[A street on Tier 3]A Midday's Performance[Open]

[Guy Laliberte]

Guy was about to throw another at him when the orange he threw in the first place bounced off the boys head and onto the ground. He moaned, and thought the show would be ruined, when the boy displayed a flash of insight and caught it as soon as it bounced, then threw it under-hand to his chest.

Grinning eye-to-eye, he caught the orange sideways from his chest, and changed his juggling strategy. He weaved his hands up and down, crossing them, and repeated, the orange being caught with an upward movement of his arm. The oranges now made a sort of elongated heart in the air. While more difficult, this style was more appealing to audiences, for it looked twice as difficult as it was (not to say it wasn't in the first place).

After a few seconds, he threw another orange to the boy, and then another one in rapid succession, but the heart didn't seem to lose any mass. The secret was that Guy was adding oranges he stashed up his sleeve previously, so in case the boy lost a few, he could quickly regain the showmanship. However, failure was never a crowd-pleaser, and he prayed to Ionu that the boy would not mess up. He watched in almost slow motion as the two oranges flew for the boy, and he hoped he was prepared.

[Colette Vicdor]

"Prepared" did not even begin to describe Colette's focus at this point; he didn't plan on making a fool of himself twice, especially not even two days after forgetting most of his own history. That would be a poor start to his "new" life.

Back in reality, the performer changed things up with his juggling strategy, creating a sort of heart pattern with the oranges as his arms threaded around in a pattern that Colette was slow to familiarize himself with so that he could better anticipate a throw - and indeed it worked, for he soon rose his right arm to catch an orange as soon as it was thrown. He grasped it from its flight with a swift and precise hand, but there was another one soaring after it. The masked performer's juggling pattern, though impressive, confused Colette's sight and he didn't notice the second orange he threw. His answer to that was to toss the orange he caught upwards and snatch up the second orange with his right hand, then put his left hand under the orange he threw upwards, allowing him to clutch it easily enough.

Not allowing himself time to be surprised at himself, he tossed the first orange back after a count of three in his usual underhand. Colette passed the orange to his right hand and sent another underhand toss on the third count after that.

Colette wondered how long he could keep this up.

[Guy Laliberte]

Guy grinned widely under his mask, almost mimicking the expression. This kid... He could be a performer. These, however, were simply wandering thoughts: Guy had no plans on taking an apprentice. He had to deviate from his pattern to catch one of the oranges, mutating the heart slightly, but got back 'on track'. Sighing, he could see Colette was getting a bit... Was that boredom, or fatigue? Either way, he decided to end it, repeating the same trick earlier, the oranges falling one after the other into a special pocket under his collar, seeming like he was swallowing them. He grinned, appreciating all the extra surprises his father sewed into the family costume.

But wait, that last orange he threw up... it was a bit too fast. he looked up trying to determine where it would fall, but the sun got in his eyes. Wincing, he felt the orange rebound directly off the mask. Due to the force of both his hand and gravity, it flew straight for Colette. C'mon, kid, catch it. They'll think it's part of the act. For his sake, he hoped he caught it. If word of this failure, any failure, no matter how minor, got out to the general public, his career would be ruined. Praying once more to Ionu, The Trickster, he silently consigned himself to life as an average beggar.

[Colette Vicdor]

His proximity to the performer revealed that the oranges he was "swallowing" were going in his collar, but he allowed little time to explore the secrets of a expert beggar when he was on the more-or-less spotlight. He brought this act upon himself, and to not see it to the end would be a dishonor, not that Colette had a traditional view of honor.

Unaware that the masked performer made a mistake in sending an orange toward Colette again, and thinking it was another part of the act, he snatched the fruit as though clawing at something invisible. Three seconds later, Colette didn't hesitate tossing it back in his usual underhand, allowing himself a few moments to appreciate the performance.

[Guy Laliberte]

Guy sighs inwardly, but lets no hesitation enter his performance. Reaching straight out, he grabs the orange out of the air and bows, first to Collete, and then swinging on his heels, to the crowd. Standing up, he announces, "And that would conclude my act. A great round of applause for my wonderful and impromtu partner, Mr...?" Moving his head to the side, Guy stealthily inquires the young mans name.

He's not too bad. Perhaps I'll make him my apprentice. From the glitter in his eyes, Guy could tell the man had caught on to his collar trick. Of course, it was hardly surprising, considering he was much closer than the crowd, but showed at least some intuitive qualities.

Speaking of the crowd, it had now thinned considerably. A few last-minute charitable donations were made, and the people walked off to their occupations and their homes, having a slice of entertainment that day, with a glass of joy. Café Laliberté Rhymed Guy. Your fix of happiness for the day!

Pulling off his hood, he turns to his 'helper', revealing his cropped black hair and a face less lean than one might expect to see on a person of lower class.

[Colette Vicdor]

"And that would conclude my act. A great round of applause for my wonderful and impromtu partner, Mr..."

Completely oblivious that the name he reft was a strictly feminine name, he answers "Colette Vicdor" with a straight face and a mid-high pitched voice. The androgynous "wonder" wouldn't have ever expected to have been roped into a performance, or even donate seven gold mizas to a master beggar on his first real encounter in the streets of Stormhold even though he feared that he would need those seven pieces of currency. However entertaining, and almost rewarding, the encounter was, he had completely lost sight of his goal and he realized something important, the reason he was wandering the streets of Tier 3. He poses this most important question to the masked man.

"I can't say I caught your name, so please enlighten me as I also ask something of you," he stated as if preparing himself to ask the question.

"I'm lost. Where's this 'Housing Authority'? I need a place to stay and something to do, as I haven't been in Syliras long."

[Guy Laliberte]

"I can't say I caught your name, so please enlighten me as I also ask something of you. I'm lost. Where's this 'Housing Authority'? I need a place to stay and something to do, as I haven't been in Syliras long."

Talk about a warm welcome... That should give him good memories about this city. Housing authority.... Housing authority...

"Guy Laliberté, at your service," He said, with a bow. "As a start, may I simply say welcome to our fair city." Smiling, he continues. "The Housing Authority. I'm sorry, as I've never had to deal with them, I can't say where it is exactly. However, I know it is run by the Knights, and is somewhere on the third tier. I'm sure if you asked one of the various Knights patrolling the streets, they would be much obliged to testify to the whereabouts of it. However, I must warn you, houses come at a steep price. My great-great-great-great-something-or-other grandfather bought his for 500 Gold Miza, and that was many a century ago. No doubt the price has yet become inflated." Hopefully, the information Guy gave Colette would be of some use.

[Colette Vicdor]

"I doubt that the price will have lowered so readily since then," came his response, finally, his voice (and expression) taking a note of annoyance.

Colette's most immediate conclusion was that he wouldn't have been able to set himself up even if he could get himself roofed. He needed another plan, one that involved him and getting the mizas he'd need to get himself started in a place he knew little at all about. He definitely wouldn't have enough to make a permanent home for himself yet, but if there was anything that Colette remembered, it was that people will give money to someone who is hired to work for, or with, the one who hired. It just so happened that this man was being paid by entertained onlookers (and even Colette himself).

This line of thinking led him to an obvious conclusion. It seemed that Guy and Colette's act in tandem must've looked pretty good to onlookers, so the suggestion Colette was about to lay on the now-unmasked performer seemed to make sense to him.

"So if five-hundred gold mizas were to be a home," Colette said, betraying his uncertainty on the worth of the common currency, "then it would seem I have arrived ill-prepared before I even knew I was coming here. I already know one thing, that the worth of currency isn't going to change in a homeless one's favor."

Realizing that he was probably talking too much and to possibly no one, Colette quickly said "Too much talk, so I'm going to ask you simply, O Laliberté. It seemed to me that the last act had the passers-by rather entertained, entertained enough to part with their precious mizas. I, myself, seem to be lacking mizas and I arrived at Syliras before it had completely dawned on me what this city was. It was also particularly rewarding in a number of senses of the word. Do you suppose...?"

Colette didn't think he needed to finish the sentence for the masked one to understand what he was asking. Whether it was too sudden for a single encounter was of no importance to Colette. His lack of direction and lowness of currency took over in his suggestion.

[Guy Laliberte]

Grinning, Guy was overjoyed at Colette's conclusion. My own apprentice! Although really, I should be passing on my knowledge to my son... Son! Bah! Guy was 33 and had not yet found someone who he found suitable. In fact, this was not entirely true, but she had long ago drifted away and he could not find her in such a large city. Perhaps passing on the Laliberté knowledge to someone outside of the clan could be a good investment. On the other hand, there is such thing as too many entertainers...

"I understand your intent, Mr. Vicdor, and I will have to think it over. The streets of this fair city have been in my family's hands for countless generations. I will sleep on it, and deliberate and meditate whether or not this is a wise course of action for me myself. And for the city. People enjoy it when actors get hit, but not so much when they themselves are the target." Grinning at the possible outcome of their performance, he continues. Looking about him, he spots a sign, and says, "Meet me in front of the sign that marks the beginning of Travellers Rowe tommorow at noon. I will give you my decision then. In the meantime, have this orange." Dropping it out of his sleeve, he hands it to Collette. "And speaking of Travellers Rowe, that is where you might want to spend the night. It is reasonably priced, at five silver Miza a night, and the furnishings are not too shabby either."

[Colette Vicdor]

"I understand your intent, Mr. Vicdor, and I will have to think it over" was the first thing out of Guy's mouth when he answered him. Colette wondered whether either of them even in a position that would allow for this arrangement, but since he doesn't even know what his own position is, he figured it might be for the best not to care much for it. It's what will happen, not what already happened, he thought, that is important right now. It'll come to him... or not.

"Meet me in front of the sign that marks the beginning of Travelers' Rowe tomorrow at noon," he instructed, snapping Colette out of that level of thinking. "I will give you my decision then. In the meantime, have this orange."

Accepting the fruit with a "My thanks," he keeps it to his side as if intent to eat it as soon as they part ways, then nodded when Guy was finished talking. "Very well, I shall meet you where you ask."

Colette began to draw a mental map of the area.

"Travelers' Rowe, rah? That ought to save me some time figuring out where I'll sleep."