(Hazbin Hotel) Book 2: The Radio Family, Welcome to Hell!

Chapter 283: Farouk's first kill part 1

Battle Music Arabian Warrior: found on YouTube - Leon Slen Official
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The sun was hot the air dry and sandy...

Farouk's not really complaining about the heat of the mid-morning sun like the twins are.

He's outside on the balcony embracing the heat of the sun with Naga soaking in the warmth. He stared into the lavish sitting room the esteemed leader of the city had provided for his honored guests.

They'd been in Egypt for weeks now and Farouk's still trying to find his place within this tight knit crew of Mediterranean Pirates.

The moment he first met Rasim back in Antioch he knew that the man was a well-learned scholar and diplomatic man with the strategic mindset of a veteran warrior.

The fact Rasim was even allowed to be at Altan's birthday banquet was telling enough for Farouk to put more than just his pride on the factualities behind the tales told to him about this charismatic man.

From what he's already observed it's all true.

He's already picked apart the roles of the rest of the crew. Imaad is the accountant, riveting storyteller, uncle of the twins, the second parental figure for Rasim after Leonidas, and a god among cooks.

Leonidas is the fearless muscle of the group with the uncanny ability to gather information from even the darkest corners of the cities black markets, all while being labeled as the twins glorified babysitter!

The twins Talib and Tariq are young, but deviously crafty. They like to build traps and are masters at the art of distracting the enemy, while also being the root cause for most of the trouble that befalls this ragtag group, though it's mostly accidental.

Farouk doesn't really know where he fits into this group. All he has to give is his fighting skills that are engraved into his muscle memory from decades of dancing for a crowd, his incredible flexibility, a King Cobra as a form of intimidation, and a way of squeezing the truth out of people through his keen observational skills and years of living in a palace where feeling safe was a fleeting daydream brought into reality only whenever Altan was in the room. Most were out to get him and he learned how to read people like a book despite his own insecurities and traumas.

As he watched them his ears were pulled towards Imaad's musical prowess. The man was already mastering the Egyptian flute.

He was seated on the expensive pillows while the twins complain about the heat as they continued to disregard propriety by only wearing their undergarments for the sake of not dying while Rasim is busy chatting in the next room.

Farouk's out on the balcony mostly during those chatting conversations to eavesdrop and what he's hearing is a lot of back and forth arguments between yet another caravan guide and Rasim with the city leader is being the acting translator.

Farouk's body tensed up suddenly as he felt a pair of eyes locked on the back of his head. His keen eyes shifted to look over his shoulder. Leonidas is down in the city streets near the opened gates of their hosts home. The stoic man was leaning against a palm tree busy observing the comings and going's of the people around him with sharp dark green eyes that were a stark physical abnormality given his darker light brownish skin tone and dark umber hair color.

The man was always on guard and the fact he kept his eyes drawn on Farouk with a cautious gaze most days was a little unnerving to him. The man was willing to fight for his life against the gallows with the rest of the crew under Rasim's stubbornly kind heart. Now it's like he's expecting Farouk to slip up and give him a reason to use that strange battle club.