Damia Astre's Story

Shiloh stood up from her crisscrossed position on the floor in her tent. Everyone in the circus had their own tent where they called home. Carnies slept, dressed, and basically did everything normal people would do in there tents. They even have this strict rule that carnies cannot enter other carnies rooms without being told they may enter. This rule is so strict for the fact that tents don't lock and don't have doors to knock on. Sure, they had trailers. But the trailers were used for the show girls to do their makeup and hair. Shiloh, being a clown, had to do her makeup herself in her tent. A mater of fact, everyone else, not counting the acrobat's who also use the trailers for makeup, had to do everything themselves.

Shiloh let out a sigh, not standing in the middle of her tent as she looked around. In one corner, she had a small sleeping spot. She didn't have a bed, but just a matric on the ground with an old heavy yet thin blanket and an old pillow. She didn't mind though, it was good enough for her and this is what happens in a low budget circus. When you join the circus, it's up to you to buy everything you need with the money you make. A lot of people even have to get a second job to pay for everything. Shiloh's one of those people. But, we'll get into that later. Looking around her room/tent some more, we have a clothes rack that holds just a few hangers to Shiloh's costume. She keeps the rest of her clothes in a suitcase on the ground next to it. On the other side of the tent, opposite her bed, is a mirror on a desk with all her stage makeup laid down on it. That's all she held in her little tent, thought, it wasn't so little as it was tall enough for Shiloh to stand up straight through most of it, but, on the other hand, Shlioh is a rather short girl.

Walking over to her rack, Shiloh carefully put on her clowns costume. She didn't have a normal clowns costume that you would think about when you hear clown. No, Shiloh's costume holds mostly black and white. A black suite a size big on her, a white dress shirt a size big on her, and an over-sized white bowtie. After she had this on, she went over to the mirror and did her hair first. Putting her bleached-blonde hair up into a Mohawk-like fashion. She then continues on to do her makeup. Being a clown, she's not suppose to show any of her actual skin color. So, she puts white face paint all over her face, ears, and neck, covering up all her normal pale skin color. She then takes her eye makeup after the paint is dried and darkens it around her eyes a bit. She continues with black face paint, going over where her eyebrows would be located. She finishes up her makeup by putting on bright red lipstick. Once that is finished, she puts on bright red gloves that fit her perfectly and bright red dress shoes a size big on her.

She looked at herself in the mirror and practiced her smile. Pinning it there, she headed out of her tent and to the front gateway into the circus. The gate way was large and a rusty red color. It had ribbons coming from the bottom of either side and going out to surround the circus. Once she got to the front gate, she picked up the flyers and waited as the new comers came in, handing each of them a flyer with a small settle smile pinned on her face.

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"Ba-da-da-da-da-da-ba-da-ba-da Ba-da-da-da-da-da-ba-da-ba-da ba-da-da-da ba-da-da-da ba-da-da ba-da-da ba-da-da-ba!" Ricket sing loudly in his tent to the music playing over the intercom. So what, it didn't have lyrics or any words what so ever, but he could still sing to it. Rickets tent was a mess. It had old alcohol bottles all over the place. He didn't even have a bed in there, just an old rotten recliner that he got when he joined the circus. That seems like such a long time ago. His tent was arranged in the same way Shiloh's was but with more of a messy way, and instead of having a stand with makeup he had his huge stilts with giant pants over them and giant shoes on the end. He got dressed in his outfit, putting on smaller versions of the shoes and pants on himself, then dragged them outside.

Being a stilt walker and having the tall stilts, he couldn't get them on himself. So, off he went to go find Shiloh, his little helper. He found her already greeting Wanna-Be's into the gate and gave a big smile. "Why, hello, youngens! I'm Ricket, that there's Shiloh!" He said loudly and excitedly then glanced at Shiloh, who didn't say a word. "She's a quiet clown, so she wont talk while in costume. But, out of costume she'll talk more, don't worry!" He said, his Irish accent coming out some as he said so. "Shiloh, give a mate a hand, will you?" He said, large smile still illumining his face. Shiloh nodded and went to help her fellow carny up onto his legs.

Once Ricket was up, he nodded down at her, tipping his hat to her slightly, then waved to the Wanna-Be's. "Come on, now. You don't want to be late to the big top, now do you?" He said and lead the way to the big top. Once there, he reached over and held the tent open as he waited for everyone to go inside before stepping in himself. All about the large tent was little groups of the carnies all talking among themselves. Some had the animals by them and some just had themselves. After a moment, Rocky came up and stood beside Ricket in his little matching doggy vest. He knew while he stood there that today was going to be a fun day as they offered there home to the Wanna-Be's to join.

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Damia loved the weather here, it was perfect for her stage outfit, which was what she had put out the night before so she could change when she woke up, the only problem was that she didn't sleep at all that night. She used used to sleepless nights through, she was used to never being able to get some sleep until she drank her self to unconsciousness. If this was a off way to behave, no one in the Circus ever said anything to her, most likely because she didn't even talk to half of them let only confide in them about her sleeping problems. She sighed loudly and ran a hand through her short, saggy hair that hung right above her shoulders, it was long enough that she could put it up in a little bun if she wanted, but Damia felt rather lazy today. She was sitting in her little tent ontop of a nest of blankets. Like many of the other members she didn't have a bed, so when she did sleep she ended up laying on top of nearly thirty blankets, Ceil, Feral, and Simon would always curl up around her and keep her warm, this was how her nights went.

Carefully Damia stepped around the sleeping tigers and quickly changed out of the shorts and tank top she wore to bed and into her normal stage outfit which consisted of black shorts, a black corset, black and red stripped socks that went to her mid thigh and stopped right below her shorts, black boots that went to a halfway point on her calf's, a crimson colored leather jacket, finger-less gloves, and her favorite top hat. Damia spent little time on her make-up, since most the time she wore her mask she didn't need anything over her eyes other than a quick layer of eye liner, and then for extra color she added blood red lip stick. She sighed happily and clapped her hands together, wakes the three large cats in an instant. "Allons, il est temps de rentrer." Damia spoke in french as she tied her mask onto her face. The man who had given her Feral, Simon and Ceil had tamed them all using french, and so speaking french was the only way they seemed to understand her.

Feral jumped right up and stretched her legs, she was always ready to get moving first thing in the morning, through Simon rolled onto his back and opened her mouth to reveal large sharp teeth as a loud yawn escaped him. Ceil lazily padded towards Damia, the smaller cat still asleep as he ran right into her leg and stumbled back. Damia chuckled before swooping down and scooping the smaller animal up before laying on her shoulder. Ceil draped his body across her shoulder and streched before going back to sleep. After a few minuets of encouragement from Damia, Simon finally got up and followed her out of the tent. Most people were already up and active, through not everyone. Feral walked on her left, while Simon on her right. To everyone who was joining the Circus today, she was sure it would be an odd sight to see, but she was actually glad they would be getting some new people, it was time for a change.

Damia nodded and waved to everyone as she passed them by, through she didn't speak until she came upon Shiloh and Ricket. "Bonjour." She said plainly, Damia was certain that anyone was basic knowledge in French would understand that she was simply saying 'Hello' but she was so used to using her French on her Tigers, the other members of the Circus often had to remind her to speak English around them and try to lessen up on her accent if she wanted anyone to understand what she was trying to say. Her eyes traveled over to the 'Wanna-Be's' before a small smile formed upon her face. It was best not to scare the new members. "Je suis Damia-" She paused and frowned as one of the Circus member's walked by and tapped his nose. That's how they reminded her to speak in English. Damia rolled her eyes and turned back towards the Wanna-Be's once more. "I am Damia Astre, I am the Tiger tamer." She smiled down at her tigers, Feral purred loudly and stalked over to Ricket and bummed her head into his leg. It was her way of showing she liked someone. After pawing gently at Rickets feet, she went over to Shiloh and repeated the action before returning to Damia's side, Simon just puffed up his chest and growled at the Wanna-Be's. "I hope some of you can speak French." She sighed in a dreamy manner, mostly because she would love to sit down and have a long conversation with someone in French, before she bowed to them and headed towards the main tent to practice.

Risque had been sitting there petting her young fox a smile on her face. Now Risque rarely smiled unless it was plastered on her face for performances. Something about this young fox tugged on her heartstrings. Heartstrings she had once thought she lost. Grimacing at heroutfit that she picked out for the night, she stood up and slowly undressed. The rest of her outfits were torn and dirty, this was the only clean one she had. "Why did I even buy this corset! It's horrid!" She cursed herself outloud.

She threw the corset on, making sure the tutu had been fluffed and pretty enough for the show. Sucking her teeth she put on her lucky leather boots, and her hat. Checking herself once in the mirror she gave another smile. "What do ya know... I actually look good in pink." She snorted before grabbing her cape and, doing hermakeup. She figured she met her nightly performance approval, and started walking out of her tent.

Tonight was different, she could tell. Izzy barked as he followed her, nearly on her heels. Turning and looking back at him she shook her head. "Izzy! You pestful fox!" Her tone was light and teasing as she continued walking. Seeing most of the people surrounding the wannabe's she snorted and held her head high. Seeing as Damia was walking to the Big Top she'd nod her head, tipping her hat before stopping at the group. "Evenin' Ricket, Shiloh..." She'd say cooly before her green eyes grazed over the wanna-be's. "Interesting group..." She mused before Izzy started pawing at her. Looking down she nodded. "I know, must go practice..." She shook her head, keeping herself slightly reserved.

"Wonder who can live the circus life." She chuckled, as she thought who would leave and who would go. "Ah! Where are my manners! I'm so rude sometimes!" She crossed her arms and tipped her hat once more. "I am Risque, the only Magician/Illusionist/Escapoloist we have upon these very grounds." She'd narrow her eyes, "And it'll stay that way." She added on before motioning to her pet fox. "Izzy, is his name." A bow to everyone. Risque turned on her heels and prepared to walk away when she saw Lyfe watching from afar. A dangerous smirk played upon her lips.

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Kat sat quietly, intent on making her ears exactly the same distance apart, after all - She did want to make a good impression on the wanna-be's. Quickly, she attached her clip-on tail before adding a dash of red to her lips and slipped on her ballet pumps.
All the while humming to herself the Swedish nursery rhyme her mother used to sing her. Kat hated that the strong Swedish accent she once had was fading, although, it did make it easier for people to understand and anyway, it wasn't like it had completely gone, you could still hear the sweet accent every time Kat spoke.

Deciding it was about time she got to the Big Top, Kat hurried along the small path which let her right to the tent.
Once she entered, Kat immediately noticed the new kids, grinning, Kat walked over to greet them; just catching the end of Risque's speech. Frowning Kat shakes her head, how like Risque to, almost, threaten the wanna-be's on their first day of arrival.
Using the customary Swedish greeting, Kat returned her smile to her face, "Hej alla," She said, and then repeats it in English, "Hello everyone, I am Kat the only contortionist, but if any of you are thinking of joining me - Go ahead! I've always wanted to be in a double act." Kat exclaims, and then notices something's missing.
"Oh where is he now," Kat sighs, "Nisse!"
And with a single call, a small, flat-faced cat comes bounding in, straight into Kat's arms.

Grinning at the wanna-be's once more, Kat walks over to the original carnie's and, yet again, notices someone else is missing.
Rolling her eyes, she quickly says to Lyfe "I'm just going to be a minuet." (because it's very rude to just leave in the middle of greeting guests), and walks out of the Big Top.

Walking quickly to where she knew Lio would be, under the exact same tree Kat had woken up on - You see, he didn't like to leave her there on her own because, if she fell off she'd get injured and he wanted to be there to help. Of course, Kat never has and never will, there's a reason she's called Kat, but anyway, Lio doesn't like her being there on her own and so he usually gets a book and reads until the sun rises, then he eats, gets changed and performs - The same cycle everyday, with a few mood swings thrown in there.

"Lio," She growls, her voice not quite as soft anymore, "what do you think you're doing? We have guests!"
But Lio simply looks up to her and shrugs "Reading." is his only response to which Kat frowns and grabs his book.
"Not anymore you're not," Kat purrs, grinning at his frown, "look, just be sociable, even if it is just for a minuet before you go of being all grumpy again, besides you have to introduce yourself."

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Lio had been quietly reading; everything was so peaceful but of course, little Kat just had to come over and spoil his serenity.
"look, just be sociable, even if it is just for a minuet before you go of being all grumpy again, besides you have to introduce yourself." Kat says, her voice regaining the friendliness it momentarily lost.

Sighing, Lio rolls his eyes before standing up, "just let me get dressed then," he tells her, walking over to his tent, Lio quickly changes into his common outfit, sighing as he put on the braces and bow tie, honestly it was ridiculous, why they had made him add these things he will never know.

Lio then looks at his appearance in the mirror, his constantly messy hair was, like always, extremely messy and there was nothing he could do about his deathly pale skin - However, Lio's large, emerald eyes still held a small spark, the spark of Oliver, the child who could have only dreamed of this to happen, only in his dreams would this ever come true and yet, somehow he had managed, the only thing missing was Oliver, the child Lio had known so well seems to disappear with every year.

Exiting the place he had made his home, Lio remembers to call for Comet before walking to the Big Top with Kat, her grinning and him, well, him being him.
As they entered the huge tent, Lio noticed a few knew faces, ah, so these must be the wanna-be's.
Walking, well, being shoved by Kat over to them, Lio smiles a little and greets them, "uh, Hi - I'm Lio the sword swallower an-" only to have Kat chime in with: "The only sword swallower, impressive, huh?" and with a wink walks off.

Rolling his eyes at Kat's back, Lio turns again to the new additions and nods, "yeah, I guess I'm the only one," he shrugs before saying, "well, that's me - I best go see how everyone else is doing."
And with that, Lio walks over to the original acts, standing next to Kat as she talks away about something or another - It was difficult to follow what she said sometimes, when Kat got really passionate, that faint accent would come back with a vengeance and make it almost impossible to understand the girl, so Lio just stood there quietly, nodding every so often and looking around the room.
He noticed Damia with Ricket & Shiloh; Florence was with Jennie & Axel; as usual, Lyfe was standing with his right-hand man Ghost.
Lio only wished he was in a better mood today, then he might go and join one of the groups, might even feel confident enough to talk to Damia. But for now, he was fine just half-listening to Kat talk.

Shiloh was smiling as she handed out the flyers to all the new people. She had to admit, they were quite a bunch. Some of them looked older, some looked younger. Some looked like they came from the rich hills while others looked like they were from the ghetto. Some looked timid while others looked out there. It was quite a sight. But, they all looked like they wanted to be there. Like they actually wanted to join the circus. Like they wanted to join the family. It was just a nice change. Usually, she sees different new people everyday that come to the shows. Usually, she's bombarded by young children asking her to make them a balloon animal or to juggle for them or to paint their faces. Then she'd never see them again unless then come back in a year or two with their family to see the show. This is different though. Some of these people will say they can't take the heat of the circus and say the circus life is too hard for them and then they'd leave. But, some of these people will take it. They'll join the circus and be able to pick a spot for their tent go or take one of the old tents the older members of the circus had left behind.

All of this was going through Shiloh's head as she handed the new guys flyers, but it was all abruptly drained as she was hugged from behind. Her eyes widened as she turned to at least try to see who it was, but she had a few ideas. Just as she thought, Florence. The pretty girl had hugged her from behind and Shiloh couldn't do a thing but smile at her. Shiloh being Shiloh refuses to break her silence while in costume. One would say she really gets in character. Plus, she honestly just doesn't like talking while in character. She believes her voice is just too girly sounding and she just doesn't want to ruin the moment of laughter and smiles she already brings to the people she sees.

"Well someone's being quiet." Florence said, and, as a response, Shiloh just smiled at her an gave a slight nod. Isn't it obvious? Shiloh thought. It most likely was obvious, considering the fact that she was all in costume and such, but she can't control what she thinks. No one can, really. After a moment, and about the time Shiloh was starting to feel slightly uncomfortable with Florence hugging her from the back, she had kissed Shiloh on the cheek. Shiloh thanked god for the fact that she was wearing a layer of white face paint all over her face or she was sure her face would be as red as a damned tomato. Hell, she was surprised the paint didn't start melting off her face at the feeling of her face getting so warm. "I better go before Lyfe yells at me." Florence had said before letting Shiloh go and running off to the tent. Shiloh watched her go for a moment with a smile on her face before looking down, shaking her head slightly, then looking back over the new comers.

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After Florence came up and greeted the Wanna-Be's, without as much of a hello to Ricket, then she made her way to mess with Shiloh, Ricket watched them for a moment with a cocked eyebrow and goofy smile. He looked down at the wanna-be's, goofy smile illuminating his face. "What a craic par, don't ya think?" He whispered down to them, loud enough for them to hear, while pointing a thumb at the two before bursting out into laughter. He looked as if he could fall over on those big stilts of his, but he didn't. He simply just put a leg back to balance himself. He then decided to do some juggling. Ricket might not be as good at juggling as Shiloh, but he was good enough to juggle at least three bowling pins.

Unhooking the pins form his side, he began to juggle, one after the other after the other. As he did so, he mimicked the sound of the circus music that continued to blur through the intercoms. After a few moments, he got tired of juggling. Just as he hooked his bowling pins back to his side, he looked down to see Damia and her beautiful tigers come up. "Hi ya!" He waved down to her then turned his attention to Feral as she went and bumped into his leg. He knew why, of course, and he wasn't about to fall down, so he just smile at the tiger. "Hello, big kitty!" He said with a slight chuckle then watched as she made her way over to Shiloh and did the same. He watched with a laugh as Shiloh was bumped over slightly by the strength of the large cat and she jus simply smiled at her and gave her a pet on the head before Feral made her way back over to Damia.

After that, it was one after the other before they had a large group of about twenty wanna-be's. Looking out through the gate, Ricket didn't see no more people coming. So, he looked down at Shiloh. "Alright, that's it! You can come on in now!" He said over to her was a smile. He was excited nonetheless about talking to every single last one of the kiddies. Once Shiloh came back in and made her way into the big top, Ricket, being how he is, he started walking around greeting the other carnies, like he does every day, with a big goofy smile and his Irish accent.

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Damia smiled and nodded to certain people as she passed by them, through he mind was else where. She was trying to mentally go over all of the new tricks she wanted to teach Simon and Feral before the end of the night, she was partly thinking about holding a little after show for everyone, but she was feeling rather lazy today. Most the time through, she didn't have to ask people to come watch her practice, they just showed up on their own. She nearly laughed aloud as she heard Lyfe talking about going around the pull people out of their tents. It's a good thing I woke up when I did. She mused, walking up to Lyfe and Ghost and the little crowd they had gathered around them.

In an instant, Ceil was off of Damia's shoulder and lunging through the air until he landed on Lyfe's shoulder. The cat gave a grunt of effort before climbing up the rest of the way and leaning over the lick the man's nose. Feral scurried over to Ghost and quickly walked a few circles around him before standing up on her hind legs and trying to give him a hug. "Claws in! Feral do not scratch that man!" Damia snapped stepping forward to try and pull the tiger away. The animal made a whine of protest and quickly leaned in to place a large wet lick upon Ghost's face before Damia could pull her away. Simon sprawled out on the ground in front all of them, watching everything take place while yawning."Nous avons dépassé cela! Vous ne pouvez pas l'embrasser!" She scolded the tiger lightly before leaning over to snatch Ceil back off of Lyfe's shoulder. She set the smaller tiger on Simon's head before turning to the two men, a sheepish smile spreading over her face. "Sorry Lyfe, Ghost." She pulled out a handkerchief from her pocket and handed it to Ghost so he could whip off his face.

"Malu! Seneb! Stop!" Damia stopped her apologizes and turned around slightly, catching sight of the two fully grown Lions bounding towards Ricket like he was Santa on Christmas. She tilted her head ever so slightly in amusement before turning back towards Lyfe and Ghost with a small grin on her face. "I guess it could have been worse. They could have tackled you." She chuckled while Simon looked around, clearly looking for the one person he would run up too and try to hug. Damia knew who the tiger was looking for, and tried to stop him as quickly as possible. "Ecoutez ici monsieur, n'avez-vous pas fuir, je vais-" Simon suddenly hopped to his feet, Ceil was still sitting on his head, and quickly ran off towards Florence. The girl with the fear of large animals was in fact the only other person other than Damia that could get Simon to jump up and try to hug her. Damia let out a groan of defeat while putting a hand over her face. "Bloody beast," She mumbled under her breath before turning back towards Ghost and Lyfe only to see the two of them go different ways.

She frowned slightly while turning towards Ghost who was now sitting on the ground with his back to the wall and his hands in his hair. She shooed Feral away before approaching the seemingly frustrated man and kneeling in front of him. "Are you okay?" She asked gently, talking rather quiet in fear that he had a headache from most likely drinking too much the night before. Despite what some may think, Damia was actually a really caring person, even if she was withdrawn from others, she didn't like to see them in pain of any kind.

{Edited}

As he sat there he noticed Damia walk in with Ceil and Feral, Such lovely animals. He noticed her wave in his direction and not sure who it was to he gave a small wave back. As she came near he witnessed Ceil jump on to Lyfe and Feral start coming towards him. Jumping from the ground he had a stance waiting for the large animal to charge. He wasn't afraid knowing Feral was friendly. When the creature reached him she stood on her back legs, . "Claws in! Feral do not scratch that man!" Feral grunted as if she were talking back to Damia and ended up hugging him and giving him a wet sloppy kiss across the face. "Mon genre préféré de baiser!" He started to rub quickly across the big cats head before Damia pulled her away. ""Nous avons dépassé cela! Vous ne pouvez pas l'embrasser!" Ghost couldn't help but laugh at the situation, maybe he didn't need to be alone, just a good laugh from an unexpected tiger. ""Non, non, non! Il me baiser est très bien, pas besoin de gronder!" Using his hand he tried to wipe away as much tiger salvia away as he could why he continued in his now jolly type mood. "Sorry Lyfe, Ghost." The apology was so not need, he was actually white happy it happened. The situation had helped him clear his mind if his mixed emotions.

"Malu! Seneb! Stop!" Looking towards the voice he noticed Clover's lions going after Ricket, More feline trouble. As he laughter got a little louder than wanted he put his hand over his mouth, What a day. "I guess it could have been worse. They could have tackled you." Ghost nodded his head in agreeing, "Feral could have decided to tear me to shreds!" He joked of course, if needed he could have killed the tiger simply with his strength, but it wasn't something he had ever planned on doing. It just seemed like the cats were over joyed today, maybe because their was new blood floating around they didn't know. They seemed to have calmed down, but without warning he watched one race off towards the direction of Florence.

With a breath his mood swiftly changed back to it's frustration. With a shake of his head he took his seat back against the wall to watch the lighthearted chaos that was going on around them. At least the feeling left for a small amount of time. Playing with his hair again he looked up to she Damia approaching. With her kneeling down in front of her she spoke, "Are you okay?" With a half smile he nodded for a yes. "Just a little confused today." He didn't know how to explain the confusion he felt was it a small amount of jealousy that someone talked to Lyfe? "No need to fret." It made him feel better that she cared though, it reminded him that the circus was his family and he might not be with them all the time he was never truly alone. Glancing up at Lyfe he quickly looked back to Damia so no one would notice and all it took to make him smile was glancing at Lyfe, "I'm perfectly fine, Damia, thank you for caring." With her talking to him he dropped his hand to his side with the feeling of a small amount of relief.

As she stood next to Axel she watched as Jeanie entered the Big Too coming over to them. "God I got here later than Florence, I'm off my game" Dropping her lower jaw she rolled her eyes and started to dramatically cough, "I heard that!" And she figured she was suppose to. Running her fingers through her lovely locks she kept speaking, "My perfection takes time, I can't just come in here not looking perfect." She did spend a lot if time getting ready and was usually that last person to ever enter any meeting with the other carnies, I guess I'm getting better at my timing. Shrugging her shoulders at her own thought she was staring at the Wanna-Be's. "Oooh did you see the new be's" Jeanie's words brought Florence from her hawk-eyed staring to look at a raised eyebrow then a wink. She " I know you did," Receiving a kiss on the cheek she smirked, "It's not polite to tease me." With a small laugh she watched as Bo entered the room.

"Now then where the hell is Bo," Florence couldn't help but roll her eyes at the question. She had seen her walk in with her seductively small body wearing a small outfit calling herself a whore to the New-Be's it something. Raising a hand she pointed over to Bo, "She's over there stealing the attention I deserve!" Using a child like voice she was only playing, even though she wasn't getting the attention she wanted. Yawning she then watched as Damia entered with her tigers. Leaning over some she was at a angle wear she could see behind the small tiger girl as she entered causing her to smirk. She was about to call out to her but soon Cloverdew's lions had gotten lose then the tigers!

She had grown over her fear of the felines to a certain extent, "Uhg!" Making the noise she overheard Damia mention claws, I'm going to die! Feeling a pinch of fear she snuggled into Axel's side to make herself feel safer. There was one tiger she was looking out for in particular, Simon. She locked her eyes on him as he examined the room, Is he looking for me? She could hear Damia saying something in French before Simon locked eyes back with Florence and leaped off the ground running towards her. "Oh gosh! She screamed as the beast grew near. "It's going to kill me!" Her fear grew causing her to take Axel's shoulders and forced him in front of her to act as a shield. "Protect me." Whispering so in his ear as she closed her eyes tightly.

Before she knew it the tiger had swiped her off her feet with his paws, nudged Axel out if his way, and began licking Florence's face. The large animal was sweet to her and she couldn't help but pet it once all the fear was gone. Why did I over react so much? Clearing her throat she spoke loudly, "And that's how not to act when a tiger is stalking you down!"

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In mid-sentence, Lyfe felt the soft fur on his cheek and the weight on his shoulder before he saw the feline's tail flash before his eyes. "The animals seem to adore me today," he mused, allowing the cub to lick his nose, lovingly. "So cute," he chuckled. He didn't mind that Ceil wanted his attention. He glanced at Damia, giving the young woman a short shrug in a nonchalant fashion. "No need to be sorry, love. They're precious." Being the ringmaster, Lyfe was used to the various animals showing him affection, however seeing the lions roaming about did take him aback. "Now that," he sighed. "Is unacceptable."

He flicked his gaze to Risque, "I'd be glad to help, we can practice later...without the fire, of course." He quirked a brow at her before he extended his arm to her, pulling up his sleeve, revealing his naturally tanned skin. "I have to see a fellow about two lions, so I'd prefer if you attempt to make haste, please." He looked down at Ghost after she finished marking his flesh, feeling a bit guilty for excluding him. "You and I will have a drink together, mate, but I must do something about these lions, at the moment." He made his way to Cloverdew, ready to bring the chaos down to a minimum. "Clover," he said once he found the lad. "Please try to control the lions. I don't want to frighten the new recruits away. I need them back in their cages." He glanced down at Ricket, a small smile playing on his face. "You okay down there, mate?"

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Damia couldn't help but smile at how both Ghost and Lyfe reacted and she was actually glad that ghost spoke french around her, she always relished in the moments that she could listen to him speak french, it made her feel more relaxed than she had been all morning, through his happiness's seemed short lived as she slide back down to the ground. Damia looked around for a moment, she spotted Simon and Ceil were with Florence, and Feral and sitting calmly near by so she had a few minuets to try and coax the truth out of him. Damia readjusted herself so her knees were drawn together and resting on the ground as she leaned closer to him. "Vous êtes un menteur horrible." She spoke quietly, even if anyone heard her they wouldn't understand what she said. The thing people often forgot about Damia was that barely anything slipped by her, so of course she didn't miss the looked he sent towards the now retreating Lyfe nor the small smile that played on his lips.

She sighed quietly, and hesitated for a split second, she could remember all of the times she had sat down in her tent and pulled on her own hair the way he was, most the time she did it because of a horrible headache or a bad hang over, other times it was just because of stress. At the moment, she couldn't tell which it was for him, but she could remember wishing there had been someone there to massage her aching head for her. Hesitantly Damia reached up and pressed her fingers to both of him temples, and carefully applied pressure. Few knew that as a side job she was a masseuse, it was a miner job that paid under the table money, but she was good at what she did, so she put the few short lessons she had to work and carefully rubbed his head, trying to work all of the tension that was building up out before he got too upset.

"Je me soucie de tout le monde..." Her hands moved from his head to his shoulders, gently trying to work the stiffness out of his muscles, if she were behind him, she would try to rub the back of his neck, but that would be kind of hard from where she was and where he was. "S'il vous plaît ne soyez pas si contrarié, amour, Lyfe ne serait pas heureux de te voir comme ça." She gave his shoulders one more squeeze before pushing herself back up to her feet and offering him a hand, a small smile pulled at her lips. "Venez, nous devons accueillir le nouveau sang." She spoke in french most of the time she was around Ghost, and mostly it was because she enjoyed being able to talk in french and then not having to repeat herself.

Meanwhile, Simon attacked Florence with kisses while purring loudly, after a minute, Ceil climbed up and licked the girl's nose, it seemed he did that with anyone he liked, before shaking his head back and forth and sticking out his tongue, at Jeannie and Axel in a playful manner. After Florence got up, Simon followed her like a lost puppy, making small whining sounds in the back of his throat.

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Chalice arrived at the circus gate, her bag in hand. There were others milling around, newcomers just like her. Letting her bag drop to the ground, she peered through the bars of the gate to see if anyone would be coming to let them in soon. A young woman dressed in all black and white opened up the gate and greeted them. She started handing out flyers one by one, giving each of them a smile. Chalice returned the smile as she accepted a flyer, glancing at its contents. "Why, hello, youngens!" She looked up to see a man walk up to the young girl, and introduced himself to them. "I'm Ricket, that there's Shiloh!" She watched as Shiloh helped Ricket up onto his stilts, and he steadied himself. "Come on, now. You don't want to be late to the big top, now do you?" Grabbing her bag again, she sling it over her shoulder and followed Ricket. She wondered what the 'big top' was, and it was answered as a giant tent came into view. He held it open as she filed inside. Circus members were milling around, talking amongst their little groups. "Hello beautiful Wanna-Be's, I'm Florence!" Another circus member joined them, giving a small wave. A lion tamer also came with her tigers and introduced herself as Damia Astre. Before she could introduce herself, another circus member entered the tent with what seemed like a fox. She talked to Ricket and Shiloh before turning to address the newcomers. "Ah! Where are my manners! I'm so rude sometimes! I am Risque, the only Magician/Illusionist/Escapoloist we have upon these very grounds. And it'll stay that way." Chalice inwardly shuddered, her enthusiasm waning. Magicians had always been her favorite in the circus, they never ceased to amaze her. Her father used to be a magician too, and that was where she got her start in the circus. The last part of what Risque said made her wary of the woman.

Ricket turned back to the wannabes and whispered, "What a craic par, don't ya think?" before bursting out laughing. Chalice grinned at his humor, and ran a hand through her hair. It was overwhelming to meet all these people at once, each one with a distinct personality. It was exactly how she'd imagined it to be, and her excitement boiled over. "This is all so amazing..." She looked around the tent once more, spotting a slightly older, yet handsome figure standing on the far side. "That must be the ringmaster..." she thought. She returned her attention to Ricket, Shiloh, and any other circus members close to her. "I'm Elena Synclair, though you can call me Chalice."

Looking up he acknowledged what Lyfe had said causing him to barely smile, happy they'd be spending time together. As he walked away his presences was replaced. "Vous êtes un menteur horrible." He chuckled at her seeing through him, it was obvious by the way he was acting. Sometimes he didn't have the energy to be happy and bouncy all the time like everyone else, sometimes the acting drained him. There was no point in pretending now to her, but at least it was like they had their own little language where no one else knew what they speaking about. He loved to hear others speaking French, he wasn't quite comfortable with anyone besides Lyfe, but he was less cold to her in terms, probably because she knew French as well. With a deep breath he responded, "Eh bien, je suis juste perplexe et ayant une bascule bipolaire." He honestly didn't know what to say to the girl, mainly because he didn't even know what was completely wrong himself.

"Quoi?"" Questioning so as she got on both knees and stared at him. He wasn't sure why she just sat there looking, so he met her gaze. As he did so he still played with his hair until Damia took over. He was speechless by her action as she began massaging his head like she did, and even more surprised by how good it felt. As she moved towards his temples he shut his eyes feeling relaxed. "Je me soucie de tout le monde..." He nodded his head to her words as her hands then moved to his shoulders to relax thought muscles as well. He was somewhat shocked he was allowing her to be so close, but he knew the reason, to please Lyfe, he would be friendlier; he also didn't mind because it felt good to him. It was strange to hear the word care from someone though, he just didn't talk enough to anyone to hear it he guessed.

"S'il vous plaît ne soyez pas si contrarié, amour, Lyfe ne serait pas heureux de te voir comme ça." He slightly scuffed, "Ici parler aux autres, alors pourquoi serait-il soins-" With his eyes flying open at the jealous hint he smiled to try brushing away the words to her, maybe she hasn't caught the sharpness. He acted causal as if what he had said didn't upset him anymore, Idiot.

"Come, we must welcome the new blood." Maybe she didn't notice." He still had no interest in meeting them. His eyes slowly floated back to Lyfe, But he'd want you too. "Sounds good." Hoping their secret conversation was over he went back to English trying his best to seem warm and bright. "And thank you for trying to make me feel better." He wasn't positive what to do from there though with him being along the lines of antisocial. The girl was sweeter than he had imagined, he'd spoken to her some but not like this, he enjoyed it more than he thought he would have.

Looking from her he watched the lions that were no longer roaming, but were cuddling around Lyfe, he wondered why his eyes always ended settling on him causing him to look at the ground at stare at different colored fabric and dirt. As he sat there his mouth started running without his brains control, "Si je devais jamais vous dire tout ce que vous voulez garder un secret, non?"

Liu bit his lip lightly as he ran his fingers through his short, dark brown hair, fixing it so that it covered his right eye properly before continuing on passed the gates of the circus. He glanced at the clown who handed him a flyer, looking down at it quietly. I wonder if they'll agree to letting me be a fire breather or not. If not then I'll find another circus who will or I'll find another way to become one, he thought to himself quietly as he followed the others towards the big top.

He entered the big top and looked around quietly, slipping his hand into the pocket of his black skinny jeans that hugged his legs tightly, letting his fingers curl around his lighter. He pulled the lighter out and lit it before letting it go out, only to repeat the process over and over as he stood in front of the current members of the circus. His eyes wandered over to the ringmaster and watched him interact with another member. He never really got close to most people after his kidnapping and preferred it that way, not trusting people very much since then.

He let out a soft sigh and sat down to the side. "I'm Liu Jiao," he said, introducing himself, quietly - but loud enough to be heard by all. He then turned his attention back to his lighter, nervous and in need of the calming affects that it gave him. He stared into the flame silently, occasionally glancing up to see if he was getting weird looks as he normally would from other people about his habit. He knew he would have to explain eventually if he stayed, but he didn't want to tell everyone. He might just tell the ringmaster and ignore when others asked, or complained about the dangers of a lighter around tents and other flammable objects.

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"Ici parler aux autres, alors pourquoi serait-il soins-" She tilted her head slightly as she slowly thought this through. She did pick up on the sharpness in his tone and the tension that came back so quickly. When Damia was younger, people often thought she would would make a brilliant police officer, she was great a picking up on the littlest things and being so observant. Too bad she would never be how her parents wanted her to be, instead of growing up to be some brilliant police officer and instead of going to college, she chose to join a circus. Through it was a brilliant life with a huge, happy family, it was surprisingly lonely, at least, for someone like her, it was. "And thank you for trying to make me feel better." Damia blinked and looked back down towards Ghost, his voice having pulled her from her darker thoughts. had she really made him feel better? Well no, but she had tired, it was the thought that counted...right? She often found herself so closed off from human contact that she didn't know what counted anymore, and she never would if she didn't start re-connecting with people, maybe she shouldn't be so uptight about the new people coming in, maybe she should be happier...No, I don't know any of them, I wont trust any of them... She let out a frustrated sigh before shaking her head and trying to focus on the man in front of her.

Silently she watched him watch Lyfe, and in an instant, the puzzle clicked. She made a strange sound in the back of her throat before nodding in a understanding way. "Si je devais jamais vous dire tout ce que vous voulez garder un secret, non?" She rocked back onto her heels for a moment, thoughts reeling. Could she be trusted with someone's secret? Could someone really want to rely on her like that? Would be able able to help another person? Yes. Who would she tell anyone? Ghost was the first person she had actually sat down and had a conversation with in months, she didn't have anyone to run off and tell his secrets to, and even if she did, what was the point? If she told someone, she would lose his trust and just end up hurting them. Yes, she was most likely the best person he could talk to, because she was the most alone person here.

Silently, Damia knelt back down in front of Ghost, her head titled to the side ever so slightly as she seemed lost in her thoughts. Finally, her eyes seemed to come back into focus and she leaned forward slightly, so she could still talk in her normal quiet tone and he would be able to hear her. "Tout le monde me voit comme cette petite chose étrange et calme. Ce ne sont que d'un côté de moi que je ressens est nécessaire de montrer puisque personne d'autre ne semble être leur montrer." She let out a quiet sigh and bit her lip. It was true even in the circus everyone viewed her as the strange quiet one, even if others were just as quiet as she was, it seemed that it was to be forever her title. "En vérité, je me tais, et plutôt étrange, je suppose, mais je suis aussi fidèle." She strange her position so her knees were resting side by side once more. Part of her wanted to try and work the tension out of his shoulders again, but she would just try and do that later if he didn't mind. "Je vais garder vos secrets." She smiled a small smile for him. Damia honestly enjoyed being able to speak french with someone else, even if someone else came over and tried to catch what they were saying, they wouldn't have a clue. Damia turned slightly as Lyfe's voice filled the air around them, it seemed his speech had begun and ended, and now he was standing beside the two of them. “How was I, mate? Your opinion matters most to me, so give it to me straight.” Damia smiled at Ghost but stayed kneeling on the ground, Simon and Ceil joining Feral behind her and pawing playfully at each other.

Smiles was late. He cursed as he crashed out of his tent trying in vain to tie his shoe as he did. He gave two hops before he fell face first into the ground and groaned as he got back up and dusted himself off. Taking a deep breath he opted for tying his dress shoes before seriously damaging any body parts that he'd prefer to keep. He checked to make sure that his dark faded jeans, dark purple vest and crisp white button down shirt weren't ruined and that his fedora- which matched his vest- was still atop his head. Once that was done he speed walked down to the Big Top. He passed the gates and wondered how many new people had come for a chance at the circus life and how many would actually stay. He remembered when he'd been in their position and the many people that had come that day to join. Slowly many of those people had left or quit because they couldn't handle or didn't want to live it out as the carnies did. Smiles was glad he had a strong determination or he'd never have known the joys of being a carnie. He didn't have an act or anything of the sort. He was a simple concessionaire but he was treated pretty equally to the others and for that he was truly grateful.

Opening the flaps of the Big Top he grinned as he spotted many of them already inside. Great going Smiles, now everyone knows you're late, he chastised himself in his head. He spotted Lyfe and gave him an apologetic look before placing both hands in a pleading position and bowed his head regretfully. He hated disappointing his boss. Actually, he hated disappointing anyone really. Looking back up he noticed the newbies and sauntered over with his usual charming smile and waved dramatically. "Hello there newcomers! I am the wonderful and magnificent Smiles," he greeted, bowing in a ridiculous but oddly charming way that only Smiles could ever pull off before continuing on, "I hope to see more of you in the coming days, yes?" He turned to Shiloh, gave her a friendly two finger wave greeting before heading to the side and sat at the stands.

Smiles was still tired oddly enough. His part time job required him to wake up at an ungodly hour in the morning but he needed all the extra money he could get. None of his fellow carnies really knew it but he worked part time for an old lady, helping her sew and mend clothes and costumes. He felt no shame in the trade and wouldn't give a flying rats arse if the others knew but since they hadn't asked he'd never said. He liked helping the sweet old lady out, and in the long run he knew how to fix any torn clothes or costumes. Very helpful if such a situation came up here at the circus. Heck, the old lady he worked for had even taught him how to make a few clothes and was still in the process of said teaching. Pretty soon he wouldn't have to go to stores to buy his clothes. He'd simply buy a bunch of fabric, needles and thread and he'd make himself a whole batch of clothing. Very useful indeed. He lets his dark brown eyes glance at everyone slowly and he smiles softly. This was his family. "And its about to get just a bit bigger..." he murmured to himself as he finally settled his sights on the newbies.

Before long, Lyfe enters center stage and Smiles listens attentively as their Ring Master gives his speech.

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Tomo was currently standing at the other side of the street of the gates looking very much like a stalker. A very hot stalker, she amended in her head smirking as she looked down at her choice of clothing. She'd chosen to go with an off the shoulder skull tee, some black short shorts, awesome fishnet stockings (one of many that she owned) and black boots that reached just below her knees. She'd added small black leather bracelets here and there just so she wouldn't feel so plain but then again Tomo was one of few people who could ever really look plain even on off days. Her friend Molly had helped her fashion her hair into a mohawk style that didn't require her to cut off any of her hair whatsoever.

She smiled as she thought of her best friend. Molly was the complete opposite of her; she was shy, a bit nerdy and all around cute! Though she looked like a kid, Molly was actually two years older than Tomo and liked to remind her of it every chance she got. Tomo had been living with Molly for a little over a year ever since she'd left her parents home. Tyler, Molly's boyfriend, was also one of Tomo's closest friend and was also on the baby faced side. People still wondered why such sweet faced people would still be friends with a daredevil like Tomo. She knew they made an odd little trio but she loved them dearly because they didn't judge her and accepted her for who she was. 'Course, that didn't stop them from having their arguments now and then BUT that's what friendship was all about. Sticking together through the good and bad.

Enough with the mindless reminiscent memories. Get your ass over there, she commanded herself as she snapped back to reality. She adjusted her large spiked messenger bag on her shoulder before she strutted across the street and took a flyer from the female clown with a grateful smile. Once they'd gathered quite a few people she followed them into what they reffered to as the "Big Top". Many of the Carnies introduced themselves and Tomo couldn't help but eye them up. Attractive lot, that they were. Tomo grinned mischievously at the rated r thoughts running through her head before she shook herself free of them. Down Tomo, down. She stayed oddly silent throughout the whole thing, even when there was a commotion with the animals and Ricket, very odd behaviour for Tomo herself since half the time even her friends couldn't get her to shut up. But Tomo figured that this was a whole new world she was coming into. A whole new set of rules to take in mind. Though she was for the most part a rebellious girl Tomo still held her parents upbringing in her genes. She could be decent, even normal, if she allowed herself to be. This was one such occasion. She hungrily took in her surrounding and the people around her and wondered only for a second if she was doing the right thing. But only for a second. The way that her heart beat against her chest and the rush she was getting just standing there was all the answer she needed. As the Ring Master walked to the center of the stage Tomo stilled and listened to his speech. A thrill went down her back and she grinned.

"Tout le monde me voit comme cette petite chose étrange et calme. Ce ne sont que d'un côté de moi que je ressens est nécessaire de montrer puisque personne d'autre ne semble être leur montrer." He looked at the petite little girl with a small smirk. It was odd to him she had said that, she seemed so unpresumptuous to him. "Eh bien, je vous remercie de m'avoir montré ce côté-" His voice cut out abruptly when he noticed that Lyfe was making his way to the center of the Big Top. Knowing he was about to give his speech he wanted to give him his full attention, but he couldn't be rude so he gave her one ear while his eye and other ear were occupied.

"En vérité, je me tais, et plutôt étrange, je suppose, mais je suis aussi fidèle." He shuck his head no softly. "Um.... Vous ne semblez pas étrange pour moi, vous avez juste vos moments de calme." Ghost tried his best to concentrate on the both, but it wasn't the easiest task to listen to one and converse with another; he'd try. As Lyfe spoke he maintained all his cherished qualities. He was charming, yet assertive, but also humble. The topic still wasn't his favorite, but at least their family was growing and Lyfe seemed passionate causing Ghost to simper.

"Je vais garder vos secrets." The last line she spoke was the same time Lyfe had finished, allowing all his senses to go towards her. "Eh bien, je-" Arriving over to them after the speech was Lyfe, Was I even going to tell her anything anyways? If he were to talk it would have been about his friend to begin with, but what would he have said? Nothing to important he knew at the least. Standing up he used his right index finger to push his glasses to fit back on his nose. “How was I, mate? Your opinion matters most to me, so give it to me straight.” With a tiny smile he rolled his eyes at Lyfe, "It was wonderful like I knew it would be, your speeches are always good." With him around Ghost completely let himself relax around him, calming. My opinion matters most... Not quite understanding why he didn't mention anything about it, nothing he ever had to say really mattered.

Lyfe grinned, wholeheartedly. "Thank you, my friend," he said. He stretched his muscles, glancing at Damia as she sat silently on the floor.

"Damia, darling, I wasn't able to give you a proper greeting, love. Malu and Seneb took me away before I could really communicate with you," He helped the young woman to her feet. "Hello, my untamed star." He then placed a soft kiss on the back of her hand. To say that Lyfe was excited was an understatement; not only did he make progress with Ghost, but he was expanding their family. He felt good.

"Sadly, I must part to mingle with the Fresh Meat," he said with a shrug. "Ghost, I owe you a drink and Damia you may join us if you please. Cheers."

He walked away, straightening his jacket, tie, and top hat. He then made his way to Risque as she perched, watching in silence. He knelt before her, sending an apologetic look her way. "I am sorry that our conversation ended so soon, love, however I will be all yours later when we practice your act. For now, I have to get to know the new recruits, but when I'm done; you and I have a date with a tight rope. I look forward to catching you when you fall." He gave a small bow then stood completely, looking at the picture of her logo on his arm before raising his brow a bit flirtatiously at her. "If I didn't know any better, Risque; I'd say you tried to brand me." He gave her a charming smile and a wink then went on his merry way towards the new people.

"Hello, hello, hello," he said with exuberance as he approached them. "How are my New Bloods today? I want to know your stage name, your talent, and if you feel comfortable telling me; your story, I'd love to hear it, if not then no pressure. I completely understand."

At his compliment he loved the smile that grew across Lyfe's face. "Thank you, my friend," "No need to thank me, it's just a fact." As he sat he sighed and relaxed his head on his knees that had been pulled to his chest. Through the space of his knees he could see the small Damia begin risen to her feet by the help of Lyfe. He couldn't see their faces, but by the words they were saying he could imagine the rest of their body language and their feet positioned helped. Ghost could tell Lyfe was being charming, like always, and probably had kissed her hand by now.

"Sadly, I must part to mingle with the Fresh Meat," hearing so maybe him let out another sigh, Be positive about this! He tried to force himself to think. "Ghost," at his name he popped up his head to see what Lyfe had to say, "I owe you a drink and Damia you may join us if you please. Cheers." As Lyfe walked away he couldn't help but glare at Damia as his relaxation walked away to mingle. Alone time has been invaded. Letting his facial expression soften he beheld hesitation at the tiger tamer thinking if he would follow through with his outrages thought. "Si je deviens terne, ennuyeux, ou de commencer à drainer la vie de mon être, vous devez me faire connaître un peu." He assumed what he was saying didn't quite make any sense to her yet, but shortly it would. "En ce moment j'ai besoin d'un ami ..... ce n'est pas un secret avant droite, mais peut-être un jour vous allez lire entre les lignes." Giving her a wink he hooked arms with her, pulling her towards the Wanna-Be's that weren't occupied by Lyfe.

"Bonjour to all!" At the moment he was imagining himself putting on a performance. When he was loud and bold making the fans cheer to see his act, "I am Ghost, the Strong Man!" His first introduction had been colorless and French, meaning he needed a new one. Beaming to all of them without losing his casting gaze amongst them he spoke to Damia, "Bon, non?" He knew he was doing good, he did this for all his performances. Upbeat unlike his usual self. He liked the fake him at times through, he brought joy to others, which is all he could ever ask for. He never really cared about his own feelings, but the feelings of the ones around him. Ghost had always wished he could say 'I joined the circus to make others happy', but he had joined for other circumstances that he had no intentions of sharing ever again. The only one that had known was Lyfe, and that's why Ghost felt like he had some connection with him, because he knew so much.

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Damia was happy as she watched their exchange, it was clear to see how much happier Ghost was around Lyfe, and it actually made her smile. "Damia, darling, I wasn't able to give you a proper greeting, love. Malu and Seneb took me away before I could really communicate with you," Damia blinked her eyes back into focus and took Lyfe's offered hand so she could rise to her full height, which wasn't very high. "Hello, my untamed star." Damia offered a pleasant smile as he kissed her hand gently. "It's quite alright Lyfe." She replied politely and was very aware of Ghost's gaze. "Sadly, I must part to mingle with the Fresh Meat," Damia nodded in understanding but stayed silent. "Ghost, I owe you a drink and Damia you may join us if you please. Cheers." She replied with a small 'hm' from the back of her throat as he walked away. "Si je deviens terne, ennuyeux, ou de commencer à drainer la vie de mon être, vous devez me faire connaître un peu." Damia turned back towards Ghost and tilted her head to the side in slight confusion. "En ce moment j'ai besoin d'un ami ..... ce n'est pas un secret avant droite, mais peut-être un jour vous allez lire entre les lignes." her eye visibly twitched as he hooked arms with her and started to lead her towards the new blood. It seemed none of them would get much peace around here with all of these Wanna-Be's and all of the help they'll need along the way. Lyfe had not been lying when he said it wouldn't be easy.

"Bonjour to all!" Damia followed Ghost's act in front of the Wanna-Be's, and also pretended like she was up on the stage once more, addressing the many fan's that would be sitting in the stands, watching, clapping, cheering. "I am Ghost, the Strong Man!" Damia couldn't help but smile at his booming voice, it actually made her relax a bit more under the Wanna-Be's gaze. "Bon, non?" She chuckled and nodded in agreement. "Oui, brillant comme toujours," She glanced up at him and then back towards the Wanna-Be's a sudden thought coming to her. "Puis-je ajouter, en prenant un verre avec vous deux sons amusants, malheureusement, j'ai d'autres choses à prendre soin de ce soir. Peut-être que vous pourriez avoir du plaisir pour nous deux? Oui?" She smiled slyly at Ghost before stepping forward slightly, through she did not break the hold on his arm, she did rise her other hand. "Bonjour my darlings!" Her voice rang out as strong and loud as Ghost's had, through it was clearly more feminine. "I am Damia Astre, the Tiger Tamer!" With a snap of her fingers, Feral and Simon suddenly ran at each other from either side of them tent, clearing a path as they went, and then, right before they would have collided, Feral jumped right over Simon, did a graceful twist in the air, and then landed perfectly on her feet.

The tiger purred loudly while walking up to Ghost and rubbing on his legs, as if she was asking if she had done a good job, while Simon slowed to a stop and puffed out his chest proudly before walking back over to Damia's side. Ceil still sat on Simon's head, through the smallest tiger was asleep now. Damia stepped back beside Ghost and offered everyone a dazzling smile while speaking to the taller man. "Tu me dois un verre à travers.." She grinned up a Ghost before offering everyone that had been watching a small bow. "Si vous avez besoin d'un ami, vous en avez un." Damia's smile turned from dazzling to genuine in a heartbeat as she turned to look at Ghost completly before reaching out to pat Simon's head.

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Chalice's attention turned to the handsome man as he strolled to the center of the big top and addressed everyone. His smooth voice reverberated off the tent walls as he called them to attention. He started his eloquent speech, and she hung on every word. As he introduced himself as the ringmaster, her earlier speculation had been confirmed. Lyfe explained that the circus would be a home, and they would be her family, and a smile lit up her face. She hung on his every word, and by the end of the speech, she was absolutely giddy. She felt like a little kid on their first day of school. This was better than she could ever hope, this circus had exceeded her expectations.

"Hello, hello, hello." Lyfe approached the the newcomers, and Chalice turned to face him. "How are my New Bloods today? I want to know your stage name, your talent, and if you feel comfortable telling me; your story, I'd love to hear it, if not then no pressure. I completely understand." Hm, her life story? That wouldn't be something she would divulge just yet. Well, at least not the specifics. Seeing no one else pipe up yet, she decided to go ahead and introduce herself. "My stage name is Chalice, and I do both aerial silks and knife throwing." She tucked a few stray curls behind her ear as she continued. "It must seem weird that I have two completely different talents, but both my parents used to be circus performers and they taught me a few things." She smiled sincerely at Lyfe. "I'm sorry, but that's all I'll say about my 'story' for now." A booming voice drew her attention over to a duo who seemed to be putting on a little show. She watched as the tigers performed a trick, and she recognized the trainer as Damia Astre, who had introduced herself before.