Southwest Tower - ShadowDancer's Rooms

[Red Gypsy]

This tower has been remodelled as a gift for Sebastet's godson, ShadowDancer. It sits in the Southwest corner, with the Library between there and Ash's Tower; and the Front Room between here and the Armory Tower. Access to this tower is from a door in the garden with peach trees on either side.

The first floor is the living area. This is both a living room on one side where Dancer meets with is patients and family, and the bedroom on the other side. It's decorated in masculine style with plenty of leather and dark oak wood kept natural but polished to a high sheen. There's a fireplace between the bedroom and living room that heats both rooms on cold nights, laid in a dark red stone harvested from the demon realm that helps retain heat and disperse it evenly.

The second floor is the bathroom with an open shower and a large tub set down into the floor, lighting is brighter but still kept to spelled candles and lanterns.

The third floor is the 'playroom', meant for all kinds of vices. This place is for him to escape from the world and enjoy pleasure as well as pain in the best ways.

The top of the tower is an outdoor area divided into two sections, one for people and one for Dancer's cat to play. It comes complete with leopard-sized cat-trees, scratching posts, and sleeping spots for full sun. The other half has plenty of people-sized seating around a stone-circled firepit and a few small tables for setting drinks on.



The place was done according to Dancer's designs and blueprints as a surprise for him, all the arrangements made by Sebastet and Ash with generous help from all the servants in the castle and donations made from most of the island.  

[Red Gypsy]

Dancer led Amir to the tower and unlocked it with the ornate key, stepping inside to something that shocked him to no end. The entire structure had been redone to his specifications and designs. Everything was there, even the books on the bookshelves and the red stone from the demon realm he'd wanted for the fireplace.

He moved into the middle of the living room area and turned around, his mismatched eyes wide with shock, "I don't understand... This wasn't supposed to be done for another two years... When did they... I don't..." he faded there as he tried to process it all.

It was Amir that found the note from Ash and Sebastet telling Dancer that they'd done it while he was gone, letting him know that they felt that it was long overdue for someone that had given so much to so many....  

[Dameon Black Alt]

Red Gypsy

Amir
Amir looked around the tower as Dancer led him inside. He wasn't surprised by how amazing it all looked. Dancer had said that he'd designed it all, and he knew that Dancer definitely had good taste. But he was a bit confused upon seeing it all. He remembered Dancer saying that he had designed it but that it had never been finished. Though he could tell that Dancer seemed to be just as confused as he was.

He noticed a shocked Dancer moving into the middle of the living room area listened carefully to what he said. "I guess someone worked on it at some point," he said. "That's the only thing that I can think of."

He walked around the room a bit as Dancer tried to figure out how the room had been finished. He was a bit surprised when he found the note, though he wasn't really surprised by what it said. "I found something." He waited until Dancer looked over to him and then held up the note. "Sebastet and Ash left a note. They did all of this while you were gone." He smiled and closed the distance between them. "Apparently, they thought that you deserved it after all the good you've done for so many. And from everything I've seen of you so far, I have to agree with them."

 

[Red Gypsy]

Dameon Black Alt

Dancer took the note and read it, still showing his shock as he lowered it and looked around again. He shook his head again as he looked at the mantle and froze when he saw the small paintings on either side of it.

One showed him with his fathers, a smaller replica of the painting in the tower room that Amir had already seen. The other was of him and Michael. He remembered that day. It was Rebecca's birthday. They were in the garden: him and Michael, Desha and Andy, Rebecca and Ash. He'd brought his flute and played for her. The painting showed him sitting in Michael's lap with a gold-toned shadowy dancer moving behind them while Dancer had his eyes closed and played a small flute. That dancer was how he'd gotten his name.

He shook his head, "Only Ash could have gotten that done... He's the only one left from that day... I... I had no idea he was going to do this..." he said softly then shook his head again and turned away to head towards the stairs.

He knew Amir was following him and was grateful for it, needing the presence to show him that he wasn't imagining this.

The second floor showed the bathroom and he shook his head again, "They even used the slate that I wanted... I don't know how they found it, but..." he'd wanted the slate because of the textured quality of the stone and that it would prevent slipping. The mixed colors to the stone was a bonus.

He continue up the spiral staircase and froze in the middle of the playroom. He knew instantly that only Ash could have gotten this one right. As a demon of desire, he would have been able to know exactly what was needed. The playroom was laid out perfectly with all the tools and toys needed to keep Dancer happy for decades... It would take at least three weeks to use each toy available at least once.

He shook his head, feeling his eyes filling with tears that he fought to keep contained, "It's... Only Ash could have done this one... It's..." he stopped there and pushed himself up the staircase the rest of the way, unable to stop his feet until he pushed through the upper door and found the rooftop laid out exactly as he'd wanted.

He looked around it all and put his hands over his mouth, unable to stop a couple of tears now. He wasn't sad. He was simply overwhelmed by it all.

He slowly walked over to one of the 'cat trees' specially designed for his leopard and lightly stroked the carpeted surface in awe, "I can't believe it... Everything is just how I wanted it... I... I don't know what to say..." he finished, his voice tight with emotion, unable to fully voice his reactions to the gift he'd been given.  

[Dameon Black Alt]

Red Gypsy

Amir
Amir watched Dancer as he read the note and looked around the room. He didn't really know what else he could really add right now. He could easily tell that Dancer was overwhelmed by the gift that had been prepared for him, but he didn't know if it would be a good idea to say anything.

He followed Dancer's gaze and noticed the paintings on either side of the mantle. He recognized the one painting as a smaller replica of the one that he had seen in Dancer's room. He recognized Dancer's fathers and had to smile a bit at the painting. But the other one was completely new to him. He looked over the other painting carefully, finding himself a bit curious about it. He didn't recognize the male that Dancer was sitting with, but it wasn't difficult to work out that it was likely the Mate that Dancer had lost.

His attention snapped back to Dancer when the other male spoke again, stating that Ash had to be the one who'd gotten the painting made since he was the only other one left from that day. He followed Dancer up to the second floor, sensing that he needed him to help him remember that this was all real. He didn't say anything when Dancer commented on the slate, not really having anything to add. He followed Dancer further up the staircase and stopped to look around the playroom. He couldn't help but be impressed by just how extensive it all was. He knew that it would take them weeks to go through each toy just once, but there was so much that it would keep Dancer happy for so many years to come.

He followed Dancer up the rest of the staircase, knowing that Dancer needed to finish seeing everything. He saw Dancer's tears and followed him over to one of the 'cat trees'. He pulled him into a hug, deciding that simply being there to support him was as much as he could do right now. "The whole tower is amazing, Dancer," he said. "I can see how it's overwhelming. There's so much work that had to go into this. I can't think of anyone who deserves such a perfect gift as much as you do."

 

[Red Gypsy]

Dameon Black Alt

Dancer put his arms around Amir's waist and leaned into his hold as he tried to get himself back under control. It wasn't easy, though. This was something that he was not expecting. In his own way, he really didn't realize how many people he'd touched and healed. As a true healer at heart, he'd never paid much attention to how his brand of healing would come back to heal him.

After a moment, he pulled back and wiped at his face as he looked around, his breath giving that hitch that came with emotional moments.

What he didn't know was that the castle servants had been waiting for this day. They were already packing his rooms in Sebastet's tower to properly move him here. Amir would probably catch on before Dancer did.

He took in a shaky breath and looked around briefly, focusing on the couch, "We can still do the healing up here and move inside after. I'll need to arrange to have everything moved over here. But for now, we can at least do the healing here," he offered, his voice still a bit tight with emotion.

What he didn't realize was that this time, he wouldn't be getting Amir's memories. This time, it would be the other way around. It would be the memories of the kidnapping ((in the Ocean thread)), and his memory of the torture with the Hunters with the pain of Michael's death. They were horrific memories, but they would give Amir a different look at his current charge...

While Dancer was a healer and strong, he still had his weaknesses. He didn't pay much attention to himself and frequently needed someone to pull him back when he went too far in his attempts to take care of too many patients. He was also so very rare that another like him simply didn't exist.

With the kidnapping memory, Amir would learn what Dancer hadn't told him about yet: that he had two animal forms... He gained his leopard from an attack. But he'd been born with his seal form. He was actually half selkie. His gift from Mao was his leopard seal form.

But being so rare, Dancer was at high risk of being taken by slavers and collectors. He'd been grabbed twice so far and luckily rescued. But both attacks combined with the torture from the Hunters had left him wondering...

Amir seeing the torture with the Hunters would show him the level of torture that Dancer hadn't revealed. It was inventive enough that it was a miracle that Dancer had been able feel anything during their session in the playroom. But that memory would show Amir where Dancer needed healing, so seeing the memories would give him a different insight to his charge...  

[Dameon Black Alt]

Red Gypsy

Amir
Amir gave Dancer a kind smile as the other male pulled back and wiped at his face. He simply shook his head when he heard Dancer comment that he would have to arrange to have everything moved over to the tower. "I doubt that you'll have to do that," he said simply. "They got everything set up perfectly, exactly as you wanted it. It seems like a safe bet to say that they've just been waiting for you to come see it and that they've already got everything in motion to get you fully moved over here without you having to worry."

He placed a kiss on Dancer's forehead and then guided him to a nice, sunny spot for the healing. He gave Dancer a moment to get comfortable and then took a deep breath. Warmth began to flow over the two of them as Amir began their healing session.

He closed his eyes to focus for a moment before he opened them and found himself in a completely different setting. It only took him a moment to realize that he wasn't just focusing on healing Dancer this time. Instead, it seemed like he was getting a view of some of Dancer's painful memories. He watched the events of a kidnapping unfold and started to wonder just how much Dancer had been through that he didn't know about. He knew about Dancer's torture at the hands of the Hunters, but he hadn't known that the other male had been kidnapped. He did his best to keep part of his focus on the healing, knowing that the magic would stop if he didn't devote part of his attention to keeping it flowing.

He was a bit surprised when the setting changed a bit and let out a soft gasp as he realized what memory he was seeing now. He could see the Hunters preparing for the torment that they had inflicted on Dancer, and he started to feel a bit sick as the torture started. He had really grown to care for Dancer over the last several days, and seeing him being tortured by a group of humans simply for being who he was made him feel sick and quite angry. He didn't want to watch anymore, but he knew that he had to so that he could truly understand and see what Dancer would need in terms of healing.

Amir quickly shifted the healing energy into the pain and injuries he saw the Hunters inflicting, knowing that it was where the healing was needed the most. He poured more energy into the healing than the previous sessions, deciding that he could afford to do so since the playroom was so close to them. He didn't stop until he'd put enough healing energy into Dancer to fix the damage that he'd seen inflicted.

By the time Amir finally cut off the flow of magic, he was feeling quite drained. He knew that he would quickly get a bit of energy back when they moved into the playroom, but he was feeling rather exhausted for the moment. He let out a breath and opened his eyes to examine Dancer. He thought about trying to talk about what he'd seen, but he thought differently about it as he examined the other male. Dancer would have to know that Amir had seen at least a bit of the torture the Hunters had inflicted on him. The fact that the healing had suddenly shifted to being in the exact areas the Hunters had injured was proof that he'd seen at least some of it. But Amir didn't want to bring up that subject until he knew for sure that Dancer was ready to talk about it with him. He didn't want to force Dancer back into that place. Instead, he flashed him a kind but exhausted smile. "I think I got a bit carried away this time. I couldn't seem to stop the first few times I should've. How are you feeling?"

 

[Red Gypsy]

Dameon Black Alt

As before, with Amir not knowing about the memories he inadvertently shared with Dancer, this time Dancer had no idea that he'd shared any memories. He was panting a bit but still smiled up at Amir, "I think you're getting better at healing. You knew just where to go, just what needed healing. You're learning what to look for in a healing like this," he said softly, simply complimenting Amir on his improved skills.

He was panting and sweating with this session. While Amir was deadening the pain, it still took alot of work on Dancer's part to hold still while able to feel bones and muscles moving and knitting together, as well as feeling fluid build-up being drained off and infection burned off. The process of healing took work on Dancer's part as well as Amir's, but it was worth it.

After a few moments, he was able to sit up and leaned back on the couch so that Amir could sit with him. The time waiting allowed Amir to 'recharge' in the sunlight as well as get his second wind. Admittedly, the playroom was just downstairs, but they had some time before the muscle cramps and spasms started up. So they did have the time for them both to simply relax for a moment.

While Dancer had been through alot, it hadn't really changed him. Dealing with Memphis when he'd been kidnapped had been a horrifying experience because the necro had been Dancer's opposite: light to dark, life to death, hope to despair... It had actually damaged his aura that had taken specialist healing. Still, he'd recovered from it and had still been determined to heal others.

The torture with the Hunters had been bad. Well, worse than bad... But worse still had been something that Amir hadn't seen in Dancer's memories... Aside from Michael's death, there had been the damage inflicted to Dancer's ability to heal. Now, it caused him pain to do so, much like a wound that wouldn't heal. But that pain was something that not even Amir could heal and Dancer silently acknowledged that he'd simply have to deal with the pain.

He leaned in against Amir's shoulder, "I'm glad that you're getting better with your healing. I know you'll have the showdown with your parents before long, but with the added healing skill, you can make your arguments with them stick better. Warriors are a dime a dozen... But a true Healer is worth so much more. Even they have to admit that much," he said softly.

Part of him wondered...

But he shook that thought off and finally pulled back with one of his small smiles and got to his feet, offering a hand to him, "Come on... Let's see what kind of setup you want for this session, before the spasms start up..." he suggested, not wanting to dwell too far into his own head right now.  

[Dameon Black Alt]

Red Gypsy

Amir
Amir was a bit relieved to find out that Dancer didn't know about the memories that had been shared. He gave a slightly uneasy smile as Dancer said that he seemed to be getting better at healing because he knew just what needed to be healed at any given time. He felt like he didn't deserve the praise, but he was willing to accept it to prevent Dancer from getting uncomfortable at the realization about the memories he'd seen. "I'm glad to hear that I'm getting better," he said.

He sat with Dancer on the couch and leaned in to place a kiss on the other male's cheek. He could feel the sunlight restoring his energy just a bit, but it would take a bit of time before he would be back at full strength. He looked over Dancer's face, thinking about all of the pain he'd seen him go through. He didn't know what to think about it all, since he couldn't remember going through anything like that.

He had to smile when he heard Dancer speak again. "I don't know how they'll react to it, but I'm not going to back down with them this time. I'm a healer, and it's time for them to accept me just as I am." He watched Dancer closely for a moment and then leaned in to place a sweet kiss on Dancer's lips. He held that kiss for a moment and then allowed him to get to his feet. He took Dancer's hand to stand up and gave a nod at at the other male's words. "That sounds like a good plan. We'll have to figure out something special to celebrate my improvement." He was smiling as he spoke, waiting for Dancer to lead the way.

 

[Red Gypsy]

Dameon Black Alt

Dancer let Amir help him to his feet and gave him a teasing grin over the celebration line, "I think I know just the thing..." he said simply, knowing that Amir would love to help him 'break in' the playroom. Especially since he could feel the muscle cramps already starting up.

He simply led the way down from the roof to the playroom and gave Amir a deeper kiss before he let the other male take him over. They were in there for hours, exploring whatever took Amir's fancy for this trip.

When they finally stopped, they went downstairs and used the huge tub for the first time. Dancer was still sensitive as he settled into the warm water with Amir right next to him, leaning back and closing his eyes. The benches in the tub were set at the perfect height for soaking, just as he'd designed it.

He finally opened his eyes and looked over at Amir as he looked through the scented bathing oils, "We can sleep here... Well, downstairs, I mean... You can relax on the roof and soak up the sunlight then come back down and sleep... Someone should be bringing food in a little bit, if they've guessed where we are..." he offered softly, his voice still a bit hoarse for now. But that was a sign of a job well-done on Amir's part in the playroom.

As Dancer slept, it would allow the healing to finish settling in. With the trip through the playroom before he slept, it ensured that he could sleep relaxed without any issues from the muscle cramps and spasms.

Right now, he barely had the energy to clean himself up. Getting downstairs would probably prove to be on the hilarious side...  

[Dameon Black Alt]

Red Gypsy

Amir
Amir grinned when Dancer said that he had just the thing to celebrate his improvement. He followed him down from the roof and into the playroom, excited about getting to help Dancer 'break in' the playroom. The playroom in this tower was pretty much perfect, and he was thrilled that he got to be the first one to use it with Dancer. He enjoyed Dancer's deeper kiss and then immediately started to take him over, unable to resist the temptation for very long.

When they finally stopped to rest, Amir followed Dancer downstairs so that they could use another room in this tower for the first time. He settled into the warm water and let out a soft chuckle when he noticed that Dancer was still sensitive. He followed the other male's lead and leaned back to relax a bit before leaning forward again to look through the various bathing oils. "Honestly, I could fall asleep right here in the tub," he said, grinning. "The water feels great, and the bench is just the perfect height for soaking. But it probably wouldn't be a great idea to sleep in the tub."

He stretched a bit and picked out the scent that he liked the best before he started to get cleaned up. "I think that I should be good on sunlight for now. It wouldn't really recharge me that much at this point. The best way for me to regain energy after a session like that is a good night's sleep. Luckily, I know just the perfect man to cuddle with to make sure that I sleep well."

He could tell that Dancer was pretty low on energy, so he helped him get cleaned up. And he actually managed to behave as he did so. Mostly. Once they were both cleaned up, he helped Dancer get dried off before drying himself off. Then he simply scooped Dancer up and carried him downstairs so that he wouldn't have to struggle with trying to get down on his own in his tired state. He got Dancer tucked into the bed and then slipped in with him, curling up with him as he was used to doing now. He smiled and placed a quick kiss on his lips. "Did you enjoy your first day in your new tower, Dancer?"

 

[Red Gypsy]

Dameon Black Alt

Dancer was too tired to protest being carried or not having his hair braided. He was simply too tired right now to care about those. But he was grateful that Amir cared enough to carry him to bed and cuddle with him. He had to smile at that question, though.

"I thoroughly enjoyed it, Amir... Thank you for making it special for me..." he said softly as he cuddled into him and fell asleep before he could even think about it.

He did give a contented sound as Amir settled on in with him and they slept soundly enough that they finally woke up only having moved enough for Amir to curl up behind him. That was as far as they got. They didn't even get tangled up in Dancer's hair.

While they'd been asleep, the servants had finished moving Dancer's stuff from his rooms. Some of it was packed down in crates and trunks in the sitting room, other pieces were openly sitting off to the side for him to make a final decision on, and the rest of the stuff was put away. His clothes were in the closet, his bathroom stuff was all put away upstairs, and the stuff from the other playroom was packed down and waiting for him to put it away upstairs. The painting of him with his fathers was in the sitting room, leaning against a wall for him to decide where he wanted it.

The furniture from the tower room wasn't needed, so it had been stored away for other uses. This tower was already fully furnished for him just as he'd wanted it.

All of that was done while they were sleeping.

As Dancer woke up again, he smiled at the feeling of Amir curled up behind him and holding him. He shifted out of the bed without waking him and placed a light kiss to his cheek before sliding on a pair of shorts and heading into the sitting room to look over everything that had been moved over, wondering what he was going to do with it all.

He shook his head and simply collected his brush to start on his hair first as he moved from item to item, wondering where to put it all...  

[Dameon Black Alt]

Red Gypsy

Amir
Amir smiled when Dancer said that he'd thoroughly enjoyed the day and thanked him for it. "I'm glad you had a good time," he said. "I'm glad I was able to make it special for you." He didn't get to say anything more before Dancer was simply asleep in his grasp, causing the demigod to chuckle softly. He settled in with him fully and got comfortable before falling into a fairly deep sleep.

He slept peacefully, though a few bad images did try to slip through into his dreams. It seemed that seeing Dancer's pain had stirred up things that he didn't remember, suffering that would eventually come bursting out of him. Luckily, feeling Dancer against him did seem to soothe him a bit before the dark memories could fully emerge, allowing him to sleep without issue.

He smiled in his sleep when Dancer placed a light kiss on his cheek, though he didn't show any other signs of waking just yet. He slept for a bit longer before waking up and stretching. He noticed that Dancer wasn't with him anymore and looked around the room for a moment. He found a comfortable-looking pair of pants nearby and slipped them on before venturing out into the rest of the tower to find Dancer.

He found Dancer in the sitting room without any real difficulty. He slipped up behind the other male and placed a kiss to the side of his neck as his arms slipped around him. "Good morning," he said, his voice pleasantly husky from recently waking from a deep sleep. "I see they got everything over here while we were asleep. I expected that they'd probably know that you had come here so they could get everything started, but they worked a lot faster than I expected."

 

[Red Gypsy]

Dameon Black Alt

Dancer leaned back against him, smiling at the kiss to his neck as he finished off his braid and let it go, "Mmm... The staff in the castle is almost painfully efficient and take their tasks very seriously. They don't shirk on anything," he commented then looked at the painting of him and his fathers again.

"I have no idea where to hang that one. The bedroom and bathroom aren't appropriate. Neither is the playroom. I'm just not sure where to put it in here," he added. While there was plenty of wall space for hanging things up, he just wasn't sure where to put that particular piece.

He knew that his stuff for his patients could be stored in a trunk here in the living room, there was even a good spot near one of the windows by a bookshelf. He'd already gotten his books put up and the stuff taken up for the bathroom and playroom, they just needed to be put up in those rooms. He even had a few things that could be put up on the roof's sitting area.

But everything else...

"Honestly, I don't remember acquiring all of this stuff... I have lived in the castle my entire life, but..." he really didn't realize that he'd collected so much stuff over the centuries.

He still wasn't sure exactly he'd lived so long, but was sure there was something in his genetics that allowed for it. Probably something to do with Desha being cursed when Dancer was conceived, or something like that.

That thought brought his mismatched gaze to the painting again, his eyes tracing over his parents and wondering why he'd had to lose both of them... Especially the way Desha had died... That one hurt more that losing Mao to the ocean's call. At least Mao was still alive out there somewhere, he thought... But Desha... There was no bringing him back...

And he was still hiding the pain he experienced when he healed someone, not wanting anyone to know about it just yet...  

[Dameon Black Alt]

Red Gypsy

Amir
Amir smiled as Dancer finished off his braid and commented that the staff was extremely efficient and took their tasks seriously. "So I've noticed," he said. "It's not a problem or anything, but it does definitely make me realize just how lazy I've always been. I just coasted by most of my life." He gave Dancer a kind smile. "I suppose that just gives me a reason to work harder going forward."

He listened to Dancer's comment on the painting and thought about where they could put the painting. "I'm not sure where to put it. But I know that we'll figure it out." He chuckled when he heard Dancer stating that he didn't remember acquiring all of this stuff. "If you've lived here your whole life, I guess that it only makes sense that you've acquired a lifetime's worth of stuff. Don't worry. We'll figure out where to put it all. If I'm living with you for a while, I want to chip in however I can."

He didn't know exactly what Dancer was thinking, but he could see the way that he was looking over his parents in the painting. He could almost feel the sadness that the other male had to be feeling. He reached out to touch Dancer's face, making the other male look at him. "I have an idea. All of this stuff isn't going anywhere. Why don't we do something a bit fun to start the day off right? We can go do anything fun that you want to do. After that, we can come back and get all of this put away. How does that sound?"