Family Circus Part 2: I like Mutts more.

<Flipside>: When we last left our trio, they were standing on the back on a long line of caravans, watching as a horde of harpies had started setting up the enormous big top, a multicolored dome that seemed infinitely huge. Mirela's grandmother cracked her riding crop, getting the horses in motion, as Mirela's mother huddled the trio together.
Dibbles watches in amazement. His mom never told him she was related to wizards! Or witches? Well, they're not actually USING magic themselves, but this is still something to be considered wizard-ish, right?
<Flipside>: Mirela's mother looked at the three kids, chuckling as the multiple streaks of colored light shone down on the city. "So kids, wanna help get the show set up?" she asked, standing up.
Clara put aside her scouter, saving the observation for later as she looked up to Mirela's mother. "Well, of course!"
<JohnQuint>: W-w-what does setting up entail?
<JohnQuint>: hey]
<JohnQuint>: can you guys link me to the mibbit you are using?
<Flipside>: "Well," Mirela's mother began, pointing down the long line of caravans. "We have some performers to help set up routines for, some of the animals will need be woken and fed too. Then we also need to help set up The Web."
<JohnQuint>: ]
<Flipside>: [ http://client00.chat.mibbit.com/?server=irc.Mibbit.Net&channel=%23Supocalypse ]
<Dibbles>: "...The Web?"
<Flipside>: Mirela quickly ran over, hopping slightly. "Oh man, we're using the Web? Oh jeez, that's gonna ro- oh right, The Web is... well, it's kinda what it sounds like." she began to explain, getting on one knee. "See the massive top of the tent?"
Dibbles looks up to the massive top of the tent
<Flipside>: "We have some spider-people, at least from what I remember. The Web is built by them as the show goes on, and then we bring in our flying performers to perform elaborate tricks as they fly around it."
<Dibbles>: "But how do we help them? I don't know any spider magic."
Clara looks up with extreme interes
<Clara>: [fug u enter key. *interest]
*** huddler is now known as JohnQuint
<JohnQuint>: I feel dirty...]
<Flipside>: "That's where a little trickery comes in." Mirela's mother interrupted, just as the caravan stopped, making the pair of them tumble over.
<JohnQuint>: T-t-trickery?
Dibbles crouches down but otherwise maintains his uncanny balance
<Flipside>: Mirela's mother quickly picked herself up, though Mirela struggled to do the same. Her mother carried on, "We use sets of mirrors, and lights, and smoke, archaic but it's worked from China to Texas to Berlin."
<Dibbles>: "Why can't we just ask?"
Clara smiles widely in excitement.
<Flipside>: "Ask?" Mirela's mother asked herself, looking at Dibbles with some confusion.
<Dibbles>: "Like... y-you talk to them, and ask them make a web nicely?"
<Flipside>: "Ohhhhh, oh you misunderstood. They do it already, the mirrors and smoke are to hide them better as the show is going."
<Clara>: "What's the setup like?" her engineer's eyes shined happily
<Dibbles>: "...Ooooooh. That makes more sense."
<Flipside>: Mirela stood up, dusting her uniform off. "Oh, it's a variation on Pepper's Ghost. Ever hear that one?"
<JohnQuint>: N-n-not really
<Clara>: "...I never really studied illusions..."
<Flipside>: "Hmm, it's not too tough to explain. Come on, let's walk and talk before Granny uses the riding crop on us." Mirela said with a chuckle, hopping off of the caravans.
JohnQuint steps out, sticks his hands in his pocket, and follows after Flipside
Clara floats casually with them
Dibbles gives grammie flip another hug in the hopes of making sure he doesn't get whipped, and then hops off to follow the others
<Flipside>: Mirela's grandmother nodded, and waved off the group. Mirela moved down the line of caravans, advising the children to not touch most of them. "Right, Pepper's Ghost uses plate glass and lighting to give the illusion of objects disappearing or reappearing."
<Flipside>: A centaur whinnied as the group passed them, readying what appeared to be a bow and arrow. "The original form of the illusion had a hidden room, with a sheet of plate glass at an angle. The people could see the main room, but not the hidden one."
<Flipside>: "When the hidden room was dar- No, Sheng, no cigarettes, you always overdo it with the Dragon Breath trick." she scolded a young-looking Asian man, whose lower half was serpentine, covered in golden, slightly reflective scales.
<Flipside>: "Anyway, the idea is, when the room is dark, the reflective screen doesn't work as effectively, so they see the main room. Light up the hidden room, and it's revealed."
Dibbles is meandering about to gawk at all the various magical creatures, only occasionally glancing back and running to catch up with the main group
Clara watches the strange folk pass, but keeping her attention back to the explanation far more. Just the thought gave her so many ideas already!
<Flipside>: "We use a similar principle. The spider-people have excellent night vision, as you can imagine. The seats all around are positioned so that the mirrors we set up are covering them completely."
JohnQuint is eying all the strange people surrounding him, calming a bit from the crowd around him
<Flipside>: A few more human-looking people head out of their caravan, walking further until one begins to melt into a puddle, their face prominent on the surface. Another starts taking steps in mid-air, reaching ever higher.
<Flipside>: "Right, those guys have bodies made up of... one was Mercury, one was Helium, and the third was... Caesium or something."
Dibbles internally weighs the opportunity cost of interrupting a circus performance to have conversations with all the performers
<Clara>: "...B-But, how are they like that?" she chimes up
<JohnQuint>: Y-yeah, are th-th-they mutants, or, so-something else?
<Flipside>: "Well, we've been running the circus for a while. Some are magical, some are naturally talented, most will likely be mutants." Mirela said, tapping on a door, a heavily bearded man peering out and just as quickly shutting the door.
<Flipside>: The man quickly reopened, greeting Mirela with a nod and sliding out some long sheets of glass.
<Flipside>: "Hmm, for now, the seats will be getting set up. So, let's get on with helping out performers, yeah?"
<JohnQuint>: A-a-alright...
<ClaraW>: [sorry, dropped]
<Dibbles>: "Okay!"
<Flipside>: Mirela nodded, stretching a little and sighing. "Man, been ages since I helped out here... right, we'll probably need the animals up and at 'em, the elephants are the worst."
<Flipside>: The sound of running liquids were heard, the puddle-man from before approaching fast, his form becoming solid once more. "Hey, Mimi, we got an emergency." he said, panting somehow. "Joey got stuck on the ceiling again."
<Flipside>: Indeed, on the top of the tent, was the man lighter than air, fumbling and trying to swim back down, to no avail.
<ClaraW>: "....Need help with that?" Clara floated up, similarly weightless in the air
<Flipside>: The man looked confused, hurriedly trying to get lower, before giving up at last. "Alright, fine, I might need some help." he said with a sigh, rolling his eyes.
ClaraW takes the man gently by the hand and increases both of their gravities, bringing the two of them to the ground. "Do you usually have something to help hold you down?"
<Flipside>: Meanwhile, a large minotaur approached Mirela and Donnie, standing at around 6 feet in height. However, his hurried panting definitely did not fit someone of their stature. He sounds like he was barely past 10 years.
Dibbles looks up to the minotaur and grins
<Flipside>: The helium man sighs, getting his feet back on the ground steadily. "Well, I have a belt with weights, somewhere..." he admitted, rubbing his head and looking around. "I mighta lost it somewhere."
<Flipside>: The minotaur panted, choking out a weak cry on occasion. "C-Can't f-find bear..."
<ClaraW>: "Well, then we're going to find it" the young scientist toted. Pulling out her scouter she scanned around the area like a detective searching out where the belt might be
<ClaraW>: "By the way, I'm Clara. Helper for the day" she quickly shook his hand as she searched.
<Dibbles>: "Like a real bear? Or a teddie bear? ..Or a /magic/ bear?"
<Flipside>: "Oh, I'm Sam. Sam Turner." the helium man said, looking around slowly and methodically. "I know I left it somewhere... you wouldn't miss it."
<Flipside>: The minotaur started to tear up at the mention of teddy bear, trying to vaguely gesture for a stuffed toy.
Dibbles frowns for a moment, but then perks up again
<Dibbles>: "Don't worry! We're gonna find him, because now I'm here to help!"
ClaraW keeps vigilant as a hawk
<Dibbles>: "But, uh... do you know where he might be? Or any clues?"