Packing up
“On three! One, two, three, heave!” Leonard grunted with effort as he pulled the tent straps away from the floor, his papa and dad, Hansen and Jack, assisting him on the other side while about half of the rest of the circus crew stood on the other side, bracing the heavy material of the Big Top against their bodies as the front side fluttered free. “Fold it! Fold it!” came a booming yell from Jerry, who was supporting two of the beams against his side. Hansen, Jack, and Leo all ran to help, tugging at the striped tent until it gave away, sprinting to the otherside to fold it in half, and repeating the motion until it didn’t need as many hands to hold it. “We’ll get it in the storage truck,” Hansen said, jerking his chin to motion over to his husband and his oldest. Jerry nodded. “We’ll get the equipment ready for pack up, then. Where’s the youngins’?” the strongman asked, plucking a stray hook from the dirt and tossing it to Jack, who caught it cleanly, putting it in his pocket. “They’re packing up all the stuff they left on the ground. And helping us watch over each other, including Kitty,” he answered, referencing Joyce’s little sister, who’s real name was in fact Katherine. Joyce, however, had shortened the 2 year old’s name to Kitty, since it not only were felines of all sizes the current object of the toddler’s fascination, but it was also easier for the toddler to pronounce. Jerry nodded, and lifted a metal beam on his shoulder, waving goodbye as he went to help collect the rest of the rigging that had been set up for Joyce's tightrope act.
They could pack up with magic like they had five days ago, that was true. But five days ago they had been so bone-tired it was a wonder anyone could lift anything at that rate. Right now, it was early morning, with the faint hint of clouds in the sky, and everyone was feeling re-energized enough to assist with pack-up. Besides, they were supposed to be in this together, and a number of them, including Jerry and Jansen, didn’t have a single drop of magic in their veins. It was better to just do everything physically so everyone had a chance to help, with the exception of things like folding the top half of the Big Top, which would have normally required a crane that they didn’t have the budget to buy (Hansen had simply just used magic to collapse it inward from inside the tent). Not to mention they were currently in full view of muggle London at the moment.
“Hawwy! Hawwy! I’s found Tigre!” Kitty announced, stumbling into a view, holding up her prized tiger toy that, five minutes ago, she had thought was lost forever. The boy looked up, smiling as his deft hands pulled free a knot. “Good job Kitty! You know where that goes, right?” he paused, inquiring, as the girl nodded. “Toy box!” she announced, before running off to her family’s caravan, her long brown hair waving in the wind. Harry grinned at her rapidly disappearing form, before turning back to rope that had been tied to a fencepost as part of a complicated Cops and Robbers game Ani had hosted two days ago, when her ankle had finally gotten better. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the second youngest Rakkar, Kye, clamber up one of the poles holding up the popcorn stand, yanking on a piece of twine before jumping off, landing in a smooth crouch as the left side of the stand collapsed. Like Harry, both he and Ani weren’t allowed to do their own acts. Being part of the Rakkar’s Russian beam act, however, had given them a loophole that let them perform, like how being a part of Leo’s act had given Harry a loophole.