Dark Wood's Circus ~ IC

[Azazel]

A groan pours from your lips as your eyes slid open. The first thing you see is the blurry image of a blonde man standing in front of you. He appears to be wearing a red flowing coat and looking at you with a wide grin. You attempt to get up only to take note that you're chained to the wall. Glancing up once more, you realize the man is laughing. "Welcome to my world, pet." He says as he takes a step closer to you.
"Your...world..?" You manage to moan pitifully causing the red-clad man to laugh harder.

"Yes, you silly goose. My world." He says as he motions to the cell that you're currently in. Absently, you take not that there are other people chained to the walls... deformed people... "I have brought you here and... fixed you." He chuckles. "...and you will perform in my circus." You open your mouth to object, but he notices this and cuts you off. "If you refuse... Well then, you will simply end up like the others.." He says with a sense of grim satisfaction before turning on his heel and leaving the room.

What others..? You wonder to yourself. You can't help but try to imagine how many others there are... or were. You try to take a moment to process things. You were taken from your home and brought to this.. this circus only to be changed into... you don't know what. "It's best just to listen to Master..." A small voice says from across the room.

You glance up to see the voice came from a rather small girl that is also chained to the wall. You instantly note that she has black wings and blood soaked bandages covering her eyes. You think she's looking at you, but you can't be quite sure. "If you don't... well.." She paused, raising a pale hand to pitifully motion to her eyes. "Our only hope is to escape..." She said softly, a look of what could only be described as determination crossing her face.

Escape... You glance around at the others as they nod in agreement. You suppose it sounds like a good idea. First, however, you have more important things to worry about. Such as things like what that monster of a ringmaster did to you. Steeling yourself for the worst, you glance down to see what you've become...



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

Circus Acts
​

Ring Master ~ Killian ~ Azazel
"She Dark Angel Aerial Show" ~ Aveline Kimberly Angelo ~ Azazel
"The Human Snake Charmer" ~ Sable Drake ~ Azazel
"The Feral She-Wolf" ~ Lovetta Seath ~ Azazel
Magician ~ Meric Erin Donovan ~ Phi Chisym
Acro Dancer/Contortionist ~ Marietta Kipersol Rosewood ~ Phi Chisym
"The Man Who Eats Everything" ~ Michael Kaylock ~Cartoonicat
"The Little Siren" ~ Harmony Jones ~ AmerillaRose
"The Human Light Show" ~ Gydion Harvey ~ Lockheart

 

[Azazel]

Aveline leaned carefully against the cold wall. Her wings had long since healed, enough for her to fly through the tent upon the Ringmaster's command. However, she still was not used to feeling them behind her, so they still gave the occasional uncomfortable twitch in response. Even in the darkness, the black feather gleamed eerily as she moved about. Her head tilted slightly with each new sound, trying to pinpoint the locations of everyone in their prison. There had been a performance the previous night so she knew from the routine that there had to be at least some new comers... He always made sure of that. With each new town they visited, he would be sure to bring in a new act or two.

She had been one of his first creations, hence why she was so simple... yet so flawed at the same time. If she were to truly admit it, she had been the cause of these drastic measures to keep them confined. It had all started when she attempted to soar from the tent on broken and bloody wings. He had caught her with that damn whip of his, of course. She had sworn the thing had been magic, and she had been right. He later enchanted the tent so none of his 'pets' could leave during a performance. It was the second incident where she tried to leave by cover of night that had lost her eyes.

Tilting her head, she tried to get a read on where everyone was by their breathing rate and heart beats. How many were even awake by now? Even still, what time was it? She knew she slept like a rock the night before due to how harsh her performance had been. It had to be about time when the doors would crack open and Meric would be in to let them out for the day.

It was about that moment that she noticed that her cheeks were wet. Raising her hand, she gingerly touched the bandages around her eyes. Wonderful. They were bleeding again. It had been a month since she had lost the use of her eyes and they were still healing. It was a painful and difficult process, but she was coping. In fact, she was already pretty good with her other senses. While she didn't need as much help getting around anymore, she still acted like she did. The more helpless he thought she was, the better. All the more surprising when she jumped at their next opportunity to escape...

 

[Phi Chisym]

Marietta Rosewood - The Marionette Doll​

Everything was shrouded in dark coldness, a hardened gloom not produced by nightfall. Confusion set itself quickly. Just moments before, she faintly remembered the visions of sun-drenched waves upon waves alighting her eyes, brushing a lighthearted smile upon her face. Now, she was drowning in a void of benumbed puzzlement after awakening to this horrid revelation of her abduction. All she can recall was hanging out at the beach with her friends... and Marcello... Yea, he invited her and her friends over that day to explore a new cave he'd found and just picnic and swim the day away. They spent the rest of the day at the new circus that arrived not too long ago, and a day later they were out at the beach again for a camp out. Between now and then, she could not recall what happened, but it was quite clear that she was no longer camping in a cave with Marcello and her friends.

I can't believe this is happening! I've got to wake up from this dream...

She recalled going into the cave with Marcello, giggling and teasing, but then they got separated from the group the further they moved in. She wasn't scared though, because Marcello had marked his original path, but somehow even he said that a few arrows were changed. Someone had moved his markers... Then, bats! Ooooo, she so hates bats! They flew from out of nowhere, scaring the living crap out of them, and before she realized it, Marietta had stepped into darkness with no light and sound, no bats, and no Marcello. She wandered in total pitch darkness, until something touched her, scaring her to no end, and placing a voice and a vision to her new nightmare.

"You've mine, Puppet!" The laughter that followed carried her into a fearful slumber. And now, she's waking up to see just what that voice meant by 'Puppet'.

Marietta's form shifted lazily under a dusty burlap tarp tucked around her. She moaned briefly as she struggled to resurface her foggy mind out of the drug-like state she was in. Collecting her weakened mind in the palm of her dusty hand, she tried to reach her face but could barely move them. That's when the cold steel of the shackles registered on her pale skin. She was sitting in a pile on the dusty ground, but her arms were chained out to her sides, securing her in place. With a slight whimper, she looked around at all the others to see them in the same predicament while her equilibrium continued to whirl.

They were all - different, all tainted by some oddity that made them seem more like a novelty freek show at a twisted carnival than human beings. He did say he...fixed us! Panic-stricken more than she already was, Marietta sat up as tall as her sore body would allow and shook the burlap off of her.

Her feet were dressed in a delicate pair of black ballet pointes, laced up her red and white thigh-high tights with big black silk ribbons. She gasped when she noticed the blood stains around her ankles and knees. Glancing at her arms, she realized the horrible construction of them - as if all of her joints were taken apart and replaced with...doll joints? The stitches were still freshly knotted around them and were slightly swollen; probably infected. Twisting her ankles slightly, feeling pain shoot up from them, she figured they were repaired as well with this sort of doll joint construction. That's when the tears began to fall...

After assessing herself the best way she could, Marietta found all her newly hacked out doll joints, which explained why she felt so light-headed still after being awake for so long. She was wearing a harlequin-like ballerina tutu, with her hair tied into long black ponytails on the sides of her head. She wasn't sure how her face looked, for there wasn't a reflective surface around for her to check, or get to for that matter, but she knew she wasn't the same girl anymore... This monster, whoever he was, Ringmaster... He did bad things to them all!

Leaning back against the wall she was teetered to, Marietta tried her best to calm her tears, not wishing to look weak or vulnerable before the others. This is a time to be strong before danger, to look it in the face and give it a good right hook. Unfortunately, that wasn't what she was fighting for now. Keeping her calm the best way she could, Marietta took deep, smooth breaths - attempting to not have an asthmatic attack. There's no way her abductor knows about her health issues, or where her meds were located... This wasn't the time to panic!

Looking closer at her swollen wrist and ankles, she noticed a strange string coming from them... They were literally going through her skin. There was one at the top of her knees and elbows too, and as she looked up above her where they traced, she noticed that they vanished into nothing... It didn't take long to put two and two together...

"I'm...a...puppet? A...marionette!" What a horrible, horrible pun to her name.... Did the Ringmaster know how she's feared such toys all her life? Or how kids use to make jokes about her name and how she danced? She gasped, feeling the tension in her body boil over with an exuberant amount of anger, hate, fear, and sadness. How in the hell is she going to get out of this? If she's some sort of puppet - who was her puppet master? The other people were talking about escape - that girl with the black wings who lost her eyes... she bought it all up. But how? How can they, when that madman turned them into...creatures?

 

[AmerillaRose]

Harmony was curled around herself, fighting a useless battle for warmth. The girl suffer the cold twice; Once from the cold room and once from the water in her tank. Even though most of her body was fish like, it was based on the beta fish, a species that needs warm water to survive. So to add the fact that she is still human and warm blooded, Harmony wasn't doing well. In fact, it cause quite the issue during her first week at the circus, since she couldn't preform do to how cold she felt. The Ringmaster wouldn't have, at all. He inform the young girl that if she didn't preform at that next show, the cold would be the last thing she'd think about. As difficult as it was, Harmony pushed through and is alive today to bitch about it. Now, mostly through will alone, Harmony has adapted to her cold tank enough to survive and preformed at every show.

The small siren began her normal wake up routine; wiggling parts of her tail and stretching as much as she could in her small tank. It was only big enough for her to sleep curled up in with minimal space to shift around in, which was made harder by her chains. It didn't seem to matter how much she complained to Meric about the placement, Harmony still ended everyday with the cuff around the end of her tail. The girl figured it wasn't worth asking the Ringmaster about it, at the risk of angering the man. With her eyes still closed from the remains of sleep, Harmony lifted herself from the water to rest her upper half on the tank's wall.

It was around then that Harmony heard an unfamiliar voice after Aveline's own. It sounded like a girl's voice and she sounded in pain. 'What was it Aveline said to do when there's a new comer? Oh! Be gentle, quiet and patient!' After giving herself a mental pack on the back, Harmony spoke up, just loud enough to be heard anywhere in the room.

"Hello miss. Um, please calm down. The pain will past, I promise. Um, Aveline is right, just listen to the Ringmaster and he won't hurt you. Um, the day should be starting soon, that means we'll get to shower, get changed and have a hot meal! That'll put you onto the road to recovery. Its just like what you told me when I got here, right Aveline?" Harmony smiled in the winged girl's general direction, not minding she wouldn't see it.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Michael Kaylock - The Man Who Eats Everything​

Kaylock sat the farthest from the others, caged rather than shackled and muzzled like a damned dog. His small accommodation - fashioned much like a kennel for canines, but with the strength enough to hold a very pissed human - left him little room to stretch. Probably as punishment for acting up so many times in the last years, refusing to eat during performances and, on that one day, attempting to bite the Ringmaster's hand off. If only he'd leaned a little more to the left...

But that was old news. Not worth dwelling on, unless he actively wanted to spend the rest of his time in confinement banging the bars like some crazed bloodhound. Which Kaylock was, he guessed. The audiences knew him as "The Man Who Eats Everything" but to the Ringmaster, Kaylock was little more than a disobedient mutt with aggressive tendencies. To this day Kaylock couldn't remember if he'd always been that angry or if it was a side effect of spending so much time in Hell. In fact, he hardly recalled memories before his transformation at all; they were blurred, skewed, like scenes shining below a murky surface of water with muffled audio. It drove him crazy on days he had an abundance of time alone, nudged into a frenzy by his thoughts, but perhaps not remembering was a good thing.

It's not like he could look back and remember what all he'd lost. Not like the new girl with freshly inserted puppet joints.

Kaylock remembered his own post-surgery pain well: his stomach had felt like it was burning him from the inside out, and his esophagus a fiery volcano that spat hot, sticky blood with each exhale. The actual surgery to his mouth, jaw, and teeth had been a cakewalk in comparison. Still, despite knowing the hardship of waking up in a world that made the worst of nightmares qualify as dreams, Kaylock did not pity the girl. Sympathy made people entitled and there was no entitlement to be found here; the Ringmaster would cut you down, make you weak, the second you stepped out of line. The painfully tight muzzle around his nose and lips proved that well enough.

Breathing slowly due to the pressure of the muzzle - something he suspected was intentional, made to keep him from expending too much energy outside of performances trying to escape or wreak havoc - Kaylock kicked the door of his kennel. The bars rattled loudly, a cacophonous echo in the room. His typical way of getting the others' attention - which he rarely ever wanted - since he could not speak more than a strained muffle. He didn't stop raising a ruckus until Harmony looked his way.

His attempt at 'don't baby her' came out distorted, like all of his words: "On ah-ee 'er."

 

[Azazel]

Aveline Angelo ~ The Dark Angel​

The winged girl shifted once more against the walls, wincing as her wings brushed the surface again. Now she at least hoped she was facing everyone since it seemed they were as awake as she was. "This life is hard to adjust to, I will not lie about that. However, we might not have to live it forever if we play our cards right." And by that she meant not get caught trying to escape like she did. Perhaps if they all managed to work together when... and if the next weakness appeared in the barrier.

"Yes, Harmony." She said with an almost sad smile. "That's exactly what I told you when you arrived." It seemed like years ago, but in truth it had only been a few months prior to now. The days here just seemed to so easily blend into one another that it was hard to keep track of time.

Hearing the tell tale rattling of cage bars, she turned her head to the sound. Yes, it was difficult to understand what Kaylock was saying most times, but seeing how long the two of them had been here, it was easy to guess now and then. "We're not babying her." She chided. "We just know what it's like to wake up in this place, in pain, with a new body.... If you recall for yourself it takes a bit of getting used to. Besides, we know the Ringmaster won't take pity on her and she should be able to find comfort somewhere."

"I'm Aveline, by the way. I've been here the longest. The young girl in the tank is Harmony. The one in the muzzle and cage is Kaylock. He tried to bite the Ringmaster and, well, you can see how that ended up. Over in that general direction are Rochelle and Runt...." She trailed off for a moment, looking slightly sad. "And finally there's Meric. He doesn't stay in here with us since the Ringmaster has this control over him."

After she finished her little introduction speech, she paused and looked around. It sounded like there was another faint heartbeat in the room, but it was so slow and quiet that she couldn't be sure. She supposed she'd find out when they got up.. if they got up...

Killian ~ The RingMaster​

He was already awake. Of course he was already awake! He had spent the night busy at work. Not just one new creation, but two! And he expected them to be in shape to introduce at tonight's performance. He had already moved their operation to a new town to decrease the risk of the new acts being recognized by anyone. Now, he just had to make sure everything else went according to plan.

So, about half an hour before everything was set to go into motion for the day, he sent out a summons for Meric. He needed to clue his little puppet into the new measures that would need to be taken for the day ahead of them while he got some much needed sleep.

 

[Phi Chisym]

Marietta Rosewood - The Marionette Doll
​

It hurt too much to cry, but the tears fell and her heart dropped in her hands. The whole idea of what was done to her sickened her, and even though she knew she had to get her head on straight and calm herself down, her whimpers continued to echo through the dark room.

"Hello miss."

Marietta gasped and raised her head in alarm. She recalled only hearing two voices when she awakened - The Ringmaster and that poor girl with the wings. But this new voice didn't match neither of those previous ones. She didn't realize there were others in the room.

"Um, please calm down. The pain will past, I promise. Um, Aveline is right, just listen to the Ringmaster and he won't hurt you. Um, the day should be starting soon, that means we'll get to shower, get changed and have a hot meal! That'll put you onto the road to recovery. Its just like what you told me when I got here, right Aveline?"

Before she had a chance to say anything, a very gruesome growl took over the atmosphere, causing her to jump in alarm and whip painfully around to find another horrible site. This time, there was a guy sitting in a very small cage with chains holding him in place and a muzzle keeping his... mouth...shut? She wasn't sure if he was trying to speak through the muzzle or actually growling just to hear himself.

The winged girl spoke to the other two in the room she was able to see as if she was a teacher discussing a lesson to her students. One thing Marietta was able to tell quickly was that the three she could hear were not as new to this gig as she was.

They've been dealing with - this - for far too long...

"I'm Aveline, by the way. I've been here the longest. The young girl in the tank is Harmony. The one in the muzzle and cage is Kaylock. He tried to bite the Ringmaster and, well, you can see how that ended up. Over in that general direction are Rochelle and Runt...." She trailed off for a moment, looking slightly sad. "And finally there's Meric. He doesn't stay in here with us since the Ringmaster has this control over him."

Marietta wasn't sure what to think anymore. While Aveline introduced the small group of misfit abominations, she cringed the though of some self-proclaimed surgeon carving each one of them into a creation to his liking. "I-It's nice to meet you all... I'm... Marietta, but you can call me Marrose. How can you all cope with this? I mean... this Ringmaster, he's... my god, he's turned us all into monsters, and all you can say is to get use to it?!" Her voice spiked up in frustration, and her breathing began to grow rough.

 

[AmerillaRose]

'Monsters? She thinks we're monsters?! Harmony was still, holding the tank wall so hard her knuckles turned white. She knew what a monster was, and she knew that appearances had nothing to do with finding one. With a slight growl, the teen replied.

"You think we're the monsters? Screw you lady! I tried to be nice like Aveline taught me, but you- Ugh!" The siren then went back under the water to curl around herself.

Harmony started to bite her tail, near the base where her tail fin met the tail. The area was covered in scars from other times she bit down on herself. It was a nervous habit she'd form shortly after joining the circus. It did two things; the pain reminded her she was alive and the placement reminded her that she wasn't home anymore. Harmony wasn't sure what kind of lives the others had before, but she did know that this was better.

Yes, the circus offered pain and imprisonment, but so did Harmony's family. At least here, she had food, friends and a purpose. At least here, Harmony felt she had control, even if said control was to behave and not get hurt or misbehave and get punished. Something so small, meant the world to her, since back home Harmony could do everything right and still end up on the wrong end of her brother's belt. She even got attention! Meric would scold her for messing with her chains and biting herself, while Aveline would praise her for being a good girl and comfort the siren after a nightmare. So what did the outside world have that she couldn't live without?

Freedom. Freedom to do whatever she wanted. Aveline pushed the idea like a drug, like it'll be the greatest thing to achieve. That once they got away, Harmony would be safe and warm. While the idea of warmth and safety sounded amazing to the young siren, she questioned if it was worth it? Worth angering the mad man that took them and risking death? Aveline made it sound like it was as she gave her speech to every signal new comer. Harmony, had decided that, while she didn't understand the merits of escaping to freedom, she wanted it. If not for herself, then for Aveline. Harmony figured the young adult had enough want for freedom for the both of them.

Having been lost in her thoughts, Harmony gave a pained gasp, jerking her tail away from her mouth. The bite mark quickly started to bleed. 'I bit too hard ... Again.' she gave the tail some test movements, only wincing a little. 'its fine, I'm such a baby sometimes' Harmony then resurfaced to pout at the fact she couldn't chew herself for a little while. She made a point of not looking at Marietta, as the comment still stung. Harmony knew she wouldn't be angry at the new comer for long, due to the fact neither were going anywhere and the girl found it hard to hold a grudge on fellow cast members except for Runt.

". . . Would you rather we lie? Trust me when I say you have no time such lies. You need to accept your circumstances and start mentally preparing. Practice starts in about two hours, right after breakfast. So we have until then to build you up and get you ready. Today will be rough, it'll probably be one of the worse days of your life, but if you can survive all those worse days before, you can handle this one too. You will not let that man win. You will not die here. You will survive." Harmony was quiet for a moment, looking like a soldier talking to a scared recruit. She then relaxed and then, as soon as the look was there, it was gone. Harmony looked like any other teenager waiting for food.

"I wonder what's for breakfast? I hope its scrambled eggs and pancakes."

 

[Azazel]

Aveline Angel ~ The Dark Angel​

Monsters.... The word stung a little. As far as she were concerned, they weren't the monsters. The man who did this to them was. However, she understood where Marrose was coming from. So she refrained from getting upset like Harmony."We may not be normal, but we're not monsters." She said simply.

It was about that time that she heard Harmony resurface and begin speaking. A smile came to her lips as she listened. The siren had grown stronger over her few months in this place. She was right. They all would survive. Aveline would be sure of it. Of course, she failed to mention the few performers that went missing since the circus opened. The ones she couldn't help. But that was then and this was now. New friends. New hope. They would survive.

"Good way of putting it." A smile graced her lips. "And you want to know how we cope? We have each other and our hope. Our hope that one day this will all end and just a distant memory. We have our drive to protect each other. And finally we have a common enemy to unite against when the time is right..." Aveline finished softly, going silent.

Whenever no one was speaking, she listened to their breathing and heartbeats clear as day, mostly to know they were still there. But it was still bugging her. That soft and shallow breath. One that didn't belong... Who was it? It's not like she could see if there was anyone else with her blacked out vision. And then there was laughter.

Sable Drake ~ The Human Snake​

"Hope?" A voice hissed, low and menacing. "Ssssurivival?" Now that was definitely a hiss. More laughter followed.

In one of the darkened corners of the dorms, red eyes peered out menacingly. It was a young man, curled in on himself in an inhuman like manner. His skin was grey and scaled, tongue flicking out as he spoke.

Sable had awoken a few hours before knowing nothing but the feeling of his skin being on fire and his bones and joints cracking and moving in a way that shouldn't be possible. No one had been awake to watch his silent panic as he tried to piece together what had happened the night before. No one had been there to reassure him that things would be okay and that they'd survive.

No one except Venom. His pet that he took everywhere with him. He was a small snake that he carried around in his pocket. However, now he wasn't so small. He was large and grey, just like his owner, caged by the chained man. And his voice was a hissing whisper in his mind. Relaying what he remembered from last night about their visit to the circus and sneaking into the back to get a good view of some of the performers. And then finally of the man in red.

"Foolsss, if you don't think we are monssstersss, than what are we?"

 

[Phi Chisym]

Marietta Rosewood ~ The Marionette Doll​

Monsters? She thinks we're monsters?!

Marietta painfully jumped and turned towards the tank Aveline pointed out, finding a very angry mermaid staring back at her.

"You think we're the monsters? Screw you lady! I tried to be nice like Aveline taught me, but you- Ugh!"

Marietta watched as the girl settled to the bottom of the tank only to bite anxiously at her tail. But before she could apologize for her poor choice of words, Harmony floated back up with more to say.

". . . Would you rather we lie? Trust me when I say you have no time for such lies. You need to accept your circumstances and start mentally preparing. Practice starts in about two hours, right after breakfast. So we have until then to build you up and get you ready. Today will be rough, it'll probably be one of the worse days of your life, but if you can survive all those worse days before, you can handle this one too. You will not let that man win. You will not die here. You will survive."

"We may not be normal, but we're not monsters." Aveline softly spoke. Marrose closed her eyes, wishing she could focus better on her choice of words; ignoring her frustrations to consider those who've come before her….who were still there…

Hugged herself, gently rubbing her arms in remorse, "I'm sorry…," she responded, lifting her eyes towards Harmony as a silent plea for forgiveness. "I didn't mean it like that. It was rude and inconsiderate for me to say, and you're right. I've got to… get over this and survive." The mermaid girl seemed to not be listening to her and mentioned something about eggs and pancakes.

"Good way of putting it." Aveline smiled, helping Marrose feel less like a jerk. "And you want to know how we cope? We have each other and our hope. Our hope that one day this will all end and just a distant memory. We have our drive to protect each other. And finally we have a common enemy to unite against when the time is right…"

Nodding in agreement, Marrose carefully sat herself up a little taller, feeling the collective confidence the other veterans seem to hold for them all. But then, from a far corner of the room, a hissing laughter began to rise in the air, chilling her to the bone.

"Hope?" A voice hissed, low and menacing. "Ssssurivival?" Marrose squinted towards the direction of the sound, finding red glowing eyes in the darkness. Marrose gasped and watched as the darkness seemed to slither and move like an eel or a snake. That's when she was reminded of how uncomfortable she was around snakes. "Foolsss, if you don't think we are monssstersss, than what are we?"

Meric Donovan~ The Magician​

In the dimly lit tent near The Ringmaster's residency on the forsaken grounds of the old carnival grounds, Meric stood before a lit TV monitor watching and listening to the commotion from the containment dorm. The Newcomers were waking up, non too happy of course, while the veterans were attempting to explain their new lives. Meric could only watch with indifference. He can barely recall the first day he woke up to find the ghostly chain embedded within his flesh, how it glowed in the darkness in the same gruesome color of his dried blood that surrounded its entry. He knows how scared they are in there. Deep down in the back of his mind, something wanted to move him forward, to rush out to the containment building and stop their pains and break their chains to set them free. But then there was that chain...that evil connection that twisted his heartfelt concerns and urgent wants into a desire to end such irritating whining with a little slight of hand; sever their vocal cords with just a wave of his wand or zip their mouths shut by kindly borrowing a lady's opened handbag.

Again, confused and baffled by how easily he wished to harm them within the same thought of saving them, Meric sighed and tried to contain the darker emotion before turning on his heels towards the exit. He was being summoned. It was an uncomfortable sensation to be called by someone's thoughts or their emotions. The Ringmaster doesn't have to call him by name or motion for him to follow. All he has to do is think – and Meric obeys. Even when he didn't want to, he had no choice but to perform what his Master wills.

Entering The Ringmaster's tent, Meric instantly felt the restraints on his abilities tighten like a vice around his arms and hands. The chains – it was as if they've suddenly had a mind of their own; the invisible bonds wrapped around his body to keep him...under control. Refraining from hissing from the discomfort, Meric stood taller and held himself steady to prove that it didn't bother him. Meric knew The Ringmaster didn't trust him, but as the chains grew tighter and tighter he often wondered if his Master feared him as much as he feared his Master.

"What is your bidding, Ringmaster?"

The dark jacket he wore covered his bare back...the spikes running up his spine were rather tender today after his accident three weeks ago. Falling on them is not pleasant at all, but in the attempt to stop a former Newcomer from escaping over the three story fence that surrounds the circus ground deep within the forest, Meric had fallen onto his back. The Newcomer had lost his life - shot down quickly by The Marksman, and fell as Meric was still holding onto him. He suffered a few broken ribs and bruising, but The Ringmaster fixed him up quickly. All that kept him slow and uncomfortable now was those damned spikes.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Michael Kaylock - The Man Who Eats Everything​

For once in his life, Kaylock was content not to growl or shake his cage in anger. Maybe at his fellow veterans - those who he considered foolhardy and, quite frankly, naive as hell - but not the two newcomers. They seemed to have their heads on straight, especially the hissing guy over in the darkened corner. So, instead, he grunted.

"'Uy 'ah a oind," he mumbled against the tightness of his muzzle. His attempt to say 'guy has a point' came out warbled, like everything else he said, but Kaylock didn't much care whether anyone actually understood him. He knew Aveline would. Or, rather, would at least be able to guess. Hopefully.

Ah, well, it didn't matter if she couldn't. Not like any of this mattered; the introductions, the comforting, the noise. All that mattered was breakfast because then he'd finally get the damn muzzle off, if only for a little bit. He could feel the metal digging into the left side of his cheek after having slept on it too heavily. Couldn't wait to rip it off and massage the reddened, possible bruised, skin underneath.

And then stuff his face with food. Eggs and pancakes sounded like heaven right now - maybe a side of bacon? Kaylock felt his mouth water at that. Let his hopes raise, something he only allowed when it came to breakfast because he usually wasn't too disappointed in that area. The Ringmaster could give them gruel and he'd still be happy because he could at least voice a comprehendible complaint.

Kaylock watched, then, as the newcomer apologized for calling them monsters. He found it ridiculous, Aveline and Harmony insisting they weren't monsters. "'Ou ahh oo off," he told them, another shoddy effort that came out garbled when it should have been 'you guys are too soft'. It's not like they'd be accepted by society if they even managed to escape. They could never go back to living a normal life - not that Kaylock could even remember his enough to want it - after this.

And why?

Because they were monsters.

 

[Azazel]

Aveline Angelo ~ The Dark Angel​

"Apology accepted." Aveline chimed to Marrose. "The important thing to remember in this place is it's the inside that counts. Not the outwards appearance." For a moment she looked as if she might say more. Until the low hiss of a new voice cut her off.

She looked around frantically, trying to locate the source of the hissing voice. While her senses had improved quite a bit since the incident, it was still frustrating not being able to see when she needed to. That voice had to belong to the slow heartbeat she'd heard earlier. So soft, so slow. Definitely not as fast as a human's should be. And the hissing. Did the Ring Master make him a reptile? A snake? Without her sight she would never know for sure.

Her bandaged eyes shot a 'look' to where Kaylock's cage was. "Don't encourage him." She chided once more with a slightly stern voice, already worried whether or not this new performer could mean trouble for the rest of them.

Turning her head back to where she heard the hissing from, she hoped she was looking at him as she spoke. "As much as I hate to admit it, we're victims.... Victims of a cruel man who has nothing better to do with his life or time than make misery for others. Who gains joy from forcing us to parade around for the enjoyment of a crowd who knows not what tortures they go through whenever they're not on stage...." She sighed, head drooping as she looked at the ground. "...but it won't be forever." She looked up again, a look of determination on her face. "We will get out! We have to...."

Shaking any doubt from her mind, she turned her 'gaze' back to Kaylock. "This place is harsh, cruel, and hard. Someone here has to be soft enough to show compassion."

Sable Drake ~ The Human Snake ​

He laughed at her words, the sound a very odd combination of tones indeed. "Ssso, tell me, Oh Great Blind One. If we're not monsssterssss, if we even do ssssurvive this place and essscape like you claim. Where will we go? Who would accept a sssnake? A winged blind girl? A mermaid? A puppet? Who?" He spoke in a low whisper as he snaked his way a little further out of his corner, as far as his chains would allow him.

His voice rose into almost a shout as he continued. "We'd have nowhere to go! Nothing to live for! Ssso, jussst ssshut up and accept your lot in life.... All of you....." As his monologue drew to a close, his voice settled back into that unnatural whispered hiss.

Killian ~ The Ring Master​

The blonde man looked from his chair as Meric entered. He didn't have on his red attire for performing. Instead he wore a white button up shirt and black pants, his cane that he never seemed to be without gripped loosely in his left hand.... the shirt was spattered in blood. His lips curled upwards into a twisted grin. "We have two new performers that I collected last night." He explained.

"A marionette girl that shall dance and contort for the pleasure of the crowd and a human snake boy that will awe the audience with not only his appearance, but his ability to move like an actual snake and communicate with reptiles." He trailed off, twirling his cane absently in his hand as he thought about where to go next with this. "Since I have already moved us to a new location to decrease the risk of our newest performers being recognized, I would like them properly prepared for tonight's performance. Understand?"

He paused long enough to give Meric time to respond, even if he knew that his pet had to do as was ordered of him. "Now then, go fetch everyone for morning preparations and breakfast. I expect things to run smoothly while I rest from my rather active evening. Off with you." He waved his free hand dismissively.

 

[AmerillaRose]

Harmony gave a startled squeak at the new comer's voice, splashing some water onto the floor. She gave a muttered apology, looking nervous from another new person. She was already on edge from meeting Marrose and the young woman's comment, so having someone voice her doubts and concerns left her in the beginning of a panic attack. She barely noticed how Aveline praised her or that Marrose had apologized.

The snake had a valid point; what would they do? Harmony haven't thought so far ahead, she just believed Aveline that everything would be better if they escaped. Harmony then started to bite her fingers, wanting to relive some of her stress. The siren wasn't going to be called a monster, even if everything else that was said made sense to her.

"I just said we're not monsters! Don't call me that." Harmony said firmly, before shrinking back with her fingers in her mouth as she muttered her concerns.

"He's wrong, isn't he? Aveline, you know what we'll do once we get out of here, right? I won't be sent home, will I?" Harmony began to bite harder on her fingers, watching the door for Meric. All she wanted right now was for the man to come in, tell everyone to shut up and carry her over to the showers to finally feel warm for the first time this morning. She'd even be okay with him just holding her, telling the siren that everything will be okay and not to worry about escaping or monsters. Just to focus on her act and staying out of trouble. She just wanted to think about simple things, things that given her the slightest bit of comfort.

 

[Phi Chisym]

Meric Donovan~ The Magician​

"We have two new performers that I collected last night," The Ringmaster explained. "A marionette girl that shall dance and contort for the pleasure of the crowd and a human snake boy that will awe the audience with not only his appearance, but his ability to move like an actual snake and communicate with reptiles. Since I have already moved us to a new location to decrease the risk of our newest performers being recognized, I would like them properly prepared for tonight's performance. Understand?"

"Tonight's performance?" Meric frowned, but quickly cleared his voice to hide his frustrations. "Yes, Sir. I understand. They will be promptly ready and well trained for tonight, Sir." There was no time! There was so much to prepare two new performers for that night. Their new costumes were barely completed and the need to train them for their acts was vital. But mostly, it was crucial that they quickly learn their places under the Big Top, their task as carnival performers, for there's no way they can maintain their new homes here if they do not work for it - keep the public entertained and the place spotless and inviting. The Ringmaster runs a tight shift here, and Meric insures it stays that way. Unfortunately for Meric, their mistakes are more costly to him than they are to them.

"Now then, go fetch everyone for morning preparations and breakfast. I expect things to run smoothly while I rest from my rather active evening. Off with you." He waved his free hand dismissively.

Meric slightly bowed, "Yes, Master." Turning away, he headed out of the office tent and quietly headed across the dark, desolate carnival grounds towards the dorms. Taking the time to handle his usual tasks of preparing breakfast, setting up the practice tents for the new members' training, and double checking on the seamstress who was finishing up the new costumes for the entire group, Meric soon headed to the dorms to unlock the performers. He headed inside, instantly hearing the high pitched tones of the members inside.

"I just said we're not monsters! Don't call me that." Harmony's angered voice lifted past the heavy wooden door of the containment tent. Meric stood his ground and listened to the heated heartbeats and thoughts in the room. "He's wrong, isn't he? Aveline, you know what we'll do once we get out of here, right? I won't be sent home, will I?"

"He is wrong, my dear. You're not monsters…," his creamy Scandinavian tone took over the entire room before he entered. The sound of a heavy bolt slipping out of an iron lock broke the heated conversation. With a flick of his wrist, the room filled with a bright light, stinging worn out eyes that have been in dark isolation for days. Sighing, he stepped forward, kicking back the tail of his evening coat in order to tuck his right hand into the pocket of his slacks. "...You're only made to look like one."

Glancing over the variety of faces in the room, Meric cleared his voice. "I'm Meric, your friendly neighborhood manager...for the moment. And it's bath time." Stepping towards Aveline, Meric's smile faded into true concern as he lifted her hand gently to give it a peck on the knuckles. He hated seeing her so broken – he blamed himself for choosing the time to attempt another breakout. They will get another chance, but this time, he'll have to be more careful at how he interprets The Ringmaster's thoughts. "Are you well this morning, dear Aveline?" he asked, worry evident in his voice. When she answered him, he calmly took a deep breath before returning his attention to the entire room.

"The Ringmaster wishes for all newcomers to be washed, dressed, fed, and in the Big Top for their first day on the job. You two have parts to learn," Meric stepped towards The Marionette Doll, nodding respectfully before turning towards the far corner where The Snake Charmer sat sulking. "- Your big debut – is tonight! I'm in charge of making sure...you learn everything. It's no good to disappoint The Ringmaster, so please don't mess up." It was punishment enough for Meric to be in the sort of prison he was within, but to be punished for the things the Newcomers tend to attempt was far worse.

Clapping his hands, the chains and locks that held the performers in place fell from them. Like always, Meric had locked the doors, and with the Veterans of the show there, he knew there was no way these newcomers could possibly escape. "Veterans, could you kindly assist me with teaching them about their new home. I know they're wanting an explanation. Trust me, there isn't one. And Kaylock.…," he turned to the only Veteran member who was still was partially restraint with his muzzle still intact. "Don't scare them anymore than they already are. And No Biting! Your antics causes us all a great deal of trouble."

Heading towards a set of plastic double doors on the opposite wall of the tent, Meric opened them and flipped a light switch. There was a long hallway that lead to another tent, and inside it was split into two rooms. One side was a dressing room for the men and the other for the women. There were cubicles for clothes, tons of costumes hanging around the tent, places to sit to dress and do make-up, and an area for a nice size restroom with showers. Everything was locked up tight, and Meric and the other Veterans were the only ones capable of opening anything inside.

"Chop, chop! No time to waste! The Ringmaster doesn't prefer to wait on us. We're the ones who are to wait on him."

 

[Azazel]

Aveline Angelo ~ The Dark Angel​

Her lips had curved into a tense frown as the newcomer continued to hiss at them about their lot in life. She had a plan for when they all got free. It still wouldn't be an easy life, but it would be better than this. Before she could explain this or answer Harmony, the door opened and she could feel the air from the outdoors and hear Meric's soothing voice. It was morning at last.

She heard Meric's footsteps approaching her before she felt him gently lift her hand and peck the back of it. She missed the actual sight of him, but hearing his voice and being able to feel him would be enough for her. He was a constant in her life that she couldn't afford to lose, even if he was tethered to him. "I'm as okay as I usually am in this place." She said with a soft smile. "A tad bit more bleeding than usual last night..." She motioned to her soaked bandages as she spoke, but quickly shrugged it off by adding. "...but that can be cleaned up quite easily."

At his next words about the two newcomers, she couldn't stop the look of surprise on her face and the way her wings fluttered slightly in protest. He honestly couldn't expect those two to be ready so quickly! It took weeks of adjustment and training and- She sighed in a mixture of hopelessness and anger. He was in one of his damned moods again and wanted someone to take out his twisted and sadistic impulses on. He always gave unreasonable requests they couldn't meet when he was like this. She should have known this was coming after the routines he had forced them through the previous night. Today and tonight were certainly not going to be pleasant or easy. That was for sure. And she was almost positive no one was coming out of this day unscathed.

The chains fell to the floor with a clang and Aveline felt the heavy weight of them releasing her. Taking a deep breath and bracing herself against the wall, she pulled herself to stand on shaky legs. As she moved, she heard the doors to the dressing room open and the lights flick on for all except her.

She knew Meric usually helped Harmony get where she needed to go and since she could still stand and walk, she decided she could try and help Marrose due to adjusting to her new joints. Hand still on the wall for guidance, even though she didn't need it by now and it was for show, she made her way over to Marrose. Or at least where she'd heard the girl's voice originating from. "I know I'm not much of a guide, but I could try and assist you this morning... although I may need a little assistance of my own...." She chuckled at the last part. "But I could help you stand and walk. That much I'm capable of." Her lips were turned upwards in a reassuring smile.

Before she forgot though, there was one more thing . Something she asked every morning. "Meric? Would it be too much of a bother for me to ask with your help with my bandages and finding my outfit again today once you have a moment?" She called in his general direction. "Also, do you think you could get my hair in that nice braid you've done before? If you don't mind and have the time, of course..." She knew he was under a lot of stress and she would normally just messily pull her hair into a ponytail or something for practice, but today was one of those exceptions. Everything had to be perfect when he was like this. Every minuscule detail had to be right or someone would get hurt. And she was going to do her best to protect everyone here no matter what.

While she was on the subject. "Also, Harmony, remember that spray we have in the dressing room? The waterproof one that adds that extra adorable curl to your hair? Might I suggest using that today as well? Now and for the performance tonight? And for the performance maybe the blue tinted pearls?" Yes she was micromanaging and thinking far too ahead in the day already, but she just wanted to help. She hoped they understood that she wasn't trying to be bossy.

"And as Meric already said, please no biting, Kaylock.... Not today. Also, might I suggest your red and black costume for the performance tonight?" She knew that the man probably wouldn't listen to her, but it was worth a shot anyways.

As much as she wanted to, she didn't address the snake in the corner. She had no clue what he looked like or even what his act would be. She honestly didn't know how to help him, even though she wanted to. So, she sighed and looked at everyone with that reassuring smile of hers and hoped that it wasn't tense enough to give away just how worried she was. Yes, Meric would know best being tethered to the man, but the Ring Master always had tells on the really bad days and in her four and a half years being here, she was pretty good at knowing when they were all in for it.

Sable Drake ~ The Human Snake​

A new voice, a new scent filled the room as some guy walked in and reassured the little baby mermaid. The light was annoying to him and he shrunk farther back in his corner as if to avoid it, even when the chain came off. His eyes were sensitive after that long in the dark. Not to mention how different everything looked to him now. And then the little blind one began flapping at the jaws and he hissed out a laugh.

"Meric, right? A you sssure you're the manager here and not thisss bosssssssy little thing?" He chuckled, his rasp of a voice making the pitch sound off. Almost more menacing.

He curled tighter in the corner, even as he was told to move. Fuck that noise. He'd come out of the corner when he was good and ready. And right now he wasn't ready. Even though he was putting on the hard ass exterior, inside he was flipping out at the changes in not only his appearance, but the way he perceived things. He had a splitting headache from the sensual overload with all the new smells and the way he could feel the heat radiating off of everyone in the room. Well, except for the little mermaid. She felt cold like he did. Speaking of which, he was practically freezing in this room. He just wanted to go lay out in the sun and warm up. Along with the scales and shit, did that freak actually make him cold blooded?!

Sarcasm and scathing comments were his best defense. They helped him hold on. Maybe if these people were as miserable as he was right now, he wouldn't feel so bad? At least that's how he seen it. So, falling silent, he stayed in the corner, hiding his eyes from the harsh light in the room.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Michael Kaylock - The Man Who Eats Everything​

Rolling his eyes hard at both Meric and Aveline, Kaylock simply responded with a grunt. While he hadn't been there as long as Aveline, he still had somewhat of a clue as to when he should and should not misbehave. Usually, he relied on Aveline's micromanaging to tell him when that was, though - and boy, if she wasn't micromanaging now. As much as he hated the stupid red and black costume the Ringmaster had prepared for him, he might as well wear it if he was in a pissy mood.

Better to look like an extra for a Panic! At The Disco music video than a pile of bloodied bruises.

With a growl, he crawled out of the impeccably small cage. Rose to his full height and stretched his arms above his head leisurely. Just because Aveline's micromanaging tipped him off didn't mean he was going to rush his morning at the Ringmaster's request. He'd still be a pain, but not that much of a pain - the man would just have to live with it. Kaylock considered it his little way of holding some control over his life.

Sending a sharp look Meric's way, Michael pointed to his muzzle and narrowed his brows. Didn't bother moving towards the dressing rooms. "Oh ek'ast?" He asked instead, inquiring about their lack of breakfast. If they were getting in costume now, he presumed they'd be training all morning on empty stomachs. Which, considering his own act, was probably a good idea. Even if he had a stomach of steel - quite literally, almost - Kaylock still had trouble performing with a full stomach.

Still, he wanted the fucking muzzle off - and now. "Ahn 'ou ah eas' ake es ohh?" Kaylock tugged at the edge of the muzzle, the metal biting his skin. Crossed his arms. Like always, the contraption distorted his words, but the meaning was clear enough: He wanted Meric to take off the muzzle, and he wouldn't go willingly unless the magician complied.

 

[AmerillaRose]

Harmony's face lit up like the fourth of July at the sight of Meric. She gave the man a sincere smile, before ducking back into her tank to avoid the light. It was a truly alien feeling for Harmony, to feel trust and affection toward a person, let alone toward two people. She was more accustomed to have fear toward someone, to have have distrust toward someone. So the fact that there were two people in her world that invoked such positive emotions, Harmony didn't know how to react. At first, the siren tried to ignore the two, but it was impossible given their situation. So after Aveline poking and prodding, Harmony told her about the 'odd' feelings and in turn, the winged teen started to teach the siren about emotions and how to properly handle them. With these lessons, Harmony grew more affectionate toward Aveline and Meric, in her own ways. The siren did learn another thing about emotions from just watching how the manger and the angel interacted with each other: Don't let the ringmaster catch on to the care and affection Meric has for them.

Harmony snapped out of her thoughts with the sound of her chains coming undone. She gave off a bubbled giggle as she lifted her tail from the water and waved it in the air to all the cast members. While the bite had stopped bleeding, it was easy to see the fresh mark. Harmony then lifted herself from the tank and sat on the wall of the tank. She gave a subconscious shiver from the cold air and excitement of a hot shower.

Harmony then turned toward Aveline's voice, as the young woman gave her suggestion of what to where. While the small teen wasn't interested in getting dressed up or being 'pretty' when she didn't have to, if Aveline asked to dress in a certain way, she'd do it.

"Should I also put on the star fish hair clip and that micro powder glitter stuff?" When the male new comer spoke again, Harmony turned to him. At the sight of his scales, the girl felt a spark of kinship. She first just blinked, trying to figure out what was the right reaction. The only thing she could think of was to share.

"Hey! New guy! I know which showers are warmest and my practice tank is heated, so you can sit next to it." While she didn't like the man for picking on Aveline, but finding someone else who had to suffer from being turned cold blooded. Harmony then turned to Marrose and gave the woman a smile, to show there were no hard feelings. With that, Harmony looked to Meric and held her arms out like a toddler wanting to be picked up.

 

[Phi Chisym]

Marietta Rosewood – The Marionette Doll
Meric Donovan – The Magician/The Henchman​

Marietta listened to them all, all the veterans of this group who knew much more about the place than she did. She listened, hearing their angers, frustrations, hopes, and fears, and wondered about the reasoning behind them all. Who was this madman they called The Ringmaster? Why was he doing these awful things to innocent lives and how was it even possible for him to accomplish them? How long has he been able to do this, and why hasn't he been caught? She had many questions and wanted to ask them all, but after pissing a few of them off from her misused terminology, she figured it would be best to just hang low and try to build trust and forgiveness.

As she continued to quietly check herself out, finding all the oddities etched upon her and the strange strings that didn't give her any leeway to movement, the conversations around her continued to heat up – bringing guilt upon her for starting the ruckus among these friends. Before it got worse, a sultry voice answered Harmony's hanging question and Marrose's eyes lifted towards the locked doors hiding its owner.

"He is wrong, my dear. You're not monsters… You're only made to look like one."

The doors revealed a rather tall, good looking gentleman dressed in dress coat with tails. He entered with an introduction, spoke to Aveline sweetly, then proceeded to explain a few things that – partially – answered some of her hidden questions.

"The Ringmaster wishes for all newcomers to be washed, dressed, fed, and in the Big Top for their first day on the job. You two have parts to learn. Your big debut – is tonight! I'm in charge of making sure...you learn everything. It's no good to disappoint The Ringmaster, so please don't mess up."

Her chains fell. Marrose gasp with a sudden urgency to run, to hide in the forest surrounding them and seek help wherever she finds it. But the idea of moving was just that – an idea. She tried to lift her arms, her legs, to push herself up, but nothing happened. She could feel her muscles – or what she figured was muscles – tense up, but there was nothing. All she was able to do was move her head, fingers and toes… Grunting in anger, she exhausted herself trying to find her feet. Realizing that a true marionette doll was only as good as its puppeteer, her eyes raised towards Meric with questioning tears. Who was keeping her down? Who was her puppeteer? Instead of screaming, she silently cried and waited, listening as Meric explained further what her tasks for the day were.

Eventually, he opened more doors towards the dressing room. Head hanging low, she tried to calm herself – recalling what Aveline mentioned before about having hope. This was not how her life would end – there was more to this sort of life and she must endure until she figures out how to overcome it. Soon, a sound of movement caught her attention and she looked up to find Aveline standing before her.

"I know I'm not much of a guide, but I could try and assist you this morning... although I may need a little assistance of my own.…" She chuckled, and Marrose grinned slightly at the little pun. "But I could help you stand and walk. That much I'm capable of."

Aveline's warm smile made Marrose feel almost human again, causing the poor girl to grin bigger in spite of the pain it caused around her sore jaw. "No, we can work together. I mean, that's what we all have to do here, right? Work together to survive this?" She tried to lift her head higher, but realized there was only so far her neck could go. "Not sure how much of a help I can be though. I can't move anything but my neck."

"Oh! I'd plum forgotten all about that." Meric crossed the dorm room again towards Marrose and raised his hand. Suddenly, her ghostly strings became taunt and painfully she was jerked up from her haunches.

"AAHHUCHH!" Marrose screamed and Meric flinched.

"Ooo, so sorry, my dear. I'm still getting use to your strings." Taking his time, Meric glided the girl onto her feet, softly placing her down before mumbling a few words under his breath. Then, he dropped his hands and she stood...alone, by her own accord. Meric nodded with a smirk of achievement. "It's not much, but I gave you a bit of energy for you to move with. Let's keep this to ourselves, shall we." Meric walked away, heading towards the very anxious little mermaid who was excitedly bounced around her tank.

Taking time to catch her breath, Marrose looked towards Meric with curiosity, then began to use her new freedom to figure out how to use her new joints. "What did he mean by that? Is he not my puppeteer?" she mumbled to herself as she attempted to stand, using the wall as her guide.

"Meric? Would it be too much of a bother for me to ask for your help with my bandages and finding my outfit again today, once you have a moment?" Aveline called in his general direction.

Meric stopped in his tracks, turned and stared at Aveline with a sorrowful frown before giving a slight bow of his head, "Yes, my dear." He turned back towards the tank and continued on. He was so happy that she still asked for his help, but the twinge of guilt for her lost eyesight tore at him – making him far too emotional for his own good. As he moved on, he cleared his throat and held back his thoughts.

"Also, do you think you could get my hair in that nice braid you've done before? If you don't mind, and have the time, of course..."

"Of course," he grinned, tossing his last words towards her ears to only hear.. "It will be my pleasure, as always."

He reached Harmony's tank and gave the girl one of his biggest grins and was about to greet her, but...

"Also, Harmony, remember that spray we have in the dressing room?" Aveline continued, "The waterproof one that adds that extra adorable curl to your hair? Might I suggest using that today as well? Now, and for the performance tonight? And for the performance, maybe the blue tinted pearls?"

He stopped and turned his attention back to Aveline once more, almost irritated. She was frazzled… Her sudden case of 'Jane Brady' only meant one thing. She was sensing something about The Ringmaster that he didn't catch. It happens, his master will block him from his thoughts and intentions, but the winged angel will somehow pick it up. Was it a six sense, or womanly intuition? Or maybe, she's just capable of amazing feats when he's forced into mental and emotional seclusion.

"Should I also put on the star fish hair clip and that micro powder glitter stuff?"

"If Aveline feels it's best, then by all means." Meric reached Harmony's tank where the girl waited for him.

"And as Meric already said, please no biting, Kaylock.... Not today. Also, might I suggest your red and black costume for the performance tonight?"

"Meric, right?" A menacing hiss broke Meric's concentration. "Are you sssure you're the manager here and not thisss bosssssssy little thing?" Sable chuckled.

In a blink, Meric was no longer before the tank. Instead, his form had magically appeared before Sable's cage; eyes slightly glowing with a hint of violet. "Must mind your tongue when I'm around, Sable." Meric raised his fingers and snapped them. Before Sable could protest, his forked tongue will have knotted itself within his mouth, tightening into an extremely painful knot. "Or you might lose it one day." And with that, Meric vanished, returning before Harmony at the blink of an eye.

Before he could utter a word to the girl before him, a heated shock of pain bolted through his head and down his spiky spine, causing the man to step back slightly and bite down on his tongue to hold back his cry. Quickly he attempted to block his thoughts once more, but it was quite clear that The Ringmaster was using his eyes that morning and wasn't too keen on his use of force upon his new creation. Quickly and without contest, Meric released Sable's tongue, and his pains suddenly ended. Taking a deep breath, Meric opened his eyes and sighed; wiping off the trickle of blood upon his lips with a brush of his thumb.

"Apparently, I'm not allowed to punish the newcomers today. Um, no matter…" Ignoring the Snake Charmer, Meric smiled brightly at Harmony as the youngling spoke to Sable. Glancing over his shoulder, he hoped the young man will speak ill of her in his presence as well. He'll cause him just as much pain as he'll gain from his master for the act.

Harmony held her arms out like a toddler wanting to be picked up. It seemed as if all of Meric's frustrations left him when he was with Harmony. She was the youngest of the group, and the most needy due to being half fish. Meric just had this overwhelming need to keep her safe – more so than all the others, as if he was her big brother. He's never had siblings before, nor a very close-knit family – until now. It was comforting to be needed, but that emotion was dangerous for them all around that place.

Again, building a thicker wall around his emotions, Meric dropped his wide grin and lifted the girl from the tank. He wrapped a towel around her and glanced down at her tail, then lifted her hand to inspect her damaged fingers. "You know he doesn't like for you to do that… and nether do I." With a glance, Meric covered the bruised, broken skin; camouflaging it to keep from The Ringmaster's sight. "Good, that'll do for now. But, next time, it won't be so easy to hide." Lifting her into his arms, Meric began to head towards the dressing rooms.

"Oh, ek'ast?"

Meric shook his head towards Michael as he passed him, "As always, wash and dress before breakfast is how the schedule goes. No one cares to smell your stench as they eat, you know."

"Ahn 'ou ah eas' ake es ohh?" Kaylock tugged at the edge of the muzzle.

Meric sighs, becoming irritated by the guy's constant nagging. "You know the rules, Kaylock. He doesn't want it removed until it's required." But Meric didn't care to see the guy in the damned contraption in the first place. He knew in order to gain the guy's trust further, he needed to do something to prove that he cared; that he was still himself. "Just this once..."

He stopped and stared at Kaylock, focusing on the muzzle in order to unlock it. But the more he tried, the thing wouldn't budge. Again, another surge of pain broke through him, and this time he screamed in pain. The attack from The Ringmaster was so powerful, it forced Meric to take a knee; dropping Harmony to the floor disgracefully as his hands lifted up to hold his head. Breathing hard, Meric catches his breath and looks up towards Kaylock with a painful grimace.

"He...doesn't want...it removed...until...breakfast...begins..."

 

[Azazel]

Aveline Angelo ~ The Dark Angel
​

She had frowned slightly as Marrose revealed how little she could actually move. Just what had the sadistic asshole done to her? Made her immobile except for when her 'strings' were pulled? Always cooking up new manner to make life difficult, it seemed. Before she could think of how to help, she heard Meric approach them and get the poor girl off her feet, albeit painfully. She couldn't help the small wince she gave at Marrose's scream. However things quickly turned back around as Meric found a way to truly help for the moment whether the Rimgmaster wished it or not.

Extending a hand to her, Aveline smiled warmly. "Here, I'll help you balance..." She offered as she tried to place herself in a convenient place so Marrose would be able to balance with her on one side bracing her and the wall on the other. Good thing she was getting better at pin-pointing the exact origins of sounds. Her other senses were stepping up faster even than her eyes were healing.

She could hear Meric making his way towards Harmony as she called out to him. Her smile grew all the more brighter at his secret words to her. There were very few things that could make her happy in this existence of hers, but he was most definitely one of them along with the rest of their little mismatched family here.

Hearing Harmony's question she paused as she remembered the hair clip and tried to piece the whole outfit she was remembering from before together in her mind. "I think that would look quite nice, Harmony." She told the young girl, tilting her head in her general direction so that Harmony could see her smile. "I think you'll look rather adorable." Another small pause. "Then again you almost always look adorable." She found herself saying as she recalled the image of the small siren clearly.

It was about then that the other newcomer spoke up and her smile wilted just a little. Yes, she knew she was being bossy and she didn't exactly like being so, but she just wanted to keep them all safe. She knew he wouldn't understand yet, not until he'd been there for a few months at least, so she wouldn't hold it against him. Even if he was being snippy with them all, he was still in the same boat they'd been in once so she could understand his lashing out.

She found herself jolted out of her thoughts as she heard as she heard Meric's statement from a new location across the room followed by some sound from Sable that she didn't quite have a name for. Almost like a strangled cry, maybe? It was a sound of pain and anger. That much she knew. After that things were oddly quiet for a moment and Aveline would have given almost anything to see what was going on before she heard Meric speak once more.

That's why it had gone quiet... The Ringmaster must have been doing something to Meric to make him undo whatever he had done to their newest performer. While she didn't approve of Meric hurting Sable just for his comment, she also didn't like her friend being hurt over it either. Despite this she managed to keep her air of calm and content as she continued trying to help Marrose.
In the background she knew there were conversations going on, but they didn't concern her at the moment, so she kept focused on the task at hand.

"I'll help you balance, if you tell me where on earth I'm going and don't let me walk into a wall, deal?" She said almost jokingly to Marrose. She managed to make it seem as though she were mildly uncomfortable being away from the wall in her attempt to help the marionette. Part of her little charade.

Unfortunately she couldn't even let Meric in on how well she was doing lately. She knew she wasn't going to walk into a wall. In fact, she knew exactly where in the room she was stood compared to where just about everyone else was located due to their breathing and heartbeats and even where the doors to the other rooms were and where most of her own items were kept. None of this could be shone though. Not yet.

Suddenly she was split from her thoughts by Meric's scream, her head whipping around to the source of the pained yell as she unintentionally let go of Marrose's hand and took a few steps towards where she heard Meric. She wanted to see if he was alright and know what had happened. Then she heard him addressing Kaylock. Ahh, he had tried to remove the muzzle.

While every fiber of her being wanted to call out to him and make sure he was truly alright, she knew she couldn't show as much concern as she wanted to. Instead she managed to look mildly panicked about something else entirely. "Marrose?" She said, a hint hopelessness in her tone. "Do you think you could say something or reach out so I can get back over to you...?" It seemed as if with her no longer in contact with the other girl or the wall had disoriented her and she didn't appear to know how far she had gone.

Sable Drake ~ The Human Snake
​

Ignoring most of what was going on around him he remained curled in his corner until he felt the heat radiating off of one of them extremely close to him. He'd dared a peek out from the crook of his arm to see the magician looking rather menacing and lecturing him about his choice of words. Before he could mouth off or make another comment, he found his sensitive, slim forked tongue moving of its own accord into a painful knot. What should have been a scream left his lips, but was distorted by the knot in his mouth and his now natural hiss.

His already overwhelmed senses went into overdrive and he began to panic, more softer noises escaping him until he found his tongue unknotted. The pain lingered though and his flicked it out of his mouth with a low hiss.

He curled tighter into his corner, bound and determined to find a way to seek vengeance when the small siren addressed him. This time he poked his head up in curiosity. He blinked for a moment, seeming rather confused. She was being nice to him...? How had she known he was freezing over here...? Oh... Right. He couldn't feel heat radiating from her. The mermaid must be cold blooded as well.

For a few moments he was quiet, rather unused to anyone being nice to him at all even before this place and finding himself unsure of how to respond. Finally though, he uncurled from his ball and stood up. "Thankssss." He hissed softly, as he stepped out into the light. Now that he wasn't so compact in the darker corner he could be seen more clearly. His skin was grayish in color, his scales glinting slightly in the light. He was rather thin and scrawny looking, although rather tall and lanky as well. Red slitted eyes blinked at the mermaid as he gave her a crooked smile, causing a fang to pop out over his lower lip even as he raised an arm to block some of the light from his sensitive eyes.

Glancing around at the others though, his face went back to impassively annoyed looking. "As he sssaid. Name'sss Sssable. Sssable Drake." He finally introduced himself as formally as they were going to get out of him.

He decided he'd be nice to the small one, but that was about it. Everyone else was still on his 'Fuck You' list. Especially that magician.... He couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him when Meric found himself in pain for trying to removed the other guy's muzzle. Served him right.

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the blind one's head tilted in his direction for only a second or two after she had stepped towards the down magician only to stop herself. She'd heard his chuckling, obviously, and would be glaring at him if she could, he guessed. Absently he wondered if the wack job running this freak show could see it. If she could hear him, she could hear much more than that. The Great Blind One was better at this whole being blind thing than she was letting on, yet it seemed he was the only one to notice.

His lips curled into a wicked grin. Leverage was nice. Very nice. Blackmail was even nicer. He'd have to find out later just what the little angel could offer him to keep quiet.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Michael Kaylock - The Man Who Eats Everything​

With the magician having vanished right before Kaylock approached him, reappearing across the room, he couldn't help but watch with intrigue. Meric snapped his fingers and the snake charmer - Sable Drake or some shit, he mused, hard to tell with the accent - let out a pained hiss. Crossing his arms over his torso, Kaylock merely observed; he didn't much care what happened. At least, not to the newcomers, despite Meric's request of helping get them accustomed to their new environment. Chances were they weren't worth expending energy on. Who knows if they'll even last the first week, let alone the first day?

He'd seen a lot during his time at the circus - more than he'd ever wanted to see, Kaylock was sure - and it had hardened him. Turned his insides into a monstrous reflection of his deformed face, if he wasn't already cruel before. He didn't know; couldn't remember more than images and flashes in dreams of his old life. It didn't do well to dwell on the past, though. Not when there was little hope of escape.

Kaylock almost snorted in amusement when the Ringmaster, by extension, reprimanded Meric for hurting the snake charmer. Nothing personal, really - Kaylock didn't like anyone. At best even Aveline was only tolerable, despite their having gone through so much together. Even with their shared grief, he wouldn't call anyone at the circus a friend. Especially not the magician pressed under the Ringmaster's cruel thumb.

When Meric regained his composure and addressed him, Kaylock's brows pinched in annoyance. He resisted the urge to sniff himself; with the muzzle in the way, the only thing he'd be smelling was his own breath against grimy metal. Still, he didn't relent and go on his way after that. Just stood there, waiting, until Meric sighed. The magician stared at him - rather, his muzzle - and Kaylock stared back. Waited, growing more impatient with every second. Instead of the tell-tale click of the painful contraption unlocking, however, Meric dropped to his knee with a scream, Harmony falling to the floor in the process.

Kaylock's blood began to boil. Of course, the Ringmaster would intervene, he growled behind the wall of metal sealing his voice away. Glanced at Harmony briefly. Wondered, absently, if she was okay but then found he didn't really care. Didn't care about anything except getting his muzzle off - a plan that had been foiled.

He glared down at Meric, arms still crossed. Crouched a bit for better comprehension and spoke slowly, staring the magician right in the eyes. Hoped that the Ringmaster could hear him through the device, spell, charm or whatever the hell it was that connected the two. Hoped, even more so, that the madman could decipher his next few words. Kaylock was pissed and wanted him to know it.

"Wah 'our 'in'ers," he threatened, eyes like fire. An overused, indeed, but not hollow threat of 'watch your fingers'. Fingers were an understatement, however; with his muzzle off and his inhuman mouth given full range, he could easily take off an entire hand. Kaylock often growled the threat whenever he was angry - just as he did now - and he meant every syllable. It certainly didn't help his muzzle and cage situation but he refused to roll over, lie down, or sit proper like the damn dog the Ringmaster expected him to be.

Then he stood straight again and left Meric and Harmony on the floor, offering neither of them a hand. Stormed past Aveline just close enough to worry for a sliver that he'd run into her, yet far enough away for him to realize he hadn't. Left the blind angel to her own devices with the marionette doll, the snake charmer in his cage, and headed towards the men's dressing rooms.