[OPEN] Ways to Cast Blame

[dorkypantsuit]

WHO: Anyone and Psi
WHAT: Moping.
WHERE: Here and There
WHEN: After Agent-nappings
WARNINGS: None!

No matter where you see Psi that day he's far from his usual cheerful self. Whether you need help from him throughout the work day or see him after hours, he appears down and silent. The troll is normally quite talkative, usually involving himself in everyone's business, so it's strange to see him so quiet, even if you don't know him that well.

He goes about his day, handing out assignments to various people and helping with the things that unexpectedly happen now and then. The animal work goes to Ginko and Bonnie, Papyrus is cleaning the mess created by guests the previous night. He checks in on Lars, Yuugi, and Chiaki at various points throughout the day once the carnival opens, helping when he can. His mood rotates between gloomy and frustrated at various points, no doubt a strange sight to some of his newer coworkers especially. Overall he tries to stick to the sidelines, working silently whenever he's able.

Comments

[dorkytracksuit]

Psi smirks softly, before pulling back. He hadn't really been concerned that Joker was dead, but passed out or otherwise injured were always possibilities. If he could murmur something like that, well he must be okay. Probably.

"Don't move on my account." Psi comments quietly. He shifts, sitting next to Joker's prone form, his legs hanging over the side along with Joker's sleeve.

[pipers_son]

Probably.

There’s only a muffled incoherent noise to let Psi know he’s been heard, but, after a moment, Joker finally adjusts his face so that his mouth is no longer kissing metal. “Hey, remember when I said I have all the time ta balance two managin’ spots?”

[dorkypantsuit]

Psi laughs a bit, looking up into the night sky instead of noticing how ridiculous Joker looks.

"You mean do I remember you lying through your fangs?" he comments, a laugh in his voice. Of course he arguing with Joker against running himself ragged was a lost cause, which is why he hadn't argued so much as commented from the sidelines.

That didn't mean he wasn't going to gloat just a bit when he was proven right though.

[pipers_son]

“Rude, I don’t have fangs yet,” he whines, which is absolutely besides the point. Huffing out a breath, he debates moving into a more comfortable position before promptly axing the idea. That would require too much energy, and he’s not nearly uncomfortable enough for that yet.

“Cor… I didn’t think it’d be this bad…”

[dorkypantsuit]

Psi shakes his head, still smiling, but in disbelief at Joker's own expectations. Actually caring meant it was always going "that bad." Of course caring about two jobs instead of just one was going to be too much to handle. Joker probably knew that from the start considering how busy he was being stage manager.

He lays back, looking up at the stars. This sky was totally and completely different than the one back home. When he'd first gotten here that had really astounded him. He'd realized he was well and truly beyond the reach of his species' empire. It was both a good and a bad thing to realize and to remember. Homes were sort of strange that way he guessed. Even if something was terrible, if it was home there was always going to be something about it you missed. Or maybe that was just him.

Heh, no fangs. Yet. That's the keyword there. He laughs softly. Sex would be a lot more fun if he did have fangs though. Maybe the ringmaster could take requests. (Jk.)

"Hey..." Psi started, voice subdued. "Why do you think we stay here?"

It's an abrupt topic change, but it wasn't like he was going to get Joker to admit why he'd taken a second job, which was what he really wanted to talk about. And teasing the redhead for being exhausted just didn't seem fair when he didn't know the real reasons behind it. Not fair and not really that fun.

[pipers_son]

What can he say? Joker supposes he’s a masochist in a way. Or maybe old habits are just hard to break out of, a sole point of familiarity in what’s sometimes a very unfamiliar place. An eternally unfamiliar place, even, with how many worlds they travel to. In a lot of ways, he likes it. England had never really held any of his love, when he thinks back on it. From the gutters of East End to the lavish Kelvin estate, there’s always been bitterness coating it all. The only thing he can think of with any fondness is the orphanage he once grew up in, and now, even that…

He shakes his head, pushing himself up onto his one good arm. Best not think of it. The point is, being in different worlds is a sweet relief, and the only things he misses are people.

But now Psi is asking him a question, and he hums. “Different reasons for different folks,” he muses. “We both know I’m stayin’ on because I got a damn plenty contracts ta fill out before I can get what I want.”

[dorkypantsuit]

He nods, his smile falling just a bit. He knew of course the answer wasn't going to be the same for everyone, but still he had to wonder if there was some common theme that kept them all tied here.

"So once you get what you want, that's it?"

Of course there were people here he would miss when he went back to Alternia. There were people here who had come and gone that he missed. It was strange to know he'd never be able to see some of them again simple because they lived in a world he could never be a part of. He'd been lucky in that he hadn't had to say goodbye to anyone he was really close to yet. He had to admit the thought of never seeing Joker ever again kind of sucked. But what was there to do about it?

"I like the adventure." More than that, it was the freedom he enjoyed. He could do things here he never could have dreamed of back home. Would it be wrong of him to stay here forever?

[pipers_son]

“That’s it,” Joker confirms lightly, and tries to give a light laugh. “I mean, it’s my family! The folks I grew up with and have been watchin’ over for most of my life. Without me, I bet they’d get inta all sorts of trouble.”

That’s a lie, one he’s glad that those in the carnival have no way of identifying. After all, the fact of the matter is that he’s the one that got them into trouble. His family had relied on him to steer them right, to keep them safe, and all he can think about is the lies they were fed about those at the orphanage and what his right arm had been made out of once upon a time. As the ‘big brother’ among them all, shouldn’t he have made sure that they weren’t taken advantage of like that…?

...Well. What’s done is done. Now, he’s just got to fix things as best he can, get them far away from all of that.

Psi’s admission makes him grin, because, ha, doesn’t he know that. “Definitely one of the best perks about workin’ here,” he agrees, staying sprawled out where he is. “And I’d though travelin’ around England alone was impressive, but across the worlds just makes a regular trip like that seem like a tiny deal, huh?”

[dorkypantsuit]

Right, of course. Family. It was very important to some humans. He knew it was important to Joker at least, and wasn't it grief at missing her brother that had kept Bonnie up at night her first week here? He wished he could understand the importance it had in their minds. As it was though the difference between family and friends continued to escape him. He knew the ringmaster considered everyone at the circus to be 'kin,' but clearly family went beyond even that.

Psi could relate to the feeling of being indebted to people. It seemed maybe Joker felt that way too, like there were still people he had to watch out for. Psi felt that way about the people here who worked under him, but he also felt that way about Signless and Disciple. He wonders what they would think if they knew he was here. He's honestly a little afraid when he considers the answer to that question, so he stops. It's much easier to talk about travelling than to contemplate questions he doesn't want the answers to.

"...We'd travel around a lot together on Alternia, but it was always the same." Sneaking around, staying hidden, meeting people and never knowing whether they would actually keep the secret. There weren't many moments where they could actually enjoy being someplace new together. Here it was different, there was time to enjoy things.

"It's better here. This place is better."

Even with the recent kidnappings and vampire attacks.

[pipers_son]

And on that-

“Yeah. It’s a damned sight better.”

-Joker can agree.

Still. The conversation is starting to take a turn for the somber, the way it’s going, so Joker makes an attempt to change things around. "What kinda folks do ya think are gonna try for the other spots? Y'know, for supervisor."

[dorkypantsuit]

Psi sighs loudly before shrugging, his wings moving along with his shoulders, or trying to at least.

"Oh I don't know." He thinks it over, running through the newbies in his head. "Strange seems crazy enough to do something stupid like that."

He smiles he remembers his conversation with the him. Strange was definitely a fitting name for someone like that.

[pipers_son]

"Oh Christ in a fish barrel," is Joker's response, fondness, exasperation, a little horror, and schadenfreude all mixed in together. He can only imagine.

"Him in acquisitions... I want ta see it happen, just for the mess that'd come of it."

[dorkypantsuit]

Psi just starts laughing in response. He's more amused by Joker's reaction than he is at the thought of Strange in acquisitions.

"I can't decide if that would be awful or terrible."

[pipers_son]

“A guy like that, ya don’t think he wouldn’t try for both?” Joker says, shaking his head. “Did ya know that he accidentally teleported me inta his trailer at one point?”

[dorkypantsuit]

He looks over to Joker, brows raised in amused surprised.

"He did not." Who would even do that?!

[pipers_son]

Leaning closer, Joker grins wider and winks.

“He bleedin’ well did. I was goin’ over some things for wardrobe and, next I know, I’m suddenly in his trailer, and we’re both lookin’ gobsmacked.” He snickers again, ears twitching in delight.

[dorkypantsuit]

Psi cracks up at that.

"Who was he trying to summon then?"

Maybe he asked for a joker and the spell got confused.

[pipers_son]

“I asked him, and he just said a faerie.” Lazily, he shrugs. “Apparently that’s what he could do back on his world, and he wanted ta see if he could do it here, run by one of the Fair Folk herself, after all. Ended up just gettin’ anybody who’s been, well….”

And he gestures to himself with his wooden arm, wings ruffling a little.