Amadeo Sombre's Story

Amadeo crossed his arms as he returned to New Orleans. Why he was back he didn't know, maybe God was bringing him here. Maybe soon his life would be up. Though, that was a lie, for Amadeo Sombre would never die. He sold his soul to the Devil himself so he could live eternally with his circus. Walking out of his tent, he looked at the early morning mist and dew. The fog was eerie and dangerous. Almost tempting Amadeo to start a performance.

The many carnies he had recruited in his circus seemed to dwindle, but somehow the circus seemed to thrive. He sighed as his thoughts raced back to the young beautiful burlesque girl who was killed. She too tried leaving the circus, though once entered, you could never leave, that was of course, unless you wanted to die.

He grimaced thinking of her soft green eyes. Something so beautiful as her died in a world as cold as his. However tragic her accident may have been, he needed to move on with Cirque du Noir. He scoffed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Attention!" He called out to every Carnie passing by. "I have important rules the Circus must follow!" He raised his well tanned muscular hands, as his thick French accent resonated within the trees.

His dark brown eyes glanced at everyone waiting for them to stop and listen to him. Everyone knew Sombre hated rules, so there must have been some reason that he had these rules in place, and there was. To protect his family.

Alina looked up over toward where Sombre was standing, her eyes sparkling. She liked listening to him talk, his accent thick and French, and it reminded her of living at home, where everyone spoke with a slightly different accent. There was a way that he spoke, also, that captivated the young girl. She had never thought she'd be one for the head-over-heals thing, and, though his looks didn't captivate her at all, there was that thing with his voice that almost made her forget what he looked like. Not like Sombre was unattractive, just not her type.
Alina sighed, shaking her head from these thoughts. She couldn't think like this, not about her boss. It wasn't like she actually wanted any of these thoughts to go anywhere, as a matter of fact she didn't want to at all...but she couldn't help them. Alina shrugged, turning away from her elephants, one had just had a baby, and walked toward Sombre through the fog and mist.
She thought about how she'd come here, actually more why than how. She'd come to spite her parents and fallen in love with the lifestyle. Yes, she should probably let them know she isn't dead, but honestly, they probably didn't care. Shrugging her slim shoulders, she had the smallest and youngest elephant follow her. "What's new, bossman?" She asked with a bright smile, stroking the trunk of her elephant follower.

---

Gackt looked like shit, manly because it was a cold morning and they had just returned to New Orleans. The mist and dew hand his hair wet, but the cold of the morning hard it frozen in place, his skin had gotten even more paled then normal and his lips were now a gray-ash blue color yet some pink showed. Ice crystals hung from his stands of hair and drops of water was on his face. He didn't return to his tent that night, he set out to look around to see his distends that he would go, as always he had to do this. This morning didn't go to well for him with the turn of the cold morning and misty dew.

When he returned he saw Amadeo walking out of his tent, he would have said hello if it wasn't for him feeling so cold he couldn't use his voice, not to mention his body felt frozen and stiff.

"Attention!" Amadeo called out to every Carnie passing by. "I have important rules the Circus must follow!" His raised hand so everyone could see him.

`Rules? Why would he need them?` Gackt was confused beyond all reason as he thought to himself. He build the strength to touch his cold lips with his finger tips and for a long time Gackt froze in place staring off into space. He felt an even colder chill run down his body as his mind thought of reasons why Amadeo would think of setting rules. All he could think was how terrible this probably was and what he wanted more then heat was to leave this place.

They'd stopped in New Orleans, and Zach was excited. His parents had told him he had relatives in Louisiana, and his grandparents had gone there to visit before. The fog was coming in, some thought it was cold. Zach had been in worse, so he didn't think about it. Then again, he's gotten pneumonia before, blowing off the temperature.

Some had left their tents, but others had never entered them to begin with. He was having a hard time with the temperature. "Fait chaud?" He knew at least Madeleina and Amadeo would get it, if Madeleina was up. "Ayuh, wicked warm out this mornin' ain't it?" He continued on towards Amadeo, he had other plans of what to do. "Attention! I have important rules the Circus must follow!" "And what'd that be?" It probably wasn't too good for Zachary, but his position had him giving authority a bit of a hard time. He loved giving everyone at the circus trouble, but he's honest when he tells them it's a sign of affection.

Alina was by Amadeo, with a small elephant, petting it's trunk. He never knew how to pronounce her name, and the way he talked would probably make it near impossible. "What's new, bossman?" Zachary laughed, it reminded him of Iyaric for some reason. He put an accent briefly, not thinking if anyone would be mad. "Yea, what be movin' on gwaan, bossman?"


After poking a bit of fun with them both, he stood by Amadeo. He had moved on from the petty joke, searching for another one to make. It was almost an addiction for him. "Ey, they're all still sleepin'." With a sigh, he briefly paused. "See, you're doin it wrong. What're you awl standin' fah? Get ova heyah!" He doubted that anyone would listen to him, he still had no clue who liked him and who hated him. But, if they heard him and they liked him, they'd come out to see him. If they hated him, they'd come out to see him screw up. Win a win He wasn't going to worry whether the rest of them came, he was more worried if Amadeo would accept what he'd just done.

(OOC: What's that at the bottom of that picture? Just Jared? "Well, let me tell ya, I'd be pretty happy if I had her all to myself." Hey, maybe that's my birthday present! ;) )

Samus was sitting under his hammock with Tigger, smiling happily as he watched everyone bustling about. He hugged Tigger tightly and stood up, the mist and fog not dampening his mood at all. He grinned cheerfully and walked towards the others, wishing a happy good morning to everyone. He looked up at the sky, and closed his eyes. He stuck out his tongue, catching some of the drizzle on his tongue. Tigger did so as well, but got a drop in his eye on accident instead, and flinched. Samus laughed at his expression as Tigger shook himself, and hugged his best friend.

Samus had been thinking lately about the fire that had forced them to move, and had been trying not to worry about it. It had been a close call for him just like the last time he'd been in a fire, and it had scared him. He hated being scared, so he'd kept himself busy by cheering up some children standing by by letting them hug Tigger. He always cheered up when he made others happy. He smiled, shook it off mentally and looked towards Amadeo, and tilted his head like a playful puppy. "Rules? But you hate rules!" He was puzzled, but kept a wide grin on his face, his breath showing in the cold air like a dragon's smoke.

((You didn't see a thing....*does thing with the hands* sorry though, it double posted, ignore this))

Aaban had slept good that first night in New Orleans. He's heard stories of the New Orleans and there parties and food. Aaban was hoping to experience it some, though he doubt he would. He rather spend him time in his orangeish-brown tent intoxicating himself then out and about people that will judge his looks.

Ignoring these thoughts, Aaban went back to his intoxication. He had his sage burning as he sat on a purple and golden stitched pillow in the middle of his tent. The sage a fog of white smoke fill the tent as he let it consume him. Putting him in a trance of sorts as he meditated. The smoke filling his lunges through his nose and leaving through his mouth. In, out. He breathed, completely enjoying his peace. That was around the time he heard voices. It sounded like Amadeo wanting to give rules? Nahīṁ, vaha Amadeo nahīṁ kiyā jā sakatā.(1) Aaban thought, going back to his meditation. Then he heard more voices and decided he might as well check it out.

Standing up from his pillow, he slowly made his way to the front of his tent, his eyes holding a look of intrigued wonder. Not for him though, for whom ever shall make eye contact Indian hazel eyes contrasted with his tanned skin. He slowly but wonderfully opened the flaps of his tent, the sage smoke flowing out as he stepped out of the tent. The cold didn't even faze him as he made his way to stand in front of Amadeo, his arms crossed in his signature genie pose with his brow slightly frowned and confusion hinted on his face.

---

Tanslations

(1) Nahīṁ, vaha Amadeo nahīṁ kiyā jā sakatā. - No, that can't be Amadeo.

Madeleina Jenette Auzenne was sat quietly within the warm confines of her tent, thinking, and braiding strips of leather together to create a new whip. She had chosen a ribbon of crimson to add to the weaving, and she was half done, and pleased with her work. When she used it, it would flash red in the subtle half light of the ring, and the thought pleased her. It was repetitive, and almost dull, but she found the monotonous creation of the whip to be somewhat therapeutic. So...they were back in New Orleans. Of course, she had been with Amadeo when the circus was last here, but she remembered it as being a long, long time ago. She remembered the parties, and the food, and the fine wine most of all, and she knew it was not quite a bad thing that their boss had taken them here again. Madeleina shifted a little in her seat. It was little more than a camping chair, but she had swathed it in furs, so she sat enthroned in it like a queen. The lion that curled around her feet like any domestic house cat also generated a lot of heat, which was more than pleasant due to the frigid weather outside. For a moment, she pause in her work and looked from the window.

She had four lions - two males and two females - however one of the females was heavily pregnant. Madeleina had purposefully allowed this, as she had sadly admitted to herself that Leeu, her eldest female lion, wouldn't be able to perform her routine well for much longer. It meant that her two males, Maliki and Hodari, would have to take up the slack. Malikia, her queen, was the pregnant female, and was the big cat that she currently had curled around her feet. With a fond smile, Madeleina reached down to run a hand through the animals fur. Malikia would give birth to a strong cub, brave and playful, just like its parents. She sighed contentedly, and reached over to the side table next to her to have a sip of the warmed red wine beside her. Life was good. It was then that Madeleina's green hues were drawn to a bit of a commotion outside. She saw her boss, Amadeo, and rose a brow. His voice traveled far, but the canvas of her tent muffled the sound of his message. And then, slowly, she saw other carnies approaching.

There was Alina, her eyes bright and wide and full of puppy dog hope as she stared up at Amadeo. She had always been fond of that girl. She appreciated her ability to take things lightly, and that was important around here. And then, Madeleina saw Gackt. The snakeman was young, but somehow Madeleina felt that he always knew more than he said. She liked that in a person. And with a small smile, she saw how poorly he coped in the cold weather. He stood, stock still, as though unable to move. With an amused sigh, Madeleina stood and donned a thick fur coat to keep herself warm, and drew the hood up. Picking up a blanket for Gackt, her lion then lifted her head curiously.

"Hush, my queen. I'll be back soon. Stay here, where it's warm"

Madeleina's softly murmured words were reassurance to the cat, who looked at her with trusting eyes before retreating to a far corner of the tent, and curling up to get some good, proper sleep. And then, lifting the flap of the tent, Madeleina walked out to see what all the fuss was about. She saw others were emerging too - Aaban, Zach, Samus - but moved to Gackt. She offered him a quick grin as she tucked her blanket about his shoulders. "Come on, Gackt, you know better than to just stand in the cold," She told him in her thick, French accent. Madeleina patted his shoulder a couple of times, waited for him to warm up, and then moved to stand by Armadeo.

She heard the mutters of 'rules' and felt a thrill of something that might have been fear. So, Amadeo was laying some rules down. Their situation must be worse than she thought. Madeleina moved to stand at Amadeo's shoulder, and placed a gloved hand against his arm. She spoke in a voice that was only for him, trusting that she knew the man well, as one of the carnies that had been with him the longest. "Amadeo, darling...What's going on?" The King of Carnies was tense, and she stood by him as she waited for something to happen.

Gackt snapped out of his frozen state the moment he felt something go onto his shoulders. He blinked, but didn't move his hand from his lips. His breath never showed, his body was cold from the inside out.

"It changed all of a sudden. I dressed warm, but I didn't expect the mist with it." His words were careful as he spoke slowly, he slowly glanced at Madeleina's eyes, and nowhere else. The pupil in his eyes shifted into a snake's eyes pupil. His eye color also shifted around with it.

He was very good with eye contact, though he hardly speaks much, he always shows he is paying attention, just by his eyes. Gackt was also good at sensing peoples auroras. He read it like an open book.

Gacht's lips parted as Madeleina asked Amadeo what was going on "Amadeo, darling...What's going on?"

And Gacht looked back at Amadeo as if he already could read him. The first words that Gackt spoke today and it was through frozen lips, he could taste the mist on his tongue and it tasted of old woods in his opinion anyways.

`If the curse doesn't kill me someday, then the cold will.` He thought to himself as he moved his hand from his lip and into his cotton feel jacket. It wasn't enough though. Any normal human would be just fine with a sweater, but not him, he felt like it was 30 below out. His hair started to turn white and more ice was covering it slowly. If it's this cold it means winter is coming close. Which means he will be at his weakest and will sleep ALOT and no matter what anyone does, you can't wake him or get him to do anything.

Rules? "You mean besides having fun?" he asked with a smile, shuffling cards between his hands. The other performers around him were also asking questions, wondering what was going on, what he meant by rules. Zach was goofing around, as usual. He was a clown, though. Perfect excuse. He grinned widely at the accent.

Peter himself wasn't a huge fan of rules, but he did respect them. There were, after all, some rules to illusions. Things you had to follow. Misdirection, sleight of hand, there were rules and guidelines for those that if you didn't follow, wouldn't make the trick work.

Growing somewhat impatient after minutes went by, he said loudly, "Yo, yo, yo! Just tell us already! I got things to do!" Not that that was entirely true....or entirely untrue.... "We can just tell the people who ain't here what the new rules are."

---

Fire. The very mention of the element sprung to mind a destructive force, a blistering heat, that consumes whatever stands in it’s path. Or, perhaps to some, the image of warmth and wary caution that filled one’s being as they sat around a campfire, charring marshmallows with ash. But to Alodia Quinn, a fire dancer, the dangerous substance was her whole life, her friend.. her profession. It relaxed and comforted her, not making her fearful or dreadful.. unlike most other humans. Even now as she sat amongst the silken pillows scattered about on the tent floor, even now as she began to strike a match against the grated side of the cardboard container, even now as she watched the birth of a new flame; fear did not flicker within her core. On the contrary, Alodia almost felt exalted at the hypnotizing sight of wavering orange. Almost as if she didn’t want to harm the small fire, a tapered finger gently reached up to stroke the top of the struggling light. Like a newborn kit lapping at it’s mother’s fur, the growing flame lightly licked at the pad of Alodia’s finger, not a trace of pain making it’s presence known. However, just as she was about to toy with the fire a bit more, the Ring Master’s voice rang out sharply. "Attention!" I have important rules the Circus must follow!". Giving a small tch of annoyance, the fire dancer raised the match up to her mouth before closing her lips around the small flame. Feeling it extinguish completely, Alodia quickly pocketed the box of matches and made her way through the tent flap.

---

It was cold, there wasn’t a doubt about that. Yet, despite the outfit the fire-dancer wore, there wasn’t even the slightest sign of a tremble, of a shiver or a shudder. Instead, Alodia merely crossed her arms before sending a glance around at the gathered group of the carnies. A twinge inside of her felt annoyed at being interrupted, another twinge in her felt pity for some of the shivering members (namely Gackt), and yet, perhaps the most peculiar twinge in her, felt out-of-place. Giving an internal sigh, the ex-model unconsciously shuffled towards the outer edges of the circle to put distance between herself and the other carnies.

Declan was in a complete circle, his face toward the ground in front of his tent and his hands wrapped around his ankles from behind, relishing the feeling of his muscles stretching. Out of almost nowhere, Amadeo announced,"Attention! I have important rules the Circus must follow!" Declan furrowed his thick, dark eyebrows and unbent himself at Amadeo's talk of rules. In the short time he had been with the circus, he had heard very minimal talk of rules, but, as far as he could tell, the ringmaster always had a reason for the things he did. His heartbeat slowed from its exercise as he walked closer to where Amadeo was standing. Starting to feel the cold and wet nipping at the bare skin of his chest, he folded his arms over it in a half-assed attempt to keep warm.

Declan looked around, watching the reactions of the other carnies in order to respond appropriately. Unable to reach a generally consuming action, he silently turned his attention to the man addressing them.

Scarlet had gotten up early, before it was misty out and instead but extremely dewy. This morning had been her first attempt at waking up early, and she had decided on running for the morning. It wasn't like she thought it was necessary to wake up early, but she was sick of sleeping through important things. Scarlet had been using the set of tents as a track of sorts, and for the past hour, she'd been running laps around their whole set up. At the end of the hour, panting and sweating, she sat down against a random tent to take a quick break. She was freezing, only wearing a sports bra and leggings, and there was hardly anyone awake.

Shivering, she pulled her legs up under her chin, linking her hands around the front, and closing her eyes, trying to conserve heat.

It wasn't until she was waking up that she had realized she was asleep. It wasn't the sound of Amadeo's voice that woke her up, actually the sound of Declan getting up. It turned out she was asleep against his tent, although she wasn't aware of it before hand. She heard the end of what Amadeo said, and seemed to be the only one shocked that there were rules. But she knew there were, and always had been, and having started the circus as a child, it was no shock to her. At all.

Scarlet put her legs out straight in front of her, tilting her back to the side to crack it, then doing the same to her legs and feet. She stood up slowly, popping her arm out of the socket, then putting it back in while listening to everyone's reactions. Walking closer to the group, she observed everyone, coming to a stop next to Declan, training her eyes back on Amadeo.

Amadeo grimaced as more and more people started coming out of their tents. Then there was Chucklenuts the clown. He gave the younger boy a sharp glance before speaking slighty through his teeth. "Mind your place Clown." It wasn't to insult or even sound harsh, the tone just made it clear that the Clown had clearly annoyed Amadeo. Something he didn't like. He was already annoyed with having these lame rules. Everyone had questions about Amadeo's rules. Some seemed suprised, some annoyed, and some just seemed like they knew it was coming.

His hazel eyes caught Alina and he smiled, and nodded his head. He would have to speak to the members personally it seemed. Made sure everyone was allright, and no one was backing out. Taking a deep breath he closed his eyes, opening his mouth he started to speak the rules when he felt one of his older friends hand on his shoulder. Her accent French, suited her better than him, so he thought. A smirk appeared on his lips as he opened his eyes. Turning to her he'd speak in his native tongue. "Nous ne sommes pas aussi sûr que vous pouvez penser. Il ya des problèmes autour, les flics, ils n'oublient pas. Comme je n'oublie pas. Nouvelle-Orléans est aussi proche de la maison que je peux être, car je suis interdit de vivre en France plus, c'est pourquoi nous revenons. Home est quelque chose me manque beaucoup. Je veux que nous soyons sûrs au sein de cette ville." He'd turn back to the crowd before muttering under his breath to Madeleina, "Comment est-ce lionne enceinte de la vôtre?" Though her answers would have to come later, as bowed to the crowd once more. He felt a hint of guilt for the snake charmer, but this was important.

"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. "

He bowed his head once more and nodded everyone off. "That is all, you may return to your activities of the day. We preform tomorrow."

He gave a small yawn, the early morning made him a tad tired, but he must attend to his duties as the Master of the Ring. He would look over at the young Alina and wave her over. "Might I be able to spare a minute of your eternal life?" He asked almost in a joking manner.

---

---

Translations:
We are not as safe as you may think. There is trouble around, the cops, they do not forget. As do I not forget. New Orleans is as close to home as I can be, for I am forbidden to live in France anymore, it is why we come back. Home is something I miss dearly. I want us to be safe among this city.

How is that pregnant lioness of yours?

Gackt kept back a hiss and clinched his teeth together. For as long as he known Amadeo, he knew studying french was the main part and so that is what he did. So he knew what was said, but showed no reaction to it other then clinched teeth.

He jotted the rules down in his head, like a book.

"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. "

Amadeo bowed his head once more and nodded everyone off. "That is all, you may return to your activities of the day. We perform tomorrow."

---

Gackt eyed Amadeo as Amadeo walked up to Alina, but not because he didn't like them talking, it was more on because of what Amadeo said in french. It had Gackt in a weird situation now. With it turning to winter and us being here, it means Gackt would have to work hard not to make any attention especially with his eyes. He'd had to wear shades to hide them. During the times when he is weak and cold his snake eyes would show automatically without his say so. Any other time he could control it.

When he moved his arm you could hear his bones creak a bit from the stiff of the cold. He reached up over his shoulders and pulled the blanket off, walking up to Madeleina, he looked her straight in the eyes, he was a bit too close, but it was so he could suck the warm off of her for a moment, so that he could move a bit. Placing her blanket back into her hands, he leaned in a bit more and breathed her warmth in deeply, his lips an inch from her face. His breathing almost sounded like a soothing hiss sound. And like that, the ice from his hair melted and his skin slowly got color back. Slowly pulling back from her he nodded his head in thanks to her and walked off towards his tent. He paused at the tent and looked up at the sky. Blinking a few times at the brightness he stood there for a long moment. His snake eyes glazing over with a blue color.

"Nous ne sommes pas aussi sûr que vous pouvez penser. Il ya des problèmes autour, les flics, ils n'oublient pas. Comme je n'oublie pas. Nouvelle-Orléans est aussi proche de la maison que je peux être, car je suis interdit de vivre en France plus, c'est pourquoi nous revenons. Home est quelque chose me manque beaucoup. Je veux que nous soyons sûrs au sein de cette ville." The words spoken in her home language sent a shiver down her spine. Something wasn't right here, and she felt Amadeo's pain and longing for home radiating from him as only an old friend would. Madeleina found herself nodding, silently promising to keep that little piece of information to herself. "Comment est-ce lionne enceinte de la vôtre?" She found herself smiling with pride, pleased as she was that he remembered. But then Amadeo was speaking to the group, and drawing Alina aside. It was cute, she thought, the affection that Alina obviously had for Amadeo.

Madeleina chuckled and drew herself away. She would visit the ringmaster later, when he was less busy. His words had chilled her as the cold had not, but she set them aside for now. Turning to walk back to her tent, she almost walked straight into Gackt. She smiled to him warmly and asked gently "Warmer yet?"

The woman accepted the blanket from him, and watched as the Snakeman moved close to him. Her body brushed his almost as he leaned close, and she knew that he merely sought the warm that her body could give him. To anyone else, the gesture might seem inappropriate, but she knew the man as well as she knew anyone in the circus, and was well acquainted with his needs. She placed a warm hand on his shoulder as Gackt inhaled, as though he could leech the very warmth from her body. It made her shudder as she experienced a sudden chill, before her warm coat continued to insulate her from the cold of the day. As the man drew away, Madeleina stepped back and shook her head a little. She was glad to see Gackt recovered, at least a little. But for now, it was definitely time for her to return to her tent.

Madeleina turned to make her way back to the lioness that was currently asleep within the warmth of her tent, before a thought occurred to her. Malikia had always been fond of the Snakeman, and the company would be pleasant for her too.

She paused and called back to the man that was just now walking away from her, "Gackt!" Her soft voice, accented elegantly, traveled surprisingly far in the still air, "Would you care for some warmed wine? Malikia is in my tent also. She'd appreciate a visit" Madeleina smiled warmly at the young man as she issued her invitation, gesturing with the blanket she held in her hand to her tent.

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."

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)

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.

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."