Reina Seiko's Story

Toan

Toan ran as fast as he could towards the pole in the center of the tent, ignoring everything and everyone around him, he had to remain focused, one false step and he could seriously hurt himself. Milliseconds before he ran into the pole he placed a foot on the vertical surface and proceeded upward, as if defying gravity.

"Higher, I'm sure I can do it," he thought to himself but knew it was no use. Just like every other time, after seven steps upward, gravity reclaimed its hold on him, forcing him to backflip gracefully, clothes billowing in the breeze and land crouched on the ground, one leg outstreched and both arms in the air.

"One of these days I'll get it," he muttered to himself, standing up and stretching his neck to the side before leaning back to place his hands on the ground, bringing his legs up till he was doing a handstand.

Before he could complete the slow flip a clown came up to him insisting that he try the high wire next. Toan's blood ran cold, he didn't mind throwing himself around like a ragdoll but the high wire was something he couldn't handle, for as long as he could remember he'd had a fear of heights, of course that wasn't something that could stop the show, countless times he'd had to push past the paralysis of his fear for the sake of the Cirque.

"Come on Twig, hurry up," said the clown as Toan completed his flip and slowly walked towards the ladder leading to the high wire.
With a deep breath he began to climb, keeping his eyes closed untill he reached the top. The ring spread out around him, he could see everything and everyone, Dezi and her brother Ian, the magician Kurt and the puppeteer, Casper. He was sure that everyone was looking at him, waiting for him to fail.

"That's a stupid thought," he whispered.

Turning his attention to the tightrope infront of him he tried to will his body forward and begin the routine.

"I can't do this!" he thought, closing his eyes and cradleing his head, "But I must."

Before he could think again he leapt into the air, landing on the tightrope, perfectly balanced. He began to walk along untill he reached halfway where he threw himself to the side, hooking his foot on the rope, allowing momentem to swing his body round in a full circle. For the next few minutes he continued to practice all of the acrobatic tricks in his routine before gladly climbing back down to earth.

"How did I do?" he asked the clown but he didn't wait to hear the answer, he was shaking from the effort it had taken to stay on the rope for that long. Silently he sat down in an empty chair and drew his knees to his chest. He hoped that nobody could see the tears streaking down his face.

Reina

She sat watching the others practice, the same two words of a song had been bouncing around her head for hours ever since Twig had shown her the dance he had learnt for it.

"Kalinka, Malinka," she sang quietly to herself. Kalinka, wasn't that the title of a russian folk song? She was sure of it.

Unbidden, the chorus burst into her mind.

Kalinka, Kalinka, Kalinka of mine,
In the garden a berry grows so sweet on the vine

Shaking her head the verses dissappeared. Things were definitely looking grim if she couldn't escape the noise even in her own mind.

"Rain, come and practice with us," said one of the other clowns, "It's meant to be a team effort remember?"

With a sigh she stood up, why did she have to be a clown, she didn't think she was that funny, he skilled didn't lie with jokes, it was with riddles.

"Why is a raven like a writing desk?" she asked of nobody in particular, quoting one of her favorite books.

"I dunno, why?" asked the clown who'd told her to join in.

"Well they're both flat of course," answered Reina, "My research showed that a ravens call is flat. Fascinating don't you think?"

"Yeah...sure" said the clown, "I didn't think that was meant to have an answer."

As the clowns began to practice their skit, Reina's thoughts began to drift again.

"Perhaps instead of being a clown I can be something else," she pondered, "I mean, my costume makes me more of a harlequin anyway, perhaps I could be a mystic or fortune teller."

She quite liked this idea, she knew she'd be able to brush up on or learn the skills for anything other than being a clown. Spotting Shaelynn from across the tent she began to make her way towards her, passing Victoria and several of the other "freaks" on the way. Freaks, what a dreadful name, calling the beings that made up the freakshow was about as wrong as calling her a clown which was to say in no way right. Finally she reached the ringmaster.

"Shaelynn, I was thinking about my role in the cirque," she said, "perhaps I could be something more than this."

Quiller


Quill flinched as a roar pierced through the drone of noise before going back to rocking back and forth, cheerfully sucking on his lollipop as Euclid explained the book. It sounded pretty interesting untill he started talking about women in the eighteen hundreds, that part had escaped meaning to him.

"No doubt Rain would understand," he thought to himself, "Or soon would after researching."

But that was the thing he liked about Euclid, his conversations often inspired Quill to go and look up the meanings of what he said, it was a great way to learn new things. His thoughts on what he might learn from Euclid next were interupted by Dezi coming over to greet the both of them.

"There's a man who's a square," he added as Euclid asked if she would like to hear about it too.

He couldn't help but think that being a simple shape like a square would be a very odd experience, no matter how hard he tried he simply couldn't think of what a square would do for fun. A feeling nudged at the back of his mind like an itch, there was something he was meant to be doing, he was sure of it. With a gasp he realised what it was.

"I'm really sorry Euclid but I have to go," he said guiltily, shuffling his feet and scratching the side of his arm, "I'm meant to be practicing, I just forgot when the lion asked me for help."

With his spirits down he said goodbye and turned away, dragging Dezi with him, he needed her to oversee everything and make sure he didn't screw up.

"By the way, Dezi," he said as they walked, "Is Fang ok? I heard him roar before."

Thoughts of the Animal Trainer's brother came into his mind then, Ian as the magnificent beast performing in the ring before a huge crowd, the bright lights shining down on his fur. Then there was his human form, the pale skin and the dark hair.

"It's not fair that he and any of the others have to stay in the cages," he declared, "Especially Ian, I like him, his hair is cool."

With dismay he discovered that he had finished his lollipop without having the chance to savour the last of it, it always made him upset when this happened but he was determined not to cry over something so silly infront of Dezi.


Reina


"Success!" she thought as Shaelynn finished outlining a deal, "I have a chance,"

Thanking Shaelynn she walked over to a chair pondering what she could do for her act. That was the problem, exactly what could she do that would impress the ring master? Her gaze shifted from one person to another as she took in every member of the troop. Everyone had some sort of special skill, there had to be something that she could do. Finally her gaze settled on Kurt who was talking to Arella, the magicians tricks had always fascinated her and she'd done enough research to know that his act was the real deal.

"It's not like I haven't read books on witchcraft before," she reasoned, "I'm sure I could pick it up easily."

But then another thought pushed its way into her mind, what if magic was a skill one had to be born with. She could do all the reasearch on magic in the world but if it required an ability produced by genetics then she would have no hope of performing the wonders that Kurt could.

"It couldn't hurt to ask," she said, walking towards the magician, "Perhaps he could teach me, although I wouldn't hold my breath."

As she continued on her way a story that her grandmother used to tell her swept into her mind. The tale told of how there had once been a race of people that could control the elements, they had been a very fair and gracefull people and had admired beauty above else and were well known for their unparallelled skill in art. Her grandmother had claimed that their family was descended from these people and even now the power ran through her veins. Reina had always laughed it off as something her grandmother had told her to make her feel special but now she wasn't so sure, she vaguely remembered the old woman dancing and beautiful things happening, though what she couldn't tell. Perhaps she wouldn't be lost if Kurt refused to teach her she thought as she finally reached him.

"Hello Kurtis," she said politely, butterflies swirling in her stomach, "I'm sorry to interupt but do you think it would be possible for me to learn magic? Is it a skill I could learn?"

She stood silently, eagarly awaiting a response.


Toan


Toan wiped the tears from his face and searched his pocket for the MP3 he usually carried around. Ramming the headphones in place he scrolled through the list of songs untill he found one that he knew was upbeat, Speed Over Beethoven. As the first notes began to play he willed his muscles to relax while trying to picture a scene painted by the music.

"I'd probably be a dancer if I wasn't in the Cirque," he mumbled to himself with his eyes closed, "Then again, I don't suppose I'd ever know."

To tell the truth, he didn't really miss his old life that much, the Cirque was a fun and vibrant place to be and the only thing he particularly disliked was the high wire.

"But I'd have that fear regardless of where I was," he considered, "It would be nice to have the option to leave though."

Shaking his head he scolded himself, he was letting his thoughts go dark again. Perhaps some exercise would fix that up. With a leap he jumped onto his chair.

"Hey guys!" he shouted, "Anyone feel like a break? How about a game of tag, I bet you can't catch me though."

He fell silent and froze, that had been very unlike him. He usually tried to avoid drawing attention to himself but there was no use worrying about that now, the challenge had been thrown down. He half hoped and half despaired at the thought of nobody accepting his challenge. Nervous jitters began to race through his body as he waited. Only time would tell.

Toan


Toan looked up at the sound of Ian's voice, he had been sure that nobody would accept the challenge but now that someone had, he felt excitement begin to course through his body.

"Ok, sure thing," he said with a smile, he was sure that he'd be able to stay out of Ian's way, "Just give me a ten second head start."

With that he ran away, passing Arella who was watching him. With a leap he vaulted a barrel, twisting in the air to land facing Ian. He knew that speed was never the answer to winning tag but rather evasion, he was confident that with his agility he'd run circles around Ian.

"See if you can catch me within three minutes," he said, bouncing on the balls of his feet, "If you can then I'll treat you to cotton candy...or something."

Limbs relaxed but ready to move he waited for Ian to begin.


Reina


She watched as the card appeared in in the magician's hand. So it was possible for her to learn, however, what he had told her did not sound promising, certainly it wouldn't be enough to make an act to show the Ringmaster, still, it would be something worth working on.

"Thank you for your time," she said watching Arella walk away, "You've given me quite a bit to think about, I'll look into it and let you know how it goes."

Turning away she began to think of her other option, all hope lay on that one story her grandmother had told her. Exiting the tent she made her way to a secluded part of the circus and began to focus on the dances her grandmother had performed when she was little, after a moment she was sure that she had memorised one of them perfectly. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath and began to move her arms in graceful patterns, she felt and energy rise up within her like a river flooding its banks. Opening her eyes she swayed to and fro like a tree in the breeze, with a gasp she saw water begin to rise up out of the ground in elegant tendrils, moving in rhythm to her dance, twing around, crossing over and joining to make beautiful designs in the air.

"I don't believe it," she whispered, "It wasn't just a story."

As she brought her dance to a stop the tendrils of water broke apart into a fine mist that cascaded around her, catching the rays of the sun like thousands of tiny prisims. Never had she felt so peaceful.

"Well it looks like I have an act to show Shaelynn," she said.

The jester sat in a crouch as he watched the clowns practice their act. They were planning on pulling children onto the stage. He really hated children. They were too curious and were always getting into trouble. He flicked the charm that hung on the end of one of his hat's three points while his other hand held an unlit cigarette. Don't get him wrong, he loved his job, he just didn't enjoy having to interact with the little monsters people brought to the shows. He stood up and moved the cigarette to his lips before proceeding to do several backhand springs until he bumped into a partially padded support beam and falling onto his back. He laid there for a moment with a smile on his face while the other clowns laughed. Fooling around was part of being The Fool.

He quickly hopped to his feet began to have a silent and overly animated argument with another clown. The jester pulled the cigarette out of his mouth and began to get angrier and angrier at the other and some mild shoving ensued. The other much large clown grabbed the jester and pulled him into a headlock. A smaller clown jumped up and smashed a pie into the face of the big clown and Alcide slid out of his grip and ran across the stage with a huge smile on his face only to trip and land face first into what looked like elephant poop but was really just chocolate cake. He laid there for a moment without moving before slowly getting to his feet keeping his eyes closed until he was able to wipe the chocolate off of his eyes.

Someone tossed him a towel and he cleaned up, “Time for a smoke break.” He smiled waving around the cigarette that he held onto throughout the practice. He could feel his chest beginning to constrict from waiting this long. He popped it into his mouth and walked outside of the tent before lighting it. “It's been too long...” He exhaled before looking down at the harpy. He tilted his hat to her but didn't say anything. He found it a bit odd how the circus worked. The freaks were treated like animals even though they most definitely were not... well, may Euclid but who knew what he really was anyway?

The jester quickly finished the cigarette unable to savor it as long as he'd like. He stepped on the bud and walked back into the tent looking around for something to do. He spotted Reina another clown and he slipped over to her. He saw her talking to the magician before he took his smoke break and decided to have a little fun. “So, I hear you like magic,” He spoke as he reached out near the side of her face and pulled out a coin, “That's basically the only trick I got,” He gave a shrug, “I know a couple more but nothing special,” He spoke as he looked up at the top of the tent, “What did Kurtis teach you?” He asked curiously moving a bit so that the charms on the points of his hat would jingle lightly. He pulled some of the cake out of his hair with a frown. He was sure there was more on him in places out of his view.

Reina


Reina started at the sound of a voice being directed at her, it was Alcide, the Jester. Although a trickster, she could appreciate how he referred to himself as a jester, the same way she referred to herself as a harlequin.

"Well he taught me that it would be possible for one such as myself to learn magic," she said in reply to his question, "However, as can be expected, it's a lot more difficult than he makes it appear and it would use a lot of energy so I wouldn't be able to do the things he did."

Her train of thought shifted to the dance her grandmother used to perform and the story of the elementals and decided there was no harm in sharing it with Alcide.

"However, I believe I may have something up my sleeve so to speak," she continued, watching as the jester began to pull cake out of his hair, "Would you like to see? It's something, my grandmother showed me how to do but I never thought it was real."

She awaited his respone, slightly nervous, she wasn't even so sure if she could do it again. She began to think of how Kurtis had explained magic and resolved to do more research into the matter, even though she most likely had her act, provided she could pull it off more than once, magic was something she thought she would enjoy studying and it would be nice to have something in common with another circus member.

Alcide knew that she preferred to be called a harlequin even though she didn't really fit into the role that she was forced into. He listened to Reina tilting his head to the side a bit as she spoke. She wanted to learn magic? Real magic.. He didn't know that it could be learned and just assumed that it was something that one was born with.

“Hm...” He crossed his arms growing more interested. He knew a few parlor tricks but nothing that could be considered real magic by any standard. He found the real magic that Kurtis performed amazing and mesmerizing. His thoughts returned to the woman in front of him and he smiled. “I'd love to see what you can do,” He grinned and took a couple steps back to give her room.

The jester had no idea what to expect but his love of magic and his curiosity for what this harlequin had in store made him sit still and not worry about anything; not even what surprises the clowns had or the remaining pieces of chocolate on him. He'd focus on what she wanted to show him.

Reina

"Ok, I'm not sure if this is magic or not but it's quite mesmerising," she said, taking a step back and preparing to show the dance to Alcide.

Closing her eyes and focusing she began to move as she had before, a graceful willow tree, its branches swaying to and fro, she was something flexible and strong, something that would bend but could never be broken. Opening her eyes she sighed with relief to see the tendrils of water were once again flowing through the air, intertwining to become beautiful patterns, floating artworks. It was as if she was in a gallery and she was the central masterpiece. She smiled as joy rippled through her, in this one moment she felt beautiful. Once again, the end of the dance turned the water tendrils into a cascade of mist.

"So what did you think?" she asked, smiling at Alcide shyly.

Alcide watched the dance with a grin and when he saw the water start to flow through the air his eyes widened and his jaw dropped. He leaned forward watching the different patterns that the water made in the air following her movements. She had been correct when she said that it would be mesmerizing. The jester sat in awe as he watched the finale. He stared at the mist until it faded and his eyes landed on Reina as she spoke.

"That was... amazing." He smiled back, "That is some real magic you got there." He clapped softly feeling that her effort deserved an applause. He paused a moment as his thoughts went to music, "I can play a little melody," His fingers danced as if they were plucking the invisible strings of a harp, "To go along with your dance." His offer was genuine but he also wanted the opportunity to play his music in front of crowd without the clowns ruining his instruments with their foolishness. He was once in a real band and although he really missed that lifestyle the cirque was his new home now.

"Or maybe a violin..." He was picturing it in his head already having a melody figured out based on her dance and the movements of the water. "Oh, but where are my manners," He gave a nervous laugh as he took a step back, "This is your performance." He slid his hands into his pockets to keep them from dancing and kept his mouth shut so that she could speak.

Reina

She blushed as Alcide called her dance amazing and the offer of music was a brilliant idea in her opinion.

"Could you really?" she asked, "That would be wonderful if you could help me like that."

She began to imagine how the act would look under the glare of the lights with her dancing and Alicide's music combined. She was sure that it would weave a spell upon the audience and the music would help her keep rhythm in any case.

"Shaelynn said that I can perform my act for her after tonights show and if she likes it then she'll add it into the line up," she explained, "I'm sure she'd agree to let you play the music for me."

There was just something about live music that you could never capture on a recording, no matter how hard you tried, the energy and vibrancy was never the same.

"I think this is the formula for a truly magical performance," she said, smiling, "The magician and the musician."

But as she thought of Kurtis she realised that magician wouldn't be correct, even if this classed as a type of magic it wouldn't be the same as his.

"Or perhaps Enchantress is better," she wondered aloud, "I'm sure we'll get the perfect stage name."


Cadenza

Cadenza smiled suggestively at the clown before him, refusing to break eye contact. Slowly he inched closer and closer untill his face was millimeters away. The way he moved was smooth and sly, like a cat.

"Come on big boy," he whispered, trying to ooze appeal and desire, he could practically taste the pheromones, "Why don't we just take a little break?"

Arching his back inwards he rubbed his chest against the clowns arm, gazing at the ground. He so had this in the bag, soon he'd be able to get out of practicing. He opened his mouth to whisper sweet nothings to the clown and...sneezed. The force of the sneeze made him jump and knocked him back a little, just enough so he was off balance. As he fell to the ground he watched the clown struggling to restrain the giggles trying to surface.

"Sorry Zenn, but you can't charm your way out of practice," said the clown, "I don't swing that way and besides..."

"Don't say it!" thought Cadenza as the clown paused for dramatic effect, "Don't even think about saying it!"

But it was no use, he knew that the clown was going to say exactly what exeryone else said about him which was...

"You're too cute," finished the clown, ruffling his hair.

Rage built up within him as he stomped away from the laughing clown. Cute. He hated the word. It was always the same, all his attempts at seduction failed because everyone thought he was cute, not sexy. Just once, all he needed was to seduce one person and then his father would be proud of him. Not for the first time he wondered if he might do better if he played up the cute angle more but no, that wasn't an option, he was an inccubus for crying out loud, they were meant to be sensual and irresistable, not adorable and huggable. He wished he had turned out like his sister, now she was definitely good at being a succubus.

"Argh, I've had enough of everything," he growled to nobody in particular, "All I wanted was a break."

It wasn't that he didn't like working in the cirque, all things considered it was actually a really fun place to be but the practices often got tedius and then there was the risk of being found out.

"If Shaelynn ever found out I was of daemonic descent," he thought, "Then she'd lock me up in no time like all the others."

He could never let that happen.

"No, it will be my pleasure," Alcide tipped his oversized hat a bit. He was getting excited now. His first live musical performance since before he arrived at the cirque. He never thought to simply ask Shaelynn if he could play his music. He was sure she'd deny it since it wasn't like he could really get away with a big perfomance all alone. His eyes quickly flashed back to Reina and he sighed. This was about her not him. He had to respect that. She did inspire him to make a song after all. He can only see it fit to play while she's dancing.

"Haven't heard that name in a while," He chuckled lightly as she tried to come up with a stage name. "Right, hold on a moment," He ran over to the stands and stepped over a couple seats before picking up a acoustic guitar and lightly strumming along almost as if to say hello. "I should show you what I had in mind." He hopped over the seats holding his instrument high in the air to keep it safe and even having to side-step some playful clowns. He didn't play around with his music, that was one of the reasons he sat his instrument, whatever he brought out to play that day, so far out into the audience during practices.

"It's your performance after all," He slipped the shoulder strap over his head and slid his arm through before giving a weak smile, "I kinda need your approval." He played about half a note before stopping, "Okay, please be honest with me if you hate it. This is my first time in a couple years that I've played exclusively for someone," He said seriously as his nerves decided to kick in. He took a breath and closed his eyes as he remembered the rhythm of her dance and before the humming could start his fingers went went to work, producing a beautiful melody that he felt fit her movements perfectly.

Reina

She gasped as Alcide began to play the guitar. She had known he was a muscian but had never thought he could play as beautifully as he could then. The song struck a familiar chord within her, it was as if it spoke to her soul and comunicated the meaning behind her dance perfectly. Slowly she raised a hand and let it fall gently, following the contour of the melody as if riding the waves of the ocean. Closing her eyes she let it paint a vision in her mind but all she could see was the story of the song. It was somewhat haunting yet still beautiful, speaking of the night.

"It's a nocturne!" she exclaimed joyfully, hoping that she hadn't startled him.

But no, there was something more than that, behind the enchanting allure and beauty of the night, there was something else in the song. As the tune buit up in a crescendo the answer began to form in her mind.

"No," she whispered as the music hit a sudden messa di voce, "It's a requiem."

She looked at Alcide with certainty as he brought the song to a finish. She couldn't explain why but it fit perfectly in with the dance. She expected that like many things, it was just another secret that was longing to be unlocked.

The jester's mind was at ease while he played simply allowing the melody to flow as natural as her movements. A smile crossed his face when she spoke. His head rose and he looked at her while she tried to feel the music. He was pleasantly surprised that she was able to notice the darker resonance in the melody. He didn't want to speak just yet he wanted to allow the song to finish feeling that his voice would ruin it.

The song was over and he remained quiet until that last note fell silent. Taking a breath he made eye contact, “A requiem... perhaps. Among other things I guess it is.” He thought for a moment while he hugged his guitar. “I take it you liked it then?” He smiled as he plucked a few strings before looking up. He felt his chest start to contract a bit before a dry cough forced its way out. “Excuse me,” He looked away from her for a moment while he checked his pockets for his cigarettes. Simply knowing that they were there calmed him a bit.

Toan

Getting chased by Ian as part of the act? He could see how that would get the crowd worked up but would it work as well if the whole thing had been choreographed?

"I think it sounds like a great idea, it'd certainly be a lot of fun," said Toan, "The crowd would sure love it and it'd be an easy thing to improvise too, that way it'd look more believable, if Shaelynn is ok with it and if Ian is ok with it then I have no problem with that idea."

One thing troubled him though, if Dezi flew him up to his stand then Shaelynn would probably expect him to do the highwire too and he wasn't sure if he could handle that.

"Oh well, on with the show right?" he mumbled to himself.

Sometimes he wondered if he would be better off just being a clown but deep down he knew that their antics were something he couldn't get into. He thought for a moment as they reached the lion's cage, with a start he realised that Quiller was inside the cage asleep, resting against the lion. He wondered if the boy would be safe in there but reasoned that Quill was an animal training assistant so would be safer than most other people.

"Do you think we'll have time to talk to Shaelynn about this before the show starts tonight?" he asked, "She can be hard to get ahold of leading up to a performance."


Reina

"Like it? I love it!" said Reina as Alcide finished the song, "It fits the dance perfectly although I'm not sure if the guitar is the right instrument for it. WHat do you think?"

She was enjoying herself, she hadn't thought that being around another person could be this much fun, but then again, maybe it all depended on who the person was, perhaps it was just Alcide that made it fun. Alarm flared into her eyes as the jester began to cough and search for cigarettes.

"Are you ok?" she asked, taking a step closer incase the coughing got worse and she needed to support him, "You know that cigarettes are bad for you right?"

She mentally kicked herself for stating such an obvious fact, everybody in this age knew that smoking was bad for you, not that it stopped people from doing it anyway.

"Umm, this might sound weird but would you mind coming with me tonight when I show Shaelynn my act?" she asked nervously.

She didn't know why but she had suddenly been overwhelmed by a sense of fear but she somehow knew that if Alcide was there then everything would be ok. For some reason the man made her feel safe.

"A different instrument?" He pulled out the pack of cigarettes and at the scent of the tobacco a smile crept onto his lips, "How about a violin?" He offered trying to think of something that would be soft, yet, able to hit all the points of the song while still sounding as beautiful as the dance. "Or a harp. You'll look like an angel," He grinned at the thought. She was beautiful and with the sound of a harp she would look like something from the heavens. But, perhaps a harp was too soft, "No... we'd have to come up with an entirely different dance for that." He thought out loud before he started coughing again.

Alcide hesitated when he saw the consern on her face. He was use to dealing with the side effects of his lifestyle. He started smoking when he was sixteen and it proved to weaken him in his early adulthood. He never really cared though, it wasn't like he had a future especially since joining the cirque. "I'm fine." He cleared his throat and tried not to come off as in need of help. He hated asking others for help, it just made him feel weak. He fumbled with the cigarette in his hand as he chuckled at her observation.

"Yeah, I know," He held it up between his index and middle finger and looked at it for a moment, "I've just been using them for so long that," He paused as his eyes snapped to hers and he remembered that he was talking to someone and not his self, "I wouldn't know how to quite if I wanted too." He gave her a weak smile. She was growing on him. Normally he could only spend so much time with the majority of the clowns before he would just slip off to be alone with his music, however, he didn't feel that way with her. Sure, he wanted to get outside and smoke nearly as desperately as he wanted to keep breathing but, he wasn't quite ready to leave his new friend.

He had unconsciously put the cigarette between his lips when he tried to respond to her request. Maybe it was a good thing he had time to hesitate. He rather enjoyed the Ringmaster but to approach her with Reina. He wasn't sure. It felt like he would be imposing but he didn't want to disappoint her either. He removed the cigarette and gave a weak but sincere smile, "So long as you don't think I'll be in the way," He hesitated before his head tilted to the side causing the charms on his hat points to jingle unnervingly loud, "Do you want to do the entire act for her?" He asked as the thought frightened him a bit. Acting the part of a fool on stage was simple enough but this was a serious performance before Shaelynn, the Ringmaster. Well, that was nearly as nerve racking as when he had just performed for Reina. "Honestly," He gave a short laugh, "You're confidence is a pleasant surprise." She seemed so determined that he wasn't sure if he could match it.

He started for the exit and paused to make sure that she was behind him. He needed to smoke. He placed the cigarette between his lips and lit it not one moment after he had stepped out of the tent. "Sorry about this." he blew the smoke away from her and stood a fair distance away just out of respect.

Kurtis nearly face-palmed when Ian approached him. He thought he was being stealthy, but he should have assumed the worst case scenario and just used a charm or something, cause apparently he sucks at stealthy. Must be his freaking long hair. Most likely, but it didn't change the fact that he still didn't have a suitable answer for the dude. He watched as Ian turned to look at Casper, and the pieces clicked together nicely. A small smile slowly formed on Kurt's lips as Ian spoke. that advice? And it's not like I can just...flat out say it either...This person's...different to say the least. He chuckled a little at the statement, which seemed to wrack his body. Kurtis had no idea how tired he really looked, with his hair not really properly groomed, his eyes having dark circles around them and his demeanor looking extremely tired. Thing was, Kurt didn't know that at all, and felt mostly himself, to some extent.

Kurtis looked straight at the eyes of the guy, who he couldn't figure out how this guy was 9 years older than he was. Ian acted like a child at times, which was quite weird for somebody in their late twenties. The smile stayed on his lips as he began to speak "To be brutally honest, I wasn't even sure you could approach a guy like him without flat out saying it. However, Casper is quite..." He paused for effect, since it was built into his system by now. "perceptive at times, and he may find out on his own. My advice? I don't know, keep talking to him? Go out of your way to help him, or stuff like that. Little hints, ya know? No offense, but I'm not the kind of guy that does wonders with relationships." He chuckled once, and only once, in a slightly annoyed tone.

"Though my true advice? Don't come to me with personal information. If you don't know by now, I have a bad habit of..." He tried to find the right words. "Exploiting those kind of things. Just so you know now!" He turned around, and raised one hand. "Unlike me, dude, you can't just use an illusion if you eff up, so I guess another pointer is to plan before you do something really stupid. Ciao." He waved that hand and left Ian's company, starting to feel the effects of telepathy kicking in. He wished he could have been more help to the guy, but what was a secluded warlock supposed to know about relationships? Back when he was in high school, he may have cared and attempted to go after women, but he wasn't in high school anymore, and it was before he was being charged with murder.

He rounded the corner, and realized something before noticing Alicide come out of the tent: He had no friggin clue what the day was. It could have been days before he came out of that meeting, and he wouldn't know any better. It had actually happened earlier on when he joined the cirque back when he was 16 - or was that 17? - and was getting used to everything. The elders gave him a telepathic call, which resulted in a 3 day long meeting, along with guests, and completely boring ceremonies. By the time he showed back up, he was pretty sure half of the cirque was ready to strangle him to death for missing a show, AND a few thought he had somehow deserted the cirque. That took a lot of explaining to do. He walked over to Alicide, who was having a smoke - which wasn't a bad idea, even though Morte only smoked warlock cigs made by himself - and posed his question. He still wasn't aware that he looked extremely exhausted, and that if he probably sat down he would be sleeping for a loooong time.

"Hello there Mr. Jester. Could you tell me if we have a performance tonight? I don't even know what day it is today. Warlock meeting and all..." He smiled sheepishly, which made his face look a little too ghastly. "Oh, and Reina.." He noticed that she was inside the tent, so he turned his focus to her. "I hope you still are thinking of taking of magic as a side project. Trust me when I say, it is quite enjoyable, and having another person would be quite handy." By now, he really wanted to sleep, but he needed to know if there was a show tonight or not, or else he would run the risk of getting yelled at again by somebody important.

Reina

"I think a violin would be perfect now that you mention it," said Reina, smiling. A violin would help to draw out the subtle tones of sorrow in the song.

Alcide seemed a little frightened at the idea of joining her performance tonight in front of Shaelynn, it was the smile that had given him away.

"Well, I think Shaelynn would want to see the whole thing and it'd be more impressive with music. I'd really feel better if you were there with me," she explained, "But it's ok if you don't want to, I know it's asking a lot at last minute, it's not really anything important anyway."

But deep down she knew that it was, right now she felt as if she'd fall apart during the performance for Shaelynn if he wasn't there with her. The truth was, she was scared of being rejected and wanted someone to be there incase it all went wrong. Luckilly, her train of thought was interupted by the arrival of Kurtis asking if there was a show on tonight. Patiently she waited untill Alcide answered the question before she spoke.

"You look dead on your feet Kurtis, have you not been sleeping well?" she asked, "I'm definitely thinking about taking on magic as a 'side project' as you called it, I believe it would be something I could sink my teeth into, so to speak. However, I have something I'd like to show you later on if that's all right, it's for the act I'm going to show Shaelynn, I'm curious to know if it's of a magical nature or not and I thought you might be able to tell me."


Quiller

Quill stirred at the sound of a voice telling him to wake up.

"Five more minutes...I don't want to get up," he slurred, snuggling deeper into the warmth that surrounded him.

Suddenly something wet rasped across his face as the lion licked him. His eyes snapped open as he sat up, rubbing his face with his arm in disgust.

"Eww! Lucian, that's gross," he exclaimed, "Your breath smells of fish and meat, you need to brush your teeth."

He began to giggle as he imagined Lucian trying to hold a toothbrush. Carefully letting himself out of the cage he greeted Toan before hurrying off to wash his face.

"I guess it was Dezi that told me to wake up," he thought, splashing water on his face.

The cold water seemed to wake him up more as well as cean off all the lion saliva, for this he was glad, he didn't want to be half asleep during the show.

"It might be a good idea to eat something sugary though, "he said with a grin, "Just to be on the safe side."


Cadenza

Cadenza had been sitting in one of the stalls waching people pass by, it was one of his favorite things to do. For each person he tried to make up a secret life story in which they went through incredibly amazing quests and trials. He had just finished adding the final touches to the life story of one of the clowns where they had been raised as an assassin from birth when he noticed the magician walk in.

"Handsome, hair that doesn't seem to end and you positively reek of magic," said Cadenza to himself with a smile, "Just my type, then again, what isn't my type."

Of course he didn't mean this, Incubi weren't meant to have types but if they were then someone like Kurtis would have been his. Of course, the magician was probably straight which would make him unobtainable but still, it never hurt to try and he knew his father would finally be proud of him if he managed to sway someones sexuality. Taking a deep breath he walked over to where Kurtis stood, talking to Alcide and Reina.

"Well hello there good looking," he said to the Magician when he was sure they had all finished speaking, "I saw you from across the room and just thought I'd say, you look superfi..."

He froze, eyes locked on to Kurtis's. He had just felt the type of magic that surrounded the Magician. His pulse began to race, this was really bad.

"How could I be so stupid," he mentally cursed himself, "All this time I just thought he was a hedge witch or something like that."

He knew he couldn't really blame himself, he had never seen Kurtis perform or been this close to him, if he had then he would have been able to work it out. Kurtis was a warlock.

"Could this get any worse?" he asked himself, "A warlock like him will be able to tell what I am, I'll have to find a way to shut him up."

“A violin it is.” He smiled to his self. He continued to smoke she went on about showing her performance to Shaelynn. He lowered his head for a moment as he thought about it for another moment. “No,” He looked up with a smile, “I can't let you down. If you want me there I'll be there,” He'd just have to deal with his nerves when the time arrived. “Besides,” He glanced around, “It's not like I have anywhere to be or any real obligations.” He gave a short laugh before putting the cigarette between his lips.

Kurtis' voice caught him a bit off guard. “Huh?” He quickly turned to look at the magician while he asked him about the show. “Yeah, there's a show in a couple hours...” He ruffled his brow as he took in how tired he looked.

Alcide looked over at Reina for a moment and then at Kurtis, “Yeah... are you sure that you'll be ready for the show?” He asked as he stomped out the cigarette. His attention went back to the conversation and he remembered how “magical” her dance had been. Magic did seem like the best explanation... not that he was an expert. Maybe she was some sort of non-human being like Ian or Victoria. Now his curiosity was getting to him. He'd have to ask her what the verdict is after she showed Kurtis her dance.

Kurtis didn't mean to startle the jester, but apparently he was a scary and random person. Oh wait... “Yeah, there's a show in a couple hours...

Kurtis nodded his appreciation, and mentally cursed to himself. He would have to prep himself up, use some illusions or magic to get him through the next show without messing up and getting attacked by either the Ticket or RingMaster. He should really warn somebody when he does a 'conference call' that he may look like crap for the next show, or maybe he should lay down the line with his Elders and tell them his schedule so they STOP calling him at random hours or near show times. He gave a little sigh as Reina asked a question.

You look dead on your feet Kurtis, have you not been sleeping well? I'm definitely thinking about taking on magic as a 'side project' as you called it, I believe it would be something I could sink my teeth into, so to speak. However, I have something I'd like to show you later on if that's all right, it's for the act I'm going to show Shaelynn, I'm curious to know if it's of a magical nature or not and I thought you might be able to tell me. He smiled bleakly as Alicide asked him as well if he was going to make it, to which he smiled to both of them

"Yeah, I should be able to whip something up to make me look a little more presentable for tonight, and possibly kill this exhaustion. And for you info, I have been sleeping, but have a telepathic meeting with a bunch of old croons for a few hours drains everything from you, making you turn out like this afterwards." He chuckled a little, which turned to a little wheeze. "Sorry bout that. And Reina, I'm happy that you decided to take on magic so eagerly. Not many do anymore." He paused, smirking slightly at her idea and confirming whether it is magic or not. "That sounds kinda interesting actually, though you may not be able to show me for an hour or so, I seriously need to make myself look a little more presentable..." He sighed unhappily. "Well, confirming if your 'magic' is magic or not is quite easy, I just have to ask you two questions and then see it. One, are you using any circles? And two, do you feel slightly drained afterwards?"

He would have waited until she answered his question, until some person he hadn't really paid attention to much. Cadnez? Carmen? Something like that... Well hello there good looking, I saw you from across the room and just thought I'd say, you look superfi... Kurtis raised an eyebrow, and began to speak in a bored tone, one that was laced with a little sarcasm and slight shock.

"Hold up there dude, no offense but I don't-" Kurt finally zeroed in on the guy, and a small smile began to form on his lips. While the guy looked human, he certainly wasn't. Kurtis could see an underlying figure, slightly blurry, but just enough of one to know that he was using illusion magic, and quite potent stuff at that. Kurtis could usually see easily through most illusions, but this one even made his sight blurred. That smile continued to get larger, one that was slightly sinister, coniving and completely mischievious. Oh, I'm gunna have fun with this guy...

Still with the smile on his face, but letting it fall to a simple one. "Sorry man, I can't and don't swing that way. Thanks for the compliment thought... Mr.. Caden? Cadenz? Can I just call you Caden?"

Reina

"I don't think I use a circle," said Reina, "At least, not one that I knowingly drew out but there is a little bit of a drain afterwards."

She walked off, lost in her thoughts, forgetting that she had just been talking with others. Was the drain from her dance anything that she wouldn't expect if she had been dancing normally? She couldn't be sure. There were more questions she needed to answer though, for example, the legend had involved all four elementd, did that mean she'd be able to do similar things with fire, air and earth and if so would that also mean she could control more than one at once. With a sigh she sat down and waved her arm dramatically as an experiment hoping something would happen to the ground beside her, but nothing happened. Clearly she'd have to do a lot more research into this, it made sense that the other elements would respond to a different style of dance.

"After all, each element has it's own personality," she muttered, "Movement like what's in my water dance wouldn't apeal to fire at all."


Cadenza

Cadenza's heart fell as he watched the smile spread across the Magician's face, clearly he had already worked it out and he could tell from the man's last comment that there was no way he'd be able to seduce him.

"It's a pity," he thought, "He would have made a nice boyfriend. At least coming out as an incubus wouldn't be difficult."

He was trying to convince himself that he didn't care but knew that deep down he was disappointed. Cadenza crossed his arms wondering why he had been born an incubus when he clearly wasn't cut out for the job, he didn't have the right body and now he was having genuine feelings for another person. It didn't help that the person in mention was capable of blowing his cover.

"It's Cadenza," he said, trying to keep himself calm, he didn't want the warlock to know how nervous he was, "As in the musical term but I'm fine with you calling me Caden. Zen works too."

He wanted to confront the warlock now, just to know where he stood but knew that the time wasn't right. Reina may have walked off somewhere but Alcide was hanging around. He needed to get Kurtis alone somewhere and fast, before he could start spreading secrets.

"I had the feeling you were straight but I figured I'd try anyway," said Cadenza, "It was worth a shot. Do you mind if I ask you something? In private?"

Cadenza hoped that this would work, he was a little worried that the grinning warlock might refuse just to spite him. He knew that if he needed to he would drag the man away by force, it was an unpleasant thought, with luck it wouldn't come to that.

Toan

He stood back stage, stretching and getting himself ready, physically as well as mentally. As he had feared, he was meant to be doing the highwire routine tonight. He paused in his stretching to adjust the tight jumpsuit. He hated form fitting clothing like this, sure, on some acrobats it porbably looked amazing but they didn't have the bodies of scrawny teenaged boys.

"I just wish I could perform in baggy clothing for once," he muttered to nobody in particular, "All the loose cloth displays the momentem better anyway. Perhaps I'll get the chance to when I make a routine with Ian."

He had been surprised when Dezi had come up to him with the suggestion but he quite liked the idea, it was definitely a break away from the norm. Putting his headphones on he began to listen to his MP3 player again while the clowns and other acts got ready. Soon enough he was in the right mind set for the show.


Quiller

"Dezi!" he shouted excitedly, running towards her, "Look I'm ready for the show, are you ready for the show? Your dress is pretty."

He was babbling, he knew that, he just hoped that Dezi didn't pick up that he'd had even more sugar, if she asked him then he knew he wouldn't be able to lie to her. Quill was dressed in formal pants that were a little too big for him and dark brown waistcoat with a red bow tie, he usually made a fuss about it but to be honest, he kind of liked the look.

"I got a new waistcoat," he said happily, "Oh, and the animals all say they're ready."

He was excited for the show, it was a big crowd tonight and he wanted to impress every single person in the audience.


Reina

Reina walked round the back of the tent, running her fingers through her hair. Her costume wasn't as comical as most of the other clowns, is had a sort of an asymetrical elegance to it, she was usually shown as the pretty girl clown that all the other male clowns fought over. She didn't mind this at all, really, it didn't take much effort, just a few poses and a bit of "Oh the drama," and you had a performance. Suddenly she caught sight of Alcide, to tell the truth, he did make quite a dashing clown, perhaps it was because he didn't go overboard with his make up, similar to what she did.

"Well now, you clean up ver nicely for a jester," she said, tapping him on the opposite shoulder to where she was, "Are you ready for the show?"


Cadenza

"This is the last time I ever let someone else do my make up," muttered Cadenza as he walked round the back of the tent.

His face looked like a child had attacked it with a box of crayons, he was just lucky that the point of a clown was to look stupid. Moodily he plucked at the frills that adorned his shirt, why did he even have to wear a top? Surely the audience would get a lot more satisfaction if he wasn't wearing one.

"Although, perhaps it would be better if I didn't in this costume," he mumbled.

The sad fact was, the other half of the costume was a skirt. There weren't a lot of female clowns and he was one of the only ones that was youthful enough to pull off a female look. Of course, he was usually the ugly step sister or something like that. Sometimes he thought they just did it to make fun of him.

"Well the joke's on them," he said to nobody in particular, "If this wasn't such a fashion crime, I could totally rock this frock."