Les Dieux Circus

[Vespar Leviathan]

Victor smiled as hundreds upon hundreds of people began to flood the circus tent. He had hoped there would be more, but it was good all the same. Either way, this show would go without a hitch. He would make sure of it. After all, it would be their last in the town. They should make it the best show these people have ever seen. Looking down at his hands, he gave a large sigh. One hand, with a watch on the wrist, was telling him it was time to move on. And he knew it was, they had been spotted. The other hand was holding tightly onto a piece of paper, crinkling it.

Something one of the circus hands had given to him. He was grateful, of course, but it told him time was short. And that they needed to move, before they were caught. He poked his head into the tent. The people were receiving their snacks and beginning to take their seats. Victor smiled. Time to go check on the others. The show would start soon. He made his way to the worker's tents. What were they doing anyway?

 

[Adelaide Belial]

Piper, was thinking, her body twisted into some weird pretzel, and she held tightly to a bar above her head. She was trying to calm her nerves. It was to be their last show in town, period, she didn't want anything to go wrong. The main acts could do whatever they wanted inside the tent. She didn't have to go this time. No, Piper would be outside, per orders from yesterday, and she could choose whosoever she wanted to participate in watching the outside of the circus. She had decided that the big attractions like the Beast, or the Twins would be a mistake, they would be key items in the show.

Pulling herself out of her little human knot, she let all her joints pop back into place as she began to walk towards the door of her dressing room. She had decided, "There really isn't anyone like me who can guard the place. I"ll go by myself." Victor couldn't get mad at her for that. Besides, after they finished showing off to the people, they would need to leave quickly. A Guard should really guard the Cirque.

 

[Crono]

Tall men, white coats, drills and knives in their hands. Nexx struggled against the braces that held his arms and legs as the doctors sharpened their instruments. He yelled for help, but no sound came out. They were ready to begin, their knives glimmered and their drills spun. Nexx screamed as he finally pulled his hand out of its brace and rose to slash at one of the doctors. At that moment, his eyes opened to find his self in his hammock, sweating profusely.

"Nightmares." Nexx the Beast concluded before untangling his body from his hammock. This was the last show in this area. Too bad, Moonlit Cove was a pretty place in his opinion, but they had to stay away from the nasty men. The nasty men would do bad things to his friends and put him back in his hospital with the doctors and their pointy things. He went outside briefly to get his rain bucket and waved at Victor. Once back inside he dumped his head into the ice cold water and brought it back out now wide awake.

 

[MotherOfCthulhu]

"Tonight will be the best show yet."
"Yes, the best."
"Do you think Victor will be proud of us?"
"Isn't he always?"
"Yes but even prouder, I really want to make him proud."
"Sweet sister, keep talking like that and everyone will know your secret."
A rare smile, sweet but cool like her demeanor graced the lips of Luna, Celest looked mortified at her sister and a blush rose in Celest's cheeks to which she playfully slapped her sister's arms. "Then everyone will find out you like him too!"
"You wouldn't dare."
"I'f I'm going down, you are going down with me." Celest grinned, somewhere between wolfish and utterly playful before she erupted into giggles, Luna soon to follow.

The pair were in their dressing room, finishing their preparations for the show, apparently just being joined to one another wasn't exciting anymore, technology spoiling their audiences. They'd even been called frauds by an onlooker once, much to Luna's displeasure and Celest's cold rage. Still, Victor knew how to placate her sister almost as well as she did and the situation ended in their favour. "What are we doing tonight?"
"Balance act, we've got the ball and the bars, and you've still got the flaming batons right?"
"Yes they're in our trunk."
"Excellent, now hold still while I tighten your corset, we've got to look our best for the customers."
"Don't you mean for Victor? Oof!" Celest gave a mighty tug on the corset strings, successfully silencing her sister, at least for the moment. The pair tried to look stern with one another but erupted into giggles withing moments, it was awkward getting ready when you were joined to another person, their dresses had to be altered so they fit properly but between them they were able to fasten each other into the corsetry and smooth the skirts before Victor came in to check on them.

When he did enter they were just awkwardly getting round to straightening their stockings and fastening the slip on pumps to their feet, Celest spotted him first, her face breaking into a sunny smile that seemed to lend itself to her name, "Good evening boss!" Her voice light and clear as bell and naturally musical to the point a song bird may become jealous. "Good evening Master Victor." Luna's on the other hand was soft and gentle, like a cool drop of moonlight in a still lake. The pair stopped arranging their stockings so they could both offer a neat bow from the hip, upon straightening Celest checked her hair and Luna briefly rubbed her ribs, corsets were hard work for her. "Is everything ready for this evening?"
"Because we're happy to help if you need it."

 

[Legens Legentis]

Leo strolled about the animal cages, whistling a delightful song as the beasts across him roared with fury. Yet the man could only continue his happy walk, even having time to twirl a cane in euphoria. Even the sound of bloodthirsty roars couldn't drown out Leo's happy mood. Leo would soon walk out into the spotlight with Chimera, his favorite lion. The feeling he got from putting on a good show was stronger than any drug the world could make. The disturbed tamer extended his stroll over to Chimera's cage, opening it with a vile grin. The assistants beside him stumbled back in horror.

"Aw, you fools will never be lion tamers with that attitude!" Leo flailed his cane in their direction as Chimera sat beside the master tamer.

The two walked out from the accursed curtain, and Leo was exposed to the sound of cheers. He took a bow to reciprocate the positive feelings. Out on the field was a flaming hoop, which was the first part of Leo's preferred routine. Chimera obediently pounced forward through the hoops upon Leo's expert command. Some would say that his training technique was... less than decent. Surely they were wrong! The crowd certainly seemed to agree that Leo's methods have been offering good reward.

The music of the circus stretched the tamer's smile farther than it should go for any human. Every command Leo put on the savage Chimera was obeyed with perfection.

"Look upon this rabid monster as it kneels before the will of man!" he shouted to the applauding crowd.

Chimera exposed his dagger-like teeth to Leo, who did the same thing in return. He raised his cane into the air with Chimera ready to follow it. Upon turning his body to the side, Leo prepared himself to perform the lion matador act. Almost through magic, he pulled out a red cape from his own hat. It was beyond cliche. Then again, as P.T. Barnum would say, There's a sucker born every minute. Leo thrashed the crimson cloak raggedly while speaking broken Spanish. The crowd became mesmerized as the lion started to act like a brutish bull. Both Leo and Chimera exchanged blood-red stares toward each other. This was why Chimera was Leo's favorite: they both knew the importance of giving the crowd what they want.

And the music played further, now assisted by dazzling lights. And eventually that nagging instinct within Leo started to arise. He knew their act would have to end. Without saying a word, and by the wave of his cane, Leo ordered Chimera to end the act they were performing, with surprising irruption. Slowly, they walked back to the curtain that Leo despised. Though before entering it, the two took a proud bow to the crowd. Chimera went back to his cage (without any human commands). Leo sat on the nearest bench, weary and saddened. He withdrew a bottle of whiskey, of which he also held in his hat. It brought no relief. A sigh escaped the man's lips once the alcohol was done going into them.

Now Leo would wait once more in agony until he could return to the show he loved so dearly.

 

[Flame]

The show. Nagito's least favorite part of this group. To live with these interesting people, he had to put on a performance every time they stopped at a new location. A show like this had to have money to run it, at any rate, and it wasn't like he didn't get his own cut afterwards. Most shows, he didn't play in, except their "Finisher", or "Special" shows. His acts sometimes took time, and, were some of the more stressful ones for viewers... that wasn't to say that the beastman and other acts didn't see their fair share of jumps and shielded eyes, but by far he noticed many seemed to not want to watch a man cut his throat open. It hadn't happened once yet, and he had never tried to force it, either. He wasn't dumb. However, that didn't mean he wasn't willing to do something very dangerous if asked.

Nagito sat in his tent, hearing people crowd past the main path and enter the show area. He contemplated which act he would do this time around, and wrapped his tools; the swords and knives, in a bundle, looking about his tent as if it were his last time to do so. He did this every time. He wasn't a fool, and he knew that every act could be his last. The people backstage were probably expecting him by now, so, he hurried, and put the bundle on his back and walking out leisurely, turning out the light, and spiking the flap down. He followed the crowd to the tent, and went around to the back, into a separate dressing room to get into what he would wear for the act. He laid the bundle to his side, and waited patiently in his seat. "I should hope they weren't expecting me sooner...", he pulled a book off the counter behind him, and began to read as he waited.