Lost Smile and Strange Circus

eighth half

She left the royal-themed tent with a satisfied smile. She felt very relieved to see that they didn't scorn her, a human, in a place like this when she simply popped out of nowhere beside Oddman.

Speaking of Oddman. . .

"Hello, Noah. What reason may you have to be up so early?"

Though the question might seem quite intimidating, he asked it with such patience that it lost all its sharpness.

"I woke up automatically. So I didn't plan to waste the opportunity to look around."

Her eyes were sparkling now, more than ever, and she looked as if she was eager to see everything this circus had to offer. As if she didn't have anything more holding her back.

Something must have happened, Oddman thought, as yesterday she seemed a little wary and skeptical.

She was probably a little scared despite her excitement, and whatever took place in her short visit was most likely nice.

It wasn't obvious enough because she wouldn't smile or frown, but Oddman just could say it. Noah was. . . Like her after all, in more ways than one.

Oddman nodded, and Noah eagerly held on to his gloved hand.

"Where are we going next?"

"You'll see. But before that, did something good happen?"

The brunette nodded, pulling a portion of her scarf that blocked her lips down.

"I got two little brothers."

They were silent for a while, as the mysterious figure tried to process the information. Then he chuckled.

"Jack and Alphonse, huh?"

"Yeah. And we also played around a little bit. We were too old for a tea party, but we had fun. Especially when Jack would mess up with the teapot."

That made Oddman laugh internally. Kids will always be kids.

"What else did you do?"

He asked, curious about the behavior of the characters being mentioned around a human girl.

"We played cards. Alf always lost in a game of Blackjack."

"You know how to play card games, Noah?"

". . . No. But they taught me how to."

The man nodded contentedly, leading Noah on to a different tent. It was a dark, black structure lined with velvet around the edges.

As they entered, one would see nothing but darkness for a moment, until their eyes would get adjusted to the dim atmosphere.

There, in the middle of the large and empty tent, was a small glass case protecting a bunch of newly-planted flowers which gave out an almost ethereal glow.

"What is it, Oddman?"

The latter didn't answer for a while. They reached the podium where the glass case sat, and there he spoke in a somewhat melancholic manner.

Noah looked at the flowers again. They were rosebuds. But something about these roses weren't ordinary.

"It's called the flower of Chera. Beautiful, isn't it?"

Indeed.

Its beauty could not be judged by the lack of petals, or the plant itself not yet matured. It wasn't the same kind of appeal one would be drawn to in an ordinary flower.

It was joy and sorrow, which was intoxicating in an eerie way, in a small body.

Chera. The flower of Chera.

Something seemed to tug at Noah's emotions which she thought were nonexistent as she was told.

Something about the flower of Chera made her remember the song in the dream.

"I'm going to tell you to take care of it, Noah, from now on."

This took her out of her stupor.

She turned to Oddman, the same, childlike aura coming from her for the first time in this life of hers.

"Me? But. . . But this flower must be so important. It's alone in this large tent."

"That's exactly why I'm assigning the task to you."

"I'm just a human girl."

"Yes. Just a human girl. Exactly."

Since she was also excited about her new environment in this strange circus, she finally gave in and nodded.

"Thank you, Noah."

Oddman seemed to smile, but on his face was just the same old expression that his deformities would allow him to show.

"No. Thank you, Oddman. I feel needed."

"You are needed. Now let's go somewhere else. You still have other members to meet."

They walked hand in hand, the circus slowly becoming more and more lively as the sun went higher up in the sky.

"But you know. . . Even plants have feelings. You shouldn't have kept the flower of Chera in such a secluded area all by itself."

"Why?"

"Maybe it feels lonely. Isolated."

The brunette paused, and the pause seemed to last for an eternity to Oddman as he waited for the next word.

"Trapped."

---

Sorry for the lack of updates tee-hee ; )