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 Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2007 4:19 pm
___Hazina gently turned her face to the ever-changing sky. She could swear there was something different about the sky here. Sometimes it felt like the clouds weren't moving at all, in this strange place she now called home. She hummed a tribal tune, swaying her head to a beat that had existed so long ago. Hazina remembered it so vividly. Brown leathered hands beating upon their own laps, and voices shouting, singing in unison. The competition between the genders, ages, aching for their voices to climb higher than the other's. She never could sing.
___Lost in her own memories, she daydreamed, carrying large planks and a bucket of nails towards the demanded destination. She had been given a simple task, mend a hole in one of the cages. Hazina crouched, eying the piece she was about to commit to. What made her uneasy, was that the animal had not yet vacated the cage in an attempt to escape. She touched the bars, if she had the chance to run from such a small space, she would've indeed. When inquiring which animal she'd be facing, Hazina never did get an answer. Lifting the weighted mallet, she began to work upon the cage. It first crossed her mind to try small taps, to avoid agitating the animal, but then she'd never get the job done and she'd be stuck there even longer with a hole large enough for her body to be dragged in. The efficient rapping of wood upon the small metal spike began to echo across the yard.
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Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2007 10:35 pm
Lord, was it hot. It seemed as though it was hot where ever Cirque ended up. Heat always made Grete a little uneasy. That, and just hot. Already having pinned her hair back into a messy bun, and having collected papers to fan herself with, she couldn't really think of anything else to do to keep herself cool. Except...ah. That was an idea. A good idea, too.
Surely, no one would be practicing anything at all today. It seemed as though the whole circus had the day off, or at least something to that degree. So, it was probable that Grete could sneak into the pools for the aquatic acts, right? And, worst case scenario, there was a pond nearby, correct? Swimming with fishes wasn't something that she would look forward to, but it would have to do if she got caught in the pools.
Rushing back into her trailer to change into that bathing suit she had picked up in some random city that Cirque stopped by, and then grabbing a towel, she couldn't contain herself at just how good of an idea this was. When she stepped out of her trailer, she frowned and tugged awkwardly at the swim-top. It was certainly much different than what was the norm where she came from. Hell, people rarely ever swam where she came from. This was a little more on the revealing side. Ah, well. It wasn't something she was going to lose sleep over. Besides, if she felt self-conscious, she did have a towel.
On her way to the pools, she saw that there was, in fact, one person who was busy doing something today. Huh. Smiling at the girl, Grete waved, and kept walking by. Suddenly realizing that something was amiss, she raised an eyebrow, and walked back to where she had seen the new girl.
"Should you be doing that with the inhabitant of that cage still in there?" she asked, a bemused smile across her face.
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Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 3:02 am
___Slightly startled, Hazina looked up at the paler woman. For a moment she felt her face react to her panicked heart, the towering figure was very similar to that angry woman who screamed the English at her. Quietly she lifted her finger to her lips and motioned to the inside of the cage.
___"Not give action, to remove beast." Hazina wet her lips and shrugged. "Could be bad, could not. I only do what is told. Questioning-" she paused and jerked her thumb across her neck, "-not good either." She was still acting the way she had for years, housed in the male-dominant world of the old-world India. You did what you were told, plain as that. Though the Fakir were generous in taking in a girl, mostly for their own amusement, she still was required to act like she was not an equal. They were not the kind sort, who felt all was one.
___Noticing the woman's oufit, Hazina felt a slight tug in her eyes as she casually glanced at the form. Beautiful, pale creamy skin, luxurious curls of rich brown. The corners of her eyes turned up as she lowered her eyelashes to the ground, remembering one of her past lovers fondly. This girl, no, woman, was dressed oddly. Of course who was Hazina to complain in an eccentric group as this.
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Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 6:09 pm
Throwing the towel over her shoulder, Grete frowned, and gave the new girl a concerned look. She didn't really think that the people at Cirque would kill her for trying to take the animal out of the cage, did she? Or, maybe she just meant she thought she would be fired. Grete hoped that she had implied the latter, and shook her head slightly.
"You know," Grete whispered, as she had been told to be quiet, "I'm sure Cirque would value having you alive much more than having that cage fixed up. Besides, the old thing'll probably need to be repaired again after a few months anyway. They always do."
Once more, Grete was bothered by the last thing that was said. Did she really mean being fired, like Grete had convinced herself was what the new woman had meant? Hopefully, she had correctly understood what was said. She would feel dreadfully stupid if she hadn't, but she tried her best, and at the same time, she wanted to make sure that the new girl didn't think she would get killed for asking questions. She remembered back to a couple years earlier, when a young girl came to Cirque, and her English was so broken that no one could understand her, except the one other person that spoke her language. Granted, the girl wasn't at Cirque anymore, and this woman was understandable, but, still.
The woman's use of the English language was actually quite good except for the occasional hiccup, from what Grete could tell. Confident that Grete was correct in thinking that she had meant being fired, Grete didn't let these doubts get to her.
"I'm just afraid that it might not be safe for you to do that job right now. I'd hate for you to get hurt," she added softly. Hearing that someone had been eaten alive was never a good thing, and it was even worse if it was because they had been given a stupid job. "Are you positive that whoever gave you the job didn't say they were going to clear the animal out of this cage?"
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Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 4:56 pm
___Hazina paused, her mind halfway between wanting to find out what exactly was in the cage, and answering the woman. Concentrating on two things in two different languages was very hard for her, being no where near fluent in any of the tongues she knew. She tapped the mallet on the cage thoughtfully, preparing to answer. Finally, she shook her head, feeling a bit sheepish for running off after receiving the order. Usually commands were given in once sentence, you didn't dawdle after getting them either. She hadn't realized that here, people may not be as strict as that. A higher-up having an afterthought in regard to a lower person's safety? This was an amazing place.
___"You are higher than me, yes?" Hazina tried to poorly weasel a command out of her. Obviously if this person of more authority commanded the removal of the animal, she wouldn't get into any trouble whether for disobeying or contracting a serious wound.
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Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2007 9:08 pm
Giving a slight inclination of her head, Grete smiled kindly at the girl. Hopefully, she would understand and not do the work right now. Grete really didn't want to have to deal with an animal-related death. Those were never pleasant.
"Yes, I am, I suppose," Grete said, hoping she understood the question that had been asked. "I've been here for a few years, and I can mentor and..." As Grete began to ramble, she wondered whether or not any of this was making sense to this girl. Even if it did, this was quite a bit of information to fling at her all at once, so Grete allowed her words to trail off and she shut her mouth. "Yes, I am," she simply stated again.
Walking towards the girl, Grete gave her another smile and gently took the mallet out of her hands. That way, she couldn't protest. Oh, how sly Grete was.
"Really. I don't want you working on this until someone clears out the animals. And if they expected you to do the work with them in there, then that was foolish," Extending her hand towards the new girl she added, "I'm Grete. Nice to meet you"
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Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2007 6:24 am
___Hazina was pleased, either this girl was smart enough to catch on or she was just plain nice. Woman, she corrected herself. The Masai motioned briefly at herself before saying, "Hazina." She stood and bowed shortly, before hurrying to the other side and grasping the halter at the door. She hoped whatever she may have to put the halter on did not have big teeth or claws. Slowly, she peeked inside the door and the weathered hinges creaked open. Hazina found herself wishing for a light of some sort, but if she dropped it the entire place could go up in flames, with her in it! Blindly she stepped in and prepared herself for what she predicted would be a fairly brutal task. Remembering at the last moment to close the door, she took a deep breath to stand her ground. At least if it made a meal of her, it would not get out to make a meal of anyone else (well, unless the hole wasn't fixed)!
___She felt something grab at her, and closed her eyes tightly as if to try and smother a cry with them. Hazina waited, and thought, take me now! Let me feel no pain! But, nothing happened. It just kept grabbing at her. Severely bemused she stepped into the light pouring through a side of the cage, and her attacker followed suit. She flushed, her humiliation complete. It was nothing but a baby elephant with rather large ears. She felt the adrenaline ebb away, and she slumped down into what she hoped was clean hay. Glaring at the elephant, it happily continued to harass and molest her face and neck with its trunk. She batted the appendage away and sulked, before climbing out through the hole she was supposed to repair to the woman. Hazina realized she still had the halter and it crossed her mind to try and impress her with a dangerous animal, but then realized the truth would be found easily, and wasn't her pride hurt enough?
___She motioned at the cage with the hand holding the lead, and opened her mouth, "I ..." Hazina shook her head, and gave a crooked smile. "I ... was ... ov-er-ac-t." She tried to sound the word but only got part of it out. Well, at least she had faced the music, or so she convinced herself. She let out a humbled laugh and took the mallet back. "I fix, now." She grinned, mostly at herself.
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Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2007 9:36 am
It was only an elephant. Oh. Now the entire situation made Grete seem a little silly. Though, she supposed really, the entire situation was kind of silly. Smiling, she shook her hand and watched as Hazina climbed out of the cage. When Hazina told Grete of her plan to go back to work, Grete was torn. Even if it was just a baby elephant, there still could be some complications with working there, no? Though Hazina did seem awfully intent on getting the job done. Exhaling a long sigh, Grete allowed her to take the mallet back, and then she daintily sat down on a patch of grass that was only a couple feet away. That way, Grete thought, she could supervise. In case anything went wrong.
The pool could wait.
"So, why are you so determined to get this work done?" Grete asked, fanning herself from the heat and stretching her legs as she sat, "Most new people just slack off until they have to do the work. Hell, I did. Of course, I'm not as unreliable as that anymore, but..." She trailed off. She was rambling again, and she needed to stop.
"Right. Um. Is there anything I can help you with?"
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Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2007 10:03 am
___Hazina cooed at the elephant, allowing it to entertain itself with her presence. Reaching into her pocket she withdrew a small almost withered berry, and tossed it at the elephant to eat. Quickly placing the boards up and hammering away, she watched the Marula berry take effect. Laughing, she jerked her thumb at it.
___"Marula. Ol-káncáói - elephant́, they love the taste." She flicked her fingers near her mouth to illustrate an explosion of flavour, and chuckled. How long had it been since she'd watched an elephant become drunk off the fermented berries? Her eyes narrowed as she went from happily remembering a childhood delight, to remembering just how long ago it truly was.
___"If I not work, the men, they will beat me." She said firmly, making it clear to this paler woman that she understood her place in the world. She was dark-skinned, and a woman, she had only the place of entertainment and labor in the world.
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Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2007 3:15 pm
Happily watching the little elephant and Hazina, Grete smiled. She'd have to remember that the elephants liked those berries. Of course, it was long since Grete had actually had to do any work around the animals, but still. Perhaps if she was ever just out to see them... Well, that seemed a little unlikely, too, but she was determined to try and feed the elephants at some point now.
When Hazina told Grete why she was working, Grete's eyes widened. She opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it again. What had been said wasn't a topic that made Grete particularly comfortable, and at first, she wasn't sure what to say in response to that. Grete just shook her head as she stared at Hazina.
"No," she said, trying to think of what the best way to tell Hazina that that wouldn't happen would be, "No, you won't get beaten for not doing your work. Not here. Will you trust me on this?"
Grete felt strange as she acted almost like a mother-hen in this situation. That just wasn't her. But she felt like it was necessary she acted that way right now. She felt as though someone had to reassure Hazina that Cirque wasn't as bad as she seemed to think it was. And at the moment, that someone was her.
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Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2007 9:33 pm
___She listened closely, and bit her lip as she tried to understand what Grete meant. After failing to understand she drew the only conclusion she could think to imagine, and whispered hoarsely, "They rape, instead?"
___Memories of being tossed around as a toy in her first home after the unfortunate rebirth, caused her to shrink slightly. Hazina did not want that to happen, ever again, and her eyes misted slightly, remembering hard images. This woman seemed so nice, and not just the kind of nice that would draw her suspicion. It almost made Hazina's heart ache. Not wanting to dwell on what had been brought to light, she finished hammering and said cheerfully, "If do, my hope is you." She grinned mischievously, tossing a joke in the air to evaporate any of the bad spirits she may have attracted with her negative thinking.
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Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2007 1:41 pm
When she was quite positive that her face must've contorted into and expression that was both a mix of surprise and horror, Grete cleared her throat and did her best to put a regular expression back on her face. But seriously. Rape? Where did this girl think she was?
Waving her hands in front of her and shaking her head madly, Grete instantly tried to clear up that misconception. "No no no no. Nothing like that," Shrugging, Grete tried to find something to say to make Hazina feel better, "If you don't do your work, they might fire you, but aside from that, erm..."
Alright, so reassuring someone by the possibility of getting fired wasn't exactly the right move to make, but at least it wasn't as bad as it could've been. Raising her eyebrow when she realized just what Hazina meant by "If do, my hope is you," Grete prayed that she hadn't had another surprised expression come across her face. How does one respond to that? Grete wasn't sure, so she just decided to politely smile, and change the subject.
"So...er," Grete couldn't think of anything to change the subject with, "Have you...uh. Well. Let's see. Are you done with all of your work for now? I'd suggest you get inside and cool off, it's much too hot to be out and busy."
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Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2007 3:12 pm
___"Fire." Hazina repeated the word, a confused look spreading across her face. She ran that word through her head over and over. What did it mean again? After moments of thinking she recognized it and then sank into deeper contemplation. They would set her on fire? Hazina stayed for a pregnant moment in that crouched position, focusing on the nail by her hand. English words can mean so many things, and this woman was so nice, there was no way they'd actually burn someone. Hazina leaned her head on the wood and mulled. She'd heard an English-speaking person say that once. Screaming, with a red face, pointing at the door, at no one she knew personally but it still was pretty horrible. That person never came back to work there but ...
___Hazina's eyes popped open. Fired! It was so simple! She chuckled and mentally patted herself on the back. Another English word solved! The Masai girl felt quite proud.
___"After." She pointed at the hole she was almost done fixing and smiled. "Then, ask for more." Hazina lowered her eyes, if she was distracted any more by this pretty woman she would never get her work done.
___"I sorry ... But. Must finish." Hazina bowed her head quickly, and submissively. "Lovely meet? Perhaps dinner." She winked, before turning back to her assignment and absorbing herself into it.
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