Advertising isn’t what it used to be
Jar of Stars masterlist found here
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Guinevere tuned out most of Carrie's chatter. The streets were full of people, and there was plenty of wall space on the buildings to tape flyers to. Gwen wasn't too focused on that though, she instead put her energy into smiling at as many people as possible. she held eye contact, hoping that maybe someone would eventually stop in their tracks and call her by name, telling her how much they've missed her.
unfortunately, all she seemed to do was promptly scare them, causing their pace to increase in the other direction. "you have a weird way of attracting customers, Gwen." Carrie said, bumping her shoulder against Guinevere's.
Gwen opened her mouth to apologize. but remembered Dolion scolding her for saying sorry too much. so, instead she sheepishly shrugged her shoulders, handing Carrie another flyer to hang up. "I'm not trying to, just hoping maybe someone will recognize me or something.."
Carrie frowned at her, taking the flyer from her hand. "I'm sure someone will." the blonde turned to tape the flimsy paper to a pole. "I don't see how anyone could forget you." Carrie grinned, giving the flyer a tap as though to secure its position.
Gwen returned the smile halfheartedly. she had hoped that was the case. at the very least, if her personality and face were unforgettable, surely her abilities weren't. Guinevere walked beside Carrie down the street, handing out the remaining flyers to bystanders, promising a night full of magic.
"don't you two look fancy!" Carrie chirped to a pair seated on a bench. Gwen couldn't disagree with her, they both dressed rather sharply, and the man had a suit case. she put on her best smile, she'd learned the ones that wore suits often gave tips.
Guinevere handed the older man a flyer, grinning at him. "you look like you're in dire need of good entertainment, come see us tomorrow night!" Gwen turned her attention to the boy her age beside him, maybe his grandson or something. she didn't dare say it outload though, assuming gotten her in trouble before.
as Gwen leaned across to hand the boy the paper as well, she felt a small twinge in the back of her head. it made her eye twitch, and a shiver roll down her spine. she squinted at him as he took the flyer with a tight uninterested smile. had she seen him before? he didn't look familiar, and he defiantly didn't seem to recognize her. though, he did appear to be slightly annoyed by their presence, which wasn't unusual. for every five people happy to hear about a circus in town, another ten were anxious to be rid of teenagers interrupting their daily routine with flyers.
Carrie continued her chattering, explaining what's to be expected should the pair come to the circus show. as she rambled Guinevere crinkled her nose and popped her neck. she could still feel that odd twinge in the back of her head. it was like a mix of a really intense bug bite and as though something thumped her. it made her shift uncomfortably. maybe she'd hit her head or something at some point? or maybe a crew member did, and they had just been too shy or embarrassed to admit it.
when neither of them looked interested in what Gwen and Carrie had to offer, the girls gave a wave and smile before shuffling away. "tough crowd.." Carrie mumbled when they were out of earshot.
Guinevere snorted a small laugh, nodding her head in agreement. she glanced down at the remaining flyers in her hand. not many were left thankfully. Gwen was tempted to dump the rest in the trash so that she could go back to her tent and laze. her head hurt and today had already been long. but she hated lying, and if Dolion asked she'd tell the truth. that alone would lead to a whole ordeal, so instead Gwen sucked it up and accepted her fate of passing out flyers to mostly uninterested pedestrians.
Guinevere and Carrie passed some sort of discount store with bright yellow and red sale signs plastered in the windows. if Gwen wasn't actively passing out her own flashy pieces of advertisement, she'd comment on how tacky and obnoxious it was. but she didn't want to be a hypocrite. so instead, as she usually did, she pursed her lips and kept her thoughts to herself.
outside of the store, on a polished bench, sat a little girl swinging her short legs. Guinevere smiled, tucking her hair behind her ear as she approached the child, leaning down. "hello!" Gwen chirped. "you look sad, are you okay?" Guinevere asked, tilting her head.
the little girl looked up. her pout and slumped demeanor answered Gwen's question, but she still waited for the little blonde to respond. "i'm bored and momma won't leaveee!" she whined, dragging out the 'e'. Guinevere held back a laugh. children amused her, especially their short attention span. sometimes she wished she could remember her childhood, she'd always wondered if she was also impatient and pouty like every child she had met.
"well.." Gwen sat down beside the little girl. Carrie was a bit further away, more than likely handing out her last few flyers to someone. "i can help with your boredom." Gwen cupped her hands and brought them in front of both her and the little blonde. the girl instinctively leaned forward, focusing on Guinevere's hands with great interest. "wanna see a magic trick?" Gwen whispered, her mouth forming a grin.
the little girl's eyes widened, her pigtails bouncing as she aggressively nodded. Guinevere brought her hands closer to the child. she focused all of her energy to her palms. she could feel the heat quickly making its way down her arms and all the way to her fingertips. it was tingly, almost itchy. when the little girl anxiously leaned forward more, Gwen opened her hands. small, sparkly butterflies flew from her palms. they were various colors- mostly pinks and purples though, the little girls typically loved those ones.
as expected, her eyes widened, and her mouth fell open in a wide, surprised smile. the butterflies left a trail of sparkles as they fluttered upwards and towards the blonde. she giggled, reaching out to try and touch them. she wouldn't feel anything though, they weren't actually there. Guinevere knew that once someone touched her illusions, it disappeared. when the little girl made contact with one, the butterfly disappeared in a poof of shimmer. this only made her giggle excitedly more. it put a smile on Gwen's face too.
feeling as though her job was done, Guinevere 'scooped' the butterflies back into her palms. she unfocused her energy, feeling the heat and weight of the illusion fizzle out. "where did they go?" the little girl blinked, peering into Gwen's hands in hopes of catching another glimpse of them.
"they couldn't stay long, they get sleepy quick." Guinevere said, halfway avoiding the question. she didn't like lying, especially to kids, so she quickly changed the subject. she handed the girl a flyer. "you can see them again if-"
loud, abrupt noises interrupted Guinevere's sentence. it was shortly followed by various people screaming in shock and distress. gunshots. it was gunshots that Gwen heard. the streets became chaotic almost instantly, with pedestrians rushing about in a panic. Guinevere quickly ushered the little girl into the discount store. when she was safe, Gwen's eyes scanned the sidewalks. where the absolute hell was Carrie?!
her breath came in quick, panicky spurts. Carrie was just behind her, where could she have gone so quickly? Guinevere scurried forward, going against the rushing people. she more than likely looked like a lunatic running towards the gunfire. but she would proudly wear that title if it meant she could find her friend.
Gwen pushed past a woman hurriedly running down the sidewalk. her shoulder hit the passing people in a rush, and she felt as though she was going to throw her heart up. as she jogged forward, her shaky legs preventing her from continuing her sprint, she could see the situation. the older man her and Carrie had just handed a flyer to, laid slumped and bloody on the bench. Guinevere's eyes felt dry from how wide she'd had them open. she was too paralyzed with shock to tear up.
her eyes drifted to the empty spot beside the (now deceased) man. as her mind began to worry about the absent boy's safety, something gripped her upper arm harshly. if she was being completely honest, she hadn't hardly registered it. it really only became noticeable when the grip turned into pulling, and the ringing in her ears abruptly cut out.
"Gwen!" Carrie's voice was shrill and pleading. her large eyes were glossy, and her face was flushed with panic. she was shaking and pulling at Guinevere's arm, attempting to pull her along.
Gwen nodded numbly, allowing Carrie to pull her along. She felt as though she was floating, her movements sluggish and unstable. She'd encountered plenty of violence. Drunks that didn't take rejection from the performers well, various people on the road who didn't have an ounce of kindness in them, but never.. this. She hadn't imagined gunfire to be so loud, and fast.
Gwen wondered if something was wrong with her, because despite the absolutely horrific scene Carrie was pulling her away from, she wondered if anyone would come to show tomorrow night.
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