Oh Mr. Clown, Oh Mr. Clown

[maskormods]

WHO: YOU.
WHERE: Heropa Greenland Park.
WHEN: Sunday August 17th, from 11AM to 10PM.
WHAT: ImPorts participate in the local carnival, hosting their own attractions, helping with the booths and rides, and/or come looking to have a good time. Details here.
WARNINGS: None anticipated; please let us know if this should be edited.

Even in the daytime, Heropa Greenland Park appears almost dour in appearance and atmosphere. Employees of the park open the creaky gates at a few minutes before 11:00AM to allow imPorts and soldiers who have been ordered as security inside. Preparations have already started, with thick and colorful streamers lining hanging from one rusty looking lamppost another along the park's pathway. The booths look a little worse for wear and the while an effort had been made the night before, the park grounds are still coated in soda spills, popcorn, leftover hot dog bits, and other sticky and grimy messes. Sometimes the lights in the event booths flicker or burst entirely.

Needless to say, this place looks like it can use a makeover. While it fares well among its locals and those from Cape Canaveral, it has not been a place of interest among others in the state for quite some time. Right now? It looks more creepy than wholesome family entertainment.

But that's what imPorts are here for, aren't they? To liven up the place!

At the heart of the park is where employees have made enough room as possible for imPorts to set up their own attractions, booths, and whatnot. There will be small platforms for some imPorts and bigger ones may need to be shared among each other, scheduling their time slots for their own performances. There will be tables should anyone need it for performances that don't require a grand stage.

By noon there the line-up park employees had been expecting turns out even better than they had hoped. There are twice as many locals who've shown up, eager to see imPorts in action up close. By 12:30PM the park is bustling with people of all ages and all appear to be having quite the time, despite the occasional issue with the rides such as the merry-go-round (oops, it slows down more than it should), the carousel (it stops at least once every two hours), and the haunted house's lights go down at some point, though this seems to have worked in its favor.

Kids are screaming in delight everywhere, there are teens trying to do risky things on faster moving rides, and everyone is passing through the center at some point to come and check out what imPorts are going to do next.

Put on your best face and give them a show they'll remember, heroes!

Comments

[immigrantpunk]

[Jayden has been released from dunk tank duty and is thankfully back in his own clothes instead of the uniform with the park logo on it. His hair is still damp, frizzing madly into the humid afternoon. He's considering loading up on some carnival food before wandering around to see what the place has to offer, and out of nowhere his roommate is pushing a corndog in his hands.]

Uh, hey.

[He scrunches his nose and considers the item in his hand. It smells all right, but the possibility that unmentionable pork products lie inside this corn dog are high.]

Thanks, but I think I'll just have some fried dough.

[Or funnel cake, as it seems to be called here, although he's pretty sure they're the same thing.]

[redhairring]

Suit yourself, [ Freddie responds, casually tossing the corn dog in a nearby trash can. If any of these people gave her grief about wasting food, she could simply say that it was cold or something like that. ]

It's probably a safer bet sticking with the junk food anyway. At least we've got a fair idea of what's in the cotton candy.

[immigrantpunk]

Sugar and chemicals I'm totally chill with.

[He considers getting in line for a food booth, but it's so long he basically... doesn't really move to join it.]

So what are you doing here? I didn't think this was your kinda thing.

[redhairring]

It's not. But I wanted to see what was up. And, thanks to my powers, I've managed to make myself a little spending money. [ it's really amazing just how many people want something that's been manipulated by an imPort, that's been changed into something different...even if the 'something different' is leopard print. ]

I've made twenty three dollars turning stuff leopardy.

[immigrantpunk]

[That's right, she's the one who can turn things leopard print. It seems so useless, but Jayden has to admit it is more impressive than his. Which he still doesn't think is real, and it's not like he can really demonstrate it even if it is. Still, her profit margin sounds kind of low. His eyebrows go up.]

That's it? How much you charging?

[redhairring]

Fifty cents for a power demonstration, five bucks to turn an item you own leopard print. [ There's a frown on her face, as she thinks it over. ]

You think I should be charging more?

[immigrantpunk]

You should do a full dollar, at least. People don't like fishing out change.

[He's worked a register enough times to notice.]

Maybe do some sort of combo? You can charge more that way, and make it seem like less.

[redhairring]

Okay, so a buck for the smaller figures. And...four for five? That way, if they've got a ten, then they won't have to make change if I turn one of their items leopard print also.

[immigrantpunk]

[Jayden nods approvingly.]

Now you're talking. Do you have a good pitch to catch people's attention?

[redhairring]

I've just been going with 'the amazing leopard woman' or something ridiculous like that.

[immigrantpunk]

[He snorts.]

I hope you haven't been saying it in that tone.

[redhairring]

I've been managing to squeeze a bit more enthusiasm, [ said with a laugh and a smile of her own. ]

[immigrantpunk]

Maybe you need help. Someone else excited about your power besides you.

[He raises his eyebrows at her, almost expectant. Then he's able to place his order, so he steps up and away from her momentarily, and returns with a receipt and a fountain drink, waiting for his number to be called.]

[redhairring]

[ Freddie patiently waited as Jayden placed his order, then returned. Yeah, she's got a pretty good idea about what he's implying. ]

I'll cut you in if you do all the carnival barker duties.

[immigrantpunk]

[The corner of his mouth turns upward into a satisfied smile.]

Deal. Let's do it.

[His number is called and he retrieves the stinging hot funnel cake, which he douses with powdered sugar and eats torn off in sticky handfuls.]

Want some?

[redhairring]

Sure, [ Freddie responded, with a grin, as she gingerly pulls off a hunk of funnel cake. Popping it in her mouth, she chewed (obviously enjoying the funnel cake, despite the fact that it was probably burning her mouth), swallowed, then started to proceed to lick the powdered sugar off her fingers in between words as she talked. ]

My booth's over this way. [ punctuated with a nod of her head in a general direction. ] Mind eating while walking?

[immigrantpunk]

Nope.

[He retrieves his soda and follows her, resorting to biting into the funnel cake while walking due to lack of free hands, despite the spray of powdered sugar that's getting everywhere.]

How's the blog?

[Said through a full mouth, but he's vaguely curious and doesn't like prolonged silences.]

[redhairring]

[ Yeah, some of that powdered sugar totally got on Freddie. She brushes it off as she continues talking. ]

Going pretty good, actually. I'm writing a series about that fiasco in Colorado, you know the summer camp that went all Hunger Games? That's bringing in traffic like I've never seen before.

[ she shrugs, in a sort of idgaf manner. ] Gotta say, there's nothing like a massive calamity to get people interested.

[immigrantpunk]

[WHOOPS SORRY BROSIS. If it's any consolation, there's a smear of sugar clinging to Jayden's chin, which he is having a hard time wiping away with lack of available hands.]

Oh yeah, I read a little of that. You talked to my friend Sasha, right?

[He snorts.]

That's the truth. You didn't happen to find out anything about who was really in charge of the whole thing, did you? It's not like the government has been helpful at all.

[redhairring]

Nope, [ she sighed, obviously annoyed about that. ] Everybody's managed to be pretty clueless when it comes to the whole affair.

I've been thinking of doing a field trip to where they were captured, though--but that wouldn't happen for a while. Plane tickets don't buy themselves. [ especially when all you have is income from a struggling tabloid website. ]

[immigrantpunk]

Not surprised.

[He perks considerably when she mentions her plans for a research trip.]

Really? You think about taking somebody with you?

[The heavy implication being, of course, that the somebody should be him. Because honestly, Jayden is really curious about the crime scene, and still sort of guilty that he was miraculously spared by having to work instead. Besides, he has some money saved from working over the summer and having free housing, so he could probably swing his own plane ticket.]

[redhairring]

[ Honestly? She wasn't. But, company would be great. And if Jayden wanted to come, then better he went with her than wandering in Colorado by himself. ]

That depends--want to come with?

[immigrantpunk]

[That was quite a bit easier than he had expected it to be. He nods, trying not to look too eager.]

Uh, yeah. I've never been west at all, and I wanna see what happened with my own eyes. School's starting soon, though. Could we do it on a weekend or something?