It was the next day, a rare day off for the circus crew to relax without the hustle and bustle of preparing and performing. Blitzo was busy helping his dad plan tomorrow's shows, while Fizz found himself away from the circus, spending time with Emmy discussing the Mammon concert.
Fizz animatedly recounted the wild fan reactions, the mesmerizing green flames, and the surreal sight of Mammon hovering on a green board. "Are you serious? Mammon did what?" Emmy asked with genuine surprise.
Fizz couldn't help but beam with excitement as he replied, "He even plucked me out of the crowd! Out of everyone there, he chose me." His joy was palpable. Emmy was impressed and amazed, saying, "Wow, that's incredible."
Fizz continued weaving his tale, "Then Mammon and I were ballroom dancing together, and I even added some of my own moves." Emmy chuckled in response, "No way! And he didn't mind?"
"Not at all," Fizz answered, surprised by Mammon's positive reaction. "I mean, anyone would be upset about someone hijacking their show, especially a royal prince, but he didn't show any irritation."
Fizz went on, "Then he even kissed my hand and winked at me when the show ended. It ended with a massive explosion, and it was the greatest thing I've ever seen. My fanboy heart was racing out of control." Emmy couldn't help but laugh at his enthusiasm. She found it endearing how passionate Fizz was about Mammon, especially since he had fulfilled his dream of meeting his idol.
Fizz couldn't help but express his wish, "I wish you could've been there; it was amazing."
"Yeah... me too," Emmy replied, her voice carrying a touch of sadness. Fizz noticed her tone and became concerned. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked.
Emmy remained silent for a moment before finally admitting, "I-it's nothing."
Fizz, still puzzled, looked at the door and realized his mistake. "I'm so, so sorry," he stammered. "I was just so excited that I forgot about the whole 'you can't leave the house' thing, and here I am, going on about the concert and Mammon-."
Emmy interrupted him, "N-no, Fizz... It's not that."
Fizz stopped talking, and his nervous sweating began to subside. "Oh... Then why are you upset?" he inquired.
"It's silly," she hesitated.
Fizz grinned playfully and teased, "Even better. Now I really want to know."
Emmy giggled, "Okay, okay. I'll tell you, but promise you won't laugh."
Fizz patiently waited, clearly intrigued "I promise".
Taking a deep breath, Emmy confessed, "Well... I felt a little jealous."
"Jealous? About what? about the concert?" Fizz asked, genuinely curious.
She clarified, "N-no...not about the concert."
"Then what?" Fizz pressed.
Emmy hesitated before revealing, "I-I'm jealous that he got to dance... with you."
Fizz's eyes widened in disbelief as he listened intently. Emmy continued, "The way you were talking about how you guys danced on the stage... It's silly, but I wished that I could be the one who was dancing with you instead. To have you close to me, see your face, laugh at your jokes, and explore Hell together would be one of the happiest moments of my life."
Fizz was speechless, his face turning a shade redder with each passing moment. His heart raced, and butterflies fluttered in his stomach. He'd never felt this way, not even with Mammon. Fizz didn't understand what was happening to his body, but he didn't mind the feeling one bit. He remained silent for a moment before he heard Emmy calling out to him.
"Jester?" She called by his codename, but he didn't respond. She tried again, this time with his real name, "Fizz," snapping him back to reality.
"Y-yeah?" Fizz stammered.
Emmy began to panic, thinking she had revealed too much. "I-I'm s-sorry. That p-probably s-sounded w-weird," she stuttered.
"N-no, no... It's f-fine," Fizz reassured her. "I... I don't mind, really. Thank you for telling me."
Emmy felt relieved to hear that she hadn't made him uncomfortable. She mustered the courage to speak again. "H-hey, Fizz?"
"Yeah?" he replied.
Emmy said happily, "I'm glad that we met, Fizz."
Fizz echoed her sentiment with equal happiness, "Yeah, me too." Both of them smiled, knowing that they felt something more than just friendship.
As twilight settled in, Fizz returned to the circus after his conversation with Emmy. He entered a tent that housed fellow performers and the kids he had grown up with. Among them were Blitzo, his sister Barbie Wire, affectionately known as Barb. Barb had elegant, curled horns and sported a red and white top paired with a black skirt and leggings.
The tent also housed the mischievous horse rider twins, Mike and Bike, both just eight years old. Mike donned green pants and a black long-sleeve shirt, while Bike opted for black pants and a green long-sleeve shirt. They were known as the biggest troublemakers, always up to pranks, annoying everyone at the circus, and teasing Fizz and Blitzo.
Another familiar face was Betty Loo, a tightrope walker with horns similar to Blitzo's, adorned with charming curls. She wore a light purple tutu dress and white tights. Betty, at thirteen years old but quite short, had an endearing personality and was like a little sister to Fizz. She was the circus's sweetheart, adored by everyone, especially Fizz.
Then there was Ally, the daring western cowgirl. She rocked blue shorts, a yellow tank top, and a short red jacket. The same age as Fizz, Ally had a bold and wild side but also a mature and nurturing one. She watched over the kids like a mother when needed.
Lastly, there was Robby, a tall imp with shorter horns than Fizz's. He sported a blue long-sleeve shirt, a black and white striped vest, and black pants. Robby, a skilled knife thrower, was equally renowned for his culinary expertise. His food was a hit with everyone, including the circus audience. Robby had a relaxed, cool demeanor most of the time, but you didn't want to get on his bad side. He was three years older than Blitzo and Fizz, akin to an older brother to them.
Fizz greeted his friends enthusiastically as he entered the tent. Betty rushed over to him, wrapped him in a hug, and exclaimed, "Fizzy, you're back! I missed you so much!"
Fizz returned the hug and chuckled, "I missed you too, Betty, but I haven't been gone that long."
Betty pouted cutely, "It felt like forever. I've been waiting to tell you about the coolest thing I saw today."
Intrigued, Fizz urged her, "Oh, really? Do tell."
Betty stopped hugging him and led him to sit on a nearby barrel. She excitedly shared her encounter with real-life hellhounds, but Fizz, lost in thought about Emmy's words, began to doodle in a notebook, a smile creeping onto his face.
Suddenly, Betty called out, "Fizz!"
Startled, Fizz looked up at the pouting princess and confessed, "Weren't you listening to me?"
Apologetic, Fizz replied, "Oh, sorry, Betty. What were you saying?"
Noticing Fizz's distracted behavior, the others in the tent grew curious and puzzled. Bike pointed to Fizz's notebook and exclaimed, "Fizz, you've covered your book with lovely dovely hearts!"
Embarrassed, Fizz glanced at his notebook, discovering small hearts with the initials "F+E" inside them. Shocked, he stammered, "Oh, no... I-I didn't even realize what I was doing."
Robby peered at the notebook and inquired, "F+E?"
Betty asked, "Hey, what does the 'E' stand for?"
Panicking, Fizz slammed the book shut and stammered, "N-nobody."
As realization dawned, Ally pushed through the group and exclaimed, "No way!" The twins chimed in, singing, "Fizzy has a crush, Fizzy has a crush."
Fizz blushed and denied, "N-no, I don't."
Robby draped his arm over Fizz's shoulders, laughing heartily. "Haha, you so do. You're blushing like crazy."
Fizz's face grew even redder, and he exclaimed, "Shit."
Ally, beaming with curiosity, gushed, "Oh my Satan, that's so cute and romantic! Who is it? Is it a guy or a girl?"
Betty joined in, "What color is their hair? Are they a fan?"
Ally continued, "Is it someone in the circus? Is it Blitzo? Barb? Robby?"
Barb interjected, "You do realize we're all right here and can hear you."
Anxiety gripped Fizz as he stammered, "H-huh, um..."
He couldn't reveal Emmy's secret; he had promised not to. With the group still waiting for an answer, he needed an excuse to escape this conversation. He pretended to hear Buckzo calling for him and hastily explained, "O-oh, I think I hear Buckzo calling me... hehehe... see you guys later."
Fizz bolted out of the tent without looking back, hiding behind one of the larger tents to catch his breath. As he held his notebook close and gazed at the hearts, he wasn't angry with himself. It was true; he had a crush on Emmy. Crushes might not last long, but he wanted to enjoy it while it did.
Sitting there with a smile on his face and his book clutched to his chest, Fizz heard a distant sound—an approaching vehicle. He followed the noise and couldn't believe his eyes: a black limo with a distinctive logo on the door, a logo he recognized well—a royal emblem. It belonged to none other than Royal Prince Mammon.
"Hey, what were you doing?" Betty inquired with curiosity. Fizz appeared perplexed. "Uh...nothing?"
Betty's curiosity had infected the entire tent, leaving everyone stunned and puzzled. "Uh... okay, since when have you been acting... weird?" Bike chimed in.
Fizz, still bewildered, questioned, "What do you mean?"
Bike pointed to Fizz's notebook and exclaimed, "Fizz, you've covered your book with lovely dovely hearts!"
Embarrassed, Fizz glanced at his notebook, discovering small hearts with the initials "F+E" inside them. Shocked, he stammered, "Oh, no... I-I didn't even realize what I was doing."
Robby peered at the notebook and inquired, "F+E?"
Betty asked, "Hey, what does the 'E' stand for?"
Panicking, Fizz slammed the book shut and stammered, "N-nobody."
As realization dawned, Ally pushed through the group and exclaimed, "No way!" The twins chimed in, singing, "Fizzy has a crush, Fizzy has a crush."
Fizz blushed and denied, "N-no, I don't."
Robby draped his arm over Fizz's shoulders, laughing heartily. "Haha, you so do. You're blushing like crazy."
Fizz's face grew even redder, and he exclaimed, "Shit."
Ally, beaming with curiosity, gushed, "Oh my Satan, that's so cute and romantic! Who is it? Is it a guy or a girl?"
Betty joined in, "What color is their hair? Are they a fan?"
Ally continued, "Is it someone in the circus? Is it Blitzo? Barb? Robby?"
Barb interjected, "You do realize we're all right here and can hear you."
Ally shot an annoyed glance at Barb, then turned back toward Fizz, who appeared nervous and sweaty. "So, spill it. Who is it?"
Anxiety gripped Fizz as he stammered, "H-huh, um..."
He couldn't reveal Emmy's secret; he had promised not to. With the group still waiting for an answer, he needed an excuse to escape this conversation. He pretended to hear Buckzo calling for him and hastily explained, "O-oh, I think I hear Buckzo calling me... hehehe... see you guys later."
Sitting there with a smile on his face and his book clutched to his chest, Fizz heard a distant sound—an approaching vehicle. He followed the noise and couldn't believe his eyes: a black limo with a distinctive logo on the door, a logo he recognized well—a royal emblem. It belonged to none other than Royal Prince Mammon.