Circus of the Soulless

[DawnKnight]

People scattered quickly when they saw the tiger and the lion padding through the crowd, then slowed and returned to the pathways when they saw the tall, slight figure between and just behind the two huge felines. He was dressed in white jodhpurs a white shirt and a red waistcoat his feet were clad in high leather boots and his hands in leather gloves. Wrapped around his torso, over one shoulder is a leather whip, but it seems to be more a part of the costume than an item of functionality. The whole thing is surmounted by a shining black top hat.

He takes it off to a lady as he passes and two doves fly out from beneath it, they flutter out, landing on the shoulders of members of the audience. One edges out along the arm of a small child and pecks at the popcorn clutched tightly in his fist. He laughed in delight as it plucks a kernel from the cardboard cup and takes flight once more, flitting gracefully back to the young man, alighting on his palm and dropping the popcorn into his open mouth. The dove flutters to the top of his hat and he ruffled the head of the young boy as he passed. Another girl runs up and asks if she can pet the lion. He simply smiles and, without a word lifts her and sits her astride the animals back, he takes her hand and pushes it deep into the lions mane.

"Hold on, but not too tight."

His voice is gentle, musical almost and he releases the girl to let her ride on the back of the huge cat. There are gasps of wonder and fear at the spectacle but he raises his hands for silence. "Ladies, gentlemen... children. She is perfectly safe, Lorenzo wouldn't hurt a soul. Watch."

He clicks his tongue and growls deep in his throat, patting the top of the lion's snout. He obediently opened his mouth and the animal tamer kneels, removing his top hat and passing it to the girl, before putting his head between the lion's jaws. The tamer clicks his tongue once more and the lion's jaws close to screams from the audience, stopping so that they just, and only just touch his skin. There is a moment of frozen silence, and then the audience that had gathered burst into rapturous applause. The tamer extracted his head and patted the lions head, then wafted his hand in front of his nose, prompting laughter from the crowd. There is a small commotion and then a monkey appears between the legs of the front row and runs over with an over sized toothbrush and starts to scrub the lion's teeth. Laughter peals through the crowd and cameras flash.

Nathaniel helped the little girl down then jumped up, one foot on the back of either animal, taking a low bow, balancing effortlessly on the shifting beasts backs. "Thank you ladies and gentlemen, I am here all day."

He unslung the whip, and ever the theatrical performer, cracked it once in the air. The lion and tiger beneath him leaped forwards and carried him off through the crowd as he caught up his hat from the stunned little girl.


---


A few of the newer carnies, as well as the last few trailing visitors pointed and laughed at the small monkey scurrying along with a plate balanced above his head. He was dressed in a small red waistcoat that showed up brightly against his dark fur as he trotted through the grass towards a tree on the edge of the firelight. The tree was surrounded by animals of all shapes and sizes, from an elephant to a multitude of butterflies moving restlessly from leaf to leaf. The huge grey beast turned its head and unrolled its trunk and the monkey scurried neatly up it before leaping onto a low branch. It leapt up to another and there proffered the plate.

Nathaniel looked at the food with disinterested eyes, but took it from the wide eyed monkey, recognizing the expression of concern on it's small wizened face. He balanced it on his lap and picked at it with his fingers, eating a little, but offering most to the various animals and birds perched on him and the surrounding branches. He preferred to watch the carnies, rather than engage with them. He'd given up on that a long time ago, he'd seen them all, the tough ones, the ones who cried, the ones who railed desperately against the Master's power. None of them lasted long, they either left or were taken by the Dark ones. He had even given up learning their names, now it seemed like no time at all before they were replaced by a new person, a new soul taken by the Circus.

He watched as the clown took food to the magician, smiling bitterly, remembering himself doing it once, before... before...

He threw the plate away, the elephant lifting it's head unhappily as sauce splattered on her ear.

"I'm sorry Eliza, old memories..."

[AkiBlue]

"Alright, Alright! No more fire tricks. Go back to your parents!" Ace shooed away the small group of children that surrounded her- remembering her from the act. For their entertainment, she did a small 'portable' trick for them. Lighting her hand on fire of course safely, she then chose the bravest of the group and touched their arm, without burning them. Ace received OOO's and AAH's until he shooed them off so she could continue eating.

Even as a carnie, and a wild spirit, Ace ate and watched the crowd. She noticed Orren and Aoi off to the side. Neither of them were the talkers, but she did obtain the knowledge that Orren couldn't hear very well- if not at all.
She saw the others, but didn't bother to, well bother them. Most of the staff were really...quiet, and to themselves- total opposites if Ace.

From the corner of her eye she noticed Naias and greeted him with a smile as he sat by her. The mention of a kid made her look toward the children, but then in thought. "Ah, Naias, you are usually right about these things. Ha, I think twice when betting against you." Though she did shake her head and sighed lightly. The boy didn't know what was coming to him. "Of course...he'll probably start as cleaning staff until Boss finds the kid's "true potential" or whatever." Ace was probably the only one to call Master, Boss. She never really care for the title- it made her feel degraded.

That cute little monkey caught her attention. It was the animal trainer. His job was pretty cool. "Say, Naias...why is it that lots of these guys don't like talking?" She asked curiously, ignoring the accident Lil caused with George. Though still found it funny- and so did a few bystanders.

[InkedWolf]

As Mikala continued to sketch her next puppet concept she noticed Orren and Aoi. The poor girl was trying to communicate with Orren, didn't she know he was deaf?

Putting the last few concepts on her feline fencing puppet, she popped the last strawberry in her mouth before walking over to the pair. Gently tapping Orren on the shoulder, she placed her sketchbook by Orren to show him the pages she would hope he'd be interested in helping her make. She gave a warm smile to the girl before explaining, "Hey, if you want to talk to Orren. May want to scribble down what you want to say. He's deaf," looking at Aoi's sketchbook she commented, "those are some beautiful drawings, if you ever want some help with your art. I draw the concepts for all my puppets. In case you didn't catch my name, I'm Mikala, I run the puppet show at the cream coloured tent, pleasure to finally meet you."

[HiddenBeauty13]

Hearing the sound of footsteps, Aoi looked up and watched as a female, one whos name she was not familiar with, walked over to her and her current sitting buddy, who still hasn't said a word sense she talked to him. Once Mikala explained, though, everything began to make sense. "Oh. Thanks. I didn't know he was deaf and it's nice to meet you. I'm Aoi." She stated with a slightly nod. "I'm the magician with the theater like tent." The girl added before shifting slightly in her seat. This was the most she'd said in the past two days and it kind of unnerved her. Taking out a piece of notebook paper thay she jept to write down ideas for her shows on, she wrote the follow sentence in a surprisingly neat handwriting:

Sorry, I didn't know you were deaf, but I asked how your performance was.

Folding the note, she then tossed it into Orren's lap before waiting silently for him to respond to it.

[Trinais]

"I hear you," Naias said. "I was cleaning up after the Dryads for my first month here. They weren't so bad, especially since it was Cherry Blossom season during that Tokyo show."

The comment about the quiet nature of a lot of their performers didn't pass over Naias' head either. He and Ace did seem to be kindred souls in a Circus filled with immortal reclusive showmen.

"I think it's the competition," he said. "Everyone knows that once they get out, they never get to come back. So why bother getting close to people you'll never meet again. Not even over the internet or anything. I know we share some of the laptops, but seriously- the Master has ways of keeping us from finding each other on Facebook. That's downright scary."

[Metronome]

Orren was still enjoying his chicken and mashed potatoes, completely oblivious to the girl trying to talk to him. He was just about done when Mikala came up from behind and tapped him. The lanky clown startled a little and looked up at her. His deep, blue-gray eyes watched the exchange between the two girls, carefully reading their lips. Had Aoi been trying to talk to him this whole time? That made him feel a bit guilty; he should really pay more attention. He noticed that she said she worked in the theater tent, which he had already known. The first time he had ever seen her was when his curiosity had led him inside to watch the show. On occasion, he would still go in and watch it, even if he couldn't hear the narration.

Orren watched as Aoi wrote something down and dropped a note in his lap. He picked it up and unfolded it, taking a second to read over the words. The clown then looked back up at her. "Good," He said simply. His voice sounded a bit strange and hesitant, as if he was afraid he would mispronounce his words.

[HiddenBeauty13]

Aoi blinked a bit as he responded, but not in the way that she'd been expecting. "You can talk?" Oh yeah, he couldn't hear though. Gesturing to the little paper in his hands, the girl grabbed it once more and began to write:

You can talk? I thought most hearing impaired people couldn't talk because they don't know how to form words they've never heard.

Once she was done scribbling the words down on the paper, she tossed it back to him, her eyebrows raised slightly in curiousity. This guy just got a tad bit interesting for whatever reason...

[AkiBlue]

Ace laughed a little. "I was a lucky one. I only had to help make food. And even then, it was for about a week or two." She smiled and scooted her legs closer to her and hugged her knees, staring into the fire. Even if it had been...six? years ago, she still remembered when she was taken. It was all because of that one tent. The one that was hers now- well shared with the Stills. The Boss noticed her amazement, and trapped her. Easy as that.

"Well at least I have someone to talk now while I'm here." Ace laughed lightly and then laid back in the grass and looked up at the stars. "Sometimes...I wonder. Do I really want to leave?" She paused and placed with one of her cards. Ace of Hearts. "I mean, I'm sure my parents are fine with my clone. If I go back, how am I suppose to adjust to so much that I've missed? And...it's not bad here."

[Chapatrap]

George smiled as the President of the United States made his speech. It would end...now! George threw the knife. It went straight through his skull, killing him instantly. Then, George stood in front of the Queen. She was going to shake her hand! George smiled and bowed as she shook his hand. Then...CRACK! His knife struck her heart and she fell, dying almost instantly. Mwhahaha! He had killed them! The leaders of the Alien Conspiracy! George smiled at his dream. The blood of the Queen covered his face. It was dripping down his glasses and hair. He stuck a tongue out to catch a droplet of the green Alien blood. Strange....blood tasted a lot like Ketchup...

George's eyes opened. He WAS covered in some kind of liquid! It covered his glasses and he could feel it seeping into his shirt. 'Jesus Christ!' he shouted, his limbs flying madly. What was it? Blood? Some kind of Alien goo? George stood and frantically pulled off his shirt. He pulled a knife from the back of his throat and jumped around in a full circle, waving his knife, ready to attack whatever the government had thrown at him. He stood shirtless, pale in the darkness, his face covered in food and holding a knife. What the hell...? A few people laughed at him and his reaction. George relaxed and let his arms fall back to his sides. 'Bloody hell...' he sighed. He stuck the knife back in his pocket and picked up his stained white shirt. A plate sat a few feet away. Someone had just dropped food...George breathed out in relief. Not something horrible as expected. Just Lil....having dropped food on him?

'I wasn't hungry, you know' he growled at Lil. But with everyone laughing at him, George soon seen the funny side. I mean, an dramatic boy with a knife being covered in food? Comedy gold. He laughed and was leaning on his knees, the sight of him covered in food too much. A lump of mash slid off his hair as he stood back up, his shirt on his shoulder. 'Sorry about that, Lil' he smiled. 'Must of ruined your dinner?' He had never spoken to the girl but he knew her name. Well, a first time for everything, huh?

[Metronome]

Orren took the paper and looked down at it. He began to write.

"I knew how to talk before I went deaf. I've only been deaf for," He paused to think, "Four years."

Since the first week he joined the circus. Orren handed the note back, his surprisingly neat handwriting scrolled across it. He hoped she didn't ask how he came to be deaf; he didn't particularly like telling people. It wasn't so much that he didn't want to, it's just that people tended to treat him differently after they knew. He would try to explain to them about the Clowns, and they would just look at him like he was crazy. He wasn't crazy; the Clowns were real! And yet the more people he told, the more he was avoided like a disease. After a while, he learned to stop talking about it.