The Ringmaster

+2+

Ranboo's mother had supplied him with all of the correct things to run the circus, and now here he is. Running a small circus at 17. It was a few hours until the show, and Ranboo was rushing around the building, checking on the performers. He reached his star's room. The nameplate on the door read: Nihachu.

He kncoked gently. "Niki, may I come in?"

"Of course. Come on in!" Said a cheery voice from behind the door.

Ranboo pushed the door open, and walked over to the vanity where his star sat.

"What do you need, Mr Ranboo?"

"Just call me Ranboo, Niki. We're friends."

"Alright, Ranboo. Did you need me to do something?"

"Ah, no. Just doing the usual check in. You good?"

"I'm fine, thank you. My wife is going to be attending todays show today, so I'm a bit more excited."

"Do I finally get to meet her?" Ranboo leaned against the wall.

"Maybe. She might have to leave right after the show though, so there's a chance. I do hope you can soon, she'd love you!"

"I hope so." Ranboo said, chuckling. "Alright, I'll leave you alone now. See you later!"

"Bye Ranboo!" She said as he left.

He went to his room, and sat at his own vanity dresser. He took an allium from the vase on the dresser and tucked it into his coat. He cleared his throat and glanced at the photo of him and his mother. His mother had given it to him 3 years ago. He noticed something he hadn't before. The photo had a torn edge, as if something or someone was torn off of it. He decided to ask her about it later.

A sudden knocking brought him out of his thoughts.

"Ranboo? You good, mate?" A muffled voice came from the hall.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine!"

"Really? You've been in there for 2 hours."

"What?" Ranboo checked his watch. "Oh dear! Only 5 minutes."

Ranboo hurridly put on his hat and mask and smoothed the coat's wrinkles. He opened the door, and rushed past the man standing outside his door. He reached the curtain and stopped to catch his breath. Once he had, he took the microphone from it's stand and turned it on. He signaled to a man backstage, who flipped a switch.

The audience quieted as the lights turned off.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to this circus' first showing in Mountain
Glade City!" Ranboo said into the mic, stepping out of the cutrain and moving to the middle of the ring.

The audience went wild, clapping and shouting excitedly.

"Give a warm welcome to our star, Niki Nihachu and her assistant, who excel at flaming trapeze!" Ranboo shouted, pointing towards the trapeze bars above him. Again, the audience went wild, having heard of Niki before.

The spotlight switched from him to Niki, who stood on the platform. She took the first leap and grabbed the now flaming bar skillfully. Ranboo slipped behind the curtain. The whole night went flawlessly, many roses being thrown at the end of the show.

"Remember folks, we'll be here all month, so don't be scared to stop by again!" He said into the mic as the onlookers started to leave.

As the last of the audience left the large tent, Ranboo turned to his team.

"You all did a fantastic job!" He smiled gleefully, clasping his hand together. "Since you all did such a good job, how about pizza? On me."

Shouts echoed through the empty tent, and the group made their way outside. Ranboo told them he'd be out in a minute, and went to his room, and took the photo from the vanity. He looked into the mirror, and spotted two large wooden boxes stacked behind a broken mirror. He was going to investigate them, but decided to do it the next morning. He wrote a note to himself to check it out when he gets there the next morning.