tthhee oddiissee Chapter 16

Ro was creeping along the wall, staying low to the ground and against the edifice of cheap plaster and concrete, holding the loot bag close to his body as went along. It was made clear by his employer just how important it was to stay out of sight. It would’ve been much easier if there were some foliage or at least if there weren’t the spotlights swirling around. Just a hazard of the job.

It wasn’t the first time he had gone this way, and he had never been spotted before he needed to be. Just as he was getting relaxed, an additional spotlight turned on, revealing him to the small crowd of people gathered around the wooden platform he was standing on. Ro still kept his cool, loosening up and posting up against the wall.

“Heh, you got me,” he smirked. “A good thief is always prepared to be caught. The best ones know how to be caught by the right people. You look like the right people to me.”

Ro then stepped forward on the makeshift stage. “But where are my manners. You must be curious of who I am. You may call me Ororo the Thief,” he said with a bow.

“It’s one of my many pseudonyms, of course. A good thief always has a few at hand, especially in this business where a recommendation from one group amounts to a death sentence from another.

“Now, I’m sure you find yourselves wondering what a thief like me is doing here around here, so close to The Red Band’s encampment. I’ll tell you, but only if you can promise to keep it secret.” Ro leaned into the audience. “Can you do that for me, well and truly?”

The kids in the audience all nodded, enraptured by Ro’s routine.

“Good, that’s what I was hoping for. Truth be told, I was contracted by The Old General himself to accompany the Red Band with their confrontation with Black Star. How could I resist, working along the General and the legendary giant, Arro? I didn’t hesitate to agree. And believe me, I was well and truly ready to accompany The Red Band to the battlefield to fight and steal alongside them. But a good thief keeps his options open, and a good businessman always makes sure to get a better deal.

“And so a contract came my way, buzzing my neck as it did. More than double what the General offered and all I had to do was nick a little item. A famous item, belonging to even more famous man.”

Ro thrust his arms outward, as if casting a spell. He waved his hands back and forth, before bringing them together. He rubbed his hands together for a moment before thrusting them open to reveal the Silver Star. Some in the crowd gasped in awe, especially the kids in the audience. That was always his favorite part. Ro rested the hammer against his shoulder, affecting a smug disposition.

“Perhaps you know what this is? Or maybe you’re more familiar with that gaudy imitation with all the jewels and gold plating. As if Arro would need to attract any more attention to himself than he already naturally had. This is Arro’s Hammer.”

“That doesn’t look big enough,” one of the kids in the audience pouted. “Why would a giant need a little hammer like that?”

Ro affected a smug laugh. “And I’m sure you’d be more than happy to replace a surgeon’s scalpel with a broadsword? You must not know Arro as well as you think. As for how I came about this object, well…”

Ro started to juggle the hammer, spinning it around all of his limbs and deftly throwing it around in flips and spins without even looking at it. It gave the crowd something to look at while he monologued.

“The entire band was asleep. Don’t want to risk not being fully aware when going up against something as sinister as Black Star. So as everyone got to sleep, I snuck out of my tent, past all the guards, and found myself standing at the edge of Arro’s bed. “Now, I had heard the stories, a giant, they said. Well, I’m not exactly on the shorter side, myself, and had expected the legends of his size to be entirely hyperbolic.”

Ro stopped swinging around the hammer theatrically, acting in awe, looking up, roughly, to where the point where his eyeline used to be.

“I assure you, the legends were anything but an exaggeration. If anything, they had undersold the behemoth of a man who was softly sleeping in front of me. He had to be at least 25 feet tall, if not more. There’s no man I had ever seen who had come close. There’s no man that I can imagine ever being that size existing ever again. And yet, I wasn’t scared. Well, it’s only professional to not lose your cool on a job, but even then, I didn’t feel any fear. There was an odd gentleness to the sleeping giant, sleeping as peacefully as he did, one hand to the side, holding the hammer you see before you now, and the other wrapped around the young man sleeping on his chest. I don’t really remember who he was; Marko, I think his name is.” That always got some giggles from the crowd.

“I have the odd feeling he may have seen me as I left, but if he did, I was already out the door. He couldn’t find me if I wanted to. And now this piece of scrap metal will get the other half of my fee delivered directly to me. I’ve heard some rumblings saying that the hammer was the source of Arro’s power. Someone like that perishing against Black Star without a measly hammer? Sounds far-fetched doesn’t it? But who’s to say really?

“So that’s my story. A simple little thing, but I hope it was somewhat enjoyable.” Ro said with a bow.

“Sounds like bullshit to me!” A surly, slightly-drunken man in the crowd shouted. Ro had learned to anticipate this, and was ready to confront all the hecklers.

“Oh, and pray tell, what might you know about the world of thievery?”
“Come on, a guy like you being a thief? You stand out too much.”

“What better thief than someone who would never be suspected?”

“What a load of shit. You couldn’t steal anything, even if it was handed to you.”

Ro smugly laughed in return. “Is that what you really think Mr. Edlin?”

The drunk was surprised. “How do you know my name?”

Ro produced a credit slate with the man’s picture on it. “That’s what it says right here, doesn’t it?”

“Give that back!”

“Of course. Here you go.”

Ro whipped his wrist around and the credit slate disappeared and dozens of Kronar notes flew out into the crowd, leading to both cheers and a rush for everyone to grab all the money flying through the air.

Ro gave a bow. “Thank you, thank you. Now I must take my leave.”

Ro spun the Silver Star around before flinging it high into the air. The crowd all followed the path of the hammer, and as if fell back down, sticking upright with the claw embedded in the ground, Ro was gone. The small curtain closed and the spotlight shut off.

While the crowd was distracted, Ro was meeting up with Leon further along the wall, far away from the crowd.

“How’s it going Mr. Thief?” Leon teased.

“Eh. I kinda like the real thing better,” Ro said, dropping the character entirely.

“It’s not that bad, is it? At least it’s a bit safer”
“Hey fuckface!” The drunken man yelled. “Where’s my wallet?”

Ro let out a sigh. “It’s in your back pocket. It’s just a show, stupid.”

The drunken man fumbled around his back pocket before finding it. “Oh. Huh.”

“Asshole,” Ro whispered under his breath.

Ro wrapped his arm around Leon. “Honestly, this isn’t nearly as dignified as prostitution.”

“I told you that I didn’t care if you kept doing that or not.”

“I know that, but I would feel weird about it. Besides, if you heard what I was doing with those guys, you would get jealous.”

Leon wrapped his arm around Ro and pulled him tight. “Well maybe you should demonstrate for me. That outfit they make you wear kinda gets me going.” Ro thought the outfit was kind of stupid and unrealistic, but it was revealing. The idea was to make it seem like he couldn’t hide anything and made it appear that much more impressive when he summoned things out of nowhere.

Ro gave Leon’s muscular ass a squeeze. “I think I’d like that nearly as much as you would.”
Ro let out a sigh. “Ugh, but I need something to eat first. Having to put on that act takes a lot out of me.”

“I bet. I’ll be honest, I never imagined you would end up doing close-up magic. I thought you hated magicians.”

“I don’t hate magicians. I mean, a lot of them are annoying and then there’s The Magician.”

“Ah, right. I didn’t mean to remind you. I’m sure you have enough weighing on your mind given the, uh, subject matter of your show.”

“It’s really the inaccuracies that get me, but I’m not supposed to change the script. I was about 23 feet, not 25. Mako and I didn’t spend our last night in The Red Band sleeping together, and calling him The Colonel ‘The General’ just feels disrespectful…

“Plus there’s the other thing,” Ro grumbled.

“Yeah,” Leon responded awkwardly. “They didn’t like your audition?”

“They said I don’t embody the spirit of love and friendship that Arro is known for. I quote: ‘haven’t you seen the movie? Pretty good for a kids cartoon!’”

Leon couldn’t help but laugh.

“Oh what, you think that’s funny?”

“You don’t?!”
“Of course I do! But I’m not supposed to admit it! Anyway, I’m too tall for the costume they have, anyway.”

Leon laughed even harder at that.

“Oh sure, it’s all a joke. Why don’t you go ahead and buy an Arro plush toy from the gift shop ‘cause it’s so damn funny?”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’ll treat you to dinner, okay?”

“Deal. You were going to anyway.”

“You know me too well.”
They made their way to where Leon parked his scooter. Leon got on first, and Ro sat on the back.

“What are you feeling like?” Leon asked.

“I don’t really know. Some sort of meat covered in some sort of sauce.”

Leon started up the scooter and it started ascending into the sky.

“Can you elaborate on that a little bit?”

“I can’t decide. I’m going need some options and I’ll be able to decide there.”

“I think I know a place.”

Leon sped off through the skyline, Ro holding on tight.

Ro was lying face down on the bed with his head placed firmly between Leon’s sweaty, bulgingly muscular thighs. Leon lifted his head just barely off the pillow to check on his partner.

“Are you going to be much longer?” Leon asked.

“Just a little longer. You know this is my favorite place to be,” Ro replied. Leon instantly turned red from the comment.

Ro took a few deep breaths. God I love the smell of his balls. Ro released himself from Leon’s crotch, popping up onto his feet. He made his way to the enclosed balcony.

“Ugh, I can’t stand going out there. Why do we live so high up, again?” Leon asked.

“Cheap prices and high ceilings. I only hit the top by standing on my tiptoes.”

Leon let out a sigh. “I know, I shouldn’t complain. It just makes me feel uneasy.”

“It’s so strange to me that you’re so afraid of heights when you buzz around on that scooter all the time.”

“It’s different. I’m in control there. That pod thing just feels like it’s gonna fly off any second. It’s sort of why I hate glass elevators.”

“You’re being nervous for no reason. Besides, since I stopped roofhopping, this is the best I can get.”

“I know, Rollo. Just be careful, okay?”

“Always am,” Ro said standing on the rounded chamber at the edge of the balcony, standing with his arms crossed as if he was showing off to the word.

“You don’t have any shame,” Leon teased.

“Sure I do, and I love it showing it off.”

Ro pulled the lever at the side of the balcony and the pod separated from the rest of the apartment (staying attached via the flexible transit tube). The slow rotation of the building helped make sure that the pod stayed level and staying safely attached. Sure it was a gimmick, and not a popular one at that, Ro hardly ever saw any other person using their floating pod, not that he would really be able to tell. And then the free-rotation kicked in, the entire pod rotating freely around at the edge of the tube, hundreds of feet in the air. It was another reason the pod had proved unpopular with the people who used to pay good money for it.

The entire tower used to be considered a luxury building, but the rich people of Nok soon grew tired of feeling like they would fly off the edge of the world. Ro had wondered if he would always be living in the shadow of trends started by the affluent and wealthy. It wasn’t something he really cared that much about, if he was all that honest, but he had hoped at some point he wouldn’t have to scout out which part of the city was cheapest or readily abandoned.

Leon had gotten up and made himself a coffee, staring at his boyfriend rotating in the glass pod hundreds of feet in the air, enamored by the light of the sunset shining through the gaps made by Ro’s figure.

“You’re fearless, you know that?” Leon said.

“You give me too much credit,” Ro responded. There were plenty of things Ro was afraid of. Ro knew that both he and Leon would be living for a very long time, and that meant, in practical terms, he would always be on the move. He had made Nok his home, but eventually he would have to leave, even in a city as large as this one. It was the best way to avoid attention. Come on, stop saying that. He had simply hoped that his exit would be a graceful one as he knew that, no matter what, he was destined for pain and hardship down the road. Stop it.

And there was Leon. Stop, please, I’m begging. They had both lived unnaturally long lives, but Ro couldn’t shake the feeling that Leon was not as Unending as he might have thought himself to be. Stop! He knew he’d be able to endure any pain, as long as Leon was with him. But there was the horrible realization that he might have to face it all alone. It was something he couldn’t bear thinking about, but couldn’t stop himself from doing anyway. STOP TALKING.

“Are you okay? You’ve gone all quiet,” Leon said.

Ro slammed on the lever in the pod. It brought stopped spinning and quickly retracted into the building.

“I’m fine,” Ro said, forcing a slight grin. “Just… thinking.”

Leon had gotten good at reading his boyfriend’s mood, and knew that wasn’t quite true. “It’s the whisper again, isn’t it?”

Ro’s smile dropped. “I don’t want to talk about it. Let’s just focus on the now, okay?” He said.

Leon embraced Ro “Alright. You know you don’t have to live in your head. You can always talk to me.” Leon asked.

“Of course, of course,” said Ro, embracing his short muscular boyfriend, absentmindedly trying observe if there were any gray hairs on his head.