Herro pulled up outside of ‘Autumn and Summer’s’ just as the sun was disappearing behind the distant hills. Shadows making his powder blue shirt look darker gave him a mysterious look that his gait and posture didn’t imitate.
A doorbell chimed as he stepped through the glass plated door into a room decorated with lily and lilac motifs stemming from flowers to draperies. From Herro’s point of view one could see the reason the place stayed in business easily. Scantily clad waitresses darted between tables, smiling and showing off assets to customers.
“It’s like a hooters.” Herro grinned as he mumbled to himself, “I almost wish the girl wasn’t just on a pity date with me if she works at a place like this. Maybe I could get to see her in that uniform.”
“Like this?” He heard her sultry voice behind him. He jumped and spun around seeing her standing there with hip cocked and one hand resting on her ample hip and the other on the doorway. Her tight shorts revealed nothing yet promised so much and her top revealed just enough belly button and the shadow of a spiral tattoo on the hip she was cocking, to be provocative and hugged her upper body’s curves like a second skin, till it got to the long scoop cut neckline.
“Ye…Yeah, kinda like that.” He grins as he staggers over words and gulps a few times, “Oh god …she heard me.”
She grins and pulls a menu from the holder on the podium that sat by the door with practiced ease, “Care to eat? I can give you a good discount if you want; I am an owner of the place.”
“Owner? And yet you …” His gaze goes up and down her body, “You … dress…like…work.”
Her grin spreads wider with a hint of mischief, “Oh yes. Don’t you like it? I find it a bit restricting; maybe I should take some off.”
Herro swallows as she plays with the neckline and fans it like she’s hot, “No maybe not. Wouldn’t want people to choke on their food after all, now would I?”
Putting her lower lip out in an obviously fake pout she coos, “Awww you’re no fun now are you, Herro?”
Herro scooted around her and sat down in a nearby booth, obviously struggling to avoid looking at her, “Y…Yes lets eat.”
“Alright then,” Razor said, sliding down into the other side of the booth with a menu in her hand. Setting it down in front of Herro, she stared at him while resting her chin on her hands.
Putting the menu upright to block her gaze, Herro breathed deep, “So are you getting anything?”
“Why do you ask? No menu? Darling I know the menu by heart,” She says putting one manicured hand up to her chest.
His reaction was to stammer something about coffee and milk, before slipping the menu back up from where it had tipped down enough for her to see his only visible eye. Sighing deeply Razor stands up and walks off.
A few minutes later she returns with a serving tray with two fish, fries, and a couple drinks, one being a mug of coffee. Slipping down into the booth again she puts one in front of Herro and pulls the menu from his hand, snapping it closed and setting it off to the side.
“Is this all an act?” She says, her flirty tone gone and her eyes serious, “because I don’t understand it if it isn’t.”
Herro raised the eyebrow of his exposed eye, “What do you mean? I already know it’s a pity date so why would I act any way?”
She lets out a small chortle as she munches on a french fry from her plate, “All this. Look at you; you’re handsome, you’re not a jackass who makes remarks about my cleavage or ass, and you seem pretty fashion savvy. So why the complete lack of self confidence, surely a girl or two has told you you’re a totally hottie. Not in the way I am for sure, but a hottie none the less.”
“You’d be surprised.” Herro said with an actual grin and a hint of sarcasm in his voice, “I wouldn’t go as far as to say in the same way you are but close.”
Razor cocked her brow and shook her head, “well in that case. Maybe we should go out more often, both of us hotties.”
Blushing Herro stuffed a forkful of fish into his mouth mumbling something incoherent through the food in his mouth.
“Does it have something to do with that blouse from earlier, which by the way totally doesn’t go with your complexion.”
Herro gags and coughs a bit, before swallowing, “Uhh that was for, my Sister.”
Twirling her fork as she finished with a bit of her own fish Razor grinned, “Really? And you compare how blouses for your sister will look against yourself often then?”
“Yeah, Of course. We’re about the same size and I figured that if it would fit me it’d fit her too.”
Raising one of her eyebrows, Razor smirks, “That’s a tad odd I must admit. I mean I guess I could see it but is she really that flat that you can accurately tell?”
“Well,” Herro narrows his eyes, “Obviously if you were my sister I couldn’t.”
“That so?” Razor’s smirk turned into a grin as she watched Herro focused on eating his fish, a tad too focused, “Maybe we’ll have to try sometime. I could try your stuff and you can try mine and we’ll see how they ‘look’.”
Herro’s head came up and suddenly blushed and he shook his head vigorously, “No, No that’s fine.”
“If you say so,” Razor faked a pout as she picked up her empty plate, “I’ve got one more request for tonight if you don’t mind. Since we’ll be at this place for the date, I want your help.”
“With what?” Herro asks through a bite of fries.
Razor smiles, “This Circus of Horror carnival got the proper permits to set up and has been running for well over a year now. There hasn’t been any real troubles outside of what a normal business of this type would have. Amazon’s I know who’ve gone there are creeped out and I’ve managed to talk to a few Magia who say they could feel an eerie aura over the place from the moment they walked in. Not to mention a few of the rides seem to harness darker magics.”
Herro raised his only visible eyebrow, “And you want to play Sherlock holmes?”
“Something like that.” Razor said, finishing her meal, “And if I can get an intrepid doctor Watson, it’ll make things easier. So what’d ya say care to help solve a mystery, as well as have a date?”
“Uhhh,” Herro glanced down at his fork, “I guess I can.”
Razor smiles and tips her head, “Thanks. A magia will be a great help.”
“Anytime,” Herro smiles a wary smile.
“Good. Well I’m gonna go get ready for our date. If you finish just leave your plate and the waitress will get it.” She said pointing to another girl dressed as she was, again with the perfect waist hip ratio.
Herro watched as she disappeared into the back and focused back on the waitress, “Now hers Herra could probably pull off, but that Razor is too stacked. I’m in for a long night.”
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
About ten minutes later Razor walked out from the back. Herro noticed her and how different she looks in normal clothes. She was dressed in an odd combination of tight hip hugging blue jeans that turned into loose cargo pants around the knee, a shallow v-neck t-shirt with a jacket over her left arm, beside her purse.
Herro almost had to do a double take till he caught sight of her unmistakably long purple braid bouncing behind her, “Aye aye aye … She’s even better with more clothes on.”
Sitting at the table she smiles, “Ready to go yet?”
“Wow, yeah. Let’s go.” He stood up and pulled out his wallet before Razor put a hand over his.
“I’ll give Brianna a good tip myself in her next paycheck, plus she already knows I won’t let you put anything down. At least not here in my own restaurant.”
He slipped his wallet back in his pocket and picked up his leather jacket and stepped over to the door, he opened it with a bow, “Okay then. Well milady after you.”
Swinging her legs out of the car Razor stands up, and looks around the parking lot. Her gaze sweeps the lot of ‘Circus of Horror’, and swings back to rusted car.
“I still say you should have let me drive us.” Razor grumbles to Herro who’d opened her door like a proper gentleman, “Then at least we’d be sure we’d make it back. Not to mention how ashamed of you I am.”
“Not that I don’t deserve it, but why?”
“Look!” She said, throwing her hands towards his car, “You have a classic Firebird and you let it get to ….this.”
Herro shrugs, “I’m not good with cars.”
“You know what?” she says softer but still intense, “I have someone who can fix this. By the time we come out, your car will look good. Ok, maybe not good, I don’t know if that’s possible without a complete overhaul, but it’ll look decent.”
“It’s not necessary really.”
Razor shrugged, “Yeah well, I got connections. I might as well use them every so often right?”
“You have connections that can fix a car in a few hours?” Herro looked dumbfounded, “I thought it took at least a few days on those tv shows.”
Razor grinned, her crimson red lips parting to show white teeth, “I am the prince of the Amazons after all.”
She spun around and pulled out a smart phone and pulled her lilac colored hair around to the other side of shoulder and put the phone to her ear. Herro, staring at the way her jeans seemed to enhance her butt, snapped his head up as he ran her words through his mind.
Whispering to himself he looks her up and down, “Prince? Shouldn’t she be a princess? Unless….” His eyes get wide, “No there’s no way a guy could look like that.
“I knew the date was too good to be true.”
As he finished his eyes focused again, and he pulled his head up to hers, “I wasn’t staring.”
Her grin was knowing, “Oh I could see that. Maybe I’m not the right kind of girl for you?”
Inside the park the pair watches people walking around. A few seem nervous, like the park itself is giving them the chills.
Herro looked around, the aura of the park making him feel almost ill.
“Maybe we should go somewhere else.” He casually said to her.
“Nope,” She smiled, “I need our date to be here.”
Rolling his eyes, Herro sighed, “Need? Like can’t go anywhere else? Why not?”
She waves her hand, “I’ve got reasons, but let’s say…”
Her voice trailed off as she watched a pair of ladies walk into a restroom, “Didn’t think we had any Demo’ans in the area. Hot ones at that.”
“Who?” Herro looked around and saw the girls and raised an eyebrow as their aura’s were a deep dark color he’d never seen before, “Oh. Well that’s interesting.”
“Hey,” Razor chirps, “Lets’ go ride that.”
Looking where her finger pointed herro blanched as he tipped his head back more and more to see the top of it, “Uhh, if You want. I’ll be down here on the ground where it’s safe and gravity wont try and kill me.”
“Uhuh,” Razor grabbed his hand and pulled him forward, “You are not getting out of it that easy.”
Standing in front of the “Death Drop”, a vertical ride that plummets the rider down, Razor looked at Herro waffling on whether or not he wanted to get on.
“Come on.” She sighed, biting off a piece of her blue snow cone, “Are you a man or what?”
“Well right now,” Herro mumbled, more to himself.
She quirks an eyebrow and looks at him, “What?”
“Nothing,” He walks forward, “Let’s get on.”
“Right behind ya,” She grins and stands behind him at the counter.
“Me and my gi…gi…” He stammers to the man.
Whispering in his ear, her hair brushing the back of his neck, “Girlfriend.”
Herro brushes the hair on his neck around to the front and continued, “Yes. My girlfriend and I would like some tickets please.”
“Mkay,” The young man behind the window said dully and uninterested, “That’ll be $4.50.”
Herro grumbles as he pulls out his wallet and handing the kid money, “Stupid date, costing me all sorts of money.”
“Ya know,” Razor piped in, “I have quite a bit with me. I can help with some of the stuff.”
“No, no. This is a date, I am going to do it proper.” Herro said, shoving his wallet back in his pocket.
Razor shrugs as they start into the rides car, “Your loss then.”
“Yeah,” Herro grumbles, “I’m beginning to find that out.”
They sit in silence as the ride operator, who looked suspiciously like a goblin with tanned skin, buckled their harnesses and stepped back.
As they started to rise, Herro looked down, “Wasn’t there supposed to be a standard disclaimer. Keep arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times and such?”
Razor nodded, “Usually yeah, and it wasn’t posted anywhere either. That is strange.”
“Well, maybe we shou-” Herro started as the ride started to drop.
Back on solid ground, Herro looked green as he stood over a garbage can, “Oh god, I think I’m going to be sick again.”
Rubbing his back Razor, looking basically the same if not her hair a bit disheveled, “That was extreme. I wonder if all the rides in this place are that bad.”
Herro looks up at her, his hazel eyes sunken, “If so I think we should stick to the ones that don’t move.”
“Well it is the Circus of Horror, I guess the horror is the Horror of the G-forces.”
Starting to look better, Herro shot her a look, “Yeah, definitely staying on the non-moving ones.”
“Mkay,” Razor nodded, “I think we can do that.”
Walking around the park, again, Razor spots a house with a sign, “The blood Cauldron”. Her eyes get wide as she points it out to Herro, “That looks fun.”
Staring he looks at her and back to the house, “Of course a guy would like that.”
“A guy?” She raises an eyebrow, “Isn’t that a bit sexist? I mean I know a number of girls who love scary shit.”
“I meant,” He looks her up and down, “Nevermind Prince.”
“Again with my title. What does it matter that I’m royalty? I chose this date with you because I wanted to.”
“No it’s …” He trailed off shaking his head.
Her mouth turned up in a grin, as they walked to the entrance of the amusement, “Oh. I think I get it.”
“I think you must,” Herro shook his head again, “I mean come on, look at you. Who are you fooling? A girl like you can’t exist.”
“Well I must say,” She looks down at herself, “I feel like I exist.”
Razor stepped through the eerie curtained doorway, behind her Herro muttered to himself, “Then why are you Prince not Princess. Every girl wants to be a princess. Including Herra, damn her.”
Stopping and looking over her shoulder, Razor asked puzzled, “Did you say something?”
Looking up he walked forward, “No, no it was nothing. Just an observation.”
Razor shrugs, “Whatever.”
In silence they start to walk deeper into the horror house. As they walk Herro steps down and hears a loud click reverberate through the room, “Uhhh Razor.”
“Yeah I herad it.” She sighs and ducks as a barrage of darts soars across the room. Herro steps right, the darts missing him, but in the process hits a switch on the wall. Above him the ceiling opens and he feels a drip on his head. Reaching up he pulls his hand away from the mysterious liquid and sees a thick red liquid.
“Gah,” He exclaims, “They’re dripping blood on me!”
Turning to see the blood dripping down his face, Razor snorts, “Yeah. Did you expect any less from a ride called the Blood Cauldron? I mean come on, it’s probably not real blood anyway.”
Herro sniffs it, “It smells real to me.”
“Well you’re a magia aren’t you? Try and magic it to see if it is or not.”
“You can tell that? How? I never mentioned it.” Herro says, still standing under the dripping trap.
Razor rolls her eyes, “It’s easy to tell. Can you not tell what race people are? Your energy is infused with magic, it’s simple. Amazons, like myself, are infused with a more primal earthy feel. There has been a few others but I don’t know for certain what they are.”
Herro narrows his eyes, “Most magia can, but I can’t sense their race, but see their aura and their magic potential.”
“Actually not a bad thing,” Razor nods, “Knowing the race is good but you can strategize against their power a lot easier than their race.”
They continue walking, the house, Razor ensuring Herro misses any obvious traps, but they still were assaulted by some. A spinning blade, a slicing pendulum, and more blood; be it bubbling or a moat of blood, there was more of it.
“Ugh,” Razor said, her hand ringing the thick goopy substance out of her long braid, “Okay. That’s way too much. I mean come on, how do you get off with this? It is going to take forever to get out.”
“You’re telling me.” Herro mutters beside her.
She raises an eyebrow, “What? Your hair is like not even a quarter as long or as thick as mine, so I don’t want to hear it.”
Herro opens his mouth and shuts it again and Razor looks over at him, “What’s wrong now?”
“Nothing, nothing at all.”
Razor shrugs and looks back towards the exit, “Want to go through the end and find the waterpark?”
“Waterpark?” Herro looked shocked, “Why? I don’t happen to have any swimwear on me.”
“I have an extra pair of trunks you can borrow.”
Herro glances to the side at Razor, “And why do you have swim trunks?”
“Ya never know when you might need them.”
Herro turns away and mutters to himself, “More proof she’s a guy.”