Marie had only a loose grasp on what the plan for the evening was - stink bombs, sure, but she hadn't been able to find Alexandra or Asmodeus after dropping off the basket full of little abominations with pouches, so she wasn't entirely sure what happened next. She went to change into her costume for the performance that night and threw a cloak on over it - with luck, she'd be back from the other circus in time to join the rest of the acrobats, though they could work the act around her absence if they needed to - and went to find Marguerite.
Her heart beat a bit faster as she came around the main tent, from the performer's area in the back to the sideshows and crowds in the front. It was early in the night, yet an hour away from the start of their show - the lights, oil lamps and the odd, novel electric burned through the steam, and the quiet rumble of machinery shook under the chatter of the crowd and the calls of vendors. Even having worked there for years, Marie still found the circus at night thrilling, like a fairy castle up in the sky more than a bunch of tents on the outskirts of a city.
Still, star-struck or not, she navigated it with ease, and found Marguerite at once.
"Finally!" Marguerite said impatiently, thrusting the basket at her. It was awkwardly large - Marie was distracted trying to figure out the best way to carry it while Marguerite explained the stink bombs' workings, and the little animals inside moved about with each shift, threatening to make it tumble from her arms.
Pull the fuses, don't light them, three minutes, then open the cork, she repeated to herself sourly, annoyed both that Marguerite seemed to doubt her ability to deliver stink bombs to an enemy circus and that Marguerite would blame her if the stupid contraptions went wrong. Then back here, by the main entrance. She nodded, and set off.
She set off for the Hirondelle camp site, as quickly as the basket would allow. It was a long walk to the other circus, located clear on the other side of the river. "By the time I get there, our show'll be over," Marie grumbled, though when she finally arrived the Hirondelle show was hardly starting, with stragglers still drifting into the big tent. Fortunately, with their job mostly done, the ticket-checkers felt no need for diligence, and Marie snuck by with ease. "Shush now," she told the animals, and slipped around the back of the main Hirondelle tent.
The area around the tent was full of activity as various acts got ready to go on, herded by a stage manager. Marie spotted the familiar animal tamer from the afternoon before and resisted the urge to wave - even if he'd been a nice guy, they hadn't met, and there was no need to draw attention to herself. She found a dark spot at the side of the tent, where she could lift up the fabric and slip inside, underneath the audience seating."
"Off you go," Marie said, reaching into the basket to gently tug off all the fuses, then tilting it gently so the animals tumbled out. A few of them gave her uncertain looks, and she had to wave them on their way, but most set out eagerly to explore the mysterious new environment. Marguerite had said it would take three minutes; Marie sighed, sat back against a support beam, and started counting. "One one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand..."
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