A Most Grotesque Display (jobros x fem!reader circus au)

9- Magic Tricks

And to think she'd lost her arms.

Who would've guessed?

Some other sensible person might've suggested such a thing as a joke, but to actually walk into her room and find her arms severed clean off was unimaginable. Even worse, it looked like she only had one of them with her, laying limp off to the side and discarded as garbage while two people, specifically Speedwagon and Bucciarati, rushed to tie off what was left of her arms and stop the blood flow.

You might think of (Y/n) as rude if she were to abruptly drop you to some nearby chair, but to Yasuho, it was nothing but understandable. 

"Hermes, Hermes! No, Christ, what happened to you?" She yelled, cupping the woman's tear soaked face in her gentle hands. "Who did this to you!"

"They're right outside, (Y/n)! Make the tent go faster!" Gyro called, stumbling backward when [The Mind Electric] did just that.

No time to spare, no time to waste. If The Nameless, least that's what (Y/n) assumed Gyro was talking about, was just as closed as he claimed they were, then what's left than to go full throttle?

"Hermes, darling, look at me!" She yelled over everyone elses orders and shouts. "Look at me, ok? Everything is ok, everything is going to be ok. I'll.. I'll find a way to make you better, alright?"

Her head snapped to face Avdol, who was busy helping Okuyasu stop the bleeding in the only arm they had in custody. "You, go get my mannequins left arm from my room! Now!"

It would be an understatement to say he ran as fast as lightning, barreling towards the magicians room and skirting to a halt to jump inside. Now, it's not like she had given him any sort of place to look for this mannequin, though he had a pretty good idea of where it might've been.

You see, (Y/n) often utilized this weird wooden mannequin for practicing new tricks, or trying puppeteer work (she'll do it no longer than two minutes before abruptly quitting), and with it being about the size of the average adult, there weren't many places to keep it in storage.

Under the bed, or in the closet, those are the only places it could be.

Now, the closet was a clear dead-end. It was already packed to the brim with identical suits, lacking variety in every way, save for a single, plain red version of the others. The drawers proved to be no good either, only pajamas or undergarments thrown in there lazily, topped with a few sentimental possessions, and a bottle of some perfume she wore constantly.

Thankfully, the horribly realistic doll was found stashed behind some wadded up clothing beneath her bed, tucked in the far corner with spider-webs and dust bunnies.

Quietly apologizing to the little critters for destroying their delicate homes, Avdol half yanked the mannequin out from beneath the bed and ripped off its arm by the ball joint, hoping that this thing wasn't  being saved for anything special.

"It was meant to be a surprise for everyone when I finally got the hang of using it," (Y/n) huffed as he reappeared in Hermes' room, "but this is a much better use for it."

Avdol didn't even have a second to process what was going on before the arm was snatched from his grasp-- what seemed to be some sort of link of handkerchiefs being endlessly pulled from her sleeves getting torn off by her off teeth.

Next, a large, already blood-stained cloth from a side-table was snagged and thrown over Hermes severed arm, which had been paired with that of which it had been cut off of-- The peculiar stand of napkin tying the two together perfectly.

The counting that began under (Y/n)s breath followed the miserable clock on the nightstand, which could've either meant something good, or insanely crazy, was about to happen. It was a habit, some mused, that she had developed when she was a child; Always helping her make decisions, and prepare herself for some sort of wild action.

A sudden snap rang through the room.

At this point, Hermes' screaming had almost amplified twice as loud, her voice close to becoming hoarse, and her eyes growing dry from the crying. (Y/n) grimaced and apologized for the pain, only to then, however hesitantly, peel back the cloth to reveal her arm had been reconnected. 

It seemed to be functional, too, with the way her hand snapped to grip (Y/n)s tightly and hold it to her face. "I-I was gonna die!" She wailed, hiding her distraught expression behind your hand. "They were gonna kill me, I was gonna die!"

"It's ok, Hermes, you're ok now! I'm right here, alright? I won't let them get to you." The magician sneakily dropped the mannequin arm into the empty space where one should've been, all while cooing and soothing her dearest friend as a distraction. "You'll, be fine, you'll be fine.."

Okuyasu took no time in repeating the steps (Y/n) had taken for the other arm, pushing it up again the stub of what should've been there, and painstakingly trying to align it perfectly so that is wasn't all twisted-- right before throwing a cloth over it and letting her press all of her weight on it.

Almost like magic, the wood beneath the cloth began to grow soft, and the feeling of flesh shifting beneath her palm prompted an all-too-loud sigh of relief to flee from her lungs. In fact, she had been so relieved, she damn near would've fallen backwards if Gyro hadn't stepped in to catch her.

"Thank god--" (Y/n) heaved between thick breaths. "Thank god it worked."

It became clear to everyone that Hermes' cries of despair had soon turned into tears of joy, Yasuho having to tuck her legs into her chest when she clambered off the bed and made a B-line directly to the person that helped her out, Gyro shoving (Y/n) back to her feet for the hug she was bound to receive from not just Hermes, but from everyone in the room.

Left breathless from the constriction, (y/n) could do nothing but bear the endearing ( and impossibly tight) hugs everyone passed onto her, even Bucciarati, who only managed to get a piece of the action after cleaning up Hermes' bed.

Yasuho thought it rude to even attempt to go in and join the hug-fest on her part, since she didn't yet consider herself apart of this happy family of runaways. Even with the inviting smile Speedwagon offered her, she still found it a struggle against her own body to get up from the chair, all before she was yanked up by her arm and forced into the embrace.

"C'mon, don't feel awkward!" He laughed, squishing her into the emotional bodies of her companions. "You're one of us now, no need to feel left out."

And he was right. Completely, and utterly right. For the first time in years, Yasuho finally began to accept that maybe, just maybe, she was deserving of this comfort, and acceptance. She's apart of these outcasts, no need to act like one among them.

Though everyone seemed to have come down from their cheerful high, it seemed Hermes needed some convincing to let (Y/n) out of her clutch-- and by 'convincing', she had to be forcefully pried off by Caesar and Okuyasu.

Almost too shaken by the events that had just transpired to even move, (Y/n) stumbled the best she could of out Hermes' room and sauntered into the hallway, letting the poor woman rest in her bed while returning to her own... Though, she was stopped.

"Can we talk?" A kindly, unmistakably deep voice rumbled, their calloused hand coming to lay on her shoulder. "I just have a question."

"Yes, Avdol?" She hummed, turning around to face the man in question with teary eyes and still trembling lips. "What is it?"

"Was...." His words were hesitant, refusing to get remotely past his teeth as he tried to speak, though all in vain.

"Was...?"

Alright, here goes nothing.... "Was that Kakyoins puppet I found beneath your bed?"

Next chapter: Apologies, old friend. Reminiscing about the past!