#thread: squalker

The attendance at the park had been soooooo slow that Patience had found herself watching an icicle melt from the corner of one of the closed concession stands. But the warmth from the sun wasn’t doing her any favors as she started to doze off in the costume; often catching herself when she started to fall forward or the sound of one of her co-workers nearby pulled her attention away from a nap while standing up. She still couldn’t understand why Harold wouldn’t just let them leave for the day, but the longer she stood here practically doing nothing, the more she got paid, so it had been hard to complain.

It was the sound of a nearby rollercoaster coming to life that finally pulled her eyes open enough for her to yawn and stretch as she noticed someone coming her way. Finally, someone to interact with. She perked up a bit, but just enough to still have the sad, weepy squonk-like quality everyone had been so used to. She was like the Eeyore of the Club Cryptid, lovable but sad all the time. And doing her job well, she pulled her arm upwards, but made sure it drooped a little as she dropped her shoulders and waved at the person inching closer and closer.

—

As much as she thrived while being in the presence of others, Monica liked having her alone time every now and then. It started out as the fear of being a burden; no matter how many times they reassured her, she could only ask Estella or Luc to entertain her ideas so many times before feeling bad. Over time though, she came to enjoy operating on her own schedule. Being able to choose where she wanted to go on a whim, letting the day pan out in whatever way the universe had planned for her — that spoke to her free-spirited nature.

Bigfeet’s Adventureland was one of her favourite places in all of Wicked’s Rest, and of course it was best enjoyed with friends! But coming alone had become a close second, as Monica found it a great place to just sit and observe. Watching the giddy humans filled her with glee, and the abundant options of sweet treats was an added bonus. 

Today, Monica waltzed through the park with an extra pep in her step. Like an inspiring woman once said, the cold did not bother her anyway. She passed by one of her favourite rollercoasters, pausing in front of the entrance to watch one of the carts roar on the tracks. She was just about to get in line when a pink figure moved out of the corner of her eye. In slow-motion like a moment straight out of a coming-of-age movie (at least, that was how it felt in her head), Monica locked eyes with the cutest squonk mascot that she’d ever seen. “Oh my gosh!” She exclaimed, dashing over to where the creature was standing. “Hi Mr. Squonk! I hope you aren’t too lonely over here. How were your holidays? Can I give you a hug?”

—

Patience could sense excitement a mile away, and that’s exactly what she felt when she heard a random person scream out in glee. And before she knew it, that very person was making a beeline for her. It wasn’t that giddy people made the young faun nervous, it was just more so how they acted when they were in her space of the park. Which, in turn, was the cause for the faun to slowly start backing away when the woman was running towards her. But a quick reminder that this was her job and how she made money forced her to stop in her tracks and brace for an impact that thankfully never came.

Shaking in her costume and hoping it wasn’t noticeable, Patience nodded yes to the hug question, not sure how to react to the holiday question. My holidays were great. I got a new Green Day album. Stuff for my sugar gliders. A new watercolor set…The answer was clear in her head, but being able to stay quiet on the matter was comforting, because while the squonk was one of the more popular mascots at Big Feet’s, Patience didn’t want people knowing her personal information. She just wanted to do her job. Make people happy, and then send them on their merry way.

—

The mascots never answered her questions, but Monica still liked asking them anyways. It probably got lonely and boring on the job, especially on a cold winter day like today. She hoped that striking a one-sided conversation with them would at least make them feel included. “That’s good!” She beamed as she pulled away from the hug, mentally filling in the squonk’s answer to her questions. “By the way, you’re so cute and sad looking! Well, I know squonks are always sad, but I wish they weren’t! Being sad all of the time is…well, sad!” Okay, the words were starting to escape her. Perhaps the cold was beginning to numb her brain. Seemed like the perfect time to hunt for some hot chocolate.

Though before that, Monica needed a picture. “I would like to take a selfie with you, Mr. Squonk, if that’s okay!” She pulled her phone out of her pocket and grinned. God, seeing the cute little mascot had made her day, so much so that she was still buzzing with excitement. Scooting closer to the squonk so she could get both of them in frame, Monica felt like she was going to vibrate out of her skin. Her tummy always danced when it was excited, though right now, it was dancing way more than usual. It was dancing in the way that it did when she could sense a fae…

Monica gasped, dropping her arm and whipping around to face the mascot. She stared at the squonk’s wrinkly face with her mouth slightly agape. “Are you…?” She cut herself off, side-eyeing the disgruntled teen employee that stood just a few meters away. “I mean, are you…” She repeated, quieter this time. Just for good measure, she pressed her face up to the squonk’s mesh nostril and blinked. “Fae?”

—

Damn. You certainly are a talker, aren’t you? Which is okay, I suppose, because I am too…well normally in my day-to-day life. But not here, because if I talk I’ll get yelled at, and I hate being yelled at. Looking at the woman, Patience cocked her large squonk head to the side as much as she could, and threw her arms and shoulders up in a shrug. Guess that’s just the life of a squonk. Sad 24/7. Or if you’re me…anxious 24/7. 

The day Patience’s mom had brought her to Big Feet’s for the interview was the day her boss looked at her with a single glance and immediately knew he had the right person for the squonk. After that, it was set in stone and fated to become her life. And it hadn’t been so bad at first. Being hidden with an all you could eat buffet at your fingertips. Nothing like she had expected when she nervously walked through the door to his office. It was nice and easy, but the more she had worked there, the more she started to see the not so glorious parts. Some of which left even her speechless at times. But working in the same spot for a long enough period of time can often leave you feeling jaded and numb to your surroundings, and when that became Patience’s reality, she started to cherish and resent it at the same time. Partly feeling settled and safe, but also partly like she wasn’t capable of anything else and jealous because there was an entire world out there just waiting for the taking, and she was too scared to do anything about it.

Geeze. Okay, I am a girl squonk. Ms. Squonk. Not Mr. Squonk. He got fired just before I started here, and you really don’t want to know why. Patience opened her arms wide to welcome the woman in for a selfie. But when she did, she felt something strange. Much like she had that day with Baz. Are you a fae too?

She couldn’t ask, but before she could even consider asking, the woman was so incredibly close that Patience could feel the sweat running down her face despite it being a cold day outside. “P-Please back away from me…” The words came out in a squeaked whisper as she forced down the knot that was forming in her throat. Why was this woman this close…and now staring through the only way she was capable of seeing out of the squonk head.

—

Monica and intensity went hand in hand. She couldn’t help it! She had questions and she liked getting answers, so she hadn’t really thought much about sticking her face into the squonk’s personal space. She could make out the silhouette of a woman in the costume, an incredibly pained expression on her face as she blinked back at Monica with fear in her eyes. 

Oh yeah. Intensity and her went hand in hand, but she also knew that she could come off as a bit…much at times. Perhaps even at all times. At the woman’s whispered words, Monica immediately took a step back with a frown. “Oh my gosh, sorry! That was so rude of me! I just wanted to make sure that you could hear me through that thick head of yours. Not your thick head, but the squonk head, you know?” 

If the woman in the squonk costume could speak to her now, she’d probably tell Monica how awkward she was making things. The doppelganger briefly considered just walking away with an apologetic smile, but of course, she never really knew when to quit either. After getting to meet so many other wonderful fae in town, she was now keen on the idea of befriending every one that she came across. Plus, if the squonk lady really was a fae, then she’d be able to tell that Monica was an ally. “I come in peace, I swear!” She finally said in a hushed voice, raising her hands up in the air. “I just wanted to make sure…ya know. That we are the same.”

—

Even though she wasn’t being attacked, she was feeling personally attacked. You think my head is thick? What!? Being the squonk mascot at this very moment was not fun, and all she wanted was to flee. So without hesitating, Patience began to slowly back away from the other woman. If she could just get back to the locker room, she’d be safe, since it was an Employee’s Only area aka a safe haven she had run to so many times in the past, and today would be no different. Well, okay…maybe a little different, because this woman did stick her face right into Patience’s.

With her eyes trained on the person in front of her, she kept moving backwards. Stranger danger! Stranger danger! She kept yelling it over and over again in her head like a siren going off. And she was more than tempted to yell it out, but before she could say anything, Patience felt herself hit something causing her to stumble backwards. In desperation and a high pitched squeal, she flung her arms out trying to catch onto anything she could in the hopes that she wouldn’t fall backwards and embarrass herself even more.

—

Monica had a strong desire to be liked, so seeing the giant squonk backing away from her threw her into panic mode. She had only thrown herself into the other’s personal space to make sure that absolutely no one would hear her question! And she needed the girl in the costume to know that Monica was talking to her, not the squonk! But…she could acknowledge when she was wrong, and perhaps she’d gone about this the wrong way.

The squonk/girl kept moving backwards, and Monica kept her hands raised high above her head to show that she meant no harm. “I’m sorry, please don’t be scared of me! I just want to get to know you!” She said with a sad desperation in her voice. Her eyes darted from the squonk’s face to a bird that flew overhead, then to the passerbys on the main path and then…down to the ground where the squonk’s costumed feet were about to trip over a curb. 

“Wait! Watch out!” Monica yelled out, hands instinctively reaching out to the falling figure. She was relieved to catch the squonk’s gloved hand in hers, then less so when she realized she was only holding the squonk’s glove and nothing else. “Oh!” Monica yelped as the squonk fell to the ground, a flabbergasted expression on the doppelganger’s face as she looked between the figure at her feet and the pink glove in her hand. “...oh my gosh. Mister…I mean Miss Squonk, are you okay?!”

—

REPRIEVE! When she felt the other woman latch onto her pink squonk paw, Patience felt a brief glimmer of hope. She would apologize profusely when she was steady and could breathe again. But because the squonk paw had been stretched over the years by so much wear and tear, and the young faun’s awkward growth spurt, the glove slipped off of her hand. And instead of catching herself, Patience went back landing hard on the frozen ground. Thankfully the odd shape of the mask had caught her head, but now the problem was going to be getting up; which was always so awkward. There had been a time in Patience’s life where she had been prepared for this moment. She had purposely fell on her back at home multiple times and figured out the easiest way to get back to her feet. But when the fall never came, Patience just assumed it would never happen, and she managed to put one less worry out of her head, until today.

As she rolled around on the ground awkwardly, she growled in frustration, “You’re a faun. You’re supposed to have good balance and strong legs!!!” Thankfully, for the most part, her words had been muffled under the mask and there hadn’t really been anyone around. “It’s the head. Always the damn head. Errrrrrr…” As she rolled around, she managed to finally roll onto her belly and then pushed herself up to her knees, before stumbling forward, but catching herself on a nearby trashcan. But as soon as Patience gathered her bearings, she gave a quick glance back towards the woman who had caused all this; not even concerned about her glove, before running off towards her safe haven of the employee’s only area deciding it best that she not come out again, until her shift was over and Stranger Danger was gone.

—

Monica had felt kind of bad calling the squonk’s head big just moments ago, but it seemed to be proving especially true now. It was making it seriously difficult for the other to get up, at least, that’s what she assumed with how they were rolling around on the ground. Some muffled noises came from the mask and although she couldn’t make out all of the words (perhaps there was a reason why the mascots didn’t talk), Monica vaguely heard something about balance and…eggs? Yes, eggs. Surely that was it.

She always jumped at the chance to help people, but considering that she’d technically been the one to cause this whole mess, Monica simply lingered by the rolling squonk in fear that she’d scare her off again. Even when the other fae stumbled forward and nearly knocked over a nearby trashcan, she hesitantly stayed a few steps back. “A-are you okay, Miss Squonk?” She asked in a meek voice, as if she was a child about to get reprimanded. She was expecting a lecture from the squonk/girl along the lines of ‘this is all your fault’ and ‘never come back here again’. To Monica’s surprise, the mascot simply ran off with only a brief glance back.