Welcome to the circus

[Independent ask/rp blog for Catherine Bloom from Gundam Wing. OC & AU friendly. Tracking the tag: knifethrowingknitter]

[knifethrowingknitter]

Clowning around | knifethrowingknitter & silentperformer3

[knifethrowingknitter]

Catherine giggles, almost unable to believe that he actually went along with it. They’d come a long way since he’d first arrived and the memories left a bittersweet smile on her face.

The smile changed to a happier one when he commented on his own skills with knives. Smiling she said, “Well I’m not saying your aim is bad or anything.” If anything it was probably the contrary since, you know, his Gundam’s main equipment was firearms. “I just don’t think you’d have quite as much fun as me.” She finishes, leading the way out to the practice stage.

[silentperformer3]

"I suppose you’re right." Trowa agrees with a slight nod. "You do seem to enjoy it quite a bit and I wouldn’t want to take that from you." Once they arrive on the practice stage he heads to Nikifor’s cage and lets him out "Ready for rehearsals?" Trowa asks the lion in a calm, friendly voice. He was grateful to still have his job at the circus, it made adjusting to life after the war a little easier on him to have at least a little stability.

[knifethrowingknitter]

She’s not sure if she should take that as a compliment or not… Was he calling her a knife-throwing maniac? Nah. Trowa wouldn’t, she was pretty sure of that. Out of reflex, she hangs back as he lets the lion out but by now, even she knows how docile it is; especially with Trowa there. Putting her hands on her hips, she can’t help the smile that forms on her face. It was nice to see him looking happy and peaceful like he did at that moment and she almost hesitated to take that away from him.

"Anything in particular you want to start with? If you’d like to warm up with Nikifor first, I won’t fault you. Watching the two of you work is always fun."

[silentperformer3]

Trowa considers this for a moment before answering. “I suppose a warmup with Nikifor would be best to start with.” Since he knew Nikifor would be a crucial part of the act this time around he understood the importance of helping him build up confidence in the act. He takes one of the hoops and holds it up before encouraging Nikifor to jump through it and when the lion finally agrees to do so he praises him.

[knifethrowingknitter]

Catherine perched herself on a nearby crate, smiling as she watched him. He always seemed so much more at ease with the animals which was usually why she'd let them be like this during practice... Maybe it was just her, but he always seemed so much more opened after he'd had time to play around with the large cats.

[knifethrowingknitter]

Cream puffs (people or otherwise) | knifethrowingknitter & dauntlesstender

[knifethrowingknitter]

Catherine loses herself to her own thoughts as she watches him. He was sincere in every way and sometimes she found herself feeling bad for the way that she treated him during the war. No one could blame her though, this kid had nearly killed Trowa. She hadn’t asked anyone about the details involving the incident but really, Quatre didn’t look like a cold-blooded killer so she was having a hard time staying mad. She wanted to, but Trowa seemed to care about him regardless of what had happened and well…

Let’s just say Trowa was her weak spot. Big time. Finally coming back to the reality of the conversation, Catherine manages to catch his comment about doing a good job. “I try my best.” She eventually replies, watching him closely. It was hard to keep an eye on that wandering kid.

Finally she leans close and gently pinches one of his cheeks as she asks, “What’s with the smile?”

[dauntlesstender-deactivated2017]

◢ - He blinks at the female’s gesture, raising a hand to his cheek but stopping himself halfway. It was totally harmless, so he instead stared at the ground fighting a blush.  Girls liked to treat him like a plushie, it seemed. 

“Smile...” He asked, staring up at Cathy.”I guess… I was just thinking, some people go their whole life not knowing their place in the world, but Trowa found you." Quatre beamed with a  jovial grin "It’s so admirable. The love of family is a real blessing, you know."

He understood that fully, being one under the loving canopy of 29 sisters and 40 Maguanacs.

[knifethrowingknitter]

Catherine stops at his words. She hadn't really been expecting something like that and now she has no idea how to react. She'd heard some things about Quatre from Trowa so she knew at least about the Maguanacs, the group that was apparently set on following the blond to hell and back, and they were like 40 people or so. If she had to guess just based on what she knew, she'd bet anything that Quatre (being how he was) considered each of them like family...

Eventually she smiled. Of course, it didn't take a genius to hear the sincerity in the boy's voice. Even without knowing everything about someone's family, she could tell that Quatre understood what it meant to be blessed with family love.

"It is." She says finally. "And I wouldn't trade Trowa for anything. He... He gives me that same warm feeling I'd get from... From someone dear to me." The woman pauses then, wrapping her arms around herself. Her brother, Triton, would be about Trowa's age... Maybe that was it. It didn't matter though... Trowa was there and that was good enough for her.

[knifethrowingknitter]

Cream puffs (people or otherwise) | knifethrowingknitter & dauntlesstender

[knifethrowingknitter]

She lets the idea of being intimidating pass after a moment. Maybe she was but it wasn’t anything she noticed… Now if people mentioned it more then maybe she’d be able to work on it. Assuming it had nothing to do with Trowa of course.

A soft smile graces her face as he says he’ll be sure to keep the schedule safe. “Good. I’d hate for you to miss out for the umpteenth time.” Catherine jokes, a giggle escaping her. She expected that some stuff probably did disappear when he wasn’t looking. He struck her as the type to keep something as pointless as an advertisement for a pizza joint, so it was probably better if the secretary got to it first.

And there was the subject she was expecting. When it came to the other pilots, she always knew Trowa would get thrown into the conversation eventually. Of course, they’d mentioned him before when her work was pointed out but this time it was all him. “Last I checked.” She says with a nod. “He’s hard to keep track of sometimes but he’s doing alright.”

[dauntlesstender-deactivated2017]

◢ - Quatre smiled in return. “I’d hate to miss out as well." Quatre hoped there would be a day he could be free at the SAME TIME they had a show. No one told him running a company would easy, but… well he guess he didn’t consider how lonely he’d feel at times.

It was expected for any of the pilots to ask about one another, it seemed. But with Quatre it was a MUST. He was in a constant state of wonder when it came fto the others, but that was mostly because none  of them reached out to him. Well, Duo stopped by now and then.

“Yeah? Well I’m sure you do a good job looking after him." She was his home, after all. He smiled fondly at the thought.

[knifethrowingknitter]

Catherine loses herself to her own thoughts as she watches him. He was sincere in every way and sometimes she found herself feeling bad for the way that she treated him during the war. No one could blame her though, this kid had nearly killed Trowa. She hadn't asked anyone about the details involving the incident but really, Quatre didn't look like a cold-blooded killer so she was having a hard time staying mad. She wanted to, but Trowa seemed to care about him regardless of what had happened and well...

Let's just say Trowa was her weak spot. Big time. Finally coming back to the reality of the conversation, Catherine manages to catch his comment about doing a good job. "I try my best." She eventually replies, watching him closely. It was hard to keep an eye on that wandering kid.

Finally she leans close and gently pinches one of his cheeks as she asks, "What's with the smile?"

[knifethrowingknitter]

Thunk.

Thunk.

Thunk.

The sound of her knives hitting the targets was all she was focused in those moments, even with the other sounds going on around. Catherine aimed another and was about to let it go when…

"Huh?" She stopped to look around herself. Everyone was moving equipment back and forth and Trowa was nowhere to be seen. Who could’ve said that? And why would they? Everyone here had watched her performance before so they were used to seeing her hit the targets.

Shaking her head, Catherine turns back to her targets and shrugs a little. “Guess I was hearing things.”

[winterwonderjack-archive]

Jack’s eyes widened and he froze when she stopped, looking around in confusion. He watched her carefully, breath caught in his throat. Had she heard him? But that was impossible. Adults never saw or heard him, and she looked closer to an adult than a child. And it was obvious she couldn’t see him. She looked over him several times in her glance around.

Still in surprise, he takes a few steps closer to the knife thrower. “Can you hear me?” he asked cautiously, still watching her with wide eyes. 

[knifethrowingknitter]

Again she set herself up to throw a knife but just as she let it fly, she heard it again. The knife missed its target, instead embedding itself in the wheel that Trowa would usually be pinned to. Catherine winced a little at that; had he been there she'd have probably prevented the poor guy from ever having kids. Ouch.

Taking a deep breath that doubled as a sigh on the way out, she put the knives down on the case next to her and put her hands on her hips as she turned around, about to scold-

No one. There was no one there. Catherine blinks once... Twice... Three times to make sure it's not her. Nope, no one. "Who said that?" She finally asks in a low voice. She really didn't want to talk to herself.

[knifethrowingknitter]

"Catherine.... is Trowa around?"

Again? Trowa was certainly popular for someone who didn’t say much. Taken by surprise, Catherine could do nothing but stare at first. Finally realizing he probably wanted an answer, she shook her head both to clear her own thoughts and reply to the inquiry.

"You missed him." She said with a half-smile. "And I’m not even sure where he went so I can’t even point you in the right direction. He always comes back though," she added with a shrug. "So you’re welcome to wait here if you want."

She moved back inside, leaving the door opened for him to follow. Pausing mid-step, she glanced back and said, “Unless you have other obligations. I can take a message, I guess.” She wasn’t an answering machine, she was a circus performer.

[wingsofaboy]

Heero hesitates in the doorway, before he follows Catherine inside. He doesn’t go far, and stops just inside the door, closing it behind him. He’d never admit it, but Catherine made him a little nervous. Especially when Trowa wasn’t around to act as a buffer between them.

"I just came for a book that I let him borrow. I can just grab it from his room, if that’s okay…"

[knifethrowingknitter]

A small laugh escapes her as she turns to face him properly. Placing her hands on her hips, she gives a teasing smile that borders on chiding the boy. “What’s wrong Heero? It’s like you don’t want to be here.” He probably didn’t want to be here if his body language was any indication but… This might be kind of fun.

"I mean if you really have somewhere else to be, I won’t fault you for taking the book and going but…" She pauses, trying to make her point clear. "If your only errand is the book then wouldn’t it be, oh, nicer of you to wait so that you can see him yourself?~”

[wingsofaboy]

Heero was silent. He really didn’t have anywhere else to be, but he also really didn’t want to be alone with Catherine. Just being alone with her this long was making him uncomfortable. He didn’t know how to deal with her constant teasing words and smiles. 

"I can see him another time," he said simple, then gave a small nod towards Catherine before he made his way towards Trowa’s room. While he did want to see Trowa, he knew Trowa would understand why he didn’t stick around this time.

[knifethrowingknitter]

"H-Hey!" She cried out, composure breaking for a moment. Well that backfired. The woman glanced around the trailer, thinking as fast as she could considering she was under pressure of sorts.

There!

"I've got a small favour to ask actually!" She says as she quickly crosses the room and slides herself between Heero and Trowa's room, effectively closing the distance between the two at the same time. In fact, Catherine was certain that Heero was actually going to bump into her!

[knifethrowingknitter]

Clowning around | knifethrowingknitter & silentperformer3

[knifethrowingknitter]

Catherine giggles, almost unable to believe that he actually went along with it. They’d come a long way since he’d first arrived and the memories left a bittersweet smile on her face.

The smile changed to a happier one when he commented on his own skills with knives. Smiling she said, “Well I’m not saying your aim is bad or anything.” If anything it was probably the contrary since, you know, his Gundam’s main equipment was firearms. “I just don’t think you’d have quite as much fun as me.” She finishes, leading the way out to the practice stage.

[silentperformer3]

"I suppose you’re right." Trowa agrees with a slight nod. "You do seem to enjoy it quite a bit and I wouldn’t want to take that from you." Once they arrive on the practice stage he heads to Nikifor’s cage and lets him out "Ready for rehearsals?" Trowa asks the lion in a calm, friendly voice. He was grateful to still have his job at the circus, it made adjusting to life after the war a little easier on him to have at least a little stability.

[knifethrowingknitter]

She's not sure if she should take that as a compliment or not... Was he calling her a knife-throwing maniac? Nah. Trowa wouldn't, she was pretty sure of that. Out of reflex, she hangs back as he lets the lion out but by now, even she knows how docile it is; especially with Trowa there. Putting her hands on her hips, she can't help the smile that forms on her face. It was nice to see him looking happy and peaceful like he did at that moment and she almost hesitated to take that away from him.

"Anything in particular you want to start with? If you'd like to warm up with Nikifor first, I won't fault you. Watching the two of you work is always fun."

[knifethrowingknitter]

dauntlesstender replied to your post:dauntlesstender replied to your...

But of course! Dorothy admired Relena, after all.

So yeah, aside from the heebie-jeebies she'd get from her love of war, Catherine would at least be okay with the fact that at least she's willing to listen to others.

[knifethrowingknitter]

dauntlesstender replied to your post:dauntlesstender replied to your post:❤ ✗ ☾ ❣...

dorothy is infatuated with war is what i meant— NOT THAT SHE’D ATTACK XD

Yeah but she'd be (maybe?) willing to listen to another side. The part of her that LOVES war would scare the bejeezus out of Catherine but hey, AT LEAST SHE'S WILLING TO LISTEN TO HER NO-WAR COMPLAINTS!

[knifethrowingknitter]

dauntlesstender replied to your post:❤ ✗ ☾ ❣ ✖ !!!

DON’T LET HER MEET WAR-FANATIC DOROTHY THEN. xD

Actually, if I recall correctly (and feel free to correct me because I'm about as far from a Dorothy expert as you can get) Dorothy is actually fairly ummm... Diplomatic in a way. She actually talks shit over with people (granted while trying to stab them) so I think if you sit her down with like, I don't know, chess or something she'd probably be fairly willing to talk about stuff.

[knifethrowingknitter]

❤ ✗ ☾ ❣ ✖ !!!

❤ : Describe a physical action that shows complete trust.

Her proximity when standing around is one of those things on its own. When he’s around, she can usually be seen hanging closely to Trowa, sometimes even resting her hands on his shoulder. It's a sign that she trusts him and really cares for him.

✗ : Explain how they portray feelings of hostility or dislike.

Glaring mostly. Catherine’s not one to physically attack anyone (unless they really deserve it *cough*Trowa*cough*) so her best is glares. Also snide remarks and just generally being unfriendly. The Episode Zero manga shows this wonderfully when you see her when she’s 9-years old.

☾ : On a sleepless night, what would they be found doing?

Sleepless nights are very rare for her, especially on days that include work because by the end of the night, she’s usually beat - either from concentrating on not hitting Trowa with a knife or the trapeze act which requires an equal amount of concentration (if not more). On the rare occasions that it does happen, she tends to read or try new soup recipes (with varying degrees of success).

❣: Describe a way that will earn affection (whether platonic or romantic) from them.

Usually just being yourself and being honest with her tends to work. She doesn’t want people trying to be something they’re not around her ‘cause it feels fake and she’s seen enough fake smiles from the failed attempts to add more to the circus roster. She loves genuine smiles that come from people who are just being genuine in general. When it came to Trowa, there was something about him that automatically clicked with her, so he’s a special snowflake here.

✖ : Describe a way to make them uneasy or apprehensive.

People with that craving for war seriously weird her out. She'll keep her remarks to herself but anyone who can talk openly about war without wanting a retort will make her very uneasy; she likes to be able to at least make her point heard even if it's not considered. It's mostly the war-mongers  that bother her. At the beginning of her circus career she was a little intimidated by some of the more... Devoted fans but she's gotten used to them by now.

[catherinearbour]

He’s dooone~

SD Gundam Force Sandrock! Super basic setup ‘cause I didn’t want to make the backpack to sorta turn the blades into weird wings(???) so that he could hold the gun and shield. That may or may not change.

He’s so cute!

[winterwonderjack-archive]

knifethrowingknitter

[winterwonderjack-archive]

The circus was in town! This was the best news for Jack. He loved the circus. And the best part? He didn’t even have to pay since he was invisible to adults and could just sneak in without anyone ever knowing. 

They were still setting up it seemed so he contented himself to wandering around the grounds for now, curiously watching as people set up tents and moved equipment around. It was almost as fun and interesting as seeing the actual act.

He stopped mid-step when he came across a young woman throwing knives, watching in fascination as she hit the target every time.

"Wow…" he said in awe, speaking out loud without even thinking about it. 

[knifethrowingknitter]

Thunk.

Thunk.

Thunk.

The sound of her knives hitting the targets was all she was focused in those moments, even with the other sounds going on around. Catherine aimed another and was about to let it go when...

"Huh?" She stopped to look around herself. Everyone was moving equipment back and forth and Trowa was nowhere to be seen. Who could've said that? And why would they? Everyone here had watched her performance before so they were used to seeing her hit the targets.

Shaking her head, Catherine turns back to her targets and shrugs a little. "Guess I was hearing things."

[friendshipstates]

Your character has just discovered my character's journal/diary.

[knifethrowingknitter]

Leave a  ☱ in my askbox for an entry that’s about you.

[knifethrowingknitter]

"Catherine.... is Trowa around?"

Again? Trowa was certainly popular for someone who didn’t say much. Taken by surprise, Catherine could do nothing but stare at first. Finally realizing he probably wanted an answer, she shook her head both to clear her own thoughts and reply to the inquiry.

"You missed him." She said with a half-smile. "And I’m not even sure where he went so I can’t even point you in the right direction. He always comes back though," she added with a shrug. "So you’re welcome to wait here if you want."

She moved back inside, leaving the door opened for him to follow. Pausing mid-step, she glanced back and said, “Unless you have other obligations. I can take a message, I guess.” She wasn’t an answering machine, she was a circus performer.

[wingsofaboy]

Heero hesitates in the doorway, before he follows Catherine inside. He doesn’t go far, and stops just inside the door, closing it behind him. He’d never admit it, but Catherine made him a little nervous. Especially when Trowa wasn’t around to act as a buffer between them.

"I just came for a book that I let him borrow. I can just grab it from his room, if that’s okay…"

[knifethrowingknitter]

A small laugh escapes her as she turns to face him properly. Placing her hands on her hips, she gives a teasing smile that borders on chiding the boy. “What’s wrong Heero? It’s like you don’t want to be here.” He probably didn’t want to be here if his body language was any indication but… This might be kind of fun.

"I mean if you really have somewhere else to be, I won’t fault you for taking the book and going but…" She pauses, trying to make her point clear. "If your only errand is the book then wouldn’t it be, oh, nicer of you to wait so that you can see him yourself?~”

[knifethrowingknitter]

Cream puffs (people or otherwise) | knifethrowingknitter & dauntlesstender

[knifethrowingknitter]

“Intimidated?" Looking utterly insulted, she puts her hands on her hips. "How could anyone be intimidated by me?" How could they not though? When it came to Trowa, she had a one-track mind that could probably land the offending party in the hospital if they were lucky.

Seeing his face light up at her proposal makes her smile though. “Of course I would. I’ll just have to make sure to send the schedule to your second home, just to be sure you get it.” She jokes back, clearly meaning his office. After a pause she adds, “Hopefully your secretary won’t toss it in the garbage because she doesn’t recognize the name of the sender.”

[dauntlesstender-deactivated2017]

◢ - Quatre refrained from mentioning the common fear that anyone who came between her and her little bro might as well have volunteered for knife throwing target practice… That’s how Duo put it, anyway.

“Ha-ha." Quatre dulls out, folding his arms. He couldn’t fight the smirk though. Okay he’d be a good sport about it. "She won’t if I tell her to expect something from you. I hope she doesn’t toss out anything that comes in…" He adds, with a pout. "That would just be rude." If he had it his way he’d leaf through every piece of paper that was sent his way. Bleeding hearts do not belong at the top of a company.

“I take it Trowa is doing well?" 

[knifethrowingknitter]

She lets the idea of being intimidating pass after a moment. Maybe she was but it wasn't anything she noticed... Now if people mentioned it more then maybe she'd be able to work on it. Assuming it had nothing to do with Trowa of course.

A soft smile graces her face as he says he'll be sure to keep the schedule safe. "Good. I'd hate for you to miss out for the umpteenth time." Catherine jokes, a giggle escaping her. She expected that some stuff probably did disappear when he wasn't looking. He struck her as the type to keep something as pointless as an advertisement for a pizza joint, so it was probably better if the secretary got to it first.

And there was the subject she was expecting. When it came to the other pilots, she always knew Trowa would get thrown into the conversation eventually. Of course, they'd mentioned him before when her work was pointed out but this time it was all him. "Last I checked." She says with a nod. "He's hard to keep track of sometimes but he's doing alright."

[knifethrowingknitter]

Soup first, talk later | knifethrowingknitter & shinigamipilotduo

Continued here.

shinigamipilotduo:

"That sounds good! I’m kinda hungry, so I suppose taking a brief break will be good."

Catherine sits across from him, watching expectantly. She ate already so this was all his. No one’s sure why she cooks at random hours, but she does… And even random hours don’t help her any because that just isn’t soup he’s considering eating.

She props her elbows on her knees and rests her face in her hands, watching. Clearly she really really wants to know how it is!

[ofmeitanteis-deactivated2017121]

"What's in this, if I might ask?" Duo says, pausing for a second to look up at her, "You wouldn't have....oh, I dunno, drugged it or spiked it with anything? Ah, ah, just paranoia talkin." Duo says, waving his hand aside and trying to dissuade her from thinking otherwise. "Maybe I'm just being paranoid, don't ya think?"

[knifethrowingknitter]

"Why would I spike it?" She asked, one eyebrow going up to hide behind her fringe. "I'm not trying to kill Trowa's friends." That would be counterproductive if she wanted to find him. She puts on a smile that she hopes is casual. "You're paranoid for nothing Duo."

[knifethrowingknitter]

//Technically I could mod post this to gundamdaycare but w/e!

We had quite the adventure yesterday! Walked back from the Fed Ex place and found 3 Pokemon cards then had to take a back road 'cause the sidewalk was gone and thought we were lost! XD I mean I figured we weren't but even I hesitate when it starts taking a while... We popped up behind the mall and decided to eat at the diner there after having gone shopping. But before we left the diner I was flicking through the  little jukebox thing on the wall beside the table (it's like a 50s-60s diner) and we were having fun mentioning songs we knew (or thought we knew). Then this happened:

Me: *flips a page and reads* I think I know Cathy's Clown. I think. Roe: Wait... Cathy's Clown? Me: ....Waaaaaait. Roe: *pretty much dies laughing* I love how you just said it all casually too!

Roe joked that I should add it to her playlist 'cause of the name but the song in question is NOT friendly so yeah xDDD