Fantasy The Queen's Hand

[ThatGuyWithSouvlaki]

Susan went for a simpler outdoor dress, a white flowery dress with a straw hat. It was costume a step down from what the finery she used to wear, still bearing the sign of nobility but that of a lower order that she was. It was unlikely someone as high as she was would be interested in circuses and her usual clothing choices may give her away if there was someone present who knew about her. With it she had her usual matching umbrella and a pair of fans, one of which she held in her hand blowing air in her face as she waited and listened to the briefing by henry.

She looked on at Gwen, studying for any detail that can be telling. Though a deal was made and their session the previous night was fruitful, she could not say she trusted the Irish woman. Clever yet to emotional and prideful, she could discount that Gwen may try to something to cause trouble for Susan. Susan was tempted to set her own plans against Gwen but she is self-aware enough to know this could be her own paranoia. The best course of action was to wait and see, something that Susan did not like to do but in the end of the day she had to focus on the task at hand.

She entered the carriage with Henry, if he is the source of communication she wanted to be close to him as possible, so she could stay in the loop. He already had a plan on making Henry, Lady Walker's assistant even boyfriend, so he would remain close. She sat next to the travel bag barely acknowledging it as she settled in and took out a book to read during the journey. She already knew what it was.

 

[Danidify]

THOMAS CLARKE | SUPPORT DEPARTMENT | SHADOW TEAM
Big bad Maze -> Infirmary​

While Stella spoke, Thomas’s sense of frustration slowly but surely dwindled, making room for a warm glow within that was hard to describe as anything other than gratefulness. With words getting stuck in his throat, all he could do was smile to project how thankful he felt.

Although the words of support already soothed Thomas’s aches, the sight of Arjun was another that caused for quite a bit of relief. Seeing his teacher this prideful also made him a little less self-conscious about the spree of mistakes he had left behind.

“Thanks, Arjun,” Thomas replied, adding a nod and broad smile to further express his gratitude while he reached out for the pain-relieving ointment. Truth be told, the pain of the sores was definitely not as bad, but Thomas still appreciated the gesture.

As Arjun went on to explain their next job, Thomas listened carefully while applying the little tube of surprisingly cool and calming ointment he had been given. He made sure to be resourceful, as he wanted to leave enough for Stella to use as well. She deserved it just as much, if not more.

Having finished up his own sores, Thomas would tap on Stella’s shoulder, offering her a kind glance as he offered the ointment to her while Arjun was still chatting away.

Despite being a tad distracted by the ointment, the young unholy had picked up on the conversation and was honestly rather surprised. It felt a bit mismatched that, after this session of pure action and chaos, they would go on to have a nice chat with an associate. Thomas would certainly not complain, though, for he’d much rather be talking to people than getting shot with training equipment (or worse).

Making his way up the stairs to the upper level, Thomas would nudge over to Stella, bringing his face closer to her ear.

“I wonder who this ‘associate’ is”, he would whisper, only to discover the answer mere seconds later.

At first, Thomas didn’t really see it coming. He knew they were questioning someone involved in this dark mission, and he was also well aware they were headed into an infirmary, but his mind still didn’t suspect anything bad even when he saw the little girl.

So, there he stood, his eyebrows curling upwards, eyes and lips caught up in a slight tremor while he took a step back. Thomas could feel the air briefly escaping from his lungs as he flinched at the sight of the girl’s injury.

Given his past work in varyingly dangerous settings, Thomas was no stranger to seeing adults - even kids - with such detrimental injuries. This was familiar territory, but sights like this one simply weren’t something he could get used to.

“Are you friends with Mister K?”

Thomas snapped out of his semi-stunned state, his eyes swiftly trailing away from the arm - or lack thereof - as he didn’t want to stare and possibly upset the girl.

Only now did Thomas take a look at her actual appearance; the golden hair, the shaken glance of her eyes, and the frailty within her moves and posture. He couldn’t help but feel she somewhat resembled his younger sister, which made this all the more unsettling.

"Mister K? Do you mean Director Kinsley? Yes, we're his friends"

Thomas hurriedly peeked to the side as he heard Stella’s familiar voice respond to the girl. The other member of the Shadow team seemed awfully calm, especially when compared to himself. It was a solid reminder that, even though he might struggle, he had an obligation to remain professional. This was his job now, after all.

His valiant plans to stay strong were more easily said than done, however, and Thomas couldn’t really find the courage to speak up. All he managed to add was a quake of nods in an attempt to confirm what Stella had said.

Annabelle’s eyes shifted between the two, a hopeful curiosity glistening in her eyes. “Can you really save my friends?” She’d speak up, her voice hinting of some timidity and uncertainty.

Still not finding that inner flame within himself, Thomas did his best to divert all attention to his teammate, eagerly looking at her in search of a response. Luckily, this mission succeeded.

“Of course! We’re Mr. K’s friends after all, and Mr. K saves people” Stella would say, saving the day for the 2nd time.

Again, Thomas was quick to mindlessly nod along.

One of Annabelle’s eyebrows raised inquisitively as some confusion appeared on her face. Her reaction was possibly caused by distrust, but more likely at the hands of Stella's rather childish way of trying to comfort her. This girl was 14, after all, although Thomas would definitely not come even close to guessing that.

“Uh.. Okay then.” Annabelle replied, her eyes still tracing Thomas and Stella.

Thomas watched as Stella approached the girl, awkwardly pacing left and right as he tried to make up his mind if he would do the same. He chose not to go, instead just remaining standing while observing the situation from a short distance.

“Could you tell us where your friends are? You must be worried sick about them.” Stella would remark, still seeming as calm as usual.

“Well, They’re probably all still under the circus grounds, but some people have disappeared lately.”

Annabelle pushed her hand down on the infirmary bed as she seemingly tried to adjust her position to be more comfortable, discomfort visibly striking the poor girl’s face while she made the move. Thomas’s arms twitched at the sight, shooting forward in a janky manner only to be hesitantly pulled back when he noticed the girl didn’t need his help.

“I am worried sick.” She added just before she managed to readjust her position, some of the pain of the movement seemingly leaking into her voice.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if something happened to them. They don’t even treat us like humans. It’s unbearable.”

The frail escapee released a heartfelt sigh, her expression slowly clouding with a mix of what seemed to be frustration and worry.

“The others are like family to me, but I just couldn’t deal with it anymore, you know? I told a few people I wanted to leave, only to get locked up in a cage underground the very next day.” She would rant on, now talking as if she had never even hesitated to begin with.

“Wait, they told on you?” Thomas would mumble, taking a pause before uttering the word ‘told’ as if it was the worst thing he had ever said. He was still visibly timid, which probably seemed even weirder considering they were speaking to a literal child.

Annabelle seemed to be struck by the question, the aforementioned worry now dominating the frustration as she tilted her head down to the floor.

“I don’t know. I mean, I hope not, but even if someone did, I’m sure they were forced to speak up.” She peeked back up, looking straight at Thomas to see a rather confused glance coming at her in return.

“They’re good people, trust me. They’re the closest I’ve ever had to a family.” Annabelle sneered passionately, a tad of sass escaping to divert Thomas’s questioning face.

Thomas leaned back a little, his cheeks flushing up at the clear misunderstanding. He definitely hadn’t meant to upset her in any way; it was just hard to grasp the situation.

A couple of seconds of awkward silence passed. Luckily, the ever so heroic Stella was there to come to the rescue, again.

“So, uh… You mentioned the underground earlier, right? I know it’s cruel to ask of you to recall that place, but… do you know how to get there?”

“Yeah, I know.” Annabelle’s seemed to relax a little, the more worried state showing her return to the recollection of the circus.

"The entrance is inside the ringleader’s office, but it’s dangerous to go in there. You should be really careful” A strong emphasis was placed on the last two words, her pace slowing down only to further show that this was the important piece of the message.

Finally taking notice of his moment to properly participate in the conversation, Thomas acted fast. In fact, he rushed his thoughts so hard that his body didn’t seem to catch up in time.

“Care-” Thomas abruptly choked up, nervously clearing his throat in a series of raspy coughs.

“Careful of what?” He’d finally finish, swiftly mumbling “Is it the ringleader?” soon after.

Annabelle shook her head in disapproval. The flame of sassy confidence she showed before was now nowhere to be found.

“They have.. There’s- uh” She stammered, rubbing her shoulder lightly and tilting her head back down as she steadily grew more visibly uncomfortable.

Oh no. She wasn’t going to cry, right? What should he do, what should he do, wait, help, wait-

“Hey, it’s okay. You can tell us. We need all the information we can get to help us find your friends.”

Taking a deep breath, Annabelle's eyes swirled back and forth from making eye contact before whirling down to the ground once again.

“They keep two.. tigers there to keep us from escaping. They’ll attack you if you get too close to them. I-" The young girl suddenly came to a standstill, feelings of sorrow mixing into a shaky gaze. A few seconds passed before she spoke, very clearly trying to hold back tears.

"-I learned that the hard way.”

Following her movements, it seemed like Stella at least made an attempt to hide her volatile response.. Meanwhile, Thomas failed miserably at even attempting to mask his shock, freezing up like a deer in headlights.

“Oh, Lord above… That must’ve been a nightmare to live through. I can’t even begin to imagine.”

Thomas caught onto Stella’s look of panic, returning the favour with an equally overwhelmed expression of his own. How was he supposed to react to something like this?

“I’m glad you were able to survive. You’re a bricky little girl.”

The Support Operative watched as Annabelle’s composure changed again, taking to a somewhat more relaxed state. It seemed like Stella really did have a talent for kind words.

“Thanks, I guess.” Annabelle would remark, flashing a fickle smile.

In the seconds of peace that were to pass, Thomas managed to dig deep in his quest to find a proper question to ask. He felt like a detective as he tried to figure out how they could possibly get underground given the fact that, you know, there were two actual tigers casually lurking about.

A flash of genius - or idiocy, rather - appeared, and the brown-haired boy responded accordingly.

“Uhm..” He would utter, announcing his spree of intelligence.

“I’m sorry to ask but, are the tigers ever, maybe, just.. not there?” Thomas would add, his tone eerily serious and composed for a question of such a debatable calibre. It all made sense inside his head though. If the tigers simply weren’t there they wouldn’t have to worry about them, right?

Annabelle smirked at first given the dumb question, only to lift a finger to her chin as a thought rose up in her head. “Well.. They’re around most of the time, but they do have to perform in the show from time to time.”

“Do you know when they perform?” His expression glowed up, seemingly happy to have found an actual source of information that could be of use.

The young girl heaved a shoulder. “I don’t know, but it's not for long.”

The radiant glow swiftly dimmed down to become more gloomy, Thomas’s disdain written all over his face as his only lead failed to come through. Stella, possibly seeing that the conversation was slowing down, butted in.

“How curious. So, about you and the other performers… Were you always kept underground? Do they move you at all?”

The young girl shook her head. “I wasn’t underground at first. They put me there right after they somehow caught me talking about, you know, wanting to leave. Some of the people underground would still perform now and again, but most of them stop after a while.”

Another heavy sigh escaped from Annabelle’s lips.

“I just-”

“I haven’t seen my friends for so long… I don’t even know where they disappear to”

Without warning, Annabelle’s face once again took a turn for the worse, her mask of confidence slipping at the edges. By the time she finished her sentence, her face grew redder, a weird mix of anger and sadness stuck to her. Watching attentively, Thomas gradually radiated more and more worry.

“That Molly Pocket person… she’s evil, I’m telling you! They all are, but I know she’s done something to them! I don’t know what but, it’s, it can’t be- It won’t be-”

Tears started rolling down the fragile girl’s face, her head shamefully tilting away from the two operatives. In a flash of action, Thomas grew active again.

“No no no no no, please don’t cry. Just-” The young unholy hurriedly spurted out, making his way to the other side of Annabelle and taking a seat. He would plant several eerily careful and awkward taps on her back in an attempt to reassure her, uncertain if it was making the situation better or worse.

“Don’t worry about it?! Yeah! You know, we’re actually the best at.. things like this. It’s gonna be reallll easy to get your friends out of there!” Thomas would go on, occasionally glancing over at Stella in a state of panic and faked confidence.

Annabelle, likely struck in awe once again by the overtly childish response of the adults, couldn’t help but chuckle at the absolutely petrified state of the male’s face. Pulling up her nose, she tapped her tears away and made room for a frail smile to appear on her face. Sassiness also surged back to her as she returned the favour of giving Thomas several awkward pats on his back.

Although confused (as always) at first, Thomas quickly came to see the fun in the situation, happily smiling and letting out a chuckle of his own. He definitely deserved this.

“Well, I think we’ve got enough information to go look for your friends now, Annabelle. The rest we’ll find out from our own investigation. You’ve been very brave, though. Rest assured that we will not cease until we complete our mission. You have our promise.” Stella would go on to say, seemingly making an end to the conversation.

“Farewell, for now, Annabelle. Let’s go, Thomas. I believe it’s time.”

“Aww alright then. I guess duty calls.” The brunet would respond, an awfully unusual and exaggerated bravery now to be found in his voice. Only now that he’d actually grown comfortable did they actually have to leave again. The timing sure wasn’t on his side.

Getting up from his position, the young operative stretched his arms a little before looking back at the young girl. His face radiated friendliness and comfort, although he was admittedly sad now that they had to leave.

“Bye-bye, Annabelle,” Thomas remarked, at last, adding a wink at the end. He would hurry after Stella swiftly after.

TAGS: Semi-collaborative post with Agrael9996 ​

 

[Agrael9996]

STELLA DOWELL
~The Infirmary~ ​

Having left the maze with Thomas, Stella saw the banner congratulating them on completing the training. It was easily noticeable how hastily put up it must have been, nevertheless she appreciated the effort. There was genuine pride in Arjun’s eyes as he handed Thomas the pain relieving ointment. It made her feel slightly better and more confident, even if the anxiety of the upcoming mission was difficult to quench completely.​

​

As her companion began to rub the substance into his skin, Stella listened to the older man explaining their next steps. They were about to meet their contact and she didn’t know what to expect. Getting information was an important procedure in a thief’s line of work, so she readied herself mentally. Following Arjun into the infirmary, Stella received some of the leftover ointment from Thomas. She wasn’t hit as hard as he was, but she accepted it anyway, wanting to be in top form when the main event commences.​

​

As they walked, Thomas seemed to have been wondering the same thing as she was; who this associate is. Entering the room, all of Stella’s expectations have been thrown out the window. On the bed was a little girl. It would’ve been a surprising sight on its own, but what multiplied her shock was the stump in place of her arm. Stella must have gasped without even realizing it. This is the person we have to question?​

​

Arjun introduced her as Annabelle. Her figure was so small and so frail, the two Unholies were certain she couldn’t have been older than ten. Having no idea that it wasn’t so, Stella had a feeling she needed to change her approach. The little girl was clearly still shaken about whatever had happened to her, and thus the situation required being delicate. Luckily, the thief liked children, having spent so much time with orphans and kids living in poverty back in the day.​

​

"Are you friends with Mister K?" The child asked meekly, but it was enough to interrupt Stella’s line of thought. She stole a glance who Thomas, who stared at Annabelle’s missing arm rather unsubtly. She couldn’t blame him, though. She was as surprised as he was.​

​

"Mister K? Do you mean Director Kinsley? Yes, we're his friends", Stella responded calmly. She had to be as gentle as possible as to not make Annabelle withdraw further. They needed to show that they’re just your friendly neighbourhood Unholies, meaning no harm to anybody. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Thomas shakily nodding to her words.​

​

Annabelle’s eyes shifted between the two, a hopeful curiosity glistening in her eyes. “Can you really save my friends?” She’d speak up, her voice hinting of some timidity and uncertainty. Having heard her voice more clearly now, Stella was convinced that the girl before her had to be in her pre-teen years. The shaky, high-pitched voice compared with her rather small body had the Unholy thoroughly convinced. She would have never imagined that she was wrong. And so, Stella offered the warmest smile she could possibly muster and replied: Of course! We’re Mr. K’s friends after all, and Mr. K saves people! In a rather overenthusiastic tone of voice. Annabelle seemed rather surprised by this. Perhaps she wasn’t used to being babied like this. Nevertheless, Stella continued with her mother-like approach and slowly approached the girl’s bed, sitting on its edge.​

​

“Could you tell us where your friends are? You must be worried sick about them.” Stella remarked calmly, trying hard to come across as trustworthy.​

​

“Well, They’re probably all still under the circus grounds, but some people have disappeared lately. I am worried sick. It wouldn’t surprise me if something happened to them. They don’t even treat us like humans. It’s unbearable.” Annabelle replied, readjusting her position on the bed. Stella listened carefully, squinting her eyes. A sigh escaped the girl’s lips, as her tone became more agitated and she spoke faster. “The others are like family to me, but I just couldn’t deal with it anymore, you know? I told a few people I wanted to leave, only to get locked up in a cage underground the very next day!”​

​

“Wait, they... told on you?” Thomas asked quietly under his breath, Stella barely having heard him. But she was surprised as well. From her experience in circuses, they were usually tightly-knit communities with everyone looking out for one another. But then she reminded herself that it wasn’t a normal circus they were dealing with; it was sparked with magical abilities and shady dealings, and Stella found herself becoming more and more curious. She looked at Annabelle and anger seemed to have disappeared from her face, now replaced with a grim expression of worry.​

​

“I don’t know. I mean, I hope not, but even if someone did, I’m sure they were forced to speak up,” She said timidly, in return meeting Thomas’s confused gaze. That made the girl feel like she needs to quickly explain herself. “They’re good people, trust me. They’re the closest I’ve ever had to a family.” She added defensively. Stella glanced at Thomas discreetly; it seems he didn’t mean to come across as cynical, judging by his blushing cheeks. An awkward silence arose in the room. It was Stella’s cue to chime in.​

​

“So, uh… You mentioned the underground earlier, right? I know it’s cruel to ask of you to recall that place, but… do you know how to get there?” She asked, trying to build an image of the circus in her head. Annabelle seemed to relax slightly.​

​

“Yeah, I know. The entrance is inside the ringleader’s office, but it’s dangerous to go in there. You should be really careful” She replied, putting a strong emphasis on the last two words. Stella scratched herself on the shoulder, where she had previously been shot with the training bolt. What could that have meant? A trap? Some sort of secret mechanism? Perhaps the trainers knew exactly what they were doing by giving them this sort of training. Nevertheless, if that was the case, Stella was slightly grinning; she loved the thrill of danger on operations such as these, and secret traps would just add to the atmosphere.​

​

“Care-Careful of what? Is it the ringleader?” Thomas asked, interrupting himself with coughs. He definitely wasn’t as thrilled, understandably enough. After all, it would be his first time doing something like this. Annabelle meanwhile began stuttering, unable to answer. She was panicking and Stella’s first instinct was to reassure her.​

​

“Hey, it’s okay. You can tell us. We need all the information we can get to help us find your friends.” She said, and that seemed to do the trick.​

​

“They keep two tigers there to keep us from escaping. They’ll attack you if you get too close to them. I-- I learned that the hard way.” The young girl finally said, her voice giving away how hard she was trying to hold back tears. At first, Stella didn’t understand what that meant. But then she followed Annabelle’s gaze onto the missing arm and the dots connected in her mind. She was mauled by a tiger. The Unholy’s mouth opened wide in shock, but she quickly hid it behind her hand. In her past, Stella witnessed a lot of injuries and death. Missing limbs weren’t new to her. She imagined it must’ve been a terrible feeling. However, she has only ever witnessed clean amputations: people cutting off their body parts because of an infection or because of loss of feeling. This… This must’ve been far from a clean cut.​

​

“Oh, Lord above… That must’ve been a nightmare to live through. I can’t even begin to imagine.” Stella replied, almost automatically. It wasn’t something she expected to witness today, yet here it was. But maybe what the little girl needed wasn’t pity, and so she quickly added: “I’m glad you were able to survive. You’re a bricky little girl.” and was glad to hear the girl’s meek thanks and her fickle smile.​

​

“Uhm…” Thomas muttered suddenly, “I’m sorry to ask but, are the tigers ever, maybe, just.. not there?”​

​

Right. Stella was so preoccupied with what had happened to Annabelle that she forgot that the tigers posed something of a problem for them. Stella had rarely dealt with animals before, and felt like humans were easier to fool. She wasn’t sure if they would be able to bypass them, yet alone fight them if something were to go awry. Annabelle smirked, amused at the way Thomas asked that question.​

​

“Well.. They’re around most of the time, but they do have to perform in the show from time to time.” She said, lifting a finger to her chin in a thoughtful manner.​

​

“Do you know when they perform?” Thomas continued that line of questioning, his expression revealing his pride of having found some useful information.​

​

“I don’t know, but it’s not for long.” was Annabelle’s blunt response. Well, that was shot down quick. Another awkward silence started to creep in, and so Stella took it upon herself to interrupt it.​

​

“How curious. So, about you and the other performers… Were you always kept underground? Do they move you at all?” She asked. She needed to know if the subterranean was their definite target.​

​

The young girl shook her head. “I wasn’t underground at first. They put me there after they somehow caught me talking about, you know, wanting to leave. Some of the people underground would still perform now and again, but most of them stop after a while.”​

​

Another sorrowful sigh.​

​

“I just- I haven’t seen my friends for so long… I don’t even know where they disappear to!” She said, anger returning on her face. Even though she wanted to come across as confident, she was still just a little girl. There wasn’t much she was able to do.​

​

“That Molly Pocket person… she’s evil, I’m telling you! They all are, but I know she’s done something to them! I don’t know what but, it’s, it can’t be- It won’t be-” Tears flew from Annabelle’s face as she spoke, her face painted with shades of red. Thomas tried to reassure her, but Stella noticed the panic in his eyes as he looked at her. Nevertheless, he managed to cheer Annabelle up with a dose of some good old awkwardness. Seeing the scene, Stella rolled her eyes dramatically, feigning annoyance, but she was glad to have gotten any information at all.​

​

“Well, I think we’ve got enough information to go look for your friends now, Annabelle. The rest we’ll find out from our own investigation. You’ve been very brave, though. Rest assured that we will not cease until we complete our mission. You have our promise.” Stella said after a while, having gotten up from the bed and walking up to the door. She cracked her knuckles and looked at Thomas. She had no idea what the future held in store for them, but she was glad to have him as a companion instead of someone like Susan or Virgil. At least, she wouldn’t throw Thomas to the wolves if something unexpected would’ve happened. That’s something, right?​

​

“Farewell for now, Annabelle”, Stella said, looking back at her. She was determined to find her friends and fix the injustice that had fallen upon her. “Let’s go, Thomas. I believe it’s time.”​

​

Thomas said his goodbyes as well and they left the infirmary simultaneously.​

​

​

​

 

[draconicheart]

Being suddenly yanked from the sheer embarrassment of her earlier Freudian slip to Virgil's scathing remarks burying into her like a thorn gave her a hell of a case of emotional whiplash. Katharine's face, mostly covered by her hands, drained of its blush and quickly resumed a normal color. Her eyes, screwed shut as if to run from her mistakes, opened and fixed on a blank spot in the air. She stood for but a moment like that, simply processing the insult hurled at her.

Turn into something you'd have more in common with. Anger settled in her bones gradually, like a chill on a particularly breezy day. She had known Virgil to be a callous man, but deliberately or not he had stepped on a rather sore spot. Katharine isn't quite fond of the power she has; not one to flaunt her insecurities, it's likely only Jasper might have an inkling at this issue that wears on her daily. While she was never the "lady-like" sort, still the fact that she can turn into animals, of all things, is something so... uncouth - even by her standards.

Instinctively she took several steps forward, finger pointing accusingly at Virgil - but words could not find her. She opened her mouth to begin a retort, only to close it momentarily afterwards. She repeated this action a few more times, only really managing to stutter out a single syllable before cutting herself off. Sure, she could quip back and forth with Araki or anyone else, but here is something that truly bothered her, twisting its knife into her gut and seeping its venom into her veins - oh, how this will live inside of her, festering, for quite some time...

Clearly not one to indulge, Virgil had turned his back on her and began to walk off. Almost as an afterthought, he added: "Better yet, save your energy Alice, as if vermin would have anything useful to say."

Vermin...! Once more a fire flickered behind her eyes, and she opened her mouth to retort, one last chance to get in any sort of insult to reclaim some semblance of dignity -
"Oi you lot! Get your butts to the main tent for rehearsals!"

Oh. Right. The four of them began to make their way to the arena, bad mood palpable. Part of Katharine mused at how strange it is to have such an argument at a circus, of all places. Despite her earlier fantasies in creating this persona for her to embody in this spy-adventure - someone who was happy-go-lucky, partially so she could bury her own nervousness - her sullen disposition was rather overt as rehearsal time drew near.

 

[Kimby]

Time Skip
6:30 pm ​

Investor Team

Spoiler

Both carriages arrive one after another as a click in your minds indicates that you're telepathically connected to one another and the Performance team. A man in a dark tailored suit with blonde hair greased back is awaiting you near the ticketing booths where the crowd of people seeing the show is slowly filling in. "Ah, you must be our new potential investors. Welcome to the Noctis Stella Circus. I'm Harold Griffith." He eyes the bags both groups are carrying and a look of excitement flashes across his face. "Ah yes, I see you have followed my directions. Allow me to show you around." He waves you all along around the area, a quick glimpse of the surrounding tents but you only head into the main tent. He shows you backstage where "all" the performers are,

"These are our wonderful stars! You will see soon when the show starts what you've come here to buy." You see that all of the performance team is there along with three others. A much lower number of performers than originally hinted at.
He claps one of the members on the back, "Why don't you give them a little preview." he smiles eagerly.

Performance Team

Spoiler

After an uneventful rehearsal, you all have been hanging out backstage getting any final touches done. For some that may be adding on extra costume pieces or getting makeup put on. For those that agreed to have a telepathic link earlier, you notice Henry's voice spring into your heads.
"Testing, testing… performance team are you there?"
After getting any response back he tells you that the investment team has arrived and to act accordingly.
A few moments later a group of 5 comes backstage. You recognize 4 of them as Eve, Henry, Gwen, and Lady Churchill in their disguises. The 5th member you don't recognize but from the files you've read must the financial guy the investor team is meeting up with.

While he is introducing you all to the investor group he comes up to one of you and claps you on the back while staring right into your eyes, giving off a more ominous feeling. "Why don't you give them a little preview." He says while smiling eagerly back at the investor team.

Shadow Team

Spoiler

You are the last team to arrive on the circus grounds along with the normal crowd coming to see the show. Arjun teleports you just outside from the main entrance and wishes you the best of luck as he will be monitoring every team. As soon as you are in the vicinity, the telepathic link automatically connects in both your minds. The feeling can be a bit jarring as if hearing a click go on in your head. Henry's voice confirms this asking what you two plan to do.

You have some options that the agency has recommended you to do. Given your attire, it is easy for the two of you to blend in with both the crowd and the East Enders helping out the circus. The show won't start for another 30 minutes so it will be ample time to roam without much suspicion but certain members of the circus are still out and about.

Option 1: Follow the crowd through the front

Option 2: Sneak around the back and join the circus crew that's helping around the grounds.

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Upon sneaking around the back and blending in with the working circus crew, you find that that there is an air of haste as boxes and equipment are being moved around. It is possibly the best time to be sneaking around as everyone is too busy with their own tasks.

From one of the main tents a tall, colorful, and eccentric-looking man steps out. His beard is unusually stylized as he twiddles it with his hand. His other carries a cane with a bright red gemstone at the end. He walks among the crew waving the cane as if making sure everything is running smoothly and hardly notices you two. As if things couldn't get weirder about him, a small chimpanzee hops from out of the tent and onto his shoulder, mimicking his hand movements.

From here, you're free to explore and converse to whomever you think will be necessary in your mission. Remember that your main objective is to locate the missing performers and inform the others.

draconicheart redroseknight Agrael9996 s e v e n ThatGuyWithSouvlaki lion. Danidify

 

[s e v e n]

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Jasper Swann

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There was nothing more surprising to him than a sudden speaking voice in his head that does not belong to him. Sure, if one were to speak of technicalities, perhaps the idea that Katherine Keatings announcing her pregnancy would have been much more baffling so, yet telepathy was something he had not gotten used to until then. Being called crazy nearly half his life had given him a different definition of madness, yet truly in the end, normalcy is no more than a name given by gutless cowards to define the tame majority.

Jasper had nearly dropped the brush in his hand as he flinched, the chair behind him toppling back and in that moment he was glad that it was not him that did. He then nodded, to thin air as everyone else had seen him. At least he had not replied to the voice outloud. He had then listened intently, holding himself back not to make another nod. The brunette, now blonde, found himself unable to split his focus. After all, the instructions must be heard perfectly clear, lest a mistake be made. At one point he even nudged Katherine at his side with his elbow, almost out of instinct rather than him seeing that she was not paying attention.

Moments later, the investor team had arrived. Among them were familiar faces, though one he had not noticed at all. The extra man they told of him perhaps, though let it be known that Jasper had not the best of facial recognition in the first place. He tried his best to avert his gaze from Eve, and some of the women whom he vaguely recognized. Upon being told to give a demonstration, Jasper blinked, and quickly glanced over his peers. Technically he should only showcase his abilities to one person, which makes the job much easier as he could focus all his might to produce the most spectacular of illusions. It was not as though they knew of this limitations, hopefully his company would catch on his plans.

Figuring that the others were as reluctant as he to go first, he sighed and stepped forward.nSmiling, Jasper undid his gloves, his eyes locked into the stray investor's. "My good sir, would you be so kind to give me your hands- bare hands, I meant- to me? I am called Alex-"

Darn, he forgot his own last name!

"...Just Alex. And I promise you that this would not hurt a bit."

There goes the confidence he had so difficultly gathered. Still, he does not allow himself to falter even so, and his slight waver of persona had not been seen far outside of his own thought. His fingers hovered over the skin of the male, and closing his eyes for a bit, he took a deep breath. "Within the next few seconds, I ask you to not remove your eye contact from me. Starting from-"

Now. The lights had not flickered, and there was not a moment to assess the sudden change. When his eyes reopened, they were of nrignt golden orbs, floating beneath a pool of empty darkness. The fabrics of reality itself has been torn apart, a silent shatter of a broken wine glass, shredded into bits of illusions where nothing and everything is real. Time, however, certainly felt not.

From the very distant was Pluto, seeming not much more than a floating dot in the darkness. Then Neptune. Uranus. All so forth till in the very middle hung a grand ball of light: the Sun itself. Stars flickered amongst them, as though a giant veil pricked in multitude of needles, comets, moons. What had once been a void now filled in things so vibrant one could only dream to experience. A flying comet crossed just over their heads, flames trickling and licking by its rear. They were in space- though little did they know that they were in Jasper's perception of the solar system.

And then they were back.

The room greeted them back with their warmth, curious eyes wide and staring, some mouths left hanging ajar. Jasper stumbled backwards, one arm to his chest, yet a smile on his face was permanent. At least within that day, he had something he could be proud of.

mood: confident | location: backstage | tags: performance/investor team

code: s e v e n

 

[Kimby]

Backstage
❛ interact: draconicheart s e v e n lion.
mention: ThatGuyWithSouvlaki redroseknight ❜

✦ Virgil Spencer ✦

Virgil was being forced to sit through makeup ever since that Molly woman had made a comment of how dull his appearance was compared to his performance during rehearsals. He dared not to look in the mirror while one of the circus hands painted his face in white and gold. Another took to taping down colorful bird feathers to his hair.

Virgil made use of the telepathic channel to comment, "One word of this and you all will regret it." His gaze was mainly focused on Kat and Arjun, as he had no doubt how much of this was entertaining to them.

The movements of the backstage curtains caught his eye as the investment team walked in with a man he hadn't seen around before. The way he was dressed set him apart from the circus, aside from the greasy face and hair. The way he arranged his wording towards the investors was not unlike the upstarts trying to kiss ass with his father. This man was definitely a people pleaser and only had his eyes on profits. Virgil remembered seeing a financer as being one of the circus staff to look out for in the file. The day's distractions have made the financer's name slip Virgil's mind, unfortunately. Something Virgil has noted for himself to improve on later.

He tried to make sure not to give away any hints that he had any familiarity with anyone on the team. Even to go as far as playing dumb when the financer was introducing everyone. Virgil caught the look on the financer when asking one of them to show off their ability. It was clear that he was demanding them and not asking politely. The sudden personality shift this guy was pulling in front of "investors" told Virgil that this man knew what was going on behind the red curtain.

Virgil was slightly curious about seeing Jasper's ability in person. After all, the only illusions that Virgil was familiar with were the cheap tricks being used to entertain and trick the gullible. But as soon as the other displayed his ability, Virgil stared in awe as Jasper had filled the room with out worldly wonder. His heart and head felt heavy as the existence of man felt like an ant compared to the illusion of something greater. The two circus hands working on his face and hair had dropped everything they were holding, letting the brushes and feathers fall near his feet. Once the spectacle vanished, Virgil was one of the first to snap back into reality. He stood from his seat and placed himself between Jasper and the financer.

"Don't want to spoil too much now. We performers better finish looking good for the show." Virgil's voice wavered as he had not quite locked down that East End accent.

code by fudgecakez

 

[ThatGuyWithSouvlaki]

Finally, they seemed to arrive at the circus after a long uncomfortable and boring journey. Susan sighed wishing she had flown here instead, still she had worked to do, and she would do it to her all. Just had to hope that Gwen follows her end of the bargain. She waited for the driver to open the carriage, and she stepped out with a fan in her hand waiving it at her face. Her expression even her entire manner had changed, the stern straight backed and proudful manner had changed to a softer more casual demeanour with a smile that was soft, kind and excited. Though just a change in her manner she seemed like totally different person.

"Thank for your warm welcome, Mr Griffith." She said when the owner greeted them with clear glint in his eyes upon sight about their wealth. She inwardly groaned as she suspected the next hour or so of either tiresome ass kissing or attempted con or both and not able to call out either or both. She hoped the others really appreciated her works. "I look forward to seeing what you have to offer. I had always enjoyed such worthy shows, a reveal of rare talents and items and creatures of worlds within our empire. I wonder if you can supply such worthy shows for my funds. Either way i believe we will have some fun."

She followed the owner with the others to the main tent, she casually looked around though her eyes scanned every detail she could get. Though she knew there was likely nothing out of the open that would be suspicious, getting a good lay of the land was important. She looked over at Gwen hoping she was doing the same or at least something else useful elsewhere. Soon they entered the main tent and were introduced to the performers, she greeted each kindly with nod of her head not show any recognition when seeing Jasper and the other performer. "My good Mr Griffith. I believe you are holding out on us. There are fewer performers than you described." She commented as a matter of fact leaving it ambiguous on how she felt about it. She wanted to see if it would make him sweat a little and how desperate she was for her contributions.

Once introduction was made performances began with Jasper starting them off. She had to admit it was an impressive showing, and she made sure to look at awe and what Jasper was capable of. She was almost disappointed when Virgil cut the performance off. "My, my we are off to an incredible start Mr Griffith." She said clapping loudly at the performance. "Did not realize they were such teasers too."