[2-5] The Carnival

[Remilia Scarlet]

So that was something finally done right. Map acquired, everyone pat yourself on the back. There wasn’t much to the carnival in terms of specialness other than the fact that it came to end its journey on this godforsaken island (which really only made it as special as everything else on it, take that how you will), even the name sounded generic. The life Remilia had lived had seen many a grand traveling entertainers that this seemed rather mundane once the initial dread started to wear out its novelty. Not that it lost any of the creepiness as they passed by the ruins of the pride and joy of the fair. As they got closer to the center with the help of the map Gin manhandled, a ferris wheel in the back looked like a rotten tree with poison fruit that hung from its branches when framed by the growing storm. The two had, in silenced, decided that cover was more important than exploration at the moment and hurried to their destination.

But in a moment of idle curiosity, as she gave one last look to her flanks, Remilia saw something that peaked her interest, a chance to sate boredom, and when no dangers had immediately presented themselves she grew exponentially bold.

A game stall still left set up after whatever previous occupants had abandoned it, six pins stocked on each other in a triangle and a baseball left slightly brown and torn from the elements. When she stopped, Gin ran into her back as he groped the sign he was using as a map and rather than ask what happen and get more sass he just took it as a chance to path their route.

The pins stood proud, left to stand even after what it has survived when all else had fallen apart. They were the bastion of order in this hive of chaos and decay, high and proud as they weathered through the assaults against them. They were the what was right in the world and they dared any to question their pride.

And the scarlet devil would not let such a challenge go unanswered.

She glanced back to Gin, who still wrestled with the map between what light there was left and not getting rained on any more than he already had, and she slipped a coin purse from her ballroom dress. Useless anywhere else, but perhaps it would still appease whatever still haunted here. She wiped the sign of the stall with her handkerchief to see what they expected. That wasn’t a currency she knew. What was the exchange rate for that and yen anyway? Eventually she decided to be simply generous and left a decent amount on the stall’s broken desk.

She poked the baseball with her finger and immediately withdrew it as if it might explode. Nothing happened. She then swiped it, like a hungry child to a unchecked morsel. It was soggy and soft in her hands, but no other effect. A little smile grew wide on the vampire’s face as she was another point closer to her goal.

“Hey Remilia, how do you think the carnival got here?” the redhead asked, probably half to pass time and half to make sure she was still there.

“Oh, probably the same as us, although why bother to set up?” Remilia answered as she hid the ball in front of her


“Maybe it was already was set up when it was brought in? I heard that when you summon something big you can accidentally bring other stuff in too.”

“Yeah, yeah, maybe. Could you check over there for a second?” Remilia pointed her head in a random direction “I thought I saw some movement”

One last look to Gin as he turned his back gave her the opening she wanted.

With a long wind up and fire in her eyes, she set her sight on just off the center, where the would knock two of the base pins to be thrown into oblivion and the last one to have its brethren to collapse on top of it. She brought back the pitch, raised a powerful step forward, and launched the ball with tremendous force.

The pens all fell, their last moments was struck down by their pride as much as it was by the vampire’s strike. A crack filled the air, followed by a stunned silence as Gin stared with disbelief as he whipped back to where he heard it and realized what happened.

Remilia, on the other hand, began to pump her fists in excitement as she found that her victory would not be taken from her. She reached up towards one of the teddy bears among the prizes, no value to her other than as a trophy of their achievement and a memento to her soon fleeting elation.

But the twine that wrapped around the bear’s neck still held some strength in it, and as the vampire pulled it down the fabric gave way first. A gruesome scene of bear decapitation  took place, white fluff inside spilled readily from the massive hole where its head once was. The grin on Remilia’s face dropped and left her jaw to hang as she saw the bear’s new state. It bode ill for their future expedition and shortened the gap between her and her sister’s genocide of children’s toys.

Eventually the sound of Gin sucking air through his teeth as he remembered to breath knocked both of them out of their silence.

“Could we...PLEASE go now?” And Remilia nodded as she gingerly placed the headless bear onto the desk and both of them bolted from there with a frightened pace.