party animal

if it weren’t already obvious that guy was worried, the use of her nickname would have been a dead giveaway. the only times he ever called her poppyseed were when he was genuinely concerned for her or when he fucked up in some major type of way. taking a sip of her tea, she thought over his words. who could she even have him go after? bill, for certain. but she didn’t want to tell him about any of that - strangely enough as of recently that wasn’t even the most pressing thing on her plate anymore. “i think… i think i’m the one ruining people’s lives right now,” she confesses quietly, staring down at the mug in her hand and refusing to look at him. “i think i messed a lot of things up.”

guy shook his head at her. “impossible. it can’t be you. they are wrong.” poppy very rarely did things that were so wrong guy could consider them wrong. most of the time he just calls it little poppy things. “start from the beginning, okay? i can handle anything you throw at me. we have been through a lot of shit together. so i like to think i am an expert at handling things like this.” he gave her a smile, trying to make things feel better than it was. he was so sure it couldn’t be as bad as creek things. “you got nothing to lose with me because i am not going anywhere.”

rosie was always thankful for the fact that the rumors that surround her keep most people at bay. the groups that come by to the circus before or immediately after a show only want to see her from afar, and she’s just fine with that. leo’s never been that great with strangers…when he’s awake anyways. “oh, good girl.” rosie coos, smiling brightly and encouragingly as roxy steps down from her pedestal and follows rosie back to her cage. they’d rehearsed most of the obstacle related portion of their act with next to no protest from roxy, whom up until recently didn’t want to do anything other than play the entire time. at first, roxy’s playfulness was a little terrifying because no matter how cool rosie thought the lions were she couldn’t ignore that their size and predatory nature made them dangerous. but, rosie learned that once the lions trust was earned they hardly caused a problem. feeling safe was the key to keeping a sharp toothed bite at bay, and well…rosie could fucking relate. “didn’t mention i had cats?” rosie asks, not bothering to turn around to greet guy just yet when she hears his voice. it should alarm her that his presence is more a welcome surprise than a cause for tense shoulders; not necessarily used to the idea of feeling comfortable around people. especially new people. rosie wishes she could say the strange sense of ease is because he’s best friends with poppy so he must be safe, but the other woman is so loving she can’t imagine poppy not just…trusting most people. which, means rosie might have to come to terms that the small smile that touches her face when she finally does look at him is because she actually likes having him around. “what are you doing here guy?” she asks, brows raised as she closes roxy’s cage. “got a secret clown fetish i don’t know about or something?” they don’t know each other well at all, but guy diamond willingly coming to a circus just doesn’t seem like a real sentence yet alone something that’s happening right now.

guy scoffed. “a clown fetish? that’s so it chapter two or something like that. i never saw the movie so i don’t know.” he suddenly had a weird feeling in his stomach and he knew it couldn’t be nerves because guy diamond didn’t get nerves. not like this. this was a poppy thing, did she have possession over her body? they had only tried voodoo that one time and..no. guy was letting his mind go way overboard and for what? nerves? fake. “i was looking for you, actually,” he continued, looking around as he got more comfortable. “i was...curious. about the circus and what you do and....if you were busy?” he honestly wanted reject himself for this. he has never felt so out of his comfort zone before and he hated it. a lot. but seeing rosie made it a bit more bearable. “i was hungry and i could have went home and ate there but i thought..wow...maybe rosie is hungry too and here i am. to see if you’re hungry. it’s chill if you aren’t. and if you want to not be around me, that’s also chill. it’s not even a big deal. is that lion yours?”

guy wasn’t sure if he had ever gone to a circus in his life. he kind of thought they were horrifying, but who was he to judge? he had been through some pretty horrifying things himself and could argue that he was horrifying as far as personality went. so he could handle a few clowns and some bendy people. at least he thought that was what a majority of the circus was. honestly, he had no clue what rosie did here, but he was eager to find out. the woman was on his mind more than himself, which was odd, but he was gonna run with it. perhaps it was because she was a mystery to him. guy didn’t want to get bored of her, and a large part of him was sure that wasn’t possible, but he still worried a little bit. 

as he made his way through the small crowd of people he was thanking god he had sunglasses on so people couldn’t see how over it he was of strangers touching him. he had to ask around a lot before he found himself anywhere near where rosie could be, but he hoped that when people told him to find the lion first that it was a joke. but there she was, with a lion, and his jaw was on the floor. “.....is this real life?”

“I’m sorry who? what? I have never heard of a tiny diamond?”

rosie runs a hand through her hair. “you’re good to go.” she nods at him, giving him the cue to start the music. there wasn’t much rosie considered herself naturally good at, having spent most of her life trying way too hard for the approval of her parents. but being on a stage was something that came to her as easy as breathing. so, as the familiar song fills the space around them she falls easily into the performance knowing her voice is strong enough to get her through this with ease, and her attitude and stage presence is more than enough to secure the gig. when the song reaches the bridge she’s fully committed to the act, jumping up and down and whipping her hair around as if she’s just singing the song at the top of her lungs with gigi and putting on a little performance with her best friend in their apartment. she finishes strong, striking a pose as the song fades out. “any notes?” she asks, voice still pretty dull because whatever criticism he has isn’t going to destroy her.

he was ready to grow bored, only pay attention a little bit, and then move on. but instead he was pulled into her singing, like a hopeless sailor being lured into the rocky depths below by a siren. he knew that was dramatic, corny even, but he was into rosie and what she was doing. she looked like she was having fun and that was one thing; but being fun and talented? a rarity. a gift. he was still in awe after she was done and had let the silence hang in the air too long. eventually he started to get a grip on himself and he shrugged. he couldn’t shop her how he actually felt;that would be misleading. “not bad,” he said finally,slowly clapping his hands together. “you’re in. rehearsals are on every other night and you can bring one friend for moral support.” he set his empty clipboard down again. “is that gonna be fine with you? it’s not a paid gig either. just a little fun or whatever for the botb.”

Camden had been gearing up for this moment all day. Of course, he’d pretty instantly overlooked the gig prospect, but a job at a karaoke bar? This was his brand of partying, after all. However, when he stepped on the stage, he didn’t expect the one man in front of him to be more intimidating than a whole crowd had been. Nor did he think he needed to come with a song. Smiling widely, with no trace of his internal battle, he rocked forward onto his toes. “I’m, uh- Camden Little.” He announced, holding back from offering a little wave with the declaration. “And I’m looking for a job. But, I… Didn’t really know I was supposed to prepare a song? Word of mouth breeds oversights.” Was he starting to ramble out of self-consciousness? Maybe. Reigning back in his nerves, he tipped his head to the side. “I can kill some Freddie Mercury, though.”

Oh here we go. Another twink who thought he was the next Freddie, except he didn’t because he was shy so he was more of the Troye Sivan type. “First rule of Y.O.K.O....always be ready to sing.” He tapped his fingers against his clipboard. “If you must sing Queen, then sing it. But I don’t want to hear their greatest hits. Give me something rarely done or get out of my sight, okay?”

While normally hearing a casting director yell out no no no would have most performers worried or anxious, Gigi was so used to that type of attitude coming from P.T. that it barely even phased her. Instead she waited patiently for the person on the stage to leave before walking out herself, not giving a single care that the owner seemed to have a bit of an attitude. “A gig,” she answers confidently, standing a little bit taller and giving him a genuine yet obviously practiced smile. “I’m going to be singing Walking on Sunshine.” It was one of her go-to shower singing songs, and even though Gigi was a much stronger dancer than singer, she liked to think she was good enough to make it into a little karaoke group. Really, she was only doing this as a way to scout out other talent and be involved in the festival, but she figured she might as well still have some fun while she was at it! 

As much as he didn’t want to hear Walking on Sunshine, he had to admit the girl was interesting enough for him to hear her out. Her enthusiasm was enough to get him to get up and play the music for him. “Don’t hold back,” he responded his expression unreadable for the dramatic effect. He sat back down, clipboard in hand like he was going to write notes when in reality he was going to doodle.

rosie isn’t at all phased by the premature dismissal this man offers her. working for P.T. has gotten her used to far worse, and by the sounds of it rosie isn’t sure if this new man is having the best time holding these auditions right now. as much as she loves to perform in any regard, she mostly finds herself here because gigi had said she wanted to audition and you’d be hard pressed to find the two girls too far apart. “hey,” rosie offers a nonchalant wave. “rosie widow applying for the gig.” and while a job at a karaoke bar sounds promising and fun (probably pays better too) she loves the circus and her role there. plus she’s not sure if she could keep her lions if she left. “since u been gone by kelly clarkson, whenever you’re ready.”

guy sat up, impressed by how over it she sounded. he liked a woman who could be nonchalant. he looked at his clipboard which didn’t actually have anything written on it and then back at her. “i’ll put the track on.” he said finally, before he got up and went over to the sound system. he had to admit he was really hoping this rosie girl could deliver. he liked her face, her vibe, and he needed her to be the real deal. “alright....rosie. whenever you’re ready.”

TW:  drugs, drunk driving, alcohol, rude nicknames

|| Get to know GUY DIAMOND who’s TWENTY-EIGHT years old and works as a KARAOKE BAR OWNER in town. He is from FLORIDA and is often times mistaken for AVAN JOGIA while others say he reminds them of GUY DIAMOND from TROLLS. ||