Gabriel Shahrizai
Aristocrat
*Voted Most Charming 2010*
The devil in angel's clothing
Posts: 3,884
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Post by Gabriel Shahrizai on Jun 30, 2010 0:05:02 GMT -5
“Cher Fantasie,” I told him with a wink. “The owner is a former royal chef, and it is only by my charm that I got us a table on such short notice.”
The carriage had stopped fully and the door opened. “Come, let us eat and fortify ourselves for whatever else we do today,” I said, keeping hold of his hand as I exited the carriage, drawing him with me.
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Post by Asfandiyar Azarkevanejad on Jul 5, 2010 15:21:53 GMT -5
My eyes widened a little. I could not have helped hearing mention of this famed establishment in local talk, and only the very respected or the exceptionally well-heeled seemed to ever obtain service there. I had heard that waiting lists were long. I had the immediate concern that I did not belong, and looked down at my clothing reflexively as though to check whether or not I could pretend to. Gabriel had told me to dress nicely, but I had certainly not expected such extravagance.
"Ah… I hardly deserve such a level of luxury!" I chuckled, astounded. "Though I do not doubt the power of your charm to achieve great things, Aghaye Gabriel." I smiled teasingly as he brought me down the carriage steps to him, and I somehow relished the warm, firm feel of his hand around mine… the fact that he did not let me go, even as we strode toward the vestibule.
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Gabriel Shahrizai
Aristocrat
*Voted Most Charming 2010*
The devil in angel's clothing
Posts: 3,884
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Post by Gabriel Shahrizai on Jul 5, 2010 22:37:04 GMT -5
“You deserve all the luxury I can produce, little one,” I said, flashing him a dazzling smile before we crossed into the restaurant, the door held open by a bowing servant.
I didn’t have time to stop, for we were immediately led to the private table in the back I had arranged for. With another smile, I held out ‘Fand’s chair for him.
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Post by Asfandiyar Azarkevanejad on Jul 7, 2010 19:50:59 GMT -5
I blushed as he pulled out a chair for me, a clear indication that I was to be well taken care of, and settled timidly into it. It reminded me obliquely of the days before my self-imposed seclusion; I had been treated like royalty from birth, always tended to, never required to do a thing for myself. The shining symbol of the Gods' hands touching lowly Earth. The thought made me look askance, feel a tumescent sort of guilt rise up, but I refused to let myself seem ungrateful for Gabriel's gallantry. I was grateful… and it was in the past. I wasn't so blind to my own sin as I had been back then.
I raised my eyes to him and smiled gently, feeling as small as his epithet for me. As he moved to seat himself across from me I looked curiously around the secluded table, taking in the fine décor which was so starkly D'Angeline - curls of gold, rich patterns in muted tones, soft light glowing over all. Even this was unlike my homeland, and somehow beautiful not only because of its high taste, but because of its difference. I watched a swarm of smartly attired servants pouring by the table, bustling in their hurry to serve.
I looked to Gabriel, taken by the shine of the light in the sapphires twined into his braids. "This is… extravagant," I said with a little tinge of laugh. "I do not know what I pictured when hearing talk of this place, but I did not expect it to rival the palace in design." I kept my hands together in my lap as the servants placed glimmering tableware down. I loved using the little benign implements. It was not custom in Drujan, as most used simply a knife and clean hands to dine… the exoticism was still novel for me.
"To have such a fine table, as well… Do you eat here often?" It had just occurred to me that this was the life Gabriel was quite accustomed to, being installed in the palace and of high rank. This was… every day life for him. The realization made me blink down at the gold-rimmed plate set before me and feel very provincial. Certainly I had known luxury, but the luxury of the Temple of Ahura Mazda was nothing so ornate as this.
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Gabriel Shahrizai
Aristocrat
*Voted Most Charming 2010*
The devil in angel's clothing
Posts: 3,884
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Post by Gabriel Shahrizai on Jul 7, 2010 23:59:27 GMT -5
“Now and then,” I said, smiling as I took my seat. “Enough so that I know what to order.”
I ordered a bottle of chilled white wine from one of the servants, who hurried off to comply.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I think you’ll like this wine. It has a lovely honey undertone with notes of peach and ginger. Perfect, even on a winter’s day such as this.”
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Post by Asfandiyar Azarkevanejad on Jul 8, 2010 16:15:48 GMT -5
I tipped my head slightly to the side and smiled sweetly. Though it was entirely unfamiliar for me to experience them, I found I enjoyed such gestures of care as he was constantly offering. Something as simple as choosing a wine he knew I'd enjoy.
"Such flavours are very much like those used in the wintertime in my homeland," I offered. "I think that I will indeed enjoy it. It seems you have good instincts when it comes to satisfying my desires." I paused, blushed slightly, knowing this must have sounded far too suggestive. But I ploughed on, hoping to seem at least innocent of the fact. "So, since you are familiar with this establishment… Well, I don't want to ask too much. But… you may as well recommend me a dish as well. I trust you." I looked up from my plate into his eyes at this, surprized that I had said it so frankly.
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Gabriel Shahrizai
Aristocrat
*Voted Most Charming 2010*
The devil in angel's clothing
Posts: 3,884
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Post by Gabriel Shahrizai on Jul 8, 2010 23:13:09 GMT -5
On the inside I chuckled at his slip of the tongue. It was endearing how he seemed to stumble over himself even when he said what he truly meant.
“Hmm..,” I said, think. “Perhaps the braised lamb. The chef braises it for hours until it is so tender it actually melts on the tongue. He uses rosemary, garlic, and wine. It comes served on a bed of polenta so creamy you will swear it has milk in it, but there is not a drop.”
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Post by Asfandiyar Azarkevanejad on Jul 13, 2010 17:24:18 GMT -5
I couldn’t help but smile at his description. His praise of his countryman's work was indeed sincere, and there was pride in it as well. The way he wanted me to taste the very best Terre D'Ange could offer made it seem as though he'd made the dish himself. How could I refuse such enthusiasm? Not that I would have wished to; the food sounded delicious. But it was Gabriel's ability to see a true experience within a meal that really interested me.
"My my, you make it sound like an offering to a God," I grinned sidelong. "You make it difficult to keep my mouth from watering…" -Be tokhmam I did it again; I coughed slightly- "Of course I wish to try it." The blush was still in my cheeks from the first time, but I couldn't help but query him curiously. "The way you speak of this meal… It's as though you've let every bite of it move through you totally, not just across your tongue. Is this like what you were speaking of before… about the pursuit of pleasure? I wonder that your way of life isn't somewhat philosophical."
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Gabriel Shahrizai
Aristocrat
*Voted Most Charming 2010*
The devil in angel's clothing
Posts: 3,884
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Post by Gabriel Shahrizai on Jul 13, 2010 23:08:23 GMT -5
“Perhaps, I had never really considered it that way,” I said, smiling. “But yes, the food here is indeed an example my pursuing pleasure. The offerings here are on a level far above most others, so why should we settle for anything less? Food should be about far more than just eating.”
I reached over and gently touched his temple. “As they say, we eat with our eyes first, it should be pleasing to the vision, to a point one is almost reluctant to eat.” My finger traveled across his cheek to his nose. “The scent should rise to the nose and beg to be inhaled, taken into one’s body and absorbed into our very tissues.” Slowly my finger moved to his lips. “Only then should it touch our tongues.” My finger caressed over his bottom lip. “The flavors should evoke emotion, memories, hopes, desires. As they slip across your tongue you should memorize them so you can recall the perfect moment of discovery.” The tip of my finger trailed down his throat. “Your body should welcome each bite as the sun breaking through the clouds, warming your very soul.”
I sat back, taking my finger slowly from him and settling my hands in my lap. “I don’t know if it’s philosophy or not,” I said, smiling contentedly. “What do you think?”
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Post by Asfandiyar Azarkevanejad on Aug 3, 2010 16:29:36 GMT -5
"It is true that you do not seem the type to settle for anything, much less something inferior," I said with a slight sly grin, glancing over a servant's arm as he poured the wine. Gabriel was a man who possessed the pride of place that opened such doors, and what was more, he was the type to use the access that was rightfully his. To the utmost. And here I sat, awash in the delicious fumes of the wine which had just been delivered, about to reap the benefits of his refinement. I felt there was great importance in his act of sharing with me. It was a generosity, in a way. I felt I must try to see as he saw, though it was not exactly in my nature.
Then his hand came up to my face, finger trailing softly over my skin. Within a half second I went as rigid as a scared deer, temples pounding, then softly unspooled as his words lapped over me. His voice was hypnotic, a chant to accompany the fire that ran under my skin at any hint of contact. It was as though he were lighting each place he touched, making each ready for the stages he described. I shivered bodily as his fingertip drew a burning line down my throat, and swallowed the slight noise that threatened to emerge from me.
When he sat back, I had the automatic instinct to follow, go down to the floor… but I shivered again and stopped myself. I shyly looked down to my plate again, and twisted my fingers in my lap. What bizarre feelings that rose up in me at the slightest provocation! My wounds itched and I pushed on them to get relief, wondering what power lived in this man's skin that made me so strangely permissive. Distracted, I stumbled in my speech.
"Ah… I think… I think any life guided by consideration and intention is a philosophy. When it is covered in a mantle of ritual, it is even moreso. But then, philosophy and ritual are all I know, so it may simply be my bias speaking." I laughed nervously, sitting forward to lift my wine glass. I held it up timidly for a toast. "In the spirit of discovery… may our souls indeed be warmed."
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Gabriel Shahrizai
Aristocrat
*Voted Most Charming 2010*
The devil in angel's clothing
Posts: 3,884
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Post by Gabriel Shahrizai on Aug 3, 2010 20:46:33 GMT -5
I adored how flustered he could become. It was as if the world was new to him and each thing a discovery his soul had to war upon. It was so endearing.
“To the spirit of discovery,” I echoed, touching the rim of my glass to his before taking a sip of the wine. I made a sound of delight as the liquid sat on my tongue and then slowly trickled down my throat, my eyes closing as I gave myself over to it.
“Lovely,” I breathed, opening my eyes again and looking at him with a smile.
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Post by Asfandiyar Azarkevanejad on Aug 4, 2010 2:10:00 GMT -5
I let the glass hover before my lips, watching him with deep interest as he took a drink. It was only right that I should observe his way of receiving pleasures… surely there was something novel in his mien that made it easier for him to reap sensation out of whatever he enjoyed. Some kind of rite I had never learned to perform. Part of me felt… cheated out of this knowledge somehow, when I was with Gabriel.
But the low sound of relish that came from him distracted me totally. I felt my face heat in a thin bloom across the bridge of my nose, realizing I had lost my thread of concentration.
So I looked downward into my glass to avoid meeting his gaze while I was still reddened, and tilted the glass for a sip. Thoughtfully I let it sit on my tongue, as Gabriel had, enjoying the play of crisp flavours. But it was the series of aftertastes, arriving in a staccato rhythm, that I found much more enchanting. Thinking about them cleared my skin of blush, so I was able to meet his eyes again.
"I suppose I always tasted these subtleties but…. Never actually considered them closely," I said to him, a little surprized at my own obliviousness. Even now, the flavour on my tongue was changing again, likely as a result of the air drawn into my mouth over it. There was the ginger, as he had promised. "To truly notice something so seemingly insignificant. It's as though time slows." My eyes flicked over him and back up to his, a flash of understanding filling me. "You must truly live a life steeped in profound love. Love of every small moment, every tiny thing. You have a powerful presence because you have a powerful sensitivity. Is it difficult to be so open, all the time?"
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Gabriel Shahrizai
Aristocrat
*Voted Most Charming 2010*
The devil in angel's clothing
Posts: 3,884
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Post by Gabriel Shahrizai on Aug 4, 2010 11:21:06 GMT -5
Though I kept my face calm, his words touched deep inside me. For someone who claimed such a life of shelter, he was surprisingly perceptive; or perhaps the skill came from being sheltered. He was not jaded by everyday life.
"Yes," I answered softly, looking down and toying with the stem of my glass. This not a conversation I had expected to be having right now. "and no. Sometimes it is so natural that it is akin to breathing. Other times it is like trying to stop the snow from melting beneath the sun."
I took another sip of wine, not lingering but taking it in quickly, seeking the burn of alcohol as it rushed down my throat.
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Post by Asfandiyar Azarkevanejad on Aug 5, 2010 3:11:26 GMT -5
His voice was smaller than usual when he replied, and I was afraid I might have overstepped some boundary I should not have. My fear was confirmed as he chased his reply with a rapid mouthful of wine, with nothing in it of his usual delectation. I looked down, chastised, unhappy with myself for having jarred him. I had always had a tendency - a curse, perhaps - of seeing into others, for good or ill; it was one of the reasons for my station in the temple of Ahura Mazda. I enjoyed reflecting back things I found beautiful in others, for they often could not see it themselves. Sometimes people did not want to be seen, though.
I watched Gabriel's dark lashes flutter against his cheek as he looked downward, setting his glass back on the table. He looked almost tired, in his admission. I reached over the table and rested my hand on the back of his, smiled sweetly. "Rare gifts are seldom given to men free of consequence," I knew this better than most, so my tone fell sincere, understanding, between us. "But to be able to glimpse great beauty, it is only right to give up some of oneself in exchange. Profundity cannot be gained by one who is ungrateful."
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Gabriel Shahrizai
Aristocrat
*Voted Most Charming 2010*
The devil in angel's clothing
Posts: 3,884
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Post by Gabriel Shahrizai on Aug 6, 2010 1:04:57 GMT -5
“Gratitude is a difficult thing to muster sometimes,” I murmured. I refilled my glass and swirled the liquor around the glass. Then I took a deep breath, my eyes sweeping closed for just a moment.
Opening them once more, I took his hand in mine and squeezed gently. “Forgive me,” I said softly. “I do not mean to cast a shadow on this day.”
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Post by Asfandiyar Azarkevanejad on Aug 7, 2010 15:38:27 GMT -5
I squeezed back, a soft smile curving my lips. "You have cast no shadow, Aghaye Gabriel. If anything, it is my fault." Ah, little did he know of the true shadows that lay in the deep recesses of me. Like a sleeping tiger, the Sayeh of my grandfather was a black weight that curled heavily on my soul, confident in its dominance over me. I must not dwell on such things now, though. I wanted to know things through Gabriel's eyes today, did I not?
"I apologize. I should perhaps not speak whatever unbidden thought crosses through my mind. Outside of Mazda's temple, I fear my habits are not as polite as they could be." I sighed softly and played by long thumb over Gabriel's knuckles. "But if I may say one thing further… In point of fact, I am not certain you are capable of casting a very dark shadow," I grinned, my eyes flicking up to his with a hint of amusement. I took on a mock philosophical air, hoping to cheer him, but the sentiment was genuine. "Aghaye Gabriel is like the sun - fierce and radiant. It is only that which gets in his way which casts shadows, never he himself. All darkness is yours to burn away, like the last clouds in a vast sky!" I giggled and smiled at him warmly, then took a second sip of wine.
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Gabriel Shahrizai
Aristocrat
*Voted Most Charming 2010*
The devil in angel's clothing
Posts: 3,884
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Post by Gabriel Shahrizai on Aug 9, 2010 12:38:45 GMT -5
His words, so innocent, sweet and almost childlike, made me smile. I brought his hand to my lips and kissed the back, letting my lips linger just a little.
“I am finding it impossible to be unhappy in your company, my little one,” I murmured, letting my lips caress his skin slightly before lowering his hand.
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Post by Asfandiyar Azarkevanejad on Sept 13, 2010 17:41:46 GMT -5
I blushed instantly, all the coquetry evaporating out of me as his warm breath on the back of my hand set my skin to tingling. He could not have missed the little hairs of my arm rising, so close was he. I forgot the binding on my wrist, which he would also have a view of, now. But I didn't feel it mattered, suddenly.
"And… I in yours," I said, after a pause in which my heart had risen rapidly. I glanced around reflexively with only my eyes, an instinctive worry bred into me. No man could show such forthright affection for another man in public at home in Drujan. In private, no one had a right to stop whatever occurred between two people. But it was not done in the view of other eyes. Yet... no one was looking. No one condemning. Such a gesture was safe here.
I looked back to him, turning this over in my mind, as he lifted his head again and set down my hand, which trembled a little. "That nickname," I smiled sheepishly, the heat still in my cheeks, for I liked it when he called me thus, and he knew it. But I had to ask. "Of all the things to call me. Why that?"
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Gabriel Shahrizai
Aristocrat
*Voted Most Charming 2010*
The devil in angel's clothing
Posts: 3,884
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Post by Gabriel Shahrizai on Sept 16, 2010 16:05:44 GMT -5
Shrugging slightly, I released his hand and took another sip of wine. “It is just what came to my lips when I first saw you,” I replied as I set the glass down. “Do you mind?”
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Post by Asfandiyar Azarkevanejad on Sept 28, 2010 18:31:14 GMT -5
"Its not that… Of course I don't mind," I chuckled nervously, forced to admit it aloud, and looked down into my wine with a wry smile. "It's just…"
I had a scholar's argument at the tip of my tongue - problems like my height, my age, my eerily extended limbs all at the ready for debate. But it seemed so silly suddenly. Why did I have to question him? All it would accomplish was to ruin my quiet enjoyment of Gabriel's endearments.
I paused a moment, turning my glass, then looked up at him with a tinge of chagrined smile. "You, sir, have a way of wresting a curious honesty out of me. You are fortunate that I have decided to like it." My slight smile widened a little as I took a rather large sip of wine.
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Gabriel Shahrizai
Aristocrat
*Voted Most Charming 2010*
The devil in angel's clothing
Posts: 3,884
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Post by Gabriel Shahrizai on Sept 30, 2010 15:47:12 GMT -5
Reaching out, I caressed his cheek tenderly. “Ah yes, I am very fortunate indeed,” I murmured. The smile on my lips was intimate, holding memories of his body caught between my own and the wall, the sounds he made was he gave in to release, as well as plans for what else might happen between us.
As my hand returned to rest on the table, the waiter arrived and asked if we were ready to order. “Have you decided?” I asked ‘Fand.
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Post by Asfandiyar Azarkevanejad on Oct 4, 2010 21:43:08 GMT -5
I shivered as his hand traced my face, my eyes falling closed momentarily as I let out a heavy breath. There were no words for the energy in Gabriel's touch… like some low, languid tropical heat that brought all the subtle parts of me up from the depths, as though long-harboured aches in my body unravelling in a warm bath. There was a wholly animal part of me that blinked awake when his skin and mine met. So strange, so embarrassing….
My eyes opened to his curious smile. I could tell his thoughts were not at the table, and they weren't precisely chaste ones. My body filled with the prickling that prefaced a spate of blushing…. But oddly, it settled deep in my groin before bursting out to stain my skin. I shifted, slightly uncomfortable with the sensation.
A waiter drifted near, interrupting my reverie, and I somehow could not pull my eyes away from Gabriel to order. "I… Your choice of wine was impeccable," I breathed to Gabriel, a little unsettled by myself. "I should think your recommendations would suit me as well."
Oddly, a little rogue part of my brain lit up, insisting that ordering food was just a postponement. It felt like the precocious stamping of little feet in my head. It was … impatient for something else.
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Gabriel Shahrizai
Aristocrat
*Voted Most Charming 2010*
The devil in angel's clothing
Posts: 3,884
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Post by Gabriel Shahrizai on Oct 7, 2010 20:11:04 GMT -5
I watched him for a moment before slowly drawing my eyes away to look at the waiter. He was a darling little thing; he looked as if he was plucked out of some fairy story all blonde and petite. I let my eyes meet his as I smiled.
“The braised lamb for both of us, if you would,” I told him.
He blushed charmingly, though I had a feeling he had no idea just why he was blushing, and bowed a little before nodding and heading off to put in our order.
Turning my attention back to my companion, I asked, “More wine?”
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