Oleg set the broom down, going back to bed. He fell asleep within minutes, no other distractions keeping him awake.
CIRCUS DELIRIUM // CLOSED!
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(Should we time-skip?)
(yep!)
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(What time? It’s up to you)
(i think just morning works! around 8-ish?)
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(Ok, perfect)
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Donny woke up as he fell through the air, hitting the ground and coughing out a sudden burst of air. Aching permeated his body as a loud thump echoed.
He sat up, groaning and rubbing the back of his head. He must have fallen asleep on the roof of his trailer, forgetting to crawl back inside. He was soaked from rain throughout the night. His clothes clung tight to his body and his hair fell, dripping in his face. He eyed the roof of his trailer, noting the place he had rolled off of.
Oleg opened the window to his trailer, sticking his head out to investigate the sound. "What made that?" He called out. One hand propped open the window, the other held a broom- he was cleaning. "Ah- Donny! You fell!"
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Don looked up at the man with narrowed eyes. “Yes, yes I did. Nice observation skills.”
Donny got up, wincing as he brushed himself off. Blades of grass and leaves still clung to the back of his shirt.
“What time is it?” he called back.
“Time to get a watch!” He laughed at his own joke, moving to go outside. The window slid shut as Oleg opened his door, sweeping a dust pile outside as he did so. “It is…! 8:30.”
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Donny rubbed his eyes without responding, soon pushing himself to his feet. He was paler than usual and the dark circles under his eyes were prominent. He shook his head, subconsciously trying to get rid of his exhaustion. He padded around to the front of his trailer, watching the man move happily and carelessly.
“What’s on the agenda for today?” Don asked, sitting down on the front steps of his metal home.
“Cleaning day! Packing up to move. Sweeping, breaking the big top down, all of that.” Oleg looked around brightly, ignoring the glaringly obvious dark circles around Donny’s eyes. “Are you excited?”
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“Terribly exited,” Donny muttered. He got up, his actions followed by a fit of coughing. Because of this, he sat back down, closing his eyes and feeling the cool breeze against his clothes. He shuttered, his wet clothes making him even colder, but it felt nice.
“How’s long is the trip to San Francisco?” he asked. “We’re gonna be on the road for a while, huh?”
"Yes. Long trip. You look cold. Jacket?" He rested his broom against the door frame, leaning on the railing of his trailer's tiny porch. "You'll get the plague."
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Don laughed— a quiet chuckle cutting through the soft morning.
“The plague,” he repeated. “I’m too stubborn to get sick, don’t get your tail in a twist.”
Donny got up, steadying himself before walking inside his trailer. He walked back out in a couple moments, dressed in daily apparel and taking up his seat once again.
"It's true! Cold weather brings illness." Oleg had on his own jacket, odd considering that half the time he was completely shirtless. "Even more so with rain. Especially so with rain." He picked the broom back up, rolling the handle between his palms.
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“It’s nice to know you care, Wolfie,” Don mumbled. “Nice to know. But I’ll be fine.”
Donny looked over to his pool, reluctant to empty it and put it back in his trailer. He grumbled to himself, pushing to his feet and carrying it out anyway. The water intertwined with the grass, flowing away as Don tilted up the large plastic saucer.
“I’m just warning you.” Oleg ducked back inside, tail swaying as he did so. He came back out after a few moments with a garbage bag, and glanced around for the large trash can.
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Don folded up the inflatable plastic, heaving it onto his shoulders and carrying it over to his trailer. He pushed open the door, clearly having trouble fitting before finally just shoving it through the doorway. His momentum kept him going, running straight into his table. From inside his trailer, anyone could only hear a loud bang followed by an “OW.”
“You are hurt?” Oleg dusted his hands off on his pants, ducking into Donny’s trailer. “Yes?”
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Donny laughed himself, sitting on his wooden floor. His trailer was neat… too neat— almost like he hadn’t slept in it for a couple days.
“Nah, I’m fine. Just tired and clearly having a clumsy day,” he said, getting up and rubbing one of his arms. He took the pool, shoving it into one of his cabinets.
"You keep your home clean. How? Looks unloved." He grunted out his words bluntly, looking around. His arms were crossed over his chest as he inspected the trailer. "Yes. Clumsy day. Do you sleep?"
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“I can’t help that I’m tidy,” Don mumbled, shutting the cabinet door and inspecting a small scratch in it. “And yeah, I got a little sleep. Don’t worry about me.”
He walked over, sitting down on the seat adjacent his table. He brought out a deck of cards from underneath the cushion, beginning to shuffle them. His hands flowed swiftly, bridging the cards from one hand to the other. He flipped them around casually, finally dealing out a solitaire set-up. He eyed the wolf-man at the doorway, beginning to play his game. “You just gonna stand there or should I deal you in to another game?”
“Break your home in!” He cackled, crossing his arms over his chest. “I am not worried. I notice you sleeping on your roof.” Oleg sat down as well, head tilted. “Deal me in. What do we play?” His foot tapped as he spoke. Oleg was itching to play.
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“Gin rummy, eh?” Don said with a smile, dealing out the cards. “Ever play? It’s unforgiving.”
He set them up knock-poker style, setting aside the jokers.
“We playing with skin in the game?” he asked.
“One or two times.” He watched Donny deal, keeping a close eye on his hand. “Explain the rules, though.” Oleg’s face was calculating as he considered his options. “No skin. Maybe later.”
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Don laughed. “Alright, Alright. You’re no fun.”
He handed the man a second deck as he dealt out the first.
“Take out the jokers and start shufflin,’” he said with a wink. “We’ll go over rules in a bit. For now, just know face cards are 10, and others are just their pips, eh? Aces are ones. Twos are twos, etcetera.”
“Sure.” Oleg was a good shuffler, although he was never the kind of man you’d want as your dealer. He had fast hands that always seemed to move just a little quicker than you could watch them. “10 and.. other numbers. Yes.”
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Don gave a small crooked smile. “Lay them out, see? Like I have done here.” He gestured to the table. “For this game, hands must be quick. Fortunately, we are both outlaws in this case, eh?”
Donny chuckled, a few times he had cheated coming to mind. “But leave that for now. We shall have an honest game this morning.”
“Easy to play honest when you don’t know the rules, yes?” He laid his cards down, now drumming thin fingers on the table. Oleg still eyed Donny’s hands, watching them like a hawk.