Lost Smile and Strange Circus

seventh half

The next morning as Noah woke, she squinted at the half-open tent flap to the edge of her hammock.

The current bed looked like a simple net covered with layers upon layers of bedsheets, though, one would regret judging it to provide a messy sleep if they would lie down.

Noah knew because she did so.

Fumbling for her red muffler that had strayed somewhere off to the side while she slept, she rubbed her eyes and sat up.

It was morning, and the thought of wandering around the circus while everyone was idle made her quite jumpy. Excited, at most.

In place of the tattered brown dress she initially wore was a similarly-colored outfit that billowed around her skinny frame.

Only, it had quite a fine design and was made of the perfect materials to keep you comfortable in any weather condition.

How the tailor did that, she didn't know.

But the brunette had more things to think about other than the fabric and the needlework; she had to sate her curiosity or else she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

It was pretty far away, but oh well.

Leaving the housing she shared with a woman who had a glass of desserts for a face, she started off into the early morning sun.

She happened upon a tent that glistened in the light, the gold threads spun around the edges of the tent mocking her eyes.

Her vision had been the target of these flashing materials before she diverted her gaze to the tent flap that waved in the wind.

It seemed to beckon her to walk over, and so, she did.

As soon as she got inside, a massive array of royal 'crowns' and medieval-styled furniture stole her breath.

Like every other tent, it looked nothing like a temporary house on the inside. She even had to take a second look to confirm she hadn't just been transported into a wholly different mansion altogether.

There was gold, and magenta, and velvety cushsions that seemed so inviting.

Suddenly, a boy appeared, wearing green and pink royal attire who had the head of a. . . Sheep?

"Hey, human." He said, catching Noah's attention. "You got a problem with my tent?"

"No. It's just. . . My face is usually like this." Common courtesy. Noah replied, but the sheep boy ignored her. She noticed the small crown that inclined on his woollen head, propped against an ear.

. . . Do sheeps normally have ears that stuck out?

"So, what have you done to come across this tent?"

Before she could answer, the girl was cut off. By another totally unrelated question.

"Do you have any talents?"

Thinking she'd be cut off before even managing to make a sound once again, Noah hesitated in replying.

Though, the sheep seemed to raise an eyebrow at her silence, if that was possible for a sheep. Errr, half-sheep. But still. . .

"I can do singing and knitting," she looked down at her palm as she counted that off her fingers.

All too suddenly, the other individual bleated like a nervous goat despite him being a sheep.

"Knit! You're here for my wool, aren't you?" He questioned angrily, snarling at Noah like a rabid dog.

Really, what kind of animal was he part?

"No, that's not true." The brunette noted calmly. "Speaking of your wool. . . It looks fluffy. Can I touch it?"

"No! Absolutely not, human!"

". . ."

Silence seeped through the crevices in the ground as Noah stared off with the sheep boy, her penetrative gaze delivering but one message; 'let me touch your wool'.

Giving in, the sheep boy sighed and crossed his arms.

"Oh, alright. But only if you have clean hands." He mumbled, looking at the ground in who knows what kind of emotion he was feeing.

Noah closed in, started petting his wool, and in a moment, was completely focused in it that she didn't notice the approaching Jack.

"Wah, Alf, what are you doing?!" He panicked, creating a distance between Noah and the sheep boy he just called 'Alf'.

"Alf? Is that your name?" Noah asked as soon as she finished acknowledging Jack's presence.

The sheep huffed and turned his back on the box-faced individual.

"She asked to touch my wool. Stay out of this, you annoying piece of cardboard." He turned to Noah. "And yes, human. I'm Alphonse. Pardon this thing. He's just jealous because his face is all rough and scratchy."

"That's rude! Won't you ever stop insulting me, sheep?"

"Atleast I am of a higher class than you are. Sheep sleep on boxes--"

"Would it be like this if I had siblings?"

The girl suddenly mused out loud, interrupting the barrage of harsh words unintentionally.

Silence issued for a few seconds before Alphonse, the sheep, huffed once more and looked away.

"Not a very nice younger sister and brother."

"No, I meant I would be the older sister."

"Bah. Ridiculous." He flat-out rejected the idea, walking over to a cushion to sit down.

Jack turned to Noah, his face kinda red.

"I-it'd be cool." Then silence, then awkward speaking. "By the way, N-Noah. . . When would you go home?"

Just as she was about to answer 'I don't know', Jack continued.

"It's okay not to. We can have fun all the time, be real siblings. Just stuff like that. . ."

"Jack, you doofus. You know humans can't exist around beings like us for a long time. They're mortal. Unlike us, they d--"

"Alf, my name's Noah. Would you and Jack accept me as your older sister?" She stared right at the two of them alternately, waiting for a response from their mouths that hung wide open in shock.

She was getting the word from a part of her mind that it was best to call the suggestion off as a joke, but she probably wouldn't be able to convince anyone she was kidding around.

As she buried her mouth in her muffler, Alphonse spoke.

"Wh-why not? That's probably going to be a lot of. . ." He eyed Jack, who looked back at him with a surrendering smile. He faced Noah. "Fun."

***

I'll try to shorten chapters, promise.