Thaumutagy

Chapter 1: Brusied hips

Mama always said was too loud. Too many arguments, too much laughter, too many concerns rattling around in her mind. And that's what Seto had begun to think early on. And to this day he couldn't agree more. He wanted silence ,but even if he ran away from all the people, closed himself off from every little sound around the world, and then even managed to shut down his own busy mind, he would still be  stuck with the sound of his nervous system. Still stuck with the sound of his heartbeat. And Seto hated it. Sometimes he thought long and hard about whether death brought silence or if angels would blare their horns yet. Or if he'd still be able to hear the writhing of the worms and maggots in the earth. He wondered if there was peace.
     Ma'ma had taught Seto a lot of things. She had taught him how to read,  how to write, how to use magic, how to fear people, how to close himself off, how to judge the ripeness of fruit, how to identify flowers, how to make candles, how to repair the swing in the yard, and how to identify all eighty eight constellations in the sky.  She was a lovely woman. And each day, she would wear such beautiful clothing, long silky dresses, always with the same back and purple cloak wrapped around her shoulders. Seto remembered how elegant she was. She was the poster child of a true healer. It's a wonder how she gave birth to a child of cataclysm. But it mattered not to her. And that made Seto happy.
     Seto's eyes where focuses solemnly on nothing, his mind busy, thinking about his mother. But then the unified voice of a man and a clap of thunder jolted him up. His head shifted up and his hand remained gracefully in the air, fingers poised for action, as his own wide eyes looked around, his heart beating a little quicker than normal for just a moment.
   "Sir," the voice repeated, unaccompanied by a clap of thunder this time. "Are you going to order anything or are you going to just sit there?" The server asked Seto.
    "Oh... Yes I'm sorry, yes I will, I-" he scrambled for his fleeting thoughts, "need just a moment to decide real quick," he finally composed a sentence.
   The annoyed server sighed with annoyance turning to talk to some other customers for the time being.
     Seto stuck the heels of his boots into the bar of the stool, thinking, head idly in his left hand, feeling the coins in his pocket with his right hand. Five coppers. A good chunk of what he's made this week. But he didn't care that he was about to blow all of his hard work's earnings at this point. Not really anyway.
   As he sat with his fingers laced thoughtfully in his bronze hair, eyes filled with thoughtful worry, the server returned to where Seto sat at the bar, putting away a bottle labeled with gaudy calligraphy Seto couldn't read from where he was. The server spoke to Seto.
    "Listen, you need to order something or else I'll have to kick you out for loitering." The bartender made no attempt to hide his annoyance.
    Seto straightened his posture, his hand fishing two of the coppers from his pocket. "I'll just take a glass of mead, thank you."
    The server briefly looked at the change before shaking his head and scooping up the change, turning to find a proper glass.
   Seto slumped with his head in his hand once more, feeling a little guilty for wasting his money like this. But at this moment he really didn't care. Considering what was on his mind, he did not give a damn if it cost him three coppers to bring a little bit of relief to his tired brain.
   A glass thudded onto the table a Seto turned to look at it. The tall bar tender looked at him. "Enjoy."
     Seto wrapped his hand around the handle and nodded. "Thank you." The bartender turned around once more.
    He looked into the glass of fermented honey and spices, swishing is around in the mug. He would dare to call this the most luxurious thing he had bought since he had entered this town. But nonetheless he knew he would most likely regret buying this later in the week, but that didn't matter now, he needed to get the soreness of his hips and the feeling of bitter nostalgia out of his mind.
    Seto raised his glass ever so slightly, "cheers," he mumbled to himself, before taking a swig. He felt it burn the back of his throat as warmth trickled into his body. A warmth he hardly knew, a warmth that he welcomed with open arms, as enjoyed the flavors of what could only be described as liquid love. He hated alcohol generally, he didn't like like it messing with the clarity of his mind (but behind closed doors that was for sure a different story), but that void filling warmth is what made him crave it tonight.
     He set down the glass, looking out of one of the tavern's windows, watching the rain crash to earth, eyes transfixed on the shiny wet cobbles reflecting the lighting, each flash reflecting so brightly to him that it was almost as if the stone was trying to throw it back up into the heavens as if it was a beautiful angel who had fallen and her wings where too wet to return to god. But it was just the lighting shining off some water coated rocks. He knew that. He took another sip.
     "Heeeeeyyy wench," a voice yelled from across the room. Seto turned with human curiosity to see, as expected, just your average deadbeat drunk harassing a female server.
     He turned back to his glass, looking at his reflection in the liquid. He took in his tired cold eyes and pale stone like skin, his crooked pointed nose and under eyes seemingly airbrushed with a rosy violet shade of constant cold and irritation. He took in the sounds of the man yelling behind him. He took a sip and took in that warm bitter flavor.
     "Come on honey don't be like that!" The man taunted. Seto turned to spot the server he was calling to. She was a fair woman, auburn hair, green eyes, pretty olive skin, thick bodied. The perfect target for those idiots.
     She turned her head. "I'll stop being like that the day I don't have a pussy in my mouth," she said to the man. That was certainly one way to reject his "courting" offer. Seto couldn't help but snicker to himself at her blunt reply as he took another sip.
   He heard a chair scrape across the wooden floor. The tavern didn't have to be this empty for him to know it was the man.  Seto watched as the woman grabbed a rag and began to wipe out glasses casually, ignoring the advancing figure.
    The man approached the bar, his mates at his table watching. He leaned over the bar counter top, just two seats away from Seto. "Come on tits, give me a chance," her sharp eyes briefly glanced up, but she continued to clean. Seto watched, taking a sip.
   As the man waited for her reply, he was met with her cold silence.
    Moderate aggression entered his voice. "Not gonna answer huh?" He said, placing a hand to his well dressed chest in mock offense. "Well how about-"
    "She doesn't want to talk to you," Seto's voice was blunt and obvious. He took a sip of his mead, not looking at the man. He'd had a long day and hearing the pervert's gross comments where really bothering him. The woman glanced at Seto, the man turning his attention to Seto as well.
    "Excuse me?" He asked. He pointed a white gloved finger towards himself. "Are you talking to me?"
    "Clearly, what other idiot is harassing some innocent bar tender?" He asked, though it wasn't really a question.
     "Hmm." The man thought. He began to step towards Seto, his stiff leather boots hitting the ground with harsh thuds. "And who might you be peasant boy?"
    "I'm nobody," Seto took another sip, still not looking at the man.
"Really?" The man grabbed Seto by the arm, yanking him from the stool. He tripped over the stool and fell, but the man quickly dragged him back up to look him in the eyes. Seto swallowed, nervous and regretful. "Because it sounds to me like you're some pretentious plebeian who doesn't know their place!" He slammed Seto into the bar, his hips and ribs crashing against the extended wood. He hissed, feeling the the bruises decorating his hips throb with newfound irritation. He grit his teeth and glared up at the taller man.
The drunk man looked down at Seto, Turing him forcefully to his back. The man grabbed Seto under the chin and forced his head back so it was pinned to the table.
Seto could hear shuffling behind the counter, he strained his eyes to attempt to see what was behind him, but failed. But he did hear the door open and shut. He presumed someone was going off to call a guard.
"Don't you ever talk to me your superior like that again! Ho are you to tell me what I can and can't have!" He yelled at the boy. With rage, he sent a knee up between Seto's awkwardly bent legs. He gasped in pain, groaning, squinting his teary eyes in pain as his knees buckled, feeling intense nausea sweep over him. If he wasn't pinned to the counter, he would have fallen down in pain.
The man was close to Seto. Too close. He'd only ever let one person get this close to him. That was this morning and many nights before.
"Pffff, do you even have a dick you femme?" The man asked.
Seto looked at him but didn't answer. He'd been in a thousand situations similar to this. His nervousness always did cave of course, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. He was a warrior. A nervous and paranoid one, but a warrior none the less. He could easily handle this until the guard came. He was always willing to do something like this to help an innocent person. That's what he has been taught since day one.
"You know..." The man's voice lowered, he leaned over Seto and looked into his eyes. Seto stared back, his eyes cold and hateful. But the man's eyes suddenly had a soft change in them. It worried Seto. "I could... just..." The man started. Seto kept starring in the noble's gross hazy eyes, when suddenly he felt a hand on his inner thigh. In that moment he felt the stone of his eyes crack, filling with panic as he attempted to jerk away. "If you won't let me have the woman I could just have y-you."
Seto attempted to free himself, but alas, his weaker body could not move the strong man away from his own body. He felt the man draw circles over the bruised flesh of his upper thigh. He took in frantic shaky breaths. This was the one thing that cracked the nervous boy. "S-stop!" He managed. But the man did not.
Seto attempted to push the vile man off, but his strong hand kept his head firmly to the counter. He felt the man remove his hand from his thigh. Then he felt the warm flesh of his hand under the waist of Seto's pants, tracing the skin with two fingers.
Seto struggled again, panicked. "No please no!" He yelled, hyperventilating He felt the man move his hand lower. Seto shut his eyes as tight as he could, feeling unshed tears get caught in his eyelashes. All for a woman he didn't even know.
Seto braced for unwanted contact but it never came. He felt a weight literally lifted from his as the man was dragged off of him. He opened his eyes and gasped, standing up straight, holding onto the counter desperately.
He watched a guard restrain the man, before another one hit him harshly in the head to knock him out. He watched the noble fall helplessly to the floor, subdued for now.
Seto attempted to slow his frantic breathing to once again regain his silent composure. It didn't work as well as he would have liked. He would admit that situations like these where ones that really wrecked him. And right now with the throbbing pain in his lower stomach combined with his panic and the events from earlier that day, he just wanted to go home. But he did find a meek satisfaction in helping out that woman. Maybe it was worth it.
Seto lowered himself to the ground, breath hitches in his throat, his legs feeling like jelly unable to support his weight. He sat there, breathing raggedly (though attempting to slow his breathing) and resisting the urge to vomit. His mind was too busy for his liking and he felt like he could fall apart at any second.
As he looked at the floor, a pair of shiny metal clad boots came into view. He looked up to see the owner of them.
"H-hello?" That was not the way to greet a looming guard. Me mentally cursed. God he was a wreck.
"You need to come with me." The guard said.
Seto looked up, regaining his old confidence in his eyes slowly. He swallowed. "I hate to inquire, but why?" He said, still tightly clenching his stomach.
"Part of the fight," he grunted. The guard wasted no time grabbing Seto's delicate wrist, yanking up the pained boy.
Seto was about to argue when he heard a woman's voice speak up. "Hey now don't you dare think you're takin' him to holdin'!"
Seto turned to see the woman from earlier that he had distracted the man from in the first place. At least his deed did not go unnoticed.
"Ma'am, please calm down, it's protocol. We have to take both participants to holding."
She boldly stepped up to the guard. She was tall for a woman but nowhere near the height of the metal clad man. But her confidence was looked stronger than any guard's armor in that moment. "More like he defended me from that pervert, verbally might I add, when that guy attacked him! Lord, he was a wreck just a second ago you saw! I'm not letting you take some kind hearted guy to holding with a noble who can bribe enough to get all the blame pushed off him."
"Ma'am-"
The woman interrupted him, and began to yell at him, Seto tried to close his eyes and block out all the sound, it was hurting his head. Was this what the maggots sounded like, or the trumpets of angels?
Whatever she said must have done it, because they hauled that rich bastard out of there no questions asked.
The woman looked down at Seto, who had mostly recovered. He felt heat in his cheeks having attracted so much attention. "Ah-I'm sorry I-" he stammered. "I'll leave, I'm sorry." He began to get up before the woman waved it off. "Nothin' to be sorry for Hun," she extended a hand. Seto meekly took it as she hoisted himself up from the sticky ground.
"Sit," she said.
Seto complied. He had nothing better to do but go home and sit in the dank darkness of his home.
"You like mead right?" She asked, turning back, grabbing a glass.
Seto shook his head, then back tracked, feeling stupid. "I mean yes, I just really don't know if I want to drink any alcohol right now," he said gazing at his half finished glass from earlier. She nodded, grabbing a small keg (roughly half an arm's length). She put it on the table in from of Seto. "Then save it for a rainy day."
Seto looked at it, bewildered. "I'm sorry I couldn't possibly take that."
She waved her hand. "Take it, it's the least I could do. You stood up for my ass and I don't even know your name."
Seto was hesitant at first but then relaxed. "I-it's Seto." He held out a delicate hand.
"I'm Adonia," she said gripping his hand, shaking it. Her delicate hand was surprisingly firm.
When she released his hang she leaned over the counter. "But honestly, I can't thank you enough. Shit like that happens all the time and nobody does jack."
"Well... I feel it's the right thing to do. No matter who it is."
She smiled. "Well I'm no delicate flower, I've lived my life with the tags of foreigner and dyke. But I can't say I've appreciated something like that in a while."
Seto smirked slightly. "Heh, I know how that feels..." He thought for a second and frowned, looking off to the side.
Adonia looked at him. "What's the matter? Still hurtin' down there?" She joked lightly.
Seto shrugged, running a hand through his hair. "No... Well yes but that's not it," he admitted. "Just today, it's just been one hell of a day. First earlier and now this.
Adonia decided to prod a little. "What happened early?"
Seto's frown deepened as he became painfully aware of his hips and thighs laced with violet and green. He thought back to the moon high in the early morning sky, and lightly tanned calloused hands gripping his hips harshly, while he moaned and-
"I-mmm..." He thought. He felt like he should confide but he was equally embarrassed and weary. He wasn't sure if wanted to talk to a stranger about his personal life.
She laughed lightly. "It's ok I won't bite, the other two are down at the station dealing with the guards."
Seto blushed a little. "It's just- have- I -"!He felt his entire face heat up. He regretted even attempting to speak. He didn't even try to tell his few friends about his private life, why should he tell her? "I'm sorry but I really don't want to tell you."
Adonia smiled wryly. "That's fine."
"I'm sorry."
Adonia nodded. "I understand."
Seto let his inner nervousness get the best of him. "Honestly I really should be going," he mumbled. He began to stand up, before Andonia put a hand on his. His hand tensed and he looked back at her. She spoke to him. "Hey I want you to remember this though, you got a new friend today. If you ever need anything, I'm here for you. You got pretty damn powerful ally today, a badass bartender." she smiled.
Seto grinned back slightly.
"And one more thing," she pushed the keg towards Seto. "Take it."
He didn't argue. "Thank you."
He began to walk out before he heard, "have a good night," from behind him.
He turned around and waved before exiting.
As he looked at the barrel in his arms, heavy and cumbersome, he could not shake the burning feeling behind his eyes, watching the rain pelt it. He looked up, wiping some already soaked hair from his face, looking out at the emptiness of the roads. He began to walk, feeling rain enter through a hole in his boot as he felt hot tears mix with the rain on his face.
The rain had picked up, making it hard to see in the dark night, the road only illuminated by the constant bolts of lightning. Seto was just a couple roads away from his house from what he could tell. He was silently humming an old tune his mother taught him in a attempt comfort himself (though he could hardly hear it over the loud crashes of thunder) when he heard a smooth voice behind him that sent electricity down his back and froze his body.
"It's dangerous out here," it said.
Seto stopped. He didn't need to turn back. "So?" He questioned coldly. He felt those bruiseds again.
"I care about you," the voice said.
Seto ignored him and began to walk forward again, but he felt a warm hand on his wet shoulder. Seto inhaled, gently closing his eyes. He opened them and then turned around to see a boy with spiked gold hair like a halo of light. He wore elaborate robes of black and gold, and his eyes twinkled like aquamarine in the darkness.
Seto looked nervously around, he didn't see anyone. Seto sighed and whispered. "What the hell are you doing?"
"What? I can't hear you over the rain," he said loudly. Seto could hardly hear him in the rain but he still flinched.
Seto matched his volume. "I said what the hell are you doing?"
"What do you mean?"
"Dressed like that here? You could get caught! Or you could get me killed!"
"For being a big bad sorcerer?" Solace mocked.
"Yes!" Seto exclaimed.
"Or are you jealous that you don't wear this stuff anymore.?" Solace teased, swishing around the luxurious soaked fabric. It was true, he was a little envious. But death was his primary concern.
"No because I could get killed for being seen with you dressed like that! He hissed.
Solace laughed. "Seto if you're concerned about that, you should know that your little masking spell is wearing off there."
Seto's hand immediately shot up to his pointed ear. He looked at the nails on his other hand. Indeed was it becoming apparent that they where not a humans, but pointed and black. He could only guess his teeth where looking nice and pointed right about now. "Shit..." He whispered.
"Oh whoa now, swearing Seto? So unlike you."
"I though you couldn't hear me in the rain?"
Solace ignored him.
It was a moment of silence before Seto spoke up. "Well what the hell do you want? I need to get home and make sure my house isn't flooded," Seto said, shivering and rubbing his hands up and down his arms. It didn't do much.
"Darling I came to warn you, because I love you," Solace got close to
Seto and whispered in his ear, "plus I owe you for such an amazing time this morning."
Seto felt a sick feeling in his chest.
Solace backed up and began to speak once more. "Well, what remains of the sorcerian race has been gathering to try and rebuild the empire, as you know, I'm with them still. Anyway, well a little birdie told them there's a chance you're still alive, before you yell at me it wasn't me I couldn't tell you who. But long story short they may be looking for you. They're was down in the south searching where you were last seen but-"
Seto's eyes widened as he stared at the wet ground, Solace's voice fading to white noise. His breathing quickened with panic for the second time that day. No, they couldn't be looking for him. Not anymore. That's impossible. Seto's hands began to tremble. How could Solace say that so casually. How could he? It must be another one of his ways of manipulating him, he thought
"Earth to Seto?" Solace questioned.
Seto looked back at the man he hated with all his being, hands trembling. "I-I have to go. Please don't follow me Brice."
And with that Seto sprinted away, racing home, slipping in the rain. And Solace watched, satisfied yet moderately melancholy about the distress and panic of his "partner".