apocalypsehowcomm | Event - Circus, Circus

Event - Circus, Circus

Circus, Circus

➥ By the Pricking of My Thumb

(cw: wax, potential compulsion and fighting)

The train pulls into the railyard at noon under a bright blue sky. The engine is a bright red with orange and yellow flames painted along the sides. The first carriage after that is pitch black with similar flames and a logo for the Fenix Down Extravaganza. It's a stylized red phoenix head in a circle of orange and yellow, the name of the circus painted across the top and bottom, mirroring the curve of the circle. A line of carriages stretch out after that, painted all different colors, but each maintaining the motif of flames down the sides and each bearing the company logo.

Excitement comes to the railyard. The circus is in town for a one-week stint before they continue their journey north. People in colorful costumes--clowns, 'fire fairies' covered in drips of candle wax, and those in animal masks--paper the town with advertisements. You might even find yourself conscripted to help with putting up the fliers and posters if you look idle. A stack of posters is placed in your hands. A $100 bill set atop seems to be your incentives to do something more than just toss them in the bin. There's a frantic energy both about the performers and the people in town. You might even find yourself strangely caught up in it. You want to help spread the word, to ensure the posters reach every part of town. Everyone else who's been conscripted, as well? You can do it better, faster. You need to be faster. You need to claim the space for your own before it's lost to someone else.

There hasn't been a circus come to Gloucester in decades, and it's the Fenix Down Extravaganza! They're renowned for their pyrotechnics and laser lights shows. Surely the enthusiasm for all that is just… catching.

The tents and booths are set up in vacant fields to the west of town, and there's one curious addition, as well. There's a railroad car that's been seemingly pulled away from the railyard somehow. No one sees it being moved, but it's out in the vacant field, and some might recognize it as the old, dilapidated thing that had been hidden in the railyard, the charred husk filled with old posters. It looms, in the field, almost seeming to smoke where it sits. It's quickly cleaned and restored over the course of the day the circus is setting up, though, and it seems to have been turned into the ticket booth for the front of the circus, complete with a new bright red paint job.

➥ Something Wicked This Way Comes

(cw: large-scale vehicular collision, industrial disaster, fire, harm to animals)

It's not a single person who can claim credit for the find, but many people all together. Hours have been poured into researching the mysterious midnight train crash that had rocked people from their beds almost a week ago. Finally, something is found. Stitched together from local newspaper clippings from around Cape Ann, a story emerges, identifying a derailment in the city of Gloucester back in 1921. More than a dozen workers had died in the railyard and there were fires beyond that in the town. The train itself had had only a few people aboard, performers for the Smoke and Mirrors Acting Troupe, along with animals used in their performances. The stories seem to be tucked away a few pages from the front of the newspapers, which are dominated by stories about skyrocketing unemployment following the Great War and the return home for the troops.

All of the stories seem to end with the same sentiment: It could have been so much worse. If the train had derailed further north in one of the more populated cities, where it had been scheduled to arrive the next morning after the crash? It could have been hundreds, maybe even thousands dead.

The information, whomever has found it, is enough. ADI calls a staff meeting. Ghostly circus train derailments just before another circus rolls into town? That's not a coincidence. Everyone who's willing is purchased a ticket for entrance to the Fenix Down Extravaganza, and every person is assigned a partner to join them. Don't lose track. There will be no kidnappings this time. ADI is determined to keep their people as safe as they can be while investigating. Maybe have a chat with your new companion(s).

Those who misbehaved during the last event's Sticky Wicket prompt and were caught with either an opened box or found to have injuries related to the artifacts inside the boxes will be assigned an additional person to their group. A mentor to keep them on the right track this time. And also to narc on them if they mess up again. Better behave, partner.

➥ Send In the Clowns

(cw: reference to cannibalism, fire, pain, mild body horror)

There's a light and excited atmosphere about the circus once a body makes it through the long queue out front. The sweet and sticky scent of fried and sugary foods permeates the air along with barbecues and the ever-present smell of ash. Fire would seem to be the main attraction for the Fenix Down Extravaganza. Fire dancers, fire jugglers, people swallowing fiery swords, and walking over beds of hot coals. There are sideshow attractions and games to see before heading into the big top. Notably, there are no animals or signs of animals at the circus save for a small contingent of goats that are set up as a petting zoo, and a sideshow with a reptile exhibit along with a 'snakeman.' Otherwise known as a performer decorated with shiny sticker scales who provides interesting 'snake facts' to anyone who happens by.

The Food
The food is typical carnival garbage. A little overpriced, but still decent and provided in excess of what people should reasonably eat in one sitting, especially for things like the cotton candy and funnel cake. There is some decent grilled food available, and those who go snooping will find that the food prep within each of the little booths is acceptable for what it all seems to be. There is one booth characters might notice that has 'long-pig' on the menu. Or does it? Check again, and it's not there. It seems to be selling hotdogs, though. Just ordinary hotdogs. Care to bite into one?

The Games
Your standard rigged carnival games: the ring toss, the ladder climb, the baseball and milk jugs. Spend more money for bigger prizes! But you're risking losing it all, as well. There are a few unique games, as well, though. One is called 'The Floor Is Lava,' and participants must make their way around a strange obstacle course that's up on balance beams. If you slip and go down, it's just grass of course. But for a moment, for a split second, you can feel the heat and agony as the lava engulfs your body. You're fine, though, of course! It's just a game, after all. Even if you might feel a bit… singed after that. Another game someone might find tucked away in an obscure corner is 'Liar, Liar,' which involves throwing beanbags at targets. Each target lights a match that helps to burn a string leading toward a cartoonish figure in polka dot boxers. The goal is to get the fire to touch the boxers before a timer runs out. When the fire hits the boxers, there's an uncomfortably realistic shriek. But it's probably fine.

The Sideshows and Exhibits
Fire is the overriding theme at the side shows with fire dancers and jugglers being the most prominent amongst the tents. Attendants for the tents all wear full (and varied) animal heads obscuring their faces; though, if someone is rude enough to rip off their masks, they'll just find disgruntled employees who would like that back now. The more notable sideshow acts include:

The Twisted Twisters - A pair of contortionists who maneuver bowls filled with flames while they shift around. They're very affable, joking with each other as they work.
Flammie the Magnificent - A magician who's open about his use of smoke and mirrors, as well as making objects appear in a burst of flame. He's a purposefully goofy magician aimed at younger kids.
Asbestos Mike - A man who juggles burning coals. His hands are… unfortunate to look at. But he doesn't seem to mind and claims to have no working nerve endings. He's extremely calm about… everything.

➥ Lost & Found

(cw: child endangerment/distressed parent with missing child, disorientation, hallucination)

And then, of course, there are the 'experiences.' They're not rides per se. Those are hard to pack up on a train, but they're exhibits to pass through with a particular theme toward interaction or ogling. There's a small wax museum with decently-crafted models of a few famous individuals. And then there's the Fun House. It's a mirror maze inside that seems to stretch on far larger than the small space it's set up in should allow. For those who make it to the center of the maze, they'll find a dark room with a single mirror in it. This, unlike the rest of the mirrors in the Fun House, isn't one that distorts your form. It's simply a standard mirror. There's also a corridor of mirror beyond it that leads to a quick escape from the Fun House for those lucky winners who make it there.

Said 'winners' will find that everything seems to be perfectly normal when they step out onto the bustling circus grounds. But is that- Ah, that's someone they wanted to talk to. Or maybe it's someone who looks suspicious. Just someone they want to follow. There is a figure and it's someone they want to follow. If they do so, they'll quickly lose said figure in the crowd, only to spot them a ways on a few moments later. Pursuing this figure will result in the winner being run around the circus grounds, never quite able to catch up. If they stop their pursuit, they will find themselves somewhere that they have not seen before. There may be a sense of disorientation as they try to get their bearings.

For those who don't enter the Fun House or come out as winners, they might notice someone--a parent--frantically looking about some other time. The parent comes up to them, asks if they've seen their child, before hurrying off to try to find an employee for help. Their little one was just there. They just came out of the Fun House and now… now they can't find their child! Employees will be only too happy to help, but non-employees might be quicker on the draw to locate the missing child. They're always found in a random place, seemingly unharmed but confused and frightened as they search for their parent, claiming they saw said parent going just over there, or over here. Still, you've reunited a family! No harm, no foul, right? Kids go wandering all the time. Parents really ought to keep a closer watch.

➥ The Ringmaster

(cw: fire, pain, immolation, screaming)

"Please be advised the following show contains flashing lights, sudden loud noises, and fire. Anyone who may have difficulty with these, please make your way to the exit. Our employees will provide refunds for anyone who may have challenges due to these effects." A full two minutes pass to allow those who need to leave time to do so. And then…

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and everyone in between, put your hands together for the one, the only, Fenix Down!" The words sound over the PA system in the tent just before roaring calliope music picks up and the man himself practically dances to the center of the ring in the main tent. Fenix is a remarkably short Caucasian man with dark hair, brown eyes, and a suit that looks like it's on fire, all orange, red, and yellow licks of color across the fabric. His bright yellow tophat features the company's phoenix logo on it, and he nearly loses the thing as he dashes around the ring, grinning like a madman and eliciting cheers from the audience as he raises his arms for them to shout.

"Are you ready, my friends, for the brightest, the grandest, the most extravagant show you have ever seen?" Thunderous cheers from the audience. "I am Fenix Down, and this is my extravaganza!"

The show plays out with two main acts with smaller ones in between. The main acts are introduced by Fenix in turn:

"Penny, the dancing flame!" is firedancer with an elaborate show involving a flaming whip and multiple other performers in horse heads acting as her 'animal companions' for the show.
"And Roderick, the man with laser hands!" is a young man in large, dark glasses who conducts a laser lights and pyrotechnics production from a DJ-style turntable as rock music plays and performers dance and tumble around the ring.

On the final night, there is a change to the performance, though. "And now, my friends, my dear friends, we have a special treat, a new main act to premier: Pyre, the burning man!" Those who are witness to this will see a young man enter the ring. He's sweating and a bit on the heavy side. He also looks… frightened. Frightened and exhilarated. He waves to the crowd as a circle of pipes is raised from a stage in the center of the ring. Pyre sets himself in the middle and lifts his hand. Liquid sprays from the pipes and for those who are close enough, they will likely recognize the scent of gasoline.

"I will be reborn and rise as the phoenix!" Pyre declares before striking a match. His whole body catches immediately in flames and there are horrified gasps and screams from the crowd. Those who might try to interfere are asked to hold on, hold on, just wait by employees. There's nothing to do for young Pyre, anyway. The flames burn rapidly until he collapses on the stage. Fenix makes the first subtle movement he has ever made for anyone who has watched his other performances. A small snap of his fingers, half-covered by one hand. The fire snuffs itself out immediately.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, I know that seems frightening, but just watch," Fenix calls. "Like a phoenix, we rise!" As he says this, Pyre picks himself up. His clothes hang in a charred mess about his form, but his flesh… it seems to have knit itself back together. He is whole, and proceeds to give the audience a double-thumbs up. Relieved guests erupt in applause for this… very strange and rather harrowing final act.

After each performance for the night, the main acts and Fenix are available to take photos, sign autographs, and generally schmooze with the public for a little while. They each have a small tent so that you can have a moment of privacy with your favorite act, if you'd like. If anyone is looking for answers, particularly, these are the top of the hierarchy and might prove the most fruitful to speak to. They're also the only people in the circus that seem to have supernatural energy about them, for those who might have such senses to notice that.

➥ Mod Notes

GENERAL - Players are welcome to play NPCs for themselves when they are needed in a thread. If you need more information on general behavior for these types of NPCs, please feel free to ask! In general, the information provided in the prompt should be sufficient and you're welcome to make up any details beyond that for your specific scene. For this event, the only NPCs that should not be controlled by players for threading are: Fenix Down and the Main Acts in The Ringmaster prompt. These NPCs will be played by mods and available for interaction.
BY THE PRICKING OF MY THUMB (25-26 August) - Characters may accept fliers to put up a maximum of three times (that's $300). Not everyone will feel the compulsion to put up the fliers, but if you need incentive for your character to take action, they can do so. The fliers are ordinary adverts with dates, hours, location, and pricing for the circus. Characters can wander around some of the set-up for the circus, but they'll be shooed away if they linger too long with a request to leave for their safety. Circus personnel doing the set-up are not interested in talking. They'll ignore characters or threaten to call the police for harassment if characters persist in bothering them while they're trying to set things up. Those who attempt to mind-control the workers or otherwise compel them for information will quickly discover that these are genuinely just ordinary people who are doing all the set-up. And they would really like to do their job because they do not have enough time.
SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES (25-27 August) - Players are free to OOCly select their ADI-assigned partner. Those who misbehaved during the Sticky Wicket prompt (and there was evidence of that misbehavior) will find themselves saddled with a mentor, either as their partner or in addition to their partner. This mentor (if they're a PC) should be someone who DID behave in that prompt or who has not made themselves a problem for ADI up to this point. Partners are not required to stick together or with their mentors for the duration of the event. This is just an opportunity to get some new CR (or strengthen existing CR)! And maybe butt heads while you slip away from each other while investigating. Mentors will be expected to be somewhat responsible for their charges, though, if you would like to play with that dynamic.
SEND IN THE CLOWNS (26 August - 2 September) - Regular employees and sideshow acts have no particular information to provide about anything sinister going on at the circus. As far as they know, the work is grueling sometimes given the quick set-up/break-down and schedule, but they're paid very well and even have benefits! They're pretty protective of their employer, as a result, and aren't going to willingly trash-talk him or the circus beyond some standard grumbling about the extra work going into this as Gloucester wasn't originally on their tour schedule.
LOST & FOUND (26 August - 2 September) - Employees will be generally helpful in these situations, using walkie-talkies to try to find missing children. They won't be fast, though. Parents will be uniformly distressed, then grateful to anyone who might assist in locating their children. Children will be wholly unharmed, wherever they are found, but frightened, confused and disoriented. Characters who end up as 'winners' in the Fun House will need several minutes to get their bearings back after following their hallucinations. If they try to return to the Fun House, they won't seem to be able to find the center of the maze anymore, and the mirror maze will appear to be wholly ordinary and the correct size for the space it's in.
THE RINGMASTER (26 August - 2 September) - Characters who would leap in to assist Pyre will be waylaid by staff just long enough for him to stir and complete his act to show that he is, indeed, alive and seemingly fine. Those who still try to interrupt will be escorted out by security. Characters will have the chance to speak to Fenix, Penny, Roderick, and Pyre during this prompt. The first four will be available for the full week the circus is in town. Pyre will be available the final night. Characters may interrogate one NPC each. Each NPC will have different information they may be able to provide.

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Please direct questions HERE.

Please respond below if you would like to interact with an NPC. Characters are limited to interrogating one NPC each. If you are interrogating in pairs, the pair may interrogate two NPCs. Please place the name of the NPC you would like to interact with in the subject line of your top-level. It is assumed that interactions are taking place in a small, semi-private tent following the main act shows for the evening.

Available NPCs for this event are:

Fenix Down, the Ringmaster
Penny, the Dancing Flame
Roderick, the Man with the Laser Hands
Pyre, the Phoenix

1. Send In the Clowns
For the sake of the occasion, Meredith's actually wrapped her cane in red and yellow duct tape, making bold diagonal stripes down the length. It's a whole look, especially because her lipstick matches the red tape and there's a bright yellow ribbon in a bow around her ponytail. She's here for the circus, why not have a little fun?

While she's definitely here to investigate, she's also one of the people most likely to attempt to coax someone into trying to win her a stuffed animal at the games, batting her eyelashes and asking oh-so-politely.

2. Lost & Found
It isn't hard to lure a wild Meredith into the funhouse, where she easily gets turned around and lost. As time goes on and she gets no closer to the exit, she actually pulls out a tube of lipstick to mark where she's been so she can try to keep track of dead ends. Eventually, she doesn't find her way to the center, she just finds the entrance and nopes the fuck out. No, our Meredith is not one of the winners.

Those who find themselves stalking hallucinations in the aftermath of the funhouse will note she makes an easy target if their hallucinations are projected onto real people; she moves slowly and carefully, and doesn't have the sort of situational awareness other potential stalkees might.

3. The Ringmaster
After Pyre goes up in flames, those nearest to Meredith might hear her murmur to herself: "Just like the Torch Singer..." While she doesn't seem entirely scared or concerned, she is visibly more on-edge after the conflagration, giving a quick look around for those she knows and trusts.

X. Wildcard
Something from plotting I didn't prompt for? Random idea you had that might be fun? Hit me! I'm

darkersolstice or darkersolstice#9463 on Discord if you wanna chat!

1. By The Pricking Of My Thumb

Gojou is being aggressive about his particular papering of fliers. Not only is he putting fliers up in even in the smallest of spots, but he's papering over other people's as well. He's not going to stop anytime soon, unless someone intervenes. He's not paying attention to any particular rules of how to put them up, either - many of his are crooked or even downright sideways.

He seems very gleeful as he does this, perhaps almost manic.

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Gojou's one of the people that helped find information. He'd gotten tired of trying to look, like, an hour in - but pressed himself to continue. And he's glad he did! This can be a badge of honor.

What isn't a badge of honor is the fact that since he misbehaved so badly during the last assignment, he has a mentor paired with him. So he sulks all the way to the circus and continues to do so once they're there. If pressed to speak, he's very grumpy about it. He's used to being in a position of power, not... down low like this. It's shameful to him.

Might take a bit of effort to get him to do what he's supposed to do.

Send in the Clowns

Avoiding anything that looks like a clown or a goat, Gojou is playing the games and playing them well. He's a crack shot, so he tends to stick to games that require a good eye. He hasn't tried Liar, Liar yet but he's knocking stuff down with the baseball. A little too much fun - he keeps winning, and the attendant is starting to look more than a bit annoyed with him.

Eventually, he's kicked out, and meanders around moping again. You might find him taunting a goat to try to get over his fear. But it's obvious from the look on his face that it's all bravado.

Lost & Found

Having found the center of the maze rather easily, Gojou is disoriented now. He's been following different hallucinations - sometimes he thinks he sees his favourite student from around a corner, other times he thinks he's spotted a familiar blood drenched figure that he shouldn't be seeing again. He's understandably upset. One shouldn't be here and the other has been dead for a year.

He needs help saving from his own neuroses.

The Ringmaster

Though Gojou doesn't really understand the concept of 'feeding a Fear' yet, he's chatting all the time that the fire burns and is managing to do exactly that - feed his Entity. He's making pointed comments about the self immolation, trying to make it seem even scarier than it already is. He's not talking for distraction, he's talking to make it worse. All because he thinks this is funny. He doesn't buy it for a second, and the fact that the guy gets up doesn't help that.

But then, for the first time since he got here, his Six Eyes fully awaken and he Sees the circus workers for who they are and how much cursed energy they have. Although he didn't see how much energy that Pyre had to start with, he certainly sees that he has a lot now. And that's... intriguing.

Using his eyes is addictive. He's looking too and fro, and sometimes seeing people he knows in a different light.

Edited 2021-08-25 20:34 (UTC)

i. [by the pricking of my thumb] i've never had satisfaction in the chemical reactions that happen in my head

[Out of all the things in his life Martin has suffered trauma from, he really didn't think that a circus was going to score that high. Of course he's had some notable circus stories, seen some things, but most of it was stuff that happened to other people around him, so surely he wouldn't have taken it so hard. Unfortunately, that's not how brains work, and the first time Martin hears even a slight bit of calliope music he finds himself needing to sit down for a few minutes before he can entertain thoughts again. It's fine. It's, it's so fine. Totally.

Because of this he deeply avoids any staff, but he can't avoid the posters when they're showing up absolutely everywhere. So he'll just be... removing them. It's not hard to acquire a staple remover from ADI for if he needs it, and he's just slipping up and removing them when people aren't looking. Or at least... when he thinks people aren't looking. Perhaps this man has just destroyed a variety of your hard work. Maybe you think the posters he's carrying he'll be looking to hang up somewhere else. Or perhaps you just wonder why in the flurry of everyone being excited he seems very much not to be. Either or, he doesn't seem to notice you, so you can approach him however you see fit and figure out what the hell his problem seems to be with some pieces of paper.]

ii. [something wicked this way comes] there are faults in these cracks, they send volts then relax

[As much as Martin doesn't trust ADI, he's so relieved at the idea of partners after last month's everything. Not that he thinks the buddy system is going to help a ton considering he was kidnapped just off the street, but he really doesn't hate being with other people in this situation.

He's nervous about approaching the carnival anyway, but he'll stick to whoever he's been assigned (or picked), looking towards them as they leave the ADI meeting to head over.]

So, uhm... ghost carnivals. Not, uhm, n-not what I expected to be happening this month?

iii. [send in the clowns] and realize the wrong message was sent

[As much as he's never had great experiences with a carnival, fire is surprisingly more easy to be around, and he thinks he might be getting the hang of it. Of course he's not here to hang out, but... well, maybe he'll try some food, lose a few games, who knows. He has to blend in, after all, look like he isn't just staring at everything. Who knows, maybe he can have a little fun.

He's just thinking that things might look up when he rounds a corner of the game thoroughfare and comes face to face with another person. Or well, almost a person-- they stand about as tall as one, except their face is not a face, just a featureless orb of shiny plastic. Later, Martin will realize this is a perfectly innocent mannequin that is set up in a colorful outfit to promote one of the games. That said, this is not now, and with an absolute scream he does his first instinct which turns out to be hitting it very, very hard.

The mannequin falls to the ground with a crash and the stall keeper looks immediately to be climbing out and very angry. Martin, for his own point, looks mortified and is already bending down to try and pick it up.]

I'm sorry, I, r-really, I'm so sorry--

[His hands still seem to be shaking a little. Maybe you want to see if he's okay...]

iv. [lost and found; august 28th] it's disillusion, and confusion, this illusion of me

USERNAME: mkblackwood

Hello everyone. As I assume we have all been investigating the circus, I wanted to share some information I had heard from the workers to make sure that all of us are safe.

If you are somewhere and you suddenly see a yellow door that you thought wasn't there before, or is standing without a doorframe, do not knock on it. Apparently people have seen others go in there and do not know where they come out, if they come out at all. I have not seen it myself, but I thought I would inform you all just in case.

[He wants to make this official and sign it, but even he's not technology-illiterate enough to sign what is effectively a forum post. Hopefully though people will just take this at face value and be cool with it. Hopefully. Sure.]

v. [wildcard] i've come to this conclusion that i'll never fully be

[OOC: Want a specific prompt or something not listed here? Hit me up via PM,

cancerously or on discord at cancerously#6043 and I can whip something up!]

Edited 2021-08-25 22:13 (UTC)

[ By the Pricking of My Thumb / Something Wicked This Way Comes → ]
[Fenix Down Extravaganza. Boston was thirty or so miles away. Why stop in Cape Ann? Any newer act would struggle with permission from the larger cities, but two days and nights of eye strain due to the atrocious blue light of public library computers and his own janky buy of a secondhand computer had told Tim that the circus was pulling in some good money. There had been no big legal concerns following the circus, in the States or farther north. It had a solid following, every update and posted touring schedule drawing in significantly more attention than the run-of-the-mill county carnivals. Fenix could rake in a larger crowd. Tim can barely take a step through Gloucester without having a poster of some clown staring him down-- but Fenix could rake in a larger crowd. Just thirty or so miles to Boston. Why stop the train in Cape Ann?

1921.

He's missing something. They're all missing something. A dozen-plus dead a hundred years ago, burned alive. Could have been hundreds, if, say, the train would have reached-- doesn't matter, it didn't happen. ADI knows that.

ADI decides to allow the show to go on. Tim all but scowls through the meeting. Partners? Why tie them down now instead of-- doesn't matter.

He's a Gothamite, born and bred. He doesn't love circuses, or not being able to take a step through Gloucester without having a poster of some clown staring him down.] That looks like a fire hazard.

[The posters all piled up on top each other like that? His hands are stuffed in his pockets, there's a distinct displeasure as he stalks through the streets this evening. Curfew? Better hurry back if you're concerned about that; Tim isn't in a rush today.]

[ Send In the Clowns → ]
[The snake-man is cool, and his lizards are pretty sweet.

The cotton candy does indeed taste like it will irreparably rot him from the inside out; Tim's not sure if that means it's good or not. The shows are fine, though he has no compulsion to stay so long in any tent that showcases contortionists or any sort of acrobatics. He's sure he should be doing better; he was here to search for a truth that ADI hides from them. There were people counting on him. He's already devoted sleepless nights to figuring this entire Thing out. But he can't do it, he can't stay long in any tent that houses contortionists, or acrobatics, no matter how tame. But the snake-man is actually pretty nice.

It's a circus; there's a lot to do. Like:

→ Nod off standing in line for uber-sweet lemonade until someone rudely bumps him forward.

→ Rest his eyes for a second, arms crossed on the picnic table and acting as his pillow to his head as he very graciously does not drool on said table.

→ After hours, he's... around. Where security isn't.

→ He'll chat easily with miscellaneous staff, sometimes a small and animated circle of them. Surprisingly, maybe, to anyone close enough to hear chatter, the sharp-dressed boy has some authentic circus tales to tell and connections are easy to make.

→ He's in a dunk tank, somehow recruited into being the one who's doomed to that collapsible seat. Please rescue him. NO not like that--]

[ Lost & Found → ]
[He's fucking stupid, of course he'd find Dick here.

His heart squeezes so much it hurts, that first lurch forward at the sight of the man nearly making him stumble. He's tired, Tim's tired, but his brother's here and the concern is bullishly pressed down in favor of that selfish relief.

Everything can be okay, Tim thinks for the first time in fucking forever, because his brother's here-- right there, he sees him, it can't be anyone else-- there had been new people brought in by ADI this past week-- what the hell had Dick been doing, not reporting to that meeting-- but yeah, he gets it, this can be all sorts of heavy for a guy who lost his--

Dick doesn't seem to see him, and Tim thinks, no, that's wrong

but he pushes through you with more force than is necessary, he's sorry, this is important.]

[ wildcard → ]
[looking for something else? fourboars on plurk, hit me up for plotting! or try fourboars#9298 on discord <3 ]

Edited 2021-08-25 23:21 (UTC)

Airplanes are good for advertising because they contain fliers.
By the Pricking of My Thumb - (The 25th)

Kate finds herself being pressed into service when it comes to putting up fliers. She's not going to complain. A hundred dollars is a hundred dollars. The funds will come in useful at some point, she feels. Besides, they never said how many to put up. They never said how long she had to accomplish her task. She has decided that she can use this time to explore some of the town that she hasn't gotten to see yet.

When the compulsion hits her, it goes a little wonky. She wants to put up more fliers and more fliers she does put up. However, she notices that someone has already been putting them up and putting them up with no care whatsoever. What is the point of accepting a job if you aren't going to do it properly? Some of the posters are crooked while some only have a singular piece of scotch tape holding them up. It won't do, it won't do at all.

Someone is bound to catch her taking down the lopsided fliers and putting one of her own up that is perfectly level and straight. Someone is bound to here her indignant comments about someone else doing a shit job.

InvestiKATE.
Something Wicked This Way Comes - (The 26th and 27th)

Kate is present at ADI Headquarters during the staff meeting. She is willing to investigate but isn't certain what they should be looking for. Should they look to see if any of the train carts match the description of the ghostly one? Should they look to see if there are any pictures of the old performers that may match the current ones? She isn't sure but there is one thing that she is certain of, she has a partner to go with her.

She's quiet until they get to the carnival grounds. "It's okay if you'd rather go it alone. I won't tell ADI."

Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right...
Send In the Clowns - (The 26th - 2nd)

It has been a great while since Kate had attended anything remotely resembling a circus. There are a few childhood memories of local fairs but that has been a long time ago. At any rate, she's glad that she accepted the hundred-dollars to put up those fliers. From the look of the food and game prices, she's going to need it.

Food. Glorious food! She has no interest in such benign items as hot dogs. Why bother them when she can have a funnel cake covered with powdered sugar and strawberries? There's cotton-candy to be had! There are candied apples covered with just about anything you can imagine. Kate is going to try most of it but she's not completely selfish. She is willing to share especially with her roommates.

Kate doesn't know what kind of luck she'll have at the carnival games but she is going to try. At the ladder climb, she flips over and falls for everyone to see. She has to step away after losing at the Dart Toss. All of the balloons had been filled with red paint but there had been a few moments, just a couple of microseconds, where she had believed them filled with human blood. "Gross," she says out loud.

The ring toss doesn't go well for her either. One second she had been holding a plastic ring, the next second she heard a slight hiss and when she looked down it was a living ouroboros. With a shriek, Kate flings the ring away. With the shriek, the ring is plastic again. Maybe it's a trick of the light. Maybe the hiss had come from an air compressor. It couldn't have been real... right?

"That counts as a toss, miss." She hears from the carnival worker. Kate gives him a funny look. It really must have been her imagination. She tosses the remaining rings. Not a single one lands on a bottle. She hopes the person next to her has better luck.

Screaming can be a breathtaking experience!
Lost & Found - (The 26th - 2nd)

A Fun House should be fun, fun is in the name after all. However, Kate is not having a fun time. She is not having a fun time whatsoever.

She doesn't know how but she has gotten herself lost. Kate thinks that she is probably going to be bruised in the morning from all of the bumping into things that she has done. It doesn't matter where she turns or what corridor she walks down, she can't find her way out. Kate doesn't seem to be able to find little Tommy that she had been sent in to retrieve. That had been the only reason she willingly entered the Fun House. She doesn't like dark and confined places but she her desire to be liked outweighs that.

Out of nowhere, she thinks she remembers some trick about how to get out of a maze (though it is probably just her mind playing tricks on her). Kate places two fingers against the mirror surface
and begins to walk, her fingers skimming the surface ahead of her. The idea is to find an opening in the mirrors, another hall to move into.

Kate screams bloody murder when she touches something that is neither open air nor the flat surface of glass.

Ring-A-Ding-Ding!
The Ringmaster - (The 26th - 2nd)

Kate is in attendance for the final show. It promises to be sizzling or so she's heard. She enjoys the shows put on by Penny and Roderick but then comes the final act, the burning man. At first she thinks his act is going to involve playing with fire, maybe backed up with pyrotechnics and the like. Maybe it will be a combination of all past performers joining together.

Oh, no. Oh no no no no.

It's time for flight, fight, or freeze! Kate involuntarily chooses the third option. She finds herself stuck to her seat and having to watch another person burn to death before her eyes. Pyre lights a match and is immediately engulfed in flames. A scream of no catches in her throat.

There is no relieved clapping with Pyre rises from the ashes. Instead, Kate makes a break from the tent as soon as she is able.

She runs out of the tent and tries not to throw up.

Wildcard!

(( I will match style, prose or action-spam! If there is anything else that anyone would like, it goes here. Maybe your character also wants to catch Kate using her powers to scare some poor, unfortunate mimes. Maybe they want to investigate with her. Maybe there's something that I missed and you'd like to play it out. Hit me up! ))

1. Something Wicked This Way Comes
1a. Library
Shiroe may not have been the first to find information about the train, but he is one of the people who notice that if the train had been on schedule, the story would have been worse. If you're another researcher, you might see him stand up from the table he's been doing his reading at, pulling out a road map he'd bought from a local gas station.

"This accident could have been a lot worse, if the train had made it to Boston. Look, if it was traveling at the standard speed of trains in that time period, it'd have been there the next morning."

1b. Meeting
As part of the HR department, when he's not doing research, Shiroe's had a hand in some of the partner assignments, and now he's handing them out. He's available to listen to complaints or concerns, of course. But as he's approached, there's a moment when his glasses gleam in the fluorescent office building light, and he suddenly appears more menacing as he smiles, as if he's got some great secret scheme and it's all coming together.

"Is there something wrong with your partner?"

2. Send In the Clowns
Shiroe is avoiding the food. And the games. And the performances. He's sort of lurking around the edges of everything, taking notes with a quill pen in a leather notebook, the inkwell sitting on the top of a nearby trashcan.

At least he's not wearing his cloak and carrying his staff right now. But there is something weird about how he has a computer mouse tied around his neck loosely, like a sort of really goofy necklace.

Occasionally, other characters might find him watching them curiously. Someone really ought to get him to loosen up and have some fun, huh?

Lost & Found
As people start coming out of the funhouse seeming disoriented, Shiroe seems concerned, reaching into his bag for his staff. While he may not be able to hare off after everyone who 'wins' the funhouse's game (he's probably only going to be able to pull this off a couple times, honestly), those who seem to be most likely to harm others will hear him raise his voice.

"Dispel Magic!"

The world seems calmer, clearer after that, the effect ended on the one he casts that spell on.

by the pricking of my thumb

[ the awe and wonder of the circus coming to town is both lost and found to harry. he's heard of clowns - mostly because he has been called one, many times by rude union workers - but a whole circus of them? it's too much to not investigate. that's the lost part. what he finds is that clowns mildly terrify him. they are of course people under the painted faces and absurd clothing, but something about it crosses deep into the uncanny valley.

COMPOSURE [Formidable: Success] - You're managing to keep cool even while alert, but who knows what could set you off at any moment? Be cautious.

what distracts him, or at least gives him something else to think about, is the offer of cash for poster spreading. he wouldn't do it for free, but a hundred dollars is too good to pass up. a shame though - in all worlds, money is still the most important thing for a nervous simian to possess. at least this task is easy, if not a little tedious. his mind already begins to wander just a few posters in, huffing gently. then he notices someone else beside him, gets a thought, and grins. ]

Hey there, how many of these have you put up so far?

send in the clowns

[ the clowns aren't going to stop unnerving him anytime soon, but the rest of this carnival is incredible. he's just doing his best to avoid looking at any of them, willing himself to not see and steel his nerves as he goes through the area. he can be found: ]

asbestos mike:

[ the performers are easier to tolerate to his visual senses, but watching mike juggle all those coals... he is completely fascinated. he stares more at the man's expression than the actual juggling, stunned. ]

Asbestos Mike... you're *so much* cooler than Contact Mike. [ he says it to himself, but then he cups his mouth and shouts: ] Asbestos Mike, you're the real deal! Juggle those fucking coals! God man, you're insane!

[ and from there he begins noisily cheering asbestos mike on through the routine, to the sour faces of everyone around him. if asbestos mike minds, he does not let it show on his face. he is in total control, which only makes harry want to break that composure - if only to know what will happen next.

for now he's only screaming a mix of praise and horror at the man, as people around him continue to glare. the attendants do nothing - this *is* a circus after all. ]

liar liar:

[ of all the games, this one makes him the most curious. hidden away from the other booths, the draw of obscurity and a bit of exclusivity. if you come here, you'll walk away with a story others may not have. he looks over it and picks up a bean bag that the carnie offers for him to feel. it's solid, filled up with what feels like sand. he wants to try it out, but is it any fun without someone to compete against? he backtracks from the stand and tries to find someone to pull in. whether you notice him first, or he tugs on your arm as you pass by, he will smile expectantly. ]

Hey, play this game with me in the back. [ a beat, then- ] It does not sound what you think it sounds like.

[ RHETORIC [Medium: Success] - Oh no, what are you even talking about? Why did you feel the need to clarify it like *that*? ]

hall of mirrors (aftermath) - cw: panic attack

[ where is she, where did she go? he saw her, he saw her, in that sequin disco outfit smiling like a cat who caught the canary, and now she's nowhere to be found. disappeared like the smoke she puffed as she took her drag and played with his emotions, turning him inside out against himself. or... or was that just him, and his brain with holes in it? he has to find her. he has to know why, why did she lie to him? why couldn't she trust him? what did he do wrong?

VOLITION - Stop! Just stop. She played you. You were warned and you let her off easy. It is what it is. You need to let it go. You're never going to find her. Please...

even so, the thought of not looking fills him with more dread. so he trudges through the circus, keeping an eye out for a blond woman in a sequin top and matching white khakis. he stops random passerby's if they've seen anyone matching the description to no avail. there's no way she could have gotten that far, right? right. he must be right.

then his legs give in, abnormally exhausted of extensive running, and falls to the ground on his knees. he can run across all of martinaise and back barely breaking a sweat, so why can't he run around this circus without his chest on fire? his hand reaches for his shirt, clutching hard, and he starts to pant and gasp for air.

ENDURANCE - Shit, shit, his heart is going into overdrive. It's not a heart attack, but it feels just the same. ]

I. By the Pricking of My Thumb

[He hadn't decided to help with the posters for the money, though that was a nice perk to the task. Really, William wanted to sniff around, to get a sense of the city on the eve of something clearly strange. And, well, if he were to put up posters, he'd at least be able to go with others in case shit hit the fan.

While spreading one over a bare wall on the side of a store, he glances over at his poster-laying companion for the day, asking:]

How many of these do you have left, you think?

II. Something Wicked This Way Comes/Send in the Clowns

[He's not entirely sure what to think about being assigned as a 'mentor'.
William had only just arrived, after all, and it felt weird to be told to look after someone else. Especially for -- disobedience? It felt like being a hall monitor in elementary school.

Glancing at his -- mentee? partner? -- he nods at the circus around them and says:]

I don't...really want to touch the food. Would be interested in looking at the sideshow, though. Could be informative.

III. Lost and Found

[William sees someone he knows when he walks out of the fun house. For a second, he's walking out into the relative brightness of the circus, regaining his bearings after the maze, looking out at the crowd milling around --

And then he spots Benny Reitz. Benny, who he had hired once for his ability to draw attention in a crowd. Who had done his job flawlessly, who knew how to weave his way amongst human bodies in a dense setting. Who was very, very dead now, a skinned slab of meat in a morgue drawer back home.

William should be suspicious of that. He knows he should, at least a little bit. And yet he darts off all the same, focused and unmovable, shouldering through the crowd to keep track of the bobbing familiar head in the crowd.]

SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES

[It's not that Junior means to impolite about the whole ordeal, but he can't help the wave of mild disappointment that goes through him when he's assigned a partner. He's heard stories of circuses and carnivals and all sorts of marvelous festivals, but never expected that he'd ever get the chance to go to one. Sure, it's for business and research, but...he'd perhaps hoped to get more of a chance to look around on his own.

Don't be surprised when he takes the first chance he can to sneak off, one of Junior's very special skills. For now, though, he stares at the colorful ticket in his hands and there's a bit of sheepishness in his small voice.]

You don't suppose...there'll be time to do more than just observe?

[When all is said and done, he really is just a kid, after all.]

SEND IN THE CLOWNS

a.)

[Actually being in the thick of things is practically overwhelming to the sheltered boy. Junior's eyes are wide as he takes in the smells, the sounds, the sounds. Always, he reminds himself, that he needs to stay on task, and keep himself as focused as possible on the assignment. Easier said than done when surrounded by such magnificent temptations.

Although he's not particularly interested in the sidehows, he very often hesitates when passing by different stalls of sticky, colorful treats. The cotton candy and candied apples he can't help but steal repeated glances toward.]

Excuse me...

[Whether you're his partner or just passing by, he poses a tentative question.]

Have you ever had one of those, before?

b.)

[The games are just as intriguing to him, but despite admiring some of the large stuffed prizes, always stays back, observing how others interact with the different set-ups. After watching several losses, he seems to come to a conclusion:]

They're designed for failure.

[A money-stealing scheme?]

LOST & FOUND

[If there was ever any doubt that Junior doesn't behave like your standard kid, the apparent twelve-year-old looks exceedingly uncomfortable when a much younger boy, likey around six or seven, can be seen latched onto his arm and sobbing. The poor kid, crying for his parents, has seemed to decide that the best way to feel safe was to latch onto another, older, calmer boy.

But Junior is flush-faced and awkward, limbs tensed as he looks around him with panic in his usually calm gaze.]

Um, please stop crying.

[Honestly, isn't there an adult who can handle this better than him?]

WILDCARD

[If you want to do something else, I'm up for any other prompts, as well! Feel free to come up with something of your own or plot with me over at

ddsapphire!]

by the pricking of my thumb.

[Stephen is dressed in plainclothes for this task, which doesn’t make the sight any less odd for the random passerby. A sheaf of posters cradled in the crook of one arm, he moves along the side of a building facing a sidewalk’s foot traffic with the look of a man on a mission — focused, utterly determined to get this stack posted onto the bricked, flat surface. His free hand plasters them up one by one by one—]

Move, please.

[—nearly shouldering past anyone who happens to be standing in the way, or walking by in the opposite direction. Stephen continues to tack them to the wall, the shape he’s creating seemingly oddly… circular.

Get to close, maybe, and he points with an accusing finger, fliers snapping in the breeze, kept close by a tight grip.]

Don’t touch them. They’re exactly where they should be. If you take them down I’m going to make sure you put them right back where you found them.

send in the clowns.

[Stephen’s dressed for the occasion once he’s on the circus grounds proper, the red of his cloak practically a beacon wherever he goes. He dismisses questions from those who ask if he’s one of the acts, or workers who tell him, jokingly, that they’d love a get-up like that for themselves. He isn’t here for frivolity and fun — this is an investigation, after all, one that requires his full attention to poke and prod at, and hope something useful falls out.

Which means, of course, that eventually he’s wrangled into a carnival game or two, just because it’s inevitable.

He’s at a ring toss at some point, throwing plastic, colorful rings at a space lined with glass bottles, their necks long and obviously somehow rigged to never catch a ring. On the tenth try, Stephen’s attempt is much the same as the rest: the ring bounces off the glass, and bounces again, and again, and clatters right into the gutter. He rolls his eyes at the attendant.]

Has anyone actually ever won anything? Wait, don’t answer that — I forget where I am. Standing right before an exercise— [another failed toss.] —in futility.

[Later, he watches as a very large, very buff worker takes a heavy-looking hammer to show him how easy, how simple! the high striker game truly is. The man slams the hammer at the base of the tall tower and the whole thing lights up in a flurry of energy and chiming noise.

Give it a try? he turns and asks Stephen with a smile in his tone.]

With hands like these? I don’t think so.

[Beyond that, really, does he look like a strongman type of guy? (The answer is no, he doesn’t.)

Maybe he’s more suited to games of chance, such as when he finds himself before a huge tub of little, colorful rubber ducks. Pluck one out of the water, turn it over, and if you get one with a lucky number? You get a prize! And there are many of them, huge stuffed animals of various types, strung up just behind the attendant and awaiting their freedom.

Okay, fine. Stephen’s hand hovers above the array of rubber ducks, deciding which one to choose. If someone’s nearby, maybe he’ll mutter—]

What’s your favorite color?

lost and found.

[He isn’t inclined to enter the funhouse just yet, but he finds it particularly hard to ignore in his wanderings. The people stumbling out look confused, lost, or searching, and he has an inkling that’s not just the multitude of mirrors at work.

His hand comes to rest on the shoulder of someone’s who’s just exited, brow taut with visible concern.]

Just stop and breathe for a second. Are you all right?

wildcard.

(( ooc: Or a different idea! Feel free to hit my plotting post here if you had something specific in mind. ))

by the prickling of my thumbs
[Were you about to hang a flyer? There's a short figure darting in, slapping her flyer against the lightpost instead.]

Sorry! [She says, not sounding sorry at all. Yuri's competitive spirit is up, and this all seems harmless enough that she's not worried.]

send in the clowns
Are you busy? [Yuri asks, walking up to someone she recognizes from ADI briefings. They aren't busy, she made sure that she isn't interrupting anyone before approaching them.]

I noticed something, would you be able to give me a second opinion?

lost & found
[Yuri isn't smiling. She looks lost, a frown creasing her brow as she looks around her. After a moment, she takes off at a brisk pace, like she's settled on a target she's following. It might be a good idea to stop her before she gets into some kind of trouble.]

wildcard
[[ooc: want something different? want to hash out thread directions? hit me up at

hydok or hydok#5433]]

➥ By the Pricking of My Thumb

Jaeger isn't usually one to take menial jobs, but hanging fliers seems innocent enough and an extra hundred dollars is nothing to scoff at. It's an afternoon to walk around the town and get to know the place a little better, with the money a welcome bonus.

So he'll be hanging fliers, carefully pinning them into place here and there with far more care than a flier really demands. His dark-rimmed glasses are perched on his nose, brow furrowed in concentration as he works: Corners and edges straight and tidy, he'll walk down a few yards and then hang another, checking back to make sure that it's in line with the previous poster. Then another, also in line.

There's a lot of room still on the wall, so maybe he'll start another row above that? Spaced precisely between the previous two, to form something like a pyramid. Step back, examine his work, adjust a little more.

It's important to do this right, never mind how many he still has to put up yet.

➥ Send In the Clowns

It's hard to miss Jaeger in the crowd: he stands quite a bit above most people, a big thoughtful man meandering amid the attractions with a camera on a strap around his neck and a pensive look on his face. Most of the glitz and glamour slides by him in a cloud of bright colors and noise, but occasionally something catches his eye and there's a quick snapshot, or simply a pause of consideration before he continues on his way.

Occasionally, he'll try his hand at a game of chance, and at some point he'll give in to the amazing smell of funnel cakes or churros. He's not a total stick in the mud, no matter how seriously he takes his investigative duties.

He'll have cleared all traces of powdered sugar from himself when he goes to examine the more interesting attractions, though. He can't help but flinch slightly at the sight of Asbestos Mike's scarred hands and casual indifference to pain, but Flammie and the Twisted Twisters get attention that's half appreciation, half curiosity. He makes a few brief notes in a pocket notebook somewhere along the line, before relaxing into a more casual stance to watch the show.

If assigned a partner for investigating the carnival weekend, he'll be more forthcoming with his observations, occasionally putting forth a comment when something attracts his attention. He's a good partner, alert and thoughtful, though maybe a little too watchful for the surroundings?

➥ Lost & Found (cw: Missing child, stalking, possible mentions of violence and cult activity, The Hunt)

A missing child strikes Jaeger deep, even though that's a lifetime away for him. When a pleading mother asks for help finding her son, who she last saw in the funhouse, he's not going to refuse, and shortly after that he's in the Hall of Mirrors in spite of his greatest reservations.

Mirrors are weapons, in his world, and there's some scary things that live in them. Being completely surrounded by reflective surfaces is enough to make his throat go tight, but he's going to do it anyway. Because a child is missing.

He doesn't know when he comes out of the funhouse that the little boy has been found safely in a maintenance shed. He's not even really thinking about his task anymore, because something else has grabbed his attention. A flicker, a flash in the crowd, someone moving that he needs to...needs to what? Speak to? Stop? Kill?

He's not entirely sure. But every nerve in his body is suddenly ablaze with this need, and he hurries to follow with quick strides, heedless of his previous task. A shadowy something twists in him, an impulse that's all teeth and claws, and he finds that he doesn't particularly care if his target knows he's there.

In fact, it's better if they do.

➥ The Ringmaster (cw: trauma, immolation, references to human sacrifice)

Penny and Roderick get a quietly appreciative audience from Jaeger, skilled as they are with their craft. There might be the whiff of magic, but if it's there, it's well-hidden, and Jaeger is content to take in the show with respect for the skills being displayed. The lights and fog put him on slight edge for a minute, as disorienting as they are, but he sits through it with calming breaths. Part of the show, it's all just a show. And a very good one.

But the last night is a different story. Jaeger has witnessed some awful things in his life. Immolation is a horrible way to die, and as soon as he gets an idea of what's planned, every muscle in his body goes tight with apprehension.

It's just a trick. Maybe. Special effects, a trapdoor, a trick of the eye or a magical illusion. But every fiber of his being is screaming that this is wrong, twisted, and he watches in grim horror at the spectacle. They won't let him interfere, won't let anyone interfere, and while he could fight his way through the crowd he knows it wouldn't do any good. If need be, he might even help restrain someone else from running into the blaze, as terrible a sight as it is.

Sometimes, there's nothing that can be done.

And then, from the ashes. That subtle gesture from Fenix gets his attention, as slight and innocent as it seems, and then Pyre is alive again and the crowd is roaring and Jaeger feels light and cold with shock.

He needs to go outside for a moment and catch his breath. And maybe find someone else from ADI to talk to about this.

((Will match prose or brackets. Plotting Comment Here or feel free to message me/ brimstonemuse for further plotting or a custom starter!))

A. BY THE PRICKING OF MY THUMB

Can you reach up there?

[posters, yes, she’s got them. wanda stands back from a tall, brick wall; one hand pointing at a spot beyond her reach, the other on her waist, keeping the posters held and pressed to her side. figures that most spots have been taken up at this rate, what with the incentive of money (and compulsion).

she stops pointing and puts her hand over her eyes, turning to the person she’s asked the question to.]

Kinda hard to find free spots anymore.

B. SEND IN THE CLOWNS

[the carnival finds her wearing a red shawl she’s found to go with an entirely black wardrobe; the scene reminds her of what sokovia used to be like when she was younger—when neighbors would have open markets throughout the week, children could play around until dark without concern, and merriment was at everyone’s doorstep. the energy is contagious, and wanda soaks it all in with a smile on her face.

she walks past the different attractions and games, past the performers and food stands, not quite feeling like she wants to try any out in particular. besides, it’s a little eerie, isn’t it?

once in a while she stops to stare at something that seems off, but she can’t quite put her finger on it. rather, whenever she turns back to see, everything seems normal. wanda did definitely not just hear the loud pitch of sobbing mixed in amidst the cheering of the crowd at the fire jugglers.]

Huh.

[all thoughts about that are lost, however, by a stray goat bleating at her and trying to munch on her shawl. she tries swatting at it and pulling her shawl out of its reach.]

Oh, stop it.

C. LOST & FOUND

[wanda stands in front of the mirror in a dark room, staring into it for no particular reason; perhaps a little put off by the fact that this mirror in particular does nothing like the other mirrors do. she takes a step to the side of it and goes into the corridor that leads out of the fun house.

entering it at all was a mistake.

what wanda hallucinates—what she is seeing now—looks so familiar, like a person from a far-off dream she already said her farewells to. it ignites something inside her, pain from a wound barely healed. red streaks of her magic ooze out of her the more she chases these hallucinations, and with it the people unlucky enough to be in its path get to experience the weight of grief, of loss. they will find themselves witnessing scenarios of losing their loved ones, vivid and real, as if it were happening before their eyes.]

Wait!

[she yells out at the hallucinations, a warble of sounds amidst the magic. she doesn’t want to stop chasing after them; she wants to see them again so badly.]

Wait!

[all the while chaos erupts around in the swathes of red around her.]

D. WILDCARD!

( ooc: want something that isn’t listed? do go ahead! or hit me up on her ooc plot post. )

By the Pricking of My Thumb

Binx has never been much for the circus - such a thing was unheard of in Salem when he was alive and human, and in the centuries since he's had scant opportunity to see such a performance. Between that long indifference and the caution that should accompany all things unusual in Gloucester, he should be hesitant about all of this show, these strangely dressed people in the streets.

Instead, he's doing his damnedest to paper said streets with posters. Out in the streets of Gloucester he looks like a human boy, which makes things a little...weird. Find him moving from one likely site to another with the posters clutched between his teeth despite apparently having two perfectly good hands, or crouched low as he struggles to stick the posters to a wall with tape, for some reason putting them up only to knee height as well as not using the two perfectly good thumbs he appears to possess.

Send in the Clowns - Midway

Did someone order a wet blanket? Binx spends his time on the circus grounds eyeing everyone and everything suspiciously. He's not going to eat that food. Despite probably being in an unusually good position to win a few of them, he's not playing those games. Worse still, he doesn't seem to want anyone else to have fun, either.

"Don't," he'll say, physically getting in the way of someone about to pay for a game or one of those suspicious hotdogs. People he recognizes from ADI will just get a meaningful glare. Children he means to protect from...something...will get an explanation of how the games are rigged, the food unsafe. The workers are starting to get annoyed with him.

Send in the Clowns - Flammie

"For this next act, can I get a volunteer?"

The question is directed at the audience of giggling children and their reluctantly amused parents, but it's Binx who answers from the back of the tent with an emphatic "No!" that visibly startles Flammie the Magnificent. Step in? Or let him reap the consequences of interrupting the show?

Lost & Found - Save the Children
cw: character mistaken for a kidnapper who intends harm to children

The trouble with looking like himself again is that in this day and age, it's suspicious for a teenage boy to approach a child. Help a parent look for their lost child and you just might find that child with Binx, crouched down and speaking softly to them, trying to keep them calm and work out where they last saw their parents. He looks up at the approach of the adults, expression unsure for a moment before the child hurls themself at their parents. Then he looks visibly relieved...at least until the accusatory questions start coming.

Lost & Found - Save the Coworkers

He's worked out by now that something is going on with the funhouse, having tracked down more than one child who'd recently been in it. Binx is standing outside its doors, pensively trying to decide whether he can do anyone any good by going inside to see what's happening, when someone he recognizes from ADI comes haring out of the winners' exit. He calls out a greeting but it's as though they don't see him. Puzzled, he turns and watches them go...then falls in to pursuing them as they take off in some frantic direction after an unseen something.

"What is it?" he asks, catching up. Whether or not they can spare enough attention from whatever they think they see to answer him is another question entirely.

The Ringmaster - Sneaky Boy

For those not riveted to the show itself, during the performances early in the week Binx can be spotted trying to sneak into the dressing rooms and backstage areas. He can, in fact, be easily spotted, as there's nothing quite so conspicuous as a teenage boy in a white shirt crawling under a bench or lifting the edge of a tent to slip beneath. Maybe let him know he's not as covert as he seems to think he is?

Or, perhaps, you'll spot him being escorted off the grounds by gruff-looking security staff.

[Additional: Plotting comment is here. Binx is available to be a mentor to anyone ADI thinks needs it, at least until he gets himself banned from the circus grounds mid-week for sneaking in places and generally being a suspicious weirdo.]

I. By The Pricking Of My Thumb

[Aelwyn... is suspicious. And not entirely stupid, she can recognize that there's some sort of enchantment going on that's making everyone obsessed with putting up posters to the point of violence.

Having said that, she also needs money to go buy clothes and books and whatever stuff she wants.

So here she is, in an alleyway on the docks, an armful of posters in her arms as she slowly and surely puts posters up. Disregard the sleeping man in the corner with a nasty bruise on his head.]

...Would you believe me if I told you he started it?

II. Something Wicked This Way Comes.

[Aelwyn knows it's fair enough that she's here to be honest, but also... she's not thrilled at the fact that she worked her ass off on this investigation and she's still getting babysat. So she sits, moping, in the back of the meeting room.

Here's hoping she doesn't get paired up with a narc. That's what happened last time.]

III. Send in the Clowns (A)

[Aelwyn is standing there, a candy apple in her hand, watching in despair as it melts onto her hand. She looks... out of her element. She's normally quite obnoxiously happy, but for right now...? Yeah, she's just standing here, overwhelmed by anything and everything.

Someone help her. She's looking at those... weird dog sausages in confusion. Long Pig actually seems a lot more appetizing than dog, but that appears to be under some kind of illusion.]

Well, this is a lot. [She's speaking to herself, but you're welcome to come and interrupt her lengthy monologue.]

IV. Send In The Clowns (B)

[Aelwyn's been playing the games a bit, it's something to do that's maybe a bit less overwhelming than just standing in the lights and the colours and the saccharine smell. She's rather good at all of them, naturally, she's not a prodigy for nothing. She may have been competing with you in a game, even, or trying to win you something if she likes you.

But her eyes are caught by the floor is lava obstacle course, and she watches someone else fall and watches them scream in pain, if only for a moment, and her nose will curl in something close to a wince and something close to hunger.]

There's something deeply wrong with this place.

V. Lost & Found

[She was... asked by a parent to find their child. She remembers that. But her attention is caught by staring into the mirrors, and she thinks...

She can see her sister. And she's running, scared. But that's...

Impossible? Like it's impossible that Frontal and Gaelio were both here, in the same room? Only to disappear, at the exact same time?

Almost without thinking about it, she excuses herself from whoever's following her and steps inside.]

Adaine...? [She calls out, hesitant.]

VI. The Ringmaster

(CW for intrusive thoughts about people burning alive.)

[The first few nights, Aelwyn watches this show completely bored. Muttering to herself that she could do better with a cantrip, these people aren't special or unique at all. It's like a level one apprentice bragging about being able to create the illusion of fire. Anyone can do that if they can just read.

But the last night, something is different. And the final act is... fascinating, and horrifying. The smell... it's the smell of flesh cooking in flame, of a person dying and being completely enveloped by the flame, free from everything that tied them down to what was once an identity, what was once fear and insecurity, all of it was purified in the agony of the lightless flame.

It's beautiful. And Aelwyn finds her hands shaking with fear, because that's... all she can feel about this. It's so beautiful, she's almost jealous. And that terrifies her.]

They're... like me... [Is all she mutters from her awestruck state, before her lips into a weary, fearful smile.] Ha...haha. This is... awful.

VII. Wildcard!

[If you want another prompt just hit me up on the plotting post, on my plurk or on discord!]

Edited 2021-08-28 02:24 (UTC)

1. Send In The Clowns

Option A: Food..??
[ keith hasn't actually seen a circus before. the closest he's been to is the county fair, but that had been years ago already. but that's besides the point. if someone hadn't gone and blown most of their money putting together a conspiracy theory board in their room, they might have more cash to spend on the overpriced food. keith squints at the food truck, squints at his wallet and sighs. ]

Can we split a ... long pig? [ triple squint. ] Is that supposed to be an extra large sausage?

Option B: The Petting Zoo
[ okay. so the posters in the railcar from a few days ago had made keith think that there would be tigers and elephants around. disappointingly, there are none. instead there are goats. so many goats at this little petting zoo. find keith sitting on a bench petting a very friendly goat and talking (not at all ominously) to it. ]

You're not a person trapped in a goat skin, are you? [ /petpetpet ] These weirdos are treating you okay? They're not feeding you goat bits?

[ despite the "conversation" matter, keith is actually looking pretty at peace here. smiling even. ]

2. Lost And Found

[ see, here's the thing. keith knew before setting foot inside the fun house that it would be anything but fun. with twenty minutes of his life that he'll never get back gone, keith exits the fun house looking disgruntled. this may not be so obvious considering his case of resting bitch face, mind you, but there's a visible change in his demeanor when he starts walking towards the big top.

he stops abruptly in the middle of a crowd, ignoring the annoyed hey as a burly dude bumps into him from behind. for all that this should immediately tick keith off, he instead just looks confused, disoriented. he takes a step back, ignoring the ticked off yeah you better run, mullet as he starts running in the opposite direction. after all, there's someone here -- isn't there? someone who keeps disappearing around the corner, and then the next one after that.

so maybe your character was just minding their own business, eating a not so suspicious hot dog, winning prizes or whatever. but as they round the corner, keith runs right into them: ]

Dad, wait!

[ oh dear. ]

3. The Ringmaster

Option A: The Show Must Go On
[ so this is the big ticket event the circus has been pushing all week, huh? the place has been bizarre, to say the least, and keith fully anticipates this final act to be laced with the supernatural as well. all the warning signs are there, really. there's been an abundance of tricks revolving around fire -- most of which, keith actually thinks is pretty neat.

until that is, pyre the burning man comes on and suddenly everything happens too quickly. the smell of gasoline is pungent, but part of him is still kind of hoping that it's just a stage trick and not actual gasoline. whatever it is though, it certainly lights up like gasoline and keith is on his feet in an instant as pyre goes up in flames. grabbing the person next to him, keith yells over the shrieking crowd: ]

Help me find a fucking fire extinguisher!

Option B: Aftermath
[ a while after the big top has emptied at the end of the show, keith can be found leaning heavily by the ticket booth. he seems... a little more muted than usual, not quite looking people in the eye as they pass.

ultimately, he's not sure what the fuck he's learned here that would be of any use and the annoyance stacks poorly with unwillingly getting front row seats to a self immolation act played for laughs. teeth grit, he ignores cheerful crowds as they pass, but when he spots a fellow adi agent, he's quick to approach. ]

So did you learn anything interesting about how this connects to that train crash or was this whole thing a waste of time?

Wildcard

[ want to do something else? feel free to hit me up with whatever or shoot me a PM to plot something out! ]

I. No Thumb-Pricking Here

The fliers everywhere are annoying. Actually. They're distracting, and cover over things that he'd much rather be looking at. Also, there are people everywhere trying to hang even more. He stares at one obsessively poster-hanging civilian as he walks on a patrol around town, pulls a flier down on his way back from the grocery store that's covering a prime window for seeing into one of the busier coffee shops, and actually growls at a couple posted on one of the trees in the park.

He grabs the hand of a civilian about to plaster one on the fence around the ADI apartments. "Stop," he says flatly, mask in place and face completely hidden. "Not here." He won't allow the sight lines from inside to be obstructed.

II. Clowns Aren't Funny and Neither Is Winter

The circus that is the source of the fliers-- and also the thing that is not James Buchanan Barnes's current job for ADI-- is... baffling. There are games. There are prizes. There are shows. There is suspicious-looking food. What is he supposed to do here? What is he supposed to be looking for? What counts as strange enough to count for ADI?

Sometimes he's here with his official partner (whoever that is; feel free to slide into the slot), sometimes he's here with a roommate or two, sometimes he's here alone looking around. His roommates, at least, convince him to go without the mask. The rest of the time he's just making people edgy, looming over their shoulders to examine the ring toss they're playing, or loitering menacingly at the food stalls, or appearing around a darkened corner, a shadow with no face.

He is, however, very good at The Floor Is Lava, and surprisingly good at the supposedly rigged dart game as well, once people convince him to actually try both.

III. Mirror Mirror

The fun house is about as confusing as everything else, but the different shapes the mirrors warp the body into are strangely compelling. It takes him longer than he should to get through it, constantly distracted by the face (or no face, depending on if he has his mask on) and body. He doesn't look at either one much, it's just a vessel for carrying out missions after all, but this is... odd.

Run into him actually poking at his own face in the mirror, or tugging at his hair with brows down.

IV. Winning

The last mirror is disappointing, nothing strange to it at all, and the exit is close by from there. Except once he's out, he keeps-- spotting a weirdly familiar blonde head. There's something about it. Something that says mission. That says follow.

He stalks through the crowds, most of which part nervously when confronted by his masked face and murder strut. When he finds that blonde head, he's going to--

--he doesn't know what he's going to do. But his hand is on the holstered gun, inside the pocket of his pants.

V. Not Winning

A second trip through the fun house, this time frustrated with and confused by the need to see that blonde head again, results in utter failure. No ordinary mirror. No swift exit. He spends too long in there before giving up and coming out again, bare-faced and unhappy.

Which means of course some distraught mother actually latches onto the metal arm with demands to find her daughter. He almost shakes her off... but... ugh. It might well be related to what happened to him. So he goes hunting again, this time without a hand on his gun, for a confused child. Fun.

VI. Petting Zoo

The one thing that does settle the thing that is not James Buchanan Barnes, particularly after the fun house, are the goats. They're... actually kind of cute? And he enjoys feeding them lettuce and carrots and weeds from the side of the field while they lip at his clothes and make bleating noises.

He doesn't remember ever interacting with animals that weren't trying to hurt him. Or weren't actually people. So this is... novel.

Edited 2021-08-28 05:59 (UTC)

By the Pricking of My Thumb
[Jon regards the flyers that have been posted on the wall. They're garish, bright colours, and definitely advertising a circus. Jon's expression at first glance seems impassive, distinctly unimpressed. But if you look closer, you might notice the lines of tension at the corners of his eyes, the way his lips are pressed tightly together.

He reaches up and tears down several of them, starts methodically pulling down the others.]

I don't think we need these.

Send in the Clowns
It's fine. It's fine. It's fine.

[It isn't fine. The gates of the circus come into view, music drifting out towards them, and Jon wants to bolt. He curls his hands into fists, nails digging into his palms hard.

He expects to hear calliope music as he walks through. He expects to hear Nikola's voice calling out for him at any moment. He expects for things to stop making sense, to turn into an impossible, incomprehensible mess of colour and light and strangeness.

It doesn't. Jon doesn't relax. When he uncurls his hands eventually, his palms are bleeding from his nails.

He looks around with a clinical eye, keeping a tight rein on his emotions, as much as he can anyway. And he steadfastly avoids any clowns.

Given the opportunity though, he slips away between tents, exploring the backs of them, trying to get a glimpse of the spots that people don't usually see.]

The Ringmaster
[Well, that was an interesting show. Jon is a little confused. It isn't quite what he would expect from the Stranger. More Desolation, perhaps? Although it didn't seem to have the pure destruction of the Lightless Flame.

The problems of trying to extrapolate from a limited amount of information. Maybe he should have pushed more when he was essentially omniscient. But he hadn't really be interested in the historical when there was so much currently happening terror.]

Well, might as well ask a few questions while we have chance.

[And if Jon seems somehow hungrier with that... well... maybe he just hasn't eaten today?]

I. BY THE PRICKING OF MY THUMB (cw: emotional manipulation)

Even with a dwindling stack of fliers in his possession and a compulsion burrowing its way into his brain, Jeff seems to have a pretty lackadaisical approach to advertising. After sticking fliers up around town, he's parked himself at one of his busking haunts (out by a bar, or a coffee shop, at the docks, at a park, or just hanging out at what passes for a busy thoroughfare in Gloucester) and has started to literally sing the praises of the Fenix Down Extravaganza. It's not bad for a song he's composed on the fly, kind of has a Pixies vibe, and people who hear the song in passing might feel a sort of... infectious enthusiasm for the circus bubble up inside, though it'll pass soon enough, once the young bard and his music's out of earshot.

Stick around, though, and that enthusiasm may worm its way deeper inside, growing and mutating into a borderline unbearable giddiness. It can be downright intoxicating, and those affected by it seem equally likely to roll with it, as they are to try and cling to any self control they can, with a growing feeling of distress.

Of course, it's all up to chance, and it's equally likely for one to avoid the effects of the song entirely, only to witness the strange behavior in others. As far as Jeff's concerned, he seems totally oblivious to the effect his music seems to have on his audience.

(He isn't oblivious. He's just got Resting Angel Face.)

If others pass by with their own stacks of fliers, they may find the sheets knocked from their hands by some invisible force, or ripped from where they've been posted. Some even catch on fire. Odd, it seems to coincide with a certain pitch in his voice, or the particular rhythm of his playing, or, at times, a sudden shift in his setlist.

Maybe it's just a coincidence that he starts performing a cover of "Lake of Fire" moments before a rival's fliers combust.

II. SEND IN THE CLOWNS (cw: hallucinations, implied/imagined cannibalism)
(A)

At first, anyone who runs into Jeff at the circus will find him bright eyed with enthusiasm as he watches the sideshow attractions and pets the goats and chats up carnies in the name of 'investigation'. It looks an awful lot like goofing off (and trying to score drugs), but, like, that's just how deep undercover he is. He'll be a partner in crime for anyone who wants one, and may even sing some spells under his breath to rig some carnival games for (or against) others. Just be a pal and split your winnings of stuffed animals and cheap trinkets with him, okay?

(B)

Jeff's mood takes a noticeable dive the longer he's on the carnival grounds.

It's happening again. How did he think this wouldn't happen? Even with his head emptied of demons, filled with silence and overbearing loneliness, he can't escape the fact that he's thoroughly, completely fucked. Phantom screams and imaginary fire licking at his skin, there and gone, in stupid carnival games gone wrong. His head's turning on him. He rushes towards distractions, but he can't escape the overwhelming sense of wrongness behind flashing carnival lights and laughter and cheery music. He passes a woman eating what looks like teeth, lined up in row after yellowed row on a cob-- oh, no, it's just roasted corn. He looks at a menu offering something called long pig, punctuated with a drawing of a cartoon pig, except it's not, like, a cute, normal cartoon pig, it's more like somebody tried to draw Porky and made him just a little too human. Jeff looks away to try to stammer out a question to the bored concession worker, before looking at the menu again and seeing that there is no long pig, and no fucked up Porky, just hot dogs. He's seeing things again.

Jeff orders a soda and practically throws the money at the worker before hurrying away. It tastes like ashes (or he thinks it does, he could swear it does) and he throws it away without taking another sip. He hears another too-real shriek coming from that stupid Liar Liar game, and he wants to scream, himself.

At one point, he can be found standing at the edge of a crowd watching Flammie the Magnificent. There's something haunted in his expression, and his stare seems to go way past the colorful magician, zeroed in on something else. Jeff's eyes are wet, but he'll put on a forced grin if someone tries to get his attention, like he's trying to summon some sunshine back into his expression.

"Cool show, huh?"

He's fine. Everything's copacetic.

III. LOST & FOUND (cw: hallucinations, emotional manipulation, possession)

If you asked Jeff what Ziggy looked like, he couldn't tell you. Ziggy never had a body-- not a flesh and blood body, anyway. Ziggy wanted Jeff to share his body, so it could experience all that flesh and blood had to offer, but Jeff was always too scared and too fucking stupid to grant its wish. Even if he'd wanted to hand the keys over to Ziggy, he wouldn't know how. That kind of Ritual... He doesn't know the first thing about something like that.

Ziggy didn't even have a voice of its own. It spoke like a ransom note, piecing together words and phrases in other people's voices, first heard on TV, or the radio, or in conversation and eavesdropped sentence fragments. He doesn't hear that babbling cacophony now; he hasn't heard it in well over a month, thanks to this world and its bittersweet gift of ripping the demon out of him.

So as Jeff drifts out of the funhouse, he can't pinpoint why he knows that's Ziggy out there in the crowd, when there's nothing he can see or hear to confirm it. But he knows it's out there, ready for Jeff to seek it out and welcome it, embrace it, in beautiful, horrific harmony. Because Ziggy, like all demons, is wholly of the Gift. And it's the story of Jeff's life: he'll always chase after magic, even when it scares him and drives him crazy and turns his life into an endless, waking nightmare.

No matter how much Jeff wanders through the crowds and chases after it, he can't seem to catch up to Ziggy. But he knows he's on the right track-- or he thinks he's on the right track? He can swear he hears strange music in the air, a song that's never been composed, getting louder and louder-- then it's gone. Every time he thinks he's about to catch up, the music stops and he turns around, looks all around, and notices something that might be Ziggy in the corner of his eye, and he's on the move again, trying to find it.

He's so desperate for Ziggy, for the familiarity and the connection, that he could cry. It's in his throat, a miserable wail, threatening to force its way out. Instead, laughter tears through, Jeff's voice mingling with the cheerful crowd. Jesus, he doesn't even know where he is. None of this looks familiar, but he knows-- he thinks?-- the fairgrounds aren't even that big. But now he's lost, after running around, playing a game of cosmic hide and seek with his imaginary friend. He's crazy. He's fucking crazy.

He doesn't know if it's giddiness or misery that has him humming now, making up a little tune that he starts to put to a wordless melody, lifting his voice in a song that's all raw emotion and incoherence. There's nothing too weird about it; he just sounds like a drunk kid singing obnoxiously (though he can still carry a tune!) as he starts to walk without any purpose. It's like he's embracing his own disorientation. And the funny thing is, those people around him? Some of them start to feel it, too. For some of them, things are starting to get foggy, fuzzy, and weird. For others, emotions start to flare up in a frenzy, boiling over into hysteria. As long as Jeff continues to sing, it spreads around him, like an infection.

Soon, he gives it words, cloaks whatever magic's in his voice under another artist's song. This time, it's hard to say if he's aware of the effect his singing is having on others.

"You'll think I'm dead, but I sail away, on a wave of mutilation, a wave of mutilation..."

[ ooc: Feel free to stop him, confront him, or just handwave your character noticing/being affected for some future cr! ]

IV. WILDCARD
[ Hit me with anything you'd like, before or during the circus! Plotting comment, or you can reach me at

weeyotch or weeyotch#8200 to hash out ideas. I'm a little behind because I went on a surprise out-of-town hiatus this past week, and I'm still playing catch-up, but I'm totally open to any and all plotting.

Also for reference, though I didn't include it in any prompts, Jeff will be watching Fenix and the main acts, and his reaction to them will, for the most part, be excitement and enthusiasm over all the magic. Or what he assumes to be magic. ]

Edited 2021-08-30 01:36 (UTC)

by the pricking of my thumb

[ He's been more cautious since he got kidnapped by the selkies. Being hunted by monsters, being trapped in another skin, it has a tendency to linger. So when Tomas goes for a run he does it during the day and only after telling Marcus where he's going and how long he ought to be. It only takes one time to establish necessary routines.

He's out for a run when he stumbles on the small army hanging posters for the circus on any surface that will hold it. It's the sort of thing that has him scratching the back of his head as he pulls a poster down to stare at it. ]

This seems rather sudden. [ And yet the energy in the air is almost contagious... ]

send in the clowns;

[ Tomas goes to the circus in plainclothes, he left his priest collar back at Bonnie's for the sake of blending in with the rest of the crowd. Father Tomas would stand out far too much in a crowd looking to have a little fun. So he ventures into the lights of the midway, a smile curling across his lips as he watches all of the games and remembers the street festivals he went to in college. There's a nostalgia that leads him to put down a little money at various booths.

It's also how he ends up with a fat stuffed unicorn from a lucky throw. Does anyone want a plush? Because he's looking bemused at his new best friend. ]

What do I do with you?

lost and found

[ Tomas isn't sure why he goes into the fun house of all places but he finds himself wandering the mirrored halls for quite some time before he manages to reach the center of the maze and finds himself staring into a reflection of himself that is completely normal. When he leaves he stops dead in his tracks as he sees- Andy. The man Marcus says they failed, the one who-

Before Tomas can think about it he's hot on his trail, the priest pushing into the crowd without a thought for where he is or where he's going. ]

Andy, wait! Come back-!

[ When he finally gives up, Tomas is unsteady as he looks around and can't for the life of him remember how he got here. And the most unsettling thing is the closest he's ever come to feeling like this in the past was when he opened his mind to a demon. Muttering a prayer under his breath, Tomas stays in one place until his head clears and he can find his way back to the lights of the midway. ]

wildcard

[ If you're feeling something else with Tomas please feel free to tag him with another prompt or reach me at

blackskymetro or blackskymetro#3175 on discord if you want to plan something else! ]

By the Pricking of My Thumb

[The circus. It seemed on the lips of so many people, an excitement over it. Elias lacked the same thrill, knowing what lurked in the shadows of ringmasters and clowns. It was interesting, though, and he wondered how these people would feel for putting up the flyers for something that had the potential to be so dangerous. Would they feel the guilt after, promoting this?

Of course, it could be just a normal circus. Nothing suspicious. Just a place to get candy floss and popcorn.

He walked by someone, casually bumping them as they hung the flyers. Perhaps they spilled all over the ground; perhaps they remained in a tight hand. Either way, paused long enough to say-]

Excuse me. I did not see you there.

Send in the Clowns

i. Food

[There was a not-so-secret notion about Elias Bouchard: he had a sweet tooth.

So while wandering through the aisles of the carnival, he did stop by the cart for Funnel Cake, willing to share it with anyone who might be with him at the moment. It was sweet and still dripping with oil and powdered sugar, the crinkle of wax paper smooth against his fingers. There was too much for him to eat, really just wanting a taste to sate the urge, but that was the way of the circus.

And as he walked along, he could have sworn he caught the scent of something else, something he had smelled only once or twice before in someone else’s forbidden memories. Oh. Well, that was interesting.]

Are you hungry for anything? I see there are a few options.

ii. Sideshows

[There was a lot to discover about a carnival by what it had in its tents. He was curious to go inside, see what exhibits were on display for those that would walk through. The theme of fire was prevalent throughout, and he watched with unwavering gray eyes as the flames did dance under the expertise of those inside.

Fire – while not his favorite - wasn’t all bad; it brightened the way so someone could See.]

I am curious on how many fires they have had with their circus throughout the years.

i. by the pricking of my thumb
There had been the scorched and faded remnants of circus posters in the old, burned-out train car. That alone is enough to set Yelena's teeth on edge when she first spies one of the posters, and she is not at all inclined to join in on spreading the advertisments more widely, even if her wallet is lighter than she'd prefer. She can get money if she needs to, and quickly.

But the fliers spread like wildfire, as though people are competing to paper every wall, lamp post, and mailbox in Gloucester with the things, and that makes it worth watching the people distributing them while she's in town. There's a strange energy to the entire affair, something unsettling, and she's not at all convinced that it's just excitement.

And that's before one of the two young teens squabbling over the last ten square feet of wall on the building next to the coffee shop patio she's been sitting at lunges at the other, knocking him into the wall before they both tumble to the ground.

"What," she says flatly. A couple of other patrons glance over. Someone pulls out a cellphone. She sighs, and stands.

(She hates being the adult. Want to help?)

ii. send in the clowns (a)
While Yelena is serious about investigating the circus, she's savvy enough to know that the best way to gather intelligence and get a look at what might be lurking beneath the surface is to blend in. Performers are a community of their own, and likely to close ranks if accosted, and lurking without engaging is likely to be suspicious.

And so anyone paired with her is likely to find an amiable partner, one happy to share fresh donuts or cotton candy - though she'll balk at the stand selling hot dogs, a startled expression flitting across her face, and mutter a warning, "maybe not here" - or stop to visit one of the sideshows - the better to gauge the layout of the tents - or play one of the games. She's unusually good at the shooting gallery, but less so at the ring toss.

Is anyone ever good at the ring toss?

She's particularly interested in the Floor is Lava game, and pauses to watch a few runs of it. The last is punctuated by a girl of maybe eight losing her balance and shrieking when she hits the ground, her sobs continuing even after the first aid officer has checked her over and assured her worried mother that she's fine, it must just be the surprise, she's totally unhurt.

"That doesn't sound like fine," she says quietly. There's something a little too intent in her expression.

iii. send in the clowns (b)
Of course, the circus proper isn't the only place to find information. Once she learns that the crew are staying on the train in the railyard, that becomes an obvious target - even more so when her initial recon reveals more in the way of security than she would have expected.

Tonight, while the circus is in full swing and the area is likely to be vacant of anyone except for the guards on patrol, she's come armed with the tools of her trade, dressed in greys and blues that blend almost seamlessly into the shadows without making her stand out like a blot of living ink if she's caught without cover. She's got the rhythm of the patrol down, and is certain of her windows for action. She also has company - maybe someone she's recruited as an accomplice, maybe someone else she's encountered on the ground only moments ago.

Regardless, it's time. "Remember, if you see someone heading into the car, start singing. Loudly. Then head away. We'll meet at the diner," she says. Or maybe, "You take that end, I'll take this end. Rendezvous in an hour." Which one depends on just how stealthy she's judged this particular accomplice to be, and either way, she's assigned herself the riskier task.

(That doesn't mean she's not entirely comfortable leaving her partner to fend for themself and using the distraction to get away if they're caught. She's reasonably certain the clowns won't eat anyone.)

iv. clowns on the network (post-iii)

UN: jelica

The performers' fondness for fire seems to extend outside their shows.

[Attached are two pictures of the interiors of train cars. Nearly every flat surface in view is holding candles. So many candles. Bad horror movie mediums might find the candles excessive.

There are posters on the walls, and the pictures are labelled - 'Penny' beneath one, 'Fenix' beneath the other.]

I don't think these are needed for light.

v. lost and found (minor BW spoilers. cw: hallucinations, disorientation, potential violence.)
The one attraction Yelena has been avoiding is the Fun House. Getting intentionally lost in a mirror maze is not her idea of, well, fun. In the end, it's a frantic mother certain her child must have been separated from her inside that maze that lures her in. She remembers the excursion in Dogtown, and her suspicions about just who that particular bit of bone-chilling strangeness was intended to target.

The maze seems to stretch on for too long. Even accounting for getting turned around and doubling back, it feels far larger than the space it occupies. And far emptier - she saw others enter before her, is certain others entered after her, but save for the occasional laugh or shriek distorted by the space and the mirrors, she feels alone. And then she hits the maze's centre, and the sight of her own reflection - just her, not distorted by misshapen glass - is oddly disorienting. She suppresses a shudder, and hurries down the mirrored corridor beyond it, accompanied by images of herself repeating into infinity.

A flash of movement catches her eye as she exits, copper hair swinging in a loose braid, a familiar curve of cheek and jaw in profile, and the air freezes in her lungs. Her sister is dead. Her sister will be dead, in a little less than two years time - this jaunt sideways into this world of magic and monsters has left her unstuck in time again, shunted backward a portion of the years she'd been flung forward.

She almost calls out, and bites down hard on the inside of her lip to keep the cry locked behind her teeth. She's found no sign of Natasha at ADI; if she is here, she's gone to ground for some reason, and Yelena isn't about to spoil that. And so she follows in her sister's wake, hurrying through the crowds with less care than she might normally take. The familiar figure dips in and out of view, always just too far ahead for her to easily keep up. Leading her, she realizes. Or leading someone - she catches a flash now of a darker head, broad shoulders, a face she's only ever seen in photographs. She puts on speed, path spiralling away from the centre of the circus, away from the crowds, towards the outskirts. She can't quite catch up, but he is gaining, dropping in and out of view, always only in her peripheral vision.

She thinks she hears someone call her name, but dismisses it as unimportant.

(Did someone call out to her? Or perhaps someone has simply seen her racing between the tents, expression one of fierce determination and just-leashed frustration, following nothing. Either way, it may be time for the direct approach, though given that expression, she may not take kindly to interference.)

➥ By the Pricking of My Thumb - OTA

"Hey-- Hey." Gil quickly puts himself between two quarreling poster-bearers on the verge of a fist fight, prying them apart and scowling at first one, then the other. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Once he's sure they're not going to go after each other immediately again, he bends to pick up a dropped flier. He stares at it a moment, feeling... something. He drops it just as fast and shakes his head, focusing again on the hooligans. "Pick opposite sides of the street if you need space that bad."

He stops several fights throughout the day, his annoyance growing along with the scale of the arguments. Does he stop your character mid-fight? Or does yours bail him out of a conflict that doesn't want to get resolved?

➥ Something Wicked This Way Comes - closed to Malcolm

Gil eyes the entrance to the carnival with misgivings. All this supernatural bullshit still makes him wildly uncomfortable. There's a part of him that demands he get used to it, having been through what he has already. Acclimate and get his shit together. There's work that needs doing, too much strangeness to go unaddressed.

Part of the problem is he has no idea how to investigate what he doesn't understand. He doesn't even know where to start looking.

He shakes himself out of the funk, mentally speaking, and looks at Malcolm. Who seems to be practically bouncing at the opportunity to scrutinize everything past the entryway. Gil tries not to smile. "Remember when I took you to Coney Island that one time?"

➥ Send In the Clowns - OTA

Gil and Malcolm meet and split up periodically, seeing what there is to see both together and alone. Gil does a double-take at the long-pig offering, and when it's not there his skin crawls faintly. He feels sick as a kid bites into a hot dog from the booth.

Eventually he finds his way to Asbestos Mike, standing far back enough that, hopefully, his horror isn't easily noted.

He can be found anywhere and everywhere around the circus.

➥ Lost & Found - closed to Malcolm....ish? The Final Rescue is his. People can catch him as he chases her tho!

A mother with claustrophobia grabs Gil as he's going by the funhouse, imploring him to walk her kid through it. Apparently he looks trustworthy, which should be a compliment, but he's not particularly enthusiastic about going inside.

Still, he says yes. He shepherds the over-enthusiastic, over-sugared kid through the annoying and disorienting attraction, frowning suspiciously at the plain old mirror when they get to the end. He releases the kid to his mom, smiles at her and says it was no trouble at all, and takes a half-step on his way. And nearly trips.

Jessica Whitly walks through the crowd in one of her irrationally expensive outfits, a look on her face that can't seem to decide if it's disdainful or disgusted.

"Jess!" Gil bolts after her without a second thought, losing her, finding her, getting steadily more disoriented as he goes. "Jess!"

Edited 2021-09-10 01:10 (UTC)

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