#dekith neloth

"You can't be serious," his expression showing just as much confusion and disbelief as his voice conveyed. "That's why you have been avoiding me." He reached up lightly touching the black fluff that covered the ear he had positioned on the top of his head, tail flicking in irritation. 

Thaide frowned and ducked his head, the curls that didn't make it in to his messy braid dropping in front of his face. He scuffed his foot on the ground causing little puffs of dust to billow and settle as he moved a hand to rub at the X shaped scar above his right eye.

"It's stupid I know I'm a quantra (coward)" Thaide couldn't help but feel like he had just betrayed his best friend and had no doubt Risten would want nothing to do with him now that he knew. Ardren was going to get an earful for this she had no business sticking her nose in his friendships. Even if she did have a friend crush on Risten.

Risten moved forward snatching Thaides hand from his face and brushing curls from his eyes. Feeling the slight flinch made him stop and step back, but he refused to let his hand drop. It hurt him to feel his friend flinch away from him but he refused to dwell on it. The scent of fear was slipping his over Thaides dark skin and twisting off through the air, stronger then usual but it was not uncommon even if fear was not the most pleasant thing for Ristens sensitive nose to pick up. It was something the pale boy was use too from the other.

"Look you maybe scared of a lot but that doesn't make you a quantra, not to me." Smiling softly he raised the hand he held to is lips kissing the knuckles softly. "I promise I'm not mad, just why didn't you tell me?"

"How can we be friends if I'm scared of you just for being an evidea (part animal with the ability to morph in to different stages of said animal)?" Tears glistened causing the blue flecks in his black eyes to shine even more then normal. Risten frowned at him and squeezed the hand he still would not let go of, causing Thaide to look at him.

"It just means I have to help you get over your fear." He beamed as the dark skin on the other across from him brightened. His ears perked up as Thaide laughed at his determination. Risten winked pushing black hair out of his eyes.

"Okay."

"Hurry up or we'll be late." Tugging on the hand he held he began to drag him towards the school building. He chuckled.

"What?"

"You're afraid of cats? Really?" 

"Hey they have claws and teeth."

Colours blurred by in every direction, people shouting and different music in played at every point. The summer festival was in full swing people from all over the kingdom and outside of it were crowded on to the grounds. The air was hot and the people made it hard to breath in certain parts but the excitement made Ardren forget all that. She wandered through fair past the games and little booths selling shiny trinkets and paused at the fortune tellers booth briefly chuckling at people slipping in and out of it.

She enjoyed the fair for all the trouble she could get in to, she meant fun, all the fun. Chuckling she wandered of in the direction she wanted, cause really if she was going to be honest with herself there was only one reason she was here this year. That one reason was going to be on the stage in a few minutes and she wanted the best seat. Reaching the stage she squeezed her way to the front, she had been waiting since the new years festival and wasn't about to break a promise.

Sula stepped on stage the fabric of her skirt twisting around her legs as she moved, her motion causing the jewelry she wore to emit a soft tinkling sound. Her skin was pale and softly freckled with teal  over her shoulders and cheeks. Brown hair reached just past her collar bones, and Ardren was still amazed at how she could look prettier every time she saw her.

The music started and Sula began to dance her movements soft and fluid like a quite stream slipping around stones. Slowly it became faster the colours she wore spinning her motions like a torrent of rain the type that chills you to the bone. The crowed was silent entranced by her movements until the music stopped and her movements along with it. No one really knew how long they had been watching.The crowed cheered and Ardren grinned slipping a around the throng of people to the side of the stage sweeping up Sula and hugging her tight.

"I told you I would be here the first day you came back." Sula slipped her pale fingers through the mess of dark tight frizzy curls. Slipping her fingers over her dark cheek.

"I never doubted you for a second." She leaned forward placing her lips softly on the others. "I missed you." Ardren blushed and laughed.

Risten sat on the floor avoiding the burn marks and stains on the carpet. He knew that they were safe and any acid that had caused them had long since been neutralized, but he still didn't feel like testing it. The breeze that blew in from the open window he sat under was nice, the fresh air helping him stand the chemical smells that bombarded his nose every time he was here. 

"Hey so did we want this colourful?" Ardren's voice broke the silence that had only been filled with clanking glass and chirping from passing fala (birds). Risten's ears twitched and he opened his eyes, he hadn't realized he had started to doze until that moment.

"You know my answer to that is always aes (yes)." There was humor in his voice. Ardren turned and grinned back at him, of course she knew his answer. Standing and leaving the comfort of his little window he wandered over to were his closest friend sat, a three year age gap didn't mean anything for them. At a table covered in lab equipment  Risten stopped and leaned against her chair, tail swaying softly. He srunched his nose at the scents still lingering.

"So then why bother asking?" He poked her dark cheek amused. She swatted at his hand chuckling but making sure to not actually touch him.

"You know why." He smiled glancing at the orn (four) little balls sitting on her desk, Thaide would like that number. She only started talking when all chemicals were stable and she didn't need to concentrate on measurements, her way of saying that it was okay for him to come close again.

She slipped of her gloves and dropped them in a garbage bin, the one Risten had painted a chemical  hazard sign on a few months back to avoid a certain mishap from happening, again. She pushed her chair back causing him to stumble back a couple steps. She laughed slipping the little orbs in to a small pouch. Frowning he came around to look.

"This will get us in so much shit." Ardren smiled at him as she spoke.

"Only if we get caught."

"Who else in that school can pull this off?" He laughed at the look she gave him, he knew she was the only one with the chemistry knowledge to make things like this, they both knew it and so did everyone else in that school.

Thaide sat curled up in the chair at his desk, trying to ignore the chemical smell making it in to his window from the room next to his. The smell was normal but it was stronger then usual meaning that she was actually in the process of making something, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know. Credible deniability was a good thing when it came to her.

He sighed as he heard Risten's laughter and continued flipping through his latest conspiracy book for once not paying to much attention to it. He wasn't jealous he had no reason to be, Risten was able to be great friends with his esyke (younger sister), it wasn't a big deal. Sighing louder he let his forehead rest on his open page. Who was he kidding he was pathetic, he was jealous. They had been in there for hours. He jolted as there was a knock on his door.

"Come in." Spinning the chair he watched as the door opened and Risten shut it behind him. The pale jaedha (cat) eva (boy) smiled and flopped on the bed grinning.

"Your room smells better then hers."

"Of course it does. I don't think she has a sense of smell anymore." He blushed chuckling.

"I doubt it." Risten laughed sprawling on the bed. "What cha reading?" Thaide drew his attention away from studying Risten's features. Pale skin, large childish eyes slowly filling in with his pale purple and full lips. Wait why was he looking at his lips.

"Oh, um, it's a silly book."

"It's not silly if you like it. What theory is it this time?"

The room was dark except for the pale moon light that filtered through the partially closed blinds, and a small desk lamp with its yellow light turned to focus it's beam on the beakers with their coloured liquids. Dark hands moved quickly and steadily moving one liquid to mix with another putting gloves on and pulling them in a steady rhythm. Not a single beaker clinked together or hit off the stained chid (wood) desk. The only sound being the soft trickle of liquid or muffled sizzle of its mixing. The movement was done as if it had been done day after day for years trained to perfection. Though there was no perfection in it, true the hands were trained but the focus that was being put in maintaining them that way was draining. 

"Ific" The word was whispered out harshly as a small puff of green dissipated with a rather loud pop. Dark eyes flashed towards the bed bathed in moonlight in fear of waking the sleeping figure there. Though her fear was unneeded as she watched the shallow rise and fall of the blanket that covered the still sleeping figure. Ardren knew nothing could wake him and she knew that well yet her nerves were nearly frayed with the events of the past few days. She let out a soft sigh and leaned back in her chair pushing back coarse curls that had slipped from the tie back. She had been at this since the day he had been taken in the ambulance, to earlier when he had been brought home, till he had come to her room and fallen asleep feeling safer with her there. 

Turning back to look at the organized chaos she sighed again, heaver this time and stood to stretch. The muscles in her back pulling and protesting as she moved and tried to make them release. Glancing at the bed once more she moved softly over to her window. She was light on her feet and quick for her stature, which most said she should have been born eva (male) with the way she was built. Quietly she cracked the window open to let in the cool breeze and take a deep breath of clean, fresh air not laced with a chemical scent. Not that she could smell it to much anymore with the amount of time she spent mixing harsh chemicals. 

Ardren wasn't sure how long she let her mind wander staring at the darkness out her window before catching the faint noises of fabric behind her. The sounds and small murmurs pulled her from her thoughts and she turned her attention the eva (boy) in her bed. Slipping over to its edge she knelt beside him and stroked the curls that had plastered themselves to the side of his cheek. His dark curls always had been softer then hers, his skin was lighter too. She compared her own dark nearly black skin under the moon light to his cheek. His own dark skin looking even paler then usual under dim light of the first moon, the second only beginning to rise. She let her fingers hover over the bandage that covered her evyka's (older brother) eye, a deep frown forming on her lips.

"shhh. You're safe." Her voice was gentle as Thaide mumbled and shifted again. His words were muffled and not understandable, she wasn't sure she wanted to know either. He had always had a tender badakoro (heart) and it was his downfall, he was trusting and believed in people when they didn't deserve it. There were many days she wished she had been born before him. They were ras (5) years apart and Thaide had just turned nuves (16) how had he put up with her for so long. A mesma (mother) was meant to care for her children not.... Her eyes wandered over the bandage once more. How could she. She started when Thaide shifted to pull the pillow closer and hug it tight. Her hand went back to stroking his hair a moment.

"You can't be serious! That was you!" A pale hand was slapped over Thaide's lips quickly quieting his protests to merely mumbles. 

"Shush. You can't tell. Now you see why we need you to say we were with you that ralo (night)" Ardren kept her voice to a harsh whisper, looking around to make sure they hadn't caught anyone's attention. There was no one in the room with them but she wasn't taking any chances with the police in the other room. She relaxed slightly when no one could be heard coming their way, her eyes resting on Risten who still stood with his hand over Thaide's mouth. The thin eva's (boy) muffled protests died away as he caught Ardren's eyes once more. 

"Can I take my hand away? Will you be quiet?" Risten's own voice was firm and soft but still just a whisper. Thaide just nodded wide eyed at the information he had just been given. Sighing Risten moved his hand away and stepped around to face the other eva (boy) again. His tail flicking at the tip defying his nerves though his face stayed passive.

"But how could you?" His voice shook as he looked between his esyke (little sister) and best friend, his eyes came to rest on Risten's face, he looked almost afraid and it scared Thaide more. He had never seen true fear on his best friends face. "You're orn (4) years older then her you are suppose to be a good example." He paused. "Not let her... with...you know she gets ideas...." Letting his voice trail off, catching himself before it rose to high, he frowned, utterly confused. He watched as Dren looked to Risten her expression softening to almost what Thiade could only describe as pity. Risten looked down and away, his ears flattening against his head.

"I asked her to help." Risten's voice shook still unable to look at Thaide. His pale features looking even more drained of their colour. 

"You what!"

"Shush Thaide." Ardren gave him a stern look her dark eyes piercing in to him making him flinch.

"I'm sorry." Ristens eyes finally lifted to meet his as he said it. They held more desperation in them then Thaide imagined any soul could. His sharp features couldn't help but soften his anger, fear and confusion melting away and turning to worry.

"Risten, what happened? Why him?" Dren glanced at Risten who said nothing, he wasn't able to, he merely gave her a pleading look. She nodded with slight determination before turning to her evy (brother)

"I said I would help cause I found something out." Thaide watched her look to Risten once more as if passing a secret between them in a language he didn't understand. "I shouldn't have stuck my nose in it, but you know me."

"What are you talking about?" She took a deep breath pushing a dark curl from her face. Risten just nodded to her giving her silent permission.

Risten stood in line trying not to look at the large contraption in front of him that others called a ride. Honestly what was so fun about riding a hatik (metal) death trap that slowly took you around in a high circle in an unstable little chair, that merely had a bar across your lap. Shifting he glanced to his right taking note of how excited Thaide seemed as he stood swaying and beaming up at the top chair. He was the reason he was doing this. The reason he was going so high up and not complaining about it. He had told Thaide to pick a ride and his friend had been so excited seeing the wheel there was no way he could disappoint him and say dach (no). Especially since it was like pulling to get Thaide out of the house on a good day and getting him to the festival had been even harder. Thaide turned finally noticing Risten's jeadha ranas (cat eyes) looking at him and blushed slightly grateful that it was getting darker around them.  

“What?” Thaide tugged at the hem of his shirt nervously, unsure of why his crush, correction his friend, was looking at him so intently. Ristens eyes widened a bit in surprise being caught staring. His pale skin doing little to hide the pink seeping in to his cheeks, even with the light fading.

“It’s our turn.” Gesturing forward to the chair that was sitting empty awaiting them both. He let Thaide go first, relived that it really was their turn so he could use it as a excuse. Though the thought crossed his mind to turn and run away as he stepped closer to the lightly swing object he would be confined too for the next nuker (10) minutes. Thaide’s smile made it impossible for him to flea, instead drawing him forward as he fought the pit developing in his abdomen. The chair swayed as he sat and the click of the lap bar latching sounded more like the sealing of his fate. Letting a slow breath out he tried to pretend he was fine with this until the hatik (metal) gears began to shift and the ride jerked them forward. Risten snapped his eyes shut until a cool hand taped his own.

“Hey look at all the tents over there.” Thiade grind as he pointed at all the booths a little ways in the distance, the height making it so much easier to tell just how expansive the fair was. They hadn’t made it that far through the Fema Festival (sorta like a summer festival) yet and he could just tell there was going to be good stuff yet to come. The colours of the tents were so bright as the keepers lights shined through the thin materials. Lanterns were slowly being lit all over the fair ground making everything look even more magical then he thought possible. Smiling he glanced over at his companion next to him, that is until the rid jerked once again. Thaide pushed curls out of his face and frowned at the evidea. (person animal hybrid) 

Risten sat gripping the guard rail in front of them that kept them in their seats, his knuckles white. The seat swayed with Thaide’s movements, with the slight breeze, even with just their breathing. He knew it was swaying with their breathing no one could tell him otherwise. The image crossed his mind of the gears snapping and the seat breaking free from the hatik (metal) bars it so tentatively clung to, plummeting to the hard ground below.

“Risten? You okay?” Thaide watched his friend a moment, Risten’s skin was even paler then normal, his black ears laid flat against the side of his head. Slowly reaching over he set his own hand on one of his best friends trying to bring him back to reality. Worried that something might be very wrong, maybe his plan wasn’t going to work, maybe it was a really bad idea. 

Jolting back from his thoughts he jumped causing the seat yet again to rock slightly and his grip to tighten to a point he hadn’t thought possible. They hadn’t even finished loading the damn thing yet, he wasn’t sure he could take this.

“Aes (yes) what?” Ristens wide cat eyes landed on Thaide’s concerned features. 

“Are you okay?” Thaide let his finger tips brush a piece of black hair from Risten’s features.

“Aes of course.” He smiled content to have Thaide’s cool finger brushing across his cheek. Though he knew he could spot his lie he wasn’t doing a very good job of hiding his fear. The look in his slowly blueing eyes and soft disapproving curve to his thinner lips told Risten to cut the crap. Sighing he Risten gave him a nervous smile.

“It’s just high that's all." He gave him an apologetic looks as he watched those same blue eyes widen in realization.

“You’re afraid of heights.” It was a statement not a question. Why hadn’t he thought of that before this stupid plan, though he hadn’t known. Risten had always been the type to climb trees as kids, though not so good at getting down. Ific (curse) maybe that should have tipped him off. Some friend he was.

Risten watched Thaide say nothing for a moment until the chair swayed and stopped at the highest point of the wheel. He took a breath but was cut off before he could open his mouth.

“This was a bad idea plan, I’m sorry Risten. I’m a horrible friend.” Thaide covered his face mumbling in to his hands words that were to jumbled to make sense.

“Woe Thaide, dach (no) dach how could you say that?” He reached pale hand laying it over Thaide’s darker one and pulling it away from his face. “I never told you,” The pink returned to his cheeks, “plus you were so happy to go on this ride. I wanted to make you happy. What do you mean plan?” Thaide’s eyes shot to look at him as a pop could be heard in the distance. A swirling streak of gold glitter rose higher in the sky before exploding in to a brilliant spray of falling stars. Both had paused to watch the glitter fade for a moment, it look as if you could reach up and touch it.

“You have always said that you love fireworks,” Thaide blushed watching the awed expression of the person he loved the most, “well these are the best seats you can get.” Risten turned slowly to look at him. “I talked to the operator while you were in the washroom.”  Ristens eyes watched more colourful bursts blur together as they began to water.

“You did this for me?” The words were so soft Thaide nearly missed them. 

“Aes, I’m sorry I should ...” His voice trailed off as Risten took his face in his hands letting his forehead bump against the others. The streams of sparkles dancing in the sky above them, the height forgotten.