come one, come all, to the greatest show on earth:

The cat was almost as big as the girl was. Everest dropped it into her waiting arms, suppressing a smirk as its bulk flowed over her tiny arms. His initial assessment of the teenager had been accurate: she was small but scrappy, a wiry strength evident in her undersized limbs. Having dispensed the animal, he presented her with another one of his sweeping bows, taking the opportunity to throw in a little hand-twirling. If only he were wearing a hat to lift… or, better yet, one of those monacled suits the costume department kept in the bottom of the dustiest trunk. Everest had never seen a performance in which they’d been worn, but he and Silber had stolen them often enough to parade around in whatever town they were flying through at the time. The ladies loved a top hat and tails.

The girl’s scolding was amusing in the extreme. Everest bit his tongue, allowing himself only a genial smile. It was a credit to his acting skills that the smile didn’t drop even slightly when she mentioned her lack of money. He was unlikely to be selling any tickets today, much to his chagrin. The best he could hope for was that she’d return home with a story her neighbours might remember when they saw the posters advertising that the circus was in town.

“No payment necessary… miss,” he grinned at her through his polite reassurances, blue eyes sparkling with energy. “It is an honour to assist the esteemed companion of such a beautiful young woman.” He tipped a non-existent hat at the oversized cat, which did not seem impressed. “Der Kolibri des Zauberzirkus does not abandon a lady in her hour of need.” The playful glint in his eye, along with the amiable twist of his mouth, indicated he was not unaware of the irony of referring to this impetuous and poorly-spoken teen as a ‘lady’. “That was German, not Swedish. You can call me Everest.”

An idea sparked. Maybe this girl was impoverished, but surely her whole neighbourhood wasn’t. Rather than trusting in her to spread the word for him, there would surely be a bigger impact if Everest could go himself to advertise. He retrieved the stallion from the stream, hooking his fingers around the straps of the bridle on the side of its face, and led it back over to the teenager. Girls loved horses, and this stallion was especially attractive. Its solid black coat gleamed handsomely and the beautifully dished face betrayed its pedigree.

“I insist on accompanying you home. The woods are no place for a young lady.” He patted the stallion on the neck and grinned. “Especially one hungover as fuck.”

dankeschön,

everest