all that i know is gone

"Step right up, step right up, and see the many wonders of the deep sea!"

Luke couldn't deny that he was interested. Nudging Michael, he looked to his best friend as he studied the poster outside of the attraction, which was hidden within a deep blue tent. "Mermaids?" He raised his eyebrows, snorting with a humourless laugh. "Probably some girls in prosthetic tails, you in?" He asked. "Could be fun."

Arista swam around as the crowd around the large tank she and Atlantis were confined in grew, flipping her tail at a bunch of children, smiling weakly as they watched on in awe. If she couldn't be granted freedom during the day, then she should, at least, make the most of being in the water. Looking to Atlantis, Arista offered her best friend a smile. "Are you okay?"

Michael peered at the poster for a long moment, arching a brow, because that was quite a claim for somebody to go around making. But, he supposed that it was a claim that made money, regardless of whether it was true or not - he was betting on the latter, because mermaids were certainly not a thing. Hearing his friend, he grinned and shrugged. "Might as well," he decided, "We don't have anything else to do at the moment, unless we wanna find Ashton and Calum and get out of here, but we might as well have fun while we can, even if it's for something as fake as a mermaid." Shifting, he led the way into the tent, arching a brow at the large crowd. Either people were really buying this or they were just curious to how real this could look.

Atlantis chewed on her lip as she peered around at the large crowd, always feeling nervous before a show. All the attention drove her up a wall, and she constantly found herself wishing that somebody would notice how miserable they were, that somebody would help them. Offering a small smile in return, she breathed out a sigh. "As okay as I can be," she murmured, "Are you?" Just to appease the crowd, she swam below the surface, making sure her tail gave quite a splash before she resurfaced.

Luke made sure Michael was close by as he made his way through the crowd, getting as close to the front of the crowd as he could, his curiosity getting the best of him. Looking around, Luke paused as he saw a beautiful young lady swimming beneath the water before returning to the surface, his heart suddenly beginning to pound in his chest. Luke could of sworn there and then, that he had never seen such beauty. "Wow." He exhaled, studying her pearlescent tail, amazed at how realistic it seemed. Feeling Michael beside him pulled Luke from his trance, and he blinked, clearing his throat. "Convincing."

"Ladies and gentleman," the curator spoke. "Please, give a hand for our wonderful mermaids, Atlantis and Arista, found in the deepest part of the ocean and brought to the surface for your viewing pleasure!"

Arista nodded to Atlantis. "I'm okay." She shrugged her shoulders lightly, but still, put on a smile for the crowd as the curator spoke, waving her hand. "Time to put on a show." She murmured through her smile, and although she hated being gawped at like a freak show, Arista knew that it was best to keep their captor happy. Diving under the water, Arista showed off her long, pearlescent tail, almost wishing she was in the sea than in a cramped tank.

Michael followed Luke quietly, following Luke's lead through the crowd, partially because he didn't want to be separated from his friend and have to find him later on, but mostly because he was curious about everything. With such a large crowd, it'd been a bit difficult to get to the front, but, when he did and found himself standing next to Luke, he stared in awe, shocked at how realistic everything looked, but more so amazed by one of the girls in particular. She was gorgeous, in every way, and he wondered how somebody as beautiful as her was involved in something like this. He couldn't take his eyes off her, though, mesmerized by her, curious about her, wanting to speak to her, to learn her name, to learn everything. He swore his heart almost stopped when he saw her go under the water and, if it was possible, she looked even more beautiful while swimming around under the water, and he found himself watching her every move before he cleared his throat. "Yeah, you can say that again," he agreed quietly.

Atlantis chewed on her lip as she listened to the man speak, but she tried to force a smile to hide how much she hated this. Waving her hand with false enthusiasm, she nodded subtly to Arista's words and dove back under the water, swimming around with Arista. She took in the sight of the crowd around the tank, taking in each face, each person, before her gaze settled on a man who was watching her in a way the others weren't. For a moment, she paused in swimming around, her hair floating around her, and she almost reached out to touch the glass of the tank, wanting to know this man, but she felt an ache in her chest, a warning from their captor, and she retreated quickly, swimming faster to keep the audience interested.

Luke almost held his breath for a moment as the girl he'd been watching intently dove into the water, and if it was even possible, beneath the blue hues, she was gorgeous, so natural in the water. Luke couldn't take his eyes from her, watching as her hair gracefully flowed around her, as she came nearer to the glass, Luke bit his lip, unable to lie to himself about his interest, wondering if there was a chance he could speak to her, get to know her and her name and how someone as lovely got involved with a place like a carnival. Still, Luke followed her movements as she swam, and Luke couldn't stop the smile that came to his face.

Arista swam freely with Atlantis, studying the crowd. Each day brought different faces. Splashing the fins of her tail against the surface to create some splash for the kids, Arista almost paused as she saw a handsome man in the crowd, the whole world around her stopped for a brief moment. She watched him as her hair flowed around her, wanting to learn his name, wanting to learn more about him, her interest so suddenly caught, she couldn't quite explain herself. Feeling a pull from the glass, Arista understood her captor's wishes and swam on.

Michael watched quietly, unable to tear his gaze off of the woman who'd caught his attention so quickly, so easily. He took her in, every movement, his heart swelling when he swore her attention had fallen on him. A part of him had wanted to step forward, had wanted to make some sort of contact, but he refrained from doing so, aware that it would probably get them kicked out of the carnival. While that would have been fine before, now that he'd seen this woman, he didn't want to leave any time soon. "They sure are holding their breath for a long time," he mentioned quietly to Luke.

Atlantis continued her swim, being careful but purposeful, making sure to do a few underwater tricks to keep the crowd entertained, though there wasn't much they could do in the cramped tank. Her mind kept wandering to that man, but she couldn't bring herself to look his way again, too worried about stirring up trouble with their captor. She knew, though, that the show would only last a few more minutes, because there wasn't really much they could do - the entire show mostly depended on them holding the crowd's attention for as long as possible, but everybody got bored quickly with the simple tricks they were able to do in the tank.

Luke nodded in agreement to Michael's observation. "I mean, I guess they do this every day." He tried to reason, wondering if the girls had any kind of training to get this job. He felt his heart rest as he watched Atlantis' performance, clearly enthralled by every movement she made, and all he wanted was for her gaze to fall back on him, something about her bringing calm into his chaos. Feeling a longing in his chest, Luke watched the girl swim around, wanting to ask the curator who was who. "We should ask which one's which." He murmured back to Michael, not bothering to hide his curiosity.

"It looks like the girls are a little tired for today!" Their captor spoke, eyeing the girls with false concern. "Maybe it's time for Arista and Atlantis to have a little break."

Arista followed Atlantis' lead, knowing if she gave another glance towards the man in the crowd, their captor would be much more than angry. Spinning around, Arista watched as the crowd began to grow smaller, and she couldn't help the relief that flooded through her, knowing that once people lost interest, she and Atlantis would be granted their privilege to walk on land, something they'd yearned for for so long. Spinning around in the water as she swam towards the surface, Arista exhaled as she caught a quick glance of the man that had caught her eye, frowning to herself as she saw him still there.

Michael chewed on his lip almost anxiously, watching quietly, wishing that he could get the woman's attention again, that she would look at him even for another moment. A part of him felt like she was purposely trying to avoid his eyes, but he couldn't think of a reason she wouldn't look at him. "I guess that makes sense," he agreed with his friend quietly, nodding, his gaze still following the woman, his heart racing with every movement she made, before he blinked to the man's words, and he looked over, surprised it was ending already. He swallowed, though, wanting to know who the woman was, and he shifted, stepping forward. "Excuse me," he called eventually, raising his hand to signal that he was the one asking, "Which one is which?"

Atlantis felt relief fill her with the announcement, glad to know that the show was coming to an end. Swimming back to the surface, she pushed her hair out of her face, peering around, waiting for everybody to leave. Usually, the only ones who were still around at this point were kids and their parents, but she saw that the guy who had caught her attention was still there, and so was another. She quickly averted her gaze, though, forcing a smile as she waved at a few kids, trying to pretend everything was wonderful and normal.

"My son, they're easy to tell apart when you know them as well as I do!" Their captor grinned. "Arista has the shorter hair, Atlantis has the longer hair, but both are equally as beautiful to me." He spoke, trying to sound cheerful and approachable for the sake of the remaining crowd.

Luke nodded to himself as he learned that the girl who had so quickly caught his attention was called Atlantis, and he couldn't help but wonder if that was just a show name, or if it was her real name. Either way, it was a beautiful name, and it seemed to suit her so well. Watching as Atlantis waved to a group of kids, Luke toyed with his lower lip, wanting her attention on him. Still, Luke looked to the curator once more, feeling an odd wave of dread shudder through his body, and although the rest of the crowd disappeared, Luke wondered if he dared take a step forward, seeing as there was barely anyone left. Deciding to take the risk and do so, Luke studied the tank, before looked to Atlantis, admiring her beautiful tail, before offering her a smile, hopeful she'd catch it.

Arista pushed her hair from her face as she waved to the children with Atlantis, seeing that the man who had so easily caught her gaze was asking who was who. Nudging Atlantis subtly, she hinted to the men with curiosity, although the dull, constant ache in her chest was enough warning. Still, she wanted to dive back in, get a good look at the man who seemed to be a gift from the Heavens, and she felt that he would be worth the trouble. Watching his movements, Arista decided if he came to the glass, she would do just that.

Atlantis could feel her chest aching still, and, after shrugging to her friend's silent question, she shot a look to their captor, watching him, wishing that this would end already, but also wishing she could pull him into the tank and drown him without consequence. She'd never wanted to hurt anybody, but this man had always been awful to them. Returning her attention to the kids, she smiled, playfully splashing them as they left with their parents, before her gaze scanned, noticing everybody else was gone, and the man from earlier caught her gaze again, still there. She could feel her chest aching and she chewed on her lip, anxious, hating the feeling but unable to tear her gaze from the man this time. Offering what she could manage of a smile, she waved, trying to ignore the way the ache in her chest got just a little worse, another warning, and she tried to breathe through it.

Michael nodded slightly as he listened to the man's words, though something about the man, about the way he spoke of the girls, put Michael on edge. Still, he tried not to think too much into it - and, more so, tried not to show that he was put off by the man, and instead smiled, nodding again, his gaze going back to the woman, Arista. She was gorgeous, and seeing her waving at the kids made his heart swell a bit. She seemed to have a good heart, so focused on the kids there to see her, but a huge selfish part of him wished that she would return her attention to him, that she would notice him again, that she would speak to him at all. Taking this moment to do something about it, he offered a small grin, hoping she'd see it, hoping she'd see that he wasn't there to cause trouble, and he made his way closer to the tank, taking her in. "Hi there," he greeted quietly, unsure of whether she could speak or be allowed to, but also hopeful that the show runner wouldn't notice anything. "I'm Michael. And he says you're Arista? Is that right?" It was a beautiful name, and it suited somebody as gorgeous as her, but he wondered if it was her real name - and, if it wasn't, he wondered if she'd tell him her real name, ever.

Luke chuckled as Atlantis splashed the children playfully with her tail - finding her playfulness attractive. It was obvious that she had a big heart, and offering Atlantis a wave, Luke decided to try his chance. "Hi," he spoke, loud enough for Atlantis to hear. "I'm Luke. I just wanted to say, uh, you were great out there. Really graceful." He mentally facepalmed, unsure if that was a good compliment, but he just wanted an excuse to stay, wanted an excuse to speak to the beautiful young woman who had captured his heart in such a short amount of time. Feeling the curator's eyes on him, Luke shifted uncomfortably but ignored, defying the man's wishes to step a little closer to the tank. "You been doing this for long?" He asked, offering Atlantis another smile, trying to show her he was approachable, he was friendly. "You suit being a mermaid."

Arista paused as she heard the man who had caught her attention speaking to her, his voice calm, the smile on his face sending a rush of warmth through Arista. The sound of his voice made her heart swell in the best way, and it seemed to drown out the dull ache of warning that the captor was giving to her. Knowing she was breaking some sort of rule she was unsure of, Arista focused on Michael. "Hey." She smiled weakly, glancing over at the curator before focusing on Michael. "Yes, Michael, I'm Arista." She nodded. "Did you enjoy the show?" She asked, wanting to know, wanting to leave a good impression. Tucking a strand of damp hair behind her ear, Arista flipped her tail to splash Michael with a laugh.

Atlantis chewed on her lip when she realized the man was speaking to her. She could feel her heart swell, finding herself enjoying the sound of his voice more than she probably should. She could feel her chest aching, a little more than before, but she did her best to ignore it and offered a smile, nodding to Luke. "Thank you, Luke," she told him carefully, avoiding looking at their captor for now, not wanting to deal with whatever look she was sure he was giving. "Working here or being a mermaid?" She arched a brow. "Because being a mermaid is kind of a lifetime thing." She smiled teasingly.

Michael grinned, beyond glad to hear her talking to him. Hearing her tone, though, he found himself worrying about her. His gaze followed hers to the man, and he felt uneasy, unsafe, but also a protectiveness in him that he wasn't used to. He wasn't really sure why he felt the urge to protect Arista from this man, he couldn't even tell what it was about the man that put him off. Trying to push it away, trying to pretend he didn't feel it, he settled his gaze on her and grinned. "I did. It was amazing. You're quite talented," he told her, though he laughed, holding his hands up to protect him from the water. "Quite skilled with that tail, aren't you?"

"Alright ladies," the curator spoke, a sudden harshness to his voice that put Luke on edge. "Time to relax. Maybe you can see these strapping young lads later." He knew their deal, but still, he would do everything within his power to make sure the girls didn't stand a chance at love.

Luke smiled warmly. "You're welcome, Atlantis." He told her, still so captivated by her beauty. "Is that a stage name, or is it your actual name?" He asked with interest, biting his lip with curiosity. "Although, it's really beautiful. It suits you." He told her. Hearing her words about being a mermaid though, Luke laughed. "Hey, for what it's worth, I'd love to be a mermaid." He told her. "Frolic in the water all day? Sounds like Heaven." He admitted. "But uh, how long exactly have you been working here?" He asked, taking a step forward to get a better look at her, despite the curators words, hoping that he could get a chance to see Atlantis later, although he was unsure how dorky he'd act without a piece of glass between them. Smiling at the thought, Luke got an idea. "Hey, Michael and I can hang around if you're gonna be out of here later. We can meet you outside?"

Seeing that Michael's gaze had followed hers to their captor, Arista froze for a moment, trying to distract Michael. "Well, I'm glad you enjoyed the show." She smiled warmly at him, his laugh the best melody she'd ever heard. "I guess you could say this tail is a part of me." Arista joked, but God, she wished that Michael knew how much truth was behind that statement, but for now, all she could do was relish being in his company and enjoy the warmth he made her feel. As the ache in her chest got worst, Arista stared at her hands, knowing Michael shouldn't be there. Not wanting him to get into trouble, Arista toyed with her lower lip. "I need to go and change," she told him anxiously. "Maybe I'll see you around."

Atlantis offered a small smile in response. "It's my real name," she told him quietly - of course, when they were allowed to roam on foot, she pretended her name was Ellie. She wasn't as fond of that name, but it attracted less attention than Atlantis did and she preferred that, considering the attention they got during the show. "Um... Too long." She wasn't sure how much she could reveal to Luke, and she clutched at her chest a bit when the ache in her chest got worse, causing her to swallow hard, and she knew she was meant to turn down Luke's offer, but she offered a weak smile instead. "Sure, I think we'd both like that." And she tried to ignore the way the ache in her chest suddenly felt like stabbing, she really did, keeping the smile on her face all the while.

Michael grinned slightly as he watched Arista, nodding slightly as he tried to ignore the way the man spoke, unsure of why it set him further on edge and made him feel all the more protectively of Arista. "It was an amazing show," he told her genuinely as he took her in, examining her for a moment, trying determine whether she was okay or not. "You were mesmerizing, really." He didn't have a reason to lie about that. She really had captured his attention from the moment he saw her, after all, so 'mesmerizing' was the perfect word for it, in his opinion. He nodded, though, partially hearing Luke's words. "Uh, well... In that case, we'll wait outside. I'd love to learn more about you." He smiled as he watched her, hopeful. "As long as that's okay with you?"

Luke frowned in concern as Atlantis clutched her chest, but nodded, glancing over at the curator as if Luke instinctively knew there was something wrong. "Alright," he spoke gently. "We'll wait just outside the tent." He offered her a kind smile, eager to know more about her, learn about what made her join the carnival, and what more, Luke was excited to feel everything she'd made him feel over and over again in her presence. Pressing a hand to the glass, Luke turned away, ignoring every cell inside him screaming at him not to, exiting the tent, but not straying too far.

The curator frowned angrily, but waited patiently, not wanting to draw attention to the girls, or to himself.

Arista smiled. "Thank you, Michael. Getting to know you more sounds wonderful." She spoke softly, the ache in her chest cause her to grimace slightly, but still, she pushed it back in favour to relish in Michael's voice. "We'll be out soon." She promised, her heart falling as Michael turned away. As the boys exited the tent, Arista's heart nearly came to a fearful stop as the curtains drew on the show, Arista sighed.

The curator frowned, clutching to the shell necklace he wore around his neck, clicking his fingers as the girls' tails turned to legs. The transformation wasn't painful, but it wasn't all that nice to look at, either.

Michael's brows furrowed, a small frown coming to his features when he saw Arista grimace, concerned. For a moment, his gaze went to the curator, and he watched him for a moment, some part of him thinking the curator had something to do with Arista's discomfort, but he didn't want to say anything or to accuse the man without proof. Still, he nodded to Arista's words and offered a smile. "I can't wait, in that case," he told her quietly, watching her before he back away and followed Luke out, already hating parting from her. "Does something seem off to you?" he asked Luke quietly once they were outside, his gaze going to his friend.

Atlantis breathed out quietly, rubbing at her chest as Luke and Michael walked away, and her attention focused on Luke until he was out of sight. Seeing the transformation begin, she waited patiently, having grown used to how grotesque it looked, before she carefully climbed out of the tank and grabbed a towel to wrap around herself. Ducking her head, she did her best to avoid the curator's gaze as she headed to her area to get dressed.

Luke nodded to Michael's words. "Yeah, something does seem a little weird. I don't like that dude." Luke toyed with his lower lip, wondering if he should follow his instinct on this one, but he couldn't throw false accusations around. "It's like he's got this hold on them." He turned to look at Michael. "I'm just glad I got to speak to Atlantis."

Arista grabbed a towel, wrapping it around herself as she walked to her designated area. Grabbing an oversized hoodie and a pair of jeans, Arista did all that she could to avoid the curator. As she slipped on her shoes, Arista waited patiently for Atlantis, her whole body aching to see Michael again.

The curator eyed both girls with a frown. "Remember who you belong to." He warned in a low voice.

Michael nodded slightly with his friend's words, glad he wasn't the only one who felt like something was off with the entire situation. "Maybe he's their father or something?" he offered up carefully, though it didn't seem too likely. Smiling, though, he nodded to his friend's words. "So am I, about Arista. I'm really curious about her, I want to know more about her."

Atlantis paused as she was getting dressed and she ducked her head, chewing on her lip anxiously. "Yes, sir," she said quietly before she focused on getting dressed, changing into a sweater and jeans, grabbing her cardigan to pull over herself, too, before she focused on drying her hair, peering over at Arista for a moment. She hated hearing the reminder, having already felt a hope build up in her because of Luke, but she knew it was unlikely for it to go anywhere with their captor in control.

Arista dried her hair as quickly as she could, wanting to look as presentable as she could for Michael. Still, hearing their captors comment, Arista nodded. “Yes, sir.” She waited for Atlantis patiently, taking her friend’s arm as she was ready, pulling her out of the tent. Seeing Michael stood with Luke, an incredible warmth spread through Arista’s chest, something drowning out that continuous dull ache, and she couldn’t help it. She paused for a moment, studying him, before clearing her throat to make their presence known.

Luke grinned at Michael, but paused when he heard someone clearing their throat. Seeing Atlantis, Luke felt his world slow down to an almost halt, just making the most of the moment and how damn gorgeous she was, even dressed down. “Hey there.” He greeted, approaching Atlantis. “You’re still so beautiful, even out of the water.” He told her honestly, still smiling.