#b;para

[benji-barnes]

When The Warm Weather Hits. [IAOpen]

Even if it was only late April, the dragon had noticed a change in himself thanks to the ever-warming weather. He no longer felt the need to stay in bed and sleep his days away. No, he could do much more active things in bed. But that was beside the point. The seasons were changing, and soon enough summer would come and he would be at his peak. He could already feel the excess energy inside of him just waiting to be burned away. He preferred it in a way. The tension held within his body, the fidgety movements. Yes, they were probably annoying to more than a few of the people around him, but he would be damned if he cared what anyone else thought of him. He was just happy his body didn’t feel heavy anymore. Honestly, lugging around three-hundred pounds when all you wanted to do was sleep really was a struggle. 

Having managed to pull himself from both his bed and the person inside of it, Ben had set out to burn away some of that excess energy with one of the more surefire ways to accomplish such a task: Sprinting. 

Admittedly, he wasn’t the fastest sprinter, he was far too bulky for that. No, it didn’t matter how fast he could run. His aim was to take away the edge from the urge to keep his body in a constant state of motion. Sure, he could have done it in a much easier way, but fucking his elf into the sheets wasn’t really an option when he had classes in a few hours time. Well, it was, technically. 

Whatever options he had, he had chosen to actually step foot outside of his room for once. Seemed like a simple enough task seeing as the remaining populous of the academy were still asleep, and those that dwelled in the dark would retreat from the sun. It was that golden hour that left him alone, without a single soul to bother him. But with his own rather loose concept of time, that hour turned into two, and before he knew it the bodies inside began to move. It seemed the proper time to head back when bodies actually began to wander outside and over towards their classrooms. He had set up his own timetable for his classes, leaving them until the afternoon to accommodate for his winter sleeping schedule, so he had more than enough time to get back to his room and prepare for the day. 

Now, he wasn’t the kind of person to avoid people, he was just the kind of man that got annoyed easily, and usually by the stupidity of those around him. In hindsight, teaching might not have been a good career path, but it opened gates for him, so he wasn’t really going to complain. Having finished his sprints, he made his way back to the dorm rooms, adjusting the bun on top of his head after a few stray hairs had fallen free. 

[benji-barnes]

One Grump of a Man. [Ben & Inguk]

@inguk-ia

Within the past few months, drinking had become much less of a habit than it would have been had the dragon remained in his former dwelling. But, there was the odd occasion where Ben liked to dull the annoyance of teaching with a drink or two.. Or maybe a few kegs worth of the intoxicating beverage. 

Now, getting drunk wasn’t exactly the easiest possible thing in the world when you were over six feet tall and built like a tank. Of course, Ben could have been one of those people that was easily affected by liquor but that wasn’t the case. Over the some fifteen years he had spent on earth in a human body he had conditioned himself to drink far more than the average person while still managing to maintain his wits. He had had to learn to hold his liquor, his wealth had depended on it. He couldn’t go around drunkenly passing out after having been brought home by whatever wealthy heiress had caught his eye that night, no, he had to keep himself in check, he had to be able to make a swift exit after taking what valuables he could find whilst the young lady slept the night away.

No, his aim hadn’t been to get drunk. He had merely wanted to take away the edge of annoyance that nagged at him after having dealt with ungrateful students that looked at him as if he were no better than them. How insulting, to have a group of people look at him day in and day out as if he were on par with them. It was ridiculous, to think that a man once thought of as a god could be no better than the inhabitants of this building. Yes, it hurt his pride, but with a little push from the one person who saw him for who he truly was, he had learned to shrug it off, to find their idiocy more amusing than annoying. It was laughable, honestly.

But even so, he was sat up in the teacher’s lounge, lips wrapped around a half empty bottle of whatever spirit was available down in the Luna dormitories bar. He didn’t care what he was drinking, didn’t care what he had already drunk whilst down there. All he cared about was getting his mind off the events of the day. Shame it only seemed to agitate him further. Ah, maybe it was just that it was cold and he missed being able to curl up and sleep through the winter in his warm, cozy volcano. Yes, that was it. There was nothing like the warm embrace of magma hugging his scaly flesh. Well, maybe there was one thing that could compare to it.

“You know, I used to be the height of The Great Sphynx? Longer than it, too.” He spoke after having heard someone enter the room. His eyes had been closed so he didn’t know just who it was, didn’t care. It was just something he blurted out. No one here knew anything about him besides Hyunseung. Even so, he remained where he was, curled in on himself, jumper wrapped around his knees with a vodka bottle balanced on the armrest next to him. “People used to think of me as a god.”

[benji-barnes]

Sia Moxt Ibafarshan. [BenSeung]

@princejang-ia

“Hey, I have something for you.”

Honestly, he hoped Hyunseung had assumed he had forgotten all about his birthday. He knew the elf didn’t really care, that it was just another year, another day just like any other. Which, was true, but his birthday gave the dragon an excuse to spoil his lover so why not do just that? He already treated the elf differently than any other, felt more for him than he did anyone else, so why not solidify their bond further by doing another thing he never did; give a gift.

But it wasn’t just a gift, no, Ben wasn’t the type of person to go out and buy something for someone. One, he was cheap and didn’t like to spend his money. Two, there was something about it that didn’t seem as personal as a handmade gift was. Buying a gift was easy and he didn’t want to do easy. So instead, he used his time alone to work on Hyunseung’s gift, using the materials at hand to make him something unique, something he would actually enjoy. It wasn’t hard to think of a gift for him, not when he always wore some kind of flower in his hair. But Ben wanted to make something that represented him, something the elf could wear that would always remind him of his dragon.

He had spent weeks playing with his gold, coming up with the perfect pieces that would suit his elf. He was lucky, his heat came in handy, made it easy for him to manipulate gold whichever way he wanted. Over the year he had spent at the academy he had accumulated a number of gold necklaces and with a few runs of his fingertips over slender chain he had a decent length of wire he could bend and shape whatever way he pleased. The end result was something soft, something delicate that, if you were to look at Ben from anyone else's point of view, looked rather bizarre that a man such as himself could create. He had always been captivated by reshaping gold, making it into something beautiful. Even as a dragon his had made sculptures from the hoard he kept in his cave. Gold wire that was spun into the shape of petals and dipped in a stained liquid plastic that when dried became semi-transparent. It was a technique he had discovered a few years back and honestly when done right the outcome was absolutely stunning.

He never could stop at one. The first had been a red lotus type flower but as he progressed he had managed to add in with that red flower a blue that would match Hyunseung’s eyes and a rather delicate pile of cherry blossoms to go along with it so Hyunseung could wear whichever one caught his attention that day.

But back to the present time. Being on this secluded island, with no one other than his elf, he was far too happy. He could have stayed there for an eternity and wouldn’t grow tired. The clear waters were perfect for swimming, as evident by his still steaming skin. He had gotten out of the water no more than five minutes ago to return to the little hammock they had shared the night before. Some would have called it sickeningly romantic but both the dragon and the elf were the type that enjoyed the outdoors and sleeping under the stars was one of the best things they could have done. He liked being alone, just the two of them, without anyone to bother them. They could be themselves without having to think about wandering eyes.

He had reached into the little bag he had brought with them to retrieve a small black box no longer than his middle finger but as wide as his hand. Ah, he was just a little bit shy about this gift. He had worked on it for weeks so he did hope Hyunseung would like them. There was a smile lighting his face, almost boyish in a sense. He really wasn’t used to giving gifts and now that he had said something, now that the box was in his hand he couldn’t really take it back. He climbed up into the hammock to sit next to his elf, legs crossed over each other as his arm stretched out to offer the box to his lover.

“They’re handmade. I hope you like them.” There was a slight rosy glow to his cheeks, golden eyes dancing beneath the light of the sun shining down on them. “Happy birthday, Rasvim.”

[benji-barnes]

Drunken Thoughts. {Ben&Ravi}

@wonshik-ia

Could the dragons actions be openly described as wallowing in self pity? Maybe. But to be fair, he hadn’t started the night off in such a way. He had been drinking because, well, because he wanted to. There wasn’t much of a reason behind it other than wanting to indulge in a craving he had been experiencing. He didn’t know why, maybe it had been because of his week or so spent with old friends in London that had reacquainted himself with the sweet taint of liquor but whatever the reason behind it might have been it ended with the dragon skulking about the academy during the middle of the night.

He hadn’t started drinking inside Insolitus, no, he wouldn’t drink down with the students, too many chances for them to actually talk to him. He had been drinking out in Vighulir which really wasn’t any better but at least he could keep to himself and converse with complete strangers that knew nothing about him. But, while he hadn’t started at the academy, he would be ending his drinking there. He had been on his way back to the dormitories and on a whim had decided to sit himself out but by one of the entrance ways to the tunnels beneath the school. Maybe if he stayed up long enough he could watch the sun rise. It wasn’t something he had done recently. Well, not while drunk anyway.

He had set down his whisky bottle next to him, newly freed hands busying themselves by bringing forth a small ball of fire, flames absently licking over his palms as they moved around the sphere to pull and contort the flames at will. It wasn’t all that impressive, not by a long shot but it kept his hands busy. He had been looking off at the pitch black horizon when golden eyes were drawn down to the life in his hands, lips curling upwards in a cute little drunken smile. It was a distraction, if nothing else. It kept his mind off things that were best left undiscovered.

[benji-barnes]

The Riddler. (IAEvent)

For the past few days Ben had been met with the same set up during his walk from his room towards his classroom and each time he laid eyes on the skull placed inside its glass chamber he stopped and he smiled. It might not have been too evident but he was happy to have people getting themselves involved in this little challenge for as bulky as he might have been he had always held intelligence and wit above that of brawn so getting the students to use their minds and think outside the box was something that brought him great joy. Who knew he could actually have fun getting involved with people? Certainly not him.

He stared down at his own cursive, golden eyes seeming to dance over the riddle he had thought up for this little challenge. There hadn’t been many to get it correct, but that was the point, wasn’t it? It wouldn’t be any fun if every half-wit could figure it out, there was no challenge to that. Maybe he would give a hint as to what the answer was eventually but for now he was quite happy to leave them scratching their heads.

“It seems the old beast has yet to lose his touch.” He poke to himself, amusement clearly having taken over his tone.

[benji-barnes]

Fire VS Ice [Ben & Ren]

@choiminki-ia

Requests for training were a rarity for the dragon. Maybe it was because he didn’t exactly make his talents known or maybe it was just due to his rather dull attitude towards his own class. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy teaching, he quite liked it in fact. But he was old at heart and didn’t see the point in teaching those that had no interest in being taught and there were more than a few students in his class that weren’t interested in his own opinion nor did they desire his help. It seemed that overconfidence was a staple here and honestly, Ben was part of the group of people that could be described as overconfident but at least he had enough self awareness to realize he thought a bit too highly of himself.

But his own skills weren’t the topic of the day, the skills of a student were. An elf with a name very similar to his own, Ren, had come with the request of being helped with his fighting skills. Or more specifically, building up his own resistance against fire and learning to defend himself. Ben knew very little about ice, in fact, he was on the other end of the spectrum but he would always lend a hand to anyone that was willing to try and learn from him. It was fire that was needed and he was one of the few in the academy gifted with the ability to manipulate fire. It might have been the weaker between itself and ice but it made little difference. It was a class, not an actual fight. He was there to aid the student and help him build up his skills so that he could fully defend himself if need be.

What with it being summer he might have had the upper hand when it came to being surrounded by heat but he had specifically chosen a day where clouds covered the sky and the air was dampened with mist. It wasn’t ideal for him as fire worked best in dry weather but it would help Ren in a way, somewhat similar to the training wheels on a bike. Which again was why he had decided to train him outside rather than inside. That, and he was at less of a risk of burning the building down if his flames got out of hand. Not that he was going to let that happen but it was better to play on the safe side. 

He flashed the elf a small smile when he appeared for his lesson, golden eyes seeming to sparkle from just the thought of playing with a creature that was his elemental opposite. “So, do you know anything at all about defending yourself? I suppose a long range defense would be the simplest, would it not? From my experience those with the ability to control fire like to fight from afar so, maybe an ice shield would be the best to start with? Shall we put it to the test?”

[benji-barnes]

A Long Awaited Visit. [Ben&Seung]

@princejang-ia

[TXT/Rasvim] I have a surprise for you. 

[TXT/Rasvim] It’s down by the cities portal.

[TXT/Rasvim] ... Not right now, give it about an hour.

Had he given himself enough time? He had hoped so. He had already spent a good fifteen minutes waving through his closet in search of what he was going to wear and the only reason he had messaged Hyunseung in the first place was because he knew if he didn’t put a time limit on himself then he would never decide what he was going to wear. He had managed to narrow it down to no more than five or six suits but he was still struggling to decide which of those he was going to wear. Would it really matter? The rest were going to be packed in a suitcase anyway.

He thought it mattered, it would be his first time in Hyunseung’s realm and he wanted to make a good first impression on the people that called his lovers realm home. Were they expecting him? He knew at least a handful of people had been told of his existence thanks to Hyunseung not being able to keep himself from speaking so he wanted to meet whatever expectations they had of him.

Blue? Maybe grey? What about black? He could always go for maroon but cooler colours seemed to suit him more. The blue would go with Hyunseung’s eyes but would it be a bit too obvious that he was trying to pair himself with the elf? Maybe if he wore the black with a shirt that matched Hyunseung’s eyes, or what about a tie? Should he wear suspenders or a waistcoat? The waistcoat would be more fitting, wouldn’t it? Plus, suspenders tended to end with Hyunseung pulling him around the place and he doubted either of them would be interested in any kind of public displays of affection after having just come to the city. There would be places to see and people to meet which wouldn’t really happen if Ben was pulled into the bedroom right away. Waistcoat it was.

Even with that decision made he was still left with the choice of colour and after leaving his closet to throw a few sets of suspenders into his suitcase he went back to thinking. The blue was out of the question, he would bring it along with him but he wasn’t going to wear it today. In the end he opted for a suit that could both be described as black and grey; a charcoal coloured suit that looked grey in some lighting and black in others. It was the best of both, really, and the dragon was quick to slip his freshly showered body into the suit he had opted to wear for the day. But instead of a shirt that went with Hyunseung’s eyes he instead went with a tie. It was subtle and would only really be noticed if someone looked hard enough.

Forgoing a jacket completely the dragon rolled up his sleeves, leaving his forearms exposed as he went about the rest of his business. His hair had dried into loose waves but had to be kept out of his newly shaved face so long fingers combed back the strands on the upper half of his head to tie them back away from his forehead. He might have been pressed for time but he could help having to pause in front of the mirror in his room. He wasn’t used to seeing himself with absolutely no facial hair, especially not when the hair on his head fell past his shoulders. It was reminiscent of his first few years on earth. Even if he was far muscular now than he was back then. It was nice, he hadn’t actually ages as much as he had expected.

He could look at himself later, he had already hit fifty minutes in the time he had allowed himself to get ready and after fixing the position he was off out of his room with suitcase in hand, headed off towards the portals leading to other realms.

He had been sent many photos in the week Hyunseung had been away without him so he knew what to expect of the city the elf called home but as for the gates leading from the portal.. Now that was unexpected. Having expected flowers lining the area around him he was slightly taken back by the terrain around him. It was far rockier than expected with stone pillars surrounding the portal to his world with misty skies but it seemed no less beautiful. It was natural landscaping, something he hadn’t seen in many centuries so he wasn’t ever going to complain about it. He had been told before that the base of the mountain differed greatly from what was up top. Actually, looking up, the mountain in front of him seemed to be very diverse in its own make up. It would be interesting to explore, that was for sure.

He remained where he was, suitcase having been set down next to him before his weight came to rest against one of the pillars in front of him, the expectation of seeing his love once again already sending his heart fluttering and he could have sworn there were nerves mingling in along with them.Would he be accepted by those around him? He had never really thought about how people would react to their prince bringing home someone like him. Someone that wasn’t a royal.

[benji-barnes]

Turning Gears. [Ben&Seline]

@seline-ia

Summer had always been his favorite season out of the year. The days were longer and the weather was warmer, it was the perfect element for a dragon to truly be himself. But with warmer weather came excess energy and with excess energy came a restless dragon. He had been used to it back in London, the weather wasn’t as warm as Korea and there was far more rain back in the country he had spent most of his non-dragon life. He had discovered a rather handy way to deal with his energy but seeing as Hyunseung was away from the academy he had opted for a much more boring way to deal with his inability to sit still; He was going to go and get drunk.

He was never fond of being out on his own, he got annoyed by people too easily and his sulking only seemed to make it worse. It wasn’t that he disliked being social, no, if given the chance he would be hard to shut up. He just generally hated everyone around him which was why he had ended up in the corner of a bar somewhere inside the village close to the academy. He couldn’t remember what the name was but by the looks of it, it was popular with the dark spawn which admittedly were less annoying than the beings of light. He tended to favor them thanks to his past dealings in London’s underground scene and if he was going to drink he would rather not want to behead just about everyone around him. 

For a restless body he remained rather still whilst nursing his gin and tonic. It might not have looked like it but he was very occupied at the moment. He had picked this corner for a specific reason; He could see everyone around him. People watching had been a habit of his ever since, well, the dawn of his existence. There hadn’t been much for him to do and time passed by rather slowly when he was a dragon so watching events unfold in front of him be it something as simple as watching the grass grow or watching wars unfold in front of him, he knew how to keep his mind occupied. Currently he was watching two rather intoxicated men at the other end of the bar discussing a topic unknown to him thanks to the distance between them and the noise created by other patrons of the bar. But the topic wasn’t what interested him, it was the body language. Were they arguing? Maybe. It certainly looked like it. Movements had become stiffer and he could have sworn they were puffing their chests out like prized cocks.

First came the sound of stumbling stools and then the hard crack of a fist hitting the others jaw which had gold eyes lighting up in amusement. Magical beings really were just as easy to read as humans and just as easily cleared from a bar fight. It was a shame it had ended so quickly but the dragon was certain it wasn’t the last outbreak of the night so finishing off what was left in his drink he was quick to order another and return to his observing.