Lights, Camera, Orc-tion!

18: Temporary

Avicia's eyes darted to the sudden appearance of the newcomer. Despite the darkness behind the barn, the silhouette of Kahdreg's middle sister, Namra, was obvious in the moonlight. Relief and a different kind of tension warred inside Avicia's stomach as she got to her feet, watching as the dog slinked away to find someone else to garner attention from. "Oh, I-I don't know if Kahdreg and I are that serious. I mean, there's time, but we barely have dated and-"

Namra's hand fell to Avicia's shoulder, cutting her off in her rambling. Her eyes flickered to the orc woman's face, embarrassment coloring her own cheeks for a reason she couldn't place. Amusement pulled Namra's lips into a grin. "As long as you want to be, you're part of the clan, Avicia."

The human woman didn't know what to think of that. Her eyes fell to her feet as her fingers tangled into the hem of her own tee-shirt, too embarrassed and grappling with deeper emotions. She had been trying to ignore the sneaking feelings since Kahdreg revealed the two of them would be going to their family's home. Large family gatherings were not Avicia's style. Her father's family had disowned him when he came out as a man and her cis father had left soon after.

Large family get-togethers weren't a thing Avicia had grown up with. Though both she and her father had made plenty of friends, ranging from acquaintanceship to found family status, they had never had this sheer amount of people around. As she feared, it was a bit overwhelming.

"I've been meaning to ask you," Namra said, disrupting the silence and distracting Avicia from her out-of-depth thoughts. The orc woman's hand slipped from Avicia's shoulder as her head canted to the side. "The heart on Kahdreg's shoulder. Was that from you?"

Staring up into Namra's eyes, quick calculations flickered through Avicia's head. There was no telling what would happen if she confirmed or denied it, though. Especially not with her partner-in-crime off playing horseshoes. Avicia just knew she didn't want to compound further lies, atop her relationship with Kahdreg. "Yes."

At that, Namra's eyebrows ticked a little higher, surprise and curiosity making themselves at home in her expression. "Kahdreg doesn't usually give or receive marks easily."

"I'm not marked," Avicia answered, with a shake of her head, before she could consider the repercussions of the admittance. The second the words were out of her lips, she realized her misstep.

The confusion on Namra's features made cold dread sink into Avicia's chest. "What? Why not?"

"They had me mark them," Avicia answered, her voice growing increasingly hesitant and soft, "As part of a promise."

Silence fell between the two. Namra stared down at Avicia, a confused furrow between her eyebrows as her gaze fell away from the human. The irregular clang of horseshoes in the distance interrupted the pleasant ambient sound of the shindig, raking over Avicia's nerves with each clang. There was little she could think to do except wait for Namra to answer.

"Scars, for orcs, mark important times and people in our lives." When Kahdreg's sister spoke, her words were slow and carefully chosen. Avicia's eyes shot to her, undivided attention given. Ignoring Avicia's intense attention, Namra stared off into the distance, away from the human and into the blue-black shadows of the forest beyond, as if tracking something amongst the trees. Heaving a sigh, the orc woman hooked her fingers into the neckline of her own shirt, tugging it down so Avicia could see an old pale green scar. "This is from my ex-girlfriend. We broke up a few years back."

"Oh... I'm sorry." Avicia swallowed, her eyes flickered to the scar - a pair of pale green, parallel lines, probably made from only tusks - to Namra's face. Like a person adrift at sea, Avicia wildly grabbed the first flotsam thought that bobbed to the surface of her mind, "What happened? To make you two break up."