[IC] Soul Circus

[Belle]

D. Ark

The buzz of conversations ended suddenly as, with a puff of black smoke, a man appeared before the crowd. He looked like a mixture of Jack Skellington and model-esque clown. Removing his top hat with a flourish, he grinned at the audience before him. Oh how he loved a good entrance.
"Ladies and Gentleman... but mostly ladies," he said, lifting a brow flirtatiously and causing several women to laugh and giggle. "Tonight we call upon the brave and the fearless! Can you survive a night in my world? With my friends? After all, they are just dying to meet you."
People laughed at the inference. Yes the masses certainly loved a good show. Or what they deemed to be a show.
"So!" He said, replacing his hat with a flourish and a dramatic wave of the hand. "Come one! Come all who dare! Come see the dark phantasmic! Step into my world of horror, fear and depravity! For I am D. Ark... and welcome to Hell."

With a blast of black smoke and a flurry of sparks he vanished, to the oohs, aahs and applause of the crowd of fools who eagerly rushed the gates to buy their ticket, sign their wavers and enjoy a good scare.
Poor souls had no idea what was in store for them...

~~~~~~~

Appearing in the main tent, where some of his employees were gathered, his mischevious grin turned into a truly terrifying smile. "The circus is open. Time for the show. Enjoy my dears, but remember : do not be too overzealous. If we wish to continue feeding, we must control ourselves. No need for the lambs to know the wolves are among them."

~~~~~~~

The teenage girl stifled her giddiness. She had actually done it! She had snuck into the horror circus! Take that Deidre Mason! Now all she needed was a picture of her with a performer or something to prove she was here and then Deidre would never be able to bully her again!
Coming out from behind a concession stand, filled with gross out candy and other fake ass shit for people to scream over, although the gummy eyeballs did look freaky, the teen snuck along trying to look like she was old enough to be there. The fact that the circus had a 18 and up age restriction made all of the underage kids curious about this place. She knew she couldn't be the only one who had snuck in tonight.
The smell of the blood was quite strong. Must have been animal blood or something to be that realistic. But this place was not as bad as some horror games she had played in the past. Because no matter what happened, it was all fake.

One tent caught her eye. It had a warning sign to visitors to keep out unless invited inside by the owner. It was the owner's tent! Holy shit this was perfect!
Whipping out her camera, she took a selfie in front of the sign. Looking down to check the quality she noticed another face behind hers. Gasping and whirling around she came face to face with the handsome guy from the opening. It was him! The owner.
"Mr. Ark!" she stammered. "I'm sorry! I wasn't going in! I just wanted a picture of-"
"Quite alright dear," he said with a smirk. "Curiosity is one of life's pleasures after all. But I must say my lovely, you look very young for 18. How old are you exactly?"
"N-nineteen?" she said hopefully.
He chuckled and shook his head. "Now, now, you are too lovely a girl to be lying so blatantly. And so badly. Come now. Tell me the truth," he said, looming over her with a slightly seductive smile.
"Okay, I'm fifteen," she admitted, pouting. "I snuck in on a dare. Are you gonna throw me out now? Call my parents? The cops?"
"Oh dear me no, none of that. But I wonder if perhaps you truly understand what you have done here..." he said, pausing just long enough for her to get very nervous. She had unconsciously started to move back from him only for him to close the distance and take her chin into his hands harshly. She yelped and started to shake. He loved this moment : the eyes dawning with understanding... the fear starting to well up...
"Let's see what you're afraid of... shall we?" his tone dropping to a hoarse whisper as he used one hand to cover her mouth and the other to hold her in place. Her muffled scream was unheard as his eyes turned black as pitch and he stared deeply into her eyes, searching them. His eyes returned to normal and he sighed. "Spiders. Predictable. This is why I do not bother with young ones, as a rule of thumb, but you my dear sealed your fate on your own. Hence, I feel no pity for you."

His eyes turned black again and hers did as well as he infected her eyes with what he wanted her to see: the skin around his mouth stretching and tearing grotesquely, yellow foul-smelling blood pouring from the openings as large mandibles erupted from his face. Several more black eyes appeared on his forehead and temples. The teen screamed in pure terror as smaller spiders poured from the gaping mouth to swarm onto her. She could feel their legs on her skin, feel their fangs piercing her flesh, feel them crawling into her hair, ears and nose, choking her.
To an outsider watching, it looked like she was having some kind of panic attack. Her heart sped as her lungs heaved, struggling for air. Her hair started to turn white, a sign that she had reached the level of deep primal fear he required. It was fast and he knew the soul would be worth less than nothing, but enough for an appetizer. Placing a hand over her chest, a white orb appeared. He held it in his palm. It was so small and fluttering like a bird.
"Such a sweet little soul," he muttered before devouring it. The screams stopped and the girl merely stood there motionless. Her hair returned to normal. Well, not exactly 'normal'. It was rather flat and dull. Her skin was pale now and her eyes were unfocused.
"Begone," he instructed, irritated at the insect of a human. That soul had been weak and barely worth his time or powers. He shook his head as she stumbled away. She was merely a shell now, barely capable of functioning. She would take her own life by the next morning he was certain.

Brushing off his clothes, he rounded the tent and entered the common grounds where the crowds were walking. He was curious to see how his little family was doing...

[Oliver]

Blink paced back and forth around the grounds, impatiently awaiting his next act. The promiscuous little boy was dressed rather flamboyantly in a flashy red tailcoat with gold buttons, a black bow tie and black shorts that exposed most of his skinny pale thighs. An unusual costume for a contortionist, but he could do some pretty amazing things even with the inflexible fabric in the way. He had grown rather bored in waiting to be called upon to perform, his wild blond hair flying about in the light and eerie breeze as he sashayed back and forth, skipping lightly as he went.

He stumbled across a group of young women, giggling excitedly as they went. Blink approached them at a quick pace, tipping a nonexistent hat. "Bonjour, mes cheries! You enjoy ze show?" He greeted in his lightly high pitched, lilting thick French accent. He grabbed the hand of a pretty redhead, no older then twenty, and kissed her hand in an old-fashionedly flirtatious move. The woman squealed over him and proceeded to exclaim to her friends "Oh, he's a little Frenchman! Isn't he just precious? Here, let me take a picture!" She whipped out an expensive shiny phone, posing with the little boy and lightly pinching his cheek. "Say 'fromage'!" She said giddily, snapping a few photographs and gleefully showing them to her friends. She slipped the phone back into her pocket and turned her back to talk to her friends, prompting little Blink to silently reach out and slip his hand in her pocket, snatching the expensive device and skipping away, whistling a cheerful tune to himself. He'd have to keep an eye on her. Hers was likely a shallow soul, but a sweet one nonetheless.

Blink, born Olivier Henri Richard Ciel LeFebvre (An awfully long name for such a small boy), had discovered a taste for human souls since joining the circus. A talented acrobat, he had run away to join a circus only a year or two ago and wound up with much more than he bargained for. He very much liked his fellow performers, even though some of them were put off by his disturbed behavior. Even in a twisted circus of death, too much is too much and Blink was a bit too much for some. Not only was he a manipulative little brat, he was... very forwardly flirtatious with men and women alike. There was one in particular, a colleague of his, who he had his eye on, but one didn't have to work hard to get his attention. Blink loved attention of all kinds and would do anything, quite literally anything to get it.
Even kill.
Or worse.

[LadyRunic]

Men and woman wandered by, laughing and shrieking. Lights gleamed as the carnival was cast in shadow and horrors. Lounging on several crates, her long tail shifting with a rasp of scales. "A ssshhhhame. Such a tassstey morssssel. Ssssshhe would have found a new fear." The girl had wandered in, and she was more than keen to get a bite to eat. More than just the soul. Two yellow eyes blinked slowly as she watched the morsel wandered off. A shame indeed, but she hardly had any meat on her. Or struggle. It was much better to take their souls when they struggled. Moving slowly, but with a deadly intent she crashed to the ground behind D. Ark. Desdemona was only light when her human half was concerned, the rest was lethal muscle of a predator. Watching the carnival, the lamia rose to level just below the man. "A fear of sssssssnakesssss."

Her forked tongue flickered, as she peered into the crowd, wandering out into the horror show as shrieks shortly followed. Laughing her shivering hiss with a cruel smile, the Snake Woman noted those who walked a bit too quickly from her, or those that went far out of their way to avoid her. It was so easy to make people nervous, to terrify them. But to get that level of fear that would mean a soul would take a bit more work than flashing her fangs and showing her full height. It would take time, patience, and no little amount of fun. Oh yes, she enjoyed the hunt, the challenge. She always enjoyed that.

Moving about, she swayed from side to side. Moving artfully as the bangles on her bony wrists jangled and sang. Dressed in a Spanish top, the black fabric accented by the bronze sash she wore. She drew eyes, and natural terror. Noting a group of men, all of them eyeing her and one even daring to wink. They were noted, as one had moved to the far side of the group to keep his friends between the snake and himself. A wise soul, he did not mock women as his friends did. She would relish him later. Slipping into the tent she kept for herself, she opened the tent flap and poised within as a great black snake. Flipping to human as groups came in, lights went out with a pull of her tail and back on, and the weak ran out. Biding her time. For that she had aplenty. A truly tasty soul would come by. And neither body nor soul would leave.

If they came looking for a woman... Who would look for a snake?

@Belle

[Oliver]

Finally one of the stagehands came to find Blink, tapping the little boy on the shoulder and whispering "Five minutes to showtime. You ready, kiddo?" Blink grinned mischievously and nodded, following the stagehand behind the tent to the performer's entrance. He wasn't walking on his feet, however. He decided to walk on his hands to warm up.

For a kid who usually had a slew of behavioral issues and oddities and rarely paid much attention to anything, Blink took performing rather seriously. When he wasn't hunting souls or pestering his circus mates, he was usually practicing his act, twisting his little body into impossible knots as if he were made of rubber. He'd been self-teaching himself acrobatics and contortionist tricks since he was about five, and he was frankly speaking something of a prodigy. Since the souls he was consuming had slowed his aging to a standstill, he didn't have to worry about retiring from his profession at the young ages acrobats tend to retire at. If he didn't get killed or paralyzed, he could probably do this forever, and he certainly planned to.

The stage was dark when Blink walked onto it. He could here the anticipatory whispers of the audience, and see the lights of quite a few phones ready to film the act. Technically this was against the rules of the circus, but Blink thoroughly enjoyed the attention. Attention was what he craved above all else. It was a pretty good substitute to the unattainable affection he desired. The lights went up and his performance began. He turned flips, bending and twisting his small form in ways that were both disturbing and oddly visually appealing. Cell phones flashed and people watched in stunned silence as he walked up to the stage apron on his hands, expertly turning back to his feet and taking a bow.

The act went brilliantly, as per usual. Crowds tended to love precocious children. When the act was done, the audience roared with applause. One audience member threw him a rose, tied to which was a twenty dollar tip. Blink blew a kiss in the direction of the giver, his face a charming but slightly gloating smile. He was a bit ostentatious when it came to performing, which irritated some of his colleagues.

As Blink turned to leave the stage, he noticed a sharp pain in the right side of his waist. Ce n'est rien. He mentally told himself, walking offstage trying to hide his discomfort from the audience. Blink had a top-notch pain tolerance. If he could feel it, it was probably more serious than just a little pulled muscle. But he decided to ignore it, walking over to where Desdemona the snake woman was entertaining the audience with her eerily graceful moves and terrifying yet strangely charming appearance. Not wanting to interrupt the show, Blink joined the audience, nudging his way up to the front of the crowd to where she could see him. The little boy walked stiffly, slumped forward slightly to try and ease his agonized right side. "Maman! Devines ce que j'ai?" He called out to her, running up to her, masking a pained wince with a giggle. He forced one of his signature gleeful smirks, waving his twenty dollar bill slightly so Des could see it. He wondered how many tips she got. Acrobats were impressive and all, but a snake woman was one of a kind.
@LadyRunic

[FallenTrinity]

Johnathan, the Walking Blade

Tickets bought at the Entrance or $10.00 Admission at the Door

"Oh yes! Oh Yes! Fuck Fuck Fuck Fuck! MMMMMMmmmmm!
"Oh god baby! Huh! Huuh! Grrrr!"

Towards the back of the circus, not to far off from Carnie Lane was a rather peculilar trailer, small but wide. Out side the door was a poster. It was a cartoon interpretation of the man who owned it. His eyes darkened to show his ever-opening eyes to the deadly world he played in. A straight jacket opened and with arms crossed in front of him, representing his insanity and lack of control for the art of the blade. It read: Johnathan, The Walking Blade. Below it:Behold the boy of the blade and witness his dance with the edge of the knife. The rest of the poster talked about

"Yes baby! Mmmmmm... Faster!"

His personal wagon rocked back and forth, needless to say that the screams and primal sounds of love, though muffled, could still be heard if one was close enough to his dressing room. The Deftones blaring through his old stereo, adding to the euphoria of the moment. He always did enjoy good musical.....coitus. The inside of his trailer was rather simple but definitely showed that he was a main act if the stainless steel, chrome and gold knives, swords and other sharp instruments meant anything. Trophies lined a rather makeshift shelf, many detailing his control and expertize with cold steel. Before him was a rather voluptuous brunette, hair spread out and her glasses half hanging off her face, a smile of enjoyment etched hard onto her face. His on the other hand...

His shirtless chest was carved with long and jagged scars of all sizes, the largest running down from the right side of his neck to the left side of his waste. He refuses to ever talk about that one. Many assume because of his perverse nature it was a jealous ex if one could even call his mistresses exes. Soon the fun had ended and he slid off of her and sat on the edge of his bed, retrieving a smoke from his pants that lay in the crumpled pile below him, along with her own.

"Hey babe...Could I get one please?" She cooed with a smirk. He went to light his smoke and then turned to her with a glare complemented with a look of disgust before tossing one behind his back. The woman easily caught it and scooted up behind him, her bosom pressed into his back enough for him to feel her outline. Soft hands wrapped around him as she leaned forward for the light that was offered.

"We should do this again sometime babe." He gave her a sidelong glance before standing up and making his way to his dresser, withdrawing a simple x-acto knife from the top of it. He twirled it between his fingers before offering it to her with a wide grin.

"Oh we will...But first you made a promise. Remember to wait for me on the other side, ok my precious little butterfly." She looked into his eyes as her own glazed over, her movements slow but graceful, trancelike one could say as she took the blade in hand.

Knock Knock Knock

He watched with sadistic glee as she turned her hand palm side over, the blade inching its way to her soft skin. A few more centimeters and it will be all over.

Knock Knock Knock

"Tch...WAHHHH! What is it!?" He broke eye contact with her and glared metaphorical daggers at the door before actually throwing them through the window earning a yelp from the other side followed by a scream next to him, causing him to flinch. Looking back he noticed that she was out of the trance and panicking, realizing what she was about to do. Quickly she grabbed her things and bolted for the door...A door she would never leave. In an instant he reached out and gripped her by the mouthand yanked her back into him. Her muffled screams became gurgled cries of pain as he drove the knife into her neck.

"IM BUSY! WHAT YOU WANT FUCKER!" A single pierce of cold steel was never enough for him.

"Your act is next, sir." After a few more penetrations with the now bloodied knife he dropped both his instrument and her lifeless body on the ground with an audible thud.

"Oh shit! I-I-I'll be right out! OH FUCK OH FUCK HOW DID I FORGET!" He scrabbled around the place and threw on his costume before bolting out the door, completely ignoring the gruesome display of violence he just caused, treating it as if it were nothing.

Soon he made his way to the tent, seeing @LadyRunic Desdemona already performing and this set John off. Trudging through the crowd like he was waist deep in mud, he began screaming.

"WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK EKANS! I'M THE NEXT FUCKING ACT YOU SCALY HAG OF A MEDUSA'S WHORE!! GET OFF THE STAGE UNLESS YOU WANT TO COMPLETE THE REST OF MY POKEDEX!" He scrambled to the front of the crowd near Slinky who simply rolled his eyes and shook his head as he attempted to distract the crowd from his antics but, with Johnny that was never easy.

He hoped the gate and walked up towards Des until he was about 115ft away from her. John bent low, retrieving two small...pokeballs? He leaned back and through the one.

"BULBASUAR I CHOOSE YOU, GO!" The ball rolled forward and landed just a few feet from Des, opening to reveal a small plastic Bulbasuar. The crowd got silent before giggling started to run through the crowd.

Bulbasuar use vine whip!".....Nothing

"Bulbasuar I said use VINEWHIP!" Annoyance grew to irritation, irritaition to frustration and finally frustration into anger before he ran up and kicked the pokeball out into the crowd. USELESS FUCKING LEAF POKEMON! FINE THEN! I don't need a pokemon to capture you! Pokeballllllll! GO!" and with that, and full force, he chucked the empty toy at the snake lady and soon enough, the crowd got eerily silent as it bounced off her head and rolled open onto the ground.

"Ehh....."

---

---

Chitter, The One Most Fear

She had been running about the circus as per usual, retrieving cash deposits and picking up other paper work like vendor invoices and current business statistics. As she walked however, many seem to move away from her, feeling an uneasy, inhuman aura about her that felt cold, dark, even hollow to the touch. Even her movements seemed to echo this as graceful as they seemed. Her name was Chelsea Samael Ritter, though, everyone in the circus simply knew her as Chitter, and everyone simply avoided her say for a few brave ones, D. Ark, Johnny and Blink to name the oh so few. She used to have a place within the circus as a contortionist and fortune teller however, after an incident 3 years ago, D. Ark forbid her from ever performing again, especially after the body parts were found by police over 2 miles of forest. Fortunately the circus was no longer in the vacinity by the time authorities had gotten there but because of this and the attention that would have been drawn to them, he simply could not allow it. So, instead he opted to allow her to run errands for him instead. It allowed her to stay with the circus family and still provided some helpful work for Mr. Ark, or simply known to her as Dad or Daddy. But needless to say, that incident is what caused many of her co-workers to treat her like a pariah. That, and the fact she was not against taking the souls of co-workers should they step out of line. An Enforcer of rules if one so wishes to call her that.

Her story on the otherhand is a bit of a mystery, even to D. Ark. D. Ark's rumors run along the lines of Child of Satan, a Deal with the Devil and the like. Hers is nothing more than darkness shrouded in even more darkness. Some have claimed that she was nothing more than an innocent girl who was used as a living sacrifice to invoke and even summon a demon of hell to this world, others claim that her middle name is her true name and of biblical nature. But when asked she simply smiles, an inhuman and sinister smile that is described as being "literally from ear to ear with raze sharp teeth. If you pay attention, you can see her eyes sink into her head slightly.

She watched from the other side of the tent near the owners own, the poor young soul who was taken because of a dare. Humans, the things they do for a quick adrenaline rush. After the body was dropped, she stepped forwards from the shadows, similar to the way Johnny did. He did teach her after all. He was like a brother to her and one of the few who were unafraid of her. As she approached she stopped in front of the young girl, moving her face over with her bare foot to get a better look at her before letting it fall back to its zombie-like state.

"I have the papers you asked for daddy. The carnies were given their paystubs and the animal tamers have their new exotic animal licenses, all up-to-date." She passed the papers and whatnot before holding her hands up above her, wanting a ride on his shoulders. A smile innocent smile resting on her face.

"I'm bored...Do you have anything else for me to do? Or can I go enjoy SOME of the festivities?" She shook her head before dropping it slightly, cocked to one side with a smirk to match.

[Oliver]

Blink blushed furiously, watching Johnny jump the fence and start throwing plastic Pokeballs. Blink was a little too obsessed with Johnny. He had secretly-taken pictures of the young man in the cabinet in his tent, right next to his stolen phones. But as much as he liked Johnny, nobody defiled the circus. Ever.

"Oi, crétin! Stop interrupting ze show and get ready for your act!" He snapped from the front of the audience, climbing onto Smiles's shoulders to be visible above the taller people. He took a dime out of his pocket, flicking it at Johnny's forehead. Blink wasn't sure how Smiles would react to being climbed on. He probably wouldn't appreciate being suddenly straddled by a tiny Frenchman, but who knows? Blink readied a nickel and two pennies, ready to open fire if Johnny didn't leave and get ready right this minute.

"Do you think I am joking, retard? Backstage NOW!"

@FallenTrinity

[LadyRunic]

Desdemona's eyes gleamed as the aggravating ball thunked against her muzzle. The little French nino was at least bearable. Even with his antics, it was his French tongue that allowed him life whilst he was so near. Daring to call her 'Maman'. The language was something she had picked up living the the catacombs in Paris for several decades. Oh, yes. The Snake Woman had been about a good portion of Europe. Spain, France, Italy, and a bit of Germany and Greece. Though the latter three were short visits during war and famine. Things that left her prey out of her reach. So she had moved from the darkness of her tunnels to collect them. A annoying task. But this boy, this loud-mouthed brat dared to interrupt her show? Her meal to threaten? To endanger himself? Oh, he was in more danger than he could imagine. Desdemona already was concocting the many ways to break every bone. To leave him utterly helpless. But first... She would need to get closer.

Tossing the French lad off with a sharp snap of her head, she moved forward. Swaying, she ignored the screams of people as she slithered from the enclosure that kept them from her and her from them. Let them scream and fear, it was time to teach that brat a lesson. It wasn't every day a twenty foot cobra/anaconda left a pen to enter a crowd of screaming food. Several fainted, the rest bolted. Some in true terror, other laughing at this obviously planned act. And it was a planned act in a way, Liguardia thought. A act planned on the ravings of a mad child. Her tawny eyes gleamed as she locked onto Johnny, her hood flaring as he rose up to be eye level as she advanced. Holding his gaze with each sway that brought her closer. She would sacrifice any number of souls to devour the pest's. His she would enjoy, even sordid and disgusting as it was. Drawing closer she pulled back slowly, arching herself to draw his eyes up and prepare for that deadly kiss. Not one that would kill, but would lead to him finding a final napping place. Oh, yes. He would sleep and she would have a meal. All would be well.

@Oliver @FallenTrinity

[Oliver]

Blink cried out in agony as he hit the ground. He was already injured from his performance mistake, and being tossed off of a considerable height only aggravated that. He curled up into a ball, crying and whimpering like a wounded animal. He might have been bought some time by Des pursuing Johnny first, but he was in no state to take advantage of that. He his small form was seized up and rocking side to side slightly, cradling his skinny waist. He started to cough, the color draining from his already pale face as he started to gag and retch, one of his small hands clamped over his mouth. His hand was quickly stained with bright scarlet as vivid as his flashy tailcoat. Even in terrible pain, he remained ostentatiously dramatic, though this time unintentionally.
The audience had fled from the snake, leaving him isolated on the ground.
"Maman!! Reviens!!! REVIENS! REVENES ICI!!! Bon dieu..."

[Belle]

D. Ark's irritation left him at the sound of the adorable little voice. "Ah Chitter, my lovely little bird," he said, taking the papers from her and giving them a look. "Very well done little bird."He accepted her unspoken request and picked her up to ride on his shoulder. "I know you are bored my dear, but I'm afraid I still cannot trust you to control yourself amongst the walking meat bags. You need supervision for a little longer. Keep being a good little bird and Daddy will give you back your priviledges."

Hearing screams coming from a performance area D. Ark's face contorted into a scowl before breathing a long suffering sigh.
"Come little bird. I believe that some members of the family are forgetting themselves."

It didn't take long to find the cause of the commotion. Desdemona and Johnny, of course. And little Blink on the ground in obvious pain. D. Ark allowed his dark aura to envelop the area. The meat bags felt it and moved away, subconciously getting away from what they perceived would be a berating of the workers.
Putting Chitter down, he narrowed his eyes at all three of the performers. "Enough. All of you. Blink, go to the medic tent. Now."

He waited for the boy to leave before turning his attention back to Johnny and Desdemona. "Both of you know better than to test me in this manner. Control yourselves or I will do it for you," he said, his tone a foreboding warning that would chill the blood of anyone receiving it. "Johnny, stop pestering Desdemona. Desdemona, control your temper."
He looked down at Chitter, his features softening. "Little bird, keep an eye on these two. If they continue scrapping in front of our guests, be sure to punish them accordingly. But remember to be discreet or they will not be the only ones punished."

D. Ark tugged on one of his gloves a bit. "Now I shall go and do damage control. If you want to feed this evening, or any other in the future, behave yourselves. I will not tell you again."

Turning, he left them without a backwards glance. Families didn't get along at times, but they were still important to have around.
The beast was rumbling. His irritation was feeding it, making it grow into anger which would spawn into rage if not properly handled. He had not given in to the rage for many years, because the last time had been catastrophic for both the meat bags and his performers. None had likely forgotten or wanted a repeat of it.
His hands quivered, wanting to be stained with blood. He hated the feeling. It was messy and undignified. Consuming souls was more elegant than ripping bodies to shreds.

[Oliver]

Blink nodded and dragged himself up off the ground, barely able to keep his balance once he got up. He immediately doubled over, clutching his waist with an agonized hiss before gathering himself up and staggering out of the tent. He was quite a sight for sore eyes, blood smeared across his face, his eyes red from crying, his face pale and terrified. He kept his face hidden from passersby, but a few noticed his stumbling and whispered among themselves.
Whatever he had done to his side during his performance seemed to be getting progressively more severe. It started out as a sharp stabbing pain, then it seemed to worsen suddenly with the added injury of the fall. He'd vomited blood, indicating damaged organs. Unlike some of his fellow performers, Blink was merely a human child. A severely disturbed one, but a child nonetheless. He was delicate and easy to break, and likely would be for the rest of eternity or until he met his untimely demise. A diet consisting mostly of human souls meant he hadn't aged a year since the age of nine or so. He was actually closer to ten or eleven, possibly even twelve. He wasn't sure how much time had passed since he ran away from home.
By the time he got to the medic tent, he was on the verge of passing out. He slumped back against the wall of the tent, gasping for his breath as if he'd just been chased a long distance. He was sweating slightly, his face pale and flushed at the cheeks. He started to cry again, ducking down until nothing was visible of his face except his mop of wild blonde hair with a few bloodstains in it.

[LadyRunic]

Desdemona's head snapped to the leader of their rag-tag group of misfits and sorry pieces of flesh to level her gaze at D. Ark. Of course, he always was one to interrupt as the fun began. Especially if there was a potential to eat another of the troupe. A true shame that. She would have loved to eaten him but the dark aura that flickered about him advised against it. Better to wait, bide her time. Build up allies of worth. Then, her eyes gleamed as she hissed venomously at the man. Then she would be tempted. But the lesson she had learned in her life held her back. It was better to allow the hand to live, to even remain unmolested. But the mind would be twisted, oh yes. The mind would twist to her tune.

But not yet. A sneer took over her human mouth as she shifted ever so painfully, ever so hideously, and ever so slowly into her Lamia self. "As you will, D. Ark." Turning about, she lashed her tail with a violent whip that would have knocked Johnny off his feet if he had drawn an inch closer. There was no need for words, not tonight. She required food. While a snake could go for a while without, it could not last forever. Such was the position she was in. Twining about she slipped off into the darkness, where several poor souls ran in absolute panic. Towards the edge of the carnaval. Towards the shadows, and towards their death. It would not be a clean kill tonight, they would suffer her wrath before they died. Her hiss to herself was a ghost of a sound. "As you will, till you will fill my hunger."

@Belle @Oliver @FallenTrinity

[FallenTrinity]

Let's Play a Game

It is when her laughter stops, is when life is snuffed from existence...

@LadyRunic

Little bird, she loved his little pet name for her. She earned it years ago and originally took to it with reluctance. But now, she was content with it and welcomed it with open arms. Happy to get a ride from dear old dad was more than enough then to put her in a pleasant mood. D. Ark was the only few who could do this, this mostly thanks to his ability to fake parental emotions. However, Chitter pouted at D. Ark's response. "I wasn't that bad..." She mumbled before perking up to the idea of Dad scolding the others, so long as he went easy on Johnny. Although, he did forget about her birthday last year...Yeah scold him too.

The two had entered the tent and just as they did, the mob of humans ran, Ark's aura filling the tent with chilling waves of killer and demonic intent. It was intense, more so that she was right next to him but it was buffered slightly by her own. Blink was sent off to the medic, Smiles left quietly and out with the crowd, trying to calm them for now until it was time to feed. Ark trusted her enough to watch over these two and watch them she would, but there would be a twist to it, and she had been wanting to play for awhile. She smiled gently up to Ark as she watched him walk away. Chitter turned back to face Johnny and gave him her playful look.

"Oh FUCK no!" He turned to run towards the exit but instead ran into two large double doors, causing him to fall backward, Chitter appearing at his side before watching him fall. Now we wait for the other one."
Desdemona had started to slither out of the tent, but just as she did she came across the same door that Johnny was currently standing near at the bottom step. Above in half unreadable letters said-

St. Rosa Academy

The paint along the outside of the door faded and chipped over time, tiling along the ground had been torn apart and ripped up from the wear and tear of nature and natural destruction. Chitter moved to face the two, one on either side of her.

"Daddy wants me to watch over you and so that's what I'll do. I felt that since you two can't play together, maybe you can play with me." Her innocent little giggle echoing through the air.

"Hey sis, what gives. There's no need for- Alright alright, jeez." He went to protest her actions but she shot him a hollowed eyed gaze, silencing him immediately. Instead he just folded his hands and looked away.

"Anywayyy-" She sing-songed.

"Inside this amazing place is a little music box. The goal is to find the music box together. Otherwise-" Her smile brightened even more.

"You die! Heheheheh. Now, I want you to count to three before you go rushing into here okay? Get ready!" Quickly she turned on her heels and swung the door open with a thud before slamming shut but as it slammed closed, it bounced back open slightly, revealing that Chitter had basically vanished into thin air.

"She creeps me out..." He said as he frowned, glancing over to Des.

[When the two enter this is what they will see, choose your path! Hehehehe]

[Belle]

The sound of crying brought Fran to the opening of the medic tent. Opening the flap she peeked out carefully. People tended to scream when they saw her, at least the ones who realized too late that her face was genuine and not makeup.

"Olivier?" she asked, being one of the few who called him by his real name. Her voice was full of concern. "What's wrong?" she asked before gasping. "Look at all of that blood! Come in sweetie. Let's see what we can do about that."

To some she might seem eerily positive, unnervingly so, but that was just Fran's true personality.
Once he was inside she helped him onto the table. Reaching into the cabnent nearby, she found some painkillers. "Here you go sweetheart. You'll feel a little pinch okay. If you're a good boy you'll get a lollipop!"
A muffled whimper made her glance over her shoulder at the man strapped to the table. He was missing an ear, several fingers and teeth plus his leg was cut open at the knee, the white bone exposed. "You don't get one. You called me naughty names, that's why I had to gag you," she said, turning her back and ignoring him once again.
Her smile returned as she patted Blink on the head lovingly, cupping his cheek. "Now let's see what the trouble is sweetie," she said before her eye glowed even bright green and she looked down his body.

[LadyRunic]

The Lamia turned to look at the little girl. The look was of pure fury. "You would not kill I and lossse more of you're limited value." Her eyes gleamed as the girl vanished. Looking at Johnny, she did a swift 'Tres, dos, uno' before sweeping into the halls. The tip of her tail curled tightly about Johnny's leg, ankle to thigh, dragging him along behind her. "Do not be a fool, boy." She snapped at the cause of her current problem. "Else I will eat you, and not your soul. Senor Ark or no." Tilting her head, she flickered her tongue searching for heat. Listening for sound. Feeling for vibrations.

As she was a snake, her eyesight was not the best in the dark, though she was accustom to it. Rather she relied on her other sense. The smell, the heat, the feel. It wall fed into each other remarkably well. Sweeping the door open she snarled a curse at the girl child. She hated games, she hated the little children. The French boy was the only one she could stand for any amount of time. As the door went to shut on her tail, she yanked it through leaving Johnny to take the blow of the closing door. "I dissslike children. I would eat you, but that would caussse problemsss. Keep your temper and your mannerssss, nino." She hissed out venomously.

@FallenTrinity

[Oliver]

Blink stopped crying as soon as she touched his pale face. He reached up to caress the hand that touched his cheek, little fingertips tracing across every inch of the hand. He loved being touched more than anything else. He probably liked it a little too much, as he constantly sought out physical contact from just about everyone. And he wasn't shy about where he touched. Quite the contrary. Blink's little fingers interlaced with Fran's as he played with her hand like a toy, letting out a giggle. Bad idea, apparently. Laughing hurt.

Pain tore through his right side, muffled slightly by the painkillers he'd been injected with. He started to cough loudly, turning his head to the side as more blood splattered across his face and the table. Blood seemed to fill his lungs, making his shallow breaths rattle in his chest. He ground his teeth together, stifling a shriek into an agonize whine. He grabbed onto Fran's hand, digging his nails in hard. If he weren't in so much pain, he probably would have been all over her by now.

He caught sight of the man on the table, taking in his gruesome injuries. Blink had learned not to be bothered by gore during his time in the circus, so he didn't react, far more interested in playing with Fran's hand to calm himself down a bit. He pulled her hand off his cheek, taking it to his mouth and giving it a frenzied kiss, and then another. "Thank you so much... for helping me..." He said in heavily accented English, touching his bloody lips to Fran's hand yet again, seeming not to care that his blood was getting everywhere.

@Belle

[Belle]

Fran patted the boy's head. "Now Olivier, calm down. Take shallow breaths alright?" she said while reaching for the oxygen mask. Her eye had seen the broken rib and punctured lung. She would have to open him up to try and fix the damage. She stuck him with another needle of pain killers and a numbing agent for his chest. She murmured gently to him as she sliced an opening in his side and reached in, watching with her eye as her fingers quickly set rib back in place. Pulling out her bloody hand, she immediately grabbed an empty syringe and stuck it deep into his chest, reinflating his lung.
She caressed his forehead, knowing he was in agonizing pain. "Poor boy... poor poor boy... I did it as fast as I could. Stay still now. Try not to move too much. You're going to stay with me for a while," she said and began bandaging him up.

A dark presence made her nearly drop the bandage. She turned to see D. Ark standing there. She frowned at him. "What happened to Olivier? How could you have let this happen? Do you not see how very badly hurt he is? You promised before that-"
"Quiet!" D. Ark snarled and Fran immediately realized her mistake and looked down, her hands shaking. Never bring up the incident... Never bring up the incident... Never remind him of the incident...

A hand on her chin made her flinch. D. Ark lifted her face to his and smiled. "I don't know how poor Blink got hurt, but we will work to make sure it doesn't happen anymore. And remember Francine..." he said, making her tremble as he called her by her full name, a sign he was threatening her. He brought his face close to hers, his lips a breath away from hers. "... I can take just as easily as I can give," he said in a dangerous tone, pressing her mouth to hers in a forceful kiss. It was a gesture devoid of feeling, merely a statement of the fact that he owned her. Just as he owned everyone else in the circus.
Pulling back, his demeanor returned to normal and he smiled at both her and the boy. "Make sure Blink is taken care of properly. Spare nothing to make him as comfortable and pain-free as possible. Blink, we will discuss your carelessness later."

After he left, taking the dark aura with him, Fran shuddered a few times before turning back to Olivier with a forced cheerful smile. "Now where did I leave those lollipops? Oh yes! Here!" she said, holding up a finger bone with an eye stuck to the end, both belonging to the nearly dead man on the table behind them.
She stood beside Blink's bed, lightly patting the boy's arm and smoothing the hair out of his face. "You are going to be okay Olivier. You are such a strong boy. But please promise me you'll be more careful, alright?"

[Oliver]

Blink said nothing, seeming to be in some kind of shock. His eyes were wide open and unblinking, holding a terrified expression. His pale, sweaty face was tilted to the side, mostly hidden under his messy blonde hair. This wasn't the first time he'd been around the medic tent. Being nothing more than a human boy immortalized by consuming human souls, he'd been susceptible to fevers and chills and a few months ago he came by here with a strained tendon. Acrobats tended to acquire injuries rather frequently, but never before had he actually been sliced open and operated on. He barely recognized how much pain he was in until a few moments later, when he started to give out shallow, gasping sobs that made his skinny, bandaged chest rise and fall erratically. This, of course, only caused him more pain, which only made him cry harder, creating a seemingly endless cycle of suffering. As Fran moved to smooth hair out of his face, he grabbed onto her hand with a death grip, running his cold sweaty fingers along her palm possessively. Using the hand to pull himself up into an agonizingly painful sitting position, he latched onto her middle, burying his head in her lower chest and feeling around her waist. Being in a lot of pain, he wasn't doing this out of licentiousness, but rather to seek out some form of comfort.
@Belle

[Belle]

@Oliver

Fran held Blink against her. This was madness. And D. Ark didn't care. Damn the bastard for being as powerful as he was. Fran wanted to leave, wished that she could leave, but D. Ark had made it clear that if she did there would be no one to help the others. She stayed for their sake, especially the children.
"You need to feed," she said. "That'll do the trick. Make you all better then. Make the pain go away and make you strong."
Making him lie down, she pried herself from his grip and went over to the strapped down man, putting her face close to his and slapping him. "Wake up," she said harshly but with a crazed sort of grin. "Time for medicine. And you're the ingredient," she said when he opened his eyes and whimpered. Pulling at the string at her scalp line, she started to undo the stitching on her face. It was painful and she would have to resew it afterward, but it was what Blink needed and this was the fastest way to get what needed. The man's eyes opened wide in panic as the discolored dead skin peeled away to reveal the horror underneath. His muffled screams were satisfying to hear. His hair began to turn white.
"Yes... I'm going to do this to you," she said, "make you as hideous as I am. People will run from you in fear and call you a monster. It will never heal, it will always feel as if it was just done, constant pain and suffering as others mock and jeer at you. You will beg for help and no one will care. They will laugh at your suffering. They will laugh as you wallow in the cesspool unending pain for the rest of your life, until you beg for the sweet release of death and enter the depths of hell itself, where I will be waiting..."A white glow appeared in the man's chest. It wasn't the strongest soul she had ever taken but it would do. Grabbing it, she ripped it away viciously before turning her back on the waste of flesh that was now an emotionless robot.

Going to Blink, she helped him sit up and placed the white orb to his lips. "Take it Olivier... that's a good boy..." she said gently, cradling him as he did so.
The soul would help speed his healing and take away most of his pain.

She looked at the reflective surface of the tool table next to her. Her hideous face was revealed, the patch of zombified skin hanging by a few inches of thread. She sighed painfully, her normal eye tearing up a bit. It was going to hurt to resew it.
Once he was finished she backed away with a hand over the damaged part of her face and a forced bright smile. "There you go! Good as new! Well, near enough anyway..." she trailed off, searching for a needle and thread to resew her face. "You be careful now and- oh fudge!" she exclaimed as she dropped the needle, getting on to her knees to search for it. It was hard with a hand over her other eye, but even though the others were aware of her ugliness she liked to pretend they weren't so she tried to hide her face from Blink.

[Oliver]

Blink took the soul hungrily, feeling the pain melt away as soon as it entered into his system. His agonized sobbing stopped immediately and he hopped off the table, only wincing a little bit. "Where's Maman?" He asked, somehow expecting Des to be there with him. Shouldn't a mother be with her son when he was in pain? Okay, he was really only forcing the whole 'mother' role onto the snake woman because he was lonely and wanted attention from someone, and this seemed like a good way to get it.

"Merci beaucoup pour l'aide, Francine." He said, standing up on his toes and pulling on her hair to get her to lower her face down to his level. He kissed her a bit too deeply on her undeformed cheek, mischievously tasting her soft human skin. His arms were slung around her shoulders to support himself, his fingers tracing along the back of her neck. He really was far too close, but this is what he wanted... at least this is what he thought he wanted, and he had no perception of the concept of personal space and boundaries. He just took what he wanted from people, be it their affections or their soul.

"I'm going to go find Maman!" Blink quickly buttoned up his shirt and jacket to hide the bandaging and running out of the medic tent.

@Belle

[FallenTrinity]

Let's Play a Game

It is when her laughter stops, is when life is snuffed from existence...

@LadyRunic

"Hey get off me you bi- OW!" When the tail wrapped around him he immediately withdrew his blade in an attempt to stab snake hag but that was cut short by the recoiling door hitting him straight in the face causing him to go limp thanks to a knockout. As she slithered down the hall and turned the corner, a small silhouette poked its head out of one of the destroyed lockers by the front door before letting out a giggle that seemed to echo throughout the place.

around the corner

The hallway was dimly lit say for the lights that crept into the darkness from the classrooms. The lockers compared to the entrance of the place seemed untouched by the anything. the sound of small feet pitter pattered just behind them as one of the lockers swung open and closed behind them.

"WHADDAFUCK!" John jumped, the best he could while being dragged around by the oversized anaconda who, by at least the tone of her voice and actions, didn't want none of this crap, but neither did Johnny. As the giggling echoed past them, a dark silhouette broke the light from the second classroom on the left before disappearing back into the room.