Turning his back on the gate, Rayth walked with Oscar back into the heat of the after party. Having already fed, he was ready to get some sleep—vampires could get food comas too—but now that he didn’t have the excuse of introducing Lune to the circus, he would have to help tear down the yard like everybody else. It was probably going to take a while too. He’d been one of the first to snag a victim, so he would have to wait for the rest to finish feeding before they could even start taking everything apart.
	The incense didn’t do anything to help his weariness either. After being exposed to it for as long as he had already, he was starting to find it harder to think straight. It wasn’t the best timing, since he still needed to tell Frieda that the new girl had escaped. He would have preferred to have that conversation with a clear head.
	He yawned broadly and shook his head, trying to clear away the mental fog that was becoming more annoying with each passing minute. As soon as he was done talking to the ringmistress, he planned to go lay down someplace where the air wasn’t quite so thick with drugs. It was what he usually did in between feeding and packing up the circus equipment, since he wouldn’t be of any use to anyone when he couldn’t even remember what he was supposed to be doing.
	“You don’t seem as worried as I thought you’d be,” Oscar spoke up suddenly from his side. “Since you lost the girl Frieda wanted you to keep an eye on, I mean.”
	Rayth glanced down at him, taking a moment to let his echoic memory recover what the brownie had just said to him before he replied, “I wasn’t going to force her to stay. This place is a land of nightmares to a human. She had every right to leave if she couldn’t handle it.”
	His tongue felt thicker than usual. He didn’t like it.
	“But you’re human too,” Oscar pointed out.
	“Only half,” Rayth countered, flexing his fingers on his right hand to stay grounded. “It was easier for me to adapt because I already knew how to function around the supernatural, at least a little. And besides,” he frowned, watching a nearby succubus drain the essence from a man she had locked lips with. “It doesn’t make any sense for her to be here anyway. Frieda put this place together to protect us from hunters. Lune doesn’t have to worry about being hunted, because she’s… well… normal.” He furrowed his brows finding it harder to summon the words he wanted to use.
	“I guess so,” Oscar shrugged. “But Frieda still told you to watch her, so she’s going to be upset, right?”
	“Probably,” the half-vampire agreed. Spotting the ringmistress up ahead, he sighed, “Actually, I’ll find out now. See you later, Oscar.”
	“Good luck, Fangs,” the brownie saluted him as if he was a soldier about to throw himself into enemy lines.
	Parting ways with his friend, Rayth made his way over to Frieda, who had, of course, already spotted him approaching.
	“Ah, Rayth,” she turned to him with a smile. Her smooth German voice tempted him to relax. “Is there something you need?”
	“No,” he shook his head, the motion making his vision swim for a second. He could tell he needed to get off his feet before he started staggering. “Can we sit down though? Preferably away from the incense. I need to talk to you about something.”
	“Of course,” the faerie said. Her smile seemed to waver ever so slightly, but it could have just been his imagination. She gestured for him to follow her. “Come. We can speak by the big top. Tell me what’s on your mind.”