Kahdreg's blatant honesty made Avicia forget herself for a moment. Her eyes widened and, before she could temper the incredulity in her voice, she hissed, "I am not going to shower with you at your parents' house!"

"Why not?" A challenging glint lit up in Kahdreg's eyes. They leaned closer, their body weight easily pressing Avicia's hands back. Heat coiled inside them, delighting in how her hands felt on their bare skin. They wanted more. Their tusks barely brushed unintentionally against Avicia's cheeks as they spoke, "We're not actually dating, so why care what they think?"

They had a point, Avicia's temptation admitted. The two of them weren't actually dating and she likely wouldn't see the Vidarocs again. Why not give in and have a little fun?

Avicia's back fully hit the mattress as both her hands pressed harder against their chest. There had been too many points of contact, too many places where her body still felt the ghost of Kahdreg's touch. Even if it had only been their forehead and the 'accidental' brush of their tusks and their palm resting on her cheek, thumb hovering over her lower lip. Their closing proximity made her breathing hitch, heat burning through her veins and in her cheeks. Despite the way her body reacted, her eyes narrowed and her tone fell stern. "Kahdreg."

They made a sound of mild curiosity as they pulled back. Avicia's stomach lurched, caught between frustration and delight, as she felt the telltale heat rake over her cheeks. A smug grin curled at Kahdreg's lips. Their previously displaced hand neared her face again, brushing a knuckle against her warm cheek. "There's that blush."

"Just go shower, Xir," sputtered the woman, shoving hard at their chest again while trying to ignore the tingles their touch aroused.

She was briefly tempted to reach for a pillow to smack across their face too, but the orc managed to push off the mattress before she found a suitable weapon. Avicia's eyes followed Kahdreg as they headed off, her eyes still narrowed and her lips pursed. There seemed to be a bounce in their step, so proud of teasing her and getting the reward of her blush. Avicia huffed, dragging her eyes away from Kahdreg once she realized she was focusing more on the way their body moved and the joy on their face than being annoyed with them.

As Kahdreg padded to the bathroom, they couldn't shake the grin on their lips. Though part of them were somewhat disappointed that Avicia refused to join, another part was more relieved. Perhaps it was wishful thinking, but the thought of her being concerned with what their family thought warmed something deep at Kahdreg's core.

---

The shindig, as Norgozi so quaintly put it, soon metamorphosed into a thriving bonfire party. Or perhaps that was the plan all along. Taking place outside the Vidarocs' home, in the expanse of space between the house and the barn, the family and some of their early-bird friends had begun setting up tables when Avicia and Kahdreg finally emerged.

The guests began arriving as a trickle, meeting Avicia as they plopped their potluck dishes on a table or took extra firewood to the pile near the gradually growing fire. At first, the name and relation to Kahdreg were easy to keep straight.

Uncle Brall - who helped stoke the fire with Kraull - and Aunt Nistris - who brought baked goodies - with their school-age children: Nin, the youngest who carried a stuffed axolotl; Kal and Hal, not-actually-twins-but-born-in-the-same-year-and-totally-not-going-to-cause-chaos; and Grav, the eldest who barely nodded in greeting while listening to something loud on their oversized headphones.

Neighbor Hikrach and their human husband Bill, along with their pack of mutt dogs - Wilbur, Snat, Peach, and Frank - and Tiddly, an alpaca who thought they were a dog.

Grandad Threngrom, who - against his wife's wishes - brought a few kegs of moonshine and Grandma Mozva, who - despite her complaints - was the first to open a keg. They also brought their pets, Tygard and Relle, two gentle giants in the form of dire wolf-dog hybrids that the children flocked around.

The notorious Uncle Drik and Uncle Teshi, the blabbermouth troll husband, made their appearance as well. Both offering Avicia an apologetic smile as they were introduced.

Then general clan members Groka and Cabruk and little Altan and Ecle and...

Avicia's head swam with so many new names as Kahdreg guided her through the party, introducing her around. The gradual conversation soon turned into a constant ebb and flow of talk, laughter, and raucousness. Made all the merrier as people got food into their bellies and the children and teens snuck off more sweets than they probably should have.

At one point, some of the patrons pulled out instruments - ranging from banjo to trumpet to a cello - and music wove into the fabric of sound. People danced around the fire, some more graceful than others; their shadows playing across the grass.

Even as the sun tucked further beneath the horizon, more and more guests arrived. Avicia lost count of how many people she met and how many strangers seemed to be meandering about.

Eventually, Avicia's novelty wore off. Or perhaps the moonshine and beer simply made everyone more focused on dancing and eating. Regardless, while Kahdreg preoccupied with a game of horseshoe with Fanuma, Avicia found a moment to sneak away from the festivities for a breather.

On the other side of the barn, away from the house, Avicia found some semblance of quiet. She sighed and leaned against the wall, listening to the chink of the horseshoes and the warble of a flute, the laugher and muffled conversations far off. Away from the throng of bodies and fire, her little patch of solitude in the shadows of the barn made a chill crawl over her arms.

Closing her eyes, Avicia replayed snatches of the many conversations over the night. There had been a lot of guffawing about Kahdreg keeping such a darling a secret. A few grinning comments about a wedding or children, as well, though she doubted any were serious. Avicia wasn't the only one floundering a little under the attention. When Grandma Mozva and Aunt Uncle Teshi made a comment about the heart scarred onto Kahdreg's shoulder, an obvious blush flooded the orc's face as they stumbled to answer. Which had earned them a friendly jab to the shoulder and knowing chuckles. Though whatever was 'to know' was lost on Avicia.

The amount of heckling and chiding Kahdreg faced almost made Avicia feel sorry for them. Knowing they had grown up in this atmosphere and seeing how the whole clan seemed fairly accepting eased that sympathy.

Something wet and warm darted across her knuckles, immediately sending warning bells through her thoughts. As Avicia's eyes flew open, attention darting to her dangling hand, she found one of the many animals - among the dogs, pigs, alpacas, and singular llama in attendance - staring up at her. Giving a sigh of relief, Avicia knelt down by the dog, scratching behind its ears. "Did you need a break from the excitement, too?"

Not expecting a verbal answer from the dog, she continued to scrub her fingers through their fur. But she nearly jumped out of her skin when a voice replied, "Everyone just gets a bit excited when a fresh face joins the clan."

Avicia's eyes darted to the sudden appearance of the newcomer. Despite the darkness behind the barn, the silhouette of Kahdreg's middle sister, Namra, was obvious in the moonlight. Relief and a different kind of tension warred inside Avicia's stomach as she got to her feet, watching as the dog slinked away to find someone else to garner attention from. "Oh, I-I don't know if Kahdreg and I are that serious. I mean, there's time, but we barely have dated and-"

Namra's hand fell to Avicia's shoulder, cutting her off in her rambling. Her eyes flickered to the orc woman's face, embarrassment coloring her own cheeks for a reason she couldn't place. Amusement pulled Namra's lips into a grin. "As long as you want to be, you're part of the clan, Avicia."

The human woman didn't know what to think of that. Her eyes fell to her feet as her fingers tangled into the hem of her own tee-shirt, too embarrassed and grappling with deeper emotions. She had been trying to ignore the sneaking feelings since Kahdreg revealed the two of them would be going to their family's home. Large family gatherings were not Avicia's style. Her father's family had disowned him when he came out as a man and her cis father had left soon after.

Large family get-togethers weren't a thing Avicia had grown up with. Though both she and her father had made plenty of friends, ranging from acquaintanceship to found family status, they had never had this sheer amount of people around. As she feared, it was a bit overwhelming.

"I've been meaning to ask you," Namra said, disrupting the silence and distracting Avicia from her out-of-depth thoughts. The orc woman's hand slipped from Avicia's shoulder as her head canted to the side. "The heart on Kahdreg's shoulder. Was that from you?"

Staring up into Namra's eyes, quick calculations flickered through Avicia's head. There was no telling what would happen if she confirmed or denied it, though. Especially not with her partner-in-crime off playing horseshoes. Avicia just knew she didn't want to compound further lies, atop her relationship with Kahdreg. "Yes."

At that, Namra's eyebrows ticked a little higher, surprise and curiosity making themselves at home in her expression. "Kahdreg doesn't usually give or receive marks easily."

"I'm not marked," Avicia answered, with a shake of her head, before she could consider the repercussions of the admittance. The second the words were out of her lips, she realized her misstep.

The confusion on Namra's features made cold dread sink into Avicia's chest. "What? Why not?"

"They had me mark them," Avicia answered, her voice growing increasingly hesitant and soft, "As part of a promise."

Silence fell between the two. Namra stared down at Avicia, a confused furrow between her eyebrows as her gaze fell away from the human. The irregular clang of horseshoes in the distance interrupted the pleasant ambient sound of the shindig, raking over Avicia's nerves with each clang. There was little she could think to do except wait for Namra to answer.

"Scars, for orcs, mark important times and people in our lives." When Kahdreg's sister spoke, her words were slow and carefully chosen. Avicia's eyes shot to her, undivided attention given. Ignoring Avicia's intense attention, Namra stared off into the distance, away from the human and into the blue-black shadows of the forest beyond, as if tracking something amongst the trees. Heaving a sigh, the orc woman hooked her fingers into the neckline of her own shirt, tugging it down so Avicia could see an old pale green scar. "This is from my ex-girlfriend. We broke up a few years back."

"Oh... I'm sorry." Avicia swallowed, her eyes flickered to the scar - a pair of pale green, parallel lines, probably made from only tusks - to Namra's face. Like a person adrift at sea, Avicia wildly grabbed the first flotsam thought that bobbed to the surface of her mind, "What happened? To make you two break up."

At that, Namra puffed out a laugh, both amused yet sad.

"We just drifted apart. There are good memories and bad, so it's kind of bittersweet to have the reminder." Her words were soft, tinged with a bittersweet that chuckle as she released her shirt and gave a shrug. Her lips quirked into a crooked smile, reminiscent of the smirks Kahdreg tossed Avicia's direction, but it was lacking the smug amusement in the holder's eyes. "Scars can fade, unless we tend to them, and I'm not ready to let her mark on me fade, even if we're no longer together."

Avicia mentally gnawed on what Namra said. She knew that orcs had clan scars, permanent scars that designated the clan they hailed from. Though she didn't know why the scars never faded or how one could tell a clan scar from an average scar. She had never thought to question it or look up the reason online. If she did seek out the answer, could she even find it? Or was it something innate and personal to orc culture, kept secret from outsiders?

Not to mention, from what Namra was saying, certain marks were different from run-of-the-mill scars. At least, that was the implication Avicia was picking up on. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the ground, lips pressed together as thoughts of Kahdreg and everything they'd gone through in such a short time fluttered in her mind's eye. Swarming emotions tilted Avicia's feelings back and forth, uncertain of how to feel.

Unable to stop herself, Avicia looked up at Namra, a question blurting from her lips before she could properly filter it, "What does it mean when an orc requests a scar from another person, but doesn't return it?"

Namra's attention shot to Avicia at the sudden words. This time, it seemed to be the orc woman's turn to feel as if she had shamefully misstepped, judging from the mild panic in her eyes. The observation brought Avicia relief and anxiety.

"I think..." Namra started, before letting the sentence fade into oblivion. Avicia watched carefully as the orc woman's eyes darted away. She, too, was trying to determine the best way to answer, though in Namra's case, she clearly didn't want to ruin whatever Kahdreg and Avicia had going on. Feeling the burn of Avicia's undeterred eyes on her, Namra's shoulders slumped. Her attention flicked back to the human, an apologetic smile tucked around her tusks. "I think it's best if you ask them yourself."