Paying off debts (Koopaling x FEM!reader)

Showtime

Showtime. . .

The lights all around us dimmed as torches were put out almost simultaneously. I anxiously tapped my hands against the arm rest, just about ready to jump out of my seat.

On stage, a koopa with a ridiculous orange top hat strolled up to the center, then tapped a microphone. "Tell me, everyone! Are you ready to see some crazy stuff tonight?"

The theater erupted into sound. Everyone cheered. I was no exception, hooting and hollering with everyone else. It was a bit sad my family couldn't see this, but I'd be sure to tell them in my next letter.

As the crowd quieted, the Koopa grinned. "Glad to see we're all enthusiastic this evening! We've got a lot to show you guys tonight. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!" He paused for a second before adding on. "Oh. And feel free to get up any time to get a drink or snack from the concession stand. Everything is one gold coin each. Soldiers get a drink and a snack for free." Despite it being free, I doubted that the food would be good enough to miss part of the show for. I'd be better off just waiting until the show ended.

The koopa walked off stage. In his place, another koopa. He motioned for something off stage. In a few seconds, a large cage was rolled on stage by a few shy guys. I couldn't see what was in the cage because of a cloth cover, but whatever was in there was certainly making a lot of noise.

"Feast your eyes on a creature from a far away land, here to perform for all of you! Prepare to be amazed." The koopa snapped his fingers. In response, the shy guys quickly pulled the sheet off the cage.

In it was. . . A dinosaur of some sorts. Large and Grey; with sharp Horns and an angry expression. Smoke rose from its nostrils. Where did they even get this thing? It must've come from dinosaur land. It checked all of the boxes for being some kind of dinosaur. I've certainly never seen anything like it before. People from the crowd below all gasped. Some even clapped awkwardly.

Consider me, amazed.

"Woah. . ." I mumbled to myself.

"Huh. They've never brought a Reznor before. This could be interesting." Wendy piped up right beside me, talking to herself. Right. She was also here. If she was going to talk through this thing, I might as well, too.

"A Reznor?" I asked, careful not to be too loud.

"Ah. Yeah. They're these aggressive dinosaur things that breathe fire. We sometimes use them against Mario in fortresses." She explained.

"Really? I thought you and your brothers guarded the fortresses."

She chuckled, absent-mindedly drumming her claws on her armrest. "Yeah. We do. We just sometimes get them to do it instead. Not so much anymore ever since Mario drove us out of Dinosaur land."

"Where hasn't Mario drove you out of?"

Wendy snorted at my admittedly stupid joke, causing me to perk up some. I honestly didn't think it was all that funny. I'm glad she at least found some humor in it.

"Watch as the amazing Reznor performs feats no other has!" The ringleader suddenly interjected, putting an end to that conversation. Right. This was a circus show. Silly me.

The dinosaur went off to perform some pretty mundane tricks. Standing on its hind legs, jumping through a few hoops, and doing little dances. It was all mindless entertainment, which I was definitely in need of, but the most interesting part came towards the end of the act.

A hammer bro with the same goofy top hat as all the rest of the performers walked out, a pile of unlit torches in his hands. He handed each of them to that shy guy from earlier, just for that shy guy to pass the torches to the Reznor to be lit up by its own fire. Then, to my amazement, the torches were thrown back to the hammer bro to be juggled. I watched in awe as the torches flew up into the air and back down to the performer's hands safely, not a single casualty from the fire.