Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by ButcherClown
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The appearance of the spiderling was unexpected, and so, frowned upon by the blond merfolk. Eikki was in no mood for children, and that one's behavior was making the anger inside of him rise dangerously. However, he had done enough for the night: no more acts of stupidity, no more trying to be the hero, no more anger or instinct. His part in that spectacle was over, and he had played the Clown all along. A single stare at the boy was enough for him to move on to someone else. If Eikki's eye could change color based on his emotions, his would be showering the vicinities with a bright red glow.

His heart being gripped torturously by fingers of darkness, the angels words hurt Eikki much more than he had antecipated. In his hunger to protect Rosalina, he had put himself in a bad position, indeed. His coral blade pressing against her was no longer, as the beautiful being flew away from him with the ease of a child running through the woods. Her words still resonated in his mind as Ty approached, and the merfolk blushed, though his blood being blue, his cheeks also flushed in a dark blue color. He immediately lowered his hand and the blade withdrew, revealing the uglyness of his limb: three fingers, thick and monstruous, made of pure coral, were at the tip of his mutated arm.

Furiously assaulted by guilt, the merfolk drew back to his human form, staring at Rosalina. He had let his feelings get the best of him, but that would not happen again. All that time, he had pointed the sword at the wrong person. Andracos was still there, happily holding Rosalina in his arms, as the poor beauty grew ever more frightened. Eikki took a couple steps forward, horrified that her look of fear might have been directed at him. His guilt was seeping through his expression, betrayed the heavy weight in his heart. "Rosalina...i am sorry. I thought...harm would befall you, and acted out of pure instinct." he said, but no more words would come out, as a knot formed in his throat. The male reached in for his cigarettes and took two steps away from Rosalina before lighting it up and taking a deep drag. He then turned to CeCi. Her words might have hit him hard, but he was not done with the angel."Take a look behind you, angel. It was not only me who took your behavior as treacherous. Don't try to play me with your words. Rosalina wasn't frightened by a mere gust of wind or blowing leaf. Mind your manners next time."

He didn't leave room for the angel to respond. Another stare at Andracos and his words were directed at Rosalina once more. "My dear angel...i do hope you go to your husband at once and tell him what has transpired here - what you saw, through your eyes and your eyes only. If there's anyone here who can judge others on their actions tonight, it is you. I am at your mercy, and so is everyone else here, dear Rosalina. I have faith in your wisdom and sense of justice." he said, took a deep bow and started walking away.

With the animal side of him still wide awake, he needed to see someone with whom his current self identified - and that would be no other than Imalia. The beautiful mermaid was, as Eikki saw it, little more than a wild animal. Still, her behavior felt familiar to him, even though Eikki had never met the fishwoman in his previous life. And he, in part, identified himself in her. That animosity, that wildness, was latent in him all along - and had just been set free. If the circumstance demanded, he would have pierced Celleci's throat without remorse, rendering the woman unconscious as the blade stopped her from getting any air. With that thought playing over and over inside his head, he made his way to Imalia.
Eikki had only seen Imalia in the distance: an animal locked up in a watery prison, she was little more than that to him. But still, he had the firm belief that no one should live in chains, and her half-human part would agree. Her behavior was just that: that of a caged being, longing for freedom. Yet Eikki knew the stories, oh he knew them very very well: sirens like Imalia were feared as terrors of the sea, dragging sailors to their doom under the waters...but oh, such beauty they posessed. Eikki thought Imalia was almost as beautiful as Rosalina herself, but a different kind of beauty, one that activated some other distant corner of his brain: a wild, untamed, animal beauty, something that attracted in a way he could not put into words, for it was the way of an animal. Perhaps lust would be the word, yet he rarely admited such things to himself, let alone to others.

His cigarette had burned out and, before entering Imalia's tent and facing her prison, the blond man took a deep breath and lit another cig, taking a drag and letting out the combination of both healthy and poisonous air. But a noise from inside the tent made him act fast. Instead of taking another drag to prepare himself, he busted inside the tent to find the poor blue-haired fairy under Imalia's grip. That sadistic smile touched him deep in a part of his personality that almost bursted out of him a couple minutes before: The Assassin, he called it. All those years killing to meet his soul quota were slowly, but surely, darkening that part of him. Instead of being cold and calculist, The Assassin was starting to grow more as a sadist than anything else. And that part smiled, a smiled filled with pure joy at that sight of Imalia's pure and devilish smile. Yet the merfolk was still in control, and his words agreed with this mindset. "Imalia!!! Release poor JeSi, now, please! What is going on here, mermaid?". The very sight of Eikki, the outcast, the unconsisting, the disappearer, should be enough to make Imalia stop doing whatever it was she was doing with the faerie, and he hoped his words would make that happen sooner rather than later.
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Of course there was to be no response.

Jassesi's dark lashes slid close over golden eyes pressed downward by dark blue furrowed brow. The familiar smile painted across her visage was lost; in its stead drooped a fully drawn pout. The sea-siren had no need for gifts nor had she any desire for company; especially from a blue-headed faerie with nothing interesting to offer other than drunken babbles and misplaced adorations. The little fae brushed at her white long-sleeved top, as if she could smooth out her failure here. Several shakes of her blue mopped head was all she could offer now before drifting to the exit and back to where she belonged.

What was she doing here in the first place? JaSi exhaled noisily and at length before golden eyes opened again and wings began to buzz into life--

Water splashed. The Fae gasped, and sullen features vanished. JaSi knew exactly what she was doing here in the first place; she wished to have a simple glimpse of the beautiful sinewy form of the water dweller. Alone would she be together with the exotic and enigmatic sea-siren with no other here to distract nor demean her, snide and snarky remarks reminding her of just how stupid the little fae was. With her own full headed thoughts, albeit one filled with drunken fancies, she supposed that since Imalia, ("'Mali" as JaSi called her) did not speak, the sea-Siren did not judge. Actually, she sought out 'Mali because she was one of but only a handful that did not voice just how air-headed the little chubby and cherub faced fairie was.

Oh but with nary a single devil-dark. harmonic syllable did the sea-Siren let Jassesi know just how stupid she was for entering the darkest abode in the darkest corner of the Carnival.

Before she could even turn around, she was dripping talons seized her and for coming here and not only did Imalia let her know just how stupid she was but just how wrong it was to come here alone in the dark and assume that Imalia welcomed her presence with open arms. Oh but how wrong was she; dead wrong.

Water, darkened and warm, dribbled down her fluffy white top and between small breast as the hand of the sea-siren clutched at her throat. What was it that made JaSi freeze in place just then? What was it that made her heart beat faster than her very multi-coloured wings? What was it then that made her tremble in the clutches of the wickedly beautiful Imalia? What was it she sought in the darkest abode in the darkest corner of the De'Seil Carnival?

Yes, fear petrified her, but it was something more... Oh, but when that warm moist breath, escaped those tempting lips and wafted into her slightly pointed ear, JaSi sighed and felt a welcome heat rise from her place of desire. Knees pressed together behind plaid skirt as she felt 'Mali's chin rest upon her shoulder, wetting her that much more. Bare breasts, so round and alluring, (alluring ones that she had always failed to not stare directly at beyond the glass walls, time and again) pressed into her gossamer wings and pinned them to her back, sending a shiver down her spine. Oh, but the little blue-headed faerie sighed a warm breath of her own as she tilted her head and rested her temple against the dripping dark burgundy hair plastered at the cheek of Imalia.

Where the sea-Siren's hand traced against her belly, water trickled and tickled. Where the sea-Siren's hand traced from one pink thigh across to the next, whispering across the fabric of her plaid skirt, more than just water trickled and tickled. JaSi gave a sharp inhale and a ragged exhale when the sea-Siren's touch finally slid away from her lap.

The light-manipulating fae was drunk, but constricting breath, the very threat of it being her last, asphyxiated by such a dark sensual touch, drove her senses beyond mere intoxication. White teeth bit a lower lip as she slowly rubbed a round rosy cheek against 'Mali's and dark lashes fluttered closed.

She had tried to give CeCi a 'look' earlier when they were alone, but CeCi had rebuked the advance. Was that why was Jassesi found her way here in the first place? Did she find what she was looking for? Is that why she failed to make even the slightest attempt to escape? A chubby hand traced the fine muscles along the length of the sea-Siren's forearm from elbow to wrist, fingertips tingling before finally resting still upon the clawed hand that clutched at her own faerie throat.

Golden eyes fluttered open and she gasped when she saw both their faces reflected right back at them in the low light. Was this the vision she saw in her mind's eye as a result of offering gifts to Imalia?

"Such a smile, 'Mali... how I could smile back at that smile for forever and a day... aye and again aye, 'Mali..."

Shining eyes popped open wide as a sobering thought pierced the intoxicating haze of lust that had seized her and held in frozen in place with a smothering force greater than her fear of Imalia. JaSi's smile faltered and dark blue eyebrows slanted away as golden eyes dulled and retreated from the heavenly sight in the mirror; 'Mali's gorgeous face pressed cheek-to-cheek with her own heart-shaped one. .

What am I doing here with such a thing such as this? Fair Celleci knows that I'm not worthy to feel mine own body against such a body as that of an lovely angel; and neither am I worthy to press mine own body against 'Malis. She does not truly desire me. Nay, she only desires that I be enthralled by an illusion; she desires that I believe the lie...

... that a fat faerie ever had a fighting chance to be desired by such beauties...


Once again JaSi found herself very frightened of the sea-Siren. And that hypnotic smile of hers in this very moment made Jasi realized just how very alone she was--

Sounds from the entrance of Imalia's lair. A quick darting glance upward and she met eyes with Eikki.

"Imalia!!! Release poor JeSi, now, please! What is going on here, mermaid?"

Oh but how Jassesi wanted to call out to Eikki! But only now did she feel the talons of the sea-Siren upon soft parts of her fleshy faerie throat. She dared not call out lest her cries stir those talons into violent action. All JaSi could do was stare at Eikki with bulging golden eyes. JaSi licked her lips and tasted the salt of Imalia's water and wondered if this is what Imalia's kiss tasted like. Then she found the courage to allow her eyes to drift back towards the female at her side and to allow her eyes with a sideways glance to take in the expression of the sea-Siren.

Jassesi was suddenly certain that a kiss from Imalia would be the faerie's final kiss. And that that kiss would not taste of merely salt water, but of blood. JaSi's own blood,

Such a smile, 'Mali...
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by cthulu
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Imalia.

Jasi was unlucky twice over, she was captured by a predator whose sole attention now resided on every heartbeat of the thing in her grasp. The fear that radiated up from the diminutive morsel was delicious unto itself but when another scent wafted to her nose from between JaSi's legs she almost laughed aloud. It was not an unusual thing to happen of course, her talent was lust and desire after all but she had yet to truly do anything to the fae, this was natural. As JaSi leaned against the Siren her whispering breath pressed to her ear she placed the mirror down and slipped webbed fingers against the plaid skirt her little morsel wore. With a soft sigh into the lobe of the fae Imalia slowed her tail until, very slowly, Imalia began to silently slip back into the water a half inch at a time, lightly pulling the morsel with her. She'd never had fae before, it would be amusing to see how long she lasted and whether she'd still be wearing that smile by the end. Slowly was the name of the game, no predator won its catch with hasty actions and sloppy performance, she had to make it so the fae simply didn't realise until it was too late. Would JaSi be missed? Perhaps but as far as the Siren knew she had fulfilled her contract and received her wish already, so it would be easy to just let them assume she'd left of her own desire. She'd deal with the wish master if he came to her, as smart as their morning star was he was still a businessman.

Before she had so much as gotten the fae back half a foot there was a noise and that noise broke what intimate little moment was about to be JaSi's last, Eikki's voice came slipping into the room like coral and the siren sighed, albeit this time out of frustration. The merman barked an order at her to let go of her prize and with a flicker of life back in her tail she rose back to their previous position so she might tilt her head as if contemplating his request. JaSi was many things but this little morsel was not very good at self-preservation, to come alone here itself was proof of that and Eikki so rarely, if ever, visited her. So all she needed to do was give JaSi a little incentive to return when the righteous mermaid was not around. Her lips pressed to the shell of JaSi's ear, up towards the tip and those chilled lips parted taking a portion into her mouth until needle like teeth were scraping flesh and they could bite down upon the soft lobe, drawing pinpricks of blood to the surface. Releasing the fae was done automatically, the arm about her waist unwound and the hand on her throat released as the teeth pulled away and a small, quiet chuckle with the harmony of the sea whispered forth into JaSi's ear.

Imalia thereafter ignored the little fae, gliding to the corner of her tank, so she was directly in line with Eikki, her clear blue gaze focused purely on him, her smile having slipped to a neutral expression and her head tilted slightly to one side with that curious expression. With her tail swaying to keep her still within the waters she lifted one hand to pull herself up and rest upon the tank's lip, the other slipped free of the watery depths, chains hissing and scratching across the tank's rim as she extended her hand and beckoned with her index finger for the merman to come closer. The hand holding her up folded carefully at the elbow, allowing her to rest there with some stability and less exertion on her fins, her body came flush to the glass, from middle of her tail upwards across taut and slender stomach and even her chest was pressed temptingly against the glass, though unlike the fae moments ago -who had felt their fullness against her back and wings- the metal seemingly conspired against the viewer, the struts supporting the glass cutting across where nipples would otherwise be seen.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by ButcherClown
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Eikki watched the whole scene unfold with a mix of amusement and bedazzlement. The beautiful creature known as Imalia enticingly teased the poor faerie, and had Eikki not come inside the tent, Imalia would have earned herself god-knows how many months as a freak. Killing was forbidden in carnival grounds, killing and eating would be even worse. But, then again...how many people knew JeSi was was there? how many people would miss her if she was devoured by the siren? and would it be traced to Imalia at all? Question started to well up inside his mind as he approached her tank.

He could not care less about the fate of the faerie that had been under Imalia's grasp. What he cared, however, in a strange manner towards her, was that the order and will of mr. Reficul should be mantained: no killing inside the carnival. And by the way it looked, Eikki firmly believed Imalia was stopped just as she was about to devour the JeSi."Damnit...i should have brought my lantern..." he thought to himself. It would have been very useful for him, to hypnotize Imalia.

As his attention now completely foucsed on the mermaid, Eikki shifted back into his merfok form: dark green skin, tentacles as hair and beard, eyes as black as space, predatory mouth expertly concealed under his beautiful lips. He moved forward, closer to the tank, with serpentine motion, staring deeply at Imalia's eyes. It could not be said that the siren didn't have any hold over Eikki at that very moment, but it was very maleable. Eikki prided himself of his strong will, and that was exactly what got him through all the 85 years in the carnival...among other things.

The merfolk waved his hand above the ground as he slithered close to Imalia's tank, and beneath his tail, the ground started shifting from brown to bright red, blue and white in color, becoming coral and rising him up, until he could stare the mermaid at the same height as her, his deep eyes atempting to penetrate her soul. "Imalia...", was all he could say at first. Her beauty, combined with her allure, was starting to make the male feel dizzy. Perhaps it had not been such a good idea to enter that place...perhaps he should've just let JeSi be devoured and go back to his tent, to suffocate himself with cigarettes and numb his mind with alcohol.

Blinking his eyes a couple times and summoning all his supernatural force of will, he sobered up a bit from her influence, and the words came out more naturaly. "Imalia...i came here...for a chat. I think right now, you are the only one that shares my...feelings. If you have any, that is...". Keeping his tail firmly wrapped around the coral plateau he had terraformed, the fish-man, although not yet hypnotized, could not keep his eyes away from the mermaids outstanding beauty. For the entirety of his time there, it felt like Rosalina was but a distant memory, as was Andracos and his stupid schemes. His heart filled with joy at the thought and he let his eyes bask in Imalia's face and features.
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Imalia.

Imalia's gaze remained steady and unclouded by the confusion that seemed rampant in Eikki's own eyes, such was the way with many of the creatures here. It was as if their nature and their humanity were at constant war with one another, as if their nature was something hideous to be repressed and hidden from the world, or like showing your throat to a rival perhaps? Either way they seemed, to her, to always walk around on tip toes, trying not to offend or insult, trying to keep their true selves from being seen lest they appear ugly and tainted to those they tried to impress. Imalia was much simpler, much more free than he was and it reflected in her relaxed stature and the clearness behind those eyes, she was not at war with herself. She had long ago abandoned the idea of hiding the nature within, some considered her a beast and rightly so but at least she was an honest beast. A flutter of lashes and an innocent pout were weapons to her but one would see in those eyes the clarity of a predator, a shark did not pretend to be a fish nor did a lion pretend to be a gazelle and such beasts looked majestic for their acceptance of their own natures.

Eikki too had seemingly chosen to ignore the blue fae in favour of keeping his gaze upon the siren, the poor thing would be her meal another time, it was as inevitable as the tide now. Her gaze remained upon the 'kin' that had invaded her tent and made her put down her little morsel as if he ruled over her and as he changed from legged to tailed she remained unchanged, watching with a neutral expression of somewhere between boredom and anticipation. When his transformation complete her head lifted briefly so azure eyes could trawl lazily across the new body he possessed, it was her first time seeing it after all. Scrutinized as he was she showed no evident displeasure or pleasure at the new body and soon returned her gaze to his with that same bored expression upon her fair features. While not exactly ugly he was far from the caliber of her own kind's beauty, though they were cousin rather than kin by features and appearances, it was though highly unlikely she and he were not spawned from the same goddesses loins in one manner or another. Her kind the bloody vengeance of a wronged woman and god, though even those stories were myths to her kind and rarely were they spoken of. By now, no doubt, the tales of her people had further evolved, she was hardly nostalgic though, this was not such an awful state to be in for a comparatively small number of years of her life.

The now merfolk slid close to her glass and raised the earth beneath into beautiful coral spears, at one time such alone would stir her restless heart with the hopes of freedom as physical as that she had found mentally but now it merely struck her as coral and her gaze unwavering from his own. He spoke her name, not mangled as the fae had but he spoke it true and she waited, at such a small distance her eyes were not just clear but behind them danced the vastness of the oceans. Both the azure and the mortal oceans seemed captive in their entirety, every wave and every rock, every creature fro ma shrimp to the whales, every patch of coral to the vast sunken ships and villages within both oceans, every abyss and every cave seemed to reside in the blue of her eyes. Though this was no more than a feeling one would have as they looked into the deepness of her gaze as if they too were a captive in the oceans within, just a feeling that when thought upon later would make little sense and yet would likely seem rather normal fair in the current circumstance.

She watched the fog settle about his mind a small smile slithered upon her lips, innocent enough to bystanders but coupled with her nature it was less friendly and more darkly amused -albeit only slightly so-. When he blinked free of her gaze she fluttered her eyelids and fanned her tail fins, awaiting his words and allowing them to wash over her with the same impact water had off a ducks back. Briefly she glanced to her 'presents' from JaSi and took up the mirror in her fingers, lowering it into the water before releasing it to harmlessly slip down into the depths, to be forgotten about until she grew bored of Eikki enough to want to test it. Now remained only the liquor bottle, something about home-brewed something or other. She personally never had drunk before, alcohol, just as cigarettes, held nothing for her in terms of enjoyment or entertainment, with a hand wrapping about its neck she used her thumb to pry off the stopper and offered it casually towards Eikki.

He spoke of feelings as if she had none, however to bring feelings into her tent would usually mean a long night ahead of her, one filled with the complaints of those who walked on land. Once alcohol offered, and perhaps taken, she gestured with folded arms hand, rolling at the wrist as if to encourage one to speak, only when freed of the bottle did both arms fold across the top of her tank where there was enough of a lip for forearms to comfortably reside there and perhaps for a person to perch if they were brave or foolish enough to. The siren's chin rested then upon folded arms, her cheek resting on her own forearm as she awaited this sad tale of feelings that Eikki had dragged into her territory. She spoke not a word mind and aside her gentle breathing subjected him to no sighs or erst-wise possibly problematic sounds, though her eyes did not move from his own once they had found them after the retrieval of the bottle and still they remained, unfathomable and subtly intense.
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The haze started to settle in his mind, as he could feel every muscle in his body becoming numb. Also numb was the pain settling in the back of his neck, as if he was in need of a very deep sleep. Eikki was fully conscious of what was happening with his body: the sudden numbness, the bittersweet pain in his neck, the haze blocking his sight of almost everything but the mermaid, were all to him as symptoms to a doctor. A severe case of attempt at mind control.

His tail's strong muscles kept the upper half of his body in the air as Eikki leaned in to reach the edge of her tank, pressing his torso against it, supporting the weight of his body with both his hands and tail.JeSi was probably already gone by then, but then again, if she wasn't, there wasn't much else that Eikki could see. Literaly, his eyesight was blocked by a haze, only Imalia remained clear under his gaze. Through her eyes, he could see the oceans of the world, all the uncharted depths that he so masterfuly recreated, in much smaller scale, under the cloth of his tent.

Before the merfolk could get a full view of the side of her body, Imalia dove down in her tank, only to come back with a bottle of alcohol. That act left Eikki a bit stunned, and had him break away a bit from her control as he started noticing her expressions. Boredom was one of the only things he could see in her face, as well as a slight joy....perhaps because of his own expression, as if he had been drinking a lot, his eyelids were half-closed as he had basked in the numbness that woman provided him. Perhaps he had done that for far too long. The glow at the tips of his tentacles grew in intensity as he opened his eyes fully and the world came back into focus. After years exposed to the light of his lantern, Eikki was no stranger to the allures of the world, and in the past he had done a good job in getting rid of sirens. He indeed considered himself immune to their charm...however Imalia exhibited something different. Something about her behavior, that of a beast, that increased her alluring power tenfold, somehow. Eikki could mantain certain control of himself, however her influence was strong enough on him that it wouldn't allow him to back away from her if something bad started to happen. Not without a fight, anyway.

Eikki grabbed the bottle from her hand with a somewhat annoyed expression, and took one big sip of the strong alcohol. Giving the bottle back to the mermaid, he whispered a ''thank you'' after swallowing and letting the burning and then numbness settle in his throat. He would not allow himself to drink more in the presence of that creature; her powers were already enough to numb him, if he drank much, it would certainly mean his doom.

After a sigh of satisfaction from the alcohol, he limited himself to simply stare at her eyes once again, starting to get lost once more in those blue depths. However, he was still making note of her expression, and she still seemed bored, albeit waiting for him to say something. "What...you're waiting for me to dump my emotional load on you? it seems you had too much of such things in the past, already...", he said. Her expression betrayed that to him, although he could not hope to be completely right. As for that moment, he was happy enough to let the beauty of her eyes wash over him and numb his mind, his silence and expression saying more than he could ever hope to say. The merfolk's breathing was heavy as that of an animal, his muscles tensed in anger as he did his best to erase the events of earlier under the glow of Imalia's skin. All of it was starting to come back to him...until he peeked over the edge of the tank and at her body.

Imalia's torso was petite, slender, yet amazingly drawn. As he analyzed her physique, he could notice remarkable differences from the females of his own kind: Her form was a bit more human, her breast were not so large, on the contrary, they were small and delicate as if made of porcelain. Few were the traces that belonged to both the merfolk and the siren: fish-like tail, fins on certain places, webbing between the fingers...at least of one hand. A perfect predator, he though. Unbeknownst to him, he and Imalia were of the same opinion, that predators were much more efficient when they accepted their bestiality. That was why humans were so terrible at hunting, he thought.

The feature that made Eikki unique, however, was not shared by anyone of his species. The monstrosity that had taken the place of his arm was a bitter reminder of why the merfolk was there, working for the Devil, reaping souls for him. The reason behind his mutation eluded him, and Reficul Seil had the answer...for a price. A price he was more than willing to pay.

The more Eikki stared at her, the more, at first unconsciously, his body moved closer and closer to Imalia. Once he noticed that, however, his twisted arm grasped the edge of the tank in front of him, stop anymore movement. The silence was getting heavy, he thought...and making it that much easier for her to trap him in the blue of her eyes. With his voice, groggy from her spell, the merfolk spoke up with an affection that was not of his character, but induced by Imalia's powers. "Don't you talk, love? or are you just contempt to make this one fall for your unparalleled beauty, dear Imalia?". She looked like a beast, however Eikki saw her eyes betrayed some sort of cold intelligence that did not belong in such a wild being.
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Lao.

Everything seemed to happen at once, the sweet air fae Ty had quiet stepped her way to the edge of the little ‘disagreement’ that seemed to be taking place and stood tentatively at the side of the trouble as the worst of it played out. While he offered Eikki the little sweet treat and thusly distracted him it seemed the angel who had come to the door of Mr. Seil’s little caravan took the chance to remove the blade from her throat and make a hasty exit without a true attempt at further violence. It seemed Eikki was less than happy but some quiet words of Ty directed to the pure little darling still huddled behind Andracos like a lamb hiding behind the big bad wolf, defused what was left of his fighting spirit and he too slunk off to lick his wounds and no doubt find solace with a bottle and a cigarette.

There was a brief moment where he was sure he’d seen a boy standing at the edge of the little circle and briefly he caught glances of him within a tree but Lao saw no need to point it out or make his own observation obvious to either the boy or those still gathered there. Brushing a loose lock of hair from his face and behind his ear the china man gave a faint smile to himself, once again what could have become a bloody affair had been averted with no blood, no violence and no doubt most bad feeling was now directed his way. While he hardly took the credit for such a wonderful outcome he could not help but feel lucky and glad for this result. He released a gentle sigh and glanced from the angel to the air fae with a warm and comforting smile.

Her offer to go inside and the extended invite to himself was truly a wonderful gift to him and he gave a brief and gentle nod, “Oh that would be wonderful Ty. There is a chill nip in the air and it would be an awful waste if this tea were not to be drunk tonight, what with such a beautiful sky to bless us. Do you not think?” He turned to the little tea set, repositioning everything so it was easier to pick up for himself, “Especially now so many of our guests have had to up and leave, it’s such an awful shame.” There was a brief but theatrical pout on his lips, offering Ty a playful wink before he glanced back to Rosalina, “Of course, that is if the lady doesn’t mind, I’ll happily just leave you ladies with the tea and sweets if it better suits your desires?”
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Nalia woke disoriented and confused. She was still in her clothing and the bed, room, everything was different. It took her several minutes to remember what happened and when she did she sighed and flopped back in the bed. She’d consigned herself to hell for her brother. That sliver of resentment niggled at her for only a brief moment but she brushed it away rather quickly. She had not only aided her brother, for half his burden she took upon herself, but perhaps she could follow her dreams whereas she was not allowed such at home.

The silence of the wagon began to thrum in her ears. She hadn’t been asleep long, she knew that now that her sleep-addled haze had cleared, she should have heard Nate tossing in bed if nothing else. She realized she was alone and frowned. Where had her brother gone?

She pushed herself out of bed, grabbed her jacket which she had carelessly tossed on the ground, and stepped outside. It was terribly still here, no signs of others. It wasn’t that late she knew--she was surprised she had slept at all. It was a testament to how nerve wracking this day had been. She began to walk around the grounds, her slim form causing her footsteps to make very little noise. She was small for her age, slim and willowy, and her nondescript floated in an unkempt haze about her head giving her a ethereal appearance that was distinctly at odds with her bulky grungy jacket.

The silence of the carnival, at least in this section, was so loud it hurt. Even the gnomes were gone, vanished back to wherever they had spawned from, their task complete. There were other wagons here, ones she assumed were the quarters of other workers, but they, like Ty’s, were dark. Obviously though the work day was done others had gone to do…whatever it was they liked to do in their free time.

Nalia was reminded again of how little she knew and she realized she really wished she had paid attention when Ty had been explaining. She also wished she had paid attention when Nate had been re-hashing the details with her. She had paid some attention of course, but not enough. Now she was somewhat lost in the gathering dark and the silence.

Nalia set out to find her brother, she knew he had gone wandering but she had no idea where to begin. So as fate would have it she went the exact opposite direction he had walked. The sounds of a party finally reached her ears, at least she assumed it was a party. She hadn’t been to any herself, her acid temperament meant that she wasn’t invited to a lot of social gatherings. She was pretty sure she didn’t give a flying rats ass about them anyway. As far as she could tell it was just a bunch of nutters gathering to try and show off, be cool, and get in one another’s pants without getting caught by the others boyfriend/girlfriend. Still she found herself drawn to the sounds of what she could only assume was a party.

It was not long before she saw lights and it became easy to follow the sounds and light to where others were gathered. It was a gathering of the technical staff, though Nalia had no way of knowing this. They were as exotic as the rest of the carnival and to her eyes they seemed foreign and exotic. She didn’t names, or even what sort of beings they were but they fascinated her. She stayed in the shadows watching. In her eyes the sight was glamorous but in truth it was a mess of slightly inebriated chattering workers relaxing from a hard but successful day. The night was not alight with the glow of a million fairies, but it was so different from what Nalia was used to that to her it might as well have been that magical.

She was too shy, a feeling that was out of place for her, and it made her nervous. She was brewing an emotional cocktail; but all she recognized is that she wasn’t quite herself. That more than anything put her off and she tucked her hands back into her pockets and schlumped off into the dark to search for her brother again. The otherworldly nature of this place was starting to seep into her skin, making her stressed, edgy, and even more aware of how much out of place she was. The only thing she knew in this whole crazy place was her brother. She didn’t even know herself anymore.

She faded into herself…without someone hassling her or her brother…she became uncertain and edgy. She needed someone to provoke her just so she could keep her emotional balance.

***

Nate stayed in the shadows of the tree once he descended. “What an arrogant bitch” he muttered under his breath as he settled into the shadows. It was unclear to whom her referred, though to be fair in Nate’s point of view almost any of those gathered might fight that description. He had no wish to get tangled up in the stupidity he saw unfolding before him. It was, however, very informative. Sometimes he could be a much better judge of people after seeing them in a real moment. In his experience it had always been poker, but this worked just as well. This was no stage act, at least it didn’t seem to be, but this unofficial show had been interesting. They should have packaged it as a drama and then repeated it for spectators. It was better than most plays, more so because the players were so unique. As the players began to wander off Nate rose to leave himself. He would ponder the one called Andracos; he was not impressed. Trying to listen to the man for more than a few minutes would be impossible. He’d worry about that later however, now well he wasn’t sure what he would do now. He still wasn’t in the mood to rest.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Astarael42
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Astarael42

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Nalia woke disoriented and confused. She was still in her clothing and the bed, room, everything was different. It took her several minutes to remember what happened and when she did she sighed and flopped back in the bed. She’d consigned herself to hell for her brother. That sliver of resentment niggled at her for only a brief moment but she brushed it away rather quickly. She had not only aided her brother, for half his burden she took upon herself, but perhaps she could follow her dreams whereas she was not allowed such at home.

The silence of the wagon began to thrum in her ears. She hadn’t been asleep long, she knew that now that her sleep-addled haze had cleared, she should have heard Nate tossing in bed if nothing else. She realized she was alone and frowned. Where had her brother gone?

She pushed herself out of bed, grabbed her jacket which she had carelessly tossed on the ground, and stepped outside. It was terribly still here, no signs of others. It wasn’t that late she knew--she was surprised she had slept at all. It was a testament to how nerve wracking this day had been. She began to walk around the grounds, her slim form causing her footsteps to make very little noise. She was small for her age, slim and willowy, and her nondescript floated in an unkempt haze about her head giving her a ethereal appearance that was distinctly at odds with her bulky grungy jacket.

The silence of the carnival, at least in this section, was so loud it hurt. Even the gnomes were gone, vanished back to wherever they had spawned from, their task complete. There were other wagons here, ones she assumed were the quarters of other workers, but they, like Ty’s, were dark. Obviously though the work day was done others had gone to do…whatever it was they liked to do in their free time.

Nalia was reminded again of how little she knew and she realized she really wished she had paid attention when Ty had been explaining. She also wished she had paid attention when Nate had been re-hashing the details with her. She had paid some attention of course, but not enough. Now she was somewhat lost in the gathering dark and the silence.

Nalia set out to find her brother, she knew he had gone wandering but she had no idea where to begin. So as fate would have it she went the exact opposite direction he had walked. The sounds of a party finally reached her ears, at least she assumed it was a party. She hadn’t been to any herself, her acid temperament meant that she wasn’t invited to a lot of social gatherings. She was pretty sure she didn’t give a flying rats ass about them anyway. As far as she could tell it was just a bunch of nutters gathering to try and show off, be cool, and get in one another’s pants without getting caught by the others boyfriend/girlfriend. Still she found herself drawn to the sounds of what she could only assume was a party.

It was not long before she saw lights and it became easy to follow the sounds and light to where others were gathered. It was a gathering of the technical staff, though Nalia had no way of knowing this. They were as exotic as the rest of the carnival and to her eyes they seemed foreign and exotic. She didn’t names, or even what sort of beings they were but they fascinated her. She stayed in the shadows watching. In her eyes the sight was glamorous but in truth it was a mess of slightly inebriated chattering workers relaxing from a hard but successful day. The night was not alight with the glow of a million fairies, but it was so different from what Nalia was used to that to her it might as well have been that magical.

She was too shy, a feeling that was out of place for her, and it made her nervous. She was brewing an emotional cocktail; but all she recognized is that she wasn’t quite herself. That more than anything put her off and she tucked her hands back into her pockets and schlumped off into the dark to search for her brother again. The otherworldly nature of this place was starting to seep into her skin, making her stressed, edgy, and even more aware of how much out of place she was. The only thing she knew in this whole crazy place was her brother. She didn’t even know herself anymore.

She faded into herself…without someone hassling her or her brother around…she became uncertain and edgy. She needed someone to provoke her just so she could keep her emotional balance.

***

Nate stayed in the shadows of the tree once he descended. “What an arrogant bitch” he muttered under his breath as he settled into the shadows. It was unclear to whom her referred, though to be fair in Nate’s point of view almost any of those gathered might fight that description. He had no wish to get tangled up in the stupidity he saw unfolding before him. It was, however, very informative. Sometimes he could be a much better judge of people after seeing them in a real moment. In his experience it had always been poker, but this worked just as well. This was no stage act, at least it didn’t seem to be, but this unofficial show had been interesting. They should have packaged it as a drama and then repeated it for spectators. It was better than most plays, more so because the players were so unique. As the players began to wander off Nate rose to leave himself. He would ponder the one called Andracos; he was not impressed. Trying to listen to the man for more than a few minutes would be impossible. He’d worry about that later however, now well he wasn’t sure what he would do now. He still wasn’t in the mood to rest.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by cthulu
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cthulu Her Harley

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Imalia and EIkki Collab.

Imalia found that men often were more easily captivated than women, it was not simply a matter of genetics spurring a person on to reproduce. There was something in a man that wanted to give in to a female, that desired to be able to surrender heart, soul and bodily to any given partner. Women were usually more cautious, more guarded, perhaps due to the perceived weakness of their bodies opposed to men who seemed to assume their superiority. A woman would for distance worry about being over powered by such a creature as JaSi had shown earlier that night but a man would assume that no matter what happened he would be able to over power her with no true effort. Of course with humans such a thought was absurd, physical strength meant nothing under water, especially if ones mind was so thick with fog they were already half drowned before they came to their senses. Eikki wasn't much different in that respect, his mind was willing and comforted by the supposed strength of his body, while true he was more dangerous due to his kinship to her own kind and thus his water breathing abilities but he was still malleable.

Had she wished it she was quietly confident she could enthrall him fully, if she pushed, there was in her opinion no point though, he had come here for this just as JaSi had come for her own desire to feel the Siren against her regardless of the peril's that might have befallen them. It was as if the voice of reason was silenced in hopes to find even a moments distraction in her company, perhaps she ought to have thought it as a compliment, not that she particularly thought of it as an insult either. It fed her as much as it fueled them and while she awaited a meal of her choosing, a real meal, such entertainment would suffice to keep her full and distracted. A hungry siren was rarely a pleasant thing especially when left to their own devices, it was half the reason for the trains after all, to keep her escaping and finding her own meals on the go, not that she could get far outside the tank as far as anyone here was aware.

The male sighed and slipped against her glass, only to seemingly catch himself there after and pull himself back just enough to keep himself from slipping into her tank and to a watery and uncertain fate. With a small smirk she watched the male drink the fae alcohol, his reaction rather humorous and yet she knew she would fare no better, the only time she had tried alcohol, well it had been a mess to clear up the day after. This was not usually an issue though, kept to a diet of fish and the various underwater critters and considered unnecessary to keep her hydrated due to the water she was surrounded by, very few tried to get the siren drunk and fewer still had been successful due to the protection of her keeper. With the bottle returned to her she placed it upon the lip of the tank, placing it's stopper beside it and ignoring it should the other wish to have a little more. She did though lick at her fingers and at least give the sticky residue of the cap a try.

The rattle of her chains was the only break in the silence for many a long moment before the merman mustered the strength to speak to her once again, where she had expected an out pouring of misery and 'unfair' cries due to some happenstance that was neither none of her concern or frankly her business he spoke rather frankly, although with a hint of sedateness to his tone. He said he had no intention of pouring out his woes unto her and for a moment those neat brows arched inward towards her nose while her own slender nose wrinkled in a brief show of confusion. While it lacked the pure beauty of Rosalina it was all the same a similar to the angels own. Though even this brief bout of confusion was short lived enough for features to, moments later, relax again. While it was unusual to be sure that Imalia was sought out for something other than a proverbial verbal dumping ground it was not enough to leave her perplexed for long.

While to some people the unnaturally long pauses of silence coupled with the intense gazing might have been unsettling yet Imalia was relaxed and content as the merman stared at her just as content as he seemed with her staring at him. Neither were the chatty types it seemed and it was refreshing not to have to listen to the nauseating stream of continual speech from one of the other performers, why it was almost relaxing in itself had she not already been rather relaxed. His monstrous arm, while giving him cause to pause was of no consequence to her and honestly was given no more than a cursory look as he had earlier approached. For all she was aware and all she knew this was a feature in all his people and clansmen and was regarded as no more impressive or disgusting as his tentacles or pitch black eyes.

When finally he broke the silence with an intoxicated hum to his words on speaking and another smile played at the siren's lips. Most preferred her silent, well, that was a lie, most preferred her to sing or speak until they drowned themselves in her very tank for the chance to be close to her, of course, technically if she tried hard enough she could force a quietness to her tone that would not rouse and stir the loins of men and women alike. However such was an annoyance, an unnecessary hindrance to her and far more effort than any in the carnival -save Mr. Seil perhaps- deserved from her part. "You beckon me to speak? Why. Most people prefer it when I'm silent." Her voice was like that of a clear droplet of water in a still pond, it rang true and clear but echoed with a thousand voices all with their own ethereal beauty around the small space between them until it seemed the calling echoes came from her lips and echoed around his skull like a dirty thought or a desperate wish. There was an innate sorrow to her tone that seemed to demand comfort and all the same a fleeting unknowing, a dark depth as if one were standing on the edge of a precipice looking into the eternal darkness below with that little voice that whispered 'jump'. Jump into the unknown, to give up ones will and succumb to her. Yet it was obvious this was a natural talent, this was without her trying.

Her tail swayed to keep her upright and her arms unfolded from the tanks rim so her hands might grasp it and she might in turn slowly lift herself enough from the water to be level with him once more. "What would you have me sing for you Merman?"


The merfolk stood as still as stone as the woman in front of him rose up to meet her eyes with his, at same level. Even though Eikki did not move one inch, Imalia still managed to close the gap between the two. The male managed to gather sufficient willpower to back away a few inches from her tank. He had, during the entirety of their encounter, been aware of the sound of her chains - one of the reasons he believed he could keep himself that close to her -, but as the mermaid spoke, all sound faded away and only her voice remained. For a split second, he truly believed he was listening to the voice of Ea, his goddess and guardian, that came back from the depths of the deepest lake to greet him. But that thought vanished quickly as he heard the sad, yet menacing, tone behind the beautiful echo her words filled his mind with.

He had no comments to make as she asked why did he want her to speak - her voice already answered that for itself, as his expression betrayed how much he had liked it. The second question, however, caught his attention. Eikki scoffed slightly. Sing? apparently she was asking him to simply jump into the abyss, willingly. Perhaps she was thinking Eikki was lost beyond salvation; truth was, he was making use of that allure to comfort himself as much as he possibly could. "Even i know the stories, Imalia. I'd rather you not sing for me, not today." he said, with a smirk.

Eikki once more waved his hand over the plateau he had created, and before Imalia's eyes, it became an elevated throne of coral, unfit, however, for his current form. He slowly turned back to human form, however his eyes were different: they were the same color as the tips of his tentacles when shapeshifted, a soft, ghastly green. It was that light, which he had managed to teach himself to produce from all the time exposed to his lantern, that kept him from jumping to Imalia's arms and giving himself up to her completely.

As he sat down on his chair, the light from his eyes left a trail in the air, as if his iris burned with some sort of ghost fire. He reached to back of his pocket to pull a cigarette and lit it up with his Zippo, blowing the smoke away from the siren. Such a strange creature he was, most thought. A being so connected with nature should not have such a disgusting vice, they thought. Well, they forget that, having a brain so similar to that of a human, feelings hit him with as much impact, if not more, than they did the average person.

Even though his little trick kept him from completely falling under her spell, his light green orbs were still gazing firmly at hers. As time went by and he got more exposed to her allure, he got more and more used to it...yet the woman in front of him seemed more and more beautiful, and he could not tell if that was also part of her spell. His self-control was keeping him alive, he would not give in, but she seemed each second more attractive.

"I don't really know why i came here...except to stare at your beauty so you can help me forget.", he said, taking a drag from the cigarette and getting up. His elevated chair was close enough to the tank for him to be able to once more lean in and support himself with his arms on the metallic edge of her tank, yet his feet were firmly planted on the solid coral. When he blew out the smoke, no effort was made to turn away from her, and it waved around her head as a vaporous snake. He was closer to her this time. "But i wonder...if you can help me forget without making me your main dish for tonight.", he said, in a teasing tone. He knew not where he was sticking his nose, but it was well worth the try. Every change in her expression, even the most subtle, amused him greatly...and showed him that boredom was not the only feeling he was stirring up in her; because of that, his eyes remained fixed on her, taking in every subtle change as a man drinks water in the desert.

Imalia was content enough, her added height seemingly intimidating Eikki into backing away just slightly, a fraction of an inch at first and then a few. A small smile fluttered across her lips as she watched the distrust in his eyes and briefly gave a slight tilt of her head in confusion at the sudden retreat. When he spoke in return she grinned again, a smile both charming and dangerous that could perhaps put Andracos' himself to shame. "Oh, pity. I thought for a moment you had given up on your life." She uttered with a playfulness most befitting the dangerous creature.

As Eikki once again terra-formed the ground around him she watched with the idle fascination she had before, like a cat with nothing better to do than sit and watch, it was impressive to be sure and no doubt land based children would love the majesty of the things he crafted. She could appreciate the beauty but she was no child nor land creature, she remembered halls and caverns made of such things and it bought an unwanted feeling of nostalgia as she looked upon his creations. Her eyes thusly returned to Eikki himself as he too began to change and in place of the confused jumble of fish parts was a relatively human looking creature whose eyes glowed fiercely with the eerie light of a wisp or a fog covered star. Pretty enough were the eyes that for a moment she not only considered him handsome but perhaps even 'off the menu'. Though such a thought was fast fading, people would call her soft and such a vulnerable creature as she could not allow themselves to be considered such.

Her eyes then trailed to the cylinder he clasped and lit with a fire maker before her eyes, personally she found such things disgusting but many of the human who owned her's friends and himself, had smoked and it was something she'd grudgingly got used to as a 'normal' sight. Despite this her distaste for the things was evident by the crinkle of her nose as it puffed into life. At least he had the decency to blow it away from her, while such things could not make her sick they still made her cough and the smell was hardly pleasant. He spoke though and finally explained just what it was he was doing in her presence, alone and without the explicit order of their sweet devil, he was here to surrender. Perhaps not ready for the embrace of death but he wanted to forget, which was rather ironic since wasn't his wish to remember? As he leaned forward on his throne of coral she hiked a brow, ready to reply though not able to utter a syllable before her face was assaulted with the acrid smoke of his cigarette.

The result was instantaneous, the siren was gone beneath the waters of her tank with nothing more than a push off the side and a curl of her supple body, her tail and torso switched places and the silken scales seemed to glitter in the pale light as the fins at the ends sliced through the surface of the water in such a way that a spray was released from tail in Eikki's general direction and a host of bubbles filled the tank and briefly obscured the siren. The chemicals hit her eyes and they had stung, her lungs had filled with the poison fumes and they ached and her skin felt assaulted by the particles that traveled on that outward plume of toxins, she would not get ill but that did not stop her from feeling unclean at the assault. As the bubbles dispersed the Siren sat at the bottom of the tank, her fins covering her chest and only revealing from clavicle upwards, her one drying hair had once again surrounded her, drifting in the light current of her waters that she herself had stirred up. Lips were pursed in a pout so full of hurt and betrayal that one would think he had taken a knife to her rather than blew smoke in her face.

She could hear him through the glass mind, just, the vibrations carrying what she assumed to be words that simply carried on from his desire to forget and as such she offered a faint shrug of one shoulder with a look of reluctant agreement, blue eyes turning from his to the fins which she settled so comfortably behind. Why it would almost have been comfortable if it were not for the pooling of those iron chains around and beneath her, she shot a brief glance to Eikki and quietly sighed which released bubbles to the surface of her tank, it seemed she would not be returning to the surface just yet to indulge his desire, not without a certain something from him first.


Eikki let out a loud laugh at the siren as she dove down her tank. He had spurred anger at her, and that made him, in someway, rather pleased with himself, in a douchy, childish kind of way. He cared not of the danger anymore, he got what he wanted and, for now, was more than satisfied. A good laughter, with the "hilarious" scene playing in his mind over and over again, made him, for a short while, forget what had happened earlier that evening. After his burst of immatureness, Eikki felt some kind of strange affection for the lady pouting below him, inside her tank. Not something from the mind, he would not if that was a trick. For a moment, she had lost her allure, feeling threatened by the venomous smoke of his cigarette. And, for just that moment, Eikki got a glimpse of the Imalia behind the courtains of her spell. And what he saw was still beautiful.

Playfully, he lifted himself him to the edge of the tank, one foot in front of the other, trying to balance himself right above the now calmer waters of Imalia's tank. His eyes left a fiery trail behind him and to the sides as he moved and his head bobbed right and left, while his arms were wide open for him to keep his balance. He felt like a child, indeed he did, and that feeling brought him so much nostalgia that the usual, cold, distant, stoic Eikki was, for a moment, gone. He was back in his youth, not as Eikki Dreadlight, as he was now called, but as the good old Eikki Greenfin.

As he found his center of balance, he smiled soflty and looked down at Imalia. She looked like a threatened animal, backed up against the glass, but he thought it to be cute, at the very least. Another drag he took from the cigarette, and blew the smoke upwards. "Ahah! Finally, a reaction worth seeing. You're very cute, Imalia. You make me smile." he said, perhaps sounding a bit more of a joker than he actualy intended.

He took another deep drag and threw the butt away, making it land on the ground outside the tent. Balancing himself as well as he possibly could, he moved to the corner of the tank and, with one foot at each side of the edge, bent over and touched the cold water, washing his hands and wetting his hair and back of his neck a bit. He wasn't at all afraid about the siren jumping at him at that moment: he could use the work out. He sat on the tip of the tank, took of his boots and washed his feet with water from the tank before sinking them in, as if they were bait. "Thank you, thanks...for the laugh, i mean." he said, his eyes still shining bright...until, with but a thought, the light dimmed and faded slowly, until only a very soft glow remained. He looked like a boy sitting on the edge of a lake...only he was well aware of the monster under the surface. "I stopped smoking, dear...and i promise not to blow smoke in your face again.", Eikki said, his feet rocking softly under the surface.

The male was well aware that, if Imalia chose to lure him again, he would have low willpower to resist, with his eyes almost back to normal like that. But then again...if only her annoyed reaction amused him that much, he wanted to see her in her full glory. He wanted to look in the eyes of the predator as she held her prey in her arms, that look of hunger mixed with bloodlust. He was satisfied in being the prey, even though he could, to some degree, control how much of her alure he would take in. And if it came to the worst...he was more than willing to fight his way out of the situation. There, he could risk playing the fool without anyone but Imalia seeing him. She would be his confident, the guardian of that secret. Of how he, willingly, stood on the edge of the abyss, with his foot ready to take the next step.

Imalia was not amused by the laughter from above her, the pleasure in the creatures tone as he guffawed like an idiot above her, enjoying the one up he had gotten on Imalia in all her chained glory. While he chuckled away to himself she remained at the bottom of her tank, the corners housing the only items she kept of worth and with a sway of her tail her comb -cliche as it might have been for a siren to have an item as such- was taken in hand. At one time the thing would remind her of everything she lost so long ago, the nostalgia alone would be enough to strengthen her resolve and yet now it was given barely a cursory glance before it was pulled through hair which honestly didn't desire to be combed and simply floated around her face in idle plumes. Still she pouted mind you and still she used her tail's fins to keep her screened from the brat above her who mocked her desire to lead a smoke free life, perhaps she'd kill something he liked or loved in return. Leave it's destroyed mangled corpse as a present at the opening of his act, perhaps she'd drive that person insane with suggestions and thoughts until they either turned a blade on Eikki or themselves just as she had with that old woman and her sailor with the net.

The irritating man then climbed upon her tank and began to use it as some kind of tightrope balancing act, attempting to gain his balance seemed to be difficult and from her corner she watched with pale blues with the hope he'd fall and break his neck. Her move would improve even if he just broke a leg or arm, the sound of a bone crunching would be absolute music to her ears. She of course was not so lucky and as she continued to brush through her drifting locks she watched him not only gain his balance but walk up and down her tanks rim as if he were performing for someone. He spoke up soon after and while the words came through broken she made enough out to know he had called her cute, now he would have to die, horribly, some sort of horrific accident in front of all his fans in the big top perhaps. One where he would see her face just before he took his last breath through mangled lungs, how dare he, how dare he call her such things, what an insult. His 'compliment' to her earned a rather deliciously adorable -utterly accidental- swift turn of her head and upward pointed nose with a classic 'not talking to you' vibe emanating around her.

When her waters were disturbed she looked up and saw his hands dipping into her waters, narrowing her gaze she watched him carefully. It would not be the first time -but it would be his last- that someone had decided her water, the place she breathed and was forced to live day in and day out was used as a person's bath. One particular client only made it out of the circus as Mr. Seil himself held her back after that particular transgression. While the siren was a beast and dangerous she had her own code which then went out the window if someone decided her waters were a communal bathing area and a real monster was then exposed. Curling her fingers around the chains that kept her imprisoned she watched carefully. To her somewhat pleasant surprise he took the water and seemed to wash himself outside of her tank, the dirty slop that came from his feet ran down the outer edge of her glass but such could be carefully cleaned later as the child's smudge marks would have to be. Though she kept a careful eye on him as he took her water without so much a please or thank you and set to cleaning himself, didn't Mr. Seil pay for showering abilities around here?

Again he spoke, though this time as he dipped his feet into her waters as if it were a paddling pool, while it pleased her his feet were clean it was no less pleasant having some outsider inside her own personal space. Insulted as she felt by his words she felt as if her boundaries were being tested and having no desire to be 'dominated' by any male at the carnival she had no choice but to humour him. Her first idea was to simply smack him in the face with her tail, the blow would likely dislodge him from her tank and with luck make him realise just who was in charge of this little patch of water. Such a thing though was likely to be frowned upon by Mr. Seil and she would have to exert far too much effort for her liking to make sure the impact was enough to dislodge him.

Instead she did something she rarely ever did, perhaps he'd realise then what kind of monster he dealt with as if it were a kind of game. Rising as she had earlier with a sway, more snake like than fish like, of her tail she allowed her eyes and nose to once more break the surface silently, the water running in rivers across her skin and through her silken hair which again seemed to press flush to her body, framing it neatly for the time being. She watched him a moment and tilted her head slightly as if trying to figure something out, without a sound she slipped from her corner towards where he now resided, her tank scarcely large enough for her to truly stretch out and thus taking little to no time at all. Between his legs more or less the siren resided and with a look of neutrality she remained looking up at him for a handful of seconds.

Then, as with JaSi earlier, her hand shot from the waters and aimed to wrap around his groin, her nails to dully press into fabric or flesh in an ever real threat but perhaps more surprising than her making such a grab was the fact that there was no sound of chains as she moved. In fact the entire action was virtually silent and when one looked at dainty reaching hand they would be greeted with the reason the chains had not given away, or restricted, her movements. Her wrists were bare, aside the small indents where the heavy manacles had naturally rested, the offending items themselves now laying still and harmless at the bottom of the tank, still locked up tight, still intact just no longer on.

Whether her grab for him was successful or not her other hand sought the side of her tank for the sake of her stability, that one too was devoid of the biting iron cuff and with the ever powerful sway of her tail she rose slowly up, keeping her form close to his as she did so until she was almost level with his own face. Her blue eyes a shine once again but her lips still worked into a pout of displeasure from his previous actions. She made no obvious attempt to harm as she had made none against the fae but the constant possibility was there, if she was pushed, she'd do something that only one of them here would lose any sleep over. "You want to use me like a cheap bottle of moonshine." Her voice called with the same allure as before the dancing echo spirits answering her with her own words, no further effort put in either holding it at bay or using it to it's potential, "Yet you mock and insult me, a girl could be hurt by such a man's actions."


After happily washing his feet outside her tank, Eikki made sure they were clean enough to be put under her water, using the sleeve of his shirt to remove anything else that might taint it, like little scraps of cloth or small leaves that got in his boots. Being a watery creature himself, he knew perfectly well that water, to them, was like air to the humans. Yet, the beings of the water cared much more for their own environment as did the petty humans. Water was sacred, it meant life, and so, even in his human form, Eikki valued it as much he did back in his old life. When he got satisified with it, only then did he sink his feet underwater.

His words made the siren once again show something other than boredom, and that expression Eikki would never forget. A quick turn of the head, her chin lifted a bit up, the cutest pout on her lips and her eyes almost close. If she lifted her hand and motioned a mouth opening and closing, that would be the icing on the cake. But a man can only have so much, and he thought he would die of cuteness, a warm feeling tickling his chest and making him laugh softly. His feet were still rocking under the water as his pale green eyes softly glowed towards the mermaid Imalia. Eikki was starting to see the real beauty of that creature: a soul purer than most he had seen so far. She cared not for the life or death of others, yet no feeling was shown towards that carelessness. It simply did not matter. No anger, no rage, to her it was nothing but a concept. However, when she did felt something aside from her basic instincts, it seemed to assault her in such way that she could not control them, and it led to such a beautiful honesty in everything she did. She was indeed an animal, and as all animals, something was missing from her, and that something that was missing was what made Eikki think her to be so interesting: apparently, lies were not a part of repertoire. People lied, yet she, from the very start, showed him that she was dangerous and made no effort to hide. Of course, her allure clouded one's senses to the real danger, but with the eerie light that emanated from his eyes to protect him, he could truly see the predator and the animal, and an animal makes no effort of hiding his soul. It was indeed pure, purer than that of any man.

As those thoughts made him wander a bit far off the tent, he only noticed Imalia moving when her slender shape was made visible above the water. Her hair stuck to her skin because of the water, drawing out her shape and covering the parts all men desire. And yet, once he laid eyes on her, he could not look anywhere else. She moved lightning-fast towards him, and his eyes instantly lit up, emitting a flash of green light, starting once again to burn with intensity. His childish smile and dreamy look faded instantly as he found the mermaid between his legs in a heartbeat. Speaking of heartbeats, his were racing uncontrollably. Adrenalin being pushed to his veins as his muscles contracted and his thighs spasmed with the sudden charge. Too fast, too silent. With hormones flooding his blue bloodstream, heightening his senses, he noticed the chains sitting harmlessly at the bottom of the tank before her hand jumped to grab him.

When it did, however, a jolt went through his body as she dug her fingers and nails deep between his legs. He could feel sharp things where no man should feel sharp things, and a sliver, just a sliver of despair made his breathing even more rapid than before. He threw his head back, his eyes leaving trails of light in the air, and groaned softly as he felt the pressure around him. He couldn't even think about how she managed to break loose without breaking a single link from the chains. His mind raced with images of what could happen if she tightened her grip just a tiny bit more, just enough to make his breathing irregular with cries of agony.

"Whoah...", was the only thing that came out at first. Yet when he lowered his head again, his bright green eyes staring at her deep blue ones, that sliver of despair faded away instantly. She was so close that he could feel her breath, a gentle, cool breeze kissing his face and neck, traveling across the skin to the wet side of his neck and sending shivers down his spine. He could smell the scent of her skin, the smell of the pure water of a river in the middle of a forest, yet with something else, something wild, animal, as if a tiger was nearby. Eikki could swear he felt all air leave his now human lungs, as if he was drowning in her blue eyes. And when her voice came out, everything else in the world fell silent.

"I do not want to use you, Imalia...merely the whims you set loose in my heart." he said, his voice deep and low, almost a whisper, as he needed not to yell now to make her hear him anymore. His breath smelled like cigarettes and mint drops, since he always carried a pack with him. Charred, yet fresh, a weird combination she would probably not like, unless her focus was all in her hand, to make him pay dearly for any mistakes he could make. His own hand moved ever so slowly up and removed a string of her hair from her face, his fingers tracing down across her cheek, dangerously traveling over her lips, those lips that hid teeth like needles, and stopping at her chin. Moving his face even close to hers, his eyes never leaving her deep blue abysses, as if they were having a staring contest, he spoke once again, this time it was indeed a whisper. "If only i knew i would survive the fall, i would gladly throw myself down the abyss." he said, with all sincerity his words could emanate. And, yet, that was only half true: he would fall into the abyss if she wanted, and he would do much, much more. All she needed was to be just a little bit more cruel and transform the soft stings he felt in his groin into agonizing pain.

Imalia could hear his quickened heartbeat and could see the rapid rise and full of his chest. When she grabbed his soft flesh he had a rather natural reaction to the sudden pressure and threat around such a sensitive area. His head lulled back and even those brightly glowing eyes were dimmed for a moment as the sensation overwhelmed the man and hopefully gave him pause for thought, if he were still capable of thought. She had felt the fear, concern or was it a hint of despair from him, the sudden realisation he was indeed in a place that perhaps he ought not to have been, doing things he perhaps was not supposed to be doing. He remained oddly quiet for someone who was in such a precarious position but his eyes and hers once again locked with his ethereal vaporous gaze.

To most the sight of such uniform colouration and such bright and clearly supernatural light would be disconcerting; certainly in normal situations Imalia would not have been too interested in being this close to anything with that kind of light, perhaps they would even find it scary. However they invoked nothing from her except perhaps a slither, just a granule of curiosity, that she wore hidden behind those blue depths with only a slight and brief furrow of her brow would give away. They were so very green and had she not spent so many nights gazing at the stars and moon or even the horrid lights that humans used to light the darkness she might have been quite mesmerised by them.

He spoke again though now his voice was but a quiet murmur against the silent night that surrounded this particular tent. The smell of mint seemed to seep from around him, a smell she was almost fond of –for an earth plant- for it smelled both pure and clean like the waters she preferred to be in. However it was indeed ruined by the smell of smoke and cigarettes, though the smoky charred smell was not something she was wholly unused to. Her last captor had smoked a pipe for much of his life and did so often in her little room where she was kept in a passive attempt to aggravate her. Before then after a storm in the great seas of the mundane or Azure there was sometimes the smell of charred wood and smoke in the air which sometimes, actually smelled pleasant. Of course his smoky scent was not the same and as such she was neither endeared to his scent nor repelled by it.

While distracted both by his scent and the concentration it took to not allow herself to simply tighten her grip around his soft, pliable flesh she was unaware of his intentions to touch her until his fingers were already among her locks. Due to the waters constant hydration they were soft to the touch though chilled by the night air and as he went to move a strand that had plastered itself to her face she flinched rather instinctively which in turn caused and to lightly spasm around his groin. Her attention quickly snapping back to his eyes and face with a briefly innocently curious look upon her own features.

She remained quiet as his exploration took the hair from her face only to trace her cheek, the soft skin like that of a ripe peach beneath his touch which seemed rather gentle in her opinion. Her head leaned slightly into his touch as his finger slid further down and came close to her lips where needle sharp teeth parted to greet the tip of the offending digit. It was a quick and brief bite, one that, like to the fae’s ear earlier, could have been a lot worse had she decided she meant it to be. Regardless of her warning bite her hand also tightened slightly about his groin again, firmer this time until tips of nails could pierce through fabric or lightly through the top layers of flesh. His finger once released continued down to her chin and he leaned dangerously close to her face whispering across her lips with that odd smell that emanated from him brushing her lips with a soft heat that caused chilled flesh to warm slightly.

A brief, half smile slipped upon her features and she closed the little gap between them to bite at his lower lip, again intending to draw just pinpricks of blood with those sharp teeth of hers. Again such an attack was brief but as she leaned away she allowed her teeth to lightly rake across the flesh of his lips so she might whisper against them. “You wouldn't.” Simple and truthful for she indeed saw little point in lying either with physical actions or with words, such things were beneath her, blue gaze remained on his glowing green eyes and a small smirk slipped upon her lips. “Though will you anyway anyway I wonder?” She could have put her full power into her words then, she could have tried to make it so the merman had no choice but to fall but this game was far more fun than seducing some idiotic bystander, this was a game, like with her first captor, she'd like to continue playing for some time yet.


A small droplet of blood trickled down from his fingers as she softly bit them, her needle-like teeth piercing the flesh at the tip. With every new part of her face he touched, she tightened her grip more and more that, by the time his finger was resting under her chin, there was enough pressure in there to make a normal man retract in pain. Eikki, however, did not back away in the slightest, mainly because of the proximity he managed to get to her, without (almost) no incident. When she leaned in, someone from the outside would think she was going to kiss him, however Eikki was not a stupid man. Her lips were pulled back, exposing her sharp teeth as she bit down on his lower lip, drawing more blood.

However it had not gone unnoticed to Eikki that, at some point, she leaned in to his touch, as if to feel it better. Her words whispered softly against his lips sent shivers down his spine, and the whole thing seemed romantic, almost erotic. Yet the merfolk let out a soft smile when she finished talking, as he knew she was doing nothing more than pay him back for mocking her. Imalia was toying with him, as much as she thought he had toyed with her earlier. A spark of rage gripped his stomach with hot iron fingers, yet he did not allow himself to let it show, for two reasons: one, in the position he was in, it was as if he was getting arrested; anything he could say or do could be used against him; second, because it would be a huge hypocrisy on his side, after all he did toy with her earlier. So, for now, the only thing he could do was allow the game to move on.

His legs had stopped spasming, yet small contractions could be seen every time she increased the pressure around his manhood. He did not allow his eyes to leave hers, mezmerizingly blue. His right hand was still holding the edge of the tank to give him a bit more balance and a solid base, but he let it go, only a small portion of his thighs were now keeping him balanced. He moved his right hand up, slowly and softly touching the skin of her shoulder, once again tracing his fingers across her slippery skin, all the way up to the back of her neck, grabbing hold softly, to which she responded with more pressure and the stinging pain was almost enough to make him cry out. Yet all he did was, ever so softly, take a deep breath, not once backing his lips away from hers.

With his lower lips touching hers, a bit of blood she had drawn glued to her lips, and he could smell the metallic scent of his own blue blood. The scent, however, was different than that of a human's: the metalloprotein in his blood had a different metal bonded: cobalt. This gave his life fluid a more sweet and stronger scent than that of a human's. Yet she was not the only one tasting new things there. A bit of her saliva had trickled down to his lips, and he readily licked it, tasting his own blood and something else. At that moment, he would not be able to describe the taste of her lips, however, as it was obvious for a predator with skills such as hers, it was indeed good.

His whispers even softer than before, as he knew that, as much as he masochistically enjoyed the dangerous game they were playing ( not without a bit of anger, though), that he needed to tread softly, for she held him on his hands. "You can make me, can't you, Imalia?'' he asked, with a small smile on his lips. "Yet i'm sure you know i can only take so much more of your touch, love....". The pain was becoming intense enough to climb upwards from where she was gripping him, to his abdomen all the way up to his stomach, as if he had ingested molten lead. He also tightened his grip on the back of her neck a bit, pressing down with his fingers and, unintentionaly, drawing her closer to him. He took the moment to repay her for his own bloody lip, and softly bit down on hers, keeping the plump red flesh between his teeth long enough to quickly lick it, though he knew it would not last long, as she would probably back away and once again increase the grip on his crotch. And the pain was not much far away from not being fun anymore.

Imalia gazed at the cobalt hued substance that leaked from his finger, the scent wafting up to her nose, it smelled delicious and yet looked fairly alien to her. Though that perhaps offered him some safety for had the blood been crimson in hue she would likely have had a time restraining herself at her current level of hunger. It was often hard to think around blood anyway and had, a few times, caused small incidents that were best left between her and their illustrious ring master. It was a natural predatory reaction she assumed and while the blood on her own lip and the scent in the air was tantalizing it didn't immediately stir up that predatory reaction in her.

She enjoyed the way he shivered at her words, he took them in and he let them play havoc inside him and yet he smiled almost sadly at her. He knew it was all a game, that she was playing with him as a cat played with a mouse and that when she was done, or when he grew bored, the game would end and she would return to what was her life in this glass prison and he to the troubles that had driven him here in the first place. She would then wait until someone was stressed, angry or bored enough to visit her again so she might have another chance to play with someone. It was all ultimately a game to relieve her boredom, at least until the camp slumbered and the night, for that piffling, pitiful amount of time, was hers to do with as she pleased. To sing her soul free should she desire without a soul to hear or pester her for more. Though singing was hardly on her mind in those sweet few moments she so rarely had.

The small contractions between his thighs kept her pleasantly amused and from straying to thoughts that were really quite unbecoming of her in the first place. Though despite her grip he still insisted on touching her, his hand sliding across her chilled, cold skin until cupping the back of her neck and she briefly bared her teeth in warning. With their lips so close that his blue blood could form a sticky mess upon hers, gluing them no matter how flimsily to one another she could better take in his scent, smoke, mints and blood. A scent she would hopefully never have to put herself through again as they collided and curdled harshly together, a brief wrinkle of her nose was her only sign of discomfort.

He whispered words into her ear which made her grin a dark and sadistic little smile, “I can.” She replied simply, she could make him dive into the tank, off the edge, she could even get him to take a running jump off the tight rope without a safety net. While his kinship would of course make her powers weaker she could do such, or try at the least, if she so desired. If she wanted a game that was over and done in a matter of minutes with only one ending, though with two different scenarios perhaps, then she could do so and the game would be done. He would likely not return but had he not said he was simply here to forget, forget someone or something that had bothered him that night so no matter the outcome of the night she was unlikely to see Eikki again for several years.

When she was bitten in return a surprise briefly lit her eyes though it dulled relatively quickly, her first reaction to put both hands; therefore releasing his crotch, on his shoulders and push herself away. Before his teeth could pierce or bruise –though they left a nice pink mark- she escaped him. “Now now, Mr. Seil would be ever so angry if you damaged his property, don’t you think?” Though her tone gave nothing away about whether or not she enjoyed his attention in such a way. He was though now free of her of course and effortlessly she kept her place in the middle of the tank, “I guess this means your free of me now.” She teased, running her fingers through her hair and offering a faint smile.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by AkiBlue
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AkiBlue

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Ty waited in the deathly silence, the tension was heavy but a lot less than before she had walked to the group. As soon as the silence was broken, first by CeCi's agreeing. She gave a small nod and a soft sigh when the angel spoke. It was a shame they never were able to speak beyond the lighting of Ty's stage. She seemed rather nice, even if many disapproved of her. It always seemed they were on separate sides of the carnival at all times. And this little ordeal was no better. If she had the courage, she would've probably spoke to her. She would've even gone out of her way to set up a time, if only for a few minutes. But the two rarely met- or in this case, met at the wrong circumstance.

Eikki was the next to speak, in fact, he was the first to depart as well. Ty looked at his coral limb indifferently. She had known of such things he was capable of, but it was the first time she was allowed to witness. It didn't phase her, but many things didn't startle as she progressed with the circus. He too agreed with Ty, but she still stayed silent. Only the glances she gave were revealing her acknowledgement towards them. Her patience was still the same, and she kept still. As Eikki departed, she could have said goodbye. If she had the courage, she might have even wished him well. But at the moment, it didn't seem like the right time.

She returned Lao's smile and acceptance with a small smile of her own. Well, an addition of tea to the small party sounded pleasant but it was all up to Rosalina. A brighter smile lit her features when the angel doll had finally agreed. "Wonderful. There's plenty for you to get caught up on." Ty silently followed along side Rosalina as they began to depart. She glanced back at Andracos when he offered to tag along. She, personally, didn't want the male to take part in their affairs, but it wasn't her place to say such things. And it was rude. Luckily, Rosalina turned him down so she was saved from Andracos'...antics.

Mr. Seil's large dog was still in the same place she had saw him before, still asleep. Ty waited for Rosalina to take a seat before she took one as well. At first, Ty was at a loss as to how to return to the conversation after being silent for so long, but seeing how comfortable the angel was Ty relaxed and began. "You've missed a little, and yet that little is quite a lot. Two new faces have joined the carnival. Nathan and Nalia. Both young and human, I'd say in their teens. I know little about them, but I did show them around. Nalia, she has a fiery spirit and wishes to join me in the ranks of acrobatics. Nathan is much less tempered than his sister, and he wishes to a magician. I'm sure you'll enjoy them once you meet them." She paused, letting Rosalina comment to whatever she desired before she continued on.

Answering any question or concern she had, Ty continued. She spoke of the performances and the small children she saw, all with excited and energetic expressions. The air elemental strayed away from such details like the souls that were collected or the meeting that took place hours before. Ty didn't forget about Lao of course. She spoke to the both of them, being the Information Specialist she was. How she got the information was beyond many, but Ty listened to the wind. The silent whispers that her abilities were based off of helped her in more ways than just her acrobatics. "And I believe... I do believe that's everything I can tell you. Well, you both although I'm sure you knew most of the information Lao." She nodded, finally finishing her tale. Everything was pretty much said. The only things she left out were things that would probably upset Mr. Seil's angel, and with that in mind, it was left unsaid.

Taking a few sips of tea, courtesy of Lao, she thanked him kindly. "You're tea is always nice." She blew a cooling breath over it so she wouldn't burn her tongue. As it fell silent, Ty thought of offering her company until Mr. Seil returned. It wouldn't be very nice to leave her all alone, even if she had a 'guard dog' watching over her. But it seemed like too much to ask, or offer. She wondered if Lao would by chance speak of it and then wondered other things but she kept her mind from running on a tangent. A sudden tiredness fell upon her as if the Sandman himself started to sprinkle his little magic powder on her little by little. She realized it was fairly late, and she did perform off stage. She set the empty cup down and pulled her feet up on the couch, after politely taking her shoes off. The couch was rather comfortable, so she rested her arm on the arm of the couch and rested her head in her hand. "The day was a little gray today, but in all, it was a wonderful performance day as usual."
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by SweetCinderella
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De’ Seil Carnival exists as a never-ending explosion of fun, excitement and laughter. Music, dancing, acts, games and shows drown the place in colours that cannot be matched. Within both the mortal and magical realm De’ Seil Carnival’s reputation stands grand; very few others can rival the euphoria, impressive and stunning spectacle.

However all that is voiced from an outside perspective – the inside eyes is rather different. The carnival folk all have reasons for being present there – whether they be good or bad, moral or immoral. Those whom dwell within it, making it their abode are under constant protection and highly valued by the glorious Ring Master, Mr. Seil (regardless whether they believe it or not)

The safety and protection of the carnival family is spoke highly and praised as one of the best in employment. Alas a dark shadow has cast itself over the carnival. It has brought question to just how safe the folks really are – questioning Mr. Seil’s very abilities. Conversely though no fault or vex has arisen in over a hundred years.

In present time the shadow that has darkened the carnival has claimed 12. Twelve members of the carnival family are presently unaccounted for; missing. How this is even possible is unknown. The fact that the souls are bound by contract to Mr. Seil renders him able to locate them at any said time. Nevertheless something powerful is over-riding his connection. Even more so, potent and accurate fortune tellers and foresighters visions are being clouded whilst they search for said missing 12. Lack of tracks, scent or aura render unable trackin. There be no connection or pattern connecting the 12 missing – both genders, and a variety of species. In addition to this, a variety of souls, branded, exchanged and gathered have also vanished. Thus the conclusion of whomever be the culprit behind the missing individuals is undeniably prevailing and a great threat.

There be some clues that have surfaced that both aid and question whom or what is behind said events. And that be where we now stand.




Darkness was all he could see; a never-ending abyss. It was where he mentally lived. There existed nil and naught problems within this place, within his mind – it was his peace. It was how he remained so calm, collected and in control all of the time. Whenever his emotions attempted to over-ride him or endeavoured to get the better of him, he’d simply close his eyes and surround himself with darkness. Others were afraid of such blackness – but not him. For it was where he came from. It was him. He was the darkness.

Mr. Seil opened his eyes, his tranquil and gentle demeanour never wavering. His posture was lowered, knees bent so as to bring him closer to the ground. He hovered over one of the piles of dirt that Crow had discovered. In specifics, the one she had dug up, Mr. Seil having examined an undisturbed one prior. Whether or not Crow herself was there, he didn’t care for her duties were done and complete for the evening. Displayed to him all she had unearthed. He took no notice if she was still within his presence. With one hand clasped around the top of his upright cane – assisting his balance – the other was twirling the little bronzed feather that Crow had found, between his index finger and thumb. It was broken and frayed. His eyebrows creased at what he held.

Pocketing the feather between some cloth he then lifted his cane and moved around the dirt within the disturbed hole in the earth. Observing the burnt stones and herbs – sage, rosemary and thyme. He felt the overwhelming urge to leave the hole be - ‘a forsake spell’ he mused to himself. Rising to his feet with poise he repositioned his cane at his centre, clasping it with both hands. His eyes travelled some distance and he perceived another pile of disturbed earth and another beyond that. His head turned slowly to his right as he took into account the unsteadiness and forced frailty of the carnivals magical barrier. The glitter, translucent gold boundary that acted as fence not only lit up the grounds but also acted as a barricade to keep out any with malicious intent. Everywhere there was a ruffled pile of dirt, stones and herbs there was a weakening in the gold boundary rendering silver cracks within to appear to the trained eye.

“Lookin for ya I’ve been for ages, I have,” the gruff voice of Mogue reached Reficul’s hearing. He turned his head slowly in the direction of the little angst dwarf without moving any other part of his body. Mogue was walking with a quick stride, well as quick as he could anyway. His make-up was messy and he had beads of sweat on his forehead. With his trademark cigarette hanging from his mouth he halted next to Mr. Seil out of breath. Reficul raised an amused eyebrow as Mogue leaned over in a bid to catch his breath – his cigarette falling from his mouth to the ground.

“What is that?” Reficul pondered as he viewed something that Mogue clasped tightly.

“Giv ma a bloody second,” he let out a rough cough due to heightening his voice, “will ya! Been runnin like a idiot I have to find ya” he finished with another cough. Mr. Seil waited patiently for Mogue to compose himself. After a moment of heavy breathing, rough coughing, and naughty swearing Mogue had poised himself – as much as Mogue could.

“Vox, he found few tings,” he finally managed to voice – it wasn’t uncommon for him to pronounce people’s names incorrectly, nevertheless Mr. Seil always knew whom he referred to, “ya not gonna like it,” he finished as he forcibly thrust a bag into Reficul’s chest. Swiftly catching it with one hand, not at all losing his poise and classy composure, he peered down at the bag. As his second-in-command let out some more throaty sounds that weren’t quite coughs, Reficul ungrasped his cane with his remaining hand and left it to balance on its own accord.

With both gloved hands he examined the bag that was thrust his way. Turning it gradually so as to scrutinize every inch of it. The dark brown leather bag was or mortal creation, its various marks displaying its age. He concluded his examination swiftly deciphering that nil evidence existed along the outside. Peering at his comrade from the tops of his eyes, Mogue urged him to open it with a nod.

Mr. Seil did so, unhurriedly.

Upon sighting its contexts he closed his eyes once more and took himself to that dark place where he was undisturbed and composed himself mentally.

The situation was worsening.




"Silence your treacherous mouth, siren, for I am not one of childish play, nor do I need to explain myself to you. Rosalina was, and still is, under my care, so do not make the mistake of fooling yourself: in the current game, you are nothing but a pawn, even if you think you are the knight in shining armor. Begone Andracos, release us from the disgust of your presence."

Andracos scowled at the words directed at his way, how dare any tell him to be gone, apart from the Wish Master. He wasn’t angry rather offended – this merfish whom dwells constantly within his tent decides that one day he would emerge and play the superior one. ‘If I be a pawn’ Andracos mused to himself silently, ‘then you be naught apart from the chess board whom is walked over and used’. His didn’t voice his thoughts and that was not due to the idea of intimidation rather he preferred to be not to be instigator here and instead play guard. Andracos was sure to never insult and voice rudely whilst in the presence of Rosalina for constantly desire he did her to approve of him and never side against him.

[b]“Pay nil attention to thous wording angel doll,”
he spoke lowered to Rosalina, “performing on deep passions he be and lack notice to thy desire to merely protect thou physically and mentally.” He spoke as if he blew off the merman’s insult but rather he suppressed it for the time being in order to act superior in the current situation. He permitted the two, angel and merman to hold swords and not intrude that way he went undisturbed in cooing words into Rosalina’s ear. Each word he said was a bid to heighten himself in her eyes as the dependable one.

Words flew through Rosalina’s ears, the lowered voice of Andracos as it were. She had heard his words before, from him and from others. All in a bid to gain her trust and dependence – usually for their own personal gain. Rosalina had reacted so swiftly to Andracos’ command due to the fact that she loathed being in the middle of any sort of conflict. Her initial reaction was to remove herself and seek security. If any others had called for her to come their way, apart from Andracos, she undeniably would have done so. The thought of choosing Andracos over CeCi or Eikki never crossed her mind rather it was simply ‘get out of bad situation’ and ‘hide behind something that can take a good hit’. She was female angel after all and a traditional one at that. CeCi in full Arch-form caught her very much off guard and she instantly had frozen up for she knew not the reasoning why she appeared in full guise.

When Eikkis blade touched CeCi’s skin that much more Rosalina spoke to Andracos, “halt them?” she almost pleaded.

Andracos shook his head in response, “exposed it would render you,” he never altered his prospect of being the dependable one or the saviour.

‘Why dost constant friction befall wheneth my presence is near? Current burning be fault of mine and only mine’ Rosalina pondered dejectedly she felt at fault here, ‘ought not to open the door in future. Explain to Reficul the friction be my doing.’ She was eager to turn away and seek out Mr. Seil however knew that upon doing so a predictable reaction would occur – Andracos would stop her from going anywhere, he’d physically grab her and though he wouldn’t hurt her he’d stimulate a negative emotion in both CeCi and Eikki and they’d turn on him and the whole situation would worsen. Thus she decided to move not and merely wait for the dispute to end. Endeavour she would to make sure none were punished and none commended, Rosalina deemed that fair. Sometimes she didn’t mind be locked up, for this type of drama was not praised by her and she loathed being the instigator.

When the little china-man made his appearance in a bid to pacify the hostility, Rosalina was grateful. She was fond of Lao, though in saying that she was fond of all people. A small, petite smile creased her perfect lips as Lao placed the piece of mocchi on Eikki’s lips. For a male, Lao was unusually elegant and maintained a grace that some females found difficult to match. Due to Rosalina’s mindset it rendered her a little awkward around him for she was uncertain exactly how to go about him. As he pirouetted daintily towards Andracos and she, she couldn’t help but bury her head into Andracos; bashfulness. She was so beholden that someone had the valour to attempt tranquility. Feebleness flowed through her. She silently giggled as the china man pressed the candy to the sirens lips.

Andracos, whom didn’t quite like nor quite hate Lao scowled once more at the actions. Supressing the urge to place his hands around Laos neck and strangling him was proving difficult. He longed to merely spit the mocchi back at whom had offered it backhanding him after, following through with a glove less swipe at CeCi and then a dramatic sword fight between the merman – but bury the feeling he did for no sight shall Rosalina’s eye ever see. Instead, he took the candy and returned it with a cold glare.

Rosalina whom failed to see the look of hatred painted on Andracos features gave a small beam as he ate the candy. She opened her mouth slightly in a bid to allow Lao to place a piece in her mouth too. He did so and she blushed faintly.

Within seconds the grasses moved to the rhythm of CeCi landing in front of the one sinister siren and the one angelic doll. There between the two angelic sister of the Azure a silent conversation evolved.


Yes sister, yes I flee away from thee – light into darkness. Nil and naught for if that be how thou perceives it thou is as constricted as many believe thy to be. Poisoned thou believes of thy mind, reasoning why thy stays far away from thee for never ending time.

Abhorred and frowned upon, yes, yes. Cessation of traditionalism is reason why purity lacks within thou. See thou dost never that in true fact an example you are to all females – of what never to befall. Point to thou Celleci my own father did and proclaim that never shall I follow such footsteps for if I did, never pure again will I be.

Many a hundred, never-ending seek to liberate thy from supposed and believed prison, alas what good be you? For if thy own father, Highest of all Judges fails to undue my imprisonment, what surely can Celleci achieve? Unfit for station reserved only for the males of our kind. Whom can you protect Celleci?


“Shame... is that truly what you say to me, Andracos? Shame. Agreed. Aye, and again aye, Andracos. Shame but not for this angel alone. Shame on you for luring the Wish Master's cherished wife and jealously loved one out and away from the safety of their abode. Shame on me for ever thinking that it would be respectful to arrive here in full regalia as if it were the very day this angel first met Mr. Seil. And shame for Rosalina.

Shame sister? Never did I flee from light to the dark. If fail to love and respect all, regardless of said actions, then never a true angel once where you – failure to understand my love for all, even the ones whom kneel to the dark, signifies that never once did thou Celleci retain true purity. Contaminated from the moment of birth if incapable to love, accept and forgive all, light and dark.

It was then that another made an appearance within the drama – Ty. One could tell by her facial expression that she was certainly unprepared for what she had walked into. It was akin to a soap opera – overly dramatic. She kept her poise like always and with a raised eyebrow she offered,

"Rosalina, I've been told that I can give you another update of the Carnival... I don't know what's taking place here... But would you like to- come out and listen? Unless...this," Ty gestured toward the weapons and the others, "is a little more important."

Rosalina inhaled a small sigh of relief at the appearance of another attempting tranquility.

“Agreed, Ty. We should get Mrs. Rosalina Bell Seil inside lest we wish to suffer the wrath of Mr. Reciful Seil, Wish Master and owner of our inked names upon parchment...” the voice of the arch one spoke.

It was then that Eikki’s voice followed with an apology to Rosalina, a scorn to CeCi and then words to Rosalina once more before he turned and exited the scene, not before he bowed.[/b]




They both gazed down at the messy pile of entrails that Vol had discovered and had reported back to Mogue. Mr. Seil stood remained as calm and collected as he usually did, with his cane at his centre and both hands a top of it. His expression was blank as he deciphered the contents before him. Mogue, whom clutched the leather bag from earlier displayed a more concerned appearance.

“Know wat it says?” Mogue inquired to his taller friend his eyes not lifting from the bloody guts on the ground.

Mr. Seil ignored his question and simply replied, [b]“go and retrieve Vivianna, get her to read this and report back to me. I need to have it double checked.”


Mogue frowned and threw the bag to the flooring, “you ain’t letting me know wats goin’ on,” he pointed up to Reficul with slight annoyance, “wats it says?” he demanded.

No physical reaction was received by Reficul instead all he did was grab the bag that Mogue had dropped, out of thin air having levitated it, turn on his heel and made his way back towards the entrance.

“Get her to double check it Mogue,” he spoke as he strolled away, “then make sure everyone is in their quarters as soon as possible, then Vivianna and yourself will come and see me early morning. All this evidence is telling us something.”

“You freakin better let me in on wats goin’ on,” he yelled after him, “bloody snobby bastard,” he huffed softly to himself as he took a cigarette from behind his ear and lit it.




Rosalina finally voiced agreement, “oh Ty yes, do inform me of the happenings,” she finally left the shelter of Andracos and made her way to Ty. Elegantly she clasped one of the air-elementalist hands between her own, “come inside darling and tell me all!” she was ever so pleased that the hostility was at a ceasefire. Rosalina’s attention turned to the china man, “please do join us,” she sweetly said to him.

Rosalina went to depart, to make her way back to the safety of her abode however turned to Andracos first – he beat her to speaking.

“Voice must I, to Wish Masters ears,” he cooed attempted to link.

Rosalina simply shook her head, “no,” she said simply – there was no offence behind her answer and nor did she bother explaining why. Andracos put on a fake and dramatic face of offence and surprise, however it faded with a wink, “wish be yours darling doll,” he sang with a final bow to Rosalina, “inform him please dolly, that slothful comrade of mine was in need of heavy feeding and abscond away, away from the carnival grounds he did.”

He watched the three depart and closed the door for them gentlemanly before turning on his heel and scowling at the lack of activity around him. No one was around – the night drowned the carnival and rendered it quite and still. He held disdain for such things.[center]


[center]


They entered the warm sitting area and Rosalina waltzed her way contentedly to the main lounge – the one in which she had fallen slumber upon. Dimuegos remained stationed in the exact position from when Rosalina had left his, clearly undisturbed by the events that occurred outside. Surely if he had heard Rosalina call or even a small squeal he would have settled the situation. Fortunately she did not call nor scream and thus he remained where he was. Rosalina grazed her hand over the giant wolf head as she passed him. Gracefully lowering herself to the comfort of the grand couch she smiled daintily as Ty took a seat opposite her, permitting her to sit first. Ty seemed tangled at how exactly to move past the previous events and how to break the silence – luckily Rosalina was so content and at ease, it radiated off her and Ty soon too found herself relaxed. She voiced of two new recruits to the carnival and Rosalina pondered on the notion that she thought Reficul was not signing any new recruits into the carnival due to the current events of missing individuals.

“Oh eager to meet them,” she gushed when Ty ceased speaking, “mortal ones you say?” Rosalina’s eyes fell slightly as her mind wondered elsewhere at the thought. Once Rosalina realigned her attention to that of Ty and Lao, the air-elementalist continued her chitchat – of the new acts and performances, of the cute younglings. Sweet tea came her way by means of Lao and she was ever so grateful that Reficul had permitted her some company considering the past few days she had been locked away for safety reasons.

Rosalina couldn’t help but voice, “Ty, ever so sweet and kind you be. Exultant and blissful be I that here you are as a true friend. Know do I that many befriend thy for only self-regarding reasons – though of course never deny them do I. However ever so pleased of the notion that here you are expecting nothing in return but companionship and bond. In need be I, of more personalities parallel to yourself. Thank you, I truly do from my heart.” She concluded her gratitude with a truly beautiful smile that made all hearts melt.

Slowly rising the sweet aromatic tea to her lips she, turned her pink, violety eyes to Lao whom had said very little during the gathering. Her smiled reached out for Lao this time and as did her words, “show appreciation to the fact that you choose to join us Lao for tranquil company will forever be highly praised by thy. Thank you I do for your valour to die away the hostility prior.”

Placing her tea cup down on the table, too chose to mimic Ty’s actions and rest herself long upon the couch. Sleep would soon befall her; she wouldn’t be able to help herself for it was both fairly late day and very early morning. Curling up cutely, she rested her head against a fluffy pillow. Hearing Ty’s words she voiced,

“Yes, grey and dreary the days seem to befall us - I fear that the grey shall not end for some time. Fortuitously illuminate the sky and drown out the depression this place does.” Her eyes where growing heavy from lassitude. She flung them open in order to pronounce, “apologise I really do, I wished not such dramatic events of earlier to bare itself to either of you. I’m sorry for that,” she took the blame for the prior happenings of the evening. Heavier her eyelids grew.




Mr. Seil opened the grand oak door to his private cart, he did so slowly, in case his angel doll lay slumbering on the couch. Sleeking in with demonic sly, his eyes needed no time in order to adjust to the dimness of the fire lit room. Subconsciously Mr. Seil’s intense, deep brown eyes scanned the room and with practiced scrutiny landed on his divine one. The whites of his eyes almost silver added to the intensity – though they always displayed a gentle ambiance.

Once he perceived the safety and comfort of Rosalina his eyes landed on another individual slumbering on the couch opposite her; Ty. She had, under his permission sought Rosalina’s companionship and had clearly stayed with her until she drifted off to the land of dreams – it seems they both had. Ty was a power of pure substance, an uncommonness to encounter – a rarity. Her very being was exceptionally clean and untainted in way that was very different to an angels. Mr. Seil’s respect and bond with Ty stemmed from this fact. It was also reasoning why Reficul tied her to the carnival aside from business – he was a collector. He did favour Ty above a lot of others for he practically perceived her as a daughter.

Silently he made his way towards the couches, weaving past Dimuegos – whom had shifted his position to be closer to Rosalina. Without a single sound he levitated both his cane and the leather bag Vol had discovered so it could make its own way to his office. With hands free he lifted off the white fox fur that shielded Rosalina from the cold. He lifted her off the couch gently and soundlessly – she didn’t wake for her slumber was deep.

With doll in arms he disappeared down an obscure hallway. Within time he returned with no doll in his arms for he had laid her to the comfort of the bed. Leaving Ty be he made his way to his office door. With a flick of his hand over his shoulder, the fox fur that had laid over Rosalina flew from the opposite couch over to Ty and landed softly on her, this time shielding her from the cold.

He entered his office closing the door mutely behind him – one would never have known that he had entered the room.

He was finally able to take the time to repose.




The morning sun was rising. The cold air was becoming warm. The dark was drowning in the light. The dismal events of the days prior was coming to an end and hopefully this new day would bring glee.

Pachid sat comfortably leaning against a tall tree. He watched in peace as the morning sun rose – the sunrise was striking. There were oranges, pinks and reds that coloured the sky – he took it all in. He felt much better, headache had disappeared, thirst had suppressed and his body felt stronger. He felt bad for the wolf that lay dead a few meters away, drained of all blood. Alas it was better and far easier hunting a wolf and feeding off it compared to a human. True luring a human was easy however coving the body and drawing no attention was the problem. Thus he generally fed on animals.

The time was coming to make his way back to the carnival and he planned on going straight to bed. If only he could be bothered getting up from his comfortable position. He’d fall asleep where he was however he knew Mr. Seil and the ones in command wouldn’t be too pleased if he stayed away much longer than necessary. As a result of said thought, he rose to his feet with a sigh. Stretching every part of his long body he delayed for as long as he could before taking his first step back towards the carnival.

He was some miles away and hated the fact that he had chased the wolf so far out because now he had to walk back. He’d run, but he’d rather not. Thus he made his way back leisurely.

Sometime into his walk the sound of flapping reached his heightened hearing. It sounded strained and he presumed some animal was hurt and struggling to fly. He pushed it aside and continued onwards, for the sound stemmed from off course right. Walking onwards the scent of a species apart from an animal flew though his sensitive nose. Wriggling his nose at the scent he deciphered that the scent belonged to that of a faerie and more so the laboured flapping belonged to the faeries wings. Odd considering faeries flew with such soundless grace.

There was a dissimilar sensation in his gut and it was bothering him. His emotions where telling him to go and investigate whilst his mind was telling him to leave it be and seek the safety of the carnival grounds. But what if it was someone he knew that needed help? A family member of the carnival? He knew he’d feel terrible if he could have helped but didn’t. Even if the faerie wasn’t in need of help, it wouldn’t hurt to go and have a look.

Those thoughts flew through his mind rapidly – and his morality won. Both sighing and scowling to himself he diverted off the course to the carnival and headed instead to that of the faerie. He didn’t know what he would discover alas his gut told him it wouldn’t be good and that he was going the right thing. Thus onwards he went to seek out such course changer.

He wasn’t quite prepared for what he found.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by cthulu
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cthulu Her Harley

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Lao.

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'. "Aren't you a peach." 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 not 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.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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.

Imalia

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.

Just not tonight.

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by AkiBlue
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AkiBlue

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“Ty, ever so sweet and kind you be. Exultant and blissful be I that here you are as a true friend. Know do I that many befriend thy for only self-regarding reasons – though of course never deny them do I. However ever so pleased of the notion that here you are expecting nothing in return but companionship and bond. In need be I, of more personalities parallel to yourself. Thank you, I truly do from my heart.”


Ty could feel the warmth and the light tint to her cheeks. To get such gratitude from the angel was heart-stirring and lovely. It was such an honor to get something- or anything, even as small as a thank you, from the angel. Everyone that knew the angel doll could agree to that. "Really, I assure you it's-" Embarrassment befell her when she received that gentle and beautiful smile. She was sure Rosalina was used to the reactions people had when speaking or being with her. Ty's blue orbs glanced away for a few moments. "It's always a pleasure speaking with you. There is no need to thank me. Really." She assured, adding her own soft smile. As Rosalina got comfortable, Ty couldn't help but mimic such actions. The couch was extremely comfortable, which helped little. There was more than likely a few yawns traded before either of them dozed off. Rosalina drifted into slumber and not long after, Ty was curled up to. Although, sometime later, the warmth of something rested on top of her. She relaxed more and curled under the soft blanket, not bothered to move.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

The morning rays of the sun kissed Ty's cheek and made her slip under the blanket. When she shifted, she realized she wasn't in her bed that swayed and rocked back and forth and felt like a cloud. Then she realized that she laid under a much softer blanket than she normally was under. Her consciousness lulled her to open her eyes, though the first thing she saw was the brightening sky. Her eyes adjusted after a moment and she slowly sat up. It was obvious she had dozed off with Rosalina, though when would probably never be answered. The couch across from her, the last place she had seen Rosalina, was empty. Even Dimuegos had disappeared. Quietly, she stood and folded the blanket, setting back to where she had assumed it needed to stay. When she stood, Ty noticed the shirt that she was wearing. It was definitely not hers, and after a moment's thought, she remembered it was Lao's. He must've placed it on her when she dozed off.

Ty had planned on going to Mr. Seil's office to thank him for letting her stay. First, she removed and folded the shirt Lao gave her, having her original clothing still on of course then held it close. But, it wasn't guaranteed that the Wish Master was in his office and she didn't want to disturb him. So she simply nodded to herself and silently slipped out the door. When she stepped out, the morning sun warmed her skin as she stretched. It was a nice feeling, so she relished in it as she walked towards her own tent. A new day, and so far it was fairly calm. The gloomy night from before left no trace in the next day. 'What to do, what to do.' Ty thought as she headed to her own small abode. It was just as she left it, even though it looked untouched. Cleanliness was always common with her things. If it was one thing she hated, it was definitely an untidy place. But, that was besides the point. Ty went in and took time to freshen up. It didn't take long before she was outside once more.

"I should return this shirt to Lao first." Being early as it was, the silence of the morning was fairly normal. At this hour, some were asleep, and others were probably enjoying a nice breakfast. There were many things they could have done besides wander aimlessly and speak to the ones that they had seen countless times a day. There was no one around to make conversation with, but when she passed, she had bid Grog a good morning. Only for him to reply with, "Good Morning Ty! Slept well yes?"
"I did, thank you." With a nod, her walk continued. With a few knocks on Lao's door, she soon realized he wasn't there. "Off so early I see." Ty tucked it by the door and then remembered her promise to the newcomer Nalia. "Oh, I was so wrapped up in yesterday that I almost forgot about her training."

She was almost sure Nalia didn't forget. The mortal seemed eager to begin, and Ty didn't want to disappoint her first student. The sudden thought made her pause. 'Her first student.' It dawned on the air elemental that she had never actually taught anyone her craft before. Then again, she had never taught anyone anything. Ty had taught herself the ways of acrobatics and was fairly independent around the carnival. No one ever really depended on her either, at least, not that she knew of. So this experience would be. . . Fairly new for the both of them. She decided not to think too much into it. There was no need to panic over small things. The air elemental passed Nalia and Nate's new 'home' and knocked on the door a few times. The knocks were merely to get them to wake or at least to let them- Nalia know that she was taking her on her commitment. Who else would knock besides herself?

She continued walking toward her tent, in fitted pants and a tanktop, prepared to practice. It was a routine for her to warm up and get ready for her shows. That is, if she had nothing else to do. Little did many know, Ty always improvised her tricks in her performances. Never had she created a performance or practiced a specific routine. In fact, Ty only practiced tricks and later compiled them into a show as the music played.
While she waited for Nalia, if she did show, Ty decided to tumble and flip around. It was nothing extravagant, just something like a warm up for her before she got to the more complicated things. Ty walked on her hands, cartwheeled, and moved about on the ground, making sure Nalia had a few things to do in the beginning stages of her new talent.
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Behind the quartet she followed, nary a word spoken from angelic lips. With eyes that were not hued the familiar silver of Celleci's eyes, she watched their forms traipse along towards the wagon of the Wish Master. The hem of her white and golden robe whispered softly along the tips of the grass, gracing the blades of green with light of the Kingdom in Azure.

Abreast did they walk, Ty, Lao, Rosalina and their kneeler. Andracos, charismatic and dramatic to a fault, blanketed Rose Bell like falling shadow. It would seem as if he were made of chivalric full metal mail large and encumbering to even the most sturdy warhorse. Oh, but a flutter in the heart of an ArchAngel, it now seemed that the angel of Mercy had her fill of cowering since the immediate threats of violence and mayhem were now stifled for the time being. The golden haired beauty, slid away from smothering dark mail.

Then the runes upon her blade appeared momentarily as it flickered full length when what transpired next ended with another stab of a heavenly dagger into her stubborn heart.

Astonishingly, the dagger was not from the smothering dark mailed hand of Andracos. Aye, a kneeler he may be, aye and a promise, but it was rather gracious of him to merely ignore CeCi. A pleasant surprise really since the angel did expect to receive more than an earful from the half-siren. Perhaps he was saving up ammunition for later when Rose Bell's presence was absent (oh should Celleci be ready for such savings) but as of now, Celleci did appreciate the cease fire.

Nay, it was when the other-worldly beauty took Ty's hand and held it with both her own smooth vanilla hands with much warmth and welcoming that CeCi felt the tip of the dagger at her breast. Such a voice, silky smooth and sweetened just right. Rosalina seemed to be lighter in spirits now and... perhaps even open to speaking with Celleci after the ArchAngel had such harsh things to say about Rose Bell's reaction? Mrs. Seil did part from Andracos' side without second thought it seemed! Aye, and such a hearty invite to Lao as well!

Several happy heartbeats passed as Andracos followed the trio. A few more heartbeats passed before the angel realized that she was not going to be invited into the abode of Mrs and Mr Seil. There was to be no lovely spot of tea poured for her. Nay, there was no spot reserved for her at that table; and again nay, her company was not welcome.

The dagger plunged deep with such a realization and the angel stopped dead in her tracks.

But in all honesty, why should such a regal and noble creature feel so miffed at such a thing? It was not her place to sit for tea in the first place. Did she not recall the reason she was summoned in the first place?

She did.

And so upon golden wing did the angel take, and upon the roof of the Wish Master's wagon did the angel land without a single sound nor errant heartbeat of one that felt snubbed when not invited to tea.

No, in a mind such as that of an ArchAngel, there would be not a single thought about how lovely it should be to sit with others of whom many thought so fondly; Ty, Jing Lao, and Rose Bell. Really, what could be gained from sitting comfortably and chatting casually with those that one could love to have as friends? Steam rising from spiced tea, aromas of fine candies and sweets, sitting in the comfort of the plush mansion wagon of the 'Master? Pish. And what interesting things, witty things, friendly things could be said merrily so as to have folks chuckling, perhaps even covering a giggling mouth with a toasty, carame--

The door opened and closed and the spindly Jing Lao spun spryly away from the wagon, and the keen senses of the ArchAngel did not note the scent of spiced tea nor aromas of fine candies and sweets from him. None at all. Really. The ArchAngel sniffed at the air, not out of any reaction in the very least of being snubbed mind you. And when the ArchAngel was certain she did not catch the scent of any other nearby, she floated downward from her perch up high and landed in front of the 'Master's darkened and closed door. She was summoned--invited to speak with Mr. Seil after slumber time, afterall.

Wings fully fluffed out past her shoulders, blade still glowing and held out, she proceeded to knock gently yet again at the wooden surface just like she did earlier in the night, this time hoping Mr. Seil would be the one to answer. Chin up, back straight, she readied her regal words and proper manners as she waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Violet lit the horizons when she decided she should knock again. But this time, golden wing gave way to white plumage, regal robes gave way to simple white gown, mighty talons gave way to caramel coloured hands and a tapping bare foot, radiant sword gave way to a broken metal implement. She was Celleci as they knew her once more and so as CeCi, she raised her hand to gently rap upon the wooden surface of--

The door swung open swiftly, yet only a quarter of the way. A sharp inhale did she take before greeting the door opener and she was sure she did not catch the lingering scents of spiced tea, candies and sweets wafting out into the near-morning twilit air.

“Save it, wingsy,” Dimuegos said in a harsh whisper before closing the door just as switfly and twice as carefully, “you'll just distress the angel doll... yet again. Fly away home, flappy.”

Silver eyes glistened and swept upward to the lightening skies above and towards the spot where the golden portal once held wonder and anxiety like a glowing mother giving birth.

“Home...” said Celleci who was Celleci right now, her otherworldly accent burdened with a heavy exhale that sounded not unlike a laugh made without humour.

Silver eyes snapped close as her chin fell like autumn rain upon her chest. A single breath fell from dusky pink lips then silver eyes snapped open to drink in one final glance at the closed door in front of her and cast one final warm thought upon a sister angel behind that door. White wings blossomed from between tightened shoulder blades as she crouched then suddenly upward she leapt, trailing raven hair and white gown behind her. Up, up, up to greet the waking skies went the lone angel until she was but a dot in the yawning expanse.
Each morning she would rise in time with the rays of the sun, seen or not, in the mortal world. That was where she could swear she could see beyond the Veil and into Azure. That was where she swore she could see and remember where and when home was; a pure and grandiose land and uplifted for all time, all encompassing in its Laws where the sum was greater than its parts afterall.

But the day before truly was a new day, for this was the first time she held the visage of the firery orb and wished it not good morn, but alas, for the first time; goodbye. So long and goodbye. The new day had ended with the rising of a new sun.

When she landed the first light had already broken over hushed treetops lining purple hills, and, the angel fell upon the slumbering pile of bodies of the Lighting and rigging crew and, all that she could reach, she embraced so tight and so dearly with arms, feather and all.

A righteousness mercy lay down home to rest and smiled with much contentment and satisfaction. If she could never see Light again, then happiness would be the well-received mercy. As long as she could still see purity, she would know it. Even in her descent, she would know it. For as she fell into darkness, she would never kneel. How could she for she would always know purity through her golden sister, Rose Bell. For there was still a kind of angel that flew in darkness.

There was a kind of angel that flew upon silent midnight plumed wings through tumultuous pitch skies. Aye, this kind of angel did not know purity of Light for this kind of angel did not hold a golden sword. Nay, this kind of angel held not a weapon but an implement of reaping.

Within her slumber did Celleci dream of such an angel from such a place in Limbel.

In the absence of Light, she would not know complete darkness and the burden of its heavy grasp proper, for Rosalina would inspire her with purity. And with that inspiration, such an angel would still fly in darkness without kneeling, for such an angel knew the purity of the Void that hid the face of an ArchAngel.

Celleci smiled a smile unlike one she ever smiled in Azure.

Aye, the smile upon dusky slumbering lips was just like a smile found upon an Angel of Death. Aye, and a promise.
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Nate stayed in the shadows, watching the drama. It seemed almost surreal to him. None of these folk were ordinary folk. Not like Nalia or himself. Add that to the intensity of the confrontation and he felt, for a moment, very out of his depth.

That moment passed and he got over it. He always did, logic prevailed. He would survive, find a way to do what he was contracted to do, and be on his way. The end justified the means in this case, even if he was the one to take the hit. Nalia would need protecting here, she was too hot headed. Judging by what he just witnessed her fiery temperament could get her in a lot of trouble here. She would have to carefully choose targets for her ire. Some folk would just as soon as kill her as put up with her, he would have to watch her back for that.

He stood once the others had left, his mind dark and brooding. Lia wouldn’t be able to handle this new life, Nate was pretty sure of that. For all her bluster she was used to the ordinary, the explainable. And she actually had a soft heart, when someone hadn’t pissed her off. None of this was explainable and most of the folk they would have to take souls from would be innocent. Only her anger would keep her shielded from what she would have to do; keep her from getting melancholy and depressed. He would just have to keep reminding her of things that made her angry and be as annoying as possible.

He grinned a little as he walked along. She did sacrifice a lot to stay with him, the least he could do was annoy her for her own good. The night was dark and there was a chill in the air. He had learned much tonight, though to most it would not seem that way. Most importantly he had realized that this was no illusion, game, or dream. He squared his shoulders and headed back to his sleeping cart. He would think on what to make of himself now, it had to be something good.

The cool emptiness of the wagon greeted him when he entered. His eyes went immediately to the place Nalia had dropped her jacket. It was gone and Nate was surprised. Normally she didn’t like wandering about in the dark, or in general. With sigh Nate turned around and headed back out to look for his sister. She would probably get into trouble if he wasn’t around, she took so much looking after sometimes.

***

Nalia wandered from the party, the music still ringing in her head. It was somewhat discordant, disjointed in tone but the tempo was good. Nalia found herself mentally dancing to it. She hadn’t danced in years, well before she had quit gymnastics she had quit dancing. But like gymnastics she loved it. It was the movement, the flow she loved. There was something that gave her an edge of freedom and as she walked she began choreographing the dance in her mind.

That thought lead to another and she was seeking out an empty tent. The large carnival tents were somewhat spooky in the night. Empty of all people they were silent and even though the walls were cloth they echoed. Nalia found one that was not completely dark, low lamps flickered around the tent, throwing odd shadows on the stage floor. She didn’t stick close to examine the lights but rather made her way through the dancing shadows to the stage in the middle of the tent. The sand in the center ring was soft but not very deep and looking around to judge if any watched Nalia was satisfied with her solitude. She shrugged out of her bulky jacket and stripped off her shirt and tossed her shoes and socks to one side. Clad only in her bra, jeans, and bare feet she walked to the center of the ring and took a deep breath. It had been a long time.

As she exhaled she spun in a pirouette, a very ungraceful pirouette. Man she was out of practice. She tried again and her balance was a bit better. And so she continued. Each move was a little more stable. She hadn’t warmed up or stretched out or anything so as she moved she felt each move in her body, sore in a way she hadn’t been in many years. Still the music in her head led her dance and she was moving through the shadows mixing ballet with a more modern style blending the two as she had once been taught.

It freed her mind to wander and soon she was unaware of anything save her own loosely floating thoughts. It was, in a way, meditation. The music in her head led the dance and her body followed. By the time she stopped she was coated in a sheen of sweat, her body aching terribly. She was a bit short of breath and she sat on the edge of the center ring to catch her breath. She didn’t notice the eyes that watched her from the shadows.

Once she had caught her breath she rose. She was cold now, her sweat drenched skin made matters worse and she shivered as she tugged her shirt on. Her shoes and socks and jacket followed and she turned to leave, almost tripping over Nate who was standing in the shadows.

“Hey Lia” he said casually and smiled almost impishly up at his sister.

Nalia frowned. “How long have you been there?”

“Long enough to see you dancing half naked around the room. I’m sorry I mean to say falling half naked around the room.”

Nate was fast enough to dodge the blow that Nalia aimed his way.

“I mean come on Lia, you haven’t danced in what, forever. I bet you feel like that time Tommy Masathon beat you to a bloody pulp”

“He DID NOT beat me to a bloody pulp!!” Nalia hissed back. “I broke his nose and his arm, he merely bruised me.”

“A lot of bruises” commented Nate helpfully.

“Hey I did it for you brat” said Nalia defensively.

Nate nodded. He hadn’t forgotten. Most of the beatings Nalia took, and dished out…she hadn’t been exaggerating on what she did to Tommy…were to protect Nate.
“I know Lia” he said softly. “I’m sorry.”

Nalia looked at the boy and nodded as she slung her arm around him.

“Lets head back to our rooms brat” she said softly. “We can worry about stuff in the morning.”

Nalia was feeling better, sore as hell, but better. Nate was also more relaxed, though his mind was still working through problems he felt better than he had earlier. He and Nalia walked comfortably back to their wagon. They never noticed the other pair of eyes that had been watching Nalia in the tent.

*****

Vol loped through the darkness with ease. He wasn’t a thief now, but anyone who saw the casually disheveled siren move through the shadows with such familiarity could tell he was comfortable in shadows and darkness. He avoided meeting anyone with a skill that was partly natural and partly honed on the streets. He was not “himself” at the moment…divested of his usual costume he was more “himself” than ever. He just didn’t share this side of himself with anyone if he could help it.

He found Morgue before he found Seil and it was a simple procedure to hand off all the knowledge of his foray over the carnival grounds. He did not worry about it, it was not his problem. As far as he could tell this was a growing attack aimed directly at Seil. Vol was confident in himself, supremely confident. He was also, surprisingly, confident in Seil. The man’s only weakness was his lady, and Vol considered that a pretty big weakness. On the other hand if this attack was aimed at Seil in trying to protect his lady Seil would protect everyone.

So Vol wasn’t worried. He reminded himself didn’t really have it in him to be worried anyway, far too self absorbed most of the time. Still he didn’t feel like returning to his quarters. There was nothing he was interested in at the moment so with a whistle to the wolverines he left Morgue with his findings and headed off into the dark. Better the dwarf handle the breaking the news anyway. Vol could guess what it meant, he had a passing familiarity with voodoo but no practical knowledge so he had no specifics. He didn’t like to admit that some of that disturbed him and he would be best away from people.

He was in a mood to sing anyway, and like Imalia when he sang people fell. He could control his voice in normal conversation, shield others from its effects. He could pitch his voice to target only a specific person. None of this could he do if he were to sing. So he sought solitude, a place where his well trained and practiced voice wouldn’t carry to anything but the animals and trees.

There were not many places one could go to be alone on the carnival grounds. Normally Vol would have gone up…up a tree, to the roof of a building, or similar. Unfortunately a disturbingly large number of folk at the carnival could fly. Which meant that “up” was not an acceptable place to go. So he found his way to Imalia’s tent, he doubted his song would affect her and her tent was empty. She was “out”…at least not visible. Vol didn’t care, he didn’t interact much with her and left her to achieve her own ends in whatever manner suited her best. He occasionally wondered why she allowed herself to be chained and exhibited like a bug in a jar but he had never asked.

He settled in the back of the tent, crossed his legs, and sang pouring his thoughts into his song. It was wordless, a funerary dirge, and the dark sadness Vol poured into the song would have entrapped any listener in deep melancholy that would have spiraled them deeper and deeper into depression. Vol never wondered why when he sang it was always songs of sadness, darkness and regret, rarely did he weave joy, happiness, lust, or allure into his songs. Eyes closed he sang until a few hours before dawn. It was then he rose, refreshed and relaxed, and left the other siren’s tent, gone before she returned. At least Vol still didn’t see her. He did spot a well gnawed chicken head, courtesy of one of his wolverines. Where in the heck were they finding all these chicken heads, the gnomes should have cleaned this place up, there shouldn’t be random chicken heads lying around for his mischievous friends to find. Nevertheless he scooped it up not wanting to leave trash in the other siren’s home or office or whatever this space was to her. Vol returned to his quarters and slept for the last few hours before morning pounded rudely forced him to wake and begin another day, another of same ol' same ol' routine.

He hadn’t seen Calista in a long time, he wanted to sing but he rarely performed without her. Her illusions turned his ballads into real stories. He would see if anyone knew where she was, singing seemed to be on his mind for some time. He would like to perform in that manner this day but he liked to have a partner when he did.

He poured himself a shot of brandy as he rose for his morning ablutions. It was a long process, a routine that centered himself for the day. One that was as important to him as stretching to a runner or prayer for a priest.

********

Nate was up before dawn, he had slept poorly thoughts still tumbling in his mind preventing rest. He left the wagon before dawns light even reached the sky. He had no place in mind when he left and soon found himself just sitting in the cool air watching the sky lighten. He came up with three possibilities of things he could do to make his way and complete his contract. He would find someone later today, now finally he felt he could rest. Really rest.

He leaned back against the tree trunk he was resting under, closed his eyes, and drifted off into a deeper sleep than he had experienced all night.

Nalia woke to an empty wagon, again. The white walls and sterile setting was starting to wear on her. It made her edgy. She slept well enough, she was exhausted after all, and woke sore and stiff. Feeling edgy on top of that did not make her happy. She groaned as she looked around for clean clothing to change into. There was none.

The idea of pulling her grungy clothing back on, and staying in sweat soaked undergarments was revolting. More clothing was a must. In addition to a way to make their quarters more homey. And food. She realized she was starving.

She would hunt up Ty and see if the woman could help. Nalia wondered briefly where Nate was but figured her brother would be out and about doing…whatever. Nate sometimes puzzled even her. She knew him better than anyone else did but he was often too smart for his own good. She hoped he was staying out of trouble at least.

She pulled on her grungy clothing, wincing at the smell and feel as she did so. Wincing also from the pain of doing so. Lifting her legs was a bit of a challenge. She had been stupid last night. Her body was telling her so now. She hoped she could keep up with whatever Ty might want to teach her today. She would just play through the pain she supposed.

Pulling on her bulky jean jacket Nalia stepped outside and headed to Ty’s place. She found the other woman working out and caught her breath. Once again she was struck by Ty’s beauty and grace. Once again she felt a little embarrassed, a lot awed, and very tongue tied and she halted in her tracks. She was still for what seemed like an eternity before she forced herself to move forward.

“Miss Ty” she said softly not wanting to interrupt the woman if she was doing something that should not be interrupted. “I was hoping you might tell me where to find some workout clothes, all I have are these jeans and a t-shirt. Also maybe a bite of food. We, Nate and me, haven’t eaten since lunch yesterday. I want to leave some in the wagon for him. Then I’ll be ready to start.”
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At the time, Ty had decided to do yoga poses. She stood, reaching up to the sky, and then as each hand touched the cool ground, each leg went into the air with expert grace. Her right leg bent to her left knee, creating a figure four pose. Soon afterward, her legs fell open into a split, all the while still on the palms of her hands. It was a wonder how she managed to keep her hands so soft despite the many performances. This little trick could be done on the tightrope if she chose to add that to her performance the next time. Normally, she'd use the bar and the ribbon. It had been awhile since she had done the tightrope too, so she decided for it. The act still held the effect of keeping people on the edge of their seats, debating if she would make it across-- debating if she'd fall. If pure amazement wasn't the emotion that waved through her audiences, then it was anxiety and shock. Even if she didn't show it, it was always a thrill to be so high in the air, defying laws the humans 'put into place'- things like gravity in particular. During her warm up, she sensed someone else's presence, but made no effort of stopping-- until she heard the soft voice call to her.
“Miss Ty”

It was Nalia's voice that made her stand on her feet and face the girl. Ty dusted her hands off and she gave a polite smile. "Good morning Nalia." Ty's voice was fairly soft as usual, but in the quiet of her tent, it was easy for her to be heard. After her greeting, she let the younger female continue to speak.
“I was hoping you might tell me where to find some workout clothes, all I have are these jeans and a t-shirt. Also maybe a bite of food. We, Nate and me, haven’t eaten since lunch yesterday. I want to leave some in the wagon for him. Then I’ll be ready to start.”

Ty walked forward to stand closer to Nalia, rather than be so far away while conversing. "In regards to you eating, that can be resolved. Some of the workers here are excellent cooks- mainly the ones that work the concession stands. In the mornings and evenings, they normally ban together in order to make food for whoever wants it." She walked past Nalia, gesturing her to follow. "Since we aren't normally aloud outside the Carnival unless for permission, it's usually best just to ask them." There was a specific tent most of the human workers, or the workers that did require food gathered in order to sustain themselves and that's exactly where Ty was going to take Nalia. After that, she fell silent and continued the walk to the tent. The Carnival always felt larger in the morning to Ty. It seemed as though during performances tents that weren't involved in performances were nonexistent, but right as the carnival closed, extra tents of all kind emerged from thin air. The topic itself was pretty minor, so it wasn't really brought up often, or at all for that matter.

"As for your clothing, that's something I can't help you with. Though I could lend you practice clothes for now."

Nalia swallowed hard when Ty walked up to her. She was in awe of the woman and it didn’t seem to get easier to be around her. There were two forces at work within her…desire to learn to do what she always wanted to and pure and unadulterated awe of Ty. For now the first won out and she nodded.

“Some clothes would be great Miss Ty, I simply can’t do this in jeans. No movement. I’ll be right back.”

She raced off to the tent where the food was being served. It was crowded but not as bad as she thought and she begged a huge order of pancakes. They were Nate’s favorite. She ate one to fill her stomach, gulped down the glass of milk and jogged back to her quarters.

Nate still was not there so she left the pancakes sitting on the single plain wood table in their common space. She spared a passing through to hope Nate was ok then ran back outside.

While Nalia ran off, Ty walked to her own tent grabbing a regular pair of practice clothes. Not sure what Nalia would prefer, Ty decided on sweatpants and a shirt. It didn't take long for her to get back to where she was before, and from there she waited for Nalia to return.

As she jogged over to rejoin Ty she realized how badly she was hurt. Every muscle felt like it was on fire and she slowed her jog to try and let the muscles relax. She wouldn’t let it show if she could help it and by the time she rejoined Ty her wincing was well hidden.

Nalia thanked Ty for the clothes and quickly changed. As she pulled on the borrowed clothes she breathed a sigh of relief, there was something refreshing about clean clothing, even when she didn’t have time to get a shower herself she still felt better.

She paused to smooth her wispy brown hair out of her face. She wasn’t sure what she had gotten herself into but it was way to late now. She brushed invisible dirt off her borrowed clothes and took another look in the mirror. She’d never be as beautiful as her teacher, and she was pretty damn self-conscious about that fact. She would just have to make up for it in skill, and that was going to take a lot of work.

“Ready Miss Ty” she said softly.

"We'll start with a few stretches. You don't need to accidentally sprain yourself." Ty sat on the ground as she spoke, not knowing the irony of what she said. The air elemental showed her a few simple stretches to mimic. "Make sure you stretch out every muscle. Being a trapeze artist, you have to use every one. From your fingers," Ty wiggled her fingers for emphasis. "to your toes." She did the same with her toes as well.

"Technically, you have to be a quick thinker too." By this time, Ty was standing, demonstrating while she spoke. "It's almost a paradox (or contradiction?) Every movement you make has to be fluent and graceful, you don't have time to think about your next movement- but," Ty was walking on her toes, imitating walking on a tightrope. And after a few steps, she pretended to stumble. "The moment you fall, you'll have to figure out someway to catch yourself or make it look like it was on purpose." With a quick spin, she ended up standing backwards and still on her toes. She did so again, but this time when she pretended to stumble, Ty flipped to her hands and stood on her hands.

She was still going with the flow of what she thought was important. In which she then remembered, "Also, if you want to be in an act with me~ you'll have to learn to trust me." Ty gave a soft smile, a normal smile for her, and looked up at the swing that was left up. "My abilities are incorporated into my talent. I'd easily be able to add you to it, but that's only if you're willing." She quieted down, once again having that odd feeling that she had reached a limit in which she could speak.

Nalia winced, though she tried to hide it, at Ty’s words. She was lucky she hadn’t sprained anything. She was just really really really sore. At least the stretching would help loosen her up. It would make the pain easier, for a time.

She knew stretches, dancing, running, and gymnastics all taught stretches, and she followed Ty’s moves fairly easily though with nowhere near her skill or flexibility. It was plain the years of not doing so on a daily basis had taken their toll on Nalia. Her body was stiffer and far less limber than it used to be. Fortunately she was still young and she could re-train.

“Sorry Miss Ty” she said as she worked the kinks out of her body. ‘It’s been so long. My body just doesn’t move the way it used to. It’s gonna take me a lot of time and practice. If you give me some techniques, moves, whatever I’ll make sure to spend extra time each day working on them.” She didn’t mention that she would haunt Ty’s shows until she had a whole repitoir of steps, jumps, tumbles, etc that she could practice each day. She would do this or die trying. It was what she always wanted, plus Nate was depending on her as well.

She listened and watched Ty closely, trying not to stare too badly. She was still having trouble burying her girl crush on the other woman. She knew she would have to, in order to keep this up and learn, but it was hard. She nodded showing she understood as Ty talked. It would be hard, but as Nalia saw it she would have to make movements, at least the common ones, instinct in a manner that didn’t require thought at all. That way when one needed to adapt it would be just like walking. One didn’t think about walking. She would have to learn to not think about other moves as well.

When Ty mentioned joining her in her act she was thunderstruck. She stared, eyes wide in disbelief. She hadn’t expected anything like that. She didn’t even know what to say. The silence stretched on between them while Nalia gaped like a fish. Finally she managed to pull her scattered thoughts together and form a somewhat coherent sentence.

“Miss Ty I’d love to, I mean that would be amazing. But I can’t. I mean your all beautiful and graceful and stuff and I’m just an ordinary girl.” Nalia suddenly got the feeling she was babbling and clamped her teeth together so quickly they clacked with the force. She looked away quickly, embarrased and hid her face in her next stretch so Ty wouldn’t see how red it got.

Ty continued demonstrating a few techniques, only to show until Nalia felt she was ready to actually start. "There's no need to apologize. You'll get use to it don't worry. Just don't strain yourself on your first day. If you need to take a break, you can say so. You're only human you know." The air elemental thought for a moment. What techniques could she give her new apprentice? "Well, balance is key. And upper body strength. Techniques will probably come when I get you up there." Ty pointed up to the place where many of her performances took place. "Ground work first though."

Ty was silent again, continuing to demonstrate a few flips and tumbles, along with the occasional bit of advice. "You know, warm baths are good remedies for-" Ty paused, noticing Nalia's face of shock. "Is something wrong?" She stood on her feet and watched in a small sort of curiosity. Never when she spoke did she get a reaction like that. And Nalia's rambles only further interested- or shocked Ty. Of course she didn't show it, but she was fairly surprised and embarrassed by the sudden compliment. "O-Oh, thank you." She glanced away for a brief moment before speaking again. "I've trained for awhile to get as graceful as I've become. It takes hard work, and that's what it'll take for you. But unlike me, you'll get help with your training. And as for beauty..." She was still a little surprised by it. "Well, you haven't met CeCi or Rosalina yet. True angels they are, in appearance- and quite literally. I wouldn't compare to them. Besides, once you agreed to be in the Carnival...for whatever reason, you're a little less than ordinary."

Ty didn't want to linger too much on that subject because it was a sensitive topic for most. "Which reminds me... You do know that everyone here is... Not human, correct? Maybe a select few, but many are other species."

Nalia kept her face hidden for a few minutes longer, listening to Ty speak and trying not to babble any further. She filed things away in her mind, much the way Nate did, for later thought. She could think of lots of ways to build up her upper body strength which was, truthfully, terrible. She would focus on that in her free time. She could also work on balance too. He mind drifted off as she began planning what she would do to help build both those attributes. The half glazed expression filled her eyes as she looked at Ty. It was clear she was drifting off and only half paying attention.

The glazed look vanished though when Ty mentioned the otherworldly nature of the rest of the carnival goers. Nalia frowned in mid-stretch.

“Nate said something like that too, last night. Why are we here then? We aren’t special or unique or anything. Hell we’re just kids really.” She didn’t really expect Ty to have an answer, she was really just thinking outloud. It was a good question however, and one Nalia couldn’t help but dwelling on now. Why did that Mr. Seil sign them.

“Is it safe for us then?” she asked Ty earnestly. “I mean really safe?”

She thought of what Nate had told her the previous night about the confrontation between several of the carnival workers. Ty had been there, her brother had told her, but had tried to serve as a peacemaker. So had the other two that Ty claimed were truly beautiful…the two angel women. As well as some that Nate warned were dangerous, or could be. Maybe safe was simply out of the question anymore. They just had to survive, forget being safe.

"I mean Nate told me about the arguement last night, he was watching you know, and well...it sounded dangerous. He's got a knack for getting into trouble, usually he has a knack for getting out of trouble but he's never had to deal much with non-humans." Nalia left out the fact she was usually the ones to deal with the non-humans. Nate rarely knew about it.

Not knowing the best answer for her first question, she stayed silent. That type of question was something Nalia would have to figure out on her own. It was quite obvious why some of them were 'special', like having two pure angels in possession. But others had to ask, or discover it. The reason they were special could have ranged from their beauty all the way to brute strength.

"Mr. Seil wouldn't put you somewhere where your life is on the line. No member is allowed to hurt another member. As hostile as they get, they will never fight...or he will deal with it. Besides, most of the members here don't care too much to fight." By now, the air elemental was sitting on the ground once more, with her legs crossed. There was little she could practice on the ground, and Ty had already given the demonstrations.

"The first few days are always the toughest. Just remember not to stick your nose where it doesn't belong...and don't start fights you know you can't finish. It would be wiser not to start them at all." Casually, Ty added on, "And you should tell Nate to be more sneaky. Not everyone is the same as a human you know."

With a soft sigh, Ty looked around the tent and then straight at Nalia. "So, do you have any other questions?" At this point, she was lost at what to do as a teacher. It wasn't often, at all, that people came to her for guidance. Maybe information, but never for help. This new responsibility was quite unusual.

“If Nate can’t be sneaky maybe he will stop trying. That would be a huge relief. You can’t even imagine. I’m almost certain he used to sneak out of the house back home. But I will make sure he stays out of the way of, well everyone if I can help it.”

And if I can’t she thought to herself well I’ll deal with that when the time comes..

“I’ve stretched Miss Ty. I’m ready to begin.”
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Dark Jack
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Dark Jack The Jack of Darkness

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Faster, Angoriel urged himself sharply, blinking the sweat from his sky-blue eyes and clenching his jaw so that his teeth hurt, his curly brown hair whipping about his head in rhythm with the erratic motions of his body. He could feel the burn in his sides, biceps, shoulders, buttocks and thighs from the exertion, but his fists had yet to start to get sore, even as he propelled them forward time and time again, each time from a new angle, to ram into the brown punching bag that hung from the ceiling in front of him. He pushed himself, moving faster, shifting his weight from one side to the other constantly as he launched one punch after another, each impact interrupting the pendulous motion of the bag and sending it straight back the other way before it could even get back into its vertical resting-position.
Harder, he thought impatiently, flexing the muscles in his powerful arms, shoulders and chest even harder as he drove his fists into their target with increasingly greater force while maintaining the high speed and varying movement. He could feel the irritating sensation of sweat accumulating in his beard, and even more perspiration trailing down his neck and shoulders, where their paths became strange and twisted as they met the gnarly surface of his scarred skin, spread across his torso like a vest, and across his naked shins. Shirtless as he was the fluid felt cool where it flowed, even though the rest of his body felt hot like a furnace; his pelvis in particular, clad in thigh-length shorts as it was, the only garment he was actually wearing at the moment. The shorts were already drenched in sweat from his morning exercise, as he had just finished the usual workout before deciding that he would spend a while of this particular morning on beating this voice- and defenseless piece of equipment.
Why had he decided on doing so this morning, exactly? How could he ever be sure why he did anything when his motivation for doing anything was almost always conflicting with a desire to not do the very same? The angel in him did not want to hurt anyone, and frowned upon his own angry frustration, but the demon in him was furious and wanted to vent its rage. This was the compromise; pummel a punching bag into oblivion, allowing the release of some of his ire without endangering those around him.

Why was he so angry, then? That was perhaps a better question, although part of Angoriel's consciousness scoffed at this thought and wanted to ask if there was any way that he could not be this angry. Fifty-six years he had lived and worked at De' Seil Carnival, preying upon the hapless people who wandered on its grounds whenever the chance presented itself, always the predator, never the prey... but now twelve of his compatriots of the Carnival had disappeared, and if they could disappear, what was to stop himself from being next? But no, another part of him argued, it was not that; it was because he had been unable to protect them, because his allies and neighbors had been taken by some unknown force, and this was his way of reacting to the loss. And then a third part of him, the logical mind that spanned across his good and evil selves, corrected that it was both things that angered him.
He endeavored to punch even faster and harder, to push himself further yet as the intensity in his stare grew. For centuries he had been a guardian, a keeper of Urbaniel, and had always known who his enemies and allies were, and had always been able to defeat them with the aid of his fellow tartarus angels... but now his enemy was beyond the meager scope of his knowledge, hiding in shadow yet possessing the power to claim twelve beings strong and smart enough to partake in the collection of souls. He needed to get even stronger and faster than he already was; he needed more power, so that when their enemy finally revealed itself he would not be spirited away as the others had, but be able to stand and face the menace, whoever or whatever it might be.

I will kill it. The dark angel's lips began to draw back, revealing his teeth in a vicious scowl, even as he made himself punish the punching bag even more severely. I will kill the one who hunts me, this gloriously strong opponent. I will protect everyone. I will save them... by killing it.
He tried to imagine this adversary before him, tried to picture the punching bag as his true enemy, but in truth he had no idea what features to attribute to this creature... or these creatures, if there were more of them. Angoriel endeavored to motivate himself by trying to force a picture of his enemy into his mind, which abruptly made him see Vol in place of the bag, and despite of this not being his intention it nevertheless made him swing his fists with renewed vigor. Vile creature, he thought, pounding the imaginary siren senselessly, all but forgetting where his fury originally came from with this distraction. He was punching the bag so hard that the force had it swinging up to the ceiling every time, and he was moving so fast that he had to take a step forward to continue to reach it. He struck Vol's face, or where he imagined it to be, and when he removed his fist Vol and become Andracos; Angoriel literally growled as the hatred flared within him, fueling his wrath even further, and then Andracos became Seil, and...
A sharp, loud snap resounded through the room as the rope connecting punching bag and ceiling gave up, followed by a boom as the bag itself was sent flying through the room, traveling some six feet or so before smashing into the wall with enough force to send a palpable tremor through the floor. There were several loud thuds of dumbbells falling to the floor, a crash as a simple cabinet was knocked over and a bowl shattered; was it not for the pandemonium around him Angoriel might not have realized that something was wrong at all, but simply continued his relentless assault on the punching bag.
As it was he just barely managed to stop himself from launching himself forward and unleashing all of his savage fury, only to realize that his tongue had come to take up far too much space in his mouth. Knowing very well what this sensation meant he looked down himself, confirming that his skin had grown pale and his arms had become grotesquely long and thick, and that his hands had grown to be huge, each finger adorned with a black hooked claw. His hair and beard had turned black, he knew, his eyes had become yellow and the area surrounding them was red.
Sighing impatiently to himself Angoriel turned around slightly, confirming that he had indeed pretty much razed half of his room - the half he reserved for training and bathing, as it were, whereas his bed and dresser occupied the other half - by enraging himself to the point of reverting to his true form. The quake caused by sending the punching bag flying with his unleashed strength had probably jarred some things in the room a bit, but it was not what had brought about the full extent of the havoc that had overcome the area. No, the mess around him was rather a product of him unintentionally sprouting the great span of his black-feathered wings from his back, which were clearly much too large to have room to move - or even exist, for most part - in the relatively tight quarters of his cart. The only things in this half of the room that remained standing was the headless mannequin that served to provide a place for his iron armor to be, and the makeshift rack that his hampol - the three-hooked iron pole of the tartarus angels - leaned against when he was not using it.
Angoriel grumbled to himself, annoyed by just about everything at the moment, and went to the wall which the punching bag was somehow still sticking to. Raising his large right hand he grabbed the rough surface of the bag - it was ripped, he noticed, either from the impact or from having incidentally come into contact with one of his claws - and simply pulled the sand-filled sixty-pound cylindrical leather-bag down from the wall, easily tossing it aside with his monstrously deform arm. There was a deep imprint in the wooden wall where it had hit, where the pinewood boards were cracked and splintered.
Annoying, but the uncorking of a vial was all it took to fix it, luckily. This was far from the first time Angoriel had transformed accidentally and wrecked his quarters, and unless he met his demise relatively soon or he suddenly acquired a much greater ability to control his concealment it was rather likely that it would not be the last. Because of this Angoriel somewhat suspected that he was probably the one with the Carnival who used the customization-potion the most...
He opened the drawer in his nightstand, retrieved the potion and almost habitually unplugged it, invoking the magic confined within, and soon his cart was restored to prime condition.

Some twenty minutes later Angoriel had resumed his human form, washed himself and changed from his training-shorts to his regular clothes, today composed of his black oxfords, white shirt, black suit pants, a black vest and his gray fedora. He felt better now, with some of the pent-up rage from yesterday out of the system. His worries about what had been revealed were still on his mind, but with some of his emotional imbalance handled through a harmless practice of violence he felt that he could better handle it rationally, bolstering his ability to ignore his angelic impulses to become obsessed with protecting others and smiting evil and his demonic urges to protect himself and kill everyone... which was generally a good thing to be able to withstand. Tartarus angels would probably need to keep learning to contain their dual natures even after Angoriel's contract expired and they finally received their freedom; that was one good thing about the training received upon arriving in Urbaniel.
Fixing the last silver button on his vest and quickly running his fingers through his hair, the dark angel looked around in his restored home. His gaze lingered momentarily at his hampol, which he had to resist the urge to bring with him... and again when it came to his nightstand, on top of which his rock from Limblel was randomly altering itself. It was fascinating to watch it sometimes, mesmerizing even, and at times he could spend hours just staring at it and marveling at its many different shapes, sizes and colors. But not today; today was still young, and with things the way they were there were probably plenty of things that needed doing.
And so he went and opened the door, and just like that there he was...

Back at the Carnival.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by cthulu
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cthulu Her Harley

Member Seen 7 yrs ago

Imalia and Vol.

The morning came without mercy and while the little tent gave much protection against a portion of the elements, wind, rain and the like it could not stop a shaft of sunlight cutting through the open door way and slithering across the siren's tired eyes. One would, if they ever observed her, be of note she never truly slept, she rested with eyes lightly shut but she never seemed to enter the sleep state that most beings seemed to not only enjoy but require to physically keep going. For as soon as that heartless beam of light flashed across lids they fluttered open and pupils first dilated and then relaxed to accustom to the bright light of day. For a moment she simply looked at the golden light beam with a rather unreadable expression and then the siren uncoiled from her make shift bed upon the bottom of the tank. First her tail straightened and stretched then each fin spread as wide as they were able, dancing lightly by the stirred currents in the tank and filtering the sunlight so patterns danced about the back walls of her tent in the shapes and hues of her fins. Finally she herself rose with stretching arms and torso, slipping out the kinks garnered fro ma long time in the same position.

Wrists, which were free of chains for the time being, none bothered her so early, she was not expected to perform in the mornings, normally as the other 'freaks' were still nursing hangovers or were late risers themselves or she assumed such was the case anyway. Which left her plenty of time to ready herself for the day ahead, fishing both comb and the mirror out she swam effortlessly to the surface and placing both items precariously on the edge pulled herself up onto the edge of her tank. It was tricky to comb ones hair when under the effects of water and while the sodden hair fell silken smooth over her bare back and chest it was likely alive with knots and tangles that would need freeing before they drove her mad. Raising her mirror -which according to JaSi was supposed to be for summoning company- as a means to see what she was doing to her hair for the first time in years she bought the comb to her hair, though paused as something caught the corner of her eye. With a sigh she placed both items down by the edge and glanced down where the mirror had caught sight of the intruding item.

Her husk from the night before had been left out, though almost hidden in the dark stillness of night now that the sun had risen it sparkled like gossamer wings and would be easily spotted if one were to walk in. With an intricate pattern that matched her scales and the broad designs and intricate swirls that made her tail ornate even the slowest of people would begin to grow suspicious. It was as thin as the leaf of a skeleton though and it was just as brittle as she had found out once before, It would have been easy enough to compel someone to smash it for her but then she'd have to explain to those in the carnival about her multi-layered deception. She'd rather keep up the image of a deadly but water bound beast than let them know she could roam -relatively- freely whenever she liked, she just didn't particularly like being on land.

With a quick glance for any moving shadows and a listen out for voices or sounds nearby the siren hefted her heavy tail from the water, managing first to only get a portion on the side of her tank before lifting her tail tip and fins remotely. There really was no graceful way to 'dismount' the tank but with some effort she managed to lower herself enough before her arms gave out that she wasn't left winded. The warm sun was doing a better job of drying her tail than the cold night had and in half the time it had taken the tail had flaked away leaving another of her gossamer husks behind. Sitting herself up and pulling those awkward, painful legs beneath her she glanced briefly to her 'tank cleaning' sign and awkwardly leaned over to grab it and hang it in it's place on the tank. If nothing else it added a layer of 'protection' should someone suddenly come in and spot her missing, the 'spare' tank was under Eikki's control and that was a good step away from Imalia's tank.

Glancing to the husks she reached out and gripped the fresher one, it deflated like a soggy paper bag but as it had yet to 'dry' thoroughly it simply pressed itself flatter than the other, with a quite but tuneful sigh the siren slipped her fingers under it and attempted to, at least for now, pull it under the tank between the grass and the tank base. The husk ripped and tore like snake skin and simply moving all the pieces took longer than she liked though was mostly hidden in a matter of minutes, then all that was left was the night before's one. She stretched to reach it initially and as soon as delicate finger touched it a portion crumpled, splintered and shattered before being caught on a gust and fluttering out of the tent or burying itself into the grass. A much more satisfying result but alas she was too far away from it to fully dispose of it and as such she reached out instead for the tank and took a firm hold of the rusted ladder, walking her hands up the rungs until she could feel herself rising and could attempt to get her legs under her. It never got any easier, they refused to obey and sent her slumping back into the grass several times with an agitated huff from the impatient woman's mouth.

~~~

Vol’s morning routine was very strict, at least for him. He tended to feel incomplete without it and this morning was no exception even though the urge to sing was still flowing in his veins. He was in a melancholy mood and filled with dark thoughts. Such moods, when they struck, urged him to entertain through voice. His voice was his most powerful weapon, he did not use it often in song…speech was powerful enough. Today however he sought more, he sought to enrapture through a sense of shared empathy and loss.

A soul branded this way was no different than the others, but the act stood out among the carnival. Most performances in the carnival drew on excitement, and no few on fear or desire, but what he sought this morn would be different. Singing was such an intimate act for him, the connection that formed between vocalist and listener was so deep that it was the closest Vol ever came to revealing the depth of his true self to another. He preferred to do this with a partner, it helped to defray some of that intimate connection he felt when singing alone. Unfortunately his usual partner, the illusionist Calista who would craft in vision what he crafted in song, had been absent some time. He had spied her at the meeting that was held only yesterday, therefore she was not among the vanished. He wondered why that knowledge made him feel better.

In the gas lights of his wagon he stared at the image in the mirror before him. His body, lean and muscled, was in top condition and he eyed himself carefully to ensure no marks or blemishes marred his skin. The only one he tolerated was the heart shaped birthmark under his left eye, it was an intriguing mark and one that drew the eye to him in a positive manner. That he allowed. Anything else would simply not be tolerated, he would not allow his perfect body to be marred. Satisfied he swallowed the rest of his brandy, letting the dark amber liquid chase a line of fire down his throat.

He took his time dressing; he had no choice, he dressed in a very archaic fashion which required much attention to detail. He began with white trousers. He followed this with a crisp white shirt, brown vest, black cravat, and white suit coat trimmed with glossy black feathers. In the height of their fashion all were of the most expensive quality. Vol kept them that way—cleaned, pressed, and tailored to the perfection he demanded of himself. Details. Always details. One could not afford to be slovenly or worse…common. Black boots, black gloves, and a black top hat were the last things he donned before once again examining himself in the mirror.

Satisfied not a stitch was out of place he tucked his revolver in his belt, gripped his cane, and left his wagon for the day. Despite the care and time he took dressing for the day it was plain the sun was barely up itself. Vol had slept little, but then he rarely did. He had time to leave his wagon and himself immaculately clean and orderly, as he preferred, and still be out and about before most of the folk were even up.

He wished to sing, that desire had not abated, and he wished for a partner. Knowing that Calista was missing in action, so to speak, he mentally flipped through the other performers. He dismissed out of hand several whose dislike of him would be prohibitive. He also dismissed anyone whose skill was not up to his standards. That left very few. He finally settled on Imalia. He knew her voice was like his, so perfect as to be a dangerous weapon. A duet would achieve all he hoped and undoubtedly bring an entire audience to its knees. That would suit his mood nicely.

With a debonair air he strolled through the grounds, with a purpose in mind he relaxed and let the personality that was the performer, the siren known as Vol wash over him. He entered, soft footed like the thief he had once been, and thus was able to catch its occupant unaware. An interesting development as it turned out. Vol stopped at the entrance to the tent and watched Imalia struggle to raise herself back to her tank, interested to note how weak she seemed to be on two legs. No wonder she preferred the form of a mermaid. He almost spoke the curious question that currently was forefront in his mind. Etiquette stopped him. Carefully, deliberately, he turned his back on her to give her privacy. He would wait till she settled herself back in her tank; tried to kill him; or addressed him; whichever came first.

~~~

Unaware of the presence of the thief until his shadow fell across her the siren froze, gripping the ladder to keep herself from falling as her legs trembled with the effort -and pain- that went hand in hand with acquiring them. There were luckily few who were so quiet with their approach, even if they were silent themselves others would usually great them and that would have given her ample time to hide or prepare herself for the visitor. As it was she was left off guard, the shadow was too tall and broad for either Ty or the Chinese man that had joined them recently, which left only one truly. skilled enough to be up at such a time and not announce oneself like a quivering whelp at her door. glancing from corner of eyes behind a streak of darkened blonde and delicate reds she spied white fabric and black feathers as they swirled around to produce a back to her.

A hint of a smile briefly tugged at her lips, such propriety in the circus, with those who turned scarlet to see her body on display day in and out and others, like Vol, whose back simply turned to give her a privacy she never had during her multitude of years here. Her nudity was not a new thing, every day she sat in that tank bare chested and without so much as a screen with which to hide behind and she was alright with that, in the sea it had been the same, with the fisherman it had been no different so here among a carnival of misfits why should things be any different?

Of course this was different, she felt more undressed now than she ever had in her tank or before, a nudity that surpassed physicality. Vol had seen her with legs and weak as well, she wasn't sure which was worse or which was more humiliating. With a greater effort now she turned back to the iron bars and tested her balance before releasing one hand from the support, she wavered a moment but forced the worst of the pain and discomfort back behind her eyes. This was a dangerous moment, for why Vol was no gossip he would surely see no need to keep secret what he saw here and while many could not fathom why she remained chained and would hide such a fact -which surely would make soul collection far easier- there was a reason for every layer of her deception and if she lost those threads it would be unpleasant to remain here. So she had a need for Vol to one way, or the other, keep her secret.

With a hesitant step in the soft grass she test her balance before reaching for the tie to the tent's 'door', nearly stumbling over herself she gave it a tug and allowed the fabric to slip like an oceanic wave between Vol and the outside world. The bell tent was plunged then into darkness, a small shaft of light illuminating the tank from the 'sky light' in the tent which in turn cast ghostly ripples of shadow and light across the bare walls of the tent. She had been asked before, by JaSi she assumed, why she did not use the vial given to her by Mr. Seil all those years ago, it sat in a little trunk at the back of her tank with other small articles like gifts from admirers and the original 'costume' she'd been offered and declined. Such a 'plain tent' it was, with it's white walls and grassy floor but it was preferable to seeing what her mind would create with that effortless potion.

The water moved in subtle, almost serpentine ways and thus the shadows and light rippled in a similar manner, for a moment all was still and quiet accept the quiet sound of the pump that filtered her water. Then the sound of toes against the grass and uncertain steps echoed quietly leaving it hard to pinpoint her exact location but it didn't appear to be moving closer. By her husk Imalia stood, reaching down and wrapping both sets of long digits around the delicate remains, it crunched like a crisp autumn leaf and fell apart in her fingers, parts scattering beneath the tents edges or disappear towards the roof, breaking apart further as it was caught and tugged by the gentle air currents.

"Good Morning Vol." She finally announced, her voice without the restraint or courtesy that most sirens paid for others, just with Eikki she let it wash with that lazy gentle tone like that of the wind against the sea, echoed a thousand times in ethereal manner against the ears of a listener until it tried to worm its way inside both skull and chest to echo further there. She doubted it would have the full effect it might on a typical mortal, Vol was after all closer to her kin than Eikki after all and the merman had been careful enough a majority of the time. No one that came to her tent was treated any different, save most she did not have a need to speak to with words, Eikki's intrusion on her fun and now Vol's intrusion on such an intimate moment were both reason enough for her to speak up.

When satisfied the husk was no longer a threat to her secret she slipped with less effort and clumsiness towards the siren. Her slender pale arms, with a chill like that of a person who'd been too long in a storm would drape lightly over his shoulders, her long fingers coming to rest over his chest, close to his heart where sharp nailed fingers rested with no reason yet to act. "What do you want?" There was little malice in her voice but a tone that suggest one of minimal patience despite the whispry echoes that promised desire to be sated.

~~~

His desire was more rampant than most, but he also possessed extreme self-control. He had loved a siren once, and hated every single moment of it. He would not even flirt with such a disaster again…love or sirens…if he could help it. He might dream or fantasize, but nothing further. There were other safeguards as well, guards that protected him now in a way he had not had before.

Thus when Imalia slid up behind him he felt only a pleasant wisp of arousal, nothing that could catch his senses and unlike the faerie that had visited her the night before, he neither hid his arousal nor was shamed by it. He merely smiled before slipping from the woman’s grasp. He did take the courtesy of being careful not to unsteady her. He had not, however, come to play games. He would play if she wished, naturally, for he enjoyed games. It was not what he had come for however, and he guessed that she did not wish her true nature revealed to the whole carnival. Why…that was his question, but he would not pry. Not right away anyway. He needed a partner for the day. He turned and faced her, leaning easily on his cane in a relaxed pose, smiling sardonically.

When Vol spoke he allowed his own siren power to twist through his voice. If she would not veil her voice for him he felt no need to veil his own power for her. His voice was a pleasant baritone, smooth and rich. It had been likened in the past to bittersweet chocolate, honey or brandy but those descriptions fell shallow of its true depths. It resonated bone deep in the unprepared listener, twisted around them and ensnared their heart and soul.

“Good morning Lady Imalia” he said easily “are you sure you really wish to know what I want? We would doubtless be standing here quite some time were I to detail all that I desired.” He waved his hand at the tent flap before continuing. “And who knows what fool could wander in. Therefore I do hope you will forgive me if I cut to the heart of the matter. I am in the mood to sing this day. To bring an audience to its knees, filled with tears and melancholy thoughts. I dislike singing alone and thus sought a skilled voice to accompany mine.”

~~~~~~~~~~

With such grace and gentile manners did he slip away from her grasp, forcing her to stand alone with arms out stretched to keep her balance. Her nose wrinkled again in that almost cute expression that mimicked the angels, though with eyes a flame with a burning hatred -directed at no one in particular- it was hard to think of the siren as anything less than fierce. When her balance had recovered enough her eyes turned upon her own kid who spoke to her with the same unrestrained tones she had to him, it was unusual to say the least and for a moment she was threatened by his vocal specialty and yet with a slight tilt of her head she appeared no worse off than before he had started to speak with her.

Imalia had been caught off guard, the first notes worming through her body like poison oils, coating her with something a kin to a cold that affected the bones, it reached for her heart with grubby desperate fingers and yet it never reached, for by then Imalia's own defenses had been raised and she took apart that dirty taint as a shark rips apart a seal. It's tattered remains inflicted cold and brief, momentary lapses into something akin to despair before all that remained was the memory of the action and a faint, though well hidden, interest. so many of her kind went about their lives restraining themselves, who they were and what they desired and it was a breath of fresh -putrid in her opinion- air to find another who could as happily cast away his shackles to relish what he was.

To be called a lady caused lips to pull up into an amused smile, though she neither laughed nor commented on such and allowed Vol to speak. "Oh My Lord Vol." She purred in that serpentine way of hers, "I usually have nothing but time but today I agree that we should could the flattery and lip service." She moved back towards her tank, each step a fresh agony, each flexing muscle a burning sensation that could bring tears to the eyes of most. She hid her pain well behind a layer of defiance, each step seeming more steady until she reached her tanks ladder where she parked her pert rump upon a cold metal rung. Her hair falling to curtain areas that on a true lady would not be exposed to any but a husband but on a wild creature were considered no more private than hair on a persons head.

A fine brow rose when he mentioned he wished to sing, for her mind already came to the conclusion of his mission here today before it was spoken and confirmed. Standing up and gripping the ladder for support she was tempted to refuse him, mouth opened in fact to utter the words of denial but she paused and briefly glanced about her dark little tent. "It is about time I took a break from grubby little children and drunken lechers." Sometimes, even if it were quieter and easier to manage than crowds, she could feel that fine line between patient caged beast and horrific murderess beginning to fray and needed a night away from the hurly burly life of a caged display piece. "If I perform for you I can assume that this will stay between us?" Gesturing to her own mutated form with an oddly fluid motion.

~~~

Vol followed her easily towards her tank and settled himself on one of the uncomfortable chairs nearby. Idly he wondered what sort of a picture the pair of them made. He a somewhat anachronistic dandy and her a naked beauty. The image brought a slight smile to his lips, though he wasn’t exactly sure why. He waited some moments before answering, to give the illusion that he was mulling it over. He had been bargaining since age eight, he knew the process well. In truth he had no reason to reveal Imalia’s secrets. He himself didn’t particularly care, though it was always nice to know, and he wasn’t prone to sharing information. The information benifited him very little, save as a bargining chip, and therefore that was entirely how he viewd this knowledge. He had already guessed that would be her price to accompany him, he had no problems paying that cost. Still, as he well knew, and Imalia too apparently, appearances were everything. He would not be too quick to agree.

“I wondered about that” said Vol conversationally. “Why allow yourself to be chained as a freak and peered at as if you were some sort of bug in a jar.” He looked around imagining the place filled with humans and sneered. “Pathetic weaklings the lot of them. You are much better than they, why not exploit them? Or perhaps you already are.”

He smiled a dark smile. Was it so different than say a dancer like Starla or himself who strove to always draw the eye? In retrospect he supposed it was not. And while her reasons interested him enough that he was curious, it was idle curiosity and such answers were not what he was after this day.

“It is a fair deal Lady Imalia. If you agree to join me in a duet this day, one to shatter the hearts and souls of all who hear it, then I saw nothing out of the ordinary. Anyone who says different is obviously lying, a fool, or both.”

Only a select few knew Vol’s opinions on deals, bargains, and contracts. He did not enter them lightly and he always upheld them. It was one of the few reasons he respected Mr. Seil, though he wasn’t very fond of the man. A deal was a deal, even with a dirty dealer. He would uphold his side of any deal he made, so long as the other party kept their end.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Imalia ran her fingers through her hair as she waited for Vol's decision, her own mind working on how precisely to drown Vol and make it look accidental should the need ever arise though dark eyes belied nothing as always. When question of her voluntary incarceration came up she had a faint grin on her lips, "Oh Vol you are a clever man, I am sure you could figure it out if you try." She paused a moment and glanced to her tank and the chains that bit into her wrists, when he seemed to capture the basic idea she smiled a little wider. "What relaxes a man when around a wild beast? Chains and bars, for it produces the illusion of safety does it not? A safe man does not need to have his guard up." Be they carnival workers or erstwise, would the strong man really feed her and keep her tank pristine if he knew she could slip her chains and break his neck whenever she grew bored of his service. Would any of the others sleep so deeply at night if they knew she could slip into their rooms and bite out their throat before they had so much as time to scream. Of course not, then Mr. Seil would be forced to cage and chain her properly, to force her to tow the line rather than trust her to do so until pushed too much.

Imalia had learned from the human who had captured her how deceiving the chains were, his wife had always felt safe knowing she was chained, foolish woman. He too had assumed that he and his wife would be safe with her chained and incapable of leaving the water, it was child's play to drive the man mad and the woman to suicide and it was not even half of what they deserved. Had Mr. Seil not taken her when he did the mans own fate would have been far more interesting than just a bout of paranoid schizophrenia. Still, she was not a creature to dwell on the past or things therein, a shark did not lament over the tuna it had missed that morning but focused on the squid now within its grasp, half the problem with the more 'human' species of the azure is their ability to become depressed and melancholy over things that had happened and could not be changed.

She had never heard of Vol's ways with deals or otherwise and thus did not know what sort of deal she had entered into but likewise she often kept to her word and did not give it lightly in the least. "Then I shall sing with you Vol." Though a question did strike her, "What preference do you have or do you have none?" A brief gesture to her legs was likely all that she needed, it hadn't been idle lip service to call Vol smart after all. If he needed her 'land based' it would be an idea to find her a costume and disguise her face, from where she was it would be rather difficult, though perhaps interesting, to have her on the main stage in her tank.

~~~

“I haven no preference Lady Imalia” he said. He looked the other siren up and down, clinically as one might study a painting looking for flaws. “It should be no problem to disguise your appearance to an unrecognizable level. On the other hand it might inspire idle curiosity among the others who work this carnival wondering who, what, when, where, all the usual annoying questions. Idle curiosity can be problematic. Even disguised however, I've no doubt men, women too if you should wish it, will worship you as a goddess. You could roam freely among the audience and scoop up whatever souls you wished to brand with a butterfly net. Metaphorically speaking. I wouldn’t suggest using an actual butterfly net.”

“Should you prefer your tank, I’m sure we can arrange that. Too bad we don’t have an illusionist or one of the potions for altering our dwellings…we could create a whole sea experience.” Vol smiled wryly. “The audience would love that…pour in like sardines into a drift no doubt, and be equally as doomed. Either way works. I care not. A meloncholy song be all that I wish—to shatter hearts and leave souls torn and bleeding.”

What Vol really needed was someone who was skilled enough to accompany him, it was no ordinary person would could sing with a siren and not feel the effects of the Song. He also needed someone to take some of that emotion, the intimacy of singing, off him. A Song connected listener to singer, he hated intimacy--didn't trust it. Two Singers would split the listeners focus and relax that bond. He could do it alone but the thought was unpleasant enough to seek out another. He was fortunate Imalia said yes, he wasn't sure who else would be at all suitable. Starla might dance while he sang...that could have potential...but other than that who would have the skill or the talent to match his own? Plus he needed someone who would neither try to kill him nor bed him; that would sour the song and taint the purity of its effects. Imalia was really one of a very tiny few who was at all suitable. It was a pity she was so damned beautiful. While it wouldn't distract him from his own work and goals it was a pity he couldn't allow himself that small pleasurable distraction. He would have to store those thoughts for a future daydream. They would have a fair bit of work to do to get ready for the day's show no matter which form she chose.

~~~~~~~~~~

Imalia fell into quiet contemplation as he announced his lack of preference, while a disguise was all well and good, coal to the hair and to have it braided would make her look different enough by itself but with a dress and perhaps an eye mask she would look quite different indeed. However as Vol had said there would then be curiosity about a new singer at their circus and word would soon be spread and muttered and whispered until some little cretin stumbled onto the truth quite by accident. Further more those who had heard her sing before may well recognize her voice regardless what type of disguise she wore and so it was quite a risk for little reward. Even the idea of descending upon the crowd and scooping up her fill of souls and perhaps even a snack, was not enough to abate her concerns enough to warrant the risk. Her tank was cumbersome and hard to move -and she did so hate to be in it when it was moved, it was like being shaken by a person and left her both dizzy and nauseous and while it was quite confining and prevented her from collecting with much the same affect it was the safer of the two options.

"I would be a goddess would I?" She finally purred with a hint of amusement, oh she was used to flattery and lip service but it was always a little surprising when it came from a new set of lips. First a lady and now a goddess, it was certainly a pleasant start to the day and had hope of staying that way. She glanced up to Vol as he spoke of illusionists and potions, "Yes, I do fear i bought the animal out in Eikki last night, he may sulk a while." She admitted with no hint of pride nor regret to her tone, "I still have my own potion, it seemed a waste to use it after all." She'd lived fifty years staring at the same four walls in a humans house and she didn't come to really notice the 'scenery' anymore, what after all was the point in torturing herself with sights of her home, the deep blues and reds of the corals, the brightly colored fish, the coves carved into the very land itself in shimmering clear seas. She was already in a cage she didn't need another prison nor to be dragged into the depths of regret and remorse. "Of course, if we are to use it I'd have to defer it's use to you."

If there truly was no preference then the water it would be, far easier to spend the day with song practice and ask her 'helper' to move her to the main stage when it was time to perform then spend hours looking for a clever enough disguise. Taking hold of the ladders rungs she made to climb it, each step twice as painful as walking as it took twice the effort, not half way up with her foot numb and improperly placed upon the rung she slipped, her grip upon the ladder itself tight enough to ensure she slipped no more than a rung or two but further adding to her desire to be rid of the cumbersome appendages.

~~~~~~~~~

“Pity” said Vol when she brought up the merfolk. “Eikki’s skills would be ideal. Deception of others is a fine thing but outright denial of one’s own self is just stupid. He and CeCi should start a club.”

His tone made it clear what he thought of those who tried to fight against what they were. It was so very foolish to sulk because you couldn’t deny your own nature. Vol had no patience for such folk. There were more than a few in the carnival who sought desperately to reject what they were; they were afraid of their own natures, fighting it like somehow that would make a difference. Some pathetic few even used their wish to try and deny themselves. A waste of time and effort and truly pointless as far as Vol was concerned. If you denied what you were you only ended up weaker for the effort. Why not just accept it and be done with it. You could lock away a part of yourself, chain it up and reject it but you were no different. Only lesser.

“If you don’t mind the use of your potion then that should be sufficient. I’m thinking the stereotypical mermaid, wrecked ship, drowning sailor crap will make the audience feel like they are a part of the song. Not that we would need the help--voice alone will enrapture. However appearances are everything, and a good show is truly inspiring.”

He watched Imalia struggle to climb into her tank but did not offer to help. She had not asked and polite though he may be he was not chivalrous unless it served a deeper purpose. Plus if he offered it would only point out a potential weakness, somehow he felt she would not appreciate that. Without warning he rose and even though his movements were sudden he was still graceful. He had caught telltale sounds that meant this discussion needs draw to a quick close.

“Someone approaches. I shall waylay them, tend to the details of the matter, and return that we may practice in comfort.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Imalia was rather glad he did not offer her any form of help or attempt to help her, she took a dim view on being observed as weak, another reason for her preference for her tailed form and it was with the thought of returning to her 'natural' and more comfortable skin that aided her in getting her feet once more under her and pulling herself up the rungs of the ladder. She did however pause as she heard more than saw the movement of Vol and as he crossed her dim little tent she listened rather carefully. He had heard something and urged her on while he distracted this potential intruder. "Until later then Vol." With a final heft she was at the top of the tank and there she perched a moment to blow Vol a kiss taking hold of comb and mirror and silently slipping into her cool, clear waters.
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