SONGS OF OURSELVES

❦ parasite

"So it's a parasite? Oh no. This needs to go right now. If I find a big enough rock I could break it off-"

"That's a no go, ghost rider. Tampering with cuffs like these only latches them tighter. We need a professional. We need the blacksmith who forged them." Cool moonlight washed over Xosa's face. "But first, we need to get out of here."

"We'll have to work together."

Xosa winced. He knew how this would end. With one of them dead, if not both. "Listen-"

"Not now," she said. The chain jerked, automatically lengthening, as she stood. "We can sort that mess out when we get out of here."

"Deal."

Sunkanmi surveyed the vault between them, breaking down distances and physics in her head. Mental math was her jam.

"I can climb over if I use the cavities as footholds. But you'll have to break my fall."

Xosa faced the tomb and raised his arms. "I got you."

"Don't drop me."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Xosa smirked. "Dragging your broken corpse around until I get these off isn't exactly my first choice."

"Oh my god. You're so funny. You're hilarious, you know that?"

"Keep that up and I may forget to catch you after all."

Sunkanmi mounted the tomb and scaled the wide stone slab. He heard her softly murmur 'sorry' to the grave as she shimmied over, respectful to a fault.

"I'm coming down," she warned, legs over the edge.

"I'm ready."

She screwed her eyes tight and made the endless leap!

Right into Xosa's waiting arms.

He caught her like a beach ball in a basket. Xosa barely shifted under her weight, not minding her heavy armor and sword.

[Strong. Too strong.]

Sunkanmi took a moment to read his face, not sure when she'd get another chance.

This close, the short cactus stubble on his chin grazed her ear and scratched her cheek. His ears tampered off into strange points, pierced with gold adornments. Two small nodes on either side of his forehead gave Sunkanmi the impression of sawed-off ram horns.

A wide nose offset an even wider mouth that cut across his face like a mask. His lips hid rows of sharp, even teeth - gates to a vividly pink [Forked?!] tongue.

His body was carefully-shaped clay, and Xosa's dimensions were downright artistic besides his left eye, which looked like it was smeared back by a lazy creator.

Despite his outward calm, Xosa oozed manic energy.

His hooded, poison-brown eyes, more animal than man, blazed at her through the darkness.

[Yeah, there's no way in hell he's mortal.]

But whoever this man was, he definitely wasn't Loveschild. There wasn't a single heart-shaped freckle to be found besides the mole just over his left eyebrow (which split in the middle).

Sunkanmi grimaced. Not-Loveschild's neck stank of rust and sweat. And sex, both profane and divine. And the hottest hour of the day. And, oddly enough, fresh terracotta.

"When was the last time you bathed? You reek."

"I was actually in the middle of doing just that when you crashed into my life. Thank you for that."