9th Act - Boys and girls of every age

[pipers_son]

Who: Come one, come all!
Where: Goldenrod, the Eve's Garden Circus
When: The 3rd - rest of the month
Summary: Just like always, the Circus is busy as usual... But with a bit of a spooky twist added on thanks to their current partnership with a certain Haunted House.
Rating: PG
Log:



The Circus is always bustling with activity, even on the days when the shows in the Big Top aren't on. There's plenty of stalls to enjoy besides those, after all! Games, and food, and stalls with all sorts of interesting things for sale. For those living in Goldenrod or passing through, it's no doubt quickly settled itself as a regular scene.

On the 11th, however... Just as always when the shows are promised to happen, the Circus is more bustling than usual and today there's a twist. On the 3rd, those walking past the Circus' gates will find themselves in QUITE the different atmosphere. Genuine spider webs are strung across the stalls, skulls strung up in them that seem to clack their teeth at passerby. Legions of pumpkins are sprawled throughout the area. At night, their eerie glow lights up twisting paths throughout the circus grounds. Even quite a few of the workers seem to have gotten into the spirit (possibly at their boss' badgering), and wear outfits from the simple masks to the more complex things. Those who were here for last year probably won't be surprised.

Beyond the change in atmosphere, however, there are still the things that are usually about! Food, games, and stalls selling various knickknacks can all be found relatively easy although they're joined by a few other themed goods. There's also, of course, the show that will be playing three times a day in the big tent proper! It also seems like the Litleo hoard has been released onto the grounds once again, with little bags of delicious candy tied around their necks.

One notable addition is what appears to be a small station of sorts with a rather ominous carriage that stops at it every now and then pulled by what appear to be a pair of Rapidash... only colored darkly with bones painted across their heads and what might be actual skulls acting as face covers. Well then! Perhaps you might be interested in letting it take you to the haunted house?

It's a relaxed and fun little adventure... at least, it is until things start getting strange with those weird fusioned Pokemon... The circus grounds are still open, regardless if people are changed or not, but you'll be disappointed if you're expecting any shows from underneath the big top itself. Joker has no interest in putting his performers in danger like that, you see. But then, that just might mean you'll see him wandering around for once and not run so ragged.

Comments

FOR HENRY

[exeggutorhead]

[It's a few days before the house actually opens to the public, and all the costumes are finished save for the final few touches. Which means that Envy finally has time to show his best friend how to do his new job in a properly terrifying way.]

[Luckily, since Henry's room is right near the exit, they can go in the back instead of having to go all through the spooky house with all of its ghostly residents.]

Your costume's in there already, so you can try on the whole thing instead of just the pieces. [He tosses a smirk over his shoulder.]

You'll scare everyone.

[no_ufo_ending]

_{[Henry stands in the shadow of the house, his neck craned back to look at the topmost points of the roof. Even in the daylight hte place is creepy.]}

I hope so...

[exeggutorhead]

You'll do fine. I'll teach you everything I know.

[He looks back again, and notices Henry's reluctance.]

You doing okay?

[no_ufo_ending]

_{[His reaction is delayed, flashbacks of that terrifying orphanage playing across his eyelids.]}

Hnn? Oh. Right. Yeah.

_{[Up the stairs he goes, giving the world of light one last look.]}

I brought my camera too. I thought maybe I could see how I should stage the shots.

[exeggutorhead]

[Envy gives him a more searching look, but lets it go for the moment.]

Good idea. And your room's riiight down here.

[AND THERE IT IS. A little room--big enough that he won't be right up next to the guests and easy to punch--with all kinds of spiderweb decorations draped over everything. To the side, there's one big rope web with a chair set up behind it. The Costume is hanging up on a rack.]

We've still got time to move stuff around if you need to.

[no_ufo_ending]

<sub>[Henry looks all around, making small humming sounds to himself. Wow, they really went all-out on this place. Even reminds him a little of the Otherworld the way some of the rooms look skewed.]

[His scaring chamber appears and Henry shrugs his backpack off.]</sub>

Oh wow...

_{[This is the first time he's seen the costume all together.]}

Envy, this is incredible.

[exeggutorhead]

[Envy kept an eye on Henry as they walked through the house, but he seemed to be doing okay.]

[He grins proudly at the reaction to the costume though. He worked really hard on it!]

Ha, thanks. You should try it on, make sure it fits right. I'll go out in the hall.

[no_ufo_ending]

Okay.

_{[He excuses himself to one of the public restrooms and is gone for...a while. Henry doesn't make a habit of putting on elaborate costumes. Usually he just wears that lame 'this IS my costume' shirt year after year. When it almost seemed that he might have died in the Men's room, Actual Spider Henry Townshend reappears.]}

How is it?

[exeggutorhead]

[While Envy was waiting, he'd been looking around the little room and had a couple more ideas for it. So off to the props and decorations cart he went, figuring that he'd get back in plenty of time.]

[He almost does. He hears Henry from a little farther down the hall, and speeds up, the cart's wheels squeaking more loudly as he does.]

Hang on, I'm coming!

[He pushes in through the door, grinning when he sees the costume.]

Hey, it looks great!

[no_ufo_ending]

<sub>[Henry smooths out the front of his costume, a small smile coming to his face. He could do this. This could be fun. This would--]

[Squeak, squeak, squeak.]

[By the time Envy comes into view, Henry has picked up a paint roller and was holding it as a weapon in the two arms that are actually attached to his body. His eyes are wide.]</sub>

[exeggutorhead]

[Envy stops short in the doorway when he sees, startled.]

Hey, it's just me! I'm not attacking you, what's wrong?

[Something must be. Did one of the house ghosts try to spook him while Envy was gone??]

[no_ufo_ending]

<sub>[Henry is...far far away for the moment. The gloomy atmosphere, the way the squeak echoed off close quarters. It was the perfect melody to send him rocketing backwards into that horrible nightmare of a hospital.]

[The only thing that kept him from charging Envy was the fact that he didn't think there was a staircase close by that was steep enough to kill him.]</sub>

[exeggutorhead]

[Envy doesn't try to approach, and slowly raises his hands up as though Henry was a spooking horse. He is completely ready to run off into the house if he has to.]

Okay, uh. Do you recognize me? Probably not, but you're fine. Everything's fine. You're just having some kind of issue, nothing's gonna hurt you.

[Maybe if he just talks very soothingly Henry will calm down?? He doesn't really know what else to do.]

[no_ufo_ending]

<sub>[Wide brown eyes stare Envy down and Henry's knuckles shine white against his black bodysuit. But it's good that Envy is talking. His ghosts didn't talk. At least, not in calming voices. They wailed and groaned and accused him.]

[Slowly, slowly, he lowered the paint roller.]</sub>

Envy. You scared me.