Of all adventures, dressing up like a hobo clown set to do stunts and routines with his older brother wouldn't have crossed Theodore's mind and he had numerous adventures of different caliber, but never ones with his brother.
Missed opportunity sneaking pictures of his brother in the clown makeup, though, unfortunately Theodore couldn't get the chance, Alyx put them to work, getting ready for their debut, and they ended up practicing in the corner of the area where the performers practiced and honed their craft, a look of dread on their faces, fearing the day when the audience kills them, next.
"They've been kidnapping for a while," Theodore discussed what they found out about the audience as he practiced throwing bowling pins with his brother via telepathy, "who knows how many they've taken without anyone knowing, how long they've been traveling, we're looking dozens of worlds."
From how Alyx told them, the audience hadn't forced the circus to travel for a while, because they had no reason, someone's continuing the scheme of kidnapping potential performers.
Whether it's to appease the audience enough they don't become interested in traveling again or saving their arses, it's hard to say.
"She said they don't like children, little brother, Dorothy's only twelve, if the audience finds out, they'll kill her," Hammond warned that because of the influx of new performers, the audience likely wasn't aware that Dorothy's among them, he worried the moment she's presented on stage…
Theodore comforted him as he assured his brother they'll rescue her, from her rap sheet, Dorothy doesn't look like someone who'll take shite from anyone.
The audience has more than what they bargained for with her, especially her craftiness in creating explosive compounds with household goods, though with Hammond's help, she knows how to do it better and much safer.
"Well, what about the toaster, any word?" Theodore inquired about K9 and unlike the TARDIS, they couldn't have it read their minds, the TARDIS's a bit more complex than a robotic dog, even if Hammond put in the hours he couldn't hope to produce the same effects at the TARDIS.
Frowning, Hammond says that he didn't receive word yet, but he's hoping that K9's new upgrades and programming kept it from capture, he spent quite a lot of money and hours on those upgrades.
Doesn't mean he didn't think of everything though, stowing a tracker on the robotic dog.
Even if they dismantled K9, he'll find all the pieces within moments, worth every time and money advancing those upgrades.
They remained silently practicing while conversing via telepathy, overhearing the performers around them.
The common theme in the conversations between the performers revolved around the fears they'll be next, that they've been practicing since last night, hoping that it'll pay-off in the end, that they won't have to worry about the audience killing them, they'll be safe.
Hammond noted the performers talked to each other indirectly, not wanting to form attachments, further out of fear should they be killed by the audience, and Theodore says that he seen his share of such things.
It's human nature wanting to bond with others, but the constant fear of becoming the latest victim in the indecisive taste of the audience, it's warping their minds as Theodore and Hammond watch afar.
So accustomed to the deaths, it's another day for them, not interacting with the same person, for long.
It took will for Hammond not to just give up the facade and tear through the circus for Dorothy, but his brother calmed him.
Their practice ending shortly after as they're presented with someone new, the ringleader, looking like one of the shadiest ringleaders that the two ever saw, corralling everyone together as he tells them the schedule for the shows.
The audience demanded they have a set of shows, already picked the performers they wanted, and the ringleader, Maestro, began naming the chosen performers.
Looking at the performers stepping forward, the fears in their eyes, the brothers hear Maestro instruct them on the set of shows, before turning his attention to the other performers.
Continue as normal until further notice.
In a prison line, the chosen performers went with Maestro to the stage, leaving the rest of the performers alone briefly, before he returned to them, and one of the performers grew irate at a slight that hadn't been resolved.
"Maestro, I have been waiting for this issue to resolve, and the lack of transparency is disdainful!" Daffodil cried out to Maestro as he looked at the man wearing a bright yellow suit with white frills, he awkwardly moved his bandaged left hand as he emphasized words.
Groaning as he rubbed his weary eyes, Maestro stated that he told Daffodil before, they haven't found it.
"That odious creature took a bite out of me; you expect me to work under these conditions?" Daffodil decried Maestro's waving handing, but the ringleader reminded him that these conditions they're working under isn't exactly any better.
The two exchanged words before Maestro went off to take a break from heading the previous set of shows, all ended in failure.
It's a miracle that the audience gave him a break, but he isn't looking to ask for more than that.
His curiosity roused, Theodore ended up doing what he did best, talking with people.
He found Daffodil drinking port wine, the air about the man's that of someone who nobody expected to have their own routine in a circus, but here they were, and it's a good place to start.
The moment his gold eyes laid on Theodore, Daffodil scuffed at the sight of what he called, "a hobo clown with missing screws."
Crossing his arms, Theodore denounced the claim, he happened to found some of his missing screws.
Swirling the glass in his uninjured hand, Daffodil asked why Theodore's nosying around him, accusing him of trying to steal his routines.
Shaking his head, his wild hair bobbing, Theodore insisted he wasn't, he wanted to know what creature bit Daffodil.
He didn't want to risk running into it, too.
Sipping from his glass, Daffodil rested it on his knee as he looked up at Theodore, before describing how he was in the back, practicing his routines in privacy from the others, when he heard something stirring among the crates, and when he investigated it, believing it was Dewey, he was attacked.
"What did it look like?" Theodore continued trying to find details and Daffodil described it as a silver creature with inhuman eyes.
He gave it a good thwack for his troubles, but it slinked away into the darkness, now he doesn't know where it is, where it came from, and lambasted the responses from Maestro.
"Surely, because of it, you won't have to perform until your hand heals, right?" Theodore attempted to comfort Daffodil until he's told by the man that he had to perform with his injured hand.
It's death if he doesn't.
Recoiling, Theodore mustered that it doesn't seem fair, causing Daffodil to exclaim, "That's what I've been saying!"
Hearing the commotion drew attention from Alyx who chided Daffodil not to shout so loudly.
"Forgive him, he's been reciting King Lear," Alyx apologized for Daffodil's prickly nature, having reciting King Lear for ages, it's bound to get to him, one day.
His gold eyes focused on her, Daffodil swears that he isn't crazy, he really did get bitten by some unknown silver creature, only for Alyx to ask if it's possible he'd just been bitten by Dewey.
Shaking his head, his thinning head of chestnut hair barely moving, Daffodil swore it wasn't Dewey.
"Dewey isn't silver!" Daffodil swore that his attacker couldn't have been Dewey, pointing out that he's not silver.
Sighing, Alyx turned towards Theodore and warned him to watch himself, Dewey gets into trouble more than once, and the audience loves him for his impressions.
"What sort of impressions?" Theodore inquired what Dewey's routine involved and Daffodil happily told him, instead.
Gesturing with his injured hand, Daffodil summed, "You are aware of the motion picture, "Jaws," are you not?"
Blinking, Theodore responded that he's aware of the movie and Daffodil told him that it's Dewey.
Intrigued, Theodore asks if Dewey's a shark, possibly Samito, could make for interesting conversation, however from what Alyx and Daffodil said, Dewey isn't a shark… per se.
Not a Samito, either, it'd seem.
"Don't know where Donnelly fished him out of, lord knows being topside in aquarium water isn't doing good for his skin, though," Daffodil gingerly waved his injured hand.
Audibly groaning, Alyx insisted that Dewey wasn't from the ocean, he has a skin condition, and salt water's bad for his skin.
"And don't be mean to him," Alyx poked Daffodil, "we already have enough misery!"
Catching Donnelly's name, Theodore inquired about him, only to be told that he was one of the best comedians the circus ever had — until the audience decided they gotten bored of his jokes and got rid of him.
Just before his last act, Donnelly went out and found Dewey. The audience liked Dewey enough that they kept him.
"He actually left the circus?" Theodore blinked as he's curious how the late Donnelly left the circus freely without consequence, but Alyx informed him that he snuck out when the circus was somewhere else for a spell, found Dewey, brought him here.
Daffodil resented that, saying that Donnelly had no right to bring Dewey here, much less name him, only for Alyx to scorn him, saying that Dewey didn't have anyone until Donnelly took him in.
"Er, where is Dewey?" Theodore inquired where the man's located, but the two couldn't tell him, saying that Dewey works on his own schedule, not the circus, it's a miracle he lived.
However, Alyx then added that Dewey's harmless and won't cause trouble if Theodore doesn't, which Daffodil offhandedly remarked, "Mostly harmless!"
Seeing the time, Daffodil waved them away, wanting to enjoy his wine before he rehearsed his lines, and Theodore bowed his head before returning to Hammond who'd stacked the bowling pins in a neat pyramid.
Informing him of what he learnt, Theodore heard from Hammond how he managed to talk to others, too.
"Anything?" Theodore asked what Hammond turned up and he replied that he talked to a man suffering from a skin disorder, ichthyosis vulgaris, he ended up recommending something to help the man deal with it.
"I don't suppose you caught his name, do you?" Theodore looked to his brother and his brother affirmed that he did.
Dewey.
"I did recommend reconstructive dentistry to him, those teeth cannot be good for his mouth," Hammond then added as he finished stacking the last bowling pin.
Apparently, Daffodil wasn't wrong about Dewey's teeth, though for Hammond, he was concerned the teeth continuously pricked and shredded the inner gum line and cheek flesh, it's a miracle the man still has his tongue.
"Anything else?" Theodore continued and Hammond said that he found out that there is someone of interest, Livingston, he's the stooge for the audience.
The people Hammond spoke with hated him and he learnt that Livingston does everything to keep the audience happy.
"You think he could've kidnapped Dorothy?" Theodore summed and Hammond nodded, stating that apparently, Livingston almost met his end when the audience grew tired of him, but managed to survive this long by feeding the audience performers he finds, it must be difficult considering the circus hadn't traveled because of the performers he kidnapped.
With that said, it'll be difficult to get Livingston alone and in a talking mood, he's never far from the audience, and they won't allow anyone who isn't performing close to him or them.
"It would appear we'll have to put on a show," Theodore sighed as he knew they had their work cut out for them and his brother agreed with him, saying that it's their lot in life.