Deception

"I can see why you're so proud of him, he's amazing," agreed the orc as he decided to cast the boy a slight glance, making sure to not be too unsubtle in his observation of him. He had always wanted to meet Neotoma, having been told countless tales about him whilst Mar'kesh struggled with the absence from him, but there was always a part of him that felt the meeting would go terribly; that Neotoma would be averse to the fatherly presence Drakali presented.

Even though they hadn't spent all that much time together, without him learning too much about his stepson, the orc was at least certain that his fears were silenced. He liked Neotoma a lot, finding his evident intelligence not intimidating in the slightest, but rather fascinating. And while he was open to failure, he rather thought that the other wasn't too disapproving of him as a husband to his mother.

"Mind you, orcs aren't known for their intelligence, so maybe my genes won't do our lot any good," he shrugged as he absently set his cutlery down as neatly as he could for the benefit of the others, not wanting to be categorised as a slovenly oaf who didn't know how to be polite at the table. "...As long as they're happy, then I'm happy. That's all that matters to me; that they grow up knowing I love 'em and they're happy and content. If they find a passion like Neotoma has and end up as smart and as charming as he is, then that's a bonus."
 
"Now I'd like to protest with that idea, Drakali. Orcs are fantastic architects and really good at fungal foraging. I had the best mushrooms on toast during one of my stays at this beautifully built little cabin," defended Neotoma before lifting the handmade bowl to his lips to finish the rest of the broth. He had tasted as much food as he could in his journey as he could but nothing could beat the fresh fish and delicious root vegetables grown in the coastal district of Harenae.

"Well, that sounds lovely. Perhaps I could find time to visit your family?" Suggested Mar'kesh to the aging Orc, her tail wrapping around her husband's leg affectionately. "I've never left Harenae and I know I'd have a lovely guide. As for visiting Ignis, I have a feeling you couldn't quite handle it, dear; you sweat buckets just Harenae alone and Neotoma says it's humid, that might be horrible. Granted, you've surprised me before."
 
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There was a reason he had failed to get into contact with his family over the four years he had been with Mar'kesh and started a family with her. He knew without a doubt that his family wouldn't approve of him finding love with someone that probably wouldn't fit the criteria for a mate most orcs adhered to. As strong, courageous and capable as his wife was, the fact she wasn't an orc would be to her detriment - and the fact Drakali was relegated to being a house husband of sorts, while she went out to work, wasn't something his family would find easy to accept. The orc was fine with his role around the house, preferring it in many cases, but he wasn't naive to the fact his family wouldn't see it that way, and he wanted to avoid friction by avoiding contact altogether.

"Yeah, well... maybe one day. I do want to see Ignis though. I could cope. It might be nice to vacation there, me and you. We never did have a honeymoon. It could be a belated one," he suggested as he eagerly focused on the idea, reaching to take her hand in his own, as carefully as he could. "...Or at the very least, it'd be nice to go and visit you, Neotoma. And I am curious about the place. I'd love to try a beer at Ignis, see the sights..."
 
"Oh, I... I wouldn't recommend the beer in Ignis. The alcohol there is intense," he admitted with a blush, the memory of just how wasted he became as quickly as he did being one he wasn't happy to admit to. He had intentionally set the idea in his family's head, wanting them to be as far as Harenae during the initial invasion, and while the idea made him uncomfortable, he also knew it was inevitable and he wanted his family to be as safe as possible. Turning his head to Lysander, he tugged on the demon's shirt much like a child.

"They want to visit Ignis, isn't that fantastic? It'll be pretty exhausting for me to have to constantly translate but I want you to get to know them. I know we aren't as serious as you and your girlfriend but it would mean a lot to me if you did. They mean a lot to me, even with my mother's new husband. He's... he clearly cares for her and their children and that's nice. It's nice knowing he's such a fantastic father," he explained quietly, his black eyes scanning Lysander for a sign of confirmation.

"Yes, well- perhaps we should have Neotoma teach the kids how to speak the language, yeah? I think we're too old to learn a brand new language but our children could benefit, huh?" Mar'kesh commented absently, giving Drakali's hand a tight squeeze before offering it a loving kiss. Drakali was nothing like Neotoma's father; for starters, orcs were significantly larger than elves just in general, and much stronger in a physical sense. The second most obvious part being the fact that Drakali actually stayed rather than running off at the mention of her being pregnant. Lastly was the fact that Orcs had very little knowledge, skill and involvement in magic. It was why Neotoma thrived in the topic and practice while his siblings probably wouldn't have nearly the same skill.
 
As the orc instantly came to life at the idea of his children being taught a new language, completely behind the idea of them expanding their knowledge and being able to interact with others outside of their own kingdom, Lysander was left to observe the upturn in emotions with a raised brow. It wasn't easy being in a stranger's home, not able to communicate with them verbally in any capacity, and while he was thankful for the translations, it was still exhausting - and he wasn't even the one doing the translating.

""I'm trying to get to know them, but it isn't easy, is it? Not when I don't speak the language and can't even be honest with them. I'm effectively lying -or rather, withholding the truth- and that's not how relationships of trust are built. But I don't dislike them, if that's what you're worried about.I thin the orc is a decent man and your mother is formidable, which is a characteristic I like in people. Tell them that if you want, but not now; I don't want to be embarrassed," he admitted as he calmly cleared his throat, a sign that he wanted to get a move on. It wasn't only to escape the house - it was mostly because he wanted to get some more beers in him and then, hopefully, start something with Neotoma. It seemed to be heading that way, and he couldn't justify being sat at a table, uncomfortable, when he could be getting tipsy with someone he had fancied so much. "Shall we get going, Neo? I mean... a few beers before tumbling into bed together sounds more desirable than sitting here, to be honest."
 
"They're saying that they'd be more than happy to help the children learn your language and have a honeymoon in your kingdom," he explained, having been more than excited to have everything come together in a way. He did his best to hide how upset he was at Lysander's insistence on leaving, though he had come to realize that Lysander wasn't the type to really care about familial bonds and the fact that this was the first time h had seen his mother in years.

Clearing his throat, he offered an apologetic smile to Drakali and Mar'kesh before carefully getting up from his seat, furniture that was originally built for Neotoma alone so he didn't have to sit on the harsh, natural ground. Being a creature with no use of furniture would have been a million times easier but, evidently, Mar'kesh didn't do things easily.

"The meal was fantastic, mama, but Lysander and I are tired from the long trip," he explained to the couple, leaning across the table to offer his mother a kiss on the cheek. "We'll be heading out to the tavern for tonight, I'll see you in the morning."
 
"You're going already? So soon?" Drakali murmured in surprise, lifting his head to take Neotoma in. He didn't need to reiterate the surprise, coming to the conclusion relatively easily that the decision wasn't made by the halfling himself. One look at Lysander confirmed all he needed to know, the demon having wandered expectedly to the front door, arms folded and jaw tight in his desperation to get a move on. He could find offence in the body language, but the orc instead forced a smile and nodded to the halfling. "It was great meeting you, really. Come by for breakfast, bright and early. We'll see you then--"

"Can we go now?" Lysander muttered petulantly from the front door, his irritation starting to grow as he tapped his foot against the floor. "I don't want to sound unappreciative, I enjoyed the meal and this was all very cosy, but I want to be alone with you. There's only so much of this happy family scenario I can deal with."
 
"I'll be here tomorrow, as soon as possible," he reassured the parents, his apologetic smile still prevent on his face. He neatly grabbed his bag and the protective shawl and wrapping he wore out into the desert-like climate, knowing that a sand storm was possible at any moment. He chose not to warn the demon if one were to happen; there probably wouldn't be one, for starters. If one did come, though, he could at least watch Lysander suffer from the karma.

Once out of the home and onto the street, Neotoma chose to be quiet as he trudged alongside the other, his anger being blocked by his shawl hiding his lips. He could be a notorious pushover but being rude to his mother wasn't something he took lightly.
 
As they trudged on, the demon was quite happy to walk in silence, assuming that it would only be for a few minutes at the most. When the silence dragged on, however, he found it impossible to proceed a step further without addressing the elephant in the room, frowning as he came to an abrupt stop - one that almost made him stumble in the sand, though he was thankful for his quic reflexes preventing the accident.

"Are you going to keep pouting? I could have told you before we ventured here that I don't necessarily understand the loving parent-child dynamic. My parents weren't fond of me, and Imogen's all but harassed her into being the daughter they wanted her to be, which wasn't who she was. I've no real experience dealing with... loving parents. It's uncomfortable for me. I think I did reasonably well, under the circumstances, so stop pouting about it. You're not hard to read, Neotoma."
 
"Family May not matter to you, Lysander, but it means quite a bit to me. My mother was so important to me growing up so you acting like a child is rude," he replied in a murmur, glancing back at the demon as his clothes billowed in the wind. "Instead Of getting angry, you could try and learn that families have different dynamics. You want children, don't you? Are you going to act like your parents did? I assume you won't want to do that. They're... they're fantastic parents, don't you want to learn from them for your kids?" He questioned, his frown growing.

"It's whatever, I know you aren't going to listen to me. I should just accept and learn that, huh?" He eventually added, starting back on the path as he clung to his walking stick. Despite being a native to Harenae didn't mean he was truly adaptable with the sandy terrain, especially after years.
 
"...Obviously not, but the actual chance of me having children is so slim at this point that I don't think too much about my parenting style. There's really no need for you to throw it in my face. Have you forgotten who I am? I want to treat you as a friend, but that doesn't mean you get to yell at me like this," he whispered in return, his demeanour darkening at the remarks. He didn't really understand what he had done that was considered so rude for Neotoma to confront him - he had tried to be as polite as he could by smiling and visibly enjoying his meal, after all.Even if he had ended up wanting to make a quick exit, it didn't excuse Neotoma's behaviour to him, in his mind.

He forced himself to unwind once realising how close he had come to yelling at the other and reprimanding him properly for the behaviour. Instead, he let out a long breath and trudged onward, keeping his head low to avoid sand being blown into his eyes.

"Imogen isn't fond of the idea to have children, but I obviously want them. It's the one thing I've always desired; to be a father and raise children the way I never was raised. But if she isn't keen, it's not likely to happen. She has more of a say in it than I do, and I respect that. It sucks, but that's the way it is. Obviously I could have them with someone else, but she-- I don't think she'd like that-- I don't want to talk about it, I'm gonna end up crying," he snorted as he fiercely rubbed his eyes, briefly muttering about the sand to cover up the fact he was getting emotional. "...Anyway, it's fine. If it's meant to happen, it'll happen, right?"
 
"You're taking me being upset as yelling but I'm not yelling, I'm just frustrated." he reminded, shaking his head. "I'm talking to you as equals. You may be the king of Ingis but we're in the middle of the desert. You can't be the king of sand, can you?" He reminded, motioning to the empty desert that connected his mother's home to the capitol. He continued to head forward, sighing deeply.

"I'll buy you something to help with the sand, I know you're not used to it. I don't know how often you'll come back to Harenae but I want you to be as comfortable as possible, you know? I know your kingdom has quite a bit of ash but it's still different from sand, sand is a bit bigger than ash," he noted, now slowing down for Lysander to catch up with him, happy to talk about something a bit more positive.
 
"Don't fucking patronise me, I'm well aware that sand and ash aren't the same thing. I want to be friends with you, I'd even like to advance that friendship into something romantic, but I won't be talked down to by you. This is your home, I understand that, but that doesn't give you a right to treat me like... hm. I'm going to stop there before I sound arrogant, but really, you need to not sound so condescending. I've treated you with respect, at least do the same for me," he protested as calmly as he could, his fists still clenched at his sides as he trudged over the sand with a grimace. The more he stayed in the kingdom, the more he realised that he just wanted to be home, laying in his bed with his kingdom's traditional wine and maybe Imogen at his side.

Not trudging around in the middle of a sandstorm, losing his patience with someone he otherwise genuinely liked and cared about.

"...Look, I'm tired. A few beers and some flirting, and I'll be alright and less of a moody bastard, okay?" He murmured in a attempt to lift the mood, catching up to the halfling easily enough. "Ideally, I'd flirt with you, by the way. Assuming you're still up for what we said we were going to do?"
 
Neotoma often struggled with his words with people who spoke his language so it was only going to get worse with his struggle to properly speak Lysander's. He hadn't meant to put the down the King, so noticing how upset he became only made him grow quietly, his eyes deciding to lock in the path forward, sighing in relief when the sandstorm passed.

"I didn't mean to make you feel bad, Lysander," he insisted quietly, finally lowering his hood once he was sure the sand had settled. He didn't lower it very often in general, preferring to keep it on to avoid others speaking to him. His purple hair was shaggy from the bits of sand that had gotten in it, shaking it quickly. "I'm sorry. I'll buy you as much alcohol as you'd like, I know you need a lot to get even a bit tipsy after all. Maybe it's because your species' organs are bigger than mine? Maybe that's why it takes longer?"
 
"Maybe it's that, sure. I can't say for certain, it's no point in me even trying to hazard a guess. Maybe we're just a tougher breed of people?" He suggested teasingly, raising his eyebrows to ensure that the joke was noticeable and not meant to be taken seriously. He could boast about the toughness of his species, but doing so in a kingdom largely made up of creatures that could give demons a fair fight wasn't wise. He would be the first to admit that any single lamia in the kingdom could probably set him up for a genuinely good challenge, one he wasn't certain he'd even win.

"Probably the organ thing," he ended up shrugging as he carefully moved to take his hand, having an excuse ready for doing so in the back of his mind. It was purely a move made out of affection, but if he was called out on it, he would lie and say that he was afraid of slipping on the sand - which wasn't entirely a lie, either. He lifted their enclosed hands up with a wide smile, not able to miss the fact his own all but encapsulated Neotoma's much smaller hand. "God, I forget you're so small-- or maybe I'm just super big. I don't know."
 
"Well, being half-elf doesn't help," he noted, clearly a bit startled by the hand holding, though he didn't keep that shock for long and instead replaced a brief moment of fear with a small smile. Hugging as he skillfully slid down a large sand dune, bringing Lysander alongside him. It reminded him how he would spend all day just walking about the desert, using his skills to be able to keep track of where he was going so he didn't just get lost on an ever shifting desert.

"You are in fact very big though, Lysander. Your whole species is huge - well, I guess not too much bigger, Drakali is pretty large and my mother is super tall when she stands all the way up," he reminded, his smile only growing when spotting the Capitol off in the distance, the loose sand changing slowly into a cohesive road.
 
"Yes, well, I like how you are. As scary as I assume you find me to be, I'd hope you feel the same about me; that you like how I am, specifically? Without wanting to be blunt and ruin the romance of it all, I'd like to think you fancied me. That you thought I was--" He cut himself off suddenly, eyes narrowed as he attempted to find the words to say - something that sounded sweet and not crass, which he admittedly had a tendency of being.

When nothing poetic came to mind, as it wasn't prone to do at the best of times, he relented from the effort and offered a wide grin instead.

"Hot. I'd like you to find me hot, I suppose. I think you're hot," he emphasised as he took in the sight of the road with an unsubtle smile, breathing a sigh of relief when he had his feet on solid ground. "I don't want you holding back if you're worried about Imogen. Trust me, I wouldn't pursue anything with you if I thought I'd be upsetting her. She's having fun with her handmaid by now, I assume, so... if you were serious, about the whole sex thing, then I'm... definitely interested, Neo. Tonight, if you want? Though the fact you still seem scared of me isn't... the best mood-setter, to be honest."
 
"I'm not any more scared of you as I am anyone else. Granted, your height is... intimidating," he admitted, taking in the man in more detail as they continued their walk. His clawed fingers entangled with the demon's, his face featuring an unsubtle and dark blush as he watched people walk on the trail as well, their eyes focusing on Lysander in shock as they slithered on.

Once in the epicenter of Harenae again, he wasted little time in bringing the King into the bar he knew well, that of which he would come to study even though he was underaged. Now that he was back and could actually drink, he didn't hesitate to order himself a pint and do the same for Lysander. Leading the other to a beat-up booth, he crossed his legs neatly and waited, his claws tapping the wooden table.

"I mentioned to the bartender that we'll be staying in a room upstairs, so she'll add it to a tab," he explained, his eyes taking in the dim bar. The fact that it was carved from an old cave helped moderate the temperature quite a bit, to the point that the Harenaen was actually quite cold.
 
"I'll pay you back for everything when we get back to Ignis, it's the least I can do. Obviously you're due a payment for the work you're doing for me, anyway. I'd pay you handsomely for being my adviser, but you're owed more for the work you and Themus are conducting. Just don't try and argue with me about the amount I'm going to pay you. I don't need you meekly arguing that it's too much, alright? I like to pay people what they're owed," he smiled, having already anticipated that the other might be far too surprised by the amount he would soon be given to accept it when, in reality, he fully deserved it, at least in Lysander's eyes. He had helped immensely with the information he had relayed, and the fact he was willing to help Themus made him worth every penny Lysander had decided to pay him.

"Speaking of work, I think it'd be a good idea to collect some cuttings of plants or flowers. Themus is interested in all of this, it'd mean a lot to him if he had the chance to examine some of the flora from your kingdom. I'd let him travel for himself, but the whole... Imogen thing. It's not a good idea to lose my best physician if she gets worse, so a few plants to take back with us is the least I can do for him. If he can't travel, I'll just have to bring stuff back for him when I do," he nodded firmly, his eyes having travelled out the window curiously. He felt momentarily guilty that he was in a new land, hardly taking in the sights when Themus had always wanted to travel and experience things, but that guilt disappeared quickly when he realised that even if he had the chance, Themus probably wouldn't opt to leave and abandon his sister when she needed him on hand.

"...Anyway, this place is lovely, you know. Make sure I return the favour back home, take you to a proper Ignis tavern. It's... an experience."
 
Before he could respond, he watched as an aging lamia set the drinks in front of them both silently, only briefly offering a side-glance to Neotoma. He ignored it, instead keeping his own eyes locked on Lysander with a growing smile. To learn that Themus wanted parts from his kingdom to essentially do the same sort of work he was doing was incredibly validating, that being the only thing he really needed. He took a gingerly sip of the alcohol, nodding at the state.

"Of course I'll collect some specimens," he reassured, now beaming. "It's really lovely to know that Themus is so into the things I'm into. I've never had many people close to me, especially not friends, so Themus being willing to work and learn beside me is lovely," he continued before adjusting his crossed legs.
 
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