★✭ A Tale of Two Brothers ✭★ [tryout form]

[wishbone!]

asperatus; is going for the Sweetheart [194]

Hoshikuzu is going for the Fighter [193]

ooooo yeah








Do not post unless you are either me or Hoshikuzu.

★ ★ ☆ ★ ★

link to the main thread

[get scared]

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art by Shalusky

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You absentmindedly approached two Kalons. They seemed alright, a friendly chat going on between the two. "Excuse me," you said, bright smile on your face. It froze when red eyes turned on you, glaring, and you couldn't help but stare, transfixed. They almost looked like they were... glowing?
"What's the problem?" the red one quipped, lips peeling back from his teeth in a sneer.
"Enzo," the blue one murmured, frowning slightly.
'Enzo' huffed. "Sorry, that was rude. What's up?" he tried, instead.
"I- sorry, I just," you stammered helplessly, "I was wondering if you two were travelers?"
Red eyes squinted a bit, as if sizing you up. "And if we are?"
"I'm headed towards Malom," you began awkwardly. "I'm not from around here, and I figured- You two just- I'm nervous about traveling alone, and you two looked friendly..."
The 'at first' was left unsaid.
The red one began to smile, a goofy sort of grin sprouting on his face. "Yeah? I looked friendly?"
You nodded uncertainly.
He turned towards his blue partner. "See that, Orphy? I'm friendly. That's improvement!" He then looked at you. "Name's Laurenzo, but my friends call me Enzo. Those who wish to die a slow, painful death call me Laura."
You nodded quickly, growing a little flustered. "Nice to meet you, Laurenzo!"
"S'just Enzo," he said, shrugging casually, but it looked a little stiff.
"Okay. Enzo, then," you replied slowly. "And this is...?"
"This is my brother," Enzo introduced, smiling softly at said brother, "Orpheus."

[wishbone!]

art by Shalusky

The much darker brother, Orpheus, politely smiled at you.
"Hi there."
Well, he seemed to be the nicer of the two. "Hello Orpheus," you greeted him with a smile.
"You're heading to Malom?"
You nodded cautiously.
"Cool! We can help you get there. Sorry if my brother spooked you, he's really not mean. Just a bit standoffish, is all."
You sheepishly responded to him, "No, its ok. I'm just glad I could get some help."
Laurenzo frowned at his brother. "I am great at making friends, excuse you."
Orpheus looked back to you and very lightly shook his head 'no', causing you to giggle. Enzo quickly glared at you with his glowing, wait-? No, definitely glowing eyes. Your giggling soon stopped.
"Don't be rude to our new travel buddy, Laura," Orpheus grinned. The 'Laura' had been teasingly drawled out.
There wasn't much Laurenzo could do about it, he loved his brother to pieces and certainly wasn't going to slowly torture him. Laurenzo's angry, fluffed-up hair and expression made you burst out with laughter. Orpheus chuckled, too!
"Do you wanna die today, buddy?" Enzo's snarl returned along with glowing red daggers. Maybe he wouldn't torture his brother, but nothing would stop him from torturing you. Your laughter was halted once more.
Orpheus moved to your side and gave a certain look to Enzo. What it was, you couldn't tell; certainly very Orphy-ish, though.
"Remember what we said about death threats. No mean remarks towards people who need help!"
The red brother gave a softened look to his brother before grimacing at you. "Yeah, sure, whatever. Let's get a move on, already! Malom is a long trip and I don't wanna be stuck with them forever. Three's a crowd," Laurenzo growl-mumbled after jerking his head in your direction.

[get scared]

"Do you have a map?" Orpheus asked politely.
"I do," you replied, quickly brandishing the item. You held it out before you, and the two brothers casually took up the spots beside you, peering over your shoulders curiously. They weren't imposing, but they made you feel... protected. There was this energy to them, something about them by your sides that was reassuring.
Laurenzo made a scoffing noise. "This route you have marked out? Yeah, we're going to have to go another way."
You frowned at that. "What? But this is the fastest way."
"No can do, chief. If you want us to come with, you're gonna have to make some sacrifices."
Your eyebrows furrowed further. "But this is the safest way."
Enzo frowned, eyes narrowing. "You don't think I can handle it?"
"Wha- No!" You sputter, waving your hands frantically. "Of course not! I didn't mean- I wasn't implying- I'm sure you can-"
Orpheus laughed. "It's because of your way of 'handling' things that we can't take this route, Enzo."
"What?" you asked.
Laurenzo made a face. "I may be quick to jump to violence sometimes," he conceded.
"You have a short temper," Orpheus said bluntly.
"I like to call it... A swift and assertive reaction to crap. But not over just anything! Some of those guys can be real jacka-"
"Laurenzo," Orpheus berated gently.
He huffed again. "Well, they are. Even if I... lose control a little, they all deserve it. I can't just let them walk all over us, you know?" he asked you, eyes perturbingly wide and earnest, and you couldn't help but nod along when he looked at you like that. His responding smile lit up his whole face. "See that, Orphy? This one gets it! So what if I got banned from those towns because of it?"
"What?" you asked incredulously.
Orpheus sighed. "We can't go that route exactly, because we're no longer allowed in those areas. You can thank someone for that."
Enzo grinned sheepishly. "Ever heard of the name Palmeiro? Yeah, that's us. We're kind of well-known."
"Laurenzo Palmeiro," you said, voice faint as recognition dawned on you. "Yes, I remember hearing something about a fight...?"
"Which one?" Enzo barked out a hearty laugh, but a look from his brother quelled it.
You became curious which one was the elder one.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Enzo was muttering, expression peeved. "I need to work on my self control. Got it."
"Why are you always starting fights?" You couldn't resist inquiring.
Enzo looked uncomfortable. "I've got this... thing. If I'm around people I don't know, I get kind of... paranoid, per say. Real tense. Edgy. And when I'm like that, it doesn't take much to set me off. I say all the wrong things to all the right guys, and then we're fighting, because I can't let them win, you know? I can't give them that power over me. I can't let them put out my flame, you know? They can't take that away from me."
You wondered who 'they' were, because Laurenzo looked stiff, but coiled, like a snake ready to spring. His eyes were smouldering, and he looked threatening. Dangerous. But the intent wasn't directed at you, but 'them,' and who were 'they'? But you merely nodded. "Of course. So we'll just go around the towns?"
Enzo nodded tersely. "I'll protect you," he said, and unlike before, there wasn't any teasing in it. It was a promise, and you felt that familiar reassurance from before. There was something about them...
You looked back at the map, trying to stay on track. It really wasn't any of your business, even if you were curious. "What about here?" you asked, gesturing towards another part. "Why can't we take this route?"
Enzo glanced at his brother. "We don't travel by river."

[wishbone!]

Orpheus flashed you a weak smile. "Sorry. Water isn't really... Its not especially comforting. I um. I had a drowning incident when I was younger, so anything bigger than a backyard pool freaks me out." He tried to deflect the embarrassment he felt by laughing.
You waved your hands in front of you as apologies came flooding out your mouth. "Oh, I'm so sorry! We don't- there's no need for- We don't have to at all! Sorry. Uh, whichever route you guys want to take is perfectly ok!"
The blue brother nodded appreciatively. He continued gazing at the map over your shoulders, soon bringing his arm from behind himself and in front of you. He traced a small route on the map with his finger. "Would that be ok?"
Laurenzo scrunched his face as he reworked there route in his head. "That works."
You nodded in a agreement. A squeak of surprise came from you as Enzo snatched the map from you, rolling it up and tucking it into his pocket. He gave you a slight sneer, but Orpheus retaliated it with a stern glance. Really, which one was older?
"Should we prepare before we leave? Is there anything either of you need?" Orpheus directed a small smile towards Enzo then to you. So polite. How did he deal with Mr. Mean so easily?
"Nope. 'M good." Laurenzo threw a bag over his shoulder and faced his brother.
"I'm ready, too!" you chimed in.
Orpheus grinned and grabbed his own bag, sliding his arms into the straps and holding onto them. "Then off we are to Malom!"
There was that odd sense of comfort again. Was it because they had strange glowing eyes? No, that part still confused you. Kinda spooky, to be perfectly honest. Could it be the muscle they had between them? It made you feel a little better. You decided that you wouldn't be able to figure it out if you focused so much on it. The important part was that you were going to be traveling safely with one and a half new friends.

[get scared]

And travel you did.
"Idiot," Laurenzo hissed, grabbing your arm and hauling you up.
"Sorry-" You immediately began to apologize.
"What part of, 'watch your step,' don't you understand?" the red kalon continued to gripe. "Are you blind? Can you not see how thin this path is? Where the hell is your common sense?"
"You make it look easy," you mumbled, and Enzo faltered in his steps, nearly tripping himself.
Wide red eyes swiveled around to stare at you. And then they narrowed, and little crinkles appeared at the sides when Enzo smiled. "Yeah?" he asked.
You gave a little smile. "I'll be more careful," you promised, anyway.
Enzo huffed a bit. "Well, I mean, I caught you, didn't I? I've got your back," he insisted, puffing out his chest a bit, and when Orpheus sent you an amused smile behind his back, you returned it.

"Ah!" you jumped, startled by the suicidal lightning bug which all but launched itself into your eye socket. You swatted at it fruitlessly for a few seconds before Laurenzo snorted inelegantly, stilled you with his large hands on your shoulders, and caught the crazy little insect carefully between two fingers. You stared at it struggling, both impressed that he hadn't killed it and confused why.
"Fireflies," Enzo said wistfully, admiring the angry little bug in his hand before releasing it, sniggering a bit as it flew away in a dizzy sort of zig-zag pattern. "My favorite kind of bug."
"Why?" you asked curiously, watching as the terrible flier met up with more of its kind. As a group, a sporadically glowing cloud, the other lightning bugs flew further into the dark forest.
"They glow," he said simply, and when he glanced back at you, he was smirking. "Like tiny little stars. But you can catch them." He then looked to his brother who you could scarcely see in the darkness, but Enzo seemed aware of him at all times with the sort of practiced ease that spoke volumes.
"Ah," you said simply, nodding. "Do you like glowing mushrooms, as well?" You could see a few peeking through the long grass.
"Definitely."
"It's a shame they're poisonous," you commented. "I would have loved to pick a few and take them with me to show my cousins in Malom."
"They aren't poisonous," Enzo said.
You frowned. "Aren't they? In my field guide, it said the glowing green mushrooms with bright flecks-"
"Those are orange flecks," Laurenzo said, without even looking at them. "Only the ones with red flecks are poisonous." Then, he looked at you, and his eyes glinted in the darkness like embers. "It's the red ones that are dangerous."
You glanced at the mushrooms again. "Are you sure?"
Laurenzo made an annoyed noise in the back of his throat, not quite a growl, but close. "You don't believe me? Why would I lie?" And then he was staring at you again, his stare piercing, and this felt like some sort of test.
"Of course," you replied quickly.
"Then pick one," Enzo said, shrugging casually, but his stance was tense, his gaze unwavering.
You looked nervously at the mushrooms, then back at Laurenzo. His eyes were narrowed, his shoulders raised a bit. He looked ready for a fight, but not provocatively, just... prepared. As though readying himself for an attack, though what he thought you were going to do, you hadn't the slightest idea.
With an anxious little smile, you bent over, and hesitating only for a second, you plucked one of the little mushrooms and carefully tucked it away into your satchel.
Enzo was smiling at you widely. "What did I tell you? Harmless!"
And then the three continued walking, and Enzo was humming away happily, and you wondered why he was in such a good mood, but didn't question it aloud. You simply walked, listening to his musical tones accompanied by the crickets.

You glanced nervously between the two brothers, both standing on opposite sides of the large, gaping hole in the earth.
And they expected you to go inside?
"This doesn't look safe," you said.
"It's a shortcut," Laurenzo assured proudly. "Discovered it myself a few trips ago."
"Accidentally," Orpheus added, expression a mixture of exasperation and fondness.
Enzo grinned back at him. "But now this journey will be twice as fast! Don't pretend it wasn't a stroke of genius."
"Sure it was," Orpheus agreed dubiously.
"This 'shortcut' isn't on the map," you pointed out anxiously, taking a little step back.
Laurenzo frowned at you. "I just said, I discovered it myself. It probably wasn't here when your map was made."
"Then what made it?" you replied quickly, voice a tad too high. "What made this hole?"
"Something big," Laurenzo agreed, regarding the hole with childlike wonder. "Maybe it still lives down one of the tunnels? Feel like taking a detour to find out? Hey!" he squawked, crossing his arms over his ribs protectively in a belated attempt to fend off anymore surprise elbow-attacks from his frowning brother. "What did I do now?"
"Can't you see he's terrified?" Orpheus asked, tone a little snappish.
Laurenzo then took a moment to really look at you, and you gulped a little, feeling shame wash over you as the understanding dawned on his features.
How were they so confident? So fearless? How long had they been traveling to not be phased by things like this?
"Oh," Laurenzo said, but it wasn't mocking, just contemplative. He looked at you, as if sizing you up again, and you wished dearly he wouldn't.
You didn't want to see the disappointment. You knew you weren't a hardened adventurer, or a fighter, or even really a traveler. Could your first trip away from home really qualify you as one?
"Oh," Laurenzo repeated, and then, shocking you, he smiled.
Where was the sneer? The mockery? You realized he hadn't been sneering at you very much at all, as of late. The first few days on the road, definitely—every little mess up warranted a roll of the eyes and a nasty little quip to accompany your familiar feeling of worthlessness. But lately...
Lately, there had been more smiles than insults, more laughs than angry barks.
"Don't be," he said, and his voice was uncharacteristically soft. Rather, you had heard the tone before, but only when he spoke to his brother. The soft pitch, the almost melodic tones—these were reserved for those close to Enzo.
"Don't be?" you repeated hesitantly, swallowing to moisten your dry throat.
"D'you trust me?" Laurenzo asked, smiling. It was a cheeky sort of smile, and when he crossed his arms behind his back and swayed towards you a bit, you got the impression he was excited about something.
But his eyes were intense. Waiting. The same look he'd given you back in the mushroom patch-
Trust. His eyes were trusting.
You stiffened a bit at the realization, then relaxed, and nodded, and smiled.
He beamed back at you, and you couldn't help laughing at the dorky little spin-dance thing he did with his feet.
"Then trust me when I say that I will protect you," you said, and it was earnest, and you didn't doubt it. "We will protect you."
You looked to Orpheus, who smiled, and it was soft and genuine and you felt all warm and fuzzy inside.

[wishbone!]

Orpheus was very genuinely enjoying the adventure now. Once Laurenzo had started getting less snappy, everything seemed to process smoothly between your group. Having Enzo being much more patient with you was both flattering and confusing; you had almost expected him to be joking the whole time and bring back his snide quips. Though he was as brazen as ever, Laurenzo had become less tense around you. It was relaxing in the sense that you no longer felt guilty every time he looked at you. He'd became more heartening than frightening.
Orpheus had been so sweet the whole time, though. He didn't talk a lot like Laurenzo did. Orphy's being there was almost like having a guardian angel. One mischievous little devil that now had you on his 'this person's alright' list and one almost guardian-angel who made sure you felt safe. There was never a time that you felt far out of your comfort zone when traveling with them. It was bewildering how much trust both parties had put into each other already.
This outrageously large hole you had to travel through still put you off your nerves, however.

[ quack quack ]

"So are we gonna get in there, or are we just waiting for the hole to invite us in?" Laurenzo huffed.
Orpheus gave his brother a correcting smile. "You can't expect them to dive in head-first. Be patient." He looked back at you with understanding eyes and a calm expression. "I'll show you how to do it. Please, don't be afraid. We're here."
You relaxed just slightly at his words and followed him to the edge of the hole. Peering in, you couldn't see much else but a foreboding darkness. Suddenly the blue brother's words were taken from you as the fear replaced it. "I-I'm supposed to get down there? How?" Your sentence quivered in uncertainty. "What if I fall in?"
Orphy looked down into the hole and squinted."If you were to stumble in, you might get hurt, but nothing super serious. Unless you landed at a strange angle. It really isn't that deep, just watch me." He sat on the edge before scooting off onto his feet. He raced down the slope, hopping off of the decline and gaining control again. A distinct blue glow returned from the darkness. "You just have to be careful. It's like running down a hill, you have to go quickly or else the speed with be overwhelming. Laura, you come and show them now."
The last sentence earned a sharp growl from your other companion. Laurenzo stomped to the hole and glared down at him. "That's twice too many Orphy. Little bro's shouldn't talk to their older sibling like that." He all but launched himself into the hole, and you yelped in surprise.
A loud thud came from the entrance, followed by laughter, yelling, and unintelligible phrases. "Uncle! Aghh you win, get off!" Orpheus' voice escaped from the mess. Rustling ensued for a few seconds before his blue glow returned. He chortled. "Laurenzo attacked me. I needed backup, but you were up here." He giggled up at you, making you smile. "Did you see how he did it? Albeit much faster than I did, plus the initial jump. Do you think you can run down? if you lose control from the speed, we'll catch you."
"Or you can just roll down and I'll stop you with my foot!" Enzo chimed in.

They had made it seem so simple, but you weren't that confident in your own abilities. Laurenzo had made sure that you were careful with yourself once after you nearly fell off the thin trail you'd been on earlier. You couldn't dwell on it or else it would become even scarier. In a rush, you followed their example and scooted off the edge onto your feet.
Gravity hit you immediately and you struggled to keep up with the momentum. The brothers cheered as you came screaming down and braced themselves for impact. They formed their body-barrier, which absorbed the strong shock of you slamming into them. Your heart seemed to be be beating a mile a minute.
Suddenly all of you were laughing smiling. Orpheus had pulled you into a warm hug. "You did it! Congratulations! I knew you had it in you."
Laurenzo snickered and folded his arms. "Good job. The wall was my idea, you're welcome."

[ booty butt ]

"We're close," Orpheus announced, carefully drawing a finger along their path on the map. "If we cut through the next village, we'll arrive in Malom by nightfall."
Your head that had hung with exhaustion shot up at the sound of that. A smile broke out across your face, and when you looked at the brothers, they had toothy grins to match.
"Yeah?" Laurenzo asked. "That's sweet!"
"Maybe we can even spend a night there!" you breathed hopefully.
"D'you think we have money for that?" Laurenzo scoffed, and you, accepting and adjusted to the sarcasm, merely sighed. Your head sagged once more.
"If we bypass the village entirely," Orpheus continued, but he sent you an sympathetic smile, "it will be another night camping in the woods."
You groaned at the idea of being constantly pestered by mosquitos again; Laurenzo cackled gleefully at your misfortune.
"Not used to the luxurious life yet, kid?" he sniggered.
"Luxurious," you grumbled, shaking your head. "I can barely bend my back, thanks for asking," and Enzo laughed again. A frustrated smile broke your lips.
"Shall we take to the town?" Orpheus asked, rolling up the map and handing it back to you. You wordlessly tucked it into your bag.
"Sounds good to me," Enzo said.
Orpheus smiled at you and adjusted his own bag. "Then off we go!"

[get scared]

They walked along the deserted path, sweaty and grumbling, and Enzo decided to amuse himself by spotting as many cicadas he could.
"...Twenty-two cicadas, twenty-three cicadas, twenty-four cicadas, twenty-"
Orpheus seemed to be a little on edge,and you figured the heat was probably getting to him. He was darkly colored, after all. Not to mention, fluffy as hell.
His brother continued counting.
"...Fifty-three cicadas... Fifty-four cicadas... Fifty- ah, nope, just a rock. Oh, fifty-five cicadas... Fif- wait, no... fifty-six..."
It was annoying to an ungodly degree, but when he abruptly cut off, unease raised in you rather than relief. Because then, there was silence.
"Enzo?" you inquired, and he lifted a hand to silence you, peering into the distance with narrowed eyes.
"You hear that?" he asked, voice gruff.
"What?" you confusedly replied.
"The cicadas have stopped singing," Orpheus whispered, and only then did you realize why it was so silent.
"Not only that, but they've gone," Laurenzo muttered, expression dark.
"What? Where have they gone?" you asked, peering around.
"Why have they gone," Orpheus corrected gently, his expression worried as well.
"Maybe-" you began.
"Hush," Enzo quipped, and your jaw snapped shut audibly. It rang in the quiet, and then you heard it. Rustling. Both of the brothers immediately faced it.
A dark figure walked calmly—striding, really—through the treeline, and you frowned at the kalon smiling back the three of you. The smile was not friendly.
"If it isn't the Palmeiro brothers."
"And if it isn't Larry," Enzo sneered. "Grand."
The man puffed up with indignation. "That's Lawrence Baldwin to you, Laurenzo Palmeiro."
"Whattaya want, Larry?" Enzo called back, disgust and annoyance clear in his tone. His back was tense.
"I do believe you still owe my family quite a bit from all the damage you caused back in Adaglasia," the man smugly stated.
Enzo scowled. "I worked all that summer and paid off my debts, so if you would be so kind as to get the hell away from me and my pack, that would be great. Thanks ever so."
Lawrence threw his head back and laughed. "Brilliant. Added another member to your ragtag group of thugs? Though I suppose a duo isn't really a group, but I didn't peg you as a trio kind of guy. You've always been so..." Lawrence tilted his head, and his smirk was vicious. "Careless."
Laurenzo snarled animalistically, and Orpheus had an irritated expression on his face. This startled you, and then scared you, considering the dark kalon's usual disposition.
Orpheus subtly placed a hand on Laurenzo's back, and that was all it took for him to reign his anger in.
"I know I'm short fused," Enzo huffed, "I know that. I can be—I can be trouble, sometimes."
"Village kids love him," Orpheus whispered to you. "But once, one of them got caught up in one of his fights and got hurt. A lot of why we travel alone is because of that incident. Children are a risk sometimes. You know how impulsive he can be," Orpheus explained. His expression seemed like it was almost begging for you to sympathize.
"S'cause it was my fault," Laurenzo murmured, just loud enough for the two of you to hear. He sounded a mixture of frustrated and defeated. "Because I'm so bloody unstable all the time."
You stared at Orpheus, then Laurenzo, and suddenly, a lot of it made sense. Enzo's initial distrust, the coldness. The eagerness to connect beneath it all. Was he scared, after all? Of injuring you, no less. The kalon who promised time and time again to protect him? That made sense, too. And Orpheus, friendly, sweet, and caring. Maybe that was his way of reaching out and trying to get Laurenzo comfortable again? Your two protectors.
"But," Laurenzo continued, cutting off your thoughts, and his volume meant he was also addressing 'Lawrence'. "We're not traveling with children, are we? So you don't have nothing to be edgy about."
"Your debt-"
"My debts are paid."
Lawrence shrugged, but he still sported that self-assured smile. "There were no records, were there? No official papers or signatures? No witnesses that aren't under my family's payroll. If I say I need you to work for me for some more time, you damn well better listen."
Laurenzo laughed, and it was sharp, like a dog's bark. "Have you been following us? Why, because you want me to slave away some more time?"
Lawrence's smile dropped. "That. And the bounty on your heads. I've learned you haven't paid all your debts in every town-"
Orpheus chimed in, now glaring at this unsettling character. "We've paid our debts in yours. You have no viable reason to be stalking us."
"That doesn't matter-"
"Oh, but it does. I owe you nothing. Now, if you don't step aside, I will make you."
Lawrence cackled. "Resorting to threats, are you? I should have you arrested on the spot-"
"By who?" Laurenzo challenged, and his grin was feral. He took a step forward, and his stance was tense, poised, like a snake coiled to strike. "You're out here all alone," Enzo continued, his tone pleasant, but his eyes were glowing, pulsing. He walked back and forth in front of you and Orpheus—like an animal, pacing, waiting, ready. He looked dangerous.
"I-I'll have you know," Lawrence sputtered indignantly, but he took an involuntary step back, obviously caught off guard. "I can call someone out here in no time! You're close to Malom, someone can run from there-"
"Why would they?" Orpheus pointedly asked, stepping up beside Enzo. Orphy didn't appear to have any malice at all; somehow that scared you even more than Laurenzo's current sate. His regular, gentle curl of the lip was present instead of a dangerous grimace.
Laurenzo immediately stopped pacing, merely standing beside his brother, and together as they stood before you, they looked powerful. When one twitched, the other stood straighter, when one leaned back, the other loomed in. It was a subtle dance that only they had mastered. They resembled two snakes undulating before their prey. Positioned for attack.
"What?" Lawrence asked, voice faint and quivering.
"Why would anyone come at your beck and call?" Orpheus continued, and his voice was aloof, cool as you'd never heard it before. "Realize, there weren't any papers stating Laurenzo owed you anything in the first place. You have no documents to hold us to anything, in fact." Orpheus' smile was sweet. Polite. "So if we, say, leave you bleeding on the side of this trail because you accosted us, we've another witness who can very easily testify to your false claims and harassment. Stalking is a crime, mind you; misdemeanor or felony depending on how we plea. Our witness can say you attacked first, that we were defending them, and defending ourselves."
In synch, both brothers turned their bodies, just slightly. They didn't look at you, didn't need to, because with just that slight inclination towards you, you realized there was a space between them. A space you could very easily step into.
Hesitating briefly, you did.
"I would testify to that," you admitted. And you smirked, and crossed your arms, putting up a bravado you didn't quite feel at the moment, but knew in time, you could. Because your friends were beside you. Enzo was grinning at you, and Orpheus, usually very subdued, was beaming at you as well. They were proud, and not only was that a little embarrassing, but immensely satisfying.
You realized you'd been seeing them looking at you with those prideful eyes before.
They considered you a friend, and had for a while.
"Why, I never," Lawrence began, sounding huffy.
"Go back home, Larry," Laurenzo called, cupping his hands in front of his mouth for utmost volume.
"Bye, Larry," you couldn't resist piping in.
"Have a nice trip, Larry! Please stay safe on your way back!" Orpheus called sweetly, waving and smiling. All intimidation from him had vanished completely, and you almost felt the scary kalon from before was a completely different entity.
"It's Lawrence!" the other squawked before he turned heel and marched off. You could find something attractive in the way, even in retreat, the proud kalon still strode.





"This is it?" Laurenzo asked, squinting at the village gate. "Looks sketchy to me."
"Enzo," Orpheus chided, but you only laughed. "Be respectful."
"It's an old village," you explained, "and as you experienced firsthand, it's kind of a hassle to travel to. But it's home."
Enzo was making an odd face, and when his lip trembled, you realized he was getting emotional.
"Going to miss me, Laura?" you goaded, fluttering your eyelashes shamelessly.
Enzo scowled at you, but when he swung out an arm, it was only to wrap around your shoulder as his other fist ground into your hair.
"Cheeky kid," he growled. But it was fond, and you felt affection swell up like a balloon in your chest, making it tight and a little hard to breath. Your eyes, too, were a little blurry.
"Oh, please don't cry," Orpheus implored, eyes wide. His eyebrows quirked up and his smile drooped.
"If you cry, he'll cry," Laurenzo sniggered, and when Orpheus sent him a look, his eyes were, indeed, moist.
"We'll visit," Orpheus promised you, his voice thick.
You laughed wetly, wiping at your eyes. "You'd better," you warned, but the fact that you were sniffling and puffy-eyed may have detracted from the threat.
"Oh, come on," Laurenzo groused, holding out his arms, and Orpheus flew into them and wilted against him dramatically.
"They grow up so fast," Orpheus sighed, wiping daintily at his eyes. "Our sweet little road-trip pea."
Laurenzo side-eyed his brother. "I wasn't talking to you," he snorted amusedly, and Orpheus, seeming to have known this all along, smiled back easily before they both simultaneously turned to look at you.
With no hesitation whatsoever, you leapt forward, hugging them fiercely. Everyone laughed, though it may have sounded a bit gross because you were simultaneously crying a bit.
Orpheus wrapped his arms around you while Laurenzo had one arm around you and one around his brother. The emotion that you hadn't quite understood from before had come back stronger than ever, and this time you knew that is was an amalgam of bewildering trust, admiration, and friendship.
One mischievous little devil and one guardian-angel, both who made sure you felt safe.
You would miss them.

[wishbone!]

This kalon may be one of the kindest you've ever met. He was consistently polite, friendly, and relatively shy; truly a teddybear. His smile held a sheepish kind of quality, the kind that you thought an angel might have. His body language was almost always somewhere in-between calm, welcoming, neutral, and concerned.

Though Orpheus may have been seemed eternally tranquil, he had to constantly be on the lookout for anything that might pose a threat to him and his brother. He had an excellent talent for gauging situations and possible issues; its like he was unconsciously scanning for them at every moment. Most of this had been adapted from Laurenzo's remarkable firecracker-like personality. It was a natural response for Orpheus to be ready in case his brother became agitated, for he basically exuded peacefulness to calm Enzo and others around him. Alternatively, Laurenzo would always be on the lookout for threats that could impose upon Orpheus. Both of them may have had strength and a factor or intimidation, but only one would really ever act upon it. This could be because of natural family instincts to protect each other, or because both know they can be vulnerable.

Orpheus is not the type of kalon to be quick to anger. He largely prefers pacifism and diplomacy. There are, however, certain things that can get him upset, irritated, or uncomfortable. Here are things that you should avoid if at all possible:

★ Being stuck in heat, for reasons that should be somewhat obvious (copious amounts of fluff, dark coloration). Anyone can become cranky in hot weather, but Orpheus is especially bad at dealing with it.
★ Threats. Neither of the brothers take kindly to being threatened, and will quickly jump to defense and attack if prompted. Orpheus, being the kind guy his is, seems to be even scarier than Laurenzo in such situations. You will be afraid of him.
★ Large bodies of water. This means anything larger than a swimming pool that you could find in the average person's backyard. He has sever issues with it and may start to panic if faced with it. Trauma from the past is what caused this behavior; please do not try to pry any information about it from the Palmeiro brothers.

Orpheus is the brother that is sentimental about the past and contemplates things like, "What if I could've just done this differently? Would things be better?" He knows its not good for him but he can't help but have his heartstrings tugged by memories of family and the like. Though, family in the former parts of life was not as comforting to him as it is now. If anything it was terrifying. Life at the Palmeiro house, before the brothers moved out, was less than lovely. They don't treat it as a big deal and try to steer away from the past as a whole, but of course, Orphy dwells and contemplates. He worries.
"My father was not a good man. He did not treat my mother with the right respect or dignity. As his children, me and Laurenzo were furious at him but afraid; I wanted to defend us, but after so many attempts... You learn to be silenced. Whenever he did something 'nice' for us, he would become irrationally upset if we didn't worship him for it. One of the most noticeable examples of this was when he had 'offered' a trip to a lake.
It was basically forced upon us, yet still he called us ungrateful for not thanking him immediately for dragging us along. The beach's littered sands were only more depressing due to the gloomy skies. I only wanted to stay in the sand and watch the waves. I didn't know how to swim, but Father insisted that I go a-and- I tried to refuse him, but instead he became ang-gry. We argued briefly before I was, I-I was tossed into th-the... the lake," Orpheus was visibly distressed, you tried to comfort him and rested a hand on his shoulder.
You told him he didn't need to continue; you figure you understood where his thalassophobia came from. You pitied him and held him to you, his sniffs escaping through his clenched throat. Why had he reminded himself of that? He quieted down and smeared a hand across his eyes. He gently retreated from your grasp.
"I told Laurenzo we had to leave after we got home. We made a plan to run away. It didn't actually happen until the whole Palmeiro family got into a fight. I grabbed my essential belongings and told Enzo it was time to go. Our escape was made in the dead of the night when I knew that our parents would be asleep. It broke my heart to leave Mother with that useless, toxic man, but I informed whoever I knew could to get her out of there as soon as possible. We still think about her a lot and where she could be."

[get scared]

"Enzo, what the hell?" You sputter, squinting in the sudden brightness that illuminates your bedroom. You blearily make out your alarm clock which cheekily confirms that, yes, it's way too early for this. "How did you get in here?"
Laurenzo smirks cockily, placing his hands on his slim hips and rocking back on his heels. "Your mum let me in. She loves me, admit it. Even offered to bring up snacks."
"It's three in the morning!"
"Hey, I was going for the window," Enzo assured, somewhat defensively. "She caught me in the act."
"Wha- Why was she outside?"
"Her mother-senses must have been tingling. I was either going to make it successfully or break my neck trying, which she must have known."
"That." You blinked. "That's insane. And kind of brilliant. But wait," you shook your head, trying not to be distracted by your sleep-addled brain, "what are you doing here?"
Enzo suddenly looked a little self-conscious, which was ridiculous, because he had just attempted to climb through your window-
"Last time we talked, you sounded real torn up about that friend of yours. The one who... said those things behind your back? I thought." He shrugged with false casualness, as the motion was stiff. "I thought you might want to talk about it."
"At three in the morning?" you deadpanned.
"I didn't really realize how upset you sounded until thinking of it last night," Laurenzo defended huffily. "Tonight, I mean," he corrected, crossing his eyes a little bit as he tried to struggle through it. "I mean, it's passed twelve. So... Last night? Anyway, I figured, why wait until morning? If it's really eating at you, let's talk about it. Right here, right now. And if I'm overreacting, well, no biggie."
You felt affection swell for this ridiculous boy.
"You came all the way over here, at the buttcrack of dawn, just to make sure I'm okay?"
"I just happened to be walking in the direction of your house," Enzo assured. "Thought, hey, why not stop by?"
"And you weren't, say, sleeping?" you asked, amused.
"Sleep is for the weak," Enzo huffed. "So. Do you need a shoulder to cry on, or whatever?" He cleaned his ear disinterestedly with his pinky, and it was slightly disgusting, but he seemed utterly at home in your bedroom at three in the morning, which was endearing in itself.
You laughed a little. "No. No, I'm good. I have better friends than that guy."
Enzo grinned at you, and it was brilliant.
"Okay, great. I'll just take some of those cookies your mom offered and-"
"Enzo!" you squawked. "You only came for Mum's cookies!"

Laurenzo likes gardening. He likes the thought of sun + rain = new life.
As they travel, Enzo is always picking up new seeds and discovering new plants. He makes an effort to read up on any new ones he discovers, making him somewhat of an expert on herbalism and the like.
He has a thing for red plants, especially ones he can eat. Strawberries, tomatoes, raspberries, beets, pomegranates, etc.
Orpheus enjoys fruits of all varieties, but has a thing for blue plants (purple, really, but still). He would sneak into Enzo's garden during the night to snack on blueberries, just for a little treat.
But one night, Enzo is waiting for him.
"Orpheus, what the hell?"
Orpheus opened his mouth to defend himself, but felt the words die on his tongue. He had, to a degree, known he shouldn't eat them. Enzo treated his plants like his children, babying them and talking to them and encouraging them. So, yes, Orpheus had known, he just. Well. In the night, when he woke up craving the berries, he wasn't in the best mindset, and it never seemed like a big deal. Until now, obviously.
"Sorry?" he offered lamely, and Laurenzo pounced.
They were scuffling around, scratching and biting like they used to play as wee children. They were both smiling and laughing, just fooling around, when Orpheus noticed how oddly Enzo was moving. He frowned when Laurenzo made another aborted attempt to shift around him.
"What are you doing?"
"I don't want to crush the tomatoes," Enzo said, and Orpheus couldn't help but laugh.