The Majikus Circus. 8D Five Years Ahead~

...

Erik followed along without question when the strange woman took his hand and headed into the circus grounds, smiling widely. "Thank you! We do take pride in the circus. The members often choose to decorate their vans themselves, so each one is unique." He scooted closer to her once she dropped his hand. "Of course, let's get on with your tour. No need to keep such a beautiful woman such as yourself waiting," he babbled, trotting after her when she took off again. The shifter turned the corner of the van just as she began to speak to Selvai and Needles, and scowled at the two briefly before stepping closer to her.

"It's Erik, dear. Erik Docherty. Although I won't object to anything else you wish to call me," he said smoothly, grinning at her and pretty much ignoring the two males. "I just realized though, that I forgot to ask your name. Terribly rude of me. What may I call you?"

When Dravius appeared, placing his hand on her shoulder, Erik shot him an irritated look over the top of her head. "That won't be necessary, Mr. Wolfe," he said stiffly. The red head slid next to Neva, slipping his arm through hers and resting his other hand on her bicep. "She and I were just taking a tour of the Majikus ourselves. By ourselves," he stressed.

-------

Adriel smiled at Angel's determined efforts to reach her face, laughing when the child finally lost her balance and landed back on the floor. "I'll have to get some toys for you when I babysit again," she mused, watching as she began to crawl around the blanket covered floor. "My face isn't that interesting, I promise," Adriel told her.

She stood up rather quickly, stepping over to the door and cutting Angel off as she tried to make an escape to the outside. "Oh, no no no, dear. Your parents won't like it if I let you tumble down the steps. Or escape to the woods and turn feral." Stepping over the baby, she sat down sideways on the top step, draping her legs over the edge and turning to face Angel. "There. I should ask Selvai if he has any spare toys you could play with next time we do this. I'm sure he could spare a few of Lionel's to keep you distracted for an hour or two."

-------

Selvai had been preparing to deflect Needle's questions about him and Disera when a dark haired, absolutely beautiful woman appeared, speaking to them both, and he forgot whatever it was he had been thinking about.

"Hello. I am Selvai Mayoso, one of the members in charge of security for the circus," he told her, moving forward and bowing slightly without taking his eyes off of her. "It's always such a pleasurable experience to meet new members. I do hope you and I can socialize further in the future," the magician said, glancing at Erik standing next to her, and frowning once at him.

"Erik... What a wonderful name. And easy to remember," Neva had grinned in response to the red-headed shifter. She had caught his earlier words, but had chosen deliberately not to respond to them. Talking to men like this tended to have them babbling continuiously... At least until she asked them to shut it.

"I think... Erik will do fine," She murmered, turning her gaze back towards the two male's by the van, looking curious as she eyed the spine-covered boy appreciateively. Huh. Looks like this Circus had more to offer than she'd as.sumed... This kid certainly looked interesting.

Remembering suddenly that everyone here was.... Unusual, in some way. She looked back at Erik, then Selvai, before smiling, one corner of her mouth upturned in an almost ecstatic sort of way. Goodness... These two looked normal, besides the older one who seemed to have some sort of... Tattoo? On his face. But of course they had some sort of power, right?... It almost felt like christmas, as Neva grinned at the thought of the surprises these male's were hiding.

Going out on a limb, she looked back at Erik, seeing as he had been the first to meet her, and adopted an expression of total curiousity and innocence. "I've heard... Just, rumours, mind... That all of you are... Special in some way?" She asked, flicking her red gaze back to Needles with a knowing smile, before looking between the remaining men. "I see some of you are more obvious than others... So what about you two?... I'd absoloutely love to know what you can do... To know... how unique you are," She tempted, voice as smooth as silk. It was here Selvai spoke, and the woman looked at him with wide, overly innocent eyes. "Ohh... Security, huh?... How important you must be..." She murmered, taking a step towards him and looking closer at the markings on his face.

Before she so much as got a response, however, from any of the other members, the contact on her shoulder caused her to look back, and she actually looked genuinely shocked by what she saw. It wasn't really Dravius' general appearance, more his height. He pretty much blocked out the sun stood this close to her.

"Oh my..." Neva breathed quietly, keeping firm to her act of new comer. So this was one of the bosses?... Not both... But one was good enough. A small, peculiar flicker of triumph crossed the womans face, just as Erik decided to get all possesive. This was natural. Sighing quietly, she gently eased herself out of Erik's grasp, before actually patting him lightly on the cheek. "There, there... You did exactly what I asked, remember?" She murmered, her tone almost evil under her silky smooth coating. "You brought me one of the bosses. And, my name is Neva, if you must know," She quite blatantly winked at him here, before turning back to Dravius and eyeing the male.

Talk about bodyguard material... Not exactly buff, but he was certainly imposing enough. "It's very nice to meet you... Ah, Mister Wolfe. You have quite the... Place here. I was... Hoping to get involved somehow. I've always wanted to join the Circus. Perhaps you could... as.sist me?" She asked, raising an eyebrow and smiling and a devilishly handsome way.

Dravius had been waiting patiently for the lovely lady's response, when Erik decided to become possesive of the young woman. This caused Dravius' face to become rather malicious, his eyebrows furrowed and his expression dark. His face was still like that when Neva turned around, so he quickly relaxed it into a friendly smile. However, the woman still seemed a bit shocked by his sudden appearance.

Dravius' smile lost most of the friendliness when Neva turned away, glaring with open hatred at Erik and his clinginess, although the Co-Master would have very much liked to be touching Neva right now. Her skin looked positively exquisite, and he suddenly got the urge to stroke the woman's bare shoulder, but he stuffed his hands into his pockets, as the woman would probably not react positively to a stranger petting her.

"Get...involved?" Dravius had been so busy watching Neva's lips move that he had barely caught the actual words that were spoken. "I could assist you, yes." After a moment's pause, the lust-struck Co-Master added, "In what way?" As he was speaking, there was a running narrative going through his head that made even made him feel a little uncomfortable, so he shook his head to clear it.

Neva's smile was what pushed Dravius off the absolute deep end, and his expression became rather dreamy. He smiled slightly, but dropped the expression off of his face when he remembered that Erik was clutching Neva's arm. It made him want to relieve Erik of his hands so that would no longer happen.

Oh my gooooooooood.
I'm going to start hyperventilating.

Calm down there Dravvy.

((D'AWW you're using my picture. ;o;))

It didn't at all escape Neva's notice when the Co-Masters expression shifted slightly, no longer portraying what it had when he had been talking to her. He looked downright irritated, and the dark-haired woman clearly guessed it was probably because of Erik and his current close proximity. She had afterall, been expecting this at some point.

It always happened. Well. Almost always. Sometimes Neva thought it best to just... Ask the boys to play nicely before they actually started laying into eachother... Other times... She did rather enjoy watching them fight over her. Despite the fact it could get pretty messy. It all depended, really, on where and when she'd eventually be bothered to stop it.

Having still been watching the tall, dark-haired Co-Master with complete and utter interest, giggling quietly when he spoke. "Yes. Involved." Was all she replied, glancing over her shoulder to eye both Needles and Selvai; Throwing another quick smile at Erik, before turning back to Dravius. She was still somewhat getting herself adjusted to his sheer height.

Neva had been about to respond to the male's follow-on statement before he added another few words; Causing her to laugh; A rich, slightly mocking sound. Not that any of the surrounding men would notice. They were well and truly under her will now. "Oh, dear," She murmered with an amused chuckle. "Many ,many ways..." Grinning wickedly, she shook her head, then gestured vaugely around. "For now. How about... Oh I don't know... You could always show me around. Maybe the main tent?... It looks stunning from here." She breathed, eyeing the tent in the distance. It would also be the perfect place to extend her influence.

"Or maybe... You could just... Show me around~" She almost sang, once again fidgeting with the necklace around her neck, the heavy gem falling lightly against her skin. The movement was almost teasing, fingers brushing against the vivid curve of the womans collarbone. "Maybe even take a look at your member records... I bet you have quite the collection."

((NICE TO KNOW THIS WAS HERE. >:[ *copies post and continues*))

Nylat caught up just as Erik left, having been taking her time. She shrugged at her mate's question. "Who knows. Knowing Erik, though, he probably got too close to Adriel again." She flicked her tail and padded over to the cooks, getting a hunk of meat from one of them, thanking them before returning to Zyano, biting off the part she held in her teeth, letting the rest fall to the floor. "Inside or outside. Doesn't matter to me. As long as I eat." Which, of course, she was already in the process of doing, swallowing the chunk in her mouth nearly whole. She glanced down at the rest as it sat on the ground, deciding against taking another bite until Zyano had decided where he wanted to eat.

((Too lazy for much else. Be happy you got this. >.< MOTIVATION. WHY HAVE YOU LEFT ME?))

]:<

Dravius' first thought when Neva laughed was that the noise was identical to what he thought tickling a fairy would be like. Blinking once or twice to get some form of concentration possible, he simply repeated, "Yeah, the main tent..." then trailed off, eyes still locked on the woman. Honestly, she was seriously slowing the Co-Master's train of thought to a crawl. The lack of cloth used in her outfit may have been directly contributing to this.

When the woman started playing with the gem around her neck, Dravius' eyes were focused a bit lower than her collarbone, before he seemed to shake himself and drag his gaze away. "...The member records?" It struck him as rather odd that someone would be interested in seeing those, even in his....comprimised state. "I suppose, although that's not really....allowed." He had a slight drag in the way he paused between every few words, which made him sound halfway between drowsy and confused.

"They're stored in my...old van..." Dravius turned slightly and gestured towards the dark, jagged-looking van a ways away. The door was slightly ajar, but since most members knew to stay out of the van, it didn't matter very much. Honestly, there didn't really even need to be a door other than the fact that the things strewn everywhere inside the van tended to escape and blow around. Dravius turned every few steps to make sure Neva was following, until they reached the steps of his van. Although he didn't take up residence in this particular van very often, it still stank of blood, gore, and other thouroughly frightening things. "After...you, Miss." He beckoned to the slightly open door, smiling vaguely.

"Dear me... You'd think after a few years he'd get the message to leave certain people alone," Zyano murmered, his voice tinged with amusement, his head directed towards the food vans open door. The inside of the van had emptied a little, most members now in there only for snacks or social reasons. Shrugging to himself, the hybrid allowed his gaze to wander before looking back at Nylat, just as she retrieved her own lunch.

He chuckled lightly as she practically devoured her food. Well, there was little point making the choice now. They may as well eat here seeing as hiis mate had quite obviously decided she'd rather not wait. At least, that's how it seemed. Lowering himself slowly to his stomach, Zyano gently pulled forward his own chunk of meat, before replying to Nylat in an amused tone. "It's all right. We'll just eat here."

And he proceeded to do just that, pausing halfway through to tilt his head at Nylat, grinning. "I think... Once we've eaten. It's time to go tell some of our closer friends about our news." He stated, returning to his meat with renewed vigour, finishing it off in a short space of time before lifting himself to all four paws. He walked to the door, tail swishing, before leaping the stairs. With a quick glance over his shoulder, the sand furred wolf grinned again, then bounded around playfully before coming to a stop with his front paws on the bottom stair leading to the food van interior. "Come on, let's get going."

~~~

Neva had been watching Dravius carefully, her gaze firmly fixated on his face. She was, in truth, just as interested in the other lads as she was this one, but currently, this one was most useful. If she could find as much out about the Circus as was possible, it would all be in her favour. The Co-Master's own gaze didn't go unnoticed, and Neva smiled slightly. Her influence was gaining in power, slowly but surely.

That was the only issue with her ability. She needed to work her way up, and even then she could only get complete control of a few males, the others would always have doubts. Every single man in this place would be mesmerised, but only a few would do anything she asked... It was these men she had to focus on, and so far she believed she'd made pretty decent choices. The second in command of the Circus, no doubt, would be a useful one.

The dark-haired woman had still been idly smiling up until the point Dravius mentioned the records and the fact that it was generally frowned upon to show them to anyone. She also noted the confusion in his voice, and an angry, irritated sort of frown appeared on her face. The expression was not directed at Dravius. It was her own fault, really... Perhaps her influence wasn't quite strong enough yet. She had been about to speak as the Co-Mastr walked off, taking her a little by surprise as she followed after him; Glancing over her shoulder to be sure Erik and the magician were following. She wanted those two, seeing as they'd been the first to meet her. Her ability was most powrful on them.

Looking back towards the front, she finally stopped besides the tall, dark-haired male to look at his van with raised eyebrows. She giggled wickedly at his final statement. "Interesting..." She murmered, flicking her gaze to the door. First thing was first. She had to get a decent grip on this guy... So much so he wouldn't second guess himself like he had done when she'd asked for the records.

Stepping forward lightly, the woman pressed her palm firmly against Dravius' torso, leaning her body against his and lifting herself up as far as she was able. "I really, really appreciate this, Mr. Wolfe. You've done me a very big favour..." She purred, before dropping her voice volume. "Who knows... You may yet become my favourite." Grinning at him, she pulled away long enough to smile seductively at the others in an attempt to prevent any physical outbreak. "I will not be but a moment... Be sure not to go anywhere, 'kay?" She smiled, before stepping lightly into the dark interior of the van.

It took less than five minutes for her to find the records, and she rather quickly began a search through them. If she knew what she was dealing with, this could go very well. Very well indeed.

~~~

Maya had padded off quickly to Adriel's van, stretching her arms as she walked, enjoying the rays of sunlight. Her wings were being held out slightly behind her, catching the light and glowing in an array of vivid orange and red shades. It really was rather warm, but in truth the young woman much preferred it to cold weather, very much like the insects she portrayed.By this time it was well into the afternoon, the sun blazing vividly over one side of the horiizon. Another couple of hours would take them into late afternoon, then sunset.

Stepping quickly around the vans, Maya aimed herself directly towards Adriel's, giggling at the sight of the darker haired woman sat just outside the door; Angel crawling madly towards her. "Has she been giving you the run around ever since I left her here?" Maya asked, an amused smile playing on her lips as her daughter finally reached Adriels legs, pausing to look at them before trying to clamber over.

Dravius shifted from foot to foot as Neva came up beside him, stopping dead still as the woman stopped, and tensing up slightly as she placed a hand on his torso. It was a shame that the beautiful woman was too short....no. There was nothing wrong with her. It was his fault for being so tall, really. "Fav....ourite?" Dravius got an even dreamier look on his face at the words, then shook his head and carefully composed himself.

Composure was something Dravius only had in short supply normally, and right now he only had enough to stop from grinning hugely. He could still feel where she had rested her hand on his torso. Glancing back at Erik and Selvai, a small smirk formed on his face. He would very much like to be this lovely lady's favourite. Very much so. Also, having her so close to him just kickstarted the internal monologue, which was much more polite now. Well, a little more.

"Hmmkay." Dravius nodded as she entered his van. He couldn't remember for the life of him why he had been worried about her going in there before. Really, he would go to the ends of the earth to show her beautiful smile. The thought made him grin a little again, but he coughed roughly and tried to arrange his face into something resembling seriousness, with only a small degree of success.

Adriel caught Angel quickly once she began trying to climb past her legs, pulling the child into her lap. "She's energetic," the dark haired woman said with a smile. "Reminds me of Dravius when he gets all hyped up." She stood up from the stairs, shifting Angel onto her hip. "Speaking of our dear co-master, how was the date?" Adriel asked. She stepped down the few steps in between her and Maya, smirking. "Did you guys have fun?"

------

"Well, I am responsible for the safety of the circus and it's members, so yes, I am rather important," Selvai preened as he followed the lovely woman towards Dravius' van. "I use magic to set wards around the circus grounds. You see, I am skilled in the use of magic, especially dark magic." A small (very, very small) part of his brain pointed out that he should probably be more wary of this strange woman who was asking questions about the Majikus, but he ignored it in favor of smiling at her once again.

"Thank you, Neva. Such a beautiful name. Of course, I'd expect no less from an exquisite woman such as yourself," Erik said smoothly, not even bothered when she pulled away and began heading to Dravius' van, although he did shoot an impolite hand gesture at the back of the co-master's head as he followed Neva. He snarled when he saw her press herself up against the taller male, and waited till she had disappeared into the van to walk up to it. He bumped the co-master with his shoulder -hard- as he passed by him. "Sorry about that," he said, in a voice that suggested he was anything but as he smiled at him.

He bounded up the stairs to the old van, stopping on the top one and leaning in the doorway to speak with the dark haired woman. "Neva, dearest. You were asking about what makes me special? I could show you, in private," he offered, wiggling his eyebrows as he leered at her. "My van is very comfortable. Especially the bed."

------

Kioko turned back to Garath with a small smile, thinking. She considered just pulling the psychic along with her into town, and spending the rest of the day walking along the streets with him. But, he did have a point. "No, you're right. It would be better to wait till tomorrow. Come on, let's head back to the circus."

The pyro took off in the direction of the circus grounds, looking back to make sure Garath was following. Walking back to her van, she spotted Dravius, Erik and Selvai gathered around Dravius' old van. Curious, Kioko walked over to the group, wondering what the three males were doing together. They were an odd group to be hanging out together. "Hey, guys!" She called, waving to them. Noticing the open door of Dravius' van, she looked over at the co-master, a bit concerned at the dreamy look on his face. "So, what's going on, guys?" she asked.

It didn't require a lot of time, really. Shifting through those records, had Neva chose to do it thoroughly, probably would have taken her a few days, but that wasn't particularly what she wanted to do. All she needed was a basic idea of the abilities and the sort of people in this Circus. That, the number, and a few other things, such as names and the like. The earlier worry regarding Dravius and his... Second guessing, had pas.sed by this point. She was certain she'd done enough to keep him precisely where he was... And going by Selvai's little conversation on the way down here he was already accounted for too.

Now he was one man Neva was ecstatic to have. The Circus security man. That's all she needed, at least now she had some form of viable protection until her unfluence grew, and so long as he did everything she asked... Things were looking rather bright.

The dark haired woman had been in the process of pulling paper out of the many drawers in Dravius' van, looking at a couple just as she sensed rather than saw someone step into the doorway. One word notified her that it was Erik, which she could now actually place an ability to. His record had been one of the first she'd looked for; As she had for had the other males in her little group.

She listened to him speak, then snorted quietly and glanced over her shoulder. There was just an edge of impatience in her gaze, but she immediately rearranged that. There was no real need to be concerned, as the red-head had been the first to fall under her spell, but it was best to keep up appearances. For now.

She turned back to the cabinet as she replied. "I'll have to take your word for it, sweetheart," She murmered, shoving the records back haphazardly and getting to her feet, taking a glance around the interior of the van. She hadn't seemed to pay much heed to it walking in. "I'm a very, very busy woman," She pouted at him over her shoulder. "But... If you help me out, who knows?... Maybe I'll let you show me."

With a wink and a wicked smile, Neva had gone back to looking around when another voice caused her to freeze slightly. It was a womans voice. Asdfghjkl. Stupid female, what the hell. This was the last thing she needed. Almost instantly, her gaze fell on Erik, an undeniable hunger in her eyes. Her voice was silky smooth as she addressed the red-head. "Oh goodness... You know... I had such plans, plans that were likely to take time... Unfortunately, you see... I can't have... Intruders, in my way. I need special people helping me... Like you. Otherwise it may take longer than necassary." She murmered, walking up to Erik and gently tracing a finger along his shoulder. "That woman outside is one of them, I'm afraid... I think, it might be a good idea if we... Restrain her?"

She asked lightly, smiling, looking at Erik through seductive eyes. "I'm sure you could manage it... Or maybe... Just maybe, you should work together, you and the other boys... I like a man who's good with others," She added as an afterthought. Well. Better to be safe than sorry. Having all her boys restrain this... Woman, would be far more effective. Not to mention... A hostage usually got very good results.

Slipping past Erik with a final smile, she padded down the steps to come face to face with the woman in question. Good thing she'd just checked the records... She knew exactly what she was dealing with. "Restrain her. Then take her to the main tent. Quickly! But be quiet about it... We don't need anyone seeing this." She said, her voice flat and commanding as she glared at Kioko, directing the order to both Dravius and Selvai, her expression only softening slightly as she spotted the silver-haired male companion. Luckily the Circus was in a state of calm, meaning very few members seemed to be doing much and were probably holed up in their vans. "You'll all be rewarded if you are successful." It was a risk, heading for the tent immediately... Unfortunately she had little choice. She needed a decent space in which to work.

Too bad her companion be of no help to the albino now that he was in her presence... Such a pity.

Dravius' slightly dreamy expression turned into a one of pure hatred when Erik brushed past him, a quiet snarl following the little creep into his van. He had to resist the ridiculously strong urge to pick the red-head up by the scruff of his neck and rearrange his facial features. He scowled deeply, his face dark, until another voice caught his ear.

It belonged to Kioko, and he flicked his gaze to the young woman, still looking about as ticked off as one could. "Nothing much. Just....keeping someone company. Erik is making a nuisance of his sorry ass as usual." He added, growling the last sentence He expressed some surprise when Neva reaapeared. He thought that she would take much longer to look over the records. It was a bit discouraging, as it was pretty much the only thing of Dravius' that was perfectly organized, the files standing in huge cabinets along the far wall of the dwelling.

Dravius blinked once or twice, but had no question of the orders what so ever. It didn't strike him as odd that this perfect goddess wanted Kioko out of the way. Maybe Kioko was being annoying. He wasn't really paying that much attention to the firestarter at the moment. The Co-Master perked his ears up at the mention of a reward, and he turned towards Kioko with a severely unsettling, openmouthed smile, his sharp teeth glinting slighty. He clapped a hand over the girl's mouth and hefted her over his shoulder, moving swiftly towards the main tent without another word,

Kioko narrowed her eyes when the strange woman stepped out of Dravius' old van, returning her glare when she drew close to her. She quickly ran through the faces of all the circus members in her head, and, unable to recognize the woman, tensed, clenching her fists at her sides. "Who are you?" The pyro demanded. Recalling that the co-master stored circus records and the like in his old van, Kioko shifted uneasily, looking around at Dravius and the other men gathered there. "Guys? Who is this woman? And why are you letting her in your van, Dravius?"

The pyro inhaled sharply when the woman barked out her order, taking a step backwards away from her. "No, what- Guys!" She looked around frantically at the men, freezing in shock at the look on Dravius' face. She tried to twist away when the much larger man grabbed her, but still ended up being thrown over his shoulder easily. Yelling angrily against his palm, Kioko flailed out with both her arms and legs, trying to dislodge herself, or attract someone's attention.

She caught an upside down glimpse of the dark haired woman, and Kioko focused her anger, summoning a small flame in the palm of her hand. Before she could aim at the woman, Selvai stepped in between them, muttering a few words. Her muscles seized immediately, the small flame sputtering out as her arms and legs stiffened and straightened. The magician spoke again, and the albino's muffled protests were silenced completely.

"She will be much easier to transport, now," Selvai told Neva with a smile. He fell into step behind Dravius as the taller male headed in the direction of the main tent. The pyro glared at him with a betrayed look in her eyes, but he paid no attention to her. This was what Neva had wanted, after all.

-----

Erik grinned at Neva's suggestions, leaning into her touch. "I'd love to help you, dear." He turned around to get on with restraining Kioko and keeping her out of the way, when he saw Dravius had already hoisted the white haired girl over his shoulder, and Selvai was throwing his magic around. His good mood ruined, Erik sulked as he joined the train of people heading toward the main tent. He'd just have to be more useful in the future. Maybe Neva would reward him anyway, though.

((D'AWW POOR KIOKO-BINO. YOU NEED HUGS AND SNUGGLES.))

Watching with an unwavering gaze, the raven-haired Neva allowed a triumphant sort of smile to form on her face as the Co-Master of the Majikus was the first to act on her order, this time, she noted, without a single question in his eyes or a mere moment of hesitation. The realisation simply served to make her smile further.

watching after Dravius, she caught Kioko's angry gaze, grinning slightly before the expression slipped as she noticed what the albino had been planning to do. Unfortunately, as complicated as Neva's ability could be, it was her only ability, and without the men under her control she'd have absoloutely no power to use in her own defence. It all rided on who she had a hold over.

Before she could even issue a quickly spoken order, the magician took a stance between her and the pyro, and she watched in silence as the young woman underwent some sort of complication. The raven haired woman had already guessed what may have happened before Selvai shone a light on the entire thing. "Very well done," She murmered in reply, her voice genuinely impressed as her gaze suddenly caught sight of the Pyro's companion. She'd almost completely forgotten about this one.

Glancing back at the albino, she flickered her gaze to Garath, then quite boldly stepped forward. The silver haired pyschic, who had somehow lost his ability to move once he'd caught sight of Neva, had scantly paid any attention to Kioko and her predicament. He had seen it happen, and for the first couple of seconds he wanted desperately to help her, but Neva was quickly getting into his head and he suddenly found he couldn't care less. This woman in front of him was what mattered now.

Watching her approach, he swallowed hard as she looked at him. "Goodness." She murmered. "Your name is Garath, am I correct?" She asked, going by what she'd seen flitting through Dravius' records.

"That's correct..." He responded, trying desperately to keep his firmly on the womans face, which was proving incredibly difficult considering she had so much flesh on show. "And what is yours, May I ask?" He added, looking increasingly interested. "I don't believe I've seen you around... I'm pretty certain I wouldn't forget you in a hurry." He grinned hugely at Neva's responding smile.

"Neva." She replied. "I believe... You're... A pyschic, of some sort?"

"Yes. I am. Would you like a demonstration?" He asked blithely, almost instantly looking for something impressive he could do, only to be halted by the woman touching his arm; Causing an evident shiver to run down his spine.

"Oh, Please." She said. "But not yet... Why don't you come with me, hm?" She asked, gesturing towards where Dravius was and grinning wickedly at Kioko. She had jumped to the conclusion that these two were involved, which would only serve to make this encounter more interesting. "You see... Me and my... Uh, friends. We're going to take control of this Circus. You're very welcome to join us... If you don't mind locking up a few loved ones."

"Anything." Garath replied quickly. He had been watching Neva with increasing adoration, though a single glance towards the other men made his heart sink. God damnit he wasn't the only one. What the hell. It's not like she needed those other people... He was enough. However, the womans tone clearly indicated she wanted all of them, and if that was the case. Then fine. He'd put up with it if only for her. Grinning again as she smiled, he watched her turn and walk after Dravius, noting her rather obvious sexy walk, before following after without a second glance over his shoulder.

~~~

Giggling as Angel went face-first into Adriel's legs, Maya perched herself sedately on the stair just under the one the darker haired woman currently resided on; Reaching out a hand to stroke Angel's hair and allow her daughter to start pulling on her fingers. "She most certainly is," The blonde laughed, as the little blue-eyed baby started trying to tug the little silver bracelet of Maya's wrist.

"She's usually worse when she first wakes up... By the end of the day she calms down somewhat." Smiling, Maya pulled her away from a now pouting Angel, laughing as the little girl went on to tug on Addie's shirt for lack of anything else to do. "Thats probably where she gets it from." Snorting, Maya leant her elbows on her knees, smiling absently, before nodding and looking up at Adriel as she stood.

"Oh. It was good. It was almost a shame to come back," She laughed. "But hey. I can't steal Dravius away from the Circus long enough. He has other responsibilities." She paused, then giggled. "I'm kind of hoping for another vacation. Just so I can steal him away for a bit longer." Brushing her legs with her hands, she pushed herself up so that she was stood, glancing around. The Circus was currently rather quite, probably with most members out at town or sleeping before the shows tonight.

Reaching forward, the young blonde took Angel from Adriel with a thankful smile. "Thanks for this anyway. I appreciate the time you gave me," She grinned, kissing Angel quickly on the forehead before looking over her daughters little shoulder to frown at a pas.sing group. It was pure chance she caught sight of them between the vans, and although it wasn't unusual, the fact that Dravius was carrying a rather stressed looking Kioko over her shoulder was not normal. At all.

Maya paused, brows furrowed before she spoke, keeping her eyes on where she;d seen Dravius pass. "Hey, Adriel... What do you think he's doing?" She asked, cutting herself off from saying anything else as others followed, including a woman she had never seen before. "I don't... What is that?" She asked, before looking at Adriel a second. "Hold on, give me a minute." Turning on her heel, Maya strolled quickly off towards her van, slipping in only to place a wriggling Angel in her crib, (Being sure to ask a nearby member to just keep an eye on her) before sprinting back to the dark-haired womans van. "Something's not right," She grimaced. "Should we follow them?"

Dravius had payed absolutely zero attention to Kioko's struggles, firmly keeping his hand over Kioko's mouth. He was a bit angry when Selvai stepped in and got all high-and-mighty with his magic tricks, looking at the magician with hooded eyes. Although, he had to admit, a calm Kioko was much easier to carry than a furious one. Neva's praise of the magician made the Co-Master want to rip out the stripes in Selvai's hair, but he figured Neva wouldn't be a fan of it. And Neva needed to be put first. Always.

Dravius sped up his step, while managing to look remarkable nonchalant for someone kidnapping a short albino. The main tent was only a short ways away, and no one seemed to be outside at the time. Most people would be wandering around town, or holed up in their vans. Slipping inside the cloth flap, Dravius set Kioko down carefully in the spectator stands, lying the young woman on her side. If he sat her up, he was sure she'd end up falling over.

Blinking once or twice, he picked up an extra coil of rope, used mostly for setting the tent up, and tied Kioko's hands behind her back, and her feet together. "There we are. After all, we don't know when Selvai's parlour tricks will wear off." He said, grinning mockingly at the magician, then taking a length of clean cloth from one of his pockets, used for tying up broken arms, mostly, and quickly tied a tight gag on Kioko, forcing the length of cloth between her teeth. "There we are." He stood and turned his eyes on Neva, noticing that she had picked up the flouncy, silver-haired pyschic. This wonderful woman was attracting all KINDS of riff-raff.

Following after the Co-Master in silence, Neva continued to throw careful glances around as she walked, hoping silently they'd reach the main tent soon. The last thing she needed was anyone seeing her. And thn getting involved, which she pretty much assumed they would. A place like this was bound to have those ties.

As they approached the main tent, Neva stopped her constant vigilance to look at it, an eyebrow raised at his miraculous beauty. There was a certain, magical aura about the place, and she pretty much figured that success would be worth it. If she could gain complete control of this place... There was nothing she'd be unable to do. The thought made her smile, a small, dark sort of smile.

She watched Dravius as he slipped through into the tent, glancing fleetingly over her shoulder before following him in, watching him as he dealt with the albino pyro. She grinned in a satisfied sort of way, before walking over to the ring and looking at it. It looked far bigger in here than it had on the outside, and was perfect, really. Perfect for her to plant her roots and expand on her influence.

She looked over her shoulder as the Co-Master spoke, then raised an eyebrow at Selvai. "Does your power fade after a while?" She asked. She needed to know whether or not she needed to take extra care with keeping this one restrained. Looking back at Kioko, a vicious smile on her face, she walked up, kneeling just in front of the now gagged pyro.

"Deary me... You got unlucky. Showing up when you did. Although I should thank you... For bringing me that friend of yours," Here she gestured vaugely towards Garath. "I've read about him... His ability will prove useful," Grinning, she pushed herself to her feet before looking at the males gathered there. This was perfect, all she had to do was bide her time here a little. Then maybe go in search of more men. Her influence wouldn't expand unless she did, afterall. Blinking, she suddenly turned her gaze to Selvai as she stepped lightly next to Dravius.

"You said you were in charge of security... How long, my dear magician, would it take you to set up a barrier around this tent?" She asked.

Nylat nodded. "Naturally, though, Erik never learned." At Zyano's decision to stay, she shrugged and dug into her meat, finishing it just after Zyano did. At his suggestion, she nodded. "Yeah, I guess." She shook her fur out, then watched Zyano with a curious look. As he stopped, she sighed, rolling her eyes, before padding out past him. "Just what got you in such a happy mood? You were so somber just a few minutes ago." She flicked her tail, shoving him gently with her shoulder. "Come on. Let's find Maya first, at least."

~~

Since when had he turned into the errand-runner for other members? One favor, and it turned into nearly a whole day of running back and forth across the Circus grounds. Oh well, it was over and done with, now.

Kanec rolled over onto his back. He currently lay on the top of his van in one of his more common shifts--a white tiger. His day had been full of running around, but now, he was finally able to relax. Granted, he should have found Disera and Lionel, but after running all over the Circus, he was reluctant to do more running around.

Selvai sniffed at the co-master's dismissal of his abilities, fixing the other man with a cold glare. "You shouldn't listen to the uneducated concerning matters of magic." Although it was Neva who had asked the question, he looked at Dravius as he spoke. "My spells will remain until I choose to dispell them. Only someone skilled in magic would be able to remove them. Unlike cloth gags and bindings." He shot at Dravius.

"It takes hours for me to cover the entire circus grounds... For a smaller area such as this, I believe I could set up a barrier within a few minutes." The magician stepped forward, taking one of Neva's hand and kissing her knuckles lightly before dropping it and stepping away. He threw Dravius a dark smirk. "I will go and began the barrier."

-----

"That's good to hear. I imagine the two of you don't get much time alone these days, between Angel and Dravius' responsibilities to the circus. And hey, maybe we'll get another vacation pretty soon. Never know around here," Adriel told her. Rolling her shoulders, she stepped off the van stairs, standing beside Maya and Angel. "Welcome. I like helping you guys out."

She followed Maya's line of sight when the butterfly glanced off into the distance, spotting Dravius as he carried Kioko through the circus grounds. "Something very odd. Does he usually carry her around like that?" Adriel asked, narrowing her eyes when she saw the procession of people following behind him. She nodded in acknowledgement when Maya left to take Angel to her van.

Adriel had tracked the procession of people with her eyes, determining from their path that they were likely heading toward the main tent. That, along with Dravius carrying Kioko and being followed by a number of people, made her very uneasy. "Yeah, we need to see what's going on. But we should be careful about it. That little scene was a bit creepy just then." Adriel took off walking after the crowd. She motioned for Maya to follow. "I think they were headed for the main tent. We should be able to get in there without them noticing."

------

Unable to move or speak, Kioko had to settle for glaring sideways at Dravius when he laid her down on the audience seats and bound and gagged her. It was obvious that none of the men were acting like themselves, and she suspected that this strange woman was responsible for that. The pyro exhaled heavily around the rope in her mouth. If Selvai's spells hadn't taken away her voice as well as movement, she might have tried to get loose, or at least alerted the rest of the circus to what was happening.

Or spat at the stranger who was now in front of her, gloating about having taken control of Garath along with the other men. Kioko was practically vibrating with anger at this point, and if she had control over her limbs she would have no doubt dealt with her in a very painful way. As it was, she could do nothing except imagine setting the strange woman's hair on fire while waiting to be rescued. "I just hope they manage to stop her before she lures in the rest of the circus men," she thought.

Dravius had been rather preoccupied with trying to set Selvai's stupid stripey hair on fire with his glare, and thus didn't notice any of Kioko's dirty looks. Although, he had no idea why she would be angry. She wasn't hurt, and she got to spend time with Neva. Although, now that Garath was here, she didn't have much of a chance with him any longer. Who did Selvai think made HIM Captain Magicpants, anyways? Dravius thought, his train of thought abruptly switching track. Just because he could make people shut up, didn't mean he was Supreme Master Of All He Surveyed. He snarled to himself, shooting a look to the tied and gagged Kioko.

Anything that Dravius had left even remotely resembling concentration flew away when Neva came close enough to him that her scent worked it's way into his nose. She smelt unimagineably delicious, a smooth scent of silk, but with much sharper undertones of something like leather mixed with bright red dye. It was a distinctive smell, and Dravius leaned in slightly to get a better sense of it, his lips parting slightly.

The Co-Master hadn't noticed, but he had leaned down quite a bit, his face hovering just over the woman's head. He couldn't stop himself from loosing a giant, crooked, sharp-toothed grin as he straightened back up, turning Neva's smell over and over in his head. Dravius wore a more subdued version of the grin still, it turning into more of a smirk directed at the others in the little group assembled in the main tent.

"I wasn't exactly planning on just butting in," Maya murmered with a wry smile, her violet gaze focused on where she had seen the small group of people pass. "I don't like the look of that, either... And did you recognise the woman with them?" She asked suddenly, looking back towards Adriel just as the darker-haired woman strode off, gesturing for her to follow.

Tugging nervously on the material of her green dress, the butterfly stepped off shortly after the other woman, catching up pretty much straight away. "... I have a bad feeling," She pouted, crossing her arms over her chest as the pair approached the main tent. Maya spent a good minute just looking at it, throwing a quick glance at Adriel, before reaching forward and pulling back the canvas.

There was no-one in the backstage area, and, quietly, Maya slipped in through the opening, pausing just beyond the entrance. "Nnn. I don't like this," She frowned, looking towards where the entrance to main ring was situated. Grumbling quietly, she padded forward on silent feet, keeping herself hidden behind most of the canvas while being able to see the scene in the ring.

Everyone who had passed earlier was present, a jolt of alarm making Maya stiffen as she caught sight of Kioko. The girl, she had expected to see in here. What she had not expected was the fact that the pyro was gagged. "Adriel..." She said quietly, urgency in her voice. "They've got Kioko tied up... I don't... Why would they do that?" She asked, her expression concerned as she focused her gaze on the older woman.

~~~

"Very good... "Neva murmered thoughtfully, a small dark smile on her face. As peculiar as this Circus was, there didn't seem to be many members at all trained in magic, not from what she'd seen of the records. As far as she knew, this magician was the only one capable.

As the male finished speaking, she let loose a quite chuckle. "Excellent... Be a dear and do that for me, would you?... We could most certainly do with the cover." She stated, smiling at him as he walked away. It was here she glanced back towards Kioko, inwardly grinning at the poor girls predicament. She should probably have her exterminated at some point... Although it was amusing t watch her for the time being.

Glancing between Erik and the rather dazed looking Dravius, she chuckled again, gently brushing Dravius' forearm with a finger before she settled herself firmly on one of the bleachers some distance from Kioko; Revealing a rather blatant amount of leg as she did so. Stretching luxuriously, she leant back a little on her palms. Now it was basically just a waiting game, her influence taking time to form like a blooming flower.

Staring at the floor of the ring, the woman looked back up towards Erik, Dravius, and Garath. " I have a request," She stated, "That anyone in my way must be treated as the same one over there," She murmered, grinning evilly.

~~~

"Erik never will learn," Zyano chuckled, taking a few quick steps backwards so that his front paws no longer rested on the bottom stair of the food van. "And what?... Am I not allowed to be cheerful?" He asked, tilting his head slightly as his mate emerged from the van. Uh. She always seemed to serious. He sat on his haunches and allowed his tongue to hang out of his mouth.

"I'd have thought our news was something to be more positive about." He stated, licking his muzzle before standing up, stretching himself out, and almost falling onto his face as Nylat bumped him. "All right," He replied, padding after Nylat with a wag to his tail.

((Not much. But I didn't have much to go on and my brain juice is dry. ))

"No, you're not allowed to be cheerful. Because I said so." A grin from the hybrid displayed her teeth briefly before she fell into step with her mate. After a moment, she licked the side of his snout. "And it is something to be cheerful about. You're just usually so aloof. It's funny to see you acting like a pup, for once." She was about to make a comment when she saw Maya, followed by Adriel, the both of them sneaking, it seemed, into the main tent. She flicked her ears back. "Zyano...is there anything going on in the main tent today?" Without waiting for an answer, the hybrid bounded forward, slowing down as she approached. Just as a precaution. The two women hadn't seemed too sure about going in. Just as she reached the tent, she was met by a number of scents, most of which she recognized. One of which, she didn't. Seeing as she hadn't noticed the smells before, all were probably in the tent itself, but...it was definitly an odd group. She glanced back at Zyano, her ears back. Something about how everything was playing out didn't seem quite right.

((*rolls*))