The Sweet Smell of Victory

"A hundred fifty two one thousand... A hundred fifty three one thousand..." Marie was losing count in her attempts to count the time until the stink bombs were due to go off, but a small hissing noise and a sudden, unpleasant smell told her they'd worked. "Oh, GROSS." Her sudden, loud exclamation from her hiding spot under the stands was lost in similar cries from the audience up above, which she supposed meant they'd been successful, though she was too busy trying not to breath to be terribly pleased about it. She pulled the stone jar out of her basket and popped the cork out, coughing at a second nasty scent. The nearest of the little beasties, a zebra who looked as unhappy with their success as Marie felt, trotted back.

"You are all getting a bath when you get home, and I'm not going to be the one to do it," Marie informed the zebra as she gently picked it up around the middle and set it back in the basket and reached for the next creature that made its way back, a tiger that tried to claw at her when she grabbed it. It took the little things several minutes to come back from their various corners - a few bolted for Marie's little spot under the stands, looking spooked by narrow misses with the crowds streaming out of the Hirondelle tent, while others made their way more cautiously. Marie waited until she thought she had all of them - she counted a few times, and was fair sure she had all the ones she'd carted over, though with them moving all around in the basket and her own eyes watering from the stench, it was hard to tell.

She bit her lip. "Off chance any were lost, I'll tell Marguerite the smell killed 'em," she said finally, and put the lid back on the basket. The stands above were quieter now as people left - she heard an angry voice yelling in the ring and winced, wondering if it was Jacques. He certainly sounded unhappy enough, whoever he was. Time to leave. Outside, the circus was buzzing; Marie found it easy enough to slip into the crowd, basket on her waist.

She heard some kind of loud fuss out in front of the tent and wondered if it was Asmodeus and Alexandra, but by the time she pushed her way through the crowd to find out they'd left already. Marie fumed - They couldn't have waited, and let her ride back in the carriage? With her basketful of animals, and smelling like the stink they'd delivered... The carriage driver probably wouldn't have let her in under any circumstances, but she hated having to walk all the way back again.

Marie sighed and adjusted her grip on the basket, muttering violent things under her breath, though whether they were directed at her co-conspirators or the animals tumbling loudly in the basket was unclear. She set off back towards the cirque via a route of back alleys and hopping fences, which would get her home ahead of the disgruntled crowds from Hirondelle.