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Post by Noka on Jul 9, 2008 19:44:23 GMT -5
Bernard flinched as the whip connected with his skin, the flames creating a searing pain as they cut through his layers of fur and flesh before withdrawing. He focused, aiming to keep his balance on the small stool and stole a glance at Raychel's face. She was clearly upset about the accident and Bernard wished he could tell her that everything was alright. He felt something hot and sticky snaking its way through his thick fur, and knew it was his blood. That would have to be cleaned thoroughly later. The lights were cut for a change in the act, and Bernard quickly jumped down from the stool and trudged over to the corner of the tent where him and his brother usually switch animals. He shifted into human form to get a good look at the cut. It wasn't too deep but it was long, and that made it look a lot worse than it really was. He grabbed a cloth and wiped the blood off of his chest, and applied a bit of pressure to attempt to stop the bleeding. He would bandage it up, but with part of his act still left over, the bandage would just end up falling off when he had to shift yet again.
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Post by Rose's Thorn on Jul 9, 2008 21:10:47 GMT -5
Leo jumped off his particularly tall stool to the dirt ground, thoroughly ignorant of the entire event that had pa$$ed. As he walked, he transformed into a huge white tiger. He felt more at home on the ground now, more settled and comfortable. Sure, bears walked on all fours, but tigers were just more apt at it.
He walked up to his brother, who he could barely see in the pitch blackness, and was stunned to see that he was in human form, until he saw the dark streak on his side.
Leo stared, aghast, opened his jaws, shut it, and immediately transformed into human form.
"Dude," he whispered, terrified that the lights would come on any second, "what the hell happened?"
Leo looked at the cut, a dark, black gash against his skin. Leo squinted and found he had a harder time seeing in the dark than before and morphed back into the white tiger.
Then he saw, behind Bernard, Raychel practically sobbing at the gate edge.
What the...
Belle prepared herself to start up the false flames again, to reannounce the amazing animal tamer and her wild tigers. She could almost feel her gut reject the idiotic thoughts.
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Post by Blue on Jul 9, 2008 22:42:02 GMT -5
Leslie saw Raychel crying, and whispered something to her brother, they had to act fast, the next act was scheduled in 1 minute, and the flame princess didn't look up to preforming.
Dominique listened to his sister, sensing her urgency and ran over to Belle. He spun her around. "Belle, we need you to go out there and announce me and my sister. I know Ray's supposed to go on with the boys, but its not happening now. This is important."
Raychel walked away from the others, she walked as far as she could without being out of the guards range. she sat down, tore off her mask, layed her head on her knees, and cried. She cried for Bernard, for others for ruining the show, for herself for doing something so horrible, but mostly, she cried because she was afraid she had became the one thing she swore she would never become.
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Post by Rose's Thorn on Jul 9, 2008 23:04:46 GMT -5
Leo looked wildly around, thoroughly confused. What was she doing? She was the ring leader - she was in more acts than anyone. How could she break down now?
The lights would go up in a matter of minutes. If Raychel wasn't ready for him and Bernard, what the hell were they going to do?
Leo knew the penalties - and for a mistake this serious, they might all get it. Bernard's injury, though something to worry about, was simply a tiny problem to deal with later. In this circus, the show went on, or the performers were punished.
Leo pawed over to Raychel, and, as he was pawing, transformed into his human self. He stood up on two legs and walked to her, touching her shoulder.
"Raychel - Raychel, come on..." Her body shook under his hand - crying. More urgently, he quietly added from the mask of the crowd's murmuring (they could never shut up - nothing short of the flame dragon ever shut that crowd up), he asked, "Raychel, what's wrong?"
Belle looked at Dom and was startled. His gleaming eyes, soft and urgent in the vague light from the tent entrance, told her she had to. But she couldn't - it was hard enough just to memorize what she had to say when she introduced Ray's acts. How could she...?
"But what can I say?" she asked Dom. And what was wrong? The trapeze weren't even ready! "Sh-should someone pull down the animal cages? Set up the trapeze? I...what should I say? Dom, what's going on?"
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Post by Blue on Jul 10, 2008 6:27:11 GMT -5
Dominique knew she was upset an scared,, but he also knew that there was no choice. So he put his hands on her shoulders, in a firm but comforting way and he spoke. "Its OK, I can handle the props fine. I just need thirty seconds. And as for what your going to say, just let it flow. You'll be fine. I promise."
Raychel's voice when she spoke came out broken and to the others, who always saw her as the strongest, it was scary. "I did it, I'm sorry Bernard, I'm soo sorry. I didn't mean to become him. I don't want to become him. But I did, I became him. I'm so so sorry." In a rash, desperate move to protect herself from what she'd done, Raychel threw up a flame barrier, not hot, or painful, just solid.
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Post by Rose's Thorn on Jul 10, 2008 10:48:21 GMT -5
Leo gasped as the wall of cool flames shot up around her, and desperately made an attempt to hold onto her, to talk some sense into her, but only grabbed the frail cloth of her dress, tearing in his grasp. He heard a rip, and looked down at his hand, the bright orange-red cloth in his fingers. He looked back to Ray, seeing the tear in her dress through the flickering wall of flames, and the thick, white lines painting her skin from beneath the rip.
White lines...?
"Raychel, what's going on?" he asked her. The audience was now shushing, expecting a new act to start.
Belle was biting her lip frantically. She hated getting up in front of people - she really hated it. The only thing she hated more than that was this circus.
"All...alright..." she breathed out, snatching Dom's hand and squeezing it tightly for the support she needed, feeling the rough contours of his hand in her fingers. She dropped it and took a breath, turning around.
What the...
Ray's fire had burst up around her - it was hard to tell what was happening exactly, but she could distinctly make out Leo beside her.
What the hell is going on around here? she mentally demanded, beginning to become frustrated with everyone. Were they all suicidal?
As surely as she could make herself, she walked to one of the side rings, hoping to allay attention from the ring of fire. She burst up false flames around it, along the outside of the ring, wasting time that way so that Dom would have more time to set everything up, and she could have more time to think of what the hell she was going to say. The crowd was, as she knew they would, oohing at the idiotic display of colorful rings. She only hoped she wasn't illuminating anything that was supposed to otherwise remain in the dark.
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Post by Blue on Jul 10, 2008 11:27:02 GMT -5
Dominique quickly teleported to the stages, wire in his hands, and tied it up as quickly as he could. as soon at the wire was done, he noticed the cage lowering. 'Way to go, sis!' In a matter of moments, he and his sister were both on their platforms ready to go. It had taken all of thirty seconds. Perfect.
Raychel didnt even notice that her dress was torn, the warmth of her sheild blocked out the cold winter air from outside the tent. "I'm sorry.... I'm soo sorry..."
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Post by Rose's Thorn on Jul 10, 2008 13:13:25 GMT -5
"Raychel," Leo tried to urge, ignoring the white scars. "We have to go...now...What's wrong?" he tried again. He glanced up at Dom and Leslie, infinitely grateful that they'd thought to skip Ray's act. He transformed himself into a small bird and flew high over the flames, flapping down inside of Ray's tiny shield, re-transforming into a human. "Raychel..." he tried again, hoping the urgency in his tone would coax her out. Make her realize what was happening.
Belle took a breath, and created a bright explosion to signify a new act starting. Then she focused a ring of luminous light around herself.
She knew the mike she'd used before was still on her from the act with Ray and the boys, and hadn't been permanently turned off because she was supposed to announce again now anyway.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" she boomed, her heart racing. "I now bring you an act that defies the laws of physics, and stares death in the face!" She paused a moment, letting the word "death" that always caught people's attention hang in the air. "I present to you, the incredible, the daring, the spectacular...Betae and Galliant!"
The crowd exploded in the typical, customary cheers. She let her own lights down, purposely darkening the ground below, sucking the light from the fire away, and dulling it enough that no one really paid it much attention. Someone else flicked on the trapeze lights, the electronic lights that were used regularly.
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Post by ellolovliii on Jul 10, 2008 19:25:42 GMT -5
Stupid audience. A single little flicker and they go wild... Chuck's eyes were able to focus out the created darkness after so many years in this circus and lock onto the dulled flames in the corner. Despite being the head decurity guard, which required years of service in the circus, he knew the audience members never changed: kids turned to adults who created kids with the same short attention spans and easity-amused minds. They would never realize something was horribly wrong. "What the he11 is she trying to pull...?" He eyes narrowed suspisiously and mumbled to himself under the crowd's cheering. He felt bad for Raychel....he was her favorite performer, by far, and although he wasn't allowed to converse with any of the performers, he admired her abilities. She was going to get it after the show....along with the rest of the performers spalled out of their regular routine, not from him, he personally thought beatings were too harsh, but from the rest of the guards who either sickly enjoyed their work or were afraid of losing their job. He sucked on his lollipop and rubbed his electric nightstick with his thumb. They looked like they had it under control; better to let the show go on than end it with swarming personnel. He watched, ready to pounce if anything went disarray. (i snuck in haha )
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Post by Noka on Jul 10, 2008 21:34:43 GMT -5
((lol that's amazing, Chuck's a guard)) Bernard watched the barrier, barely able to see his brother inside. He shielded his eyes against the light and hoped that Leo could snap Raychel out of it before Leslie and Dominique's act ended. They were sure to get it after the show, but if they couldn't snap Raychel out of it soon, the beatings would be worse than ever. He shuffled over to the barrier and said in a hushed voice, "Ray, I'm okay, really. It was just an accident, I know that and so does everyone else." Anjok, obviously worried, shuffled around nervously by the barrier. "Raychel, Leo.... I'm coming in," he proclaimed, and with that, smashed his way through the barrier and stole a glance at Leo's face before looking down at Raychel. He hoped he hadn't drawn any attention to themselves. He sat down next to Raychel, placing his arm around her waist. "Ray, are you oka-" his voice trailed off as he noticed the thick white marks populating her back where her dress had ripped. "....Ray.... What are these from?" he questioned, gently touching her back with his fingertips.
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Post by Blue on Jul 10, 2008 21:53:17 GMT -5
Raychel flinched as Anjok's cold fingertips traced their way down the scars on her back. Each scar was another bad memory, another punishment from someone she should've been able to trust, but couldn't. Her father. For as long as she could remember, Her father was the monster under her bed, the demon inside her closet. Long story short, Raychel's father abused her.
That's why she was against the whip, one of his favorite toys.
That's why when she hit Bernard, even though it was only a minor injury, she couldn't stand it, she didn't want to become him.
Raychel's voice was small and broken, terrified of what the others would think if she told them. "My dad." she answered Anjok's question simply, but it was all she was able to explain before she began to cry into his chest. Her father was the only person she never felt safe from, and she had the scars to prove she never would be.
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Post by Noka on Jul 10, 2008 22:08:17 GMT -5
Anjok's heart rate sky rocketed at the thought of Raychel's father doing something like that to her. He would see to it that the bastard got what he deserved somehow. He was caught off guard when she suddenly buried her head in his chest and cried. He places his hand on the back of her head and stroked her hair gently, "Why didn't you ever tell me?" He was doing his best not to get up and track down the a$$hole that called himself her father.
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Post by Rose's Thorn on Jul 10, 2008 22:09:19 GMT -5
<<Whoot! Ali time.>>
Leo jumped back when Anjok broke in, but nobody more welcome could have come in right at that moment. Maybe he could break her out of her stupor.
And then Raychel mentioned her father.
Leo held his breath. Her father...? he wondered. Her father created drastic white scars along her back...? Those bumpy things, deep and rugged? His heart pined for her, and he bit his lip.
He shook his head, clearing his mind and remembering the foremost important thing. There was something of much more immediate importance to attend to.
"Guys..." he started. "I understand that Ray is having a 'moment', but we really, really, really, really need to get out of here..."
But the look at their faces, the way he could tell Anjok's heart was bleeding, and the way that Ray was in a state of emotional collapse, he knew no one was moving.
But he couldn't give up if he valued his life. "Guys..."
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Post by Blue on Jul 10, 2008 22:29:46 GMT -5
Raychel cried. "Why didn't you ever tell me?" she heard anjok ask, his voice full of hurt. " Because...." she spoke into his chest, choking back sobs. "Because he scares me. Because I still have nightmares about him. Because when ever I think of him, I become weak, and I cant handle being weak... I hate what he's done to me..."
Raychel barely heard what Leo said, but he was right. She tried to stand up, but her shaky legs couldn't hold all her weight, she fell back to the ground. "Anjok, Leo's right, we need to get back stage. The twins are almost done."
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Post by Noka on Jul 10, 2008 22:53:58 GMT -5
Anjok nodded in agreement, wishing in his head that he could take away all of Raychel's pain. "Yeah.... You're right," he muttered, almost incoherently, and stood up. He looked down at Raychel and extended his hand out to her, giving her a rea$$uring smile. Bernard let out a sigh of relief. Finally things were getting back to running smoothly. He waved his arms over his head like crazy, and whispered, "Leo! Leooooo. Leeeeoooooooo. I'm confused, now that the order's out, who's going on next? Us right?"
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