Heavy is the Head that Wears the Solemn Crown

Fifty-Six - Reaper of the Cursed

Techno

The festival grounds are packed with people mulling around. They disperse from the entrance towards the many stalls offering the latest goods and piping hot foods. Musicians play on every corner, and some couples have gotten it into their heads to start dancing across the cobblestone streets, disrupting the flow. Others are forced to go around them, swirling around with nearly as much grace as the ones carelessly throwing their bodies every which way. As if to accompany the musicians, performers of other talents join in the unsavory habit of practicing in the middle of the street. Fire flares into the brilliantly blue sky from jugglers. Magicians force the elements into recognizable patterns like butterflies from light or fish from water. A man stands on a raised platform with a sword in his hand, his body movements fluid as he performs a sword dance, a seemingly lost art brought back to life for one day only.

Tommy is staring at the sword dancer with something foreign in his fiery eyes. Techno's attention stops scanning the city sprawled out beneath the wall they're standing on to focus on Tommy. The golden scales along his skin shimmer like coins at the bottom of the fountain. Techno doesn't recognize Tommy anymore. Alex and Steve are too preoccupied with their secrets to make any remark more substantial than telling Techno he's paranoid over nothing. Techno knows that he is not. He would trust the twin gods with his life, but he knows that he doesn't trust them with Tommy's life or safety. Techno will have to take care of this by himself, and he really doesn't know how. He's never been good with people. He's never been good with Tommy. No matter how many times they meet, they will always part as enemies. It is their curse... it's Techno's curse, at least, one that affects Tommy because of a mistake Techno made a long, long time ago. A mistake he hardly remembers but knows exists.

"This suit is so damn uncomfortable. I'm going to throw it into that bonfire over there," Tommy complains as he pulls at his collar. His appearance may be shifting beneath the weight of whatever is going on, but his voice remains the same.

"You look good," Techno compliments, pulling Tommy's hand away from his collar before he accidentally chokes himself or rubs his scales the wrong way. Tommy rolls his eyes, letting them land on Techno. The warrior huffs a breath. Tommy does look like he belongs with the nobility down below in the streets. His suit is made from fine material with the latest designs and authentic gemstones glittering along the sleeves. His harsh face marks him as a general more than a noble, but there is something inherently young in his face that Techno can't force himself not to notice. There is clear proof that Tommy has gone through so much that has aged him similarly to the summer sun making milk rancid, but Techno will always see his younger brother instead of some traumatized soldier. "You do look like a child playing dress-up."

"Fuck off, Techno! I am not a fucking child, and I would never stoop so low as to play dress-up. I look fan-fucking-tastic. You're ugly when you're jealous," Tommy refutes, anger rising into his eyes to illuminate them like stars in the nebulous darkness. As much as Tommy argues the contrary, there is something childish about his rage. Techno's face tilts with a small smile. A softer sort of happiness, more akin to relief, eases his soul into relaxation knowing that Tommy is going to be okay. The pieces of him that were shattered when Kristin died are slowly reforming into the boy that Techno swore to protect.

"I am not jealous of a mere child," Techno inputs as he walks around Tommy, continuing their patrol around the perimeter of the fairgrounds. They were supposed to take different routes, but Techno was refusing to let Tommy out of his sight. He wasn't sure exactly why he insisted on their closeness. Strategically, it is better for them to be together in enemy territory, but Techno knows that he isn't working logically at the moment. He's just waiting for orders to end this war. When Manberg falls, he will march into Greater to take the heads of their leaders. He doesn't know what the others are going to do when the war is over, but he knows that he'll be retiring. He wants a cabin, maybe some dogs to raise. He wants peace in this lifetime.