A tiny smile flashed across the pale lips. "Oh, I was all skin and bones back then. And long hair. Spartans always said that long hair made a beautiful man more lovely, and an ugly man more terrifying. It was almost a relief when the Romans came and I could start having decent haircuts."
Carrick kept his arm around Hermes' waist as they made their way onto the footpath that led over the waterfront and towards the apartment building where Hermes was staying. They were at the waterfront of Jannati city, and once Hermes finished speaking, the only sound was gentle rhythm of the waves on the shoreline below.
Carrick reached out and lifted Hermes' chin slightly, studying the still-too-pale face and the expressive green eyes.
"It pleases me. Very much. But it's not an easy path, Hermes." he said quietly. "Before you're ready to face undeath, you'll have faced hunger and exhaustion and cold. You'll have to learn to hunt, and to kill if necessary. You'll say goodbye to sunlight, forever... and once you've crossed into undeath, my little bird will never fly again. Is it truly what you want?"
His other hand lifted and he cupped Hermes' jaw, lightly stroking his cheekbones. His eyes were somber, his voice low and serious. "I'll train you, eremenos. I'll teach you everything I know.And yes, I'll find you work. But you'll have your freedom and be turned when I decide you're ready for it. Not before. But until then, you'll remain my slave boy - as obedient and devoted as you've always been."