Meanwhile, things were not looking so good for Alastor's old friend Angel. His date with the married couple had been a complete disaster, once her took off his shirt and started making out with the wife, the husband got jealous and booted him out. The rejection pissed him off because they were supposed to pay him five-hundred bucks for the job. In his opinion they still should have paid him. It wasn't his fault that the husband was the jealous type.
But in the end he received no money and once again, he had to rely on his day job to pay the bills. Which meant another day of cleaning up horse, goat, and pig shit. He had asked Valentino if there would be a promotion in his future, that maybe he could put on an act of his own but the ring master said that Angel didn't have enough special skills to be a performer.
"I'm double jointed and as flexible as rubber, what more does a circus performer need?" He thought.
But according to Val, his performers weren't human. He advertised that he had taken in mythical creatures who had been spurned by society and given them a home with him. Teaching them how to use their strange appearances and talents as a beneficial thing.
"These creatures are lost and alone in the world." He had told Angel. "Unlike you, they have no one in the world who will accept them. You're human so you can find a place among society but these poor freaks can't. They need their own place which is what I provide."
"Then why put out a want add?" Angel had asked.
"I need human employees to look after them. Take care of them. Make sure that they can work in a clean and safe environment."
Interesting choice of words that he used that day because once Angel was hired, Valentino insisted that he not go anywhere near the freaks. He would feed and clean up after the animals, nothing more. He wasn't even allowed to watch any of the performances.
Now at first Angel pretty much hated his job and couldn't find anything good about it. Valentino didn't pay him enough and would pocket what he really owed him, the other human employers would insult him at every opportunity available due to history with drugs, and the animals always stank, they acted mean toward him, they would even steal his lunch. Now he knew that jobs weren't expected to be pleasant but he had had hoped that there would at least be one benefit to this line of work. However there apparently wasn't one.
But then an old sow gave birth to a large number of piglets, too large in fact. She was one nipple short to feed her young and the runt was a very small thing. So small that his mother didn't even know he was there. Valentino was positive that it wouldn't live long, calling it weak, useless, and pathetic. He decided to have it butchered or axed. But Angel fought for the runt's life, he promised Val half of his pay if he would allow the little piglet to live and be cared for by Angel. Considered a sucker's deal to some and maybe it was but Angel couldn't help but see himself in that discarded piglet. He too had been considered weak, useless, and pathetic in the place he was born into.
He had named him Fat Nuggets and he greatly differed from all the other pigs at the circus. Not only was he small when compared to them but while the lot of the pigs were loud, rough, and gluttonous, he was quiet, gentle, and not greedy at all. He kept clean rather than roll around in the mud, he only took food that was offered to him, and he was very affectionate toward Angel who had cared for him better than his own mother would have.
"Here Fat Nuggets." Angel said approaching the pen of the little pig. "I brought you leftovers from my lunch."
He then fed the pig a the leftover half of his sub sand which and set to work washing his dity hooves.
"How was today? Has Val decided to put you in the show yet?"
Fat Nuggets could only answer with a snort.
"Yeah I know he'll never make you a star. Hell, he wouldn't even keep you if I didn't give him half of my income. And even so he won't let me buy you."
For the next ten minutes he chatted with Fat Nuggets while cleaning him and once that was done, he went to clean up after the horses. He had just grabbed the shovel when he heard the familiar tune of the calliope coming from inside the tent. That usually signified that rehearsals had began. Now as much as Angel detested his job, he would still be very curious about the kind of acts that went on in there. What was it about Valentino's freaks, that made him behave so secretive about them? After all they were probably just people with a muscular or growth disorder. Not really something supernatural.
For weeks he had resisted the urge to do a little peaking but recently Valentino had seemed very irritable with the performers. Angel had heard him lashing out at them on more than one occasion and it spurned his interest even further. Today his inquisitive streak finally got the better of him when he heard the ring master shout,
"You thick-headed, hair ball! You call that music?!"
Angel quietly slipped into the tent and ducked underneath the benches where the audience would sit. He peered through the step seats and spied on what took place at the base of the area. There was Valentino, there was the calliope, and sitting at the calliope was the strangest looking male Angel ever saw. He resembled a human but he had razor sharp teeth, quills running down his back, long black fur covering his body, and legs like a goat.
"Has to be a costume." Angel thought.
"Give me a break Val, you think it's easy to write new material." The man asked. "Besides I never hear the audience complaining."
"Well you don't work for the audience! You work for me! And your act needs new music!"
"I've written new music and you've rejected each one."
"Then write better! And where the hell is Vaggie?! Is she still asleep?"
"Hey go easy on her, you kept her up all night dancing."
"Did I ask your opinion Husk? No I don't think so. So keep your mouth shut and focus on creating music that will actually attract customers! And while you're at it, wake up that lazy girl!"
Valentino then harshly dismissed the first performer and waited impatiently for the next one to come in. Her eyes were a glistening shade of amber-gold. She had long almond colored hair and a tawny skin tone that complimented her svelte, thin body well.
"Sleeping in again, are we?" Valentino said to her.
"I'm sorry." She said. "I was exhausted from last night. I wasn't able to get to sleep til four o'clock in the morning."
"I'm not interested in your excuses. Come to rehearsals late again and I'll start looking for your replacement."
"Maybe that wouldn't be so bad." She mumbled with an eye roll. "At least I would finally get some sleep."
"Don't get cute with me, you're lucky that I gave you a place here. No one else would give you the time of day. Not even your own kind."
"Whatever. Let's just get this over with."
No music played but that didn't seem to matter to her. She automatically rose to the tip of her toes and started to dance. She danced, whirled, and turned round on the ground. She moved with perfect balance. Each step she took was on point and there were no signs of stumbling or wobbling. She was probably the most graceful woman in all the world.
Angel's eyes were fixated upon her. She was like a great fire. A flame that moved with a burning passion and elegance. Who was she? And how did someone like her end up working for the likes of Valentino?