LOCKED TO viliorate

[sadisticwarfare]

[Profits have been way down in the last three months, and if things keep going this way, they won't last another three. Archer has the papers out in front of him, scouring everything to see where he can make cuts, yet again. He knows no one's going to be pleased, but they're going to have to remove another act. He's been told that cutting people from the circus is like throwing out a family member, but the fact of the matter is that the money he's making won't support everyone. It's not as though Archer is hoarding all the money for himself - though he's not exactly as generous to the others as he could be - but he's never really felt like part of the circus "family". They're the family members, he's the landlord.

Archer twirls his pen between his fingers as he examines the numbers again, finally selecting a couple of sheets with acts that he could possibly cut. He'll have to get Kimbley to look over them before he makes a final decision. Kimbley isn't his partner or his adviser, but Kimbley is his friend, and he'd rather have a second opinion on all this.]

Comments

[sadisticwarfare]

[Archer sighs, rolling his eyes but not pushing Kimbley away.]

I know we will; we always are.

[Still, everyone would worry if Archer was suddenly not concerned about everything.]

Are we ready?

[viliorate]

[He's only fastidious because he's been around you forever.]

Of course. We're going to be great.

[sadisticwarfare]

[Well he's certainly not going to complain about that!

Archer hardly seems like the sort of person to be able to captivate an audience; he's loud and commanding, but he doesn't seem very charming in one-on-one conversations. He's actually able to keep the crowd's attention and interest by putting on a charming persona, one that's definitely nothing like he actually is, but it gets the job done. The anxiety he displays behind the scenes is completely gone, replaced with an exuberant personality that promises excitement and thrills at every turn. He's always been good at slipping into this persona, and today is no different.

Things go smoothly, as they always do. But of course we still have Kimbley's act...]

[viliorate]

[...if you thought Kimbley would screw up...

You'd be wrong! This is practiced and careful and boy does the audience really love the fact that someone as slender as Kimbley can make throwing fire around the tent look incredibly frightening.

He especially likes to show off at the end of his act where he closes with fire-breathing. It never fails to get several gasps from the audience. Not many people do it, and he's sure as hell the only act that comes close to doing something so potentially deadly.

He really, really likes this job.]

[sadisticwarfare]

[He's still worried that one day you're going to mess up and seriously hurt yourself...

Anyway, Archer closes out the show and retreats out back with the others. Congratulations are in order for all the acts, but he eventually works his way back to Kimbley's side.]

Another successful show.

[This one will at least keep them on their feet for a little while longer. He's still going to have to let at least one act go, but maybe he can postpone that for a bit.]

[viliorate]

[Come on, you worry entirely too much. He knows what he's doing.

He smirks at Archer just the same, messing with his coat some more now that the show is over.]

Of course. We're pretty damn good.

[He's jittery from his act, though. It's fairly fortunate that they're done for the night because the more wound up he gets, the more likely he is to screw up at some point.]

[sadisticwarfare]

[He tries to avoid having two shows in one night, though there are some weekends during the summer that it would be a shame to miss out on.]

Indeed. Once we've set everything up for the night we can head home.

[There's still a lot of cleaning left to take care of...]

[viliorate]

[Kimbley hasn't horribly maimed himself yet so there's that.]

Still a lot of work to do, huh?

[He hates have to clean up, but he always does it without really complaining.]

You know where to find me when I'm done.

[sadisticwarfare]

You know me, I'm always busy. I'll see you in a little while.

[Sure enough, he shows up to meet Kimbley after he's finished with all his work. Everything else seems mostly cleaned up, so it looks like they're doing pretty well tonight.]

[viliorate]

[This is a good thing because Kimbley is ready to go home now.]

All set here?

[At least he's calmed down by now by the looks of things. He's back to acting fairly calm at any rate.]

[sadisticwarfare]

Yes. Are you ready as well?

[That's certainly good!]

[viliorate]

Naturally.

[He'll happily follow Archer back to the car.]

[sadisticwarfare]

[Thankfully it doesn't take them long to get home, and Archer immediately sets about his nightly routine before collapsing into bed. Shows are always exhausting, but he's not asleep yet. He always waits for Kimbley to join him before falling asleep.]

[viliorate]

[Kimbley always takes a bit longer to come to bed, but he does eventually, sliding up next to Archer, smirking.]

You always worry too much about my act.

[sadisticwarfare]

Well, your act is dangerous. What if something happens while you're performing?

[viliorate]

Nothing's happened yet, has it? Besides, you used to love it.

[sadisticwarfare]

Ah, that's not to say that I don't any more. You know how much I worry, Kimbley.

[viliorate]

[He does have a few nasty looking scars from mishaps, but they're all old. Still, it's a good reason to worry.]

Tonight was another successful show, so there's no reason to worry.

[sadisticwarfare]

I know... But I have to wonder if you're practicing as hard as usual. Just because you feel you know the routine doesn't mean there won't be any mistakes.

[viliorate]

[He groans.]

If they ever replaced you with a body double, I'd know because he wouldn't worry half as much as you do.

[sadisticwarfare]

It's a completely legitimate worry, Kimbley.

[Besides, where would they even get a guy who looks like Archer?]

[viliorate]

Do you want me to do something else?

I'll do it if it'll get you to stop worrying. I doubt anyone will mind if I switch acts for a while.

[sadisticwarfare]

...I know how disappointed you would be if you had to switch acts.

[He would prefer it, but...]

Besides, you've done a good job of looking out for yourself so far. As long as you're careful with it, that shouldn't change, right?

[viliorate]

I'm always careful.

[He didn't use to be, but he's calmed down quite a bit over the years.]

If something did happen and you wanted me to stop, that's something we'd deal with then, wouldn't we?

[sadisticwarfare]

Right. But nothing's going to happen, so we don't need to worry about it.

[...He'll be furious if something does happen now that he's said that.]