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Lucius stood there in his assigned place as usual, paws behind his back and head tilted up and away, eyes slitted against the sparkling sunlight coming down between the boughs of the great tree overhead. He kept his eyes closed and ears open, riding the waves of sensation, feeling, and impression as they swirled around him, listening both to the words as well as the meanings hidden underneath - and, of course, the true intentions layered beneath the speaker's voice.

Today's hearing was another of the usual, a trader concerned with the viability of their product and route. A broad-shouldered, somewhat stout cheetah stood before the throne, paws held confidently at his sides and muzzle directed towards the Queen without looking her straight in the eye as he gave his story. He was a craftsman, an artisan with a handful of apprentices underneath him who ran their wares across the desert north, through the second hub of Meris and then from there into the northern forests of distant Loria.

The issue here seemed to be that the cost of shipping the wares put far too heavy a burden on the shop itself to be reasonable. Even to natives of Solm, the Maldethi Desert proved a vicious barrier to travel, with many stables along the city walls renting out the great four-legged lizards specially adapted for making the journey. Generally these costs were formulated for a one-way trip, though in most merchants' cases, they had to use several to cart their goods one direction, sell them there, then rent again for the return trip, and by now the stables had caught on to the potential source of income on plain display here.

Scheherazade nodded as she listened, then lifted a paw to her chin to think. Lucius hid a smile as he felt her thoughts turning. Then, of course, she leaned forward to look to her royal adviser and, now, his apprentice standing beside him.

Lua did indeed look sharp in the outfit dug up for him in the time since the ritual binding, roughly a week prior at this point. It wasn't quite up to par with Lucius's own but still was quite a sight over the garb in which he had arrived, with the adviser planning a fitting session for his apprentice later in the coming week to get his own custom-tailored. Feeling Lucius's gaze as well as a semblance of his thoughts, the younger wolf's ear perked and he, too, leaned forward to look to him. A hint of amusement thrummed through their bond, but by now he had honed a fair talent at keeping his outward expression level.

So far he had certainly not let down in his training, swiftly advancing in skill and dexterity with his craft to a point that likely rivaled Lucius's own, were there a way to effectively compare the two. Gentle exhaustion tugged at the limits of the Alenari's consciousness, remnants of their late night sessions and the constant pushing along the boundaries of his own ability: sessions spent in simple meditation and novice exercises, sessions aimed at honing speed and delicacy; one session with the two sitting apart from each other, reaching forward and linking together, holding that link, letting it smoothly dissipate, again and again. Every time Lua's essence latched around Lucius's own, it filled the wolf with a sensation unlike any other, and it took nearly everything he had to be able to push it away and retreat back into himself at the culmination of the exercise - and, naturally, every time they linked together like that, a little bit more of Lua remained behind in himself.

Even without the formal ceremony, it was inevitable that the two would establish some sort of bond, however deep it might turn out to be. Hardly a week later and it was clear that Lua could already sense some portion of Lucius's thoughts and feelings, just as he could the same for the other, restricted as it was by distance and conscious awareness.

Sure, Lua had popped up in his dreams once or twice by now, the second time leading to Lucius arising from bed in the middle of the night and standing over the sink in the washroom, eyes wrenched shut and jaw clenched, trying to still the steady thrusting and throbbing from his lower body. But when he had spread careful fingers out along their link - as he, too, had plenty of material to learn in exchange from Lua - he ended up hitting a shielded wall far too dense for someone of his own skill level to penetrate. That would be another of the first things that he had taught the younger wolf, the very same skill that he and his mentor had managed to instill in Scheherazade even with her near complete lack of magical capability.

Curiosity snaked out along the bond, and in a brief panic Lucius shoved those thoughts back beneath his own barrier. Amused, Lua pressed a little bit further, then retreated and finally looked forward to the subject at hand again.

Queen Scheherazade drummed her claws along the arm of the throne. "What do you two think?"

Lucius rolled the information, the feelings, the thoughts around in his head a little bit longer. He did notice that the cheetah had no issue maintaining eye contact with him, though; usually the subjects picked a spot on the throne between the two of them, wishing neither to stare the Queen in the eye nor her adviser with the shocking whitish-blue gaze.

"He's being entirely truthful," Lucius responded. The cheetah made no sigh of relief. Of course not: he knew he was telling the truth, and knew that he would be found as such. "He feels genuine concern for the future of his craft, and wishes to spread his skill to the northern provinces for the enjoyment of his patrons more than their money."

Scheherazade sat back again. "Interesting. Your works are already among our most profitable exports to the north, and rightfully so."

The cheetah inclined his head. "Thank you, my lady."

Then, though, it was Lua who took a half-step forward, drawing the eyes of everyone else in the chamber. Feeling the sudden pressure, he stumbled over his words at first, then cleared his throat and tried again.

"...And he is also, ah..." His ear flicked. He swallowed. "He believes his first apprentice will soon exceed him in terms of skill and quality, and wishes for her wares to rise above his own." Here Lua paused, looking between the cheetah who now avoided his gaze and his Queen. "So he wishes for there to be a... solid background for..."

Scheherazade looked to Lucius for confirmation. The wolf wet his lips, swallowed, and then after a moment nodded, a swift twinge of discomfort thrumming through him. That wasn't something he had initially picked up on from the cheetah's thoughts, but now that he dug deeper it was certainly there, especially now that Lua's verbal mentioning had brought it to the forefront of his attention.

"Lua is correct," he answered, and then to the cheetah, "and it is a respectable aim."

The lioness thought on the matter for only a moment. "Indeed it is. From now on the palace will cover the cost for your _kraal_rentals, with certain restrictions - as I'm sure you understand. If you would wait here a moment, I'll convene with my adviser and my head of exports, and we'll have a contract written up for you..."

~ ~ ~

Overhead the moons continued their slow, steady dance around one another, swinging gently further apart as the nights drifted along. Lucius stood with his arms resting over the balcony railing, whiskers tickling gently in the cool breeze brought along by night settling more steadily down across the desert. Solm glittered like a great ivory haven out beneath him, the different types of stone standing in soft contrast to one another, streets weaving like rivers with so many citizens still carried along their currents, always with something to do.

Something in the back of his mind tickled, the very same sensation as when he abruptly remembered something forgotten, and he turned his head just in time to see smooth white fur slide in alongside him, Lua mimicking his pose and leaning over the railing as well. Following the hearing with the cheetah this morning, the two had retreated to another of the sequestered chambers further beneath the palace to continue their studies and practice. Lucius had actually just arisen from a nap, during which the sun had dropped below the horizon to give way to the moons here.

With Lua now under his wing his schedule had at once considerably freed up, yet still tightened down: just like all of those people still bumbling around the city streets, he always had something that needed doing, yet found more time to himself than he had before, with Scheherazade leaning more heavily on the rest of her cabinet for advice and input. That explained his wife's continued absence as well, Azura working most of the imports for the entire city beneath the Queen's eye.

Lua might have done the very same, peering at the younger wolf from the corner of his eye: his fur looked a little ragged, and it seemed whatever he had just spent the past two hours doing, he had neglected to take his clothing off first, for the way it bent and held in certain pinches and wrinkles. He reached up and thumbed at one of his eyes, then gave a wide, quiet yawn, showing mostly sharp teeth inside - with one of his fangs chipped and blunted.

"Lucius."

The younger wolf had a slight accent to his words, though not really enough to stick out as noticeable. Lucius liked hearing him speak. "Mm?"

"Have you always lived here? In Solm, I mean."

He looked out over the city, stretching into the distance. "Most of my life," the adviser answered. "My family is Alenari."

"I did pick up on that." Along with the other bodily differences between the breeds, Alenari wolves had a generally _bushier_appearance than the Doriani cousins. This meant that, especially during the height of the summer months, Lucius had to enlist one of his favored palace servants to put him through a routine trimming. "Have you ever been there?"

"Oh, yes. When I was a pup, and now we - myself and my wife - return to our estates for a visit every now and then." After saying this he put out delicate, inquisitive tendrils to seek for a response hidden beneath Lua's thoughts, something twitching against his specific wording, my wife- but found nothing. Interested and perhaps a little disappointed, he drew back. "I am still young; technically I am a Lord, as my father resides there."

That might have been the wrong thing to say. Lua shifted where he stood, moving his weight to his other arm. His tail swung idly behind him, and for a moment he remained silent.

"What's it like there? In Alenar."

Lucius thought for a moment. "Cooler than here, naturally. Wetter. The mountains trap the moisture blowing in from the ocean to the west, which interacts with the slightly higher altitude there... whenever I return to the estates there it feels harder to breathe, like I must fill my lungs twice as much to get the same amount of air." He chuckled. "But I'm sure that's familiar to you, isn't it?"

"It is. Have you ever been to Dorian?"

"A few times."

"Not on leisure, I imagine?"

"No. Not on leisure." There had been that slim, sleek otter attendant from Mora, though, just as eager to serve Lucius the Maldethi diplomat as he was his own... but, thankfully, his bond did not compel him to reveal all. Already had he learned discipline and care in choosing his words and phrasing. "It is... pleasant there."

Lua nodded. If he picked up on the other wolf's thoughts, he did not show it. "Quite a change, from there to here. In stories Maldeth is presented as this vast, empty wasteland devoid of life and hospitality. An endless sea of sand, little settlements cropping up like... weeds in a roadway, small, insignificant. Weak." He paused, then raised up and looked Lucius in the eye. "It's interesting to me to see how different it is. And I was expecting the heat to continue through the night, but no; it gets at least as cold as it does out in Dorian."

"Are your quarters suitable? Should I send some thicker blankets for you, or is there anything else you need?"

"Hmm? Oh, no, no - it's fantastic. Truly unlike anything I've had before..." The white wolf trailed off, resting his chin on his paw while he looked out over the city. Lucius could tell there was something more he wanted to say, that he did not come here to speak of the weather and their pasts. That was a thing that they had gone over in depth during their sessions so far: as soon as he had developed the ability to do so, Lua wrapped a shield tight around the memories and thoughts of where he had come from, and his strength and uncanny skill meant that even his mentor here could not slide his way in.

Shortly after the binding ritual a separate room in the palace had been cleared and prepared for the Doriani's indefinite residency, and no matter where Lucius was in the palace at the time, whenever Lua entered it he felt a swell of relief paired with disbelief and then, delayed a few seconds, an intentional, deliberate affirmation: I deserve this.

And so he did. Lucius turned back to the city as well, one paw propping up his muzzle while the other reached over for his cup of tea. It had been Azura who taught him how to prepare the fresh leaves from the stock sold at the market, and the resulting brew had a richness and clarity unlike anything the wolf had grown up with. He took a sip and held it there, rolling it back and forth over his tongue, feeling the way the heat stirred, simmered, dissipated out, how it warmed his breath just as it felt to cool it... the things Lua had done since his arrival were spectacular, how quickly he advanced through the foundations and fundamentals. Lucius planned to bring him by the archmage of the academy before too long for a formal test of skill to determine his strengths in the other types of magic, and see if there would be any way to-

"Lucius."

The Alenari blinked. "Mm?"

Lua hesitated. "I wish to... apologize for how I behaved upon my arrival."

"Looking into the Queen's mind?"

"Yes." His ears flicked back and showed his honesty - which Lucius already knew, through their small link. "I knew that doing so would attract the attention of any other Spirit user in the city, which was... well, exactly what I sought. I'd heard rumors and read the myths over in Dorian, as I'm sure you understand, so I had some idea of what capabilities I could have, and it... scared me." He straightened up and then turned to face his mentor directly. "Never once did I think I could leave the city, and yet here I am, having crossed the highlands and desert both, simply because I heard the Maldethi royalty boasts a Spirit mage for an adviser. I had hope, and then here you are, and already you've taken me in, and..."

He gave a deep bow, arms along his legs in front of him, and held that pose.

"And I'm sorry for behaving as I did, and deeply grateful to you and the Queen. Nothing in my life seemed to go right or as I wanted, and then I show up here and I've met nothing but welcome and care, and - I have to remind myself that this is where I need to be, and that I do deserve what I'm being given." He paused, swallowed, and bowed a little deeper. "Pardon me for being so bold as to say. You are a noble and I am not, and to assume so much is-"

"Is fair," Lucius completed for him. "Lua, I _know_what you're thinking. The ceremony ensured that." And the younger wolf was righteously infuriated for how he had been treated growing up, always beneath someone else's foot, always the victim for something out of his control, always unable to do anything effective no matter how he tried. And now, here, he was finally being given the ability to hone the strength to change that.

The younger wolf chuckled sheepishly. "Right. That's right. Sorry, I-"

"You are not."

"Yeah. I guess I'm not, am I?"

There the two stood a moment longer, each watching the other, reaching forward in thought yet drawing back again at the first insistence from the opposite. Like walking alongside someone on the street and accidentally brushing paws, with the kneejerk reaction to yank the paw away and mutter an apology.

Lucius reached for his tea again and downed the rest of it, only afterwards realizing he should have offered some to the Doriani. "You ought to go to bed, Lua."

Seemingly started from his thoughts, it took the other wolf a moment to respond. "Oh. Yes. I suppose I should. Um..."

Something still lingered there between them, though, something hidden behind his mental shield. Trying to look into it felt like peering through the fogged glass of the bathhouse, where all he could discern was faint outlines and a vague impression of what it might be - and then embarrassment suddenly flooded the link, then strengthened when Lua realized that Lucius could feel it through him.

"I'll go," the younger wolf said, turning to bustle towards the door. "Thank you again, Lucius. I'm indebted to you."

Lucius watched as he let himself out, amusement trickling down throughout his body. His tail stirred. He moved to take another sip of his tea, then remembered a moment later he had already drained the cup. Still, though, he wasn't quite ready for bed, and got the feeling that Lua wasn't either - and besides, Azura would appreciate a freshly made pot upon her return shortly. The Alenari sighed, looked back over the city once more, and then stepped back into the room to prepare a new batch of leaves.

~ ~ ~

This would be one of the few days that Lucius had left free for the two of them. Just as he had planned, earlier in the week he had taken the young Doriani to the academy for an inspection of sorts from the archmage there, a battery of tests, exercises, and experiments to push the limits of his power and ability. It took the remainder of that day and then the entirety of the next, mainly involved with teaching Lua the basics themselves, but once he had come out and the archmage had given his results, Lucius was... not exactly underwhelmed.

Fairly average, Lua was, in most everything. This in itself was still remarkable, though: most beginner students had one type in which they held their talent, with the rest falling far behind. Of course there were no tests for the Spirit magic, but both wolves had the same idea when they heard this news and then the half-sensical, esoteric explanation for why this might happen.

The answer was simple: Lua's talent was in Spirit magic. Something almost unheard of, even beyond the fact he could wield it at all. The differences between a mage with a talent and one without could be like comparing the wind from a waved arm to the intense gusts signaling a coming storm, entire orders of magnitude greater in terms of strength and deftness. Lucius had known students who could pull a dense, delicate web of Fire magical threads into a tight and concentrated bead, then use that to melt through nearly any object, while others could barely heat a pot of water until it steamed.

Lucius, a user of Spirit magic without a talent in any particular type, could read thoughts, sense emotional changes across the palace, and - occasionally - clearly communicate with his queen or his wife through their informally established links, depending on the circumstances. So, then, he wondered at what Lua would be able to do.

It was important to relax and take time off, though, and the Alenari thought that hearing this news confirming their suspicions would provide an excellent excuse to do so. In the few days he had been given before his palace quarters had come up for him, Lua had made his way around some parts of the city, yet strayed away from the busier, more established sections; today Lucius intentionally took him through these areas, showing him the tall buildings carved of marble and limestone and granite, shimmering with their own array of colors in the relentless sunlight.

They walked side by side in the center of the street, the cobbles kept pleasantly cool under the way the buildings towered up on both sides and shrouded the ground in shadow, save for about a one-hour period at the peak of the day. Some citizens stood near the alleyways chatting amongst themselves, though they all stopped to look and then executed attempted bows when they noticed the clothing the two of them wore.

"Everything's so... different," Lua remarked, looking up at the buildings overhead. "From the stones to the style to the... the feeling."

"Different from Dorian?"

"Yes." He reached up and scratched at his nose. Lucius watched for a second, then looked away. "I'm sure you understand that education wasn't exactly available to me, growing up. I don't know a thing about the different - civilizations, or who led to what..."

"Solm was built up around an oasis," Lucius began, "amid the center of nomadic grazelands."

"Grazelands? There's nothing here but sand."

"Have you been outside the walls yet?"

"Not since my first arrival."

"Well..." The elder wolf motioned towards one of the pathways. "Western gate is this way. Let me show you."

And on they walked, passing from cool shadow to steady warmth, then from there into the familiar blazing heat. That was something that took time to appreciate, and even now Lucius still tried to stay inside during the day, but the presence of the nearby river systems really helped. Lua walked smoothly alongside him, ears perked and tail swishing, mind constantly abuzz with interest and curiosity.

"See the fields, stretching out to the distance?"

So he did. Lucius felt Lua's wonder at the rolling seas of smooth, sweet green, pale beneath the vicious sunlight. Harvest would be coming up in about a month's time, once the moons made another circuit around and came back together for a convergence.

"Back in those days an alliance was struck, between the settled peoples here and the tribes out in the wastes. We - the settled - taught them farming, irrigation, how to manipulate the land, and eventually our cultures combined." He turned and waved back over the city. "The tribal influence can be seen in the architecture of our buildings, in the backbone of our laws and government - the citizens' trials, the queendom, how our soldiers fight with spears, the royal cabinet - and then particularly in our artisans and exports."

Still looking out over the fields, Lua scoffed. Surprised, Lucius looked over to him. It took another second for his pale eyes, lighter than the sky overhead, to flash over to him.

"I thought you couldn't tell a lie."

The adviser's jaw dropped. "What are you-"

"Next are you going to tell me that Solm doesn't have_a lower class because, oh, look at our _prosperity, look at our _success._Our citizens speak directly with the Queen; there could never be any strife in our city because of that. Yes?"

His voice caught in his throat, as he was about to say that. The district they had just passed through, called the High District for the way the buildings towered over the street, was the closest thing Solm would have to a lower class section - yet it was, in Lucius's eyes, distinctly middle. He had literally just prepared to say those precise words, Solm has no lower class due to-

Lua scoffed again and shook his head. "Yes. See? I know what you're thinking too, Lucius. There's always a lower class. Always_someone underfoot. When one person indulges, another suffers. That's just the way of things. That's where _I come from." He took in a breath, held it, then sighed, paws shoved into his pockets while he looked out over the workers in their fields. Then, in a softer voice: "You may not be able to lie, but you can still be wrong."

Earlier in the day the two had passed by the bathhouse in the center of town, open to anyone who wished for a few moments to relax and unwind. Lua had eyed the building with curiosity mixed with interest, and Lucius thought he detected a touch of disdain through their link, though didn't dig too deep into that. One of these wolves came from a well-known, respected noble line, powerful in Alenar first and Maldeth second; the other came from the unknown streets of one of the largest cities on the continent, name and family ground to dust beneath everyone else who had used him to elevate themselves.

Lucius reached out and rested a paw along Lua's shoulder, startling the white wolf out of his thoughts. Whitish-blue eyes flicked over to him.

"This perspective of yours," the adviser went on, voice low, "is precisely why I intend to guide you to a point where you will be able to take over my position, at Scheherazade's side or that of the queen after her."

Lua looked back to him, surprised, and then after a moment his gaze softened. He cleared his throat. "Thank you," he said. "I was not lying when I told you I wish to use my ability to further society and those around me."

"I know you weren't." Lucius brushed his paw along Lua's to guide him back towards the path, though of course noticed that the touch made the young wolf jump. "And I know you understand that the role requires immense trust and responsibility, and it still is quite a long way off."

"Of course. I am trying my best to earn that trust, from you and everyone I pass by. The archmage suggested I do a good deed for everyone who looks me in the eye when I'm about the city..."

"Ah." Lucius chuckled. "Another novice routine. In other parts of the continent magic is looked down upon as vile and evil; that is an attempt to alleviate that a bit..."

Lua wasn't listening, though. After another moment, during which the two passed again beneath the shadows of the buildings framing the street, he cocked his head towards Lucius.

"Does your wife Lady Azura like me?"

~ ~ ~

"Good. Hold there. Don't let go of the weave you've established. I'll try to get past that shield... there. Did you feel that?"

_ _

"No. I didn't."

_ _

"Interesting. And that?"

_ _

"No."

_ _

"How about-"

_ _

"Oh. There you are. And... oh, gods, are you alright, Lucius?"

_ _

"...Yes, I'm fine. I just - wasn't expecting an actual, physical backlash..."

_ _

"I'm sorry! I wasn't expecting it to feel quite like-"

_ _

"No, no. Don't apologize. You're learning, and that's the most important part. We're both learning. See?"

_ _

"...Yeah. I suppose so."

_ _

~ ~ ~

Warm paws running over his body, one down his chest, one up his throat towards his jaw. He tilted his head back and to the side, drawing in his wife's scent, so familiar, so comfortable... though it didn't quite ignite the same sort of fire in him that some other certain aromas did, it still wrapped him in a pleasant, cozy embrace, just as she tightened her arms around him and nuzzled in at his neck.

_ _

"Azura-" he rumbled, then jerked as a shiver shot through his body. "No. It's not - not like that..."

_ _

"No?" she purred in his ear, then lightly set her teeth against his shoulder, digging in through the ruff of fur there. "Lu, dear, I know what you're thinking. You know I know what you're thinking."

_ _

"I know."

_ _

"I know you think about him. Isn't that embarrassing?" The vixen slithered around to his other side, her whiskers tickling at his face and making him turn his head. That paw continued down his chest towards his belly. "I'm not even a mage, and I can get through that shield of yours."

_ _

"He can too. I'm just - continually baffled and impressed by the depth of his ability, and... and..."

_ _

"And you're attracted to power," Azura went on. Now both of her paws coursed down his body. Lucius leaned back in the seat, the flexible wood creaking underneath his weight; there was the tickle of the cloak along his fur as she pushed it down and spread it open, then the bite of the cool air filtering in through the open balcony... "and skill, and determination. And, well, a few other things - and just your luck, he's got all of those things. Do you think..."

_ _

One of those paws dropped down further, with the other soon to follow. Lucius sucked in a hissing gasp through his teeth, hips rocking upwards and then grinding right back down into the chair. He closed his eyes and rolled his head to the other side, breath catching in his throat, then thrust again, and again.

_ _

"...that maybe," she rumbled, "he's as quick to learn with his paws as he is with his magic?"

_ _

"Haah..." His head rolled onto his other shoulder, eyes closed and mouth hanging open. "Azura..."

_ _

"No, no." She ran her other paw along his head, between his ears, down along the short bushy mane that cropped up along the back of his bare neck and shoulders. "I'm not here. What does he call you? Master?"

_ _

That brought a low giggle out of him. "No. Just Lucius."

_ _

"Lucius... I don't know how to do a Doriani accent."

_ _

"Azura! Stop, I... ah..." Another hissed breath, another thrust, another throb. Her fingers and thumb squeezed around the supple skin of his sheath, bulging around the wolf's growing knot."

_ _

"No, no. No Azura. Just Lua. We pass by in the halls every now and then, and you know, he holds the very same respect for you... I like his little teeth. I wonder what they would feel like... if he were to..."

_ _

"Ah - Azura-"

_ _

"No..."

_ _

Lucius squirmed where he sat, spreading his legs a little further and leaning into the fantasy. The way those fangs danced across his neck and shoulder, how the paw gripped at his sheath and length, how it squeezed and pressed and stroked... he swallowed and leaned back a little further, expecting to pick up the same sandy scent with which he had grown so familiar during their practice and study sessions. Even though his interests may lie elsewhere, Azura still loved indulging him in the desires he did have, partially since doing so was a personal interest of hers as well. Sometimes he would do the same for her, and even if the actual action itself didn't do much for him, the knowledge of her pleasure and enjoyment certainly did.

_ _

He licked his lips, swallowed, and let out another shaky breath, the scenario forming in his head. Fields of white fur, with little points of grey and brown like smooth outcrops poking up through the soft snow.

_ _

"L... Lua..."

_ _

~ ~ ~

"I've arranged for the palace tailor to make up a few outfits for you."

Beside him Lua nearly stumbled over a paving stone sticking up out of the road. He caught himself, glanced back, and then looked forward, again sipping away at the chilled drink the two had picked up at the previous market stall. "Oh?"

"Yes." Their last several practice sessions had been focused specifically towards establishing Lua's skill at projecting and maintaining a mental shield, though these sessions had also served to refining Lucius's own. The younger wolf's uncanny skill and dexterity with his ability had given the older a unique perspective on different methods of practice - which was, of course, the main divide between so-called low and high magic. Low magic was the term for those who had taught themselves how to use their skills, generally powerful, efficient, and extremely dangerous, while high magic was the foundations taught at academies: slow, steady, and safe, more than anything. A skilled mage knew how to utilize methods from both. "It will help to establish your residency within the palace, and also to familiarize the other important individuals. Do you know your house colors?"

Lua's ear flicked. Thanks to that training, at this point each of them could only tell from the other what they wanted to let on, and in this moment, the Doriani let a small sliver of consideration, disappointment, and amusement ooze out along their link. When he turned to face his mentor, the smile he wore showed all of this and more.

"I am beneath having a House. You know this."

Lucius dipped his head. "Would you like to use mine?"

It was a small offer, but a notable one. The younger wolf was clearly startled by the admission, and only after a few moments nodded his assent. "I would... appreciate that, yes. Thank you. Again."

"Of course. You belong here now, with us." Gratitude and appreciation sent the other way through the link, just enough for Lua's subconscious to sense and for his body to respond in turn, sleek tail swaying behind him. "Does tonight work for you? I will send her team to your quarters to get you properly sized and measured."

"That will work fine. Will you be in attendance?"

Nothing through the link here - though Lucius caught out of the corner of his eye a slight lingering of Lua's gaze, a little hint of a smirk before he looked forward to the street again. Was that expectation he had seen there...? The images and ideas swam through the advisor's head, sitting back in one of the luxurious chairs there in the rooms, watching as Lua stripped down and stood there on full display before the full-length mirror, holding still under no fewer than five sets of eyes, only four of which were there for formal, professional purposes...

"No," he answered - and immediately felt the shock of disappointment through the link, quickly masked and hidden as it was. "I must attend a meeting between Scheherazade - excuse me, the Queen - and her cabinet to arrange some..." He paused. "Matters."

Lua nodded. "I understand. Shame."

Interesting. Lucius leaned forward a bit. "You would rather I be there?"

"Well, I - was simply thinking, I'm just... you know, an orphan, from the streets of Dorian. I don't know the first thing about fashion, especially not in royal court, so if there was... something that would... you know, it would have been nice for you to be..."

Lucius had made sure not to include the same stricture against lying within Lua's bond as come with his own. On the one hand it would make for an excellent measure of trustworthiness to judge the Doriani's speech and what he thought his mentor should know about, but on the other hand... he smirked and nodded.

"I understand. If you truly desire it, I may see about postponing the meeting, and-"

And then embarrassment hit and settled in, Lua's ears flicking back and his tail wrapping close around one of his legs. "Oh! No, no, Lucius, that's not necessary. It's just a little thing, and if - if it's the palace tailor doing the work, then I'm certain they'll have the... best opinion on things of that matter..."

"Mm. I suppose you would be correct." Still Lucius maintained that image in his head, though, instilled in him both now as well as the previous night, with his wife's deft paws working his body and her soft, careful voice in his ear, weaving him deeper and deeper into fantasy... beside him Lua coughed, perhaps picking up on some of those thoughts. Lucius cleared his mind.

Now, at least, he had some semblance of an idea for how the other wolf felt about him. The two continued on in silence for a while, enjoying the warmth of the day, until Lucius nodded forward and motioned with a paw.

"Have you visited the bathhouse yet?"

"The..." Lua followed his mentor's gaze and looked across the great building standing there, a glittering island of its own carved from the same smooth marble as much of the palace. It stood in the very center of Solm, all the different tributaries and directions of the streams and river coursing around and coming together here around it, and then, underneath: it sat atop the original oasis around which the city was built, the water clear and fresh, pleasant and soft, able to lift the most resilient grit from within the deepest fur, provided enough time, effort, and a skilled enough assistant. A common resort for the nobility of the city, the baths within were deliberately kept at all ranges of temperatures either through natural cooling, the heat dissipated out through thick, dense rock, or through volunteer work offered by the academy students - as, Lucius knew, heating water to a boil was one of the first milestones of learning how to wield Fire magic. "No. I haven't. I thought this climate was better suited to... what is it? Dust baths?"

"Oh, we have those too. It's... arguably better for the fur. But we'll go for a visit sometime. It really is luxurious, and - oh, don't give me that look - you deserve it." Lucius smiled. "We both do."

For a moment Lua just looked at him, pale blue eyes flicking back and forth between his own. Then he looked back over to the bathhouse building, the exterior walls decorated in intricate carvings and friezes, showing both the history of the city as well as a few other choice stories throughout Maldethi history and culture.

"What's it like in there?"

"Likely everything you'd expect. It's a place to relax and unwind, somewhere you disconnect from your life outside and just... enjoy the feelings, the sensations, the comfort. Obviously out here we don't really _get_to feel anything else like that, the feeling of cool water soaking into your fur, running across your skin, holding you aloft... I don't go often - it _is_an indulgence, and I'm fairly busy - but when I do it's more than worth it." In fact, it was one of the wolf's prime meeting locations for one of his favored flings, as the other held a private room within the bathhouse. Azura quite enjoyed accompanying her husband to the bathhouse and then taking the adjacent suite, so that she could peer through the divider slats and watch what was going on...

And Lucius realized, a moment too late, he had let his shield slip a bit further. In a snap he tightened his defenses back up, though not in time to prevent Lua from catching onto his thoughts - and blushing through his smooth white fur, though he turned his muzzle away almost too quickly for it to be seen. His tail flicked around behind him as those thoughts bounced over themselves in his head as well, reverberating and expanding, filling his mind... after another moment he swallowed, took in a breath, let it out, and looked to Lucius again, and all of that bashful hesitation was gone.

"I'd like that," Lua said, all smooth confidence. Lucius returned the smile and nodded. "Just you and I?"

"Just you and I."

"Of course. I already occupy so much of your time," said with a sly sideways glance, "that I'm sure Lady Azura won't mind me borrowing a bit more."

That knocked Lucius a little bit off balance. He chuckled to cover it, then motioned to the street again.

"But we're not stopping there today. The archmage is expecting us."

"Yes, I remember..."

~ ~ ~

As always the moons continue their dance, swinging back and forth about each other as they make their way through the vast night sky. Tonight Lucius stands out along the balcony, though it's not his own: this one looks out across the city below from a different angle, on a different floor of the palace. The arrangement of the furniture is different as well, and instead of the darker, heavier wood of the original Alenari pieces he had imported, these instead show a bold, rich hand and artistry, unfamiliar to his eye.

_ _

He swirls the drink in his goblet, a dark, smooth liquid. Not his usual tea; the wolf lifts it to his nose and pulls a slow, steady breath from it, letting all the different notes dance and play around his senses. Rich, bright, yet deep and complex... not quite wine, though it certainly carries the familiar cool punch of something fermented.

_ _

Then there's a paw along his waist, sudden enough to startle him, soft enough for the only reaction to be a perk in his ears. He lifts his head and half-turns, and there sees a familiar pair of soft blue-white eyes, a knowing smile on Lua's lips. The younger wolf tilts his head and motions back into the chamber, towards the bed where it stands against the wall. Lucius smirks as well, takes a sip from the drink, and then follows as directed.

_ _

The sheets sweep up and around him, and then those paws, slow and warm and surprisingly confident, start to make their way up and down his body, and...

_ _

And the wolf jerked awake in his own bed, sweat dripping from his forehead and heart pounding in his chest. He and Azura liked to keep the window open overnight, but now he felt as though he had slept right on through to the daytime for the way his skin roiled and fur dripped with sweat. Panting, shivering with tension, Lucius gritted his teeth, swallowed, swallowed again - and only then felt the sharp, intense arousal thrumming through him, the blankets in his lap tented and pulsing with each half-conscious throb through him.

He had gone through quite a few dreams of that sort throughout the past - part of him wondered if it was due to his Spirit magic, its roots nestled deep within emotion and depth of passion - but nothing quite like this. Every time he closed his eyes still he could see the images in his head, continuing on as though they were still actively happening - and he could feel everything, too, from the way Lua's paws ran up his sides, fingers digging through thick fur, to the breath on his neck when Azura still slept soundly facing the other direction, to the little pinch and tug of sharp Doriani fangs along his ear.

In another moment the wolf tossed the sheets back and looked down over himself, paws digging into his thighs so that he wouldn't be tempted. His teeth gritted and eyes wrenched shut each time one of those throbs shot through him again, the fresh, rich red flesh of his fully hard shaft twitching in front of him, pulsing and bouncing, painting the dark fur of his lower belly in little spurts of hungry pre, coaxed on by some unseen paw tracing down, fingers wrapping around his length, pushing against his sheath, tugging up, squeezing again. His head tilted back and his breath caught in his throat, and then Lucius spread his legs so that one hung off the edge of the bed - and he had to open his eyes and look down again, since he without a doubt _felt_the sensation of a careful paw scooping up underneath his sack, hefting him in the palm, and then squeezing, rubbing, massaging.

Sensation swirled and shot through the wolf's system. He reached out for the nightstand, grabbed hold of it, and used it as leverage to keep himself upright, then with effort managed to hoist himself up out of the bed - and nearly doubled over the carved wood as another jolt of pleasure shot through him. His hips worked and thrust nearly of their own accord, lancing forward and then jerking back, balls swinging underneath him as he painted it with those same sprays of eager pre. For a moment he lost his balance and grasped both sides of the nightstand, now feeling as though there were two paws gripping one, one rubbing and squeezing at his sheath while the other stroked him in rhythm, pulling him forward and down.

Again his eyes wrenched shut, and as they did, he couldn't help but imagination the source of this sensation to be Lua, kneeling down before him with dreamy hunger in his eyes and his arms working with the effort, pumping his mentor's length towards his muzzle, mouth hanging open and tongue out... yet again Lucius forced his eyes open and looked down, seeing nothing but his own arousal and the now multiple sprays of dripping, greasy wetness trickling down the front of the nightstand.

What is this? he thought, managing to pull himself up right. Step by step, lurching this way and that, he started his way over to the bathroom affixed to his quarters in the palace, just through the hanging bead curtain along the other wall. Each step he took, though, he had to keep his arms wrapped around himself to keep from doubling over again, and his thighs squeezed together with his knees touching, trying to resist the inevitable, constant pulsing and thrusting. A trail of loose sprays and dribbled wetness marked his path from the nightstand to the doorway; once there he leaned in against the threshold, breath hot and dry in his throat, then looked back - and nearly fell over yet again.

"Gods..." he hissed under his breath, eyes closing again and tail lashing behind him. It flicked and swayed and curled up at the base, following the distinct feeling of a careful thumb hooking beneath the base and lifting up and out of the way; he took another step and a half forward the sink, just barely managing to grasp it before another wave shot through him. This time he couldn't help but halfway crouch, legs spread and tail hiked: he looked behind himself, expecting to see those paws that he could feel spreading his rump, one thumb up underneath the base of his tail while the other circled around his tailhole, running gently over the tight wrinkles of sensitive skin... "What is th- hah..." Yet again his eyes fluttered shut, and-

And Lua licks his lips and looks up, the center of Lucius's pucker giving a little twitch and clench in response to the tickling of his breath. He swallows, heart pounding with anticipation and excitement, then comes up, closes the distance... nestles his muzzle right there beneath the base of the Alenari's tail, flicks his tongue up and forward and out, suckles softly along that sensitive center of flesh right there...

...and Lucius bucked forward and then back, a deep, breathy moan resounding from the back of his throat. One paw still on the sink, he reached back with the other to spread himself for the phantom Lua behind him, able to distinctly, physically feel all the little motions of his attentive tongue and lips as he dug in deeper, planting kiss after hungry kiss there around and against his rim, tongue teasing, trying to slip in. Every time he ran his fingers back over himself there was no tongue, no slickness of saliva, but still he could feel it, as deep and as close as if it were actually there. Then there was that familiar sensation at the base of his shaft, and once more he swallowed and tilted his head back.

Lua continues to dig in there, taking quick, fervent breaths in between slurps against his mentor's tailhole. One paw he keeps along Lucius's rump, spreading soft flesh over his eager muzzle, while the other reaches up between his thighs from underneath, fingers wrapping around the slick girth of his length and pumping it again, and again, and again... his nose and throat fills with the other wolf's musk, rich and full and intoxicating. He can feel the clinging humidity of his natural slickness on his fingers, Lucius's scent already worked into the fur of his fingers; he squeezes and pushes back towards his sheath, bunching the supple skin up behind his half-swollen knot, then squeezes and tugs there.

Again and again the wolf thrust forward, juddered in place, then relaxed back again with all the energy fizzling out of his muscles, only for them to tense right back up again. Panting, drooling, shaking all over, he gripped the sides of the sink and dug his claws into the smooth stone, trying to ground himself here in reality, yet at this point he couldn't help but squeeze his eyes shut beneath each wave of pleasure, which just threw him right back into the fantasy.

Fantasy. This was... this is... Lucius sucked in a breath, swallowed, and then let it out as another shaky, breathy moan. The way these sensations and images tingled in the back of his head, swirling in and through as though draining out from somewhere else... between waves of pleasure and frazzled nerves, the realization hit him: this was Lua's doing. Lua, off on the other side of the palace, lying back in his own bed, fantasizing and-

Lucius grips the sides of the sink and hunches over again, tail hiked and hips thrusting out of his control. Now Lua kneels in front of and underneath the slightly older wolf, sensitive nose pressed right up into the puff of warm pubic fur there at the base of his sheath; again and again his tongue flicks out to slurp along his balls underneath, tasting and caressing, just before he comes up and focuses on the sheath itself. One paw hefting his mentor's sack, the other continuing to stroke him in rhythm, he turns his head, closes his eyes, and purses his lips right there against the rim of his sheath, sucking the supple, sensitive skin up and forward just far enough for him to then slide his tongue into the humid warmth underneath... and above him Lucius gasps, tenses up again, and grinds against him.

_ _

Then he straightens up, leans back, and flashes those lovely, haunting blue-white eyes down at him, where Lua meets and holds his gaze. A few more deep, slow licks, the other wolf's liquid musk and arousal filling his mouth, slicking over his tongue and lips, clinging to the back of his throat... and then he pulls back, swallows, does so again, and finally angles Lucius's hard length in towards his lips. Lua smiles, licks his lips once more, then parts them around that tapered tip - wraps them around it - brings in a slow breath through his nose, heavily tinted with canine musk - and starts to dive down, paws still in place there along his sack and behind the base of his knot.

There was nothing Lucius could do about it. Every time he tried to move or pull himself away, all he got was another dense wall of nearly blinding sensation and pleasure, keeping his footpaws rooted to the floor and every muscle in his body tense beyond reason. Lua's desire and need thrummed across their spirit-bond even at this distance, his wants and intents so powerfully clear to the other wolf. That was precisely it, the depth of passion - and even between the swirling, muddled images and sensations, Lucius could still clearly sense the other wolf in the throes of his own pleasure back in his quarters, sprawled naked across his bed, one paw fervently working at his hard length while the other gripped into the fur of his chest. Lua had his eyes squeezed shut to wrap himself deeper in the fantasy as well, indulging as heavily as he could, utterly lost in the sensation.

Lucius flicked his tongue out across his lips, catching a hanging rope of thick drool just before it broke away. Still his hips thrust forward, length and knot pulsing, tightening, relaxing, then doing so all over again, and again. He looked down and almost imagined he could see Lua kneeling down there, muzzle bobbing along his tongue with tongue out and forward, digging beneath the fold of his sheath behind his knot every time he went; he imagined he could really feel those careful fingers squeezing and rolling across his balls, and then slipping up inside his sheath to wrap around that sensitive spot behind his knot, tugging him forward, stroking him faster while the younger wolf suckled at his tip.

Above him Lucius grits his teeth, jerks, and sucks in a gasp. Lua lets his eyes flutter partially open and slides back, now running his paw along the other wolf's length before the bobbing of his muzzle, loving the way that he can feel his peaking urgency and pleasure. Those strong, firm paws clamp down on his head, flattening one ear and bridging the other, and then Lucius tugs him down on him and thrusts forward, sealing Lua's lips against his knot as it pulses, pulses, then swells; his nose tickles with the heat of his dense pubic fur, and his jaw aches with the stretch around the advisor's girth, but then he forgets all of this as the first of those thick spurts empties out against the back of his throat, then the second across his tongue, the third over his bare muzzle, and-

_ _

And Lucius had to clamp a paw around his muzzle to keep the sounds of his peak down with the force of the orgasm suddenly lancing through him, hips thrusting forward once, twice, a third time. Through eyes almost completely lidded he watched the ropes of white as they jerked free from him, emptying out at the apex of each thrust; one paw on his muzzle and the other still digging into the stone of the sink, it was all he could do not to crumple to the floor beneath the force of arousal as his peak continued to empty out of him, the wolf's shaft otherwise completely untended. Again and again he thrust forward, knees buckling beneath him, the thick, wet slapping of his seed impacting the wall and floor reverberating through the otherwise silent chamber.

Every muscle in his body tightened there at the apex of his finish, hard cock bouncing up towards his belly, knot straining against his retracted sheath, balls tugging up against him, and hips jerking forward, up against the muzzle that wasn't really there - and once he finally finished, exhausted and drained in more ways than one, the wolf slumped forward and nearly fell over, all of the energy trickling out from his tired arms and legs, the last of his load dribbling from his still-twitching length into a pale puddle on the floor beneath him. The weight of his shaft pulled it forward and down, though each reflexive throb still caused it to swing back up - and refresh the tingling sensation of overwhelming tension inside of him, repeatedly making him dig his claws even further along the stone of the sink.

Then, finally, he relaxed, took a step back, then another... and flumped against the wall, letting the rest of the tension ooze out of his naked body. Gradually the wolf slid down towards the floor, then hissed at the chill of cold stone along his still-tingling rump and sack, flopped his head forward along his chest... and saw, through the link, Lua squirming in post-finish satisfaction, cloudy white streaked across the slightly more greyish tone of his bare bellyfur and chest, and quite clearly along the patch of pale brown there in the center of his belly. He, too, was panting; he slid a thumbpad through one of those streaks, brought it to his muzzle, lapped it off... and again Lucius thumped his head against the wall and throbbed, the remnants of that pleasure still tingling through his own body as well.

This was something he would certainly have to clean up. After a few moments spent catching his breath the wolf managed to pull himself back up to his feet, legs shaky and breath shallow, then plodded over towards the sink - and nearly slipped on a small puddle of drool that had missed. There he gripped the sides again, peered in close to see where his claws had dug little valleys into the stone itself, then leaned in towards the mirror, closed his eyes... and poked gently at his bond with Lua.

The other wolf hovered right at the edge of exhausted, satisfied sleep, though twinged a bit at the intrusion. There simmered a little bit of recognition and curiosity, but then - he drifted off, that same dense mental shield naturally slipping into place as he did so. The implication was immediately obvious to Lucius: Lua had intentionally dropped his shield while indulging himself earlier, and likely knew full well that at least some of his thoughts and desires would trickle across to Lucius.

But, then, he might not have considered the potency of their bond, deeper than each could help or expect from the other. Lucius swallowed, opened his eyes, and panted again, the bathroom here filling with the high, heavy scent of his own indulgent arousal.

Interesting.