It's Not Something I'm Proud Of {Morpheus}

[Ro]

At first she hadn't intended to even make the transaction, let alone stop by the stall. But even if she had managed to resist the utter desolation in the girl's eyes as she waited to be sold off to the highest bidder that night, her concience would have eaten at her anyways. So she'd pulled the dealer aside and made a deal; her body for the girl.

The drow was a smart businessman, and after assessing her own worth, had had a dwarf guide the poor girl up to the surface and to her freedom.

Ro wouldn't be so lucky.

"Just pretend I'm someone else if it makes you uncomfortable," he growled against her neck, ripping the red cloak away from her shoulders and throwing it onto the rocky floor. The thin top that was the only barrier between his mouth and her breasts soon followed and he made an appreciative sound in the back of his throat. "Or just lay there."

The blonde rolled her eyes as he laughed obscenely, wanting nothing more then to rip his heart and feed it to him. But she had a made a deal, and if nothing else, she kept to her promises. She allowed herself to arch into his touch as he bit at her breast harshly.

Meanwhile she let her mind wander, thinking of other slightly more important things. Things like her next job since her doing this meant she was painfully low on funds; what her next show might consist of and the kind of paint she might wear to make it work. What she was going to do about a certain djinn and their situation...

An image of Morpheus poised above her ripped a real moan from her lips when the Drow's hand wandered between her legs, and for a moment she almost thought it was him. The moment was gone a second later as she shook it off and she was back to responding when she deemed it necessary. Except Morpheus' face wouldn't stop dancing through her mind now that it had sown itself there.

Suddenly the lips on her hip were his and the hands grabbing at her were searing in their touch, and Ro couldn't help but respond the way she might were she actually sleeping with someone far more welcome in her bed.

And even when she started whispering the djinn's name, she knew she must be crazy. The drow continued about his business, completely unperturbed that another man's name had tumbled out of her lips, working his way back up to pillage her mouth and prepare for the final act of their union. Hand kneading a breast roughly while he spread her thighs with his knees, he nipped at her collar bone hard enough to leave a visible mark.

"Morpheus," Ro gasped again, her voice barely above a whisper.

[Morpheus]

It was a faint call, but one that rang loud and clear like a bell in the plane of the djinn. The eternal mist that seemed to reside there swirled and breathed, sorting itself out and selecting the one that was being summoned. When the mist seemed to breathe again, it let out a sigh as Morpheus moved through the planes, following the summons of his new master.

It led him through the planes at a journey that was faster than anything that could be described to humans. It was a rapid descent, among the planes until he reached the market and followed that shimmering thread to Ro. When he finally materialized and his eyes took in the scene before him, his features went through a range of expression as his magick seemed to swell around him before dropping to a freezing cold.

He was locking himself down, that much was apparent, but how much was not known. Everything about him was distant now as dark eyes took in the drow and his master. "Am I interrupting something?" he asked as he crossed his arms.

[Ro]

She felt him coming even before he'd spoken, and was caught mid-scramble when he finally did. Her whole body flinched at the sound and she kicked the drow off so she could at least wrap her cloak around her; it did little good to hide her nudity. "Jarlaxle," she breathed, glad that she had enough sense not to use his real name. Her eyes were wide in surprise and laced with guilt, although what she felt guilty about was a mystery.

The drow looked between her and the new man who had materialized in the room and sneered. "This your man? I can see why you would offer yourself up so willingly if this is what you go home to every night," he snickered darkly, taking great pleasure in the heat rising in her cheeks as she glared at him. "Your girl is loose, brother. You should find a new one," he said to Morpheus next.

[Morpheus]

"I can see that I'm not," he said with a casual flick of his wrist as the drow was slowly turned inside out, doomed to spend at least a few days like that as wizards attempted to right him out again. It was messy and bloody, a spray hitting the djinn in the face. It stuck there, sticking to one side of his face as he gave her an icy look.

"Seems I did find a whore for a master," he said, turning on his heel and striding away. The blood on his face and clothes would get no strange looks here and he could always will it away.

[Ro]

At first she was shocked as she watched the drow scrambled around blindly, but then her face contorted in rage when his words finally sunk in. Scrambling to pull her shorts on, she padded after him in her bare feet. "Jarlaxle," she called after him, breath coming out in puffs from the exertion. Whether it was from having to run after him or from before was left up to the imagination. When he didn't answer, she tried again. "Jarlaxle look at me please."

Gritting her teeth, she yanked him to a stop. "Morpheus stop," she said in a harsh whisper.

[Morpheus]

The stop was physical, as if he had run into a wall. He stood stock still, unable to move, do much of anything at all because of the command. His aura was still ice and being around him was as if one were up north in the frozen lands. As hard as he was trying to keep from letting any emotions he had get out of control, it was far too late.

He knew what he had done, knew that it had been foolish and unwise, but he had fallen for the human. Dark eyes flashed red, matching the crimson hue of the blood spatters on his face as he faced away from her, frozen as she had commanded.

[Ro]

The shiver that clawed up her spine could not be attributed to her state of dress (the underdark was notorius for being hot and humid), but still she rubbed her arms as if she were just blasted by a cold wind. Still, she put on a brave face and moved so that they were facing eachother; his face may have been cold and carefully blank, but the scorn and betrayal in his eyes made her flinch. Obviously he felt betrayed by what she'd done, but for the life of her couldn't understand why.

She'd basically told him that this happened fairly often when she didn't have the funds to pay for anything.

Sucking in a deep breath, she reached up to brush away a few of the fly-away strands from his face. She smeared some of the blood so that it looked like war paint in the process. "I release you from the order," she said, her other hand grabbing onto his wrist before he could escape. Blue eyes looked around them warily to make sure no one was there. "Morpheus what's wrong? What did I do now?"

She wasn't as angry about what he'd called her before storming off; it was basically true anyways. Part time clown, part time thief, part time whore. If she wasn't famous for one thing, she was for another, and so long as she lived, she would never outrun the later. It was another reason why she never formed lasting relationships with anyone; they always reacted like he was now. The only problem was that she thought he didn't particularly care about it. Obviously she'd been wrong.

There was hurt in her eyes, and she knew he knew why.

[Morpheus]

He just stared at her, the internal levels of his mind working rapid fire with each other, weighing every possible outcome and leaving no loophole unchecked. Thoughts fired too fast for even a human to interpret or even a higher being to comprehend, all this in the moment before he spoke.

"You did nothing that was outside your line of work, master," he said, his voice neutral as he stepped back from her, almost as far as he could without yanking his wrist back. Dark eyes watched her, recoiling from her touch in a way that showed something was very wrong with the djinn.

Of course Morpheus knew exactly why he was so upset, he had gone and fallen in love with the thief. If that wasn't enough of a crime, she had inadvertently summoned him while having sex with a drow, pretending it was him. And to top things off, she had told him she wasn't going to sleep with him, ever.

The djinn took his wrist back from her and presented her with a sharp, crisp bow that explained what he was and his position clearly, he was the servant and she was the master. "Your servant's actions were out of line. I ask your forgiveness, master," the djinn said, his entirety formal.

[Ro]

The blonde flinched, silently recoiling from the subserviant attitude he was now displaying; more still, the disappointment and hurt in his eyes appeared to grow deeper before he hid them with the bow. And then he had recoiled from her touch...

Morpheus had never done that before.

"I'm not a whore," she told him, voice breaking with the strain of containing her own hurt. He was, after all, still implying that she was. "I don't take money from them. If I had a choice, I would still be a virgin."

The regret in her eyes told him just how much she wished she wished she had as she reached out to touch him, habd hovering in the air for just a moment before dropping it back to her side. If how he was acting now was any indication, he wouldn't appreciate her trying to touch him. "What you saw wasn't something I'm proud of, but it was the only way to strike the deal i wanted."

[Morpheus]

"Of course you are not. You are my master," he said simply, refusing to straighten up from the bow. Of course that made him around her height and hid whatever his eyes did not. He was out of practice and slowly reminding himself how to lie with his eyes, so no one could tell what he was actually thinking.

Then there was the definition of a whore. To him, it was simply anyone who exchanged sex for something they wanted, so to him, she fit it and here he had been hoping she would have been different. If only it were the thought that counted, but then again, many would have been dead long ago if that were the case.

He finally straightened up, fully in control of his expressions and body once more, his eyes unreadable to everyone and his aura gone, merely acting the part of the servant that he was supposed to be to the other beings. Crow would not be here to talk to her about this, nor would the bird need to be. It was something that was between the djinn and human only.

"I apologize for my words and actions, master, I will think first and speak second in the future," he said.

[Ro]

Her expression turned stricken and she took a step back as if struck; his words hurt more then any physical harm she had experienced in the past. "Please don't call me master," she begged, this time gathering her courage so that she could reach out and grab a fist full of his shirt. "Ask me why i did it. Why I ever sleep with anyone like that. You know I hate it when men touch me without my permission, so ask about that."

She gestured at her half-clothed state, the bottom of her breasts just barely visible because of her lack shirt. Her still undone shorts and bare feet. Even he could see that she had been desperate to follow after him and explain.

"You can be as mad as you want after you know, but please don't judge me like everyone else."

[Morpheus]

Even if her words were not meant to be a command, they still were and he had to, even if it went against conflict and would hurt him in the end. After all, it was his master that came first, no?

The words fell out of his mouth in a mechanical way, there was no emotion behind them, like a well trained dog or servant who was merely doing what they were told day in and day out. "Then why did you do it?"

His emotions did not matter, seeing as he would far outlive her anyways and any emotional gain or pain would be lost to the centuries. It was true, he never really dwelled upon the few happy moments of his long life, instead he vividly remembered the unpleasant and unhappy forms that he was put through.

He never moved from his position, letting her touch his form as she would, letting her gather his shirt up as she would, as if to keep him here. This was nothing more than a shell, a form, and he did not care to keep it feeling human anymore, so it became cold, cold and hard like the rest of him, feeling rather like death, but a death colder than any vampire could attain.

[Ro]

The look in her eyes told him that she realized she had inadvertantly given him an order, but that she would take his question for what it was anyways. "There was a young girl who was going to be sold," she explained quickly. "Probably to someone worse then whoever had captured her and sent her here to be sold. The drow didn't want money, and I wouldn't have been able to pay anyway if he had. He said that he would release her if I slept with him."

Even as she spoke, her eyes glued themselves to the rocky ground in shame. Usually she didn't care who knew about her 'business ventures', but the dead look Morpheus kept giving her begged that she try and make it right.

"I told you didn't I? That I do this when I can't pay to free the slaves sold down here. I'm lucky you didn't catch me with one of the more violent ones, because you probably would have killed him."

[Morpheus]

"That is why you have a djinn. I could free every slave here and kill the traders as well as the sellers. I detest slavery of every form, far more than you shall ever know," he said, watching her. He was mildly annoyed now with her, and it showed in his eyes but he would still not touch her.

He was far too hurt to allow himself to open up at the moment, taking in her response. He knew of her bleeding heart, he had helped her before, but why would she do something like this if she knew of his power and his abilities? It was something against her grains and morals, that much he knew.

"Now release me back to my plane and get dressed and finish whatever business you have. Then Underdark is not a place to remain for a human, no matter your profession."

[Ro]

A muscle ticked in her jaw, and she knew he would be fine eventually. "No, we're not done just yet," she informed him primly, grabbing him by the wrist with her other hand lest he try and escape while she wasn't keepig an eye on him, yanking the djinn back towards the tiny house. The drow was long gone by now, probably stumbling through the streets trying to find someone sympathetic enough to help him; even without special powers, Ro knew it would probably be a long time before he even thought about human trafficing. "Please take a seat and try not to poof while I'm trying to talk to you."

The look she gave him clearly stated that if he tried to escape, she reallt would issue a real order instead of the barely veiled requests. What she had to say was far more important then his bruised ego, despite the fact that she still felt guilty; she probably wouldn't stop any time soon, so she set it aside for the moment. Meanwhile she retrieved her shirt, shedding her cloack so that she put it back on.

The long scar down her back was visible while she turned to face the wall before the fabric of her shirt hid most of it once more. Ro turned to face him with narrowed eyes, deciding not to bother with the button of her shorts; he'd seen her in less. "There is a reason I didn't call you to free her, you know," she stated carefully. "One that doesn't just extend to your basically being a servent."

[Morpheus]

"Then do enlighten me since I can do nothing more than to merely listen," he said, the sarcastic and snarky tone making itself known again in his demeanor. Morpheus was a master at changing and hiding his emotions as he was doing now, defending himself and protecting himself.

The djinn raised a hand and waved it, cleaning the blood from him with a flick of his wrist as he pushed his hair out of his eyes, carefully staring up at the ceiling that he could see, paying more attention to it than to the human getting dressed in front of him.

[Ro]

She drew in a ragged breath to keep from snapping at him; the situation was still too delicate to fall back into old habits. "Morph, if I had asked you to free that girl for me, I would have become dependent on your power even more. And it's not just a matter of honor for me, but the girl's safety as well. If you'd freed her for me, they would have hunted her down and either captured her again or worse." Ro tried to meet his eyes with little success and instead just continued. "Besides, I'm known for doing dishonest business honestly. Even if what the traders ask for just extend to money, I never go back on my word. You should know that better then anyone."

There was a question just on the tip of her tongue, begging to be asked. She almost did, but swallowed once more as it biting her tongue; he wouldn't answer if she asked anyways. He never answered her questions when they were important.

[Morpheus]

He knew her demeanor without even looking at her, one of the charms of being a djinn. His shell could be doing something else while he could be watching and scrutinizing her every movement. He had been doing so, to determine if her questions and her statements were true, she actually believed in what she was saying and it was not merely an act.

He seemed to approve of what he had found because his shell came back in line with the rest of his essence so he was watching her again. "Ask what you want to ask, Ro. I give you my word that I will answer it truthfully," he said.

[Ro]

Ro bit her lip in thought before nodding curtly, looking away as if embarassed. "I know it bothers you that you caught me in the act, but I wanted to know why. I mean, I basically told you that this happens from time to time, so it shouldn't have come as such a surpise..." Her eyes closed as she took a steadying breath; she was rambling. Finally, after a few brief seconds of gathering her thoughts, she asked, "You weren't jealous, were you?"

It had, of course, been bothering her since he had stormed off, but she'd needed to get him to talk to her before asking. The fact that he had said she could ask menat h was willing to talk about it, if only a little. Although what she expected to do if he said yes, that he was indeed green with envy, was a complete mystery.

[Morpheus]

The djinn would take a roundabout way in answering her question. "You have told me before you would not sleep with me. Then you sleep with a drow, imagining it was me. How do you think I would feel walking in upon that act, knowing you inadvertently summoned me because I seemed to be the better alternative to fantasize about while having a drow male sleep with you?" he asked, his tone steady.

For once, the djinn was in fact, acting his age and the wisdom he had accumulated over the centuries was coming to use. Women were such volatile creatures, as it were. "Yes, that would in fact make me rather jealous," he said, watching her carefully.