#troubledtwins

The creature’s coils lay strewn about the canopies, some hanging low enough to nearly touch the forest floor. He had been drifting to sleep when he’d sensed a presence approaching. Head raised slowly, eyes blinking sleepily as they focused on a small figure a distance away. Tongue flicked forward, his nostrils drinking in the scent of a human. A pang of worry gripped his heart, but he did not panic just yet. He remained calm. Any sudden movements would no doubt provoke any human given his size and rather intimidating appearance.

They looked quite small. Not the usual, more burly types that often tried their hand at killing him. He wondered if they were even a hunter at all. Though that was merely going off of what little he could see. Truly, the naga’s sight was so poor, he couldn’t yet tell if they bore any weapons. Still, he was confident they wouldn’t put up much of a fight if they decided to attack, and they seemed small enough to easily devour.

But he was simply thinking of the worst. This may have been just a lost traveler. While there was an uncomfortable emptiness in his middle, he wasn’t sure he would slay this human unless absolutely necessary. Perhaps they could instead make for decent companionship for a little while instead.

It was hardly his first time losing a fight. It would hardly be his last. Still, Mercutio’s pride stung just as badly as his bruised knuckles. He sat under a crooked tree, nursing wounds and ego. Eventually a shadow passed over him and he looked up. 

Boe gave Najma a sad look, “y-y-yeah me t-t-too… D-d-do you w-w-want to t-t-talk about w-w-when you w-w-were happy?”

“Hm…” The thoughtful hum was low and soft. Najma’s optics remained on the screen in front of them, it flashing between data at a speed most humans would not be able to process. Their crest bobbed slightly, the sections moving in a motion like a wave over their head, while they considered the offer. 

“No,” they eventually replied. “No, it will make no difference. It will only serve to remind me that I am here.”

They paused the screen and turned their optics towards Boe.

No matter where in the world, human towns and cities were dens of discontent and filth. That was no different for London, and the worst part of it was still King’s Row. As the evening crept into night, the supposedly civilized humans made their way off the streets and into their homes, making room for the ones who needed some time to show their true colors. Miscreants crawled their way out of the woodworks, some having started early. The creatures clung to alleyway corners and just outside bars.

Set avoided them as much as possible, slinking through the shadows with Boe, the only organic they let near them out of more than necessity at this point. With a glance to the side, Set saw a picture of Mondatta lying on the ground, a scant few offerings placed near it. They were on the right track. Set couldn’t help but pause for a moment.

A human passed by and kicked it, seemingly unaware of it in their drunk stupor. Set expected far worse, in all honesty, considering the anti-omnic sentiment sprayed over the walls every few steps. The only thing keeping them safe was the full robe covering the entire length of Set’s body and the rest of the clothes they had covering their most offending features. It was the cold season, so the humans could excuse the coat, hood, and dress look. 

That makeshift shrine wasn’t the only remnant left behind of the misguided martyr. The shadow of Mondatta’s statue loomed over the pair as they walked the darkening streets. That the humans made a monument to him even as they continued to slaughter his people was an insult to his memory that stung, even if Set never liked him or his methods. 

Set spoke softly as they stopped by the base of the statue of Mondatta, a bright beacon in this wretched hovel that only served to further illustrate the duplicitous nature of humanity. “Do you know who this is, do you?”

   There were many different ways Xia could go about this. She had done many different ways in the past. It really depended on the target. For the past couple of days, she watched him. She knew his daily routine as best as she could. She could see it now in her sleep. The question was: what was next?

   She could wait until he was asleep and slit his throat then. That was always the easy way out. But she had been in a mood for the last couple of days and she was looking for a little bit of fun. She wasn’t one for torture or anything like that, but she would draw it out a little bit. Play with her food, so to speak. 

   So, when Xia saw her target leaving the place he had been staying at, she approached him. However, she pretended to be incredibly busy in the open book that she had in her hands. Faux reading, she ran straight into the short (although, same height to Xia) man, her book tumbling from her hands. ❝Oh!❞ she exclaimed with a faux naivety in her voice, ❝I’m sorry! I wasn’t watching where I was going! Are you okay?❞

Guiesl was on edge he had already had to kill several 'bandits' that had decided he was easy pickens, but what he just saw was insane, what ever this person was he definitely wasn't mortal.

He was having a hard time controling his magic with how fried his nerves were. Guiesl's fire was getting dangerously hot even for him. "I wouldn't call these usual circumstances!"

A soft hum escaped Magnus. “Neither would I.” He gave the... stranger another look over. “It seems I found a duplicate.” 

Admittedly, he’d never asked Boe about their home situation. He just took their existence as it was. As result, he knew not of they had siblings nor where they came from. This could well be a sibling, but with Boe having a dragon soul, it was hard to tell. All he knew was that this, too, was a mage.

Peryite can tell Boe still wants to help, so he contemplates what he can have them do as he carries the plague vat. 

“If you would like to assist, you can prepare the material I use to keep the plagues fed. It may be surprising, but they do consist of small organisms. They need to be fed.” as he explains, Peryite sets the vat down and collects a few materials. Most notably, some red sea-plant.