Circus Fantasia IC

[Markov]

It had been more than a generation since Aveira had seen this land. She walked through the camp, already deep into set-up, almost in a daze as sights both old and new competed for her attention. Souls who no longer walked this path with her wakening from their memories, glimpses of new members as they set about their duties, new tents and heavily patched ones rising in the cool crisp air.... But she couldn't allow herself to get too distracted now. There would be plenty of time later, after the performace.

Perhaps she'd even share some stories over the night fires tonight. A soft smile brightened her features at the thought.

But now was time for work. She set her eyes on the grandest tent of all, the high-top, soaring high above their little camp. Old hands knew the rule and would soon have the newest members scrambling. Once the high-top was standing it was time for The Meeting. Acts would be discussed, the rules of the circus would be layed out once again, work schedules and any forays into the human world would be planned, any arguments or fights that had occured during transport would be settled to ensure a smooth night.

Just before stepping into the tent Aveira ran her hands down her uniform self-conciously, brushing away dust and cluttered thoughts alike from fabric that had become so soft with age. These people were her family, many were her friends, but the first meeting always made her nervous. "Now let the show began." And she stepped through.

((I hope this was a good intro for you guys! Feel free to have your characters already in the tent or making their way to it. Let the show begin!))

((For those who are looking to join the show, you'll find our OoC here.))

[ChronicSanity]

Artemis nodded at Averia as she passed; well 'at' was a relative term for him as he was nodding towards the tent he was setting up, but the sentiment was there. She was heading towards the big top, it was almost time for the meeting, he realized. He raised his hammer high as he held the stake still with his other hand. He brought it down hard, driving the stake deep into the earth without moving his hand away. 'One of the many benefits of having no bones' he smiled as his hand reformed perfectly. Arte stood back up and looked around; the setup was going well, much better than it used to back in the day when they had less people.

It had been five years since he joined the circus. He was an outcast, a slime that wanted to be human, a human form among the slimes...Neither side particularly liked him. It took years to form, grow, learn. After that, it took days for him to get run out of town by a mob of scared citizens. Maybe it was the lack of eyes that gave him away? Regardless, he was scared for the first time in his short life. That was when he wandered into the circus. He didn't know how he ended up there, but he was eternally grateful to Aveira for saving him. During those first years, he learned much about how to be human, namely what not to do.

Arte liked it here, and with every new person the circus grew, expanded, became more...Interesting. He 'eyed' the new members, every new person offered new insights, new chances to learn. He was curious what the fresh blood would add to the mix, but that could wait until after the meeting. He placed his hands behind his head as he started for the big top, a smile on his face. He was going to be fashionably late, but after five years it was pretty much expected of him. He walked with a odd rhythm to his step, bouncing from one foot to the other happily, as if dancing to a beat that only he could hear. He wasn't sure what this feeling was, contentment? Comfort? Happiness? He didn't know or care, he liked it. He continued his slow jaunt, 'accidently' bumping into a few of the new people, gauging their reactons. People were so interesting.

[Namingtoohard]

The newest addition to the circus' performing list waited in nervous anticipation, tucked away in her private quarters.

Dressed in a flowing gown that was both sleeveless and strapless, one Isabella Daviar sought to occupy herself by looking over her appearance in the full-body mirror that stood opposite. She analysed her outfit with total attentiveness, twisting and turning so that she might admire it from each angle, and see how it would appear to anyone else who gazed upon her. A small frown creased her lips throughout the entire process, and she continued to make small adjustments throughout. Even as she watched, the colour of her dress changed, shifting from one hue to another as she tried to determine what was most suitable. She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to keep it straight and flowing, while leaving the ends of her brown locks slightly curled.

This was, of course, a mere distraction. As important as her appearance was, Isabella rarely spent so long agonising over every detail. With her ability to adjust her clothing on the fly, tailoring was virtually pointless. Rather, she used the opportunity to try and keep her mind off things. It served as a way for her to pass the time, without needlessly stressing out over the prospect of what was to come. Unfortunately, her efforts were proving rather unsuccessful.

Control yourself, Isabella. Focus on what you can change, ignore that which you cannot.

She did her best to squash her nerves, hiding them behind a will made of tempered steel. Turning her attention back to her gown, the illusionist would make one final adjustment. The entire dress would shift and shimmer, colours changing until the entire thing was a deep, crimson red. Another moment of consideration followed, before several lines of golden embroidery began to spread across the dress, until it appeared as if the entire thing was wrapped in thin, artificial vines. After that, she would take a single moment to collect her jacket off the back of a nearby chair, slipping it on quickly. Finally content with her appearance, she would glance across at the entrance.

Well, no point in delaying things any longer, I suppose

Finally, Isabella would slip out of her public quarters and into the open. She hesitated there for a moment, taking in the multitude of sights and sounds that availed her. She watched idly for a moment as several of the stagehands scurried about, working on various tasks as they tried to ready the circus for its opening. Just how much manpower did it take to run an organization like this? She couldn't help but wonder.

The girl would turn her attention towards the big-top itself, then. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she set off at a leisurely stroll. Her posture and body language both remained formal and composed - the illusionist moved with both her shoulders pulled back and her head held high, doing her best to make sure that no sign of her lingering nervousness shone through. The majority of the journey was uneventful enough, save for one close encounter, when a person she had not noticed bumped into her from the side. The girl would snap out of her reverie then, throwing Artemis a wary glance, before straightening herself up and continuing on without so much as a word, quickly pulling ahead of him. She did not bother to stop and apologise - she did not feel the need to.

Isabella would hesitate only when she arrived at the entrance to the big-top, and only for a moment. Reaching out with one hand, she would brush the canvas of the tent aside, before finally slipping inside.

[AzraelAlways]

This was it! Opening night had arrived at last. No matter how many times she'd been through these motions, the hours before the first big show never ceased to send waves of excitement through the Fey, Izzie was visibly shaking from exhilaration, unable to hide the unbridled joy that was bubbling up inside her. A loud, high-pitched squeal escaped her as she finished hanging the last strand of cascading lights from the top of the tent. She watched the lights flicker and dance about for a moment, admiring her handiwork with a wide grin. “Perfect-o!” Another giggle erupted along with a small explosion of snowflakes. Her cheeks rouged a bit, watching the flurry float to the ground below. “Oopies...”

A split second later, however, any embarrassment for her loss of control had vanished. Aveira had made her way into the tent and suddenly any train of thought Izzie had previously had completely vanished. “Avi!” She sang as she spotted the ringmaster. The girl did a backflip mid-air before disappearing from view, only to pop back into existence a foot or so away from her, feet still hovering ever so slightly. “Look, look, look! All done! And I was super careful this time. No icy lights or sparky 'splosions.” Izzie crossed her arms against her chest and nodded, far too satisfied with herself. As if not setting the tent ablaze with electrical fire was her greatest accomplishment.

The canvas door fluttered once more as one of the circus's newcomers entered. The fairy girl looked her over, taking in every detail. She fluttered her big blue eyes as her gaze moved from the mystery girl's expensive-looking gown to her own attire, inwardly comparing the two. She was clothed in a faded t-shirt advertising some human band she'd never heard of that sported more holes than actual fabric and a pair of black overalls that were covered in a colorful array of paint stains, completely missing one of the straps and a couple of sizes too big for the girls tiny frame. The legs had long since been ripped away into shorts, the left leg nearly two inches longer than the right one. On her feet were a pair of black combat boots, held together by what appeared to be hot glue and duct tape. The laces were undone and unevenly strung through the various eyelets, the right one pink and the left one a faded acid green. She'd been told many times throughout the years she looked homeless. She took it as a compliment.

“Yay! A newbie! I love newbies! Hiya, I'm Izzie.”

[Markov]

"You did a good job Iz." Avi. Internally the ringmaster winced but she didn't say a word. She had grown used to the fey's name for her. Actually had kind of grown attached to it, so long as it came from her. A faint mischievous smile touched her lips as she looked over the lights. "Perhaps I won't have to spend so much on tent patches now."

Izzie was one of her oldest circus members, one of her closest friends. She could look over the more silly aspects of the woman's personality. Her inspection complete she turned and she looked over the rest of her family as they trickled in one by one.

The strongman, it didn't look like putting the tent up had even broken a sweat. He had become someone she leaned on heavily when it came time to set up and break down. A true pillar of Circus life.

Art. He seemed happy, if the bouncing in his step was any clue. Perhaps someone had said something nice to him. She worried about him fitting in sometimes. A slime made human, or a human wearing a slime's form. Fitting in wasn't exactly a strong suit.

The newcomer. Isabella. Aveira found her gaze resting on her for a moment longer than the rest. It would be her first real performance. She would have to remember to pull her aside for one final run-through of the show. The first was always nerve-wracking. She had known it to be too much for some, that they would disappear in the confusion of set-up and never be seen again. Ever since the first Aveira had been sure to give each newbie as much one on one time as they needed. It didn't always work but at least she could say she tried.

"Welcome once again to Circus Fantasia." Her voice naturally took on a more projecting and commanding tone. This change was copied and mimicked in almost every aspect of the tulpa. Her form became more solid, her being more distinct. She smiled. "As you all know, when the sun goes down, our performance will begin. It's been a long time since we stood on these shores and we've created quite the buzz in town. We're expecting a large crowd. As such, does anyone have any concerns that we need to address before we open?"