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The tribe lunatic went out in the sun again?
Esidisi huffed, naked brows furrowing as the bright light of the afternoon sun was teetering dangerously close to the cave side shadows—the stark contrast of dark and light giving him a slight headache.
He shook his head, holding in his sigh as he skillfully scaled the ravine to make way to wherever area Kars had gotten himself tangled up with.
Hmm, I see Kars’s genius has led him to a different path today… far more adventurous than the usual expedition.
Kars, although considered unorthodox due to the nature of his thoughts and even more unpopular for his stone-faced demeanor, was somebody you cannot outright deny or ignore. Not only was he the tribe’s trademark mad scientist, but he was also practically royalty—a status of envy—being the chief’s son.
While he may not flaunt his heritage as others may often do, he certainly did look the part.
Kars was a few years his senior but he was his acquaintance—and even then, Esidisi knew he was a sight to behold. His three horns, long and sleek and as dark as slate, resembled a crown atop his head. He had thick locks of wavy, purple hair that fell all the way past his hips when it wasn’t put up in his modest head wrap or pinned up into a braided bun. His skin, although he hasn’t been particularly close to him, appeared supple and silkier than his own.
And even more strikingly—his eyes. His tribal marking manifested itself upon his eyelids as a lovely hue of blue, the kind you see above the earth when night hasn’t yet touched the sky. The blue lined his diamond-like eyes which bore ruby pupils—full of a burning ambition.
Kars was undeniably beautiful.
Sighting Kars out of his cavernous abode was definitely rare, but it wasn’t impossible to catch him.
And when Esidisi did snag the chance to glimpse him, he wouldn’t have believed that somebody as crazed with thoughts as Kars would be so striking until he saw him in the flesh.
Sometimes disheveled, rather gaunt, and even with his body bearing the sheen of sweat of restlessness, Kars had some sort of raw beauty that Esidisi couldn’t quite put a finger on.
Yet something was so—nevermind.
Esidisi musing himself over the looks of the tribe kook wasn’t the point of his mission—it was to retrieve him.
Kars earned his title of kookiness for his fascination with the sun.
Yes, the sun.
The only natural enemy of the tribe of darkness—the all powerful, all radiating, distant ball of fire that burned in the heavens like an untouchable, divine hearth.
For every organism that graced the earth, the sun was a god that bestowed life.
For them, it was like a kiss of death—petrified via stonification. For everything the unstoppable pillar men had conquered, it was only the sun that was immovable.
Why would Kars, despite his genius, slave over something he didn’t have control over? Why bother changing the course of nature?
Esidisi had an idea but he wouldn’t dare say it outright. At least, not yet.
Anyhow, the fact Esidisi was somebody Kars’s age who had spoken to Kars more than 3 times in the last decade who weren’t his parents made him easy pickings to go search for him.
Come to think of it… I’ve probably talked to Kars more than anybody else in the tribe.
BESIDES. It wasn’t his fault Kars would randomly appear whenever Esidisi was strolling about! Nor was it particularly a bad thing…
But Esidisi continued on, pondering to himself as he made his way through the snaking path.
***
Esidisi’s eyes rounded at the sight presented before him, raising a brow at such a feeling that came over him.
Addressing the scene, it seemed like Kars had managed to find the highest point of the cliff outing to fossilize into stone—
Esidisi took note of the fur cloak that was discarded near the mouth of the cave exit where Esidisi resided.
Kars’s almost bare body was arched towards the sky, chest puffed out, head back—proudly basking in the very venom of his people. The sun bore its gift of light onto him, casting a shadow and accentuating every sinewy tendon and chiseled muscle. Kars’s body exudes elegance gleaming in the glory of the morning sun.
Esidisi’s breath drew out audibly.
This shameless display… this shameless embracing of the sun—..endearing.
That’s the only word that he could think of to describe this feeling.
Endearing.
I feel his desire and I can’t even see the look on his pretty face.
The mane of crystallized hair that flowed with the wind—intricate little swirls of every lock curling in their own rebellious little way—hid whatever he couldn’t see from where he stood behind Kars. If he could see his face though, he’d imagine it was something determined—something so defiantly against his people yet so very much like Kars.
What was so special about Kars? There was something that kept his eyes on him—fixating on every minuscule detail that he’d normally overlook—..
His hands fumbled with the rope he had brought to tassel Kars back into the shadows. The pillar man was standing right at the edge of the cliff—a spot just out of reach from safety.
Esidisi never considered the fact that he never got to fully take in the depth of Kars’s beauty as he was now able to in this frozen state. Come to think of it—he’s never seen Kars so… still?
He’s always moving, always restless—always on a different path from everybody else.
He was always alone. He refused the luxury of domestic life, never satiated by the blessing of his species’ prowess as an apex predator.
He wanted it all.
And Esidisi liked that.
..I better make this quick. He’d probably feel humiliated even at the slightest helping hand. He’s always been alone in that sense.
Esidisi quickly fashioned a lasso with the rope he had and casted it over Kars, the tassel falling past his hair and slightly below his shoulders.
Okay. Steady—steady, he pursed his lips as he focused—tugging at the rope to ensure he had enough of a stable hold on his peer.
Good—rope’s wounded on him securely. Now just to pull him in with a quick lil yank—!
***
Esidisi barely processed the loud thud of his back hitting the stone floor when the jewel-red eyes of his crazy crush was bearing its paralyzing gaze straight into his soul.
He stared, his light blue eyes meeting Kars’s dark red ones. The pretty blue markings on his eyes softened his face despite the sharpness of his features.
Kars was on top of him, one hand on Esidisi’s chest and the other gripping the floor space beside Esidisi’s ear to catch himself. They were stomach to stomach, every shiver of his body was sensed and with every breath they drew, they both felt the other’s diaphragm rise and fall. The rope he had thrown around him bounded tightly below Kars’s pectorals, slightly squeezing him. Dark indigo locks fell over his face and suddenly, the world was engulfed by Kars and nothing else.
The world had never felt smaller, stiller, and as silent as it was now in Esidisi’s life.
They shared a breath.
Kars’s soft breath felt cool, slightly tingly against his skin, which he realized had gotten feverishly warm.
Esidisi huffed.
“Well, good morning to you too,” Esidisi said.
“…Good morning,” Kars murmured, lips almost sealed shut, expression unreadable.
Esidisi broke eye contact momentarily as his hands tentatively reached forward, keenly aware of the fact his fingers brushed against Kars’s ribs as he grasped the binding around him. It wasn’t hard to, no—Esidisi was very much aware of how much warmer he was than Kars.
He tore off the ropes that bound him.
Kars pulled away—averting his gaze as he reached for the fur cloak he had discarded. Esidisi could tell he was avoiding looking at him now—especially after the way they fell. How strange. How intimate it felt, when it only was a short lived moment of a couple seconds.
The initial shock was like a blank space, a stark contrast to the overwhelming flurry of thoughts that had flooded their heads like a rushing river. Too much yet too little happened in those seconds. If it was anything else, it would’ve merely just been an insignificant event to their long, long lifespan—something as trivial as breathing or blinking.
“..Thank you.” Kars muttered, lowering his head. He had no position to be hostile, yet he bristled with the embarrassment of vulnerability.
“It’s nothing, really—“ Esidisi coughed, tilting his head as he watched Kars throw the fur over his shoulders. “They just wanted me to fetch you in case you were in any danger—..”
Esidisi had avoided using the word ‘chief’ but he cursed himself internally. Shit, now he made it sound like Kars was a damsel in distress.
“..Not to say you were in danger, but—“
“I know.” Kars stopped him, brows furrowing. “I can handle myself. I’m aware, but.. I..”
Esidisi swallowed, a little anxious.
“I appreciate the help.” Kars finished flatly. “..You did save me from a couple hours of being stone.”
“It’s not a problem.. so… do you do this often?”
Kars paused, obviously not expecting Esidisi’s response. He glanced back at him, tugging at the edge of his fur cloak as he hugged it tighter over his shoulders. Like an animal refusing to show his soft underbelly, Kars was obviously still on the defensive.
“Are you trying to tease me? It gets old after a couple centuries,” Kars scoffed, the initial ‘gratitude’ he had expressed disappearing.
He’s quick to judge, Esidisi noted.
“No! No, I’m not teasing, it’s just,” Esidisi blinked, trailing off.
Damn it! This is a chance I can’t overlook!
His chance to actually speak to Kars, within the privacy of one another, to actually acknowledge his passion with his interest. All the things he had imagined of asking Kars before seemingly dried up on his tongue, but Esidisi was determined to keep him talking.
“Just?” Kars cocked a brow, lips already curling in displeasure.
“Fascinating,” Esidisi blurted out. “You’re so fascinating.”
“…” Kars stared at him, pupils dilating.
“You’re completely nuts.”
Before Kars could speak, Esidisi butted in quickly—
“I like it.”
Huh?
Confusion flashed in his eyes, caught off guard.
“I really like that, actually.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You’re openly defying the very thing that conquers us—you step into the light knowing it can kill you. Why? Why do you do that? The world is your oyster yet you live for more?”
Kars was silent, his diamond-shaped eyes a little rounder than before. He was clearly not expecting Esidisi’s words, much less the fact he ‘liked’ him.
There was a pause before Kars’s tense shoulders slightly slumped. The hostility that he had prior was on the down low again.
“You’re strange.” Kars said softly, narrowing his eyes as he tilted his head.
“You like my defiance? I don’t see why you would.”
Esidisi pursed his lips, whistling a bit. “It’s intriguing. There has to be something even greater than what you have now to keep trying to step into the sun.”
“..I just think,” Kars started. “That we’re capable of much more than what we can do now.”
“Uh-huh. So you spend your day sunbathing?”
“No, it’s more than that.” Kars huffed, crossing his arms. “It’s…”
“It’s what, mm?” Esidisi smiled, a slight eagerness rising up in his chest. To hear whatever Kars had going on in his mind, only to be met with—
“It’s a secret.”
Esidisi almost burst out laughing.
“A secret?” He echoed, a huge grin splitting across his face. What the hell, Kars acted so high and mighty but what’s this? Suddenly so shy?
Now, that was cute!
“Are you kidding? All that time cooped up in your cave and you don’t even want to discuss the slightest bit of it?”
Kars’s pupils wavered, his brows creasing as annoyance flickered in his gaze before he suddenly eased again. Kars realized the fire in Esidisi’s chuckle was not one of mockery.
It was the warm feeling of genuine sincerity.
He actually wanted to listen to Kars?
“Well, I don’t know if I can trust you yet. We barely talk.” He said flatly, shifting his gaze again.
“Kars, you never talk.”
Tch. He had a point there.
“And what if you make of me like a hopeless child chasing unreachable dreams?”
Again! Again with the instant defensive.
“Then… I think you’d probably kill me. I know you’re not the warrior type but I’ve seen your skill with the blade.”
Esidisi drew his index finger to his neck, grinning as he mimicked the sound of slicing his throat.
“You can just so easily have my head,” Esidisi leaned in, his eyes gleaming mischievously as he stepped forward to Kars.
“You’re fast. And sneaky—I wouldn’t put it past you to ambush me in the middle of the day and kill me as easily as that.”
Kars’s lips betrayed a smirk to his words, the smaller of the two guiding Esidisi away by pushing his finger to his chest.
“Oh? Did you like what I said? That you’re skilled? Deadly?”
“Ha. Of course, who wouldn’t be pleased to hear that?” Kars sneered, amused.
“But this implies that you’ve been watching me? What’s that about, mm, Esidisi?”
Esidisi wasn’t expecting the shivers that ran down his spine at the sound of his name on his tongue.
“I didn’t know you had a sense of humor.”
“That doesn’t answer the question.” Kars’s smugness was cute.
Esidisi couldn’t help but smile back, chuckling. “Simply by chance, Kars, simply by chance. I’m not one to stalk but you do catch my eye. Wouldn’t you say this sounds like fate?”
…Am.. Am I flirting with Kars?
“Haha. Very funny, Esidisi… while I’m flattered you think of my abilities so highly, I wouldn’t do that. I’d want our kind to prosper as much as the next person… killing a fellow tribemate would be counterintuitive, no?”
“Yeah, but you seemed ready to fight as soon as I asked you a question.” Esidisi shrugged.
Kars drenched in blood was a sight he wouldn’t mind seeing, even if it was his own blood.
“Everybody takes my fascination with the sun as a joke.” Kars grimaced—practically hearing the disdainful words of his parents.
“They think I’m insane.”
“The distance between genius and insanity is a fine line. You’ve already broken the barrier.”
Kars paused, glancing back at Esidisi.
“..I want to see what you know about taming the sun.”
“Is that so?” Kars raised a brow. “Really. You, somebody I barely know—you, of all people. You want to know?”
“Why wouldn’t I want to know?” Esidisi’s smile didn’t seem to leave his face. Actually—it seemed like the pillar man was in a perpetual state of constant snickering.
“There’s not a lot of our kind that’s as interesting as you… I mean, you’ve got quite the mind to dissect..”
Kars looked away for a second—though upon looking back, Esidisi noticed a glimmer in his eyes, a new emotion had infiltrated his stone-faced demeanor. Despite the silence that suggested his hesitation, Esidisi sensed that he was hooked. For a social recluse, to be acknowledged was a gift you don’t overlook so easily.
He knew Kars was brimming with unspoken words and thoughts. He could feel it.
“A mind to dissect, you say?” Kars’s lips broke into a sneer almost as equally wide as Esidisi’s.
“Yes, does that catch your attention?” He stepped a little closer—Kars not retreating this time. In fact, Kars placed his hands on his hips as he faced him. Arms akimbo, chest raised, head held high—a confidence he didn’t flaunt earlier radiated from his stance.
“As a matter of fact, it does. What do you know about the brain, Esidisi?”
“The brain?” Esidisi echoed.
This is another one of his strange thought processes, isn’t it?
Instead of the mind itself, he means the anatomical organ? He doubted Kars would give him a riddle, anyways.
“From what I see in battle, any damage to the brain affects a part of the body. Everything is connected to the brain and heart in one way or another—they’re the engines of life,” he shrugged. “I mean, you can feel it—our bodies can sense nerve damage much quicker and much more efficiently than the average organism. Cut off a finger and you feel the tingles on both you and the dismembered appendage—tingling, searching—full of energy.”
Kars nodded, pursing his lips.
“Yes. Exactly, but there’s more,” Kars continued. “The brain controls our very existence. It dictates how every animal is hardwired, how our body is controlled. It sets both our limits and capabilities, meaning—“
“Our brain is blocking our true potential or something?” Esidisi hummed.
Kars blinked.
“A warrior must always predict his opponents.” Esidisi paused. “Not saying that you are my opponent, no.”
“You took the words right out of my mouth,” Kars said, a hint of surprise betraying his flat demeanor.
“Lucky me, then. I would’ve sounded real dumb if I said something else,” Esidisi snickered.
“Are you sure you haven’t been stalking me?” Kars teased—his brows knit with mild amusement.
Esidisi rolled his eyes, scoffing but his laughter warmed the air. “I’m not exactly a dim person, though I suppose you assume everybody’s a primitive, huh?”
“Yes, yes, for somebody who looks as brash as you, I’m surprised you have the wits to even keep up in conversation.” Kars chuckled. His sharp teeth glinted slightly as his lips curled up into his mischievous smirk.
“Heeeeeyyy!” Esidisi snorted. “That was low, even for you, Kars!”
“Hah! Why are you upset at the truth? I’m only being honest.” Kars teased, his smirk growing smugger by the second.
Kars was practically glimmering like a star. He radiated like the first moonlight of twilight. Esidisi felt warm—wondering if he could ever get used to the full extent of Kars’s beauty.
Damn. Kars was way too gorgeous for his own good.
“Honest? You can’t excuse that with honesty!” Esidisi exclaimed, though he couldn’t even feign anger he was smiling so much. “You’re hurting my feeeeliiings… is this how you treat somebody who saved you?”
“That was on you for saving me. I never asked you to.”
“Cold! Cold, yet so sharp!” Esidisi grinned.
“It’s about time I get to speak to somebody without having to explain every sentence,” Kars rolled his eyes, though even he couldn't even wipe the smirk off his face.
“I’m honored to be that person, but must you verbally abuse me so quickly?” Esidisi said, pretending to be hurt as he balled his shoulders in a gesture to appear smaller. Of course, Kars was completely unfazed, only laughing in his face.
“You’re so strange,” Kars repeated, eyes glinting with good humor. “Yet you’re very amusing. Hmm.. perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad after all—showing you what I’ve really been working on.”
Esidisi raised a brow in curiosity. “Oh? Finally you let your guard down enough for that?”
“I’m not trusting you fully yet, don’t get it twisted,” Kars snickered. “How about you think of it as, hm, a little demo? Maybe even a thank you for saving me?”
The taller of the two laughed—“That’s your gift? Really?”
“You’re the one who asked about my research.”
“True… Alright. I accept that, it’s not like an everyday occasion anyways,” Esidisi grinned. “And! How about we hunt on the way back? Grab a bite to eat, you know?”
“…Hm.” Kars tilted his head. “I suppose that would be nice.”
“It will be. Plus, I can show off my amazing skills,” Esidisi jeered playfully—holding out a hand for Kars to take.
“Come on then, let’s go.”
The smaller of the two stared at the hand offered in front of him. He looked up at Esidisi, meeting his gentle yet keen blue eyes before looking back at his inviting palm again.
…Hm. Yes, it would be nice.
So Kars took his hand, allowing himself to be led back home by Esidisi.