#jack.exe

The demon giggled, her silver eyes wide with excitement. Othni let out a soft sigh, quiet for a moment as he watched her. He briefly hesitated, and then reached out, clearing his throat as he offered her a hand, "So... Do we have a deal? You'll lend me a hand and do what I ask of you?" She tilted her head, her giggling momentarily pausing, "You swear to keep your end of the bargain, kitty? I'd really hate it if you decided to back out on me." The male demon let out another sigh, this one heavier than the first as he gave a nod, "Of course. You have my word, I swear. If you're ever unhappy with my services, tell me, and I'll make the necessary adjustments." The lanky mime before him wore a wide, sharp toothed grin that never seemed to waver throughout their whole conversation. She perked up at his words and the scent of cotton candy and popcorn invaded Othni's senses, nearly suffocating him. 

The silence was unsettling, her wide eyes locked on him as she tipped her head to the other side, it resting at an angle that almost made Othni want to cringe. Finally breaking the silence after a moment, she nodded, one of her hands catching Othni's in a vice-like grip before he had even a second to reconsider what he was doing, "You got yourself a deal, kitty. Now, you might wanna scram before Papa realizes you're here... He doesn't take too kindly to trespassers." Othni opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly stopped as the lights within the big top nearby suddenly switched on, bright multicolored lights flooding the abandoned circus grounds. The mime was entirely at ease, watching in amusement as Othni began to survey his surroundings, the stench of blood and candy seeming to come from all around him. 

The scent grew stronger and stronger, the younger clown's previous scent being completely overtaken by it. Othni's attention snapped to a single red tent, a lantern flickering on inside it as movement was heard. Through the side of the tent, he caught sight of a tall and lanky silhouette. A pair of unnaturally long arms hung down by the figure's sides, it's fingers appearing noticeably longer and sharper than Othni's claws, and what looked like feathers billowed from it's shoulders. Othni spotted what looked like messy hair atop it's head, but then as it's head began to turn, he stared in disbelief, making a mental note of the long cone-shaped nose attached to its face. Completely unbothered by the presence of the second clown, the mime called out, her tone cheerful and amused, "Bonjour, Papa! How was your nap?"

The clown in question chuckled, reaching out to push open the flap of the tent he was in, "It was alright, my dear." As he spotted Othni, a grin that revealed razor-sharp teeth stretched across his face, "Oh, I see you found a stray. Has it been behaving itself?" Othni unconsciously shrunk back the smallest bit, and the mime giggled, "It has. The poor, stupid thing wandered onto the grounds, originally looking for you. I didn't want him disturbing you though, so I dealt with him." She paused, moving closer to Othni and wrapping an arm around his shoulders, "As you can see, we're the best of friends. We did a little deal making, and we get to work together now." The elder of the two warped through the space between himself and his daughter, his grin still just as wide as before, "Is that so? I hope this deal doesn't involve you being put in harm's way." Unable to produce a response, Othni remained silent, his eyes widening a fraction as the clown seemed to loom over him. Still at Othni's side, the mime tightened her grip on him slightly, nearly crushing him against her side as she chirped, "Of course it doesn't. It's just some business with revenge, Papa. He can't do it by himself, and he came here because he wanted help." 

The elder clown demon arched an eyebrow, his gaze shifting to the other male demon, "What's your name, boy?" Othni shrugged off the discomfort he felt as the other's silver eyes burned into him, "My name is Othni, Sir." He paused, offering the clown his hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you. May I ask for your name as well?" The clown snorted in amusement, taking Othni's hand in his much larger one. His grip bordered on becoming painful as he shook it, "Jack. The name's Jack." Before Othni could pull his hand away, he found himself being yanked toward the clown, and he let out a startled sound. Leaning down, Jack's hands snatched Othni's face and he lowered his voice ever so slightly, "I don't care that you're only working with my daughter. If any harm should befall my darling Cosette, I'll find you, I'll tear off your limbs, and I'll gut you. I'll tie a noose for you that's made of your own intestines, and then I'll hang you up somewhere and stuff you with candy. You'll be nothing more than a kitty cat piñata, once I'm done. Are we clear?" 

Othni gave an immediate nod, swallowing the lump in his throat, "Y-Yes, Sir. Crystal." Satisfied with his response, Jack released his face and lightly ruffled his hair. As if nothing had happened, he continued grinning, his tone upbeat, "I'm glad to hear it, kiddo. Now." He paused to ruffle his daughter's hair as well, earning a giggle from her, "Run along, you two. Have fun, and raise some hell for me." Cosette's smile brightened and became impossibly wide, "Ouais, Papa! We will!" The elder of the two clown demons chuckled, "That's my girl." The instant Jack's hand was off of his head, Othni took a few steps back away from him and shuddered; He'd come here to make a deal and acquire another set of hands to help him with his current mission, not develope a fear of clowns. He let out a deep breath. Damn it all... Now it looked like he'd have to keep an eye on that stupid mime. If she returned home with even a single scratch, it could very well cost him his life.