He wasn't sure how he'd wound up here. Wandering, at first--one paw in front of the other, the idle exploration of a cub. Disproportionate and clumsy limbs had carried him to this tunnel, and the distant sound of carnival music had finally caught oversized ears. Fascinated, Hades angled for it--threading through a strange, winding path and watching the clawing trees he passed with naive curiosity.

The sights and sounds of the carnival were almost overwhelming. He'd never seen, heard or smelled so many things in one place-! I wonder if this is the only place like this, or if there are more? he wondered, as paws carried him past the game booths and vendor stalls. He paused for a long moment to watch the roller coaster swing past--bumping the one before it so that both nearly fell off the rails. His stub tail twitched, at this; it didn't look safe. Interesting, but... unsafe.

At last Hades found himself drifting with that same curiosity past the Imps and into the big tent. He didn't notice that almost every creature here was a worker; didn't notice the keen stares fixed on his back as he went. He was too young, too inexperienced, to think there might be danger here. Instead he padded up along the rows of seats within the tent, taking up a place in a higher row and settling in to peer down at the show. It didn't really occur to him, either, that the show must always be ongoing, even when there was no audience--or how strange that was. Instead he simply sat, peering down with fascinating eyes as huge cave rats jumped through hoops and someone released a cloud of Fairyflies. He sat rapt, alone, and quiet.

Stealth wasn't a term likely to be attributed to giants. Limbs large, bodies unwieldy, wide movements could not often be disguised by shadow nor could the sound of their plodding go unnoticed. However, this was the Carnival, a place whose raucous noises of entertainment lent ample cover to such blundering. And as for the serpentine figure winding her way up the risers housed in the big top, there were none of the sort to hide. Scales rasped, near silent, over seats while she searched for the ideal view of the performance in progress. The size of the tent titanic, the upper levels might be where most of the show's lighting was rigged, but it allowed her to peer down on more than just the acts.

The Fairyflies set loose had no nets or barriers of any kind to prevent their escape into the audience. Such safety measures ruined the fun, of course; why else would they be here if not to spread their glimmering dust and catapult observers into a new plane of existence born out of imagination gone wild. One fluttered as high as it could, dancing underneath the lights which rapidly alternated color. Its daring drove it closer to where Hades sat, a whirling thing of rainbow beauty carrying a payload of confusion.

"Delightful, isn't it?"

From a few rows behind was where the whisper came. A paw clad in keeled golden scales darted out for the dazzling insect, and if the cub looked behind him, he would see a second draw back to clamp over the muzzle of a face distinctly feline. Though the fairyfly dipped sideways in its flight, this did not prevent the snag of a claw on a shining wing. It collapsed onto a seat in front of them, injured and twitching pathetically.

Miriam's paw, though it muffled them, did not suppress her giggles. Blatant mirth shone in eyes, the risk she courted by being here a game more than a concern.

@Hades

The cub blinked back at the stranger who had just... appeared behind him. He'd been so fixed on the noise and spectacle that he hadn't paid a lick of attention to potential attack from behind; and why would he? He knew nothing of such things, and this was a public place... a safe place. Wasn't it? Nonetheless a chill of fear slid down his back at the sight of the feline draped in golden scales, at the callous cruelty of her claws.

He went still, uncertain what to do or say, a surge of youthful courage battling with that instinctive fear. Miriam had spoken, at least, though--and Hades turned, looking down at the show, considering as best he could. "I've never been here," was what he settled on: an admission that he had nothing to compare it to. "It's-... There's a lot going on." His ghostlight gaze drifted back, wary, to the wounded fairyfly: "Why-..." Was it dangerous, to ask such a thing? Would it risk this stranger's wrath? He licked his lips and hesitated, then bolstered his courage to ask it. "Why did you do that?"

It wasn't a demand, or a challenge. He just didn't understand. And given the faint bristle of the fur along his spine, and the stillness with which he now watched Miriam, his fear would be quite plain: the unspoken thought, not fully formed, in his mind lingering... Would he be next?

@Miriam

At first, she did little more than continue to gaze upon Hades, his obvious alarm a source of amusement almost equal to the various acts below. Paw still situated over her mouth, fangs were well-concealed. Lips stretching back to her ears, however, parted and allowed the slightest glimpse of teeth most sharp. Deception did not occur to her as instantly as it would in other environments; suffice to say, the danger lying here beneath a thin veneer of lively show felt native enough to her that she often didn't bother with it. No point in hiding her true nature when the surroundings resonated so well. Unless, she supposed, the fine opportunity arose to expend energy toying around with a soul unfortunate enough to cross her path.

"Why," the Tatzelwurm began before remembering, a titter slipping out, the obstruction held in front of her. The paw lowered but remained suspended in air, wrist limp and claw tips facing toward her. "Whatever do you mean?"

Her head tilted in exaggerated confusion but did not give time for a response. A gasp followed on its heels, just as over the top as the previous body language.

"Oh, why! You mean that little morsel." She bopped the bottom of a scaly palm against her forehead. "Of course. Stupid, silly of me. How terrible this must look without knowing: hitting a precious noble thing like that. Shameful, I can assure you. But necessary at our distance from it."

"Prettiness can poison, you know," came an explanation in a hushed conspiratorial tone. "Or in this case, just knock you flat. One whiff of the glitter gusting from those wings, and you wouldn't be able to tell up from down. Wouldn't be nice to take a topple not knowing proper direction."

She directed a pointed glance to the circus arena and the bustling activity within. Fire had been set to the hoops by now, and the rats hadn't ceased their jumping yet. One particularly hefty specimen proved too large to avoid the flames brushing against its coat. Panicked squeals rang into the audience.

"So tiny from here. But I suppose everyone's small for me," Miriam remarked, laughing once more.

@Hades

Well, she was... terrifying.

Hades stared for a moment, blinking uncertainly between Miriam and the glittery insect she insisted could be dangerous. "Won't... be able to tell up from down?" he parroted, puzzled, forcing the words past his nervousness. He swallowed, and passed a flutter of magic through himself just in case--a cleansing, though he wasn't sure it'd have any effect on bug wings. As it coursed through his body, he found himself distracted again, alarmed by Miriam.

She's laughing at- He turned, blinking down at the show. Oh. ...Oh. Relief that it hadn't been mockery aimed at him was swiftly replaced with concern--That poor rat, though in a distant sort of way. He ate those, after all--he just didn't burn them. He didn't really think it was funny, and it sent another faint chill through him that this stranger did.

At least she wasn't staring at him, now.

"You are--big, yes," Hades conceded, looking back at her, then quickly away (and back to the show). "Why would the bug... do that?" he went on, the question awkward with his nervousness and youth. "Why make someone not be able to tell up from down?" He was confused as to the purpose that must serve.

And--oh. "Thanks, I guess," he said, remembering his manners--she must've saved him that magic dust confusion altogether with her quick action.

@Miriam

"My, you are a polite one." Unaware of the exact effect her presence continued to have but simultaneously reveling in any form of attention received, Miriam's observation emerged as a delighted, throaty purr. "Best keep that way with words; a little charm goes a long way in getting answers to questions. A lot and you might be able to gain more... useful responses."

All interest was invested in Hades once she pulled attention away from the spectacle of suffering below. Eyes aglow with some unknown quality combed his form from head to toes. They searched for a detail present in most cave residents: a glint of stone rooted somewhere in fur or jutting out elsewhere. For a time she lingered upon saber teeth, good mood edged by contemplation. Finding nothing there to satisfy her greed, any intensity she might have possessed was redirected to her dangling paw. Whatever other thoughts present would never be known by anyone outside of herself, face carefully bent so that only scales could absorb them.

Nevertheless her facade remained chipper despite no longer looking directly at the cub. "Of course, I was just doing what any other would naturally," she declared airily. "No need to learn unpleasant things through experience when you don't necessarily have to."

"As for your why, it's simple." Miriam paused and giggled before imparting the reason like some grand truth of the universe. "Protection. Little things aren't the strongest, but they can at least keep from being hit if their attacker doesn't know where to hit. Problem is, they're scared of everything larger than them, so it won't matter if you actually want to hurt them or not. They'll confuse you anyway."

@Hades

As Hades listened, he relaxed, just a little. Miriam seemed a bit... strange, but he hadn't met enough other Gembounds to really compare; mostly it was just that she'd startled him. And now that she settled into explanation, taking her own time up to enlighten him, he felt like he sort of owed her--enough, at least, not to continue bearing vague suspicion.

"That makes sense," he murmured, nubby tail twitching behind him in thought. "So it's... something they do without thinking about it?" and this was half a question, half just thinking aloud. He blinked, pale eyes shifting back to Miriam. "Um. Thank you for explaining." He glanced down at the show again, then back to her. "Do you come here a lot?" he asked--a polite and curious question. He wasn't sure if Miriam was a visitor here as much as he was--or if this was her home, or if she simply passed through now and again. And--"Oh--I'm Hades." A dip of his head indicated apology for not having introduced himself any sooner.

@Miriam

"There's those impeccable manners again," the Tatzelwurm teased, laughter remaining in her tone. Hades's second expression of thanks, however much it might truly be deserved, had reattracted her wide alien gaze. The paw she kept aloft at last settled onto the seat most of her upper body was draped across. Meanwhile, unblinkingly, the tip of a pink tongue swiped over dark lips. "Miriam," she introduced herself in kind, "and you are very welcome."

"Here? As in here—performing rats and fire and insects here—or the Carnival here?" The question was the perfect point for her to once more launch into the persona of well-meaning babbler. She seized the chance with gusto, gesticulating at the ground level first and then sweeping arms around her to indicate the entire area, tent included.

"If you mean here here, oh, I haven't really kept track of all that. Though I've been here plenty of times more than where the food is. Or the rides. Being big does have its limitations," she admitted, smile small and deliberately toothless while lifting shoulders in a bashful shrug. "None for watching though. But, hmmm. Maybe I've spent more time at the games. You do get to be a more active participant there. Far more exciting than seeing others have all the fun."

The aforementioned fun had turned a seemingly less deadly direction than the last time it was observed. Hoops, ablaze or not, had been abandoned in favor of the rats making formations every time a drum roll sounded over the arena. Currently they were arranged in a pyramid, the Lessers balancing upright on top of each other. The execution appeared rather effortless on their part, clearly accustomed to this part of the show.

At least until a gargantuan snake was released into the pit.

Miriam, caught up in her own performance, was oblivious to the shenanigans. "But it'd be silly if you meant here. You must've meant here as in the Carnival here. In that case, I suppose I absolutely am a frequent visitor. At the very least I try to when I get the chance. And, well, that's often since I pass through the nearby tunnel all the time. It's always a bit difficult to find and leave, but I like a good challenge. Keeps me on my toes."

@Hades

Hades found his attention drawn by the mention of 'games' more than anything. That must have been what I passed on the way in, he reasoned--he hadn't played any, but he'd looked at the booths. He hadn't registered that 'shooting rats' was a 'game,' but the rest he hadn't really registered at all, so maybe he'd missed something fun-?

He was about to engage in further conversation--Miriam seemed friendly and talkative enough. But then he realized he was interrupting her show; she could hardly watch what was going on (and here he turned, glanced down, and half-winced at the sight of the snake) with him badgering her with questions. And he sort of wanted to see what'd happen down there, himself. He wasn't a bloodthirsty type but he couldn't help a feline instinct that spiked up in him watching the rats scamper about with a serpent on the loose.

"I'll have to look at the games. They sound interesting," he said, and then glanced back at Miriam. "Sorry for interrupting your show." His manners on display again, maybe, but he went quiet, worried about further stopping her from watching the likely-impending-carnage down below.

@Miriam

"Yes," Miriam said. Much like the rest of her chatter, this word sounded light and unbothered by any imposition Hades's presence might have on her fun. The rest of the conversation, however, took an abrupt turn into disaster. "You certainly have been wasting my time, impudent child."

Any sparkle dwelling in eyes died. Gentle smiles developed by practice were discarded in favor of a thin disapproving line cutting through her muzzle. What had been a face full of animation morphed into a harsh mask, not quite glaring at the younger Gembound but certainly lacking any sort of welcome. A kind but unusual acquaintance had been cast into the void, and residing in her place stared a cold, judgmental stranger.

She froze in time, allowing the weight of her sentence to sink in. Soaked in the beginning of whatever reactions might come.

And just as if the moment had never happened, never reintroduced any potential doubts in her character, burst into a giggling fit that tinkled like a million ringing crystal bells.

"Oh, dear," she sighed, wiping away nonexistent tears, "you should know there's such a thing as too much politeness as well. Do relax; I've seen these shows plenty. It's you who should be getting an apology, me interrupting your experience."

A proposition then—"How about I help with seeing those games. Once you've had your fill of here, I'll take you around to some. Figure out which meets your fancy the best."

Miriam threw her best attempt at a winsome wink in the direction of her conversation partner.

@Hades