To my surprise, the gift shop was still open and regular, unlike many other attractions at the fair. A single, unprotected light was flickering in the center of the ceiling, and a large man with a furry brown mustache stood behind the seller’s desk, eagerly watching his two customers. I walked to the desk, trying to avoid ruining any goods by dripping the fresh lake water on it, though the man seemed to pay no mind to either of our current conditions.

“Pardon me,” I asked once I reached the desks, “Would you happen to sell any clothing here?”

“Absolutely!” the man bounced, “Only costumes though.” He stepped around the counter and to a door in the back corner, clearly leading to a back room. There was a loud creak as he pried it open, and he stepped inside. I glanced quickly at Arlen who was staring at the door waiting patiently for the man to return.

“We’re going to have to wear costumes?” he laughed after catching my side stare. “This carnival just got a whole lot more ridiculous,”

“To be fair, only one of us would have to if you would’ve got the clue, right,”

“Touché,” he smiled, “Perhaps I didn’t get my father’s detective genes after all,”

“Hopefully that’s not true,” I sighed, “It seems like we’re going to need them with this next clue,”

“Is that the only reason you brought me here?”

“You brought yourself-”

“Here they are!” the man returned, pulling a transportable shelf full of costumes. “You two lucked out, these just got switched out after being used in shows here,” he explained, “but, I have to warn you, since they’re artifacts, they don’t come cheap.”

My hand brushed over the pouch where I kept my money. There were advantages to hailing from a wealthy family, and evidently, one of them was buying costumes from an evil carnival. I nodded and started to look through the clothes. The costumes’ old ages were clear based on the natural wear of the material. There were many different sets, ranging from clowns and jesters, to refined and glittery royalty.

The man sifted through the clothes with us, eyeing all the pieces individually. “Ah!” He pulled a sparkling, layered purple dress out from being squished in between and knight and king outfit and lifted it against me. “For you, my lady!” he suggested.

I looked down at the dress. It was a little bit large for me, but it would fit, and it was very beautiful, but something about how dazzling it was turned me away. I never much liked attention, and I would not like it to be drawn to me by clothing. Arlen looked over and nodded at the dress, but I lightly pushed it away. “Maybe something less… flashy?” I begged, and the man went back to looking.

Arlen eventually pulled two outfits out and held one in each hand as though comparing. One was a very old, faded yellow clown outfit, and the other a royal blue and very floral suit of nobility. He lifted them each in turn. “Cirque de freak, or duke of flowers?”

I squinted my eyes, “I’d go with the duke,” I laughed.

He put the outfit against his body. “Good taste,” he nodded.

I continued looking through the costumes until I reached the far end and found a pair of deep red magicians clothes. The male set consisted of a tuxedo, with a bright red cape, top hat, and tall wooden walking stick, while the female set had a bright red vest with a black skirt, tights, and a small wand. It was more revealing than I would’ve liked, but there was something about it that made it irresistible in my eyes. I lifted it. “I’ll take this one,”

Arlen turned over to me, “Did you find something decent?”

“Yeah,” I said softly, “I guess that’s it.” There was a strong contrast between the traditional magician garb and the other costumes likely created for strange comedy. The normality certainly made it more appealing in my eyes. “There’s a male one as well,” I offered, lifting it from the hanger.

“It comes with a walking stick?” He gasped, and looked down at his bandaged leg. “I’m in,”

“These two please,” I lifted the set, and the salesman grabbed them and headed back to the counter. “25 pieces. Each,”

Arlen and I each pulled out pouches and gave the due amount. It did set me back quite a bit, but the thought of dry clothes made it worth it. We grabbed our new clothes, and walked out of the gift shop. “That’s strange,” Arlen said looking at his costume.

“Hm?” I asked.

He ran his finger along the shoulder of the tuxedo, and it came up covered in dust. “He said they were switched recently,”

“Maybe these were used less,” I offered, “After all, they didn’t really fit in,”

“I guess that must be it,” he laughed.

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

After taking turns changing in a small wooden outhouse found a small distance away, we decided to rest for the night, after all, it seemed that our captivity would end no time soon. We found a comfortable patch of grass by the fountain, and were lulled into a calm state by the running water. I stared at the stars, with my hand on my stomach, feeling the soft velvet material of the vest. “Do you resent me for bringing you here?” I asked.

“No,” Arlen responded. His body was facing the opposite direction of me, though his head was near mine.

“Even though we’ve learned it’s related to my grandparents? You have no business being here, and you’ve sustained injuries,”

“It sounds insane, but I’m having fun,” he yawned, “I knew since I was a child I would take after my father and become a detective, but I’ve quickly learned that cases are in short supply. Not to mention, my father still acts as though I’m a child. He never let’s me join him, and when he does he criticizes every move I make. This, now, is like my first real case,”

“Mm,” I said softly, “I wish it was less dangerous,”

“Danger comes with most things in life, and nearly all cases. At least those I’ve encountered. I keep my body fit in order to be capable of the physical toll it may take,”

“You’re kind of like an adventurer,” I paused, “Or something like that,”

“You could say that,” he laughed, “but when it comes down to it, I think I’m an investigator, plain and simple.” I heard him roll onto his stomach. “Hey, syrup, do you believe in fate?”

“Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t,” I answered.

“What about right now?”

“Right now,” I paused, looking at the glittering night sky. “I do,”

There was silence. “Me too.”