Welcome to the Freak Show

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Like a grey serpent on wheels, Lord Martin's Circus Show of Freaks rolled it's way through the bumpy, mud trodden roads as rain pelted the caravan from the sky.  Though most of the wagons housed a variety of vibrant colored tents, the sight was a dreary one, though unique as they come.  When there wasn't a wagon full of women or men in costumes that were littered in colors, a fleet of iron barred trains took up the rear, carrying animals, exotic and trained, at the tail end of their show.

THey had finished a show a few weeks back and were headed for Ketra, then another show to the North, a month later, in Arca.  Lord Martin knew there was a lot of promise of money in his travel investments, and figured he might stop at some smaller towns along the way to get some extra cash.
Money was good, and the show was becoming famous- after all, it wasn't everyday one could claim to have a tamed 'demon' in his show.

And that's what he was, though the boy trapped inside the last iron cage stared listlessly out into the world, uncaring his hair was becoming soaked in rain as he pressed his forehead against the bar, his cage lurching as the caravan continued down the road.

Rain had been pelting Ravin's face for so long the waters began to run down his neck and made the skin beneath his metal collar itch.  He lifted a hand to itch it when the entire caravan came toa  sudden halt.

Further up ahead, he heard men yelling.  A wagon wheel had gotten stuck int he mud further up the chain. He stared idly in that direction for a time before glancing back towards the canopy of trees behind him.  That was one nice thing about being left alone in the rear of the train.  He got to travel in mostly silence, and could look at the terrain change around him as he was pulled along towards his next destination.

His cat had been nestled at his side, sleeping soundly, but the moment the commotion began, the cat awoke. Ravin, now distracted from the forests, looked down towards the creature and stroked lightly it's head. The cat nuzzled its soft face affectionately against his hand, but when he heard more noises, he hissed towards the sounds of other men, then took off.
Blinking, Ravin turned to listen to the men's curses echoing through the forests before turning his attention once again to the muddy roads behind him, staring for a long while at the ripples dancing across a puddle of mud.

[GoblinFae]

The rain was miserable as it came down in sheets upon everything without regard to any and all attempts made for cover. That was exactly what Ariel was trying to do from her hunkered down place beneath the leafy fronds of a shrub as water pelted down her back and ran down her face, blinding her vision and deafening her hearing.

Her icy gaze stared straight ahead, observing the jarring passage of the caravan right up to the moment the wheel sank and it all came to sudden stop. Men scuttled about cursing and hopping about as they worked to free the wagon from the sticky mud.

Driven by curiosity and hunger, the huntress began to crawl out from her makeshift refuge, first slowly and then faster and faster as she got closer. Her progress was slower than she had hoped as the mud made her sink up to nearly her elbows but she scuttled along until she was pressed tight up against the wheels of the farthest car in the line.

She knew nothing of the demon boy chained within, all she wanted was to find food to steal and then she would be on her way again. Still listening for the men further down, Ariel reached up for the bars of the cage, hoping to climb on top of it and travel further up the line where no one would search for her. She froze though as she came eye to eye with the figure locked inside. Afraid that she had been caught, she kept still, muscles tensed to flee should this runt sound the alarm against her.

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He saw the woman approach and had little interest, his eyes staring well past her and to the rain.  He was numb to most of the exterior world, though when she was suddenly climbing onto his cage, he blinked his green eyes and looked up.

His eyes were cold and smoldering with a distant taste of something feral, as he captured her beneath his gaze.
It wasn't until a familiar 'mrowl' came that Ravin blinked and looked down to witness the soft back of his black cat snuggling affectionately against Ariel's boot as it purred.  It mrowled again, it's tail shaking like a maraca as it stared up at her with happy, closed cat eyes.  BUt still, Ravin didn't move from where he sat within his cave, forehead still propped and blonde hair, sagging across his forehead and plastered limply there from the falling rain.  The only change had been that his eyes softened a little as he admired the cat in silence while the rain misted across his face.

[GoblinFae]

It surprised her just how much the caged creature's eyes burned into her as he looked out at her in the rain. She stood there quietly, her own face set into a stoic mask as she attempted to stare him down while icy droplets raced down the collar of her shirt and froze her skin.

Their gaze was broken though as a ball of warm, wet fur rubbed itself forcefully against her legs. Looking down in surprise, her eyes widened before narrowing at the mewling beast at her feet.

"Hush you," she hissed down quietly, albeit nervously. The last thing Ariel needed right now was for the guards to come barreling down her before she had achieved what she came for. The huntress tried nudging the cat away with the toe of her boot but found it undeterred.

Sighing in exasperation she flashed her gaze back up to the green-eyed boy with in the cold cage. "Hold your tongue, and I'll leave you alone," her voice growled out as thunder boomed its call above their heads. Her hands clenched tightly onto the bars of the cage as she attempted to hoist herself up and above the beast within its confines.

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Ravin merely stared at the girl with a blink. Her words hardly phased him as he looked from her then back down towards the cat who let out another mrowl. He leaned forward with just enough of a stretch to allow the cat to find his fingers as it pushed it's head up into a gentle snug.
"Mrowl!" then the cat moved away, working at licking it's paw then drawing the paw across it's soft cheek and ear when it passed by the food dish, which had been left, untouched with moldy breads and raw meats rotting against the rain.


More men hollered, their calls echoing across the trail.  It seemed the caravan would have to wait a bit for the men to gather and lift the cart out of the mud, then fix the broken wheel.
But it was of little consequence to the young man in the cage.
Day in and day out, Ravin was forced to participate in their exotic and corrupt show- body tearing, turning, twisting, burning into the wild demon from within.
And it always was received with wild shock and awe, and loud applause from the crowd.....

But for now....

For now he remained stoic and calm, green eyes returning to the rain before slowly, ever so slowly, they returned to the young woman climbing up his cage.

Then there came a start, the animal in the cage behind his gave a terrible cry as the Jaguar took notice of Ariel and it's fur bristled and it barred it's fangs and lunged towards her- foamed spit spitting out of it's mouth. It's cage kept the beast back, though still it tried, pressing it's body against the bars furiously as an arm extended through, claws kissing across the air and teeth biting-

It was more than just agitated, it was hungry, too.


The black cat's body arched, hissing as it batted a paw towards the wild jaguar. At the cat's sudden defensive spirit, Ravin's face lit up as he turned, green eyes piercing towards the beast in it's cage as it continued to claw and bite and tear towards the woman- but to no avail.
Like himself, they were both wild beasts trapped within a cage.

Slowly rising, Ravin approached the side of his cage where the Jaguar was making a fuss, and the animal continued to growl and mrowl and cry- which began to attract the attention of a man nearby-
Ravin simply stared the beast down, eyes cold and savage as his fists held onto the bars that ran parallel to the other's- and as the beast continued to claw, once it's eyes contacted with Ravin, it let out a raw, swiped at him before the small black cat lept towards it with a mighty hiss-

That's when the whip came, cracking between the two and broke up the fight.
The jaguar roared and reared back into it's caging, pressing it's body against the floor as it bared it's teeth with a growled hiss.  Ravin, however, didn't back down, merely stared down at the beast as the whip cracked between their cages again and slowly, his eyes turned towards the man's.


"Ravin, you beast. Stop teasing the Jaguar. We need her calm for when we make it to the next town. It'll do us no good if she's agitated." The man angrily smacked Ravin's cage then rattled his whip against the Jaguar's before 'tching' and moving onward.

"Stupid beasts."


And for now, it seemed Ariel had gone unnoticed, as Ravin's eyes watched as the animal tamer disappeared.


OOC: Let me know if this works XD if you want me to edit it, ~ I can :D
the post just kept going. and going >>

Also hopefully there aren't TOO many typos 8D

[GoblinFae]

No matter how much she wanted to be more, Ariel was just a human with weak human eyes, unable to see far in the darkness and pelting rain. As such, the young huntress never saw the great feline until it was howling and throwing itself at the cage bars that divided the two of them.

Frozen in fear and surprise, she stared on wide-eyed, back pressed tight against the boy's cage as spittle landed on her face from the beast. The following, resounding crack of the whip had her eyes slamming shut and her whole body tensed as if expecting a blow that blessedly did not fall upon her.

The squelching sounds of retreating footsteps had her slowly peeking an icy eye open to look around. A whistling breath released from her burning lungs. She had not even realized she had been holding her breath that whole nerve-wracking time.

Tentatively, Ariel peeled herself away from the cold iron bars enough to glance over her shoulder towards the caged boy within its unforgiving confines. A quiet bow of her head would be the only thanks he would get from her. She was too ashamed to look long though. Her stupidity and overconfidence had nearly gotten her caught, possibly even killed.

Fool! the big cat's howls had seemed to cry to her, accusing her with every movement and judgmental look. Little girl playing warrior! Tiny little bird, come closer and let me eat you. Perfect little meal for me!

Gritting her teeth, she reached up once more, albeit much more carefully, feeling the bars of the adjacent cage slide against her soaking palms. She knew she must be quick about it or else become the very dinner she feared being but even then there was only so far she could push her body before it met its limits.

In as quick a movement as she could manage, Ariel leaped forward and tried to heave herself atop the cat's cage and away from the boy's. A heart-stopping bang rang out through the air as the beast once more pounced out to meet her. A crazed and starved beast with its eyes on the prize, it yowled and snapped at her, a paw with razorsharp claws shooting out to swipe at her sides.

She could hear the man returning, yelling at the beast to be still but it would not heed the call. Not even the whip's biting tongue would stop it from claiming a fresh meal, so hungry was it. With a victorious snarl its great furry arm cam around, trapping Ariel against the bars of the cage as the claws sank into her back and tore.

It took all her strength to yank herself along the cage bars, tearing her back open further as she pulled against the fierce grip and scuttled to the chain that linked the cat's cage to that of the next car in the line. She had nearly made it too when the man at last returned, banging on the cage and cursing for all he was worth at the enraged beast.

Perhaps she could have even escaped unnoticed if she had only been able to maintain her grip. But the fates were not with her. They far more preferred teaching the little human who fancied herself of the wild, a lesson, a lesson in humility. It was for this reason that that weariness suddenly overtook her as she bled out. Her limbs felt heavy and her grip loosened from its death hold on the slick bars until with a loud squelching thud she dropped away, sending a knee-high puddle of muck in every which direction.

Unable to breathe from knocking the wind out of her, she prayed they would not find her there. Yet, even as she wished, she knew it would not come true. Weakly Ariel continued to blearily stare up at the dark sky as crystalline angel tears rained down on her from above.

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When Ariel bowed to him, Ravin blinked, and said nothing, silently watching her as she approached the animal's cage foolishly again. And when the animal went to attack, he gripped his hands so tightly against that bar his knuckles went white. He might have called out to her, but by the time everything had happened, the woman was in the mud again, the man with the whip returning, his bright red attire easily visible in the night, the gold embroidery and buttons that trained down the front shining off the silver light of the moon.

"What's this?"t he man sneered, his dark brown eyes going to her's as he snatched Ariel by the wrist. "Was it you who's tormenting our animals?" He said, dragging her to her feet and studying her darkly against the moon light. He lightly shook her, then forced her to turn towards Ravin, a hard hand gripped at the base of her neck.
"See this beast here?"

Ravin stared back calmly at the pair, almost unphased when he was brought to attention, and stared down at the girl, and only at the girl.

"He's more dangerous than that damn jaguar who clawed you up good, girl." the man lectured, shaking her lightly before Ravin's cage.  He sneered at the blood and wounds against her back with a shake of his head.
"If you were to upset this beast," the man continued, gesturing to the blonde haired boy within his cage. "He'd eat your innards while you're still alive, that he would. The master's got a nice lock on him though. See his collar? It keeps this beast in line." He kicked Ravin's cage as if to make his point and barked out  a luahg at him, raising his nose in a sneer.
"So you're lucky this time, girlie. But we don't take kindly to trespassers, especially those who might sour the next show. Come on, you're coming with me. Lord Martin will want you reported right away!"

[GoblinFae]

If she had been able to breathe from the start, the huntress would have hissed at him. As it was her idea of an impressive display was completely ruined by her gasping fish out of water look. It was definitely without any doubt the lease threatening thing anyone could be doing in Ariel's position. Even playing dead was better than this because that took skill to maintain.

The man's voice was an irritating buzz within her ears that she was unable to focus on until she was able to catch her first real gulps of fresh, humid air. Her ears just barely registering selective snippets that suggested she would be wary of the caged boy.

'What fool am I old man? He had a chance to do something and didn't. He's odd; but he's not wild. Not like me,' her mind gloated even as the handler began dragging her off again.

Ariel went moaned pitifully and went limp in his grip, feeling mud reach out to encase her arm and legs as she sank into it. Playing dead sounded like a good plan for now. Just a few more moments and she could free herself. Humans were so predictable anyway.

Sure enough the man paused in his stride, unwilling to drag the limp body. He gave her arm a hard shake before grudgingly leaning down to examine her closely. As soon as he was within range, Ariel lashed out. She threw her free arm up to punch upwards between his legs, reveling in his girlish whine for a second. Then, striking with the speed of a snake, she sank her teeth into his hand, effectively releasing his grip on her.

The mud made plopping and sucking sounds as the little huntress struggled to pull herself out of its grip. By then more men had come at the sound of the first shout and were already closing in on her. With a step to the right, Ariel tried to break for the line of cars, intent on slipping in between them.

One, two, three bounding steps and all she had left to do was leap over the axle and she was home free. It was therefore a pity that in the pouring rain she never saw the sinkhole until she was knee-deep in it, ruining the jump and thereby propelling herself face first into the grimy muck.

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His laughter echoed coarsely across the valley, piercing through the rain with its cruel joviality. This man was not the original animal tamer who had been designated to bring up the rear of the caravan. No, this man was much taller, wider, stalkier and with a shiny bald head, no eyebrows and long, dark black mustache.  His face was red and he wore a stained white shirt as he moved forward, two lankier men at his side.

"So is this what all of the commotion is about?" the man barked out a laugh, grabbing Ariel roughly by her wrists and yanking her entire body out of the mud, so that her feet weren't even touching the ground, though it was just inches below her. The man was still chuckling, his laughter hot and reeking of whisky.

"The little bitch bit me," the man from earlier hissed through his teeth, gripping onto his hand as he stood cautiously behind Ariel with a narrowed frown. "We ought to cage her and whip her like the animals. She certainly is acting like one."

"So where did you find this little thing?" the bald man inquired, giving Ariel a light shake while still holding her over the mud.

"She was back here. Messing with Ravin and Lanssa."

The bald man laughed. "Should have fed her to Lanssa."

"I should have fed her to Ravin."

The bald man dropped the girl into the mud and looked over at the animal trainer as if he were stupid, or crazy.  "What? And have to deal with her corpse?" He looked back down at Ariel, eyeing her suspiciously. "So she's a thief?" He clutched onto her clothes and dragged her forward, so their faces were inches apart. Then he laughed, his soured whisky breath rolling over her face. "No, I don't think dropping her in a cage with Ravin or Lanssa would do. I think Lord Martin might like to handle this one. She's young and might be pretty undre all of that mud. but it's hard to tell." he laughed again, more hot, nasty breath rushing over her before he moved away.  He was towering over her quite easily, nearly seven feet, or even taller as he glanced over at the trainer.

"You got any rope, Jiff? Or animal shackles or something? This one seems kind of wild!" he laughed, staring down at her eyes and the muck all over her. "No wonder you were thinkin' about caging her."

"Well, I did tell you she bit me," Jiff added with a sniff, glaring down at the girl, then turning, he moved towards Ravin's cage, throwing open the metal compartment at one side and began rummaging through it.  Ravin merely observed in silence, his eyes not bothering to register the man making noise against his cage. He was still staring at the mud-soaked girl.  It was only after the jingling metal of a chain was drawn that Ravin's eyes flashed to it-

To the metal collar, the chains-

Ravin's mind flashed back, a brief hot memory stirring as his eyes narrowed, his body bristled, then his black cat suddenly shot out from beneath the cart and leapt at the trainer's arms- tearing into it with wild ferocity.
Jiff swore up a storm, tossing the cat aside into the mud, where it landed and turned with a hiss, then fled. Nursing onto his arm, whcih was now gathering red hot wounds, he grabbed up the chain from the mud, slammed the compartment shut and paused to observe Ravin.

The boy had moved, now standing beside the cage bars and peering directly at him. And it felt as if he was seeing right into him and it sent a chill to Jiff's bones. Taking a few cautious steps backwards, he swallowed the knot in his throat.  Ravin's eyes were cold like the rain, and as piercing as lightning. The boy always unnerved him. He looked normal, practically was when not in the show, except for his peculiar personality.
Jiff's brow twitched nervously before he turned away, scrambling across the mud before giving the bald man the chain.

"Here, Al. This collar and chain ought to do. We can leash her like an animal and drag her to Lord Martin." he tosse dhis hair away from his face. "Martin can deal with her. I'm sick of all of these humans that seem to have rabies." He looked back down at his arm and frowned. He'd have to be sure to clean those out good. For all he knew, the girl or cat might have rabies... though if they did, hed be pissin' mad. He'd gone this long without getting the madness. He'd be damned if some girl would do him in with just a single bite.

[GoblinFae]

Ariel shuddered at the cruel sound that passed the man's think lips, wishing she could curl in tight upon herself like a small animal avoiding the predator's notice. The idea of being caged though evoked her anger though and in no time at all she was squirming in the man's grip, trying to kick out at him as best as she could. She wore out quickly as the jarring shake given to her made her shoulders scream in protest to the harsh treatment.

The wild child was therefore stunned to be released so suddenly and painfully to the unforgiving ground. She had but a moment to attempt to spring to her feet and away before she was once more rudely dragged in close. Ariel snarled, baring her teeth at the face that drew so sourly close to her own. She hated this human who dared treat her like a child. She was of the wild; she demanded that respect that came from being such a huntress not the laughter he spat at her.

She continued her fierce glaring from her incapacitated position, imagining all the ways she would torture these fools the moment she was free to run. Her piercing eyes watched with delight the scene that took place between feline and man as if she was the one to cause it instead of the strange boy within his own cage. 'Twice bitten, twice the fool,' Ariel thought while a rather predatory smirk lit up her face and eyes.

It faltered though the moment the chains came within sight. Like a deer entranced by the hunter's eyes, she froze stiffly before fighting wildly to be free. She bit and clawed, kicked and howled to not be chained. Her breath came in sharp heavy puffs even as they quickly overpowered her. Someone sent a sharp kick to her jaw while another whether knowingly or not dug painfully into her injured back.

With a condemning click the cold metal collar locked around her neck and Ariel stilled. A despairing wail burst forth from her lips as they half-dragged half-marched off to meet with this "Lord Martin" to find out what should be done with her, not that Ariel knew what that could entail.

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THe man was large, round and red. With a pencil thin mustache and goatee, a fat face, a chin nearly sunken into his drooping jowls and a hooked nose against a squat demeanor. Lord Martin was a sight to be hold. Though desite seeming stalky, he was somewhat tall, wearing a red breasted jacket with copper buttons lining the front and a pair of loose, khaki colored slacks tucked into a pair of black oiled boots. His hair was slicked back, and a stiff hat, setting upon a rather filthy desk that lay, resting upon uneven legs, in one corner of a short caravan car.
The first set of buttons were undone, sweat glossed the man's skin, making him have a piggish pigment about him as he dabbed at his forehead when the men came dragging Ariel in.

"So this is the girl that caused all of the fuss?" He sneered, sticking his nose up as his tiny brown eyes examined her. He set his jaw and waved a hand about it. "Next you'll be telling me she was the one responsible for the whole caravan to halt."

"Well, she was in the back with Ravin-"
But as the man tried to explain, Lord Martin held up a hand. His fingers were fat, each one like a sausage, with trimmed, squat and square fingernails.

"No need to give me the details." He sighed, shaking his head at the man's impotence then turned after taking a seat, the circular chair squeaking as he turned to examine her. His brows dipped sharply as he took her in.
"BY the Gods, this girl is positively filthy." he gestured for the man to turn Ariel around so he could examine all sides of her. "Get her cleaned up so I can a better look at her. She smells even worse than Ravin when he's gone beast." he wrinkled his nose, displeased. "So you say you found her snooping about, eh?" he worked at removing his white gloves from his hands and sighed. "Looks like some forest creature rather than a girl. Do you have any parents child?" the man asked, though his voice was demanding, it also constantly sounded as if he were mocking everyone- mocking life, for his voice was rich with the air of snobbery. But it made sense, Lord Martin always saw himself as the king of his domain, and well.. the others simply followed suit.

"Come on girl. Speak up," he urged, growing impatient as he leaned forward at the edge of his chair. It squeaked and groaned beneath his weight.

[GoblinFae]

She squirmed and struggled to break free even as they turned her this way and that for the man's appraisal of her. Ariel hated it, it made her feel like those times when she still lived among the filthy creatures. Humans were all the same. They were worse than vultures in the way they scavenged and fed off each other. It was always about what you could get from the person in front of you, how weak they were, whether it was enough to bend them to your will or too much to be of any use to you. Frankly, as the traditionally weaker individual, Ariel could not say which she found to be worse, a slave to another's wishes or completely useless.

The pig was talking to her and it disgusted her. The young huntress' lip curled in unfeigned disgust as cold eyes pierced straight at him like shards of ice. Being called a forest creature probably had the opposite affect of what the man had intended for it brought a pleased smirk to her angry features. If a forest creature is what he thought of her now, he had not seen anything yet.

At first she did not respond. She was not easily goaded into talking. His attitude towards her was the same as any other human's and she was hardly impressed or cowed. Instead she bared her teeth and growled, lunging forward towards him. It took one yank of the chain upon her collar to choke her and send her down on her rear, gasping for stolen air.

Even from her place of submission, her hands curled into small fists and she sneered at the man. Ariel spat on the floor in defiance. "Let me go and I will not kill you," she hissed in gravelly tones from a voice not used to speaking.

[visualspice]

"Well," he said, leaning back within his chair. "So she's got some spunk in her." He gave a laugh, which carried easily with the drawl of his voice. Shaking his head, he leaned to one side, keeping his legs crossed, an ankle resting just across his lap as he eyed her over. "So you've caught a girl with a fiery spirit." He rubbed his chin some more in thought. "I take it, by your horrid manners, you have no family." He cocked his head the other way, his lips going impish as his eyes sparkled darkly.

"Well, I suppose this is your lucky day. I don't normally take kindly to trespassers, or those harassing my animals, but I think I might have some use for you as part of my show." He eyed her up again, his smile growing until it reached his eyes as he struck a match and lit up a pipe. The glow lit up his features, the smoke curdling around his face.

"What do you know about show business? Do you know how to entertain, girl? Or are you just going to stare at me like one of my animals? Hrm? Well speak up now. My patience tends to wear out when the tobacco loses it's flavor inside my pipe." He laughed at that, smoke puffing out between his cheeks.

"Yes, I do think I could have some use for this wild woman. Ravin has been rather lonely lately.." He laughed again, smoke coming out from his nostrils. "It might be interesting to enter a female into his portion of the show." He leaned his head back, inhaling a long drag from his pipe again before pursing his lips towards the ceiling and exhaling.  He tapped the end of it in thought.

"Girl, let me ask you but one thing. You seem to be the brave type. But how would you act if your life was in danger, and you had to be forced to confront a beast in front of a large crowd? Would you just simper away and cry like most girls, or would you stand up and face your fate?"
He pressed the end of the pipe back to his lips, biting at the end as he studied her. Yes..
quite the curious little thing, wasn't she?

"If I had to guess, I'd think a wild little girl such as yourself might be pleased to be part of such an act. Or, at least, perhaps you'd find yourself within your own element?" He wrinkled his nose at how dirty she was, the way her hair hung, the feathers, the mud... "You see, I need a girl that won't cry, but will be able to stand there and face a beast so hideous, so repulsive while the crowd will awe and cheer. I've tried this act before, you see.." and here he laughed, more puffs of smoke coming out between his teeth.

"And it's been hrmm.. let's just say not so successful. I suppose I didn't know what to expect, and the poor girl was torn limb from limb. But you go, you've got a pair of legs standing up to me right now.  Normally only men have balls." He laughed. "Or you're just a fool. Either way, I could use someone that, let's just say, if the plan goes awry, your family won't cry after your bones and if it works out, well, we could have you featured as part of one of our show stopping acts. Naturally, we'll pay you in meals if you do well enough, but in the same breath, we'll treat you the same as the animals you'll be paired off with. Ravin didn't scare you, right?" he chuckled again. "Oh, but of course he didn't. He just looks like a normal boy now doesn't he?" he laughed again, sucking in more smoke from his pipe before tapping it casually aside, some of the ash falling towards Ariel's feet as he took her in. Perhaps, beneath that dirt... there could be something pretty, if not a little stringy. Wild and innocent... it could prove to be an interesting combination indeed.

"Doesn't he.." he repeated, drawing the pipe once again to his lips.

[GoblinFae]

How this man infuriated her. Still she sat in silence, cold eyes piercing ahead as if to kill him with a look alone. Family? As if she needed something so decidedly human in her life. The wild no family. The young grow up and they leave. She had done the same. How could the pig not see that?

Ariel sneezed and shook her head in discomfort as the foul choking smell of tobacco permeated the air. "You're the trespasser here," she growled back lowly "You humans find sport in caging that which would kill you. You expect me to be grateful? I am not some dog to command to roll over and play dead. I don't have to obey you, nor will I! I'm not afraid of you and your little pets. But you are. You're afraid of us. You're afraid of that which tells us to kill kill kill. Just you wait, those cages will open one day and your precious little toys will turn on you. One day you'll be eaten alive and they'll be free again. But me, I'll be long gone by then. But, you'll remember this. You'll remember how one of the wild foretold your end."

She smirked cruelly up at the man, so sure of herself and what she had said. She would escape and then she would set him up to die. All his talk of putting her with the boy meant nothing to her. It made no sense in her mind and Ariel was so sure that she would be gone before then anyway. She would not have to deal with any of this very soon, just as soon as she got them to take the collar off she would disappear in a flash. It was the way of the wild; it was her way.

Instead of listening to the continued babbling of the human pig, the huntress turned her gaze to searching about the room. Anything could be used as a weapon or distraction. She just needed to find the right thing for the given situation. His words though were distracting her, making her want to roll her eyes in aggravation. She tried to shift into a crouched position but the overwhelming pain radiating from her back nearly caused her to screech in shock. A mild whimper escaped though despite her best attempts to stop it. Ariel had nearly forgotten the wildcat's attack of her person in the chaos of trying to run and the following adrenaline rush of being caught.

Defiantly she strained against the collar, putting all of her weight forward against it as she growled harshly. "Let. Me. Go. Now. I would rather die then serve you!"

[visualspice]

Lord Martin was horribly amused by this, as his teeth gripped to the end of his pipe, and his mouth curled into a wicked grin. Smoke raised around his face, as if coming up from the depths of hell, and as he drew in another breath, more smoke puffed out through his nostrils.

"What a wild little girl," he said, giving a pensive click of his tongue. But he'd heard enough of her. Her jibe about being wild, and all of that, meant nothing to him. "Child, you have no idea the rules of the world. Perhaps we'll be able to educate you on your visit here?" His smile grew a bit wider and he gestured towards his men.

"Strip her of her clothes and wash her down. Then toss her in with Ravin." His smirk remained cruel. "If she dies, then at least he'll have been fed. But see that that stench is cleaned off of her. And never mind the claw marks. She'll suffice without ointment," he removed the pipe from his lips and leaned forward. "Only the good animals get that."

Then in a fluid motion, the men waiting outside were upon her, dragging Owlet away, to the bathing room, which merely consisted of a few buckets of waters, a mop (to scrub her down, ironically, the elephant's mop..) and soap. A few of the ladies had been called in, the Siamese twins and a few others, all of them gazing and whispering things about the wild child, their eyes never once leaving her. Then before Ariel would know it, her clothing was attempted to be pried off, men holding her down. She would get bathed one way or another- it just depended on her how long this process would take.


OOC: Feel free to control this scenario and at the end, if you want to dump her in with Ravin you can XD

[GoblinFae]

She fought fiercely against her bonds but it was no use. The men together were stronger than her weaker, smaller person. Ariel had never been a successful fighter without subterfuge. She was incapable of forcing her way out of a situation such as this, especially while bound and closely watched.

Her eyes had widened in shock though as she first caught sight of some of the other circus performers. They were something she had never seen before and her shock allowed the others to rip her clothes off quickly and without ceremony. It was only when she was in naught but her own skin that Ariel came back to herself and noticed her situation.

With a great howl she raged against her restraints, kicking, clawing, and biting anyone and anything that came close enough for her to lay tooth or nail upon. But, it was no use. She could growl and fight all she wanted, but her caked on layers of mud were soon washed away and with it her courage.

By the time they were finished with her, Ariel was limp with exhaustion and defeat. It took no effort whatsoever for the men when they returned to hoist her over a shoulder and carry her off to Ravin's cage like a sack of potatoes. She lay there soggily, swaying back and forth with the man's strides, despondent and discouraged.

It was not until she was bodily thrown into the other beast's cage and the door slammed behind her that she actually began to show signs of life again. The young woman was immediately crouched and facing her new cellmate, teeth bared and shoulders hunched in anticipation of a possible attack. She had no idea what to expect from this supposedly dangerous boy, but she certainly was not about to take any chances.

[visualspice]

Ravin had remained silent within his cage, even long after the troupe members had dumped a new cellmate in there with him. Though he was curious, he did not stir, green eyes simply staring back from beneath a curtain of his golden hair.
Though it wasn't Ravin that approached, but a small black cat that jumped through the bars. And at the sight of the cat, his eyes went from hers down to the feline who now approached Owlet's side without fear and began to brush it's soft body against her leg.

[GoblinFae]

Ariel's eyes bugged out in surprise to have the cat brushing up against her and the boy doing nothing about it. For several moments she kept looking back and forth between the two as to make sure it was not some ploy to lure her into feeling relaxed only to be attacked and injured for letting her guard down.

Then, once she realized that nothing was happening other than the soft feline repeatedly brushing against her, the young girl hesitantly reached a hand down. Immediately the cat was headbutting the hand and brushing its jaw against along her fingers.

In no time at all Ariel was relaxing enough to pet the black cat of her own volition. A gentle smile formed on her lips and for a while she was able to forget about her predicament and even the boy whose cell she was unfortunately sharing.

[visualspice]

He observed the pair from his side of the cell, his face half hidden behind a mask of shadow cast down from the cell bars. After a time, the cat's purrs were carried to his own ears and the feline moved from Owlet's side and moved over to nuzzle against Ravin's legs, which remained stiff and unresponsive in that moment. But then slowly, ever so slowly, he lifted a hand and began to pet the cat.
It mrowled happily, repeating the same, head butting snuggle with Ravin's hand as it had with Owlet's, before it moved away, shaking it's tail happily, then strolled back over to Owelt and nuzzled it's head against her foot before collapsing onto it's back side and curling it's body to and fro, exposing it's soft warm underbelly for Owlet to pet.
Ravin remained silent, only watching.

[GoblinFae]

"Hey," she called after the cat as it left her. "Come ba-oh." Feeling self-conscious for forgetting the boy was still there with her, Ariel curled up more in her corner to watch him through her fringe. He certainly did not seem like he was trouble, a bit awkward perhaps but certainly not so dangerous.

'Stupid fool, trying to scare me when he's nothing but a little boy. Like the wild fears human boys. I don't have no wings to rip off. He can't hurt me,' she resolved with a slight shake of her head.

The cat returned to her, mewling and rubbing as if it had never left. "Well you just love on anybody, don't you? Makes no difference to you? Silly kitty," she murmured, trailing her fingers through the fur of its warm belly. "What are you doing hanging out with these nasty humans, huh? You should be in the wild. Safer that way."

Ariel rubbed the soft velvety ears, still watching the boy form the corner of her eye. "You like that huh? Soft little ears getting a good rubbin'?"