//For Facadepapergirl//
The sky was dark, and the silence surrounding the campfire was an uncomfortable one. Claerth was hunched over, crossed arms holding up his chin as he glared daggers into the fire, as if trying to make it explode through sheer force of will. His blindfold, unneeded, was around his wrist, and so his demonic eyes were free to stare into the glow. Claerth's teeth were grinding against each other, a sound that was making the childlike demon tending the fire flinch with every scrape.
Said demon was roasting two skinned rabbits on a spit. One was cleaned, free of everything except bones and meat, and the other still quite intact, including the head. Kaa watched them carefully, aware of what would happen if something was wrong with the meal. The boy's movements were careful, controlled, but his hands were shaking from intense concentration. Though the thought was absurd, he was afraid that any untoward movement on his part would make him the focus of Claerth's dark eyes.
No.. looking at Claerth's mood tonight, Kaa thought his fear was fairly justified.
The only one who didn't seem bothered was an old man sitting right next to Claerth. He was actually uncomfortably close, as there was plenty of space elsewhere, but the old man seemed determined to have as little space as possible between him and his companion. Occasionally, the younger man would shift uncomfortably, without taking his eyes off the flames, and the old man would respond by grinning and shaking his head, then inching back to awkward closeness. Each time he did this, the chains covering his eyes would jingle, and the crow demon at the fire would shiver.
They were about half a day's walk from a mountain village, their reason for coming here. Claerth himself had walked through the place already, talking to no one and being as inconspicuous as a seemingly blind Thanati could be, and had declared the entire trip a waste of time. No demons, as far as he could see, and anything else did not concern him. Whatever Jakal had supposedly sensed here, it was gone. That, or the loony demon had taken them all on a worthless mountain hike for a spot of fun.
