Sweeter than honey

When the first warm rays of the sun fell on the dew-soaked, grassy ground, and gentle streams of quiet wind rustled the delicate leaves of the trees, the bored young man, whose veins carried venomously green blood, was already fully awake. While the Temple of Fire still peacefully slumbered (except for a few faces), an otherworldly being explored a new territory, climbing onto tiled roofs, silently walking on awnings, observing the surroundings from above as the grass swayed calmly and the massive tree branches swayed silently, while the world was not yet rushing to awaken with the burning luminary. The tranquility of the new day was abruptly interrupted by two Lin Kuei, appearing at the temple gates. One of them carried a limp body on his shoulders. "Brother? They looked remarkably similar; there's clearly a common bloodline in them," Reptile, holding his breath, pressed his entire body against the tiles, gazing at the perplexed boys with soft, sorrowful eyes. "Hmm... I see, sense that he is alive... Not fatally wounded; perhaps the issue is not with him? But I can distinctly feel the burdensome tension in the eyes of others, and I have seen something similar before; it must be betrayal," the cold-blooded one reflected silently, watching the recent tragedy unfold. Unrelated by blood, the brothers walked together, occasionally exchanging sad glances, discussing something, or quietly chuckling when distracted by another topic, while on the shoulder of Kuai Liang, the younger brother lay unconscious. As soon as the former "comrades-in-arms" stepped over the threshold of the temple gates, Liu Kang emerged with a calm smile, which vanished from his face when he understood what was happening again. "Shang Tsung used him. Bi-Han betrayed us, betrayed the Lin Kuei, despite claiming otherwise," Scorpion pronounced after a brief silence, cutting through the ringing silence. Smoke stood nearby, slightly bowing and silently greeting the god of fire; he had nothing more to add. "I feared such a thing..." Liu Kang replied, nodding his head in response to the greeting, scanning the Grandmaster as if piercing through and examining Bi-Han's very soul. Seizing the cryomancer from Scorpion, the god of fire firmly grasped him under the shoulders, preventing him from falling to the ground. Reptile, lost in his own thoughts, no longer listened to what was happening; it seemed too personal to him. Unable to leave unnoticed now, he simply floated in his thoughts, contemplating his late family. The serene smile reappeared on Liu Kang's face as he departed with the traitor through a fiery portal. — We'll have to go to Madame Bo with the others, but that will be in the evening. For now, we can catch our breath. Clearing the mind can be aided by light meditation. Tomas, care to join? - After the former Keeper of Time dissolved with the traitor in his arms, Kuai turned to the ashen-haired one, placing his palm on his shoulder warmly, encouragingly. — Thank you for the offer, but I'll decline. Perhaps I'll join later; I'm planning to take a walk while no one is training yet, - Tomas replied, smiling and exchanging satisfied and tired glances with them. They parted ways, while the cold-blooded one, still lying on the roof, observed where Scorpion was heading, completely disregarding Smoke, as if he had evaporated. — You should practice more in stealth, - Reptile's gaze suddenly blocked dense smoke out of nowhere, while a familiar voice behind him was heard. However, not quite as expected, the guy "materialized" a tail with which he knocked the Czech off his feet, who, in turn, did not expect this already. — Zatterian? - The smoky one asked himself in surprise. — I've only heard tales about you before, but I didn't know that... — Hiss... I just wanted you to see me. - Chuckling slightly, the otherworldly being said, reaching out to help the fallen one stand. "You can be proud; you've encountered a shape-shifting outcast." - The scaly one mused to himself. — Tomash, Tomash Vrbada. - Shaking himself off, the guy extended his right hand for a handshake. — I am called Saizot. - Grabbing the offered hand, the lizard replied. — I've heard about your clan... I'm sorry it turned out this way. - The reptilian spoke, slightly swaying his cold tail to maintain balance. — Thank you, Saizot... - Glancing at the strange creature, the ashen-haired one responded a bit dimly. — I was planning to take a walk; the Temple of Fire is an incredibly beautiful place, especially when the sun bathes its surroundings in warming light. Would you like to join me? — Hiss, I agree; it's very good here. I am grateful to Lord Liu Kang for his hospitality. If you don't mind the company, I'm happy to join... Slipping down the roof, the guys landed silently on their feet, and Tomash began leading his new friend somewhere. During this time, Saizot hadn't bothered to explore the entire temple grounds; he had been interacting with the champions of Earthrealm, Ashrah, and the God of Fire. But most importantly, he had caught up on sleep. Slavery under Shang Tsung hadn't allowed much rest. *** ... The guys had learned a lot about each other, finding similarities in their challenging lives with every new word exchanged... *** — You know, I still think I'll be better than you at stealth. — Oh? And why is that? I've dedicated half of my conscious life to this craft... - Turning his head towards his friend, the smoky one smiled. — In my case, the ability to hide is my life. - To confirm his words, the "predator" spread his arms to the side and disappeared into the air. — Wow! That's impressive, but just because I can't see you doesn't mean I can't hear you! - Apparently deciding to practice, Vrbada joined in, taking out his karambit and marking the spot for their "fight." He surrounded the area with smoke to make it more challenging for Saizot to "catch" him but not be caught. — And besides, what will you do if we both disappear? - Dispersing in the smoke, the voice of the Earthrealm warrior fell silent. Awaiting silence, crisp and ringing, everyone listened to the other's silence, after which Smoke lunged forward again with his tail, bringing him out of invisibility. — Whoa! - Quickly regaining composure and putting up a block, the ashen-haired one deflected the second attack, this time with claws. — I'll find you by smell... A higher concentration in one spot... - Emerging from invisibility, the cold-blooded one explained, swinging his large and scaly tail aggressively to the sides. Now it was Tomash's turn to attack; he swiftly transformed into a smoke cloud, appearing behind Saizot, dealing a cutting blow to the reptile's flank. Allowing the hit, the scaly one instinctively changed shape with a hiss, turning 180 degrees and knocking his friend off his feet, returning to human form. Rising in time and bouncing back, Smoke evaded a kick, then teleported to the opposite side of their improvised ring, already splattered with spots of various colors. Saizot didn't let himself get hit, skillfully dodging and blocking. When he retaliated, Tomas stepped back until he was pressed against the trunk of a tense tree. Seizing the opportunity, the scaly one unintentionally threw himself at the smoke one, pressing him harder into the wood, depriving him of breath. — Whew! Saizot... Phew... Ha... I admit you caught me off guard... - Smoke stood firmly, hands along his body, looking expectantly at his new friend, not understanding why he didn't step away. The reptilian, leaning against the tree with hands on either side of Tomas, gazed into the human's eyes, the height difference almost imperceptible. They calmly stared at each other until the tail-wielder moved into spontaneous foolishness. Uncertainly but gently covering the other's lips with his own, the otherworldly being didn't rush to pull away; on the contrary, he tried to press closer to Tomas. Cold-blooded are cold-blooded - they need warmth. The poor former Lin Kuei, unexpected as it was, shrugged his shoulders and leaned into the lizard's hands, not pushing the reptile away, just holding him with a dead, stone grip. Vrbada was always easy to read, especially his emotions, each displayed on his bewildered face, ranging from displeasure to embarrassment. When the "predator" didn't feel a response, he decided to pull away. Surely, the guy made a mistake; he was blinded by his emotions and hope. But at the last moment, Smoke leaned forward, responding by gently pressing the other's lips, causing the lizard to happily wag his heavy tail. ... After some time, slowly and cautiously moving away, Saizot, in a burst of emotions, grabbed the smoky one's cheeks and exclaimed joyfully: — Ssweeter, ssweeter than honey! Your lips! - At the end of the sentence, with smiling eyes, the guy licked his swollen lips with his long tongue. As Saizot is a reptilian capable of changing shape and lacking the ability to digest human food, he could only compare tastes to insects, flesh, and, for example, honey or queen bee milk. (It makes sense; if he could feed on bees, then it's quite obvious that he could also break open whole beehives and consume their contents.) — Mgh... Saizot... - Only half seriously frowning and turning his gaze aside, Tomash became even more embarrassed, then dissolved into smoke and reappeared behind the scaly one. — It's time to go back; the temple is waking up. We still have to visit Madame Bo today. — Hiss, let's go. - The scaly one only smiled, following the Earthrealm warrior.