#askwdwheeler

Of course. I am unsure of any brother who would not do the same for his sister, and I do not believe I’d like to ever meet anyone of the sort.

Carlyle running straight into the fire to save my sister is, perhaps, the bravest thing I have ever seen a man do. I only wish I’d had the same quick thinking he had.

I believe that was the night my relationship with Carlyle changed, and he received my ‘blessing’ of sorts. He and Anne are no longer courting, to my knowledge, but he is still a wonderful friend to her, and for that I am grateful.

Well hello to you too, Mr. Bennett. Long time no see, huh?

You know, if you want me to help you, the least you could do is learn my name. ‘You, acrobat,’ is no decent way to greet a colleague.

As it happens, I’m afraid I can’t help you much, anyway. The last I saw of Mr. Barnum, he was a bit drunk and mopey. Haven’t seen him much around the circus today. He might still be in his office, or perhaps he went down to the docks. He does that sometimes when he’s battling a headache.

Best of luck.

No concerns needed here, Mr. Barnum.

*Shrugs.*

I, personally, don’t feel much of an attraction to anyone, one way or the other, but you’re not exactly hard to look at. Anyone with eyes can see that. Any person, man, woman, or otherwise, would be lucky to have you.

*Chuckles.*

And now, perhaps, I need to evaluate the fact that I work in such a place where I can tell my male boss that he is quite handsome, and not get thrown to the curb because of it.

*Falls silent as he listens to Barnum’s tale. Hums a little at the end.*

I suppose that if Carlyle were still with my sister, I’d have to be wary of you trying anything while they were still together. But... I haven’t been explicitly told anything, but I suspect that the sun set on that quite awhile ago now,

Your secret’s safe with us, Barnum.

*Makes a move to retrieve the box of truffles. Speaks, teasingly.*

Are we to find anymore sketches over here?

*In a moment of seriousness, he hesitates a little, then cautiously adds:*

Not... getting soft. Just... didn’t eat much beforehand.

*The cold air helps his head some and he straightens up. Still leaning on Lettie, though not as heavily as before. Still tipsy, but able to think clearly. Looks a little sheepish.*

Rarely do before acts. Wouldn’t do much good if the flying trapeze artist got sick while in midair, huh?

It just hit hard, that’s all.

*As they walk on, he becomes much less reliant on Lettie. Still somewhat woozy, but manages to straighten to the point that the only support she’s got on him is a hand in his. Smiles and brings her hand to his lips in thanks, nothing more than a friendly gesture, before letting go.*

*Listens fondly to Barnum’s words, sympathetic toward the ringmaster, but not pitiful. Much of the troupe knows how much Barnum hates to be pitied over the recent separation.*

*He starts to frown, though, as the conversation suddenly shifts from Barnum to himself.*

A lady?

At present, the only lady I’ve got waiting for me at home is Luna.

*He shrugs*

I’m sure they’re out there, I just haven’t bothered to look. Companionship would be nice, but I’ve Luna for now — and what better joy can a man be greeted with than an overly eager Labrador waiting for his return home?

*Chuckles.*

There aren’t many things Anne will not do. Sometimes I think she is more fearless than I.

But, the fire left its scars on Anne as it did the rest of us. Perhaps more so, as she believes herself to be the reason Carlyle ran back into the old building. He did the right thing — had he not run in, I would have — but it’s still hard for her to see that. We talk often about it.

So, we keep away from anything involving fire. It’s a mutual agreement. Before, Barnum might have had Anne and I incorporate flaming hoops into our act... and I can’t say we wouldn’t have done it. But now, as I’m sure you can imagine, the troupe tries to keep away from fire as much as possible. Even Barnum himself is mostly in agreement. He can be careless, but no longer about flame — it was a close call for all of us.

No fire. It’s for the best.

Mmm. My drink of choice is a fairly common staple, but one that’s yet to grow old. Muddle sugar with Angostura bitters, add whiskey, and garnish with a lemon peel.

I know of some who substitute whiskey for brandy, but that’s not so much for me. Whiskey, in general, seems to be a popular choice among the troupe.

Of course, though I drink quite socially, I don’t seem to have much going for me in comparison to Barnum or Carlyle. The night they met, the bartender swears they each had numerous shots — he is not sure of the exact amount, claiming to have lost count — but neither of them so much as stumbled when they walked — er, danced? — out of the bar. I imagine the morning effects were quite unpleasant.

I, myself, am a fairly steady man, it is only when I fail to eat beforehand that alcohol hits me the hardest. Even so, I have never drank even nearly as much as the two of them without stumbling around like a downright fool afterwards.

Carlyle is usually quite fancy with his drinks, though. Champagne and all that. Perhaps I will have him try my drink sometime.

I don’t know how many people can say they get along with their boss, but thankfully I am one of them. Barnum and I don’t talk one-on-one very much, but I respect him a great deal.

Carlyle and I are able to exchange words more often. I feel we’re similar in personality, we get along quite nicely. We also share a love for reading and exchange titles on a fairly regular basis.

As for who’s more authoritative, I think it can vary a great deal. Barnum runs the show, but Carlyle keeps him grounded. They’re a good pair, and I think the more dominant one depends on the situation at hand.

Carlyle and I get along well enough. I wasn’t sure what to think of him in the beginning, but now it seems he’s the one I most get along with in the troupe, aside from Anne.

While it is my duty to protect my sister, she insists that everything between them is fine and I have no reason to doubt her. The exact status of their relationship is unknown to me, but if Anne is happy then I will choose to believe her.