The Majikus Circus. 8D Five Years Ahead~

Dravius had been gazing at Maya as she spoke, his head turned slightly to the side, and his eyebrows curved upwards. He looked more than a little worried, and a smear of cherry juice had made its way from Maya's lips to his own, darkening the shade of the skin there by just a little bit.

"Oh ho, believe me, it's not that you're unattractive. It's that I'm dense." Dravius laughed a little bit and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, leaning his forehead into her shoulder for a moment before lifting his head head once again. As Maya smushed her face into his arm, Dravius laughed again quietly, a small smile on his face.

"I do try, I just don't have any tact." Dravius sighed quietly, his crooked smile staying in place. "I was truely considering that the way to go was to ask you, albeit very politely, if you would like to have sex with me." The Co-Master nodded, looking more than a little bit sheepish, as Maya flopped onto her back.

Glancing upwards, Dravius noticed the single cloud, then made a mock horrified expression. "Oh my god, it will surely rain, and our day will be RUINED." The Co-Master hopped to his feet and began packing everything up. "I am sincerely worried right now." He stared at Maya with a rather convincing terrified face. "We should go inside and do our best to stay entertained."

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Paul had been staring out the window unhappily, when Penelope offered a rather snippy and entirely uncalled-for response. "'Scuse me? I don't even walk to the coffee shop, what makes you think I'd like to walk through this god-forsaken, nasty wasteland." Paul stuck his tongue out at the younger girl, a snarky expression on his face.

"And who on EARTH would follow us there." Paul's head was set to the side, his expression growing even nastier. "It would be a waste of time. Not a whole bunch of other people want to cut freaks apart, to be honest. Most people think the stuff is smoke and mirrors, anyhow." The young man flapped his hand back and forth, then picked up his discarded cube.

"Awww, man." Paul looked disappointed, bending at the waist to pick up a small piece of the broken toy, and turning it over and over agian in his fingers. "Now look what you've done." Paul pouted at the people sitting in the front of the car, and flicked the bit of coloured plastic at them.

"OH MY GOD WHEN ARE WE GOING TO GET THERE." Paul groaned, extrordinarily loudly, and added, "You said this was supposed to SHORTEN the trip time. I'm bored."

Ava took a long drag on her cigarette, very pointedly not flinching or showing any other sign of discomfort as the van entered the unnaturally black portal. The blonde stared straight ahead, until she realized that her smoke had burnt down to the filter. Snuffing it out quite viciously in the small ashtray, she tossed the butt out of the window and rolled it the rest of the way up before making sure her door was locked. Even if Fang had some sort of control over this freakish place, she wasn't going to just tempt fate.

"How much longer will it take to reach the circus this way?" Ava asked, directing her question to Penelope instead of Fang. The blonde ignored Paul's whining in favor of leaning forward and switching on the van's radio. Although she did consider lighting another cigarette just so she could snuff it out in his eye once a colored piece of plastic came sailing from thje backseat and bounced off the window. Instead of maiming him, she twisted the knob slowly, and after finding nothing but static and high pitched squealing, quickly shut it off again. Ava sighed in aggravation, then straightened and went back to staring forward out of the windshield, ignoring the way the driver flickered in the corner of her eye. The things she put up with for her work.

Maya had still been watching the sluggish passage of the cloud above her head when Dravius' voice caused her to turn her head and look at him. "I never said I thought you found me unattractive." She replied, smiling. "That's just how it feels. If you were in my position you'd probably understand." The young woman shrugged, then snorted quietly. "And I know you have no tact. I suppose I just thought five years might have had you a little more used to it all." She shrugged again, choosing not to add anything else. She had, afterall, already tried to explain it.

Turning her gaze skyward again, Maya shifted slightly so that her wings, currently folded under her back, felt a tad more comfortable. She spent a moment assessing the time... Probably sometime in the late afternoon, going by the slowly changing colour of the sky. She had been lost in thought for a few seconds when her boyfriend started speaking again, and it was only when he got to the end of his sentence that she shot up onto her elbows; Looking at him incredulously. Wait. What?

The blonde could only stare after him with raised eyebrows when he started flitting around the blanket.She hadn't quite grasped how he'd jumped to THAT. She was pretty sure she had just been telling him about his lack of reaction to her general flirting, not about his lack of anything approaching that subject. Blinking, she sat herself up, pausing for a minute before pushing herself to her feet. She looked about to say something, then seemed to think better of it.

She watched Dravius idly as he packed things away, throwing a fleeting glance at the lone cloud. She had to use quite a bit of effort about then to stop herself laughing. She eventually looked back at the Co-Master, her expression slightly amused, watching him for another few seconds. It really was incredibly funny; His facial expressions making it more so.

"Is that what you think this is about?" She asked suddenly, eyebrows still raised slightly, her lips twitching at the Co-Master actions. "Because... You know. I wasn't actually trying to get anything in particular out of you earlier. You realise I'd have settled quite happily for a kiss?" The blonde made a funny noise, like that of someone who was still trying to restrain their laughter, before she padded over to him, placing a stray container back into the picnic basket. She stared at him a second, then snorted and walked back to where she'd left her towel. Well. He was trying so hard. He probably deserved something out of it.

It was only when she walked back to him that she started laughing outright, unable to really keep a straight face at the Co-Master's continued exaggerations. "Well." She started, glancing skyward, trying and failing to stop herself seeming so amused. "We should probably get out of this potential rain, then, right?... Go and find something entertaining to do." She managed most of the sentence in a rather serious tone, before it broke off into laughter as the young woman threw the towel she carried over her boyfriends head; Managing to give him a quick waisthug before heading towards their van.

~~~

Ugh. If he said one more thing...

Penelope sighed, the sound a mere wisp of air slipping past her lips as she pressed her head against the cool glass of the van window. "It was a sarcastic comment." She replied, her tone of voice that of someone who was speaking to a rather young child. There was quite a it more the black-haired girl would have liked to say to Paul... But there was no point making the tension in the vehicle anymore obvious than it already was. And quite frankly, such feelings would probably just marr their mission, and that they couldn't afford.

Sighing quietly again, she looked over her shoulder when the split-haired man started talking again, her expression mirroring his. "I was talking about people from the Circus, you dolt. Unless you'd prefer to go head to head with quite a number of powerful people who are trying to get their friends back." She inhaled slowly and delibrately, before turning her gaze back to the seat in front of her; Pulling her legs up onto her seat and wrapping her arms around them.

She barely paid attention to the flying bit of plastic, instead just choosing to close her eyes for a moment. Paul was going on about his boredom again, at this point. "We've been in the van ten minutes. Be patient." She said, not bothering to open her eyes as she listened to David's inquiry. "Fang's realm." Was her only response. Seeing as that really was all she knew. Whether or not this place actually had a name probably didn't matter much anyway.

Opening her eyes, Penelope pressed her forehead against the glass again, making a point of keeping her eyes on the inside of the van door. It took her a moment to process Ava's words, and, glad to have someone else other than Paul to focus on, lifted her eyes to the older woman. "Maybe half an hour-ish?" She responded, glancing pointedly at the irritated male at the back of the van and directing her next words at him. "And considering it would have taken two or three hours or so on the road, it's quite an improvement."

She paused, then shrugged. "I think we'll be stopping a short way away from the Circus. We don't want them noticing us. And it would still be wise to watch them first. Although, we should probably aim to have our targets before morning. So that gives us most of the night to work with." She eventually turned back in her seat, returning to closing her eyes. They'd be there soon enough... Then the real fun would begin.

~~~

"Exactly. The confusion would be a constant thing. Considering we live so close together." Zyano laughed, grinning openly at the pyro. He flicked his tail a little, turning his attention to his mate as she addressed him; Ears pointed forward. "Tylia and Kylain?" He repeated, getting a mild taste of the names of his tongue. He had to admit, he liked the sound of both... And seeing as though he'd had no ideas himself initially he had no real cause to argue with the female's choices.

"I think those are amazing." He concluded, allowing his tongue to wag. He gave both his new son and daughter a quick lick on the head, then nosed at Kioko. "We appreciate your input." He said sincerely, poking her on the cheek with his rather wet nose before leaping up onto the bed and stretching himself out; Managing to flop onto his side in the process. He still managed to keep his amber eyes on the room, however.

((Wow I can't post for him at all. xD))

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((OKAY. Time skip. Sort of.))

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Half an hour later, as Penelope had originally deduced, the van the group rode in eventually left the dark recesses of Fang's world far behind, in favour of a rather spectacular sunset belonging to the real world. The vehicle appeared on what seemed to be some form of country lane, a lake quite a distance away was visible on their right hand side. There was another ten minutes of travel, before the vehicle eventually pulled over. Fang was the first to step out, having been sat near the front of the van; Pen close on his heels.

From here, both the lake and a village could be seen across a number of fields and small woodland areas; As well as what could only be the Circus, situated maybe a couple of mile away from the village. The entire area had an orange glow, caused by the rather spectacular sunset. Penelope spent a moment looking at the general area, trying to get a feel of how they could work this to their advantage.

"We should probably settle ourselves someplace in between?" She suggested, pointing to a rather large copse of trees situated quite far away from the lake, but generally between the Circus' location and the village. It was the only place really she could see where they'd be able to watch things for a while. Going by the fact that they had to do this at night, however, was going to make things a little more difficult, anyway.

~~~

Most of the day had gone by in a blur, at least for Raphael; Seeing as he had spent quite a bit of time holed up in his van, sorting out minor things for the shows once the Circus returned to normality. He had, however, pulled himself out of his van to take a short walk along the lake, once he'd noticed just how late it was in the day. It had been the sudden orange glow on his desk that had told him, pretty much. And he had figured there was probably no point continuing to work on Circus stuff. He really did get a little carried away, sometimes. Sure, he hadn't been in there ALL day, but a couple of hours of Circus work was more than enough during a so-called vacation.

Stretching his arms above his head, the tall, blonde Circus Master made his leisurely way across the shore of the rippling lake water; Donning white board shorts and a simple red shirt with a white tribal pattern over one shoulder. His wrists, usually bandaged, lacked the white garment to reveal the intricate black tattoos that resided there; His blonde hair lightly blowing over his eyes as he walked.

He paused for a second when he caught sight of Maya; Sat by the lake a little further up shore and seemingly interested in something she had in her hand. He approached with a wave, a smile on his features. "Hey." He greeted, pausing to glance out at the lake for a second before looking back at the blonde. "How long have you been here?"

Maya, who had returned the Ring-Master's smile with one of her own, returned to fastening the silver charm bracelet she had around her right ankle. "About ten minutes." She responded with a quiet laugh, succeeding with the silver charm and straightening out her legs on the sandy shore. "I haven't seen you around all day." She added, eyebrows raised slightly in the male's direction. She currently wore a v-necked black floaty beach top, one that gathered at the front of the neckline, just below the collarbone, in an elegant sort of styling. There were two little strings that tied at the back, and the sleeves were very short, barely covering the young woman's shoulders. This accompanied a pair of rather short white women's beach shorts and plain silver string sandals that she currently wasn't wearing.

"Ah... Yeah... Just dealing with Circus stuff."

"Circus stuff?... Isn't this supposed to be an excuse for a vacation?" Maya laughed, flicking a little bit of sand at the Ring-Master. The blonde male of which, pulled a face in response.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." He sighed, a little dramatically, before crossing his arms loosely over his chest and pouting slightly, eliciting a slight giggle from Maya. "Besides. I haven't been focusing on it too long.. Just the past hour, maybe." Or past couple of hours." He spent a minute looking around, before his expression became slightly confused. "Where is Dravius, anyway?... I was expecting him to be with you."

"He's in our van. Or he was not long ago." Maya replied, bringing up her leg to alter the bracelet she'd just placed on it slightly.

"Is he ill again?"

"What?... Oh, no. Nothing like that." The blonde waved him off, then crossed her legs, smiling slightly when Raphael flopped onto the sand next to her. "With any luck, he'll show up soon. I wanted to visit the village with him." She gestured towards the little settlement. "There's still enough time to see it today if he's okay with it." The blonde smiled, leaning back lightly on her hands. She'd idly reminded him about their earlier plans to see the place... And had even hit him in the face with a pillow on her way out of the van earlier. Although, she supposed there was no real reason for that. It had just seemed like a good idea at the time.

Raphael snorted, before leaning back on his elbows with a huff. "Well. Guess I'll just wait here with you for a bit, then. It's not like I have much else to do. Oh. By the way. I think your mother was looking for you earlier, she popped into my van asking for you."

"Ah, yeah. I know. She saw me a few minutes ago. It wasn't anything important... Just a general conversation. I think she's just taken Angel to go and see Nylat's pups now, though." Maya paused, then laughed. "They're so adorable, Raph. Like... Little mini handbag sized Nylat's. Have you had a chance to see them yet?"

"Ah... And no, I haven't. Not quite yet, anyway." Raphael stared skyward, his face amused as he let loose a quiet laugh. "I suppose I'll go and check in on her a little later." He threw the blonde woman a quick grin, then glanced fleetingly over his shoulder towards the general direction of Nylat's van. My gosh. He certainly had been paying attention to very little today.

~~~

Lucia had spent most of the day, naturally, looking after Angel, which in truth she didn't mind at all. Afterall, she didn't often have such opportunities with her granddaughter, and she was making the most of it. Having just a couple of minutes speaking with her daughter, she had finally given in the compulsion of wanting to go and see Nylat's pups, which she had held off on simply because she felt that maybe the new mother had enough visitors today.

Slipping between the vans, a giggling Angel situated in her arms, the older blonde woman paused outside the hybrid's door, before knocking on it quietly. She certainly wasn;t one for walking in without an invitation, and simply stood, trying to wrestle her granddaughters little hands away from her face, awaiting an answer.

((Okay... I officially have died. xD))

Nylat had been dozing slightly when the knock at the door jerked her back into consiousness. She flicked her ears, muttering softly. "Come in~" She flicked her tail around Tylia and Kylain, a habit she'd gotten into. Tylia and Kylain~such beautiful names. They flowed nicely, and she hoped her pups would live up to those names and be strong, brave souls. Just like the original holders of the names. She nudged them slightly, her muzzle still slightly bloody from when she'd eaten the rabbit and not taken the time to clean herself properly. She decided that with another guest, she might as well get to that. She licked her paw, scrubbing at her muzzle.

"It is not in my nature to be patient. Rich, yes. A bit spoiled, definitely." Paul had his elbow bent, the top half of his arm pressed against his side and his wrist limp near his head. "But patient, nooooo." Paul had assumed an expression of smug indifference, his eyes hooded. "And I do enjoy shortcuts, but a shortercut would suit as well."

Paul sniffed, then added, patting Fang once on the shoulder before yanking his hand away, as one would with a dangerous animal. "And I really do appreciate your whole...hell...gate...thing, big guy." Then the young man followed up with something that sounded like "Eh heh heh."

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In the half hour that they had been in the car, Paul had fallen asleep with his forehead pressed against the window of the vehicle, his earphones still in his ears, and leaking an upbeat pop song into the rest of the seats. That quickly changed once the van transitioned from hell to a very bumpy road. He jerked awake with a "Nyehhh!" and blinked a few times quickly.

Paul blinked once more, closing his eyes for a few seconds. His hair had been removed from it's carefully touseled state, into looking just a little bit messy. "Oh goody gumdrops, we're here. AND. I have brought the perfect thing for operating at night." Paul cleared his throat, then pulled out a rather conspicuous pair of night vision goggles, and wiggled them with a huge smile on his face.

"See, I don't have freakish night vision. I could only find three pairs on the internet with one day shipping, so there should be some rock paper scissors action or something. I have cards if you wanna settle it that way." Paul shrugged, then dug two more pairs of goggles out of his backpack. "They even have a little binocular function." The young man seemed pleased with himself as he wiggled the goggles a bit more, his eyebrows raised.

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Dravius had flailed around for a few moments when the towel had hit his head, smiling hugely under it, before tugging it off his head to reveal tousled, still damp hair. He was smiling crookedly at his girlfriend, and collected his things to follow her, the basket over his arm. Rainy days were always good for indoor entertainment.

And entertainment was what happened.

And there were cards, too. Dravius had always known he was great at cards. Although he really didn't know many card games, he had learned a fair bit of Gin Rummy, which was always nice.

The Co-Master had eventually passed out in the large bed in the van next to Maya, and although he ended up dropping off the sleep after the young woman, he was so rudely awakened by a pillow to the face, rolling out of the bed to fall flat on his face. He groaned softly, rolling onto his side to squint at the ceiling. "Okay. I'll be there in a whiiiiile." He moaned, sitting up and running his hands through his hair.

Dravius threw on a bright blue t-shirt with a rather odd image of a long-necked dinosaur painted like a giraffe trying sadly to board a large boat. The words "Nice try, dinosaur!" were written across the back in a rather mocking font. He yawned and pulled on a pair of equally blue bermuda shorts, with white pinstripes running up them.

The Co-Master yawned a last time and grabbed a grey messenger bag, tossing a wallet inside of it and leaving the van with a pair of deckshoes in hand. He swiftly wove through a series of vans to the beach, nudging Maya's side with his foot, and smiled at her. "Hello~" Dravius greeted in a sing-song voice, tilting his head and sat down just behind the two who were already there. "Hay-ho, Raffy."

Ava tapped her manicured nails against the dashboard as she listened to Penelope's words. Another half hour? Still longer than she would have preferred to spend in a vehicle with Paul, even though Fang's ability had shortened it greatly. She glanced at the silent man in the mirror, slightly surprised as Paul managed to touch him and come away unharmed. She would have expected for Fang to at least maim him slightly for the unwanted contact. Or perhaps that was simply wishful thinking on her part.

-----

The scientist had decided to pass the time in the van by running various experiments through her head, and deciding on the different order in which to perform them on the new subjects after capturing and bringing them back to the center. Not that it was necessary of course, they would likely adjust it after running tests on each individual, but it gave her something to do while they traveled besides focus on the unsettling sight outside the van.

Once they finally left the darkness and stopped within sight of the circus and the small village, Ava stepped out of the van and promptly pulled a cigarette from her case, lighting it before joining Penelope in scouting out the area. She twisted her face at the thought of traipsing about in the woods, especially as the daylight was fading, but acknowledged the young woman's suggestion with a short nod. "Seems the best place for what we need to do," the silver haired scientist said decisively.

She gave Paul a flat sort of stare as he pulled out the binoculars and began rambling on. "We can decide on that later. After we have observed them and decided on a course of action."

-----

Lucia had had her eyes focused on the somewhat spectacular sunset when the drowsy voice from within Nylat's van caught her attention. She sincerely hoped she hadn't woken the poor hybrid; Knowing from experience how tiring keeping an eye on a newborn can be. And she had two of them.

Gently prising her hand away from her grand-daughter, who had somehow managed to get a hold of it and had been grappling with it, she pressed it gently against the door to Nylat's van, noting that it had already been slightly open; Perhaps from earlier visitors. The woman then stepped into the dim space, a smile touching her lips at the sight of Nylat, currently cleaning her muzzle, and the two somewhat shapeless furballs next to her.

"Oh, they're beautiful." The blonde murmured, shifting Angel in her arms. The baby had amused herself with her grandmothers shirt; Up until she caught sight of the pups. It was around this point she had gone simply to staring at the two little animals, as Lucia gently lowered herself onto her knees, sitting back on her lower legs.

"I'm sorry if I woke you, Nylat." She started with a gentle smile, gently placing Angel on her lap and keeping a firm hold around the little girl's waist as she started gurgling and reaching towards the new mother. "I can always come another time, if you'd like?... I wasn't sure whether or not you'd had enough of visitors today."

~~~

Raphael and Maya's conversation had continued as the sun made it's sluggish way towards the many pointed tips of the huge woodland trees that lay far across the lake. The sky was a brilliant orange, although that was swiftly changing to a twilight purple; The colours blending in streaks across the vast space above them.

The Ring-Master, laid on his back with his hands behind his head, had gone to watching a few scudding clouds that glowed with the presence of the setting sun, seemingly lost in thought. He eventually pushed himself into a sitting position, stretching out his arms just as Dravius arrived. Maya had been staring at the distant horizon; Only moving to return the Co-Master's foot nudge with gentle hit to his leg, smiling at him.

"Why, hello." Raphael replied as Dravius flopped into the sand just a little way behind him. "Good day?" He asked blithely, noting the tall male's pleasant expression and tone of voice. He chuckled lightly to himself, then promptly stood himself up, brushing the sand from his legs. "I should probably pay a visit to Nylat now." He mused, gently placing a hand on top of Dravius' head and leaning lightly on him; looking thoughtfully at nothing in particular. "Seeing as your mother's already there... There's little point in bothering her twice, right?... That, and I should do it before I forget."

Maya just smiled slightly. "Go ahead."

Raphael grinned in response, then moved his hand and gently hit Dravius in the head. "You should come see me tomorrow." He suggested. "We need to sort shifts and the like for when the Circus opens for business again. Not to mention choose our next location. We still have a couple of days here but it's nice to get that kind of thing sorted early. It'll save us rushing around at the last minute." The blonde paused, then smiled and shrugged. "I'll see you both a little later. Enjoy yourselves." With that said, the Ring-Master patted his best friend on the head, before turning and heading back towards the vans.

The butterfly winged young woman watched his leaving, her head resting on one hand while she waved with the other. She then turned her gaze to Dravius, her lips twitching somewhat. "Did you actually fall asleep?" She asked, doing a rather splendid job of trying to keep her laughter in check. "I hadn't realised I'd bored you silly. I do apologise."

Laughing a little, Maya flicked a bit of sand at the Co-Master, before standing herself up and taking the three steps that seperated her from him. Crouching, the young woman gently took her boyfriends face between both hands, and planted a somewhat deep and lingering sort of kiss on his lips. After a moment or two, she then promptly stood and skipped out of his way, being sure to mess up his hair on the way, before smiling down at him. "Do you still want to go have a look around?" She asked, looking over at the village. "We still have time if you're up for it. Unless you're still just a little too tired." She laughed.

~~~

Penelope had had her eyes focused on the distant group of vans that made up the Majikus, trying in vain to ignore Pauls' grating voice. She threw a single glance at him over her shoulder, before turning her gae back to where it had previously been occupated. She chose to ignore him for the time being, only moving her eyes again when she heard Ava speak.

Nodding slightly in agreement, she started walking towards the copse of trees that stood some distancee back from the lake, somewhere between the quiant little village and the freak infestation. Who knows... Maybe they'd be done before it even got dark, depending on how their luck went.

The walk to the trees was short and uneventful, and the dark haired girl paused next to a rather large oak to observe her surroundings. Despite being so far away, it was pretty easy to see the vans and even the people, seeing as they were currently located by the lake shore, out in the open. It would be far, far harder for anyone to stop Pen and the group, considering the sunset cast dark shadows under the trees in which they resided.

Fang, who had sidled up beside Penelope, looked directly at the girl; Seemingly awaiting some sort of signal. Penelope looked back at him, then after a moment, murmered a quiet "All right". She then proceeded to watch as what could only be described as a smoky cloak of shadows engulfed the tall, silent man, before promptly melting into the earth, taking the being with it. The shadow that was left seemed to swirl in the ground, before darting between the shadows of the trees, heading in the immediate direction of the Circus.

"... Or we could just wait for Fang to report back. Of course... We can still keep our eyes open." The girl suggested, smiling in a slightly sadastic way as she turned her gaze to the setting sun.

Ava flipped open the glove box of the van and searched through the various items inside, pulling out a small leather case with a zipper along the side. She unzipped and flipped it open, revealing several small, single use syringes held in place with elastic loops on one side. Holding the case splayed open in one hand, the silver haired scientist methodically pulled each needle out of its holding and held it up in front of the small inside light of the van, checking the fluid level inside each one before replacing it and moving on to the next. Satisfied with her inspection, Ava placed the last one back in the case and zipped it closed.

Picking up her smoking cigarette from where she had rested it on the hood of the van, Ava slipped the case into her pants pocket and walked along with the others into the tree line. She stood a few feet awat from Penelope, watching with the younger woman as Fang slipped away in the direction of the circus. "I do hope it won't take him too long," Ava drawled. "You know the longer it takes him, the more likely Paul will take off and attempt to find his target on his own. As well as David." She dropped one hand to her side, tapping the case through her pocket. "I don't trust those two to safely incapacitate their targets on their own. I want these freaks in as pristine condition as possible when we take them back. And you're aware of how Paul gets when he's excited."

-----

Kioko tossed a small fireball into the air and caught it with one hand, smiling as she walked around the lakeshore. After spending a few more minutes chatting with Nylat and Zyano, and fawning over the newly named Tylia and Kylain, she'd decided to give the happy family some time alone and had taken off. Without much else to do, the pyro had decide to go ahead and take advantage of the nearby lake and take a walk around its shoreline.

Creating another fireball, this one blue instead of the normal orange of the first, Kioko took turns tossing them into the air and catching them while she strolled. She added a third, green ball of flame and began to juggle them. After a couple of minutes the white haired girl grew bored and allowed the flames to sputter out and die, stuffing her hands in the pocket of her over-sized hoodie. Bored of playing with fire, but not ready to go back to the camp yet, Kioko found a patch of grass not far from the shore and sprawled out on her back, tucking her hands under her head as she stared up at the rapidly darkening sky. She'd walked a bit farther from the circus than she'd planned, but since she could still see the edge of the encampment through the trees, she wasn't that worried. It wasn't as though she couldn't defend herself, anyway.

Oh my god. You posted fast.

O_O!

That's twice in like... Three days? xD *Impressed*

Paul had dragged his feet following the others out of the car, his headphones slung over his shoulder and his cardigan buttoned tightly against the slight chill now that the sun had gone down. While walking, he played around with the brightness on his touchscreen phone, dialing it all the way up to a blinding glare, then scaling it down to a dull glow, before turning it off completely.

The young man sighed and slipped the rectangle of metal into his cardigan pocket, which made it sag slightly, and in turn bothered him enough to take it out again and place it in his bag. Sighing through his nose, he waved sarcastically at the retreating shadow that was Fang. "Oh yeah, big guy, go ahead. Have fun haunting people or whatever."

Paul snorted and dug a wrapped chocolate out of his bag popping it into his mouth and chewing through the bits of toffee imbedded in it. "Unless Fang has somehow become a young adult woman wearing a HIDEOUS sweatshirt, I'd say there's someone wandering around. And ALSO unless they have like....tiny flamethrowers, I'd say they're a little special." Paul sniffed slightly and gestured to the distant figure, eating more chocolate.

"See? Wonder if Fang's over there. Can I have her if he's not?" Paul stood up, rolling his neck from side to side to crack it. "I have some lovely rope braided with metal fibers." The young man smiled and unsettling smile, his eyes narrowed at the far away shape.

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Dravius snorted in response to being leaned on, rolling his eyes at his friend. He stayed briefly silent as Raphael stated his intentions, then moved his head away as he was softly smacked on the top of it. "Yeah, I'll drop by when we get back. I know a nice town that we're relatively near to right now, actually. Friendly people, too."

The Co-Master waved a hand at Raphael's patting, then offered a wave in goodbye as well. "I may have. But it's not as if you're boring." Dravius smiled and wrapped and arm around her shoulder, nuzzling her for a second.

When sand was flicked at him, he leaned away with a slight chuckle and shook his head, running his hands through his hair. Tilting his head up, he was deeply surprised at the rather passionate kiss that dropped down onto his face. "No, if anything this woke me up pretty well." Dravius got the his feet and brushed the sand off of himself, smiling hugely.

"Sounds like a plan. There's a lot of those cool food carts for sweets, so we can get something to sit and eat, yeah?" Dravius took Maya's hand and set off towards the town, the silver band on his finger even colder than his skin against Maya's.

"Oh, well. Glad I could provide that service at least." Maya laughed, stepping back a little as her boyfriend pushed himself to his feet. She nodded at his suggestion, smiling still when he took her hand and started off towards the village, and managing to get a hold of her sandals before he did so. "You know." She started, poking Dravius in the side. "It'd probably be a good idea if you didn't eat those sweets, though. Or at least in moderation. For one, I know what you're like with sugar. And I'd rather not have you bouncing off the walls all night." She giggled.

The blonde moved her hand from Dravius' long enough to bury her way under his arm, wrapping one of hers around his waist as they walked, still holding onto her sandals with her spare hand; And nuzzling her cheek against the side of the tall males chest. She walked silently for a while, digging her toes into the sand every few steps.

"You know." The blonde said suddenly, smiling up at the Co-Master. "My mom thought it'd be a good idea to buy Angel some finger paints today. Something she got into her head about possibly having her father's talent." She laughed. "I'm telling you now. If our daughter is going to start flinging paint around, she's doing it in your old van."

~~~

Penelope watched Fang's fleeting shadow with mild interest, idly noting the slowly creeping growth of the shadows that belonged to the huge oaks that surrounded them. The sun was well on it's way to sinking beyond the horizon, everything within the surrounding area taking on a darker, slightly more sinister quality.

Glancing over her shoulder, the girl watched passively as Ava inspected her collection of sedation needles, watching the older woman approach with an expressionless face. She turned her gaze back towards the Circus encampment down by the lake as the silver haired being spoke.

"Mhm." Penelope quietly agreed. "I don't think he'll be long. He can move around without detection. It won't be an issue." She paused, then snorted quietly. "Indeed. We will probably need to keep those two in check. The last thing we need is them running off and making the whole thing more difficult."

The girl slipped into silence again, then looked over towards Paul. She stared at him a moment before following his gaze to the far distant figure. Flamethrowers?... She supposed it was possible that that person was someone from the Circus, she supposed. Pen remained silent for a moment, then exhaled through her nose. "I suppose. So long as she is one of those out of our choice group. If not. Leave it. If it is... Don't overdo it. The last thing we need is you making a careless mistake."

She paused. It probably would have been a good idea to send someone with him, but at that moment she caught sight of something else; And, by the fading light of the setting sun, she quite easily identified two of the people who had also been in their select group. The dark nature of one and stunning wings of the other were not hard to mistake. Watching in silence as they made their way across the lake shore, Penelope spoke, not faltering in the direction of her gaze.

"We were seated here to watch." She mused, speaking to Ava. "But we may be able to finish this more quickly than we thought. I believe an opportunity has just presented itself." She smiled, a small, dark smile, similar to the one that had marred her innocent features previously. "I think... We should make the most of it." She murmured, stepping lightly out of the trees and heading towards the two moving figures.

~~~

It had taken mere seconds for Fang to reach the Circus, and only a few minutes to grasp the general layout of the area. He flitted constantly between shadows, being directly under people's view without them actually even knowing he was there. The tall, dark being had even delved into a number of vans, slipping under the gaps in the doors, and slipping through shadows that fell through windows.

Comunicating with Penelope alerted him to the possible movements of her and Ava; As well as Paul's idea to deal with another possible target alone. Very well. If that was the case... He may as well help himself. Afterall, once one member went missing, they'd be working to an incredibly short time. The longer they took, the higher the risk.

Slipping back the way he had come, Fang decided to take matters into his own hands. It would be plenty easy to get a hold of one of these freaks without any problem; And the next five minutes were spent simply looking for those who bore a resemblance to the photos James had pressed on them earlier that day.

Surprisingly, it took a very short amount of time, as the silent male had slipped into what seemed to be a deserted van; Only to find it occupied by a child. He almost immediately recognised it as the little blue skinned baby that had been seen in one of the family images. Sliding out of the shadow he had occupied, his dark, smudged shape spread across the ceiling, pausing above the little boy's cot, looking very much like a lone shadow, stark against the dim light of the van. His parents obviously were elsewhere, probably assuming that their son was perfectly safe while here in the grounds... Too bad they hadn't expected him.

Sliding across the ceiling, Fang then settled himself within a nearby shadow. He would await Penelope's updates. It would, afterall, be unwise to make a move now. If the child's parents should show up before the others had completed their collections, it would cause many a problem. And that was something they could certainly do without.

Nylat smiled at the praise of her pups, lowering her paw. For the most part, the blood was clean, so she had no issue with her appearance anymore. "They are..." Her voice was soft, and as she glanced at Angel, she couldn't help but smile at the girl's facination with the two pups. "And no, you didn't wake me. I can't bring myself to sleep right now anyways. Natural paranoia has skyrocketed." When Angel started reaching for her, she carefully half-stood, keeping her tail around her pups, and gently licked Angel's forehead. "And how have you been, little one? Getting into much trouble?"

~~

David, once they'd arrived, had followed them to the sand of trees, but somewhat unwillingly. He wanted to go find his hybrid, but it was still too light. He couldn't exactly slink around. And he had absolutely NO idea where to start. So, deciding upon the smartest idea, he made himself comfortable as Fang set out. Maybe he'd find something the scientist could use. Now, he'd settled himself a little bit aways from the other three, but he did notice when Paul left, as well as when the last two left, though he didn't know their reasons. But Fang would return to Penelope. So...there was no use in him staying around here. He patted his pocket, making sure his ever-present tranquilizer was there (because a mad scientist bound and determined to reclaim his greatest work is GOING to have SOME way to retrieve it when it's found. Not to mention, it'd take alot more than a normal tranq to take down Ny. >.>), and set off when he was sure that it was. Now, he wasn't going to try and take on his hybrid face-to-face. No, he'd likely end up dead. But he was going to at least get an idea as to where she was~

((Good?))

Ava glanced in the direction Paul was looking, catching sight of the multi-colored flames before they were extinguished. "Do it if you want. Just make sure you're quick about it. Remember though, I want these subjects alive. And, I know you enjoy playing around, but don't let her scream or otherwise alert the rest of the sideshow." The scientist briefly considered offerring him one of the syringes of sedative to make his job easier, but dismissed the idea rather quickly. Knowing Paul, he'd just make some lame insult and refuse it. Just as well anyways. He had his favorite toys, and Ava had hers.

She slipped one of the syringes out of the leather case, and hid it up the sleeve of her blouse before following Penelope as the girl stalked after the couple. She overtook the dark eyed child quickly, but waited until the pair had put the encampment some distance behind them before engaging them.

"Excuse me," she said, stepping quite close to them. With one hand, she twisted the cap off of the syringe, while placing the other on the male's bare arm. At the point where her skin came in contact with his, black tendrils began to spread out against his skin, fading as they got further away from her hand. The skin directly under Ava's palm began to redden as the acidic nature of the poison took its toll. She allowed the uncapped syringe to slide downward, so that it was now being held between her fingers. "May I have a moment of your time?"

Dravius had been walking along peacefully, and smiled hugely at the vision of his daughter covered in paint. "I don't doubt that she has talent, but I feel like more of the paint would either end up on her or in her stomach than on the poor paper." He chuckled slightly, looking towards Maya as he strode forward.

"And don't worry. I'll take it easy." The Co-master snorted, rolling his eyes slightly at the teasing. "We can definitely pick up some paints for her, though. There's a children's store that looks nice in town." He shrugged and pecked Maya on the cheek, before he jumped slightly at the fact that there was now a strange person touching his arm.

"Wha-" Dravius blinked a few times and stared at the woman, looking slightly confused. "A mom-I suppose there's no reason you c-can't." The Co-Master suddenly felt just a little bit disoriented, and his shook his head trying to rid himself of the feeling. He brought his gaze to the point where the severe-looking woman was touching him.

His skin didn't usually do that, and the skin around her hand was looking more irritated by the second. "What did you just do?" Dravius' eyebrows furrowed for a moment, then he jerked his arm away, stepped in front of Maya to serve as sort of a human shield, and shoved Ava back with the arm not currently covered in black tendrils. His hands had formed into fists as he stood there, and he looked increasingly irritated.

Dravius' gaze was then drawn to the young woman behind the one who had touched him, who looked just as suspicious. "Wh-what's going on here?" He demanded, feeling more and more woozy as time went on.

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

Paul had tilted his head to look at Penelope as she talked to him, smiling hugely as the outcome to him just seemed to be "OH HO OKAY PAUL." He coughed to clear his throat and dug around inside of his bag to produce a rope that glinted with metal strands in the slowly lessening light.

"I am always careful, Penny, dear." He smirked, then added, "James did tell me that as long as she was alive, I could do what I want." Paul's grin only became more unsettling as he continued down out of the trees, cracking all of his knuckles in quick succession.

The young woman had just....laid down in the field, which made it a little bit easy for Paul to sneak up on her. He managed to move almost silently through the soft grass, two bits of rope in one of his hands. It only took a few seconds for him to settle one foot on the young woman's wrist and lean down hard enough to cause pain, but just off of breaking it, grab her hair with one hand, and pull her up with his other hand clapped over her mouth.

"Hello there, madam. I can't help but notice you're all the way out here by your lonesome. Poor thing." Paul still had his fingers entwined in the young woman's hair, twisting and pulling enough to hurt quite a bit. "Now, we're going to walk into those pretty little trees, and I won't have to gut you, yeah?" The entire time, Paul had peaning his head over Kioko's shoulder, and his smiling mouth was right next to the younger's ear, speaking in a soft, charming tone of voice.

Disera hopped down from her perch on the van roof, shaking out her wings before shifting from her raven form and into her true form. She'd put Leo to bed a short while ago, and had decided to watch the sunset from the roof for a few minutes while she waited on Kanec to return home. But, with the light fading quickly and no sign of the other shifter, she'd decided to wait for him in the van, in case Lionel woke up.

She'd barely stepped over the threshold when a sense of uneasiness came over her, so strong that the shifter hurried over to Lionel's cot to check on the toddler. Gently pulling the small blanket off o keep from waking him, Disera looked over her son, relieved to see he was fine, although the feeling of being watched didn't seem to abate. Tucking the blanket back around him, the blue skinned woman turned around slowly in a circle, trying to spot anything in the van that would be out of place.

After a few fruitless minutes, Disera finally gave up her inspection of the van. Sighing deeply, she shoved one hand into her hair, rubbing at her scalp near the base of her antlers. "You've finally lost it, Di," she said out loud. "You're jumping at shadows now." Walking over to the door, she glanced around outside before pulling it shut. Tossing a few of Leo's toys out of the way, she sat down in a chair and pulled her feet up in the seat. Wrapping her tails around herself, Disera propped her head on her knees and waited for Kanec to return.

-----

Kioko had been on the verge of falling asleep when a painful pressure on her wrist caused her to snap back to full awakefulness, just in time for her attacker to grab ahold of her hair and clamp his remaining hand down on her mouth before she could scream. The confused pyro barely had time to think "Great, kidnapped again," before reality sank in, along with the appropriate amount of fear and terror.

The white haired teen whimpered when her hair was pulled roughly, but it was the words her abductor spoke into her ear that caused her to be truly afraid. She allowed herself to be pulled into the woods, wondering if it would make things better or worse if she were to try and set this creep's weird looking hair on fire.

-----

Ava allowed the tall man to shove her away and step in front of the short, blonde woman. Her poison was already doing its job, anyway, going by the hand-shaped burn mark on his arm and his obvious disorientation. Taking a second to straighten her blouse where he had wrinkled it, Ava spoke in an almost bored tone. "My associates and I are here to collect specimens such as yourself for our research," she answered him. "Now, if you'll come back with us willingly, we can hurry this along and perhaps I will even administer the antidote to my poison that's currently seeping through your veins. However, if you insist on being difficult, well." The silver haired woman held up the syringe in her free hand, a maniacal glint entering her eyes. "My partner and I have experience dealing with reluctant research subjects."

"Oh, good... I was worried I might have been intruding." Lucia let loose a small, quiet sigh; Still idly wrestling with her grand-daughter, the little girl of which was getting increasingly irritated by the fact her arms just weren't long enough to touch one of those little fuzzballs over there. Or the big fuzzball. The big fuzzball was good too.

"And that's not all that surprising," The blonde added with a quiet laugh. "You do tend to get a little paranoid when you've got young ones around. Especially at their age." She smiled, wrapping her own arms around the squirming Angel and looking at the pups. They really were adorable.

Still smiling somewhat, Lucia had to lean back a little when Nylat pulled herself up to lick Angel on the forehead; Which led to a whole lot of excited squealing on the little girl's part, her little hands immediately exploring the hybrid's muzzle. Her grandmother had managed to ease her into a position where she was stood on her lap, balancing herself mostly using Nylat's nose while Lucia held her lightly around the waist.

"Ba," Angel exclaimed, touching the hybrid's wet nose with a serious face.

"I suppose you could say that." Lucia laughed in response to the new mother's words, speaking with a fond tone of voice. "She's been pretty restless all day. She's as excitable as Maya used to be at this age." The blonde paused, then smiled. "How are you finding motherhood, anyway?... Besides this sudden jump in paranoia." She laughed.

It was about then another knock at the door caused Lucia to glance over, just as Raphael slipped in through the doorway. He paused, then grinned openly at the sight of Nylat's pups. "I hope you don't mind my intrusion." He stated, waving at Lucia, before raising an eyebrow at Nylat. He gently lowered himself into a crouch, looking with interest and a knowing smile at the pups. "Well, well... Congratulations are in order." He laughed. "I'm sorry for not coming to see you earlier, Ny. You know what I'm like with my time." The tall male pulled a face, then smiled over at Lucia and Angel. He eventually turned his gaze back to Nylat's pups, watching them with an amused expression. "These two are highly likely to cause some problems for you when they're older, you realise." He laughed, very gently stroking the slightly bigger pup on the nose and winking at Nylat. "If, of course, they turn out anything like you used to be."

~~~

"I'd have to agree with you there." Maya murmered, snorting quietly at the shared mental image of her daughter covered in paint. "I think you missed out everything else, though." She laughed. "I'm pretty certain that the paper would be the ONLY thing she didn't get paint all over."

The blonde went to watching the sand idly as she walked, laughing again. "All right. If we must. I still say we keep it to your old van, though. As least then the mess won't make too much of a difference." She teased, smiling at her boyfriend when he kissed her on the cheek.

She had gone back to watching the sand with an idle smile, and, having been on Dravius' other side when the somewhat sinister woman had shown up; Hadn't really noticed much until the Co-master had originally reacted to her presence. Pulling her gaze away from the shoreline, she managed to focus her eyes on the stranger, throwing a somewhat alarmed glance at the sudden change in Dravius' tone of voice. "Dravius, what-" She started, taking a quick step back when Dravius moved suddenly, frowning heavily at his back. She then maneuvered herself so that she was still stood behind him; But now had a view of the two had seemingly emerged from nowhere.

She really didn't like this at all. The two strangers would probably have come across as sinister to anyone... But that, coupled with Dravius' sudden peculiar affliction made her feel more uneasy about the whole thing. The Co-Master's spoken question had almost instantly pulled his girlfriend's attention to the damage on his arm; Which really only served to increase her fear tenfold, not so much for her own safety, but for his.

The tendrils gave the impression of black veins, stark against the Co-Master's skin; And the blonde gently touched the affected area with the very tips of her fingers, the flaming skin giving off heat before she had even made contact. She quickly pulled her fingers away, muttering a concerned "Dravius..." under her breath. She remained this way for a few seconds, before her gaze flashed in the direction of the silver haired woman.

"Poison?" She asked suddenly, her breath catching in her throat. Oh no, no no. She glanced quickly back at the Co-Master's arms, her eyes almost seeming to see the sluggish movement of the poison so obviously spreading through his system. A quick glance back at the Circus grounds cut off any thought of escape. They were too far away, and even if they managed it... There was no guarantee for a cure for whatever this woman had done to him. It was far too much of a risk.

Reigning in her obvious alarm, Maya firmly grasped Dravius' hand, wrestling with the problem they had been presented with and all the while trying to contain her own fear. She hardly saw any other choice. If what this woman said was true, then the Co-Master was, as of now, in more danger than she was... She wouldn't forgive herself for passing up any chance to save him... But the sound of the alternative was just as bad if not worse. Besides... If they refused... Well. They were going to get taken anyway, probably with more injuries and in a much worse condition.

Maya felt a momentary relief at the thought that, thankfully... Angel was still with her mother; Though that hopeful thought refused to diminish the pain of trying to agree to this woman's demands willingly. Still...

The blonde remained quiet for a while... Then tightened her fingers around Dravius' hand, partly with determination, and partly with fear. "We... Have to go with them..." She murmered tonelessly, glancing at Dravius' face before looking back at his afflicted arm. Her expression was pretty hopeless, her gaze both angry and scared. She really didn't see any other choice, or any other way out of this. And as of right now... Dravius was her only priority. It didn't matter whether or not he didn't like the idea, or even refused.

Penelope, who had allowed Ava to pass her, had remained silent and watchful as the older woman made her approach. It was, she had to admit, very well done. By poisoning the man, she had effectively eliminated the more dangerous of the two; While creating a situation in which they couldn't really escape. The girl watched with idle interest, smiling slightly as the blonde seemingly agreed to their terms.

It was no wonder. Going by their reaction, they were obviously close. And that, Pen had realised, would probably make the whole thing easier. After all, people like this tended to worry more for the others safety, as the blonde had very well just proven. Heck. She might not even need to get involved. Of course, the only thing for her to do now, was inform Fang.

~~~

The shadowed male had remained where he rested, quite literally as a motionless shadow, like so many others within the van. Even with the arrival of, who he recognised to be the little blue kids mother, he remained unmoving, although he had to restrain a fleeting anger at the sight of her. Still. It seemed that it had been a wise move he had made earlier... After all, if he had taken the baby then... Right about now the Circus would probably be in an uproar.

Thinking through, the dark male deduced that it wouldn't be a problem to take both mother and child... Of course, as soon as this thought crossed his mind Penelope contacted him regarding her and Ava's moves. It would seem they already, going by the girl's update, had a number of freaks within their grasp. Three, if they and Paul were successful. Which meant there was little point taking both of these freaks here. Three to four freaks had been James' number; Not including David's hybrid.

He decided it was probably best to take only one of the two... Whichever, really... Although the baby was probably the better choice. The only issue now was waiting for a chance. Heck. Even if the mother just happened to drop off to sleep, no matter how light, would provide an easy opportunity to take the baby considering his ability. It was just a case of waiting.

Highlighting Penelope to his own movements, he then simply continued to watch. It didn't particularly matter so much about time, as the other freaks who had been targeted were older, and wouldn't be nearly as easily missed as a child. It still wouldn't be wise to wait too long, however.

The loud beating of wings was the fist sign of Kanec's return, followed closely by the actual appearance of the shifter, currently a red-brown dragon. From snout to tail tip, he was about ten feet, with a wingspan perhaps twice that. As he backwinged to land, he was careful not to disturb any of the vans around him, shifting back into his usual form almost as soon as he landed. Yawning, he entered his van, shifting into a cat and proceeding to leap from floor to arm to the back of the chair Disera was on and stepping lightly onto her shoulder. "I'm home," he purred. Twicthinghis whiskers, though, he frowned. "You seem a bit on-edge. What's wrong?" His ears flattened a bit.

~~

Ny shook her head. "No, you aren't intruding, don't worry." At Angel's excitement, she smiled. "I can tell. Maya really used to be this exciteable? Hard to imagine it, sometimes." She sighed. "I'm finding it tiring, that's for sure. And they aren't even running around yet. It must be the restless kind of tired." She shrugged. When Raphael joined them, she sighed softly. "No, no. You're fine." She smiled at his second comment. "Thank you, and it's fine. I understand." The hybrid laughed. "I'm aware. And what does that mean? I wasn't THAT much trouble." She looked back at her pup, careful not to let Angel fall. Kylain was sniffing at Raphael as he pet him, and growled. It was a tiny little growl, not at all menacing, and Nylat smiled at her son. "Well, he'll be trouble for sure."

~~

David, after a while, had returned to the copse of trees. He had no idea where his hybrid was, and trying to find her might result in him being discovered. And he didn't want that. It would ruin any chance of achieving his goal. So he just sat against a tree, thinking about how he could draw her out. If she had pups, then if he could get ahold of one of them, then he'd be set, but there was the possibility that she hadn't had them yet. And even still, he had no idea how he'd get his hands on one. She'd likely not leave them alone, and if he tried taking one with her there, he'd lose a hand. It seemed that asking Fang for help--no matter how much he scared the scientist--was the only option. It would be simpler than any other option. Even so, he continued pondering any other possibilities.

Ava snapped the plastic cap back onto the syringe with a flourish. She'd hypothesized that the two were likely a couple, considering they'd been so far off from the rest of the group by themselves. It was for that reason that she'd only attacked the man, instead of poisoning them both at once. Luckily she'd guessed right. Not only did it incapacitate the larger of the two targets, but it also ensured that the woman would go along with their demands without a fuss. People were so easy to manipulate when their loved ones where in danger.

"Thank you for making our work easier," the scientist told with a nasty smile. She snapped her fingers impatiently. "Now, come with me and this shall be over quickly. Penelope dear, follow behind them so they don't attempt anything foolish, like trying to escape or alert the other freaks at the circus. Feel free to hurry them along if they drag their feet." Setting off quickly, Ava headed back in the direction of the van without a backward glance at either of the three.

It took them less time to return to the van than it had to go after the pair, and once the four of them reached it Ava stepped around to the back and pulled out a large, black plastic case. Unsnapping the catches on the side, she opened it and pulled out a pair of plastic zip ties. "Alright. You, turn around and place your hands behind you," she ordered, gesturing to Dravius. "And you," Ava continued, throwing one of the ties to Maya. "will restrain his hands with that. And then I shall restrain yours, and the two of you will be placed in the van until my companions and I are prepared to take you back to our base." The silver haired woman's voice was cold and clinical as she ordered them about. "I suggest that neither of you resist or attempt to escape. I prefer my test subjects to be as whole as possible, and not all of my companions will be as accomodating as I have been."

-----

Disera relaxed slightly once Kanec entered the van, allowing herself to unwind and stretch out her legs. Sighing, she tilted her head to rub her cheek against his fur as he stepped onto her shoulder. "Mmm. Just a bad feeling," she said in response to his question. "I managed to spook myself when I came in here earlier," the shifter explained. "Silly really, but I just got the weirdest feeling of something being wrong when I came in to check on Lionel earlier." Disera shrugged with the shoulder not supporting Kanec. "Like I said, it's silly. It was just me and Leo in here, and I guess the quiet got to me. But anyway. Are you ready to go to bed?"

"Oh, she did." Lucia laughed, shifting Angel slightly so that the little girl stood more comfortably on her lap; Her little hands still pressed against Nylat's muzzle. "And maybe. She had to grow up quite a bit travelling with you lot." The blonde smiled, the expression shortly followed by a quiet chuckle as the hybrid continued.

"Most likely. I found that I tended to tire myself out by worrying when I was looking after Maya. The energetic tired came later, when she did start running around." Pulling the still giggling Angel lightly away from the hybrid, Lucia sat back slightly; Allowing her grand-daughter to sit herself somewhat haphazardly on one leg, the little girl looking around slightly confused. It took her about a second to refocus her gaze on Nylat's pups.

"Ba,"

Raphael, who had still been stroking Kylain, snorted quietly at Nylat. "Oh, no. I guess you weren''t at that. You managed to keep Dravius in control at any rate." He laughed. "Perhaps your pups will outdo you in that sense. In which case, you and Zyano are going to have a heck of a job keeping your eyes on these two."

At the bigger pups somewhat squeaky growl, the Ring-Master raised his eyebrows in slight surprise, before chuckling quietly. "Most likely." He agreed, giving Kylain one last stroke with a finger before pulling his arm to rest on one of his bent legs.

The conversation carried on between the three for a few more minutes, before Lucia eventually left holding a drooping Angel. Raphael followed shortly after, being sure to close the hybrid's van door behind him. What an amazing thing.

It was so peculiar... To think that not long ago he, and the other, older members of the Circus were still young; It certainly didn't feel like a lifetime ago. And now, well. Most of them had grown up, and even had families of their own. It was really rather miraculous, to think how things had changed; And yet, hadn't really changed that much at all. He shook his head, a small, indistinct smile on his face, before he turned and headed for his van, seemingly made cheerful by his visit to Nylat's home.

~~~

Patience. Thats what this required. And luckily, Fang had plenty of it. He had been more than prepared for this woman to get out of his way so that he was able to complete his task; And woud have done without complaint if not for the males sudden arrival.

Great. That's all he needed. Another one. Now catching all of them was out of the question.

Sure. He could probably accomplish it. But he was certain that six members were more than enough. James had specified three or four. It was probably still best to wait... Athough Fang was inwardly wondering whether or not he'd have better luck elsewhere. He could give it a little longer, though, he supposed.

Listening, the dark male watched with passing interest as the two spoke; The woman seemingly noting a presence in a very offhand way. It didnt particularly worry him. People always jumped at shadows... Whether or not there was anything remotely sinister concealed within them. In silence, he simply continued to watch, a flare of anticipation making itself known as the woman suggested an early night. Well. This may be over quicker than he'd have thought~

~~~

Ava was dealing with this very well, Penelope had to silently admit. It certainly was working out without much of an issue at any rate. She watched in silence as the scientist spoke to the two; Her arms crossed and her gaze steady. She was completely ready to intervene should Ava's words fail to work, which, going by the blonde's expression, it certainly wasn't.

The butterfly winged young woman had initially, due to Dravius' affliction, looked almost terrified of the situation, although the expression had become more of an outward glare in the scientist's direction as Ava had addressed them.
Of course her stupid work was easier, she hadn't exactly provided any room for them to maneuver. And there was little need to ask her little friend over there to watch them. It wasn't like she was going to run and leave Dravius here now, was it?

Inhlaing quietly through her nose, Maya stared at the younger girl for a moment, before she looked at Dravius. There was nothing else to do, she supposed. Sighing somewhat, the blonde took hold of her boyfriend's hand, and forlornly followed after the silver haired Ava; The dark haired younger girl following a distance behind with a steady look. It took a very short time to reach the van, and Maya stared at it a moment before pulling her gaze back to the woman in front.

She caught the thrown zip tie with a slightly puzzled look, before clenching her jaw and hissing inaudibly under her breath. Stupid woman. Like she just couldn't do this bit herself. No... She liked rubbing this in their faces, obviously. She did, however, pause at the woman's last words.

... There were others around here?... That didnt particularly bode well...

Taking a shaky breath, Maya stared a few seconds at the zip tie; Throwing a sorrowful look in the Co-Master's direction with a clear apology in her gaze. She then proceeded to do as Ava had instructed, keeping her gaze firmly set. Once done, the blonde gently pressed her forehead into Dravius' back for a moment, before pulling away and turning her gaze to the scientist. Any fear had been cleverly coated with a peculiar sort of irritation. The blonde obediently held both hands behind her, never once moving her gaze from the cold, calculating face of the woman who had put them here. Sure... She was still very much afraid. But the quicker they did this... The quicker she'd give Dravius the antidote he needed. That was all that really mattered.

Nylat yawned as her van once again became quiet. Coupled with her overwhelming exhaustion, the silence threatened to lure her into sleep. She pulled her pups close, wrapping her tail lightly around them, and was quickly asleep, likely to be about as responsive as a rock.

~~

David, meanwhile, had grown restless, and decided to once more try and find his hybrid. The chance of running into a member was much slimmer now, though still posssible. He shed his overlarge white lab coat, the bright color making him all the more noticeable. He shoved it under a small shrub, guessing that he likely wouldn't be able to retrieve it before they left. He had, of course, taken his tranquilizer out, as he was still counting on needing it. He kicked a few dead leavsz over the last visible parts of his labcoat, and started back for the Circus. He wandered from van shadow to van shadow, using them as cover, but he came across no one. Once, he thought he saw someone moving ahead, but many minutes of his staying still and watching proved them to be gone. All the while, he watched for any signs of his hybrid. Finally, he came across one with rabbit bones laying out front (as Ny had tossed them out some time during her conversation with her visitors), and the sides decorated in a way that was odd for even this place. Taking a gamble, he slowly opened the door--which was unlocked because Ny can't exactly lock/unlock doors--and breathed a sigh of relief that it did not creak. He stepped inside, as quiet as he could, and grinned madly when he saw her, his grin growing wider at the sight of the pups. Perfect.

He took a gamble, and carefully grabbed the two pups, making sure they were calm az he held them against his body, making sure they didn't fall.

Ny woke up when a foot nudged her side. Blinking drearily, she yawned, freezing in place when she realized her pups were not there. She glanced up at the man who'd woken her, her blood running cold at the sight of him. She wanted to call out, but there was something about the way he held the tip of that needle to Kylain that made her stay quiet. She narrowed her eyes, her ears laid back, and David only grinned more. As she stood, he shook his head. "No, no. Don't want to do anything drastic. Too much of this tranquilizer could kill him." She wanted so much to tear him limb from limb. But didn't. "Come quietly. Say nothing to anyone, and cooperate, and they won't be harmed." She said nothing, but a look at her pups, one whining the other growling, made her nod slowly. "Good."

He slowly led her from the grounds, her willingness o ly being of concern for her pups. She growled occasionally, but never too loud. David eventually got her far enough away from the grounds that he could speak without being heard. "Wonderful to have you back. Did you miss me?" She growled.

"I would never, you lying, cheating, sonofa--" He cut her off.

"Language, now. Watch it. There are children around"

She just growled. She waz ashamed of herself. One of the strongest in the Circus, and she waz reduced to complete weakness. Because she knew this man. She knew what he'd do to achieve his goals. David was silent the rest of the way to the van, and grinned widely as they arrived. "Well, well. I see you two were also successful. Didn't doubt you would be." Nylat saw Maya and Dravius and whined slightly, watching the ground, her head low and her tail between her legs. No....had she brought this upon them?

~~

Kanec nodded. Now that she mentioned it, something felt a bit off about the van. But he put it off as his imagination, nodding again. He leapt down, shifting back and sitting on the bed. "Aye. I'm beat." His ears twitched slightly, and he shuffled his wings, the only signs he was the slightest bit uneasy. But he passed it off, smiling slightly to try and assure Disera that it was fine.

Big post much? xD!

That is amazing. o_o
Also poor Ny. D;

You guys always have big posts. Why can't I?

Ava smirked in triumph as the short blonde woman went about restraining the taller male. "Well done. Most people would have at least put up a token protest, but, then again, most of them would also be more concerned with their own safety." The silver haired scientist stepped closer to the pair, dismissing the woman's glare as she double checked the male's bindings. Satisfied that his hands were properly bound, she turned her attention to the winged woman, quickly and ruthlessly pulling the zip tie tight around her wrists.

"Well, now that we've secured our subjects, I believe I should take care of the poison in the male's bloodstream before it reaches the final stages and kills him," Ava said to Penelope casually. Stepping around the pair, Ava pulled another small kit from the glove box of the van, this one consisting of only two small bottles and an empty needle, the first bottle full of a clear liquid, and the second containing a white powder. She extracted the liquid from the first with the needle, injecting it into the second to mix the two.

"It would be much easier if I could just bring the prepared solution along with me." Ava continued in a conversational tone as she shook the small bottle. The two substances swirled together, turning a sickly gray color. "However, the antidote tends to lose it's effectiveness when it's stored like that for long periods of time." Filling the syringe, she slid the needle under Dravius' skin near the large acid burn. The silver haired woman smirked nastily as she finished the injection. "Rather a pity for those afflicted subjects who were sacrificed to figure that out."

She was replacing the empty bottles and case inside the glove compartment when David appeared, bringing his hybrid and two small creatures along with it. "Well done to you as well," the scientist told him in repsonse to his greeting. "I had considered that your pet might be too difficult for you to capture without help... Glad to see you managed on your own." Stepping closer, Ave peered at the two small bundles of fur David was carrying. "And brought two bonus specimens back with you as well." The scientist got a considering look on her face, reaching out one manicured nail to prod the larger of the pups as she spoke again. "Tell me, David. I know you've been after the hybrid for years, but are you as attached to it's spawn? Could I perhaps, persuade you to part with one of them? For my research, of course."

-----

Disera returned Kanec's smile, although a bit weakly. "Well, bedtime then, I suppose." Stretching, Disera flipped off the main lights in the van, leaving just a small lamp on near Lionel's crib. She was tempted to just fall into bed beside Kanec, but didn't want to risk waking Lionel. Instead, she laid down on her side, making sure to fold her wings out of the way. "Night, Kanec," she said with a yawn.

At Ava's somewhat harsh words, Maya merely kept up her glare. It was obvious this freaking woman and her little friend over there already knew how to keep her in check. And probably Dravius also, because of the situation. Having the Co-Master poisoned and vulnerable gave the blonde no choice but to do what the silver haired woman wanted.

She watched the stern faced woman check on the Co-Master's tied hands, automatically flinching slightly from the scientists touch as she applied her own ties to Maya's hands. The blonde tried her utmost best not to make a single sound, despite the somewhat painful way in which the scientist applied the zip tie. She watched carefully when the scientist supplied Dravius with the antidote he so sorely needed, the relief that he was out of danger momentarily overriding the dull pain in her bound wrists.

Penelope had watched with her usual idle interest, stood sedately by the parked van, snorting quietly when Ava spoke to her. "That would be a wise idea." She responded, eyeing Dravius' afflicted arm. "Wouldnt want to lose that one, would you?" Smiling ever so slightly, the girl allowed the expression to drop after a few seconds, glancing off when she heard David's voice. She raised her eyebrows slightly at his arrival, watching his approach with a slightly visible increase in apprant interest. Well, well. Looked like he'd been successful. And without disrupting everyone else' plans to boot.

"Of course not." She replied quietly to the male scientists words, all the while updating the still absent Fang on their progress.

Maya had been looking somewhat passively at the new man as he appeared; Catching her breath when she caught sight of what he was carrying, and the hybrid that was following him. A sudden, stabbing horror hit her, realising almost exactly how Nylat, strong, powerful Nylat, had ended up here. It had been only a few minutes ago she had been silently thankful Angel hadn't been with her or Dravius... Obviously, Nylat hadnt had that luck. It must have been horrifying for her.

She looked at Nylat, sad and forlorn, before turning her gaze groundward. They really were stuck... And there was absoloutely no telling how much worse this was going to get.

((Sorry if this is crappy. xD My brain is tired today. I'll post for Fang in my next post.))

Dravius had been trying his hardest to stave off a growing sense of disequilibrium, closing his eyes for a second to try and gather himself. At Maya's touch, he turned his head to look at her, his eyebrows furrowed. Go with them? What? Why on earth was that a good idea. Blinking quickly in succession, Dravius relaxed his fists, only to clench them again. He could feel his heart rate in his temples, and had just complied with the taller woman's commands, his feet dragging slightly. Dravius had an idea that if he could feel any pain, he would be near crippled at this point.

As they entered the large van, Dravius had to stoop quite a bit to get through the door, and once inside, his eyes flashed with a near fury when a zip tie was chucked at Maya. If he didn't feel like his eyes were about to roll back in his head, he might've said something just a little harsh.

Slowly, he put both hands behind his back, leveling a burning glare at Ava, his good eye narrowed. At the plastic tightening around his wrists, he narrowed them even farther, his head following the poisonous woman as she swirled some stuff around then poked it into his arm. He exhaled through his nose slowly and deliberately as the woman stepped away.

Dravius' concentration was shattered as the door to the van opened again, with a nasty-looking man bearing Nylat's puppies, with the hybid herself following behind. The Co-master's eyes widened for a second then resumed their disgusted glare. Behind his back, Dravius had been pulling repeatedly on the zipties around his wrists, twisting his hands in a rather vain attempt to either stretch the zipties or cut them into his wrists far enough to leave room to slip a hand out.

"Alrighty here. I have a quiestion. Who the actual fuck are you people." Dravius snapped, giving the tie one last yank and feeling the hard plastic cut into his left hand hard enough to draw blood, his shoulder muscles bunched.

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

Leading the white-haired, slightly quivering woman backwards into the shadows of the trees, Paul's smile widened hugely, taking in a slightly shuddering breath, and saying, "Lookie-loo, I picked myself a good one, didn't I?" Giggling slightly, he added, "I can feel you trembling, darling girl."

With a harder yank, Paul twirled Kioko around and pushed her up against a tree, his face only inches from hers. Sticking a hand gently into the bag slung across his chest and brought out a wickedly curved knife, and a length of slightly glinting rope.

Paul's eyes were almost unnaturally bright, and he let go of Kioko's hair to quickly switch his grip to clasping both of the woman's wrists in his one right hand. He then tied a quick one handed knot, tighter than was strictly necessary. "Here's what's happening, my dear." Paul leaned in even closer, his face a hair's breadth away from Kioko's. "You're needed in a medical study. And they need you alive. They didn't say to what degree." He grinned a sharp smile, and pulled Kioko's large sweatshirt down far enough to run the shap edge of his knife over the ridge of her collarbone, drawing a thin line of blood. A chuckle rose out of Paul's chest, as he still held the white-haired woman's wrists in his hand.

Paul then slipped his knife away and said, "Let's make our merry little way to a van, yeah?" He headed off towards the van, drawing the long knife again and this time tracing a cut down one of Kioko's eyebrow, a thin line of red welling up. "This'll be a hell of a lot of fun." He laughed quietly again as they reached the van, smile never leaving his face.