SaDiablo Hall, Dhemlan, Kaeleer, Saturday Evening (Fandom Time)

[glacial_queen]

The first week Karla, Warren, and Raven had been back, they had been granted a leave on lessons. After all, Warren and Raven had just graduated from high school and that was an accomplishment of some note. Even Lucivar had announced his morning exercises for the week were voluntary only, making the three of them (okay, Raven and Warren) immediately popular among the coven and boyos.

Granted, calling the lessons "voluntary" was kind of a joke, because Lucivar was a prick, but it was the thought that counted.

The following week, however, it was business as usual, or, rather lessons as usual. Though Karla was the youngest at eighteen, Saetan had a firm rule that while Jaenelle's friends stayed at the Hall, they took lessons. The coven and boyos privately agreed that it was a last-ditch attempt to keep them out of mischief while they stayed, but since they'd all run off the most obnoxious of tutors years ago, the lessons that remained were no hardship.

And some, like Protocol, were necessary. Especially when dealing with the kind of Protocol only found in Courts. Some Protocol lessons were taken together, polishing the give and take between the sexes in a Court. Others, like this one, were separate, with the boyos sitting down and learning about what it was like to act as Consorts to Queens. Granted, Saetan hadn't been a Consort in over fifty thousand years, but that didn't matter. Saetan was the foremost expert on Protocol, then and now.

Comments

[hells-highlord.livejournal.com]

"Last time, we went over how to handle things if your Lady wishes more from you than you feel capable of giving at the time," Saetan said, sitting in a comfortable chair in his study, rather than in his usual position behind his large, blackwood desk. The boyos were arranged in a circle of chairs around him; deep, comfortable chairs, save for Warren's, which was a variation of the kind of furniture found in Eyrien homes, comfortable for people with wings. There were plates of Mrs. Beale's nutcakes along with pots of tea and coffee and Saetan's own bottle of yarbarah. Yes, he was teaching these lads, but these were not the kind of lessons where one could act the professor. For them to learn what they needed to know, for them to discuss topics freely and honestly, the atmosphere needed to be one of comfort and trust.

Hence the comfy chairs and snacks. Every little bit helped.

"Now, if you were Consorts of convenience, you would have fewer options. They are expected to be ready to service their Ladies whenever requested--within reason, of course. That is why their contracts are usually more stringent and thorough. They are Consorts for the pay and prestige, and both the services required and the guidelines stipulated are necessary for happiness on both their parts. For you, who are lovers first and Consorts second, you have more options available to you, including a simple, 'Not tonight, please, love,' but it is always useful to know some of the more common mood-enhancers and stamina-increases that other males use. Does anyone have questions about those or anything we studied last week?"

[wwiii]

Warren... didn't really have any questions, no. It wasn't that he was cocky, per se. Just... he'd had plenty of time to get to know what worked for himself and for Karla. What worked, what didn't work, what they'd been meaning to try and just hadn't gotten to, yet.

He wasn't quite smirking as he leaned back in his seat, nibbling at a nutcake. But it was kind of a near thing. He was sort of curious to see what the other boyos would ask, or suggest, what would be made of any of this particular sort of discussion.

Lessons on being lovers. The last time he'd had something like this, it was a sex ed class back when he was still fairly mortified to have to find something that could be used as a toy for Show and Tell in class.

... He probably still had that body paint somewhere. Had he gone with the body paint, or did he end up chickening out and going with feathers? God, it had been forever ago.

[theboyos.livejournal.com]

Khary elbowed Warren from three chairs away. Hey, sometimes having Craft was useful, okay? Like...all the time. "Nobody likes smugness, Warren," he muttered.

[theboyos.livejournal.com]

Which got an answering elbow from Chaosti, newly returned from Dea al Mon now that Jaenelle's eyebrows had mostly grown back in and he was safe from getting shaved in his sleep. "Keep that in mind next time you want to offer Jaenelle a razor, huh?"

[theboyos.livejournal.com]

"Both of you shut up," Aaron glared. "I'm trying to listen, here."

Beat.

"...Which, really, you'd think Khardeen would be the one saying that, considering what I overheard Morghann mentioning to Kalush."

[theboyos.livejournal.com]

Rather than replying, Khary turned a bright red, almost the color of Morghann's hair and slid slowly down in his chair. Chaosti took one look at him and began laughing.

"You know, Brother? I think I've found a way to forgive you for egging Jaenelle on."

[wwiii]

"It isn't like any of the ladies in the coven need any egging on anyhow," Warren offered, right along with a sideways grin that was trying so, so hard to turn into a chuckle in spite of Warren's best efforts. "They're more than capable of egging each other on without Khary's help."

[hells-highlord.livejournal.com]

Saetan watched them all, allowing himself a small smile. This--the laughing and teasing and joking--was what made a Court function. The Court revolved around its Queen, yes, but it was held together and made made to work by the relationship of its males.

"So Morghann's Virgin Night has been scheduled?" he asked in a lull in the teasing. "Would you like to remain at the Hall for the evening?"

[theboyos.livejournal.com]

Khary nodded mutely, giving Saetan a grateful smile.

Look, Morghann having her Virgin Night was giving him all the feels and very few of those were of the 'pleasant anticipation' variety.

[hells-highlord.livejournal.com]

Saetan nodded; he'd expected that answer from Khary--and from the other boyos in turn when it was their ladies.

"So then, if no one has questions about last lesson, then it's time to move onto today's." Again, Saetan was not surprised by that. They were young and full of...vitality. Sure, that was a polite word for it. It was hard--if not impossible--for them to imagine a time when they'd need to employ things like safframate seeds or the like. "Today, we're going to discuss techniques to use when your Lady isn't feeling particularly amorous."

He offered them a frown. "We're not discussing these things for when you're in the mood and she is not. You're all males; I'm quite certain you all know how to take care of that. But there are going to be times when she's tired or stressed and a healthy romp between the sheets will actually make her feel better. Most kinds of strenuous physical activity will have similar effects, like riding or gardening, or sparring. But those activities can be handled by any male in her Court. So today we'll focus on those activities best handled by her Consort."

[wwiii]

Oh, hey. Warren knew the solution to this one, too.

Neckties. Pineapples. That bow that she'd seen him do back when he wasn't quite himself...

Yeah, Warren was having a difficult time keeping from smirking again.

[theboyos.livejournal.com]

This time, it was less an elbow and more a phantom kick. Funny how all the boyos looked completely innocent, their eyes fixed on Saetan.

[wwiii]

Yeah, they were innocent as baby ducks, weren't they? Warren's smirk went a bit tighter for a moment there, but in the face of a foot to the shin? Warren was going to just re-double his efforts to smirk a little more.

So there, boyos. So there.

[glacial_queen]

The ladies had retired to the affectionately titled 'rumpus room' after a dancing lesson with Prince Ranier. Nharkhava's midsummer festival was coming up and so they were all learning a few of the traditional dances. One of those traditional dances was of the sort only practiced when the boyos were not sharing classes with them and was the subject of much covert gossip and giggling.

Right now, they were still gossiping, though the subject had changed slightly. With Morghann's Virgin Night looming ever-closer and Karla the only one who'd had hers yet (by tacit agreement, Jaenelle's wasn't discussed), the two of them were alternately fielding questions and indulging in blatant speculation.

Karla was right in the middle of a wonderful little story that Warren would probably prefer not to have shared with all and sundry when Aaron knocked on the door. All noise within the room ceased abruptly, until Jaenelle finally called, "Come in."

[wwiii]

Warren hesitated for a moment himself. The wait before anyone had spoken up from the other side of that door had been a bit on the agonizing side, and now that they finally had the all-clear to open the door, Warren was finding that he'd really rather be any place than where he was just then.

Which was exactly why he was making himself turn the damn doorknob, stepping inside the room with his wings slightly spread, enough to keep the faces of the other boys just obscured enough to be intriguing, before revealing the lot of them with a low, well-practised bow.

Karla knew the one.

"Ladies."

[glacial_queen]

There was more silence after that. Only instead of 'hush, be quiet, they'll hear!' silence, it was very much of the, 'Hell's fire, Mother Night, and may the Darkness be merciful' variety. Karla couldn't tell if the other girls were making the same face she was--she was far too busy gaping at Warren to check.

A quick glance at the other males showed that they were similarly painted, but...Warren.

Wow.

[changeable-eyes.livejournal.com]

Jaenelle looked around at her similarly star-struck friends and suppressed a grin. Once more, it seemed to be up to her. She rose, and nodded slightly in return. "Gentlemen," she said, unable to keep the amusement from her voice. "We'd love for you to join us. Please, come in?"

[theboyos.livejournal.com]

Whether they had discussed it in advance or had simply taken Warren's bow as a challenge, the boyos filed in, each going to their lady and reached for their hands, bowing the precise degree required by Protocol. Even Khary's usual grin was nowhere in evidence, it seemed that complete seriousness and formality were called for at this moment.

"Evening, ladies."

[wwiii]

"I hope we weren't interrupting anything?" Warren's crooked grin was a bit of a battle to keep from settling on his face, and he wasn't quite able to take his eyes off of the expression that Karla was wearing on hers.

That was a good reaction, right? He was pretty sure it was a good reaction. Either way, he was following suit, bowing again to that precise degree... Which wasn't half as impressive as the bow that had come before, but Protocol was Protocol, really.

[glacial_queen]

"...No?" Karla was trying very hard to remember how words worked. "We were just...talking. And the dance. That we had. Cause of the thing."

[wwiii]

"The Midsummer Festival," Warren supplied, so very helpfully. "Where there's going to be dancing?"

He was beginning to get the impression that he could have said 'the teddy bear picnic,' and she'd agree with him. But he hated that song now, thanks to Ingvar, and so he was going to skip that one.

[glacial_queen]

Karla nodded. A lot. Mostly because the reminder to stop nodding was being held up by the current queue in her brain. It was a good thing that breathing was an autonomic function or else she might have forgotten to do that, too.

[darkcourtcoven.livejournal.com]

For the others in the room, the surprise of seeing their own males in paint had begun to wane, though their appreciation remained. "Yes, the Festival," Gabrielle said, her fingers tracing the outline of leaves that decorated Chaosti's face. He shivered a little at her touch and leaned closer still, like a cat welcoming caresses. "Were you gentlemen planning on going similarly adorned?"

[wwiii]

"Of course," Warren replied, not taking his eyes from Karla for so much as a heartbeat. "With all the effort you ladies have been putting into your dancing, we wouldn't want you to find yourselves stuck with escorts who are at anything less than top form."

Warren had no idea where those words had come from. But apparently he was going to the festival in guyliner now, too.

But then, with the way Karla was still looking at him, it was getting difficult to talk himself into ever washing it off again.

[glacial_queen]

"I like it!" Karla blurted. Because maybe that hadn't been obvious? Or something? Words?

"You look...I like...you. I like you. In that. The--" Karla gestured to her face. Eloquently.