Henri looked around, seeing if there was anything that he could use as a weapon against the clown; a stout stick, or a broom or mop, or something that he could throw.  But not the whatever it was in Naomi's head, that was just something he couldn't touch at the moment.

Henri could see to his left, inside one of the wagons, there was a box labeled Cherrywinks Fireworks. Getting there would require going inside the wagon and from this vantage point he couldn't tell if there were any matches nearby.

To his right, there was a barrel that he might be able to tip over at roll if it wasn't too heavy.

Further along to his left, was a large ream of fabric, the kind old time acrobats would twist themselves in and hang from during some of the circus acts under the big top.

Also near him on his right was single bowling pin. It looked aged and had a long crack down one side of the wood, the white paint faded.

Barring anything else, Henri thought he might be able to run for it, past the wagons. It appeared from this vantage point that he was already inside the old Circus.

Henri grabbed for the bowling pin.  Way too heavy for him to get a good overhand throw.  He turned, swung it back and lobbed it underhanded at the clown on the unicycle, but not directly at the clown, instead going for the fairly wide wheel.  At the least it should slam into the spokes, possibly jamming the unicycle, but pretty certainly spilling the clown into the mud.

Henri Rolls (Dexterity + Athletics +2) -3 Defense.

Henri Rolls Dexterity + Athletics -1

OOC - burning a Willpower


10:13, Today: Henri Aiton rolled 4 successes using 8d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s ((2,3,8,2,9,6,6,10(+8))).

The clown edged forward, the old tired spinning through the mud as the unicycle made its way towards him. From this distance, Henri could see that the Clown had greyish skin, and a flash of lighting in the sky above revealed a crooked grin with missing teeth.

That's when Henri jammed the bowling pin into the tire's spokes. The grin turned into confusion as the Clown continued forward. It's large, skinny body propelled by inertia, landed in the mud with a loud splat. The colored ball it had been juggling flew in every direction.

Henri turned to see April slowly getting to her feet. Naomi still hadn't moved.

Henri took the moment of surprise when the clown hit the muddy ground to jump on top of the prone figure.  He grabbed for the red nose, trying to rip it off the clown's face.

Henri Rolls Strength + Brawl +2 (Prone) - Minus Clown's defense (3) Minus (2) (unarmed attack on adult)

Henri Rills Strength + Brawl -3

Henri jumped on top of the Clown. The Clown struggled and whirled Henri twice around his head like a carnival wrestler giving his opponent an airplane spin, and throwing him into the mud. Henri's head connected with the ground. A large fireworks display went off in the center of his brain and he was vaguely aware of pain. Still, he struggled onward as the Clown began to paw at his neck and arms, struggling to grab a hold of Henri through the slick mud.

OOC - burning another Willpower


19:33, Today: Henri Aiton rolled 1 success using 3d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s ((1,4,9)).

Henri ripped the nose off of the clown as thunder boomed in the air, shaking the very ground that he was kneeling in. Around him, rain pounded the ground, his arms slick with mud. The clown instinctively reached towards its face, a gesture of blindness as it got to its knees and stammered backwards, hitting the side of a wagon.

Then it collapsed to the floor. Slowly, through the rain and darkness, he could see the body of the Clown. It looked smaller. One boot hung loose off of its leg, which was twisted in an awkward angle.

"It's...*cough*...*cough*...over?" April asked, coming up alongside Henri, blood streaming from her nose.

Henri shook his head slowly, clearing the flashes of light from his vision.  "What?  Maybe for the moment.  But there will probably be others.  Maybe very soon I think.  You should keep watch in case."  He spoke in a very offhanded manner.  He picked up the bowling pin and held it ready, just in case as he cautiously approached smaller looking body of the clown.  He nudged it carefully with one foot.

It didn't move. The body lay face down, covered in mud. Rain patted down on the bowling pin and ran onto the boot of the...

the child's foot. The Clown, for it was a clown, wasn't a clown anymore. The bald head whose pate had reflected the moonlight was now covered in tangled black hair. An idea of something familiar nudged at Henri's brain but before he had time to think, April came up beside him and fell to one knee.

"It...hurts..." she said. Lightning illuminated the night sky and Henri could see through the flash that April's teeth were stained with blood.


"hurts...bad." She stammered. Even in the near darkness, Henri could sense that something was wrong. Her torso was lopsided. One shoulder was lower than the other and she cradled her left arm gingerly. Another flash of lighting, and Henri could see that the the left side of her dress was also stained with blood.

"That does not look good," Henri said.  "I think that you should be out of the weather so that we can see how you are."  He helped the girl up and helped her over to one of the trailers.

Henri shifted April into the trailer. The inside of the wooden wagon was lit with a dim, flickering candle. All around were boxes and crates with labels that read 'snake oil' and 'jumping jacks' and other such names that didn't make sense to Henri.  But this fact was quickly forgotten as Henri saw the problem with April: There was something lodge into the left side of her back. A ball of some kind.

It was one of the Clown's juggling balls. Henri realized, consciously for the first time, that he was still holding the Clown nose in his left hand.

He could see the ball wedged into April's back. Splinters of bone protruded from the skin, blood pouring down her dress and onto the wooden floor of the wagon.

Henri examined the wound closely.  He wracked his brain to try and remember what he had learned from both of his parents, mainly basic first aid, but occasionally he had been around when one or the other had treated someone injured at odd times.  "Hmmm, this is not good but not too bad I think.  Let me see if I can find anything here to help," he said in as cheerful a tone as he could manage.  He rummaged around the trailer, looking in drawers and cabinets for anything that he might be able to use.  "It is too bad that the odd book is not here for you to use."

Henri pulled out a large magnet. There was one box labeled 'portable holes' that Henri sifted through, large black masses falling on the floor and creating darkness where wood once was. Then he grabbed a bottle that read simply 'First Aid Carney Pills.'

Henri shrugged, First Aid Carney Pills, not what he had been thinking of but as messed up as this place was they just might work.  "Well, I do not know if these are any good but I can find nothing that looks like it is better," he said.  He looked for any instructions on the bottle, ready to follow them if there were any.

Henri read the back label, narrowing his eyes as the candlelight flickered.

Directions:

Warning: Do not drive a car or operate machinery after taking this medication

First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin. Then, shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shalt be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, nor either count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thy foe, who, being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it.

*Keep taking pills until these directions begin to make sense

Except for the warning about cars and machinery which he remembered being on lots of other medicine, the directions made no sense.  He read them out loud to April.  "It is up to you if you want to take these," he said.  "They may help or they may not do anything.  Or they may even do something not good."

April let out a gasp and a gout of blood dripped out of her mouth, red lines flowing over her lips and down her chin.

"something..." she said in a weak voice.

"do...something." she gasped.

And then, her eyes taking on a distant look "should have....never let you all in...should have stayed in the cabin...forever."

"Well, there is nothing much that I can do except for the pills and hope that they work," Henri said.  He opened the bottle and shook two out.  "Here, take two and call me in the morning."

Henri felt April's weak lips press against the palm of his hand in search of the pills, much like a horse's lips might seek a sugar cube. She struggled to swallow them and for a moment Henri thought that April was going to cough them up. Then she leaned back and collapsed onto the floor, letting out a small groan. Henri noticed that a small pool of blood had now saturated the floor and was spreading out from April, though she still remained conscious.

Henri looked around for a relatively clean cloth to hold outside and dampen in the rain.  His plan was to fold it across April's forehead, that might make he feel better.  Or if the pills worked, then she would probably want something to clean up with.

Henri grabbed one of the rags jutting out of a box labeled 'ACME Tires.' Selecting the rag that had the least amount of grease stains on it, he damped it with the rain and placed it on Aprils forehead.

Thunder boomed outside of the wagon as lighting cracked in the sky. Suddenly, the wagon fell silent without April speaking, the ambience took on a solitude that allowed Henri to catch his breath. The Clown's fallen body--now a boy--lay outside in the mud against the backdrop of the Circus, the large Ferris wheel with its rusty hinges, the empty popcorn stands with their old, 1920s signs faded.