TW//Mention of child slavery/trafficking (just one line in the second segment) and a bit of overwhelmed Parrot, just a bit and also a surprise guest at the end ;)

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By the time Red and Zam arrive, Spoke is already done with his deal speech. Xanthus has accepted and he said that the deadline is in two weeks. They should have the money by then, though the fridge is going to empty quicker than it fills. With that victory raising their spirits, he and Parrot return to their home. They find Pangi awake in the kitchen and Xisuma asleep on the couch.

"It's over, Pangi!" Spoke tells their pangolin friend.

"So, no more staying up till midnight?"

Parrot shakes his head, smiling so hard his cheeks are hurting. "Now we can sleep again!"

They hear a groan from the couch and collectively shush. Wordlessly, they return to their rooms, careful not to make more noise. The last thing they need is Xisuma to see them awake and not in their pyjamas. They part ways in the hallway and Parrot closes the door behind them. Spoke immediately dives into their shared wardrobe and throws clothes out, whilst Parrot puts his ear on the door.

Surely enough, there is noise coming from the living room. With one look, they both rush to change out of their dirty clothes, hiding them under their shared bed. They crawl beneath the covers and quite literally fall onto the mattress, trying to make themselves look like they're sleeping.

A few minutes pass and all they hear is silence.

"See? He isn't awa–"

Spoke's hand finds Parrot's talking mouth, efficiently quieting him as he gestures him to hush. A moment later, he hears footsteps outside of the door, somewhere in the hall. It's a familiar sound, so it doesn't scare them but it does make them feel like they're doing something that they shouldn't be doing and they both want to giggle but they hold back. Apparently, Xisuma woke up from all the noise they made when they returned.

The door of their room opens quietly and Parrot can feel eyes on his back for a few seconds. Kind, caring eyes whose owner probably wouldn't be all that mad if he had found the bed empty but anxious and terribly worried. Parrot found that he dislikes lying to Xisuma when the search for Xanthus began but now, he doesn't have to lie anymore. His last major lie will be pretending to be asleep. If all goes well, he won't even need to learn the full story.

"You owe me 5 bucks."

"Shut up and sleep."

Pangi leaves the next day. There is no reason for him to stick around any longer: his claw has grown back significantly during his stay, a little dented at the base but that's temporary, as once it grows out enough, it could be trimmed and filed into shape. Xisuma is still worried about him, though, so he tells the kid that if he doesn't feel comfortable outside, he can return for another night. As for where he is going to go now is a big mystery. Xisuma suspects that he is going to seek shelter from the teens.

The day after that, he enrols all of them to different schools. The teenagers were old enough to go to secondary school and high school, while the younger ones were stuck in Primary for a year alongside their friends. Thankfully, Mr. Marriott holds up quite well considering that he is locked in a classroom with a bunch of troublemakers who came in mid-term and have a lot of knowledge gaps. The boys have turned the cafe into their hangout spot now and Planet works the afternoon shift, so that he can attend class in the mornings alongside his friends. Whenever they gather, it's to either study or tutor each other, which is honestly a very wholesome scene to watch from behind the counter. Xisuma is proud of his kids and their friends, who he has slowly but surely pulled away from the dangerous underground; not completely but less interaction with criminals is a welcome outcome.

For two weeks, his boys don't act as suspicious as they did all those days ago. They stay in bed during the night but Spoke eats more than a child should at his age and Parrot just watches like it's normal. Xisuma learnt the weird way that Duplication depletes Spoke's energy storage incredibly fast (it was a wild ride to and fro school when the principal called him saying that Spoke passed out in class because he was duplicating erasers), so he concluded that he was practising his new ability like a toddler plays with a new toy. When he searched their room for contraband, however, he came up with nothing: whatever it was he was duplicating left the apartment as fast as it was made.

He didn't bring it up directly because every time he did in the past, they always managed to change the subject or just ignored him. He asked them questions, tried to figure it out on his own. What could it be that they were hiding? A surprise? Was someone's birthday coming up? No, it couldn't be that. Even Planet was acting strangely back then. So, what is going on? No one tells him anything and he can't help but feel dread crawling up his spine when he thinks about it.

It must be something bad; something that neither of his boys want him to know about and it isn't something like illegally selling rubber bands, coloured pencils and pens in the janitor closet (Pearl gave them the key fully knowing what they were going to do). They both brag very loudly about scamming their peers with Spoke's duplicates for it to be that. They know that he's onto them, which is why they evade his questions with vague answers. Parrot doesn't meet his eyes, Spoke looks at him as intensely as a cat, like he's daring him to repeat his question.

So, no, he doesn't know what they're doing but he knows that they are doing something that he wouldn't approve of. He has tried dialogue, he has tried taking them along on errands and no crime confession has come of it. He could threaten to evict them but even if he did, he's pretty sure they'd defenestrate him and hunt him down like an animal for betraying them (he didn't see how bad the beating they gave Branzy was but he heard the fight) or just laugh it off because he is stuck with them now. It doesn't really matter, threats and violence aren't on Xisuma's moral compass.

Come to think of it, that's probably why Parrot and Spoke were shoved into his life by fate. He protects them with words, they protect him with firearms and sharp knives –kind of like Xanthus, though he fell more into the 'get in trouble for sharp knives' category.

Speaking of... his brother actually picked up the phone. Finally, after so many days of worry, he decided to pick up! It was a call from an unknown number, a conversation that lasted only twenty seconds, just long enough for Xanthus to tell Xisuma that he was okay, that he was dealing with his problems and that everything would be back to normal soon. Xisuma doesn't know what he meant by 'normal' –the kids have redefined the meaning of that word. It's probably something positive.

On the day of the deadline, Spoke has a briefcase full of excellent, well-made, fake money. So many days worth of near starvation had better be worth it, Parrot didn't like how much energy this whole ordeal was sapping out of him. It's done now and that is the only good thing about that step. The next step is meeting with Xanthus and driving to the casino, where they'll meet the deadliest assassin in the city for the second time. They are both nervous: there are so many things that could go wrong that they could not be prepared for or backlash for what they did to Branzy...

Honestly, they held back. Red and Zam pulled their punches, letting the youngsters get their fill of bloodlust and chaos for the rest of the fight. All in all, the guy got away with not as much damage as they would have liked to inflict.

Parrot nudges Spoke's side and the small gesture reminds them both that they aren't alone. They have a whole group of loyal people that would come to their aid if they needed it and Xisuma would raise each and every rock if they were to go missing– Okay, not the time for such thoughts. Parrot shakes his head and tugs the hood of his jacket over his colourful bangs.

"We're almost there..." he comments. Just one more corner to round and they would be at the bar. There, they'd give Xanthus the briefcase and then ensure that it would safely arrive at the casino, into the hands of Clownpierce. "Are you ready?"

Spoke sighs, nerves alight with tingles. "Let's just get this over with. I want to go back to bed."

"Do you think we should have written Xisuma a letter?"

It isn't late enough in the morning for the man to be awake. It's a Sunday; he doesn't have work, he doesn't need to wake up early and he's told them that he doesn't care what they do if they wake up before him, as long as they don't cause trouble. To be fair, they aren't causing trouble, so they shouldn't be worried about him getting mad in the first place. They're doing his brother a huge favour –scamming the rich and all that– so he should be grateful if he ever finds out!

"No, he's probably asleep."

"Hmm..."

Parrot thinks that Xisuma isn't asleep. His instinct is telling him that he can't be asleep, not when the two of them are waltzing into the wolf's mouth, heading straight into danger; he shouldn't be asleep. He should be awake, walking alongside them, making sure they are protected. Well, he shouldn't be here for this but Parrot can't help but long for his recently-acquired father's presence.

When they enter the bar, Spoke guides Parrot to the counter, where they seat themselves on the tall stools. Helsknight is there, chatting with another wrong-doer and except for a greeting and Parrot introducing himself, he doesn't bother with them. It's weirdly crowded for the time of day, Parrot observes as they sit in silence. The bartender glances at them but doesn't ask them to leave nor does he ask if they're going to order anything. People who look at them the wrong way cower a second later, strangely enough. They were both expecting the briefcase that is clutched in Spoke's arms like a lifeline to attract more attention than that.

Unbeknownst to them, Helsknight was keeping an eye out. Normally, he wouldn't care about two little brats sneaking into this illegal establishment. He has seen plenty of them come and go, especially avians, sold like Christmas ornaments at the black market. Xanthus is a good friend of his, however, and those two are his only way to make it out alive from the grave he dug for himself by entering contracts with Clownpierce of all people. So, he stays alert, sending warning glances to the infamous people who get too close for comfort and making sure that the two don't wander off.

The assassin spots Xanthus before the two boys do and he raises an arm to beckon him to them. The kids don't miss the gesture. They judge and dissect him silently with their big eyes that are full of wonder. His upper lip twitches in ire but the sneer that laces his mouth doesn't appear to bother them.

"Hey Xanthus!" the kids greet him, while Helsknight offers a slight nod.

"Hey, kiddos." the voidwalker ruffles each of their heads. Parrot shakes off his hand, fixing his hair with a scrunched up face. Spoke doesn't react; he simply waits out the act of affection so that they can get on with the mission. "Before we go, I should tell you that I am very grateful that you're helping me like this..."

"You had better be, I've eaten fields worth of broccoli to get your stupid money." Spoke says, managing to hold the rage of the memories from grabbing hold of him.

"You won't believe the things I have witnessed him eat." Parrot stage whispers.

Helsknight raises an eyebrow and butts in. "Like what?"

"Boiled lettuce and carrots..." the boy answers with rising indignation. "Xisuma made boiled vegetables and he ate them like candy! Who does that!"

"You," Spoke pokes Parrot's cheek, " You do that. You eat veggies all the time!"

Xanthus steps in before they really start to bicker, although neither he nor Helsknight can hold the chuckles. If the matter wasn't so dire, he would have let them continue with a bowl of popcorn in hand.

"Alright, guys, enough."

The two stop immediately and they turn their heads towards him in unison.

"I'm coming along." the assassin says, grabbing a massive sword from the counter. Casually, he sheaths it in a leather scabbard –no one looks at it twice, like this is an everyday thing. Actually, if no one looks twice at the mediaeval armour he wears, then why should they look at a sword?

"Hels–"

"No payment. Just off-duty guarding." the man shrugs, discouraging Xanthus from telling him to stay behind. Even if he told him not to come along, he would have followed.

"Fine, you can come along."

The exterior of the casino is luxurious and grand, shining with lights and blood red decorations. The gaping maw of a court jester greets each visitor who steps foot inside, the silly bells decorating its hat are golden and so life-like that they could jingle if a bit of wind blew past. The interior is just as opulent and filled with people dressed in the latest fashion trends and finest furs on the market. A worker at the reception hands each visitor a mask so that their identities stay hidden. It's a simple eye mask, nothing special.

Instead of walking through the front door, Xanthus and Helsknight round the building and knock on the backdoor. The sound of whirring comes as the high-tech, indiscrete camera follows their movements. A little buzz comes from the door a second later and a masked individual appears behind it when it opens. Hels' hand grips the hilt of his sword tight as it rests on its silver pommel. They are beckoned to follow the stranger inside.

"Clownpierce is waiting for you in his office." the person tells them, speaking through a voice-changer that distorts both tone and pitch. It's awful to listen to.

As they are led through the halls of the casino, away from the masses at the green-clothed table and the slot machines, Xanthus starts to get nervous. There is a camera at every corner monitoring each hall and unlocked door, seemingly leaving no blind spots to hide in. There are security guards every now and then, standing at attention and ready to rush into action. If something goes wrong, there will be no escape for either of them.

He shouldn't have entered a deal with Clownpierce. He should have stayed far away from that depth of the underground, minded his own business, continued his studies without getting involved in all of this... But he did and now he has to face the music. He is so grateful to Spoke and Parrot and everyone else who has come to his aid. Lying low was the only way that Xisuma wouldn't get involved in this, that no one would be hurt in any way, shape or form but apparently, Clownpierce went after the wrong target and now they have all tumbled into the mess that he created.

This transaction needs to go right, so that everyone can sleep without worrying about being murdered in their sleep. Even in his little emergency banker, Xanthus felt like a hunted animal that fell in a trap and the predator was approaching, just behind that corner. He can only wonder how Xisuma slept at night –probably like a guard on duty like he did back when they were little, after a bad nightmare. The thought eases Xanthus' nerves, quells his anxiety like a shock blanket.

Before they know it, they are standing outside of the boss' office. Clownpierce's office. The employee knocks on the door in a pattern and then steps back, crossing their hands behind their back. After that, they turn their masked face towards Xanthus and Hels before standing to the side, giving them space.

"You may enter."

Xanthus approaches the door and twists the knob, his grip on the briefcase full of duplicated money tightening. This is it. It's now or never. Hels tails him into the office when he opens the door, his hand resting on the pommel of his sword, one trigger away from drawing it.

The office is a royal shade of red: dark and foreboding, with a golden pattern of playful swirls. The desk looks heavy and the wood is a sweetened brown, surely as expensive as the fancy pens that are set in a line on top of it, beside a stack of books, files and papers and a picture frame that faces away from the door, concealing the picture inside it from view. Right behind the desk sits the boss, Clownpierce, in all his killer clown glory, with his black and red, puffy clothes and that creepy mask of his and behind him stands Branzy, the assistant who Xanthus closed the deal with... he looks worse for wear. Spoke mentioned something about punching him but the sight... Xanthus wants to laugh.

The guy has a black eye that has started to fade, bandages around his forehead, one of his arms is in a sling and he can only wonder how many bruises he has under his expensive clothing. The fact that a bunch of kids did is surreal and Xanthus couldn't be prouder of them for sticking up for each other.

He knows how dire his situation is, so he doesn't laugh. Void, does he want to laugh, though.

"Good evening, Xanthus." Clownpierce greets as the voidwalker steps inside. He straightens up when Helsknight follows him in like a shadow. "Helsknight, what a surprise."

The mediaeval assassin nods his head in acknowledgement, saying nothing. Instead of talking, he assumes a similar position to Branzy beside Xanthus, standing just a step behind him, ready to jump into action at the slightest move.

Xanthus sets the briefcase on the desk, turning it towards Clownpierce and then he takes a step back. The last thing he wants is to get any closer to this killer than he already is.

Long, clawed fingers touch the smooth surface of the case and with two satisfying clicks, it opens. Raising the lid, the sight of hundreds of bundles of money meets the clown's eyes. A moment of silence passes as he seemingly evaluates his haul. He reaches in and grabs a bundle with one hand, whilst the other grabs a pen from the table.

Xanthus eyes his movements behind his black visor. The money is as good as the original banknote, so the pen shouldn't write on it... He doesn't like the smirk on Branzy's face, though. It's like he knows something that they don't and it makes him a little nervous. He watches as the pen raises in the air and moves in slow-motion towards the paper and–

Black ink spills on it. It doesn't disappear.

The blood running through his veins chills instantaneously. He hears Hels' armour clink as he takes a step back in disbelief.

"A convincing copy..." Clownpierce muses. Putting his elbows on the desk, he waves the bill lazily. "But it can't fool me."

Xanthus is at a loss for words. He was sure that the money was fine, it had every little detail right, from the colour to the texture down to the security thread! How could this be happening?

"I doubt you made it yourself." Clown cuts his spiral short. He sets down the note and the pen, closes the briefcase and intertwines his hands on the desk. His head tilts to one side, the smile etched on his mask devouring Xanthus' growing fear like the monster under a child's bed. "I've heard that one of your brother's children recently developed a second power."

When he looks at Branzy, they lock eyes. Xanthus sees the smirk that shows no teeth, yet it's all-knowing but coy. I knew. I told him; that's what he is saying without any words.

Void-damnit.

"I believe we can work out a deal."

His hands want to ball into fists but he straightens them out instead. It would do him no good to appear agitated here.

"Leave my brother out of this."

The man shrugs his shoulders and reclines in his chair. "Sure." he says, and the most suffocating feeling of dread claws at Xanthus' throat. "I don't need your brother, I need the kid. What was his name again?", he tilts his head to the side just enough for it to be noticeable that he is looking towards Branzy.

"Spoke." he responds, "The one with the rainbow bandana. He developed Duplication two or three weeks ago. And on top of that, he can become his own shadow at will."

"I'm sorry but Spoke is out of the question as well–"

"I am afraid he is." Clown cuts him off and it's final.

When Xanthus tells Spoke that Clown has asked to come into contact with him, the boy stills. Owlish eyes look at him, not blinking and his mouth hangs wide open for a fly to fly in –he is absolutely stupefied.

"Oh, Void, I broke him..." Xanthus worries, holding out his hands cautiously in case he falls over in his statuesque state.

"You did." Parrot nods beside him, curiously looking over his friend. He has never seen Spoke freeze like this before but he knows that it isn't anything serious. There is nothing dangerous around and if there was, there is a whole assassin right there to get rid of said threat.

Helsknight stands at Xanthus' side and though he has threatened to murder them, he has raised the visor of his helmet to take a better look at the boy. He looks confused, as do the rest of them. Finally, Parrot moves forward and flails a hand in front of Spoke's face. That is when the boy appears somewhat functional.

"I'm going to work for Clownpierce..." he mutters under his breath. He doesn't say anything else, continuing to stare into space with a blank stare.

Oh. That's why he has frozen up like this. Parrot can't help but let his feathers puff up in anger and annoyance.

"No, you aren't." he tells Spoke and then he turns to the adult who is the beginning of their problems. "He literally broke into our house and attempted to murder Suma! You can't seriously be thinking that this is a good idea!"

"...It isn't." Xanthus sighs. "But I wasn't given any leeway in that deal. If I decline or don't do as he asks, I might make things worse than they already are."

"Can't we go to the police?"

"He'll just turn the tables on Xanthus..." Hels cuts in. "He already gave him a briefcase of fake banknotes, there were cameras... Maybe he'll accuse your little friend group of attacking his employee... What was his name again?"

A cold wave of ice washes over Parrot. There is no legal escape out of this one, it appears. Clownpierce isn't a man you can escape either. Unless they can convince Xisuma to leave the country, there is no way to both weasel out of his deal and stay safe. There is no way that Red and Zam will be able to get them out of any of this unharmed. Living in constant fear doesn't sound that appealing.

"I want to go home." he mumbles, covering his face with his hands and rubbing at his eyes. This is too overwhelming. He wants to cry, he wants to laugh, he wants to scream... He wants to go home, he wants to tell Xisuma everything, even if he chides him for getting himself into trouble...

He just wants to go back.

"I'm going to work for Clownpierce..."

Hearing his friend, he can't help but scream in frustration. His hands shoot downwards, fingers tensed and flexing at odd angles, his feathers puff but don't settle and his wing harshly bumps into Spoke, effectively waking him up.

"We're going home!"

He doesn't wait for the adults to say anything. He just takes Spoke's hand and half-drags, half-pulls him away from them. The ringing in his ears prevents him from hearing the shouts of his name. He doesn't know which way is home, they met up in a street he has walked through only once. He finds that he doesn't particularly care.

"Parrot, where are we going?" Spoke, who has returned to the world of the living, asks him, sounding concerned.

"Away." is the first thing that comes to his mind. "Home." is the second.

Then, he looks up. He sees unfamiliar surroundings and unfamiliar people, trees he has never seen before. It should be scary for a child to not be able to recognise its surroundings. Parrot stopped being a child a long while ago.

Finally, he gives a third answer.

"I don't know."

Silence befalls them as they continue to walk. The sounds of cars passing by and the thudding and squeaking of shoes of other people are the only noises that fill in the silence. Feeling that they are a good distance away from any trouble, Parrot's grip loosens and he sighs, his shoulders and wings sag. The arms of his wings feel itchy, feathers tugging at the skin. He'll preen when they get home.

...Where is home?

As if hearing his thoughts, Spoke stops, gripping Parrot's arm tightly so he stops as well. Then, he waves at the first person he sees walking towards them.

"Excuse me, sir, could we borrow your phone? We need to call out dad.

The man in question is an avian with colourful wings folded neatly against his back. He is wearing a red jumper even though it isn't cold outside and he has honey blonde hair.

"Are the two of you lost?" he asks and Parrot notes that his voice is accented just like the rich people in the fantasy series that plays on TV. Spoke makes a so-so gesture with his hand and a little embarrassed noise. The man chuckles and fishes into his pocket for his phone. "Sure, I can call your dad. What's his number?"

Spoke sheepishly looks at Parrot. He gets the hint and comes forth to tell the stranger Xisuma's phone number. The first three numbers elicit no reaction but as he recites the rest, the man's eyebrow raises a tick with each one.

"What are your names?"

"Parrot."

"Spoke."

For some reason, the man grins from ear to ear as he looks down at his phone screen. "I'm Grian." he hastily introduces himself and presses the call button before putting the phone next to his ear.

The two of them crowd around his legs, waiting with silent anticipation for the phone to be handed to them so that they can ask their dad to come pick them up.

Instead, something completely unexpected happens as Grian opens his mouth and...

"Hey, 'Suma, so, this is going to be an awkward chat..."

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this chapter would have had a different ending but then I thought that I could do so much more if I threw Grian in there, specifically with Parrot's development because they're both avians in this au