spread my arms and go

janos kazimir - bloodstrings rpg

[levihamilton-blog1]

A Little Tied Up - Levi & Janos

[levihamilton-blog1]

Levi could tell from some of the contents of the room that the purpose of it was at least partially sexual in nature, and though he’d never sought it out before, he’d heard talk of bondage in passing, stumbled across a stray photo now any then - some woman tied and exposed, teary eyed - but this image seemed innocent in comparison, intimate but not sexual. 

He wondered for a moment how closely Janos had known the woman, and then he considered how well he knew the witch himself. Janos had been kind to him, a person that he could turn to without worrying that he would pry, and he could certainly see how one could come to trust him in such a way. Perhaps he even trusted the man more than he cared to admit to anyone. He felt safe in his home, safer than even his new apartment, and his presence had a calming effect.

The dragon turned his attention back to Janos, rope now in hand. He never would have thought the man a Dom, but the image before him certainly assured him that he was. “I actually don’t know much about the whole, dom and sub thing, or any of… this.” he admitted, motioning vaguely to the room. “I thought it was all weird sex stuff, not the kind of thing that can become such beautiful art. It makes me curious what other things I don’t know about it.”

[oflifeblood]

“There are many great and terrible things in the world both of us have yet to discover. Thankfully we both lead long lives. It leaves time for... experimentation.” Janos kept himself  from asking the dragon if he wished to explore those possibilities together, figuring the implied intimacy would be too much too soon.

“Pictures can’t really do it justice.” The necromancer turned his gaze from the dragon to the rope in his hand. “There’s a feeling of weightlessness, like flying, when you’re suspended. And different ties can evoke different feelings. Some are intended to cause discomfort, some cement the feeling of being out of control. I once studied under a woman who kept her subjects just on the edge for hours.”

[levihamilton-blog1]

A Little Tied Up - Levi & Janos

[levihamilton-blog1]

Levi hummed, pitch rising like a question as he looked over his shoulder at Janos. “I’m a sucker for a secret door. I’m surprised I didn’t find it sooner.” he countered, a slight smile on his lips. He shifted his focus from the painting, taking in the rest of the room. Its purpose was clear. Sturdy hooks were mounted into the ceiling and walls, various devices of pleasure and pain, and an admittedly surprising amount of rope.

“It’s a beautiful painting. Was that based on your work?” he asked, motioning to the painting, and the ropes. “I have to admit I feel a little jealous of how peaceful she looks.” he laughed softly.

[oflifeblood]

“It was based on a photo of my work, yes.” Janos entered the room, looking to the piece Levi was focused on. He didn’t know what to expect from the dragon - perhaps reproach - but he found himself pleased that Levi was only curious.  The necromancer trailed a finger along the exposed length of rope before taking it in hand. The familiar weight of it brought him back to the moment. 

“These days they call it sub space. Some people are able to enter that mindset and all falls away. They put their trust implicitly in their dom and all that’s left is peace.” He’d never experienced himself - the lack of control was simply not part of his nature - but he could appreciate the beauty of it.

[levihamilton-blog1]

A Little Tied Up - Levi & Janos

September 7th, 2016. 3:00 pm.

@oflifeblood

It was easy enough to slip away. A bit of a game almost that he had played before with Janos. While the witch was occupied with the plants in the greenhouse, Levi would get up, tiptoe back into the house, and… have a bit of a peek. It was harmless, really. Something to calm his ever one edge nerves. And when Janos found him they would laugh about it, and he would bite his lip and apologize. 

This newly discovered room was well tucked away. A curious place, filled with curious things. He didn’t bother to close the door, too curious about the painting that he spotted across the room. It was a beautiful oil on canvas, a woman, bound in navy ropes, suspended from the ceiling. Her expression was relaxed, auburn hair flowing elegantly, gathered in a small pool on the dark carpet. He stood in front of it, admiring the beauty of the piece.

[oflifeblood]

Janos hadn’t heard the dragon get up from his usual spot, but wasn’t so surprised when he turned to ask him if he wanted lunch and found him missing. They often settled into comfortable silence, each doing their own thing and simply enjoying the quiet intimacy of being close to another person without needing to speak. But sometimes he’d complete his task and find the dragon missing. When that happened Janos would simply smile, fondness outweighing any possible annoyance. And he’d take off his gloves, clean his work space, and head out to find where Levi had wandered.

The necromancer found himself at lost after searching most of his rooms for the dragon. There were only two places left for him to be, and one of them was magically sealed. So Janos wandered into the room after Levi, quietly as he watched the younger man. He should probably feel ashamed, but Janos had never been shy, nor did he see any harm in his sexual practices. “I admit I never expected to find you here.”

[mahyarkalantari]

#Necromancy

[from-the-sea-to-the-stars]

[levihamilton-blog1]

Escapism || Levi & Janos

[oflifeblood]

Janos stood and moved closer to the dragon, placing calloused fingers against his chin to turn his face this way and that. He was beautiful, his skin only marred by the occasional beauty mark. Janos would never look like that again, and he found he didn’t regret it. The power he was afforded was better used elsewhere.

“Hm. I think I might see a wrinkle, perhaps we can start with spells to keep your youthful beauty. It’s how I keep my youthful appearance,” Janos teased.

[levihamilton-blog1]

Levi looked up as the other took his chin, watching Janos’ eyes. His nose wrinkled at the witch’s words, eyes closing and reopening in their orange and yellow hues. “Liar. I’d have noticed something like that.” he said, sticking his tongue out.

[oflifeblood]

As he stared into those golden eyes, so much like the fire the dragon was capable of breathing, Janos found himself amused. Everything about Levi screamed that he was but a child despite his years, everything except those eyes. They were far from wisened and old, but they spoke of trials and heartbreak unknown to babes. The necromancer’s grip turned gentler as his fingers moved from Levi’s chin to cup his cheek. “Herbalism.”

Janos pulled away abruptly and headed over to one of the little snapdragons. “It could be a good place to start, it’s fairly straight forward. It’s something anyone can do but few are truly talented in the art.”

[levihamilton-blog1]

Escapism || Levi & Janos

[levihamilton-blog1]

“Just… what if I get bored of being young? Do you think that will ever happen?” he asked. Despite their years, vampires never really showed the signs of aging, and as far as what he could tell, he wouldn’t either. When he’d first learned of Janos’ age he’d been surprised. He wondered how the man’s appearance had changed over the years, if it happened slowly, or all at once, early in life, or later. He wondered if the man resented it, be he didn’t strike Levi as being particularly vain. 

The way in which he carried himself conveyed far more maturity than Levi ever had, but he wondered if beneath it all the witch ever desired to feel young again. To be reckless or play the fool the same way that he so often did. 

“I think learning magic would be interesting. But there’s so much about it, I wouldn’t know where to begin my study. Creating fire? Water? Summoning objects?” he began to list off.

[oflifeblood]

Janos stood and moved closer to the dragon, placing calloused fingers against his chin to turn his face this way and that. He was beautiful, his skin only marred by the occasional beauty mark. Janos would never look like that again, and he found he didn’t regret it. The power he was afforded was better used elsewhere.

“Hm. I think I might see a wrinkle, perhaps we can start with spells to keep your youthful beauty. It’s how I keep my youthful appearance,” Janos teased.

[aureliaxpetrova-blog]

Aurelia shrugged.  “I call it dark magic simply for the sake of convenience; it’s the only term I have, the only one that seems to exist.  For me, all magic is essentially one and the same; something independent of the whims and desires of we who wield them.  If I use my gifts to burn a village to the ground, would that not be considered “dark”?  And yet if I use those same gifts to warm a dying child, to create the potion that saves his life, would it not be considered the opposite?”  She cocked her head to the side.  “We all have our morals and breaking points, our lines drawn in the dirt.  We shouldn’t judge what we have not actively seen, nor intentions we do not know.”

[oflifeblood]

“Though the often intersect, I don’t believe intention or morality has anything to do with a magic being dark or light.” Janos hummed as he considered where he drew that line. In the past he had considered it often, drawn lines he promised himself he would never cross, but these days he found it far easier to make those decisions in the moment. That felt right, true. “No, dark magic is magic with a cost. That is why it is more powerful, and only wielded by those who don’t fear what they could lose.”

[levihamilton-blog1]

Escapism || Levi & Janos

[levihamilton-blog1]

Levi nodded, sniffling quietly as he rubbed his eye. “Yeah. It’s good.” he echoed, forcing a bit of a smile. “I once had a witch spend almost a full week teaching me all this stuff about water magic. It was fascinating, really.” he began, his mind taking off in a effort to distract himself from the nagging thoughts. 

“A small part of magic as a whole, I’m sure, but the way he spoke about being connected to the elements and learning to feel them, to coax them into doing your will not force them. It’s like how I feel about the heat. They say older dragons can learn to do magic like that, all kinds of magic not just over heat and fire and controlling the shit.” he laughed gently as the next thought entered his mind. “I’m not really sure when you start considering a dragon old. 500 years? A thousand?”

[oflifeblood]

“I’ve heard the same, that dragons have some natural connection to magic, though not like humans.”Janos let the subject drop, though he made a mental note to revisit it later, perhaps when he had more information to give the dragon. Even if he didn’t want him walking down that path, better that they did it together if it had to be done. The necromancer watched Levi as he spoke, a slight curve of his lips at the little laugh. 

“Are you interested in learning magic? Or simply feeling your age?” 

[oflifeblood]

Where dark things tread || Open

[katherinexdeur-deactivated20161]

Suppose it was because Katherine just missed the random chanting and spells that was cast nearly everyday that she had wondered into a strange tent not paying any attention to the man inside. A certain herb caught her eye as she began to wonder, a faint smile spread across her lips, feeling a sense of home again. It wasn’t till the man spoke up that she noticed his presences. She nearly jumped, but settled as she watched him. 

She watched the herb come closer to her, she could see it better and she started to study it. The young witch smiled and shifted her weight a little as she looked up at the other. “Such a big legend for a little herb to live up to. Kinda makes you wonder where the stories come from.” Katherine had always found all herbs really interesting - and the stories that came with them. 

[oflifeblood]

“That is the beauty of these fairs, many objects here have a storied and mysterious history.” Janos placed the mandrake root on a lower shelf where it could be observed as it turned and flexed in it’s little prison. He knew many legends and stories to be fact from personal experience, but it was never wise to expose oneself too quickly - not in Salt Creek.

“Thankfully we live in a diverse city, there are people here who can tell us the history of some of these antiques because they lived that history. You can buy an ancient relic from it’s original owner.”

[oflifeblood]

Where dark things tread || Open

[dansedelvne-deactivated20161208]

The last and only encounter Florence had had with childbirth was traumatic, to say the very least. Blood, screams, and tears, and ended with her mother dying. It was not something she ever wanted to experience for herself, and the mere mention of fertility was enough for her to take several steps back, as if the orb had burned her. “That’s okay,” she said, with a tight smile. “That’s … not for me. Thanks for getting it down so I could look … and find out for myself that I should probably stay far away from it.”

[oflifeblood]

Janos chuckled and moved the orb to it’s resting place on the upper shelf where the little man curled in on himself once again and ceased its movement. The obvious discomfort was not what he expected from one who wandered the tents on this end of the fair, not at night. But perhaps she was just a little lost doe, left to the mercy of the darkness she’d stumbled into. It could engulf her - and for a moment the necromancer considered the merits of such actions - but better for her to survive and emerge in the light.

“Rare to meet someone without an enemy, or perhaps you simply have no desire for revenge.” Janos turned towards the woman and met her smile with one of his own. “What is it you’re looking for then little doe?”

[levihamilton-blog1]

Escapism || Levi & Janos

[levihamilton-blog1]

“I’d be offended if you let someone else do it.” Levi said simply, lacing the fingers of his hands together facing outwards as he stretched. “I might even have to burn the whole place down.” he added with a chuckle before turning back to Janos. 

“I know that you’re not exactly… that kind of witch, but… have you seen him?” Levi asked, is brows pulled together slightly.

[oflifeblood]

Janos paused as the question registered, or rather who the question was about. This was a dangerous path, one he had been down with others before and he was torn between offering his friend comfort and shutting this down before it went any further. 

No, Janos was not that kind of witch - despite what others thought he dealt with life more than most other witches. It was practically his obsession. Everything his magic touched, from the wards that warned others away, to the plants he carefully cultivated, all that his magic manipulated was life energy.

“I have not.” The necromancer took a healthy sip of his tea, setting the delicate cup back on it’s saucer before he spoke again, his tone carefully neutral. “But that is a good thing. Spirits that are strong enough to manifest themselves are often trouble, and often born of suffering. We should hope that he is not bound to our Earth.”

[oflifeblood]

Where dark things tread || Open

“That’s a mandrake root.” Janos approached the fair-goer who had entered his tent and taken interest in one of the items on a high shelf. The witch reached up to grasp the glass orb and brought it down to eye level so they could both get a better look. The small man-shaped root inside seemed to gently curl in on itself and then relax again as it slept. “It can be used as a powerful herb to boost fertility. It’s shriek can also leave an enemy deaf, or it can be placed under their bed to induce madness. At least that’s what the stories say.”

[aureliaxpetrova-blog]

“Your kind.” Aurelia cocked her head to the side, eyes following him as he walked round her, a predator inspecting prey. “You are a witch, are you not?”

Aurelia allowed the pulse of the wards to fill her consciousness. Magic was like experiencing all five senses crammed into one, and she had found it overwhelming as a child. The trick, she had found, was not to resist. Perhaps it slowed her reaction time, but it was better than a migraine.

And things clicked that much easier.

“You practice dark magic,” she said, and it wasn’t a question. There was no accusation in her tone, only a fascination borne of ignorance, of stories whispered in the dark but never fully understood. “What the witches call dark magic, anyway.”

[oflifeblood]

“Do you call it something different?” Janos found himself curious about the girl, wondering if she was simply naive or if her perspective on magic was different. Though he practiced dark magic himself, Janos had no predilections when it came to labels. “They shun my kind based on their moral rigidity. I don’t blame them for that. No doubt I would turn away from one who crossed my lines, however far out they may be from the norm.”

[levihamilton-blog1]

Escapism || Levi & Janos

[levihamilton-blog1]

Levi nodded, finishing his tea and setting the glass down. “If all else fails, you could just paint a mural on the sides of the house. That would be colorful.” he suggested, smiling. He left the cup, standing up and taking a deep breath.

“Sometimes I wish I’d built my own fortress when I moved here. A hidden place. Quiet.” he said, closing his eyes. “It seems like all the practicing witches hide out here, to do it freely.” he said. He’d considered it, moving into the swamp and spending his days with scales instead of skin, escaping the world entirely. But he knew it wouldn’t do him any good. If he did, he couldn’t guarantee he’d ever want to go back. And he’d be at risk of being found out. A dragon couldn’t hide in plain sight.

[oflifeblood]

“Only if you’ll paint it for me.” Janos wondered if he could get away with working his magic into the dragon’s paints. It could be helpful to protecting the place further than simply notifying him if someone breached the perimeter.

“There’s something natural about magic. It seems more innate in... life. Not the concrete and stone structures humans live in today. It strengthens us.”

[levihamilton-blog1]

Escapism || Levi & Janos

[oflifeblood]

Janos looked to the little flowers he’d planted soon after meeting Levi. They’d been just for him really, though he hadn’t said as much. They were maturing, just as their namesake was. That was what happened when one got intimate with death.

“Indeed they have.” The witch’s gaze moved back to Levi, deciding not to comment on his own thoughts, or question what the other man intended to do with the rest of the old apartment that he’d shared with his lover. “I’m considering expanding to the front of the house. It could use a little color, but I prefer not to use magical intervention when growing and the climate is a pain.”

[levihamilton-blog1]

Levi looked back at the other man, humming thoughtfully. “I’m sure there must be some swamp based plants that would look just fine, but I’m not familiar with too many. All I can think of is pussy willows, and water lilies, but I think those both grow in actual water, not swamps.” he said, pursing his lips.

“Is it the soil or the weather?” he asked, taking another sip. “Because if it’s the soil you could just put some new dirt down, just not plant anything with roots that go too deep.” he suggested.

[oflifeblood]

He didn’t often share the details of his craft with others, especially those who weren’t involved with dark magic themselves, as it almost always had the same effect. So he wouldn’t tell Levi that he was looking for the roots to grow deep, to experiment with manipulating the very essence of the swamp itself and use that energy for his own purposes.

“Perhaps we can look for something at the fair this week. I’ve met a few witches and vampires who are interested in herbalism. Perhaps they have something that can survive the swamp.” He doubted Jeanne would be willing to sell it to him - particularly if the woman knew what it was for.

[oflifeblood]

“You shouldn’t be here.” The witch had been in the middle of a  particularly complicated experiment when his wards had gone off, alerting him to an intruders presence near his home. It was rare that anyone wandered this far into the northern swamp, not even the shifters as they typically kept to the south.

So Janos ended his tests prematurely and headed out into the dark to meet the stranger before they actually intruded on his property. When the witch spotted the stranger he stepped out from behind a tree, parting the leaves until he was visible to the person in the moonlight.

[aureliaxpetrova-blog]

Aurelia had taken to wandering. Perhaps it was a habit of her childhood, resurfacing once more; the curiosity of the itinerant, seeing everything, mapping the surroundings. Except she lived here now, a creature bound to one spot instead of simply passing through. What she realized, though, was that she had seen very little of the town despite the years spent living there. Perhaps she had taken the whole “putting down roots” thing a little too literally. Whatever the reason, she roamed. The air was thick with the heady scents of night-blooming flowers, and something drew her inexorably onwards, over unfamiliar terrain. She somehow felt that she had to keep going, had to keep walking until she found…whatever it was she needed to find. She felt the magic of the wards before she actually registered what they were, and came to an abrupt stop. There shouldn’t be wards here; Aurelia was fairly certain that the coven was based someplace else on the town, and at any rate, she should be feeling combined energies, not a singular magical signature. She waited patiently, not wanting to intrude further. “You shouldn’t be here.” The moon was bright even through the humid haze that always seemed to hang in the air, but even so the man was hard to see from this distance. “I was not expecting wards,” she answered honestly. “Just walking. I hope I haven’t bothered you too much.” She paused. “You aren’t a part of the coven.” There was something odd about the magic here, something that only grew apparent the longer Aurelia stayed suffused within the perimeter; something dark clinging to the edges, old and unnameable.

[oflifeblood]

His eyes narrowed at the mention of the wards. A witch then. Or someone familiar enough with magic to feel it. Not many species had that ability or the experience. The necromancer circled around her, looking towards the trees, then the moon. It was almost full. Hm.

“No. I’m not.” Covens offered power, safety in numbers of course but much more than that. Combining energies, focusing all that internal power to a singular common goal was guaranteed to yield results. But Janos wouldn’t be welcomed there, wasn’t welcomed among most groups of witches and he wasn’t particularly bothered by the idea. “My kind aren’t welcome there.”