agentlenet | ( message 01. 🔮 video. )

Hello, everyone. I’m Zita.

[ the woman on the screen smiles at the direction of the far caster, giving a polite wave before she returns to the task of packing up some things for the day.

judging by her surroundings as packs her things while she speaks towards the far caster, it seems that she’s taken residence in, well, the queen’s residence. ]

I hope this isn’t presumptuous of me to ask on this but— I’m hoping to offer my healing services to those here in the Queen's Residence or around the city for free.

However I’ve been informed that it’ll be in my best interest if I had an escort with me when I do this. If anyone is willing to keep me company, I would be grateful for it and be willing to pay you back somehow. You're all welcome to seek me for healing too, of course.

[ she pauses. as if considering something.

usually, she would end her message here and refocus her attention on the next task at hand - in this case, her packing for her when she heads out - but... ]

If you’re not interested in that, you’re welcome to also make use of my fortune telling services instead. Payment for this will be required but I promise the price for it is reasonable enough. I only ask for a story.

And that's it. Thank you for taking the time to hear me speak.

[ added ooc note;; for those who would like to thread out their and zita's time out in the city for the free healing services, i now have a log post with that activity as one of the top-levels! feel free to hit it up if you're interested. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The name is simply marvelous! [ she clasps her hands close to her chest, beaming. ] Definitely a title that would draw in a curious crowd when you're somewhere new.

[ there's now a renewed energy in zita's voice now and the way she begins to gesture more openly while she speaks.

something about the knowledge of her speaking to a fellow carny has helped her relaxed. she didn't expect to meet someone with this connection, so it's a pleasant surprise and, in a way, a relief.

but something does catch her attention- ] You said 'until recently', yes? Does that mean you switched to a new company?

[ from her experience, carnies always stuck together in groups. she can't remember the last time someone from the midnight carnival attempted to strike out on their own. people who left always were going back to a group or were joining a group. it's how it worked in her world. maybe it was different for him...? ]

Ah. Yes and no? It's new company, but not quite a company in that... It's not a circus at all. Just a band of travelers who've all been displaced from one thing or another. My displacement just occurred after some bad business busted up my circus. Trouble with the locals and one of our own turning on us. It happens to the best, sometimes.

[Best to be vague. Though he has lies a-plenty in his back pocket, he's used to being around people he can't lie about that to, and he's trying to remember how much he can lie about again. He's got a clean slate suddenly and he's adjusting.

Though, honestly, she's a carny too. If there was anyone here he probably wasn't going to lie about most things to (backstory notwithstanding) it'd be a fellow circus person.]

[ she recognises that it's a vague answer but she's quick to think that this, perhaps, is the point.

she's part of the midnight carnival. long enough to know how different those who become part of their group are when they first come in. some are willing to tell everything about their lives prior to their arrival. some weren't and would want to keep it that way. there was an usaid agreement in the carnival, how one should be allowed to speak little or much as they wanted about themselves.

and so that's what zita will do. for now, she knows the least she can do is express genuine empathy over the disbandment of his circus. ]

I'm sorry to hear what happened to your circus and I'm happy to hear that you're with a group still.

I've always found the ability to keep moving the best part about my carnival. Travelling from city to city, town to town- Those were the most exciting moments.

[ stressful but exciting. though there were days zita wanted to bury her face in her hands when the moving process proved more stressful than she'd like, being able to travel as they pleased is, perhaps, the biggest appeal of the circus. ]

I'm glad you're alright and you're still travelling as well.

That's exactly what I prefer to do. Safer, too. Can't gain a reputation on the road after all.

[He has to swallow down a broken laugh, because is he really alright? Is he really traveling still? The answer is no, but at least one of those answers is obvious and not directly related to him bleeding out in the snow.]

Well. I was, 'til I answered this call. Seems like both our traveling days might be over for a bit.

True... That hadn't occurred to me until now.

[ she sounds a little faint now. whether that's from the revelation of what he had pointed out or it's simply her getting softer, it's hard to say. ]

I suppose we can both see this as an adventure until we return to travelling. [ zita does her best to find something positive to say. someone has to since she knows penelope and teresia aren't here and she knows she has a bad habit of being a debbie downer. ] It's an adventure with guaranteed housing and a meal too.

Even if practice drills are involved. [ her arms are still sore from the first few practices. she can't imagine what weeks of this are. ]

Gods, those are awful, aren't they? [He is quick to pick up that thread and avoid everything else.] I had planned to take off on my own somewhere to get away from all that, but I've got this vibration that I should stay.

[That vibration is called Fayura and feeling like someone needs to look after her. That woman needs a sensible person who doesn't give a shit about her station at her elbow on occasion. Maybe he's going soft.] Just a feeling, but it's a feeling worth giving me the impression I've been conscripted into something.

[ sensing a chance in topic, zita is quick to follow along and will focus on nothing but that. ]

I admit- I'm not used to so much physical activity like we've been put through. [ she had always left that to the likes of nikolai or teresia back in the carnival. something heavy and big needed to be done? better to leave it to the experts while she offered emotional support from the sidelines.

now she wishes that she had at least agreed to teresia's daily morning stretches. maybe they could have helped keep her arms and legs from feeling so sore. ] I hope I get a feeling like yours later on the longer we're here. Maybe it'll motivate me to not feel dread whenever I wake up in the morning.

[ it would be nice to find a goal of some sort to strive for. she has a nebulous idea of continuing her healing services but that's up in the air until she can get her feet on the ground, so to speak. ]

There's a bit of dread- I'm not gonna lie. This is more cooperation than I really thought I was capable of, but not having a choice really puts things into perspective. And Fayura is less extreme than I expected her to be.

But if you want someone to spar with who won't kick your arse up and down the courtyard, I'll happily volunteer. Make it a bit easier on us both.

[ zita looks pleased and touched by the offer, pressing a hand against her chest. ]

Really? You would be willing to do that? [ that- that meant a lot to zita. it had been difficult to follow along with the training drills and it showed with how she lagged behind compared to her training partners. her instructors were often less than pleased with her struggles.

facing someone willing to go easy on her would be a relief. but, at the same time, she didn't want to be trouble. ] Only if you want to, of course. I don't want you to feel obligated to do this.

Nonsense. I'm being forced to do it, anyway. The least I can do is make the experience less unpleasant for someone else.

[And he's made his decision to watch her back and keep her comfortable as one does when they're in a group. He's just collecting people who fit criteria and herds them like cats as they meander away from one another. Zee is special though. Zee understands circus life.]

Thank you, Molly. It means a lot to me. [ the relief is, once again, palpable through their connection on the far caster.

she falls quiet after she says that, as if trying to decide what to say next. or trying to muster the courage to say something now. ]

I hope- I hope it isn't rude of me to say, but I'm glad you're here and we've had the chance to meet.

Why would that be rude? [A musical laugh comes across, laced with incredulity and also delight.] I came here to do some good, and if it's with people, not Draega, itself... Well, that's probably more meaningful, anyway. I don't care all that much for the politics.

( message 01. 🔮 video. )

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject