A Brave New World

Criminal Activity

Fenneck and Erikur face the dangers of trying to live openly in an ignorant society.

Fenneck walked up behind Erikur who was sitting at the vanity fussing with his hair. "I can't get it right!" he complained as he ripped out the braid he was working on to start over. Fenneck giggled and walked over and pulled Erikur's hair away from his hands to fix it himself. "You're so picky," he teased him. Erikur sighed in defeat. "I'm just nervous," he explained. "I just want to do well tonight." Fenneck kissed the top of his head. "You will," he assured him. "Will you be performing the whole time?" Erikur shook his head. "No, just the first half," he explained. "Then a different ensemble will take over." Fenneck delicately pulled some strands of Erikur's hair back as he worked. "Good," he said. "I'm nervous to just mull about the ballroom by myself." Erikur rolled his eyes. "You're supposed to dance and drink and have a good time!" Erikur scolded him. Fenneck shrugged. "I'm always bad at that kind of thing, though!" he argued. "I'm much better at being a depressing wallflower," he mused as he finished the braids. "What do you think?" he asked Erikur who admired himself from every possible angle the looking glass would allow. "Perfect!" he exclaimed happily. "You're perfect!" he told Fenneck, batting his pretty green eyes at him. Fenneck leaned down and kissed Erikur on the forehead. "You should hurry and get dressed," he told him. "You have to warm up beforehand, right?" Erikur nodded, stood up and walked over to the wardrobe.   He reached in and pulled out a very elegant lavender outfit of sparkly, very feminine robes and held it up for Fenneck to see. "What do you think?" he asked him nervously. "Naertho made it for me, but... I don't know, it's kind of a dress..." Fenneck smiled as he saw how much Erikur clearly adored the outfit. "Put it on," he told him. Erikur smiled and slipped out of his robe and put on the beautiful outfit that dripped in sparkly feathers and gemstones. He looked more elegant than any of the dresses the princesses ever wore. He looked so happy and in love with the beautiful robes and he turned to Fenneck and gave him a look, begging for approval. Fenneck smiled lovingly at Erikur. "Wear it," he told him. "You've never looked so happy before. Screw what everyone else thinks. I think you are the most beautiful elf to walk this plane!" Erikur beamed with happiness. "Okay!" he said excitedly as he twirled in the outfit. "I should head up to the ballroom," he said nervously. Fenneck pulled Erikur into his arms. "Break a leg tonight," he told him. "I'll find you when you finish performing," he promised. Erikur excitedly kissed Fenneck's lips as he bounced on his toes. "Okay! See you then!" he exclaimed before running out of his room and heading up into the mountain.   Fenneck focused on getting himself ready and he put on a nice blue dress tunic and brushed out his hair before heading up to the palace. He finally arrived at the ballroom that was already full to the brim with excited Glitterfjellians dancing to the fun traditional music of Lenisily that hadn't been played in centuries. This party was mostly celebrating one month of liberation from Lenisily and was open to anyone who wished to join in the festivities. Fenneck smiled seeing how diverse and full the ballroom was compared to how it looked when the Malenthots ruled the palace. Baegla and her very large family were over at the buffet and Jasna was playing in the orchestra with Erikur. Catherine and Vyndius were dancing together with another large group of people. Fenneck, staying true to his word, clung to the walls, too nervous to join in the revelry.   He saw Naertho walk in and make his way over to join him. "Fascinating, isn't it?" he asked Fenneck as he joined him on the wall. Fenneck nodded. "It's weird seeing this side of things," he mused. "Life in the palace." Naertho nodded in agreement. "So," he said, clearly having come to speak with Fenneck with something particular on his mind. "I was wondering if you would be wanting your job back?" he asked Fenneck. "I figured I'd give you some time to settle back in but it seems I'm busier than ever with all these parties Baegla insists on throwing. Not to mention the amount of my stock that was damaged when those savages ransacked my shop," he said in annoyance. Fenneck shrugged. "I can come help out," he told him. "I... I haven't really planned for anything else." Naertho eyed him down suspiciously. "Really?" he asked. "Because from what I've heard you've been quite busy writing the constitution with Baegla and Erikur and all the other self-proclaimed politicians." Fenneck shrugged. "Sure, but that won't last forever," Fenneck told him. "I miss working in the shop anyway." Naertho smiled proudly. "Well good. You can take the pile of orders Erikur wants me to fill," he said teasingly. Fenneck giggled.   "Hey, how's Ayred? Have you guys... talked?" Fenneck asked him. Naertho shook his head. "No... we... we're too busy adjusting to our new lives," he explained. "What about you and Erik? Are you two really going to continue living together?" Naertho asked him with a worried look. Fenneck shrugged. "Why not?" he asked his uncle. "It's not illegal now. Besides, its more... complicated than that. We aren't exactly... together," he said. Naertho huffed. "Try telling him that," he said, nodding to the elf in question who was happily tooting away on his flute. "He loves you more than life itself, Fenny," he mused. "Don't hurt him," he warned Fenneck protectively. Fenneck frowned and shook his head. "Our friendship is just more... fluid than that," Fenneck argued. "Don't worry, we've talked about it." Naertho looked away doubtfully. "I should go mingle," he decided before sauntering away.   Fenneck leaned back and enjoyed the music until Erikur was finally done performing. He excitedly walked over to Fenneck once he had put his instruments away. "Hey! What did you think?!" he asked excitedly. Fenneck smiled and hugged Erikur proudly. "You sounded wonderful!" he told Erikur as he pulled away. Erikur smiled and motioned to the table of food and liquor. "Wanna drink?" he asked Fenneck. Fenneck shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "I'm thinking about going home early," he told Erikur who scoffed in annoyance. "No! Come on!" he exclaimed, stomping his feet at him like a child. Fenneck shrugged. "There's nothing to do, Erik!" he complained. Erikur motioned to the dance floor. "We could find some girls to dance with," he suggested, hearing the more formal waltzes start up. Fenneck laughed at him. "Or we could just dance together, silly," he suggested. Erikur looked surprised by this idea and he shrugged. "Can... can we?" he asked Fenneck nervously. "Like..." He looked around the room as if they were being watched. "Is that allowed? No other guys are dancing together. I mean, who even leads at that point?" Fenneck smiled at Erikur's adorableness and held out his arm. "May I have this dance, Lord Oblonsky?" he asked Erikur proudly. Erikur's eyes glowed with happiness and he nodded slowly and delicately reached out and took Fenneck's arm.   Fenneck led him into the crowd and pulled him into his arms. He could see Erikur blushing and looking up at him with the brightest smile he'd ever seen as they started dancing together. Fenneck felt lost in Erikur's beautiful, innocent eyes as they moved through the room together. Erikur was shaking he was so nervous and Fenneck sent a wave of warm, soothing magic through him, prompting Erikur to take a deep breath and smile lovingly at Fenneck. Fenneck took the lead and twirled Erikur around, causing his beautiful robes to shimmer as he twirled across the floor. Erikur was easily the prettiest person in the room.   The songs became slower and more intimate and Fenneck continuously pulled Erikur closer and closer into his arms until Erikur was resting his head on Fenneck's shoulder as they swayed together to the beautiful music. Erikur leaned up to Fenneck's ear. "This is a dream come true," he whispered happily. Fenneck nuzzled him lovingly. "I just wish my parents, my dad, could have seen it," he said sadly. Erikur nuzzled him comfortingly. "Me too," he agreed. "I had so many late night conversations with him about this and what he'd been through with Fenneck. The other Fenneck, I mean," Erikur said woefully. "He sounded so wonderful... Your dad loved him so much," he said sadly. Fenneck pulled his head back to look into Erikur's face as they slowly stopped dancing among the crowd and leaned in and kissed each other. Erikur was hesitant at first but quickly leaned into Fenneck's embrace, running his hands up through Fenneck's hair to pull him in close as their tongues danced in each other's mouths. After a few moments, Fenneck pulled away and opened his eyes to see Erikur's so full of hope and relief. "Thank you," he whispered to Fenneck. "Do you want to head home?" Fenneck asked him. Erikur nodded and Fenneck took his hand in his own before pulling him back toward the entrance of the ballroom.   But as they turned, Fenneck saw it: the eyes watching them judgmentally from every corner of the room. A few smiled and most were confused or just surprised but some looked viscerally angry. Fenneck felt himself growing anxious and he pulled Erikur closer to him, hoping he hadn't noticed but one glance at Erikur's face told him he definitely had. Erikur tried to let go of Fenneck's hand as his face flushed red and his eyes filled with fear, but Fenneck held his hand firm and straightened his chest out confidently. He wasn't going to let this fear and judgement get to Erikur. Not after everything they had fought for. This was just a new, different kind of battle that still needed to be fought. As they left the ballroom Erikur swallowed nervously as they walked past the guards and other partygoers who had wandered out into the halls of the palace. Fenneck walked quickly as he noticed the stares continue. "Stairs or lift?" he asked Erikur, trying to keep his tone light and easy. Erikur shrugged nervously. Fenneck could feel him shaking and he guided them into an empty lift. There was the usual guard inside, a high-elf who gave them an alarmed look as they entered the lift and Fenneck found himself regretting this decision as he set the lever to the second level. But before the lift closed, they were joined by two other high-elf males who gave them dirty looks as they got onto the lift and looked over at the set level and didn't add their own. As the gate closed they turned to face Fenneck and Erikur.   "You think you can just get away with shit like this, huh?" one of them taunted them. The other joined in. "Just because we're under new leadership doesn't mean people can do whatever disgusting shit they want. Being a faggot is still an abomination. You think we're gonna let butt-pirates like you walk the streets around our good, faithful children?!" Fenneck felt himself boiling with rage as Erikur swallowed nervously behind him. "You can both fuck off," Fenneck told them threateningly. The first one laughed at him. "You think we can't take a couple twinks like yourselves?!" he taunted. Fenneck glanced at the guard who was looking away, pretending to not know what was going on. Fenneck turned to the elves. "Clearly you don't know who you're talking to so I'll give you one more chance to go back to your own business," he told them sternly. The second one scoffed at him. "Pretty boy thinks he's hot stuff, huh? I'm sure your princess here can't defend herself, though. Why else would she be hiding behind you in a fucking dress?" he mocked and reached out to Erikur, ripping a handful of feathers off the front of his brand-new outfit. Fenneck reared back and punched the elf squarely in the nose, causing him to stumble into his compatriot and for blood to gush down the front of his tunic. "Hey!" the guard exclaimed. The other elf went to hit Fenneck and socked him in the jaw, prompting Fenneck to kick him in the gut, slamming him back into the wall of the elevator with a painful grunt. Erikur gasped and jumped back in fear. The first elf who was now covered in blood lurched at Erikur and tried to grab Erikur's arms but jumped back as lighting shot out from Erikur's hands sending the elf to the ground. "Holy dragonshit!" the first elf exclaimed as the lift finally opened onto the second level. Fenneck frantically pushed Erikur out.
"Stop!" the guard shouted to them. Fenneck stopped as the other guards on the level ran toward them with their weapons drawn. Erikur whimpered fearfully and Fenneck shook his head in annoyance. "There's been a misunderstanding," Fenneck told the guards. The first guard in the lift shook his head. "I saw you punch this innocent man and use magic to attack them. There's no misunderstanding," he said, nudging the point of his spear against Fenneck's back. "Fine," Fenneck agreed. "Take us to Baegla then," he told them. The guard shook his head. "A fight in the street isn't worthy of her majesty's attention. Get back in the lift, you're both under arrest," he told them.   Fenneck cast a nervous glance at Erikur before following the guards' orders and getting into the lift where they were taken down into the prison. "We don't even get a hearing?" Fenneck asked him aggressively. "You do know who we are, don't you?!" The guard scoffed at him. "You think I know every goddamn elf in this city? I don't care who you are or how important you think you might be. You fought innocent civilians. I can't get you for crimes of sexual misconduct anymore but you're on thin ice, butt-fucker, so I wouldn't push it." Fenneck swallowed, feeling his blood boiling with fear and anger as they led them into the prison and to a cell. "Alright princess, say goodbye to prince charming," the guard said as he shoved Fenneck into a dark, cold cell away from Erikur who looked at Fenneck with scared, fearful eyes as he was dragged further away into the prison, out of Fenneck's sight. "I demand that you go and get Baegla this instant!" Fenneck told the guard who rolled his eyes and locked the cell before walking away.   Fenneck looked around at the dark cell. The three walls were made of solid stone and the only thing in the cell was a single, dinky iron chamber pot and a hard bed with an old scrap of fur on it. "This is inhumane!" Fenneck shouted angrily down the halls. "You can't do this! You can't honestly expect people to survive in here!" Nobody answered and Fenneck started pacing the room before he checked to make sure no one could see him. He waved his hand and created a ball of light and quickly made it disappear. Good. They could still use magic. Maybe Erikur knew a spell to get them out of here and to get Baegla's attention. Fenneck paced for a long while before collapsing onto the bed and laying his head back in defeat, allowing himself to start meditating, hoping help would come soon.