Evelyn had never realized just how beautiful London was.
Maybe it was that she had never seen it in its entirety - the bustling crowds, the laughing children, the fancy storefronts displaying toys, candies and clothes for insane prices. A woman squealed next to a jeweler's shop, her husband holding out a diamond necklace for her to take. A young boy tugged on his mother's arm, pointing to a teddy bear in a store window. A fiddler in the middle of the street had a crowd gathered around him, his arms moving rapidly as he played. The city was truly a dream for the wealthy - and for the poor, Evelyn reminded herself, a nightmare.
The performers rolled through the city, as cheers began erupt from the men and women who spotted them. Children were hoisted up into the air to get a better look at the Noah's Ark crew, laughing and clapping as the entertainers flipped through the air and did cartwheels on the ground. Leading the parade, Joker waved to the masses as he passed, occasionally juggling or doing tricks. Beast, practically unharmed, led Betty over the pavement, occasionally having the tiger roar or urging it ahead. Evelyn sat atop a wagon with Dagger, waving hello and smiling as she rolled by.
"Wonder where the fairgrounds are this time," the knife-thrower mused, tossing a dazzling smile to the crowds as their wagon rattled by. Evelyn shrugged slightly, grimacing at the ache that radiated from her arm with the action.
"I heard it's by a lake," She replied, calling out a loud greeting to a child near the front of a crowd. The little girl, who could have been no more than four, immediately lit up, looking very happy as she waved a tiny hand in the air. "Who knows? Maybe we could take a day off and go have a picnic," Evelyn suggested, turning to Dagger and raising an eyebrow, looking quite serious.
The two sat in silence for a moment, before bursting into laughter.
"Oh, like we ever get a break," Dagger grinned, throwing an arm around the illusionist's shoulders. Evelyn chuckled, shaking her head.
"No, suppose not. It's all work and no play for us performers," She said cheerily. "But at least the work is fun!" She laughed, as Joker called out from the front of the parade.
"Fairgrounds ahead!" The redhead shouted, causing the performers to roar with wild cheering. The wagons and carriages were guided through a large gate, stopping once all of the coaches were safely inside the grounds. Once all were inside, the gates closed with a loud creak, and the entertainers began to stream from carriages and wagons alike, setting up tents and booths.
Joker wandered over to one wagon, helping Evelyn down as Dagger grabbed her crutch, lowering it so she could grab on. Gratefully she took the wooden piece, leaning onto it as she walked alongside the two, heading towards a stack of luggage that had been compiled as the carriages were emptied. Dagger took up his own bag, as Joker hauled both his and Evelyn's towards the first tier tents. "Well, aren't you sweet," Evelyn laughed, as the man struggled with her bag.
"What do y'even have in here?" The ringleader groaned, giving the girl a small smile as he trudged towards the tents. Evelyn giggled in reply.
Dagger sped over to his own tent, opening it up and tossing his bag inside before rushing back over to the pair, ushering them into Evelyn's tent. Joker gave a large grunt as he dropped the woman's bag on her bed, flopping down beside it with a heavy sigh.
"Hey, just because I slept in your bed..." Evelyn joked, leaning down to rummage through her bag, making sure everything was still there. Dagger let out a strangled noise from the entrance.
"Are you serious?" He screeched, zooming over and getting right in Evelyn's face. The girl backed up, looking startled. "That was serious? That wasn't a joke? You guys are actually-?" Dagger yelped, looking overly excited as he let out a small squeal.
"Shush, Dagger!" Evelyn scolded, her face burning red. "Else the whole camp will hear you!" Joker suddenly stood up, coming behind the illusionist and wrapping his arms around her, leaning his face over her shoulder.
"Is that such a bad thing?" He asked, his voice lowering. Quickly pecking her on the cheek, Joker drew away, laughing at the flustered look on Evelyn's face.
"You two are so obnoxious, I swear-!" Evelyn squeaked, looking ruffled as she jammed her hands back into her bag, trying to look busy in order to hide the befuddlement on her face. Dagger began to laugh as well as Joker, and suddenly the two were practically howling. "Alright, go be annoying somewhere else! Shoo!" Evelyn flapped her good arm, waving the two out of the tent.
They act like such children sometimes, Evelyn thought, a small smile appearing on her face. Changing into a nightdress, she slid under the covers and fell asleep.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls! Welcome to Noah's Ark Circus!" Joker's voice boomed cheerily across the big top, signaling the start of the show.
Evelyn clapped along with the rest of the attendees - unable to perform in the circus herself due to her arm and leg, she'd been granted permission to take the night off and watch the show herself. Laughing as Joker allowed colorful balls to drop onto his head as he bowed, she settled back in her seat, happy to watch such a grand performance.
Evelyn cheered along with the crowd as Jumbo breathed fire - whistled loudly for the pair Peter and Wendy - screeched her admiration for Dagger and Snake as each performer went through their act. "And now, a death-defying tightrope walk by the circus princess, Doll!" Joker cried, as all eyes fell onto the bright, young beauty. She really is quite impressive, Evelyn marveled, watching the girl gracefully slide into a split on the rope.
"Last but not least, the star of our troupe!" Joker announced over the crack of a whip. "I bring you the famous tamer of wild cats - Beast!"
The illusionist clapped less enthusiastically for the animal tamer, still a bit sour over the incident with the carriage. "We'd love some audience participation for this act -" Joker began to exclaim, as Evelyn let her eyes wander from the ring and glanced at the rest of the crowd. Seated on the far right, Evelyn could see most of the other people, some arguing over who would stand, others sitting quietly and hoping they wouldn't be called out. A distinguished looking man in black practically jumped to his feet, standing tall in the back of the crowd.
"This gent in the tailcoat sure looks eager!" Joker roared, holding out a skeletal hand and letting a sly smile play on his face. Evelyn laughed, clapping for the brave man as well as pitying him - he truly didn't know what he was getting into. The gentleman strode down the steps, hopping into the ring - but to Evelyn's surprise, he didn't stop as Joker greeted him kindly. "Now, if you'll just lay down here..." The ringleader trailed off, a startled look coming across his face as the man in black walked straight past him...
...and strode right up to Betty.
Evelyn tightly grasped the back of the seat in front of her, eyes widening in horror as the man carelessly began to look over the tiger, muttering as he picked up the animal's paws, squeezing them. He even pet the wild creature, complimenting it as well. Evelyn felt as if she was about to faint, looking down, powerlessly, at the scene.
Poor Joker and Beast looked like they were about to faint, themselves, staring wide-eyed and open-mouthed at the gentleman. "Very attractive!" The man finally exclaimed, smiling joyfully up at Betty, who proceeded to bite him.
Evelyn screamed, her hands flying up to her mouth as she stared at the scene, horrified. Oh, we're going to be in such bad trouble... Evelyn moaned inside her head, shutting her eyes as Beast began to flick her whip, yelling. "Betty, let him go!" The tamer shouted, beginning to lash the poor animal - only for the man to catch the end of the whip.
"What the hell?" Evelyn found herself yelping, her knuckles turning white as her grip tightened.
"She hasn't done anything wrong," The black-haired man said coolly. "I was so overcome by her charm that I behaved rudely, that's all. And... indiscriminate whipping isn't enough to train her properly," he added on, causing Beast to look offended. Evelyn felt rage swell up inside her - who does that man think he is? Beast may not be the best, but her training skills are superb! She thought angrily.
Sweet revenge - and also absolute horror - came when Betty bit the man once again.
That was fun to write!
I get the feeling Evelyn will side with Beast quite a bit more from now on - she may be mad about the carriage incident, but dammit, nobody insults Beast's taming skills!
Anyway, I have something awesome for you guys! I'm going to be starting a separate series of oneshots featuring moments between Evelyn and Joker.
Now, now, I won't be forgetting about this fanfic - that would be silly. The oneshots are just a little extra something that I feel like you'll enjoy.
See you in chapter 9!