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Description
John visited the circus on multiple occasions, often slipping out his bedroom window after his father had retired to his bedroom, and each time, he was simply captivated by the Avian. Everything was the same as before. Same line up, same punchlines, same lame-ass backstory, though he couldn’t fight that strange feeling about the ringmaster. There was just this sinister aura around him, like he was pulling all the strings in a major conspiracy. It didn’t help that now, the Avian was more willing to comply to his cues. 'John, what are you thinking? You’re just babbling now. Just watch the show.'

As the man lifted into the air, the long pointed beak turned toward the boy, John developing a feeling that whatever was lurking behind the mask was staring straight at him, recognition. The very thought sent chills up his spine and sent his heart into a frenzy. But that’s impossible. There’s no way he could have been recognized. He got out his sketchbook and quietly began sketching out the figure, glancing up with every scratch of the pencil. Curves here, end in a point, follow the curve. He was lost in his drawing until the lights cut out, signaling the end of the show. But rather than sneaking back to his house, he stayed off to the side, hiding amongst the ocean of people. Once they all dispersed, he waited about an hour waiting for all signs of movement to stop before sneaking around to the back of the tents, revealing a small cluster of caravan carts with a tent at the very end and animal cages along the outside, each one with their lights on. He took a deep breath and surveyed the area.

‘If I were a creepy ringmaster, where would I have a bird? In a cage, duh. But I don’t see cages around here that are holding birds… Maybe it’s in the back?” He slowly began his journey into the camp, his heart creeping up into his throat. In the first cart, three voices were rolling out an open door, John freezing to listen.

“—Oh, come on, Karkat it’s really not that bad of a burn,” a woman sighed, a hissing sound following afterwards.

“Speak for yourself, Harley,” a rough voice growled. “He actually likes you. He fucking hates me.”

“He doesn’t hate you. He just..”

“Just what? He views me as the fucking scum unceremoniously dumped on the world’s ass crack.”

“Now, now, Karbro,” a deeper voice chuckled. “You’re just upset because you can’t see this double rainbow over all o—“

“Gamzee, I swear to god if you start shooting out your ‘miracles’ speech again, I’m going to shove that fucking horn so far down your throat, it’ll come out your ass.”

“Calm down, Karkat,” Jade huffed. “He’s just trying to help.”

“If he really wanted to help, he’d come with me and get out of this Hell hole!”

“Then where would you go, huh? Just stroll into town with that—that—“

“Go on, Harley! Add fuel to the fire!”

“Come on, bro. Stop being such a—“

“Such a crab? Haha! Very funny, Gamzee. Your fucking act is hilarious, can’t you see me rolling on the ground, howling in laughter? You, sir, are the pinnacle of comedy! I’m fucking done here.” He stormed out of the cart, John jolting and sprinting to find somewhere to hide.

‘Holy shit that was close!” He thought, taking a breath of relief and laying his hand on the corner of the cart. That was, until he heard a low growl from behind him. His body froze over and his stomach dropped. He fearfully turned his head, a giant albino lioness staring at him hungrily before swiping at him, her claws just barely grazing is back. He yelped and ran to the side, panting with his pulse being felt in his ears.

“Oh my god, this place is crazy,” he whispered, covering his mouth at the sound of another cart opening.

“Pounce, shh, shh,” a woman called softly, John recognizing her as one of the contortionists. “What’s wrong?” There was a slight roll in her R’s, a bright blue tail swishing back and forth between her legs. “Are you hungry, sweet one?” She smiled and the lioness purred as her head was scratched, kissing a very wet nose. She turned to get her a steak, hand feeding it. John remained still as the woman disappeared, the lion finally getting off his case. He closed his eyes and crept away from the cart, each step managing to make at least one sound.

After having at least 3 heart attacks and having to hide from wandering circs, he finally made it to the tent, falling to the ground and letting out a huffed out laugh. Dang , this thing was huge. It seemed to go on forever. There was a large cage at the very end, a large tree-like statue off to the side. John stood up and passed the rows of food supplies and approached the cage with caution. One within a spitting distance, he heard a soft whimpering sound, the boy freezing. It sounded like.. Crying?

“P-Please don’t cry,” John murmured awkwardly, pulling out a small handkerchief from his pocket. There was a fast ruffle of feathers, the whole cage growing silent. At least until a male’s voice broke it.

“…M’not crying.”

“M-My name is John. John Egbert. Please don’t be af—“

“I know who you are,” the boy’s voice replied, completely deadpan. “You’ve been coming to the show for almost a month now.” ‘Oh god, does everyone know me?’

“Here,” John murmured, sticking his arm through the bars and holding the handkerchief out. There was a brief silence as a clawed hand tentatively grabbed the piece of cloth, the boy finally in sight. He had silky blonde hair, bangs falling over his forehead in an angle. There were matching freckles just below fiery red eyes, his lips pressed in a thin line. His wings were folded against his back, shining in tHe couldn’t be much older than sixteen or seventeen. John could see the faint shine of tear streaks trailing from his eyes, though promptly being wiped away.

“Sooo, what’s your name?” John asked awkwardly as the boy retreated to one of the branches, wrapping his wings around his body like a shield.

“Dave.” He left it at that. ‘Dave, huh.’

“Nice to meet you, Dave,” the boy smiled, keeping his hand out for a handshake. Dave raised his eyebrow and stared at the man on the outside, trying to figure him out.

“Why are you here anyway?”

“Well, I just. I thought your act”—Oh boy—“was simply fantastic, and I just had to see you for myself.”

“So you came to see the freaks up close,” Dave growled, shooting a glare.

“No no no!” John stammered, his pitch raising as his panic grew. “I mean, I don’t see you as a freak, just different! I just thought you were really lonely and IwantedtobeyourfriendbecauseyoualwayslookedsosadintheshowandIthinkithassomethingtodowithScra—!” Dave vanished into thin air briefly before appearing right at the cage, eyes panicked as he grabbed the back of John’s head, hooking him in and covering his mouth.

“John. Shut the fuck up, or else you’ll wake up E—“ His voice was caught in his throat as a lumbering figure stood at the doorway of the tent, square glasses and defined muscles illuminated in the moonlight.

“Who are you?” John turned around a squeaked, staring like a terrified little kid.

“E-Equius, he just got lost,” Dave tried to cover for him when John couldn’t even form coherent thoughts. “I was just telling him to-“

“Quiet, Avian. I was not speaking to you.” Dave shrunk back into his cage, the fear evident in his eyes when he nodded silently.

“I-I-I was just leaving,” John whimpered, scampering away quickly. He broke right when he managed to duck under Equius’ arm, his pulse heavy in his ears. Just as the boy reached the tree line, the distinct sound of whip cracks followed behind him.

*****

“Jonathan Michael, where on Earth have you been?” Uh oh. Caught. John shrunk against the old wooden door to his bedroom, avoiding the glare he was getting from his father. “Do you have any idea how worried I was? You could have been hurt, or taken, of even killed!”

“But I’m here and alive now,” John murmured, his nails digging into the wood slightly. “Can I just go to bed?”

“No, you may not. What were you doing out there at 2 in the morning?”

“Nothing, I just wanted to get out of the house for a little bit.” He lied through his teeth and looked up, watching his father gnaw at the end of his pipe, his Adam’s apple dipping.

“I don’t ever doing this ever again. Do you hear me, Jonathan? There will be major consequences if you have the gall to disobey me.” John could only muster a small understanding nod as his father ran a shaking hand through his hair. He silently pulled out a match and lit his pipe, taking a few puffs to calm himself down.

“Good, now go on up to bed and get some sleep. It’s late enough as is, and we have a big day tomorrow.”

“What are we doing?” the boy asked as he began to climb up the Victorian style stairs up to his room, his hand resting on the railing.

“Your nana is coming to visit for a few days.”

“What?” he gasped, his eyebrows raising in surprise. “Is she really well enough to travel? I mean, Jane said she was feeling under the weather for the longest time, and she nearly had a stroke traveling here last time..”

“Yes, but she finally went to see Dr. Maryam and is now on medication” He blew out smoke from the corner of his mouth in a heavy sigh. “Now hurry up and get to bed before I kick you to it.” He nodded and skipped every other step and turned to the left, glancing downstairs before slowly opening his bedroom door and slipping inside. He folded his glasses and set them on the nightstand before sighing. He felt back onto the mattress in a huff, pulling the blanket up to his chin as the mattress conformed to his body. Without hesitation, he closed his eyes and drifted into a deep sleep, his dream filled with black feathers and ruby eyes.

Description
John visited the circus on multiple occasions, often slipping out his bedroom window after his father had retired to his bedroom, and each time, he was simply captivated by the Avian. Everything was the same as before. Same line up, same punchlines, same lame-ass backstory, though he couldn’t fight that strange feeling about the ringmaster. There was just this sinister aura around him, like he was pulling all the strings in a major conspiracy. It didn’t help that now, the Avian was more willing to comply to his cues. 'John, what are you thinking? You’re just babbling now. Just watch the show.'

As the man lifted into the air, the long pointed beak turned toward the boy, John developing a feeling that whatever was lurking behind the mask was staring straight at him, recognition. The very thought sent chills up his spine and sent his heart into a frenzy. But that’s impossible. There’s no way he could have been recognized. He got out his sketchbook and quietly began sketching out the figure, glancing up with every scratch of the pencil. Curves here, end in a point, follow the curve. He was lost in his drawing until the lights cut out, signaling the end of the show. But rather than sneaking back to his house, he stayed off to the side, hiding amongst the ocean of people. Once they all dispersed, he waited about an hour waiting for all signs of movement to stop before sneaking around to the back of the tents, revealing a small cluster of caravan carts with a tent at the very end and animal cages along the outside, each one with their lights on. He took a deep breath and surveyed the area.

‘If I were a creepy ringmaster, where would I have a bird? In a cage, duh. But I don’t see cages around here that are holding birds… Maybe it’s in the back?” He slowly began his journey into the camp, his heart creeping up into his throat. In the first cart, three voices were rolling out an open door, John freezing to listen.

“—Oh, come on, Karkat it’s really not that bad of a burn,” a woman sighed, a hissing sound following afterwards.

“Speak for yourself, Harley,” a rough voice growled. “He actually likes you. He fucking hates me.”

“He doesn’t hate you. He just..”

“Just what? He views me as the fucking scum unceremoniously dumped on the world’s ass crack.”

“Now, now, Karbro,” a deeper voice chuckled. “You’re just upset because you can’t see this double rainbow over all o—“

“Gamzee, I swear to god if you start shooting out your ‘miracles’ speech again, I’m going to shove that fucking horn so far down your throat, it’ll come out your ass.”

“Calm down, Karkat,” Jade huffed. “He’s just trying to help.”

“If he really wanted to help, he’d come with me and get out of this Hell hole!”

“Then where would you go, huh? Just stroll into town with that—that—“

“Go on, Harley! Add fuel to the fire!”

“Come on, bro. Stop being such a—“

“Such a crab? Haha! Very funny, Gamzee. Your fucking act is hilarious, can’t you see me rolling on the ground, howling in laughter? You, sir, are the pinnacle of comedy! I’m fucking done here.” He stormed out of the cart, John jolting and sprinting to find somewhere to hide.

‘Holy shit that was close!” He thought, taking a breath of relief and laying his hand on the corner of the cart. That was, until he heard a low growl from behind him. His body froze over and his stomach dropped. He fearfully turned his head, a giant albino lioness staring at him hungrily before swiping at him, her claws just barely grazing is back. He yelped and ran to the side, panting with his pulse being felt in his ears.

“Oh my god, this place is crazy,” he whispered, covering his mouth at the sound of another cart opening.

“Pounce, shh, shh,” a woman called softly, John recognizing her as one of the contortionists. “What’s wrong?” There was a slight roll in her R’s, a bright blue tail swishing back and forth between her legs. “Are you hungry, sweet one?” She smiled and the lioness purred as her head was scratched, kissing a very wet nose. She turned to get her a steak, hand feeding it. John remained still as the woman disappeared, the lion finally getting off his case. He closed his eyes and crept away from the cart, each step managing to make at least one sound.

After having at least 3 heart attacks and having to hide from wandering circs, he finally made it to the tent, falling to the ground and letting out a huffed out laugh. Dang , this thing was huge. It seemed to go on forever. There was a large cage at the very end, a large tree-like statue off to the side. John stood up and passed the rows of food supplies and approached the cage with caution. One within a spitting distance, he heard a soft whimpering sound, the boy freezing. It sounded like.. Crying?

“P-Please don’t cry,” John murmured awkwardly, pulling out a small handkerchief from his pocket. There was a fast ruffle of feathers, the whole cage growing silent. At least until a male’s voice broke it.

“…M’not crying.”

“M-My name is John. John Egbert. Please don’t be af—“

“I know who you are,” the boy’s voice replied, completely deadpan. “You’ve been coming to the show for almost a month now.” ‘Oh god, does everyone know me?’

“Here,” John murmured, sticking his arm through the bars and holding the handkerchief out. There was a brief silence as a clawed hand tentatively grabbed the piece of cloth, the boy finally in sight. He had silky blonde hair, bangs falling over his forehead in an angle. There were matching freckles just below fiery red eyes, his lips pressed in a thin line. His wings were folded against his back, shining in tHe couldn’t be much older than sixteen or seventeen. John could see the faint shine of tear streaks trailing from his eyes, though promptly being wiped away.

“Sooo, what’s your name?” John asked awkwardly as the boy retreated to one of the branches, wrapping his wings around his body like a shield.

“Dave.” He left it at that. ‘Dave, huh.’

“Nice to meet you, Dave,” the boy smiled, keeping his hand out for a handshake. Dave raised his eyebrow and stared at the man on the outside, trying to figure him out.

“Why are you here anyway?”

“Well, I just. I thought your act”—Oh boy—“was simply fantastic, and I just had to see you for myself.”

“So you came to see the freaks up close,” Dave growled, shooting a glare.

“No no no!” John stammered, his pitch raising as his panic grew. “I mean, I don’t see you as a freak, just different! I just thought you were really lonely and IwantedtobeyourfriendbecauseyoualwayslookedsosadintheshowandIthinkithassomethingtodowithScra—!” Dave vanished into thin air briefly before appearing right at the cage, eyes panicked as he grabbed the back of John’s head, hooking him in and covering his mouth.

“John. Shut the fuck up, or else you’ll wake up E—“ His voice was caught in his throat as a lumbering figure stood at the doorway of the tent, square glasses and defined muscles illuminated in the moonlight.

“Who are you?” John turned around a squeaked, staring like a terrified little kid.

“E-Equius, he just got lost,” Dave tried to cover for him when John couldn’t even form coherent thoughts. “I was just telling him to-“

“Quiet, Avian. I was not speaking to you.” Dave shrunk back into his cage, the fear evident in his eyes when he nodded silently.

“I-I-I was just leaving,” John whimpered, scampering away quickly. He broke right when he managed to duck under Equius’ arm, his pulse heavy in his ears. Just as the boy reached the tree line, the distinct sound of whip cracks followed behind him.

*****

“Jonathan Michael, where on Earth have you been?” Uh oh. Caught. John shrunk against the old wooden door to his bedroom, avoiding the glare he was getting from his father. “Do you have any idea how worried I was? You could have been hurt, or taken, of even killed!”

“But I’m here and alive now,” John murmured, his nails digging into the wood slightly. “Can I just go to bed?”

“No, you may not. What were you doing out there at 2 in the morning?”

“Nothing, I just wanted to get out of the house for a little bit.” He lied through his teeth and looked up, watching his father gnaw at the end of his pipe, his Adam’s apple dipping.

“I don’t ever doing this ever again. Do you hear me, Jonathan? There will be major consequences if you have the gall to disobey me.” John could only muster a small understanding nod as his father ran a shaking hand through his hair. He silently pulled out a match and lit his pipe, taking a few puffs to calm himself down.

“Good, now go on up to bed and get some sleep. It’s late enough as is, and we have a big day tomorrow.”

“What are we doing?” the boy asked as he began to climb up the Victorian style stairs up to his room, his hand resting on the railing.

“Your nana is coming to visit for a few days.”

“What?” he gasped, his eyebrows raising in surprise. “Is she really well enough to travel? I mean, Jane said she was feeling under the weather for the longest time, and she nearly had a stroke traveling here last time..”

“Yes, but she finally went to see Dr. Maryam and is now on medication” He blew out smoke from the corner of his mouth in a heavy sigh. “Now hurry up and get to bed before I kick you to it.” He nodded and skipped every other step and turned to the left, glancing downstairs before slowly opening his bedroom door and slipping inside. He folded his glasses and set them on the nightstand before sighing. He felt back onto the mattress in a huff, pulling the blanket up to his chin as the mattress conformed to his body. Without hesitation, he closed his eyes and drifted into a deep sleep, his dream filled with black feathers and ruby eyes.