Charles still couldn't quite believe how they managed to get both him and his wheelchair down the tower steps. Initially, Raven carried his chair while Charles followed behind her; but after the first 15 steps, Charles was forced to stop and catch his breath. There weren't exactly guard rails, so a slip up would mean his tumbling down to the bottom. Raven had cursed, half running down the steps to deposit the chair at the bottom, as she jogged back up to lend Charles her shoulder. 'We're going if it kills us.' She hissed, struggling to keep her balance as they teetered their way down. When they reached the bottom, Charles gratefully collapsed in the wheelchair, supporting his forehead against his hands as he nervously chuckled.
'Ok.' Raven exhaled loudly and grasped the chair handles, 'Here comes the tricky part.' But avoiding people in the cathedral wasn't tricky at all. The only soul they crossed was a nun, who had been busy carefully lighting the candelabras that lined the main hallway and hadn't noticed them quickly slip by.
Charles felt his heart stutter when they reached the cathedral entrance, but one beat later and they were out in the open. Instead of panic, however, Charles felt a surge of freedom. He had to shield his eyes from the light until they adjusted.
The first thing he noticed was the confetti. Buckets upon buckets had been poured out into the square, and the wind was picking them up, scattering them throughout the sky in a multi colored whirlwind. Dancers were scattered throughout the square, adorned with bells and coins. The people who were in costume were dressed in all manner of ridiculousness: A lobster wheeling a large pot with a chef inside, a dog walking is master, and clowns who had balloons for their heads; which they popped to send a large plume of confetti flying everywhere. The black and red jester from earlier was hopping to and fro from the banner poles, eliciting large roars of applause.
"Raven. This is... this is..." Charles tries, unable to complete a thought. His head was turning every direction, and he couldn't seem to keep his gaze on something for more than a few seconds. The festival was nearing its climax, and was aglow with music and noise. Everyone was either dancing or laughing, and the further in the crowd they went, the more people they found in costume. People's thoughts were louder than he was used to, since he was far closer than normal, and the wave of noise was making his head spin. Or was that his empty stomach?
Something caught the corner of Charles' eye, and he turned to see what appeared to be a large, blue furred beast walking idly through the crowd, a small gang of children hanging from his arms. He appeared uncomfortable, but halfheartedly swung them back and forth like a swing, letting a small smile grow on his face. The children shrieked in mock alarm when his fangs slipped out, but didn't run away in fear. Rather, more of them began climbing on his back. Charles felt a small laugh escape from him. So the rumors he had been listening to were true; the gypsies did have a giant beast among them. But it looked too real to be a costume. He had considered the possibility there were others like him and Raven, but this was the first sign he had seen to prove it. Despite the creature's massive size, he was quickly lost in the crowd, and a trio of fire spinners took his attention instead.
Raven couldn't help but smile. This was definitely well worth the risk. She had never seen Charles this excited before. He was practically falling out of his chair, leaning out of it the way he was. She pulled back a little, nervous that the fire spinners were getting a little too enthusiastic on their performance. She looked down to gauge Charles' reaction. His blue eyes were wide with excitement and wonder. A single, rebellious thought occurred to her. "Perhaps we could make this an annual thing?" Raven said, leaning down towards his ear so he could hear her.
"Oh, Raven, could we?" Charles breathed, leaning forward again. Looking back, he couldn't believe he had doubted this decision. Raven turned them towardsa small path of space, pulling them further into the chaos. They were passed a quartet of jugglers who were working in unison to throw over a dozen swords between them. Ahead of them, the red and black jester backflipped onto the main platform and announced that they were crowning the king soon. "We're looking for the ugliest of all ugly, folks!" He pointed to a seemingly specific man in the audience. "If you do not look like an avocado who had sex with an older, more disgusting avocado..." He jerked his hand in an exaggerated dismissal. "I want you outta here!" The crowd roared.
"We'll make this an annual thing." Raven affirmed, laughing at the jester with the rest of the crowd. She was fighting to make her voice heard. She started pushing Charles' chair with increased purpose towards the center stage. It suddenly hit her that he hadn't eaten yet. His breakfast remained untouched in the belltower. It was probably the last thing on Charles' mind, but it would undoubtedly catch up to him soon, and he would start getting dizzy spells. Ignoring the slight twist of warning in her stomach, she reached over and touched Charles' shoulder to regain his attention, which had again wandered."Tell you what, actually. They'll be crowning the king soon. Why don't I get you something to eat while we watch?" She hated to leave him alone, but she would only be gone for a minute.
"That would be wonderful, Raven, thank you." Charles said, turning his head towards her. He placed his hand on hers momentarily, before turning his gaze back onto the show. Raven stifled another laugh, and refocused on pushing Charles through the quickly thickening crowd. Most were polite enough to move, if only since she was in her captain's garb, but it was still a slow process. She could feel Charles' impatience, but there was no way she was letting him walk through a place as aggressively crowded as this, and this seemed to be an unspoken understanding between them.
"Alright, here we go." She said, finding a small empty spot near an alley between two houses. She twirled his chair into a forward position. " You should be able to see from here. Don't move from this area." When she didn't get an immediate response, she bent down in front of him. "Charles?"
"Yes, Raven?"
"No moving."
Charles chuckled lightly, and found that he couldn't control the fond grin that was now dominating his face. "Of course, my dear."
His smile reached his eyes, and Raven felt satisfied.
She made her way back into the parting crowd, her uniform drawing a few nervous looks from those she passed. Charles could feel the whisper of unease coming from them, like a light undertow. But it was quickly replaced as the crowd regathered, and the celebration returned to a high thrum.
