After most of the carnies made their way out to see what these 'rules' Amadeo had talked about, Amdeo finally began telling the rules. "Anta mēṁ."(1) Aaban said quietly to himself as Amadeo started. He still wasn't feeling the could, but he still had his arms crossed across his chest, legs parted to the width of his shoulder, and his brows drawn down slightly, in his all full out genie pose. Even his clothes were much like that he wore for fortune telling, altogether with the baggy pants that were held up and tied just below his knee and the matching vest as well as a matching turban, taking on the traditional genie-fortune teller that everyone loves for whatever reason.

Aaban listened intently and carefully to the rules Amadeo laid down, knowing it must be important. "Rules are a must in this city." Amadeo started. Yaha mahatvapūrṇa hōnā cāhi'ē.(2) Aaban thought before Amadeo continued. "1.) Do not socialize with the people around here." Prasidgha.(3) "2.) Report all suspicious activity to me." Sandēhāspada gatividhi?(4) "3.) Do not leave circus grounds unless you have permission by me. 4.) Do NOT talk to cops or reporters." Mujhē lagatā hai ki sabhī kē sātha acchā hūm.(5) Aaban thought, making notes of each rule and he noticed he really didn't need to change anything he did. He never really socialized with anyone, but a few of the carnies. Even that though, he was more of the mysterious fortune teller and story teller, man did he have a lot of stories.

Amadeo bowed before saying "That is all, you may return to your activities of the day. We preform tomorrow." Aaban gave a quick nod before turning to retreat to his tent. He was now happy, though it wasn't noticeable, that he wouldn't need to clear the smoke out of his tent until tomorrow. That meant more time for him to imerge himself into a state of awe. Plus, he'd have more time to get his special incense ready that gives off a thinner smoke that's harder to detect. A.K.A, the incense he uses when doing fortunes. Plus, he still needed to get the fortune table set up along with his crystal ball, playing cards, tarot cards, and bag of bones. But, he'll save that for later.

Opening the flaps of his tent, the smoke from the sage that was building up flew out in big gusts and mixed with the fog. Aaban breathed some in through his nose and blew it out his mouth in rings that got bigger and disappeared as it flew up in the sky. This made Aaban smile. Smoke, to him, was just so calming. Especially engulfing smoke, that was the best. He stepped into the tent, letting the flaps close behind him, stopping the flow of smoke to small streams that flew out the cracks. He breathed in deep as he went through his tent and started setting up the fortune table over in the corner. It was just a round wooden table with two wooden chairs around it right across from each other. He put a purple velvet with a red and gold dragon and flower pattern of the table before doing the same for the chairs. After which, he put a pillow in the seat of each chair that was also covered in a velvet. After that, he sat his crystal ball in the middle of the table along with his tarot cards, playing cards, bag of bones, and incense. After he finished that, he let another sage before going and sitting back on his pillow in the middle of the tent and closing his eyes and breathing. Being put in a state of sleep while awake, the only way to describe it.

---

Tanslations

(1) Anta mēṁ. - Finally.
(2) Yaha mahatvapūrṇa hōnā cāhi'ē. - This must be important.
(3) Prasidgha. - Noted.
(4) Sandēhāspada gatividhi? - Suspicious activity?
(5) Mujhē lagatā hai ki sabhī kē sātha acchā hūm. - I'm good with all that.

Standing next to Amadeo, Zachary got reprimanded by him. "Mind your place." "Yea, screw you too," he mumbled under his breath. The ringmaster had shifted his attention and Zach was glad he had. He was speaking french with Madeleina. He was afraid to speak french with her, fearing they'd make fun of him because he couldn't do it right. He already spoke English odd, his accent altering it. Soon, the ringmaster said what he wanted to. "Rules are a must in this city. 1.) Do not socialize with the people around here. 2.) Report all suspicious activity to me. 3.) Do not leave circus grounds unless you have permission by me. 4.) Do NOT talk to cops or reporters." Sharp as a tack, Zach was on it with some material. "Anything suspicious? Well we got one awful suspicious guy down here. Yea, he's yelling in my eah! Someone take cayah a him! Gee, I'm only next to ya bub!" with a giggle, he left his side. He stopped to lick Madeleina's chick before laughing and running away, tripping on purpose as he left. After the stumble, he recovered and spoke to all the acrobats around. "Yea, see that. Put some flips and shit in theyah, you'll be golden." holding his hands in the air, he clapped. "Ten outta ten."

Samus listened to the rules, and looked down at Tigger, an interested expression on his face. He shrugs and looks back up at the crowd of circus performers. "Seems reasonable, I can deal with them." He grinned and ran his fingers through his hair. He stroked Tigger, and looked around, seeing who looked like they'd like to talk. He'd thought of talking to Madeleina about a joint act they could do, but she had already started talking with Gackt,so he just paced around, his big buddy close behind. He saw Alodia standing on her own at the edge of the group, and smiled, as he saw she could always be a bit happier. He walked up to her and grinned. "Hey Aloe Vera! I won't call you that if you don't like it, maybe just Aloe? Your choice!" He laughed as he finished his slight tangent on a high voice. He stroked Tigger between the ears, scratching in the spot he knew he loved, right at the back of his right ear. He looked at Alodia Quinn, and put a caring look on his face, wanting to make sure she was happy, knowing how sad she could get. "So, how's your routines going? How do you do it?! It's amazing!" He grinned, quite honestly astounded by her fire dancing, barely able to stand fire thanks to his history. His curly hair bounced as he talked, emphasising his energy.

Alina was slightly worried by the fact that her boss wanted to talk to her one on one. That hardly ever happened. However, she'd learnt enough French in her time at the circus to understand what he'd said. Alina was instantly worried by them, but she also knew that he wouldn't let anything bad happen to her, or the rest of the family. They were just that, a family, and Amadeo was their father in a sense. He'd brought them all here, made sure they were groomed for what they needed to do, and provided for them.

Alina looked up at Amadeo. "Oui, bien sûr, vous pouvez me parler," She said in near flawless French. The girl was smart, and she'd learnt easily and quickly to pick up on the words. She walked a bit away from the rest of the group, her baby elephant following her. When she noticed Amadeo eyeing the little thing, she smiled. "Effroi can keep a secret, sir. No worries there," She said in English, tho her accent was still slightly heavily Russian.

(Yes, of course you can speak to me. Effroi is French for Fright)

Biting her lip, Scarlet listened to the chatter of everyone, Zach's comment earning a smile from her. She honestly didn't know him well, but she didn't have anything negative about him. Yeah, he joked around a lot, but if you were stuck in the same body forever, you'd want a little humor too.

Hearing Amadeo start to speak, she focused her attention in on him. What he said was the things she had assumed he would. Literally exactly what she thought he would say. She nodded her head, flashbacks of all the press they'd gotten attacking her brain, so she closed her eyes for a second to let it dissolve.

Walking a few steps away, she stuck her arms out in front of her, cranking her neck to the side to crack it, then leaning forward onto her hands, pushing into a back bend. She moved her legs and arms closer, before taking her hands off the ground, now bent down at the waist with her head next to her knees. Standing up, she shrugged more kinks out of her back,turning her upper body to the side while keeping her feet in place to stretch. Turned around, she could see the clown boy walking over. This is sure to be fun, she thought, smiling inwardly.

Pulling herself back into a normal position, she awaited his jokes that she knew would come, and when they did, she couldn't help but laugh. He was pretty funny, she gave him that. "Flips are nothing. If that's all we could do, think we'd be in the circus?" She cooed, her dimple appearing as a smile touched at her emotions.

Amadeo took note of everyone who seemed upset, and some who had seemed pleased. Some understood that the rules were there to protect them, others were confused by them. This was an interesting family he had, and he was glad that he had them. That was when he heard Zachary's smart remarks to his rules. Turning around for just a moment he narrowed his eyes, and laied them upon the clown.

"You should not taunt the Ringmaster Chucklenuts." He growled before looking at Scarlet. He nodded to her and then pointed to the clown. "Make sure he gets in my tent and stays there... seems I need to speak with the clown about his job." He turned on his heel and continued walking away with Miss Alina.

"Are you happy within the circus?" He motioned around sadly at the dead circus that would come to life tomorrow evening. Looking back at her and the little elephant he chuckled and petted the top of its head. "Beautiful Elephants you have, are you happy with them, and they happy with you?" He'd say continuing walking with her.

With all his years he had lived he had learned countless amounts of languages. A smirk appeared on his lips as he said the last thing he wanted to."Tu es très belle, même dans ce temps maussade." French was always the language of love to Amadeo, and he enjoyed speaking it, but a dark smile appeared on his lips as he gently grabbed her hand and kissed it. "Now I must go and check on our pregnant lioness...thank you for your time Madame."

Amadeo would bow gracefully checking off a few things he had done. The rules, Converse with the Elephant Trainer, Made sure Zachary was going to his tent...

He thought a bit more, He should speak to Aaban, Gackt, check on the lioness and the tigers, make sure the gates were sealed for the night, make sure everything was prepared. Seeming a bit frustrated, he ranted under his breath a bit faster than normal, since he was within earshot of Alina. "Tant de choses à faire, si peu de temps! On pourrait penser que j'aurais cette baisse déjà des années, j'ai été chef d'orchestre de cirque. Je dois m'assurer que mes gens sont heureux et en sécurité, je dois m'assurer que les animaux sont bien et en bonne santé, je dois m'assurer que tout est prêt pour demain. Parfois je souhaite que je pourrais prendre sa retraite, mais je ne peux pas! Le Cirque du noir est ma damnation éternelle! J'ai besoin d'aide. Dieu s'il vous plaît, aider le méchant qui a vendu son âme pour vivre éternellement!" Running his fingers through his hair he seemed a bit overwhelmed. But this was how Amadeo always looked before an opening of the circus. Did he ever say anything like that? Of course not.

Turning back to Alina he smiled and bowed once more. "If you need me, you know where you can find me." He purred softly, turning on his heels, it was time to check on the circus animals, then come the people. For some reason, Amadeo found animals a lot more calming than people the night before the circus.

---

You look very beautiful, even in this dreary weather.


So much to do, so little time! You would think I would have this down already for the years I've been Ringmaster of the circus. I must make sure my people are happy, and safe, I have to make sure the animals are good and healthy, I have to make sure everything is ready for tomorrow. Sometimes I wish I could retire, but I cannot! The Circus of the Black is my eternal damnation! I need help. God please, help the wicked man who sold his soul to live eternally.



(hope you guys are enjoying the circus so far :) )

Zachary returned a smile Scarlet's way. It made him happy to know he made her laugh. In his mind, if you could make someone laugh, you had an ally. As he made his way to her, he saw her stand, but then bend backwards, and do something with her knees. He piecing together things to joke about. Chiropractors..rubber...boxes...yoga.. He wouldn't mention the view of her body stretched out, or what he thought about that. He'd wanted a laugh, not a slap.

When he was near she went back to normal. Zachary sighed, "Oh phew, worried you were gonna get stuck like that. That'd be one heck of a puzzle theyah, I tell ya that." He would of continued, but her smile stopped him in his tracks. It was slight nervousness, but he did control himself. "Flips are nothing. If that's all we could do, think we'd be in the circus?" "I dunno, I just crack jokes and eat food, they keep me." He never had good timing, as he spoke right as Amadeo was passing. "You should not taunt the Ringmaster Chucklenuts." "What? Don't know what ye're talkin' about." The clown could never hold a poker face, and he used it to his advantage, giving a smirk. He was soon changed his attention, speaking to Scarlet. "Make sure he gets in my tent and stays there... seems I need to speak with the clown about his job."

He waited until the Ringmaster was gone before talking to Scarlet again. "I don't have to, do I?" He'd noticed that she was only in a sports bra and leggings when she was bending backwards, but now he could do something about it. "Ah you cold in that? I got a jacket.." He'd began to further unzip his blue hoodie. The only reason he brought it is because he was nagged about it. Ever since getting pneumonia, he had tried to be a bit more vigilant about it. He'd rather offer his coat, because if he suggested cuddling up and sharing it, it just wouldn't sound too good.

Gackt's eyes slowly looked outside the gate. It looked fine from what he seen and the gate wasn't going to open unless someone crashes a truck through it. He slid his fingers down the bars of the gate and looked down to the lock. this was the only thing keeping him from going outside the gates. Feeling trapped to long made him feel a bit inside like he was going to snap any minute. Sometimes being let out of the cage is what he needed, but he couldn't do that here. Not now in the time of trouble.

Dropping his hands to his side he turned around and walked back to the tents. He had to get ready for the upcoming show that he had yet to prepare. He thought to make this show his best yet, something very unseen, not even the circus had seen such an act that he was about to do. Putting up good snake shows is what he did best, so what if this one was more different than the ones before? Pulling it off would be easy, but would it be a show?

When Gackt reached his tent he swiftly went inside, changing a set of clothes and running his hands through his hair slowly with a tight grip, forcing his hair to grow longer, like a snake shedding his skin, Gackt had many tricks up his sleeve, changing his hair was just one of many. At first he had no control over what his body did, but after years of practice it almost became boring to him. His hair grew out and fell back into place, turning the color of a black mamba skin, shiny and thick.

Reaching his hand inside the snake cage he softly stroked the Black Mamba's skin, from head slowly town to her tail with his index finger. Her warmth was nice, but she started to feel cold. Pulling a light over to the her cage, would be able to keep her warm. He did the same with all the other snakes. Turning on the heater while he was gone was a hassle, the lights were easier and he didn't have to worry about them as much.

Slipping on his big black jacket made of woll, he headed back outside and stood by his tent door, locking it up. Everyone in the circus knew that when his locks were up, no one could go inside, not even the Boss. It was too dangerous to have anyone go inside with him gone. Even though people in the circus can not die, they could still be affected by a snake bite, especially from his snakes. Any of their bites would put an elephant on their ass whirling around in pain. So Gackt always locked his tent, when he was gone, sleeping or just busy.

Rubbing his hands together he blew warm air into them. He saw the Boss walk away from Alina, he could read on the Boss's face that he was stressed and concerned. But until the boss was ready to speak to Gackt, he'll just kept his distance. But like how the Boss looks now, Gackt sighed and called over to the Boss. "Hey wait, Amadeo." Gackt never yelled or raised his voice, it was calm and deep with a slight hiss to it. He waved his hand a bit so the Boss could see him.

When he caught the Bosses eyes, Gackt started hard at him, with no expression on his face. Shortly after the long stare, he smiled at the Boss, a soft gentle smile that he only showed to his snakes and the Boss, no one else. "You'll feel better soon, trust me." Gackt's hard stares always had his way with people and somehow he had a trick up his sleep with taking away peoples stress with it. He never told his secret on how he did it, sometimes he would just do it. "Just ask for help, no reason to have the Boss to take this all on his own. After all, we're family. It's why we are here, holding this burden with you." Gackt wrapped a black scarf around his neck and rubbed his hands together again. "Oh and do you mind if I..." Gackt lifted his hands to the Boss as if asking for his body heat politely, seeing as Gackt always ran out of his own heat on cold days.

Madeleina hadn't been so tired in a very long time, but there were still things that she needed to do. Laying next to Malikia, she knew that she should tidy her tent. And she should change too. She should feed the other lions, and check on Malikia's pregnancy. Idly, she toyed with the idea of buying a new tent. There were too many memories in this one. Far too many. And they always seemed to come to life at the worst times.

A few minutes later, Madeleina had arisen, and called to the lioness. She moved around her tent, righting fallen cups, and straightening the few bits of furniture in the room. She opened the tent flap that served as a door, and pinned it aside to let in a cool breeze. She didn't feel up for heat right at that moment. Her small tent didn't take long to tidy, and Malikia watched her with a chilled and relaxed gaze.

It didn't take her long to change either, as she shrugged on some warmer jeans and a heavy jacket, and then she left her tent, and the pregnant lion followed her with a swift bound. She knew Malikia wouldn't suffer too much from the mild chill, but neither would she keep her out too long. It took her a few moments to decide which direction to take, before she made her decision. She would go to Amadeo. His stress earlier had been evident, and she knew that life did have a tendency to get on top of the Ringmaster.

In the past years, her senses had developed quickly, as did her physical features. Her senses of smell and hearing had developed sharply, and in the chill darkness of the early evening, she relied more on those than her eye sight as she made her way through the trails in the tent city. Her eyes, angular and feline, were well accustomed to the night, but it was her ability to catch Amadeo's scent on the breeze, and her ability to hear the low murmur of his voice in conversation from a distance that helped her to find him quickly.

Beside Madeleina, Malikia paced silently, and it wasn't long before the heavily pregnant cat and her human caught sight of the ringmaster stood beside the Snakeman in the pale darkness. Madeleina paused, and then approached the duo, standing at a respectful distance as she tried to ignore the last words of conversation that the two men shared. She caught Amadeo's gaze and smiled her greetings, but knew better than to interrupt with his conversation. Malikia, however, had no such concerns, and purred as she walked up to the Snakeman and the Ringmaster, butting her head affectionately against her legs. Madeleina sighed, and smiled apologetically, though didn't go any closer until invited.

Scarlet's eyes traced the mans body, looking him over in the way she tended to look at everything; not in a judging, harsh way, but not in the kindest way either. It wasn't like she meant to, but her eyes were slightly piercing. She opened her mouth, about to reply, when non other than the ring master himself came and spoke with them. She already knew Zach was one who got in trouble often, but most of the time it wasn't so serious. She didn't get it. If you wanted a clown, you had to accept both the good and bad parts- though she didn't think constant jokes were too bad.

Nodding to Amadeo, she she returned his nod, though as he turned, she turned and looked at Zach. How was it that he always managed to get in trouble? She didn't get it.

As Scarlet opened her mouth to speak, she paused as Zach spoke instead. She smirked, about to reply again when he commented on on her outfit. Looking herself over, she had completely forgotten she was just standing there in a sports bra and leggings, and though she knew she wasn't necessarily fat, she grew uncomfortable as she realized how many people were around.

Hearing his offer, she bit her lip. It wasn't a big deal, obviously, but she wasn't big on borrowing things from people. That often meant you had a debt to pay back. But then again, it was cold, and Zach may be the type of person who thought that saying no to an offer was horribly rude. She nodded, a small smile fitting her face for a brief second before it went to it's normal blank face. "Thanks," she said, a shiver coming at the perfect time.

Standing in front of Scarlet, Zach thought he saw her checking him out, but of course he wouldn't call her out on it. She looked surprised to see the ringmaster, but Zach had pretty much expected him to come. He got in trouble frequently, though it was confusing seeing as it was just part of his job.

When he mentioned her outfit, she took notice of what she was wearing. He saw that it went through her head, and her mind suddenly changed with the crowd. She bit her lip, and it got to Zach. He thought it was cute. She was thinking about it, that was all that he knew. There was a brief smile on her face, but he caught it none the less. "Thanks," a shiver soon coming to her. With her answer, he quickly unzipped the rest of his hoodie. Grabbing near the top of the sleeves, he draped it over her shoulders. She could put her arms in if she wanted to, or just keep it as is. Zach didn't want to keep his hands there too long, she might not want it. "Theyah.. least those creeps will stop starin' at ya." Though, he didn't mind the vie, he'd much rather have it alone in a tent. Zach wouldn't say that out loud of course, and besides, she probably didn't want everyone looking at her. He'd already noticed she stayed in the back, there was probably a reason for it.

Peter pursed his lips a bit, listening to the French. Did Amadeo forget that he also knew French? It seemed he was trying to have an exclusive conversation, but Peter could understand all of it. He wasn't the biggest fan of the rules, either. He liked talking to people. Especially people who didn't live 24/7 with him (they were easier to mess with. He could literally pretend to be anyone with them).

He watched the interaction going on between Zach and Scarlet before rolling his eyes. Grinning, he trotted over to the acrobat, shuffling cards between his hands. "What's this I see here?" he asked, leaning over her and peering into her ear. With a widening smile, he snapped his fingers, easily slipping a card between his fingers in a motion that made it seem like it had impossibly appeared.

"Why, the Queen of Hearts!" he exclaimed, and then cheekily wondered out loud, "I wonder where her King might be?"

Scarlet put her arms through the hoodie, zipping it up. After realizing how exposed she was, she felt kind of gross. She didn't like showing off her body, not unless she was performing. She gave out a breath, giving the impression of a laugh that she wouldn't let come. Call her what you would, but she'd learned to suppress any real emotion the day she joined the circus. Keep it stiff and blank until you were in the spot light, and maybe they'd keep you around.

Her body went rigid at his voice, not because she was uncomfortable, but she was surprised. She loosened her body, tilting her neck to the side to crack it, about three or four popping noises appearing. Watching Peter, she felt a light blush flow to her cheeks, but she pushed it back down, leaving her face pale again.

"Died, forty years ago," she muttered, though hardly loud enough for the boys to hear. "I've got to take him to Amadeo's tent," Scarlet said, pointing to Zach, "are you joining us now to?" She finished, pushing over excitement into her voice with a smirk.

This circus was so strange, and though it may not seem like it, she appreciated anyone who wanted to talk to her. She wasn't the most friendly person, and a lot of the time people let her be instead of bonding with her.

Watching her put on his hoodie, Zach smiled. She looked good in it, though he couldn't tell her. He wanted too, but was too nervous and didn't know how to. Peter came to them, and the trick amused Zach. Soon, Scarlet was cracking her neck, and many pops came from it. "You alright? Sounds like your breakin' bones ovah theyah." When Peter mentioned the Queen of Hearts, Scarlet wasn't the only one who blushed. Zach wasn't as skilled at hiding it though.

Scarlet mumbled something, but he couldn't hear it well. She soon caught him by surprise, pointing to him. He tried to straighten himself, listening to her. "I've got to take him to Amadeo's tent," "Huh? Oh.. alright. Gotta do that then I guess.." At least he would still be with her. He didn't really want to go in the tent, but at least he wouldn't be alone. Whispering into Peter's ear, Zach whispered "thanks for being a wingman." before quickly pulling his head back.

Peter barely caught her words, but his poker face stayed through, grin persistent. The grin grew more genuine at Scarlet's invitation. Shuffling his cards back neatly and then waving his hands so they disappeared, he replied, "I don't see why not. It's not as if I'll be going off the grounds to find something better to do."

He looked up at Zach in time to see a fading blush and his grin tugged wider. Ho ho...perhaps the heir to the throne was standing right here? Though he had always taken Zach as a Joker. As he followed Scarlet, he nodded at Peter's words. "Hey," he said, whipping another card out with a snap of his fingers, "You gotta have a Jack in the suit, right? Or perhaps a Knave, depending on your preferred vernacular."

Scarlet smirked at Zach's comment. He would soon learn how often she was to crack any parts of her body. It was a habbit, and it helped to relieve stress, and it was one of those comforting things. At Peter's comment, she gave him a quick once over. She missed the days when they could travel off grounds, especially when she was younger, and could make some money off begging, then could buy herself some treats, or save it up to buys something cool, though there were also times where she would give it to Amadeo to thank him for letting her stay.

She started walking, on her toes as she'd been trained to. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Zach whisper something to Peter, but she didn't really care. She wasn't the type to be nosy. The tent wasn't too far, and as they made their way there, she kind of spaced out, thinking about what she needed to practice and perfect, until she got to the tent.

Scarlet paused, moving to the side to let the boys go in first. While waiting, she bent her leg up, grabbing her foot and pulling her leg up straight, next to her head, now standing on one leg, then bending it behind her head, wincing lightly, but hardly. She just hadn't stretched this recently enough, but she dropped her leg back down.

Peter only shuffled cards as he replied. He was coming with them into the tent. Maybe a few witnesses would help Zach out with Amadeo. Zach also wished to leave the grounds.. "Well what's stopping us?" It was a bad suggestion, but he was putting it out there. Maybe that's why I get in trouble so much.. Peter made a joke about cards, but Zach didn't really get it. He wasn't too knowledgeable when it came to royal ranking systems. "Vernaculah? Makin' fun of how I talk? Everywaya I go.." He knew they hadn't meant a thing, he just loved making fun of it.

Once at the tent, Scarlet stretched out her leg above her head. "Hey, almost tall as me theyah.." Though he tried not to look at her when she did it, he did anyway. Zach didn't wish to be labeled un cochon His thought process was she was stretching out like that in leggings. Regaining attention, Zach started to ramble again. "This sucks.. what am I even doing heyah? Didn't do that much.. when's he gonna get heyah too? Takin' forevah." Quickly turning to Scarlet again as she dropped her leg, Zach decided to finally mention something. Peter had partially acted as a wingman, but Zach had to do something too. "Well, least I get to wait with a pretty girl."