You know, something I've been meaning to bring up; plenty of the characters and their traits (replaced or not) are sometimes mixed with other characters in specific ways. I'm not sure if anyone fully realized that before, but you'll find that some of the traits exhibited by certain characters or backstories are changed for plot reasons.
Do with that information what you will. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Karkat wasn't sure whether he liked the circus. Both in general, and right fucking now.
Aradia and Sollux had called him over to check out the place after nearly getting scared to death by one of the workers after they tried to sneak a peek. Something he was going to talk to them about, for sure. The Makara's Traveling Circus didn't exactly have a great name, but it was distinctive in its style at least.
Karkat would describe the entire theme as gothic, with a lot of horror elements thrown together. While the fair games that were still being set up looked normal, the prizes were stuffed animals in the shape of predators or monsters. Circus tents were darker shades of purple instead of red, all the workers wore black, and the music being put on was more than creepy.
It was memorable, though, so he figured this place must have some success. He could respect that.
What he couldn't respect was his friends acting like idiots and getting caught sneaking onto the premises.
The halfa had been pointed towards one of the trailers when asked where he could find them, much to his annoyance. He stomped towards the one for staff, wondering if he should punish them for doing this or thanking them since it got him away from Feferi and Kanaya for a little bit longer.
Trying to avoid it wouldn't last long, but he needed to figure out some stuff first. Mostly about the superhero thing.
Karkat sighed, putting the thoughts aside for now. He had more present problems to deal with.
"Alright, I'm here!" Karkat knocked on the door as gently as he could. The damn thing still rattled at his touch. "I'll gladly take those idiots off your hands! I'm sure they won't do it again for a couple of months."
He could hear some shuffling on the other side before the door opened. He looked up to find a slightly taller, lazily smiling guy his age looking down at him. Other than the crazy hair, he didn't seem to be dear god, why the fuck did he smell of smoke?
"You Karbro?" Yep, this guy was a smoker of something. Honestly, it was like he came out of a bad drug PSA. "Your friends are inside. They ain't in trouble if you're wondering."
"Not in trouble yet. Thanks for not turning them in, uh," Karkat looked down and saw a name tag. The guy's name was Gamzee Makara, apparently. Guess this was a legacy type of thing. "Gamzee. I'm guessing your family runs the place."
"Pretty much. Me and my bro held dad with all of the setting up, usually." Gamzee simply turned around, heading inside. Karkat hesitantly followed him, noting that Arada and Sollux were sitting on a couch just fine. "They didn't really do anything, so we're just letting them chill here."
"Hey Karkat! Enjoying the circus so far?" Aradia didn't seem to care about Karkat glaring at the two, looking over some of the props Gamzee apparently had. He was fond of juggling clubs, apparently. "Did you know there's an entire clown code? I'm not joking, there's a club and everything based on it."
"I think one of the rules is not scaring the hell out of people." Sollux was a little uncomfortable since the place was decorated like a horror show. "No offense, but the face paint is creepy as fuck."
"Thanks. I put it on like this every morning." Gamzee moved to a beanbag, flopping into it lazily. "You can make yourself at home if you want. Just as long as you buy a ticket later, you can stay for the show tonight."
"We might not. Considering these two decided to be dumbasses." Karkat rolled his eyes, moving toward the two with purpose. "What the hell were you event thinking?! You can't just follow a bunch of cars down into the forest like that. Especially with all the shit going on."
"Hey, we just wanted to have a little, low stakes adventure." Aradia poked his nose, causing Karkat to groan. "You're grumpier than usual. Did something set you off earlier?"
"That's like asking him what he had for breakfast, AA. You really think he remembers everything that ticks him off?" Sollux just shrugged when Karkat turned the glare to him. "Hey, this wasn't my idea. All AA's fault."
"Traitor!"
"Can you both please stop? I appreciate you guys acting like everything is normal, but we really should get out of here." Karkat shifted on his feet, giving a quick look to Gamzee. The guy looked absolutely spaced, but he started talking lower anyway. "Feferi and Kanaya apparently want to talk to me. They came up to me while I was helping dad out at the daycare, and I've been trying to avoid them."
"Seriously? Isn't that supposed to be a good thing?" Sollux figured Feferi would be pretty freaked out for a while, but it sounded like she still wanted to hang out. "It doesn't sound like FF hates you. She probably just wants to know what happened during the Kitty Incident."
"Yeah. I'd want some peace of mind after something like that." On the other hand, Aradia did find it weird that they weren't contacted about it. Technically, they all claimed that they saw it together. "What does Kanaya have to do with it, though?"
"No idea. Maybe she's acting as Feferi's therapist or something for this. Either way, I don't know if I can face them right now." Karkat knew it wasn't healthy, but something about seeing Feferi's face and realizing someone else had been behind it... "I'll be happy to answer her questions, but I can't just tell them anything yet. Otherwise I'd give way too much."
"I'm sure it'd be just..." Sollux stopped himself before he could finish that sentence. "If you want to avoid them that badly, why not stay here for the show then? I can't believe I just said that, but it seems like the best idea."
"Like I said, we got tickets ready and raring to go." Gamzee piped up. Everyone almost jumped, forgetting he was there. "I think my dad is gonna show up too, so he might give you a discount."
They weren't sure how he knew his dad was coming around, but they eventually could hear the sound of loud footsteps moving towards the door. Before they could fully recognize it, a large shadow covered the doors window before it swung open.
"Gamzee, you better not be slacking off again." Came a deep voice. The figure had to squeeze into the trailer, a mass of hair making him look like a wild animal rather than man. "I told you to make sure the grounds were clear- oh."
The teens (other than Gamzee, who didn't seem to care) looked up at the giant man with some amount of amazement and fear. He was dressed much like his son, wearing billowing pants, a black tank-top, and white makeup that looked like it was scratched on. His hair, once again, seemed to be a massive tangle of curls that reached down his back, while giving him a few inches more to his already impressive height.
"Just found some people in the forest, dad. Didn't really mean to find this place." Gamzee waved off the giant like he wasn't taking up so much space. "Might stay for a show, though. Is the ticket stand up?"
"Not yet. Your brother is taking his time with putting them up." The guy lit up at the mention of customers, a smile with way too many teeth shifting onto his face. "Welcome to the circus, kids! It's a little early, but glad to see I've already got some customers."
"Yeah, sorry about appearing before you guys were ready. We did hear a lot of cars but didn't really know this was slated to happen." Aradia figured the guy would be good as long as they paid money to be here. She'd play along for now. "Pretty interesting theme too."
"Well, we've been working on it for years, so we've come to master it." The man looked down at Sollux, looking him over. "Maybe try the fair food around here. You look like a stick, kid."
"Hey, I just don't work out a lot. My metabolism is fast too." Sollux figured a guy that looked like a hairy mountain wouldn't get it. "Not all of us want to move around carnival equipment all day."
"Eh, it really ain't for everyone." The guy looked at Karkat, pausing briefly before he spoke again. "Have we met before? You look a little familiar."
"I don't think so. Considering I'd remember meeting a literal mountain..." Karkat sighed, shaking his head. This entire thing was becoming a headache. "You know what? Fine. Let's hang out here for a while. Been while since I've had something deep fried."
"We've got Oreos, twinkies, and virtually anything that can be fried. Help yourselves." He waved at the door, still smiling widely. "Names Clopin if you're wondering. Make sure to stay out of the restricted area's from now on. There's plenty of dangerous shit in here."
Karkat was the only one to give him a look for the last comment, but they moved out quickly. Clopin waited a second after they left to let the smile drop, face going neutral as he turned towards his son.
"They didn't see anything strange, right?" Clopin's tone was clipped, a growl escaping his throat. "A little early to start trouble if they did."
"They didn't see nothing, dad. Just ended up finding the place." Gamzee didn't really much care. It wasn't like this was their first time doing any of this. "Worst thing they saw was one of the part-timers drop some of the food."
"Good. We need to speed things up tonight, though." Clopin chuckled then, though it stopped dead a second later. "Got some big plans for the show tonight. Can't keep anyone waiting."
Gamzee gave his dad a raised eyebrow before shrugging. He got up, feet sliding on the floor as he headed back to work. "Sure thing. Make sure to leave some fun for me, though."
Clopin smiled, a real one this time, as he finally let himself laugh since he got there.
"I'll make sure to."
"What do you mean he's gone?!"
"Sorry, kid. I have no idea where he went." Spades knew that Feferi was definitely Crocker's kid now. They certainly shared a temper. "I let him go off, but I didn't see him leave. He's been getting good at that lately."
"We're sorry to disturb you about this, but we were hoping to talk with him before that. Did he mention where he was going at all?" Kanaya figured Karkat would try and avoid the subject, but outright disappearing on his father was bold. He must've learned how to use his powers well enough for this. "It's important."
"Trust me, I'd do something if I could. I think he really does need to talk with you, but I can't force him to do anything he doesn't want to." Spades did feel for the kids, but Karkat was a stubborn little shit sometimes. The best he could do was make sure what happened didn't happen again. "If I see him around, I'll make sure to send a message."
"Goddamit. Why does every boy I meet never want to talk about their feeling directly?" Feferi grumbled, kicking the floor. "First Eridan always clams up, and now it's Karkat. I really know how to pick them."
"I'm sure we can get this over with soon. It's just going to take some time." Kanaya sighed before giving Spades a look. "Has he been okay the past few days?"
"It varies. I think he's pushing everything off for a bit before dealing with it." Spades moved some things into the back of his car, slamming the trunk closed. "He's feeling guilty, but there was nothing he could do. If I have to, I'll try to get him to a therapist and maybe we can sort this out."
It was something Spades had been considering for a while now. The kid had been acting weird for a while now, and though it wasn't destructive, it was still something to keep an eye on. Hopefully it would blow over fast, but he wasn't a stranger to trying to get him help.
"It- It's fine. I guess I get it." Feferi didn't like how they were essentially proven right about what they thought would happen. The frustration was really getting to her, though. "We'll stop by if he doesn't call us first. Have a good day, Mr. Slick."
"I'll do my best. Oh, and feel free to stop by later!" Spades moved to the driver's side door, waving at them before he got in "I'll have some anti-possession devices to try out later, and you can probably find the kid there."
"We'll make sure to!" Kanaya waved as he drove off, hoping he wouldn't run into something flying with it. She did sigh, turning towards the other girl. "Looks like he isn't going to make this easy. I guess getting it done today was wishful thinking."
"We might catch him at home if we're lucky. If his friends are there, all the better." Feferi stopped, thinking of something. "Do you think Spades knows what he is too? Or is he just as clueless about it?"
"...That is a horrifyingly good question. I'd assume yes, but outside of his inventions, he doesn't seem to notice much." Kanaya was really starting to hate this whole secret identity thing. It was always so confusing. "We probably shouldn't ask either. I'd figure the only reason Karkat wouldn't say anything is because he's tangentially related to how he got his powers."
"Yeah, probably something like that accident Mom said Oberon... got... into." Feferi paused, putting a hand to her face. "Oh my god, is Spades accidentally killing people all the time?! That would explain too much about Eridan."
"And only raise further questions about his lab practices. Oberon probably isn't human either." Another thing Kanaya was starting to not like about this situation. At this rate, she was going to find out her family was descended from vampires. "Are you sure you're alright with continuing this? This will get more stressful before we expect any relief to come our way."
"I just- I guess I want some closure to all of this. If we can get Karkat to explain everything, maybe it'll make what happened with that biker ghost easier to swallow." Feferi hated remembering how it was not to control her own body. If she could get some idea as to what happened to Kitty, maybe she could sleep easier. "Then he could help us fight against anything else, and maybe have a few more friends on the inside."
"Then I guess we'll have to keep going. Just don't expect him to be happy once he figures out we know." Kanaya was ready for a meltdown. She wasn't sure what Feferi was expecting. "Hopefully he'll have answers about Eridan as well."
"...Okay."
They were going to get this done, even if it killed them.
"Dad, I don't get why I need to be here at all." Trizza typed out something to Ardata as they walked up to her father's work building. She gave it a passing glance, frowning. "It's not like there's anything for me to do there. Half of your shit is classified."
"Honey, it's not classified, it's company secrets. Those are different things." Mr. Tethis tapped his fingers on his keycard, looking around the parking lot. He was expecting those investors any minute, and he didn't want to waste any time. "Besides, we both know you have nothing to do today. You'll probably find something you'll like around here."
"If this is about choosing my career and shit, I'm already tapping out. I keep telling you, I'll figure it out later." Trizza had gone through this conversation a million times and it hadn't gotten any less annoying. "If anything, you're only convincing me to put it off."
"Trizza, you can't keep saying that the closer you get to college." Mr. Tethis ran a hand down his face, tapping his foot on the ground. "Worlds about to go through some serious changes, and you need to be prepared. I can't hand off the company to you if I don't think you're ready for it."
"You're just going to do that since you want to expand into another state..." Trizza grumbled. Her hand itched for the social media apps, but she didn't want her phone confiscated again. "Just tell me what project you're doing and why I'm supposed to help."
"Well, you know how that Spades guy is developing a ghost security system..." Mr. Tethis flinched at the groan that came from his daughter. "Okay, I don't like either, but he did just give us permission to use some designs for research and development."
"What kind of research and development?! I don't care if ghosts are real or not, that guy is a grade a lunatic!" Trizza was really getting sick of hearing about that guy. She got the whole thing was a huge discovery, but did everyone have to go nuts and forget how much shit he blew up? "It's all borderline schizo-tech from what I've seen."
"Schizo-tech that works. And he's given us permission to go ahead on some projects that he hasn't had time for as long as he gets a cut of the profits." Her father leaned down, putting his hands on her shoulders. "He has plans for forcefields, Trizza. Forcefields. If this presentation of the latest model goes well, we'll be able to expand the client base by triple its numbers."
Trizza did know that made her family even richer. Her dad's company was doing great right now, but it could always be better. Of course, that meant Vantas, and his dad would also benefit...
Eh, fuck it. If she could buy more shit for herself, then she could deal with it.
"Just as long as I don't have to deal with Spades today, I'll deal. Especially if he's involved with the testing phases." She guessed he wouldn't even be close by if investors were involved. Though, that didn't mean she felt positive about this. "Are you sure the designs are good enough? You know how Spades shit can get."
"I'm sure it'll be great. The only thing I have to do is spice up the presentation while you learn from this. Remember, big things are coming in the future." Mr. Tethis just smiled, noting the car moving into the company's driveway. "Looks like they made it. It's showtime."
Trizza just rolled her eyes, moving alongside him as he greeted all the old, already skeptical investors. This was make or break, she supposed, so she might as well pretend to be cheery. She wasn't going to be the one to fuck up her dad's legacy.
She looked over the building one more time, the sign of Axion Labs looking a little more inviting now. Maybe if things did go well, she'd take this one over after all.
The show had been going great, for all things considered. At this point, anything that didn't blow up or cause chaos was good enough for them. Maybe that was a big part of growing up, lowering expectations.
That was a depressing thought Karkat was looking to abandon quickly.
"Hey, you think maybe we could do some of this stuff? I mean, not right now, but eventually?" Aradia watched a few acrobats move on tightropes, jumping through hoops with ease. "Sollux would be easy to throw I think. He's pretty thin."
"I can hear you, and no fucking thanks. I think we've got enough risks going on right now to consider shit like that." Sollux ate his popcorn, noting all the safety procedures that would have to take place. "Only one of us can stop falling on command, and there's no safety nets in real life."
"Parkour is something to consider, though. We already know this place like the back of our hands." It wouldn't mean much to Karkat, but it did make those two more mobile. "On the other hand, we can just get Horuss to make some hover boards after he's done with the accessory thing."
Karkat simply watched the show as he thought that statement over, realizing that Horuss was extremely close to figuring that out. If things were played out right, they could probably get Nepeta, Terezi, and any other ghost they wanted to visit the human world at any time, providing not only a lot of back-ups at a moment's notice, but some actual cohabitation.
Was Karkat wondering if ghosts and humans could coexist? Kinda. If anything, he didn't see a reason for it not to happen except for the occasional Obsessed ghost. Or megalomaniacal human like Scratch fucking around in delicate ghost habitats. It wouldn't be an easy thing, and he certainly wasn't a politician or social worker, but it couldn't be any worse than human politics.
Of course, he wouldn't be able to do that stuff now. Right now, he'd just have to make sure Terezi didn't lick the wrong person or Vriska tried knocking someone out with a guitar.
"Ladies and gentlemen!"
Karkat was taken from his thoughts as lights were turned on, the center of the show being taken over by Clopin. He had the proper ringmaster get-up, the red switched to purple and the lining with gold. He twirled a black scepter that had a red orb affixed to the top of it. Despite the fact it looked like a simple prop, it caught the halfa's eye, especially as it seemed to be glowing.
"I'm hoping that all of you have been enjoying yourselves these past couple of hours," Clopin was interrupted by some cheers from the crowd, causing him to laugh. Something about it seemed rough. "Well, I suppose I don't have to keep hoping then! I'm just checking in to announce that we'll be having our grand finale soon."
Something about that... seemed off. Karkat couldn't explain why, but something about the guy's movements, the way he was talking was ringing a bell. Maybe he was just being paranoid, though.
"I've been in this business a long time, but I've always been ready to try new things." Clopin paced, making sure to face everyone in the audience as he talked. "And thanks to this, I've been able to make quite a few friends in my lifetime. You probably even saw a nice couple not that long ago scouting the place for me."
This was a strange tangent. Clopin still had the audience enraptured, but Karkat couldn't help but wonder why this was important. He could see some of the workers flitting about too, moving in strange patterns as their eyes- were there eyes glowing before?
"Unfortunately, I haven't been hearing much from them lately. I think they got interrupted while they were doing their own thing." That detail caught Karkat's attention. Clopin's smile seemed darker, more sinister. "I'm sure they're fine. You know how young couples are. Always getting into trouble."
Pretty fucking blasé if you asked him. What kind of work would that couple be doing? Did someone get hurt on Karkat's watch? If they did, he was sure he would've heard about it.
"We don't know his name. All we know is the guy is human and working for some other people."
"Big burly guy, had a lot of hair."
...The accessories. This was the fucking guy! He was the one giving that shit to Johnny and Kitty.
"And that does lead me to our next, and final, act of the night!" Clopin raised his hands, and the room suddenly darkened. The only sign he was there was the glowing scepter he had in his hands. "Let them have it, boys!"
And much to Karkat's horror, as he choked on smoke and fear, he watched as nearly everyone working at the circus floated upward.
Yeah, I think you know where I'm going with this for some characters.
Either way, I'll see you all next time. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!