((Ahh, weekend...-Stretches-))

Dravius lost his smile at Yama's cutting comments, shrugging. "This is the worst it's been in a few years, actually."  Raising an eyebrow at Selvai, he uncrossed his arms and shrugged. "'Tis a shame. I was never one for rules. Excuse my bluntness, I was trying to determine if it was safe to allow you to remain in the Circus. We've had to turn away those with murder brands before. I apologize, Disera, Selvai," He murmered. Hmmph. Now he'd lost his appetite. Rubbing the side of his neck, the white haired boy closed his eyes and exhaled through his nose, turning away from the food van. He'd eat later, or not at all. Didn't matter, really...

Humming a quick tune, Dravius walked away smoothly, until he spotted the back of a girl's head, his lip curling in an automatic snarl, as he recognized the girl from a few flyers in past towns. Theif, and quite a large one, too. His slight snarl turned into a deep throated growl, until he took a deep breath and, with a bit of effort, stopped the feral noise issuing from his vocal cords. The boy's face was still dark, and his eyes narrowed. His arms were crossed, and every muscle in his body tensed. He hated thieves, no matter how they became one. House burned down? Get a job. Parents died? Go to an orphanage, foster home, or get a job. Lost your job? Get...another...one.

<~>~<~>

Gem shrugged at Selvai's news, finally whipping out his notebook and scibbling furiously, muttering at the speed of light under his breath about curses, marks, and Edgar Allen Poe. Sighing, he put the notebook back and stepping into the food van, taking no food, but instead sitting at a far table, leaning his head against the wooden wall of the van, watching everyone as.sembled there with wide, slightly glowing eyes.

((Gemini fail...))

((WOLF. Make your posts alil bigger. D8))

Raphael paused for a moment, then laughed. "Excellent," He said in response to Tara's revalation. "I hope you enjoyed it, I don't believe we've come across many people who've seen the show before actually joining us," He smiled, sitting back against his van and placing his hand on his neck, Julian stood next to him with his eyes closed and his dark hair falling freely over his face.

It was a good thing, really. It tended to save a lot of explaining later if people knew the Circus to some extent. At that moment, Kanec appeared, and the Ring Master greeted him with a jovial wave, throwing a blatant glance in Nylat's direction. It was almost a visual comfort, and Raphael turned back to Kanec still smiling. "New people~ One of whom is somewhat acquianted to the show," He replied, gesturing at Tara. "Her name is Tara, and this-" He indicated Wolf. "Is Wolf, a mind reader," He paused, seeing the girls obvious nerves.

He grinned at her, his ex
pression warm. "Don't look so worried. We're not going to hurt you," He said, his voice as warm as his ex
pression. After a moment, Raphael glanced around, then laughed again, standing. It had been a while since they'd all been inone place, the older members that is, and he found a strange sort of joy in it. They had few moments like this, considering the nature of the Circus, and he accurately as.sumed that these plans he had would give them time to revert to that carefree state, if only for a while. The burden of the Circus was a heavy thing to bear. Things seemed so much simpler seven years ago.

Maya, who had remained silent through the introductions, turned her eyes back to Nylat. She had almost immediately put a hand on the hybrids head when Kanec appeared, and she actually began to wonder just what was going wrong. Everyone seemed to have conflicting troubles, and the thought served to make her feel a little worse. There was a lilting concern on her face as she looked back at Nylat. "Alright," She said, standing and brushing herself off.

Raphael, after a few silent moments of simply smiling at them all, spoke again, his voice containing a slight excitement. "Mm. I should probably tell you all about certain plans I'm hoping to advantage of, should my humble Co-Master agree with me," He said, his ex
pression cheerful. "What would you guys say to a week long vacation?"

He was interrupted by a snarling, glancing sideways, his gaze landing on Dravius and an eyebrow raised in question. Julian hadn't moved, but his eyes had opened, and like Raphael, had his questioning gaze settled on the Co Master.

((Ahaha. There you go Nylat, all for you. <3))

((*claps paws together* Very much pleased now. Thank ye. I'll post here in a second.))

Dravius took another deep breath, twisting his head from side to side in an effort to calm himself. Succeeding to some degree, his uncrossed his arms and stepped forewards a bit, his fists curled tightly. "Im sorry... there's no need for that," He murmered,  to Wolf, and with some effort, relaxing his harsh ex
pression, looking down at Wolf. "I'm...not a fan of thieves," He said quietly, re-crossing his arms. "I'm just doubtful that such a well-known thief would like to join our circus." His voice carried a bit of sting, each of the words pronounced as sharply as one of Julian's knives.

His face opened with surprise at Raphael's suggestion, his ice blue eyes widening and his eyebrows raising. "A...vacation?" Dravius said, his attention completely away from Wolf as his muscles relaxed, and although his arms stayed crossed, it was clear that he lost all harshness, raising an eyebrow. "Do you mean, no shows?" Dravius seemed quite bewildered, as if the idea had never occured to him.

"That actually sounds rather...nice," Dravius said slowly, rubbing his shoulders contemplatively. "I might go off for a bit on my own, think about stuff," He sighed, putting his hands on his hips gently.

Nylat, having been pacing a bit, stopped at Dravius's growling. Upon seeing that nothing major was happening, she continued pacing, even though her path was just a few feet long. When Raphael mentioned a vacation, however, she brightened considerably. Her ears pricked and she didn't need to speak to say her answer.
"A vacation would be wonderful."

~~

Kanec flicked his ears to catch what Raphael said, and he showed a bit of interest.
"A vacation sounds like a good idea. May I ask where you're thinking?"
He flared his right wing, away from Raphael, stretching it. He'd stretch his left later. As he folded his wing, he caught sight of Nylat, all perked up and happy. It had been rare to catch her like that lately. She was usually grumping around, sore or stiff. Or both.

((Pff. Tara doesn't have enough for me to post for her quite yet. AND THIS IS A FAIL POST! D<))

At Raphaels words, both Maya and Julian raised their eyebrows, Maya's gaze almost immediately falling back to the restlessly pacing Nylat at Dravius' appearance, Julian speaking in a calm tone to the Ring Master. "Doesn't sound like a bad idea... At all,"He ran a hand through his hair, his eyes falling onto Wolf when Dravius spoke of her occupation.

Raphael grinned at Julian, then rested his gaze back on Wolf, raising a questioning eyebrow at the girls desire to suddenly get away. Wasn't surprising, really...  Dravius could be pretty scary at times, and his appearance most definately did not help. Before the Ring Master could so much as think up a coherent answer to the girls question, he glanced sharply at Dravius when the word "thief" was mentioned... Alright. The Circus had taken in thieves before...

He looked back at Wolf, his face suddenly unreadable. "How much of a thief, are we talking here?" He asked, his gaze still on the blind girl. "We can't afford to have the authorities tear this place apart looking for you, you know," He frowned slightly. This wasn't going nearly as smoothly as he thought.

His thoughts didn't get much further, however, seeing as Dravius at that moment chose to bring up the vacation subject. Raphael paused, then cracked out laughing. "I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be a vacation if we had to do the whole show business thing," He said, his eyes flickering towards Wolf. Eh, he'd sort it later. He looked back at Dravius with a nod, then turned to answer Kanecs question. "A week of nothing, essentially, and there's a place not too far from here. A rather small and pleasant town situated near the coast. There's a number of beaches down there, and most of them are hidden coves... Essentially, it'll be just the Circus members present," He laughed, placing his hands into his pockets. "And I think it's about time we had the chance to just be people for a change,"

He paused for a second, then shrugged. "Your all welcome to suggest any places though,"

Glancing back at Tara and Wolf, he sighed quietly. "Alright, Wolf. Just how bad is your reputation?"

"I should learn to swim if we go to the beach," Dravius said, blinking slowly. "That actually sounds like a really good idea..." He murmered, smiling slightly. This smile was much larger than a normal, as if he truely was enjoying the thought of going to the beach. "Nothing will be nice to do. And Wolf isn't widely wanted, just in a few small towns and by most of the gang leaders everywhere." Dravius said slightly tensly, taking a deep breath.

"I've never been to the beach, just here and the city. It should be fun!" Dravius grinned, his sharp teeth glinting. "Although I'm not sure any of us are good at 'Just being people'..." Dravius laughed slightly, using air quotes. "I also need a swimsuit..." He muttered, looking thoughtful. "Actually, I remeber Gem saying something about the beach being a superb scientific study, so I think he'll like it, but who doesn't like the beach?" Dravius yawned, scratching the back of his neck.

<~>~<~>

Gemini gave up the food van, stepping out and spotting Dravius snarling in the distance. "It's either Break, a theif, or some kind of small animal," He monotoned, heading back into their shared van, rooting through his bag for a different notebook, and a sheaf of papers, setting them on the table, unwrapping the sheaf of papers to reveal a few paintings and drawings, mostly of the tents in the Circus, and one of a semi.

Gem also removed a box of thumbtacks, hanging the drawings against the wall tightly, making sure they were taut against the wood. After almost wallpapering an entire wall, Gem poked his head into the musical closet, taking inventory of all the dissarrayed instruments, yawning slightly. "I do believe I still have a fair amoubnt af fatigue.." He muttered, sitting down at his harp and tapping the hollow frame.

[[yeah. don't know what the deal was either. Gaaah. my "this is pointless" meter is going up and up. At least I'll always have you Mychelle. *fist bump*]]

Spider didn't know if it was the actual fear of being hurt or just the FEAR of being hurt that made him so nervous all of the time. Really, he hadn't been hurt all that much in his life... it was mostly the fact that he was positive he was going to have something thrown at him that resulted in his fear. 

Whatever the raven thing was, he agreed with himself in the fact that Selvai was completely wrong, and that bird would surely peck his eyes out if given the chance. What he was talking about now, at least Spider understood. He knew that Xerah wanted to have Xetem banished, but none of the other relatives agreed. Probably because she never outright broke the rules. His family sure was sneaky. His creator, on the other hand... very very banished. No "X"'s for him, no sir. 

"Mayoso... can't say I've heard about your family..." Spider murmured, "But then, the Blodwens are pretty secretive and don't really hang out with the other families. Dark magic isn't really a no-no for our family... but there are limits." Sh'Yama snorted at this comment. Spider sighed at the end of Selvai's speech.

He'd never understand it... how people break rules knowing they're breaking rules. He was just as guilty though, but the rules he broke weren't all that bad. Going outside when he wasn't supposed to wasn't exactly an offense that required being exiled. 

But then again, here he was, away from his family with a bunch of people who are all swirling in their despair about something or another that boils down to those ridiculous human emotions called "love" or whatever. They really made things way too complicated for themselves.

 - - -

Sh'Yama watched Dravius go, the disgust on her face so evident it was a surprise she didn't turn green and throw up all over the ground. She probably didn't because her stomach was completely empty, save for biting stomach acids. And she hated how that stuff felt on her throat.

"Little children!" Was all she had to say, as she ducked back into the van and started filling up her plate. There was no reason for her to stay, and, including that, no reason for Spider to stay either. This was a horrible place to be. Children who never learned to grow up, running a Circus and trying to take care of more children? It's no surprise it's a cesspool of negative emotions.

She'd ask Spider. It all rooted down to his decision, really. As much as she despised this horrible place full of horrible weak people with their sadness and "me-me" personalities, she would stay if that was his decision. It would just mean she'd have to keep her anger under control... as hard as it was to not start to hate everyone here.

- - -

"You know, I don't like this place very much either--" Zinc didn't get to finish his sentence, because out of surprise, Sh'Yama had plunged her fork into his chest. He stared down at the offending utensil, a bit surprised himself. Maybe it would have been better if he had made his presence known before speaking. A whine of pain was on his lips, but he dismissed it. Being able to dismiss a fork sticking out of your chest was one of the perks of being a closet spook.

"Ow. As I was saying, though I don't like this place, they're trying to fix it, you know. Sure, it is a problem easily solved and the reason there is a problem makes me want to go back to being a big bad, but really. Is it so hard to give them a chance?" Zinc pulled the fork out of his chest and handed it back to Sh'Yama.

"Yes." Sh'Yama growled in response, shoving her fork back into her plate and scooping sausage patties into her mouth without washing off her fork-- which might have been a good idea, considering Zinc didn't exactly bleed and that strange green substance leaking out of his chest could be anything.

"You're just like them. Childish and stubborn. Though, probably less stupid. And at least you're honest." Zinc smiled at Sh'Yama, and patted her fondly on the head. She might have punched him in the face. But didn't.

Raphael listened to Dravius in silence, then started laughing at his reaction. Well, looks like the idea was a good one, and so long as Dravius agreed, which he obviously did, it would go ahead. He rested his bright eyed gaze on the Co-Master. "I'm so glad you agree, the vacation is long overdue," He murmered, sighing in relief at the news concerning Wolf. "Oh good," He added, before snorting. "No good at just being people, huh?... We can certainly try," He laughed.

Julian yawned from his place beside the Ring Masters van. "It'll be good for the new kids too. All things considered, they didn't exactly have a smooth introduction... And its about time you gave us a vacation" He said, his quiet voice carrying easily to each of them, a mocking smile on his face.

Raphaels face took on a slightly pained ex
pression. "It's not like I never gave you a break, you know," He grumbled, pouting slightly, before shrugging. It was true, afterall, they'd all had the odd day off, but this time, it was most definately a more fitting vacation.

All in all, it didn't seem like such a bad idea, though Maya was only really paying a certain attention to the discussions. She still felt somewhat concerned over Nylat's previous state, though the idea of a vacation had lightened the hybrids mood considerably, and the teens ex
pression was a cross of confusion and being uncomfortable.

With a shake of the head, she crossed her arms and proceeded to stare down the gras.s, silently berating herself for being so stupidly childish about the whole thing, not that it helped much. Eventually, her eyes landed on the two new girls. She found it somewhat easier to have something else to focus on, wondering silently where these two would stay while reining in all her self control to stop herself from walking off.

Nylat, once the conversation was over with, decided to just flop on the ground where she was, yawning. A beach sounded nice. After all, it was open space, with tangy water, and maybe she could try her hand--or paw, rather--at fishing. She flicked her tail, glancing up at Maya.
"Well, one way or another, we end up with a break."
She ended this with a grin, her sharp teeth flashing in the light.

~~

Kanec nodded, lost in thought.
"A beach soundsgood to me. After all, a chance to shift into atqquatic creatures...perfect."
He'd had very few chances at the life underwater. He'd shifted into ocean critters a few times, but never enough to get used to them.

"I've always loved goofing off," Dravius laughed slightly, grinning. "And Raph, we've never had more than a few days off, and it'll be nice to learn how to swim. If we try hard enough, we might not be arrested," He joked, smothering a sneeze in his elbow. "Now, I've heard that you shouldn't open your eyes in the ocean. Is that true?" Dravius asked, raising an eyebrow. "Because I don't want to mess up the eye I have left," He continued, crossing his legs on the ground.

"Maya, do you know how to swim?" Dravius asked, tilting his head and looking up at the girl. "I know Gem can't, and if not, you and I can learn together, right?" He smiled, resting his hands in his lap. The sun felt really nice this morning, although a bit hot for his heavy clothes. Noticing that his sleeves were slippign down, he took a few seconds to roll them above his elbows, just below the third printed stitches on his bright red shirt.

It was one of his favorite shirts, and also one of his oldest, with several patches and sleeve extentions. Tugging on the hem of the worn peice of clothing, Dravius went over what he knew about the beach in his head.

One; That sand was sticky when wet. Two; You couldn't see the others side of an ocean. And finally, three;you had to watch for big waves or else they might knock you over. It was a little troubling, how little he knew, but he could learn. Shrugging internally, he looked up at Wolfe, with wide eyes, hopping up and looking worried. "If you go outside the sign, the magic should be less. One of the members sets up a temporary barrier,"