Chapter Text
The Doctor's tent was cold and reeked of disinfectant and iron. Ridley's nose curled at the smell. She clutched the doctor's robes a little tighter as they wandered deeper into the dark tent. "Don't be scared, sweetie. I mean no harm," he cooed.
Ridley craned her neck to look up at the taller man, her head tilted in curiosity, and the doctor immediately copied her action. He had faster, bird-like reflexes, making Ridley chuckle a little bit.
The doctor lifted her onto a cold metal table, startling Ridley a little, "Now, sweetie, can you tell me your name? We need to know how to find your family."
Ridley looked up at him, her blue eyes still glossy, making eye contact with the luminous goggles placed neatly above the beak of the doctor's mask. Her lip quivered as she tried to say something, but no sound came out.
She lifted her hands carefully and slowly started to sign, her little hands shaking as she took time to get each letter right, r, i, d, l, e, y.
"Ridley, what a nice name." The doctor spoke after pausing to translate the name. "Well, Ridley, how about we get you a place to sleep, and my friends and I will ask around to see if we can find your family."
Ridley nodded, her eyes full of hope, joyous that there is a chance she could see her family again. The doctor held her hand, carefully assisting her in getting off the makeshift exam table, holding her hand as they walked out of the tent.
Jester and Bil were already outside waiting. There was a prolonged silence. "So?" Jester asked
"Ridley, her name is Ridley." The doctor said, "I believe she's mute."
"Mute…well, this is going to make things more difficult for us." Bil muttered. "For the time being, let's get her to bed. I'll explain the rules on the walk." Bil said as the doctor handed Ridley off to Bil.
"Goodnight, sweetie."
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The circus was cold and dark at night without the sounds of carnival games and screams of guests on the rides. Ridley didn't mind so much, as she never liked the loud sounds; she found them overstimulating. "Now, guest, there are a few rules for your stay tonight," Bil said, leaning down to Ridley's height.
Ridley looked at him, acknowledging that she was listening. "Your first rule is you aren't allowed in any of the tents without one of us escorting you inside. We will never take you in the pink and black tent." Bil instructed.
"Next, don't eat what you aren't served; we don't want you getting sick under our watch." There was an air of silence as Bil continued.
"Lastly, don't leave your room without permission. We wouldn't want you getting in trouble now, would we?" Ridley shook her head aggressively, puffing out her cheeks.
"Good, now let's get you set up."
Bil led her into a makeshift tent. It was a multicolored circus tent that was a lot smaller than the others. On one side was a small cot, with a few blankets folded neatly on the end. On the other side was a bean bag tucked neatly in the corner, and colorful circus lights lined the ceiling.
Ridley ran to the cot and lay down, pulling the quilt over her. She yawned once, twice, before getting overcome by sleep and finally clocking out after a long day.
Bil watched all of this go down, he couldn't help but feel bad for the young human as he too rememebers bring betrayed by someone who promised safety and stability to him. Just thinking of the cruel man made him boil.
He turned away on one heel before returning to his own tent, expecting to wake up early to hunt down the family of the little human.
The circus was eerily quiet that night. Jester couldn't sleep; he was fed up with the cruelty of humans, and this young human being left behind just proved his point.
An idea crossed his mind, even if it was just for a split second. What if they kept the little one, dressed her up, and put her in the circus? She could grow up and be trained as one of them; she would never know her history or where she came from. They could completely rewrite her life…
He swatted that idea away just as quickly as it came.
She's a human child; he can daydream as much as he likes, but all humans are the same. She will grow up, run away, or worse, tell another human about the inside workings of the circus. He can't risk the safety of those he considers family for the life of this girl.
Maybe he'll talk to Bil tomorrow; he's always rational.