Welcome to the Freak Show

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The cat adored it, nuzzling against her without reprieve, before crawling into her lap and curling up. It's tail thumped lightly a few times, the curled end of it shaking as it seemed to smile up at her.  Ravin watched quietly, it's eyes solely upon the cat. He didn't move, infact, it didn't appear as if he even blinked until he actually spoke.

"I call her Night," he said, still looking at the black cat as it purred, perking up it's ears at the sound of it's name. It appeared to be in heaven in Owlet's lap.

[GoblinFae]

Ariel scooped up the cat closer to her body once it had made itself a part of her lap and nuzzled her face into its fur. "So beautiful and soft," she murmured happily until the other boy spoke. "Night, huh? You let him call you that? Big hunter like you called Night and you're alright with that? Silly furball."

At last she allowed her eyes to lift fully and meet the other's gaze. "And you? You speak but you got a name?"

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For the longest while, his green eyes remained upon the girl, but the primary focus was on the cat who was purring even louder now at being held. Though once the cat spotted some of the feather's in Owlet's hair, it's paw shot out and attempted to catch it.

Ravin blinked and lifted his gaze to her.
"Ravin."

[GoblinFae]

Still holding his gaze, she allowed her head to dip some in greeting. "Ravin," Ariel repeated thinking on the name. "Ravin and Owlet, two birdies caught in a cage with a kitty named Night to keep them in place."

She snuggled the cat close to her heart, continuing to pet it happily. "Is Ravin afraid of Owlet?"

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OOC: Btw, I <3 your avatar
the owl with the glasses- TOO CUTE
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He remained quiet as she spoke, his gaze never leaving hers, except when it dropped to the cat as she held Night close. The cat seemed happy. He had.. never held the cat in such a manner. He had held it, yes, but it was always more rigid.. stiff... and it fascinated him to watch the girl. And his cat gave a mrowl happily, it's face nuzzling against her fingers.

At her question, however, he kept his eyes on the cat as he spoke. "Not afraid.." he said, raising his eyes to hers. "Cautious."

[GoblinFae]

Ariel snorted. "Should be. Owlet's not afraid of you neither. Not 'fraid of nothing. Ravin better 'member that."

Her features lost some of their mirth though as she took in her surroundings, especially the thick metal bars keeping them both locked in together. She stared upwards to the top of the cage and into the stars far above it. There was a longing in her to return to the wild where she could see those stars with no roof to confine her. But, there was no use. She was just too little and too weak.

Almost accusatory, she glared at Ravin. "Why you let them keep you like this? Can't you fight 'em?"

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Ravin studied her as she looked around, taking in the way the moonlight illuminated her form, and how the shadows from the bars marred across the perfection. But the moon light was always comforting, and he was used to these sorts of shadows. The cell had become his home. So at her question, he simply cocked his head, staring at her, the moon light catching to the collar bound tightly to his neck.
But he said nothing, for there was nothing to be said as the stir of crickets and the purr of the black cat stirred around them, and a night bird hooted softly into the night.

[GoblinFae]

She rolled her eyes and shook her head at his silence. "Fool, idiot," she mumbled under her breath. "Night why you stay with him, hm? He give you good scratchings," Ariel teased, rubbing under its chin and behind its ears.

"How could you not want to see the stars all free-like? Don't you wanna be free like Night?" Aforementioned cat was lifted briefly out of her lap to be held out towards Ravin before being once more firmly tucked into her lap. "Isn't that better than staying with the fat man?"

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Ravin watched her, his eyes stoic, unyielding to any sort of glittering in response, except where the moonlight cast upon them. Some of his blonde hair was masking over his eyes, but he could still clearly see her. And still clearly see Night.

For a while, it seemed he would remain silent.
But then he spoke.
"I am his pet. An animal," he stated simply. "They do not let their animals run free."

[GoblinFae]

Ariel absentmindedly continued petting Night as she waited for an answer that seemed to not be coming. She had nearly forgotten that she had asked him anything to begin with until he startled her by responding. His response though only served to anger her.

"Fool boy. You let them domesticate you. You refuse to fight," she bemoaned shaking her head. "What about Night then? He goes free. If he can, so can you." To herself she quietly added, "so can I."

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Ravin blinked, then narrowed his green eyes upon her as he leaned forward so his chest touched his knees from where he was sitting on the floor of his cage.

"Night is not an animal," he stated simply, as if that was known fact, and as if that would suffice in answering all the question she posed. He felt a sudden rise int he temperature of his blood, his body tensing, but only moved to scratch at the metal collar around his neck, itching at the back where it rubbed at his blonde hair.

[GoblinFae]

She blinked over at him owlishly. She just could not believe he had just said that. One blond brow raised in surprise while she gave him an exaggerated, "okay then," in reply. The movement towards his collar though definitely drew her attention.

Ariel placed Night down on the floor of the cage and slowly inched closer to sit directly in front of Ravin. Her head cocked to the side to observe it much as a dog would when confronted with something they did not quite know how to look at.

"Yours is different than mine," the wild child observed allowed, fingering her own plain one that they still had not bothered to remove. "You must have been here a long time if they had a special one made just for you."

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Ravin raised his eyes, staring shyly over at the collar Ariel wore, then looked up into her eyes. He lowered his hands away from his magic collar, his face devoid of any real emotion other than a faint curiosity within his eyes.
"My collar controls the monster within," he spoke,a faint bitterness in his tone as he peered away. But his expression lightened when the black cat moved to his side, mrowling at him before he reached a hand down to let her nuzzle against his finger tips.

[GoblinFae]

Ariel tilted her head curiously. She did not understand what he meant about the collar or the "monster within," but she did recognize that right now Ravin was possibly the only person on her side right now. While she was cautious as he could after all turn her in for what she was already beginning to plan, the little huntress was still a bit hopeful.

She was determined to be free of this place and the humanity that still flowed heavily through her veins prayed that Ravin would help her do it. He was like her, caged and trapped. He had to want to be free. He had to want to live. It was, as much as she hated to admit it, human nature. It was the way of the wild. It was the way they were meant to be.

Spontaneously her hand shot out until her fingertips were whispering along the edge of his collar. Ariel could not explain why she did it but she just felt like she had to. It infuriated her to see it. "You deserve better than this," she finally croaked out, surprised by how hoarse and quiet her voice sounded. It was almost like she was holding back tears she did not even know she had to shed.

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Ravin blinked at her statement, his green eyes looking down to where she touched his collar, which had made him initially flinch that she'd want to get close enough to him to touch. Then he looked up at her, remaining quiet for not but a moment before stating, "But I don't." He shifted his weight, leaning his head back against the bars of his cell as he avoided eye contact with her, but once again, the longing stare he held was softened when the cat returned into his view. He stroked the cat's fur gently.
"They say if I were free... I'd only live to kill."
It was a part of their show anyways-
To show case and exploit the beast within, only to tame him back when the collar returned him to his 'normal' state and made him bow down to the powers encased within. Thinking back to the day the collar first was slapped upon him, Ravin flinched and idly scratched at it.

it was true, what she said, what she thought-
and like a scratch he couldn't reach... he yearned for the same freedom as she- but for him..
it was a whole other world, completely around him but totally out of reach.

[GoblinFae]

"They are afraid of you," she stated, her lips curling into a hungry smile. "And they should be. We are of the wild and they are weak soft creatures with no natural instincts of survival. One day alone and they would be dead within the hour. They are the true beasts while we are the real hunters. They cage us because they know we are stronger than them."

Ariel sighed, leaning back against the bars and watching how the black cat paced back and forth between them. "Why do you give up? Why do you let them do this to you? If what they say is true? Why not kill them and be free?"

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Ravin peered over at the girl as she spoke. Though as it was, he was powerless.

"I can do nothing as is," he stated simply, as if it were known fact. "And how I am now, I wouldn't know how to bring about the desire to kill." For he lived in a world of observation, and most of the time was a watcher, not an actor; and the internal beast only drawn out when the magic released on his collar. Other than that, he remained nothing but a shell.

And at these questions he grew uncomfortable, and gave one final scratch to his collar before settling back in his cell and looking away.

[GoblinFae]

She huffed, pursing her lips close together in disapproval. "You're not even trying," Ariel continued to grumble, shaking her head before also turning to gaze out of the cage in the opposite direction as Ravin.

"You haven't even tried to remove the collar, have you? You like being their little lapdog. Pathetic!"

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At her words, he did not respond, but turned so his neck was in the moonlight- and if she were to notice, it illuminated scars lining his neck, notably claw marks- or.. human finger nails, to be more precise. And the story would speak for itself-
and it was as such, that the moon light was showing in just a way she might be able to spot it, even as the dull metal of the collar also caught the attention of the moon.

Though after a moment, he sighed and leaned away, leaning his head towards a darker, more shadow casted set of bars within his cell. He knew not what to say to her, but instead, stared off to observe the freedom of the world she spoke of- where the crickets hummed in chorus and the night birds were calling in the rustling shadows of midnight.

And he did wonder, and did desire to be free- and in that moment, found himself curious again what it would feel like to be a person on the other side of the bars...

[GoblinFae]

Ariel huffed and puffed, shifting about in the cage restlessly. She hated the feeling of being trapped and it did not help that her cellmate happened to be so complacent towards this life. Eventually she settled down though to idly throw straw out between the bars while studying Ravin.

"Has Ravin always had Night?"