Cogwheels in the Sand

Chapter 1: Welcome to the Kalahese Desert

AN: While this is technically a fanfiction, it is being written for someone who is unfamiliar with the world it is based in, so feel free to read it whether you are familiar with the setting and characters or not, as hopefully I can do a good enough job building the world that familiarity with the source materials shouldn't matter.
Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends is property of Big Huge Games, published by Microsoft.
In addition, Trinity Blood is property of Sunao Yoshida.
Happy very belated birthday TheLonelyKing.

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A young, blond boy was sprawled carelessly on the lavish couch. His head was sunk into the plush cushions as he propped his feet upon the arm, his legs crossed at the ankle. An abandoned notebook lay on the fantastically adorned foot table next to him, spread open with an ornate dip pen lying on the surface. Several small droplets of the rich, black ink had dribbled from the metal tip onto the paper, staining the page with splotches of darkness. The most recent sentence had been a little over halfway through when its writer left it to lie unfinished with the page it was inscribed on alongside the tool used for its inscription. A small, golden dish lay next to the notebook, its shallow interior filled with a high quality, midnight ink.

His fingers were laced behind his head, acting as a support between him and the cushions. The expensive clothes adorning him were soft and rich, the silky fabric brushing lightly against his wrists and ankles. His elegantly roped sandals lay by the entryway in the small parlor, partially obscured by the velvet curtain. The warm, mild air acted as a blanket, soft and comforting but not oppressing as it had been earlier. A glass of iced water, placed on a simple saucer, rested beside the open notebook, condensation on its surface, slightly smeared in places where his hand had smudged it as he held the glass for a drink; small droplets of saliva rested on the rim of the glass.

He eyed the glass of water, watching intently as the ice shifted slightly on the bottom. It was melting, slowly but surely. The edge of a corner melted and the ice cube lost its grip on its brother, causing several small bubbles that had been trapped inside to rise as it moved and sunk more firmly to the bottom of the glass. The bubble rose more swiftly to the surface than the ice had fallen, resting on the surface of the water. They moved about slightly as the water trembled lightly in the glass, startled from its stillness by the movement of the bubbles. One by one they popped, releasing the air trapped inside and returning to the water's surface its smooth complexion.

He swallowed, feeling some dryness in his mouth. Not too terribly bad, but mildly uncomfortable. His tongue and the walls of his throat felt thicker than before, more clumsy. The flesh of his mouth a bit fuzzier and less sensitive than before, his teeth a little more apparent of a presence. The high back of his throat tickled as if it were almost to hurt, but not quite. Nothing he was unused to, having been in desert regions many a time, but still enough to prompt the desire for a drink.

Unclasping his fingers he stretched one hand out towards the glass over the crimson surface of the couch, grasping the glass where it lay beside the notebook. His fingers slid through the delicate, golden handle on the side, curling around the chilled surface of the glass. Propping himself up with his other arm he retraced it towards himself, bringing it to his lips for a sip. His warm flesh brushed the rim more so than touched, and in doing so gathered several of the droplets of saliva he had previously left there alongside some of the condensation, the liquids seeping into the crevices of his skin.

He tilted his head back just so, raising the glass alongside the movement. The water sloshed forwards in the glass, the ice cubes trudging alongside more slowly, the pull of gravity moving them along nevertheless. His lips parted and allowed some of the cool water entrance, before he closed his mouth and pulled the glass away from him, savoring the feel of the cold water in his warm and dry mouth before swallowing it down, feeling the cold move down his throat and into his stomach.