The Majikus Circus. 8D Five Years Ahead~

"I don't know about the being able to refuse part, myself," Kioko admitted. "The whole being controlled by someone else bit? That I've got experience with. But you're right, you know. Either way it's a terrifying thing to have to go through." Her lips twisted briefly in a frown. "I really, really wish you wouldn't hate yourself over this. If anything, it's more my fault than yours. I'm the one who walked right into her trap because I couldn't mind my own business. If not for that you wouldn't have been influenced by that ability she has."

"Yes, much worse," the pyro agreed. "We wouldn't have had a chance if Raphael had been one of the guys she took control of." Lacing her hands together behind her back, Kioko stretched out, shaking her head once the psychic began apologizing again. "Hey, quit it. I already said I wasn't mad at you, and everyone knows you weren't in your right mind. Besides, it's not like getting tied up is the worst thing that's happened to me while I've been kidnapped," she said.

-------

With the excitement in the main tent over, and everyone (mostly) okay, Adriel slipped out without saying anything to the other members. Probably a bit rude on her part, but at the moment she was too wrung out to really pay attention to it. The sky had darkened rapidly since her and Maya had entered the tent, and the brunette headed directly for her van. Inside, she kicked off her boots and dropped onto her bed with bothering to change clothes. Exhausted, Adriel rolled over onto her back and managed to pull the comforter over herself before dropping off to sleep.

-------

Having finally gotten Lionel tucked into his crib, Disera quietly stepped outside of the van, shifting into her raven form on the steps. She flapped her way onto the roof of the van, landing close to Kanec where he lay sprawled out in his tiger form. "You know, our bed is alot more comfortable than the roof. Come on. I just got Lionel to sleep. It's your turn," the shifter said, gently tugging on a tuft of fur near his neck with her beak.

-------

"I feel Kioko might not be as forgiving as you, though. I cannot imagine she liked being bound and silenced," the magician said. "Even someone with her mild disposition has their limits."

"I would never forget it," Selvai replied with a smile. "Especially since you are the only one here who could break through my barrier. A fact of which I am very glad for, especially today." He pushed a few stray strands of hair from his face, allowing himself to sway to the side as she elbowed him. "Training, hmm? I will be looking forward to it."

"It was still three weeks without you," he said as she patted his cheek. Selvai leaned into the brief kiss, the corners of his mouth turning downward slightly when she pulled away. When Karene leaned lightly on his head, the magician turned his eyes upward, looking at her without moving his head. "We can still spend some time together," he said, winking as he smiled up at her. "I doubt anyone will be disturbing us tonight, you know."

"Yes, it would have been very hard for it to go ahead without you here," he laughed, following her lead as he pushed himself up from the steps and dusted off his clothing. "Although Erik would have probably volunteered to be your stand-in," the magician mused as he headed inside the van.

------

Standing just outside the circus entrance, an unfamiliar figure held out one hand, brushing her fingertips against the barrier that was surrounding the area. She pushed against it gently, not surprised when it rebuffed her. Well, it wasn't as though she expected anything else, considering the many people that this circus appeared to house. It would have actually been a disappointment if there wasn't some sort of magical protection over the place, if it were true that Selvai had decided to take up with them.

The night wind began to pick up, ruffling short, loose curls. Pulling her jacket closed, the blonde headed back in the direction of the town. She'd come back tomorrow, when the circus was open. It would have been rude to barge in this late anyway, barrier or not.

"Oh... I'm sure I'll get over it. Eventually." Garath murmered, throwing a quick smile at the pyro sat next to him before shrugging slightly; A quiet sigh slipping from his lips as he leant bac on the bleachers, elbows resting on the wood. "I can't help feeling bad about it... It's probably... Just because of how it felt, though. Like... I could have done what I wanted, but chose not to. It makes it feel like... Almost like I wasn't really being controlled and that the whole thing was just me being stupid."

He paused, then shrugged again, smiling apologetically at Kioko. "I'm sorry for hating myself for it, though." He chuckled, stopping short to frown heavily as she spoke. "Woah. Don't go pushing the blame on yourself. That could have happened to anyone. In fact... The Circus being what it is, it would have only been a matter of time before someone went to look into it."

He spent a moment looking concerned, then shook his head. He wholeheartedly agreed with Kioko on the Raphael issue. They'd have stood very little chance if he'd been there. Or at least, if he'd ended up under Neva's control.

"All right, all right." He said with a slightly amused smile. "I'll stop apologising, happy?" Chuckling, he turned hiis gaze back to the Ring, noting that all the others had left, before pushing himself to his feet. "Well. We should probably get going, hm?" Garath suggested, smiling over his shoulder. "If... You feel up to it... We can go into town tomorrow. Definately." He grinned, then waved, before padding off towards the tents entrance, intent on getting to his van and just... Well. Just try to forget the whole thing. probably. Besides. He had a big issue to deal with tomorrow.

It was about time he came clean to Kioko.

~~~

"It's Kioko... If she is holding a grudge, it won't be for long," Patting Selvai's head, Karene grinned at him, before returning her hand to where it had been resting and simply leaning on it. She laughed quietly at the magicians words regarding her "training" statement, rolling her eyes as she glanced skyward. "There's no guarantee." She snorted. "I might just pass you a book and leave you to study in silence."

Smiling amusedly, the caramel haired woman blew a strand of hair from her face, eyes following the movement of a couple of members in the distance. The sky had darkened, although there were still powerful streaks of orange and purple present; And many members had by this point turned on their van lights, casting baleful circles of brightness about the quickly darkening grounds.

Smiling, Karene looked back towards her fiancee. "Hm. Yeah. I missed you too. Three weeks seems to last a good while when you're missing someone." She grinned, raising an eyebrow at Selvai's following statement and rather blatant wink. She just looked at him, face amused, before she finally responded.

"Really now?... That's an idea," She laughed. "And I should certainly hope not. Not on my first night back, anyway." She added, returning his wink and laughing again. She had to snort at his following statement as the magician stood himself up. "Like I'd allow Erik to lay his hands on you. Give it a couple of days and you'll officially belong to me." She chuckled, shoving Selvai gently in the back as he retreated into the van.

She glanced back towards the grounds for a moment, glancing skyward again before shaking her head, expression still amused. She eventually just turned on her heel and followed her fiancee into the van, being sure to lock the door behind her. It barely dawned on her that she hadn't quite explained yet why she had dissappeared for three week, but she chose not to bother mentioning it. Not tonight, anyway. She'd spend tonight with Selvai, without the worry, the explanations could come later. Besides, she was going to need to speak to Raphael about it soon. Probably tomorrow. Seeing as he was the one to send her out in the first place.

Y'know, as soon as Dravius had finished his last sentence, it occured to him that it hadn't come out right at all and oh shit. Now he had only hurt her feelings MORE. He was.....really bad at this. Angel's quiet giggling wasn't really helping him concentrate, either, and he was actually getting rather desperate. What should he dooooo? Dravius was actually quite ready to just shut up and leave for a bit, because it only seemed as if he was going to make it worse if he kept saying things. Anything at all. He really was terrible at explaining himself. Everything he said just seemed...to come out wrong. Really wrong.

That's not what he meant at all, and Maya's harsh tone made him wince slightly, tucking his hands into his pockets. Dravius got to his feet and said, "I'm shit at this, so I'm just going to leave and try again later." He then bent and scooped up Angel, setting the infant on his hip and leaving the van, sighing to himself. The Co-Master pinched the bridge of his nose and ran his hands through the front of his hair, making it stand almost straight up, the palm-sized bit of hair near his forehead defying gravity.

"Angel, what do I do?" Dravius muttered, staring at the young girl. "I messed up pretty badly, hunny bun." He sighed heavily through his nose and gave Angel a quick squeeze, lifting her up so she could sit on his shoulders, wandering aimlessly through the circus grounds.

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

Tapp and Spyne had been very disappointed when Xavier chose to leave, and the girls were extremely torn between wanting to trail after him and the urge to do exactly what he told them to do. Spyne whined slightly, her huge grin turning into a slight pout. "Well, that seems easy enough, I suppose." She said, a slight whine in her tone. Both girls had snickered slightly at Erik's outburst, and Tapp turned around to put her hands on her hips and sneer at Erik.

"Well, Mis-ter Er-ik, maybe you should grow a spine." Tapp mocked, tilting her head to the side and chuckling quietly. Spyne snickered slong with her sister and ruffled Erik's hair, dark hand mussing the shifter's ginger mop. "Exactly." The second sister stuck her tongue out at Erik, still snickering.

She thought she had been doing rather well, actually. Maya had managed to keep most of her emotions in check, despite still feeling increasingly upset by the whole thing. It was probably only made worse by the fact she still couldn't quite bring herself to blame Dravius entirely, and therefor had an awful lot of accusation which she couldn't direct at anyone. Well. Neva maybe, but right now she was elsewhere.

Sighing to herself, the blonde smushed her face back into the duvet, feeling her heart sink as Dravius supposedly moved from the bed. She listened in silence, noting his footsteps to the van door. She should have expected it, really... That was the Co-Master's way of dealing with things. Running away.

Honestly, it didn't really bother her that much, but he had done little to contradict her words. It made her feel a little like he didn't care, and a little like he just wasn't willing to... Well. Explain anything, really. She understood his words, about not being very good at apologies. She'd been around him long enough to know that. But to just up and leave her here wondering was probably the stupidest thing he'd done. But fine.

If that's what he wanted. Fine. He could go mope elsewhere then if it made him feel better. Shifting herself onto her elbows, Maya pushed herself up so that she was sitting, looking forlornly at the messed up blocks where Angel had been playing. Lifting herself off the bed, the butterfly padded over to them, before crouching down and methodically placing them back into the box in which they came.

That done, she stood and padded over to the door, being sure to switch on the table lamp that resided just by the bed, seeing as it was getting very dark in here, before looking out at the grounds. She pouted, then stepped outside before flaring her wings. She waited for a minute or two, shuddering slightly as the temperature dropped, before heading back into the van; Being sure to leave the door open.

She couldn't help feeling that this was blown all out of proportion. Probably partly her fault as well as Dravius', but his walking off had only made it worse. Sighing, Maya walked over to the window located at the back of the van, before seating herself in a chair that resided just by it, another small table lamp located on a table to one side. Leaning one side her forehead against the cold glass, she pulled her legs up and wrapped her arms around them, closing her eyes. There was no point going to sleep until Dravius returned. It'd probably be slightly awkward if left like that, and sleeping on negative feelings was a bad thing to do, anyway.

~~~

Angel, who had been perfectly content to just... Pile up her bocks, had paid very little attention to her parents or anything else for that matter. Therefor her fathers sudden appearance and interruption had caught her completely by surprise, and as he lifted her off the ground she gave a little squeal, keeping a firm hold of one of her blocks. She eventually dropped it, just before Dravius actually stepped foot outside the van.

Looking around his arm and pouting at the poor, defenceless block she'd dropped, she only pulled her gaze back to him to watch him fluff his hair up. The little girl giggled, and tried to help him with this most wonderful idea. Unfortunately she wasn't big enough to reach his dark locks from where she was currently located. She gave up to look at her father wide-eyed as he spoke.

What was he talking about. What did he want to do. "B'ox?" She asked, wobbling in his arms. Maybe he wanted to play with her blocks?... That was always a good idea. She had been about to pout at him when he suddenly moved again, and she clung firmly onto his head as he placed her on his shoulders. "Nuh," She muttered, trying to wriggle off his shoulders and back into his arms, somehow managing to get her face on par with her Father's. She smiled at him, using her hands to investigate his nose. And his eyes. And his face in general. And that shiny little ring in his ear. It was so... Sparkly.

Giggling, the little dark haired baby opened her mouth and pressed her face into Dravius'. She thought she did rather well, giving Daddy a kiss like that. But the close proximity of his face made her giggle at him because he looked funny, and then she promptly clung to his face, only losing interest when she saw the bright colours on th horizon of the darkening sky. It reminded her of Mommy's wings.

"Buh," She stated, clinging to her father's neck. "Ma," She added, the word ended in a long winded yawn before she resorted to smushing her face into Dravius' shoulder.

((OHP. NOPE. WAS GONNA POST. BUT PALOMA CAME OVER.))

THANKS A LOT. :<

|:

WHAT. WHAT.





WHAT.

Dravius had been quite surprised at the level of wriggling skill Angel showed, and even more surprised at the little girl's surprise kiss. The gesture made him grin and chuckle a bit, especially when the ever-so-self-satisfied look came over Angel's face. He then hugged her briefly and looked out at the horizon with some concern. There were clouds brewing in the rapidly darkening distance, and the temperature was dropping. The shirt he had been wearing was actually extrordinarily thin, and a slight chill was carried in the soft breeze.

Dravius turned and headed for his old van, the door still slightly ajar from Neva's sorting through it, and ducked inside, pulling the door shut behind him from the chill. The van was a mess, as always, papers scattered everywhere, and the usually carefully kept records spread over the desk in pushed up against the far wall. Dravius set Angel down for the few seconds it took him to put on a slightly thicker white long-sleeved shirt, unusually pristine, and a white, zip-up hoodie with a black and white whale on one side of the chest.

Scooping his daughter up, the Co-Master decided to head back outside and try to talk to Maya again, totally missing the loud pounding of rain against the roof of the van he was in. Within the first few steps out of the van, however, the rain was kind of hard to miss, considering that it only took about ten seconds for Dravius' hair to become slicked to his head, and his shirt almost completely transparent.

"Oh, fuck," Dravius, muttered, forgetting for a second he was holding a one year old. He then decided to just make a straight dash for the other van, sprinting through the open door and shoving it shut behind him. He was panting slightly and soaked to the skin. He quickly shook his head, not too dissimilar to a dog, and swiftly changed Angel out of her sopping wet garments, putting her in a longer skirt and long sleeved shirt, and ploppong her on the floor back near her blocks. Dravius then proceeded to just stand there, still slightly out of breath, and stare at Maya leaning against the window. "Uhm. Hi?" He waved weakly as drips of water traced down his face.

"I should hope so," Kioko said jokingly. She pulled her legs up, crossing them underneath her. Leaning forward, the pyro propped her elbows on her knees as she continued. "Well, okay, but. If you hadn't been controlled, you wouldn't have acted that way, right? The way I see it, that proves that you weren't in control during the whole thing, no matter what you were feeling."

"Good." Kioko looked back at Garath over her shoulder. "How about we agree that you don't blame yourself for what happened when you were controlled, and I don't blame myself for you getting taken over by that harpy to begin with. Okay?" she asked. "Since it seems like we're just going back and forth with blaming ourselves for things we couldn't control anyway." The pyro dropped her hands into her lap, tugging at the hem of her shirt.

"Well, I'm happi-er," she laughed. The white haired girl pushed off of the bench as well, dusting off her pants. "Probably. It's getting late," Kioko told him, returning the smile. "Plus, it sounds like it's starting to rain," she added, pulling a face at the sound of raindrops hitting the fabric of the main tent.

"Yeah, we definately need someway to unwind after today," Kioko told him, returning his wave as Garath headed towards the tent entrance. The pyro hesitated for a moment, twisting the hem of her shirt between her fingers, before running after the psychic. "Hey, Garath!" She called out, stopping beside him. "Um, I don't really know if this town has a movie theater, or anything like that, but if it does, would you like to go see a movie with me tomorrow?" she asked quickly, a deep blush spreading across her face. "It's okay if you don't, I just thought it might take our minds off of everything that's happened today."

At the somewhat unexpected sensation of movement, Angel pulled her face away from her Father's shoulder without actually losing contact with his arm. She "buh'd" some more at him as he walked, lifting her head off his shoulder long enough to watch a few passing clouds overhead; Before the view was obscured by a van ceiling.

As Dravius set her down, the dark haired baby just looked at him, before immediately getting to all fours and crawling madly towards a nearby pile of stuff. Oh goody. Angel always did love Daddy's van. He had so much stuff in here, but she was never allowed to play with any of it. Maybe she could crawl over there fast enough to at least have a peek at all this wonderful stuff?...

Oh, nope. Nope. Definately not fast enough. Angel was lifted from the ground with another squealed giggle, and clung onto her Father's neck as he left the van as quickly as he had come. The unexpeted rain caused the little girl to wriggle, glancing skyward, eyelids flickering, before she pushed her face into Dravius' neck in an attempt to cover herself from the wetness. She barely even noticed Daddy fleeing for the van.

At the first sign of lack of rain, Angel peeked over Dravius' shoulder, gurgling as he shook his head and got her essentially more wet. She giggled as he started to get her out of her wet clothes, wiggling about as she was plopped on the floor and going on to maul her block box.

Maya had been more or less still where she had sat herself, slightly dozing as Dravius reappeared, going on to change little Angel. She looked at him for a second, before turning her gaze back to the window. Huh. She hadn't really paid heed to the weather, and was slightly surprised to note the droplets now staining the outside of the glass. Not to mention the steady drum that was now emanating from the roof.

Sighing through her nose, the blonde looked back towards the Co-Master, idly noting his, ah... Wet state. Maya couldn't help but think that it was a real shame the hoodie covered the rest of him. Still didn't prevent her bristling a little as he spoke, though.

Hi?... That was all he had to say after walking out like that?... Maya shook her head, and pressed it lightly against the now cold glass again. It was useless to expect anything more from him, she supposed. Useless to even hope he'd try and explain. Or even apologise for just upping and leaving. Sighing, the butterfly turned her head enough so that she was able to watch her daughter tackle the box of blocks. After a moment of watching the little girl, Maya then stood herself up, and looked back towards Dravius.

"Why are you so damn backwards?" She asked, looking slightly upset. "You just walk off and leave me here thinking you couldn't give a damn enough to explain." She shook her head, then stared at the van wall, a short silence following her words. "Five years and it feels like you still don't know how to talk to me." She murmered, before shaking her head again and flopping back into the chair, head in her hands.

"You don't just... Snog someone else, try to explain it in a sentence, then leave." She said quietly, dropping her hands, eyes on the floor. "... You... Are so frustrating sometimes." She stated disheartedly, eyes falling back on Dravius as she uttered her last word. Sighing, she ran a hand over her face, then went back to, well... For lack of a better word, staring at what she could obviously see through his now transparent shirt. Any other day it might have had her flustered somewhat.

It was a moment later she caught herself actually staring, and shook her head quickly. "Dravius," She muttered wearily, standing up again. "Why did you ever put on a white shirt in this?" Not that she was complaining, obviously. Not at all. In fact, if she hadn't been feeling let down by him at this particular moment in time, she probably would have mentioned, quite enthusiastically, how downright sexy he was in a wet shirt. Huh.

~~~

Oh great. Rain.

Glancing upward, towards the tent's canopy, Garath paused just beyond the entrance to the main Ring to listen as the steady drip-drop of falling water began to form a gentle sort of rhythm. He blinked, pulling his attention away long enough to look over his shoulder when he heard his name.

A small smile played on his face as Kioko scuttled over, raising his eyebrow as she spoke. A look of surprise crossed his face at her suggestion, and he had restrain a quiet laugh at her painfully obvious blush. She looked utterly adorable, and almost unconsciously Garath's hand moved so that his fingers brushed the young woman's face. It was almost instantly he noted this, and quickly withdrew his hand, still smiling slightly.

"You know... You're completely ignoring the idea that people like us shouldn't do normal things. I like it." He laughed, leaning forward to briefly hug Kioko. "And thank you." He added, before pulling away, stepping off again towards the Circus entrance; The one that led from the backstage area to the outer grounds, and holding the flap open. "I think... I might have to walk you to your van," He laughed. "Unless you want to get wet?" He grinned, glancing over his shoulder towards the Pyro.

Dravius had been expecting at least a minor outburst from Maya, and had been mentally preparing himself for it hands slipped into his pockets. He absently noted Angel scramble over to her blocks out of the corner of his eye, then letting his expression become progressively more worried as Maya began talking, looking extremely concerned by the time she flopped back into her chair by the window.

It's true. He was frustrating. And a terrible person. An awful example of a human being. Just as Dravius was about to enter a severe self-deprecation session, when he noticed Maya was staring at his torso, which made him worry that maybe he'd been somehow injured and was bleeding everywhere. No, nothing wrong-oh. His shirt was rather see-through. And by "rather" Dravius meant "TOTALLY FUCKING TRANSPARENT.".

"Uhm, well. I didn't realise it was raining until I got outside, and then I just made a run for it." Dravius took off his equally soaked hoodie, hanging it to dry on the back of a chair. "I can....take it off, I guess." He said, a little uncertainly, then tugged the shirt off over his head, plopping it down over another chair, then sitting on the floor near Angel, turning one of the little girl's blocks over and over in his hands repeatedly.

"I'm just.....I feel like every time I open my mouth, I make an ass out of myself, so I end up thinking it's just better to keep my trap shut." Dravius stared intently at the block, rotating it relentlessly. "I really do regret what I did, but I don't have any idea how to really explain myself..." He trailed off, still staring fiercely at the coloured bit of wood in his hands.

"Oh." Was Maya's only response to the Co-Master's explanation of how he had ended up soaked to the skin. Consdiering it was Dravius, it really wasn't such a hard thing to believe, really; And the blonde actually looked slightly amused as she imagined him just... Fleeing the rain. She was immediately pulled from her own thoughts as the Co-Master proceeded to remove his outer clothing, looking just as wet as his shirt; Which Maya found increasingly easy to focus on. Despite Dravius' scars and other imperfections, he really wasn't all that bad to look at. Not at all. In fact she was quite happy to just... Sit here and watch.

And Maya had, probably, been staring quite blatantly at him again when Dravius spoke, thereby disrupting her concentration. "Hn." Was all she had say as the dark haired male removed his shirt completely. "I wasn't... Really expecting you to walk around in it." She said, a small, indistinct smile playing on her lips. This expression cut short however, as Dravius plopped himself on the floor beside his daughter, proceeding to... Well. Explain.Or explain as well as he could

The blonde could only watch him, then sighed quietly. She knew Dravius well enough to know that it was very, very likely he was probably beating himself up about this more than she ever could. He did tend to punish himself more than was really necessary. As irritated as Maya had been, she had not really hated him for it, or not hated him as much as he was probably hating himself. In fact, those last words just made her shake her head at him, no longer looking upset not annoyed. All that she could do was look slightly incredulous.

"Why didn't you just say that earlier?" She asked, gesturing at the door. "Instead of just... Running away like you did. You made more sense just then than... Earlier. Look," Pushing herself to her feet, Maya padded over to where Dravius was sat, seating herself next to him and pulling the block out of his hands, which she passed to Angel.

"I can't understand if you don't say it. I know you don't make sense all the time... I'd probably have had as much trouble explaning as you if I'd- Well. You know. And... When you walk out like that, I just feel like... I don't know. Like you give up too easy?... Like this relationship isn't really... Worth it." She paused, then looked slightly ashamed of herself. "Besides... It's... Partly my fault, I guess. I probably took that a little... Hard. Technically you weren't the only one under that witch's spell so my... Uh. Feelings were slightly unfounded."

She fiddled for a moment with the hem of her dress. "I'm sorry." She said, looking back at him and smiling slightly. "This... Is going to sound really contradicting but... Please don't hate yourself for this. Really, that's my job," She teased, trying to lighten the mood. She eventually just gave up and hugged Dravius firmly around the neck, despite how wet he still was. "I really am sorry for making you feel like this. I still love you, though." She smiled, kissing him quickly on the cheek and returning to just hugging him.

It was really rather nice, and the blonde remained there for a minute or so before she pulled away, eyeing Dravius up and down at arms length. "I wasn't going to say anything because of all this but. I think you should wear wet shirts more often." She laughed. "It's really rather sexy... Not that the current lack of any shirt takes away from that in any way." She added quickly. There was a short silence, then Maya actually laughed, blushing slightly and turning her attention to her daughter.

She stifled another quiet laugh as she pulled her daughter into her arms and stood. "You know, Dravius. You could have just put her in her pajamas." She snorted, cuddling the little gurgling child as she walked over to the bed, retrieving baby pajamas from the wardrobe. The blonde quickly changed her daughter and then placed her in the crib that resided in the van. She pulled across the small, colourful screen that seperated the crib from the rest of the open room, acting almost like a small bedroom. That done, she looked at Dravius, then went back to the wardrobe.

"Here, you big oaf." She snorted, pulling out a fluffy towel and throwing it at her boyfriends head. Honestly. Why he didn't dry himself off earlier she didnt know, she couldn't help but smile amusedly at him, though. The doofus.

"I do have a spine, I'll have you know," Erik retorted, crossing his arms and shifting his weight onto one hip as he pouted at the pair of girls. "I simply get a bit unsettled when odd little children sneak up behind me. A perfectly normal reaction, I'd say. Now, why don't the two of you be good little children and go guard Neva like you were told to. I'm going to be out here." He scowled at the second sister when she ruffled his hair, quickly stepping away and attempting to fix his hair.

The shifter leaned against the van wall, arms still crossed as he stared down the pair of shadow girls. Let then make fun of him all they wanted, he was going to stand here all night- was that rain?

Erik jumped away from the side of the van as the downpour started, swearing as he ran through the rain towards his van. The redhead leapt up the stairs, nearly tripping in his haste to get out of the rain. Inside, he peeled off the soaked clothing with a grimace and tossed it into a hamper as he grabbed a towel and dried off. Standing in front of his dresser, he thought about getting dressed again, and going back to his vigil in front off Clarice's van. There was an umbrella in the van somewhere, and he had a raincoat.

Listening to the sound of the rainstorm as it increased in intensity, Erik sighed regretfully and began to dress for bed. As beautiful as Neva was, even she wasn't worth catching pnuemonia over. She'd still be imprisoned in the morning. Hopefully.

-------

Kioko's eyes widened as Garath's hand brushed against her face, and she briefly glanced down at the floor once he withdrew his hand. She did look up again when he hugged her, wrapping both arms around his neck briefly.

"Oh really? That's just dumb," Kioko said as they broke the hug. "And, you're welcome. I'm glad," she said with a laugh. Joining him at the tent flap, she looked out at the falling rain with a pout. "I'd really rather not." The pyro looped her arm through Garath's, grinning. "I suppose you'll have to be a gentleman and walk me home."

Dravius looked at least a little happier at Maya's order to quit beating himself up, and let her pull the block out from his hands. He always felt like he needed to be doing something with his hands, and his fingers were twitching absently, shoulders still rounded a little bit over.

Dravius straightened up and a smile pulled one corner of his mouth up. "Well, I'll keep that in mind, and go buy more white shirts." He chuckled quietly, a full grin in place on his face now. Maya's slight flush was rather adorable, and it made him want to wrap his arms around her. At the pajama comment, Dravius realised that he probably should have put the infant in her footie pajamas, which were one of the cutest things Dravius had ever seen in his life.

With that thought, the Co-Master immediately imagined Maya in footie pajamas, which gave him the urge to make his girlfriend a pair. No.

That was a terrible idea. Awful, even.

His contant train of thought was interuppted as a fuzzy towel wrapped itself around his face and neck. Pulling the cloth off of his head, he dried his hair, although it was now sticking up every which way, looking as if he had stuck a knife into a toaster. He didn't bother to put a shirt on, though, since it wasn't very chilly in the van at all. Dravius was suddenly very tired, and a huge yawn stretched his face.

Dravius got to his feet and crawled into the large bed on the other side of the van, smushing his back into the wall of the dwelling, and pulling the fuffy duvet up over his shoulders, still blinking lazily at Maya. "Come to bed?" He asked, yawning once again and patting the bit of matress next to him. His pants were still rather damp from the rain, so he wriggled out of them, leaving him in a pair of black boxers with tiny green mice.

"Oh, thanks for that little bout of confidence," Garath snorted, raising his eyebrows slightly as his gaze rested on the pyro stood next to him. "You could almost be calling me dumb, there." He added, looking both suitably insulted and highly amused. He blew at a strand of silver that hung over his eyes, before looking back towards the ten flap which he still held open.

Beyond was muggy and dark, the grass now slick with rain, the nearby tent-building equipment that had been left out shining with wetness, as well as the huge lorry that carried most of this equipment. A little further in the distance the vans began, their dim window lights glowing in the downpour. The psychic had been eyeing the bouncing droplets of water when he felt Kioko take his arm, and looked back at her expectantly, almost as though he had thought she was about to say something.

Which of course she did. Garath laughed quietly. "All right, then let's get going before this gets any worse." With that said, he gently tugged the pyro along as he stepped outside the tent entrance, his ability providing a shield through which the rain was unable to pass.

He walked in silence, directing himself towards where he knew Kioko's van to be, winding his way around the colourful vehicles. Of course, the darkness currently leeched them of colour, the only real proof of their brightness evident when placed alongside the light of their shining windows, though in the downpour even that wasn't quite as vivid.

After a few minutes of this, Garath eventually came to a stop just outside Kioko's van, which stood dark in the night, having had no-one to switch on the lights. "Here we go." He said, grinning sideways at the albino. "Well then, miss." He started. "I shall bid you goodnight."

Grinning, Garath leant down slightly to place a very brief, almost uncertain kiss on the young woman's cheek, then saluted before turning on his heel. He was still grinning slightly, as he padded off towards his own van, his form disappearing in the misty haze of the heavy weather.

~~~

Well. At least he was smiling now, probably a good indication he wasn't torturing himself more than he really needed to. Still. Maya felt just a little dissapointed in herself, strangely enough. Here Dravius had acted, causing her a lot of distress. And yet she was the one apologising. She should have known it would come down to this, really.

Although, it didn't matter, she supposed... As long as he wasnt being all bluh over it... She probably wouldn't kiss him for a month or so, though. Snorting quietly, Maya shook her head, smiling slightly as she recalled Dravius' promise to go buy more white shirts. The oaf. She turned back to the wardrobe, only to be distracted as she heard the Co-Master move, looking back over her shoulder.

She had to hold back a laugh when she caught sight of his hair, watching in silence as he made his way into bed. Her first immediate thought was to tell him to get right back out and change into a pair of dry pants, or something. He was going to soak the bed otherwise, the doof, though he acted before she had much of a chance to actually mention it. Rolling her eyes, she padded over to the bed, took the Co-Masters wet clothes and placed them over the same chair where his shirt had been thrown.

She then went back to the wardrobe. "Give me a minute, will you." She snorted, an amused expression on her face as she rummaged around, eventually pulling out a short, pale mango coloured night dress and proceeded to change quickly into it. She then slipped between the small screen at the side of Angel's crib, tucking the little girl in before padding back towards the bed.

Before she even clambered into it she picked up her pillow and threw it at Dravius' face. "Don't ever get in the bed in wet clothes again, moron," She laughed, lifting herself onto the bed and retrieving her pillow. Slipping under the covers, the blonde edged herself towards Dravius, then settled herself onto her side and placed an arm around his torso. Smiling slightly, the butterfly kissed the Co-Master briefly, resorting to snuggling her face into the front of his shoulder with a murmered, "Goodnight,"

~~~

The next morning was very similar to the last, bright and airy, with only a slight starting mist thanks to the downpour the night before, although that soon evaporated. Very few members had risen, but even the slightest of noise made by those outside had woken Karene, and she pressed her face hard into her pillow for a moment before eventually just giving in.

Lifting her head, she grumbled under her breath, then looked at Selvai bleary eyed. "Nnn." She grumped, throwing off the duvet and proceeding to get herself dressed as quickly as possible. Her attire merely consisted of a pair of gray jeans and a white tank top. She took one look at Selvai, then leant across the bed and punched him in the shoulder. "Oi. Get up," She snorted, grinning slightly, and heading to the door. Any other day she would have left him to sleep. But they had the wedding to iron out. Not that it'd take long. The plans had already been made, the wedding ready to go ahead, only halted when Raphael asked Karene to... Well. When he sent her off on that little mission.

Speaking of the dear Ring-Master. She needed to speak to him a little later.

Stretching her arms, the woman hefted her caramel hair into a ponytail, creating a messy sort of style considering she hadn't brushed it yet. It didn't look half bad though, and she settled herself on the vans top stair, staring out at the grounds. The vans had all been spaced perfectly, making the Circus grounds seem larger and very spacious. It was very pleasant to look at. Leaning back on her arms, Karene Threw a glance back into her van before rolling her eyes, her face amused.

~~~

Angel had managed rather well, actually, sleeping through most of the night without much of an issue. As soon as it got light, though, she was wide awake, and very nearly got her face stuck in the crib bars as she looked at the pretty scene on the screen next to her cot.

She managed that a while too, completely in silence, before she started gurgling and "Ma"-ing and "Da"-ing all over the place. The noises she made eventually rose to a volume that would most likely reach her sleeping parents, and she remained sat with her face in the bars, waiting for one of them for her morning snuggle. She always insisted on the snuggle. Shortly followed by breakfast, then a good hour of play.

Maya, whose body seemed to have prepared itself for Angel's wake up call, was only dozing as she heard her daughter's gurgles, and was reluctant to let go of Dravius. She really had been rather comfortable where she was. She smushed her face firmly into the Co-Master's chest, then sighed, her voice muffled. It was only when Angel started wailing in complaint that Maya finally shuffled herself away, looking over at the colourful screen before pushing the duvet off herself and padding over.

"You, sweetheart, need to stop waking us up so early." She yawned, smiling slightly as she caught sight of Angel's face smushed between the bars. "You're going to get your face stuck one of these days," She laughed, leaning over and lifting the little girl into her arms. Angel almost immediately clung to her face. Or tried to. Her mother was putting up a bit of a fight which consisted of an awful lot of giggling and wriggling on Angel's part.

"Come on, you." Maya murmered, holding the wobbling baby's hands as she walked over to the chair, retrieving the clothes Dravius had put on Angel last night. Quickly changing the baby, Maya then plopped her on the bed for a moment or two as she got herself dressed, donning a pure white strap dress top, a single ruffle of material floating down the center; And a pair of light blue jean shorts. No doubt the weather would be warm again today. Or at least that's what she could see as she opened the blinds of the windows.

Needless to say, Angel had crawled over to the lump that was her father, and was now using him as a balancing post so that she could stand herself up, wobbling about as she did so, and gurgling loudly.

Dravius had been gently dozing when Maya chucked a pillow at his head, causing both his eyes to fly open, and him to chuckly slightly. The sheets really weren't very damp at all, and he appreciated his girlfriend hanging them up to dry. He grinned when she climbed in next to him, wrapping his arms around her and falling into a deep sleep, at least for him.

-----------

The Co-Master always muttered in his sleep, and that night was no different, the tall male waking up every few hours to sit up, look around blearily, and fall back asleep, his his face pressed into Maya's warm golden hair. He was surprised that Angel hadn't gotten up at least once during the night. Dravius was usually the one who got up to comfort the infant, and it was rather nice to be able to doze straight through the night.

Angel's wail was what woke Dravius in the morning, making the young man produce a small groan of protest and pull the covers up so that only his blue eyes and mop of black hair poked out from the duvet. He made another small noise as Maya left, blinking once or twice as she disappeared behind the screen.

Dravius pulled his arms out from under the covers and stretched them over his head, then running a hand through his already messy hair. He quickly rubbed his one good eye with the heel of his hand and let out a huge yawn. The tall male murmered a "Mmmhi..." as Maya and Angel came back into view, waving with a few fingers as Angel propped herself up using him.

The Co-Master sat up with another yawn, arching his back in a stretch and smiling almost lazily at Angel. "Mornin', hunny-bun." He then turned his gaze to Maya, and moved Angel to the floor while he got dressed. He pulled on a pair of dark-wash jeans, and a forest-green t-shirt with a white crow near the lower right hand corner of the front. He rubbed his eyes one more time and smiled absently, grabbing a small, bright pink hairbrush from a bedside table and began gently brushing out Angel's dark hair, settling the baby on his lap.

It was more difficult than she thought; This, standing herself up on the bed. The floor was too squishy. It was a good thing Daddy was where he was, cause leaning on him made the whole thing a lot easier. Angel gurgled in an accomplished sort of way, inching herself slowly up towards her father;s head, and bouncing slightly with a giggle as he waved at her. Daddy was funny, sometimes.

Gurgling some more, Angel pouted hugely as Dravius moved himself into a sitting position, falling away from him to roll on the bed. He had just disrupted everything, and at his morning greeting, the little dark haired girl merely grumped at him, wriggling in his arms as he placed her rather suddenly on the floor.

She sat there, looking intensely upset, up until the point Daddy came back from getting changed. Angel held her little arms out to him, "Da"-ing at him as he lifted her back into his arms, before shortly settling her on his lap and beginning to run a brush through her hair. Managing to sit still for almost thirty seconds, it wasn't long before the baby eventually got bored, and began a sort of wrestle with her father's brushing hand; Giggling madly.

Maya, who had finished opening the blinds to the van, and had moved back the colourful screen that surrounded Angel's cot, had watched Dravius deal with Angel's all-over-the-place hair. The little girl had most definately inherited her father's hair, colour and all, and the thought made the blonde smile slightly. It was no wonder the little girl's hair ended up so messy all the time.

"Good morning." She greeted Dravius with a quiet laugh, opening the door to the van and allowing a bright shaft of warm light to filter in. "Nice to see you wearing a t-shirt for a change. You might need it today," She laughed, looking around the doorframe towards the grounds outside. "It's very warm out here already."

Pulling her head back into the van, the butterfly-winged young woman smiled at Dravius and her daughter. "Come on. Let's go get some breakfast." She laughed, gently prodding her boyfriend in the head; Grinning as she walked towards the door, stepping quickly outside and making her way for the food van.

Despite being half awoken by Karene jumping out of bed, Selvai was happily prepared to drift back to sleep, and rolled over, burying his head under the comforter with the intention of doing just that. His peaceful dozing was cut short when the dark haired woman punched him unexpectedly, and the magician grunted, lifting the blanket to look at Karene. "Ow," he said half-heartedly. Sitting up, Selvai scrubbed at his face with back of his hand. "I'm awake," he told her. "No need for violence."

Still, the magician laid in the warm bed for another long minute, watching Karene arrange her hair into a loose ponytail and settle on the van step. It wasn't until she looked back at him and rolled her eyes in amusment that he finally rolled out of bed. Selvai pulled on a pair of jeans and a short sleeved, button up shirt, although he left it hanging open as he walked over to join Karene on the stairs. Stepping around her, he settled on the lower steps, leaning back against Karene's knees. "Good morning," he yawned.

Sighing quietly, Karene lifted her face skyward, closing her eyes tightly against the glare of the morning sun. Sheesh. To say it was so early, that sun certainly felt far warmer than it should. No doubt today would be a scorcher. Probably a very good excuse to go look for a lake or something to jump into. She probably should have put something a little lighter on than jeans, now that she thought about it.

Blowing out a heavy exhale, the caramel haired young woman opened her eyes as Selvai stepped out of the door, leaning slightly to one side so that he had room to pass. She raised an eyebrow at his unbuttoned shirt, snorting quietly as he settled himself against her knees. Shifting, Karene actually moved her legs apart so that she was able to scoot herself a little closer to the Magician, leaning her body against his back and laying her arms around his shoulders; One hand straying to rest against his bare chest.

"Why, good morning." She said with a grin, pressing one side of her face to the male's hair. "It's nice of you to join me out here." Blowing at a strand of brown, Karene pulled away a little to look at the back of Selvai's head, before returning to her original position, her fingers tracing intricate little patterns against the man's collarbone.

"I think... This ceremony could go ahead as soon as tomorrow, you know." She said, looking off in the distance. "Everything was more or less planned before Raphael asked me out on that little excursion of his." Here, she paused, then pulled her face away from Selvai's head to lean over slightly and smile at him. "What do you think?... It's fine if you want to wait a little longer, though. All things considered. We could give it a couple of days."

Inhaling deeply, the young woman pulled her arms up to cross them loosely around Selvai's neck, leaning slightly so that she could kiss the magician's marked temple briefly. "Speaking of our Ring-Master." She pondered, resting her forehead against the back of Selvai's shoulder. "I should probably go speak to him..."

It took about a second for Karene to decide that Raphael could wait. He wasn't going anywhere. Besides, she'd much rather stay here with her fiancee for now. "... Later." She added then, going on to nuzzle Selvai's ear with a concealed grin.

Dravius had been trying his best to get his daughter's hair under control, although his own mop was still quite mussed up, most of it attempting to defy gravity. He managed to get the little girl's hair into some semblance of order, putting it into a nice french braid before balancing the infant on his hip and turning to Maya.

"It does seem like it's going to be terribly hot, huhm?" The Co-Master mused, the outside world still a bit damp from the previous night's rain. Dravius had pulled on a pair of socks and black low-rise converse. He followed his girlfriend out into the already-warm morning sun, shading his eyes with one hand and giving a small yawn.

"I slept pretty well last night, actually." He said softly, still looking more than a little drowsy, and absent-minded smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. The food van only had a few people inside it this early, with most all of them looking fit to fall asleep in their eggs and toast. Dravius plopped Angel down in a high chair and sat next to her with another surpressed yawn, leaning his head on his hand.

Dravius turned to Maya and said, "Now that Karene's back, I betcha that the wedding's going to be soon." He rubbed an eye and brightened up as something seemed to accur to him. "Are you going to invite your mother? You should, I bet she'd enjoy it." He nodded to himself and leaned back on two legs of his chair, still looking extremely sleepy.

"Mmm." Selvai hummed in contentment when Karene placed her arms around him. "The view is rather stunning this morning. I simply could not resist." He turned his head just enough to brush his lips against her cheek, smiling.

"I think, that tomorrow would be a wonderful day for a wedding," the magician said, tilting his head enough to look back at her. He paused for a moment, raising an eyebrow. "Unless you would like to postpone it for a short while. You did just return from your trip, after all." He covered her hand with his own. "I would not mind if you wanted to."

Selvai "hmm"ed quietly when she mentioned the circus master, stroking Karene's hand with his thumb. "About that... It seems odd that Raphael would send you out on an errand so close to our wedding. It must have been rather important, yes? Are you allowed to speak with me about it?"

"Well... It's very hot already." Maya murmered, holding a hand over her eyes, gaze focused skyward. She had still been walking in the general direction of the food van as Dravius appeared, smiling at him as he walked alongside. "And it's nowhere near midday yet. It's only going to get hotter. Huh." She said suddenly, smiling at Dravius in a mischevious sort of way. "You might even have to take your shirt off later." She laughed, hugging the Co-Master's free arm and grinning openly, looking highly amused.

It was only when Dravius spoke again that she looked back at him, blinking. "That makes a change," She said with a smile. "And it's good, too. It's not often you sleep well. If at all." She added, letting go of the Co-Master's arm as they approached the food van. Angel had, surprisingly, remained mostly calm as her parents walked, merely gurgling at things that provided a passing interest, clinging firmly to her father's shirt.

As Dravius stepped into the van, Maya followed shortly after before heading for the counter and retrieving a selection of fruit and pancakes. She then joined her boyfriend at the table, sitting just to the other side of Angel's highchair, and seperating a single pancake for her, as well as a number of soft berries.

"Yeah... They were supposed to have had that ceremony a couple of weeks back," Maya replied with a slight laugh as she cut her daughters pancake into small pieces. "So it only makes sense they'd get married on her return," She smiled, placing the cut pancake in front of Angel with the small berries. "And why do you seem so bright at the idea of inviting my mother along?" She laughed. "Although I don't... Think it'd be a bad idea... She hasn't seen us for a while, huh, Angel?" Maya murmered, stroking a little bit of the little girls hair out of her face.

Angel, naturally, was busy stuffing her face as best she could by this point, her mouth and hands covered in juice within seconds. Maya just made a small "pff" noise, and got to wiping the little girl down with a tissue. Needless to say she kept a close eye on her daughters eating after that.

"I'm not sure whether she'd have time to get here, though." Maya mused, looking slightly thoughtful. "I mean... My home town is a long way from here, and that wedding is bound to go ahead within the next couple of days. She might not make it on time." She looked at Dravius for a minute, then shrugged. "Ill try get a hold of her, though."

Smiling slightly, the blonde turned back to her daughter, before pulling her own pancake onto a spare plate in front of her. "I'm rather looking forward to it," She added, referring of course to the upcoming wedding, picking up a strawberry and holding it out to Angel. "And you, sweetheart, are going to look absoloutely adorable in your little dress." She laughed as the dark haired baby mauled the fruit, giggling madly as she stuffed it in her mouth.

~~~

"Hmm. If you like the look of dampness in the morning sun," Karene grinned, snuggling her cheek against the black and white of Selvai's hair. "Although, no doubt that'll clear up." Shrugging, the caramel haired woman shifted herself slightly so that she was a little more comfortable, before looking at the back of the magicians head with a smile.

"Of course it will. If it doesn't rain." Karene laughed as she responded to her fiancee's words, glancing skyward as she did so. "I highly doubt it, though. What with the way this last week as been. I swear we'll all melt if this carries on." She leant her chin gently on the male's shoulder, then "pff'd" at him. "What's the point in waiting?... We had to wait three week when I left." She said. "I think tomorrow is fine. That's another thing I'm going to have to bug Raphael about then."

Laughing, the young woman cut herself short as Selvai asked his question. She didn't see how it could hurt, so long as she didn't go into detail. Raphael had been rather vague himself, but Karene knew enough to know that actually mentioning the real reason would probably just cause worry. All thing considered. Or at least, considering everything she'd been told.

"Hunh." She started, looking thoughtful, a small crease furrowing her brows. "He wanted me to look for someone, that's all. It was... An urgent sort of thing in Raphael's eyes. I didn't feel like I could turn him down, though. Besides. I had something to look forward to on my return, no?" She explained, smiling slightly. "Don't worry so much about it."

Patting Selvai's cheek, the young woman finally pushed herself to her feet, stepping past her fiancee so that she now stood just in front of the van, before leaning over to roll her jeans up so that they rested just under her knees. It really was going to be too warm for them. Straightening herself up, she looked back at Selvai for a moment, before holding her hand out to him. "Come on. We'll go get something to eat... Then I'll go annoy Raphael about things for tomorrow." She said, smiling.

Dravius blinked at Maya's question, which he probably wasn't supposed to answer. He did anyway, filching a bit of Angel's pancake and murmering, "Well, I just like your mom. She's nice." He began to nibble on the bit of pancake, still leaning back dangerously in his chair. He turned around a bit to grab a generous bunch of grapes, plucking a few off the stem to slip into his mouth.

Dravius couldn't stifle a laugh at Angel's berry-stained face, eating a few more green grapes, before adding, "Well, I get to look pretty fancy in a suit, too." He laughed quietly, running his fingers through his hair and yawning hugely. He then seemed to loose interest in the grapes and plopped them on Angel's plate, settling his chair back onto the ground.

He really had terrible posture, expecially when sitting down, bent forward quite a bit, his elbows settled onto the table. The Co-Master picked at a sliver of wood sticking up from the surface of the table, then said, "I'm looking forward to the wedding. Should be quite a bit of fun. Hopefully there's punch. I love punch." The last sentence was said almost wistfully, Dravius settling his chin on his hand.

"You two almost match. It's almost ridiculously adorable, actually." The Co-Master grinned widely, standing up and stretching his arms over his head, although he didn't get very far before his arms hit the ceiling of the van. Dravius stood behind Angel and ruffled her hair affectionately, still looking slightly sleepy.

"Oh, well. It's nice to know you like my mother." Maya laughed, using another tissue to wipe at Angel's face again, earning a couple of little flailing arms in her direction as she watched Dravius steal a little bit of pancake. "There's a whole plateful of that stuff in front of you, you know."

She gestured at the plate of pancakes that resided on the table between them, still very warm, accompanied by the selection of berries. The blonde shook her head, lips turned up at each end as she turned back to her daughter; Looking highly amused as the Co-Master spoke again.

"Mmm." She murmered in agreement, glancing back in the male's direction with a critical eye; A small smile forming on her face. "I can almost imagine it." She said with a laugh. "You in a suit. I'm sure you'll be absoloutely dazzling." She added with a slight exaggeration, slipping into another bout of chuckling as Angel helped herself to some pancake, fiddling around with it before copying Dravius' example and nibbling on it. It took about a second for her to get impatient with this slow way of eating, immediately stuffing the rest of it into her mouth and attemping to chew it down.

She paused only to look confusedly at the bunch of grapes her father had so bluntly plopped on her plate, and she swallowed her pancake with a loud gurgle as she went on to amuse herself with the many little green orbs. "Da. Beh." She stated, plucking off a grape and looking at it.

Her mother had gone on to eat a little more of her own pancake, only pausing to snort quietly at Dravius, looking at him with raised eyebrows. "What is it with you and punch?" She asked with another laugh, only half seriously as she watched him stand up. "Gosh. Why don't you just buy a years supply of the stuff and stash it someplace."

Chuckling under her breath, she shook her head at him. "Pff. I told you my dress was green. You haven't actually seen me wear it yet." She said with a grin. "But they are similar, I have to say."

At that moment, Raphael stepped into the van, still looking half asleep, his hand straying to the front of his hair. "Oh. Good morning~" He greeted cheerily as he made his way over to the table shared by Maya and Dravius, flopping heavily into a spare seat. He gave a small yawn, then looked between the two, his eyes eventually resting on Angel; Who now had tried the grapes and was currently nomming her way through her third one. "How are you all?" He asked with a grin, turning his gaze back to the butterfly and her boyfriend.

"I think we're okay." Maya answered with a smile. "I am, anyway. And Angel. Dravius can speak for himself I'm sure." She laughed. "Oh, hey. Raph. How fast could you get a contact to my mother?... I mean. I was gonna call her, but I was wondering if we could get someone out to bring her here in time for the wedding?... I'm not sure she'd make it in time, otherwise."

Raphael responded with another yawn, cutting it off shortly as Maya finished. "Ah... You don't need to worry about it. Your mother's already on her way."

"But... Wait. What?"

"Mmm." The ring-Master grinned. "Should be here sometime later today. Karene had asked me to contact her a few days back. She thought it'd be nice to have her along. I've even set up the van she stayed in when she came to visit while you were pregnant, so she can stay a few days if she wishes. Considering the distance it's highly likely."

Leaning back in his chair, Maya just looked at him for a long moment. "Oh." She finally responded, blinking. "That was... Nice of Karene. I hadn't realised." She smiled, stroking little Angels cheek with a finger. "Looks like we'll be seeing grandma a lot earlier than planned, hm?"