♕ 002 // Action for Goldenrod (Circus)

[lackingbeauty]

-ere.

[Beast, for anyone who remembers her first broadcast some time ago, seems to have gotten the hang of the PokéGear, holding it so that it better shows her from the shoulder up, outside Eve's Garden Circus in Goldenrod.]

Reckon that's workin' now. Ye can 'ear me an' such.

[She looks. Irritated? Stern? Strained? Maybe it's just her face.]

Been 'ere longer 'n I care t'be, but apparently that isn' about to change, so I'll introduce myself proper.

Name's Beast. Animal tamer by trade. [She snorts a bit derisively before muttering under her breath-] Though looks like everyone 'n their brother is claimin' t'be the same in this place.

Any 'ow, I figured to thank the people who tried to talk t'me when I first arrived. Ye'll forgive I weren' exactly the 'appiest woman at the time, seein' as I think takin' that sort a arrival calmly might mean yer off in the 'ead.

Didn' get most a yer names, but I appreciate what ye done.

[Which is the closest she'll come to apologizing for how she treated some of you. Take it or leave it.]

That said, 'll be takin' up at the circus time bein'. 'd like t' 'ave a few words with anyone who considers themself a part a that. In person, preferably. This gear'll do if yer away.

Good day t'ye.

[Look at that- so polite.]

Comments

[lackingbeauty]

[Interestingly enough, Beast has the same reaction- for different reasons. Someone doesn't know anything about collections, any big jobs, or reapers.

Beyond Suit's weird ramblings. Which had been suspicious enough.]

What collection? In't ye some sort a government employee, then, if Suit was yer boss?

[That's what she'd heard anyway- and he looked the part, all uptight, stone-faced, and unfunny. A right weird fellow, and she'd never taken to a shine to him like Joker and Dagger had.]

... Yea, why don' ye come round. Tea'd be keen.

[diehardreaper]

Tea it is. I'll save the details for later. Give me about... ten minutes?
But a bit of a question while I ride.

[ He'll just pause so he can mount his bike again. ]

What's the last thing you remember? No wrong answers and nothing's too ridiculous or impossible. You can be as vague as you wish.

[lackingbeauty]

Ten minutes, then.

[Beast is already on guard- being related to Suit somehow might have given Ronald a pass with other members of Noah's Ark, but not with Beast. So that question really doesn't seem like something she'd like to answer, let alone to someone she doesn't know.]

Seein' as we jus' met, I doubt anythin' I say'd make a lick a sense t'ye in the first place.

[diehardreaper]

[ And he'll save his answer for when he actually gets there. Ronald ends up riding up right outside the circus on his bicycle with a ponyta galloping by his side and a duskull chilling in the bike basket. Said duskull gives a happy little wave as Ron hits the brakes. ]

Fair's fair. We've just met so... the last memory's prolly a bit private. Best I not pry, eh?

[ He'll pause again to get off, holding out a pokeball to call back the ponyta. ]

That's his exercise for the day done, then. And... Beast, right? Nothing beastly about you, that I can tell.

[ And holding his hand out for a proper greeting. ]

[lackingbeauty]

[Beast is standing right where she made her broadcast from, her Pokegear in hand and her foot tapping anxiously. - The real one. Noticeably absent is a Pokemon. She wasn't... acclimating well. That might be a good way to put how she felt about those animals.]

Reckon so.

[Is how she greeted him and his little entrance. That... thing was waving at her.

She didn't wave back.

She did reach out to grasp his hand in a firm, maybe too firm, shake.]

Charmed, 'm sure.

[- She wasn't. But she was trying to be polite.]

[hardknoxlife]

[ Oh hey, the lady has a grip. One he appreciates. Grim however seems to shrink back slightly and remain in his basket. ]

Absolutely charmed, miss. Now then... best we talk over that tea we agreed on. If you're ready, we can head off whenever you please.

[ He'll just take to wheeling his bike after he steps off it. ]

Wager you've just arrived too, then? I've been here nary a month, myself.

[lackingbeauty]

Right, then.

[Beast cast something of an anxious look back at the circus tents, a fleeting moment where she considers telling Joker or Snake she'd be stepping out.

But something stops her.

Instead she takes up an easy stride besides his bike. If anything went wrong, (and seeing as in her memories, things feel about to go very wrong indeed), well. She knew how to take care of herself.

They all did.]

- Bout the same.

[hardknoxlife]

Yeah, that'd explain away why I didn't hear of you the first time round. Wish I could've been a bit more help though.

[ And so he begins to lead them down the street. ]

How're you getting along though?

[lackingbeauty]

I got all the 'elp I needed.

[From the one person she'd accept it from. Seeing as she tried to listen to others on arrival and ended up ignoring them after a few exchanges. They'd seemed like loons to her at the time.

... Still sort of did, really. Beast followed him with a certain degree of wariness, her tone betraying how she feels about small talk.]

- an' I'm gettin' alon' fine.

[hardknoxlife]

That's a relief, isn't it? S'not so bad here... bit of a holiday, as I've considered.

[ He's just going to go ahead and wheel his bike to the parking racks of a quaint little cafe, something by the roadside. ]

Now then, wager you said something about Mister Spears and I working for the peelers?

[lackingbeauty]

Well, nice t'see some people view it as a such.

[Though her tone made it clear she didn't at all, and found it rather foolish people seemed okay with being here at all.

Bit of a Debby Downer, Beast.

At his question, though, she shook her head.]

That Suit never said 'e were a peeler, but- some sort a government fella. By the look a 'im I always figured 'im fer a desk man.

[Except if he had been with the constabulary-]

Were ye, then? Peelers?

[Wariness spiking...]

[diehardreaper]

Blow me, course not!

[ Give him a second to pull a chair out for her. ]

Haven't the slightest of what you're going on about though. Mister Spears and myself aren't what you'd call peelers, much less part of the ruddy government, mind.

Like I said, we're reapers, me and him. M'sure you've prolly heard a few of the stories. Grandfather Death and all?

[lackingbeauty]

[Beast was about to take the seat he'd pulled out, (she could pull her own chairs out, thank you kindly), but then he said "reapers".

Which was then followed not by some explanation of how that was a legitimate real job, but exactly the idea.

Grandfather Death.]

- If yer goin' to spout that same load a shit as Suit tried jokin' about, I'm leavin'. Maybe some people got the ead fer it, but I don' 'ave time fer that sort a nonsense.

[hardknoxlife]

[ All the innocent blinking back at her. ]

Yeah, it'd prolly sound like a load of bollocks to anyone so I can't say I blame you there. Mister Spears joking though, [ A laugh. ] now that's something, isn't it? He was never the sort to pull anyone's leg. Always said he either needed to get that stick lodged up his arse out or have a good shag.

[ But back to the matter at hand... ]

Don't even have my scythe on me or my To Die list to prove a point...

[ Hmm... how best to prove it. ]

Wouldn't take a bloke on his good word, would you...?

[lackingbeauty]

[Well, she definitely agreed Suits needed to get the stick out his ass. Sure, he was skilled- shockingly so, but honestly, the man's showmanship was the worst she'd ever seen. But that was beside the point-]

Reaper stories are fer the old 'n the young, so I'll kindly ask ye stop tryin' to play me for somethin' that don' even exist.

[Reaping, rather, believing in it, implied a certain belief in the afterlife, or at least, the estancia of the soul. And Beast had abandoned all such belief years ago. Belief in some magnanimous god, in a Heaven, in Hell...

They'd lived in Hell. It was called East End, in a filthy alley off Old Nichol. They were still living in a form of it, and salvation was a dream of "over the hill".

As for this man though- even out she didn't know why he'd bother trying such a tall tale on her, she knew what she did and did not believe in. (Didn't she?)]

I wouldn'. If that'd be all, then-

[diehardreaper]

Wouldn't be making a flam out of something as serious as this, honest I wouldn't.

[ Okay, time to think... what was the last thing he remembered...? ]

...Didn't remember seeing you at the manor that night. M'sure I'd remember a lass like you... You prolly went to the Phantomhive place, didn't you? With the rest of them?

[lackingbeauty]

[Beast had been poised to leave, planning to stomp right out and not have much to do with the nutjub who knew Suit, probably planned to talk to Joker rather sternly about his hiring practices, too.

Except then Ronald said "Phantomhive".

She whipped back around, voice lowered to a more discrete level, terse and almost hissed.]

'ow the 'ell d'ye know that name?

[Besides, you know- the Reaper explanation. Which couldn't be true.]

[diehardreaper]

We've been dealing with the Phantomhives ever since Mister Sutcliffe went rogue, really and that was oh... prolly a good few months before Mister Spears joined up with you lot. He and Bassy don't quite get along.

[ He'll just ruffle his hair at the memory. ]

Met the lad before I came here, actually! Couldn't have his butler running 'round. The Board'll have me on overtime for a month if they heard I let a demon steal anything on my list.

[lackingbeauty]

[Words like "Reaper" and "Demon". He knew the Phantomhive boy that Father wanted. Beast actually reached out as if to grab the man and give him a good shake, but she held herself back.

They were in a cafe. Hissed.]

Get out a this place this instant.

[Beast jerked her head, gritting her teeth and hands fisted in anger as she walked right back out of the cafe, waving off a waitress who had just come to give them glasses of water.]

[diehardreaper]

[ And he'll just throw his hands up in a sign of surrender, just to show her he's not going to retaliate. Grim's a little on edge though, peering out of the basket, ready to step between them if need be. ]

Right! I'll... just stay out of your hair then!

[lackingbeauty]

I mean get out 'ere, ye glock of a man.

[The glare Beast shoots him is withering, holding the door open and definitely not ready to wait. Or let anyone else hear this conversation.]

[diehardreaper]

[ Have a sheepish grin at that. ]

Heard too much of the latter'n the former, love. You'll have to pardon a lad.

[ But he'll step in, deciding to take the door from her instead and holding it open. ]

Come on then.

[lackingbeauty]

[Beast's facial expression shows just what she thinks about being called "love"- which she might have glossed over normally, but. He was already on her bad side.

But she stalks out the door, and keeps going- she won't stop until they're out of earshot from bystanders and shops.

Only then does she whirl on him.]

'ow do ye know about the manor? Talk.

[diehardreaper]

[ He's more than willing to follow after. At least he hasn't been decked yet and Beast looks like the kind of woman who can manage to deck even a reaper. ]

I wasn't the one assigned to going to the manor, mind... so... I honestly don't know too much. That goes to my senior, Mister Sutcliffe. Wager you prolly didn't meet him... doubt Mister Spears mentioned him either.

[ There was a sigh though as he ruffles his hair. ]

But yeah. I was too knackered from what me and Mister Spears had to do that I didn't get too many details from Mister Sutcliffe. Only time I met that Bassy he'd been going on about was when I caught up to him and that Ciel lad on the Campagnia.

[lackingbeauty]

An' ow'd yer Mister Sutcliffe know, then?

[And who was Bassy? What was he talking about, a demon? Beast's mind was going about a mile a minute, except the only things bouncing around in her head didn't make a lick of sense.

Reapers. Demons. The names of men she didn't know. The Phantomhive Manor. This man knowing Suit. Him asking her what the last thing she remembered was. Him noting she hadn't been at "the manor", which had to be Father's, then, didn't it-]

An' what the 'ell did ye get up to with Suit, then?