The Circus is in Town! (Open) (1,633 views)

[Maddie]

Dude mimicked Miko's inspection of the cafe's interior, glad to see it was as quaint as he remembered it to be. It was less crowded than he expected, which was good. Now he wouldn't have to shout to be heard. Dude laughed quietly to himself at the thought. "Why don't you take a seat, and I'll pick up the drinks. Do you know what you want to order?" As he spoke, he was guiding Miko by the arm to an empty booth near the window. His grip was surprisingly gentle for someone with such a muscular build.

[113shoe]

Magic shot a slight glare where Dude got a hold of Miko's arm, feathers ruffling up at he was led to the booth. She looked like she was about to snap his fingers off right then and there after a few seconds. "My apologizes." The ruki said, moving the bird to his other shoulder by the hand. "Magic can be a bit of the jealous type of companion at times." She was amazing, but she did have her flaws about her. Miko was a bit impressed that he wasn't getting crushed in the large kacheek's hold. But then again, he knew that looks could be very deceiving.

"A simple hot chocolate will suffice." He said, sitting down in the booth at the window. From here he could see the crowds still active outside, moving along like buzzer in a hive. He could also see the tops of the circus tents in the background, ready for tonight.

[Maddie]

Dude waved a dismissive paw. "It's alright," he reassured. "I've had petpets test their limits with me before. You just let them peck and bite you until they exhaust themselves and acknowledge you as the alpha. That was what happened with my wife's petpet when we moved in together. Angelpuss are not exactly the angels you'd expect them to be, ha ha! Anyway, I'll be back in a flash with your hot chocolate." Dude turned his back and plodded towards the counter with his heavy feet.

A short line led to a short wait, and Dude returned to the booth in less than three minutes with a small tray holding two cups of piping hot drinks. "Sorry if the wait was boring," he grinned guiltily, placing the tray down and taking his seat across from Miko. "I swear, I'm a coffee addict. Sure, I wanted to socialize with you, but I also can't go two hours without my fix of coffee, it seems," he laughed as he brought the hot mug to his lips and took a sip. He jerked the cup away and fanned his scorched mouth, laughing even more. "You might want to wait a few seconds."

[113shoe]

As Dude talked about dealing with petpets and dominance, Magic clearly seemed unimpressed with the notion. Miko himself didn't really train like that, especially not Magic. She was much too prideful to just submit to someone like that. No, she was a girl who just needed to showed a little respect and i'd flip over backwards for you.

Miko waited patiently as Dude went to get the drinks, settling on looking out the window. He didn't say much as he just watched the world go back, his fingers clicking against the table. He had taken his hat off and set it aside, his antennae twitching back into place. He didn't mind the wait, but soon he saw his friend coming back with the drinks. He smiled and took his drink from the tray, feeling the warmth through his gloves. He chuckled slightly at Dude love of coffee, finding it amusing.

"I prefer try to avoid large amounts of caffeine. It messes with my sleeping habits." The last thing he needed was to feel tired when he needed to be full of life. Not for the circus ringmaster. He himself laughed as the kacheek scalded himself, taking his own drink and blowing over it before drinking. He has learned his lesson the easy way. "So," He said as he put his cup down. "Tell me a little more about yourself. You mentioned some sibling yes?"

[Maddie]

"Oh, yes!" Dude replied with an eager grin, placing his cup down and strumming his fingers together deviously. "Are you sure you're prepared for this conversation? Because I can talk about my family for hours. HOURS! And I'm not even exaggerating! You'll never actually be ready so I'm just going to start, okay?" He folded his hands and rested them atop the table, clearing his throat and taking a long inhale for air. He paused a moment with a serious look before snorting with laughter. "I'm not actually going to talk for hours, don't worry. I'll just give you the gist."

The disco kacheek leaned forward and began to count on his fingers. "I'm the oldest brother with one, two, three, younger siblings. The second oldest is Cici, a water kacheek whose a little insecure but altogether a very gifted young man. He works as a fisherman. Then there's Star. She's just a little bit younger, a biscuit kacheek with a LOT of guts and enough tenacity to convince you she can do anything. She is just darling." Dude looked around and whispered quietly, "she's my favorite, but don't tell anyone!" and winked. "Lastly there's Mitts, but he goes by 'Greed' these days," Dude continued in a significantly less chipper mood. "We don't talk about him much. He left home at an incredibly young age and prefers to keep his distance from us. To my knowledge, he should still be a white kacheek." Dude shrugged. "C'est la vie! I suppose..."

He took a swig of his coffee and bounced back into his cheerier state with a, "So, do you have any family you'd like to talk about, Miko?"

[113shoe]

All during Dude's enlightenment about his kacheek sibling, Miko just listened quietly with a few nods of the head. No, he wasn't just bobbing his head to nothing. He was actually paying attention to what was being said. They all sounded very interesting to him, but most new things did. Cici sounded like a more skittish fellow, so he might not be coming to the show tonight. Along with the Greed kacheek. But this Star you could imagine in the stands. He certainly knew that Dude was coming. It remembered him being so excited about it.

When the topic about his own family popped up, Miko couldn't help but but a few times to get out of the trance. His mind actually drew a blank, nothing coming up. "The only family I have is the circus." He simply answered, taking a slow sip of his drink. He honestly remembered nothing of his actual family. The closest thing of family that came up was the ringmaster who took him in all those years.

[Maddie]

"Oh, how sweet!" Dude replied with a warm smile. "You must have a very special connection with your co-workers, then. It must be so exciting travelling all around Neopia with the same group of people, laughing and sharing similar interests and concerns." He paused a moment with a dreamy look, as if trying to imagine it himself. "Is there someone in particular who is extra special to you?" he nosed in. "You must tell me what it's like working with your fellow circus performers!"

[113shoe]

Miko's common grin only grew brighter as Dude talked about what he imagined traveling with his crew. It was indeed quite an experience. Seeing the worlds change right outside the windows of the carts as they moved, day turning to night. Plus you see some pretty strange things along the roads and trails.

"The others do create quite the atmosphere during travel." He said, then starting to talk about what different kinds of people he traveled with. The clowns always were goofballs even offstage, the acrobats could be pretty chatty and always had something to say, and some of the stronger hard-heads were pitting against each other in all ways. He said nothing about the ringmaster, since he was just that.

"Now, it does have its downfalls as well." He said, knowing that it wasn't all glamorous. "It can be stressful if schedules are broken. Getting the acts together and the tents up especially. And you can only imagine sleeping while traveling."

[Maddie]

Dude watched Miko intently as he spoke, his interest piqued. Although the performers were most likely as normal as any other neopet, to Dude they sounded fantastical. When the ruki had finished speaking, Dude took a long sip of his coffee, coughing out a laugh and wiping his mouth. "Actually, I can't really imagine. I can fall asleep anywhere. It's a gift, ha ha! In any case, your life sounds like just one big adventure! I'm a little jealous, but on the other hand, I can't imagine abandoning the life I already have with my family in light of a more thrilling one..."

Dude circled his finger around the rim of his mug in thought before jolting alive with a new idea. "But hey, if there are still tents being put up, perhaps I could assist? I'm plenty strong enough to handle any heavy lifting!"

[113shoe]

Miko couldn't help but shake his head slightly as Dude laughed his head off after he finished speaking about that it was like to travel. He knew to normal neopians it sounded like a true adventure, and it was truly. Like he said before, the circus life let him see things that not many others would see. But he could see Dude's point as well. It would have been difficult to just leave family and friends behind in order to follow the show. Some even did try to join, but it was just not that simple. Not just anyone could join the show.

At the proposal of help around the tents, Miko's antennae perked up in thought. "Well, I'm sure there are a few things that can be done." He finally agreed, taking his hat and placing it back on his head. Magic squawked and chattered in agreement, hopping from shoulder to shoulder.

[Maddie]

A zealous glint of determination shimmered in Dude’s eyes. In two swift motions, Dude downed the last of his coffee and also returned his hat to his head. “Guess you’ll be taking that hot chocolate to go, then, because I’d be glad to help! I’m always willing to lend a hand,” Dude replied with a big grin. “Moreover, generosity and kindness are what keep the world healthy and functioning! You see, my assistance is a necessary asset to the world's natural balance!” He laughed heartily at this. “Of course I’m just kidding. Let’s go see what I can do!” he cheered, rising from his seat.

[113shoe]

Miko couldn't help but blink a few times in shock at the sudden swiftness of Dude finishing his drink. He didn't expect him to that eager about helping around the circus. Afterall, it was work and he new a few neopians that would rather now work. This kacheek though has already proven that he's now like most neopians. Magic chirped at the eagerness of Dud as well, ruffling up at the news of returning to the circus.

"Very well." He grinned, taking his cane and cane and getting onto his feet. It had been a nice little break away from the tents, but it was always great to get back to his home. He fixed hos clothes and prepared to leave the cafe, Magic already ruffling her wings as if she was really to just fly off. "Shall we go then?"

[Maddie]

Dude vigorously nodded in agreement and started to jog in place. "Yeah, let's go!" he roared thickly. He began to stride forward in a comically exaggerated fashion, as if he were in haste to get to the tents. As Miko struggled and managed to match Dude's quirky pace, Dude looked down at the ruki and smiled in recognition of his own silliness. Almost apologetically, he slowed his gait down before exiting the cafe. "Sorry, I'm not actually that excited, ha ha. I just thought it'd be funny to play it up." He laughed, but it was quickly drowned out by the loud clamor of the crowd outside.

The two pressed forward in apparent silence for a while, aware that speaking would be a fruitless effort. Once the destination grew closer, and the crowd shrunk smaller, words were more easily communicated. "Hey, do you think working backstage will spoil the magic for me tonight?" the towering kacheek wondered aloud. "If it's as amazing as I'm imagining it to be, it probably won't! Ha ha ha."

[113shoe]

Of course he should have expected Dude to be more than excited to head towards the show. Magic shot the kacheek a look that held a mix of confusion and judgement, probably starting to get annoyed by the actions. Or maybe she just wanted to get back to familiar grounds. Miko drunk the rest of his drink on his way out, soon catching up with Dude at the door. He chuckled at the act he did on the way to the door, only side-stepping to keep moving.

He didn't even need to see the tents to know where he was going. He seemed to always know where the circus was, even in a massive and moving crowd around him. It was almost like a homing instinct in him, always taking him back. His antennae twitched at all the noise all around them, catching the murmurs going on. They lessened as they grew closer and closer, Miko then being able to see the top of the tents. He turned his attention to Dude when he asked about what to expect backstage. "Oh, I'm positive that nothing will be revealed." Miko reassured.

[Maddie]

Dude smiled, adding no further comment; he let the excited look on his face speak for itself. When the big top became clear on the horizon, Dude added a spring to his step and picked up the pace. In all honesty, he was ready to take a break from all this monotonous walking and start a new, more engaging task at the circus, which he guessed would involve heavy lifting of some sort. In hindsight, maybe it would have been a good idea to ask ahead of time, or at least before he began working. "Hey, I didn't ask before," he spoke, leaning towards Miko, "but what help do you reckon I'll be able to offer?"