Manx looked around once more then settled back into her seat. She closed her eyes and slid down so that her head rested on the back of her chair. "No." She said to Lois' first question. "And I guess we could give them 5 more minutes." She opened one eye and peeked at Lois. Holding up one hand for emphasis she reiterated her last sentence. "5 minutes. No more." She laughed. "And, if they are... doing what you think they are... then it'll give them plenty of time to finish and get their butts back here." She said, trying to make a joke. She was still worried though.

~~~~~~~~~~

Ares smiled down at Liesel when she squeezed his hand then looked at the children. "Come now. You can walk as far behind us as you like. It will save us from getting in trouble to." He added onto the end quietly as if he were trying to bring the younger ones in on some conspiracy. "Come on, you wouldn't deny us just to get us in trouble would you?" He asked. The way he was acting made him almost seem normal. Normal and nice and kind hearted.

Good thing he was a good actor.

Lois giggled in spite of herself, and tapped her watch. "Five minutes it is. Then we organize a rescue mission. Does your cat do recon?" She, too, was worried, but couldn't afford to let it show. Fear was contagious that way.

"Soccer, that's pretty cool," Kenny commented. He hadn't ever been much of an athletic person. Sure, he had been on the cross country team at one point, and he liked to ice skate, but Kenny was never too dedicated to the sports. "I assume you're really good then, right?" The small talk was going just fine, they were actually having a real conversation. It was pretty great. "I'm a musician, I play a bunch of instruments, sing, that type of thing..." he trailed off, before adding on another thing he liked to do. "Drawing and painting and all that art stuff is pretty fun, too." Basically, Kenny was your typical rail skinny artsy guy. It wouldn't hurt him to bulk up, but he spent a lot of his time on his music, giving him no time to work out or anything.

Their walk back was going pretty well, what with the lack of interruptions and the smooth conversation they were having. That is, until two other people, who looked like they were a couple, appeared, the male asking if they were lost. Young ones? What? Just because Ali and Kenny were short didn't mean that they were young. Besides, the circus people were all just freakishly tall...

Upon a quick inspection of the two before him, Kenny decided that this pair couldn't be spectators of the circus, there was no way; the woman had a snake wrapped around her neck. Unless your typical person walked around like this, these two were surely performers. Kenny kept silent, still looking these two over. Ali was doing the talking this time, and it ended up with the man asking them to walk behind them. "Why not?" Kenny said, finally speaking up. "It'll be fine, and we can finally get back to the tent. I'm sure Manx and Lois are worried by now," Kenny said, quieter, to Ali.

---

"Yes, yes you can," Gwen agreed, beaming. She always liked praise. "They'll be fine and ready by the time the show's about to begin. Don't worry about it!" Gwen said in a reassuring tone, noticing the momentary change in facial expression. But then, his face turned a bit more... animalistic. It was a bit frightening, even to Gwendolyn, who'd seen, and done, some pretty terrifying things. She shrunk back a bit, not too noticeably, folding her arms.

"They probably are," she mumbled, eyeing the pair before him. She decided she hated them both equally, but not as much as the creepy ringleader. Ali glowered at the two some more, then allowed her feet to move, walking behind the pair. "Ah, yeah, I guess I'm pretty good," she said, trying hard to return to the conversation. She didn't need it now because she was bored- she needed it to keep her temper cool.

"So... what instruments do you play," she asked, scrambling for something to ask. "I think I tried to play the tambourine once, but that ended up with the music teacher giving me a referal." She tried to make a joke lamely, but it was a true story. She kept an eye on the two in front of them, making sure that snake stayed exactly where it was.

----------------~-------------------

Gerome caught himself, and he smiled pleasantly again. "My apologies," he said softly. "You best hurry along, Gwen, we will start the show soon." He nodded once, reaching into his pocket to check his puppets. They rested gently in their pouches, each shiny and eager to entertain.

---------------~--------------------

Liesel allowed Ares to lead her as the children agreed to follow them, the boy whispering to the girl. Her coral slithered over her shoulders a little, questioning. "Not now," she murmured softly, comfortingly. "Wait, my darlings, we shall play soon enough." The snake settled on her shoulders, discontented for now. She would have to make it up later. "I can barely contain my excitement," she said with a soft chuckle, looking up at Ares.

[[OTL.... short post.]]

[/QUOTE]

After they began to walk again, Ali reverted back to the conversation that the two were having, before they were interrupted. Kenny could tell that Ali was peeved about the two performers, but he ignored it, choosing not to say anything about that. There was a 50/50 chance that that wouldn't turn out well. "What position do you play?" Kenny questioned, deciding that the best way to go about this was to just keep having small talk.

"I play guitar, piano, and bass," Kenny answered, keeping it to those three instruments. He had experience playing others as well, but he'd stopped playing them, so there was no need to list them. "The tambourine, a very hard instrument to master," Kenny replied in a joking tone. He gave a small chuckle at her joke, before following her eyes to the snake. "Don't worry, she said it wouldn't hurt you." Kenny's tone was reassuring, and he finally realized why Ali wasn't happy with the couple walking ahead of him. She must not like snakes.

Finally, they arrived back at the tent, and got away from the two that were leading them. Kenny made sure Ali was with him, before walking into the tent and finding their seats. Manx and Lois were still there, and Kenny announced that they were back. "Sorry it took so long, we got lost... And didn't end up finding a snack bar or anything, so we're back. Do you know when the show's starting?" He asked this while he was sitting back down next to Manx on the end.

---

Regaining her normal posture, Gwen replied to Gerome's apology. "It's alright," she said simply, before nodding at his suggestion. "I'll see you soon," Gwendolyn said to him, before walking off towards the main tent. She entered through one of the more hidden entrances, meant for the performers only. And then she waited...

Manx aimed a smile in their direction as the two sat. She had noticeably relaxed the moment she'd seen them step through the entrance. Unexpectedly she placed her hand over Kenny's on the arm rest of the seat and squeezed once very gently then pulled her hand away. She was extremely glad he was back. Even if he wasn't the most manly man she'd ever met, it made her less apprehensive to know that there was at least one guy in the group. "Awww, that stinks. I was going to try and steal a drink of someones pop." Manx said. It was easy to tell she was much more comfortable now.

Looking around the tent again, as she'd done almost constantly the last while, Manx shrugged and looked back toward Kenny. "Not a clue. Hopefully soon though." Looking toward Ali, Manx got an odd expression on her face. "Is something wrong with Ali?" She said quietly.

((I laughed at the 'not the most manly man' part. He really isn't. But I did intend on him being a fighter, when I made him on other sites xD So if fighting goes down he'll be like "YO YOU WILL NOT HURT THESE GIRLS -punches in the face-" Lol.))

Feeling a hand on his arm, Kenny looked up over and saw that it was Manx's hand. Duh, who else? She was the only one next to him. She withdrew her hand not long after though, and spoke. Since Kenny and Ali had left, she seemed to have gotten more comfortable around them all. It was good that they were all getting used to each other; the was the first step to friendship after all, at least for shy people. "Awh, well I can get you something after the show then? We'll have time to wander around some more, and by now, I'm sure Ali and I can rule out a bunch of places we've already been," he said in a joking tone.

Noticing that Manx began to look around, Kenny followed where she was looking, but saw nothing... "What are you looking for?" he asked her, a slightly confused look on his face. Looking at Manx, he noticed that she now had a confused expression on her face as well. When asked what was wrong with Ali, Kenny shrugged at first, but then he realized what it was. "Oh we ran into the ringleader again... and this girl. She was kinda creepy..." Kenny trailed off, before adding on, "And then two other performers, one had a snake. I think she's scared of 'em."

((I like addin' in junk like that XD Kenny's a cool character, did you say he was a repeat? >.> I do it to lol))

Manx nodded and her confused look disappeared. "I see." She shrugged. "I can't say that they're my favorite animal but me, I'm a fan of em' all. Animals that is." She glanced around once more. "I ain't lookin' for anyone in particular. Just tryin' to maybe spot some of the performers if I can." She shrugged again and settled back into her seat. "Guess I'll see em' when I see em'. Was the ringleader on his way here? If so, that should mean the show's 'bout to start."

After she'd settled back into her seat Manx realized she hadn't even acknowledged Kenny's first statements. "You most definetely can get me somethin' after the show handsome." She said in a fairly good impression of a southern belle. ((Ya know, the old time girls who wore the big froo-froo dresses and walked around all "Well who're you handsome?" "Well ain't chu' handsome?" XD)) She laughed at herself quietly.

~~~~~~~~~~

Ares and Liesel finally reached the performers entrance to the main tent. He leaned down and kissed Liesels cheek, lingering just a bit longer than necessary. Then turned and with his normal march-walk headed into the tent. He had no intentions of running into Gerome right now, though he did have a viable excuse now.

With uncharacteristic cheerfulness, Ares sat in front of a small, dirty mirror whistling to himself. He had a feeling it was going to be a good show and was very much looking forward to the after party. An odd expression crossed his face and his whistling dwindled away when he saw Gwendolyn in his mirror.

"Hello Gwenny. And how are you this fine evening?" He said conversationally. No use in being rude. Whether he liked her or not.

((I actually love doing it, too. Which is why it made me laugh when I saw it; because I do that sometimes and because it was pretty spot-on and funny. And yes, he's a repeat. I just love him so much! Lol. He's like the dude version of me, haha.))

"I don't mind 'em. I'm not scared of any animals, really. I mean, unless I was being cornered down by a mountain lion or something, I have nothing to fear about them," Kenny replied nonchalantly, shrugging a bit. He could see why Ali was scared of the snake though. Everyone had their own fears. Kenny's worst was probably a fear of being too high up without any real support; he was short and he liked being close to the ground. In a plane it was fine, but if he was up way too high in a tree, Kenny would probably be freaking out...

"Ah... I've seen four of them and I must say, I'd rather not meet anymore face to face," Kenny replied, shuddering a bit. It was as if he'd developed another fear of eerie circus performers. "I don't know actually, he just walked off with this one girl in a leotard. I wonder what her talent is..." Kenny trailed off, beginning to think about what she would be doing in the show. "Anyways, the other two led us back here, so in any case, some of the performers are here. That must mean the show's starting soon, right?"

At what Manx said next, Kenny had to give a laugh. It was a wonderful impression of one of those girls from the South, he could tell. "You think I'm handsome?" he asked in a teasing tone, giving a bit of a Zoolander face ((that movie was genius!)). Kenny was glad their conversation became more loose and friendly. It was a good thing to joke around with someone. "I'll escort you to the nearest snack bar then. But first, I'll have to sweep you right off your feet. Literally."

---

Gwendolyn had fallen into a bit of a quiet stupor, looking down at her feet, which were clad in sheer tights. For her act, Gwen always wore some type of form fitting leotard and a pair of tights; it gave her more freedom when she was bending in all sorts of ways. It was as if she was in a ballet class, which admittedly, Gwen had tried at one point in her life. On her first day, she was in a better split than any of the other students who'd been trying for however long. Even though the teacher praised her, the rest of the ballerinas were exiling her. It was funny how different the circus was; here, everyone was applauding her. Gwen needed that adrenaline rush that the crowd gave her. Some form of plaudits for her talents.

Gwen only looked up, pulling herself from her thoughts and memories, when somebody addressed her. Looking up, she saw Area, sitting at a mirror. "Hello to you, too, Ares," she replied, looking at the back of his head. Ares was still looking into the mirror; that was probably how he'd seen Gwen there, in the the reflection. "I'm alright, thanks. How about you?" She sounded polite, like always. Calm and courteous.

((Ares doesn't like Gwen? Ohhh drama! :D I love drama.))

((Yay repeats!))

Manx laughed and rolled her eyes. For once in a long time, she felt truly comfortable. Ha! Leave it to me to finally be comfortable with people while I'm sitting around in the worlds creepiest circus! She thought, and a humorous look crossed her face. "Oh but dawlin'! Lil' ol' me's afraid of heights!" She said, gently poking fun at his small stature. She laughed again.

"I wouldn't want to meet any of them ALONE." Manx shuddered once she'd finally quit giggling. "From the way you describe them, they really are living up to their title of 'freaks'!" She wasn't trying to be mean, it just seemed that way. "I hope they get on with it... I'm gettin' ancy... And to tell the truth, just a bit downright nervous..." She addmitted. A shiver ran over her and she hugged herself as she debated on putting on her sweatshirt and disturbing Luna or just toughing out the cool.

~~~~~~~~~~

((I'll think up some cool backstory on why he doesn't =P))

Putting the final touches on his hair (he liked to keep it very tidy during performances) Ares turned in his chair. Throwing one arm over the back of the chair, he rested his chin in the crook of his arm and looked Gwen over somewhat appraisingly. Like the rest of them, she was in her typical performance clothes. "Fine." He answered simply, just a hint of acid coloring his voice. He didn't like to let it show when he didn't like someone. Better to let them find out as they were bleeding under his blades.

Ares smiled at the thoughts running through his head. His phsychotic side was showing through and he was very glad that Gwen couldn't see his personal sidewshow. "I'm sooo looking forward to tonights show." He added. "I really hope nothing goes wrong with any of the acts." He smiled so wickedly it probably would have sent a shiver down even old Germone's spine. There was something very ominous about the way he'd said his last sentence.

Lois, for once, just sat listening to the others' conversation. She was glad that Ali and Kenny had returned. After all, going on a search for them might not have ended well. And besides, if she was going to be a journalist, she had to learn to listen at least some of the time, right?

But finally she spoke up. "Well, it is a freak show, right? Aren’t we supposed to be a little freaked?"

"I'm a jack of all trades," she said with a shrug. "Only position I don't play is goalie." She gave a low whistle, nodding in approval. "I'm impressed," she said. "You'll have to let me hear you play sometime." She chuckled at the tambourine joke, then let out a deep breathe when she realized that they had mde it to the tent and she didn't have to worry about the snake anymore.

She sat down in her previous seat, next to Lois. She debated on whether she should talk or not, but since she and Lois seemed to be from very different crowds, she'd wait for Lois to say something.

Ali sat in her own little bubble, hugging her arms around her. Those people just gave her the absolute chills, and she couldn't pinpoint it. Ali looked up as Lois spoke, one eyebrow raised. "Believe me, you'll be freaked," she said, and shivered as she thought of the snake. She had an absolute fear of them, ever since she was 7.

After a second, she leaned back a little and groaned, realizing something. "Guys, I'll be right back," she said, standing up and practically running down the bleachers. She almost tripped on her way down, but managed to catch herself on the seat. After regaining her posture, she broke into a run, her eyes searching the ground for her red phone.

----------------~-------------------

Liesel was still a little flushed from Ares' kiss, her hand pressed to her cheek as she sunk into her seat. She sat there, staring into the mirror without really seeing herself. She knew she needed to get ready, but all she had to do was put together the baskets for her dear King.

Just as she was about to get up, she heard someone clear their throat. Liesel broke into a cold sweat- she knew exactly who it was, and he wasn't happy.

---------------~--------------------

Gerome watched Gwen walk away, then went on a search for his sister. He wasn't pleased with her, not one bit.

He found her sitting near her entrance, a dreamy expression on her face as her King twisted around her ankles like a kitten. She looked up as he cleared his throat, and instantly stood, her eyes lowered.

"Brother," she said in her soft voice.

"Liesel, where have you been," he asked, his voice a little cold. She didn't need to know that he hadn't been waiting for her- it was enough that when he passed her place, nothing was ready.

"I-" she began, but he cut her off with a wave of his hand. He crossed the room and took her by the arm, dragging her up. He could see by the expressoin on her face that he was digging his fingers in hard enough to bruise her.

"You know the rules, sister," he hissed softly into her ear. He could sense the King flaring, but he knew Liesel wouldn't allow him to attack. "You know better. You were with that boy, weren't you?" When Liesel didn't answer, he let her go, dropping her back into her seat.

"Brother, I-"

He spun around and smacked her, hard, hard enough to bruise and send her flying from her seat. He stood over her, his expression softening. "I'm sorry, sister," he said softly. "You know I love you, but things must go according to plan." He backed away and left, preparing himself. The show would start soon.

[[We finally see Gerome's cruel side D:]]

Laughing, Kenny replied, doing his own impression of a Southern person. "Ah shucks, y'all wouldn't be too high up. Jus' maybe a few more inches than you're used to." He knew it was more teasing, since that was basically what the two were doing; teasing each other. But Kenny was one of those people that knew how to make fun of themselves, so when there was a chance to do so when it worked, he made fun of himself.

"Yeah I guess, we should've expected it," he replied to Lois with a shrug. Looking past her and Manx, Kenny saw that Ali was standing up. "Okay, just don't get lost," Kenny warned, he would've offered to go with her again, but she'd already left. He really hoped that Ali wouldn't get lost while she was all by herself... if she ran into the performers again, she'd be all alone.

Kenny stopped worrying though, when Manx spoke again from right beside him. "Yeah me, too... I just want it to start already," he agreed, noticing that Manx shivered. "Are you cold? You can have my hoodie if you want," he offered, taking the zip-up sweatshirt off and then holding it out for Manx to take.

---

((I hope he doesn't try to kill Gwen o-o Lol. "Bleeding under his blades." That's a nice image in my mind.))

"Why? It's just like any other..." Gwen trailed off, confused as to why everyone was so anxious for the show to start. She knew of what they were all doing afterwards, of course, but it was ridiculous how much they wanted it to happen. Gwen was looking forward to it, sure, but not as much as any of the others seemed to be.

This was the second time that evening that someone had frightened Gwendolyn. Ares seemed positively evil at that moment, with the way he'd said the sentence and the cruel looking smile on his face. Hugging her arms around her knees, she shrunk back like she'd done before. "Why would anything go wrong?" Gwen's voice was small, just like she was making herself appear to be.

Manx frowned at Ali as she ran off again. She picked up her bag and pulled Luna out. "Go with her you fat lump of fur." She teased, though still somewhat serious. "Make sure nothing happens OK?" Then she sat the kitten on the ground and smiled as she trotted after Ali.

With her worries about Ali somewhat abated, Manx looked toward Kenny. He had offered his jacket. "Thanks" She said and slipped it on backwards, just her arms through the sleeves. She pulled her own out and held it up, the whole thing was covered in cat hair. "I couldn't wear mine even if I wanted" She laughed and shoved it back in her bag. "Tell me the second you get cold though OK?" There was no way she would keep his jacket if he said he were cold.

"Also, don't worry about Ali. Luna can keep her safe. She's small but packs a mean wallop." Manx held out her arm and pulled up the sleeve showing three perfectly straight, perfectly parallel scars running nearly the length of her forearm. "People think I tried to kill myself but really, I just had a bad run in with that one" She cocked her thumb in the direction that Ali and Luna had disappeared. "Needless to say we didn't get off on the right foot." Rolling her eyes she pulled her sleeve back down. "And anyways. If something happens that she can't help, well, she'll come and get me." Manx was very confident in Luna.

~~~~~~~~~~

"No reason! No reason at all dear, dear Gwendolyn! Nothings going to go wrong..." The smile on his face hadn't left though and he struggled to make it leave. No use in scaring her when it isn't necessary... Best to save it for just the right moment... Finally his expression was back under control and he looked like normal Ares. He almost looked like a nicer version of himself.

Standing and deserting his mirror he sidled over to Gwen where she sat. Pulling one of the blades from his belt he tucked it into the sleeve of his coat; into a special pocket sown there especially for the purpose of his show. As he did so, another blade ''accidentally'' slipped from beneath his belt and fell downward. It landed perfectly flat, it's point stuck in the ground right between Gwen's feet where they were pressed together. A very convincing look of (mock) shock and remorse came over his face.

"I'm so sorry! I need to be less clumsy! You could have been hurt!!!" He stated. At that moment, it was nearly impossible for him to keep his trademark demonic grin off his face. He offered her a hand, the one without the blade tucked into the sleeve. "Come my sweet. We must get to our places. The show will be starting any moment now."

Ali backtracked, the hair on the back of her neck prickling. She couldn't believe she had dropped her phone- her mother would kill her ten times over. She looked around until she spotted a flash of red on the ground.

"Aha," she exclaimed, reaching down to pick it up. She scooped it into her hands, inspecting it and making sure it was alright. She was about to turn and leave when she felt a small sting on her leg; she jumped, looking down. There was... nothing there? Ali would have thought it was all imagined if her leg still didn't sting. She shrugged it off as an ant bite- which would suck later- then turned and almost tripped on the white kitten that was there.

"Hey Luna," she said, startled. She reached down and scooped the kitten up gently, holding the bundle of fur in her arms. "Did you follow me? Manx is going to be worried. We should get back."

Ali ran, making it back just as the lights dimmed down.

----------------~-------------------

Liesel looked up, her eyes widening as she realized what had been forgotten- the viper, and he had never been instructed to ignore any bypassers after the game ended. She called for him; seconds later, he slithered back in, a pleased aura swarming around his lithe body.

"What did you do," she asked it softly, worriedly. Someone had been bitten, this much she was sure of. It would begin to affect the person as the show went on, but nothing serious would happen until after...

"I suppose that just makes the game funner, right," she whispered to no one in particular, still worried.

---------------~--------------------

Gerome stood patiently in his entrance as the lights dimmed. There was a click as the spotlight turned on, illuminating him. He smiled pleasantly, stepping into the arena.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," he said in a loud, clear voice. "Welcome, my children, to Gerome's Travelling Circus!" He looked around approvingly; there were only a few people, enough to keep them entertained for the night. "I am Gerome, and I have brought you wonders from all corners of the world."
[[Would there be anyone against a cannibal?]]

Lois had, in spite of herself, been mostly tuning out the conversation since Ali and Kenny had returned. Instead of listening, she'd been mentally reviewing all the stories she'd heard about the circus they were about to see, all of the tabloid headlines throughout the years about ghosts and missing persons and conspiracy theories. And then there were the mainstream stories, more realistic (and more likely to be real), but no less interesting. Strange disappearances had been the focus of most of those stories. One had even been featured on a popular television news magazine.

She shivered involuntarily, though she wasn't cold, just as the show began. Her companions had been right. The ringmaster really was creepy. Creepy enough that Lois forgot all about her camera, though at least she'd though to turn on her voice recorder. Whatever was in store for them, somewhere in the back of her mind she was glad to be collecting evidence.

Manx turned her head toward the entrance of the tent. She was just able to see Ali as she ran in and had known they were there because Luna had let out a loud meow. She smiled. "Told you." Then she looked toward the ring. She couldn't see Ali anymore, the lights were too dim, and could only see Lois and Kenny now because of the spotlight trained on Gerome. At least, that's who she presumed it was.

Her eyes opened wide as she took him in. With a gulp, Manx turned to Lois. "Ya alright over there? You've been kind of quiet..." She wasn't really worried, she was just trying to alleviate some of her fear. Gerome's presence had brought back every ounce of worry and fear Manx had had before.

Ali finally reached them. Manx let out a sigh of relief when she did. Luna placed her paws on Ali's shoulder and licked her cheek once as if to say you're welcome then launched herself from the girls arms to Manxs lap. Not wanting to get fur on Kenny's jacket, Manx opened her bag and Luna climbed in.

~~~~~~~~~~

Ares head shot up as he heard Gerome begin the show. "It's about damn time..." He said very quietly; his voice almost like a growl. Completely ignoring Gwen now, he walked to the wall seperating the performers area from the arena. Pulling back the door-like fabric just enough to let himself see out, Ares watched as the ringleader spoke. "He's good. I'll give him that. He can make everyone completely enthralled just with his voice. He has some skill. Too bad he won't be around forever. It will be better once he's gone..."

Ares was mainly talking to himself but making no point to be quiet about it. He knew that he wouldn't be able to be heard by the audience. He might be able to be heard by Gerome though, which would be fun to deal with later, and he knew that Gwen could hear him. "The time is coming soon old man. You won't have those skills for much longer. I'll make sure of it..." He continued quietly this time only to himself. There were some things that he knew weren't meant for everyone. And it just wouldn't do if Gwen were to run to her master and tell the old man his plans. It wouldn't do at all...

Turning around and allowing the door to fall, Ares began walking slowly, one foot in front of the other, toward Gwen. He smiled his cruel smile again; he wasn't trying to hide anything from her now. "Don't you agree dear? Won't everything be better when that old man isn't around to ruin everything for us all?"

((I wouldn't be against a cannibal in this, since it's all fiction.))

"Nah don't worry about me, I won't get cold," Kenny reassured Manx. And even if he did, he wouldn't ask for his jacket back. Nodding about Luna going after Ali, he fell into a silence, waiting for Ali to get and for the show to start. Finally, Ali appeared once the show was beginning. Kenny grinned and whispered, "Welcome back," as she walked by. He could stop his worrying now that everyone was together and safe again. Of course, the second the ringleader came into the ring, he was a bit nervous again, but he brushed it off. Nothing would happen, it was just a circus. Oh how very wrong he was...

---

Gwendolyn just continued to stare at Ares as he spoke. Out of all of the performers, he was the one that she disliked the most, mainly because he seemed to be against her for some reason. Or maybe I'm just paranoid, she thought, deciding it could be a possibility. Either way, Gwen did not like Ares.

Gwen didn't tear her eyes off of Ares as he walked towards her, scrutinizing him. It didn't look like he meant any harm... Yes, it was probably because of her paranoia, this anger she saw from Ares. But, as he got closer to her, he began to get his blades ready for the show. As he was holding one, it fell, almost impossibly close to hitting her. Gwen's examining stare soon became a glare as she slowly stood up, ignoring Ares' outstretched hand. No, it wasn't just my imagination. Gwen didn't see how that could've been an accident in any way at all. However, she replied in a way that didn't show her suspicions. "It's alright. No blood, no foul." Inside, she was seething.

Beginning to walk backwards a bit, to get away from Ares (as much as she possibly could at least), she listened to what Ares was saying. At least, the parts that she could hear. Apparently, he was plotting against Gerome. Subconsciously, Gwendolyn began to shake her head. It wouldn't be better without Gerome; he was the one that took her in in the first place. With him gone, Ares would have the freedom to do what he wanted, as he'd be the only male left. No, it would be terrible if Gerome was gone.

As Ares walked back towards her, Gwen's eyes widened in fear. That was the only giveaway at how scared she was of this maniac. Again, she didn't answer at first. Gwen needed time to think her words through. Should she lie, and have Ares believe that she was on his side. Or, should she tell the absolute truth, and risk getting attacked by this guy. Gwen chose the latter, since her lying was terrible either way. "No, it wouldn't be better. He doesn't ruin anything," she said simply, backing up into the curtain wall. Prepare yourself, for the psychopath, Gwendolyn told herself mentally, fearing the worst.

Ares wicked smile only got bigger when Gwen walked away from him. He laughed, throwing back his head in mirth. He stopped walking though. "Oh, Gwennie my dear, how wrong you are. Gerome ruins everything." On the last word his head dropped down. The look in his eyes wasn't that of normal Ares, it wasn't a look of phsychosis, this was a look of nothing but pure hatred and anger and evil. Ares was showing his true colors.

The look was gone just moments after it appeared though, and the kindly, innocent smile was back. There wasn't a trace of the evil Ares left... on the outside. He held his hands up by his shoulders, palms flat in the sign of surrender. "There's no need to fear me Gwendolyn. I wouldn't do anything to hurt you. It's not you that I'm angered at. It's not you who needs to worry." With this, he turned on his heel and went back to the chair in front of his mirror.

[[Alright, cool]]
Ali couldn't help but giggle as the kitten licked her cheek. Her laughter died down as the man began to speak; Gerome, huh? She'd have nightmares about that name forever.

About halfway through his spiel she began to feel a bit dizzy. She blinked her eyes and shook her head, frowning. It was probably just from the lack of light.

----------~----------

Gerome smiled easily; he had them wrapped around his fingers. "I have the pleasure of introducing our first act- a lovely young lady who'll have you're heart in knots." He held his hand out, waiting for Gwendolyn to step out from the entrance.

---------~----------

Liesel went to the performer's entrance, her stomach fluttering with worry. Ares and Gwen were both there, waiting; Gwen was standing, and Ares was sitting at his mirror, messing with his hair. She hesitated, debating whether she should tell Gwen or not. She figured she might as well; it wasn't a big secret, after all, and she was friends enough with Gwen.

"We have a small situation," she breathed, then stopped as Gerome began to speak. She shivered slightly; her cheek still throbbed from where he had hit her, reminding her that when she got back to her entrance she'd have to cover her cheek up with make-up. "Good luck," she said to Gwen, hiding her insecurity with a smile.

[[Hope you don't mind me calling Gwen out first :sweat:]]

Manx looked over to Ali, drawing her eyes from Gerome. Ali didn't look so good and she was very pale. With a shrug, Manx turned back to the center of the ring. She couldn't take her eyes off the man there for very long it seemed. Something about him...

Luna watched, shivering, from Manx's bag. Gerome scared her: a lot. Something didn't smell right either. It smelled sort of sweet, but wrong at the same time. The little kitten sneezed. Whatever the smell was, it wasn't good. It wasn't there before she'd gone to find Ali either. Something wasn't right...

~~~~~~~~~~

Ares heard Liesel talking to Gwen and turned, a sweet smile on his face. She was the only person he ever gave this smile. That smile didn't last long. His eyes, which immediately were on her face after he heard her voice took in the bruises on her cheek.

He was at her side in an instant;he was standing close in front of her his body almost against hers. One hand gently held her wrist while the fingertips of the other gently brushed over the skin of her bruised cheek. "Who did this to you love?" He whispered to her; his voice was cold and murderously angry. I have an idea... And he won't be alive much longer... Cold hatred shone in his eyes.

Liesel blushed, lowering her eyes in shame. She should have covered the bruise before coming this way; she knew tensions already ran tight between Ares and Gerome. "My brother," she replied, her voice barely a whisper. "But I deserved it." She flinched a little as his fingers brushed her cheek; the bruise was very sensitive. She put her free arm around him, in an attempt to calm him as well as a way to insure he didn't go after Gerome. "Please don't be angry," she said plaintively, her voice almost pleading. It wouldn't do for him to be angry; it might spoil his performance, and Gerome would blame her. It was rare that a show was ruined. The viper around her neck curled around Ares' wrist, attempting to calm him as its master was.

Ares visibly calmed himself. "You're right." He said stepping out of her embrace and turning around. His calm facade wouldn't work if she were to feel the tension in his body or see the murderous look on his face. "It just won't do for me to be angry. He held his arm straight out. "Please. Take your friend. I need to prepare myself for the show." He knew he was being cold but it wouldn't be like this for long. He walked over to her, never looking directly at her, and placed his wrist near hers he waited for the snake to remove itself then marched outside.

As he left, his hand could be seen moving to his belt, reaching for his sword hilt. He headed to a small paddock behind the main tent. A few other performers milled about and he chose a nearly deserted corner. After moving through a series of short simple stretches, Ares unsheathed his katana. Facing away from everything, into the shadows, he went through one of his favorite routines. It was more of a dance with his blade than anything else and it helped to numb him somewhat. Soon, he stopped, in the same position as when he'd started Maldomir (his katana) completely sheathed. If you hadn't watched very closely you wouldn't have seen him sheath it; it was that fast. He wasn't even breathing heavily. "I'll kill him." He said into the cool air. "I'll kill him, and he won't know what hit him."

Liesel blinked, startled, then took the snake back quickly. "R-right," she said, swallowing hard. "Ah, I'll see you in a bit." She held the snake close to her chest and turned her back to him, shutting her eyes tight. He had been cold to her, and it hurt her. No one had ever been cold to Liesel before, the one exception being Gerome, but he was only like that when she had done something wrong. What had Liesel done here?

She sat down at his mirror, slipping something out of her pocket. It was a compact, something she had recently picked up. It was a useful little child tool that she was grateful to have. She opened it and pulled the little sponge out, dabbing it in the makeup and then applying it to her cheek. It was enough to hide the bruise, for the time-being- as long as no one stood too close, it wasn't noticeable.

Once she was one, she drew her knees up in the seat, wrapping her arms around her legs and hiding her face. She needed to calm herself down for the show; she was the fourth act on, right after Ares. Her king and the viper curled around her, hissing in an attempt to comfort her, but it wasn't helping.

[[Poor Liesel, she's so insecure]]

((Sorry for poofing, my friends were over for a while. And by the way, one of those friends would be really interested in this. Can she join in, once she makes a Mene account?))

Kenny watched on in interest as the ringleader Gerome introduced the first act. She walked out into the center of the ring, and Kenny recognized her at first. It was that creepy girl that Ali and he had run into. Well that was just great... But at least he'd finally find out her talent. That'd be the only good part of seeing the people he'd run into again. Kenny would finally cease his wondering and see why exactly they were freaks.

Kenny could see why this one was a part of this circus. As her act began, it wasn't too bad, but as it progressed, the tricks she did were getting slightly gruesome looking. Basically, it was as if this girl lacked any bones at all. That was probably it; she was made out of rubber. There was no other possible way that any normal person could bend their limbs as she did.

---

Glaring at Ares' back as he walked off, not believing a word he said of course, Gwen turned to the side, only to face Liesel. Was that a bruise on her face...? Before Gwen could say anything though, Liesel told her about a 'small situation'. "What situation?" she asked in a quiet tone, but had no time to receive the answer. Gerome was already calling her out to the ring. After looking towards the curtain that lead to the performing area and then back at Liesel, she whispered, "Tell me afterwards." Then, she walked off towards the opening for the stage. Here we go again...

A small smile, almost a smirk, was on Gwendolyn's face as she stepped into the ring. Looking around, she saw that there was hardly an audience tonight... We make do with what we have, she reminded herself, before beginning her feats of flexibility, doing it to the rhythm of the circus music that she was provided with. There was no exact order or 'set-list' that Gwen had planned, she just improvised. The only real part of her act was bending around in weird ways, although it did prove to be a crowd pleaser.

After performing tricks like the one she had showed Gerome before, Gwen ended her act in a split. However, it wasn't an ordinary split; leaving her legs flat on the ground as they should be, Gwen leaned her head back to touch the foot that lay behind her. The performer stayed like this for several moments, before switching the position so that her upper body was leaning forward. The leg behind her slid around and forward, so that she was in a flawless pike, bent perfectly at the hips. She decided this would be her finale, to give other performers time to perform. Regaining a more normal position, Gwen stood up and bowed to the crowd, going back to the area for the performers to mill around.

((I wish I knew more about being a freakishly flexible person >_< Lol.))