"Etoile," a thumping came from behind the door. The sound was distinct and clear, a pattern to the rap of knuckles against metal. "Etoile, mon amour, it is time to get up." Etoile wiped the sleep from her eyes, looking around the darkened cabin that she now shared. Maria propped open the door, the sounds of morning filtering in from the hallway. Etoile had fallen asleep while waiting for her Papa last night; somehow, she had magically woken in her bed, her body clad in a nightgown rather than the dirt-stained dress she had worn to pick flowers.
Her hands and face too, had been cleaned, possibly by a mystical healer that dotted on the child as if she were her own. Etoile raised her arms, Maria navigating in the partial darkness to lift Etoile up and carry her out so as not to wake her roommate. "Did you sleep well?" The mother of the ship asked, brushing Etoile's blonde hair out of her face with a gentle touch. Etoile nodded and lay her head against Maria's chest, closing her eyes once again as Maria carried her to the common bathroom.
There were two such restrooms, one for men and one for women, it saved space for them to have a shared space, where they could shower and freshen up. Sometimes when they were on land, Maria would take Etoile to a big bathhouse, so the two ladies could soak in the warm water together instead of using the cramped shower stalls on the ship.
«When we land, I want to go to a cafe,» Etoile signed, «just you, me and Papa.» Maria laughed at her childish request. "We will make a deal, okay, Etoile?" Maria placed the child on a stool in the bathroom and faced her, her red eyes glinting. If one did not know any better, the two very well could be mother and daughter, or maybe they had spent too much time together.
"The next show we do, is a very important one, oui? If you do well, I will buy you a whole cake." Etoile's eyes widened like saucers. She nodded, holding out her pinkie, indicating that she wanted to promise. Maria shook it, laughing too. She reached for a hairbrush and began to pull Etoile's hair back, braiding her lovely locks down her back and into two buns for practice. «Come watch me?» Etoile signed eagerly, tilting her head to the side cutely.
"I will," Maria promised, holding out her hand. Etoile took it, the two making their way to breakfast. It was Armel and Reine's turn to cook and you could tell from the looks on their faces that neither had enjoyed spending time together in such close quarters. Their breakfast this morning was standard fair, warm bread with jam and butter, a tall pile of eggs, some scrambled, some... in questionable shape. There were also potatoes, shredded and salted, topped with diced ham.
When in the air, practicing for the trapeze was a bit more difficult than it was on land. Their set up was different and while they could rig the banisters for a smaller area of use, it was safer to do majority of their routine on the ground. With the occasional sway of the ship from high winds or storms, it was best to keep them in top shape. Even if Maria could heal them with her touch, the circus did its best for all of their performers to remain safe.
No matter how much they tried, there would always be some miscommunication. Maria had rushed off, having been summoned for an injury in need of healing. She touched Etoile's cheek, promising to return. Etoile nodded, watching her go. If Maria were here, she could interpret for Etoile, but without her, Etoile would use her notebook. Still, Alistair could be indignant at times. He was almost convinced the child was faking her muteness and with his on going bet, he would try all sorts of tricks to see if he could get the girl to so much as squeak.
These incidents extended to now, for instance. "I think we should add a flip, like this." Alistair grabbed Etoile by the waist, spinning her in a circle and setting the child back down on her feet. She stiffened in surprise and turned angrily, this is not what they had been practicing and doing such a thing on the trapeze would be nigh impossible. Alistair knew this, he looked into Etoile's face, as though challenging her.
This performance had to be perfect, there was an entire cake on the line. She puffed her cheeks out indignantly and the other trapeze artist laughed. "I'm only fooling around," he grinned. Well, at least he had gotten a rise out of her. "Come on, then, let's take it from the top."