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

He nodded. “That sounds good….if you’re alright with me going…..”

Pogo nodded. "I do need to get paid this week, haha…"

He dialed a number and hit call, holding the phone to his ear and tapping his foot impatiently. Then, he perked up.

"Oh! Molly, is that you? Yeah, this is Al. Mhm. Yeah, yeah, I'm alright, just… yesterday was interesting, haha. Listen, I, uh, I can still make it to work today, yeah, but…"

He cast a glance in Ender's direction.

"Is it fine if I bring someone with me? I-It's a real long story. No, he's not an escaped convict. You remember that deal I made? Yeah, this is somewhere along those lines. He needs somewhere safe, a-and I gotta get to work, so…"

He tensed, then relaxed, his features softening with relief.

"Oh my God, thank you. Yeah, I-I'm on my way right now. See you there, Molly. A'ight, bye."

He hung up, shoving his phone in his pocket and turning towards Ender.

"That was my boss. She said it'd be fine to bring you to work, so we can head out now if you're ready."

He nodded and straightened his t-shirt, trying to make himself look a little presentable. “I’m ready to go.” Ender was getting excited. He had never been to work before, unless being an Angel in the After counted.

Pogo made his way to his bedroom, changing out of his current clothes and reappearing in a more basic outfit — a baggy white shirt paired with equally loose black trousers. Probably best described as a work uniform. He grabbed his keys, straightening his collar a bit and rolling his shoulders.

"It's just a short walk from here, if you don't mind being out in the city again. I, uhm… don't own a car, haha."

Ender started walking, following him. “That’s alright… I’m a little scared of cars, so it’s okay….” He laughed a little.

Pogo nodded, leaving the apartment and locking the door behind him when the both of them were out of the building.

"My coworkers are good people," he murmured. "My boss, too. When I told them about my predicament, it was my boss, Molly, who gave me the idea to use them as a performance act."

He turned and met Ender's gaze, a small smile lacing his features.

"And then when the local church got the government involved, they all covered for me. We're almost like a family. The closest thing to a family I've ever had, at least. I think you'll get along just fine with them."

He smiled a little. “They sound nice.” Ender stayed close to him.

Pogo made his was down the street, keeping a careful eye on his surroundings as the two walked. Just as he'd mentioned before, they passed beside the park on their trail, the water now lacking in the duck department thanks to the earlier skirmish that took place.

He turned towards a gray building with windows for walls, the sign above the double doors reading "Wilted Rose Performances Inc." Inside was a receptionist's desk and a series of halls and doors, most likely leading to practice and performance rooms. Pogo entered the building, glancing back and gesturing for Ender to follow.

"Ah, there's the man!" bellowed the fellow from the receptionist's desk — a large man of stocky build and a pretty impressive beard. "Ms. Molly was worried sick about you before you called. She'd been answering all the calls here herself until she finally heard from you. Who's the friend?" he asked, turning to face Ender.

He was absolutely astonished. He had never seen a building like this before. It was incredible. It took him a few moments to realize that someone was speaking to him. “Oh!- I’m Ender…..”

The receptionist blinked. "Ender? Quite an interesting name. But no different from our Alessandro here asking people he meets to call him by his stage name," he chuckled, his laughter deep and hearty. "Everyone's got their quirks. I'm Blake, by the way. I work the counter — greet customers and take phone calls — so any questions you want to ask, I'm your guy."

Pogo snickered, but took no offense to Blake's jabbing — he knew it was all in good fun. "Where's Molly? I'd think she'd be front and center to say hi if she was so worried."

"Oh, she'll be here shortly," replied Blake with a casual wave of his hand. "The aerial silk in Practice Room 3 snapped just a couple minutes before you got here, so she's sorting that out at the moment. Oh, and, Ender, was it? Make yourself at home. No performances today, so we'll be here for the duration of our operating hours."

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.