The back of the sofa had a decorative wooden element that was carved and beautiful, but it was getting on Xaxac’s nerves because it was digging into his stomach, where he was currently resting his weight, and the discomfort was turning to real pain with each of Agalon’s thrusts. It was distracting him, and the combination of distraction and pain was turning to anger.

“Ow,” he hissed as a particularly hard thrust sent him forward onto his hands, grabbing at the seat as his feet left the floor.

“What’s wrong, Honey Bunny?” Agalon asked, holding Xac by the hair and glancing, once again, toward the door.

“The stupid wooden thing-” Xac began but Agalon cut him off with a practical suggestion.

“Use a pillow, darlin.”

Right. That’s what an intelligent person would do. Xaxac winced as Agalon lifted him by the head, but he did grab a throw pillow to stick between his flesh and the wood.

It was an instant improvement.

“You’re a quick little bunny, you know that?” Agalon asked as if this fact made the sexual experience more pleasurable for him.

“Thanks!” Xac said, because he didn’t really register what had been said to him, only the way it had been said, and felt as if he had been complimented by a person he absolutely wanted compliments from, “Pull harder!”

Agalon chuckled, but the grip in his hair tightened, and the pain felt real, anchored him to his body when he was in fear of floating away.

“You like that?” Agalon asked, and again, Xaxac was not entirely sure what he had been asked, only that he needed to answer something, so he made a sort of affirmative humming sound.

He did remember that Agalon had said something about how this would have to ‘be quick’, but could not, for the life of him, remember why. He appreciated the fact that Agalon remembered that he liked to be fucked when they got back from seeing the fighters, before dinner, even if it had to be fast, and he thought very seriously about telling him how appreciative he was, but he couldn’t remember the vocabulary he needed to express that thought, so he just let out another happy sound and hoped that it would convey the information.

“That’s my good boy,” Agalon praised, “I love it when you tense like that.”

Xaxac agreed and tried to nod, but Agalon’s grip was too tight to let him move his head.

“Don’t get your clothes dirty,” Agalon warned, and Xaxac didn’t really understand what he meant. His entire mind was occupied with keeping his balance without his feet on the ground, on steadying himself on his hands to push back against Agalon. He was absolutely certain that without Agalon’s hands, one on his waist and the other in his hair, he would fall forward and knock his brains out on the coffee table again. He wouldn’t particularly mind, except that he knew he would feel empty, and if Agalon left him now, when he was so close, he thought he might cry.

Agalon was proud of him because he had learned how to cum without touching his dick, and he was proud of himself because it seemed like a skill worth having.

There was a knock at the door, and Agalon stilled.

“No!” Xac cried.

“Be patient, darlin,” Agalon said and twisted the hand in his hair to placate him before he asked the door, “What?”

“Your guests have arrived, master,” Lee said from the other side.

“Show them to their rooms and tell them I’ll be out in a minute!” Agalon commanded as Xaxac squirmed.

“Yes master,” Lee said, and Xaxac hoped he was gone. He would have wondered who arrived, had he not been so angry about the interruption and so eager to forget it that-

He lost the thought as the motion began again and let out a happy humming sound.

It only took him a few more seconds to let loose the spring that had coiled in his gut, and he clawed at the fabric of the couch as the electricity shot through him and he was overcome with the orgasmic buzzing on every inch of his flesh that made it sensitive, glowing, and perfect. His vision doubled, blurred, and he went so limp as his muscles relaxed that had it not been for Agalon holding him up he would have toppled forward.

“Perfect, Honey Bunny,” Agalon hissed and Xaxac yelped as he buried himself as deep as he could go and began to convulse. “Perfect.”

“I’m gonna fall,” Xac slurred.

“You ain’t gonna fall,” Agalon promised, “ just lean back.” He giggled, “We’ll get you on your feet and get you cleaned up.”

“Thanks, Aggie,” Xac allowed him to move him until he was on his feet again, then snuggled into him.

Xaxac clung to Agalon’s arm as they walked down the hall and listened attentively, because what he was saying seemed to be important.

“We’re going to have some guests coming over the next few days,” Agalon explained, “So I need you to be a good host. You’re going to be in charge of the pleasure slaves.”

“Oh,” Xac said, “I don’t… know how to do that?”

“Just do whatever you want,” Agalon shrugged as if he didn’t think it would be particularly difficult, “Everybody loves you.”

“The fighters don’t like me,” Xac pouted.

“Of course they do, darlin,” Agalon said as if he was being ridiculous, “Where’d you get that idea?”

“I… I got punched in the face,” Xaxac reminded him, “Knocked my tooth out.”

“That won’t happen again,” Agalon said with that darkness he sometimes had, the darkness that scared Xaxac, “Just be your normal sweet self, alright? They know what they’re supposed to do. But just as a reminder, we are gonna separate you. The females ain’t breeders.”

“Ok,” Xac said, and the confusion must have been obvious in his voice because Agalon felt the need to explain it to him.

“You can’t have sex with the females, darlin,” he said, “you might can get um pregnant.”

“I dunno how to do that,” Xac said, because he didn’t. He thought he could figure it out, but he had never tried and had no reason to do so unprompted.

“Oh,” Agalon said as if he had just made a startling realization, “Yeah I… I guess you don’t. You might need to… I don’t know…”

“Are we havin a party?” Xaxac asked, “Is that why everybody’s comin over?”

“Somethin like that,” Agalon said.

“Alex said pleasure slaves went to parties,” Xaxac said, trying not to sound as eager as he was, “And it was real fun!”

“We’ll talk about it after dinner,” Agalon promised and knocked on the door they had stopped in front of.

“Come in,” a voice rang out, and Xaxac recognized it as belonging to Kyrtarr, Alex’s master! Was Alex here?

“Settlin in?” Agalon asked as he opened the door and stepped into a sitting room that reminded Xac of the one he shared with Agalon. “You gotta be starvin. Come get a bite to eat.”

“I absolutely am,” Kyrtarr agreed, “I’m dyin. Where’s your youngun at? He comin down with us?”

“Lorry’s tearin his ass,” Agalon admitted, “I hope he’s got the sense to act right in front a’ company.”

“Be good, Alex,” Kyrtarr chuckled, and Alex smiled up at him.

Xaxac didn’t think Alex owned any normal clothes, because he certainly wasn’t dressed in the uniform of a house slave, or traveling clothes. The thing he was wearing may have been called a traveling cloak, but it didn’t look like the one Agalon had; it was bright blue and had no slits for his arms, instead it was cut in such a way that it only draped in the front and back and left the sides open so that Xaxac could see the outfit he had on under it. He was wearing some sort of stretchy material that left very little to the imagination, something like the tights Agalon wore under his tunic, except it was apparently not considered underwear because Alex took off the cloak and spread it carefully over the back of the couch as if he didn’t want to damage it. Xaxac thought everything Alex wore was expensive. The shirt he wore, which was apparently not an undershirt, was cut with a V so deep it disappeared into the fabric he had tied around his waist as a belt. As he leaned forward to take off the knee-high boots he had been wearing the jewelry he wore tinkled softly as they knocked against each other.

Xaxac had thought he was cute when he had seen him in his own home, but he realized now as he looked at the way his curly waves were arranged in a braid winding around his head, at the makeup on his face, the silver in his ears, wrists, and around his neck, that he had been dressed casually. He was normally breathtaking.

“Oh, XacXac, honey, I am dead,” he proclaimed, “I hate travelin. I ain’t made for it. I am a delicate flower; I can’t be out in the elements like that. You know for lunch we had to eat outside? Please tell me you got a cigarette and somethin to drink, darlin, I am dyin. And I know I look like shit, sweatin in that carriage. Ugh. I gotta let my hair down and fix my face. I am so glad to be here I can’t stand it.”

“You look great,” Xaxac said as Alex walked into the bedroom.

“Honey, I can’t tell if you’re sweet or stupid,” Alex said as he began to pull pins out of his hair and toss them onto the vanity. Two braids fell down his back, so he undid the ribbons and shook out his hair. As he shook his head his hair bounced and followed the direction, and Xaxac could not stop staring at it.

“Aggie said a lot of people was comin,” Xac said.

“They probably won’t be here tonight,” Alex said, “We’re way closer than they are. I can’t wait. I’m sorry as I can be, darlin, but I can’t be scared a’ you. Did you get my cig? My drink?”

“I don’t know how to get stuff,” Xaxac admitted.

“Oh right, you ain’t never done this before,” Alex said as he picked up a brush and ran it through his hair, trying to tame the curls, though Xac thought the action just made them poofier, “Run out into the hall, ring the bell- there’s a string, you’ll see it, all these houses is the same, and somebody’ll come up and you tell um what to get.”

“I don’t think I’m supposed to go out to the hall,” Xaxac said nervously.

“Normally you ain’t,” Alex said, “Not durin your trainin. But I reckon your trainin’s over, honey, you look freshly fucked, and also, you know I love you to death but I swear to Thesis above if you don’t get me a cigarette I am gonna have to kill you and it’ll piss everybody off.”

Xaxac giggled, and Alex giggled with him before he asked with great sincerity, “You want me to go out with you? I know it’s scary when you first start out and don’t know what to do. That’s part of the reason I wanted to get here first.”

“I,” Xaxac considered, “I think I can do it. All I do is go ring the bell, right?”

“Yup,” Alex said, “And you tell him that whatever he brings me it better be more than a salad because I am starvin! Travelin wears me out. God damn… sweated the settin powder off… look a mess… it’s dark, light them lamps.”

“You’re real good at tellin folks what to do,” Xac huffed, “You growin your ears out?”

“Hey, look,” Alex stood up straight from where he had bent over the mirror, “You got a spine on you! I was wonderin where the hell that was! I’m so proud a you, little bunny. Fine, I’ll light my own lamps, I don’t give a shit. I just don’t hardly remember where nothin’s at. I ain’t been up here in over a year, not since Kenny… fell.”

“My sister’s pregnant,” Xaxac said.

“Honey, you ain’t got a sister,” Alex told him as he opened drawers on the nightstand in an attempt to find a matchbook, “I told you not to get attached to folks. That‘s over.”

“I got punched in the face,” Xaxac said, because he did not want to have that conversation again.

“Did ya?” Alex asked as if this subject interested him much more than Alice’s pregnancy, “Why? What happened?”

“I don’t even really remember,” Xac sighed, “Billy hates me.”

“Billy who?” Alex asked as he finally found the book and struck a match. He lifted the glass of the lamp on the nightstand and lit the wick.

“Billy the Bull,” Xaxac said, and meant to say more, but Alex cut him off.

“The fighter?” He asked, “Holy shit. Really? You alright?”

“He knocked my tooth out,” Xac said, and meant to go on again, to tell Alex about how his teeth were deformed and could grow into his eyes, but Alex cut him off and again and it was beginning to annoy him.

“I bet he fuckin did,” Alex said, “Wonder he ain’t broke your jaw. He don’t talk to people; how the hell did that happen? Were you fuckin with him?”

“Not really,” Xaxac said.

“Oh shit, I bet he don’t like you,” Alex said, putting the emphasis on the word ‘don’t’, “that makes sense.”

“Why?” Xaxac asked, intrigued.

“On account of he really liked Kenny,” Alex said, “I mean he really liked Kenny. Like… rumor was they was uh… more than friends.”

“Oh,” Xaxac said.

“Yeah now I always wondered,” Alex said as he carried the lamp to the vanity, sat, and rummaged through the boxes he had apparently brought with him before he began working on his face, “And I ain’t got no way a proovin this, but I did always wonder if Kenny likin Billy might be why Agalon didn’t enter him at Satra. He qualified. He coulda gone in. But Billy won’t lay down. He’d either win or he’d be dead. And they’d kill him.” he paused with the powder puff in his hand and shrugged, “I mean, they’d have to kill him.”

“Why’d Kenny jump?” Xaxac asked.

“I told you not to ask stupid shit like that,” Alex said, and Xaxac saw genuine anger flash accross his eyes, “I told you not to think too much. He didn’t jump. He fell. Dumbass probably got drunk.”

“You reckon he had a family or was he bought in for it?” Xaxac asked, “I just wonder if… if he was from here, from this plantation, I might be able to figure out-”

“Xaxac!” Alex shouted so fiercely and so loudly Xac stumbled backwards. Alex had balled his hands into fists, had closed his eyes, was leaning forward, and seemed to be counting his breathing. When he finally spoke it was measured, but not calm. “Don’t ask questions. The answer is, ‘Don’t think about it’. Don’t go running your mouth like that. Go out into the hall, get me a case of cigarettes and a bottle of whiskey.”

“Ok,” Xac said meekly.