Aubrey
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.:Look, but don't touch:.
Posts: 215
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Post by Aubrey on Jan 22, 2007 18:28:27 GMT -5
[XD!!!! Sorry! I fixed it ^^;;;]
"Okay. Do you think we'll- Eep!" Aubrey just barely caught the soap, and when he did, it slipped out of his hands, shooting upwards. He caught it once more, flushing brightly and, after a moment, smiling in mild amusement. However, he regained his composure after a moment, beginning to use the soap on his slender body, careful not to lose it again. "Ah.. uhm.. D-do you think we'll make Nemwe before dark..?"
He accepted the brush with a thank you, handing Jaiden the soap when he was finished. Aubrey was cute when he smiled, which he seemed to do a lot more now, especially when those pretty blue eyes caught Jaiden in their view. He wrung out his hair a bit before he brushed through it, starting at the bottom of the locks and working his way up, wincing faintly as he brushed through one particularly nasty tangle.
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Post by Jaiden on Jan 23, 2007 16:58:20 GMT -5
"Probably not." Jaiden was drifting back towards the shore, wrapping the bar of soap in the same small towel that he'd uncovered it from. "We should use what daylight we have left, though. Something tells me we won't feel much like traveling once it gets dark." Not quite ready to be done with his bath, he returned to Aubrey, smirking. "I guess if you intend on being that slow about things, though, then we might not have any daylight left anyway. Let me have that." Shaking his head and stripping the brush from the boy, he seemed to have taken it upon himself to do the brushing for him.
Aubrey wasn't being all that slow, naturally. Although his parents could hardly take the time to even acknowledge his existence in his early adolescence, there were still the servants, and he liked that part. It always calmed him down to have someone brush his hair, and the kid had been through a lot. He deserved at least this much, right? As long as he didn't realize that Jaiden was doing out of kindness... couldn't have that...
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Aubrey
Initiate
.:Look, but don't touch:.
Posts: 215
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Post by Aubrey on Jan 23, 2007 17:55:08 GMT -5
Aubrey flushed, a bit embarrassed, but didn't argue as Jaiden began brushing his hair. It really did feel nice.. It reminded him of better days, back before his mother had gone completely out of her mind with alcohol and whatever form of drugs she could get her hands on, not to mention her little prostitution job. She used to brush his hair when he was little, while she was still what he considered human..
He knew Jaiden wasn't his mother, and he was more than okay with that. In fact, he was grateful for it, because he hated his mother, and almost the exact opposite was true for Jaiden. "What should we do once we do reach Nemwe..?" he asked, curious. He could work if he had to, so long as word wouldn't reach Iodar about a particular new employee, of course.
Or maybe he could just help Jaiden..? Jaiden was a.. uhh.. Well, he looked like he entertained people, or at least knew how to, but Aubrey didn't bring it up out of respect for his newfound friend..
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Post by Jaiden on Jan 24, 2007 21:59:31 GMT -5
"That's a good question." Jaiden hummed thoughtfully as he brushed Aubrey's hair, seeming just as adept at this as he was with his cards... though the other didn't know about those yet. It never really occurred to him to bring it up. "We need money, that's the big thing." He grew silent for a moment, perhaps hatching a plan, although all he was really doing was struggling with an incredibly stubborn tangle. Once he'd carefully worked it out (he didn't want to hurt Aubrey!) he sighed with relief, nodding. "If we do make it there tonight, it'll be late. Can't just waltz up and down the street to find a buyer, and they probably wouldn't like me just setting myself up on a shop corner. No, we'll have to find a tavern... then the fun starts." He chuckled softly, and although he was behind the boy, Aubrey could probably imagine the mischevious grin on his lips. "I'll try to snare a customer... ooh, maybe even two or three. That would be good. Then what happens will happen and at the end of the night we'll see how much Ka we have. Sound good?" (I didn't mean to make that sound so dirty. Honestly. >>
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Aubrey
Initiate
.:Look, but don't touch:.
Posts: 215
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Post by Aubrey on Jan 24, 2007 22:29:21 GMT -5
Aubrey flushed, surprised and suddenly wondering if Jaiden was.. uh.. into that sort of business. He turned his head slowly, not wanting to throw Jaiden off or anything, but not turning all the way, either. No, just so that he could look at the other through the corner of his eye.
"You don't mean.. uhm.." the flush was obvious, and the mild concern on his face hinted easily at his thoughts. "Y-you aren't.. uhm.. a.." more flushing.. "..an escort.. are you..?" He was extremely worried by this. To put it simply, the idea that his savior might be a whore like his mother scared the hell out of him.
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Post by Jaiden on Jan 24, 2007 22:34:42 GMT -5
"A what?" He seemed oblivious to the question for a moment, replying as if only he was obligated to do so - then he blinked, once, then twice before raising a brow at Aubrey. "Escort? I... what?! No!" Jaiden blushed furiously as the realization dawned on just what the other had been suggesting. He dropped the brush in his outrage, and didn't have anything to say before ducking beneath the water to follow it.
He was thankful for the chill below. It seemed to speed up his calming, and he appeared more or less composed when he rose again, brush in hand. "What would make you think that? I'm... a Diviner, if you really have to know. I don't like talking about my work because people might think I'm showing off. Don't want people thinking I'm conceited."
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Aubrey
Initiate
.:Look, but don't touch:.
Posts: 215
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Post by Aubrey on Jan 24, 2007 22:52:38 GMT -5
Aubrey flushed brightly, covering his face with his hands. This was so embarrassing! How could he ever think such a thing?! For a moment, he hated himself, and expected Jaiden to do the same, but when Jaiden showed no immediate signs of hatred or anger, Aubrey peeked out from between his fingers.
"I-I'm sorry.." he said, feeling about three inches tall. "I just.. I th-thought.. You made it sound like.. uhm.. that.. and.." He was still fragile for as comfortable as he had been getting. Yet, realization struck him, and it occurred to him that no, Jaiden was not in the same line of semi-work as his mother.. Relief flooded him, and he calmed slowly, lowering his hands and biting his lip, still embarrassed as ever.
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Post by Jaiden on Jan 24, 2007 23:32:06 GMT -5
With anyone else, he wouldn't have bothered to rethink his words and consider that they did indeed imply something - he would've just kept on going, keeping the incident as an excuse to be stubborn or short with the person. This was Aubrey, though... and if there was anyone with who that wasn't called for, it was him. He frowned for a moment and scratched behind one ear, looking sheepish. "Sorry. I guess I did kind of make it sound like that... it wasn't intentional though, I swear." His voice went softer, but his face grew redder. Just when he thought it'd be sufficiently cooled, too. Maybe it was being around Aubrey... maybe it was toying with his head, making him shape innocent words into suggestive patterns. That was bad.
Once it felt like the awkward moment would never pass, he rubbed his arms quickly and looked towards the bank.. "We should probably get out... if you're done, that is."
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Aubrey
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.:Look, but don't touch:.
Posts: 215
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Post by Aubrey on Jan 25, 2007 7:44:37 GMT -5
Aubrey seemed relieved, at any rate, that Jaiden was no escort of that sort. He smiled, awkwardly, still embarrassed at himself, and nodded. "Yeah," he replied, moving towards the bank. However, he dared to try the bank where the water was deeper, wanting to see if he could swim the short distance without panicking or drowning.
It was awkward even to watch, but he was getting the hang of it, slowly but surely. Once he reached the bank, though, he flashed Jaiden the biggest grin the other had ever seen him wear, proud and happy that he had braved one of his two deepest, darkest fears. "Hey, look! I did it!" he proclaimed triumphantly. Those pretty crystal blue eyes glittered and sparkled with delight.
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Post by Jaiden on Jan 27, 2007 22:57:58 GMT -5
It never occurred to Jaiden that he was having a profound, positive impact on someone's life for once. Iodar seemed a million miles away now, and he didn't even have to try not thinking about it - it just happened naturally. He didn't consider himself Aubrey's savior, and he didn't think that much about the fact that he just helped him get over a life-long fear, either. This was more a defense mechanism of his mind than anything else, because as long as he could never convince himself that he was becoming a good person, than he wouldn't feel so bad when those rare moments came around that he gave into vice.
Back on solid ground again, his thoughts switched gears almost instantly; he was no longer thinking of the maternal treatment he was giving Aubrey and, on the same note, the strange physical attraction he felt towards him. Now he just wanted to make sure that they didn't have to sleep on this same ground. "No peeking!" he growled playfully while carefully climbing up the bank, reaching for his robes. It was simpler if he just thought of Aubrey as a traveling companion and nothing more, but he seriously doubted how long he could keep that going...
"I hope you feel better. We've got a walk ahead of us, but I guess we can take it a bit slower this time." The prospect of another long stroll wasn't too appealing, but at least they could escape the urgency they'd felt before when they were escaping Iodar this time. The boy wasn't the only one who's appearance the bath had improved, though. With his wet hair sleek and tamed for once, he looked beautiful and much more sincere than before.
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Aubrey
Initiate
.:Look, but don't touch:.
Posts: 215
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Post by Aubrey on Jan 27, 2007 23:55:21 GMT -5
Aubrey flushed deeply and turned, covering himself as he did. As comfortable with Jaiden as he was, he was still very protective of certain parts of his anatomy, in a means that he didn't want those certain parts to be seen, for obvious reasons. Raechen had looked upon him without his consent, and he wanted no one to do so again, let alone touch him without his okay.
"I feel lots better," he said as he donned his tattered clothing once more. Even with the ratty garments that seemed as much made of dirt as the earth itself, Aubrey seemed to glow with a subtle, hidden sort of beauty. As he looked out of the corner of his eye, unsure of whether Jaiden was dressed or not yet, he caught that same gorgeousness in the man that he'd seen before, amplified. He flushed again and hid his smile as he looked away.
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Post by Jaiden on Jan 28, 2007 0:03:07 GMT -5
He wondered idly if the bath alone had to do with Aubrey's appearance, and quickly decided otherwise - his spirits seemed in much better shape now, and that meant more smiles. The kid was lovely (Jaiden was unsure he'd ever be able to admit that to anyone but himself without feeling strange) but he'd never seen anyone sadder than Aubrey when he was trying. Hopefully they could avoid any of that from here on out.
"We'll have to get you some new clothes pretty soon, and I'm not just saying that so I can have fun dressing you up." He grunted softly as he tugged on his boots, beginning to collect and pack his belongings after. "Those look like they could fall off at anytime, and that'd probably offend a Centaur's sensibilities, I'd imagine." Once he made sure everything was securely stowed and in order, he tied his bag shut and stood. "Ready?"
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Aubrey
Initiate
.:Look, but don't touch:.
Posts: 215
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Post by Aubrey on Jan 28, 2007 0:16:55 GMT -5
Aubrey nodded, flushing again and biting his lip. He didn't want to be a bother! Jaiden had done a lot for him as it were, and now he was speaking of getting Aubrey new clothes.. Granted, the teen would rather much like something new to wear, being as these were not the original clothes he was wearing, even! Those had been ripped to shreads..
"Ah.. Y-yeah.." he said, standing as well and biting his lip. "You don't have to worry about clothes for me.. I-I mean, I'm grateful that you're concerned, but.. I think these will last me for at least a bit longer.."
He was embarrassed for two reasons. One, he was modest and timid as hell, and two, he didn't like turning down or accepting offers. Although freedom had been one he'd accepted without qualm, he was beginning to worry that he would be the indirect end to Jaiden.. Like he had been with Loran..
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Post by Jaiden on Jan 28, 2007 0:22:20 GMT -5
"Even if they do last..." Jaiden's voice trailed off and he bit his lip gently, trying hard not to finish that sentence. He could tell Aubrey that he would be embarassed to be seen with someone dressed the way he was (he hated clothes that were dirty or ugly, and his were both), or he could do the polite thing and resist. In the end, he shook the thought, hard as it was. Sometimes he could be honest when he really shouldn't be, and it was a problem he had struggled with for a while. "Well, maybe I just want to do something nice for you, hm? It'll be my money, anyway. I can spend it how I like." He raised an eyebrow at Aubrey, almost as if in challenge, before heading off towards the edge of the forest.
"Come on. We can argue about this while we're on the road. The sooner we leave, the sooner we get there."
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Aubrey
Initiate
.:Look, but don't touch:.
Posts: 215
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Post by Aubrey on Jan 28, 2007 13:28:08 GMT -5
Aubrey stared at Jaiden for a moment, shocked and somehow unsure of what to say or do. There was no room for argument, not after that statement, and he knew it full well, because Jaiden was right. It was his money, and he could spend it how he liked. The teen flushed and followed, feeling somehow unsure of himself now. Had he offended Jaiden..? He wasn't sure..
While Jaiden was as kind as they got (at least, to Aubrey he was), Aubrey had trouble figuring him out. Most people were easy to read, and Aubrey was no professional. Hell, he wasn't even aware that he was reading people when predicting how they'd react to things. He was just always trying to be polite and not piss anyone off. Yet now, he found that he was not sure if he had or had not pissed Jaiden off.. He certainly hoped he hadn't!
"I'm sorry.." he said shyly, finding himself once again in the bad habit of blaming himself for everything and taking things too seriously as always.
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