Jawe pulled a slightly annoyed, disgruntled face, the corner of his eyes twitching, but self-preservation prevented him from opening his mouth and berating the youth before him. No matter how rude Nyell behaved in front of him, how could he dare scold him, now that he had been made aware of his real background?
This young man was the Nyell from the Black Moon tribe, the little monster who roamed the jungle freely and handled their hunters with uncanny ease, as if they were nothing more than rowdy, snorty brats in need of a good spanking. Not only that, but some of their hunters reported having witnessed this great warrior, who didn't seem to fall short of the hero passed down in legends, fight with mythical beasts on equal footing and win. Nyell was also respected for his moral integrity and his policy of never going overboard, even when the hunters egged him on with slurs and other insults that would make their own parents ashamed and ancestors turn in their graves.
The point was, these hunters were hellbent on provoking him, yet Nyell never, ever crossed the lines, unlike some people from the White Moon tribe.
It was better not to tell anyone that these hunters, whose sole purpose was to cause mayhem with the tribes, had been sent over by the opposition faction, with the goal of escalating things until it blew up, which would give the elders a justified reason to intervene in the jungle tribes' affairs and seize their territories and resources, regardless of what the White Moon Lord said. Jawe would know, as he had given the order himself to some trustworthy pawns. Not like this plan ever bore fruit, or at least, not as much as intended, thanks to Nyell and some other mighty warriors who obstructed the hunters whenever they pushed the boundaries.
All in all, the brat's arrogance was warranted, and as a retired hunter, Jawe knew better than anyone how impressive the feats reported about Nyell were. He didn't want to stir the hornet's nest for no reason, certainly not now that he was old and unfit to fight. He had indulged too much in the past decade, and his fighting ability had plummeted downward majestically. To start with, he had always been a low-ranked hunter, only added to the team to even out the numbers—even in his prime, he'd have been no match.
"…Whatever," Jawe ultimately grunted. He seemed to hesitate for a split second, his eyes darting around as if to ensure no one was eavesdropping on them, before he opened his mouth once again, refocusing his attention on his young chief. His tone was awkward, but he forced himself to warn Allen in a low voice, "Just so you know, they've decided to surprise you today, during the ceremonial dance. I don't know what they've prepared, but it seems to be something flashy. I overheard them say that this time, your reputation will be ruined for good."
"Eeeh," Nyell scoffed, eying Allen from the corner of his eyes. "I can't help but wonder: are you sure you're not gifted with clairvoyance? Everything always happens as you say it will."
"Oh, dear, there's no need to peek into the future to deduce what these fools have in mind," Allen smiled, although his smile didn't reach his mesmerizing eyes. "Among all the courses of action they could possibly take, this was the most likely one. If I were in their shoes, I'd act today when everyone's eyes are on us. Why waste such a perfect opportunity? They already wasted one, after all."
"Remind me to never get on your bad side," Nyell clicked his tongue. "Well, I'm curious to see what they've prepared, though I doubt it'll entertain us for long. I couldn't even blow off some steam at the auction…"
"What's wrong with you?!" Jawe choked on his saliva, looking at Nyell with wide, almost bulging eyes. Something was clearly wrong with the guy! Whatever these fools were planning, it was obviously something huge, perhaps even more disastrous than a tidal wave. Yet, Nyell was thinking of getting loose. He was known to have a few loose screws, but wasn't that stretching it a little too much? Wait. No, maybe these two already knew everything, and much more than what Jawe had been privy to. That would make sense. It wouldn't change the fact that Nyell wasn't all that right in the head, though. "Whatever! That's all I wanted to say, so I'm off."
That said, the elder bowed ever so slightly before turning on his heels and quickly fleeing, vanishing into the small crowd gathered on the platform. The less time he spoke to these two, the better he'd feel. Or at least, that was the impression he left on Nyell.
"So?" Nyell said, still lazily leaning on his mate while his sharp green eyes scanned the crowd. "What do you think will happen during the ceremonial dance?"
"There are many possibilities," Allen hummed as he leaned his head against Nyell's. As most people had always greeted them, they had a moment of peace. "I don't think I need to explain to you how they managed to engineer these disasters these past few months, do I?"
"No, it's obvious. And sickening."
In all likelihood, one of their experiments had succeeded. Among all the children they had destroyed the lives of, one awoke to the divine essence burrowed deep into their bodies. The essence Allen knew they had was from a God of the Sea, although it seemed like they had managed to get their hand on another corpse, as the divine essence of the baby growing in Nuye's womb was related to Allen, whereas it wasn't the case for Layla. The divine essence thus couldn't have come from the same heavenly being.
In any case, no mortal shaman, however strong they were, could summon such large waves and make the sea behave like a toddler having a tantrum. It was more likely that the divine, indeed, was at play, which was ironic considering the rumors that had spread far and wide. Or perhaps, that had been intended.
"Seems like this time, you want to play bait, too," Nyell snorted, remembering where exactly the ceremonial dance would take place. Even from here, he could see the wooden platform floating on the currently calm water. "Were you that annoyed that I played bait with another man?"
"Hm? Don't you think that now that our relationship is official, we should do things together, as mates?"
"Usually, you go on dates," Nyell laughed.
"Let's do that later, then."
"My pleasure."
A comfortable silence then fell between the two, and they quietly observed the elders and foreign lords navigating the crowd and networking. Nyell wondered how many of them would fall tonight, and if, this time, Allen would be able to round up every fool who had dared to raise hell in his territory. He wasn't the kind to make the same mistake twice, was he now?
***
"Was this cumbersome thing really necessary?" Nyell groaned, peering over his shoulder to catch a glimpse of the long outer robe falling on his back and down to the ground, much like a veil. The wide sleeves were also grating on his nerves, as he found them impractical. He had been at ease earlier in the banquet, as his clothing had almost been a replica of yesterday's. But now…
"Well, it is a ceremonial dance," Allen chuckled, his movements still gracious and elegant despite the new layer of clothing.
"Y'know, we have ceremonial dancing in my tribe, too, but it doesn't involve bothersome clothing like these things. Heck, you can dance butt naked if you feel like it."
"I'd love to see that."
"Yeah, yeah."
Despite the numerous complaints that escaped his mouth, Nyell still agilely jumped off the rowboat onto the floating wooden platform anchored a dozen meters away from the harbor. It wasn't close enough that they could use a roped bridge from the dock to the platform, but not too far off that the platform and the people on it were invisible from the harbor. It was just at the proper distance, and the crowd had gathered on the docks, ships, and last terraces before the steep climb to the mountain began. Every space available was taken, and people squeezed against each other for a better look. It was the first time the chief of this generation would perform a ceremonial dance, and with his mate nonetheless!
Unlike the excited populace, the elders and mighty lords seemed a little peeved. They now had no other choice but to share the space with the common folk, although there was a distinct line between the two groups, except for a few elders who were held in high esteem by the populace, including Abby. She stood at the forefront, a gentle smile lingering on her lips.
Nyell would have liked to know what kind of twisted thoughts were going through her head. Not like he couldn't imagine, but he was still curious.
"Nervous?"
Allen's soft voice snapped Nyell back to reality. For now, they had a dance to perform. While he was held in captivity, he didn't have many things to do, so when he wasn't busy brooding, he practiced the moves Allen had shown him a day before he got abducted. His uncle helped correct his form when he was off, and he gradually got it engraved into his muscle memory. It wasn't a dance that required the two parties to hold onto each other, either, making it easy for him to practice on his own.
According to the choreography, they had to each take a side on the platform, keeping a safe distance between them, and twirl their bodies according to their partner's movements, mirroring each other. Nothing too complicated, and even if they hadn't had the time to practice together, Nyell had confidence that they would get attuned to each other fast enough.
Somehow, he had a nagging feeling that Allen had often danced with his past lover.
'Don't think about it. It's not the time.'
Now, all that was left was to wait for the music to travel to their ears, and the moment it did, both men moved in sync. Their flowy clothing followed along; the pale color of the robes and the golden or silver threads of the embroidery shone under the bright moonlight, catching the spectators' eyes. It was beautiful, each movement complemented the other, and the men's steps were calculated, somehow fast yet slow, tagging along the sound of the flutes.
At one point, Nyell and Allen had to exchange places, so Nyell jumped high, rolling on himself in the air in a fluttering movement of clothing, while Allen bent over and passed under in a fluid motion. Nyell landed, and they both enacted the same mirrored movement of veering on their heels to do a double somersault.
Thud.
They landed perfectly, again.
Even from this far, Nyell could hear people gasp. These motions weren't something they were used to seeing, especially not from their chief, who was allegedly a powerful shaman and thus should be physically weak. It brought a smile to Nyell's lips. Allen had probably tweaked the choreography a little, most likely to amuse himself and please Nyell. He knew his mate wasn't fond of staying still and liked to show off, too.
Meanwhile, the low tide started to settle, and the water was receding. They had decided to dance today, and at this hour, mainly because the tide was strong at this time of the year. It seemed to be the perfect occasion to dance for the Moon Lovers, and hopefully, appease their anger. Or so Allen had said, and the elders happily bite onto the bait.
However, the water kept receding. The level got lower and lower to the point where it became impossible not to notice that something was amiss, and uncertainty gradually spread among those who perceived the threat. But Allen and Nyell kept dancing. They didn't seem to care, or they might not even have realized something was wrong. The uneasiness spread to some elders, too, who glanced at Abby for instructions, only to see her shake her head, as if to tell them that everything was alright. It was part of the show, and they should relax.
On the platform, Nyell locked his eyes onto Allen's, and a smile bloomed on his mate's face, mirroring his own. So, it had begun.