The next morning, Jason felt much better, although very hungry. Luckily, there was plenty of food. He got up and stiffly moved over to the table to sit down, then took a large serving of sweet bread pudding to eat. There was also some form of hot tea on the table, but Jason didn't much care for the idea of more tea quite yet. He ate half his food quietly, then glanced at Char, who was stretching out her wings and examining them a few feet away.
"Where are Genhyl and Alexei?" he asked her.
*Alexei has a meeting with the Council this morning, and Genhyl went to find out about a bath,* Char answered, reaching up to preen one of her feathers with her teeth.
"Oh," Jason responded, not quite needing to hear the words 'Genhyl' and 'bath' in the same sentence this morning. He finished his breakfast in silence, looking up only when Genhyl entered the room. The L'mdanan's soft hair was still wet and plastered to his face in places. Jason averted his gaze, suddenly feeling discomfited.
"There's a bath drawn for you, er, if you feel like it," Genhyl said, avoiding looking at Jason and nodding toward the door, where the white-winged Azalai waited.
"Uh, right," Jason said, getting up and following the Azalai out of the room without looking back. When he was gone, Char looked at Genhyl.
*You're never going to get anywhere with my bondmate if you continue on this way,* Char told him mischievously.
"What?" Genhyl asked, looking a bit startled.
*Jason is never going to decide anything unless you press the issue. I know him. He'll just wait quietly to see if it will go away.* Char reasoned innocently.
Genhyl turned and stared at her. "What exactly are you suggesting?" he demanded.
*Well, let's just say if I were you, I would insist that Jason at least consider the offer,* she said in a suggestive manner.
Genhyl stared at her in disbelief, but Char studiously ignored him, pretending to be preoccupied by the state of her feathers.
Later that day, the three were still waiting.
"I wonder how long it will be before the Gods summon us," Jason said aloud, trying to fill the strained silence that seemed to be plaguing them today. It didn't help that Char was once again curled up, asleep. Or pretending to be, at least, Jason thought in annoyance. If he didn't know better, he would swear she was doing this on purpose. He turned back to pace in the other direction, taking slow, ambling steps.
"The Gods run on their own time," Genhyl answered. He was standing against one of the walls nearby, manicuring his claws. After another moment of silence, he spoke again. "Jason... about what you asked me yesterday..."
Jason turned to look at Genhyl, then rather abruptly turned away. He crossed the room, moving away from the L'mdanan and running a hand nervously through his hair. Haven't done that in a while, he realised, lowering his hand and tightening it into a fist to keep it from nervously fiddling.
"Genhyl, I just... don't know," Jason said, keeping his back to Genhyl and staring at the wall directly in front of him. "I mean, I just haven't really considered it... I didn't even notice anything was weird until yesterday." Jason paused, at a loss. "I just... I don't know what to think."
"Let me help you to decide then," Genhyl said from close by, making Jason jump. He spun around and found Genhyl less than a foot away. Surprised, the young man backpedaled into the wall; Genhyl quickly closed the gap between them and grabbed his arms. Jason's eyes nervously flicked over Genhyl's shoulder to Char, who still appeared to be sleeping.
Char, I could use your help here, he thought at her urgently.
*You're on your own,* she told him sternly without moving from her spot.
Char! Jason reprimanded, growing alarmed, but then he became aware that Genhyl was pushing his arms back against the wall and staring directly into his face, trying to get Jason to meet his eyes. Jason glanced at him and didn't like what he was reading there. It made him feel odd, to say the least. He let his eyes drop to the ground a few feet to his left.
"Jason, look at me," Genhyl growled, narrowing his eyes and tightening his grasp. Jason didn't want to, but he wasn't sure what Genhyl would do if he didn't, and he didn't want to find out. Reluctantly, Jason brought his eyes up to meet Genhyl's.
The L'mdanan held Jason's gaze and leaned in closer. Jason flushed and pressed backward against the wall.
"Genhyl, don't..." he protested.
"Don't what exactly?" Genhyl asked deliberately, increasing the pressure on Jason's arms. Jason felt Genhyl's claws start to dig in and tensed up. His cheeks coloured, and he started mentally to slip into a frozen, panicked state. He couldn't think of a way to react other than freaking out and screaming, and since that really wasn't an option, his mind simply stopped working for a moment.
Genhyl leaned in a bit more, letting his forearms rest on Jason's limbs but still being careful not to completely pin him to the wall. He was trying to gauge Jason's reaction, which was confusing to him. He could see fear in Jason's eyes, but the human wasn't fighting back, and he didn't reiterate his refusal of Genhyl's advances.
"Jason, just relax," Genhyl said slowly, letting his words trill slightly and using a calming tone that he often reserved for trapped criminals. "I'm not going to hurt you, or force you to do anything you don't want to, but I have to know how you feel. If you feel nothing for me other than friendship, tell me now, and I will not press the issue."
Jason didn't say anything for a long time, simply staring at Genhyl blankly. His mind began to consider what Genhyl was saying, and his first reaction was to say that he felt nothing, just to get the other male to back off... but that would be a lie. He honestly had no idea what to say.
"I... don't... know..." he repeated stubbornly to the L'mdanan, his eyes suddenly holding a glint of anger. Jason didn't like being forced into a hasty decision, and he was all at once ashamed of allowing the L'mdanan to push him around. Genhyl caught the hint and relaxed his grip on Jason's arms, although he didn't move back to give the human any more room.
"That isn't a definite 'no', and that's good enough for me," Genhyl replied. Then, he inclined his head curiously. "I don't suppose you would care to experiment with the matter?" he asked, completely serious.
Jason realised what he was asking and blushed again, but he didn't say 'no'.
"Close your eyes," Genhyl requested softly, inclining his face closer to Jason's.
Jason took a few unsteady breaths and looked into Genhyl's eyes. He didn't read anything suspicious or dangerous there, only soft, relaxed affection. He obliged nervously and shut his eyes. I shouldn't be doing this, Jason thought in a detached manner, but it was hard to stay detached as Genhyl pressed closer, shifting his arms to the outside of Jason's and sliding his hands up to rest on the human's shoulders. Jason felt the L'mdanan's face draw near to his and, at a slight brush of motion on his lips, flinched back anxiously, resisting the urge to open his eyes in alarm. Genhyl brushed the right side of Jason's face with the back of his hand, waiting until Jason stopped leaning away before trying again. Jason tensed, but didn't move, as Genhyl's lips pressed lightly against his and the L'mdanans fingers slid up to play with his hair. Jason immediately felt warm all over, and there was a flipping sensation in his chest that made him shiver. Genhyl pressed the kiss a bit more heavily before sliding his lips slowly away. He drew his face back and waited for Jason to respond.
Jason didn't open his eyes for a moment, instead unsteadily exhaling the breath he had been holding. He felt light and wobbly, as though something were pressing against his chest, and he couldn't breathe properly. He opened his eyes and found Genhyl waiting.
"Not so bad?" the L'mdanan guessed, searching Jason's eyes for hints.
"No," Jason admitted, his voice faltering slightly. Part of him was still yelling 'no' at the top of its lungs and deriding him for being so easily seduced, but that part was rapidly losing ground to something calmer and warmer.
"Good," Genhyl said, the L'mdanan word trailing off into a purr that Jason could feel as Genhyl inclined toward him and pressed his weight onto Jason's chest. He brought his cheek against Jason's chin and started kissing his neck. Jason felt his pulse surge again as Genhyl slid his arm up to embrace Jason's head and ran his finger's through his hair.
This is crazy, Jason concluded abruptly, starting to feel weak and unstable as guilt and fear took hold again. I should not be doing this! He shuddered a bit as Genhyl caressed his arm with his free hand.
Genhyl wasn't looking at Jason, but he could read the human's body language, and it had made a sudden switch from 'positive excitement' to 'negative stress'. Jason was nearly shivering, and, pulling back a bit, Genhyl could see that he had gone pale.
"Easy... we can stop for now," he told the human in a soothing tone, shifting his weight back and letting his hand fall down to Jason's shoulder.
"...Thanks," Jason responded after a moment, still looking ashen.
What was that? Genhyl asked himself, wondering at Jason's sudden rejection. Maybe he had pushed him too far for today.
After a few more moments, Genhyl spoke again. "You want me to back off?"
Jason hesitated. He felt cold and unsure, and having Genhyl close was comforting, but, at the same time, Jason was uncertain about allowing the other man to linger, afraid he might try to renew his attentions.
"Could we just... stand, like this, for a bit?" Jason questioned.
"Of course," Genhyl said, pleased that Jason wasn't pushing him away entirely. He resisted the urge to toy with the human's hair, as he was afraid this might set Jason off again. Instead, he stood quietly, he eyes on the floor, listening to Jason's breathing become more even again. Suddenly, his ears picked up steps approaching from the corridor. He slid off Jason, giving the other male's shoulder a supportive squeeze as Alexei entered the room.
Char immediately snapped her head up. *How was your meeting with the Council?* she asked Alexei.
"We are recovering from our loses," the M'l'kai said.
*Alexei... I have been meaning to ask you. Why did the Son of the Sun betray us?*
"What?" Alexei demanded in surprise. "Why would you say such a thing?"
*Well, he refused to give us the Amulet of K'dan, and then, yesterday, he wasn't at the meeting...* Char responded.
"The Son of the Sun was slain in the battle against the offworlders," Alexei said solemnly. "He died honorably, regretting his doubt regarding the Sacred Guardians."
Char scrunched her face in confusion. *Then who was the traitor?* she queried.
Alexei's face darkened. "We were betrayed by Azru, from the Temple of Tula'tag," she answered. "There was a group of traitors. One of their number was the woman who attempted to assassinate Jason. The others remained unknown until the battle, feeding information out to the offworlders. They were killed yesterday, in the company of their offworld conspirators."
*Good,* Char growled, glad that some retribution had finally been given, *but the Children of the Future knew about the traitors. Why didn't they warn you?*
"It is for them to decide what is the best course of action. In some cases, the correct course is inaction." Alexei responded simply.
Char grew thoughtful. She didn't like the idea of the Future being so predictable, but she had to admit that things had turned out all right this time. Better than all right on some accounts. *So, how will the Gods summon us?* she asked, changing the subject.
"I do not know. Rest assured, they will find a way."
And when they do, I'll finally get to meet the crazy entities that put me through this mess, Jason thought to himself.
Background from Absolute Background Textures Archive. Storyline and characters created by and copyright © Rachel "Indyana" Gratis, 2001-2004. Dragon from The Temple of Dea.