"Coming right up." Max takes on the air of a bartender, making a little show of pulling out the milk, tossing two glasses expertly between hands, and then filling them both before sliding one down to Marcus.
He laughs at his own silliness and then leans forward to snatch up a cookie for himself. Can't have milk without the cookie.
"Thanks. We've really tricked it out over this year. Rowan's the real star, though. Running out of room for all their art. Might have to open up a gallery next." (That one of the boobs was a Christmas gift not from Rowan, but Max does treasure it so.)
"So, how are you settling in? People been treating you okay?"
Marcus grins at the show, catching his glass and lifting it in a mock-toast before dunking his cookie. "Yeah, they're really good. I saw some of their work at the party, we chatted a bit. They're really good."
He took another bite of his cookie as he considered the question. "I don't think I've met a nicer community. People really do seem to want to help out and give a hand to the needy." Marcus, it must be noted, is still wearing the linen pants that the new arrivals get, though he's picked up a black t-shirt somewhere that at least makes it look more like he's wearing scrubs and less like he's wandering around in pyjamas. "It's actually kind of unsettling."
"Oh, that's great. I'm glad you two got the chance." He gives a fond look around at the wallpaper of sketches.
"A little hard to believe, at first, I know. Believe me, it was a big change from where I came from too." That said, Max is ever so tempted to offer the guy a pair of proper slacks instead of those newbie ones.
"If you think about it, though, it makes some sense. If the goal is to get into each other's pants as often as possible, then being nice to each other seems like the natural thing to do, huh?" Maybe that's a cynical way of looking at it. Especially because that was never Max's main motivation.
"Or, you have people like me and some others here where life at home was a whole hell of a lot worse, and being here feels like a gift. That makes me want to make it the best place possible for other's too."
"I mean, there are good people at home. Really good people, trying their best in a world that ain't all that friendly." Marcus doesn't want to give the impression that his world is a hellhole, even if his own life is... not the most cheerful.
"I dunno, I haven't gotten the impression it's all about the pants." He chuckles. "Maybe your second one's closer. Or maybe it's just because there's no overpowering need to be an arse. No resources to fight over, no land to claim. We're all on more or less the same footing. It's easy to be kind." And that's not a bad thing. The world would be a better place if kindness was easier to reach for more people. He smiles at Max. "Which doesn't make it any less worthwhile. I can tell you really put in the effort."
"There are good people in my world too. Sorry, not trying to imply otherwise at all. You take the good and the bad, right?" Max just figures the two of them have probably seen a lot of bad given their professions.
"Could be. All of us got here the same way and we arrived with nothing. That's humbling. And when all your needs are accommodated and they hold out a promise to you that you can have anything, perfect health, even magic, well..." he shrugs. Yes. It is easy to be kind. Which doesn't make it any less meaningful. There are still a few people who stubbornly resist it, even here.
"Thank you. I care a lot about the people here. But, a little bit of it is selfish, too. I didn't have much in the way of friends for a long time. I'm enjoying that change. That party was... something I'd never be able to have if I wasn't here."
He clears his throat. "Ah, sorry. I'm starting to get all weepy. No need to bring the mood down like that. Besides," he winks at Marcus, "I actually do really enjoy the uh... mission statement of this place. So many pants to get into, so little time. And I'm not at all picky~"
"No, no, I've got you." Marcus has seen... a lot of bad. He tries to find the good where he can - the love of a mother, a nun giving him a theological smack upside the head, a priest passionate enough to get under his skin. It doesn't outweigh the bad, but it gives him enough ammunition to fight it.
"I dunno if you can reckon loving your friends as being properly selfish. Sounds a bit dodgy to me, you might have to accept you're just nice." He grins at him and licks a bit of chocolate off his lip.
Max's wink makes him laugh, then look down, a bit... is it bashful? Marcus? Possibly. "And then there's me, who doesn't even know where to start. Apparently a lifetime of celibacy isn't that easy to get away from."
Nott reaches up to squeeze his hand once, briefly, before leading the way to her room. The room has that newbie bareness to it, no personal touches to make it homey yet. Nott scrambles up onto the bed and gestures in invitation.
"You probably wanna sit down? I want to -- there's a lot, I'm not sure where to start, but it'll probably take a minute."
Max sighs theatrically. "I guess." But, he can't keep a smile from splitting his face. He likes being called nice.
That reaction from Marcus sure has caught his interest, though. Max is tempted to tease him as revenge for the charcoal burgers. But, then there's also something too vulnerable about it. Too sincere for Max to pick on.
"No, I imagine that's a pretty big change too."
Max considers it a moment. He likes Marcus. Likes him a lot. But, perhaps Marcus isn't, well, into men. He's catholic after all. Always a risk. But what harm is there in gently offering? If Marcus would even want to trust him with being his first.
"I guess the most immediate questions I'd start with are... do you want to have sex? And, with who?"
Max frowns slightly as he looks around. Shit. Does this mean she lost everything she had before? Maybe he needs to offer to get a few things back for her. But later. They could talk about that later.
For now, he lays himself out on the bed, making a show of getting comfortable as a way to try and convince her that, really, he doesn't mind being here for however long she wants or needs him.
"Take it slow. Collect your thoughts. I'll be just fine, I promise."
Marcus glances up, his smile crooked. "Oh, I've got a pretty good idea of my own tastes and all that. I've been looking at the menu, I just haven't ordered."
He's plucking at his pant leg, staring at the tattoo on his right hand - a double circle, or close enough. "I mean, obviously it hasn't been easy, the Church isn't a fan of homosexuality but they were kind of past the return policy on me by the time I figured all that out. And I haven't broken my vows." Ugh, he's rambling. He shakes his head and looks ruefully at Max. "Sorry, I don't mean to let it all out on you."
Max chuckles softly. Looking at the menu, that's a good one. And there's some relief for Max too to find out he's on that menu. Though, his expression turns sympathetic as he imagines what grief that might have been for the man.
"Hey, it's okay. I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to listen. It'll stay just between us; you don't have to worry about that."
He slides his hand forward on the table, offering it out palm up for Marcus.
"When I first got here I had some issues to work through too. Not the same kind as you. But, they were related to sex. My friends here have been instrumental in helping me through it. And I'm so grateful to them. I'd also be happy to help you, too. I can follow their example."
"Pay it forward, huh?" He eyes Max's hand and puts his own bony, slightly charcoal-smudged one out to rest on it lightly. The contact is warm and... strange. He doesn't touch a lot of people, not like this.
"I know most priests don't get ordained until, uh, late twenties, early thirties. They get a chance to get some experimentation in. I got my collar when I was eighteen, I was on a bit of a... non-traditional route. So, not so much of a chance to sow my wild oats." He huffs a bit. "Which is a very roundabout way of saying I've never had a chance to, uh, pop my cherry." He knows that's not a thing for men, he's done the reading. It's just strange to straight up say he's a virgin.
She gives him a crooked smile as she settles in cross-legged, then looks down at her lap, smoothing her hands over her trousers while she thinks it through.
"I guess ... the place to start is ... I've kept a lot of secrets. For a long time. From everyone. But things back home changed, a lot of stuff, so."
Deep breath.
"So, I'm Nott. I'm a goblin. But I wasn't always. Once upon a time I was a halfling girl named Veth. --Wait." Derailed! "Do you know what a halfling is?"
Max's hand gently closes on Marcus's. His palm is callused from lifting weights consistently, but his fingers are otherwise smooth. He could almost be a hand model.
At that admission, Max gives him a warm squeeze. "You don't need to be embarrassed about that. Although, it makes a lot of sense why you would be struggling with this now. Some people attach a lot of value to their first time."
She had another identity too? He's still registering surprise on his face at the first revelation when she hits him with that question.
"O-oh, uh. No. I can make an educated guess, but I could be wrong." He wouldn't want to mistakenly assume her world's version is the same as, say, a hobbit.
"God, fuck yes. Please." Rowan says, clinging to Max for a moment. Yes, that's exactly what they want, to curl up into him and just ignore the rest of the world for a while. It's so easy to do that with their face tucked into him, held safely in his strong arms, why would they want anything else?
...Actually, there's one other thing they'd like. Soft fingers wiggle against his hip, pulling his shirt out enough to dip under it, stroking round to the bottom button and playing with it. "Clothes off?" They add, hopefully.
"Okay, well, we're like humans, but shorter and better at stuff." She sighs. "I wish I could show you, but I don't have my spells back yet. The real point is that -- it's not just that I don't feel like a goblin. I wasn't one."
"Okay." He nods, accepting the explanation easily. He should probably ask more about that later but it seems less important at the moment.
"That puts some of the things you've told me in a different context, for sure. It makes a lot of sense. But... did you know this the whole time?" Because it never sounded like it before.
She's always made it sound more like it was a struggle with something undefinable. Unless that was part of a cover? Part of the secrets she said she's been keeping?
Nott looks, and sounds, embarrassed; her ears are down and back like a guilty dog's.
"I don't really have -- a good reason for not telling people," she continues. "Except that it's just so, it's so messy. And here, in some ways, I guess, it's easier to just be Nott than think about being Veth. Because Veth is -- I'm -- well," she says, wincing like she's preparing to look into a bright light with a terrible hangover, "I'm married."
Max listening to her explanation is readying to tell her it's okay and that he understands, given how he's hidden his previous identity to plenty of people too. But that flies right out the window when she drops that final bombshell.
"W-what?" The question drops out of his mouth before he can think twice about it.
She's married. To... presumably someone in her own world. Which would make the things they've done together pretty awkward if that person showed up. But, okay, maybe he's getting ahead of himself. Was it a bad marriage? Did she become Nott to get away from it?
He lets out a slow breath and calmly looks at her. "I'll uh... go ahead and let you explain before I launch into the about one-hundred or so questions I have."
Yyyyeah that was kind of the reaction Nott was bracing for. It's good of him to calm himself down, though.
"Okay, um, well, stop me if I lose you." Deep breaths, girlfriend.
"So. His name's Yeza." There's an unmistakable softness to the way she says his name: whatever other emotions are at play here, she loves this person. "We grew up in Felderwin, small town, and -- well, the short version is, we were both a little weird. I was this strange girl everyone made fun of, but he never minded. And he's very very smart! An alchemist. Little bit nerdy.
"And we got close, and, you know, we got married. Opened up his apothecary. Had a baby. Luc, he's about -- four, now, I think?"
THE HITS KEEP COMING. She hurries on rather than linger too much on the second bombshell of also I have a kid.
"But this all happened a couple years ago, when he was still very small. We had a hard winter that year. Everyone in town was struggling, making it work. But there was this goblin clan that lived outside town, and with how bad it had gotten, they started to raid us. They hit the town again and again and -- one day, they took us. The three of us."
She pauses for a moment here, glancing up at Max, chewing on her lip. Still with her?
"I never thought I'd have one, you know. And I was fine with that, honestly, at least most of the time. I... it was really important to me to keep my vows. I promised." The last part comes out more vulnerable, softer than he'd have liked. He'd made a promise to God and that was the most important promise that he could think of - God wasn't just some far off, remote figure to him. Marcus had seen Him. Marcus had heard Him. Nothing else could measure up to that.
And of course there was the consideration that if he'd broken his vows, every demon he ever met would throw it in his face. It was a weakness he couldn't afford. Sure, he'd had moments of temptation, who didn't? But the resistance of them was the part that mattered.
"I suppose this is how a bird feels, when you let it out of its cage outside. No bloody idea where to go, or what that big open space above it is." He chuckled, squeezing Max's hand. It is a nice hand. Big, warm, friendly. Like Max himself.
Max places his other hand on top of Marcus's. That vulnerability really tugs at him, makes him want to pull the man in for a hug instead.
"This is a big change. And it's happening pretty fast. It's obvious your vows have been a really important part of who you are. And for so long.
"I know you've been released from them now, but it really sounds like that wasn't a choice you willingly made. So, maybe the key for you is the choice. You can make this one for yourself. And you shouldn't let the Fae force it on you. If you need things with favor, I've got a lot I can spare. If it gives you time to decide, then I'm happy to help."
Marcus takes a deep breath. He's still not quite looking at Max, though he darts the occasional half-anxious glance like he's expecting to get yelled at or cut off. "Yeah. I... I wouldn't have given it up. It was... hard, for a while." That was putting it mildly. "But I never wanted excommunication. It's... all that I was. I wasn't anything else." He'd been the Church's weapon, aimed at the demons, and that had been fine. He'd had a purpose and that was all he needed. "I was the gun, and the Church was the hand." He pulls his hand away to show the double circle tattoo - not just circles when you look at it closely, but the business end of a gun barrel, a faded stick-and-poke piece he did himself years before.
While he has his hand free he'll grab another cookie. Carbs are good. "I'm not gonna let them force me. If I want to get laid, I'll manage it somehow." His smile's a bit watery and more than a bit sardonic, but it's real enough. "There's... a couple of things I might want. But it's nothing urgent. You don't need to put yourself out for me."
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2021-07-22 11:53 pm (UTC)He laughs at his own silliness and then leans forward to snatch up a cookie for himself. Can't have milk without the cookie.
"Thanks. We've really tricked it out over this year. Rowan's the real star, though. Running out of room for all their art. Might have to open up a gallery next." (That one of the boobs was a Christmas gift not from Rowan, but Max does treasure it so.)
"So, how are you settling in? People been treating you okay?"
(no subject)
Date: 2021-07-23 12:35 am (UTC)He took another bite of his cookie as he considered the question. "I don't think I've met a nicer community. People really do seem to want to help out and give a hand to the needy." Marcus, it must be noted, is still wearing the linen pants that the new arrivals get, though he's picked up a black t-shirt somewhere that at least makes it look more like he's wearing scrubs and less like he's wandering around in pyjamas. "It's actually kind of unsettling."
(no subject)
Date: 2021-07-23 01:06 am (UTC)"A little hard to believe, at first, I know. Believe me, it was a big change from where I came from too." That said, Max is ever so tempted to offer the guy a pair of proper slacks instead of those newbie ones.
"If you think about it, though, it makes some sense. If the goal is to get into each other's pants as often as possible, then being nice to each other seems like the natural thing to do, huh?" Maybe that's a cynical way of looking at it. Especially because that was never Max's main motivation.
"Or, you have people like me and some others here where life at home was a whole hell of a lot worse, and being here feels like a gift. That makes me want to make it the best place possible for other's too."
(no subject)
Date: 2021-07-23 01:21 am (UTC)"I dunno, I haven't gotten the impression it's all about the pants." He chuckles. "Maybe your second one's closer. Or maybe it's just because there's no overpowering need to be an arse. No resources to fight over, no land to claim. We're all on more or less the same footing. It's easy to be kind." And that's not a bad thing. The world would be a better place if kindness was easier to reach for more people. He smiles at Max. "Which doesn't make it any less worthwhile. I can tell you really put in the effort."
(no subject)
Date: 2021-07-23 01:47 am (UTC)"Could be. All of us got here the same way and we arrived with nothing. That's humbling. And when all your needs are accommodated and they hold out a promise to you that you can have anything, perfect health, even magic, well..." he shrugs. Yes. It is easy to be kind. Which doesn't make it any less meaningful. There are still a few people who stubbornly resist it, even here.
"Thank you. I care a lot about the people here. But, a little bit of it is selfish, too. I didn't have much in the way of friends for a long time. I'm enjoying that change. That party was... something I'd never be able to have if I wasn't here."
He clears his throat. "Ah, sorry. I'm starting to get all weepy. No need to bring the mood down like that. Besides," he winks at Marcus, "I actually do really enjoy the uh... mission statement of this place. So many pants to get into, so little time. And I'm not at all picky~"
(no subject)
Date: 2021-07-23 01:56 am (UTC)"I dunno if you can reckon loving your friends as being properly selfish. Sounds a bit dodgy to me, you might have to accept you're just nice." He grins at him and licks a bit of chocolate off his lip.
Max's wink makes him laugh, then look down, a bit... is it bashful? Marcus? Possibly. "And then there's me, who doesn't even know where to start. Apparently a lifetime of celibacy isn't that easy to get away from."
(no subject)
Date: 2021-07-23 02:11 am (UTC)That reaction from Marcus sure has caught his interest, though. Max is tempted to tease him as revenge for the charcoal burgers. But, then there's also something too vulnerable about it. Too sincere for Max to pick on.
"No, I imagine that's a pretty big change too."
Max considers it a moment. He likes Marcus. Likes him a lot. But, perhaps Marcus isn't, well, into men. He's catholic after all. Always a risk. But what harm is there in gently offering? If Marcus would even want to trust him with being his first.
"I guess the most immediate questions I'd start with are... do you want to have sex? And, with who?"
(no subject)
Date: 2021-07-23 02:17 am (UTC)For now, he lays himself out on the bed, making a show of getting comfortable as a way to try and convince her that, really, he doesn't mind being here for however long she wants or needs him.
"Take it slow. Collect your thoughts. I'll be just fine, I promise."
(no subject)
Date: 2021-07-23 02:25 am (UTC)He's plucking at his pant leg, staring at the tattoo on his right hand - a double circle, or close enough. "I mean, obviously it hasn't been easy, the Church isn't a fan of homosexuality but they were kind of past the return policy on me by the time I figured all that out. And I haven't broken my vows." Ugh, he's rambling. He shakes his head and looks ruefully at Max. "Sorry, I don't mean to let it all out on you."
(no subject)
Date: 2021-07-23 02:37 am (UTC)"Hey, it's okay. I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to listen. It'll stay just between us; you don't have to worry about that."
He slides his hand forward on the table, offering it out palm up for Marcus.
"When I first got here I had some issues to work through too. Not the same kind as you. But, they were related to sex. My friends here have been instrumental in helping me through it. And I'm so grateful to them. I'd also be happy to help you, too. I can follow their example."
(no subject)
Date: 2021-07-23 03:19 am (UTC)"I know most priests don't get ordained until, uh, late twenties, early thirties. They get a chance to get some experimentation in. I got my collar when I was eighteen, I was on a bit of a... non-traditional route. So, not so much of a chance to sow my wild oats." He huffs a bit. "Which is a very roundabout way of saying I've never had a chance to, uh, pop my cherry." He knows that's not a thing for men, he's done the reading. It's just strange to straight up say he's a virgin.
(no subject)
Date: 2021-07-23 03:42 am (UTC)Max's hand gently closes on Marcus's. His palm is callused from lifting weights consistently, but his fingers are otherwise smooth. He could almost be a hand model.
At that admission, Max gives him a warm squeeze. "You don't need to be embarrassed about that. Although, it makes a lot of sense why you would be struggling with this now. Some people attach a lot of value to their first time."
(no subject)
Date: 2021-07-23 05:58 pm (UTC)"O-oh, uh. No. I can make an educated guess, but I could be wrong." He wouldn't want to mistakenly assume her world's version is the same as, say, a hobbit.
"What is a halfling?"
(no subject)
Date: 2021-07-23 07:08 pm (UTC)...Actually, there's one other thing they'd like. Soft fingers wiggle against his hip, pulling his shirt out enough to dip under it, stroking round to the bottom button and playing with it. "Clothes off?" They add, hopefully.
(no subject)
Date: 2021-07-23 08:36 pm (UTC)"That puts some of the things you've told me in a different context, for sure. It makes a lot of sense. But... did you know this the whole time?" Because it never sounded like it before.
She's always made it sound more like it was a struggle with something undefinable. Unless that was part of a cover? Part of the secrets she said she's been keeping?
(no subject)
Date: 2021-07-24 12:45 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2021-07-25 08:18 pm (UTC)"W-what?" The question drops out of his mouth before he can think twice about it.
She's married. To... presumably someone in her own world. Which would make the things they've done together pretty awkward if that person showed up. But, okay, maybe he's getting ahead of himself. Was it a bad marriage? Did she become Nott to get away from it?
He lets out a slow breath and calmly looks at her. "I'll uh... go ahead and let you explain before I launch into the about one-hundred or so questions I have."
(no subject)
Date: 2021-07-26 03:33 pm (UTC)And of course there was the consideration that if he'd broken his vows, every demon he ever met would throw it in his face. It was a weakness he couldn't afford. Sure, he'd had moments of temptation, who didn't? But the resistance of them was the part that mattered.
"I suppose this is how a bird feels, when you let it out of its cage outside. No bloody idea where to go, or what that big open space above it is." He chuckled, squeezing Max's hand. It is a nice hand. Big, warm, friendly. Like Max himself.
(no subject)
Date: 2021-07-26 05:27 pm (UTC)"This is a big change. And it's happening pretty fast. It's obvious your vows have been a really important part of who you are. And for so long.
"I know you've been released from them now, but it really sounds like that wasn't a choice you willingly made. So, maybe the key for you is the choice. You can make this one for yourself. And you shouldn't let the Fae force it on you. If you need things with favor, I've got a lot I can spare. If it gives you time to decide, then I'm happy to help."
(no subject)
Date: 2021-07-26 06:14 pm (UTC)While he has his hand free he'll grab another cookie. Carbs are good. "I'm not gonna let them force me. If I want to get laid, I'll manage it somehow." His smile's a bit watery and more than a bit sardonic, but it's real enough. "There's... a couple of things I might want. But it's nothing urgent. You don't need to put yourself out for me."