#duelek

“I… do not believe so,” he groaned again, blue eyes squinting open so he could see exactly who was above him. “My head feels—” He cut himself off as the individual shading him from the shadow over his face came into focus.

A human face, skin dark in colour than Orrin himself was, if not for the purple scales lining it, settled around eyes that were dark and empty similar to that of a snake and fanning across sharp cheeks and their forehead leading into long, dark brown water-soaked curls. There were a set of fins to either side of the face above him, fluttering and fanning out in rapidly increasing motions.

This certainly wasn’t a human.

The creature drew it’s hands back towards itself at Orrin’s silence and inspection, curved fangs biting into it’s bottom lip as Orrin looked to them itself of the face over his. While humanoid at a glance it was obviously that instead of fingers it had claws, each one ended in a chipped nail far longer than any Orrin had ever seen before and covered completely in scales in every shade of purple from the elbow to the joint of it’s fingers.

“Told ya ya was better off leavin ‘im be.” The voice comes from somewhere behind the individual over Orrin and it turns back to hiss at the other voice, a short, low sound reminiscent of an annoyed or irritated snake.

“Shut up!” The fins on the side of it’s head flared out in a striking contrast of colour against the darkness of it’s hair. “S’just a little scared, s’all.”

“Scared and gonna tell people ‘bout this shit.” The other shot back, sounding much calmer than there was any right to be whilst implying that it was better to dispose of Orrin than not.

“If I could interject,” Orrin spoke around a pained noise as he forced himself to sit up, finally getting a better look at the first individual as well as his first on the other in the scenario, carefully pushing himself back from their proximity ever so slightly. The other was very similar to the first, if a bit sharper in it’s face and the sharp line of it’s shoulders, or what Orrin could see of them from where it was reclining on the shore of the nearby lake, arms folded and chin resting upon them. It’s hair was shorter than the first’s as well and closer to a black than the deep brown of the other. Both of them had long tails where their waist and legs should have been, bright scales glittering and shifting in colour tone before his eyes as they twitched and shifted gently, tipped with a pair of fins similar to those at the side of their heads.

Wholly inhuman and nothing Orrin should have ever involved himself with. Though how he had come to do so was a mystery to him.

“I will not—”

“Nah.”

“Excuse me?”

It was the other one that had spoken and cut him off, chin rested on scaled claws, nails scoring into the wet soil at the edge of the lake. It’s eyes were half-lidded, hair fallen into it’s face and remaining stuck there in clumps of water-soaked strands. It rolled empty eyes at him, lips pulling back just enough to show off rows of needle-sharp teeth.

“Ain’t caring ‘bout whatever ya have ta ‘interject’ with,” it said, tail moving lazily in the water, a blur of formless purple. It’s lips pulled back further, baring more of it’s teeth and the stark white of it’s gums. “So shut yaself ‘fore I drag ya back under.”

“… that is incredibly rude of you.”

It’s all Orrin can really think in that moment and it’s far from what he wanted to say to the thing that was threatening him. It seemed that the two of them weren’t expecting to hear anything like that either if they way they both turned to stare at him in question was to go by, fins fluttering and head tilted similarly to a dog’s.

“Tryin ta be amusin ain’t helpin ya much.”

“We can’t just be makin threats afta savin ‘im!”

“I can,” the farther one dropped further back from the inquisitive lift it’d taken up at Orrin’s words, placing it’s chin back onto it’s folded arms, peering at Orrin from the corner of it’s eye, face turned towards the other. “I didn’t save ‘im.”

“Ya can’t—!”

“What if I swear myself to silence?” Orrin questioned, cutting off the softer of the two off as he felt that things were taking a turn for the dangerous. “Swear to not saying anything about either of you to anyone? Would that be enough?”

“Shake on it.”

“He doesn’t need ta—”

“He does.” The words rung with finality and Orrin felt his heart freeze in his chest, unsure of wht exactly what the rougher of the two was suggesting entailed but not sure he liked it either way. “If he don’t then Imma drag ‘im back down. No matta what ya want.”

“But…”

“I will do it. I will shake on it.”

The two creatures turn back to him, the sharper looking pleased with his decision while the other’s face fell. His decision made Orrin chose to focus on the sharper of the two, meeting half-lidded eyes as levelly as he was able.

“Good. Go on bro, he’s wantin ta make the deal.”

The softer of the two looks between Orrin and the other, fins fluttering before they pressed close to its skull and it turned back to Orrin, face turned towards its own hands.

“Ok.” It breathed, tail stretching out as it shifted closer to Orrin, offering it’s claw towards him. “Promise not ta be speakin’ ‘bout us ta no other and shake.”

Orrin hesitated a moment, just a moment as he looked at the outstretched hand, offering his own when he heard the noticeable sound of water moving and taking it, the tone of his own skin a lighter contrast to the creature’s own.

There’s a sting, a bite where the tips of its nails sink shallow indents into Orrin’s skin, his eyes move away from the one watching the proceeding to see something like ink curl from the indents into a band at his wrist, cleanly encircling the flesh in a brand that would lead to nothing but question.

“Is that all?” That didn’t really seem to have much of any kind of purpose really, aside from the ink on his wrist that the creature holding his hand had raised his captive arm towards its face to inspect.

“S’alright,” there was an air of contentedness about the onlooker’s voice as Orrin’s hand was releasing, the creature stretching it’s torso out on the edge of the lake in a lazy sprawl. “Ain’t gone be able ta get ta chatterin with that, free ta do what ya want now.”

Orrin blinked, opened his mouth to say something only to stop as the one closest to him spoke up. “So he can stay, yeah?”

“What?” “Excuse me?”

It wilts a bit at both of their attention focused onto it, shoulders hunching up closer to the fins pressed tight to the side of it’s skull once more, voice losing volume and becoming shaky as it continued. “Iffin… Iffin he wants a course… ya said he could do whatever he wants now that he’s…” it trails off into mumbling that Orrin can’t catch and catch be sure that the onlooker didn’t.

“… suppose yeah.” Orrin’s attention snapped back to the onlooking creature who seemed uninterested in the situation once more, inspecting the nails of it’s own claws with a languid pace. “Iffin he be wantin’ ta.”

Remaining here for any length of extended time did not really sound too appealing to him, but saying so outright might be rude and he didn’t know how either would take such an abrupt and clear dismissal of his continued presence on their lakefront.

Even more so when the softer of the two turned back to him, a gleam in it’s eye and small, hopeful smile on it’s face. “Mayhaps… ya could stay a bit? S’not… S;probably s’not real good ta move too soon, yeah? Ya should stay here a bit and rest, yeah?”

“I think I should leave.”

It’s smile drops and its fins droop, arms crossing over it’s torso as blank eyes turned away from Orrin to focus on some point at the ground.

“Oh.”

“Lookit you bein all heartbreakin afta he saved ya ass, rude.”

“I am completely soaked,” Orrin continued, ignoring the cold near snarl from the water. “I more than likely have an untreated concussion and I need to go be looked over and change before I freeze to death.”

The closest of the two perks up at his words, brows furrowing and mouth twisting as it splayed it’s claws out towards him, missing Orrin’s flinch even if the further of the two creature’s didn’t, motioning him off with small, quick motions. “Ya right! Ya warm blooded ones get cold and sick from the water, ya should go, it’s bein for the best.”

“Ya just—”

“It’s for the best.” It repeats, tail stretching out more from the curl of it Orrin had yet to notice as it pressed closer towards him, putting it’s face only a scant few inches from Orrin’s own as if to inspect him better. “Ain’t wantin ta waste hard work by ya gettin sick on us, yeah? Then ya really wouldn’t come back.” It chuckles the last little add-on but it rings hollow and aching, accompanied by it’s fins fluttering and flaring away from the side of it’s head.

Orrin looked between it and the other, teeth biting into his bottom lip and considering what to do now. It would be simply enough to take the opportunity granted and leave, escape and never come back. It wasn’t as if these creatures could really come and track him down, at least he certainly hoped they wouldn’t, whatever they were.

He was free to go, free to stand up and leave the lakefront and never look back on or think about it again. It was so easy to do.

“I will… try to return when I am… able to stay longer.” Or perhaps he could put his foot into his mouth and give another promise to these creatures, as if the first hadn’t been enough to cement how awful an idea it was to do so into his head.

It brightens up the creature in front of him though and it grins at him, showing off the odd backwards curve of it’s teeth towards the back of it’s own throat.

“Then we’ll be waitin ta see ya again!” It pauses, brow furrowing at Orrin. “Ain’t real knowin’ what ta call ya.”

“Orrin,” he doesn’t mention anything about his last name and that seems to be more than enough for the creature to return to grinning at him.

“Orrin.” It repeats, the name sounding a little off on it’s vocals. “Ya can call us Mihal and Duelek, yeah? For next time.”

Orival hated him now, no doubt about that. He’d been so quiet, so distant since Duelek had returned without Karacoze. Shocked, horrified, so very very hurt and not wanting Duelek anywhere near him with good reason.

He hadn’t known what Duelek had decided upon when he’d left with the kid earlier that morning, what he’d set out to do to keep as many of them safe as he could. The Cirque may have preferred to work within the law where they could, but there was nothing that would keep them from what they’d decided was theirs, especially not when that thing was family.

Orival… he couldn’t even begin to dare to think about how to explain any of that to the Dasher, not without… not without ruining what he thought of him… But, he’d already ruined that trying not to, hadn’t he?

Orival wasn’t ever going to forgive him, he shouldn’t ever forgive him. Not after what he’d done.

Soft arms wrap around him, drawing Duelek back to the here and now and himself sitting, stiff and despondent on the couch of the quiet house, ears finally picking up the choked, stilted noises of his beloved’s grief and sorrow down the hall and the softer, mourning noise he hadn’t known he’d been making.

His attention drops to the little one trying to comfort him, soft fur and big eyes looking up at him with child-like innocence and an inability to truly grasp what’s occurring in her home and between the two she calls care-givers, why her brother didn’t come back with Duelek.

“Did you… you had to, didn’t you?”

Duelek tries to stop the wounded noise he makes, but he can’t. It’s out and echoing in the hollow places of their home and it’s all he can do to bring Cadee into his arms, holding as tightly as he dares and curling around her as if to protect her from his actions.

But he can’t.

It’s his fault.

He’s ruined everything by trying to choose the easiest, safest option available to them.

He knows it.

There’s no way around that.

Not this time.

Orival was gone from the house.

Which was... nice. Duelek wasn’t really sure how to deal with that. Except that he did because he wasn’t some desperate thing and the other could come and go as he pleased all he wanted, Duelek had no say or sway in that matter, he wasn’t that desperate.

No, the other could come and go all he wanted, Duelek didn’t need him around all the time. The trip to town would do the other good anyways, get him out and socialising and all those good things that an individual needs in life and...

Oh he was back!

... So much for not being desperate Duelek.

“Heyo,” Duelek did nothing to disguise the blatant perking of his ears or the way his tail gems started to spin energetically at the other’s return. “Did ya manage to get what ya was looking for?”

“Hmm?” Orival’s tense when he looks at Duelek, shoulders tense and tail snapping restlessly, not the best or most common sign from the usually placid creature. “Yes, it was fine.”

Yeah, Duelek wasn’t believing that, but he wasn’t gonna bring it up if Orival wasn’t ready to talk about it, not right now at least maybe later.

“You wanna come help me some chores?” Distraction usually helped the other, give him something to keep his hands busy and he’d be more than pleased to complete it.

“Please.” See? Exactly that.

Purple eyes glow slightly within the dark of the night, casting a subtle light to the planes of the weaver’s face, highlighting sharp cheekbones and deepening the shadows of the rest of his face. The neutral line of his mouth, including the jut of mismatched fangs, is unseen but for the brief moments in which the joint is brought to it once more, lighting the area with the soft glow of flame as a new breath is inhaled.

His tail ebbs and flows behind him in misty tails, keeping close to his back and not straying too far from him, his large carved gem hidden safely tucked away within the furls of coloured mist. The smaller surrounding gems shift and turn, spinning lazily, just barely brushing against his calf to send shivers of creeping energy up his spine to collect at the carved skull at his forehead, a feedback loop of magic through his system.

There’s a buzzing under his skin, a combination of his magic and the high from the joint, melding and weaving together to leave him with a more than pleasant buzz, a cool floating detachment from everything around him. It both added and took away from the quiet of the night, allowing him to both feel everything and nothing of his own self and his surroundings.

Hence, why it was completely unexpected to him at the least, for the quiet to be broken by the call of a rough voice, words quick and trembling on the line between feminine and masculine. “Yo bro!”

He turns in the direction slightly, just enough to turn a single eye towards the individual approaching him, a shooter, recognized as Temivo one of his kin within the circus. He doesn’t bother to straighten himself from his slumped position, remaining in place and watching their approach with a steady calm, releasing the smoke trapped in his lungs in a slow breath, white curling around him once more, shrouding his face until it inevitably thinned and dispersed into the cool night air.

He didn’t bring the burning joint in his hand back to his mouth, choosing to let the shooter take his attention for a time, content to linger in the buzz simultaneously dulling and sharpening his senses. He did raise it in a slow, lazy wave though, once the other was close enough to see the movement of the dark-furred limb and the bit of fire held within it. A greeting, a simple, silent acknowledgment.

“What’s got you out here bro?” Temivo’s question is an innocent one, wild worry, and concern on their face and colouring their voice, ears perked up towards him and fur bristling up in the chill of the night. “Ain’t like ya to be missing the after show, we gots some pretty motherfuckers looking to get met with the stars~” The teasing invitation was accompanied by a jab of a muscular but point limb into Duelek’s side, accepted and not shied away from by the weaver.

“Ain’t feelin much up to joinin tonight,” the answer was flat and unfeeling as the rest of the weaver’s visage, gaze turned out to the world and away from Temivo again, taking in what faint starlight could be seen from this distance. “Just tired lately.”

“Tired?!” Loud, alarmed and piercing the quiet of the night, Temivo surges into Duelek’s space, pressing against his side with fretting claws and wide, unmatched eyes. “Bro, you gonna be ok up there if ya tired?”

Duelek scoffed, pride flickering briefly in his chest to colour the words accompanying his rolled eyes. “I know the routine well enough to be doin it in my slumber, sibling,” which was true, years of practice and performance had left him more than capable with his routines, he wasn’t likely to fall anytime soon, no matter what his state was, it simply wasn’t allowed. “’Sides,” his fire died down, voice returning to a more neutral, blank state. “It’s not, that kind of tired. Not really.”

Temivo’s ears flick back, their head tilts and they draw their claws back to their own chest until they’re still in front of them, clasping each other tightly. “What, what kind of tired then?” Brows draw down over avoiding eyes, their voice taking on a more hushed, secretive volume so that the words would only be heard between the two of them. “Like, like Ashtoreth’s kind of tired?”

They both tensed at the name, remembering the one who’d held it and what had become of him, his own fault really, choosing the coward’s option over the proper way of dealing with the result he had wanted to achieve. It wasn’t like leaving the circus was impossible, just highly frowned upon and difficult to earn, but with enough determination and planning anyone could do it, it just took… freeing yourself of the link that bound you to the chain. Everyone knew that. Once the link had been broken you were free to go as you pleased, never to return to the circus, there was no need to run.

“Kinda yeah,” Duelek’s voice is quiet, low, directed out towards the rest of the world instead of the shooter beside him, taking another drag of his joint so that he could focus on the feeling of it in his lungs. He could feel Temivo shifting beside him, wanting to speak up but knowing that he wasn’t finished speaking quite yet and only needed a moment to think through his words before he continued. “I be knowin better than to go his way about it though.”

Temivo’s tail lashes the air behind them, their head lifts to join Duelek’s eyes in gazing out at the world before them, the natural surroundings of the village tinged with the bright vibrancy of artificial lights and sounds from the circus set up behind them. “But…” they trailed off, claws digging into their own arms just shy of breaking skin. They swallow heavily. “But would you do it? Could you…”

They’re unable to give voice to the thought in their mind, though it is largely unneeded as they’re both more than aware of what they were trying to say. They remain in tense stillness and silence for a few moments more, heartbeats loud in individual ears though it is only Temivo that shows any outward sign of their emotional state.

“I think,” words spoken with fading smoke. “That I’ve had enough of the spotlight, of perfomin and…” he trails off himself, not needing to give voice to the true other face of the circus they’re both so familiar with. “I think, something new might be nice.”