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[lordoftheozarks]

When the ringing stops, all you'll hear is a cold voice that says one simple word, "Speak."

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[lordoftheozarks]

"I do offer colder sheets as an advantage, certainly," he says with a chuckle that is far more genuine this time. It's always wonderful to find he's so readily accepted. "For those who do not like cold feet there are always socks." 

Erik lounges with his chin propped up on one hand, watching his guest enjoy the warm water. There's its own kind of charm in watching someone enjoy themselves that Erik finds he craves just as much as he does blood. Sometimes he wonders if this is what his old mentor was trying to tell him about all those years ago. Finding joy in the joy of mortals, as he'd put it. 

"I will gladly prove I am more than words." Erik lowers himself to his knees beside the tub and behind Samuel, where he starts with massage around his shoulders, reaching forward to fondle his chest from time to time, and to run hands down his arms with more soap, scrubbing, rubbing, teasing, all at once.

"You seem to have a lot of tight muscles," he comments as he works. "I can help with that."

[luckandmybruder]

Sam does not easily show his joy, unless the stakes are low and he's doing it for himself. Erik is seeing it peeling away a little at a time here as they talk, negotiate, and generally just banter. His legs fall open against the sides of the tub and his head lays back, eyes half-closed.

True to Erik's assessment, Sam's muscles are tight, aching under pressure from cool fingers. It's strange, feeling that contrast between them and the heat of the water. "There has not been much time to relax in my adult life," he replies evenly. "I doubt that you can undo all of it in one fell swoop but you are welcome to try."

[lordoftheozarks]

"There rarely ever is. Even here, there will be many challenges to face," Erik sighs witfully. Yes, even in this small town there are horrors yet to face.

"Even if I cannot undo them all, I can improve the situation. Just tell me if I'm pressing too hard." His fingers start to dig deeper, digging at those tight knots and soothing them out where he can. But he doesn't focus only on the shoulders, he rakes his nails up the man's neck in light scratches, then through his hair and back down. He circles Samuel's temple, and around his ears, lightly teasing and pinching the lobes. He even brings a few passes along his forehead and bridge of his nose and down his jawline, as if doing a facial.

"Tell me more about yourself? Were you a soldier?"

[luckandmybruder]

Honestly, it would be too good to be true if suddenly things were that easy.

Sam starts to reply, but stops and groans instead, wincing and flexing his fingers against his thighs under the water. It burns, but the knots releasing is a good sort of ache that fancies he can feel down to his fingertips. It doesn't linger for too long either, Erik's fingers running deftly over his face and neck. That was certainly not what he expected, but he wasn't arguing with it in the slightest. His eyes close against droplets of water.

"A bit of a renegade and information broker," he replies as he wills his brow to smooth out under Erik's fingers from their usual furrow. "Nothing happens in Kuttenberg without my hearing about it. I orchestrate the occasional assault on those that would deserve it, unless they prove to be better than that." He pauses, then chuckles. "That was how I learned of my brother's existence."

[lordoftheozarks]

That groan is incredibly gratifying. Yes, that's the ticket. Relax and let his fingers work.

"It's no wonder you're so tense," Erik answers, sounding impressed. "I held a similar role in my old life, too, so I would know. You could be a useful man to me here, as well, if you want to continue in a similar line." He's a city council member, but it would be nice to have a less manicured and public facing informant to help him see beneath the veneer of this town.

"Your brother? That's wonderful. I assume you were both fully formed men before you knew of each other's existence, then? Must have come as some surprise?"

[luckandmybruder]

Why fight what he's paying for? He's not so contrarian that he would make Erik's life harder about servicing him.

With his head still back against the lip of the tub, Sam looks up at the upside-down face of the other man with his hands still kneading at warm flesh. "I do not know how else I might fill my time unless I return to simple labor. While I am good for it, I would like something a little bit closer to my expertise."

"Jindřich ze Skalice," he offers, to introduce Henry. "Commonly he is called Henry, of Skalitz. We share a father, but never knew each other until very recently.I thought he was just another idiot goy, and he proved me right when he told me that he knew what that was, that it was a type of sausage. But...he is a good man, with a generous heart."

[lordoftheozarks]

"I know what you mean. That is why I came into this profession. After being lord of my territory, I couldn't see myself holding a hoe, so I chose to become one." Wink.

"He sounds like a very amusing brother," Erik says while trying and failing to suppress a snicker. A sausage? Really?

"I'm glad you've found him. If he is a little simple, well, that's not so bad as long as he's a good soul."

[luckandmybruder]

Sam's nose wrinkles with a soft laugh at Erik's quip. Even if he doesn't know the slang, he does get the gist, which is really all one needs to be able to grok such things.

"Our father did his best to see to it that he was raised well. He is a good tradesman. Handles a sword well. I think he will be alright here." He knows that Henry isn't particularly stupid by any means, but he tends to think in straight lines and anyone else here will almost certainly see the neurodivergence on him.

[lordoftheozarks]

"He does sound like he will be right at home," Erik wasn't sure until just this moment that the other brother was also here in town. Now that he knows, "You should bring him to meet me sometime. But, for now, you have me all to yourself."

His fingers slither down Samuel's chest, plunging beneath the water and following the curve of the man's belly down to his hip. "Where shall I massage next?"

[luckandmybruder]

"We both went to our deaths in the same place, near the same time," he sighs even as he allows his body to relax more fully. One foot props up on the edge of the tub, letting him sink down into the heat a little further. "The month-long siege of Suchdol did not end while we were there; we tried to infiltrate the camp of the men from Prague...A man betrayed us both. Caught me by surprise."

He doesn't quite remember being beaten to death by said betrayer. He was not alive to see Henry take his revenge.

The distraction of Erik's skilled hands does at least give him something far more pleasant to think about. "Perhaps I should. I think he would benefit from getting to know your business." His head rests back with his eyes mostly unfocused toward the ceiling. "I think I might also like to see where your hands should go next."

[lordoftheozarks]

"I'm sorry it had to be such a bitter end, but if it means you're able to reunite under better terms here, then I'm very happy for you both. I hope you will bring him around." Though, he suspects the sting of betrayal will take some time to heal yet.

He can help in his own way now, can't he? He's ever-so-good at distractions. His lips curl devilishly as he sends his fingers on a southward journey, kneading up and down the man's muscular thighs, starting from the outside but steadily moving in, until he's caressing his inner thigh just a hair's length away from his cock and balls.

"Are my hands all you desire, or do you want to see what my mouth can do when I'm not using it to speak? For the record, I don't need to breath, so you won't need to get up."

[luckandmybruder]

Samuel sighs and groans softly at the easy passes of Erik's hands down his body, the water warming his fingers to something almost to a living body temperature. He sucks in a long, deep breath and shifts himself up just enough that he can feel a subtle brush against his cock.

"I think I like hearing you talk to me," he murmurs. He ventures a hand up the length of Erik's arm, rough fingers gently gripping just south of his bicep. "I have not bedded anyone that I could not hold a conversation with."

[lordoftheozarks]

"That pleases me," he says with a softening smile. "I'm sure you can tell that I like to talk. Indeed, my tongue is my sharpest weapon."

But his fingers are a close second. He traces his index up from the base of Samuel's shaft, to the heat, lightly and teasing, and back down again where his hand cups and fondles his sack, as casually and gently as if he had all the time in the world to fondle and caress.

"Why don't you pick the next topic, and I shall regail you with my conversational prowess."

He does have to wonder, though, how well Samuel will do keeping up conversation when he feels a light squeeze around his base.

[luckandmybruder]

Samuel sucks in a slow breath, his eyes briefly fluttering shut. His head leans back against the back of the tub just shy of Erik's shoulder.

"Tell me of you," he breathes. "You say you know Bohemia...what do you remember?" Perhaps fishing for the common ground that he knows he could kibitz about. He would see how well he could hold a conversation while in such a compromised position.

[lordoftheozarks]

"What I remember most was the art," he says with some chagrin. "I'm sorry if that's disappointing, but for me it was many centuries past. I was still in residence with my vampire Master, and he was the sort who liked to make connections, so he brought me with him on several diplomatic sojourns."

His fingers stroke up Samuel's shaft steadily as he speaks, never faltering.

"I remember the soldiers, too. Their clanging armor was hell on my sensitive ears, and none of them smelled too pleasant, oh, but they had beautiful music. And very funny drunken ballads."

[luckandmybruder]

"You never know what will stick in your memory until far later," he agrees. "The old art was never really preserved in our temple, as often as it was raided. You will have to tell me of the masters that came after my time." His eyes close and his body shifts under the hand that strokes up the length of him and back down again.

"The men that I knew could sing wonderfully, even if they weren't quite in tune. The bardic tradition was unfortunately not strong in our town, but there were always the traveling showmen, even in wartime. I learned to sing when I was very small, within the temple to recite the scripture. I do not do it often...

"I will have to warn Henry to bathe before he comes to see you. He often smells of damp and dog. Do not hold it against him."

[lordoftheozarks]

"I would enjoy enlightening you on the subject. I was something of a collector in my home world." He does sometimes miss his art hall, but not enough to put up with everything else.

He hums in commiseration as his fingers continue their work. It could almost seem like idle playing but for how he pays very close attention to each reaction, every flutter of the heart and flare of his nostrils cues him to the next move. Still, he keeps up the conversation with apparent ease.

"I miss the days of traveling bards, I must say. The equivalents in the modern era are interesting and fun in their own ways, but they aren't quite the same. They hardly encourage the same sort of crowd participation." Those seem to be reserved for stand up comedy acts now.

"I won't hold it against him," Erik chuckles, "as long as he's as charming as you are."