Rexi and Talon

By Onyx Tao

Jack: Rexi and Talon by Onyx Tao is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://onyx-tao.sofurry.com.

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10. Talon

Zack -- Talon was having trouble thinking of him as Master Zack -- did not go back to sleep after he came back to bed. Whether the muffled orders he gave Rexi, or the conversation with Illustrious, whoever and whatever that was, something was keeping the half-orc awake. Talon could almost feel Master Zack's thoughts, grappling with what he clearly considered an unwelcome distraction.

A distraction. The voice had offered him at least fifty thousand gold sails, and Master Zack considered that a distraction. Talon couldn't begin to imagine what he could do with fifty thousand sails ... and maybe more. The voice had promised ten times that, and Master Zack would keep everything he didn't spend ... If fifty thousand was unimaginable, how much more was unimaginable times ten?

Talon couldn't think of anything worth that much gold. Well, maybe. This house, perhaps? Talon had no idea how much property, much less a grand estate like this, might be ...

The half-orc sat up abruptly, staring almost accusingly at the wall.

"Sir?"

"I've never been able to go back to sleep," said Zack with a sigh. "Once up ..." the huge half-man sat back against the polished headboard. "Are you sleepy, then?"

Talon shook his head. "Not ... no, Sir. I don't ... sleep during the day, I mean."

"It always take me a month or two to shift over," said Master Zack. "In Katapesh, it's so damn hot during the day ... I didn't see the point. And before that, in ... everyone kept to a nocturnal schedule." He paused. "Habit, I suppose ..."

"Before, Sir?"

There was a pause, and then Master Zack reached out, and effortlessly lifted Talon up, and then down onto him, laying his head against his massive chest, and with his feet just between Zack's own ankles, putting the half-elf's skin almost completely against his own. "Before that ..." he murmured. "No, I don't care to tell you about that, and I doubt you'd enjoy knowing."

"If you say so, Sir," Talon said, trying not to squirm. Zack's skin was rough against his, feeling cool at first, and then revealing a deeper heat as he lay on top of the heavier orc.

"I appreciate your trust," Master Zack said gravely, running a rough hand down Talon's side. It felt ... should it feel like that, Talon wondered? Good and ... strange, at the same time. Good, the warmth and sensation of being held -- not trapped, interestingly, he didn't feel trapped, although he was, sort of, sitting up against the huge half-orc, Master Zack's arms not quite folded over him, but just laying on his sides. Strange, the sensation of the odd-textured almost-rough skin against him, and the even more unusual tension he felt ... and ... was Master Zack getting ...

oh no

Master Zack was getting hard under him. "Uh," Talon said. "Sir?"

"Please don't move," Master Zack murmured. "I'm enjoying you right where you are," and a hand came down lightly on his chest -- his entire chest. Talon felt small suddenly, very, very small.

"But" -- Talon was mortified to hear himself squeak the word.

"I am a healthy male, laying naked with another lovely naked male," Master Zack said quietly, in an amused tone. "Having a ... healthy reaction." The half-orc lifted his hand. "And enjoying it, as I said, very much. But ... if you are not comfortable, then you are free to move."

"But ..."

"I note you are having a similar reaction," Master Zack observed slyly. "So this must not be too unpleasant."

"No," sighed Talon. "No, Master. I'm sorry, I'm ..."

"Calm, calm," sighed Master Zack. "This is new to you, isn't it?"

"Yes," Talon managed to say. "I'm sorry ..."

"Hush," said Master Zack. "You have nothing to apologize for. You have done nothing wrong. If you were to roll off me, right now ... you would still have nothing to apologize for. I told you; I like you, very much, as I said. And ... if you liked me, very much, well, that would please me, I admit it. But if you don't, then ... you don't. I will not be displeased, it is simply ... what it is." There was a short pause. "I know I am ... not pretty. I have been called ugly, and worse ..." and the half-orc was quiet again. "I am hoping to show something of myself that is not so ugly ... I know, none better, how difficult it is to grow up between two worlds, and two different cultures. I'm sure you faced different challenges than I, although, when I saw you in that cage ..." The deep voice faded into silence. "Do you know what I stole, when I ran away?"

"What?" said Talon, wondering. His Master had run away?

"The key to my shackles," Zack said. "As far as I know it was the only key to the slave-chains in the camp. I never did find out what they did after that." He chuckled. "Perhaps what I did with yours, pick the lock ... I doubt that would have been challenging."

But that wasn't really what Talon wanted to know. "You ran away?"

"Oh," said Zack, after a moment. "That wasn't Cheliax, that was an orc tribe, somewhere in the mountains. Slavery there meant ... it meant you weren't big enough and strong enough to take a weapon from one of the orc boars beating you. I mentioned I grew at a human rate?"

Talon nodded, his head moving against the skin and muscle of Zack's chest.

"Well, that means runt."

"Oh," said Talon, and then, "Yeah. I mean, it wasn't slavery or anything, but ... all my friends grew up, and then all my new friends grew up and, but, it wasn't like what you had, but ..."

"Neither of us really fit into the world we were in," Zack said, stroking along Talon's side. "Yes, I do understand that."

"But you made yourself fit," Talon said. Better than I have.

"Ah," said Zack, thoughtfully, still running his hand up and down Talon's side, which still produced that almost-tingling on his skin. "Yes and no. I ... I was trying, certainly, and I would have achieved something, but my efforts caught the attention of someone who ... well. I was trying to climb out of being an illiterate thug, and while trying to do that, I found someone who delivered me a ladder."

"Oh?"

"In many ways, it was the best deal I've ever made," Zack said, thoughtfully, his hands still idly stroking Talon. "For the first time in my life, I was actually happy. It didn't take that much; food, shelter, sex, and all the instruction I could cram into my spare hours, but still, happy ..."

"Instruction?"

"My, ah, mentor found my accent ... well, I think he was amused for the first day. After that, he sent me to a vocal instructor who taught me to talk around these tusks."

"Is that ..."

"My mentor wanted to have them pulled," Zack said, his hand stilling, resting almost forgotten on Talon's chest. "I'd forgotten that ... but I still would have needed an instructor to unteach me most of what I'd learned about speaking."

"There are teachers for that?"

"There are teachers for just about anything, if you know where to look," the half-orc said drowsily. "I didn't -- I did mention I was an illiterate thug, yes? -- but my mentor did. I learned from a retired opera singer. He knew ... well, quite a bit. And introduced me to my first dance master."

"I ... well, I guess I should have realized you can sing," Talon said.

"Oh, he couldn't teach me to sing," Zack said. "I'm tone-deaf. Not completely, as it turns out, but enough. He taught me to speak, and he tried to teach me to sing, but ... he attempted to teach me to sing scales, which I cannot do."

"Oh," said Talon. "That's a shame, you have a nice voice ..."

"Thank you," Zack said, and Talon could hear the smile. "But I did learn to sing, later. I need something to keep me to tune. I can't sing a capella, but with an instrument on the same melody, the tone-deafness doesn't matter. The capellmeister was an old man, with an old man's rigidity, and because I could not sing scales, he was unable to teach me. I found another teacher, later, and now I can sing well enough. I can even tune an instrument."

Talon started to turn his head, felt his head brush along Zack's chest. That seemed ... "How?"

"Tuning forks," the half-orc said. "They are the levers of music, I think."

"Levers? I don't understand," Talon said.

"Ask me some other time," Zack said with a yawn. "Comfortable?"

No, but of course Talon couldn't say that. And it wasn't as if he was uncomfortable, exactly, it just felt ... strange. It made Talon feel strange. Like before ... when his master had asked to kiss him, and then ... well, that hadn't been what Talon thought of as a kiss. It had been ... it had felt ... just the thought of it made him twitch, and suddenly Zack's hand was on his hip, not so much holding him as providing something to keep him steady.

"Are you comfortable?" his master repeated.

No. No no no no no no no no no no! "I'm fine," Talon said, and he was pretty sure his voice sounded normal.

"Good," purred Zackton, a low growl that Talon could feel, the vibration of the sound running through Zack's chest, "very good." The hand drifted lower, down his thigh, a gentle pressure that felt both good and disturbing at the same time.

And then Zack's hand closed every so lightly around Talon's shaft, and a wave of pleasure ran through him, a tension, and Talon couldn't help but move against that warmth, thrusting into Zack's hand -- and the half-orc held his hand still, let Talon move against him. "And that?" the question was so low it was almost inaudible; if Talon's head hadn't been against Zack's chest, he never would have heard it all.

Wonderful. Talon could barely think, as Zack tightened his grip, and slid his hand, not with, but against, Talon's own motions. He was almost bouncing against Zack, every movement felt so good, and he could feel the tightness building in groin.

Talon almost whimpered when Zack pulled his hand away. "Ah, patience," Zack whispered. "Patience. I won't say, trust me, but let me show you why ..."

And then his hand moved down on Talon again, harder this time, brushing the sensitive underside of his shaft. "So hard," said Zack with a pleased sound. "Yes ... I love the way you feel, Talon," Zack whispered. "I love the warmth of you against me, I love the tightness of your body ... I can feel it, the tension, how you need release ..."

And his hand came off again. "But just yet," Zack said. "Not yet, let it build a little more ..." and then both of Zack's hands were on him, stroking his sides, his chest, tickling his thighs, caressing his hips.

Talon thought he was going to explode.

And then Zack put his hands back on Talon's shaft, and he did. He yelled something -- he wasn't sure what, and his body bucked as all the tightness in him slammed up through his balls and out his shaft, and then all he could do was gasp for a moment. "Lovely," said Zack. "Don't move just yet, no need," and now the hands weren't stroking him as much as they were just holding him. It felt ...

It felt so good.

Zack was ... doing something, but it took a long minute before Talon realized he'd been shifted; he didn't remember moving off Zack and yet now he was on the bed, and the half-orc was ... licking him? His tongue was rough against the slippery wet warm stuff on his skin ...

Talon nearly jumped up, but Zack's hand paused him. "You ... you don't have to do that ..."

The half-orc paused. "Of course I don't," he said, and Zack's head lifted as he finsihed. "But I wish to treat your seed and your maleness with the respect it deserves. This is ... the quintessence of your manhood, a gift from your physical self. It is the evidence and result of a beautiful moment of pleasure -- it is not something to be wiped away; it should be respected. Unless ... you feel that somehow, this insults you? I do not mean to do that ..."

"No," Talon said hastily. "That's, no, no, that was ... amazing. I never ... I've never felt like that."

"Sex is one of life's great pleasures," Zack said, moving back up to cuddle Talon in his arms. "In my experience, it is one best shared generously. You may feel a little sleepy at this point?"

"A little," admitted Talon.

"Then sleep," whispered Zack. "Sleep."

Talon woke to find Zack sitting up on the bed beside him, dressed in a loose robe, looking over at him oddly. "Sir?" he asked.

"Are you in pain?" asked Zack, finally.

"Pain ... no," said Talon. "Why ..." and then he looked down at himself. He was covered in bruises, huge purple blotches all over his sides and front, down his legs ... "How ..."

"Pretty much everywhere I touched you this afternoon," Zack said after a moment. "I knew your skin was delicate but ... I did not think I was being rough. You didn't appear to be taking hurt then."

"Uh," said Talon, looking back up at the half-orc. "It's fine. I bruise easily."

"Yes!" said Zack almost angrily. "That is ..." and then he forcibly seemed to calm down. "When I was touching you -- did it hurt?"

"No," said Talon, and then at Zack's dubious expression, "really, sometimes it doesn't hurt, or I don't notice."

"Sex can disguise pain," Zack said after a moment. "I was too rough."

"No, that was ..."

Zack cut him off with a sharp wave of his hand. "If I damaged you -- and you are damaged -- then I was too rough. I did not intend to be so, and I did not realize I was being so, and apparently you didn't realize I was begin so, either, but that does not change that you are marked from head to knees -- I'm simply glad I couldn't reach any further."

"I'm sorry ..."

Zack fixed him with a stare that cut off his half-mumbled apology. "For what? That you permitted me to touch you? That you extended some amount of trust, only to find yourself like this?"

"No, I'm sorry I bruise so easily ..."

"Bah," Zack said. "That is not your choice, and therefore you have nothing to apologize for. You did nothing wrong."

"But you didn't ..."

"I did," Zack said. "I didn't know it was wrong, but clearly ... it was wrong." He paused. "I will undertake to be more careful with you, Talon. I can ... correct the sitation, much as I did earlier. This time, though I think I'll ask you first, given how it upset you before. As I said, it distresses me to see you looking beaten -- even if you were not beaten. May I heal you?"

Talon blinked. May I heal you? His owner was ... asking permission to use magic to heal him? "Ah ..." he said, thinking.

But the half-orc merely watched him. Waiting, Talon realized, for his answer. "You don't have to waste magic on me, Sir," he said, finally.

"I don't understand that answer. Do you mean no?"

"No," said Talon, "I don't mean ... I ..." and he trailed off, but Zack simply waited.

After a long pause, Zack said, "I would point out that it is my magic to use, and I do not consider using it so a waste. If that is helpful to you."

"I ... yes," said Talon. "If you ... if you want to."

"I do," Zack said gravely. "I don't want to frighten you, though, and some persons ... are very frightened of magic."

"Well ..." said Talon.

"Perhaps it would be helpful, if I took the time to tell you, a little of the magic that I'll ask to come to heal you," Zack said, his voice taking on a rhythmic tone, almost a chant. "Some magics are disruptive, born in angry confrontation, ripped from some source of power to the placid realm around us, and break like thunder on us, in fire or ice or lightning, bringing chaos and confusion, dealing damage and destruction, but those are not the magics that I seek to call this moment. Instead I seek a softer shyer power ... to ease the hurts I've dealt you, to restore and to renew you ..."

Talon could feel it, somehow, a gentle warmth radiating out from the lightest touch of Zackton's palm, softly reaching out through him. He could see the bruises fading from the alarming purple to ... just the pale tan of skin.

"... to heal and to warm you, to come and go so softly that the change is scarcely noticed ..." Zackton stopped. "There. How was that?"

"Much better, Sir," said Talon. "That was ... how ... how did you do it? How did you learn to do it?"

Zackton shrugged. "Every magic-worker comes to grips with the power differently. And the power comes in different ways, at different times ... the way I was taught was ... hmmm, how to put it ... once you become ... sensitive to the possibilities, I suppose, is to seek out the change you want to bring, make yourself known to it. Something like coaxing a cat -- it helps if you have a bit of fish, or a bowl of cream. To me -- I make no claims for anyone else -- it seems to crave meter and rhyme. Although I have spoken with wizards who tell me that magic is nothing like that. And I've talked to sorcerers who say it's more like a pack of coursing hounds at their call. And priests, who simply ... let the power move through them.

"As to how did I learn, well, the Kapellmeister who corrected my speaking habits handled magic so, although he called it with tune and melody. He taught me the rudiments, at least." The half-orc paused. "You might be able to learn. If ... you cared to do so." Zack paused again. "Think about it, if you would."

"Me?"

Zackton nodded. "Certainly."

"Huh," said Talon thoughtfully.

"Magic is optional," Zackton said. "I do expect you to learn the etiquette of service, how to serve. And I expect you to learn to dance."

"Dance!" said Talon with dismay.

"Yes," said Zackton firmly. "Dance." He gestured to the bathing chamber. "Go ready yourself for the evening, put on the robe, and we will go to the salle, and start."

"But I can't dance," Talon said.

"Then we will discover that presently. There's no reason not to try, though."

Learning to dance, Talon discovered when they reached the salle, wasn't dancing. The three hobgoblins were there, in similar robes.

"We waited in the hope you would join us," one of them said.

"Thank you," Zackton said with a bow. "I was delayed. I've decided that Talon here will join our practice. Kodo-san, could you assist him in learning the katas?"

One of the other hobgoblins bowed. "Yes, Zackton-sama."

The next hour was ... instructive. The hobgoblins and Zackton stretched, moved, and shadow-boxed and even, sort of, danced through a complex and exhausting series of exercises. Talon felt clueless, but the hobgoblin -- Kodo-san -- was always there to adjust his form, or correct him, and even to tell him to slow down. "There is no hurry," Kodo-san said in a very low voice. "Concentrate on getting the form right. That will not happen in one session, or even twenty. But it will happen, and then you will go faster. It is not about keeping up with Zackton-sama; it is about doing it right.

"Perfection. It is about perfection," Kodo-san said softly. "That is the goal."

"What Kodo-san means," Zackton said in the middle of a stretch that looked, well, impossible, "is that we are all an equal distance from perfection. Therefore, it is meaningless to say that he is better than you, or that you are better than I; we each have an equal distance to go to reach perfection."

"Yes," said Kodo-san. "In fewer words."

The burst of laughter doubled Zackton up, and he dropped out of the demanding pose. "Don't do that," he said.

"Yes, Zackton-sama," the hobgoblin said, with a sly smile.

The halfling, Rexi, showed up just as they were finishing. Talon felt bent and twisted in ways he'd never imagined, but it wasn't a bad feeling, just ... new. Zack -- Master Zack, Talon corrected himself -- went over for a short conversation with Rexi, and then returned, looking thoughtful.

"Kodo-san, you still have that amulet I found for you? The jade and opal?"

"Yes, Zackton-sama. Of course. I wear it always."

"Good," the half-orc rumbled. "I want to let you know, Kodo-san, that I was watching you with Talon-san. I thought you did very well, and I do not think you handled him roughly -- on the contrary, you were gentle. I am not displeased at all."

"Yes, Zackton-sama," the hobgoblin said, sounding a little confused.

"Talon, please remove your robe," Zackton said.

The half-elf shook his head. "I'd rather not ..."

"Talon, when I ask you to do something, I will let you know if it is optional," Zack said calmly. "And I trust I will not have to repeat myself ... on either point."

"Yes, Master, sorry ..." and Talon let the robe drop. He glanced down at the bruises on his arms and legs where the hobgoblin had held him, to help him into position or correct his stance. They were fresh, and ugly.

"By the path!" Kodo said, sounding alarmed. "Zackton-sama! I had ... I am ..."

"No apologies are needed; Talon bruises ... easily. Too easily. I have no right to demand, and frankly, I am shamefully forward in even asking, but ..."

"Of course you can have the amulet for him, Zackton-sama!" The hobgoblin looked stunned. "Clearly ..."

"I was going to ask only for its loan, for two days, to see if it will be effective, and perhaps a week or two longer if it be."

"Only a loan?"

"Yes, Kodo-san. I know I have no right to ask; the amulet is yours. It remains yours. But the use of it for a few days would help me ..."

"Yes, Zackton-sama. I am pleased I can help you." The hobgoblin reached into his robe, and pulled a short blue silk cord out. He unworked the knot quickly, and bowing, presented it and the tiny carved jade pendant it held to the half-orc.

"Thank you, Kodo-san," and Zackton returned the bow as he accepted it. Talon looked at it uncertainly, a cunningly carved two-inch triangle of jade resembling a scale, with a lopsided multi-colored stone in the center -- opal, Talon thought, remembering what Zackton had said. It was surprisingly attractive, even if it wasn't the kind of jewelry one wore in Cheliax.

"Talon," he said, turning to the half-elf and stepping around him, "you will not take this off, for any reason. You will not untie it. You will keep it under your clothes, and show it to nobody. If it be noticed, it is simply a trinket I thought would look attractive against your skin. Do you understand?" Zackton fastened it around Talon's neck, and stepped back.

"I ... I understand what you've told me," Talon said. "But ..."

"It may prevent your bruising so easily. And it may not," Zackton said. "We'll see. If it works, I'll have to come up with something more permanent."

"But how can it do that?"

"Ah, Talon-san -- if I may?" said Kodo-san.

"If you wish," said Zackton.

"The virtue of this amulet is to toughen the skin, and make it more resilient," the hobgoblin said quietly. "Even as the dragon's scale protects the dragon, so your skin will shed blows and resist harm."

"So I shouldn't bruise," Talon said.

"That's the idea," Zackton said. "Now put your robe back on, and we'll have breakfast."

"It seems strange to have breakfast this late at night," Talon said.

"You'll get used to it," the half-orc said, although it didn't sound reassuring, and it seemed even less so when he repeated it again, almost under his breath. "You'll get used to it."