Fantasy Cirque du Curieux

[XDBuggyBatXD]

Lukas lifted a surprised eyebrow at the young girl's reaction to his touch, making note of the knife on her hip. She was more aggressive than she first seemed, apparently. "Oh, sorry. You don't like others to touch ya, huh? That's understandable. Some people are just gross," he replied playfully. When Ava barked at Misa for asking her name, the soldier smiled lightly in amusement. The little girl's feistiness was kinda cute, and Misa's stuttering was comical. Lukas stood back up and hesitantly replied to Yuno's request for him to stop smoking with a, "Yes ma'am, of course." He would certainly not smoke in front of Yuno again, out of respect and manners...but he would definitely continue smoking when alone. "Ah, my name is Lukas Weston," he said with a kind smile as he offered his hand for a friendly handshake. "A fella by the name of Grandeur, I think was his name, told me I outta check this place out." Now, the man adjusted his army hat again and rested his hand casually on the holster of his pistol on his hip. In a quieter, more questioning tone of voice, "He said this ain't your normal circus..." He made eye contact with Yuno, attentively searching for some kind of reassurance as far as this matter was concerned. The only thing really odd that he had seen so far was a strange looking tiger. Misa's illusions had not been suspected fake, and the guard dog of a snake seemed like a likely circus trick. Lukas did also make note of Yuno's ears and wondered if they were real or not.

 

[JenniPerson]

After Yuno handed her her bottle, Sara followed after her and Ava. It was getting a little boring lately and she was for sure something interesting would happen, if she followed after Ava and she was right. They had run into Misa and a guy she did not recognize. This guy must be the new guy she thought looking Lukas up and down. When she heard Ava lash out, she almost laughed. Sara had always find that kind of rude behavior from humans funny, as long as it wasn't directed towards her. She could smell the scent of smoke from the cigarette that was still in the air. Sara cringed and pinched her nose before using her free hand to waft the air around her. She hated the smell of something burning, especially cigarettes, it always made her feel sick. Wanting to rub some of her freshwater on herself to make her feel better, she opened her bottle and peered inside. Seeing that there was enough, using her powers she controlled the water to engulf her whole body. Wanting nothing but to feel better, Sara completely forgot that there were people around her.

 

[Contented Calamity]

Ava heard the odd sound of water engulfing Sara's body, though didn't know what it was and instantly pulled out her knife, setting one foot back in a fighting stance, eyes wide as she tried to bring up past memories of any sounds she may have heard to place what that noise was. She held still, knife tip pointed directly at Sara as she was quite unsettled by the sudden commotion. She leaned more on her back foot and turned it slightly, clearly ready to either bolt away or spring forward and attack. In her other hand, she held the neck of the cane tightly so that it wasn't near her feet or the ground, but could be used as a secondary weapon. Two fingers tapped the wooden material of the cane, allowing her to better understand her surroundings.


Misa shrugged at Lukas' comment, "Nope, it's not." She replied calmly, glancing up to Sara as she relaxed and spun her water around herself. She was going to smile and say something about it to the newcomer, though kept silent as the young girl pulled out her dagger. She raised her eyebrows, aware of the potential danger to Sara. She switched her gaze back to the teen in a bubble of liquid, wondering what would've caused this seemingly normal girl to act out so quickly. She again looked back to Ava, examining her face for any sign of aggression, though only found one clear emotion; Apprehension. She stood as the girl began tapping her cane, brushing the dirt from the butt of her soft pajama pants, "Umm, Ava, right? Let's not point knives at the circus members.." She said quietly, keeping enough of a distance that she'd be able to react before the girl might hit her. Misa decided to take a few small paces back, casually stepping behind Lukas and muttered, "You're military, yeah? I don't want to get hit by her, I'm awful at dodging or fights or whatever, I'm just an illusionist."

 

[XDBuggyBatXD]

Lukas raised his eyebrows as he watched a young lady become engulfed by water that seemed to float around her. This was the soldier's first time interacting with another non-human, and he was impressed. At first, he was concerned until he realized how calm the lady was about being engulfed in this weird magical water. "That's cool," he commented as he smiled at the female controlling the water. Next, his eyes were drawn to the little blind girl who stood with knife in hand. As Misa suggested the little girl not point knives at the circus members, Lukas watched curiously. Then, he found himself between Misa and Ava. He chuckled at the illusionist's comment and nodded in agreement. "Hey, relax. There's no threat here, Ava" he said calmly as he stepped toward the little girl. "And you should be careful playing with knives like that. You might cut yourself or one of your friends." He watched the girl with attentive eyes as he stepped closer to her slowly. He did feel it was not normal or safe for such a young girl to have a big knife like that, so naturally he was concerned for the young female. In the back of his head, he imagined Berserk using the girl's own knife on her, and this also worried him.

 

[Jonah]

Aham perambulated about the camp stopping here and there, either to look at some weird oddity, or to peer into a trailer that caught his eye. He mostly saw trailers packed full of many things that included things he already had or wished to have. After his brisk walk, he soon stopped to see some small agitation within a group, involving a child and her "guardian" and a man who seemed to be in the armed forces. The woman simply took the man's cigarette and stomped it to ashes! "She's very responsible but, she could've asked the man kindly." Aham felt the need to introduce himself to everyone else...

 

[Contented Calamity]

Ava clenched her hand tighter around the handle of her knife, getting frustrated. She grunted at Lukas' comment, shouting, "I don't play with knives! I kill people with them!" She held her ground, leaning farther forward as she comtemplated whether or not to leap at the noise. She was just about to lunge towards Sara when a drop of water landed on her face, sliding down her jaw and dissapearing into her hair, triggering a flight reaction. Slipping her knife into it's sheath, she quickly pivoted and ran away from the small group, trying to set the tip of her cane on the ground to see if she'd possibly fall. Before Ava noticed that the wood tapped on someone's leg, she smacked into another unknown carnie; Aham. She backed up in panic, eyes wide as she dropped her cane and accidentally pushed it away as she frantically tried to find it again, falling backwards and landing on her rump. She froze, feeling for her knife as the snake slipped off her shoulders, slithering away with her protective blade.


(I dunno what to say for Misa so just go with that, heh.)

 

[Jonah]

Aham, startled by the impact, picked Ava's cane up and lightly tapped her with it. He then glanced at the snake carrying away the blade. "Were you planning to hurt with that?" he asked. "Well it won't do you much good now, a snake has just carried it off." He offered the child her cane hoping to calm her, "There is no reason to be afraid, I won't hurt you. May I know of your name? My name is Aham, I'm from Egypt!" He placed his hand on Ava's shoulder and tried to help her up...

 

[Contented Calamity]

The young girl jolted as she felt her own cane nudge her arm, keeping silent after the questions and trying to back away. She was able to scoot a few inches away from the egyptian man, though was startled by the sudden touch and clenched her fist, bringing it down as hard as she could on Aham's forearm. Once she knocked off the weight, she scrambled up, hitting her head on her cane as the man offered it to her. She took it a shaky breath and grabbed the wooden staff, holding it tightly against her chest. She backed away a few paces, feeling like a blind, cornered mouse surrounded by hungry cats. She frowned and soon started to sob again, standing in one place as she felt the warm tears roll down her cheeks and neck, wetting the upper hem of her dress. Ava wanted nothing more than to be able to view the scene with seeing eyes, though of course that'd never happen.


Misa watched the whole thing happen, still standing behind Lukas. With both hands on his left shoulder, she stood on the balls of her feet to peek over the tall figure, leaning against his back to support her own weight. She tilted her head as the girl was startled by little things, like a touch or new sound. Being the cild-minded girl she was, she never even thought the girl may be blind or disabled and just ignored it once more. "Why do you think she reacts like that?" She inquired, voice quiet as it wasn't directed at anyone but was just something for them to think about. She frowned as Ava began to cry, still keeping herself behind Lukas just in case that snake came back with the knife to kill them all..! Misa watched the reptile distrustfully as it curled itself up around the dagger, tongue flicking out every now and then as the sun touched the horizon.

 

[JenniPerson]

Feeling better after a good soak in her water, Sara controlled the water that surrounded her back into the bottle, not leaving a single drop on her body. She was completely dry. Sara attached the bottle onto her belt. She saw what had happened outside her water, but did not feel like leaving it until she felt completely better. Hearing Misa ask her question, she decided to say something. Sara knew Misa could be child-minded and so she decides to straight out tell her. "Misa, the girl's blind and she probably doesn't have very fond memories of her past" Sara stated before going after Ava. Once getting to her, Sara kneeled down to her eye level and gently said "I'm sorry Ava, I must have scared you by suddenly using my powers. That's why you tried to attack me right?" Sara hesitantly pets Ava's head, hoping to calm her down a little. "Everything will be alright. No one is going to hurt you" Well, Sara hopes no one is going to hurt her. Sara never thought of herself as a motherly figure but she could never leave a crying child alone. "A pretty girl shouldn't cry, they should smile. Can you smile for me?" Sara asked while rubbing the tears away from Ava's face with her thumbs. When Sara made physical contact with Ava's face, normally with a human she would see a vision of their destiny but the vision Sara saw was fuzzy. She could barely see anything. Is she only half human? Sara thought.

 

[The Hollowed]

After awhile of listening yuno started yelling so Kira had no idea what was going on so he sat on the ground combing his hair,ears, and tails. He did this for awhile until he got a nick and meowed a little as he grabbed his tail at the spot he nicked it the end which was the most sensitive. But he kept grabbing his tail trying to figure out what was going on because his short attention span didn't let him.

 

[Jonah]

Aham, shocked by Ava's reaction, tried to comfort her. "Now, why were you running like? Did something scare you? Whatever it is I'm sure it's gone by now." He offered his hand once again trying to show his trust but something didn't seem right. Why wasn't she reacting? Now it all made sense, the reason why she ran into him, why she had a cane, and why she was afraid of new discoveries. Like Aham's voice, booming, and the touch of his hands, calloused.

 

[sunako kirishiki]

Sonako was flying around the circus area. She liked to explore and sometimes she falls asleep on the trees which gets her in trouble most of the time. "Hm it seems I missed out.." she flyer down and walked inside "um did I miss the show?"

 

[Contented Calamity]

(Sorry for the late response!!)


Misa covered her mouth with her hands, abandoning Lukas' side and arriving a few feet away from Sara, "Oh! Wow, I really didn't notice that," She said, her words faltering towards the end of her statement, "Now I feel so terrible!" She whined, lightly biting her knuckles. She brought her hands down, crossing them and holding her arms as the light of evening slowly faded, the temperature falling drastically. "Damn Germany," She muttered, forgetting about the little girl for a moment to focus on herself. She kept still for a few moments, a thick grey jacket soon appearing over her upper torso, "Um, Ava, was it? If you're getting cold, I can get you a coat," She said, voice noticeably higher when talking to the girl as she didn't want to seem rude or threatening. Misa bounced up and down a little, actually getting chills as the sun's warmth disappeared. She quirked an eyebrow as she heard Sonako in the Big Top, glancing towards it.


Ava winced as Sara lightly touched her, instantly getting a headache from the girl, "What are you?" She blurted, looking very confused as a painful image of the older girl was placed in her mind forcefully, making her even more confused. "I usually have to..." She drifted off, bringing her eyebrows together, "What's with you weirdos?" She questioned loudly, taking a few steps away from Sara but bumping into Aham's hand, causing her to shift away from them. She felt goose bumps forming on her skin, though ignored the illusionist's offer with a firm 'no'. She was indeed lost, without a thought of where to go or what to do now. Ava gripped her cane slightly harder, turning to where she imagined Sara was, "Can I stay here?" She queried, her suddenly quiet voice possibly making it hard for others to hear.

 

[XDBuggyBatXD]

Lukas frowned at hearing the little blind girl boast that she killed people with her knife. A little girl shouldn't have to do such dreadful things; that's the first thought that came to the soldier's mind. The man readied himself to act quickly should Ava lunge at Sara. However, the girl decided to run away instead. Lukas considered grabbing the girl but decided that would only scare her more, so he stood where he was as the youngster ran into an Egyptian fellow in her panic. Lukas chuckled quietly at Misa's airheadedness. He had noticed Ava's disability right off the bat, but then again, he was trained to notice such details quickly. The uniformed man turned his eyes back to Aham and Ava curiously. He watched quietly their interactions. Then, his eyes landed on the snake that coiled tightly around the young girl's blade. Lukas calmly walked over, slowing his pace as he neared the reptile. This was clearly no ordinary snake; normal snakes just don't steal knives. "Can I have that?" he asked it in a low whisper as he felt a little stupid talking to a snake still. He slowly, cautiously, extended his hand toward the reptile as he knelt nearby now. The man needn't fear being killed or even severely injured by snake venom, but he still preferred not to be bitten. The venom of a black mamba would still make him very drowsy and probably hurt a bit should he be bitten. The man hoped that this snake was indeed something magical and intelligent, so perhaps it wouldn't bite him out of fear but instead give him the weapon out of understanding.

 

[Jonah]

"I've got it Misa." Aham offered his over cloak and placed it on the ground next to her feet. "We are not 'weirdos.' We are just regular beings who contrast from other people. We are set apart and sometimes that's best for everyone." Aham walked over to Misa, the motherly figure, and asked, "Who is to take care of the child?" He glanced over his shoulder to see if Ava had picked up his over cloak then, looked back at Misa, and waited for a response...

 

[sunako kirishiki]

Sonako sat down seeing that something happened. She sat down and relaxed for awhile placing her wings back "hm what is going on"

 

[Lost Valentine]

Jacqueline Corbett

​

It was already late afternoon when Jacqueline was pent up in her trailer, twirling about as she hummed a tune. The notes though, she couldn't quite remember them all. It was a song from decades ago that she used to sing, but the rhythm and words had vanished from her memory. She danced around her small trailer, looking into her mirror every now and then as she switched out the jewels she had laced around her neck. She didn't know which ones she wanted to wear, but decided on a line of pink diamonds; weither they were real or not, she did not know. She took one last peek in her mirror, adjusting herself in her little black dress. She fixed the straps on her black heels and touched up her hair. You could say she was a perfectionist. She smiled at her reflection and walked out of her traveling home toward the colorful big top.


When she approached the large tent, Jacqueline smiled, "Well good afternoon dearest performers." She said cheerfully. She walked with a skip in her step toward a group of familiar faces. She smiled again, this time it was a wider grin where she let her fangs hang down. The pearly whites shined in the sunlight, a sight Jacqueline didn't like too much. She held a hand above her eyes to block the light out of them as she continued to chat with the people, "Lovely, lovely show, as always!..Well at least that's what I've heard!" She chuckled, "But I must apologize for missing it." She sighed, "Oh, me pardonner bons amis.." She said, the French coming out as she clenched her necklace.

Spoiler

(Hope she didn't interrupt. And I hope this isn't just random for her to pop up out of nowhere.)

 

[FleetingInfinity]

ATHANON

​

He had missed the show, but there was work to be done in the nearby town. A traveling band of freaks they were, but still it was best to make some appearances of normalcy. He'd spent the time in town, chatting with some of the townsfolk as he went. It didn't hurt to do a little word of mouth advertising, but that wasn't his actual purpose. There were certain services and supplies that normal people would be expected to need, it made sense that as a traveling group they would see to most of their own needs, but one or two trips to town for sundries made sure there were absolutely no questions asked. Especially after Athanon spent a little time chatting with the owners as he finished up his sale, they'd talk about how much money they had made when that nice man from the circus came and bought supplies.


It was seemingly useless expenses, especially in this era, but it was better to not leave anything to chance. Anything to make sure their bets were hedged, that the troupe stayed safe. A little extra expenses to make sure the freaks seemed a little more "normal" was hardly much of a price to pay. He wondered how the show had gone, and if the newest members of the troupe had arrived and settled in well. No one had contacted him, so there was at least nothing that required his immediate attention. He placed the last bag in the back of the truck he had drove to town and climbed into the driver's seat.


Time to head back to the circus, he placed the keys in the ignition and turned the switch, the engine roaring to life. As he went down the road he smiled to a few of the townsfolk that he saw. Someone among them might very well already be as good as dead, and not even know it. They would be a meal, sustenance, he hoped if they were, they deserved it. Their ignorance truly must be bliss.

 

[iGoober]

Hampton Lovett


"The Dollmaker"


Cook/Butcher

When you've forgotten something, it's best to leave the thing you've forgotten, forgotten. It was the best way to go about things, really, and it saved quite a lot of time. However, he couldn't get the thought out of his mind, that he was forgetting something of slight importance. And if something was, in any way, of slight importance, one needed to give, at the very least, the faintest effort to pay it some mind, for Hampton found, when he didn't do such, it only brought about more problems. Problems which would need forgetting in the future, so he wouldn't have to deal with them - for he had yet to come to the conclusion that having a selective memory was not entirely in one's best interest, though it was unlikely that anyone had any expectations of him. Who could possibly have expectations of him? He really did try his best to be himself, which wasn't in any way flattering. His mind was a mess, he was a mess, and his room was a mess. But that was okay, he didn't mind it, having to exert the least bit of effort possible was the right way to go in the end. However, it seemed he still hadn't achieved the optimal level of laziness, for his habit of staving off anything from the past only seemed to provide him with more things to do in the present.


Now what was it exactly that he had forgotten? "Do you know?" he asked the crouched figure in the cage on his unruly desk. It trembled in the corner as he addressed it. "Of course you don't," he said with a sigh, taking it from its cage and lopping off its head with a knife before eating it. Oh, that's right... "I'm the cook," he said idly, as he threw the rest of the disfigured creature's body off to the side.


He had gotten so caught up in trying to decide whether to attach the duck to the penguin or the penguin to the aardvark that he had forgotten all about cooking. How unfortunate that he had to remember, but it was probably for the best - just as it was probably for the best that he put the penguin with the aardvark, so that the penguin and duck wouldn't quarrel about whether they were now flightless or not. Silly birds, they're dead! But he knew if he put them together that the conversation would sooner or later arise, and he didn't very well want to be the one to decide; so it was only logical to avoid the situation all together. Another problem resolved! He really felt on fire today, perhaps he'd cook up something mediocre just to celebrate this wonderful resolution. "Good" was swinging for the fences, but mediocre was just about in his ball park. He hadn't caused anyone internal bleeding or horrific episodes of diarrhea for the past six months, so he was on a pretty good cooking streak.


He peered out the door, as he always did before leaving. He was like a mole just coming out of its hole to look for its shadow, however, rather than a shadow, he was watching for people. It seemed the others had gathered around Misa's trailer. It was her's wasn't it? Misa. Me saw. Seesaw. Hm, perhaps he'd make miso soup, although he didn't very well know how to do that; so perhaps Misa soup would be better - however, on second thought, that might not go over too well.


He reluctantly let the thought of Misa soup whither away and die in the the back of his mind to be forgotten, as he left his trailer, while the other's seemed to be conversing.

 

[VIIth Angel]

Winston

​

Winston exited a cab, paying the driver generously leaving himself with little cash. He was too entranced by the view of the Circus to notice that he had over payed, and the driver wasn't about to saying anything. Only a few blocks away, Winston placed his ruck sack over his shoulders and began to slowly approach the tents he could see.


"This is no time to get scared now." Winston muttered under his breath to himself. Having done a little research beforehand, he found that there was a history of people disappearing whenever shows were approaching, and a few people had made claims it was related to the circus, though their theories were very quickly silenced. In actuality, Winston had no proof that Lisa was murdered by anyone at the circus. However, his fear that continued to creep up on him the closer he approached the tents was reassurance enough that something odd was happening at these shows.


I am just gonna buy a ticket, and then observe what I can before I can figure out a plan of action. He thought to himself. He figured throwing himself into the heart of the beast would be dangerous, even if they weren't aware of his intentions, but that didn't stop him from making the rash decision. It wasn't as if he was completely defenseless either. Even with the lack of practice he had with his molecular manipulating abilities, he knew enough to get them going.


I owe it to myself to find out what happened. He thought. I owe it to Lisa.


He eventually approached the ticket booth, and having purchased access to the circus with the rest of his money, awaited until the next show would start.

 

[sunako kirishiki]

*Sonako flopped her wings and went backstage of the circuse to practice her


Dance. She flies up into the air with a twirl then danced around the air like a ballerina. She stunned around in different ways as she kept on dancing till she reached the ground landing perfectly with her feet placed in front as she placed her head up and breathed out flares of flames into the sky* "hmm..I think I need more practice on the fire in the end wouldn't want to burn the tent"

 

[Contented Calamity]

Misa blinked, flustered by Aham's question, "I don't know." She exclaimed, taking a pace back. She looked to Ava, then to Sara, soon returning her gaze to Aham, "I really don't know," She said, nervously giggling a bit towards the end. She kept herself from shivering, looking behind at the others, "Oh! I didn't see you all arrive," She commented, turning away from Ava and the others to join them, leaving Aham and Sara to deal with the kid. She put on her normal side smile, a hand on her hip, "We missed you guys during the performance. Something happen? Or did you just opt out?" She asked in a rhetorical tone, not really needing an answer. Misa's smile faltered as her stomach growled, hopefully not loud enough for others to hear. She let her hand fall to her side, distracted by her hunger, "Um, anyway, what've you guys been up to?"


Though Ava objected at first, she willingly wrapped the cloak around her shoulders, raising her head as Aham shared a few words with this 'Misa' girl. She made a face, snapping at the Egyptian man, "I can take care of myself, you dingus." Though she didn't know where she would stay or how she would eat, she didn't want to make herself seem like she needed something. "I'm not so defenseless that I can't fend for myself," Ava hissed, crossing her arms. She turned her head slightly as the clang of her blade caught her attention. She could only guess that the snake had dropped it and gone off somewhere else, or someone tried to grab it from the mamba. She pressed her cane to the ground in surprise as she felt the black reptile spiral up her body, resting across her shoulders once again. The girl was disappointed to find that the snake no longer had her dagger.

 

[XDBuggyBatXD]

Lukas was pleased to see the snake slither away harmlessly. He smiled and picked up the knife from the ground, wiping it on his pant leg to remove some dirt. Turning around, he would notice a beautiful young woman with fangs had appeared. The newbie carny would look at her for a moment, offering a friendly smile should she make eye contact with him. Then, he'd adjust his camouflage hat as he walked back over to the little blind girl whose blade he held. "Ava," he said as he approached casually and stopped in front of her, stooping slightly to bring himself closer to her height. "You dropped your knife." The man held her knife at his side. "I don't think a young lady should have to use such a tool. But this knife is yours, so I'll give it back to you," he said as he took a knee before her and gently took her unoccupied hand with his own, placing the handle of the dagger in it. "I'm new here, like you...but I think these people are good," he said in a near whisper as he released her hand and glanced up at the crowd. Then, he looked back to Ava, "Perhaps, when you feel we can be trusted, you'll abandon that old blade..." He smiled kindly despite her not being able to see it. "These here people could probably protect you better than any knife could, anyway," he said with a light grunt as he stood back up and rested his hand on his holstered pistol. His gaze would drift back to the vampire woman before a trailer door opened to reveal another carny with an all-around darker vibe about him that made Lukas more wary.


@Contented Calamity

 

[JenniPerson]

Sara smiled because Lukas called her and her fellow carnies 'good people', but it soon began to look like a sad smile. She appreciated what he said but it started to make her feel more guilty about what they were going to do in approximately nine days. Does he even know about what we're going to do? She thought while looking at him sadly before turning away. She has been doing this for ten years now and she has grown used to the guilt, but sometimes it gives her a great deal of pain to smile in front of the humans while knowing that some of them might lose their children. Despite being used by humans for years before coming to the circus, she still does not hate them and so she feels guilt. Sara doesn't even need a human to survive but some of her carnies do. If it's for them, she'll help in anyway possible, even if she has to live with the guilt forever. "Aham, if Ava is allowed to stay then she can stay in my trailer" she said turning to Aham. Sara didn't mind if an extra person stayed in her trailer. There was a bed Ava could use since Sara never uses it, but first, they still needed to get permission for her to stay.

 

[Jonah]

Aham turned to Sara, agreeing to her proposal. "I think that is a wonderful idea but you should try and gain her trust for she doesn't like the fact of having people taking care of her. I give you the best of luck," he said. He turned around backed to Ava to see that she had taken his coat, thankfully she did so. He once again turned to Sara and said, "I'll still be watching her, I feel as though I have responsibility over Ava." I hope she will be alright with Sara. He watched as child should make her decision...