[IC] The Dark Carnival

[Mortimer]

Osmund nodded when Mina introduced herself. "I have the right to take care and watch out for my workers and keep them happy. What you do in your tent is also my problem, so don't to me like that, you little girl." Osmund was starting to get angry, he didn't like such a mere girl talk to him like that and forbid him from watching what his workers did. But then she introduced another topic, resurrecting the bird he had killed..."unintentionally". "No, my dear Mina. I won't reborn that filthy bird, I don't want to have any dirty crows in these grounds. And why is it that important to you...it's not like you married him! How pathetic! Now go back to your tent, the shows start in two hours after I open these hellhole." Osmund then sat back in his chair and looked at her. "One last thing...if I see one soul getting devoured, you'll be executed."

[Minarawr]

Mina's eyes burned furiously when he called her a "little girl", but her clenched fists and the scent of blood coming from her nails digging into her skin were just enough to keep her calm. 'That bird...' another pause to keep her from lashing out because of him insulting Shadow. 'Was an important member of this carnival. He was a dear friend and a good helper, he was good at keeping everybody at this carnival calm.' she stated. At his exclamation about how pathetic she was she snorted lowly, just barely holding back at what she was going to say.
'One question, sir, how do expect to keep this place running if nobody does their shows?' she asked coldly, crossing her arms. 'I have no contract with you, I had one with Hag. Are you going to kill everybody that won't perform, cause then you're gonna have a shortage on workers in about a week.' she stated. 'I do not fear death and I think you've seen enough of my fellow performers to know they do not either.' she said.

[Mortimer]

Osmund just looked at his nail and rolled his eyes when the stupid girl called the waste of bird and actual member of the circus. "Pffff....balderdash. That stupid bird couldn't do anything. It was just a bird! Just like you can't....Ah....nevermind." Osmund then gripped his staff tighter when she told him none of them would work since they weren't scared of death. "Oh...you aren't? None of them aren't? I don't care if you are or not....I'll make sure you'll get tortured for not performing...in the most painful way...and the starve for souls will keep you working...Just remember my words...if you don't work...you'll lose another friend of yours..." Osmund said. He was sure she had gotten the message, Mortimer was the next in line.

[Minarawr]

Mina's jaws clenched together when he insulted Shadow again, her eyes burning furiously when she looked at him. 'Torture me? Starve me? As if that will do anything.' she stated coldly. 'You think I've never been through torture and starvation before?' she hissed.
When he faintly let her know he would kill another one of her friends, most likely Mortimer, a deep growl exited her throat in anger. 'You miserable excuse for a person. You're even worse than Hag. At least he had some kind of honor, showed some kind of kindness towards his workers. You're nothing but a demon, pure evil.' she hissed, turning around and walking towards the exit. 'You won't get away with this. I'll kill you, even if it's the last thing I do. No amount of torture or starvation is going to change that.' she snarled.

[Mortimer]

Osmund, now fed up with her childish games, grabbed her by her neck and threw her into the small cell behind his chair, then locked it. The bars were covered in holy water, and if she dared to touch it with her damned soul she would burn to ashes. "Come on, I dare you to try and get out. If you excuse...I have to see your friend Mortimer...I think he is kind of fed up with life..." he told her. If no one was going to work for him, then no one would live happily. He would make sure they all suffered.

[Minarawr]

Mina grunted when she was tossed into a cell and quickly got up. When she moved close her bones suddenly shot out of her hands, blocking her grip on the bars as they sensed danger from them. She hissed furiously and slammed her bone against the bars. 'Leave him alone! He has nothing to do with this, you pathetic man!' she snarled.

[Myst]

Esme didn't know how much time had passed. All she knew was that she was still sitting on the ground, still holding Hag in her lap, still willing him to return to her. She brushed his hair back from his forehead and kissed it.
Several of the robed man who had come with the High Father were watching her. She could feel their eyes on her. She didn't know what kind of religion they were so she didn't know if they would try and do anything to her, but she was a ghost so they would not be able to hurt her. At least that was a plus in being not of this world anymore.
Hag had really protected her, in his own odd way.
But just because she couldn't be hurt physically didn't mean she couldn't be hurt emotionally. Like right now. Her heart felt like it had been ripped savagely and was bleeding inside of her.

She was surprised by footsteps. Instinctively she hugged Hag to her. They couldn't take him away from her.
"Come on you crazy bitch," one of the robed men said. "You've been sitting here long enough. Time to get rid of this bastards corpse."
"Go away," she said.
"Listen freak," another said. "You don't get to tell us what to do. We tell you. Now get lost."
"Go away," she repeated.
Getting fed up with her, the first man leaned over and yanked Hag's body from her grasp. When she reached to take it back the other kicked her, hard.
Then they started dragging the body towards a fire.
"No!" Esme exclaimed, realizing what they were going to do.
"We're going to burn this freak as a warning to you all," the kicker said.
"You can't! Stop!" Esme cried, running up and beating on them, trying to stop them.
"He's dead," the kicker protested. "It's not like he's going to feel it."
"Leave him alone! Stop it!" Esme screamed, grabbing one of their arms and jerking.
"Let go bitch!" he shouted at her and went to shove her away. His hand went through her.
"Holy God! She's a ghost!" the other exclaimed and pulled something from his coat. It was some kind of paper, like a sutra. When he stuck it to her she screamed at the burning pain and fell to the ground. While one kept his boot pressed on her stomach to keep her down he yelled to the other. "Go and get the High Father!"

[Mortimer]

Even if Osmund was busy finding Mortimer, his attention had been caught by the situation going on between his followers and Esme. When he heard his name being called into prescence, he didn't hesitate and walked to the small group with a grin on his face, one that really needed to be erased with a bullet. "So so....what is this small and stupid girl giving you problems with?" he asked.
"She doesn't want to get this stupid bastard's body burned! Plus...she...she is a ghost!" one of them said.
Osmund didn't flinch when she was called a ghost. Instead, he took out a book, a small bible and shook his head. "Then she must be erased from this world...like all the infidels and devilish scum." The High Father then started to pray words that would completely banish her.

Meanwhile, back in Osmund's office, the true Hag, not the clone who had faked his death, appeared and grinned at Mina. "Oh! Look who it is!? It's Mina!" he said and pulled his mask up to reveal a grin. He took out a key to open the cell but then laughed. "Why would I let you out? After all, you laughed when my clone was killed!" Then, in a very carnival-esque style, he swallowed the key and laughed once again. "Sorry! Better find another way out, I got a very important mission to do!" With that, Hag rushed to Osmund who was burning the ethereal corpse of Esme.

"Hey! Old fuck! It's me! Come get me!" Hag told the stupid old man who turned around with a shocked look on his face. He couldn't believe it at all. Then, the clone stood up and shoved the guards aside and stole Osmund's bible. Both Hag's started to circle around to confuse Osmund and then ran away in different directions. Osmund could not get his words together, and instead he pointed both way and shouted really angry, "Go get them!!!!"

[Minarawr]

Mina's eyes widened when Hag suddenly appeared before her as she sat in the cage, trying to find some way out. She looked at him confused, but then angry, even when he pulled out the key to open her cage. 'You... you bastard!' she screamed. When he pulled the key away without opening the cage she slammed against the bars with her bones protecting her from combustion because of the holy water. 'It was a clone!? You let Shadow die for a goddamn clone!?' she screamed, aiming to grab him and most likely rip his throat out. 'You heartless bastard! I'll kill you for real when I get out of here!' she screamed as he ran out of the office. She snarled in frustration and looked around, shooting her bones into the floor repeatedly, trying to get out.

[Myst]

Esme screamed as he began to chant. Her ghostly body began to burn. The pain was incredible.
Then just as suddenly as it started, it stopped. Esme laid on the ground, panting and still hurting. She heard Hag's voice but was sure she was only dreaming.
A rough hand grabbed her arm and jerked her to her feet. She was in too much pain to walk so the person ended up dragging her. She heard a door open and she was thrown inside.
"Don't get any ideas," a harsh voice said. "Things place has been sealed with holy water."
The door slammed and Esme was left alone with her pain and her sorrow. Maybe she would be sent to wherever Hag was. She didn't care if it was hell, as long as she was with him again she could bear anything.