Lights, Camera, Orc-tion!

15: Family

The rest of the work week slid by quickly. Well, for Avicia's daylight job. Not enjoying the thought of neglecting her patrons for another weekend, she had performed a show every other night. The days in-between the shows barely gave her enough time to prepare. Though, not quite as long as her normal sessions, her fans seemed happy enough with the frequent shows, even knowing she'd be MIA for another weekend.

Needless to say, when Saturday rolled around and she found herself in Kahdreg's car, Avicia was thoroughly exhausted. Not that she could rest as they drove further out into the country. Every moment, they were getting closer to Kahdreg's family and, for whatever reason, the inevitable meeting made Avicia's skin prickle with anxiety.

"Don't worry," Kahdreg's deep voice fractured through Avicia's concerns. "It's not like my family is going to eat you or anything."

"Who said I was worried," Avicia huffed, her attention swinging to the orc.

They shrugged a massive shoulder, eyes still on the road before them. "You haven't complained once, since getting in the car."

"I don't always complain!"

At that, Kahdreg threw her a sidelong look, an unimpressed but amused scrunch to their lips as they said, "Around me, you do."

"Well, stop annoying me." Avicia's arms folded across her chest and she turned her face away from Kahdreg to glare out the window. Though, mostly, it was to hide the embarrassed flush on her cheeks.

In the reflection of the window, Avicia caught the twitch of a smile on Kahdreg's lips. That only made her glare harder at the passing greenery, much thicker and lush than the city provided. They were nearly two hours out of the city, in the middle of forests filled with giant trees. In fact, the winding road had so much canopy, it was like driving in a tube. Albeit, a rather holey tube, with plenty flashes of sunlight.

Faintly, Avicia wondered what Kahdreg's family would be like. Was it just their parents and siblings? Or was she meeting a whole clan? She wasn't sure what would be more daunting. A small intimate gathering or a whole, less formal, crowd. What sort of cultural etiquette should she be aware of?

Her gaze flicked back to Kahdreg's reflection, frowning as she thought of asking them for a lesson on orcish customs. She could already imagine their smug grin once the question was posed.

Nope, Avicia decided, staring back out the window. She'd rather sink than swim with Kahdreg's knowing smirk taunting her.

Instead, she stared out into the passing forest, quiet and moody. The blurring trees eventually made her eyelids flutter, fighting off falling asleep. Between the mental exhaustion of worry and the physical exhaustion of her busy cam life, sleep soon pulled Avicia under.

She missed Kahdreg glancing over at her, watching her sleeping form for a breath before turning their gaze back to the road. Despite the teasing reassurance they'd given Avicia, their fingers nervously tapped against the steering wheel as they drove. Their shoulders ached with tension as concerns flipped through their thoughts, barely seeing the familiar roads before them.

Kahdreg knew Avicia had little to fear from their family. They would welcome her with friendly smiles and, perhaps, a bit of teasing. Nothing the human woman couldn't deal with.

No, Kahdreg was more worried about themselves. Between their mother's offense at not being told of the relationship and their sisters insufferable need to antagonize them, Kahdreg didn't know what to expect from the visit. Nor how Avicia's opinion of them might change, for better or worse.

The thought made Kahdreg's fingers tighten around the steering wheel, until it squeaked beneath their grip.

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