I don't own digimon.

Chapter 63

Knife to know that

With that now out of the way, my attention turns to our 'last' group - Blaze and Dave. Currently standing outside of the soap place. Fuck. That was a long time ago. About time, I guess. Though, I'm not sure why you didn't at least check it out beforehand.

"Welcome back." Dave remarked, staring up towards the sky for the moment. What sounds like a chuckle followed. Oh right. You were busy with that expansion to Blaze's house. That was quite an upgrade. Especially for just two people. Was that the original plan?

The maid looked away, cheeks glowing red. Even more as his boyfriend's gaze met back up to his vision.

"Yeah…" Dave mumbled as the door opened, revealing our two orc businessmen from that mess at the Cafe - Gorvor and Alan. For today, both orcs had gone with the same outfit - a black shirt with a matching set of pants. Still not sure what the meaning behind the weird piece of fabric around his neck. Some kind of fashion statement or is there some kind of story to it?

Alan let out a chuckle. Thanks. That was a truly helpful answer to the rhetorical question I had just posed to you two.

"He does kind of want a clear answer on that." Blaze remarked, our two businessmen looking up towards the sky. I can't wait for the introductions to be over with. Yes, I get that people aren't entirely used to someone speaking from the sky. Gets kind of tiring of having to say 'yes, I'm the weird voice in your head that's running commentary. Believe me, I don't want to be in your head either' or something along those lines. Sorry I just needed to get that out of my system.

"It was a wedding gift." Alan remarked, getting treated to a nod of all gestures from his spouse. If you don't mind me asking, what exactly is it supposed to be?

"We've had better days." Gorvor remarked, focus already shifting to Blaze for the moment. More specifically, our dancer's hands. "What happened?"

Blaze's gaze shifted to the ground, mutters of something exiting his mouth. Yeah. It wasn't your finest moment by a long shot. The more you dodge the question, the more questionable it looks.

"I burned myself pole dancing." the dancer admitted and found himself faced down with looks from both our businessmen. To elaborate, he had to distract a dragon while dressed up as a bunny girl. Long story. It all worked out in the end, though. Just will take some time to actually heal up and may be usable. For now, he's going to need to rely on Dave for anything that involves using his hands.

"Pretty much everything." Blaze remarked and took a deep breath, finding himself getting a look from his boyfriend. We're still working through this problem. If worse, we just teach him something like mage hand or… replace his hands entirely. I doubt we would really need to do that last option. For starters, where the heck would we even find the hands in the first place? And no, we aren't taking Dave's. Romantic as that might be, I'm fairly certain you're still attached to your hands. Fuck. That was a pun.

"You did pretty good when we went for a round." Dave answered, not sure what to make out of what you just said. You two didn't really have sex. Blaze being gone for a couple of months isn't the most romantic thing to have in a relationship, but that's jumping the gun on the whole relationship thing. Unless this isn't your first time with a guy… right? "Dancing. Get your mind out of the gutter."

While I'm glad you two are taking this slow, what's a gutter?

"A gutter is a type of knife." Gorvor answered and dug into his pants pocket. Out comes what I'm going to assume to be a 'gutter'. Rough and long, fitting of an orcish weapon. Yet there's quite an elegance to such a tool. Especially in that hilt - looks to be some kind of stone. I'm not a dwarf, so I can't entirely say for sure what kind it is. Outside of it being a nice shade of green. I'm guessing each version of the weapon is it's own unique piece?

Alan nodded, his husband putting away the weapon. On second thought, I don't think that was quite what Dave had in mind when he mentioned that. At all.

"It's more of something that collects water to be driven down. Sometimes, they're used to collect water. Something that Aldia doesn't seem to have happen often."

Yeah. I assume that there's some kind of well or other water source at work here. There's sewer underneath the town, the multiple fountains and who knows what else. Or perhaps we have a mage of some kind doing their magic. Doesn't really matter. Sorry for throwing you all off. We're kind of in the middle of a murder investigation.

Upon me saying that, silence fell over the area. In the background, one can just make out the panicked walking of people trying to make sense of Yvette's arrival. No kind of heads-up she was coming back at all. Rude on her part.

Still nothing. Kind of tough crowd after everything else that's happened today.

"Oh yeah… Shiv." Alan remarked, his husband taking a deep breath as he said that. What sounded like a sigh followed. I'm guessing you too have some history with them? "Kinda. Our parents weren't so big fans of taking this place."

Blaze's gaze shifted to our pair. To be fair, I'm just as confused at the moment. No one really talks about a time before you guys were here in Aldia. Does that place even exist now? Or did Aldia eventually swallow it up and leave no trace?

"Maybe." Gorvor remarked and turned around, motioning for our two men to head on inside. Compared to the place that we just left, the entrance to the soap place is what one expects. A lot of tables displaying large stacks of bar soaps. Strewn about are a couple chairs and papers detailing the prices for the various products offered here. The walls are remarkably bare, with the only real thing of note on there being some candles. None of them are currently lit, not that any of them actually need to be - it still being a long way before night, after all. As for the floors, those have been given the rug treatment. But not the same rug. I would imagine it would be one heck of a challenge to get ones that would not only fit the entire room, but also the same design throughout.

Our heroes pay this room little attention, heading right through a double set of doors. On the other side, we find ourselves in a large room. Nothing in the way of an office, more of a cross between a workshop and living quarters. Makes sense. Got to make do with the space you're given.

"Where do you want me to start?" Dave announced as he let go of Blaze's hand. The dancer accepted the gesture and chose to take a seat on the floor. Was there really not a chair you could use at that moment? You could've probably asked Alan or Gorvor for one before they get to instructing Dave.

"I'm fine with sitting down on the ground." Blaze remarked, focus already shifting over to his boyfriend and whatever instructions he was currently getting. Though, Balamon took this as his opportunity to slither on down to his partner's lap. Good to see that you're still here.

"Is this about your dream?" the fire snake digimon announced, Blaze already looking away. So he shifted his head to be in that general area. "Let me guess. You think that troupe has already passed through during the time we were all gone in the digital world?"

Blaze nodded, focus shifting away from this empty space in the room and back over to his partner. Hard to believe that they had only met a couple months ago. From their perspective, it had only been a week, two tops? Yeah, that sounds right. And in that time, you've gotten your a digimon, a boyfriend and lost the use of your hands. For most, that would be a lifetime of adventure. You, that's a little stepping stone on whatever weird path that this life has in store. We're all not completely sure what's in store for us and whether or not it will compliment the direction you wish to take your life. That's half the fun.

"I know that." Blaze continued, trying his hardest to pet Balamon with his elbow. It doesn't really work. Maybe you should try the arm. "It's just… this is all weird, crazy and unpredictable. What I thought was clear was very much not."

I know that feeling far too well. This is the first real long-term job that I've gotten. Everything else was either short-term or was torpedoed partway through. Not counting my job as a teacher's assistant, of course.

"That should do it. Are you ready for your first day?" Alan announced, our pair's gaze swiveling over to Dave at the moment. The last of the instructions now given, he's heading for the far end of the room. There we find a large box. Filled with the bodies of deceased animals, we're looking for their fat. Which means cutting them open and removing the meat from the bones. Then you separate out the meat from the fat itself. Which I'm going to assume needs to be put back into the box and taken to wherever they break it down. After that, who knows. This is all a learning process for me.

For the moment, Blaze and Balamon made their way closer. Not too close, of course. Don't want to end up with something cut off. Especially when our only healer is currently trying to figure out the vision that he and I were treated too.

"What?" Blaze announced, gaze shifting to the ceiling of all places. Yeah. Bubbles's deity decided to visit. She's a wonderful person. As in she's planning to collect on his mother's offer of the entire town. "Wait. Some goddess wants our souls?"

Yep. Probably as an energy source to continue whatever path of destruction through the multiverse they were on. Or, you're being part of an army that needs to face down another army. There was also another goddess there - one I've felt like I have seen before in the past. She said her name was Crimson and that she was willing to lend an ear to Bubbles's prayers or something. Probably not the last time we're going to meet her, that's for sure.

"Huh…" Balamon whispered, Blaze's attention already back on his boyfriend. Hard at work cutting away the skin of those animals, there's something therapeutic to it. I've been all about Aldia in the last couple minutes. I've seen no less than three different stores, all of which sell different things and it still isn't lunch time. Somehow. Even with a break from this, it's all a bit overwhelming. In a good way, of course. Though, I wouldn't mind an answer to my question from our businessmen.

"I can ask." Blaze remarked, carefully pulling himself up. Easier said than done when you're unable to use your hands in any capacity. Then it's just a matter of making his way over to Alan and Gorvor. 'Earlier, you said that your parents weren't happy about the move to Aldia. Where was the tribe living beforehand?"

Both orcs looked away. I'm fine if you don't know where this hypothetical place is. Just a general idea of what was there is good enough.

"You know where the graveyard is?" Alan explained and got a nod from Blaze. "Far beyond the trees and the farms, there's a clearing. That is where a good chunk of the village used to live. As for the succubi, they came from the desert to the north. Some from the sands, others from the caves below."

Uh Blaze… What was it you said about that dance troupe? That they travel through the desert doing whatever they do?

"You're not joining a sex cult." Dave announced, gaze back on his boyfriend. "I don't care what they offer you in the short-term or the long-term. You're not going."

Well, that settles the issue once and for all. Unless this dance troupe doesn't turn out to be a sex cult in the end. You should check with your boyfriend before agreeing to such a massive life change. Especially one that would leave you out and about for long periods of time with no 'day off' in all of that.

"I'm aware." Blaze remarked, Dave taking this as his opportunity to return to skinning animals. I have a question now. You said your parents didn't quite see eye-to-eye with Shiv and the other orcs on taking this town. Any particular reason why?

"If I'm being honest with you, we're not sure ourselves." Gorvor answered, looking to his husband for the briefest of moments. Looked to have gotten a nod in return. Then we're right back to Blaze. "They probably preferred to spend their days in the woods, surrounded by nature. Maybe they didn't like him. When we were younger, he and Jezza would always be talking about plans to expand well beyond Aldia."

Except those plans never came to fruition by way of someone murdering him and pinning it on Madame. Wait. Just how old are you two? If you knew Shiv in some capacity, you have to be getting up there in the years.

Blaze gave the ceiling a look. I definitely got ahead of myself there. Sorry about that. I was thinking out loud and didn't even realize it.

"I'm 32." Alan remarked, taking the time to smooth out his outfit. Making sure his 'gutter' was in its proper place, he gripped his husband's hand. "Gorvor will be 31 in a month or two. We didn't really get to know Shiv that well. Outside of the things that our parents would shout about."

Good to know. Thanks for answering that for me. Anything else either of you know in regards to Shiv's murder?

Alan and Gorvor shook their heads. Got it. Thanks for your help on this investigation.

"Could you maybe fill us in on everything else you know?" Balamon inquired, Blaze heading away from our orc pair and taking a seat on the floor. Uh… sure. Do you want me to start with Yvonne or Ella, Maddie and Bubbles? "The latter."

Okay. They found a note similar to that Jezza claimed to have found at the scene. Just to be on the safe side, Maddie wrote something or other. Not a match. Even if it somehow were, they weren't even born when the murder happened. Which automatically rules them out. The note went something like this - "Someone you know doesn't have the intentions you think they do' or something along those lines. Afterwards, they went to talk with Mari Gold.

As for Yvonne, she talked with the old woodworker gnome. Turns out he was partially aware of the whole 'Madame' conspiracy. On top of that, the previous Madame tried to buy Shiv's shop. He refused, of course. Which was not his best idea. Especially with everything we know about Maddie. Outside of that, Jezza has a sister named Jilla. Which is where she's heading at the moment.

"Good to know." Blaze remarked, gaze shifting away from the ceiling and back over to Dave. The last of the animals now stripped of their skin, our maid carefully set them all back into the container he was given. Grabbing hold, it was now a matter of pulling this large box to the far side of the room. There, a large vat awaits. Along with the living quarters of our two orcs. Compared to some of the other places we've seen, there's is pretty small - just a set of blankets and pillows. Underwhelming and anticlimactic. Wait. I think I see another one of those 'gutters' hidden under a pillow. Lots of dry blood on that one. Though, it would probably help if we actually knew what color orcs bleed.

"You probably shouldn't say that out loud." Blaze remarked and shot a look to Alan and Gorvor. For the moment, the businessmen were engaged in small talk and not even looking at Blaze or Dave. Phew. You have that going for you.

Sneaking over, our dancer motioned his boyfriend to come over. Dave complied, the pair meeting right behind the large vat. Do make sure that nothing is sticking out. We're not out of the clear yet.

"There's a gutter just sticking out from under a pillow." Blaze whispered, pointing towards the living quarters. After, his attention shifted to the vat. You're not filling that up. If you do, your hands are definitely going to be permanently out of commission. Definitely not something either you or Dave want, I thin-

Before I had a chance to even finish my sentence, a red outline forming around his body. Oh. That works as well. Not sure if there's anything to actually burn though. I would say wood here, but there doesn't look to be any of that. Maybe use some blankets? Those are usually quite flammable. Or even papers in a pinch.

"Infuse." Blaze continued, bending down to reach the bottom of the vat. "Ember."

Tapping the vat with his foot, the container began to heat up. Just need to put in the meat fat and watch it cook on down. Even if said vat doesn't really allow for one to actually do that.

While that was happening, Dave was heading over to the 'living quarters' to grab that gutter of a knife. Wonder if it'll be similar to the one Gorvor has or it'll be different in some major way. Though, the blood is more of a concern. If we can find someone to vouch it's orc blood, we might have a possible murder weapon. Even if I'm not particularly sure why exactly it would be under a bunch of blankets. Protection, perhaps? In this day and age, Distant Harmony could show up and try to break down your doors.

"Once you're done, do you want me to stick it in your pants?" Dave remarked, knife held with the utmost care. This gutter is quite refined in comparison of the one Gorvor has. The blade appears to have been made from a single piece of iron, part of which is encased in a hilt made from some kind of dark wood I don't recognize. What looks to be the remnants of cloth hang on for dear life on the wood. Odd choice for covering.

As for the blood, that's where it gets interesting. One moment, the stains are red. The next, there green and already changing to yellow of all colors. This is definitely not the murder weapon, though I'm not completely sure who's blood is on it. Maybe a shapeshifter? I don't think I've ever seen a succubus or incubus bleed.

"I'll be okay without it." Blaze whispered and pulled his foot away. Thankfully, Balamon took the knife off Dave's hands and set it back under the pillow. Then he's right back to Blaze, slithering on up to his shoulder. "The vat should be ready to put the vat in."

Dave nodded and headed over to his box. Grabbing the first piece of fat, he threw it on in. Then another, this piece almost not making it over. The third is thankfully a cinch.

"I think I got this." Dave whispered, turning to focus on his boyfriend. A deep breath followed. "Do you think you'll be alright without me?"

Blaze nodded, trying his hardest to ignore his hands. So he turned his attention back to Dave.

"If anything comes up, get help from your friends. And please, come back in one piece." Dave continued and pulled Blaze in. Whispering something to his beloved, he plopped a kiss right on the lips. A short embrace of tongue and lips followed, the pair breaking away a couple seconds later. With that, Blaze headed off. "Good luck."

Notes:

A slight change of pace from everything else going on.

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Next Time: We check back on Maddie and company. Hopefully, nothing goes wrong.