Gaytopia (boyxboy)

Chapter 6: Researching the World

Chapter 6: Researching the World

            If Rob had one vice it was studying, however, Rob didn’t have one vice and he had many – nobody’s perfect. After bathing and changing into some comfortable twenties garb – a polo and pants Rob needed to act the part of University student. Gregory showed him Alain’s study once more and Rob got to work. He soon discovered that pretending to study was much more interesting.

            Wooden shelves stretched to up the walls but weren’t tall enough to reach the high ceiling. Some circular windows put in a modicum of light which Rob soon discovered wasn’t nearly enough to pretend to study in. One part of the room Rob didn’t notice before was covered in a heavy green curtain. He pulled it back to reveal a round window – much like the ones on the top – but larger in size. The room flooded with light and the intricate wooden carvings on the desk and shelves became visible.

            Books upon books were stuck in neat rows and Rob felt strange breaking the pattern. The first book he ripped from perfection was an aged novel with a faded blue leather cover and a silver seal with a lion on it. Rob skimmed through it realizing it was written in French - a language he never mastered - he returned the book for a thinner volume with a black cover and gold lettering. Rob couldn't help but chuckle, it was Agatha Christie - a twenties mystery. The books continued and Rob only had a feigned interest in them.

"I always find his study such a bore." Edgar entered wearing a yellow colored suit and red scarf. He sat himself in a chair and crossed his legs. "I guess some people just love the books. I never could find interest in them." 

                "Well, I suppose there is something about books that... interests me." Rob wished he could just throw something more eloquent out. The truth was books bore him too.

                "Have you read all these?" Edgar leaned forward stretching his arm and pulling the book towards him. His movements were fluid and nimble and were the complete contrast of masculine men. "Oh what a literary marvel this was - or so I've been told. Le Blac Vive. It's a lovely book, I read it in University and it was one of my favorites."

                "Really? What school did you go to?" Rob questioned more to get the topic away from the book. 

                "Rembusse Universidad in Raelle, beautiful city, as I am sure you can imagine I picked it more for the location rather than the studies. Of course my education faltered because I spent too much time intoxicated with street fairs and champagne. But tell me about yourself I'm told that I talk about myself too much." Edgar flipped through the pages of Le Blac Vive.

              "Well, there isn't much to tell. What you see is what you get I suppose. I am currently living with my grandmother and..." Rob froze and turned away. How could he have made such a vital slip up so early on? He started to cough and turned around. "Sorry, something in my throat, I live with my grandfather and he isn't the most pleasant man."

                “I suppose some of them just keep alive to spite us." Edgar stood up and placed the book down on the table next to him. "Are you really here to research Perder? Or did something else bring you to the Cordell Estate?"

                "Why do you ask?" Rob shot back fear that he blew his cover with talk of his home.

               "Well, it's just you hold books much the way I did in University and... oh never mind, I will have the servant send up some wine." Edgar left the room and it was quite once more. 

                That last sentence that Edgar said bothered Rob. He shrugged it off and returned to his studies or at least look like he was returning to it. Rob doubted that he looked convincing but practice makes perfect so he kept working on it. Good books were hard to find but Rob searched through at all the titles and types. Eventually he found something that piqued his interest.  

             A leather bound book about faeries it took less than a minute for Rob to skim through the whole thing, it wasn’t that large. A quick but satisfying read which only led Rob to want more. Rob couldn’t place a finger on it but he was entranced by the idea of faeries. He wanted to meet one. He wanted to meet Gossamer Riverbed. From his readings he gathered quite a bit of information about faeries. The difficult thing was to decipher what was real and what was made up.

            “I’m taking you out tonight, to the city, I figure seeing more of the world wouldn’t hurt.” Gregory announced as he stood in the doorway. He looked a bit disheveled and his hair messy and shirt collar undone and wrinkled.

            “Where have you been all day?” Rob asked holding the book about faeries. “Looks like you’ve been getting around.” Rob didn’t take Gregory as the type to do yard work or rather any work at all.

            “Only in so many words,” Gregory responded with a chuckle. “I was thinking we take in a flicker tonight. Go to the cinema and watch a movie, how does that sound.”

            The first thought that popped into Rob’s mind was of the latest and greatest blockbusters that were currently in the theater in his time. He gave no thought of what type of films they would show here. Rob was intrigued but not as much as he was by Gregory’s comment.

            “Sure,” Rob nodded and held the book about Faeries tightly to his chest. Gregory smiled and left the room ignoring the servant that entered with a tray of wine. The servant glanced at Gregory for a second then to Rob. “Thank you,” Rob opened the book and started to read more, it was divided into stories about faeries rather than straightforward facts.

            Connor, the servant who came into the room, sweat underneath his servants uniform.  He spent a good part of the day down by the lake with Gregory. Once back inside the mansion the joy of lovemaking was soon buried beneath all the hard work of a servant and groundskeeper. “Is this good sir? Can I get you anything else?”

            Rob glanced up at the servant and admired his beauty for a moment. “If you could get my bath ready?” He walked over to the poured glass of wine and eyed it for a moment before taking it a sip. Sitting down on the large chair behind the desk Rob began to read the fourth story in the book about Faeries.

Prince Lysander’s Helper

      Curiosity grew in the court of Prince Lysander the day that all his chores were done. The nuns that watched him and scolded him were surprised that his chores were finished before daybreak. They inquired how he was able to finish them even before he woke up. One nun, brother Martin was determined to discover the truth. He sat in Lysander’s room when he fell asleep the next night to observe the prince and make sure he did his chores. At midnight a pink haired faerie appeared at the window and hopped along to do the choirs. Martin questioned the faerie and after a short discussion realized that Lysander bribed the faerie with a kiss at the end of then night if his chores were completed. The faerie, like most usually are, fell for the simple seduction of the mortal and became his servant. However, Martin knew that if this continued the faerie would want more than kisses and Lysander would eventually be taken away, like most naughty children are and when the prince woke up the next morning to a dirty room he learned that his act wasn’t the only thing that needed cleaning.

            Rob walked to his window and noticed the shadowy figure of a man in the forest. “Gossamer,” escaped Rob’s lips and he dropped the book and ran through the wood paneled halls towards the entrace. Sprinting out across the feild as the sun began to dip into twilight Rob noticed the man disappear into the trees and he hurried. Gossamer wasn't going to get away this time.