The Secrets of the Circus Drafts

A Job in the Circus (a Draft written by Me & Cupcake)

A man with black hair stood before a wooden sign placed in the middle of a large, spacious field; circular red and white tents spread apart from each other across the grassland by a few metres. Upon the sign wrote the words "Hiring now!"; what might've once been gold now a dull shade of sickly yellow; the black paint used to note the words textured with specks of unpainted dents coming from the sign.

A woman dressed in a red coat and a tiny top hat exits the largest tent standing in the middle of the field; she appears to be lost in thought, her black eyes staring into space as she begins to track towards another tent smaller and furthest away from the rest of the circus.

"Hey!" the man yells, attempting to get the woman's attention. She pauses, and turns towards him, watching as he jogs up toward her.

"...yes?" she says, briefly looking him up and down.

The man slows, panting, before quickly gathering himself.

"Why, hello," he exhales, "Little lass."

The woman raises a brow at him, her expression unchanged.

"Are you the boss of this circus?"

The woman continues to leave her brow arched, crossing her arms. "Why, yes, I am," she says, "Can I help you, sir?"

"Yes," the man replies delightfully, clasping his hands together, "I see that you guys are hiring?"

The woman lifts both her brows, her tight expression relaxing slightly. "Ah, I see you want to join us," she concludes with the obvious, "Do you have any work experience?"

The man straightens his posture, attempting to appear more professional. "Well, I do have experience with retail jobs," he begins, listing off his qualities, "I've worked in a bakery for almost 5 years, and I can do heavy lifting as well," he raises one of his arms and flexes it, winking at the woman.

She stares at him, unimpressed and her poker face unchanged.

The man laughs nervously and retracts his arms, trying to play it off.

"Well," the woman says, breaking the silence, "We have been looking for someone who can cook up snacks the audience can consume," she sweeps her wavy hair to her back with a gentle flick of her head, "After all, what's a show without some treats to go with it, hm?"

The man's eyes began to glitter in excitement, his smile turning confident. "That's just my expertise," he states cheerfully, "I'm sure I could make plenty of sweet treats to go along with the show!"

The woman smiles, surprising the man ever so slightly. "Wonderful," she muses, "Now, if you wouldn't mind -- would you like to begin your interview today, right now?"

The man's eyes widen, "Sure!" he blurts, before clearing his throat and repeating himself. "Sure, I don't mind having it now."

"Alright then," the woman begins to make her way towards her original destination, "Follow me."

The man catches up and walks alongside her, inspecting the red and white tents; like peppermint he thinks; as they pass before facing her. "Say, boss," he asks, "I never got your name," he pauses, offering his gloved hand towards her. She stops, turning towards him. "I'm Caster," he introduces, "Caster Latifolia."

The woman eyes his hand, before grabbing it and initiating the hand shake. "You may know me as Ms Yong," she says, "Yesenia Yong."

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"Take a seat," Yesenia says, pulling a chair out from behind a desk buried in books and papers stacked upon each other. She briskly sweeps away several documents and attempts to organise them, before putting them away onto the top of another pile. "I apologise for the mess," she sighs, clearing more room for her and Caster.