The New Ringmaster Part 1
reader works for the circus :: caine is the new ringmaster since the previous one got fired :: slow burn :: dividers: @sisterlucifergraphics
the amazing artist: @anessthetic
It was around 9am when you woke up to the sound of Gangle screaming outside of your circus wagon. It didn’t take a genius to know that Jax was the root cause of her uncharacteristically loud screeches, so you proceeded with caution as you left the safety of your makeshift home, being mindful of the banners that swung high above your door. The magician’s assistant always had some sort of trick up his sleeve and you didn’t want to be on the receiving end of it, even if you had to sacrifice your anime obsessed friend for the sake of protecting yourself.
The lady’s wails only got louder as you drew closer, making you wonder what Jax did this time to warrant such a reaction. An uneasy smile graced your lips. Perhaps you shouldn’t have left your room, but you were already near the backstage entrance now, returning wasn’t an option.
You found the backstage fairly quick, though anyone new to the circus would have gotten lost, without a doubt. It was hidden behind layers of hangers and clothing racks, all of which consisted of various wacky costumes. As you passed through, you recognised a few of the accessories, some of them belonging to Pomni, Ragatha and Zooble. Jester hats sprouted out from the neatly stacked clutter along with juggling balls and throwing knives. Capes flowed freely as backups for potential wardrobe malfunctions. and makeup boxes littered the space underneath. That included white face paint, glitter in a multitude of shades and bright red lipstick. You shook your head and giggled. It was an unnecessary amount of preparation on the ringmaster’s end. Normally, he’d be late with ordering the show’s outfits, so it was a nice change of pace compared to the frantic panicking of mixing up props last minute.
You could even spot your own amongst the chaos, ignoring how it looked slightly different and reaching out to brush against the fabric. You held onto the railing, making your way up the stairs and noting how it smelt strongly of rubber, chalk and burnt wood, similar to the scent of Jax’s act. That could only mean he was practicing, but now? It didn’t add up. Only the magician woke up this early in the morning since Ragatha was quite the perfectionist, evident in the way she performed flawlessly. Definitely a fan favorite, you concluded.
Another cry brought you back to reality. Your heart raced. Okay, what was going on?
You breathed heavily as you dashed the remainder of your journey, nearly tripping over the various wires and cables wrapped around your feet. Another strange equation to your problem, for the ringmaster never had them lying around like this, let alone out and ready for the performance.
Did your boss finally pick up the slack? Then why was Gangle screaming?
You yelped upon bumping into Zooble, who looked just as surprised to see you.
“Woah, slow down,” they chuckled, turning around to face you.
“Sorry! Sorry.” Your body pumped with adrenaline as rapid breaths wracked your shaking form. You looked exhausted, strands of hair falling out of place and sticking to sweat.
“Did you run all the way here?” The juggler cocked their head to the side, the back of their wrist resting in the crook of their hip. You forgot how sassy they could be sometimes as they normally had an air of nonchalance. Zooble wasn’t known for being loud, preferring to express themselves in different ways such as how they dressed and what they chose to perform. If subtle was a person, it would be them. You appreciated that.
“Maybe…” You blushed and glanced away, looking up at the ceiling. Many fresnel lights with gels aligned the area, practically bursting with color and brightening up the tent with pizazz. You couldn’t see much from where you stood in the back, but the glimpse of the centre stage gave you the impression of very expensive equipment. Since when could the ringmaster afford them?
It was only last month when he said that he couldn’t pay to fix the hole in the staff room’s table. All of you had to “make do” by placing a plank over the damage. Now whenever you eat, you have to be careful where you place your food, otherwise it would shift and you’d end up with a half eaten sandwich like Pomni. It was still on the floor because the circus also couldn’t afford an actual cleaner. When discussing who should get rid of it, everyone refused and arguments were sparked, so much that you all decided to leave the topic of the forbidden sandwich alone. Ragatha offered, but everyone, minus Jax, insisted that she shouldn’t. She always cleaned up after other people, and neither of you had the heart to make her go through that.
After admiring the new and improved circus grounds, you finally caught your breath and spoke up again, “Can you blame me though? What’s up with all the screaming anyway?”
When they didn’t respond fast enough, you went pale in the face.
“Nobody’s dying, are they?” You gasped, desperately grabbing onto Zooble’s shirt. They looked down at your grip with a raised eyebrow and you muttered out an embarrassed apology, instantly letting go.
“Did Jax finally light Gangle on fire? Poor Ragatha. Having an assistant like that, it was inevitable.”
Zooble laughed at the subtle jab towards your colleague, “If Jax did that to my girlfriend, I wouldn’t be here talking to you.”
“Ah. Fair enough.” You nodded, tucking away the strand of your hair after realising just how much it was aggravating you.
“Gangle’s screaming, but not in pain. I’d actually say it’s out of excitement,” Zooble continued, pointing in the direction of the aerial silks performer. Now that you were looking properly, she did look happy about something. It wasn’t bizarre for the woman to squeal, but this felt different. There was only so much enthusiasm somebody could give without earning a few questions.
“Why?” You didn’t bother to hide the confusion on your face.
“Our boss got fired,” Zooble explained without a care in the world. They were hard to read, but you could tell that they were pleased as well, for once not reaching in their pocket to pull out a cigarette.
“Holy shit?! He got kicked out? For real?” You were buzzing as you leaned in closer, seeking out more gossip. Zooble fed into it, voice calm and smooth despite their contentment.
“Yep. His replacement is visiting the circus today.”
You weren’t surprised that your ringmaster got replaced, but you were still hyped about it. You didn’t think it would happen so soon, especially considering his connections with Kinger. Abel knew nothing about maintaining a great work environment, but when it came down to public relations, the guy was amazing. He knew exactly what to say, usually giving the right results in terms of profit, but what the board of directors didn’t know was that Abel was a straightforward thinker. In order to maintain the circus’s image, he abandoned his employees. Money that could have been used for better costumes was put into posters and social media. Your wagon was barely being held together with flimsy sticks, and the other day, Gangle complained that she was running low on art supplies and could no longer sketch out her ideas. Abel said that he’d look into it, but he never did, instead investing into more advertisements and billboards.
Whilst you were happy about the sudden influx of purchases, gaining a bigger audience than any of you could imagine, everyone was getting fed up with the toxic workspace. You needed someone who could think outside of the box. A boss that prioritised his workers just as much as the circus.
“Do you know what time?” You had to stop yourself from bouncing on the soles of your feet.
“That’s what Gangle’s trying to figure out,” Zooble responded casually, glancing over at their girlfriend with a love struck expression.
“Yo, Gangle!” The lady gasped upon hearing your voice, and so did Zooble, the juggler shooting you a puzzled look.
“Ah! Huh?” When the silk performer jumped high into the air with a yelp, dropping a ribbon, you winced, not meaning to scare her like that.
“Do you know?” How vague.
“Know what?” She whipped her head around.
“When they’re coming?” You mentally slapped your forehead for not being specific enough.
“Ooooh. No, but I overheard Jax say he’s going to ask Kinger.”
You sighed. Better than nothing, you thought. It was just a matter of waiting, but a part of you wanted to know now. What if the new ringmaster was way worse than Abel? What was even going to happen to him after he left?
As if on cue, Jax slammed through the backstage door. Kinger slowly followed suit. All of your heads perked up with rapid interest, even Zooble couldn’t help themselves this time as they joined the crowd.
Ragatha was the first to say something, “Kinger!”
The old man waved at his adopted daughter, giving her a smile.
“Hello, Ragatha,” he began, chuckling as the group huddled in closer like penguins. “Jax informed me that you were all curious about the new ringleader,” he continued, “I’m more than happy to fill you in.”
Jax rubbed his hands together almost mischievously, “Oh, finally, because I have so many questions to ask you–“
A grunt as you palmed him in the face, interrupting the assistant, “Wait, I must know something first.”
“Hey, back off!” Jax pretended to bite your hand. You reciprocated by nipping at the space around him. The two of you both giggled at the absurdity of it all.
Kinger grinned, “One at a time. You’ll all get your turn.”
“What’s going to happen to Abel?” Gangle asked the first question as you were busy bickering with Jax. This caused you and him to stop yapping over each other, now paying attention to what Kinger had to say.
He cleared his throat, hoping to be mindful when explaining the situation, as to not to hurt anyone’s feelings. Abel may have been a bad boss, but Kinger wouldn’t outright say that. After all, everyone had their flaws, some worse than others, but he wasn’t about to judge Abel for that.
“As you may already know, Abel was great at doing exactly what was asked of him, but… we’ve received many complaints regarding how he treated his employees.”
Kinger waited for input, but when nobody said anything, he resumed, finding joy in all of your curious faces. It felt like he was teaching a class. Oh, how he wished Queenie was here to see it, but his wife was busy across the country, attending to other matters.
“So, we’ve decided to switch around a few positions. Abel’s going to join public relations instead of managing the circus. For you see, he has a brother–“
“What?!” Everyone collectively gasped.
“Abel has a brother? Seriously, and I didn’t know about it?” Jax looked dumbfounded.
“He never told us that,” Pomni joined Jax’s side, backing him up with a nod. He scoffed. How could he not know such a crucial detail?
Kinger sighed, “He likely didn’t mention it because they aren’t on great terms. They had a falling out not so long ago.”
“I’m not surprised. Abel’s slightly mean…” Ragatha fidgeted with the ends of her sleeve. Upon realising she just insulted the man, she was quick to backtrack, “B-but, I’m sure he didn’t mean any harm. Running a place this big must be really hard. I certainly couldn’t do it.”
A few mutters of agreement from Pomni and Gangle. The rest of you rolled your eyes.
Kinger, sensing a debate coming on, politely raised his finger.
“Now, about Abel’s brother. He was originally going to run the circus, but he ended up in advertisement. We can see now that was an error on our part, hence the switch around.”
More whispers filled the room. You locked eye contact with Kinger and he noticed that you wanted to speak, so he softly ushered everyone into silence. You thanked him with a smile and the squint of your eyes. Now that it was quiet, you could at last ask the question that had been on your mind for a while. It was bugging you.
“What’s his name?” You glanced up at the old man.
“Aha. I should have started with that. His name is–“
“Caine!” A loud booming voice suddenly dominated the stage.
Instantly recognising that tone, Kinger spun around and greeted the stranger with a hug. The man squeezed back, relishing the company.
Except, this was no stranger.
The mysterious figure was decked head to toe in a sparkling, red suit. Around his neck was a black bow tie that demanded your attention, and a hat that matched adorned the top of his head like a crown. Tufts of red hair flowed loosely around his chiseled jaw, and under his eyes were triangular marks, likely face painted on. His smile was bright and white, glowing furiously, and below that ran an equally as pearly beard. It was sharp around the edges, resembling teeth. He looked shorter than Abel, but that didn’t mean he was necessarily small. Gold epaulettes encased his broad shoulders, only adding to his extravagant frame. He looked rich.
Though what really caught your attention was the cockatoo on his shoulder. Well, that’s what you assumed it was. The bird had a healthy, greyish coat, borderline white. It squawked as soon as it took notice of you and the others, earning a glare from Caine. You laughed, finding the noise hilarious.
The man glanced at you when you did, making you shut up. He was kind of attractive…
“Me?” A baffled look overtook you. It seemed you didn’t look away quick enough, making him zone in on you. Wonderful, you were officially picked out of from the bunch.
“Yes, you! Show me around.”
You gave Kinger an exasperated look. He chuckled and placed a grounding hand on the man’s shoulders. He jolted, but otherwise relaxed.
“Sorry about that. This is Caine, your new boss.”
“Indeed, and you, my daring flower petal, will be helping me adjust today!”
Okayy. You didn’t sign up for this. You exchanged a horrified expression with Zooble, who was already heading out of the door, selecting a cigarette out of the box. Gangle clearly didn’t want to leave, finding the whole ordeal story worthy, but left with her partner anyway. The awkwardness was enough to push her out, but you had a strong feeling she’d be asking a lot of questions later, for once a giddy glint shining within her eyes.
That’s when you realised everyone other than Kinger had returned to their respective wagons, Jax and Pomni being the last to escape, sticking out their tongues. This was going to be an eventful week.
You bit your lip and clasped your hands together, already looking pale. You couldn’t remember the last time you were left alone with a man so aesthetically pleasing. Did your breath stink? You hadn’t even showered yet. First impressions were everything and yet here you were, fucking it up. You turned and breathed into your hand, trying to smell it.
Behind you, a cough was heard.
He was still waiting for you to reply.
You spluttered out a response, “Yayyy… allow me to show you around then.”
“Marvellous, my dear! Lead the way.” Caine held out his arm for you to hold, not commenting on your odd behavior, that’s if he noticed it at all. He seemed more caught up on getting to know the place rather than your internal struggles.
Not used to this kind of consideration, you hesitated for a moment, staring down at his gloved hand.
“Hello? Are you quite alright, darling?” The ringmaster tapped his cane against the ground.
“Oh, right! Yes. Follow me,” you breathed and quickly took his arm in yours. This seemed to please Caine, a delightful grin spreading over his cheeks as he patted your knuckles.
“So polite!” He directed at Kinger despite the fact he was talking about you. He then leaned forward.
“I’m sure we’re going to get along swimmingly.”
You didn’t realise how close he was until he exclaimed that. You swallowed, giving the new ringmaster a shy nod.
“Yep,” you squeaked, “swimmingly…”
