lisa watched her father's back as they made their way through Syux's crowded streets. The morning crowd parted before them like water around a particularly murderous rock.
[Okay, this is getting ridiculous,] she thought, noting how even humans who normally crossed the street to avoid nim were taking one look at listair's face and deciding today was a great day for an impromptu jog in the opposite direction.
"Dad," she said, quickening her pace to walk beside him, "you're kind of radiating 'about to commit homicide' energy right now."
"Am I?" His voice could have frozen lava.
"Look, I get it. If he really did try to kill us, I'll help you hide the body, trust . But maybe dial back the murder face until we know for sure?" She giggled for good asure.
That got through. listair's shoulders relaxed slightly, though his expression remained stormy.
"Sorry, I... guess I'm letting my emotions get the better of . I'll try to calm down."
[... Keyword being: "try", I guess.]
The construction site lood ahead of them, already busy with activity despite the early hour. Scaffolding stretched toward the sky like the skeleton of so massive beast, workers crawling over it like particularly industrious ants.
They reached the site's entrance. A bored-looking guard barely glanced at listair's worker's badge before waving them through.
[Great security,] lisa thought. [No wonder nim keep managing to burn shit down.]
"I should probably hang back," she said quietly. "Let you get him alone first."
listair nodded.
"There's a storage area behind the main structure. I'll bring him there."
"And I'll be watching from..." lisa glanced around, spotting a half-finished wall with convenient shadows, "right over there. Close enough to help if needed, far enough not to spook him."
"When did you get so good at this sort of thing?"
"Please," lisa rolled her eyes. "I've been sneaking around trying not to get assassinated for years."
listair blinked.
"... Alright. Go hide. I'll get Rax."
"Gotcha!"
[And then we find out if nine years of friendship ans anything,] lisa thought, slipping into the shadows. [Or if I'm about to help my father dispose of a body.]
She watched him walk away, already rehearsing her spells. Just in case.
[Though honestly,] she mused, settling in to wait, [the real question isn't whether I'll have to kill soone today. It's whether I'll be able to stop Dad from doing it first.]
---
{listair}
As listair neared the construction site, he tried to calm down further. Deep breaths. That sort of thing.
listair caught lisa giving him a thumbs-up from her hiding spot as he grabbed his tools. His daughter had managed to find the one patch of shadow that gave her a perfect view of the whole site while keeping her mostly hidden.
[Sotis I forget she's not just that clumsy kid anymore,] he thought, setting up his workstation. [Though the constant sex jokes do help.]
He'd barely started pretending to check his equipnt when he heard the familiar voice.
"l! Brother, you're late today!"
listair's hands tightened on his hamr. Nine years of friendship made him turn automatically, made him smile on reflex.
Rax looked exactly the sa as always – broad shoulders, easy grin, purple skin darkened by hours in the sun. He walked over like he hadn't possibly tried to murder listair's entire family.
[Did you think about Hazel?] listair wanted to ask. [When you gave the order, did you imagine myself and my family burning to ashes?]
Again, he really wanted to believe this had sohow been an accident.
Instead of flipping out then and there, he said:
"Yeah, rough morning. Actually, could you help with sothing? Behind the storage area?"
"Of course!" Rax clapped him on the shoulder. The sa gesture he'd made a thousand tis before. "Lead the way, brother."
[Don't call brother,] listair thought. [Not until I know.]
He could feel lisa's eyes on them as they walked. His daughter was probably already planning twelve different ways to dispose of the body.
[Though if he really did try to kill Hazel, I might beat her to it.]
"So how's the family?" Rax asked as they walked. "Little Hazel still wanting to be a baker?"
listair's vision went red for a mont.
[How dare you,] he thought, his hands itching to wrap around Rax's throat. [How fucking dare you ask about her like you care.]
"They're fine," he managed. "All alive and well."
Sothing in his tone must have given him away. Rax's steps faltered slightly.
[Good,] listair thought. [Be nervous. Be very fucking nervous.]
They reached the storage area. The sounds of construction faded slightly here, muffled by stacks of materials and half-finished walls. Sowhere nearby, his daughter was watching, again, ready to either help him hide a body or... well, really just help him hide a body.
Rax turned to face him, that familiar grin already fading.
"l? What's wrong?"
[Nine years,] listair thought. [Nine years of friendship, and now I have to ask if you tried to burn my daughter alive.]
"Tell about the attack on Javir's house," he said quietly.
The color drained from Rax's face.
His expression slowly morphed. listair crossed his arms, his own expression changing.
Sowhere in the shadows, he heard lisa's sharp intake of breath. He couldn't bla her.
Nine years of friendship hung in the air between them. Nine years of shared als, of watching their children grow, of building a life in this city that would rather see them dead or enslaved.
[Funny,] listair thought. [How fast 'brother' can turn to 'betrayer.']
Or maybe he was wrong. Maybe there was an explanation. Maybe nine years ant sothing after all.
But listair had seen that sa look before – that mont when soone realizes everything's about to change. When the carefully constructed lies start crumbling.
He'd worn it himself, the day he discovered what humans had done to nim history.
Behind him, lisa was probably already planning how to dispose of a body. His daughter had developed quite the talent for solving problems permanently.
[Margaret would be proud,] he thought, watching Rax's expression shift. [Though hopefully not as proud as she'll be if I'm wrong about this.]
Ti seed to slow. In the distance, workers shouted and hamred, unaware that their mundane morning was about to beco sothing else entirely.
And listair waited for his friend to speak.
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