[IC] The Circus At The End Of The World (Engel X The Kraken)

[Engel]

Claire had only meant to take a quick nap where no one would find her, but as she woke up she realized it was early morning. The sky was turning light grey outside of the cage, and through the bars she could see the movements of shadows and silhouettes. The workers of the circus must be up early to prepare for the first show tonight. They’d arrived outside of London yesterday afternoon, and there had been a lot of work for everyone, like it always was when they arrived in a large city. She ran her hand through her mess of a hair, picking a few straws of hay out of it. It was easy to sleep in Solomon’s cage, since he enjoyed the company and got more hay to sleep on than her other cats. He was rather rare as a white tiger, so he was treated as a king by most. “Oh bother, why did I wake up this early…” Claire mumbled to herself, rolled over on her side to try and find a more comfortable position to sleep in. She came face to face with the white tiger in the cage. He observed her for a moment, then opened his mouth and yawned. Claire pushed his mouth away from her when she felt the stench of his morning breath. “What did you eat kid, you stink.” Claire laughed, and petted his back. He leaned into her and purred loudly. The circus had bought Solomon when he was just a small cub. He’d likely been taken from his family in the wild by hunters or poachers. He’d been scared at first, often crying out in the middle of the night for someone who would never be there for him again. Claire had recognized herself in him, and as she was the lion tamer she’d let him stay with her in her wagon. In time, he got too big to live with her though, so he moved to his own cage. He didn’t like it much at first. He became anxious when Claire wasn’t around. She was the only one who he thought of as family, so she’d visited him as much as possible until he got used to life with the circus. Claire loved all of her big cats. The lions, the tigers and the panther, but Solomon was special because he was her little kid whom she’d raised. He was as large as any of the others now, but she still thought of him like that. She considered getting out of the cage before someone did find her, but the thought soon passed when she fell asleep again. Elena Dragomirov was the proud manager of the Wanderlust Circus. One of the biggest traveling circuses anyone had heard of. She usually woke up early to prepare for the night’s performance, but today she’d barely been able to sleep. Once she noticed that night was turning into day she put the book that had disturbed her sleep down on the desk in front of her, and sighed. It was time to make sure everyone else was doing what they were supposed to be doing, whether they wanted too or not. Some were late sleepers and some were just plain lazy, but she couldn’t have that on a first day performance in a city like London. That simply would not do, not for her circus. She had a reputation to uphold, so she got dressed in something warm, made and ate breakfast alone, then stepped outside to deal with whatever problems had already reared their ugly heads. “Dobroe utro.” She shouted loudly to no one in particular. It was a kind of alarm, and something she said every morning. Anyone who dared to sleep past the initial warning that their boss was awake might come to regret it.

[The Kraken]

The rising sun peeked through the shutters of the wooden wagon, falling upon the face of the brunette who lie tangled in the sheets from the previous night's sleep. Her eyes opened slowly and she squinted against the bright rays that invaded her living space, placing a hand up to block the blinding light from her face. She slowly sat up and stretched, yawning as she did so. Kathryn sleepily stood and stretched again, grumbling and rubbing her eyes. She lazily lit a flame of a lantern and placed a pot of water over it, placing tea leaves in to steep. As she waited for the warm liquid to boil, she walked to her closet and retrieved her clothes for the day, placing on a red top with worn brown trousers and black boots to finish it off. She poured herself a cup of tea and slowly sipped on the bitter liquid as she looked out her window. As she finished off her first cup, she heard the call from the boss, signaling that it was time to begin the day. Kathryn walked over and opened up a chest that sat in her floor, pulling from it a holster and a set of shining knives. She placed the holster over her head and fingered the sharp blades before placing them along her side. The blades were decorated with intricate Celtic knotting and shone like brand new silver from the blacksmith. As she walked outside, she took in a deep breath of cool English air and smiled to herself. She walked past the wagons that housed the traveling circus members to one very familiar to her. Stepping inside, she grinned. "Good morn---" Her face turned to a blank as she discovered her companion was not in her room. Well, she isn't one to rise early... Kathryn raised an eyebrow and closed the door to the wagon, walking past her next stop and banging on the door. "Elijah, I hope you're decent." She poked her head in and saw the young man sitting inside sipping on a cup of tea also. "Calm down, Katie. I'm up." She grinned and gave him a wave, "Alright, I'll see you at the practice ring then in twenty minutes. Don't be late." He laughed lightly and waved her off, sipping again on his tea and gathering his things for the day. Kathryn walked over towards the big cat enclosures, taking care not to make too much noise as she moved through. She made her way to Solomon's cage and peered inside. There she found Claire, cuddled up with the giant tiger in slumber. "Claire... Claire...!" She whispered. She noticed the big cat eyeing her, and from her pocket she pulled out a piece of jerky and slipped it to him. "Easy now, boy." After her friend had stirred, she gathered an apple from her satchel at her side, and held it up at her. "Good morning sunshine, time to get to work." She grinned wide and tossed the apple at her, placing a hand on her hip after she threw it.

[Engel]

Claire woke up too soon again when she thought she heard someone calling her name. She could feel Solomon moving next to her, and sat up to check what he was doing. Claire was greeted with a good morning by her best human friend. She caught the apple that Kate had thrown to her. She must have given Solomon something to eat as well, because he was chewing on it. “Oi, don’t you know not to feed the wild animals?” Claire asked then bit into the apple. “What if it develops a craving?” She stood up; a bit unsteady on her feet and stiff after sleeping where she’d slept. “It could try to break out of its cage just to find more.” She undid the lock on the cage from within, and stepped outside next to Kate. “What would you do then?” Claire took another bite of the apple and grinned with her mouth full. Solomon stretched in his cage, noticing that the door was open and lay back down to sleep. “Oh, and there’s Solomon too.” “Thank you for waking me.” She said with a sly smile, and to show how much she appreciated being awakened early in the morning she pulled Kate into a tight hug. Claire rubbed her cheek against Kate much like a cat would. She mostly did it to tease her friend, because she knew she smelled even more like a tiger than usual, both the smell and the hay she had on herself would be on Kate too now. “It’s such a nice gesture.” Claire locked Solomon’s cage back up after she’d hugged Kate. She felt a pain run through her right shoulder, an old scar that still made itself known every now and then. She gritted her teeth, and didn’t move for a moment. “Well, I better go clean myself up, not that it usually helps for long. If at all.” Some would say she’d adopted too many of the characteristics of her cats. Elena in particular didn’t like her tendency to sleep as much as they did if she wasn’t given any tasks to do. However, she also had the constant smell of tiger or lion in her clothes. At least she hadn’t given up being human completely yet, which was what mattered in her opinion. If she felt like it she could probably have escaped with her kittens and lived happily in a jungle. That was a silly dream, and she’d miss some things with human society, like Kate and the food. “What are you gonna do now?” She grinned. “Train with your manly assistant, I bet.” Claire stretched her arms above her head. “Thankfully, I’m so experienced and respected with my feline assistants that I barely need practice.” That was just bragging, because they’d always find some way to mess with her carefully planned routine unless she kept them in line with regular practices. Elena had been furious with her once after she’d been too laid back, and it’s resulted in a disorganized performance. Once Elena had made sure everyone was either up or had been notified that if they weren’t up in the next half hour they’d need to find a new job, she returned to her own wagon. She needed practice herself. She wanted to make sure that the show tonight would be unforgettable to everyone attending. She would check on the performers later the same day, but they should already know the schedule and order, so there wasn’t much she needed to do for now. Elena soon found herself distracted by her book.

[The Kraken]

Kathryn watched as Claire stood up, almost as if she were drunk, and mosey on over and out of the cage. "I guess it's a good thing I have more food to bribe that animal with then." She grinned back and pulled another apple from her bag, but instead she took a bite out of it this time. When she saw Claire coming in for a hug, she tried to escape because she knew what would follow next. But by the time she tried to make a move, it was too late, and she was trapped in Claire's embrace as she rubbed her feline odor and mess all over her. Her eyes narrowed slightly, but her lips turned to a small smile and she shook her head. She began to pick the straw off of and dust herself off as Claire closed up the big cat's cage, but she noticed her friend pausing for a brief moment. She frowned for a second, knowing that Claire must be having another pain from memories long passed. However, she regained herself and Kate restored the smile back to her expression. "Just try to stay clean longer than five minutes this time, yeah?" Kate grinned and shook her head, knowing that almost as soon as she stepped foot outside again, she would find someway to return to the feline-like character that defined her. "Well, I'm sure my manly assistant would love it if I did not impale him in the chest with a blade, so yes we are off to train." She laughed a bit and twirled a knife between her fingers with ease before returning it to its sheathe. Then, Kate bowed, placing a hand behind her back, "Oh, yes, your highness. You are far too incredible to require regular practice." She didn't hold the pose for long because laughter escaped her. "However, I do believe you may want to give it a try, if for nothing more than to keep Elena off your back." Kathryn then waved goodbye to her friend, "I will see you later then. Best make yourself look useful today, you know how the boss gets when we have a big show coming up." This time she tossed a piece of jerky to her friend and made her way to the practice range. There, Elijah was already setting up the targets and laying out the arrangement of weapons to choose from for the night's performance. "Eli, look at you go. You impress me sometimes." Kate grinned at him and laid her blades on the table as well. It was no question that they would be part of the act, as they were her most prized possession and she felt as if they were an extension of herself whenever she threw them. Elijah shook his head and smiled, "You have so little faith in me Katie." He picked up a bow and placed an arrow on the string, taking in a deep breath before letting the arrow fly to its target. He grinned and raised his eyebrows. Kathryn merely shook her head. "Alright, alright. You impress me often. Now let's get to practicing." The two began to test out different weapons: a crossbow, spears, knives, and pretty much anything that was sharp and pointy and could be thrown or shot. There they would remain for a few hours until it was time to break for lunch.

[Engel]

Claire snorted. “I can stay clean for days if I wanted too, alas my sweet kittens would miss me then.” She finished eating the apple and threw it away. “Well, I am queen of the kings of animals.” She pouted when Kate laughed at her, brushing some hay out of her hair. “More than anyone else could claim.” “Yeah, Yeah. I can handle Elena. She’s just another lioness, albeit of a more terrifying kind.” Claire laughed. It was too true a description regarding the circus director. She waved farewell to Kate as well when they parted ways. Her first stop was to clean herself up in one of the baths. As she wasn’t particularly fond of water she didn’t spend long doing that, and returned to her own wagon to find that someone had been inside it. She hoped they’d just come looking for her and not gone snooping through her belongings. Either way, she changed into a different set of clothes. They were torn here and there, because it seemed more realistic if her kittens did scratch or roar at her while she did her lion taming act. No one wanted to watch a bunch of big cats lying still, enjoying being petted and purring loudly. It wasn’t what they paid for. She picked up one of her whips as well, and then headed back towards the cages of the big cats. On the way there she made sure to pass by Elena’s wagon, since she wanted to check if she was in her wagon or walking around keeping an eye on everyone. Claire heard chanting coming from inside the wagon, not a rare occurrence, but usually it was in a language she could recognize as a language. It didn’t sound like Russian or English. It sounded like she was speaking in tongues. Claire raised an eyebrow, but kept walking, confident in the fact that Elena wouldn’t be coming to check up on her anytime soon. Claire released a couple of her kittens that were already awake. The panther and a lion to be more specific. The panther walked out of its cage with its head turned upwards, acting like a true prima donna. Claire petted her on the back, and got a glare in return. “Oh shush, Sheila.” The lion acted more like he was glad to see her, putting his paws around her neck and purring. “Good morning, Scar, lovely day.” She spent a couple of hours going through their routine, changing which one of her feline partners she trained with every now and then to make sure no one was going to try to act more wild or playful than usual that day. Sheila was the only one with an attitude on her, but she was always like that and still performed with the most grace during training and show. Claire only had to use her whip once, and even then she hit the ground to make two of the tigers stop play fighting and pay attention. The sound of the whip alone was usually enough to control any one of them. She hated when she had to actually use it, so it had happened that situations had gotten out of control before she went that far. Once her stomach began to complain, Claire decided it was time to take a break. The animal caretakers would come and feed each of her partners, but she had to find food herself. She headed over to where Kate would be practicing and found her alone. “Oh, did your manly assistant not want to eat dinner with you?” Claire teased. “I guess only the wild cats dare approach someone as sharp as you. How about eating something, or would you rather get another hug?”

[The Kraken]

It was a long practice for Eli and Kate, but they both had to be perfect if each of them wanted to limit the number of stab wounds on their bodies. As the hours passed, they moved from weapon to weapon and act to act, planning out the night's show so that it went off without a hitch. Eventually, it was time to practice the spin board: a giant round piece of wood that rotated on a pole, and on it was a silhouette of a human body, about the size of Elijah. "Alright now remember, tonight that'll be me in the flesh... try not to kill me, yeah?" Eli walked up to the board and gave it a tug, sending it spinning around in circles, the target dancing around in rotation. Kate drew in a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment, and then opened them. She sent out three knives, one after the other in steady rhythm, and listened as they each hit the board milliseconds after the one before. Eli stopped the spin board and grinned, "Very well done, Kate. Try to replicate that tonight." He looked up at the sky and then around, noticing it was lunchtime as people were moseying about with their food. "Well, I've got animals to feed before I find my own meal. Don't have too much fun without me." He waved as he walked off and Kathryn was left alone to clean up from practice and find herself supper. She had just finished putting away her blades when Claire strolled up, chipper as ever. She opened up her arms wide and grinned, "Well, why not both? At least you smell better this time." She gave a quick wink and a chuckle along with it before embracing her friend. "Now, what shall we eat? I do believe I have some more apples in my wagon if this animal you speak of has developed such a craving." She laughed but finished putting away her blades and then dusted off her hands. "How about we head to the commons tent and see what they've got cooked up? Might be something worth while since we are in London after all. It at least has to be better than that rubbish we got during the Dublin show." She patted her friend on the back and began walking towards a large white tent that sat to the east of the main camp. Within meters of the tent, the smell of food could be smelt as the aroma drifted out the doors and into the open air. "See, it already smells better." Kate grinned and walked inside, looking over to a line of tables where cooks had arranged the day's meal. Nothing fancy, but a sufficient amount of lamb and roast summed up the protein, while potatoes, cheese, and bread rounded out the rest. Kathryn grabbed a plate and filled it with meat and bread, staving from potatoes due to the aforementioned Irish tour, where potatoes were in every meal of every day. She waited for Claire and then exited the tent to find them a nice place to sit, finding a sunny, grassy area on a small hill that overlooked part of the circus camp. "Well, Queen Feline," She took a bite of lamb, "how are your creatures today? Should I expect an excellent show, as always?"

[Engel]

Claire was a bit surprised and considerably disappointed when Kate took her threat as an invitation. While she had nothing against hugging her friend and she had taken a bath, it would not do if others began to notice that she was tame and huggable, not wild and a bit of a misanthrope - preferring the company of Solomon over most humans. She followed Kate to the commons tent, where the smell of meat permeated the air and made her stomach grumble. “Mhm, I need meat if I want to keep up my reputation.” Claire said in response to the comment about the Dublin show. “Raw meat doesn’t taste that good even if they were willing to share.” They hadn’t been though. Not even Solomon. Claire put lamb and roast on her plate until those working the kitchen commented on how she should be eating other things too, to which she responded with a growl. She did take some bread and quite a bit of cheese as well though in the end. When Kate left the commons tent, Claire raised an eyebrow and wondered why they wouldn’t be eating there. She wasn’t so much of a savage that she didn’t know how to use a chair and table, as uncomfortable and crude as those in the tent may be. She went with her anyway, and sat down with her back against a rock. It was a nice view from up here. They could see part of their home while eating, how very quaint. Claire picked up some of the lamb with her hands and began to eat it, so that when Kate asked her a question about her part of the show she could only mumble a response. She quickly swallowed and put the food down. “Queen Feline…?” She grimaced, but then grinned. “So what should I call you? Pretty princess with a bow?” Claire laughed, then bit off another piece of the lamb to chew on. “My kittens are just dandy. Some of them are a bit playful like usual, and Sheila is a bit temperamental like usual. Of course you should expect an excellent show from me, and I better see one from you as well. Do I finally get to see you miss your target and hit your man, huh? I’d like to see the shock on everyone’s faces if you do.” She smiled at Kate. “Especially your own.” Claire returned her full attention to the food, but made sure to listen to whatever Kate had to say. It wasn’t uncommon for her to talk and Claire to simply listen. She enjoyed simply being around the other girl who’d escaped with her from the orphanage all those years ago. To Claire, it was enough to sit in silence at times. Once she’d finished eating, greedily gorging down the meat and then finishing off the meal with the bread and cheese, she changed her position so she was lying down in the grass and closed her eyes. That rock had been a bit painful against her back. She knew she may fall asleep for a short nap if she didn’t watch herself, but at least Kate was right there to wake her up. Unfortunately, Kate already knew that Claire didn’t smell bad this time around, so she had nothing to dissuade her from doing it. She sighed, and smiled.

[The Kraken]

"I'm afraid if I miss my target I may very well be out of a job, so let us hope that is not the case." Kate laughed and pecked at her food, going on with the conversation. "And I am a pretty princess, thank you for noticing." She grinned and then looked out over the camp. The Big Top was not set up yet, but the workers could be seen setting the support beams and assembling the large tent in preparation for the night to come. Kate set her plate to the side, but continued talking to Claire, even though responses were few and far between. She had a bad habit of rambling on about many random things that had no particular relevance, but she was glad to have a friend that was willing to listen to her endless talking and not beg her to shut up. "So I heard the horse trainers had to go out and catch the equine after someone left the stable gate open. Crazy things are happening around here, let me tell ya. People need to be more careful..." She kept talking, about anything that came to mind. It was several minutes later before she realized she had not heard from Claire in many moments. "Oi, are you still hanging in there? I know I've said a mouth full, but-" Kate saw that her friend was lying on her back with her eyes closed. The sun was beaming down, warming their skin and marking a clear and beautiful day, which was something of a pleasant surprise. Kate watched Claire for a few minutes. How at ease she was and how confident she was with herself and her big cats, it impressed Kate. She wished that she could have that same confidence, but she was happy as she were with her life. She allowed herself to reminisce about all those years ago, before either of the girls were here with the circus. They were miserable, left alone in an orphanage with little hope of being adopted. Sure, the caretakers there were kind and caring of them, but for Kate at least, she craved more even at that young age. That's how they ended up here, in one of the best and most renowned circus shows in the entire world. She smiled to herself as she thought about it, realizing she never would have had the guts to leave or to join a circus had it not been for Claire. Looking down at the camp, she began to notice people stirring again, as the sun was beginning its descent towards the horizon. Kate gave Claire a shake and grinned. "Wakey, wakey. I hope you enjoyed your cat nap, but we have a show to perform in just a few short hours."

[Engel]

“Of course you are a princess. I noticed long ago, and would have tried to ransom you to a noble house if anyone had wanted you.” Claire teased. Kate’s rambling was soothing, too soothing, so it didn’t take that long for Claire to fall asleep. She was awakened by Kate shaking her and telling her to wake up. “Who said I was asleep?” Claire stretched her arms, legs and yawned. “You should relax more, princess.” She got back up on her feet, but when Kate was about to stand up as well she decided to have a bit of fun. Claire wrestled Kate to the ground, sat herself on top of her and put her hands under her shirt to tickle her stomach. To Claire, it was exactly like the innocent play fighting they’d done when they were kids. She had done it to make Kate laugh countless of times back then. Now some would think of it in a whole different way than two kids playing games. If Claire had cared or even listened at all to what others gossiped about her she’d know they talked a lot about how she was too into her cats or spending too much time with just Kate, both rumours implying the same thing. However, Claire had little to no interest in that part of life and being human. She’d already decided she would have no kids; for fear that they would suffer the same fate she had when ending up at an orphanage. What purpose did coitus serve then? “I guess we better get going.” She said, but remained motionless where she sat on top of Kate. The sun hit her face and the wind messed up her blonde mane. “Well, I’ve got time to spare, but you should get a move on since your act is before mine.” She grinned at Kate with closed eyes, until her friend would take some kind of action to get her to move off of her. The circus tent was packed with the first audience for their stay in London. The orchestra was playing some relaxing music, while everyone was preparing and getting ready behind the curtains. Elena would be the first to enter and do a brief but bombastic presentation of who they were. It was mostly a formality, because everyone knew who they were. There posters all over London by now. As the orchestra stopped playing, and a drum roll began, Elena stepped up to the curtain. She walked out from behind it, when the drum roll reached its peak, to meet the cheers and applause of the audience. “Ladies and gentlemen! Young and old!” Elena’s voice boomed through the big top tent. “Welcome to the Wanderlust Circus.” She did an elaborate bow, removing the top hat from her head and pulling out a bouquet of roses from inside of it. After she’d straightened her back and put her top hat back on her head, she threw the bouquet into the air above her where it exploded into a number of small yet colourful fireworks. “Have we got ever the show for you tonight, my friends!” Her voice boomed. “You have my word as the director of this circus that it will be an unforgettable experience.” Elena bowed once more when they cheered and shouted in return, then she turned around to walk back through the curtain, but instead of moving she disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Elena reappeared backstage. Fireworks and smoke were the tricks of children and normal magicians, however, what she had prepared for her magic act of the show towards the end was truly unforgettable.

[The Kraken]

Kate's eyes grew wide as she realized that just as soon as she had gotten off the ground, she was headed straight back for it with a force from Claire. She struggled and twitched in an effort to avoid the inevitable, but she soon realized she was on the losing end when Claire pinned her down and displayed a devilish grin in anticipation of the attack to come. "No, no, no, no, nonono!" Kate squirmed but was unable to escape the assault on her nervous system as Claire relentlessly tickled her until her abs ached with laughter. She bellowed out and twinged back and forth, her arms wrestling with Claire's as she attempted to cease the tickling. Several more minutes passed before the action was halted, and Kate had just noticed Claire's hands under the hem of her shirt as she removed them. She blushed for a moment, but swallowed and ignored the different sensation that sent goosebumps across her belly as Claire's fingertips left her bare abdomen. Kate grumbled and attempted to roll over, but she was stuck. She kicked her feet a few times and then raised an eyebrow at Claire before quickly throwing her hands at her sides to return the favor, tickling until she fell off of her. Kate sat up and straightened her shirt and hair, then stood up and looked at her friend. "Well, I'm not one to miss my cue, now am I?" She smirked and then motioned towards the main tent, "I'll see ya at the show then. Good luck." She walked with her friend down the hill but then parted ways with her, heading back towards the throwing range where she found Eli staring at a pile of different weapons. Kate walked up, curious as to why he was staring at the instruments instead of moving their things to the big top. "Something wrong, Elijah?" Eli turned his head and smiled as Kate approached, shaking his head. "No, no. We've done this dozens of times by now." His smile flat lined for a moment and he sighed, "This is just such a big show. I've got a strange feeling about tonight... I only hope everything goes as planned." Kate had a concerned expression on her face as she approached her partner. "Eli, do you trust me?" To which, he responded with a nod of the head and a weak smile. "Very well then, everything will be just fine. Don't you worry." She smiled at him and helped him gather their things and head to their station behind the scenes at the main tent. Elijah and Kate both waited backstage for their turn act to come up in the lineup of the show. Kate had changed into a flashier top, one with glittery jewels on it meant to catch the intense light of the ring. Elijah was wearing only trousers with suspenders, his abdomen bare as part of the "proof" that their displays were real. When it was time for their act, they both took a deep breath. Kate looked at Eli and smiled, "Remember, it's all going to be fine. Just like in practice." The announcer called their names, and they both emerged from the curtains and walked to their set up. A table sat with cleavers, arrows, and darts. Kate's knives were strapped in their holster around her. They began their act with the cleavers, each throwing several at targets. Kate even turned around and threw one backwards, where it still hit her target dead center. They progressed through with darts and arrows, where Elijah stood in front of a board as Kate shot flaming arrows at him. To wrap up their act, Kate helped Eli strap into the spin board, where he was left suspended on the circular board. Kate gave it a tug, and he was sent spiraling around like a top. The tension of the crowd could literally be cut by a knife as they all held their breath. Kate pulled three knives from her side, taking in a deep breath as she lined up the first one. Eli was spinning in front of her at a rapid pace, and she let the first knife fly. It hit the board in between his ankles, and the crowd cheered at the feat. Kate blinked hard and lined up her second throw, letting the knife leave her fingertips and soar towards her partner. A thud could be heard and the knife was embedded next to Eli's head, two inches from his ear. More cheers resulted, and Kate swallowed the lump in her throat away as she held up the last knife. She twirled it between her fingers, breathed in, and then closed her eyes as she sent her arm forward, the knife gliding off of her fingers and flying towards the board... When she failed to hear a resulting thud, she opened her eyes frantically to the sound of Elijah gurgling. She looked on in horror to see that the knife had pierced his neck. But how? She was so sure of its path... Blood splattered across the board and and crowd gasped in unison before breaking out into chaos. Kate ran towards Elijah, unstrapping him from the spin board, blood covering her hands. As his feet hit the ground, he looked at her, eyes wide and put a hand on his neck. He garnered an expression of utter confusion as he removed his hand to reveal there was no longer blood or a puncture wound through his carotid. Kate's eyes grew wide, but the crowd erupted in jeer as the incredible feat was displayed as an illusion. The spotlight dimmed on the two of them still gaping at each other in confusion.

[Engel]

Claire watched Kate’s performance from the backstage area, where the curtain had been rolled aside to allow fellow members of the circus to watch their friends’ acts, but it still covered them from view for most of the audience. She didn’t flinch or look away once during Kate’s show, as some of the members of the audience did. Claire had seen Kate perform so many times that she was confident Elijah was as secure as he would be if he didn’t have blades, arrows or other things coming at him. It was enjoyable to watch Kate perform, even if Claire had seen pretty much every act enough times that she should be bored of them, she was not. The combination of the atmosphere of the circus, the audience and the different performers was lovely. It was home. They got to the end of their act, where Elijah was strapped to a spin board and Kate threw knives at him. Claire watched the first two miss Elijah like intended, but then the third hit him in the neck and she blinked a couple of times, shocked to see that it wasn’t her imagination running wild. “Get the doctor!” Claire roared to the assistants that were making sure everything was running smoothly backstage. One of the boys ran off to get the doctor that shouldn’t be far away. Despite what she’d said earlier, it wasn’t as fun to see the expression on Kate’s face or everyone else’s. It was disturbing and surreal. Claire turned her eyes away from the scene. This wasn’t supposed to happen and never had as far as she could recall. A moment later, she heard how the chaos among the audience turned to applause and cheers. When she looked at the scene again it seemed as if Elijah was unharmed, but how could that be? Kate and Elijah was lead backstage by the doctor that had arrived in a hurry. The man was concerned, but since he hadn’t witnessed what had happened he couldn’t possibly understand what was going on. Then again, Claire had been right there and didn’t grasp it either. She didn’t see her friend again before it was her own turn to step up to perform. Kate’s act wasn’t the only act where strange events had taken place. It was by far the bloodiest though. Claire knew some of the things that had happened tonight weren’t supposed too. In some cases, it had made the performers look much better than usual, and some cases had been like Kate’s. The clowns had exhibited abilities they’d never had, like how they fit six into such a small space or made the balloon animals come to life. One of the acrobats had fallen past the safety net, towards the ground, but begun to soar right before she hit it. Of course, to the audience that looked as if he had some kind of rope attaching her to the roof which she didn’t. They found it disappointing to say the least. Claire was nervous when she entered the ring. It wasn’t the regular old nervousness because she had to stand in front of hundreds of people. She’d worked past those years ago by now. She was genuinely concerned for her own welfare and the welfare of her kittens. Five of her cats were let out into the ring after her; Solomon, Sheila, Scar and two tigers by the name of Lee and Tang. There were a lot of impressed and approving noises among the audience as they saw Solomon. The props that had been prepared for her were a number of rings, beams to balance on and furniture. She held her whip in her hands, prepared and worried that she may have to use it on any one of them. The cats began to wander around the ring, glaring at the audience, clawing on the wooden furniture or playing with each other. Claire had taught them to control their play fighting in the ring, as normally they could trade serious blows and appear real frightening. To the audience it must appear as if the cats acted like they wanted too, not like Claire had taught them too. She had full control of the situation, but she wanted the onlookers to believe she had none to begin with. Solomon roared at the audience, then jumped up on the beam at the edge of the ring closest to them. He snarled at them, and Claire grinned on the inside. It would be bad press if she showed such an expression outwards when a wild animal was supposedly about to attack the audience. She let the whip sound against the ground, and Solomon turned his attention towards her. He leapt off the beam towards her, but Claire stepped aside as he was about to crash into her. She let the whip resound through the air again. “Down.” She said to Solomon, stretching out her hand towards his face. At first he snarled and growled, which raised her nervousness when he kept at it longer than he should, but eventually he gave in and lay down on the ground. Claire petted him and scratched him behind the ear. She smiled. The rest of the act went by as it should without a hitch. She tamed each of the cats before having them do their tricks with the rings and the beams. Those kittens that were not part of the current tricks moved around the ring in a circle, sometimes stopping to sit down and glare at the audience. The final trick to finish her act included setting fire to a couple of the rings, then having Solomon and Sheila jump through them one by one, and together. Claire got the torch to light fire to the rings while everyone observed her. Solomon and Sheila paid special attention at this part. “I hope the two-legged lion made sure the rings are larger this time. My fur smelled of smoke for days last time we did this.” Claire turned in the direction of the voice, but found Sheila and Solomon sitting there. She was about to finish lighting the fire, when she heard the growls and noises Solomon always made in a whole new way. “Two-legs has my trust and respect. You’re cranky.” Solomon said. She was surprised, but at the same time strangely overjoyed. Claire checked if anyone else had noticed the tiger and the panther speaking, but no, no one had. She heard someone humming a tune loudly, and turned to find it was Scar. “Come on, Four-legs, jump the damn ring to get your well-deserved rest and food.” Claire said to them. It was obvious that they were as surprised as she was that she could suddenly understand and speak with them. The audience didn’t know what to think when the lion tamer herself began to growl, snarl and mutter incoherently. All five of them jumped the fire rings after her promise of food and rest. The trick had never been trained with more than two at a time, but they did it so well she almost suspected they had trained without her. Claire bowed to the audience, then she lead her animals into their cages and skipped out of the big top, grinning from ear to ear. She realized that this was messed up and another sign of today’s freak show, but right then she was happy that she had gotten one chance in her life to communicate with her kittens on this level. She asked around for Kate until she found where she was. It had been a great day for Claire, but not for everyone. “How are you two holding up?” She asked with a highly inappropriate grin.

[The Kraken]

Kate and Elijah shuffled back stage, each of them trying to resist from going into shock after what had just happened. Kate was attached at Eli's hip, but the doctor who had arrived soon split them apart. She pushed her way through the people, making sure she kept an eye on him all the way to an area that was marked off for this very instance. Kate nearly shoved a knife in the doctor's neck when he tried to tell her that she would have to wait outside of the curtains while he assessed Elijah, refusing to let him out of her sight after what just happened. The doctor agreed only after she threatened to strap him to a board and use him as target practice herself. The doctor looked Eli over, noticing the blood splatter that covered his entire torso, as well as Kate's hands. But, finding nothing medically wrong with him, he eyed them both suspiciously. "Is this some trick? I am here for real emergencies, not as a continuation of your little illusion." He scribbled on a piece of paper and pulled back the curtain of the makeshift room to let them both out. "I give you approval for making the incident so realistic, however. You had me convinced with the blood." Kate and Elijah both tried to explain that the blood was real, as well as what they claimed had happened, but the doctor simply waved them off and returned to his station should he be needed for a real accident. Elijah walked away with a hand on his neck where the knife had pierced his flesh. He remained silent, and Kate followed him to a pair of chairs that sat at the edge of the backstage, looking on to the show ring. "Eli?" Kate frowned and looked at her friend, "Are you alright?" Elijah remained silent for another moment, staring out on at whatever act was currently on. He didn't look at her as he spoke, his voice low and unchanging. "You hit me. Your knife pierced my neck. I felt the blood gushing out of me and my vision blurred." He exhaled and looked down at his feet. "And then nothing. The bleeding stopped, I could see clearly, the wound was gone." He looked at her now with glossy eyes, "How?" Kate swallowed hard, knowing that the most damaging part was that she had told him that everything would be okay, and then it wasn't. Her brow furrowed as she looked at him. "Eli, I've no idea what just happened. But please, I beg you, believe me when I say that that knife was not on a path towards you. I am sure of that." Her eyes were pleading him to forgive her, fearful that she had lost his trust for good. Eli sighed again, and remained quiet as he looked at her. Finally, he blinked and nodded slowly. "I believe you. Honestly, the most unbelievable part of the whole bit was that you hit me in the first place." A small smile was restored on his face and he patted Kate on the knee. "But..." his face drew a curious mask, "something odd is going on here..." The two of them watched the other acts as the show continued as it should. As they watched, they began to noticed peculiar differences in this show from any other... minor things that seemed to alter the acts to make them more appealing to the crowds. When it was Claire's turn to perform, Kate watched on curiously, but a hint of nervousness gnawed at her as well. Strangely enough, her performance seemed to go on as planned, that is until she heard something odd. Kate had to blink a few times and scan the ring to make sure her brain was not hearing things. It appeared as though Claire had just... roared? Not like she usually did, a poor human attempt to speak the big cat language. This one sounded astoundingly real. After her act, Claire found Kate and Elijah where they had been watching. She was overly chipper, with a pep in her step, considering the recent circumstances. "Well, we're shaken up." Kate said with a weak smile. "But alive!" Eli butted in with a grin, as he was trying to see the brighter side of the situation himself. Kate raised an eyebrow but said nothing to him, looking back to Claire. "So, uh... when did you learn to speak, oh how do you say... lion? Tiger? Animal?" Kate blinked a few times and stared at her friend, sincerely wanting an explanation for what she had witnessed moments ago. "Something strange is going on here," Eli agreed, nodding his head. He was baffled at the traumatic event that had occurred to him, but more suspicious than anything at the strange events occurring. It definitely was different than anything that had happened during a show before, and it made them all curious.

[Engel]

Claire smiled at him when Eli grinned. At least he was not too traumatized by the horrible event that he had gone through, or maybe he was good at hiding it. She noticed how Kate reacted to his grin, so she figured it was likely the latter of the two. “I’m glad you’re both alive.” Claire said, with a guilty expression. “Despite what I said earlier today that it would be fun to see you hit him, it wasn’t as funny as I’d imagined.” “Oh, isn’t it so wonderful, Kate.” She exclaimed when Kate mentioned what had happened during Claire’s performance. “I could understand Solomon, and Sheila and Scar. Scar has got an excellent singing voice, who knew!” Claire calmed herself down quickly when someone else approached within earshot. She didn’t want others to hear her talking about how she had spoken with her animals, because then she’d be in an asylum before long. “Ah, yes, it is indeed strange.” She grinned excitedly at Kate with her whole face, when she was sure no one else was looking, but hid the expression as fast as it had appeared. Elena had changed the order of the performances so that she was last. Well, next to last if you counted the part where everyone was supposed to enter the ring together, take a bow and perform some basic tricks. The show had been somewhat unforgettable already with some of the illusions and magic she had exerted upon the acts. Now it was her turn though, and she would be damned if she let her underlings upstage her. No, she had a special surprise at the end, not to mention that the act she had prepared for this show was different than anything she had planned previously. She entered the ring once more, but she had changed clothes since when she had introduced them in the beginning. Elena was wearing a rather nomadic getup, with pearls, braids and a fur coat. She had visible tattoos and jewellery made of bone. It was more fitting for her personality and her act than the black suit and top she had worn when doing the introduction. Elena began with some minor albeit extraordinary effects, like setting fire to a napkin and freezing the fire itself, planting a seed and having it grow into a bush in front of everyone, swallowing a hissing snake and then pulling it out of her arm. These all got the audience’s attention like nothing else had that night or maybe in their entire lives. She felt smug and showed it with a confident posture. “For my next trick, I will have two assistants.” Elena said. Two young boys that worked at the circus doing a number of different chores walked into the ring to join the magician. She put the boys into two separate boxes, that only showed their heads and their feet, which she locked. Elena picked up a saw and held it so that the audience could see it. She began to saw through one of the boxes. At first, it was like any other instance when she had performed the trick, but soon the boy in the box was screaming in pain and crying. There was blood dripping out of the box, forming a puddle on the ground. Elena kept at it until she had sawed the box in half. The boy had gone mad by then, and his friend in the other box was clearly afraid when Elena stepped up to saw his box in half. The same thing happened with the second boy, he screamed in pain, and blood stained the ground beneath the box. When Elena had finished sawing the boxes in half, the four of them began to move around in a circle before they stopped. The boys had been wearing different shoes, so it was easy to see that it was not their original boxes that had paired up together. However, Elena went through with the act of putting them together, changing their bodies into new forms that combined the two original ones. She opened up the boxes to reveal that the halves of the bodies had indeed been switched. The audience had mixed reactions to this. There were a few who threw up, thinking the illusion was way too real. There were those who were appalled. The majority of them cheered, whistled and clapped frantically though. The first boy passed out, and had to be carried away. The second one ran away screaming as if death itself was giving chase. Elena bowed. She pulled out the book that had helped her improved tonight’s show from within her coat, opened it up and read the passage she had been trying to pronounce right earlier that day. Her voice turned into chanting, taking a much darker tone than usual and spouted utter gibberish to anyone listening. Unfortunately, she didn’t get it quite right this time either. Instead, she sounded as if she’d been possessed by a demon while chanting and a number of shadows began to manifest themselves around Elena. She forced the book to close with pure willpower, but it was too late to contain the shadows. They dispersed into the audience and disappeared out of the big top. She got a pale expression on her face, fearing whatever she had unleashed as she had honestly no idea what they had been. Thankfully, the audience thought it was another illusion. Londoners weren’t particularly bright. Elena could finish her act, pretending that everything had gone as planned. Everyone entered the ring to take a bow to the audience and finish as they always did. The show ended without any further complications.

[The Kraken]

Kathryn stared blankly at her friend, she understood her unconditional love for her creatures, but she was a bit too... overjoyed with the fact that she literally heard animals talk. Not to mention she roared as if a tigress was trapped within her diaphragm and had been unleashed unto the sound waves. "Wonderful...? Perhaps." She smiled a bit and shrugged her shoulders, "But I think bizarre was the word I was looking for." She laughed a bit, unable to squander her best friends happiness, although the source of the euphoria was something quite peculiar. Elijah was also donning a small smile, trying to suppress the panic that was threatening to erupt from the inside out and consume him into madness. Although he hid it well, he was quite frightened over the whole incident. He couldn't help but think something was going on behind the scenes, some outside force affecting the show and those in it. His train of thought was interrupted though when Elena stepped out to do her act. Just as they had all the others, Kate and Eli watched their ring master during her act as she closed off their show. The first thing that Eli noticed was that Elena now carried herself with a different air about her, one that seemed more determined and mighty than usual. He found that strange, although she usually held a power of authority and confidence. Kate looked on with her two friends, looking on out to the main ring and expecting a routine that was similar to all the ones she had seen before. Elena was quite the magician, very good at illusions and tricks. But of course, they were all just that: tricks. That is, until their leader began to do extraordinary things. This act was unlike any other she had done before. Kate's jaw hung open in awe and she looked to Claire, "I've never seen her do such things. This is incredible." She and her friends continued watching. It was no surprise that Elena was able to pull off such feats, it was just quite the change from her regular performance. When it came time for the last act, two young men who worked odd jobs around the circus were called out to assist in a feat. "Oh, this must be that trick where she pretends to cut them in half and then-" Elijah's words were cut off as the first boy began to scream in pain, blood pooling around his feet. Kate gasped and put a hand over her mouth, the blood seemed so real. "Th-that must just be a balloon of fake bl-blood..." Eli stuttered as Elena moved to the second boy and did the same. As the boxes floated around, it made him dizzy in combination with the blood. When the boxes arrived in the wrong pairs, each held their breath for just a moment. Kate had to look away after the first boy fell limp and the second ran away with terror in his eyes. Her heart was thumping against her chest, but her attention was drawn back to the ring when she heard a frightening tone coming from Elena as she began to chant. Another terrifying illusion out of the way and the show was over. When the three walked out together to join hands and take a bow, the tension could be felt in not only Kate's but Elijah's body, though they each held their posture to hide it. They each tentatively bowed, did their send-off tricks, and then took their leave. Kate walked backstage, seeing that her friends were in tow. When she reached an area outside of the tent and checked to make sure there was no one within ear shot, she looked at Claire and Elijah. "What the hell was that?" Her face showed her distress and concern, maybe she was over reacting, but she felt like it was all too convenient to just be a coincidence.

[Engel]

Claire’s mood was dampened a bit when Kate said she thought it was bizarre. She could understand where she was coming from, but it was great too…right? She had wanted to fully understand her kittens for as long as she could remember. She understood most of their body language, but there were moments when they would do something she did not entirely grasp the meaning of. Maybe the bizarre part was not that she had understood them, but that they had appeared to only her as if they were speaking her language and she had spoken to them in turn. Elena entered the ring eventually, and Claire remained with Kate while their boss carried out her own act. “Oh, so that is incredible, but when I talk to my cats it is bizarre.” Claire huffed and muttered to herself. "Double standards.” Kate was right that Elena’s act was incredible though, but Claire’s had been great too. She hoped so at least. It had been for her, so maybe she should not care so much what the others thought. It was rare to be satisfied with your own act, but she felt like she was this time. Claire had to watch as Elena cut the two boys in half, blood pooling on the ground and screams filling the big top. She was too taken by what was happening in front of her eyes to simply look away. Her stomach threatened to turn inside out and make her throw up as that part of Elena’s act came to a conclusion, with the two boys being combined into two new forms. “Were you using fake blood as well then, Elijah?” Claire asked. Her jaw dropped as Elena began to chant and summon shadows around her. Maybe that could explain the strange occurrences taking place, but Claire thought that would be the really bizarre event here if it was all caused by the devil himself. No, that could not be. Besides, she would rather not believe in what the Christians claimed to be the truth. She had travelled the world too much for that. The shadows dispersed into the audience who still thought everything tonight were extravagant illusions. Claire wished she could think that too. She held Kate’s hand tightly when they had to walk out into the ring, and join Elena, who now seemed a lot less like a lioness and a lot more like some kind of monster. She squeezed her hand a couple of times too, but let go when they each had to do their finishing tricks. Solomon joined Claire and she felt a bit more at ease after that. Claire went with Kate and Elijah to the outside of the big top, with Solomon walking quietly and obediently right next to her side. She raised an eyebrow at Kate’s outburst. “What, you mean the bizarre illusions?” Claire joked, then laughed half-heartedly while looking over her shoulder, worrying that there were more of those “illusions” waiting for them in the dark. “I don’t think it was anything coming from hell like you claim, Kate.” She laughed again, shrugging her shoulders. “Maybe it was just something in the food that we ate which made us imagine it all, right? Right!?” She had sounded more panicked repeating that word than she had intended. Claire didn’t want to think about the implications of what was going on. She hoped that Elena was not truly as much of a monster as she had demonstrated tonight. One night was enough for this. She could understand wanting to attract a crowd for their stay in London, but this was pushing the limit of what was acceptable. Surely, some of the performers might consider leaving the circus and joining another one if this went on? Claire didn’t want to leave, not without her cats at least. “Maybe we should all get some rest and hope it doesn’t repeat itself…”

[The Kraken]

Kate eyed Claire when she laughed at her concern, but realized she was probably overreacting and she sighed. Elijah shook his head and added to the conversation, "I don't know that those were illusions, ladies. Those weren't blood bags we were using in our act, and I have a terrible feeling that they weren't in that last one either." He shook his head, but held his tongue for any further comments. "Right well, let's not worry over it now. As Claire said, maybe we all just need some rest..." Kate rubbed the back of her neck and closed her eyes for a moment. They opened again and danced between each of her friends, "I'll take my leave then. Good night, don't let the ghosties bite." She gave a weary smile before headed away towards her wagon. Elijah nodded and looked to Claire and Solomon, "If I were you, I'd keep that guy close." He waved as he walked away, weaving his way through the various tents and carts that occupied the grounds. He kept his head low, looking at his shoes as he shuffled towards his own keep. From the corner of his eye, he could almost swear he saw a dark figure dancing between the tents. "No need to worry, Elijah... it's just your own shadow." He muttered to himself. He arrived at his wagon and stepped up inside, closing the door and locking it after him. Lighting the lantern that sat on a shelf near his bed, he undressed into bed garments and climbed into his cot. The nervousness consumed him, but he fell to slumber. However, his sleep was disturbed as he tossed and turned, the horrifying event that took place that evening replayed in his dreams, devouring his rest in nightmares. Kate had made it to her own room, but she had not failed to glance over her shoulder numerous times. The grounds were still quite a busy place, with some of the performers opting to celebrate the show with alcohol and social encounters. She ignored the sounds of people outside and allowed her body to relax after she crawled into her bed. She was unable to sleep, however, and she spent the next few hours tossing and turning. She could not put it past her, all that had happened was far too concerning. For some, like Claire, the experience had been an enjoyable one. But all Kate could think about was how a knife, thrown by her own hand, had pierced her best friends neck. The threat of him bleeding out right in front of her was all too real, and it sent a shiver down her spine. She tossed over in her bed and closed her eyes, begging for sleep to aide her in rest. She was finally met with darkness, and she slept through the night uninterrupted. When the sun peaked through her shutters the next morning, she did not wake. Her mind was far too exhausted to be disturbed by the sun's calling at her window. Instead, she remained where she were, tangled in her covers.

[Engel]

And just like that, Claire had somehow talked both Kate and Elijah into going to bed. Well, if they wanted to turn in early that was up to them. It was boring to say the least, but she wouldn’t let it get her down. Not that she cared much for Elijah, but she wondered why Kate was so dismissive of her since she talked had with her cats. She headed towards where some of the other members of the circus could be heard, chatting, laughing and drinking. Solomon followed as if he was a well-trained dog, not a three hundred kilo heavy tiger. “Gimme some of that.” She said to a woman with tattoos all over, pointing at the bottle in her hand. Claire knew her name. She couldn’t remember it right then though. The woman handed her the bottle with a laugh, after drinking some more of it first. Claire drank what was left to calm her nerves and become more sociable. She had socialized with the performers and crew members often after successful shows. The alcohol made her more interested in interacting with other humans. She passed the first half-hour with them by listening to them speak and joining in with the laughter. As she got more booze into her system, she began to inject her own voice into the conversation and joke with them. The evening turned into night in their company. Solomon was as welcome as Claire among them, even more so almost. At first he enjoyed being the centre of attention and having people pet him, but soon he retreated to lie down behind Claire and take a nap. Elena joined them at some point. There was an awkward mood when she did. Some of them didn’t feel like joking as much, which was probably because they had told jokes at her expense. Claire couldn’t help but notice that Elena behaved a lot less confidently than she had during her act or even compared to her normal self. Elena left before long, likely realizing that she wasn’t entirely welcome among them. Claire remained seated, but soon began to yawn and doze off. She was prevented from falling asleep in the spot by Solomon who kept pushing at her with his nose or his paw. It was getting on her nerves, so she gave in to the tiger and got up on her feet to find a better place to sleep. Claire mumbled her drunken farewells to the few of the group who were still socializing, and then she stumbled away from them towards the cages of her big cats. She was too drunk to feel particularly frightened of the dark or what may be hiding in it. The night was beginning to turn into very early morning as well, so the grey light was slowly replacing the darkness. Claire let Solomon into his cage and was about to head off to her own wagon, but figured there was no need for that. It wasn’t like the movements in the shadows she thought she had seen scared her or anything, but she would be more comfortable sleeping with her big boy. Claire reopened the door to Solomon’s cage, climbed inside and double checked that she had locked it after her. Finally, she laid down next to Solomon in the hay, who put his paw over her protectively and she felt a lot more secure.

[The Kraken]

Later into the morning, Kathryn finally stirred. Her body was well rested, but her mind was still weary. Rolling over to face her window, she squinted and tried to judge the time based on the amount of light flooding her living space. "Bloody hell... it's nearly ten." She muttered to herself, but then turned over and shoved her head back into her pillow. A knock at her door caught her attention, and she groaned. "Who is it?" She held her head up, eyes targeted at her door, but there was no answer. She grumbled and sat up in her bed, yelling this time, "Oi, I said who is it?" There was still no answer, but a steady rapping at her door. Frustrated with the mute who was summoning her, she walked to her door and pulled it open part ways, keeping her body behind the wooden frame because she was not properly clothed. "Alright, listen here you-" She poked her head out the door, but there was no one there. Her head stretched further out the door while she tried to glance around and catch whomever had been calling at her doorstep. But alas, there was no one to be seen around her wagon. She closed the door and scratched her head while she yawned. "I swear, I'm gonna kill those two." she murmured to herself, speaking aloud the thought that she believed either Elijah or Claire were teasing her. A flame was lit beneath a pot and the sound of water rolling in a boil filled her room as she got dressed. She made her tea, and sipped on it, allowing the caffeine to brighten her mood and wake her up. When she was satisfied that she wasn't going to pass back out, she put on her shoes and exited her wagon. Kate looked to the left, then to the right. Claire's wagon was to the left, and Elijah's towards the right. She weighed her options, but figured Claire was held up with Solomon anyways. So, she opted for Elijah's keep. She knocked on the door, not resting her fist until he answered. His hair was wild as the animals in the cages down the row, and his eyes were bloodshot and he looked like death itself had paid a visit. "Well, that eliminates one of my suspects." Kate smirked, but Elijah's expression did not change from the flat face which he answered her knocking with. "Uh, you alright there mate?" Kate frowned, and Elijah shook his head. He scratched his scruff and rubbed his hands over his face before looking back at Kate. "I'll be fine, Katie. I just need a bit to wake up. I'll be out later." He smiled weakly and tiredly, but did not give her another chance to speak as he closed he door. From the other side of the door he sighed and looked around. The night had not been good to him, and he felt it. But, he had things to do and he knew he had to get around to it. Kate stood there for a moment and blinked, surprised at her friend's reaction. Well, no use in dwelling on it. She turned on her heel and headed towards the big cat enclosures to accuse Claire of disturbing her and then running off. She arrived at Solomon's cage and saw the tiger protectively lying next to an apparently sleeping Claire. "Alright, nice try. I know you aren't asleep, good effort though." Kate laughed lightly, "Now, how about an explanation for running off this morning, huh?" She crossed her arms and waited for Claire to answer her, though it seemed she was trying to keep appearances up by not making a movement.

[Engel]

Claire tossed and turned in her drunken state, disturbing Solomon with her movements, but thankfully he was a nocturnal creature so it wasn’t like he was going to sleep much anyway during the night. He slept a fair bit either way since he loved to sleep like most of her kittens did. She dreamt surprisingly pleasant dreams when she did fall asleep. Claire talked with her big cats, learned their language permanently and went on adventures with them. There were other people featured in the dream, like Kate, Elena and a few other members of the circus, but they were in the background compared to the animals. Elena appeared as an evil witch at one point. The sound of someone shouting at her was an abrupt wake up call. “Oh my god.” Claire cried, and put her arms over her head. “Why would you scream at me in the morning when I have a hangover?” She could feel her head pounding pretty badly by then. The words that Kate had spoken sounded louder than usual, so she had to assume they were shouted. It wasn’t just the words Kate spoke either, everything was louder than usual, even Solomon’s breathing was getting to her. Claire had no idea how long she had slept, or if she had been given a chance to sleep at all before Kate was on her case again. She had dreamt at least. She wanted to yell at her friend to go away and leave her alone. It would not be the first time they had fought, because everyone fights every now and then, no matter how great their relationship may be regularly. “Solomon, attack…” Claire muttered against his fur, and was rolled over on her stomach when the white tiger got up on all four. He moved lazily over to where Kate was standing outside the cage, put his arm through the bars and tried to hit her with his paw. The whole action was done with such indifference that it was clear he was just following the words of his trainer with no real hatred or commitment behind the supposed attack. He tried to reach Kate a couple more times before giving up, sitting down and cleaning himself with his tongue. Claire had mostly trained him with that command in case she would need him in an emergency, like a guard dog, but no one else needed to know about it so she had told no one else yet. If anything, she had planned to explain it away by saying she was going to incorporate coordinated play-fighting between her big cats in one of her future shows. Solomon was a bit too tame to attack those he knew with any real strength though. “Yeah, that will teach you to bother me in the morning.” Claire mumbled to herself, while keeping her arms over her eyes to block out the blinding light. “You are lucky he is locked inside a cage. Who knows what such a wild beast would be to a human otherwise.”

[The Kraken]

When the giant tiger stood up at the command to attack, Kate's eyes grew wide and she took a step back from the cage. "Jesus Christ," she had no idea what to expect from the big cat, considering his loyalty to Claire. Much to her relief, he took the order with as little enthusiasm as possible and returned to grooming himself within his enclosure. "What ever will I do if that over-sized house cat decides to purr me to death..." Crossing her arms again, Kate's stare bore into Claire, challenging her to look up. It was obvious that she was well into the consequences that a night of liquor will punish you with, but the way Kate saw it, it was her own fault. "You look like hell," her head shook disapprovingly and she sighed. "Serves you right for drinking the night away." It wasn't uncommon for them to bicker over the topic of alcohol. Kate knew how to drink and have fun, she wasn't a stiff by any means. However, she believed in self control. The minuscule amount of her childhood that she could remember was spent in an orphanage, one that for the most part didn't take too kindly to the children there. And from what Kate could remember, whiskey had quite a bit to do with that fact. That's why she and Claire had decided to run away. It was hard leaving the few that were kind and caring at the home, but not worth living through more of the misery to stay with them. They found solace here with the circus, and so they remained. Kate had just never picked up drinking like the others seemed to have, to her it was more amusing to watch the drunken ones stumble in a stupor than to be one of them herself. Claire was still covering her face and avoiding the inevitable, so Kate simply exhaled and closed her eyes for a moment. "Very well, I'll leave you to suffer. No use in making your misery any worse with my presence." Walking away from the cage, she headed to the commons tent in search of a meal. She hadn't eaten after the show, and her stomach was beginning to call to her for sustenance. She entered the tent and found that there were several items out for the circus workers and such. They did not cook them breakfast, rather the cooks prepared tea and coffee and left pastries and dry cereals out for pecking. Kate grabbed a cup of coffee and a scone, then found a place to sit within the tent. Elijah had finally gotten around to cleaning himself up a bit, but his face still showed his utter exhaustion. Walking to the commons area, he hoped a cup of caffeine would aid him. Kate was spotted at a table not far from the entrance, so he took his beverage over and sat with her and a few other circus workers who were all making small talk over biscuits. Kate perked up when she saw Eli sit down, though he still looked rough. "You feeling any better? You still look a bit unwell." Shrugging his shoulders as he sat down, he took a sip of his coffee and then looked at Kate with tired eyes. "I'll be fine. Rough night," he held up his cup and smiled, "This should get me going though." It was a night filled with nightmares and little sleep, but he had suffered tough nights before and he could do it again. He sipped his drink and contributed to the small talk with Kate and the others as they casually ate their breakfast.