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 Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 6:01 pm
Minnie left them once they started down the path she had her own preparations to make. Kari really was a nice girl, hopefully she wouldn't break Whitman's heart in the end. Especially since he seemed to care for her and the little girl so much.
Whitman pulled on his gloves and examined himself in the mirror. Tonight of all nights he had to do it all perfectly. Kari was here and he was hoping to impress, if only just a little bit. He looked down at his clothes, the same black and whites as before just with a different mask and a few other small additions.
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Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 6:07 pm
After a good-bye to Minnie, Kari herded Evie down the path. Really, it was more like being led. Evie, in her enthusiasm, had quite a bit of strength for such a small child.
Once they reached the bleachers, it didn't take long for Kari to find their seats. It took her quite a bit longer to convince Evie to actually sit in a seat, though. The child wanted to go and see Whitman and the 'furries' immediately, and Kari had to take a few minutes to patiently explain that she had to wait. Eventually, Evie got the idea and sat in the seat beside her mother, wriggling around a bit.
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Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 7:29 pm
The circus was as, or possibly more, extravagent than someone would expect for one of it's size. There were a fair amount of animals which would delight Evie, mostly exotic felines, birds and bears. There were clowns, jugglers and dancers to top it off.
Whitman waited just outside the act entrance, mask pulled down nervously rolling an unlit torch between his hands. He scanned the crowd absently, not sure where Kari and Evie would be seated. Someone clapped him on the shoulder and he nearly jumped out of his skin.
Jackson laughed at him. "You of all people getting stage fright."
"Shut up."
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Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 8:11 pm
If the owl had subdued Evie's usual exuberance, the parade of animals in the circus completely struck the little girl dumb. The clowns and jugglers made her giggle to no end, and Kari was surprised to find that she was enjoying herself. It was all rather amusing, and Evie's unceasing laughter was infectious. The sight of 'furries', however, merely made Kari grin, as Evie's laughter ceased while the little girl's jaw hung open as she stared.
During a short break between acts, Evie tugged gently on her mother's arm. "Mama, is Whi'm'n gonna c'mout?" she asked, her eyes wide and hopeful.
Kari nodded. "Yeah, Evie, he will. We'll just wait and watch, okay?"
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Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 8:30 pm
The lights in the main tent dimmed and Whitman tried to ignore Jackson's taunting as he lit the torches in his hands. Despite what the other said, he did have stage fright to a degree. The blacklights clicked on, causing other parts of the performers clothing to light in different colors.
Other perfomers retrieved other blacklight colored balls, hoops and items as they made their way out into the tent. Well, time to impress.
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Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 8:35 pm
Evie gave a quiet squeak as the lights dimmed and held on tight to Kari's arm, twining her tails around themselves. "Mama, where'd th' lights go?" she whispered, huddling in close to her mother's side. Her fears were allayed a moment later at Kari's soft chuckle when blacklights turned on. Now able to pick out details, Evie perked up considerably.
Pressing an affectionate kiss to her daughter's temple, Kari smiled, turning to look down at the performers.
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Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 8:41 pm
The perfomers were all masked, so even in the dim light Evie and Kari would have a problem distinguishing one from the other. They began their dances and pattern juggling. For a time Whitman was pattern juggling, occassionaly catching and bringing in other blacklit objects before tossing some of to the next person.
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Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 8:45 pm
The sheer enormity of it all nearly overwhelmed Evie, and she simply bounced a tiny bit in her seat, watching the juggled objects flying all over in an organized pattern. Her eyes tried to follow them all at once, and Kari wasn't surprised to find the little girl cross-eyed more than once.
The Ancient gave a soft chuckle, entranced by the sight as well. Gods, what had she been missing before, never going to the circus? She tried to figure out if Whitman was amongst the masked performers, but even her eyes weren't good enough to pick him out, no matter how hard she tried.
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Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 9:12 pm
This would go on for a little while, until the lights went up again then the blacklit items were discarded and they moved onto more dangerous and some larger objects. A few, Whitman included, moved toward the ladders that went up to trapeze platforms overhead.
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Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 9:21 pm
Evie didn't notice the lights coming back on for a bit, not until she felt her mother stiffen beside her. She looked up at Kari. "Mama?" she whispered quietly.
Kari watched a few of the performers head up toward the trapeze platforms. Her deep, inbred cautious attitude toward heights made all her nerves go on edge. She managed a smile for Evie. "Nothing, sweetheart. Go ahead and watch." Whitman wouldn't be up there, would he?
No, no, he wouldn't risk his neck like that.
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Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 9:39 pm
Whitman sped up the ladder, reaching the platform in almost record time. The safety net had been set up while the lights had been out, so everything was ready.
Now it was time for them to show off a bit more. He removed his mask, shirt and gloves. He and one other on the opposite platform grabbed a bar and swung down.
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Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 10:07 pm
Now that the lights were out and the masks were off, Kari's eyes had no trouble in telling her what idiot in particular it was up. She inhaled sharply and then forced herself to relax before Evie could sense what was wrong.
Whitman....
While her mother was torn between admiration and horror, Evie was completely enthralled, not realizing it was Whitman up on the high platform.
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Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 10:12 pm
Whitman was completely focused on his task, despite the lurking mental distractions. If he didn't focus he'd get hurt and what good would he be to anyone hurt? He swung around the trapeze bar a few times, doing a few tricks himself before letting go and flipping to catch his partner's waiting arms.
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Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 10:30 pm
As much as Kari wanted to close her eyes and not watch him risk his neck, she couldn't help but keep her eyes open and watch in horror and fascination. She cringed as he let go and flipped over. Gods, she was going to yell at him for this.
Evie just watched in admiring silence, her eyes wide as the performers swung back and forth, oohing appropriately as Whitman performed his trick. She sat up striaght and grabbed her mother's arm, bouncing lightly in her seat.
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Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2007 10:25 pm
Whitman caught his partner's forearms and let himself be swung back and forth for a few cycles to get the momentum complete the short routine. On the last swing he threw himself upward, letting go of the others arms and did a few rather showy (and very risky) tumbles in the air before dropping into the waiting net.
As he made his way off the net he searched the crowd for Kari and Evie, which only took a moment or two since he didn't have another task to concentrate on. Evie was grinning and practically bouncing in her seat, but Kari looked almost....afraid. The carnie grinned and waved, but there was no guarantee that they saw him.
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