A Night to Remember: The Company
Fandom: Cats the musical Rating: T (could potentially go up later) Pairing: multiple in future chapters, Tuggoffelees, Victoria/Plato, Demeter/Munkustrap etc. Category: magical circus AU, slow burn Chapter number: 7 Chapter summary: Quaxo and Victoria meet the troupe members, two sets of twins included.
The previous chapter: Persuasion
Quaxo prided himself on having an exceptionally good memory. He didn't need any notes, reminders, scribbles on his forearms or whatever people did to keep track of things, he just always knew what he had to do and when to do it. When Victoria asked him about it (and actually forced him to think about it, not letting him get away with is usual shrug and mischievous "it's magic!"), he realized, much to his dismay, that it was partially in his nature, but more importantly, he was just always focused. He found it much more difficult to relax than his sister did, distrusting everyone and everything. Always knowing where he stood helped him feel better, prepared. He was not the one to be lulled into a false sense of security.
And then he walked into that tent. And he felt...calm. And his uneasiness about Macavity and all the things he had to do before their performance just...became muted. Floated away. He was fully in the present, relaxed, not multitasking. And he hated it. He stopped in his tracks, trying to make sense of what he was feeling. It was reminiscent of what he felt the night before.
Tugger tapped on his shoulder from behind. "Really, Mr. Magician. No one here wants to harm you - at least unless you keep blocking the entrance, then you might cause some mild annoyance and perhaps a few pranks if you catch the attention of a certain duo - so cheer up and move your feet," he winked at the younger man and, without waiting for a response, nudged Quaxo's side. What left Quaxo's lips was definitely not a squeak and he was definitely not ticklish, but he never approved of being touched without prior agreement (or, if he was to be fully honest, by anyone who wasn't Victoria), so he took several strides inside and crossed his arms. Just to make sure.
Victoria was already exploring the tent, her eyes huge and full of wonder. I've never been to a circus before, she smiled at Jenny, rubbing her wrists as if she wanted to touch everything, to truly get a feel of the place. Such a large stage! I can't wait to see this place during a show!
"Still too small for some," Jenny returned her smile, her eyes travelling to Tugger with an unusually mischievous spark. "Just a bit further, dear. The tent is indeed impressive, but the most interesting feature of our show are the performers. Don't you want to meet them first?"
And truly, as the siblings got used to the muted lighting, they saw that there were figures seated all around, quietly chatting and glancing in their direction. It was still too dim to see their faces properly, but some features were very distinguishable - there were two figures next to each other, a man and woman of roughly the same age as Quaxo and Victoria, very similar - twins? Their hair was giving a coppery reflection and, unlike others who seemed to be nervous or at least expectant, these two seemed relaxed, sometimes giggling and nudging each other. Their movements were strangely synchronized. Just behind them, a silhouette of a man with crossed arms could be seen, with an air of defiance. He was watching the two with apparent distaste for their laid-back attitude. There were more performers present, but as they finally entered the circus ring, Quaxo recognized Munkustrap's silhouette near the back of the tent. He was supporting someone, a tall, impressive figure, who was approaching them with slow and careful steps. The humming around the tent intensified.
"Thank you for coming," smiled Munkustrap and Quaxo could finally confirm his suspicion that it was indeed him whose calming aura was throwing him off. He bit his lower lip and twitched in annoyance when he heard Tugger's quiet chuckle, as if he knew exactly what Quaxo was feeling. With a side glance, he saw the man take one of the seats at the back, observing from afar.
As he assisted the tall man and seated him on one of the close chairs, the siblings could finally see his face. He must have been very old, his wrinkled face told as much - but the air of experience, wisdom and most of all, kindness, made Quaxo drawn to that man, not in the unnaturally calming way Munkustrap influenced him, but as someone he yearned to learn from, to draw inspiration. Victoria seemed to be feeling the same way, her breathing quiet and eyes never leaving the old man's. And when he spoke, both siblings suddenly understood why he was able to create this so-called haven for people with powers. It was impossible to resist his charm.
"Thank you for accepting our invitation." His smile was sincere and voice deep and calming. "I am called Old Deuteronomy and it was at my request that my sons visited you yesterday. As they told you, we are a...particular company. This circus originally started as a small place to allow our kind to be who we really are without having to hide. That is the goal we still have today. If you decide to accept our proposal, the people in this tent will become more than your coworkers - they will be your colleagues, neighbors, friends and family. Because of that, you will want to meet them before making the final decision. I am also here to answer any questions you may have, may it be regarding our circus, your powers or anything else." He nodded towards Munkustrap. "I understand that you, young lady, are a telepath?"
Victoria nodded and, to Quaxo's surprise, stuttered in her response despite not using her vocal chords. Y-yes! Yes, Old Deuteronomy. Well, I mean, I can project thoughts when I move...but not read them. So only half a telepath, or one-way telepath, I am afraid...
Old Deuteronomy chuckled and winked at her. "Well, that is still half a telepath more than most people are! Splendid! You would be a great asset to our troupe. And you, young man?"
Quaxo, to his displeasure, felt all gazes shifting towards him. He felt as if he were under a microscope. "I...don't think I can describe it that much," he grumbled uncomfortably. "I can change some things around me. Swap things in their places, make some fortunate or unfortunate things happen when there is a chance they could happen. Or enhance some features."
The old man's expression did not change, but his eyes showed deep interest. "Curious. Some kind of reality adjustment then? That is very interesting! You too are more than welcome to join our group if you want to. Now then, is there anything I can answer for you?"
Before Quaxo could react, Victoria took a step forward. Yes, well...I would like to know - why us? What causes these powers to appear?
"A good question, one that I can answer only partially, I am afraid. The gifts, as we call them, are still a mystery in many regards. There are various type, be it some kind of aura that one can spread around them, or an active ability. Anyone can manifest these powers. However, if a child is born to a parent with a gift, they are much more likely to have one of their own. They do not seem to repeat themselves, at least we haven't seen a single person who would manifest the same trait as someone in our troupe. They can be similar, but always unique in a certain regard. There seems to be one exception to the rule, and that is twins sharing one gift."
The two giggling figures Quaxo saw earlier suddenly bolted up from their seats and took overly dramatic bows, grinning at the stunned siblings. Light finally hit their faces and Victoria took a deep breath at the similarity - both their expressions, their movements, it was as if one person split into two, only of different genders. "Old D. means us!" exclaimed the man and ruffled his sister's hair. "Pleasure to meet you! We are Mungojerrie and-ouf!" he wheezed when the girl's elbow nudged his side.
"And Rumpleteazer!" she exclaimed, returning the ruffle. "And before you have to ask, because that's what every newbie wants to know, our gift is sharing control over our bodies. For instance, I can make Jerrie slap himself! But I don't like to do it, because we also share pain. Also tickling. I hate it when he tickles himself."
"I only do it when you deserve it, Teazer," snickered Mungojerrie and leaned against his sister. "And if you think we're an exception and that not all twins have to share a gift, let me introduce our competition. Because we're not the only twins here. Come on, say hi to the newcomers!" he tapped the shoulder of a girl in front of him.
Reluctantly, she stood up and so did the man next to her. Their height difference wasn't as noticeable compared to Teazer and Jerrie, but their features were also surprisingly similar - the same straight dark hair, slicked back and shiny, the same dark, unreadable eyes and neutral expression. "Nice to meet you, Quaxo and Victoria," she said without blinking. Victoria shivered next to Quaxo and he too felt completely bare under those two pairs of eyes. "I am Tantomile. This is my brother Coricopat. We are mind readers."
Now it was the brother who spoke. "Yes, Victoria. We are what Old Deuteronomy talked about - similar power, but still unique. We are the other half of your telepathy. Except for each other."
"Our minds are connected," added Tantomile, answering Quaxo's question before he could phrase it. "We can exchange our thoughts freely, but as for others, we can only read them. But don't worry, we usually choose not to, as we perceive it an invasion of privacy."
Teazer hugged the telepathic twins from behind. "They are amazing! You definitely want to see their act, people are so freaked out!"
Jenny laughed and raised her finger at Teazer. "And they are very useful when someone, not mentioning which set of non-mindreading twins, steals Munkustrap's favorite mug and we need to find out who did it."
The man sitting behind Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer scoffed. "Not that we need anyone to read their thoughts to figure that out. It's always them, whenever there's a disruption."
He ignored the pretended outrage from the twins, but Jenny didn't let him off the hook so easily. "Now now, Plato. Since you are more talkative than usual, why don't you introduce yourself as well?"
With a grunt and poorly hidden, if hidden at all, distaste, the man stood up. He was taller than most of the troupe members, perhaps with the exception of Old Deuteronomy and his sons, and even though he was young, his face seemed older than one would expect. Perhaps it was his defiant expression that made him look almost pained. "Plato, welcome to our humble abode. I have perhaps the lamest power ever - I can transfer emotions when I move." He glared at the siblings, as if he expected them to laugh at him.
Why would that be lame? blinked Victoria, raising her eyebrows. Do you think my power is lame?
The defiance was immediately replaced by confusion. "...I...what? No, no I don't, I mean..."
Victoria smiled at him with such sincerity and innocence that Quaxo almost felt sorry for the man. He was utterly unprepared for her charm. You have no idea how happy it makes me to finally find someone who has a similar power! And such an awesome one at that! When you give people words, you still need to rely on them to interpret them. But you - you can make people feel things! That is incredible!
Old Deuteronomy burst into laughter and so did a few performers around the stage. "See, Plato? We kept telling you and you did not believe us. Perhaps this admirable young lady will finally make you change your mind?"
And with that, the atmosphere in the tent changed. The reluctant acceptance transformed into excitement - finally, a new arrival! Apparently, there were only a few people who joined the circus in the last years, so Quaxo and Victoria were considered a breath of fresh air. And the siblings shook hands, talked, but mostly listened and learned about the people who, if they wanted them to be, would become their new family.
They learned (from Jenny because the man could not be bothered to tell them himself) that Tugger was able to bend people to his will, although he wasn't able to control it, he did it subconsciously. "He doesn't like to talk about it," she teased, watching the rebellious man giving her an evil glare, "because he still hasn't found out how the gift works. The ones who were around him since he was young build some sort of an immunity, or at least awareness when it starts happening so we can fight it. You have no idea how long it took us to make him eat his vegetables when he was a child. His gift mostly works on people he doesn't live with, or at least that meet him sporadically - those can't resist it. Or that's what we thought until last night," she giggled and winked at Quaxo. "Still, it has its merits. He has one of the most unique acts in the circus, as you'll see. And my power? I am afraid it's nowhere as interesting, dears - I can transfer intent. Basically, if you mean no harm to a person and they still don't believe you, I can persuade them by making them feel what you feel towards them."
There was Alonzo, a man with a curious pigment spot over his entire left eye socket. He casually greeted the siblings and mentioned his gift - the marked eye could see several seconds into the future, sometimes even longer. He used to work as a fortune teller at fairs before joining the circus and took over the knife-throwing act. His gift made sure he'd never harm his assistant.
Munkustrap also approached them with a wide smile and, seeing Quaxo's posture, forced himself to relax and eased the calm aura. He explained that his gift was calming people in his vicinity, no matter how agitated they were. As he was in charge of keeping the troupe functional and in good spirits, he sometimes went a bit overboard, especially when he was nervous and expected trouble. "Not that I expected trouble from you," he quickly added when he saw Quaxo staring daggers at him, "but whenever there is a newcomer, people can get nervous."
And when it came to being nervous, no one was as jumpy as a certain young woman was. Demeter was also a newcomer and apparently, she had some very bad experience. She didn't talk to the newcomers much, mostly just nodded and didn't leave her friend Bombalurina's side. Munkustrap politely mentioned that it would be better to talk to both of them later, as crowds made Demeter feel uneasy. Nodding at Bombalurina, she took her friend's arm and led her out from the tent.
There were many more new faces and names and even more mentioned, such as Bustopher Jones, the circus's patron who only stopped by once or twice a week, as his gift made him easily overwhelmed - he read emotions and senses, but unlike the telepathic twins, he could not switch his power off and would often seek solitude, just to quiet his mind.
After the conversations have quieted down and everyone said their hopeful goodbyes, the siblings were left alone with Munkustrap and Old Deutoronomy. Quaxo was pretty sure Tugger and Jenny were still lurking somewhere in the tent's shadows, but he found it difficult to focus on anything but the old man. "Now, my young friends - we do not ask you to decide immediately, we know that it is a significant change of your lifestyle. Think it over, you have every right do so
So what do you think? Victoria asked on their way home. Quaxo didn't need to ask her for her opinion, she was never able to hide her excitement - she was giddy and radiated such happiness that Quaxo hasn't seen in months.
"I think they were...nice," he admitted reluctantly. "Also pretty interesting. Sometimes creepy," he admitted when he remembered Coricopat and Tantomile. "Are you thinking of joining them?"
I would love to, Victoria admitted, but her smile wavered. I mean, they were such nice people! And interesting too, as you said. But...I would never join without you, brother. I don't want a new family if you're not in it.
Quaxo grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "Me too, sis. Let's talk to our boss tomorrow and see what he can do about our contract, what do you say? Perhaps it's time for us to move on."
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I am running out of excuses to give for my slow updates. The only thing I can say is that I love hearing from you guys, I have many ideas for the story but unfortunately life is getting in way of everything, to provide a very short explanation, one of my family members got a cancer relapse and my mother is not doing so well. I try to spend more time with her and support her, but it doesn't leave me in the best state for writing. Thank you everyone who read so far and who hasn't given up on the story yet, you mean more to me than I can describe. This chapter was mostly character introductions and exposure, hopefully there will be some action in the next ones.
