Gehenna's Circus (Sen and Hana)

[Hana]

Sitting elegantly one on of the crates at the edges of the clearing was the redhaired man, who tapped his chin with his pointer finger thoughtfully and nodded at Daruxel. Kasimir's eyes had shone with an unreadable emotion as the little fire demon spouted out large, angry orange-red flames, burning the crates of wood and the bags to crisps. The fire was unmistakably potent, even more than normal fire, but then again the child was a demon. He was more amused and interested when Phynex had begun spitting out rings of fire, which floated outward from him in glowing, flickering rings that ebbed into smoke and dispersed. "Children do so adore those shapes," the man finally murmured, chuckling lightly at the one-eyed creature.

He stood up in one fluid movement, stalking over to where the little demon stood in the center of the clearing. The camp was spacious, stretched out over an empty piece of land that hovered along the edges of a forest. There was no sign of civilization outside of the camp's boundaries, the city where Phynex had been taken from long disappeared, not even a far-away silhouette in the distances. Despite the bright sunlight, pouring down golden on the camp, and the lively, grassy areas sometimes found around the tents, the camp was surprisingly silent. Phynex was taken away from where the other children would have trained, if he had been closer to those tents he would have heard the noises of everyday life for those kids.

"But I remember quite clearly that his father was capable of miraculous shapes. Structures made out of fire, made to move as if they were alive. Little red flowers as well, now wouldn't that be a treat for our audiences?" Kasimir turned to Daruxel. "He should be able to make more than these fire rings if we make him learn. And he will, no matter how long it takes." He glanced at the child, shrugging lightly. "For now, just train him to control his fire and contain it, Daruxel. Otherwise he'll probably starve long before he can even carve a place for himself in this family."

He turned to leave the clearing, walking towards the gap among the circle of crates. Just as he was about to leave Phynex to the tentacled creature, he paused. "And little Phynex, how was your first night here? You were next to our lovely little Selene, weren't you?" A knowing look over his shoulder, Kasimir smirked. "And perhaps a few extra rolls of bread, since you don't seem all that hungry this morning despite getting no breakfasts. I will let this go, for now, since she is such a sweet girl after all..."

"But she's not like you, so don't talk to her. I doubt she would even look at you when you see her again." With that, the man walked off, leaving the two in the clearing surrounded by crates. Phynex would have to prove himself capable of feeding himself in the next weeks, if he learned to control his fire enough to cook his own food. What better motivator was there, other than the promise of hunger if he failed? What would follow, for this young and unfortunate demon, would be the most trying weeks of his life. A dreary existence marked by being forcefully - or startlingly - roused awake from his cell, depending on whether it was Daruxel or Red, trying to cook his meals that were often some small and unfortunate animals, like a rabbit or a squirrel, sometimes a fish, and training his fire all day. Daruxel was a rather casual-spoken teacher, but he made sure to push the boy hard. There was no room for slacking off in this place if Phynex wanted even slightly better living conditions.

And it would be two weeks later until he would even again see the first child he had met in the circus. The pale girl he had seen in the cage, the lamplight emphasizing the thinness of her features, never appeared at the common feeding area like the other children did. It was as if she was a ghost that only appeared to him that first night. She was not spoken of, she was not mentioned. Then again, the fire demon was kept away from the other kids.

 

[Mu]

It unsettled Phynex to know that Kasimir knew his father and that they had targeted him because of it. He had no father to protect him anymore, nor his mother who had died with him. He grew up afraid, and he used to have nightmares about being taken away and sold off as a slave or something horrible like the stories he used to hear the other children whisper about. He looked at the red-haired demon dead in the eye, trying to not to look the least bit intimidated by his looming figure. "How do you know my father?" Phynex dared himself to ask Kasimir, even though he knew the monster was probably not going to answer him with the way his golden eyes looked at him as if he was just an item that could be tossed away at a moment's notice.

The fire demon felt a shudder run through his very bones at the man's next words. Was he aware this whole time that Selene had given him some of her bread? His defiant expression never waved, locking eyes with the beast in front of him even with his hurtful words. He recalled not seeing her sitting with the other children during breakfast, so that must mean she either had it elsewhere or she was locked up again away from the cell she had spent a month in before. Despite her being a stranger, he worried for her. Was she one of his favourites? Phynex shivered, even though the camp was quite warm, he never wanted to be the favourite child of such a creep.

For the next two weeks, he followed the same routine over and over. He would be roused by Red, who would take him to breakfast. Kasimir left him something every day, whether it be another adorable bunny or a small chicken or a fish sitting in a large fishbowl for him to catch and kill. Over the next few days, Phynex no longer gagged as he himself decapitated the animals and drained them of their blood, his face determined to learn these 'life skills'. As an orphan, one day he might be able to escape, and then he could learn how to survive out in the wild! Secretly, he considered these to be games and free lessons. He learnt how to pluck all the feathers, scale the fish, separate the organs and silently listened to Red point out which of the innards could be eaten and what could not be. It was easier to clean and dress everything, and soon he could do it a little more confidently without instruction or help. Now knowing the intensity of his flames, he preferred to cook it much slower with gentler flames, blowing embers onto the pink flesh and rotating it. It took much longer, but now he was getting and cooking his own breakfast, lunch and dinner.

While Red taught him how to cook for himself, Daruxel was his trainer when it came to wielding fire. Surprisingly, the one eyed demon was not in the fire's favor like Phynex thought he would be, only teaching him through what immense knowledge he had. Making shapes was impossible without control, so they had to focus on that first. The fire demon listened diligently during these 'free lessons' as he learnt how to control the temperature to a soaring blazing flame to a gentle warmth. This would be useful once he escapes as well. It was the only thought that pushed him forward, after all. By the end of the second week, he had managed to impress Daruxel with more than just circles. Different shapes and with sharper angles... but nothing too complex yet.

 

[Hana]

The time eventually came when the one-eyed creature deemed Phynex a little more capable, and a little more fit to be presented to Kasimir once again. Daruxel seemed pleased, sharing these new developments with Red, who was more than eager to clap her hands in a show of glee for the fire demon. Murmurs were made about giving the fire demon a small 'treat' for his good behavior, though the two were more than just aware of the bright blaze of determination in the boy's eye. He still had his sights set on escaping, and that was something they had to take care of for another day. For now, Phynex was capable of more complex shapes than the basic rings of fire. It was already much more than what most of their more experienced former fire breathers and tricksters were capable of.

His quality of life regarding his meals had gradually improved in the course of two weeks. From more often than not ending up with a charred mess of his 'meal' sitting in front of him, he learned how to gradually cook meats. The meals he got from Kasimir were more often than not small, helpless animals that were for easy pickings, though the ringmaster had reminded him that one day he might eventually eat the same rations as the other children. If he even wanted those same foods, when the children had sometimes looked at the roasted strips of rabbit or fish that Phynex had with envy. Most of the time the soups Daruxel served were watered down, just boiled vegetables and meat, sometimes a stew put together from meats that were of uncertain origin. There had to be someone capable of baking, or making bread, among Kasimir's people, for the same small and meager bread rolls were more often than not the staple food for the children.

On the day marking his fifteenth day at this place, things were slightly different as evening approached. After Daruxel had let Phynex exhaust his energy creating flames for the day, barely anything left to cook food for himself. The one-eyed demon had ordered Phynex to go and wash himself before even coming to eat, and left him to be walked over to the same bathing area he had first washed himself by Red. The sun had set when the lamps were lit up around the area with the tables and small crates, children already lined up at their tables. Phynex, as always, sat at the lonely table where no other children sat.

The other children were more or less already used to ignoring Phynex, or at least most of them were. Some still cast him envious looks, or strange ones. They all carried their own chairs to their respective places before lining up in front of Daruxel. A steaming pot of soup carried over a more different scent than usual; something that made the children more eager to get their foods as they glanced at each other nervously. The hunger was clear on their faces as the first child walked back to his table with a steaming bowl of stew, but they held themselves still with some struggle. But their hunger grew more pronounced as they looked off to something that hadn't been at the dining area in the two weeks the fire demon had been there.

Oddly, it was Red who came to give Phynex's 'food' this time. She left the squirming bag on Phynex's table, before standing still. "It looks like Kasimir wants to dine with you and our friends here! How nice~ He also decided to take her out again?"

It was a round table that was covered with a pristine white cloth, set off to the head of the lines of wooden tables. Two chairs were sitting across from each other on opposite sides, markedly different from the shambled crate-seats the other children had. These chairs were of carved and sturdy wood, with red cushions on the seats and the backs. On the table, at the center, sat a glass bauble with an open top, a candle burning within, protected from the cold winds by the glass. The flames danced merrily, casting lights on the white cloth of the table. And, spread out around the lamp on the table were plates showing foods that were very different from what the children and Phynex had.

A whole roasted wild bird, large enough to feed a family of four, dripped with syrup and was surrounded by herbs on a round white plate. On another, piled on top of each other were golden, fluffy-looking bread rolls that were brushed with butter and cream. There was a large bowl of soup, of a creamy white consistency as if like milk and cream mixed with something savory.

It was torture to the children, clearly enough, especially some of the hungrier-looking ones. Red and Daruxel seemed unperturbed by this, and the children looked too frightened to even dare take one step to the lone white table.

That was, until the ringmaster showed up. Clad in his usual fanciful suit and ornate waistcoat, a rose pinned to the lapel, Kasimir's hair was for once tied back at the nape of his neck. He would have looked charming to the children and Phynex, if they hadn't already known what cruelties he was capable of. A smile flashed pearly white teeth at the children, but his golden eyes shone with clear disinterest as he looked at them. His stare only glowed with cheer as he looked down at the girl who stood stationary at his side, his fingers wrapped around her wrist.

For the first time in more than a month, and in two weeks for Phynex, Selene stood visible to the other children in the circus. Her disheveled appearance from before was gone, the ashen-gray disappearing from her hair to reveal a brilliant, shining white. Like the fancily dressed man who held her wrist captive, the girl was dressed in silks. A dark blue silk ribbon stood out from the whiteness of her skin, wrapped snugly around her neck in an elaborate bow. Her dress was of a similar dark shade, making her paleness stand out all the more. The month spent in a cage hadn't done favors to her health, even now still clear in the thinness of her limbs, though the gauntness had disappeared from her features.

Her eyes never once looked in the other children's direction as the redhaired man smiled and pulled her along by the wrist to the white table, her expression frozen into stillness. Kasimir, once they reached the table, pulled out one chair. She wordlessly sat down, before the ringmaster bent down low to whisper something in her ear. His eyes strayed over to Phynex, and he flashed him a toothy smile.

 

[Mu]

After another bath in that dark tent, again with Red's basket being left with him to 'keep an eye on him' - whatever that meant - Phynex returned to the dining area for his dinner in the shapeless gray overalls he was now required to wear. The water was always left cold for the fire demon, but it was easy enough to warm it up with his hands, making Phynex wonder if this was just another test that Red and Daruxel set for him. Over the course of the two weeks he was proud of what he had managed to achieve. The fire demon wasn't trying to impress anyone in particular, but there was a nice warmth that came with the approval of his multi-limb teacher. Like he had finally managed to surprise him with something. Daruxel was a patient enough teacher, but he could force him to practice until the heat inside of him was burning dangerously low, only then was he given something to drink and a few minutes of rest.

That was why Phynex looked forward to the meals after. He was hungry and thirsty enough, and he was ready for whatever animal Kasimir had decided to sacrifice to him tonight. He walked up the crate where he normally left the bag, but was confused when he saw that there was nothing there. With a tap on his shoulders and an audible giggle, Phynex turned around to see Red holding a small bag that still wriggled. From the way the animal struggled inside, out of rhythm, he deduced it was some sort of fish again. The young demon was just about to reach inside to grab his dinner when he turned in the direction of where Red was pointing at, blinking as the murmurs of the children subsided.

Kasimir appeared from around the corner, dressed fancily like he was an upper class man from the cities. And beside him was the small figure of Selene. Phynex blinked at her again, rubbing his eyes as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. She looked... different. Brighter, like the moon, her hair as white as paper and her skin much cleaner. Her eyes were less dead and tired and shone like amethysts, but he noted that she was pointedly avoiding looking at everyone else in the clearing. They approached the table near the front of the 'mess hall', where a fine display of dishes had been set out, the smell of seasoned and properly roasted wild bird reaching Phynex's nose. He didn't even pay much notice to the addition, too focused on the thought of his own dinner, but he could see how the children were turning their heads in its direction, licking their lips but almost too afraid to approach. And now he knew why.

As Kasimir helped Selene into her seat, the little girl beside him nudged his shoulders. "You want some, don't you?" she giggled, looking down at one of the fish he had managed to retrieve from the bag. She had managed to catch some small river fish, but decided it was too harsh to serve just one. After all, he had improved so much since the day he had arrived. Phynex shook his head, "No, it's fine. I don't think my stomach can handle it anyway," he said after a moment of silence, his voice lowered and somewhat sad. The pale girl didn't even shoot a glance at him. Was Kasimir really telling the truth? She would't ever want to look at him? But... he wanted to be friends with the girl who helped him.

"Don't be shy," Red said. "Don't lie to yourself either. Look, Mr. Kasimir is inviting us over. Let's go talk, shall we~? You can go talk to your little friend as well~" she chuckled, grabbing him by the shoulders and slowly but forcibly pushing him towards the table. No matter how hard he pushed back, Red was like a brick wall, refusing to budge despite being the same size as him. The last thing he wanted was to upset the monster, everything little thing could tick him off, he had managed to learn that much. And she seemed too close to Kasimir for comfort, he almost treated her like some jeweled item. But before he could even attempt to make an escape, Red had already managed to push him up to the table, much to his surprise. "Good evening, Mr. Kasimir." Red's voice was as cheerful as ever. "Phynex here seemed very interested, so I brought him over~" she chuckled.

"H- Hello..." he murmured, not sure himself who it was far. Was it for Selene? Or Kasimir? He dared himself to look at her in the eye, glancing upwards at the gem-like eyes she had.

 

[Hana]

Kasimir was playing one of his games again, and Selene knew it.

Sitting here, at this elaborate dinner spread out on a pristine white table, the white-haired girl averted her eyes from the wickedly gleaming ones that bore into the side of her face. Those eyes weren't the only eyes she could feel piercing her form, even as she sat at this table. Many other eyes were blinking and staring at her from small childish faces, smudged slightly with dirt and clear hunger showing in the way they licked their lips. How many times had she sat on a night like this, the girl idly wondered, casting a dispassionate stare at the sumptuous dinner that Kasimir had set out on the table. It was always his way of 'carrot and stick', alternating between his rather neglectful punishments and his rewards.

"You know I can't eat most of this," the softly voiced, resigned murmur finally came, her eyes lowered to her lap. Resting there were her hands, the mark of this man's fingers still standing out on one fragile-boned wrist. She had grown almost used to the sheer physicality of their relationship sometimes, the way he tried to loom over her with his height and his presence. Always her redhaired shadow trailing her footsteps whenever he let her out of her gilded cage, her room, a room which she had never wanted for even when she first stepped foot in this hellish place he called his traveling home.

All of it, those children's eyes that scorched into the back of her head or into her face whenever she was out in plain view, the trusted circus members' knowing and uncaring eyes that merely looked over her but dismissed the way Kasimir treated her, and Kasimir himself, had started blurring together as the days passed. Reward and punishment. His pleasure or his displeasure towards her, conveyed through moments of prolonged hunger and isolation, clashing with the days where he tried to buy her love - or something akin to it - with pretty baubles and candlelit dinners.

Selene so dearly wanted to rest sometimes, but she didn't even have the luxury of that in her supposed 'very own room'. Now that she had recovered from that month-long punishment, he had begun working her again. Her body still ached in places, a muscle pulled or stretched too far, a heaviness in her shoulders, the burn in her thighs and calves. Balancing on her arms, balancing on a narrow pole, running laps during the mornings when the sun hadn't even risen yet. And through it all she had to bear it with stone-cold silence, and an empty-eyed stare. Because her reactions tended to land her in further trouble or fascination from him. Sometimes she wondered if the envious, hungry looking children who looked at her even knew what kind of things he put her through. He never left a permanent mark on her, he was smart enough to do that. And she was now marked out as the ringmaster's favorite because of this.

"But your nice little friend is here. Remember him, that little demon boy next to your cage?" That treacherous whisper again in her ear, his breathe blowing against her skin and causing an unpleasant shudder down her back. Selene barely managed to stifle it, but her eyes widened slightly at his words, before she almost looked over at the children's tables. "Yes, him. He's managed to survive so long, and I think he's going to stay~ You probably thought he wouldn't, didn't you?" Kasimir chuckled, patronizingly almost, as he reached out to pet her head. "You shouldn't be so pessimistic at a young age, my dear."

Two weeks.

He had hung on for two weeks. Selene's lips twitched, some unidentifiable emotion rippling through her and causing her chest to tighten. She wasn't certain of what the feeling was, what she felt that some child after her had now survived and would seemingly become a permanent addition. Should she be happy that he survived, or should she mourn for this boy now that Kasimir planned on keeping him here? At any rate, she barely had any time to get a handle on what she felt before she looked up and her stare connected with surprised, and hurt brown eyes.

Why did he look so upset? What had she ever done to him?

Selene stared, face frozen in an unreadable look as she gazed at him from across the table. He was either greeting her, or the man who stood behind her chair. But he was looking directly at her, and she didn't know what to do. She racked her memories for her encounter with this boy - Phynex, she reminded herself, he has a name, have you forgotten how to respect other children now - and only came up with a rather bleak memory of a night spent in cold. Yet... She remembered that he had given her some of his soup, and she remembered how even after she had turned away from him his gaze seemed to remain locked onto her shivering body under her blankets that night.

"Ah, little Phynex! I heard you have been doing well from Daruxel, so maybe you can sit and dine with me and little Selene for tonight~" Kasimir broke the silence with a wink from behind her, causing her to let out a withheld breath. With the man's cheerful and amiable words, dripping with honey and false kindness, it was as if her heart had restarted. She broke her gaze from Phynex's and looked off to the side.

"... Good evening, Phynex." Finally, a low, hesitant murmur, toneless as she flicked purple eyes at him for a moment before looking away again. She knew how it must have looked, sitting at this fine table when children were hungrily watching while eating only bread and soup for meals. While she, who was dressed in fine clothing, was treated with 'warmth' by the ringmaster. He should have barely recognized her from the night where they both sat in cages, her hair then had been so dusty it had been tinted gray and now it shone a pearlescent white. There was a hint of color to her pale face, lips and cheeks no longer so pale and colorless, and her eyes, which had looked dead weeks before, now shone slightly in a deep violet with hints of blue. "Please sit with us."

"Yes, do sit~" Gesturing nonchalantly with a wide sweep of his arm, Kasimir stepped away from his place behind her chair and smiled down at the young demon. Almost imperceptibly, Selene relaxed in her chair now that the man's hands were no longer resting on the back of her chair, and she sighed quietly. What is he playing at? She glanced at Phynex with a passing frown before looking away. Why was Kasimir letting this boy sit with her? Had her help two weeks ago cast some unfortunate attention on this boy? Horror briefly shot through her at the idea of causing something like that to this Phynex, she had already done enough. She couldn't look into his eyes while knowing she had possibly just caused a series of unfortunate events to befall him, simply because she had been too exhausted and cold that night to turn down his help.

 

[Mu]

"Sit and dine with you?" he repeated. His eyes didn't light up at the invitation. The bird looked well seasoned, but he himself wasn't used to salt and pepper on his meat, not after eating nothing but plain grilled fishes and small chickens. Though it did look very appetizing, Phynex couldn't help but be suspicious. Kasimir was not someone that coul be trusted, not even a little bit. He was the ringmaster, and seeing the way he was treating the children here was wrong. Placing such a fanciful feast in front of the children he had come to know as survivors that powered through must what be horrendous days. The fire demon was lucky he was getting his fill while they fed on bread and watery soup. It wasn't like he didn't notice the way some of them cried and some of them glared at him in envy, if he was allowed to feed any of the meat to them he would have, but that was impossible under the watchful eyes of Red and Daruxel.

"No, thank you." He said, shaking his head. He looked back at the table where the bag sat untouched, one of the fish sitting lifeless on top. He had enough to go through the day, the last thing he wished was to attract more attention. The atmosphere the mess hall created whenever he walked in with fresh meat coming from the children was choking, just like the nights he spent much too near gangs that littered the streets. Some of them looked with malice while others simply ignored him. Phynex took a step back, wanting to return to his seat as if nothing happened. But Red, the small girl who barred his way, did not budge. "Don't be rude now, Phynex~ Mr. Kasimir and little Selene is offering you a seat!" she said with an eerie smile that made Phynex sweat and gulp.

With nowhere to run, he hauled himself onto one of the seats, daring himself to look at Kasimir and wait for his reaction. Selene's reaction to his greeting wasn't as happy as he had expected. Did she not recognize him? They only shared one night together, and even then she had turned away from him. He suppressed a sigh, wondering what was going through her mind. What did she feel about being put in the spotlight like this in front of the others? And... his eyes flickered to her and then back to the red-haired man. What was their relationship? And more importantly, why was she looking away like he didn't exist?

 

[Hana]

Smart thinking.

Selene didn't look at him, despite hearing the hesitation in his voice. It really was a smart thought on his part, considering turning down an offer from her and Kasimir to sit with them at this table. He probably already felt the burn of the other children's gazes on his back, standing close to the table with foods that the others could never hope to touch anytime soon. Yes, he would be better off sitting far away from her and her shadow. Unfortunately, things weren't quite as simple as either she or he could have wished for, and Kasimir and Red weren't to be deterred. A shift, a nervous gulp that was audible, and then she found herself faced with another child at the other end of the table.

He was sweating, the clear droplets visible on the sides of his face in the flickering lamplight. She looked away before he could realize she was taking momentary glances at him. There was no need for him to know anything about her, about Selene, while he stayed in this circus. Any personal interest was absolutely forbidden to her, perhaps not truly dictated by Kasimir, but she didn't want bringing anyone else into his grasp like he had over her. But he must be pretty special. What kind of demon is he? She mulled over that thought silently, before she dared to look in Kasimir's direction.

He was smiling, as he always was, and he always will be when he was with her. Kasimir never stopped smiling at her, or for her, even when she made him angry. "You two should eat, the food will get cold~" Her gaze abruptly dropped, disrupting the connection formed between their eyes as she turned to the table. Selene took a deep breath, her eyes never once straying to Phynex. She didn't look at him, or at the children, or at Kasimir as she grabbed the silver fork and knife. Her appetite was shot to null, sitting before all these children, but if she felt any of it, nothing showed on her face as she accepted the portion of roast bird onto her plate. The redhaired man served it to her with an odd sort of kindness, or reverence, or whatever it was he thought he bestowed on her.

"You will eat, or this would be a waste." Her cold voice punctuated the silence that hung between her and Phynex, even as she lifted a forkful of flavorful meat. "You don't want these children to think you're wasting your chance, do you?" Each word was harsh, and cutting, like glass shards that could cut into him. "As it is, I have no appetite and I certainly have none sitting here with you." The words tasted like ashes in her mouth, but she forced them out in a cold, clear voice, enunciating herself slowly even as she pretended he didn't exist in front of her.

 

[Mu]

He raised his eyebrows at her. What a strange girl. Just two weeks ago she seemed friendly enough, at least she didn't talk to him in such a cold tone. It hurt him to hear such harsh words, a blow to what warmth he had inside of him. Phynex blinked at her with genuine surprise before his expression was masked over with indifference. The circus was never a place full of good memories in the first place, what did he expect? The young fire demon sighed, looking at Red who offered an encouraging smile. "Just a little bite then, since I'm ruining her appetite," he murmured quietly to Kasimir before sitting himself down on the chair opposite the girl, the eyes of the other children glaring at the side of his face. But just like they did, he learned to ignore his surroundings so he could focus more on himself and how to get out of here.

His hooded teacher cut off a small slab of the wild bird and served it to the fire demon, a beaming and unnatural smile on her face. Phynex was glad that before his father passed he was taught table manners, but of course this was going to be the first time he used it in a while. Normally he devoured whatever Kasimir gave him to roast with his bare hands, covered in the natural oil that secreted from the animal as it cooked and washed in a bucket of water before heading off the practice. Life was slowly settling in, and the only thing he seemed to enjoy was eating and training. Sleeping in the cold cage with a thin blanket, sometimes he did think about the strange pale girl in the cage. She was nice to him even though he was a stranger, however... his eyes flickered to her. Now the young demon didn't know what to think. But Kasimir... what on earth was he doing to her? That personality change was just not possible. He felt sorry for her even though the fire demon didn't know her story, but what he saw was enough. Tucking the napkin into the shapeless overalls and with a knife and fork he let his mind guide his hands to dine in the most respectful and cleanest way possible. The wild bird was delicious and tender, flavoured with all sorts of spices and seasonings, far too rich for the young fire demon's tastes.

 

[Hana]

The tension between the two children could have been cut through with a knife, with a young boy who looked at a young girl with hurt and surprise in his eyes. Selene still didn't dare to look, not even for one second, after she had uttered such things harshly to the undeserving boy. She hated herself for having to resort to such cruelty, or even having to resort to such cruelty at all. Her eyes only narrowed momentarily, the light in her eyes simmering down to forced indifference as she heard his words. It looked like her words had worked on him, after all. 'Just a little bite, then, since I'm ruining her appetite.' The indifference in his voice led the girl to believe that it had, and the snark she could sense underlying his last words made her hide the minute twitch to the corner of her lips. Without anything else said between them, she laid the napkin on her lap, and began what was one of the stranger dinners she had since coming here.

She went through the motions of eating mechanically, looking none too eager to even eat anything on the table. The food was too rich, the bird too spiced. It caused the vaguest stirrings of nausea to disturb her stomach, causing her to eat slowly. And she didn't want to stay here longer than she had to. Kasimir's amused chuckle at the scene before him was very telling of what he thought of her words to the boy, who she could see from her peripheral vision was also beginning to eat.

The redhaired man's eyes remained on her for the entire time, barely even sparing Phynex a glance. Selene could feel it. No matter how much he did it... She didn't think she could ever stop the dread, dropping like a dead weight in her stomach. Grabbing her glass of water, she sipped at the cold liquid, feeling it slide down her throat and calm her, if only slightly. She risked a glance to the side, only to be met with the burning, hungry stares of the other children. Her eyes connected with a pale blue, the only face in the crowd that didn't seem too angry at her. Then she saw the rest of the boy's features, the way his eyes were dulled with exhaustion. He was all but slumped on the table, even as he locked eyes with her and then it just became too much to look at him.

She was also aware of the way the boy across the table watched things. Selene wondered what he thought of her at the same time she told herself not to care. It shouldn't have mattered, either way. He helped her, once. And she helped him, once. It was just a transaction, she didn't need to feel the beginnings of guilt. Why should she?

"Are you alright, my dear? You look a little pale." Cool fingers curled under her chin with a deceptive gentleness, tilting her head upwards and sideways. Selene swallowed slightly, meeting golden eyes that looked at her intently. His touch still made her tense as she awaited worse things than simply tilting her head upwards.

Her voice remained steady as she closed her eyes, despite her instincts screaming at her not to close her eyes to someone like him. A trickle of cold sweat ran down her temple as she gingerly nodded, feeling his fingers caress her skin. "Really? Is the food not to your liking?" His tone was mild and sweet, as if a parent talking to a child. Kasimir seemed to bend down beside her, taking the fork from her hand, prying it from her lax fingers. She hardly noticed the other children by now, much less the newest addition. All her focus was on Kasimir, just the way he liked it... I'm so pathetic. He pressed a piece of overly rich food against her mouth, and at the minute tightening of his hold on her she let him feed her, opening her lips slightly. "You were always so sickly, you make me worry sometimes, Selene. You should finish your plate," he chastised her softly.

 

[Mu]

He began to cut into his roast more viciously, ignoring the scene in front of him. He tried his best to keep his head down, forcing the food down his throat and paying no attention to the rising sickness in his stomach. There was simply too much on the meat and too big of a transition between this rich, fatty food - the bird was obviously well fed - and the simple game he was given from Kasimir. Plain roasted meat compared to the overflavoured, herb and spice infused meat? It was a difficult task to even keep it down.

Feeling awkward, he cleared his throat. Pretending that he was parched, he reached for a glass of water and took a sip, using the chance to let his eyes roam free. He spotted a woman among the children, which was unusual seeing that only children usually dined here, with Red and Daruxel supervising and Kasimir coming by once in a while. She was one of the taller women, with long flowing blonde hair and a pale and a face that most people of society would perceive as beautiful like a model. From what he could see, her eyes were extraordinarily similar to the girl sitting across from him, and the way she was glaring at Selene was full of malice and... jealousy? The aura that seemed so similar to anger yet wasn't was radiating off her ever so slightly, like she was trying to suppress it to the best of her abilities.

 

[Hana]

This dinner was an extravagant waste. Both of the children at the table were clearly sickened, in some way or another, wanting nothing to do with the sumptuous spread set out before them. Selene curled her hands into small fists on her lap, retracting from holding anything as her fingernails dug little crescent-moon marks into her palms. There was a cold sweat, she could feel it trickle down her neck, a shudder along her back as she forced herself to swallow down. The girl heard Kasimir tut softly, almost like a mother hen as his shadow fell across her, his face nearly pressed cheek to cheek with hers. It was mortifying, the way everything else seemed to disappear just because she was so focused on him. She could almost feel the smoothness of his cheek against hers, his hair tickling her bare shoulder as stray red locks pulled loose from his ponytail.

"Selene, finish your food." He crooned, slowly, softly, long arms awkwardly bent as his fingers splayed across her chin. They were large and spidery thin, a paper white that was cool and dry compared to the slightly damp pallidness of her face. The largeness of his hand made it so that he cradled and balanced her jaw on his palm as he shifted his fingers to get a better hold on her. Selene closed her eyes tighter, and wished she was somewhere else. His free hand slowly reached to a roll of bread on her plate, hardly touched, before he held it in front of her. "Must you let a mere boy ruin your appetite? He doesn't matter at all in the end, doesn't he?" There was a mocking lilt to his voice, dripping with sweetness that was enough to rot the teeth.

It's been nearly half a year. You can do better than this, she told herself, her thoughts gaining an edge of desperation that encroached upon the resignation she long had. He was doing this to get a rise out of her, and she remembered how that worked out if he succeeded. A point in his favor was a point that she would have bled for to take back if he gave her the chance, but that was long out of her hands now, wasn't it? Selene breathed out, opening her eyes as she looked down at the hand that tried to feed her. Bite it, a more vicious side of her snarled, in some long ignored part of her mind. "Thank you, but I can feed myself," she murmured, her voice sounding very small. She reached up, up, her small hand touching the hand that held her face. She tugged, entwining her own slender fingers with his, ignoring the intimacy of the gesture as she pulled his hand away. He let her pull his hand away, the smile still set on his face as she chanced a look at him.

There was another gaze, this time familiar, that tried to bore into her skull. Selene let her eyes roam the crowd of faces among the tables untl she met eyes that were similar to hers. That woman hated her, that much was clear. She was always a sneering, unhappy presence near the white-haired child. The girl's face was cool as she let her eyes dismiss the woman, there was nothing she could say to a woman who was hating her for her connection to Kasimir. Nothing, except the urge to claw at her face in return and scream that she never asked for any of this. "I don't want to eat with this boy anymore, Kasimir. Please let me finish my food if I have to in my room." She dragged her eyes towards the demon boy sitting across from her, allowed herself an almost scornful look, the very look she wished to aim at herself most of the time. "He really does disturb me, and I would rather finish elsewhere."

 

[Mu]

Phynex set down the cup, trying to meet Selene's eyes. The way the monster was touching her was very unsettling, was this what she had to deal with as a favourite of the ringmaster? Even though to Phynex that behaviour was making him extremely uncomfortable, he couldn't even imagine what it must be like for Selene. And looking at Red and Daruxel, they didn't seem to care what was unfolding in front of them. As for the other children, they looked pointedly away from it all, pretending the situation wasn't happening. If they ever did cast their eyes in their direction, it was at the food and them relishing in the thought of tasting it, or boring their eyes into Phynex. Anything but their ringmaster caressing, pressing himself against the young pale girl or his crooning. The fire demon shuddered just sitting across from it.

He wasn't enjoying the small slice of meat he had been given, only trying to take small bites so it was easier on his stomach. But the young demon looked up with clear shock at her words, colder than the ones she had said before. He still didn't understand how she was so harsh, and even if she didn't mean it, the words stung and they hurt as if she had just delivered a strong punch. A scornful look at the words one would say to dismiss someone as if they were nothing. Dropping his knife and fork, the emotions he felt towards those cold words and the way the red-haired man wore that ever-present smile was slowly making him more and more angry. The single candle that stood with the small flame began to flicker, enlarging as his rage added fuel to the element. But before he could do anything, topple the candle or let its intensity rise on its down, Selene was already on her feet and disappearing along with the ringmaster, her plate of food gone with her like the wind.

"Aw~ What a waste of good food," Red sighed beside him, shaking her head in dismay. "And I was hoping something was going to happen~" she giggled, winking at the young demon, who stood flabbergasted as his emotions slowly dwindled away, the flame calming down along with him. "Well, Kasimir won't mind if we feed these pretties like dogs~" the little girl suddenly said, tearing off the drumsticks of the seasoned wild game, tossing them towards the crowd of children with great strength. It soared high in an arc and in unison, the children who were not as tired lifted their heads, tracking the flying pieces of meat like hungry birds or beasts, their eyes fixated on their prize. Phynex watched in horror as gravity worked it's magic, the children beginning to squabble and shout as they clambered onto each other like a human tower, their dirties and grubby hands reaching up as they jumped for the delicacy now that Kasimir was gone from their sight.

"Get it!" a young voice shouted, pointing at the table at the front. Those who had fallen from the squabbling tower and those who weren't strong enough to compete for it lunged towards the table, dashing towards the nicely set feast like mad, their eyes focused on nothing but the extravagant meal. Phynex found himself swarmed and thrown backwards as they reached for whatever they could, pushing and shoving to get their fill. A small girl, the one he recognized as the one who cried and wailed when he had his first breakfast in the mess hall reached out for a chunk... when someone much larger shoved her out of the way. A bulky and big demon with protruding horns, arms corded with growing muscle. He was clearly in his teens and he was stronger, his eyes like a wild animal's. "Get out of my way, stupid girl!"

 

[Hana]

Amidst the scuffle of shoving and pushing limbs and hands, a raven-haired boy found himself pushed to the back. He sighed, looking at the almost mindless way the other children shouted and snapped at each other. Yes, even the human children were acting much alike the demon ones, and this one boy was smart enough not to get involved. He found himself pushed further and further back, a wary expression on his face as he stumbled slightly next the new boy. His friend looked at him with questioning brown eyes, raising his brows in disbelief for the short moment he looked over his shoulder and saw him next to the new kid. A moment later he was gone, leaping back into the fray. They didn't even bother to hide the fact they were eating with their bare hands, tearing into the richly flavored bird and the rolls of bread. Crumbs and chunks were sometimes knocked to the ground before a grubby hand found them.

He looked in the direction where the white-haired girl had disappeared off to, still almost seeing the sway of her silvery locks, followed by the tall and thin form of the ringmaster. She had locked eyes with him earlier in a flash of self-loathing and guilt, but what could he say to her from afar? It had happened more than a month ago already, yet she still seemed to blame herself for it. But don't you? He asked himself, and sighed when he couldn't find it in himself to say no. Because they both knew, she knew who was truly to blame but they couldn't exactly do anything about Kasimir. It was easier to just blame themselves instead of a man who didn't care.

But to walk away from the table like that, he wasn't really surprised. The ringmaster was practically holding her captive to the table while she sat through everything in silence. What caused her to walk away was seemingly the boy, who still looked confused, angry, and hurt. He had really open expressions right now. And he himself... He wasn't sure if he could let himself just jump into fighting for scraps of food now, left standing purposeless. Maybe he should just go back to the room shared with the other boys.

"What a mess," Orion exhaled, his childish voice unusually low and tinged with annoyance. His pale eyes flickered to the other demon beside him, eyeing him with a blank expression. His brow arched slightly as he murmured, "You didn't want to eat anything from that, did you? You looked perfectly fine just roasting whatever animal they got you." They all saw the little birds, rabbits, and other small animal that the boy got during meal times. It was appalling to the other children, this so-called 'special treatment'. Some of them were too hungry to realize that a kid their age had just been forced to slaughter, skin and gut an animal.

A small form suddenly hurtled out of the flock of children in front of them, landing harshly on her hands and knees. Orion stilled, looking away from the boy and letting his gaze follow the path where the small girl had been pushed. A meaty arm, connected to one particular demon that a lot of children loathed but couldn't stand up to. The girl's hands were scraped harshly against the ground from the force of his shove. Without a word Orion stepped closer and kneeled down to her, holding out his hand. "Let me see. My friend would probably give you some of his spoils after this, so don't cry." A triumphant cry whooped from in front of them and he shook his head.

 

[Mu]

"No. It doesn't taste as good as you would think," Phynex wiped the back of his mouth with the napkin he had tucked into his collar before doing the same with the back of his hand, slowly backing away from the squabbling crowd - especially from the large demon that was shoving everyone aside like a bulldozer with large hands before grabbing a large chunk of the meat, stuffing his mouth with it. The fire demon was disgusted by the way the other children were being treated. They were supposed to help each other after all. He scowled at the bigger demon, who ignored his presence and instead focused on the food. So the young demon turned to face the boy with dark features but pale skin, blinking at him with eyes that were calculative... in a strategic and intelligent way.

"I'm used to whatever he gave me," he added with a sigh, looking back at the fish that laid on the table untouched. His frustrated expression changed into concern at the fallen girl, who was beginning to weep. Since she was so small, Phynex could only guess she wanted the food on the table and not risk injuring herself for the drumsticks. He looked up to see one of the boys slowly rip chunks out out of the one he had managed to grab hold of and share it with a girl with long brown hair, a white band tied to her arm bearing a red cross. She was training to be one of the medics, which surprised him. Kasimir actually cared to this point about the children to try and teach someone the medicinal ways? The boy had features that were very earthy coloured, and his aura was a gentle and passive brown. Even while the more desperate and hungry children clawed at him, almost gnawing at his clothes, he stood his ground like a wall. But once in a while Phynex could have sworn he was passing bits and pieces to them, a bit of the skin, a strip of the tender meat with a smile.

The other drumstick had fallen into the hands of someone with the blood of a beast, the shadow of the wolf looming over their aura when Phynex focused on him. Unlike the other boy, he was already devouring the free meal, gnawing on the bone and lashing out at thieves of his 'prize'. The differences in the personalities in the circus... he could almost see how some were still strong and had the willpower to live, while others were already broken.

"Are you okay?" he asked the girl, reaching out for one of her hands. The wounds weren't too deep, but they were bright pink from the rough texture of the dirt beneath their feet. He was tempted to warm her with what little power he had left, gentle warmth radiating off his body. Remembering his meal, he turned to look at the boy with the onyx hair. "I can spare a fish, if you guys want to share..."

 

[Hana]

The small girl wept, her slightly dirty face quickly becoming stained with hot tears that slipped down her cheeks. She clutched her hands to her chest, holding herself almost protectively as the two boys approached to kneel beside her. "I - I'm... Okay, thank you," she sniffled, her voice coming out as a pathetic whimper, but she took a look at Orion and hesitantly, slowly held her hands out. Her hair hung lank around her face in a state of disarray, shoulder-length dull brown locks seeming to lack life, the gray shift she wore matted with patches of dirt and grass that clung to the hems. She was definitively one of the children who didn't adjust well to the life she had been forced into, since captivity, her eyes wide with fright as her gaze shot up from Orion to look at Phynex.

She flinched violently away from the young fire demon, recoiling in fear and making Orion sigh in annoyance. "You are clearly not okay," the boy said bluntly, dark eyes flashing over to Phynex and narrowing. The girl's trembling had begun anew, her eyes apprehensive as she gazed up at Phynex. There was clear hesitation and fear in her eyes, before she looked to the other boy again. The onyx-haired child had reached one hand out, slowly. "You aren't one of us yet," he wasn't looking at her, but at the new child, as he spoke. "So try not to get involved when you don't know what's going on, or who we are."

His eyes bore into Phynex's, before he let his gaze deliberately move over to the direction where Kasimir and his 'favorite' had left. In the far distance of the camp, a larger tent was lit up from within, an oil lamp swinging as it hung from a post outside by the entrance. The place felt cold as Orion remembered the unsettling last moments before Selene had swept out of sight, spirited away by that cruel master of a man. "I'm not sure what is between you and her," he muttered, memories flashing back to violet eyes wide and startled, then a failed catch, the pain that followed after he had - "But it's better if you stop it." He looked away.

"Talking to the new kid already? I thought you said we shouldn't," another voice spoke up behind the crouched down boy, tone accusing. Standing behind Orion, the newcomer looked at Phynex, scrutinizing him. There was a furrow in his brow and a puzzled frown on his lips as he looked at the fire demon. "And I heard something about sharing fish? Why would you want to help us?" His gaze was piercing. In front of him, Orion cast his eyes down, and shuffled closer to the girl. He began murmuring quietly to her as he held out his hand, motioning to the honey-blonde child. The child was holding on to what looked like three rolls of buttered bread.

 

[Mu]

He flinched, withdrawing his hand from the shaking and frightened girl as if a bee had just stung him. Phynex stood himself up, his expression unreadable but obviously hurt. "I have to know someone to help them?" he questioned him and that logic. The people in this circus made no sense whatsoever. Even living homeless, where children ran around with fears of being taken just like he did sometimes helped each other even if it they were cautious and wary. What little they had, what little help they could get was appreciated. Even then, food was sparse and hard to find without being caught. But in this circus, at least there was some sort of meal, but it seemed Phynex wasn't someone to be trusted for some reason. He was in this circus just like them, and forced to do things he didn't want to just like them. He scowled, a frustrated look appearing on his face for a split second as he slowly became irritated at how the other children seemed to treat him.

"All I did was help her. There's nothing wrong with helping someone else," he told the onyx-haired boy, crossing his arms. That night she accepted the bowl of soup and she had even given her his bread. If these children truly were selfish she would have kept it to herself. By the looks of it, it was a tight community where they looked out for each other, but as a newcomer Phynex was clearly not part of that group - which was the opposite of how things should work with a situation like this. Everything was topsy-turvy and tiring, and the fire demon had enough. Now that Red was busy off to the side laughing at the chaos she had created with a silent but amused Daruxel, he could finally speak his mind.

Phynex locked eyes with the boy who had emerged from the crowd gathering around the table, examining him as well. He looked friendly enough, but his tone did not create any friendly imagery of the sort. "I lost my appetite. I don't want the fish, you can have it. I can cook it for you," he muttered, his voice serious and trying to hold little sparks of compassion for these circus children that treated him like he didn't exist most of the time. "We're all in this together, right? Why can't I help you?"

 

[Hana]

The other boy seemed to arch a brow, his chin lifting slightly as his lip twitched upwards. Behind him the squabbles were still fierce, making one wonder how long the spread of food should have lasted under such fierce competition. Having gotten three mostly intact rolls of bread, the boy behind Orion held the food close to his chest, eyes shifting from the new boy, to Orion, then back to the new boy again. "All in this together? It's not that easy," the kid finally laughed, his chuckles seeming out of place and strained, his eyes lacking any humor. His eyes, a lighter and more golden brown than the other child's, slid to the side as he fell silent, gaze dropping to Aimee. "You lasted much longer than the last ones they took in, you know. We barely knew their names before they were -" He spoke haltingly, lips straining to form a smile. "Gone. Just like that. Some of them we didn't even learn the names of."

Orion helped had finally gotten the girl to take his hand, turning it over to show her injured palms and speaking quietly to her. He took ahold of her upper arms, helping her stand up and steadying her on her feet. "T-thank you," the girl hiccuped, the tears on her face still trickling steadily. She really seemed to cry a lot, the most out of the children here, but who could blame her? She struggled to catch up to the difficult tasks and training for the circus, she barely managed to do anything with the role they wanted for her. This led to her often being forced to exhaustive menial labor. Cleaning and washing the used bowls and dishes, carrying buckets and buckets of water from tent to tent, being snapped at by the 'senior' members to do their orders. His ice blue eyes studied the girl once again before he looked at Phynex, and the silent stare-off that he had with his friend.

"Alright, you can cook the fish, if you want," suddenly, his friend shrugged almost nonchalantly, light brown eyes still hard on Phynex. They all knew the boy's name, having overheard it spoken by that red-cloaked girl who wasn't a girl and the ringmaster himself. The new boy was at a disadvantage, he didn't know these children's names but the ones who saw, and who actually watched, had learned more about him than he would have expected. You either broke down or grew up too quickly in the circus, and those who didn't break acted either far older than they should have. Jared, his friend, acted like a child most of the time. Smiled and laughed still, despite this place, but Orion knew him better than most. "The name's Jared, and I already know who you are. Fire breather boy. Come on, get that fish." His eyes looked over at the girl who stood hesitatingly beside Orion, and softened. "You can come over too, Aimee. This bread is a lot for only me and my friend here."

 

[Mu]

The frustrated and tired expression changed back into sadness. He knew there were many children who had died here, first the knowledge coming from the pale, white haired girl and then from Red who would often tell him little facts in an attempt to unsettle him. The way the boy strained to smile and his controlled expression, the fire demon wondered if he had stepped over a line. They had been in the circus longer than he had been, so they would feel more pain when it came to memories of this place. If children died when they first established relationships with them, it must have pained them to know they had disappeared from their lives forever. The fire demon clenched his small fists. He had already told himself what he wanted, he wasn't going to die to anything in this circus. Not going to break from his training, from Red's antics and Kasimir's influence and control. Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself. Breaking away from it all and running away back to place where he could be much happier.

"If I wasn't a fire demon, I think I would have died ages ago." It was true, the nights lying down on the cold wooden floors of the cell were chilling to the bone. It took him hours to drift off to sleep under a thin and useless blanket, breathing hot air onto his hands and making a small flame come to life in order to heat up his body. Burning through the metal bars or through the floor would take him forever when he couldn't even warm up his own body. How Selene managed to survive a month inside these cells, he wondered himself sometimes in the middle of the night. Phynex ran his hands through his hair awkwardly, remembering Selene's face when she had first seen the fire inside of him at work. Were some of these children envious of his ability of warmth and fire?

Phynex nodded excitedly at the newcomers' acceptance of his offer, a wider and happier grin appearing on his face. "Haha, thanks, Jared the bread boy." He looked down at the bread he had managed to grab from the table, fluffy rolls with butter that were set beside the wild game. Looking back, it seemed most of it was devoured already, and only the truly desperate children were clawing for the bones that remained. The fire demon strolled towards the table he usually sat alone at, grabbing the sack of fish and the one singular raw fish he had already set out. With the chaos ensuing, seating plans didn't seem to important and Phynex figured out he could just stand. Gathering with his newfound companions, he deftly began to remove the fins and scales from the fish with the blunt blade he had been given from Red - the one she usually confiscated from him before going back to his cell - before puffing at it several times. He was sure not to make his flames too intense having learnt his lesson, this time only requiring five doses of a gentle cooking warmth and a few more to adjust before he placed it on top of the bowl they had been given for their watery soup. "It tastes okay without seasoning and it's salty by itself already. Have some," he said with a smile.

 

[Hana]

The three followed after him, but not until they cast wary and cautious looks at the children who remained at the table. What remained of the earlier 'feast' were scarcely bones with only bits of meat clinging to them, the bowl of cream soup already being licked clean by one of the kids who stayed at the table. After the scraps had been fought for, some of the children left with scratches and bruises on their arms, some empty-handed, some holding hard-won handfuls of food. The ones who remained at the table were gnawing and suckling at the bones from the roast bird, licking their lips and their fingers as if to suck out every last bit of flavor, wistful and malcontent expressions on their faces as they stared at each other. And the two demons who had dominated the squabble earlier left with more generous handfuls, the large and bulky young demon tearing hunks of bread out with his teeth.

Orion's hand tightened around Aimee's upper arm slightly, making the girl gasp and try to flinch away. "I'm not going to hurt you, but we need to eat fast," he muttered, dark eyes already snapping towards a wild-eyed demon boy who looked at the food Jared held hungrily. They wouldn't dare approach, not just yet. Their eyes would dart towards the fire demon child, this boy with the tousled brown hair and dark eyes. No one knew his complete capabilities just yet, but he was the only child who lasted two weeks after Kasimir had found his 'favorite'. The first one to stay after half a year of failures.

The other demons among the children might try, soon, to test the waters and the boundaries with this boy. That brute of a demon who had pushed Aimee was someone who wanted to keep on top of the other demons, and if he started to perceive any signs of Phynex being a runt he would seize the chance, if and when Phynex got to work with the other children.

For the first time, three others sat with the new kid at his once lonesome table. Jared shared a look with Orion, before sitting down in front of Phynex, leaning his elbows on his table. Aimee was warily seating a little away from him and Orion, but her eyes had regained a bit of hope as she watched Phynex prepare the fish. As he cooked and cleaned the fish, the blond boy started distributing the soft rolls of bread. He broke apart the bread into smaller pieces, handing them to his dark-featured friend and the tag-along girl with a slight smile. Jared divided the pieces and gave them first to the other two children, leaving only a smaller fraction for himself. When the first puffs of flame escaped the newcomer's lips, three sets of eyes were riveted to the sight, the flesh of the fish gently browning and darkening. Orion spotted Jared licking his lips nervously, and shook his head.

"Right," Jared snorted lightly at the smile on the fire demon's face, before tentatively prodding at the fish. He drew his finger back after a few pokes, the fish was still hot, before hunger got the better of him and he started pulling back pieces of the fish with his bare hands. Despite the almost hurried movements, he still never forgot to give portions to Aimee and Orion, leaving himself to get something for himself last. "Get something for yourself. It would be pretty stupid if you get hungry tomorrow because you gave us all your food," he pointed a finger at the brown-haired boy.

 

[Mu]

Phynex nodded his head, ripping off a decent chunk of flesh from the fish near the tail and chomping down on it furiously. The skin was just crispy, crunching as he chewed down. Licking his lips, he got to work on the white flesh, spitting out any of the bones that were trapped inside. The meat itself was almost bland if not for the salt that had seeped in from the skin, adding a natural flavour that didn't require much seasoning unlike the wild game that had been served to Selene and himself earlier. Surprisingly, Red and Daruxel were still occupying themselves with the crowd of children, the loud shouts slowly settling down. With the multi-limb teacher slowly packing away the trays and the large pot of empty soup, moving away from the mess hall. Looking behind the disappearing monster, Phynex could see the tent Selene and Kasimir had disappeared into, link shining out from under the flaps of the tent. The fish wasn't as filling when he wondered what on earth was happening inside.

That night, he left the mess hall in a much happier mood compared to the weeks he had spent before. For the first time, someone sat with him on that lonesome table and even shared dinner with him. He happily said his farewells, hoping to see them again the next day. To know that there was someone who was willing to talk to him made the fire demon feel joy, and suddenly he was even more aware of his surroundings... and how he was walking to his cell all by himself. Looking around, he was so caught within his own emotions that he realized Red was not accompanying him, and that it was out of his own accord and habit he was moving back to the jail he slept in.

He looked to the left and to the right, behind him and ahead of him. There was not a single adult in sight. Was this the perfect time to escape? He thought about whether or not escaping into the night would be safe, or whether it would even be possible. He bit his lips, contemplating about a proper escape plan as he began to diverge from the path to his cell, exploring the circus on his own for the first time. Somewhere out there, he could hear the voices of the children lowered and murmuring to each other, he assumed they all camped together in one crowded room to save space. Many of the tents he passed were for storage, and it took a while for Phynex to reach the inner compartments where he could clearly see belonged to the senior members or the adults. Spotting a tent open with light peeping out, shining on the dusty floor, Phynex jumped behind one of the fences, hiding behind it when he heard a low voice and footsteps. Peeping out, he saw the red hair of Kasimir disappear behind a tent as he left the one with the lights on, possibly to do his other duties. Was Selene inside?

The fire demon stumbled towards the tent, bending down until he was on his hands and knees, pressing his cheek against the dirt and lifting the edge of the tent that wasn't nailed down up to see who or what was inside.