((x3  The awesomeness of Beard demanded he have his own profile.))

Cersis glared at the woman who had appeared in front of him, but allowed the spell to dissolve anyway.  As it was, he could barely stand, let alone go through another battle.  "I intended to draw Selvai here, not steal away random circus performers.  I have no interest in your brother."  If a creature like this could even have a true brother, he thought to himself.

He kept his opinion to himself, though.  One crippling injury in a day was more than enough for the dark haired magician.  He had no interest in trying to fight off an enraged magical hybrid like this.  Especially since she appeared to be spliced with something truly fierce and monsterous.

He did, however, return her scowl when she began questioning him about his family.  Why would this woman need to know about his family?  "I am a member of the Mayoso clan," he answered, quite proudly.  "The same as Selvai, before he shamed us all with his disgusting interest in dark magic and exilement."  His eyes narrowed at her last statement.

"Very well, although I could have someone heal it once I left here.  And I'll answer your questions, but I feel it's only fair you answer mine as well.  What family are you affiliated with?  Who created you, and why are you questioning me about my clan?  I doubt it's simple curiousity on your part."

[[It is well deserved. also Yama likes talking about herself.]]

"Well, you should look before you leap. If it were me and not you, there would have been no stealing away of others. I would have just nabbed my brother. And had a slap fight or whatever it was you girls were doing." She muttered, as she hadn't actually been watching them. Since she had made a plan and finished it succesfuly, there was no need to get involved in their squabble. She had a feeling that this jumping into something without thinking was a Man thing, and didn't have anything to do with his schooling. Still, it was quite irritating that his plan exploded so horribly.

Mostly she was disappointed in him because he picked and hurt Maya, of all people. "Mayoso." He sure sounded proud. She'd never heard of them before. Selvai might have mentioned it... and thinking of that she could have asked Selvai all of this, but he didn't seem like the type to want to talk about his family. "Dark magic haters, hm? That would be why I don't recognize the name. We don't really keep track of the families that aren't causing some mischief or another." Sh'Yama said. Well, so much for her little theory.

"True," She said, nodding her agreement. "I'd attempt it myself, but I might end up making it worse. I never was very good at fixing things." Yama tried not to think of the smell of his blood, and put her hands on her hips, lips pursing in thought. "What family am I affiliated with? Well, I wouldn't choose that word. And I'm sure I'm exhiled in some way too. I'm a Blodwen. Not a very big family. The only thing really keeping them around is the fact that they're good at not dying."

Yama cracked a grin. "Maybe you've heard of me. I hear I have quite the bounty on my head. I am Sh'Yama Blodwen. I'm known by many names, but usually I'm *censored*ociated with the words "Monster" and "Witch". I have slain thirty-two men." She paused. "This year. My creator was Laurence Blodwen... who I hear is quite famous for his... creations. Most of them are failures, though. He has the nasty habit of using really nasty things in his experiments. I wonder if you can guess what nasty thing I'm spliced with?

"And I'm questioning, because I wanted to know how you found your dear brother, and if you were working alone. If perhaps someone pointed you in the right direction...?" She said. It was a simple enough feat, finding someone. After all it had only taken her a few days to find Spider. But there were protections over the Circus. If she hadn't known he was here, she might not have found him.

She had been told he was here by someone else, the very same person who left him here. Maybe it was just because they got a little lax in their defenses on vacation. Now it was a silly thought, to think that he hadn't been working alone.

"There she is. Oh! She's talking to someone. He's bleeding." Spider came to a stop, and Evan bumped into him. They were still very far away, but Spider had excellent vision. The fact that he could spot Yama even if she were in a crowded dark room helpe. Evan peeked around Spider, and frowned. "That's uh... the... the kidnapper." He explained, taking a few steps back and pushed his gla.sses back up his nose. They both ducked behind some foliage and Spider peeked out, giving the demented man a critical look. "He certainly looks like a nasty meanie who'd do something like that." He said, glowering.

Evan hummed, looking a bit nervous, as he continued to pat his empty pocket, as if somehow his watch would just pop back where it belonged if he continued. "You... you don't think she's going to kill him, do you?" He asked, sounding very unsure, as if he already knew the answer. It was almost obvious the answer was "yes". Spider didn't have an answer. "I could always ask her not too. He didn't hurt Maya too bad, did he?" Spider asked, looking over at Evan.

"Well, she had a few scratches, if I remember correctly." Evan answered, sitting up a bit to peek around their hiding place. "Hm." Spider didn't think anyone really deserved the punishment Yama had planned for everyone. Except maybe the really bad ones. And it looked like this guy walked off with more than a few scratches. Well, he'd wait and see. For now they were just talking. She didn't sound like she was going to rip his head off. But it wasn't very hard to make her angry. Spider hoped the kidnapper didn't say something that would make her angry...

Evan gave up with a sigh, letting his hand go to the ground were he could pick at the dirt. How would he live without it? There was no possible way... at least he still had his wedding ring. But the watch was more than a memory. Spider had been watching him, and an idea struck him. He looked at his feet, and picked up a smooth rock. Without speaking, he carefully dropped it in Evan's waistcoat pocket. A familiar weight. Maybe that would help.

Dravius had to try and swallow a smile at Maya's outburst. "I'm fine. I've done it before, May. Calm down," He yawned, and it was indeed plain that, although his tongue had stopped bleeding, it was shorter by about a thumb's length. He had gone to picking at a scab on the heel of his hand, nodding absently at Selvai's explanation. "Hmmm," He grunted thoughtfully, ripping the scab off and crossing his arms. "I'd agree that that usually doesn't happen," He murmered. "And your brother needs to get a life. Why does he care that you've been banished?"

Dravius looked slightly amused at Maya's flailing about, laughing quietly behind his slightly-oozing hand. "At this rate, Kioko won't need legs anymore." He remarked, matching stride with Maya, his long legs covering two of Maya's steps to his one. "You need to calm down, sweets," He tugged gently on a lock of Maya's hair, a slight smile still tugging on his thin lips. He looked distracted, as he walked along, absently licking the blood off of his hand with his shortened tongue. Exhaling through his nose, the Co-Master shook his long-ish hair out of his face, finally.

When the small group had reached the beach, he gently took Maya's hand, avioding touching as much of it as possible, while still managing to lead the girl and the dog towards his van. Stepping inside, Dravius coughing hard, and settled himself on his bed, crossing his legs and pulling onto his lap a pile of  paper, sorting out the ones covered already in charcoal, graphite, and paint. There were piles of paper in corners of the van, most covered in dark, angular writing, and some with dark pictures of odd, rather twisted things. Sighing, the boy shoved the papers off of his bed. The door was still ajar, and he looked at Maya, blinking lazily. "Come in, May. I'll fix..." He was interuppted by a bout of coughing, and sat up, putting his forehead against his knees. "Your hand. And the dog."

So far so good.
Maya thought she was doing rather well, navigating the bumpy woodland ground without a single stumble, all things considered. She had her eyes mostly on the floor, being sure to avoid all those potential hazards as she shifted the puppy again her arms. He wasn't big at all, ir was more the discomfort of her own limbs that meant she couldn't really hold him still, though she did her best.

Pausing, Maya frowned slightly then glanced over her shoulder. She'd almost forgotten about Yama. Had she the energy, she probably would have turned around gone back to check on her, though as soon as it came that thought dispersed. Yama wasn't stupid. It was likely she'd already gone back to the Circus... Or back to wherever she had come from. With a slight sigh and glance at the brown fuzzball in her arms, the girl continued on her way, and focusing her wide, violet eyes on Dravius as he spoke. It was peculiar, really, how much the butterfly currently resembled her 11 year old self. Minus the white hair. Guess the whole ordeal had shook her more than she'd previously thought. It was a good thing the Co-Master was there. She probably would have refused to walk through that wood on her own.

"Oh... He's just being helpful, I guess... Raphael's like that, no?... Besides, you have no room to talk," She grumped, referring to the times before where she herself had been carried, fidgeting sightly as she walked. The blonde had to pause and glance at Dravius when he referred to her as sweets, tugging lightly on her hair; Blinking, she realised she'd probably get left behind if she didn't start walking again. She sprinted the few steps it took to re-align herself with Dravius, looking at him in time to see his toungue. In her opinion, Dravius's toungue actually looked more normal now, without the length and point to it. She didn't mention anything however, shifting the puppy again and smiling slightly as she nuzzled her cheek on its head.

"Calm?... I've just been kidnapped and locked in a shed, and your laughing at me," She huffed, looking back at the floor as she walked. Despite her light tone, she really wasn't as composed as she seemed, but she refused to put any more stress on anyone else, especially the tall youth next to her. If nothing else, she could cry about it later. She looked back at Dravius with a slight frown.

Maya paused again once they hit the beach, watching Raphael for a moment before she felt Dravius take her hand and start leading her away. She didn't really put up any resistance, but still chose to pout for the simple sake of doing so. Once at the Co-Masters van, the blonde watched him with the paper, then glanced at the closet and walls. "Dravius?" She asked, holding the puppy out to him in a very awkward position, using her uncut arm to balance him. "You keep an awful lot of stuff in here, you know," Sure. She'd been in his van plenty of times. She'd never had the initiative to actually look around though.

After a minutes struggle, Maya sighed, then gently placed the puppy on the bed besides the Co-Master and looking at the paper on the floor. "I mean... You have Medical stuff... Instruments... Paper...Other stuff... Weird stuff... Stuff stuff..." The girl had crouched down slightly, looking with interest at the pieces all over the place, her long hair coming very close to brushing the wooden floor.

She eventually pulled herself back up, frowning at Dravius when he coughed."You need something for that," She grumped, glancing at the puppy before looking back at Dravius. "You have this habit of leaving it... It's probably not good for you," The girl sat herself besides Dravius, scratching the little brown animal behind the ears as she continued. "You can't really feel if it's getting worse. And I worry about you too, you know," She murmered, frowning at him. She had come very close at that point to hugging him, or just getting close to him again, but delibrately held herself back when she remembered him in the shed. Maya felt nervous about repeating such actions. She didn't know if she was doing something wrong, and whether or not Dravius would be comfortable with it.

With a forlorn little sigh, Maya pushed the puppy forward slightly, only half picking him up with her unhurt hand. "Here, deal with him first," She murmered, leaning her back against the wall and lifting her knees, wrapping her arms around her legs. Dravius already looked fed up, with his own head against his knees. Maya looked at him for only a moment, then took to looking at the cut on her hand. She should probably stop getting herself hurt for a start. She was pretty sure most people by now would be somewhat tired of constantly tending her injuries, Dravius most likely included.

((There also might be a slight change in bio's soon. ;o))

Upon everyone's departure, a certain hybrid set out deeper in the trees. Nylat knew she wasn't the best tracker, but she felt it her responsibility to let Zyano know that the Circus was moving. He'd seemed to have shown some interest in it, and she didn't want to deny a possible member. So, flicking her tail, she wove through the trees, casting about for any sign of the other hybrid. If she ever found his scent, she pas.sed right over it.

With a sigh, she flopped herself onto her side suddenly, giving her three legs a rest. Pretty soon, she'd have to get back to her van. She needed sleep. Or maybe she could catch a few winks in Maya's van. She needed to keep an eye on that girl. To much happened while she was unaware. And she still needed to talk to her. She hadn't really talked to her friend in a while. And Nylat knew she needed to talk to someone. Who better than Maya?

((*returns to story*))

Dravius had looked up at Maya's entrance, one bright blue eye flashing in the shadows. His black roots had grown out further, and it was about a hands length of dark showing against white. He gave the puppy an almost suspicious look, and it equaled his glare, tucking it's legs under it's small body. "It's only because I don't have to share, and I also am too lazy to clean all the old stuff out." The Co-Master said quietly, looking at the things piled in the corners. "What do you mean, 'Weird stuff'?" He asked, putting his barefeet on the floor. "I need new pants," He murmered, looking at the tops of his feet poking out from the hems of the black pants. "They used to touch the floor..." Dravius picked at loose threads hanging near his heels.

"Well, May, it's not like I can get a preion. Doctors creep me out. They always ask questions like 'My goodness. Who shot you?', and 'How the hell are you still alive?!'," The youth sighed, looking at Maya, before coughing into the crook of his elbow. "I know you worry. You really shouldn't," He looked worried, and he got to his feet, pulling a folded shirt from a pile against the wall. He shrugged, and then tossed the checkered shirt to the side, rooting through the pile for a minute or so before he stood with a triumphant, "Hah HAH!" and shook out a wide-necked, forest-green long sleeved shirt with a figure on it, long limbed and wearing a business suit.  Wrapping along the neck were the words, "Slender Man" in sc
ript that was close to Dravius's own.

Changing quickly, Dravius coughed into the neck of it, which was resting delicately on the tip of his angular shoulders. "Much better," He yawned, turning back to Maya. "Alright. I wonder how he got out there, uh?" He lifted the small animal up, ignoring the squeaky growls. "I'd say...three, four months old?" Dravius murmered, yanking a half-width roll of gauze out of an upper pocket. "S'broken," He told Maya, splinting and wrapping the animal's front leg. He also was bitten no less than five times, but ignored any bleeding fingers, the the puppy's astonishment. "Here y'are." Dravius put the dog back on the bed, and took Maya's hand in his own. His skin was even colder than usual, and a few of his cuticles were ripped and bleeding, probably of his own doing. "Not to bad, Maya. Just a gash. He snatched a pad of cloth and a glas.s bottle from the nearby table, dousing Maya's hand with the antiseptic, and putting the pad gently on it. "Keep that on. People have told me it stings,"

Going back to the dog, he looked at it for a second, before turning back to the heap of clothes by the wall. Dravius rummaged for a while, coming up with a red and black checkered dog collar, with an iron dog tag that had the word "Sid" stamped into it. "Here we are," He handed the collar to Maya, saying, "I have a feeling he's going to take off one of my fingers if I try to put it on him.

------------------------

Snuggling into The Pretty One's arms, the dog yelped as it was set down, nearly falling onto the curled-up Stinking One, but leaning back to avoid contact. The were in The Stinking One's den, and it smelt worse than the male himself. The Stinking One did mangage to make his leg feel better, and set him down right quick, after half- a-dozen bites. Showed him. Sighing, the dog's ear cought the clinking of tags, and he looked up to see The Stinking One hand The Pretty One a strap of cloth, that smelled relatively freah, and more of dog than The Stinking One, which was surprising seeing as it was sitting in a pile of The Stinking One's overpelts. Sighing, the dog curled up, injured leg straight out, and fell right to sleep, breathing deeply.

Maya had still been silently moping to herself, looking at her bleeding hand when Dravius spoke. Her eyes flickered to the tall males form, then she shrugged. "Weird as in weird. Like that stuff you drugged me with the other night," She replied, going back to looking at her hand. "I think anyone else would have had sleeping tablets," She pouted at her hand for a moment, then sighed and dropped it to wrap it around her legs again.

"Then maybe you should do the usual and go looking around town after we move. I'm pretty sure you'll end up buying something. You usually do," The girl rested her head on her knees, closing her eyes and listening. "Uh... I guess... You could just buy medicine at a pharmacy though," She would have offered to buy it for him, only at the moment, she wasn't sure she'd ever want to go into town alone again. She was far too edgy for all this. "And I can't help it. It's not like I planned any of this, you know... It might have just been easier if-" She cut herself off after she realised what she was saying, blinking, then grumbling and hitting her head against the wall. "Nevermind. Besides. Your dense and you can't feel pain... Is it any surprise anyone worries about you?" She asked, shifting her body slightly.

Sighing, she watched in silence as Dravius dealt with the puppy, paying little to no attention until Dravius dropped the antiseptic on her hand. With a startled gasp, she puffed her cheeks out and frowned at the Co-Master as though he'd just done it on purpose and out of nowhere. It wasn't true, of course, Maya had just missed the tall boy's movements.When he placed the wad of material into her hand, she lightly pressed her fingers over it to hold it in place, reverting again to silent state.

Maya took the collar from the Co-Master when he held it out however, not bothering to question the name on it or where he'd got it. Instead, she simply tied it around the sleeping puppy's neck, before crossing her legs and returning to looking at the material in her hand.It was strange,how th girl's sudden recovery dropped as fast as a stone in water. She supposed it was probably all this thinknig about it... It certainly wouldn't help, just simply serve to make her feel worse... That, and at that particular moment in time she felt in dire need to stay next to, or within range, of Dravius. As scary as he seemed to be to everyone else, Maya felt much safer with him being there, especially after all that had just happened. Her on-edge state was not helped by the fact she didn't really wish to be left on her own for a bit.

The young blonde inhaled through her nose, sighing, and leaning lightly against the van wall, her golden hair shading her eyes. Thinking about it really was not helping, at any rate, and it was obvious the girl was jittery, simply thanks to her silence.

~~~

 Raphael had had his eyes still set on the beach, watching the members down there with a small smile before he turned his attention to Kioko. "To answer that last question, yes. Maya should be fine... That's usually how she is," He laughed,referring to the girls flailing state. "She hasn't really had all that much time to be herself lately... She should recover though. Eventually. A lot has happened to her this week, so it might be a bit before we see any actual improvement,"

He glanced back towards the beach, looking just a little more subdued. It was early afternoon, as far as he could tell, and the initial excitement that had buzzed around when the Circus first arrived here seemed to have died down quite a bit. It was probably a good thing they we're moving tonight. Ack. He still had to inform the other members.

When the little pyro spoke, Raphael looked back at the girl, smiling feeltingly. "Hm. That's Dravius for you. Andwho knows," He murmered, looking off where Selvai had left. "That's was noble of him, but I'm guessing there are quite a few out there who would do that. Refuse to fight back or harm when it comes to another member of the family.It'l take time, that's all,"

The Ring-Master slid his hands into his pockets, then glanced back at Kioko. "Come on. Let's go intrude on one of the members picnics. It'll give you someplace to rest your ankle, and me a chance explain that we're moving sooner than expected," He smiled softly at the girl, then walked across the beach and over to the fields, keeping his pace slow enough for Kioko to keep up.

It didn't take long for Raphael to find a spot, a picnic that looked very much like it had been abandoned, since all the members had headed into the water. Going by the blanket used, it belonged to Zephyre, and Raphael was pretty sure the metal-controller would have no issues with them helping themselves. He didn't have much time to do much else before a quiet whoosh of wind caused him to look over his shoulder. Julian, having just appeared from wherever he had been, walked up to the Ring Master, looking at Kioko with a slightly welcoming smile. "Where have you all been?"

"Oh, you know," Raphael grumbled. "Business as usual. We had to go retrieve Maya. Some magician decided to take off with her after as.suming she was Selvai's lover,"

"What?"

"You heard," The Ring-Master sighed, before he ran over the entire situation quickly. The Sword Master's face had darkened considerably, though he eventually just sighed and glanced off towards the vans. 

"Do you want me to let them know your planning on moving the Circus tonight?" He asked quietly, focusing his eyes back onto the ring-master, strands of black hair falling freely over them. Raphael simply shook his head, then gestured for Kioko to sit and help herself to food that was laid out. "I'll do it in a bit," He murmered, "Right now though, I'm just keeping my fingers crossed for the next 10 minutes to pas.s without another incident,"

"You'll be lucky,"

"Well then. Weird as in weird. How very specific," Dravius teased, wrapping his arms in white bandages. "I've got quite a bit of dirt and rocks in my arms." He mused, biting the bandages to tuck them into the crook between his thumb and forefinger. His fingers were left bare, but still bleeding weakly. "I'll be fine. I always am, and-hey. Don't call me dense," The Co-Master managed a good pout, brushing his hair behind his ears. "Anyways, I've got every over-the-counter medication under the sun. And the sleeping tablets are mostly for myself. I can't usually make myself sleep, and I don't want to drop from exhaustion," He said absently, poking his head into a gap in the wall, barely wide enough to admit his thin shoulders and hips.

Walking in, Dravius pulled a tin box out, tugging various medical supplies from it's depths. "And everything here does have a vague order. Most people steer as far away from my place as possible. I've been told it stinks to high heaven. Ah well," He exhaled through his nose, replacing the lid on the box. Dravius set it on the ground and used a foot to slide it back inside the narrow closet. "Here, hang on," He murmered, pulling a large, shallow pan filled with bright silver ink out, setting it on his bed.

The Co-master rolled up a sleeve and placed his palm in the pan, coating the front of his long-fingered hand in bright silver. Taking Maya's uninjured hand in the one not covered in ink, he placed his painted palm against hers, then pressed both his palm and hers to the black wall, leaving two ahndprints glinting in the dim light. "There," Dravius sighed, jumping slightly at Disera's yell. "Well, why didn't Selvai tell me?" He called back, turning towards to door. "Bring him in. I'm done now. S' a little dark. The lights don't work," He approached the door, yawning slightly. "My god, doesn't that hurt?" The Co-Master asked the injured magician. "We're gonna need to get that swelling down. If you had told me sooner, it would be easier," He tsked, shaking his head.

------------------------------

The dog looked cross-eyed at the strap of lightly stinking fabric around his neck, licking The Pretty One's hand as she put it on, wagging his tail. His leg felt much better. Maybe The Stinking One wasn't so bad, just smelly and scary-looking.

Suddenly the scent of magic cut through the stink of death, and the dog growled, it's hackles raising, along with the pofy fur along it's spine. The One With The Funny Arm and The Blue One smelt worse than The Stinking One, but they smelled of magic, like The One With A Small Animal Glued To His Face. Barking, the puppy bared it's small teeth, one leg sticking almost comically out to the side.

"Well you are," Maya retorted in response to Dravius's reply about his dense nature, pulling herself out of her daze to return the Co-Master's ex
pression, her back still lightly pressed against the van wall. Her wings we're also pressed against the wood, each one splayed out at each side of the girls form, adding a fiery blaze of colour to the otherwise dark interior.

"Uh. Maybe you should think about using them... I don't think I've ever seen you take anything," She murmered, frowning at him slightly, before yawning and turning back to wrap her arms around her knees once Dravius dissapeared into a closet. At least, that's what she thought it was. For all she knew, it was simply a gap in the wall.

"Uh," Was all she had to say after that. She was still too busy moping over the last week to really pay all that much attention to anything else. She only looked back at Dravius when he placed the shallow tin on the bed. It took the butterfly a moment to note the silver paint, or ink, inside the container, and she actually leaned forward slightly to look at the shiny substance. When Dravius rolled up his sleeve and placed his hand into the paint, she threw a confused and questioning glance at him before turning her gaze back to the tin.

The butterfly only looked back towards the Co-Master when she felt him take her hand, and frowned at him with a confused face. She blinked when he gently pressed his palm to hers, frowning at the fact he'd just so blatantly covered her hand in paint, and noted almost distractedly the length of the Co-master's hand in comparison to hers. She watched him press both hands, hers and his, against the wall, looking at the glittering prints for a moment before looking back at him. 

"What-" Her question was cut off at Disera's voice, and she looked quickly at the door, her ex
pression concerned. Great. Nothing quite like thinking something was your fault, only to have it emphasised when the injuries started to show.

The small distraction that had made itself present with Dravius's unexpected motions, almost immeidately faded, and the girl once again sat with her back to the wall, avoiding the wet hand prints and looking at the door with furrowed eyebrows.

"Oh, well then. I guess I am dense, then, uh? And obviously, you've never seen me. I'd fall asleep on the ground if I took them outside, and then I'd be stuck, hmm?" Dravius said in response to Maya, raising one eyebrow. Blinking slowly, he added, "You sound nearly as intelligent as I do, with all that grunting," Coughing, he snorted at Disera's words, raising both thin brows at the hurt magician. "Stoic? You mean stupid? We're leaving soon, and I wouldn't have been able to treat you once we had been moving."

"I wouldn't touch the dog. The thing's been trying to pull my fingers off ever since I splinted it's leg." Dravius said to Disera, looking at the still-growling dog. "I'd actually like to know. You've told us vaugely about the mark on your face, but I'd think that the whole reason for a banishment is so that you won't see your family. Any idea why Mr. Fuzzy Chin would come and seek you out?" He walked closer to Selvai, lifting the other's arm with ice-cold fingers. "You've waited too long," He looked down at Selvai, slipping back into the narrow closet and retreiving a bright blue cloth that seemed to contain ice. "Sit still on the bed or the chair, Selvai. And Maya's fine, aside from a cut on her hand."

The Co-master gestured to the squishy red chair, and then to the black bed, made neatly with the thick, rather poofy black comforter. The van was nice enough, if a bit messy. The place smelled excatly like the owner, undertones of mint and gras.s drifting throughout the stench. The piles of marked paper that covered nearly the entire floor often had drawings over drawings, showing that Dravius had run out of paper many times, cramming every free space with dark,  jagged pencil and charcoal lines. "You do know that it's going to hurt more when I wrap it," He murmered quietly, setting the cloth on Selvai's arm. "Hold it there and sit down." The Co-Master said, rather sternly. Dravius rifled through his pockets to find a clear bottle and a tube with a sterlized needle inside. Filling the syringe with a clear anesthetic, Dravius flicked the side of the tube with a long finger, asking dryly, "Do you think you can handle an injection?"

--------------------------

The Horned One was coming closer, and the volume of the puppy's growl grew, more of his sharp little teeth showing through curled lips. Suddenly the animal lost it's nerve and yelped, running to The Stinking One and hiding behind the male's pant leg. The Stinking One was standing near to The One With The Striped Pelt. That one smelt of magic so strongly it cut through The Stinking One's smell. Shying away, Sid ran in circles before settling near The Pretty One, whining loudly and pawing at The Pretty One's leg, the large brown eyes begging to be picked up and snuggled.

The dog was clearly uneasy, leaving small, black pawprints from stepping on sheets of charcoal, and had nearly slipped several times on pencils and sticks of the charcoal itself. It also hobbled with great difficulty thanks to it's splinted leg. The small tag jingled against it's loop everytime Sid moved, and The Stinking One had just set a huge bowl of ice and water on the floor of a narrow gap in the Den. The dog pricked it's ears and got unsteadily to his feet, dabbing a foot on the lip of the bowl. Maybe if he could get his chin over the edge of the bowl, he could crunch up some ice.

A yelp resounded as Sid pressed too hard with his tiny paw, upending the bowl larger than himself on the floor, and scampered out soaking wet, clean, and shivering violently. He rolled onto his back next to The Pretty One and whined, sneezing twice.

Watching as Disera dragged Selvai into the van, Maya leaned forward slightly, flaring her wings a little in order to peel them off the black wall. "Are you alright?" She asked as soon as the magician entered.

Maya smiled fleetingly, and somewhat unwllingly, at the conversation between Selvai and the summoned creature when she looked back up, turning slightly to read a few of the written lyrics on the walls. When Dravius spoke for her, she pouted at his back. "I can speak, you dope. I'm not the one who pretty much just bit my toungue off," As though to emphasise the point, the blonde stuck her toungue out at the Co-Master, then decided to stare at the bed when she spoke to Selvai. "Just fine," She repeated with a slight smile, before sighing quietly.

The girl looked at both her arms, noting the splint on one and the slightly red wad on the other. Uh. She should probably try to prevent any more damage to her arms, huh. It was theclattering of the bowl that broughtthe butterfly's attention elsewhere, and a small smile tugged at her lips when she spotted the soaking wet puppy. Silly little animal.

Glancing over to where Dravius was tending to Selvai, Maya immediately came to the conclusion that staying here wouldn't really accomplish much. She'd probably just get in the way, and seeking any form of comfort seemed pointless.  She could always run back if she got too edgy, she supposed. Or maybe go find someone else to cling to for while. Being around the nervous Dravius was starting to strain her out.

Pushing herself forward, the slender girl gracefully slid off the bed, and made her way over to the open closet, rummaging around in it for a few moments and almost falling over the amount of stuff Dravius had in here. She almost flared her wings to keep her balance, but refrained from doing so. She was likely to take up a lot more space with her wings outstretched.

Eventually, the blonde pulled herself out of the gap, carrying a thick and fluffy blanket, which she draped over the sodden Sid. Once she'd managed to wrap him somewhat decently, she lifted him into her arms and walked to the door. "I'm off to the beach," She said over her shoulder, looking at Selvai's arm with a slight frown. "You know... Seeing as, we're leaving... Might be a bit before we see another place like this, huh," With another sigh, she stepped lithely out of the door. Maybe there'd be another of those stunning sunsets tonight. Maya could certainly do with some sort of cheery intervention right now.

Walking quickly, she startedto gently scrub at the puppy in her arms, hoping to at least dry the animal off before she let him out of the blanket. The warm weather would do the rest. She eventually came to the shore, and making sure she could see at least one other Circus member, flopped onto the sand and opened the blankets that currently contained Sid. "There you go... Just don't go too far, and don't go in the water either," She murmered, gently pushing the puppy out of the blanket with a hand as she crossed her legs and looked off over the ocean, her ex
pression subdued.

~~~

"Gee, thanks. I appreciate your blatant positivity," Raphael sniffed, raising an eyebrow in Julian's direction. The Sword Master shrugged, then leaned one shoulder lightly against a nearby tree. They we're pretty close to the beach, though the blanket and such were located on the gras.s. At Kioko's outburst, Julian had looked at the girl, his features confused.

"Don't bother asking, Julian. I don't get it either. It all seems to have happened without my notice too," Raphael murmered, looking thoughtful.The Sword Master, true to form, just shrugged then looked off towards the vans.

"You really shouldn't leave this til last minute, you know what the members are like. Tell them 5 minutes before we leave and you'll have something close to a roit on your hands," He said quietly, raising a dark eyebrow at the Ring-Master. Raphael sighed, then ran a hand through his hair. "Alright, fine. You go do it. Just tell them to get ready. They've still got the rest of the day to go, though,"

Julian nodded, then inclined his head at Kioko before dissapearing from where he stood. The tall illusionist stared at the previously occupied space, then flopped to sit beside Kioko, grabbing a handfull of strawberries as he did so. "Well. Guess we should keep the vacations to a minimum next time, hm?" He said with a small smile, popping a fruit into his mouth. "Tell me more about whatever is going on with those two anyway. I must have missed something, evidently," He murmered after swallowing, and looking at Kioko with an amused face.

Nylat gave up on her search(because someone's too stubborn to post for Zyano) and decided instead to head for the beach. The smell of salt was strong enough for her find it. She padded toward the smell, careful to avoid any unwanted eyes. She didn't really want to talk to many people at the moment, and anyone seeing her would want to talk. She had reached the vans, and now wove her way through, making her way to the water. Spotting Maya, however, she changed her course, trotting up beside her friend and flopping down beside her on her current good side, keeping her injured paw off the ground, still. She sighed and flicked her ears and tail, watching the puppy carefully. It was just a force of habit. She glanced up at Maya, and smiled slightly. "Injured again, I see. You attract more trouble than I do."

((Fail. But I have dishes to do. Maybe next post I'll actually do somehtng for Kanec.))

"I don't actively try to chew them off but I tend to pick," Dravius answered Disera distractedly, slipping the needle into Selvai's arm and numbing the limb. "Naw, I think it's more the way you smell is what matters to him," He continued talking while manuevering Selvai's broken bone into place, after waiting for the anesthetic to work it's way through the magician's system. There was a startling crunching sound as it slid back into lace, and Dravius nodded, brushing his white hair out of his face. "Don't get your hand wet, 'kay May?" he called after the girl and the dog, and adding after a moment, "Tell me if the sunset's nice,"

Dravius had dipped strips of gauze ina mysterious concoction that was a dark, blue-grey colour. Wrapping them around Selvai's arm, he braced a foot back and yanked hard on each strip, pressing and pulling the swollen flesh down. "Selvai, stop bein' an idiot. I broke my arm a few times, and after having the broken bits fall outta my arm after they punched through, I learned to not ignore things. Somebody's gonna notice, and just ask me or someone else to fix you up, or fix yourself up if you can,"

Dravius leaned back, placing his elbows on the table, listening intently to Selvai's story. "You sound as bad as I am, Sera," The Co-Master grinned widely, showing sharp teeth. "And s'a shame. I'm really terrible at people and feelings, but that sounds extreme even to me." Dravius produced a long, diamond shaped peice of sky blue cloth, he looped it around Selvai's neck and tied it tight to make a sling. "There y'are. Rest, kay?" He dug through his pockets for another vial of sleeping pills, splitting it into two and giving them both to Selvai. "When you see Kioko, give 'em to her and tell her that if I see her out of bed before we leave, her hide's mine, got it?"

Dravius cocked his head to the side at Disera's outburst, shaking his head slowly, "It's fine. Not like my place isn't already a mess. Also, could you not touch the walls, please? There's some stuff on them that's either still wet or could rub off," He murmered, touching the scored walls and coming away with darkened fingertips. Underlying the smell of gore, and swirling stronger than the smell of mint, was the scent of something burning, or that already had burned. Dravius disappeared into another gap in the wall, returning with a bowl of apples and pears, settling himself on the bed and proceding to peel the skin off of all the fruit in short, rapid bites. After the first apple was clear of skin, he set it aside and started on a pear, concentration almost absurd, and it almost seemed he wan't even aware of the other two in the van. It was odd, the way he switched from grinning to quiet and shut inside himself, a blank look on his features. He quickly stripped the pear and began another, leaving the flesh on the peeled fruit to brown next to him.

---------------------------

Sid yelped as the blanket touched him, then snuggled under it with only his shiny brown eyes showing from the shadows. He snuggled into The Pretty One's arms, her wonderful soft arms. The Pretty One was very nice, and smelled like a food place he had been inside once, all warm and sweet. And his fur was beginning to dry and was warming up in The Stinking One's blanket, but it didn't smell too bad for some reason, more like The Old One's toothpaste than icky things.

The wonderful dark blankets were lifted, and Sid was pushed off The Pretty One's lap with a slightly indignant snort. Staggering around dizzily, the puppy sighed and flopped on it's belly in the soft sand, and stared at a little white crawly thing making it's way across the sand.

Sid yelped and scampered back to The Pretty One suddenly, with a small crab dangling from his nose, small dark eyes confused. He seemed to be asking why the crawly thing had pinched his face, and sat whimpering at The Pretty One's feet, pawing at her leg with one paw.