Conspicuous Circus

**Conspicuous Circus** is the second episode in *Season 2* of ***Purple Hyacinth*** and is the fifty-second episode in the series. It was released on July 21st, 2020.

## Plot

Lauren Sinclair walks out after confronting Kieran White in the previous episode, and encounters William Hawkes. Still standing in front of the door, he asks if everything is alright, explaining that it is out of character for her to be late while trying to be as non-invasive as possible. Kym Ladell slams the door open, hitting William’s shoulder in the process and immediately questions Lauren. Kym comments on her friend’s appearance, more specifically her eye bags from her lack of sleep, but still worried and curious about her unusual behaviour. Kym only now acknowledges William’s presence and they begin to bicker about standing in front of doorways while Lauren comes up with an excuse.

She lies and says that there was trouble at the street stalls which she had to intervene in, and blames a fabricated head injury for her tired appearance. Despite Lauren telling them not to worry, Kym grabs both of her shoulders and accuses her concussion for the lack of interest she showed on the new archivist. Lauren dismisses Kym’s accusation and says she’s perfectly "clear-headed" while attempting to pry Kym’s hands off of her shoulders. William shoves Kym out of the way to give Lauren some space and consults the latter to get checked out at the infirmary and lets her skip out on patrol. Lauren turns down the offer stubbornly but William’s already taken out a notepad and insists for her to rest. He gives her a paper slip signed by him so she can take a break. Knowing she can’t do anything about it, Lauren finally gives in and snatches the paper from his hand.

During the patrol, Kym tells William that she’s worried about Lauren, and feels that there’s more to her just hitting her head. He agrees and thinks she needed a break, no matter how minor her injury was, which the Sergeant respected.

Kym spots a small festival, run by the Circus Royale, and her amazement and excitement are very evident. The patrol stops to watch. Athena welcomes the crowd to her show; Morpheus and Artemis can be seen in the back on a unicycle and hanging upside-down on the double bars, respectively.

Athena introduces Herakles as the “famed killer of the glorious Nemean Lion- a beast whose hide could not be pierced by any human weapon”. He walks out with a roaring lion, which he tames and receives applause from the audience. Zephyr, described as a “graceful aerialist” makes his first appearance on the aerial silk and Apollo the “blindfolded pianist”. Kym watches from afar, munching on a slice of watermelon, while William watches her with a displeasing look. Artemis, “the might huntress who never misses her target” is presented next by Athena, followed by the “magician whose tricks will make you wonder if you’re dreaming”; Morpheus. He juggles a knife while up high on a unicycle to Artemis who manages to catch it while on a handstand.

From Circus Royale, Kym remembers Viscount Redcliff, who’s known to be hosting his annual ball on February 17. William adds that Redcliff built the company 15 years ago from scratch, with a leading band of homeless orphans in Greychapel. Redcliff is now one of the richest men in the city which is how he earned the title “Viscount”.

From afar, Artemis can be seen throwing the daggers onto the target Zephyr is holding. Both hit the innermost circle. Now out of daggers, Artemis beckons Morpheus to hand her another one but instead, he pulls a bow and arrow out of his top hat. Gleaming and exhilarated, she returns to a handstand and with her flexibility, uses her left foot to pull the arrow and drawstring back. and the right to steady the bow. The arrow hits the target right on the bullseye, and the audience cheers in amazement. Kym also comments on their skills and remembers going to one of their shows when she was younger.

Athena asks for a volunteer to go up to the stage and test their marksmanship against Artemis and turns to the officers when no one in the crowd wanted to go. Kym immediately volunteers despite the Lieutenant's disapproval, shoving her eaten slice of watermelon into William's hands. Athena asks for her name which she announces proudly, as William despairs over the patrol. The audience applauses and Athena turns to Kym to explain that for the safety of others, she will be using a paint gun, much to Officer Randall's bluntly expressed misery. Athena requests Kym to attempt to be as precise as possible since it was Zephyr's (the person to be holding the target) last shirt.

Kym aims, shoots, and the paintball splats right at the center of the target both times as Zephyr is given the opportunity to show more of his aerial skills, and the audience cheers them both on. Kym manages to keep her perfect score, exemplifying her outstanding marksmanship. Athena announces that "Ardhalis is in good hands if such skillful officers are [there] to protect it". She describes Sergeant Ladell as their "eagle-eyed local hero".

Kym bows down before hopping off the stage where she is met by her cheering colleagues. Lieutenant Hawkes stands speechless while the Sergeant snatches her watermelon back. Kym turns back to teasingly ask him if he's forgotten about the patrol.

Athena reminds the audience to buy tickets from Orpheus and Eurydice for their upcoming full show in Nightingale Park, held for the next two weeks. Eurydice calls out from the stand and then confides Orpheus on her disbelief about Athena's decision of asking one of *them* (referring to the APD officers) to go on stage.

Back in the Police Department, Lauren takes William's advice and gets checked up at the infirmary. The nurse says everything seems fine but advises her to take a rest for the next two days at least, along with avoiding activities requiring high concentration and straining physical activities. The nurse writes her a note and prescribes some pills for when the headache returns. Lauren thanks her as the nurse leaves the room. The officer slumps back onto the bed, and Kieran notices her through the window of the door as he is walking past. After a glance, he leaves. Lauren uses her time alone to reflect on her current disastrous situation and concludes that she needs to talk to Kieran.

## Characters

*Characters are listed in order of appearance.*

* Lauren Sinclair
* William Hawkes
* Kym Ladell
* Lukas Randall
* Morpheus
* Artemis
* Athena
* Herakles
* Zephyr
* Apollo
* Orpheus
* Eurydice
* APD Nurse
* Kieran White

## Locations

*Locations are listed in order of appearance.*

* Ardhalis Police Department 11th Precinct
	+ Nurse's office
* Circus Royale pop-up show

## Music

* Out at Sea (2:52) on zapsplat.com
* Dramatic Climax on zapsplat.com

## Trivia

* The creator's note for this episode was "Remember how I said I can't draw animals in the Q&A? Bold of you to assume I drew the lion. I threw it all on my lineart assistant."