Freak Show

"I've only been here two hours-- but it's nice! I wasn't even supposed to come here, you know? I was being chased and I sort of... stumbled upon it. That human guy said I could stay if I had a talent, and god, that's stressing me out because I'm pretty talentless-- but I'll think of something. You said you were a juggler, right? I can see why," he grinned, deciding that he was going to attempt to be amusing and fun and just an all-round, run of the mill guy. He needed people on his side, to like him, just to avoid suspicion when it inevitably came... so if he had to constantly lie through his teeth and fake laugh upon laugh, he was going to.

And hell, he thought he was doing so excellently.

"You're really cool, you know? Maybe cool's not the right word, but... but I dunno, I'd love another set of arms, it'd be handy-- aha, handy. That was a totally accidental word choice, but it works perfectly, huh~? I'd gladly swap my horns for, like, two extra arms or another few eyes or something. I'm boring compared to you."
 
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"Oh, don't stroke my ego..." he replied quietly as his cheeks grew pink. "I mean, I'm okay. I have to admit, the extra hands are pretty nifty. I braided Cyan's hair pretty quickly with them, after all, and he looks pretty cute. The extra arms are a bit annoying when it comes to clothing, though. I mean, I have to cut holes in shirts most of the time, after all, and that's annoying. I could probably learn to sew properly, if I tried... "

Clearing his throat, the man awkwardly smiled as he stared at his hands, his lips pursing a tad. In the few days he had been in the small camp, he hadn't said more than five words to most of the other mutants. Cyan was an exception, only because he was so insistent on talking to Eliot, so it was obvious that the mutant was growing tired, in a sense.

"Your horns are really cool, let's just leave it at that. They're so detailed and neat, they almost look fake. Do you, like, shine then? I don't know how that all works, but hey."
 
"Cyan? That's that really annoying kid, ain't it? Honestly, I stepped one foot into this place and he just popped up out of nowhere and-- yeah, I'm not a huge fan. Like I said, I don't like loud people much. I can't hate him too much, though. He's just a kid, isn't he?" Shrugged the disguised human. Much like Cyan was mistaken for a girl most of the time, he was also frequently mistaken for some small kid. He was easily among the shortest mutants in the freak show, aside from the few children that were there, so, to those people that didn't spend much time with him and just glanced at him, he was seen to be a kid.

"I don't know, maybe I'm judging people too quickly-- but I decided already that I like you, you're nice. And hey, anyone who compliments me is a winner in my eyes," he laughed, offering a playful wink as he absently pushed hair from the fake horns. "These things? I don't know, I don't really take much care of them. No point, really. It's not like humans are going to suddenly love me if my horns are kept neat, you know?"
 
"I'm sure that humans would think they were cool with, like, flowers wrapped around them and whatnot. You look like a pretty masculine person, though, so you might think the whole idea is too girly..." he thought out loud as he pressed his hands to his chest, his pair of eyes really taking in the horns properly. He then pursed his lips anxiously before offering a halfhearted smile.

"Sorry, that sounds pretty intrusive. You can do whatever you want with your body, I guess. I still don't really know how we get paid or whatever, so maybe looking good doesn't even matter, yeah? I mean, I'm not the most attractive monster here and I've seen some coos from passing humans."
 
Monster?

If anything, that comment did make the human want to grin wide. He'd happily and unashamedly always referred to the mutants as monsters, because that was what they were, wasn't it? They weren't normal, they weren't right to look at, so sure, they were monsters.

And the fact they referred themselves as such was definitely a source of amusement, though he miraculously managed to keep his smile to the bare minimum. He was faintly aware that grinning and laughing for no good reason wasn't subtle at all.

"Well, you're cute, aren't you? I don't know, I'm not great at this sort of thing. I think everyone has good qualities. Everyone's cute to someone, aren't they?"
 
"You're right," Eliot replied quietly as he offered a smile of his own. Shifting in his seat a tad, he shot a nervous glance to Cyan in hopes to get some sort of supportive thumbs up or something, though was faced with the reality of the other unsubtly rubbing against the Chef and giggling. Turning away, he faced 'Jaden' reluctantly.

"Oi, so... what was your purpose for coming here again? You said you were chased here, right? By who? Humans? That's unfortunate, really. No one should be ran out of their home. I came here thinking everything would be fun and nice, a-and while I'm glad to have proper shelter, this isn't the paradise I was told."
 
"Chased-- oh yeah, I was chased. Gang of humans, you know what it's like. I thought I was pretty tough, but that doesn't count of anything when you're outnumbered by seven or eight burly big guys, you know? It's really not an issue-- this is nice, I like it here. What's wrong with it?" He inquired with a genuine bit of curiosity, going as far as to lean in with his head rested on his hand. After all, this was why he came here in the first place - to learn all about how the place was run and to report back to the other city circus, either with good tips for the other place to steal and use, or criticisms they could use to tarnish this circus' reputation.

Either way, he wanted to learn how things went down here, and if Eliot had any information, he definitely wanted to hear it. Besides, it also had the facade of making him seem friendly and interested in Eliot as a person, and while he genuinely wasn't, he needed it to be believed.
 
"I mean, I dunno. Just - It's crowded, you know? It's crowded and it's loud, I'm not a big fan of that. Not to mention, I wasn't expecting to be living in a tent, y'know? I was thinking I was going to have a chance to be on-level with humans, you know? Make some income, buy my own stuff... but nah. Instead, I get to work for free and never be able to be on par with other people."

With a sigh, he stared off for a moment in thought before blinking back into focus. Offering an unsubtly feigned smile, he shrugged dismissively as he held his head in a hand.

"It's whatever, I'm just a bit of a downer, I guess. Some people love it here, which is cool. I just... had it better before."
 
"You had it better? I thought mutants like y-- like us had crappy lives, that's why we went to places like this? I know some of us got gigs as servants, but... you seriously had a good life? So what happened--"

Before he could finish his intrigued question, Cyan bundled forth into the scene and plopped himself down on the other side of Eliot. He did have a habit of being in the right place at the right time, and he did save Eliot the trouble of explaining what he had meant by a 'better' place... or at least saving him the awkward explanation that he may not want to talk about it. Either way, Cyan's arrival cut all talk of that topic off, the boy leaning onto the table with a wide and self-satisfied grin.

"Did 'ya see me with Chef-- or Dylan, he said only I can call him Dylan. He said my flowers were super cute, y'know? And-- And I, like, pushed up close to him and he didn't push me away! He was cooking with hot pans and he just smirked at me and let me do that and he kinda did it back and it was sooo good," he purred, leaning on his hand and sighing happily, casting one final, dreamy glance at the chef before turning his attention back on his friend. "You two getting on alright, then?"
 
"... We're doing fine, yeah," Eliot replied quietly as he tried to hide the disappointment in his voice. "I mean, it's okay. I'm not really hungry, to be honest - can you have my food if either of you wants it..." he offered weakly as he began to get to his feet, taking in a heavy breath as he did. In a way, he was glad Cyan had interrupted since he was probably only a few words closer to wanting to shoot himself.

"It was nice talking to you, Jaden, but I'm going to take a nap. Um... If you ever want to, like, talk to me, I'll be in the tent by the stage? Cyan is a better talker, though, so you'll be fine."
 
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"You're gonna go? I... hey, do you want me to come with you? Course you do, duh. We'll eat in the tent, that's fine. The boss doesn't care where we eat, as long as we eat, you know? He says we need to eat or we'll pass out on stage. It doesn't stop me throwing my guts up each night, mind you," babbled Cyan, inviting himself along as he pushed himself up from the seat and prepared to trail back alongside the other mutant. He didn't really acknowledge that the other might want to be alone - he saw Eliot as a friend, and friends hung out, didn't they?

"...Did you like Jaden, then? I thought he was real nice, I thought you'd get along-- unless he said something mean. I'll beat his ass if he said somethin' cruel. I'm small but I can defend myself. Failing that, I'll set my wolves on him~"
 
"He was nice, yeah. Something's off about him, though. Like, he didn't seem to really pay much attention until I mentioned how I got here. Once I told him that, he immediately got curious. I know I'm not the most wild and out-there type of guy, but... I dunno, maybe I'm just looking too far into this," he babbles nervously in response as he wandered towards his tent, biting his lip until it bled.

"I'm just not meant to make friends here, I guess. That's okay, though, right? I've got you, sort of, so that's someone... this guy, though - he seems real interesting."
 
"What do you mean you have me, sort of? You have me, that's it! We're, like, good buddies, I think. Who else braids my hair and who else doesn't tease me? I mean, I get that people are joking, but hell, it's real annoying when they ask me to reach stuff they know full well I can't reach. You don't tease me like that, you're a real sweetheart and I'm totally here for you," he beamed, collapsing happily back onto the bed besides Rusty who hadn't moved an inch since he'd left her, though that wasn't too worrying - the fact he could hear her low growls as she slept was enough to convince him that she was still alive and kicking.

"...Hey, I don't think he's odd. He's just interested in you and this place. Maybe he has the hots for you? You are dreamy, you know? You have this handsome thing going on, I definitely see it. I'd have happily flirted with you if you didn't seem like you were made of glass when you first got here. I didn't want to annoy you so I sort of held back from gushing about how lovely your eyes were~"
 
"He doesn't have the hots for me, and you shouldn't have the hots for me. You're getting pretty close to the chef, right? He looks like the type of person who would be upset if he saw you flirting with someone else," he insisted, though he couldn't help but have his cheeks grow full beetroot at the idea. He tried to shake it off, though, and instead offered a snort.

"I mean 'sort of' because you seem like such a good friend with everyone else, you know? I don't want to peel away your time with them just because I want attention. Just... I dunno, the whole idea of dating someone isn't my forte, you know? I've already tried the dating scene and it never seems to work out for me."
 
"Oh, do you think Chef's kinda like the rough, protective sort who'd get mad? I mean, I'd love that! Not that I'm going to purposely upset him 'cos that's fucking horrible, but I wouldn't mind him, like, scooping me up in his big, tough arms and throwing me on his bed or something... A guy can dream, I guess," he snorted, far from being embarrassed about talking about his desires and what he wanted from a guy. He was well known to chat openly about sex and romance and the like - it was just one of his many, many favourite conversation topics.

"But you are cute! I dunno, there's just something about you that makes me all, you know, hot under the collar. But hey, we can hang as friends too, it's not awkward," shrugged the blue mutant as he stretched out on the bed, raking his clawed fingers as gently as he could through the fur on his tail.
 
"That's really sweet of you, Cyan," he reassured quietly as he carefully moved to pet the aging fox beside him. It took him a moment to really relax, compared to how easy it was for the other mutant, and it was his tent. It didn't matter, though. Hell, Eliot could be in a room full of innocent kittens and he'd still be a bit nervous upon meeting them... only to fall in love with them immediately and scoop them all up in his arms.

"You're so confident in yourself, I'm jealous," he continued casually as he eventually sank into his bed, his eyes closing. "You're so forthcoming, I'm surprised there hasn't been a line of guys just offering you their hand in marriage," he teased.
 
"Some people think my confidence is off-putting, I suppose. Everyone likes me, I know that. Everyone's a family here, but that doesn't mean a lot of the men here will find me attractive. I've literally found a diamond in the chef. He was reciprocating my affection and he got a little touchy with me, I think. His hand was definitely wandering down my hip, it was... yeah, I don't think I mistook that. I really like him, so everyone can stop worrying about me flirting with them now. Besides you. You're such a cutie that I don't think I'm able to stop flirting with you," purred the mutant, winking unsubtly to show that he was just being playful. Sure, if the other was open to it, he'd happily cuddle close and flirt with him all day long... but he wasn't going to make anyone feel uncomfortable. He was considerate like that - he just wasn't a mind reader and needed to be told if he was coming on too strong.
 
"I'm flattered," he replied, offering a smile as he set an arm on his forehead, sighing heavily. All the talk of falling in love with conventionally attractive men was starting to just make him sad, if he were to be honest, as was evident by his slow frown. He tried to hide it by pursing his lips, though, to at least offer Cyan a chance to enjoy himself.

"I've always wanted a proper person, you know? I've had a few, uh... boyfriends, but none of them worked out. I would kill to find a guy who cared about me and actually wanted me for more than just my body. That won't happen, though, and I know it, s-so..."
 
"And you're way too, like, insecure. You have every reason to be confident! You just have to believe in yourself a little, that's all," said the mutant cheerfully.
 
"You're sweet," he replied, his tone a bit dismissive as he peaked one of his four eyes open to take in the small man. Reveling in the quiet that followed, Eliot eventually offered to fix the braid carefully.

"... do you think you'll ever be able to leave here? I mean, how long have you been here?" He questioned curiously, all the while moving to push a strand of hair away. "I mean, you could find a sugar daddy real quick."
 
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