Hey, Circus Monster [MultiAsh and io3121]

[Watashi wa Hitori]

This is a one x one role play between myself and io3121.

io3121

 

[Watashi wa Hitori]

Maggie Wong

Gripping the pink-colored papers in her hands tightly, Maggie nervously walked into the seemingly bustling small town in Virginia. She had neglected to pay attention to the road signs when her companions and her master traveled to the town, but Maggie knew this town would serve as a safe haven for her and hopefully her friends, as long as they could put on an exciting show during the course of the next few weeks before the cold hits. The ring master of their traveling circus had sent her into this small town to post up flyers all over the town, to ensure people would come see the show. Of course, Maggie was more than happy to come in. Another minute in the circus would possibly mean another one of master's beatings. He had always grown even more short-tempered than normal when performances were drawing closer.

Maggie felt blessed that she wasn't deformed, unlike some of her friends. She was able to walk amongst the crowds of people, able to feel normal, even for a little while. However, Maggie knew she wasn't normal. She knew she had an extraordinary gift, which could even be considered a curse: being able to move objects with her mind wasn't something that was considered normal. She tucked a loose lock of blonde hair behind her ear as she walked right up to a small diner, taping the flyer right to the door. She let out a small sigh of relief, staring down at her friend's handiwork that was poured onto the flyer, despite her friend having lobster-like hands. Maggie pulled open the diner door, letting herself inside as she gazed around the people with her bright hazel eyes. She knew she had to be on her best behavior, or else she wouldn't be able to move for the rest of the day with her master's beating.

The young girl walked right up to the aluminum counter, holding out a flyer to the waitress that had her back to Maggie, "Excuse me, but I'd like to give you one of these, please," she insisted, staring at the grey-haired woman's back with pleading eyes. The woman turned around, gazing at Maggie for a moment before looking down at the flyer in her hand. She let out a scoff, "Sorry, Honey, but I'm not accepting any sort of ads. Not even for circus freaks. You might wanna try some of the other people around here."

io3121

 

[Lunoh]

Benjamin "Benny" Tobermori

The weather was turning colder and colder, but the kitchen at the diner was hotter than hell as Benny the busboy went to place the tub of dirty dished by the sink. "How can you work over that stove back here? It's boiling!" He complained to the heavyset cook, to which the large man replied, "Eh, ya git used to it kid. 'Sides, a little extra saltiness never hurt no one." as the words left the cook's mouth, a drop of sweat dripped off his nose and into the clam chowder that was currently being stirred on the stove. "Oh ugh! Barney that's nasty! Now I'll never be able to eat clam chowder again!" Barney laughed at his distressing coworker.

Benny exited the kitchen as fast as he could, running straight into something pink and bony, sending pink papers fluttering all over the diner. "Aw, jeez." Benny cursed, then looked to see what had caused the sudden chaos. It was a girl... With pink hair. He hadn't seen the likes of that before. "Oh, uh... Oops." He muttered, then realized he had just knocked down a girl. "Oh I mean I'm so sorry! Are you alright? Here, let me help clean up this-"

"Benny! The hell you trying to do? Clean up that clutter lickety-split!" A woman yelled from behind the chrome counter. Benny ducked his head and began to pick up the flyers. "S-sorry about this..." He looked at one of the flyers in his hand, reading it. "A circus?" He looked up at the girl, "Hey are you from the circus?"

MultiAsh

 

[Watashi wa Hitori]

Maggie Wong

Maggie frowned as she pulled the paper away from the woman behind the counter. She forced out a bright smile, mentally encouraging herself to keep trying to hand out the flyers to as many people to try to make people come to the circus, "Yes, Ma'am," she answered. Maggie began to turn around, only to feel someone bump into her, causing her to fall over onto the ground. The pink papers she held in her hand were sent flying into the air.

Maggie groaned a bit as she heard a man apologizing profusely to her for knocking her over. She rubbed her lower back before looking up to see a chocolate brown-haired man scrambling to pick up the flyers. Maggie gasped and moved to her hands and knees, quickly trying to pick up as many flyers as she could, "Please! You have nothing to apologize for!" she told him quickly.

Upon hearing his question, Maggie froze. She looked up at him, sweat rolling down the side of her face, "Uh... Well... As a matter of fact, I... I do work in the circus," she answered the man in a soft, almost ashamed tone. Maggie knew she had to switch the conversation off of her quickly. She didn't want to stand out as much as she was already, with this blunder, "Are you interested in seeing the performance this weekend?"

io3121

 

[Lunoh]

Benjamin "Benny" Tobermori

"Oh really? You work there? What do you do?" Benny asked, intrigued.However, she didn't seem to hear his last question, and asked him instead if he planned on attending that weekend. He had to think a moment. Did he work? He did but he had an early shift. He would have plenty of time to get to the circus afterward.

Benny smiled, "Sure, if you'll save me a seat." He winked, grinning as he placed the last flyer on the stack and handing her his pile. "There you go. My name's Benny by the way. Benjamin Tobermori." He held out his hand to shake, but a sharp holler from the head waitress made him jump.

"Mr. Tobermori, if you want to keep this job you'll get back to it!"

"Yes ma'am. Sorry ma'am." He straightened up and gave a quick apologetic smile at the pink haired girl. "I'll come check it out on Saturday!" He scuttled his butt back to the kitchen to wash those dishes.

MultiAsh

 

[Watashi wa Hitori]

Maggie Wong

Before Maggie could even get a word out, Benjamin had introduced himself, promising he would come see the performance before being yelled back to get right back to work. She pulled herself to her feet, watching him rush back to his job before looking down at the flyers in her hand. Maggie let out a soft sigh as she pulled one off of the stack, setting it on the counter for Benjamin. She knew deep down that there was no way she could even be friends with him, even though the circus was staying by the small town for winter. Once he would see what she could do, Maggie was certain Benjamin would want nothing to do with her.

She left the diner and continued her trek through the town, posting up flyers on various buildings and lamp posts, or even handing them out to people. Maggie had to keep reminding herself that in town was the place she wasn't allowed to use her abilities. At the circus tent, she could use it all she wanted, and no one would bat an eye at her, but in town, everyone would possibly ridicule her. It certainly wasn't an easy life.

~~~

The weekend arrived for the show to start, and Maggie was nervous. She stood behind the curtain, wearing an elegant black dress with red trim on it, as is what she wore every performance. She peered out from behind the curtain gazing the crowd with her hazel eyes in hopes that she wouldn't see Benjamin in the crowd. Maybe he'd have to work. Or he could've forgotten all about her. Maggie could only hope he wouldn't see her, the circus' Witch, to be displayed on the stage like some sort of animal.

io3121

 

[Lunoh]

Benjamin "Benny" Tobermori

The rest of Benny's shift went by in a daze. He had never been to a circus before, though he had heard of them and read about them in newspapers. He wondered about what he might see there, and what kind of job that girl had there. Her hair was reminiscent of cotton candy, so perhaps she sold the sweet puff at a stall. That would make a little sense. Something told him that wasn't the case though, but he couldn't place why.

At the end of his shift, the sun was far below the horizon and the chill was up. He went to his locker and noticed something pink inside. He picked it up and examined it. It was one of the flyers the girl had been handing out. He smiled and folded it, slipping it into his pocket and shrugging on his jacket.

Once outside, he waved goodbye to last of the employees who were finishing up closing the diner and made his way home on foot. The air was cold, but not yet cold enough to see his own breath. Soon it would be however, and he dreaded it. Benny hurried to his place, a run-down room in an even more run-down tenement building.

~~~

Saturday came, and work was packed. It had been all week. Benny clocked out late and was heading home, burned out form the hellacious work week. He dug in his pocket to count how much change he had, maybe buy himself a coffee, but when he pulled out the grip of change, a paper came out with it. "The circus! That's right!" He spun on his heel and ran for the circus grounds.

Soon he saw the brightly colored tents and the multitude of flags of various size flapping in the wind. He went up to the ticket booth and dumped his change out, counting it and handing the clerk the appropriate amount. He was handed a ticket and as he took it, the clerk chimed, "You just missed the beginning of the freak show. It's one of our most popular attractions." Benny simply nodded and entered.

There were just so many sights, and as he stood there, panting from the exertion of getting there, he felt lost. There was so much to check out, so much to look at. But where did the pink haired girl work? Looking back at the front, he remembered what the sales clerk had mentioned and figured it was a place to start at least. He followed the obvious signs to the tents where the freak show was being held. He could already hear the "Ooohs and Ahhhs" from the crown inside. He stepped inside. It was hard to see over all the heads but what he could make out was a little girl, she couldn't have been more than eleven years old, bending in obscene ways while simultaneously throwing very sharp looking daggers at a man strapped to a spinning wheel. She made it look easy, back flipping and contorting while never even nicking the man on the spinning wheel.

When that show was through everyone clapped and the little redhead bowed, unstrapped the man on the wheel, then left the stage. Benny smiled and clapped, wondering what sort of thing he was going to see next.

MultiAsh

Say, mind if I take some of the freaks for side characters ? I have a few in mind.

 

[Watashi wa Hitori]

Maggie Wong

Maggie could hear the clapping as she let out a heavy sigh, trying her best to calm herself. One of her friends stood beside her, though she couldn't have been much taller than two feet. The black-haired girl jumped up, trying to tug on Maggie's dress to get her attention, "Maggie. Are you alright?" the small girl replied in a high-pitched voice, staring up at her with bright chocolate brown eyes. Maggie looked down at her as she let out another sigh, nodding. She forced out a smile, "Of course I am, Louise," she reassured her, "I'm just nervous. You know how I get during these shows."

As the contortionist and the man on the spinning wheel walked off of the stage, the ring master stepped up, holding his arms up high in the air, "That was the Woman with No Bones throwing daggers expertly at her partner! If you all enjoyed that, then you will certainly come to love the circus' very own beauty among the freaks. Though she might look just like you, she is no different from them. Ladies and gentleman, I present to you, the Witch!" he exclaimed, stepping aside, gesturing with his arms for Maggie to step out onto the wooden stage.

Maggie could hear the audience clapping for her entrance as she gasped. She quickly tightened her side ponytail, looking down at Louise, "Please wish me luck.." she whispered before walking out onto the stage. Maggie took several deep breaths to calm herself down. She refused to look at the audience as she turned towards the wooden spinning wheel that the man had been strapped to previously, holding a hand out to it. The wheel cluttered from side to side before it slowly began to levitate into the air.

Several people gasped in the audience as the wheel was lifted into the air. Maggie decided to take her act one step further and raise her other hand randomly towards the audience. It took a bit more effort than she was used to, but she wanted to please the ring master in order to avoid a beating. Before anyone could say a word, a few chairs that were being occupied were being lifted into the air, though only a few feet.

io3121

No, I don't mind. Go for it.

 

[Lunoh]

Benjamin "Benny" Tobermori

Benny had to stand on his tip toes to see over the people as the next performer came onto the stage. A flash of pink piqued his interest and he decided to push his way to the front. "Excuse me, pardon. Coming through." He stopped when he spotted the wooden wheel the man in the last act floating in the air. "What the..."

As if that weren't enough, suddenly startled yelps and gasps sprang up as some of the patrons who were sitting in chairs nearer to the stage began to levitate as well. The general consensus of the crowd was awed and amazed, but there were a few that seemed nervous and a bit scared. He looked back at the performer and confirmed that it was her, the girl from the diner. She was the "Witch"? She didn't seem like it.

MultiAsh

 

[Watashi wa Hitori]

Maggie Wong

Sweat rolled down her face as Maggie closed her eyes. She was using a large amount of energy for her act, but she still wanted to impress the audience. She took a deep breath, and soon, she, too, began to levitate into the air. Some people gasped in awe, while others began to clap for her. Maggie let out a sigh of relief as she opened her eyes to look out towards the crowd. Though, her hazel eyes landed on the man that stood in front. Benjamin. From the diner. Maggie felt her heart sink into the bottom of her stomach seeing him standing there.

She began to falter, and the chairs holding up the few members from the audience came crashing down to the ground. A couple of them screamed, but a few began to laugh as Maggie lowered herself and the wheel. The ring master stepped out onto the stage, shoving Maggie towards the side to get off stage, "That was an... uplifting performance! Now it's time to bring out the next freak!" he shouted before sending her a dangerous glare. Maggie gulped quietly before rushing off of the stage.

It was only inevitable he would see her in that state. Maggie mentally scolded herself for getting her hopes up. She ran out of the large tent from the back, and folded her arms over her chest, taking a couple of deep breaths. "I'm such an idiot.. What did I expect?" she scolded herself softly, running her fingers through her bright hair, "Now I messed up.."

io3121

 

[Lunoh]

Benjamin "Benny" Tobermori

As Benny watched the show, he caught the girl's eye and smiled. She however did not seem to be enjoying herself at all. Instead, it looked to be that she was straining herself with the effort of keeping the objects in the air. Surely the show would end soon and she could catch her breath. As he thought this, he was surprised to see that she herself began to levitate. He was just as awe struck as the rest of the audience and quite amazed.

Her face faltered, and so did her act, sending everything that had been floating crashing to the ground. There was a moment of startled silence, but then the tent filled with claps and chuckles, a woman weeping somewhere in the noise as well. One of the ones in the floating chairs no doubt.

The ring master appeared on the stage and pushed the girl towards the curtains rather roughly, and she hurried off stage. Benny did the same, leaving the tent from the flap he had entered through and going around the back to see if she was still around.

~~~

Behind the freak show tent, the little red head was sitting on a crate, cleaning her daggers and sharpening the ones that were blunted in the act. In the handle of each dagger was carved her circus name, "Tryks", with a little star next to it. When Maggie came out of the tent, Tryks noticed she looked pale and seemed to be less than satisfied with her act. She heard her fellow freak mutter to herself and stowed her daggers in her clothing, scooting closer to the Witch. "What did you do? It sounded like it was going well." Asked the tiny female, her amethyst eyes filled with worry.

MultiAsh

 

[Watashi wa Hitori]

Maggie Wong

As much as Maggie wanted to bawl, she knew crying wouldn't do her any good. She turned to Tryks as the young girl approached her, looking up into her violet-colored eyes with her own hazel ones, "Tryks, I... Gosh, I really messed up," she told her, "I was performing, but I saw someone in the audience that I had met from the town, and... I don't know, seeing him made me sort of panic. For once in my life, I was worried about what he thought of me, and I accidentally dropped a few people from the audience.. I know it's going to deserve one hell of a beating from the master."

Maggie hugged her arm as she tried to calm herself down. Her mind was reeling with all sorts of questions. Why was she even worried about what Benjamin thought of her? She was a freak. Everyone hated freaks, and that was a fact that was ingrained into her brain since the moment she had joined the circus.

~~~

The small two-foot girl, Louise, had ran out after Maggie, though because of her tiny height, she was much slower. She caught up to the two girls, panting heavily before looking up at them with big dark brown eyes, "Maggie, what happened out there?" the girl asked worriedly, "You were doing so well, but then I heard a woman scream in the audience. What happened?" Louise seemed to always hang around Maggie's side, even though she risked being late for her own chance in the spotlight.

io3121

 

[Lunoh]

Benjamin "Benny" Tobermori

Tryks winced when Maggie told her what happened. "Nuts, Mags. You fumbled because of a boy? Who is he?" Louise came around the to the back of the tent next and asked the same thing Tryks had just asked. "She dropped some people in the audience. Master's not going to be happy. We better sneak some table scraps for her later, in case she misses dinner." Tryks sighed and scooted off the crate she was sitting on. "I'll go tell Brutus to get some healing salve mixed up now so you don't have to wait." She told Maggie and meandered away.

As Benny approached the back of the tent, he heard a couple of voices, one sounding like the pink haired girl. He poked his head around and saw it was here, along with a tiny woman and the retreating form of the red haired contortionist. He came into view and waved. "Hey, I came. When you said you worked at the circus I didn't expect you meant in the freak show." He said as he came to stand by the two ladies.

MultiAsh

 

[Watashi wa Hitori]

Maggie Wong

Maggie watched as Tryks walked off. She let out a small sigh. She was truly grateful to have a friend like that, but before anyone could say a word, she heard Benjamin's voice behind her. Maggie's body tensed up as she quickly whirled around to face the brown-haired boy, "Uh... Yeah, you... you came," she told him, forcing out a smile.

Louise stared up at the boy and smiled at him, waving her hand at him, "Hello there!" she greeted brightly, hoping he'd look down and see her, "Are you friends with Maggie? Maggie's friends with almost everyone here at the circus, because of how friendly she is, and it wouldn't surprise me if you became friends with her, too." she explained. Maggie's face flushed a dark red of embarrassment as Louise tried her best to talk her up. She knelt down, picking up the small girl from the ground, holding her in her arms before letting out a nervous giggle, "I'm really sorry about that.. This is my friend, Louise. She looks like a child, and even acts like one at times, but really, she's just really small. Um.. Though, I'm certain that probably freaks you out."

Maggie could feel sweat rolling down the side of her face. She wasn't expecting to run into Benjamin ever again. Had he come to the circus just to see her? There was certainly no way that was possible. Maggie forced out another nervous smile at the boy that stood before her. He knew now that she was a freak. Was he going to ridicule her?

io3121

 

[Lunoh]

Benjamin "Benny" Tobermori

Benny smiled when Maggie looked at him, lowering his hand that he had been waving with. She seemed a nit put off by his presence and he was just wondering if he had made a mistake by following her out here. His thoughts were interrupted by the tiny woman he had seen before. She spoke to him quickly and at first he was taken aback by the sudden conversation. He recovered quickly though and crouched to introduce himself to her. "I don't know about friends yet, but I met her earlier this week at the diner I work at. She seemed nice." He looked up at Maggie and winked, like he had at the diner, then stood up again when she picked up her talkative little friend.

"Nah, I'm not that freaked out. I'll admit it's a little weird seeing a full frown woman stand no taller than my thigh. Just like it's a bit of a shock when a girl you meet at a diner turns out to be able to make things fly." He said with a laugh, "I thought that was cool. Where did you learn that? How do you do it?"

MultiAsh