Maskoff's Circus

    He let out a small sigh, rubbing the back of his head lightly. The circus has gone wonderfully, exactly what Maskoff had needed, though he was unsure what would happen to him now.

    His old partner wasn’t with him at the moment, he was wandering the festival grounds on his own. It was nearing sunrise, and it seemed as though a majority of the visitors had won their crystals and escaped the local Cypherus’. Though, he could tell their numbers had dwindled somewhat; not all of them had made it through.

    He stopped as he heard some chirps from an alley, and his curiosity got the better of him as he went to see who was inside. It seemed to be some blue Grem, along with a rather dark colored Pumpkimp sitting on their lap. And after that, he noticed the small glinting crystal held in the Grem’s hand as their free one was currently petting the Pumpkimp.

    “Well well, looks like you got through Crusher’s challenge, huh?” Drip said, announcing his presence to the other Grem. He remembered seeing them earlier now that he had a closer look, when the Harvest Festival illusion had been cast away. He was fairly certain he saw this particular Grem finding their way to the Muscled Cypherus; he was rather surprised they had survived, he thought they would have been a goner.

    The blue Grem jumped in their seat, the Pumpkimp in their lap bouncing slightly, causing the little creature to make some indiginat chirps for having been disturbed from their comfy seat. The Grem looked around before spotting Drip; they calmed down and offered a small smile, but was clearly still a bit unnerved. Drip couldn’t blame them for their hesitancy, he was one of the two main assistant’s for Maskoff himself.

    “Oh uh, yeah! It wasn’t fun, but I managed to get out of there and get… this, whatever it is.” They said, holding up the crystal.

    “Well, good on ya for that! I’ve seen plenty of other Grem’s with their own crystals, but hey, each of them had to earn theirs and looks like you earned yours as well,” he praised. After a moment, he added: “Name’s Drip, but you probably already know that. What’s your name?”

    The Grem blinked at him, before answering. “Oh uhh, my name is Indigo, though most of my friends call me Indie. And I decided to name this lil guy here Bramble!” The Pumpkimp chirped in response, seeming to agree with their name.

    Drip nodded. “Well, since you’ve already got your crystal, you’re all free to go! So, what are you doing hanging in an alley like this?” He asked, wanting to get an answer for his initial confusion on why any Grem in their right mind would want to linger here.

    Indigo took a moment, as though pondering how to answer. “Well, mainly because I was hoping to get some rest after getting away from Crusher. The whole experience left me exhausted and as much as I want to get out of here, I need to find Palatasi. They’re a friend of mine and we came here together and I want to make sure she’s safe.”

    This time, it was Drip’s turn to blink, well, they had come with a friend then? He had to hope this friend of Indigo had survived whatever trial they’d been put through. He had only just met the guy, but he seemed nice enough, it would be a shame to lose a friend at the circus.

    An idea came to Drip just then and he smiled at Indigo with a sudden eagerness that had Indigo leaning back slightly with wariness. “Hey Indie, grab your crystal there and give it a small squeeze! I think it can help you find your friend…”

    The other Grem gave him a questioning glance, but did as he was told. They let out a small sound of surprise when the crystal clicked open two little stars, one red and one blue, appeared from thin air. Drip frowned upon looking at the color of the two stars, feeling a sense of longing… But now was not the time to think about that. “Now tell them to find your friend Palatasi,” he instructed further.

    Indigo seemed amazed at the twin stars flying above his head, slowly circling him, but heard what he was told to do through the wonder. After a second, he asked hesitantly, “Can- can you find Tasi?”

    The stars held in place for a moment, before resuming their spinning at a faster pace. Then one of them locked into place in front of Indigo; a moment later, the other one followed suit, spinning until it came to a stop right next to the first.

    Indigo blinked, looking in the direction they were pointing, which seemed to be down a path he could tell led outside of the carnival. Drip smiled at the results. “Just head that way and you should find your friend!”

    Indigo moved and placed Bramble down on the ground, the Pumpkimp made another disgruntled sound at being removed from his lap, but didn’t seem to fight back as Indigo stood up. He looked ready to run down the path but held back for the second. “Uhh, thank you, Drip, for the help.”

    The red Grem waved him off. “Don’t worry about it, happy to help… Though, if you don’t mind, I’d love to come with you. The circus is almost over and I need to get outta here as well. As much fun as it was being part of this whole endeavor, there are more adventures to be had out there and I’m hoping you can help me get a start on that.”

    He could tell Indigo really wanted to say no. He had noticed how the blue Grem’s eyes would trail every time he spoke– drawn to his split lower jaw, to the tongue pouch along his neck. Drip figured Indigo was hesitant to be with a predatory Grem, such as himself. 

    But to his surprise, Indie answered with: “Sure! You’ve been helpful and it’d be great to have another friend come over. Plus you helped me figure out where Tasi is, so it’s no issue with me,” he said, giving a bright smile to Drip.

    Drip actually found himself at a loss for a minute, the sudden acceptance of his request throwing him off his guard. But he finally composed himself and grinned back. “Well then, lead the way Indie, and let’s get out of here!”