The Ringmaster'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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Lifeless lids fluttered open. Green numerals greeted green eyes which caused them to slightly widen in alarm. How drunk had the succubus been before she crashed her way through her trailer to bed? Now jolting back out of bed, she managed to knock over something else. An antique lamp that had been set on her bedside table now crashed to the floor and broke the bulb and possibly bent the hinge that helped it swivel.

"Fucking shit!" She cursed as she pulled a black long-sleeved top over her head only to find out that it was inside out so she was forced to readjust it.
"Hey, wake up!" She slammed her hand a couple of times on the wood that separated the two bunks before glancing up to see all that awaited her were disheveled sheets.

She grabbed black skinny jeans while dodging glass and hoisted them to her hips. "Motherfucker I swear if you're out swimming naked with a local again I'm going to beat the ever-living shit out of you!"
Dezi went to her mirror and applied two thick lines of eyeliner on both lids of either eye before completing her rehearsal outfit with tattered high top Converse.

She hurriedly excited the trailer only to scorch her eyes on the afternoon sun. She blinked several times as they watered down her cheeks. She brushed away the drops, then jogged to the main tent.
She doubted she would find her brother among the other performers, but it was the easiest place to check first.

Dezi stopped at the tent entrance, her brows furrowed and one of her hands went to meet her hip. She was astonished.
There he was, in the middle of the animal cages.
Was he actually working? Did the Ringmaster have to drag him in here by his toenails? Did she fill his ear with threats to get his ass to work?
She stayed off to the edge of the cages to observe silently for a moment. Maybe he was just goofing off with them. He couldn't actually be working. But as she watched, her heart may have skipped a beat.
There was Blaze. Happily adding fresh hay to their cells. Talking to each one as he entered each gate. Due to him being part wolf, he was the only person that could safely do this job, but typically it was joined with a lot of whining and fighting along the way from Blaze.
A tiger sniffed at his ankle, still confused that a human smelled this way, but she yawned and strode back to her nest where the other tigers lazily watched Blaze.
"You should know who I am by now, Azra." He chuckled at the tiger. Blaze picked up their food containers and carried them out of the cage with him only to be pounced on by his older sister.

"What are you doing?" She glared at him, waiting for any sign of a lie.
Blaze gestured around him to the clean habitats. "I'm working?"
"What girl are you trying to impress now?" She accused.
Blaze lightly pushed her out off the way and signed as she followed behind him. "No one, Dezerae. I don't want another ass chewing from either of my favorite women. So I'm doing it now."
"Don't call me that!" Dezi hissed loud enough for anyone in the proximity to hear her.
"And don't be smart with me, you're lying about something."
Ahead of her, Blaze impatiently dropped the food tins, then spun around quickly. He bent down slightly and with both hands he forcefully opened up an eyelid to expose all of the white to his eye.
"Look deep in there, I'm sure I'm lying about something!" He proclaimed. He let go of his eye and stood fully erect. "I'll be done soon, and we can practice our act." He turned away from a flabbergasted succubus and continued on his way.

Dezi's stomach growled and annoyed, she left without another word.
Her orbs scanned the camp ground, searching for one of the food suppliers. She saw Aubrey and marched towards her and her tray of sandwiches.

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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.

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Dezi picked up a triangle shaped half of a turkey sandwich. It was just the way that she preferred, turkey and mayo and that was it. She eyed the piece of food hungrily, but inside she scolded herself for even giving into the temptation of food. Her eating disorder was so overwhelming that this would most likely be the only thing that she ate this week. She savored every bite, her tongue trailing along the edge of the crust to acquire every drop of the mayonnaise. But she stopped mid-lick as someone approached her from behind.

"My dear lady, I will be taking that tray of yours, if you don't mind."

She had only eaten a couple of bites, but she discarded the treat in the trash can and wiped her lips before turning around. She watched the tray of sandwiches disappear and reappear again, but now in the hands of a well known colleague. She half rolled her eyes at this sight, obviously well accustomed to his tricks.

"Thanks a ton, kiddo." Dezi watched Levi lick between the bread and for some reason could not remove her eyes. Did he somehow see her before and now was mocking her? She averted her eyes to her rejected snack. She didn't deserve any food. Her eyes slowly met crystal blue orbs that were staring her down.

"Oh, Dezi. I didn't see you there. Surprised to see you out and about last night. You hit the bottle hard." This caused Dezi to scoff and she slightly shook her head. "Of course I did. Don't I always?" She looked away for a moment and struggled to remember the previous nights activities. The memories were hazy, she remembered her yelling at Blaze about something. Maybe that's why he was so uptight. She also recalled laughing with Levi. Her brows furrowed as she strained to sink deeper into her memories, but it was all cloudy. She drank nearly every night, and it was normal for her to shrug off the night before.

"I'm surprised you're willing to show your face after you ran naked through the camp. Wings, tail everything. Even puked outside the Ringmaster's trailer. I couldn't believe it. By the way, your kissing needs work. It was all slobbery and you kept trying to grab my breasts." He continued on about their supposed commotions.

Dezi stared at Levi, no emotion on her face for a few moments. She was silently trying to recall if anything he was saying was true. Instinctively her head tilted some so she could caress one of her horns while she thought. She ran her fingers over the rivets and scars in them without looking at the magician in the face. She was almost positive that Blaze would have picked her up and taken her back to their trailer before anything got that bad. But what if he had been trying at one of the showgirls again. She huffed and finally straightened back up to squint her large eyes towards Levi with an almost scowl on her face.

"What kind of bullshit are you trying to pull? For one, even when I'm drunk I know better to stay the hell away from her trailer. And about my wings, only a few have seen them in private. And I know for a fact one of them is not you." She gave him a quick smirk and a wink which couldn't be read into anything specific at all. She just liked to mess with people.

Almost on queue the head showgirl Lola yelled that the show would be starting soon. She watched Lola spout her orders then turned back to Levi. "Well I guess that means we have to part ways. Maybe tonight we can do whatever we did last night again." She chuckled and turned to go find her brother to get ready in their trailers.

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Clarke followed Lola out of the trailers, only responding to her yawn with a fond half-smile. She grabbed the door as it swung towards her in Lola's wake, closing it more gently behind her and making sure she heard the 'click'. Walking as carefully and quickly as she could over the moist ground, she was glad she hadn't worn thin heels that day. From what she could see, had Lola been any bigger she would have been consumed by the earth.

She entered the main tent and immediately banished the frown on her face that had taken residence in the trip over. Instead she bore a soft smile, just in time to hear Lola's tirade ring out in the sudden silence of the room. Clarke's face remained mildly amused as the performers scattered, but at the appearance of the Ringmaster, her expression grew serious, even worried. Their elusive master had an aura of command that didn't sit well with her free spirit: whenever she arrived, the air seemed harder to breathe. Learning that she wouldn't be able to communicate with the VIPs wasn't too much of a surprise. Even the English-speaking VIPs were rarely interested in conversation– and even when they were, it was rarely conversation that required much thought. How'd a pretty girl like you end up in a place like this? She shook her head a bit at the memory. It had taken most of her willpower not to reply, Murder.

"She should take one of the performers with her, I'm sure they like to meet someone with actual talent."

The frown returned full force, with added grinding of teeth as the Ringmaster vanished. Pink day. Pink day. Pink day.

"There you have it."

"There it is," Clarke responded. She looked out at the remaining performers. "Now who would be more interesting to a gang of Italians?"

Her gaze fell to the twins, but she thought better of it. Although she got along better with one of them than the other freaks, she could think of one that would be better suited for this task.

"Hey, Levi! C'mere. I have a job for you."

When Dezi had begun to turn away from her magician friend she routinely pulled out a slightly beaten up box. Inside it contained her cigarettes and a blue Bic lighter. She lit up a tobacco stick and shoved the box back into her pocket. She inhaled the smooth tar into her lungs and exhaled a large flume of smoke. Her eyes squint some to try and hone in on where exactly her brother was. It didn't look like he was still near the cages . Maybe he had already made his way back to their trailer when he heard Lola.

She shrugged it off after looking around another moment then turned back around toward the entrance. From off to the side, Levi spoke up again. Inside she was a little startled, but her face showed no emotion when she twisted around to face him.
"Darling Dezi." She gave a small smile. She loved his sweet nicknames, but she tried not to read into the flattering words. She was almost positive they were not acutely for her.
"Performances always go better after a meal." At this her content aura dropped immensely. Her eyes drifted to their feet. He had seen, yet again, her strewn away food. Her eyebrows knit in a sheepish manner and her eyes were clearly filled with sadness and shame. She loathed when people worried about her. She didn't want anyone to be bothered by the mere likeliness of Dezi McKinley. She now scowled at the ground. Angry at herself for being so obvious when she ditched her sandwich. Her green orbs slowly lifted to see his, many emotions spilling from her face, which was abnormal for Dezi.
"Besides, mayo looks good on you." A sandwich forced through her lips and mayo on her face which was promptly removed and replaced with a peck. She was taken aback by this gesture and a light rose glint showed through her olive skin. She removed the new sandwich from her mouth and watched Levi casually walk away. She couldn't believe any reasoning for why he would care so much about her. She wasn't worth the time. Her eyes shut tight, she forced herself to take a bite. Her eyes shot open as soon as it hit her tongue. It was her favorite again. Had he done that on purpose? Or was it a coincidence? Whatever it was, a weak smile played over her features and she gratefully ate the sandwich.
Dezi threw away her burnt out cigarette. She had been so overwhelmed when Levi approached, she'd forgotten that she had a lit one in her hand. She decided not to light another one and just hurry up and get ready for the show. She meandered towards her trailer, momentarily wondering what The Ringmaster was up to.

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Blaze shuffled through the mess hall. He'd missed out on all of the sandwiches and was required to make himself something to eat to settle his aching stomach. A handful of strawberries in one hand, and leftover bacon from breakfast in the other. A strange combination for most, but the werewolf loved food and he could practically eat anything.
As he exited he came up behind Lola and grinned when she looked at him. He offered his hand out for her to take a strawberry if she wanted one. Most people didn't give Lola the time of day, but Blaze liked to make friends with anyone. He was definitely the social butterfly between him and his sister.
"I'm about to go get ready, but I was wondering if you wanted to catch up after the show. Maybe you could give me some pointers about my technique on stage." Blaze gave her another quick smile and his hand subconsciously was drawn up to his head to play with his shaggy hair.
His eyes averted from her for a moment when he caught sight of a blurred figure in all black. It was his sister, no doubt. Headed to their trailer. It's pretty nice that I don't have to put on a fancy outfit or glam up my style. He thought. For Blaze, he would remove his clothing behind a large curtain to avoid ruining them, and attempt to change into a wolf while naked. Only one person had accidentally walked in before he had changed, and it was Lola. And she didn't seem too disappointed either.

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?"

Dezi had known that Blaze wanted to fight back, but hadn't because he was around his friends. He tried to avoid making a scene if others were around. But she didn't care. If something needed to be said, then by golly she would say it. To whoever, for whatever. The only person she bit her tongue back for was The Ringmaster. Maybe it was because she had the utmost respect for her, maybe it was because she found herself a little scared of what she could potentially do to her. She didn't care much for this life, but she didn't want to leave it strung up by strangers and tortured to death, either. But she hadn't even been polite to her parents the way she was for The Ringmaster. That could have also had to do with the fact that she knew without a doubt they had done something to gift her with the curse of being a succubus. Dezi spat in the dirt just thinking of them. They'd gotten what they had deserved. But her heart hurt a bit that Blaze had to carry a different burden.

A voice came up behind her and she recognized it as the girl acrobat. Her tail flicked back and forth in hidden interest. Now what was it? "I would like a word with you!" Oooo that sounded like a little hostility. This should be amusing to hear. She didn't stop walking, nor did she turn to speak to her, just propped her head up a bit to say,
"What are you going to waste my time with now?" then returned to her previous stature. She smiled wickedly, then to not be as disrespectful, she leaned against a support beam for the tent. She had stopped with her back to Lorelai, but she figured the acrobat would come to face her to give her an "earful". She would have to remember to keep her temper at bay as best she could. If she broke out into another fight, she would lose any respect she had gained from The Ringmaster in a heartbeat.

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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.

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The dispute went on then Dezi locked her eyes on Brody."And you keep your fucking mouth shut when women are talking." The monstrous voice the came straight at Brody made his eyes go wide and his body go rigid in fear. He'd never really experienced so much animosity. Sure Ethan liked to toss him the occasional angry look, but Ethan had always been more grumpy than, well, hateful. Brody was too scared to move a muscle.

Then after a few more barbed comments Lorelai returned to the group. Choosing the spot next to Ethan. She apologized before adding on, "But nobody talks that way to my friends. Not even their family." Ethan smiled softly at Lorelai. She was always one to stick up for her friends, which was why he was always glad she was around for Brody. Ethan's twin had a habit of getting himself into a bit of trouble.

Lorelai's bravery started to bring life back into the frozen Brody, who had started to float ever so slightly off the ground. "You got nothing to apologise for Lori!" He said with a grin. Even if it was a slightly shaky grin and his hands where still a little sweaty from the antagonistic nature of Dezi. "See we acrobats are a loyal bunch," he said with a smile aimed just for Lori then he floated over to Blaze throwing an arm over his shoulders.

The Ringmaster wordlessly stepped out into view with a stern look on their face. Ethan always wondered how The Ringmaster always seemed to be able to move about with practically no presence, you never knew The Ringmaster was there until The Ringmaster wanted you to. "There is always work to be done." A classic non-command from their employer. The Ringmaster tended never to command, only to hint at a command. Make no mistake though, just because the words didn't sound like a command, they most definitely were. "Well, Blaze, anything we can help you with?" Brody asked the animal boy. Ethan rolled his eyes, of course Brody was volunteering them all for extra work.

Brody started looking about at all the animals, but Ethan held back keeping one eye on Lorelai. He wasn't his airhead brother, he knew when his friend we put up a front, such as when she was in pain. He knew right now she was angry, but also probably a little scared. Of course, he wasn't at all worried about his brother, as Brody possessed the innate ability to bounce back from anything. Dezi's performance had been quite something, Ethan might have been shaken if her animosity had targeted him. Of course, Brody didn't make it a habit to stick his nose into practically everyone's business, but that wasn't the issue at hand here. Ethan watched his brother and Blaze, but he put a hand on Lorelai's back just to let her know he was there if she needed. He would always be there if she ever needed him.

Dezi didn't turn when the squeaking of hinges sounded through the small trailer. But when she heard that voice, a small warm feeling arose through her. She always loved being around The Ringmaster. They brought a strange sense of security to her, although she would never admit to others the intimidation that she felt while being around them. She let out a little breath, like a sound of triumph, but annoyance too.
"For the moment, definitely. I can handle tonight at least.", she admitted honestly. She was sorting through her short clothes rack, having to pull every hanger away from the other to get a good look since everything was black. A tiny part of her wanted a suggestion from The Ringmaster on what to wear, but she never wanted to shed her facade of independence and confidence.

Her stomach made a loud noise and she begrudgingly glanced sideways to see if they had noticed, but saw the trail of a clean fingerprint being left on her brother's vanity section. Of course it was unsanitary. He typically made no time for cleaning. She sighed in frustration, but eventually made eye contact with The Ringmaster as they spoke.
...Pointless fights do little to achieve this. She wanted to groan or scoff or complain, but she kept her mouth shut. Just as she always did around The Ringmaster. She never wanted to show them the wrong sides of her.

All they want to do is argue with me!, she wanted to say. And Blaze can't be bothered for chores except today, on this blue moon. Ugh! She felt like a child inside of her head, wanting to dispute with a parent. She turned away from The Ringmaster, outfit in hand and pulled a curtain that separated the bedroom half from the dressing room half. She peeled off her skin-tight pants and considered what The Ringmaster had advised. She hated that she had failed them. She tried not to fight with the other freaks, but it was in her blood since she was part demon. She pulled the hood over her head after adjusting the shoulders on her overcoat. It already had holes for her horns to easily slip through. She pulled on her heels and reeled the curtain dramatically with a sly smile. Her makeup was already done, so no need to waste any more time. "How do I look?", she asked playfully as they both exited the trailer.

She waited for an answer and watched the ground as they tread. She wanted to bring up their earlier concern, though.
"How can I get them to listen to me the way they do for you?", Dezi asked while they walked side by side towards the tent.

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In one moment everyone was laughing and having a good conversation. Then Dezi showed up and made things a little awkward. Lorelai wanted to talk to Dezi, though, and marched after her. Blaze cringed. This would not be good. Opposite of most people, Dezi sometimes loved confrontation. Especially when people didn't know everything about what they were fighting for. He wanted to call Lorelai back to them, tell her it was no big deal. She had a reason to nag him. As much as he hated to admit it, he needed her to keep him in line once in a while, or he really would end up in the hands of The Ringmaster again.

He gulped as he heard every word perfectly clear.
"He does more work then you give him credit for and even if he didn't, what does it matter to you?"
She had no idea what Dezi had at stake. Her contract had much more detriment than everyone else's, he didn't know details, all he knew was that she had to try and keep people working or it meant something bad. Just like Lola. But she focused on just him because she was always so busy with other things, picking up the slack behind the curtain. No one actually saw how hard she worked except for him, The Ringmaster, and sometimes she even teamed up with Lola. They truly were the backbone of their achievements in the circus.

His heart sunk as Dezi spoke up. Without thinking he reached out a little for Lorelai, wishing with all of his might that he could pull her away from his sister's rage. He had learned to be patient with Dezi's attitude because he had seen the worst of her curse, just as she had seen his. She terrified him when she was angry. He felt so bad for Lorelai. She was being an amazing friend, doing something that he didn't always have the balls to do. But he couldn't go save her or he may have made the situation ten times worse.

Blaze's breath choked in his throat when he witnessed her eyes going dark, though. He nearly sprinted to Lorelai's side, but then Dezi was turning on the group. He'd been so caught up in their argument he hadn't heard Brody cheering her on. His eyes widened and he turned to look at Brody, as if to say, Dude shut your mouth! Blaze still didn't know the full potential of Dezi's powers, and alarming as it was, neither did she. She could turn all Carrie-like and burn this place to the ground without even realizing what was going on.

He let out the breath that had been caught in his throat when Lorelai returned to the group. Unharmed. He couldn't help it and rushed her with a giant hug. He was probably just as scared as she was. He held her for a while, both of them still a little shaky. He brushed back her hair all the way down her back when he pulled a part of himself out of the hug. Blaze gave her a grateful smile, but immediately looked serious which was probably strange to see on his always smiling face.

"Don't do that again." "Please. She could really hurt you." He shook his head and looked down, his gaze rising back to her own eyes as he said, "I never want to see that happen to you." He hoped she could feel the severity of his words. If things went South he could get so angry and turn into a monster, himself. Then it would be a battle to the death because they would both be lost in their curses.

His eyes went soft again as he released her easily. He stepped back to his original post and exhaled, finally relaxed. And as soon as he was relaxed, he was on edge again. The Ringmaster approached out of the shadows, it seemed, and voiced their recommendation that almost sounded like a forewarning. He wanted to salute, but it may have seemed like he was mocking them so he just and nodded his head vigorously.

Once they walked off, Brody proposed they could help with something if need be. He caught Ethan's eye roll and understood exactly what he was feeling. Dezi did the same thing to him, offering him up to do this and that. But he didn't want to bother the others, they had places to be too.
"Hey man, I really appreciate the offer." Blaze said as he quickly crooked his arm around the blonde boy's neck to pull him close so he could give him a noogie. He chuckled and let him go then reached his arm up to play with the back of his hair.
"Ahh, I pretty much got it from here." He smirked when he looked to Ethan. Even though Blaze was a jokester and made friends with Brody easily because of it, he preferred the level-headed twin more. He would never announce it to anyone though because he loved them both all the same. He was hoping Ethan would take him up on the guitar lessons they had talked about soon. But he didn't want to mention it again and seemed too enthused or annoying.

"I'll see you guys after the show though!" He said while he turned towards the cages. He held his arm up, his hand fully outstretched in his own wave of goodbye. He had animals to chain up.

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The Ringmaster watched disinterested as Dezi reappeared in her performance outfit. "How do I look?" The Ringmaster took a careful eye looking over Dezi's outfit with seriousness. Their eyes never giving away their thoughts. The Ringmaster turned to look ahead as they stepped out of the trailer, electing not to say anything about Dezi's chosen outfit for the performance. The two continued across the ground towards the main tent. People were beginning to start hanging around the main entrance. The Ringmaster directed them both toward the back entrance. Consciously speeding up their walking pace. They'd need to hurry and get this show started.

Dezi broke the silence speaking up again. "How can I get them to listen to me the way they do for you?" The Ringmaster looked back at Desi, silently assessing her with blank, black eyes. The Ringmaster sighed and looked back ahead stepping through the back entrance of the main tent.

"Its simple really. Never give them the option to go against you." Well, it was easy for the Ringmaster. They never spoke without the confidence that they would be heard and obeyed. It helped they they were ever so creepy and held these performers livelihoods in the palm of their hand "I suppose you might get the hang of it one day." The Ringmaster's voice didn't hint at a lot of confidence for Dezi. However the Ringmaster's voice rarely gave anything away. Thin and papery, but rarely emotional and expressive.

The two approached the group, and the Ringmaster silently walked over to stand beside an angry looking Lola.

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Lola finished up her strawberries. Then clipping the lid of the plastic punnet in place, she put the remainder of the strawberries back in place. She pulled her bubblegum pink lipstick out of her bra and touched up her lips, pop her lips as she did so. She checked her reflection in a spoon. It made her look distorted but it managed to do the trick. She adjusted a lock of hair before throwing the spoon pack onto the bench.

Then she practically strutted out of the kitchen and over to the main tent, a satisfied smile upon her face. Flicking her hair over her shoulder Lola walked up to the freaks who had already gathered around. Beast, Nebula and the always annoying space twins. "You chumps, look alive." Lola snapped at the group, who she had deemed as being lackluster in enthusiasm for tonight show. She led them to back stage and peeked around the curtain to see the seats filling up. "Alright, we're on any minute, you guys know the order for tonight." The acrobats were last, hopefully Trickster would make it back for his part in the middle, and the Beast and his sister Dezi were to start it all off.

Lola frowned, speaking of where was she. "You," Lola said to Blaze, crossing her arms angrily, "where is your sister?" Lola exaggerated looking around for a missing Dezi. Sure Lola mostly got along with Dezi, but Lola really wasn't here to get along with anyone. "It is astounding the incompetence I have to deal with," Lola muttered to herself. Then she looked sharply at Blaze, "Doesn't she own a clock?" Lola asked spitefully.

Then Dezi finally rocked up, walking side by side with The Ringmaster. Lola frowned like a spoiled child denied an extra helping of desert. Th Ringmaster and Dezi had been getting closer and closer. Sure the Ringmaster trusted Lola and found her to be the most useful, but Then Ringmaster actually liked Desi. Lola had thought it impossible for The Ringmaster to like anyone. It wasn't so much that Lola felt jealous, more concerned, if she wasn't the favorite, her role around here was just a costume any pretty girl could wear.

The Ringmaster wandered up to stand beside Lola. "Have fun, holding us all up?" Lola asked with childish spite. The Ringmaster gave her a tired look, but also a dark look that promised something unpleasant if Lola continued down a disrespectful path.

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Ethan felt Lorelai grab his shirt as the Ringmaster spoke out. He get it, the Ringmaster gave everyone the chills. Ethan shuffled his feet just slightly so that his back best blocked Lorelai from view. The Ringmaster walked off, but Ethan could still feel Lorelai shaking slightly behind him which brought an unwanted frown to his face. Sure he should care that his friend was scared, but he knew it shouldn't bother his this much. Screwing his hands up into fists he turned around putting an arm around her shoulders. bringing her into his chest. Though he attempted to try and make it look casual, both for his benefit and their onlookers. "You can't get in trouble for that," He whispered to try making it better and then he quickly released her.

"I pretty much got it from here," Blaze announced and Ethan gave him a small grateful smile. He really didn't want to have to help out. "Nice. We should definitely do that guitar lesson sometime soon. Maybe after tonight?" Ethan clapped Blaze on the shoulder in a friendly manner. Him and Blaze had always talked about having guitar lesson between the two of them, and Ethan figured it was about time he went through with it. Guitar was always a calming experiences and he'd need that after a day like this.

Brody watched on as he friends talked with unusual silence from the usual bubbly boy. He face was rather vacant with a slight frown. He had witnessed the moment between Lorelai and Ethan, his to best friends. It had been quick but he wasn't completely thick. He just couldn't understand why he felt like he had just been punched in the gut. "Come on, Brody!" Lorelai called and Brody looked at her blankly, what is it she wanted? Brody hadn't been paying attention, like he'd been watching what had been happening through muffled speakers. "We should get moving?"

Brody frowned and nodded slowly. Then he shook his head and gave her a forced grin, "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." He kicked the ground lightly and floated over to her, his arms outstretched for her to catch him.

Ethan watched his brother curious at how odd he was being and why he so clearly wasn't his buoyant self. He didn't ponder it for long as Lola herself turned up. Sometimes it really felt like Dezi and Lola were in a competition for who could win the title of Cirque de'La Rosa's Queen Bitch. He rolled his eyes at the chumps comments then looked on sympathetically as she teared Blaze apart for him sister not being there. Man was he glad Brody had chosen this day to be on time.