Abraaxas stumbled and landed onto his knees before swiftly plunging his face into the pond, taking the first few minutes to to gulp down mouthfuls of the cool water until he felt sick to his stomach. It probably wasn’t the cleanest, but right now it was all he had and what he needed. Malph had retreated suddenly and left him in this strange, new land in the dead of the night without much warning. While Abra had been occasionally aware throughout the month he had disappeared, he had no idea where exactly he was nor how long he had been ‘gone’.
Shaky hands ran over mud-covered and blood-stained pants as he closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm his racing heart. Eventually eyes cracked open to peer down at his faint reflection in the rippling waters below. He barely recognized the face that stared back at him. Now Abra was no stranger in forgetting to indulge in decent hygiene habits every now and then, but Malph had brought him to a whole new level this time. Face caked with blood and dirt, gritty teeth, matted and muddied hair: This was too much even for Abraaxas.
He quickly peeled off his clothing and crawled into the pond, watching as the crystal clear waters surrounding him immediately clouded over with his own grime. He spent a good fifteen minutes attempting to rid himself of Malph’s adventures while swearing and mumbling incoherently before he finally settled himself near the bank.
Now it was time to determine the damage done. First and foremost and definitely the most important, were the family jewels still intact? Check. It was all easy sailing from there. Bumps, bruises, scrapes and a swollen eye made up the majority of the wounds, nothing to fuss over. Already stitched up claw marks raked down the length of his back, at least Malph had done something for those injuries but Abra did find himself curious as to what had left those behind given how far apart the lacerations were spaced. All in all, things could have been much worse. Although Malph had a tendency to go a bit postal in his violent sprees, he usually managed to take decent care of their shared body.
Fingertips combed through his matted locks before examining those tiny nub-like horns that had sprouted from his scalp months ago. They didn’t feel any larger than they had before, but it was a slow and barely noticeable process to someone that looked at and felt them every day. They had grown, but barely a centimeter. It was his teeth that caught his undivided attention the moment he had noticed the difference: Both canines seemed slightly longer and sharper than they had previously. It wouldn’t be terribly conspicuous to the majority, perhaps only to those that would regularly spend any great amount of time around his mouth in any capacity.
Overall, he had been left in far worse conditions and situations, he would chalk this one up as a win! Palms rubbed at his eyes, wincing when he hit the more tender flesh before lowering his chin to his chest to exhale a loud “Fuuuuuuuuuck me.”
“That must have been one hell of an acid trip.”
Abraaxas nearly jumped out of his skin and scrambled gracelessly away from this unexpected intrusion, ready to bolt and streak through the strange land before realizing who it was. A hand pressed against his bare chest as eyes narrowed on the blond-haired man. He wasn’t used to encountering familiar faces while out on the battlefield, most of the time people in general were avoided and for good reason. “Teh fuck y’doin’ ‘ere Ouro?”
The cherry of his cigarette briefly illuminated his face as probing eyes trailed over Abra’s nude form curiously. “One could ask the same of you, Abra. What could you, a homeless junkie, possibly be doing in the middle of a war zone, on another planet. Interesting, don’t you think? Me? My work brings me out here.” Lips curled into a devious smirk before turning himself in the water to better face the other man. It seems Abra wasn’t the only one to partake in late night pond baths.
Abra had become good at making excuses for Malph and this is where being a ‘crazy junkie’ came into play. “Ohh y’know…” He smacked his palm against the side of his head a few times, “Marbles ain’t all t’ere an’ I had meself some real harsh blow. Ain’t even sure teh details o’how I got ‘ere...or where here is.” While none of what he said was a flat out lie, it simply wasn’t the entire truth.
“Mmhmm.” Whether or not Ouro bought that explanation was left up in the air, the man had an amazing poker face. “You’re in Mac’Aree on Argus.” He gestured with his cigarette towards the other man’s soiled clothing. “I have some I can lend you. Headed back to Silvermoon tomorrow morning, you look like you need someone who can show you the way.”
Thankfully there were no invasive questions nor assumptions, and for that Abra let out a sigh of relief. “Aye, thank ya mate. That’d be most appreciated.” Now it was Abra’s turn to eye the other man over, but for far different reasons. “Give ya a ‘thank ya’ blowie? Y’look like ya can use a good knob polishin’.” Subject changes were always good to alleviate those tense moments.
“I’ll pass.” Ouro’s expression had returned to its neutral setting as he finished off the remainder of his cigarette. “Your secret is safe with me.”
“Your. Secret. Your passenger.” Ouro thunked a single digit a few times against his own chest. “I’m not going to tell anyone.”
Abra’s face had suddenly lost all of its color as his expression contorted into a befuddled frown. Had he said something? Was he that obvious? How did the other man know? What did he know? There would be no hiding his dumbfounded reaction nor any excuses spoken that could cover his tracks. Ouro was too damn observant, best to remain silent at this point and neither confirm nor deny.
“Just remember that. I could use a man with your skills in the future at some point.”
Malph was not going to like this.
