1
Two hours ago, the Morpheusrealm; the Carnival
Dailyintheirdaydreamsand nightly in their sleep, dreamers visited the Morpheusrealm and enjoyed the splendors of the Carnival, the soap bubble rides, the eel demon performers making sparks dance along their bodies, and potentially even the food.
Fian, not a sleeper but a demon, enjoyed the Carnival too, except for when it was the meeting place his older brother had suggested.Not wanting to be criticized for tardiness, Fian had opted to come early.He had taken his human form, though his kraken nature tickled his skin as he walked past a blob fish demon fortune teller who had set up a multicolored tent, the flap open to reveal their little table and salt-crusted crystal ball bedded on sea anemones in the center.
Fian decided to stop by a food vendor for some deep-fried okra.He checked his watch—it was a human design, one of those smart watches they did these days—and determined there was no need to rush.He approached the counter, and the rotund guppy lady looked up at him.
“What will it be?”
“Hmm,” Fian said.The vegetables were displayed behind glass, waiting to be battered and submerged in hot oil: green zucchinis, pretty purple eggplants, golden corn, and brown and white mushrooms, among others.Fian was quite fond of mushrooms too, especially those that came in more than one color.He looked from them to the okra.“Can you…hmm.”
The guppy lady sighed.“I don’t have all day.”
“Can I get a skewer of both, please?”Fian burst out.He had a tendency to do that under pressure.
“Both what?We have cucumber, bell pepper, sweet corn, eggplant—”
“Just mushrooms and okra, please.”
The guppy began sliding chunks of okra and mushroom onto a skewer but gave him a critical look.“One wilts and turns gooey, one goes gooey as soon as you cut it.”
Fian knew, but he still liked them.However, the criticism was of course warranted.He cleared his throat.“And broccoli.Can you add some broccoli, please?”
“Good vegetable, broccoli,” the guppy said, skewered a few florets, and dipped the whole thing in batter before putting it into the deep pan full of sizzling oil.
Fian liked that part most, watching the oil starting to bubble and the batter crisping up and browning.It was so much better than what lay ahead of him.Not that he knew exactly why Mikano had asked to meet him, but the prospect of seeing his brother always made Fian feel like unbattered okra being tossed into hot oil.
After all, Mikano was excellent at everything he did—being an agent at the Human Liaisons Unit, maintaining human form, and generally just what humans so often referred to as “adulting.”
Fian accepted the finished skewer from the guppy and paid her a few small shells, then continued on his way.Mikano had selected the Ferris wheel for their meeting.It was nice and private, and it offered a good view of the dreamers enjoying themselves, coming out of the House of Seafoam with wonder in their eyes or trembling and shaking when they left Terrors of the Deep.
Fian had carved some of the dolls for Terrors, the shrewd demons and the trembling sailors, and of course that one skeleton he was particularly fond of.Mikano had never outright said anything negative about Fian’s work, but he called the carvings “droll,” and to call a thing meant to terrify droll was such a verbal sucker punch.
“Also just rude,” Fian mumbled and bit into his skewer, enjoying the oozy goozy gooeyness of it.And the broccoli too.The broccoli was nice.
“Heeello!”
A hand landed heavily on Fian’s shoulder—Mikano.The older demon had snuck up on Fian and was now grinning at his younger brother, black mako eyes bright with humor and superiority.
“H-hi.Sorry I’m late,” Fian said, a reflex like the shifting color of his skin.It had momentarily gone blue, and Mikano made a small, dismissive huff as if he wanted to say,What self-respecting demon cannot maintain their human form?The Human Liaisons Unit would never stumble like that.
“Oh, I think you’re on time, Tickle.”Fian was still ten minutes early, and he loathed that childhood nickname.“And you brought your own food.Good, means I don’t have to share my popcorn with you.What’re you eating anyway?That stuff doesn’t look right.”
Fian cleared his throat.“It’s just some veggies.And broccoli!I have broccoli.”
Mikano lifted one of his sharp eyebrows.He was a beautiful demon on top of everything else, the eyes, the skin that deceptively looked as smooth as silk but was sandpaper rough, the shark teeth that turned the pearliest white in his human form.
“Broccoli.Well, if that does it for you.”Mikano gestured for Fian to follow, then dug into the large bucket of popcorn he’d brought, crunching loudly.
Fian followed, weaving through the crowd of dreamers.Most were from Asia at this time of day, but dreams crossed time zones, and the Morpheusrealm knew no borders.Mikano strode through the people going to enjoy the sights while Fian did his best not to bump into anyone or get bumped into.
Eventually, they made it to the Ferris wheel, built from the metal of ships sunk in dreams and adorned with bright corals and sea glass.A few steps led up to the booth, and Mikano got there first.
Behind the glass, a sea cucumber attendant possibly watched them, but Fian wasn’t exactly sure where they kept their eyes.
“Hi.Me and my brother here will need one of the cars to ourselves.”He pulled out his badge.“We have official business to discuss.”
