Chapter 35: Peacock Persuasion
As Caruso closed the connecting door to the baths behind him to seal in the pleasant warm steam, he heard two additional voices coming from the doorway beyond the bath that had been pushed open. Every once in a while, the hallway is somewhat filled with steam that has seeped through the opening of the door.
They sounded around about the same age, gauging by their voices, and they bellowed a little deal through the slight pried opening of the door.
How could voices like that not hold anyone's attention? He thought to himself as he opened the doorway fully. His towel was draped over his shoulder.
"The Eldest is stunning, for a Raven." The broad back in the waters to him was almost as tall as Caruso, almost...
Another harpy, this one sporting marbled brown plumage and more nutty tones coursing through his disheveled hairdo. His round appearance inquires about the sound of a new guest entering the baths.
"It's the peacock!" Beaming over to the newcomer to the baths.
Caruso immediately recognized them by their features: Owls. Big, dumb, young, fat ones at that. With eyebrows that looked more like wings than facial features. They were so unappealing looking, even for harpy.
His brother turned around to see for himself who was joining. Ripples moved over the water, by his hips, which were like a smooth sheet of stained glass. "Oh." Was all the other uttered, just audible enough for his surprise to be heard. His orange eyes darted from the avant-garde azure wings, Caruso's hair, and eyes. Ensuring his brother's claim was correct. Saying nothing more with that visual confirmation.
Hesitant to walk any further beyond the door at first, Caruso asks, "You two are both Owl Princes, right?"
That much was obvious and caused the copper-tinged Prince to begin to laugh so hard that his abdomen and his wings jolted forward with every chuckle. "Is it so obvious? I thought I was a duck!"
"Ducks..." Caruso moved to the marble table between the loungers. Placing his towel there and removing his boxers as he spoke, "Ducks are..." He continued speaking as he turned around and stepped a foot and descended the 4 steps into the rejuvenating warmth of the water.
Both Lucas and Loris were speechless for a brief period of time. This peacock seems to have no sense of shame. Or modesty? Neither one of them said a word.
Caruso didn't notice and so continued speaking at them, "...prettier than you. Well, at least the males are. Females are similar to our own - beige and dull."
He proceeded to plunge further down into the pool before shifting to the other side of the baths. Submerging himself entirely in the pleasant water. Although he walked about with a confident air, when he sat down, his posture was less than ideal. He sank down into the tub as far as he could go and took his time soaking in the steam. Letting himself completely relax. Just to his chest level was the point from which the water remained.
The owl, who was also sitting soaking in the pool, though the water was at his neck, rather than his chest, laughed at this blue-winged harpy's comments towards his brother. "I am Loris," He motioned to each of them as he spoke, "and this is Lucas. We are the Eurasian Princes and hatched of the same clutch." Loris' voice was strong and proud in his introduction.
Lucas said nothing, his round orange eyes constantly shifting between the two: his brother and the peacock.
Slowly, he took a seat beside his brother. Just as he was about to, he glanced over again at the Peacock, thinking again, he chose to kneel. The water levelled perfectly just at the top of his chest, a few inches below his collarbones.
He broadened his shoulders.
Caruso never managed to pick up on it because he was just not concerned enough either to devote any meaningful attention to what was going on around him. Politely introducing himself, "I'm Caruso, the Peacock Prince, and have many siblings."
Loris, his brother, on the other hand, noticed his brother's behaviour instantly.
For a while, the three young harpy men soaked in silence. Fit and in the prime of their youth, Princes of Clans, of different Kingdoms that were not too far apart.
It was Loris who broke the silence, "Are you looking forward to the wedding?"
"Oooh, yes! The wedding." Lucas perked up, washing his arm and looking at his brother.
Who nodded curtly in reply, speaking at Caruso rather than to him, "Your sister is the mate to the...older Tawny Prince. Not Kavan but the other one. The one next in line to the thrown, right?"
"Karau is the Tawny heir to the thrown, yeah... and, yeah. It's true that my sister Enrica - my mother's 5th hatchling or 2nd from her 2nd clutch. Whereas I am 3rd hatched from her 1st clutch-" It was technicalities that Peacock harpies were very used to going into, when talking to those from other harpy's of their Clan as an introduction, and more so if talking to others of a different Clan, with different customs. "She is to be mated to him. The final details of the agreement are to be acted on."
It was Lucan who responded first, tilting his head to look at Caruso, "You are all named, knowing your hatchling order, then?" Loris' eyes widened slightly as he rationalized the logic after his brother had spoken it aloud.
"Again, correct. Do I need to start giving out prizes?" It was rhetorical, and the Eurasians seemed to realize this and didn't satisfy his tone with an answer. "I have seven sisters who all look very dull and alike. I can barely tell them apart, and Enrica is only interesting because of who it is that she will be marrying soon. There is only one other brother. He has more sea green to his plumage, whereas I have royal blue. I'm prettier."
Caruso was beginning to enjoy feeding the Eurasian morsels of his culture and customs. You could see them processing and analyzing everything he was saying.
"Seven... no, eight siblings??" Lucas' eyes widened greatly, and his jaw dropped open ever so slightly.
'This owl isn't very bright.' Thought Caruso, 'He can't even count.'
"What's the order?" Queried Loris, this time. "You are 3rd and your sister Enrica is 5th?"
This felt more like a peacock introduction he was having with the owls now, for Caruso this was the most cultured and normal introduction he had with any other harpies since arriving.
He began to subconsciously foster more and more of a greater sense of appreciation for the Eurasians. They were clearly far more cultured than the Ravens ever were.
If Tawny's were similar, he could begin to understand how his sister could be matched to a fairly cultured and upstanding respectable Clan.
"Okay..." He began, listing out his siblings in the hatchling order, and thus the alphabetical order in which they were named. "There is:
Clutch 1:1). Alessa. She is the worst of all my siblings. Always nagging about something. Sadly, unmated, but it's no surprise or wonder as to why. 2) Bosporus - or just Bos for short, my older brother and the peacock heir. Thanks to him, I get all of the fun! He is mated to a Flamingo Noble now. Who looks as far more interesting than any other beige peacock female, but he will make a great King. 3) Caruso - My fabulous self. We are all 23 years old, since our hatch day.
Clutch 2: 4) Dardanelle - Long mated. I think she was the first actually. Anyway, we barely ever see her. 5) Enrica - Engaged to the Tawny firstborn. 6) Flavian - She is my prettiest sister. She is more golden in colour than beige, so she stands out among them. She is also mated to a peacock noble. 7) Gabriella - The quiet sister, usually. She's going to be looking to be mated soon, I think. They're all 19 years since their hatch day.
Lastly and finally, Clutch 3: 8) Havana and 9) Imelda. Who are 14 years from their hatch day and still very, very immature."
Caruso rattled away and off his siblings like a strange checklist of rankings. The owls seemed to understand that as well; to them, it did seem like it was an important list of ranking of some sort to the peacocks, but they weren't entirely familiar with the customs. Important enough to an entire culture.
By halfway through the listing of the 2nd Clutch of Lady Cassandra, Lucas had gotten out of the bath. The new novelty of knowledge, which was peacock naming and introductory customs, was monotonous by that point. Boring the younger of the Eurasian owls. To him, it was worse than small talk about the weather, and so mentally he made a note to do his best never to be mated to a Peacock.
Loris was also feigning interest, though he still tried to listen. Respecting what Caruso had to say out of politeness and manners, more than any further intellectual inquiry.
"Seraphina is... otherworldly." Said Lucas, his bare and very well-rounded button exposed, just shy of the midfeathers of his wings. He was drying off his hair and torso as he spoke.
"Yeah!" Agreed Caruso.
At the same time, Loris also concurred, "She really is!"
A familiar longing tone lingered in the air between all of the males in the room after those words.
"While she is truly a dark gem and a treasure to whomever she is mated," the owl brothers could sense the but that was coming, "Yet, I've had enough entertainment and... urges," lingering proudly and tentatively on that last word. He boasted of his sleazy feats with a misplaced sense of pride.
The strange emphasis caught the curious attention of the Eurasians, causing them to enquire just what Caruso meant.
He recanted his exciting and thrilling escapades in the music room with the blue-hued servant girl, - he had never learned her name. She was just part of the house help. With a thirst in him arising as he recalled and retold.
It wasn't entirely a truthful and accurate version.
Instead of mentioning anything about the Tawny spare interfering and interrupting when he did. He instead told a version where no interruption ever occurred. Indulging the Eurasians in graphic and juicy detail... all of which were a product of Caruso's own fetish fantasies. Of course, the Eurasians were none the wiser about that.
"What about the Owl Code of Conduct?!" Exclaimed Loris, he couldn't help his interjection.
Caruso wasn't an owl.
He had no clue what this conduct code even was, and in his ignorance, dismissed it dangerously without a second thought. "Doesn't matter."
Lucas was also thinking the exact same thing and so furthered his brother's point, "Surely, there would be severe and serious repercussions for such actions taken against an unmated female?? You mated with her!! Against her wishes?? What about the female herself?? What if she had a clutch? A clutch of half-raven, half-peacock would be very notable, and... if it was known what you did... how you acted, you would be caught! The Ravens..." Lucas' face drained of colour, imagining what he said next, "The Ravens are not known to be merciful to those who break their laws, to those who do them wrong. For something like this, they might rip out your liver or entrails while you were still alive!!"
Caruso tried to imagine what such a clutch might even look like, but only conjured a brief idea. They would be pretty by both Raven and Peacock standards. At least, that is what he believed. "No one caught me. I do this all the time."
"All the time?" Both wary and intrigued by this behavior, he couldn't help asking.
However, it was Lucas who surprised everyone with the question that followed: "Was it good?"
It was Loris's turn to gape like a guppy.