only make him rigid.

At the murmured praise, he lets out a pleased chuckle, dropping his hands... to his ass... so he can pull his hips flush against the hard wall of muscle at his abdomen. ]

I'm good at many things. I'll gladly show you.

[chariotry]

[ He rears up to kiss him again, but within that split moment, a man... comes literally crashing through the wall. The horse that had been standing there practically shrieks from the shock, jerking back sharply before taking off in some direction away from this spectacle.

Achilles is shoving Ryuji off of his lap before the man has even landed on the floor on the other side of the room, summoning his spear in preparation for an attack.

Sorry, Ryuji. ]

i'm so sorry

[bloodings]

I told you to shut up!

[ Mordred follows through the hole in the wall — which is easily big enough for someone as small as her to hop through. When she sees Achilles with his spear drawn, she pauses, not noticing as the random guy scrambles out of the room behind her. ]

Rider. [ She doesn't know Ryuji's name, so she just... ignores him. Sorry. ] Am I interrupting something?

[1/2]

[ryuji]

[Okay but he's.






Thrown aside.]

[2/2]

[ryuji]

[That smash through the wall scares the ever loving hell out of this kid, and Achilles is already up and arms and ready to attack whatever it is that's coming in at full force. Ryuji manages to get to his feet, and. Okay.

This? This isn't awkward at all.

Nope.

It's a sign from god.]

You two... know each other?

[Wait, who's the third wheel? (It's Ryuji, isn't it.)]

1/2

[chariotry]

[ It only takes him another split moment to realize what had just happened. The man who'd been smashed through the wall is now scurrying out of the room, limping and covered in debris. Mordred is standing at the mouth of the opening she'd just created, looking as fine as ever, and Achilles understands what had just happened. ]

Saber...? What the hell...

[chariotry]

[ Ignoring Ryuji's question, he reaches for the poor boy's arm without considering that he'd just thrown him aside and owes him an apology. ]

You are, actually. [ He slides his hand over his shoulder protectively, hopefully making his point without having to provide Mordred any graphic details of their night up until now. ]

[bloodings]

[ Mordred blinks. ]

Oh. Were you two fighting? [ You'd think the protective hand would give her an answer, but... ] Don't worry. I won't steal your opponent.

[ She sheathes her sword, then turns around with a wave, heading back through the hole. ]

Sorry, but this room is probably ruined now. You should find somewhere else for your battle.

[ryuji]

[He wishes he were that poor guy. Being smashed through a wall sounds pretty preferable right now.]

1/2

[chariotry]

[ Mordred.... wat.... ]

[chariotry]

[ Well, leaving that aside.... Achilles lets out a deep sigh, reaching up to rub at the side of his neck as he looks over at Ryuji.

Guess the mood is gone. ]

Shall we continue...? [ He hasn't noticed his horse has taken off, yet. ]

[ryuji]

Are you forreal?

[The mood is absolutely gone. Ryuji looks down at the floor, at the sides of the hotel room smashed into the ground, the gaping hole in front of them where someone had just been flung into, and then the absence of Mordred, a whirlwind force to be reckoned with in and of herself. He wanted to press the question again- since it looked like they had some familiarity between them, but he's also notices that a certain steed is nowhere in sight.

Huh?

Must've ran off in the middle of the heat of things. This just gets it into Ryuji's head that whatever they had between them was probably... not fated to be. Or something like that.]

Hey, Keraunos is missing.

[chariotry]

[ His immediate refusal is met with Achilles' eyes shifting away sheepishly. He may be full of himself, but he's not so oblivious that he can't catch onto the lack of mood.

But that's easy to fix. Only... ]

Keraunos? [ He echoes him, eyes widening a fraction. Looking towards the window, he notices the missing horse and claps a hand against his neck. ]

Hahhh dammit... [ Looks like he'll have to cut this night short. ]

Then, another time.

[ryuji]

[He's caught between asking if Rider needs help finding his ride. This has been... one hell of a night, and as he looks over to the table with the bread and the cheese, he notices debris has seeped into the charcuterie and made it unfit for consumption. No food, confused as all hell with his own sexuality, and a gaping hole in the wall that he doesn't have the money to pay for when the hotel owner inevitably comes and asks for it in the morning. Maybe he should cut his losses short and just pack it in for the night.

But he's also not that type of person.]

C'mon. Let's go find your horse.

[chariotry]

You'd like to come with? [ He sounds doubtful, but there's an air of amusement in his voice, like he's partly impressed.

After all, the boy had been through a lot. He's determined to not be left sitting idle. He must be restless.

He recognizes it in him because he's aware of that quality within himself. ]

Alright.

[ryuji]

[Restless doesn't even begin to describe Ryuji at the best of times. It's not even the fear of being abducted again, because he's pretty sure he's gained enough confidence to walk back to the bar if he had to, alone. It's the issue of walking along with all those thoughts stirring up there and having to deal with the inner dialogue that followed.

Achilles though. He doesn't know what to think about him; he feels unreadable to someone like Ryuji. Which is unsettling, but, he doesn't dwell on it. And also a little ironic. They were both of the chariot arcana, they should be more alike than different, right?]

Yeah, sure. If... uh. If you'd have me, of course.

[chariotry]

[ He doesn't make a flirtatious comment even if the opportunity presents itself. The kid is being sincere, after all. ]

Just try to keep up. [ He doesn't have sufficient reserves of mana, so expending too much energy is out of the question, but he's still quick. He'll lead the way out of the hole, expertly weaving through the debris and gracefully landing on his feet on the outside road. He'll begin jogging as soon as he's outside, leaving Ryuji the responsibility of catching up. ]

[ryuji]

[Running.

This was something he could do. This was something that pulsated through his blood, got him going when he was down. He catches up to Achilles, the grace of the wind softly traveling its fingers through his hair. How many times had he done this when he was angry, over excited, needed something to focus on? How many times had he escaped from his shitty home life into pounding pavement as much as his body could handle? Achilles may be keeping a capacitator on his mana expenditure, but Ryuji? Man, he could run like this for a good long while before his leg eventually cramped, locked up and started to remind him that... sadly, he couldn't do what he loved to do as well anymore.

He's looking around for the signs of the horse, trying to be perceptive and spot any irregularities along the way, but honestly? He's mostly just blazing and keeping up with Achilles, paying attention to where his position was, angling to figure out how much it would take for him to succeed past him. It's not a race. But he hasn't felt this good doing it in quite a while. No thinking, just the air slapping softly against his cheeks.]

[chariotry]

[ Achilles won't pay Ryuji much attention as they begin to jog through the streets. He's focused on whistling, shoving his finger and thumb between his lips to let out a noise that he knows his horse will respond to.

So yeah, Ryuji will probably have a window of opportunity to pass him, if he decides to try for a sprint. ]

[ryuji]

[Zoom zoom.

Eat my dust, Rider.]

1/2

[chariotry]

[ H-HEY... ]

[chariotry]

[ Oh no you don't.

Achilles is competitive to a petty degree. He'll be dashing past Ryuji in a single bound, laughing heartily...

His pace isn't reaching inhuman levels yet, so if Ryuji pushes himself he might be able to keep up until he eventually loses his breath. ]