|Performance Day, Noon|
"I feel sick." Star said, covering her mouth with a hand. The amount of people in the large tent was nothing short of amazing. She wished it wasn't so crowded, since she didn't handle large masses of people well.
Dagger patted her on the back, noticing her distress. "It ain't that bad. All these people came because ye an' Joker did such a fine job in town. He told me yer startin' yer own fanclub even."
Star moaned and rolled her eyes, not believing her ears. "If he's talking about that gaggle of girls yesterday, they appear to be under the delusion of me being –"
She stopped talking when Beast walked by. Womanly intuition had already let her known if was best if she mentioned Joker as little as possible when the leather - clad woman was near. Dagger noticed Beast walking by too, and immediately shot off to talk to her, leaving Star alone in her misery.
"Ugh… this is a disaster…"
Somebody placed a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she looked into Doll's one eye. The girl appeared as serious as ever, not having the slightest smile on her face. "Ye'll be fine, Star." Snake was standing behind her, seemingly as bad at ease as Star herself. He didn't smile at her, although the shaking of the corners of his mouth insinuated that he did try.
Star didn't feel in the least bit consoled though. "Dagger's going to be throwing daggers at me. You know I'm glad I'll be blindfolded? At least that way I don't have to actually see those sharp things flying towards me." Her stomach churned, and she grabbed it with her both hands. "Why, why did I let Joker talk me into this?"
"Because deep down ye want to go on stage!" Joker's voice rang out from behind her, giving her a pat on the back. "I'll be announcing Dagger and ye, so fetch him and make sure that ye're standing ready."
Star sighed, getting up. "Yes sir. Thanks for trying to cheer me up Doll, Snake."
She ran off, looking for Dagger who had to be around here somewhere. "I hope I don't have to throw up when I get out there." She thought to herself, mortified by the thought. Dodging a couple of people from the band playing the music during the shows, she couldn't help but hear Dagger's words to Beast.
"Big sis, will ye be watchin' me out there? I'll make it extra exciting then!"
Beast didn't answer, instead locking eyes with Star. "I'd be 'appy if ye hit yer assistant this time…" she muttered just loud enough for Star to hear.
Star sweatdropped, as did Dagger. He started to flail his arms around, panicked. "Gosh Beast, don't say such scary things! What is Star or Joker hear ye?"
"Dagger, we need to get out there soon." Star said, laying a hand on the man's back.
He jumped up with a scream. "St – st – Star! D-d-d-did ye hear what we were talking about?" he asked, giving Beast a nervous look.
Beast didn't look worried at all, instead throwing the younger woman a disgusted look. "If ye're feeling that bad before a show, ye should consider leavin' this circus. People like ye aren't needed here."
Beast walked away, leaving Star and a bewildered Dagger. Dagger seemed to be feeling rather down at Beast's behavior, casting Star an apologetic look. She clapped him on the back. "Hey, where's that smile you're always talking about, Dagger? If you're going to go on stage like that, you'll make little kids cry."
"Aren't ye a little bit worried about Big sis? When she's un'appy like that, she can get real scary. Don't know why she don't like ye though."
Star shrugged. Though she had an inkling that somehow Beast had a crush on Joker, she had no definite proof and even if she knew for sure, telling Dagger something like that would surely make the man unhappy. So, a little white lie was in place for now. "I don't know either, but I'm not letting it worry me! If Beast doesn't want to like me, I can hardly force her, right?"
Dagger shrugged, still feeling quite unhappy about the situation. "I guess… let's go get ready though, otherwise he'll hit us with his cane again."
|Performing|
"The amazin' Dagger and his most lovely assistant, Staaaaaaar!" Joker yelled out, swinging his cane towards the two who just came in, waving at the crowd.
Dagger gave her a jab in the side. "Smile, dammit!" he said in between clenched teeth.
Star obeyed, although her smile was forced to say the least. The crowd cheered, and she felt her stomach turn again. "I don't want to… " she murmured. Dagger didn't listen, giving her a push towards her place against a wooden plank. She stood there, holding an apple in her hand. Dagger waved at the crowd, before suddenly turning, releasing one of the deadly tools in his hand towards Star. She yelped when the apple was spliced, the juice squirting out. The crowd cheered.
"And now, Star will blindfold 'erself! See how much faith she has in her partner!" Joker yelled out as Star reached for the blindfold.
"Honestly… Dagger better not hit me, or I'll be haunting him 'till the day he dies!" she mumbled, placing the cloth in front of her eyes.
At once her heart started beating faster as soon as her sight was cut off by the heavy velvet. She had been wrong, not being able to see was worse than being able to see. Now she didn't even know when – "Ah!" she cried out again when a dagger was planted in the wood next to her hand. The wooden board vibrated, sending shivers through her spine every time it tapped against her back. Three more daggers followed rapidly after one another, making her scream even more.
When Dagger had finished his routine, she felt she could hardly stand on her legs anymore. Still, she managed to wave at the crowd, hurrying backstage. "You know, I get why your old partner didn't want to do this anymore." She said panting to Dagger, who looked at her with a grin.
Joker entered behind them, leaning on his cane in an amused fashion. "That was great, both of you! Star, way to make the crowd think ye were scared, they loved it!"
"Did they now?" she managed to bring out in a sarcastic tone of voice.
Joker ignored it, swinging his good arm around her and rubbing her head with the knuckles of his prosthetic. "Damn right they were! I knew ye'd be great!"
"Let go of me! Aaaah!" she yelled, trying to shake Joker off.
Joker pushed her towards Dagger, winking at her. "Ah, little Star is always so bashful!" he teased.
"I am not being bashful. I am merely keeping in mind that other people can see us!"
Dagger, who was now leaning on her shoulder, blinked. "Ye mean ye wouldn't mind if other people couldn't see?"
Star's face flushed red, and she glared at the man. "What's that supposed to mean!"
Joker tapped a finger to his chin and nodded. "Ah, I see! Well then, if Star prefers to see me in more private spheres…"
"Joker, not you too!" she moaned, feeling danger coming nearer every second. Joker grinned and told her he was only jesting, for which she scolded him.
Suddenly, one of the other performers came up running in a panic. "Joker! We've a problem on our hands. It's the tiger, Betty! Beast reckons she ate somethin' she's not s'posed to, and now she's sick."
Joker threw his hands up in surprise and frustration. "Yer kiddin', right? I have a noble in the audience who only came 'cuz I told him we 'ave a tiger. If we can't show it, he'll cause a ruckus for sure. An' we can't afford to give refunds."
The man seemed to worry as well. "I know that! But even if it's like that, it's not like we can do somethin' about it!"
Joker sighed. The ring was already cleaned up, Dagger's weapons and the wooden board carried away to be stashed with the other props. Biting his nail, Joker made an annoyed sound, followed by a firm sweep to adjust his hat as he twirled his cane around. "Very well. Since we can't change it… I'll go an' announce it then."
He walked away. Dagger sighed, knowing a lot of people wouldn't be happy about it. "This is pretty bad. If people are gonna demand a refund we'll be out of money. Not to mention this is pretty awful advertising."
Star growled. "Oh no! This show is not going down after I just suffered so much. You!" she pointed at the stranger, who immediately jumped up at the tone in her voice. "Yes?"
"Get that tiger to puke! I don't care how you do it, get it done and report to Dagger when it's done. Dagger, I want you to get the band to play something cheery, okay?"
Dagger nodded, amazed at Star's sudden decisiveness. "But Star… what are ye going to do?"
Star took of her own small hat, and tossed it on one of the small benches scattered backstage. "I'm going to do what I do best!"
|On Stage, Joker's POV|
Joker cleared his throat, before spreading out his arms. "Ladies and gentlemen, I fear that I have to tell you that – Hey!" Somebody lifted his hat from his head. As he started to turned around, the person that had done so also grabbed his cane. "Star, what are you doing, this is serious!" he hissed, not wanting to let the crowd see.
She didn't reply, but put the hat on and stuck out her tongue at him. "Catch me, if you can!" she yelled, loud enough for the crowd to hear. The audience chuckled as a cheery song was being played. Before Joker could say something, Star started to run away. "Come on! Are you being shy?"
Joker ran after her, determined to give the girl a piece of her mind. When he almost had her, she suddenly halted and fell to her knees. He stammered, just barely jumping over her. She grinned, rolling away and getting on her feet in the same movement. The crowd cheered, so she lifted her hands and pretended to use Joker's staff to direct them.
Joker neared behind her, grabbing his hat back. She turned around, throwing his staff towards him. As he caught it from the air, she grabbed his hat again, running away with it. The audience laughed at him as he was once again robbed from his hat. "That the best you got?" she taunted him in an effort to make him try even harder. He grabbed his cane firmly and went after her again.
The music kept playing cheerfully, and the people working backstage suddenly rolled a couple of big balls in the ring. Star didn't hesitate once, being caught in the adrenaline of the hunt. She jumped, landing on the ball and using it to go backwards. She waved at Joker as she passed by, seemingly quite cheerful. He ran after her, ignoring the ball that they had sent out for him as he tried to grab her. The girl even had the gal to jump up and down on the ball, throwing his hat up in the sky. Just as he neared her, she jumped down, rolling on the ground before getting back to her feet. The crowd roared, loving every minute of it.
He reached her in time, grabbing her by the wrist so he could finally take his hat back. "Star, ye're not bein' funny!" he said, annoyed by the girl's antics in such a crisis moment. He reached for his hat, but she put it behind her back. He forced her to turn around with his one hand, but she immediately placed his hat in front of her stomach. He growled as he spread his arms to fit around him. He let out a triumphant grunt, sure that he had now won. She bent forward, forcing him to lean over with her, before dropping to her knees again, doing a roll backwards so she could escape again. He got up, dusting of his hat with a happy grin.
"Oh, Joker!" Star called out. When he turned around, she was once again waving his staff at him.
"Why you little -!" he yelled, not even caring about the people watching them now. Still, she was grinning mischievously, looking far more radiant than usual. The thrill of this chase was what made her feel alive. She took a run for it, once again jumping on one of the balls. He ran after her, wondering why he felt so ridiculous. As he ran past the artist's entrance area, he heard Dagger yelling to her :"Okay, ye can finish it now!"
Star let out a grin, winking at Joker. Before he could react, she jumped of the ball, in his direction. He hurried towards where she would be falling, diving to the ground in an attempt to be there on theme. She landed in his arms with a soft thud, although he was now the one eating dust. He coughed, sending her a green – eyed glare. "What were ye thinkin'?" he snapped, not happy at all.
Star waved at the crowd, her eyes twinkling with excitement. "I bought you some extra time. Beast's act can go on now, and there will be no refunds. Just listen to the crowd scream."
Joker took his eyes off of her, and cast his eyes towards the crowd. Indeed, they were all cheering and whistling. He could even spot Star's little fanclub, hooting and shouting things like 'forbidden love' for all the place to hear.
He looked back to Star, whose cheeks now sported a rosy glow from all the running and jumping. She caught his glance, and sent him a genuine smile. Joker somehow felt his heart go 'THUMP' for a second, as a tickly feeling spread through his body. "I told you I'd shine today."
"Yeah… didn't know this was what ye were talkin' about though."
|Afterparty|
Joker lifted his glass, filled with an alcoholic drink that nobody had bothered describing further to him. The whole circus troupe went quiet, and prepared for what their ringleader had to say. "As ye all know, today could've been a catastrophe. Which is why I want all of ye to give Star a hand for savin' the day!" he yelled, his cheeks blushing with the warmth coming from the alcohol. The entire gang started applauding. Star started blushing, waving her hands around like mad in an attempt to make them stop.
George was sitting next to her, his hands tightly around his stuffed bear. He loved it dearly, even though he had scolded his sister for buying him something so expensive. After Star had told him that Joker and Freckles had chipped in however, the boy had let go of the matter, and extended a sincere thanks to the both of them. He also clapped his tiny hands, proud of his sister's achievement.
Joker held up his hand, in an attempt to get everyone quiet again. He succeeded, after a short amount of time. "And that is why Star can give this performance every time, with me, as a reward for doin' such a great job. It's not exactly what ye can call a real act, but she's gettin' there y'all!"
They all cheered, and several people clapped her on the back, sending her nose – first in her glass of the same alcoholic drink Joker was drinking. Inhaling it partly, she started coughing violently, thus missing the poisonous glare that Beast had sent her way.
"Honestly… They're forcing me to do that everyday now? I'm starting to wish I hadn't said anything at all at this rate!" she confided in George, who immediately gave her a scolding look.
"Big sis, you were great out there, it's no wonder that Joker wants you to do that again. It's a really great compliment, so you should go and thank him."
Star sighed, knowing that comment was as true as it could get. "You know George… you're really too mature for your age. Why can't you just tell me I'm right all the time?"
George chuckled when she said that. "That's because big sis didn't raise me that way." He replied, once again telling her the truth.
She rolled her eyes and rubbed her knuckles on his head. "Why you little! Acting like you're so high and mighty, I'll teach you!"
George started begging for mercy as she tickled him. "No, please, no!"
"Too late kiddo, now you shall suffer the full wrath of Star!"
A little while further, Dagger and Joker were leaning against some bags, listening to the band breaking in the same tune that Star had used for her improve piece. Joker was looking at Star and George who were messing around, occasionally taking a sip from his drink.
"Joker?"
"Joker?" Dagger frowned, and followed Joker's gaze. He saw he was looking at the nearby Star, who seemed to be having a fun enough time. "Oooooh, I get it." He said in a knowing tone. He elbowed Joker in an amicable way, disrupting the man's train of thought.
"Ye've takin' a liking to Star, haven't ye old-timer?" he said, taking a big swig of his drink.
Joker gave an agreeing shrug. "Yes, of course. She's a great asset."
"That's not what I mean." Dagger said, rolling his eyes at his older brother. "I mean, ye really, really, reeaaaally like her, don't ye?"
Joker choked on the small rest of his drink, coughing as the burning liquid entered his system. "Th – that's preposterous!" he managed to bring out.
Dagger shrugged, having his signature smile on his face. "Ye looked at her just now like I look at Big sis when she passes."
"It's yer imagination!" a flustered Joker replied, not even daring to glance in Star's direction now. True, he had been having some thoughts about the girl – woman – lately, but not any more than he thought about any other of his friends. Right?
"Really now?" Dagger said, blinking rapidly at the older man, letting his eyelashes flash. "So, if Star were to kiss someone at this little party of ours, ye wouldn't be jealous?" he asked, flashing a small grin. Joker immediately glanced in Star's direction, almost relieved at seeing there was nobody near her except her brother.
"Ye would be!" Dagger exclaimed, clapping his hands in delight. "Go an' ask her to dance then!"
"No, Dagger, ye've got it all wrong! It's not –"
He couldn't finish his sentence as Dagger gave him a shove. He staggered over to Star, bumping into her as she was smoothing her brother's hair. She turned around, not looking annoyed at being bumped into by the ginger ringleader.
"Joker, hi!" she said, as the man fought the urge to run away instead of asking her.
"Ah, Star… I…uh…"
"Thank you for not being mad at me." She said, meaning every word. "And I'm happy that you think the show was good. Or is that not what you wanted to talk about?"
Joker looked at the top of the tent when he spoke. "I … that is, ye… let's dance!" he finally blurted out. When he looked at Star, she immediately nodded.
"Dance, huh? Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt, just this once…." she said, taking the man's hand and leading him towards the other dancers. The contact of her hand at once sent another flutter through the man's heart.
He caught Dagger's gaze, who gave him the thumbs – up. 'I can't be in love… right?' he asked himself. He didn't know it quite then yet. It would take him some thinking…
And he couldn't ignore another flutter as she looked in his eyes.