8. Annoyed

Summary: The Ticket Keeper is on break, and she decides to visit the infirmary tent to hopefully talk with her brother. The Knife Thrower and the Doll, however, are the ones that keep her occupied for most of the time, and when Miss Fortune arrives, it's obvious that he is not in a good mood.

Characters: Ticket Keeper, Knife Thrower, Doll, Miss Fortune

Pairings: implied Ticket KeeperxKnife Thrower, a little Knife ThrowerxDoll, obvious DollxMiss Fortune

The Ticket Keeper let out a sigh as she walked towards the infirmary tent. She felt like talking with Miss Fortune for the heck of it. Why not? She hadn't talked to her brother in a while, and it would be nice to know how he was. Besides, she had heard that there was a new carnie by the name of the Doll, and all she knew was that the Doll was Miss Fortune's favourite...plaything...now.

She stepped into the tent, looking around quietly and hoping that her brother was here. She soon saw someone sitting in an office chair, with his back to her. The long, blond hair-it had to be her brother.

"Brother?" The chair spun around to reveal someone who was definitely not Miss Fortune. "You're not Miss Fortune?" The look-alike shook his head. "Wait..." The Ticket Keeper paused to think for a moment. "...You're the Doll?"

The Doll nodded quietly, standing to face her properly. "Um...I'm going to assume here that you're the Ticket Keeper? Miss Fortune told me about you." He spoke quietly, averting his gaze from her temporarily, as if embarrassed that she got his identity wrong. He was definitely quieter and shyer than Miss Fortune-no, just as quiet and shy as Miss Fortune when he and the Ticket Keeper first arrived at the carnival. "It's...nice to finally meet you."

"It's nice to meet you, too." She let a hand slide through her short, blonde hair before she continued. "What's it like constantly being with my brother?"

The Doll blushed a bit, before he stuttered slightly in his response. "I-it's okay...I like being with him. He dotes on me very much, and he-"

"Hey, Doll? Can you get me fixed up pronto?" The two turned to see a pony-tailed teen walk in, holding up an arm. "My throwing arm got a bit burned in the practice tent." The Knife Thrower turned to see the Ticket Keeper, clad in a white and black shirt-that-looks-almost-like-a-corset and sheer-black leggings, with black stilettos to finish it off. "You're sure looking cherry in those threads, aren't ya, Ticket Keeper?"

"Shut up, you doofus." The Ticket Keeper muttered, blushing slightly of embarrassment as she tried to glare her best at him. "What happened now? Did the Firebreather burn down the practice tent or something?"

"He was doing that Aerial Silks trick about twenty minutes ago...and I didn't get away in time before the silks burst into flames." The Knife Thrower explained as he sat down on a nearby bed, letting out a groan. "Seriously, though, the Firebreather should have shouted a bit louder for me to back off! How am I supposed to do my tricks properly later, with one hand out of commission?"

"You could always use your other hand, you know." The Doll suggested as he grabbed some gauze bandages, a towel and a bowl-shaped container filled with icy water. "You are ambidextrous, after all."

"I know, but this hand is my best hand!" The Knife Thrower protested as the Doll literally grabbed his burned hand and dunked it straight into the ice-filled water without hesitation. "Yeow! Be careful with that!"

"You should have run cold water on it right away..." The Doll trailed off quietly as he removed the hand from the water and wiped it as carefully as he could with a towel. "This burn could be a little worse than just a minor burn because you didn't take care of it immediately, Knife Thrower. You should be careful when using it for a while."

"Alright, alright..." The Knife Thrower smiled at the Doll, who looked a bit confused. "What is it, pretty boy? I have to say, you look even prettier than the Ticket Keeper is. Definitely. For sure." He leaned a bit closer to the Doll, who tried to lean back to get away from him. "Huh? What's the matter, dolly? Scared?"

The Ticket Keeper gritted her teeth, but didn't say anything. The Knife Thrower would always be a playboy, always charming the ladies and men one-by-one...always. She never understood why she blushed sometimes in front of a jerk like him.

"Come on, I'll give you a kiss as thanks." The Knife Thrower drawled, leaning closer to-

Before the Ticket Keeper could get to him first, Miss Fortune did it for her.

"Don't you dare touch my Doll, you idiot." The three turned to see Miss Fortune, glaring at the Knife Thrower with every ounce of hatred possible. "I'll dismember you first before you dare try to get intimate with him. And then I'll put your corpse back together and hang it on a tree as a warning to all who try to touch him." He snarled, and the Ticket Keeper noticed an axe in one of his hands. "Got it?"

This definitely meant that Miss Fortune was not in a good mood. Something must have rattled his cage earlier, and it wasn't going to get off his mind anytime soon.

The Ticket Keeper knew there had to be something wrong with her brother from the very beginning. The way he liked to put things back together after they were broken-that childish logic had stuck with him for his entire life, and always would. Sometimes...maybe she thought it wasn't a good idea to break him out of that white room, but she couldn't just leave her brother in there, right?

"Brother, no." She stood in front of her brother. "You don't want to make the Doll upset...right? You don't want that." She told him firmly. "Right?"

Miss Fortune dropped the axe and walked over to Doll, looking downwards. "I'm sorry." He muttered quietly. "Sorry..." The Doll simply gave him a quiet hug, trying to console him.

The Knife Thrower didn't say a word, stood up, and walked away. He exchanged glances with the Ticket Keeper, as if he was warning her to be careful, and finally left the tent.

Author note: ...Okay, now that was not what I intended to happen, but most of the carnies (with the exception of the Magician, Ticket Keeper and Doll, as well as the Ringmaster and Strongman) are insane in some way, so...