Children were such easy souls to entertain, especially ones that were depressed or needed a bit of sunshine in their lives. Although one would think by her interactions with children under the age of twelve that Kistiñe hated children of any age, the truth was that she found them to be far less annoying from that age onward. Truth be told, she could even stand children that were under younger than six if they were well behaved, but it was about that time they started to become monsters that fed off of sugar and excitement. The crowd the hospital had asked her to perform in front of was a mix of various aged youths—some of them teenagers, others barely old enough to be in kindergarten, and many more in between—thus causing her to swallow any amount of loathing she felt towards any potential brats in the crowd and be nothing but smiles and party tricks. It seemed easy enough to sit in front of the group of sick or injured little kids and act happy to see them and be their only entertainment for what was likely to be a month or more, but the reality was far from it. As the Latina applied her makeup in the hospital's restroom, she was trying not to let her distaste get the best of her.
Her outfit for the endeavor was actually quite colorful and clownish, as if it were something rented from a bad costume store. Blues and yellows were scattered across her attire in a haphazard pattern of polka dots, and her harlequin hat, which lay in her gym bag in the corner, was in the same fashion, adorned with bells on the ends. She powdered the majority of her face stark white, with black eyeliner and lipstick around her eyes and lips, respectively. Her hair was tied in a haphazard and messy bun atop her head, but she did not care too much since it would be covered with the obnoxious hat soon enough. As she finished applying the final touches to her facial decor and put the brush aside, a frown slowly wormed its way on her face. A small ache throbbed in her heart, barely present as she stepped away from the mirror to grab her hat. Why did it feel as though her heart was fluttering, as if it were trying to flail and tell her something? There was a reason for it, but it was a reason for her and only her to know now. A sigh came out of her mouth as she held the colorful headgear in her hands before she put it on her head and walked back to the mirror, adjusting it ever so slightly. Her brown eyes, normally filled with a whimsical sense of humor and mischief, were revealingly doleful as she gazed into her reflection. Whatever the reason for her sense of unease and melancholy about the task at hand, it was hers alone to deal with, hers alone to swallow and make amends with; there was no one to talk to here.
She closed her eyes and took a deep, shaking breath. There was no reason to be upset, not right now. It was just another job, that was all. There was no emotional attachment to the children she'd be performing in front of, no reason to get upset. All she was here to do was make them laugh and bring a smile to their faces, something that was such an integral part of her personality that it was impossible for her not to try...so, why was she blue? She opened her eyes, appearing to have dashed away any prior thoughts that were haunting her. It was almost show time, and with that thought in mind a wide smile came on her face, followed by a laugh at how ridiculous she looked in her outfit. With that, the mage walked out of the restroom and went to find where she'd be entertaining the children…
Kistiñe walked back into the bathroom and flung her hat towards her bag, head down and trying desperately to fight back tears. Performing in front of those children—having to look at them and the condition that they were in for an hour—had been absolutely horrible. They had laughed at her antics, giggled and screamed as she made jokes and did funny voices in both English and Spanish, but it still did not erase the fact that they were all stuck in this building. She had juggled halos, spun them around on sticks, and had even put them on several of the kids´ heads and allowed them to play with them a little while; they had loved it, but that fact did not change the pit that sat in her heart now. A few of them had been amputees, others bald and skeleton-like from the treatments they had been receiving for one disease or another, and one little girl had a gauze patch over her left eye. They had been nothing but sweet, nothing but inviting and welcoming to someone who was here to brighten up their day….so, why was the Latina starting to cry?
Although many in the Black Rose guild could testify that Kistiñe was a carefree spirit with a flirty nature and a short temper, many would never guess just how fragile her composure was when she saw injury or malignant disease. The fact that every person she had been performing in front of had been a youth and had such gruesome and visible effects from their injuries or treatments had threatened to make her cry right in the middle of her show; however, she had held back her crying until now, in private and away from the eyes of the patients and the hospital staff. It would do no good for them to see the entertainer they hired crying over the state of her clients, although there were possibly far more personal reasons why she was beginning to shed tears.
She wiped the makeup from her face with a paper towel, smudging and smearing the white and black together into an indistinguishable mess as she did so, a few tears rolling down her cheeks as she did so. There was no reason to keep it on now; her show was done, there was no need to make herself look funny or anymore different than she already looked. She threw the paper towel in the trash and grabbed another, repeating the process of rubbing the unpleasant, rough paper across her face to remove her makeup; repeating it again and again until only the faintest of smudges remained around her red, tear stained eyes. She unbuttoned her costume, threw it haphazardly towards the bag behind her, and steadied herself on the sink in front of the mirror; underneath the gaudy colors there was a long pair of black athletic pants and a white tank-top. She undid the sloppy bun atop her head and let her hair fall to her shoulders and into her face.
It was difficult reconciling how much she hated children with the pity she felt for every soul she had performed in front of that afternoon. Children could be bratty, obnoxious, and entirely unpleasant to be around most of the time, but seeing them in such a different light was beginning to make the Latina reconsider how she felt...and, make her think about something she wished she could be at ease with. She turned on the faucet and cupped her hands underneath the cold water, splashing it in her face. There was no reason to think about that, not now. All that was left for her to do today was walk out the door and return to the guild hall; she could cry and complain about the day to Corliss when she got back, or maybe tomorrow…
With a sigh, Kistiñe stepped away from the sink and walked over to the gym bag with all of her things; she took off the clown shoes and put on her sneakers, stuffing the outfit into the bag and zipping it shut as soon as she finished tying them. She grabbed the strap of her bag and pulled it over her shoulder, walking out of the bathroom and into the hospital's hallway. It was a typical hospital: white walls, bright florescent lights above, and nurses and other administrative staff moving to and fro various rooms, the lobby, or other points of interest. Every once in a while, there was a team of people rushing a stretcher into the emergency room or surgery, but generally it was an atmosphere of calm and level-headedness. Head down, the Latina started walking towards the exit; however, a knocking on a room's window caught her attention. Looking over, it was one of the children from earlier; a smile and a wave was given in the child's direction before she started walking. Another knock stopped her again, and as she looked over, she noticed that it was the little girl with the eye patch motioning for her to come in the room.
As soon as she opened the door, she was ambushed with a hug at her waist. Although surprised, Kistiñe managed to run her hand through the little girl's hair and give a half-hearted attempt at returning the gesture.
The little girl did not look up as she uttered one phrase: “Thank you.”
Word Count: 1,570
Her outfit for the endeavor was actually quite colorful and clownish, as if it were something rented from a bad costume store. Blues and yellows were scattered across her attire in a haphazard pattern of polka dots, and her harlequin hat, which lay in her gym bag in the corner, was in the same fashion, adorned with bells on the ends. She powdered the majority of her face stark white, with black eyeliner and lipstick around her eyes and lips, respectively. Her hair was tied in a haphazard and messy bun atop her head, but she did not care too much since it would be covered with the obnoxious hat soon enough. As she finished applying the final touches to her facial decor and put the brush aside, a frown slowly wormed its way on her face. A small ache throbbed in her heart, barely present as she stepped away from the mirror to grab her hat. Why did it feel as though her heart was fluttering, as if it were trying to flail and tell her something? There was a reason for it, but it was a reason for her and only her to know now. A sigh came out of her mouth as she held the colorful headgear in her hands before she put it on her head and walked back to the mirror, adjusting it ever so slightly. Her brown eyes, normally filled with a whimsical sense of humor and mischief, were revealingly doleful as she gazed into her reflection. Whatever the reason for her sense of unease and melancholy about the task at hand, it was hers alone to deal with, hers alone to swallow and make amends with; there was no one to talk to here.
She closed her eyes and took a deep, shaking breath. There was no reason to be upset, not right now. It was just another job, that was all. There was no emotional attachment to the children she'd be performing in front of, no reason to get upset. All she was here to do was make them laugh and bring a smile to their faces, something that was such an integral part of her personality that it was impossible for her not to try...so, why was she blue? She opened her eyes, appearing to have dashed away any prior thoughts that were haunting her. It was almost show time, and with that thought in mind a wide smile came on her face, followed by a laugh at how ridiculous she looked in her outfit. With that, the mage walked out of the restroom and went to find where she'd be entertaining the children…
Kistiñe walked back into the bathroom and flung her hat towards her bag, head down and trying desperately to fight back tears. Performing in front of those children—having to look at them and the condition that they were in for an hour—had been absolutely horrible. They had laughed at her antics, giggled and screamed as she made jokes and did funny voices in both English and Spanish, but it still did not erase the fact that they were all stuck in this building. She had juggled halos, spun them around on sticks, and had even put them on several of the kids´ heads and allowed them to play with them a little while; they had loved it, but that fact did not change the pit that sat in her heart now. A few of them had been amputees, others bald and skeleton-like from the treatments they had been receiving for one disease or another, and one little girl had a gauze patch over her left eye. They had been nothing but sweet, nothing but inviting and welcoming to someone who was here to brighten up their day….so, why was the Latina starting to cry?
Although many in the Black Rose guild could testify that Kistiñe was a carefree spirit with a flirty nature and a short temper, many would never guess just how fragile her composure was when she saw injury or malignant disease. The fact that every person she had been performing in front of had been a youth and had such gruesome and visible effects from their injuries or treatments had threatened to make her cry right in the middle of her show; however, she had held back her crying until now, in private and away from the eyes of the patients and the hospital staff. It would do no good for them to see the entertainer they hired crying over the state of her clients, although there were possibly far more personal reasons why she was beginning to shed tears.
She wiped the makeup from her face with a paper towel, smudging and smearing the white and black together into an indistinguishable mess as she did so, a few tears rolling down her cheeks as she did so. There was no reason to keep it on now; her show was done, there was no need to make herself look funny or anymore different than she already looked. She threw the paper towel in the trash and grabbed another, repeating the process of rubbing the unpleasant, rough paper across her face to remove her makeup; repeating it again and again until only the faintest of smudges remained around her red, tear stained eyes. She unbuttoned her costume, threw it haphazardly towards the bag behind her, and steadied herself on the sink in front of the mirror; underneath the gaudy colors there was a long pair of black athletic pants and a white tank-top. She undid the sloppy bun atop her head and let her hair fall to her shoulders and into her face.
It was difficult reconciling how much she hated children with the pity she felt for every soul she had performed in front of that afternoon. Children could be bratty, obnoxious, and entirely unpleasant to be around most of the time, but seeing them in such a different light was beginning to make the Latina reconsider how she felt...and, make her think about something she wished she could be at ease with. She turned on the faucet and cupped her hands underneath the cold water, splashing it in her face. There was no reason to think about that, not now. All that was left for her to do today was walk out the door and return to the guild hall; she could cry and complain about the day to Corliss when she got back, or maybe tomorrow…
With a sigh, Kistiñe stepped away from the sink and walked over to the gym bag with all of her things; she took off the clown shoes and put on her sneakers, stuffing the outfit into the bag and zipping it shut as soon as she finished tying them. She grabbed the strap of her bag and pulled it over her shoulder, walking out of the bathroom and into the hospital's hallway. It was a typical hospital: white walls, bright florescent lights above, and nurses and other administrative staff moving to and fro various rooms, the lobby, or other points of interest. Every once in a while, there was a team of people rushing a stretcher into the emergency room or surgery, but generally it was an atmosphere of calm and level-headedness. Head down, the Latina started walking towards the exit; however, a knocking on a room's window caught her attention. Looking over, it was one of the children from earlier; a smile and a wave was given in the child's direction before she started walking. Another knock stopped her again, and as she looked over, she noticed that it was the little girl with the eye patch motioning for her to come in the room.
As soon as she opened the door, she was ambushed with a hug at her waist. Although surprised, Kistiñe managed to run her hand through the little girl's hair and give a half-hearted attempt at returning the gesture.
The little girl did not look up as she uttered one phrase: “Thank you.”
Word Count: 1,570
