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CONTENT WARNING: Descriptions of Panic, Facial Injury, and Gun Violence
Curi hadn't realized just how much he'd missed being home. Only now, as the scent of his own cooking wafted through the building, did the feeling of longing that had been plaguing him for weeks finally subside. It was nice, he concluded simply. Spending time with his partners and participating in their makeshift family unit was much easier and much more gratifying than his work, in some ways.
Of course, he loved his job, he always had! Curi wouldn't have taken the offer for his current position if he had any doubts about his career path. Journalism was his passion, as much as the cafe and fashion design were his partners'. He had to admit that it was a little more… demanding, perhaps, than his last job, but the benefits far outweighed the drawbacks. He just wished that he could spend more time at home.
The man would have continued ruminating while he cooked, but a very familiar pattern of footsteps entering the kitchen behind him caused Curi to pull himself out of his head.
"You could've slept in, Kouroi," Curi hummed as his brother approached, tilting his head to get a glimpse of his tired company out of the corner of his eye, "I'm not working today, you know that."
"Mhm." Kouroi responded noncommittally, subsequently pulling out a chair to sit at their dining table. The muted reaction was not very out of character for him, Curi knew, but he could tell from the way his twin was hunched over in his seat that something wasn't quite right.
Curi racked his brain for what could possibly be the problem. Their boat ride the day prior had been long, and Kouroi had been the one at the helm, but both of them were quite accustomed to their travel periods now that they had become more frequent. Therefore, Curi crossed it off the list of possible reasons for his brother's exhaustion.
Did he feel uncomfortable here, perhaps? Noe and Laina had offered Curi's brother a place to stay with them when the three had just moved in together, only for him to refuse, so it was possible that he felt uneasy living within their personal space on such short notice now. But that would be unlike him, Curi reasoned. Kouroi was ever the practical one between the two of them, and his qualm with their living space before had been long-since rectified, let alone the fact that Laina's wards lived with them as well. It wasn't like he was intruding upon anything private just by staying there, and they had the room for him. It wouldn't have made sense to make him stay at a hotel for the night, even if the ones nearby weren't insanely expensive.
Maybe it was possible that…
Ah.
Curi turned down the heat on the stovetop (he wouldn't want to burn their food, after all) and moved to sit across from Kouroi. His brother looked up from his hunched position to meet his eyes.
"Is this about the lead I'm following?" Curi spoke bluntly; there was little need for beating around the bush between the two of them, and neither were fond of doing so to begin with.
Kouroi didn't respond immediately, and Curi knew he had hit the nail on the head. They had both already argued about this, if you could call their slightly-heated conversation an argument (which, as close as the brothers were, it might as well have been). Curi's current project is what had brought them home to Hestia to begin with, following the trail of some illegal underground dealings that Precilon wanted him to research while they covered for his lack of public articles. It was certainly a bit out of left field for him, but not so far-removed from his skill set that he would be unable to complete it. Curi was excited for the new experience, honestly.
Kouroi, however, had his reservations. He wasn't employed under Precilon like his twin, and thus had more reason to question their assignments, but Curi was sure that he was just being overly cautious. His brother had always been the defensive one between the two of them, after all.
"I still think you should have turned them down," Kouroi finally muttered as Curi wrapped up his thoughts, "You might still have time, if you do it now. They can give you another assignment, or you could go back to your old job if Precilon fires you. They'd take you back."
"Sure, but I'm in a much more advantageous situation where I stand now. This project isn't going to be dangerous, Kouroi," Curi reached over and tapped his brother's hand with his own in an attempt at comfort, "It's not like I'm going undercover and digging myself into whatever circus is going on in the ' criminal underworld, ' it's basically just reconnaissance. Plus, you'll have my back covered if something does go disastrously wrong, I'm sure."
Kouroi nodded once in agreement, but remained unconvinced. His eyes were narrowed. "You should be more wary, Curi-"
Both brothers cut off their focus on the conversation abruptly as an excited trill echoed from the hallway into the kitchen. Curi put on a smile, and stood himself up as quickly as he could so as not to be bowled over by the excitable ball of feathers that had latched onto his chest like a lifeline. He returned the hug, whistling out his own joyful greeting.
"You're back! You're home!" Lalage, one of Laina's wards, chittered happily in Curi's arms. She didn't remain there long, however, soon deciding that she'd rather squirm out of his embrace to hop along on the floor, occasionally flapping into the air around him as well. "I told May that I heard your voice last night but it was late and we were tiiiired and she didn't believe me!!"
"Well, you were right. I'm here!" Curi chuckled, noticing his brother resting his head on the table out of the corner of his eye. Seemed their conversation was over for now.
"You're here!" Lalage parroted back to him. She took a seat at the table nearby Kouroi (in a chair designed for her, since her body was much smaller than that of the average human), and Curi returned to cooking breakfast. "How long are you gonna stay?"
"I'm not sure yet." Curi hadn't yet gathered exactly how much information Precilon wanted out of him for this assignment, so only time would tell how long he'd be in Hestia before he finished up. "I'd guess a couple weeks, at the least."
Lalage nodded enthusiastically and hummed happily in response. Curi continued preparing their makeshift family's first meal of the day, all the while being peppered by questions. What was he making for breakfast? Did he like his new job? Was there anything cool going on outside of Hestia?
The man carefully skirted around some of the more sensitive questions, but enjoyed the conversation nonetheless. Lalage had a curious mind, so much so that Curi briefly considered offering to let her shadow him for his work while he was here. He let go of the idea rather quickly, however. After all, searching for information on anything underground wasn't usually within a journalist's job description. Plus, Kouroi was somewhat right about this project being a little riskier than anything he'd done prior. He wouldn't want to rope a newbie into it.
The questions began to die down as Curi wrapped up his cooking. Six plates were retrieved from the cabinets, and Lalage got out of her seat to start setting out napkins and utensils without needing to be asked. Before any food was actually served, however, Curi turned to the V'uts-pan.
"Alright! I'll go make sure Noe and Laina are up," he stretched, and slipped off the apron he'd been wearing to hang it up in the corner of the kitchen, "Lalage, could you grab May?"
Curi received a chirp in response before she ran off, the tapping of her feet audible on the stairs once she had disappeared from view. He moved to follow, but paused for a moment.
"You're welcome to serve yourself in the meantime!" Curi said to his brother, getting what he assumed was a muttered "alright," in response.
Without any further distraction, the man made his way upstairs. He could hear Lalage pestering her sister from the hallway, but elected to ignore it in favor of heading to his and his partners' room. The floorboards were creaky under his feet, and the architecture was a little out-of-date, but Curi couldn't care less. They had made this their home through all trials and tribulations, and it was undeniably theirs. Noe was a little dramatic about the lack of decor, occasionally, but otherwise it was perfect for them.
Them and the little family they'd collected.
As the door to the master bedroom creaked open, Curi heard the sound of the shower running. Only one figure remained on the bed, although she was sat up on the edge of it, as if she was on the verge of getting up anyway.
"Morning, love," Curi greeted as he approached, "Food's ready. Noe's showering, I'd guess?"
Laina stood up as he spoke, and they exchanged a brief kiss before she responded. "Mhm. Are the girls up?"
"Yep. Well, Lalage is. I told her to get May up for breakfast while I grabbed both of you." He let go of Laina's hand, and she moved toward her wardrobe while Curi went on. He sat down on the bed. "She was so excited to see me! I wish I'd recorded it, honestly."
"We did tell them you were coming home, but not when. Partially because we didn't know either." She shot him a look, and Curi raised his hands in mock surrender. To be fair, he hadn't known how long the trip over water was going to be. He would have given a more accurate timeframe if he'd had more information.
He wasn't going to dwell on it, however, because he could tell that Laina wasn't actually upset with him. Something he was grateful for, since she packed a punch when she was well and truly angry. Verbally, at least. Curi could remember the last time she'd chewed him out quite clearly, and it was not something he wished to relive. He shuddered.
It sounded as if Noe was done with the shower, at least, so they wouldn't have to wait much longer to eat. The constant pitter-patter of running water had ceased, replaced by meandering steps and the occasional ruffling of clothing. Curi sprawled out on the mattress and tilted his head up to gaze at the bathroom door patiently. Fortunately, the door creaked open shortly after, and he grinned as he met the eyes of his other partner.
"Noe!" Curi reached his arms out dramatically at the other man for a few moments before letting them drop, leaving them to hang off the side of the bed somewhat. Noe returned the smile, but turned to Laina instead of responding directly to Curi.
"Laina, that strange man from last night appears to be laying on our bed. How could you let this happen?" Curi let out an affronted gasp, but neither of the people in his company paid any attention to it.
"Well, that 'strange man' slept in our bed last night, with us , so I didn't think it was too odd." Laina was gazing into a mirror as she spoke, putting in a pair of earrings that Curi recognized as the work of a local jeweler. He wondered when she'd gotten them; they looked new. "He also made us breakfast, so be grateful."
"I can't believe this," Curi groaned, "I'm gone for just a few weeks and the loves of my life have completely forgotten about me! However will I recover?"
"Try writing an article about it, maybe that'll heal your ego." Noe quickly mussed his own hair with a towel to dry it somewhat, although some water still dripped down onto his robe after doing so. He made his way over to Curi, who received a peck on the lips not unlike the one he had given to Laina when he had first entered the room. "We missed you, Curi. I'm glad you're home."
"Me too." Curi sat up once Noe had retreated to get himself ready for the day. He stretched his arms out above him, arching his back for good measure, and stood himself up once he'd sufficiently arranged enough of his bones to get a few satisfying ' pops '.
"Well," he said, making his way toward the door, "I'll go make sure that the girls aren't killing anything. Just wanted to see my two favorite people and tell them breakfast was ready!"
Laina rolled her eyes. "Drama queen," Curi heard her say as he left, "you saw us when you got up!" He didn't respond, but smiled at the jab. He traced his prior path back downstairs, noting that Lalage and May's room was empty of movement or sound. They must have already headed into the kitchen, then.
Sure enough, Curi heard the sisters talking downstairs long before he turned the corner to see them. He greeted May warmly, noted that Kouroi had already served himself as he'd been suggested to, and subsequently prepared the girls' plates before finally making his own. Technically he could have told them to help themselves, but he knew that they wouldn't have been kept waiting as long as his brother. Plus, Lalage often had trouble using larger utensils such as spatulas and ladles, so it wasn't practical to make her handle them when it wasn't necessary.
They didn't have to wait long before Laina and Noe joined them either, and the room was filled with hearty conversation and playful arguments. It made Curi's heart ache, knowing that he'd be leaving this behind again once his work in Hestia was done. At the very least, he knew he'd always have his home to return to should he end up in the area, but the days and nights that he spent on the other side of the planet's habitable zone would be boring without his whole family. He wished he could take them with him, but that would be unreasonable. He would never expect his partners to uproot their entire lives just to accompany him. Plus, there was no guarantee that Lalage and May would be treated as well in other parts of Ozedas as they currently were in Hestia; most other cities had almost entirely human populations, and were therefore less accommodating for non-human residents.
Curi mulled over his career choices some more over breakfast, but pushed it into the back of his mind once they'd begun cleaning up. He helped collect dishes for Laina to clean, and retrieved a handcloth for Noe so the other man could clean the table of any spills or crumbs. The girls both ran back upstairs to get ready for the day, Lalage hopping in circles around May as they turned down the hallway, and Curi kept tabs on Kouroi through his peripheral vision as his brother eventually got up from his chair and wandered the same way, likely to prepare for his own agenda.
Time passed, the remnants of their meal were cleaned up, and everyone set out to complete their plans for the day. Noe and Curi were tasked with going out to the market for some products that they needed at home, along with a short list of things that they were given by Laina for the cafe. None of the latter were strictly necessary, of course, but Laina had explained that she was interested in trying some new flavoring in her drinks, and told both of them to pick up some of the local products that she wrote down if they managed to find any while they were out. Curi had readily agreed, and despite Noe's half-hearted grumbling about favoritism, he was obviously happy to keep an eye out as well.
Laina was running the cafe by herself today, although she had assured them that she was plenty capable of handling the workload when Curi had expressed concern about it. Apparently this might not have been the first time she'd done this, as Noe didn't seem to be bothered, but it was also entirely possible that the fashion designer just trusted her to know her own capabilities. Lalage and May usually ran the place themselves, with Laina managing the finances and such, but she was giving them the day off to have fun with a friend of theirs that lived in the heart of the city. Curi would have asked Kouroi to help her out for the day, but he assumed that his twin probably had his own itinerary, and he didn't want to mess with it. Curi wasn't sure how well he'd manage with making drinks and dealing with the general public, anyway. Kouroi had never been impressed much by social interaction.
Curi enjoyed having time to spend with Noe, at least.
The pair went about their shopping with very little distraction, even managing to grab some of the items on Laina's list by the time they were wrapping with the necessities. Curi carried a bag of goods around his shoulder, shifting it ever so slightly as he walked alongside his partner. They exchanged some conversation back and forth about various topics, even touching briefly upon Curi's current job assignment before he redirected the conversation.
He paused, however, when he recognized something out of the corner of his eye. He tapped Noe's hand, which was held loosely in his own, and they both slowed their pace so that Curi could get a better look at what caught his eye without drawing much attention. He glanced around the area.
Most of what he saw was various market stalls and the vendors running them, and he had a difficult time picking up anything that was out of the ordinary. In all honesty, he wasn't even sure what had gotten his attention in the first place, or why it gave him the urge to investigate it. Something in the back of his mind was just nagging him relentlessly, so it had to be something important. But then…
There!
Curi's eyes locked onto someone on the edge of the street. He was unable to make out much of their body, since it was almost entirely hidden within a hooded cloak, but he could tell from their movements alone that they were likely non-human. They walked casually on the outskirts of the crowd of sellers and shoppers. In any other circumstance, Curi wouldn't have spared them a second glance.
But the symbol of a bull's head stitched neatly onto a shoulder of their clothing, just barely visible given the distance, was what made Curi turn to his partner with thinly-disguised anticipation.
"Hey Noe, be a dear and take my bag, will you?" He slid his shopping bag from his shoulder and held it out to the other man, who took it without much hesitation. "I think I just saw an old friend from work, and I'd like to go catch up with them. Could you let Kouroi know I might be home late?"
'I've just caught sight of a potential lead,' his words implied, 'tell Kouroi where we are. Stay close.'
Noe tensed up, but nodded. "I'll message him. Let me know when you're done, I'll look around some of these stalls to see if there's anything Laina might like while I'm waiting. Don't go too far."
'Understood, I'll be nearby. Stay safe.'
Curi kept his movements consciously loose as he gave Noe a quick parting kiss. He wasn't sure if his target was watching him, or if there was anyone else around who might have been acting as a lookout for them, and he didn't want to draw any unwanted attention to himself until he was in control of the situation. The journalist was pretty sure that the organization he was tracking would have no clue that he was in Hestia, let alone that he was looking for them in the first place, but he would rather be overly cautious than dead.
He approached the figure as they continued to walk along the side of the street, seemingly unaware of Curi's presence. That more or less knocked out the idea of them being there to watch him, at least. He took in every detail that he could as he got closer. They were significantly shorter than him, possibly around four feet tall? Three legs moved rather deftly underneath the cloak, especially impressive since they all seemed to be prosthetics of some sort, or at the very least non-natural.
Curi was less than a yard away from them when they finally seemed to notice him, one of their steps stuttering for a moment before they regained their pace. He noted that they did not attempt to flee or freeze in preparation for a fight, but that could change at a moment's notice. He would have to be wary. At the very least, he was far enough away from the crowd that he didn't have to worry about speaking in riddles like he had with Noe as long as he kept his voice down.
This might very well be the best chance the universe could have given him at gathering information for Precilon's assignment.
"Hello there, friend," Curi greeted in a low tone that just barely carried through the bustling chatter of the market nearby, "I would hate to be impolite, but could you answer some questions regarding that symbol on your clothing?"
"You… fr- Prec-i-lon?" The figure's question was so fragmented that it caught Curi off guard for a moment, even the way they pronounced 'Precilon' being stilted and carefully annunciated. It was as if they were unfamiliar with the common language, which Curi supposed was a very real possibility. Ignoring the content of their question for now, he tried an alternative form of communication.
[Do you know USL?] Curi made sure to sign in such a way as to make it easier for the other to read his words, even if they weren't entirely fluent. It was a shot in the dark, perhaps, but sometimes it was more likely for space travelers to know Universal Sign Language rather than the common spoken language if their physiology didn't allow for the right phonetic sounds.
His hunch turned out to be correct, thankfully, as his "friend" signed back, [Yes! I am familiar.] Two exoskeleton-clad appendages reached out of the depths of the cloak to communicate their message. They had now stopped walking entirely, which Curi supposed was so both of them could focus on their conversation. He continued to keep a careful eye on his surroundings, however.
[What did you ask about me and P-R-E-C-I-L-O-N?] The man finger-spelled the organization's name for clarity. He knew and semi-frequently used a shorthand sign for it, but he wasn't sure how widespread it was outside of his circles.
[Did they send you? I asked for help but I don't know if they received the transmission.] They fidgeted with their limbs momentarily before continuing on. [I never received anything back.]
Interesting. Captain Maddison hadn't said anything about a distress call when he was put on this job, but there were a few possible explanations for that. He didn't want to jump straight to suspicion.
[I work for them,] he answered simply, [what do you need help with? When did you send your message?]
[You asked about the bull-symbol, correct? I am trapped. I need to get out. I contacted P-R-E-C-I-L-O-N several days ago.]
Curi felt the urge to sigh, but held it in. He hadn't been working for Precilon very long, but it had been long enough to become familiar with how useless they were in giving out important information regarding assignments. It wasn't something he'd had the liberty of experiencing until now, due to his position as a mostly-undirected journalist, but he'd overheard plenty of other workers complain about the lack of instruction before. Curi figured that he'd gotten the best deal he could ask for when they approached him with actual leads for his assignment, hence why he recognized the bull stitching in the first place, but apparently he was mistaken. 'Several days ago' would have been just before he was given this job, so he suspected that it had to have been what caused the Captain to feel that sending him here was more important than his usual work.
He resisted the impulse to pinch the bridge of his nose as he wrapped up his thoughts, and instead busied his hands with signing back his response.
[I think I can help. I can't stay long; we can meet tomorrow. The park a few streets down, at 4pm. Does that work for you?] The park he was referring to was mostly greenspace, but there were a few trees and bushes that would keep them from being observed at too great of a distance. Plus, there would be enough families milling around in the afternoon that it would be difficult for anyone with ill intent to target them without making a scene, and simultaneously make it easier for Curi to disappear into the crowd if the need arises. It wasn't a perfect plan, but it would work.
[Yes. That's okay. I'll be there.] They must have deemed the conversation over for now, because they took a few steps back, away from Curi. Before they started walking away, however, they signed one last message. [Thank you.]
Curi dipped his head momentarily in response, and watched as the stranger shuffled their limbs back into their clothing, walking away quite briskly after doing so. He felt his mind going a thousand miles a minute, trying desperately to catalog information and put together whatever puzzle pieces he was given from that conversation. As such, it was only a few seconds later that he finally dragged his gaze away from the retreating figure before him and turned around to find Noe. He didn't want to worry the man more than necessary.
Keeping a close eye on his surroundings, Curi worked his way back to where he'd left his partner. He'd gone farther than he thought, but thankfully the other man didn't seem to mind the wait. He was glancing over some fabrics at one of the stalls when Curi spotted him. Probably looking for some new patterns, he thought to himself.
"Hey, hon." He sidled up to Noe, taking back the bag he'd given him earlier. "Sorry for the wait, I'm ready to head home whenever you are." Noe gave him a sideways glance, but nodded.
"Sure. I'm good to go." He gave a polite nod to the seller at the stand he'd been perusing, and followed Curi away from the most populated area of the market.
"I have a meeting in the park tomorrow, at four," Curi explained when he felt that they had gotten far enough away from the crowd. "Is Kouroi on his way?"
"I'd expect so. He only gave me an 'okay' when I messaged him."
"He definitely is, then." Curi smiled wryly. "I'm sure we'll catch him on the way there."
It had made sense in the moment to let his brother know that something was going on in case the worst happened, but in the aftermath of a harmless conversation, it felt like overkill. Kouroi was going to be freaking himself out until Curi explained the situation. Although, now that he thought about it, his twin was probably going to be up in arms about it anyway. Curi outwardly winced. He was going to get a couple stern talking-to's, for sure.
Laina wasn't going to be happy about this either, when she found out. She hated all the cryptic shit he pulled when he suddenly came across a lead out in public. She'd been the one to make them all start using coded phrases because of it, so he could at least communicate with them to an extent without tipping off any prying ears. It definitely came in handy for situations like those, Curi couldn't deny that. He sure wasn't looking forward to getting an earful about "taking stupid risks" again, though.
Speaking of getting an earful, Curi felt more than saw a familiar figure storming his way down the street towards them.
Kouroi just seemed worried at first, although his expression shifted to be more stern after he realized that his twin was more or less fine. Curi smiled apologetically at him in an attempt at easing his nerves, but he figured it wouldn't do much. Both parties kept walking until they met each other halfway, at which point Kouroi put his hands firmly on his twin's shoulders and shook him a little bit. Curi resisted the urge to chuckle as he pictured an outsider's perspective of this scene. He had to be at least somewhat serious for this.
"You lying bastard," Kouroi grumbled, oblivious to Curi's inner turmoil, "'I'm not working today' my ass! The one time I leave you unsupervised and you drag yourself into something. You're like an untrained dog!"
"He wasn't unsupervised," Noe butted in, "I was around."
Kouroi stopped shaking his brother to whip his head over to glare half-heartedly at the man. "But were you watching him?" Noe, for all his dry sass, did not reply. Kouroi sighed, shook his head, and removed his hands from Curi's shoulders. "Off-duty means off-duty , Curi. Please stop chasing every potential lead you see when you're not even working."
"Hey! I can't help it if the opportunity presents itself, y'know?" Curi straightened out some of the wrinkles in his shirt from being grabbed, and adjusted the bag that he had hanging from one of his shoulders. "Besides, I didn't do a whole lot of work-related business, just scheduled a meeting for tomorrow. We already planned to be out lead-hunting then, so why not speed up the process?"
His brother let out an exasperated sigh. "The 'process' keeps you safe , idiot." Despite his frustration, however, he seemed willing to let the subject go. At least for now. "We'll talk more about this once we're out of the street, and you're going to tell me exactly what the plan is for tomorrow. Understood?"
"Loud and clear, brother," Curi responded. "Although you're starting to sound like Captain Maddison."
Noe chuckled, Kouroi rolled his eyes, and Curi sidestepped his twin to continue walking back to the cafe. There was some chatter exchanged between the three during their trek, although most of it was instigated by Curi. Neither of the others were particularly talkative by nature. He didn't mind, though, and neither did they.
The afternoon had long since arrived by the time Laina's cafe came into view. The sun above cast shadows in front of the building's entrance, and the heat of the day was reaching its peak. Curi was relieved that he'd likely be able to spend the rest of his day inside, unless Noe and Laina dragged him out for something later. Having grown up in this city, he knew it would only get warmer until summer ran its course, but he ignored the thought. The unrelenting heat was one of the few things he didn't miss about Hestia when he traveled. As such, the rush of cool air was like heaven on his face as he stepped into the cafe. The chime of the entry bell rang through the space as the three men entered, and Curi figured it wouldn't be long before Laina came up front to greet them.
Usually, he would have hung around at one of the tables and waited for her, pulling out his laptop or a notepad to do research or write down his thoughts, but he had other work to attend to at the moment. One such task, of course, being to put away everything he and Noe had gotten at the market. They all went through the back of the shop to get upstairs into their living space, Curi dragging his free hand along the wall as they climbed the stairs.
Putting all of their items into the correct spots was a trivial matter, although they left everything they'd gotten for Laina out on the kitchen table for her to take stock of later. She would know that it's hers; they'd done this similarly many times before. Once that was done, though…
"I'll be in my room," Kouroi stated once he'd deemed his presence unneeded, before turning to Curi with a pointed look. "You'll be running me through your plan for tomorrow before dinner." His tone left no room for argument, not that Curi would have protested anyway.
He just raised his hands in a placating motion. "Okay, okay, I hear you. I'll be in there soon." Before he followed, however, he turned to Noe. "Do you think Laina needs help closing up the cafe?" She usually closed mid-afternoon, and it was swiftly approaching that time.
"I doubt it, but I'll check on her soon." Noe was putting away the last of their efforts, setting the item neatly inside the fridge before closing the door. He looked at Curi knowingly. "So you don't have an excuse to put off planning with Kouroi, I'm afraid."
"I'm shocked and appalled that you would even think I would do such a thing!" Curi gasped dramatically. "I would never put off something that I don't want to do!"
Noe hummed. "Sure babe, whatever you need to tell yourself." The man walked past his faux-offended partner to the stairway that led into the back of the cafe. As he disappeared from view, however, Curi heard him call out, "It's for your own safety! Don't be an idiot!"
Curi huffed, but only hesitated for a moment before heading to the room where Kouroi was staying. He didn't think much while he rushed up the stairs, and said nothing until he'd entered the room and closed the door behind him. Kouroi was sitting at a small desk along the wall opposite of the bed, and he spun in his chair to face his twin as Curi sat on the end of the mattress.
"Okay, so," Curi began, "Fair warning, I haven't processed any of this yet, so if I'm a complete mess, you don't get the right to judge me."
"Of course." Kouroi tilted his head slightly, eyes squinted in the way that he did whenever he was trying to read someone. Curi wondered for a moment what exactly he was thinking, but cut himself off. He needed to focus on this. Remember every detail.
And so he told Kouroi what had happened, as word-for-word as he could manage given his lack of preparation at the time. His brother chimed in occasionally to ask for clarification and such when Curi skirted past a detail that he deemed unimportant, but otherwise the room was filled with a constant stream of words.
He detailed his thought process at the time as clearly as he could remember, and supplemented innocuous details with hypotheses. He noted the stranger's use of USL, what he gleaned of their species, the possibly-prosthetic legs that they walked upon. When the story was over, he doubled back to recount some of it again, to plant it further in his memory so he wouldn't forget, and saw new threads that he hadn't seen before. He kept going, kept making side notes for himself in his mind and translating them out loud, skipping over his own words and starting new sentences before the last one had even ended, and–
Curi inhaled.
He'd wrapped up just about everything he thought he could spill about his encounter with the bull-marked stranger that day. It seemed clearer, now that the information had spilled into the air, and was no longer a prisoner within his skull. It was a weight off his shoulders. He realized, however, that throughout the course of his account, it had begun to sink in. The situation was real. It had happened, Curi had probably been in some sort of danger, and on top of it all, he'd agreed to do it again the next day.
He exhaled, rubbing a hand down his face.
"Yeah," Kouroi commented, speaking for the first time since Curi's explanation ended, "Imagine how I felt, getting a sudden message that my idiot brother had 'found a lead' and went to chase it without any sort of proper lookout."
"It's not… that bad…" Curi retorted half-heartedly, although he grimaced as he spoke. "We got a really promising leak, at least. And I'm almost certain that nobody else was paying attention to our conversation."
"'Almost certain' isn't a guarantee." Curi wondered for a moment if he had spoken without intending to, because his brother's words mirrored his thoughts almost exactly.
"It's about as close as we're going to get, Kouroi." He shook his head and mussed his own hair a little. "Look, I'll try to be more careful in the future, but it's not like I'm rushing into this completely blind. I'm not as paranoid as you, but I've been doing work like this for a long time. I know how to pry for information without making it obvious."
Kouroi grunted, but otherwise gave no response.
"Besides," Curi continued, seeing as how his brother had nothing to say, "That person needs our help. Like I said, they're probably the reason Precilon put me here in the first place. I can't in good conscience leave them waiting."
"I know." The desk chair creaked as Kouroi leaned back into it, tilting his head to gaze up at the ceiling for a few moments before closing his eyes. "I know."
"So I'm meeting them tomorrow," Curi stated firmly, leaving no room for argument, "That's a given. I'd be surprised if you let me go by myself, so you'll be there as my extra set of eyes. If you're really concerned about it, I'm sure I can get Laina to come, since she'll have just closed up the cafe by the time we're meeting them." He wasn't sure how much he liked the idea of involving one of his partners in this more than was necessary, but if Kouroi deemed it a worthwhile precaution, he'd deal with it.
Kouroi seemed to stew in his thoughts for a minute before answering. "You don't have to tell Laina. I trust you, for the most part, and the half-baked plan you came up with on the spot isn't the worst it could be." He lifted his head back up, at that point, and looked at his twin dead in the eyes. "But you have to promise me to keep an eye out, Curi. Be careful, please."
"I will," he promised, "I know you only started tagging along with me after I was hired under Precilon, so trust me when I say that this isn't too far off from some of the field research I've done for my articles. I am sorry, though; I've been approaching this like I'm still working alone, and obviously that's not the case anymore." Curi dipped his head apologetically. "I've appreciated having you with me, Kouroi. I'll try to start being more… inclusive, I suppose."
"I'd appreciate it," Kouroi said back. His voice was softer than it had been for most of the conversation prior, and less pleading than when he'd asked Curi to be careful the next day. They'd reached enough of an agreement to warrant the end of the conversation, then. They would still have to come up with a concrete plan for Curi's meeting with the stranger, but that could wait until later that night. After dinner, possibly. Regardless, they would both need some time to recharge and think more about their predicament.
Thus, Curi stood from where he'd been sitting at the end of Kouroi's bed. "Well, we should have plenty of time to review our ideas later tonight, because I have to get dinner started soon, and I also really don't want to continue this conversation right now!" He brushed down his pants to get them unwrinkled from his previous position.
His comment had made Kouroi exhale in the vague silhouette of a chuckle, at least. "Alright, sure," he replied, "After dinner, then?"
"After dinner," Curi confirmed. His brother made a hum of agreement and turned around in his chair again to face the desk, so the journalist figured he was fine to leave. And leave he did, after putting in one last comment warning Kouroi not to be late. He highly doubted that would be a problem, of course, but it ended their conversation on a lighter note. Hopefully, that meant that they'd both recover faster from the heavier topics they'd discussed. A futile hope, perhaps, but it wouldn't hurt anyone.
The rest of the night passed with little consequence. Dinner was made, shared, and cleaned away, and the twins planned for the next day with as much detail as they'd dared. There wasn't much that they could rely on concretely other than the time and location, but that was more than enough for them to work with. They'd both grown up in that sector of Hestia, so they were more than familiar with the area. In the end, they decided to stick pretty closely to Curi's original idea. It had been crafted on the spot, yes, but that's where the man thrived. How would he ever get anything done, without the pressure to do so? Stress fueled his best ideas, he'd told Kouroi, who then rebutted by mentioning that some of his worst ideas had been made on a time crunch as well. Curi ignored him.
After that, Curi filled Laina and Noe in on what had happened at the market. He didn't tell them most of it, of course, but enough to assure them that yes, he knew what he was doing and no, he didn't want them to help with it. Laina was reasonably annoyed at her partner's spur-of-the-moment mentality, as expected, and berated him somewhat for taking unnecessary risks before he pointed out that Kouroi had already given him a stern talking-to right after the fact. At that point, she seemed content enough to leave it be.
Curi slept about as soundly as he would have expected that night, considering that his mind felt like it was still running a thousand miles a minute. His partners being next to him certainly helped him get some kind of sleep, but it was far from his typical standard. The next morning went similarly to the last; Curi got up first, his internal clock keeping him from lazing in bed any longer, breakfast was made and shared, and then everyone prepared to go their separate ways. May and Lalage were going to be running the cafe for the most part that day, although Laina would be around working on some paperwork so they could rely on her to come in if they had any issues. Even Noe was heading to work now, the tailor shop he worked for having been closed over the weekend.
The twins were grateful for the privacy this gave them in terms of having the freedom to speak about Curi's assignment without skirting around its most secret details, but the silence was eerie when paired with the anticipation of the meeting. Laina had come upstairs briefly around noon to fetch some lunch food for herself and her wards, at which point Curi had a short conversation with her, but otherwise their abode felt almost hollow. It made the man squirm.
Kouroi seemed to feel the same, at least to an extent, since he was much more fidgety than Curi was used to seeing. At some point, they'd turned on the television just to have something filtering into their heads other than the occasional clarification on something relating to their plan. They didn't pay much attention to it, though. Curi thought he'd heard some mention of Earth in passing, so it might have been an old documentary? He wasn't sure, but it was meaningless enough that speculating on it kept him from thinking himself into paranoia.
Eventually, though, enough time had passed that the brothers had to get moving. They went over the details of their plan one last time, for the sake of clarity, and left. Curi stopped briefly to say goodbye to Laina and the girls as they passed through the cafe, and Kouroi went ahead without him. He'd get to the park slightly before Curi to scope it out, and would let him know ahead of time if anything seemed dangerous. Worst-case scenario, they looked identical enough that anyone looking for Curi would approach Kouroi instead, and he could handle himself in a scuffle much better than his twin. Curi was more adept at weaving words than grappling folks.
The only message he received from Kouroi was an all-clear, though, so he entered the park without fear.
There were some families nearby; kids laughed and squealed as they ran around, and most of the adults were wrapped up in small talk on the lawn. It was welcome white noise to Curi's ears, although some of the cheerful screams from the children proved to be distracting while he scanned the area. Nothing odd stuck out to him; not that he expected there to be anything suspicious, since Kouroi had already done a thorough check. It was just… a good idea to play it safe.
At the very least, it seemed as though his quarry had already arrived. They sat on a bench beneath a worn willow tree, which hung low over the path winding around it. Curi almost wondered if he could reach up and touch one of its lower branches as he passed beneath it, but brushed away the thought as soon as it appeared. As was the case the day prior, his mind was honed in on his job. There was little room for distraction when he took risks like this.
"Nice to see you again," Curi greeted, signing a similar phrase simultaneously as he took a seat next to the stranger from yesterday. He left a reasonable gap between them both, just enough that a person could sit snugly between them; there was no need to act overly familiar, after all.
They didn't seem surprised at his presence, although he didn't expect them to be. Their hood had been angled toward him as he approached, so Curi assumed they spotted him around the same time that he had seen them.
[Hello,] they signed back, [Thank you for this, I was worried that I was alone before you talked to me. I didn't think P-R-E-C-I-L-O-N was doing anything about it.]
A child shrieked nearby, followed by a fit of laughter. Kouroi's figure flitted by casually in the corner of his eye. The leaves of the willow above them, shielding them from the sun, rustled in the warm breeze.
[Precilon–] Curi used his personal shorthand for the organization, clarifying by fingerspelling it as well, [–didn't tell me much. They only showed me that bull symbol and told me to investigate the people behind it, essentially. They didn't mention you.] He gestured to the stitching on their shoulder as he mentioned the symbol, although he was sure they knew what he was referring to regardless. They had been the one to point it out before, after all.
Curi's company let out a quiet, drawn-out hiss that sounded more akin to a sigh than a sound of warning or danger. He related to the feeling, in all honesty, and he appreciated having some common ground to stand on with someone who was otherwise completely unknown to him. They said something under their breath as well, although it was either too quiet for Curi to hear or spoken in a language he wasn't familiar with. They returned to signing with a newfound passion, though, enough so that he was almost caught off-guard with their directness.
[My name is F-R-E-N-N-I-N. I am being held on this planet against my will, and the people keeping me here have been trading me around like some kind of tool!] Their limbs moved swiftly, and sharp chitters and clicks were audible from beneath their hood. [I was only able to contact Precilon now because this is the first location I have been placed in that is not a deadzone! ]
Curi would have been lying if he said that he wasn't appalled at the severity of the situation, but he kept his expression neutral and his body relaxed for the sake of keeping the conversation appearing casual to any onlookers.
Someone was walking the path, on their phone, likely not a threat. Their pockets were empty. Kouroi left his field of vision.
[I can help you,] Curi reassured his riled friend, [I can get you out right now, and you can help me report back to Precilon. I can't go with you, but I have someone who can watch your back as you go.] Truthfully, he didn't want to accompany Frennin for the sake of his family. If anyone affiliated with the bull-symbol group saw him with them after this meeting, he suspected he'd be targeted for it; he was pushing his luck with that as-is, honestly. It would be safer for all parties involved for Curi to give them directions to the nearest Precilon security building, part ways, and have Kouroi tail them to ensure that they made it there.
When Frennin expressed interest in his idea, he relayed it to them in full. It took some effort to get the exact location of the building across, since they were so unfamiliar with the area, but eventually they seemed confident enough with Curi's directions that they both deemed their rendezvous complete.
His phone buzzed. Odd, he thought he'd silenced it.
He pulled the device from his pocket as he stood, waving a cordial goodbye to Frennin before he turned to walk away. A single notification popped up, and although it was suspicious, Curi dismissed the garbled text that it contained. That was a later problem to figure out; right now, he needed to fill Kouroi in on what was going on.
'Could you follow our friend to work? They were feeling a little unsafe since they're new around here!'
Kouroi responded in the affirmative, although he didn't seem happy about it. Nothing new.
Curi tucked his phone away and kept walking.
The heat wasn't welcoming, but when was it ever? Even the steady breeze was too warm to be a comfort. As he passed the loitering families on the green, Curi found himself reminiscing about the days when the summer was fun and not exhausting, even as he continued to keep a sharp eye on his surroundings.
He glanced over his shoulder one last time as he neared the edge of the lawn, and saw his brother milling around nearby the willow tree. Curi felt a sense of triumph, despite everything. His work wasn't done yet, but this would surely prove to be a boon in his hands. He focused ahead of him once again. He only had to head home now, maybe take a couple wrong turns to make sure he wasn't being followed.
A child shrieked nearby. No laughter followed. A dozen panicked figures flitted by in the corner of his eye. The shout of his twin's voice behind him, raised high in sudden desperation, barely found its way to his ears.
Curi turned abruptly, alert in a single moment. Kouroi was sprinting his way, but his brother wasn't looking at him. He was locked onto–
Curi moved–
Someone was standing on the path. Gun in their hands. A threat. The space between them was empty, then loud. Kouroi left his field of vision.
But he didn't move quickly enough.
He felt his head hit the cement from the force of the shot, but all he could feel was the left side of his face burning. He couldn't– he couldn't see. The pavement was red. His head felt cold, but wasn't it summer? The sun was reflected through dark spots on the ground. Everything felt fuzzy, but sharp. Wretched noises stung his ears. Screaming. Screaming.
His phone buzzed.
Odd, he could have sworn he'd silenced it.