Being overstimulated was an understatement with all new sorts of sounds and smells and sights to see.
From having Nyx's face pressed up to the window and watching the train move, hearing the loud roar of the engine, the occasional CHEW CHEW! sounds, the strong smell of diesel that made her extremely nauseous, appeared in some city and everything hit her like a ton of bricks.
The sounds alone made her cover her ears and with so much going at once it was making her disoriented. Like every smell would make her stop walking around and throw up. Traveling around with the cirque, it wasn't as bad because they would play in places where smells and sounds didn't bother her as much as this city alone was making her feel.
The first two weeks alone, Nyx profusely refused to step out of the hotel that she, Larten and Evra were staying at. By the beginning of the third week, the snow had muffled the smells and sounds to the point where she could start enjoying life.
Nyx and Evra seemed to fall into a routine: they get up later than usual, eat a big breakfast, and head out to see what the city had to offer.
However they had to figure out how to cover Evra's scales and Nyx's hair and eyes since both of them look unusual. It was fun trying to paint skin colored paint and makeup on Evra: for Nyx she tried out various hats to cover her white hair and glasses to cover her eyes.
The two ended up spending a day goofing around in various disguises before deciding to go simple - Evra wore a medical face mask and glasses to cover his face and Nyx found a red beanie hat that does cover her short white hair well and Evra found an eye patch to cover her red eye.
"Hey, it's Nyx the pirate!" Evra giggled, seeing her disguise coming together.
"Arrr matey!" Nyx squealed but kept it.
The two would play outside in the courtyard before exploring what is close by from the hotel.
While working on an attempt for a snowman, Nyx couldn't help but take notice of decorations and trees sprouting up everywhere. Tinsel and holly strung up between light posts and buildings.
"What are they getting ready for?" She asked Evra.
Evra carried a large snowball over to her and placed it on top of the base of said snowman. He looked up and gazed around. "Uh, they are getting ready for Christmas." He explained. "It's a human holiday. I don't really get it. "
"Why?" She asked.
Evra had to think about it before responding. "It's a day where they cut down trees, people would buy expensive things for others that they probably won't use after at least once, slaughter some turkeys and stuff their faces."
"Huh." She muttered.
She turned back and looked at the small decorative tree that was next to the hotel.
Something about it was eerily familiar to her. The smell of pine also helped jog a distant memory.
It was a long time ago but Nyx remembered seeing herself kneeling in front of a similar decorative tree, in her hands was a partially wrapped present. She doesn't remember what the present was but she herself felt proud of it cause she made it.
"Is that for me, dear?" Nyx remembered a soft voice speaking in a language she couldn't remember what it was, a placed hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up and smile. It was her mother. A young looking woman with long red curly hair and brightest blue eyes that seemed unnatural on a person. She wasn't very much attractive but to Nyx, she was beautiful.
"Not until the twenty-fifth, mama." Nyx spoke in the same language, trying to hide what she made for her.
"Nyx?" Evra called out to her after seeing her just staring at the tree. Seeing how she was in a trance.
He gathered up some snow. Forming it into a ball. "Heads up!" He threw snow at her and it hit her on the side of the head.
"Hey!" Nyx sputtered. Wiping the snow off her cap. She grunted before gathering her own snow ball and threw it back at him.
Thus the Great Snowball War commenced. The two freakish kids threw the white powder substance at each other, missing several times and ended up causing civilian casualties. Some laughed, some got mad but all was fair game for the children. They played until dusk and were red in the face and drenched.
The two warring factors ended in a draw until tomorrow.
When evening rolled around, the two would sit on the beds and watch TV. Or the Moving Picture Box Nyx had called it when she first saw it.
Watching things like cartoons and music videos, dancing and jumping all while trying to keep things quiet for Larten as he slept.
However, it was clear that he had something on his mind because the two noticed that he would leave as soon as the sun sets, hardly talking to the children and be out all night and come back in the morning and sleep again.
Nyx knew Larten was troubled about something and had an agenda as to why they were here, but he was secretive as always.
"Wonder what's up with him?" Evra asked after they watched him leave.
"I don't know…" Nyx responded before facing the TV.
The following day, Nyx wanted to go and see some stores. Larten had given them spending money to use and it was quite a lot.
"You sure you don't just wanna stay in?" Evra asked as they got ready. However if this girl wants to do something, it's best to follow and keep an eye on her.
Nyx nodded. "I'm sure. I ran out of paper to draw on." She said, gathering what drawings she made and stuffed them in drawers.
If it wasn't TV and snowball fights keeping her occupied, it's her constantly drawing.
"Have you ever thought of doing a portrait of me?" Evra asked, posing silly like for her.
Nyx looked up and down at him before snickered. "That's easy, you're just a squiggly green line."
"Hey!" Jokingly crushing his modeling dream.
The two soon headed out.
The stores were beautifully decorated for the holiday season, though at most the two windows shopped, they browsed countless things in the markets. The two kept it to themselves as they browsed around.
When passing by a brochure, Nyx stopped and looked at it.
"The Annual Christmas Light show on the 23rd of December? That's in a few days!" Nyx said. She looked at Evra. "Could we go to the light show?"
"It's just lights."
"But they look so pretty. Please?" She begged him. "Please big brother?"
Evra sighed heavily. They still have a couple of weeks. "We'll see. Not making any promises, got it? If we don't go, we don't."
Nyx nodded and proceeded to go find an arts and craft store and picked her up some sketch books, some more colors for her to use to draw and paint. And even some array of colorful fabrics and stuffing and a hand sewing kit.
"Just what are you planning to make with these?" Evra asked, looking at what she spent on.
"That's a surprise." Nyx giggled. She then looked up and saw how dark the sky was. "Oh shoot."
Evra sees it too. "Crap we gotta head back." He said before grabbing her hand and items. "Let's go." And began pulling her. Hopefully to get back before Larten noticed they were not there.
Nyx and Evra quickly took off down the sidewalk as people were out that evening.
They came to a set of lights and stopped. The light was flashing green and vehicles of all kinds were traveling down the road.
As they watched the traffic, Nyx happened to look around the area they were at.
Across the street near a bakery, the lights of the store's decoration and neon lights illuminated a dark figure.
And what she saw made her feel like her feet were cemented to the sidewalk.
The figure wore a mucky brown coat, the collar was up in a way it covered his neck and parts of his jaw. He wore a bowler cap to cover his dark brown hair and in a dark suit underneath the coat. His green eyes were scanning the area around.
When he turned his head to look off somewhere else, she noticed the thick black spider-like veins peeking out from the coat on his neck.
Though her sense of smell was being overpowered by the rest of the smells of the city, the sight of the figure alone made her heart stop and despite the cold air, Nyx began to sweat profusely.
Then the figure turned his head.
And the two locked eyes with each other.
No….No NO NO NO! Nyx screamed mentally.
"Nyx? Nyx what's wrong??" Evra asked, seeing Nyx panicking. She gripped onto his arm tightly and she was trembling hard.
She looked at him, though her red eye was covered, her pupils have shrunk to tiny pinpoint dots. She tried to speak but felt like she couldn't.
She looks back at the figure but he is gone.
"What is it? What did you see?" Evra asked, looking at the direction she was seeing and saw no one.
Was I seeing things? Nyx thought as she stared where the figure was.
Was it her imagination? Seeing the monster here after having a good time was a way her mind liked to mess with her?
"Nyx, talk to me, what's the matter?" Evra asked, more assertive this time.
Nyx licked her lips. "N-nothing." She spoke. Thinking it wasn't Silas that her mind was playing games. "Let's get going." She whispered before the light turned red and they were allowed to cross over.
She just hoped what she saw wasn't real. That her monster wasn't actually here in the city.