Cirque de Montstres (modern times)

[zCrookedz]

Lucas' chuckle filled the tent once more as he listened to Jonsi's un ease about his help. Up in the lighting fixtures swirl of black smoke materialized Lucas leaning on a railing and watching below. He smiled as he leaned his head on his hand.


"Ah come now Jonsi, wheres your sense of imagination?"


Lucas reached into his pocket and produced the small object he had grabbed before he left his wagon. A small totem with some strange glyphs carved into it sat in the palm of his hand. He bounced it a few times before grabbing Jimbo's cane and holding the shrunken head over the totem. The heads eye sockets began to glow bright blue and the dried skin around his mouth stretched into a smile.


"Oh, dis es gonna be goood"


Jimbo made a sucking sound like taking a breath before exhaling a blue mist over the totem. The totem began to glow with blue light as Lucas held the stone out over the railing so it was hanging over one of the Jonsi copy cats. With a smile Lucas dropped the stone which fell down seemed to fall into the Jonsi causing a ripple effect across the body.


The mimicked Jonsi shuddered for a moment before its face contorted into a hilarious smile. It moved on its own while the other two watched it flex its hands and move its arms around as if it had just been given a new jacket to try on. It looked up at the real Jonsi and smiled before speaking in a very child like voice.


"Woah, this is pretty cool! Hey can you juggle?!"


@Axel1313 @buzz @egghead

 

[deer]

Annalise Moscato


Aerial | Animal Tamer


with: @zCrookedz , @Axel1313 , @buzz , @egghead



​

A door creaked opened from one of the trailers, exposing a young, petite, woman with luscious golden hair and glimmering violet eyes. A widened smile formed on her face as she stretched her hands up to the night sky, feeling the slight mist around her small frame. She had heard Ignis the Illusionist calling out to the cirque family to start getting ready for the performances for tonight. However, she took longer than usual to get ready since the yoga position she had wrapped herself in took her a little longer to distangle herself from. Nonetheless, she had to quickly put on her outfit, just in case she needed to substitute one of the performers. Annalise quickly walked down from the steps of her trailer, and slowly made her way towards the glistening night full of music, loud chatters, people, and food. As she walked, she found herself in front of the crowd of people, her eyes immediately turned towards the bright lights that adorned each stands, trailer, and tents. As she adjusted to the light, her eyes began to scan her surroundings, as her feet took her on a journey to find any of her cirque members to see if they needed help. Although she's been at the cirque for six years, it never ceases to amaze her how incredible it was to be a part of the troupe. All of them had their own quirks and personality, but, she adored all of them. Walking through the pathways, Annalise's ears perked up hearing Lucas the Witch Doctor's voice, "Merci! , women and children please turn your heads. We wouldn't want you to witness mounsour Jonsi playing with himself!" Gasping softly, Annalise whispered to herself, "A show's starting!" Looking at a crowd of people entering the tent that belonged to Junsi the skeleton man, Annalise decided to see what was going on, curiosity getting the best of her. Although she wasn't performing tonight, she felt a little jittery and felt butterflies in her stomach for Junsi and Lucas. Stepping inside the tent, along with the a group of people, Annalise decided to pick a spot to sit, making sure she wasn't in the way of others, but close enough if she was ever needed. Her eyes widened as she saw three Junsi, a black cloud, and Lucas' voice echoing the tent. She grinned cheerfully, this should be fun, she thought to herself. Was this part of the act? Tilting her head slightly, Annalise just realized the two she was sitting with: an older male and younger girl. She smiled softly to them, slightly nodding. "Hello," she whispered, greeting them, "Is it your first time at a circus? If so, welcome!" Annalise said, her eyes glittering excitedly. However, a child-like voice got her attention as she looked towards the stage. Annalise eyed the blue totem that had gone inside one of the Junsi's as it walked around, talking to another Junsi. She giggled softly, clapping her hands lightly, as she swayed side to side. No matter how old someone was, she always loved the circus, even watching a performance up close still intrigued her. Annalise wondered where Lucas had hid himself, maybe he was next to her without her knowing or was he also on stage or was he in mid-air? Her excitement grew, although she loved watching the acts, nothing beats better than performing and seeing the audience's reaction. What's going to happen next?

​

 

[buzz]

There was so much going on in front of her, from smoky illusions to the astounding human mannequin. The young woman held her head in her hands as she stared with entranced eyes. They made her happy, and Carter couldn't be more thankful. She forgot all of her problems until an energetic, youthful sound broke into her thoughts.


Her head turned to face the source. It was an overwhelming sight, but Carter was glad it wasn't in her head. "Hey." She hesitated after hearing how different her own voice was. Somber and dull.


She returned her attention to the stage. "You work here, don't you?" Her chapped lips formed a frown, wondering where Glen was. The sudden attention began to make her ironically uneasy. After months of isolation, she found people to speak to. But the girl next to her reminded her of an adorable child, sweet and decorated colorfully.


Carter's thoughts engulfed her and, although she seemed to be focused on what was happening on stage, her mind was in another place.

 

[Axeykins]

"Aaah....hmm...I guess?" He shrugged, hearing the odd voice come from well, himself! In fact, just staring at multiples of himself was freaking him out. "I haven't tried in years, but I can give it a go." He plastered a smile on his pale face and snatched some colorful balls nearby. He was a little uneasy at first, but eventually got the rhythm of it down and began tossing them higher and higher.


@zCrookedz @buzz @egghead

 

[Axeykins]

As the sun finally dipped completely below the horizon the statue nestled in the back of the opium tent shuddered and took in a raspy breath. The skin slowly took on color once more and joints cracked and crumpled as the man could finally move again. He coughed and sputtered as dust fell from his hair and clothing. Oh how wonderful it felt to move again! Even though this was a daily occurrence it always felt spectacular. He was no longer just frozen in time, watching as things passed him. He could feel things again and eat and more importantly, finally get a hardy drink!

 

[egghead]

When Glen decided it was time for a cigarette/food break, he made sure to leave when nobody was watching. He ducked out of the tent into the mist; it had grown ridiculously thick by now, and the only things he could see were the lights and the outlines of other people.


He wandered around for a bit to look for a good spot to loiter, and found it in an "empty" side tent. He snuck inside, and ate his cold mayo corndog savagely, stick and everything.


He didn't even notice the red-eyed man standing in the corner.

 

[zCrookedz]

The Jonsi voice with a child like demeanor smiled as the real Jonsi began to toss the ball into the air quickly.


"WOW!!! That's great! But, lets step it up a notch eh?"


The other Jonsi reached over to his arm and just smiled as he pulled an arm off of his body. He tossed it in his hand once before tossing it into the mixture of balls flying in the air as the real Jonsi juggled them.


All the while the other two Jonsi's were mimicking the actions of the first two. One Jonsi was juggling while the other had begun to dismantle himself in and toss his bits into the juggling mixture. Each time a new piece of Jonsi was tossed in, it replaced one of the balls.


Lucas watched from the rafters with amusement. A few more spectators had entered the tent, one of which Lucas was quite pleased to see. With a flurry of smoke Lucas disappeared from the rafters and reappeared next to Annalise and the young woman Lucas had spied before.


"Bonsoir mesdames, enjoying the show?"


@Axel1313 @crucialstar @buzz

 

[deer]

Annalise Moscato


Aerial | Animal Tamer


with: @zCrookedz , @Axel1313 , @buzz



​

She giggled happily, watching the scene unfold in front of her. Her eyes paying close attention to Junsi's juggling, watching Junsi concentrate on making a smoot transition throwing the ball up and down, catching it swiftly, and beginning again. Annalise turned her attention to the young maiden sitting next to her, as she nodded, her eyes smiling, "I do work here, however, I'm not needed right now. So, I hope you're around long enough so you can come see me perform too." Annalise said, enthusiastically, as her eyes remained hopefully and her cheeks reddened slightly from joy. Tilting her head slightly, Annalise looked at the young maiden. There was something about her that she couldn't pinpoint and could only hope the show was able to bring her joy and fun. As more watchers came to see the performance, Annalise felt enthusiastic to feel such a turn out! She watched as different Junsi's began tearing apart their limb and replacing it with the balls, other Junsi's were juggling higher and higher. She clapped happily and cheered on her cirque friend. "Show them what you have, Junsi! Woo!" Annalise exclaimed, supporting her friend. That is, until she felt another presence next to her and along came the voice of Lucas the Witchdoctor. Smiling softly, Annalise nodded, "Bonsoir, Monsieur. C'est magnifique! I expected no less from the both of you." She grinned widely as she looked over to the young maiden. "What about you, Miss? Oh! I almost forgot." She giggled lightly, "My name is Annalise."

 

[Axeykins]

Jonsi cringed as the arm was tossed to him. It was really messing with him, so much so that he nearly dropped what he was juggling onto the audience. "Ha ha....yeaaah. Step it up a notch for the audience." He forced a bigger smile on his face to hide that he was slowly becoming more and more disturbed. This witch doctor always creeped him out...


@zCrookedz @buzz


He yawned and stretched his arms and back out as he turned on the lights to the old tent and lit some incense. It was so....empty now... Just a coffin they used as a table and some decorations. It always made him sick to his stomach...it used to be one of the more active tents, but ever since... Nevermind. He shook the nasty thoughts out of his head as he noticed a guest.


"Oh, hello. Are ya lost?"


@egghead

 

[zCrookedz]

The fake Jonsi's had left one arm each on their bodies but torn their legs off and added them to the juggling cycle. The one that was voiced with that of a child was laughing and having a great time .


"This is great!! Good job skeleton man!! Hey I've got another idea!!"


This time the Jonsi looked over to the other that was juggling parts and put his last hand into his mouth and made a sharp whistling noise. The Jonsi looked over with a smile then looked to the real Jonsi who made the motion to start juggling the body parts together.


Lucas sat back in his seat smiling at how the Loa was doing. The staff beneath Lucas hands shuddered a bit and turned around to see Lucas smiling.


"Heh, Linto waz da good choice dere boyo. Kids gotz de fun side o' death."


Jimbo's glowing eyes turned to see Annalise and his skin stretched into a smile.


"We'll ello der loves. My ain't you a bèl ti jan nan limyè zetwal....."


Lucas lifted his hat off his head and sat it down ontop of the shrunken head, muffling the last of the heads hatian sweet talk. He smiled to Annalise.


"Pardon for that, Annalise. Jimbo thinks himself quite the baratineur."


@Axel1313 @crucialstar @buzz

 

[buzz]

Hearing the young girl speak only beckoned a roll of the eyes from Carter, who began to look increasingly disinterested. Stopping that flow of disinterest was the sudden jolt of the magician's voice beside them. "Funny." To speak her mind around such folk was to dig her own grave. She shut her mouth. Once again, the girl who boasted a cornucopia of colors next to her spoke, and during the interaction Carter felt as if she lost herself the youth's features. "Oh, well, I'm..." She stumbled looking for the right words. "You can call me Carter."


Maybe making a friend wasn't too bad. She extended a bruised hand. "Nice to meet you, Annalise." Not soon after, the runaway felt her eyes sting.


I wish I had a pretty name to go with a pretty face.





The sweetness was short lived, however. Upon seeing what could not be anything but a severed head, Carter quickly retracted her hand and backed away from Annalise's side. "This guy is nuts! What is he doing with that?" Her voice escalated to a screech. "It's not real, right?!"

 

[Rosiegold]

Shani wondered around the circus, trying to find a familiar face from Interpol. It had been her own fault, she had been within sight of them when she had been distracted by a person selling cotton candy. She thought she had the time to buy one real quick and get back but when she returned they were gone. So now she was here on her own and looking for her co-workers. Sighing, she took another bite from her cotton candy and kept walking.


Might as well try to enjoy myself.. She thought as she walked. She had never actually gotten to go to a circus before and it couldn't hurt to get a peek at some performances before they left. Yet... The crowd made it hard. She detested crowds. They were loud, and..... well crowded. She didn't like that people kept bumping into her. Eventually she settled on standing off the side and watching the people go by.

 

[zCrookedz]

uh oh.. Lucas thought to himself as the young girl beside them started to screem. He had, had others notice Jimbo and his antics before but this time the girl was right there. He had to think of something quick. Luckilyn Lucas came prepared. He smiled at the girl and placed the bottom of his cane in his hand and balanced it I'm his palm. He looked from the came to the girl with a smile and snapped his finger. The top hat ontop of the cane seems to fall straight over the cane right into Lucas'hand. He lifted the hat very slowly for the girl to see, but instead of his cane, was a single solitary white rose. He reached oit the rose to the girl while trying to put on his most convincing smile.


"Jamais peur, the circus is only a place of illusions. Nothing more than a place to fulfill ones fantasys."


@buzz

 

[Soviet Panda]

Connor hopped around along the outskirts of the circus, where a majority of the food gendors were. They knew by now not to feed him, but that didn't include the stuff people dropped or fed him. Little children were so stupid that way. Dangerous, yes, rufflig his feathers and wanting to grab him, but dumb enough to give him food. However, his usual haunts seemed rather food free, much to the smug delite of the vendors. So, he had to search further afield then what he usually did, and began to venture further into the interior of the circus. People dropped popcorn all the time, especially when something unexpected happened. So, flapping from pole to pole, and walking along the ground, he kept his eyes open for any goodies he could munch on, bugs included.

 

[Soviet Panda]

((@rosamortelle))

Oh goody, the water elemental had arrived. Hehad to admit, she looked very nice in her costume, but that mean he didn't have to like it. If he was unbound from these chains she would evaporate by simply being in his presence. But at the moment, even with one link broken, she was his equal when it came to power. How that rubbed him the wrong way, having her stronger then him. But he had to put up with it. And he also had a bit more experience in using his power then she did, so that might sway a fight towards his favor. "Hello, Cordellia." he said simply, acknowledging her but nothing else.
((@rosamortelle ))

 

[buzz]

His eyes bore into hers. Carter's hand shook but the lock between their gazes was unmoving. It felt therapeutic, almost intoxicating, like most other things in the circus.


"If you say so.."


It took her a moment to remember how to use her limbs, but afterwards she gently accepted the rose. It was beautiful. She looked up at the magician.


The man's smile enveloped her heart.


"Thanks."

 

[Rosiegold]

Shani sighed as she tossed the paper cone left from her cotton candy into a trashcan and now replacing it in her hands was a bag of almonds, the kind covered in brown sugar and what not. "I feel like a total glutton." She muttered at she ate. I wouldn't be doing this if I could find the others. She thought to herself, though she full well knew this had been her own fault. First not listening to orders on what she was supposed to do because she was off in her own little world, and second she had wondered off.


She let her gaze start to wonder around spotting a crow. She assumed it must be looking for food. Poor thing must be really hungry if it's getting this close to people. She thought, but then again crows were pretty smart, so maybe it knew there was food around here, or it was waiting for people to clear out and take whatever had been dropped? She stopped this train of thought when she realized she was in fact thinking about a bird and it's reasons for being around here. It's a bird Shani, it might be smart but I doubt they think that in depth. Still though, she found herself dropping a couple almonds on the ground and stepping away. She did have a soft spot for animals, so why not leave something for them to munch on once the humans cleared out.


@Beowulf


Though it would never occur to her that she might just be causing more clean up for the carnies.

 

[Soviet Panda]

For some reason, Connor had found himself studying the inspector girl. He knew that she was an inspector, there had plenty of those since before he was born. Something had happened over in England or something. Plus, she had cotton candy, not much but still enough for her to drop and enough for him to make a tasty snack out of. Sadly, that was not the case, because she quickly ate the rest of it and tossed it in the trash. Now he couldn't even pick over the paper cone, though he doubted he would get anything. However, she pulled out more food, and dropped some. She had been looking right at him when she did so, but there were a few people like that. Bird watchers or something.


Flapping off his perch atop a pole, he lands where he last saw the scattered food. Seeing it, he studies the hard nuts, and thinks 'Is this a joke?' He didn't like almonds, they tasted funny. And his beak had trouble breaking them. Well, he could transform into his human form, but the ring masters, yes both of them, had sternly told him not to do so out in public after doing it once. But he saw the tell tale sign of brown sugar on it. Though it didn't really fill him up, the taste was always nice.


So, gingerly picking up one of the nuts, he first tries to crack it, with some luck, before going after the sugar. His tongue darted out, and licked a small portion of the sugar that was coating the almond. His tongue would spin the nut a little bit, but he often had to set it down and pick it up again to get at more sugar. Perhaps he should find out a way to effectively bust the almond into more manageable pieces that he could swallow. That animal tamer lady could do it for him, she seemed nice, and she could understand him to an extent.


@Rosyshark

 

[deer]

Annalise Moscato


Aerial | Animal Tamer


with: @zCrookedz , @Axel1313 , @buzz



​

"Carter? Is it?" Annalise said out-loud, trying the name Carter on her lips as she repeated the name a few times. She tended to repeat the names of other people to help her remember her names quicker and easier. Smiling brightly, Annalise was overjoyed that Carter made the first move to shake her hand. Reaching out to take Carter's hand gently in hers, Annalise giggled light-heartedly, "It's nice to meet you too, Carter." However, her joyful antics were short-lived when she eyed Carter's bruised hand. The more she observed Carter, the more she saw signs of pain, hurt, and indifference. She didn't gasp, she didn't stare, but she found herself feeling anger and sorrow. Anger. . for those who harmed the young girl, and sorrow, for what she had to go through. But, Annalise sore to herself to not let negative emotions overcome her. . it wouldn't do anyone good if she did. She didn't want to question the girl, since it would be too rude and impersonal for her to do so. Instead, she didn't speak of it and just smiled warmly at the girl, letting her anger and sorrow become buried inside her being. Annalise's ears perked, hearing another Cajun accent speaking as her attention turned towards Lucas as the head of his staff was faced towards her, talking to her, "We'll ello der loves. My ain't you a bèl ti jan nan limyè zetwal....." Feeling her face turn a shade of pink, "Why, thank you, monsieur. But that compliment is too beautiful for me to keep, that I can't accept it." she said, right before Lucas placed his top hat on him. "No need for apologies, Lucas, no harm done. He is quite the baratineur, isn't he? I'd love to talk to him some more. He always fascinated me." She said genuinely as she bowed her head slightly as Lucas tipped the top of his hat. However, realization hadn't dawned on Annalise when she had forgotten a human was sitting next to her. She was too oblivious and in her talk with Lucas and Jimbo that she hadn't realized Carter would freak out. It was out of habit and she was used to seeing Jimbo talking, however, to the human, it was unbelievable. Especially a talking head! It wasn't until she heard a shriek behind her, as she felt a hand retracted from hers. "This guy is nuts! What is he doing with that? It's not real, right?!" Annalise whipped her head around as she bit her lip and bounced lightly on her toes. She was nervous, or rather, her heart quickened immensely as she felt herself almost lose her wits. How could she forget that seeing a talking head on a staff is considered normal? Annalise knew if she spoke she would definitely make the case even worse. Point blank: she was the worst liar on the face of the world. She didn't make a move towards Carter, afraid to scare her even more. However, seeing Carter's fearful yet shocked expression made Annalise's heart drop, as she clench her dress tightly. Annalise didn't wish to scare her away, cause her trouble, she would rather see the expression Carter first showed when Annalise had sat next to the young maiden. Her eyes lit up as she watched the performance on Junsi, she only wished Carter could show that expression once again. Thankfully, she had Lucas right next to her, since he can be one of the most cunning witchdoctor's she's ever met. Always thinking on his feet. "Jamais peur, the circus is only a place of illusions. Nothing more than a place to fulfill ones fantasys." She hated to indirectly lie to Carter, but it was the only way, it's a give or take. And she has to bear with it. Annalise watched as Lucas' did his small trick with his hat, instead of a cane, out came a beautiful, white, glowing rose. She smiled softly as Carter took the rose. "The circus was always considered a place of illusions and distinct magic tricks. Our visitors usually come to run away from the realities of the world and to a place where magic and illusions exist. Something that'll give them a thrill and out of their 'ordinary' or rather, busy life. A nice little getaway." She began explaining to Carter, knowing that what Lucas said was the truth, to the extent. Because the irony of it all was that, everything they see, is real. "I hope we didn't shock you too much, Mademoiselle. Everything is part of the fantasy of the mind, a little act, if you can say." Sometimes, even Annalise herself, has trouble between picking what's real and what's not real. Humans sure are interesting beings.

 

[zCrookedz]

Lucas' smile grew a bit as the girl took the rose. She seemed so innocent. But Lucas couldn't help but let his eyes shift over her shoulder for a heart beat where the black figure still loomed over the girl. Now that he was closer, he could tell what it was he had seen it many times before. But even still, he would need to have a more private chat with the girl to confirm. Luckily she was not in any kind of harm, at least not at the moment.


Lucas' eyes went from the girl to Annalise as she followed up on Lucas' words about the cirque. Annalise was a sweet girl, a bit on the bubbly bouncie side, but Lucas always enjoyed her company. Hopefully her words would help to ease the girls mind of Jimbo's intrusion. Lucas smiled at Annalise.


"Ah Dame Annalise, Telle une belle façon avec des mots que vous avez."(Ah Lady Annalise, what a beautiful way with words you have.)


Lucas' smile was redirected to the girl. As he held his hand out to her to properly introduce himself.


"Carter, such a séduisant name. My name is Lucas Lafluer, resident Witch Doctor here at the cirque."


@crucialstar @buzz

 

[Axeykins]

"Gah, Lucas! I can juggle but I'm not that good at it!" His fake smile was soon replaced by a grimace as he struggled to keep the balls and parts of himself tossed to him from the copies from falling onto the audience. He was also teetering very close to the edge of the podium as well coupled with the woman's scream only made his anxieties worsen. Last thing he needed tonight was broken bones.


@zCrookedz

 

[zCrookedz]

Lucas looked up from his conversations with Carter and Annalise and watched as Jonsi began to struggle. Lucas had always been one to push limitations, in himself and those he worked with. How else could one get better at something was what he said. But it was obvious that Lucas might be pushing a bit to hard now.


He smiled and sighed.


"Ah, Je dois présenter des excuses. It would seem that we are reaching the conclusion of our act. If you will excuse me."


Lucas placed his hat atop his head once again and winked at the two women with his smile, and once again vanished within a thick cloud of smoke. The smoke slide through the air like a serpent towards the stage to the Jonsi with the child like voice who was laughing up a storm now. It slid past his feet and continued on to each one of the Jonsi's including the real one, and once again they were all consumed in black smoke. This time the smoke did not just blow away and reveal the performers. No, this time there was a small spark at the base of the stage and suddenly the smoke burst into purple flames that consumed the smoke instantly. The shock of the crowd that had gathered during the performance came to complete silence as the now smoke from the fire seemed to clear the stage revealing an empty stage. As the crowd began to mumble amungst themselves Lucas chuckle became audible once again as the lights on the stage moved to the back of the tent where the entrances where. There stood Lucas and Jonsi, Lucas giving his best smug smile and raising his hat to the crowd. He nudged Jonsi before smiling to the skeleton man.


"Sorry about that Jonsi. But with a little more practice that could be one hell of a show mon ami."


Lucas began to stride back to the stage as the audience continued to clap. He took a large step and spun on his heals bowing to the crowds.


Merci! Merci! Monsieur Jonsi and myself had a wonderful time performing for you tonight. There are lots more performances scheduled and I beg that you enjoy them all here at the Cirque!!"


@Axel1313 @buzz @crucialstar

 

[Axeykins]

"Yeaaah. Sure, it could be." He forced a smile onto his face once more. "Maybe I could add a little magic to the show as well eh?" His forced smile switched into a devilish grin as he ceased juggling the balls and looped an arm over Lucas's shoulders. Taking off the man's hat and with the bit of trickery he knew, caught the balls and rolled them into it. Well, replaced them with breakfast. Which was a few raw eggs, of which he then purposely put back on Lucas's head with some force. It seemed like it would be fun to mess with the witch doctor. He couldn't truly eat them of course, but it always made the audience 'ooo' and 'aaa' at the sight of him swallowing them whole and 'magically' making a bird appear in his rib cage.


@zCrookedz

 

[buzz]

Carter couldn't meet their eyes. Her mouth hung open but could not give off a sound. The flustered look on her face gave it all away.


The circus staff's kindness and their concern was refreshing, and the runaway couldn't be any more grateful. "Yeah, sorry, I'm being a wuss." The girl raised her head with a sniffle. "Thanks, again." Carter nod her head as Lucas, the slender witch doctor, made his way back to the limelight.


The young pariah found herself smiling again. If people come here to run away from reality, it was completely what Carter needed.


The man of bone and Lucas were pulling off more unexplainable tricks. Her wan hands began to clap for the duo. "This is great. Really." She looked at Annalise excitedly.

 

[deer]

Annalise Moscato


Aerial | Animal Tamer


with: @zCrookedz , @Axel1313 , @buzz

​

Bowing her head softly, Annalise smiled gently, "Merci beaucoup, Monsieur. Votre magie est pleine d'émerveillement et je suis toujours en admiration! Monsieur Lafluer, you're definitely able to fool others." (Your magic is full of wonder and I'm still in awe!) Whether Lucas caught on or not, her words meant more than the surface and it wasn't just his tricks she meant but his suave way to come up with excuses within a blink of an eye. It was more that Lucas had a way with words and she couldn't comprehend how others can deceive so honestly. As Annalise took the time to herself, she observed the young maiden once more. She wondered if she could or make friends with her. Is it allowed? Would it be okay? But secrets. . must be kept . . and their life cycle are in two different spectrums. Annalise didn't know whether to get close to the young maiden or politely excuse herself. Humans were always appealing to Annalise, and for her to talk to one after so long. . she didn't know what to do. To get her out of her thoughts, Annalise heard Carter's voice, and a slight sniffle, "Yeah, sorry, I'm being a wuss." Shaking her head, Annalise smiled, "It's okay, Carter. It happens, especially if it's your first time at a circus. It can be a bit overwhelming and out of this world." She found herself a little out of her element, since usually she could freely use her abilities without having to hide it from others. Annalise was used to being in the backstage, making sure the other performers didn't need her, however, today, she decided to come out and play, sight see, and observe the reactions of the the audiences. "Ah, Je dois présenter des excuses. It would seem that we are reaching the conclusion of our act. If you will excuse me." Looking over at Lucas, Annalise was about to say "goodbye", however, he disappeared before she could do so. Shaking her head, Annalise laughed lightly, and looked at Carter, "He really leaves no time for us to say good bye or good luck, does he?" She pouted slightly but then her mouth formed a wide grin. It was the ending to their act and she couldn't wait to see what the witchdoctor decides to do. However, she knew Junsi has a few tricks up his sleeves as well. "This will be fun!" She exclaimed.





Soon, the black cloud of smoke that was Lucas, went towards the stage, covering the whole stage and the mimic Junsis, including the real one. The lights darkened as a spark came from the base and purple flames popped up. Annalise ended up "oohing" and "awwing" as she saw the purple flames. She loved the colour purple, so to see sparks appear into purple flames intruiged her immensely. Soon, the lights pooped back on in the back of the stage, turning her head around, Annalise's smile widened, seeing Junsi and Lucas appearing from beyond, the light shining on them. As the two made it back to the stage, the audience clapped loudly and Annalise soon joined in, excitedly. Lucas spun on his wheels, "Merci! Merci! Monsieur Jonsi and myself had a wonderful time performing for you tonight. There are lots more performances scheduled and I beg that you enjoy them all here at the Cirque!" Annalise breathed a sigh of relief and continued clapping. But, Carter soon looked her way, showing an expression of one of joy and excitement, "This is great. Really." Annalise's eyes widened in surprise to see such a magnificent glow to the young maiden. She grinned and gave her a wink, "I'm so glad you enjoyed it, really. Please do come see all of our performing acts, okay? I'd love to see you in the crowd. And maybe, you can come and meet the rest of the crew?" She asked, inviting the young maiden to join her within the few weeks they'll be staying. Annalise couldn't back away now, not after seeing such a radiant expression Carter could make. If Carter could continue making such expression, and open herself up to others once more, she'll be so much more beautiful than she is. Carter is gorgeous and a beautiful young maiden, that is, when her feelings showed joy and happiness. She hoped Carter could find more comfort and ease, being here at the cirque and watching them. Annalise's heart fluttered, feeling quite hopeful, wanting Carter to be able to grow from whatever experience caused her pain and aches. However, the show wasn't over. "Carter, look! Look!" She tapped the young maiden's shoulder gently, getting her attention to the stage. Annalise watched as Junsi changed the balls into eggs and placed them into Lucas' hat and squished it down onto his head. . She gasped and giggled, standing up to applaud her two cirque family members. "Brava! Brava!" And soon, the rest of the audiences stood up, giving them two duo an encore. Excitement, fun, and loud cheers echoed through the tent. Turning her attention towards Carter, she smiled softly, "What are you thinking about doing next, Carter? Seeing another show? Looking at the many stalls the cirque had? Or riding on some rides?" Annalise asked as her expression lit up like fireworks.