WHO: Pandora & Arkady WHAT: Pandora arrives at the carnival. WHEN: First night in Shreveport WHERE: The midway RATING: Low-ish STATUS: Complete
An interesting place, this carnival. Shreveport was a nice little town, a resting-point, somewhere they hadn't expected her to go...and somewhere she hadn't expected this "Dark Carnivale" that she'd been tailing to travel.
Then again, she supposed she shouldn't have been very surprised. They seemed to like the south...the sticky heat and superstitious people made for good marks.
She'd gotten herself a gigantic ball of cotton candy--neither cotton nor candy, but sweet sugar-air that dissolved on her tongue and left her fingers sticky--and was idly tearing pieces off it as she wandered through the midway, deliberately alone. She liked this place. The macabre beside the normal, cup-and-ball stands run by creatures the pathetic little meatsuits would never be able to fathom. What would they do, if they ever knew the place was run by a bloodthirsty demon? Had real ghosts, and werewolves, and things that were made to go bump in the night...?
A slow, pleased smile curved up childish lips, looking altogether out of place on that cherubic face. Oh, yes...she would do very well, here.
Arkady was dressed casually still; with at least two hours before he needed to get into costume, he wasn't about to walk around in the vintage suit if he didn't have to. Instead he wore black jeans and a matching t-shirt, his hair tied back into a ponytail that hung to his shoulderblades. He was wandering the midway, checking people out and nodding greetings to his employees, offering smiles when they looked his way. He was a hands-on sort of boss, not one to hide in his trailer until his time to perform; he liked to make sure everyone was being taken care of. However, if one thing could be said about Arkady it's that he was thorough. He knew every employee, every ambient scent of their skin, and he knew the smell of a demon. And that it did not belong to one of his own employees. Following that scent, he caught sight of a small figure moving through the crowd slowly, drifting almost aimlessly through the people as she ate cotton candy. A child that smelled like Hell itself, at least to his nose, and he bit down on the inside of his cheek for a second before approaching. "Well met," he said carefully, in case she was not the friendly, amiable sort. "I am Arkady Von Wulf, and this is my carnival."
A soft, girlish laugh; a fluttering of eyes. Pandora looked up at the vampire, and held up what was left of her cotton candy.
"I know who you are, silly. I've been following you. Would you like some of this sugar-air? I know it's not so satisfying as many other things, but the pleasure of the taste has worn thin. I prefer...other things, as well."
"I don't eat," he said simply, and shook his head. "What is your name, then, since you have me at a disadvantage?" It was amusing to him; he had created this carnival as a way to trick the audience, a way to allow his kindred dark souls to be themselves in public without sacrificing their sense of self... and it had become a magnet for everything dark in the world. If they didn't want to join up, then they'd heard of it through word of mouth. It both flattered and frightened.
"Pandora. Not the one that opened the box, though!" Another high, girlish laugh, and the demon-child brought the cotton candy back down, tearing off another piece.
"It's a wonderful thing, this place! So many lights and colors and sounds, so many stupid meat-suits just waiting to be picked off by someone like me. Not that I'm the only one of your entourage to do so...oh! Yes, I'd like to live here, please."
Arkady paused, then furrowed his brows. "Perhaps we should speak in private, then, Pandora," he said, keeping his tone noncommital. He had no problem admitting new people, and would do so until the carnival was bursting at the seams, but... a child who refered to humans as 'meatsuits' and discussed wanting to pick them off... it could only fare badly for them.
"Aw, you're thinking about turning me away." The girl pouted, a little, then poked Arkady in the stomach. "That's not very fair, you know, considering you've got werewolves and sirens and vampires like you. And a reaper! And a fallen angel...all these delightfully horrible things with you, and you're thinking about turning away a cute little girl?"
"You're much more than a cute little girl and we both know that," Arkady said stiffly, keeping his composure. "You smell of one of the circles. And while I have no objection to offering you a place here, there are rules, Pandora, rules every person here abides by."
The little girl arched an eyebrow. "Of course! Rules like 'don't go eating flesh where everyone can see you'. Don't cause panic or havoc or what-have-you...I like this place, silly vampire. Why would I want to hurt it?"
"Discretion is a massive part of what we do. We take care of our own needs, but we do so with a code. We look out for our own here. We are not merely a pack, we are a family to those who have none. If you can vow to abide these rules, and accept that my word is absolute law here, then perhaps we could find a place for you, Pandora."
The demon-girl laughed, quietly. "Silly, silly vampire. As long as I can have my fun, too, I don't care what the rules are. I'll follow them, of course! And I can't lie, you know. ...Though, I suppose saying that is pointless, because what if I was lying about not being able to lie?"
"You can have fun, you just have to behave yourself during the carnival hours. On our grounds," he told her with a shake of his head. "I'm well versed in trickery, my dear. Demons are nothing new to me."
"Seeing as you are one, of a sort..." Pandora giggled, and poked Arkady again. "Perhaps not from the bottom levels but you're not exactly a pure and virtuous little creature yourself."
"No, I am not. Nor do I masquerade as such. All I offer is decency and respect to any other monster in the night, lest our long lives be less lonely."
The demon's lips quirked up in a sardonic, slightly-bitter grin, and for a moment--just a moment--the childish front dropped. "I make you uncomfortable, don't I, Arkady? You're so very stiff."
"It's just... your vessel. You chose one so young," he said simply, offering her the same honesty he afforded everyone in turn. "It's disarming. Which I suppose is the point, and I'm sure it serves you well."
"She's so pretty. Isn't she?" Pandora smoothed her free hand over her little dress, then smiled up at the vampire. "And don't worry, she's not in here with me. I make sure they're empty. I don't like the competition, you know? Others think it's fun, but it just annoys me..."
"At least there's one good thing about the situation then," Arkady said truthfully, folding his inked arms over his chest. "What can you do? I'm sure it's an insult to you, but I can't exactly give you your own trailer... not in that form, anyway. People would think it more than a little strange."
"Of course not! I wouldn't expect my own trailer, considering I'm just a cute little girl. And I don't know! I'm adorable. I can be some sort of daring prop in a high-wire show, or a cute assistant to a magician, or...something." She gave the vampire a winning smile. "I'm sure you can find something for me to do..."
"...There's another demon who performs magic here, his name's Atticus," Arkady said after a brief pause. "You can talk to him yourself, convince him he needs an assistant. If he says no, then we'll find you something else. But you're too young to work anywhere legally... I do run this place legally, by the way. It has to pass muster when the humans come poking about."
Pandora's eyes lit up. "Another demon?? Really? How fantastic! I didn't know there was another one here. Of course I'll talk to him! I'm sure he'll help me..."
"Yeah, great, a pack of 'em runnin' around," Arkady grumbled, but it was amiable enough. "Maybe you can go around as his niece if anyone asks. You two are professional trickers, I'm sure you can figure out a way around the technicalities. One more thing, Pandora--- the fallen angel, Gar. Do you have any plans on provoking him?"
Pandora's eyes glinted, and she tilted her head as she looked up at the vampire. "Maybe just a little bit. Only in friendliness! Well. No. In malicious amusement."
"He's a fearsome thing when aggravated. I'm warning you," Arkady said calmly. "If you go after him of your own design, I will not interfere with his rebuke."
"Of course not, Mister vampire." Pandora giggled, but something blackly amused flashed in her face. "I wouldn't expect you to get involved in a friendly little squabble between family. That's what you're calling this, right?"
He wasn't sure he appreciated her mocking tone, or her obvious lack of respect, but he exhaled. "The first sign of trouble---and I mean real trouble, not mischief--- and I'll have you out of here, Pandora. Do you understand?"
The demon sobered up a little, and sighed. "I've already told you. I like this place. I've followed you through, what, three states now? Obviously I'm not going to go on some sort of wild spree just because I'm here now. Honestly...you have more to worry about from that loose cannon of a siren."
"You've just been... following and observing us?" he asked in surprise and a bit of unease. He didn't like that from a security aspect; he would talk to someone about it, see if they could reinforce their guard a bit more. "I'll handle the 'loose cannons' here."
"Don't you get bored, Arkady? Occasionally? I know you've been around a long time." Pandora sighed, and twirled a curl around her finger. "You were interesting. I liked watching."
"Of course boredom occurs. It's the way of life, things fall into a routine. I think you'll find it's hard to be bored around here, though," he said wryly. "Sometimes I long for boredom."
"Well, so can't you understand? And I haven't caused you any trouble yet, have I? If I'd wanted to destroy this place, don't you think I would have done it before I came to you?"
"No," he said honestly. "Some of the best attacks come stealthily and from within. Regardless. I will trust you on this, and we shall see how it pans out."
"Oh thank you!" Pandora wrapped her arms around Arkady's waist, and hugged him tightly, then smiled brightly at him. "So does this other demon perform every night?"
"He keeps a regular schedule, yes," Arkady said. "As I said, his name's Atticus... I imagine he won't be hard to find."
"Thank you, Mister Arkady! I won't let you down, I promise!" Pandora dimpled up at the vampire, then skipped away; she'd go find this Atticus, eventually. For now, just wandering around and peering into the tents was enough for her.