Fuck this. Owns nothing. Fucking enjoy.
I sigh as I follow my little sister of fifteen through the crowded train station. Her pen pal from Alternia, Feferi I think it was, had asked us to come spend a Sweep with her and her family. Now we're just looking for them in this crowded as fuck place.
Someone bumps into me and I fall. "Watch it, human." an Alternian male hisses as he straightens his coat before continuing on his way. I hold up my right fist, my left hand resting in the crook of my right elbow, effectively flipping him off. Not like he'd know even if he'd seen it.
"Ceili!" We both turn to see a girl in a black tank with a bright blue and green skirt waving at us. Her tiara immediately makes her royalty, and the Pieces sign on her tank seals the deal. Fuck. Why royalty? Why me?
"Feferi!" My sister squeals and runs over to hug the Alternian girl. I see that she's not alone. At least a dozen others stand with her, looking us over with unreadable expressions. I tug nervously at the bottom hem of my black cashmere sweater.
"Feferi, this is my sister." Ceili gestures to me. "Hi, Francis. It's nice to meet you!" Feferi holds out her hand for me to shake. I take it with a polite smile, nodding my head to her once in greeting.
"These are my friends!" Feferi gestures to the group behind her. Some give small smiles, others look at the new humans curiously.
"Why don't we all go back to KK'th hive!" One male, wearing blue and red glasses and a yellow Gemini symbol on his black t-shirt, suggests. Everyone voices their agreement accept a guy in a black sweater with a Cancer symbol on the front, who says, "Fuck no. Why the fuck do we have to go to my hive every gog damned time you bulge suckers wanna celebrate?! Why don't we all go over to your meaningless, wriggler-brained, architecturally mundane and fucked up hive, Captor?" Wow, this must be Karkat... He's got some issues, huh?
"We can all up and motherfucking go to my hive." The tallest of the group offers with a lazy smile. His face is painted white with clown make-up and I fight back a blush, remembering my job back on Earth as a carny.
"Sure, Gamzee! Let's go!" Feferi leads the way, arm linked with Ceili's. I keep near the back of the large group, carrying both me and my younger sister's duffles, and my classical string bass in it's gig bag on my back. I let a small smile creep onto my face. Ceili didn't make friends often, so I'm letting her live this to the fullest.
"Need some help?" I look up at a girl with a red skirt. She holds out her hand for one of the duffles. I shake my head, giving a small 'I'm okay' smile. She frowns briefly before taking one of the duffles anyway. I blush, unsure as to how to thank her. Would she understand if I tried?
The walk isn't long, and we are at a large, ominous fortress-like home. They file in behind Gamzee, who leads them into a den with game stations and four large-ass flat screens. The nice Alternian girl sets the duffle down by the entrance, and I set down my duffle and bass. "Let's play games!" Feferi decides happily. She turns on the Wii, and hands one remote to Ceili and one to a female Alternian with a light blue Scorpio symbol on her black shirt. "We're divided into teams for Wii Fit!" she declares happily, the rest nodding and smiling in excitement... Except Karkat, of course.
I back away from the den, hoping they forget I'm here. This is Ceili's thing, not mine. I don't want to interfere with her bonding with her friends, so I slip away, looking for a bathroom.
After five minutes, I deem myself completely lost. I frown, not even hearing the (it was when I could hear it) loud ass laughter of Ceili and the others. Hmmm... I press on a simple-looking door, thinking it to finally be the bathroom I've been looking for.
It's not. It's like I've stepped into a ring-top circus tent. The acrobat's poles stand tall, the net secure beneath the tightrope... my favorite act. I'm an acrobat; tightrope, swings, rings, sashes, you name it. I also do tricks atop animals, when I feel like it. But right now, that tightrope is calling me... and I can't help but move to climb up to it...
Ceili's POV
"Karkat, can you help me? I'm looking for Franny." I ask the Cancer. "Why the fuck do I have to? What in nook-sniffing hell happened?" he growls, irritated.
"I think she's gone off by herself. You know this place pretty well, right?" I inquire hopefully.
"Like hell I'm gonna get fucking lost in this hellhole! There're two other fucking highbloods in this hive, an' I'm don't wanna fucking meet those bulge-lickers." he snarls lowly. My blood boils, and I growl myself. "You asshole! That's even more reason to find her before they do! If she screams, you wouldn't be able to hear her!" With that, I grab Gamzee's hand and storm off. Thankfully, the rest follow us.
"Ack!" I collide with something, taking Gamzee down with me with an indignant, "Honk!" We scramble back up and there's a taller, scarier version of Gamzee looking down at us. His face is painted like a skeleton. "Yo, Kurbro! Kay-Sis's big Sis all up and went motherfucking missing in our motherfuckin' hive. Help a sister out?" Gamzee grins easily at the silent giant. Fuck.
He nods, eyes beginning to glaze slightly as he... does something. My anxiety is eating away at me. The suddenly, he comes back to himself. 'We have to hurry. She's in the Court of Miracles in the Dark Carnival. And she's losing herself quickly.' A deep, male voice speaks quickly in my head before he grabs my free arm, the other's hand still hold Gamzee, and towing us away at an even faster pace than I was originally going. Fuck, why did this sound like a bad thing?
Francis' POV
I grin wildly as I whirl on the tightrope, spinning, jumping, and juggling- yes juggling! Juggling flaming swords. I'm not even in the jeans and tee I arrived in. By the time I reached the rope, I was in a black, long-sleeved leotard with indigo swirls all over it. My feet are wrapped in black ace bandages, to help with balance and running and... other things...
I grin, feeling as if I have an audience. But that's absurd. No one was here when I came in... I flip into a one-handed stand on the tightrope, my feet juggling the swords now.
A door bangs open, followed by Ceili screaming, "Francis!" And it's as if I'm being broken from a trance. But whatever it is that has my mind bound, it's still in control. I flip and hang upside down by my knees hooked over the wire. I bend my back to look up at them, holding a single finger to my smiling lips in a 'shh' gesture, and she gasps in shock and horror. Why, I don't really know or care. Silly little Ceili. She should join me here. It's fucking miraculous, and magical, and exactly what I've been searching for my whole life. "Francis, please, get down!" Ceili implores.
"Let the motherfucker finish her performance." A new voice- a low bass that sends shivers up my spine- reverberates through the room. I'm then aware of the onlookers in the room. I have an audience.
I throw my head back and flip myself up and am quickly standing on the rope once more. The swords are gone, in neat lines on either side of the net under me. I do a cartwheel before leaping into a ballerina's leap. I land delicately, spinning effortlessly across the rope to the small landing board. I turn to face the rope again and bow. The room bursts into honks and applause. The feelings of weightlessness and immortality leave me, and I resume control of my body once more. I feel a bit dizzy, but stay standing. There are a lot of large trolls on various shades of purple looking up at me. Ceili and her friends are watching in horror. My clothes... these aren't mine. Shit, what happened to me?
I quickly climb down the ladder and Ceili runs to me. I hug her, trembling at the realization that I was possessed. 'But possessed by what?'
"That was a motherfuckin' miraculous show." A voice behind me rumbles. I turn to see a gigantic, terrifying version of Gamzee looming over us. Nervously, I bow my head in thanks of his praise. Eridan comes up to gently tug Ceili into his (*cough* protective *cough*) hold. "Ya up and motherfuckin' perform, motherfucker?" he asks me in a growl. I hesitate before nodding despite the skeleton guy and Ceili shaking their heads no. The tall man gives me what should have been a terrifying grin, but thanks to almost every scary movie ever made, it was pretty normal. "Glad ta hear. Keep close by; might up and need you some motherfucking time soon." With that, he leaves with the group of purple Alternians, all who look at me with a strange mixture of curiosity and discontent before following their leader out. I turn to Ceili. "Is he like the Ring Master of this circus?" I sign curiously.
"You could say that." the skeleton man answers for her. I look at him inquisitively. "And who are you?" I sign to him. "Name's Kurloz. You must be Francis?" I nod. "Are you mute too?" I ask a bit hesitantly. Now it's his turn to nod. "Yes, but by choice. I made a vow never to speak again." he explains.
"Holy bitchtits, you can sign?!" Gamzee cries, looking at me with wonder. I give a small, sad smile and nod. "Franny's mute, like Kurloz. Only she was born that way." Ceili explains to everyone. I nod my confirmation when they look to me.
"And you can walk a tightrope? Or was that the voodoos?" Gamzee asks, totally looking at me as if I were sent by a deity. I nod and look to Ceili. "Yeah, Sis works at the local circus. Our uncle runs it. She's an acrobatic." she answers in detail.
"Um... why don't we go back to the den?" Tavros suggests quietly. Everyone immediately agrees and we all begin to head back the way I suppose we came.
I gently tap Kurloz's elbow, and he looks at me questioningly. "I... wanted to ask what happened back there? What happened to me?" I sign, looking at him imploringly. He seems a little reluctant to tell me. "It was the Dark Carnival." A deep, oh so fucking sexy voice in my mind explains. My eyes widen as I look at him. "Is that you I hear?" I ask quickly as we turn another corner. He nods. "Yes. Don't be alarmed. This is what we subjugglators call 'chucklevoodoos'." I smile at the name. "But as I was saying, you had entered the Court of Miracles, the heart of our Dark Carnival. The Carnival likes performers like you, although it's never taken a liking to a human before." I blush and feel sheepish. We're back at the den, but Kurloz and I keep walking.
"That makes sense. Ceili and I are eighth generation carnies. It's in our blood and bones." I explain in sign language. Kurloz nods, looking kinda thoughtful. "Well, I can only assume the Dark Carnival wants you. That means you are special to the Mirthful Messiahs." I give a confused face. "Do you know anything of Alternian culture?" he signs now. I shake my head. "Not really interested. But I'd like to hear more about these Mirthful Messiahs." I answer as I sit at a small dining table in a large kitchen while Kurloz rummages through the fridge- thermal hull, if I remember Ceili's words correctly. Kurloz gives a stitch-y smile when he comes over with a can of some Alternian-brand soda and a plate of... cookie? "Thank you." I sign with a slight blush.
So this is where we spend the next... I don't know how long honestly. I'm so caught up in learning that I don't see the sun begin to come up. "We should get you back to the others. It's almost time to sleep." Kurloz signs. I nod and follow him back to the den where Ceili and her friends are all out cold. I give a grin, and a silent chuckle. Kurloz, however, gives his own baritone chuckle and my heart does this little fluttering thing, like when I try something new for the first time and I love it. But nonetheless, I help him get all the kids onto beanbags or couches and cover them completely with blankets after Kurloz puts some weird green slime over the Alternian kids' eyelids. Then he stops, looking a little helpless. "I don't want to leave you here alone. But I'm not exactly sure you could survive in a recuperacoon." I raise one eyebrow at the fact that he had to voodoo me or whatever to get the last word across, but shake my head. "No, it's fine. Go sleep. I know you're nocturnal. I'll stay here in case one of them wakes up." He frowns and shakes his head before signing, "No. You could be lured back into the Carnival. We barely got to you in time, and if you were left alone for long, no one knows what would happen. All the others were Alternian, and they didn't leave with their sanity." At this, it's my turn to frown. "I'm sorry if I'm worrying you. But you don't have to do anything uncomfortable for my sake. It's my fault that happened to me." I try to assure him and his brows furrow, the frown making his stitches stretch a bit and I fight a wince at how uncomfortable it must feel.
He disappears and reappears five minutes later with a thick, soft comforter and a small jar of that same green slime he put on the kids. He lays out the comforter and lays on it, gesturing for me to lay beside him. I flush deeply, but do as he instructs. He folds the comforter in half to cover us. He closes his eyes and puts some of the slime on his eyelids before setting aside the jar, pulling me flush against him in the spooning position, and letting out a content sigh. I force myself to relax and close my own eyes. I drift to sleep to Kurloz singing softly in my mind,
"Gotta secret,
Can you keep it?
Swear this one you'll save.
Better lock it
In your pocket,
Takin' this one to the grave.
If I show you,
Then I know you
Won't tell what I said.
'Cause two can keep a secret
If one of them is dead..."
A.N. So, yeah, tell me whatcha think... *sigh*