[[An npc is a nonplayable character that can be added in if someone is needed to prompt a change in the story. Like Ali's mom is an NPC; she appears in the story, but she isn't important and only makes a short cameo appearance. :3]]

"I'm a junior," she said, glancing at him. "What about you?" She was almost glad for the small talk, as she was starting to get a little frustrated with the lack of visual aid to find the snack bar. "Why couldn't it have been in the front of the tent," she muttered, looking around.

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Gerome saw the two children wandering around and smiled a little; it was time for some fun. He recognized the girl; he had spoken to her earlier. With her was the boy that she had escaped to.
"Pardon me," he aske smoothly. "Are you two lost?" The girl spun around abruptly, her eyes narrowing as she saw him. He was almost satisfied as she stepped closer to the boy; she was obviously frightened.

Lois remained in the tent, though she'd finished adjusting her camera settings. As much as she wanted to explore, she did not want to risk missing a moment of the main event. And she didn't want to leave Manx alone.

There would be time for exploration later, she figured. Maybe even a guided tour or something, if she played her cards right!

((Ohhh okay! I was guessing that, haha. I can add in a bit of Kenny's mom worrying about him (: Is that good?))

"I'm a junior, too," Kenny replied with a wide smile. "I guess we're not in the same classes then... or I'm just so unobservant that I haven't noticed you." He shrugged after saying this, before feeling his phone buzz in one of his pockets. Pulling his cell phone out of his pocket, Kenny checked to see who was calling or texting. His mom had texted him, asking how he was and how everything was going. Typical mom stuff, at least for his mom. Once Kenny had texted her back, assuring her that he was fine and everything was going alright, he heard a voice.

Looking up, Kenny saw a very tall man, asking whether they were lost. Kenny was about to reply, and confirm the man's suspicions, but he felt Ali getting closer to him. Oh, so this is probably the guy she was trying to get away from before... Drawing a protective arm around Ali, he looked up at the man, because of his short stature. This was probably the ringleader of the circus that Ali had run into before. His eyes a bit more harsh than they'd normally be, Kenny replied back by saying, "No we're fine." He was about to leave when a girl walked up to the ringleader.

---

"Gerome, let's not frighten the spectators." Gwen walked up to Gerome, her feet stepping one right in front of the other in a certain way that gave off an odd sense of grace. Her hands were folded right in front of her, bringing forth a proper way of holding oneself. Beside Gerome, Gwendolyn didn't seem too tall, even though she stood at a pretty impressive 5'7''. However, she did tower over both of the people who were apparently here to see the circus. "The show is about to start. Let's go." Gwen was speaking to Gerome still, practically ignoring the two others. In a hushed tone, she added on, "There'll be time for... this... afterwards."

[[lol okies. I might make Ali's mom call her or something in the middle of a performance, which'll force her to step out.]]

Ali was grateful as Kenny put an arm around her, even though normally she hated being touched. This guy just gave her the creeps. She let Kenny do the talking, glowering at the freakishly tall man and leaning into Kenny a little, fitting neatly under his arm.
Her eyes turned to the woman who walked up, and Ali briefly wondered why they were all so freakishly tall here. It was like the tall people against the short people, for god's sake. Ali couldn't help but be caught by how graceful she was.

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Gerome turned to Gwendolyn, still smiling pleasantly. "Hello, dear Gwen," he said. "I suppose we should go," he said, almost sighing. He had looked forward to having a bit of fun before the show. "These two seemed lost; it appears I was wrong though." He turned to the pair, his smile widening. These two would be fun to play with, he was sure. "I've got dibs on these two," he said softly to Gwen, only loud enough for her to hear. "Of course, I will share, but I want to play with them a bit." He straightened and looked at the two, then nodded his hair. "I hope you will enjoy the show," he said, then turned and offered an arm to Gwen. "Shall we?"

Gwen smiled up at Gerome, nodding a little bit. It was a bit odd how Gerome wasn't rounding up everyone else, and instead Gwen had to find him in the crowd. Normally, he'd be trying very hard to gather the performers before the show's start. Gwen brushed it off though, knowing she'd receive some explanation soon. And here it came; apparently he wanted to have some 'fun' with the two circus-goers. Gerome seemed completely ready for this, and seemed as if he didn't want to wait until after the show. "Of course. The time will come soon enough," Gwen responded, keeping her tone hushed. Then she smiled again. "You're so generous," Gwen commented at Gerome's next words. And she meant what she'd said. These two seemed like they'd be very fun to toy with.

---

Kenny raised an eyebrow at the exchange the two circus performers shared, a bit unnerved by how they were speaking so quietly. He could see that they were communicating, and it made him nervous not knowing what they were saying. Normally this type of thing didn't bother Kenny, but these two were just so... creepy. He really needed to get away from the location they were in. Finally, the two tall people finished their hushed conversation and gave the two their goodbyes. Kenny watched on as the woman, Gwen as he'd heard, took the ringleader's arm and the two walked off.

As they left, Kenny saw the dark-haired female look back and wave, an odd look on her face. She seemed excited for something. No wonder people described this place as a freak show; it was full of freaks! And Kenny hadn't even seen the acts yet. "We really need to get away from those two..." Shaking his head a bit, he looked around. "I still have no clue where to go. Do you want to just head back to the tent?" Kenny asked, not really wanting to run into any more of the performers.

"Yeah, let's just go back," Ali said, wearily watching the pair walk away. She almost glared as the girl looked back and waved; this place would drive her crazy by the end of the night. "I'm guessing we won't miss anything if those two are still strolling about," she said, then tried to find a change of subject. "So, uh...." she chewed on her lip; small talk wasn't her forte.

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Gerome chuckled as he walked with Gwen, a deep, rich sound. "Generous? Oh my, no, I'm quite selfish," he said, his tone casual. "We all are, are we not?" he afforded her a pleasasnt smile, then checked his watch. "I better make sure everyone is in places," he said. "Are you prepared?"

[[OTL short post is short >.<]]

Manx stared off into space. She was somewhat nervous still, especially with the other two gone like they were, but she was ok. As long as she was lost in her thoughts (thoughts that weren't about this place) she was distracted enough not to do anything or say anything embarassing because of fear. "So... uh... Hey." Manx said lamely at Lois, breaking the somewhat awkward silence. She sighed quietly to herself. No use deserting her just because I'm scared... She thought as she pulled herself completely out of her trance-like daydreaming. She wasn't very good at small talk though.

As she waited for a reply to her extremely small, small-talk conversation starter Manx pulled her cell out. No calls. The screen read. Of course not... Who would be calling me?Oh well, it's not important.... And if anyone asks I can say I was checking the time. Just then another thought occured to her. She looked back at Lois and pretended to be waiting patiently and hoped she didn't look like she was staring. Normally, Manx avoided eye contact at all times. She knew that her face was a mask of whatever she wanted to show others, but her eyes were a whole different story. Also, normally, she never looked at a person while talking to them. See, she's very easily distracted and watching a person while they talked... Well, it didn't keep her mind focused enough to actually listen most of the time. Hopefully Lois won't mind.

~~~~~~~~~~

Ares smiled down at Liesel. She was a few inches shorter than his extremely tall, lean figure. He was nearly 6'2 and with his knee high black boots he was easily 6'3. "Then the game it is. But if your brother is angered, don't expect me to let you take all of the blame. It wouldn't be chivalrous. Alright deary. Go hide! I'll do my best to find you, though I do believe I may have been hustled!" He joked, winking at her with a flirty smile. Why not? He thought to himself. What can Gerome do? He is no match for me and my blades! "Run along now, I'll count to... I'll count to 20. So you'd best hurry. I'd also suggest not leaving too many of your... um... little sweethearts lying around. I promise not to hurt them but you never know what they might do to a stray guest. That wouldn't be good would it?" When he was finished he released her hands and dramatically turned on his heel with military precision. With a smile on his face he began counting. "20! 19! 18! You'd best hurry luv, 20 seconds goes by mighty fast!" He said in a seamless British accent.

"Alright then, we shall both face the lion," she said with a laugh. Liesel then pouted slightly, sighing and nodding. "I suppose you are right," she said, then softly whispered to the viper in a strange language before setting it down. It slithered away and was gone in a heartbeat. "I will only use two, then, if you are worried," she said with a nod. Then she afforded a wicked grin that almost didn't seem her own. "Catch me if you can, my darling Ares." Then she was gone, running through the tents as silently and swiftly as a snake. She had only sent out her viper and the corral snake, two of her less dangerous children. She had instructed them, of course, to play with only Ares, but she sometimes worried about the corral. Therefore, he was set closest to her, only a few yards away in a wooden basket with a lid. Liesel herself was hidden between a large, empty cage and a tent, sitting in the dry grass as she waited. She counted down until she reached zero; Ares should be coming for her now.

Lois turned to look at Manx. So the girl could talk. Not that she hadn't before, but honestly, Lois had never met anybody so painfully shy. Emo, yes, but not like this. She wondered if it was a front. Everybody had one.

"So... um..." Lois replied, smiling. "What brings you to this circus, anyway?" She then wondered if the girl had a social phobia or something, and decided to fish. Just a little. "I mean, that has to be an accomplishment for you, right? All these, uh, well, people here..."

She trailed off, still smiling, and hoping she hadn't overstepped her boundaries. Again.

A blush crept over Manx's cheeks and she almost turned away, but then a determined looked came over her face. No! I'm not gonna' be shy. At least not right now. There's no reason! "Well, I guess you could say it's an accomplishment. I meant to come alone but, circumstances happen. And... It's been a while since I've done anything fun so, I decided to get out. Though... So far, this hasn't exactly been the most fun." Wow, that's probably the most you've talked to one person in years! She smiled softly. She was very proud of herself. Then, as if to second being proud of her, Luna mewed happily from her bag and peaked her head out the top, making Manx laugh.

~~~~~~~~~~

Hearing Liesel run, Ares turned around. He wasn't cheating exactly, he was just watching her run. His definetely man mind watched nothing but her butt as she headed away from him. He kept counting until the 20 seconds was up, then whispered into the air. "Come out come out wherever you are..." Even that simple whisper seemed menacing.

Almost knowing exactly where Liesel was, though she'd run softly over the grass, Ares followed her trail through the copius amount of tents. He was naturally a fighter, a fighter with a hunters senses. Almost like that of a hound. It was easy to follow her footsteps where they'd bowed down the grass. It wasn't long before the footsteps ended. He smiled and looked around. "Oh where oh where could my sweet Liesel be?" It was then that he heard it. A simple hiss or the slide of a forked tongue in and out of a snakes mouth. He smiled bigger and walked directly over to the basket. Lifting the lid of it, he reached in with one black leather gloved hand and lifted out the coral snake. "Hello small one..." He said, holding it away from his face. "And where might your beautiful master be hiding?" He looked around and immediately spotted her hiding spot but didn't do anything to show that he'd found her.

Lois grinned and laughed. Success! Maybe she could actually have a conversation with someone who would listen for once. Besides her parents, anyway. "I... kinda meant to come alone, too, but I mean, this is a circus, right? More fun with a group! Besides, it hasn't even started yet." She frowned a little at the center ring. "Hope it starts soon, though."

The corral hissed softly and wove between Ares' fingers, its body hard and smooth between his fingers. Liesel had no idea if he knew she was there or not, but she had the sneaking suspicion that he did, that he had cheated. While the corral kept his attention, Liesel decided to see just how good he was; she snuck around, approaching from behind. She crouched low, her body moving as if it had muscles in places it shouldn't.

"Well, let's hope it doesn't start before Ali and Kenny get back. I wouldn't want them to miss this." Manx smiled at Lois. It'd been a while since she'd ever worked up the courage to talk to someone, let alone try and make friends. It felt kind of nice. She looked around, first for Ali and Kenny, then at the ring and the second entrance into it across the tent from them. She pointed at it. "Hey, ya think that's where they acts come out of?"

~~~~~~~~~~

Ares let his hand move with the snake, always ensuring that it was upright and didn't fall. Though he had little worry that it would, he'd hate to think of what Liesel would do to him if he even accidentally hurt one of her snakes. With a smile, he flicked his eyes back to her hiding place. She wasn't there anymore. He raised his eyebrows curiously then shrugged. "Guess she isn't there..." He said outloud, a smile in his voice. He turned once again on his heel and made as if he were about to start walking.

Liesel wouldn't let herself be fooled; she was almost certain he had known she was there. She told the corral to keep him distracted as she moved closer; she would trail him and see how far he would get before he turned to face her. She moved silently even over the dead, dry grass, her green eyes narrowing slightly in anticipation. she moved within arms reach, thinking that she was fast enough to duck away if he turned to grab her.

Being quite perceptive, Ares watched as the coral looked over his shoulder at something. He was still holding it up and away from his body. Smiling wickedly in his fun, Ares stopped walking abruptly, almost in midstep. "Hello sweetheart." He stated outloud. He hoped he was right, otherwise he'd look like a fool standing around talking to the air.

Liesel paused, then laughed merrily, a soft, delicate sound. "Ah, I knew you had found me," she said, her eyes sparkling. "But you haven't won yet. You have to catch me, remember?" She stayed still, swaying slightly. She seemed like she was resting in the spot when in reality her muscles were ready to spring, should he turn to catch her. She reached down to pick something up out of the grass; it was her viper, returning to her from its hiding spot.

Ares turned slowly, letting Liesel see every movement clearly. "Oh but my dear. I seem to have completely tired myself out in my search!" He exaggerated his breathing and tried to keep the smile out of his otherwise serious expression. In his mind, he tried to think of ways he could catch her without hurting her.

"Poor baby," she cooed. She stepped a little closer, letting her guard slip a little. He honestly looked tired, and Gerome would murder her in her sleep if they're game affected how Ares performed. She reached out one hand to rest on his arm, her other moving to take her coral from his hand. The snake moved away from her, as if trying to shoo her away. She blinked, startled, staring at the little snake. It didn't have the brain capacity to tell her what was really going down.

In a single instance Ares hand shot forward and grabbed the arm that was touching his. He used quite a bit of force but definetely not enough to hurt her. The moment he had her arm he pulled her forward into a tight hug. "I win." He stated. Not out of breath at all. He nuzzled her neck just for the fun of it and laughed.

"They don't... look like they're ready to start yet. I think we'll be okay." Lois frowned a bit, looking at the entrance that Manx pointed out. "And I think you're right. I hope the ringmaster is cool. Do you think they'll have dancing bears or something?"

Liesel gasped as she was caught, then broke into delighted laughter. "Oh, you are a cheater," she said, putting her arms around him and resting her cheek on his shoulder. "You're a sly fox, my darling," she said. The coral slid off Ares and around Liesel's neck, hugging her in its snakey way, flicking its tongue out her. "You would take advantage of an innocent soul such as me? I know who's side to play on now," she accused playfully.

"The problem is, I have no clue where the tent is..." Kenny trailed off, sighing a bit. Being lost was never fun. "Do you know where we should go?" he asked Ali, turning his face towards hers. They were a bit too close at this point, which was just fine for Kenny, but he didn't want to make Ali uncomfortable. So, Kenny withdrew his arm from around her, and shuffled a little bit away from her.

"Yeah, that's true. We can just wander back and find our way slowly," Kenny agreed, linking one of his arms with one of Ali's. They began to walk, and Ali made an attempt to start small talk. Kenny decided to help her out, saying, "So... What are your hobbies?" Lame question, but it would start some type of conversation.

---

As the pair walked, Gwen listened to what Gerome was saying. Thinking through an answer, she replied by saying, "In a way... Yes, we all are quite selfish." After she said this, Gwendolyn began to watch Gerome as he checked the time. "Well, that would be your job as ringleader," she said in a teasing tone.

A small smile graced her face as she answered the next question. A chance to show off was always great. "When am I not prepared?" Gwen asked rhetorically, stepping away and off into a more spacey part of the fairgrounds. Stretching one of her legs behind her with ease in a perfect dancer's pose, she began to push it forward. Finally, she completed her feat of flexibility; her foot now rested over one of her shoulders from behind. Simple. Reverting back to a standing position, Gwendolyn walked back to Gerome. "Afterall, I only need myself."

((This took forever because it kept exiting... D: It was frustrating.))

"I don' know. I think Ali met the ringleader... Apparently he was really creepy." She looked around, the two were nowhere to be seen. "They've been gone an awful long time... Do you think we should go look for them?" Manx was losing her shyness bit by bit; it was her way, the longer she knew a person the more comfortable she was with them.

~~~~~~~~~~

Ares hugged Liesel tightly for a moment then released all of her but one hand. "Come on my sweet. The show should begin soon!" He began hurrying through the masses of tents when he saw the ringleader. Best to avoid him! He thought. He continued on his way, skirting Gerome at a distance and continuing to hold Liesel's hand as he pulled her along. Then he saw them. Two of the young people from the gates. They weren't with the rest of their party and seemed to be lost. Slowing his pace, Ares made his way toward the pair in his silent manner.

As he came up behind them, Ares began to talk. "Hello young ones. Are we lost? Best to hurry if you don't want to miss the show." He only called them young ones because of their size; they looked like children! "Do you need someone to show you to the tent?" Good, this will give Liesel and I an excuse for being late.

"Um, I dunno. You don't think they're... well, you know. Do you?" Lois winked. Even she had to admit it was a possibility. A slim one, but also the most benign one. The fairgrounds weren't that large. How could the pair be lost in them?

On the other hand, the place was creepy. Maybe Manx had a point. As much as Lois didn't want to miss a moment of the show, she replied, "Want to give them five more minutes?"

Ali thought about the question for a moment, and wondered why she couldn't have asked something so simple. "I play soccer," she said, finally. "Actually, I spend most of my time on soccer." You could usually find her on the field or watching a game at home; Ali aspired to be one of the greatest soccer players in the world. "What about you?"

Ali almost groaned when she heard someone else calling out to them. She looked over her shoulder and saw two more people, both very, very tall. The man was the tallest, and Ali could see a sword attached to his hip. The woman was beautiful, like the other had been, and she had a snakelike grace to her. She also had a snake around her neck. Ali hated snakes; this was just the perfect day.

"We were just on our way back," she said, slightly defensive. She saw the woman raise an eyebrow, her hand tightening around the man's for a brief second. She looked amused, and it made Ali angry.

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Gerome nodded with approval as the smaller woman completed her feat. "I can always depend on you," he said with a pleasant smile. "I know I shouldn't have to worry about my darling little sister, and if I am correct that boy Ares is with her..." A small shadow flickered across his face for a second, and then was gone, just like that. "And she would have made sure he was ready." He nodded, more to himself then anything, then looked towards the tent. He was almost anxious himself; not for the show, which he had practically created, but for afterwards. Then, the real festivities would begin. For a second, he looked more feral, more wild, and more dangerous then any man had a right to look.

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Liesel ran with Ares, able to keep up with him efortlessly. She slowed to a walk as they approached the children, the boy and the girl she guessed her brother had seen earlier. She noticed the girl was glaring at her, and pinpointed the gaze to the snake around her neck.

"You are afraid of him," Liesel asked, surprised. "Come, now, my darling would never hurt a fly unless I instructed." Liesel smiled sweetly. "And you need not worry, I would never let him hurt anyone." The girl still looked unsure, in fact she was downright glaring still, like she was angry. Liesel was amused, but also a little hurt. She tightened her hold on Ares briefly, then relaxed her hand, her fingers still laced through his.