HONK HONK

🎪— As he listened intently to Doe’s words, Hoops kicked his legs back and forth as they hung over the tree limb he was sitting on. What the other told him sounded more like something out of a story book than reality. Hoops had never heard of anything Doe was telling him and it was just a tad confusing the more he thought about it. During his long lifetime, Hoops had met several different types of creatures and beings— though the most types of people he met were humans, considering that he was in the human realm and not some supernatural type of place.

“Shadow beings, huh…?”

Hoops repeated those words back to himself out loud as he peered off to the side— deep in thought. It was pretty easy for Hoops to try and picture whatever Doe was talking about since he himself used to essentially be a sort of a shadow being. It had however been over a century since he was last in that form… but sometimes it felt like it had happened only yesterday. When you lived forever— a lot of times seemed to merge together. Which could be a good thing… or a bad thing depending on what it was.

“It’s not a get up… I really am a clown. I chose this form because that’s who I wanted to be— a clown.”

He shot Doe a bit of a glare when they referred to his appearance as a ‘get up’. It was very true that on the inside Hoops was an otherworldly monster who survived on the blood of the living— but the rest of himself was indeed a clown. Which meant that it was his purpose to bring smiles and happiness to everyone around him. The only reason why Doe got the privilege to see Hoops behave in such a different way was simply by chance. Almost no one ever got to witness Hoops act more like his inner self. This was truly a very rare occurrence.

Instead of using his magic to get back on the ground, Hoops allowed himself to fall down from the tree branch and gracefully land on his feet in front of the other. His expression was still weirdly unamused as he looked at the other. It probably looked very odd to see a clown look so negative like this.

“I am a performer… I wouldn’t have chosen to be a clown if I didn’t want to perform. I’m not one of those creeps that tries to scare people by dressing up like a clown. Being a clown is who I am.”

After all this complicated conversation, Hoops’ mood had very much turned sour and made him want to just leave this particular area and go back to his tent. He didn’t really enjoy talking to Doe and he figured that whatever it was they were doing that they could do it alone. Hoops never had an interest in things like teaming up with someone to combat some kind of evil. Hoops had been alone for his entire life— so companionship was more or less foreign to him.

“Uhh no thanks. I’m alright…”

Slowly, Hoops turned to leave. He felt a little bad for refusing the other’s offer, but it was very true that none of this really interested him.

“I’m sorry to turn you down— but I don’t really like adventures. I like to stay where I am and follow a routine… but if you need any discounts on some circus tickets, I can certainly do that for you.”

🎪— When Doe mentioned wanting to see the circus Hoops’ mood instantly changed into his usual jovial kind of personality. Making him smile and act a lot more like the clown he was. It always brought Hoops immense joy to talk about or do things that related to the circus in any way. The circus was the closest thing he had to a home. It was the entire reason why he decided to enter this world so long ago.

“Okay!! I’d be glad to show you!!”

So after jumping down from the tree he was sitting in and landing on his feet next to Doe, the clown shaped vacui took a moment to stretch out his arms and shake out his legs before motioning for the other to follow him into the fairgrounds. There was a cute bounce to his step as Hoops merrily made his way through the back entrance and deeper into the fairgrounds. The circus would always be the place that made Hoops feel comfortable and safe. This was truly his happy place.

“This is where we keep the carnival games. I know how to win every single one of them!! I know everyone says that the games are rigged, but I assure you they’re not!!”

Hoops stopped walking and leaned up against one of the many booths that contained one of the many carnival games that took up a good chunk of the fairgrounds. The circus hadn’t been open for long considering that it was still early in the morning. So there weren’t many people around besides the employees.

“And this is where we keep the small animals for the petting zoo. Little kids usually love this spot on the fairgrounds. Yknow, this one kind of reminds me of you!!”

He pointed at a small fawn as he gave Doe a bit of a playful, teasing look. Trying to be humorous… Shortly after, Hoops took Doe to the ferris wheel. It was very big and covered in all kinds of bright colors and lights. If you were at the top of it— you could see the entire fairgrounds.

“And this is the ferris wheel!! My favorite part of the fairgrounds!!”

Turning to look at Doe, Hoops gave them a cute, bright smile. Surprisingly, he was really starting to have a good time with them. Maybe Doe wasn’t a nuisance after all.

“You should let me take you up on it sometime!!”

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a mix of starters that could be said after a first kiss

“Can we do that again?”

“I’ve been wondering what that would feel like.”

“I don’t think I’m ever going to forget that.”

“Well… I had something clever to say.”

“I think my brain just rebooted.”

“Well… that happened.”

“Can you give me a minute?”

“You weren’t supposed to actually kiss me.”

“I genuinely didn’t think that’d work.”

“Took you long enough.”

“You blush way too easily.”

“I could get used to that.”

“Should I rate it?”

“I win.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Called it.”

“I had a feeling that was coming.”

“You really couldn’t resist me, huh?”

“So that’s what all that staring was about.”

“That explains a lot.”

“Please don’t tell me that was a mistake.”

“I guess we’re not friends anymore.”

“Well… that certainly complicates things.”

“I’ve been waiting for that.”

“I should’ve kissed you months ago.”

“I was beginning to think you’d never do it.”

“We’ve really been dancing around that, haven’t we?”

“I’m going to need a minute… or six.”

“Now what?”

“Don’t expect me to start writing poetry.”

“So… are we a couple now?”

“That was either the smartest or dumbest thing we’ve ever done.”

“Say something.”

Olimar meets that playful look with one of his own, crossing his arms and doing his best to appear casual, suave, handsome, and otherwise “good enough to eat.” It’s been quite a while since he’s flirted with someone other than his wife; he hopes that, despite the strange and unique circumstances surrounding this particular rendezvous, he hasn’t lost his touch.

He laughs, pleased, and allows himself to be tugged along. With that look in Hoops’s eye, it’s not exactly rocket science to guess what the vacui needs— and with the spring in Olimar’s step as he follows along, it’s equally obvious that he’s happy to provide.

What a unique compliment! He’s sure that Hoops doesn’t mean anything by it, but nevertheless, he can’t help but let his thoughts drift curiously towards the physiological implications of blood tasting good or bad. Do some people have more “nutritionally balanced” blood than others, making them more appealing as a food source? Does the diet of the “victim” affect their overall taste, as is sometimes the case with animal meat? The captain has been indulging in sweets more than the ought to recently…

Snap out of it, Olimar! This is hardly the time to be theorizing!

…maybe Hoops will let him ask about it when they’re done?

“Not at all! It’s my pleasure.” And he means that somewhat literally. It’s a little embarrassing, but being feed from isn’t nearly as unpleasant as he first expected it to be. Perhaps other vacui would make the experience painful and frightening, but with Hoops, the whole thing just feels sort of— intimate.

Olimar tugs at the collar and sleeves of his uniform to loosen them for easier access to prominent arteries. His cheeks have begun to flush faintly, but he keeps his tone confident and his head held high as he steps further into the privacy of the circus tent.

🎪— As the two of them made it into the circus tent, Hoops made sure the curtain separating the inside from rest of the fairgrounds were securely closed before returning his full attention on his latest food source with the same big smile on his face as the last time that they were together. Getting something to eat always put Hoops in a good mood as he was hungry most of the time on account of his larger than average appetite. It also made him happy to know that he had another person to feed from more regularly than simply going out and finding a new person each time. With Hoops’ adorable charm however— most of the guys he fed from usually came back another few times after the first feeding. Vacuis were usually very endearing and charming for that very reason. To get people to come back for more…

“Oh, you’re so cute, Olimar!! I just love having you around!!”

The clown shaped vacui said in a cheerful tone as he reached over and gently pinched at Omilar’s cheek playfully. Hoops had noticed the slight flush to the other’s cheeks and it was so cute in his opinion. There were hundreds of different men that Hoops had fed from over the century he’s been in this world— but his favorites were the cute ones like Olimar. It was good that Hoops had a rule about not killing those he fed from because otherwise he’d probably suck him dry. But despite have a big appetite, Hoops still had a great deal of self control. He never wanted to take someone’s life just for his own needs. That wasn’t something a good person like himself would ever do.

“That’s very thoughtful of you!! I was worried about what happened last time when I got all that blood on your clothes.”

Turning his back to Olimar for a moment Hoops turned on a small lamp so that there was just a bit of dim light surrounding them. As he moved around the tent Hoops hummed a happy tune as he made sure everything was how it should be before he sunk his razor sharp teeth into Olimar’s neck. This was always fun for him. Getting to meet new guys and taste their blood— seeing the differences in taste between them. It always brought a certain kind of sparkle to his big red eyes.

“Okay~!! I think we’re all set!! Thank you again for letting me do this, Olimar. Remember, I want you to tell me if it hurts too much, okay?”

Hoops said as he gently sat the two of them down on the small bed nearby. Then he moved a lot closer and leaned in with one of his gloved hands on Olimar’s shoulder, and his other hand on his waist. Making sure he had a good hold on him before finally using his razor sharp teeth to bite down into his neck enough to create a nice, steady blood flow. Hoops closed his eyes… and began to suck Olimar’s blood peacefully.

🎪— Sitting up in the large tree that overlooked the edges of the fairgrounds Hoops peered down at Doe with curious yet judgmental eyes. So far he hadn’t fully decided if this person was a threat or not. More times than not, Hoops was a little hesitant about showing his abilities to mere strangers. Most of the people he worked with had no idea that he was a vacui capable of violent bloodshed. As long as Hoops kept his razor sharp claws hidden beneath his gloves and his usual jolly personality no one really asked any questions. It would be a real problem if the wrong people in this particular town were to find out who Hoops really was and forbid him from coming back here. Sure he could always go to another location— but so far he rather enjoyed this particular area. So it would really bother Hoops if he couldn’t stay.

“Monsters…”

Hoops repeated when he heard that specific word. Vacuis were indeed monsters— just not the kind that were normally from this world. Most people would simply think that they were vampires considering that they were very similar. But there were still several differences. Either way, hearing that Doe was seemingly here for monsters gave Hoops a sick feeling in his stomach. This person wasn’t here for him, were they?

When he was asked to tell the other just what he was Hoops’ big red eyes widened for a few seconds as he wasn’t really expecting a question like that. The clown shaped vacui was silent for a moment before sighing and deciding that it would probably be better if he were honest. Hopefully none of this would turn out too badly.

“If you really want to know… I guess I could tell you… just don’t go chasing me out of town with pitchforks and torches or anything like that.”

That was partly a joke— but it also held some truth to it… So after taking a moment to change to a more comfortable sitting position, Hoops looked down at Doe from the tree he was in and told his story.

“I’m what my kind calls the vacui. We feed off of the blood of the living to survive. Vacuis start out as pure dark energy before deciding on a physical form to remain in forever. We can only keep our physical form if we are kept healthy enough to do so. The only way we can keep healthy is by drinking blood.”

As he spoke, the usual jovial tone to Hoops’ voice was almost completely gone. Because right now, in this moment, he wasn’t Hoops the Clown. He was an otherworldly monster who was over a century old who had seen the world change while he remained the same. Not many people got the chance to see Hoops behave in such a way. This was truly a rare occurrence.

“I know that sounds a lot like vampires but I assure you vacuis are very different. As I’m sure you can see the sunlight doesn’t bother me and I can see my reflection in any mirror.”

There was an almost lifeless look to his eyes while Hoops told all this personal information about himself to a literal stranger. Talking about this stuff was never a lot of fun for Hoops as it reminded him of his limitations. He much preferred being a silly clown than anything like this.

“… So, is that the information you wanted? Or is there more you want to know?”

🎪— As he listened intently to Doe’s words, Hoops kicked his legs back and forth as they hung over the tree limb he was sitting on. What the other told him sounded more like something out of a story book than reality. Hoops had never heard of anything Doe was telling him and it was just a tad confusing the more he thought about it. During his long lifetime, Hoops had met several different types of creatures and beings— though the most types of people he met were humans, considering that he was in the human realm and not some supernatural type of place.

“Shadow beings, huh…?”

Hoops repeated those words back to himself out loud as he peered off to the side— deep in thought. It was pretty easy for Hoops to try and picture whatever Doe was talking about since he himself used to essentially be a sort of a shadow being. It had however been over a century since he was last in that form… but sometimes it felt like it had happened only yesterday. When you lived forever— a lot of times seemed to merge together. Which could be a good thing… or a bad thing depending on what it was.

“It’s not a get up… I really am a clown. I chose this form because that’s who I wanted to be— a clown.”

He shot Doe a bit of a glare when they referred to his appearance as a ‘get up’. It was very true that on the inside Hoops was an otherworldly monster who survived on the blood of the living— but the rest of himself was indeed a clown. Which meant that it was his purpose to bring smiles and happiness to everyone around him. The only reason why Doe got the privilege to see Hoops behave in such a different way was simply by chance. Almost no one ever got to witness Hoops act more like his inner self. This was truly a very rare occurrence.

Instead of using his magic to get back on the ground, Hoops allowed himself to fall down from the tree branch and gracefully land on his feet in front of the other. His expression was still weirdly unamused as he looked at the other. It probably looked very odd to see a clown look so negative like this.

“I am a performer… I wouldn’t have chosen to be a clown if I didn’t want to perform. I’m not one of those creeps that tries to scare people by dressing up like a clown. Being a clown is who I am.”

After all this complicated conversation, Hoops’ mood had very much turned sour and made him want to just leave this particular area and go back to his tent. He didn’t really enjoy talking to Doe and he figured that whatever it was they were doing that they could do it alone. Hoops never had an interest in things like teaming up with someone to combat some kind of evil. Hoops had been alone for his entire life— so companionship was more or less foreign to him.

“Uhh no thanks. I’m alright…”

Slowly, Hoops turned to leave. He felt a little bad for refusing the other’s offer, but it was very true that none of this really interested him.

“I’m sorry to turn you down— but I don’t really like adventures. I like to stay where I am and follow a routine… but if you need any discounts on some circus tickets, I can certainly do that for you.”

🎪— Having the other try to seemingly fix him up with a home of sorts made Hoops feel very embarrassed. Never had he wanted others to pity him. That just wasn’t his style. Hoops had been without a home his entire life. Sure it was a sore subject with him but being alone in life was something he was used to. The way Hoops saw it— he would find a home when the right time called for it. He didn’t want to just be given a home out of pity. So Hoops awkwardly waved his hands in front of himself dismissively with an uncomfortable smile on his face. This was always so weird to talk about.

“Oh no, no I’m fine!! Really it’s no big deal!!”

Feeling embarrassed he scratched at the back of his neck as he peered off to the side— still smiling stupidly out of fear of being rude. On the other hand Hoops was very appreciative of Quinn’s generosity. Many times had he met other people who shared similar traits. But being handed something just wasn’t something Hoops was comfortable with. He would rather earn it by forming a bond with another person or doing something meaningful so that he deserved something like a home. The simple yet sad thing was that nothing such as that had ever happened to Hoops. He had been alone his whole life without anyone to get close to. Sure he was around bunches of people while he worked at the circus— but that wasn’t the same thing as being truly close to someone.

“You may not have noticed, but I’m not human either. If I want to move a long distance I can just appear there whenever I have the energy to use my powers.”

There weren’t many opportunities that Hoops got to explain personal topics like who he really was beneath his clown- like appearance. On the inside he was a vacui. An otherworldly monster who survived off of the blood of the living. Hoops never really liked explaining such things to strangers. But since Quinn wasn’t human himself it was probably okay. If he were speaking to a human— Hoops very likely would keep things more vague.

“I’m a vacui. The only thing I need to keep going is blood, so as long as I have that I’ll be okay. I appreciate you caring so much about me though. It’s very sweet of you.”

🎪— As he conversed more with the other and liking his positive energy— Hoops’ awkward smile slowly turned into a genuine one. It was easy to tell that Quinn meant well and didn’t have any bad intentions. It was honestly a breath of fresh air for the clown shaped vacui. Hoops was a person who naturally saw the good in people. But sometimes being so optimistic meant that there would be times where things would quickly go south and end up in a tragedy. In this moment however the person standing in from of Hoops truly came off as a kind, pleasant individual. So even though they had just met, Hoops already trusted Quinn quite a bit. It really seemed like they could be good friends.

“Yes, it’s a lot like vampires. I’ve met them before, too, but there are some differences between vampires and vacuis.”

Hoops spoke in a calm, friendly tone of voice while he clasped his two gloved hands behind his back comfortably as he stood in front of the other. Knowing that Quinn wasn’t human meant that Hoops felt a lot more comfortable explaining more about himself than if he were with a human. Most humans wouldn’t understand what a vacui was— or if they did, they would get scared and sometimes even violent. Because of this Hoops was a bit reserved around people like that. So now that he was with a fellow non- human— things were very different.

“Vacuis come from a dark void far away from the world we’re in right now. We start out as pure dark energy and when we get strong enough— we get to choose a physical form and move on to a world of our choice to stay in. We can only keep a physical form if we stay healthy— and the only way we can stay healthy is by feeding off of the living for their blood.”

While speaking, Hoops reached up and began to twirl a piece of his curly red hair around and around his finger while continuing to smile at the other. It had been a while since the last time Hoops could be this open with another person. It was nice.

“A lot of vacuis end up killing those they feed from, but not me. I have two rules when it comes to feeding— I never kill them, and they have to be a cute guy. I’m not sure why, but blood from girls just doesn’t taste good to me.”

“No, you’re hurt.”

“Don’t touch me.”

“You stole my heart.”

“Oh, yeah? Make me.”

“Don’t talk back to me.”

“Oh, sure, you bet’cha.”

“You’re so broken inside.”

“You can’t go in there alone.”

“Stop looking at me like that.”

“You can’t tell me what to do.”

“Don’t you have things to do?”

“If you fall, I’m going to laugh.”

“You’re such a dork. I love you.”

“Have you ever gone stargazing?”

“Like you would ever understand…”

“I just want to know what happened.”

“No, there’s nothing wrong with you.”

“You have the worst sense of humor.”

“Do you want to go on an adventure?”

“Did you ever find out why they did it?”

“I don’t need a hug. I need vengeance.”

“You have the best smile I’ve ever seen.”

“How long are you going to stand there?”

“You’re so painfully oblivious some days.”

“Do you need me to back you up on this?”

“You’re not royalty, stop acting like you are.”

“Did you lose your glasses/cane/mobility aid?”

“I just need to rant for a second, is that okay?”

“If you’re gonna be such a chicken, just leave.”

“You’re the most beautiful soul I’ve ever seen.”

“Yup, I heard it as soon as I said it, just let it go.”

“I don’t have proof, but I need you to believe me.”

“When was the last time you actually felt happy?”

“Yeah, I’m weak. What’s wrong with being weak?”

“How have you survived on your own for so long?”

“I really think you’re blowing this out of proportion.”

“I just want you to know I’m here… if you need me.”

“Look me in the eyes and say that again, I dare you.”

“I feel like I’d find more lively company in a cemetery.”

“Are you really sorry? Or just sorry you were caught?”

“You’re really not worth all this of this. You’re just not.”

“I know its dangerous… that’s why I brought you along.”

“How have you stayed so gentle through everything…?”

“Being a jerk isn’t the same as being strong, you know.”

“You’re a better person than you give yourself credit for.”

“Thanks for sticking with me. I know it hasn’t been easy.”

“I keep having the same nightmare. And it just won’t stop.”

“Are you actually living, or are you just fighting to survive?”

“Nothing wrong with admitting you need a hand sometimes.”

“Hey, if you need to bare your chest, I’m right here. I’ll listen.”

“I just want to eat pizza and pass out, is that too much to ask?”

“I needed you to know… you’re the most important part of my life.”

“Don’t tell me you’re being honest, because you’ve done nothing but lie.”

“Okay, maybe we all just need to step back and calm down for a minute.”

“I know its been a long time, and I’m sorry to show up out of the blue, but — “

“I just need to be wrapped up in a hug and squeezed back into my body, please.”

“I’m going to be here for you, no matter what. Come hell or high water, I’ve got your back.”