Description: The Bright Sun Circus doesn't give tours for free. Except when it does.
It's early morning at the Bright Sun Circus, and folks are hard at work making sure everything is set up for the night's events. The circus has more or less dug up roots outside Southtown for the time being, so there's less people out than if they'd planned to pull up stakes at the end of the night -- but still a decent amount of people are needed to patch up the big top, pick up trash, and generally keep a tidy appearance for the mass influx of crowds at night.
Really, the main activity is due to the numerous performers practicing for their big appearances. Technically, the circus is off-limits to visitors, but that's hardly a barrier for folks who know the right people and all -- and with many performers opting to perform outside due to the breeze, and the fact that air quality is just as bad inside the big top as outside it -- it's easy to tell who those people might be.
Honoka, for one, doesn't need the practice. She's good enough to run through her routine with her eyes closed. Because she's running through her diabolo routine with her eyes closed, rolling three diabolos through a multitude of cyclones, aerial launches, and other assorted tricks. Showoff.
The flight delayed due to ash clouds and interference, giving Jira a lot of time to herself. Enough to warrant her being curious about the Bright Sun circus and going to investigate it herself. Arranging for transport to drive her out north and letting her out within visible distance of the occupied space. She steps out of a white limousine (not a stretched one) and waves them off. The door shuts, the tinted windows roll up and the vehicle purrs off.
Jira herself hadn't been to any areas like this before and an expression of curiosity and being slightly put off. It's entirely unfamiliar to her, the only thing sticking out to her is the worker of the diabolos. That is something she wouldn't soon forget, especially the woman working them. She takes quiet, slow steps towards Honoka without saying anything for fear of interrupting.
To the audience, Honoka is very energetic, very fluid, and a very cheerful person. And there is definitely some truth to that appearance -- it's just not bloody apparent right now, when she's in an older version of her stage blouse and sweatpants. She's got to be serious right now, everything she does has to be perfect -- and her face shows nothing but intense focus and concentration.
There is one moment, just after she'd tossed all three of her diabolo props into the air, where an eyebrow quirks. Just slightly. By degrees, a small smile begins to form upon her face, all the more obvious as she slings her wands into the air, snaring the diabolo and swinging them in a wide 'sun' circle behind her back. Spinning rapidly, she begins to pirouette closer and closer to her new acquaintance -- one would think she just didn't notice the young woman at all.
Until Honoka stops her spin, just a few feet from colliding with Jira, drawing her arms apart. The cord stretched taut between her wands fans out into a perfect star shape, with the three diabolo evenly distributing themselves throughout the pattern, spinning noiselessly in place. A cheery grin presents itself to Jira as she performer offers the slightest attempt at a curtsy. "So good to see you again, Jira! I hope I didn't scare you." Beat. "How are you and Akabara this fine day?"
Eyes closed circus tricks, definately a lot to be said of going through the motions and practice making perfect! Or such is Jira's opinion of the tricks and display of skill, being that they came of great amounts of practice. She wasn't expecting that spinning approach but she doesn't retreat, stubbornly staying her place with a notable twitch coming from her hands. A nervous and defensive twitch that would probably be pouring bullets into the dirt if she were holding her gun, or if it were loaded.
Then the other woman speaks and -that- startles her. "Oh, not too much scaring. We have been doing fine. Bonding and drills, things like that. How are you, Honoka-san?" she replies and asks, her usual smile warms up her expression.
The three diabolos hop into the air briefly on Honoka's command, just long enough for her to take a step back, adopting a more laid-back stance that allows her to shuffle the three into an idle rotation in front of her. Casually lifting and lowering the wands, she's able to conduct a normal conversation without missing any more beats. "I am well. 'In the zone', I guess y'could say, I hope y'don't mind me doin' this while we talk." Cheeks reddening for a moment, she raises a hand -- with no ill effect on the trick -- in apology. "I don't mean I want to stop talking or nothin', I'm actually rather glad y'came by! Just that it's easier for me to think IF I do this, right now, rather'n than usual."
Grinning, she laughs lightly. Easygoing. Not -unlike- her stage persona, per se, but definitely more openly. "Just stopping by on the way somewhere?"
Shuffling the diabolos through their motions, Honoka glances to her side for a moment -- apparently the conversation is drawing interest from the others. The Hokkaido native flashes her compatriots a healthy grin and mouths the words 'to-mo-da-chi', which seems to set their minds at ease, as they dismiss themselves from their healthy concern with a bow.
With the twitching settled and her warm face expressed, Jira is notably more at ease. She shakes her head in reply to minding Honoka practicing during conversation. "I don't mind at all, I'm doing more activity during idle interactions myself. Though it's mental it's the same principle."
Jira then quietly listens and nods. "I just came by to look at things, actually, have a flight I should be catching in a little. If I miss it, I'll have to arrange for transport supplied by my sensei. I don't like using his resources, but the limo beats having to use a taxi. It's hard to just walk everywhere on foot, or atleast time consuming. But no, just paying a visit to my new friend before I set off."
The performer nods quietly in response to the suggestion that mental discipline matters just as much as physical discipline. From the warmth in her smile, it's clear she agrees on that point.
She listens calmly, nodding to each point, and when Jira mentions visiting a friend... well, she keeps nodding, as if waiting for Jira to name said friend. "... Hm? ... Oh, haha! T-thank you for visiting! I'm so glad you came!" She shifts balance from one foot to the other, and mentions as it occurs to her, "Oh... if you have time, I can show you around!" She bobs the diabolos once, twice, then on the third time she sends them into the sky and pirouettes. On the return she raises one arm high, second arm kept low to create a ramp for the falling diabolos. Another round of manipulation has the diabolos airborne again -- she catches one on the tip of her nose, and the other two upon the tips of the sticks. The diabolo keep spinning in place, until she finally lets the one on her nose fall into her left hand.
"If you gotta go, though, don't worry 'bout me none, haha."
She doesn't specify which friend, and her smile is a definate tell that their identity should be obvious. Jira giggles when understanding is conveyed after the period of thought had passed. "I have time, please show me. I'm absolutely curious and already feeling a bit helter skelter." she states. Her posture and facing changes to focus onto Honoka and ready to move on when the other does. The oddity that is her gun remains just resting on her right hip today. It just seems to stick there, against her clothing.
"What sorts of things are there to see, this is an entirely new experience for me." she adds, rocking onto her toes in anticipation and then rolling back to her flat standing.
Honoka's got this slightly awkward, mostly goofy smile on now. She's had audience members -- fans, really -- try to talk to her after the shows. That's what meet-and-greets are -for-, of course, and Honoka's more than happy to talk with fans there. Thing is -- that's something she can prepare for. And those are fans, not... /friends/. It's different now, and in all honesty this is very different to her. Up till now, all of her 'friends' have been... her circus family.
"It's an entirely new experience for me as well," she admits with a detached laugh... before realizing that she was thinking something entirely different than Jira. "I mean... visitors. You coming over." With the pommel of her right wand, she scratches at her light-pink cheeks without dropping the diabolo propped at the other end. "I... well, the big top is set up for the trapeze artists right now! Everyone else is out here..." She gestures widely with her wand, to the dancers, to the circus clowns, to the ringleader going through his silly little vocal exercises... even to the groundskeepers going around and tidying up things. "This... this is my family, hehe."
Jira again gives a polited giggle at Honoka, mostly at the air of being off kelter that matches her own. But, Jira doesn't take time to work into what Honoka meant about a new experience for herself, such things are usually answered and- there it is!
"You don't have many visitors? I'd think you would have loads!" she responds in surprise. Then she listens to the other's comments and gestures. Jira then nods as matter of course, then smiles. "It's more than I have right now, for sure." she murmurs, but not enviously. Her tone is rather neutral.
"Oh. Visitors, yes, but people who are, uh... " Shoulders shrug sheepishly: "The conversations are completely different, really! Usually it's people who want to join the circus, or they want to learn how to impress a girl or guy or mom or dad..." Another shrug, a healthy smile. "I'm fine helping them out, I just..."
She takes a small breath, tossing the diabolo into the air again, and shuffling them through another circle. "Sorry, they were getting awkward perched there. I guess... it's easier for people to ask about my performance on show nights. No one really comes out here the day after, haha."
Leading Jira into the big top, she catches sight of one of her family members. She leans close and whispers something -- a wary glance is spared towards Jira, but it dissolves into a friendly smile and an affirmative statement. Honoka gestures Jira inside. "And... here it is! It's... totally different without people, hehe." And so it is. A cavernous space, empty bleachers, and aside from the helper who ran in ahead to alert the five performers on the net, nothing but lights. It sure looks impressive, just the same though.
Jira nods and shows a quick understanding.. but her means are a bit more average, relating to school. The toss and circle are viewed with wonder and interest, again nodding at mention of awkward sitting. "Really? I'd think people would want to stop by very often, you seem to be a lively and fun person."
Jira is used to wary glances, her gun is an oddity in itself and most folk don't run around casually while being armed. "It's rather big, bigger than I thought it'd be judging from the outside." daresay, she is impressed it seems bigger on the inside. Or her perspective is off. "I imagine it gets loud."
Honoka smiles faintly. "I... I'm not sure? I think maybe I'm just not great at small talk. The circus has been my life, so ... I kind of run out of things to say after a point, haha."
Honoka had mentioned family before. In her aloof sort of way, she didn't respond at the itme, but the mumble was definitely noted. "It's... not -really- a family by relation or anything, but... these people took me in when I had lost everything. The circus is my home. It just happens to move a lot." Faint smile, as she raises her wands, shuffling the diabolos back and forth behind her head.
"It =is= bigger on the inside! That's part of the magic of circuses! Though Reika tells me it's just a trick of the eye really." Pause. "But what does she know?! It's circus magic. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it."
Bouncing the diabolos back into the sky so she can spin them around in front again, she nods gingerly. "It is loud, but =everything= is loud, so... it's not... so... loud." Pause. "That sounds really dumb."
Jira smiles warmly. "Family is family, sometimes it's not by ties of blood, but friendship and care." she replies to Honoka and steps up rigght next to her, on the right side. "I agree, circus magic sounds much better. And, not too much so, it made sense." turning to face Honoka- out of immediate range of interrupting her movements. "Show me around?" she asks, offering a friendly and twinkling smile.
Honoka nods, slowly at first, then more rapidly as she realizes that, so far, she's been little more than a shy usher. But Jira's words show that no, she /really is/ interested in all the little nuances, the stories Honoka has experienced here but never had reason to share. "Oh, heh... sorry I'm so bad at this. Welllll this here is where the best seats are, and they get to see all the really big acts up close and personal..." Honoka seems to have, for the moment, misplaced her mask.
Log created on 22:43:56 08/23/2014 by Honoka, and last modified on 20:18:20 08/24/2014.