Turkey

[Trillian]

When the statement was made about Vincent not liking sex, the reactions were simultaneous.  Sabri pulled a face that was a mixture of many things; confusion, frowning, amusement and disbelief.  Vincent closed his eyes and went very still.  Sabri turned to look at Vincent with an incredulous grin and this was what Vincent saw when he opened his eyes again.

You haven't bedded him? Sabri jumped on the most obvious reason why the overtly-sexual mortal youth might think such a thing.  There was no territory claimed here.

Vincent frowned darkly, glaring at Sabri and doing his best to squash the humiliation of Owen's statement down.

I have greater plans in mind for us, he sent back.  It was dangerous, to let Sabri in on his plans, but a further danger still for the ancient to think Owen and Vincent were really just 'friends'.

Sabri stared at him and was tipped a little closer to Vincent as the driver took a ninety degree right hand turn a little faster than he should've.  Once the car stopped drifting and the three of them were settled, Sabri guessed what Vincent meant.

You mean to sire him!

Vincent was relieved this declaration wasn't spoken aloud.  He didn't respond fast enough, because Sabri prompted for an answer, verbally.

"You do though, don't you?"

"Yes."

Sabri grinned wolfishly at Vincent's single word response, and that was when he realised that he'd been tricked into answering Owen's statement, technically.  Sighing, he sat back and shook his head, choosing to look out the window instead.  Sabri looked back at Owen, and winked.

[Existentially Odd]

Again, Owen's eyes widened as Vincent looked distressed by his futile defense and then declared that he actually did like sex.  The mortal flushed with embarrassment, sending apologetic looks to his friend that weren't received because Vincent suddenly wouldn't look at him.  In a panic, he scrambled to think of a way he could make it up to his friend.

"At the palace, Vincent and I, we'll share a room, won't we?  I won't feel comfortable if we're not together," he asserted, declaring his loyalty to his friend in a way that he thought would most affect Sabri.  Obviously, he was interested in spending time with the Sultan, but he would leave with Vincent and it was his friend he loved.  He didn't want there to be any thought that they could be separated.

[Trillian]

Vincent was surprised, and so was Sabri apparently, by the look on his face.

Ha!

Vincent didn't send this mental victorious announcement to Sabri, but couldn't quite internalise it completely, so at least had to think it to himself.  He leant forward in order to smile encouragingly at Owen and then sat back again when Sabri turned his way once more.  The Sultan looked back at Owen again, and confirmed the mortal's wishes.

"Of course!  Friends and lovers should not be separated.  Be warned though, the room you'll be sharing will be so large you'll think you have the place to yourself!" he declared, then laughed heartily before patting Owen's leg, his hand resting once more but his fingers squeezing the leg through the robe.  "We're almost home."

'Home' felt a bit of an underdressed word to describe the palace that was looming into view.  Vincent had meant for Owen to tour a Sultan's palace - just not this particular one.  At least he'd still have the experience of grand wealth above and beyond what Dubai had shown him.  This was a culture, of a kind, to know how middle-eastern royalty lived.  As far as ancient vampires went, Sabri didn't seem too bent on ripping them apart, so all-in-all, this could be a good thing

Vincent's gut doubted it.

They hopped out and Sabri began his tour of the place.  It was such a maze (any turns off the main and very wide corridor were too difficult to navigate, never mind upstairs or downstairs) that even Vincent was having trouble knowing which room lay where as they talked about what they'd seen.  The palace was lavish, filled with artefacts both current and historical.  There were many statues and paintings, lots of rugs and curtains in rich materials, and if something could be dipped in gold, it was.  Their bedroom was on the third floor, and as promised, it was so long and grand with it's own massive ensuite that if Vincent was at one end and Owen at the other, they wouldn't even notice one another.  The bed was so large it was ridiculous.  Sheets had to be custom made, and they were made of red satin (with spare sheets at their disposal).  The room was white and red and gold, with a few colours here and there to break it up but unable to take the main thrust of the colour scheme away.  Sabri threw open the wardrobe doors to display another regular room-sized space, filled with clothing of many sizes and colours from suits to more traditional middle-eastern outfits.

"What do you think?" Sabri said finally, his hands on his hips.  The robe had slipped open at one point and gave Owen and Vincent a glimpse of the body beneath, not that either hadn't seen it all at the hot springs.

[Existentially Odd]

Owen giggled, his smile dopily broad.  "It's amazing," he breathed enthusiastically, "I've never seen anything like it.  I doubt I ever will again," he nodded solemnly, grateful and awed feelings emanating from him towards everyone.

Of course, he'd also had quite a full day of adventure and the energetic tour of the palace had only exacerbated his tiredness, so his happiness was growing somewhat drunk with exhaustion by this stage.  He was starving but hadn't wanted to interrupt the tour to ask about food and now the bed was looking more like a good idea than anything else.  He'd been rubbing his eyes for a while, trying to clear his blurry vision in order to see it all clearly and commit it to memory.  Now seemed a good time to attend to his mortal needs.

"Thank you so much for having us as your guests, Sabri.  I'm so flattered!  Tell me, though; how do I go about getting some food?" he enquired politely, wishing for a shower and bed soon after but voicing his most pressing need first.

[Trillian]

"Pick up the phone and dial 11," Sabri declared.  "Ask for anything you want and it will be brought to you.  Tell them your room is the Golden Rose," he said.  "Shall we leave him to it, Vincent?" Sabri asked, surprising the other vampire into staring at him.  "I assume you don't waste half your night watching your friend sleep," he said with a grin.  Vincent couldn't help but grin back.  No, Owen forgot that Vincent had a nightly existence beyond him, but of course Sabri would know.  Vincent had become so used to not being considered that he hadn't seen it coming.

He said goodnight to Owen, told him not to order anything that would take too long to come because he looked ready to sleep on his feet, and left the room with Sabri.

[Existentially Odd]

Owen did as instructed, ordering some sandwiches and juice, showering quickly (he thought) only to get out of the vast bathroom to find his food had arrived.  He sat on the bed and munched his way through it all, thinking about what Sabri and Vincent might be doing.  Would they fight?  They seemed to have reached some sort of understanding... and then there was the fact that Vincent had declared he was interested in sex that kept coming back to his tired brain.

Had he misread the situation so poorly?  Was Vincent not telling him everything that happened in his life?  It was perfectly understandable, of course, but in his tired state there was a jealousy that came with these thoughts.  Vincent didn't like people who threw themselves at him, he'd never accepted groupies offering their bodies with their blood and, truthfully, Owen had begun to think of his friend as asexual.  Apparently he wasn't and it caused new thoughts to blossom.  Vincent would never have done what Sabri had at the pools... but what would he do?

The teenager fell asleep thinking about Vincent and sex and drinking and it must have been so prevalent in his thoughts that when he felt Vincent getting into bed with him some hours later, he woke up.  Squinting into the darkness, he waited until Vincent was settled - there was a distant light on that gave enough illumination to the expansive room for him to shadows by - and then he slid closer, the expensive sheets aiding his progress (especially since he was only wearing a pair of silky boxers).  He cuddled against his cold-bodied friend, lifting his arm so that he could duck beneath it and rest his head on his chest.  His heart was pounding for some reason.

"Did you have a good time?" he whispered, his voice thick with clearing sleep.

[Trillian]

Vincent had expected Owen would be asleep that he hadn't paid much attention to his breathing, so was surprised when Owen moved to him.  The mortal would find that his vampire friend wasn't so cold as usual, for he had a nice dose of blood in him, sampled from different people.  Having a harem had benefits after all, and Sabri had laughed and nodded when Vincent pointed this out.  He found at the end of the night that he didn't dislike Sabri so much.  The fellow was indeed very charming, in his own way.  Vincent had denied Sabri answers to his questions about Owen, and the ancient had dropped the subject after a few minutes of prodding.  He'd threatened to take what information he wanted out of Vincent's head, and when Vincent bristled he backed down and even apologised.  The threat had been shallow, but Vincent hadn't liked the fact it had even been spoken.

Now, with his arm around Owen's shoulders and smelling his wonderful scent, cosying together in a way they never had, he found himself enchanted by Owen's racing heart and softly asked question.

"Yes, but not as good a time I have when I'm with you," Vincent promised.

[Existentially Odd]

Owen breathed a laugh through his nose, smiling against Vincent's chest in such a way that his lips were more or less kissing his flesh.  "You're warm," he noted, for his mouth was a better determiner of such things than any other part of him.  "Did you drink from someone?"

[Trillian]

Vincent found himself stroking Owen's bare back and shoulderblades, his fingers tracing the curve of his spine and the muscles along the way.  Owen was deliciously warm, with lovely young skin.

"Not as warm as you," he murmured.  "I drank from a few someones, yes."

It had been quite civilised, in fact, even though two out of three of the women in Sabri's harem were of the kind that were sexually aroused by the drinking, they'd mostly just writhed and contained themselves.  Vincent wondered what would've happened if Sabri wasn't watching, and decided that the women would've behaved the same way.  They were exceptional women to be selected in an ancient's harem, to be sure.

[Existentially Odd]

"Oh," Owen murmured and the disappointment in the word was very obvious, though he didn't have any more to say just yet.

[Trillian]

Vincent's hand moved upward to stroke Owen's hair for a moment before returning to the smooth flesh of his back.  Forward and backward, roaming his wonderful skin.  Perhaps because he'd been with Sabri for half the night and perhaps because he could feel the lazy beginnings of sundown, he hazarded his guess as to why Owen sounded blue.

"Were you hoping I would drink from you?" he asked curiously, looking down at Owen on his chest and seeing not much of his expression because of the angle.

[Existentially Odd]

"Yes," he answered sheepishly, blushing as he woke up even more.  "I was thinking... I don't know what it'll be like and I... sort of want to be prepared in... case... and... I'd rather it be you, the first time," he finished, his voice a whisper again.

Was it too much to ask of his friend?  Would he be insulted that his motives were somewhat murky?  He did want Vincent to be his first, but only because he thought it might happen with Sabri and he was tired of being ignorant.  If Vincent drank just a little, he'd be better prepared, surely?  Sabri had already blown his mind with his mental trickery in the pools, he feared he'd spontaneously combust if that was combined with drinking.

[Trillian]

He was feeling indulgent and courageous.  Two emotions that he usually stayed away from because of the trouble they could lead him into.  This time, however, listening to Owen's plea and being asked for something that he so wanted to give... it made it a difficult job indeed to refuse.  So he didn't refuse.

"Yes," he said, his other hand lifting to caress Owen's cheek, his thumb tracing the line of Owen's beautiful brow.  He was such a handsome boy.  Why did everyone else get to play with him while he stood on the sidelines, wanting?  Owen was obviously very ready for this, so why not give him what he wanted?  Why not give him what they both wanted?  "I'd rather it be me the first time, too," he said, and could hear the rough edge of want in his voice.

[Existentially Odd]

"Really?" Owen asked needlessly, looking up at Vincent in the dark, his heart thudding even harder as exctement zinged through him.  "Thank you," he breathed and began to wriggle out from under Vincent's arm, onto his back, expecting it would be the best position to be in.  "Should I lay like this?" he asked eagerly, licking his lips.

[Trillian]

Vincent was sorry to feel Owen go, and moved with him so that he was on his side looking down at the boy as Owen asked his innocent-sexy question.  Vincent was struck by him so completely that he could only stare for a moment, and nodded.  Of course Owen wouldn't see it, so he voiced a soft 'yes', his gaze drawn to Owen's lips after his tongue had darted out to wet it.  What would that mouth taste like, feel like, mashed beneath his own?  He could feel his groin twitching desire as he thought about it, and was both glad and annoyed that he was wearing full-length pyjama pants.  He would love to be pressed up against Owen, mostly naked, and feel what Sabri had felt, claim what Sabri had claimed, and more.

He growled, unable to help himself, and rolled the rest of the way atop the youth, hungry for more than simply a bite.  He was upon his neck, licking and kissing, gnawing with the teeth that weren't his fangs, holding himself up a little with his arms, which effectively pressed his hips against Owen's own.  The effect was heady and overwhelming.  He was in a place he'd dared not even fantasize about, but was becoming more and more prevalent in his thoughts as Owen slept around.  He didn't have to be afraid of taking advantage of anyone.