Jennie's Story

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Florence was all alone in one of the acrobat trailers getting ready. With her being all alone all she wore was a towel from her getting out of the shower not to long ago. Her hair was still dripping wet and small water droplets rushed down her in small streams from the tips of her hair. Sighing she stood in front of the large mirror looking at all the makeup she had to choose from What shall I use today? She had a small box where she kept all her personal makeup, even though it got used by others quite often, she opened it. With a large array of eyeshadows, blushes, and other things she wasn't sure what she'd choose for this day, Actually I look pretty good today, smiling at herself in the mirror she played with her soaked hair, so lipstick should be enough. Rummaging through the box she pulled out a red lipstick she knew would make her lips pop, Perfect! Opening it up she watched herself in the mirror to make sure she was doing it right, when some she blotted. "Perfect!" Telling herself she walked over to a chair where she had placed the leotard she was going to wear for that day. It was black and shiny, was tight fitting, zipped up in the front, and like all her other outfits had lights seen into it. Dropping the towel she picked up the leotard and unzipped it. Bending over a little so she could put it on she placed one leg after the other through the openings at the end. Pulling it up to fit she zipped it and and went to look at herself in the mirror again. Kind of provocative... good choice! Giving herself a high give she knew it was time to go into the big top. "Show time!" With a huge grin she went over to the trailer door, opened it, then walked out making sure to shut it behind her.

Today she was dressed up, well she was always dressed up, but today was different. The circus was letting in Wanna-Be's! She could still remember when she came to the circus, it was just for the fun of the circus life. She had he entranced by all the performing and flashing lights, it was like the circus it's self had beckoned her to come to join it years ago. Her favorite things about the Wanna-Be's was she hoped she could train some new acrobats. She though the acrobats were the best act in the whole circus and also thought she was the best acrobat.

When seeing the Wanna-Be's with Ricket she grew thrilled and ran over immediately. Looking them over she could feel her heart race, "Hello beautiful Wanna-Be's, I'm Florence!" Announcing with a American accent as she waved at them all also while checking them at. Some were more attractive than others, but the all looked good at the least. "I'm one of the acrobats." Swiftly changing to an Italian accent to tell what she did she walked over to Shiloh hugging her from behind. "Well someone's being quiet." Joking as she went back to her original accent. Quickly realizing she was suppose to be in the Big Top with the other carnies she kissed Shiloh's cheek, "I better go before Lyfe yells at me." Joking she let go of the girl and quickly scurried into the tent to where the other carnies were. "Your queens arrived!" She called to the carnies once they all came to her view. Once in she looked around until she spotted someone she wanted to talk to. "Hey there sexy l." She said directly to Axel as she got closer to him.

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Taking in a deep breath he had been in his tent for some time just laying there on his back staring at the ceiling. He was no where near ready to get up and go meet the new recruits, to many people for him. Ghost was already dressed in his tuxedo, so he was in rush to get ready whatsoever. It's not like new people were insufferable or he was unable to function in a society with people he didn't know, he had to experience the strangers from unknown regions everyday, he just didn't have to coexist with then twenty-four-seven. Its ignorant and inferior to resemble such irrational thoughts... What was a sickly feeling the way he felt about being around the new, but he'd have to subside the uncomfortableness and get over it.

Maybe one will resemble the mutants as I as. His strength was rare indeed, for how many men could fold a car into a box with bare hands and no help from foreign device? He theorized the thought was a waste of space in his brain with him knowing greatly the thought was unlikely, strength like his was rare in genetics.

With a soft groan he picked himself from the floor and stared at himself in a mirror he had placed in his room for the vain reason to look at himself when needed. He looked ok in his own definition, his bangs were combed backwards in a fluffed bump, his suit wrinkle free, and his signature thick rimmed black glasses felt weightless as they sat on the bridge of his nose and both ears. His appearance was approachable. Don't forget to exercise your facial muscles. Sighing he did a huge smile and stared at the reflection. It was completely convincing and looked real no matter how someone looked at it. Keeping the realisticness up he pushed apart his tents curtains and made his way to the Big Top.

Once in the larger tent he looked around at his fellow carnies. He considered them all family, like distant cousins or something, and he knew he'd soon feel the same about the Wanna-Be's. At first he knew it would take him time to adapt to them like he had done with the others, and even though he wouldn't adapt soon he's act like he had, like he was the friendliest like always. Ghost was a friendly enough guy that did like helping around, he was always helping around the circus for fun, so he'd be there for all the New-Be's to help them out.

When entering he kept his smile even though on the inside he was frowning. It wasn't like he hated being here, it's just he had those days when he was happy and others when he just wanted to stay in his tent all day. He didn't feel like talking so he immediately darted towards Lyfe like normally and took his side. "Hello." Is all he said when taking his stand next to Lyfe's right like always. Out of everyone in the circus he felt most comfortable to Lyfe's side, mainly because he was the Ring Master. Besides being the Strong Man he helped out Lyfe a lot for the pleasure of helping. Looking him over he assumed he would be giving a speech to all about the Wanna-Be's joining them, he didn't care to much for the topic but he did like the speeches Lyfe gave once in a while.

Jeannie sat in her tent she had her costume on though the corset strings were tied so the top loosely drooped revealing her lacy bra. She pulled her thin white fishnet tights up her thigh. She gazed in her full length mirror, twirling around and admiring herself."Ugh I can't tie this damned thing." She huffed as she failed at the corset again. She gave up and walked over to Bo's room, who was still standing in her room only in a pair of bra and panties. "Boooo" She complained dragging out her sisters name "Tie my corset," She asked sticking her lower lip out.
"Yeah ok," Her sister complied and Jeannie leaned over to which Bo pulled the strings, making Jeanie suck in her breath. When she finally stood up her body was squeezed into the tight costume and her cleavage was impossible to miss. She kissed Bo on the cheek and waved as she left her tent.

She quickly slipped back into her tent. She looked around. She tried to make her tent as glamorous and comfortable as possible. She has lots of fluffy pillows and a soft mat that is covered with a faux fur comforter with layers of blankets on top. She has twinkling lights all over the tents. She had a double tent and in the conjoint part which has a full length mirror with brass roses all over it. Her puppy was sleeping on a big pink pillow. She resisted the urge to pet her. She pulled on a pair of heels and she went to the trailer.

Noticing nobody was in there she shrugged and began on her makeup. She put on black pin up eyeliner, pink lip gloss, and a bit of blush. She also curled her hair in tight curls and then brushed the curls a bit so that they were in glossy, silky, waves. She puckered her lips and kissed the mirror leaving a pink plump kiss mark. She smiled and cleaned her stuff up. She sighed and headed back to her tent where Moxy welcomed her with barks. She picked him up and she held him cradled in her arms. The puppy nuzzled into her breast as usual. She giggled at the soft fur tickling her . her She stood and walked to the big top tent. Immediately she saw Florence and Axel. "God I got here later than Florence, I'm off my game" She said as she walked up to Florence and Axel.

Moxy squirmed in her arms, since she was falling asleep, but then nuzzled her breast again. "Oooh did you see the new be's" She asked raising her eyebrow. She winked at Florence " I know you did," Before giving her friend a kiss on the cheek. "Now then where the hell is Bo,"

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I'll have bo done in a minuet

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

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

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

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

Jeannie rolled her eyes at Florence's temper tantrem. "She's over there stealing the attention I deserve!" Jeannie rolled her eyes and was about to say something when she saw Damia's tigers get in a fight with Cloverdews lions. Florence looked shaken up and started screaming,well screeching might be a better term. She grabbed Axel, making Jeannie stiffen and avert her eyes as Florence whispered in his ear. She pursed her lips, but almost as soon as she grabbed him, the tiger intervened and moved Axel out the way and began licking Florence's face.She giggled out loud, letting her head tilt back and her hair fall back as well. Moxy barked for a while, startled but after stroked her belly a bit with her finger she gave in and settled.
"And that's how not to act when a tiger is stalking you down!" She said obviously trying to make up for her freak out.

Jeannie leaned her head on Axels shoulders, Moxy stirred for a bit but resumed nuzzling her "Yes, very good demonstration," She said wiping under her eye,at a tear from laughing. "You,my dear, are a very good actress. And lucky my very strong man could protect you" She said sticking out her tongue at Axel before glancing at her sister "Holy hell she's wearing less clothes than both of us, she looks hot, good for her." She said with a nod "I didn't realize how hot that costume was without all those tassels and things hanging from it." She glanced back again "I may even borrow it, If I can squeeze these," she said motioning to her breast which were practically trying to pop out of the corset "Into that little bustier,"

She turned to Florence and stuck her lip out "Seriously do you know how long it took to put this on?" She let out what would be a exasperated groan but due to the fact that she could hardly breath, came out as a moan, at best. She turned to Axel again and discreetly whispered "Help me take it off later?" Before returning to her conversation. "Anyway I'm so excited for these new people." She gently set Moxy on the ground and helped Florence off the ground before clasping both of her hands "You'll still be my favorite, of course," She said with a bright smile, she kissed her on the lips this time before surveying the new people. The kiss wasn't unusual for her. The Martinez sisters had a habbit of kissing people. A kiss on the cheek as a greeting usually and a peck on the lips in affection. Moxy barked jelous that she wasn't getting all of Jeannie's attention.

"You'll always be my favorite Moxy," She said picking her up and cradling her in her arms again. Moxy barked happily.

Some people laughed at the display, but she didn't mind, she was just calling attention to herself. "Yes, very good demonstration," Florence rolled her eyes at the fact Jeannie cried so much tears arose to her eyes. "You, my dear, are a very good actress. And lucky my very strong man could protect you" She scuffed at her reply, "Your strong man allowed Simon to get me!" She glared over at Axel, "I can't believe you let him get me!"

Soon Bo had made her way over to them looking extremely good. "Hey, Bo." She winking to her as she checked her out. She may not have liked that Bo's outfit was more revealing then hers, but in the long run she was nice to look at... extremely nice. As Jeannie spoke her attention turned back to her, as she spoke about her breast Florence couldn't help almost having her eyes glued on them. They were nice and large, but Florence's were a tad bit bigger. "I know the feeling of not being able to get an outfit on," As she spoke she pointed at the zipper on her leotard that she hasn't been able to zip all the way to the top showing some cleavage.

Jeannie faces Florence and stuck her bottom lip out in a cute pouting way. "Seriously do you know how long it took to put this on?" Florence shuck her head no as she smirked, "I wouldn't mind helping you take it off though." Her flirting with her was so common, usually about getting her in bed even though that never happened. Florence did a lot if flirting with the carnies to never had slept with any of them, or anyone in general. She was lots of bark with not bite. "Anyway I'm so excited for these new people." Jeannie set Moxy on down then came to Florence's aid to help her from the ground. Once she was standing Jeannie clasped both of her hands on Florence's checks. "You'll still be my favorite, of course," She couldn't help but smile being claimed as Jeannie's favorite, "You're mine-" Before she could finish Jeannie had pressed her lips up to hers. As soon as she went to kiss back Jeannie had pulled away at the barks of Moxy and picked the small fluff ball back up. Seriously? She was gifted kisses from the girl a lot, all were short and Florence never got to kiss back. Rolling her eyes she took Jeannie under the chin pulling her towards her back on to her lips. Catching Jeannie's bottom lip in between hers she pushed her tongue into her mouth before backing away. "I'm tired of all your teasing," telling her so she pulled her hair in front of her shoulders, "from now on when you kiss me I'm kissing you back." Turning attention to Axel she smiled, "And if you have any problems with you must get over it."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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"As long as I get my turn." When Axel kissed Jeannie Florence couldn't help but smile. The two bitched about each other a lot, so when they were affectionate it always made her feel like their relationship was getting better for her two friends. Florence had never been one to date, but seeing the two of then sometimes made her wonder how it would be. "Hmm.. Like any newbies that you see Florence?" She rolled her eyes at the stupid question, "Of course I have!" Turning slightly she viewed the newbies and I'm a way they were all attractive, but some were better looking than others, two caught her attention most if all. Raising her arm she pointed to a girl, [color=#]"I like the short girl with the brown hair, she looks pretty feisty,"[/color] her finger then slowly trailed over to a boy with dark hair with lots of tattoos that was looking their way. With his gaze she flipped her hair in a flirtatious way and dropped her finger, "And who ever that sexy guy is..." She looked between the guy she had pointed at and Axel with a raised eyebrow, "And kind of looks like you in a strange way." Shrugging it off she decided she'd take it on herself to talk to that particular Wanna-Be. "Odd," saying so as she petted the top of Simon's head. Soon a snap vibrated across the room sending Simon away from her side, I was just enjoying that stupid cats company! When Simon left her eyes somehow landed back on the newbie. "I'll be right back." Telling the two she bowed and took her leave over to the raven haired boy.

Taking her time to the Wanna-Be's she stopped at the staring boy. "I couldn't help but notice you staring." As she talked she twirled her hair around her finger. "Oh," she knew she had told all the Wanna-Be's her name when entering, but some deserved it first hand, "I'm Florence, the amazing, beautiful, and absolutely sexy acrobat." Bragging had always been a good color on Florence. She had never really been modest, modesty never got anyone attention. "From curiously what would your act be?" She didn't fully care like she should have, but she didn't have some wish to know. Checking him out she smirked, "Because if you're an acrobat I could teach so many different things, since I'm the best in the circus." Placing her hand on his bicep she squeezed, "This feels nice, maybe you're another Strong Man." Giggling she put her free hand on his other bicep, "They're both very nice." Scanning over his body briefly she then scanned back to his face registering every inch she could see so far. "And you also have some very sexy tattoos," commenting on the ones she could see. He appeared to be another bad boy joining the circus, appeared. She didn't fully know the boy, but she loved what she was witnessing, his body looked like sex it's and she loved it greatly.

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Jeannie flushed after Florence kissed her. She pushed her away lightly as Axel pulled her closer. "As long as I get my turn," He said before kissing her lightly on the lips. He touched the small of her back making her shiver lightly. He pulled her close without hurting Moxie before kissing her again. He smiled at her making her knees buckle, kissing her on her neck. She moaned lightly, vaguely hearing "You're still my favorite." He said keeping his hand on her back.

He mentioned something to Florence about newbies. To which Florence of course did. She noticed her check out a girl and point her out before pointing to a boy, a boy she knew but didn't know much of. She saw Axel's facial expressions change and harden as he saw who she was talking to. "I have to go." He said before taking off.

She ran after him hearing "Henry, please just talk to me," She heard one voice said, that must have been Felix. The brother, Axel told her about once, when he was drunk.
"It's Axel now. Don't call me Henry ever again." he spat "And what the fuck are you doing here?"

"I came looking for you. Well, I hired someone to find you... And I watched your performance a week or so ago. They handed me a flyer and I thought maybe.. You'd talk to me again."
"Well, you thought wrong." She heard Axel say beginning to walk away, she crept behind a tent, careful no to be seen.
"I left. I told dad I didn't want the business. He's training Jeffery now... I did it all for you. Give me another chance! It's been six years. You're my brother, my other half, we know each other better than we know ourselves!" Felix said, she felt a pang, feeling bad for him.
"Knew. We knew each other. Not anymore." Axel said quietly .

She ran up to Axel, "Baby, listen I don't know the whole story, but why don't you hear him out." She said walking up to him and gently stroking his arm. "I think it's a really good idea." She kissed him on the cheek before turning to Felix. "Um hi Felix, my name is Jeannie, I'm one of the showgirls. Iv'e heard a little about you. She brushed a strand of hair out of her face. She knew she was dangerous territory but it seemed worth it.

"Thank you, you're very kind." She nodded her head, "There's no need to thank me, I'm just being honest." Compliments from her were a rare thing, so she did know the thank you was needed in return. To her a compliment was earned, not just handed out to all. "I'm undecided actually.. I was hoping I could find that out here.." "Oh, well..." With a drift in her voice she finally noticed his attention was not on her, but on someone behind her. It was a dumb thing to do but she looked back to see who it was, Axel and Jeannie? "Could you excuse me?" "What?" With shock and disbelief stammering her she stood in her spot as he walked away. Did some seriously just ignore my flirts?

Being very confident not a lot of things hurt her pride, but reject of a male was one of the few things that did. With her hand falling from her hand she was anger at herself for not being able to keep some new guys attention, Stupid Florence! With the rejection she was going to go rant to Jeannie. As she walked she made sure to walk slow due to the fake the ignorer was in front of her say, "Henry please just talk to me." Hanging her head in shame she wondered who he was speaking to, There's no Henry at the circus that I know off. Snapping her head up a few feet away from the new group she realized the Henry had been Axel, What? What the heck is going on? Florence wasn't sure if she should go over there, It's private and whatever it is Axel seems mad about it. Shrugging her shoulders she wanted to know what was going on she made her way over there standing silently to Jeannie's side.

"Knew. We knew each other." Florence had no clue what was going on whatsoever as she watched Jeannie trying to restrain him. So far all she knew was that this new one knew Axel and possibly Axel's rename was Henry. Florence wanted to say something, help her best friend relax the other, but she knew that wasn't the best idea and she wasn't even sure what was completely happening. "Um hi Felix, my name is Jeannie, I'm one of the showgirls. Iv'e heard a little about you." So his name is Felix... Seeing all the drama was irritating to her. She wanted to tell Axel to suck up his crap and be gentler like the Felix boy. He seemed to be concerned and caring towards Axel, Are the brothers? She had seen some resemblance... That must be it!

Being so close she could have chimed in and asked a million questions to her closest friend Axel, but instead she walked over to his side and placed a hand on his back trying to comfort him hoping it wouldn't backfire or he wouldn't snap at her for touching him. At times when he wasn't being a jackass to her she tried to comfort him when ever he shared things with her, normally when he was drunk. In a way it was like a stab in her back that he hasn't told her about his brother unlike Jeannie, Well they're dating... one voice said why the other shouted, You're still best friends!

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Smiles was in no way an expert on breaking up fights, much less fights between siblings. He'd never had a brother or sister and no one had ever really offered up to be his surrogate sibling so his experience in that department was zilch. Still when he happened to notice Axel storm off, followed by one of the new guys and then in turn by Jennie and Florence he had gotten up to investigate himself. Now Smiles isn't nosy but something told him this wasn't going to end well. You know that gut feeling you get before you enter a classroom where you forgot to do your homework for a particularly mean teacher? Yeah, that feeling.

He could hear snippets of their conversation so putting two and two together wasn't much of a problem. 'Course that didn't mean anything. Smiles was pretty sure he'd only figured the tip of the iceburg. To a gigantic mountain. As he neared he witnessed Axel's punch and he winced at the sound of the crunch the new guys nose made at the contact. He sprinted the rest of the way as Axel stormed off. Coming in between the two girls he smiled, though strained as it was. "Ladies, now's really not the time for this." Smiles calmly stated, though when was the right time was just a mystery as it was to any other. "Jeannie, honey. This really isn't helping the matter. The newbies have just arrived and I don't think Lyfe would approve of this..."

He rubbed her arms in a soothing, calming manner hoping to relax her so she'd think clearly. He looked straight at her eyes and stated in a calm but slightly authoritive way that was unfamiliar in Smiles, "Jeannie, these were words said in anger. Understand? These are words meant to hurt. Now, I want you to calm down for a few minutes then if you still want to pursue the matter do it in a more discreet time. For all you know... Felix could have said that just to set Axel off, which it did, as you can see. I'm sure when you're angry as well that you say a few things you don't really mean, correct? Think about it, please. Don't do anything rash..." Having said that he gently turned Jeannie around and motioned her to walk it off with a strained but soft smile.

He turned to Florence and sighed before running a hand through his hair. "Florence... I think it'd be best if you did the same. I wouldn't want you girls to get in trouble with the boss... Axel... Well, Axel should be left alone for now. Really. I know you girls care about him and all but Axels a big guy. He has to deal with his own demons at his own time. Not saying that you guys cant be there for him and all but don't... interfere. If he says back off, just back off. There's no need to make him more angrier than he already is..." he murmured. He patted her back before motioning her toward the opposite direction he'd motioned for Jeannie to go off in. He didn't even check to see if they'd done as he said but he hoped that they'd take him seriously.

Finally he turned to the new guy, Felix, and sighed. Grabbing his handkerchief from his pocket he offered it to the guy. Yes, it was old fashioned for a guy to be holding a handkerchief around but Smiles was... a peculiar guy. "Here. You might wanna hold your nose for a while. I know people often suggest you tilt your head back but I don't really recommend it. That just makes the blood go down your throat."

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Tomo watched as the Ring Master made his way over to them. She gave in to the urge to eye the male and when she was satisfied with what she saw she couldn't help the smirk that tilted her lips. She found males just as exiting as she did females. Another thing her parents absolutely abhorred about her. Actually, if Tomo had a guess they'd much prefer her to continue gymnastics and athletics then take up relations with a girl. It was in their words the "epitome of shame" that their dear daughter liked both genders. She'd guess that was what actually made them lock her up... Tomo gave an involuntary shiver as she pushed away those dark memories. She could have forgiven them about that if they'd regretted it... but they hadn't. Tomo didn't ever think they would, which caused an ache to form in her chest where her heart was. She rubbed at the spot as if she could will it away but dropped her hand uselessly by her side. She mentally shook herself and paid attention to her possibly new boss.

"Hello, hello, hello," he said as he approached them. "How are my New Bloods today? I want to know your stage name, your talent, and if you feel comfortable telling me; your story, I'd love to hear it, if not then no pressure. I completely understand." First thing she'd noticed about him, besides his obvious good looks-Yum- was that he had a nice voice. Which she guessed was a good thing since as a Ring Master he talked quite a bit to the audience. Then, he seemed like a friendly. When she'd come to see the circus with her friends she'd been... well, detached for a lack of a better word. She'd been the audience and had been wowed with the performers but hadn't really looked at them. Guess I can do that more thoroughly now, huh?

She listened back in as Chalice, one of the new people like her, introduced herself. As per usual, it was a habit really, Tomo glanced at her and wondered for a moment if this place had some type of pheromone that pulled in attractive people. So far all the people she'd seen had leaned toward the oh so sexy/hot/cute side. She shook herself again. Pay attention Tomo. Not the time. she chastised herself. She listened for the rest of the introductions and watched slightly mystified as the tigers did a little performance for them. She wondered how long it had taken Damia to train them and how long it had taken for her tigers to get friendly with them. She found she felt respect toward the talented young woman and the circus people. They must have worked hard for them to be so talented at what they did, at what they loved. Thats what Tomo wanted. Lord, she wanted it so bad she could cry. She wanted so badly to have to work for what she loved because she knew that if she put in as much effort as these people did the ending reward would be that much sweeter and would have been worth all the troubles in the world.

"Stage name Tomo," she piped up seeing as the other girl seemed to finish. She smiled widely which was unlike her and continued, "Not very creative but trust me I could probably come up with worse. Talent...," she thought about that for a moment and decided to be truthful, "I don't really have any role in mind. I excel in gymnastics, athletics and music. Not sure if this is relevant or not but I'm pretty good with stunts. Kinda like what stunt actors do? Might be useful." Her smiled dimmed slightly before it was replaced by her more usual smirk to hide the fact that her 'story' still stung even after 1 or 2 years. "My parents hate me." she said simply as if it was a simple fact when in actual truth it was anything but simple. "That's basically the gist of my 'story' but I suppose I'll divulge the juicy details at a later time if you don't mind."

It was about this time she noticed that one of the guys was going off on his own. She wondered if he was allowed to do that for a moment before she laughed at herself. Who are you to talk about breaking rules? "Bah! It's none ah' yah' beezwax" as grandmamma would say. Her eyes trailed after him for a moment before they went back to Lyfe and Chalice.

"You obviously haven't grown above your games. Probably dating both the acrobat and the showgirl. Who I must admit, are both very attractive. They both seemed interested in me actually. I'm sure you're not surprised." How did I get thrown into this? It was a bother that she'd got thrown into Felix's mouth, she certainly wasn't dating Axel. She watched as her friend got mad and throw a punch. "Axel! She followed quickly behind, but stopped to examine the saddened Jeannie she could faintly hear. "What's wrong sweetie?" Her question was ignored as she watched the girl grow upset. "Are you fucking kidding me?!" "What?" "Well, are you?" "Are what!?" She was confused as Jeannie hissed and spoke coldly to her and Axel. "Are you cheating on me with our best friend?" "Jeannie, I-" "Cuz' he hasn't snapped on you yet." From being accused she felt another knife go in then twist deep inside of her. Jeannie knew how she felt about males, how she witnessed her mom being abused, and how she would never do anything to break Jeannie's trust. Since they were both her best friends, Axel greater than Jeannie though, she never did pick sides and treated them equally. With Axel's cheating Florence would tell Jeannoe every other time he would do it with him knowing she did so to try keeping everything between the three fair. "I can't be-" She was choked by tears. I'm crying? Crying was a thing the weak did, something she wasn't, but like humans she cried when she was hurt badly. Feeling like she lost the trust of a friend hurt, it hurt more than she thought it would. "You find me attractive?" Florence's eyes grew big at Jeannie's random sweetness. "Would you cheat on me?" Seriously? Jeannie had to know better than to think that of Florence, then to snoop so low and flirt with someone her boyfriend hated.

"I don't think you two even love each other anyways." Her voice was low, but she tried her best as she whipped away tears. "If either one of you loved each other you'd do everything to make one another happy, never do anything on purpose to hurt the other, always be there for each other, wouldn't cheat... or flirt with others...." it hurt her to speak most of all, but she felt like it was needed extremely bad, "you two just lust for each other, not love. I love the both of you though. I'm always there for you guys, I never get mad at either one of you... ever. Honestly, you two should just take a break." Shaking her head in disappointment she wanted comfort badly. When Smiles had walked over she listened and from the anger and pain she felt she dismissed it. Looking between Jeannie and Axel she sighed, "When you're done flirting I'll come back to talk to you." Seeming like Axel hasn't stopped his anger walking she started following behind him again to reaching his side.

"Are you ok?" Asking so as she took his hand I'm hers to look over it. "Your wrist looks a little sprung..." Sniffling she gently felt around his wrist. With her mother had once been a doctor she knew a few things. "If you wrap it it should be fine." Her silent sobbing turned to a loud outburst as she rested her head on his shoulder for comfort. With Axel being mad he knew he might pop her off, she hoped he wouldn't, but if he didn't shed keep doing it until he gave up. "I can't believe Jeannie would think that of me." The words barely coming out as she clung to him to make herself feel better. "You and her are like the only two people that know how my household was and she knows how much I'm afraid of dating a guy and how I'd never do anything to hurt her!" Maybe she could possibly have feelings for Axel, but nothing she'd never share with anyone. She knew very well how much Jeannie cared for him and she was afraid he or any other guy would take advantage of her, that's why she tried to only like girls. Florence honestly wanted to stay at the side of Jeannie, but with the way she had accused her she couldn't pick her over Axel, she caused her to much pain right now and the guy she had been flirting with was causing drama. She could deal with a lot of things, but drama was't one of them, she couldn't do it. She loved attention, but if drama followed it wasn't worth her time, not worth it. Maybe this was why Axel was he best friend over anyone else though. He was for the most part drama free in her eyes, basically perfect the way he treated her minus their small bickers. He might have had faults, but he had never done anything wrong to her so she couldn't judge him. The both were a lot a like, but at the same different. "Jeannie may have left your side, but I'll always choose you over anyone." Fiddling with her hair she tied it into a knot to keep stray strands from sticking down the water rolling down her face. Hating the way it felt to cry she turned her head away from him so he couldn't see, it was embarrassing for her, even worse than being rejected. "I'm so sorry I talked to him. If I knew you didn't like him I never would have!" The nerves that had somewhat calmed came back to their unsettled state as she felt bad for talking to Felix. She felt stabbed in the back and now she felt like she did it to him. If she had known she wouldn't have, she would never talk to some her closet friends disapproved in, Gosh, I can't believe I flirted with him! Currently Florence didn't feel like a good friend to either one of them. Jeannie seemed to want nothing to do with her and she flirted with the enemy. "I'm so sorry."

Lyfe's eyes rested on Tomo as she spoke, absorbing what she had to say. "Well, Tomo, here I'm practically papa bear and I like you already, so I hope you feel at home. As for your talent, we'll find a place for you, most definitely. I'm thinking along the lines of either showgirl or acrobat, we'll see," he gave her a charismatic smile before allowing his gaze to drift to the quiet teen beside her. He listened intently to Pheonix, allowing his interest to settle onto his face. "Fire," he said with a curt nod. "Noted."

He was about to address the forth New Blood, but he wasn't where he left him. He could have swore there were four of them. He furrowed his brows just as an arm slung over his shoulder and a warm body was next to him. He looked to his side, grinning widely when he saw his companion. At the quip regarding Ghost's looks, Lyfe couldn't help, but smirk. He lowered his voice for only Ghost to hear, his tone was utterly flirtatious. "If I actually said half of the things I thought about you, Ghost. I don't think we'd be friends anymore, mate." He quirked a brow, leaving that flirtatious smirk on his face as Ghost mingled with the rest of the recruits. It was refreshing to see the man trying. He could see through the facade, but he admired the effort. He was about to dazzle the recruits with his charm, but Ghost's outburst took him aback. It was then that he heard Jeannie's profanity and the commotion.

Lyfe's easy-going expression, hardened in both annoyance and complete outrage. Usually it was hard to tell when Lyfe was angry, for he didn't yell or shout, but his face would go blank of emotion and his voice would get lower with power, but his eyes displayed all of the fire that was going ablaze within him. It's quite frightening when he's truly enraged, but right now he was mildly irritated. He flashed his eyes to both Shiloh and Ricket.

"Shiloh," he said, tightly, trying in vain to keep his cool. "Please, escort these lovely ladies to their tents, dear. Ricket, you can take Phoenix, here. I have business to attend to." He straightened his jacket before turning away from the group and making a beeline to the commotion. He was mortified when he saw the behavior. There a recruit on the floor with a bleeding nose, Axel was storming away, Florence was crying, Jeannie was pissed, and Ghost was traumatized. This was fuckery!

"What the bloody hell is going on?" Lyfe boomed when the New Bloods were out of earshot. "Axel, get your arse back here," he narrowed his eyes at the retreating figure before looking at Smiles as he assisted the injured man. "Smiles, please take the recruit and get him fixed up. You know where the First-Aid kit is, thank you." He took a deep breath, taking of his top hat and holding it in his hands, twisting it over and over again until he was calm enough to speak. "Okay," his words were dripping in pent up rage as he slowly spoke. "I am beyond disappointed in your behavior. Now, I have no idea what happened and I will give you a chance to explain the abomination you've displayed, but," he raised his voice slightly. "It better be a damn good reason, do I make myself clear? First, let me explain something to all of you before you even tell me anything. This is still a place of bloody business! Now, I understand if any of you have quarrels, but those stay out of my big top! Once you're in this tent, all of your bullshit is left outside. Next time, take it outside and away from the big top! Because of this, you've upset Ghost and Damia! They had to run away from the chaos, think about the emotional distress you caused them. When I'm done with you lot, I want you to apologize to them both." He huffed, straightening his stature and placing his hat back onto his head. "Now you may explain to me why you felt the need to disgrace this circus. Axel, I'll let you go first since you happen to have one my recruit's blood staining your knuckles."

Lyfe's honey eyes bored into Axel, coaxing him viciously to tell him the truth. He made a mental note to comfort Ghost and Damia when was done with his scolding. He knew that they needed a bit of alone time at the moment, for they were bound to be fragile at the moment.

Jeannie watched Florence walking away with Axel and felt tears streaming out of her eyes. She was going to run up and apologize to Axel for believing Felix, knowing everything he told her but head Lyfe's angry voice before she could.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" Lyfe's voice boomed "Axel, get your arse back here, Smiles, please take the recruit and get him fixed up. You know where the First-Aid kit is, thank you."He seemed pissed, and obviously was trying to control his anger. "I am beyond disappointed in your behavior. Now, I have no idea what happened and I will give you a chance to explain the abomination you've displayed, but, It better be a damn good reason, do I make myself clear? First, let me explain something to all of you before you even tell me anything. This is still a place of bloody business! Now, I understand if any of you have quarrels, but those stay out of my big top! Once you're in this tent, all of your bullshit is left outside. Next time, take it outside and away from the big top! Because of this, you've upset Ghost and Damia! They had to run away from the chaos, think about the emotional distress you caused them. When I'm done with you lot, I want you to apologize to them both. Now you may explain to me why you felt the need to disgrace this circus. Axel, I'll let you go first since you happen to have one my recruit's blood staining your knuckles."

She glanced at Lyfe, who obviously was blaming Axel "It's not Axel's fault," She said to Lyfe " Felix was out of line." She concluded "And I blew up because Felix said that Axel was cheating on me with Florence," She turned to Florence "Sorry I was stupid for believing him."

She turned to Axel and stood by his side, taking his hand in his "Won't happen again Lyfe I swear" Tears sprang up in her eyes "I promise," She squeaked. She had to admit she was terrified. She never defied or said anything against Lyfe, she especially didn't stick up for anybody.

She turned to Florence and smiled "Am I still your favorite?" She asked hopefully. She hardly ever showed any sign of caring when Axel cheated on her, but with Florence it was personal. She furrowed her brow and gazed at Axel hoping all was forgiven.

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Lyfe listened to both parties, assessing the problem silently. He rubbed his chin as they all spoke as he thought about what to say that would defuse all of the tension. He hated being the type of authority figure that had to scold his friends. They were so much more than employees in his eyes, they were friends and family, so it aggravated him more than anything when he had to be that guy.

His hard features softened and he sighed, completely understanding Axel's reasoning. He didn't pry any further, for he and Axel had an unspoken understanding when it came down to their histories. Ask no questions. He placed his hand on Axel's shoulder, tilting his head a tad as he displayed his understanding on his face.

"I see," he said, nodding his head. "No more explanations are needed. I'll leave it to you mend things with your brother and fix what is broken," he smiled just a little as he saw a bit of himself in Axel. "Just try to do it in a less violent manner, okay? I don't need the others thinking it's okay to solve their issues with their fists." He then squeezed the lad's shoulder before turning his attention to Felix. He could see the similarities between the two; from the straight line of their noses to the shape of their heads.

"How is your nose? Broken?" Lyfe asked, "I won't hold this against you, now that I know the reason. However, I suggest you give him time to blow off steam before you talk to him again...he might hit something more painful than your nose next time." He was joking, but there was a bit of truth. If Axel was anything like Lyfe used to be, things could get ugly. Lyfe then turned his gaze over to both Florence and Jeannie about to speak, but Ghost came to him before he could. He offered his friend a worried glance before nodding towards him.

"Hopefully, these issues will be resolved or at least, held at bay before our next performance. I wish you luck," he said to them all then gave Ghost his undivided attention. He wrapped his arm around the other man's shoulder, pulling him close to his side. "I have a bottle of whiskey with our names on it, mate. It's in my tent." He then ushered his friend into his domain. Once they were alone, Lyfe told his friend to make himself at home. "Make yourself at home, my friend." His tent wasn't as grand as most would think. It was more decorated than the others, due to him being there longer than all of them, but it was the same size as everyone else. He had an actual bed unlike some of them along with a full length mirror, a truck full of clothes, and an assortment of snacks that he liked to hide in a small chest that he purchased when the circus was just getting off of the ground.

Lyfe pulled out the bottle of Bourbon from underneath his bed, popping it open and taking a swig before offering it to Ghost. "Bottoms up," he smiled reassuringly as he sat on his bed. "Do you wish to talk about what happened? I'm here if you need me."