[The Raster Market] Break The Ice [Syllke]

[Vanos Strongarm]

"Don't know if Izurdin has lover. Izurdin is very patient, very smart. Isur pray to him during hard times - vhen they want strength or seek patience. He vill help, and guide, as he helped guide Sultros to save Isurs from Valterrian." Vanos stood there as he watched Syllke work expertly on the shirt and adjust the fabric as if it were liquid metal. The way that he held the needle in his teeth made Vanos wonder if he would be able to hold certain blacksmith tools in his mouth; if the rest of the bones in his body were nearly-unbreakable, would his teeth also count in that realm of durability? He didn't want to bite down on an anvil to truly test this question, however. The string that went around his arm to measure for size (he assumed) caught him off guard and he watched curiously as the Vantha moved about his arm easily and rapidly. The little tug on his ear made the Isur blush - instead of his cheeks going red, they grew a darker shade of grey as the blood rushed to his cheeks - and he averted his gaze away from Syllke and tried to think about what was the last thing that he said. "Symmetry, no. Isur not symmetric, so symmetry not important." He grinned and held out both arms, not flexing either of them. Even in this relaxed state it was obvious the size difference between the two of them. "But vest vill vork good. Anything you do, vill be perfect. Hands fast. Smart. Experienced. I trust your decision." He gave just the smallest little smile as his eyes coyly peeked back to the Vantha on the bed.

[Syllke Skyglow]

Syllke listened, though Vanos’ lack of mastery of common, and perhaps some natural Isur reticence, made the telling of Izurdin’s love life a short one. He looked up from his sewing, and patted the bed, right next to him. “If you sit right here, in the middle, I don’t think the bed will pop up like it did before.” He laughed at the doubtful look on the Isur’s face. “Don’t worry – I don’t bite – honestly.” Vanos stepped to the bed and very cautiously sat. Though the mattress sagged a good bit, it all held true. Syllke nudged the Isur with his shoulder, looking sideways at him and smiling. “See? You didn’t break it. Not yet, anyway.” He resumed his stitching, and as the needle ran in and out of the fabric, Syllke began to sing a little tune. In Vani, it told a somewhat sleepy tale of a maiden and her lover, but Syllke sang it just to occupy himself and Vanos as he finished up his work. It actually look several rounds of the same song to get everything in shape, but finally he was done. Tying the last knot, he said, “There. Done. Try it on.” Vanos took the shirt turned vest and stood once more, slipping it easily over his shoulders. Syllke stood and fussed a bit over it, pulling at it here and there until he somehow achieved whatever result he was going for. Finally, he placed a hand on each of the massive, rock hard shoulders and smiled down into Vanos’ face, raising one eyebrow. “Well, what do you think?” His hand slid down to the bulging, left bicep, and he gripped it gently, stepping back to take a look from another perspective. “I think you look very handsome in it, my friend. Even if I do say so myself.” Feeling the coolness of the Isur, his flesh being like that of a chilly stone, Syllke asked impulsively, “Is all of your body like this? So cool to the touch? And so hard?” He was, to tell the truth, very curious about Vanos. He wondered what it would be like to kiss those dove grey lips. Would they be hard as stone too? His other hand moved to Vanos’ chest, and he tapped the flesh there with his fingers. “Like this?”

[Vanos Strongarm]

The song that the Vantha sand reminded Vanos of the times that he heard other Isurian blacksmiths hum a tune while they worked. He never observed many of his own clan sing such songs, as they were more preoccupied with fighting than they were in perfecting their use of the forge. It was one that Vanos could find himself easily falling asleep to, a song that was peaceful and just let his mind ease into a deep and heavy slumber. With the shirt firmly around his body once more, Vanos smiled as he looked up to Syllke and gave a nod of his head in approval. The fit of the shirt and the vest was perfect; it allowed his arms to move unhindered while the bulk of his body could twist and bend without the shirt bunching up and getting in the way of his body. Perhaps he could be like a "normal" blacksmith and keep his shirt on while he was at the forge with his hands deep in the fires. "Fit, good. Good making." Vanos said with a nod of his head and a big smile up to Syllke. The question about his skin was one that caught Vanos off guard, much like the little tug to his ear just seconds ago. By the silence and lack of acknowledgement from the Vantha, Vanos was confident that his little blush went completely unnoticed. His lips were prepared to answer, in his best Common, to the question but the hand that managed to slip against the dip of the neckline of the shirt made the words get stuck in his throat. If the Vantha's delicate fingers could feel through the strong flesh, they would feel the increase in his heartbeat. Vanos looked back up to Syllke and pulled his attention away from the hand against his hard and rock-like chest. He gave a soft smile as he shook his head from side to side. "N-Not all body hard and cold. Thick skin vhere Isur more likely to get hurt. Not all is hard and like rock," Vanos placed his hand over Syllke's and in the big and wide palm of the Isurian's hand, the Vantha would feel the first intense warmth from Vanos' body. While his fingers were cooler to the touch, much like the middle of his chest, his palm was warm. "S-Sleeping vith Isur not like sleeping vith rock. Isur very varm body, very insulated." He said as he pulled his hand back after it had physically engulfed the Vantha's hand. He brought both big hands to the middle of his torso and idly fidgeted his fingers as the muscles from his thick wrist up to his strong shoulders rippled with muscle movement under the thick flesh. With both hands together in front of him, it made Vanos' chest appear thicker and broader as he felt the soft tendrils of Syllke's fingers pull back. He looked back up to Syllke as if he had something wrong and had a serious frown on his face as he wondered what sort of Denvali custom he had just broken.

[Syllke Skyglow]

Vanos’ hand was warm against Syllke’s, though it only lay over his for a brief moment. Syllke considered the information that the Isur shared and then pulled his hand away from the cool skin of Vanos’ unyielding chest. For some reason, the Isur seemed a bit non-plussed and was now frowning up at the artist. “I’m glad you like it,” Syllke said simply. “It suits you much better. You have a very grave manner – now your shirt won’t detract from that.” He paused, looking down at Vanos, who was about ten inches shorter than himself, and almost twice as broad. What an odd pair they made, though Syllke himself was only vaguely aware of this. After a moment, where it was clear he was deliberating some matter in his mind, he spoke again. “You don’t owe me anything for the vest – my work is my gift to you. But . . . would you be willing to do me a favor? Would you – would you sit for me? So I can sketch you? And maybe – do a carving? Not all at once, of course. Today – I would just like to draw you – and . . . “ His eyes roamed over this extraordinary body, resting particularly on the one massive, left arm. “And, would you let me feel you – feel your muscles? It would help, when I did the carving.” Syllke shrugged. “My fingers – they are like part of my vision – it’s almost as if they too can see. So I like to be able to touch what I’m going to carve. Maybe that sounds a bit odd.”

[Vanos Strongarm]

Vanos paused for a moment and wondered exactly what it meant that he had manners like something or someone that was a grave. Did that mean that they thought he was dirty or death-like with his response and attitude towards other people? The look of confusion on his face didn't change one little bit as he misinterpreted the words from Syllke but he decided to move along with the rest of the conversation and the question that Syllke had for him. The Vantha needed to touch him in order to understand and see him better? It was an interesting concept and one that Vanos didn't quite understand, but before he could properly think about what he was committing too he nodded his head to Syllke as he looked down to the shirt that was snug around his body then back up to the Vantha with a little grin, trying to break that dirty and death-like manners that he said he had. "I keep clothes on vhen you touch? Vhat all do you have to touch?" Vanos said curiously as he reached out his hand and gently ran his rough and thick fingers against the Vantha's arm. In comparison to what Syllke said he could feel with his fingers, Vanos felt very little detail that he couldn't already see of the delicate arm. As his fingers got to the Vantha's wrist, they almost paralleled the width of his wrist and Vanos chuckled softly as he pulled his hand back. "Not veird request," Vanos said with a shake of his head. "You vork differently than Isur. Differently than humans. Everyone has different vay of making things vork, and if you have to touch, you touch." He nodded his head at this and didn't at all seem uncomfortable with the idea, and the fact that he had just blushed moments before with a simple tug to his ear - but Vanos was ignoring that incident and blocking out what possible consequences there might be to Syllke running his hands over more than just his ear. "You touch. I sit. You tell me vhat I need to do. Then I do it."

[Syllke Skyglow]

Syllke watched Vanos’ incredibly thick fingers tracing so lightly down his arm, the Isur apparently harboring some curiosity of his own. He gestured towards the bed, as Vanos gave his assent to his request. “Sit here, if you like. I’m sure it’s more comfortable than the chair. And if you take the vest back off, that would be great.” It wasn’t exactly necessary – Syllke was most mesmerized by that one, huge arm, which would have been visible in any case. But he wanted to see that chest again – surely that too needed some monument, some lasting testament to such a show of pure, unadulterated strength. Vanos’ entire physique was fascinating to the young artist. Vanos affably obliged, and was soon enough seated, vest off, and looking vaguely uncertain about what to do with himself. Syllke had fetched a pad of paper and some charcoal, and then stood beside the Isur, looking down at him thoughtfully. After a moment, he set the materials down, and his hand went out, his fingers touching the green hued arm. The sensitive tips ran lightly over bumps and bulges, veins and dips, the stony muscles being in such prominent relief under the cool skin. From there, his hand moved to shoulder, back and then chest, Syllke using both hands to feel that which he desired to render into a creation of his own making. Finally, his fingers met up on the Isur’s neck, sliding around to his throat, gently drawing under Vanos’ chin and tilting his head up a fraction. Syllke smiled down at his newest friend. “Thank you,” he said, softly. "I've never felt anything like you before." Taking up his paper and pencils, he crossed to the chair, sat and with pad on knees, and began to sketch, looking back and forth from subject to drawing. He used several sheets of paper, and after about half an hour, he finally set all aside. Stretching prodigiously, he said, “OK, that’s enough for now. I think I’ve got what I need – you can move now.” He laughed. “Hope that wasn’t too bad.”

[Vanos Strongarm]

Vanos wasn't chaste when it came to physical contact, but the way that Syllke moved around his body Vanos felt like he was a hormonal teenager once more (at least, the Isurian version.) His face grew slightly darker as he blushed and felt those fingers against the larger, green-hued arm and grew even darker as those fingers trailed over his broad shoulders and the two mountains of strength of his chest. When Syllke's fingers gently grazed past the more sensitive part of his pectorals, Vanos stiffened his posture and let out a soft grunt as Syllke kept on moving then retreated back to his seat. He didn't move one muscle, other than to breath, while he sat there for Syllke. The Isur watched him curiously as he did his craft, did the one of many things that the Vantha was very good at. To Vanos, in a matter of minutes Syllke was finished with the drawing and appeared quite proud of himself for what he created. "Isur like rocks, but rocks that feel and rocks that move. Not so foreign." He said with a grin as he reached over for his vest. Vanos shook his head as he held the garments in his hand and smiled over to Syllke and gave an impassive shrug. "Not bad, easy. You had hard job of drawing rock vith face," Vanos looked down to his hands for a moment then back over to Syllke. "Hands not good for drawing, for delicate things. I know of few Isur artists, but they from different clans with smaller hands. They made to draw. To paint. To do delicate things." Vanos smirked at himself as he raised his left hand in front of him with a grin and looked at the fat fingers attached to the huge palm of his hand. "Vanos made for strength. For hard vork. For fighting and for defending Sultros from enemies." He kept his hand there as he looked back to Syllke with a raised brow. "Not made for drawing or sewing."

[Syllke Skyglow]

Syllke smiled easily, standing to put away his drawing and his paper. He crossed to Vanos. “I can see that – you look like you could move a mountain. I bet they’d love to have you working on that road – you could just smash your way through all that rock.” He chuckled. “Come on. I’ve worked up a thirst. Let’s go to the Stranger and flirt with Lena.” Vanos nodded his assent, and with his newly refitted vest, followed Syllke from the room. Le Fin

[Legion]

Thread Award Vanos Skills Negotiation +2, Persuasion +1, Interrogation +3, Rhetoric +3, Observation +1 Lore Vantha Culture (Basic), Vantha's Relation to Morwen Syllke Skills Observation +2, Persuasion +1, Sewing +2, Storytelling +3, Singing +1, Drawing +1 Lore Isurian Physical Traits (Basic), Izurdin (Basic) Comments Y'all write a beautiful story. Wonderfully done as always. Feel free to PM me with any questions or requests.