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Knoxxi
Carnival dates are always fun, right?
And in no way angsty?
(Sorry if anyone's out of character, and that this ran so long! I hope you enjoy this anyways. c:)
There were so many wonderful things on the surface, and carnivals were among one of Neptune's favorites. He loved the show, the flashing lights, the illusions, the stunt artists laughing in defiance at the threat of death. How couldn't he adore it? And so, when he heard that a circus he had never heard of before would be traveling close by his clan, well. The only proper thing to do was buy a ticket.
This Wisp Fire Carnival had all the well-practiced tropes that he enjoyed. The performance was normal enough until the 'circus freak' act, where the lights swirled purple and orange, illuminating a strange beast that soared above the audience.
"That's a pretty good costume." Someone close by him whispered, before recoiling in awe at the saffron sparks that surrounded it's body.
Neptune held his tongue, only taking a closer look as the beast soared back around - the costume was indeed well-made. He could see no stitches, or even quite tell where the costume ended and the Tundra's real fur began. It... was a costume, right? Perhaps aided by illusion magic? The beast slowed it's flight, hovering not ten feet away from the Coatl and curling back it's lip in a snarl.
They made eye contact for a moment before it spiraled back down towards the stage, where a Mirror waited with a toothy, confident grin. "Ladies and gentlemen," He called out, "You need not fear! Every beast can be tamed, no matter how fierce or feral. For example-"
(He stuck his head in the Tundra's(?) mouth to illustrate that point, but Neptune wasn't quite listening, for some reason he couldn't quite place. He spent the rest of the circus act watching in a disconnected daze, frowning softly from his spot in the stands.
There was something he'd seen in the creature's fiery eyes. He couldn't place it, but he knew he didn't like it.)
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He had slipped away shortly after the main show had concluded, finding his way to the smaller stalls, less busy and more out of the way. He drifted towards a Pearlcatcher who was talking to someone out of sight, only to abruptly stop when she caught sight of the Coatl.
"Hello there." Neptune said pleasantly, giving a gracious smile. She was a seer, allegedly. Granted, he knew that oracles were real - his brother was one - but his experience of finding genuine oracles at carnivals... well. Suffice to say, he didn't have the highest success rate. "Charlie, right?"
Nevertheless, there wasn't any harm in a little reading. It didn't hurt to get into the spirit of things. And besides, it might help clear the fog that had settled over his mind. "Welcome to my little corner of Wisp Fire." She intoned neutrally, though not unkindly, staring directly at him despite the cloak over her eyes. "You seek a glimpse into your future, yes?"
"I suppose it couldn't hurt." He teased lightly. He was halfway through formulating a question when something caught his eye - a shift of movement in the cage behind her, and suddenly he abandoned that train of thought. "Er. I'm sorry, would you mind if I came right back?"
Charlie didn't respond, merely shaking her head. She paid him no further mind as he wandered towards the edge of the cage, where a familiar face turned to face him. "Your act was quite impressive." Neptune said with a gentle smile, before catching himself. "Ah. I'm so sorry, are you still in character?"
The creature grunted and turned away, the smoke burning off his fur seeming to grow in intensity for just a moment. He could feel the heat, even from this side of the bars, and Neptune's smile faded. "That isn't a costume, is it?" Silence greeted him again, and a worrying possibility dawned on the siren:
"... do you... want to be here? I'm sorry if I'm wrong, I know it must be against policy to break character, but I wanted to make sure-" Make sure of what? He didn't even know how he planned on finishing that sentence. "... make sure you were alright." He finished lamely, sounding a bit meeker, a bit more vulnerable, than he had in a long while.
The creature turned back towards him, meeting the Coatl's gaze with a single orange eye. "Leave." He spat, the heat still growing in intensity as he stalked towards the bars. "I don't care for empty words."
And, lost for what else to do, Neptune stumbled back and obeyed.
Until tomorrow.
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He didn't bother attending the main act today. Really, he'd sneaked into the carnival in the first place. Normally he would have felt guilty, but there was something he'd seen that gave him... reservations, about supporting this circus financially. He had to admit, it was a bit electrifying to be breaking rules and sneaking around where he wasn't supposed to be.
A playful smile crossed his face as he approached Charlie and the creature again, though to his surprise, the Pearlcatcher wasn't attending her stand. She was slipping pieces of hotdog between the bars, which the creature scoffed up greedily.
(No, that wasn't fair to say. The poor thing was probably starving.)
Charlie stiffened as she heard Neptune approach, the ghost of a smile crossing her face. "I should have seen this coming." She joked lightly, though there was a dark undercurrent to her tone that Neptune didn't like. "Alright. How many gems to keep you from telling the boss?" She was only mostly joking, the siren realized, and he shot what he hoped would be a reassuring smile.
"Ha. Don't worry, I won't tell if you don't." He promised, slinging a bag off his shoulder. He pulled out a couple pieces of red meat, wrinkling his nose a bit - should've thought this one through a bit better, his stuff would smell like meat for the next month. Still, he quietly slipped it through the bars, shooting a grin at the creature.
It was all gone in under a minute, which would have been impressive if it wasn't a bit sad. The creature side eyed Neptune once more, narrowing his eyes. "What do you want in return, Coatl? Because you aren't getting it." He huffed, and Neptune rolled his eyes.
"Gods, I'm a better negotiator than that. If I was trying to get something, I wouldn't have given up my leverage first." He teased lightly, though the beast's expression grew a bit confused. Neptune softened, just a tad. "Don't worry about it. Really, just a gift." He paused, then, considering. "But... if you wanted to tell me your name, I wouldn't complain. Is Zowu a stage name?"
The lion-like creature shook his head. "No. I am Zowu."
Still not very talkative, huh? The Coatl laid down next to the cage, an elusive smile on his face. "Well, my name's Neptune. I used to be a siren, but then I learned that there are so many interesting things on shore. Like fruit, and fire, and my clan. And board games! Could never have those in the ocean, the cardboard would get all soggy. And I drowned anyone who might have agreed to play them."
Zowu tilted his head, as if trying to tell whether Neptune was joking or not. The Coatl's smile grew a bit sadder. "Yeah. I have a lot to make up for. Sorry, I... shouldn't have said that."
"No." Zowu intoned. "I don't really care. Those things sound nice. You're lucky."
"I am." Neptune agreed, tucking his wings against his body. "We should hang out sometime. Go to some gourmet meat and seafood restaurant, bring board games, maybe some fruit and flowers. I think it'd be fun, if you'd like to."
And Zowu smiled, for the first time, one that seemed to have more sadness than malice in it. "That does sound nice. Though, it isn't possible."
Neptune was quiet for a long, long moment. "You're stuck here, aren't you?"
Zowu only nodded in confirmation, leaning against the cage. Neptune breathed through his teeth, thinking for a long, long moment. He turned towards Charlie and gave a weak smile. "Hey. If I do something really, really stupid, you won't tell anyone, right?"
The Pearlcatcher laughed, despite herself. "I guess that's only fair, since you didn't tell on me." Neptune quite liked her, once the all-knowing oracle act was switched off. With a sly smile, she handed him a key. "You seem clever. Maybe you'll be able to find a way. I doubt it, but it's worth a shot, isn't it?"
Neptune took the key in mild awe, casting a glance between the two of them. Zowu watched with barely cloaked interest, while the seer seemed to be enjoying the siren's surprise. "Run like hell." She advised, turning back to her stall and turning her back to the two of them.
The Coatl looked over his shoulder, making sure no one was looking, before he slipped the key into the keyhole and swung the door open without a sound. "Let's go." He winked at Zowu. "We've got a date to go on."
Despite himself, the beast paled. "Wait, that was a date-?" And Neptune laughed, shaking his head.
"Just teasing. C'mon, let's go."
The outskirts of the circus was quiet, and twilight was starting to fall. Neptune advised that they walked instead of flew, since it would draw less attention. The two walked silently through a field of tall grass, as the Wisp Fire Carnival grew smaller and smaller on the horizon. There was a magic in the air that Neptune couldn't quite place, but decided to ignore, hoping it would pass in time.
"You don't actually have to hang out with me. I wanted to make sure you knew that." Neptune teased gently. "You can do anything. I won't be mad if you want to go our separate ways. Meeting you was nice regardless."
Zowu was quiet, still, and there was a growing weight in the air that turned the Coatl's stomach. "No," Zowu started, "I would like to join you for "board games". I would like that quite a lot, Neptune." He said softly. "But I'm afraid I can't."
Neptune frowned, puzzled. "It's your choice, of course." He responded, giving a nod and what he hoped was a comforting, though fake, smile. And Zowu returned it, shaking his head.
"No. It really isn't."
The world burst into purple strands of magic, twisting into the shape of a paper thin wall. Neptune cautiously put a paw against it, feeling himself slip through with no resistance, while Zowu simply stood there. The lion-like creature took a few steps back to get a running start, sprinting towards the barrier and slamming himself against it with all his might.
The creature was sent sprawling, and suddenly Neptune understood. Zowu heaved himself back to his feet, looking at the Coatl through the wall. "It's a binding spell." He explained. "I can only go a certain distance from wherever the carnival is currently set up." He chuckled, low and dark. "Somehow, I hoped this time would be different. That was stupid of me."
He echoed himself after a long moment where neither of them spoke. "I lied to you. I don't really know why. Maybe I just wanted to pretend the future would be different from the past, just for a little while." Zowu shook his head, scoffing and digging his claws into the soft soil. "... That was cruel of me. Go home, Neptune."
Neptune furrowed his brow. "No, there- no. This isn't goodbye. I'm going to find a way to break the spell. Okay? You'll see me again." He felt his throat dry, wondering whether Zowu had heard words like his a dozen times over, or never heard them at all. He wasn't sure which was worse. "I'll- I'll come up with a plan, for next time the circus is in town. Just hang in there a little longer."
Zowu smiled gently, and Neptune knew that the beast didn't believe him. He couldn't really blame him, either. That was okay. Talk was cheap. It didn't really make a difference in the end, right? He would be back. He would come back. "Goodbye, Neptune." He said, and there was a note of finality in his voice.
Neptune didn't like it.
"I'm serious." He said airily, walking back across the barrier and leaning against Zowu in a draconian imitation of a hug. "You owe me a date." He reminded him, a playful smile crossing his face despite the tears in his eyes.
And Neptune spread his wings, making a quick pace back home. Talk was cheap, and there were things he had to do.
