Disclaimer: I don't own the characters nor the rights for Vivo, those rights are owned by Sony and Netflix and a few others. I DO own a few characters in this fic, though.
A song of the heart
Vivo remained wide awake as the rest of the family arose at 6:00 on the dot.
The sun was still barely up and the sky was brighter now than it was before and the beams of light were dancing across the pink/orangeblue-hue skies.
The Hernández family all proceeded to eat their breakfast, pancakes and waffles with golden syrup while Vivo and Gabi shared some mangoes together. It was after breakfast that everyone threw their clothes on. They weren't in a rush but they weren't slow in their pacing either —the flight to Las Vegas left at 9:20 so they knew that they needed to shake a leg and get a move on so they could quickly get to the vet and then make it to their flight.
After they ate their breakfast and got dressed, everyone threw all their packed belongings into the car.
As they started to pack themselves and their suitcases up ready for the trip, the group of four looked out and saw that quite a couple of people had awoken and were all ready to see the group off on their trip; Star, Antonio, the Sand Dollars and everyone in the area, whom would normally watch Vivo and Gabi's performances, started to wave Vivo and his family farewell as they all packed in their car to get ready for their travel.
It was an emotional thing to see.
"Good luck, Gabi and Vivo!" One of the Sand Dollars, Becky, called out.
"Yeah! See ya when you guys get back from Las Vegas!" Another one of the Sand Dollars, Eva, cried.
"We'll be sure to watch you guys on TV!" The leader of the Sand Dollars, Sarah hollered, "But don't forget to try and be mindful of the environment while you're over there!"
Gabi smiled big as she waved back, Vivo clinging to her shoulder and also waving to the crowd.
"Okay!….I guess? Don't miss us too much, guys, maybe we'll even come back with some new moves when we get back!" She glanced over to Vivo "Right, Vivo?"
Vivo made a noise that sounded similar to an "uh-huh" and gave a thumbs up to Star and Antonio, Star was being held by Sarah and Antonio was in Eva's arms, waving his little paw in the air with Eva's help as she used two of her fingers to manipulate it. As everyone waved they also murmured their individual farewells to the point that their words came out as intermingled and indistinguishable, not one person could be heard or listened.
"Bye-Bye, Mr. Vivo!" Antonio mewed.
Star gave a nod as she sat with her other three kittens, who also cheerily bid their temporary farewells.
Rosa waved and Esteban stood off awkwardly to the side.
"We'll be back in a week, everyone." Rosa smiled warmly at the crowd.
It was a bit difficult but Rosa managed to herd everyone into the car as, for whatever reason, her poor boyfriend was pretty much a zombie asleep on his feet. He must have not had a great nights sleep. His head was hung so low that it was a miracle that his head didn't hit the ground immediately or that he wasn't keeling over right now and his eyes were encircled with the colour purple. A clear indicator of how little sleep the poor man had received during the night.
Nevertheless, he was the one who carried all the suitcases and, given his state, it was a miracle he didn't keel over on the spot.
As Rosa shoved a barely-awake Esteban into the passenger seat and guided Gabi and then Vivo into the back seats of the car, she couldn't help but let out a calm and refreshed exhale of breath as if she had completely put herself together. She didn't know how she had managed this all but they were hopefully not going to have any troubles with being late for the flight to Las Vegas.
Granted, she was still doubting about whether or not she had done the right thing in agreeing to this entire thing as a whole.
Gabi and Vivo were going to perform on stage in front of thousands of people in a different area that they weren't familiar with and she couldn't help but worry about how this would affect Gabi —she was a twelve year old girl and, granted, had become a bit less "tone deaf" since Vivo had come to live with them…but that didn't change the fact that she was young! It was a lot of responsibility and she worried that her wonderful daughter would snap under that pressure.
This wasn't going to be like Gabi or Vivo's performances in the plaza, that's for sure…
She also had hoped that perhaps she could try and convince Gabi to give Esteban a chance and spend some time with him but, then again, she didn't want to end up forcing him down her throat because she knew what forced relationships could do…and she didn't want to risk in having a strained relationship with Gabi once again, not when they were finally getting along.
She made a mental note to speak with her daughter about the matter later.
"Mum?" Gabi called out from within the car. "Are we going anytime in the next year?"
Her mother hadn't realised that she had been standing next to the driver side door for the passed three minutes until she heard that. Nevertheless she shook her head but couldn't hold back a smile nor the urge to roll her eyes.
"Yes, yes, I'm coming…" She pretended to sound annoyed.
Rosa finally grabbed the car handle, opened the door, slid into the seat and started the car. The engine practically purred to life as the car started and the car tires glided seamlessly across the smooth concrete road.
It was after everyone had all climbed into the car that it had reversed out of the driveway, and then drove off into the distance.
The sun continued to rise into the sky, streaks of sunlight dancing across it.
The back of the car and the boot carried Rosa's suitcase, Esteban's suitcase, Vivo's suitcase/bed/place where he sometimes stores his musical instruments and Gabi's suitcase…both Rosa and Esteban's suitcases were as neat as neat could be while Vivo's suitcase only had his instruments and his jammies as well as an extra hat and bandanna and even a little tuxedo for special occasions while Gabi's suitcase was overflowing with clothes and stuff that shouldn't even be in a child's suitcase. All of the suitcases were stuffed with items that couldn't properly be discerned but they weren't bursting at the seams by any means.
Unfortunately, one of the things that had to be packed was Vivo himself.
Before they started driving, Vivo had been practically shoved into a case that was strapped in to one of the back seats in the car.
The case was cylinder-shaped and one side had bars while the rest was a pale orange colour and was made with a strange kind of material that was like leather but was practically indestructible for animals to claw and destroy. On the inside was one of those little hamster bottles with water slowly dripping from a tube-like spout as well as a small space of bedding so he could sleep and some fruit to eat encase he got hungry.
It had been decided that being smuggled in a suitcase stuffed with musical equipment wasn't the best way for a Kinkajou to travel so, for the two years he had arrived in Florida, he had been given a special case for him to climb into just for special situations like this.
Vivo hated this treatment.
His displeasure was very visible.
He sat in his cage/case whilst clinging on to the bars with a sour scowl etched upon his face. His eyes were narrowed, his little pink nose was wrinkled and his face was scrunched up as he gave a soft growl of aggravation. Of course everyone knew of his hatred for being forced into an animal carrier but was instead informed that he had no choice but to put up with it.
Rosa drove the car, Esteban sat next to her but had fallen asleep and Gabi was seated in the back right behind her mother with Vivo on the seat next to her.
The grumpy Kinkajou endured the next half hour in a silent sulk.
The only passage of time was the odd bump and jolt that the car would make if it just so happen to hit a pothole or something while the only noises that could be heard was the sounds of the roaring car engine and the odd beeping of Gabi's phone as she played some sort of miscellaneous game on it, her face pulled into a bored and "non-bothered" expression.
"Now!" Rosa spoke up suddenly, grabbing the attention of both Vivo and Gabi —Esteban was fast asleep now with his head resting on the side of the window. "Before the airport, we need to make a stop at the vet first."
Vivo's mind froze in panic.
"Th-Th-Th-The VET!?" He exclaimed, now scared.
Gabi shared his worry. "B-B-But Vivo doesn't seem sick!"
Rosa decided to explain, understanding her daughter's worry since the result of the current state of her "petting zoo" was a result of her animals getting sick and then having to go to the vet. She kept her voice kind and understanding but there was a stern edge anchoring her tone that was used to communicate that this was a serious matter that needed sorting out.
"Don't worry, Gabriella. Vivo is just going there for a check up and to make sure he's up to date on his vaccinations whilst also checking out if he needs anything for the plane ride. That's all."
Vivo couldn't believe his ears.
"First the cage and now this!?" He cried "I'm fine! I don't need to go to the vet!"
But his words and protests were going to do little to dissuade anyone, even if they could understand what he was saying to them. He knew that he had no other choice but to simply accept his fate and accept that he was going to the vet —whether he wanted to or not. He never exactly liked vets or needles ever since he was young but, then again, he was always the picture of health so he didn't need much vet visits back in Cuba.
But now….
Time seemed to slip right out of Vivo's hands like sand as the car stopped in front of the veterinarians office.
Vivo was desperate to latch on to any remaining semblance of dignity that he knew he was about to lose as he remained in his carrier, still clearly unhappy with his current circumstances while Rosa and Gabi grabbed said carrier and (therefore) carry him into the hospital which had a surprisingly gentle and non-horrifying atmosphere to it…but that did little to calm his nerves.
They had to leave Esteban asleep in the car since he resumed to be dead to the world for the moment and there was no point in waking him.
Vivo couldn't stop shaking.
He didn't much like the vet as he never had to go whilst living with Andrés and had been forced to while in Florida —the very first time he went was so he could not only be microchipped to prevent him from getting lost but also so they could also give him some vaccinations and quarantine him for his own safety. Being locked up for two weeks after he delivered the song to Marta made him stir crazy and he never wanted to be without human interaction ever again.
The woman, her daughter and the musical Kinkajou met a rather disinterested woman at reception who had signed them in and just regarded them with a glare before sending them into the waiting room —which was shockingly empty at the moment…probably because of how early in the morning it still was.
It didn't take long of waiting until Vivo was asked to be seen by a lady vet and he was taken into a room.
The room had pale blue plaster wallpaper which was covered in cute patterns and there was a blue checkered pattern on the aluminum floor. There was an unbearably bright light shining from the ceiling. In the middle of the room there was an examination table with an even smaller stainless steel table which had some prepared injection syringes, a stethoscope and some other medical equipment which shined beneath the beaming light coming from the ceiling.
The vet directed Rosa to hand Vivo's carrier over to her and, not very happily, Vivo was dragged out from said carrier and was placed on a cold steel examination table which made him feel much smaller then he ever was and the strong scent of chemicals, disinfectants and antiseptic burned away at his nostrils.
His head swam and concentrating was harder than it ever had been before.
The Kinkajou wanted to stand but felt a gloved hand press down firmly against his mid-back, pinning him down gently.
He didn't like the feeling of having the latex glove restraining him and felt even more intimidated with the white coat looming overhead —although his ears perked at the warm and gentle voice coming from the lady nurse who actually sounded quite kind. The lady vet started to ask Rosa and Gabi some questions about him (and what they could tell regarding his medical history) as she kept holding him down with a tender hand but Vivo wasn't really focusing on what was being said.
But she did also carry out some examination on him while she spoke with the two.
The cold metal felt unforgiving beneath him and he couldn't help but feel really demeaned.
Vivo had always made it a point to himself to blur the line of destination between "animal" and "human" to himself…but this experience was making it painfully, abundantly clear that her every intention was to remind him simply but harshly that he was seen as no less than some creature whose individual feeling had no personal value to her.
He was sure the woman meant no harm by it, he was also sure that this woman was quite nice!
But that did little to soothe the sting to his soul.
Despite being pinned down by one hand over his mid back, the male Kinkajou scrambled all of his limbs (including his tail) to try and slide out from under her.
"Okay." the vet announced, her voice as warm as a campfire in the midst of an arctic blizzard "Time to give him his vaccination."
The scared Kinkajou used his peripheral vision to peer out of the corner of his eye as he watched the vet withdraw something from apparently out of nowhere in particular before she raised it into the air and squirts some liquid from the tip of the needle, just a tiny amount, before she apparently had it ready. Then he watched as the injection, a needle, came towards him in what felt like slow motion and he couldn't even try and fight back the urge to make an attempt to run away from it as he jerked to move away from the pointy metal object.
He could hear the veterinarian use a semblance of a soothing tone with him but couldn't exactly make out what she was saying due to the "fight or flight" reaction overriding instincts at that moment.
The stainless steel table felt cold beneath his hands and feet and this strange yet shadowy darkness started to surround him, he wasn't sure if this was simply his imagination but he was sure that he felt this immobilising sense of fear start to threaten to make his world come crashing and crumbling down around him if he didn't stay still and endure the vets treatments.
He was motionless and not because of the hand holding him down.
His instincts were screaming into his mind to run and hide but any remnants of logical sense tried to dismiss it and firmly remind it that this was something for not only his own benefit but to benefit those around him —although he was sure that this experience was to serve more as a placebo effect to the other humans, surely, since he was entirely certain that he carried no ailments or disease.
His eyeballs widened and stuck, refusing to move an inch, liquefying as the tickle behind them announced the unwanted presence of oncoming tears. The sound of his own racing heartbeat all of a sudden drowned out any other noises, including voices, and his nose wouldn't stop wiggling and twitching.
He tried to swallow his fear but to little avail.
It was as if his throat had become a ball of a knot that became a useless lump inside his neck. Breathing had become a near impossibility right now as all sense of rational thought had flown right out of the window and his chest felt as though someone had tied a rope around his ribs, constricting his lungs.
Vivo felt chilled to the bone, his muscles felt they were made of the very same steel he was currently being forcibly held down upon and he was filled with shame as he started to tremble.
They just wouldn't obey him anymore.
This felt like it was taking an eternity!
He wanted this to be over with!
"Hey, Vivo?"
Vivo's entire world and the intensity of his fear had lightened for a second.
He had somehow completely forgotten that Gabi, Rosa and Esteban were still right there in the room. The fear must have been plainly written across his face as she had apparently squatted down in front of him and, all of a sudden, he could focus on nothing but her face; his eyes must have been filled with fear because Gabi's eyes were overflowing with this strange calming aura that spread to him.
Her eyes were all he could focus on.
"Look at me, partner," Her words were like a river of calm to his nerves. "It will just be a pinch and it'll be over. I can give you a special mango later as a reward."
Vivo smiled a bit at that since mangoes were his favourite fruit and all time favourite thing to eat. He was still tightly clasped in the clutches of fear, though, and that prevented him from being able to fully appreciate the moment that his young partner had popped up in front of him with her shaggy purple locks directly in front of him.
Then came the painful pinprick that he received right in his left thigh.
"OW!"
The poke caused him to cry out whilst jerking back violently but he was still being restrained by the vet's hand firmly pressing down on his back, it not too hard as to hurt. The pressure she exerted to keep him from skittering backwards and falling off the edge of the shiny table must have been a burst of energy.
Before he could register anymore goings on around him, he quickly found himself the recipient of lots of praises and scratches behind his ear, the fingers on his head being mindful of his little hat as to not knock it off or even askew. He would have loved to have focused on the strokes and affectionate scratches but was a bit more focused on his leg feeling sore than anything else.
The Kinkajou grit his fangs and grimaced when he saw the little red hole seeping through his orange fur and his unhappiness levels rose even more when it was decided that a plaster should be stuck on there. He yelped in pain and jumped up in a sharp jolt when the plaster was applied to the wound, since the injection site was very tender right now.
He would have objected but felt a small measure of relief that he wasn't being forced to wear one of those "cones of shame" since he saw Samson wear one once…and it looked ridiculous on him, the last thing Vivo himself could have dealt with was feeling more dehumanised then he already was despite him not being a human.
He felt small and pathetic, to be honest.
The vet finally lifted her gloved hand off of Vivo's back and checked him over one last time. She gingerly grabbed both sides of his fuzzy face and opened one of his eyes wide to examine it to check on whether or not she could see any cloudiness to it —which she could not.
"So this little guy is going to have quite some fun in Las Vegas."
The lady veterinarian finally let go of his face and officially gave him a clean bill of health, although Vivo still didn't appreciate the poke on his thigh. She smiled down at the Kinkajou and gave him a few pats on the head, much to the Kinkajou's further mental discomfort, as she reached behind her and handed Rosa a small tub of what looked like medical tablets.
"I'll prescribe these tablets encase he shows signs of travel sickness, I know it's four hours but we want this little one to be as comfortable as possible on his plane ride."
The vet's explanation was sound as Rosa took the bottle from the woman and everyone went about finishing up their veterinary business; Vivo was unfortunately shoved back into the case (much to his dismay once again) and simply huddled up into the back of it and awaited for everything to be officially finished so they could go back driving on the road —he didn't want to spend any longer in the vets then he had to.
Gabi and Rosa finally left the vets and they clambered back into the car and strapped back in.
Esteban was still fast asleep in the passengers side of the car and apparently hadn't moved an inch as he kept snoring away in his seat, his head hanging low and saliva pouring out of the side of his mouth and dripping down on to his lap. His body hung limply as if it were made out of lead and his breathing was soft and controlled and it was almost quiet. He moaned plaintively in his sleep upon hearing the door beside him swing open and Rosa sliding into her seat.
Upon seeing her sleeping boyfriend, Rosa giggled in an amused manner before proceeding to lean in and peck his cheek affectionately.
Gabi pretended to gag at the sight whilst eying Vivo and gesturing at the two of them with an exaggerated expression and scrunched-up eyes. She poked her tongue out and whispered a "yuck" beneath her breath and appeared as though she wanted to vanish on the spot to avoid looking at the lovey-dovey scene unfolding before her.
Vivo chuckled to himself.
He, himself, couldn't lie and not say that the view was outright adorable and seeing Rosa and Esteban together was enough to make even the iciest of hearts melt.
He couldn't wait until Gabi fell in love so he could tease her about this later on, reminding her of this very moment. He raised a hand to cover his own mouth to shield her from seeing his amusement —thankfully she didn't seem to notice it and just strapped herself into her seat and spared a smile towards the Kinkajou, not entirely remembering that he couldn't see her look because of the fact that he was still in his cylinder-shaped pet carrier.
He sat back, trying to relax, but he winced when he remembered the pain in his side thanks to the plaster still placed upon his new wound. He hung his head back and gazed up at the ceiling of his cylinder case and thought about everything awaiting him and his family in Las Vegas; the lights, the sights, the songs, the people, the scents and the sounds all promised to be like nothing else in the world.
Despite him feeling like his day could have started out better, he also felt his excitement for the impending trip to Las Vegas building.
Such positivity was needed, especially after that bit of first-thing-in-the-morning torture.
Vivo exhaled deeply through his nose and closed his eyes momentarily, that was when he started to imagine what a plane looks like on the inside. He hadn't been on a plane since he arrived from Cuba but he didn't really see the inside of the plane due to being trapped in an old musical suitcase (which later became his bed at home) and having fallen asleep throughout the trip.
He wanted to see the inside of a plane and he couldn't wait until he did later today!
The Kinkajou continued to daydream about sailing across the sky, enjoying the first class suite with his family. His heart swelled with joy at the mere thought of it. He had flown on the backs of a Rosette Spoonbill couple named Dancarino and Valentina so he sort of knew what it was like to brush the sky and the clouds in the air, but riding on an airplane, conscious, was bound to be a new experience.
His daydreaming thoughts came crashing down around him, though, when it was discovered that Vivo wouldn't be joining his family in the first class suite —he was going down into the cargo bay instead!
As they neared the airport, Rosa started to make firm announcements.
"Okay." She spoke up whilst being well-centred, composed and focused. "So we're going to park our car out in front of the Airport and carry our luggage through. When we reach the terminal we're going to pass Vivo over to the Baggage handlers so he can go into the Cargo bay with the other pets and animals,"
Disappointment set in immediately after that realisation was brought to light.
Vivo almost wanted to sob.
"IS THERE EVER GOING TO BE A TIME WHEN I'M NOT TREATED LIKE LUGGAGE!?" He cried out in clear exasperation.
The Kinkajou's objections didn't go entirely unnoticed by Rosa, though, as she kept driving the car straight towards the airport. She threw on a smile and her whole being just radiated with optimistic joy but nobody knew whether this was because she didn't understand that Vivo was the opposite of happy about this or she understood just fine and was just trying to use this as a passive aggressive way to tell him "tough".
"Aww, are you excited about possibly spending time with all the pets and other animals down there?" She cooed. "I bet you are!"
Vivo clung on to and then banged his head against the bars of his carrier repeatedly in sheer frustration.
He let out some adorable growly chitters and squeaks as he just kept displaying his unhappiness of his situation so much that he had to stop when his head started aching thanks to the constant impacts his head made to the metal bar mesh that was the door of his carrier.
His hat even fell off in the ensuing temper tantrum.
He sighed to focus himself as he bent down and scooped up his hat and placed it back atop his head.
Gabi appeared to be the only one noticing the Kinkajou's frustration of not being allowed in first class itself and decided to make an attempt at cheering him up. Her eyes glossed over with mild sadness and sympathy for her musical partner.
"Awww. Sorry, Vivo, we can't bring you into first class with us…"
Then Gabi's eyes lit up as if struck by an idea and she started to shrug off her backpack from her shoulders in an effort to remove it and she also made sure to quieten her voice to make sure her mother and Esteban didn't hear her.
"…Unless you wanna go in my backpack and I can get you in that way?"
Vivo immediately wore a panicked expression as he clung to the bars of the carrier, but this was more out of an insistence to stay inside instead of a silent sulk about not getting out.
He remembered with vivid clarity about what was in that backpack and it had not gotten any less gross over the passed two years. He could just imagine the goo, sweet wrappers and gross assortment of rubbish and other such that could be stuffed inside. That bag must have been part of one of the eight wonders of the world…and the Kinkajou wanted to stay as far away from said wonder as humanly possible.
Just the stench alone still made bile rise in his throat and his stomach twist itself in knots until his own intestines strangled themselves.
He cried, rapidly shaking his head. "No! No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Anything to stay out of that bag!"
Gabi seemed to understand and lowered her backpack, zipping it closed and plopping it down on the seat next to her, right beside Vivo's case. She whipped her phone out from within one of the pockets of her shorts after she put her bag down an started to fiddle on it just she did earlier. She hummed a soft (slightly out-of-tune) song beneath her breath while she fidgeted on the little device, doing who-knows-what on there.
But, it was at that moment, when Rosa spoke up.
"Gabi…" She sounded hesitant to bring this up but kept going "…can you do me a favour while we are in Las Vegas?"
Gabi glanced up from her phone to give her mother her undivided attention and she gave a hum of confirmation, although she apparently was sceptical with her mum's tone of voice since her face pulled into a look of pure suspicion.
"Yeeeeaaaah…?" She replied, unsure.
"I'd like you to spend some time with Esteban."
"WHAT!?"
"Gabriella," Rosa's voice took on a stern edge "I said "yes" to this concert so you owe me. Besides, you guys never spend any time together. Esteban loves you and I'm sure that you'll love him to if you just give him a chance. Can you please just do this…for me?"
Gabi heaved a heavy sigh. She knew she had a conversation with Vivo about this subject the previous night and promised she'd try and tolerate the presence of her mother's boyfriend but just the thought of speaking it aloud made her tongue feel like a cheese grater. She reached up the pinch the bridge of her own nose and threw her head back to let out a frustrated moan.
"Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiine…." She said "….I'll think about it,"
The rest of the car ride was spent in silence.
Nobody spoke another word and the only sounds that were present was the sound of the car engine revving, Esteban's snoring, the sounds coming from Gabi's phone and the odd bump that sounded when one of the car tires hit a pothole or something. There wasn't much for anyone left to say anyway, only wait for the time for them all to disembark from the car and switch over from car seats to plane seats.
Vivo had no clue as to how much time had passed before they finally arrived at the airport.
Rosa aroused Esteban from his slumber and everyone gathered their suitcases and belongings (Vivo included, of course) and made their way through the car park, locking the car closed with the key, and into the grand airport.
The inside of the building was very much crowded and people were bustling as they individually made their way through the ground level to reach whichever terminals they were headed to —either that or they went into the bathrooms, went to purchase something from the gift and souvenir shops or they ventured to the cafe to grab themselves a pre-flight snack before they departed to whereabouts unknown.
It was very busy and very loud, needless to say!
Vivo looked around from inside his carrier as he felt a tad daunted by the sheer amount of people in this airport —he had never seen this large amount of people gathering in the same place before and he was then struck by a sense of impending doom when he realised that if he felt intimidated by this amount of people then how would he feel during that concert with thousands and thousands of people?
The crowds bustled along, carrying on about their lives in this airport.
Rosa, Esteban and Gabi all stuck close together to lessen the risk of either being pried apart by the bustling and hustling crowd or squished like a bunch of fish in a tin sardine can as they waded through the lots and lots of people walking around them, not really caring for anyone but themselves and their own busy schedules. Gabi felt immensely awkward as she got stuck in between her mother and Esteban and it only worsened when she felt squished between them both, shuffling her feet along to keep herself moving in a steady momentum with her mum and her mum's boyfriend.
It felt as though the family was trying to wade through a rushing river, pushing on and on as they made their way straight towards the terminal so they could not only pass over their luggage but also hand Vivo over to the Baggage handler whom waited for them.
It felt like an eternity had flown by before the group of three humans and one Kinkajou had finally made it to the reception desk, although they had to claim their place in a not-long-but-not-short que first before they were able to shuffle towards the front of the line where the family were given a warm welcome upon arriving by a nice receptionist woman.
"Ah, you must be the Hernández family?" She nodded to the the three stood before her.
The atmosphere was still noisy but was still somehow filled with levity as the two adults discussed the arrangements with the spectacled woman stood behind the desk which had a rather old computer and perched right next to it was a picture frame of someone (presumably a beloved relative), a mug with piping hot coffee inside and a small yet humble porcelain vase with a single rose sticking out of it —it added some decoration to the otherwise bland desk.
"So you are going in first class! Must be exciting!" The woman enthused "You're gonna have a lot of fun in Vegas I bet, it's a fun place to be with the performances and lights and other such experiences."
Gabi immediately became engaged.
"I've never been there before but it sure does sound like a fun place to be! I bet Vivo is excited too!"
That was when the receptionist frowned in confusion, clearly she had no idea who the girl was referring to since Vivo's carrier wasn't visible at the time; the carrier was bundled in Gabi's arms but the twelve-year-old struggled a bit to carry it, especially since the weight of Vivo himself made the carrier even more heavy than that should have been necessary. Her poor knees caved in and shook as though to threaten her that they will buckle right out from underneath her.
As though sensing her daughter's struggles and seeing the receptionist's confusion, Rosa took Vivo and his carrier from her arms and repositioned the carrier in her own arms to reveal Vivo to the woman and, in response, the receptionist immediately smiled wide when she saw the cute little orange and purple mammal with his little hat and bandanna.
Vivo didn't make any sudden moves as he just got used to being fawned over like this.
"D'awww, what a cute little guy!" The receptionist cooed, smiling warmly at Vivo.
Vivo chittered a soft "hi" sound and gave one of the smallest of waves in response —he was always what other people called a "social butterfly" but he wasn't feeling too social after everything he had to deal with already this morning and it all left him in a bit of a bad mood. Nevertheless, he was full aware that this woman didn't mean anything bad by it but that didn't help him feel less sore and upset.
He made an attempt to stuff his negative feelings deep down inside himself.
Whether or not he was successful could see the results written plainly across his face but he still made an effort to be polite since he knew that being a bit upset was no justification for being rude or anything. He put in as much effort as possible as not to express his displeasure or frustration with anything so he kept it all to himself.
So, after examining these tickets and checking out who booked them, am I right in guessing that you guys are some of the contestants for the upcoming annual 'Neon lights competition & concert' and the tickets were booked by them on your behalf?"
Vivo blinked as this line of conversation snatched his attention and he pondered on this new information.
The Neon lights concert & contest…if the title wasn't a big enough clue then he could have guessed that this event doubled as both a contest and a concert and, judging by the "annual" part in the title, he guessed that this took place every year. It sounded like a massive event and Vivo was getting increasingly excited but also increasingly nervous about himself and Gabi performing in front of a bunch of people.
It gave him a lot to think about during the next four hours at least.
Rosa responded to the woman's question.
"Yeah, we're pretty sure. A woman came over to our house just last night so we didn't entirely get a whole lot of details about the concert we were showing up to. We were told that we were going to have someone escort us to the concert when we touch down in Las Vegas."
The talkative receptionist nodded, typing in a few things into the computer on her desk (probably everything she was just informed of) and glanced back up at the Hernández brood when she was done and gave a single nod. Her smile broadened even more when she saw the luggage carrier man come over with a pleasant smile on his very own face.
The luggage carrier came over with a jovial spring in his step and it appeared as though nothing in the world could possibly come close to how happy he was to do his job.
"Hi there! I'm here to take your luggage and get lil' Vivo here to the cargo hold!" The man announced, gesturing to the carrier containing said kinkajou in question.
Rosa nodded with a face that read "Give us a minute" and she reached through the carrier bars to deliver a gentle scratch on the head to the Kinkajou, whom was more than happy to lean into her touch as his throat elicited silky purrs of contentment, nuzzling his partner's mother in return.
"We'll see you in a couple hours, okay, Vivo?"
Then Rosa lowered the carrier back to Gabi, whom looked somewhat worried, as she opened the carrier door without warning and grabbed Vivo and hugged him both hard and tightly. Vivo wasn't prepared and actually felt as though all the blood in his body was forced up into his head and his eyes were bugging out of his skull as he gave a strained moan, feeling quite literally strangled by Gabi's affection.
She hugged him so hard and so tight that it was a miracle that his spine didn't snap right in half.
However, with quite a bit of difficulty, Vivo wrapped his arms (and the tip of his tail gingerly coiled around her neck) back around his friend and musical partner to return the hug while nuzzling his face into her shoulder. He inhaled the scent of sweets and mangoes on her and smiled a tiny bit since, for whatever reason, her scent was one of the only things that calmed him if he was afraid…as well as being held by her since it reminded him of the familial bond he had with Andrés.
"We'll see ya later, Vivo," Gabi exhaled through her nostrils as she tried to smooth the concern from her voice but to little avail.
Vivo nodded, head still buried in her shoulder, not really wanting to let go despite the blood draining all the way out of his face and the fact that his lungs were starving for oxygen at this point. He just wanted to remain in Gabi's arms a bit longer until a few long seconds had passed by and he felt as his hands and feet and tail became forcibly unhooked from her.
Then he was stuffed back into the crate, the man now taking hold of his carrier, and the rest of the baggage brought along.
Vivo sulked a bit, brows gathering like thunderheads and the fur on his back arching up into hackles despite him sitting upright. He folded his arms huffily across his chest but managed to spare a reassuring smile to his family as they eventually left his sight as he was carried off to board the plane separately from his family.
The Kinkajou hadn't registered the trip but regained his sense of thought when he finally seemed to board the plane and arrived in what he supposed was the cargo hold.
It was a dark and dank room stuffed with bags and spare supplies, crates full of miscellaneous items, antiques and the odd animal carrier (besides Vivo's) stacked upon the many shelves. The walls and flooring were made completely out of steel and there was this strange air of melancholy hanging in the air like a blanket of snow covering a pasture. The only source of illuminance was a small red blinking light hung on the ceiling, casting everything beneath it in a pale crimson hue.
"W-Well," Vivo muttered to himself, glancing around, trying to make levity of the situation "This place is dark and rather cozy I guess…"
He sighed as he went to the back of his carrier and proceeded to grab a small slice of mango to nibble on to ease the hunger pangs in his stomach and returned to the front, one hand gripping the bars, in order to watch what was going on around him…and to see if perhaps he could greet his neighbours for the next couple of hours.
He peered out of his cage to see if he could make out anyones distinctive facial features through the darkness.
He couldn't see anyone, though.
He sighed.
Perhaps when the plane took off then maybe they'd be more inclined to talk to him…if there was anyone else present in this room?
In his boredom, he tapped against the side of his carrier and was almost taken aback when any tap he made seemed to carry and reverberate around the entire room whilst leaving a rather satisfying echo in its wake. The taps made seemed to bounce all over the place, rebounding against wall-after-wall like a tennis ball being hit back and forth across a tennis court and a pair of rackets.
"Oooooooooh! The acoustics in here are outstanding!"
Vivo sat back to relax and just tried to wait until the plane took off, or showed signs of taking to the skies.
Four hours from now, everyone will arrive at Las Vegas and he didn't know what awaited him and Gabi when they arrived but he couldn't wait to find out.
A/N: Hi, guys!
Here's a new chapter for my Vivo fic.
Vivo goes to the vet and then the airport. Next up Vivo, Gabi, Esteban and Rosa finally arrive in Las Vegas and Vivo finds something (or someone) life-changing. What will wind up happening when the group arrive? And what will Vivo do now that he's been locked down in an airplane cargo hold? Will he meet some new friends?
You guys are awesome!
Stay tuned for the next chapter!
-Chloemcg