So. What to do with You? [Probable M]

[DragonSong]

The animal trainer eyed his hand for a moment before her eyes softened just a bit and she reached out to take it. She shook once and quickly withdrew her hand again, but there was a hint of a shy smile flittering around the edges of her lips. "Nice to meet you, Rhyske," she replied quietly.

"Li!"

Both Addie and Li jumped slightly as Sun shouldered his way through the crowd toward his sister. Addie's eyes widened slightly in surprise when she noted that he almost seemed to be smiling as he neared his twin--at least until he caught sight of her and Rhyske, when his expression slammed closed into his customary scowl.

"Oh. Uh, hi." The bouncer pulled up short, one hand gravitating toward the small of Li's back seemingly on a sort of instinct. He nodded briskly to them, but quite clearly wasn't in the mood to be much more friendly than that.

"Hey, Sun," Addie offered a little lamely. Oh boy. She looked from Rhyske to the twins, not sure what she should do or say.

[Paladienne]

Rhyske stared up at Sun, uncertain on how to respond to his sudden presence. It wasn't that he was unused to having someone just magically appear out of nowhere, but more so that Sun seemed to be overly protective of Li, and the fact that his attitude changed upon seeing people with his sister made Rhyske wonder what had happened to them that made the siblings so... protective. What had happened that made Sun act as though he disliked people being near his sister, and why he scowled so much, like he was trying to be frightening.

Rhyske pushed the thought away for later. It wasn't much of his business anyway. After all, there were things in his past he didn't want to talk about or let anybody know about.

"Hey, Sun," Rhyske said after a moment, smiling. "It's nice to officially meet you. We sort of had a chance meeting earlier, right?" He didn't offer his hand this time. He was pretty sure Sun would just crush it. Rhyske switched his attention to Li then, and his smile brightened a little. "You've got a pretty great brother there, don't you? I'm jealous. I don't have any siblings."

He looked toward Addie then, studying her face a little. She seemed uncertain of how to proceed now that Sun was here. "So, uh, Addie, weren't you going to help me find my way back to my tent? I probably should get back. I ought to check on my mother."

[DragonSong]

All three of the young circus members seemed to breathe a unanimous and yet somehow entirely separate sigh of relief. Li managed a smile for Rhyske and murmured, "Yes, he's all I've got, really."

Sun took her hand, attempting to hide the motion by shuffling a step closer to her and tucking their joined hands behind her back.

Half a moment later, Addie was nodding briskly and gripping Rhyske's arm to tug him after her into the crowd. "Yes, right. Tent. Let's go. Bye, Li, Sun!" She waved and smiled--far too brightly-- and all but scurried away with Rhyske in tow.

[Paladienne]

Rhyske quickly matched his pace to Addie's, keeping only a step behind her so he didn't overtake her. He waited until they were out of earshot of Li and Sun before he reached to pull her to a slower pace, his arms folding across his chest as he walked alongside her. He chewed on the inside of his cheek for a minute, debating the sanity of asking the question he was going to ask.

"So, uh," Rhyske started, looking toward the girl beside him, "do you like Li, or something? Like... really like her? Or are you just not good around people? Because that back there... I don't know what that was, but I'm getting the sense that you have a crush on her, or something."

[DragonSong]

Addie, the well-practiced tumbler, death-defying acrobat whose sense of balance and grace kept her from plummeting to earth on a near nightly basis, promptly tripped over her own feet.

"Wh-wh-wh-what makes you say that?!" she demanded, arms pinwheeling as she tried to catch herself, staring up at Rhyske with wide eyes. Almost before the words were completely out of her mouth she felt her cheeks flushing and dropped her gaze quickly.

Alright, that was maybe the least convincing denial in the history of...ever.

With a sigh, Addie righted her balanced and paused, glancing back over her shoulder toward the laughing, celebrating crowd. She scuffed one foot in the dirt and looked down, biting her lower lip.

"...It's that obvious, huh?"

[Paladienne]

"I mean... if you're looking for it, it is." Rhyske answered, keeping his voice even. He dropped his arms and scrubbed his fingers through his hair, as if he were stalling for time to try and figure out how to properly answer her. "I've been watching people for as long as I can remember. I've learned how to read expressions, to see things other people might not see, things they don't realize that they do. Everyone wears their emotions on their face, in little movements of their eyes and lips. I had to learn how to read those, to interpret them, in order to survive."

He sighed, long and heavy, uncertain of how to proceed. He didn't like seeing Addie look like someone had kicked her puppy and then made her participate. He never did like seeing anyone harmed by what he'd done or said, which was why he'd always left immediately after he'd stolen from people. Knowing he'd caused grief and seeing it were two different things, at least in his mind. Perhaps not seeing it allowed him to pretend that the grief was short-lived, and that people just moved on. He shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I won't tell," he said finally. "I mean, I'm glad for you. You should like someone like that. Everyone deserves to love and be loved in return. I mean... I could be wrong, but I get the sense that she likes you in return. She just doesn't know how to go about telling you, and with her brother seemingly showing up out of nowhere at any hint of her distress, I get the feeling that she's not sure what she should do." He shrugged. "But like I said, I could be wrong."

Rhyske hesitated, then reached out to put a hand on Addie's shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze before releasing her and allowing his hands to drop by his sides. "I don't think you should be embarrassed about it. You should be happy."

[DragonSong]

Whether he thought she should be embarrassed or not, Addie's face was quite red as she continued to stare down at her feet.

"N-no one said anything about love," she muttered, almost petulant. But that seemed to be just about all she was willing to say on the matter, because she shrugged and added in a rather resigned mumble, "You probably don't need to tell anyone; with my luck it'll come out sooner or later."

She huffed and shook her head, then turned abruptly and began striding off through the tents again. "C'mon. You want to get back to your mother, right?"

[Paladienne]

Rhyske stared at her for a long moment, uncertain what to say. For once, words just wouldn't come to him. He didn't know how to make Addie feel better about the subject of conversation or how to broach a different subject. Thankfully, he was saved from it by her asking about his mother, so he nodded in answer, and followed after her quickly. Soon enough, they were in front of the tent he was sharing with his mother, and Rhyske peeked in quickly to see that his mother had eaten the food and was now sprawled across her bed as if she were a child and not a grown woman. Seeing nothing amiss, Rhyske turned back to Addie.

"Hey," Rhyske said softly, "whether it's like or love, the point is, you still care that much about someone else. And if she likes you back, then you can see where that leads. Maybe you'll just be friends. Maybe you'll be more. But until you take that step to find out for sure, you'll never know, and opportunity might pass you by."

He reached out and set his hand on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze before dropping his hand back to his side. "I don't know much about relationships or love or anything like that. I've never felt that way about anyone. I've liked people, sure, but not as much as you like Li." Rhyske shrugged, then turned to enter his tent. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow? I have a feeling I'm gonna be put to work doing something." He gave her a bright smile, then disappeared inside his tent, and closed the flap behind him, securing it.

He stood watching his mother for a long moment, then moved to tuck her in properly and settled on his own bed, removing his boots and setting them aside. He stretched out on his back then, staring at the ceiling of the tent. Tomorrow was definitely going to be interesting, and he was sure he would need all the rest he could get.

[DragonSong]

Addie gave him a quick nod and a murmured farewell as he slipped inside the tent, not bothering to answer his comments on her feelings toward Li.

With a quick, sharp sigh, she turned and headed back to the Ringmaster's tent, more than ready to collapse into bed.

It had been a long day.



The circus rose early; by the time dawn was just beginning to creep over the horizon, the performers and workers were already bustling among the tents, calling to each other, laughing as they worked to set up the fairgrounds for the day.

[Paladienne]

Rhyske woke with a start, unsure why he was suddenly brought into wakefulness. But he had been, so he turned his head to look toward his mother, finding her still asleep. Outside the tent, he could hear movement, and realized that the circus was already up and moving. Stretching, he pushed himself upright, and then rolled out of bed, scratching at his head. He made his bed, then moved to wash his face and hands, looking through his pack for clean clothes. He didn't know what was in store for him today, but he was certain that the Ringmaster would have something for him to do. Even if he had to decide what it was for himself, he had a couple of ideas that might help.

Just as he was finishing with his preparations, his mother woke, and Rhyske spent a little more time getting her adjusted for the day. It was easy to set her up with a plate of food, leftovers from his own nighttime meal, and spend time telling her what he was going to do that day. Whether she heard him or not didn't matter. Even if she wandered, Rhyske was certain the circus would watch out for her.

"Okay?" Rhyske said softly as he moved away from his mother's side. "I'll be back later."

She didn't give a response and he hadn't expected one. Rhyske emerged from his tent and paused out in the early dawn light, wondering if he was supposed to find Addie or the Ringmaster, or if someone was to come and fetch him.

[DragonSong]

"Hullo there."

One of the circus members had been waiting outside Rhyske and his mother's tent, leaning back against a support pole for the "mess hall" tent. The hustle and bustle of opening the grounds seemed to almost...skate around them, as though they existed just slightly out of sync with the world around them.

At first glance Rhyske might notice that their hair was a pale, sky blue; any other distinctive features in their face was overshadowed by the color, the cut of those locks feathered choppily around their profile and just barely brushing their shoulders.

With a small smile they shrugged away from the support pole, holding out a hand. "Ringmaster sent me to fetch you. I'm Never, nice to meetcha."

[Paladienne]

At the sound of the voice, Rhyske froze and shifted to locate it. He hadn't been expecting a total stranger to come to get him, but then, he should've known that Addie had her own chores and the Ringmaster couldn't babysit him all the time. He located the speaker by the mess hall tent, and Rhyske frowned a little as he tried to focus on Never's face. After a while, he gave up, and instead focused on Never's hair, frowning as it was a color he'd never seen before. Blue?

"Is that real?" Rhyske asked, pointing to Never's hair. "Or it some kind of dye? I've never seen hair like that before."

He winced as he realized that what he'd just blurted out could come across as incredibly rude. His cheeks darkened and his gaze dropped, and he took Never's hand and shook it as quickly as he could before releasing it. "Sorry. I just... Uh. So. Nice to meet you, too. What does the Ringmaster want me to do today?"

[DragonSong]

"Real?" Never reached up to pull a lock of hair in front of their face, eyes narrowed slightly as they examined it. They simply stared for a moment, almost frowning, then tsked quietly and shrugged, dropping their hand. "Yeah, I suppose it is. What do you see?"

They tilted their head to the side a bit and took a step toward him, drawing the briefest flash of attention to their bare feet. Of all the details of their attire, that might be the strangest--or even the only one that was really noticeable. The rest of their clothes were a simple linen breeches and tunic, rather shapeless and nondescript.

Without waiting for an answer to their own question, Never suddenly smiled and replied to Rhyske's: "I have absolutely no idea, I'm just supposed to bring you to see him. You ready?"

[Paladienne]

Rhyske glanced at Never's bare feet for a moment, studying the way their toes were shaped, the way their nails seemed to be just perfect. It seemed so strange. Rhyske blinked, and looked up toward Never's face, again trying to make out their features. After a moment, he gave up, shrugging, and moved to follow Never. "Yeah, I guess I'm ready. I'm not sure there's much to be ready for, though, you know? It's more like... do or do not."

He looked toward Never and smiled a little, though it seemed forced. "Ah, I'm sorry. About your hair. What I said. I've never seen anything like that before in my life. Which is weird, right? Because, I mean, look at me. I've never seen anyone like me before in my life, either." Rhyske winced then, falling silent. He was babbling, and he wasn't sure why.

[DragonSong]

Never laughed, the sound bright and chiming and just a bit difficult to place. "Take it easy, kid. Circus is full of folks who have never seen anyone like themselves before."

They clapped him on the shoulder companionably, steering him just a bit as they ducked through the organized chaos of the tents. "And you never answered my question." They tilted their head to grin at him playfully and tossed their hair. "What's so strange about my hair. What do you see?"

There was something a bit more than simple curiosity in their tone, but it was faint, subtle.

[Paladienne]

"Uh, well," Rhyske felt heat suffused his cheeks. He didn't want to insult Never, after all. But they were expecting an answer, so he sucked in a deep breath and shrugged. "Your hair. It's like this blue I've never seen before. Not quite sky blue, but not quite ocean blue either. And it's got some strange highlights in it, like sapphire and turquoise. I've never seen anything like it before."

He quickly shuffled his feet to avoid tripping over a coil of ropes that lay in the path, and pressed a little closer to Never before he slipped in front of them, glancing at the hand on his shoulder like it was about to bite him. He wasn't used to being touched in that way, but he couldn't figure out a polite way to shrug Never's hand off without seeming rude. Of course, that ship had probably already sailed, though Rhyske wasn't sure if Never would take offense to it. So he craned his head back to watch Never's face, trying to see what expression they would be wearing in reaction to his words.

Then he remembered that he couldn't actually see Never's face, which was just weird, but he turned his attention back to the path to avoid being driven into anyone or anyone.

[DragonSong]

"Blue?" Never smiled, reaching up to play with their hair again and pulling their other hand back from his shoulder at the same time. "Ooohhhh I like that. That's fun, very---very Serenian, don't you think? Oh, watch yourself."

The words were barely out of their mouth when they tapped his shoulders lightly to twist him out of the way of a pair of carnival workers hurrying passed them with a massive wooden pole--one of the two that suspended the high wire in the big top. The touch was feather-light and only lasted a few moments, just long enough to steer them both clear, then they dropped their hands again.

They'd notice how Rhyske reacted to the first touch, and certainly didn't want to make him even more uncomfortable. Poor kid was going to have a difficult enough time just finding his place with the troupe for the first few days, that's just how it always was.

"You get anything to eat?" Never asked as they gestured for him to follow between two more tents, ducking around a cluster of performers carrying props for the show.

[Paladienne]

"Huh?" Rhyske blinked at the giddiness in Never's voice about his hair being a Serenian color. Rhyske himself had never been to Serendipity, but he knew it existed. "I mean... I guess so."

He followed Never for a little while longer in silence, concentrating on not tripping or getting run over by other circus members running to and fro to set up for the morning or go about their chores. At Never's other question, Rhyske shrugged.

"No, I haven't," Rhyske replied. "I don't usually eat in the mornings. Most of my time is spent taking care of my mom, rather than myself. I'll find food later."

[DragonSong]

Never drew up short, forcing a performer to sharply step around them with a shouted curse in Sylvan. Never just grinned and replied in kind, telling the young man to watch his step on the high wire if he had such an issue on the ground.

"Well, we'll just have to change that," they said briskly, turning their smile back to Rhyske. "You'll be working hard here--just me, the day goes a lot easier if you've got a full belly in the morning. Come on." They started off again, changing direction slightly, "Viserian won't mind if we're a few minutes late if it's just getting you something to eat."

[Paladienne]

Rhyske blinked, but hurried to keep up with Never. He wasn't certain if they were taking it upon themselves to disobey Viserian or if they were doing it just for Rhyske's sake. Either way, Rhyske was both thankful and confused, because no one had ever put themselves in danger for him before. Of course, he didn't think Never would be in real danger, but he also thought that there would be some kind of reprimand for not following the Ringmaster's express orders.

Still, his stomach was growling, protesting not being fed, so he wasn't going to argue the point with Never. He just had to trust that they knew what they were doing and follow along.