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 Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2015 8:08 pm
 Benjamin "Benny" Tobermori
Benny frowned as Maggie spoke. This couldn't really be what the ringmaster wanted. "Punishment? You didn't do anything wrong!" If he was mad before, he was nearing furious now. He bit his lip, drawing even more blood out of the split that was there from the fight. He forced himself to calm down, taking a few deep breaths as she explained that his meddling might get her into more trouble. He certainly didn't want that. He glared down at his feet and sighed, looking back up at Maggie. "You don't deserve this." He said softly, then turned and walked away.
As he meandered along the dirt path, he thought about how different the circus was than how he had imagined it. He hadn't even thought of the fact that freaks in the freak show might be looked at as less than human. It wasn't right. Maggie didn't deserve this. She didn't even look like a freak, save for the pink hair. If she was treated this badly, he couldn't imagine hoe people like Louise were treated.
He was passing the freak show tent and noticed that it was not yet open. He peered inside, suddenly wondering if he could perhaps speak with the ringmaster. Maybe if he thought he would loose business by mistreating his employees, just maybe he might let up on them. It was the least he could do.
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Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2015 8:33 pm
Maggie WongMaggie let out a heavy sigh as she watched Benjamin walk away. Her words must've struck a chord with him. She sniffled slightly, wiping away her tears as best as she could before she pushed herself back onto her feet. It was for the best, after all. There was no way Maggie would be able to hold any sort of relationship with anyone as normal as Benjamin. She looked out as a few patrons approached her cage once more, gawking at her; a few brave enough to toss rotten food at her. When she didn't budge, a few more people joined in, shouting vulgar names at her. Leo was inside of the freak show tent. His back was to Benjamin as he folded his arms over his chest. His nostrils flared out as he huffed loudly, " What in the world are you doing, you worthless mutt?!" he shouted at the poor thirteen-year-old boy who was attempting to set up the wooden wheel for Tryks and her act. Matt shrunk down under Leo's glare, running his hands through his thick blonde hair, " I'm so sorry, Master Leo! I'll get it right this time!" he exclaimed fearfully. " You better get it right before you're stuck in that cage with the show disaster! Can't you see we're running behind because of you?! I should've known better than to take you on for this circus anyways!" Leo barked, running his fingers through his slicked black hair. He turned away from Matt, noticing the brown-haired boy peering into the tent. Leo cleared his throat before he sauntered over towards him, flashing a charming grin, " Good evening. If you're here for the freak show, I do apologize. We're running behind schedule because our staff has fallen ill, so we have to rely on the freaks to help out. They're so incompetent." 
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Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2015 8:57 pm
Benjamin "Benny" Tobermori
Watching the ringmaster interacting with a strangely hairy boy, Benny's worse thoughts were confirmed. He treated all of his acts like s**t. When he was spotted, he stepped through the flap and completely into the tent. "Oh, I was just wondering if there was anyone in here who could answer some questions." He replied to the man, making his way over to the stage where the wolf boy was attempting to set up the spinning wheel. He gently took the tool from the boy's hand and went to work on the wheel himself as he addressed the ringmaster. "You see, I just saw one of the... freaks... for yesterday's performance locked in a cage. You said some hands were ill, but I think they wouldn't be quite so ill if they didn't have rotten food lobbed at them." He stood and spun the wheel, making sure he had set it up right, then handed the tool to the hairy boy once more.
Now, standing on the stage, Benny looked down at the Ringmaster. An idea popped into his head. "On the topic of lack of hands, I was wondering if you were hiring. As you can see, I am a fair hand at maintenance, and I have no ties to anyone, no family, no friends, and barely any belongings as it is. This town had nothing to offer me, so I offer my services to you." He hoped this plan worked. From what he saw just now, there would be no convincing this man to lay off his freaks, but maybe if he was around, he could slowly show the ringmaster that treating them better would make them a better act overall. He hopped down off the stage and offered his hand. "Benjamin Tobermori, at your service."
MultiAsh A bit different than what we had originally come up with, but this feels more natural to me. If you don't like it, I could try to edit it to fit more like what we were planning.
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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2015 7:19 am
Maggie WongOOC: No, this works perfectly. It does seem a bit more natural than some sort of competition. Leo thought about Benjamin's offer, stroking the pencil-lined mustache on his face, " So, you wish to work as part of the staff for the circus?" he repeated, watching him set up the spinning wheel that Matt had struggled with for a while. A small smirk crawled onto his face as he nodded, " It's decided! You're hired. Oh, but that freak you saw in the cage.. That's Maggie Wong, our witch. She's no staff, by any means. I would never dare lock a staff member into a cage. These freaks need to learn their place, and you need to help remind them of the rules around here." His dark eyes fell on the hairy blonde boy as he cleared his throat, " Matthew. Since you still have some time before your act, I'm allowing this one time to talk to a normal person. Tell him what freaks are allowed and aren't allowed to do, and then lead him backstage to help with the props. Understood?" he ordered before shuffling out of the tent. Matt stood up straight, his emerald-colored eyes almost wanting to fill up with tears even after Leo left. He looked up nervously at Benjamin. " Uh... Well, I-I should start off by saying, that was Master Leo. He'd be really mad at me if you didn't know his name," Matt started, switching his weight from one foot to the other, " And, um... Well, freaks don't get a lot of freedom here. We go to bed at a certain hour, and wake up at a certain hour. Even eat at a certain hour, too. If we've broken any of the rules, Master Leo sees to it, personally, that we'll never break the same rule again," he said, sitting on the edge of the stage, letting his legs dangle off, " For instance, we're not allowed to talk to normal people.. And if we have some sort of strange ability, like Maggie does, we're not allowed to use it other than performing."
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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2015 7:28 pm
Benjamin "Benny" Tobermori
Tamben was both relieved and a bit shocked when the Ringmaster accepted his off of employment. And he was put to work straight away, partnered with the hairy boy known as Matt. He looked at his new co-worker and gave the boy a smile. At least now that he was working here, there would be one person they would not have to fear. "So, Matthew, My name's Benny and it looks like we're going to be seeing a lot of each other." He greeted, then took everything the wolf man told him to memory. Now that he was in, he was going to try to help out these people.
He didn't exactly know why he wanted to help them. He knew for sure he wanted to help Maggie, but now he was not satisfied with just her. He already disliked Leo, and he had a feeling there was more to learn from the man that would only make Benny dislike him more.
Wiping his mind of those thoughts for now, he went back stage to work on the props like he had been told, but he peeked out of the tent and over to where Maggie was. She was still having rotten food tossed at her. He wanted to think of a way to get her out of there, but as he watched, he spotted the Redhead.
Tryks was on her way to the freak show tent to set up for her act, but she had been thinking all morning about a way to get Maggie out of that cage as soon as possible. She finally came up with something. She managed a little trap for Ratt. There was a reason he was called Ratt, and it was not just because he ratted everyone else out. The boy liked to catch rats and keep them as pets. Well, Tryks had caught a rather big rat the night before after locking the last horse stall from the escapade they had been on. It was eating the oats right out of the sack. Now she had lured Ratt with this rat and right through the crowd that had gathered in front of Maggie's cage. Shrieks and screams and shouts erupted as people realized what was going on. The crowd scattered and while Ratt chased after the rat and Tryks made a bee line for the bins of rotten food. They were still heavy with the compost, but she was determined to get the bins away and emptied before Leo showed up. She planned to tell him that it was all used up and that, since there was nothing to throw at Maggie, he could let her out. After all, she had surely learned her lesson.
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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2015 7:42 pm
Maggie WongWhen Benjamin approached backstage to help with the props, Matt retreated to a small vanity to comb out his tangled blonde hair. Louise looked up as Benjamin stepped beside her, smiling brightly at him, " Ah! You're here again today! Did you enjoy the show last night?" she asked brightly, staring up at him with brown eyes that almost twinkled. Louise held her arms up, almost asking to be picked up from the ground so she could at least be eye level with the man, " I bet you're here today because of Maggie. You had her so flustered yesterday. It was really adorable! Though, I have to wonder why you're backstage. Did Master Leo let you back here?" Maggie watched as the crowd in front of her began to disperse and scream, running away in terror as Ratt chased after the large rat in the crowd in front of her. She quietly watched him until she heard the clinking of the metal trash bins. Whipping her head to the side, she spotted Tryks beginning to remove the rotten food away from the cage. Maggie let out a soft sigh as she walked over towards Tryks, lightly grabbing the wooden bars. " Tryks, what are you doing?" Maggie questioned quietly, " You know if Ratt sees you, you'll only end up getting hurt. You should get ready to perform before he catches that rat." As much as she appreciated the contortionist helping her in anyway that she could, Maggie knew she was still just a little girl. She didn't want her to go through the pain that she was currently going through.
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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2015 7:53 pm
Benjamin "Benny" Tobermori
Benny looked around at the sound of a voice, not seeing the owner until his eyes were drawn downward to a pair of outstretched hands. It was Louise, the talkative halfling. He smiled and obliged her silent request to he picked up. He set her on his hip and explained, "Actually, I work here now. Kind of as a sort of handy man. Leo just hired me." He said with a smile, hiding the fact that he knew how Leo treated them and that he was trying to come up with a way to either get him arrested or try to change his views. It would take time, but Benny was sure he could think of something.
Tryks glanced at Ratt to make sure he was still chasing the rodent, then turned to Maggie as she struggled with the bin, "I told you..." She said through gritted teeth. The bins were heavy, "I never get caught. You don't have to worry about me Maggie." She gave the taffy haired girl a smile, flashing her pearly whites confidently.
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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2015 8:06 pm
Maggie WongLouise gasped and hugged Benjamin as tightly as she could, " That's so good to hear! That means you can stay on the circus with everyone, and you can see all of us any time you wanted! This is exciting news!" she exclaimed as she smiled more. The little dwarf-sized girl looked out of the opened flap to see Tryks having issues moving the trash bins away from the wooden cage that Maggie was at. Louise pointed over towards them, " I think Tryks needs your help. If you don't mind helping her move those. It looks like everyone got bored at throwing things at Maggie, so her punishment should be over now. But if Ratt's there, make sure he doesn't see Tryks, or else she might get into trouble." Maggie sighed heavily. She wanted to help her, but she knew using her abilities outside of the performance was against the rules, " Tryks.. I'm always gonna worry about you. You really should go. Now, before someone comes along. Especially Ratt," she warned her. The bright-haired girl wanted to help Tryks desperately, but she didn't know what to do, without either of them getting into trouble.
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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2015 9:15 pm
Benjamin "Benny" Tobermori
"Yeah! It'll be great!" Benny agreed, then followed the little woman's gaze to the contortionist and her labors. Louise brought attention to the fact that she looked to be needing help and Benny set her down, nodding. What was the redhead doing? Maggie's punishment was over? Well that was good news. He hurried to help her, but who was Ratt? He looked around as he approached the struggling girl and saw a young teen chasing something, but that was it. Did Louise mean the thing the boy was chasing? It definately looked to be a rat. How could a rat get Tryks in trouble? He shrugged and trotted over to the trash bins.
"Here, let me help you with that." He said, taking the handle of one trash bin and moving it with quite a bit more ease than the little girl, who stared at him in confusion and slight fear. "Oh, don't worry, I work here now." He explained when he saw her look. "Where do you want me to dump this?" He asked her, to which she pointed to a set of large metal dumpsters behind one of the food stalls. Benny wasted no time in lugging the bin over, dumping it and bringing it back, taking the other from Tryks, who watched, dumbfounded. As Benny took the other bin to dump it, Tryks looked at Maggie, wondering if she had any explanation as to why this random boy suddenly got hired and why he was being nice to them?
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Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2015 7:22 am
Maggie WongMaggie noticed Benjamin running over, and helping Tryks move the heavy trash bin, lugging it over to thee dumpster to dump the rotten food away. She looked down at Tryks to see the confused look on her face, only to be just as confused as her, " Tryks, that's Benjamin. I met him yesterday in town when I was posting up flyers for the circus. But... I didn't realize he was going to be working here," Maggie mused, " He met Louise yesterday, and Louise seems to be pretty fond of him because he doesn't treat us the way normal people would normally treat us." Still, Maggie couldn't help but wonder why Benjamin would choose to work in the circus. Certainly he had lost his mind if he wanted to join the circus and be associated with herself and the rest of her friends. Maggie glanced up, watching him approach the cage once more. She moved closer towards him, still holding onto the wooden bars, " Why in the world would you want to join the circus? Weren't you happy at that diner?" she asked curiously.
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Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2015 7:35 am
Benjamin "Benny" Tobermori
When Benny returned the second and final trash bin, Maggie addressed him, asking why he had joined the circus. "What? Happy at the diner? Absolutely not." He assured her. "I hate it there, and it barely pays for a hole in the wall apartment that I don't want either. Here at least I get to see new places and even if I get paid squat, I'll have a place to sleep every night and a meal at least once a day right?"
He smiled at her, then remembering she was locked in that cage, his smile faded. "Now that there's no more food to throw at you, maybe I can get Leo to get you out." Tryks stepped up,
"Wait, you're new here and somehow I don't think Master Leo will want you sticking your nose in "Freak business." She explained, hoping to keep Maggie and this new idiot out of trouble. "I'll let him know." She took off in search of the ringmaster.
When she found him, she approached him cautiously, "M-master Leo, I was on my way to get ready for the show and I saw that the bins of food people were throwing at Maggie are empty. I was thinking that, maybe since she's got extra time now, she might be able to mend some of the blankets that have holes in them... That way you don't have to buy new ones?" She looked up at Leo. If she could get her to do something like that, Tryks would be happy knowing Maggie could get cleaned up and not have to exert herself anymore that day. Sewing didn't take much physical strain, so Maggie could finally relax a little bit. She prayed Leo took the bait. She was usually pretty good at saying things in a way that he liked.
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Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2015 7:54 am
Maggie WongMaggie nodded at Tryks' statement, " Tryks' right.. Master Leo is the only person to get involved in 'freak business,' and if you try to stick your nose in it, who knows what will happen to you or any of us. As it is... I really don't like the idea of you wanting to work here. We have a bad name, anyways, and.. if you're seen with us, you wouldn't be able to make any sort of friends..." she tried to reason with him. However, something nagged at Maggie, telling her that she wouldn't be able to convince Benjamin otherwise. Leo was preparing himself for the freak show, combing his mustache as Tryks ran in, telling him of the bins that were emptied. She was always persuasive, and between her and Ratt, he never knew which one to trust more. Leo stood up from his seat, turning to face her, " Well, if the bins are empty, then perhaps we should put that witch to work. Tryks, take her the blankets that need mending, and a sewing kit, but do not, under any circumstances, open that cage! I reuse to let her out after yesterday's disaster," Leo growled, turning back to the vanity.
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Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2015 8:59 pm
Benjamin "Benny" Tobermori
Benny tucked this new, but in no way surprising, information about Ringmaster Leo away for safe keeping. Maggie then expressed her dismay about him working here, and Benny felt a little disappointment. He hated to admit it, but she was one of the reasons he ultimately decided to coerce Leo in the first place. He hardly knew her, but for some reason, he hated the idea of her leaving when the circus moved on. At her friends comment he smiled and shrugged, "Eh, I never had many friends anyway. No close ones at least." He confided, "But I don't wan't you to get you in more trouble so I'll get back to my work." He sighed and left her, returning to the backstage of the freak tent.
Tryks' plan seemed to work and she was about to turn and hurry back to unlock the cage and let her out when Leo's final order struck her like an arrow. Her face fell, but luckily, her back was to him. "Yes sir." She muttered and continued out of the tent. She ran to the supplies wagon and gathered the sewing things, then rounded up all the blankets she knew to have holes on them. She had to hurry though, as her show started soon and she dared not be late. Once she had the blankets, she rushed back to the cage as she heard the crowd applauding the previous act. She had to hurry.
"Maggie! Master Leo says you can mend these to keep busy." She shouted over the mound of cloth. "All of these have holes in them, and I suggested to Master to let you mend them. He agreed, but he said you have to stay in the cage." She told her friend with frown, dumping the blankets within her reach. "And here, a sewing kit." She handed the box over, then before she took off, she leaned into the cage, "There's a blanket in there with no holes, in case you get cold." With that, she tore across the grounds and into the backstage, just in time to stumble onto the stage for her act. She smiled as she panted, waving at the crowd. Running around had taken time away from her stretch routine, and she hoped the crowd would still be impressed with a less flexible contortionist. She was still as accurate as ever with her daggers.
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Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2015 9:14 pm
Maggie WongMaggie let out a heavy sigh as she watched Benjamin leave. She leaned her head against the wooden bars, watching him walk off towards the freak show tent. She closed her eyes, thinking hard about why he would join the circus in the place. It wasn't such a happy place like one would be led to believe. Maggie wanted Benjamin to be happy, and not sacrifice it for her in any sort of way. She was, after all, a freak. Soon, she noticed Tryks running up with a large armful of blankets, trying to pass them through the hole to her. Maggie smiled at the little girl and gently took the blankets from the red-head, hearing about her sneaking in an already patched blanket for Maggie, " Thank you, Tryks," she told her, " I really do appreciate this. At least now, no one's throwing food at me." With a small giggle, Maggie watched Tryks run off to the freak show tent, before plopping down onto the ground next to the pile of blankets that lay beside her. She opened up the sewing kit and fed the small thread through the hole of the needle, before pulling one of the blankets onto her lap to sew.
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Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2015 9:00 pm
Benjamin "Benny" Tobermori
Tryks finished her act and the crowd seemed impressed. She glanced quickly to the Ringmaster to make sure he was satisfied, then left the stage and plopping down on a bench backstage, finally able to catch her breath from all of her running around that day. With a sigh, she leaned against Rocco's wall of an arm and closed her eyes. She still had one more job that evening however, so she could not waste much time. Madame Marie was on in an hour, and she needed to get dressed up as that old crone for the act. No one would believe a ten year old medium.
Benny watched part of the freak show from backstage, but as it seemed the ringmaster was required to stay close by to introduce the freaks, Benny thought a little bit of litter duty might score him some points with the man, as well as give him an excuse to check up on Maggie. He ducked out of the back of the tent and grabbed a broom and dust pan, making his way over to the cage. "Hey, how it going? Looks like you're keeping warm at least." He said, trying to keep the mood light. He began to sweep up the remnants of the rotten food that had gathered around the cage. "I think once he lets you out of there, I'll conveniently find a better use for the wood. That way he won't have a cage handy the next time he feels like demoralizing one of his crew." It was hard for Benny to keep the scorn out of his voice.
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