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 Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2020 1:51 pm
There were few times when Cyril went out of his way to actually create mischief but his mother was always a special exception. It was a cooler season in Belrea and the troupe was experiencing a bit of downtime in between performances as they settled into the new town. They were more southern, traveling towards the farmland areas so that the towns could enjoy a show now that the harvest was mostly over. Things were quiet save for the mischievousness of restless youths and normally Cyril would sneer at such childish behavior but seeing his mother....his mother with a stranger moved him. The calculative teen was pacing outside of the tents, his gaze narrowed in concentration as he tried to image exactly what trickery it would take to spook this guy away. Something oozing? Another loose creature chasing after them? Some strange dye for their hair? Another phantom? The possibilities were endless.
"Selim?" He called out finally into the early morning air as he sought out his brother. There was supposed to be another date tonight and Cyril knew that the two of them would find a way to disturb it. It was just a question of exactly how and what they wanted to do this time.
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Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2020 12:40 pm
Sleep wasn't coming easily to Selim these days, which was a novelty in itself since the teen was normally able to sleep through the worst of life's events. The thought of his mother traipsing around on the arm of some loser set his mind on fire, though, and made it hard for him to catch any worthwhile sleep. So to say he was a bit crankier in the mornings was an understatement.
He hadn't even bothered fussing with his hair. Normally Selim preferred the long, thick locks off his neck, but today he couldn't really care. There were bags forming under his eyes and he was in the process of scrubbing his face when he heard his brother calling out to him.
"Over here, Cyril." Yawning, he dipped his hands into the wash basin and splashed cold water onto his face, barely noticing the shock to his pores.
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Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2020 12:55 pm
"You look awful." Like usual Cyril was blunt and straight to the point. He hated seeing his brother looking so rugged but he could easily guess the cause for such an appearance. While Cyril took the time to take care of his appearance despite everything there was something slightly more feral in his emerald gaze, a result of additional hours of training on top of less sleep that was only strengthened by the constant intake of caffeinated teas that kept him going. His own hair was properly tied back into a sharp ponytail and he grabbed a brush as he walked closer to Selim so that he could begin attacking his brother's hair. "Stand still and let me at least make you somewhat presentable." They were twins after all and Cyril refused to see his reflection looking like some sort of walking disaster.
Cyril brushed the strands of unruly hair and forced them into a bun for his brother. "I see you've got a lot on your mind to not be sleeping either." He commented quietly as he stabbed an ornate silver pin into the bun to keep it in place. "I think we've both had enough of this. What say you to doing something about it?" His gaze glinted dangerously as he proposed finally taking action against the newest intruder in their lives. He could only hope that his brother was of the same mindset and that they could take care of this quickly and return to some semblance of normalcy.
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Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2020 1:55 pm
"Oh yeah? Hadn't noticed." Selim drawled, placing both hands on the wash basin to slowly turn his head and glare at his twin. With a sigh the teen straightened his posture and ran a hand down his face. "I can't stop thinking about it. Every time I close my eyes - BAM! Right there!" He moved his hand out just far enough to hover in front of his face before dropping it to his side.
He stood by with practiced ease while his brother worked through the tangles. Every so often he would look up into the small, portable mirror they'd drug along with them and wince at his own reflection before turning his gaze anywhere else.
Instead, he looked back to his brother and that mischievous glint in his eye. "I wouldn't be opposed to it." He smirked, giving in to a half turn so he could place his back against the basin. "Mother always said that we should take care of pests as quickly as they appear, and I think this is the biggest rat I've ever seen."
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Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2020 8:55 pm
Cyril simply brushed his brother's attitude aside. He was accustomed to such things by now and simply approached everything with that chilly attitude. It would be a waste of time to squabble when they had more important things at hand. The only thing that mattered was exterminating the rat. "You're not wrong." He mused quietly with a slight nod. "I do say that she would rather appreciate not having any more vermin in this camp. She just hasn't noticed how bad it is just yet." So they should spare her from having to deal with the pest. Wasn't that what good and dutiful sons did for their mothers? They could easily get rid of the problem and then things would be happy and normal again. No pests, no distractions so that it would just be their normal routine with the rest of the troupe.
"Mother was apparently supposed to enjoy some sort of dinner tonight. It would be a shame if a rat ruined it." He continued after a thoughtful pause before studying his brother a second more wondering what Selim was thinking about as well. "Or rather a shame if the rat was somehow afflicted before or during the dinner....hmm."
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Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2020 1:42 pm
[3/7]
Selim rolled his eyes. "You'd think with as much as she's looked at it that the problem would be more than obvious by now." Seeing the way she fawned over him made the teenager feel sick to his stomach every time he was unfortunate enough to see it. Their mother was such a beautiful, talented woman; why would she lower herself like this?! She could have anyone she wanted!
...Not that just anyone would be worthy of her.
"It would be a shame if someone accidentally swapped the elderberry root tea he always has for lunch for...maybe milk thistle?" The teen clucked his tongue, looking for all the world as 'innocent' as possible. He didn't know much about herbs, but growing up frugal on the road had taught him the basics. Such as what was a potent laxative and what wasn't.
"They do have a similar taste so it would be easy enough to swap."
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Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2020 3:55 pm
His lips pressed into a tight line at his brother's statement. Selim wasn't wrong at all because their mother had somehow turned a blind eye to the vermin in their camp and was instead feeding it attention like some sort of ragged stray. It was pitiful indeed. Surely their mother would have better taste than to regard that thing with feelings. "Sometimes even a mother needs help, I suppose." He finally mused with a slight shrug of disappointment. What else could he say? Their mother must have had some good taste at one point considering how handsome her sons were. Even if their father was a total.....well that was an entirely different train of thoughts that were more dangerous to ruining Cyril's mood.
Though said mood did perk up at Selim's idea and Cyril tilted his head thoughtfully. "I do think that milk thistle tin is very, very similar to the elderberry root tea one." He replied with a faint smirk. "Whoever designed that truly didn't think things through well. Whatever should we do?" If the containers were swapped and they weren't around to brew it later then what could have caused such an unfortunate event?
"Would be a shame if there was such a potent brew that it worked almost instantly." He added after a moment, a mischievous gleam lighting up his emerald gaze against the dark sclera. "If there was only one place to relieve himself it would be unlucky if something sticky was there to attract bees or give an awful rash..."
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Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2020 4:19 pm
[4/7]
"No one would suspect foul play if it were so clearly an accident." Selim mused with a little shrug of his shoulders. Normally any little 'incident' around that floated around the troupe was immediate cause for suspicion, but this one so obviously couldn't be their fault. Honestly, it would be that rat's fault for not being able to properly tell what was good tea and what wasn't.
"What a shame." Selim couldn't help smirking. Attract bees? My, that would be unfortunate. Especially if he ended up being stung, had a terrible rash and an upset stomach. Surely their mother would want to avoid him at all costs. "There is a catch, though; how can we be sure mother won't drop by and have a cup?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2020 1:18 pm
[5/7]
Cyril found himself nodding along to the idea. It was coming along almost perfectly and he was eager to see the results. Even if their mother wanted to try and continue hanging out with the trash they could try to push the man's resolve and get him to flee of his own accord. A gentle, inspirational tug that pulls him away from our family and into the arms of anyone else that will accept such a thing. Seriously their mother could do so much better and honestly she didn't even need anyone. Why would she when she had such a pair of amazing sons?
"Tsk. That would be a problem." Cyril pondered Selim's question and tapped a finger thoughtfully along his chin. "We could always make certain that she already got something to drink in advance? Surely she won't want any of his favorite tea if we've already prepared something else for her? I can brew her a cup of her favorite and even add the honey from the orange blossoms that she adores so much." What good dutiful sons they would be to prepare something for their mother? It would be an innocent act especially if they forgot or were taken by surprise by her visitor's appearance today. If she had so much tea already then it was likely that she would offer her guest tea out of courtesy while avoiding any for herself. Cyril pursed his lips thoughtfully. It was a gamble indeed but what else could they do without making their role in this prank completely obvious?
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Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2021 4:03 pm
"I'll even find a bakery and pick up some of those lemon puffs she likes so much." It was almost too simple now that he thought about it. If their mother was so full on tea and cakes then how could she possibly want anything he'd have to offer? She may sit and talk with him, but that in itself was harmless. It was practically guaranteed!
"We'll have to go soon if we don't want to get caught. I have lessons with her in a few hours and she'll suspect something if I'm late." Informal or not the woman took their little teaching moments very seriously. Teaching him the craft was just as much practice for herself as it was for him and the normally sweet woman could get stern if Selim was so much as a moment late.
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Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2021 1:44 pm
"We can't be too generous without cause." Warned Cyril though he was swiftly warming up to the idea the more they discussed it. Lemon puffs would be perfect but would it be too obvious if they just kept throwing things at her like this? He tapped a finger along his chin thoughtfully before finally nodding. "Let's say there was some sort of deal or sale and we couldn't resist. Maybe some other performers will have things they want us to pick up this morning and we can use that excuse to go to town." On the rare occasion they could be helpful towards the rest of the troupe, especially if Cyril was trying to gain attention of someone he wanted to learn from.
"Fair enough." Cyril gestured for his brother to lead the way. "We should finished getting ready and hurry to town then." The last thing they wanted to do was rouse their mother's suspicions.
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Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2021 4:42 pm
Even though Selim knew that Cyril was right that didn't make him any less likely to pout. They needed to be crafty about this because if their mother was anything she was smart. Out of anyone in this world she was always the first to see through their antics. "I think that sounds good. If we buy for others then she'll be less likely to suspect somethings up; I can always say it was my idea, anyway. She won't think twice about me wanting a sweet." He did, after all, have a penchant for spending his allowance on snacks. So long as he worked them off it never really mattered, right?
"...Are any of your shirts clean? I forgot to do my washing yesterday." He wasn't even ashamed to ask at this point in their lives. Sometimes he would do his laundry unprovoked, but since it was the chore that Selim hated the most he usual waited until his twin would bar him from wearing his clothes before breaking down to actually work on it.
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Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2021 5:22 pm
Cyril smirked. "Fair enough. I can chastise you for wasting funds on a cake for a more realistic scenario." He found himself teasing as they seemed to settle on a plan. His amused expression turned into a slight frown as he tilted his head at his brother as if to say really before finally nodding. It wouldn't be the first time that he had given a clean shirt to Selim after all. Cyril motioned for his brother to follow him so that he could toss a shirt in his direction. "Get dressed and we'll leave right after." He commanded, his mind already occupied with plans of how to get there and back quickly enough to not rouse their mother's suspicion. Honestly though? This would definitely be worth it even if their mother did pin the blame on them after the deed was done. Why mind another round or two of potato peeling as long as they managed to chase off trash?
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Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2021 6:24 pm
"Hey, it's not a waste if it's my money." Selim snapped. Still, even if his tone held some bite it wasn't as if he were actually aggravated by it. Most of the time he fought his cravings in favor of saving back their coin, but every once in a while something 'free' would come his way...
Catching the shirt, he slipped it on and found himself huffing a little. This really wasn't his style at all, but Selim really couldn't complain since it was clean. One step above me... And what was it Cyril always told him? What's mine is yours or something like that?
He didn't give much more thought to it, though. All of his focus was on the trick ahead and making sure it went off without a hitch. This had to work; it just had to! And with a smirk on his face he broke away from his twin to make it so.
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