(AN: English is not my first language - so please forgive any grammar mistakes or awkward phrases, ok? Just assume that everyone are humans and that the axis live in the same town or something. Equilibristics is a blanket term for balancing acts with acrobatics, props and stuff like tightrope-walking and juggling.)
Feliciano had been looking forward to the circus for weeks. From the moments the first posters appeared, he had been talking about it nonstop until Ludwig agreed to go with him. Kiku didn't need much convincing, already interested, and so, on a bright evening in June, they arrived on the circus grounds.
There was a smell of sawdust and animals. Elephants, horses and even a lion's cage could be seen outside the tent, a promise of things to come. The tent itself was striped in red, gold and blue, and music could be heard from within. The show hadn't started yet, and the man in charge stood outside, giving speeches and selling tickets - He presented himself as "Mr. Bonnefoy". Kiku secured some seats in the back row.
The tent seemed almost larger on the inside. The ring was several meters in diameter with rows upon rows of seats surrounding it. Lights had been hung between the masts. A clown ran around and made the children cheer and clap until everyone was seated. Then the lights dimmed, voices died out and Feliciano whispered, "It's starting!"
When Mr. Bonnefoy stood in the spotlight, he almost seemed to glow and sparkle by himself. "Good evening," he said, "and welcome to our show, filled with wonders from all corners of the world..." He spoke for a while longer and finished the speech by blowing a kiss to a woman in the audience. She blushed, but was soon forgotten by everyone else when the spotlights dimmed and were turned on again, revealing the first act.
The next few hours passed in a multicolored, bright and loud blur where the trio lost track of time. Feliciano's excitement knew no end, Kiku stared in amazement at the discipline and strength he saw, and even Ludwig was impressed by the show.
"A wonder from the far east!" Bonnefoy declared, and soon, a young man stood in the ring dressed in a costume meant to be "oriental". He moved fluid and fast with the cloth and ribbons of his costume and his long, black hair whirling around him, and then he raised his hands and revealed a number of shiny throwing knives. He could hit any target in the ring perfectly, bullseye, sometimes with his back turned, sometimes with his eyes closed, always dancing and spinning.
"Cool," Feliciano whispered as he leant towards Kiku, "Do you think he's from where you're from?"
"I doubt it," Kiku answered, "Yao sounds like a Chinese name."
The next time the lights went off and on, it was to reveal the animals they had previously seen outside. The performer in charge of them was a large, strange man presented as Braginsky, and he smiled during the whole act. There was something off about the smile, though, and the way the animals bowed and followed his every signal made it clear that he was hiding something beneath the facade - something cold and cruel. He could make the horses dance, run and rear just in front of the children, and he seemed very happy when they laughed. The lion roared on command, and in the final minutes, two assistans - both beautiful women - stood on the horse's backs and rode around in circles in the ring. Fade to black.
When Bonnefoy presented the magician, it was as if his voice had gained an edge of sarcasm. "Now the brilliant Arthur Kirkland, from Britain, will show you his amazing spells and maybe a wonder or two-"
"Bloody hell, just stop talking and let me start already!" Arthur didn't wait for Bonnefoy to finish before walking into the ring, shoving him aside.
"You mustn't swear - There are children present, angleterre!"
Kiku could see Arthur blush, but was unable to tell whether it as from embarrasment or anger.
The act itself was actually quite brilliant, Kiku thought, as he watched Arthur wave around his wand. The magician read the minds of participants, and the lion was brought in again just so that it could be covered by a white sheet and disappear. Flowers, confetti and coins were conjured from seemingly nothing, and while white smoke covered the scene, he cut an assistant in half only for her to be whole afterwards. Even the oldest tricks in the book looked new, real and plausible, and Feliciano had to poke Ludwig and ask, quietly, if he was /sure/ magic wasn't real.
The second-to-last was the "strongest man in the world", an american man who looked no older than eighteen, wore glasses and was laughed at as he entered the ring. He then proceeded to lift what Bonnefoy enthusiastically described as "the weight of an american bison," and bent metal pipes with his bare hands.
Before the night was over, Feliciano had seen acrobats from the baltics, nordic equilibristics performers and spanish clowns, and when the last music had died out and every performer had bowed and received applause, he was so tired that he fell asleep in the backseat of the car on the way home. Ludwig shrugged it off when he saw Kiku dozing off as well and drove back through the town where the posters were already peeling off of the walls.
(Note: Not original poster, just reposting for them so it's safe to delete the misfire.)
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Ensemble; circus/freakshow AU (fill)
(Anonymous) 2013-07-31 02:39 pm (UTC)(link)Feliciano had been looking forward to the circus for weeks. From the moments the first posters appeared, he had been talking about it nonstop until Ludwig agreed to go with him. Kiku didn't need much convincing, already interested, and so, on a bright evening in June, they arrived on the circus grounds.
There was a smell of sawdust and animals. Elephants, horses and even a lion's cage could be seen outside the tent, a promise of things to come. The tent itself was striped in red, gold and blue, and music could be heard from within. The show hadn't started yet, and the man in charge stood outside, giving speeches and selling tickets - He presented himself as "Mr. Bonnefoy".
Kiku secured some seats in the back row.
The tent seemed almost larger on the inside. The ring was several meters in diameter with rows upon rows of seats surrounding it. Lights had been hung between the masts. A clown ran around and made the children cheer and clap until everyone was seated. Then the lights dimmed, voices died out and Feliciano whispered, "It's starting!"
When Mr. Bonnefoy stood in the spotlight, he almost seemed to glow and sparkle by himself. "Good evening," he said, "and welcome to our show, filled with wonders from all corners of the world..."
He spoke for a while longer and finished the speech by blowing a kiss to a woman in the audience. She blushed, but was soon forgotten by everyone else when the spotlights dimmed and were turned on again, revealing the first act.
The next few hours passed in a multicolored, bright and loud blur where the trio lost track of time. Feliciano's excitement knew no end, Kiku stared in amazement at the discipline and strength he saw, and even Ludwig was impressed by the show.
"A wonder from the far east!" Bonnefoy declared, and soon, a young man stood in the ring dressed in a costume meant to be "oriental". He moved fluid and fast with the cloth and ribbons of his costume and his long, black hair whirling around him, and then he raised his hands and revealed a number of shiny throwing knives. He could hit any target in the ring perfectly, bullseye, sometimes with his back turned, sometimes with his eyes closed, always dancing and spinning.
"Cool," Feliciano whispered as he leant towards Kiku, "Do you think he's from where you're from?"
"I doubt it," Kiku answered, "Yao sounds like a Chinese name."
The next time the lights went off and on, it was to reveal the animals they had previously seen outside. The performer in charge of them was a large, strange man presented as Braginsky, and he smiled during the whole act. There was something off about the smile, though, and the way the animals bowed and followed his every signal made it clear that he was hiding something beneath the facade - something cold and cruel. He could make the horses dance, run and rear just in front of the children, and he seemed very happy when they laughed. The lion roared on command, and in the final minutes, two assistans - both beautiful women - stood on the horse's backs and rode around in circles in the ring. Fade to black.
When Bonnefoy presented the magician, it was as if his voice had gained an edge of sarcasm. "Now the brilliant Arthur Kirkland, from Britain, will show you his amazing spells and maybe a wonder or two-"
"Bloody hell, just stop talking and let me start already!" Arthur didn't wait for Bonnefoy to finish before walking into the ring, shoving him aside.
"You mustn't swear - There are children present, angleterre!"
Kiku could see Arthur blush, but was unable to tell whether it as from embarrasment or anger.
The act itself was actually quite brilliant, Kiku thought, as he watched Arthur wave around his wand. The magician read the minds of participants, and the lion was brought in again just so that it could be covered by a white sheet and disappear. Flowers, confetti and coins were conjured from seemingly nothing, and while white smoke covered the scene, he cut an assistant in half only for her to be whole afterwards. Even the oldest tricks in the book looked new, real and plausible, and Feliciano had to poke Ludwig and ask, quietly, if he was /sure/ magic wasn't real.
The second-to-last was the "strongest man in the world", an american man who looked no older than eighteen, wore glasses and was laughed at as he entered the ring. He then proceeded to lift what Bonnefoy enthusiastically described as "the weight of an american bison," and bent metal pipes with his bare hands.
Before the night was over, Feliciano had seen acrobats from the baltics, nordic equilibristics performers and spanish clowns, and when the last music had died out and every performer had bowed and received applause, he was so tired that he fell asleep in the backseat of the car on the way home. Ludwig shrugged it off when he saw Kiku dozing off as well and drove back through the town where the posters were already peeling off of the walls.
(Note: Not original poster, just reposting for them so it's safe to delete the misfire.)