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

[wwiii]

"The proper clothing can go a long way," Warren offered, because after a kick to the shin, like hell he was going to keep his mouth shut. "Especially if they're dress clothes that you might not wear often. Something businesslike, like perhaps a necktie, can... give a lady ideas."

Necktie, leash. Same difference. Wasn't it?

[theboyos.livejournal.com]

"Looks are useful, too," Aaron piped up. "Sometimes you can just stop and look at her. You don't have to be thinking anything overly lewd..." He coughed at that, yes. "Just that you're looking at the most beautiful desirable woman in the whole room or Territory or wherever. If she blushes or smiles a little as she looks away, she knows what you're thinking."

[theboyos.livejournal.com]

"Oooh, that's good," Khary said, scribbling down both Warren and Aaron's suggestions. "Ummm...well, there's sort of the opposite of Warren's idea. Instead of more, fancy clothes, fewer ones? But only if you have a good reason for it. I'm not suggesting just stripping down and prancing through the hallways--"

"Thank the Darkness for that," Chaosti interrupted.

"--But getting 'caught' coming out of the shower in a towel, or during sparring practice, or making woodchips. Those'd work, right?"

[theboyos.livejournal.com]

And now it was Chaosti's turn and some of his habitual Warlord Prince arrogance fell away. "Eating," he mumbled, trying not to flush. "You can do it...you know. Erotically."

The other boyos were trying not to laugh. That helped Chaosti get over his embarrassment enough to glare at them.

[hells-highlord.livejournal.com]

Saetan gave him an indulgent smile and nodded. "Excellent examples all of you, though I'm seconding Chaosti's suggestion of not running naked through the hallway, Khary. For one thing, Helene might never forgive you. For another, I can barely keep up with the exorbitant rate she charges me for dealing with you lot as it is."

The boyos grinned at one another. It had been...an eventful five years, yes.

"But moving on, much of what you suggested can boil down to to a simple idea: making the familiar unfamiliar. Whether it's something as simple as eating--and, yes, another time we will be covering sensuous ways to eat and feed someone else--or simply changing how you present yourself, a quick change to your look will often times result in your Lady doing a double take. Or, better yet, she will give you a long, lingering look and with that, you have a solid foundation to build on. Clothing is a matter of personal preference between the two of you. As time goes on, you'll learn the kind of clothing that catches her eye and attention. Neckties and business attire seem to work for Karla. For Kalush, it might be seeing Aaron dress in the kind of clothing native Nharkhavans wear, for Morghann, riding boots, and Gabrielle, a sharp blade or supple leather. Often it doesn't need to be an entire outfit, just a signature item or two. After you have been together for long enough, just seeing that item may start to do some of that work for you, because your ladies will associate it with successful seductions of times passed."

He paused to give them time to write this down, calling in several mirrors and a long, wooden box easily the size of his lap, though no more than a few inches high.

"Other times, you may wish to try something new, or something less subtle than clothing," he explained. "That's where these come in."

With that, Saetan opened the box and showed them the contents. "That's right. Makeup."

[wwiii]

OhGoodGod. Warren's gaze kind of lingered on the contents of that box, yes. Lingered and refused to leave, because...

"Um?"

Yeah. Yeah, that was the upper limit of the Worthington eloquence today.

"... Yeah?"

Indeed.

[theboyos.livejournal.com]

The boyos didn't seem to share his reticence, however. They were also peering at the box of makeup, but making small noises of curiosity and agreement.

"I've seen Grandmammy Teele's Consort in full face paint once," Chaosti murmured. "It was impressive."

"After Queen Lulann's last Consort's contract expired, you should have seen all the males showing up with paint on," Aaron agreed. "All trying to attract her attention."

"Morghann and I once broke into her grandparents' collection," Khary said with a laugh. "She had streaks of her grandmother's eyeshadow down her face and I proceeded to draw on the wall with her grandfather's khol. We were in trouble for weeks."

[wwiii]

That was not dawning horror on Warren's face. And people were totally seeing things if they thought otherwise.

"... This is... kind of seen as a very female thing to do, back where I'm from," Warren tentatively shared, still not quite peeling his gaze from the makeup kit. "Well, either female, or loud, angry musicians."

He was only the first very occasionally, and never the second.

[theboyos.livejournal.com]

AND NOW YOU WERE GETTING CONFUSED LOOKS FROM ALL OF THE BOYOS, WARREN. Look what you did. You were confusing the boyos.

"Well, females also use face paint," Khary said slowly, turning his confused look back to the others. "And, I mean, they use more of it, more often..."

[theboyos.livejournal.com]

"Not among the Dea al Mon," Chaosti supplied immediately. "Our face paint is usually much brighter and more elaborate than the females."

"Let me guess," Aaron said, cracking a smile. "There's some kind of brave, ass-kicking tale involved. Something like a dare."

"But of course, my friend," Chaosti replied. "When isn't there?"

[theboyos.livejournal.com]

"I don't understand," Aaron said, glancing back at Warren. "You said your females wear face paint, but not your males? Why not? Isn't the point of face paint to enhance your natural attractiveness? Why shouldn't males wish to do the same?"

[wwiii]

Warren actually took a moment's silence to think his answer through when the best he could come up with was, 'because it's a GIRL THING.'

You're welcome, boyos.

"Well... I guess we just find other ways to do so. The cut of our clothes, the way we wear our hair, even just the attitude we present ourselves with. I'm sure there have been different cultures back on Earth through history where it was appropriate for males to paint their faces for any reason beyond just the... the shock factor of it all, I guess. But if my dad had ever caught me wearing kohl, he would have thrown a fit."

[theboyos.livejournal.com]

More head-shaking. "I have seen pictures of Karla's dances," Khary said. "Females employ all of those same things, plus the face paint."

He was just going to ignore the elephant in the room, re: Warren's father.

[hells-highlord.livejournal.com]

"Warren's world has a different view of such things." Saetan ended the cross-chatter diplomatically, totally not mentioning how he thought that view was ridiculous. Or mentioning his less-than-favorable opinions about Warren's father, either. "But, in Kaeleer, both males and females wear face paint, though styles and amounts differ."

"Like pants," Khary added, grinning. The High Lord's views on ladies in pants were well-known. Ignored by the females at large, but well-known.

"Yes, thank you, Lord Khardeen." Saetan didn't roll his eyes, but his voice suggested he had. "Anyway, especially in the beginning, less is generally better for you. You're young, you're not painting to conceal anything, just attract. Having your nails tinted a different color means your hands are more eye-catching." He help up his hands, showing his usual black-tinted nails.

Of course, he'd begun tinting his nails to hide his snake-tooth, but that didn't change what he was saying.

"A bit of carmine to your lips adds color, the same when it's dusted lightly over your cheeks. Subtlety is key with those. For eyes, a smudge of khol over the lids and lashes darkens them and makes them far more dramatic. Powder over the face can make you look paler. Gold dust in certain areas catches the light and the eye. I would not combine these all at once, but applied with a light, deft hand, and you will be able to attract attention from almost anyone."

He took out the paint pots, and with the ease of long practice, applied subtle color to his cheeks, eyes, and lips. It was done with such skill that it made him look androgynous and yet more savagely male, an unsettling blend.

"When I was Consort to Cassandra, this was a look I wore often for her pleasure," he said, setting them aside and allowing the lads to examine the job he'd done.

[wwiii]

Okay. Okay, Warren was okay with this. See how okay with this Warren was? He was totally fine with this.

He was going to have to put on guyliner. And there was no subtle when it came to that sort of thing for him. He was blonde with blue eyes, and already pretty damn pale. It would stand out on him no matter how subtle he was about it.

And the damning thing about it was, he had to admit that it was a look that actually suited Saetan. In that unsettling sort of way that was so... Saetan.

"I might need some help with mine," he mumbled. Totally not awkwardly in any way, shape, or form. Honest.

[hells-highlord.livejournal.com]

"I will help Warren," Saetan announced before anyone else could volunteer. "The rest of you can practice on yourselves. While you do, why don't you share some of the more common styles for masculine face paint of your homes. Perhaps that will give Warren some ideas for his own use later on."

He gestured for Warren to bring his chair closer. "Let's take a look at you, boyo, and see what we have to work with."

[theboyos.livejournal.com]

The boyos didn't wait long after being given the opportunity to dig through Saetan's kit. Chaosti snagged a bottle filled with a thick gold liquid that shimmered in the firelight. Aaron grabbed for a tiny pot of khol, but was given pause by a stoppered jar of a brown paste that smelled sharply spicy when he opened it.

"Dharo males go in for smokey eyes," he said softly. "But in Nharkhava, they wear patterns on their necks and hands, drawn in natural inks. I'd like to learn how to do that, I think."

[theboyos.livejournal.com]

"The Dea al Mon go for brighter colors," Chaosti said, sounding a little smug. "But then, any makeup we apply is meant to enhance the actual painting we do."

Pulling his mirror over, he began to outline thumbnail-sized bright gold oak leaves from under his eyes, following the contours of his cheeks. "Silver would be better for my coloring," he added. "And bright green to fill it in. And I'd follow it up with purples around my eyes and lips."

[theboyos.livejournal.com]

Khary was reaching for the powder and the gold dust that Saetan had mentioned earlier. "We go for more subtle," he said. "For one thing, anything likely to streak or run after a brisk ride on horseback or a lively dance would just end up looking stupid. But high cheekbones are considered a sign of attractiveness, so anything that can highlight those are an asset. Morghann adds a hint of rouge just below her cheeks, in the shadows, to kind of make hers stand out more--" not that she needed it, in his not-so-humble opinion "--but I have no idea how she makes it would without looking like a clown."

[wwiii]

Aaron's talk of the patterns reminded Warren vaguely of the henna art that women- still women- wore in India. It was intriguing as well, in its own way. And, really, probably the only body art that he'd be able to keep for any amount of time without resorting to a Sharpie. But he had a task at hand already, and it was probably best to let Saetan call the shots, at least this time.

Warren only let himself balk for a moment before scooting his chair closer to Saetan's, leaning forward to grant the High Lord a better view of his face. If everyone else in the room was doing this, it wasn't like he even really had any reason to be embarrassed about it, but he just couldn't shake that touch of self-consciousness that he used to get before, just because people were looking his way.

"Sorry," he said, low enough to keep the apology between just the both of them. "I'm trying not to be awkward about this."

[hells-highlord.livejournal.com]

"It will get easier with practice," Saetan assured him, also speaking quietly. The other lads could continue to chatter between themselves for awhile, laughing and teasing one another as they experimented with colors.

Saetan made a mental note to have some of the merchants in town send him more face paint. All of his was tinted for Hayllian males: brown-skinned, dark-haired, and golden-eyed. The boyos were from short-lived races and were correspondingly paler.

"Hmmm," he said, coming to the same realization about subtle that Warren had before. "We're going to have to go dramatic with you. But not much. Just around the eyes. Anything else will be too much, unless we go with the slightest hint of color on your lips." He leaned forward, pot of kohl and brush at hand. "May I?"

[wwiii]

"Might as well," Warren replied, quirking that almost uncertain, sideways-awkward smile of his. "I'm not skittish with things around my face or anything."

Because why should he be? Saetan could stab him in the eye with that brush and he'd shrug it off within moments.

"I'm kind of getting more experienced at dealing with 'dramatic,' too."

[hells-highlord.livejournal.com]

"Oh?" Saetan asked, cupping Warren's chin and pulling his face gently closer. "The male I first met would have preferred almost anything, I think, that being 'dramatic.' Close your eyes please."

[wwiii]

Warren obediently shut his eyes, though he couldn't help but wrinkle his nose a little at that statement, either.

"All I ever knew how to do was hide, when we first met," he murmured. "And then a few months ago I surprised the hell out of myself by spreading my wings on-- well-- I just... I made certain my entire world saw what I was with their own eyes. I hardly recognize that other guy myself, these days."

[hells-highlord.livejournal.com]

The brush flickered over his eyes, tiny little bristles tickling as they passed, spreading color as they went.

"You are growing up," Saetan said softly. "You are getting a better idea of who you want to be and how to get there. You're also getting a much better idea of what you're willing to compromise on and what you aren't." Warren couldn't see Saetan's grin but her could probably hear it. "Like face-paint, for example."