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Xio had never been good at sleeping. The best sleep he’d managed was always at Mala Suerte's temple. Even then he was lucky to get three or four hours a night. He was used to the constant background noise of shuffling siblings, soft snoring and grunting, or the constant murmur of priests moving around the temple with late night concerns. It was basically all Xio had ever known, until the trials. The trials had shown him just how disconcerting silence was. It made Xio feel even more alone than he knew he was
Teo and Niya had been just a few doors down, sure, but splayed out on the uncomfortably soft bed and still only taking up around a quarter of its surface, Xio couldn't help but balk at the room. It's ostentatious decorations, gaudy golden embellishments, and disproportionately bright color scheme seemed to mock Xio's dour mood at every opportunity. Xio almost missed it now. Almost.
As much as the massive mattress had irritated Xio it far outperformed the obsidian slab Venganza had designated as Xios sleeping quarters. A sleeping mat had been rolled out but there was only so much comfort you could provide with volcanic rock. Xio huffed in annoyance and shuffled yet again trying to find a more comfortable position to lay. They failed miserably and only managed to get their hip to hurt even more, Xio hugged their blanket closer to themselves and shuddered. It has already been 3 hours and Xio didn't know how much longer he'd even try to sleep, after everything Atzi and the other golds had said to him Xio knew that tranquility wasn't going to come easy tonight. It was like her words, their words, had dug themselves into Xio's brain and wouldn't go away. Did they really think Xio was a monster? Did she really think that?
For the most part Xio could care less what the golds thought of him. No amount of motivational speeches or moral chidings could shake the fact they were mostly assholes. But something was different with Atzi. They hadn't even talked all that much even during the trials but Xio kept blushing any time they thought about that girl. What was it that made Atzi so different? She was still just a gold right? Still just a gold with unfairly pretty hair that coiled around her face like storm clouds cupping a mountaintop, the perfect mix of determination and bubbly attitude, and those eyes, not to mention...
Xio cut themselves off. No. She wasn't any better than the rest of them. He had to hate her just as much as the rest of them for any of this to work, and he needed this to work. Right?
Getting up to clear his head Xio tugged his blanket off the threadbare mat and draped it over their shoulders, padding softly down the pitch black corridor. Mostly focusing on not running into anything Xio found themselves much further from their bed than expected, he must have been wandering for longer than he realized. That was alright, it's not like they'd sleep any better now, tonight was going to be one he spent awake and that was that. Stumbling across a chunk of fallen obsidian Xio started, the cracked stone echoed as it rattled down the corridor. It's leaping path made sharp cracking noises as it moved forward into the darkness. It sounded like Chupacabras laugh.
Xio shuddered at the thought. He hated the diosas laugh, not just because it was usually at his expense. It was too sharp to be natural, as if even her laugh had fangs that were digging into Xios ears tearing them apart from the inside. All of the obsidians laughs were like that. Wrong in their own ways, Xio hated them. He didn't even know how to describe the perverse sound Caos called a laugh. It was so low it was barely noise, more of a rumble. And the pressure, it came from all around at once and crushed Xio in on themselves pulsing and constricting in all the worst ways. If a laugh was supposed to be what a hug sounded like Caos had done it all wrong. Then there was Venganza. The worst of the three, Xio didn't know if a laugh could have an ego but if it could Venganzas had a god complex. It was haughty and demeaning, like no matter what had made him laugh it was for all the wrong reasons. Something Xio felt far too often. Xio didn't love most laughs, it was usually too loud and probably meant they were in a large crowd of people which irritated Xio sure, but the obsidians were particularly disgusting.
Not every laugh made Xio want to vomit though, Teo and Niya had made them laugh more times that Xio could remember over the course of the trials and they couldn't have missed that sound more. Teo's unrestrained blast of joy that sounded ironically like a bad attempt at a bird call, and Niya's absurdly loud guffaws that shook her whole body, and usually whoever was next to her too. Xio grinned at the memory of his friends, too tired to scold himself for enjoying it. Another laugh bubbled to the front of Xios mind, the electric giggle Atzi made so often. Xio immediately felt the heat rushing up their neck and down their cheeks. Xiao's resolve crumbled immediately as they imagined Atzi's face scrunched up in joy giggling at the absurdity of something Marino had just said completely seriously, or some face that Xochi had made after Oceleo trashed one of her flowers. She really was wonderful wasn't she? Xio knew he shouldn't be thinking about her, especially not now when he was so tired but so what? Her laugh was so light and airy and yet so powerful at the same time, like it was meant to happen. Xio wanted it to happen, and often.
Gods they missed the world before they had cut their hand. Even though the trials were awful and the whole system was still stupid, part of Xio could have believed that they were just a bunch of kids at some stupid summer camp or something. Especially when they weren't all trying to gut each other over some stupid rock.
As Xios head cleared ever so slightly as they looked up and found themselves at the gaping entrance to the golds cells. Had they really wandered all the way down here? He should go back to his bedroom, or their excuse for one at least. But what was that going to change? They hadn't been able to sleep before and clearly walking was just as dangerous for thinking as staying still. Why not just stop in? Having people around always got him to sleep faster anyway, maybe the company would help.
It was flimsy reasoning and Xio knew it, but right now they couldn't really care less. And who knows maybe Xio'd get lucky and the golds would already all be asleep. Tightening their grip on the blanket, Xio cautiously moved forward. Their every step and breath sounded twenty times as loud as they had just moments ago.
Entering the hallways lined with softly glowing panels Xio paused reaching out with his gift to see if there was any more active animosity at his presence. Nothing. Well, nothing more than each of the golds regular pulses, they all had reason to be vengeful however trivial. Exhaling ever so slightly Xio let themselves stand up a little straighter. Eyes flitting around the room Xio landed on Atzi's cell, just a few yards from him, he never really could tear his eyes away from her even during the trials. The dark outline of her form was blurry as she slumped far away from the clear part of the wall. Realizing that one way or another Xio was already in trouble just for being here he decided that if he was going to be here at all, they may as well make the night worth it. Remembering theirs and Atzi's brief moments of comfortable connection, Xio moved to the cell that may or may not be housing his begrudging crush and sank to the floor in front of it, back to the wall. A beat of silence let Xio’s shoulders sink from his ears to a more comforting position.
"You're awful at sneaking around. You know that right?"
Xio jumped half out of his own skin at the soft voice behind him. Whipping around he saw Atzi's exhausted face not quite glaring at him. After a moment of heavy breathing while Xio caught their wits, and made sure his shock hadn't woken any of the others, Xio answered.
"In my defence I didn't think anyone was awake."
"Wouldn't that make it more important to be quiet?"
She cocked an eyebrow at him. Xio was shocked that Atzi hadn't shouted for the rest of the gold yet, she was letting him live at least for now. The absurdly pretty semidiosa seemed just as out of it as Xio did, her eyelids fell lower than Xio had ever seen them and their electric blue grey spark had been reduced to a dullness that made Xio irrationally upset. He was the one who had done this to them after all. That coil of shame in Xios gut tightened even further.
"Yeah well, you're the only one who actually heard me coming anyway, I can't have been that bad."
He argued. He was clearly trying and, from Atzi's perspective failing, to appear aloof and mysterious. It made her smile internally that no matter how grave the atmosphere, Xio was still willing to try to impress her.
After a brief moment of appreciating that they had the decency to at least try, she seemed to remember herself. Much sharper than before.
"What are you doing down here Xio, we both know you shouldn't be anywhere near us right now."
The abrupt change in her tone made something inside of Xio shrink back, he really didn't want to see her upset. Not again, not after their discussion about what it meant to be a monster. And whether Xio really was one. Xio didn't think they could handle that at this hour. Maybe from Ocelo or Auristela, they were easier to brush off, but not from her.
"Couldn't sleep."
Was Xio’s answer, he couldn't place why but even attempting to lie to her was a far too exhausting option. At the current moment Xio couldn't seem to think of anything but her. The way her eyelids lay over her eyes like they were protecting them from whatever she was looking at, how her shoulders sat so strong and solid she was like stone jutting from the sea surrounded by crashing waves, gods this was going to be a long night. No matter how much they tried it would have been useless to lie to her.
"Sure."
Came her only response. There was a long pause. Too long for anyone sane but clearly neither the boy with black blood nor the girl who could throw lightning counted as sane. Not tonight at the very least. Suddenly there was a shift, Xio didn't need emotional power to feel it, Atzi's fire was back.
"What's going on Xio? You act so cold and cruel and... Obsidian"
that made Xio’s stomach churn, was that all she could see him as? Just some obsidian? That wasn't all that he was. Was it? She wasn't done.
"Then you turn around and act so... So, so? Normal?"
Xio didn't have an answer of course. Not for her or for themself. Xio still had all the anger that had spurred him to this path, that hadn't changed. They still hated the gold Dioses and their cruel sacrifice, still thought that the massacre of his people was deplorable. But now he also had friends, Teo and Niya, who had been there for him the whole time during the trials. Even after the challenges when they were back on the boat, he hadn't felt so alone. Because of their kickass trio, sure, but also because of Atzi. Knowing there was someone else there who knew at least a little of what it was like. To be so young and scared.
"I don't know anymore."
They cursed their inability to lie to Atzi again. His voice was weak and stumbling, he'd been thinking it ever since Venganza appeared before them but had yet to say it out loud. It was like all his doubt and conflict was racing to leave his mouth at once.
"I thought I knew what I was doing but I don't. At this point I'm not sure I ever did. The golds suck and I hate them but now that my da- my father, and the other obsidians are here I don't know if they'll be any better! Hell, I'm family and they still treat me like dirt. I'm tired of it, of all of it! I don't know how much longer I can stay here but I can't exactly just go back and.. and... I..."
Xio could feel the hot sting of tears biting at his eyes, they wanted to say they missed their dad Mala Suerte but they couldn't actually spit it out. Xio had forced themselves not to think about the Dios that had raised them for so long that even now, tired and distraught, pouring this part of his heart out to a girl who had every right to hate him, he couldn't make himself say it.
Atzi's voice cut into Xio's spiraling ramble
"Xio, shut up. Just shut up and listen to me for a second okay? You can. You can go back. You just have to do... A little work? Obviously about the giant evil gods you released into the world. And you'll have to make it up to all people you blatantly betrayed, including me specifically, by the way. Oh and Mala Suerte, if it was me and my dad I'd have hell to pay and I don't know if that would be entirely metaphorical. You have work to do yeah, but who doesn't. Yours is just a little more external you know?"
Xio didn't know whether to scoff, cry, or do both. The prettiest girl in the world just told them that they could go back. That this wasn't the end of the world the way it felt. La Lechuza would be back probably sooner than later and Xio had to make up his mind as to what he was going to do when she got back. But that wasn't his concern right now. No, the tired brain of a 13 year old semidios often focused on more human matters. Like the shockingly pretty girl sitting a foot away from him. Looking at him for all the world like he was the most important thing she's ever seen. Like he mattered.
Sure there had been conditions but Atzi believed in him, at least a little. Not knowing how to address the rest of the comment Xio focused on what he could, and for now that was still squarely Atzi.
"Wait a minute, what was that about making all this up to you? I don't know how to go about fixing all of this in general, much less making it up to you specifically."
Atzi grinned in a ‘you took my bait’ kind of way. And shifted into a more upright seated position to begin listing tasks for Xio.
"Well for starters you obviously know a lot about conductors so some new rings would be nice."
She said gesturing to the copper rods littered around her cell. Xio couldn't tell if she was being serious or not but decided to pay attention either way, it may well come in handy.
"Secondly you and Teo always seemed to have unnecessary amounts of candy on the ship so I'll take a couple bags of that. Oo! And while you're at it get Aurelio to bake me something! He and Teo were clearly flirting so once you clear up your whole situation with Teo you'll have an in for me. He never makes me anything at the academy cause he 'doesn't have ingredients' or whatever."
Her last remark came with air quotes that made Xio smile, seeing her more animated like this was a breath of fresh air Xio didn't know they needed. The way her head shook from side to side when she mocked Aurelio's excuse, her hands darting this way and that with every new idea, the corners of her eyes crinkling and stretching as her face took on every expression under the sun. And all Xio had to do was sit and watch. A fond look crept across their face as they became ever more endeared to the storm semidiosa.
"Oh, duh! And you have to get me out of this cage, obviously we'll never be able to go out if I'm locked up in here the whole time!"
Xio choked on air. What?! Had he just heard that right? She said what he thought she said right? Surely not, there was no way ATZI of all people wanted to go out with him.
"I'm sorry, what?!"
Xio managed to splutter out before remembering everyone else was supposedly sleeping and repeating themselves in a harsh whisper
"I'm sorry, what?!"
Atzi's malevolent grin told Xio this was exactly what she had been hoping for. The smug air of superiority radiating from her now had nothing to do with power or bloodline and everything to do with the intensely red boy sitting just across the barrier from her.
"You heard me exactly right 'night bearer."
She was laying it on thick now, using that absurd nickname and giggling even as she said it. The dullness Xio had so hated earlier had disappeared completely from her eyes and was now replaced with a mirth Xio could only describe as tailored specifically for them.
"As part of your amends to me, you have to take me out. Is that going to be an issue?"
Even though Xio knew the question was more of a farce than an actual proposition they rushed to answer, most certainly too fast.
"Of course!"
Atzi's face faltered for a moment before Xio could correct themselves.
"NO! Not! Of course not, no it won't be not at all I mean, um, if that's, well, if that's what you want I suppose..."
There was no way to salvage any of this. Xio was done for, they may as well feed themselves to Chupacabra now and get it over with. Their face burned a hot scarlet and every word they had tried to say in the past 45 seconds had been at least 3/4ths stutter. The most gorgeous girl he had ever seen, perfect in every way, had just said he needed to take her out, and his response had been no. They were doomed.
Shit. They were staring. Xio had no idea how long he had sat there dumbfounded gazing at Atzi but she didn't exactly seem to mind. That same grin that had hypnotized Xio before sat on Atzi's face once again, clearly having achieved her primary goal.
"Welcome back pretty boy. Y'know that really was as cute as I thought it would be, maybe a little less panicked shouting next time though, okay?"
Cute. She had just called Xio cute. In the span of minutes, Atzi sent Xio through so many different emotions that they thought their heart might split into at least 300 pieces.
"I uh, yeah, yeah okay sure...."
Xio trailed off more stunned than anything else. A comfortable silence fell over the two only interrupted by the muffled sounds of Los Restos outside.
"Atzi?"
"Yeah Xio?"
"Did you really mean that? That you wanted me to take you out, I mean."
Atzi sighed, gathering her thoughts before answering.
"I did. I think-"
Xio opened his mouth to question her. She thought? What did that mean, was it something they'd done why wou-
His thought was interrupted by Atzi before he could get a sound out.
"Let me finish. You've done a lot Xio, a lot of bad things and you have to be the one to fix those things. But I also think that you have a lot of good in you, even the fucked up stuff you did was for mostly the right cause. You have it in you to be good Xio, really good, I know that much. I just want to see it."
Her words sat heavy in the air as Xio took it in. She was right of course, when wasn't she, but that didn't make it any easier. Xio had done things, bad things, a lot of bad things to a lot of good people. Atzi had made it clear that the issue lied there, but now they had the chance to do something about that. La Lechuza would be back eventually, to bring Xio to Niya, Teo, and Aurelio. He would have to do it then.
"Xio?"
They'd been out of it for too long, Atzi had watched their face change as he slogged through his own twisted feelings and motivations. She turned to lean her shoulder on the force field separating them and placed their head as close to Xio as possible.
"I believe in you. I don't know about Auristela or Ocelo but I know the rest of the golds do too. I want you to be okay.”
Her wry smile was back in place and as playful as ever as her eyes flitted over Xio’s face, landing finally on their eyes, completely black in the darkness.
"Plus, you're too cute to lose this soon."
Even in the dark and with Xio's concentrated expression, Atzi could see the blush she had rilled up creeping to Xio’s cheeks and she silently congratulated herself.
"Atzi?"
"Mmm?"
She had mostly turned her back on him now, leaning it against the force field separating them. What Xio wouldn't give to make that disappear so that he could lean against her, the real her.
"Can I... Just stay here? For tonight, I mean just for now. I don't want to go back out there, and you're here so..."
Another silence loomed over them, with Atzis back to him, he couldn't make out her expression so pushed forward.
"After tonight I'll leave, and I don't know, figure something out."
Finally she turned her head back towards Xio, just enough that her side profile was outlined by the faint light. She looked less like a semidiosa and more like a complete and utter goddess. Her stormy eyes held new determination and a small satisfied smile played at her lips.
"Just for tonight Xio. But after this the real work begins."
Moving to join Atzi against the barrier Xio was greeted with cold obsidian that hadn't yet been warned by his body heat. As they finished settling into their spot opposite Atzi that chill fled, the flat stone much more tolerable with her on the other side of it.
For the first time that week, both Atzi and Xio slipped into easy, comfortable, sleep.
Xio would not have this luxury for long however as the sudden clattering of talons jolted them awake. The legs of an owl, longer than they had any right to be, were the first things Xio saw. Their spindly frame meeting feathers just above the freaky knee. Further up the grotesque face of La Lechuza grinned down at Xio and with a startlingly craggy voice, it called to him.
“~Hellooooo little semi-dios, wakey wakey! I found our friends!~”
Xio had a choice to make. Many choices really but this was the first. Xio would go with La Lechuza, but he wouldn't be going as a hunting dog. No, Xio had his own plan now, and quite a large part of it depended on him breaking a certain girl out of the prison he made for her.
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Hours later Atzi awoke from the best rest she had gotten since leaving home for Sol Temple almost 3 weeks ago. Yawning and turning around expecting to see Xio doing something similar she stopped mid stretch. He wasn't there. Anger welled up inside Atzi. where the hell had they gone? Was all of that for nothing? With her rising temper Atzi almost missed the massive owl-prints that had faintly overlain themselves on the settled dust. La Lechuza.
That little rat had gone with La Lechuza instead of staying with her. Anger, hatred, and shame warred inside her. She had trusted them, even let herself place hope in him. All for what? To see them turn around and leave that very same night. The next time Atzi saw Xio, no matter how cute he was, he was going on the floor.