Even though it was only 10:00 the next morning, the summer heat had already kicked in full force. Demyx stood hunched over, his hands on his knees, waiting for Axel to come out of his tent. The two of them were supposed to do their annual advertisement scheme this morning. Panting at the heat, Demyx whines loudly, "Axellllllll hurry up! I'm already starting to dry oouuttt!" Demyx was a "Swamp Thing" as they called him during shows. He lives in Vexen's Freak Show tent, along with all of the scientist's creations. He, however, was not one of them. In fact, he never really knew why he was different from regular humans... but the fins and scales gave it away, not to mention the tail.

Axel's eyes snapped open. That voice was unmistakable. Demyx. He had intended to wake up a lot earlier, with no luck. He scrambled to his feet. His head spun, causing him to stagger a little. "Uh," He cleared his throat in an attempt to shake the sleep from his voice. "Be right out!" He called, quickly digging through a wooden crate for some form of clothes. Dry out? He froze. That can't be good. He glanced around the room for a moment before, very ungracefully, stepping into a pair of pants. He made quick work of the button and zipper, and stepped into a pair of slightly worn work boots. He snatched a small bottle off of the rickety stand next to his bed and slipped it into his back pocket. "Do you uh…" He began, stepping out of the tent. He groaned, shielding his eyes from the sunlight. He really wasn't kidding. "Do you need some water or…..er…shade?" He asked, giving a sideways glance to the smaller boy.

"W-water would be nice..." Demyx replies making a dramatic gasping sound. He was of course being a little overdramatic. But the pleading look he gave Axel said otherwise. "Do you have water...?"

"Well," he began, placing his hand over his back pocket. "Y-you don't want this." He wrinkled his nose as if he tasted something bad and shook his head. "Trust me." He straightened his back, not wanting to find out if he actually was serious, or if it had just been theatrics. " I will find you some, though." He said with a confident nod. Axel chewed his tongue for a moment to think. Who had water just…..at the ready like that? He led Demyx by the hand to some shade, encouraging him to rest. "Sit tight, okay?" He turned on heel and made a beeline for Xaldin's tent. He peeked his head in, finding no sign of him. The redhead sighed in relief, finding a sizable container full of water, as usual on a neatly painted table. He tiptoed closer, unsure if Xaldin would be close-by. He picked it up with both hands, as it was heavier than he first thought. He smiled widely and crept out of the tent. Frankly, Xaldin scared the wits out of him, not as much as Lexaeus, or Vexen, of course. He shook his head as if to rid himself of the thoughts, as he made his way back to Demyx. He tried to keep his steps even, yet quick, which was something he failed at. Somehow managing to keep the water off of his clothes, he returned to his coworker. "Will this do?" He asked, beaming like a proud child waiting for praise.

Demyx gasps loudly and squeaks, "Thanks man!" He grabs the container and proceeds to dump the entire thing on himself. Shaking his tail and smiling from ear to ear, he looks better already, being drenched in water. "You're the best Axel!"

Axel nodded. "Of course!" He rummaged in his front pockets for a few seconds as if he'd forgotten something. He groaned and tapped his own forehead. "We aren't gonna get very far without the flyers, are we?" He asked, holding up a finger. "Just a sec." The redhead ran back to his tent, which was nearly always in a state of dishevelment. "Uhh…" He scanned the room, narrowing his eyes. He snatched a black messenger bag from his bed frame, and slung it over his shoulder lazily before making his way back to Demyx. "You ready?" He asked, digging in his left pocket for a hair tie. The heat was beginning to creep up on him as well. He used both hands to try to contain his oddly unruly hair into a low ponytail.

Hopping back and forth from foot to foot in the puddle that he created, Demyx replies happily, "Heck yeah I'm ready! Let's do this!" He stops hopping and tugs at the white t-shirt he is forced to wear in public, it always gets caught on his scales. "But... uh... where are we gonna start? I've never been here before..."

"If…." Axel eyed him carefully. "If it's bothering you, why don't you just take it off?" He asked, hoping that didn't sound too weird. "Er….a-anyway," He scratched the side of his head. "The square is the best place, I think. That, or the fountain court." He said with a nod, a smile grew on his face at his last sentence. "'c'mon. daylight's burnin'." He said, motioning forward. "Just uh, don't get scared, okay?" Axel couldn't help but smirk at what he had planned.

He led the way in silence for a while, weaving in and out of crowds, already managing to turn some heads. He smirked, taking the back from around his bare shoulders. He glanced back to Demyx and put his finger to his lips. He slowed to a stop, pulling out the stack of papers. He flashed a smile before drawing a breath, letting out a yell. A handful of people in the surrounding area ducked, some craned their necks to get a better view of what may be happening, others yelled too, and a few took the chance to run. He tossed a handful of flyers into the air, letting them scatter into the crowded street. He jogged to the center of the square and held his left arm up high above his head. Go big or go home, right? Bright orange fire sprang to life around his hand. he fished around with his right hand for the small bottle of Paraffin wax he snagged from his room earlier. He brought it to his mouth and pressed down on the nozzle. He was careful to keep the liquid in the front of his mouth. Thankfully, it was tasteless but swallowing the stuff is never a fun experience. He drew a breath and tilted his head backward, bringing his hand down to his face. In one fluid movement he exhaled, causing the fire from his fingertips to expand into a plume in the air above him. He held both of his hands behind his back, the fire from his mouth hovered in the air for a few seconds before dispersing. He grinned at the amount of people crowding around them now. Tossing the remaining flyers into the crowd, he turned to Demyx. "Don't tell the bossman about that, our secret, 'kay?"

At this Demyx smiles widely, though very nervous around Axel's fire show. "C-can I have a secret too?" Without waiting for a reply he blows bubbles for the children, each of the bubbles a different color. The children smile and laugh as they play with the bubbles. They're excited to find that they don't pop. "We'd be super happy if you guys could come to our show tonight, just... uh... ask your parents first mmkay?"

Axel took a step back and wiped his mouth on a small scrap of fabric that hung loosely out of his back pocket. He turned his head to respond but smiled widely instead, watching the bubbles float from his coworkers mouth. He was never very good around kids but somehow, Demyx had a way with them, despite his appearance. Axel clapped with the crowd, after slipping the bottle back into his back pocket. After a few minutes of this, he opted to start hanging flyers around the area. He began to wonder if they should move to the fountain court, or just head back.

After some time the crowds started to disperse. The children were taken away by their parents, though they seemed reluctant to leave. Popping all the bubbles that he created, Demyx turns to Axel. "Hey... uh can we go to the fountain now? I wanna show off too ya know!"

Axel nodded with a grin, keeping a hand lazily on the strap of the bag across his shoulder. He pointed. "That's this way." He pointed to a set of stairs, sure to plaster posters on the buildings, street lamps, and walls along the way. He glanced backward every so often to make sure Demyx was still close by. They weaved through the groups of people huddled around the shop nearby. He pointed again at the large archway a few feet ahead of them. "It's just through here." He said with a nod, continuing to lead the way. He stopped at the top of the large set of stairs overlooking the court. Dozens of children played and splashed in the fountains while most of their parents sat on the respective benches lining the outermost wall. A few of them could be spotted in the water with them. Axel stepped aside and turned to Demyx. "This looks riiiiight up your alley, friend. I'm gonna keep putting flyers up." He gave a two finger salute and trotted down the stairs to begin his work.

Demyx's eyes lit up at the sight, his scaly tail wagging in excitement. Dashing to join the children in the fountains, he terrified many on the way there. Whenever people scream, something inside him squirms, he often forgets that he is not like everyone else. Some of the parents have started to try to coax their children away from him, even though they're staring in awe. "I-It's alright guys... I'm with the Circus that's in town. I promise I won't hurt anyone!" Demyx pleads as he raises his hands and begins to work at the fountain's water. He takes a ball of water and sculpts it into a dolphin. Tossing it up into the air it begins to swim and twirl around the children. The kids laugh and ask him to make more creatures. The parents however were still skeptical, some were whispering terrible things to each other... but Demyx was too far to hear. Demyx sat himself down in front of the children in the pool of water. He had begun to create all of their favorite animals out of water. They truly enjoyed him being there. "Mister... Mister can you make me an elephant?" At this he smiles and says, "Of course little guy. Elephants are really cool... Have you ever seen one?" This goes on and the children have a great time playing with Demyx, as if he was their old friend. That is until a group of teenagers get a little too close to him. "Hey fishface!" As soon as Demyx turns to face them with a hurt look, they all begin to throw trash at him, including broken bottles. Although afraid, Demyx yelps and pushes the kids out of the way, getting hit by the flying objects in the process. The broken glass cuts at his scales, drawing blood. The teenagers laugh and jeer as the children and parents hurry away from the scene.

Axel had effectively been fluctuating between sticking posters to the walls and benches, and tossing them and letting them scatter. His spine stiffened, hearing Demyx cry out the way he did, making him turn his head in time to see a bottle sail through the air. He squinted, trying to make sense of the situation. His back was turned for maybe five minutes, how did they get here? a strange sense of anger began to build in his chest. He wasn't normally protective of people, least of all Demyx for that matter, but someone had to do something. He took the bottle from his back pocket and brought it to his mouth, biting off the cap and taking some of the contents. He slipped it back into place and leapt off of the small arched bridge connecting the pathways to the fountain court. Using the same tactic from the square, Fire sprang to life at the tips of two of his fingers. He drew a breath, bringing his hand to his face. His expression lowered into a glare. He exhaled, moving both of his hands behind his back as he did so. The fire expanded forward at a very quick rate, and lingered just above the teenagers heads. That was enough to send two of them running, one ducked down, the other fell to the side. Axel ran a few paces, catching one of them by the arm, and the other by the collar. He forced both of them forward, causing them both to trip and fall into the shallow water. "What do you think you're doing?" He asked, standing over the boys, not giving any of them a chance to respond. "You think because someone looks different, that means you can throw things and name-call, do ya?" He put his hands up and shrugged. "Well," He began, both of his hands now surrounded by fire. He placed a burning hand over his chest, his expression completely unchanged. Fire began to creep up his left arm. "I'd say I'm pretty different too, do any of you have anything to say to me?" He dared any of these kids to make a remark.

The kids were way too afraid to do anything but scream and run away. The few remaining bystanders turned tail and ran as well, leaving Axel and Demyx alone in the fountains. Demyx got to his feet slowly, rubbing his eyes with one arm. Tears stung his eyes, but he quickly tried to hide them. "Th-Thanks man... I think we did good today! Lots of kids want to come visit me..." He turns to Axel and forces a smile, trying to make himself happy.

The flames vanished in the air, and he hurried over to his coworker. "A-Are you hurt?" He asked, studying the smaller boy's face. He gave a nod, and a sympathetic smile. "Yeah, you're right, bud, they do." He looked down to the water, which was now littered with glass, and garbage. "Those snarky kids should bring their little asses back here and clean this mess." He murmured, moving quickly to pick the things out of the water, and into the nearest trashcan. He handled the glass carefully, not that he wasn't used to cuts, he injures himself quite often during his shows, but he knew for a fact that all of his equipment was sterile. With this, there was no telling. He dropped it into the can carefully and wiped his hands on his pants before returning to Demyx. His eyes widened a little. "You're….you're bleeding, man." He pointed, somewhat shakily. "I have half a mind to go find these damn kids…" he murmured, digging hurriedly through his bag. He had a scrap of fabric in his back pocket but there's no way he'd let him use that, it had Paraffin wax all over it. Yuck. He found a clean rag in one of the zipper pockets. "Here, uh..." He held the rag out to him.

Demyx took the rag gratefully and held it to his cheek. His lip began to quiver a bit as he shuffled his feet in the water, looking down. "Axel...? C-can we go home now...? I forgot to tune my instruments... and I uh... need to go do that." The sun was overhead beaming down on them, signaling that it must be mid afternoon. Demyx kept his gaze on the water at his feet, for he knew that if he looked anywhere else he might cry. The water always made him feel better.

Axel put his hand on Demyx's shoulder in an attempt to console him. "Sure thing." He murmured, silently hoping that he wouldn't start crying, he always felt horrible in that sort of situation. He glanced around quickly. "Uh…" He chewed his tongue for a moment, trying hard to think of something. He straightened his posture. "C'mon." He took the teary-eyed boy by the hand, leading him up the set of stairs in silence. They continued past the archway, weaving around the small groups of people that always seemed to be gathered there. Axel's steps fell louder than usual, water sloshed in his boots, causing people to stare. He motioned for his coworker to sit down in a shaded spot to wait. He nodded to him and made his way into one of the small shops. It was a lot colder in there by a considerable amount compared to outside. He waited in line patiently, considering the forgiving temperature. He eyed the menu carefully. Trying to figure out what Demyx might want. Has Demyx ever even had ice cream before? He's had to, right? Who hasn't? Do people like him have allergies? The cashier cleared her throat, bringing him back to reality. "You know, you really shouldn't be in here without a shirt, I'm near positive it's a health code violation." She spoke, giving him a doubtful look. He shook his head and sputtered out an apology, finally deciding on an order. "Okay I need a…..er…a H-Honeybunny, and a, uh…Donald…..Fizz. Er, please." He scratched the side of his head. He hated ordering things with silly names like that, made him feel weird. The girl nodded, punching a few things into the register. "That'll be 160 even." She said with a nod. Axel flinched a little, lost in thought yet again. He dug around in his pockets for the munny he had. He tossed it haphazardly onto the countertop, turning his head to the window, to see if Demyx was in view. He had hoped nobody was messing with him. The cashier smirked, returning with his order, handing him a cone with Vanilla Ice cream, oddly enough, shaped like a rabbit head, topped with a golden glaze. He grinned, taking the cone with a nod. "Here's this too," She added, handing him an ice cream bar on a stick, with what looked like a candied duck's bill and a sailor's hat. It was a blueish color and coated in pop-rocks. He hoped Demyx would like it. He muttered out a 'thank you' and turned to leave. "Do you have a date or something?" The cashier asked, causing him to stop in his tracks. "Wh…what did you say?" his eyes grew wide. "She pointed at his bare chest. "You're certainly dressed like it." She smirked. Axel went red in the face. "You've got it all wrong, lady." He left the building as fast as possible, shaking his head slightly to erase the thought. He finally returned to Demyx and presenting the ice cream to him. "It's blueberry." He said with a grin. "Ready to go?"

Demyx's small frown changed to a smile as he took the ice cream from Axel, "I-Is this ice cream? I've never actually had ice cream before... Th-Thank you so much..." He said his thank you shyly as he stood, staring at the frozen treat, unsure of where to actually bite. He followed Axel on their way back through the streets. Sticking his tongue out to touch the ice cream occasionally, and jumping back when he felt how cold it was.

Axel grinned, happy with himself, now that Demyx wasn't crying anymore. "Don't mention it!" He wanted to ask if he was serious, everyone's had ice cream before, right? He decided not to ask, incase he were telling the truth. He didn't want Demyx to feel any more different than he already was. Axel bit one of the ears off his ice cream and continued on past the gates of the circus. "I guess I should finish setting up…" He murmured with a sigh. "Have fun with your instruments," He said while putting up a hand, signaling his leave. "Oh. Good, uh…Good luck tonight!" He grinned, taking a step away. Axel glanced back at him and did a double-take. "M-Maybe uh, you should have Vex….er…Maybe Zexion or Roxas about those cuts, okay?" He encouraged, not really sure who he should go to for medical attention. He shrugged and made his way through his 'tent' to the other side. The redhead did continue to chip away at his ice cream, suddenly very happy he made the choice. It was only getting hotter out at that point. His tent though, was significantly smaller than some of the others, Because he preferred to perform outside. Xemnas would more than likely have his head on a pike if he were to perform 'indoors.' There was a generously spaced hexagon 'ring' made with thick wooden posts and a string of banners that tied each of them together just behind the tent Axel slept in. Wooden benches lined the outermost part of the 'ring'. Everything he really *needed* for his performance sat safely in the crate at the foot of his bed. The sun was just beginning to set, turning the sky a mix of pink with it's original blue. His stomach twisted a little. Opening night always made him nervous. If someone else got hurt again, he was Sure the Ringmaster would give him a stern 'talking to.' He shivered at the thought.