｛ circus du macabre ｝

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You were brought in by the disturbing posters, a sick curiosity and the promise of a night that you'll never forget. Something at the back of
your head kept saying that something was wrong, That you should simply go home and read a book. There was no choice, you sat yourself
down in the crowded bleachers, staring into the darkness in the center of the large tent. As you rise to leave, the stage light illuminates -
showing a figure in the middle of the stage.
 
"Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to direct your attention to center stage where you will bear witness to terrifying sights that will haunt you
until the day you die.
Behold! The Circus du
Macabre, and let the nightmare begin..."
It is already too late.
 
In the desolate city stood a man, his stance was rigid and his movements awkward, as he prowled the city for his next victim, he came upon
a poster for a traveling circus. The date was 1943, the traveling circuses were common, and they were flourishing with their different form of
entertainment and their way of capturing an audience. The idea intrigued the deformed stranger, as he made his way to the large tent, the
audiences yelled their approval from the inside. Watching the shows slowly unfold and marvel the families that sat and witnessed everything
with vigor. Licking his lips, he imagined the taste of the sweet flesh and warm blood of everyone in the tent, he was a creature of simple
pleasures and nothing was more pleasurable than a human's flesh.
 
At the end of the show, the creature hobbled its way into the Ringmaster's living space. He begged for a position into the circus, everyone needed
a helping hand, excitedly hired for his deformed appearance he made a spot into the act of "Ugliest Man". He let the Ringmaster play his game,
for the stranger had his own plan in mind. The following weeks passed by slowly, the stranger quickly learned everything he could about the business
of a circus, how it runs and how it can operate. It was exactly three weeks after his first appearance as the "Ugly Man" that he followed through with his
malicious plot. He attacked the Ringmaster, his flesh was bitter and his blood was salty, that of a hard working man. As he finished devouring the
corpse, he began to quiver, his body snapping into a more elegant shape. Raising from the hideous form of his past self, he rose as an elegant young
man -
a dark smile forming onto his lips as his new plan would unfold. The next few years,
the Ringmaster will have accomplished what is now known as
Circus du Macabre.
In the year of 2011, the circus has expanded it's reach across the entire country and sometimes has ventured to other countries entirely, with one goal
in mind. Keeping those that perform and live with the circus appeased. We could all lie to ourselves and say that the circus is traveling to appease and
amuse people across the country and help wayward orphans looking to run away from home, but it'd be a lie. This circus since having been run by the
new Ringmaster has taken a dark turn for the worse, only allowing performances from a different sort of performer. Humans no longer were accepted, or
able to survive in this circus. Slowly the acts were replaced by new talents and they expanded the business always on the move. A week,
we have one week.
To keep all of the performers
fed
happy, the circus remained on a tight schedule. The first four days of the circus, the place was relatively normal, no strange
disappearances or "accidents" at the shows, the performers would receive fans that return for their performances, a sort of "regular" audience member. And on
the fifth day, accidents would begin to happen. Disappearances of children, families, women, men alike. People would wonder where they have gone off too.
The police would speculate the disappearances, but nothing would rise up, the circus always having an alibi that was confirmed, so the circus would be dropped
from questioning. Some of the members of the circus would keep their victims as pets, some eating them whole, others would do what they please. All having
their sick fix, keeping the circus in business and giving them something to do with their lives.
 
The police, though cannot find evidence of the crimes, they've had decades of practice, they are determined of their crimes. The police are often found snooping
around the acts, trying to find something that might clue them towards the list of missing people, or anything that might indicate the circus's wrong doings. The
circus is aware of their snooping and continues to evade their accusations and tries for legal action against them. The performers are continually on edge by their
hovering, can our performers refrain from making them a victim? The police have also found a strange repeat in crimes that have happened before, while the only
common factor in the crimes is a traveling circus visiting during the mysterious disappearances.
The
monsters
Performers.
From the beginning, the Ringmaster wanted to arrange a circus of only creatures of his own
creed, the pesky humans couldn't possibly
understand his strife for normalcy. So began his
search for those of his own kind. The performers are all creatures of myth and legend,
ranging
from trolls to Faerie. They had to find a way to blend with society, until they had come across
the circus which gave them a new life
to live. Though they would be able to live as themselves,
the Ringmaster has accomplished a strict code that all the performers must live by,
a lot of talk of rising up against the strict law of the Ringmaster, but none would admit to it. A
limit to the victims a performer can have has
led to a rigid atmosphere amongst
themselves, their greed may lead to a suspicion to the humans they perform for.
_________
ＲＵＬＥＳ
From the beginning, the Ringmaster wanted to arrange a circus of only creatures of his own creed, the pesky humans couldn't possibly understand his strife for normalcy.
So began his search for those of his own kind. The performers are all creatures of myth and legend, ranging from trolls to Faerie. They had to find a way to blend with
society, until they had come across the circus which gave them a new life to live. Though they would be able to live as themselves, the Ringmaster has accomplished
a strict code that all the performers must live by, there is a lot of talk of rising up against the strict law of the Ringmaster, but none would admit to it. A limit to the
victims a performer can have has led to a rigid atmosphere amongst themselves, their greed may lead to a suspicion to the humans they perform for.
Labels are pretty hard to slap on something, especially the word literacy. It has a bunch of
meanings on here, but I will lay it out for you in this thread. This will be
considered
Adv. Literate.
Grasp the concept of the English language. Form complete sentences starting with a capitol
and ending with a period, question mark, or
exclamation.
Use " " for speaking and ' ' for thinking.
No l33t or cht spk here, unless it's in the ooc. As for the contents of your post, quality over
quantity. Don't post three
paragraphs
about a cat that walked by. But don't throw out one liners
either. Use description. It helps with painting the picture of your characters' interaction with
others, and
it makes
you sound smart. What more do you really want? If you're not using a web
browser that has spell check, use a word program that does. Don't misspell
every other
word.
Once in
a while is alright.
Hell, we aren't perfect, but please show that you have at least
completed some form of schooling. Keep it clean, do not god mod,
follow
all tamatalk rules,
no gary/mary sues and please again, no huge posts. Apply
https://www.tamatalk.com/topic/180722-&-65371;-circus-du-macabre-&-65373;-ooc-formshere
https://www.tamatalk.com/topic/180722-&-65371;-circus-du-macabre-&-65373;-ooc-forms.
Thanks.

Nestling close to one of the black pillows that lay in his bed, Klaus parted his lips carefully, allowing a trail of smoke to leave his lush lips and float into the depths of nothingness. Sitting up smoothly to a comfortable position, the Incubus opened his eyes to take a glance outside his trailer window to see what exactly was happening. Brushing his porcelain hand against one of the black curtains, the warm sun rays shone in brightly without any hesitation. A burst of glimmering crimson emanated from his eyes and could easily be seen outside when he peeked out. His trailer was dark with a few candles lit in each corner, and each speck of cloth or furniture inside was either black or a deep red. It reeked of incense and smoke, mixed with the smell of decay and the metallic smell of blood. Klaus furrowed his eyebrows, breathing in and then out, deeply.

"Verdammt, vhat time is it?"

He pushed the curtains closed and moved swiftly off the bed to the ashtray that lay on the table decorated with red silk and fake gold. Bringing down the bud, he gave it a few twists and flicked it off to join the others. A soft whimper could be heard in the corner of the room, as well as the clinking of chains. Rustling his short obsidian hair and running his slender fingers through it in an upward motion, he took a few steps toward the noise. A young woman sat there, chained to wall, wearing a navy blue dress speckled with small white dots, as well as blood. She whimpered softly, her caramel hair messy and moist from her tears. "L-Let me free.." she whispered. "P-Please.."

Klaus grinned brightly, a nice pair of pearly whites flashing beneath his lips. Straightening his vest, he bent down and took her chin with a single finger. "You vant out, Liebling?" he cooed, tilting his head and getting a whiff of her hair. "I'll let you free, on one condition.." he stopped, pausing a moment to drop his hand. "Let me have your soul."

Unlike some of the other lazy acts that Lucinda knew were probably still passed out in their beds in their respective trailers, the candles that lit up the young woman's trailer had been flickering for some time now. She was still sat - well, kneeling - on her bed, however, as she had figured out that this was the best position to get the perfect viewing angle in the lopsided mirror stuck on the wall opposite. Her eyes narrowing in concentration and scrutiny as she tilted her head, checking her hair, Lucinda gave a small sigh before flicking her dark gaze downwards and her fingers out, holding the slender hand up as she inspected the long nails. A dark green colour today, and they finally met her rather high standards of beauty. With a small click sound Lucinda replaced the nail brush to its home, giving it a final twist before sliding out of her kneeling position on the bed, planting her small feet on the floor.

Careful not to smudge any of the varnish, Lucinda slowly reached out and used the back of her hand to brush the single curtain blocking the light aside. Said light spilled into the room, completely obliterating the small light the candles provided and causing Lucinda to blink rapidly. Allowing the curtain to drop she turned away, dragging her feet along the rough red rug she had decided to obtain for her trailer before slipping them into a pair of dark red flat pumps that almost blended in with the rug. There was really not much point in sitting here trying to improve upon perfection - there was no reason for Lucinda to stay in the trailer. Unlike some, she didn't even have a toy in here to play around with. Her last one had unexpectedly died yesterday. Really, now, that was pathetic. Lucinda hadn't even gotten started. Taking one last look in the crooked mirror and noting with displeasure a small crack at the very edge of the corner, Lucinda - still being careful of her nails - eased open the trailer door and stepped out onto the rough ground before beginning to walk.

The offer was anything but legitimate, his words prickling warmly with lies and menace. Although, the idiotic woman seen no harm from it. Her hazel eyes large with tears borderline, rolling down her rosy cheeks and dripping onto her navy dress. Sniffles trembled her petite frame. "R-Really?" she insisted, "H-How can you do that?"

Klaus could only chortle softly, tweaking his neck to the side until an audible crack could be heard. "Vell Liebling, let me show you." he whispered, snorting afterwards to his amusement. Murmurs began flooding from his lips, and soon the skin on his cheeks began ripping open without hesitation. Jaw extending forward and opening to an unthinkable length, rows upon rows of pointed teeth were now apparent. In between the ivories trickled a think mire, dripping onto the clean, black carpet and onto the young girl, who soon figured out the dupe in a mere few seconds. Her ear-piercing scream filled the room, echoing off the walls and creating a low ring from the sound-waves of terror. Klaus peered at his meal with inky eyes, bending over and engulfing half of organism in one-sitting. The Incubus made sure to devour every speck of meat of the no-longer female human and let no go to waste. The chains rustled blatantly from struggle and blanketed the muffled screams and sounds of snapping bones and digesting flesh. Silence. Blood doused the corner, flowing in lines down the already-red wall, mixing with the smell of burnt-out candles and cigarette smoke. Klaus smacked his lips with satisfaction and tossed the chains to the side, returning to his human-state and regaining calm composure.

"I've had better," he scoffed, "Hopefully the ones tonight will be better than that."

Hopping, jumping and skipping over the lumps and bumps in the ground. Lucinda didn't really have any sort of goal in mind, nothing she wanted to achieve on this little walk of hers. Her sole motivation for coming outside was simply to get out of the trailer and have a walk around. Possibly show off how she looked today to anyone that happened to be passing, but the main reason was just to have a wander about. Folding her arms to her chest, Lucinda tried her hardest to keep her shoes on her feet as she walked along. That was the problem with small feet - the good looking shoes never really fitted too well. Still, she was willing to suck it up. Besides, it's not like they had too many shopping opportunities here anyway, so she would have to make do.

Passing trailer after trailer until the dark ground flattened out and larger patches of grass began to appear, Lucinda eventually settled on such a patch, stretching her legs out and glancing upwards. The sun made her squeeze her eyes shut almost immediately, but she stuck it out for a few moments, allowing the warm rays of sun to hit her face along with the rest of her exposed skin. After a short while she found herself lying down, resting her bare arms on her chest so she was in a standard Sleeping Beauty position. Half smile playing on her lips too to complete the image. After all, Lucinda knew she might as well make the most of a day and time such as this. Soon it would most likely be off to the much darker tent with only whatever lighting system was in place. It was interesting how her mindset changed depending on different situations - right now, the desert and heat based animals lurking inside her was singing; the colder types barely managing to become a thought in her head. When she was in the tent, however, anything aggressive could - and often did - show up.

Suddenly Lucinda was shocked out of her reverie by a rather shrill noise, prompting her to move her arms and let the blades of grass tickle them as she pushed herself up. As the noise - which she soon identified to be a scream, most likely a woman's - trailed off, Lucinda cast an eye over the trailers nearby, her mind piecing things together. Of course she was familiar with the sound. Thinking things through, there was only one trailer that noise could feasibly be coming from. Rolling her eyes, Lucinda settled back on the grass.

"Oh, Klaus..." Really, she did enjoy playing around with the humans, but thankfully she didn't have to go as far as eating them.

Alyssa walked around in her trailer, fiddling with her hands, as she is usually an early riser. She looked at her clock, seeing it was around 5:30. She sat on her bed for a while, and finally decided she would go outside, like she usually does. Alyssa opened her trailer door.

Stepping out, she thought this was the right moment to be hidden. She felt a shock as her hair molded to her head. She fell on all fours, and started crawling. Alyssa was a brown insect. One that is very small. No, not a cockroach. Not a dung beetle. A flea. Alyssa was a flea. She crawled past a few meters of grass, until she stumbled upon a worm.

Alyssa was used to this. She always approached these. She quickly said something and carried on. After a few hours, she finally passed a few trailers, encountering a few worms on the way. She quickly hid in between a few trailers. It was Lucinda and Klaus. She turned back into human, and turned to Klaus and Lucinda. "Hey," She said casually.

(Sorry for inactivity, had to study for a test. o3o )

Klaus ran his lengthy tongue across his index finger gradually, lapping up any blood that was evident to him. Rather dissatisfied with his recent feast, he briskly changed out of his filthy vest and replaced it with a fresh one, one that happened to be the same color of everything else he owned. A crimson red. Chipper with his decision, he slid his black lace-up shoes on and was on his way. Gripping the metallic doorknob, he gave it a small tug and administered himself a moment to attain stability from the effulgent rays. "My god, this sun is monstrous." he spat in revolt.

Klaus straightened his attire and jostled each hand into a pocket, swaggering off to god knows what. The expanse of people was little down to nothing, a few of them dispersed into different areas and either off on their own mentality or off socializing with the rest of the performers. The Incubus spotted not too far away, Lucinda, sitting pleasantly on a patch of grass, and then Alyssa, whom decided to approach the two of them with an average greeting. Klaus knew this was out of the ordinary, he never spoke to either of these two half the time. Well, he actually did come outside today.

"Hallo," Klaus responded pompously, raising two charcoal eyebrows. "How goes it?"

If Lucinda was slightly shocked at Klaus' appearance, she didn't show it, merely raising a brow as her gaze swept over the male. "And he actually makes an appearance in the outside world." You could practically see the sarcasm dripping off her words. Before she continued, she pushed against the grass to roll herself onto her stomach, looking away from the other two as she spoke. "Clearly that human you just ate was drugged up on something. That's the only explanation for what made you of all people decide to step outside into the sunlight." Seemingly rather amused by the idea of something going wrong in the Incubus' brain, as shown by the light tone in her voice, Lucinda continued to stare out into the distance away from the two. Keeping one hand supporting her head, she gently moved the other towards the ground before the movement became sharp, plucking a blade of grass from the ground and starting to twirl the green strand around her fingers.

Finally Lucinda pushed herself up and turned around to face her current companions, her attention focusing on the male after giving a small nod to the younger girl. The blade of grass weaved and twirled between her slender fingers, continuing to do so as Lucinda spoke again, her rich English accent contrasting with the German. "How goes 'it'? Well, I suppose everything is fine, for now. I would ask you the same question, but judging by your recent, ah, actions..." A small gesture towards the trailer. "-You're just fine." Lucinda's pleasant expression became a small frown and she tilted her head slightly. "Tell me, Klaus, how can you actually manage to eat them?" She didn't see Klaus very often, so why not find out as much about him while she still had the chance?

Stepping onto the circus grounds was something Kaiser knew he would regret. Not only sneaking in at unpermitted hours, but also "bothering" the fellow performers. A smile lit his face as he finally arrived to the main grounds. It was so different then anything he had been exposed to beforehand. Everything was so dark and had a evil air to it all. Maybe the male just had some sick sense of interest but this was the most amazing thing he had ever seen before. He had heard about circuses before but none of them had been described like this. Supposedly they were all colorful and happy places but this was just the opposite. Nothing happy here but yet maybe that was what drew him in. All his life he was told that you should only like the good things in life. But this was the opposite, from the headless horses that oozed blood to the dead finger ring toss. This circus fought everything that his parents had taught him and that was the best part. Well, sort of. Kai tucked a piece of hair behind his ear and paused behind a tree, looking around to see if the coast was clear. Once it was, he continued on. The human boy stopped behind a trailer and peeked around it, overhearing the conversation between the three. A smile soon lit up his feminine face. He remembered these people, it was the Fire-Breather, Mystique, and the Contortionist. "C-Can I have your guys' autograph?" he said aloud, soon regretting it and covering his mouth with an embarassed hand. His cheeks grew a rosy-red, eyes wide.

Klaus fastened his ruby pools on the woman, who happened to be mocking his appearance that finally decided to show to the outside world. A sinister smile began edging onto his lips, shooting his long, fixated stare into the other direction. "There are reasons vhy I don't come out," he playfully jabbed, "Some people don't know how to keep their haughty mouth shut." A concise cackle, that of a hyena, escaped the back of his throat. Such harsh humor, dark and playful, he knew wouldn't mean any harm to the woman. The Incubus almost acknowledged her like the back of his hand, just like many of the others here in the circus. Klaus appeared to have a moronic disposition, but he did know how to see beneath the psychological and emotional mask.

"Oh Lieben, you know me all too vell." he took his hands from his pockets and raised them, moving them as he spoke. "You see, most gluttonous humans gorge on animals, correct? Kühe, schwein. It's similiar, but I enjoy feasting on human flesh." His mouth soon began watering at the thought of it. "My jaw unhinges, that vay I can devour them.. vell, whole." he answered, simply putting it out there in the blue. "Vhen it's dinner time, have a stop-by, vitness it first-hand, I'll gladly-"

Klaus stopped himself, becoming aware of the human boy not too far away. Furrowing his eyebrows a tad, he turned around and cocked his head off the side. Whoever this kid was, his smell was miraculous.

"Oh, look vhat ve have here.."

Lucinda's question could have gone either way - how could he actually physically eat the humans (tear them apart piece by piece?) or how could he actually bring himself to eat flesh. In her opinion, it sounded more than a little disgusting. But hey, needs must. Perhaps human flesh to Klaus was what keeping her appearance nice was to Lucinda: almost an addiction. Well, it could be a need, but by now she had just accepted that he did it for a reason, whatever that may be. Idely examining her painted fingernails to give off an impression of passiveness, Lucinda simply stood on the grass as Klaus spoke. She was actually slightly intrigued by what he was saying, but she didn't want to seem like an eager puppy. If she wished to be a puppy, she would change into one. As he trailed off, she lifted her head, a small smirk creeping onto her face. "Well, I might just have to take you up on that offer. I'm intrigued." Her tone became lighter; a tease. "See if you can keep your haughty mouth shut when presented with some flesh chained to a wall."

It was when Klaus spoke again that Lucinda realised they was someone new in there little gathering. Asking for an autograph in her head. Instantly, her mind began running through the possibilities. He looked young. Possibly snuck out here by himself - there were no potential friends or adults to be seen anywhere. This meant that no one was likely to know he was here... Lucinda dropped the smirk and replaced it with an almost pleasant smile, walking over to the boy. "Sure, kid." She replied. The intention was to appear completely harmless. "What do you want me to sign?"

Tick... tock.... tick... tock.... DING!

Giselle rolled onto her side and gently pressed the button on top of her alarm, sighing softly as she allowed herself to wake up. She opened her eyes drowsily, and although she wasn't able to see, she could tell that it was light outside and that the others were probably awake. She closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of life moving around outside of her posh tent. She kept everything plush and fluffy, due to the fact that any hard objects could injure her if she ran into them or tripped on them. As such, the idea of staying in bed all day was very tempting.

"Madame," the soft voice of her maid said. "It's fairly late in the day. Shall I help you get dressed and ready?" Giselle sat up very slowly, then gave a weak nod.

"Yes, please," she replied, her voice melodic and nearly hypnotizing whenever she spoke. Her maid went to the bed and helped her to her feet, then guided her to the changing screen. The maid silently helped Giselle change into a different set of undergarments, then helped the singer slip into her dress of the day. It was a navy blue dress with a tight corset, high bust, and flowing skirt. Giselle seemed to dress as if she was always in an opera or at a gala, something that distinguished her from other acts in the show. However, she was unable to appreciate her own appearance or dote upon herself. Being blind saved her from the possibility of being vain due to her appearance. he maid lowered her into a chair and began to brush and style her hair, and then do her makeup.

"Minimal for today, please," the elegant woman told her servant. "I do not want people to think I am some sort of buffoon." Her maid nodded and went back to work, then handed the woman her cane. Giselle patted her maid's hand in a motherly fashion, then got to her feet and listened to the sounds coming in from outside. 'Odd... there seems to be somebody new here...' She then lifted her nose and sniffed the air a few times. Beneath all of the perfume, the smells of grass and air and trees, there was the smell of new flesh. She nearly flushed as her mouth began to water from hunger. "Thank you, Sophie. That will be all," she said quietly to her maid, stepping out of the tent. The sunlight hit her face, and she savored its warmth.

She missed being able to see, but at least she had memories of what sunshine looked like, what the blue sky looked like. And sometimes she had visions, visions that would help her to know what certain people in the circus looked like. She had seen Klaus in her visions before, as well as Lucinda. What lovely people they were, so alive, so full of color. She had wondered if they had changed since her last visions of them. Brushing those thoughts away, she used her cane to guide herself over the slightly bumpy ground, towards the voices.

'Ah. There is a new voice here,' she thought as she approached. When she felt she was close enough to the group to be able to join their conversation, she cleared her throat lightly and smiled softly. "Mes cheries," she cooed, taking on the role of mother hen, "Do we have a visitor today?" Obviously, she knew there was someone there... she could smell him... but it was better to feign ignorance and to pretend to be blind as well as stupid.

Klaus fixated his crimson pools on the young boy, and did nothing to bring them away. He promenaded forward behind his former friend and carefully scrutinized the human's every move. The Incubus wanted him writhing under his bloodied claws to the point he could scream no longer right then and there.

"Du riechen einfach erstaunlich.." he softly whispered in his mainland tongue, biting down on his bottom lip to prevent him from devouring the boy at that very second. "I'll sign anything you vant kid, just tell me." Klaus replied in a throaty tone, stowing his hands away in his pockets to contain himself. Craning his neck to the side and getting his mind off the boy a moment, he acknowledged Giselle making her way over to join them. What a courteous woman she was, polite and very beautiful in her own way.

"Guten Tag, madame." he politely addressed, flashing a tad smile."And vhy yes ve do, snuck his vay in. Hopefully the boy knows his vay out.." Klaus trailed on before clearing his throat. "Vhat's your name kid, if you do not mind me asking.. I'd love to know more about you."

Giselle gently placed one of her hands on Klaus's shoulder, as if to steady herself, but really she was trying to help Klaus keep control of himself. She could practically smell his bloodlust; it was weird, what not being able to see would let her sense instead. Smells, sounds, and touching sensations were heightened, taste was... well, her sense of taste was now attuned to human flesh, and after a while, everything tasted a bit bland. She didn't enjoy eating flesh; she missed the days when she would eat fine caviar at fine parties, after dalliances with one of her many lovers. She had only needed to use her voice to win over company, man, woman, old, young. She had never had to kill. But now the urge to kill was so strong, it was pervasive and cruel. So perhaps the placing of her hand was also meant to restrain herself. She would never be able to handle herself if she went completely crazy in front of the others. Whenever she had a victim, she would at least treat them to a night of pleasure before ending their lives.

She gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze and then gave a smile in the direction of Kaiser. For being blind, her guesses of where people and objects were were very accurate. "Ah, a guest. Enchantee." She gave a curtsy, then added, "Ah, autographs? I will gladly give one to you as well, monsieur." She patted at the folds of her dress, then pulled a silver fountain pen from her pocket. She then took her handkerchief and scrawled her name on it as carefully as possible, letting the ink settle in the cloth and bleed ever so slightly. She then extended her hand, the handkerchief hanging daintily from her fingers. "Pour vous." From her life of performing, signing autographs was like muscle memory. It pained her to remember those carefree times.

Nobody could ever see her sadness, the constant pain she felt from the loss of her old life. She had had everything she'd ever wanted; and then it was snatched away from her. She would never outwardly show that she felt pain. It was impolite to show displays of emotion, especially negative emotion.

Cain had tucked himself away into the corner of his uncomfortably large trailer as he did every night. That corner was, and probably would continue to be one of the only furnished bits of the trailer. Though it was furnished and was where Cain slept, it had no bed. Instead, it had fabrics pinned to the walls, hanging down like thick drapes, and all sorts of square and circular pillows that he had collected over the years littering the carpeted floor. In the beginning, he'd been very reluctant to have any furniture, whether he bought it himself, found it, or if someone gave it to him. As time passed, though, as it always did, he became slowly more willing to furnish his little home, but he had yet to furnish anything other than that tiny little corner he slept in, although the entire trailer was carpeted with a comfortably soft carpet of an ivory black colour. Though the day was waning on, he still had yet to get up. At least, that was until his little kitten friend, Minty (named after his love off any and all things minty) decided that his face was the perfect scratching post for the morning. Of course, the moment those claws punctured and began cutting through his skin, he shot awake, tears welling in those round purple eyes of his as blood welled up in his cheek. He scowled at Minty as best he could considering his new injury, as if to say "I'm cutting your claws later, you twit." Of course, though, his face soon relaxed, the pain in his cheek making him realize that scowling at the creature just wasn't worth it. Though it was horribly tempting to lay back down in his pile of black, gray, and blue pillows, he didn't, mostly because he heard voices outside (trailer walls are thin, after all). So, slowly, he rose to his feet, wiggling his toes in the soft carpet before tossing some clothes on and grabbing his cellphone, his main means of communication. For a moment, he lingered at the door, staring at it nervously for what seemed like a handful of minutes before placing a trembling hand on the nob and stepping out into the blindingly bright light. Instantly, he wanted to retreat back into the darkness of his little home, but he didn't, his curiosity was what prevented him from doing so.

Cain quietly approached the group of his fellow performers and one...stranger? Who was he? And why was here? No one seemed to be too bothered by his presence, except maybe Klau— Klaus was outside? For a good full moment or so, Cain just stared up stupidly at the much taller male, amazed at the fact that he was actually outside. However, he figured this was rude and quickly averted his eyes upon realizing this, returning his attention to the newcomer. He was rather cute, to be entirely honest. Cain particularly liked his hair. It looked so wonderfully soft, like...like what? He couldn't think of what words should follow. Searching his memory, he failed to find anything that looked like such a combination of softness and fluffiness. Still, though, he had this horrible urge to reach out and stroke the other's hair, but, of course, he didn't, and instead gripped his phone tightly with both of his small hand, holding the device close to his chest. Now that he thought about it, people weren't supposed to be here. So, again he wondered just what he was doing here and why was no one chasing him off, scolding him, or anything like that. His eyes flickered around the group, searching nervously for an answer of some sort to his unvoiced question.

Kaiser carefully stepped out from behind the tree and gazed at each of his favorite performers with glowing eyes. He began to smile when Lucinda approached him, offering him his first sign. "Oh uh.." he paused, digging into his back pocket for a small leather-bound book. "Just sign a page please.." He handed it over and looked over at Klaus, swallowing hard when he noticed something odd about him. Was he alright? "Just sign a page after her and.. my name is Kaiser." he paused again, scratching the back of his head nervously and turning red again. "Call me Kai." Glancing over at Giselle and smiling when she signed her hankerchief, he took it and held it tightly. "T-Thank you." Kaiser glanced down at it and turned around to look back. "I'm sorry I snuck in.." he said, "I can go as soon as you guys are done if you like.. I mean, I bought tickets tonight. You guys are my favorite."

Klaus brought forward his head again and fastened his crimson pools back onto the human boy. He gave his soft lips a swift run-over with his tongue and breathed in intensely, feeling Giselle's hand now on his shoulder. It was warm, delicate fingers gripping softly to the blade which eased him a fraction, but not much. Any second now he knew he would snap, and before you know it, he would be tearing the sweet, tender flesh from this young boy and listening to those miraculous whimpers in mere harmony.

"Kai?" he pronounced oddly, doing so a few times more until he got it correct. "Wunderbar, I love it." Klaus clicked his tongue cheerfully, raising charcoal eyebrows to his message of departure afterwards. "Oh nein, have a stay. Ve would love to have you.. around." he insisted. "Not everyone gets to talk to the performers face-to-face you know.."

The Incubus brought his attention to yet another certain someone making an appearance, which brought his lust level down a notch or so more. It was Cain. Oh how adorable he was, small and petite, almost like a puppet or a doll. Klaus beamed a small radiant smile at his fellow friend, raising his hands in the air slightly to be a bit more dramatic, which was of the norm for him. "Cain! Liebling, it is nice to see you." he pleasantly announced, snorting, "Vell, must be nice to see me. I swear, it has been centuries since I've been outside."

Cain jumped slightly in surprise, not fully expecting such a reaction from Klaus. At first, he began to open his cellphone to type out his own hello, but his eyes flicked over to the one whose name was apparently "Kai", then back to Klaus. For one, he should be respectful to those older than him, especially when they could easily devour your small body in a single bite, and for another, it would be rude to communicate in such a way in front of a guest that was so closely watching them, right? So, he decided to actually speak. "A-Afternoon, Klaus..." He seemed to struggle slightly to get the words out, but it seemed to be more out of his nervousness (he rarely spoke in front of so many people, after all) as opposed to a degradation of his ability to speak, not to say that his speaking ability hasn't degraded, because it has. His voice was barely above a whisper and had a rather strong raspy quality to it, as though he had lost his voice and had yet to regain it. "Y-Yeah, it i-is." He stammered over his words, smiling slightly up at him, but it faltered ever so slightly. He could see the tension in the other's body and, after a brief moment of wondering, he understand why. His wisteria pools drifted over to Kai, the human, again. Klaus ate people, he needed to in order to survive. His last meal must not have been very filling because Kai over there seemed to pushing him close to the edge. Of course, though, what did Cain know? It wasn't like he was ever there when Klaus decided that it was mealtime, so what looked like the physical signs of hunger to him may very well be the physical signs of something else. Still, though, he honestly, he hoped that Klaus wouldn't just snap and straight up eat Kai up in front of everyone. Cain had never seen someone be eaten and hoped, no, he prayed that he would never have to. He, unlike his fellow performers, fed primarily on dreams. Of course, though, since dreams were connected directly to one's memories which were stored in one's soul, eating dreams meant eating memories, which, in the end, meant he was slowly devouring someone's souls. Generally, he would let his victims go before he turned them into a vegetable, before he ate so much of their soul that they would never be able to fully recover. He didn't have the heart to turn them into vegetables. Occasionally, though, such as when business was bad, he would continue to feed off of their dreams until they were of absolutely no use to him, after which point he would give them to someone who ate people. Of course, though, he would have to force himself to continue and would often fall into a pit of depression until business picked back up and he wasn't forced to eat the souls of people until they were nothing but an empty shell of someone who was once human.

"Sure. Kai, then?" Lucinda spoke more to herself than the boy in front of her as she took the small book, digging a pen out of her pocket and carefully turning the pages. Biting her lip, she began writing the standard autograph greeting, her spiky handwriting gradually being formed in the ink as she dedicated the page to Kai. Allowing a friendly smile to spread across her face again, Lucinda closed the book and almost handing it back before changing her mind, holding it out to Klaus. "Here you go, Klaus. You said you'd sign anything, so might as well catch you before you shrivel up from the sun or something." Of course, Lucinda knew full well that Klaus wasn't going anywhere - as long as Kai stayed here, Klaus surely would too. Anyone who understood Klaus and his capabilities would be able to see exactly what he was feeling right now, and it would not end prettily for the young boy. Still, she picked up on his train of thought. "I agree - why rush away? You're rather lucky to wander in and find a group like this, so why not make the most of it?"

Her dark green eyes quickly flicked around the small group that she had just made reference to, and realised that she appeared to be the only one who would never feel the urge to dive on Kai and devour him. Maybe knock a few lumps out of him, but she had no desire to eat the flesh she tore away or drink the blood that was spilled, and never would. Quickly, she came to a desicion and stepped forward, closing the gap between her and Kai a little more and offering a hand to him as encouragement to come with them, the friendly smile still present on her face. She could already see that the others had pretty much staked a claim on Kai, but Lucinda justified her taking the lead with the fact that if any of the others tried to do what she was doing, Kai wouldn't last five minutes. And really, they ought to draw the boy in a little more in her opinion. "You're not intruding." Lucinda told him in a reassuring tone. "Come on. We'll take you around."

Giselle looked at Lucinda when she took Kai's hand, and she instantly felt a sense of relief. She hated killing. And she hated herself for having to do it. The fact that Lucinda was taking the edge off of this was a great relief to the young woman. Killing fans was especially tiresome. They would dote and fawn, and be so genuinely happy to see you. And then... and then... Her pale eyes shut as she entered into a trance, standing there dumbly, unable to speak or move. All that she could do was breathe, her chest moving up and down very slowly. She saw the group as they were now. Cain... Klaus.. Lucinda... and then there was the boy, Kai. He was so vibrant in her mind's eye. His face was full of youth and joy, and... he seemed a bit shy. He was the image of innocence, and that made the painful pit in Giselle's stomach start to churn. And then she saw flashes of images that soon could be:

She saw Klaus devouring him with all of the mouths he formed. She saw Cain, hunching over him, taking his dreams while the boy slept. She saw Lucinda inflicting pain upon him, laughing. And then Giselle saw herself, tearing him to shreds, and that sound-- the sound was always the worst. Screaming in agony, like a symphony played out of tune and out of time, screeching in her ears. The images swirled around and around in her mind, and Giselle felt nearly faint, she felt as if she would never open her eyes again, and dear God, how she wanted to die--

But then the images were gone and Giselle's eyes snapped open, and she shook herself from her stupor. She wished Kai would just run away, that he wasn't the lamb in the den of the lions. But she was just as guilty as the others, and so she would say nothing. And she also wished she could thank Lucinda-- being so near a mortal man was pure torture, and now that there was a buffer between the man and herself, Giselle felt much better. She would have to thank her later. "Yes, please, I think a tour would be excellent." She smiled, as if she didn't have a care in the world, and she then daintily extended her arm. "Would anyone be so kind as to lead me along? I do hope i'm not being a nuisance in asking."