[open] ring the bells that still can ring

[pipers_son]

Who: Joker and you
What: All's fun and games, but the Performers still need to work. Joker occupies himself with that, and maybe a few other things. Like cooking. Or sunbathing.
Where: The Big Tent, the cookhouse, trailers, and eventually the lake
When: Days 145 - 152
Warnings: Potential talk of trauma? But nothing more than that

A - Time to Work

[It's over the Performance Department's channel on the radio that Joker's voice buzzes through.]

While it's all well and good ta take a break, this is a reminder for folks ta get practice in. We won't be doin' real impressive shows for a while, probably, but that just means it's more important ta keep practicin' for when we move on from the Summerlands.

Any problems or questions, come find me in the Big Top. Oh, and we got some new folk in, in case ya haven't seen yet.

[Sure enough, Joker can be found in the ring, bouncing around making sure people are doing fine, practicing some tricks himself... All sorts. He'll come over the second he sees someone enter.]

B - Wiggle Wiggle Wiggle

[In the cookhouse today? Well, you'll find Joker getting to work, apparently mashing up all sorts of fruits, getting their juices.... Of course, with the one arm problem, sometimes this means needing to get inventive.... Are his feet shoeless? Don't worry about it.]

[Later on, Joker is bouncing from trailer to trailer, leaving jars of jelly and jam for everyone. Why? Well, you'll have to stop him to find out.]

C - Lost in Thought

[Joker knows a lot of people in the Summerlands, what, with the carnival already having visited it once before and Joker being... himself. So it's of no surprise that throughout the carnival's stay, he's often gone into the city, chatted with just about everyone, and acted as if he's perfectly fine.]

[On occasion, however....]

[Those who go to the carnival's lake will find him trying to push what looks like a.... blow-up rubber floating thing out onto the lake's surface with his feet, Feathers the Dartix trying to help him along. Joker is notably not wearing any actual swimwear... besides, like, his usual atrocious mash up of 'modern' fashion.]

[Later on, if no one interrupts him on shore, Joker is out in the water proper, but not... really messing around. He's just sprawled along the pool float stomach-first, his wings stretched out completely and partially in the water. Occasionally the water carries him a little closer to shore- perfectly within talking distance.]

Comments

*theme from Jaws*

[steadydollypegs]

[The surface of the water is more or less still, aside from some gentle wind-based current. It's quiet too. Maybe too quiet.]

[Something is moving under the water. It's coming for him, making a straight line from the shore to his flotation device. It doesn't move fast, but it is deliberate and determined to reach him.]

[Whatever it is, it has two small antlers that stick out of the surface of the water.]

[pipers_son]

[Ah, that moment when you're so used to being as you are that you forget the fun little additions to your body that give you away. Joker remembers his younger days in the carnival too, smacking his own antlers into every damn thing.]

[So he just grins lazily as he watches them come for him, waiting to see if Doll remembers to breathe.]

[steadydollypegs]

[She took a very big breath before starting her charge towards Joker, but yes, she does eventually have to breathe. Sooner than she'd hoped, but she can work with this. Doll breaks the surface of the water with her hands above her head, roaring like she imagines most sea monsters roar. She's wrapped herself in aquatic plant life for effect.]

Foolish lake-bather, I 'ave ye now! Come ta-- [Shoot, she's sinking again, so she has to drop her monster arms and tread water for a minute.] --drag y'down t'Davy Jones' Locker n-- [Monster arms again.] --feast on yer squishy parts!

[Apparently Davy Jones owns lockers in lakes too.]

wiggle wiggle

[anti_nonsense]

[By sheer coincidence, Rita happens to be stepping out of her trailer just as Joker's making his delivery rounds, and even more coincidentally, just as he's approaching her trailer. She stops in the doorway, arms folded, and frowns as she looks him and his 'gifts' over.]

Uh... What are you doing?

[pipers_son]

Delivery!

[He puts on his best innocent beam, batting his eyes up at her as he holds up the small basket of jam he has.]

Ever had jam before?

[anti_nonsense]

Well, yeah... [She's giving it a curious stare. Gifts are always kind of suspicious, and this guy kinda looks like King Suspicious right now, but on the other hand, Rita has a hard time saying no to sweet things.]

What's the occasion?

party at the big top

[kingsroads]

[ There's a large-ish mirror stashed in the back of the big top, partly for people to check to see how they look before they go on stage, partly for Strange to use in his act. Say what you will, travel by mirrors is a very impressive act opener. Of course, now that he's picked up a few new additions from Portland and a few days afterwards, it's best to make certain that the magic he'd use in his act still works.

The mirror clouds over with a dark purple smoke as out of the smoke, through the mirror, and into the performance tent steps Jonathan Strange. The smoke still lingers around his body for a moment or two, before it slowly dissipates as Strange takes a few steps forward. His feet, however, remain obscured in a cloud of smoke, probably because they're currently smoke themselves. It probably would look really cool except Strange is just muttering like a big ol'nerd as he does so. ]

At least it still works. I'll still need to tweak the magic to try and account for the shoes, I'm certainly not-- [ wait a minute, that's Joker. Strange looks up, realizing for the first time that oh! Joker's there! ]

Funny, I thought you'd have left the big top by now.

[pipers_son]

I practically live here, Strange.

[But he's more amused than anything as he glances down at the smoky mass that used to be a pair of feet.]

New addition to the act, then?

[kingsroads]

To myself as well, [ Strange adds, with a wry little smile. It's odd. He still finds the whole 'occasionally he doesn't have feet' thing bizarre, but he's adapting fairly quickly. Part of being in the carnival for so long, he'd imagine.

Though, as Joker mentions how he practically lives there... ]

Well, if you practically live in the big top, then perhaps you wouldn't mind turning that supervisor trailer over to someone who would actually use it?

[ he's teasing ]

C

[dorkypantsuit]

He see's Joker struggling with the floatie, but he makes absolutely no offer to help, instead choosing to watch and laugh at him from the sidelines. He has four arms at this point and he still doesn't have the proper wardrobe to accommodate them, so he is shirtless, but the weather's always nice at the carnival so what does it even matter. The only thing it changes is how noticeable the two brands on his back and his fae mark, all of which Joker's seen before.

"What are you doing?"

[pipers_son]

"What's it look like?" Joker tosses over his shoulder, grinning a little bit as he tests his hold on the float with his feet. Alas, while they might be absurdly flexible as far as human toes go, he hasn't developed anything like monkeys or birds yet.

"I'm here ta enjoy myself, thank ya."

[dorkypantsuit]

He still finds it a bit odd how much everyone seems to enjoy the lake. It's not something the Psionic could ever enjoy, but that doesn't mean he's going to ruin everybody else's fun.

"It looks like you're failing, badly." He'd offer to lend a hand (he has four of them now), but he doesn't actually want to get anywhere near the water. Still, it's not like he needs to get near the water to help. Telekinetics sure could be useful. Maybe if he'd had them in Portland he wouldn't have gotten the shit kicked out of him so many times.

"Need some help?"

best quality: his wiggles

[sunflowerfields]

[Hinawa doesn't expect to find Joker at work in the kitchen, but it's a welcome surprise nonetheless.]

Oh! Good morning! What are you-

[beat]


...Where are your shoes?

[pipers_son]

Hmawha!

[Sorry, excuse him- he has a wooden spoon in his mouth as he tries to balance things out.]

Hi!

[....That doesn't answer where his shoes are.]

[sunflowerfields]

You look like you're enjoying yourself!

[BUT STILL...]

...But you really shouldn't be barefoot in the kitchen, dear.

B

[lionson]

[Shiro actually hears Joker come up to his door, so he is opening it right about the time Joker is leaving. He pauses to consider the jar in front of him before calling out to Joker.]

Hey! Thanks for the door-jam!

[Yep, he had to pun it up. That's how you know he's old.]

[pipers_son]

[Coincidentally that's also how to make Joker pause come to a dead stop as he suddenly bursts out laughing, doubling over to clutch at his stomach.]

Finally! Someone with a good sense of humor!

[This can clearly only lead to good things that won't drive the rest of the carnival up the wall]

[espigeon]

[Julien has found a giant bucket of popcorn in the concessions area and is carrying it around awkwardly in his beak. Eyes appear periodically on his neck and chest, since despite how big he himself is there's enough popcorn and enough bucket that it's otherwise hard to see around his feet while holding it level by the rim. #birdbodyproblems

Putting the bucket down on the shoreline, shaking his head to dislodge some popcorn that got up into his nares, he waves a great white wing at Joker, who's laying out in the water.]

Hey! How's it going, Joker?

[He doesn't really look like his human body, aside from the eyes and the coloration, but he sounds the same.]

[pipers_son]

[It takes him a second to make the connection, but once he does, Joker adjusts himself a bit with his good arm propping him up and waggles his fingers a little bit.]

Warm! Summerlands, always livin' up ta its name? Whatcha got there?

[Because it looks like a giant bucket of popcorn, but he's out adrift and who knows what people do here sometimes. They're all a bunch of weirdos.]

B

[amusicaladventure]

The hell?

[Ash hadn't been home when Joker showed up to her trailer; rather, she'd been on the way back, giving her a perfect sight of him plunking jars into her mailbox.]

[pipers_son]

[Good timing! Joker pauses from where he's hauling his basket full of jars.]

Wotcher, Ash. Ya aren't allergic ta any fruits, are ya?

[Maybe he should have asked that before he did this...]

C

[fourthscribe]

[Tanyuu is already out in the lake when she spots Joker struggling at the shore with his novelty raft. She watches him for a few moments before swimming over to shore and calling out.]

Do you, ah, need some help? [She's ask what he's trying to do there, but it's fairly obvious. Just...very ridiculous.]

[pipers_son]

Oh, hey, Tanyuu. [The bird-brain and also Feathers the Dartix pause, beaming at her.] Nah, I'm fine. We'll figure it out in the end, won't we, Feathers?

[A fond coo.]

Havin' a good swim then?

a jam thief appears

[moonfang]

[Zangetsu doesn't like the Summerlands much. It's not that it isn't beautiful and lovely and blah blah blah. He was just -- understandably -- done with fae for now.

Someone remind him he is in fae carnival.

But it means that he's mostly hanging around the carnival and getting to know every inch of it. He spots someone in some odd clothes stuffing something into his, and then Gon's, mailbox. He waits until the weird guy has moved on before checking the mail. What he finds inside is unexpected. A jar of something brightly colored. Unsure of what exactly it is, he opens it and sniffs it. It's cloyingly sweet, whatever it is. With a finger he removes a dollop and puts it on his tongue.

Holy crap. It's some kind of sweet fruit paste!! Humans called this something. Jam? He didn't remember. But he didn't realize it was so delicious. He manages to slurp up the entire jar in a few seconds, barely taking time to breathe. He licks his lips and looks at Gon's mailbox. There's probably more in there, but--

Well, he actually kind of likes Gon.

Brightly Colored Jam Man is making rounds up ahead, so Zangetsu stealthily follows behind him, aiming to collect all the jelly for himself.

Except one of the mailboxes is less sturdy than it looks, and it snaps at the base, falling with a loud metal crash.

Zangetsu is a little stunned, staring at the broken mailbox with his face covered in jam and his arms full of pilfered goods]

[pipers_son]

[Yeah, so, as it turns out, loud noises do get attention.]

[Oh, Joker would have heard eventually- those long ears are for more than hanging earrings from- but that definitely speeds up the process. He jolts, wings flapping, and twists on his heel at the incredibly incriminating sight.]

[For a long second, he just stares.]

[Then the laughter bursts out, so much of it that he's forced to double over, jam basket banging against his legs.]