The Grounds

"I wish to be very blunt, may I ask to draw your portrait." Okay, that was a new one. Usually, people asked Dawn more normal things, like how she got her wings and such. Or, they just laughed at her. She wasn't sure what to say, so she just sat there for a couple of seconds, looking at the ground of her enclosure.

"Sure. You can draw me, I guess. Just don't laugh at me." That last part was an accident. She meant to think it to herself, but it had slipped out. Thankfully, she talked so quiet they probably wouldn't hear her anyway. She looked up for a second, brushing a few wisps of hair out of her face. She was usually populated, yes, but nobody ever asked to draw her. Speaking of crowd, a small family was approaching. She gave an apologetic smile to Freya, and stood, letting her wings unfold and spread out. The two children laughed and wrapped their hands around the bars, pushing their faces closer. It was probably a little bit dangerous, she could easily hurt one of them if she was a more aggressive exhibit, but for the current moment they weren't hurting her at all. Except for the current streams of thoughts she was getting from them.

Look at the wings! So pretty... A voice that she guessed belonged to the little girl filled her mind, along with some other things how she looked like a doll. She did a flip for them, trying to block out their thoughts. She honestly loved children, but you try listening to them nonstop, even when they weren't talking.

Wow, she's cool. Wait, look at that one. He looks like a dog. I want to see him. He's cool. That sounded like the boy. He was already turning towards his parents, who currently Dawn couldn't tell what they were thinking. She had to be closer. She sighed as they left. No matter how much she wanted to be free, she loved it when she was visited. Even if she knew none of these people wanted to be her friend. They were just here to laugh at her, call her a freak...

Stop thinking like that. Most of them are nice people.

Pushing a fake smile onto her face, she turned back to the woman man in front of her and thought about how boring she must look.

"Would you like me to do more tricks? I must be boring you. Oh, by the way, I'm.. Angel." Dawn didn't want to give away her real name... Yet.
---
Jack stared at the empty exhibit in front of him, a sneer already in place. Where was the spider girl. She was supposed to be entertaining. Not like anybody was here... But that was probably because there was nothing to see.

"Widow! Get out here, now. You don't want to go into isolation, do you?" Isolation was something he had dreamt up. They shoved the freak into a dark room, no doors (as far as they could tell), no windows, no food, no 'enchantments'. One of his fellow scientist friends had figured out how to prevent them from using anything in that room. Actually, they were just a normal person during isolation. They didn't look nor act different. The Owner didn't know how it worked, it just did.

"I suggest you hurry up. Don't want me to come in there, do you?" He wouldn't do it unless he had to, of course. He hated being in there with them. But still, he could still ask one of his guards to come and 'escort' her out. More like drag. But it worked. He wrapped his hands around the cool metal bars, a small evil grin in place. "Come on, Black Widow. We just want to see your act..." He cooed into the darkness, a few people gathering behind him but he shooed them off.

Still, nothing. Jack took a step back and regarded the situation. He didn't really care what had happened. What he did know, however, is if this girl didn't come out in one minute, she was getting one hell of a beating, followed by a rather long isolation period.

Herrick knew he shouldn't have done that. He should have connected the fact that a lip-reader would get extremely taxed by seeing more than one mouth on a person, and eventually freak out a little. However, Zero's mind had yet to calculate this possibility, for he had yet to truly meet any person that was actually deaf, or could read lips. He rarely got visitors as it was, let alone deaf ones. Noticing that her head was spinning, a look of remorse and regret flooded his mind and facial expression. He instantly chastised himself mentally, knowing that he should have thought that one through more carefully and meticulously. Doctor Avarella, on the other hand, seemed to be entranced by his hands, leaning into his cage as if to touch them out of awe. Her eyes, on the other hand, confused him - a mix of mystified and entranced. She whispered something about how 'Goddamned cool' his hands were, to which Zero promptly made a mental note to look up the origins of this 'goddamned cool' saying, and to figure out what that trance-like look in her eyes was.

They're not saying anything, are they? I... couldn't keep up with them, I'm sorry. Those words seemed to crumble the silence that had been created, to which Herrick quickly put his hands down and Avarella seemed to retreat. Herrick turned to face Rosa, a remorseful expression clear. "My deepest apologies Miss, I... wasn't thinking entirely. No, they are not capable of speech, nor digestion. They can taste, but that is all." Herrick dipped his head apologetically. Avarella, although concerned, had her attention diverted to a crowd that was growing near Ebony's cage to which she gave her apologies and ran off. Herrick made no motion to stop her, nor did he do anything besides sit cross legged. From his vantage point he could see Ebony - or Jetta, he called her both. She was quite a nice and optimistic character, one that Zero wished he would talk to more often. Perhaps she would bring up his confidence with her enthusiasm.

That lead his eyesight to the cage nearest himself - Ridley's. Those pieces of Scum had once again come back to sexually assault the mutants again, and Herrick hated it. Normally, the quirkly fellow did absolutely nothing, for that was his nature, and that was how Jack wanted him to be. On occasion though, he had been known to scare them by simply sticking out his tongue, or even just by opening his eyes at them. The normally went around his cage that way and ended up with the twins, which was amusement enough. He turned back to Rosa and gave her a smile. "Miss, it isn't your fault. I am assuming the pressure of actually communicating got to me." He smiled - unbeknownst to him, quite sheepishly - and turned to hear Mr. Jack roaring at Ridley.

He turned his head and instantly narrowed his eyes at the situation. He was quite fond of Ridley - same reason as with Ebony, she seemed to be quite a nice person to befriend if he ever tried - and Jack wasn't in a good mood. Ridley was hiding from those Comic book lowlifes, whom instantly noticed him and scooted around his cage. He then heard Jack threaten her with that isolation chamber. Zero did not fear that room, for it did nothing to him at all - in fact, it made him feel a little more free. He shook that thought and stared back. He didn't like where this was going, but he couldn't get involved. That was simply out of the question.

Avarella watched with a careful expression, clearly concerned and even more so winced a bit as Ebony explained her situation. A fall? She did nod though abeit silently as Ebony asked her to not tell The Owner, her boss, of what happened. She didn't quite understand as to why exactly per say he'd be mad, though the bad vibes and generally not very agreeable attitude didn't allow her to think that he'd be mad for her general wellfare. Looking quickly over Ebony's general condition, she stared at what seemed to be wrong with her general rib area, frowning deeply. "I don't think that you're all as okay as you say.." She quietly said, but wasn't able to get another word as the girl that was casuing her worry had stepped away and went back to her performance.

Avarella didn't leave though, planted firmly in her spot, and stepped a bit to the side as the crowd that had gathered watched on with curious eyes and various expressions alike. Knowing full well that if she decided to make a scene, The Owner may not appreciate that, and would probably get all in her face about it. While it went against her own doctor instincts, she had to see how Ebony would fare currently, hoping that she wouldn't have to need her in any case of severe injury. She muttered a profanity to herself, crossing her arms as she watched 'Jetta's movements with caution. Her eyes widened as something went wrong with the routine, Ebony's face becoming wildly uncomfortable. Behind her, the audience seemed as surprised as she was feeling even more worried. Goddamnit, I don't think that allowing her to strain on that now confirmed injury was a good decision.

As Ebony apologized that there will have to be no performance this time around, Avarella watched as the audience groaned and muttered under their breaths as they began to break up and go their own separate ways, not bothering to stick if there wasn't going to be a show. Why I oughta - Her attention was brought to Ebony sitting beside her as she could in the cage, and Avarella quickly forgot about setting their cars on fire. That'd be a bit extreme. Saved for more special occasions.

Focusing on the situation at hand, she kept her frown, looking over to where bone began to poke out of her skin while Ebony admitted that she may have broken a rib, leading Avarella out of her silence. "I'm going to have to take a better look at that to determine whether it's bad or not." She silently thanked the gods that she decided to take some medical classes that involved human structure as well, as she'd at least have some sort of basic knowledge towards situations like these. Especially towards situations like these. Staring hard at the spot where the pain was sure to be coming from (obviously), Avarella looked from it to Ebony. "I'm pretty sure that I don't have an office, and it's not a good idea to have you continue to be moving around. So I'll have to be coming in there, if that's alright with you." She glanced towards some doors to the far side. "That would be the entrance to finding your cage's inner door, right?"

Distinctively, she recalled having recieved a pair of keys from Jack- er, The Owner which should be in her pocket - yup, still there. Avarella did remember having gone over her having to check up on the.. 'freaks' during her first conversation with him, and the talk had ended up involving the matter. Though she doubted that he would've expected her to using the keys, but he probably didn't trust her enough to give a key to their cages. Just in case she'd try to set them free. She frowned, quickly noticing his presence some distance away, near Ridley's cage. All of this commotion.. "If there is any case that I'm unable to get in due to lack of access, we're probably going to have to do it in an uncomfortable way. .. Unless you can open it to the best of your ability?" The underlying statement unsaid. I don't want you to hurt yourself any further unless absolutely necessary.

Freye honestly didn't really know what to think as soon as she had replied back and seemed to be okay with his sudden question. Though the 'just don't laugh at me' caught his attention immediately, and he frowned, questions popping up to ask as to what she meant by that, but was unable to voice of them as she turned to entertain a family who came up to her cage and admired her as she did some sort of performance. Her voice is so quiet.. He noted, studying her features further, thinking of endless ways as how to portray her correctly, his sketchpad calmly placed in front of him, held by two arms. He observed carefully, wishing to truly capture her essence onto paper, patiently.

As she turned back to him while the other family that had came up went to see the other attractions, he noted how dull the light in her eyes seemed, like there was a lack of .. well, something. That he couldn't exactly put a finger on, though it was something important. He frowned nevertheless, "No, thank you. It's not much of a good thing to use the term 'tricks', it seems to belittle you. But in any case, it's nice to meet you Angel." Freye doesn't point that he knew of this already, but polite manners were something that had been ingrained into his mind since long ago. He wasn't planning on breaking that habit any time soon. "But you're not boring me at all, in fact, you're quite beautiful. That alone makes me satisfied." He softly spoke, the slight roughness that he had never managed to be rid of was distinctly hard to hear, lest one were to hear quite carefully. It always stuck out to his own ears. "But I'd enjoy some small talk, if you'd like. I enjoy that sort of thing if I were to draw someone's portrait. Thank you for allowing me so, to draw it." He understood that his tone was always a bit stiff, but it wasn't really his fault. It just came naturally.

Adjusting his sketchpad to be held like so, as he held his pencil lightly as he already began some more lines, freshly starting on a new sheet. "If you wouldn't mind me asking, Angel," he looked back up to memorize the shape of her hair and how it falls over her shoulders, before looking back down, light lines. "What do you think is the meaning of life?" Questions like these always did start off the general feel of the piece, to include personality. He quickly sketched out the typical starter geometrical shapes, so he wouldn't lag behind. He looked back up with a smile. "Honest answers are greatly appreciated."

He drew his hand back through the bars. She didnt seem to fear him... she seemed more... intrigued. He grinned and backed away from the bars. He scratched his ear furiously with his left hand. Damn fleas. They came by very now and then, at least he was smart enough to know how to get rid of them. He ceased scratching and approached the bars once more. She was eyeing the bars.

"Ahh, My story" he forgot what she had originally asked for. He took a deep breath. This wasnt something he liked to relive. "You see... The great thing about animals... is their instinct. They know when and how to use their various abilities to survive. Or to protect. The wolf especially." He didnt like to give his exact story, but he could give her an explanation so she could draw her own conclusions.

"Wolf packs are tight. Most have a bond that no human can comprehend. Any single member would protect the pack regardless of the consequences." He reached into his pocket and produced a pac of 5 gum. He selected his piece and began chewing. It calmed his nerves.

"My particular.... mutation. It gives me the traits of a wolf. I have all of these studious things like the claws, and the teeth, but I was also gifted with the wolf instinct." He paused. "When someone I care for is in danger, or is hurt, these instincts kick in... and I cant control myself."

He turned once more to look at her. "Long story short... I'm dangerous."He reached through the bars and extended his claws. He twirled the hand in front of her agan. "I'm not normal... and I'm scary." His eyes changed color. They were now bright yellow.

He touched her cheek with his fingers. He could feel her stiffen up. This may have been cruel, to scare her like this. But she had to know what he was about.

"So I stay here. Where I can't hurt anyone. I'm no prisoner, I'm here by my own choice." He trailed off as he returned his hand. He turned to walk away. "Sorry if I scared you." She was a nice girl. Unfortunately he would probably never see her again. Once he zoo moved on she was gone forever. "Nice meeting you Kalie."

"Come on in Nixy, though I can't promise it's roomy."
Ebony listened to the doctor/vet explain she might have door problems and Ebony chuckled while still looking pointedly away from her rib. As long as she though about something else ans stayed perfectly still, something she was good at, she hardly felt it.
"I can get out easily on a good day without even using the door, despite what Jack, excuse me The master of infierno , thinks." She gestured mildly towards the bottom of the bars, where they widened from age just enough that her head would be able to get through. With her bones able to press in slightly and bend, squeezing through the bars would be no problem, not that she let anyone know that.
"The doors don't exactly open from the inside, or at least mine doesn't, I don't know if it's just old or made like that. Si viene peor en peor, I'll just slip through no biggie, kay?"
Though Ebony supposed she could jimmie open her door if she really tried... on the topic of her door, she made a mental note to ask some of the others if their doors opened on the inside or not. Her cage was one of the older ones after all, belonging first to one of the... nonpresent original 'acts'.
Risking a glance at her side and finding herself not on the verge to puke, Ebony gently poked at the bulge. Immediately she resisted the urge to squeal, jerking her hand away.
"Hardly even hurts, Nixy. It's all good, take your time." She said through gritted teeth. It wasn't exactly sarcastic, more playful, though Ebony doubted it had sounded that way. She breathed deeply resettling in her still unmoving mode. Her eyes wandered briefly across the other attractions, lingering at Ridley's cage where the Owner was harassing her again, undoubtedly.
"Poor Ridley, She's nice enough, that man es un engendro de Satanás, ese hijo de puta de mierda madre..." Ebony said to herself, smirking a little at her curses. Poor abuela would have a heart attack if she heard the way Ebony had learned to curse.
Then she glanced at Nixy, giggling in her head. She liked the nickname. She thought it was cute, and more girly than the president name, and since the doctor did look a bit fairy like in appearance-(well she had short hair, and Ebony knew the style as a pixie-cut, so it made sense to her...the tattoos made her into kind of a rogue fairy- Ooh, a rogue fairy queen, how dramatic!)- the teen found it suited her. A word and she would cease calling her that with no hard feelings. A bit of fun never hurt anyone.
Well, unless that fun in getting distracted on a hoop and slamming into concrete ground, but you know.
Anyway, she glanced at the doctor, awaiting orders. Despite her squeamish nature when it came to self injuries, she could bare pain well enough if she needed to.

Ara hadn’t been waiting long when she discovered the conversation going in front of Herrick’s cage. It amused her until she heard yells coming from Ebony’s cage. “Lilith, do you hear that?” Ara asked her sister while jumping up to bars of their cage dragging Lilith along behind her.

Lilith would have yelled out in protest at being dragged behind her sister but she also wanted to know what was happening with Ebony. Of course though she knew they couldn’t see what was happening from their cage. Though she did catch a glimpse of Nixon running off towards the commotion. “Ara would you calm down, you know we aren’t going to be able to see anything anyway.”

Ara listened to her sister before giving her an irritated look, that was not something she cared to hear right now. “Dawn, can you see what is going on?” Ara asked to their neighbor choosing to ignore Lilith’s comment. She waited barely a moment before deciding to find another source. “Zero! Can you see what is going on with Ebony?” Ara yelled hoping he would hear her from across the wide path separating their cages. Ara started tapping her foot impatiently, she hated being in the cage for the simple reason of never knowing what was going on outside. Not that there was ever much to really know anyway, until now of course.

Lilith, while she was worried about Ebony, deep down somewhere - the girl was a little bit to bright and outgoing her tastes - was already resigned to the fact that her and Ara couldn’t do anything about it anyway. She let her eyes wander around while her sister yelled out, no doubt annoying people with her need for more information. Her eyes landed on The Owner standing outside Ridley’s cage. She took a glance at her sister and decided not to let Ara know what she planned to do. No point she already knew Ara would agree with her completely, it was one of the only thing they actually agreed on. “Oi, Jack!” Lilith hissed out a the man. Unlike most of the others she actually hated calling The Owner by his first name, she hated the familiarity of it. She would never in her life wish to be familiar with a man like that. Lilith opened her mouth and felt her fangs protrude threateningly, sure they weren’t all that impressive but they were better than none. Lilith didn’t say anything else, she wasn’t much for words and well, she knew Ara would jump in at any moment now.

Ara heard her sister and immediately looked to see what Lilith had seen and found The Owner yelling at Ridley who was hiding in the darkness of her cage. Of course Ara had seen the men who attacked Ridley, and it wasn’t the first time, she glared with pure hatred towards The Owner. “Piss off. Leave Ridley the hell alone, she doesn’t deserve your shit!” Ara yelled putting emphasis on calling Ridley by her correct name. She continued from Lilith’s original comment knowing that was where she was meant to jump in. They semiconsciously finished each other’s sentences around The Owner, like it made them closer and feeling closer to each other made them mentally stronger and feel safer. They didn’t mind the threat of isolation either since they weren’t actually isolated, luckily enough for them.

"I-I didn't mean to make her go." Rosa stuttered out with a frown, watching the young doctor walk away towards another cage. She sighed gently, looking back to Herrick. Miss, it isn't your fault. I am assuming that the pressure of communication got to me. Rosa's nervous feelings declined a little, and she began to give him sympathetic looks. You and me both Herrick... she sighed gently, looking to the spikes on his feet absentmindedly. "Please, just call me Rosa..." Rosa noticed Herrick's eyes narrowed in the direction of another cage.

Rosa turned to look at The Owner, watching his actions and behaviour with consideration. She frowned slightly at him. He was the man who looked so friendly, and yet suspicious at the entrance. She had a hunch earlier, but the way he was threatening one of the people, it was so cruel, and completely contrasting to the chirpy excited personality he had put on earlier. "I thought that he didn't seem like the type to be so happy..." she commented to herself, leaning against the bars of the cage lightly. "No one keeping people in cages and making them perform routines would be calm and kind." she sighed, hoping the girl within the cage wouldn't get hurt.

Katerina sits in the corner of her cage, her blue cat eyes scanning the crowd outside the iron bars. She takes a breath, wondering how she got herself into this situation. Her tail twitches as she sees the eyes appearing outside her cage. Katerina breathes in a sigh as she stretches out, amusing the patrons she sees. She begins her acrobatics standing on her hands and walking forward, doing splits and balancing on one hand. Different things she could think of. But, of course, the crowd was distracted by her cat-like features. They always were. Why is it different now? Because she's in a cage? She chalks it up to that.

Pretty soon, Katerina hears a commotion outside her cage that isn't coming from the crowd. She carefully walks on all fours to the bars and peeks her head out as much as she can to see what was going on. She flicks her ears to hear the commotion better. She picks up on the conversation and her tail twitches as she hears it.
"Who are these people?" she thought. Being the newest member of the show, Katerina really didn't know the others. She had arrived, then when she agreed to stay, she was put in this cage. It wasn't until she felt a familiar sensation on her head that she was hit back into reality. A little boy stood in front of the cage stroking her head. He couldn't have been older than 5. Immediately, Katerina hisses to the boy, her nails extending in attempts to scratch him.

The boy screams and falls back, his mother catching him as he cries.
"What the hell is your problem you freak of nature?!" the mother screams.
"Maybe you should tell your spawn not to touch the performers!" Katerina hisses back, her back up like an angry feline, tail lashing back and forth.
The mother's eyes are filled with fiery anger, "How dare you speak to me that way!"
"How dare you speak to me that way!" Katerina glares at the woman in front of her.
The mother stands, helping her son up, "You WILL pay for this you realize. I will report you."
"Go ahead. As long as it gets me the hell away from you and that thing you call a child I'll be fine." Katerina goes back to her corner and curls up.
The boy and his mother walk off, mother seething with anger and giving one more yell before she leaves.

Herrick could tell that by Miss Rosa's constant apologies that she was a very sweet and caring lady, something that made him smile just a bit. However, his mind was focused on other things when she stated Please, just call me Rosa... to which he could only nod his understanding. He didn't want to get anymore involved than he should, for even if Zero had been around the longest of most, that didn't mean that Jack had grown soft for him or something. He would be punished the same, only he wouldn't feel it as much (been there long enough, pain just seems natural after a while).

I thought that he didn't seem like the type to be so happy... No one keeping people in cages and making them perform routines would be calm and kind." He simply nodded throughout her speech, hearing every word even if she meant to keep that to herself. "Right you are, Miss Rosa. His occupation is not one he does calmly." He stated simply, for there wasn't much to hide it. Jack thought that Ridley would ruin the show if she stayed up there, but from Herrick's simply observations, he could tell that the yelling he did on occasion would actually have a more negative effect on the onlookers. Nobody would want the Ringmaster yelling at his elephants during the circus.

Zero! Can you see what is going on with Ebony? Zero's head turned slowly and casually over to the other nearest cage, the Twins Ara and Lilith. Ara didn't seem like she was enjoying the fact that Ebony's cage wasn't in her vision, so he decided to enlighten her. "She fell. Dr. Avarella is investigating." He said in a quiet voice, hopefully loud enough for her to hear. But then Lilith noticed Ridley and Jack and started yelling profanities. Zero had to sigh at the sight, it truly was tiring and depressing. Lilith wasn't the happiest lady in the show, but that didn't mean she had to yell all the time...

Ridley swung quietly from her web, picking at her nails. Her foot dangled over the edge, as she watched people peer into her cage. They stared in, wondering where she was before moving onto the next cage. She could hear a commotion coming from Ebony's cage next to hers. She was very close with Ebony, considering they both liked the dark and had a tendency to spend more time crawling on walls, than actually walking.

As much as she cared for the other girl, Ridley couldn't bring herself to come down from her web. She wanted to be left alone, in the quiet. But that wasn't allowed. Not with Jack constantly checking up on them. He had come to her cage, probably after someone had complained, and was banging on the bars. He threatened her with isolation, like he always did.

She glared down at him, even though he couldn't see her. "Come on, Black Widow. We just want to see your act..."

Ridley felt shivers climb up her spine, as he used the same voice those horrendous comic book nerds used. She sat up straight and quickly shot a web covering the entirety of the front of her cage. No one could reach in, no one could see her even if she came out of the shadows. She was alone. She heard Jack start yelling profanities. She knew, the moment the zoo closed, she would get a beating a probably a few days in isolation with no food.

She would take gladly, if it meant she could get away from those people. She could still feel their hands on her, as they rubbed her body in every wrong way. They were lucky she didn't bite them. It would've been easy. One bite to their wrist, shooting venom up to their heart, and they would've been dead. She had killed enough people to know exactly how it worked.

Ridley heard as Lilith and Arabella began yelling profanities at Jack. Trying to get him to leave her alone. She couldn't help but smile, thankful for the kindness they showed towards her, but was overwhelmingly sad. They would definitely be getting a beating from Jack. They might even end up isolation as well. Although, it was never really isolation, so they were conjoined.

Ridley jumped down from her web, and sat in the center of her cage. Waiting patiently for the zoo to close, and one of the bodyguards to carry her out. To come face to face with Jack and the beating she would most definitely get.

Jennifer sat at her bosses desk, waiting for him to come back from something his assistant called him out for. She picked up her bag and started moving things about, looking for her phone. She moved her purse, camera, hairbrush, makeup bag, hand sanitizer and tissues before finding it at the bottom beside her keys. She flipped it open and she had one new message, from her best friend, Dana Kent, it read:
Hey, we're all going down to the bar now, if you want to join us later. She smiled and shook her head and typed, Sorry, can't gotta do some research on some traveling zoo. and hit send. Her boss opened the door just as she put her phone back in her handbag. "So you want me to go visit this traveling zoo tomorrow?" She asked him, a small smile on her lips. "Yep,just review it. Ask the staff about what it's like working there and ask the exhibits what it's like living in a travelling zoo." He grinned at her, walking over to his chair. "Why would I talk to animals?" She furrowed her brow and looked into his eyes. "You haven't heard?" He asked her, with a quizzical look on his face. "No." Jennifer admitted, shaking her head. "Oh,you're in for a surprise." He sniggered and waved Jennifer off. Jennifer left his office and headed for the lift.
When she got back to her apartment, Jennifer kicked her shoes off and dropped her handbag onto the sofa, she wandered over to her laptop and typed 'Freaks Galore' into google. "Oh my god." She sighed when she read an article from one of the other cities it had been to.

Rosa flinched back quickly at the web suddenly covering the cage, blinking at it in dismay. Was it really possible that he was making a person so distressed that they'd react in such a manner? She couldn't see it as possible herself, but apparently it was. She frowned to herself, looking to The Owner and letting out a sigh. Whatever he was doing, he was doing something mean to these people, simply because they were different in a pretty spectacular way. Rosa bit her lip a little, her hand clenching the bar of the cage a little. Maybe she'd have to come and visit this zoo more, try and find out more about what this horrible man was doing and then report him to the authorities. "Hmm, but that could be trouble for everyone else in the zoo... So authorities is out..." Last thing she would want is to get these people in a worse situation. Imagine them getting dissected...

Rosa looked over to Herrick, biting her lip. "Are they going to be okay in there? He's not going to hurt them... is he?" Rosa asked with a frown, referring to Ridley even though she didn't know who it was in there. Rosa sighed gently, rolling her shoulders back. "I mean, has anyone tried to tell the cops about that guy yet, or will there need to be a first?" she asked, glancing to The Owner, and then back to Herrick.

Katerina sits quietly now in her cage, still listening to the commotion outside. She didn't dare say a word lest she be yelled at by more than just the patrons. In her dark corner, she flicks her blonde hair from her face and looks outside the bars. No one is left outside the cage from her recent outburst. The child who did the one solitary thing she hates more than anything was gone along with his overbearing mother. But with them, they took the other patrons who were once staring at the cat-girl.

"I suppose this is better..." Katerina thinks to herself. She never really did like people staring at her. It made her feel like what she was, a freak. In fact, she can't really remember a time she wasn't stared at. If she ever went in public, God forbid, her father made her wear a hat and keep her tail tucked into her trousers. She was never free to be herself, not that she wanted to be. She knew what she was and hated her mother, even though they never met, for what she had done to her.

Her ears flicked back, hearing something other than commotion.
"Come on Black Widow. We just want to see your act..."
Katerina shivers at the sound of his voice. She wonders what he means by his statement. Who was in the cage he stands in front of, or more importantly, what? Katerina slinks to the front of the bars once again, peering out as best she could to see if she could catch a glimpse of this "Black Widow" person, or perhaps, any of the others who resided in similar cages.

Nixy? Well, that's certainly a first. Avarella smiled briefly, but concentrated on the other's injury as soon as Ebony has demontrated the ability to be able to slip through the cage bars and explained to her how exactly the doors don't really work from the inside, but she could try. Avarella's face turned into that of a bit of confusion for only a few seconds and Ebony slipped into Spanish again, speaking about The Owner with that she could recognize were a few curse words, and briefly glanced towards where the Owner was. He seemed rather cross-faced, if she had to admit. She should work fast before he came by here, remembering that Ebony had asked to not tell him of her condition. I guess that I'll find out later how he treats these guys. Not too well, by the looks of it. Of course it wouldn't, she should've seen it coming. But she had to focus on the matter at hand right now, and think carefully about what she'd have to do next after this. I knew I should've taken some lock-picking lessons from Trevor. .. Even if he turned out to be serial killer in the end. She wasn't too sure if that doors needed a key exactly per say, but it was very likely that it would. Not card key confirmations or anything like that; it sounded rather expensive anyhow.

"Don't worry. Wait for me by the door, and I'll find you." She held the bars of the cage, looking at Ebony with a firm expression. "Then, we'll try to open that door, and see how you're faring. I think that it can't too good if we leave it broken like that for a while. Might need stitches." Her eyes flickered between the injury and Ebony's face. "Don't strain yourself, and take your time towards moving to the door. I repeat myself. Don't. Strain. It." With that, she went for the door that she supposed was to the where they'd have to feed them and possibly having to clean out the cages every now and then. If they weren't she'd probably do it herself, seeing the way that she was already attaching herself to these guys. The door said "DO NOT ENTER" and she only hesitated for a few moments before pushing in a key shoved into by her and turning it to hear a click before entering, as it unlocked and she looked around. These were hallways. Corridors of a dimly lit place where it wasn't as a clean as one would hope it would be but it had no strong smell, and as you'd walk down, you could find the cage doors looking less like what it appeared on the outside where the audience would line to see what were in these cages.

Trying to find Ebony's door, she peered through what there were probably a sort of window of the doors that peered into the rooms of the cages, and walking quickly and searching almost frantically, rattling an occasional door here or there, until noticing that the doors were marked with names. Probably to keep track. Despite the fact that they were by stage names, she looked over the cage door until she stumbled upon to Ebony's, 'JETTA' marking her door in crude writing. "Ebony? Let's look at that ribcage." She called out.

Kalie

"You too Salem..."

Self-perception, he sees himself as dangerous. Is this the work of his actions or others' projections? Not much to go on...

Kalie remained in front of Salem for a long time, just watching him, analyzing his words. He was here to protect people...

"Salem...how did you come to be...the way you are? Were you born this way?"

She was genuinely intrigued by this whole concept of "freaks." Was there a correlation with all the "exhibits" here?

"I dont mean to be rude but...its fascinating really." Without thinking, she leaned against the bars, continuing to write and smile to him.

Timothy slumped out of his trailer with a grimace on his face, as usual. It was time to take care of the freaks. Every day he had to check the status of their health as best he could, what with some having cold blood and constant fleas. He half dragged his heavy medical supply kit as he dragged himself to the cages to find the cage he was supposed to unlock had a visitor: Avarella.

"God dammit, Nixon," he grumbled and fumbled for his keys to the cage. "I'm the doctor here, girly. Well, the nurse. But regardless, my job is to keep these freaks healthy, not yours. Move aside." He unlocked the cage door and closed it behind him.

Tim sat next to Ebony and smirked. "What's the matter Lizzy Godzilla, cat got your ribs?" He cackled at his own bad joke as he pulled out a rib brace and pain soothing gel from his kit. He rubbed the gel on her rib cage. "This oughta sting quite a bit Lizzy, but try not to move, okay?" After applying the gel, he fastened the fabric part of the brace around her ribs before fastening the metal clasps at the back.

"You're gonna be okay as long as you don't move excessively, lizard brains. But since you managed to injure yourself, that means I gotta tell the boss. And boy, he'll be miiiighty pissed off that you can't do major work in shows. He might even make you clean up after the dog brains! Hah, won't that be fun?" He laughed again and closed up his kit.

Avarella's eyes turned over to the older man, Timothy was it? Her eyes narrowed, despite the obvious naivety and concern she possessed that every respectable (human-specialized) doctor should not have. "It is my job. I should be in there!" Technically, it was to oversee the general health and diets of all of the.. mutants, and to keep records on that. Paperwork and check-ups that eventually would be processed over to the nurse, apparently. Real hospital-like. Avarella wasn't going to look forward to that, but she had a small decent pay and the job seemed interesting anyhow so she couldn't really complain. Her worry towards Ebony's condition was still crossing her mind, creasing her forehead with a frown. She supposed that being there as someone to rely on wasn't part of her job description nor in her payroll, but she was willing to do that since she first laid eyes on the depressing and dark nature that seemed to surround this traveling zoo. Nevertheless, she had stepped aside, and allowed the older, more experienced man to do his job, listening carefully and refusing to leave at all. The man knew what he was doing, unlike her. She didn't want to admit it, but he had much more experience in dealing with medical situations of human beings. She was only lucky those times during her travels, mostly dealing with animals. Avarella cursed under her breath out of frustration.

She liked Timothy, at least he called her Nixon like she had politely asked, unlike the Owner who found her strange and kept distance. He seemed to have no complaints about calling her by the name, though Ridley's comment on the nickname came up a again, and it made her smile, but had to force her mind to be brought back properly to the current situation at hand here. Despite the fact that she had only met the male nurse once or twice throughout the entire paperwork and job processing progress, so they had at least been on acquainted terms. She didn't care much for his bad attitude, with a stick that seemed permanently up his ass. There were other staff members, she was aware, though she had yet to meet all of them. She should probably do so when she finds time to after visiting everyone else. Crap, I still gotta do that. What time is it? She glanced at her watch, it was about a little halfway there to noon. Shit.

Catching snippets on the conversation inside, she hoped that at least when the guy was done, that he'd allow her in and at least let her see Ebony up close and over see anything that she could be useful for. Though, by the looks of it, he seemed to be trying to provoke Ebony. She sighed. "Hey, Mr. Cross." She knocked on the door. "Allow me in when you're done. I should see over it so I could.. record it. That's definitely in my job description, just so you know." Avarella huffed. She should make a request for her own copy of the keys, just so this wouldn't be so inconvenient. The blond ran her fingers through her hand again, ruffling it up, fluffing the short locks and making it seem even more untidy and messy than before.

Herrick was starting to get slightly agitated, and worked up - which slightly shocked him. The whole situation was spiraling out of control, something that Jack rarely let happen in the Zoo. Normally, he would simply accept the fact that the freak was being disobedient, and then beat them later. This was Jack when he was seriously angry about something. Zero should know, he had been documenting Jack since he was 5 years and 340 days old. However, these comic geeks must be extremely regular for Jack to side with them over one of his own. True, Jack usually didn't care much for them, but freaks were slowly becoming harder to get - at least, according to Zero. Most freaks that were showing up today were older than when Zero was their, when seeing 5-10 year olds was common. Nowadays, most of them are either older than 16, or not in the zoo.

Herrick turned to see that Rosa wasn't overly eccentric for the act either. In fact, she seemed rather horrified (if what his books told him to be true), with her muscles tense and her lip being bitten. She turned to him with a look of concern. "Are they going to be okay in there? He's not going to hurt them... is he? Herrick thought it best to not answer that, for he could not be certain. There were days when Jack was feeling generous and only beat them, and days when he through them into isolation for making a child cry. I mean, has anyone tried to tell the cops about that guy yet, or will there need to be a first? Herrick gave a puzzled look until he figured out the slang. I see, cops are the slang form of law enforcement... Herrick could only look at her with a sad and somber stare, and slowly shook his head.

"The law enforcement never seem to get entirely involved. Those who threaten with criminal punishment never go through with it, to my understanding." Herrick lowered his head, his mind starting to get worked up. Needless of his passive nature, he was highly defensive of the freaks in the zoo and the zoo itself. He knew that struggling through these forms of hardships either killed off the freaks, or let them stay around long enough to be killed off. A depressing life, but one that Zero only knew - without it, what was he? A mutation of a man that wouldn't dare leave his cage for too long. The correct term would be agoraphobia. Zero also connected with most of the freaks - the new ones who didn't understand anything, the middrifters who were trying to piece together their 'lives' and the veterans who were mostly depressed (and comprised of himself and a few others, namely Dawn).

Nevertheless, if things escalated, he may have to intervene - something he hadn't done in 4 years, 149 days. Roughly.

"All right, you can come in, hold your horses. I'm just finishing up." After packing his things back into the kit, Timothy opened the cage door and gestured her to come inside. Once she was in, he unlooped the key to the lizard girl's cage off of his keyring and handed it to Avarella. "Here you go Nix. Be sure to lock up when you leave. And don't forget to give that key back! You'll get your own from the Boss man if you ask." Tim pointed to his key ring before putting it back on his belt. "Speaking of the Boss, I'm off to talk to him now. I'll see you around." He turned on his heel and left the cage.

Timothy headed to the performance area through the back entrance and froze when he got there; he could see that creepy spider chick there. His boss looked impatient as she stood face to face with him. Looked like Spidey was about to get squashed. Heh. He smiled at his cruel thoughts.

"Boss!" He waved as he walked into the performance area. "Before you smack Spidey around, there's a bit of a problem. Little Lizzy Godzilla bruised a few ribs. She won't be able to perform for a while." He scratched the back of his head. "She can still move a little though. What do you plan on doing with her until she heals?"

Boos!

Ridley recognized the sound of Timothy Cross's voice. That man was as cruel as Jack and had a medical degree! She did find great happiness in the fact that he was deathly afraid of spiders and strongly disliked being anywhere near Ridley. Which was wonderful, since she didn't want to be anywhere near him.

"Before you smack Spidey around, there's a bit of a problem." Ridley winced at his words, but scooted closer to her web covered bars to hear better. "Little Lizzy Godzilla bruised a few ribs. She won't be able to perform for a while. She can still move a little thought. What do you plan on doing with her until she heals?"

Ridley hated the stupid names he gave to the others here. Each one had their own special name, meant to demean and ridicule them. She couldn't help but feel extreme concern for Ebony though. If she was out of commission for a while...well Jack definitely wouldn't be happy about that.

"Commotion, commotion! Do these people ever calm down? I suppose not, we are in a freak show..." Katerina thinks as she, once again, heads to the bars of her cage, trying to see what was going on. Again, she didn't dare speak. But she could still listen. No harm in that.

This time, she stretched her arm out of the bars, flicking it around to see if she could grab anything. No? Nothing? She sighs. Katerina studies the bars and sees that she can slip her feet out and sit on the edge, still inside the cage, but able to take part in the outside world. She pushes her feet out so they dangle on the edge and grasps the bars in front of her as if it were a swing. She sits, listening to the yelling. She could hear Timothy's voice.
"Well he sounds like fun..." this she says aloud, but quiet enough so only she could hear.

Jennifer picked up her phone and dialed the zoo owner's contact number. She kept reaching about the zoo and looking at pictures of the 'exhibits' while waiting for him to pick up. She looked at several articles, some from everyday journalists, some from Human Rights and some from Animal Rights, some from critics and some from scientists. She took out her notepad and started to scribble some questions.

Taylor

Surfacing was never one of his favorite things to do. His exhibit stood on the outskirts of the zoo a bit, needing the tank and all, but the above ground prison allowed him to see most of the exhibits. From below, he had heard the commotions.

Ridley harassed again, then yelled at by Jack. Ebony's fall and Timothy making himself known to the new gal Nixon.

Quite a lot happening today. Taylor rolled his eyes and lazily switched his breathing to his mouth from his gills, draping his body over a flat rock under direct sunlight. He noted Herrick's little visitor, redhead. A pig-tailed girl leaned against Salem's cage with a notebook. A ways away, Taylor also saw someone speaking with Dawn and...sketching? He couldn't see all the exhibits clearly, but he supposed that 's what was happening.

The warmth felt great on his skin as the color shifted in his cells. Under the water his back and most of his face changed to gray, to better camouflage himself like an actual great white. His hair stuck out though. It was a horrible attempt to hide him.

He heard voices, maybe more visitors, wanting to see "Shark Boy." Taylor rolled over onto his stomach to dry his back, eyes fluttering closed. A nap sounded nice.

Jack needed to lay off Ridley. Jack need to lay off period. And the punishments that were going to be doled out to all those who vouched for her out loud would be unnecessary also. Ebony would most likely receive some disciplinary action as well.

Sighing, he wondered why all of them had ended up here. What was the purpose for such a convergence of anomalies? He had to wonder if there was a grand reason they were brought together the way that they were. He had to. Or...there was no point except to suffer.

Vic walked along the zoo. He hadn't really meant anyone here yet, but he was having fun just walking around. He knew some of the visitors were staring at him because of his bright red hair, but he didn't care. "Take a picture, it'll last longer." He said to some of them with a small smile.

As Vic walked, he saw a small group of people by a cage with some webs on it. He didn't dare walk up, but he watched and listen from a distance as he tried to figure out what was going on. I wonder if stuff like that happens everyday. He thought to himself. He slightly hoped it did because it would make this place a little more exciting. Then again, it would start getting annoying day after day.

Vic then started walking around again. "What to do. What to do." He said aloud to himself when he came up to an exhibit on the outskirts of the zoo. There were a few visitors by it saying that they want to see "shark boy", what ever that means. Vic came up and stood a few feet away from the small group of visitors and looked at the exhibit. It was starting to get sunny out and Vic said aloud to himself "Victor doesn't like sun..." then he took some big red-tented sunglasses out of his pocket and put them on. They matched his abnormally red hair almost perfectly. "Sun hurts Victor..." He said again a bit louder. The visitors then looked at him. "That's why Victor doesn't like the sun." He added, this time turning his head a bit to look at the visitors. Then they all ran away. Vic laughed a bit then leaned on the tank part of the exhibit. "Never gets old." He said out loud with a smile as he leaned on the tank part of the exhibit. "Now, who's this 'Shark Boy' those people where talking about?" He wondered.