Far From Home

[Najira]

Najira's smile remained on his lips. He was blissfully unaware of his surroundings; though, he could also simple be calm to them. The dance-floor mixes with poly-hued blood, long before the status quo is reinforced by the bouncers. For what felt like a long while, Najira's eyes fixed to Jon's. That smile, it looked so lonely. Genuine and earnest, yet so untrained. As though prior to this very moment, there was simply never a need to smile. An expression that communicated at just how high of a premium happiness itself had become.

The soft-pawed fingers of his offhand slowly swirled around the rim of the glass. His head slowly tilted as he looked down at the liquor, just for a moment. At Jon's suggestion, he hesitated. And, rather than trying to subject himself more to the gasoline-scented rotgut, he simply returned his eyes with Jon's. The suggestion being followed. Though, the sheer strength of it was wracking his smaller body, as warmth spread across his face.

"That'd... That'd be nice." Najira reached out to hold Jon's hand--

--And fell forward. The heaviness of his body finally tipped him over, and sent him careening forward. Najira's expression remained confused, as suddently Jon was getting closer-- But in reality, he was about to slam his head into the man. He barely had time to make a squeak, before slumping in against Jon's chest.

[Jon]

He saw Najira coming from a mile away. Time froze for him for a second, as there were many options to pick from. He could simply stop the fall of the canine boy with one hand. He could dodge him, let him hit the ground. Push him away, make him go back to his seat and maybe fall back. Could also stay still, let him hit the brickwall that is his body then pick him up from the ground. But as he considered his options, he did not realize the moment to choose had already passed. He moved without thinking.

He let Najira hit his chest, yes. But. He catched him with one arm, surrounding the waist with his forearm and firmly grasping at it with his hand. He looked down. Locking eyes with the starry looking boy. Self doubt began creeping on his back, had he falter like this in a fight he would have gotten stabbed. In the battlefield probably dead. "Y...You good?" Again, without thinking. Those words jus escaped his snout. Heartbeat starting to pick up. To him it felt as if the layer of a shield on his heart had cracked. Still conflicted about the feelings. He tried to play it cool. "Can't belive you are this drunk already." He chuckled softly, petting Najira's head. Agh. Again with theese involuntary actions. It was condescending of course, he tried to convince himself.

[Najira]

Jon's chest felt like a cushion. There was no shortage of warmth in the Red Sun, and even in Najira's own body, but Jon's heat felt different. Nicer. Najira's fur was well-kept. His clothes soft. He smelled of sweet incense. No doubt the result of daily purification rites and rituals. It marked him, in a way.

❚ And in another, protected him.

"Mnh... Yeah..." Najira answered, though he was only half-there. A little whine-- A pup-whine, leaves Najira's lips on accident. The kind of thing that'd get someone ribbed for the next few weeks, if it happened in front of more judgemental company, "You're warm..." His tail wags at the petting.

❚ Something in the corner of Jon's eye.

Bodies move as though an ocean. The rippling dances of folk like Jon form almost a solid mass beneath the harsh lighting. Neons catch metal. Catch glass. It makes the more dangerous parts of the club gleam harshly with dizzying red. Glass shards, rough metal, the glint of implements.

❚ A figure twists in a reflection. It is gone.

"Jon..." He softly repeats Jon's name, as his eyes close. Feeling it out with his mouth. It brings a smile to his lips, "You smell nice."

[Jon]

Najira's warmth against his torso was the first blow to the mask he wore. An eyebrow in his face twitched as he resisted the heart melting mannerisms of this cute boy in his arms. But his tail betrayed him. It was wagging slowly but happily.

Jon pressed his lips together as he swallowed his own spit. Still resiting, still trying not to show genuine emotion. But it was hard. The words that came out of Najira's mouth made him recoil in his seat. Clearly someone not used to the more emotionally intimate side of people interactions. Te petting stopped and it took all of his strength to push the fluffy Kharguin away. Just a soft push to help him get on his feet. "You... Uh... Smell nice too." Cleared his throat almost choking on his own words.

He was holding Najira by the shoulders by now. He lifted his head and looked around to make sure no one was looking at them. Luckly no one seemed to care what others did in this place. All attendants at this shrine of excess just minded their own business unless that included wooing someone or buying some narcotics, wich was happening almost constantly anywhere his gaze landed. Gaze that finally secured the exit and a path to reach it with this drunk mess with him.

He stood up, offering his hand again to Najira. "Here. Hold on to my arm, you drunk puppy." Did not directly look at him, just waited to feel his arm grabbed to escort the other out of here.

[Najira]

As Jon helped Najira up to his feet, the smaller Kharguin wobbled. His height and build were more human than baseline stock. Either he was part of a family of splicers, or one himself. In an age where the question of biology had been solved, however, this is not surprising. There are far more exotic things one could do with their body and genes.

From a darker corner, viewed from over Najira's shoulder, there was one voyeur. A man about his size, a fellow Kharguin. And just as Clanless. A row of glinting gold teeth gleamed in the harsh light of the bar. A distant, passing interest. A look that lingered, perhaps too long, on the pup Jon had in his arms. Given the blood licked from his teeth, however... A riskier outcome seemed to have been in Najira's future, if Jon was not here.

The Red Sun was not a kind place, after all.

❚ Something was wrong in the air.

Najira let out a soft breath, as he hugged Jon's arm close. It wasn't enough that he was holding it. He was pulling it closer. Wrapping both arms around it. Nuzzling in against the man's sleeve. Dangerously close to sleep. That is, until Jon pulled him along. Only then did Najira's eyes flutter. His legs moved well enough. The little thing was nimble, but his coordination was shot. Comically, he lagged behind Jon.

❚ The further the bar, the further the danger.

"You're so strong...~" Najira giggled out, hanging off of the man like mindless arm-candy.

[Jon]

Jon's eyes were like daggers pointed at anyone who dared to look at the two. Even more anyone who stared too long at the small drunk boy. He walked firmly, this time actively pushing people away. His face gave away a message to anyone who wanted to start anyting. "I will kill you" Was the message.

Parting the ocean of people with ease, he finally made it to the front doors and left. He glared at the bouncer and gave a single nod. The mostly fresh air hit them both. It was a cold night, the wind blew away the smell of excess from that deathtrap that was The Red sun. Looked around for a place to loiter around, an alleyway or a simple wall to just lean onto while he waited for Najira to sober up. Speaking of wich. Jon gave a preoccupied glance at the canine. "We really need to get you some water..." He sighed at the mess of a boy that hanged to his arm. He squinted his eyes, and proceeded to pick him up.

He carried Najira like a princess. It would be faster this way. He had given up on the idea of just hanging around the block. Being by himself he could just hang out at the darkest alley and wait for someone to try and mug him. But fighting while protecting someone else was too bothersome, and deep down he wanted to keep this one safe. So he just started to walk away from the place, Najira in arms.

"I'll take you to the hostel i'm staying at. You focus on getting sober." Said unenthusiastically, while carrying him effortlessly.

[Najira]

At the end of everything, night did still exist in furtive forms. A synthetic sky hangs from overhead. Something mimicking an atmosphere, with surprisingly low light pollution. A stark nebula spread out between the stars, its reds and violets mixing against what almost looked to be green aurora. Dimming the stars, like a thin blanket.

The dim flashing of red neons paint Jon's back, as he leaves that den. It took the 'fresh' air of the alley to realize just how rank the place was with the scent of copper and ozone. A smell made all the more easy to forget, with the sweet, yet almost oud-like smell to Najira's body. He does not resist being lifted. A painfully earnest giggle leaves his lips.

Hands playfully reach up, once Najira's brought into reach. His hands couldn't help it. Running his fingers through Jon's fur, Najira's eyes slowly half-lid. He traces, softly, along the man's shoulder and neck. All the way up to his cheeks, as he giggles, before resting his face on the man's chest. Those golden eyes looking up at him, struggling to keep them open.

They looked so much more warm, without the Red Sun's glare.

The Ninth Ward wasn't the safest of places. Half-embedded in a retrofitted maintenance district, it was a maze of alleys with views to the false sky. Buildings sprawled upwards, to about four stories, before brushing up against the foundation of the Ward above. Figures clad in long coats, cloaks, and glinting implements wandered the streets. Some peddled wares: food and stims. Despite it all, it was a calm night. Not a single riot interrupting Jon's path to the hostel.

"You have handsome eyes." Najira giggled out between hiccups, hands moving to massage either side of Jon's face, affectionately, "Can I see them again? Please?"

It was a liberating sensation, for Najira. Embarrassing for certain, but he would only concern himself with that on sobering. He speaks softly, but these words are lost. They are in a liturgical tongue, as the knuckle-bone of his thumb brushed against Jon's cheekbone.

[Jon]

Just like a dog that lets a really playful child mess with his face, Jon did nothing about Najira touching his face. He accepted his fate for the time being, but secretly enjoyed the tender touch.

He walked the quiet streets in this artificial night.The tall buildings casted a shadow as he moved between alleyways and streets. The little light that hit his face made his white fur stand even more. Every now and then he looked back, or his eyes wondered at the corners of the streets and his ears twitched and moved at every small sound near them. No doubt a habit stemmed from growing up in a place as dangerous as this.

As his heavy boots tapped the floor, the request from Najira made allowed him to be distracted for a moment. He locked eyes with him. Jon's blue pearls shined in a worn and tired face. Despite wearing an expression that told the world he did not care for his own safety, in his eyes a flame blazed with the will to survive. To live one more day despite the adversity.

"My what? I'm starting to belive you got ruffied, no one can be this much of a light weight." Got his face closer, as to inspect Najira's eyes and face, trying to find proof of what he just said.

[Najira]

Najira looked into Jon's eyes. He lacked any kind of predatory glint in the low-light, it seemed as though he could not see in the dark like his kin. There was an almost Human-like clumsiness to the gaze's movement. His pupils didn't look particularly shot, though. His lips formed into a soft smile, as the larger male examined him. Najira squirmed in his arms a bit, accidentally wiggling.

"My body's just weird!" Najira tried to protest in an odd way, "-- And I don't normally drink."

He looked a little self-conscious. It was a good sign in a way, if sobriety was the goal. Najira's smile turned awkward, while his hands played with Jon's face. It's as though Najira caught himself playing with the man, just as he tried to pull Jon's lips into a smile. He glanced in either direction, and it took some time, before his eyes widened. His ears lowered. He looked away as his hands lowered back down.

"Sorry." Najira's mind lagged a moment, as he got the word out.

Sobering just enough up to feel shame is a unique kind of pain.

[Jon]

A half smile appeared on Jon's face, he shook his head slowly. "You're fine." He assured his small companion. "And yes, i can see that your body is..." He bit his tongue, weird was not the first word in his mind. Cleared his throat and continued. "...Different, yes." He tried not to eye him down, for now the warmth of holding him was enough.

"Are you comfortable? I hope i'm not hurting you." Lifted the boy up once more, making him slightly jump in his arms. Then directed his eyes back to the road, in hindsight it would have been more efficient to give Najira a piggyback ride. Blamed his subconscious for thinking Najira would look cuter being carried like this. "You seem very uh... Fragile." He was trying his best to be as delicate as he could with his grasp. Never encountered a Kharguin like this and did not want to hurt him on accident.

After a few minutes of walking, they were finally there. The hostel was not very welcoming, probably the crappiest place he could find. Just a two stories building with a cracked surface and some boarded broken windows. The word "HOSTEL" written in a neon sign, some letters missing. Clearly this man was used to sleeping wherever, commodities were not something he cared about. He stepped inside, not a single person attending to the place and Jon just made his way to the room he had been staying in. The electronic lock required a code to open the door. The most obsolete kind of security, but for the price Jon was paying one could not expect more.

Instead of puting Najira down he hoisted him onto his shoulder, now with a free hand he was able to input his code and access the room.The inside was not as bad as the exterior. There was one bed in wich he could barely fit, a surprisingly clean bathroom with just one shower, a thankfully unbroken window and a few clothes that seemed part of Jon's uniform just scattered around the floor.

Once the door was closed behind Jon, he sitted Najira on his bed. He handed him a canteen he pulled off a bag that was hidden under the bed. "Purified water. Drink." Then just sat beside the smaller canine.