Devoted Shadow

'Tell me is this where I give it all up? For you I have to risk it all" Affiliated Ja'far - Associated with Niunmei RP Single / Unfated

[textsfromsolomon]

[bararaqx-blog]

[[ Just For Tonight ]] - Event Closed for Sinbad

@sxndbad

He hadn’t planned to go. The letter, and the mask had been a rather interesting gesture, but the Vizier was barely able to tolerate parties thrown by those he considered family, he had no interest in going to one that had no benefit for him as for as socializing on the benefit of making connections and furthering Sin’s business ventures, if everyone was to be masked it wouldn't make a difference what he did....

But Sin had insisted, had told him to go. To wear his mask and to spend a night forgetting everything... While Ja’far had wanted to say no there had been something in Sinbad’s smile, something in the way his eyes seemed to hold a poignant heartache despite the smile on his face as the words had fallen from his lips. Tonight, maybe spend some time being anyone but yourself.

Perhaps he’d been reading into it too deep, but the weight of the ‘argument’ they had shared in the kitchen still hung heavy in his mind and the idea of being not him for a night was more than alluring.

So he found himself, drink in hand, standing in his nicest suit among a crowd of anonymous faces. Silver eyes scanned the room, watching couples dance, and laughter echo louder than the music as he just sighed. Even a night supposed to be anyone but himself was as tiring as it was lonesome. He had spent his childhood wearing a mask, and it seems he was right back in one.

Turning to leave, the Vizier stopped, a tall figure blocking his path. “Excuse me, I’d like to get through...”

[bararaqx-blog]

[[ Morning’s are a B****]] - Sinbad

[sxndbad-blog]

No, this wasn’t right.

All those years trying to stay away, trying to keep him safe… Sinbad did not want all that sacrifice to be in vain. 

But if he continued to keep quiet then he would surely lose him. The one person he cared so much about that he set him apart, tried to keep him away from his own filthy hands that have destroyed, defiled many. The one life he saved from the depths of depravity, hoping that this same life would never have to fall back into that darkness again.

Sinbad took every precaution to keep Ja’far safe and yet… the man himself sought his own destruction. Why?

“Ja’far, wait!”

Sinbad stands up from his seat, migraine be damned. He grabs Ja’far’s arm to prevent him from escaping anytime soon.

“…It’s not… I mean, I’m not rejecting you. It’s all rather complicated but please, you need to know that I… might be feeling the same way.”

[bararaqx-blog]

Mocking him. For all that he had already done to hurt himself, Sinbad had the audacity to mock him further? Unable to help the flinch when the King’s hand closed around his arm he kept his gaze anywhere but Sinbad’s face. 

Though as those words slowly registered in his mind he found his pale cheeks starting to burn as a flush creeped under his freckles. The same? It wasn’t possible. What possibly did he have that would catch the older man’s eye? He had his choice of anyone; and never would pick the Vizier who  did nothing but berate him and chastise him for his every move.

Even still, even if somehow Sin had allowed his heart to be swept into the same confusing hurricane of emotions he had; he couldn’t allow it. It was selfish and it was wrong. To allow Sinbad to return his feelings meant he was putting himself above Sinbad’s goals, above his hopes, above everything he worked to build. The point of staying behind and not beside was to make sure that Sinbad was always looking forward, not focusing on what ends might be cut like dead weight should he need to go higher. Ja’far refused to be the one to steal Sinbad away from his potential.

“... You shouldn’t” he said simply, finally lifting his gaze to meet the taller man’s eyes.  “I can do nothing good for you  that I can’t do from where I am now. Anything more would only hurt you in the end”

[bararaqx-blog]

[[ Morning’s are a B****]] - Sinbad

[sxndbad-blog]

“If I have to tell you after all this time… then you really don’t know me at all.”

But he did know, Ja’far… right? How could Sinbad miss something so crucial, something that seemed to have existed for a long time between them? All those years spent travelling, adventuring, building a nation - surely it meant Sinbad knew everything about Ja’far. Otherwise this strange unexplained phenomenon was something so painfully obvious that Sinbad missed it completely. 

But what could be so evident yet hidden? Something important that Ja’far held so close to his heart- - -

Oh.

Oh no, it can’t be.

“Ja’far, you don’t…”

“… You’re not in love with me, are you?” Sinbad murmurs, his voice laced with uncertainty, fear. 

[bararaqx-blog]

Was it really that awful a thing? Was hearing that he might harbour feelings for his king be really that abhorring that it would make the usually confident man draw back in fear? Of course it was, how could he ever have allowed himself to be so deluded to think otherwise? He was nothing more than a filthy rat that Sinbad had scooped from the gutters. He had been allowed to accompany the man; had been given work, and a home but how dare he have been so selfish to assume that he might ever walk on the same level as Sinbad. 

Every general had shared his bed, but him. Every pretty face that walked past was allowed a chance at his heart, but never him. He was to be kept at arms length in matters that didn’t involve his intellect or his blades and with good reason. He had let hope get in the way of logic for once time in his life and he was a fool to have allowed it.

“My apologies my King, I have been out of line....” Came the soft reply, silver eyes refusing to meet burning gold as they stayed focused on the floor. “I have overstepped my boundary as your vizier, and allowed delusions of grandeur to influence my position and I ask forgiveness” His head bowed, eyes closing as he slid his hands to rest in his over-sized sleeves, bowing at the waist before the man.

“Forget what I said. I will leave you to feel better. There is medication above the sink for your head” he added, turning to leave the kitchen before the burning in his chest made it to his eyes.  His position was two steps behind and one to the right. Never beside.

[bararaqx-blog]

[[ Morning’s are a B****]] - Sinbad

[sxndbad-blog]

Despite the migraine still pounding away at his brain, Sinbad felt the sharp sting of those words. Ja’far usually wasn’t so cruel even after a night of irresponsible drinking. Sure, he’d berate Sinbad for being careless but his words wouldn’t be as cutting as they were now. The sound of his full name being spoken in such an acrid, acidic tone sobered him up better than any hangover cure.

“I know exactly the kind of people I surround myself with. That’s why I was bold enough to ask such a thing.”

“…Or is there something else about it, Ja’far? You know, you’ve been acting really strange lately. Is there something you’re not telling me?” 

[bararaqx-blog]

Is there something you’re not telling me. The words held a weight to them more than Ja’far guessed Sinbad knew... What wasn’t he telling him? That for over twenty years he had held feelings for his king when he shouldn’t dare? That he was running himself ragged trying to hide it, when he still knew even if Sin rejected him he would still spend his life killing himself just to help that man...

That he got angry when Sinbad brought women to bed night after night while he lay alone saving himself for a man who would never look at him the same way he looked at all those women before him?

How do you tell someone that. .... You don’t.

“Sin. If I have to tell you, after all this time... Then you really don’t know me at all” He replied softly, all anger in his tone replaced by an almost painful sadness as silver eyes found the floor between them.

[bararaqx-blog]

[[ Morning’s are a B****]] - Sinbad

[sxndbad-blog]

Sinbad winces, Ja’far’s words hitting as hard as the bottom of that glass he slammed on the counter. And the sound it made. It felt like Sinbad’s head was being slowly pounded by two large rocks. Two very large, very rough rocks grinding away at his very sensitive brain.

“…’re so mean…” the violet-haired man murmurs, barely able to finish half of his requested drink before the side of his face meets the cool counter surface.

“Why’re you so mean, Ja’far…? All I wanted was a kiss…”

[bararaqx-blog]

“Oh I’m being mean? I’m sorry, I didn’t realize I was handling a child” He all but spat, unable to keep his temper in check. Ja’far was a man who prided himself on being able to keep himself calm and contained as far as most things went... But it was too much. The night before had been a final straw and he no longer felt a valid reason to hold himself in check.

“Just because a kiss means nothing to you Sinbad doesn’t mean it does to everyone. Once and a while maybe you should pay attention to the people you surround yourself with before you ask for something so intimate” He finished, turning on his heel with every intention of leaving the kitchen before he said too much more.

[bararaqx-blog]

[[ Morning’s are a B****]] - Sinbad

[bararaqx-blog]

sxndbad

Of all the years he spent getting drunk under the table, one would expect Sinbad to know just how horrible the consequences could be. Waking up in a stranger’s bed was usually the least of his worries. Monstrous migraines that make the world spin with every single step - now those were the absolute worst.

Ambling into the kitchen, Sinbad catches a whiff of black coffee. Even just that slight scent was enough to make his stomach churn. Ja’far’s sharp glare and sarcasm was the cherry on top of a perfect disaster sundae.

“Water…” the King whines pathetically as he all but collapses on the counter.

“You know the older you get, the worse it gets” The former vizier stated, reaching for a clean glass from beside the sink, filling it with water to slam it down on the counter next to his king, showing no sympathy for his king.

“I hope it was worth it”

[bararaqx-blog]

[[ Morning’s are a B****]] - Sinbad

@sxndbad

It was early, far earlier than Ja’far expected to see Sinbad emerge after a night of drinking as heavily as he did. Still mad that his anger seemed to have been completely unacknowledged he simply leaned against the counter, watching the ocean from the window as he sipped his mug of black coffee, not bothering to turn and greet the King as he normally might have.

“So it lived. Good to know” Oh the sass that dripped from his words

[bararaqx-blog]

sxndbad

“It is absolutely what you said~”

Sinbad laughs, his chuckles alternating with hiccups as he all but collapses against Ja’far’s side. Had he been coherent he would have taken great delight in mincing his advisor’s words, especially his last sentence which held within it so much meaning anyone nearby (anyone not drunk, anyway) would easily recognize the obvious tone of longing. 

“And I don’t go plantin’ my lips on everyone and everything! I mean… I haven’t kissed you, haven’t I? S’why I’m askin’…”

“And I told you no” The vizier snapped, perhaps a little harsher than was necessary. He knew Sinbad was only fooling around, that he was lost to his intoxication but it was hitting a nerve in the younger man, one that was only made worse by the fact that even sober Sinbad would be oblivious to the damage he was doing.

Standing abruptly he shoved the man off his side, straightening out his robes as he just stared down at his drunken King.

“I am going to bed. Please ensure you get to your own eventually in one piece. This had better be the last time we have this conversation Sinbad” It’s starting to just be cruel.

[bararaqx-blog]

sxndbad

“Awww, come onnnn~”

Unheeding of his warning, Sinbad moves closer to the obviously pissed Vizier.

“- - Wait, you said not to ask you when I’m drunk. Does that mean I can ask when I’m not drunk~? Is that it, Ja’far? Is this some sort of mind game~?” the violet-haired man inquires with an odd persistence, his questions seemingly too well thought out for someone so drunk out of their mind. 

“T-That is not what I said!” The Vizier was quick to snap, leaning back in his seat slightly to put ample space back between himself and his King. Raising a hand to place it on Sinbad’s shoulder he could feel his face heating up, grateful the man was unlikely to remember this encounter in the morning.

“I am not playing any sort of game with you Sin. Do not ask me things just because you find them amusing in your intoxication. Just because you go off planting your lips on everyone and everything doesn’t mean I do! Do not ask me again for something so intimate when you don’t mean it”

[bararaqx-blog]

sxndbad

@bararaqx

“Ja’far, ol’ buddy, ol’ pal~”

Sinbad hiccups, draping an arm around the shoulders of his loyal Vizier. His breath reeks of alcohol, eyes already glazed over with barely repressed glee.

“Ja’farrrr ~ Gimme a kiss~”

“Sin.... You’ve been drinking” The Vizier deadpanned, not needing to spare the man a glance to know he was completely drunk. He could smell the liquor on his breath; that was all but radiating off his entire person.

“I am not giving you a kiss Sin. I’ve told you not to ask me that when you are drunk” He scolded, refusing to look at the man as red slowly creeped across his face. 

[bararaqx-blog]

[[Crash]] - Closed for Morgiana

[bararaqx-blog]

morgixnafanalis

She didn’t know if she would ever feel at home in this strange place. The days were blurring together as she waited, hoping to figure out a way to return home, return to her friends. Skipping school a lot of the time, Morgiana couldn’t help but feel it was all meaningless. What was the point of going to school? She already knew how to take care of herself, and the only other things she was interested in learning couldn’t be taught in a classroom…. At least not here.

She spent much of her time outside. Nature was where she felt most at home, which she found strange considering the landscape was nothing like she was used to. It was something though, and she’d take what she could get at this point. The forest was her favorite place, but she also liked to investigate other places around here. Today, her mind was set on Windsor Park; she’d heard some classmates going on about how peaceful it was there and wanted to check it out for herself.

Taking in her surroundings, she had to agree. It was beautiful. Watching as the breeze shifted silently through the blades of grass, she couldn’t help but smile. She was headed in the direction of the pond when a squirrel darted from a bush, running in front of her, and scurried up a tree not too far off. Sleeping at the base of the tree was someone Morgiana never expected to see here.

Running up to him, Morgiana bent down and, placing a hand on his shoulder, tried to shake Ja’far awake.

“Ja’far! Wake up, please!”

It wasn’t that Ja’far didn’t sleep, he was a person after all no matter how much coffee he pumped through his veins. He just didn’t get as much as most others did. Between the work load he brought on himself and the habit of years of his life spent awake into the wee hours the Vizier rarely got more than a handful of hours a night despite how his king often whined and begged for him to go to sleep.

It wasn’t really a surprise that he’d fallen asleep; though the Vizier would have much rather have had his crash have been somewhere a little less public then in the middle of the park.

Blinking blearily as Morgiana shook him awake he groaned, not entirely aware of his surroundings as silver eyes opened half-lidded.  “Sin... Since when are you up before....” He started to mumbled before the face in front of him, and the sharp bark in his back pulled  him rather quickly back to his senses. 

“M-Miss Morgiana?! I am terribly sorry how inappropriate of me! Did I get in your way, I didn’t mean to fall asleep...” He stammered, quickly trying to straighten himself out as a blush crept up under freckled cheeks.

[bararaqx-blog]

[[Crossed Paths]] - Closed for Alibaba

[bararaqx-blog]

princeofthepeople

“Aw man that’s a shame…You’d think in a place like this, he’d let you take a breather once in a while. You really work so much…” Alibaba said, hoping that Ja’far wasn’t working himself too hard. He already had so much on his plate from what he inferred and he was constantly checking up on him and coming over now and again.

At the question, Alibaba knew it was an innocent remark but there was something that gave the blonde a bit of a shudder. Judal and Ja’far came from the same world he did, that much was obvious. But if Ja’far knew about Judal’s peach fixation, this could’ve been some sort of key question.

“Oh these?” Alibaba asked. “Well I was thinking of trying a peach cobbler for dessert later, and I didn’t want to risk using canned ones. Might alter the taste you know?”

“At this point, I’m trying to figure out what might go best with it. Anything you’d recommend?”

Takes a liar to know a liar

Ja’far couldn’t help the small smirk that tugged on his lips but he was quick to let it dissipate into the mask of an innocent smile still sitting on his lips. Humming lightly at the question he folded his arms easily in front of himself, silver eyes dropping once more back to the basket of peaches as he thought.

Sin would find this intriguing, not just that the prince still clearly  held ties to the Magi despite no longer forced into isolation together; but whats more that he chose to hide it. 

Lifting his eyes back to meet the blond’s gaze he just shrugged his shoulders gently. “Well that depends, do you think Judal would eat a peach once it’s cooked?” He asked, as simple as though Alibaba had already told him the Oracle lived under his roof. 

[donamoeba]

[bararaqx-blog]

donamoeba:

“Thank you for vol.22”

[bararaqx-blog]

[[Crossed Paths]] - Closed for Alibaba

[bararaqx-blog]

princeofthepeople

Alibaba really had a hard time deciding what he should get for everyone tonight for dinner. He felt like making something new but heaven knows Judal would complain if he screwed up. Even so, he didn’t want to just get anything. He knew going to school was rough, especially for Titius, so he wanted to make a surprise dinner that’d make them all happy. He looked  through the aisle again, not sure what to get…

At the greeting, Alibaba looked up and gave Ja’far a small wave. Even though he’d really quarreled with Ja’far since they came here over such little things, they never really stayed mad at each other for too long, and that was the comforting thing.

Though he had to admit, just how long had the man been standing there watching him?

“Nice to see you too Ja’far.” He finally mustered, giving a small smile. “Glad to see you’re doing well.”

“As well as I can be doing all things considered. This world certainly is a bit of a shock to get used to but Sin’s been keeping me busy as ever” He explained with a chuckle, an easy smile falling across his lips as he made his way down the aisle to where the blond stood.

Unable to help himself from glancing into the basket Alibaba held; the protective side of him determined to make sure the boy was buying proper food for himself and his charges he couldn’t help but notice a rather... Abundance of a certain type of fruit... ... There was only one person he knew of who ate that many....

“Having a craving for Peaches Alibaba?” He asked, his voice a perfect illusion of innocent ignorance though his mind was already moving; silver eyes holding to cerulean as he just waited for the answer curious to what the Prince might say.

Interesting... 

[bararaqx-blog]

[[Desperation]] - Closed for Daiki

[bararaqx-blog]

mxmura

‘Someone’s having a bad day.’ Daiki thinks upon catching sight of the stranger nearby throwing the newspaper down to the ground like a child. The blond opts not to get involved though given the fact that almost everyone in either Hinamori or Yubari is an extremely weird individual. He redirects his attention back to the book he has in his hands, skimming through the lesson regarding the formula for Fundamental Theorem.

He doesn’t normally sit and study outside at the park but his little brother has proven to be quite a distraction at home, always clinging to him and insisiting him to watch this particular cartoon with him. Daiki had done all he could do from explaining that he needs to get some homework done first to shoving and locking the boy out of his room. Unfortunately, Daichi had gotten a hold of the master key and was persistent in following Daiki around Yubari so there really was no escaping the 10-year-old boy other than taking a quick ride to Hinamori instead.

“The function of lower limit…” His words trace the text along with his eyes until an unfamiliar voice cuts through his concentration. Daiki glances over to the side to see the very same guy who threw the newspaper mere seconds ago now fixating his attention on him. The student blinks for a second or two, not entirely sure what to say or if he even heard him right. The guy looks like he’s almost at the brink of his patience for some reason. Yeah, the people here sure are weird.

The blond looks down at his textbook then at the activity sheet that he is supposed to be answering right now if it isn’t for the constant distractions life is providing him.

“Are you good at Math?” He decides to humor the guy, looking back at him. “Calculus, to be exact? Because if you want, you can do my homework for me.”

Are you good at math The vizier found himself unable to help the smile that tugged at frustrated lips at the question. As much as he was someone who firmly believed people should do the work delegated to them; his boredom was close to overriding all principals he had.

Standing from the bench he’d been seated on he moved to join the other, leaning over to look down at the textbook spread across his lap to see what he was working on.

“I like to believe I have a penchant for math, calculus included” He explained, silver eyes moving rapidly across the page.

“Limit superior and Limit inferior. Yeah I can do this no problem” He started, reaching out to take the pencil that as resting on the page the boy had been focused on, starting to scribble out equations giving no care to the proximity he was completely invading “You’re trying to find the lower limit correct? It’s simple....”  He mumbled, his hand moving with practiced speed as he scratched out the last of his work

“See? It’s pretty basic; just using this you can easily find the lower limit of any sequence that--” He trailed off, his eyes raising to stare at the blank face of the boy beside him. Sighing softy he just held his hands out.

“... Just give me the book I’ll be done in five minutes”

[nyxnperona]

[bararaqx-blog]

“痛いよ。もうやだよ。どこ、お母さん、お父さん？どこ？！”