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The Hat was aware of the sound of truck engines, same as Andromeda. But more than this, he felt something from this new source of noise. He paused for just a moment, attempting to ascertain what this could mean. This was an event that was outside of the general schedule of the Loop. New things happened because of a chain of cause and events - while that could be said to be true everywhere, within the Loop every day started exactly the same, differences occurring because of new choices of those within it each day. Gilbert seriously doubted that one of the Emendators or Paradoxes did something to draw down a convoy this early in the day. Maybe even Evie had something to do with it. The strange but familiar drawing feeling might be indicative of just that, but it felt different somehow. Like a close but imperfect copy of the essence of himself. A cousin of questionable parentage. It was unsettling. Suffice it to say, he was concerned.

His voice remained cool. "No, Andromeda. We are not." He eyed the pale Paradox for a second or two. This was not an expected thing. It could be nothing. On the other hand, it could definitely be something bad. Andromeda was trained well by the elder Emendator, and this was home ground. It was supposed to be safe. If for whatever reason it was not, they would have to stand ready to defend it. "Fortune favors the prepared", as the saying went, though he wasn't sure whether he invented the saying a few hundred years ago or if he just heard it someplace. Either way, it was accurate. "The field trip is postponed. Please come with me."

Gilbert closed the back door, covering the portal set up to take them to New York in the 1980s. It could wait, or be reestablished later. Turning on his heels, he strode quickly down the rows of weaponry on his way to the front door. There wasn't time to be picky in selections; he didn't mean to take time to find just the right piece to suit his fancy that morning. Passing by the pistols of the era, he snatched up a Colt M1911 pistol and, operating purely out of muscle memory, inserted a magazine and passed it plus an extra mag, back to Andromeda. "Borrow whatever you are comfortable with, from this year and back. If this is not an emergency, we can always say we were hunting." Yes, Emendators lied. Sometimes Gilbert lied just to get by in the world.

Without breaking stride, he snatched up two lever-action Winchester rifles. He checked both to make sure they were fully loaded, then slid one into a leather rifle scabbard that he acquired from the endcap display. "I always had mixed emotions about the American West." he mused, finally reaching the front doors. Gilbert half expected to see some kind of armed group making their way toward their little Armory, but was pleased to see nothing particularly out of order. Looking back to (hopefully) make sure that Andromeda was still with him, Gilbert chambered a round in one rifle and slid the occupied scabbard over his shoulder. He then got low, making his way toward the Gate. As he neared, he straightened up and held his weapon in a safe resting position, sauntering up behind Giosue while he was in the middle of being polite.

This wasn't quite what he was expecting. "So, what did I miss?"

---

---

To begin, the seeming apathy to a boisterous man running about the main house screaming about needing help wasn't lost on him. In fact, it was beginning to lead to actual, honest emotions verging on varieties of incredulity and outright anger. Where the hell had everyone gotten off to? And why was something which could conceivably be an attack upon one of their own being largely ignored? Oh, there was plenty for James to be upset about, not the least of which was one simple observation:

If Alicia was gone, truly gone from whatever life this was, it would be the second time that she expired right in front of him, while he was helpless to do anything about it.

Or was he truly helpless? Could he have done something, this new him that turned into a boar and spoke to squirrels? Even if he could, he didn't know how. It was maddening. Alicia was a very good friend of his, once upon a time. Very good friend. This new Alicia was different, but he could tell that there was a chance of getting some of that back with her. It was something he would have been willing to put actual time into. They were the troublemakers. They had fun. They did their jobs, but it was somehow less like work when they were allowed to be themselves doing it. And yet, she was gone again. It wasn't fair. This had better be some new Paradox power manifesting, or a call from an Emendator, or something. James didn't want to lose her again.

Perhaps this was why the questions put to him when he reached the Study, courtesy of Alexandra and Bart, set him a bit on edge. "Ain't you listenin'? I said I needs me an adult, damnit! An' what ain't clear 'bout me sayin' that Taco Belle done pulled a David Lo Pan an' now she gone? Bitch ain't here no more, gone. As in, girly girl was here, and BLAM - gone! Ain't here. Opposite of here! Let's do some math onnit: You got one Alicia, right? Then y'all take one away, see? That's how many Alicias y'all got left!"

James shook his head, trying to remember which Emendators were left in Ville au Camp and where they said they might be. "Need an adult. Imma go hunt for The Watch or The Hat or The One Fuckin' Ring if'n it can gimmie a hand with this now..." A firmer grasp on his emotions, James walked from the Study and out onto the grass in front of the main house. At least bitching in the general direction of his fellow Paradoxes allowed him to get his head on straighter. Something was going on. He needed to know what.

---

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Resting the tip of his walking cane on the ground, he waited. Looking through the gates and once he finally spotted someone he gave a slight wave. "Well hey there," he said in a pleasant enough voice. Taking off his hat, he pressed it to his chest and nodded slightly once Gio had made it to the gate. "Actually sir, we are here to help you. My name's Samson and I run the Carnivale' here behind me. We be the best operation this side of the Mississippi. Caught wind that you all be hostin' a Halloween event here this evening and we thought it would be right prudent of us to come by and offer to set up for the folks in these parts. I tell you, nothing put people in the celebrating spirit quite like a good ol' fashion Carney."

Placing his hat back on his head his head tilted back at the other man came to the gate. "Morning sir, just talking to this gentleman here about setting up our show for you folks. My names Samson though looking at you I have to admit feeling a bit like David facing down Goliath," he said with a chuckle. "We have games, shows, and Colossus is the biggest traveling Ferris Wheel in these here forty-eight states."

While Samson was talking a man got out of the driver side of the main truck and started walking over to them. He had a slight limp when he walked but it didn't seem like it was from a current injury or anything but more like he was trying to learn to walk without one anymore. "Ain't that right Jonesy?" Samson asked as the man came over to them.

"Yeah," was all Jonsey said before spitting a bit of tobacco juice on the ground away from them all. Samson smiled and looked back over to them.

"Have to admit I wasn't expecting no men to be meeting us at the gate. Was expecting to speak with a Miss Lucas. She be about?" he asked as he rested both his small hands on the top of his cane.

---

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As Sophia continued to walk down along side the road in the middle of the grounds she wasn't sure what to exactly think as to what was going on, she didn't hear any form of gun fire or yelling at least from her distance that is. She looked over at the main house behind her a little bit longer. Sophia was getting closer now to the main gate, she could now see the cars that were all standing idle just in front of the gates. Eventually she was there standing a few feet behind Gio, seeing The Hat, and Andromeda there as well it looked like they hadn't left on their little fieldtrip yet which was probably a good thing. "Good morning." Sophia finally said as she looked at the group of cars.

Sophia listened to the short man named Samson as he spoke about bringing a carnival onto the grounds for the evening, she looked between the two Emendators for a little bit. Then she looked over at Samson and then the new guy as he climbed out of the driver side door, she raised an eyebrow when Samson asked if Evelina was around. Her disappearance and then this group of people coming out of nowhere was a little bit weird for her, she was about to open her mouth to say something. But she felt like it would be best for either The Hat or The Watch to say something about Evelina, she was currently off of the grounds anyway, and they would make a better excuse to say what happened to her.

---

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Faith finished her self-training session and got up, finally. She had time to herself to think and she was ready to face the day. She debated on what she would do. Gil and Andromeda had probably finished in the barn, and the trip itself was beautiful. Plus, it was the last place she saw Evelina before she disappeared. Maybe there was a clue or two there, if Gil and Andromeda hadn't already picked up on it.

As she left and closed her door, she heard James yelling. She pieced together the gist of it and determined that Alicia was now gone too. Did she leave voluntarily? It further cemented her belief that they shouldn't just sit around now. It also made sense for her to go to the barn. Out of all the Emendators, she felt that Gil may be her best bet.

She left out the back door and started walking towards the barn. It often left her how beautiful the place could be. Not ravaged by the apocalypse. Time stood still and it cemented a pretty picture. Her thoughts continued to race and she was debating on the best course of action to see if they could do something. She had a feeling James would be in on it and if they could get at least one of the Emendators, maybe they could see where Eve and Alicia went.

---

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Alexandra flinched a bit, shrinking back marginally, when James got angry. She glanced uncomfortably over at Bart before meeting James's agitated gaze again. She tried not to take his words personally, reminding herself that he was distressed and thus couldn't be entirely held liable for what he said. Admittedly though, it hurt that she was shut down so quickly when all she was trying to do was help. Not to mention the fact that she couldn't help that she had no earthly idea who or what a David Lo Pan was. She figured it must have more meaning to those of later centuries, or perhaps was specific to his timeline. Her lips thinned, and she nodded her head before stepping aside so he could go find a proper adult.

Her eyes were downcast until he left the room. Once he had, she took a deep breath, slipping the unopened envelope in her pocket before running her hands over her face. Time to suck it up and get the job done, she thought to herself. She let out a small sigh, before wearily turning back towards Bart. "I suggest ve check out Alicia's room. I believe that's where they vere last. See if ve can figure out for ourselves what is going on, at least I suppose until an Emendator can take over," she explained. It couldn't very well be a coincidence that Alicia disappeared right around the same time that Evelina did, but she decided to keep that notion to herself. No need to incite panic if he hadn't already put two and two together. Without another word, she then turned around and made to leave the room. If Bart wanted to tag along, then great. If he didn't--well, she guessed she would just have to do this thing alone then.

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"...Got it," Andromeda said softly, accepting the pistol from Gilbert. She couldn't help but be mildly terrified she might have a better chance of shooting herself in the foot than hurting anyone else. But they had trained in this and she just needed to be confident in herself. She knew how to use a pistol. She would have been more comfortable with a whip, given that there wasn't the danger of shooting oneself, but that was that. She followed Gilbert out of the barn, mimicking his hunched over movements.

Andromeda stood next to Gilbert and Giouse, wondering for a moment as a thought occurred to her. Eve was gone and the Cards had gone off somewhere. She didn't know that Alicia had poofed, so she supposed that Alicia would likely be asked to play Eve - if they needed to pretend that Eve was still there. She gave the gentlemen a slight nod, not wanting to start talking since then they'd ask her questions and she didn't know what to do. She was just going to follow Gilbert's lead until told otherwise.

---

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This was definitely not what Gilbert expected. This was a loop in time, and all things being equal, everything that happened outside of these grounds repeated, just as they would otherwise, again and again. Unexpected visitors just didn't happen, not unless someone left the grounds and did something to cause it. No one had left. Except for Evelina. Might she have taken into consideration that they would need help with the Halloween festivities and sent for some kind of assistance, though that didn't take into consideration the oddly familiar pull coming from somewhere in their vicinity.

When the small-statured man began speaking to him in what was an ever so slightly self deprecating manner, obviously designed to socially disarm. Still quite suspicious, Gilbert allowed himself to appear disarmed. A broad smile played across his features and he tucked the lever action rifle behind his back with a flourish. His other hand removed the tall, black hat from upon his head, and he bowed to the man. Theatrically, even. When Gil straightened back up, he replaced his hat and responded to the man who introduced himself as Samson. "I must apologize, Mr. Samson." he spoke, smiling with his whole face. "I did not mean to be this tall, sir." He lowered the rifle from behind his back, pointing it toward the ground in an act of calculated nonaggression. "My name is Gilbert, sir. Gilbert Summers. And with me is my protege, Andromeda. It is a genuine surprise to see new faces out in these parts. I would also like to apologize for not being Miss Lucas. I'll try harder to be her next time. But on the subject of the lady, when did you speak with her last?"

There was method to his line of questioning. There was usually method to the things that he did, even if it didn't look like it to others. Unless he was making a meal, which was self evident. The last time he prepared food for himself the objective was plain: He intended to gorge himself. But this was slightly more subtle. Even if he could use a sandwich right then.

---

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Standing upon the grass in front of the main house, James was not privy to the sounds of the trucks pulling up, nor was he able to feel the pull that the Emendators could. He had really nowhere to go. The Dice Lady was gone, apparently so was The Cards. The Watch was... ok, he didn't know where the guy was, but he was probably having someone write a dissertation on Atlantic Triangle Trade for the purpose of bettering themselves and he surely didn't want to interrupt that. But maybe The Hat had something he could do. Okay, The Hat. Find the guy. If he wasn't in the Main House, perhaps he could be found in his workshop. When the possibility hit him, James straightened up, held his index finger to the sky, and yelled to whomever might be listening at the moment, "To The Hatcave!" The next second found James hauling ass in the direction of the Mill.

The training over the past year and change had done wonders for his physique. He had always been strong, but likewise had always had a singular distaste for running. He still did, but now it wasn't nearly as taxing as it once was. The thought passed through his brain for a second or two as he continued laying one foot in front of the other as rapidly as he could until he found himself at the slightly ajar doors to The Mill. "Mr. Hat, sir? Mr. Hat! Some shit done gone down at the house, Mr. Hat! You even in there?" Cautiously, James opened the door and stepped inside. There were general guidelines about poking around in Gilbert's workshop, but this, he hoped, could be forgiven with circumstances in consideration.

Weapons. Lots of those. Armor, tools, chests of clothing. Leather goods, too. All of the tools that various metalsmiths and tanners would require. Though an impossibility, the place looked like it was bigger inside than outside. It was an amazing use of space, really. James had been here before, but it seemed like he had never really gotten a good look at the location. Though his brain burned with the desire to look around and inspect some of Gilbert's handiwork, more important matters dashed away the idea. "Mr. Hat, sir? If'n you're about, I got me a big problem. Mr. Hat?"

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Bartholomew's lips pursed at Jame's words, frantic as they were. What he could take away from him left him worried. Best he could tell, Alicia had disappeared in front of him, which sounded like an occupational hazard he hadn't yet been warned about, which made him consider the thought of some kind of foul play, even if he had no idea who could perpetrate such an act. That would be something he still needed to sit and think on. He nodded as James left in search of an Emendator, and said, "Yeah, let's check up there, maybe we'll find something." He then left the room, and headed upstairs, unsure of what he'd find.

On the way up the stairs, he took a moment to consider the shit show this was turning into. Now, by his count, they were down their most important Emendator, and their most experienced Paradox. Part of him thought this might be some sign of attack, but that didn't quite add up to him. If something was powerful enough to be able to make Alicia and Evelina just disappear, he couldn't help but feel like they'd all already be dead. To him, that meant that, unlikely as it sounded on the face of it, that these were two independent events. By all counts though, it was still pretty shit. Approaching Alicia's door, he waited for Alexandra to catch up, before opening up the door and stepping in.

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"Ms. Lucas is currently out of the house so to speak. She won't be here for the next several days at least." He was technically correct. The best kind of correct. "For the time being you'll be dealing with me or the man over there. I'm Joe and my comrade over there is Gilbert." Gio didn't trust these men one bit. Even taking the tugging sensation out of the equation, this seemed a bit on the fishy side. Perhaps with further discussion he would reveal the catch to all this. Well first what he actually wanted in the first place. There had to be some reason that Samson and his crew decided to show up now rather than the countless versions of this day prior.

"You want to set up your carnival on the grounds of this estate, no? Of course, before we can continue discussing that, you wouldn't mind showing me your documentation, would you? Papers certifying the safety of your rides and that this operation is all above table. Understand that it just wouldn't do if you did set up here and then tonight someone gets hurt due to a failure of one of the attractions. The legal trouble alone would be quite devastating, not even taking into account the social and emotional ramifications of such an event." Although dirty and kind of shady, Gio had some degree of faith that they were who they claimed to be. But regardless of the veracity of their identities, he would have asked for this same kind of proof. Because that was the proper way to conduct business. Setting up camp with someone who you didn't know even had a company or not was foolishly naive at best, willfully deluded at worst.

Gio shuddered to think how Nancy would have reacted to all this had she gotten to meet these men first. She likely would have seen an interesting diversion and blanketed agreed to whatever the businessman wanted. Afterwards she'd get bored and run off while letting them do whatever they so desired. Although such actions potentially wouldn't have any backlash into future loops, that pulling feeling was a serious omen and he couldn't afford to throw caution to the wind as his best friend tended to.

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As Sophia came over Samson took his hat off and pressed it to his chest. "Mornin' Ma'am," he said kindly before turning his attention back to the giant before him. "Yeah, we'll I suspect you ain't be complaining about yer height either," he laughed with a gesture of his hat and then looking over at Andromeda. "Pleasure to meet ya ma'am," he added before placing the hat back on top of his head. "What? Seen her? I ain't ever seen her. I'm here to speaks with her, ain't that right Jonesy."

'Yup," he said as he nodded towards the ladies.

"She ain't be about?" he asked but it didn't come off as he didn't hear the man the first time. Looking over at Jonesy he shook his head. "Go tell Management," he added and Jonesy nodded before turning and heading back towards the line of trucks and cars, walking to one of the trailers and disappearing around the back side of it. Turning his attention back to the group standing within the grounds Samson shifted his weight some, one shoe had a much thicker sole than the other by nearly three inches.

Samson got a surprised but jovial expression on his face as he looked over towards Gio. "Well dog my cats Mister, ain't gonna be a problem there," he said as he pulled out a small billfold from his inner jacket pocket and pulled out some well handled slips of paper. "Got this years inspection, and yer state permit to operate right here for ya," he said as he handed them over. They were worn and well handled but the seal was still raised and everything looked to be on the up and up.

"Samson!" Jonesy called as he peeked his head out from behind the trailer down the way. "Management says set up anyways!" Samson raised his cane in the air and it seemed to denote he heard Jonesy as the man didn't bother to walk back up to the group and instead climbed back into the lead truck. Closing the door once he was in the driver seat and resting his elbow out of the window as he waited.

"So we setting up shop?" Samson asked.

"You have questions. I have answers. We will speak come nightfall." The voice was low and had a calm rasp to it as it came into the minds of the Emendators that were present.

---

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Sophia looked towards Samson and gave him a friendly smile and nodded towards him, as she listened to Gilbert and Gio as they introduced themselves to the group. Still a part of her didn't like the idea of these guys just randomly appearing in front of the main gate out of blue when Evelina disappearing. She watched the man named Jonesy as he spoke up and then headed into the one of the trailers that were there, out of curiousity Sophia moved a little bit closer towards Gio when Samson handed him the paperwork that the man had raising an eyebrow a bit.

To her it looked like it was all in order, as Gio said that Evelina wasn't on the grounds which was the truth, but it looked like it wasn't going to stop them from going forward and setting up shop on the grounds anyway. As Jonesy came out and announced that they can set up, ultimately it was up to Gio and Gilbert on what they wanted to do. "Do you want me to help them out or something, just to keep an eye out on them?" Sophia asked looking between Gilbert and Gio as well.

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Faith had finally reached the Barn. Her head had gotten much clearer now, but it was a bit fuzzy, especially considering this was where she last saw Evelina. And now with Alicia being gone, it further cemented her resolve. "Gil? Andromeda? You both in there?" She called and received silence in return. She wasn't expecting them to be there anyway, but she did hope they would at least be around or have some trace left behind.

She glanced around and saw a commotion at the Gates. That was...unexpected, but it seemed there was something going. She made her way over to the gates and saw the trucks. Others were there as well so it seemed they knew what was going on. "What is all this now?" To her, it looked like it may be setting up for a party, but surely they would not be celebrating with two of their own missing? Did they know about Alicia's disappearance? James was talking to Gil, so maybe that was what he would be bringing up.

Either way, this felt odd to Faith. Odder than coming back to life to fight creatures aimed at the timeline itself.

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Alexandra glanced back over her shoulder, a small smile coming to her features when Bart indicated that he would accompany her. She was glad to have his company, even if it was under dire circumstances. She held back at the doorway of the study, allowing him to catch up and lead the way. She followed in behind him at a more leisurely pace. Despite the seeming severity of the situation, of Alicia's unexpected disappearance, she wasn't really in any rush. The clues weren't going anywhere, surely. She slipped a hand into her pocket and fingered the edge of the unopened enevlope as she followed Bart out into the hallyway to make a beeline for the stairs.

Her mind went back to one of the last things Alicia had said, and perhaps ever would say. They were just kids in comparison to the Emendators, the real adults here. They were only 15 months old in comparison to the hundreds of years of experience the Emendators had under their belts. She frowned as she made her way up the stairs in behind Bart. Who were they kidding? They were in over their heads here. They knew like 0.1% of what there was to know about the multiverse. That much was made clear time and time again, but did they ever learn? Not until it was biting them in the butt. Alexandra should know that better than anyone.

"This is vrong," she said to herself, shaking her head. They had already made it to the second floor and were approaching Room 206, where it likely all went down, when she second guessed the decision she had made. "Wait, Bart!" she exclaimed, as he opened the door to the room. "Ve have no clue vhat we are getting ourselves into. I vas wrong! Ve can't do this ourselves. Ve need to let the Emendators handle this. That's what Alicia--and Eve, vould vant afterall. Come on, let's go before ve open up a whole can of vorms ve can't put back."

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It had been quite some time since Gilbert had someone else's voice reverberate in the back of his head. It was unexpected, granted, though the magic trick of telepathy was not the startling thing for him that it might have been a few thousand years ago. Time and experience had shown Gilbert many, many things; within the whole of creation and its multitude of timelines, he had been exposed to more things undreamt of in the general philosophies of humanity, many of which existed right under their noses, hiding in plain sight. It did suffice to invoke a quick eyebrow raise as Gilbert acknowledged the fact that someone was speaking directly into his mind. His charming smile remained exactly where it was throughout the entirety of the message, however.

"You know, Joe, it has been a long while since I have been to a carnival. And we were just discussing what to do about being shorthanded today. I am inclined to say yes. We might discuss the particulars with their headman this evening."

Gilbert noticed the sudden appearance of a couple of the Paradoxes. It made sense that they be drawn to the one piece of abrupt difference in the otherwise steady time loop. He would be puzzled otherwise. Sophia addressed them first, so it made sense to start with her. "No of course not, Sophia. They have enough manpower to tend to their own labors. Besides, you have the week off, remember? Relax. Reflect. Enjoy yourself."

And to Faith, "Why Faith, this is a carnival. Curious, is it not?" He nodded is head in the direction of the assembled caravan of trucks, intoning, "I am certainly in the mood for a little diversion. I think our evening guests may appreciate, also."

It was times like this that Gilbert knew, despite his ages upon ages of consciousness, that he did not know everything. Oh he knew much. More amassed history than any single source upon the earth, but that didn't count as everything by a long and fair shot. Moreover, one of the things which puzzled him was the nature of this Emendator-esque force that lay within the confines of the carnival. Even that voice - unknown yet oddly familiar, all at the same time. It rekindled a sense of wonder about the world around him. He was rather fond of it, and every interesting thing humanity had to offer. This... this was just another facet of it. Apparently, yet even another facet of humanity was presenting itself in the form of James, hauling ass up the secondary thoroughfare to join them.

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Okay, so he wasn't in the Mill. That was a bit of a letdown. The thought had crossed his mind briefly to jump into one of the sets of armor and outfit himself as some kind of time hopping walking anachronism, his plumed Roman helmet contrasting against the brace of magnum revolvers and conquistador breastplate. It would be the thing to do now that he was left all to his lonesome inside of The Hat's workshop; or as he had called it just moments ago, "The Hatcave". The image was short lived, however, as he remembered that he had a job to do before rushing back out of the front door. Next time, definitely.

For just a second or two, James's thought process on what to do hit a scramble. He stood impotently outside of the doors to The Mill, aware of only a need for urgency but unable to make any sense of it for himself. He wasn't the type to wring his hands and pace furiously with worry, incapable of helping himself. He just needed a point in the right direction and he could start on most difficulties himself, thank you very much. That was it! Right direction. His eyes drifted into focus, noting something just up the pathway a ways. It was both of the Emendators he was looking for, plus about half of the Paradoxes, and a frigging convoy of strange Caucasians in trucks. That'd do.

With purpose, James poured on the effort, hauling himself up the road to speak with the tall, tawny-skinned Emendator known as The Hat. As he approached, Gilbert noticed his approach and waved him over. James wasn't sure what he should be saying in mixed company, so, the second his breathing began to slow, he stood close to The Hat, his back to the people in the trucks, and said with a quiet voice, "Alicia... She gone, man. Girl done poofed away in a flash of light, comin' from her eyes an' mouth, Mr. Hat, sir. We was up in her room. I need help, man. I don't know what to do."

Gil's smile faded. He sighed, and gave James a knowing look. Barely at a whisper, he responded, "I might know what this is. But I want to check anyway. Show me." Looking up at the others nearby, his smile returned and he said, "You know my thoughts on this. Please excuse me, I need to check on something. Andromeda?" he addressed his would-be traveling companion, "Next cycle, circumstances permitting. You may join us at the house or stay here, at your choice."

With that, James started to jog back to the Main House. Gilbert tipped his hat to the people present, and moved to join the newer Paradox. The ramifications of what might have just happened weighed on his thoughts.

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"Why ain't that just kindly of you ma'am but as the big fella says, we gots plenty of folk. Nows if you want to be looking around you are more than welcome. We have some great acts and they won't be doing much of anything until everything is set up. They do love meeting new people," Samson said in a kind voice as he leaned forward on his cane some.

Walking back over to the group Jonesy nodded a bit, he spotted the girls arm and quirked a brow. It reminded him of something from his past. "Well hello there miss. Samsons the name and this here carnival is my game," he said as he turned his attention towards Faith as she came over. "This here be Jonesy," he added introducing the man of little words to the newest arrival. Gio seemed to be going along with things now that the papers were in order.

As James came running over everything seemed to stop. Samson and Jonesy exchanged a look between the two before Samson cleared his throat. "That sounds familiar," Samson let slip and Jonesy nodded.

"Yup," was all he said. "Want me to get the troupe moving?" he asked his boss.

"That be right good Jonesy. Let's get things set up if you all would be kind enough to clear a path for us," Samson said before tipping his hat and walking back with Jonesy towards the lead truck. Once the two were loaded in, Gio got the gates fully open and the long convoy started to pull through. All the vehicles were old and look like they had survived the Dust Bowl nearly a decade ago. There were trailers and trucks painted but faded and peeling with all sorts of acts advertised. Snake dancers, strong men, sword swallowers, card readers, conjoined twins, and more. The most prominent one was the wagon that Jonesy had run to so he could speak with Management. It read Eternia Siduri, the Albino Mentalist with a painting of an albino female on the side with bright pink eyes.

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Andromeda nodded, giving Samson a slight smile as well. She felt an odd twinge in her stomach, realizing that these were essentially carnies about to set up a carnival. She had died at a circus - one that was billed not all too differently from this. As much as she had thought she had moved past her previous life, she still could not help but see connections and similarities. It was worrisome. The last time she had had trouble…the Destruere showed up. What was to prevent that from happening now?

“It’s nice to meet you as well, sir.” With James coming over and then his hushed words, Andromeda felt a pang of guilt for a moment. Had the Destruere taken Alicia? Was her ties to her previous timeline continuing to interfere and cause trouble? No, it couldn’t be that….or could it be? She hardly knew how the world worked. She wasn’t even a proper toddler yet, age wise. She still didn’t know what she wanted to do, as the vehicles passed by.

“…I might catch up with you,” she finally said, trying to take a deep breath and not freak out, yet she couldn’t help but feel her thoughts drawn to the final hours of her life - of trying to track down that demon and set a trap for it at the circus, only for time itself to shatter and her life force to be used as a pathetic excuse for a battery…

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Bart paused for a moment, and frowned. He wanted to look in there, be useful, and find out what was going on. But Alexandra had a point. There was a reason police roped off crime scenes, so that passersby didn't contaminate anything. They were the passersby in this case, and they had to do only what they were told to do. Acting on their own wouldn't impress anybody, it would at best be useless and detrimental at worst. He closed the door he had just opened, and turned back to face Alexandra, and nodded. "You're right." He said, a bit of a drag on his voice.

"Well, in that case, James' is getting an adult." He said, "The best thing we can do is wait." He said, forcing a smile, and exhaling as he spoke. He hated feeling useless, and that's exactly what he was right now. He didn't know what he was supposed to do right now. "We're on "recess" so we might as well take advantage of it." He made air quotes with his hands. If they were to have this time off, the one thing he could do without pissing anybody off was surely doing nothing. "I think I'm gonna go to the library, you can join me if you like." He said, walking away from her. That was his go to time killer here, and he had nothing but time right now. Walking back downstairs, he stepped into he study, and started browsing for something to read.

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Sophia looked over towards Gilbert for a moment, and gave him a slight nod still it just felt a little bit weird that these people automatically show up the day Evelina just disappears. She looked over seeing Faith as well as James coming up shortly after her, she listened a little bit, and now Alicia was gone as well apparently which was bad. Sophia watched James and Gilbert made their way back towards the main house and Gio started to open up the gates to let them in. The convoy of vehicles quickly drove down the road to wherever they would end up setting up their carnival.

She stared at the old dirt and rusted up vehicles as they drove past her as Sophia stepped out of the way, she wondered how exactly they were still functioning. Sophia stared at the one truck that the man named Jonesy had entered earlier, looking at each of the advertisements that were displayed on there. "I'm going to see what they have to offer." Sophia said, she hadn't been to a carnival before so it would be interesting to see them set everything up as well, and what other acts that they also had, and also to get to know them and socialize a little bit as well.

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Alexandra blinked in surprise when Bart agreed with her so quickly. She honestly had expected him to put up a bit more of a fight. It was likely what she would have done if they had they been in opposite situations right now. She could be stubborn like that. Once the initial shock wore off though, she was flooded with a sense of relief. After all, the last thing she wanted to do was send another Paradox to their doom. Yes, it was his choice to follow along with her ill thought out suggestion, but it was just that, her suggestion. She didn't know if she could live with that kind of guilt.

"Thank you," she replied, giving him a small smile at his agreement, however dully he had said it, to drop the "investigation". She stepped aside to allow him to come back out of the room. She nodded her head in solemn agreement to his following sentiments. She brightened up again when he invited her to the library. "I would like that, very much," she murmured as she watched him go on ahead of her. She glanced back at the door to Alicia's door, before letting out a small sigh and following after Bart. Maybe it was to make up for her off morning, or maybe it was from the fear of pulling a David Lo Pan and going 'POOF'. But, whatever the case, she just knew that the last thing she wanted be right then was alone.

She glanced around the study/library as she entered in behind Bart. Her hand slipped back into her pocket. She pulled the sealed envelope back out, turning it over a few times in her hand, before she looked over at Bart. "Have you read yours?" she asked, waving the envelope in the air. "I'm honestly scared to read mine. I knov it's not going to be anything good.

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"Curious, indeed." Faith observed the circus folk as they made their way. It seemed a tad...off to be having a circus, let alone a celebration or festival of any kind with two of their numbers missing. It looked as if they didn't care. She had a feeling Eve would want them to continue regardless, but Alicia was a different story. As the man spoke to her, she returned a warm smile, though her eyes did not hide their wariness. "Nice to meet you Samson."

Faith stepped out of the way as the vehicles moved onto their lot. She noted the name The Albino Mentalist. She gave a curious glance over to Andromeda before she looked away, chastising herself mentally. She was curious about the carnival itself. "I'm rather inclined myself to figure them out. But what are we to do about Eve and Alicia?" she asked to no one in particular. Well, not really true, she meant to ask Gil but he left before she could. It annoyed her that he seemed to be sharing secrets with others and not herself, but at the same time, did she expect any different?