Gerald shakes his head. "We were doing the tiger show under the Big Top, along with an audience a couple hundred people! We had to stop the tiger act, and get the Trapizis flying in the air." He looks to Berthold. "I don't like that we left Jackie alone with Tio and Tiara. I better get back there."
Berthold nods consent. "Go. The last thing we need is a tiger mauling someone. The townies would tear our poor beasts apart!"
While Gerald runs back to the Big Tent to check on his precious tigers, Master of Beasts Berthold examines the lock scratches that Stali had pointed out.
He looks both baffled and furious. "What kind of a sick mind lets a wild creature loose on the Midway? Do you think it was a prank? Kids on a dare, maybe?"
|
Shaking his head, Stali replies "I fear that kid's on a dare don't generally know how to do something like this, nor would they have the correct tools. If you have another, I would suggest replacing this lock."
Nodding towards Gallako, he adds "We know that they had to prod the creature to make it leave the cage. Sorry, but this was no prank or accident."
Meanwhile, Andrietta makes it back to the Sphinx cage to find Jerizhana pacing back and forth, furiously. "Is anyone on the Midway hurt? Do you know what happened?"
|
"Someone apparently broke the cage open and encouraged the monitor lizard to leave. No one is hurt.
Please realize by telling me that I have to confront the Beast Handler and his assistant.
The path to misdeeds and ill-fortune is started with deception, and it's best to nip that in the bud before it settles in for a deeper rot.
Are YOU hurt? It would have been a perfect opportunity for someone to attempt to abduct you."
The grandmother's tone fluctuates from complete action, to sobriety, to motherly concern as she speaks with the sphinx.
"Confront them over what? Not leaving a guard?" Then Jherizhana's brows furrow at the word, 'deception.' "Oh. That."
She pauses a moment, her voice soft. "We're carnies, Andrietta. We fill the air with glitter and stories and joy. People want to see a baby dragon, and so they do. When I first saw it, I laughed. I knew exactly what it was... a lizard, and not a very bright one. And thank goodness. Who'd want to raise a baby dragon, a sentient creature, in a cage? What a tragedy that would be." She smiles, sadly. "But we don't need a real baby dragon. Just the idea of one."
She shakes her head. "You are a good person, Andrietta. I can tell from how you care for your flock. But your ways are not ours. Please... don't judge us too harshly." She sits, soberly, watching the elderly tengu.
"But it was kind of you to worry over me." The sphinx looks towards the tent door. "You say no one was hurt? Maybe someday they'll tell stories of this moment, and the grandmother and her flock who faced down the dragon of the midway."
Meanwhile Berthold sits down, heavily. "If you weren't here... I and my people owe you a big debt. Baby could have really hurt someone, or gotten hurt--"
The panotti wraps his ears tightly around himself, looking more and more miserable by the second.
Berthold looks up at you. "How can I repay you? Can I give you money? Get you free tickets to everything at the circus? Buy you dinner or dessert?"
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
With the privacy of the sphinx's tent and the moment alone, Andrietta lays out the argument for discussion with the Beast Handler and Assistant.
"Carnies or not, what will happen to your family if someone who picks up on this starts spreading word? What will happen to the honor and reputation of your shows?
No one will want you to enter their villages, nor their cities nor their towns because they'll think you're lying, cheating, evil scum that want nothing more than to wait to murder them in their sleep and/or rob them blind."
The paladin pauses, letting out a slow breath and her shoulders slump a little bit as she glances to the entrance to the tent.
"How do I know this? Because tengu get that treatment ALL THE TIME. We're considered shifty, untrustworthy, and ready to shift allegiances on the drop of a coin. Just because our flock is better than that doesn't change the general perception of our people.
We've already run into some people attempting to sway the locals in that direction, and that's not good for your family, our family, or the locals, even.
Grandmother's path is not an easy one, but she understands when people work hard at a thing, when they're trying to be good and do the right thing, even if it doesn't look like it on the surface.
Just because you're not *our* flock doesn't mean you aren't a family, and it doesn't mean you aren't watching out for each other. And it doesn't mean we can't watch out for you, or you can't watch out for us.
I'm not going to confront them publicly, that wouldn't do anyone any good now, would it? But I will have to chat with them about how their choice of words could be bad for them in the future and maybe reconsidering that might help your family grow stronger?"
The tengu straightens up and glances to the entrance of the tent once more.
"I should probably get out there and make sure they're not getting into any more mischief. If you need help or if you hear something else about to happen, roar or something, would you? That was very helpful and no one got hurt because of it. If you hadn't helped there, it could have gotten very nasty."
Andrietta will wait for any response then make her way out of the tent to the rest of the team.
The sphinx’s face softens. “Go, tend to your flock. If I need your help, I’ll call or send a messenger.”
Everyone stares at the panotti.
“I didn’t mean to!” He's rocking back and forth, and he looks to Sarano, Chak, Gallako and Stali. “These men. They claimed that they loved seeing me fly. They told me that they saw how I was treated. They said the reason that no one respected me was because I performed in the freak show.” He pulls out a gold piece and hands it to Stali. “They... they... paid me!” Tears stream down the panotti’s face, and he grabs his ear like a handkerchief, and blows his nose into it.
“And like a dork, I took their gold. They told me, ‘Perform outside, in the sunshine! Draw a crowd! Show the circus that you’re worthy of the Big Top!’” He shakes, then whispers. “So I did. I performed outside the Big Top, trying to draw a crowd. And I did! But the crowd never comes to see the flying panotti. They come to see the crashing panotti. The townies threw stuff at me to make me crash. Bottles. Fried dough. Food. It didn’t matter that I wasn’t in the Freak Show. I was still a freak.”
“Scared, I looked for my new friends. Then I HEARD them...” The panotti’s ears flare out, wide. “I heard them, over at the zoo, laughing at what a fool I was and how I’d been the perfect distraction. And I heard them poking at Baby.” The ears collapse, folding tight around the panotti. “I helped them hurt Baby but I didn’t mean to! I didn't meant to.”
|
"Sounds like you were the perfect patsy. Your insecurities played right into their hands ... and plans... I guess if there's a next time, at least you'll know better, yes?... and you've learned from this experience I presume? You know, you are quite extraordinary in your own way, you shouldn't let those who label you a freak make you feel less than who you are."
|
|
The paladin will bow to the sphinx on her way out, especially with the softening of the face. She GETS it. Good.
Andrietta arrives part of the way through the panotti's rambling confession.
That's someone who feels the burden of their sins and is seeking to make amends. Let's see if we can help them.
"Child. Do you remember what these men looked like? Any perfumes or clothing they wore? Any names they might have used? If you hear their voices again, will you remember who they are?"
No mention is made of what happened to 'Baby' or what the panotti's duties might have been to prevent that from happening. There's enough guilt for a passel of demons in this one child alone... but the important thing is that they might still want to change their path, be *good*.
The panotti's ears flare out like a pair of sails as he looks at Hikaru. "You think I'm extraordinary? Despite being a... patsy?"
His ears continue to twitch as he thinks over Andrietta's question. "They both had red beards, really bushy, and floppy hats. One was kind of average sized, the other really big. I might recognize their voices again..."
|
Gallakp chuckles at Vralks universal answer to all problems.
"My little friend speaks the truth. You can fly. Something that I wish that I could do. Something that, perhaps, I'll eventually learn to do. But I envy the fact that you can fly and I can't.
And these scum, in the end, achieved nothing. Nobody was hurt, Baby is ok."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Pie would be good." The panotti says. "You'd eat pie with me?"
Meanwhile, Berthold is looking dubiously at Phardaen, as if rethinking his offer of pie for everyone. "You're right. No one was hurt. Fine. I'll buy pie for him too." He sighs. "Do you all have a favorite vendor? Or should I pick one?"
Coming out from the big tent, Janira bounces out, all covered in sequins and spandex, barefoot and with chalkdust still on her hands. She looks up, grabbing Andrietta's hand. "Did I hear you were getting pie now? Can I go grab Milandru too?"
|
|
"Yes, child, we'll share pie with you!" She'll give Berthold a 'Mom' look. Don't make this any harder on him than he's already making this for himself. Fledgeling needs a break. Let's make sure he has one. "We'll trust your judgement, your people have done right by us."
Andrietta doesn't miss a beat when Janira comes bounding out.
"Have you finished your performances? We can't have you running out on honest hard-working folks that paid good money to see you perform, after all, can we? If you've finished with your chores and it's okay with your parents then you and Milandru can come and get pie with us, too."
|
|
Stali frowns when he hears the description of the two men. "Are big red beards common around here? The description of the big one is the same as what Janira gave."
Looking to Phardaen, he adds "You were able to make out what they were saying from how far away? Seems like those ears are extraordinary in more than one way!"
While the talk of pie proceeds, he looks around the cage and the ground near there. I wonder if there is anything they left behind.
---
"Before we go anywhere, we really should alert the others in the circus to be on the lookout for anything suspicious -- especially people trying to hide their features behind big beards, floppy hats, and overcoats."
Jani nods happily to Andrietta. "Our family just finished the trapeze act, we had to go early, and now the clowns are out and the Sphinx is probably about to start. They won't need me again until clean up time."
"Big red beards?" Berthold says. "No. Most people are dark-haired, whether they're ancestry dates from Cheliax or Varisia. Though there are some blonds, like the one over there talking to Milandru."
Milandru has come out of the Big Top Tent doing backflips and grinning as a blond boy his age laughs and applauds for him. Now walking backwards on his hands, Milandru balances on one arm to wave to all of you, but continues performing.
"Milu, pie!" Jani says.
"Start without me," Milu says, grinning. "I'll catch up. Don't eat so much that you can't fly tomorrow, though."
"I guess you just have me for pie." Jani rolls her eyes, as she comes with you. "Milu always gets admirers in every town. They can't resist when they see him fly." Then she stops, having realized what she just said, and turns to the panotti. "Not like you, Phardaen! I mean, you really fly. But our leaps are pretty good for humans, right?"
Wherever you go, Circus people wave and come to shake your hands. "I heard what you did. Thank you!" Some pass a few coins to Berthold for the pie. Jani leads you back to one of the pie stalls in the Winding Market and runs ahead of you right up to the woman selling there.
The pies look and smell divine, but the woman frowns as waves Jani away. "Go away, brat! How many times do I have to tell you--" She breaks off as she sees all of you, her tone suddenly professional again. "Oh, what can I do for you?"
|
|
The grandmother is hesitant and reserved during the 'glad-handing' phase. She knows all too well that folks opinions can turn rancid in just a few short moments, but she's polite enough to nod back and point out Gallako and the others who really did the hard parts.
"Good day, miss! We'd like pies for all of us, please. And before you say anything you might regret, please remember the history of this great land and be thoughtful of all who live on it."
The tengu will gently rest her off-hand on the hilt of her blade casually, in a completely inoffensive fashion. She's an old grandmother, she just needs to rest her hand for a bit.
"I'm sure, seeing the amount of business you're about to do, that this is a good idea, yes?"
She'll then bow to Berthold, who holds the coins for the pies which will soon be the devoured.
As Vralk flies away from the mean pie stand, the first pie seller glares after him. "Just because I don't give away samples to birds and urchins... That's no reason to call me names. My pies are the best in the fair, make no mistake!"
Vralk flies over to Greta's pies. The pie stand is a little less grand than some of the others. It badly needs a paint job, but that's more than made up for by Greta's grin. "Vralk, you pie-eating rascal, you're back! And you brought friends!" She greets you all warmly. She glances at her sample plate, which only has a few tiny pieces left. "If your friends want a free sample, they'll have to share and take tiny bites. Otherwise, I have lots to choose from. Berry, cream, apple?"
|
|
Stali follows the others across the grounds to the pie stands.
Looking them over, he asks "Would anyone like to split one? I don't want to ruin my appetite, but the apple pie looks delicious."
After everyone has been served, he looks towards Berthold and asks "How long will the circus be in town, and any idea where you will be going next?"
As Andrietta looks pointedly at the original pie seller, it's clear that her words, wise though they were, went over the head of the woman.
She glares at Andrietta and says, "Well, if you all like the other pie seller so much, be off with you! I don't need your business with plenty of respectable people wantin' pies."
Jani happily goes to Greta, delighting in the offerings from the more pleasant pie vendor. "Cream, please. I'll share mine with Vralk and whomever else wants it."
Meanwhile, Berthold counts out the coin for everyone's pies and pays Greta. The pies are absolutely delicious, and you all make a picnic of your feast.
As Berthold finishes his pie, he nods to Stali. "We'll keep an eye out for red bearded men with floppy hats. That shouldn't be too hard to spot, I think! As for your other question, I think we're heading towards Korvosa next, but we'll be in town for a week or so. Just long enough that everyone can experience the fair and no one gets sick of us."
Speaking of sick... Vralk, you really have eaten too much pie. Your tummy is starting to hurt. Everyone notices that the raven can't really lift off into the air, and is wobbling when hopping on the ground.
Maybe it's time to take him back to your lodgings and call it a night?
|
|
Andrietta was ABOUT to say more, open up the eyes of the vendor, perhaps do some good today when Vralk hijacks the rest of the crew elsewhere and the vendor has a reasonable reaction to being directly called on her noise.
First Shell, Vralk. We'll never get these people to appreciate us if we treat them like garbage...
The scathing rebuttal from the vendor Jani had an issue with earlier makes the grandmother shake her head a bit, then nod sadly.
"May Andoletta watch over your family and guide them to righteousness." There's no snark behind the words, but a sad, tired attempt at a blessing from the paladin.
And then the 'other' vendor appeals on So. Many. Levels. It's not pretty, but the food is good, the money was put INTO the food, and the person is *cheerful* and *eager* and... *even has FREE SAMPLES*.
"May Grandmother ward your fine business, dear, and I'll also share with Janira, if that's acceptable. Have to keep her in 'flying trim', after all."
"So, Berthold? Have you ever had problems when you've gone into a community before, or are the things that are happening here happening for the first time?"
She doesn't, however, scold Vralk for his appetite. He's very much learning the hard road all by himself from overeating AFTER she'd warned him about that...
|
|
After having his fill of pie (and then some), Chak wasn't feeling like flying either, not that he could. Honestly he could barely manage so much as a waddle right now. Eating like a bird was always a peculiar idiom for Chak, and not a very accurate one. Tengus had appetites just as voracious as your common bird, but even he had stretched his limits today.
"I am stuffed, full and satiated and it has made me drowsy, sleepy, and tired," replied the tengu, barely able to get out the words without an intervening belch. "Let us rest, slumber, and doze."
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Stali thanks Berthold for the information about the circus's plans. "I'm glad you will be here for a few days still. Hopefully we can make it tomorrow for the main show! I'm curious as to what you have trained the tigers to do."
Looking towards Janira, he adds "I look forward to seeing you and your brother's trapeze act as well."
To the rest of the group, he says "How early are we planning to get up? I imagine we will want to visit the Locked Box in the morning."
When the others start heading back to the inn, he says good bye to the circus folk and follows along. "It has been a busy day! I look forward to finding out what tomorrow brings!"
Stali awakes early. He tries to be quiet, so as to not wake Gallako or Vralk. Once he has all of his things ready, he sits with his back against the inside of the door and meditates. After a few minutes, he then quietly opens the door and goes outside, locking it behind him. As he crosses the threshold he whispers a chant to himself. "As we transition from one day to the next, grant me the wisdom to see the opportunities ahead."
He then sits outside his room, back to the door, and meditates for a few minutes there.
Completing that, he goes to the common room for his breakfast.
|
|
After making his way to the inn, and agreeing with Stali that the Locked Box needs to be first on their agenda in the morning, he retires to his room.
---
Hikaru wakes early and slips out of his room, so as not to wake whoever he's rooming with
He nods to Stali in the hall, but doesn't speak since Stali looks like he's meditating and he doesn't want to disturb him. He heads to the common room for a cup of tea and something to eat.
|
|
After a very good nights sleep, Gallako gets up.
"Vralk, get up you lazy thing. We need to go get some exercise. Especially you"
Ignoring the crows complaints, he takes Vralk outside and goes for a brisk morning run, Vralk flying immediately overhead virtually touching him. During this run, he enters what is virtually a trance, letting only a small part of his mind control his body.
This is, when possible, his preferred way of contacting the spirits every day. Today he again contacts his usual spirit friend, Anklrsarkyl, who as usual gives him access to the Feral Speech hex.
Feeling refreshed and reinvigorated the pair return to the inn. Vralk quickly cleans them both with prestidigitation and they enter the common room for breakfast.
|
Waking up in the morning, Sarano'll spend time preening her feathers, making sure they are clean and presentable to [bigger]not[bigger] show people.
Afterwards she'll awake and seek some breakfast in the common room, if any is available.
"Um, please some. . breakfast if you have any, all I've eaten was a slice of pie last night. . "
|
|
The grandmother will be up at the crack of dawn, if not slightly before, and will be quietly sitting in the common area, back to a wall as she sips her tea, being subtle and restrained as possible while wearing armor.
She doesn't insist that anyone come sit next to her, but instead keeps a sharp eye on her and other folks' coin purses to make sure that none of them get lifted.
Already quite the adventure, Grandmother. Hope we can keep it together for You throughout, and thank You for Your Patience and Understanding...
Phardaen happily eats his pie, showing all of you some of his ear tricks. “It’s all in how you angle them. If I angle them right, and run... I can glide for a real long time!”
Meanwhile, Berthold meticulously cleans pie out of his blond mustache while he considers Andrietta’s question. “You have to remember... I’m the animal guy!” He shrugs. “If it weren’t for Almara, I’d probably be on some caravan somewhere, tending camels.” He points at the sequined high heel boots. “I like the spotlight, the fancy clothes, and the performances. Still, most of the time I just do my shows, manage my team, and stay out of local politics. I’ve never had a direct attack on one of my beasts before. Oh, maybe there's a local kid that throws a rock, or tries to sneak in where they shouldn’t... Kids get into scapes, and not every one is as hardworking or responsible as our circus youngsters.”
Perhaps remembering how you first met, Jani starts and looks guiltily at Andrietta, mouthing, I’m sorry.
Meanwhile, Berthold continues. “There’s always rumors about circus people, but we’ve got to work with the areas that we visit. If we get into arguments with the locals, they won’t come to see our shows, or sell us supplies. Almara insists we stay on our best behavior.”
Berthold then straightens his clothes, and says, “I really am grateful for what you folks did, collecting Baby. You managed to take down a wild and scared animal without hurting him.” He pulls fifty gold* out of his bag. “I’ve been thinking it over, and I’d like to offer you folks a little reward, if I may?”
___
My, what a pack of early birds! Many of you are up in the early hours of the morning, exercising, meditating, grooming and making keen observations of the world around you. Breakfast the next morning is simple: fresh hot oatmeal, fried kippers and fruit. Noria stops by Andrietta’s table, refills her tea, and then asks, “Forgive me for asking, but I need to know. Is there a problem if I serve eggs tomorrow? They’re popular for breakfast, but I don’t want to cause any distress to my guests.”
When you step outside, it’s a lovely morning. Gulls call overhead, and the Braeton dockworkers nod to you as they load and unload ships, the brass buttons on their uniforms shining. Your group continues to turn heads as you walk through the town.
Before you arrive at the Locked Box, you see a crowd gathered outside the store, a cordon and two security guards patrolling around it. Whispers are swirling through the crowd...
“Did you hear? Master Walder murdered last night? The store burgled?”
“... that sphinx. He saw her, silhouetted ‘gainst the moon, hunting...”
“...loosed a dragon on the Midway, and it mauled two little kids...”
“...traveling from town to town, their monsters feedin’ on human flesh...”
What do you do?