After pushing through the crowd of people, we finally came to the heart of the circus. Although, calling it just a circus was doing it a disservice. It was more like a festival than anything else.

In our group was Millie, Dante, William, Lona, Bertram, and me. Lona and Bertram were assigned as the responsible adults.

Just in case someone were to get lost; Lona would watch over Millie, Bertram watched over me, and Dante watched over William.

Apparently Dante was considered a trustworthy adult.

My parents were unable to make it because my mother was too frail due to her being pregnant. My father didn't want to leave her when she was so weak, so he reluctantly stayed back. Queen Luna was too busy and Millie's parents said something about carnivals being a pathway to destruction. Don't really know what they meant, so I assume it was just hippy talk for being uninterested.

You would think that there would be more escorts since the Prince was with us. Well, you'd be right. There were several Royal Knights dispersed in the crowd and on the roofs watching over us.

They did an awful job of it too. They were so obvious I could see them in their so called hiding spots. I also knew Simon was among them as I would occasionally catch a chill despite the night being so warm.

Even though I couldn't see him, I figured he was probably in a dark alley hiding like some kind of villain.

I tried to get my mind off of the Knights by looking at the dozens of stalls lining the road.

My mouth watered at the delicious smells in the air. I'm definitely getting fat tonight.

Millie smiled at me unable to control her excitement, "Ah! What should we do first?!"

I really wanted to get food, but seeing how excited she was, I couldn't bring myself to say that.

I smiled at her, "What would you like to do?"

She giggled excitedly, "I want to win a giant teddy bear!"

I blushed at her cuteness. She's just so pure it almost hurts.

I nodded, "To the games then."

She paused and pouted, "Oh... But you probably want to eat first."

She caught me staring at a stall with cotton candy while drooling. I flinched at her voice and shook my head quickly.

"No, no. I can wait. Plus, you can't play games with food in your hands."

She gave me a bright smile, "Alright then! Let's go!"

As we left, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked over to see Dante holding a stick of cotton candy.

My face lit up, "Is this for me?!"

He nodded silently.

I grabbed it happily and took a bite. A sudden surge of sweetness spread over my tongue. I shivered with happiness. "Delicious!"

Dante just stared at me soundlessly. I couldn't be sure, but he looked a bit satisfied.

I frowned at him suspiciously, "You didn't steal this, right?"

"No."

"Okay. Good." I smirked at him and pulled off a bite, "Say ahhh~"

He frowned at me. I began to tap the piece of cotton candy against his lips until he finally opened his mouth. His eyes widened at the taste.

"It's sweet." He responded flatly.

I giggled at his childish reaction.

"Oi!" William jumped over, "Why are you giving him some?! I want some!"

I grinned at him, "But you hate sweet things."

He pouted, "Well.. Yes.. But... I've never had it before."

I chuckled, "Perhaps you just want me to feed you it?"

He blushed, "What?! No! Who-who would want that?!"

Obviously you.

"Okay~ Say ahh-"

He blushed more and snatched the piece from my hand, "I have hands, thank you very much." He put it in his mouth, "What is this?! Sugar?"

I chuckled, "That's the main ingredient. Yes."

Millie smiled at me, "Can I have some?"

"Fufu~ Of course! I love feeding the adorable Millie most! Say ahhh~"

"Ahhh~"

Hehe. This is why I like Millie best. She always does what I ask.

As I put the piece in her mouth. Her eyes widened in surprise, "It disappeared!"

Hehe. So cute.

"Isn't it amazing?"

She giggled, "It is!"

I chuckled at her innocent reaction, "Shall we go get that bear for you now?"

She nodded excitedly and skipped towards the games. We followed her and came to a booth with creepy wooden clown dolls on shelves.

She pointed, "That's what I want!!"

I looked at the giant teddy bear. Yes. Giant. It was bigger than Millie herself!!!

I cleared my throat trying to hide my surprise. I looked at the man behind the booth, "Mister, how can we win that bear?"

He smiled widely as if he just found more suckers to con. He spoke in a showy voice, "Simple! Just knock over all of the dolls in a row with this pellet gun and it's yours!"

I frowned. That's not simple at all. I sighed, "How much?"

"For one silver piece you get three bullets."

Why the hell is it so expensive?! What a scam! But Millie looks like she really wants to play...

With a sigh I handed over two silver pieces.

Millie looked startled, "Oh! You don't have to do that..."

I smiled at her, "It's fine. Seeing you so happy makes it worth it."

She smiled warmly at me and took the gun. I watched as she shot the targets. One hit the mark, but the doll barely moved. I sighed.

It's just what I thought. Carnivals like this are the same no matter what world. Carnies are the biggest cons you'll ever meet. But since it's fun, they get away with it.

Millie pouted, "I missed..."

I finished my cotton candy and handed over two more silver coins, "This time I'll do it."

The carnie smirked at me, "Of course dear customer!"

I felt the bullet in my hand. Yup. It's way too light to knock those heavy wooden dolls over. But if I make a slight modification...

While he looked away, I switched out the bullets for heavier rocks with similar shapes. I aimed at the targets.

*POW POW POW POW POW POW*

All six targets fell down. Everyone's mouths dropped. They were so stunned by my horrifyingly fast reload speed that they barely even realized I had knocked over all of the targets.

I put the gun down and held out my hand, "The bear please."

The Carnies face twitched, "Dear customer... Wouldn't you rather have something else?"

I frowned, "No."

"B-But we have much more amazing prizes... I'll even give you four of your choice! One for each of your friends."

I spoke in a threatening tone, "Are you really trying to dupe a child right now? I wonder what other people will do if I point out those hollow bullets of yours."

His face dropped. He looked like he was turning blue. He forced a smile, "T-There's no need for that dear customer. Please take the bear."

He unwillingly handed the bear to Millie and we walked away. He watched with a pained expression. After all, that was the prize that drove everyone to his booth! It was his livelihood!!

Millie insisted on carrying the bear despite it being larger than her. She looked at me with starry eyes, "That was amazing! How did you do that?!"

I shrugged, "It wasn't that hard."

William frowned at me, "Yeah right. You looked like a natural. Have you shot a gun before?"

I scratched my chin awkwardly, "No I haven't. Not a real one at least."

That wasn't necessarily a lie. I actually have never used a real gun before. But I had spent time traveling with a circus before. That's what helped me get so good at manipulation.

I also learned the many tricks Carnies do to fool the customers. We had a similar game with similar tricks.

While I was traveling with them, I learned those tricks and how to win the game. My gun skill was a result from that experience.

"Wow! So cool!" Millie looked at me like I was an idol.

William clicked his tongue, "I don't believe you."

My eyes lit up, "WHAT'S THAT!?"

They followed my gaze. William snickered, "You mean the ferris wheel?"

I jumped up and down excitedly, "Oh! We definitely have to go on!"

He frowned, "I'm not going on that."

I grinned at him sadistically, "Why? Are you scared?"

His eyes widened, "I-I am not!"

I chuckled, "Oh really? Because you look scared."

He crossed his arms, "I'm not some baby. It doesn't look frightening at all."

"If you're not scared, then you can ride it with me." He hesitated. I smiled, "Unless you really are too scared..."

"N-NO! I will ride it."

I clapped excitedly. The seat was only large enough for two people. Everyone breathed a sigh in relief as no one else wanted to ride it.

We were strapped in by the scraggly Carnie. I glanced at the pale face of William. I giggled, "You know what is the best part of a carnival ride?"

He looked at me with a trembling lip, "W-what?"

"There's actually a high probability it will break and kill you." I giggled in excitement as William almost fainted.

"How is that a good thing?!"

"Because it makes it even more terrifying!!!"

The ride started and I clapped in excitement. It stopped at the top after making one round. It sure was junky and crudely put together, but it still held together rather nicely.

"Woow! You can see the entire town from up here. It's so pretty!!! I wonder where my house is?"

I glanced over and noticed William was gripping the lap bar so tightly his knuckles turned white. I chuckled and began shaking the seat.

"STOP! STOP! ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL US?!"

I bellowed with laughter at his frightened expression. When the ride ended, he walked back with shaking legs. Lona looked at his pale face in concern, "Was it fun?"

I nodded excitedly, "It was! Let's go again."

"No way." He responded coldly.

I pouted and looked at Millie, "Millie?"

She hugged her bear tighter, "I'm afraid I can't. I have to hold Teddykins after all."

I frowned, "Just let Bertram hold him."

"No way! Teddykins only wants me to hold him!"

I sighed and shrugged, "Well then I guess Dante will ride with me."

Dante flinched slightly. I didn't wait for him to disagree before I dragged him along with me. After the ride, we walked back to the group.

"Was it fun?" Millie asked me with curious eyes.

I sighed, "He didn't even change his facial expression at all! I was excited to see him look scared, but all he did was stare forward blankly! How boring."

William looked at Dante with concern, "How... Was it?"

Dante opened his mouth, turned around abruptly, and vomited everywhere.

I tilted my head, "Pink like cotton candy."

Lona groaned in exasperation. She rubbed her temple, "I think that's the end of the rides."

I rubbed Dante's back as he vomited. I nodded in disappointment, "I suppose we should..."

William lightened up, "The show starts soon. We should grab some snacks and head over."

We left after Dante stopped puking and grabbed some snacks from several stalls. We entered a large red and white tent at the end of the road. We sat down on the benches inside. I sat by Millie and William. Dante was on the end and Lona and Bertram sat behind us.

William frowned at me, "I said SOME snacks."

My lap and arms were filled with various foods and sweets piled on each other with a poor balance.

I looked at him innocently, "What? This is some."

He went to argue, but the show started and silenced him. Everyone was wowed by the spectacular show in front of them. Well everyone except me.

WHAT THE F*CK IS THIS SH*T?!

This is animal cruelty!!! The poor animals were forced to perform tricks, which yes was pretty impressive, except they looked so frail and thin from hunger. If they weren't fast enough, the trainer started whipping them!! The poor animals looked so frightened!

This is just too cruel! I'd rather watch flamboyant people prance around in unitards!

A small monkey came out and the owner started playing music from a box. The monkey started dancing to the music on a tightrope. The poor thing looked so exhausted, but the owner paid it no attention. He brought out flaming hoops and made the poor creature dance even faster while jumping through the hoops.

I cried silently as I watched the poor monkey struggle. There's no way in hell I can let this go on!!!

I shoved the rest of the food in my mouth and crawled under the stage. I crawled until I reached the back room where they kept the animals.

William watched with sparkling eyes, "How cool! What do you think Seri?"

"She's gone." Dante answered coldly.

William looked at the empty spot beside him and flinched, "How the... Did you see her leave?!" Dante just shook his head in response.

I hid from the workers back stage and looked at the poor animals stuck in cages barely large enough to move around in. I teared up as I listened to their pitiful wailings.

A worker shouted, "Alright! The cycling bear is next."

A man walked back in the room and tossed the poor monkey into a small cage. The monkey limped while whimpering.

The owner cursed at it, "Dumba** monkey. The stupid idiot almost ruined my show! Looks like you need to go without food for a few days to learn your lesson."

After the snickering man walked away, I snuck over to the cage. I whispered soothingly to it, "Hey little guy... Do you want to come home with me?"

The monkey cooed at me as if unsure. He glanced at the man with a fearful expression. I smiled at him, "Don't worry about that horrible man. I have a brilliant idea!"

The monkey saw my confidence and nodded. I pulled out a pin from my hair and undid the lock. I looked at the monkey, "Do you think you could help me unlock these cages?"

The monkey took the pin from me and nodded in confidence. Together, we both sneakily unlocked the cages. I paused before a large cage.

Oh yeah. That's definitely the perfect finale.

I opened the cage and threw my hands up in the air, "SAVE THE RAINFOREST!"

A large lion jumped out. I shrieked and ran off towards the monkey. I scooped him up and hurried back to my group before the lion could attack me.

I popped my head up in front of them, "We gotta go."

William jumped at my sudden appearance, "What the- where did you come from?!"

I impatiently pushed them all off the benches, "No time. We gotta go."

"Why-"

"I'll explain later."

After I successfully pushed everyone out of the tent, William stood firm, "I'm not taking another step until you explain what happened. The show wasn't even over yet!"

"Well..." I scratched my chin awkwardly, "How do I explain... Uhm, PoonPoon?"

The small monkey popped out of my hair where it had been hiding. Lona shrieked, "WHY IS THERE A MONKEY IN YOUR HAIR?!"

I scratched the monkey's head, unconcerned by her reaction. "They were being so cruel to PoonPoon! I had to save him and the other animals."

William blinked, "PoonPoon...?"

I nodded, "Yup! That's his name."

"That's an awful name." He responded coldly.

I frowned, "He loves his name. Don't you PoonPoon?"

The monkey cooed sadly. He didn't like it, but since it came from his savior he had to accept it.

Lona groaned, "Why do I feel like there's even more to the story?"

I forced out a chuckle, "Well... The reason why we shouldn't wait around is because I also let a lion out."

Everyone stared at me in disbelief.

William shouted, "ARE YOU AN IDIOT?! What if it hurts someone?!"

Oh. Didn't think about that.

I waved him off, "Oh, I'm sure it'll be fine."

Several screams came from behind us, "RUN! IT'S A LION!"

I glanced back at the tent and turned back towards William. I forced a reassuring voice, "Yeah... I-I'm sure it'll be fine."

Lona turned around quickly and walked at a fast pace, "I'm not dealing with this."

Bertram followed behind her, "A lion is where I draw the line."

I followed after them quickly with PoonPoon on my head.

William just stared at me in disbelief, "I can't believe her..."

Millie gave a weak smile, "At least she doesn't look so sad now."

William sighed, "I guess you're right."

The rest of them ran after the adults, leaving behind the chaos brewing in the tent. I smiled cheerfully at everyone who was still hurrying away, "So what was your favorite part from today?"

Millie answered, "The Teddy bear!"

William frowned, "The show... That is until you ruined it."

Dante thought to himself, 'Seri's face when she received the cotton candy.'

Lona looked at me with a slightly disappointed face, "Leaving."

Bertram couldn't help but agree with Lona.

I chuckled joyfully, "Well I definitely enjoyed the food."

I paused at a stall to grab another handful of cotton candy.

_____

Simon walked down the road towards the commotion coming from the tent. Somehow he just knew it dealt with Seri.

As he walked down the road, a lion passed him walking in the opposite direction. They both nodded to each other and kept walking.

Simon paused.

"Was that... A lion?"