forum “You are terrifying, and strange, and beautiful... something not everybody knows how to love.”// No more people please // OcxOc

Started July 17, 2021 by @michael_rainer_eats_uranium group

tune

Ender nodded, way more interested in the architecture than the conversation. He walked around the lobby, admiring the building from every possible angle.
“…….so……..so pretty…….”

Pogo watched Ender, folding his arms across his chest. It intrigued him to see Ender so invested in the architecture.

"Aaaaand there's our freaky little fire-eater!" cackled a certain voice. Pogo had little time to react before an arm wrapped around his neck and his hair was firmly ruffled.

"Molly!" he piped up. "Don't scare me like that!"

"Aw, sorry," she giggled, letting him go. "You just had me worried sick."

For a moment, her expression grew more somber. "You really did, Al. I'd thought it happened again."

He shook his head. "No, not this time. I, uh, brought that friend of mine," he added, gesturing towards Ender. "He's gonna be here for a little while, if that's alright."

Ender realized that he was talking about him and snapped to attention. He looked at Molly, a little startled by her energy at first. “….hi……I’m Ender….” He was curious about what all went on here, but was afraid to push.

"Aw, it's no problem. You're a curious fellow," Molly added, turning her gaze towards Ender.

"Al mentioned you were something along the lines of the little fiend he's got stuck in his head. I imagine he was being vague for your sake, but based on his words I take it you're not a human."

She extended a hand to shake. "That isn't going to be a problem here. I'm Molly Hollow, by the way. How'd you two end up meeting?"

After a moment of hesitation, Ender shook her hand. “….he was wandering around in the woods, and he found me…..I’m….”
He wondered whether or not he should say it. Molly seemed trustworthy enough, and she didn’t have a problem with Kapnos, so…
fuck it.
“I’m an Angel. Well….used to be. I still am, a little bit, except for the whole Servant of the Heavens part…..”

Molly blinked, clearly taken by surprise.

"Well, that outta make sense. If demons are real, figures that angels are, too."

"I-It was a pretty interesting day," Pogo butted in, chuckling nervously. "I-I guess you could say he's something more than a friend."

Molly's eyes widened, and she suddenly took Ender's hands in her own, her face lighting up with excitement. "Aw, you guys are dating?! That's so cute!"

She paused for a moment, snickering to herself. "You know about Al's little, uh, problem, right? How much trouble have they been?"

“….eh….they don’t like me very much, but they haven’t attacked me or anything….” Ender still wasn’t used to his hands being held, but he didn’t mind it too much. He blushed a little at the idea of them dating. He had never done that before.

Molly let him go, chuckling at Ender's words. "Sounds just like them."

Is today 'bully Kapnos day'? Did I read the calendar wrong? huffed Kapnos.

"Now, Al, keep in mind that just because you have a boyfriend doesn't mean you can skip out on work," continued Molly, punching him playfully on the shoulder. Pogo rubbed his arm, nodding wearily. "I know, I know. This will be the last time."

She nodded, a grin returning to her features. "Alright, then I'll let you get to it. We have a performance in two weeks at the Cityside Coliseum, so I expect you to have some new tricks up your sleeve, y'hear?"

"I won't let you down," replied Pogo, waving as Molly returned back to Practice Room 3. He turned to Ender.

"That was my boss," he breathed, as if the whole exchange stripped him of energy. "And she's right. I gotta get to work. You can join me if you want, or look around the building, or… whatever you feel like, really."

“….I wanna see what you do…” Ender was filled with curiously. All of this was new to him. He also wanted to see the rest of the building, but that could wait. He thought again about how Molly called him Pogo’s boyfriend. He blushed. It was new, and different, but he didn’t mind it.

Pogo smiled sheepishly, then took Ender's hand and led him through the building.

"This is where we all practice, coordinate performances, and, sometimes, even put on shows. It's like our base of operations," he told him. "Each room is tailored towards each performer's specialty."

He unlocked Practice Room 5 and pushed open the door. The room was best described as an organized mess — containers of flammable liquid, torches, staves, and cloth scattered across the room in very neat sections. It seemed just close enough to an OSHA hazard to warrant some concern, but for every canister of kerosene, there were fire extinguishers and smothering blankets that hopefully dissipated any remaining worries. Pogo was a professional, after all.

"My whole gig is, uh, that I'm possessed by a demon, and Molly gave me the idea to couple that with my fire-eating acts, so we all pretend that it's hellfire and black magic," he chuckled to himself. "At it's core, though, it's just very precise placement of kerosene and remembering not to breathe in."

Ender nodded slowly, looking at all of the flammable materials. He had only seen fire a few times in his life.
"…sounds cool…."
He was honestly pretty scared to watch him do his thing. He knew that Pogo knew what he was doing, but he was still worried.

(yo! replies are gonna be a bit slow for a little bit, just started school so i gotta get used to the new schedule lol)

Pogo picked up a staff and poured a little bit of kerosene on the cloth wrapped around one of the ends.

"Oh, watch this. This is my favorite trick."

He dabbed kerosene on both of his forearms and his tongue, then set the cloth of his staff ablaze. He twirled the staff around, then touched it to his forearm, which promptly caught on fire. He licked his arm, setting his tongue alight, then licked his other arm, transferring the flame. Each point of contact had stayed lit for a few brief seconds — enough time to be seen, but not enough to actually harm him. The flames were out almost as soon as they had been lit.

He grinned. "People typically shouldn't attempt stuff like that," he continued, grimacing at the taste of kerosene in his mouth, "but sharing a soul gives me a little more wiggle room for dangerous stunts."

(It’s alright dude, no problem)

Ender was incredibly tense while he was alight, but realized quickly that he knew what he was doing. He tried to push his worries aside. It was incredible, and Pogo had clearly practiced for a long while. Ender smiled a little.
He’s so cool…..and….hot…..
Ender blushed profusely.
NOT LIKE THAT I MEANT- BECAUSE FIRE- NOT-
He, once again, got caught up in his own thoughts.

Pogo put out the staff, twirling it around for a little bit before planting it firmly on the ground, holding it with a hand to keep it upright. He looked at Ender, and suddenly realized just how red he was.

"A-Are you alright?" he asked, his voice breaking as he found he couldn't help but laugh at the sight. "You're a bit flushed."

Ender nodded. “M-mhm!….just….that was really cool….” He refrained from telling Pogo the last bit.

Pogo decided not to press any further. He instead bent down and picked up another staff, holding it out for Ender to take if he wished.

"Well… if you'd like, I could show you some basics," he offered. "It's not hard, and I know a couple tricks that require two people."

He averted his gaze, a hint of red coloring his face. "O-Only if you want to, though."

Ender took it hesitantly. He was eager to do it, but couldn't shake the small bit of unease that fire still gave him. He trusted Pogo, though, and convinced himself that it'd be alright.
He noticed himself staring at Pogo, and quickly looked away.

How do i keep getting so distracted? He's just… being him?

(HEY I AM. SO SORRY HOLY COW. i've been trapped in a loop of doctor visits and its been hell and i havent had time for the computer but im BACK and i will respond more regularly now im so sorry)

Pogo smiled at him. "I guess I'll start with spinning the staff. It's not super hard, it's just all about where you put your hands and when."

He held his staff out in front of him. "You hold it out with your hand like this, then you just…"

He twisted his hand and grabbed the staff with his other hand, repeating the motion until he had a steady rhythm going, the staff circling easily in the air.

"You try, then we'll light it up and see how you fare."

Ender took the staff, trying to twirl it like he did. He was doing pretty well… until he dropped it.
“…..damnit…..I’m not good at this………”

Pogo picked the staff back up, handing it to Ender with a smile.

"Hey, it takes practice, is all," he replied. "Try again."

He picked up the staff again, starting to twirl it again. He managed to do it for longer, dropping it after about 15 seconds. Ender was proud of himself for a moment, but the feeling faded quickly.

"You're getting better," Pogo encouraged gently. "It's not gonna be perfect the first or second time, y'know. Lemme tell ya, when I first picked up firedancing, I hit myself with the stick more times than I can count."

He picked up the staff and handed it back to Ender. "You haven't hit yourself yet, so you're doing better than I did. Try one more time."

He tried again, and dropped it after the same amount of time. He sighed.

Pogo's smile didn't falter. "Well, it'll take more than a couple tries to get the hang of it. Let's start here…"

He set the sticks aside. "You good at any tricks? Any neat little abilities you have?"

He shrugged. "I dunno…. the black goop that i cry out and bleed is really flammable though, and apparently if i get angry enough i can set it on fire….. learned that a couple years back…."

Pogo brightened up. "You? Set stuff on fire?"

Despite having set his stick down mere minutes ago, he picked it back up and held it eagerly.

"Just the goop? Have you learned to do anything neat with it? Y'think you've got any kind of pyromancy?"

Ender shrugged, not knowing which question to answer first.
“Like I said, it’s only ever happened when I’m really, really angry, and only things with the goop on them caught on fire at first, like gasoline…..”

Pogo tapped a finger to his chin thoughtfully.

"Well, it's still a nifty trick to have. I guess it's a pretty cool defense mechanism."

Kapnos shuddered. Must be nice when you know you'll never be on the receiving end of that defense mechanism.

Pogo tossed his stick into the air and caught it again as it fell. "Well, so much for my idea. But that's fine. I've still gotta practice, so you can watch or do your own thing for a bit, I don't mind."