The Fake King leads the Lamb
Ela’s cooking could be smelled from
outside the tent. But Hisoka’s mouth didn’t water. His heart bet fast like a
war drum. His Ren flared up and he struggled to regain control of himself.
‘Not yet, not yet,’ he had to
remind himself. Too late to convince his lower half. His billowing pants hid
his erection well enough. Not that he cared at the time. But he did need the
secrecy.
“Hisoka?” Too late. Ela’s voice
resounded loud compared to the crickets’ sounds. “Is that you?”
Hisoka let himself in. “Yes, Ela. I
am sorry if I startled you,” he said in his best apologetic tone. He shifted
his gaze just enough to appear ashamed. Ela put the pie in the oven and came
over to the teenager. She caressed his cheek with the love of a mother.
“Do not worry dear,” she cooed.
“You are always welcome here.” Her eyes looked beyond him.
“Where is Karn? He’s not usually
late for dinner,” she asked. Hisoka sighed.
“He was drinking some wine when I
left.” He widened his smile and made his best happy-schoolboy face.
“Training was awesome today. Your
husband is a great teacher.” His insides cringed but he kept his face straight.
All he needed was to shift her attention to him. A hook.
“Really?” she said with a bright
smile. Hisoka met her expression with an equal beam. From the outside they
seemed like every normal happy family. Almost.
‘And there goes the bait’ thought
Hisoka.
“What did my dear husband teach
you?” she asked.
“Actually today I developed a Hatsu,”
exclaimed Hisoka. Her eyebrows shot up.
“Oh how exciting. You must show
me,” she replied genuinely. Hisoka’s widened. He got her where he wanted.
“Play poker with me first,” he
said. “I’ll show you then.”
Ela was used to his games. Where
others saw a bad habit, she saw a playful nature. She produced a deck of cards
and motioned for Hisoka to join her at the table.
“I have a little time before the
pie is done,” she said. Hisoka sat opposite her.
She dealt the cards. “Need I watch
out for anything?”
“Only your life,” he replied
playfully. His voice was drenched in humor.
Minutes passed quickly as cards
flicked from one position to another.
“Looks like I will be winning this
one, Hisoka,” she said lovingly. She set her cards. A jack, a pair of queens and
two kings. On the table were two other kings.
“Four of a kind with the kings.
That is hard to beat,” she said.
“But I still win,” replied Hisoka
as he showed his cards. “Royal Straight Flush.”
“A fifth king! How is that
possible?” Ela’s eyes darted from king to king. Hisoka handed her his.
“Use Gyo,” he instructed. She
complied. Under the vision on her aura the king’s printed image slowly peeled
off to reveal a three of spades.
“I can apply my aura on certain
surfaces and changed their appearance,” explained Hisoka.
“That’s incredible,” said Ela
softly. She released the aura from her eyes. The card once again showed the
fake king. Hisoka’s hand reached over and he took the card. Releasing his aura
from it, the card’s true image showed.
“I got the idea from the mask
performances,” he said enthusiastically. “Maybe someday I could actually
perform for the troupe. I could make an entire play, complete with changing
costumes and faces right in front of everybody. With just marionettes!”
Ela smiled at his enthusiasm. “I’m
sure that in a year or two, Mr. One-man-show Hisoka will be the star of our
troupe.”
“But until then, keep working
hard.”
“So who won?” asked Hisoka,
pointing at the discarded cards.
Ela placed her hands on her hips.
“Well this is a nen troupe, so the use on nen is not cheating. So I guess you
win, Hisoka dear.”
“Good,” said Hisoka, beaming. “In
that case will you please do me a favor?”
“Anything dear,” she replied.
“Will you please help me bring back
Karn? I’m afraid I’m not strong enough to carry him by myself and he might
listen to you if you yell at him a bit.”
Ela let out a laugh. “I just might
to that.”
They soon arrived at where Karn lay
unconscious.
“Oh dear. He’ll catch a cold like
this,” said Hisoka. Ela said nothing and, for a second, the magician thought
that he had oversold his pitch. But Ela knelt down beside her husband and smelt
his breath.
“This wine has a different smell,”
she muttered. She groped for the discarded bottle and examined it. There seemed
no tampering with it of any kind.
“Is there something wrong?” asked
Hisoka. He stood behind her, quiet and observant.
Ela kept staring at the bottle and
only the boy’s voice shook her out her daze. A thought tugged at her mind and
she remembered Hisoka’s trick. She remembered her own training. The basic
training when facing the unknown was simple: use Gyo and look for clues. She
tentatively focused her aura on her eyes.
The label of the bottle shifted.
The bottle displayed a label for absentine and beneath it, scrawled with an ink
marker was a smiley face and crossbones.
“What the..” She questioned how this was possible. No one
in the troupe had this type of ability.
Then she remembered earlier. One person
could do this.
“Hisoka?” she whispered.
He didn’t answer. His aura flared
so much that it toppled her over. In the darkness he was hidden.
All save a giggle.
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