Test Drive #1 - London, England, Earth 1845

[thegreatestlittlemod]

The last few days of a stop are always either the slowest, or the busiest. The gray days of London in the autumn don't seem to be helping this to be the busiest, with rain driving customers away.

There are still some customers jogging between tents and ducking under game awnings, using coats and hats to try and keep the water off, but tips are few and far between, and a lot of audiences are empty, leaving performers sitting and waiting, or ducking into each other's shows to watch or just say hi, and those on the game alley shouting across the aisle at each other. Food vendors move up and down the aisle and tents with hot cocoa and kebobs to keep people warm.

A few people are out in the city proper running errands for themselves, each other, or the Ringmaster, often in pairs. Maybe the goal is to find six spools of ribbon in one exact color, or to capture a whole bowl full of raindrops from under a specific shop sign, or to replace some pants you tore in your last show. Whatever it is, you're down to the last day to find it.

Are you determined to put on a show despite having an audience of five? Are you chatting with your fellow carnies, bored with the slow day and wondering where you're going next? Are you seeking out something strange and confusing in jolly old London with a friend?

Or are you determined to enjoy the circus on its last day in your city, not expecting a surprise in store for you when it starts to pack up its doors tomorrow?

Comments

[splitinvain]

The lions looked up from their spot, slowly stretching and the slightly younger one leaned against the offered hand, letting Buck scratch at will. None of the cats looked afraid of him or his other hand; then again against the more physical size of Shadow, they were use to the smell of demonic sources.

"Yah, yah, I hear ya," Griffon muttered, wings half opening in a bird's version of a shrug.

V sighed, glancing at the raptor and debated if it was worth the effort to draw him in then dismissed it. All of his pets enjoyed moving around in the air though only Nightmare was far too big to do so freely. He was going to let it out later, while they were packing.

"When am I not?" He lifted his eyebrows, half-shrugging at the bleak humor and then got his cane free from Shadow's gnawing. Leaning on it, he sighed, taking a few steps until he could sit on a bale of hay. "It will pass, as all things do."

[worthallthis]

"You talked to anybody in the medic tent about that lately?" Buck asks seriously, though his hand is gentle on the lion's cheek and chin. "I know there's teas and shit they can make you that will help."

Nevermind that Buck himself never partakes of anything from the medics tent. He has... an inexplicable aversion. But he knows he's weird that way, and readily suggests other people do so themselves.

[splitinvain]

"Their potions make my head... fuzzy," he replied, twirling his cane around and poking the tip at Griffon. "Stop that."

The bird cackled and then shook his feathers out, tri-beak snapping at the cane. "Careful, Shakespeare, that thing's dangerous."

"Not for you," he replied even as he let the cane drop. "This was the last showing, yes? Are you heading out into the city?"

[worthallthis]

"Not sure yet," Buck admits, giving the lion a scratch with both hands now, since he's pretty sure this one is okay with the demon arm. With the night winding down, and his own last show completed, he's going to start running out of his manic energy pretty soon here. "Might crash for a little while first, then go out in the morning, before we start the tear-down in earnest. I've got tips burning a hole in my pocket and there's a blacksmith in town who does knives."

He buys a new knife every town he can. It's tradition at this point.

[splitinvain]

"Ah, I've heard of the blacksmithh. Unfortunately I did not have time to stop by for a request," he replied, twirling his cane around, the tip neatly slicing apart the turf. He didn't have to add anything more; getting a knife already sharpened and ready to go was one thing, but to get something specially made, with elements that were not normal in the real sense of the word, well that was a bit more difficult.

"I will need to groom the cats, make sure they are fed and bedded down before I can retire myself."