When the party's over.

Batty · Jul 24, 2019

Hm. Was this the best they got?

Her marble-white hand clutched an ice cream cone. Her favorite growing up- birthday cake with real cake chunks and rainbow sprinkles. It was the kind her and her father used to get when they’d visit their uncle’s amusement park- and what a sight that was to behold.

The humble amusement park located on the island’s pier was more run down than it was glamourous. She remembered conversations between her and her uncle, how he would chew his ear out about how he was in a pissing contest with the amusement park on the other side of town. That rivalry sparked a play land that would make a certain entertainment franchise owner weep in his grave. But it didn’t interest her. She had what she called “fun burnout”. While others her age would love for some cute date to whisk them away to the pier, she was more than content to stay away from it by a 5 mile radius.

But… she had to check it out at least once. Maybe it was her slight sense of snootiness, or maybe it was her need to relive nostalgia for home. You know, before she disgraced her family name.

She took one last lick of the now-melting cone before tossing it in the trash. The trashcan was one of those weird ones that was shaped like a clown’s head, and the garbage opening was its mouth. How fitting.

As she threw it away, she looked to the skyline of the amusement park. How the dim neon lights sparkled against the twilight sky that began to fall on the island. She remembered how she used to look to them when she was a little girl, bouncing up and down in her polka dot dress and way-too-big shoes as she voiced how much she wanted to be like her family. Now she was in her 30’s, wearing professional attire and high heels.

God, what happened?

As she trailed down memory lane, she wasn’t paying much attention to the path before her. Of course, as a surgeon, she should know by instinct to be careful. But outside her practice, that was often not the case.

Her trip was cut short as she ran face-first into someone’s back, her head clunking against it as her nose let out a loud HONK!

Embarrassed, she stumbled backwards, clutching the source of the obnoxious noise in her hands. ”Ah! Oh, gosh I am so sorry… I should have been paying attention I-” She looked up from her hands to stare up at the figure. Monochrome. The exact opposite of her.

”Wait… You… You’re the clown from the community center the other day!”

@Kada

Kada · Jul 25, 2019

Chiffon was starting to like this place a bit. No one looked at her like she was diseased. Well, some people seemed kind of spooked by her; but she had seen way freakier in the week since she had arrived on Manta Carlos so she didn't think they had anything to complain about. But she wasn't automatically a pariah, and as much of a reeling head spin that was, she liked it.

But best of all, people here laughed at her jokes instead of at her. What a concept.

The job hunt wasn't going super great; she had come by to check on her status at applying at the Pier. Working at an amusement park, even a dingy one like this, would have been basically next to impossible back home. But here? Who knew. And she couldn't say she hated the place. It had a rustic, low class charm that she was more comfortable with.

Lost in thought, she tossed a few kernels of popcorn into her mouth as she watched the happy people enjoying themselves. And then scattered some of her popcorn as the combination of being bumped into and the loud honk of a clown's nose startled her enough to jump a good foot taller for a second.

Chiffon wheeled around and saw that it was the d'Parti woman from before; a name Chiffon would have never dreamed of being in the same room with back in New Pierrot. She opened her mouth to speak but clamped it down again really quick. She had learned quickly enough that "mimes" like her weren't supposed to speak. At least not back home. This place was different, but learned habits and helplessness didn't go away so easily. She did finally force herself to speak up, just barely loud enough for Connie to hear.

"Yeah, fancy bumping into you here. Sorry though. I shouldn't have been in the way." She was already looking for an exit. Being around someone who by every right was probably going to start treating her like trash was not what Chiffon had in mind.

Batty · Aug 1, 2019

Just by her body language alone, she could tell that there was a certain imbalance between them. All because of the unspoken caste system back at home. The tensions that bubbled beneath a thick layer of denial, like root beer in a float. But Connie, ever the skeptic, saw right through it. But having a serious discussion about racial tensions were for politicians and activists. And back where she was from, that was the equivalent of a septic tank cleaner.

”No no, it was totally my fault. Had my head in the clouds, as usual.” She tried pulling an easy smile from her naturally magenta lips, but it came off as one of those tight-lipped grimaces that one would have during a bout of constipation.

”I’m… sorry for our awkward encounter the other day. I just didn’t know how many people were sent here, and didn’t expect to see someone from home there.” She looked up, realizing she was being a bit presumptuous. Absently, she picked at the skin around her nails. ”You are… From New Pierrot, right?”

Kada · Aug 1, 2019

Chiffon looked Connie over, her own lips pursing into something not quite a frown but definitely not a smile either. Was she one of those clowns who said they weren't racist because they had mime friends? Now that was a joke that no delivery could make funny. Shifting her weight to one leg, Chiffon inhaled a bit deeper than normal; her body inflating ever so slightly before deflating with the exhale. "Yeah, I'm from New Pierrot. You're a d'Parti, yeah? I never went to your family's circus, but I saw it a lot when I was a girl."

Truth was she wouldn't have been allowed in such a prestigious circus. She would have probably ended up wearing the popcorn she had bought instead of eating it. "I didn't know they were sending clowns like you through immigration. I kinda figured..." That it was a big goof. A prank that 'cleaned up' the city and gave the government officials a good laugh in the process.

Batty · Aug 5, 2019

Whew. Well, at least her assumption wasn’t wrong. She had a few run ins with people she thought were from home, but it turned out they were only people with makeup on. Which, was awkward to say the least.

She nodded sheepishly at her first question, her pointer finger absently twirling one of her pigtails. ”Yeah. I’m a d’Parti. Daughter of Lollipop and Wurlitzer d’Parti. I figured you might have heard of it… Since they kinda… Advertised everywhere...” God, she must have sounded so much like a princess…

But when she asked about the reason for her arrival, her mind quickly spun back to her. ”Wait a minute. They sent you? Like, against your will?”

Kada · Aug 6, 2019

Chiffon shrugged, scratching absentmindedly at her cheek at Connie's sudden apparent concern. "I mean, I was told it was a great opportunity. A chance for a new lot on life. Blah blah blah. Not that I don't know why I got chosen."

It didn't do to have a clown who made others uncomfortable. Barely a clown, she'd been so pointedly reminded by the agent handling her immigration case. Chiffon was a bit more emboldened as she talked, her voice raising to what most people might even consider a normal level.

"So here I am. But wait, are you telling me that you what... chose to come here? The d'Parti heiress leaving the big top to come, what exactly?" She could not fathom it at all.

Batty · Aug 9, 2019

Connie listened attentively, as if she were listening to one of her patients. The words were familiar, albeit phrased a bit differently for her. But of course, she wasn’t surprised. For people like Chiffon, their experience with New Pierrot was different.

”I see...” She spoke, thinking aloud. The more she thought of it, the more this “opportunity of a lifetime” started to feel like citizens were being disposed off like confetti on the street after a parade. Brushed aside, as if they were never there at all.

When asked about herself, she perked up. A breathed forcefully out of her nose in a breathy, yet dismayed chuckle. ”I was told the same thing. But I was a bit more willing, in my case.” She blinked. ”I was kind of the black sheep of the family. The circus was too much for me. Too loud. I mean sure, at first I wanted to please the folks and be what they wanted me to be. But as I got older the trapeze and the spotlight wasn’t for me. So, my interests took a very different path. I became a surgeon.” She smiled a bit, showing off the peak of her badge on her chest pocket. ”But y’know how it is. Disappointment, shame, all that jazz. So went they told me of this new idea to launch people like us into another dimension, I figured it was worth a shot. So, now I’m here.” She explained, gesturing as her surroundings.

”Sorry to chew your ear off like that but… That’s the gist of it.”

Kada · Aug 10, 2019

"You're fine. I guess it makes sense why you'd come over then." It did make sense, but also didn't. Even if she wasn't going to join her family business, Connie still had the d'Parti name to piggy back off of. Chiffon thought to herself that she could have grown her thicker skin faster if she had had that kind of money to lounge on.

"It's fine though. Nobody ever accused a clown of being quiet, eh?" Chiffon laughed a bit, more at ease and allowing her voice to raise a bit more. She paused though and gestured to the place they were in as well. "So then... why are you here? Like, isn't this just a sadder, cheap knock off of home for you?"

Batty · Sep 4, 2019

Admittedly, Connie felt a sense of guilt welling up in her stomach for delving into her past. She did live a charmed life back at home, while she knew that if she were to fail she could always come crawling back to the big top. Looking at Chiffon and the aura that she carried, it was evident that there was a hint of sorrow in her eyes, and not just because of the artificial tear running down her cheek. She could tell, if only for the fact that it was all too familiar to her before she made a life for herself here.

Though luckily, Chiffon had brushed her tirade off, and Connie chuckled lightly between tightly sealed lips. ”Yeah, you’re right. Even as the quiet kid of the family I still yammer on from time to time.” she held one arm in the opposite hand, shyly. However, her question snapped her back up, as she pondered it herself.

”Well, short answer is that I haven’t really gone out this far since I came here.” She half-smiled. ”But yeah. I mostly came here to see how much of a memento this would be for me. Safe to say, you’re kinda right. It is a bit… shabby.” She looked at the rollercoaster, the rickety sound of its track as the carts roared by indicating that it probably was worth more in firewood than as is. ”But I… kinda like it. It’s honest, you know? Doesn’t try to be anymore than it is, sparing all the bells and whistles that you’d see back at home. Yet people seem to like it here, so I think that means something. ”

”What about you? What brings you here?”

Kada · Sep 5, 2019

"I like the shabbiness, yeah," Chiffon said, nodding along with Connie a bit. "I never got to go to the really nice circuses as a kid. You learn to appreciate the simpler things when it's all you have."

But then her own question got fired back at her and her smile dropped a bit. Chiffon looked down at her popcorn, holding onto the colorful wax coated paper as she thought about that question. Finally she gave a shrug and a simple, tight smile. "I'm a clown. I might not look it, but... the bright colors, the festive air. The whimsical sound of the calliope playing. It's..."

She trailed off, not saying what she was thinking. It's home. Instead Chiffon crumpled up her bag and tossed it in the trash. She was done with it anyway, and the grease from the popcorn was starting to soak through the paper and onto her hands. "When I was a little girl, I always wanted to be one of those slapstick performers. Like old school stuff. Backhand me in the face and watch my head literally spin around. But I apparently wasn't cut out for Clown School. Or so the string of rejection letters told me."

"Sorry. I don't mean to be a downer. I'm enjoying myself here so far. I can sing and talk and nobody is gonna stop me, yeah?"

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When the party's over.

Batty

The artist formerly known as porky

Kada

Comradmin

Batty

The artist formerly known as porky

Kada

Comradmin

Batty

The artist formerly known as porky

Kada

Comradmin

Batty

The artist formerly known as porky

Kada

Comradmin

Batty

The artist formerly known as porky

Kada

Comradmin