Carpathia III: Episode 57 - The Flow of Glass
The Palace, Zhail City
Their encounter with the king and Erosia behind them, Riven ushered Artemis into a spare room. After assuring him he'd find everything he needed inside, he unceremoniously shut the door and eagerly took Adell to his room. Riven opened the door and directed Adell inside. Within, the first thing Adell noticed was something he didn't expect to find on Yseri: air conditioning. Right away, Adell was hit with a cool, refreshing blast of air. It was lucky, he thought, that the sun had already set and the extreme heat died down earlier, otherwise it would have been far more jarring. It wasn't long before he adjusted to the slight chill and he could take in the rest of the room.
It was luxury beyond anything he ever imagined. The palace in general was already extreme in its excess, but this room was something else entirely. A stately bed was the first thing he saw as the centerpiece of the room. Gold inlays accented the delicately carved head and footboards. There were at least three layers of shiny, soft-looking covers on the bed. Elsewhere in the room was similarly ornate furniture scattered around. Off to the side was a couch and a pair of chairs arranged around a table, none of which appeared as though they'd ever been used. The plush carpet was even thicker and softer than that which was in the hallway.
As Adell marveled at his new surroundings, Riven followed him into the room and closed the door.
Prince Riven: Have a seat anywhere you like. The bed is quite comfortable.
Not very subtle, Adell thought. He was now feeling slightly nervous. Though far from inexperienced, he wasn't used to getting into naughty situations without any idea of what was going to happen next. However, of all things that was making him feel the most uncomfortable, it was walking on such well-kept carpet with his dirty shoes on.
Adell: Shall I take my shoes off?
Prince Riven: If it pleases you.
Adell kneeled and began untying his shoes right away. He was grateful that he cleaned himself up back at Sra's shop before he arrived. Normally, at the end of a long day of deliveries, the mere act of removing his shoes could make children flee and grown men weep.
As Adell removed his shoes, he thought about what he would see when he looked up. He imagined Riven laying seductively on his bed wearing lacy, purple underwear. He wasn't sure why he imagined that, but he enjoyed the image and stuck with it. When he actuallly looked up, he was surprised to find Riven staring at the window.
Prince Riven: The panes in this window are old, put in their place long before the time of even my grandfather's grandfather. They look the same now as when I was a child. Distorted. Uneven.
Adell pulled his final shoe off and listened to Riven, less uncomfortable and more intrigued now. This was nothing like what he was expecting.
Prince Riven: Erosia explained to me when I was a child that glass is a sort of liquid that will eventually take the shape of its container, just like water, only over a much longer period of time. These panes were once as smooth and clear as a brand new window of today.
Adell pulled off his socks, still listening intently. This time, Riven turned and faced him.
Prince Riven: Do you know why I chose you?
At first, Adell thought this was an easy question, but the more he thought about what his answer should be, the more he really had no idea. He stood, resisting a very strong urge to be cheeky and say something like, "Because I'm just that hot."
Adell: Honestly, I don't.
Prince Riven: Time goes by in this place much like the glass in that window. Things change, slowly and inexorably, until they are a distortion of the way things once were. The change happens so slowly, so imperceptibly, that nobody notices how wrong everything has become. My father sees his only duty as to keep everything as it is.
Riven slowly began to step towards Adell once again, unbuttoning his vest as he came. Again, he spoke, his voice rising in passion.
Prince Riven: I will not be the king my father is. I will shatter the antique glass which we have so dutifully maintained over countless generations. To live without progress, to live without growth, is not to live at all.
Riven slid his vest over his shoulders, fully revealing his frilly, Victorian-style shirt, and tossed it on a chair as he passed.
Prince Riven: When I first heard that you had come through the portal recently, I was intrigued. Most come as small children, but you... you have been educated on your world. You can teach about different ways of doing things. I want to know everything about this world of yours. That is why I chose you.
Now, Riven was standing right in front of Adell. The Prince put his hands on Adell's chest and briefly looked down at his chest. He looked up at Adell again with a mischievous smile on his face.
Prince Riven: However, of course, I chose you moreover because you are, indeed as delectable as the whispers betold. Let us remove this clothing. I want to get to know you physically first.
Riven turned and took a seat the nearest, plush chair. Though he hadn't sat in it himself, Adell could imagine that it was incredibly soft, as he watched Riven sink several inches into it.
Prince Riven: Carry on. Off with the clothing, if you please.
Adell had done many things in his life already, but a striptease was not one of them. He thought for a moment about how he should go about it and removed his vest first, slowly slipping it off and then allowing it to drop to the floor. He wasn't sure how he was going to do a sexy shirt removal. He'd seen it done before in videos, but he never gave a thought to how it was done. First, he untied the laces at his neck and then he lifted the bottom, exposing his abs.
Riven looked on, resting his head on his hand with a smirk on his face and playing with one of his many earrings.
Adell started pulling his shirt off over his head and, right away, found himself a bit stuck. It was not his usual way of taking off his shirt and he found himself positioned awkwardly. He shook around a bit, shimmying the shirt up his torso until, finally, he could bend his arms properly again. He quickly pulled the shirt off his head and arms. Feeling incredibly silly, he twirled the shirt around a few times before throwing it to the side.
Riven tried very hard to stifle his laughter, but Adell still heard plenty of chortles emanate from his throat.
Adell decided to get the rest of it over with as quickly as possible. He unbuttoned his pants and let them drop unceremoniously on the floor. At this point, Riven leaned forward, staring at Adell's crotch with intense interest. At first, Adell was feeling quite proud, having captured Riven's attention so thoroughly. Soon, however, Adell realized that Riven wasn't impressed. He was confused. Riven had one eyebrow raised and his forehead crinkled, as though he didn't know what he was looking at.
Prince Riven: Adell, praytell, what manner of man is "Captain Carpathia?"
Adell's eyes grew wide and he looked down. There, looking back at him, was Captain Carpathia all over his underwear. The same underwear he was wearing when he arrived in Yseri and very carefully maintained in the untold months he'd been there. Absentmindedly, he put them on that morning, forgetting that the Prince would likely be seeing them later in the day.
Adell smiled awkwardly and scratched the back of his head as he kicked his pants off.
Adell: That... is going to take awhile to explain. Would you like me to talk about him, or should we have sex first?
Riven stood and started undoing the buttons on his shirt.
Prince Riven: Well, when you put it like that, I suppose the tale of Captain Carpathia must wait.
Captain Carpathia
Commissioned art in this episode from:
Miyumon
Atomic Clover
Catnappe143
All city pictures from SimCity 4
