Nate and Nalia watched Ty walk off, the two of them standing in silence with their own thoughts. Such a strange world they had been dumped into, and as they struggled with their own thoughts they unconsciously stood closer together. 

For Nalia it was a new beginning; a way out of her own life, a chance to leave the people she hated behind, and possibly a chance to do what she always wanted. She hadn’t counted on that when she stormed into Mr. Seil’s tent. She had been only concerned about protecting her brother. Doing so had opened more doors for her and Nate than she thought possible but it had also tied her to a life that would test her morality in a way she couldn’t comprehend at this moment. For Nate it was nothing more than an obligation and a chance to give his mother her life back. He would work hard, study, learn, do what was required of him without letting it affect him, and then be on his way. He understood the darker side of what he had been roped into but he didn’t see what this would offer him. He too would find his morality tested. 

That would be in the future however, now the siblings had some talking to do. Nalia smiled at her brother and he her and they entered their little wagon. Nalia had the same opinion as Nate regarding the sterility of the place. Decorating would be first thing on the agenda tomorrow, a place like this made her want to pull her hair out. For now it would have to work however, they had more important things to deal with. 

“Whadaya think Lia?” asked Nate as he flopped on the small chair in the little room that served as their common area.

Nalia looked around and finally settled on sitting cross legged on the floor. 

“Don’t know Nate” she said softly “we can do this. We don’t have a choice.” She looked at her brother, her gray eyes meeting his vivid blue. “But its gonna be pretty weird. So what do we need to know?” She asked the question knowing Nate was already ready to tell her what he had learned. He had not only listened to what Ty said but also what she did not say. Nalia never told her brother but his perceptiveness was damn scary sometimes. She hated that her parents kept him down, tied to the house.

Nate smiled, closed his eyes, and began to recite to Nalia what he had learned in their very short time at the carnival. For her part Nalia listened intently. She always understood Nate better than any of her teachers, better than her parents, or almost anyone else she had ever met. He had a way of putting things that she understood. 

When he got to his worries about finding an act for himself he opened his eyes. 

“I don’t know what I’m going to do Lia” he said softly “I don’t have any real skills like you do. And, well, we are you know, human. Lia, I think there aren’t many other humans working here.”

Nalia nodded. That much she had figured out. She too was worried about her brother but for reasons other than his act. She had no doubt he could find something to do. He was too smart to be stymied for long. 

“We will figure out something Nate.”

“Show no weakness unless it is to lure your enemy into a sense of false security” he said absently.

Nalia looked surprised. 

“Nate?” she asked softly. 

“What I mean Lia is we have to be pretty strong here, that’s never been your problem anyway. If we let them push us around like with the bullies back home they will never stop.”

And so their conversation for that night ended, and Nalia went to her room. Nate however remained where he was, thinking, letting the dark melancholy thoughts swim in his mind as he studied nothing in particular. He would ask for a wei-chi board as soon as possible. He needed the practice and it would help clear his mind. He always thought better when he was focused. Wei-Chi was his meditation though he didn’t call it that and would have been scandalized if someone had suggested it. He wasn’t a floofy person to get all pointlessly “spiritual” and “zen.” 

Finally abandoning the idea of resting, he was now more alert than he had been earlier, he rose and left the tent. Without conscious thought he kept to the shadows. The only way he got out at home was to sneak out, and sometimes that involved a lot of hiding. He was actually not bad at it. He was no great stalker, but he was quiet and moved gracefully so that he didn’t draw attention to himself. Even if one knew he was there he wasn’t very noticeable. 

He heard the ruckus before he ever saw it and curiosity prompted him to quickly climb a nearby tree. He had said Nalia was good at climbing trees. He hadn’t mentioned he was much better. Up a tree was a great way to hide from a bully, and he was bullied most of his life whenever he went out. Climbing was second nature for him. 

He saw the tableau unfold below him, his vivid blue eyes watching everything. He recognized only Ty though a few other’s he remembered from Ty’s little “blurb” as their names were revealed. He was somewhat surprised that Ty recommend Andracos for magical training, from what Nate could see of the man, admittedly his angle was a little skewed, he was a bit…intense. But more than that his manner of speaking would drive him insane before one day was out. The same could be said for the dark arrogant angel, for that is how he saw Ceici, and for the little androgynous chinaman. Talk about a bag of mixed characters. No wonder the carnival did so well, financially. Few others could claim such a wide variety of players. 

Nate watched in silence trying to learn what he could about those he was thrown together with. He held no fear, only studious interest. He formed several opinions of those below as he watched, and formed even more questions about his fellow workers. When the tension below seemed to be siphoning off, resolving itself in some way or another, Nate slipped back down from his perch. He had thought to go join Ty, the one person he knew and was in mild awe of, but something held him back. He nervously danced a small pebble across his fingers as he watched the others. He was too shy to introduce himself and too interested in the others to simply walk away.