Meteor's Story

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Lola sighed and picked at her nails. She was leaning on one of the tent support poles watching the freaks all put in their last minute rehearsals for tonight. Lola was wearing tight black jeans and what was practically a black bra with extra straps attached. She narrowed her eyes as she saw the same performer forget her move for the fourth time in a row. The Circus had been in town for the last 10 days which the roadies had spent setting up the tent and infrastructure. So of course that meant the performing freaks had waited to the last minute to rehearse their performances.

"How are we looking for tonight?"

Lola forced herself not to jump in surprise. The Ringmaster was always very good at sneaking up on people and appearing behind you without you noticing. Lola would never get used to it. Without turning around, she replied, "Yeah. They've finished setting up. We have a fully booked show tonight and your freaks should be able to pull it together by then."

"We have a few VIPs coming tonight as well, so things better go well." The Ringmaster said sternly before soundlessly turning and leaving. They didn't even look over the performers rehearsing. The Ringmaster entrusted the running of the show to Lola, and they'd only step in after the show went badly.

Lola sighed after the Ringmaster left. As much disdain as she felt for the freaks, she couldn't just ignore them like she wanted. If they did badly tonight it was her ass on the line. The Ringmaster would blame her for anyone's failings. Then one of the acrobats fell and hit the cushioned mat they had laid down for rehearsals hard. Crossing her arms angrily, Lola took a few step into the center ring of the circus tent. "Get it together freaks!" She yelled out to the entire group making it quite clear she was fed up with them. Then she turned and left the main tent.

Lola entered the showgirls van. Every surface and wall space was covered in costumes, mirrors, wigs, makeup and glitter. Of course at the far end of the van there was the largest cleanest mirror, that had lights around it. That was Lola's mirror. She made sure none of the other showgirls dared use it.

Currently the van was empty, but the other girls would be coming soon to get ready. Lola sat down in front of her mirror and started applying another layer of makeup. Of course she was never seen around the circus without thick makeup on. "Lunch." Aubrey entered the van holding a tray of sandwiches cut into triangles. Lola scowled. Aubrey was 13. She didn't have an oddity and was too young to be a showgirl. So she did the same things Lola used to; giving out sandwiches, cleaning, passing message around etc. The way Aubrey was eyeing up the showgirl costumes and glitter reminded Lola of her younger self.

If her heart wasn't so frozen over she might have felt pity for the young girl. Caught in a venomous trap but too starstruck to see it. All Lola felt was bitter though, soon Aubrey would be old enough to become a showgirl and she'd be young and youthful whilst Lola found herself getting older and older. When would she be too old and end up being replaced by a younger girl?

"Leave." Lola demanded after taking a sandwich half. She took a bite and threw the rest in the bin. She had a bmi she had to keep too. She couldn't control her age but she could control her weight. Sighing she sat down and started prodding at her face. She had age lines she hadn't seen on her face only a year before.

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"God, I feel like we haven't performed in ages!" Brody claimed as he stretched out his arms behind his head whilst floating through the air on his back. Brody enjoyed performing and being able to fly through the air in public without seeming odd. He grinned as he flapped his arms about to turn himself to more of an upright position in the air. "I can hardly wait."

Ethan gave his brother a look and a frown. "Dude, last performed like three weeks ago," He grumbled kicking a clump of dirt from the ground towards his brother. Ethan did an in air twist and avoided the attack. "Plus we've been practicing our routine like every day." Unlike his brother, Ethan really did not care that much about performing. In fact he would have been perfectly happy just spending the time alone. Probably working on his guitar chords, or possibly reading a book. The attention and noise was really not his thing.

"Alright!" Brody called once he floated himself up to the ledge above the circus stage, doing a few flips on his way up. Of course Ethan had to climb the ladder up the way normal acrobats had to.

"Just be sure to use the ladder tonight," Ethan said under his breathe to no one but himself. He knew his brother would almost definitely forget to go up the normal way. Brody always used to forget to act normal around the audience. Well at least he had always been forgetting for as long as Ethan could remember.

Then Brody jumped off and they started their practicing their act. Everything went fine for them, but across the stage from them another performer took a fall. They weren't doing the big high stuff like them, so it was a harmless fall, a nasty bruise at worst. There was a cushioned mat below The acrobats area but they were high up, so falling off balance could still result in broken bones.

When the performer fell, both Brody and Ethan said in unison, "Sucks to be them." They didn't look at the performer who fell or even give a hint of sympathy. After all neither of them were in danger of a nasty fall. Brody would just fly away, and Ethan wouldn't get hurt if he did fall.

So then a few minutes later, Brody grinned to himself as he hung from a bar. Ethan came flying across, arm outstretched to grab Brody's arm. Except at the last minute Brody pulled his arm back and let Ethan fly past him without catching him. Ethan fell straight into the ground with a loud crash. "Fucking hell Brody," Ethan called up at Brody once he had gotten up on his feet. Of course he wasn't hurt, but he was still mad.

Brody just laughed loudly. "You should of seen your face!"

"Get it together freaks!" Lola yelled out to the group of performers. Though clearly it had been Ethan and Brody who had been the cause of her outburst. Both Ethan's anger and Brody's laughter died down a little after that. Neither of them had realised she had been watching and neither of them wanted to get into undue trouble.

It's hard to sleep when you got hit by a truck. Or, at least, for Lorelai that's how it felt. Hence why she slept in the morning before the big performance. She was thankful the others had let her sleep, but now that she was awake, she knew she needed to get moving. Thankfully, her pain was more or less gone for the morning, and it would hopefully stay away while she went about her day. Just in case, she took a couple Advil capsules and went about her day.

The others were already practicing by the time she entered the tent, dressed in her rehearsal outfit. The twins were up by the ropes. Brody was goofing off, as usually, and Ethan was just trying not to strangle his brother. "Hey boys!" She called up to them, "Remember me?" She walked up to them just as Ethan came crashing to the ground. Normally she would've panicked, but this was Ethan. The fall wouldn't hurt him. Still, she held her hand out to him and asked, "You okay?" From up in the balconies, she heard Lola shout, "Get it together, freaks!" The fingers of her free hand, as in the one not extended to her friend, curled into a fist at her side and her nails dug into her palm. Lola got under Lorelai's skin. Mainly because she referred to all of her friends as "freaks". The term didn't bother them most of the time, but when it was used as an insult, it boiled Lori's blood. If it was just towards herself, she would care less, but since it was towards all of them, she had a problem.

"I hope she trips in her stupidly high heels," she grumbled, loud enough for Ethan to hear, but no one else. Then she looked up at Brody, a grin on her face, the whole situation pushed behind her. "Brody! Care to give a lady a lift?" She called up to him. The twins were her very best friends. Brody helped to cheer her up and Ethan helped keep her calm. Brody made her laugh and Ethan helped her think. They were so different and both so helpful to her. In return she did almost anything they needed and protected them fiercely. Her heart breaks everytime they forget something important. One day, she had an idea. She's been saving up her portion of money from their shows so she can buy them film and polaroid cameras (the instant kind) so they can take pictures of things they don't want to forget. She also wants to get them Sharpies so they can write notes to themselves on the back. It may not help much, but it's better than completely losing happy memories. At least, that's what she hoped for the gift.

Part of their act was she would drop from the ropes into a pool of water where she'd swim around for a while--without coming up for air of course--and then when she was finished, she be pulled back up into the air by Brody. She was also preparing a little silks routine that she hoped to one day work into her act with the twins, but for now it was swing, flip, swing, and dive. Plus a little more gymnastic tricks before being back in the water. Thankfully track and swimming both kept her strong and flexible so she was able to add some handstands, flips, and other things into their routine early on.

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"Hey boys!" Lorelai called to them, announcing her presence. Which caused both the boys to smile broadly. "Remember me?"

"Barely!" Brody called from up in the air with a laugh. "What did you say your name was again? Dori, Cori?" He had a huge smile on his face, seeing Lorelai always made him happy and put him in a good mood. He had been sad when Ethan had told him Lorelai would be coming in later. Of course he tried to understand the pain thing as best he could - which was very little.

Ethan took Lorelai's hand and lifted himself up. When she asked if he was okay, Ethan to scowled. He shook his head and gave her a look. "No Lori. Are you okay?" It was a pretty messed up situation. That Ethan couldn't really feel pain despite what he put his body through on a daily basis in rehearsals, and yet Lorelai had to deal with so much pain for doing nothing at all. Ethan felt like it fell to him most the time to make sure she was okay. Since Brody was too spacey and unreliable. He did worry about one day forgetting to watch out for her.

"I hope she trips in her stupidly high heels," Lorelai said as Lola walked off, and Ethan held back a slight chuckle.

Then he leaned into Lorelai and said just for her, "And messes up that face of hers. Then we'd be rid of her forever."

Then Lorelai called up to Brody. Brody dropped down to grab Lorelai's arms, "Of course m'lady," He said with a laugh. Then he threw her up into the air. Ethan jumped in and they went through the same routine they'd be doing for while. They were the acrobats and they belonged in the air. Except of course for Lorelai who seemed as though she also belonged in the water.

Everything was going fine until Aubrey entered the main tent with a plate full of sandwiches. Brody's eyes immediately went to the food and he felt his stomach growl. Being easily distracted, he was focused on the food and almost didn't grab Ethan's hand again. "Focus." Ethan said angrily with a growl and glare.

Brody frowned, but he nodded in understanding as he jumped up and swung over to the swing on the other side of the tent. Though the moment Brody grabbed the swing opposite he completely forgot the next move in their routine. He was so busy trying to remember it that when he noticed Lorelai flying towards him it was too late for him to catch her.

Ethan noticed though. He swung across and grabbed Lorelai with one hand, the other hand grabbing another swing, stopping them both from crashing into the ground. "Brody what the hell!" Ethan yelled immediately up at Brody. He had been a little mad before when Brody had dropped him, but now he was furious. "She could have been seriously hurt!"

Brody just looked at Lorelai with a pale white face. "Lori... I..." Brody was in complete shock, he looked down at his hands and said, "I just... forgot..." Then he shook his head, "Lori I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to," Brody pleaded with Lori not to be mad him, he couldn't bare it if she blamed him. Though he also couldn't shake off the weird feeling he got looking at Lorelai in Ethan's arms.

[font=Palatino Linotype]Lori smiled up at Brody and and made the "I'm watching you motion". Her attention turned to Ethan when he asked if she was okay. "I'm fine now Ethan. Thanks for asking and understanding." She replied she knew Brody was probably upset that she wasn't there earlier, but Ethan was the rock that kept them all grounded. She was watching Brody goof off up near the ceiling when she felt Ethan lean towards her and respond to her comment about Lola in a low voice that sent a weird shiver up her spine. Not weird in a bad or creepy way. Weird because it wasn't in a bad or creepy way and she wasn't sure exactly why. "And messes up that face of hers." He said. "Then we'd be rid of her forever." She grinned devilishly at him.

Brody was there, lifting her up to the ropes and she laughed and held on tight. She wasn't scared, she knew that as long as Brody focused, he would never drop her. Once they were up at the ropes, the boys took turns flipping and tossing her back and forth. Being an acrobat was probably one of the most fun--and dangerous--things she had ever done in her life and she enjoyed it immensely. They were nearing the end of their routine when she could tell something had caught Brody's attention. And she wasn't alone. Ethan was glaring at him and growled something to his brother.

She launched herself off the side, ready to be caught, but Brody wasn't there. Her heart sunk a little. Not in disappointment but in fright. She bit back a scream as gravity began to pull her down. Ethan was there quickly though and took a hold of her. He swung them back to the side and yelled up at his brother who soon joined them. "Brody what the hell!" Ethan yelled, his face was red with anger. "She could have been seriously hurt!" Her heart wanted to break at the sadness on her other friend's face. "Lori... I...I just... forgot..." He said then shook his head, "Lori I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to."

Her eyes were soft and she put a hand on Ethan's shoulder. She gave it a soft squeeze as a warning to calm down. She was fine and he knew how Brody could be. Then she walked towards Brody, her eyes and smile soft, and wrapped him in a tight hug. "I forgive you, Brody, but it's not okay." She pulled back and looked into his eyes. "Okay? You need to focus." She looked down to where his attention had been earlier and saw Aubrey with a plate of sandwiches. "Although I'm sure you'll do better at that when you have a full stomach, huh?" Her smile turned to a grin and she gestured towards the ground. "Want to try again? I could use a lift down."

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Lola gave a tight smile to Clarke when she entered. "Hey Clarke." Lola looked back at her mirror and continued applying her makeup. If friends were something Lola had or cared about, she might have considered Clarke a friend. She was after all the person Lola was closest to in this circus. She also had her uses. However there was only so close someone could get with Lola.

"How is it looking in the main tent? Are they ready?" Lola pursed her lips in thought and made an exaggerated thinking sound, really dragging it out.

Then she did the finishing touches of her makeup before applying a light pink lipstick. Smacking her lips once in the mirror to be sure. "They better be. They've had ages to prepare," Lola glared at herself in the mirror as if she were looking at the freaks right at that moment. "If they're not I'm sure I'll never hear the end of it." Then Lola gave an more sinister smirk, "And then they'll never hear the end of it."

Lola then got up passing Clarke to grab her showgirl costume. "I swear I heard a lot of shouting from there earlier," Clarke said, pausing to take a large bite of her sandwich. Lola tried her best to hide the icy look she gave Clarke. She remembered when she was younger and could eat whatever she wanted without a care in the world. "Bet the twins were at it again."

Lola rolled her eyes as she basically peeled off her skin tight jeans. "Those two will be the end of me," She growled. Seriously, if it was up to Lola she would have gotten rid of all three of the acrobats years ago. The twins gave her a migraine and the girl -Nebula- was always complaining and taking time off for her pain. In Lola's opinion the girl just needed to suck it up. Of course it wasn't up to Lola. The Ringmaster didn't care much for the showgirls but adored their freaks. Pretty runaways are a dime a dozen, but oddities, they were the truly rare ones. Lola knew her worth to the Ringmaster was virtually nothing when compared to a freak.

Lola squeezed into her Head Showgirl costume. It was basically a corset, short skirt, fishnet stockings, ridiculously high heels, and little else. All in red and black. Of course Lola's had a rather long train to have her stand out as the Head Showgirl. She walked over to Clarke's mirror. "I'm thinking pink," Lola said nodding to Clarke's makeup kit she was still holding. It wasn't hard to guess what the colorful girl was thinking about. Lola picked up a ring among the clutter in front of Clarke's mirror and tried it on. "Apparently we got some VIPs coming tonight, you wanna great them?" That was another one of the showgirl's roles. To charm VIPs. It wasn't hard you greeted them at the front, laughed at their gross jokes and showed them to their seat. It seemed the only real qualification a showgirl needed was long legs and a convincing fake laugh.

"You'd better hurry up almost time to get ready for the audience." Lola returned the ring back to Clarke's stuff deciding it was too gaudy for her.

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Lorelai walked towards with soft eyes and a softer smile, causing the guilt in Brody's stomach to deepen. The she walked towards Brody and wrapped him in a big hug causing a light blush to spread over his cheeks."I forgive you, Brody, but it's not okay."

Brody moved his hands to her shoulders. "I know Lori. I swear it was an accident. I'm so sorry. Please, I didn't mean to. You know I wouldn't-" Lorelai pulled away and looked at Brody with deadly serious eyes that cut him off mid rant.

"Okay? You need to focus." She said, before she looked away and then looked back with a grin. Which caused Brody so slowly break out into his usual exuberant grin. "Although I'm sure you'll do better at that when you have a full stomach, huh?" Brody rubbed the back of his head with a 'caught out' look on his face as his stomach let out an incriminating growl. "Want to try again? I could use a lift down."

Brody smiled happily glad Lorelai still trusted him. "For you. Anytime," Brody said with a grand bow, before scooping Lorelai up. Then he walked to edge of the platform and fell backwards. Brody made sure to do a few goofy tumbles and flips before softly landing on the ground and placing Lorelai on her feet. "C'mon," he said bumping her with his elbow and practically racing over to Aubrey with lunch.

He looked over the sandwiches carefully. It was a big decision after all. He picked up one sandwhich and then made a thinking noise and picked up another. He repeated this until he had about four sandwiches pilled up in his right hand. Then with a grin and a mock salute he moved away to let someone else have a go at the sandwich tray. Brody smiled at Lorelai, and pointed over to Ethan. "Look at him bein a big sook," he said with a smile that said he meant no harm by his comment. Ethan had left him and Lorelai and was hanging by Levi. Brody ate his first sandwich in as few bites as humanly possible.

"So how do you reckon tonight's going to go?" He asked eating his second sandwich. "You are doing all right?" Brody looked a little sheepishly at his feet, a light blush coloring hi features. "Because I know you have trouble. I missed you this morning though."

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Lorelai put a hand on Ethan's shoulder which caused a warmth to spread. Which he felt more when she gave it a squeeze. He knew what message she was trying to send though. He clenched his jaw knowing she wanted him to calm down. Of course he knew there was no way he could go against her. Ethan knew his brother felt bad and Lorelai wouldn't forgive him for making him feel worse. He looked away when Brody and Lorelai hugged. Shoving his hands into his pockets, Ethan worked on looking casual, like them hugging closely didn't bother him in anyway. Brody's blush didn't help ease his irritation.

Then the two of them took off to the ground below. Ethan took a few moments of alone time up on the platform before following them down. Of course he just jumped off and landed on his feet with a thump. Uninjured from such a large fall. He saw his acrobats getting sandwiches but he wasn't hungry and decided now was a great time to peel away. He couldn't stand to watch Lorelai so easily forgive his brother and the two of them act to upbeat to each other.

He gave a little nod of greeting to Levi and took the chair next to him. Ethan didn't say anything but leaned back and allowed himself to relax, even shutting his eyes. Upon reflection he realized that it wasn't exactly his brother's fault. It was more this curse they were both plagued with. Though when he opened his left eye and looked back over at Lorelai and Brody, and saw Brody looking all blushy and awkward his jaw clench in annoyance. Brody didn't see what Ethan did. Lorelai was their family, that why neither of them could go there with her. It would destroy their little family.

"You got a brother?" Ethan asked Levi casually. Although he hung with Levi from time to time he really knew nothing about him. Besides Ethan could use a distraction from his annoying brother. "A sister?"

Lori felt laughter bubble up from her as Brody lifted her and flipped through the air before landing softly on and returning her feet to the ground. He elbowed her playfully before moving towards Audrey and her plate of sandwiches, the true focus of his attention. She walked up behind him and took two sandwich halves. She nibbled them as she stood back and watched Brody. "Look at him bein a big sook," He said, motioning to Ethan who had walked away from them and towards Levi, the magician. She frowned a little. She had nothing against Levi and didn't mind Ethan branching out to talk to others. She just... didn't like that he hadn't said anything to them. She figured he was probably upset that she had forgiven his brother so easily, but Brody just couldn't help certain things. She couldn't stay mad at him for long. It was like staying angry with a horde of puppies or a basket of kittens. They may misbehave, but staying mad at them for things they just couldn't seem to help was difficult.

Her attention turned back to Brody. "So how do you reckon tonight's going to go?" He asked eating his second sandwich. "You are doing all right? Because I know you have trouble. I missed you this morning though." She smiled at him and finished the first half of sandwich before moving on to the second one. "I think things will go smoothly. At least, as long as Lola doesn't fly of her broomstick if someone so much as sneezes during a performance." She rolled her eyes. "As for me, I should be okay. If not, I know you and Ethan have my back. I also have a few pills in a watertight bag that I keep on my costume just in case. Her eyes seemed to smile along with her mouth, crinkling at the corners. "I missed you too, Brody. Both of you really. It's weird not having you two beside me all the time. It's like being a book without bookends. I feel like I'll fall over."

It was really an exaggeration, but there were days where she felt like if she didn't have her boys, she was lost and unstable. Of course, that was a rarity. The three were inseparable. "Are you two ready? You've practiced enough to keep the routine on your minds?"

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Levi's head was relatively quiet, thanks to alochol and the uneventfulness of the day. He really hoped that it would continue, at the very least through the performance. He knew they wouldn't be gone forever. That would just be too easy.

He was watching a small group of performers practice their act when a movement from his left caught his attention. He turned to find one of the twins skulking towards him. He looked the boy up and down and nodded slightly. Not so much in a greeting, but more as a confirmation to himself that he knew which it was. Ethan. He was the more... subdued one. He was also a fine companion to Levi from time to time. Their moods liked to gravitate towards the dark and they often spent quite a bit of time alone together.

As Ethan approached, Levi asked, "You okay, kid?" He could tell the boy was upset about something. Based on the way he would look back at his brother and their inseparable third, Lorelai, he could hazard a guess it had to do with them. "She still doesn't see it, does she?" he asked him, knowing he probably wouldn't get a straight answer from him. His feelings for the girl was something that stayed buried deep out of love for his brother. The only thing that would coax him to talk was a good amount of alcohol. Not that... Levi would know anything about that.

"You got a brother? A sister?" the boy asked, catching the Trickster off guard. He stared for a moment, watching him."Uhh..No. No I don't. I guess when you have one freak kid, parents often try to keep from creating a horde." Although Levi would argue that it was not for lack of trying. He often heard his parents going at it like rabbits and he would do anything he could to drown out the sound. Including allowing his voices to run amok in his brain. It often left him with nausea and headaches, but so much better than what else he would be listening to. He looked at the two, busy eating sandwiches and not a care in the world. A naughty smile curled up his lips as he offered, "If it would help, I could turn them invisible." It was mainly a joke. If the ringmaster ever found out he had used his abilities like that, he was in trouble.

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"I think things will go smoothly. At least, as long as Lola doesn't fly of her broomstick if someone so much as sneezes during a performance." Body gave a goofy laugh at Lorelai's comment. He was too busy imagining Lola was an actual witch and smiling to himself. The green skin, black hair and a big mole on her chin. Hence Brody missed Lorelai's next comment but he phased back in to catch the end of it. "-in a watertight bag that I keep on my costume just in case." Brody paused for a second nodding absentmindedly as he tried to piece together what the first part of that sentence could have been. Did she keep food in a water tight bag? Or perhaps money? Or food? Or spare buttons? Or had he thought of food yet? Deciding he may never know what Lorelai had said, Brody just nodded like he understood exactly what she had said.

"I missed you too, Brody. Both of you really. It's weird not having you two beside me all the time. It's like being a book without bookends. I feel like I'll fall over."

Brody laughed and smiled, "Well, you wouldn't want to fall over up there Lori," he said pointing skyward to where the acrobats platforms were positioned. Then he bumped Lorelai with his elbow and grinned conspiratorially, "but you can admit you like me the best though. I won't tell Ethan," He said making the zip motion over his lips then miming locking them closed and then swallowing the key. "Oh wait!" She said his eyes going wide as he realized if he'd locked his lips closed he couldn't swallow the key. "One more time," he said holding out his hand in a 'wait' sign. Then he re-did his mime but this time dropped the key to the ground and kicked it away with his foot.

"Are you two ready? You've practiced enough to keep the routine on your minds?"

Brody gave her a sheepish smile and looked at his feet. He didn't want to make any definite statement. With him and his brother he could never be sure what they'd remember. Plus he'd just forgotten some of the routine before. "Well, I'm sure we're going to try our best," He mumbled quietly before looking up at Lorelai with a big grin, "We're definitely ready, don't even worry about it!"

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"You okay, kid?" Ethan gave a half shrug but kept up his grumpy face. He didn't want to get into it, and expressing how he felt didn't come naturally to him so he avoided it at all costs. He didn't even like thinking about how he was feeling. "She still doesn't see it, does she?" Ethan gave him a look, apparently even without saying anything, Levi was able to read it on his face. When had he become so obvious? He used to think he kept everything held back behind the reserved facade. It didn't matter if Levi had hit the nail on the head with that comment, that was one thing Ethan would never admit to or speak out loud, as if that would be the thing that made it true.

So he shrugged like he had no idea with Levi was talking about. "What, that she talking to an idiot?" Playing dumb didn't come naturally to Ethan like it did to his twin, so there was no way Levi was buying it, but it didn't matter.

Ethan nodded halfheartedly as he listen to Levi tell him that he had no siblings, giving a slight chuckle at the hoard comment. "If it would help, I could turn them invisible."

Ethan laughed a little then shook his head. "See that's the thing about siblings, then I'd miss them," he informed the older guy. Some days Ethan wished to be an only child, though most days he was glad to have Brody around and he wouldn't have it any other way. Then Levi excused himself and left calling Ethan 'Kid'. Ethan felt himself about to comment that Levi was only 4 years older than him and Brody, but he bit back the comment deciding against it. Instead he leaned back further into his seat, closing his eyes and letting relaxation wash over him. Ethan was the kind of guy who never minded time spent alone.

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"Eep! I'm going, I'm going!" Lola almost smiled as she watched Clarke fumble around for her outfit. Then of course Lola remembers who she is and goes back to her cold indifference. She watches herself in the mirror, using her pinkie finger to fix up a lipstick smudge. Then Clarke jumped in front of her to touch up her own makeup. Lola gave Clarke a once over making sure she looked fine and had everything, after all she was in charge of the showgirls and it was up to her to make sure they were all looking perfect. "Okay,"she said. "I'm ready!"

"Finally," Lola said with a fake yawn leaving the trailer, not bothering to hold open the door behind her for Clarke, she was a big girl. Lola walked over to the main circus tent, though the soft ground underneath was making it a little harder that usual. Every step Lola made her heels sunk deeper and deeper into the ground putting her a little off balance. Not that she showed any difficulty in her stride. No, Lola never looked like she was struggling at anything, she was one of those people who always had to look cool calm and collected. Even if she was regretting wearing such high heels, though they did make her legs look great.

Lola entered the main room with a scowl. Even looking at all the freaks wandering about put her in a bad mood. She pressed her lips into a thin line out of disgust, it was like she could even smell them. "All of you." She said to whole tent, she didn't yell but her shrill voice echoed about the tent falling down on all the freaks. "Playtime is over. If you're not ready now, I really don't think you'll ever be." Her voice was condescending and held an air of superiority she'd bestowed upon herself. Of course if any of them weren't ready and looked it on stage tonight then they'd be hearing about it.

"Go get yourselves ready. People are going to start arriving soon and I seriously doubt any of them want to see you all look so..." Lola trailed off and made a face that said more than words could. Then she turned her back and walked away. All the performers would be going to get their costumes and make up on back stage.

"You sure know how to make an inspiring speech Lolita." The voice was slow and cold. Lola held back her eye roll as she turned to face The Ringmaster. She knew eye rolls and sarcasm never really went down all that well with The Ringmaster.

She instead went for a bored look and a half shrug. "I know how to get things done around here." The she flicked her eyes over to Clarke, "Clarke's going to take care of those VIPs you mentioned. What should she know about them?" Lola said repeating Clarke's question from earlier, because truthfully she'd been given no information about them. Accept, of course, that they were rich. They were always rich. Money seemed to be the only thing that earned you value in The Ringmaster's eyes. That and being a freak.

The Ringmaster frowned for a beat before turning her eyes to her colorful showgirl. "Oh, right. Absinthe. The colorful one." The Ringmaster said the word 'colorful' was some serious disdain. Which when added with The Ringmaster's fully black outfit said a lot about them. The the Ringmaster turned back to Lola only addressing her favorite showgirl, completely ignoring Clarke's existence. "They are some friends with someone I know from the land of Italy. Possible Investors. Don't speak a word of English. The Ringmaster gave a dismissive wave like not being able to communicate would be no hindrance. Which kind of hinted that they were the more sleazy kind of VIP, seeming as Clarke would really only be there as someone to look at not to talk to. "She should take one of the performers with her, I'm sure they like to meet someone with actual talent." Then the Ringmaster wandered off, something or someone else of importance taking priority.

"There you have it," Lola said crossing her arms.

As Lorelai joked with Brody, her eyes watchd Ethan. She wanted to make sure he was okay. " "Well, you wouldn't want to fall over up there Lori," he said, gesturing to their ropes. She smiled and replied, "No I would not. That could result in a pretty nasty fall. Although I know I can count on you two to catch me."

"But you can admit you like me the best though. I won't tell Ethan," He said making the zip motion over his lips "Oh wait! One more time." She watched as he mimed with thin lips. Then she explained, "There's no way I'm choosing between you two. Bookends, remember?

As he gave a confident answer about their performance routine, her eyes strayed back over to Ethan and found he was alone. Something tugged at her chest to go towards him and she grabbed Brody's wrist. "Come on, lets go make sure Ethan's okay. He's your brother you know. You have to pretend like you care." She said it was a smile, albeit a strained one. She pulled Brody over to Ethan and sat beside the twin in the seat that Levi had recently occupied. "Are you alright, Ethan?" She asked. She felt a bit overprotective all of a sudden and reached out to feel his forehead. "You're not coming down with something are you?" She realized what she was doing and pulled her hand away, attempting to joke to cover up the awkwardness, but jokes were more of Brody's specialty so all she said was, "You been around the birds? I heard there's an exotic bird flu going around." She mentally smacked herself in the forehead. That was the lamest thing that had ever come out of her mouth.

---

---

"Come on, lets go make sure Ethan's okay. He's your brother you know. You have to pretend like you care." Brody rolled his eyes but he went along with Lorelai willingly. He knew Ethan was fine, but he would have gone with Lorelai anywhere. Plus, he liked it best when it was all three of them together. Brody walked along behind Lorelai though as he walked his feet lifted up of the ground and he stopped walking and instead floating along behind her. Letting her drag him along like a girl with a balloon.

When they got to Ethan, Brody stayed in the air and rolled onto his back, propping his head up with his hands. He grinned as his acrobats.

Ethan opened his eyes and tip his head forward to look at Lorelai and Brody as they approached him. Lorelai taking the seat next to him where Levi had been. "Are you alright, Ethan?" She asked him. Before Ethan could reply though she had reached out and laid her hand across his forehead. "You're not coming down with something are you?"

Ethan's eyes went wide. He had his mouth open slightly and seemed unable to say anything. Only, "-ah." Came out of his mouth. He realized he was probably making the situation awkward - something he'd blame himself for later. However, Ethan couldn't think of one thing to say.

Then she pulled her hand away quickly. "You been around the birds? I heard there's an exotic bird flu going around."

Ethan frowned a little still not really saying anything."I, ah, no. Not really." He took a breath. He hadn't really expected Lorelai to do that. "I'm fine. Really Lor," he said trying to give her what he hoped was an easy smile and he leaned back into his chair. Hoping for something casual. Though he couldn't help rubbing the back of his neck to ease the awkward feeling.

Brody watched Ethan and Lorelai with a frustration he couldn't put his finger on. He wanted to say something but he didn't know what to say. Luckily, he didn't need to say anything. Lola arrived and did that for him. Brody rolled his eyes like he was fustrated but the smile on his face told other stories. Floating over to Lorelai he grinned and reached for hands to pull her up. "Guess we better go get ready then!"

Ethan slowly stood up. Though he pushed Brody away from him and Lorelai with a smile. Brody floated backwards, landing lightly on his feet. "Get moving then doofus," he said to Brody throwing an arm around Lorelai's shoulders as he walked them out and towards their acrobat trailer.

Lorelai felt the heat race to the cheekbones of her face in a soft blush at the awkwardness at her actions. She wasn't quite sure why she had done it, but she knew that her friend had looked down and it made her worried. Ethan wasn't the happiest person, but she knew him enough to know when something was wrong. It was strange to see it, but not know. He usually talked to her about things that bothered him. She smiled shyly at him and her eyes apologized for making things uncomfortable. "Well I'm glad," she said, "We have a show tonight and I need you--the both of you--at your best. And I promise to be at my best to the best of my abilities." Her smile grew to full force at that. Then it faded as Lola announced that the time was coming for the show to start and they had to get ready.

She allowed herself to be pulled up by Brody, but nearly fell when she was released and Ethan pushed Brody away. She laid her head on Ethan's shoulder her just a moment as he put his arm around her. Then she reached back as if reaching for Brody's hand. "Let's go, Brody!" She called back to him. Her plan was to throw her arm around him when he came up beside her, but if he was still floating then it would be a near impossible task. She was glad Ethan's spirits seemed a bit higher now and walked with her friends to prepare for the show.

In their performance trailer, they had a multitude of costumes and Lori even had some waterproof make-up to wear for her water stunts. She searched her costumes for the perfect one before disappearing into a side room to change. She emerged in a bathing suit, and moved to the mirror to mess with her looks. She fluffed at her hair and held it up. Then she let it tumble down in waves at her shoulders. She sighed, pushing air forcefully from her mouth in a horse sound. "I have no idea what to do with my hair." She said to no one in particular. "It's easier to have up for stunts, especially after my water stunts, but down looks more showy."

---

---

Levi was making a move for his trailer to get ready when he heard his name being called across the performance area. He turned, a bit annoyed, but smiling all the same. His grin became more genuine when he saw it was Clarke, aka Absinthe, coming towards him. She was probably his favorite show girl. Mainly because she was the nicest and seemed to enjoy shows for more than just the opportunity to make money. Which is somewhat what he figured Lola's motivations for working for the Ringmaster were, but he didn't think she got paid much more than the others... which was very little. "I have a job for you!" she said.

"What's up, buttercup?" he asked her. "I'm always up for a challenge. Does it have anything to do with the VIPs?" He had been asked to do a small performance for a group of the Ringmaster's VIPs before and so he assumed that since whatever it was was to occur before the main performance that's what it was. "Who are we entertaining today, gumdrop?"

Levi reached to put his arm around her shoulders, as he did with many of the other performers, but Larissa, his voice of reason, stopped him. "Don't. You don't touch the showgirls." She chided. "No matter how nice." He frowned and lowered his arm. When she looked at him, there was a smile on his face. He wouldn't let his thoughts show. At least, not at the moment. He had a showgirl on his side and he prefered to keep her there.

---

---

Once they got to their performance trailer the twins raced it other to grab their outfits, then Ethan practically tackled Brody out of the way to get into the change room first. "You better hurry," Brody said as he sat with his arms crossed and a pout on his face until Ethan came out, then he rushed into the change room with his outfit tucked under his arm. The boys costumes wore generally black or muted tones. Nothing spectacular, they were supposed to blend so that Lorelai could stand out and be the showy one of the group. After the two boys had changed that both stepped away to let Lorelai have full use of the change room.

When Lorelai emerged from the change room the twins were playing Uno on the table up the back. Though the game lost both of their attention as both their heads turned in sync to watch Lorelai cross the small trailer. They'd never looked more identical. "I have no idea what to do with my hair. It's easier to have up for stunts, especially after my water stunts, but down looks more showy." Lorelai said watching herself in the mirror.

Ethan was about to say something but before he could make a sound Brody jumped in. "I like it down!" He said practically falling out of his seat. "But I think you look really pretty no matter what you do with you hair," he said with a harmless smile, rubbing the back of his head.

Ethan saw the look on his twins face, and swallowed what he was about to say. He forced himself to look down at the game on the table. "Yeah Lor, you look fine with whatever," He said, halfheartedly agreeing with his brother as he shrugged his shoulders. The he grinned at Brody as he put down a card and called out "Uno."

Brody then turned away from Lorelai and looked back at the game. "What no, you had like five cards before!" Brody said looking at Ethan accusingly.

Ethan laughed, "just put a card down." Brody stuck his tongue out in thought as he slowly picked a card and put it down. Ethan smirked and slapped his last card down on the table. "I win."

"No, you're a cheat!" Brody yelled, resisting the urge to shove the pile of cards off the table in protest. Ethan just laughed which made Brody even more indignant. "You the biggest cheat Ethan!"

Ethan laughed some more before lifting himself up off his chair. "You're a just a sore loser," Ethan said with a smirk. Of course, he had cheated and thrown some cards under the pile when Brody was distracted with Lorelai. He wasn't going to say though. "You ready to go Lor," He said heading over to Lorelai. "We should go see how some of the other are going before the show." Not that Ethan was ever that keen to socialize, but the others were friends.

"Oh, maybe Blaze is around." Brody said with a grin. His previous quarrel over the game of uno forgotten. Blaze was always fun to be around. Though Brody grinned wider when he thought of his favorite showgirl, "Or Clarke!"

Lorelai listened to their suggestions, which were more like compliments which were pretty unhelpful with her decision and shrugged. "Up it is then," she said, turning towards the mirror. She applied some waterproof makeup and some glitter to help her sparkle in the lights. Then she turned to the boys, ready to go, and found them bickering over a game of uno. She sighed and walked by Brody, ruffling his hair playfully and touching Ethan lightly on his shoulder. "Well then," she said, walking out the door of their trailer, "Why don't we go find Blaze?" She prefered the beast-like boy over the air headed showgirl. Primarily because he was a "freak" like they were and didn't report back to Lola. Before they left, she grabbed her show robe to cover up while backstage. Her suit trapped the heat inside, but it didn't cover all of her and she had a tendency of getting cold.

They walked to where the animals were being prepared for the show and she looked around for the boy. When she didn't immediately see him, she called out, "Blaze? It's Lorelai, Brody, and Ethan! You still out here?" She knew she had seen him on her way to practice earlier, but she wasn't sure he was still around.

Blaze barely tilted his head in slight confusion when she didn't take him up on his offer of the delectable red fruit. He slipped another into his mouth, greens and all and listened to her cold tone. He paid no mind to her constant callous mood, he dealt with it enough from his sister. Seeing the same attitude come from someone he was attracted to didn't phase him in the least. In fact, he usually responded to her responses with the same chipper attitude he always had. So her viper tongue rolled off of his shoulders.
He laughed and said,
"Cool! I could always use some new ideas for the stage. We were thinking about doing a kind-of dance routine, but we weren't sure how to choreograph it. Maybe you could help us one day...As long as you think The Ringmaster will like it, of course."

He looked over Lola in her showgirl costume. He tried not to get as riled up as the customers, but it was a difficult task. She was filled out in all of the right places. And he was still a boy at heart anyway. Not wanting to get caught, he quickly met her eyes again. He spaced out a little while staring into her eyes. He only caught the last of her words, ...you guys are up first tonight, so she better be ready. Blaze shook his head, somewhat stunned. Then he chuckled lightly, brushing her off.
"Aww, come on, Lola! You know the crowds love us! That's why we open the show." He flashed her a smirk of sheer confidence, one thing that he and Dezi shared.
"Some people even come just to see us. I mean, who wouldn't want to come? How cool is a demon chick and a giant wolf? I think she's getting ready though. May be hanging around somewhere." He looked over the top of Lola's head in search for a performer in all black but he couldn't see her from here. He got lost for a second looking for his sister and when he looked back down, Lola had slipped away. He turned to look behind him and saw her sneak into the kitchen. He smiled and shook his head. At least he didn't have to worry about her not eating. Unlike somebody else.

Blaze found himself, yet again, doing things he was supposed to. He always wrinkled his face up when any kind of job was pushed towards him. All he wanted to do was relax and hangout. Maybe go for a run. But Dezi always nagged him, Blaze! Get off your ass and go do something helpful! or Why can't you do one damn thing today besides faun over women and play video games? He scoffed at the thought, annoyed even at the memory. But his frown turned into an unemotional expression. She had to nag him or nothing would be done, at least on his part. And she wanted to get in good with The Ringmaster. Not get whipped into place like he had a couple of times. He shuddered at the memory.

Looking over each animal that was going to be in the show, he saw a few friendlier faces amongst the furry ones. His grin grew when he spotted Lorelai. He slipped his arm around her shoulders and looked her all the way around, then looked towards the boys. His ADD had made him completely not hear any of their callings since, for once, he was focused on prepping the animals. He kept his arm around Lorelai, but kept his eyes on her own or the guys'.
"What are you guys doing in my neck of the woods? Come to see an early show?"
He removed his arm from Lorelai to playfully act like he was stripping by bringing down both straps of his wife-beater down to mid arm while seductively moving his shoulders. He laughed at himself and pulled them back up to where they had been.
"You guys look nice and ready. You like my performance outfit too?" He did a model twirl with a serious face and included a couple of poses, then returned to laughing.

Behind him a figure approached and his wolf ears heard it, but he was too busy playing to care.
"Full of jokes. What else is new? Are you ready to go or are you just going to waste more time?' To people that Dezi wasn't close to, most would shine her under the same light as Lola. Aloof, uncaring, bored with anything most people had to say. But there was an entire different side of her when it came to her brother.
Blaze clenched his jaw and held back the words he wanted to say, instead trying to stay composed in front of his friends.
"I'm not..." He took an unsteady breath to attempt to keep cool. "Wasting time. I came here to make sure the animals were groomed to perfection. They happened upon me. So don't assume I'm doing nothing." He let out the breath and turned back to his friends, giving them a quick smile. Dezi shrugged a shoulder and blankly said, "Not like you've really proven you're doing something besides nothing. She whisked away, Blaze hadn't even turned back to look at her. He sighed heavily, but picked back up quickly as though this was the norm for him.
"So! Anything new in this next routine?"

For a moment, Lorelai frowned. Maybe Blaze wasn't here. She started to turn to leave when she felt an arm move around her shoulders and a familiar voice say What are you guys doing in my neck of the woods? Come to see an early show?" Lorelai smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder for a moment. Because of his wolf, he always seemed warmer than most people which felt good to Lorelai. She thought about moving her arms to wrap around his waist in a hug, but as soon as her hands twitched to move, he had let go and was goofing off.

She laughed at his joking around. Lorelai liked Blaze. Definitely more than she liked Clarke. He was a "freak" like they were, but he was also funny and kind. She always felt bad for him with his sister nagging him all the time. Even when he was doing something, to her, he wasn't doing anything. He was posing in his outfit in a fashion she was sure models would envy... or get a huge kick out and the grin didn't leave her face. That is until Dezi showed up and put her brother down. She frowned after the girl as she seemed to be making her way to get ready for the show.

Her gaze didn't leave the girl even after Blaze had asked them about their act and if they'd have anything new. But Lorelai was too distracted to say anything more than, "Not that I can think of," before she followed his sister. "Dezi!" She called out. "I would like a word with you!" If the girl didn't turn--which, Lorelai surmised was what would happen--she would return to the group. She would be sour faced, but eventually she would smile again, but would make a note to confront Dezi about her brother. Blaze was a great guy and even if he wasn't always where he should be doesn't always mean he's slacking off. You know what they say, "all work and no play makes Jack and dull boy" and this jack in particular was not dull in the slightest.

---

---

Lorelai finished with her hair and makeup and came over to the boys, ruffling Brody's hair which caused him to grin like a dog being groomed. "Well then, Why don't we go find Blaze?" Brody smiled in approval and practically bounded after her. Ethan preferred a slow stroll behind her. They decided to check out where the animals were being kept. Lorelai was the one to call out for Blaze, "Blaze? It's Lorelai, Brody, and Ethan! You still out here?"

Brody sort of gave up on looking and knelt down to make faces at the animals. He even stuck his fingers in a few cages. Though when one animal tried to swipe at his finger he gave up and joined back up with Lorelai. Ethan wandered around a few cages with his hands shoved in his pockets. "I don't reckon he's here Lor," Ethan said after a few moments of looking. They were about to leave when Blaze finally showed himself.

"What are you guys doing in my neck of the woods? Come to see an early show?" Blaze called out and both the twins turned back to see he'd caught Lorelai's shoulder. Brody laughed at Blaze's little dance. Brody always thought Blaze was a riot to be around. Ethan was a little bit less impressed. "Not a show I'd pay for," he joked sarcastically in good humor. Ethan was happy to go along with his friends but Blaze had a tendency to be a little too upbeat for Ethan, plus there was that wandering eye of his that was up trained on Lorelai just before.

"You guys look nice and ready. You like my performance outfit too?" Blaze followed up his comment with several turns and poses in his wife beater and jeans. Throughout with Brody laughed enthusiastically. Even clapping a little at the end. Ethan gave little more than a good humored smile.

Then Dezi arrived and she ripped straight into Blaze. Telling him off for mucking around and wasting time. Both boys stood awkwardly silent with wide eyes. As she was walking off Brody whispered to Ethan, "Hey, you're not that bad." Ethan laughed a little and then whispered back "yeah, you either." Nothing like watching sibling drama to appreciate you own sibling.

Then Lorelai was off chasing after Dezi. Both Ethan and Brody grinned. They both came up to stand either side of Blaze, Brody slinging an arm around his neck. "That's our girl," they both said in unison with pride. As a member of their little trio, they knew Lorelai was one to stand up for her friends and they were proud of the hell she was giving Dezi. "Don't worry Blaze, she's got your back," Ethan said, not at all ashamed to have a woman fight his battles. Lorelai was tough.

Then after Lorelai finished speaking, Brody called out, "You got this Lor!" and then Brody made some boxing movement, jabbing his fists into the air a few times in support.

Lorelai scrunched her nose at the girl each time she chuckled to herself as if this was some kind of sick joke. She could tell that her words were getting to her though. Unfortunately, the only comeback she seemed to come up with was calling Lorelai a fish. She just snorted in response. Just because she had gils and liked to swim didn't mean she was a fish... if anything she was a mermaid, but a comment on that wouldn't bode well in a conversation like this. Then the girl cursed. So insults and curse words were her only like of defense huh?

Then Dezi's eyes did that... demon thing where her whole eyes turned black and for a moment, Lorelai felt her heart contract in fear. But it was only for a moment. She probably would've back off if Dezi hadn't yelled at Brody. Sweet, supportive, innocent Brody. It set her nerves on fire. "Don't talk that way to him!" She yelled as Dezi retreated to her trailer. The voice that came out of Dezi made Lorelai's heart race and her palms sweat, but thankfully the girl had left and she wouldn't have to face her anymore.

She took a deep breath to steady herself before she returned to the boys. Her body was shaking with fear and anger. Of the three, she felt drawn to Ethan so she stood beside him. "Sorry about that," she said to Blaze, trying desperately to hide the shaking in her voice. "But nobody talks that way to my friends. Not even their family." The succubus did have a point, though. Lorelai was an only child and knew nothing of sibling interactions beyond those she saw and the only examples she had were the twins and even though they fought often, they were still the best of pals. So Lorelai couldn't understand why Dezi was so hard on her brother.

---

---

The Ringmaster emerged from their trailer. The inside of which very few had the pleasure of ever seeing though if you walked past at the right moment and listened very carefully you might be able to hear the dulled tones of classic music. The only hint of life instead the trailer. The Ringmaster moved quickly, their feet making no sounds as if they were floating above the ground rather than walking upon it. The show was to being soon, and The Ringmaster always made sure to look over the big details with their own fine eye. You could never entirely trust a patsy.

However when arriving at the animal cages The Ringmaster saw Dezi. So their interest was peaked and The Ringmaster stayed to watch the unfolding drama between Dezi and Nebula. Of course The Ringmaster knew how to go unnoticed in the shadows. A talent needed to keep this lot in shape. It was all shaping up to be rather tedious girl drama. The Ringmaster saw no reason to watch any longer, neither of them seemed about to break out into a fist fight. However then Dezi hissed like a demon and she let her more demonic nature take over. The Ringmaster closed their eyes to listen to the monstrous voice that came out of Dezi, such a small girl. A slither of a smile appeared on The Ringmaster's face. Dezi's nature to be monstrous was exactly what had caught the Ringmaster's interest.

Then Dezi left and The Ringmaster waited a moment before slinking out from the shadows. The Ringmaster looked over at the group of freaks with no interest. "There is always work to be done," The Ringmaster said slowly and quietly, though there was a force behind the voice that would carry it far. Then The Ringmaster turned on their heel to follow where Dezi had left.

The Ringmaster didn't knock of announce their presence instead they walked in and found Dezi getting up off the floor. "Have you controlled it? The Ringmaster asked as they moved about Dezi's small trailer. The Ringmaster's features remained mysteriously even and completely unreadable as they wiped their finger across a surface picking up dust. "Understand this. Keeping them in line can be hard, but it's something I expect from you. Pointless fights do little to achieve this." The theme of disappointment rang clear. The Ringmaster returned their arms to behind their back and looked straight at Dezi making unnerving eye contact. "You did well controlling it. Now you have a performance to do. I will be watching." The then Ringmaster turned to leave Dezi's trailer.