[eldrich] times change [oogie]

Julietta pulled hard on the thick rope that burned her hands raw. Putting all her weight into it, she leant backwards, slowly pulling the end down to where the large, solid metal tent peg stood planted in the muddy ground. Not so much that he wouldn't be able to secure a rope around it, but not so little that it would topple over. She breathed heavily, flicking a bit of hair limp brown hair out of her face. Sweat glistened on her forehead in the early morning light.

Julietta didn't mind the work, she didn't mind putting all the effort she could into doing her jobs. Hard work was what Jules lived for. Without work, she was nothing. She had been raised that way. Raised to work hard and play little. Even when she was a young child her mum had her inside learning English rather than outside playing with her friends. Not that she wasn't grateful for that: being fluent in English and certainly proved useful. Just look where it had got her: she had a job and a home in a foreign country where she had no ties or relatives and didn't know anyone. Of course, when she was a small girl of 5 she hadn't realised that this was where she'd end up though. Learning English hadn't seemed useful at all then. The younger Julietta had imagined living in Paris her entire life. She'd never even thought about travelling. The thought of her childhood brought a small pang of sadness upon the Beauxbâtons graduate, but it was only a tiny little pang and she buried it among her tiredness. Now wasn't the time to think about her parents back home in Paris. Now wasn't the time to imagine how they were coping without her. Now wasn't the time to imagine her mum and dad reading the letter she left behind when she'd left. Now was definitely not the time.

"Heave!" She shouted, giving another tug on the rope. Pulling it with all her strength she yanked it downwards, finally pulling it far enough to loop it round the peg and tie it up. Her muscles ached from the exertion but not as much as last time. Even though she'd only been at Eldrich a few months she was already adapting to life at the circus. Pulling the big top up didn't hurt her muscles as much. Living in a caravan wasn't as strange any more. Wiping the sweat on her hands onto her jeans, she picked up the wooden mallet lying on the muddy ground nearby and hammered the peg downwards, making it extra secure by dropping a heavy rock on top. Twisting the wooden object around her fingers, the Parisian began to make for her caravan, at the camp nearby.

Looking back behind her, she admired the red-and-white striped tent she'd just helped to put up. Julietta felt a sense of achievement at putting up the big top, every time she did it. Wiping her forehead again, Julie walked in the shade of the trees down the well trodden path to the camp. The 19 year old smiled as her caravan came into view. The blue barrel shaped vehicle was probably the smallest of the fleet, but Julietta didn't need too much space to live in. She was happy with her little cabin. All the other caravans belonging to the circus troupe were charmed to be bigger on the inside, but Juliet hadn't wanted hers to be charmed as she was content with the small space. The exterior was painted pale blue with white clouds, and some of the other circus members had helped her to paint birds flying on it, free.

Entering the caravan in question, the former Bellefeuille collapsed on her bunk, narrowly avoiding her pet kneazle, Sofie. Julietta had never been the best at Occupant de la Faune Magique at school, but somehow she managed to care properly for the creature without too much trouble. During her younger years her dad had to often remind her to feed the poor thing, but she was a lot more independent and reliable now (both Sophie and Julietta alike). Well, she wasn't sure if her parents would exactly call her reliable, not after running away from home. The Goblin Queen ruffled Sofie's fur then sat up, pouring herself a cupful of water from the tiny washbasin in the far corner of the cabin, which she could reach easily from where she sat. The girl savoured the fresh, ice cold water as she trickled it slowly down her throat. The charm on the sink was a good one, the water was never warm or dirty, always cool and clean. She was very grateful for that charm.

Tipping the last of the drink back, Julietta rinsed the cup and stored it back in cupboard under her bed where she kept most of her belongings. She pushed one of the hangers above her head out of the way and opened the small window above her bunk, deciding to let her owl, Julien, out for a fly. The tawny owl was grateful to stretch his wings and immediately took off, flying over the trees nearby to the camp and out of sight. Julietta wasn't worried about losing sight of her precious companion however, he always came back.

There’s no place like home.

Oogie found solace in the chaos that swirled around him as people rushed by, carrying armfuls of fabric and baskets of building supplies, all shouting at each other in controlled madness. Without missing a beat, he ducked when a smiling wooden sun flew past his head and quickly stepped to the side as a pair of thestrals pranced by, their glowing eyes lingering on the bone man for a few seconds before they went on their way. The hustle and bustle of Eldrich before opening was always a bit crazy. Luckily London was their regular stomping grounds and they were unlikely to run afoul of any problems. Even though it had been nearly seven years since he had performed and almost two since he’d seen the caravans in the sky, Oogie fell right back into place, like a missing puzzle piece.

When Oogie had received word that the caravans had been spotted entering Epping Forest, he had quickly dispatched a few of his men to keep track of them wherever they went. Once he had confirmed it was indeed the Eldrich Circus of his youth, he made the rare trip out into the daylight to meet them. It was as if nothing had changed in the last seven years. There was the same splashes of color and loud, cheery voices swirling around the encampment as people moved around him to set up for the next few days. This was the life a lot of them would treasure for decades after they left.

Oogie barely recognized any of the faces, though it appeared that many of them recognized him. He knew Lio kept old posters of previous performers and the Zombie Boy had been something of a sensation seven years ago. Seven years in the circus was considered a lifetime to many circus folk. People came and went, only a few choosing to take up residence permanently as he had done when he was fifteen years old. He’d been keeping track of the circus’s movements whenever he could, trying to make time to visit his old friends. When Armand had left Eldrich three years ago to return to his country, Oogie had lost track of them for a while. But even Alioth couldn’t quiet the whispers of excitement and anticipation that buzzed through the city when word got out that Eldrich had come to town.

Alioth was there to greet him when he arrived. Oogie clasped the older man in a tight hug, kissing him on both cheeks as they caught up briefly. Lio had been like an older brother to Oogie while he was there, and Oogie considered the man one of two who had saved his life so many years ago. Oogie wasn’t the first stray Lio had taken in, and he knew he certainly wasn’t the last one either. Oogie was always curious to talk to other circus folk when he got a chance. Here he was just an old soul, a veteran of the freakshow. Out there he was a crime lord and notorious murder. It was easier to talk when this band of nomads were never in one place long enough to hear the rumors.

Like always, eventually Lio danced off somewhere else to attend to his matters. Things never changed. He left Oogie alone to walk the grounds, admiring the cheerful illusions being thrown across the sky and even making note of a real dragon who appeared to have taken up residence here as well. The skeleton walked through the crowd, looking for a familiar face but finding none. Instead, what he did see was a small brown owl hiding within a hat stand, seemingly snuggled up inside the bright pink feather boa and fluffy blue plumed hats.

“Hello there, little one,” he said, carefully lifting up the hat to peek at the little owl. “Are you lost?” The bird looked at him quizzically with big, curious eyes before flying off. Oogie frowned, tucking his hands inside his suit pocket as he followed after the bird, not sure why but looking for something to do. The owl wasn’t terribly fast so he could keep up with long strides and eventually he came upon a small sky-blue caravan parked somewhat off to the side. The owl touched down on an open windows sill. There was movement inside the caravan, and a mousy brown head of hair popped out to greet the owl. She seemed to have noticed Oogie, who was looking on curiously.

Realizing he was encroaching on a private space, he raised a boney white hand and smiled toothily, sure that he looked somewhat sinister. “Good morning. I was just making sure your little friend got home safely. I don't believe we have met. I am Oogie Boogie.”

A few minutes of silence permitted Julietta to finally finish the chapter of the book she was reading - a muggle fantasy novel that made her laugh out loud at how stupid they were. Normally, she wasn't one to look down on the muggles, but the assumption that the author made about magic were ridiculous. She’d picked the book up at a cheap bookstore when she’d first arrived in England, because she didn’t have anything else to read and she also thought that reading a book in English would help her to extend her vocabulary in the language.

However it wasn't long before the tell-tale sound of the swoop of wings arrived and Jules peeked her out of the small window to greet Julien as he returned home. With her forefinger she gently stoked his feathers that had been ruffled by the breeze, smoothing them down neatly. The small bird gave her finger a light peck and then ruffled his feathers again comically, making the Parisian laugh. Her laugh was cut short however as she noticed a scarily skeletal man out of the corner of her eyes.

Jumping slightly at his sudden appearance, Juliet realised that skeletal was just the right word to describe the man standing a few metres away. Every inch of his body appeared to be tattooed, the tattoos showing what was inside the inked skin that was stretched over his body. The 19 year old found them terrifying yet fascinating at the same time, and her gaze lingered on the brain tattoo above his eyes for just a little too long, probably making it noticeable that she was fascinated by it. Amazing.

"No, I don't believe we have met before. My name is Julietta. Do you work here at the circus?" She replied politely in her accented English. The man, 'Oogie', held out his hand, and although the girl knew that it was only polite to shake it, she was somehow reluctant to touch his hand. Biting her tongue to stop herself from saying anything stupid, she shook it quickly, the fact that it didn't actually feel like bone unnerving her slightly. It looked so real her brain was expecting it to feel like a bone. Instead it felt like smooth, well cared for skin. A shiver ran down the Parisian’s spine.

Suddenly aware of the window sill digging into her stomach, Julietta sat up but shuffled forward to the window so she could engage in conversation with this bizarre man. Julie traced the outline of his jaw bone with her eyes, then squinted at the detailed tattoo that showed his teeth. The man was like a human diagram of the body, just like the one that was in her room back at her parents’ home in Paris. Unable to stop herself, Julietta's curiosity was sparked by the man and she leant forward slightly again, unable to stop herself from asking the question that was on the tip of her tongue.

"So, what are all these tattoos about then?"