Carnie Love
Four
Most carnies hitched rides on the wagons while they traveled, and Damon had made himself comfortable in a ride car for the small ferris wheel they had. He lay on the bench with a hat over his face and his legs over the side, and he was getting a nice nap in until someone snatched the cap off his face and he was hit in the face with bright sunlight.
He groaned and blinked a few times until his eyesight adjusted and he saw Molly, one of the longtime carnies, standing over him with a smug grin. She ran the fortune telling booth, and was a master at sleight of hand to make her guests feel like she could really see into the future. She was also the closest thing to a mother Damon and Willow ever had. While most of the others didn’t particularly care for having kids around, she usually made a point to make sure they were fed and clothed.
Rigby was curled up on Damon’s chest and napping with him, and jumped up with excitement when he saw Molly there. The woman laughed as she caught the puppy out of the air.
“Oh, sweet little thing,” Molly said, her voice dripping with her smooth eastern accent. “Damon, you better be taking care of him. Are you house training him?”
“We don’t live in a house,” he grumbled. “What’s the point?”
“Willow may have appeased Nikolai for now, but one wrong move and I know he won’t have any trouble sleeping after drowning a puppy,” she said.
“Then I won’t make any wrong moves,” Damon said. “Is that why you woke me up?”
“No, we’re stopping for one last break before we reach Elgion,” Molly said. “We’ll travel the last stretch in the morning. I thought you’d like to stretch your legs. And your back.”
“You don’t care about my legs and back,” he snorted. “What’s this really about?”
“I care greatly for you, Damon,” she said sternly. “But fine. There is an ulterior motive. That new boy is harassing Jane again.”
This made Damon sit up and look over at where some others were gathered. Temporary carnies were hired all the time, especially when it came to packing and traveling. The young man in question was one of these new hires, and he had taken an interest in one of the ballerinas. The problem here was that Jane was not only uninterested, but she was only fifteen.
Damon hopped out of the ride car and casually strolled over to the scene. Jane was looking incredibly uncomfortable as the new carnie toyed with a lock of her blonde hair. He looked up at Damon as he approached, but seemed annoyed.
“Can I help you?” he asked.
“We haven’t met yet,” Damon said. “I’m Damon.”
“Ron.”
“Hi, Ron,” he said. “Sorry to interrupt. Jane, do you mind fetching something from the supply cart for me? I just need a wrench to fix a wheel.”
“Of course,” she said as she eagerly scurried away.
She gave Damon a grateful look as she passed him, and Molly looked down to hide her amused smile at the dumbfounded look on Ron’s face. He glared at Damon, who looked back at him with innocent confusion.
“What’s your problem?” Ron snapped. “Aren’t you involved with the princess in the flower cart? Go back to your girlfriend and leave us alone.”
“She’s not my girlfriend.”
“So… she’s available?”
“I never said that,” Damon said, his tone hardening. “Stop bothering the women. They don’t like you. Do your job and move on when we get to Elgion.”
“Maybe I want to stick around and spend some time with the songbird,” Ron said.
“You don’t want to do that.”
“And who the hell are you to tell me that?”
“Ask around,” Damon warned. “You’ll find out.”
“Damon,” Molly said, gently gripping his arm to pull him back. “Let’s not get in trouble with Nikolai so soon again. Why don’t you go for a walk?”
“Go for a walk,” Ron smirked.
Damon kept his cool, then shrugged and walked away. As he passed by Ron, he leaned in and lowered his voice.
“Don’t fall asleep tonight.”
Whatever tone Damon used in his warning must have actually spooked Ron, because the man turned a little pale. Damon had no problem harming people who deserved to be harmed. He had been like that since he was a kid. It wasn’t exactly a stellar quality and it did get him a reputation as a “bad seed”, but he had come to expect it. Not that he actually intended on beating Ron up. Not this time, anyways. He just wanted to scare him into backing off the girls.
While Nikolai was distracted with other business, Damon took the opportunity to sneak back to Willow’s wagon and check on her. She seemed grateful to see him, and quickly ushered him inside before Nikolai saw. It was a tight space, but he flopped onto her pile of pillows and scratched Rigby behind the ears.
“Who did you threaten?” she asked suddenly.
“Huh? No one.”
“You have that look on your face,” Willow sighed. “You get these forehead lines.”
“It’s not a big deal,” Damon shrugged. “This new guy. He’s just disrespectful. He said some things and I… I was just shutting it down, that’s all. Shake him up a little.”
“Please don’t get in trouble,” Willow begged as she sat on the pillows next to him. “I can’t do any of this without you.”
“That’s not true,” Damon said. “You can do plenty on your own. But regardless, I have no intention on getting myself kicked out. If something happens to the guy, it’s going to be a mystery.”
“Damon.”
“Don’t worry about me,” he chuckled. “I’ve managed this long, I can manage a little longer. Right, Squeaky?”
“Right,” she said.
The use of her childhood nickname made her crack a smile when she was trying to look stern. Damon could still see the worry in her face.
“We’ll be in Elgion by tomorrow night,” he said. “We’re staying for what, a month? What did Nikolai tell you?”
“A month,” she confirmed. “I’m performing four nights a week. The other three days and nights are meant to be used for practice. He already found an inn room to trap me in when I’m not on stage.”
“Shame on you,” Damon scolded. “It’s almost like you have lost faith in my ability to break you out of the toughest prisons.”
“You’re going to break me out?”
“Of course I am,” he said. “We’ve never been to Elgion. I’ve heard great things about their salt water taffy. We’re going to have to try it. And Rigby needs to run around.”
“Damon, I-“
“It’ll be fine,” he assured her. “I’ll handle it. Like I always do. Don’t you trust me?”
“Of course,” she said with a smile.
She suddenly looked down and away from him, but looked up again when Rigby started licking her face.
“Rigby can keep you company for tonight,” he said. “It’s getting late, and I have something I want to do before I get some sleep.”
“Does it have to do with that man?” she frowned.
“You can’t prove anything,” he said with a sly grin. “He just needs a quick black eye. He got it from a shadow in the night.”
“Damon…”
“G’night, Squeaky.”
“Goodnight, you moron.”
He groaned and blinked a few times until his eyesight adjusted and he saw Molly, one of the longtime carnies, standing over him with a smug grin. She ran the fortune telling booth, and was a master at sleight of hand to make her guests feel like she could really see into the future. She was also the closest thing to a mother Damon and Willow ever had. While most of the others didn’t particularly care for having kids around, she usually made a point to make sure they were fed and clothed.
Rigby was curled up on Damon’s chest and napping with him, and jumped up with excitement when he saw Molly there. The woman laughed as she caught the puppy out of the air.
“Oh, sweet little thing,” Molly said, her voice dripping with her smooth eastern accent. “Damon, you better be taking care of him. Are you house training him?”
“We don’t live in a house,” he grumbled. “What’s the point?”
“Willow may have appeased Nikolai for now, but one wrong move and I know he won’t have any trouble sleeping after drowning a puppy,” she said.
“Then I won’t make any wrong moves,” Damon said. “Is that why you woke me up?”
“No, we’re stopping for one last break before we reach Elgion,” Molly said. “We’ll travel the last stretch in the morning. I thought you’d like to stretch your legs. And your back.”
“You don’t care about my legs and back,” he snorted. “What’s this really about?”
“I care greatly for you, Damon,” she said sternly. “But fine. There is an ulterior motive. That new boy is harassing Jane again.”
This made Damon sit up and look over at where some others were gathered. Temporary carnies were hired all the time, especially when it came to packing and traveling. The young man in question was one of these new hires, and he had taken an interest in one of the ballerinas. The problem here was that Jane was not only uninterested, but she was only fifteen.
Damon hopped out of the ride car and casually strolled over to the scene. Jane was looking incredibly uncomfortable as the new carnie toyed with a lock of her blonde hair. He looked up at Damon as he approached, but seemed annoyed.
“Can I help you?” he asked.
“We haven’t met yet,” Damon said. “I’m Damon.”
“Ron.”
“Hi, Ron,” he said. “Sorry to interrupt. Jane, do you mind fetching something from the supply cart for me? I just need a wrench to fix a wheel.”
“Of course,” she said as she eagerly scurried away.
She gave Damon a grateful look as she passed him, and Molly looked down to hide her amused smile at the dumbfounded look on Ron’s face. He glared at Damon, who looked back at him with innocent confusion.
“What’s your problem?” Ron snapped. “Aren’t you involved with the princess in the flower cart? Go back to your girlfriend and leave us alone.”
“She’s not my girlfriend.”
“So… she’s available?”
“I never said that,” Damon said, his tone hardening. “Stop bothering the women. They don’t like you. Do your job and move on when we get to Elgion.”
“Maybe I want to stick around and spend some time with the songbird,” Ron said.
“You don’t want to do that.”
“And who the hell are you to tell me that?”
“Ask around,” Damon warned. “You’ll find out.”
“Damon,” Molly said, gently gripping his arm to pull him back. “Let’s not get in trouble with Nikolai so soon again. Why don’t you go for a walk?”
“Go for a walk,” Ron smirked.
Damon kept his cool, then shrugged and walked away. As he passed by Ron, he leaned in and lowered his voice.
“Don’t fall asleep tonight.”
Whatever tone Damon used in his warning must have actually spooked Ron, because the man turned a little pale. Damon had no problem harming people who deserved to be harmed. He had been like that since he was a kid. It wasn’t exactly a stellar quality and it did get him a reputation as a “bad seed”, but he had come to expect it. Not that he actually intended on beating Ron up. Not this time, anyways. He just wanted to scare him into backing off the girls.
While Nikolai was distracted with other business, Damon took the opportunity to sneak back to Willow’s wagon and check on her. She seemed grateful to see him, and quickly ushered him inside before Nikolai saw. It was a tight space, but he flopped onto her pile of pillows and scratched Rigby behind the ears.
“Who did you threaten?” she asked suddenly.
“Huh? No one.”
“You have that look on your face,” Willow sighed. “You get these forehead lines.”
“It’s not a big deal,” Damon shrugged. “This new guy. He’s just disrespectful. He said some things and I… I was just shutting it down, that’s all. Shake him up a little.”
“Please don’t get in trouble,” Willow begged as she sat on the pillows next to him. “I can’t do any of this without you.”
“That’s not true,” Damon said. “You can do plenty on your own. But regardless, I have no intention on getting myself kicked out. If something happens to the guy, it’s going to be a mystery.”
“Damon.”
“Don’t worry about me,” he chuckled. “I’ve managed this long, I can manage a little longer. Right, Squeaky?”
“Right,” she said.
The use of her childhood nickname made her crack a smile when she was trying to look stern. Damon could still see the worry in her face.
“We’ll be in Elgion by tomorrow night,” he said. “We’re staying for what, a month? What did Nikolai tell you?”
“A month,” she confirmed. “I’m performing four nights a week. The other three days and nights are meant to be used for practice. He already found an inn room to trap me in when I’m not on stage.”
“Shame on you,” Damon scolded. “It’s almost like you have lost faith in my ability to break you out of the toughest prisons.”
“You’re going to break me out?”
“Of course I am,” he said. “We’ve never been to Elgion. I’ve heard great things about their salt water taffy. We’re going to have to try it. And Rigby needs to run around.”
“Damon, I-“
“It’ll be fine,” he assured her. “I’ll handle it. Like I always do. Don’t you trust me?”
“Of course,” she said with a smile.
She suddenly looked down and away from him, but looked up again when Rigby started licking her face.
“Rigby can keep you company for tonight,” he said. “It’s getting late, and I have something I want to do before I get some sleep.”
“Does it have to do with that man?” she frowned.
“You can’t prove anything,” he said with a sly grin. “He just needs a quick black eye. He got it from a shadow in the night.”
“Damon…”
“G’night, Squeaky.”
“Goodnight, you moron.”