*points at M* She's the one with the crazy cool idea...
So, M made a suggestion in the poll about lessons in seduction and then gave a scenario that a dragon asks a human how to go about seducing another human. It tickled my fancy, and now we have this:
Salis laughed, and not the tinkling and smoky laugh that he used for his customers, but a full on, belly laugh that reverberated through his entire body. “Balor, seriously,” he started, trying to keep the tears of mirth out of his eyes as he turned to the very confused dragon sitting next to him.
“I’m dead serious. I need you to teach me the art of seduction.”
“Who could you possibly be seducing?” Salis put to him, reaching over to pat him on the knee. Unlike all the other customers that Salis had ever had, Balor seemed to miss the entire point of the fact that Salis was a courtesan. Somewhere along the way, the silly dragon had gotten the impression that a courtesan was someone whom a person shared their troubles with and who lent an ear. Probably, it was a confusion over the word comfort and the act of comforting. Short of presenting himself stark naked before Balor, he doubted Balor would understand.
“It’s a secret,” Balor turned a bright shade of red, which was a feat given his dark skin. Salis felt the smile slip from his face as he watched Balor fidget uncomfortably. “But you know how to seduce people, Salis. Everyone says that you’re the best. If you’re going to bed someone, it has to be Salis, they say.”
Had it been anyone else, Salis would have felt the need to slap them. He wouldn’t, of course, because that would ruin his reputation for being serene and mysterious. Salis had a persona to maintain and there were social barriers that not even he could sleep his way across. Some courtesans could get away with such behavior, but they were also subjected to things that Salis had promised himself he would no longer let himself be subjected to. Losing his temper meant losing his place and his status.
However, it was Balor who had come to him and said those things. Balor, who was under the impression that every man Salis bedded was a man Salis wanted to bed. That the dragon didn’t think him the world’s biggest slut was a minor miracle. Or, maybe he did and that was precisely the problem that Salis was faced with at the moment.
“Please, Salis?” Balor turned big brown doe eyes on him and grabbed a hand, ready to beg. Salis turned to look at him, really look at him. He was Balor, the sacred dragon of the palace. In a place ruled entirely by hierarchies, he lived outside them.
He, of everyone, treated Salis like a real person and not a toy to be played with or a possession to be displayed.
Salis sighed, ignoring the ache in his heart as he looked at Balor. He’d liked the idea much better when he’d thought it a joke. “You really want me to teach you how to seduce someone?”
“Yes.” Balor looked torn between hope and desperation. Classic signs of an unrequited love. Salis ought to know what they looked like, for he was deep in the midst of it himself. “I don’t know who else to ask, Salis.”
“Who is it?” he hated that he had to ask. He didn’t want to know who it was that had stolen what wasn’t his to have in the first place.
“I can’t tell you that,” Balor hissed in an embarrassed whisper, which at least got a smile out of Salis. Maybe that was just part of Balor’s charm. For all that he was this powerful and sacred luck dragon whose presence kept the country safe and the royal family safe, Balor was fairly…innocent. Naïve, even.
“Seduction works best if you know who to cater it to,” Salis said softly, feeling vaguely dirty as he did so. “It’s about playing to a person’s fantasy. Becoming something that they want and giving them just enough of it to make them want more. It’s about filling a place in their lives that they may not have even realized needed filling. And it all works much better the more you know about them.” Salis knew more about the entire ruling class, he was certain, than any historian or spy.
“Thalin,” Balor admitted, his face a dusky rose red as he looked at Salis uncertainly. “It’s Thalin.”
“The king?” Salis confirmed, his heart sinking all the way down into his toes because how on earth was a courtesan to compete with royalty? Thalin wasn’t even one of those spoiled, undeserving or ugly examples of royalty. The man was beautiful. And, on the one occasion that Salis had chanced upon him in the halls of the palace, exceedingly kind.
“Can you help me?” Balor looked at him with big brown, mopey eyes.
“I can help you,” Salis heard himself say.
It was posted in the comments, but for the sake of not confusing everyone, it just seemed easier to repost. ^_^;; Also, M is writing shiny here about lessons in seduction and it's set in regency which is the yum. *_____* (And she totally lies when she says my set up is shinier. :D Because pretty!! *snugs Crispin*)
Salis laughed, and not the tinkling and smoky laugh that he used for his customers, but a full on, belly laugh that reverberated through his entire body. “Balor, seriously,” he started, trying to keep the tears of mirth out of his eyes as he turned to the very confused dragon sitting next to him.
“I’m dead serious. I need you to teach me the art of seduction.”
“Who could you possibly be seducing?” Salis put to him, reaching over to pat him on the knee. Unlike all the other customers that Salis had ever had, Balor seemed to miss the entire point of the fact that Salis was a courtesan. Somewhere along the way, the silly dragon had gotten the impression that a courtesan was someone whom a person shared their troubles with and who lent an ear. Probably, it was a confusion over the word comfort and the act of comforting. Short of presenting himself stark naked before Balor, he doubted Balor would understand.
“It’s a secret,” Balor turned a bright shade of red, which was a feat given his dark skin. Salis felt the smile slip from his face as he watched Balor fidget uncomfortably. “But you know how to seduce people, Salis. Everyone says that you’re the best. If you’re going to bed someone, it has to be Salis, they say.”
Had it been anyone else, Salis would have felt the need to slap them. He wouldn’t, of course, because that would ruin his reputation for being serene and mysterious. Salis had a persona to maintain and there were social barriers that not even he could sleep his way across. Some courtesans could get away with such behavior, but they were also subjected to things that Salis had promised himself he would no longer let himself be subjected to. Losing his temper meant losing his place and his status.
However, it was Balor who had come to him and said those things. Balor, who was under the impression that every man Salis bedded was a man Salis wanted to bed. That the dragon didn’t think him the world’s biggest slut was a minor miracle. Or, maybe he did and that was precisely the problem that Salis was faced with at the moment.
“Please, Salis?” Balor turned big brown doe eyes on him and grabbed a hand, ready to beg. Salis turned to look at him, really look at him. He was Balor, the sacred dragon of the palace. In a place ruled entirely by hierarchies, he lived outside them.
He, of everyone, treated Salis like a real person and not a toy to be played with or a possession to be displayed.
Salis sighed, ignoring the ache in his heart as he looked at Balor. He’d liked the idea much better when he’d thought it a joke. “You really want me to teach you how to seduce someone?”
“Yes.” Balor looked torn between hope and desperation. Classic signs of an unrequited love. Salis ought to know what they looked like, for he was deep in the midst of it himself. “I don’t know who else to ask, Salis.”
“Who is it?” he hated that he had to ask. He didn’t want to know who it was that had stolen what wasn’t his to have in the first place.
“I can’t tell you that,” Balor hissed in an embarrassed whisper, which at least got a smile out of Salis. Maybe that was just part of Balor’s charm. For all that he was this powerful and sacred luck dragon whose presence kept the country safe and the royal family safe, Balor was fairly…innocent. Naïve, even.
“Seduction works best if you know who to cater it to,” Salis said softly, feeling vaguely dirty as he did so. “It’s about playing to a person’s fantasy. Becoming something that they want and giving them just enough of it to make them want more. It’s about filling a place in their lives that they may not have even realized needed filling. And it all works much better the more you know about them.” Salis knew more about the entire ruling class, he was certain, than any historian or spy.
“Thalin,” Balor admitted, his face a dusky rose red as he looked at Salis uncertainly. “It’s Thalin.”
“The king?” Salis confirmed, his heart sinking all the way down into his toes because how on earth was a courtesan to compete with royalty? Thalin wasn’t even one of those spoiled, undeserving or ugly examples of royalty. The man was beautiful. And, on the one occasion that Salis had chanced upon him in the halls of the palace, exceedingly kind.
“Can you help me?” Balor looked at him with big brown, mopey eyes.
“I can help you,” Salis heard himself say.
It was posted in the comments, but for the sake of not confusing everyone, it just seemed easier to repost. ^_^;; Also, M is writing shiny here about lessons in seduction and it's set in regency which is the yum. *_____* (And she totally lies when she says my set up is shinier. :D Because pretty!! *snugs Crispin*)