Come One, Come All! [Open, PM to Join!]

[DragonSong]

((Hey guys! So this is my first thread for circus shenanigans! Please PM if you wanna jump in! ^.^))



"Hello, hello, and welcome to the Cirque du Fantasma, a world within a world where you may escape from the hum-drum of your everyday life and into a fantasia of magic, romance, myth, and danger!"

Viserian Alamoch tipped his tall hat to the group of young woman that had crept cautiously closer to the edge of the carnival grounds. They'd been setting up for a few hours now, just a few minutes outside of this small village in the Serenian highlands, but so far only a few people had been interested or irritated enough to come see what all the commotion was about.

The girls squeaked and tittered amongst themselves, then hurried off. He wasn't worried, still smiling and calling out to anyone who happened to pass by while the tents and stalls went up behind him.

"Yes, that's right, step right up, step right up! Come one, come all, come experience the mystery and majesty!"

Carnival members hurried back and forth across the grounds behind him, calling out to each other, laughing, shouting insults and orders in equal measure, a few demanding to be given back certain props or costumes.



A pale young woman with sleek black hair leaned out over the front of her stall, a small tent that smelled strongly of incense set up behind her. She smiled mysteriously at anyone who bothered to glance in her direction.

"Speak through the Veil?" she offered in a low, throbbing voice. "Lost loved ones still wait, you know. Would you hear them speak again?"



On the other side of the grounds, a girl in loose breeches and blouse stretched and rolled her body over a threadbare tarp, then pulled back and took a running start to perform a flawless front handspring, somersaulting out of the landing as easily as though she'd simply tossed her hair.

She was alone, left to her own devices to warm up, though occasionally other members of the carnival would call encouragement to her.



Under the Big Top, a ghostly pale, almost painfully lanky elven man performed some stretches of his own, occasionally giving a grimace that revealed the odd split to his unhinged jaw. He was hidden from the light, but glimpses were still visible to those who may pass by outside the massive tent.

[Marjorie]

Neese

Neese was in a costume as sure as the circus denizens. He tall, at nearly seven foot from tip to toe. He wearing a neat suit that was a menagerie of styles from different times and places. The short jacket came just to his waste and was jet black, with silver buttons, his pants were a matching shade. Under his jacket he wore a waste coat of emerald green, the exact same shade as his eyes. It was embroidered with a pattern of vines in silver thread. He had shiny black boot, and fair, clear skin the likes of which could make many a beautiful woman covetous and jealous. His hair, which was short cropped, and moss colored was a wild unruly mess, but his hands were neatly gloved in pristine white, and he had a walking cane in his right hand that was topped with silver that held an impressive looking emerald the size of a fist - it too matched the color of his eyes and that of his waste coat. He looked, mostly human-ish, aside from how tall and lanky he was, though he seemed to almost shimmer in the fading light of the evening. More impressive than that was the way he moved, near glided across the ground, his movements were so graceful and agile. Even the most graceful of dancers would be in awe.

"Cirque de Fnatasma?" Neese said, nearing Viserian, the emerald on his cane flashed in the light as he moved, "Do you keep ghosts here? My but that would be impressive indeed."

[DragonSong]

The Ringmaster's eyes darted over the stranger and he smiled. Ah. Interesting.

"Well, currently we've no ghosts in the main show, but our lass Mira over there would be more than happy to introduce you to a few, I'm sure," he replied with a wide grin, gesturing toward the stall where the elven woman was calling out to potential customers.

Hearing her name, Mira smirked and blew a kiss in the two men's direction. "Aye, serrah, I can call on the dead for you, if that's what strikes your fancy. Care to test me?" The way her eyes swept up and down his form had Vis rolling his own, but he chuckled indulgently.

"The origin of the name is...well, rather a long story," he chuckled, looking back to the newcomer. "Suffice to say that I seek to honor my ancestors with it. Care to stop by?"

[Marjorie]

"Pity," Neese said sounding slightly disappointed, but not overly surprised, "that would have been something special in deed." However, he glanced from the ringmaster to Mira.

"I do care to test you," he grinned, offering her the challenge of disbelief. Still he liked circuses, they were places to find exotic beauty and exquisite deception. He nodded at the man's explanation, but was already moving off toward the stall where the woman was eyeing him like a peace of candy.

[DragonSong]

Mira's smiled widened and she stepped back from the counter of her stall, gesturing to the cozy, heavily incensed tent behind her. "Right this way then, serrah. I can assure you that you'll be perfectly safe during my readings, but I must warn you-- they can be a little off putting for some."

[Paladienne]

If there was one thing Rhyske loved about crowds, it was that they were constantly distracted by whatever was going on around them. He could slip through bodies like a shadow, a quick flick of the wrist sending his blade slicing through purse strings, or his deft fingers slipping into a pocket and removing a wallet, and none would be the wiser. He could make a pretty good haul in a crowd and without putting out much effort in doing so. The money he could make in a single night could very well feed him and his mother for a week or more, and he wouldn't have to risk double-dipping in the same area. The young Horizon wasn't exactly unnoticeable, after all, what with his black skin and pitch black hair and glowing blue-violet eyes, and if he stayed around in one area for too long, someone was bound to put two and two together.

But what lay before him was an opportunity of opportunity. A hunting ground like no other.

For whatever reason his mother, Rubiyah, had decided to have a moment of motherly clarity and had brought him to a circus. Of course, she'd made a beeline for the food tents with the money he'd managed to hold onto and had casually dismissed him, leaving him to his own devices.

So Rhyske wandered the circus, studying the crowds with a trained eye as he always did, and watching the different stalls and how the circus people themselves worked their trade. He could see the acts for what they were, most of the time, but he had to commend the skills with which they plied their trade. Anyone who wanted to be fooled would be, and there was a sort of mysticism and magic that came with being fooled that made a person feel good. A sort that left a bit of mystery to life that made it worth living.

It was on the people who were caught up in that mysticism and magic whom Rhyske targeted first, knowing that he would need to begin to replenish their stores for when his mother finally decided to pull herself out of whatever food or drink coma she'd put herself into and came to find him to move on. So Rhyske deftly moved along the distracted crowds, slipping quick fingers into pockets to remove purses and wallets, taking what money was easy to slip into his own pockets and moving on. It was too easy. So easy, in fact, that-

"Hey! Thief!"

Rhyske cursed as the cry went up, his eyes going wide as he looked over his shoulder at the shouting man. He saw the pointing accusatory finger and the arm it was attached to, as well as the face of the rather well-dressed man that was shouting, his eyes burning with anger and hate at Rhyske.

Shit. Rhyske didn't wait; he took off running, even though he knew the man was giving chase. The young Starstrider didn't stop running, never looking back over his shoulder, somehow knowing that his pursuit was still behind him.

He cut across the lane between the tents, looking to try and lose his pursuit by dodging and weaving through more people and around objects. But unlike a city or town which had predictable lines and paths, a circus did not.

And so, in dodging around a rather thick gathering of guests, Rhyske miscalculated the distance between himself and a closely-packed group of teenage noblewomen, and in trying to correct his course so he wouldn't slam headlong into them, he ended up tripping over his own two feet and crashing through the side of a tent along the left side of the lane. He rolled to a stop and covered his head with his arms as the swords that had been balanced carefully on racks crashed down on top of him.

For a long while, Rhyske stayed still until he was certain that the swords had stopped falling, and then slowly extricated himself from the blades, looking up at the sudden presence above him. He gave a sheepish grin and hoped he looked contrite enough to pass for a kid who'd just been horsing around and ended up causing a scene rather than a thief trying to escape punishment.

"Sorry," Rhyske said, his voice light and lilting, "I'll clean it up, I swear."

[DragonSong]

The hulking, lanky elf stared down at the teenager that had just tumbled into the middle of his practice, blinking laconically. Slowly, like a reptile made dull by the heat of the sun, he lifted his gaze to the entrance of the tent, head tilted just slightly to the side.

A slow smile tugged at his mouth, which was...oddly shaped, if one bothered to get close enough to really have a look.

"You'd better hurry with that," Snake murmured, his voice a low mix of a growl and a hiss that raised the hairs on the back of the neck. "Seems like you've caught quite a bit of attention, lad."

Despite his generally, well...unsettling manner, there seemed to be a spark almost of playfulness behind the performer's eyes, and a hint of kindness to the twist of his odd mouth.

Lips twitching up again, the contortionist knelt down, almost seeming to fold his whole body in half as he did so, to be on the younger man's level. "Make you a deal, kid. You 'fess up to what you've done that's got people shouting, and I'll smuggle you out the back."

[Paladienne]

Rhyske stared at the tall, pale, hulking elf above him, as if he couldn't quite understand what the man was saying. Was he seriously going to let him go if he just confessed to what he'd done? Rhyske couldn't believe it; his short life had taught him that he couldn't trust anyone's word but his own and couldn't trust anyone's actions but his own. He was the only one he could rely on. But, at the same time, he didn't want to be caught and punished for what he'd done, even though he truly was the one in the wrong.

Rhyske swallowed hard.

Did he dare trust this person to keep his word and help him? Or did he take the risk of being caught for certain?

The elf was definitely different, strange and unsettling. His voice was far different from anything Rhyske had ever heard before, and he didn't find it unpleasant. And considering he'd had to speak with quite a few people during his grifts and other schemes to make sure he and his mother could eat, he'd heard a lot of both pleasant and unpleasant voices.

The shouting was getting closer. And those voices were decidedly angry.

Rhyske met the strange elf's eyes and lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "I just took a little money. It's not like the guy needs it. He's dressed to the nines in fine silks and such, so he wouldn't miss a little, right?" The young Horizon grimaced a moment later, knowing that the number of voices didn't match just one man. "Okay, maybe I took stuff from a lot of people, but it's not like they absolutely need it. I didn't take anything from people like me."

[DragonSong]

Snake smiled, his cheeks seeming to nearly split in two as he did. "Fair enough. No more stealing while you're on carnival grounds though, okay?"

He held out a hand to haul the young man to his feet, then shoved him gently toward the back of the tent. "There's another exit behind that stack of crates, see? Dart out, quick as you can, and make your way for the girl practicing her tumbles or the couple with the flute music. Tell 'em Snake sent ya, and they'll take care of ya, alright? I'll take care of anyone who comes in here askin' questions."

[Paladienne]

Rhyske stared for a long while at the pale elf, unable to believe that he was keeping his word. He was honestly expecting the other shoe to drop, to be handed over to the people calling out 'thief', or be punished for what he'd done. Sure, he could lose a hand - it'd grow back eventually - but it would hurt like hell and he didn't really want to experience that again. But the man seemed honest, and there was a strange light in Snake's eyes that Rhyske had never seen before, a strange light that offered amusement and trust to the boy.

Rhyske decided to trust.

Murmuring a quick thanks, the young Horizon followed Snake's instructions and ducked out of the tent, quickly running down the path and looking for the girl or the couple that he'd mentioned. Spotting the girl, Rhyske made a beeline toward her, slowing down before he ran into her too, or worse, startled her into breaking something. Impatiently waiting for her to stop her practice and acknowledge him, Rhyske glanced over his shoulder, unsure what he would see. So far, the coast seemed clear, so his trust for Snake grew a little bit more, but he wasn't sure how long the man would be able to hold people off.

Finally, he looked back at the girl and, finding she was finally looking at him, said, "Snake sent me. He said you could help me."

[DragonSong]

"Oh."

Addie finished a somersault and found herself looking up into a stranger's face, every line in his body screaming tension and wariness.

He was certainly rather eye-catching, what with his coloring and elegant features, but that wasn't what held her attention. Around him, almost in the corner of her eye, almost-there-but-not-quite glimmers dotted the air. She stared, lips slightly parted as she tried to make sense of something she'd never seen before.

There wasn't much she hadn't Seen.

"You walk in starlight..." she murmured, fascinated.

Then his words and the situation caught up with her and she blinked, then flushed darkly. "Oh! Oh, um, Snake? Sent you?" She cleared her throat, bouncing gracefully to her feet as she glanced toward the Big Top.

A young man Snake had sent to her for help. Distant shouting. That telltale flicker in the boy's eyes that spoke of a wariness born from years of experience.

Ah. Of course.

Addie sighed and nodded, pursing her lips. "Alright. Um...here, follow me." She turned, beckoning for the boy to come with her with one hand as she headed for a pile of fabrics and half-opened crates that had been stacked just beside her practice tarp. She glanced back at the stranger over her shoulder, chewing her bottom lip as she thought. "Something dark," she murmured to herself. "And a mask, a mask would definitely be helpful... Well, come on, hurry up!"

[Marjorie]

Mira's smiled widened and she stepped back from the counter of her stall, gesturing to the cozy, heavily incensed tent behind her. "Right this way then, serrah. I can assure you that you'll be perfectly safe during my readings, but I must warn you-- they can be a little off putting for some."

Neese chuckled softly, as if he didn't believe there was a ghost out there that could be off putting to him -- well, there might be one that displeased him, but not one that could make him fear, far as he believed.

The fae lord rather liked the way the woman had been looking at him though. He flashed her a smile, and lighted his fingers on the small of her arm when she gestured her follow her into the tent, which he did. "How long have you been with this circus?"

[DragonSong]

"Oh, just about six years now." Mira smiled again as she ushered him into the tent, letting the flap fall closed behind her.

She was no stranger to looks and touches like his, and her smile turned a little sly and playful as she reached up to brush her fingers along his own on her arm before pushing his hand gently away. "Now, now, careful there, serrah. Not many want to walk so close to Death."

She winked as she moved toward the center of the tent, settling herself down on a lush, draped carpet, legs crossed and hands resting lightly in her lap. "Please, sit," she demurred, gesturing to the floor in front of her. "Now. Are you seeking a specific soul, or merely here for curiosity's sake?"

[Marjorie]

Neese smirked. "I do suppose most of you would," he said, suggestion that he was not one of 'them,' whatever that meant. He feared neither death nor the dead. However, he was hoping for at least some fleeting entertainment.

Even in lowering himself to the ground, Neese moved in a fluid manner, as if his joints were more limber than aught to be possible. He crossed his legs in front of himself and rested his elbows on his knees, leaning toward the woman. "Curiosity," but the way he looked at her, it appeared that Neese was more curious about her than an ghost.

[DragonSong]

Mira smiled, eyes falling half closed as she observed him. What she wouldn't give for Addie's eyes in that moment-- she had the distinct feeling that this stranger was more than he appeared.

"Very well, then." The necromancer shifted in her seat slightly, flipping her hands palm up in her lap as she took a breath. "We will begin with--"

Some shouting outside the tent drew her attention and she frowned. "Goodness. Can't people learn some manners?" she muttered, glowering at the tent flap until the sounds died down.

[Paladienne]

Rhyske blinked at the girl's words as she stared over his shoulder. He glanced over each of his shoulders, trying to see what she saw, but all he saw was tents and people. Whatever it was, it was enough to make her look like she wanted to reach out and touch it, and Rhyske wasn't about to let her do that. Walk in starlight? Yeah, right.

He really didn't care what she went on about so long as she helped him. And a few moments later, that was exactly what she was trying to do. When she beckoned him to follow, Rhyske was on her heels. He would have snapped at her for telling him to hurry up, but that would've been a bad idea. It was always a bad idea to get angry at the person trying to help you. But he wasn't sure how this girl could even help him, no matter what kind of fabric she pulled out of those boxes near her. Still, he wasn't about to refuse her help.

Even if her attitude about it left a little to be desired.

"I'm hurrying." Rhyske muttered under his breath, stepping up to the crates beside her to help her dig through the fabric. He pulled out a length of ebony silk, laying it across her arms for inspection. "What about this?"

Of course, he didn't see any masks, so he hoped that the girl had better luck than he did. He stiffened as he heard the shouting getting closer, and he risked a look toward it, his shoulders tensing. Had Snake failed in holding off the angry masses? He bit the inside of his cheek. He really hoped the man hadn't gotten hurt. He wasn't sure he'd be able to forgive himself if Snake had been injured because of him.

[DragonSong]

Addie glanced down at the silk and gave a sharp nod. "Perfect. Okay, hold still."

Snatching up the fabric, she tossed it around the boy's shoulders and began wrapping it around his torso, quick and businesslike. As she worked, she spoke, quick and quiet. "Alright, as far as anyone knows, you're just another part of the carnival. You can be part of my act, and we're just warming up, okay? Do the people after you know your name?"

She finished up wrapping the silks into a loose robe that draped down to his thighs and dove back into the fabrics, coming up with an azure cloak meant to be worn over one shoulder that she quickly fastened around his neck. "Alright, one last thing."

Again, into the costume pile, though this time she emerged with an elegant, half-face mask: carved ebony with sapphire designs painted in abstract swirls around the eyes and temples. She held it up to the boy's face, reaching around to fasten it over his ears.

[Paladienne]

Rhyske shut his eyes tight as she lifted the mask and fit it to his face, her fingers brushing over his ears. He knew she was doing it innocently and in order to help him, but that didn't stop the rush of feelings sparking through his blood and body with the touch. He held his breath to try and control himself before something happened that he couldn't take back and regretted for the rest of his life. After all, this girl was trying to help him. Her and Snake.

When she drew back, Rhyske lifted his hands to the mask to adjust it better. He felt silly, really, but what else was there? He could let the crowd get their hands on him and deal with all that, or he could hide and wait for everything to blow over. That second option was what he always did, and it had always worked before. There was no reason for it not to work now, especially if the girl was in on helping him.

"Okay," Rhyske said at last. "Now what do you want me to do?"

He spread his arms, as if to let her get a good look at him in his disguise. He hoped that no one looked twice at the skin beneath the half mask and put two and two together. He wasn't sure what could be done if someone recognized him as being the thief based on that fact alone.

[DragonSong]

Addie had to think fast. The voices were coming from the Big Top now, she wasn't sure how much longer Snake could delay them. "Um...okay, just sit with me and do some stretches. Act like this is normal, we do it every day."

Almost before the words were fully out of her mouth, she dropped back to the tarp, spreading her legs out into a full straddle and leaning forward, resting on her forearms. Even as she tried to keep her face nonchalant, though, she found herself still glancing at the stranger more often than was really appropriate.

It was just...the starlight. The flicker around his form that made her want to reach out and trace the glimmering pattern that haloed his body. Damnit, focus!

"What's your name?" she whispered as she twisted to reach for her left foot, holding the stretch for several long seconds before turning to the other side.

The voice from the Big Top abruptly faded, and she thought for a moment that they might have gotten lucky-- or Snake had pulled some truly spectacular bullshit. But then the back flap of the tent was flung open and a group of angry carnival patrons came storming out, the contortionist on their heels.

[Marjorie]

Mira smiled, eyes falling half closed as she observed him. What she wouldn't give for Addie's eyes in that moment-- she had the distinct feeling that this stranger was more than he appeared.

"Very well, then." The necromancer shifted in her seat slightly, flipping her hands palm up in her lap as she took a breath. "We will begin with--"

Some shouting outside the tent drew her attention and she frowned. "Goodness. Can't people learn some manners?" she muttered, glowering at the tent flap until the sounds died down.

Neese shook his head. "Some people can," he said with a slight smile, "but I find in general, your people tend to be lacking in the basic cordial niceties." He chuckled softly, as if at a personal joke.

"Still, I don't think we're in danger of them interrupting us here. Please, do continue, Mira."