sourdre: (Default)
Jean-Claude ([personal profile] sourdre) wrote in [community profile] barrayar 2020-07-10 01:54 am (UTC)

Interesting - so he is not so unaffected? But Jean-Claude is not sure what he is feeding on, except it began when he started telling his story, and he is obstinate and blind to anything else until sated.

Much like a new vampire, really. Calling him a child was perhaps truer than he'd thought, but he doesn't know for certain yet. He doesn't know much, to tell the truth, so Jean-Claude falls back on centuries of experience handling sadists much stronger than him, and the ardeur.

The secret is always to give in. But to give in in a way that you could live with, so you maintained some piece of control. He is not so prideful as to abandon all that now that he is Master.

"Why would you want me to," he begins, "when one of my oath-sworn here lived under her for a thousand years and more?" Telling him, without telling him - the weight in his voice deeper, like hands stroking through the fur of a wild creature, and his eyes darkened blue. "I swore him shelter from his former master in exchange for his service, and now he will not even speak her name, because he has learned to fear every syllable. Would you not rather hear it from him? My knowledge is only secondhand."

Unkind to Damian? Absolutely. But Jean-Claude's people all know they are here to be pawns on the board. He is a kinder king than most, but they would not respect a kind one. That being said, Jean-Claude has real sentiment to his feelings for Damian: he does care for him, in his way, and there is a genuine empathy to his protectivenes.

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