It was rubber. Most people thought it was made out of leather, but it was rubber. It was white rubber— mind you— with a nice, little, scarlet stripe trailing down the center. Blue stars dotted a line, two lines exactly, following that trail of red. And the helmet even matched the outfit! How stylish! At least his courage, manliness, and valor made up for his sparkly clothing… well, that's what he thought!
"Escargon? You're on in five!" the silky voice of Savage Rose announced as the mistress hurried past his trailer. The light lavender snail looked over his shoulder from his reflection in the vanity mirror; tapping his red and white helmet to make sure it fit well and wouldn't slip off.
This is it! The big debut~
He jumped off his chair and danced around excitedly, holding a bouquet of roses his dear mother had sent before the show. He was sure she'd see him perform today! Oh, she'll be so proud of his little boy! He'll be the life of the show and everyone will give him a standing ovation, larger than what Meta Knight received. And then maybe, Savage Rose would approach him and reward his outstanding performance with a kiss on the cheek. And he'd confess his love for her and they'd ride off into the sunset, leaving Charge Knight behind and—
"ESCARGON!"He jumped when his name resounded against his ears and snapped a turn around. "WHEN I SAID YOU'RE ON IN FIVE I MEANT 'GET OFF YOUR LAZY ARSE AND RUN LIKE HELL TO THE TENT'!" Rose yelled at the top of her lungs, a finger pointing at the red and yellow structure. She stood on the open door of the mollusk's trailer, her painted lips pouting at the very feminine scene before her. Somehow perched on her shoulder was Charge Knight, glaring at the so-called "daredevil" with angry eyes, gun tangled already in his fingers.
Escargon quickly threw the bouquet aside and puffed out his chest, straightening out the collar in his ivory/scarlet jumpsuit. A small red streak could be noticeable on his would-be cheeks. He cleared his throat and straightened out his goatee.
"I'm sorry. I got carried away with the excitement, ma'am. But trust me, I'm ready!" He said in a deeper voice than usual, chest still puffed out and lips giving Rose "the smolder". Savage Rose merely raised a brow, crossing her arms and scowling even further. Charge Knight could only pray that the stuntman wouldn't approach Rose too closely. So the puffball jumped off her shoulder and landed expertly on the floor, sliding the gun into its cover. He gestured he'd stay to Rose and casually swayed in step to where Escargon stood, making the snail grow nervous. Rose's eyes met Charge Knight's and he noticed she'd wanted him to stay with her, probably because she was going to tell him something. Her scowl lightened into one of small disappointment and her one-second-lasting sad eyes then shifted to Escargon and turned into a gaze of anxious show business.
"Well, if you're so ready, get moving," Rose replied with a sour tone and left the trailer, slamming the door shut. Charge Knight thought he made the wrong decision, but he would talk to Rose about it later. Now, he had to take care about something.
"Uh… well, I- I'm all set if you wanted t- to wait up for me," Escargon stuttered, cold sweat trailing down his stalk of eyes.
"En fait, I came to talk to you," Charge Knight answered, sighing deeply.
"E- En… feigh?"
"…Actually…" the knight answered with a growl. How he despised those who didn't understand French…
"Oh, well we can walk and talk as we reach the tent," Escargon suggested with a stretched smile. Charge nodded his response and walked to the door, opening it for Escargon to pass.
"Thank you," he said, his eyes closing as they avoided the French knight's pair of deep eyes and his cheeks burning pink. Escargon slithered past Charge Knight, giggling as he went down the small set of stairs in his trailer.
"Hurry if you wish to keep your body free of bullet holes, escargot."
"It's Escargon," the snail muttered crossly.
"And in French, snail is pronounced escargot. So if I make you uncomfortable talking my native language, you have nothing more to do than to put up with it, monsieur!" He stressed on the last word, slamming the door at his back. He jumped off the small stairs that led down the trailer and started towards the circus tent, following the marked, gravel path. His hands clenched into fists and his metal-marked footsteps grew heavy, his ivory eyes looking over the edge of the visor to make sure that mangy mollusk had followed him.
"I'm sorry about that; I honestly thought you called me a dish."
"Well think before you speak, it'll save you a lot of trouble in the future."
There was a silence between the two, only the sounds of carnival music and the gravel beneath their feet made noise. Several hasty Waddle Dees slipped by the gap between them as they walked to the tent, but other than that, no one interfered.
"I'm sorry, but you wanted to say something?" Escargon asked, crossing his arms behind his back.
"Hm?" Charge growled, still looking at Escargon from the corner of his visor.
"You told me earlier that you came to talk to me about somethin'…"
"Oh… yes." The knight cleared his throat, "I've been meaning to talk about… Savage Rose."
That's when Escargon, out of plain fear, froze in his tracks and his eyes widened, his pupils shrinking into nervous dots. Charge Knight kept walking ahead, his tattered cape trailing behind like a shadow, but a sly smile stretched upon his lips, which rested under the X-crossed mask, and his eyes seemed to glitter in amusement. But that glitter faded away and his white orbs narrowed angrily in the snap of a second as he noticed the snail become shifty.
"Well…?" Charge Knight asked.
"I… uh… err—"
"—There you are!"
Both men snapped their necks in the direction which the voice came from. There they saw Mystifying Athelas as she bared her teeth angrily and crossed her arms over her chest. Behind her stood Stranger, very close to her back, and in the dim moonlight, they could see a cloud of the tall man's breath as he let out a snort. It faded right into Athelas' cheek, but the woman didn't seem to mind. His eyes shined under his hood and his lips were tightened into a thin line, trying not to veer into a displeased frown. His muscled arms were crossed and between his first two fingers was a very small dagger, glinting as if it mocked the two with its sharp tip.
"Are you to gawk at us instead of performing tonight, stuntman?" Athelas' voice came in clear and her words clung to the air while Escargon mustered up the courage to talk. Stranger grinned wolfishly behind his companion and shifted his feet, tapping the dagger—on the flat surface—against his triceps.
"I—I'm sorry, miss Athelas. It… it won't happen again…" Escargon stuttered, slithering backwards to run away. But before he could speed off, Stranger's voice cut in.
"It definitely won't happen again if you don't show up and don't perform."
"…Huh?" The snail raised a brow, his heart pounding against his ribcage, and his hands shaky as they fiddled with his jumpsuit's collar.
Stranger, enjoying the snail's response, continued, "Imagine Rose's reaction, why she'd be so frustrated about your failure that she'd fire you…"
Athelas spread a grin on her face. The tent was just a few feet away, and the Wanderers had stopped the snail to merely scold him for his slowness. The snail became a puddle of sweat when he met up with one of the mistresses. Or their disciples for that matter. They were people of high ranks and expectations… and also of high temper…
"I… I gotta go! I'll be late if I keep chatting!" And then the daredevil sprinted into a race. He pushed down his helmet while running to the back of the tent… "The shadows" as the mistresses called it.
He pushed away a red and yellow flap and quickly slithered in, panting and breathless from his race. He wiped the sweat off his brow and turned around to see if he could spot the black-blonde ringleader.
…When he saw the unmistakable silhouette of Mystifying Athelas and let out a shriek of pure horror.
"AAAAAHHH!"
"I move in ways you can't even thinkof, snail. So best be gettin' ready for the show instead of moochin' Rose's attention," she said with a hint of impatience. Escargon nodded and set to dashing away, not even glancing at Rose as he passed by her.
Escargon stood at the tip of the ring waiting for the mistress to announce his performance. To his dismay, Rose didn't pass by him. Instead, it was Stranger. He was striding calmly to the center of the ring, lips veering to a small smile at the whistles and shouts from the ladies present in the ring. His cheeks flushed as he stretched out his arms in a welcoming matter.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, Escargon the daredevil!" his deep voice bellowed, as a fanfare from the band played in rhythm to the snail's slithering steps..
Escargon slithered into the center of the ring, dismissing Stranger with a scowl. The Wanderer scoffed to himself before walking back to the shadows of the tent, placing himself next to Athelas, waving casually at those who called out to him and forcing a smile on his lips. That Escargon was always a bother when he was full of himself…
Escargon on the other hand was happily waving at his fans with a smile, his helmet glinting under the stage lights. The people cheered and banged their feet against the bleachers as the snail approached a canon that awaited him.
'Maybe Meta Knight got all the glory, but I get all the fame!' Escargon said inwardly, mounting on the cannon and feeling the warmth of the cannon as it began to turn on. Outside, two Dees worked with the cannon to ensure Escargon's safety, and Charge Knight observed from the highest point in the tent, the trapeze post, with his cape wrapped around himself to keep him warm. His ivory eyes narrowed in the cannon's direction, observing with upmost interest how Escargon fit inside that small weapon… His eyes then danced around the crowd, catching sight of all the spectators as they performed a wave. So many species, so many people, so many eyes watching your every move. He looked back at the cannon and cleared his throat in thought.
The idea of the stunt was to fire Escargon out of the cannon and have him land on a mark on the other side of the enormous tent. How the snail was up to it was what made Charge curious. The knight knew the snail was flexible and— he hated to say it— mushy, but why did it cause no harm?
Well, maybe you should leave that to the professionals. Back to Escargon, who was starting to sweat under the cannon, one Dee gave the cannon a pat while the other flicked the fire on and matched it to life.
Heels resounded and the crowed welcomed Savage Rose with whistles and screams. But soon the sounds began to fade and die down and still Rose's heeled steps could be heard as the mistress approached the ring's center. With her staff at hand, she extended her arms outwards to salute the crowd before bringing a microphone to her cherry red lips.
"I believe the show's doing good based on your cheers, my people," she said wryly into the mic, her suave voice booming over the tent. Charge let a smirk paint over his lips as he shifted his feet, his eyes glaring at the canon to then shift to Rose's back as she spoke with the audience. The viewers gave Rose a screamed 'yeah´ as an answer to her question. She giggled into the mic and looked at the canon from over her shoulder.
"In a few minutes, our daring stuntman, Escargon," she breathed into the microphone, tucking her staff under her arm, "will performing his famous Flying Fall of Faith!"
As if on cue, the audience applauded.
Escargon wiped some sweat of his brow and blushed. She called him daring!
"Now let's count down!" Rose announced, turning so she could get a view of the canon. She held up her hand to the crowd and began…
"Ten!
Nine!
Eight!
Seven!
Six!
Five!" That was the Dees' cue to turn on the match.
"Four!
Three" The match turned on the cannon, the fire began to eat up the cord.
"Two…
One!"And with the sound of a fanfare, Escargon flew out, passing the crowd in an arch and landing—
w- wait a minute…
he… didn't land…
oh… this looks bad.
Everyone's eyes snapped in the mark's direction to notice that Escargon wasn't standing upon the bull's-eye like practiced.
"This is isn't good," Rose muttered, giving a few steps forward to see if she could spot the snail's form.
"Ladies and gents, there seems to be a little technical prob," Rose announced, her eyes searching frantically for the snail, not even bothering to look at the people in the bleachers. Athelas and Stranger, who were hiding in the shadows, approached Rose as the crowd began to murmur in panic . Rose and Athelas shared a whispered conversation as Stranger approached the mark, trying to find at least a spot of blood…
Charge Knight's eyes widened. Not even from where he stood, did he see where the snail went. And there was no way to disguise Escargon's disappearance as part of the act… the performer must be heard.
A sudden squeak of the trumpets alerted the ringleaders and they found themselves sprinting to where the band under the shadows lied. It was conveniently placed just a few feet away from the mark... maybe Escargon fell there by mistake? Stranger ran after the two women, quickly followed by Charge Knight, who had thrown himself from the post to check on his master.
From the mic in Rose's hand, the people could hear some scuffling and a few murmurs, followed by a nasally voice, which muttered an 'I'm okay…'
His mother, who was sitting in a reserved seat, was clutching her hat to her chest and was on the edge of her seat, her eyes wide and her mouth agape as she tried to find her son among the cords and lines under the tent's shadows.
There was complete silence. The hundreds of people attending the show remained simultaneously quiet as they awaited the snail in the red and white suit and helmet to pop out of where the ringleaders had disappeared to.
And he did!
He slithered out, carrying his helmet under his arm and blinking at the sudden change of light as all the lights turned off and a single spotlight shined above him.
There was still silence, though.
… until the crowd exploded and everyone rose from their seats, applauding and whistling wildly at the mollusk. Escargon grew proud of himself and let a weary smile stretch his lips, his eyes glossy from the fright and excitement all at the same time. Rose and Athelas emerged from the shadows smiling in relief, followed by Stranger and Charge Knight. Stranger walked to Athelas side, reclining an arm on her shoulder while she crossed her arms, as Rose kneeled to mount Charge Knight on her arm like a hawk. Escargon stuttered in excitement at the still-clapping crowd and clutched his helmet.
'I did get the fame…!'
"Well there you have it, folks!" Rose said, chuckling into the microphone. "Our stuntman is safe and sound, though one of our violinists isn't!"
The multitude let out a laugh as Rose thrust her arm and Charge Knight dismounted from it, landing expertly on his feet. Stranger fixed his pose and straightened out his hood as Athelas placed her hands on her hips. Rose and Athelas exchanged a glance and the female Wanderer took the microphone, bringing it to her lips.
"We hope you enjoyed the performance," she voiced, her melodious voice flowing freely. "But now we should welcome Bun, the knife thrower!"
After that, the Wanderer dismissed herself with Stranger following her shadow, nearly stepping on the woman's cowl as they passed through the flap of the tent that served as an exit.
Escargon waited for his mother, breathing deeply to maintain his nerves. Next to him stood Charge Knight, who temporarily served as the snail's escort until his mother would appear. They were both in the room known as the 'break room', here the performers would take a break before or after their was a trailer parked just outside the tent, and right now it was empty, except for Charge and Escargon. Escargon sat in one of the many satin couches while Charge Knight stood next to him with his arms crossed behind his back.
Escargon jolted as Rose appeared from behind them both. She smiled in Charge's direction and sat down before them on a couch and crossing one leg over the other, her arm reclining on the armrest. Escargon couldn't help but jealous of how Charge Knight sat down next to her, resting his crossed arms over her lap and his head upon his arms. Rose gave another sweet smile and began to pet the puffball's unarmored head.
Escargon was fuming; his face was red in both jealousy and anger. That should be him resting on her lap!
"Something wrong, Escargon?" Rose asked in a playful tone, raising a brow at him as she kept pampering her knight. Charge, in turn, glared at the snail from the corner of his visor, mocking him by nuzzling on Rose's thigh. Escargon blushed, thinking of him in such a position and shook his head no, huffing and looking away. But his eyes snapped back in place when he heard Rose sigh and saw how Charge Knight literally melted at her touch, closing his eyes and blissfully sighing, with his feet sprawled apart and his cape serving as a blanket as his masked head kept resting on the blonde's lap. The puffball reminded the snail of a cat, a very zealous cat.
Rose never lifted her gaze, just kept observing the knight as she stroked his head. Her bangs, styled so they looped around her head, dropped as her head tilted downwards and her lips were somewhat pouting.
Escargon stood quiet. It was always an honor to be around one of the mistresses, they were the only two brave enough to order the troop of talented performers, let alone in front of thousands, probably even royalty. They were both very beautiful and skilled in their own way. Rose was always the one ordering around roughly, implanting the fact that she's the one that intimidates, while Athelas was the silent but deadly one. In a matter of seconds, that hooded woman could kill ten to twenty men, and next to Stranger, she's one of the most respected people around.
If only Escargon could get Rose to treat him the way she treats Charge Knight…
"Oh! There you are, my baby!" Escargon's mother exclaimed, stretching her arms to hug her little boy as she dashed into the room. Escargon was taken aback and awkwardly patted his mother's back blushing as Rose chuckled at the sight of their embrace. Escargon tried to separate himself from his mother's grasp, but she simply tightened her hold on him and he huffed, hugging her back.
"Hello, mother," he answered with a mutter, scowling as Charge Knight rose his head a bit form Rose's lap to watch them.
God he felt so embarrassed…
"You did so good! I got scared at first but then you reappeared and you really sold it! The crowd loved it, dear," the mother said as she kissed his cheek and left a lipstick mark. He groaned and tried to whipe it off, but that merely left a red smear on his face.
"Oh, Goony, that's nothing to be ashamed of," the woman said, taking out her handkerchief to clean the boy's cheek off.
"Mom!" Escargon whispered, looking at her and then at Rose, who was stifling her laughter next to her knight.
"Oh?" she followed his gaze and smiled sweetly when she met with Rose's presence.
"I didn't know we weren't alone, my apologies, mistress," she said with a giggle, covering her smile with her hand. Escargon rolled his eyes and slithered next to his mother, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Why don't you go take your seat back at the tent, the knife thrower will be out in a couple of minutes while he prepares himself."
"That I'll do! See you later my daring man!"
Escargon blushed once more as he waved good bye at his mother. He scowled when Charge Knight rested his head against Rose's lap once again and brought her hand to his head for her to stroke.
"You're lucky to have someone like her to watch over you, Escargon," Rose commented, her silky voice sending chills through Escargon's spine. Escargon could merely nod and narrow his eyes angrily at the shame he felt.
There was a silence between the three. Rose was busy attending Charge while Escargon took his seat and fumbled with his suit's collar.
"So…" the daredevil bagen, looking at Rose from the top of his head from his drooped head, not daring to meet her eye level. He looked at him and gave a nod for him to continue speaking.
"H- how was my performance…?"
Rose immediately raised a brow and scowled, resting her head on the head that was upon the armrest.
"It was wrong," she flatly answered, her voice not even faltering as she cast him an angry glance.
'Wrong! Wrong? What did I do wrong?' Escargon thought to himself in worry.
"If you ask yourself what you did wrong…" Rose trailed off, tapping Charge's mask with her index finger.
"You missed the mark," Charge answered impassively, scoffing as he placed his hand atop Rose's on the mask. Escargon frowned and a look of disappointment washed over his features.
"I… see…"
"But you did well… just try to land where you're supposed to next time and it'll all go better," Rose explained. Escargon gave a meek nod and jumped off his chair, passing by the two and stopping at the doorframe and looking over his shoulder at Charge, how squirmed out Rose's grasp and jumped off the couch, followed by Rose, who stood up and straightened her blouse and jacket.
Escargon nodded his goodbye and left the trailer heartbroken, his head hung low and his shoulders slumped, "Fame comes with a price, I guess."
Somewhat cruel chapter to Escargon XP But hey, win some, lose some! Extra-long to make up for the tardiness ^^; And yes, I like to pet Charge Knight like a cat :3 Also, yes I somewhat despise Escargon's desperate/obnoxious personality. Lastly, Rose's design changed drastically, check it out (http:/*fav*.me/d4ky0dr) Take out the *
Review~