How to Make a Sinner Sleep - Chapter 75: Chapter 75

The Organizer stepped to the side, abandoning his spotlight as he introduced the snake woman to the stage. His smile stretched ear to ear, the shadows making it appear impossibly long.
"What shall it be today, lovely lady?"
The woman scoffed, a sharp hiss leaving her lips as Kaden caught a glimpse of a forked tongue.
While her body was beautiful on display, despite the tail that connected to her waist below, her face was twisted and scales ran up the side of the wrinkled skin, eyes drooping a pitch black.
"Is my presence not enough of a performance to entertain this audience?"
"Alas," The Organizer shook his head sorrowfully, and Kaden thought he lacked the theatrics of the one he'd met. "We cannot discriminate against features. Please perform before selling your treasures."
Noah leaned by Kaden's ear, his voice lowered. "That man—he doesn't seem to be the same one that was there in the Land of the Fae."
Realizing Noah felt it too, Kaden frowned and whispered back. "I had the same feeling. The one I know has a distinct atmosphere, but the man standing there feels more lackluster. However, for a person who wears many faces, he may just be performing a different act."
Noah agreed, but leaned back into his seat with his lips tugging down. He'd only encountered that man once, and felt an air of familiarity and also concern.
The Organizer, as proclaimed, standing in the center of the stage, felt distant.
Different. Although as Kaden said, those in the underground business often liked to wear masks, disguising their appearance and even their personalities at times. It was all a grand performance, to be feared, to be trusted, to be seen as powerful and capable.
To live in society was to play out the role you'd aqcuired.
Niklas half-reached his body, almost lying across their laps as he gazed at them eagerly. "You're whispering? About what? Don't leave me out."
Kaden frowned, jerking up his knee to shove the other off. "Get off me."
"Don't tell me you don't like warmth, I know you do. Or is it only a specific person's warmth that you like?"
"It was foolish of me to think you'd be quiet in this scenario."
"Much as you like to pretend you're annoyed, I know you find my company impeccably irresistible." Niklas rolled, smiling underneath his bunny mask. "Look at that, aren't you smiling?"
Kaden, who was undoubtedly wearing a frown, stared silently. "Smiling where?"
"In your heart."
Before Kaden could retort, he heard another hiss as the woman closed her thin eyelids, a forked tongue snaking against dark lips. His heartbeat quickened, a beat faster.
A slithering song escaped her mouth, a compelling melody that prevented one from covering their ears or turning away. But it embodied the nature of a reptile, snaking into the ear, filling one's head as it wrapped around with a tight vice.
Kaden's eyes snapped open and spots danced in his vision.
Under the chair, bulging yellowed eyes blinked open, one after another, until their were dozens in every crevice. The shadows continued to spread out, twisting into twig-like hands that grasped to grab the living.
Nicola's eyes had gone entirely white, and when one looked closely, a million images flashed across the empty pupils.
Unrest stirred among the crowd, and Niklas cursed under his breath. "Her song causes a similar affect to a Reversal, it makes you lose control. Noah, cover his ears!" As he spoke, he hurried to block Nicola's ears, shutting her eyes gently.
There were jagged vines growing through the seats, ice crawling up the tent's fabric, frost spreading.
Noah heard Niklas' words, but his movements were slowed and fast, jerking in odd movements. He furrowed his eyebrows, struggling as he reached out to cover Kaden's ears, accidentally yanking the man towards him after his movements sped up.
Kaden's hands scrambled for purchase, finding Noah. He was overcome by a startling anxiety, burrowed to the marrow of his bones.
Then, time slowed.
The dragon's brows were beaded with sweat, but time slowed, and suddenly—suddenly Kaden could breath, gasping as he shuffled away from the shadows under the seats, scratching at his feet.
"Breathe," said the dragon though his words were slowed. "Breathe, Chauvet."
Kaden swallowed, but the anxiety wasn't something he could shut down or turn off; it wasn't something he could stop because he was aware of it. He shuddered, and stared at Noah.
"Bellamy... stop. Stop using your blessing." He managed to warn.
Time was slowing despite the disorder in Noah's slurred speech and jerking movements. The dragon, despite his lack of control, was using his blessing in order to calm Kaden's burst of chaos.
Noah shook his head stubbornly, eyebrows tightly furrowed. It was a terrible thing, the sensation of a lack of control between his mind and movements. He tried to steer his attention away from the divide.
His eyes fell into a spot in the distance, between two similarly disguised participants. One was hunched over, shaking like a leaf as black lines crawled up their one sleeveless arm, twisting up like a thorny vine.
The other stared impassively at the stage, sighing as they ran a hand through their wild red hair. A crimson liquid trickled from the corner of their face as they looked at their companion.
Realizing something, the man jerked his head sideways to peer at the crowd, movements too fast for Noah to look away.
A burning red gaze met with Noah's pitch black.
Pausing, brows lowered in annoyance, they shook their head. Raising a single finger to their lips, they turned and helped their companion out of the seat.
Just like that, the hunched man was dragged away.
The snake woman under the spotlight smiled wickedly, baring sharp fangs. "Does my song satisfy you, oh glorious Organizer?"
"No need for the compliments—I'm more than satisfied. You earned the right to perform."
She nodded, pleased. Kaden, as he grasped at his seat and sat back up, stared at her sharply. He wondered, had the answer been 'unsatisfied', what sort of performance she would've played?
"I have two pieces to share." Her voice was loud, filling the expanse of space. "One to inform, and another I'll pay a handsome reward. Ah, but, shall I was for some of you to regain your senses first?"
She seemed amused as faint groans came from the audience, several yet to recover from the effects of her song. Waiting, in almost a mocking silence, she remained still until the last groan faded.
"The first," She begun again, "I'm aware that the recent slaughter of some of my kind are related to humans. Creatures of Distortion have been man made—if you are not aware of what I mean, then perhaps educate yourself before attending these meetings."
"That poses my second. Why? And who is it behind these crimes? Provide me a clue or information and I'll reward you beyond imagination."
A voice yelled out curiously, "What do you want with that information?"
Her face, already hideous, twisted and wrinkled the skin of her face as she snarled. "I'll kill them, of course."
Kaden's head still throbs and he ducked down slightly, to whisper among his companions. "Creatures of Distortion... those are the corrupted that Lux mentioned, aren't they?"
Noah nodded. "Professor Alex and Raymond were discussing it earlier."
"Distortion..." a soft voice came from the woman wearing silver armour. "That's something we learn in our Third Year, though we are told not to discuss it with those younger, for their lack of understanding could make such information dangerous."
"Can you tell us more, Nicola?" asked Kaden.
The woman nodded. "I'm assuming Lux has already given you an explanation, as you mentioned, but I'm not certain what he's told you, so I'll explain in depth once more."
"The Reversal, as you know, occurs when you overuse your ability. The conditions to meet the 'overuse' is different depending on each person. A Creature of Distortion is a product of the Reversal."
"What do you mean?" Kaden frowned. "I thought the consequences of the Reversal was death?"
"As I said, all cases are different. It's something being researched, I believe. However, the Reversal often leads to death, but it can transform you into a warped creature of senseless mind."
"Lux said they were created by heavy negative emotions."
"Specifically, severe negative emotions—to which, I mean emotions that are to the point of losing control—can spark an early Reversal, and increases the chance that you become a Distortion, rather than ending with death."
She gazed at the stage, and the snake woman who continued to snarl and hiss her desire for vengeance. "It is uncommon. The Reversal that can only occur for the Blessed is already rare. The transformation into a Creature of Distortion is even rarer."
"That wouldn't make sense. I encountered something similar in a town connected to the Land of the Fae."
"A regular town? The Blessed are monitored, Kaden. Of course, no system is perfect, and it's possible that somebody went unnoticed, but..."
"Why are we monitored?"
She stared at him quietly. "Because we're dangerous, Kaden. We are a liability. Being surrounded by others in the Academy makes it easy to forget, but while our blessings can aid people, they can also destroy."
"I understand that. However, what is the purpose of the Academy, then?"
Niklas was the one to speak after sitting in silence for several moments. "The Circus isn't named because it's temporary. Something that isn't meant to last. It is therefore merely 'the Circus'."
"Are you trying to imply that the Academy—"
"No, no." Niklas waved his hands, scratching underneath his mask sheepishly. "I just remembered that pretty woman's words, that's all."
The conversation stilled at the snake woman slithered off the stage, replaced by a new person who attempted the act of juggling knives—a more mundane talent, compared to the frightening song before.
But a performance, no matter how unique or how common, still counted.
Kaden glanced over, lowering his head as she passed. He mouthed something under his breath.
For a brief moment, their eyes met and her pupils narrowed into vertical slits.
The woman hissed and passed the row of seats behind them, slowly trailing through. She didn't stop, sneering at the group of humans, or human-appearing creatures that stiffened at her presence.
Kaden stared quietly at the stage, his hand hanging by the seat.
A paper was slipped between his curved fingers, and he tucked it into his pocket calmly. The actions had flowed seamlessly, almost unnoticed by those surrounding.
Noah lowered his gaze, noticing Kaden's hand slide into his pocket briefly. His eyes, an abyssal black in the dark, remained on the man's side profile. On the man who had no intention of sharing.
A claw raked itself across his chest, a murkiness growing.
If being understanding and patience continued to fail him, then what should he do? How long did he have to wait to determine if kindness wasn't the best method; how long did he have to wait to be trusted a little more?
He traced the hollows of his bone mask that included him in their group, the Misfits of Obscurity. Inked-black fingers trailed against the white bone in rumination.
That sort of thinking was dangerous for Noah Bellamy, and quickly as those thoughts strayed into his mind, he swiped them away.
Kaden noticed a subtle change in the atmosphere, turning to the dragon.
"Bellamy?"
Noah's gaze flicked up. "Yes?"
Kaden was aware of his own flaws at lacking perception when it came to others. He was perfectly adept at recognizing changes in his environment, but to determine another's mood was a skill he lacked.
Yet Noah always seemed to do it perfectly, reading him as if he'd spoken his worries aloud. Kaden wanted to learn how to understand that dragon too.
He awkwardly tapped Noah's arm twice, the similar action that the dragon did to distract him from his thoughts. He hadn't recognized it at first, but it was a constant that helped him collect himself.
Noah exhaled deeply upon seeing the small action, closing his eyes.
"Bellamy? Did I do something?"
Kaden moved his hand, but Noah pressed it back against his arm firmly.
"Tell me, Chauvet," whispered the dragon as another performer danced across the stage, a chain whipping around them in demonstration. "Do you trust me?"
"I trust you."
Three words spoken without hesitation.
Noah sighed again, because of course that fool meant it earnestly, truthfully. It was that very trust that made Kaden secretive; he had finally learned to believe that Noah would come to his aid if he was in danger.
He finally learned, and now Kaden wouldn't tell Noah anything that could become a risk to the dragon.
One step forward and two steps back. It was almost amusing, looking at Kaden's confused green gaze, clueless to the turmoils of the other's mind.
If there were thirteen things to dislike about Kaden Chauvet, one would be that his method of affection was in sacrificing himself for his companions.
And Noah reminded himself once more, that there was never an issue with working harder to teach Kaden how to love himself, how to be loved by others. He knew from the beginning what a struggle it would be.
It could never be an issue because for Noah Bellamy...
He tapped lightly on the gloved hand that remained obediently on his arm, as the fool frowned in further confusion.
...there could only be Kaden Chauvet.