#not much they can do overtly without like. y'know. getting killed

[whump-cravings]

Tortured Prince - A Moment's Respite

Tortured Prince AU Masterlist - TR3 Masterlist

1.5k words | Original Work: Tortured Prince (AU of TR3). Set pre-escape, after Dead Man's Tears and before Ritual

Content: Royal whump, caretaking (for real this time, but not as much as he deserves), shame over scars, anxiety over choices/being away from whumper

"You always bring me the nicest things," a woman's sardonic voice came from before Baltar.

Venja's familiar touch carded through Baltar's hair. "Where would you like him, my lady?"

The woman stood and stepped forward, her fingers wrapping around Baltar's chin to tilt his face up. Despite his confusion, he knew better than to resist. His mind felt elsewhere as he went pliant in the woman's hands. She examined him with some mixture of disgust and hate. A circlet rested on her head.

Even in his state, Baltar could put together who this was: Ochvlita, Queen of Beor.

She dropped his chin, her fingernails raking against his skull as she ran them through his unkempt hair. "Take him to Alor. She'll know what to do with this mess. Then ready him in his chambers for my use."

I'm ... not being killed. The bag had only been concealing him. He let out a breath, and tears slipped out. He wasn't sure whether they were from dread or relief or sheer exhaustion.

He could feel Ochvlita's eyes on him. "You did wonderfully with him, Venja. Well done."

Venja preened, bowing. "It was my pleasure, my lady. I'll have his highness prepared."

Baltar felt as if in a daze as Venja refitted the bag and pulled him back to his feet. He shuffled along compliantly, weariness weighing him down more with each step. His sedentary rut had atrophied his body, and he was lightly winded by the time they arrived at their destination.

A damp heat curled against his skin, smoke and fragrance on the air, as they stepped through a doorway. Baltar was granted his sight again and he found himself in a tiled room with a lavish inset bath A smoking woman sat on a chair before a vanity with a young man at her side.

"Dovche's balls," she swore upon seeing Baltar. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

Venja shrugged. "Clean him up."

The woman, presumably Alor, held a hand to her forehead in consternation. "Alright," she sighed, taking a long drag from her smoke. "Alright. Time to work." She twisted and snuffed the pipe out.

"I'll help," Venja said.

"No," Alor said, standing up. "Uncuff him and wait outside."

Baltar's heart thudded painfully and he went still, barely breathing. One did not refuse Venja.

Venja scowled. "He's under my supervision."

"I cannot work with your positively turgid aura hanging about," Alor proclaimed dramatically, squaring up against the man. She held out a slender hand. "The key, if you'd be so kind—or would you like to explain to our queen why her wishes have been delayed?"

Scowl etched deeper, Venja reluctantly produced a key. Alor's long fingers plucked it from his hand. "Far be it from me to interrupt with my turgid-ness," he said. "I'll be right outside."

Venja stepped out, leaving Baltar alone with strangers. Between the removal of physical support and the unknowns of the situation, he felt the loss of his chaperone keenly. He leaned his weight onto his right leg as his left knee's ache increased.

"What a loathsome man," Alor muttered under her breath, then turned a critical eye on the mess before her. "Now, darling, your hands." She took Baltar's hands, removing the chain linking them. She held it off to the side while still holding Baltar's left hand, and the unknown young man stepped forward to take it from her.

"Fingers are crooked," she murmured, taking his right hand for comparison while frowning. "Hm. Nothing to be done for it. Let's get you out of these clothes and into the bath." She pulled him by the hand.

Baltar followed her anxiously in a shuffling limp. The result of her command was clear enough but did she want him to undress himself or...?

"Can you—do you want—?" the young man asked, gesturing to Baltar's clothes.

Tears welled up in Baltar's eyes and a tremble ran through him. Venja made the decisions, and Venja wasn't here, and Baltar had no way to signal him, or tell these people the arrangement.

A long moment passed before Alor said, "Alright... well. Olire, undress him. Gently now."

As Alor took the decision away, Baltar let out a shaky breath of relief. Olire nodded and stepped forward, hands only a little hesitant to strip Baltar. The man froze when he saw Baltar's scarred torso. Alor took in a sharp breath as well.

His throat choked with tears again as they looked at his ruined body, hands shaking at his sides. The shame he had believed stripped from him still lurked there, waiting for new eyes.

Alor cleared her throat and Olire nodded at the unspoken order. He helped Baltar undress entirely, then wrapped a long rectangle of off-white fabric about his waist, presumably for modesty. Olire and Alor shucked their outer clothes as well, and were left in similar attire.

They guided Baltar into the bath. His foot slipped on the first step, but Olire and Alor caught him, supporting him the rest of the way.

Blissful heat enveloped him as he gratefully sank onto a bench beneath the water. Everything instantly felt lighter, and a content sigh escaped him.

"Cleaning time," Alor said, and the two of them began to work. Olire took Baltar's arms while Alor started at his head, collecting water in a basin and dumping it over him. Their ministrations, while brusque and efficient, had a gentleness he hadn't felt in an eternity; Baltar melted into their touch, particularly as Alor massaged lavender-scented soap into his scalp.

He flinched as Olire went over his ribs and his most recent scars, still painful to the touch. Olire started, hands falling from Baltar. "Sorry," the assistant murmured, using the softest touch to clean that area. Slowly, Baltar eased back into relaxation.

Once he was clean and rinsed off, Alor guided him into a chair. She combed through his hair, scissors at the ready. Meanwhile, Olire filed and buffed nails.

As bits of hair fell on Baltar's naked shoulders, an overwhelming heaviness weighed on him once more and tears slipped out. The man in the mirror, hollow and gaunt, was an ugly, wretched thing. Prince. What an ill-fitting name.

Alor dropped some oil onto his head, spreading it with a comb before using a hand towel to soak up the extra and tousle his reinvigorated hair. "That's better," she murmured, sweeping his shoulders clean with a soft-bristled brush. She paused afterwards, a couple of fingers tracing a thick scar. "Venja never oiled these or massaged them, did he?"

Baltar blinked and looked up at her, surprised to have been asked a question. Confused, he shook his head.

Alor's lips pursed and she set her tools down, glaring at the door. "Of course he wouldn't do something that doesn't directly benefit him," she muttered. "Then again, I wouldn't expect that troglodyte to know such things."

Olire caught Baltar's confusion, and explained, "The mistress asks because oil and massage can soften and flatten scars, which improves the look."

"More importantly in this instance, it frequently decreases stiffness and pain," Alor added, frowning. "I'll speak to Vian."

"The palace physician," Olire said for Baltar's benefit.

"But that won't be tonight," Alor sighed. She fetched a neatly folded bundle of clothes and set them in Baltar's hands. "Go ahead and dress."

Baltar complied slowly, the construction of the clothes not entirely familiar to him and his fingers struggling with dexterous tasks. Olire stepped in to help, and soon the prince was clad. The clothes improved his reflection somewhat, hiding his frail frame and the scars upon it. The clothes were roughly his size, but not incredibly flattering as they were not tailored to him.

"That's all we can do for tonight," Alor said, a hand resting on Baltar's shoulder. She glanced towards the door, hesitating before she looked at the prince through the mirror again. Quietly, she asked, "Would you like to stay here a little longer?"

The words caught Baltar by surprise, and he unintentionally met the woman's gaze in the mirror. The offer of a moment's respite wasn't much, and he could tell that she recognized that, but even the thought of kindness after so much cruelty was... overwhelming.

He hunched over, covering his eyes with a hand as jumbled emotions rose up within him. Do not ask this of me, was all he could think. She didn't understand what she was asking, for him to... to make that kind of decision, to actively decide to desire—to revive that part of him that was defiant, the part that did not yield to whatever Venja wanted of him.

Alor sighed above him, and he heard a striker. He looked up to find her taking a pull on her now-lit pipe. "He sure fucked you up good, huh?" She shook her head, blowing out a curl of smoke. "Motherfucker."

"Mistress?" Olire asked uncertainly.

She shook her head. "Nothing we can do, kid. Go tell Venja to come get him."

A moment later saw Venja's return to Baltar's side. He immediately ruffled Baltar's hair, as if to reclaim ownership over the things that had changed. Baltar leaned into the touch, anxiety abating with the familiar presence.

taglist: @nabanna @emcscared-whumps​ @nicolepascaline​ @i-can-even-burn-salad​ @melennui​​ @thecyrulik​​

[purgemarchlockdown]

If you don't mind me adding to this a bit since I'm very fond of the cat metaphors. If we're going down the Cat Assignments in Milgram we can see a pattern with them.

We have:

Catgirl Yuno, who is frustrated that people keep on portraying her as a "poor innocent girl" and is destroying that image, and is representing a "sinful" and "impure" Yuno (Cat as Sin and Impurity)

Kazui, who is revealing his "lies" and "sin" to Hinako which destroys his marriage. (Cat as Sin and Impurity) (We also have the lyrics but I'll get to them in a bit)

And Amane, who doesn't have as easy of a picture to insert but:

Is Literally The Cat and the cat is both the thing that gets her to "sin" (Cat as Corrupting Force) and she herself is punished for being "sinful" and "impure" even outside of this event, which is why she's a cat. (Cat as Sin and Impurity) This doesn't include Mahiru since Mahiru isn't as overtly catish however most people do note that:

This frame of her's in particular looks very cat-like and she Pounces on her lover. Who is portrayed shown as feathers. Birds are a Cat's pray and same as mice so it's possible something is going on with her too. She also has a sin and impurity thing going on, calling herself covered with sin in I Love You and her love being destructive and unhealthy.

Which actually leads into the other cat associations, common theme with these three (four counting Mahiru) is Love and a Lack of Proper Love. Yuno dislikes most of her clients and is distant and lonely from people, Kazui wants to be normal and loved like a cat (or more accurately loved like a Pet Cat.) and gets the first thing by being with Hinako but not the second. Mahiru indulgent and destructive love that eventually killed who she cared about, and Amane...

Well, she's a Horribly Taken Care of Pet Cat. Not only does she have the prisoner tag collar, but when viewed through the idea of "Amane as Cat" a lot of things her cult Does is colored in a very particular way.

Cats are obligate carnivores who cannot digest plants properly.

Amane is a vegetarian

What kind of meat do you like? I don't eat meat.

Cats have poorly developed tastebuds for sweets due to evolutionary reasons (not eating much sweets) Amane does not eat sweets even if she really wants to.

Amane: I don’t need it. I’ll gratefully accept your well-wishes, but I don’t eat things like that. Also…… Shidou-san, I can’t say I’m especially fond of the way you assume that all children will love frivolous things like this. Shidou: ………… Is that so… I apologise. I’m sure everyone else will be happy to eat it, so don’t worry about it. Sorry for intruding. Amane: ………… ……cake……

This brings additional context to the cast in Magic.

We have two cats here, one with a collar, one not. The one without is Amane (as previously established) and is uncollared and "wild"

The reason why the other two animals (dog and rabbit) don't have collars because in the eyes of the cult it's not necessary. Those two are already pure and righteous, but cats aren't.

Fuuta: Huh, what, so you’re just eating grass? What are you, a rabbit or something? Since you’re just a brat, you should be eating your meat properly.You won’t grow if you don’t.

(This isn't to say Amane doesn't like vegetables or wants meat or anything, just showcasing the biological roots of some of this Metaphor)

The cult wants her to be something that Isn't a Cat but will settle on her being collared.

Y'know...like with the bow, and the medal around her neck.

If were viewing this through 0708 parallels this adds a lot of fun stuff to them. Since it changes these lines in Kazui's lyrics.

I wanted to be loved, just like a cat Maybe act capricious, on my word and at my fancy

He doesn't want to be collared up and chained but he wants to be given the benefits of being a pet. He wants his "abnormal" desires to be fulfilled.

I can’t stop, I can’t be normal This feeling, it can’t be gratified I can’t stop, I can’t be normal This feeling, it’s yearning to be satisfied

It's not what he should want or is supposed to want but he wants it anyway. Cats not being given love and affection seem to be a Thing Here. I could go on forever but most of that is Amane Stuff. I will say on Dogs we have two main sources of Dogs. Haruka (who has his own dead cat in his MVs) and Kotoko, which is technically wolves.

I would separate the two given how the symbolism of both seem pretty different. I Think it's possible that Haruka's dogs are representative of Neotony or Juvenilization which ties into how Haruka is infantalized and Kotoko...well...hunters for justice.

(Also I think it's possible that Rabbit is the other side of this dichotomy, I have no good evidence for this I am just going off of how Jackalope looks like a rabbit and how Fuuta calls Amane a "rabbit" when she's a cat but I dunno, interesting to note)

Just a quick thing, but I saw it noted the other day how season 2 is going really ham on the cat imagery and it made me think of something

We know milgram is basing some of its symbols off the Bible story the "Parable of the sheep and the goats" but I think the cat imagery is supposed to serve as a modern reinterpretation of this

The parable tells the tale of two animal herds, a group of sheep and a group of goats The sheep get up to generally virtuous things: clothing the homeless, visiting prisoners, feeding the poor ect But the goats get into all sorts of trouble, knocking over people's pots, stealing things, generally being a nuisance Then at the end Jesus (or god, I can't remember) comes in like 'Wow, the sheep were Really Good! that means you guys get to go to Heaven, but you goats have been very naughty, you guys are going to hell. Today's lesson is be a sheep not a goat, goodnight folks.'

Now while real sheep can't donate to charity, this depiction isn't inaccurate to the real animals, sheep being more likely to follow along with where you're trying to herd them. Whilst goats have a reputation for mischief The bible really likes sheep, all the stuff about Jesus being the 'Lamb of God' and the story about the good shepherd ect The only other time I remember goats coming up (although they probably did a bunch) was when Abraham was told to kill his only son Isaac and the devil was like 'noo thats a bad idea maybe you shouldn't listen to god?' but Abraham went through with it and when he went to stab Isaac, god magically replaced the boy with a goat - this is where we get the term 'Scapegoat'

Anyway back to milgram, I think they have updated this concept of 'virtuous, loyal, sheep' and 'sinful goats' Into a metaphor of 'loyal dogs' and 'sinful, willful cats' Ever heard the expression "Like herding cats"? It's difficult to do Like goats, cats can't be forced into doing stuff, they're not aiming to please a master like a dog is, they'll knock stuff off the table, decimate local ecosystems and whilst I don't think Japan has a concept of a bad luck cat, in parts of Europe/North America, black cats are certainly seen as unlucky