Xisuma's Parrotsitting [HermitSteal AU]

Surprise Visit!

"Hey, Ex! Long time no see!" and Xanthus barges in like it's his house he's entering before Xisuma can stop him –to be fair, it is his in a way. However, it is also Parrot and Spoke's now. Xisuma looks at the kitchen table only to find that Parrot isn't there and there is no black puddle on the floor anymore. He sighs out of his nose; they must've been spooked and hid somewhere. "Surprised to see me?"

Xanthus turns and sets down a bag on the counter. It's a small pack of neat pastries that Xisuma has never seen before. He approaches to open the container and examine them, the aur smelling of chorus fruit.

"I am surprised to see you, actually. Aren't you supposed to be attending–"

"I am."

"And you are here because?"

Xanthus sits down in a chair and crosses an ankle on his knee. "Something came up and today's classes were canceled so I thought I'd pay you a visit."

"Look, I am very happy to see you but now is really not a good time for me–"

"Who are they?" Xanthus points behind Xisuma, precisely where the hallway entrance is.

Oh, Void. This is going to be fun to explain, isn't it?

Turning his head, he sees the boys peeking at them through the hallway. Spoke is halfway 2D, something that Xisuma has started to associate with nervousness, while Parrot is glaring so hard that his eyebrows almost connect at the center.

"Oh, well," Xisuma starts and rubs at the back of his neck for a moment, trying to stall so he can think.

He can't just tell that they're kids he's picked off the street to his brother, let alone kids who have no remorse when it comes to threats and violence. He can see the glint of metal that Parrot is holding behind his back in a silent threat and Parrot knows exactly what component to cut to asphyxiate a voidwalker. Yeah, he can't say anything, can he? Not unless he wants the murder of his brother in his hands, apparently. "I suppose I should introduce you... boys!"

Silently, he gestures for the two to approach. The kids are hesitant, looking at Xanthus like he's a wild dog ready to attack. To be fair, Xanthus has never been good with kids; he isn't much approachable either. His friends are the same as him in that regard: unapproachable but kind at heart (that's what he likes to think anyway).

"This is Parrot and this is Spoke." he pats both of them on the shoulder. "I'm babysitting for a friend this week. Kids, this is my younger brother, Xanthus."

Xanthus leans in and puts an elbow to his knee before extending his other hand for a handshake. "Well, it's very nice to meet you two."

Parrot hesitantly shakes the man's hand in a very professional manner, glancing at Xisuma for some sort of affirmation that this is okay. Xisuma simply messes his hair, holds in a chuckle when the boy bristles and puffs up his feathers in silent protest. Spoke just ignores the gesture, keeping his arms folded at his chest defiantly and sniffs in disinterest.

"Whose friend are these two?"

The question is completely unexpected. Xisuma almost chokes on his own spit. Hastily sucking in a breath, tongue clicking against the roof of his mouth, he responds with no small amount of nervousness.

"Uh, a friend."

Spoke steps on his foot, although it isn't effective thanks to the armour plating covering his body. It gets the message across, anyway, because Xisuma may be a bad liar but he also knows that his lies are terrible. His brother excels at the craft, though, which makes up for the lack of it in his blood.