RPG - Jas and Alejandro

[timbits_tootsie]

Cirque Macabre is on the move. Lately the nights and mornings have been chilly, due to the upcoming winter, and though Jaspre has a high body temperature to keep him warm, many of the others do not. Grimm and Sinthia become sluggish and weak because of the chill; nagas respond poorly to cold, and as a half blood Grimm is prone to being affected.

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[antonnachzehrer]

He frowns, trying to remember the schedule. "Mahon, I think," he answers after a moment. "It'll be last of the cities in the north before we officially start heading south."

{Um. That is a very good question and I shall answer it as soon as I know.}

[timbits_tootsie]

“Mahon?” Dread surges in his stomach. He should have expected that they would stop by the city. It is, after all, a rather large city, and the circus can earn good money there. A deep frown draws his eyebrows down, his lips pressed into a flat, tight line.

Part of him rejoices at the possibility of seeing Sullivan, while another wants to steer as far away from the city as possible.

(It just struck me suddenly. XD. Maybe they are pulled by animals? Because most of the people don't have much magic and the technology is old fashioned.)

[antonnachzehrer]

He notices the sudden frown on Jaspre's face, which causes himself to frown as well. "Is there something about Mahon that displeases you?" he asks.

{Maybe. I'm not sure. :|a}

[timbits_tootsie]

“Sullivan lives in Mahon,” he answers, and nothing else. Alejandro has seen how he plunges into blackness every time he receives a letter.

And he knows without doubt that Sullivan will come to see Cirque Macabre, because Jaspre spoke warmly of it in his letters, and the replies he got expressed a wish to see it for himself.

[antonnachzehrer]

His frown deepens. "I'm sorry," he says, not knowing what else to say. It's always difficult to see where Jaspre stands with Sullivan.

{sorry, love, dinner. I always seem to start making it at the most inopportune times. :/}

[timbits_tootsie]

He nods and says no more, not wanting to sour the atmosphere between them by speaking of the redhaired boy that always lingers at the edges of his mind. Seeing him again will not be easy.

The circus makes a quick stop around lunch time, and everyone goes to get a bit to eat from Ingrid and a cup of tea to warm themselves up. Absinthia comes with them when they resume travelling, and sits on his lap, content to be enveloped in his heat. She notices how quiet they both are, but rather than asking why, she begins to chat away to cheer them up, blushing bright red every time Jaspre looks at her.

(That's fine. A girl has got to eat! *slaps self for Moulin Rouge quote*)

[antonnachzehrer]

They reach Mahon by nightfall, stopping by the forest that surrounds part of the city. There is an open area between the last of the buildings and where the trees start, and that is where they set up tomorrow. Tonight, everyone is tired, and it is cold.

Dinner that night is served around a roaring bonfire, and Ingrid hands out hot soup and fresh bread. Absinthia settles herself in between he and Jaspre, bundled up in sweaters and a large coat. Alejandro himself has on a thick wool coat and a scarf, and he thinks longingly of the warmer weather waiting for them down south.

{I've never seen that movie.}

[timbits_tootsie]

None of them talk much throughout the meal, and everyone quickly scatter after clean up to creep into bed and wrap themselves up in the warmth of thick blankets. Absinthia tries to drag her father to Jaspre and Alejandro’s caravan, and for a moment the man looks like he will give in, but ends up shaking his head.

Back in the caravan they get changed for bed, and Absinthia is pleased that he lets her borrow one of his sweaters; it is huge on her small frame, but it is also warm, and she quickly falls asleep where she has curled up between him and Alejandro in the boy’s bed. He puts an arm around her and rests his head on the pillow, too tired to worry about tomorrow.

“Good night,” he murmurs.

(You should! It is hilarious and cute and absolutely heartbreaking. They have an amazing medley in there.)

[antonnachzehrer]

They wake later in the morning to set up the grounds, which goes slower than normal because of the cold. By lunchtime, everything is only half set up and everyone is freezing and somewhat miserable.

"I don't suppose you know any spells for heat wards?" Alejandro asks Jaspre as they their lunch of stew and bread. Absinthia have gone back to their caravan, bodies unable to take the cold.

{It's on my Netflix list. :D}

[timbits_tootsie]

“Nothing of a scale large enough to help everyone here, no.” A thoughtful look comes over his face. “But I might be able to combine some spells. Let me think on it for a little while.”

Even to him, today is a cold day, and the low temperature turns his hands stiff and clumsy, his joints aching dully. He broods deeply for the rest of the meal, and once done he thinks he may have a way of helping.

“I need you to help me gather pebbles and rocks,” he tells him. “Warding the entire area is too much with such short preparation, but I can bespell small objects for everyone to carry with them.”

(Good, good. It is one of my favourite movies. I don't remember if I have asked before, but which are your absolute favourites?)

[antonnachzehrer]

"Alright."

They go into the woods after helping to finish set up to collect as many small rocks as they can carry; Alejandro isn't sure exactly how many monsters actually belong to their circus, but he puts it at somewhere around forty, with all the extra hands. "Will you be able to make enough?" he asks. He doesn't want Jaspre to wear himself out.

{I don't think you have, actually. And they are Kill Bill (1 & 2), Inglorious Basterds, Coraline, Finding Nemo, Treasure Planet, Mulan, and Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I have others that I really like, but those are the ones I could watch over and over again and never get tired of. :3}

[timbits_tootsie]

It will be a tiring task, but he assures him with a nod that it is fine. “I’ve done far more exhausting things in the past.”

They take the rocks with them back to the mess area and dump them in a pile on the table. “It might take a while, so perhaps you could tell people to head over here,” he suggests, picks up a rock and inhales deeply. Magic comes to life under his skin and flows to his hands. He weaves an intricate spell, intending for it to last for as long as twenty-four hours, and lets it soak into the rock, securing it with a mumbled word and a snap of earth magic.

He puts the charmed rock by itself and gets started on the next, then the third, the fourth, steadily working his way through the pile.

(The only I haven't seen is Treasure Planet, and I'd love to see it. I'll never tire of Disney's Fantasia, Pokemon 1, Moulin Rouge, Jurassic Park, and this Muppet mmovie from 1984 :3 Inglorious Basterds is genius!)

[antonnachzehrer]

He goes around the grounds and tells monsters what Jaspre is doing, and they line up eagerly. Soon, most of the camp is by him, waiting patiently for their heat.

{Which muppet movie? I just watched Fantasia again recently and I must say, I enjoyed it a lot more as an adult than as I kid.}

[timbits_tootsie]

By the time he hands out the last rock there is a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, his breathing a tad laboured from the effort. Absinthia holds hers to her nose with a blissful look on her face, sighing from the warmth it gives her, and Grimm looks relieved and a little less sluggish than before.

“Here,” he says, handing Alejandro one. “Keep it close.”

(I'm not sure what it's called. It's a VHS where Kermit and Miss Piggy think back on memories, and they show clips. Yep. I always loved Fantasia, but now I can appreciate the music more.)

[antonnachzehrer]

Alejandro takes it and tucks it carefully in his pocket, smiling brightly at him. "Thank you," he says, voice earnest. He can see from the sweat on his brow and his haggard expression that this took much effort of Jaspre's part. "Let me get you some tea," he says, and hurries off.

{I appreciate the art so much more now that I know what they had to go through to make it. :O}

[timbits_tootsie]

The sweat dries quickly and causes him to shiver, despite his natural body heat.

“Oh Jas, you look cold!” Absinthia climbs onto his lap and puts her head on his chest, holding her rock between them to warm him up.

“Thank you, Sinthia.” He gives her a little smile.

(Oh yeah. It's such an old movie, and it must have taken so much time and patience! Which part do you like best? I'm a sucker for the one with centaurs and pegasi and the one with the dancing mushrooms :3)