Curiosity and Satisfaction

[amusicaladventure]

Who: Ash and OPEN
What: Ash is heeeeere! And poking around! And being loud!
Where: Alllll over!
When: Allll day!
Warnings: None?


A.

[You ever have one of those days where suddenly you ended up awake in a carnival you'd signed up to work in for the sake of your own freedom? Well, up until today, Ash hasn't either, and the feeling is downright electric.]

[So today a catgirl wanders the carnival, not quite certain what she's supposed to be doing or who she's supposed to be talking to, but absolutely eager to drink everything in from her newfound perspective as ajn eager employee. So she's poking her nose into booths, tents, and people's affairs with the curiosity of... some sort of curious animal.]

B.

[As the day, such as it is here in dreams, wanes and Ash's excitement continues to bubble, the performer makes her way out to the edge of the grounds. Warm, tingling delight is surging through her nerves and begging to let itself out, and when she feels like this she knows she can't resist forever. As far away as she can safely get, she slings the guitar off her back and flips its strap around her shoulders properly. The lack of a pick doesn't stop her, she has claws. The lack of an amp doesn't stop her; she has magic.]

[With a fierce, joyous, feral grin, Ash picks up the loudest, fastest anthem of joy that comes to her mind at the moment; it happens to be really excessive solos that probably aren't far enough away from the carnival to avoid disturbing anyone.]

C.

[Was that your dreamcatcher with a feather dangling from the bottom of it? Because now its strings are tangled around Ash's claws as she looks around, incredibly sheepish and guilty, to check if anyone had seen that.]

[Instincts come with the tail and ears, you know.]

Comments

C

[sunflowerfields]

[Hinawa's clothesline of dreamcatchers is still hanging up, a beacon of dangly things just waiting to be pawed at and played with. So it's no surprise that she finds a cat playing with one in the morning. What IS surprising is that the cat is... apparently... also a person?? She is never going to get used to this.]

Do you need some help, dear?

[amusicaladventure]

No! I'm good!

[Her reaction is super-quick and an obvious lie, as she picks at the dreamcatcher with her free hand, trying to unlace the strings with her claws. She turns, hunching over to hide the mess from view while she works, though her lashing bottle-brushed tail offers a lot of insight into her mental state.]

[sunflowerfields]

[Hinawa, being a Mom, can tell when someone is lying. And it is really obvious. She's not going to judge, though, and just comes over to help untie the cat... person.]

It's funny, none of my dreamcatchers have jumped out and grabbed anyone until now. How curius!

[amusicaladventure]

Guess there's one in every bunch! Eh heh heh heh ow! [Stabbed herself with her own claw right in the bed of a tangled-up one. Reflexively, Ash sticks the finger in her mouth and promptly hooks the outer circle of the dreamcatcher around one gang.] Awghuckfhit!

[sunflowerfields]

[Hinawa gasps and nearly lets go of the knot she's untying.]

Oh, no! Are you all right? Here, once we get you loose, I'll find something to clean that up with.

[amusicaladventure]

Gckyl. [All hope of dignity lost, Ash droops, tail and ears and shoulders all slumping piteously. Sad cat in the rain...] Helf flease.

[sunflowerfields]

[Hinawa just smiles warmly and finishes untying the poor kitty.]

There, all better. Let's go inside and get you fixed up, shall we?

[amusicaladventure]

No, really, I'm fine... [Physically, anyway. But her dignity is mortally wounded, which for anyone with the slightest bit of feline in them is a pretty serious injury.]

[sunflowerfields]

[A tough customer, huh? Well, Hinawa knows how to deal with those, too.]

At least let me get you a cookie. You're a guest at my, ah, trailer, after all!

A

[pipers_son]

[There's at least some good news: while no one seemed to inform Ash of who she's supposed to talk to, someone did tell Joker. The stage manager has been coasting lazily up in the air now that performances have gone out of his hands. No one has hurt an audience member or set something on fire, so he thinks he's good to go.]

[Which is good, since he's got yet another performer on his hands.]

[It doesn't take long before he spots her, and Ash will be able to pick up a sharp whistle as he tries to get his attention before gliding downwards with wings outstretched.]

[amusicaladventure]

[Someone figures it was Joker's job to hunt her down, right?]

[She looks up, and if the sight of a flying guy surprises her she sure doesn't show it. (Because it doesn't, at all.)]

[With a grin, she waggles a finger up at him.]

If you're whistling because I'm a cat, that doesn't work on us. If you're whistling because I'm hot, I've heard better.

[pipers_son]

Please! I have practiced lines for flirtin’!

[Finally landing with a slight run from the momentum, he looks her over quickly, analytically, before holding his hand out with a grin.]

Joker’s the name! Yer one of our newest faces, ain’tcha?

[amusicaladventure]

[Quite used to being looked over, she returns the favor before she takes his hand for a firm shake.] Pretty sure you'd remember if I wasn't. Name's Ash.

[pipers_son]

[Whether it’s because his hand is made of wood or because he’s naturally like that, his shake is firm in turn.]

Pleasure’s all mine~. Especially as I’m the Stage Manager, so we’re gonna know each other quite a bit, ha!

[amusicaladventure]

Oh, well -- hello, boss. [Her voice contains a little flirty purr, because that's how she's used to relating to people.] Guess you heard I signed on and came running, huh?

[pipers_son]

Especially when I heard it was a pretty girl~.

[Flirting begets flirting, because he gladly winks to her.]

So how much of the carnival have you explored so far, if ya don’t mind me askin’?

[amusicaladventure]

[There we go. She grins at his little gesture, very feline indeed.] Glad you're not the sort to be scared of pretty. That's always a shame.

[She flicks her tail as she waves a hand in a circle arbitrarily.] I've just been wandering. Nothing formal. Saw the games booths and the trailers...

A

[waitingforplayer2]

[ Chiaki's fiddling with one of the machines in the Gamer's Circle when she looks up and comes face-to-face with a young woman with pointed ears just like her. ]

... Hello. [ Cautiously. She's been sending visitors to some of the easier games today, but... this person already has the ears, so... ]

Would you like to play a game?

[amusicaladventure]

I guess I ought to learn what they're like if I'm gonna be working here, huh?

[That might just be an excuse to play a game. Ash notes Chiaki's ears with some curiosity which she politely doesn't voice.]

[waitingforplayer2]

Are you?

[ It's worth asking. Maybe she's already made a contract, or maybe somebody's just suggested one. ]

Did you talk to the Ringmaster?

[amusicaladventure]

Signed, sealed, and deeeeelivered. [Ash lifts two fingers to one eyebrow, kind of a salute.] You are looking at your new star performer!

[And she invites you to baaaaask in it.]

[waitingforplayer2]

Oh! [ Well... the girl doesn't seem displeased about it, so Chiaki returns the smile. ] Welcome! Mm... you can play anything you like... I've been tweaking the water gun arcade lately, but they're all fun, really.

[amusicaladventure]

[No. Not displeased at all. She looks like the proverbial cat in cream, really.] Oh, one of those race things?

[waitingforplayer2]

Yeah.

[ There's nobody else around, so... Chiaki hands Ash a water gun and picks one up herself. ] I'll play against you. Are you ready?

[amusicaladventure]

[Ash draws the water gun and drops into her best approximation of a confident, one-handed gunslinger pose.] You're on.