[b]Lao.[/b]

Andracos' face said it all which only gained a sickly sweet smile that radiated gratitude despite the rather clear knowledge that should Andracos' not have Rosalina behind him he'd probably throttle the china man for his 'treats'. [i]"Aren't you a peach."[/i] He purred to Andracos before popping one of the sweets into the darling angel's mouth with a soft smile. When eventually Ty and the angel departed andh e was permitted to come with he gave a sweeping bow and followed behind sweeping up his tea set as they neared it once again. With Andracos' denied but holding, the door the china man gave another bright, genuine smile coupled with words of thanks but refrained from any touching that may have usually accompanied his actions. There were boundaries and while he would push them at times -Andracos was just too cute [b]not[/b] to occasionally push him- he ultimately respected the way people were, only ever interfering when it seemed there would be violence or unrepairable damage if he did not. 

Once inside he followed behind the girls and once they settled into their chairs he set up his tea and treats upon the table and sat upon his heels at the floor to serve with traditional grace and fluidity when one required such. As Ty spoke he sipped upon his tea and his eyes bounced from one petite darling to the other as they conversed and Rosalina with excited and energetic motions expressed her wonder and happiness at the updates and at the friendship Ty offered. It was indeed rare for the poor sweet thing to be treated with genuine friendship rather than for an ulterior motive. It was perhaps for that reason he was so unaffected by the doll's charms, he felt pity for her most of the time, a caged bird behind gilded bars only wanted for her beauty, her purity and not for the darling creature she was. Mr. Seil obviously loved her dearly but she seemed to only lead a half life despite his undying affections. 

Of course when she smiled he felt his heart stop in his chest and he was forced to look away before her simple innocence turned him into the next Eikki or Andracos, he had no intention of using any here for his own purposes. When he was addressed he of course turned his eyes back upon the angel and received the smile heh ad tried to avoid full in the face. Internally he flinched but externally he mirrored her smile back at her, "Oh sweetness." for such was the nickname he had given her and uttered when in quiet and comfortable surroundings such as this, "I would have been a fool to turn down such an offer. I have never been one for the rough ad tumble life style." He gestured to himself with a little chuckle, "Not that I'm sure you hadn't noticed already by my figure. I much prefer the quieter life. A family should not fight in my eyes, I do not want to see any blood shed here, it would wound my heart more than any blow from Andracos."

As the girls grew weary he awaited for them to fall to slumber and then covered the angel with the fur and, with nothing more to offer Ty he slipped his own silk shirt over her, a black lycra 'muscle' shirt beneath which almost gave him the appearance of manliness, just, not quite. "Sleep well my little doves." With that he quietly let himself out, taking teapot and accessories with him. After treating his tea set in the remains of the tea and placing left over mocchi in a little bamboo basket he turned in for the night. 

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Come the morning rays filtering through his little tent the spiderling stretched and stirred, it was early but he made no delay to rise from bed and dress in the rarely seen work out garb, consisting of that lycra shirt and a pair of light cotton pants that tied closed around the waist and his black slippers. in the chilly morning air he slipped outside through dew strewn grass that glittered like crystals and gave a fresh scent to the day that he took a deep lungful of the fresh air as he stretched his hands to the sky and tried catching the sun between his fingers. People often wondered what his secret was, how he managed to keep his transformation in check and how he remained so calm. Lao thought little of his control, it was what it was, he had known no other way, his family likewise had such control over their transformation. His mind turned idly to those loved ones he had now lost as he slipped quietly with fluid grace into the first of his tai chi positions, meditation, tai chi and breathing were the keys to their families control, every morning they would, together, greet the day with gentle exercise and cleared their minds of the tumultuous thoughts that erstwise would cause a 'slip'. 

Lao of course was such a small creature that a slip would not be too problematic unless stuck as such in bird territory of course and yet it was not something he would care to do. Of course one could not choose where the carnival stopped. With the sun turning from hazy pink to a yellow and tai chi work out complete the China man turned to the woods and rolled his shoulders, there was one reason he was so calm, so content, so relaxed, when he could, when he had the choice too, he simply let go. with a last glance around him the Seamstress took a breath and with the sound of breaking and tearing quietly assaulting the silence of the day Lao's form shrunk and then disappeared until there was nought but a pile of clothes upon the floor where he had once stood. 

Legs, bristly and in hues of black and gold shuffled silently out of the cloth and with a sway of body the tiny spider leaped from his clothes onto the bark of a tree, the tiny hooks on his feet gripped onto the bark and he silently scurried up into the branches, leaping from one tree limp to another. It was so freeing to simply let go, there was little to think about but the next jump and the shadows that filtered through the leaves, avoiding birds or native spiders. He felt the air against every strand of fur upon his body and his half a dozen little black eyes could see so much more of the world than his human eyes could perceive. A sparrows shadow darted across his vision and as the bid descended the spider jumped free of snapping beak, landing on the yellow brown beak before springing free and leaping across to a nearby tree, disappearing into the green foliage much to the birds chagrin. 

usually such jaunts would end how they began, back by his pile of clothes with no more incident than the odd bird attack or accidental misstep but today something caught his attention and drove it from the usual feral nature that his mind was permitted to descend too. A shadow, larger than a bird, cat or dog crossed his path and the spider stayed deadly still among the bark. A familiar face seemed to come into distorted view and spider eyes took more than a moment to adjust enough to figure out who it was. Pachid, such a confusing person but nether the less a soothing influence to be around and predictable in a sense, he seemed to be making his way back to the carnival and so Lao unfurled eight limbs and slipped from the crack in the bark he'd slid into. A noise seemed to catch his attention though and a vibration followed that caused Lao to pause as well, usually he ignored such vibrations a fight among animals was not uncommon and such a small creature was likely to simply be crushed. However Pachid was hesitating, a grin curled Lao's features internally, such a kind hearted soul at heart and yet few would get to see what he himself was. The fight between morality and reason lao was pretty sure which would win out for when the chips fell few were so cold hearted that they would ignore morality and while perhaps slovenly Pachid was not cold.

When his assumption proved to be correct the spider waited for Pachid to pass close by the tree and he slipped around the bark and with a leap landed quietly and almost weightlessly on Pachid's shoulder, scurrying up close to his collarbone between his neck and shoulder join. With luck Pachid would either not notice him or not immediately go to swat him, such was often the problem when a spider, there was little but the look of little black eyes that gave Lao away as Lao, except perhaps his scent, the soft scent of herbs and spices used in his tea making and a softer scent of jasmine that was used as wash for his hair. if needs be Lao would jump free of the hand that would swat but Lao assumed the illustrious Mr. Seil would not like for any to travel alone right now and while he doubted he could be of any use should something happen he could at least prove a distraction or act as eyes with which to see the events to come.

[b]Imalia[/b]

Once Eikki was gone the siren was left alone in the darkness and solitude of her tent, it was unexpected to say he least and she ran her tongue over her lower lip to savour the flavour left there by the mermaid. Well he was certainly far different from what she imagined him to be, he had always struck her as upstanding, chivalrous, one of those men that wouldn't really associate let alone 'play' with a woman like her. She had thought he would be an interesting toy, something to play with until he broke and there was nothing but a wild lustful beast in the place of the gentile folk and yet there he was proving he could be as bad and wicked as she herself was. It was refreshing for a whole different reason than her original assessment, he would be fun for a whole new reason, where she was going to chase his innocence and tear it asunder she was now going to test the depths of his depravity.

[i]Just not tonight.[/i]

Tonight there were other plans and once the tent flaps grew still and even the hum of the most nocturnal soul was quieted the siren swam to the surface of her waters and slipped first one and then the other hand to the top of her tank. Both wrists no longer bound in iron and gripping the edge of her tank. With a thrust of tail and a strain to arms she hauled herself up until she was sat upon the edge of her tank, the water running in small rivers down across her supple skin, leaving damp trails that glistened by the moonlight. She ran her fingers through her hair, squeezing the strands until no longer dripping and then she took a deep breath and allowed her own weight to pull her over the edge of the tank. 

One who was not trained in such would see the siren fall and hit the ground though those in the know would see she performed a rather clever break fall just as she hit the soft dirt in her tent. There she laid, none the less a little dazed with tail swaying in the chill air that blew across her body and caused her to shiver with a casual smile, the cold was invigorating and she did enjoy it so. With her hands sliding beneath her head and hair she waited, her tail swaying until fins and scales grew dry and began to lift. It was not a pleasant process and it rather hurt in fact though one would be hard pressed to believe such by Imalia's own serene face, it hurt but Imalia had things to look forward to. 

Eventually tail seemed to split, the scales falling away and soft, pale skin awaited beneath. Unsteadily she got her hands beneath her, her fingers gripping the soft dirt, the grass soft and cool against her fingers, now devoid of the webbing that had been there prior. Like a newborn foal she tried several times in vain to get dainty feet beneath her only to fall once again with a huff of air and the determination to try again. It was inevitable that she finally got to her feet and when she did, unsteady as a babe she tottered first one way then the other, gripping to her tank or the canvas of her tent for the support they offered. every step caused a wince, every motion hurt from the hips down to her feet, it burned like fire coral or like glass, it was a pain she had to suffer every single time she grew her legs and there were only certain times she'd ever do such a thing. humans tended to get greedy and...grabby, when they realised she was capable of having 'human parts', further there were those that would mock or dare say called her 'cute' to see her in such a vulnerable state. She would not have such a thing. Brushing the hair from her face she gripped a wooden support pole and took a deep and silent breath. Had hunger not been her driver this night she would have never have 'risked' such a thing but to leave her hungry would be more dangerous for the carnival. 

Half staggering she reached the other side of her tank where a sign rested 'Tank cleaning in Progress'. Just in case any others deemed to visit her tonight, hanging it on a small bolt she slipped out naked and shivering into the open night air. Her first call of action was to ghost passed JaSi's tent with a whispering song before disappearing off into the dark to do who knows what to who knows who. 

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By morning though the siren rested back in her tank, her chains once more about her wrists, her tail once more luxurious with shimmering scales and delicate beautiful fins. Her hair danced within the changing waters and the sign tucked away once more where it belonged. As her strongman came in to check on her she flashed him a smile and purred through the glass to him as he spoke about his activities the night before and how he was sorry for running so late. She batted her lashes and rose slowly as he did the tank checks that were done every morning. Checking for leaks, checking the PH and salt balance and finally offering her the squid that was supposed to have been her dinner the night before. As he tossed it into her tank she offered him a present as well, breaking the surface enough to spit something out before slipping beneath the water again, hunting down her breakfast and disappearing in a flurry of her own fins. Eating was such a private affair to Imalia, it was not an attractive thing no matter how hard she tried to make it look dainty and graceful. Though a smile curved her lips as she imagined the half giant turning over the little trinket that had fallen at the floor by his feet. A golden ring with an onyx eagle setting was to be turned over and over by his chubby fingers, it was clean, not a scratch or sign of blood or a struggle, just the ring and he would, as always when such a thing happened -once every few years perhaps- be perplexed for the rest of the day.