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
After spending a couple hours at the "meeting place" with the other contestants, everyone decided to go back to the hotel since daylight was beginning to fade.
Everyone had to ring individual taxis so they could avoid the possibility of having to all cram into one small vehicle and risk being put in a very difficult and uncomfortable situation that would have made them all become as squished as a bunch of fish in a sardine can.
Anyways, the Hernández family were the first to arrive back.
Gabi, Rosa, Esteban and Vivo all arrived to their expansive hotel and had trouble picking their respective jaws off of the floor when they all first set foot in the door.
The first thing that caught their eye was the sparkling chandelier that hung in the middle of the foyer, twinkling and shining like glass shining off of the beams of sunlight. Not only that but the reception area had a navy blue carpet with a cream/beige-coloured wall and seemed more rectangular in shape in its entirety —it looked like such a posh place and no one in the group had ever seen something look so fancy.
It took only a total of 5 minutes for the group to sign in to the hotel.
The receptionist was really nice, polite and pleasant, especially as she handed Rosa the key for their hotel suite.
"Enjoy your stay!" The woman chirped merrily.
Rosa nodded and smiled at her gratefully.
"Gracias,"
As everyone in the group of four went to the lift doors and pressed the button on the wall to summon it, Vivo had a quick look after glancing across to another side of the room; he was in shock when he beheld the casino area in the hotel and it was like nothing he'd ever seen before.
The ceiling was practically built with gold, the wall was painted in a brilliant golden colouration with a cream/beige blend and the floor had a scarlet red carpet that stretched across the ground. There were lots and lots of lights hung on the ceiling and wall and they shone bright —so bright that they illuminated the entire space.
It was difficult to see but, in the middle of the room, there was a large table with a green inside.
There was a huge crowdof people whom were doing various things.
The place was loud as the unmistakable sound of dice "clickedy-clacked" against the surface of the table whilst being intermingled with the sounds of cards shuffling, casino playing machines let out short (but rather generic) musical tunes, chips clicking, pinball machines pinging, people tapping wine and beer glasses in a show of cheers and people mumbling and grumbling occupied the entire space. There was a soft yet ritzy piano melody playing which seemed to sew the sounds all together in a strange cacophony of late night enjoyment.
The smells of rich alcohol and wine mixed together in a not-too-flagrant scent sickened Vivo.
Actually, upon closer inspection, Vivo caught sight of three of the Neon Lights concert/contest contestants who happened to be in the casino!
They were named Nigel, Nico and Tyrone —if he'd remembered their names right.
Vivo didn't get many more chances to admire the scenery, however, as Gabi and her mother and Esteban decided to step into a nearby lift and were quickly elevated into a different floor. The group stepped out of the lift and went to work in finding their hotel suite, which they had to find using the number on the key and following the numbers on the signs.
It didn't take too much longer to find their room and it was quite a sight to behold!
Even more so then the entrance!
The hotel room itself had two bedrooms (a large one and a smaller one), one giant bathroom and a living area.
It was decided that, after such a long and hard day, that everyone would have their dinner in their individual rooms for the first night and have their other meals downstairs in the dining area for the rest of the week due to the fact that everything needed to be unpacked and it was fairly certain that such labour would whet everyone's appetites.
Rosa and Esteban had left to order room service while Gabi had been instructed to make a start on her homework.
…..Of course she wasn't going to do that right away.
Vivo, in the meantime, had taken to exploring every inch of this new environment.
He loved how soft and plush the bright pale rose pink velvet carpet felt beneath his hands and feet when he walked on all fours, clearly this was a very exquisite flooring. The walls were covered in this marine blue/green wallpaper with graceful floral intricate designs imprinted all over and there were framed pictures of sketches and paintings hung upon it. The furniture consisted of generic items such as a coffee table, a bookshelf, a mahogany desk, a sofa, and an armchair in the sitting room with a king sized bed in one of the bedrooms and a smaller bed in another one of the bedrooms.
One of Vivo's absolute favourite features was the outdoor balcony which beheld a magnificent seaside view as it showed a not-so-distant beach with the ocean waves on the horizon.
He strolled casually across the sitting room to sit on the armchair but was stopped when he just so happened to glance over to Gabi, whom had grabbed a huge book from the bookstand and, even though she almost dropped to the floor beneath its weight, her knees caving and buckling continuously beneath the weight that this binder contained, she somehow managed to carry it across the room and gingerly dropped it to the floor.
Her arms ached, her legs felt like jelly and her spine felt as though it had been twisted into a pretzel.
She huffed and puffed for a few moments to catch her breath before she lowered herself down to the floor and lay down on her stomach.
She used one hand to swipe at the cover and opened the big book.
Vivo, curious, approached and sat beside his best friend and peered in close to investigate what she was reading.
"What's that you're reading?" He asked. "That book looks like a monster to read…"
Gabi just seemed to ignore the Kinkajou for a few moments ad she flicked through a couple of pages, skimming through each and every page at record speed until she finally came across a page that had a familiar item displayed on said page. She stopped skimming and her eyes widened when she saw the image and immediately held her hand out to Vivo.
"Vivo! The flower, please!" She ordered, suddenly.
Vivo hesitated slightly but slid the flower out from underneath his hat and handed it over to Gabi.
The girl gently lay the flower on the page and it was an exact match to the image depicted in the book, the two flowers looked so similar that it was uncanny!
"Aha!" She cried out in triumph "This is the flower!"
Vivo blinked. So that's why she got that behemoth of a book out? So she could research the flower that the female Kinkajou had left behind? He had to admit that he was both impressed that she had managed to do this so quickly and touched that she went through all this trouble for him.
Gabi, not noticing her friend's grateful smile, read words scribed on the page aloud.
"Hmm…so this is a yellow hibiscus; they are part of the Mallow family and there are a lot of different types of them. These flowers are widely grown throughout the tropics and subtropics and are native to warm temperate, subtropical and even tropical regions throughout the world."
Vivo pondered upon this new info.
So if these things grow in tropical climates then it would make sense that the owner would originate from some tropical place, which would also make sense since Kinkajous were meant to live in a rainforest. But why would a flower like this wind up in Las Vegas of all places?
And, more pressing, why would a Kinkajou wind up in Las Vegas of all places?
"Hey,"
The sound of Rosa calling from another room broke Vivo out of his thoughtful state and both himself and Gabi looked up from the humongous book when they realised that they were being called.
"We're about to order some dinner from Room service," Ross informed and focused on her daughter "what would you like to eat for dinner, Gabriella?"
Gabi rose to stand on her own two feet and ran over to her mother, her eyes bright and her smile huge. She might have behaved as though she'd been experiencing the worlds longest sugar rush throughout the day but she seemed to have been winding down by now.
Vivo just blocked out the discussion between Gabi and her mother by this point.
He just dwelled upon everything that had transpired today such as arriving to Las Vegas, dealing with a vicious onslaught of travel sickness, meeting with his rivals/competitors and almost having the life crushed out of him in the most literal of senses whilst also dealing with a shocking realisation in the midst of all of it. He stared at the picture of the flower in the book and, for some reason, seeing that flower made his heart pound.
His eyes widened and his entire body stiffened whence he felt that strong thumping in his chest.
He shook it off and resumed staring at the beautiful flower on the page of the book laying in front of him.
It was a pretty flower, he had to admit.
He didn't know if he'd actually see the female Kinkajou again and give her flower back but, if he did, he was determined to learn her name.
A few hours later….
Everyone went to bed early after they ate their dinner (and Gabi pretended to have her homework done) and it was decided that their bags should be unpacked and practicing for the end of the weeks performance should begin tomorrow. Gabi was the first to crash into her bed and was dead to the world after fifteen seconds while Vivo had also fallen asleep relatively quick and Rosa and Esteban followed shortly after.
The Kinkajou was still experiencing a bad case of travel sickness and he had little to no sleep the night before so he dozed off the instant he settled down and lay right next to Gabi in bed. He snored softly, his breathing just as soft as he twitched a bit in his slumber as he had curled up into a tight ball and just let the hours fly by until the clock struck midnight.
"…..Vivo?"
Vivo's ear fluttered when he heard something….distant.
He reluctantly opened his eyes as he tried to shake himself awake and rise out of his little temporary bed but it was difficult because his body felt like a lump of titanium and was all stiff.
He didn't know how long he'd been asleep but it was not a surprise he had since he recalled how he hadn't fallen asleep the night before and hadn't gotten any semblance of rest until now. Not to mention he was sure that the travel sickness tablets had a side effect of drowsiness which had completely took over his senses and were probably the cause of his sudden and unexpected sleep.
He just need to get up.
That's all.
But why was one of the easiest things in the world so difficult all of a sudden?
He kept trying to muster the willpower and strength to crawl out from beneath the blankets but even his tail was rendered immobilised and he wasn't sure whether or not it was due to laziness or a physical refusal to get out of the warmth and comfort of bed. He grumbled irritably as he kept trying to shuffle his backside right out of bed and this was when he heard it a second time:
"Psssssst! Vivo? Wake up!"
After listening to it that time, he realised it was a voice he recognised but he needed to be sure.
"Unnnngh…..Wha? Huh? Whozzere…?"
Eyes lidded and heavy due to drowsiness, Vivo finally managed to raise his head and watched as a large furry head popped in through a crack in the door that allowed a streak of light to hit the floor and grow as the same crack in the door broadened.
"It's just me!" The owner of the head whispered "Its Rufus!"
Vivo sat up gingerly in bed and started to move to greet his canine visitor but Gabi gave a low, plaintive moan as she shifted in her slumber, apparently sensing the impending loss of her best friend being right next to her.
Vivo reluctantly slipped right out of the blankets, prying himself away, and then pulled the blankets over Gabi's sleeping form and tucked them securely around her as she snored away. She sighed as she rolled over to lay on her side, the blanket still being wrapped around her, and almost squished poor Vivo who had somehow managed to scurry out of the way in time to avoid being rolled over upon and flattened into a pancake.
The Kinkajou managed to successfully clamber to higher ground, said higher ground being the bed frame, before he got smooshed and he peered down at the sleeping girl.
She was clearly dead to the world and for good reason:
The twelve-year-old had a big day, after all, and the poor girl must have sucked up all that unlimited energy that kept her going being completely excited about anything and everything that had happened. He felt his guilt grow stronger when he recalled how upset she got earlier and how he had promised her that he wouldn't run off again and now, if she were to catch him, he would most likely lose some trust with Gabi.
Alas, he knew that he had to do this for three reasons:
One, he needed to give that flower back to its rightful owner.
Two, he didn't want to risk getting Gabi lost in the nighttime streets of Las Vegas.
Three, he just couldn't risk getting her hurt since he had a feeling that this mysterious female Kinkajou would get scared and try to run.
He sighed as he decided to leave and let her sleep.
He took a moment to change out of his blue moon and star-patterned jammies and slipped his signature hat on his hat and tied his bandanna around his own neck. It didn't take long, only like two minutes, before he finally managed to make his muscles work and started to creep out of the room.
He made sure to be quiet as to not wake or disturb Gabi.
He leapt down from the bed and landed on to the carpeted floor on all fours so he stood on his hands and legs. He was thankful of how soft this carpeting was because it provided a soft cushion of a landing that prevented him from going "splat" on the ground.
He decided to stand up on his own two feet after landing on all fours.
The musical Kinkajou's prized hat was knocked askew and off of his head, though, so it took a minute to rectify this by bending down, picking his hat up off the floor and promptly placing it back on his head in its proper place atop his head.
Then he exhaled deeply though his little pink nose, mentally preparing himself, before he started to creep gingerly out of the bedroom.
Thankfully it wasn't too much of an effort as his steps were as light as a feather.
He was about to make his exit when a thought struck him all of a sudden, just like a bolt of lightning.
He remembered when he was young and scared and, given how this female Kinkajou turned out to be quite a runner, it stood to reason that she'd probably get nervous and scared again. He didn't know why but he had decided to take his two maracas just encase he'd need them.
He didn't know when or why he'd need them but it was better to be safe than sorry.
He made his way back over to his instrument case/bed and grabbed both of his maracas before once again making a beeline straight out the door which proceeded into him creeping through the sitting room area and making his exit out of the main door.
Upon exiting, he met up with the golden retriever waiting for him in the corridor outside of the hotel suite.
Vivo took a sec to wipe the sleep out of his eyes, ridding them of that unpleasant crusty sensation.
"Okay." Said Rufus as he lowered his back end towards the carpeted floor in order to invite the Kinkajou to climb up on to his shaggy back, his coffee-brown eyes welcoming and inviting. "Shall we go find this flower owner and do some midnight exploring?"
Vivo nodded as he walked up to Rufus, circling him and climbed up his back and held on for dear life.
Actually, Vivo started to ride Rufus like someone riding a horse.
The dog and Kinkajou made their way towards the lift and, after Vivo used his tail to hit the "down" button, it summoned the lift to their floor. The two mammals waited for the doors to open before they went inside of it and clicked the button to the bottom floor/reception area. The lift doors closed and the two animals started to feel as gravity pulled them downwards before it came to a sudden stop. The doors reopened and both Rufus and Vivo made their exit through the lift.
The two decided to lay low as they snuck passed the sleeping receptionist and slipped out the huge yet extravagant doors, ignoring the Casino area.
The second the two stepped outside, the cool wind blew right in their faces. It was a moderate breeze that was strong enough to make Rufus' triangular yet floppy ears blow behind him and almost blow Vivo's hat right off of his head but nowhere near strong enough to blow the latter right off of the big dog's back.
The Kinkajou and golden retriever stood just outside the hotel for a few moments to get a sense of where they were.
Vivo, however, looked up and was in complete awe of everything around him.
Las Vegas looked much different than it had during the day and much brighter in every sense of the world; the buildings were decorated with neon lights that practically brought the city to life and let's not forget all the people bustling and hustling and the amount of people truly made this place more lively at night —he was reminded of Miami and all of its lights for a second before coming to the realisation that this was way brighter in comparison. He had trouble picking his jaw off of the ground for a moment.
He then remembered why they were there in the first place.
"Alright!" He exclaimed suddenly as he leapt off of Rufus' back, landing right beside him, ran up so he was standing in front of him, reached beneath his hat and produced the flower and lay it on the concrete ground in front of them. "Let's get this show on the road!"
The golden retriever nodded and lowered his muzzle and inhaled the scent of the flower several times before he started to walk in a certain direction. He kept his nose to the ground and, oblivious to anything other than the scent he was tracking, he inadvertently left Vivo behind to follow him after he slid the flower back under his hat.
"Hey! Rufus, wait for me!" Vivo exclaimed whilst following the dog whom was following the scent of the flower.
Vivo followed Rufus closely out of fear of being swallowed by the huge crowd swarming the streets. He kept surveying his surroundings to make sure he wouldn't get swallowed up by the huge gathering of people either walking towards them or coming up from behind, heck, they didn't even seem to notice the dog and Kinkajou and just walked on by as though seeing a dog and a Kinkajou was the most normal sight in the whole wide world.
Rufus kept leading Vivo through the bustling streets of Las Vegas and, in the meantime, the white-coated golden retriever started to speak with his nose still close to the ground.
He didn't deviate from his task once.
"As you probably already know, the Neon Lights Concert/Competition is an annual event which gathers talented people or animals from all over the country and sometimes the world in one place. Its the five-year-anniversary this year and it's my third year for me. The goal is to get to do the best performance in the concert phase and, whoever is the best, wins the competition and they get worldwide recognition and a great deal of prize money as a result."
Rufus kept sniffling to track the scent and the owner of said scent, watching as Vivo walked alongside him and nodded on occasion to show that he understood.
"Now that we've got the details out of the way, let's speak of the opponents! There's Ella and myself, Ella plays a wicked rock guitar whilst I sing along. Next up is Nico and that bird-brained partner of his whom are practically a two-man band, Nico plays acoustic guitar and sings while Nick just flies around gracefully and sings as backup. Taylor is a highly skilled drummer, then there's Bea whose a talented violinist. Next is Louie who is a rap artist. Finally there Nigel whose a good swing dancer."
Vivo side eyed the golden retriever and thought about this, there was some competition but he was confident that both himself and Gabi could overcome whatever was thrown their way. They had faced the wilderness of the Florida Everglades, rode all the way to Miami (practically) by themselves and he even faced a humongous Python!
They could do anything together!
…But then his mind rewound what the golden retriever had said moments ago and so nonchalantly too!
"Wait. Wait, wait, wait, wait. Rewind a second." His disbelieving gaze flickered between whatever was in front of him and to the huge yet velvet-soft, furry dog walking right beside him "D-Did you just say that Ella played a rock guitar…? That same little girl who wears pink and almost crushed me in a hug earlier today plays a guitar like that?"
Rufus almost raised his head to nod but his lips curled upwards instead.
"Yeah. She's adorable but she absolutely shreds the guitar, she's been playing since she was old enough to hold stuff."
Vivo chuckled as the image of cute little Ella playing a rock guitar, screeching through life, but his smile vanished when he realised that a huge crowd of people were heading straight towards them. There was no way that neither he nor Rufus could simply budge passed them. the sheer force of their bodies alone would pry them apart and, out of fear, Vivo immediately leaped into action and ran as fast as he could.
He could hear Rufus call out for him as he got lost in the mob and, in sheer fright, he climbed up a nearby signpost to see if he could spot Rufus from above.
It appeared that, within seconds, there was an ocean of people bustling by and Vivo panicked when he lost sight of the golden retriever. His chest heaved in and out and panic started to set in and that panic only increased when he remembered the fact that the dog was his only ticket back to the hotel and to Gabi.
Vivo felt as tears pricked at the back of his eyeballs, gasping and panting out of panic.
He was pretty sure that he was hyperventilating by now.
Subconsciously, the Kinkajou clung tight to the metal of the pole. He wrapped his arms and legs and tail tightly around the metal and he shut his eyes in order to prevent tears from streaming down his face and he scrunched his face as he tried his hardest not to have a severe panic attack right there on the spot. His heart was hammering in his chest and his hold was so tight that he was afraid of what would happen if he let go even slightly.
The fear…it was so deep and expansive that it threatened to make sure he drowned in it.
"C-C-Come on, Vivo, pull it together!" He growled to himself through gritted fangs.
He kept trying to regain control of his breathing whilst he kept a tight grip on the pole of the signpost. His heart was racing and his fur was standing on end as the fear of being alone and lost in these unfamiliar streets got to him.
But then he heard something that made his ears flick in response, something warm…and familiar.
Vivo reluctantly peeled his eyes open.
He looked down and saw that there was a small band playing by a fountain and the music the small group weaved together sounded soothing to his soul. He started to slow his shallow yet rapid breathing and he blinked rapidly to rid his moistened eyes of the tears that kept threatening to fall. He loosened his grip on the pole and let the music soothe him a bit more until he happened to glance down a bit more.
He was reminded of when Andrés would sing to him when he was frightened and then he remembered that song that Gabi and himself sung together during their aimless drift through the Everglades.
The musical Kinkajou exhaled through his mouth as he focused on singing.
"A-All I can do when the r-r-road bends,
Is lean into the curve…"
Vivo found it difficult not to stutter and made an effort to smooth the fear from his voice and he proceeded to rub at his eyes to try and rid them of the tears and he started to look down as if at himself while he kept a tight grip on the metal pole that he held on to for dear life.
His little pink nose wriggled and his lips quivered as he tried to focus on the song he sang.
"And all I can do when the tank's run dry,
Is see what's in reserve…"
Steadily, the kinkajou's death grip on the pole loosened gradually and his orange fur started to flatten, his posture began to ease with his shoulders growing less tense and he started to straighten himself instead of that tight ball he had curled his own body into whilst still clinging on tight.
He just needed a new plan.
He kept singing in a soft and quiet tone but the fear started to leave his trembly voice.
"…And all I can do when the plans break down,
Is stay on my feet."
As the Kinkajou repeated the lyrics from two years ago, he started to re-associate them with how to build himself back together after being left vulnerable instead of just when something goes wrong. His singing voice remained quiet but steady as he had finally stopped quivering and shaking and he finally loosened his clasp on the long piece of metal he had resorted to holding on to for dear life.
He finally finished the song as he closed his eyes to refocus himself.
"And all I can do at thе end of the day is play on,
Play on and keep the bеat…"
Vivo, now feeling much better and not afraid anymore, reopened his eyes and just so happened to glance down.
He hadn't noticed before but both Rufus and himself had actually reached that very same Plaza where some poor creature almost became roadkill and he procured that yellow hibiscus to give back to its rightful owner. He almost couldn't believe it, how had he not noticed before?!
However, as he did look down, he also saw a beautiful fountain that spouted water straight into the sky.
That was when he saw….her.
That female Kinkajou he'd sought out for, she was sitting right there!
Vivo's heart skipped a beat as he stared down at her from his perch, his eyes wide and love struck —she was even more stunning now that he could see her in the moonlight!
As a matter of fact, she looked like an angel.
Her pale peach fur, those pinkish markings around her face, forearms, feet and tail tip, her slender physique…and with that flower then her perfection would be complete. Although there was a feature about her that left a great intrigue and that would leave a sense of befuddlement in its wake and that feature was her eyes.
Her eyes were a pale sky blue colour but they didn't have any pupils, nevertheless they shined like diamonds.
That female Kinkajou sat right up against a fountain with her back pressed firmly against the stone architecture, clearly hidden but also clearly enjoying the musical performance; her eyes were closed and she was happily taking in the sounds…although it was painfully obvious that she was concealing herself due to how small and compact she had made herself.
But why?
Why was she hiding?
Vivo kept holding on to the pole but not out of fear this time, more out of a curiosity to see how the scene before him will unfold.
The band kept playing a calming nighttime melody whilst mumbling a low croon of a song, apparently the men playing their band were too focused on their music to even notice the vision of beauty sat nearby and the crowd of spectators seemed to have been hypnotised by the lovely melodies and songs being played.
"Hey! What're ya doin' ya mangy rat!?" One of the people from the crowd bellowed.
It startled the female Kinkajou from her reverie and making it so that not only were all eyes on her but she was also the target for items being tossed at her. She looked alarmed and panicked as she jumped up, startled, and her ears drooped down to display a mixture of sadness, shame and fear.
She looked terrified at the angry roars and vitriol directed at her.
The performers were trying to calm and now-angry crowd and resume their performance, attempting to rid them of the unjustified anger at the female Kinkajou, whom gave a fearful chitter before scrambling in some random direction. She was obviously trying to escape from the outpouring of distaste of her even being there.
The second the ball of fluff was exposed, she was quick to make its escape.
Vivo reacted almost instantly and went to go chase after and follow her.
He quickly climbed up the pole, trying to find a nearby route that he could chase her and he found it in the form of a thin telephone pole wire that stretched from one pole to another, stringing them together, and Vivo instantly saw the female using them to try and escape.
"H-Hey! Wait!" He cried.
Vivo leapt on a nearby telephone pole wire without even hesitating and had begun to run across it. He had to drop to his fours to simplify the task of skittering across. Due to how thin and tightrope-like it was, though, he was forced to put one hand or foot after another and it was difficult not to lose his balance and fall. Nevertheless his determination had caused him to persevere as he eventually ran up towards a rooftop and resumed to give chase.
He ran as fast as his legs could allow and his eyes lit up when he spotted the target of his pursuit.
He could also hear some strange clicking sounds coming from her as they ran.
Even though it was night, Vivo could vaguely make out a shape of the quick-footed female Kinkajou.
He kept chasing her.
"Stop!" Vivo cried out breathlessly "I just wanna talk to you!"
His cries went unheard as she just kept running.
Vivo tried his hardest to keep up the pace. Even though his lungs were beginning to ignite from all the running and the rooftop pathway seemed to stretch on forever and ever. His chest felt tired and his legs started to ache in protest of him running for much longer but he ignored it, determined to catch the runaway female trying to escape him.
And then, something unexpected happened:
The female Kinkajou apparently lost her footing as she gave a poorly-timed leap to try and jump to another rooftop gable.
At first she stuck the landing but was seemingly caught off-guard when her right leg slid right off the edge and she didn't get the opportunity to save herself by using her arms nor tail to latch on to some bit of roof to stop her from falling, thus rendering her efforts in vain.
She tumbled off and plummeted straight towards the ground below.
She gave a terrified cry as she fell.
Vivo was quick to rush over and peer down towards the ground in order to check if the female Kinkajou was alright, due to it being a dark alley it was difficult to see whether or not she was okay, but due to the fact that she was scurrying desperately it confirmed that she was okay but desperate.
It was a dead end, there was nowhere left for her to run.
Vivo jumped down behind her, landing in the alleyway.
He made a slow approach, much to said figure's obvious dismay as she started to skitter backwards in panic. He held up both palms in a gesture that he hoped would help calm the female Kinkajou's nerves whilst he lowered the volume of his voice in which he spoke to sound as soothing as possible.
"Hey! Hey, it's okay, I'm not going hurt you!" He said. "I just want to talk, that's all!"
The female was clearly scared as she tried to constantly run away since she was clearly too frightened to think rationally.
Her head snapped in all directions (except behind her) and she was clearly trying to seek out some sort of exit, probably praying that one would just pop out out of thin air, she whimpered desperately and she felt as her back arched and her entire body stiffened so much that she started to look like a statue. She lunged at the wall and scratched at it, trying to find some way to escape this enclosed space.
Vivo found this behaviour rather peculiar since it was plainly obvious that there was nowhere to go.
"No!" The female Kinkajou cried aloud "No, no, no, no, no-!"
She stopped dead in her tracks when she apparently heard something from behind her. She didn't turn around but she did hop forwards to try and touch the wall in front of her in a frantic manner, her ears had drooped and she looked around to try and discern what or where the noise was coming from.
It sounded like one of those shaking instruments —kind of like a baby's rattle or…or a maraca.
Little did she know was that Vivo had somehow produced both of his maracas from somewhere behind his back and started to shake them in a musical rhythm.
Vivo remembered when he was a baby and too frightened to go anywhere near Andrés after he saved him from becoming a midday snack for a pack of hungry dogs. He was tiny and terrified as the elderly human was in his home and beckoned the tiny babe to come over and climb into his hand. He recalled being reluctant at first but, when he clambered on to the man's shoulder, Andrés produced a maraca out of nowhere and shook it in front of his face, urging his tiny hands to grab it and shake it.
Since he saw this as a similar situation, Vivo decided to use the same tactic.
He continued to shake his two maracas in a non-specific rhythm to try and entice her to come forwards.
"I…I, erm, figured you'd like this." Vivo explained whilst starting to shake his hips while sliding his feet in a dance.
The frightened mammal started to visibly relax a tad as she not only let her posture grow less and less stiff by the second. Those unique eyes of hers also started to return to their normal size, instead of the petrified pinpricks that they were just moments before. She stared at Vivo with naught but confusion and apprehension, her lips pulled into a small frown.
Vivo ended his dance with a twirl and a light tip of his hat when he remembered something.
"Oh! Right!" Vivo reached up and removed his hat so he could gingerly grab the flower that had been hiding beneath "I think this belongs to you."
The female Kinkajou hesitated before she made a slow yet cautious approach, as if unsure, and her face lit up when she seemed to recognise it. Her mysterious eyes lit up like fireworks in the pitch black sky and she wore a smile that could have split her cheeks apart and she looked absolutely thrilled.
"Th-Thank you! I never thought I'd see this ever again! Where did you-"
Vivo gave the flower to the female and shuffled a foot along the ground sheepishly, evading her eyes.
"I found it where you dropped it while trying to not get hit by a moving car,"
A very awkward silence brewed between the two Kinkajous —the pair didn't know what exactly to say to one another but Vivo was mostly enchanted by this lady Kinkajou's beauty. He had never seen something or someone so beautiful in his entire life and he couldn't help but let a smile blossom upon his face.
Before he could comprehend anything more, the female decided to break the silence by introducing herself.
"My name is Marie…what's yours?"
Vivo responded with a gentlemanly bow as he tipped his hat politely to her.
"I'm Vivo."
"Vivo? I've never heard a name like that." Marie said whilst tilting her head to one side in confusion.
Vivo's smile widened and he winked at her whilst giving her a flirtatious thumbs up.
"Well…I guess you could say I'm one of a kind,"
A/N: Here's chapter 8 where Vivo finally meets Marie.
The song is "Keep the beat" from the first movie.
He even sings Keep up the beat when he got sacred, again.
Unfortunately, he was separated from Rufua and he knew a bit more of the contest/concert he was partaking in. With the act that unexpected act which Rufus and Ella perform. What will happen the next chapter? Can Vivo find out more another about his new friend? Or will, just maybe, Marie develop inti something much more than a friend?
Stay tuned for the next chapter to find out!
-Chloemcg