The Traveling Performer (Firebird and Clover)

[クローバー (Clover)]

Summary: A lost, vacationing nobleman happens upon a nomadic tribe of performers and gets attracted to one of the dancers he sees at a performance. What will become of him when he decides to change his itinerary and join them?

 

Firebird's character:

 

Name: Ammon Malik (meaning God of a united people or a son of my people)

 

Appearance:

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Age:23

 

Personality: A soft, kind-hearted person. He is humble and modest and a lover of the Arts (music, dance architecture e.t.c). Not to mention charming. He is optimistic in such a way that he seems to see the brighter side of life...the more beautiful things, he calls it. He is graceful in everything he does as well as an entertaining dancer, or a rather sensual one at that.

But all that was just the exterior.

He was an envious man. Envious of those who had the finer things in life...who basically had their lives handed to them on a silver platter. He was angered by their nonchalance and depreciation of it. Not only was he envious and angry, he was selfish too. He would appear to the naked eye as a completely perfect person, god-like some may say but he was like a germ molecule in that way--you would remain oblivious to it until you put it under a microscope. But that was not to say he was a horrible person. His faults only made him human

 

 

My character:

 

Name: Markus Sorensen

 

Appearance:

 

 

Age: 26

 

Personality: A sweetheart by nature, but society has forced him to be prideful in the face of his fellow nobles. The pride commonly associated with the nobility was never a true part of his personality. In fact he didn't agree with it altogether, but he had to seem like he did to conform to society's standards and avoid being scorned for being a sympathizer of the poor. He is an insightful man who tries not to be shallow like his colleagues are stereotypically known for being.

---

As the sands of the Laeitan summer blew viciously, Markus struggled to keep his map in clear view. The constantly shifting winds made it hard for him to read his map without getting sand in his eyes. He tried hanging the map off the front of his silk head scarf to shield him from the sand, but too many times the map blew away and almost into the sandy oblivion known as the Turian Desert. Just when he thought he was going to pass out from utter lack of strength to move on, he heard the faint sound of music. Wanting to know what it was, he turned in the direction of the music and walked until he reached a town in what seemed like a festival of sorts. Laeita was mostly desert land with a few blotches of civilization sprinkled in where the water was, so seeing this town made him hopeful that he could restock on water before going to his next destination. He found a native of the town and walked up to her.

"Excuse me, madam, do you know where I can find water?" he asked.

"It's in the well in the center of town." The woman said. "Not like you fat rich pigs would need it anyway..."

Markus looked hurt at the last comment. He didn't like that his people were only defined by the most despicable scoundrels within their ranks. Trying to ignore her, he bowed in thanks and walked over to the town square, where there seemed to be a dance show going on.

"Oh, and be careful of the dance show in town. They're taking up a lot of space." the native added. "Not that it would matter to you anyway since you always get what you want..."

Again, Markus felt hurt for being labeled as a scoundrel despite having done nothing to warrant such a status. He went into the town square to watch what was going on.

[firebird]

From behind the makeshift curtains of an equally makeshift stage, a tall, slender blonde stood waiting for the announcer to call him on to perform. Rouge painted eyelids settled over deep brown eyes and pale blonde eyelashes fluttered over his cheeks allowing him to feel the familiar calm and grace that he needed to carry out this particular task.

His small elf-like ears picked up the echoing voice of the announcer so he made his way on stage and stood in his rehearsed stance. At the strum of the first cord, his body began to move on its own accord, moving swiftly yet precisely through the various movements he had done a thousand times before.

His body rocked almost unconsciously to the beat as he allowed his hips to sway and control the force and diligence behind his steps. All too soon he lost himself to the music... dancing in it, around it, on top of it. It was as if his body had blended in with the melody.

Wild, passionate yet orderly movements splattered across the stage in the form of a scantily clad dancer. The drum beat picked up then dropped suddenly.

 

The Bacchanale

 

A dance he was much too engrossed with. He created the different motions and composed the music himself of course. It was the one piece that he was truly proud to perform but that was not to say that he didn't proudly perform the others as well.

 

His passion was dancing, his lifeline was music and his heart was drama.

It was what he and his comrades did to survive...give shows to the masses and hope for the best.

But sadly not everyone was pleased or approved of their way of living.

[クローバー (Clover)]

Markus watched in pure amazement at the technique of the dancer. Those movements were like nothing he had ever seen before. The blond man's outfit was also very enticing. The amount of skin that showed was something his colleagues would not have approved of, even while they were drunk. He attributed the costume choice to the summer heat, as he was starting to regret wearing a full coat and cravat to the desert. The dancer's body itself was a wonder as well. A lean figure with delicate hips and lithe limbs, this male could've easily passed for a girl in Markus's mind with the right makeup and styling. The way the dancer's body moved so fluidly with the beat was what captivated him most. How could a male possibly move like that? In his experience, only females in the seediest of places were capable of such movements. As he looked on, he noticed that the audience was mostly male, though there were some women mixed in. What was it about this dancer that drew men in instead of women? Was he already falling under this dancer's spell? Those questions swirled around in his head as he watched the dancer move with the beat.

[firebird]

He kept moving. Building up faster movements as the tempo picked up. He jut his hips forward and rolled them while he allowed the rest of his body to bend backwards at what should have been a challenging angle. Yet he did it with such ease.

His eyes connected with those of what looked to be a noble man judging by his attire.

The poor thing looked overheated in his overdressed state but even so he looked so proper...well, as proper as he could appear while watching a show in the square of some desolate community in the desert. He smirked and struck a finishing pose as the dance ended.

Well he seemed interesting.

He swayed his hips all the way while leaving the stage.

 

He was no fool. He knew what his dancing did to people...men, in particular. He was the equivalent of that seductress mistress your husband couldn't seem to stop thinking about. Only difference was that his effect on them was purely unintentional. Who was he argue about whether or not they found him enticing? So he left them to their thoughts fantasies.

 

As he settled down backstage he was approached by his 'manager' and long time friend, Azkar.

His pink full lips turned up in a smile. "Azkar, How was I today?"

The raven smiled at him in return. "As fabulous as usual Ammon...but that isn't what I came to talk about"

The dancer raised his eyebrow, "Oh?...what then?"

But he somehow got the feeling that it was concerning the aforementioned nobleman. After all, it was never a good sign when they ran into one of them.

"I'm sure you saw that dignitary watching your dance today?"

Jackpot!

He nodded.

"Well we need to get going. He maybe here to spy on us and report back to whatever higher rank he should"

Ammon shook his head and tsked softly. "Oh dear Azkar, if he was here to 'spy' on us, as you so eloquently put it, why would he choose to be so obvious by wearing the attire he did?"

He stood up with the intention to go help the others pack up.

"As much as our services are unappreciated and unwanted in most places this seems to be one of the few that accept us civilly...now come my friend, we must begin packing"

He smiled sweetly as he walked away.

[クローバー (Clover)]

Markus stayed behind at the end of the performance, as if that short glance in his direction froze the nobleman in his spot. He had already determined that the dancer did a good job casting his spell on the nobleman, since the slender man was the only person on his mind. Were they a new class of nomads that his country hadn't heard of yet? Certainly, their attire was much different than the others he had met, and from their costumes, he suspected that their socioeconomic status was decidedly better than that of most nomadic tribes his country had dealt with. He had to know more. He had to know how they lived. He had to learn more about the mysterious man who charmed him with a dance. He walked over to the now empty stage and looked for the man that had him spellbound.

[firebird]

Ammon was in the middle of packing up when he caught sight of the nobleman from before on the stage.

He giggled softly to himself.

He had almost expected the noble to approach him with the way he had watched him but had dismissed the thought as wishful thinking. And now he could gladly say that he was right.

 

As much as he and his makeshift family were not fond of the various dignitaries, He had to admit that this one was easy on the eyes. He wasn't the stereotypical bald-headed, bushy-bearded, drum-bellied old man. He appeared to be quite young and besides that, he was quite intriguing. There were questions he wanted to ask him.

Why was he out here so far from his kingdom? There wasn't a sign of privileged civilization for miles.

How did he get here? Perhaps he was lost. It was the most sensible thing to assume.

And why did he seem to be so enthralled with him? That could have been attributed to his dance but usually after he danced, the reality that he was indeed male came crashing down on the men who fawned over him but they would not completely forget him.

 

He dusted the imaginary dirt off of his garment and made his way over to where the noble was standing.

Conjuring up the sweetest, most heart-shattering smile he could, he spoke to him softly.

"Good day Sir",he tilted his head in a slight bow to show respect as he took in how hot he must have been under all those clothes.

"Would you care for a drink?", he motioned towards the quickly clearing space where his pack had once set up, "..after all, it is quite a hot day"

[クローバー (Clover)]

Markus looked at the man before him. His smile looked so overblown. However, it was having its effect on him. He found it increasingly hard to say no. So the dancer had noticed him after all. He tied up his long purple hair and cracked his neck a little before addressing the dancer.

"Y-yes, thank you." Markus said, finally deciding to do away with the cravat he was wearing He folded it up nicely and put it in his jacket pocket before wiping the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief. "You put on quite an impressive show. May I have your name?"

[firebird]

He could honestly say that he was flattered.

While he had been given that comment a million times before, this time it almost made him blush to hear it from the lips of the gorgeous man beside him.

"Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it"

 

He sat down on on one of the wooden crates they had used for props in the drama performed by a few of the pack's members, motioning for the man to sit beside him.

He rose once again to retrieve the drink he had promised the stranger.

"Excuse while I go get something for you to drink"

 

He returned only moments later with a wooden flask filled with water.

He handed it to him and returned to his seat.

 

"My name is Ammon by the way", he said reaching out his hand, "But who might you be ,sir?...you're obviously not from here"

[クローバー (Clover)]

"Markus Sorenson. I'm from Terriam, a country farther north than here." Markus said with a bow before shaking Ammon's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ammon."

He took a seat beside Ammon and took the water. He drank it, gratefully smiling at Ammon. He felt great having the cool liquid run down his throat.

"I was trying to get to the other side of the desert, but as you can see, I can't stand walking around in the sand for too long." Markus said.

[firebird]

"Markus", he muttered to himself. Even his name sounded regal.

 

"Likewise", he replied referring to their meeting, "but i must say, Terriam seems a bit far from here"

He calculated the distance in his head and if he wasn't mistaken it would take at least twelve days travel from there to Terriam...seven, if you didn't stop to rest.

He looked at the noble for a while wondering how he had gotten so far from home but he resigned himself to not asking. It would appear as if he was prying.

He caught himself staring for too long and turned his head away blushing slightly.

 

"Would you perhaps...like to travel with us?", he offered, "We are going to be travelling through that area soon...once we stop by Stringe and Calisam on the way there"

It was probably a bad idea since his comrades weren't very fond of the higher ups seeing as they all had rather unsavory run-ins with them where the other party would abuse their power. But nonetheless he wanted to travel with him no matter what and to keep dancing for him just to see that enchanted look in his eyes.

 

He was well aware how selfish his reason sounded but it was the truth and he wasn't one for denying it when it was so obvious.

He tucked his bottom lip under his teeth and discreetly crossed his fingers hoping that he'd say yes.

[クローバー (Clover)]

Markus looked shocked. Did this man know what he was going to ask him next? It didn't matter because they had the same interests in mind.

"Yes." Markus said. "I'd love to."

He knew that in saying yes, he'd arrive home very late, but he didn't care. He wanted to see Ammon dance again. He felt a magical connection the first time, and ever since he got that little taste of it, he wanted more.

[firebird]

He smiled genuinely at the other's reply making sure that he appeared nonchalant about it. But truthfully, in his head was doing a little happy dance.

"Follow me", he said to his newly added travelling companion.

He led him to a small area of the previously set up spot to where his friends were gathering the last of the props along with personal items.

He cleared his throat casually but loud enough for everyone to hear. Seeing as he got their attention, he spoke up.

"Every one I would like you to meet Mr. Sorensen, who will be joining us as we travel until we get to Terriam"

He took in the various expressions on their faces.

Some looked shocked, some looked appalled, some looked hurt and others seemed to not think on it too much and went back to packing.

He chuckled nervously.

Alright, all I gotta do is convince them...no problem at all[/I]

He sighed as the first screech of indignation reached his ears. None other than Azkar of course.

"Y-you cannot be s-serious?" , his voice shook out of fear or perhaps it was fury.

He looked at him deceptively warmly...a look they were all too familiar with , it always meant trouble.

"Oh, but I am, dear Azkar."

[クローバー (Clover)]

They're coming to MY country?! But the king's last decree was... Markus thought, shocked. How could they be so stupid as to go to a country where nomads were recently forbidden within its bounds, and offenders, nomad or conspirator, were to be executed by burning at a stake?! Shaking the thought from his head, he bowed in respect.

"I'm very grateful that I'm being allowed to join you." Markus said.

[firebird]

"Now then if we have no objections..." He left the question open for a moment but as soon as someone was about to speak up he carried on as if he did not realise and so inadvertently dismissed his statement.

He held on to Markus' hand excitedly but almost dropped it at the feeling of slight flutters in his belly.

"Come Markus, we leave now"

 

They had started walking as promised and almost every few seconds one of the travelers would send Markus the dirtiest look they could muster.

Some did it because his very presence irked them and others, because of his close proximity to their precious Ammon.

They made it seem as if the poor man had a saying in the matter as Ammon had not let the noble's hand go.

 

The day was windy so as you can imagine it was treacherous trying to walk through the desert but it mattered not to Ammon for soon he would be in Terriam and he would retrieve what he had lost as quickly as possible.

He gripped Markus' hand in determination.

[クローバー (Clover)]

Markus ignored all the dirty looks cast his way not because he did it on his own, but because he couldn't look over to acknowledge them. His gaze was fixed on Ammon holding his hand. Never in his life had a man ever taken his hand in the way Ammon did. Sure he held hands with men, but only to follow in a large crowd in a scenario of strictly business. With Ammon... He felt different. Markus felt as if the man wanted to hold his hand. To be close to him. However, he pushed those thoughts from his mind as they went northward in the sandstorm.

"How do you manage to move in such conditions?! This sandstorm is nearly unmanageable!" Markus asked over the howling wind.

[firebird]

He placed his lips directly at Markus' ear so that he would hear him clearly.

"We don't...by nightfall it'll die down"

 

~

As he had promised, as soon as sun had started to set the winds died down to light, harmless breezes. A blonde head turned to the rest of his crew.

"This is as good as any place to set up camp for the night."

So without complaint they stopped where they were and began unpacking.

 

For a small band of seven they were awfully skilled. By the time the last ray of sun had disappeared beyond the horizon, everything was set up from tents to a fire (they brought their own fire wood) to various traps to keep predators out and alarm them of an intruder.

 

He took one last look around camp and saw that everything was right...except one small detail.

 

He just realised that Markus had nowhere to sleep. He could always sleep in his tent but he only had enough bedding for one. It would uncomfortable for both parties unless they were close enough to be touching and he wasn't sure how the nobleman would feel in such a position but they didn't have much of a choice.

 

"Uh, Markus..we are, er, a bit short on sleeping space...you know, for you" he sighed deeply trying to calm his frayed nerves unaware that he was blushing like an adolescent caught in a whorehouse.

"So you'll have t-to...sleep wi-with me"

He waved his hands around frantically trying to correct his wording, "No No! not like that! but you know...you'll have to sleep in the same tent, under the same covers...with me

 

His breath raced as he tried to asses the situation mentally.

If it was any other man he was sure he wouldn't have been flustered. He might have even teased them with that sensual body of his all night long and leave them hard and wanting till morning.

But something told him that the nobleman wasn't so used to the notion of two males having sex. And he had somehow reverted back to a pubescent lad caught in the act of masturbating.

[クローバー (Clover)]

"I understood what you meant." Markus said, trying to hide the blush on his face. Never in his life had a man asked him to share a bed with him. This was something he wasn't used to. He even understood the hidden sexual context. Once he made that connection, the idea didn't seem that bad. Women in Terriam were all about doing it for money and prestige. There was no love in sex. In fact, a lot of high-flying noblewomen in Terriam scored big by bedding with rich men and making off with their money in marriage. If there was anything he hated about his country, Markus hated this system most. It made his honest way of life hard, since men were expected to elope with rich women to get money rather than provide goods and services to the masses. He never had sex with a man before, and because same-sex marriages were not allowed in his country, nobody had to lose anything in homosexual sex. This made the idea of even sharing a bed with a man much more enticing because of what it could lead to. Though any sexual relations had to be kept quiet for obvious reasons.

[firebird]

It made him feel a bit better to see that Markus was almost as embarrassed as he was.

He smiled and walked to his already set up tent and went inside.

 

He emerged from his tent holding various vials and a small rag. There was nothing better than going to bed smelling sweet and feeling refreshed.

"Judging by the direction of the ants and the various bugs, there should be an oasis nearby, north easterly to be exact. Would you like to join me for a bath?"

 

Markus probably wasn't used to having to bathe outside and with someone in the same vicinity but for him it was considered convenient and lucky.

He looked at the noble man expectantly.Perhaps he would take the chance.

He started walking smiling to himself. There were a number of men who would jump at the opportunity to see him naked.

Hopefully the dark-haired man would find that thought as appealing.

[クローバー (Clover)]

"Y-yes." Markus said, his voice faltering after realizing what he could be getting himself into. Ammon was basically allowing Markus to see him naked. In his country, women usually bared their bodies of their own will to tell men they wanted sex. However, since Ammon was a man himself, Markus made sure to restrain himself. However, the call of sweet water and freedom from grime and sweat was too tempting for him to pass the offer up completely. He kept up with Ammon, trusting the nomad's word that there was water.

[firebird]

Soon enough he came up on a small oasis precisely where he had suspected it to be. He looked behind him at Markus and smiled happily, turned out they would have a bath tonight.

 

He stood by the side of the glistening pool of water leisurely taking off his clothes so he could savour the moment his sweat covered body would be dipped in. The vials and rag were dropped by the side for easy access when he got inside. Humming lightly to himself he began undressing right where he stood. First he allowed his vest to slide off of his shoulders with ease, almost moaning when a chilly breeze swept across his naked top. He then slid his hands down his sides making sure that as they made contact with his pants and underwear his fingers were caught inside so that he could push them off of his hips. Once they fell, he walked out of them casually.

 

Before he could enter the pool he looked up only to see Markus. Apparently he had forgotten that he wasn't alone. Instantly his cheeks reddened in embarrassment. He had put on a damn strip tease for god's sake!

He chuckled nervously and unconsciously tried to close his thighs together to hide himself.

"Hehe...Markus, you should probably undress yourself as well," he coughed slightly to clear his throat and wash away the feeling of his voice box failing. The mooned shone brightly on his pale creamy skin and brightened his blush as he lowered himself into the water hoping that no more of his quite usual sensual mannerisms would escape him for the rest of the night.

[クローバー (Clover)]

Markus' blush got deeper as every article of clothing came off the dancer's body. He also felt his pants starting to tighten a little when he got to his underwear and pushed it off. He didn't understand why he was reacting this way to a male giving him a striptease. Normally, women did that while men would sit before them and jack off or fuck them when they were fully naked. He didn't have time to ponder the answers. The water was almost calling out to him to bathe in it. He made quick work of his upper body clothing, revealing a muscular figure built from years of working in coal mines as a teenager and continued physical activity as an adult. He unstrapped his boots and put them off to the side with his other clothes. Once he got to his pants, he paused. The bulge in them was so obvious that Ammon could probably see it from underwater. Deciding to take the chance, Markus unbuttoned his pants and pushed them and his underwear down, leaving just his unclothed figure. He joined Ammon in the water, testing it first before going in. The purple-haired man almost moaned when the cool water hit his sweaty, grimy skin, and he untied his hair, letting it fall into the water.

[firebird]

A slight moan escaped his lips as his brown eyes took in the naked form of his companion. It had been quite a while since he had found a man that was so...gifted in so many ways. His ever-present blush around Markus went a shade deeper as he shook his head to free it of such dirty thoughts. But it was just so hard to ignore the beautifully muscular body of the other. After all, it had been quite a while since the last time he was taken and Markus' body represented the type of men he usually let fuck him so he was just drowning in his lust at that moment. He almost came from the moan that left the noble's mouth.

 

He hadn't missed the obvious erection of the other but he decided to ignore it for both their sakes. He wasn't sure if his face could take anymore heat. But that wasn't to say that he wasn't turned on by it. He turned away to retrieve his bathing tools and hide his steadily growing erection. He poured a sweet smelling flowery substance from one of the two vials all over his body allowing it to run over his shoulders, neck and chest before it met the water around his waist. The liquid in the remaining vial was poured onto his rag so he could use it to wash his body.

 

He looked across momentarily to see nobleman relaxing. His eyes ate up his posture and body.

Perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad idea to release some tension

There was no way that erection was going to go away by sheer will power. And he knew from experience just how uncomfortable it would be to walk with an erection.

So he continued to move his hands across his body under the pretense that he was still washing himself. But in reality he spent more time on his nipples, tweaking and flicking them under the rag and when the time came he wrapped his hand around the raging hard on and used the other to "wash" his hole. All the time his eyes were trained on the glorious body before him. That is, until brown eyes met gold.

[クローバー (Clover)]

Markus casually looked over to Ammon to see about using some of the washing solutions he brought but his words died in his throat at the sight before him. Was the dancer actually masturbating to the sight of his body? This was more erotic than any woman in Terriam could ever hope to be. He walked over to the dancer, a deep red blush still on his face.

"A-Are you doing... that in reaction to seeing my body?" the tall nobleman asked just to make sure he was right in his suspicions.

[firebird]

Shit! he yelled mentally. How could he be so careless so as to get caught? And who the hell asks a man that kind of question?

He bit his bottom lip to stop himself from moaning. The object of his desire was so close, it only served to make him hornier despite the embarrassment of getting caught. He turned his burning face away and placed the rag on the shore.

 

"I-I wa-was...I, uh..."

There's no way he could finish his sentence. He looked up at Markus started blushing all over again, more so at their close proximity. He stared at his eyes deeply before suddenly attacking his mouth. He held the other's face tenderly as he licked and nipped at his lips.

Just as sudden as he attacked him he pulled back looking horrified at what he had done. He touched his lips gently.

"I-I'm so-sorry...I-I don't know wh-what came over me..."

[クローバー (Clover)]

Markus wrapped his strong arms around the smaller man's body, trying to comfort him. He understood that they had the same desires, but societal norms were what kept them from going at each other.

"I-It's fine... I actually liked it, to tell the truth." Markus admitted, his blush not leaving his face. His words had a similar effect on him as Ammon's actions did on him. He felt like pulling away and running off, still naked, but his empathy for the embarrassed young man in his arms was what kept him there.